#ml s5 analysis

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

The days Zoe loved Marinette

In "Adoration", Zoe reveals to Marinette she had been secretly in love with her since the day they met. Marinette might have felt surprised to learn that she was the ninth grader Zoe was in love with all along, but it wasn’t long before Marinette's moment of surprise quickly turned to realization as she thought back to the time they shared together and realized it was obvious from the start that Zoe was in love with her, it’s just that no one thought to take notice.

Aside from Andre, no one else knew Zoe was in love with Marinette, but looking back, a lot of things that happened around Zoe in past episodes, make a lot more sense now.

Zoe met Marinette the day she arrived to Paris in "Sole Crusher," and at the time, no one knew who she was, making it all the more pleasant for Zoe as it was a brief window of opportunity to show her real personality, before having to hide it to fit the standards of the Bourgeois. Meeting Marinette was a complete contrast to what Zoe normally experienced, but was overall a moment Zoe felt she could genuinely just talk to someone without fearing the consequences that would come from allowing herself to be vulnerable enough to act more like herself.

Obviously Chloe did not hesitate to judge Zoe the moment they met, even threatening to send her back to New York if she didn't fit the family standards, while Audrey in turn saw nothing wrong in Chloe's methods and was more than willing to agree with Chloe for the same reasons. But with Marinette, everything was different. Marinette didn't judge Zoe, she looked at her with honest eyes and noticed she had her unique qualities, but also her share of struggles, all things Chloe and Audrey were quick to reject and ignore, from the unique shoes on her feet, to the way she hinted about her life in New York being anything but happy. Marinette listened to Zoe, she wanted to understand her, and despite not knowing much about her, there she was ready and willing to not only gift Zoe pastries as a way of welcoming her to Paris, but to also ensure the two of them would keep in touch by exchanging numbers.

Marinette gave Zoe her number on a box of macaroons, but it was her heart felt attempts to keep Zoe's number as close to her as possible, on the palm of her hand, that truly made Zoe realize Marinette was a kind and considerate person who wanted to befriend her, rather than expect her to be a certain way in order to obtain that friendship. But in actuality, this little moment always had more to it than the start of a friendship, it was the start of something more. Not long after Zoe wrote her phone number on Marinette's palm, Zoe BLUSHES, hinting she was not only falling for Marinette the moment they met, but that this new love she felt would grow the more Marinette reached out to her and saw through her attempts to fit in with her family, understanding there was something holding het back from being who she truly wanted to be.

(In "Sole Crusher", Zoe blushed at Marinette, revealing the beginning of her love towards Marinette.)

(In Sole Crusher, after Zoe arrived at the Collège Françoise Dupont and felt compelled to insult Marinette to please Chloe, it was Marinette, the one girl who actually got to know her, who understood something was wrong and who was unwilling to push her away without hearing her out.)

 Although Zoe believed she had no other choice but to accept the same fate Andre had, as he too accepted long ago that he would need to abandon his dreams and much of who he was so he could shape himself to fit the standards of the Bourgeois family, it was Marinette who once again tried to reach out to her and told her what she was too afraid to tell herself, that no matter the consequences she feared, she always had a choice to just be herself.

After Zoe was akumatized into Sole Crusher, Shadowmoth pointed out that Zoe was weakening the more she listened to Marinette's words, and of course she did, this one girl(Marinette) whom she had fallen in love with, knew exactly how she was feeling, how frustrated she was to have to hide herself from others and constantly put on a show to pretend her life was fine. And of course Marinette understood how Zoe felt as well as the life Zoe was living, because she too was living that very struggle everyday of her life as Ladybug, and had already known all too well what it was like to have to live a life where she was controlled and judged by Chloe, who expected her to fit the role she had made for her.

(Back in "Heart Hunter", Marinette opened up about her frustrations, one of which was being unable to just be herself, of always having to pretend she was fine for fear of the consequences.)

 Marinette didn't want Zoe to live with the same lonely struggle she had, to constantly hide from others, which is why she was so determined to reach Zoe/Sole Crusher and tell her she didn't have to hide her true self while in Paris.

Marinette did say there would always be someone there to help Zoe up when she is down, if she took that chance to open up to people who actually cared about others, and at the very least, Zoe could place her faith in knowing that someone like Marinette, who never gave up on trying to reach out to her, really would always be there for her, and she was, from the very moment they met.

At the end of "Sole Crusher'', when Zoe shared the macaroons Marinette gifted her with everyone at Anarka's boat, who welcomed her with open arms, there was a subtle moment where Zoe's eye's remained focused on Marinette, that look was not just out of friendship, it was out of love for the girl who gave her the life she never thought she could have.

We even see Nino pointing to a rainbow on the title screen as Zoe happily stood beside him, a hint that Zoe was LGBTQ+. Zoe loved Marinette the day they met, but there was just one problem, it was entirely one sided as Marinette was already in love with Adrien.

Back in "Transmission", when Zoe found out that Marinette was struggling with her love life, she did not hesitate to reach out to her to help. Of course, the situation surrounding Marinette and Adrien's love life was no easy matter to sort through and understand on account of their secret lives as heroes, but out of everyone in their social circle, it was Zoe who said she knew perfectly well just how complicated love can be. She knew because she was secretly facing a complicated love of her own, towards Marinette, that entire time.

And sure, Zoe still had her issues with her family to sort through, but it was precisely her love for Marinette that eventually helped her find the courage she always had to stand up to all of them, and learn to not let their threats continue to control her.

To be the one whom her family mistreated was one thing, but to watch her family mistreat the girl she loved was not something she could bare to stand and watch, which is why in "Deflagration", Zoe took any fear and doubt she had over facing Chloe, and threw it straight out the window, refusing to stand by any longer as Chloe attempted to humiliate Marinette during her special lunch with Adrien. Chloe's threats might have proven effective in the past to make Zoe grovel for forgiveness, but in that moment, Zoe could care less, she’d rather get sent back to New York than have to stand by and watch the girl she loved cry.

(In Transmission", Zoe found the courage to stand up to Chloe for Marinette's sake, and even though she quickly realized she may have to face severe consequences for it later, to see Marinette smile happily at her, thanking her for what she did, made it feel it was all worth while if it meant she helped the girl she loved.)

As tough as it must have been watching Marinette fall head over heels for Adrien, even helping in any plans to help her get closer to him, the one thing Zoe had that likely eased her heartache, was knowing that Marinette was still part of her life and had found happiness with someone who loved her just as much as she did.

