#peacock miraculous hero (argos)

[muses-of-the-memory]

Happy 9th Anniversary to Miraculous!

Today is the 9th anniversary of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir!

As an open RP to anyone, I will be roleplaying as my Miraculous muses on my list in both verses: Canon and Rise of the Dark Moth verse

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug

Adrien Agreste/Cat Noir

Alya Césaire/Rena Rouge

Nino Lahiffe/Carapace

Gabriel Agreste/Hawk Moth/Betterfly (willing to do canon Hawk Moth/Shadow Moth/Monarch) (Remorseful Hawk Moth is in the Rise of the Dark Moth verse)

Nathalie Sancouer/Mayura

Felix Fathom/Argos

Kagami Tsurugi/Ryuko

Zoe Lee/Vesperia

Paint le Panda (Miraculous Hero of Imagination)

Tagged by: @hoshi-neko-hikari, @spirits-of-nature16, @bluemajingirl, @x-whiskeylullaby-x, @themultiverseheroines, @forsakenwasp, @keysofthekingdom, @keywcilder, @the-world-hopper, @thepersonaking56

[ataraxianne]

I love how Felix put so much thought in his superhero name choosing "Argos" to reconnect it to the Argonauts, the army commanded by Jason, Hera's favourite hero. Hera, the Queen of the Gods, Mother of the Gods, whose symbolic animal was the peacock. So he literally presented himself as the hero of the creatures made with the power of the peacock because his whole intention in getting the miraculous was to protect the sentibeings created with it instead of seeing them being abused and exploited by others, and to be seen as herald in front of those who wanted to stop him.

And then we see the other heroes' names and they're like "Okay so the white rabbit is called Bunny(x), that purple tigress there is Purple Tigress and the black cat is called - wait for it - Black Cat"

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

Gabriel was a monster to them now.

When Felix brought up ending Gabriel's reign of controlling other people, he mentions his mother as well as himself as part of the list of people Gabriel was turning into what he wanted them to be, and no wonder. Aside from hiding the existence of the peacock miraculous from Felix, the very jewel that controlled Felix's entire existence in the world, Gabriel was deliberately trying to make sure Felix and Amelie remained as naïve as possible, unaware of his true nature and the secrets he hid from them.

Ever since Amelie's first introduction in "Felix" it was obvious she had a lot of love and care for Emelie's family, wanting to be there for them even in their darkest times, but Gabriel for one could not care any less for Amelie.

Amelie may be Emelie's only sister, but Gabriel viewed her and the rest of her family as more of a nuisance. He hated Colt, Felix's dad, to the point of not attending his funeral, hated Felix for everything he did that led up to their confrontation in "Strike Back", where Felix threatening to expose his secrets if he didn't give up the peacock miraculous. And while Amelie made past efforts to keep their families close by visiting, Gabriel for one disliked having her around.

(Back in "Felix", Amelie planned a surprise visit to the Agreste' mansion, hoping they could all be together on the anniversary of Emelie's disappearance, something Adrien greatly appreciated, but not Gabriel.)

Aside from her timely visits, it was Amelie's willingness to confront Gabriel’s lack of attention over important matters within their families that only ever wound up clashing with Gabriel's secrets, such as the subject of returning his and Emelie's wedding rings, the very items containing Adrien's amok, but were rings that were still very important to her too as they were originally part of the Graham De Vanily family, not the Agreste's.

In "Emotion", Amelie did eventually questioned why Gabriel had become so cruel after Emelie disappeared, but she never imagined he actually cared so little about her and Felix.

When Felix set out his plan in "Emotion" to create a world free of anyone like Gabriel who would control others, it's shown at the end of the episode that he wanted his mom to open her eyes and realize that the people she thought were her family and friends, were all just monsters.

Back in "Multiplication", when it was shown that Amelie was secretly hiding Felix at home after the events of "Strike back", Amelie never told anyone that Felix was never missing, and yet despite the heroes questioning and regardless of his actions in "Emotion", Amelie never saw Felix as the bad guy, partly because she was his mom, but also because she had a great deal of trust in knowing that whatever her son was doing, he had his reasons for doing it.

Of course, Felix's past actions would not be easily forgiven by the heroes, he still had to face the consequences when the time came for him to return to the public eye, but Felix's willingness to reveal his identity as Argos to his mom, likely meant that Amelie was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust her son on the matters of questioning who she was committing her life to.

When Amelie showed up to the Diamonds Dance, Amelie pointed out that a search had taken place for Felix after he went "missing", but despite her hopes, Gabriel and the rest of his friends never reached out to her to offer a helping hand. It's unknown how much Felix told Amelie about what happened in "Risk" and "Strike back", but regardless, Amelie got the point of why her son wanted her to question Gabriel's lack of effort in helping her. Amelie made a lot of effort to show she still cared for Gabriel and Adrien, even after Emilie disappeared, but it was Gabriel's, and the rest of his club members, lack of compassion towards her struggles in "loosing" her son that finally made her realize she had wasted much of her life caring about members of a high society who never cared about her.

Felix's decision to show his mom the reality of her connections, and thereby ending them, might have been crushing for his mom, but odds are, the final straw Felix had in continuing to stand by and watch his mom waste her love on people who did not deserve it, was the secret hiding under the Agreste mansion, Emelie.

(The shock of finding Emelie's body under the Agreste mansion, was enough to nearly make Felix blow his cover when he was pretending to be Adrien in "Risk")

In "Risk", Felix found Gabriel's secret underground lair, the very place Emelie's body was being contained, but at the time, Felix was only searching for the peacock miraculous, he never imagined Gabriel was secretly hiding Emelie's body under his mansion, and this was of course extremely horrifying to discover, because he and his mom thought Emelie just straight up disappeared one day, that no one, not even Gabriel, knew what happened to her. Adrien, Gabriel and Nathalie went through their own grief after Emelie was no longer able to be part of their lives, but for Amelie, that grief would have been just as terrible to bare when she found out she had lost her only sister. Much like Adrien, Amelie had to live with knowing that she had to accept that Emelie was just gone, she would never know what happened to her, and Felix was there by his mom's side when it all happened. It doesn't seem like Felix told his mom the truth about Emelie, but given the severity of it all, he didn't want her to suffer anymore grief over the truth about his aunt.

Felix holds a great deal of respect for his aunt Emelie and obviously would have had his share of grief when he thought she was gone forever, but to know that Gabriel hid the truth behind Emelie's disappearance from his mom, along with everyone else, never giving her the chance she needed to know what really happened to her only sister and say goodbye before she finally succumbed to her illness, must have infuriated Felix.

But to know that Gabriel would even go as far as making threats to get rid of him and leave his mom to suffer the loss of another loved one ("Gabriel Agreste"), all to obtain the ring that controls Adrien, and dissuade him from further pursuing his secret as Shadow Moth, only further convinced Felix that Gabriel was the one who had to disappear, before he made things any worse for his mom, himself and Adrien.

(In "Gabriel Agreste", Gabriel spoke through his sentiGabriel to threaten Felix. In this moment, Gabriel was no longer an ordinary uncle to Felix, he was a monster)

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

How come not a single character questioned our heroes, Ladybug especially, about trusting Felix with Peacock Miraculous? You know, the same Miraculous he snapped people out of existence on a whole dang planet? Was I the only one who was like "err. Okay, let's have him join, but maybe give him some other less dangerous jewelry"

I mean ofc, Thomas ain't gonna make Felix suddenly snap and pull this whole red moon again. But how would in-universe characters know? For all they know, this guy's first move after getting this dang peacock is to commit planet-wide genocide, what makes them think he won't do it again?

Or is it because he was crying from snapping the fellow sentimonster out of existence "boo hoo hoo, my senti-sister is gone :'(" is enough to qualify as a redeemed character? In that case, Gabriel didn't do anything magic terrorist and even son abuse because it was all reversed after making a wish. Ain't it? Ain't he a good person, huh?

It's even more egregious because only three people actually trust him, and that's being generous: Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Ryuko. Everyone else just sees Argos as that weirdo who ran around wiping humanity out like it was nothing.

But then again, redemption on this show has always been very confusing, given how easily well-established villains are easily forgiven by the heroes.

[ninadove]

As a (very niche portion of the) fandom, our collective attention has been captured by how much Felix adores Kagami — which is true and good and beautiful and pure. But we’ve been sleeping on how much she loves him, and today, I want to shine a spotlight on her side of the most beautiful love story ever written.

Before we begin, let me get the obvious out of the way: yes, she did try to crush his skull with a chair in Pretension, and she was iconic for that.

HOWEVER.

This is only how their relationship started. What truly matters is how the story unfolds from then on.

