#gabriel refuses to talk about emilie

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Illusion

You know, It's really sad how this is a Lila episode, and she somehow isn't the most annoying character to come out of it.

Let's get into the fifth episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Illusion

We start off with a news broadcast where several people are interviewed about the recent developments this season. There's an attempt made to show differing perspectives, but while half are recurring characters who are confident Ladybug and Cat Noir will beat Monarch (Xavier, Mr. Damocles, and Alec), the other half are antagonistic characters who either blame Ladybug for everything going wrong or are too stupid to care about the bigger picture (XY, Chloe, and Bob Roth).

This is one of the overarching problems with the show, its refusal to show any nuance in its arguments. We already know how easy it is for the writers to blame Marinette for things whenever there's a conflict, but whenever there's an argument where both sides make interesting points, the opposing side is almost always represented by an antagonist or jerk who frames their view in either a condescending or idiotic way so it's easy for the viewer to brush them off, and the same can be applied to their side of the argument as well. Hell, it's already happened twice this season with Lila and Chloe (Multiplication, Determination). It just comes across like the show is pretending to act like its conflict is deeper without actually showing any real nuance with it. I get that some arguments aren't morally gray, but if you're trying to discuss Ladybug's past failures, put more effort into showing how the people of Paris would see something like this without knowing the full context.

Also, this is a minor thing, but I actually like how when we see Alec on the talk show, he's wearing a wig like the one he had in “Wishmaker”, and has the same positive outlook on life he had at the end of that episode. For a show that usually plays loosey-goosey with its continuity, it's surprising to see the writers actually acknowledge the character growth of someone as insignificant as Alec.

Congratulations, Miraculous Ladybug. You managed to give a very minor side character a consistent arc. Now if only you could put the same amount of effort into writing your main cast.

We cut to Adrien's room where, shock of all shocks, he isn't exactly a fan of his image being used for a high-tech ring without his consent. He storms off to see his father, but it turns out that Gabriel is experimenting with the idea of not being such a terrible father for once. He's making breakfast, saying that Adrien can call him “Dad” now, and even admits that he's been very neglectful towards his son ever since Emilie “disappeared”. Yeah, he's cooking breakfast in his white suit and haircut that makes him look like a grandpa for some reason, but hey, at least the kitchen isn't on fire.

Of course, Gabriel still isn't really good at comforting his son, as seen with his response to Adrien's concerns about Alliance.

Adrien: Speaking of which, Dad, I'm not really comfortable with having my face on all these rings. That's actually why I didn't want to be a model anymore, to avoid that. Do you understand?

Gabriel: Of course, I understand, my son. But that's the point; it's just an image, it's not you! And since this image frees you from your obligations, we, the Agrestes, are able to spend more time together. But if you'd rather everything went back to the way it was before, just say the word.

Adrien: You're probably right.

Gabriel: You'll see, my son. Alliance will bring us closer.

“I know you're concerned about me using your image for something that I could have hired literally anyone else for, but if you would rather go back to being a model on a strict schedule, just say the word.”

Father of the year, ladies and gentlemen.

We get a decent interaction between Marinette and Alya where they discuss ways that Monarch could be giving Miraculous to his Akumas, unaware of what the Alliance rings do. Alya comes up with an interesting hypothesis that Monarch is using the Dog Miraculous to swipe them back, and honestly, that sounds like a much better plan than “develop a cutting-edge AI ring and hope whoever I akumatize had enough money to buy one”. I like this bit, as it shows the two thinking of ways to stop Monarch beyond beating whatever Akuma he sends out next. It honestly could have been a really interesting story arc to see Marinette, Cat Noir, and Alya learn more about how Monarch is using the new Miraculous he got instead of having us know what he's doing already.

After class ends, Nino talks to Adrien about an underground resistance he's forming with his friends, deciding to give each member a condiment-themed title.

Alya: What's up with the sauces?

Nino: What's up is Ladybug and Cat Noir don't have us to help them anymore.

Alya: (nervously) Um... uh... what do you mean, “us”?

Nino: Well, us, you Rena Rouge, me Carapace! (Alya kicks Nino's leg underneath the table) Ouch! What's the big deal? We can tell Marinette and Adrien we used to be superheroes. It's not like we have any Miraculous that Monarch could steal from us. The only ones who need to protect their secret identities are Ladybug and Cat Noir, not us. And anyway, I already told Adrien about Carapace.

Adrien: (chuckles nervously)

Marinette: Adrien knew?! Alya, did you know that he knew?!

Alya: What, no, I swear I didn't know at all! (kicks Nino's leg again)

Nino: Ow! Come on! He's my best bud, I can tell him stuff! You and Marinette tell each other stuff, don't you?

Alya and Marinette: No we don't!

Yeah, remember how shocking it was for Nino to reveal that he and Alya were Rena Rouge and Carapace to Adrien in “Rocketear”, and how we thought this reveal would play into something big like the Season 4 finale, possibly splintering the trust several characters had with each other? This is what it culminates in. Wasn't waiting over a year since that plotpoint was established totally worth it for that gag that once again ignores the secret identity rule?

Also, just because you don't have a Miraculous, it doesn't mean Monarch can't target you like he did last season (Optigami, Sentibubbler), you dumbass.

For the first time in God knows how long, Lila actually becomes relevant when she asks to sit with the four, only to be rebuffed by Marinette and Nino. Using some more condiments and food as props, Nino explains his plan.

Nino: We're gonna film an akumatization.

Alya: And how are you, Comrade Ketchup, gonna be in the know when and where this akumatization takes place?

Nino: Easy, Comrade Beurre Maître d'Hôtel. I'm gonna make it happen.

Yep, this is the plot of the episode, people. Nino's going to try and get someone akumatized. Now I know what you're all obviously thinking: Isn't this cruel?

Adrien: Isn't that cruel?

Alya: Totally! To make someone suffer just to discover Monarch's technique? Super cruel!

Nino: No, it's not! You forget Ladybug always fixes everything in the end with her magic ladybugs! The akumatized victims forget what happened to them.

Oh yeah, this is totally ethical, you guys. Who cares about the emotional trauma an Akuma victim would go through, much less any civilians endangered by their rampage?

To make things even better, guess who Nino wants to get akumatized?

Okay, putting aside what we, the audience, already know about Gabriel that Nino doesn't, why would he think pissing off one of the most influential fashion designers in the city of Paris is a good idea? He says he's targeting him because it's easy to do so during parent-teacher conferences, but why not target someone else who has been akumatized more often than him, like Xavier/Mr. Pigeon? I don't think the idea of a more morally gray plan to stop Monarch is a bad one, it's just that this plan is so stupid, and the writers only go over the ethical implications, and that said plan is so ludicrous, Nino is basically asking for a restraining order.

While Adrien and Marinette agree to Nino's plan, Alya only hesitantly goes along with it, but unbeknownst to any of them, Lila was overhearing their conversation, so she goes to tell Gabriel what they're doing. During the conferences, Marinette barges in and pretends to trip and drop some pizza onto Gabriel's clothes, and I'm going to assume that either the pizza was cold of Gabriel is really good at keeping a cool head because there's no way taking a hot pizza to the chest wouldn't hurt like hell. Adrien and Alya come in with more food, and we get the one funny joke of the episode with Alya half-assing her performance as the half-heartedly throws some cake onto Gabriel's suit. Pretty funny how Nino is conveniently the only one who isn't taking the risk by attacking Gabriel in front of his teacher by filming the whole thing, isn't it?

Gabriel has had enough and does a 180, planning to take Adrien out of school and somehow, Marinette blames herself for going along with the plan... even though she was the only one to not approve of it, while Adrien and Alya did, and even then, the latter two were very hesitant. It turns out this was all part of Gabriel's plan, as we see him transform into Monarch as soon as he gets to his lair and uses Trixx's power to create a Mirage of his civilian form, having a breakdown so dramatic, I'm surprised he didn't end it by saying, “YOU ARE TEARING ME APART, MARINETTE!”.

The illusion of Gabriel turns into the Collector again, and now he supposedly has the Horse Miraculous' Voyage as a power. Adrien and Marinette transform into Cat Noir and Ladybug respectively, and try to fend off the “Akuma”. Back in Monarch's lair, we learn that he somehow has the ability to unify with five different Miraculous at once, choosing to do so with the Bee, Mouse, Horse, and Rooster Miraculous. Why is he able to do this now?

Monarch uses Voyage and heads to the sewers, activating Venom before using Multiplication to create eight smaller clones of himself, finally using Sublimination to give the copies the power of invisibility. Strange, wouldn't wanting to be invisible count as a wish? While looking for “the Collector”, Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm, getting a bag of shredded cheese. The two chase after the illusion, only to fall through a Voyage portal into the sewers, where Cat Noir is almost immediately stunned by one of the clones. Hey, it took five whole episodes this season for him to be incapacitated by an Akuma to pointlessly raise the stakes this time! It's a new record! Ladybug throws the cheese to reveal the clones, who are then chased off by some nearby rats.

Monarch goes back to his normal form, and after a small pep talk, the illusion pretends to reject the Akuma entirely before falling into the water. The real Gabriel detransforms and then pretends to have gotten out. So Gabriel tricked the heroes with his foolproof plan... except for the fact that Ladybug and Cat Noir should have recognized the use of Venom, the hidden clones of the Collector when the video Nino got only said he had the Horse Miraculous' power, the akuma somehow purifying itself when Ladybug still needed to de-evilize it in “Rocketear” and “Penalteam”, the fact that Gabriel should be soaking wet from falling into the water, and the—okay, you all know where this is going.

Meanwhile, Nino sees the footage of the illusion and sees what he believes to be the way Monarch gave the Collector the Horse Miraculous' powers. Nino then apologizes to Gabriel for attacking him, Gabriel forgives him, and Nino invites him into the Resistance, with a bunch of new members. The final scene reveals that in addition to Nino, Alya, Marinette, Adrien, and Gabriel, the Resistance now has Max, Kim, Rose, Juleka, Ivan, Mylene, and to Marinette's horror, Lila. Also, there's a post-credits scene where Gabriel explains what he did to Tomoe when literally everyone watching was able to figure it out.

Okay, so let's summarize. The first mission for Nino's resistance involved assaulting a private civilian, was easily discovered before it could even be implemented, was just as easily foiled by an illusion, now Monarch and one of his allies have infiltrated the alliance as moles, and Nino isn't even aware that his plan was a colossal failure. This resistance isn't exactly going to be like the Rebel Alliance, is it?