In "Adoration", Zoe saw picture after picture of Adrien that Marinette owned, she saw Marinette's constant flustering and embarrassment towards him, her little sketches, her writings and talks about what their future together would be like, Zoe watched it all, and even though she knew every action and every word that came out of Marinette was for someone else, Zoe never reacted negatively towards it, instead, she smiled, smiled at how all those things made Marinette happy and larger than life. At the end of "Adoration", Zoe said she felt there was no point in telling Marinette she loved her if she was already in love with someone else, that doing so would only change, or even ruin, things between them, but thankfully, Marinette thought otherwise

In many ways, Marinette knew the kind of heartache Zoe felt, because she faced the same thing in the season 3 finale, when she tried to give up on telling Adrien she loved him and instead watched him drift towards Kagami, someone she thought Adrien loved and would love him just as much as she did in return.

Yeah, Marinette's situation with Adrien wound up working out as she realized he always loved her, but had she been in the same position Zoe was in, then she would have wanted to take the chance to tell the person she loved how she felt if they were willing to give her that chance, to finally have that weight lifted from her shoulders and allow her to move on with her life, and that is exactly what she gave Zoe, a chance in knowing the person she loved would be willing to listen to her confession.

At the end of "Adoration", Marinette gave Zoe the chance to speak her feelings, and despite Zoe's fears over what could have changed between them as friends in the process, thankfully, nothing did. If anything, the only change that did occur between them, was added respect towards one another in knowing they had both grown as people. Marinette never made any elaborate plans when she thought Zoe was in love with Adrien, and Zoe never broke the boundaries of their friendship to try and make Marinette fall in love with her. The two of them never lost sight of each other and accepted they both needed to be considerate of one another and be clear on how they felt. Marinette couldn’t reciprocate Zoe’s feelings, but this didn’t change the fact that she still loved her just as much as any other good person in her life, she loved everything Zoe did to make her feel better and appreciated everything Zoe did to look out for her in her most dire of times, such as when Chloe blamed her for stealing. Instead of ignoring Zoe’s confession, Marinette chose to acknowledge Zoe's feelings, giving her a proper rejection.

(Despite not feeling romantically drawn to Zoe, Marinette was still flattered by someone as wonderful as Zoe would fall in love with her.)

Zoe was always aware her love towards Marinette was entirely one sided, and even though she knew a romantic future with Marinette would never be possible, to know that Marinette valued her so much and thought so highly of her, meant more to her than anything, giving her the peace she never knew she wanted, and the confidence she needed to keep being that amazing girl Marinette said anyone would be honored to be loved by.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #tales of ladybug and cat noir #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #mlb ladybug #thomas astruc #ml ladybug #cat noir #mlb s5 spoilers #zoe lee #mlb vesperia #mlb Adoration analysis #mlb sole crusher analysis #mlb s5 analysis #ml s5 analysis #ml Adoration analysis #zoenette

[miraculous-floconfettis]

"The baker girl".

This is how people like Chloé or Gabriel have been referring to Marinette in a mean and mocking way throughout the seasons, as if this was something she should be ashamed of.

The fact that her Lucky Charm turned out to be a baker's peel and she used it to beat the crap out of Monarch is so symbolic and powerful.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #mlb season 5 spoilers #mlb s5 spoilers #ladybug #chat noir #miraculous spoilers #miraculous floconfettis #ml theory #ml thoughts #ml analysis

[emsylcatac]

Part of me will always mourn that we didn't get to see Chat Noir fighting Monarch, his father, in the finale battle. That's always gonna be nagging in the back of my mind.

At the same time, it was a little predictable, and what the writers chose to do instead makes a lot of sense when you think about it, and is maybe more satisfying for Adrien's arc regarding his relationship to his father than if he'd had to fight Monarch knowing it's Gabriel. (Not talking about the whole "he still doesn't know his father was Monarch" bit, I'm strictly talking about the fights here - that one's another topic entirely)

I say "predictable", because of what happened in "Representation". Adrien got here his moment to fight his father, as a seemingly akuma victim, and this on his own without Ladybug.

With this set-up we have here: Adrien confronting and fighting his father as in Gabriel Agreste, and Marinette confronting and fighting her nemesis as in Monarch. That's always what we envisioned as the finale fight against Monarch would be: Adrien vs his abusive father and Ladybug vs her enemy. It just didn't happen in the same fight, so both could separately have their moment and their thing to say.

I think in the end it's significantly more important that Adrien got to fight Gabriel Agreste as Psycauchemardeur focusing solely on him as his father, than have him fight Gabriel Agreste knowing it's Monarch. Because everything that happened in Representation, everything Adrien told his father as Chat Noir and everything Adrien was angry about regarding his father's behaviour with him, that all comes down to how Gabriel has acted as a father to him independently of him being a city terrorist.

If Adrien had had the realisation that his father's actions were terrible through the discovery that he was, on top of an abuser, a supervillain, then the whole "terrorising innocents" would have overshadowed in Adrien's anger all that Gabriel did to him personally as an abuser & shitty parental figure.

What I mean is that Adrien realising his father is shitty independently of knowing he's a terrorist and confronting him about it in a fight is part of his arc and is more impactful than Adrien confronting his father for his supervillain acts. He didn't realise Gabriel was a terrible person because he was a supervillain, but because he understood he was an abusive father and that's amazing

And that's why he got his moment in Representation while Marinette had hers in the finale - Gabriel is a shitty person both as a father and by being a magical terrorist. Adrien confronted him about the "shitty father" bit, and Marinette about the "magical terrorist bit", and both these things make sense with their respective character arcs & respective relationships to Gabriel

#i already see ppl coming to me with 'but now he thinks he's a hero' and again: #this analysis isn't about that part #that part is something else that might be adressed later by the show #i'm talking purely about the finale fights here & why i think the writers went with these instead of a ladynoir vs monarch fight #ml analysis #ml spoilers #recreation #recreation spoilers #ml s5 finale #s5 finale spoilers #s5 finale #ml s5 finale spoilers

[uptoolateart]

Okay, so what I was saying in my long Gabriel analysis rings true. (Ha ha...rings....) He changed to be accepted by Emilie's parents.

Deep down, Gabriel probably relates to Marinette. In the story Feligami tell...Marinette could easily be the poor tailor, while Adrien is the heir to the empire, ready to throw it all away for her.

At some point, Gabriel got twisted and sold out his values. It was probably a gradual process, which explains why Emilie initially fell in love with him and then stuck with him despite her unhappiness with him later.

In one of her videos for Nathalie, she said Gabriel got stuck on things. He was good enough for her but not for himself.

When he looks at Marinette, he sees a little of what he used to be. When he gives her that speech about being naive in the fashion world...he's talking about himself, once upon a time. I think he once had a dream like hers, and he let it go, focusing instead on the wealth and status he needed to be good enough for his in-laws.

