#ml episode rankings

[flightfoot]

All the rankings are in, and now it's time for the great conclusion: best Miraculous Ladybug episode to date!

I will be pulling the top 2 choices from these five polls I previously conducted, looking for the best Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, and the first part of Season 5 episodes.

Without further ado, here are the choices!

#miraculous ladybug #ml episode rankings #episode rankings #stormy weather #stoneheart #glaciator #sandboy #oblivio #chat blanc #kuro neko #strike back #passion #elation #polls

[gale-gentlepenguin]

I made a Tier list of all the episodes.

To Explain the Tiers:

Gimmi Gimmi!: (Episodes that are 10/10 or have a special place in my heart. They brought to the table what they wanted and more)

Miraculous: (Episodes I feel are 9 out of 10. They are great and are just missing one thing from being higher)

Solid: (Episodes that are 8 out of 10. They dont do anything incredible but are good episodes to watch, and do what they wanted to do pretty well.)

Decent: (Episodes that are 6 or 7 out of 10. They are fine episodes maybe they didnt exceed expectations, but are decent watch)

Mid: (Episodes that are 5 out of 10. They arent bad, but they arent great. they are just watchable. I wouldnt seek these episodes out, but I dont mind a rewatch.)

Boring: (Episodes that are 4 out of 10. Episodes that I kind of glaze over in my mind, nothing offensive about them, just kind of bleh, usually only have one or two scenes in them that are fun.)

Bad: (Episodes that are 3 out of 10. This is where episodes enter a realm of cringe or just annoy me in some way. Something I dont like revisiting but will watch on a binge)

Trash: (Episodes that are 2 out of 10, usually are really dumb or have bad writing. Mainly have only one or two things that keep me from despising the episode.)

Gabriel's parenting: (Episodes are the worst of the worst, These are the episodes that are 1 out of 10 or even 0 out of 10. These episodes do something that Piss me off to such an extent I cant consider them good. The writing or the plot holes are just too much that I cant enjoy them)

You will notice a few episodes are missing, but I will post my thoughts on them here:

Confrontation was mid Collusion was trash Revolution was Solid MAINLY because of the Adrinette kiss and nothing else Representation was Miraculous because of both the Catharsis of watching Adrien vent to his dad and the Lore drop Conformation would be solid if it was stand alone, but because it is associated with The season 5 finale it is trash And Re-Creation is in Gabriel's Parenting tier

These are not completely in order except for the Top tier and bottom tier, I will be writing my new top 10 after this. So stay tuned

#miraculous ladybug #ml #ml rankings #I was surprised by how many episodes shifted location #even reflekdoll is no longer my least favorite episode

[miraculouslycool]

you are so correct to rank psycomedian so high…. truly a treasure

comedy, married energy, romance, crackships and actual crack all crammed into one episode....i actually think it being released so late after such an angsty season was such a blessing

#miraculous ladybug #asks #rae ranks ml episodes #psycomedian

[purrincess-chat]

Well, the end is in sight. RTS is airing the finale (both parts) on July 1. Gird yourselves for the inevitable imploding of the fandom. Godspeed. 😬😅

#cat speaks #ml spoilers #miraculous ladybug #i guess i will wait to do my episode ranking then

[starcrossed591]

CDrama Year in Review 2023

I'm still very much a CDrama beginner--I just started watching them in the summer of 2022--but since this is the first year I got into them in earnest, I figured I might as well do a year in review a la @dangermousie (whose lists I have found incredibly helpful in deciding which CDramas I really, really need to go back and watch as part of my CDrama education--so thank you!). So, without further adieu, here is my ranking of 2023 CDramas, in order of least enjoyed to most enjoyed*.

(See also: KDrama Year in Review 2023)

*Disclaimer: *not* a measure of objective quality

10. Royal Rumours: This drama was not great? Meng Zi Yi and Jeremy Tsui were fun, but the story started out messy and got messier. For some reason I still finished it, I think because I had a lingering cold and it was all my brain could handle at the time *shrug*

9. Gone with the Rain: I actually really enjoyed this one! The pacing was inconsistent, but Zhang Nan was fun as the irreverent Mo Xi, and we love a grizzled general. Special shout to the teacher who was not actually evil, just a sad lesbian whose gf disappeared on her

8. Love You Seven Times: Intriguing concept, not a strong enough FL to carry it through. The reincarnation stuff really worked for me at first, especially in their first mortal tribulation (as people, not CGI animals), but I got tired of it pretty quickly. I admit, the gifs of Ding Yu Xi as a sexy cat demon *did* pull me back in, but not enough for me to actually finish the thing, alas

7. Destined/Chang Feng Du: Started out really strong, and then stalled out on me. I think I only got up to about episode 22 or so, after their epic desert crossing and new start in a new state--they lost all narrative momentum for me there. I stopped watching and then just...didn't start again. I do, however, remain a big Bai Jing Ting fan, and will be keeping on eye out for whatever he does next

6. Hidden Love: (Contemporary) Age gap romances are hit or miss for me, but Zhao Lu Si absolutely stole/carried the show for me in this one. Although more fun imo when the main couple are in the the will-they-won't-they phase than in the family melodrama after they get together, still the only contemporary CDrama to get me to give it a go this year--and I'm glad I did

5. My Journey to You: Featuring my favorite murder girlies Esther Yu as Yun Wei Shan and Lu Yu Xiao as Shanguan Qian! Gorgeous costumes and sets, sweeping cinematography, and plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Full disclosure, I have not actually watched the last two episodes because I got busy and then saw weird chatter about them, so I have no comment on the allegedly weird ending

4. Till the End of the Moon: Look, I know the ending wasn't ideal, but for the majority of its run, this drama owned my entire soul. It also introduced me to Bai Lu as Li Su Su, who inspired my first actual tumblr post (that wasn't a reblog) because I was so obsessed with her. And everyone knows that Tantai Jin is the CDrama ML of the year. 10/10, no regrets at letting it take over my life (and the OST my Spotify) from April to May of this year

3. The Story of Kunning Palace: More Bai Lu is always a good thing, and she's extra fun here as the transmigrated former evil empress and totally-over-your-nonsense Xiang Xue Ning here. The reverse haremness of it all totally shows why Bai Lu is the chemistry queen, especially with the princess (Liu Xie Ning) and cranky, morally grey, would-fail-gym-class strategist Xie Wie (Zhang Ling He). So glad this drama made it out of the CDrama vault and didn't languish indefinitely in censorship hell

2. A Journey to Love: Finished this one two days ago as of this writing and am still not normal about it. Ren Ruyi (Liu Shi Shi) and Ning Yuan Zhou (Liu Yu Ning) lead an exceptionally strong ensemble cast in this wuxia that explores the complicated relationships between love, duty, loyalty, loneliness, and companionship. Ruyi and Yuan Zhou are far and away one of my fave OTPs of the year, but just as compelling are the relationships between friends/brothers/fellow assassins Yu Shisan, Yuan Lu (ugh my heart), Qian Zhou, and Sun Lang. This drama definitely has one of the strongest ensemble casts of the year. And the character growth of Yang Ying from little princess abandoned in the cold palace to who she becomes by the end will stick with me for a long time. Plus another 10/10 OST!

1. Lost You Forever S1: I'm not normally a reverse harem girl, but the longing, loss, and hard resolve portrayed to perfection by Yang Zi as Xiao Yao really did it for me here. This whole drama struck an emotional chord for me, and where TTEOTM consumed my soul, LYF took over my heart. Xiao Yao's relationships with her power hungry, overprotective cousin Cang Xuan; hot snake demon Xiang Liu/playboy archery shufu Feng Feng Bei; and perfectly devoted Tushan Jing are all equally compelling to me, and while I may know who she ends up with in the end, who I *think* she should be with changes based on who's on screen at any given time. And A'Nian, my favorite bratty princess who really just needs some strong parenting, holds a special place in my heart. I know we may never get S2, and even if we do, censorship means it probably won't be what the drama makers are capable of, but I'm so glad for this little piece of absolute perfection. And, again, a top notch OST!

Fave Drama: Lost You Forever, by just a hair over A Journey to Love. See above.

Least Fave Drama: Royal Rumours--truly why did I finish this, what was past me thinking

Biggest Disappointment: 2023 is also the year I read Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir, my very first CNovel! But then I didn't even bother checking out its adaptation, Romance of a Twin Flower, because it got rid of everything that made the novel such an addicting read, including a brilliant, strategic, ice cold FL and an ML who actually kind of sucked at the beginning, only to grow on you very, very slowly over time. I'm grateful that the chatter around the drama is what brought the novel to my attention, but other than that, hard pass.