Yeah, this episode sucked. It's easily the worst one so far in my opinion. There were a handful of decent moments and ideas here, but my God, the story was just terrible. Morally gray subject or not, it's hard to get behind the heroes when they try to intentionally piss someone off for a plan that the audience knows is going to fail, especially a plan as stupid as Nino's. This episode features Nino at his most obnoxious and unlike Alya, Marinette, and especially Adrien, he doesn't even feel bad for what he did to Gabriel when it ended up being (as far as we know) completely pointless. It feels like the writers wanted to gloss over the ethics of Nino's plan by making Gabriel the victim, because if it was anyone else, it would have made him look like a colossal prick. The fact that he learns nothing and thinks his moronic scheme was a success really doesn't help.

The other characters thankfully weren't as bad. It seemed like the writers were trying to show some self-awareness by having Alya, Marinette, and Adrien object to the plan in one way or another, but it never really went much other than them begrudgingly going along with it, much less calling him out for his actions. At the same time, they all got some decent moments, like Alya and Marinette's discussion about Monarch and Adrien struggling to convey his feelings about the Alliance rings to Gabriel.

It's also kind of weird that it took us about five episode into the season for Lila to finally be relevant again after she did absolutely nothing for the last three episodes of Season 4 and the first four episodes of this season. It was only three and a half years since “Ladybug”, the last major Lila episode premiered, right? But hey, at least the writers didn't overindulge in the dumb Lila lies like her other episodes, and was used more as an informant to kick off Gabriel's counter to Nino's plan.

Putting aside how terrible Nino's plan was, Gabriel's plan still had a lot of problems to it. Like I already mentioned, it's a little strange that Ladybug and Cat Noir never talk about the tiny clones they fought, or the fact that Cat Noir was stung by Venom. I can kind of suspend my disbelief by saying Ladybug was too focused on the battle to think, but why the hell didn't Cat Noir say anything? You would think after working alongside Queen Bee and Vesperia, he would recognize what being stung by Venom must look like. Yeah, Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't know Monarch can now use more powers for some reason, but it still really bothers me, because they should know the Collector can't multiply himself. It's also strange that he made his trick so hard to find when you would think it would be more obvious to see

But overall, this one was just a chore to get through. It feels like the writers saw how much some people didn't like Nino in “Rocketear”, and were like, “You call THAT character assassination?” And speaking of...

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS... NINO

Was there ever any doubt? The dude talked about his identity in a public place, nonchalantly blew him and his girlfriend's cover when he had no reason to for his Resistance, tried to get his best friend's dad akumatized while not caring about any potential damage, showed no remorse for what he did when his plan blew up in his face, tried to tell Ladybug and Cat Noir about what he learned while they were fighting the Collector, and all that was for a plan that didn't even work because the intel was discovered with ease, to say nothing about how he unintentionally let two enemies into his own Resistance. I've seen a lot of stupid decisions in this show, but never have I seen a single episode where a character makes screw-up after screw-up and doesn't even realize how much of a colossal moron he's being. With the past five episodes I covered and awarded Biggest Idiot Awards to (Ladybug, Alya, Xuppu, Mr. Damocles, and Luka), it was more them not seeing the bigger picture. Here, Nino is honestly trying to help Ladybug and Cat Noir, yet he failed at his job in every way.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrien agreste #cat noir #chat noir #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #hawk moth #monarch #monarch miraculous #the collector #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #chloe bourgeois #xy #bob roth #alec cataldi #mr damocles #xavier ramier #Youtube

[uptoolateart]

Back when Gabriel had that conversation with Andre, about the past...that was so interesting, seeing the way those two power houses were once just two young, ordinary people with all these dreams...and knowing how they ended up.

Gabriel says, 'Come on. You have everything to be happy, Andre.' Perhaps part of this is because Andre has his wife, whereas Gabriel lost his. But Gabriel knows what a horror Audrey is - not to mention how difficult Chloe is - which I think is why he wears a little smirk on his face as he says it.

To me, the line feels ironic, like he's talking about Andre, but we need to ask ourselves about Gabriel's happiness, and how he defines 'happy'.

At the end of Re-Creation, he tells Marinette how happy he once was, when Emilie was in the world and Adrien was first born. He describes it as 'perfect' and seems to think happiness depends upon having things/people.

He misses the point that we make our own happiness. The world could be falling apart around us, and we still have the power to choose happiness (except in certain extenuating circumstances). Sure, there are some times when this is harder than others. But I really do believe the sun is always there behind the clouds, no matter how thick and stormy.

Although Gabriel believes he can have happiness again, this is all dependent upon recreating the past he's lost. I think this is part of why the S5 finale was called Re-Creation - not just because he made the world anew, but because he was trying to bring something back.

But it simply could not work. We can never fully replicate days gone by. We can't relive precious moments. We can't read a book for the first time, all over again. We can't meet people again. Things will always be different. The past is just that - it's passed.

And you know, when we see him talk about Emilie sometimes in earlier seasons, he doesn't always say nice things about her. He says she was 'way too overly dramatic' and mentions she had a fiery temper. It wasn't as 'perfect' as he insists it was. Nothing can be. He's holding onto an illusion.

Andre seems to get all of this. Gabriel doesn't. Andre mourns what's gone. Gabriel refuses to mourn, refuses to move forward. He believes he will make his wish and then have everything he needs to be happy.

But if he'd succeeded in bringing Emilie back, and he'd lived, I suspect he still wouldn't have been happy, because he never really knew how. He never understood that he should've been seeking a way to be happy despite what happened to him. Even with Emilie gone, he already had everything he needed to be happy - Adrien and Nathalie. The sun was there, but he chose to focus on the clouds.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #ml fandom #ml meta #ml gabriel #gabriel agreste #ml analysis #ml recreation #ml s5 #ml s5 finale #ml finale #ml andre #emilie agreste

[cryptoriawebb]

Okay now that I’ve just about finished season 4 of Miraculous and it seems like Adrien’s amok is in Gabriel’s ring (please nobody spoil anything til I get to S5!!) can you imagine how desperately reverse good guy Gabe must want to protect that ring?? The horror and guilt that must eat at him when he thinks about his son’s origins and the possible intent he and Emilie may have had behind it??

I’m operating on the basis that Hesperia started out as at least a morally gray individual before he changed for the better

Anyway, good dad Gabriel protecting his son at all costs even if said son refuses to talk to him or start his healing path is my new favorite thing and I require more headcanons about them

#I’m having too much fun #miraculous ladybug #gabriel agreste #Hesperia #Betterfly #Adrien a great #emilie agreste #sentimonster #miraculous spoilers #whispersfromthecrypt

[sentimentaliz]

She still loves him. He still trusts her.

"Miraculous" is one of my sources of inspiration that helped me through difficult times, opened up areas to explore (for example, 3D animation) and to the present day gives me emotions that provide me strength. I’m not afraid to state that my favorite pairing is Gabenath. Yes, I shouldn’t be scared or ashamed to talk about it, but many fans/viewers of the Miraculous react too aggressively to this couple and the characters separately. But I believe that everyone has the right to single out certain characters for themselves, be interested in them and analyze them, and therefore should not be subject to toxic statements from others. Why am I writing all this? Apparently, I still cannot understand and accept this dissonance in the relationship between Gabriel and Nathalie. So I'll try to explain to myself and, perhaps, to others, who were also, to put it mildly, shocked after what they saw in season 5.

At the beginning of season 5 we see changes in Gabriel's behavior. If previously the goal of the main antagonist was to bring a loved one back to life, now it is not. Nowadays, Gabriel is ruled by revenge, he craves to take revenge on Ladybug and Cat Noir for all the losses and humiliations. Now he only wants to defeat them. That is, his priority has changed, family is no longer in the first place. Nathalie, as practically always, came up with a win-win plan for him, but he missed this opportunity, preferring revenge.

Then Gabriel forbids his son to date the girl he really loves. And I don't understand why Gabriel made a contract with Mrs. Tsurugi for a dynastic marriage between Adrien and Kagami and why he couldn't terminate it? One gets the feeling that Tomoe Tsurugi dominates him, but why? Let's remember how determined she was to achieve the goal, not allowing Gabriel to be distracted by emotions: "You're forgetting my part of the deal, Gabriel-san. As always you're losing yourself in sentimental trifles. Our vision of the future is much bigger than that. We are connected just like our children. They were made for each other. And I will not tolerate another glitch in our plan!".

It's hard to believe that Gabriel would be so indifferent to his son's feelings and opinions, so I think the writers went too far here by making Gabriel overly cruel!

As season 5 progresses, the relationship between Gabriel and Nathalie is heating up, becoming tense. Nathalie does not support the direction of Gabriel's strategy in the fight for the miraculous and does not approve of his prohibitions towards Adrien. She's mad at Gabriel, but she doesn't stop worrying about him! I guess if Gabriel had changed his attitude towards Adrien's choice in love and refused the deal with Mrs. Tsurugi, then the relationship between Gabriel and Nathalie would have become warmer.

Now let's turn to the episode where Gabriel accuses Nathalie of betrayal, emphasizing that he suspected her of this from the moment she began to support Marinette and Adrien's relationship. Yes, since Gabriel follows Mrs. Tsurugi's agreement, he will not tolerate any interference. In addition, he is obsessed with bringing into reality their shared plan with Tomoe Tsurugi to capture the miraculous – “Perfect Alliance”. Gabriel realizes that now he really has no choice. Nathalie will soon leave them, and he, being with the cataclysm, will not live long. That is why he only needs time to change everything through desire. And he does not give up his goal of bringing his wife back to life.

But what do we see next? Despite the fact that he accused Nathalie of betrayal, he later retracted his words. This can be confirmed by remembering the dialogue between Marinette and Gabriel: "She was right. Adrien was not alone. He had Nathalie and me. I've ruined everything. Nathalie's about to disappear. And so am I. Adrien will have no one left".

After talking with Marinette, Gabriel realizes that both Emilie and Nathalie were right. He admits his mistakes towards Adrien, but he no longer has time to apologize. So he decides to change his desire: “There is only one thing I wish to change”. Gabriel realizes that he cannot live without Emilie and leaves with her. But he does not forget about Nathalie, giving her his life. Yes, he was never able to come to terms with the death of his wife, but he healed Nathalie because she was dear to him and Adrien. He loves his son and doesn’t want him to be left an orphan, all alone. Gabriel is devoted and sincerely trusts Nathalie.

