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ninadove · 1 year

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What is Miraculous’s self contradictory philosophy on consent?

This topic has been on my writing list for a while, and would probably be worth rewatching all 5 seasons and taking detailed notes! That being said, I think Ladybug’s reaction to the attempted kiss in “Felix” is a pretty good microcosm of the issue:

Unlike our heroine, we, the audience, know that this is just not true: as Chat Noir, Adrien crosses Ladybug’s boundaries on multiple occasions - including several attempts to kiss her, despite her obvious lack of enthusiasm.

So why is it that one undesired kiss makes us so uneasy, while others are easily written off as quirky?

The answer, of course, is that the plot itself wants us to root for Adrien; and, in order to prepare for future plot twists and revelations, be (at least temporarily) wary of Felix. Consent is a somewhat fluid concept in Miraculous; not out of maliciousness (at least I certainly hope so!), but because it serves a bigger narrative purpose.

Let's take a closer look at how the notion of consent is declined through two radically different character categories: on the one hand, our heroes; and on the other hand, our antagonists.

I. The Love Square: all’s fair in love and plot

Let’s start off our analysis with the obvious: the Love Square is meant to be. You know it, I know it, everyone is Paris knows it. Most importantly, the writers have known it since the beginning; and it is their job to sell us their romance, through compelling interactions.

Part of this effort was to make Chat Noir fall in love with Ladybug almost immediately, and be very forthcoming about his interest - something she rarely reciprocates during the first seasons, because if she did, the show would have ended years ago and I would not be writing this instead of loading the dishwasher like I’m supposed to. Chat Noir’s infatuation with the spotted heroine takes the form of many many many MANY flirty comments, outright love declarations and, on a couple of occasions, unwelcome kissing attempts.

It wouldn’t be fair to argue Ladybug is 100% closed off to his attempts. But as the seasons go by, and other scenaristic stakes build up, she does become more and more frustrated with them. To his credit, Chat knows when to back off when she expresses discomfort or states her love for “““another boy”””… But he is always quick to try his luck again, which in turns brings even more frustration, until Ladybug finally and rightfully snaps in S4.

Does that mean we, the public, see Chat Noir as a dangerous sociopath? Of course not. For the most part, we accept that his insistence is amusing at best, and harmlessly annoying at worst, because that’s what the show wants us to accept. Concretely, this gives a situation à la “Kuro Neko”: the episode defends the idea that Chat Noir’s imperfections, including his misguided and at times overbearing love for his partner, is a crucial part of what makes them such a good team.

And let’s not forget Marinette herself! While several members of the Girl Gang (namely Alya) routinely and jokingly call her out on her stalking, we mainly get to reflect on how this affects her - not her clueless crush. Her obsession is always always framed as embarrassing, funny, and even cute - classic teenage girl behaviour, am I right ladies?

So, there’s clearly a double standard between genders, which is also true with the antagonists - but it is only a secondary concern of mine. What matters most is that we accept Chat and Marinette’s behaviour, or more precisely this framing of their behaviour by the scenario, for two main reasons:

Because they’re our heroes, and although they are flawed, they can’t be too bad!

Because the romantic endgame we all know is coming “justifies” their actions. If these two are meant to be together, does it really matter if they mess up along the way?

This second point is best exemplified by the contrast between how we perceive consent when it applies to the Love Square, and how we perceive it when it comes to Adrigami / Kagadrien.

Having accepted her mother’s expectations, Kagami sees a future with Adrien and is therefore trying to push the relationship in this direction; she is not afraid to take the lead and generally does so through physical touch, attempting to kiss him before he’s ready and manually correcting his posture when sketching him.

Is Kagami crossing a few lines here? Sure. But it’s nothing a teenager wouldn’t do, and she is a lot less persistent than Chat. Yet we can’t help but notice and sympathise with Adrien’s unease. We perceive Kagami’s behaviour and the reaction it elicits differently not because she is a bad person, but because she is but a secondary love interest - a temporary distraction from the grand love story we’ve been invested in since the beginning. We have no trouble accepting the message the writers are sending us through these interactions: Kagadrien is not a toxic or abusive ship, it’s just not going to work out.

