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syndianites · 3 years

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A Queen Serves and Protects

Chapter One

Current --> Next Chapter!

Summary: Post-Style Queen, Pre-Queen Wasp.

Chloe finds the Bee Miraculous, but instead of finding an obliging, subservient Kwami, she finds the Kwami of Order and Subjugation, and Pollen is not about to let herself be used like Nooroo was.

Granted, the only danger in a teenage girl is the damage she poses to herself. Can Pollen shape Chloe into a hero? Or will she stubbornly refuse to change and remain the bitter, harsh person the city has long since known?

[My take on how Chloe's character could have developed]

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The tap tap tap of nails on a desk was all Chloe could think about as she blankly stared at the board in front of her. This all was tiring. Notes were tiring. School was tiring. English was tiring. How could someone be expected to sit still and pay attention to something so boring for hours on end?

Movement in her purse reminded her that it was what good students do. Sit and pay attention. Do their own work. Put in their own effort.

Chloe grit her teeth.

Well it was too hard! Being a better person shouldn’t mean taking notes and being studious in class! It should mean saving people from getting hit by a car, or stopping people from kicking puppies, or having people look to her for inspiration! Not this boring shit.

Surreptitiously, she took a deep breath.

It was all going to be worth it, she reminded herself. If she had to sit still and be a good student and do all her work herself, it would be nothing compared to being a superheroine.

But as she grew more restless, her mind wandered towards what got her into this situation in the first place....

///////

One might have called it a stroke of luck to find a magical item on the sidewalk. Of course, after a day as shitty as that, anything positive would be considered lucky. Such was not the case for Chloe.

She didn’t know what it was at first and had almost passed it by when she second guessed herself. It looked old, but well cared for. Most of all, the box looked priceless and a quick peek into the box showed a luxurious comb.

Her mom had walked away with a dismissive ‘Come along, Cassandra,’ which had her shutting the box and hurrying to not be left behind.

A limo ride later and she found herself back in her room, ignored by her mother and forgotten by her father as he fussed over Audrey. Typical. But sure, her mom furiously turns her dearest Adrien into a gold statue, then does the same to Chloe when she tries to help him!

Chloe pursed her lips. It’s not like Audrey would have remembered how close she was to Adrien after being away for so long. If she had, surely she would have spared poor Adrikins? Her hands tightened into fists.

Except, she was still holding something.

The box with the comb. It had slipped her mind as she’d arrived home. Barely made a dent against the sickening feeling that curled up in her stomach as her mother hemmed and hawed, not sparing even a glance at her daughter she’d betrayed.

Which was fine. She’d been akumatized. Surely the stress and aftermath of being taken into Hawkmoth’s fold would cause her to forget about her beloved daughter. Later, when Audrey had properly taken her wrath out onto the proper people, she would come up and fuss over Chloe and ensure she was alright.

Or she’d send her daddy to do it.

Returning her attention back to the box, she lifted the lid once more. It was a lovely shade of golden yellow, with black detailing. Upon closer look, taking in the fine detail of what seemed to be insect wings, Chloe realized that she was looking at a beautifully crafted bee comb.

She ran a delicate finger on the edge of the comb only to be met with blinding light. Cringing away, she brought her hand up to shield her eyes. When the light dissipated, she glanced up.

The box and comb clattered to the floor.

A bee was floating in front of her.

A bee with a big head, and big eyes, and arms, and a big stinger, and Oh. My. God.

She screamed.

///////

Eyes flicked towards the window to catch the dying rays of dusk. A trembling hand brought a delicate porcelain mug up to a man’s face. He finished off the now lukewarm tea and let it sit for a moment.

Peering into the remains, he observed the major remnants of the tea leaves. Lazy, wavy lines dominated the cup, with a scattering of imperfect triangles. Finally, a grouping of mountains to one side.

Master Fu hummed in thought.

“What do you think of the fate of the Bee, Master?” Wayzz spoke up from where he sipped his own drink.

Turning back to the nearly navy darkness of the sky, Fu replied, “We will have to see, my friend. Only time will tell us now.”

///////

“Please calm down My Queen. Surely Ladybug informed you of what you needed to know?” Pollen reassured quickly. Except, the small being felt something was off. She was floating safely in an apartment with a girl she’d never seen before, no akuma in sight or mind. Her Chosen was clearly surprised to see her.

And there was no Ladybug in sight.

