#this is how i talk about nino on here too...

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

What would you say your least favorite episodes are? Which episodes would you say are the worst, from a storytelling and thematic standpoint? Are your two lists mostly the same, or almost completely different?

Miraculous has 130 episodes in the first five seasons and there's no way in hell that I'm going to try to rank them all, so I'll just look at the episode list and give you my personal picks for my least favorite episode and the episode that did the most damage to canon from each season. Please note that this is just what my memory serves up as the worst since I'm not rewatching the whole show to give each episode more thorough consideration. I'll also list any episodes I considered just for the fun of it and link to my posts on them (or more broad posts where I happened to talk about that episode in detail) if I remember that such posts exist.

Season 1

Least Favorite: The Pharaoh

Worst writing: Lady Wifi

Dishonorable Mentions: The Bubbler, Copycat, Kung Food, Gamer, Animan, Volpina

It was hard to pick episodes in season one because there aren't any truly major problems in this season. A lot of the episodes have weird morals or odd choices, but there's nothing narrative breaking and the odd morals are all pretty equally bad. I went with The Pharaoh for my personal least favorite because of how appallingly bad the Egyptology is. Anything that contributes to people having wildly inaccurate ideas about Ancient Egypt goes on my shit list. No, ancient Egyptians did not use magic spells to try to resurrect people! They didn't even believe in the resurrection of their own gods! Their beliefs were all focused on giving people a good afterlife, not on bringing people back to this life!

Lady Wifi got the label as worst written mostly for reasons external to the episode itself, though there are internal problems. The first reason is that this episode really leaned into the idea that Alya was obsessed with outing Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities to the world, leading her to do some questionable snooping. I would expect an episode like this to end with a lesson about respecting people's privacy, but it doesn't. The episode ends with Alya doing the same stuff she was doing at the start, just with a more benign target:

Alya: Wanna see my new smartphone? It puts my old phone to shame! Just look at these pics! Marinette: Huh? What's with all these photos of Adrien? Alya: Well... with a mask and a costume, don't you think he looks a little bit like Cat Noir?

You'd think that she'd be a little more impacted by the fact that her akumatized self almost handled her idol over to the bad guy! Note that I don't want Alya to feel guilty here, I just want her to look at her akuma and reflect a bit, leading to character growth. Something like Marinette asking Alya who her next suspect is and Alya announcing that she's done outing heroes. It's time to out a villain instead!

The small-scale side of this problem is that it leaves the episode without a clear lesson, making the episode feel kind of pointless. The large-scale side of the problem is that Alya's character genuinely needed a lesson around respecting privacy because she goes on to become Rena Rouge without the show ever addressing the issue of her identity-revealing obsession. I think that was a bad call for Alya's character and the show itself.

This was a missed opportunity to give Alya some majorly deserved focus that had nothing to do with her role as best friend to the lead. Season two introduced three new heroes, but Chloe was the only one given a multi-episode storyline. Nino and Alya just randomly got their miraculous in one-off episodes even though they're leads' best friends and the heroes who stick around. I would have liked to see them get storylines, too.

Based on season one, Alya could have been given her miraculous after an arc focused on earning Ladybug's trust. This could have even ended with Alya learning Marinette's identity if you want to keep that plot point. Instead the show just decided to pretend like the identity-revealing obsession was never a thing from season two on and Alya doesn't really do anything to earn a miraculous. She just gets one because she's Marinette's bff. I think Alya deserves better than that.

The other reason also relates to Alya's overall writing. If memory serves, Lady Wifi was the first case of Alya being written more like a tabloid journalist than an actual reporter, an issue that has plagued her character for the rest of the show because the writers cannot make up their minds as to which one she is! Does she investigate things or just believe whatever crap she's told? Pick a lane, give a reason for the nuance, or give her a character arc around being more discerning! It even makes some of her actions jarring like when she posts the kissing photo at the end of Oblivio. Alya, what are you doing? Those are your coworkers and you know that Ladybug hates the Ladynoir stuff!!!

The tabloid journalist to true reporter route could have been another way to play Alya's miraculous journey. Introduce Lila at the end of season one, have an Alya-focused arc around defeating Lila in season two, and let the arc end with Alya learning to be more discerning thereby earning her miraculous. The lesson would be something like it's good to have an active imagination, but we need to be careful to not conflate a good story with facts.

Season 2

Least Favorite: Queen Wasp (Queen's battle – Part 2)

Worst writing: The Collector

Dishonorable Mentions: Despair Bear, Prime Queen, Gigantitan, Glaciator, Anansi, Frozer, Reverser

This season had several strong contenders, but I picked the two I did because they're both narrative breaking on a scale the others can't even come close to.

Everything about the Chloe arc is a mess and Queen Wasp perfectly encapsulates the issue because nothing about it works in the overall narrative. Queen Wasp is the episode where Chloe gets her miraculous for the first time and it is the least interesting way you could possibly go about her big debut. It also introduces the running issue of the writers having no idea what they're doing with her character. This episode was written like Queen Bee was going to be a one off and yet she keeps coming back! This was also the first of many episodes that totally botched addressing Chloe's mommy issues. I could go on, but I doubt that I have to. See my Chloe deserves better tag if you really want more Chloe content.

The Collector gets the award for worst writing because it's the first instance of the show introducing a ton of things that should have been important to the overall narrative only for the writing to forget about these things after the end of the episode. Ladybug never tries to find out more about where Gabriel got the grimoire, Adrien forgets that the grimoire exists, and Lila knowing about the grimoire somehow has nothing to do with her figuring out that Gabriel is the butterfly holder. We're also introduced to the lore that the butterfly holder can akumatize themself which is total BS. This should have been the big villain Nathalie reveal! They could have officially confirmed that she knew everything by having her be the stand in Hawk Moth to protect Gabriel's identity.

Season 3

Least Favorite: Chameleon

Worst writing: Chat Blanc

Dishonorable Mentions: Backwarder, Animaestro, Bakerix, Reflekdoll, Oni-Chan, Desperada, Ikari Gozen, Timetagger, Ladybug, Miracle Queen

Notice how the list of dishonorable mentions keeps getting longer and longer as the show goes on? I have a sneaking suspicion that trend will continue.

I think the fandom has beaten the problems with Chameleon to death, so I'll keep this brief. This episode was the first time Lila's lying powers were super obvious and I hated that writing choice with a fiery passion. I also hated how Adrien never got a proper character arc about why it was wrong to stay quiet about lies. It's a good flaw for a celebrity to have, but flaws are only good if they're actually addressed in a timely manner. A fact that is extra true when you're writing for young children who generally aren't going to be able to follow a minor subplot that takes three seasons to resolve.

For Chat Blanc, see the power of love rant as that covers my main issues with this episode. Since that post has the main issues covered, let's go over two more minor issues! The first is the way Tom and Sabine were played here. One of my favorite fix-it fics was spawned because canon had them do nothing after they saw their teenage daughter threatened by a powerful adult. Good parents don't do that! Let them be good parents!

Adrien keeping his identity from Marinette is the other mark against Chat Blanc, but I do think canon could have made that work. The problem is less that he did it and more that canon acted like it was no big deal. Letting him wrestle with wanting to address the partial reveal, but also wanting to respect Ladybug's no-reveal rule would have heavily mitigated the issue. Having Marinette ask Adrien out would have done even more to solve the problem because then it doesn't feel like he's taking advantage of the situation (which is a common and understandable complaint that I've seen), but heaven forbid that we let the girl ask the boy out!

Season 4

Least Favorite: Ephemeral

Worst writing: Strikeback

Dishonorable Mentions: Truth, Lies, Gang of Secrets, Mr. Pigeon 72, Furious Fu, Sole Crusher, Queen Banana, Optigami, Sentibubbler, Rocketear, Wishmaker, Hack-San, Glaciator 2, Gabriel Agreste, Kuro Neko, Penalteam, Qilin

...yes, I did list pretty much every episode in the season. What's funny is that I don't necessarily like the ones I didn't list, they just didn't feel like major problems for the show or get under my skin to the level of things like Qilin. Meanwhile some of the problem children had parts I genuinely liked, but still made the list because of some major issue I couldn't overlook. For example, I like the ending of Glaciator 2, but think the first half of the episode has a lot of major problems.

Ephemeral almost got both spots because it has so many issues, but the timeline does get reset at the end, so I decided I'd give the win to the episode that's in the canon timeline. My biggest issue with Ephemeral is the power of love crap, but I'm once again linking to the power of love rant for details on that.

That's not the only major issue with this episode, though. Marinette's plan for how to reveal Chat Noir's identity was both horrendous and totally unnecessary. If time is going to reset, then just tell Chat Noir the truth of what you're planning! Then he can give informed consent on the issue! You could even have him go talk to Luka solo without a time reset coming into play!

Speaking of Luka, I wasn't a fan of Luka continuing to lie to Ladybug about the fact that he knew the secret identities. He carries a small part of the blame here for not stopping Marinette's crazy plan when he had the power to do that. Su-Han also gets a spot on the shit list but he basically lives there so that's not worth digging into.

If Strikeback had led into a really cool season five, then I'd probably give it some slack, but Gabriel getting the kwamis was pretty freaking pointless so no mercy!!!! This episode was a writing disaster that makes no freaking sense! There's the obvious problem that the writers had to hand Felix the win by breaking the lore for Ladybug's yo-yo, but the issues go well beyond that. We also get Ladybug giving a rant about flaws that the season never actually gave her and Ladybug losing because of an evil twin and not because of anything she actually did wrong, once again undermining her apology because it feels like her blaming herself for something that wasn't her fault instead of her owning up to actual flaws that cost her something. Add in the fact that the real reason for the loss was the identities which are still a secret as of season six and this episode can go die in the fiery heart of the sun!

Extra points off for making Felix seem interesting and then squandering all of that by turning him into Kagami's discount Adrien consolation prize. Extra extra points off for letting Adrien find Felix's stupid spyglass and then using that for nothing in season five. There were so many good setups here but a setup is only as good as its payoff and the payoffs were all shit!

Season 5

Least Favorite: Derision

Worst writing: The final parts one and two

Dishonorable Mentions: Every other episode in the season.

In season four, I said that I liked a lot of the episodes on the dishonorable mentions list, they just had some fatal flaw that got them on the list. The same is not true here. I didn't enjoy a single episode in season five. Only positive moment I can think of is the hand raise scene in Kwamis Choice. That was cute, but not cute enough to save that disaster of an episode.

I've ranted about Derision a lot and shared many posts from others, so I'll just link to one of those rants and one of those posts, then give a quick tl;dr here. This episode makes Marinette look unhinged and is a massive retcon that makes no freaking sense. It's also the only time Miraculous has genuinely upset me on an emotional level. Other episodes have worse messages, but this showed such a fundamental lack of writing ability and critical thinking skills that it got to me. I doubt that anything could have made me keep watching the show after the disaster that was the season five final, but Derision was where I first decided that season five was it for me. After Derision aired I stopped watching the episodes as they came out and just waited for the whole season to be streaming because I legitimately didn't care anymore. I knew wherever we were heading was going to be a bad time.

The final gets another link to the power of love rant because that's my biggest issue with it, but there's obviously a wealth of problems at work here. No, Marinette didn't win because Gabriel changed his mind. He rewrote the universe to his desired state! That's a hands down win. Also, his reason for changing his mind was laughably bad. A video? Seriously? Terrible writing. Adrien being lied to was terrible. Adrien being kept completely out of the final fight was terrible. The resistance doing nothing useful was terrible. The special-only characters showing up was confusing. Emilie dying was boring. Saving Nathalie was boring. The list goes on and on. Just a total embarrassment of a season final with bonus embarrassment from the fact that this was initially the series finale meaning that anything the later seasons do to imply that this was bad is basically a retcon.

[lilacerull0]

WE WERE BORN INTO POVERTY, CRIMINALITY... ACCENT ON WE AND BOTH OF THEM IN THE FRAME WITH THEIR DAUGHTER IN BETWEEN... cinema... it's saying, you are from the neighbourhood and we are living flesh that proves this. And we are sitting with you here right now, for everyone to see. Your suit and your words and your manners can't change this. Go fuck yourself. Your crime isn't that you are from the neighbourhood, your crime is that you won't accept that you are.

[tumblingxelian]

Chloe Knows:

Apparently game Chloe knows Marinette is Ladybug, so I wrote this:

Summary: Chloé Bourgeois is perhaps the last person Marinette expected to see on her roof after having lost the Miraculous to Felix.

Chloé Bourgeois is also probably the person Marinette least wants to see on her roof.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Chloe knows more than she's ever let on and that complicates things, but it just might end up helping too.

Chloe Knows:

The last thing Marinette expected to deal with right now was Chloe hanging out on her roof, arms folded and tapping her yellow jacket impatiently.

It was also the last thing Marinette wanted to deal with, save maybe finding Hawk Moth waiting for her. & that thought just sent her gut into a tailspin, so Marinette forced open her ceiling hatch and stalked onto the roof.

Chloe zeroed in on her instantly, hissing, "You kept me waiting!"