Now, he envies Marinette, even if he's unaware of it. That's the only reason a grown man would be fixated on her in that way. He's treating her the way Emilie's parents treated him. He has to break her and get her out of his son's life because if he doesn't - if she achieves her dreams of marrying Adrien and becoming a designer without selling out her principles - it means he could have done this too. It will force him to reflect and take accountability for his bad decisions...and he just can't cope with that.

Similarly, when he hurls abuse at Cat Noir about what an ill-mannered child he is, and when he goes to such lengths to control Adrien...I really think he's seeing a reflection of his younger self there too.

Underneath the pancakes and bad dancing and total insanity, the man is nothing but a writhing heap of regrets and won't see that he had so many chances to do things another way.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #ml fandom #ml gabriel #gabriel agreste's a+ parenting #gabriel agreste #ml representation #ml spoilers #ml s5 spoilers #ml s5 #ml meta #ml analysis #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #ml adrien #ml marinette #adrinette #adrienette #emilie agreste

[zaaaras]

not to go all film major OKAYYYYY but this shot is so cool Like the fireworks shooting behind her while it encompasses marinette in darkness

ESPECIALLY in comparison to this shot a couple scenes later

where the light behind her makes her shine when she realizes ladybug is the only one who can help She got out of that darkness

#ml #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml s5 #ml s5 spoilers #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #ml representation spoilers #ml representation #representation spoilers #felix fathom #kagami tsurugi #ml analysis

[new-kit-on-the-block]

Miraculous - The watered-down significance of akumatization

(This is an analysis, but it's also a sort of rant. So there's a lot of text underneath the cut. Just a fair warning.)

I have a problem with the way that the latter seasons of Miraculous handle akumatization.

There's a pretty basic rule of thumb when it comes to writing the bigger moments of your story:

If something is a big deal, let it be a big deal.

Seasons 4 and 5 don't always do that.

Let's take a look at what I mean.

These are screenshots of the three separate occasions that characters have broken out of akumatization in seasons 4 and 5.

Take note of who these characters are and their importance (or lack thereof) to the overall plot.

On the one hand, you have Alya and Nino, the two main characters' respective best friends. It's only natural in a show like this for these two to be strong enough to break out of akumatization, it makes the main characters look like they definitely chose their friends right.

And then you have Alix's Redditor conspiracy-theorist older brother.

Why is he one of the big three who managed such a significant feat like this?

It's not like he's been shown to be particularly strong-willed. In fact, one could argue that he's even less so than most other characters due to how much further he fell into the rabbit hole of Lila's manipulation than anyone else.

His gullibility and irrationality are the entire reason he gets akumatized in the first place.

And he doesn't ever play a significant role after this, either. The only other time that he even had so much as a speaking role was the other time he got akumatized way back in season 1 for not being allowed to sacrifice someone to the Egyptian gods.

Now, these aren't the first times that people have fought back against Hawkmoth while being akumatized. But they are the first times that they've successfully broken out.

Pixelator questioned Hawkmoth's authority over him, and in response, Hawkmoth did something with his hand that started causing physical pain to Pixelator, reinstating his control over his akuma.

The only other time an akuma victim fought back was Robustus, which was a special case because he rebelled against Hawkmoth by using the specific abilities that were granted to him.

Neither of them even tried to escape akumatization.

Akumatization has always been set up as something powerful. Something that takes the worst parts of you and amplifies them to the point of no longer being capable of rational thought.

We never end up questioning why people don't try to resist akumatization if they know that they might end up hurting people. We already know the answer. It's because they can't.

Even Ms. Bustier, possibly the character who hated akumatization the most at the time, couldn't avoid becoming akumatized despite her best efforts.

So three separate people breaking free from their akumatization should imply that Gabriel's control over his victims is getting weaker, which would be a very big deal.

But nothing is ever done with that. After Alix's brother, nobody ever broke out of akumatization again. The ability to do so is used as nothing more than a plot device in these few episodes.

Another thing is that, if anything, Gabriel's grasp over his victims' emotional state should be even stronger.

His akumas are canonically more powerful than before, to make the lucky charms that Ladybug hands out stop working against him.

If bigger and more powerful akumas don't make his hold on people even stronger than before, then the entire arc of Ladybug realizing that she can create charms to prevent people from being akumatized more than once, and Hawkmoth's counter-arc of nullifying her efforts by simply creating bigger akumas was all just a complete waste of time.

After Guiltrip, I assumed that they were building up to Rose being able to break out of akumatization through her naturally positive nature alone, and then they would have an arc of her teaching others how to do the same.

Suffice to say, neither of those things happened.

Rose's "inner voice" that she's apparently had in her head this entire time doesn't serve any actual purpose other than to make her worthy of the pig miraculous.

To be clear: I don't have any issues with Rose's invisible illness never being mentioned at any point before Guiltrip. That's the entire point of an invisible illness.

My point is that Rose's ability to break free from negative emotion-based mind control is an extremely important ability that was never even so much as hinted at before or even brought up again any time after Guiltrip.

So, once again, it's just an extremely important one-off ability that doesn't matter and doesn't affect the stakes whatsoever.

These seasons keep throwing moments at us that should be very big deals but are never treated as such.

Now let's compare all of this to an actually good akumatization-related scene.

When Chloe successfully rejected akumatization.

When this happened, it was huge, and it felt like it too.

Not just because of how impressive the feat itself was, but also because of where Chloe was in her character arc.

Chloe was under the impression that Ladybug might never let her be Queen Bee again. Full stop.

She had potentially permanently lost a privilege that really mattered to her, Lila was starting to get inside her head, and she was becoming mean to Sabrina again.

By all accounts, Chloe should've been in the stage of her arc where she started to revert back to her old self. The old Chloe would've accepted Hawkmoth's words without a second thought.

If this was the conventional Zuko-style arc that so many writers try and fail to replicate, this would've been the scene where it seems like she may not actually get redeemed, and would fall back on old patterns of hers. Which is an interesting enough arc on its own.

But we instead have a girl who doesn't have any way of truly knowing better, has no good role models, and is close only to people who enable her worst behaviors. And she chooses to be good.

Her worst fears are starting to come true, nobody seems to have any care or respect for her, and a smarter and more experienced grown man is using all of these negative emotions against her to mind control her. And she still chooses to trust the process and work to gain back Ladybug's trust. Exactly like Ladybug told her to.

The one time she was given really good advice, it stuck with her.

This is the moment that flat-out confirms that Chloe can be redeemed, and actively wants to be better.

Not only did she not get akumatized, she almost made it look easy.

But the show still makes it perfectly clear that this wasn't an easy feat by any means.

She was visibly exhausted and scared after the akuma left, breathing heavily like she almost just drowned.