Still, she kept a smile on her face.

“What are you! What do you mean Ladybug told me what I need to know? Wait,” Chloe broke off with a gasp, “Are you how Ladybug gets her powers?”

Ah, a red flag.

Pollen was plenty aware that Ladybug had chosen her to assist in an akuma fight. If she had not been delivered by Ladybug then something must be amiss. For now, she would watch her words carefully.

“No, My Queen. But I am an ally of Ladybug,” Pollen continued. “I am here to help grant another the power to assist Ladybug and Chat Noir in their quest to defeat akumas and stop Hawkmoth.”

The girl’s eyes lit up. “Does this mean I get to be a superheroine? I knew it! I knew Ladybug would see she needed my help!”

Pollen stopped her there, “On the contrary, My Queen. With Ladybug absent it is my duty to uphold order and ensure you are a good fit to be bestowed my power. Since there is no immediate threat, I see fit to judge your character as you go about your day.”

“What!” The girl griped at her, “Clearly Ladybug knew what she was doing. If you can make me become a superhero I demand you do it!.”

There was a harsh pull in her gut and Pollen fought to bite her words back. She knew she had to obey her holder, but she also knew enough to pull through some loopholes. Poor Nooroo has been stuck in a terrible enslavement for far too long for the rest of the kwami to not prepare for such an occasion.

“You must be a good person to be a superhero, first.” The pull in her gut lessened, but remained. “If you can prove to me you are worthy of holding my power, I will make you a superhero.”

Pollen received a scoff in reply. “I am a good person! Just ask anyone at all. My daddykins always tells me I’m doing good, so why wouldn’t I be?”

The pull began to intensify again. Worry started to drum through her. If Pollen couldn’t convince this person to let her check her history first, she wouldn’t have time to find and return to Ladybug- or, at least, inform Ladybug who possessed her Miraculous.

A low, angry buzz started in her chest. A Queen never let her hive be hurt by her own actions. If she did not stop this girl now, she could harm the rest of her kind, as well as Ladybug and Chat Noir.

And, well, who was she to let that happen.

She faked a sigh, “Yes, of course My Queen. Now listen closely.” Pollen risked floating closer to the girl, who leaned in in response. For a moment, she felt bad. The girl seemed earnest enough, if conceited and arrogant. A good Queen would have these traits in modesty, just enough to benefit and little enough to avoid harm. Then the pull in her gut worsened and she chose to make her move.

With a sweet smile, Pollen leaned forward slowly. Then she turned in a swift movement and struck the poor girl in the junction between her left arm and shoulder. The girl let out a choked screech before her body came to a full stop, paralyzed.

Floating back so that she could be seen in full view, Pollen gave a more genuine smile. “That, my Queen, is one of my powers. Immobilization. Now,” she paused, watching the girl’s eye twitch for a split second. “You will listen to me. My first loyalty is to Ladybug. If you are not fit to be her ally, I will not allow you to use my Miraculous. From what I can tell, you stumbled upon my Miraculous by chance.”

A quiet part of her whispered that Master Fu could have had a hand in this, but she dismissed it.

“Ladybug chose me to help her with the latest akuma, and they are gone. However, I am willing to give you a chance. While I serve both my Master and Ladybug, I am my own being. If you can prove you are good enough to help Ladybug and Chat Noir, I will grant you my power to help them. If not, I will reclaim my Miraculous and return to Ladybug, telling her that you are not fit to wield any such Miraculous.”

Pollen clasped her hands behind her back and puffed up her chest, portraying an image of regality in such a small body. “So I will offer you a deal. You will not ask me to make you into a hero. You will not order me to do anything. Most importantly, you will not reveal me or my Miraculous to anyone other than Ladybug or Chat Noir, or my Master. In return, I will spend time with you to decide whether you are fit to be my holder- and if you are, I will see to it that you are trained and informed as much as I can do for you before you go into the fight with Ladybug and Chat Noir. If at any point you break this deal I will immediately take my Miraculous back and you will never be allowed to see it again.”

She lowered her eyes to look down upon the still frozen girl. “Do you accept the terms of the deal?”

The girl, for her part, didn’t move. Rather, her anger and impetulant thoughts swirled in her head. While Pollen was no Kwami of Emotion or Mind, she could feel her inner chaos. As the girl realized that she would not be set free unless she made the deal, her fire wore down.

