#Lila is evil Adrien calling it now

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

Umm so I had a thought...

You know how Marinette and Gabriel are supposed to be foils, and there are clear mirrors in both their personalities and their ambitions. Except- you know, Gabriel is evil and power hungry and selfish, whereas Marinette is motivated by justice and is incredibly self-sacrificing.

What if Miraculous continues to draw this parallel between protagonist and antagonist, except this time not with Marinette... this time with Adrien?!

At first glance, there might be very little tying Lila (cerise?... for the sake of this post she is Lila) and Adrien together. But delving further there are actually quite a lot of parallels.

Adrien and Lila are both social chameleons who had been showcased by Gabriel to function as a figurehead for his company. They are both desperate to make friends and social connections at school (albeit for different reasons), have a preoccupation with Maribug, and both come from very mysterious/shady backgrounds. The main difference, again, between these characters is that Adrien acts with empathy and altruism, and Lila acts with maleficence and self-interest.

The Adrien and Lila parallel has actually been referenced a few times in the show, but what I find most interesting is the scene at the end of the episode "Ladybug" where Adrien makes his first threat to Lila.

This episode follows a pattern of nearly every Lila episode, where Lila does something and Marinette is powerless to act. And while it is shown in season 5 that Marinette does in fact manage to take Lila down, we as the audience are well aware that she is far from gone and will be coming back with new vengeance.

The thing is, prior to that season 5 episode, Adrien's threat is the first thing to actually work. Adrien understands Lila, by nature of his life I am sure, he is surrounded by Lila's all day. While we know that Adrien chooses to see the best in people and may take time to identify threats to himself and those he loves, once he does, he is well adept at handling manipulators. After all, he'd hardly be able to survive in his own home if he couldn't.

In seasons 1-5 it became clear that Ladybug, moreso that Chat Noir, was able to defeat Hawkmoth, because she understood the way he thought and was able to plan accordingly. Already in the London special, Ladybug was having trouble facing the new Hawkmoth. Notably, Chat Noir was not there.

I just wonder what the potential dynamic will be between Chat Noir and the New Hawkmoth and if in fact, they will be positioned as foils...

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

EVEN MORE SPOILERS FOR SEASON 6

I figured since I already read it, I'd give my thoughts on the recent interview Astruc and Thibaudeau took part in.

Due to incompatibility with the new animation engine, SAMG will not be working on the next seasons of ‘Miraculous’. The series is now being developed entirely in France, with the integration of Dwarf Animation.

Okay, props for no more outsourcing, even if I'm not sure what this means for the other ZAG shows.

Season 6 is considered to be “a new beginning”, aside from being a new story arc. It is sometimes referred to by the writers as Season 1.

I'm sure that isn't confusing to the executives at all. Also, maybe don't imply you're starting from scratch when you're already reusing the plot of the main villain using the Butterfly Miraculous.

The writing team already has concrete ideas for how Seasons 7, 8 and 9 will begin and end. They also have ambitions to make it to a Season 12, only if the support of viewers and executives allows them to do so. With this, they emphasize the fact that they would not continue with the show if it were no longer needed or interesting.

So basically, they're planning to keep this up for as long as they can until someone pulls the plug.

The opening of the sixth season is still undecided. They are still discussing whether they will change the musical arrangement or not. Thomas also considers the possibility of making a brand-new theme song. A song has been confirmed for S6. They have the music, the arrangement and a female singer. The character remains unknown.

Imagine how funny it would be if they brought back the woman who sang for Marinette in the movie instead of having Cristina Vee sing again.

Despite leaving Paris at the end of ‘Revolution’ (5x23), Chloé Bourgeois will return in Season 6.

Putting aside all the things I've said about her "damnation arc", what is even the point of bringing her back at this point? She has no powers, no influence, no allies, and isn't a threat of any kind. This makes her not being the next Hawkmoth make even less sense, becuse she has more of a reason to hate Ladybug than Lila does.

Also, with the news that Chloe is coming back, this means that she essentially escaped punishment or at least found a way to rebound like Lila did. So that's a grand total of ZERO villains who actually got punished for their actions after five seasons. I'm starting to think Ladybug and Cat Noir really suck at their jobs.

Sebastien Thibadeau: “[Cerise] (IOTA: I'm still calling her Lila for simplicity's sake) is a villain without costume. She is a villain all the time. There is a reason why, but this reason, neither I nor Astruc will reveal to you yet.” Interviewer: “You mean you already intend to tell it?” Thomas Astruc: “Yes. And you know what, we have already told it, but you haven’t noticed.”

Translation: Ladies and gentlemen, LET'S GET READY FOR RETCOOOOOONNNNS!

Seriously, we are approaching the sixth season of this show. It has been eight years since Lila first appeared all the way back in "Volpina", and we still know nothing about her other than the fact that she has some three moms for some reason. You can't pull the whole "This is something you need to rewatch to understand!" excuse because the last two seasons hinged on breaking the rules about Sentimonsters.

Speaking of, I love how this comment about Lila accidentally implies that Gabriel never did anything evil when he wasn't Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth/Monarch. All that emotional abuse and isolation Adrien suffered was all out of love!

Thomas Astruc on Chloe redemption arc: “We put the characters in situations, and then we say to ourselves: “what would be the logic?” How would the character logically react in “such and such” a situation? And we tried, we tried everything. But every time, we say to ourselves: “if we write this, it’ll be wrong”. There’ll be no reason, it’ll come out of nowhere, the fact that she’ll face something nice and say: “Oh, I’ve been horrible, Marinette what have I done! From now on, I’ll be...” No, nonsense. I understand people’s desire for Chloe to be nice. I’d like that too. But I’d like it if in real life, people with a lot of power suddenly started doing nice things. But Chloé has no interest in changing. She has no reason to change, unfortunately.”

Ah, yes because Gabriel (Global terrorist and abusive parent), Felix (Betrayed Ladybug and temporarily wiped out all of humanity on a whim), Nathalie (Willing accomplice to Gabriel) Andre (corrupt politician and Chloe's primary enabler), Sabrina (Willing accomplice to Chloe) all had compelling reasons to change their ways.

Also, "I've been horrible, what have I done?"

MY BROTHER IN CHRIST, THAT'S HOW VIRTUALLY EVERY REDEMPTION ON THIS SHOW IS EXECUTED.

The fact that he's seriously acting like he actually wanted to write a redemption arc is insulting. Not only does it ignore all the things he's said to fans who were upset at the turn of events, but it makes no sense for him to take this stance because he's a writer. If Chloe turning a new leaf is too strange of an idea, then write an actual character arc allowing her to progress to a state where she recognizes what she's done is wrong. You control the character for God's sake! It's not like you're training a dog to stop humping the couch. You can change things to make a redemption arc possible.

In other words, Astruc is either lying to save his ass, or THIS IS WHAT THOMAS ASTRUC ACTUALLY BELIEVES about writing characters.

Sebastien Thibadeau talks about Andre's character development: In contrast to Chloe, “Andre Bourgeois evolved as a character because we had already imagined a back story. He had the potential to change, and that’s where the beautiful scene comes from — I think it’s magnificent — between Gabriel and himself on the roof of the Grand Palace, where he says: “But Gabriel, what’s become of us? We’ve forgotten the kids we used to be”. But we [writers] know what kids they used to be, and we’d like to tell the story one day, to show what young kids they were, when they were struggling through Paris and weren’t yet what you’ve come to know in the series. He’s sad about what’s happening to his daughter [Chloe], and he’s trying to change it, but he can’t. He is proof that a character can change.”

This. This right here is what cinched it for me. I've tried for years not to say it because it's a word that has been flung around a lot over these last few years, but I feel like this little snippet is enough of a reason for me to say it.

These writers are sexist.

They may not believe it, but whether they intended for it or not, they wrote a story arc where a grown man was shown to have more sympathetic qualities than his daughter. How the hell can you defend it in a way that doesn't highlight the misogyny that this show runs on?

The fact that they gush over how much "potential" Andre had right after saying how that same kind of potential wasn't enough of a reason to attempt a redemption arc with Chloe really shows how confusing their priorities are. I'm sorry to keep saying this, but for a show that takes a heavy anti-capitalist philosophy, it seems like the members of the 1% are the characters who get the most depth and sympathy... unless you're under 18 and lack a Y chromosome, that is.

A meeting will be set up in the coming weeks to decide on whether or not to make a live-action for ‘Miraculous’, Thomas Astruc reveals.

As a former Arrowverse fan, I'm willing to see this out. Not only did the Netflix One Piece series prove you can make an animated property work in live-action, Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie managed to do really well even without the usual writers behind it.

Thomas when asked about Gabriel’s wish in ‘Re-Creation’ (5x26) and whether he brought Emilie back to life: “All the answers are in the episode.”