Favorite Male Character: Lots of good ones this year, but I'm gonna go with Cang Xuan (Zhang Wan Yi) from Lost You Forever. The conflict he faces between getting enough power to protect the people he loves the most and that power making him incompatible with those loved ones is so compelling, and his yearning for Xiao Yao even when she's right in front of him is wrenching. Full disclosure, I also just really love the sound of his voice

Favorite Female Character: This could easily have gone to Li Susu (TTEOTM), Xiao Yao (LYF), or Ren Ruyi (AJTL), but I'm gonna go with Bai Lu's Xiang Xue Ning in The Story of Kunning Palace. Something I really loved about this character was just how jaded Xue Ning really was, even in her second go round at life. Yeah, she wants to make amends for the harm done in her previous rise to power, but that has hardly turned her into a good--or even pleasant--person. Instead, she's incredibly skeptical and still plays most things ice cold, especially with her family. As a bonus, we got plenty of Bai Lu's fantastic side eye as she basically had to do high school all over again when she gets called into the palace despite her very best efforts not to be.

Favorite Ship: Ren Ruyi and Yuan Zhao from A Journey to Love have got to be it. They balance each other out so well, and over the course of the drama, learn to communicate effectively with each other whenever they have a problem. They also recognize that not all problems can be solved by ~love~, which makes their relationship even more compelling when they decide to prioritize each other in a way that respects what the other wants from life.

Favorite Secondary Ship: Little princess Yang Ying and Yuan Lu absolutely broke stole my heart in A Journey to Love. Doomed love even more than the main OTP, these two's youthful romance was such much fun to watch, especially as they egged their respective mentors on in their own romance. Yang Ying's recognition that her first love did not have to be her only love is also something I always love to see, even as it broke my heart that (spoiler) she and Yuan Lu never really had a chance at an HEA. Their relationship really exemplified a key theme of this drama: that you should love the people you love while they're still with you because tomorrow is never promised.

Non-2023 Dramas that I Watched: Two non-2023 dramas I watched that deserve a special shout out are Love and Redemption and The Sword and the Brocade. Love and Redemption prepared me to really appreciate the big swings that Till the End of the Moon took, and The Sword and the Brocade went a little way to filling the Story of Ming Lan shaped hole in my heart. The Sword and the Brocade also had absolutely searing critique of the concubine system, even as it featured one of the most genuinely good-hearted FLs I've seen. Would recommend both!

Most Looking Forward To: Yes, I'm a sucker and the censors (not to mention the characters) will probably break my heart, but I'm still crossing my fingers that Lost You Forever S2 will live up to the promise of part one. See above: still a CDrama beginner, have not yet had all the optimism knocked out of me. Sue me.

#CDrama #year in review #Lost You Forever #A Journey to Love #The Story of Kunning Palace #My Journey to You #Hidden Love #Chang Feng Du #Destined CDrama #Till the End of the Moon #Love You Seven Times #Gone with the Rain #Ren Ruyi #Yang Ying #Yuan Lu #Bai Lu #Meta #CDrama Review

[girl8890]

Mayuri Kurotsuchi Anime Appearance Guide

Bleach

There’re a lot of Bleach episodes, so I’m almost 99% positive that I’ve missed a couple appearances. These are the mains ones I’ve found, though, from both main and side eras. This does include Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, but all the way at the end.

This list is relating to the Hulu, US layout. It also includes Bleach spoilers since every episode I list has a description to it. If I've missed any, please comment below, and I’ll add it/fix it.

Appearance Guide ML

。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。

S2E24: First appearance. Seen with the other 13 captains at the captain meeting. Feels insulted by what Gin says, and then has a stare off with captain Zaraki.

S2E25: Seen with the other captains at the captain meeting when a alarm goes off because of an intruder (Ichigo). Is dismissed by head captain Yamamoto.

S2E29: Gets upset when Ikkaku says he doesn’t remember who attacked him. Goes to hit him for his “failure,” but is stopped by captain Zaraki.

S3E43: Mayuri vs Uryü. First glimpse at his abilities.

S3E61: Bath scene!!!! (05:15)

S5E100-101: Bount fight. Mayuri vs Sawatari and his Doll, Baura.

S11E173: He gets mad when his experimented hollows were released.

S11E179: With the other 12 captains at a meeting. Gets frustrated when it sounds like the new captain, Shūsuke Amagai, is complaining… Later, he takes over a section of the soul society for the battle.

S13E196: Appears to help Rengi and Uruguayan. Fights with the arrancer Szayelaporro Granz.

S13E198: Fight with Szayelaporro continues.

S13E199: Fight with Szayelaporro continues.

S13E200: Fight with Szayelaporro continues. Talks about how he views perfection.

S14E208 - Mayuri in jail and Kisuke Urahara releases him to join his squad.

S14E209: Yells at Hiyori Sarugaki to hurry up, but then gets yelled at by her. They fight about ranks since he’s a third seat, but also vice president of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

S16E230-231: Is brought with the other captains, lieutenants, and some other soul reapers to an area where Muramasa is. Kinda just stands there in amazement during the battle.

S16E233-234: Experiments on himself to see if his zanpakuto is not apart of him anymore. Needs more data, so experiments on Unohana too.

S16E240: Does a experiment on lieutenant Marechiyo’s zanpakuto. Tries to figure out the situation with zanpakutos leaving their masters swords.

S17E245: Comes to fight his zanpakuto, Ashisogi Jizō. Stops captain Kanpachi from fighting his zanpakuto. Tries to “help” Ichigo with an “antidote.” Has a stare off with captain Unohana (lol).

S17E254: Only his face is shown, but he fixed the zanpakuto problem.

S18E256: Explains he figured out the brainwashing, but not how to put zanpakutos spirits back into swords permanently… Later, he’s happy to get something new to experiment on.

S18E267: Explaining how some zanpakuto’s go wild if their master die. He calls them “sword beasts.” Flashback of him doing research for Rukia’s zanpakuto and explaining how he researched about others. Lieutenant Nanau tries to bride him with sweets to do more research.

S18E263: Freaks out when he sees his lab destroyed by Lieutenant Renji’s zanpakuto’s.

S23E317: Gives insights about peoples whereabouts. Mad when he’s wrong about the world time shift problem. Gives report (after research) about precipice world problem at captain meeting. Was put in charge of problem and paired with division 11. Wasn’t happy about the outing. Found reason for problem, then the place starts to collapse.

S23E319: Shows up with the rest of the captains during the fight (Ichigo vs Kagerōza Inaba)

S23E320: The reigai version of him undermines the reigai version of Koonpachi. Then, the real him, is in Ichigo’s room with the rest of the captains to discuss the situation.

S23E321: Flashback of him being mad at a captain meeting for reigai Ichigo ruining what he was doing in the precipice world. Flashback about him explaining reigai’s powers.

S23E328: Joins the fight with the captains against Kagerōza Inaba. Stabs Kagerōza in the back when everyone thinks he’s the reigai version of him.

S23E329: Reveals he’s not his reigai double. Explains when and how he swapped spots with his reigai. Fights Kagerōza by himself at first, and then the other captains join in again.

S24E339: Watches the real and reigai Zaraki fight. Goes to fight the reigai version of Unohana. Even expresses how he would love to “dissect” (experiment) on her. When he goes to fight her though, she hits him. He ends up being badly hit, and a part of his body is cut in half.

1000 Year Blood War

S1E1: the start of the episode, he’s heading done the elevator to his lab. Sees something is taking away the existence of hollows.

S1E2: Explains the power of their enemies being so strong that it defeated also hollows. Announces the army to be Quinces.

S1E3:: At the captain meeting when they are told war is coming. Later, in a private meeting, he tells the head captain he should have killed “that man” (Yhwach) when he had the chance a 1000 years ago.

S1E4: In research lab. Is mad at the other captains for not waiting until his analysis to attack/use their bankai’s. Short parts.

S1E5: When he gets told Ichigo is coming, he doesn’t seem impressed. Short part.

S1E8: Ichigo goes to him to hear the status of his zanpakuto that he was supposed trying to fix for him. Explains that only Ichigo can “fix” his zanpakuto. Tells Ichigo he had to come with him to meet squad zero. Is seen in the group of captains, behind Ichigo, when squad zero comes. Call squad zero “disrespectful” when he sees Ichigo’s zanpakuto that was originally in his lab. He says they “broke in.”

S1E12: Comments about why Captain Shiba didn’t take down the “mystery hollow.”

S2E15: He appears out of a hidden door, glowing. He explains that he figured out their last invasion was relied on shadows, so he got rid of the shadows in his lab. He feels he’s the only captain that can win without in banki.

S2E16: he gets a phone in from Kisuke that he can restore everyone’s banki. He’s mad that he found this discovery, and hung up on him, but Kisuke then appeared behind him. He discusses with Kisuke how the quincies may not be able to take arrancar resurrection. They figure out together that arrancars holo abilities are poisonous for quincies to have.

S2E18: while analyzing who’s still a love after the battles, he doesn’t understand why everyone getting worked up after their superiors died.

S2E19: Wondering how to turn the tables and defeat the quincies.

S2E21: He explains the barrier ichigo broke through and how he did it. An opening out of the soul society has been opened.

S2E22: He comes onto the battlefield and fight the girl/boy quincie (that turns people into zombies with her/his blood). He revived the past dead arrancars has the ability to make them follow his ever whim.