And boy does it unfold fast. By the end of the episode, Felix has shaken Kagami’s worldview so much that she:

Stands up to her own friends and fellow heroes in an effort to not only protect him, but also ensure that he can keep the Peacock Miraculous;

Actively challenges her mother’s teaching that emotions (in this context, romantic love) are a weakness that should be eradicated from the face of the Earth;

Is planning secret dates with Felix, even though as far as she knows Tomoe has her amok (because you can’t tell me this little genius didn’t figure out the entire Sentilore in the sewers);

Trusts Felix with said amok despite his extensive criminal record, as illustrated by how quickly and firmly she takes his hand — with a little sigh if happiness, might I add. This is especially significant compared to previous instances of hand holding between the two, when he had to make all the effort while she remained completely limp.

And then Representation rolls around. And oh, boy.

Kagami instantly calms down from her TV-induced rage upon seeing her boyfriend on her balcony — a major improvement when you consider how big of a role anger and frustration play in her akumatisations.

Tangent 1:

Something similar happened in Ikari Gozen, when Mari protected Kagami from her mother, causing her to narrowly escape Hawkmoth’s influence. More on the Marigami-to-Feligami pipeline in another post, coming to your dash someday in the not-so-distant future.

Not only does Kagami instantly relax in Felix’s presence, but she laughs — something that previously only happened in the context of Adrigaminette, and we all know how that ended. Felix is the one to mend her heart and make her laugh again, for the second time since the dance.

Our two lovebirds proceed to straight up RUN AWAY INTO THE SUNSET. Kagami presumably spent the following 350 km (300 miles) cuddled up in Argos’ arms, admiring how handsome he looks in his glittery cosmic suit which we don’t get to see because budget.

Later on, they casually discuss Ladybug’s identity, while fireworks go off in the background. Let me rephrase this: Kagami trusted the person who stole the Miraculous with her best friend’s most burning secret, not because she wants to defeat Hawkmoth per say, but because Gabriel has been getting in the way of their make out sessions and she can’t have that.

Tangent 2:

Also coming to your dash in the not-so-distant future: an analysis of Kagami’s relationship to the concepts of truth and lies, and how dependent it is on what serves her and her loved ones in the moment.

Then, of course, the core of the episode: Kagami actively participates in the play, helping Felix tell his story in a way he feels comfortable with.

Tangent 3 (lots of ‘em today):

This part is extremely important to me, because I’ve seen So. Many. People. complain that the play could have been boiled down to two lines of conversation.

And like.

No???

Firstly, this is a show, not real life: we as an audience needed the confirmation to be as climactic as possible. If it hadn’t been, I can guarantee the exact same salters would be crying about the story’s “WaStEd PoTeNtIaL”.

But let’s delve into the real life implications of the Sentiplot for a second.

Abuse survivors do not owe you a brief, comfortable explanation of what they went through, neatly wrapped up with a pretty little bow.

The play is a beautiful illustration of how art can be cathartic and therapeutic, and I need you guys to understand that this sequence means something to many, many viewers — most of them children in similarly terrible situations. If I were to bet, I would say it very likely speaks to one or more members of the writing team on a personal level as well.

So you can pry these scenes from my cold, dead hands.

The kisses… All of them… During the firework show. As the sun rises to signify a new beginning. Disguised as Adrien’s parents. For context, this is the same girl who previously found a hand kiss to be too much for her broken heart to bear.

And of course, there’s the way she looks at him like he is her entire world, like she cannot understand how anyone could ever call him monstruous. Because Felix doesn’t get the monopoly of heart eyes.

Finally, in Recreation:

THE LIES CALLBACK. THE MIRACULOUS TEAM TOOK THE TIME AND MADE THE EFFORT TO PUT A LIES CALLBACK IN THE FREAKING FINALE. You guys know I’m insane about this scene already.

So what’s my point.

Because yes, I do have a point, apart from “KSSGDJDKSS Feligami SGDHDKLS 🥰🥰🥰🥰” (which, by the way, is a completely valid meta post in itself).

While we joke that Kagami is so far out of Felix’s league in every aspect — she doesn’t perceive him that way in the slightest. As far as she’s concerned, she has achieved every fourteen year old’s dream: dating the perfect cursed prince, tortured artist, evil-genius-on-a-redemption-arc combo.

She is just as enamoured with him as he is with her, and I think it’s beautiful. 🦚🐉

[flightfoot]

Marinette Completed Angst Fic Reclist

I know some people really like this genre, so I figured I'd make a list for it! These will obviously all be completed, and none of them will be bashing fics, and PLEASE don't rec any fics on this post that are bashing fics, I don't want to see them.

Some of these will have my own commentary about the fic attached to it, for if I've put them on a previous reclist where I had that commentary written out. But a lot of the older fics won't.

For a fic to count for this, the angst Marinette goes through can't just be her being upset about what someone else is going through, though the angst of the fic doesn't only need to be hers, so long as she has her own angst which is a decently prominent part of the fic.

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one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.

Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.

Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.

This is a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrien’s, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when they’re doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.

It also features the version of Luka I’ve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. It’s helped me get a better handle on a character who I’ve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.

It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. There’s no sexual content and I wouldn’t put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldn’t let the rating scare you off.

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you don’t even know me at all (but I was made for loving you) by @ladyofthenoodle

They didn’t remember each other. The hospital told them there’d been an accident—brain damage—but Alya had told them the truth, later. Who’d they’d been to each other. What they’d given up, and why. But even with their memories of each other gone, Adrien and Marinette are still inextricably tied together—by law, by their social circles, and by their hearts. And in the apartment they share, there’s only one bed.

Yep, it’s the “there was only one bed” trope XD! I especially love how it was used here, how Adrien and Marinette are strangers now but they had a whole life together, and they pine for each other even without remembering, and how Marinette just can’t believe how in love with her Adrien is even though he doesn’t remember her. I loved the emotional turmoil the two of them went through together in the fic, and the resolution, it’s great!

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fine line by @bbutterflies

“Catwalker?” Loveybug asks. “Hmm?” “Do you remember… what happened before us?” “What do you mean?” “Before we were heroes. Was there someone else?” Catwalker goes quiet for a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally says.

This is a surprisingly angsty take on the Loveybug AU. Here, since the Loveybug and Cat Walker transformations are so unnatural, they’re having negative side effects on Marinette and Adrien, causing them to be constantly exhausted and even to get amnesia the longer they continue using them.

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do you think I have forgotten about you? by @roseinaugust

Based on the song ‘About You’ by The 1975. Memory Loss. Told in alternating time lines, one leading up to and one dealing with the aftermath of Marinette relinquishing the Miracle Box and the guardianship. Marinette struggles with her life after losing her memory, though there is a persistent voice that calls to her that always seems just out of reach in her memory.

Beautiful memory loss fic here, with seeing Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s relationship before she gave up the Miracle box, juxtaposed with the present day, when Adrien is only a stranger to her. I could really feel how Marinette was struggling with navigating these new circumstances, with her friends seeming to expect her to remember, to be who she was to them, to Adrien especially, before, and her just… not knowing whether she can do that. It’s got a happy ending though, for those who are concerned about that.

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Our Tales Are Endless (That’s Why I Tell Them) by @joonapeach

Marinette lives a simple life - one surrounded by pretty dresses, fresh macaroons, and the calming view of Paris. It’s a life she thinks she has always fit in. And yet sometimes, when a certain boy comes by her shop with a flower and a new adventurous story, she can’t help but wonder if there’s something else she’s missing.

This was a truly gorgeous story. It’s the classic “Marinette gives up the Miracle Box and loses her memories” storyline, exploring her life two years later. Even though she’s had time to heal and recover, she still feels like she’s missing something, something big. At least Adrien’s stopping by regularly to tell her stories about Ladybug and Chat Noir, even if she doesn’t understand why they resonate with her so well.

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I (Wish I) Knew You by @buggachat

University has been hard on Marinette. Making new friends and maintaining her grades is a lot easier said than done when she has to disappear at odd times to fight akumas. She's struggling, and with Alya away with family and Adrien painfully out of reach, she's never felt lonelier.

If only she could talk to someone who really understood her struggles... but it's not like Chat Noir would know anything about loneliness. Right?

Nice aged-up Ladynoir fic here! Marinette’s struggling with losing friends and lovers because of her flakiness due to her superhero activities, until at last she breaks down. Thankfully, Chat Noir’s there at least - and it soon turns out he’s got problems of his own that he’s been hiding.

There’s some fluff and angst, it’s mostly just the two of them navigating life, dealing with their feelings and talking things out.

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If I Let Myself Love You by @uptoolateart

It’s hard to be a normal girl with a normal life when your mother has terminal cancer. And when fashion model Adrien Agreste moves back to Paris and wants to be Marinette’s friend – or maybe even more – her life is turned upside down again.

How can she risk opening her heart to love when her whole world is falling apart? Especially when Adrien is hiding a dark secret of his own….