But the important part is that she did it. She didn't get akumatized. And she is shown to be rightfully proud of this fact.

It's also interesting to note that no other character has ever broken out of akumatization, mid-akumatization.

In the seasons to come, several people would be breaking out of akumatization after they had already been akumatized. But Chloe is the first, and only, person to reject akumatization before it even took hold.

That's how you give a moment like this the emotional weight that it deserves, by letting it stand on its own and not bombarding your audience with the same scene played out by several other characters.

Chloe was the only one to do this, and that shows that she could bring something special to the team if she actually got the chance to be a heroine again. It makes us consider the possibility that her stubborn and argumentative nature might actually end up being a silver lining. She can still be herself while saving people. In her own way.

She can be a hero. She can become a better person. And she doesn't have to change a thing about herself.

It would be a really nice message to send.

Which just makes it all the more disappointing when it doesn't amount to anything.

If the point of her character was that she could've been better, but became worse instead, that would've made for an interesting sort of tragedy.

But that's not what it is. I know that's not what the writers intended because if that were the case, then Ladybug would've probably had some lines about how much potential Chloe had, and how well she was doing before she went back to her old self.

We don't get any of that. What we get instead is the show and characters acting like Chloe was always as bad as she is in seasons 4 and 5.

She never actually liked Adrien. She was never kind to her father or Sabrina. She never wanted to get better.

And that's just not true.

Sorry, the main point of this post was to showcase the difference between important moments that were given the appropriate emotional weight, and those that weren't. But I just went off on a bit of a tangent there.

God. Even when this show gets something right, it gets like ten other things wrong.

Anyway, TDLR: If you want a moment to be significant, let it be significant. Let it make big changes that actually matter. Don't be a coward who's too afraid to change the hierarchy of your story in any kind of way that matters.

If you want a moment to have an impact on your audience, give it time to breathe on its own, and don't repeat it for at least a little while after.

And for God's sake, if an ability is a big deal, then don't let some unimportant side character that no one cares about also have that ability. It just makes it seem like it's not.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #mlb #miraculous spoilers #ml spoilers #ml s4 spoilers #ml s5 spoilers #miraculous analysis #miraculous critical #writing #writer #writing advice #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #chloe bourgeois #rose lavillant #ml rose #jalil kubdel #hawkmoth #gabriel agreste

[piromina]

WAIT A MINUTE

We all know Felix is a theatre kid....but have we ever thought of WHY he's a theatre kid?

What if–and hear me out on this one–what if Felix became a theatre kid because he had to? As in, there was a life-or-death situation, and the only way Felix could get out of it was by taking theatre?

Alright, so as we know, Felix is a sentimonster created by his dad.

And, as we know, Felix's dad was a bit....abusive.

And, as we know, Felix knows this too. With the amount of times Felix has had to obey his father, no matter how much he didn't want to, he knew something had to be up. After Colt kept calling him a "monster", over and over again, he realized he was a sentimonster. He just didn't know where the amok was. But after Colt cracked the ring, Felix figured everything out.

And Colt knew that Felix knew.

And Colt knew that Felix was probably going to tell someone about it. Someone like, possibly, the police. CPS. Both of those are options. And Colt didn't want to get into all of....that.

So he got his ring, and gave Felix an order.

"Don't tell anyone."

And, after that, Felix couldn't. He couldn't tell anyone that he was a sentimonster.

...But that was just it.

Colt Fathom has made a mistake. Because of his jealousy of Adrien, he wanted Felix to be even better. In everything. He had Felix go to school, and Felix graduated at, like, 13. Graduated.

But, Colt, if Felix graduated, that means that he is smart. Smart enough to find a way out of this predicament, out of this little ordeal you put him into. Maybe he can't call CPS on you, and maybe he can't tell anybody that he's a sentimonster.

....At least, not directly.

After this incident with the ring, and with all of the new knowledge Felix now has, he starts looking for loopholes in the commands. He starts finding ways to disobey.

If he can't tell anyone that he's a sentimonster, can he at least heavily imply it?

And so, Felix took theatre. He learned how to sing and dance.. He learned about sets and backdrops, and costumes, and he learned how to act like other people.

And all of his acting paid off in the episode Representation. Felix puts on a play, a good one, too. And it conveys everything it's supposed to. He can't tell Marinette he was created by the peacock miraculous. But he can show it.

He can't tell Marinette that he had an abusive father. But he can show it.

He can't tell Marinette that his amok is in the signet ring. But he can show it.

And, if you're wondering, "But...Felix has his amok now. Right? If he's wearing his ring, why doesn't he just give himself back the ability to tell someone?"

Well, that's because, by that time, he couldn't call CPS on his dad, if he's dead.

He couldn't tell Marinette anything directly, because she hates him. He knows that if he just goes up to her and tells her all of this, she might not believe him.

"But that still doesn't explain why Felix wouldn't just give himself free will to talk about it then. And how would Kagami have found out about it?"

Well, I have answers to both of those questions. Felix might not have known about the amok order. Maybe, Colt gives the order to him, but Felix doesn't know that it was an order. Maybe Felix did attempt calling the police, but he found that he couldn't say anything about his problem. Like there was some invisible force holding him back. And he didn't know what it was.

Maybe the amok orders stayed in place, even though Felix put on the ring. He had the power to take those magical barriers away, but he didn't really know they were there. And how could he take something away if he doesn't know that it exists?

And how did Kagami find out about the whole thing? Well, Felix must have given her the peacock brooch. He had her put it on, and sense the amoks that they were wearing. He had her see that both of them were sentimonsters.

"But why didn't Felix give the miraculous to Marinette, then?" Marinette is Ladybug. If Felix just handed over the brooch, she would take it and run, not even bothering to put it on.

So he had to put on the play to tell her.

It's a loophole.

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml s5 spoilers #ml speculation #ml analysis #felix fathom #felix graham de vanily #colt fathom #representation spoilers #sentimonster felix #sentimonster theory

[kisilinramblings]

After the Wish - Adrien's side

Hi, everyone! Are you ready for some scene analysis? Like the title says, this post will focus on Adrien's scenes following the Wish.

Before I start though, I am very well aware the ending bring a lot of very passionnated and very opinated minds. This is why I am asking to please keep an open mind and keep things civil. I won't tolerate any bashing or rude comments. Both on this post and in my inbox. Keep in mind this analysis in my own interpretation of the shots and scenes based on my cinematographic knowledge as well as my viewing experience and memory of the 5 seasons of Miraculous.

I am sharing this analysis because I love the show and because analysing helps me better understand what I see.

Also, this is a leak free analysis. I only analyze and make conclusions based on what it is shown to us on-screen.

So, if you are ok with staying respectful and open to see the episode through my lens, you are more than welcome to continue reading.