#miraculous ladybug #gabriel agreste #nathalie sancoeur #gabenath

[twisted-art-wounders]

Marinette and the Beanstalk

Once there are two kingdoms both ruled by a set of royal twins of Graham de Vanily; Emilie, Amelie and their husbands. Both set of royals were unable to have a child of their own but both were desperate to have children. One day Emilie found a powerful magic spell that would grant her wish for a child and allowed her sister use it as well. Soon they where each blessed with a child Prince Adiren and Prince Felix, but they were unaware this method would carry grave consequences for each of them.

Years later when both boys turned 16 a grave tragedy befell both kingdoms; Amelie's husband was killed when their castle fell apart due to an earthquake that levelled their entire kingdom. Both she and her son Prince Felix where forced to abandon their kingdom when a giant monster destroyed the rest of it. While Emilie was lost due to the same earthquake that levelled her own castle, her son Prince Adiren was said to have been taken by a giant monster which caused the tragic earthquakes in the first place. To prevent the monster form returning her husband King Gabriel used his own magic to send the monster into the clouds and trap it.

King Gabriel now rules over this land with and iron fist allowing his nobles to rule over smaller villages and collects offerings to keep the giant from returning. In a small village ruled by the noble family of Bourgeois hard times have come to their village because of a great famine that has forced everyone into near starvation. Lady Chole of the Bourgeois has come for the villages offerings but after finding no one is able to pay their due she declares at the end of the month is they fail to bring a sizable offering the village will be destroyed by the monster.

One day an old traveler came upon their town begging for food but no one he found would help him until the village baker Marinette offers him her final loaf of bread. The traveler is grateful to her for her kindness, once he learns of her villages impeding doom he offers her a gift; a single red and black spotted seed. He tells her to plant the seed by the light of the full moon and miracle will happen. While skeptical at first she follows the travelers instructions and plants the seed in the full moons light, almost instantly it spouts and revels a set of red and black spotted earrings held by a small fairy named Tikki who tells her to wear the earrings to perform her miracle.

Once she did the small sprout started to grow into a giant beanstalk heading towards the clouds, Marinette grabbed on and was taken into the air. Once they'd breach the clouds she found a giant castle awaited her at the top. Tikki tells her to enter the castle were she finds a giant named Adrien sitting at a table and talking to the noble woman Chole Bourgeois. Coming closer so she can listen better she over hears Chole dropping off a bag of riches to him for safe keeping and tells the giant about how one village is being stubborn and refuses to pay her for her kind actions and that she will tell the King it's time to make an example out of them and have the giant come down and destroy the village.

Adrien isn't too happy to hear about it and tells Chole not to involve the King and to give the village more time which she reluctantly agrees to before leaving. Afterwards Adrein spots Marinette on his table and after a small chase captures her. Marinette is terrorized at first and begs the giant not make bread from her bones but Adrien tells her he wont and has never eaten a human before and will not ever. He's fascinated by her presence and reveals she is only other human he's met in a long time, he's lived a solitary life in the clouds since he turned 13 and wishes to leave the clouds and explore the world below him.

But he was told by his father he is to stay confined to the clouds since his presence will cause distress to the kingdom. After feeding a very hungry Martinette some food she discovers Adrien cannot bake bread but wishes to learn so in exchange for some treasure to pay Chole, Marinette agrees to teach him how to bake.

#marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #gabriel agreste #chloe bourgeois #kagami tsurugi #felix fathom #miraculous #au #Marinette and the Beanstalk #fan art

[flightlessribbons]

MARINETTE: LADY LUCK ERA

MLB INHERITANCE AU PT. 4

- the origin:

A new Chat Noir, dubbed "Night Watch" by the masses due to almost exclusively seen at night and doing all manners of good deeds and selfless notions for the average Parisians, popped up almost immediately after Tuxedo's retirement.

When Bridgette is set to move onto campus for university, Marinette is hellbent on moving out of their shared room and having her own space to sew and create. She begs her parents to let her move into the attic, promising to clean out the attic herself.

After her parents agree, Marinette begins to sift through the attic belongings, and sees a pair of earrings she thinks seem vaguely familiar. She puts them on, and looks at them in the mirror, but screams when Tikki pops up behind her reflection telling her the earrings suit her.

Tikki explains the last situation to Mari, and the fae's concerns and desperation as she feels Null grow stronger somewhere in the city. Tikki tells her that she's been keeping an eye on Mari through the years, and recognizes her traits that would make her an excellent Ladybug.

Marinette shuts down Tikki's proposal for heroism, telling Tikki that if Bridgette couldn't do what needed to be done, there's no way Marinette could. Tikki refuses that mindset, though cannot convince the girl further before Sabine knocks on the attic hatch.

The faerie hides in the earrings that Marinette is still wearing, as Sabine pushes through to check in Marinette's progress on the room and offer her help to look through some of her old belongings that Marinette can move.

The two go through trunks of old family heirlooms and photo albums, before Sabine looks wistfully at an old album of her and her old friends.

In the picture is Sabine, Otis, Amelie, Emilie, Tom, and Gabriel. Marinette recognizes Gabriel Agreste, and is shocked that her parents never mentioned knowing him before.

Sabine tells Mari that Tom and Gabriel used to be best friends for a long time, which introduced Amelie and Emilie to their little university friend group. She recalls their days fondly and says their connections were irreplaceable, but admits that the group hadn't done the best efforts for keeping in contact. After Emilie's health had declined, most of the group drifted apart for various personal reasons despite them all trying their best to keep in touch. Amelie and Gabriel had been unreachable since Emilie's coma and Sabine tells her daughter she wishes she could have told them all together what they meant to her.

The two go down together for dinner, but Marinette can't stop thinking about her mom's stories and the Ladybug proposal. Though when she tries to talk to Tikki in the night and following days, the faerie does not respond.

Marinette goes to school at the beginning of a new term, nearly late because of her late night cleanups of the attic, and is met with Alya, Nino, and Chloe.

Chloe had stopped her petty bullying at a much younger age, and the four of them had been a strong group since they were kids.

Walking into the building, a crowd has amassed, but as the four try to shuffle their way past, Chloe squeals and runs to plucks the person grabbing all the attention from the crowd.

Pulling Adrien Agreste out, Chloe holds his arm tight and manages to scare the crowd away. Happily pulling him along, she introduces him to the other three as her best friend since diapers.

Marinette embarrassingly realizes that she's face to face with the model she's had a crush on since she was a kid, and fumbles a greeting to him and a sweaty handshake. He doesn't seem to mind (or notice) at all, and the four go to their class to pick their seats.

Chloe gives up her front row seat with Nino for Adrien, and instead takes the empty seat behind Alya and Mari, and next to Nathanael.

Midway through class, the first akuma alarm in 2 years goes off, and the school is a mess of kids trying to escape.

Adrien disappears in the rush, and the other four make it out of the school, but Alya gets caught by the akuma on the way out. Nino and Chloe immediately run after her, but Marinette is frozen in shock and loses them in the crowd.

Running into a deserted alleyway, Marinette tries to talk with Tikki again, panicked and begging the faerie to respond and tell her what to do so she can save her friends.

Tikki seems to have woken up from a slumber, but quickly recollects herself and guides Marinette what to do. She transforms and sees Chat Noir already on the scene, as he helps her clumsy landing into the battle.

They're both nervous, but Chat helps her get her breathing under control before they turn their attention back at the fight. Trying to get a scope on the situation, Chat suggests she ask her faerie how best to deal with an akuma. Tikki tells them what she told Bri about purifying, faerie spirits, and a bit more about her Ladybug abilities.

They go about clearing the civilians out of the way first, before dealing with the akumas directly. After clearing everyone away, they see their three friends in the hands of the enemy. Before Chat Noir can step in, Ladybug confronts the akuma. She's terrified, and she's shaking, but she resolves herself in saving her friends and the civilians that are helpless. Chat watches her in awe as she faces the akuma, before the two of them manage to end the fight.

After they purify the akuma, an eerie voice begins to speak to them through their miraculous. Sounding like two voices overlapping, the voice tells them that he's coming for their miraculous, and there's nothing they can do to delay the inevitable. That he'll keep sending akuma after akuma, to create his perfect world.

After the message ends, the two evade the press, as Chat Noir leads them to a nearby rooftop to talk in private. They discuss the voice they heard, and formally introduce themselves. Before they can talk more, their miraculous begin to beep, and Chat tells her what the beeping means for their faerie's recharge. He suggests they meet up later that night to discuss more things, but Ladybug hesitates. He tells her there's no pressure, but to think about it- also telling her that it's nice to finally have a quick thinking partner beside him with the akumas coming back.

They both leave the rooftop in different directions, and she hides again to drop her transformation. Tikki tells her she's going to stay in the earrings to rest until she can eat since Marinette wants to check in on her friends, but if Marinette could maybe snag her some cookies from the bakery when they get home.

Mari reunites with Nino, Alya, and Chloe, and the three are fangirling about the superheroes encounter. Marinette hugs them, glad that they're okay. Adrien rejoins them as well, saying he had to take shelter when the attack started. School is dismissed for the rest of the day, as well as school tomorrow, as the staff has to go over more codes and emergency situations with the return of akumas.

Marinette goes home, snagging a few cookies from the bakery, and on her way upstairs, wonders how best to tell Tikki that there's bound to be a better Ladybug out there. Though she stops in her tracks when she sees that her sister is home.

She hugs her sister, and the two catch up a bit. Bridgette mentions she caught the end of the battle from the day's akuma, and asks Marinette if she saw it since it was near her school.

Marinette lies and says she was hiding, and Bri describes it to her, but surprises Marinette by singing high praises for the new Ladybug. Bridgette bittersweetly admires how the new Ladybug was terrified but still managed to pull through and save the day. Saying she can see her push through and do the right things even when they're hard- something that Scarlet couldn't do. She sees hope in the new Ladybug, and tells Marinette that whoever it was, Tikki chose well.

Before Marinette could respond, Bridgette gets a text on her phone. Blushing at the notification, Bridgette gathers the last stuff she came to pick up. Hugging Mari goodbye, she's out the door with promises of seeing her on the weekend for dinner, leaving Marinette alone in the room to think about what she said.