- COMPLETE FIC – updates on Sundays

*** No kwamis AU - 100% Adrinette. About half of it is fluffy and half heavy. Please read tags for trigger warnings. ***

This fic can be rough, definitely pay attention to the tags. There’s no villains in this story, it mostly centers around themes of dealing with illness - both being sick and having a loved one who’s terminally ill - and death, grieving someone who’s lost, and how difficult that can be. It can get pretty gut-wrenching at times, especially as you slowly discover more layers of what’s really going on, what both Adrien and Marinette are hiding, both from others and from themselves in order to help cope with their circumstances. But they still move forwards together, regardless.

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Between the Heavens and the Embers by @readersmoon

Everyone in Paris remembers the fateful night of January 16, when the city was attacked by the most powerful and destructive akuma ever created. The assault, which lasted for hours, resulted in the death of 439 people.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was among the casualties.

Years later, Adrien hasn't been able to move on, haunted by the memories of her broken body. So, when the opportunity to leave Paris for a while presents itself, he doesn't hesitate. But this trip might end up giving him more than he ever dreamt of.

This is a fantastic fic, though a serious and a dark one - make sure to mind the tags, and it’s M-rated for a reason. Vee - or rather, Marinette - is going through a horror story here. Imagine finding out that your life is a lie, that everyone you thought you could trust was manipulating you, that you were just being continually gaslit for years. 

As for Adrien, Alya, and Nino... well, none of them took Marinette’s “death” all that well, especially Adrien. Finding out that she’s been alive all this time, in these horrible circumstances, and they had no clue... it’s hard on them as well.

I love how this fic goes into how much trauma everyone has even after the immediate danger’s dealt with, you don’t just walk off this kind of experience, especially with how many years this lasted.

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in case you don’t know me tomorrow by @thelibraryloser:

“We live in a crazy world where pieces of our lives can be erased like they never even happened. I just wanted to memorize this moment so… so I could keep it, if that makes sense.”

Adrien’s heart gave a little flutter. She wanted to keep this moment, meeting him. She wanted to keep… him.

“I understand exactly what you mean.“

In a world that has created a way to selectively delete memories, no moment is truly safe. So how do you hold on to something when the memory of it is gone? And how do you keep fighting for someone when you’re the only one who remembers?

This is a SEVERELY underrated fic. It’s got some shades of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” in the world, though the plot is very different - the memory erasure ain’t willing. 

Basically, the first few chapters are establishing Adrien’s and Marinette’s romance, and then the rest of the fic is dealing with Gabriel being an absolute DICK and using any means at his disposal to break them apart. It’s fantastic and I highly recommend reading it!

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hella enchanted by @xiueryn:

Years ago, Marinette’s father died and she was left with her awful stepmother. With magic forcing her to obey every command, she lived as a servant and gave up hope. When a man appears, searching for the very fairy that blessed her, Marinette decides to give life one more try. AU.

(a different ella enchanted au.)

Even though it’s a one-shot this one is pretty long, clocking in at over 30k words. Absolutely worth a shot, though. The first third is basically Marinette dealing with being pushed around because of her “blessing”, and the other two-thirds is just some adorable fluff of her and Adrien touring the country together. 

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Echoes of You by kittinoir

In the day time, she's Marinette - a normal girl, with a normal life. A normal girl, with a normal life. A normal girl, with... Not Season 4 Compliant; please, no spoilers

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balancing act by fictionalinfinity

“Besides, being Ladybug always came first. It came before school, friends, and sometimes even family. Now it had to come before her health. Marinette had a duty to Paris. She wouldn’t let them down.” Or, being both Ladybug and the Guardian starts to take its toll on Marinette. - the epilepsy au literally no one asked for

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Some Days by @merrygreenie

Some days are worse, and others are a little better, little by little and day by day. Marinette Dupain-Chen is learning how to live her new normal after living in confinement and being tortured by Hawkmoth. She is thankful to have her friends and family to support her. And a very special Chat who loves her very much. *This story contains scenes of violence and torture this is a whump fic*

This fic has some great angst, but be warned, it's not kidding about the violence and torture. Honestly, it should probably be rated M instead of Teen, given that while the fic mostly takes place after Marinette escapes and while she's recovering, we do get a detailed flashback to her torture.

[purplecatghostposts]

Top 5 favorite writing ideas on your current WIP list <3

I have SO MANY but I think these are the ones I’m gonna go with! Only counting ones that I haven’t published yet bc that helps narrow down the list!

A Kaleidoscope Of Butterflies. Remember that ��Ladybug!Félix’ thing I mentioned that kept getting more complicated? Yeah. He’s both Ladybug and Guardian and very stressed with responsibility but is doing pretty well so far! It’s also what I call a ‘Death Swap’ AU where Gabriel and Amélie used the Peacock Miraculous and died rather than Emilie and Colt. Félix, while thankfully no longer living under Colt, also no longer has the support of his very loving mother. There’s a lot of details to this AU and it concerns me bc I have no idea how long it’ll end up being, BUT it’s got Black Cat!Marinette, Bee!Adrien, Turtle!Kagami, and Fox!Luka as major players!

World Gone Mad (Let’s Start The Show). Monarch takes over Paris, Akumatizing Chat Noir into the out of control Chat Blanc and causing Ladybug to go MIA in the process. The Miraculouses are scattered in the process, a couple ending up on both sides, and the remaining heroes do their best to fight back against Monarch and his army of Akumas. Argos ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and finds himself trapped in Paris, but he finds an ally in Queen Bee due to having a similar goal: find their missing siblings and survive. Their reputation makes them unlikely heroes, but they just might be the allies the heroes need to win. This was to both satisfy my need for writing Félix and Chloé’s relationship, but also Félix meeting Chat Blanc!

You Win Some, You Lose Some. For months, Ladybug and Rena Rogue have been fighting against Hawkmoth and his own team of supervillains, including the destructive Chat Noir, the relentless Ryuko, and the defensive Chelone, on top of the usual Akumas. While others have been recruited, those two are the only consistent heroes. However, when Nino is chosen by Duusu to wield the lost Peacock Miraculous, not only does he join the hero scene, but learns all about Sentibeings, and the importance of treating them kindly. Accidentally ended up being a Nino-Félix Kwami Swap but Turtle!Félix and his battle dome is now one of my favorite things ever. Also Peacock!Nino being best friends with Adrien without either of them knowing he’s a senti was something I just really needed.

Before We Crumble. In a span of a week, Adrien finds himself not only Chat Noir and Guardian to an empty Miracle Box, but orphaned after his father passes. Outside of his own and the Butterfly Miraculous, all other Miraculouses are not only scattered and hidden, but Sealed, making them unable to be used unless a certain ritual is done to release them once again. Chat Noir not only faces Violet Admiral, the new Butterfly Villain, alone, but must track down and unlock the other Miraculouses if he wants to have any fellow hero allies. However, Chat Noir is not alone. While the Ladybug Miraculous may be missing and he’s only able to undo the magical effects, not repair the damage, Adrien still has allies. Not only from his Aunt Amélie and Félix, who have moved into the mansion with him, but from all his friends at school who just want to help.

Wonderful Nothing. One of the Akumas from the new Butterfly Villain sends people to alternative dimensions, and manages to send both Ladybug and Argos to the same one. However, it’s one Ladybug recognizes as the reformed Shadybug and Claw Noir’s universe, giving her hope that they can escape this. However, before they can track down the heroes, they’re ambushed by a mysterious Dog Holder vigilante, and Argos is targeted, his Miraculous taken, leaving them in a bad spot. Thankfully, they receive answers soon enough: Shady and Claw have been trying to properly catch and talk to ‘Cerberus’ for a while now with no luck, and no idea what his goal are or where he got his Miraculous. From the name alone, Félix has a pretty good idea of who they’re facing… This was a huge excuse for not only Alternative Félix thoughts, but Félix VS Félix Shenanigans.

Andddd some Honorable Mentions:

You Can’t Win Me (I Can’t Be Beat), a semi-Portal inspired AU featuring both of the sentitwins as highly intelligent robots who may have more to them than meets the eye.

Saint Bernard Sits (At The Top Of The Driveway), a Fantasy-Miraculous AU featuring two terrible supervillains, Flairmidable thievery, and a rekindling romance <3

Blood Is Thicker, a Vampire AU with Monster Hunters Kagami and Marinette, Félix and Adrien having gone through hell but still coming out on top, and a couple misunderstandings about who is and isn’t a vampire.

Does A Swallow Dream Of Flying?, A Swap AU with Black Cat!Félix, Peacock!Adrien, and also Adrien in a bow tie. It’s really important to me that you know he wears a silly little bow tie.

How The Morale Goes (Nobody Knew And Nobody Knows), Monarch’s wish throws everyone into the past with new roles. Neither Adrien nor Marinette are the Miraculous Holders, Félix has the wrong mom entirely, along with a bunch of other mix-ups, and worst of all, a couple of them all remember how it used to be and are now trying to figure out all the new information. The kids all use their knowledge from the previous world to try and fix this one!