Without further ado, let's go!

After the whole universe was engulfed by the light of Gabriel's Wish, the white screen fade to a close up of Adrien sleeping. Marinette's head then block the shot temporarily before Adrien awaken, smiling. We can guess she kissed him.

This shot personally reminds me of the fairy tales in which the knight kisses the princess to awake her from her curse. And it isn't coincidental if the very first image we see after Gabriel made the Wish is Adrien. There is meaning in that. In fact, I want to point out the shot choice itself because I find it unusual.

We are facing a tight close up facing directly Adrien while he is sleeping and then awakes. Normally, we are more used to a medium shot which allow to see the character is lying down and frame both characters. The camera is also normally placed on the side and not directly facing one particular character. Again in order to see both actors at the same time. Think of Disney Snow White or Sleeping Beauty for example.

And even in more modern ones.

You know which other character in the show who had their eyes closed, often shown in a frontal angle and who we were anticipating to wake up? Émilie.

Except this isn't Émilie who awakes, but Adrien.

Not only this tight close up gives a lot of importance and relevance to him, but Adrien is so in our face that it feels like nothing around him mattered, not even the kiss Adrien received. What matters is Adrien. Solely him. And Adrien is smiling.

Then the camera starts to expand little to little to unveil Adrien's "new world". In cinema, we are quite used to start a scene is with help of wide shot before cuting to closer shots. Here, it is the other way around. Which confers a sense of mystery to the scene.

The first thing Adrien sees is Marinette, the girl he is in love with, at his side, bathed by the summer sunlight. The light choice hints we got a time ellipse between this moment and the previous scene.

As Adrien rises up we see their friends having fun in what we guess is the Agreste Mansion Garden.

The artists are painting a mural inspired by Delacroix's famous painting Liberty Leading the People where the characters are remplaced by La Résistance members and led by Ms Bustier depicted as Liberty herself. She is leading the youth to freedom, to a better future.

The rest of the class and their allies are playing in the pool or chilling together.

This series of shots show us the Agreste Mansion garden flourishing with life. In the background, the flowers are all in full bloom, the plants cover most of the gray stones of the mansion, garnishing those with vibrant green tones. On-screen people laughing and having fun.

Hawkmoth (Party Crasher) : I don't feel any negative emotions. There's only... Joy? What is going on in my house?!

This series of shots shows how we are at the opposite at how life used to be for Adrien. His friends can come over and party with him. We see members of both his family and found family. Adrien isn't trapped inside his home-prison anymore. He isn't isolated anymore. He is surrounded by people who love and care about him. And Gabriel is absent from the picture.

Like Bug Noire said earlier during this episode, Adrien already had all of that before the Wish. Adrien went to school and made friends on his own. He wanted to have a birthday party at his home (Bubbler). He wanted to hang and have fun with his friends on multiple occasions. But Gabriel was always the biggest obstacle for Adrien to have those moments, those memories.

It is Gabriel who kept his son isolated. Because Gabriel was living in the past and was unable to move on with life while Adrien decided he wanted more in life than being stuck inside a cocoon. And at the end of Revolution, Adrien knew what he wanted :

Adrien : Father, please, I know what I want. Let me live my life here in Paris with Marinette and my friends. Gabriel : You must go through with this like an Agreste. That's what your mother would have wanted. Adrien : No, I'm sure that Mom would have just wanted me to be happy.

And, in the end, Adrien's wish is fulfilled.

One last sidenote before I continue concerns that one shot.

Despite not being in the center of the shot, Nathalie seems to be doing better than the last time we saw her. She has a least more colors and has gained her red streak of hair back. Her pose however seems... limited. Maybe her body is still weak from the illness afflicting her. Maybe it is due to budget constraint. Or maybe it is both. And remember what Bug Noire said to Gabriel at the end of their fight : she estimated Nathalie had only a few hours left. And we are weeks from now. Either Bug Noire was wrong in her prognostic or Nathalie survived.

Émilie : Adrien will be well surrounded. He'll have you Nathalie, and he'll have his father, if Gabriel agrees to give up on his madness... and on me. Adrien will have all the love he needs to be happy.

Anyway, the group pauses their activities to watch a new show called "Monde Nouveau" (litteraly "New World") and hosted by Alec.

Alec as we know, has changed to become an icon about being yourself and making your dream come true. And him being the host of that new show instead of a character like Nadja, means that we are looking at an happy and positive vision of things.

He interviews Caline Bustier, now both Mayor of Paris and mother of a girl named Harmonie. She shares her program for a better future to us, the audience.

As she talks about her eco-rules, we see sketches supporting her vision. At the bottom right, we recognize the Tsurugi company logo, but next to it there is a new one we haven't seen before.

Next, we see an unveiling of the statue of Gabriel Agreste, which confirms that Gabriel has died. His statue is made of recycled Alliances put out of commission after Monarch's last attack.

Gabriel's statue is his entire height. Gabriel was already a tall character when he was living and his statue is even taller than him. His chin is up, proud. It is almost like he is superior, looking up like that. The camera slight low angle also contributes to this impression I have. Also, he holds a pencil like the designer he is.

Tomoe : Beyond the visionary entrepreneur and the genius creator, it's the hero we celebrate today.

This is how the Parisians in-universe see him. They are unaware of Gabriel's secret identity. They are unaware of the truth. They only know of the image the professional him gave away and they believed he died in an attempt to stop Monarch.

I want to point out the fact Gabriel's statue is made of Alliances. The very tool he uses to try and defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir. He turned Adrien and Kagami's image into avatar for this product against their will to sell both the Alliances and an illusion. He deformed the truth with their avatars by presenting them as a couple (Revelation), or make deepfakes out of them (Representation and Conformation). Now, Gabriel's statue, his image, is made of the very same tool he used. And the Alliances, despite being put out of commission, still contribute to blur the line of what is truth and what is false in regards of his character to the masses.

With this statue made of Alliances, the parisians are honoring the "perfect" and "pure" image they have of Gabriel. I cannot help but think that this huge statue is bound to create great shadows. And even if the real Gabriel is gone, something of him remains and will continue to have an impact.

Tomoe then talks about continuing Gabriel's legacy. To us, the audience, those words have an ominous double meaning as Tomoe was Gabriel's ally until the end and helped him in many of his schemes. And she confirms she will continue that work.

Caline then gets to talk about her new school model which pleases very much everybody as they cheer all together. It will allows Marinette, Adrien and all their friends to remain together while allowing them to explore and grow in the field that please them respectfully.

Then we cut the the sun setting as the cheers are fading away. It is the end of the day and everyone has gone home.