Marinette barely resisted the urge to grab and shake the blonde, because she had only just finished re-tethering herself after the disaster of losing the Miracle Box.

Still, she had just enough restraint to only force her way into Chloe's space, grounding out, "How did you trick my parents into letting you up here, Chloe?"

The blonde blinked confusedly, "I climbed?" She motioned to a discarded pair of gloves sitting in the rooftop bin. "Why would I talk to your parents about that anyway? This is our business."

Marinette tried very hard to parse that question but she was still trying to process Chloe having scaled her walls!?

"Because they-, I-" No she as not dealing with that right now. "Chloe we don't have business!" Marinette settled on, arms flailing.

"Normally we wouldn't, you made sure of that-"

"Oh I made sure of it?"

"Yes you," Chloe huffed, somehow the one affronted, "When you got me to be terrible for my mother, then made it impossible for me to be good as Queen Bee by taking Pollen. Now you go and lose her & the others? I thought you were at least cunning to pull that scheme off Dupain-Cheng, or are you just lucky!?"

Marinette technically 'heard' what Chloe said, but she didn't have the wherewithal to react to it. Not right now as her whole world felt like it was suddenly unreal and empty and yet crushingly full all at once.

"Hah, haha, what are you t- talking about? Me, take a pollen? I don't know what that is? I don't even like wasps!"

Chloe dragged her hands down her face, screaming into her palms, "You cannot be this thick, no one can, for the- I know you're Ladybug, I've known your Ladybug for ages. Now tell me how you lost the Miraculous!"

"I could never be-"

Chloe stepped forward, counting off on her fingers.

"Rena is Alya, Nino is Carapace, Sabrina the Hound, Max is Pegasus, Kim is monkey guy and Zoe is Vespera, very petty of you, kudos really. Need I list more?"

"I"

"I've seen your Kwami, do I need to grab your damned earrings!?"

Marinette's hands flew to them, and she flung herself back, then started to giggle, maniacally.

"Hahaha, of- of course, this is a nightmare! All a nightmare! I didn't fail, Chloe doesn't know anything, I didn't get tricked by Felix and doom Paris! Hahaha- OW!"

Chloe pulled her hand back and out of pinching distance.

"You're awake Dupain-Cheng & finally answered my question to boot. Felix, ugh!! What, did he pull that stupid 'I'm Adrien' stunt and you just tripped over yourself?"

"Actually-" Tikki cut in gently, drifting out of her bag. "There was no tripping that I recall, & he'd had help this time, as Adrien wished to stay in Paris so it was more believable."

Marinette felt like her throat was closing up as she rasped, "Tikki, why!?"

The Kwami turned to her, big eyes doleful, "I am sorry Marinette, but it was obvious she knew and has evidently known for sometime. I felt you continuing to try and cover this up would only make things worse not better."

"Good thing too, I was about to tackle her and shake you out of that bag-ah!"

Marinette grabbed Chloe, spun her around and trapped her against the nearest wall. Eyes wild and frantic, the command phrase to transform dancing on her lips.

"Where's Hawk Moth? What's your game Chloe!?"

"If this was a game I'd be having fun, also," Chloe brought her hands up, and sharply but lightly 'chopped' her way out of Marinette's grip with the sudden pressure on her elbows and then shot out of grabbing range.

"Uhu, you had your chance to straddle me and passed it up."

Marinette's overtaxed brain wanted to 'scream' at that particular mental image. But Ladybug Brain was taking over and she snapped.

"How long have you known? It can't be that long or Hawk Moth would have found out already. After Penal-Team, no after-"

"Are you kidding? I've known way longer than that," Chloe boasted.

"Then why doesn't Hawk Moth know? Why didn't you just Akumatize and bring him the Miraculous!?" Marinette hissed.

"Because I don't want him to win, obviously!"

"You say you want him to win all the time!"

"I say stupid stuff when I'm angry, sue me!"

"Marinette!" Her parents called, and she could hear them racing up the ladder and nearly tripping over one another in a bid to make it to the rood.

Tikki vanished back into her purse and Marinette stood stock still frozen as her parents clambered out. Her mother hugging her close and her dad stepping between her and Chloe.

"How did you get up here?" Her father groused.

"Marinette, are you OK?" Sabine asked, fretfully.

A million and one excuses flew through Marinette's exhausted brain. Class project, Chat Noir dumped Chloe on her roof, she was Ladybug & Chloe had come to yell at her- No wait, that was the truth!

"What business is it of yours?" Chloe snapped back, evidently not intimidated by her father.

"Because this is our home, and our daughter and you are trespassing." Tom rumbled.

Chloe leaned to the side and looked at Marinette, still in her mothers arms, and then pointedly looked 'past' them.

"That doesn't answer my question, Marinette and I's business is none of yours."

Her mother frowned, "You've never had business with our daughter, just sharp words at best. You have no right to her or anything here."

"Ch- Chloe was just checking up on me, after Monarch's announcement." Marinette rambled, trying to piece the pieces together into something workable that wouldn't send Chloe into a fit.

Both her parents looked stunned and also like they wanted to ask if she was concussed.

Fortunately, Chloe managed to pick up where she'd left off.

"Exactly, we certainly aren't friends, but I felt obliged to check up on someone else I knew Ladybug wouldn't check on."

"What?" Her mothers hug tightened, and her voice actually quivered.

Her father looked between the two sides, seemingly lost for what to do with himself.

The pieces fell into place and Marinette came to the truth, in a sense.

"I was Multi-Mouse, when my science teacher god Akumatized, Ladybug needed someone who was good at multitasking."

"Marinette," Her father rushed forward and pulled her into a hug that knocked the air out of her lungs.

"I... I helped her, I did OK I think."

"You got the Miraculous back so you did your job," Chloe cut in, neither warm nor scathing.

Her mother evidently didn't agree, "It shouldn't have been her job, either of your jobs. You're children!"

"Mum, dad, it's fine, really it's fine!"

Her mother ran a hand through her hair, "I feel like there's something you aren't saying sweetheart."

She glanced at Chloe who was watching the exchange with an inscrutable expression. Some strange mix of confusion and almost starvation like hunger that was honestly painful to perceive.

Marinette licked her lips and pressed on.

"Chloe was right that Ladybug might not check up on me. At least not in a way I could see."

"She's usually such a good hero?" Her father said, sounding despondent.

"It's because I asked her too! I... When I was Multi-Mouse, I used the other Miraculous. A lot. I shouldn't have, but nothing bad happened!" she hastily added, at her parents near frantic looks of worry.

"Ladybug warned me, but I misunderstood and she said even though I was OK this time I shouldn't use magic again for a long time. I was upset, I wanted to help her, I-"

Why was she crying?

"I wanted to be a good hero, but I just screwed up and now," she was sobbing. Gods she was sobbing in her mothers arms.

"There there, my treasure, I am sure you were brilliant, let it out," her mother stroked her hair while her father hovered protectively, one large hand rubbing circles on her back.

Fortunately, Marinette had already cried her heart out once tonight and was too tired for a truly spectacular breakdown.

She managed to half slip her mothers grip, wiping at her eyes. "Thanks, both of you," she glanced at Chloe who was back to not quite staring at them. Her face was a mask of forced, haughty neutrality that looked like it was being kept in place with wires buried beneath her skin.

"Thanks for checking up on me Chloe, and for somehow not telling Hawkmoth our, my, anyone's identities when he had you Akumatized all those times." Because she still needed an answer to that, only the fact Tikki hadn't seemed panicked was keeping her grounded.

Chloe swallowed, hands clenching and unclenching before she spoke.

"Yes, well, I might not be Queen Bee or a hero anymore, but ridiculous circumstances demand ridiculous actions. So for tonight I'm a hero and it's the duty of a hero to look out for people. Even one's they hate."

OK, ow.

Chloe pressed on, "As to identities," She shrugged. "If that idiot Hawkmoth, Shadowmoth or whatever he's calling himself had that kind of control he wouldn't have to wait for people to break before getting them under his thumb. Even when I let him in the last few times, I never let him dig deep and I'd just kick him out if he tried to paw at any of my secrets."

Marinette felt like her heart was going to collapse in on itself because, "Even knowing everything you do, you just- I can't- I don't understand you at all Chloe!"

That actually seemed to draw the blonde up short, "That's a surprise, I thought you knew me better than anyone. You're certainly good at," Chloe looked at her parents ten back to Marinette, "Hitting my weak spots when we come to blows."

It felt like there was a lot to unpack there and for the first time in a long time, Marinette knew she'd actually have to spare no small amount of time and thought on Chloe's inner workings.

For now though.

"Even if you 'can' just kick him out."

"You know I can!" Chloe stomped her foot. "You saw me do it when I was Penal-Team!"

"That's my point! Isn't that like willingly helping him!? Other people have to be tricked!"

Chloe scoffed, "Tricked she says, don't over-sell it, it's being angry or sad, or whatever and taking a deal. Besides, does it look like I'm helping? I played soccer for an hour then quit."

"You had a bunch of people trapped in deadly orbs Chloe!"

"So what!? People try to kill me all the time! Ivan tried to smear me on the pavement! Nathanial tried to chop my legs off! Mommy murdered me and no one cared! No one!"

There was a choked edge in that but Chloe pressed on. "Because it's not a big deal, and anyone trying to make it a big deal is just looking for sympathy points, so there." 

She huffed and unfolded her arms, "Anyway you've clearly got people to tend to and I got what I came for. See you at school, Multi-Mouse."

With that she marched across the rooftop to her sky-box. "I'm not climbing the walls again if I don't have to so I'll just leave out the front and avoid the stray dog."

Before she reached the door, Marinette was surprised to see her mother reach out and gently grasp Chloe's shoulder.

"Chloe," She said firmly, as the blonde practically froze up, looking half ready to bolt, or shout. "Thank you for checking up on our daughter, that was a good thing and for whatever it's worth. People should have cared, I'm sorry those who should don't."

There was a moment where Marinette honestly expected Chloe to start crying, to fling herself at her mother and howl and sob. She was sure she saw something glisten in her eyes before Chloe wiped it away, and swallowed.

Her voice was rough as she said, "It's... Thanks, or whatever, doesn't matter. I don't need anyone's help."

"Everyone needs someone, so if your feelings change, don't be afraid to ask, people can surprise you. Especially if you don't break into their house." Her mother said the last part with a sort of forced, hopeful smile.

Chloe nodded, like taking an instruction, a rasped something escaping her lips before she achingly pulled away and climbed down the ladder.

A million and one feelings, questions and terrors still swirled in Marinette's mind but as her father and mother gently guided her down the ladder, intent on hot coco and comfort talk. She knew they'd have to wait. Could wait, until she was rested and ready.

Even still, a part of her would linger on the question of Chloe. What to think, to feel, to do, certainly. But also on the quieter, more uncomfortable thoughts.

Like who someone who felt they had no one would turn to if they were desperate and at the end of their rope.

'& it's not just Chloe either, who does Chat Noir have besides me?'

It was an uncomfortable thought, but one buoyed by a new revelation. No matter how omnipotent Hawk Moth seemed, no matter how all knowing he claimed to be; he was clearly far less than that.

It wasn't much to build on, but it was something, a foot hold from which she could dig in her heels and drag him down from his perch.

Golden hair flashed in her mind again and another thought echoed in her head.

'One good foot hold may be enough to bring down Hawkmoth. So what could it do for someone else?'

Because no matter what she said or had done, Chloe made a choice tonight, and had been making choices for longer than Marinette realized. Not having fallen down the slope but merely standing on the brink.

'But she took a step back tonight, to somewhere I can reach.'

& maybe all Marinette needed was one good foothold to pull Chloe all the way back, perhaps Farther than she'd ever been, or Marinette even realized was possible. 

It was a tender little hope, strange and unsure, but somehow, in Marinette's mind, it felt like solid gold. 

NOTES:

Wrote this is one sitting, then edited it, I hope it reads well XD

I have no plans to continue this, though if someone else wants to take it and run with it please feel free. I kind of envision Marinette re-inviting Chloe to the class group chat as a sort of olive branch and them slowly working through their respective issues.

Also Chloe turning up at Felix's with a tazer and the same martial arts skills that let her fight Mayura to a stand still and possibly, violently reclaiming Doosoo, cos you can pry Jock!Chloe from my cold dead hands!

[little-mari-on-a-roof]

Frenglish differences in Miraculous - Episode 7

Lady WiFi

Miss Bustier

En: I'm very pleased with how you all did on your last assignment. Some of you have really stepped up and I do appreciate it. Now it's time to move onto our next assignment.

Fr: "On eût dit un coquillage ; / Dos rose et taché de noir. / Les fauvettes pour nous voir / Se penchaient dans le feuillage. / Sa bouche fraîche était là ; / Je me courbai sur la belle, / Et je pris la coccinelle ; / Mais le baiser s'envola." Alya ! Vous êtes toujours avec nous ?

"It seemed like a seashell; / Its back pink and spotted with black. / The warblers, to see us, / Leaned forward in the foliage. / Her cool mouth was there; / I bent towards the beauty, / And I took the ladybug; / But the kiss flew away." Alya! Are you still with us?