S2E23: fight continues. Captain Hitsugaya is also a zombie and he finds this “troublesome.” They fight with swords… multiple times…? Keep going back in time. He tests a new drug of his on a Captain Hitsugaya while his body is paralyzed…. Perfecting his experiment he now controls overall three captain zombies, and one lieutenant. He killed zombie creator girl.

S2E24: calls Ichigo’s lift off ugly 😂.

♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡

Authors Note: I’ve literally had this in my drafts for like… over a year! I just added the season 2 episodes, and will probably not be adding more, but I’m always getting in random fits of Bleach love so who knows 😂

#bleach: tybw #bleach #mayuri kurotsuchi #Mayuri #appearance guide #mayuri appearance guide #Mayuri kurotsuchi appearance guide #for the show #thousand year blood war #only on the show #love this man… don’t know why lol

[hwaightme]

Your fan, Hongjoong (part 2)

(part 1) (your fan ml)

👘 pairing: hongjoong x fashion designer!reader 👘 genre: romance, fluff, mutual pining 👘 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if hongjoong was stanning you 👘 wordcount: 5.4k (hj okay i guess) 👘 warnings/tags: language, jealousy, bro code, hongjoong and san beef, seonghwa just wants to be part of woosan, yunho is a menace pt2, san using his 'imitation' practice, yeosang and jongho have a business, reader is confident, hj not so much, MCR is love <3, goth culture, goth rock & glam/punk/pop rock! 👘 taglist: @acciocriativity, @senpai-of-doom, @layzfeelit @jcngh0-hq @ficrecsiguess 👘 a/n: Hello <3 Here is part 2 of Your Fan Hongjoong!! Time to measure the chaos levels once more; senpai-of-doom for the custom outfit gift musings <3 love you all, biggest hugs!! All asks, reblogs and likes welcome

What is unfathomably more terrifying than ATEEZ playing mafia without supervision?

Dead silent dorms and intra-ATEEZ rivalry.

Ever since the shoot for the new retail collection for ARNURI, which marked the beginning of a prolonged collaboration between ATEEZ and your fashion brand, the tension between a certain two members was uncomfortably high.

Both Hongjoong and San had radically different ways of pushing each other into a rage mode headspace, which initially had been a source of light entertainment, but soon enough turned into a betting opportunity for some, and a major headache for the one remaining ATEEZ kindergarten employee.

Like how many times in one day can Hongjoong pull rank... how many times can San sneak in the dropping of honorifics and how many times can he start talking over Hongjoong JUST before he stops talking...

The list could go on. But it was a passive aggressive battlefield that made conversation between the members nearly impossible.

Take last night's dinner for example. After Wooyoung had spent an unreasonable amount of hours making quiche, with Seonghwa following his every move like a paper towel warrior, the members were hangry, tired, and in a mood to start drama.

The first minute, five, ten minutes... passed uneventfully, with the only outliers to the calm being Jongho tuning into a live football match on his phone and Mingi bobbing his head to something only he could hear in his head.

And then, the eleventh minute struck. And with it, Hongjoong's nerve.

"Right, guys, so we have another event with ARNURI tomorrow, and I don't know about you but-"

"-Do you guys think we should gift Y/N something? I mean, she has been so patient and so kind to us." San interjected, a sly grin on his face as he openly challenged the captain with his mischief.

"give me the won bills, my guy" Jongho mumbled, putting his elbow on the table and moving his arm so his palm was facing the ceiling, and as close to Yeosang as possible.

"not yet, needs to be three in a row for 'conversational edging' combo to be counted." he whispered back as-a-matter-of-factly, swatting the maknae's hand away by giving it a high five.

"Hold up are you bettin-" Mingi began, having left his musical trance once San and Hongjoong had started their episode, but was quickly interrupted by Yeosang's quick move to cover his mouth.

"Shh... you might get percentages." he warned and let Mingi come to his conclusions, and take up the business proposal.

"Ahem, as I was saying, okay I do have got to give it to San here, that is a really good idea and I am more than happy to pick out something for Y/N that I know she will like-"

"Oh and you know what, I think I already have the right gift for her so just leave it to me guys and we'll be sorted-"

"CHOI SAN!"

"Damn that was fast." Jongho cursed under his breath as he slid a crisp note to Yeosang under the table, who then motioned in cryptic body signals to Mingi that they will split it later. Maybe he understood, maybe he didn't, but the prospect of gaining something from the shitshow was encouraging enough.

"Yes?" San responded to the now vexed leader, totally unperturbed.

"Can you stop?"

"Stop what?"

"This shit."

"But you're unstoppable Hongjoong-ah." San quipped, grinning as gasps erupted around the table.

Seonghwa was beginning to get more and more concerned as he saw his roommate slowly lower his metal spoon and press it into the table, until it was nearly bending. He placed a nervous hand onto the captain's shoulder in an attempt to snap him out of whatever was about to happen.

But no chance. Hongjoong stood up, forcing Seonghwa away.

"Look. Choi San. I do not know what has gotten into you. Actually, I very much do. But why the fuck do you want to start beef all the time?"

"So what exactly-"

"What are you? KOREAN BARBECUE?"

That made San falter - an unusual response to the food, especially considering that upon hearing that, he glanced over at Wooyoung and Seonghwa. This made Hongjoong narrow his eyes, but as he was about to ask a question about whether there was some conspiracy he did not know about, San did end up mustering a response.

"I- I just think you are trying too hard and to no avail, bro."

"Trying to do what?"

"Oh we are talking about the same fine lady here, aren't we?"

"OH you mean how your thirsty ass is committing every form of social disrespect trying to get Y/N to notice you?"

"Excuse you, I am just making conversation unlike your mousy and terrified ass."

"Ass?" Mingi was back in the game, having zoned out for a couple of seconds.

"Yes, Mingi, they are fighting over ass, it's okay, it happens sometimes." Yunho rubbed his friend's back in a fatherly manner, patting it a couple of times for good measure as he nodded slowly.

"That is just rude, man what the-" Hongjoong diverted his attention to Mingi, who had already grasped the lever on his breakfast bar chair and started sliding downwards.

Not that it helped much, only making a previously stoic Yunho spin away to try compose himself, and Yeosang fold his hands in prayer and position them in the most magnificent 'boi' form.

"Oh, look at Hongjoong being a fucking white knight." a strong hit from San, using his opponent's momentary distraction to his advantage.

"That is an online term, you oaf." Yeosang corrected quietly, pointing his hands at the man, who had stood up to match Hongjoong.

"Get off my dick dude-"

Yeosang mimicked looking through a pair of binoculars in response to San's distressed whisper, making the man groan.

"All of this is so anti-bro code, shame shame." Yeosang continued, only this time a little louder, causing Hongjoong and San to roll their eyes. The former recovered a little quicker, and attempted to intercept, but San was fast on the comeback, not giving the older member any chances.

"Again-"

"SIMP~" San boomed, making a tube with his hands to amplify his shouting.

"DOUBLE KILL." Yunho joined in, covering his mouth to make his voice sound as close to the video games he had been playing as possible.

Wooyoung had fallen off his chair, and was currently becoming one with the carpet as he had reached the point of a laughing fit where one could no longer produce sound and had to resort to being a fish, flopping about in the drama.

"RIGHT! I cannot stand this childishness any longer. You have been the biggest pain for the last few days and I am DONE trying to handle it or to be the bigger person, OKAY? If you want no rules. You'll get no rules. Except now, don't expect me to go easy on you."

The room fell silent, aside from Wooyoung slapping the floor and wheezing, and a deep, exasperated sigh from Seonghwa, who was massaging his temples like a mother at a parent teacher conference.

Hongjoong stormed away from the group, nearly ripping his jacket off the coat hanger and shoving headphones into his ears, with an aggressive announcement that he was going to the studio.

Again. That same silence.

Wooyoung managed to fight off the rest of his giggles and stand up, leaning on San for support. As he wiped his tears away, he looked to the eldest member, who began to gather Hongjoong's cutlery and what was left over of the meal.

"Hwa, you good?" San tried, any trace of anger and rebellion having evaporated at an astonishing speed.

"Uh... don't you think that was a bit much?" Seonghwa looked up, concern etched on his face.

"But you know what I'm trying to do, don't you?"

"Yeah, and I still think it's a bit too much."

"Oh, just you wait. Hongjoong likes a challenge." Wooyoung added, wrapping an arm around San's neck while he snapped pictures of the nearly gone quiche as evidence that it had been, in fact, edible.

"So. Special ops unit 'flower umbrella', care to explain what the fuck are you guys plotting before I force the answers out of you?"

All eyes were on Jongho, who had put his phone face down, right in front of him on the table, and had intertwined his fingers in a 'plotting murder' manner. His unreadable expression made Wooyoung, San and Seonghwa uneasy, and they began to play the eye game of 'who is going to say it'.

--

As Hongjoong was stomping his way to the studio, he was blasting songs that he recalled you had mentioned to him in the little chats you had shared. Him being very music-driven, of course he had taken the chance to ask what you enjoyed listening to.