Pollen broke out into a smile. She floated forward, ready to let her free of her grasp. This was a risk. If she didn’t accept the deal, this girl could turn the tides on her in an instant. If the girl realized she could command her to do whatever she wanted, it would be over. Just under her display of confidence, fear swam in her stomach.

But she was nothing if not determined. With a tap to the young lady’s face, she was unfrozen.

For a moment, the girl fumbled over her words,” I- you- how did you- how dare you!”

When Pollen pointedly swept down to pick up her Miraculous and floated back, the girl stopped.

In her head, her mind ran on the idea of being a hero. Being beside Ladybug. Being loved by all of Paris. Being good enough for her Mother to remember her name. This was her chance! Her chance to change everything! To prove herself! If she just said yes and passed the stupid little test, she would get to be a hero.

Besides, she could bend and break the deal if she needed to.

Brushing down her capris, the girl stood up straight. With all the dignity she learned from being the child of the mayor, she calmly spoke, “I accept your deal.”

Pollen fought down a crushing smile. Instead, she reached a paw forward to shake on it. The girl, to her credit, only eyed her a moment before giving a finger to shake.

“Excellent. My name is Pollen. For the next twenty-four hours I will be watching you go about your life as normal to determine if you are deserving of my power.”

“Well, Pollen, I am Chloe Bourgeois, Ladybug’s closest ally, I can assure you that you will find nothing but good things about me!”

////////

Above the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, a sleep-deprived girl sat up hastily working through homework as the night ticked on. Perhaps from the late hour, or her finally caving under all the stress of her life, she felt like laughing. Giggles escaped her to the alarm of a sleepy Tikki beside her.

“Marianette, are you okay?” The kwami asked in concern.

“Yeah,” Marianette stifled a laugh. “I just suddenly had the thought that something super funny happened.”

Tikki shook her head disapprovingly. “You need to sleep. Staying up this late is not good for you.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she sighed, “It has been way too long a day after losing the Bee miraculous.”

Tikki patted her shoulder in sympathy as Marianette got up and began her bed routine.

A long day indeed.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #chloe bourgeois #pollen (ladybug)#ml fanfic #ml

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sairenharia · 4 years

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Why Chloe Does Things

‘She doesn't do good things to be altruistic, but to receive recognition.’

Which is true, but framing it as solely bad thing is completely ignoring the fact what recognition means for Chloe is Validation.

Chloe is very much a product of how she was raised. She had a father who was very busy and would give into her every little whim. She had a mother who could barely remember her name and was the kind of person who would tell Chloe the only thing of worth about her was her mother. In front of people important to Chloe and on TV after it was obvious she was having a breakdown. A mother who taught Chloe love was not unconditional, that you had to be exceptional AS A CHILD to have attention and love.

Does it make it right she’s been malicious and cruel? No, but it explains why she does what she does.

Much like Adrien’s own childhood explains much of how he is. Adrien has a hard time standing up for himself and others because rocking the boat could make his father upset. So he let’s Chloe be a bully for so long, and let Lila lie because Adrien was raised to NOT rock the boat by a controlling father who expected his son to be perfect. And what it’s made is a boy whose willing to sacrifice himself for others to the point it’s deeply worrying. He can be overbearing and entitled to Ladybug because that’s what he learned from his father. He doesn’t understand when people like him unless it’s stated because he hasn’t been around people. These are all traits he gained from his own toxic home, but because none of these things make him ‘lash out,’ he’s forgiven for a lot of it. And since Emilie is said to be kind, Adrien at least knew how to be nice and kind despite these flaws.

Chloe, however, is someone who grew up in a toxic home who learned to lash out. If someone is competing with something for what she wants? Her father has taught her to destroy her opponent. If someone does something to displease you? Her mother taught her to tear them down and get rid of them if possible. If there’s an obstacle in your way? Throw money and influence at it. Unconditional love does not exist. Chloe’s parents taught her to be rude and overbearing and aggressive, and if that doesn’t work, be sneaky and underhanded.

And what happens if someone isn’t like that? If they’re nice and step back and don’t demand attention?

Then they’re like Adrien, constantly denied things he wants. Or they’re servants, ordered around.

Everything in Chloe’s life has taught her to be aggressive and mean or else she will be walked over and ignored. For all Bustier may not be a good teacher for the rest of her students, she is right. Chloe needs to LEARN how to be a better person and to do that, she needs people to SHOW HER.