II. The Antagonists: Red flags and black marks

In many ways, love and intimacy are driving forces of Miraculous’ plot. After all, isn’t it grief over the loss of a spouse that started this whole debacle?

The heroes we root for on the battlefield are the same dumb teenagers we desperately want to see smooch, and so naturally, we start to equate morality and romance. For the writing team, this is a great tool to make heroes easily identifiable and, conversely, signal to the audience that a new antagonist has joined the chat. This phenomenon can be observed from the very first episodes, and is best embodied by a character we all know and… Uh… Definitely feel some type of way about.

Let’s not tip-toe around the issue: Chloé, at least in the early seasons, is a typical mean girl. She is a bully, a pretentious and spoiled kid, and generally rude to everyone around her. But do you know what her worst crime is? She has the absolute nerve to be in love with Adrien!

Chloé might be responsible for half of the Paris akumatisations so far, but it would be incorrect to state Marinette dislikes her purely because of her nastiness. Their personal rivalry over the prettiest boy in school is central to their original conflict, and plays a key role in shaping our initial understanding of Chloé’s part as a minor antagonist. When the show repeatedly has her throwing herself at Adrien, calling him by aggravating nicknames, and plotting to eliminate her pig-tailed competition, it isn’t trying to establish her as a viable romantic option; rather, it uses her disrespect for Adrien’s individuality and personal space to reinforce our conviction that she is bad news, and strengthen our sympathy towards Marinette at the same time.

In the grand scheme of things, however, Chloé isn’t a huge threat to our heroes. The real issue comes with the introduction of a major antagonist, one that has the motivation and brain cells to do some actual damage (take some notes, Hawkmoth).

Felix’s debut episode is… Well, to be fair, I think it is brilliant in a lot of ways! Once you shine the Sentimonster light on his “gratuitous” and “petty” shenanigans, they take on a much deeper and more interesting meaning. But this introduction certainly doesn’t do Felix any favours from a moral standpoint, and that is absolutely done on purpose: these 20 minutes are jam-packed with information aiming to convince us, the audience, that this boy Absolutely 100% Cannot Be Trusted, so that we don’t fall off our chairs when the “Strikeback” fiasco happens. And what better way is there to make us uncomfortable than having him basically molest our heroine on screen?

Seriously, look at the way this scene is composed. The creepy look in his eyes, Ladybug literally having her back against the wall, the music, everything. None of the other instances we mentioned throughout this analysis get this tense. Even younger viewers, who might not necessarily understand what is at play here, instinctively know that this is as bad as it gets.

And you know what? This would be fair if Felix was meant to be this awful, terrible, psychopathic villain that kicks grandmas down the stairs and eats puppies for breakfast. But he isn’t, and that’s where you lose your audience.

By the end of S5 (or the middle… these releases are getting confusing), we are invited to look at Felix not as a dangerous, hardened criminal, but as a kid fighting tooth and nail to free his fellow Sentimonsters and himself from an oppressive authority that wants them dead or under total control. This explanation makes him sympathetic to us; his conflicting feelings about his own actions make him a prime candidate for a redemption arc; and his true personality, which shines through his crush on Kagami and his impromptu musical number, make him an endearing character. So, we can all agree to like him now, right?

WRONG. Just because we understand the message S5 is trying to convey doesn’t mean we don’t remember what happened in S3, back when presenting Felix as an antagonist took priority over preparing his redemption arc. Many people still have, and will always have, major issues with his character because of this one scene and the very raw emotional response it successfully elicited. I, for one, adore Felix; but I completely understand how others may have trouble believing that he is genuinely fighting for freedom and bodily autonomy, given how quick he was to disregard Ladybug’s. They have every right to feel that way and, if I’m being honest, the writing team kind of did it to itself.

Closing thoughts

Like I said in the opening, I am sure there are many other situations to delve into, characters to psychoanalyse, and ways to interpret the examples I mentioned. An exhaustive essay would take pages and pages, and this is already way too long as it is, so let’s wrap up with a few personal impressions:

Is Miraculous bad / problematic / worth canceling over these scenaristic decisions?