For the love of--STOP SAYING THAT!

You keep claiming that we just need to rewatch the episode to understand things, but between the continuity errors and abandoned subplots, it's hard to tell what's important and what isn't. Either say "No comment" or give us an honest answer.

If people are still confused about how the season ended after almost a year, and you keep giving answers like this:

Maybe you need to change the way you tell the story.

Astruc when asked about ‘The Supreme’: “Oh, if only you knew... Nothing we do is meaningless.”

Sebastien Thibadeau on Season 7: “Once you’ve seen the start of season 7, I can swear you’ll watch season 6 a second time. That’s all I can say.”

Because it'll make Season 6 look like a masterpiece by comparison?

Thomas Astruc on the worldbuilding: There are Kwamis and Renlings, what makes you think there aren’t others [creatures]?

I swear, by the time we get to Season 10, we're going to get stuff like aliens, demons and talking mushrooms, or at least something ludicrous like that.

Zoe had a love at first sight when she met Marinette in ‘Sole Crusher’ (4x07), they confirm.

Of course! That's why it wasn't framed any differently from something like the umbrella scene and Zoe showed absolutely no signs of attraction to Marinette! It's genius!

Executives had Thomas write several alternative concepts for ‘Miraculous’, very different from what we know today or even the early PV. Among them, “a concept where Ladybug is the head of a group of superheroines, like Sailor Moon. There was no love story.”

Can you imagine a world without the Love Square?

The script writers’ favorite episode is ‘Simpleman’ (4x19) as it represents a personal, work and family attachment. Marinette’s grandfather, Roland Dupain, is inspired by Thomas Astruc’s grandfather.

Okay, either Astruc had a complicated relationship with his grandpa or he's been dead for years. While I understand that older generations have outdated views (for example, my great-grandmother yelled at me for saying I wanted to learn Japanese because "They tried to kill us!"), the fact that a caricture of a grumpy old man was based on his grandpa is a little concerning.

Also, between this and Sabine being based off an old flame of his, this only makes the theory that Chloe is based off a real person Astruc knew more plausible.

Astruc: “This is why our work is so difficult. We have to manage to bring in this generation of younger ones, and at the same time, we have to satisfy the generation that was here before and that grows with the series.”

First, if you're trying to please older fans, maybe don't get into fights with them on Twitter.

Second, you made a thread after "Simpleman" aired where you insulted fans for not getting the "meta" element to the episode and compared them to the character you just said was based on your grandfather.

You've also been burning away a lot of the older fans' goodwill over the years. Trust me, I have a few examples.

Despite sharing a similar appearance, the symbol on Nino’s T-shirt is not related to Hack-San.

Okay, is this a fan theory I missed back when Season 4 was airing? Why would anyone draw that conclusion?

Thomas Astruc talks about Season 6: “I’ll say it sincerely, I was very doubtful at the end of Season 5. I said to myself: “if we were to continue, how would we exceed?” Well, we did. It’s been a great season. The new writers have brought us a lot of great stuff. All the episodes we’ve written in Season 6 are fabulous. Each episode is on point, there is no unnecessary lines. All the scenes are really interesting, really well-crafted.”

Translation: Tons of filler, bad comedy, reused Akumas, and more Love Square drama that we're trying to claim hasn't been done before.

Thomas when asked if Marinette will get akumatized: “We never give any information about what may or may not happen.”

JUST. SAY. NO. COMMENT.

There are many important details throughout the series that no one has noticed. Thomas says that when we see the next seasons, we’ll think, “Oh, the writers had it all planned.”

You know, like how Season 3 established that Sentimonsters can be sent out of control by Cataclysm a few episodes before Adrien, a Sentimonster, gets hit by a Cataclysm and is affected in a different way. It was all planned from the beginning.

The Ladybug PV was an animation test and was not intended to be public. Jeremy Zag decided to leak it himself.

Honestly? Dick move on Zag's part. You have to wonder how pissed off Astruc was.

According to Thomas Astruc, what the ‘Miraculous’ series is today represents only 5% of what he wrote in the original bible he presented to Jeremy Zag. “The universe has evolved a lot since. I don’t know if the ideas I put there will be reused someday. It was very extensive.”

Thomas Astruc and Sebastien Thibadeau discuss the parallels between Marinette and Gabriel: Astruc: “Gabriel’s personal back story is the cause of his misery, not his will. And above all, it creates a beautiful mirror with Marinette, which is what’s interesting. They both have a lot of love for Adrien, they’re both designers, they both have a Miraculous, but it’s other choices.” Thibadeau: “That’s what makes it a great hero-villain contrast. Even if they don’t know it from the start, they have a real point in common. As we see at the end of Season 5, they both love Adrien. Except there’s one who does it by doing the right thing, and then there’s another who does it by doing the wrong thing, hurting people, to get there.”

And the one who did the wrong thing by hurting people ended up winning. What does that say about the contrast?

------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's it for the interview. I have to say Season 6 does not look pretty so far.

[starguardianniom]

The Power of Love in Miraculous Ladybug

It's bad.

Legit bad.

Just in the opening song, you hear: "The power of love always so strong!"

More like always so strong at creating all the problems in the freaking show fr.

Gabriel is Hawk Moth just to get the miraculouses to save his wife, so he is motivated by love.

Marinette legit screwed herself up in 4 of the 5 seasons finales because of love.

And that's not getting into all the akumas she caused just because she was so caught up in her own feelings that she screwed over other people or just ended up hurting other people's feelings in her wake.

The world legit ended because of her love.

Also had to reset an entire timeline too because she couldn't stick to her plan the moment she learned Adrien was Chat Noir.

Let's not forget how the show portrays Marinette's love of Adrien, via stalking, knowing everything in his schedule for the next 3 years, planning his birthday gifts for decades in advance (and apparently having weird gifts too since she threw one of them in the trash once she saw Adrien's confused reaction to it), getting jealous of any girl getting close to him to the point that she once teamed up with Chloé to get Kagami away, and Kagami had done nothing to deserve being humiliated publicly like that, even worse is that the year before Marinette got humiliated b Chloé in front of a guy she liked by said guy she liked which started her whole obsession about Adrien later on which just makes her a double hypocrite in Animaestro.

Marinette treats Adrien more like a prize than a person, you're not gonna make me believe that everything she knows about him is stuff she learned from him by talking to him, please, given how she could barely speak to him you really think she would pull this off? Pretty sure she just researched him online, at one point she pratically begs Nino to tell her what Adrien finds funny.

And yet not once does she consider if Adrien would actually have a word in their relationship, she called him her Adrien as far as season 1.

Meanwhile, Gabriel loves his son but also emotionally abuse him, and also gets physical with him once he learns he's Chat Noir, he yeeted him to the Eiffel Tower, I never forgave him for that.

He also loves his wife, but he also ended up losing his one real chance at bringing her back just to get back at Ladybug, so you can say his love wasn't enough anymore.

The Power of Love was motivating him until it changed to obsession at revenge with Ladybug.

Now I wonder what's it's gonna take until Marinette realise her love for Adrien is her downfall. So far it screwed her over everytime more than anything else, it's not her strenght it's her biggest weakness that brings out the worst in her, and it got brought to it's height in the season 5 finale and the London special.

Lying to the whole world about Gabriel just to spare Adrien's feelings because Gabriel asked her too, especially after everything he did to him, to her and everyone else? Yeah, no.

It just traps Adrien more.

It's disgusting.

The Power of Love is the biggest evil in the freaking show to the point it's its own character.

Lila wish she could be just as bad.

Maybe she will be able to show us.

And with how season 5 ended, I'm wondering how The Power of Love is gonna do, probably do even more damage.

The Power of Love shown by the main protagonist and the main villain is the most terrifying thing ever in the show.

[sweetcloverheart]

Clover Rants Miraculously: Unearned Defeat

Maybe it's the bitter Chloe Stan in me, but I genuinely do hate how her (And Lila's, frankly) "Downfall" in S5 was never actually about her bullying victims coming together as a community/group to finally stand up for themselves, but about the writers taking every opportunity possible to mock her (and her fans indirectly) because they were that desperate to get the audience onboard with her constant on-screen ridicule. Marinette wasn't allowed to actually stand up for herself against her, to get others to stand up for themselves, to get the class and their teachers to put their feet down in face of her cruelty and commands and finally say "No. I don't care if you're going to call your dad down to have me fired/expelled/exiled. I'm noting doing what you asked. I refuse to buckle under your threats anymore. The answer is no."