So that was how he had ended up embarking on the feels train listening to "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by The Smiths. Not quite the best choice when he was ready to smash a fist through a wall, but alas, at least it reminded him of you, and how calm you could stay amidst chaos.

He wondered if San knew this information too. What had you been chatting about with him? He had seen you laughing a couple of times whilst with him. That sneaky bastard. Openly declaring war and then not... joking? Who did that guy think he was?

Hongjoong could not help but beat himself up inside. He really was a coward, wasn't he? Every time he talked to you he would just giggle like a stereotypical shy anime school girl, all while staring at you like a damn puppy. He could not help it.

Being around you had an inexplicably strong effect on him to the point where he struggled to even have the role of captain. Hell, he even missed instructions a couple of times if you were next to the photographer.

And of course "Be My Druidess" by Type O Negative had to start playing at that exact moment. He huffed, rushing into KQ and zooming past security. Studio, studio, studio. He needed to just be alone for a second.

Once he had arrived, and locked himself in, he turned off the music and left all his belongings by the mixing equipment. Then, he waddled over into the recording booth, cautiously shutting the door behind him.

He took a deep breath. Almost meditative. And then let out

the most FRUSTRATED SCREAM into the void that was the noise isolating foam and thick concrete walls.

Taking a couple more steadying breaths, he stepped out again, and crashed onto the spinning chair before him.

San was a little shit.

San did not know you like Hongjoong did.

Hongjoong missed you.

Hongjoong did NOT want you to be the one who got away even before you could get together.

He picked up his phone, fiddling with it a couple of times. Unlocking it and locking it again. He looked at the bracelet, the one you had complimented, still on his wrist. There was no other way. He had to do it. After a glance at the time on the screen, he deliberated once again - what if he came across as a creeper who was contacting a co-worker way outside of appropriate hours?

But he did have your number - you had given it to him on the first day, explaining that he was 'the lead figure of ATEEZ'. That had made his heart swell with pride. But also shit bricks because he had your number but did not text you a single time so you did not have his?

His mind was moving at lightning speed. Oh well, if he did not take this chance, there would never be another.

<Unknown Number> Hi! So sorry for the late hour, this is Hongjoong!

He bit his lip, doubting his use of exclamation points. Was he being desperate? Was this too much?

<you> Oh Hongjoong, hi!!! I was wondering when you'd text lol

<hongjoong> Yeah... so sorry about that, it's been really wild lately

<you> I get you :) hopefully the shoot and generally the collab isn't putting too much pressure on you? If it is just let me know and I'll tell the designers to back off for a bit!

<hongjoong> Nonono seriously it is the best part of my day!

<you> Wow well I am glad to hear it!

<hongjoong> You are amazing

He slapped himself across the face as he reread what he had accidentally sent. Now you were definitely going to beat any records of fastest time to block someone.

<you> haha right back at you :)

His heart swelled and he wiggled his legs, but quickly stopped himself and pondered whether this was genuinely because you thought he was amazing or because you were scared and thought he was mildly unhinged.

Well bold of him to assume one or the other, because in reality, you just found him adorable.

Out of all the ATEEZ members, as you had expected, he had gotten the energy of ARNURI straight away. There had been no hiccups with him, no miniature coaching sessions about how to properly pose in the clothing so that not only did it look good but also told a story.

He knew what you were trying to do without you having to explain it a million times (which sometimes even your own employees needed), and although he couldn't quite get his words out when he was talking with you, there was no particular need. PHANTASMOS had been second nature to him.

All you could think about was how the future ATEEZ x ARNURI collection was going to look on him. It would be the world's biggest lie if you were to say you had not been working on his selection of items the longest. As a matter of fact, long before the potential to collaborate had even appeared on the horizon.

It was only natural - you had seen him wear your items, and you had a good eye for fitting and guessing what styling would work on whom. So, he had turned into a vision, a muse for you. In the times when you could sit in your personal studio and hone your craft, create to your heart's content, Hongjoong would be in the corner of your mind, his form - a canvas for your sketches.

Though for the actual ATEEZ x ARNURI collection you had ended up preparing entirely new drafts since they had to match and 'speak' to the others', you did have a couple of samples done for Hongjoong's solo looks, simply to be displayed on a mannequin for you to admire and reminisce on your journey. One which this man had influenced in many ways.

And now he was right in your phone screen. You had no reason to give him your number, since the majority of business interactions were being handled by your PA, marketing and relationship management. But on a whim you did it anyways. You were kind of proud of how coolly you went about it too. Casually taking out a blank card, noting down the digits and passing them to him between two fingers.

Okay maybe a little cringey in retrospect but he was not one to judge - not from how you had noticed him smiling like an idiot as, after finishing the conversation and with you 'totally paying attention to what one of the makeup artists was saying', he had shuffled into a corner of the photo studio, behind some equipment, unclipped his phone case and slid the card safe inside.

Curiosity was getting the best of you - you were happy, yes, but there must be some reason why Hongjoong had spontaneously decided to get in contact with you.

<you> So what's got you burning the midnight oil?

After what felt to be a minute, Hongjoong replied:

<hongjoong> At the studio right now, kind of in the mood of wanting to compose but not knowing what.

<you> That makes two of us, just I'm in a fashion studio and wanting to sketch haha

<hongjoong> Now that sounds amazing! What kinds of clothes?

<you> Well I have been very much on the ATEEZ ship as of late, so most of my ideation is dedicated to that

<you> Actually, can we have a quick call? I want to run some ideas by you if it's okay :)

<hongjoong> Sure!!

And there you were, two workaholics in your respective studios, showing each other around and talking for what had ended up being a little over four hours. You had indeed showed him some of the ideas you had, including a couple of iterations for chain harnesses that could be used to complete looks for some of the members.

Needless to say, you could make him blush and exhibit obvious jealous undertones at your command, and at the same time, make him look like the happiest man on the planet just by a couple of well-timed words. He seemed to have a particularly sharp reaction to when you mentioned San, and a choker that you had prepared.

You were not sure what the story there was, because San had been nothing but friendly to you, and as a matter of fact, had been showering their captain with praise and practically giving you a Hongjoong sales pitch. But you decided to not press the matter further. ATEEZ will be ATEEZ.

When he had played a couple of songs for you and explained how he had been working on them, you decided to go into a compliment monologue. You wished you could translate his shy laughter into a design. How could one recreate Kim Hongjoong in an article of clothing? In an outfit? It would be lifetimes before that could be achieved. So for the time being, you were content with cradling your phone screen as you listened to Hongjoong.

Somehow, the conversation turned into My Chemical Romance appreciation, as you divulged that yes, you may be goth, but that did not somehow limit you nor did it mean you were to look down upon anything else. Quite the opposite, the culture you followed had given you nothing but love, and all you wanted was to share it. And a part of this love was given to the band, who you enjoyed blasting while working, while commuting, and simply just because you wanted to sit there, head empty, and listen to them.

While you were rambling away about The Black Parade album, the songs you liked from it such as the classic - Teenagers, and about MCR's legendary comeback, Hongjoong was slammed full force by a EUREKA moment, and discreetly he noted it down on a stray post-it note. He knew exactly what he would gift to you that would beat anything and everything. At least he hoped it would.

Once the call had ended, he did not go home. In fact, he had gone to the photoshoot directly from the studio, much to the discontent of his manager and the concern of his members. But did he give a shit? No. He had spent the entire night talking, and creating for his love. He was not going to lie about it anymore. It was true. He was not a fan. He wanted so much more. And he was going to fight for it.

Fight me. Choi San. I dare you.

Such calls became a regular occurrence, since conveniently enough both of you were night owls (to the point where it was confusing what time zone you actually lived in). They had also served to lighten up his mood, to the point where after a couple of days he had stopped giving San the silent treatment (aside from captain's orders) and promoted the member back to acquaintanceship status.

The members noticed that you and him had become much closer in regular, in person interactions too, and as the days went on, you would spend a lot longer in one another's company. To the point where San could not keep up his game any more. Not that he had any opportunity to, since as soon as he was to make a beeline for you, Hongjoong would be right there, with a question, a joke, a random comment, or a small gift.

He had taken to discussing clothing modification with you, bringing some of his projects with him a couple of times, which you were more than happy to feedback on and even wreak havoc together with him. With the various trinkets that he was giving you, thanks to Wooyoung's creativity, some of the members had taken to calling Hongjoong 'the magpie man'.

But weeks passed, the shoots and collaborative design sessions were being wrapped up, and Hongjoong had settled into some kind of odd routine with you - one which you began to be dissatisfied with. It was as though he had started decelerating. As you watched the ATEEZ members being prepared for another, now video shoot for a series of promotions for the ATEEZ x ARNURI collection (the designs of which had been finalised ahead of schedule thanks to a certain captain helping you catch the essence of his group), you wondered if there was something that had influenced Hongjoong's firey pursuit in the first place...

Whilst observing their interactions, your eyes finally settled on him. None other than Choi San. The one member other than Hongjoong who had been extra friendly with you, but recently also stepped off the gas. Were they competing in some way? But San was literally talking about the other member most of the time-

Oh.