Miss Bustier is here reading a poem called "La Coccinelle" (The Ladybug), written by Victor Hugo.

Nino

En: But I guess you gotta be sly when Mr. Control-Freak is your Daddy-o.

Fr: Mais bon, faut dire aussi que son paternel lui laisse pas beaucoup de temps libre.

But yeah, to be fair, his father doesn't let him have a lot of free time.

Nino's English line gave me psychic damage lol. In French, it's notable that Nino uses the word "paternel", which means "paternal", but can sometimes be used as a noun to mean "father". This use of the word is however quite rare (I've never heard anyone use it that way) and sets Nino's speech apart.

Tikki - Marinette

En: Whoever is behind all of this sure is keeping us on our toes. - But you don't have any toes.

Fr: Le Papillon ne nous laissera donc jamais le temps de faire nos devoirs tranquillement. - Mais toi t'as pas de devoirs.

Hawkmoth sure will never leave us time to do our homework peacefully. - But you don't have any homework.

The meaning of the original quote gets lost in the translation but I can't even be mad because "you don't have any toes" is really funny somehow.

Nino to Alya when she tells her Chloé might be Ladybug

En: You need to have your head examined. If she's a superhero, then I'm the wizard of Oz.

Fr: Ça tient pas debout ton truc, Alya. Si c'est une super héroïne, moi je suis le méchant Papillon.

Your thing doesn't add up, Alya. If she's a superheroine then I'm the wicked Hawkmoth.

Chloé

En: Uh, up too late DJ'ing, Nino? Obviously, you didn't get your beauty sleep.

Fr: Euh, t'as pris quoi au p'tit déj Nino ? Franchement, vas y mollo sur le jus d'orange.

Uh, what did you have for breakfast Nino? Honestly, go easy on the orange juice.

Alya about Chloé

En: She's no superhero. She's super psycho.

Fr: Tu parles d'une super héroïne, c'est plutôt super menteuse, oui.

Talk about a superheroine, it's rather super-liar.

Ladybug talking to Chat Noir about Chloé

En: And besides, who would believe that she's the original Ladybug? She's obviously just a die-hard fan. A copycat.

Fr: Franchement, qui serait assez bête pour croire que cette fille est Ladybug ? C'est sûrement juste une admiratrice. Un peu comme toi quoi.

Honestly, who would be stupid enough to believe that this girl is Ladybug? She's probably just an admirer. *Turning to chat:* A bit like you ;)).

She doesn't actually blink but it's as if.

Lady WiFi after catching Chloé wearing a Ladybug costume

En: Well, well. So, my hunch was correctomundo.

Fr: Voyez-vous ça. On dirait bien que j'ai appelé le bon numéro.

Look at that. It seems like I called the right number.

Adrien to Plagg while looking for his ring

En: I could use a little help!

Fr: Je serais pas contre un petit coup de patte.

I wouldn't be against you giving me a paw (instead of "giving me a hand").

A cat pun that got lost in translation once again.

Lady WiFi to Ladybug

En: If you don't get him out fast, your crush will soon be slush. *She frees her.* Good luck with your cat-popsicle. I have other news to cover.

Fr: Si tu ne libères pas rapidement ton copain il va finir en chat glacé. Bonne chance avec ton amoureux transi, j'ai d'autres chats à fouetter.

If you don't free your (boy)friend fast he's gonna end up as an iced cat. *She frees her.* Good luck with your bashful lover, I've got other fish to fry (lit. "other cats to beat").

It's just a saying, French people don't actually beat cats on a regular basis (I swear!!!), but it makes for a nice cat pun.

Tikki - Marinette

En: Is that true? You're gonna tell him? Is that what your heart's saying? - Sometimes your heart tells you one thing, but a great superhero always listens to her head.

Fr: Je sais que c'est difficile de cacher des choses à sa meilleure amie. Mais personne ne doit savoir que tu es Ladybug. - Tu as raison Tikki, tous ceux que j'aime seront à l'abri tant que mon secret restera caché là dedans.

I know it's not easy to hide things from your best friend (Alya). But no one can know you're Ladybug. - You're right Tikki, everyone I love will be safe as long as my secret stays hidden in here *She points to her head*.

I'm so sorry to everyone who used that scene to show the Adrien thinks with his heart and Marinette with her head thing but it's not as explicit in the original French dub haha. Also, they did a major change by switching from her being sad about hiding things to Alya to instead wanting to tell Chat Noir her identity in the translation.

Marinette - Alya (after the latter said Adrien kind of looks like Chat Noir)

En: He's tons more legit that Cat Noir. - Hey! I happen to think that Cat Noir is pretty slick.

Fr: Il a quand même plus de classe que ce Chat Noir. - Hey ! Je te signale que je le trouve plutôt mignon, moi, Chat Noir.

He is more class than that Chat Noir. - Hey! I'll have you know that I do find Chat Noir pretty cute.

Chat Noir is a slut trying to steal Nino's girl caught in 4k.

[mochinek0]

Daminette December: 16-(SUB) Gold Digger

Alya stared into wonder, as Marinette crossed the room of the Wayne Gala.

'What the fuck is she doing here?'

She had tried inviting Lila, but she had said she was too busy.

'Did she know that Mari would be here?'

Alya froze as she watch Marinette talk to Lois Lane and Clark Kent with such familiarity. Even Jon had gone up and hugged her! Alya watched as a guy came up from behind them and put his arm around her waist.

'What is going on?'

Alya ran up to Jon, after watching Marinette walk to the other side of the room with the mysterious guy.

"Hey, Jon." She spoke, trying to keep an eye out.

"Alba?" He questioned.

She winced, "A-Alya."

"Sorry." Jon apologized, "What-Did you have a question?"

"Um, I did actually." Alya answered, "How do you know Marinette?"

"You know Mari, too?" He shouted, excitedly, "We have so much to talk about!"

"Yeah." She smiled, awkwardly, " I didn't realize you knew her."

"Oh, yeah!" He stated, "I met Mari in university, after my best friend, Damian started dating her. Actually, I don't remember seeing you at the wedding."

'Marinette's married?'

"Busy." She replied, quickly, trying to keep the shock off of her face.

"Oh yeah. Ma and Pa are always busy, too." Jon spoke.

"It makes sense that your parents know your best friend, after all." Alya commented.

"Of course!" He smiled, "The Wayne family own the Daily Planet, after all."

'Huh?'

"Pa and Bruce are old friends and Damian had been my best friend for years." Jon continued, "Mari has changed him so much...in a good way."

Jon leaned in and whispered, "If you ask his brothers, off record, they'll say he was much more violent before her. Like Beauty and the Beast."

'Marinette married into the Wayne family and they own the Daily Planet. Marinette is my boss!'

"You wanna go talk to them?" Jon questioned.

"Another time." Alya smiled, "The Waynes are busy and I don't want to hog her attention."

As she walked away, she swallowed a very hard pill. She had been moments away from going to yell at Marinette, but Marinette held the power to fire her. It wasn't worth losing her dream job, especially when she wasn't even a journalist yet.

Alya held a zoom meeting with some of the others in Paris. Others had drifted apart in University and barely spoke to them now. They had been shocked to learn that Mari had gotten married.

"Who did she marry?" asked Nathaniel.

"Yeah, what's he like?" questioned Kim.

"Damian Wayne." Alya spoke.

"Are you sure?" Alix asked, confused.

"Yes." Alya answered.

"Alya are you 100%, no, 1000% sure?" Max pressed.

"Yeah. I talked to my boss' kid. The whole family knows them." She declared, "I was about to march over to Mari and call her a bitch for everything and then I found out the Waynes own my work. Mari is my boss. I can't say anything to her, without risking my job."

"Alya." Alix spoke up, "Lila has been telling us that her new boyfriend is Damian Wayne. She told us they went out last Friday."

"Last Friday?" She questioned, "That was the night of the gala and he was there with Marinette. He barely left her side."

The call fell silent.

"Did we make a mistake?" Nathaniel asked.

"Are you sure that's what she said?" Alya shot back.

"Yeah!" Kim cried out.

After a few moments of silence, Alya spoke, "I'll.....I'll talk to Jon first."

"Babe." Nino called.

"If....If anyone knows something, he would. " she answered, "He's Damian's best friend and he seemed to really like Mari. The whole family does."

"Alya." Nino spoke.

"Bruce was-He got around with woman at this age. Damian didn't give the impression that he would." Alya continued, "Bruce isn't even married."

"Babe." Nino called out again.

"I need some air." She declared and turned off the call.

Alya decided to pour her research abilities into Damian Wayne.

'Jon wasn't kidding when he said he was violent before.'

Damian was introduced as Bruce Wayne's biological child at the age of eleven. Bruce explained how he had been living with his mother, all that time, and he was as shocked as any of them. Many commented how Damian looked exactly like Bruce at that age. He was a vegetarian and an animal activist.

There were a few articles of Damian being suspended for injuring a student or teach. His only statement was he 'disliked being touched'. He even hit a journalist for attempting to ask him questions. Damian had labeled it 'harassment'. He was called Gotham's own Ice Prince.

It was a shock to Gotham when Marinette and Damian announced they were officially dating. The city called them 'Daminette'. Damian was viewed as 'softer', but very protective of Mari. She had been kidnapped for ransom by Scarecrow. When GCPD found him, he was screaming for Damian to get away from him. He was found beaten and bruised. When the young Wayne was questioned about his actions he boldly claimed 'He wasn't afraid of the rouges. If Marinette was hurt again, he was willing to go to jail for the murder of a rouge.' Marinette was quickly listed as 'off limits' and dubbed 'Gotham's Sunshine Princess'.

There were dozens of articles of them at charity events. There were even pictures of Jagged Stone with Damian and Fang.

'I saved Jagged Stone's pet kitten.'

'Why are you lying? Jagged Stone doesn't have a pet kitten, Lila. He hatched a crocodile egg and named him Fang.'

'Maybe he was holding it for a friend? He just seemed so grateful!'

'Marinette, hey, um, can you sign my cd?'

'Gah! Uh, su-sure , Adrien. Go here. I-I mean here ya go, Buddy.'

Actually, now that she thought about it, more, Mari designed his Eiffel Tower glasses, too. Alya took a deep breath and looked up Marinette, instead.

Marinette was a very sought out designer. Jagged Stone had announced her as his designer when she was eighteen. He mentioned how she had been working with him since she was fourteen, but had been under an NDA contract.

There were even pictures of her with Luka and Juleka.

'When did I last talk to Juleka...or Rose?'

Marinette's designs were on runways at fashion week. She traveled a lot: Milan, London, Shanghai, New York, LA. She had her own label, not affiliated with the Wayne family.

It had taken Alya two weeks to process everything.

"Jon, do you mind if I ask you a question?" She asked him, at work.

"Sure." He answered.

"Do you know a Lila Rossi?" She asked.

Jon made a face, "You mean that liar?"

"Huh?" She spoke.

Jon sighed, "You heard about how she was claiming to be dating Damian, too, right?"

Alya simply nodded.

"Damian already served her with a defamation lawsuit." He replied.

"What?" She answered.

"Yeah." He continued, ignoring her shock, "Adrien heard it and told me, so I told Damian. He doesn't like his name being slandered."

"Oh, that's good." Alya smiled, trying to hide her panic, "I....I heard about it from a friend , back home, and it didn't make sense. I told them Damian was married."

"Hey, you did good." Jon replied, putting his arm around her shoulder, "You told them the truth and you had the facts to back it up."

Alya nodded, quickly.

"Oh and don't worry about a story." He spoke, removing his arm.

"St-story?" She questioned.

Jon pulled out his phone and stated, "Damian said 'That gold digger is as pathetic as the rest. Her name does not deserve to make it to the front page'. Adrien told him how she likes the attention. That she use to try to keep getting with him, too, and it took him coming out, as gay, for her to leave him alone."

Jon suddenly started laughing, recalling something, "A-He said she tried to rub on him so he shoved her off, sat of Jagged Stone's son's lap and made out with him. She hasn't bothered him since."

Alya remained silent. She hadn't even known that Adrien was gay.

"I better not see this in a story." He stated, any trace of laughter was gone, "It would be hearsay."

"No! " she answered, quickly.

He continued, "Good. You're learning. You can't take the word of one person and believe it. Someone else may recall something else, differently. Journalism is about finding the truth. Lies don't belong in a story. That's tabloid gossip and for bloggers, even fanfiction writers."

"With this Lila, she will learn the hard way that lying is wrong. She is going to have to explain to a jury: why she lied and what made her claim to be in a relationship with a married man. If she still claims to be his affair partner, she will have to show evidence: dates, hotel names, locations. All of which, Damian can disprove with his own bank statements. If money was taken out, it would show. There are cameras everywhere, especially owned by Wayne Enterprises. They make sure to aid the GCPD with rogue attacks, so they can see every angle." Jon spoke.

"Same with trips out of the states. Damian can disprove he didn't go to visit her and he didn't pay for her to be flown to Gotham or met up in some fantasy place. Not to mention her own passport. " He concluded, "I know Adrien said she likes to lie about celebrities. Hopefully, this is her only lie, out there, because if there's more, celebrities might come out of the woodworks just to sue her. I'm sure you know about limitations and how people can be convicted like ten years later for something they did."