His Brother’s Keeper (Also sometimes called The Oversight), Félix hears of Hawkmoth getting help from a new Peacock Holder and goes to Paris to track down and take it for himself. There’s a high chance that his uncle, who is definitely Hawkmoth, is getting help from his assistant. However, he should’ve paid a little more attention to Adrien acting a bit strange before it became too late and he abruptly discovers that his uncle chose a different partner in crime. Enemies AU but Félix ends up learning things he shouldn’t essentially.

Again, I have way too many ideas and I love them all too much to give up. Hope you enjoyed reading about some of these, and thank you so much for the ask <33

(Send me a top five of something and I’ll rate it!!)

[r8cs]

His brooch tells him Adrien feels sick around him.

Can you imagine the inner rage, the distress and disapointment inside Adrien when Chat Noir founds out about who Monarch was and what really happened in His defeat.

And as a hero, he will throw Argos some signals like "Eventually he will found out everything", "It would be best if he hears it from family, dont you think?". But it never happens.

So he keeps bottling up his feelings, gets enraged everytime he sees Nathalie or Felix, the people who supposedly know the truth and kept him in the dark and still do, and distance himself emotionally from them.

He's never home nor answers the 'where are you' texts. Nathalie just wants to be there for him bc she feels the responsability Emilie and Gabriel feft her and doesnt know what to do.

And Felix was so happy by how everything ended, Adrien was free, he has the peacock miraculous (and a girlfriend), moving to Paris to bond with his cousin as he always wanted and start a new life. And suddenly Adrien pushes him away disgusted.

His brooch tells him Adrien feels sick around him.

[themattress]

I’m sorry, but I'm still not over this. There is very little tweaking that would need to be done to the Season 5 finale of Miraculous Ladybug to make it a series finale (and it very well could have been one!), and thus how would these major antagonists have concluded their runs?

Gabriel Agreste / Hawk Moth / Shadow Moth / Monarch: He basically wins; sucker-punching Marinette and at last obtaining the two Miraculouses he’d always been after, using them to rewrite reality so he can join his wife in death (since he was dying anyway so it isn’t a sacrifice). Adrien (who now only has memories of him as a good father and not an abusive bastard) and most of Paris is left oblivious to his crimes, and he even gets honored as a hero who sacrificed his life to defeat his own supervillainous alter-ego once and for all.

Nathalie Sancoeur / Mayura: Her fatal illness is removed and she gets to live a peaceful life alongside her new girlfriend Emilie Agreste. Her crimes against Paris also go undiscovered.

Tomoe Tsurugi: She’s now in charge of Gabriel’s business, and still an active member of a creepy secret eugenics cult dedicated to replacing humanity with perfected sentimonsters.

Felix Fathom / Argos: He keeps the Peacock Miraculous he obtained through a horrific betrayal that led to devastating consequences for all of Paris and now even has a girlfriend.

Lila Rossi / Iris Verdi / Cerise: Her being exposed as a liar and expelled from school ended up meaning jack shit since “Lila Rossi” is just one identity of this person who’s apparently always been an aspiring supervillain, complete with her own evil lair and special resources. And now she’s obtained the Butterfly Miraculous, so things can only continue to go her way.

Chloe Bourgeois: She earns the hatred of all of Paris which she is forced to leave behind, loses all her power and privileges, her father disowns her in favor of her half-sister, her friend and minion Sabrina turns on her, Adrien wants nothing more to do with her, Marinette wins a final victory over her on behalf of all the students she’s bullied over the years, and she’s trapped in the custody of her abusive mother who intends to take her abuse to a new level. 

OK, yeah, as I think we can all see: one of these things is not like the others!

Seriously, Thomas Astruc, what is your damage in regards to the character of Chloe!?

[angiecakes1990]

Miraculous Ladybug Highlights of this year

Took him 5 seasons but Adrien is aware of his feelings for Marinette and falls hard for her ��😂

Ladynoir Kiss in Jubliation but its under its power idc I’ll take it 😭

Ladynoire and Mister Bug make a comeback

First official kiss between them which both can remember in the form of Marichat 😭😭

Adrienette later becomes a couple but feels incomplete without the reveal 😭

Felix is back and introduce himself as the new peacock holder and anti hero Argos.

In Pretension Felix confessed his feelings towards Kagami so basically Felix likes her 😂 but FELIGAMI for the win 😍

[fortuna-et-cataclysmos]

On Felix, Revolution, and Anarchism

I was absolutely flabbergasted by Emotion and this will be one of my most complex analyses, so hold on tight.

In Emotion, Felix carries a well-thought attack on the Diamond Ball, and unveils himself as the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous, Argus. I think that it is heavily implied that what Felix attempts to do is an anarchist revolution to topple the ruling elite. I know that this may sound too far-fetched for some, but there are some very apparent signs embedded in the episode, which I'll explain below.

First, let's talk about how this is a revolution.

The name Felix chooses for himself is Argus. Who is Argus? Maybe someone has already written about this given that I am quite late to the Emotion party, but I am pretty sure that this name refers to the Argonauts, which is a group of 50 heroes in Greek mythology. Argus is one of the heroes, the one who built the heroes' ship, Argo.

The Argonauts are on a quest to acquire the Golden Fleece, which is notoriously seen as a symbol of "authority and kingship" in the Western culture. Long story short, the Argonauts are trying to seize power from an undeserving king and to give it to the real heir to the throne.

That's what Felix attempts to do. He obviously sees the elite, ruled by Gabriel (who, as we know from Protection, is the organiser of the Diamond Ball) as "unworthy" to rule and topples them.

It's time for someone to put an end to your endless try to control people. [...] I'm freeing us from you!

His attempt is very much a seize of power, a revolution.

Then what is a revolution? It is a sudden and fundemantal change to the balances of power. The way that Felix has been planning it for a while (he says that he had been observing Adrien and Marinette for a while), the way he chooses a very symbolic event as target (exclusive only to the elites he intends to topple), and how he quite literally makes disappear everyone who is an obstacle to him, give a very revolutionary feel.

In addition, unlike Gabriel (and even Ladybug and Chat Noir), he does not even attempt to hide his true identity, nor his motives. His attack at the Diamond Ball makes sense only if everyone knows who he is and what he attempts to do, which is to topple the elite and fundementally change the world. Hence, Felix's attempt here is a revolution, which by the way, technically succeeds.

But a revolution for what? What was the system, what is the new system that the revolution intends to bring? In Felix's words:

I'll make a wish to create a better world, a free world, where no one will be under anyone's control anymore, where no one will be excluded like I was, a world without people like [Ladybug] to decide what is right or wrong, who gets power and who doesn't.

This idea of a world where there is little to no authority (who "decides what is right or wrong"), no inequality in distribution of power, is the textbook definition of this little ideology called anarchism.

I believe there are many hints in that direction.

The first and most obvious one (it is so obvious that I thought of it last!) is the fact that, his enemy is... Gabriel. aka the Monarch. As in, the King. The Ruler. The Authority.

Then, there is the colour scheme.

When the red moon sentibeing takes over Paris, her light colours everything in a red hue. There is a lot of red and black contrast going on in this episode, especially with the night sky. Red and black are also the two colours symbolic of anarchism (see: wikipedia page on Anarchist symbolism).

Third, and I acknowledge that this one may be a bit of a stretch but, the rising sun symbolism.

Maybe it is just me, but Argus' red moon totally looks more like a sun than a moon to me. Anarchism is generally perceived as a liberalist branch of socialism, so I will borrow from socialist symbolism here, where the rising sun is frequently used as a symbol of revolution. You can go to this wikipedia page on socialist-style emblems and scroll through, and tell me if you see the same parallel as me or if I am trying too hard. This also ties back to my previous argument, on how this is in fact a revolution.

Then there is this quote:

By now, the whole world has been bathed in the light of the red moon.

Just look at this sentence and tell me it doesn't seem straight out of a 20th century manifesto. It also vaguely reminds me of the saying "the empire on which the sun never sets", giving extra political vibes.

The fact that in 1871, Paris was scene to one of the first modern applications of anarchism (Paris Commune), also adds to my certainty that there is a strong to reference to anarchism here. The showrunners do not shy away from political and historic themes in France (Darkblade, Sangsure, Reunion, and Illusion all have prominently political themes that I have also analysed before).

Lastly, another visual clue of anarchism is Argus' character design:

He's wearing what seems to be inspired of royal suits (the buttons, the fancy pants, and all). But also, a hood! An accessory which is associated with rebellious figures, such as Robin Hood, or more recently, street protesters. It very much is an accessory that would be in the Anarchist Beginner's Pack. To make a small paranthesis, if you're wondering why the fancy overalls then; my theory is that they symbolise Felix's priviledged roots.