After dinner, Marinette goes to her new room in the attic, and hesitantly brings Tikki out. Recharged from the cookies earlier, Tikki brings up the Chat's proposal from earlier to meet up. Her earlier thoughts of turning the Ladybug role down conflict with her sister's words, and she ultimately agrees to transform and meet her new partner. Though as she transforms and leaves through the upper balcony, she doesn't notice her dad, who came up to ask her about school, poking out from the attic hatch. He watches the balcony hatch a bit after she leaves before going into the kitchen.

She meets up with Night Watch, who admits to doubting a bit if she'd come.

"You came"

"That's what good partners do, right?"

The two discuss things like patrol schedules, and Chat catches her up on a lot of things he would do while transformed. He tells her he had contact with the previous holder and a mentor, and asked if she did as well, to which she sheepishly denied. Chat tells her not to worry, telling her that her fae will tell her a lot too, but that her black cat partner will always be there for her. She rolls her eyes at whatever puns and flirts he makes but offers him a grin at that, pushing her fist out for a fist bump. He returns it.

As she comes home, and drops her transformation, she finds the attic hatch open, and her dad humming in the kitchen below. Seeing her at the hatch, Tom smiles and motions for his daughter to join him in the otherwise empty kitchen.

As she sits down, he pulls. A fresh batch of cookies from the stovetop, telling her they just finished cooling. Marinette laughs and eats one, but freezes when her dad asks if Tikki would like some too. At her reaction, he gives a warm, but concerned smile, and tells her he knows it's the faerie's favorite.

Tikki comes out of the earrings, and faces Tom. She tries to explain why she hadn't left, but he stops her. Telling both Tikki and Marinette that he knows what responsibilities lie in waiting for Ladybug- and how their biggest downfall is them taking on too many things by themselves.

He knows he can't help in the ways he wants to as a father, but tells Marinette that she has him at home, a partner in the Black Cat, and someone he wants her to see the next day since she doesn't have school. He reassures her that they're never alone, and has a team by her side. Marinette and Tikki both wrap Tom in an embrace as all three eat the cookies.

The next day, Tom takes Marinette to her Uncle Fu's shop, confusing the girl. She's been there a million times, and voices her confusion to her father, who laughs it off and tells her to follow him inside.

There, they see Fu, who smiles knowingly and greets the family friends before closing up the shop. He calls Wayzz out, and tells the two to follow him to the back of the shop to discuss recent developments and mentions that he hears Marinette is in the market for a mentor.

Meanwhile, Adrien is happy he's made new friends, his ability to finally go to public school, and his amazing new hero partner.

Though back in his room, he voices to Plagg his concerns about his father: mostly about how distant he has become- as he barely speaks to Adrien anymore and makes Nathalie do any interacting with the boy. Noting that even when Gabriel does talk to him, his voice is cold and monotone; nothing like the father he knew before who- even at his lowest- would make sure to spend time with his son.

Adrien resolves himself to do his best for his father, hopeful that the Gabriel he knew will come back some day to them.

Previous: BRIDGETTE: SCARLET DANCER ERA

#mlinheritenceau #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #chloe bourgeois #tom dupain cheng #sabine dupain cheng #bridgette dupain cheng #miraculous #miraculous les aventures de ladybug et chat noir #ladybug pv #chat noir #ladybug #wang fu

[bliphany]

It’s not A confession and refusal scene. It’s a DOUBLE confession and refusal scene…

(A rough analysis of the final scene of Good Omens season 2 finale)

I think Aziraphale in character is such a rule-follower that he always needs a “cover” to “allow” himself to choose Crowley. (So far… at least)

We’ve seen that many times in season 1, where Aziraphale often relied on Crowley to “make this okay for me to say yes” like many people have mentioned in fandom. He chose to go back to Earth at the end and asked questions about the ineffable plan due to the same reasoning. And it made him happy because at that moment he found a rule that he could follow which also allowed him to stand with Crowley. The forever conflict was temporarily resolved. After that, since heaven and hell temporarily left them alone, he happily ignored that for a short while.

But at the very end of season 2, what Matatron offered sounded like exactly that. The perfect, magical solution once and for all. There could be rules that Aziraphale could made and followed which also allowed him to be together with Crowley. And they didn’t have to worry about the next big war against humanity once he and Crowley worked together. That’s why he clung onto it desperately in confrontation with Crowley at the confession scene. “I don’t think you understand what I’m offering you here.”

When he said “you can come back… to heaven, to…* to everything. Like the old times, only even nicer.”

I’d like to think that, he didn’t mean it as “like the old time when we worked together on earth but nicer because you’ll be an angel” but “like the old time when we were both angels in heaven but nicer because now we have this 6000 years of connection between us can’t wait to see what we can create together as beautiful as nebulas”

*also, was I the only one who thought Aziraphale stopped himself from saying come back to me here? He really hadn’t had the ability to choose something just because he wanted them, had he… there had to always be some “cover” for it. The greater good. The right thing to do. To save earth and humanity. Never himself.

I remember in one Dimension 20 episode or adventuring party, ppl were talking about Lawful Good characters might be the most difficult ones to made interesting. And Emily proposed that, maybe they found an older or alternate set of rules and they decided that were better… I’ve always thought it was a clever take.

And that’s what Aziraphale didn’t have. Or rather, he now was given the opportunity to make them. On the other hand, Crowley was totally vulnerable in that scene, he dropped every cover every mask he’d used to convince Aziraphale in the past. In Crowley’s confession there were You-and-Mes, no cover, no mask. And I love him for it. The tragic thing was, that also unintentionally cut the “communication channel” they’d been dancing in the past 6000 years. (Interesting that they also developed their own dance for apologies…)

It was not just a confession scene, it was a double confession (and double refusal… sadly) scene. How many of you also thought that Aziraphale was trying to confess and asked Crowley to be together with him with that “great news”? And, in his pov, he got a “tell me you say no” and that could be as painful as the refusal he gave to Crowley. That’s why he turned passive aggressive in the coming confrontation (which was still not nice but I understand) and that’s also why he interrupted Crowley in the first place. Imagine in fics where they proposed at the same time… but make it go painfully wrong…

After Crowley’s confession, Aziraphale said “come with me, we can make a difference” to me it was his confession too.

And remember when he put his hand on Crowley’s shoulder seeing Gabriel and Beelzebub being together??? He was thinking about himself and Crowley and remember why heaven seemed to have to allow it??? Because MATATRON SAID SO.

People have amazing interpretations such as: “Aziraphale choosing between Crowley and Heaven” or “Aziraphale choosing between Crowley and Angel!Crowley”

Now I propose:

There’s a conflict between two equally heartfelt and the most-vulnerable-they-could-get confessions, both being rejected by the other.

I’m not saying I don’t agree with one a bit more than the other, but I’d like to point out that, it wasn’t just like Crowley was only the confess-er and Aziraphale the reject-er. They were both at the same time.

Then, Crowley said “you can’t leave you bookshop” and Aziraphale replied “nothing last forever”

I think, in this exchange of words, Crowley was desperately trying to find an excuse for Aziraphale to stay on earth. We’re back to where Crowley always finds a way to make it okay for Aziraphale to agree with him again. And Aziraphale replied: “Oh, Crowley, nothing last forever” which MADE CROWLEY PUT BACK HIS SUNGLASSES AND THEN LEAVING.

What Aziraphale trying to say, I’d like to believe, was “we being together as angels in heaven is so worth it that the bookshop is nothing compared” which explained his emotion-charged way of saying this sentence and his shock seeing Crowley leaving after that. If Crowley was back to their 6000 dance by mentioning bookshop as a cover/desperate attempt, Aziraphale only now slipped into his vulnerable self without excuses and covers (except Matatron’s offer of course) saying he didn’t need this bookshop if he could be together with Crowley both in heaven (remember this was Aziraphale, who loved everything human created and accumulated them, speaking) and what he got after that act? Crowley put back his sunglasses and left after saying “good luck”

On the other end, Crowley probably and rightfully interpreted “nothing last forever” as all his memories and experiences on earth were disposable compared to the power he could get in heaven.

One is “nothing last forever (except you and me) the other “nothing last forever (including you)”

Really, who wrote a scene where both characters confessed and still broke up? It was an unique kind of painful that I think yeah okay… only this two can hurt me like this.

#good omens season 2 spoilers #gos2spoilers #good omens meta #good omens season 2 #neil gaiman

[maestro04yayyy]

So here are some aus i thought about!!!!!(two are really recent while one is a some months old)

Depressed au!

So I haven't watched season 5 but I know that chloe is sent to NY with audrey. So this au takes place an year later when chloe comes back to paris with audrey, for some fashion show, and they end up staying here a lot of time.

During that time people notice that chloe is basically unresponsive, she spends all her time alone in her room, and when she isn't there she just look at nothing and say nothing at all, she talks only when someone talk to her and even then she would only say short words like yes, no, I don't know.

So chloe's ex classmates, luka, kagami felix, ondine, aurore, mirielle, marc....basically everyone decides to do something to help chloe because they are really fucking worried

And that's how around twenty family adopt chloe or try to at least.

Oh gabriel is still dead and emilie is alive, while andre refuse to see chloe when she comes back and zoe well i haven't decided what to do with her but she would probably try to help chloe but with their relationship she would do more bad than good.

Oh and lila has the butterfly miraculous but even her want to help chloe, especially because she doesn't sense any emotion in chloe and that really scare lila since she can sense every single emotion in a person, so lila think that chloe must be in a really awful state.

Oh and I don't have a ship in mind for this au.

Master of destruction au!

This one is about the miraculous prompt i reblogged yesterday.

I said I would write something about it and i will, but now I don't have much time to do a single big story so I will write some short stories like the antivillain! Au one shots and post them here and maybe on ao3 too I will see.

Guardian au!

So when Su-han arrives he has to rebuild his order of guardian since those that were revived have joined other orders to learn what changed while they were death.

One guardian is already marinette, but after some research suhan decides that chloe is worthy to be his apprentice, so chloe start training to be a guardian and will eventually join the heroes during akuma fight, without miraculous, oh and all the heroes knows her identity.

I thought the ship for this one could be chloenette because I love that ship!!!!