Instead, it's 27 episodes (and two specials) of "Isn't Chloe so stupid and dumb? Look at how stupid and dumb she is! She's too dumb to tell Felix and Adrien apart despite being their friend for years. She's too dumb to hide the fact that she hasn't been doing her own homework since Primary. She's too dumb to know Gabriel's tricking her into taking over Paris. She can't even spell 'Democracy' or scheme without Lila needing to hold her hand! What a moron, am I right?". Her friendship with Adrien gets ended over a randomly inserted event from a year ago rather than her steadily growing toxicity that's clearly changed her from the girl he befriended years before, just so Chloe can rant and rave about how evil (and stupid) she is, too much so to even apologize. Sabrina gets downgraded from friend/lackey to punchingbag/slave with nearly zero explanation on how the transition happened, before suddenly being inserted with morals during a scheme (when the upset's clearly more about her being upstaged by Lila) when she barely showed any remorse/reluctance before now and throwing Chloe under the bus to save herself under the excuse of "redeeming herself" to prove further that Chloe is too dumb and stupid to appreciate her friends. Her father, who constantly indulged her whims and turned the whole city upsidedown in her name even when unasked, calls her "Selfish and heartless" to a close friend, and barely reflects on how he might of had a hand in how that came to be, before tossing her to her neglectful mother as a "they deserve each other" punishment for her stupidity and evil. An entirely new character is introduced specifically to talk about how evil and stupid Chloe is and blaming her for her expulsion before getting casually tossed aside. An evil version of Marinette's existence is all but directly blamed on Chloe's bullying rather than the post-apocalyptic villainous dictatorship she lives under that forbids helping people, and even then, nothing comes of the mention as it just exist to remind the audience that Chloe is evil and stupid - even in alternate universes. We dedicated a section of the London special on how Chloe's too evil and stupid to change just to have it there (instead of actual being in London so the episode name would make some sense). Her defeat doesn't come from a clever plan, or the power of cooperation, or even love in the face of difficulty - instead, it comes from spyware and the heroes deciding "Nuhuh" as their transformation timers run out and the narrative shrugging before giving them a freebie by claiming they've "Grown up" without explaining how.

Even when Marinette is finally given the chance to shut Chloe down, it just...rings hollow, because it more about making Chloe look foolish and letting us laugh at her tears than making Marinette seem strong for finally standing up to the girl who's apparently tormented her since they were in diapers and yet somehow she's been beating the blonde down for the past 2-4 seasons with minimum effort. And even, it feels unearned because not only has Marinette not been allowed to build up to her defeat of Chloe to this point, she isn't the one who took her down anyways - convenience did the job for her and she just showed up at the right time to reap the benefits.

Marinette and all the people Chloe hurt should have been given this chance to grow and finally get back their agency from her, to finally defeat Chloe on their own - but instead, they're made passive players and props to the writers personal hit pieces against the loud fan minority on twitter, because a group of adults decided their personal hateboner against the fictional child antagonist they created was far more important than the story they were supposed to tell

[mc-lukanette]

It was the day after the class seats had been swapped around, Marinette having since resigned herself to being moved to the back. She wasn't happy about being alone, but everyone else was with their own seats and the last thing she wanted to do was stir up a fuss again just to have it turned against her.

Making a case would've been less of an issue had she told everyone that she was actually no longer into Adrien and had an entire boyfriend to show for it, but Alya was too unpredictable in how she might react to that and the others hadn't seen her and Luka together long enough to understand. She loathed the fact that an infatuation of less than a year was what people were basing her character on - nowadays, she looked back on it like an artist who grimaced at their week-old work - but her private life was no one's business but her own. If she had to reveal it to convince people that she wasn't an evil person going after a "perfectly innocent" girl over a crush, then—

Well, normally she would say that it was her fault, but Luka had been firm about her not blaming herself for everything under the sun and she was really trying to stick to that.

Maybe being in the back won't be so bad, she thought, attempting to calm her mind. I feel, um... taller? That's something.

It wasn't helping.

"Alright, class," Miss Bustier called out, clapping her hands to earn everyone's attention, "before we start today, we have a new student who just transferred to our school and I'd like you all to give them a warm welcome."

A new student? Marinette shut her eyes and held back a groan, thinking that the current "new student" was already more than enough. If it was another Lila or Chloe, she might have to seriously consider bribing Master Fu for the fox miraculous so she could Mirage herself into class to avoid them altogether.

Also, as she was quickly realizing, the only available seat was next to her. This was a disaster, an absolute disas—

"Luka?" Juleka blurted out, uncharacteristically loud in her shock.

At the name of her boyfriend, Marinette's head jerked towards the classroom door, seeing him standing next to Miss Bustier like he belonged there. She blinked, glancing out at the hall as if the real new student would come in, but nothing happened. Even when she looked back at Luka, he met her gaze as if to wordlessly tell her that yes, he was there.

Just to make absolutely sure, she dropped her arms to her lap and pinched her forearm until it hurt.

After giving a general introduction that Marinette processed none of, Miss Bustier turned to Luka to ask, "Would you be alright sitting in the back next to Marinette?"

He nodded, not waiting to start heading up the stairs. Eyes, either curious or puzzled, followed him as he went, but he had his own eyes on his decided-upon seat.

Marinette could only continue gaping at him, even as he sat down and made himself comfortable. He eyed her, smiling softly, then reached out and slowly closed her mouth. The cheek caress that followed was so subtle and quick that no one could've caught it even if they were looking, but it finally brought her back to life.

Leaning towards him, she whispered in a panic, "Luka! What are you doing here?! How are you here?!"

He took a single glance at Miss Bustier, who was turned towards the chalkboard, then leaned in and whispered back, "I didn't want you to have to do this alone."

"But—!" Her face scrunched, mind racing in an attempt to understand. She'd told Luka about what happened with Lila, but that was only yesterday. For him to have found a way to transfer between then and now was—was— "That's crazy!"

He shrugged, unphased.

She gripped the table, as if it would give her the mental support needed to juggle the thoughts in her head. "You didn't have to go through all this for me! It's too much!"

That finally got a reaction out of him, but not in the way she suspected. He frowned disapprovingly, leaning in further and raising a hand between them to further muffle his words to others' ears. She felt his breath against her ear as he explained, "You're my girlfriend, Marinette; my girlfriend and my best friend. It's not 'too much' if it's what I wanted to do."

He left it at that, straightening up again and putting his focus towards the front of the class. She could only pout at him, hoping no one saw the blush on her cheeks.

It felt wrong, somehow. It was Ladybug who was supposed to swoop in to save people, not the other way around. She was the one who had to make choices on the fly to help others.

She could already hear Luka's voice in her head, shooting that idea down: "Ladybug can't be the savior all the time. Someone has to look out for Marinette too."

It was almost frustrating, losing a battle of words in her own head, but she'd be lying if she said that it didn't make her feel relieved to have someone who would back her up no matter what. Whether she chose to go after Lila or not, he'd be behind her the entire way.

She couldn't help herself. Checking to confirm that there still weren't eyes on them, she leaned up towards Luka and imitated his gesture, raising her hand between their faces. He'd seen the gesture out of the corner of his eye and tipped his head to listen better, but she kissed his cheek instead.

Pulling back quickly to look normal just in case the pecking sound had been caught, she dared only a single peek at Luka to catch his reaction. He was trying and failing not to grin, probably looking as if he was just very interested in the lesson to any outside eyes. It occurred to her then that, had they been in the front or middle rows, it would've been impossible to not be seen by anyone behind them.

Letting an imaginary Marinette in her mind cheer and jump around for her due to being unable to do anything even close to that in class, her thoughts screamed, Being in the back is the best!

[indigomarina]

Fanfic Idea

Ugh! I had this idea to write a fic about what-if Marinette was evil instead of Gabriel! But now with the whole Shadybug and Claw Noir special coming, I feel I have to wait, so things like 'Good Gabriel's good guy name' and what he calls who makes heroes (currently I'm calling them champion but I don't know anything) are more accurate to the show!

Plot

Essentially, it would've been in this universe, so no Shadybug. Instead, her name would've been Miss Fortune (I've been in this fandom since the beginning, I've always wanted that name to be canon). She takes the image of a shy sweet girl Marinette Dupain-Cheng but when things don't go her way, she becomes Miss Fortune.

Luckily, Paris has a hero in its corner, the amazing Chat Noir who battles the evil Miss Fortune. However, he also has an ally in the form of Papillon, a mysterious benefactor who helps him by sending him champions.

Characters

Adrien will still be our innocent sunshine child, but he has a whole lot more on his shoulders, trying to stop Miss Fortune from wrecking havoc and eventually becoming Guardian.

As Chat Noir, he and the champion have to work together to fight Miss Fortune. I have this system where Miss Fortune has a anti-charm (like Anti-bug) and if the two destroy it, the world healing begins.