The answer is no, obviously. Trying to overly sanitise kids’ shows is a dangerous slippery slope that has led to the cancellation of some of my personal favourite gems for “““arbitrary””” reasons (everyone involved with canceling The Owl House is on my personal hit list). But I do think it is important to take in stories with your critical brain turned on, and be aware of some of the messages they might be trying to convey.

In this case, Miraculous writers are less interested in consent as a real-life issue than they are in what it can do for their show, scenaristically and thematically. It doesn’t make them evil, but it does make for a contradictory, and at times uncomfortable, final product.

2. Does that mean any of these characters are horrible monsters that should be burnt at the stake?

Of course not! They are dumb 14-year-olds just starting to navigate life and love. Whatever problematic behaviour they’re exhibiting now is just par for the course: they will grow out of it. In fact, they are already starting to grow out of it, with some help from the plot and a chair:

Ultimately, what matters most is not where a character starts from; it is how they learn from their mistakes and grow into a better person.

I am hopeful that all 4 of them are going in the right direction. Chloé is unlikely to make any progress given how Thomas Astruc feels about her, but hey, everything’s possible.

So, here you go, Anon! I hope this has been an interesting read and worth the wait!

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lostuntothisworld · 4 months

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Parallels that have been on my mind for a while...

#Is this death or rebirth?#chat noir #cat noir #snake noir #miraculous ladybug #miracle queen #strikeback #adrien agreste

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reksigh · 1 year

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sussy

#felix graham de vanily #adrien agreste #chat noir #flairmidable #mlb #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #strikeback

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walks-the-ages · 2 years

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So here's some food for thought, when it comes to the S4 finale:

You know how Adrien acted towards Felix in the finale?

You know how he narrows his eyes and glares?

You know how he treats him like shit and is rude and outright hostile to him?

You know how we were all sitting here wondering "okay, he clearly knows that's Felix, so why doesn't he say anything to Ladybug to warn her that she gave the Miraculous to the wrong person? Adrien's smart....in theory. So why isn't he pointing out that Felix is not who she thought he was? Why isn't he saying he saw Felix arrive at the train station earlier that day? Or saying he passed the Agreste mansion and saw Adrien and Felix together? Why isn't he doing literally anything about Felix? He's clearly pissed off about it."

But nope.

S5 E1 has to swoop in and completely obliterate that single small alibi that Adrien (barely) had for his behavior in the finale: because "Evolution" reveals that Adrien apparently didn't realize that Flairmiddable was Felix.

So please, everyone go back and rewatch Adrien's interactions with Felix while they're both suited up*-- watch just how shittily Adrien treats Felix. watch just how shittily Chat Noir treats Flairmiddable.

(*pm me if you need a link)

And now, rewatch it again and realize that Adrien doesn't know that is Felix.

All Adrien knows is that there's another New Hero on the team, and this new hero has committed the crime of not only existing, but exchanging fist bumps with Ladybug after defeating one of the villains.

You know, something that Ladybug does with literally every single one of the heroes.

This is not, and never has been a "chat Noir exclusive action". This is a friendly gesture of celebration after defeating a Supervillain and saving the city that she does with everyone.

Even when all of the other temporary heroes are gathered on a roof, Adrien can't help but sulk off to the side out of sight, refusing to share the same rooftop with the other heroes unless Ladybug is there--

There to attempt to get Adrien to "play nice", literally going out of her way to introduce them on friendly terms try to make sure they're both friendly and know that she cares for both of them...

And then he still treats Felix like absolute shit throughout the episode.

He still treats the temporary heroes like crap despite knowing many of them are literally his "friends":

He knows that Alya is Rena Rouge.

He knows that Carapace is Nino, his "best friend" (that he doesn't actually give two shits about, as we've seen time and time again)

he knows that Pigella is Rose,

he knows that Kagami is the dragon hero; his ex girlfriend, that you think he would maybe care about but he doesn't give a fuck about.

he knows that Juleka is Purple Tigress

He knows that most of these heroes are people he calls friends, people he, supposedly, cares about...

But he still treats them the way he does, which is like shit; both when they're strangers, and even more egregiously, when he explicitly knows that they are his friends! People he claims to care about!