Alya smiled and nodded.

"You should studying law books in your free time. Especially ,what a journalist can and can't do or say." Jon recommended.

"I will." Alya replied, "Thank you."

Alya was in a sour mood, all day after that conversation/information dump. At lunch, she looked up Lila and tried to cross it with her blog. She couldn't find any evidence of past stories to them. There was no dedicated song. Prince Ali worked in children's hospitals, not the environment. Alya looked her up as a model and only saw the Gabriel brand. Lila had been fired at eighteen.

When Alya looked up Adrien Agreste, she saw he had come out as gay, but was in a long distance relationship with his boyfriend, while he finished his studies. He admitted, he planned to leave Paris and move in with him, later. Alya sent a group text for a meeting after work, labeled ASAP. She then spent her lunch inside of her car, bawling.

Alya got home and quickly pulled up the group zoom chat.

"Alya, why-" began Alix.

"Damian Wayne is suing Lila." Alya announced.

"What?" Asked Kim.

"No way!" Exclaimed Nathaniel.

Alya took a deep breath, "His exact comment was 'The pathetic gold digger doesn't deserve her name on the front page."

"Lila isn't like that!" Proposed Mylene.

"Adrien corroborate his story." The journalist declared.

Ivan gasped, "What?"

"But they dated!" Kim shouted.

Alya shook her head, "Adrien's gay and has a boyfriend."

"What about in Bustier's class?" pressed Alix.

"Yeah!" cried out Mylene, "They were always together!"

"Adrien broke up with Kagami during that time." Nino admitted, "She didn't like how Lila clung to him, in the photoshoots, but she also felt like Adrien had a crush on Marinette."

"What?"

"Adrien liked Mari?"

"Did they date?"

"Is that why she called Lila a liar?"

"As far as I know of...no." the DJ answered, "I asked and he said she was more like a little sister to him and he was protective of her."

"He-" began Max.

"He did try to tell me and Alya that Lila was lying, but we thought he was just taking Mari's side." He continued to confess, "It was suspicious since he had just barely started to get closer to her."

He could tell everyone was shocked.

"Marinette knows Jagged Stone." Alya spoke.

"What?" Ivan declared.

"She's been his designer since Bustier's class. She made his Eiffel Tower glasses." Alya sniffled, "She goes with him to charity events. Luka and Juleka call her their 'unofficial cousin'."

"Alya." Alix whispered.

"I looked up a lot when I was at lunch." She sniffled, "I found out from Jon, Damian's best friend. I-I deleted my blog."

"What?" shouted Nino.

"Why would you do that?" Mylene questioned.

"Lila lied about.....everything! I-I couldn't find anything to prove she wasn't lying." Alya sobbed, "Jon said that evidence could be used, even years later. If another person wanted to sue her, they could just use my blog. I'd be a laughing stock! I could lose my job!"

"Alya." Nino spoke, sympathetically.

"We believed a fucking gold digger and lost Mari! I lost my best friend for some cheap imitation!" She started to scream, "Why didn't I listen? Why did I believe Lila so much more than Mari?"

They could see that Alya was taking this information the hardest. One by one, they left the call and texted Lila.

'We know that Damian Wayne suing you.'

'Alya works at the Daily Planet, under his family.'

'His best friend laughed at her and your audacity for going after a married man.'

'Even Adrien is ready to testify, against you, on how much of a liar and gold digger you are.'

'Marinette is married to Damian Wayne, but I guess you didn't know that.'

'I cant believe we believed you.'

'We were idiots.'

'We were kids!'

Lila looked at her phone, as the comments continued to roll in. She had finally been outted as a liar. She had lost Adrien early on and never recovered from his betrayal.

Lila had run away the moment she saw him kissing Luka. He had messed up her plan, all her hard work! It wasn't until later in the year that she realized she had actually fallen for Adrien; he was no longer a ploy to make her famous. Adrien Agreste was who made her happy and who she could be herself around. He had known she was a liar but he tried to make everything better. Now he was forever out of her reach.

Lila had tried to date, but none of them were as good looking. All of them listened to her lies and believed her. None of them were right. In the end, she kept with the same stupid friends, hoping to hear that Adrien had only been going through a phase. Then he had to mess it up again and tell the world he had a boyfriend and was moving in with him soon.

She had cried for days. She told herself that she needed to look like she still had it together so she had made the decision to look up 'wealthy men my age' and chose Damian Wayne. When she found out she was getting sued, Lila had finally realized Adrien hadn't felt threatened by her antics in the slightest. He had never taken her seriously. Lila was slapped with a lawsuit and a restraining order by the Wayne family. If she persisted with false accusations, they recommend a psychological evaluation to be done.

She never expected Alya to turn on her; she had told everyone she was a liar. Adrien had called her a liar. It felt like a slap in the face when they mentioned Marinette. Lila hadn't thought about her in years. Marinette still won the battle, she thought she had victory over years ago.

Pictures started filling her phone of Damian and Marinette announcing their first child. There was even a picture of Adrien smiling wearing a dorky shirt that read "I'm an Uncle!". The next picture was worse. It was an announcement of Adrien moving to Metropolis to be with his boyfriend, Jon Kent; Marinette's look alike.

She dropped her phone and laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

'Is it really that hard to find a rich man when some nobodies did it with ease? Guess I better find a job tomorrow. Maybe I'll find a rich guy that way; they did.'

@maribat-calendar-events

TAG LIST- DAMINETTE: @meme991001 @umbreon-worshipper @stainedglassm @jasmine-the-fox @psychicdelusionwerewolf @vixen-uchiha @mysteriouschar @missmadwoman @kanamexzeroyaoifangirl @dissarraymania @tundra1029 @abrx2002 @mrsjacuinde @ledalasombra @animegirlweeb

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[starsfic]

Hollow Wedding

The wedding could've come from a magazine spread, it was so perfect.

Notre Dame was decorated in white, the only pops of color being red here and there and the stained glass window cast shimmering pops of color on the couple. On either side of them were the groomsmen and bridesmaids, three each, all dressed in matching outfits. It was a wedding straight out of a movie.

It was beautiful. Perfect.

Hollow.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng could practically feel the hollowness in the air. Despite what Alya claimed, that she still had deep feelings for Adrien, it wasn't that made her feel hollow. It was just too perfect. The way Adrien held his bride's hand, how he placed the ring on her finger, how they kissed. Each motion was perfectly rehearsed and bare of any real emotion.

The only thing that made it imperfect was that Alya kept glancing at her. Ever since Adrien had announced his engagement, she had pushed Marinette to do something about it. She still didn't seem to understand that Marinette no longer wanted Adrien. Since her break up with Luka, of course she would want to rebound with the guy who made her feel shame for her own emotions.

Of course.

Marinette didn't do anything and Alya finally settled with a sigh. She was almost like Chat Noir, who announced he was engaged out of the blue and kept glancing at her ever since the news, probably hoping she would react more than her congratulations.

She hoped his wedding was more real than this.

The reception carried the hollowness as well. It was all perfectly decorated and such as well, but there was nothing that could hide that feeling. And, as she sat down with Alya and Nino, she could see other guests look around, weirdly unsettled.

"Ugh, that was the creepiest ceremony I've ever sat through," Nino said in a whisper. "Like, I thought the bride was about to drop dead."

Marinette nodded. "I noticed it too." She glanced at the stage before Alya could comment any more on "her true feelings". "Aren't you gonna give a speech?"

Nino shook his head. "Nah, dudette. Gabriel made Adrien make his cousin his best man, so he's giving the speech."

"I didn't even know he had a cousin," Alya said as the cousin in question, Felix or something, started talking. "Who was the other guy?"

"I don't know, some model Adrien knows? From what I heard, the bride doesn't even know the bridesmaids, they're all related to Adrien or Emilie somehow."

"Huh? Seriously?"

Alya's eyes went wide. "Oh boy," she said. "Suddenly, I'm glad you never confessed your feelings, Mari."

"I'm glad you finally realized," she couldn't help but snark. Honestly, she would have rather died than have a wedding like this. She would've wanted to be married at the little temple her parents did, blending Chinese and French customs together and even having her parents make her wedding cake. With how Gabriel and Emilie this all felt, she wouldn't be surprised if Adrien's wedding had always been planned to be a wedding do-over. She pushed that thought aside to focus on the issue. "But, the bride didn't know any of them?"

Nino nodded. "Yeah. I asked if...uh..." He paused, trying to think. "I can't remember her name- Akane? I think that's her name, I asked if something had happened so they had to step in, but Adrien kinda just said that she didn't have any friends."

"She could've," Alya snarked, "If she actually bothered to show up to the hang-outs like you invited her to."

The wedding reception, thankfully, grew more lively after dinner was served after that comment. Marinette couldn't help but dance with Alya as Nino DJed, his music providing a spark of life to the hollowness of everything.

Soon, however, she had to pull away. "Getting some air!" she called so Alya could hear, receiving a nod. Marinette walked away from the huddle, stepping out of the reception entirely. The reception had been held in Chloe's hotel with doors leading to the roof.

And, up on the roof, was the bride.

Marinette, the moment she saw the white gown, was tempted to just turn and head back inside. But something in her paused, made her just look at the woman who married her lycee crush.

She was startlingly pretty, with short dark hair and eyes, even with the frostiness that always seemed to follow her, that had a hint of sweetness. The dress looked lovely, but it seemed washed out against her. If Marinette had designed the wedding dress, she would've chosen a more bold color, like red.

And then she realized that the bride was staring at her.

"Uh, hi, sorry-" Marinette said, stepping back. "I didn't know anyone was up here, I can just-"

"It's fine." Short and to the point.

Marinette nodded, walking up to stand next to the bride. They stood in silence together, just watching the city. No akumas had come today, despite her fears of Adrien's fan club reacting badly to him getting married. (Chloe's akuma in reaction to the news was enough.) It was another perfect moment for the movie that was this wedding.

"Akane, right?"

"Kagami, actually." The moment the correction hit her ears, Marinette wanted to shrivel up. Fuck, hadn't that been the name on the invite? She was so dumb! "Although that might as well be my name for how much Adrien cares about me."

"Huh?"

"It's Marinette, correct?" Kagami said, no explanation for her statement.

"Uh, yeah." Marinette cleared her throat. "I'm glad I could finally meet you. We tried to schedule stuff, but-"

"But you guys had to cancel. I understand."

Huh. Wait. What? "What, no? Adrien and you cancelled. He kept texting Nino that his dad suddenly changed his mind or you guys had a really important event."

"No. We would leave to meet with you and then he would get a text saying that stuff had to be cancelled so I always went home." She expected anger or maybe relief. Instead, Kagami's face seemed to crumple. "I bet he was with her," she said. A tear rolled down her cheek and she reached up, looking startled.

With the whiplash of Adrien supposedly lying to Kagami and maybe, possibly, lying to Nino and them, Marinette could only ask "Who?"

"The girl he's in love with," Kagami admitted, voice thick with tears. More tears rolled down her cheeks and it was heartbreaking. "You know, I should've taken it as a hint that, right after our first date, he admitted he wasn't over this girl. I pushed past it, I thought I could-" A sob welled up and Kagami let it out. Marinette couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms around her, hoping she could provide some comfort. The other woman froze, just for a second, before arms wrapped stiffly around her. "I thought I could change his mind. I thought we were so perfect together."

"Perfection isn't a thing," Marinette admitted. "No matter how hard Gabriel tries to think it is."

"I should've left him after we got engaged and he admitted that I was just a placeholder for this other girl," Kagami said, sending a hot wave of rage through Marinette. "I saw him while we were preparing. He kept checking his phone..."

I'll check my messages if you have any last-minute objections, my lady.

Marinette shook her head. No. Adrien wasn't like that. Except, as it turned out, he was. She pushed away those thoughts to focus on Kagami. A ridiculous thought came up, except in the face of all this, it probably wasn't that ridiculous. "...it's not too late to walk away." Sure, it would probably hurt Adrien to have his wife annul their marriage the day of their wedding, but what about Kagami?

"It is," Kagami sounded so calm about this, even with the tears rolling down her face. "Tsurugis don't back down from anything."

"Tsurugis should also be respected and be in relationships that respect them." It was snarky but true.

There was a moment of silence. Marinette almost pulled away from how still Kagami suddenly seemed.

Then the other woman pulled away, a cold glint freezing her face over, even as her eyes were puffy and pink. Marinette almost apologized when she spoke. "I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes," she said.

"...Okay."

Kagami smiled and nodded before walking through the door. Marinette, left on the roof, blinked and then pulled out her phone. In an old group chat, she left one message.

PinkFlower: Get the car ready the marriage's getting annulled.

By the time she arrived at the parking lot, Alya and Nino, plus Juleka, Rose, Alix, Mylene and Ivan, were waiting at Nino's van. "What the heck did you do, girl?!" she said. "Adrien's already married one day and you become a homewrecker?"