And unfortunately, no one’s been truly following through on the lessons.

Despair Bear. Adrien puts down his foot and Chloe tries to be nice. She decides to bring Tom to the party On Her Own. No Mister Cuddly, no butler, no Adrien. She decided this was a nice make up thing herself. And yes, she gets mean after, but that’s also the moment where Adrien should have told Chloe ‘hey, no, calm down,’ and Chloe would have most likely course corrected.

But even with that, Chloe’s rate of Akuma’s went down DRAMATICALLY. After having her cause most of the Akuma’s in the first season, to have her only causing a few afterwards, is extremely telling. It means she’s pulled back her hostility, and aggression. And while absence of cruelty isn’t kindness, it’s still an Improvement and a good one.

We have Zombizou and Chloe was acting out because she didn’t get a gift for a teacher she liked and it was pointed out how her mother didn’t remember her birthday. We saw her forget Adrien’s birthday too, this is clearly a kind of trauma for Chloe. And she acted out because of it. Then at the end, she sacrificed herself, and she took responsibility, and she apologized.

And most telling.

She gave Bustier a present. Moreover, she gave her a present and HID THE FACT SHE DID THIS. Bustier would be the one to know and no one else or so was her plan. This wasn’t Chloe doing a good thing to be recognized. She did a good thing because someone gave her love and validation and she wanted to show she CARED.

With Style Queen, Chloe put herself in HARMS WAY for Adrien. She quick talked an Akuma, who she distracted and lead around to buy Ladybug time and safety. She tried to free Adrien. She had to deal with the fact her own mother may hurt her and she still did what good she could and was fairly effective at it. Because someone she cared about was in danger because she never even bragged about this. She didn’t talk about helping Ladybug, she didn’t even brag to Adrien. She didn’t seek recognition at all because it was about helping Adrien.

We have Queen Wasp and the whole ordeal is a mental nightmare for Chloe. We don’t even know what Chloe had PLANNED to do for the Miraculous. We don’t know if she always planned to reveal her identity, or if she planned to just show up at an Akuma attack, or anything. What we do know is she hadn’t planned to show herself then.

Chloe’s always had a problem with Marinette. For all Alya is the more aggressive of the two, it’s Marinette who gets under Chloe’s skin. Marinette basically gets everything Chloe wants no matter what she does. Which is nice from the viewer perspective to see, but Chloe sees it as Marinette stealing things that are her’s. To have Marinette in particularly get her mother’s attention, her admiration, to get an offer to come to New York to be her protege when Chloe hadn’t even been on a TRIP to VISIT...

Then to have her mother tell her she’s not exceptional at all, that she’s useless in her mind, of course she revealed she had the Miraculous because superheroes are exceptional. If she can be a superhero, then she has to be exceptional.

Chloe’s first run as Queen Bee wasn’t an attempt at fame and glory. It was a desperate plea to be loved, to be seen. She wanted to be approved. She wanted to be useful. To thing of note, Chloe has no growing pains. She knows to use the top, she doesn’t hesitate to run, she even knows her weapon works as a phone. She knew how to USE her powers which meant she learned what she needed to do.

And when she runs from Ladybug, we don’t see her mad once she’s alone. She’s sad. When she’s deakumatized, she’s sad. She begs to be given a chance. She’s in tears. Chloe’s mother hammers in that she’s not exceptional and she’s holding onto that Miraculous even more. Then Chat Noir and Ladybug show her kindness, they offer her understanding, and encouragement, and she hands it back and apologizes, even offering them a smile.

And when she’s alone, she’s upset and doesn’t want to see anyone because she’s hurt her mother doesn’t love her and she’s allowed to be hurt. It’s at this moment Chloe realized her mother wasn’t going to love her, but she had done the right thing. The heroes had approved of her even if her mother didn’t.

And what happens next?

Marinette brings Chloe to Audrey and then talks about how Chloe is exceptionally mean. Surprising Chloe then making her mad, saying she’s the worst person she’s ever met and a rock is more capable of love. So she gets mad.

And then Audrey finally acknowledges her. And she uses the fact Sabrina is her only friend as a bragging point, even though we know it HURTS her that no one likes her later. She’s doubling down on her behavior to get her mother’s approval and when she gets the hug, she looks so relieved to get it.