So if we agree that Felix undertakes an anarchist revolution, the question that remains to be answered is: why? How does it relate to the plot?

I guess at this point it is safe to assume that at least Adrien and Felix are sentibeings. Felix is disgruntled by the way sentibeings are treated: for one, the fact that they are called monsters is very disturbing for him. As I quoted above, he feels excluded. He also doesn't like the way they are created just to be used, and the way they can be disappeared from existence at a whim.

So he decides to reverse the roles, hence his line to Marinette:

Marinette: They're looking at me like I'm a monster. Felix: Look closer Marinette, they're the monsters.

His power enables him to disappear everyone out of existence at the snap of a finger, just like the way one would make a sentimonster disappear.

What starts as a disappearing-spree among the elites (who so obnoxiously label themselves as the diamonds, a gem associated with perfectness), quickly spreads to the general public in an attempt to coerce Ladybug and Chat Noir to give up on their Miraculouses. However, when Chat Noir fails to show up and Ladybug sacrifices herself rather than giving her Miraculous, Argus' initial to wish for a perfect world fails.

Even when he technically wins - for the first time, Ladybug's Lucky Charm offers no solution -, he quickly sees that:

Winning isn't always what we think it is.

His revolution succeeds; the balances of power have shifted. Now everyone is a sentimonster but him. Nonetheless, things don't go as he planned.

He is condemned by the very people he attempted to save (Adrien and Kagami). He accidentally hurts the very people he had wanted to protect (Marinette has disappeared and won't come back). And eventually, when he accepts his defeat, he must do the unthinkable: he must dissolve a sentibeing himself.

We know that that is the equivalent of murder for Felix, who identifies with the red moon tremendously:

Your power is terrible. What would happen if I lost control? Forgive me my friend, my sister.

This is a common pattern in revolutions. Frequently, revolutions lead to instability, the sheer force that enables them also grows out of control and turns against the people who undertook it too. We don't need to look far for it either; the French Revolution was followed by mass violence, both against the former elites and the revolutionaries themselves (la Terreur).

So all in all, we could say that Emotion is a micro anarchist revolution from start to finish.

Revolutions give a tremendous momentum that may end up getting out of control and perversing the cause, ending up leading to things opposite to the ideals that inspired them. A prime example would be the Russian Revolution, which, even though driven by the equalitarian principles of communism, gave rise to one of the most corrupt systems in the world.

Similarly, Felix tried to overhaul the system controlled by his uncle in order to make the world a better place for sentibeings, but ended up instrumentalising the red moon, and needing to free her out of existence himself.

The lesson he took from this experience prompted him to refusing to creating sentibeings even to save himself, a decision he voices in Pretension.

[knifedancer]

Iris (songfic, part 1)

Argos has been following Marinette since the events of 'Emotion', falling in love with her from afar. One night, while she is walking home, Mari is attacked by two strange men and Argos has to step in to protect her.

Based on the lyrics for 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls (1998) from the movie soundtrack for 'City of Angels'. Posted on AO3.