#Adrien salt #ml #Miraculous Ladybug #Adrien Agreste #Chat Noir #Chat Noir Salt #Risk #Strikeback #felix graham de vanily #Flairmiddable

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trishacollins · 6 months

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Trick or treat! 🎃

Stryker was a good big brother. Félix said so, and Félix was Stryker's brother so he would know.

The problem was that Bridgett was slow. She was smaller than he was and not the best at moving fast.

But Stryker was a good big brother, and he could wait for his little sister to get her shoes on.

"Why aren't we waiting?" She asked plaintivly, one shoe only half on and the other kicked under her body.

"If'we don't'go early, then all the swings will be go." He explained, talking too fast to mind his words like their tutor told him.

He hadn't been made to speak. Speaking was hard.

Bridgett was better at talking, even if Stryker was a bigger little than she was.

"But Félix will go with us if we wait." She pointed out, and finally finished putting on her shoes.

"Rumble's goin." He pointed out.

Bridgett glanced at Rumble, who was sprawled on the couch with his feet on the arm. Rumble was the biggest of them, Félix said. But Rumble wanted four legs and a tail.

So he had to wear a leash.

And he was the littlest almost, size wise. Bridgett was a little smaller, and Kuro was little enough for Bridgett to carry.

"Félix says Rumble can't talk when there's other people."

Stryker deflated a bit. "But'i'wanna."

#miraculous ladybug #Strikeback #bring back sentibug #felix graham de vanily #feast

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aalissy · 10 months

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Panic Attack

This chapter is veryyyy angsty!! Just to let you know. I wanted to write about Ladybug’s thoughts during Strikeback bc it’s one of my fave lil Ladrien moments. I promise to be back with more fluff tomorrow <3

AO3

Ladybug swung from rooftop to rooftop. A slight wave of anxiety was building in her chest but she pushed it down. It must have been her fault. She either forgot to tell Adrien to meet her in the sewers or he went straight home by accident.

Flinging herself into the manor, the anxiety was instantly replaced with relief as she spotted the back of his head. Good. He had detransformed. It would be a lot easier to grab the miraculous of the dog now.

“Phew! There you are. I’m sorry I thought I told you we were supposed to meet up.” Ladybug walked over to him, the nervousness building inside of her once more when she saw the look of confusion in his eyes. Surely he knew that she had to get the miraculous back.

“Meet up?”

“Yes, so you could give it back to me.” She held her hand out.

It was going to be fine. After all, Adrien had no problems giving her back the snake miraculous before.

His face remained puzzled as he glanced from her outstretched hand back to her eyes. “Give what back to you?”

An uneasy feeling was beginning to churn in her gut. Something was off here... she just didn’t know what.

Ladybug shrugged it off. She was probably being paranoid. “Well, the miraculous of the dog.”

“But you didn’t give me anything.”

She almost laughed. Was this some kind of a joke he was pulling on her? It had only been an hour since she had last seen him, after all.

“Of course, I did! On the train.”

Adrien blinked at her in surprise. “The train?” All at once recognition lit in his eyes as he frowned. “Félix!”

Ladybug gasped, her eyes popping out as panic began to overwhelm her. But if it hadn’t been Adrien on the train then that meant that she had given the miraculous to Félix. The very same boy who had tried to make a deal with Hawkmoth without being under an akumatization.

She paused, clenching her eyes shut as she struggled to think. She couldn’t afford to panic yet. She had to think.

What was his plan? What could he possibly do with just the miraculous of the dog? It wasn’t the most powerful of miraculouses. Shadowmoth wouldn’t make a trade for just the dog miraculous alone. No. There was something here that she was missing. Something important.

While she wracked her brain, though, Félix’s true plan came to light. A bright orange ball came whizzing through the floor, stealing her yo-yo from her waist.

Oh god. Oh god. The miraculouses! Shadowmoth was going to have every last one of them!

Ladybug couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Panic was seizing her lungs, leaving her a hyperventilating mess. She struggled for air, trying to suck it in even as it felt like her lungs were constricting. Terror flooded through her. She couldn’t... she just couldn’t!

Through pants of air, she struggled to get words out. “The ball... of the dog...” She dug her nails into her forehead, trying to feel something other than the waves of hysteria that were slowly taking over.