Alya is still how she is in the show. Except she despises Miss Fortune. Her blog is towards Chat instead and she insults Miss Fortune anyway she can. She wants to rid the world of Miss Fortune, unaware she's her best friend.

Chloe would be a much better person (she still has some of her original flaws, so she would be not be like Zoe), liking Adrien like a brother and treating Sabrina like a real friend. Of course, Marinette doesn't see their relationship as platonic so she targets her. This version of Anti-Bug would've have Papillon give Chloe the power of the original Ladybug miraculous until Chat decides to give her the bee miraculous to use.

Lila would've been a person who always told the truth and while not all of her stories from canon were true, she does have some real amazing tales. This attracts Adrien to her (again platonically) much to Marinette's chagrin. One story is that Miss Fortune stole her bag once and Chat Noir got it back for her. Marinette thinks Lila is lying and Chat doesn't remember Lila specifically but he does remember giving someone back their bag.

So she briefly becomes Miss Fortune to embarrass her but this just inspires her to become Volpina and her and Chat briefly work together to take her down.

Gabriel is a much better father here! He's still busy and Emilie is still dead. But he's allowed Adrien to go to school and have a less stricter lifestyle. He still misses his wife but goes on a more healthier path instead and tries to move on while helping Chat Noir as Papillon.

Zoe would've been a person who acted nice when in reality, she's a massive witch. She still has feelings for Marinette but Marinette takes advantage of these feeling instead. She assist Miss Fortune also, not liking when things don't go her way. Half of Chloe becoming akumatized episodes would be Chloe either needing the bee miraculous or her helping Chat as a champion. Zoe would play dumb when confronted but some people start seeing the truth through her and Marinette's lies.

Shipping

So Marinette likes Adrien to disturbing degrees. Finding her strange since kindergarten, Adrien at best can be civil towards her. In the Animan episode of this AU, he would've weirded out by Nino's crush on her but would've still helped him, because he's a good friend and he feels he would be a good influence of her.

He and Miss Fortune jokingly flirt with each other sometimes, but they really hate each other with a fiery passion.

Adrien is bisexual in this fic. Who is Adrien's partner? Luka. Instead of liking Marinette, he takes a shining to Adrien instead. Adrien is smitten as both himself and Chat Noir. Luka would be a frequent character in season 1. Often times, Chloe and Juleka (and sometimes Nino) would try pairing them together frequently.

Marinette used to have a crush to Luka and he used to give her a chance but with all the lying and her accidently making it clear she likes Adrien, he also can now only be civil to her.

Chloe is also bisexual. Nathaniel initially has feelings for her instead of Marinette in 'Evilluastor'. Season 1 would plenty of cute moments. Not sure I should write whether they broke up but are on good terms or have them be in a poly relationship with Marc and Kagami.

Down the line, Chloe gains feelings for Kagami. Marinette in this AU, never lets go of her mean feelings for Kagami and instead Kagami enters the scavenger hunt in 'Ikati Gozen' with Chloe, causing the two to bond. Kagami never has feelings for Adrien (but I'll say it again, Marinette doesn't see it that way).

That all I have to write, bye!

[theerurishipper]

Welcome to me watching the Paris special, this time with commentary! I watched the special and wrote down everything here as I watched it and forgot to post it cause I'm a dumbass. Also, this is long asf, in fact, it's so long that I had to make a Part 2.

Okay here goes!

Ah, the Gabriel version of the theme. This really took me by surprise. It's fire tho.

Straight into the action, I like it.

Max and Markov aren't different people in this?

That's some entrance from Shady and Claw, really ups the stakes. Makes you wonder why Nino tried to fight them with a nerf gun.

Ubiquity is so pretty.

I might be the only one who liked the Gabe scene we got.

Feeling some nostalgia for the candy cane cosplay ngl.

And we get a good scene with Adrien and Plagg. I liked the advice Plagg gave about how not all destruction is bad. Neat.

Some Alya and Marinette. Marinette is going through some tough times and is in need of support, and Tikki takes this opportunity to escape from her and steal macaroons. No hate tho, you do you Tikki.

Though she does react to the people of Paris cheering for Ladybug. That was sweet.

Alya turns into Ubiquity, and then we get... Betterfly.

Betterfly? Seriously? Coulda just gone with Hesperia.

"I'm not sure there's anything to hope for from Ladybug." My poor baby!

Love the look of absolute confusion on Alya's face.

Hesperia's confusion about his evil counterpart is really funny ngl.

SHADYBUG

"There, you can have your boyfriend back~" love the delivery on that line lmao.

But also, CLAW NOIR

Not her just stealing his belt immediately.

Marinette hates Adrien Agreste. This truly is the reverse world.

But also, I love Claw Noir pretending to be his own fan to impress Shadybug.

Claw Noir sure does love using that Cataclysm.

For someone who just woke up to see her friend gone and a hole in the wall, Alya collected herself pretty damn quick. I would be freaking the fuck out in her position. Just another reason she's the best.

RIP Alya's phone. Gabe really did a number on you.

Shadybug makes a butterfly tracker, proving that she ain't no Gabe.

Hesperia is befuddled by our world, Part 2.

It's always gotta be the Eiffel Tower, doesn't it.

Claw Noir's pulling a Chat Blanc?? Hello??

Hesperia (I'm not gonna call him Betterfly) is apparently a gentleman. It's almost disturbing after 5 seasons of Gabe being the worst piece of shit to grace our screens.

I guess no matter the universe and moral alignment, it's Gabriel's fate to get beaten up by teenagers.

Not Tikki loredumping about parallel universes right now lmao

Times like this remind me that Tikki is, for all intents and purposes, a god.

"You'd die before I could ever explain all this to you," is actually a pretty valid (and disturbingly hilarious) justification for not having bothered to bring any of this up before.

The Supreme is someone I'd like to learn more about. I've narrowed the suspects down to either Fu or Su-Han. Watch it be Lila instead if we ever get that info.

I feel like the info about the timers is something we should have gotten way, way earlier. Like, a few seasons ago.

Ladybug's triumphant entrance!

"Whatever, pest." Queen.

I love Claw Noir's staff.

Shadybug took no prisoners at all.

CHAT NOIR

Destruction vibes, and right after that incident too.

Claw Noir is unhinged.

Claw Noir just fucking cataclysmed himself??? Guess Adrien is always gonna be self-destructive in every universe huh?

Welp, looks like Chat Noir is officially re-traumatized.

I want y'all to remember that this boy went through the whole special with a cataclysm wound on his person and did not falter once. Mad respect.

Chat Noir got tossed. Chat Blanc call back number 2.

Obsessed with the way Bryce Papenbrook pronounces "cockroach."

Finally, a villain who actually gets rid of the Lucky Charm. Hawkie, take notes.

"Who the cat are you?"

So Shadybug can create whatever Lucky Charm she wants, huh?

Someone's been listening to the fandom.

Not the time freezing lmfao

I don't like that Gabe is turning Adrien into an angel, even if this is a good version. Anyway, Chat Blanc call back 3.

"Kitty catty" "Later loser!" I love her.

Of course, not all bugs can fly.

He moved out of the way.

I fucking love Claw Noir so much you guys, he's so funny.

Well, he tried. Shadybug's just better than him ig.

Hesperia stores his butterfly in his cane. So it's just our Gabe that tries to keep multiple butterflies, I guess.

I think they should kiss.

So they're doing this in hopes that The Supreme spares them? Interesting, and pretty sad.

They're so scared of the Akuma lmfao

If I was Alya, I'd have given myself away by now. Actually, I wouldn't have had the presence of mind to even hide.

Guess the counterparts are from some dystopian world ruled by The Supreme. It tracks with the look we got at it in the opening.

"In order to get something I wanted." We saw the Peacock Miraculous in the opening too, and also Emilie died. So I guess Adrien is a Sentimonster in the other reality too. Damn it.

I guess this Gabe realized his mistake instead of descending into madness like ours.

She just broke Marinette's box like it was nothing. So much for that.

Claw Noir lounges around playing with dolls and mocks Shadybug for being lazy while she does all the work and he lazes around. Have I mentioned yet that I love him?

Also I am glad they stayed true to Adrien's character and had him play with dolls.

The whole part about Chat Noir... be still my Ladynoir heart.

Love how they incorporated the webisodes into this. About time those had relevance.

Shadybug really "hates" Claw Noir.

Marinette's having doubts, my poor baby girl.

Shadybug and Claw Noir have power, but not their strength. That's a really good line.

She's reading the diary and crying... baby.

This is such a touching scene. I don't say that lightly, but it really is.

SHE FOUND THE WISH

Marinette really wrote down every single world ending secret in this one poorly protected diary huh.

She literally took him down in 2 seconds. Bruh.