Oh. Now it made sense. You could not help but smile. Oh this was elaborate. In true ATEEZ fashion. All you needed was confirmation.

"Sannie? Could you come here for a moment?" purposefully using his nickname to highlight how you guys were 'so close', you called for his attention. Thus calling the attention of every other member too.

He seemed to catch the drift, or at least the not-so-gentle shove from Wooyoung helped, as he called back with a nickname and sauntered right to you, resembling a cat on the prowl. You caught Hongjoong's glare darting from you to him. Soon enough, he was glowering.

"Alright, San," you beckoned him closer to you, to which he obliged, "tell me about your plan regarding Hongjoong, will you?"

"Ah so it was kind of obvious..." he rubbed the back of his neck, looking off to the side.

"Evidently not, since I am only bringing this up now."

"But yeah. Okay. Long story short - he likes you. A lot. And that has only gotten more intense, so we decided to give him a couple of nudges."

"We?"

"Oh yeah this was Woo's plan." he pointed in his friend's direction, who appeared to have been ready, all this time, to make a cute pose and wave at you.

"Right."

"And then Hwa kind of improved it so it's more natural."

"Unexpected, but okay I see it."

"And then... um. Basically something happened and the rest of the guys are on the cheer squad."

"This is unbelievable." you stated, keeping your voice intentionally monotone.

"I'm really sorry. I know this is probably really silly and-"

"I want in."

"You- what now? Hold up can you back track."

"Well I think the main point to address is that, yes, I do indeed like Hongjoong too. A lot. And I am disappointed that he is a bit to comfortable right now."

"Now we're talking! See, San told you." Yunho, who was halfway through getting his makeup done but excused himself to hear the monumental tea, had appeared beside you, and soon enough you three had formed a huddle.

"Yunho, it wasn't too hard to guess I recall explicitly telling you I thought Hongjoong to be handsome."

"Yeah but who knows... maybe it was a fashion thing. I was judging more from the body language. And some other stuff but that's a company secret." Yunho explained, and winked.

"Dang, well. Nice. So, I think we sort of understand each other?"

"We all want Hongjoong to stop being a little bitch and confess?" San asked, making your eyes widen, as you were nonplussed at the choice of words.

"Precisely," Yunho agreed, entirely not phased, "which is why I propose operation 'Jealous Joong'. Even though he is like a tired dad most of the time, hate to break it to you, he has this sort of switch. If he really wants something, he will do anything to get it. And I think the same applies if it is someone we are talking about."

"You are more devious than I thought." you praised him, slowly clapping your hands together at the fun facts you had just been given.

"Never trust the innocent-looking ones." San warned you in a light-hearted tone.

"Noted, mister 'I will burn through the camera with my sultry gaze'."

"I'll take it. Now, my lady, let's go give Joongie some hell."

"Let's get this show on the road!"

And oh boy, was this quite the show. San's demeanour towards you had changed almost fully. He amped up the touchiness, requested that it was you who would be finalising his looks, making you float around him, and him alone.

This was riling up Hongjoong until his blood was boiling. He felt cheated. At the same time, Yunho, Wooyoung and Seonghwa kept on trying to grab his attention, while simultaneously making not so pleasant comments about what they were seeing between you and San. Feeding Hongjoong's turbulent emotions.

And San kept it up, right until the end of the shoot for the say, when Hongjoong, after saying a curt thanks, bolted out of the building, not caring for the staff that had ended up having to chase after him. Initially you thought that what you had agreed to do might have been to much, but Seonghwa, with two thumbs up, had reassured you that what was achieved was the optimum.

Sure enough, it did not take too long for Hongjoong to make an appearance. At one twenty-three. In the morning. Somehow managing to sneak into ARNURI, and right up to the door to your office, where you were still sat, enjoying the pleasures of filtering through massive email chains.

A couple of knocks on the door made you take a decorative bird skull in your hand, before attempting to not stutter as you said 'come in'. But there he was. As promised. A disheveled and determined Hongjoong, holding something tightly in his hand.

"Hi. Yeah. I am back. So. Sorry. For this afternoon. I don't know what had gotten into me. But. I just. I just want to share something with you. It's been something I have been working on the last couple of weeks, and well, uhm, I guess before you make any decisions or anything like that I just wanted to... gift it to you? Sorry, I know it is probably ridiculous but-"

"I'd love to listen to it, Joongie. Is it on a memory stick?" you pointed at his fist as he nodded vigorously and approached to pass it to you.

Promptly, you plugged it into your computer, and in a matter of a minute, the air was filled with Hongjoong's incredible cover of 'Teenagers', with him having added a well-matched, self-composed rap verse. His nerve. His energy. They were incomparable to anything you had heard.

And to think you had begun to doubt that he liked you and was getting cold... on the contrary, his feelings only got deeper. When the song finished, and you two were in quietude once more, Hongjoong began to fill the silence with his worries:

"So yeah. That was that. I just wanted to play this for you because you know, you like the original a lot. And I am sorry for causing you the trouble you probably did not want to be disturbed and here I am-"

"I loved it, Hongjoong. Seriously."

"Thanks..." he trailed off, not being able to meet you as you stood up from your desk.

"Let me show you something in return. Follow me."

You led him through a side door in your office and into your personal studio. Once you turned on one of the floor lamps, you asked Hongjoong to inspect one of the mannequins. The mannequin. Hongnequin.

Hongjoong was speechless as he gaped at the intricate needlework, the hints of shimmer in just the right places, like deep space collected in a suit. He turned to you about to sing praises, but became even more floored as you said to him:

"This is yours."

"Huh?"

"Hopefully I got the size right."

"Wait... when? How?"

"It's... been a while. Care to make a poor designer happy and give them a little try on?"

As you asked that, suddenly, Hongjoong got bold and came close to you, so your faces were mere inches away. He studied you, and tentatively placed his hands on your waist. As you made not move to reject him, he pulled you a little closer:

"You actually made this for me... it is so beautiful. You really are a star."

"And what's your wish upon a star?"

"Can the star be mine?"

"Finally."

And you closed the gap between you with a sweet kiss, resting your arms around his neck and shoulders, relishing in the sensation.

Once you broke away, gleaming and with you giggling at the fact that Hongjoong whispered to himself that 'you were actually his girlfriend now wow', you couldn't help but want to make the moment even more delightful, perhaps just for yourself.

"I should definitely thank San and the gang for this."

"Excuse you?"

"Yeah, apparently if they had not provoked you... who knows..."

The group was in for an interesting night, as once Hongjoong was back, he announced his presence by yelling out a loving

"SEONGHWA YOU TRAITOR!"

"DON'T TALK TO HIM LIKE THAT HE MADE FOOD TONIGHT!" Wooyoung shouted back across the apartment, making some of the already sleeping members cuss him out from within their rooms.

"Uh, hi? Hongjoong? Back from studio?" Seonghwa was peering out from their shared room, an oversized hood covering the majority of his face as he tried to wake up.

"No, back from visiting my girlfriend who kindly revealed to me that I live with a bunch of rats????"

"WEE WOO WEE WOO LADS HONGJOONG HAS ACQUIRED A GOTH GF ALL IS GOOD IN THE WORLD!" Wooyoung sounded like a megaphone, racing out of his room and almost smashing the door open to San's, but the later was ready, for he immediately joined in by chanting:

"goth gf goth gf gotH GF GOTH GF-"

"I will end all of you. Now HWA??? HOW DID THOSE TWO DEMON CHILDREN FIND ANYTHING OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHERE, INFO, WHEN?"

"You know the restaurant I showed you a bit of time back?" the eldest recounted.

"Yeah the one with A5 grade beef."

"Well... they took me there. In exchange for a Hongjoong info drop."

"You know what? I can't even be mad. Plus, I am too happy to do anything right now. You got lucky. Now let's sleep, I have a date tomorrow!" Hongjoong squealed, hopping to the room much to the amusement of the members who had been bothered to sacrifice their beauty sleep.

But as he walked past a smiling San, his smile had instantly turned demonic, as he tilted his head and whispered:

"And you and I will have a long and intimate talk tomorrow. Prepare yourself, For I like to extend the fun."

Although San was not looking forward to it, he gave himself a pat on the back. This was what the real bro code was.

--

After the launch of the collaborative line and the promotions, ARNURI's sales went through the roof. Some items had sold out instantly, others already had long pre-order lists. You were being invited to shows rather than having to fight tooth and nail for it. You had scheduled participations in official weeks, mid-season events and more. Again, all thanks to your inspiration, your muse, your partner, Kim Hongjoong.

As the collaboration had been close enough, you two could easily hide your relationship from the public. But after what had come to be a little over a year of you flying solo on the media, you had chosen to reveal your relationship in as an extravagant way possible.