Part 2

~~~~~~~

And I’d give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be

And I don’t want to go home right now

Argos watched as the ravenette walked home from the fabric store after 9:00pm, he kept to the shadows. He smiled; it seemed like she could sense him as she kept glancing over her shoulder. Ever since the Diamond Dance, he had been watching her – at first because he was curious about the baker girl that spent far too much time with his cousin. Perhaps she was simply using Adrien? Felix knew he would need to keep a close eye on her, remaining transformed so he could stealthily move across rooftops. He only left her vicinity during akuma attacks so that he could hunt down Ladybug during the battle. As time wore on, she seemed to let her affections for the other blond go and her attempts of friendship appeared genuine. With time he witnessed the young designer’s unyielding kindness to others, even those that did not deserve it – those that betrayed or bullied her. Marinette even fed that mangy Chat Noir on occasion! She was the living embodiment of ‘killing with kindness’ and he was so enraptured that he couldn’t look away. She was a literal pearl before the swine; an angel among the unwashed masses...

The peacock holder was drawn from his thoughts when he heard Marinette’s steps falter before an alleyway. Emerging from the darkness stood two men sporting toothy grins that seemed dangerously predatory. The young designer took a step back, her eyes darting around looking for an exit strategy.

“Hey there sweet thing, how about we have some fun?” The taller one asked, both advancing on her.

“No, I don’t think so. I’ll be on my way,” Marinette replied sternly, hugging her bag to her chest, and turning toward the street in an effort to run away.

However, the shorter one rushed in and grabbed her elbow before she could run. The girl attempted to break free or scream but a knife appeared at her throat. “Now now, let’s not make a fuss, hmm?” They began to drag her towards the alleyway while they chuckled.

Argos’ blood began to boil, clenching his teeth so hard he thought he heard them crack. He was no hero but like hell would he let someone hurt his—his—his…civilian. He stepped from the shadows and cautiously looked down into the alleyway to assess the situation but, watching one of the men slap Marinette so hard that she stumbled back against a wall, caused his blood to suddenly become ice.

All I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

And sooner or later, it’s over

I just don’t want to miss you tonight

Within moments, Argos landed in front of the ravenette and brandished his fan with a cold glare at the two men. The taller one had begun to unfasten his belt and pants while the smaller one stood between them and the exit. ‘Likely to prevent her escape and keep an eye out for any passersby who might interrupt,’ the villain-turned-protector thought with disgust.

He heard her gasp behind him, the quiet ‘Argos…?’ in a breathy whisper alerted him that she was still conscious. Good.

“Eh, who the hell are you?!"

“No one of consequence,” he replied smoothly, making sure that his calculating magenta eyes were shadowed in his hood. If he was lucky, these two buffoons wouldn’t have a clue about him wielding a miraculous. Perhaps they’d assume he was just some random costumed prick that imagined themselves a hero.

And I don’t want the world to see me

‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand

When everything’s made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

The shorter man lunged with the knife and Argos blocked it with his fan, trapping the blade between the metal ribs and ripping it from the attacker’s hand before kicking him squarely in the groin. The attacker dropped like a stone and Argos wasted no time executing a spinning back kick – landing it squarely across the man’s skull, knocking him out cold and causing his body to splay out across the cement. Argos turned to face the taller man, who was charging towards him and swinging a larger blade recklessly. All the purple hooded teen could do was dodge the furious swipes, waiting for an opening.

The second attacker seemed to trip on something in the darkness and the peacock holder took this moment to slam a roundhouse kick into the man’s side, causing him to crash into a trashcan, appearing to knock himself out. Argos looked over his shoulder, magenta irises met the shocked bluebells he had come to admire from afar. Marinette’s typical pigtails were disheveled – one had obviously been pulled by one of the men – and her form was still huddled against the wall where she had landed. Her cheek was swollen and red, he knew the girl would likely be sporting a bruise or black eye by morning. Her left jacket sleeve was ripped at the shoulder seam from when they grabbed her. He could see tear tracks on her cheeks outlined by her running mascara – tears that had been born from unadulterated fear. Argos’ stomach churned at the idea of someone else having their hands on her, he hated that his ang—civilian had been hurt.

He stepped closer, his hand outstretched to help her to her feet. “Can you walk? We need to get you out of here.”

Fear flashed in her eyes and she yelled, “Look out!”

And you can’t fight the tears that ain’t coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah, you bleed just to know you’re alive

He had managed to half turn back to his attacker only to feel the knife plunge into his side, he grunted as pain shot through his entire body. Argos could see the edges of his vision darken and he stumbled back a couple steps, his free hand cupping the wound as it began to seep blood until the purples of his suit turned maroon around the hilt. Adrenaline and endorphins kicked in, bringing with it a buzzing to his muscles and mind that screamed fight. He looked up at the grinning attacker with a smirk.

“Wrong move,” Argos sneered. He yanked the knife from his side with a painful gasp, taking a second to re-orientate himself as his vision swam. Then he pulled and imbued a feather with power, fusing it into the knife. It transformed into a giant, blood-red minotaur that billowed smoke from its nostrils; the horns, two gleaming knives upon its head. His attacker and his reawakened friend’s faltering steps took them back towards the alley’s entrance. “Minotorn, escort our friends here to their doom.” Screaming, the two attackers took off and the sentimonster snorted before giving chase, leaving the two teens alone once again.

And I don’t want the world to see me

‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand

When everything’s made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

With the immediate danger passed, his vision began to blur and the world began to spin. ‘Blood loss…,’ the vague thought drifted through his rapidly clouding consciousness. Argos staggered towards the one thing he could still clearly see: Marinette. Her brow was lowered in a way that made her nose crinkle – ‘cute’ his hazy mind supplied – but at least she was back on her feet. Although, he could tell by the way she favored her left foot that she must have injured the other ankle in the struggle earlier.

“Are you alright?” He asked quietly, finding that talking was becoming far more difficult.

“I’ll be fine, just a twisted ankle! But are you okay? You were stabbed!”

Argos chuckled painfully, leaning against the wall beside her as he pressed a gloved hand to his gaping wound. “Not my finest performance. I admit, I’ve felt better…” Feeling too weak to stand, he slid down the wall until he was half crouched on the ground.

Marinette pulled off her jacket and kneeled beside him with a wince. She began ripping the material into strips before bundling it into a makeshift compress that she then placed firmly against the laceration. Argos hissed with pain but allowed her to care for his wound with no further protest. He never expected to ever be on the receiving end of her kindness… As Argos, he was a villain. As Felix he was too broken, too arrogant, too numb to deserve it. As his miraculous began to beep, he focused in on studying Marinette up close. Beautiful blue eyes were framed by long black lashes, which fluttered down against her delicate pale cheek bones as she focused on her task. Between the smears of mascara and eyeliner he could make out a few tiny freckles that seemed to dance as she scrunched her face with worry. Her hair, which almost glowed blue in the sun, now appeared inky black in the darkened alley.

She turned those eyes back towards his face, barely able to see his eyes beneath his hood. “Why did you come to help me, Argos?” He stared at her for a moment, trying to formulate the right words but failing. He let his eyes drop to the ground without answering.

I just want you to know who I am…

As the last warning beep rang out, she reached up to cup his cheek and turned his face to meet her eyes. Her skin was soft and warm despite the chill in the air, the sensation made something in his chest tumble about like a preening bird in front of its desired mate. His transformation fell away and, with it, so did Felix’s emotional walls. His eyes laid himself bare before her, exposing himself as a broken mess that had fallen head over heels for the clumsy girl that had once crushed on his cousin. A girl he had mocked, tricked, and then made to disappear under his Red Moon…

“…I’m s-sorry, Angel…,” he finally managed to choke out, his voice betraying the increasingly weakened state he was in. The adrenaline had fully worn off and, without the protection of his miraculous suit, the pain he was in tripled. Felix struggled to keep his eyes open, not wanting to leave Marinette here alone. At least his sentibeing could protect her until Ladybug purifies it…

‘Marinette would be a beautiful peahen…,’ he thought blearily, the color of her eyes flashing through his mind. ‘…she’s already blue.’

“You…what did you call me? Felix? Hey, stay with me! Felix!” He could hear the panic rising in her voice but could no longer respond, his eyes closing as he succumbed to the blackness that seemed to be calling his name. Unable to sustain his balance any longer, his body fell forward and landed in her arms. He vaguely registered her warmth and scent before the numbness began to overtake his senses. With the last vestiges of his consciousness, he heard Marinette mumble something and then the familiar zip of a yo-yo.

…I just want you to know who I am.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

I can see the inconsistency of Felix character is because he actually a character for there "Fans demand" :

Sooo you prefer 2D-Catnoir/Felix rather than our angel Adrien ? Here Felix ! He official debut in "Felix" ! He is Adrien cousin and a big jerk ! Hate him just like how I hate him too !

Wh- What ? You like him ? Fuck ! So you feel he is more competent that our pure evulz bitch teenagers ? Fine ! Here's Felix who manage to trick Gabriel in "Gabriel Agreste" ! Now He is as dangerous as Gabe

Oh Fuck ! You still like him and feel he is more "relevant" than our angel Adrien and my sweetie Marinette ? Here's I present YOU Felix join Miracuclass as "Dog Hero" and then sell all the Miraclouses to Gabe ! He is Evil ! EVil ! EVIIIIL !

What ? You asking me why he want Peacock Miraculous so much ?! Here I present you Felix as Argos ! He wiped humanity out-of-spite and try to create the Utopia for his own freedom ! He is misanthrope !

What A second ? Why... You... STILL.... EXPECTED... CHLOE... TO BE REDEEMED.... why she already... has many traits... to be put in "Complete Monster" territory ? Why YOU keep want her to be redeem like Zuzu and Pacifica just because having shitty parents ? FINE ! Here's Felix to be our Zuzu ! He is tragic little peacock... has tragic backstory.... shitty dad... and a handsome teenager.... pretty much like Zuzu right ? Now shut up and Go simp on him and Feligami already !

Proper redemption arc ? Who hell need redemption arc as long as he is "tragic and handsome" ? Don't worry... we will make Kagami as "senti" out-of-nowhere aside she wear different ring as excuse and a "horny possessive girl" who still can't move on from Adrien and make her Simp felix because he smell and looks like Adrien RIIIIIIIIIIIGHHT LOL

Honestly, it is pretty hilarious that Felix was meant to be seen as the actual character who went through a serious redemption arc compared to Chloe, when the writers pretty much speedran through every major part of it in time for the finale.

Like, say what you will about Chloe and whether or not you think she deserved to be redeemed, but at least the arc leading to her betrayal was spread across three seasons. Felix's redemption arc only lasted three episodes.

Because of the poor pacing, this is the character journey Felix goes through during the latter half of Season 5.