IDENTITY REVEAL! THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL

Shadybug managed to achieve in 2 seconds what Marinette and Adrien have not achieved after 5 seasons of Love Square drama which I admittedly enjoy but that's not the point.

Those strange... marks? Cracks? Scars?

Blots off... I'm dying y'all.

Reverse Love Square? Hello??? HELLO???

She literally just beat his ass, tied him up and took his Miraculous and this is his reaction once he realizes who she is.

He's down so bad.

They should have played Careless Whisper here.

CUTIE PIE, MY SON

The Supreme is such a fucking asshole, he gagged the Kwamis.

Emonette wants our Marinette's life? She doesn't know the half of what she's getting into.

The Supreme got to the wish somehow? What the fuck?

"Reality is The Supreme." I don't know who this guy is, but he is DELULU.

This shot... masterfully done. My poor baby girl.

These kids are not okay. My poor sweet babies.

Daggers out. Seriously, stop it, you two.

He's trying to comfort her. They're just... I'm in pain. I'm so sad for them y'all.

Gabe in his prototype Monarch outfit.

Good thing (for him at least) he had the Ox, or else this would be his second cataclysm of the day.

Ladybug and Chat Noir are back in action, baby.

I'm sorry, I would not be able to say Betterfly unironically without bursting into laughter.

AFTER 5 SEASONS, WE FINALLY GET TO SEE CHAT NOIR'S NIGHT VISION AGAIN

Not that they needed it lmao

Alya coming in clutch with the recording. Queen.

LADYNOIR LADYNOIR LADYNOIR

It's so so so nice to see Ladynoir on screen again after Season 5 killed it.

Hit the word limit, so continued here.

[dust-jacket-analysis]

Spoilers for the Miraculous London Special

One of the things I hate most about the lie that Marinette told Adrien, is how it's going to warp his perception of his father.

His father was not a good man. His father abused him. Controlled and manipulated him. In every universe, he chose to akumatize and use him in his plans to steal the Miraculous. He locked him up in a room and essentially used psychological torture techniques on his son. Forced him into a career not fit for children. Allowed/enabled Lila to spy on and make Adrien uncomfortable. Gabriel Agreste was awful (Bless Movie Gabriel for existing).

I feel like Adrien was just starting to find himself, and his voice. He was sticking up for himself a lot more, and fighting his father's abuse (even if it was often unsuccessful). And I think after the whole locking Adrien up in and essentially violating human rights, Adrien would've finally realized how terrible his father is. Realized that there was no repairing their relationship or redeeming him.

Even with Gabriel dead, while Adrien grieved I think we could've seen him work through the complicated feelings he had on his father. I would've loved to see him come to terms with the fact that his father, someone who he loved and who was supposed to love him, was also his abuser. That despite all this it was okay to love his father. But also okay to hate him. Just all of those messy emotions he was never allowed to feel or express while his father was alive.

But, then Marinette lied to Adrien. Told him not that his father was an evil man, who died to his own hubris. Not that his father was a domestic terrorist, that his father had kept his mother's corpse locked in their basement for years. No. Marinette called Gabriel a hero.

Ladybug, Adrien's first love, the person he admires the most, his partner whom he trusts with his life, told him his father was a hero. That he died sacrificing himself. He wanted to be remembered as a good father.

So now, Adrien has that in his head. On top of everything else: The guilt of not being at the battle to help, the complicated feelings of having lived his whole life abused and tormented by his father who proclaimed to love him, the grief that his father, his dad, is dead.

What's that going to do to his perception of his father? To have everyone tell him his father was a hero? To have Nathalie hug him through his grief and comfort him with the knowledge that his father is a "good man." To have Marinette, the love of his life and his girlfriend, tell him how his Father sacrificed himself to defeat Monarch in an attempt to spare him the truth? For him to hear it from the person he trusts and understands more than anyone, ladybug?

I guarantee it's going to fuck with him. Whether the writers, who seem to chronically hate giving Adrien any genuinely good writing, will show that is a different story. But realistically, and genuinely it's going to impact him.

He's going to feel guilty now anytime he thinks to resent his father for the way he was treated. Because on top of his father being dead, "he died sacrificing himself for you and the city."

The other thing that got me, is Ladybug telling Adrien the only reason his father locked him in that building with Kagami was to, "spare him from Monarch's final plan." Like bitch?? No!

Now anytime he feels resent for being literally psychologically tortured he's going to feel guilty for getting mad. Because now he has the idea that it was too "Protect him."

I love Marinette. And I understand why she felt she had to lie to Adrien. But it definitely is going to cause more internal issues and problems than knowing his father was Monarch. Especially since he's probably going to find out eventually, and then it's just a whole new issue.

[yubellia]

What did Cerise wish for?

I keep thinking about the London special and about what Cerise could have wished for.

Remember how the special was called originally? „The end of ladybug“

This made me think. Her wish must have caused something big. Sure, she could have wished for a world where she gets whatever she wants.

However, they show us something very interesting in the special.

When cerise makes her wish for real the first time, granny bunnix and adult bunnix disappear because that is something that happened to them when they were kid bunnix (god I hate time travel it’s always a mess), so she has to solve this problem now. It’s already part of the greater timeline if you will….

But if everything works out in the end they should not have disappeared???…. Let’s push this aside for this theory!

In other words, they were cut off because they never happened as bunnix. There is no ‚adult bunnix‘ if kid bunnix messed up.

But if cerises wish really meant the end of the universe or the end of time, then why didn’t everything go poof in an instant? If time itself was destroyed, that meant that fluff got destroyed and the burrow should have disappeared. Remember, the Kwami are the manifestation of a concept and fluff IS time. Not just the time portals should have disappeared . But in the end, even with all portals gone, the burrow still stands. Bunnix just ‚loses Access‘ and the portals disappear.

What if she didn’t vanish because she exists as a person but couldn’t use the portals anymore because something else happened?

Which brings us back to cerises wish.

For just a moment, I want you to think back to how Cerise/Lila was introduced. She was the new popular girl and everyone was ‚stupid enough‘ to believe her lies. She even offered Marinette to become friends. Probably a lie but I think she rather not get enemies in her way so it would have been easier.

She only went after Marinette after she rejected her and kept going against her. Who was the one to really get in her way first though? ‚Ladybug‘ . Ladybug exposed her right in front of Adrien. It’s what led to her first akumatization. And from there everything went wrong for her.

Also, cerise is very persistent. She is not letting go of grudges. We saw that she would even let go of Adrien to get what she wants.

And now with Gabriel gone, Ladybug is the only ‚enemy‘ left.

So what is her wish?

When she learned that Marinette is ladybug. Everything must have made sense for her. How Marinette managed to fix everything and come out on top, why she even had the strength to do so in the first place.

I think that her wish did something that was big enough to effect everything else but smaller than we think.

I think that she wished for Marinette to never become Ladybug in the first place. Without ladybug, Marinette would still be the shy and clumsy girl that can barely stand up to Chloe. Someone she could manipulate, someone who wouldn’t be able to defeat her. It would be ‚the end of Ladybug‘. Maybe she even wanted to take her place to get that power. And with that, she could become a real celebrity and ‚hero‘.

It would also explain why the burrow is still there and young bunnix too, but why she can‘t use it. She does exist. She isn’t dead. But without ladybug, she never became bunnix and so her adult versions got cut off and vanished. The future ahead of them DID disappear.

However, I also believe that a selfish wish like this could have backfired on her easily. BugNoir told Gabriel exactly that. It made him use his wish selflessly. We saw that Gabriel’s wish had little to no consequences except for Nathalie coming back to life. Something might have gone wrong for cerise because she was selfish.

Also, I would like to point out that I don‘t believe that Cerise is the supreme because of this. I still believe that the supreme is an evil version of Fu or maybe more guardians. Simply because shadybug and claw noir knew that they had to ‚be stoic and turn off their emotions‘ to protect themselves from the butterfly miraculous. We see that in the special. That was the technique of the guardians.

I admit that this idea with cerises wish isn‘t new. Some more people are catching up to it. Mostly on YouTube though and I don‘t see people discuss it here. I would really like to see confirmation for this in the show though. Just how they confirmed that Gabriel did not bring back Emily. Even though that was clear of you just think about it and people ‚wished‘ for that to be true.

Anyway, what do you think? Do you have ideas what Cerise could have wished for? I hope you liked it.

See you again next time. Bye!

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episode 3-22: Chat Blanc

Fun fact: One nickname I often have for Chat Noir is Cattablack (also my hypothetical name if I had the Black Cat Miraculous,) from "Cat Black," which is the English translation of "Chat Noir." However, the etymology for English black has the same origins as French White (also the word blank!), so in a sense, Cattablack is both Chat Noir and Chat Blanc! On with the show.