Camera flashes. Journalists. Designers. Models. VIPs. At Seoul Fashion Week, there was no place were there were no people. Crowds of enthusiastic fashionistas combatted with the press to get a closer glimpse at those on the red carpet, and went wild as you stepped out. Dressed in a gorgeous onyx ARNURI gown, hugging you in just the right places. Hongjoong immediately followed, and joined you, with his hand on the small of your back to protect his star. Dressed in the matching suit that you had designed just for him, for your muse.

#kim hongjoong #hongjoong x y/n #hongjoong x reader #hongjoong #ateez hongjoong #ateez fanfic #ateez #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez au #ateez fluff #ateez mingi #ateez san #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez wooyoung #ateez x reader #ateez jongho #kpop writers #kpop writing #hwaightme #hm/writing

[dangermousie]

I really loved the first six episodes of AJTL. It feels adult in a way too few cdramas do nowadays. The protagonists are (sometimes sociopathic, weird) adults and the narrative is adult and the humor and darkness are both adult. Now, I don't mean this is some sort of meditation on the human condition like Royal Nirvana or NiF or Three Kingdoms, but the situations and characters are of a nature you wouldn't usually see in youth-oriented stuff nowadays - whether it's the fact that our FL just wants to ML for stud so she can have a baby with good genetics and no family ties or the fact that literally every politician in this is a complete scumbag.

I actually love that our FL isn't just the most terrifying mofo in the narrative full of killers but that she is a bona fide borderline sociopath who has no understanding of boundaries or proper behavior or consent or even any sort of flirtation let alone a deeper feeling. She's been a killer since childhood; what normal does she have? The fact that she's managed to have any sort of emotions left is a miracle.

So her deciding she needs a child because her benefactor told her she should as a dying wish and picking a sperm donor in our ML because he's suitable, all with about as much understanding of relationships as an alien - she doesn't want ML because she fancies him, she doesn't want a child to love. It's basically a weird duty thing. It all makes sense.

It's a wonderful gender reversal, with FL the goal-oriented, robotic psycho and ML going "but wait a minute, feelings, also no way, no how." His realization as to how crazy she is, is something else.

Look how she explains it, as if it's the most logical business transaction - your genetic material is great, you are not married so nobody will be hurt, if you die on this mission you will have someone to carry on your lineage, you are scheming so if a kid takes after you and is scheming, it's good. None of it will seduce a man in the least, let alone anything further. But I think in a way it's a weird mark of respect where she's not trying to lie but put all her cards on the table. But also - it shows how far from normal she is that she doesn't even realize how insane it sounds to anyone. He may be a spy but his life has been pretty different than hers; he's got friends and he had family - he is a fairly functional dude. She doesn't have any relationship, and the closest she had was weird stubs...

Like - she is acting like an alien...

Yeah, I don't think psychotic rose through the ranks assassins are big on consent.

She's bona fide nuts and I love that for once we have an unhinged FL. But one of the things I love so is that you slowly see her melt a little around the edges, if barely, because he keeps treating her as a proper lady however murdery and crazy she gets - she was an assassin and then she was a spy-whore, she's basically never been treated as a proper person instead of a tool, except possibly by the dowager and that was a long time ago. No wonder she gets drawn in - like she did by his decency in that rooftop speech scene. It's such a great reversal!

Like she genuinely doesn't get why he doesn't jump at the offer.

I really do love the ML who'd be the unhinged one in any other drama but here he's the sane one. And also his angry decency is mmmm.

I don't usually have fantasy casts for characters; there are very few exceptions - CGY and LYX for the mains of 2ha, Chen Kun for the ML of Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir, SZE for Prisoner of Beauty (alas), but LYN is on that short list - he's 100% my fan cast for Yuwu's Mo Xi and stuff like this gives me mad MX vibes:

I mean...

Anyway, this drama is awesome!

PS also the way secrets don't get dragged out. ML knows her true identity and we are long moving on to other stuff, hooray!

#cdrama #a journey to love #liu yuning #liu shi shi

[silviakundera]

a very official and unserious ranking of chinese mini-dramas I've watched. Mini-drama = 5-15 min episodes. Color coded "sets" that had same actor or writer.

1. Night of Love with You (2022) - the unbeatable. the ULTIMATE. villain 4 villain romance with a protagonist who knows she is in a manga series... but something has gone wrong, because how did she and the heroic female lead get switched this time?!

2. Provoke (2023) - Republican era noir revenge saga. Unresolved sexual tension. Glamour. Great lighting. Hot people in period costume giving VIBES. She married her mortal enemy as a concubine and keeps a murderboard. I'm in love w her.

3. The Deliberations of Love (2023) - Married consort of a prince dies with him due to the struggle for the throne. Then she wakes up in the past, only for this ambitious idiot to get them killed again! Receiving yet another chance after 2 awful deaths, she's determined to choose life over love and not marry into the royal family again. But it's not quite so simple... especially when the prince starts to feel echoes of their past life together. The romantic chemistry is what sells this lil tropey drama. She keeps subconsciously drifting back into acting like his familiar spouse and then he starts vibing too.

4. A Familiar Stranger (2022) - Like with Provoke, I think everyone's seen this one? Conniving prime ministers daughter face-switches an innocent girl who is searching for her sister and pining away for this hot general who saved her once. Wow what luck, the horrible marriage the prime minister's daughter wanted to escape is with her dream man. This all sounds very wtf but this director x screenwriter combo creates these moody pieces that have a certain dream logic.

5. Zhang Gong Zhu Zai Shong (2022) - The emperor's sister is tyrannical and keeps a stable of hot men. Political intrigue ensues. ngl this one is real choppy but is ranked high due to my bias for achingly hot leading ladies who step on a breathless delicate ML. 🔥 She makes me SWEAT.

6. The Killer is Also Romantic (2022) - Mr and Mrs Smith in costume drama imperial era china. It should be higher, but for an English speaker it's dragged down the list by terrible subs.

7. My Decoy Bride (2023) - Hidden identities, assassin marries her target in imperial era china. Same male actor as Deliberations of Love who builds good energy with his costars. But less budget, worse subs, choppy editing. Still fun. Probably ranked way too high but idc I was entertained.

8. Dong Lan Xue (2023) - 3 min episodes of broken Murder Couple ❤. The slighted 7th prince and his ex-prostitute maid who are out for blood & revenge. (It's that badass lady & her delicate suitor again. Love this webisode pair. love herrrrrrrrr)

9. Miss Mystery (2023) - Republican era revenge drama in a similar vein as Provoke but lacking it's elite lighting, sets, & cinematography. To her it's Fake Marriage but he agrees because he liiiiikes her. The couple has chemistry, gives good power-couple, and the FL is out for bloody revenge. It's a fun ride. But the writing isn't as strong as Provoke and the uneven acting of the supporting cast drags it down the list.

10. What's Wrong with My Princess (2023) - The standard reborn revenge tale played straight. Female general helped a prince fight for the throne, then he & her sister have her murdered when vulnerable and pregnant. Gasp! She wakes up years earlier on her wedding day to this other prince she'd married once, only to kill for her evil lover boy. Now she plots the downfall of lover boy & her sis, joining hands with the husband she betrayed the 1st time around. It's... exactly what it sounds like lol. Nothing stands out and the script is a string of tropes. But it delivers exactly what it promises.

11. Everlasting Bride (2023) - Republican era revenge with added spy games. Like Miss Mystery & Provoke, strong character intros & first meeting. They're mysterious and well-dressed and dangerous to know. More polished than Miss Mystery. The leads here are more filtered and more conventionally attractive. But I have to admit that there's a charm about how rough around the edges Miss Mystery is. And I like the lead actress in Miss Mystery a lot more. The first 3rd is pretty fire, then it lost steam for me.

12. Forever Love (2023) - It's that smoldering guy from Maid's Revenge (absent from this list because due to crap ending). Absolutely extra in every way, a tropey hormonal mess, to the point one can argue it circles back around to be ART. Female protagonists for 1-10 are all great & fun. Alas I can't say the same for #12. 💀

Haven't Finished:

Butterfly Lover (2023) - I have a serious hate for open-endings and I heard this has one, so I paused on it. It's from that amazing director&screenwriter combo, though (Provoke, Familiar Stranger, Killer is also Romantic...). So I know it's worth watching.

Romantic aka Love Strikes Back (2023) - I started this but stalled out. idk it wasn't compulsively watchable for me. Other people loved it.

#cdrama #im sincerely intrigued about where c-ent goes with mini-dramas in 2024 #diving head first into gratuitous tropes

[princess-of-the-corner]

What is your personal ranking for the seasons, worst to best? Mine is:

5: Season 5. It Fucking Sucks.

4: Season 4. While it did have some amazing episodes like the Finale and GOS, most of the season isn't good enough to bring it above the rest.

3: Season 3. Pretty Good. It signaled the start of the downfall with Miracle Queen, but it also has the best episode of the Series. Also introduced the two biggest Plot Devices (Lila and Felix)

2: Season 1. I remember watching my little sister get annoyed at the Love Square Shenanigans this season. I still believe this was the best season when it came to the love square.

1: Season 2. Peak ML. Period. I can't say anything more.

same mostly.