#depressed au #guardian au #master of destruction au #chloe bourgeois #miraculous ladybug #chloenette

[logically-asexual]

so nobody asked for this but i have more thoughts about dodie songs haha

What a strange being you are // God knows where I would be if you hadn't found me // Sitting all alone in the dark

A dumb screenshot of youth // Watch how a cold broken teen will desperately lean // Upon a superglued human of proof

What the hell would I be without you? (What the hell would I be?) // Brave face, talk so lightly, hide the truth (Hide the truth)

Cause I'm sick of losing soulmates

So where do we begin?

so as a start i think the title “sick of losing soulmates” is such a powerful phrase and i’d love to apply it to gabenath in the sense that gabriel already had his soulmate, emilie, and then he lost her and now only when he’s finding that he could have something with nathalie (could have had) that he could have another soulmate, another magical chance from the universe, he ruined everything and now they’re both dying and the chance is once again lost. but that’s not even what i want to talk about

on a second thought the picture the song paints, someone outright refusing to lose another meaningful person in their life, is the energy i wish to see in the future of the show with adrien towards nathalie.

him being sick of losing gets even stronger because he hasn’t lost one but now two parents, and generally two people who have been relatively close to him in his life, two of the few people he knew for his 13 years of life before he started going to school.

he lost his mom, he lost his dad, and after he knows the truth of hawkmoth and mayura he could very well lose nathalie. he already loses the image of her as a 100% good person by knowing what she enabled from his father and how she actively participated in it. so not in the sense of soulmates and romantic partners but with his parental figures which are the people he has trusted the most, and who have been by his side his entire life, even longer than any of his friends or marinette.

i want him to have to confront the choice of accepting nathalie as the last parent figure he has left or losing yet another person he loves. the key part is that he somehow has that choice. the agency. and he decides to keep nathalie in his life because he’s sick of losing loved ones.

and it will take a lot of effort from both of them. maybe even nathalie isn’t sure about it because a thousand insecurities on top of the guilt of what she has done. about her not feeling quite part of the family, not feeling like she’s capable of raising a kid, feeling like she doesn’t deserve to stay in adrien’s life, fearing that she will only hurt him, that he will resent her forever, etc etc.

but adrien says no, i refuse to take no for an answer. we’re going to figure this out. together. and even nathalie understands that adrien has the right to make that decision and deserves to have more of his life under his own control so if this is what he wants then she accepts.

so they try.

#tagging this as #my fanfic ideas (mlb) #just in case later i want to do something but i don’t really think j could #adrien agreste #nathalie sancoeur #miraculous ladybug #mlb

[celestiall0tus]

All That Remained - Not Your Fault - Velze

Beginning || Previous || Next

            “Now, go to your room immediately, Adrien. I won’t hear anymore of this!” Gabriel scolded.

            “But, Father-!” Adrien attempted.

            Gabriel twisted the twin ring. “Now, Adrien, that’s an order.”

            Compliance consumed Adrien. He hung his head and headed for his room.

            Gabriel watched him leave and noticed the kwami had vanished. He headed for Nathalie’s room. He paused at the doorway, shocked to see her out of bed and the color returned to the streak in her hair.

            “Nathalie? Are you… what happened?”

            “A kwami creature approached me. It offered to heal me in exchange for… something small.”

            “Did you see where it went?”

            “It left with Adrien’s girlfriend.”

            Gabriel snarled and headed out. He grabbed his phone and messaged Lila. He instructed her to find the kwami and bring it to him immediately with any reward she desired. There was a small fear that she’d demand something outrageous, but he’d pay any price now. The kwami of reality was out there and it was his only hope to bring Emilie back. He couldn’t fail.

~~

            Chloe stepped into her bedroom. She placed her purse down on the couch. Velze poked its head out and crawled out onto the couch. It stretched its legs, then curled up. It peered up as she took a seat near him.

            “Well? Explain yourself. What are you?” Chloe asked.

            “I am kwami,” Velze answered.

            Surprise and hope filled Chloe’s eyes. “A kwami? Like Pollen? Are you here… for me?”

            “I am here because you saw me for what I was. You held one of my children. Therefore, you can see me as I am. At least, as your kind can perceive me as.”

            Chloe’s eyes shone. “I sure did. I was Queen Bee! The greatest heroine in all of Paris. Even greater than that dreadful Ladybug.”

            “But in anger, you betrayed Pollen. You sided with your then enemy because of an injustice.”

            “That’s not… wait. What did you say?”

            “Ladybug failed you. You wanted to protect the ones you loved, but she gave that honor to someone like you. Who revealed their identity, but was still given a jewel, and you weren’t allowed to. Is it any wonder you would have turned your back on her? Especially when your enemy gave you want you desired most.”

            “Yeah… well, its whatever.”

            “You need not hide your feelings, Mortal. No heart is closed off from something like me. I can see you as you are.”

            Silence.

            “Do you hate me? Do you hate the monster that I am? Everyone else seems to. I’ve lost so much, but I don’t know how to stop. I just… act like I’ve been taught, but it’s still my fault. Daddy hates me. Mom doesn’t even remember my name. And then there’s all too perfect, goody-two-shoes Zoe. My good-for-everything half of a sister. I just… what do I do?”

            Velze watched Chloe breakdown. Its eyes on her heart as the dam broke.

            “I just want their love. I want Mom to remember me. To be something remarkable in her eyes. I don’t want Daddy to hate me. I don’t want him to love Zoe over me. After what happened, he and Mom have talked about sending me to London. Like they want to get rid of me. They don’t want to get rid of me, do they?”

            Silence.

            Chloe hid her face in her hands as she cried. Velze watched her for a time, then approached. It brushed its tail over her hand, getting her attention.

            “You’re not to blame, young mortal. It is those that have given up on you that are to blame. It’s the job of the elders to teach and guide. The fact that they refuse to be an admission of failure on their part. However, even if they have given up on you, you will find some that won’t.”

            Chloe laughed. “Oh yeah? Who?”

            A bright light flashed around Chloe’s neck. It faded to reveal a platinum collar necklace with a prismatic sheen.

            “This… this is a miraculous! You’re giving this to me?”

            Velze nodded. “We all deserve a second chance so long as we are willing to change. Let her be your guiding light and reminder that you will always be wanted and loved.”

            Chloe let out a choked laugh, then hugged Velze. She blinked and pushed it away. She crossed her arms and touched the necklace.

            “Thank you.”

            Velze bowed its head. It moved past Chloe towards the window.

            “Where are you going?”

            “I have business with many others. Fret not. Hopefully by the day’s end, you won’t be alone anymore.”

            Velze phased through the window and vanished.

            Chloe stared out blankly at the city. She placed a hand on the necklace. Warmth filled her heart at the thought of having someone that loves her. A smile spread on her face as a single tear fell.

            “Please, don’t leave me to wait for too long.”

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #au #miraculous au #alternate universe #mlb chloe #miraculous chloe #chloe bourgeois #chloe #canon divergent au #canon divergence #miraculous velze #velze #miraculous fanfic #mlb fanfic #fanfiction writer #fanfiction #fanfic

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Passion

Well, it only took three and a half years, but the writers are finally taking a mulligan with the whole Kwami swap idea after missing the point of it in “Reflekdoll”. Have they learned their lesson when it comes to what kind of stories you could tell by swapping Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous? What do you think?

Let's get into the seventh episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Passion

We start off with Marinette and Alya having a sleepover, where, much like the audience, Alya is confused as to why Marinette is suddenly in love with Cat Noir. Unlike with “Determination”, it's hinted that Marinette is still blaming Monarch getting fifteen Miraculous on her feelings for Adrien, and once again, rather than actually acknowledge how Marinette has a point in this case, the narrative is portraying her focusing more on Cat Noir as a defense mechanism so she doesn't have to confront her feelings for Adrien now. It's pretty stupid, but par for the course this season because the writers refuse to admit that Marinette's crush on Adrien may have inadvertently made things worse.

We then cut to the Agreste Mansion, where Gabriel is busy cooking pancakes for Adrien, asking if he wants bananas on them. Because Adrien isn't B'Elenna Torres, he doesn't actually like bananas on his pancakes, and only said he did to make Gabriel happy, something Nathalie picks up on. You know, I'm not exactly a Michelin star chef, but I'm pretty sure you don't place these huge chunks of bananas on pancakes instead of small slices.

Nathalie comes down to the kitchen, and while she still seems to judge Gabriel, in a clever bit of visual storytelling, Adrien sees one of Emilie's rings on Nathalie's finger (which she's had ever since the end of Season 4), and it's hinted he believes they're engaged. Of course, as soon as Adrien leaves to get ready for school, Nathalie pins Gabriel down to the table and reveals the true reason for her continuing to work for him after the events of “Evolution”.

Nathalie: I came to this house to hunt magical artifacts for you and Emilie. I became your bodyguard, your right hand woman, your friend, and even more. But this is all over. You used to do this out of love for Emilie, but now, you're only doing it out of madness, and the only reason I'm still here is to protect Adrien from you!

Okay, fair point wanting to protect Adrien, there's other ways to do so that don't involve silently judging him and doing nothing else. What's stopping Nathalie from calling the cops on Gabriel? What's stopping Nathalie from sending in an anonymous tip to Ladybug and Cat Noir? What's stopping her from telling literally anyone else she knows that her boss is the most dangerous man in the world right now? What's stopping Nathalie from flat-out running away with Adrien and telling him the truth about his father? Seriously, of all the things you choose to do with the knowledge you have, and continuing to enable this man while occasionally scolding him was what you settled on? And again, it's really weird that Nathalie suddenly thinks Gabriel is insane when the whole reason she needs those robot braces to walk was because she chose to let the broken Peacock Miraculous ruin her body trying to help Gabriel as Mayura.

After a brief scene where Adrien talks with Plagg about how to confess his feelings for Marinette, we then see Nathalie watching several recordings of Emilie that Gabriel supposedly ordered her to delete. We learn that right before she fell into her coma, Emilie made Nathalie promise to find some way to stop Gabriel from trying to find the Miraculous, if only for Adrien's sake. Yeah, real bang-up job you did there, Nathalie. Adrien comes in and asks Nathalie about what to do about the girl he likes, with Nathalie's response all but stating that Emilie had feelings for Gabriel before he and Emilie got married.

Adrien asks Nathalie if what happened to Emilie will happen to her, to which she tells him that's not that the case, even if she coincidentally has the same symptoms Emilie had before her “disappearance”. After Adrien leaves, Nathalie goes down to Gabriel's lair while he's talking to Emilie's body like every other day that ends in a “Y”, telling him to akumatize her.