Straight to Emile's corpse. Also I have to wonder, where are those enormous windows with light shining through in the Agreste Manor? They have to be someplace open to daylight at least.

Awawawawa! The girlsquad! Also they do picnics, sleepovers, and the movies. Noted.

That "No." cut was great, though. Good on Marinette for not giving up, however. Good for Marinette on not quitting, the girlsquad for encouraging her, and Rose for having enough of this shit! Losing her favorite unicorn plushie probably helped.

But don't break into his house! He's not there, you weirdo! As much as I want this mahogany to end and for Adrien to friendzone her, stalking is NOT the way! On the other hand, if she did break and enter, it could out Marinette as a creep...

SHE'S SNIFFING THE PILLOW!?

Oh god now that he's connected the dots he's in love with Marinette. Plagg's trying his hardest but it's too late.

Oh right. This is the episode where Chat Noir gets akumatized and causes the End of Evangelion. Not what I normally think of when I think of Marinette and Adrien's relationship having catastrophic consequences, but still.

Also again with the time travel plots not making sense. Is the future set in stone or not!? Why are only things only disappearing when they change in Bunnix's rewind vision? It's Bill and Ted 3 all over again.

On the plus side, Marinette with her hair down.

Alix looking so uninterested while cheering and the animation errors lmao

Hadouken Cataclysm lmao

You know, Marinette's parents could've called CPS on Gabriel's controlling attitude, or Marinette could've explained truthfully why she broke up with Adrien.

So that's his response to discovering his father is Hawkmoth. Good to know.

That was a good mental breakdown. 10/10 there.

Bunnix, why are you getting a teenaged Ladybug to fix this? Can't you do it? Can't the adult Ladybug do it?

The end of the world!? That looks more like the end of at least two galaxies! Holy hell!

You could've just said the gift was from Marinette, Ladybug. Whatever.

So was that sunset scene in the normal or Chat Blanc timeline? I'm confused.

Well that was an interesting episode. Here's how Marinette and Adrien's relationship can ruin everything without Hawkmoth or any evil butterfly holder!

As we know, Marinette is obsessed with Adrien, to stalkerish levels, as shown by this very episode with her sniffing Adrien's pillow when she's all alone in his room.

She also shows controlling tendencies with her schedule of Adrien allowing her to know where he is for most of the time and her stealing his phone to delete an embarrassing message she sent him.

She's also prone to being vengeful, such as when Chloe, Lila, or Kagami get closer to Adrien then her.

Let's keep these traits in mind as we imagine there being no evil Butterfly or Peacock Miraculous users, maybe even no evil at all. Most likely those Miraculouses are in the good hands of the guardian, or Marinette. Also imagine that Marinette and Adrien know eachothers' identities and are older and dating, if not married.

On one day, Adrien arrives home a little later than usual for Marinette. Maybe he didn't keep track of time while spending time with his friends. Maybe he had to walk home and his phone was out of power.

Marinette starts to get worried. She tries to call him. He doesn't respond, either due to how noisy the social gathering is or because is phone is out.

When Adrien finally gets back, Marinette starts to fuss over him. She was so worried! She's so glad he's back. Where was he? He shouldn't do that again. Adrien doesn't think it's that big of a deal, but Marinette disagrees. The gap has formed.

Adrien at least tries to be more punctual, but that doesn't always work. Marinette starts to get more and more worried. What if he's cheating on her with someone else? She's had similar worries in the show, after all.

These conflicts begin to escalate. Marinette's concern for Adrien begins to turn to concern that he's doing something behind her back. An argument breaks out. Adrien notes that Marinette's acting like his father. This makes things worse.

Tension begins to build up until Marinette, someone who as Ladybug had to save so many of her loved ones by fighting them, does something she shouldn't have and immediately regrets. Maybe Adrien was in another verbal fight with her. Maybe he was going out somewhere, possibly to come back late or early.

Adrien Agreste is now in critical condition. It's unknown when he'll wake up, if ever. Marinette has to right this wrong and make sure this never happened, no matter what it takes.

If Tikki and Plagg didn't escape with their Miraculouses as they watched this relationship go to hell, all of reality shall be annihilated and recreated.

If one or both of them did manage to escape, then hey, she has or can easily take the Butterfly miraculous! All she needs to do is turn someone into a super and help them out with their problems in exchange for the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses, wherever they are!

This isn't ensured to happen, but you have to admit Marinette has a lot of similarities to Gabriel Agreste, especially in regards to how she views Adrien. Not to mention that nowhere in the show is she ever really punished for those above negative traits. At points they're even excused.

Edit: Almost forgot to mention that Natalie seems to show remorse upon discovering Adrien is Chat Noir. More points for her!

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Lila remakes the universe. She is now the Ladybug Hero. Unbeknownst to her, Adrien and Marinette are the new evil wielders of the Butterfly and Peacock, but they aren't reclusive like Gabriel in their civilian lives.

Wisher's Remorse

-Through a genius Plan that involved Manipulating Gabriel/Monarch. A double knock out of Monarch and Ladybug+Chat noir.

-Lila danced across the field and scooped up the Ladybug and Cat miraculous. A smile on her face as she goes to make her wish

-Marinette and Adrien unable to respond. Gabriel unable to stop her. Lila made her wish.

___________________________________________________________

-Lila Rossi, Billionaire daughter, Movie Star Actress, Top of her Class, and above all, Super Heroine of Paris.

-Lila crafted a world where she was the center of everything. And Her Heroine Identity, The Incredible Signora Rossa.

-Lila was loving it! Her Parents showered her in attention and gifts whenever she wanted. Everyone wanted to hear her talk. Interviews, lavish lunches, and the best part was she didnt even need to put effort in.

-Marinette was basically her Sabrina. Loyal and obedient. (Lila had apparently helped save her parents failing bakery)

-Adrien was her boyfriend, sweet and attentive. (His father had it arranged.)

-She also had some hero side kicks that would help with all the grunt work of heroing, so that she could go in and take the good parts.

-Lila was enjoying her life, until there was a super villain attack.

-Lila thought it would be easy, since this was her world now. Though her Kwami Tikki was trying to warn her about something.

-It wasnt just one villain, it was two. The Butterfly Miraculous and The Peacock. And both of them were... Incredibly competent.

-Signora Rossa called on all her Allies (Side Kicks) for help.

-But the duo was Decimating them. The fighting skill easily outclassed her. And Signora's lucky charm only helped her escape. (Because her mindset is not on protecting people, but getting what she wants.)

-After Signora Rossa Fled, The peacock villain was annoyed. "She escaped. "

-The Butterfly Villainess smiled. "Dont worry my Lovely Feather, she left us a gift."

-The Peacock Villain smiled as he picked up the villainess Bridal style before leaving.

-Unfortunately for Rossa, two of her side kicks were captured. The Tiger and the Pig. Both their miraculous taken as trophies. Content for the time they left.

-Lila detransformed yelling at tikki what went wrong.

-"This is my world! I should have won."

-"The wish doesnt work like that. Your selfish wish changed so many things, the universe created a counter balance. You are a 'Hero' in this world that may have a great life, but there has to be a counter. Those villains that beat the stuffing out of you without even using their powers. Thats your counter balance. Its fitting, I hope you lose."

-Lila growled at her kwami before telling tikki to shut up. She was not going to lose to these villains. This was her world, and they were just living in it.

[its-your-girl-geekerella]

Miraculous London Special

I swear I wasn't going to watch it. It kinda just happened. But since I already did, might as well give my thoughts!

Not gonna lie, the first 10 minutes of the episode are like a poorly-written fanfiction. Ladybug's talk with Kagami, her talk with Adrien, the little montage of her with Nathalie, going home and calling Alya (even though we don't know what the conversation was), all the way to her getting in bed.

And honestly? I have so many notes just in this small section.

I found Gorilla's "bro, I have a keycard" so funny. (I would mention that it was a writer's commentary on how Marinette tends to overcomplicate things, but I'm sure you already thought of that)

OMG if they animate Marinette opening her diary to the first page and writing in it ONE MORE TIME I think I'm gonna flip. She's had it for months now, and we've seen her writing in it. You can't trick us, animators.

Who puts the key to their diary right next to it?

I'm not going to recap the rest of the episode, but here's some more thoughts:

The episode was a little... mundane? Repetitive? It was literally like Chat Blanc + Evolution, and they followed the classic "rule of threes" so I knew when they were gonna win. It was a fun episode, to be sure, but (like most special episodes) I didn't feel any urgency or stakes.