Adrien is now alone in the garden where his mother's statue used to be. White butterflies are flying around. Marinette joins him as he is fidgeting with his parents' twin ring.

Marinette : You are not wearing it? Adrien : When Ladybug gave it to me, she told me how my father helped her defeat Monarch. At the risk of his life.

With this, we know that Ladybug granted Gabriel's dying wish.

Gabriel : Marinette. Make sure that Adrien never knows about the villain that I was, but instead, that he remembers the times I tried to be a good father.

Was it Marinette's place to accept that burden to cover the truth? To acquiesce to her archenemy's demand? Of course not, but that is how kind she is and how flawed she can be. For Adrien's happiness, Maribug is willing to do so. We, as the audience, know it can only last so long the secret is sealed. And no one among Gabriel, Marinette, Nathalie, Félix, Kagami nor Plagg is aware the secret was already breached outside the family circle.

But for the time being, everyone who knows will keep the fact that Gabriel was Monarch a secret.

But even without the truth, Adrien is conflicted about his feelings towards his father. We see that as Adrien answers Marinette's question, he leans a bit towards her, but there is no contact. His eyes are fixated on the ring. Adrien is distant and inside a bubble of doubt about himself. There is a weight, a legacy, he associates with that family ring that he is not sure if he can bear.

Adrien : I don't know if I'll ever manage to be like him.

It is only when Marinette puts her hands on his, covering the ring and the expectations that come with it, that Adrien finally look at her, brought back to here and now. Marinette reassures Adrien he doesn't need to be like his father. Adrien can just be himself, without having to live up to any expectations placed upon him.

Marinette then proceeds in slips the ring on his finger. Adrien is free and in control of who he wants to be, of what he wants to do, no matter his background. The past doesn't matter anymore. He can just focus on what is ahead of him.

In this short shot reverse shot, we see a bit of Marinette's head in Adrien's shot, however in Marinette's reverse shot, she is framed alone.

This bit has of a shift in the discussion. Marinette made contact with Adrien, entering his "bubble". She has established a connection in their discussion. Her words are reaching him and moving him.

Adrien : You always find the right words, Marinette. When I'm with you, I feel so... free!

And now they are in synch. Both say "I love you" to the other at the same time, which make them laugh. And Adrien wraps Marinette's hand as if he never wants to let her go. As if he will protect and cherish her with all his might. She makes him that happy.

As the white butterflies illustrate, there is no negative emotions around. Only pure hapiness. Only love. And they are kissing where Émilie's statue used to be.

Émilie's message in Collusion : Adrien shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of our mistakes. Our little prince has the right to create his own vision of happiness.

In other words, Monarch did not win. Émilie won. Gabriel has used the Wish, yes, but his wish was different than the one he wanted to make for 5 seasons. And it is not unusual for Gabriel to do everything in his power to grant any of Émilie's wishes. And her final wishes were : for Gabriel to let go of his madness, to not bring her back, and for Adrien to be happy.

And the ghost of Émilie can now rest in peace and stop haunting these walls. And Adrien can fully love Marinette the way he wants without any obstacle in the way anymore.

And all points to the Power of Love has ultimately won. Even the most important characters in those scene all have a link related to love.

Adrien was created by love. Ms Bustier promotes love as one of her teachings and she was akumatized twice out of that very emotion (spread love, protect the children's future). And she got elected as Mayor. Alec who interviews Ms Bustier is also another character who is now full of love and care. And Marinette fought for love. Even the Agreste Mansion Garden is associated to love. Gabriel and Émilie got a scene there during Evolution. Marinette and Adrien got a romantic date there as well. Heck, this is even where Nathalie shares she was ready to help Gabriel out of love.

Love may falter or even fades away for a time, but right now, in Adrien's scenes, love is fully blooming.

Back to the scene, as Marinette and Adrien kiss, the camera zoom out at the shot crossfades, giving the impression their kiss is everlasting. And ultimately fades to white...

... before the white suddenly cut to Nadja Chamack's news report where she interviews Professor Du Bocquale about the international event that had happened.

Using both the news reporter and the scientific, we transitioned to Marinette's Guardian of the Miraculous pov. The sentimentality and dream life is over, it is time to get back to the facts and reality. The Happy Ever After is not quite accomplish yet.

And that will be developped in second eventual part because I am reaching the limit of images allowed in one single Tumblr post ^^;

Anyway, thank you for reading this far and stay tuned!

#miraculous ladybug #ml season 5 #ml s5 spoilers #ml spoilers #ml s5 finale #ml s5 finale spoilers #ml the last day #ml re-creation #ml s5ep26 #ml analysis

[nathalieswiftie13]

Why did nathqlie's hair color suddenly change so quickly?

I think the red part of her symbolizing a fire in her life. So when adrien leave the fire of her life is now gone and the color is fading away. I like this little detail bc it's a visual representation that she's not doing well at all and how adrien was meant the world to her and the reason why she is still in that creepy ass mansion. Heck even in the last scene of her and adrien you can barely see the red part.

#miraculous ladybug #nathalie sancoeur #gabriel agreste #adrien agreste #ladybug and chat noir #mayura #gabenath #hawkmoth #ml analysis #ml s5 spoilers

[ataraxianne]

I love how despite Gabriel was touching his ring so to control his son and make him believe he was right and he should listen to him, Adrien still rebelled and even had time to tell him his pancakes suck. Like, go on little Prince, tell him to fuck off

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #ml analysis #mlb season 5 #mlb s5 spoilers #ml collusion #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrinette #gabriel agreste #senti adrien

[nervousbelieverstarfish]

Who did this to you sweetie? Who should I hit?

Oh. That's who.

Why is there a Ladybug statue/puppet/copy inside the art room? Who is the creepy fangirl?

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY BOY???!

GABE I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GONNA KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS

Girl being kidnapped?

Girl being kidnapped.

100% Chat Noir immediately jumps in to save his girlfriend

This is the saddest thing I've ever seen...

WRITERS DON'T YOU DARE TAKING HIM AWAY

PLEASE KITTY COME BACK PSPSPSPSPS

#why is the new trailer so painful to watch 😭 #everyone pspspsps with me hopefully he'll come back #ml season 5 finale #ml season 5 finale spoilers #MLB S5 finale spoilers #ml analysis #ml trailer analysis #gabriel agreste #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #ml #mlb s5 spoilers #miraculous spoilers #mlb s5 #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #miraculous ladybug and cat noir #mlb #miraculous ladybug spoilers #ml spoilers #ml s5 spoilers #miraculous s5 #miraculous season 5 #ml season 5 #ml s5 #miraculous memes #ml memes #miraculous ladybug season 5 spoilers #mundo gloob

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

They never blamed her

At the end of "Protection", Marinette finds out that Kagami had come into contact with Lila. This was huge news for Marinette because it finally answered the question of who gave Kagami that friendship test list back in "Perfection", the very list that made Kagami believe that Marinette never considered her a friend and was not good enough to be anyone's friend.