"Not on that side," Marinette corrected. She turned her head at what sounded like a furious shriek and the music from the back-up DJ screeching to a stop. In the next minute, the doors opened, revealing Kagami.

Marinette's guess was right. She did look good in red, especially in the jumpsuit she had changed into.

"What did you do?" Marinette asked, just a little frightened and a lot swooning. Alya gaped, glancing from her to Kagami. Alix and Juleka, based on the noises, were stifling laughter.

"I did what I should've done a long time ago," Kagami said, holding out her arm. Marinette, still a little bit flustered, took it. "I told my mother about Adrien and his other lady. She's contacting our family lawyer now."

Damn. If her mother was anything like Gabriel...

"I also looked up some restaurants nearby. There's one with very good orange juice, if you would like?" She leaned in close, as if worried that someone would overhear and take offense. "The catering was not my choice."

...the food hadn't been great.

"Yeah," Marinette said as Nino opened the door to his van. "Yeah, I would like that."

Kagami's smile was beautiful, perfect, and full of life.

[jasmine-the-fox]

Uncle Jagged get's justice

IceWolf92 on AO3 made this request so here we go!!

Jagged Stone was a hard worker in the music industry. While he focuses on his music… he also works hard to take down rumors and fake claims about him as they can affect his music career greatly and possibly his public image too.

He and Penny were taking Fang on a walk when he overheard a conversation “I hate this. Lila and Father are forcing me to obey to make Lila happy… even though her lies are hurting Marinette badly” they turned as they heard Adrien’s voice “I know dude. To be honest I hate the fact that she’s lying not only about Marinette… but about her connections to Jagged Stone and others” Nino said making Penny and Jagged’s eyes go wide “Penny love… I need you to look into this… Lila for me” he said making Penny nod as they walked away.

It didn’t take Penny very long to discover who Lila Rossi was at all. She wrote Lila and found the Ladyblog where it only spoke about Lila now and barely spoke about Ladybug and Cat Noir anymore. She uncovered multiple lies she’s claimed to be true and as a result discovered stories she’s made about knowing famous people.

She shows Jagged who becomes angry “Contact them and let them know about this liar” he said making Penny nod and get to work quickly enough. She contacted everyone Lila lied about knowing and they were all enraged by the whole thing, as a result… they quickly began to lawyer up to sue Lila for her lies and Alya for posting the lies without doing a little research.

It was a huge disappointment to them…

Penny did as much research as she could about Lila, she worked hard to collect evidence against her. Meanwhile… Jagged decided to go visit Marinette, he remembered her talking about her best friend Alya and wondered what she knew about this whole thing. When he got there with Fang, Sabine welcomed them in and called Marinette down before heading back downstairs to the bakery to work the register.

Mari came down a moment later and quickly went to give Fang some well deserved attention and love from her, she then sat down with Jagged on the couch “So… I found about some girl named Lila Rossi saying lies about herself like how she saved my cat and how I dedicated a song to her. Since your friend Alya posts about her lies I was wondering if you knew more?” he asked and was shocked at how sad Mari looked all of a sudden.

 She then told him about Lila’s threats and how the class bullied her since Lila claims she’s bullying her “She paints herself as a saint who only wants to be my friend… while all I do is hurt her in the end” she explained making Jagged look at her with guilt for not knowing about Lila sooner.

He swore to himself to make Lila pay for all of this… so when lawyers lead by his stormed into Mari’s classroom and served Lila and Alya with lawsuits for the lies Lila spoke and that Alya posted… chaos soon erupted in the classroom. Some were pissed that Lila lied while others like Alya denied that Lila lied to them… but with no proof to back them up… it was clear to those who opened their eyes that Lila was a liar in the end.

The judge was a no joke kind of guy. Each time Lila tried to spin a lie, the judge would slam his gavel down and tell her to be silent until spoken to. The lawyers presented the stories Alya posted that Lila spun as evidence that she was a liar, Adrien went to the stand and provided photographic and video evidence of who she truly was.

Mari recounted everything Lila did to her and Jagged went further with paying for plane tickets for Lila’s past victims to come from Italy to reveal what Lila did to them “She made me bawled by putting hair remover in my shampoo! She claimed the product was bad and that my hair was proof! My mom made the product and we got it tested to confirm she messed with it!” a girl said, she had shoulder length hair that had grown with time.

Another was a boy who is rich like Adrien “I’m gay so I didn’t like her already. But she claimed I tried to rape her! At a fake party that never happened! My classmates beated me up and sent my boyfriend to the hospital because of her! He’s traumatized!” he explained in fury. In the end Mari’s classmate who believed Lila were barely listened to as they tried to defend Lila… Lila was declared guilty and so was Alya.

Lila was deported to Italy where her past victims were waiting for her to take her to court to sentence her while Alya was fined, her blog was taken down and she had to do community service for a whole year because of what she did. The rest of the class was warned “Learn from this and research what your told before believing it… maybe next time you do it… you’ll get conned” the judge said after giving his ruling.

In the end… justice was served at long last. Mari felt light and free without Lila ruining her day, she was able to smile and be happy. Alya was yelled at by her parents and grounded in the end. Lila was gone the very day court was adjured, the ones who now knew the truth were working hard to fix what they did to Mari while the others glared at Mari as they believed she did all of this.

They tried spreading a rumor that she falsified the evidence but they were shut down quickly since Jagged threatened to get Damocles and Bustier fired if they didn’t do there jobs correctly from now on. Adrien watched with a smile as Mari entered a grand event with Jagged who brought her since she did design his outfit.

He was happy to have started this whole thing… he just wished he had done it sooner…

[ilikekidsshows]

I think for me at least the difference between Adrien’s problematic behavior (harassing Ladybug even after she’s rejected him several times and even something like telling Marinette to take the high road regarding Lila which I know got him a lot of flack with the fandom) and Marinette’s behavior is that we actually see Adrien growing past said behavior. He does eventually move on from Ladybug and come to be happy being just a good friend and partner to her. (Sure it’s partly because he ‘falls’ for Marinette but we’ll not get into that here). He also realizes he was wrong about the Lila thing and actually threatens her to get her to fix what she did to Marinette in that one episode and tries to tell Alya and Nino the truth about her.

Meanwhile Marinette not only gets worse over time but the show bends over backwards to try and justify said bad behavior nor does she ever receive any real consequences for it.

For me that’s a large part of why I’m okay with Adrien’s bad behavior and not Marinette’s and I don’t think the two can really be fairly compared due to such circumstances and the way the show handled both of them.

---

Yeah, like, the writers also eventually made Cat Noir take responsibility for all of Paris thinking he and Ladybug are a couple and they made Adrien take responsibility for everything done against Lila, be it not confronting her directly or confronting her directly, since he actually makes comments on both approaches that can be taken as apologies. Adrien doesn't just apologize and “clean up his act”, he takes full responsibility over others’ similar actions as well. Even before this, though, Adrien's faults weren't treated the same as Marinette's. Whenever Ladybug told him his flirting was too much, she was presented as the one whose feelings on the matter mattered the most and Cat Noir respected her no and backed down every time. He also valued her friendship even before he stopped loving her. Meanwhile, Marinette stopping her stalking of Adrien wasn't even fully stopping and she was shown as frustrated about it while making excuses over how she was totally justified. Her feelings over the stalking were given focus, but we never learn how Adrien feels about it. She also never valued Adrien’s friendship, calling it the “worst thing ever”. The Lila thing Adrien was right about, actually, I will die on that hill. The writers can’t even remember what Adrien said about Lila, since he makes contradictory statements about her.

As you said, Marinette's behavior keeps getting worse but she keeps getting validated. Even the abuse apologia has already been validated by both Tikki and Bunnix in the London special. They treat it as a morally equal option to not doing what she did and they also shrink what Marinette did (abuse apologia) into just “not telling the truth” (they don't even call it “lying”) to make it seem even more like she hasn't done anything too bad. Alix also frames the whole thing in a way where she's only focused on consequences, saying being truthful would have also have painful consequences. They're downplaying the heck out of what Marinette's done wrong, so, when that's combined with how her other flaws are viewed as 100% okay or nonexistent, I just can't see this as an arc where Marinette learns anything, instead of it ending with Marinette crying about what a terrible person she is again while being instantly forgiven, if she gets confronted with this being a mistake at all.

So, let's compare and contrast:

Adrien makes a mistake: takes full responsibility, doesn't make excuses, focuses on the feelings of the wronged party

Marinette makes a mistake: makes excuses, screams and cries about how bad she's feeling until she gets coddled, talks over the wronged party

The writers are so consistent about ignoring anything Marinette does wrong or having her get instantly validated for her mistakes that I have no faith in her villain arc actually being anything close to one instead of of it just being a way to make Marinette the one who suffers the most from Gabriel's death and her “not telling the truth”.

[yubellia]

OH MY GOSH! Season 6 is here! And Cerise/Lila whoever was super creepy and amazing!

„Nothing. Hah. Nothing. You know nothing about me, about us, about them. I‘m everywhere. I‘m nowhere. I‘m a chameleon. Nowhere. You won‘t get anywhere.“

——~~~——

Not gonna lie, I really don‘t like what they did to Marinette. The girl is struggling…. We get that…. But did they really have to make her act like this? She can‘t even really keep it together als Ladybug anymore. She can be lucky that the miraculous prevents people from noticing the obvious similarities.

But back to Cerise! We don‘t see her face in the entire episode. We only have her voice but that’s enough already. After all, sound is almost more important than visuals. What would Micheal Myers be without the iconic sound. Try it. Mute the movies. It won‘t work.

But anyway. I wonder, when she akumatized that girl, this is how she handles things. She just talks and offers a solution like a good friend. Siding with her victim. She doesn’t even demand anything. No „I’ll give you that power. In return I want Ladybugs and Chat Noirs miraculous!“ No. None of that!

Also, the camera zoomed in, almost like we were going into the victims head. Is this what actually happens to you, when you get akumatized? Bah! Imagine having Gabriel in your head like that! No sir. Thank you!

Could it be, that up until now, we saw the whole process from the outside? That would be so cool. It would also mean that Cerise clearly….. goes deeper that Gabriel could.

Also, we learned something very important. Apparently, they don‘t know better yet, Cerise akumatizes people randomly without the goal to attack. She just lets them cause chaos and the heroes come out. At first.

We also learn that Cerise writes EVERYTHING down!! Like girl, be careful with your hand! That must hurt! Also she technically creates tons of evidence. If she looses ONE of those notebooks, it’s game over. Unless she writes in code….. would not be surprised.

Also the end of the episode, where she is in the café „Nothing. Hah. Nothing. You know nothing about me, about us, about them. I‘m everywhere. I‘m nowhere. I‘m a chameleon. Nowhere. You won‘t get anywhere.“

I am not sure if she completely lost it NOW, if she ALWAYS was crazy like this, or, with her disguises and all, she is completely stating the truth.

But I know one thing.

I LOVE HER FOR IT!! I can‘t wait to actually see her! Also it seems like she upgraded her miraculous, just like Marinette did with all the others. At least that’s what I heard, could be a leak. She got the guardians book too after all from Nathalie in that one episode, together with all of Gabriel’s secrets.

So yeah… the new season started…. A bit meh. I really wish they could have given us the REAL first episode. But it seems like there is something wrong with the continuity anyway. Alya and Nino interviewed Sublime‘s mom, but she didn’t appear yet…. Strange….

But anyway, we might be missing some lore here.

I am still excited for more.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Last post you talked about your ideal version of canon, I was wondering could you share it with us? If not, that's ok

Oh man, I could go on about my dream version of canon for ages! I've talked about various aspects of it on here with stuff like my "sugar" posts on Nino and Alya, but the broad strokes are:

Serialized story where it's basically one large narrative told in chunks

A true teams setup where Adrien, Marinette, Alya, and Nino feel like this amazing, tight friend group who grows into a found family as they get older, giving platonic and romantic love more equal billing

No guardian order, just have it be a single-person role that gets passed on from person to person

Kagami and Luka in supporting roles that have nothing to do with being love interests

Sympathetic Gabriel who feels like a truly tragic figure, but who does NOT get redeemed

Emilie gets an actual character

No sentinonsense

Revised miracle box that is way smaller and that has strong lore

The Agreste's aquiring the miraculous is far more morally complex, makes sense, and was not done for explicitly selfish reasons

Reverse the love square right from the start and never have the crushes flip

I've talked about all of these things on here, but the one thing that I've only briefly touched on is my love of a reverse square setup. I am passionate about that one, so let's take a moment to talk about why since it's probably going to be the most interesting to read.

I don't hate the canon setup for the crushes, but also I don't think that they're the ideal crushes. When it comes to romance stories, you want to design your love interests around each other. You want them to feel special and like they bring something unique to the table. Canon doesn't really give us that. There's nothing all that special about Adrien that makes him feel like the person that Marinette would be drawn to above all others. Same goes for Chat Noir and Ladybug, but we'll get to them in a second.

What is Marinette's biggest struggle? Her role as Ladybug.

Who is her main support in that role for most of the show? Chat Noir.

Who is her main support on the civilian side even before the reveal? Alya.