Once again, the writers prove that Chat Noir is unneeded, and Ladybug can literally save the universe without him. (Yes, Bunnix was there too, but the only purpose she served was to open and close portals + make jokes that normally only Chat Noir would make) I don't see why they go through all the trouble of saying over and over again that they're a team and there is no LB without CN, but then override that constantly by "making Marinette look good". JUSTICE FOR CHAT NOIR!

The writers seemed to keep forgetting the rules they previously set in place?? Like, Marinette asked Tikki and Plagg for advice, and apparently they couldn't answer her honestly because "neither of them is the kwami of truth". But what about all the other times Tikki/Plagg gave Marinette/Adrien any sort of wisdom or advice? ALSO when Marinette transformed, I couldn't tell if she was yellow because of the jacket or because she just felt like it. But then she goes, "isn't it a bit flashy?" The holders literally dictate what they want the outfit to look like.

Alix had no reason to panic because Big Alix and Granny Alix already knew what was going on. No matter what they did, they would win. (Maybe that's why I felt no stakes)

So I'm pretty sure it's confirmed that Emelie isn't alive...?

What was Lila's wish????

Marinette's conversation with Nathalie made her sound like a villain. 100%. Justify her actions however you want, but the way she was explaining how she would tell the world only part of the truth was straight-up evil. (also abusing your power and influence is not why Fu gave you the miraculous.)

WHY did they have to ruin my favorite episode like this?? I'll never be able to comfortably watch Origins without thinking of this episode again! There goes the nostalgia~

Anyway that's it byeeee

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

In regards to what you mentioned in your Kwami's Choice Part 2 Plagg wanting to cataclysm Chloe post, that's the trope we call "Jerks Are Worse Than Villains", in which the jerks are hated more than the actual villains. Now granted, this is an out-of-universe reaction, but it feels like Thomas genuinely believes this in-universe with how he treats most of anyone who's against the heroes, mainly Marinette.

Funnily enough, Gabriel himself is on the list. As stated by TV Tropes, "Hawk Moth/Shadow Moth/Monarch is the subject of an odd variant of this with himself — in large parts of the fandom, his actions as Gabriel Agreste are seen as more detestable than those he takes as Hawk Moth. While Hawk Moth may akumatize civilians into fighting the heroes, he's spared due to a measure of Evil Is Cool and the impersonal scale of his supervillainy. Gabriel, on the other hand, is a chillingly accurate abusive parent to his son Adrien, micromanaging and isolating him since before the show began — and it doesn't help that he's willing to enable Lila in tormenting Adrien's friends (especially Marinette) for his own gain. It's telling that "Cat Blanc" is widely regarded as Gabriel's Moral Event Horizon crossing based on his treatment of Adrien and Marinette, and not for any of his usual supervillainy."

To a lesser degree, Chloe also made the list: "Chloé Bourgeois is a highly divisive character in the fandom, but she at least has a subset of fans who either Love to Hate or just straight-up love her. On the other hand, her parents André and Audrey are widely hated — the former for his constant abuse of his mayoral status, the latter for being an abusive parent and adult version of Chloé without any of her redeeming qualities, and both for pretty much enabling all of Chloé's worst behavior yet never getting called out or punished for it (by contrast, their daughter not only at least gets called out on her behavior, but is usually portrayed as being the sole one at fault for how nasty she's become). This applies more to Audrey, as André does show some sympathetic qualities in later seasons, and eventually faces Laser-Guided Karma after he's forced to resign due to the stress of his corruption and his "friend" Gabriel double-crossing him."

The last point with André is contentious, I know, but going back to my first paragraph, the show really does love treating Chloe, Lila, or anyone who is still less of a threat than Gabriel as WORSE than his supervillain identity because they weren't nice to Marinette, and some of the ones who see the light STILL AREN'T GOOD PEOPLE (Felix, Sabrina, Nathalie) or took way too long to get a Freudian Excuse as to WHY they're a jerk (Again, Felix, but also Alec Scataldi, pretty sure there's some others that can be listed here...), or retroactively aren't good (Jagged leaving Anarka (is Jagged really his birth name, or did they reveal it in supplementary like Placide or offhand like Armand?), Kim unintentionally traumatizing Marinette with his prank and then not feeling remorseful in the present day until after he's de-akumatized (which is actually just "be more empathetic to how people feel about your jokes" than any actual regret last I checked), some others I can't think of right now...). It's pretty bad...

The thing about that entry on TV Tropes is that it's usually the fans who view a character that way. It's never intended for a character who's just an asshole to be seen worse than a homocidial maniac.

With this show, it's like the writers are trying to gauge that kind of reaction out of the audience by constantly telling them that Chloe is this irredeemable monster as if we should hate her more than the actual supervillains who routinely endanger the world.

[httyddragonfox]

The Bad writing of Miraculous Season 4 & 5

Is it just me, or did the writing of Miraculous go down after season three? Chat blanc did so well that they tried to make every episode similar to it, but in doing so they completely changed the format of their writing.

For starters, Adrein is a sentimonster. That's alright, but their little to no hint before hand. Gabriel didn't even use the amok to keep Adrien in line, just scolded him. If he was so against it he could've done that, or if he had his suspicions he could've demanded Adrien tell him the truth with the amok.

Second, Gabriel is suddenly much worse of a parent. At least he had his morals in the first three seasons, and could be slightly reasonable, but now he's completely overriding Adrien's life. It's also inconsistent, sometimes he's completely aghast at the idea of Adrien being Cat noir, sometimes he's like "Yes, evil plan!" Sometimes he's against akumatizing Adrien, others he's "Yes, let's akumatize my son!"

Third, Suddenly 'Kagami is a sentimonster?' This isn't confirmed, but it's heavily implied. Gabriel suddenly has an arrangement with Tomoe. Almost as if she was aware of this the whole time. There was no hint before hand. When the ring is akumatized and broken, Kagami is fine, just like she was before when it was akumatized, Yet suddenly it's a big deal if it is.

Forth, what are they doing with Felix? In the third season, he was introduced as a horrible person who could pretend to be nice. Yet in the fourth and fifth season, it's a bit confusing what they are doing with him. He seems to be obsessed with going against Gabriel, that's consistent. Yet they have him appear in season 4, and "have him controlled by the ring?" In season 5, they have him be horrible in making everyone disappear, Kagami calls him a monster, and he sympathizes with the sentimonsters. Next time, he kidnaps Kagami and she loves in love with him, which is problematic. Then showing the truth to Marinette, he gets rid of the sentimonster even though he cared before. They made him horrible and then they redeemed him, but I'm not sure if he should have been redeemed, especially after the big win he gave Gabriel.

Fifth, the turned Chole into an irredeemable person. Yeah, she was bad before but at least she had her morals. She was somewhat kind to Sabrina, and she had insecurity issues. I don't disagree with the fact that she was selfish in her heroics and that made her a bad person, but I would've liked her continue to have a bond with Sabrina even as she was tormenting Marinette.

Sixth, Lila just seems a little ridiculous in how much she gets away with everything. They were trying to set her up as the next big bad, but in doing so she doesn't even have a set character. It turns out even the character of Lila is a lie and she has three moms, who just believe her lies whole-heartedly. Marinette told Alya that she was Ladybug so Alya should know that she is not Ladybug's best friend or maybe trust her friend a little more, but even she believes Lila!

Seventh, why is Natalie still working for Gabriel when she told him he didn't deserve her help?

Eighth, Kagami and Adrien are supposed to be together according to Gabriel and Tomoe. They never mentioned this before, heck, they weren't even paying attention when they were dating. Suddenly in season 5 it's super important that they end up together.

Ninth, They keep playing around with cataclysm. Cat noir was hit with a Cataclysm before and shattered his ribs but that was it. I thought his suit protected him, they're supposed to be near indestructible. Suddenly they act like if Cat Noir is hit with it he dies, if Monarch is hit with it he'll die.

Tenth, Gabriel destroyed the miraculous like it was nothing. They're supposed to be indestructible to the point that only cataclysm can destroy it.

Eleventh, the alliance rings are supposed to be made of metal, but they're also made of plastic and they're easily broken, yet they turn the alliance rings into a statue.

Twelfth, Tomoe easily gives up on the goal as soon as Gabriel is gone. Yet they wrote her as helping him to achieve her goal.

Thirteenth, Suddenly they're living in a utopia at the end of season 5, even though realistically it's not that easy to turn the world around. What about that school that's not really a high school? It didn't really sound to have that much structure to it. It sounds more like an activities center. Everything just sounds a little too good to be true.

Fourteenth, Gabriel got what he wanted, even if the world being destroyed and being remade is portrayed as a bad thing. Also, he's portrayed as a hero to the public even though he was horrible. Adrien even sees him as a hero, despite being the frontal victim of his abuse. That's problematic writing.