Emotion: "I'm going to wipe out all of humanity and create a better world! Wait, you think I'm insane for erasing your friends and family from existance while essentially committing mass genocide? WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"

Pretension: "Even though I've spent almost no time with you, I think I'm falling in love with you because you may be a Sentimonster person with strict parents like me. Of course, I don't love you enough to break my new moral code against using Sentimonsters or even answering for my betrayal of Ladybug."

Representation: "I'm finally going to do something to help Ladybug because her arch-enemy is getting in the way with my week-old relationship, and that moral code against Sentimonsters? I don't want to use Sentimonsters to fight, but using Sentimonsters to put on a play to convey information I could easily tell Ladybug myself, since my new girlfriend conviently learned her identity over ten episodes ago? Perfectly okay. And since I have a personal stake by wanting to protect both my cousin and girlfriend, surely, this means I'll get to play a big part in the season finale instead of just letting Ladybug do all the work, right?"

Conformation and Re-Creation:

[ninadove]

Flashlight in hand, determined to find

Authenticity only poetry could even begin to describe

— Four by Sleeping At Last

For @bittersweetresilience! 🎁

A gift and a tribute, since I didn’t even know what a web weave was until you blessed us with yours.

Alt text under the cut:

TEXT: Bodies fashioned out of dirt and dust

SCREENSHOT: Gabriel handing Colt the Peacock Miraculous [S5 E24: Representation]

TEXT: For a moment we get to be glorious

SCREENSHOT: Felix standing up to a much taller Gabriel, surrounded by amoks and akumas [S5 E24: Representation]

TEXT: Ice sculptures adorned in light // Sand castles built tall in between the tides [S5 E24: Representation]

SCREENSHOTS: Felix playing with his rabbit plushie// The same plushie ripped off and thrown to the ground [S5 E24: Representation]

TEXT: Maybe I'm hiding behind metaphor // Maybe my heart needs to break to be sure

SCREENSHOT: Felix putting on his mask as he prepares to tell his story [S5 E24: Representation]

TEXT: One day I'll wear it on my sleeve

SCREENSHOTS: Felix ripping off his tie to reveal the Peacock brooch // The same brooch glinting against his suit as he prepares to tramsform [S5 E18: Emotion]

TEXT: The insignificant with the sacred unique

SCREENSHOT: Red Moon bursting through the Grand Palais’ rooftop [S5 E18: Emotion]

TEXT: But I've fallen in love with a ghost

SCREENSHOTS: Emilie’s portrait // Felix reaching for her image [S4 E9: Gabriel Agreste]

TEXT: Lost my balance when I needed it most

SCREENSHOT: Argos snapping Red Moon out of existence [S5 E18: Emotion]

TEXT: I'm stuck swimming in shadows down here

SCREENSHOTS: Felix’s ring shattering // Felix collapsing to the ground [S5 E24: Representation]

TEXT: It's been forever since I came up for air

SCREENSHOT: Felix waking up after his ring was damaged [S5 E24: Representation]

TEXT: For a moment we get to be glorious

TEXT: What if we already are // Who we've been dying to become?

SCREENSHOTS: Felix putting his ring on for the first time [S5 E24: Representation] (black and white) // Flairmidable fetching Ladybug’s yoyo [S4 E26: Strikeback] (colour) // Felix holding the camouflaged Peacock brooch in the Eurostar [S4 E26: Strikeback] (black and white)

TEXT: In certain light, I can plainly see

SCREENSHOTS: Felix and Adrien hugging [S3 E23: Felix]

TEXT: A reflection of magnificence

SCREENSHOT: The heroes’ team, now including Argos, leap into the Parisian sky and towards new adventures [S5 E26: Recreation]

TEXT: Hidden in you, maybe even in me

[flightfoot]

ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 125K+ Words

So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!

---

Dreams of You by @chocoluckchipz

Dreams had long been his only escape. Dreams of Ladybug, the girl who had always been there for him.

If only in his dreams. And only while she was also sleeping.

Because with the first rays of sunshine gliding over her skin, with the first fluttering of her eyelashes, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, memories of Adrien would vanish from her mind.

She would go on living her life.

He would always be the only one who remembered.

At least until they meet in the real world and fall in love all over again, something that would’ve been easier to do if Adrien wasn't a prisoner in his own home.

Chocoluckchipz has some of the most beautifully executed lovesquare fics I’ve read, and this is no exception. Most of the fic is dedicated to Adrien wooing Marinette, spending time with her, with her own dream self acting as his wingman, giving her tips on how to get her to fall for him, all the while frustrated that she can’t share memories with her waking self, and that she and Adrien can’t share as much information as they’d like while asleep, due to limitations of the “curse” that allows Adrien to share dreams with his soulmate. 

It’s not all cute Adrienette fluff though. There’s a threat in the background waiting to erupt, as the weirdness of Gabriel’s ultimatum to Adrien about finding Ladybug or else being forced to marry Lila keeps on gnawing at him - and with good reason. This is a world with magic and kwamis still, and that fact makes itself very relevant in the last third of the story. 

It’s a well-written tale and very much worth a read!

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one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.

Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.

Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.

This is a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrien’s, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when they’re doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.

It also features the version of Luka I’ve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. It’s helped me get a better handle on a character who I’ve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.

It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. There’s no sexual content and I wouldn’t put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldn’t let the rating scare you off.

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Boomer!Luka: FeLuka Ending series by @19thsentry-blog

In the Shadows (the first fic in the series) summary:

On one side is Luka, 140-year-old Snake Miraculous holder and keeper of the Guardian's secrets, on the other is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a relatively newly minted hero of Paris and Guardian of the Miracle Box. Each is looking to fulfill their promises to their now gone mentors to reunite the Kwamis and keep them safe. Sounds simple--until you throw in a rocky start, the Atlantic Ocean, Félix Graham de Vanily, and a whole host of secrets…and suddenly simple becomes complicated (story of Marinette's life, right?).

So this is obviously way outside my normal wheelhouse. I don’t typically read Lukanette fics, even ones that turn into FeLuka later on in the series (though boy it becomes apparent quickly that the author’s fascinated with FeLuka’s dynamic.) But this one is really good, with the best Luka-centric fics I’ve ever read, and some of the best Felix-centric content as well. I love how Luka has his own baggage here, with all the pressure of wandering around for over a century, looking after the few Miraculous he found, trying to keep what’s left of the Order alive, unaware of Fu’s survival or of the Miraculous user’s re-emergence in Paris. There’s a lot of focus on Luka’s own feelings and thoughts and problems, not just on helping other people with them. 

The plot works even without the romantic aspect, so even if Lukanette isn’t a pairing that draws you in, I still recommend this fic, so long as you don’t actively dislike the pairing itself. And even though it’s a Lukanette fic, Adrien and Alya are treated fairly and with respect. Adrien may not end up with Marinette and is bummed about it, but the narrative is still kind to him overall, there’s clearly no ill well towards him, or Alya for that matter. (There are later fics in the series that focus more on Adrien just healing and coping and living after finding out that his father’s a villain and his mom’s been in the basement this whole time, and in the multiversal travel fic, Alya gets some standout appearances as Scarabella which are fun).

And FELIX - it’s clear that 19thsentry has this whole conception about Felix’s psychology. He’s wrapped in a ton of self-loathing until it started to consume him, made him lash out. Him being a sentimonster, wanting to get the Peacock Miraculous, actually gave him some direction for that at least. And he’s just in this pit of his own making, until he meets Luka, who can see through him when no one else can, who cares for him even though he doesn’t understand why, who’d been through so much over the years and yet kept himself kind. He’s attracted like a moth to a flame, infuriated that he cares, yet not able to stop himself from caring about this mysterious, infuriating musician. 

Yeah if you can’t tell this is the series that really sold me on FeLuka as a couple.

Oh yeah, one of the fics in here is M-rated, and it does earn the M rating for sexual content, though it’s nothing too major.

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Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle

After a few turbulent days where four new people discover her secret identity, Marinette loses faith in her ability to keep the secret hidden. Wracked with doubts and insecurities, she pleads with Alya to take over as Scarabella, but she still can't let those worries go. Especially not once Monarch starts taking a particular, and personal, interest in her.

Along the way, she also starts to date Kagami, and has to deal with changing feelings about herself, Adrien, Alya, Kagami, and the idea of being Ladybug. At the same time, Alya works to uncover Monarch's secret identity, while Kagami struggles against a controlling parent, and a girlfriend who seems bent on destroying herself - with or without Monarch's involvement.

Fantastic Marigami fic here! You’ve got three major POVs in this fic: Marinette, Kagami, and to my delight, Alya. I loved getting to see Alya cope with taking over as Scarabella especially.

But of course, this fic centers more around Marinette and Kagami, with Marinette struggling with Monarch targeting her, and Kagami struggling against her abusive parent, as well as both of them trying to navigate their relationship together when they know that not everyone will approve. 

There’s also some other plots going on in here, like Sabrina breaking away from Chloe and becoming more independent (and closer to Adrien in fact), as well as a Lila takedown plot, though thankfully not one that involves demonizing other characters. While there are conversations about people believing Lila and siding with her, no one’s actually attacked for it except for Lila herself.

Oh yeah, and while this fic may not have much focus on Adrien, he’s still treated fairly and with respect, even when he messes up. He can make mistakes, but people understand where he’s coming from, and are still kind to him and want things to be okay, and to help him escape his abusive circumstances.

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Awaken by InkyIbis

The previously white butterfly, now oozing black and purple as a conduit of the butterfly miraculous powers, flutters softly within the silvered-gloved hand.

It sits there for a long time.

"Go, my akuma," The soft sigh pushes the butterfly, the akuma, out towards the despair of a love not returned. The same ache within his chest. On a level so great that he's willing to sacrifice the city to mend it.

It's okay if he's the villain for now. He'll force the miraculous of creation and destruction to be revealed, and once he gets his hands on them, none of this pain, none of his loss, will ever happen.

This is essentially a canon rewrite for Miraculous (specifically seasons 1 and 2, with a bunch of the events mixed around) that focuses primarily on Adrien, with his relationship with Nino being the main driving relationship of the fic. (Don’t worry, Marinette’s still treated fine, she’s just not the focus). This is the best “rewrite Miraculous with more of a focus on Adrien” type fic I’ve seen, with it reworking the plots of the episodes so that they’re different enough to be their own distinct thing - it’s not trying to just rewrite the canon episodes but from Adrien’s POV, there’s a lot of lore changes going on as well, and things occur in different orders.