I debate on how I think Season 1 is a little objectively better, but that's some of the hiatus-era hype talking and also Season 2 gave me Queen Bee damn it!!

[lady-de-mon-coeur]

As I mentioned it earlier, I was going to do my ranking of ML episodes, because why not? So here it is.

My way of ranking is different from the others', bc how on earth am I supposed to rank episodes of the show where I really love every single episode? So I decided to go the easy route and ranked them by how many times I watched them.

Disclaimer: episodes in groups III-IV aren't the worst by any means! They're all good. It's just that I don’t rewatch them that often.

Feel free to ask for my comments about this or that episode.

Bestest of the best

Origins Part 1-2

Glaciator

Chat Blanc

New York special

Ephemeral

Elation

I

Simon Says

Prime Queen

The Dark Owl

Gorizilla

Frightingale

Troublemaker

Weredad

Silencer

Oblivio

Reflekdoll

Psycomedian

Glaciator 2

Hack-San

Wishmaker

Kuro Neko

Risk

Strike Back

Determination

Transmission

Derision

II

Lady WiFi

Antibug

Stormy Weather

The Evillustrator

Befana

Zombizou

Syren

Riposte

Bakerix

Shanghai special

Kwamibuster

Timetagger

Truth

Lies

Gang of Secrets

Mr Pigeon 72

Furious Fu

Simpleman

Illusion

Protection

Revolution

Migration

Deflagration

Emotion

Recreation

Pretension

III

The Pharaoh

Mr Pigeon

The Bubbler

Copycat

Dark Cupid

Kung Food

Christmas Special

Gigantitan

Frozer

Reverser

Sandboy

Malediktator

Stormy Weather 2

The Puppeteer 2

Feast

Ladybug

Miraculer

Félix

Party Crasher

Gamer 2.0

Gabriel Agreste

Crocoduel

Optigami

Mega Leech

Sentibubbler

Rocketear

Qilin

Dearest Family

Penalteam

Perfection

Reunion

Passion

Representation

Intuition

Jubilation

Destruction

Collusion

Evolution

Multiplication

Conformation

IV

Timebreaker

Rogercop

Horrificator

Darkblade

The Mime

Gamer

Animan

The Puppeteer

Reflekta

Guitar Villain

Pixelator

Princess Fragrance

Volpina

Robostus

Anansi

Sapotis

Despair Bear

Captain Hardrock

The Collector

Style Queen

Queen Wasp

Catalyst

Mayura

Chameleon

Backwarder

Animaestro

Oni-Chan

Desperada

Startrain

Ikari Gozen

Christmaster

Heart Hunter

Miracle Queen

Sole Crusher

Queen Banana

Guiltrip

Adoration

Revelation

Confrontation

#ml season 5 spoilers

[scienter]

Skipped from TVD S3 straight to s6 & Holy shit! That was the Renaissance of TVD.I don't think I have enjoyed any season of Vampire Diaries like I did s6 after s2 and in my mind,they both get the top rank in the list of best to worst.Then,I thought why not give season s7 a chance.This was the first time I rewatched this season since it aired back when TVD was on and now I am most certainly questioning my life choices.🥲Honestly,how did we sit through such abysmal writing for 8 months or so?Were we sired?After the first episode,it felt like someone made me shut my eyes with the promise of feeding oysters only to point and scream "I just ejaculated in your mouth! HA! HA!" Anyway,there are a few things,specific to Caroline Forbes, that I picked up along the way:

1.Candice (& real life pregnancy)and Caroline Forbes-surrogacy: Keeping the non-consensual,gross aspect of the otherwise outlandish plot aside,I do believe with right motivation and willingness,writers could have easily worked around CA's pregnancy and given emotionally intimate scenes to SC that would have made their relationship layered and deeper.They simply chose NOT to. In fact, I noticed how they didn't use Candice at all not just in terms of her relation with Stefan but with regards to the whole Al**ick thing.Writers simply didn't create any compelling narrative that could convince anyone that Caroline was at all interested in pursuing anything with Ric that eventually led to an engagement. In fact, their sloppy attempt to sell motherhood and biology by giving two glimpses of Caroline's apparent growing attachment with the kids implied she saw the twins as an obligation in addition to her considering Ric as incapable of handling two newborns, leading her to Dallas, which basically served the bigger purpose:write CA out for her Maternity Leave. Post time jump,they could have easily removed her from this dynamic and put her with Liam or me and that wouldn't have changed nothing.Once again, they chose not to SHOW and simply explained the engagement as a decision of a heartbroken,abandoned woman by TELLING.I wonder what they would have done with her if TVD hadn't been renewed.Crossover to TO for ratings ploy?

2.Flash Forwards: I have nothing to say about this narrative disaster but I do think they changed their initial plans with respect to the FFs because CA did an interview where she said writers told her they were going three years in the future,right before she left for her ML,so that Caroline wouldn't have to be pregnant anymore AFTER candice came back from her leave.Does that mean they were originally going to go only a few months ahead in time but cancellation jitters made them change track?Guess,we will never know.

3.Future-Caroline character assessment : Plot contrivance aside, Caroline role-playing a doting mother and devoted wife-to-be & her happiness in the seemingly new life she built for herself is a metaphor for her being a victim of prolonged violence(physical and psychological).She was incapable of feeling anything anymore.She was in a wild state of depersonalisation and derealisation.She was an absolute victim.She just didn't care.She was putting up a class-act in that creepy arrangement but hey,as long as Caroline's "bold decision"(in JP's book) ensured M.Davis's employment,we are all good.

LMAO. Oh, yeah, I remember the whiplash of watching season 7 after season 6. Season 6 was one of the strongest seasons. Steroline was written well, we finally got Bamon, and Caroline had a touching story arc having to deal with her mother’s death. Season 7 on the other hand is in the running as the worst seasons.

I agree with your assessment of Ric and Caroline's relationship in season 7. It was awful. Having Caroline become the twins' surrogate is one thing – having her become their primary caregiver BECAUSE Caroline didn’t trust Ric to parent the twins himself . . . that wasn’t Caroline being a control freak – RIC ALLOWED CAROLINE TO TAKE OVER HIS DUTIES AS A PARENT BECAUSE HE DIDN’T WANT TO DO IT HIMSELF*.  There’s a name for this phenomenon: weaponized incompetence*

I don’t buy any defense of Ric’s actions here. Ric needed Caroline’s help! He was overwhelmed and didn’t know what he was doing! (1) Most first-time parents are overwhelmed because they lack experience. Parenting is on-the-job training. (2) Ric could have hired a professional nanny or an au pair to help take care of his kids. You know – paid someone to help take care of his kids. He didn’t. He was a selfish prick who took advantage of Caroline’s selfless and caring nature. He got a live-in nanny for free!

I hate that they turned Caroline – one of the strongest characters on the show – into Ric’s unpaid nanny. Ric and Caroline’s engagement was adding insult to injury.

I was so disappointed by the flash-forwards on TVD because I’d seen it done so well on The West Wing. Not that I was expecting TWW-level writing on TVD, but I did expect some level of competence.

*“Weaponized incompetence, also called strategic incompetence, is when someone knowingly or unknowingly demonstrates an inability to perform or master certain tasks, thereby leading others to take on more work.” [Psychology Today]

#ask #reply #ask for ts #reply for ts #tvd fuckery

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Are you planning to do a new ml episodes ranking list after season 5 ends ?

Oh absolutely!

With season 5 I plan on updating my list

#miraculous ladybug #ml #ml episode ranking

[miraculouslycool]

My Ranking Of Every Miraculous Ladybug Episode (+Specials) So Far:

Tier I: Perfection

#1. Strike Back (Shadow Moth's Final Attack - Part 2)

#2. Miraculous World: New York

#3. Oblivio

#4. Stoneheart (Origins – Part 2)

#5. Elation

#6. Cat Blanc

#7. Glaciator

#8. Dark Cupid

#9. Kuro Neko

#10. Glaciator 2

#11. Passion

#12. Gorizilla

#13. The Puppeteer 2

#14. Psycomedian

#15. Gamer

#16. Ladybug & Cat Noir (Origins – Part 1)

#17. Dearest Family

#18. Ephemeral

#19. Rocketear

#20. Desperada

#21. Startrain

#22. Evolution

#23. Risk (Shadow Moth's Final Attack - Part 1)

#24. Truth

#25. Ladybug

#26. Frozer

#27. Sandboy

#28. Determination

#strike back is the best thing to ever happen to television history #not a single downside in that episode i fear #and before anyone argues about ephemeral its here because i love how it fits narratively and i love the love square #and i love how useless it makes blue boy seem in the grand scheme of things #miraculous ladybug #rae speaks #rae ranks ml episodes

[purrincess-chat]

Cat Ranks Every ML Episode For the Third Time (S1-S5)

 Why I keep doing this to myself, we may never know. But I think it’s fun to see how episodes hold up over time in my mind. Which ones lose their luster and which ones hold their own. Anyway, this is broken up into tiers because rating them is hard and makes things complicated. This list is about vibes, okay? And if you don’t like where I’ve ranked some of these episodes, too bad. Go make your own fucking list. This one is mine. 