So why is Marinette's crush on Adrien and not Chat Noir? I don't know. It's the lesser setup by far and that goes beyond just the logic elements of who it makes the most sense for her to fall in love with. A lot of Marinette's worst behavior actually feels justified in a reverse crush setup, allowing you to write her without major changes to her character.

For example, Marinette keeping a chest of gifts for Adrien is kind of pathetic. She's friends with Adrien and she gives her friends gifts all the time, why can't she give him gifts, too? Reverse the crushes and suddenly this behavior makes perfect sense. Marinette isn't storing up gifts because of overblown fears of rejection. She's storing up gifts for legitimate fears about how her partner will explain these random gifts, thereby risking his identity, meaning that she has a sold argument for waiting until the time is right (post reveal) to give them to him.

There's also the legitimate fear that confessing her love could ruin their dynamic and put Paris at risk. Keeping her feelings to herself is now an act of self-sacrifice and not just an act of nerves. Basically everything about Marinette's hesitance just makes so much more sense if it's on the hero side.

But what about Adrien? How does this fix him?

I love the idea of our male romantic lead falling for our female lead because she's bold and brave, but it honestly doesn't fit Adrien's character. He is surrounded by powerful, confrontational women. Nathalie, Chloe, Kagami, Amilie, Audrey, and Tomoe are all no-nonsense women who get what they want. This means that Ladybug doesn't bring something unique to his life. She fits the standard mold. Adrien falling in love with her after she talks down Hawkmoth doesn't feel like the right choice for his character because it doesn't feel like something he'd be wildly impressed by.

Meanwhile, Marinette is shown to be a generally wonderful friend. She cares about others and will do what she can to make them feel welcome and accepted. That's a much more unique thing for Adrien to experience. Think about the umbrella scenes and imagine if it was Marinette apologizing. Marinette owning that she treated him poorly and asking his forgiveness. How often do you think Adrien gets moments like that? Doesn't it make more sense for something like that to make his heart flutter?

We see Marinette doing things like making banners to celebrate her friends (Timebreaker) and making sure everyone feels included (Reflekta). Imagine her giving Adrien that kind of treatment because it's just who Marinette is. She shows up to his fencing matches to cheer him on. Brings him his favorite snacks as a treat just because, surrounding this poor boy in honest, genuine love and support. Add in respect, too, and he'd be a goner because those are the things that he's not getting anywhere else! The things that make Marinette unique.

This brings us to our new civilian dynamic. In canon, it's Marinette failing to confess in ever more spectacular ways as Alya tries and fails to help. In a reverse crush setup where everyone is friends without gender barriers, it's things like Adrien coming up with his canon confessions and then watching Alya and Nino react with genuine horror because, dude, you're going to give her a panic attack! No! Bad kitty! Stop that! No confessions until you come up with a plan that we approve of and read at least five books of dating advice because holy shit did homeschooling do you dirty in this area!

Then, while Adrien is working to learn how dating works, he learns that Marinette is in love with Chat Noir and, oh no! He thinks she's into his public persona, totally unaware that she knows the real Chat Noir and loves his dorky self. So he tries to emulate his sexy alter ego while Nino and Alya suffer and Marinette is just generally confused because she doesn't think of Chat Noir like that, so she doesn't even notice what Adrien is doing.

This also adds a nice mitigating factor to Adrien's unwillingness to give up even though it's pretty clear that Marinette isn't interested in his civilian self. If he knows that she loves him, then his persistence is less concerning and more comedic. It's not that he can't take a no, it's that he honestly knows with 100% certainty that the answer is NOT no because she's told him that to his face. He just needs her to realize that the guy she's in love with is right here, ready and willing!

The potential for comedy is just so much more broad and so much less mean spirited because Marinette has none of Adrien's reserved nature, so her friends would totally know about her massive "celebrity crush". Adrien comes over for school projects and just stares longingly at her Chat Noir posters, wishing he could tell her his secret, but knowing that he can't.

In my world, that is so much more fun than canon's setup where Marinette has no reason to hope. I also wouldn't draw the crushes out anywhere near as long as canon did. I like getting couples together in the mid-game. It's a nice early plot to hook you in, but defeating the villain is the end game, so we don't need to draw the romance out that long. Romance isn't that special. It's not all that different from an arc about two characters becoming friends.

That's far from the only major change I'd make to shape canon into my ideal version, but it is the probably the change that I love the most. It's also the change that requires the least context to explain, so there you go!

[aihoshiino]

chapter 161 thoughts

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 18

Aqua Hoshigan Status: For the future

Never has an OnK chapter gone from It's Hoshinover to We Are Oshi no Back quite as hard and fast as this one. I have issues with this chapter in terms of what it implies about the story's overall structure and the fact that it sort of ruins 153-4 by association but this chapter's back half is so fucking good and the chapter itself works so well in isolation that much like 153-4, I kind of uhhh don't care about the structural issues because the story's heart is, for the most part, not just intact but beating harder and more passionately than it has in a long time.

To get what I don't like out of the way, the story seems to have settled on Super Evil Serial Killer Mastermind Kamiki as his final form characterization with some helpful Tsukuyomi exposition to just straightforwardly Tell Us things the manga probably should have spent some of the last 70something chapters Showing Us about Hikaru. The basic idea of Hikaru being some sort of serial killer so dedicated to upholding Ai's legacy that he kills women with the potential to surpass her was more or less always where I expected his character to land and this settling of his character does at least preserve what I think is the most important thing: that he genuinely loved Ai and his bent towards villainy only came after her death.

What I don't love as much is that this chapter seems to continue leaning into Uber God Manipulator Mastermind Kamiki like last chapter. I already talked at length about my issues with this framing in my previous chapter review so all I'll reiterate here is that the story's attempt to frame Hikaru as being equally or even more culpable for the actions of Nino and Ryosuke fall entirely flat to me, especially when the manga itself does such a pisspoor job of actually explaining how or why Kamiki was able to control and/or predict their actions to the extent that he supposedly did. And ESPECIALLY especially given that Nino and Ryosuke seem to have already been dangerously obsessed with Ai by the time they approached him.

In general, Hikaru's character is honestly just so inconsistent at this point that making any sense of his actions feels fruitless. If I really dig into what's going on, I can infer that maybe he fell into the same trap as Aqua by overcompensating for his trauma-induced helplessness by becoming overly controlling and guess that his fucked up trauma response to Ai's death combined with those terrible words Kindaichi gave him at Airi's funeral lead him down he road he's traveling now. I can even extrapolate that Aqua showing him the DVD message in 153-4 pushed Hikaru to this extreme and now that he has nothing to lose, he's lashing out at his children too - though, it should be noted, that the manga still hasn't actually established what Hikaru's culpability is in Nino's attempt on Ruby's life, outside of Aqua saying "well you didn't use your psychic powers to perfectly predict nino's actions so it's on you".

But like - this is all stuff I'm having to infer and extrapolate and guess, reverse engineering logic from our end point in an attempt to create a stable foundation for this characterization. The manga has done such a poor job of properly establishing Hikaru both as an antagonistic force and as a consistent character that I feel like I'm trying to assemble a coherent image from two different puzzle sets with all the fucking corner pieces missing and that's with Crow Girl looking into the camera and Explaining Him to me.

And listen, I am a bitch who LOVES to infer things. One of my absolute favourite pieces of fiction of all time ever is Umineko no Naku Koro Ni, a mystery story that literally does not contain any straightforwardly explicit, textual confirmation of the culprit's identity or motives because it believes so strongly that you, the reader, are smart enough and empathetic enough to put in the time and effort necessary to understand it regardless and it deeply, deeply values being able to give you that experience. But OnK feels less like it's intentionally encouraging me to think hard and enjoy the process of putting my head and my heart to work - it feels like it's leaving its homework unfinished and letting the reader do the actual hard work of sewing up the internal logic.

I probably won't talk much more about Kamiki this chapter cos I'd just be saying all this shit over and over but I really just am struggling to understand from a perspective of authorial intent what the vibe is even supposed to be. Like I mentioned in a previous ask, if this is where Kamiki's arc is reaching its conclusion then it means that the Movie Arc was essentially a whole-ass waste of time in and out of universe. Blech. Hate that.

Also, before I move on, I don't want to leave this just implied - making Kamiki explicitly a CSA victim and then ending his arc on Aqua (and implicitly the narrative) dismissing him as being too broken/corrupted to be saved is a really major misstep that I think represents a huge black mark on OnK's handling of CSA as a topic. The idea of an eternal defilement or an unfixable core wrongness in the self is already something real life CSA victims struggle with in the process of unpacking their trauma and having our likable and supposedly morally superior protagonist espouse this unchallenged in a work as prominent and relevant as Oshi no Ko is irresponsible bordering on dangerous. It's incredibly disappointing that after all the care Aka and Mengo seemingly took in handling this topic that it was whiffed so badly at the last second.

ANYWAY!!! Now all the beef's been dealt with, we can cleanse our palettes and move onto everything else I liked which was… basically everything else in this chapter!

Admittedly, Aqua's overall arc is still suffering from us being kicked out of his head from like 123 onwards for no real apparent reason and while 150 was a welcome refresher on where he's at in this part of the story, it still feels a bit like the story is prioritizing preserving the surprise factor of its twists over making these surprises feel earned. Compare it to volume 1 - you are basically told exactly what is going to happen to Ai, especially in the manga when Saitou and Gotanda outright say as much - but her death is still incredibly impactful and upsetting. I think this chapter is very effective, but could've been a lot moreso if we'd spent more time in Aqua's head leading up to it.

THAT SAID… If the intention of keeping us out of his head was to recontextualize Aqua's behaviour across the past ten or so chapters in this new light, I don't hate it as much as I might have. I initially took issue with what felt like the story off-screening and not addressing the resolution to Aqua's suicidal ideation so whipping back around to prove that it was still very much present puts some particular Aqua moments over this past volume into a very different light. As some people pointed out, Aqua missing Kana's pitch - literally dropping the ball in responding to her feelings - and his wide-eyed look of alarm in 151 seemed very ominous omens for the success of her confession and that beat of him covering his face when Kana approves of his dream… very incheresting knowing Aqua was still struggling with 'love or revenge' at this point.

Most interesting of all to reconsider is Aqua breaking down in tears in Miyako's arms in 155 when she addresses him as her son for the first time. At the time it read like catharsis but now I can't help but wonder if this was Aqua grieving for something he desperately wants but thinks is out of his reach.

i do have to say though. i get the general vibe of this plan and think it works fine as the apex of aqua's self-sacrificial protectiveness for the people he loves but how is being the daughter of a serial killer somehow any less scandalous for her career than being the sister of someone who killed one dude. does aqua think they just won't notice that kamiki happens to be their biodad or something. wasn't that the whole point of the movie. goofy ass plan.

What really saves this whole scenario is the emotions at play, though. This really does feel like Aqua at his most Aqua in a really long while and this chapter has so much love and respect for his life as Aqua and the bonds he has formed as a result. The dreams Aqua lays out are so agonizingly simple, too - he wants to pursue the career he finds rewarding. He wants to date the girl he likes. He wants to accept Miyako as his mom and Himekawa as his brother and to make things right with Akane after hurting and using her. He wants to see Ruby achieve her dream and be there to support her when she does.

But Aqua's always considered his dreams impossible, hasn't he?

I fully admit; I got spoiled with the full page spread of Aqua stabbing himself way in advance of the chapter and initially hated it as a twist. But with the full chapter as context and the sheer weight of Aqua's longing to just fucking live and find joy, it's not just effective but absolutely gutwrenching. It is the synthesis of Aqua's series-long battle to choose love or revenge and it resonates perfectly because it has never been one or the other for him - Aqua's revenge has always been rooted in the fact that he loves others so wholly and completely and hates himself so utterly that he thinks sacrificing himself to preserve their futures is the only path for him to take. It's the culmination and final release of the suicidal ideation Aqua has been dealing with since he was four years old and like Ai's tragedy before him, there's a horrible sense that maybe there really was no other way this could've gone.

Aqua being the character who actually takes the knife also firmly cements him as Ai's narrative echo in the text which has me barkin and howlin because it's what I've been saying all this time. Not just that, but so many of Aqua's expressions in this chapter pointedly and deliberately echo Ai's after she was stabbed. Not just that, but Aqua's achingly simple dreams echo Ai's own heartrendingly simple regrets - all the two of them ever wanted was to be happy with the people they love.

This also reframes the story's prior establishment of Ruby as paralleling Ai and seems to place the twins in the position of echoing not Ai in her entirety but Ruby as 'Ai of B-Komachi' and Aqua as 'Ai Hoshino'. This was actually something I outlined in one of my very first meta posts on the series, but I think making it more specific to 'Ruby as Ai the idol' and 'Aqua as Ai the human', this actually gives Ruby's arc in relation to Ai a bit of breathing room. Don't get me wrong, everything I've said about her post-BH writing being underbaked and inconsistent is still the case, especially when it comes to how confused the story is on whether Ruby is her own idol or New And Improved Ai 2.0 but giving it less ground to cover helps in terms of her writing no longer being spread quite as thin.