It's a dramatic scene, as usually, willing accepting an Akuma is seen as the point of no return for an antagonist, just ask Lila and Chloe. So of course, let's break the tension with a scene of Marinette stuttering around Adrien as he tries to confess his love to her. Nice transition, writers. Plagg tries to tell Tikki about the situation, claiming that their holders falling in love with each other could spell the end of the world (and he's not wrong in that case), but Tikki points out that Marinette's crippling anxiety prevents her from making any advances in her love life.

Back with Nathalie, for some reason, she chose to walk back down to her room where she keps a mannequin displaying some explorer clothes of hers, where Monarch akumatizes her into Safari.

Safari's design is pretty cool, even if it is a little too similar to a certain other French sniper with a primarily purple color scheme. I like the classical hunter motif, and the color scheme is pretty appealing. Admittedly, I'm not too sure about her powers, because right from the start, she uses the Goat Miraculous' Genesis to create her hunting gear (which somehow has bullets themed after the Tiger, Dragon, Pig, Fox, and Bee Miraculous), including a crossbow whose bullets who can track their targets.

Safari uses a Mirage bullet to create an illusion of Timetagger, an Akuma who shouldn't even exist in the present day, so she's not exactly not off to a good start. Despite that, Marinette and Adrien transform into Ladybug and Cat Noir respectively and give chase, only to lose “Timetagger”. Of course, Ladybug decides to ask Cat Noir out on a date despite the suspicious situation, only to be immobilized by one of Safari's Venom bullets. After a pretty decent chase sequence, Cat Noir manages to evade the bullet with the stunned Ladybug in hand. Cat Noir tries to escape, but eventually, he's cornered by the bullets in the sewers. For some reason, after Adrien transforms, the bullets just go away, because that's how Monarch designed Safari's powers. Also, Ladybug doesn't see Cat Noir detransform because her eyes were covered when she was stunned. Plot contrivance at its finest, folks.

Adrien has Plagg take Marinette's Miraculous, and he explains the situation, so they come up with a loophole: transform using each other's Miraculous. Before that, Adrien actually thinks about using the Miraculous wish to cure Nathalie and asks “Ladybug” about it, only for Marinette to explain why that can't happen.

Marinette: There's always a balance between creation and destruction. For every one thing we fixed, another would be destroyed. For every sick person we cured, another would become ill. For every villain defeated, something else, just as terrible, would be created somewhere else to replace it.

So I guess we're back to that rule instead of the whole “the world will literally end if the wish is made” crap. Marinette and Adrien take each other's Miraculous and transform into Lady Noire and Mister Bug respectively. While watching over Safari, Lady Noire is just eating the cherry-flavored eye candy that is Mister Bug.

This only adds to the biggest problem I have with Season 5 so far: How it refuses to acknowledge how Marinette's feelings for Adrien/Cat Noir have only been shown to be detrimental to her as a hero. Rather than acknowledge that Marinette's feelings for Adrien were what caused Monarch to get all the other Miraculous, the show constantly says that it wasn't her fault, even when she was blamed for everything going wrong at the end of the last season. There was also the part earlier in the episode where Alya just ignored the point Marinette made about trusting Felix with the Dog Miraculous by just saying that Marinette is deflecting her true feelings for Adrien by focusing on Cat Noir. While you could argue Alya made a good point herself, she didn't acknowledge anything else in Marinette's argument, and just acts like Marinette and Adrien being a couple is more important that Marinette thinking about saving lives. And of course, during the battle, Lady Noire can't stop flirting with Mister Bug, which could potentially get in the way of the fight like we've seen with Cat Noir in the past. You can't just tell the audience to ship Marinette and Adrien together when Marinete's feelings for Adrien have only been shown to get in the way of her superhero life.

Mister Bug and Lady Noire fight off Safari, asking her why she wants their Miraculous.

Lady Noire: What about you, Safari, what do you want?

Safari: The same thing. A wish. Everyone wants to have one, right?

Monarch: Safari, what are you up to?

Safari: Should I tell them the truth?

Monarch: (growls in frustration)

Safari: That's what I thought.

Because Nathalie would rather risk ending the world instead of telling anyone who Monarch really is. Yes, she is that stupid. Mister Bug summons his Lucky Charm, getting a bottle of perfume. This makes him realize the akumatized object is back at the Agreste mansion. While Lady Noire holds off Safari, Mister Bug breaks the mannequin holding the Akuma. Mister Bug de-evilizes the Akuma, uses Miraculous Mister Bug to fix the damage, vows to stop Monarch for akumatizing such a fragile and innocent person.

After giving each other their Miraculous back, Marinette recounts what happened to Alya and Tikki, somehow believing that because Cat Noir/Mister Bug said nothing in response to her asking him out to the movies since he was focused on stopping the Akuma, this must mean he secretly loves her back. Yep, if “Determination” didn't already set off any red flags, we're really doing this, people. And so the episode ends with Adrien apologizing to Nathalie for supposedly getting her akumatized, while Nathalie reassures Adrien that he means a lot to her, even if she's too stupid to rat out Monarch after five seasons.

Yeah, this episode was pretty lousy. A big chunk of it stemmed from the way it handled Nathalie's character. Obviously, she can't tell Ladybug and Cat Noir about Monarch's identity because we still need to finish the season, but the way they go about it by having her passive-aggressively continue to work for him when she's perfectly capable of restraining him, even in her handicapped state, is just a ridiculous leap in logic. I get that it's an attempt to give Nathalie depth, but the writers never really acknowledge how Nathalie's inaction is endangering so many lives.

And of course, there's the stuff with Marinette. Just like with Cat Noir, her flirting on the job made it look like she wasn't taking things seriously while playing it off as a cute little quirk of hers. Again, the show is at least trying to acknowledge how odd the way she displays her feelings is, but it's not in a way that actually leads to any interesting developments.

The Akuma fight was also pretty dumb, as the heroes pretty much won thanks to dumb luck. Not only did Safari's bullets magically stop working as soon as Ladybug and Cat Noir detransformed, not only did she never adjust her system to target Mister Bug and Lady Noire, but the whole reason Mister Bug's Lucky Charm even worked was because he knew who Safari was and where her Akuma was, something that wouldn't have happened if Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't swap Miraculous.

Overall, it was bad, but not as frustrating as “Illusion” or “Determination”.

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS... NATHALIE

For someone who said she was looking out for Adrien, Nathalie really made a lot of terrible choices doing so this episode. She only considered ratting out Gabriel near the end of the episode as a threat, tried stealing the Miraculous herself, and never considered the fact that her hesitance to tell anyone what she knows is only making things worse, especially for Adrien.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrien agreste #cat noir #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #monarch #monarch miraculous #nathalie sancoeur #safari #alya cesaire #tikki #plagg

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Wish come true - Adrien AUGreste Day 5+6

No one had asked, but I thought explaining why Lila hasn't been akumatized might be helpful. As well as Lukadrien being cute. I tried doing a 'umbrella scene' kinda thing and got this. Enjoy Rain

Gabriel watched the rain fall, staring at the statue of Emilie. Lila never seemed to visit it, never seemed bothered by her mother not being there. He wondered if his love would be disappointed at how their daughter was turning out. Since she became a model, she lied and manipulated, but she was an amateur, seemingly unaware that her popularity would have people focus on her. That’s why he never left. He knew the moment he did, all eyes would be on him and he wouldn’t be able to do his job, to get the Miraculous. She’d become worse since a new student arrived in her class, seemingly focused on attacking him. Other than cursing her out, Adrien Rossi hadn’t made any trouble. Well liked by his classmates and teachers, child of two Italian diplomates, one of whom was working on ways to help Scarlet Bug and Catseye and make his life harder. It was tempting to do what he could to stop it, but with each passing attempt, more people wanted Hawkmoth defeated and to support him was a one-way ticket to social suicide. He still had a company to run, something for Emilie to look forward to when he got what he needed.

He felt the rise of emotions coming from Lila’s room again. Self-hate, anger, all emotions that hadn’t cropped up until recently. She would make the perfect akuma, but he couldn’t. Emilie would never forgive him. There had been times his butterflies had been drawn to her negative emotions and he had to pull them away, directing them to the actual target, or making big enough gesture to where Scarlet Bug would see and capture before she could touch it. not to mention Nooroo saying no.

“Not her? Why?”

“She, you can’t control her. You can lock her in her room or demand things, but she’d got a mind of her own. I just know she’ll break from your control and make things worse. She only cares about herself; not what winning could mean. Please Master, you know I’m right.”

He didn’t usually listen to the kwami, but something told him to listen. Nooroo understood emotion better than anyone so he kept her away.

“Sir.” Nathalie appeared behind him silent as always. “She’s refusing to come out again.”

“I can tell. If she was any other person, I’d of created an akuma by now. I can’t be bothered to deal with her, call Vincet and cancel the shoot.”

“Sir, we’ve cancelled 3 times now. Anymore and investors will start keeping to their threats and actually pull out. It’s hard enough to keep the name up with Lila creating a mess every time. Lady Tomoe has offered Kagami.”

He shook his head. The young fencer had come to one shoot and was offered to stand in front of the camera. She was stiff and unbending, unless she had a sword in hand. But then she was too stern and unwilling to smile.

“No. call the Couffaine girl. We’ll push the shoot back if she needs time. And get in contact with the Dupain-Chang girl. I’ve been meaning to talk to her about an internship and I think working with her friend would be perfect.”

“Of course.” Nathalie nodded, turning to her iPad before looking at Gabriel again. “Sir?”

“Get me an umbrella, would you? I know Emilie can’t feel it but it seems wrong she should sit out there in the rain.”

“Absolutely sir, right away. Would her personal one be alright?”

“If you please. And an ibuprofen. This child is determined to take me to an early grave with all her negative emotion.” He ordered, as another round of emotions washed onto him. He felt like he couldn’t remember if Emilie was good at calming Lila as a child. It seemed the spoiled girl had always been the way she was. She must be breaking her poor mother’s heart.

                                        ____________________

“Are you sure?” Marinette asked, even as Adrien pressed the umbrella into her hands.