Chloe was ready to accept her terrible mother wouldn’t approve of her, but the superheroes did, and it could have been a moment to change, but then she’s encouraged to be exceptionally mean to impress her mother.

Much like the end of Zombizou where Chloe showed kindness to the one who gave her validation, after Queen Wasp, Chloe did what the person who gave her validation wanted. She became Exceptionally Mean.

Malediktator rolls around and while her documentary was vain and over the top, having her mistakes thrown in her face, and then having Marinette, Marinette who had HELPED WITH HER MOTHER, tell her off was probably a whiplash that Chloe wasn’t ready to deal with. Really, Alya and Alix had said just as much as Marinette, but it’s Marinette she focuses on. Then Chloe decides she wants to shut down the school and banish Marinette, which is extreme even for her. She’s usually for petty brands of nastiness and revenge, not life ruining levels. (Kung Food is the only one on that level, but it was also clear Chloe didn’t think it was a serious contest.)

And the fact she came in with Audrey, she probably complained to her, and they fed into a cycle of anger and meanness. Because Audrey gave Chloe validation, so Chloe listened and trusted her. But even when she couldn’t be mean, she just decides to leave. And when her father shows up Akumatized, promising her what she wants, she’s conflicted. Everything she wants, but her father is also an Akuma.

By the time she talks to Ladybug, Chloe gives in to tell the truth. It takes prompting, but she always struggles to admit the truth. Nobody likes her, she has no friends, she’s useless. Ladybug is a superhero and she serves a purpose. And by the end of the fight, she hands back the Miraculous without prompting, and is surprised by a fistbump. And the thing is, she’s not the one who goes out of her way to get the attention.

In fact, what she does do is decide she has to do things for herself. She has to clean up her lair.

Then Marinette throws a party together for Chloe. Chloe whose utterly shocked that she’s being celebrated. Chloe didn’t expect it, she didn’t arrange it, she didn’t do any of that, Marinette did.

And what Chloe learns is she’s given admiration, attention, and VALIDATION when she’s Queen Bee. Left alone, she would have cleaned up her lair, and feeling useful, like she helped Paris and her family. She was in a good place and I wouldn’t say the party hurt the progress she was waking on that front.

What it did do was encourage her bragging tendencies. She would bring up she’s Queen Bee more and more, she would brag, which had it’s pros and cons. On one hand, she was bragging a lot and seeking more importance than she really had. But on the other hand, she was also quick to act. She was getting protective of Sabrina and was quick to get somewhere that Ladybug could find her and recruit her. And when Chloe is Queen Bee, we see she’s on task and she’s quick to work with people.

When Chloe is being a superhero, she’s actually GOOD at the job. She adapts and focuses and is ready to do what she needs to. Braggy, sure, but she’s still doing GOOD.

And Miraculer happens and of course Chloe is hurt. Of course she lashes out. Because Ladybug doesn’t explain anything to Chloe. She let’s her hope longer and longer with no sign. Chloe is yet again ignored by someone she adores. She hopes that Ladybug still believes in her and will recruit her.

And Chloe says no to an Akuma. Because she believes in Ladybug. Because she wants to be a superhero. Because she wants recognition.

And this is where it’s a disservice to Chloe to treat recognition as a bad thing.

Because Chloe said NO. To an AKUMA. Because she wanted this recognition. This isn’t someone just wants to be popular, or have bragging rights. This is a need for recognition that overcame all of Chloe’s anger and resentment and fears. It was strong enough for Chloe to want to do this the RIGHT way.

This is Recognition in the need for Validation.

Validation is something humans need. Validation is necessary for humans to learn they have worth. Marinette in Origins needed Chat Noir to tell her she could be a hero because she’s already saved one life, he validated her as being able to do this by pointing out the positive effect she already had. She could only see her mistakes, she needed validation.

Adrien in Syren also needed validation. After having his partner lie to him and not explain anything, of course he doubted his worth, and he needed Plagg’s encouragement, for Plagg to say he had value before he started to believe he had worth. Adrien is minimizing his rebellion in hopes his father will validate him.

Chloe doesn’t have validation. Chloe sees herself as useless. Really think about it. It’s not that Chloe messes up or makes mistakes, it’s that she’s useless and has no purpose. That is a deep well of self deprecation there that Chloe covers up with hostility and arrogance because everytime she confronts those beliefs, she’s brought to tears.