Speaking of Ruby, that beat of her seeming to react or sense something is up the moment Aqua takes the stab. 'Something happened to my loved one far away and I just Feel It' is a trope I'm always a sucker for and I really dig it here.

"The public don't care about the truth, so let's tell them a lie" is such a crazy hard sentiment to go out on too. Holy fuck.

There go our boys…!!! Quite a few people predicted they might go over the edge when Aqua showed up in his Mephisto fit (Mefitsto) and I'm interested to see if we get any parallels to the ED's imagery in the next few chapters. Overall, though, I'm really excited for where things are going - I don't think Aqua will die, but I do have some theories about what might happen. I can't think of a more traditional misogi purification experience than the middle of the ocean in late December, after all…

No break next week! Woohoo! While the delay of episode 12 means we won't be getting them on the same day, that is the same week S2 of the anime will be concluding and Aka does like lining up his bombshells with the anime. So who knows what we'll see.

seriously tho aqua. everyone already knows kamiki is you and ruby's biodad. HOW IS THIS ANY BETTER THAN HER BEING THE DAUGHTER OF A SERIAL KILLER AS IT ALREADY STANDS

[trainsinanime]

How various Miraculous Ladybug characters murder you (mostly assuming you deserve it)

I had insomnia last night, probably due to allergies (forgot to take my meds), and somehow I ended up writing this.

The basic assumption for this: You’ve been mortal enemies for half the movie, and now it’s the big action scene where you are about to die. This assumes you're the main henchman, perhaps even the main antagonist, but it can be a 009 type good guy character who dies at the start of the movie as well.

Marinette: She spent the last five minutes of the fight transforming the space into a giant set of traps, full of broken light bulbs, wire and pulley systems and so on that have killed all of your subordinates. You come face to face with her, convinced that you will be the one to finally take her down. But just as you raise your gun, you notice that you have already tripped a tiny wire. For a fraction of a millisecond, you see her grim, determined smile, before you blow up.

Roland: Still has a sub-machine gun from the time he was in the French resistance in World War 2 and knows how to use it.

Kagami: In an honourable duel, you thought you’d won. She’s battered and bruised, lying on the floor, blood coming out of her mouth. So you say “it’s over” and start your final attack. But then she remembers all her friends. Remembers them real hard. And with the renewed strength, she gets up, and runs you through with her sabre. Afterwards she respectfully closes your eyes and tells your family that you loved them.

Chloé: She’s wearing an expensive gold evening gown, and she says, “fine, I’ll do it myself”. Then she grabs a shotgun and starts blasting. There is no warmth in her eyes, no remaining bit of empathy, no warrior’s understanding. She looks at you with the exact same disdain she has for delivery people who got her order wrong. She has no remorse, but killing you will still make her unhappy.

Nino: You get trapped in the cables of his DJ equipment that have been strewn all over the room by the preceding fight. With his last strength, Nino reconnects a plug, creating a sick dub-step sound and also electrocuting you. He’s sad it had to come to this, but it was definitely your own fault.

Tikki: [Removed for being too graphic]

Luka: He bores you to death by talking about your “heart music” and replacing every other sentence with three chords on his guitar.

Lila: You didn’t even know you were fighting. You just take a sip from your drink, and you feel a bit funny. And a bit weird. Maybe you need to sit down. Or lay down. As your vision gets blurry, Lila takes off her mask and wig, and you realise your fatal mistake of letting your guard down. She is the last thing you see as you die in agony.

Sabrina: She’s smiling. She’s got you in a corner, with the knife in her hand, and she’s smiling. She keeps stabbing you, and your screams only make her smile more. There’s blood on her face, and she’s still smiling. Chloé is going to be so pleased with her.

Zoé: You follow her into the dark alley, getting ready to suck her blood and kill her. But then she turns around, and she’s confident, and you realise your fatal mistake: She is this generation’s chosen one, who stands against the vampires and demons and forces of darkness. She is— and then she drives a wooden stake through your heart.

(If your favourite character isn't on here, it's because I eventually managed to fall asleep.)

[little-mari-on-a-roof]

Frenglish differences in Miraculous - Episode 14

Animan

Adrien - Nino

En: FYI, Marinette's never gonna fall in love with a statue. - Shh! You know im no good with the ladies, especially this one all of a sudden. I mean, dude, do I go up to her and crack a joke? Shoot her a compliment? Invite her to the zoo, play it serious?

Fr: Dis moi Nino, je trouve que tu louches un peu trop souvent sur Marinette ces derniers temps. - Chuuut, oui bon bah c'est vrai je la trouve super mignonne. Tu trouves pas, toi ? Oh, comment je pourrais faire pour qu'elle me remarque ? Je dois faire quoi ? Lui sortir une blague ? Lui faire des compliments ? L'inviter au zoo, la jouer façon tombeur ?

Tell me Nino, I think you're squinting a little too often at Marinette these days. - Shhhh, well yeah it's true that I find her super cute. Don't you think so too? Oh, how could I get her to notice me? What do I need to do? Crack a joke? Compliment her? Invite her to the zoo, play it like a stud?

"Marinette's never gonna fall in love with a statue." Sure dude. Very rich coming from the person who tried to get her to like him by, doing what exactly? Ah yes. Masquerading as a wax statue. Anyway. Adrien's line in French might sound a bit like some kind of jealousy when reading it but it's not, he's just teasing Nino.

Nino after Adrien teases him for wanting to invite a girl to the zoo

En: Well, they have this really cool new exhibit there.

Fr: Bah quoi, il paraît qu'ils viennent de recevoir une nouvelle panthère.

Well, I heard they just received a new panther.

Nino - Adrien

En: What if I act like a Moron-a-saurus? Or she disses me, or thinks I'm lame or... - Okay, I got your back.

Fr: Et je fais quoi moi après si elle me jette si elle me met un vent ou qu'elle me traite de gros lourd ?! - Ok, viens, je vais t'aider.

And what do I do after if she rejects me or if she ignores me or calls me a lump. - Ok, come, I'm gonna help you.

The saying Nino uses is "gros lourd", which literally means "big heavy". It is used to refer to guys who are very insistent and annoying.

Marinette (talking about Adrien) - Alya

En: Oh, he's such a... - Smarty, hottie, suavissimo, yummytastic, spellbinder. - All of the above.

Fr: Hhhhha, il est tellement... - Intelligent, gentil, beau comme un dieu, irrésistible, drôle et sensible ? - Tellement plus que ça.

*Very big sigh*, he's so... - Intelligent, kind, handsome as a god, irresistible, funny and tenderhearted? - So much more than that.

French Marinette really is infatuated lmao.

Nino to Adrien

En: If I could be yourself. Myself don't work that way.

Fr: Sauf que pour toi c'est trop facile. Moi avec les filles c'est une galère.

Except that for you it's too easy. For me, with girls, it's a mess.

Here, Nino says it's "une galère", which is the French word for galley. It is used to refer to a tricky and hard to get through situation, just like you need a lot of strength to row a galley.

After Nino said to Marinette that there's no need for Adrien to hang out at the zoo: Alya replies in her earpiece

En: Of course we do, you Dumbo.

Fr: Bien sûr que si grosse nouille.

Of course we do, you big noodle.

Noodle can be used as an insult in French, it makes the whole scene very funny.

Max

En: Typical diet for a feline species requiring the strength to run at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour.

Fr: C'est l'aliment principale de ce carnivore féliforme capable d'atteindre la vitesse de 65km/h.

It is the main food item of this feliform carnivore capable of reaching the speed of 65km per hour.

Who tf uses the word féliforme like ever. But the main problem is the speed. 65km/h is only about 40mph. 60mph, like the English dub says, is actually closer to 95km/h. And according to science, the English dub is bullshit. Panthers can't run that fast.

Kim

En: What place did your cat come in at the county Athletics tournament?

Fr: Il a fini combien votre chaton au championnat intercollège d'Île-de-France ?

What place did your kitten come in at the inter middle school championship of Île-de-France?

Île-de-France is the French région that Paris belongs to. County would probably rather be used to refer to what we call a département which, in the case of Paris, is the city itself. There are currently 18 French régions, and around a hundred départements.

Kim, comparing himself to the panther

En: No need to, I'm obviously the better-looking one. Hey, kitty-kitty. How about a little race with me, huh? Last ones a rotten egg.

Fr: Ha ! Ça ne risque pas ! C'est clair que je suis le plus canon des deux. Hey, boule de poils. Ça te dirait de faire une course avec moi, hein ? Le dernier arrivé aura un gage.

Ah! There's no risk! It's clear that I am the more gorgeous of the two. Hey, furball. What would you say about having a race with me, huh? The last one there gets a dare/has to pay a forfeit.

I'm not 100% sure about the translation here since it seems there's no direct translation of "avoir un gage", but basically, the loser has to pay a forfeit by completing a dare.

Max

En: Let's see. With a 6-feet-per-second wind behind you, and the sun at a 45 degrees to the northeast, I don't think you'd be a rotten egg, you'd be lunch.

Fr: Voyons voir. En considérant un vent favorable de 2 mètres par seconde et avec le soleil dans le dos, je sens que c'est toi qui aura le gage, et elle, elle te dévorera.

Let's see. Considering a rear wind of 2 meters per second and with the sun in your back, I can feel that you're the one who's gonna have to do the dare (/pay the forfeit) while she will devour you.

2 meters per second corresponds to about 6.5 feet, so this conversion is quite accurate.

Chat Noir - Ladybug

En: I dont think he can "bear" to listen to that noise. - You're almost too much to "bear". Now we wait.

Fr: Il en a plein les oreilles, le bruit le rend chèvre. - C'est toi qui me rends chèvre avec ton humour. Regarde il est épuisé !

He's getting an earful, the noise is driving him nuts (lit. driving him goat). - You're the one driving me goat with your humour. Look, he's exhausted!

In French, to "drive somebody goat" means you're making them enraged/lose their patience or annoying them a lot. It's obviously a hilarious pun coming from Chat Noir and Ladybug teasing him in return.

Chat Noir hugging Ladybug after she got eaten by the dinosaur

En: That was a wild ride.

Fr: J'ai cru que je t'avais perdue.

I thought I'd lost you.

The emotioooon!!

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2023: 13-Wednesday

Paris couldn't believe what they were seeing: Marinette Dupain-Cheng was in Gotham Academy, in uniform! They hadn't see her in four years! What shocked them even more was seeing her arguing with some guy and she wasn't backing down.

The students in Gotham Academy didn't pay them any attention. Everyone ignored the shouting and yelling; they just kept walking as if they didn't see or hear them.

"Shouldn't you get a teacher?" Nino asked a student passing by.

"For what?" asked the brunette.

The class pointed at the arguing students.

"Wat day is it?" the brunette questioned.

"Wednesday." Max answered, "Does it matter?"

"It's their 'Argue Day'." the Gotham student declared.

"Argue day?" Mylene asked, confused.

"Yeah." the student stated, with a shrug, "Like clockwork. Teachers learned to deal with it. They get competitive, too."

"My boyfriend wouldn't put up with this sort of thing." Lila declared, "He hates violence."

"Oh, who is you boyfriend?" the brunette questioned.

"Damian Wayne." Lila smiled.

The brunette started laughing and pointing at Lila.

"Dude?" the blonde nearby questioned.

"This bitch said Damian Wayne is her boyfriend! She also said he hated violence!" the brunette answered and continued to laugh.

The blonde joined, howling with laughter. The Paris class shifted uncomfortably.

"Listen here, Faker," the blonde spoke, "you're not dating our ice Prince. Not to mention Damian is one of the most violent Waynes to roam these halls."

Lila sniffled, "He just doesn't want the media to know. I'm not lying."

"Well, that's lie number two." the brunette counted, "Damian doesn't care about the media. They gave him the title 'Ice Prince'."

"Do you know how many reporters have broken their arms, hands, or fingers trying to get a scoop from him?" the blonde questioned.

"You the ones lying!" Aly shouted, "Lila said he was kind and helpful Damian Wayne does charity work with her, for the environment!"

"It's not that hard to look up." the blonde scoffed, :About every other weekend, he's in the park casually talking to Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and playign with their hyenas as they plan 'How to green up Gotham'."

Lila paled hearing how he associated with rogues. That hadn't been what she expected.

"Supposedly, his mother is just as bad as they are." the brunette declared, "If not worse."

Lila gulped, trying to figure out how to keep her classmates under her control as her lie began to unravel.

"If anything, it sound like you googled 'rich kid+my age in Gotham' and Damian Wayne popped up first." the blonde responded.

"How can you say that about our friend?" Kim demanded.

The boys pointed to Marinette and the boy arguing still.

"That is Damian Wayne." the brunette answered, "By tomorrow, they'll be back to cuddling and kissing, like they have been for the past three years."

"They basically chose one day a week to let their frustrations out on each other." the blonde spoke, "It just happens to be on Wednesday."

The Parisians turned to Lila for an answer.

"I-I'm sure that's not it." Lila declared in a panic.

"Oh, really?" questioned the blonde boy, "Yo, Mari! How many times did Damian drug your coffee and drag you to bed, last week?"