It was over. It was over! She had lost and Shadowmoth had won.

“Félix... He has the yo-yo, and that means... he has the miraculous!”

Ladybug was shaking, her hands trembling as tears began to pool in her eyes. If Shadowmoth had every miraculous in his hands then there was nothing that she could do. She had failed to be a guardian. Master Fu would be ashamed of her. She was ashamed of herself.

Her thoughts continued to taunt and berate her. Reminding her of just how awful of a miraculous holder she truly was. It was no wonder Chat had been so upset with her recently. She was such a failure!

Spiraling even further down into a mass of panic, she continued to pant for air. Ladybug couldn’t breathe. Why couldn’t she breathe? Was that Félix too?

A pair of hands cupped her shoulders gently, but she ignored them. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Not now that she had given every last miraculous over to Shadowmoth.

“Ladybug, try to keep calm.” Adrien crouched down, his voice and eyes snapping her back into the present. She focused on him, trying to slow her panicked inhales. “Think. There must be a way to get your yo-yo back.”

He was right. Think. She had to think. Had to lessen the waves of panic before she lost everything.

And he was right. There was a way to get her yo-yo back. Though she wasn’t entirely certain that she wanted to try it...

What if this was just another trick?

But it was still a plan. The only one Ladybug had at the moment and she had to at least suggest it.“Yes, maybe if I transform back and then—”

“Go ahead.” Adrien slid open the door to his bathroom, guiding her inside. “You’ll be safe here.”

Why had he been so sudden about her transforming here? Maybe she was right and this was another trick. Maybe after this Shadowmoth would swoop in and steal her miraculous when she was detransformed and entirely defenseless. Maybe she was wrong again and this was Félix and not Adrien.

“I-I don’t know anymore.” Ladybug glanced away, clutching her head as another wave of panic and horror surged within her. “What if it’s a trap? What if you’re Félix?”

“If you’re gonna trust me once, please let it be this time!” Adrien spoke with sincerity, slamming the door closed.

Turning around, Ladybug sank to the floor with a miserable sigh. He was right. This was the only way to get her yo-yo back. She needed to trust him. Did trust him if it was, in fact, Adrien.

“Spots off,” she whispered.

In a whirl of pink light, Marinette was left kneeling on the floor. Tears dripped from her eyes as she gazed steadily at the floor. “Please hurry, Tikki.” Quickly, she handed her kwami a macaroon. “We can’t let them take all the miraculous. Please let there be some left. There has to be some left!”

Marinette clenched her eyes shut, hoping... praying that Shadowmoth hadn’t stolen every last one. Just one. Let there be just one. It could be any miraculous. At this point, she didn’t care.

“I’m done!” Tikki shouted.

“Tikki, spots on!” Marinette shouted, barely waiting for the transformation to finish before she was pulling out her yo-yo. In a rush, she flicked it open, sticking her hand inside as she struggled to find even one.

But it was too late. There was nothing left. It was officially over.

“No! There’s nothing left!”

Soft sobs left her as she collapsed on Adrien’s bathroom floor. The cool tile on her face was the only thing keeping her from spiraling even further into despair. That and the sound of Adrien’s soft voice as he called out to her.

“Ladybug...?”

“I’ve lost...” she finished in a soft whisper.

Blinking back tears, Ladybug looked up at his window. She had to go. Had to get out of here before facing him again. She couldn’t let Adrien know just how badly she had messed up.

None of this was his fault and she knew, as sure as she knew herself, that he was feeling guilty for something that had nothing to do with him. It was one of the reasons why she loved him. He had so much heart. Unlike Félix.

With her lower lip wobbling at the thought, Ladybug pushed herself to a stand as she opened the closed window. She flung herself out, needing to get away. Needing to forget about her failures for a moment.

She was heading straight for the spot she and Chat always shared overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Right now, it was the only place she might feel some comfort. With her tears mixing with the rain as it streamed down her face, Ladybug swung her way over to that rooftop. He would come to find her soon.

#ladrienjune2023 #ladrienjune #ladrien #love square #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ml #mlb #ml fic #fic #fanfic #angst #strikeback #strikeback spoilers

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