Overall, they tried to create a more serialized writing for seasons 4 and 5 whilst forgetting their writing for the first 3 seasons that were more episodic. It's a complete 180, shocks the audience, and feels sloppy.

[starsfic]

Imagine when Lilia comes to the boiling isles, it's cause she's running from a bus supposed to correct her while Marinette and Adrien are trying to get her on there

(Vee will still pose as Luz, Camilia's finance are stable again but she's deeply troubled by Lilia's self-centered personality

The battle against Shadowmoth had been long and hard.

But, at the end, good triumphed over evil.

Gabriel Agreste was arrested with his accomplices Nathalie Sancoeur, Chloé Bourgeois, and Lila Rossi. The latter was why Ladybug and Chat Noir found themselves in the police station with Gina Rossi, an Italian diplomat, and Alya. (Ladybug wasn’t sure how the latter got in here (based on her face, neither did she) but she was willing to let Alya get a look.)

“Based on her records, this seems…” Roger hissed through his teeth as he flipped through the file. “Not a surprise.” he finally settled on.

Gina looked ready to faint. “This isn’t new behavior?”

Roger looked up from the file with a raised brow. “Ma’am, did you not look at the record of the girl you were adopting?” Ladybug opened her mouth, only barely managing to get ahold of herself to clap her hands over Chat and Alya’s mouths before the questions could come out. She had no idea Lila had even been adopted. Poor Mrs. Rossi looked ready to faint already. “According to her file, starting at a young age, Lila has shown a history of lying.”

“That can’t- I didn’t-” Gina snatched the file and started scanning it, her face slowly getting more and more pale. “...this can’t…” Ladybug released her partner and her best friend’s mouths so they could step closer and peek over. Alya whistled.

Lila’s file was long.

The first recorded incident was when Lila was five. She accused a daycare worker of giving her food she was allergic to. The new manager had fired the poor girl on the spot, not even giving her a chance to explain until Lila’s bio mom, one Ms. Camila Noceda, had come to pick the twins up from daycare.

“Lila doesn’t have allergies.”

The daycare worker, as it turned out, had said no to Lila taking a doll from Luz. She had been restated with much higher pay soon after. The Nocedas had given her money for the lost wages.

The second had been aimed at a family friend of the Nocedas. Six-year-old Lila, with a new black eye, had accused the boy of hitting her at a party. The entire family had been outraged until they learned the boy wasn’t there…by him returning from his part time job. As it turned out, Lila had just tripped.

The pattern continued. Lila would lie, only to have her lie revealed. As time continued, the lies grew bigger and closer together. Soon, Lila was lying all the time. In the notes that Gina flipped through, Ladybug made a note.

Most of the lies were revealed by Lila’s twin, Luz, or the girl’s bio parents. Distance began to appear. The last incident happened…

Her blood ran cold.

There had been an accident on a family boating trip. Luz Noceda had fallen overboard while apparently not wearing her life vest. Lila had never been solidly accused, but it was noted that she was the last one to see Luz alive. The little girl’s body had never been found.

Now, Marinette knew Lila was bad. Who got a kick out of lying to people? But she was starting to learn, more and more, how evil she was.

Luz had been like her. A weird girl who still spoke the truth and disrupted Lila’s lies. Unlike her, she had been listened to. And for that, Lila had possibly killed her.

(For a second, she felt smug. Adrien could take the high road and shove it.)

“We actually called Camila Noceda in to ask her questions,” Roger said, wreaking the silence. “She’s on her way in now.”

“Does she need someone to pick her up?” Chat Noir asked.

Roger shook his head. “You misunderstand. She’s walking into the building now.”

The door opened. “Right this way, madame,” an officer said in English. “Camila Noceda is here, sir.”

Camila Noceda was a woman with dark bags under her eyes and a soft frown. She wore a yellow sweater that seemed to have been hastily pulled over a medical uniform. She was a pretty older woman with grey starting to soften the dark curls in her hair. Ladybug couldn’t see any resemblance to Lila from just one look.

“What did she do?”

Roger blinked. “What?”

“Lila. What did she do this time?” Chat and Alya both winced at the harshness. Camila sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry. It’s a surprise to get a call about your biological daughter so late in the evening.”

“It’s nothing to be offended about, madame,” Ladybug couldn’t help but take a step forward and grip Camila’s hand. Exhaustion lined the poor woman’s voice, and this whole experience, based on the last incident, must’ve been making her flashback. “I’m sorry to have to drag you in like this. We just have some questions about Lila Rossi’s lying habit.”

A warm smile bloomed to life. “Thank you, sweetheart,” Camila reached up and patted her cheek. Maternal warmth seemed to seep off her now. Ladybug couldn’t help but lean into the warm touch, suddenly reminded of her own mother. “I’m happy to answer any questions, but what did Lila do?”

Oh boy. Ladybug glanced around. Roger, Chat, and Alya didn’t meet her eyes. It seemed like-

“It was my fault.” Gina stood up straight, shoulders clenched. “I’m Gina Rossi, Lila’s m…” She paused and shook her head. “Lila’s adoptive mother. I think we spoke on the phone when I adopted her.”

Camila nodded. “We did. You were so excited to welcome Lila into your family.” Her smile turned sadder. “I hated giving up on Lila, but I couldn’t…” She sighed. “I couldn’t give her the help she needed.”

Gina nodded. “Neither could I,” she whispered. Camila cocked her head. “I didn’t look at her file closely. I didn’t read about all the incidents, the lying, everything. I let her manipulate me.” Gina reached up and rubbed her forehead. “She helped a terrorist attack Paris because I enabled her.”

Camila’s eyes went wide. “She did what?!”

“She also skipped over a year of school!” Gina’s voice choked into a sob. “She’s getting me in trouble with the embassy because she made up stories about traveling everywhere, she’s getting into legal trouble, and she almost ruined one poor girl’s life!”

Camila clearly flinched. “She did?”

“Yes!” Alya stepped forward. “My best friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Ladybug blinked. “I…I also helped enable her. Without knowing! But I still helped her.” She presented the phone to Camila, who looked ready to faint. “I’m really sorry, Mrs. Noceda.”

Camila took the phone, allowing Ladybug to see that Alya had pulled up the Ladyblog. Specifically, on the video of Volpina helping Shadowmoth.

The woman was eerily quiet, staring at the screen. Her eyes were wide as the video first played. They narrowed as the video replayed a second time. A third time.

“...I…I can’t believe this.” Camila passed the phone back to Alya. Her hands were shaking, as though she was ready to throw the phone. “No. You know what? I can believe Lila would do that.”

Roger stepped forward. “Your answers will help us make sure, madame.”

“Ask away,” Camila said, taking a deep breath in and letting it out. “And then I want to talk to her. Luz has some questions of her own.” 

The door opened, revealing a girl. She was pretty, with golden hairclips pushing back hair to reveal golden eyes.

“Where’s my sister?”

[ilikekidsshows]

Hello. I have noted that, when talking about Miraculous Ladybug, you refer about a retooling in Season 4. Can you please elaborate?

A retooling is what it's called when a show gets altered during its run. Miraculous Ladybug the show changed almost completely during the hiatus between seasons 3 and 4, so calling seasons 4 and 5 a retooling is accurate.

For example, changes they made into the show:

Removing Adrien's support network/relationships he has outside of Ladybug/Marinette

Decreasing the amount of input Adrien gets in anything that happens in the show (I have wrote several essays on this point, I will not elaborate here)

Removing Marinette's arc of learning to communicate with others (big theme in episodes like 'Befana' and 'Cat Blanc'), instead giving her a trauma excuse to justify not addressing her behavior

Scrapping Chloé's villain/redeption (this was going somewhere but I don't know which) arc to go back to her being a petty school bully

Luka and Kagami instantly dumping Marinette and Adrien (almost like the writers changed their minds about pursuing those relationships for plots)

Nathalie's dedication to Gabriel gets removed, making her suddenly loyal to Emilie instead

Completely changing Félix's character from an evil clone archetype / potential master thief villain into some kind of Sentipeople freedom fighter (who still doesn't actually call out the heroes for enslaving Sentipeople)

Sudden focus on Sentipeople (which I stand firmly were not a thing before Sentibug and even Sentibug barely counted)

Turning Lila into a secret supervillain all along

Making Akumatization actually easy to fight against, removing the threat from the villain's primary power (and implying all the characters getting Akumatized in seasons 1-3 just didn't want to resist hard enough)

There are more, those are just some of the most glaring changes, including the crew statements that the show is now serialized instead of episodic and the rating going up.

Honestly, they should have retitled this show when season 4 started. I've taken to calling the show season 4 onward "The New Adventures of Ladybug", since that's a common naming scheme for continuation seasons and retoolings of cartoons.