She has a mother who barely paid attention to her. She had a father that spoils her rotten, and teaches her bad lessons. She learned to rely on that power to get what she wanted instead of earning what she got.

She never learned how to be a good person. She didn’t learn how to be empathic. She barely knows how to love.

But she wants to. She just doesn’t know how.

Because the people we see Chloe truly admire besides her mother are kind people. She adores Ladybug. We see her adore Adrien. Prince Ali is the only celebrity we’ve seen Chloe treat with admiration. These are kind people. These are the ones Chloe chooses to admire.

Chloe doesn’t do things with altruism because she doesn’t know HOW to. And no one is teaching her how to. Everytime she’s about to do something that would help her start to overcome emotional issues, things get in the way.

She is ready to give up on her mother and she’s encouraged to be exceptionally mean.

She accepts doing a good job as Queen Bee and is given a party. She’s given validation and appreciation that doesn’t depend on being mean.

Except then she can’t be Queen Bee. She tries to double down on that more then being mean because the only Akuma’s she causes after Queen Bee is Stormy Weather and Miraculer, and Stormy Weather reeks of her being terrified she can’t change. With arguably helping Animaestro and Gamer 2.0, but that was a fire already. Because what Chloe wants is to be Queen Bee.

Chloe wants to be USEFUL. And she uses it to gain attention because she can’t be Queen Bee, so she just has to convince everyone she’s still that awesome because if they believe it, maybe that will be close enough.

Chloe doesn’t have the tools to be altruistic. She doesn’t know how to do it, what it means, not really, and no one in her life is helping her. The only person to really push her to try is Adrien, but he isn’t enough of a force to try, and Ladybug is Marinette who still doesn’t want much to do with Chloe. Bustier and her Butler is too passive. Sabrina is a trashfire of a person.

The only way Chloe is going to change is because she gets the validation to encourage her to do so. Because humans NEED VALIDATION. Because validation is what let’s us learn how to think and relate to others. If a human doesn’t need validation, doesn’t need other people, then they see things just from what they want out of things.

Which may work if the person has a nice enough disposition, but more often it’ll result in a selfish asshole. Chloe tries to pretend she doesn’t need recognition or validation because she’s that awesome and amazing. A Chloe who truly does not seek out recognition just means Chloe is still Chloe except she doesn’t have crippling self doubts and a belief she’s useless.

Chloe does good for recognition. And once she’s given recognition, she repeats that behavior. When she repeats that behavior, she does good in the world. And if she does that enough, she will LEARN what is good, what is right.

Because right now, Chloe does one good thing, and then she’s left alone, or encouraged to do something directly counter to what else she’s just learned. She needs positive reinforcements, she needs positive influences, because no one becomes a good person in a void, especially if they were a bad person. They need good influences and no one is GIVING THAT TO HER.

She doesn’t need the Bee Miraculous back.

But she needs friends. Marinette may not owe Chloe to help her, but Adrien sure as hell does. Adrien has seen himself be a positive influence on Chloe and if he gave her encouragement, she’d improve. And if Marinette did commit more to helping Chloe be a better person, I think she could help to. Chloe was willing to work with Marinette. Hell, she let’s Marinette sit with her in the library unharrassed, there is potential there for Marinette to influence Chloe to help her learn.

Teasing her with a Miraculous and expecting her to suddenly know how to be a good person without any help is frankly unfair to a girl whose obviously extremely messed up and suffering extreme self esteem issues.

If she does good for recognition, then THERE IS STILL GOOD BEING DONE IN THE WORLD. And she is finally learning what it means to be good.

Saying Chloe has to be altruistic for her goodness to be valid undermines everyone whose ever struggled to be good because they didn’t know how to be. It tells kids that hey, if you’re not good for the RIGHT REASONS, then you might as well not even bother trying to be better at all. If you’re good because someone said good job, it DOESN’T COUNT, and you’re still a bad person.

No, that is not growth works. If you want Chloe to be good for the ‘right reasons,’ then you have to give her the chance to grow out of them and you can’t expect her to learn that on her own. She needs people for it. It’s like Bustier said, she needs the good examples because she’s responded well to those, only to have them snatched away before she had her feet under her.

LET CHLOE BE GOOD FOR RECOGNITION. Because she is desperate for validation and it’s a psychological human need. Then you build from THERE to make her a good person.

Because guess what, Thomas.