“Yes. I’ll be ok. I’m sure once I’m done talking with Mml. Bustier the rain will have let up. Besides, it won’t do any good if you have to order your yarn and your dad figures out what you’re doing for his birthday because you didn’t want to get wet.” Adrien said, pulling the strap of his messenger bag over his head, the faint jingling of bells ever-present.

“Alright, if, you’re sure. thanks Adrien, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Marinette said, heading down the stairs and towards the front door.

Adrien looked up at the skylight, the sight distorted because of the rain. It had been raining all day and it was clearly getting to everyone, Juleka the worst who seemed like she was constantly fidgeting and looking uncomfortable. She seemed to bounce up slightly from a call from Nathalie, assistant to Gaberiel Agreste. He guessed another modelling job in the future. He was glad that getting turned into a glitter stone didn’t turn her away from modelling. Juleka was really good and she was so much more confident about her looks.

“Adrien.” Mml. Bustier and the art teacher waved him over from one of the other classrooms. “Thank you so much hearing us out.”

“I hear that you’ve done Student UN at your previous school.”

“Yeah, only as a participant.”

“Well, we had been asked by a student if we’d be willing to run a model UN. They’ve tried for at least 2 years and just when the headmaster agreed, that student had been accepted into an exchange student program.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Did he not see the two very similar names on the paperwork?”

Both teachers sighed. “No.” they answered together.

“Point is, we don’t have anyone experienced in doing this. we’re not asking you to take control, just give us a bit of advice on how to properly run this.”

“Well, I can actually do you better. If you need someone, I can help run this. if anything, it’ll keep me distracted from doing cosplays and running the risk of affecting my allergies. Long story.” He said, noticing the confused looks.

“Are you sure?”

“As long as you guys are willing to help and you have other students signed up to help run it, yeah. Mama’s never done UN debates but I’m sure she could offer extra support if needed.”

“That’s amazing to hear! Ok, let’s go over the paperwork and if you’re still up for it, we can announce it by the end of the week.”

Going over paperwork and discussing his duties took time but at the end, Adrien still wanted to do it. he was excited to tell his mom that he’d forgotten about the rain until he pushed the door open and saw it still pouring. He could make it to the metro, that was fine, it was just the fact that he’d be soak by the time he got there. He looked down at his bag, looking over some of the pins and rosettes. A fair number of them were new and he didn’t want to deal with the risk of them getting wet.

“Great, now what?”

“Adrien!”

He looked over and saw Luka climbing the stairs, under an odd-looking umbrella. It had two tops, merged together and a handle that joined at the bottom.

“What,” he giggled, Luka’s satisfied smile getting to him, “is that?”

“My mom bought it.” like that was enough of an answer. Well, with Anarka it probably was.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?” Adrien asked, stepping back further to let Luka stand under the canopy with him.

“I came to get you.”

“I can see that.”

“You texted and said Mml. Bustier wanted to talk to you and Juleka mentioned when she came home, you were giving Marinette your umbrella, so here I am.”

Adrien smiled up at Luka. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know, I’m amazing.” Luka joked, making the two of them laugh. He pulled Adrien closer so he could pull the umbrella over them without getting sprinkled on. “Ready?”

Adrien nodded, full of happiness and love as he slipped a hand through Luka’s arm, standing close under the protection of the umbrella. It still surprised him how lucky he was right then. He had an amazing guy he was dating, friends he felt would be forever even when he moved and his life felt pretty perfect. There was still Lila to contend with and the note Scarlet Bug and Catseye left him but with nothing cropping up recently, he was going to take the win.

“did you want to do the metro or cut through the park?” Luka asked.

“Deal with crowded public transport or spend time with you? decisions, decisions.”

Luka laughed at him as he led them across the street. as they walked, Adrien told him about the Student UN and Luka mentioned how his online classes had attempted something like it before.

“It could have gone well, had anyone actually been interested. But I guess you could get help from your parents.”

“Yeah, it’s the plan. Kinda wish dad could have stayed longer. I already know he wanted more time to pick your brain. Or embarrass me. I can’t believe you wanted to see more pictures!” Adrien said, remembering what happened when he left his parents alone with Luka for 2 minutes to go refill drinks. Every photo album had been brought out and stories were being passed around quicker than he could stop them.

“You were a very adorable kid, including the one of you sitting in your nonna’s garden eating her vegetables.” Luka teased, laughing at Adrien’s pout.

“I am going to bug your mom so much for your pictures. I bet, you even had a scene kid phase.”

“Do you really want to see me with that much eyeliner?”

“It’ll make me feel better so yes. But the good thing is my dad loved you, so it wasn’t so horrible.”

“I’m glad about that. Did…you tell your parents about what Lila said that day?”

Adrien felt his smile drop remembering Lila screaming that she was a Rossi. He hadn’t told his parents and he hadn’t mentioned to Luka that his dad found a phone in his suit pocket, one that with a bit of waiting, turned out to belong to Lila’s bodyguard, when a text from Nathalie had come through. He had no clue or reasoning for why she was acting like this and as stupid as the idea sounded, it was just easy to ignore.

“No. she hasn’t been to school and it was just easy to ignore. I’ll keep an eye out, but I feel like I’d just be giving her more attention.”

“Fair enough.” Luka tilted the umbrella back to glance at the sky. “You know, I actually love the rain. It does rock Liberty a bit too often but when everything is still and you can just hear the rain dropping on the deck, it’s really calming.”

“My dad’s favourite movie is Singing in the Rain. He once tried to make my mom recreate the song sequence.”

“Oh? Did he ever try with you?”

“Italy is always covered in water since it’s sinking and it always seemed that whenever it rained, timing was bad. Besides, I always enjoyed watching Solitude, with Lila’s mom. Just the opening with her under her umbrella always, hit me for some odd reason.”

“Hmm.” Luka tugged Adrien over to the carousel, walking up the stairs where it was dry. He took Adrien’s bag and put it on the ground near the pole, using the umbrella to block any rain and dragged Adrien back outside.

“What are you doing?”

“We did Solitude, so let’s recreate Singing in the Rain. Come on, dance with me!”

Adrien let out a yelp as Luka tugged him around, spinning him in a circle. He did get soaked like he’d been worried about earlier but as the two span around, Adrien couldn’t help but laugh as they danced in the rain.

Staying under the umbrella after felt silly but Luka reminded him of his rant, he had about not finding a waterproof itabag that would work for school.

“You always remember. I’m starting to feel like I talk too much.”

“Don’t. I love hearing you talk.” Luka said, walking Adrien up to the door of his building. “get warm when you get upstairs.”

“You too. I’d hate to hear from your sister that you got sick because you wanted to take me dancing.”

“Worth it.” Luka started to step closer when Adrien spotted something over his shoulder.

“My mama.”

Adrien felt awkward being affectionate in front of his parents with Luka, mainly because they were so involved. Luka was ok with it, usually making it up when it was just them, but Adrien felt bad. He watched Luka noticed the car and then tilted the umbrella to block them from sight before kissing his check, close to his lips.

“Better?”

If it wasn’t for him hearing his mother approach, he’d take advantage of Luka’s idea and kiss him on the lips for the first time.

He’d remember that for next time.

#adrien august #adrien augreste 2023 #lukadrien

[aaronwarner]

Well, I haven't seen the finale either. I also dropped the series at the beginning of season 5 because it was really boring me (and also because finding the episodes to watch was getting more and more difficult). However, I still saw a lot of episodes spoilers, including the finale, and well...

Let's just say that Astruc decided for some reason that it was a good idea to make Gabriel go out in a heroic way.

Long story short, he made the wish to revive Emilie in exchange for his own life (a decision that came out of nowhere, only because Marinette made him watch a video of Emilie telling she didn't want to be revived), rewriting the reality, and the worst part is that everyone treated him as a fucking hero.

They built him a fucking statue.

No one, aside from Marinette, found out that he is Monarch, not even Adrien (who got also excluded from the final battle for no reason, despite being the co-protagonist, did I forgot to say that?).

That's right, Adrien will never know all the shitty things his father did, all because Gabriel asked Marinette to make sure his son only remembers "the times that he tried to be a good father" (which, rewatching the series as a whole, are not that many, man), and Marinette agreed for some reason, which means that she will keep this crucial secret Adrien has every right to know from him for the rest of their lives (and we are supposed to ship these two).

I won't make a papyrus about how fucking stupid this finale is, because I don't want to make this post longer that it already will be, but I will say this:

Gabriel is, just like Chloe, a character who had a lot of potential but was horribly wasted.

Seriously, as someone who loves symphatetic villains, he had all the potential to be one, and a really good one at that.

But in the end, just like all the characters in the series, and also the series in general, he got brutally ruined, simply because Astruc is not competent in writing either a good story or good characters (makes me think about what this series could have been if he wasn't involved in it).

Anyway, sorry for the long post.

On a positive note, it's really nice talking with you.

(Also, I didn't expect to be tagged, but thank you. Really, it makes me happy.)

Oh I had heard about Adrien not knowing and Marinette not telling him, and I couldn't agree more. Honestly, I don't have much to add, because really, you hit the nail in the head with most of what you're saying and it just makes me even more glad I dropped this show. Because of the awful writing, marinette ended up being an awful protagonist and Adrien, who should co-lead with her, isn't even treated as a protagonist anymore. And I'm gonna ignore the fact that Gabriel was given any kind of mercy whatsoever bc I refuse to acknowledge it. I'm so glad I don't care about this show anymore.

I just want to end it by quoting this part of what you said "Astruc is not competent in writing either a good story or good characters (makes me think about what this series could have been if he wasn't involved in it)" because you are DAMN RIGHT and you should say it!!

#astreinomane #thank you for your thoughts #i'm so so glad to hear someone out that has similar thoughts as me and also dropped the series for that reason #anti miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug

[princess-of-the-corner]

so on the 3rd chapter of teamwork, and I noticed that gabrial is firing lila

some question

lila worked for gabrial????

is this showing that even gabrial isnt full on evil in your au and that he has some good in him

seriously she worked for him???

Oh yeah like.

In Season 3 there was an episode where Lila asked Adrien to study with her and she talked her way into his house. While she was there she sneaked off and talked to Gabriel. She did the whole 'I can charm him with my lies!' thing, but Gabriel already knows she's a liar and he decided that he could keep an eye on her as 'Gabriel' with her attempt to get close to Adrien and have her help him more as 'Hawkmoth'.