"Four!" she shouted, still glaring at him.

Damian scoffed, "It was three."

"Liar!" Marinette screamed.

The class watched on in confusion.

"Damian, how many times did Mari make you new clothes last month?" the brunette asked.

"Ten!" Damian exclaimed in frustration.

Marinette scoffed, "Like you don't complain about those 'monkey suits' and how uncomfortable they are."

"I didn't ask you to go out of you way, Angel, and make me those things!" Damian rebutted.

"Oh, so now my designs are things?" Mari declared, "I just wanted you to be comfortable!"

"I'm fine!" the young Wayne sighed, "You need to sleep!"

"How long did she stay up?" the blonde questioned.

"She didn't sleep." Damian growled.

Marinette threw her hands up before resting them on her hips, "I slept on the drive over. I drank Tim's coffee. It usually has at least five espressos. Not the most I've had."

"What?" Damian shouted.

"Ah, so that's the reason this time." the brunette spoke.

"Sorry, Liar, but no one in Gotham will believe that you are anything to Gotham's Ice Prince when there are pictures being posted, like this, by his very own brothers." the blonde declared.

He turned his phone around to see Marinette and Damian dressed in pajamas and curled up in bed together.

"Everyone in Gotham Academy knows they live together at Wayne Manor." he continued, "Not to mention, the moment someone tries to touch her or get in her personal space, he threatens to kill them."

"He had five knives taken away this month." the brunette stated.

"Actually, it was eight." the blonde commented.

"Oh, when did I miss those?" the brunette questioned.

"You were sick for a week." the blonde answered.

"Gotha." the brunette spoke, "So, good luck and welcome to Gotham."

"Have a good Wednesday." the blonde spoke as they walked away.

Marinette yawned, "Why am I yawning? I drank Tim's coffee."

"Todd switched his coffee with decaf." Damian smiled, "You just happened to drink it, instead."

"No." she whined, "You did this on purpose!"

"I did not force you to drink Drake's coffee not did I force you to stay up all night." he answered, "If anything, Todd is upset that you ruined his prank."

"But-" Mari yawned again.

Damian smirked and picked her into his arms, "We are going home and you are going to bed."

"School." Marinette replied.

"I already messaged the teachers on the ride over that e would be missing the next two days." the young Wayne answered, "I've also paid Todd $100 for messing up his plan. In exchange, he will bring you lunch and dinner."

Marinette didn't respond and curled up in his arms. Damian just walked out of the school.

"Okay!" someone shouted, "Who had them making up under fifteen minutes?"

"Awww, man!"

"I could have sworn they would argue longer today."

"Didn't expect her to not sleep."

"Or have decaf."

"If she had just had that coffee."

"How much did you lose?"

"$20."

"Lucky; $30."

"50."

Paris watched on as money was exchanged. Marinette and Damian Wayne's couple argument had gotten so common that people were gambling on it. They started to turn to Lila, who obviously had no idea how to explain what had just happened.

"So, you really were a liar." Nathaniel whispered, "Marinette was right, all along."

"I don't think we'll get to apologize to Marinette," Rose sniffled, "But she looks happy."

"Can't say you will be by the end of this trip, Lila." Alix sneered.

Lila was out of her element as Gotham had quickly spread her lie about dating Damian. No one believed her and if she said anything, they would just laugh at her. Not to metion her own classmates were now ignoring her. This hadn't been what she had planned; it was just another Wednesday. Nothing special about it.

TAGLIST: @maribat-calendar-events@animeweebgirl@a-star-with-a-human-name@meme991001@vixen-uchiha@abrx2002@alysrose-starchild@fandom-trapped-03@dood-space@moonlightstar64@saltymiraculer@marveldcedits20@09shell-sea09@icerosecrystal@animegirlweeb@insane-fangirl-of-everything@blueblossombliss@nickristus-dreamer@megawhitleycalderonpaganus@missmadwoman@meira-3919@princessdaisysolosyourfaves@blep-23@fangirlingfanatic@darkhinauniverse@ravenr22@im-a-satanic-ritual@ravennm84@bianca-hooks123@a-slytherinish-gryffindor@starling218

[motherofplatypus]

This fic is inspired by @fandomsforpali IG story quite a while back where the question was, IIRC, "How would each character learned about the situation?". I made several fic using that prompt, but this one is the best one I could make after a long hiatus from writing. This may not be much, but this is what I can do.

***

Red Determination: A Miraculous Fic

The whole class gave a round of applause after Mylene gave her speech about her dream job: being an environmental activist. A benevolent job, fitting her nature perfectly.

Today, each and every one of them must give a speech about their dream job, an assignment Ms. Bustier gave them two weeks ago, where they must do research about their job and pretty much try to convince why their job is important. They were supposed to make the speech last week, but an akuma attack delayed it by a week.

Ms. Bustier looked at the attendance list before calling out the next name she chose randomly. "Alya Cesaire."

Some of the class were cheering on her. Nino cheered the loudest and had Ms. Bustier telling him to quiet down. Marinette just placed a hand on her shoulder, barely making a smile that she knows her best friend didn't look.

To everyone else, Alya may looked fine, almost expressionless, but Marinette knows better. Something has been bugging her best friend, almost a whole week, and Alya never spoke about it with her. She always said "I need to learn something".

Alya stood in front of the class, a sheet of paper with her speech in hand, and she looked at her friends, not focused to any of them.

"Good morning everyone." Alya spoke. "Well, as you all know, I'm here to make a speech about my dream job."

None of her classmates noticed it, but her voice trembled when she spoke the first sentence. It was slight, almost unnoticed, but Marinette and Nino caught on that. They shared a concerned look but said nothing otherwise.

"As you all know, I wanted to be a journalist, which is why I created the Ladyblog and post videos about the latest akuma attacks as a, well, let's just say it's training." A few of the giggled, being fully aware of her reckless behavior. "And of course, I can do that almost without much to fear. Ladybug always save the day, so I can be stupidly reckless. Although that's not something I should be proud of."

Marinette twitched slightly. Sure, her Miraculous Ladybug can fix any akuma damage, no matter how bad it is, but still, she'd rather deal with akuma knowing her best friend is being anywhere but near the danger itself.

"So, I did a deep research for this speech about being a reporter for the last two weeks. Too deep, I must say, and I learned a lot about it." She spoke matter-of-factly. "Of all the things that I learned, I particularly learned about the...weight of being a journalist."

That short delay instantly shifted the mood of the class. Now, they're all looking at her. Listening to what she learned in the last two weeks from this assignment.

Alya took a breath and let it out softly. "I learned that being a journalist is more than just trying to get the latest scoop and news . Scandals that piqued people's interest that makes them talk about it in their free time." She said. "I also learned that being a journalist also mean to put my life on the line and being ready to lose it any second, all for the sake of telling the truth to the world."

There's another delay, longer than before. Concern was visibly painted on her classmates' faces, and even Ms. Bustier had to step in.

"Alya, if you don't feel like doing the speech now, you can do it later with me after class. You can go back to your seat." The teacher said, as concerned as everyone else.

"Thanks, Ms. Bustier, but I'll do it now." Alya gave a quick smile. "If I want to be a journalist, I have to be ready to face reality and truth."

She lowered her hand that's holding up her speech, and she spoke as if she had memorized every single letters on the paper. "Since October 7th 2023, israel had been committing genocide on Palestinians' land, committing war crimes after war crimes, and violating every single international law.

"In just a single year, they have murdered over 45.000 Palestinians, where 17.000 of them are children. And 146 of them are journalists, as per the latest news. That is twice the number of journalist killed in World War 2, the most horrific war in human history that lasted for several years, in just a single year."

Someone scoffed, and it came from none other than Chloe. "Are you really trying to turn this whole thing into politic? How ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."

Chloe didn't even look at Alya when she spoke. She could pretend all she wants, but everyone present there could hear it in her voice, one that's often filled with pride and arrogance, was trembling for once.

Alya read that act all too well, and she continued. "Genocide tied every topic together, even our dream jobs." Alya turned to her friends. "Mylene, you said you wanted to become an environmental activist, correct?"

The environmental activist nodded her head. "Yes."

"Do you know in just a single year, israel have dropped over 80.000 tons of bombs on Gaza? Compare that to the two nukes that were dropped on Japan in World War 2, both weighted 9.300kg in total. Max, how much is the comparison?"

Max, with his calculator on hand, answered with a choked voice, "That'll be 8.6 times more."

"In a single year. Now, Max," Alya continued with Max after Mylene nearly fainted. "You love technology more than anything. How would you react when you know they used drones that plays baby crying to lure the Palestinians out from their shelter to kill them? What would you do when you heard about "Where's Daddy?" AI."

Max was reluctant, afraid of what he would see. And yet, his fingers moved by themselves and search for it. "Oh my god" was the only response he could give.

"Sabrina," Alya turned to the orange haired girl. "You wanted to be a nurse, a healthcare worker. In just a single year, more than 900 healthcare workers were murdered by israel, 260 of them were nurses."

Sabrina's face lost her color, but Alya is not stopping.

"Kim, you want to be an athlete. FIFA is putting a double standard for Russia's invasion on Ukraine and israel's genocide on Palestinians. Ivan, stay at home dad, 70% of the people israel killed are women and children. Nino, a movie director, this is the most documented genocide in history. Alix—"

Abruptly, Alya stopped. She unclenched her fist that nearly teared her speech paper and wiped the single tear on her cheek.

Her heart was beating fast. Flames burning wild within her, crawling its way up her throat. She couldn't exactly tell what she's feeling right now, because she felt everything. Sadness, fury, disgust, shame, all burning inside her.

She took a deep breath once more, keeping her emotions under control. She looked at the crumpled piece of paper in her hand and folded it into her pocket.

"This is not something that happened just recently, it's been going on for decades." Alya spoke again, keeping herself together with everything that she had. "In 2021, israel massacred 137 people, then in 2019, in 2014, in 2012, in 2009, and many others and all the way back to 1948 where they massacred five towns. Seven decades of oppression."

Alya take a look at Marinette, then Adrien and Nino. For the first time, she smiled, genuinely.

"I haven't changed my mind about being a journalist, and I am not discouraged in the slightest even after knowing that the international law will not protect me," she said. "That is why I will create another blog to keep everyone as up to date as possible about the situation in Palestine, and I'm planning to held a protest this weekend to demand for an end to this illegal occupation."

"Alya," Ms. Bustier called with a thin smile on her face, the similar smile she wear when instead of punishing the wrongdoer, she punished both sides. "Don't you think protest is a bit too much?"

"It's not." Alya answered immediately. "We helped Mylene with her protest during the Project Oxygen announcement, and we did it. We were fighting for environment back then, now we're fighting for human rights."

Alya looked at her friends once more with determined look, and they looked back on her with the same look as her.

"I will close my speech with my all time favorite quote: "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing". We may not have superpower like Ladybug and Chat Noir, but we have the power to make a change. This time, let's us all be heroes." Alya said. "I am Alya Cesaire, thank you for your attention."

She went back to her chair with a deafening cheers.

***

Writer's note: You don't need a miraculous to be a hero. All you need is that first step to fight against injustice.

We're with you. We'll fight together.

Free Palestine.

[skeletonspirt]

We all know Mari is really creepy and hella stalker like and the fact that her friends enable her is

super creepy.

So I wanna address that in my fic. I'm thinking it starts out with girls inviting oc to Mari's house to hang out and help come up with an idea on how to get Mari and Adrien together. Oc at the time has noticed Mari being kinda weird but nothing alarming. Just typical clutz too nervous to talk to her crush stuff. Also at this time oc is Adrien's friend (cause baby needs more than Nino and Mari's friends) and decides to might as well listen to what they have to say and get to know the girls she doesn't hang out with better.

Needless to say she gets creeped out really quick.

Heading the strait up stalker crap Marinette's been up too puts her on edge and she quickly confronts her. Making some of the other girlslike Juleka) realize that this isn't right and agree

This leads to a fight and the girls who agre oc and oc herself get asked to leave. Tension gets high. Oc starts watching Alya and Marinette like a hawk. She tells Nino about everything and how bad it's gotten. Nino realizes it's way worse than he thought and agrees to try and reign Alya in/ convince her to cool it. Nino and Oc aren't necessarily friends but they're both Adrien's close friends and have genuine respect for one another The second she or Nino notices Mari doing something stalker like they tell the other and oc confronts her. Tells her to stop it and get some help and how she's no better than Adrien's fans like this. She also warns Mari that this is how it's going to go. If she does it again she's telling her parents everything. Do it second time she's going to fight her. Third time, she's calling the cops. Fourth time parents are being called, cops are being called, she's fighting Mari, AND she's calling Gabriel. She doesn't want to resort to that cause of the potential risk to Adrien, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

If she's taking it too far please let me know. In my previous ask that had to do with lb she does take it to far, buts that's to have character flaws. Here though the situation is different, it's not like lb who's just been kinda an ass. This is actual dangerous behavior that makes her afraid for Adrien. I don't really want this to be a character flaw moment. Let me know what you guys think.