She’s goddamn fourteen years old and she has a lot of growing she needs to do and kids learn by being validated by the people they learn from.

#ml spoilers #ml salt #chloe bourgeois #chloe deserves better

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childofsquidward · 6 years

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Queen’s Battle (pt. 1 + pt. 2)

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*

First off, I didn’t think we’d get Queen’s Battle before 2019. I can’t be the only one. I for sure thought that Frozer would be the last episode we’d get to see for 2018.

Moving on, literally every time Marinette goes into freak-out mode, I want to reach through my screen and give her a hug - stop stressing my child out 2k18 and beyond. Everyone needs a Tikki in their lives, btw. Also, why do I feel as though the writers scroll through Tumblr? Because everyone’s been talking about Adrien’s allergies, and the writers fixed that plot hole up real quick with synthetic feathers. Like, I feel as though they’re getting better at not leaving us with a million questions…?

AntHoNy -

Girl, you forgetting his name on purpose or…?

(Gorilla’s face was everything though, he was probably just like, “my boss may be Hawkmoth, but at least he remembers to treat me like a human every now and then, sayonara bitch.”

Why isn’t the carpet made out of marble - jfc! I can’t deal with this woman and it’s only been like two minutes. Her magazine is named Style Queen? Why didn’t anyone on here think of that? Also, Audrey’s just a straight up bitch, I want to knock that ridiculous hat off of her head, she is the worst, and not to condone Chloe’s own actions, but if that's what I had to look up to, if that was my main influence growing up, I’d be Chloe too.

cLarA?!

Thomas, what the hell is this?! We can’t have parents on this show who are worse than Gabriel, he’s the fucking villain!

“And you’re fired.” - from what, being your daughter - wait, actually, that’s not the worst idea, run Chloe run (I’d just quit if I could)

Aw, Adrienette, my sun, my stars, the only way to turn this episode around… No, seriously, I missed their adorkably awkward interactions, it feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had on of those (maybe it’s just the shipper in me, but whatevs)

Okay, I know that everyone thought that Nathalie might deliver some savage comebacks or whatever, but her monotonous air of ‘shut up, god, why are you still here?” was the funniest shit ever, I lived for it people! Oh Nathalie…

Moving on, are they really gonna’ have Audrey get akumatized cuz she thinks that Gabriel making her sit in the second row (GOD FORBID) is a sign of disrespect? So he reserved the front seat for his son’s closest friends, one of whom designed a piece for the show, big deal.

The coffin - oh dear god, I knew it was coming but with the music and everything, chills, literal chills. Also, why does Emilie’s outfit look like a fencing uniform…?

But like, my boy Nino living his best life, fulfilling his dreams - YAAAASSSS DJ!NINO

“Is this supposed to happen?” - Tom is so precious!

ADRIEN WHY DIDN’T YOU RUN?! (I knew it was gonna’ happen, but he could’ve gotten away and transformed, ugh)

I know that Style Queen’s the villain, but she’s not wrong about the costume. Is it practical and thematic? Yes. Does it look like the work of an aspiring fashion designer? Don’t make me laugh.

Aw, Chloboats just saved her hero’s life - Chloe’s a real stan, like she’d do anything for Ladybug, even somewhat defy her mother.

Also, I can’t believe they actually made Adrien as Sleeping Beauty canon. I’m telling you, someone in that writers’ room is on Tumblr.

Mari met Plaag guys, she met Plaag- I LOVE THIS SEASON SO MUCH!!!

Yo, I need flashbacks of what Plaag did to Atlantis, the leaning tower, dinosaurs, and god knows what else. Master Fu was quick to jump on him though. Like, Marinette comes in full panic mode and he’s just chillin, meditating, living life, but the minute Plaag starts talking he was in Mari mode like “no, nope, nopitynopnope.” and Wayzz just groaning in the background - highlight of the episode for me honestly.

Alya nearly became Queen Bee y’all!!! I love how Marinette just knows that she’ll be there, so she’s like, ‘yo, how’s about a second miraculous, you up for it?’ By the way, what are rules of being a miraculous holder exactly? Like, are you allowed to be in possession of more than one? Can they like, switch miraculous all willy nilly depending on the situation?

Is it wrong that I love Plaag even more now knowing that such a tiny little bean can cause so much damage? God bless Marinette and Tikki’s powers cuz’ otherwise, I think Plaag’s cataclysm would’ve probably destroyed the entire city, or at least half of it.