Marinette has previously dealt with Lila's attempts to ruin her friendships and reputation. Way back in "Ladybug", not only did Lila frame Marinette for various misdeeds but she also made sure to cover her tracks by making Marinette seem like the bad guy. As much as Marinette tried to defend herself, even she came to the cruel realization that her words would still fall on deaf ears even in her most dire moment, as she realized Lila was just too good at lying.

When Marinette tried to clear her name to Kagami in "Protection", she once again faced the same troubling situation as in "Ladybug", which was that she was not being taken seriously over Lila's words.

(Kagami believed Lila's lie that Marinette would lie her way out of trouble, she refused to listen to Marinette's attempts to clear her name.)

The only reason Marinette's name was cleared back in "Ladybug" was because Adrien demanded Lila come up with another lie that would prove her innocence, as even he knew he did not have the capability to expose Lila and could only threaten to end their friendship if she did not carry out his demands. And of course, Lila reluctantly agreed, not for the sake of friendship, but because she could not risk losing the privileges that came with such a friendship, including being able to stay close to Adrien amidst her (failed)plans to start a romantic relationship with him.

Near the end of "Protection", Adrien overheard the conversation between Marinette and Kagami and likely also understood that what happened in "Perfection" and "Protection" had all been the result of Lila once again having no regard for others as she now attempted to ruin the friendship between Marinette and Kagami.

Just like in "Ladybug", it was Adrien who stepped in at the end of "Protection" to try and help clear Marinette's name to Kagami, but unlike in "Ladybug", this was different. Ever since Adrien ended his friendship with Chloe back in "Derision", it was very likely that he also ended his friendship with the only other person who would willingly hurt Marinette, Lila. But while the two of them no longer being friends would end up being a good decision for Adrien, this also meant that Adrien no longer had any leverage over Lila.

Risking the friendship Lila had with him, was the only thing he had to make Lila listen as he knew she could not be reasoned with normally. However, by now, even he knew that friendship never really mattered to Lila as he learned she was still willing to make attempts to hurt the people he loved behind his back. The only chance he had at helping Kagami realize that Lila was wrong about Marinette being a liar and a manipulator, was by openly expressing his honest and heartfelt opinion about Marinette.

It was left to Kagami to decide for herself whether or not Marinette was really a bad person, Adrien could only hope that Kagami did not forget the time she shared with Marinette, what she saw Marinette do for her and for others that proved every day how much of a good person she truly was, and she didn't, but this hurt all the more as she realized that she misjudged the friends who cherished her and the love they had for each other (more here).

No matter how guilty and ashamed Kagami felt for allowing her own emotions to cloud her judgment and believe Marinette was a bad person, Marinette never shunned her for it, because in many ways, Marinette knew all too well the position Kagami was in.

Back in season 2, when Kagami first arrived to Paris, Marinette had the rough impression that Kagami was not only cold, but a threat, someone who never hesitated and was capable of making secret plans in their shared love rivalry for Adrien. The thought of the two of them ever being friends never crossed her mind as she assumed Kagami viewed her as someone who was inferior and imperfect, someone who only ever hesitated at any given opportunity.

(In the past, Marinette believed Kagami was perfect in every way)

(In "Frozer", Marinette becomes intimidated by Kagami's willingness to not hesitate with Adrien, to not be afraid to take the next step with him and not be considered just a friend in his eyes)

In "Animaestro", Marinette really believed the idea that Kagami was determined to kidnap Adrien so she could take him to japan forever, and that Adrien was too nice a person to realize Kagami's "evil plan", all things which in reality, never happened. Back in "Ikari Gozen", Marinette really believed Kagami only entered the friendship day competition in a plan to receive all the credit for winning the game that Adrien was involved in, fully intending to use the game as a chance to make Adrien fall in love with her, something that in reality Kagami never did or intended to do, all she really wanted was to make a friend.

In "Protection", when Kagami believed Lila's words that Marinette was secretly pretending to be nice to her from the start as part of her secret plan to steal Adrien from her one day, she really believed in the idea that everything she did to help Marinette get that chance to get closer to Adrien, and help direct Adrien towards understanding his feelings for Marinette, was all part of Marinette's "evil plan" to act weak as a way to lie and manipulate others into feeling compelled to help her get what she wanted (more here), and Adrien for one was too blinded by Marinette's manipulation to see through her deception, all things that in reality Marinette never did or had the intention to do, all she really wanted was to be a good friend to Kagami.

Marinette's past views of Kagami were of course brought about by her overactive imagination conjuring and believing in situations that never happened (something she would later learn to admit to herself in "Glaciator 2"), that the only solution to stopping what she thought were Kagami's "diabolical plans" was by sabotaging her and even adhering to the word of someone like Chloe, who had a hatred for Kagami, a similar course of action Lila instilled in Kagami in "Protection" as she pushed Kagami into believing that she had every right to go against Marinette and fight to take back what she stole, Adrien(more here).

Although Marinette did eventually come to her senses and realized she completely misjudged Kagami, she never forgot that overwhelming sense of guilt and shame she felt over just how much she misjudged her, especially in regards to what she did during that time she believed Kagami was the evil one in a situation, when in reality she never was.

(In "Ikari Gozen", Marinette realizes Kagami was never the cold hearted perfect person she thought, and was simply a socially awkward girl desperate to learn how to be friendlier and make friends)

Over time, Marinette grew to learn the kind of person Kagami was, she was flawed just like anyone else, she was a girl who struggled to learn about herself, especially friendships, but was eager to learn, and befriend those who were willing to accept her. Kagami has always been very strong willed, and yet despite this, those who would actually take a chance to talk to her would learn that behind that strong will, was a fragile innocence.

Which is why when Marinette and Adrien learned that it was Lila whom Kagami had been listening to, they never blamed her for doing so, and how could they? They understood Kagami knew very little about friendships, and Lila was fully willing to take advantage of this.

To know that Kagami believed the friendship test back in "Perfection" and still stay with Lila even after the matter was resolved, was likely enough to reveal to them that Kagami had considered Lila a friend who cherished and listened to her, because that's how Lila would have presented herself from the start to draw Kagami towards her.

Adrien and Marinette knew they had to warn Kagami about Lila and they did, but being upfront about Lila had already proven to be of no use in the past, so they did what they could and told Kagami that Lila was one person whose actions didn't prove she is as good of a person as she claims to be.