Like lorewise, Chat’s given a more important role in cleaning up the mess the akumas leave, with his power helping to cleanse akuma victims and he and Ladybug needing to use their powers in tandem in order to cast Miraculous Ladybug. There’s also no Miracle Box holding the kwamis. Instead, Chat sometimes surpasses his limits and ends up summoning kwamis, which is dangerous to him, but very useful.

What really makes this fic great though, is its focus on Adrien’s emotions. You really get a feel for Adrien’s insecurities, especially when it comes to not feeling like he’s good enough for Nino, with not wanting to bother him when he absolutely should, with feeling like he’s not a good enough friend to him, and then there’s dealing with all of Gabriel’s usual abuse on top of that.

Speaking of Nino, this is an Adrino fic (though several characters get crushes on Adrien, Nino’s the one who matters most for this), though a slowburn one. Nino’s clearly head-over-heels for Adrien, but Adrien has like, no context for what a romantic crush feels like and is basically viewing Nino the way he viewed Marinette in canon prior to season 5. He clearly cares for him a lot, including romantically, he just... doesn’t get it.

Anyway, if you want an interesting canon rewrite fic from Adrien’s perspective with Adrino as the main pairing, this is a good story to pick up!

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Kintsugi - The Beauty Of Broken Things by @xaran-alamas

When freed from Mayura's control, and given a chance at a normal life, the Sentimonster clone of Ladybug must learn what it is to be not only a hero, but also a human being, and part of a family.

Meanwhile Marinette needs to figure out what to do with a hyper-energetic Kwami with a broken Miraculous.

Sentibug-centric fic here! The longest one in existence, in fact. Xaran does a great job of developing Centi, having her figure out what she wants and how to belong, and also deal with her feelings towards her creator - which are pretty negative since, you know, Mayura tried to kill her. The way she’s developed is excellent, and I adore her fitting into the Couffaine family after they take her in, with Juleka, Luka, and Anarka taking a shine to her quickly, and her to them. We spend a lot of time with the Couffaines as a result, so it’s also worth reading if you want to see more of that family, especially Juleka.

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you made me a hero - reverse crush short stories series by @non-fantasy

This series is just plain fun! Like the title says, it’s a reverse crush AU, so Adrien’s head-over-heels for Marinette, while Ladybug’s smitten with Chat Noir. Which means that Adrien’s constantly trying to woo Marinette while Ladybug’s attempting to have normal conversations with Chat Noir (and failing), and both of them are oblivious to each other’s feelings. 

I love the way non-fantasy executes it, with Alya literally carrying around a spray bottle because of how eager Adrien is, and Ladybug being VERY SCARY if you ever lay a finger on Chat Noir (seriously akumas will literally beg for their akumatized object to be broken just to escape her wrath). 

Oh, also, Ladybug regularly stops by Adrien’s room so they can both lament how difficult of a time they’re having wooing their crushes, and just have fun together.

There’s a lot of entries in this series - 29 of them in fact - but most of them are pretty short, making it great if you want to devour some quick, cute, hilarious romcom action! 

Some stuff does actually change over the course of the series, it’s not just slice-of-life. Like identity reveals, dating, and even Hawkmoth’s defeat, so there’s clear progression and changes in circumstances as well.

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Not a Monster at All by @book-sandwich

Adrien Agreste overhears a conversation he shouldn't, and a revelation sends him falling onto the terrace of the only person he can trust: his good friend (?) Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Takes place sometime after the first two episodes of season 5!

As you can probably guess from the title, this is a Sentimonster Adrien, Monarch takedown fic. Adrien’s going through a tough time, and Marinette’s just trying to be there for him as his whole world’s collapsing around him. Unfrotunately, they still don’t know what the object is, or how likely Gabriel would be to control Adrien if he hinted that he knew the truth, which leaves Adrien in a precarious position - still not having done an identity reveal doesn’t help matters.

It’s a really solid fic for the genre, though since it started up before the later parts of season 5, there are a few things that don’t match up with the canon information we obtained later on. 

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Under Oath by @eoscenes

In the aftermath of Hawk Moth's defeat, Ladybug finds her heart torn between her schoolgirl crush and her superhero partner ― who returns, after an unexplained hiatus, more irresistible than ever.

⋆☆⋆

Gabriel Agreste is unmasked, and Paris rises up in the aftermath.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng must weather Paris' anxious protesters, ravenous reporters, a scattered team of judiciary investigators, and her conflicting feelings for two different boys. In the eye of this storm is the elusive Adrien Agreste, the primary witness in his own father's trial, who might just hold the secret to finding the Peacock Miraculous.

(If only she wasn't in love with him.)

Meanwhile, locked away in Le Grand Paris hotel, Adrien grapples with his responsibilities to a city that can't decide if it hates or loves him. Keeping his daytime persona and Chat Noir separate entities becomes even harder when Ladybug, whom he has finally decided to get over, starts visiting him at night, determined to figure his secrets out.

(If only he wasn't in love with her.)

When an unknown figure returns with the Peacock Miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir will have to save their city once more — or lose each other trying.

I love how this fic shows Adrien just breaking down over the reveal of Hawk Moth’s identity, he’s in a Very Bad Place for a substantial portion of the fic, and being a suspect and witness in the case does NOT help. It’s got the most detailed “Adrien suffering the consequences of the backlash to his father’s prosecution” plot that I’ve seen.

Still, things get better with time, slowly, gradually. It’s not all at once, or a completely linear road, but he’s got his friends, even after everything.

[rainbow18]

Miraculous’s problems with how they try to redeem characters.

Nathalie Sancoeur/Mayura

Nathalie has known about Gabriel being a terrorist since the beginning. She has aided him. She willingly allowed Gabriel to akumatize her. She has kept secrets from Adrien. She murdered Senti Ladybug.

Nathalie’s redeeming qualities is that She treats People a little better than how Gabriel treats them.

To try to redeem her, the writers first made her have problems in the hopes that she’d get audience sympathy. They made her get sick from using a broken miraculous and confirm that she’ll die if she isn’t healed. They made her have unrequited feelings for Gabriel and possibly Emilie. Then, They made Nathalie and Gabriel fight and have Tomoe replace her as Gabriel’s main partner in crime.

The problems here is that Nathalie’s “Redemption” isn’t much of a redemption and She gets a happy ending. (Unless something happens in the future seasons) Nathalie’s crimes are left undiscovered.

Nathalie has done and will continue to do little to make up for her villainous behavior.

Gabriel Agreste/Monarch

Gabriel Agreste is literally the big bad. He’s a abusive parent, a terrorist, a brainwasher, kept secrets from Adrien and he’s made death threats. He just gets worse as the series goes on. I do wonder what exactly he would have done if he had succeeded in getting the Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses in the beginning because a lot of his lines imply that he fully intends to continue being a terrorist even if he gets Emilie back.

There is literally nothing redeemable about him other than the classic “Even Evil people have loved ones”.

Gabriel’s “Redemption” is how when he gets his wish, he sacrifices himself because he’s dying anyway to save Nathalie and possibly Nathalie.

In the new world, He has a almost 100 % approval rating because everyone except Marinette seems to have completely forgot about his bad behavior. Instead, They believe that He’s a Hero that had stopped Hawk Moth/Shadow Moth/Monarch.

The problems is After everything that he did, He doesn’t deserve to be remembered as a Hero. Especially when they believe he defeated himself. Marinette should at least tell Adrien what he did.

Felix Fathom/Argos

Felix has been mean, showed signs of speciesism, stalked, kidnapped, impersonated Adrien, stole and more. Felix gave the majority of the miraculouses and One of the Rings that control Adrien to Gabriel, knowing that Gabriel’s a terrorist. There’s also how he harassed Marinette and wanted everyone except a select few to disappear. Felix also kept secrets from Adrien.

Just like with Gabriel, Felix’s only redeeming quality is the whole “Even Evil has loved ones” thing.

To try to redeem him, Felix was retconned into being a Senti Rights person. (although Adrien appears to be a exception) Felix began dating Kagami, who we all know would scold and beat him up if He continues causing trouble. Colt was said to have been abusive as a explanation/excuse for why Felix is crazy. (What happened to the shows message of “Trauma is a explanation, not a excuse”? )

In The Season 5 ending, Felix’s crimes are forgiven and/or forgotten and he gets to keep the Peacock Miraculous.

The problems here is that Felix and Kagami got together much too quickly. Felix should not be with a Character that’s Good unless He’s behaved himself and regrets his bad behavior for a while, which he hadn’t. Felix has literally stalked and kidnapped her in the same Episode they got together in. Felix at this point, only likes Kagami because she’s a senti and on Kagami’s end, She might be projecting her feelings for Adrien and possibly Marinette onto Felix.

Another problem is Felix expresses very little remorse for his bad behavior and does very little to make up for it.

Mayor Andre Bourgeois

Andre has allowed Chloe to misbehave for years. Andre is a bad mayor.

To try to redeem him, The Writers first introduced Zoe and “reveal” that Andre never wanted to be a Mayor. Then, The Writers had Andre refuse to send Zoe away. Finally The Writers have Andre quit being Mayor, divorce Audrey while giving her full custody of Chloe and adopt Zoe while saying She’s his favorite.

Andre’s ending is basically having a Fresh Start but with Zoe as his daughter instead of Chloe.

The Problems here is that how Andre treats Chloe and Zoe isn’t right. Andre doesn’t take responsibility for how he raised Chloe. Instead, he decides that Chloe will stay with her abusive mother. Andre could’ve easily started giving Chloe more boundaries or send her somewhere that knows how to deal with people like her. Andre has no grounds to adopt Zoe. Zoe’s in her teens and What about Mr. Lee?

Sabrina Raincomprix/Miss Hound

Sabrina and Chloe have been friends for years. Unlike Adrien, Sabrina never had a problem with Chloe’s bullying and has sometimes been shown to enjoy the bullying. Sabrina does Chloe’s homework for her. Sabrina has remained friends with Chloe even after Chloe willingly worked with Gabriel.

To try to redeem her, The writers sometimes show her as a Docile but Nice girl. As well as have Chloe treat her terribly to try to get her sympathy. Then, in Season 5 Sabrina becomes frustrated with Chloe and judging from some clips, Sabrina appears to help Marinette expose Chloe and Lila.

Sabrina’s ending is getting to keep the Dog Miraculous and her friendship with Chloe is over.

The problems here is Why on earth did Sabrina not mind Chloe’s bullying? Her father is literally a police officer, Surely He would raise his daughter to dislike rule breakers? Plus Just like Nathalie, Felix and Gabriel, She doesn’t deserve what she got.

In Total, in every single one of these, Their Redemptions are all “Too Little, Too Late” and in most of their cases, “Went Too Far” to deserve their endings.

The writers appear to mostly just write the story as they go along and they are really bad at writing proper endings and/or redemptions.

Plus Thomas Astruc hates Chloe and Felix which comes out in the show. In his debut, Felix was deliberately made to be as nasty as possible. Chloe’s father and best friend get officially redeemed in the narrative by cutting off ties with her. Chloe’s the only villain/antagonist without a good ending in Season 5.