Also, Mari, sweetie, the bee miraculous! The bee mirac- this girl...

Nathalie knows?! Did we know she knows?! I know we headcanon she knows, but did we know?! Guys, this is too much for me. On that note, Pollen is adorable, I love her already, she must be protected at all costs!

Now onto part two…

HE’S GIVING UP?! GABRIEL, REALLY?! I mean, should be happy…? I did not see that one coming but I guess this was the final straw for him, so I kind of get it. Like, Style Queen was supposed to be his end all be all, and even she failed to seal the deal for him, and with Adrien being caught in the crossfire once again, it was just too much, and goddammit, am I relating to/sympathizing with Gabriel? Especially after what an asshole he was to Nooroo during the last episode, like, guys, I wanted to wring his neck, what is this feeling?

Okay, so after all that crap in part one, Audrey’s suddenly doing a complete 180 and being sweet and complimenting people? I mean, she’s still a shit mother so I still loathe her existence, but giving credit where credit is due is actually pretty fair of her considering everything we just witnessed. Everything’s coming up Marinette, and I want to be happy for her, I really, truly do. But we all know Chloe’s hurting and she’s gonna’ blow a gasket.

Imagine doing everything you possibly can to follow in your mother’s footsteps despite the way she treats you, imagine loving her so much that you nearly start to become her, and she doesn’t give a fuck and simply continues to refer to you with the wrong name (casserole, really?). Then imagine watching her praise your classmate who you despise, and offering to take her to New York with her when she wouldn’t even take you, her daughter. Add that to said classmate getting support from her own parents, one of your oldest and only friends and his dad, the biggest name in fashion who is known for being cold-hearted and ruthless. And the cherry on top is said mother not feeling a single speck of guilt, remorse or regret. I feel bad for Chloe you guys, her outburst makes sense, her anger is justified in my opinion.

Pulling out the miraculous though… I get it, rash decision taking her heightened emotions into account, but still not okay. Despite my feeling bad for her, I still don’t think her actions were okay, she’s so all over the place emotionally, she’s going about things the wrong way. She’s so desperate for her mother’s approval, she’s ready and willing to do anything, which actually makes her so dangerous taking her powers into consideration.

CHLOE WHAT THE FUCK?!

NONONONONONONO

SHE INDIRECTLY BROUGHT HAWKMOTH BACK TOO, DAMMIT, EVERYTHING WAS GOING SO WELL!!!

Of course Mari’s parents are the first to rise to the occasion and help save everyone, everything about Marinette makes so much sense now.

Moving on, the fight sequences in this episode were exceptional! I don’t know why, but they were so cool in this episode I just had to talk about them. Queen Wasp was like a one-woman arsenal, she was the most badass villain ever, which is saying a lot considering Anansi and Sandboy. The underwater fight sequence was good too, my only complaint about this episode is honestly just the lack of Pollen, like, she’s so precious, I wanted more than four words to come out of her mouth y’all.

I don’t know how the rest of you felt about the episode, but I don’t think that they forgave Chloe too easily. Obviously Adrien knows her, he knows she is and he understands why she did what she did. But that look on Mari’s when Audrey told Chloe that she wasn’t exceptional, and then later on when Tom said he was willing to do anything for his daughter, I think something may have clicked inside Mari like, ‘I have two parents who love me, so I’ll never understand how Chloe feels, but I guess I get why she is the way she is,’ and just like in Zombizou, this was Marinette extending the olive branch in a way. This Marinette is definitely different than the one from Antibug, and I like that Marinette is being patient with Chloe and letting her come terms with her actions on her own rather than being so quick to just berate her for her mistakes - THANK YOU CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (for both my girls).

Now, as far as the confrontation with Audrey goes, I think a little part of Marinette used helping Chloe as an excuse to stick it to both Bourgeois women, and honestly, I see you Marinette and I must admit, you made me proud. Mari throwing shade aside, I feel like they could’ve ended it with a much more tender moment between Chloe and her mother rather than Audrey just being ecstatic at how her daughter is as horrible a person as she is, which I honestly think just regressed all the progress she made, like, come on Thomas, give me a break!

All in all, I did think that Queen’s Battle was a really great two-parter, part two was definitely a lot more action-packed and hit me right in the feels, but part one really brought that comedic element, so I guess they’re both pretty even in that sense.

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