However, no matter how much they would try to warn Kagami about Lila, even they must have understood that Kagami was now trapped in Lila's clutches. They have seen Lila lie her way out of trouble many times before, and as we all know, that's exactly what she did the moment Kagami confronted her about the lies she spoke about Marinette.

Without proof, they could only hope Kagami would adhere to their word over Lila's the next time she attempted to lie and manipulate her into another one of her scheme's.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #tales of ladybug and cat noir #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #mlb ladybug #thomas astruc #ml ladybug #cat noir #mlb s5 spoilers #kagami tsuguri #mlb ryuko #ml ryuko #lila rossi #mlb s5 analysis #ml s5 analysis #ml protection analysis #mlb perfection analysis #mlb analysis #ml s5 spoilers

[miraculous-floconfettis]

"Monarch lives here" "WHAT??"

I cannot imagine everything that must have gone through Plagg's mind at that very moment. To Marinette, he just looked surprised & shocked by this info, but we know there's a lot more than that from the way he reacted.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #adrien agreste #mlb season 5 spoilers #mlb s5 spoilers #ladybug #chat noir #miraculous spoilers #miraculous floconfettis #miraculous plagg #plagg #monarch #marinette dupain cheng #tikki #miraculous tikki #tikki and plagg #ml analysis #ml thoughts #ml theory

[pisoprano]

With regards to the ML season 5 finale:

I’ve seen some people bemoan Marinette for letting her guard down in front of Gabriel since that enabled him to make his Wish—a classic case of the hero being stupid because the plot needed it happen. But actually? I think it was the very fact that she did let her guard down that helped save the world.

Ladybug has always been shown as being a compassionate person, and this became more pronounced when she started handing out protective charms and giving the akumatized victims the encouragement they needed to help fight back against succumbing to their negative emotions. (side note: I will admit I previously thought it was weird when the show kept having her hand these out after Shadowmoth figured out how to break them, but after the group effort of everyone using their charms to help Prof. Damocles, I realized that they were showing that continued effort to be kind was the right thing to do, even when those efforts failed, because in aggregate it will help things get better).

Marinette is someone who has learned to see and recognize others when they’re at their lowest and support them, and when she realizes that her archenemy is just as human as all the villains she’s faced before, she shows him compassion too. And Gabriel responds to it! Moments before, he was raving about having his perfect universe with his perfect family, with Adrien and Kagami being the iconic perfect couple as its crowning jewel. It’s Marinette who brings him back down to reality and gives him the wake-up call he’s sorely needed—and she can only do that by, not confronting him and judging him, but honestly empathizing with him. She has all the power to crush him and he knows it, so when she instead responds with understanding and reminds him of what Emilie really wanted, the simple truth of it breaks his resolve to get everything he wants—and with that clarity he is finally able to stop being in denial about Emilie’s death and prioritize the happiness Adrien made for himself over what Gabriel thought was best for him.

Naturally, the second that even a hint of a solution pops up, Gabe falls back into his old patterns of grasping at slim chances, but when he does? He doesn’t have the same goals anymore. When he makes the Wish, whatever his heart and soul asked for didn’t include his perfect vision that forced everyone into their boxes of what he thought was right. It saved Nathalie (whose illness was directly caused by Gabriel’s wrongdoings as Hawkmoth, so it’s understandable he’d still want to set that right), and it may or may not have saved Emilie (I personally think that he didn’t, but we’ll see), but Gabriel wasn’t part of that world and Adrien was free to live his life on his own terms. That would not have happened if Gabriel had gotten his hands on the ring and earrings before Marinette helped him change, just enough, to let his obsession go.

Marinette may have made some mistakes in the finale, but being the person who helps others isn’t one of them. There’s a reason Ladybug is considered the greatest hero in the Miraculous universe: it’s not just because she saves the day, but because she inspires people—even those who have hurt her—to choose to become better. The fact that she did so with Gabriel “Monarch” Agreste is pretty amazing in my book.

#ml analysis #ml season 5 finale #ml season 5 spoilers #ml sugar #miraculous ladybug #gabriel agreste #marinette dupain cheng #ml s5 finale discourse

[uptoolateart]

A few things to say, here.

First, credit to my teenager, who said, 'It's interesting how Ladybug and Cat Noir grow up right after seeing that they can't do it all on their own. It's like the death of the ego, that kind of thing.'

Indeed - a huge step in maturity is to see that it's okay to ask for help. This is paralleled by the next episode, when Adrien overhears his friends asking why he didn't tell them just how bad things were at home. This is so common with not just children but even adults trapped in abusive relationships. You feel like it's your burden to carry and no one can help you out.

In fact, if Adrien had told all his friends the extent of what was going on, they might have told their parents, and one (or all) of them might have contacted an authority who could have helped raise a legal case to get Adrien away from Gabriel. But this just doesn't occur to you, when you're the child. Not when you've been groomed to accept that this is just 'what adults are like'. It's hard to accept that there are better adults who would move heaven and earth to help you - especially because it means accepting just how awful your own father (in this case) is.

This is 100% why Cat suddenly lashed out at Gabriel and felt able to get out his real feelings - because others made him see just HOW wrong it all was. He finally accepted what his father is. He's primed to find out that he's Monarch. I don't even think it'd be a shock, now.

(More below the images)

Then - after so many years of Cat being 'the sidekick' who wasn't always necessary, who stepped aside while Ladybug got most of the praise, it was beautiful for him to have this moment of realisation that actually everyone loves him too - that he's just as needed. The fact that it first came from Kim and Max somehow made it even bigger - the two characters who've emoted the least and shown the least sensitivity all this time were reaching out for him.

And then, this - them all dealing with the situation in Ladybug's absence. Cat led the team. We've seen her do it without him so many times. This time, he finally stood on his own. He handled it without having to lean on her and truly proved himself to everyone. I've been waiting for this for aaaaaaaaaaaaages. I always said of course he needs support, but he also needs to save himself. He wasn't previously capable of this, but he is now.

It also goes back to what I said at the start - maturity comes from seeing that it takes everyone, not just you. Pound it, Cat Noir.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #ml fandom #adrien agreste #cat noir #chat noir #ml ladybug #ml adrien #ml revolution #mlb revolution #ml representation #mlb representation #ml spoilers #mlb spoilers #ml s5 spoilers #mlb s5 spoilers #ml s5 #mlb s5 #ml analysis #mlb analysis #ml meta #mlb meta

[zaaaras]

what scares me the most about nathalie getting more and more sick is that if she ends up like emilie… gabriel won’t care about her enough to save her alongside emilie. and her sacrifices will be for nothing

#ml #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml s5 #ml s5 spoilers #nathalie sancoeur #gabriel agreste #ml representation spoilers #ml representation #representation spoilers #gabenath is dead don’t talk to me #ml analysis