Which is a Canon thing. Though in Canon the events of the episode 'Ladybug' was him telling her to cause a scene which is probably why she knows that he's the Villain because duh 'Gabriel' tells you to cause a scene and 'Hawkmoth' takes advantage with a Scarlet Moth situation? Obvious.

In Canon, she still works for Gabriel. Adrien's deal was 'leave Mari alone and I'll play nice', and she gets to co-model with him up until Season 5 when she's fired in favor of Kagami(oh hey! More evidence the Sentikids plot was bullshit). Though in HC she gets fired because Gabriel realizes that, as useful as she is for 'Hawkmoth', she's a danger for himself and Adrien.

(The fandom actually ran with the 'she's working for Gabriel' thing throughout Season 3 and some of 4, so there's fics where she's spying on Adrien and reporting his every action back to Gabriel).

Also yeah a note on Gabriel in HC/LL:

That version of Gabriel is a much better person than Canon. He genuinely cares about Adrien and is trying to keep him safe. He's very strict and overprotective, and it's still considered toxic and abusive. But it is nowhere near what Canon!Gabriel does. Especially because HC/LL!Gabriel /does/ listen to reason when it comes to what Adrien wants. When Adrien speaks up and points out logic, he can convince Gabriel to let him do things. While he's not the best father, he is still a father. Adrien's safety and happiness are a priority for him.

There's also the fact of HC/LL!Gabriel is. He's the sympathetic villain Canon is attempting. He is in control a lot of the time so things don't go too far, and does feel fear/guilt/remorse when things get out of control and people do get hurt. He realizes he is getting desperate when he pulls things like what happened with Miracle Queen and Sentibubbler. Though both situations had him bluffing, he was never going to genuinely hurt anyone there, he does still acknowledge that those events were a step too far. He asks Nathalie to help keep him in check, make sure he doesn't do something too far. Even so, he does not think of himself as 'redeemable' and understands if Emilie doesn't forgive him when she's brought back and will accept whatever punishment is in store for him once she's okay again. He is perfectly willing to trade his own life to do so from day 1, but if it doesn't take his life then he's fine with anything else. As long as she's okay.

He's also not going to Akumatize Adrien ever. That is a line he refuses to cross, and it would take a long time of spiraling downward. There are very few exceptions, such as if Adrien is in danger and Akumatization would give him the power to save himself. But he's not going to just to it randomly or even in the final confrontation.

He also stays in his own lane during the NY Special so he's not threatening WWIII. So ya know.

So yeah! In HC/LL Lila had a short-lived career working for Gabriel, and Gabriel himself is still a sympathetic villain trying to get his goal but staying somewhat within reason.

[wackus-bonkus-maximus]

Adrien analysis in the form of song!

Since we're talking Mumford and Sons, how about a very Adrien song? Broken Crown!

"Well, touch my mouth and hold my tongue

I'll never be your chosen one

I'll be home, safe and tucked away

Well you can't tempt me if I don't see the day

The pull on my flesh was just too strong

Stifled the choice and the air in my lungs

Better not to breathe than to breathe a lie

'Cause when I open my body I breathe in a lie

And I will not speak of your sins

There was a way out for him

The mirror shows not

Your values are all shot" Adrien has been living a lie for a very long time, his whole life had been curated and he has been tucked away from the outside works so he wouldn't be tempted or tainted by the world. And he'll never live up to the expectations of his family. He'll never be the chosen one.

Adrien is defined by his family, both in Felix and Gabriel who have been making choices for him his whole life, and it's killing him. "stifle the choice and the air in my lung", Adrien doesn't get a say in what he does with his life cause both Felix and Gabriel are going to do what they want regardless of what he says about it.

Felix is going to lie to him and do what he wants, be it selfish or selfless, Felix refuses to let Adrien be a part of the decision if his fate. Felix may let him strain that tether, but he doesn't know about the cure. He doesn't know his intetions.

Even if Felix means well, he still treats Adrien like a pawn.

"You'll forgive me when this is over." Gabriel denies Adrien his part in this, denies him the choice to even live a free life and denies him the choice in whether or not the woman who brought him into this world should be returned. Both Felix and Gabriel do this, but Gabriel is the truly guilty one.

Gabriel has refused Adriens personhood and life and freedom since he was born. To the point Adrien doesn't even have a dream. His dream is making his parents happy. Being who his parents want him to be. That's his dream. How cruel. Their values in life are selfish and heartless, Felix and Gabriel. Their values are shot.

But only one is working to fix it.

"But oh, my heart was flawed

I knew my weakness

So hold my hand

Consign me not to darkness

So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down

I'll never wear your broken crown

I took the road and I fucked it all away

Now in this twilight, how dare you speak of grace?"

Adrien knew he was always going to be weaker than both the men in his life who chose this fate for him. Because he cared. He cares so fucking much. He loves so fucking much and loves so freely it made him weak to them, to himself. And yet that love, that tenderness has always been Adriens biggest strength.

It saved everybody he's ever loved on numerous occasions. Ladybug especially. The ONE time he decided to try and take things on alone, throw caution to the wind and be reckless and not show that tenderness and love, it got him killed and lead him to becoming Cat Walker.

"So hold my hand, consign me not to darkness." Is a plea. An outstretched hand to both men, to both of them to reconsider. Stop condemning him and themselves to this dark path of vengeance and sadness and selfish greed. There's a way out for them, but they didn't take it.

And of course, he's denied.

"Crawl on my belly til the sun goes down" is a very dehumanizing, infantilizing line. Adrien very much IS dehumanized and infantilized by these two.

Gabriel can't see his son as his own person, he licks him away and treats him like a child even as an adult. Even now he treats him like he's a toddler. He has to be baby gated and given baby sitters. And Gabriel has never seen him as a person, not really. He's always been caught up in the whole idea of him being... Perfect. Being like Emilie. He sees the perfection and life Emilie wanted, or what he thinks she wanted, and disregards that maybe Adrien deserves his own life divorced from their intention.

And Felix, of course doesn't really dehumanize him.. at least not intentionally. Felix definitely infantilizes Adrien. He keeps secrets from him for his own good, he refuses to let him make his own decisions unless he LETS them (whether he really is letting him or not is up for debate) happen.

He treats Adrien how you'd treat your child or a younger sibling or cousin. He can't make his own decisions cause he doesn't know better, you have to make those decisions for them sometimes even if it hurts them in the now or upsets them. He sometimes even treats Adrien like a pawn, like a game piece, and that's how he dehumanizes him.

But he'll refuse this outcome for himself. He will rebel. He will deny their control over his life and he will say "fuck you" to their path they've made FOR him, not with him and not wear their broken crowns. How DARE they speak of grace, how DARE they speak of the greater good, HOW DARE THEY tell him what's good for him. He took that road.

"So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down

I'll never wear your broken crown

I can take the road and I can fuck it all away

But in this twilight, our choices seal our fate" He will crawl his way to his goal, he will deny their broken crowns and he will spit in the face of the grace they supposedly allowed him.

Or at least I sure fucking hope he does.

Their fate has already been sealed. There is no going back for any of them anymore. Their choices have sealed away their future.

Only time will tell where they ended up.

kk;aeoawefkleflsdfkl broken crown for adrien! now that's a big brain idea! giving him a song about a person trapped in a lie, trapped by someone who stifles his choice... aioadowoek;dfjfaw;o;l it's so good. so very good.

"He'll never live up to the expectations of his family. He'll never be the chosen one." rather, this is by his own choice (in odnlb)! he doesn't want to be a puppet to others' decisions, and is doing all he can to be the un-chosen one.

poor adrien. he's bound to felix and gabriel by magic and blood, and both make decisions for him they "think is best." maybe they care, maybe they really have good intentions, but it's the fact that adrien doesn't get a say in their decisions at all!

i find it so sad yet so insightful how your analysis of adrien's "weakness" is his caring heart. "no good deed" goes unpunished with him, and while that only serves to show how selfless he really is (he will always choose the right thing), that love and tenderness is always exploited. his heart is both his greatest strength and greatest downfall, because others leap at any opportunity to take advantage of that.

adrien is so ready to forgive felix and gabe, so ready to love them fully again. it's ironic that this is the one factor they don't have control over, the one choice they can't make for him. i mean, i guess they COULD...but they won't. and that's what keeps adrien from hating them altogether.

#adrien agreste #chat noir #cat walker #felix graham de vanily #gabriel agreste #sentiadrien #peacock felix #mumford and sons #odnlb #one does not love breathing #odnlb analysis

[natedogx15]

Small question: If Felix’s and Colt’s relationship also bad in Miraculous Descendant? And is Colt also dead? Small question for… something.

I'm guessing you're asking because of Representation. I keep up with some of the news around the series here and there, even if I don't watch the show anymore. In case there's anything I'm able to use for Miraculous Descendent. I've been revamping the history accordingly to new knowledge.

To answer your question, yes. It is absolutely terrible, like in canon. However, it's bad for different reasons due to changes I've made regarding Felix. To answer your second question, no, he isn't dead. Here, Colt is not dead because there were no fertility issues surrounding Felix's birth, and it caused him to be naturally conceived.

I don't know if you've noticed, but the "Hero of Another Story" trope is a big player in Miraculous Descendent because of Gabriel, Emilie, and the previous generation of Miraculous wielders before our current cast.

Here, Emilie still refused to bow to her parents' whims and took Duusu and left the family to be with Gabriel. Who was her crime-fighting partner at the time. At the same time, Amelie accepts an arranged marriage to try and make her parents happy. Unfortunately, it's to someone she and her sister know all too well. Growing up, Colt was someone who continuously voiced his disapproval of heroes, especially magic ones like those who wielded a Miraculous. She was displeased with the marriage but kept going with it due to her parents' wishes. He would eventually discover the Graham de Vanily family's connection with magic and talk down to Amelie for it due to his arrogance. Straining their relationship even further since he would still talk down about Emilie, even after her disappearance. He'd also come to develop a slightly more tense relationship with Felix due to him being born with the genes of a "freak" family that Colt was forced to marry.

Move on to season three, where Felix is supposed to debut with the Chameleon Miraculous after Amelie discovers it but keeps it hidden from Colt while giving it to her son. Part of his motive changes toward ruining his father for all the pain he's brought along with his plans to try and get rid of the Miraculous. If everything goes well, I'd like to make Colt a foil toward Gabriel, Tomoe, and Audrey.

That's at least the plan so far. It may change later since I have nothing but time until season three.

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