S Tier aka “SUBLIME!”

The creams of the crop, the best of the best according to me, my all time favorites, chef’s kisses all around. I love all of these episodes. They hold special places in my heart. If I could only grab 10 (11?) episodes in a fire, these would be it. You get the idea. 

1.     Riposte

Over time, I have come to accept that the umbrella scene clouds my judgment in ranking Origins II so high year after year. Don’t get me wrong, Origins II is still in my top 5, but I’ve finally embraced the fact that Riposte is my favorite episode. It’s just top tier Ladrien, and Kagami was and is such a treat and a wonderful addition to the cast. If this episode is ever on, I will always stop what I’m doing to watch it. Just immaculate vibes.

2.     Protection

If you followed me at all during s5, you should have seen this coming. I talk about this episode a lot as my stand out of s5, and honestly, I will probably talk about it for a while longer yet. It’s like the opposite of Riposte in a way, but also in the best way. The entirety of the pajama picnic set-up was the absolute sweetest thing anyone has ever done for anyone ever, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

3.     Emotion

Honestly, this episode surprised me with how much it sticks out in my mind. Other than thinking we should have had this episode sooner (or just Felix’s return sooner), I can say that the episode itself is very good. We finally get to see Felix’s motives/intentions come out. We get the sweet Adrigaminette we always crave. Gabriel doesn’t exist for like five minutes. Marinette gives a heartfelt speech about Adrien. Honestly, this episode slaps, and I will not deny it.

4.     Origins II

Okay, okay, look how she has fallen from grace. I still have a lot of love for this episode, and the umbrella scene will forever be #1 in my heart. But I have finally allowed myself to see past my umbrella scene blinders and realize that the episode itself outside of that scene is fine. It’s just fine. Take out the umbrella scene, and I’d rank this episode in like the upper middle probably. But since the umbrella scene is there, she’s still top 5 for me.

5.     Gorizilla

This episode hits a sweet jackpot for me because it’s primarily Adrinette and Ladrien, and I don’t know if I will ever score this much again in this show. It has my favorite Ladrien moment of all time. Definitely a top 10 overall moment for this show for me.

6.     Simon Says

I feel like at this point you all should just know that if it has Adrinette or Ladrien, I’m going to love it. That’s just the rules. Also, Gabriel almost died in this episode, and what a blessing that would have been for all of us.

7.     Strike Back

Best season finale by far. By faaaaaar. Like if I had to rank the season finales, and I did, I’d put this one at the top.

8.     Chat Blanc

This one has moved up for me. If any of you recall the last two rankings I did a few years ago, this one sat in the teens, but I think as time has gone on, my initial intrigue for other episodes has diminished, but this one has stayed solid. I hope that post-reveal love square is doing alright in this universe. I hope they beat up Adrien’s dad and sent him to jail, then went home and made out in Gabriel’s stupid butterfly cave.

9.     Evillustrator

The OG MariChat. I’ve said before that I started this fandom primarily as a MariChat stan until I watched the umbrella scene, then Adrinette took over my life. Evillustrator was why. Nathaniel was just okay in this episode, he gives nice guy vibes, but Idk I enjoyed the MariChat interactions, and while they’ve certainly come a long way since then, I still appreciate the nostalgia of seeing their first interaction knowing how far they go down the line. This episode coupled with those memories knowing what I know now about them just makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

10.  Stormy Weather  

This is another one for the nostalgia books. Stormy Weather was baby’s first Miraculous episode. Does the nostalgia I hold cloud my judgment at ranking this one so high in compared to the other bangers underneath it? Yeah, probably. But I can’t bring myself to rank it lower. It’s still one of my favorite s1 episodes because I think it’s just a good introduction to the show. All of the dynamics are in peak form, and Stormy Weather is just peak akuma design imo. Sue me.

11.  Oblivio

Oblivio might be outside my top 10, but when I was originally ranking these again, I used a tier maker list, and Oblivio is the last one in S tier for me. I feel like it’s self-explanatory though. This episode was that bitch in s3 right next to Chat Blanc. I just couldn’t put it in A tier. 

Okay, so I think for most of the middle I’m gonna skip all of the preamble, but I might give a comment here or there about why certain episodes are where they are.

A Tier aka “We love to see them”

Overall, these episodes are great, and I love them. They’re not quite the crème de la crème, but they’re still good.

12.  Glaciator

It’s the LadyNoir cheek kiss for me.

13.  Elation

Self-explanatory. I don’t hate MariChat, guys! I like them!

14.  Revolution

This episode honestly surprised me, but tbh I really liked it. A lot of shit happened, and most of it was incredible.

15.  Mr. Pigeon 72

Having canon confirmation that Adrien had a crush on Marinette in this episode just makes it better.

16.  Dark Cupid

The KISS

17.  Despair Bear

Adrinette slow dancing uwu

18.  Glaciator 2

MariChat shenanigans and also LadyNoir communication. This episode set up a loooot of what we got in s5 from the love square

19.  Risk

Adrien confiding in Marinette got me weak

20.  Volpina

Honestly, this season finale gagged me when I first watched it, and the fandom was exploding with intrigue. No other finale has sparked so much discussion, fan theory, and excitement as this one.

21.  Kwamibuster

I’m a Marinette stan, what are you gonna do?

22.  Mayura

What do you mean Adrien wasn’t in love with Marinette until the end of s3???

23.  New York Special

Adrien and Marinette are two halves of a whole idiot, thanks for coming to my TedTalk

24.  Deflagration

LADRIEN CRUMB IN THIS ECONOMY??

25.  Time Tagger

Alix is my favorite classmate

26.  Gamer

The lucky charm!!!!!!

27.  Lady Wifi

Chat Noir closed the door like a gentleman

28.  Gang of Secrets

This episode revived my faith in this show

29.  The Collector

Started s2 strong

30.  Origins I

Where I’d likely rank Origins II as well if it weren’t for the umbrella scene. They’re good episodes.

31.  Heart Hunter

Honestly, this is here mostly because of the Adrigaminette. Actually, it’s entirely here because of them.

32.  Determination

He’s in love your honor

33.  Sandboy

I just think he’s neat, and everyone’s nightmares were hilarious

34.  Evolution

Again, I love Alix Kubdel, and watching Hawkmoth nearly kill his own ass out of greed and stupidity was amazing.

35.  Backwarder

I’m a Fu stan. I miss him.

B Tier aka “Always a good time”

I have less to say about these. They’re good, and I like them. They just don’t have the wow-factor to make them stand out in my brain. Or they have something about them that prevents me from ranking them higher.

36.  The Mime

37.  Frightningale

38.  Passion

39.  Gabriel Agreste

40.  Style Queen

41.  Transmission

I would have ranked this one higher if it weren’t for the B plot of this arc (aka Scarabella and Kitty Noire). If it was focused on the Adrinette, I would have shot this episode up way higher, but overall, this episode wasn’t as good as part 2 of this arc. The fight was boring, and them giving up their Miraculous still doesn’t make the most sense or even leave a lasting impact. It felt like filler bc they needed something to go around the Adrinette development.

42.  Startrain

43.  Kuro Neko

44.  Jubilation

45.  Prime Queen

46.  Christmaster

47.  Ikari Gozen

48.  Oni-Chan

49.  Felix

50.  Multiplication

51.  Furious Fu

52.  Catalyst

53.  Psychomedian

54.  Miraculer

55.  Timebreaker

56.  Copycat

57.  The Dark Owl

58.  Mr. Pigeon

59.  Sapotis

60.  Zombizou

61.  Syren

62.  Pretension

63.  Derision

64.  Ephemeral

65.  Animan

66.  Confrontation

67.  The Puppeteer

C Tier aka “These are fine”

These episodes likely have aspects that I really enjoy and aspects that I don’t particularly care for. In the end, the good and the bad end up balancing out, so these live here.

68.  Perfection

69.  Reverser

70.  Optigami

71.  Gamer 2.0

72.  Befana

73.  Troublemaker

74.  Revelation

75.  Party Crasher

76.  Collusion

77.  Ladybug

78.  Reflekta

79.  Lies

80.  Weredad

81.  Sentibubbler

82.  Illusion

83.  Intuition

84.  Anansi

85.  Darkblade

86.  The Bubbler

87.  The Pharaoh

88.  Kung Food

89.  Pixelator

90.  Rogercop

91.  Guitar Villain

92.  Princess Fragrance

93.  Gigantitan

94.  Antibug

If anyone remembers from my first ranking (and maybe second), this episode used to be in the bottom 10, but I’ve softened on it over time. The LadyNoir partnership in it is just too good, and Chloe has disappointed me in worse ways since this.

95.  Desperada

96.  The Puppeteer 2

97.  Representation

98.  Adoration

They really robbed Marinette of her confession moment. We’ve been waiting 4.5 seasons for that, and that’s what we got? Lowest Adrinette moment of the season tbh

99.  Robostus

100. Reflekdoll

101. Sole Crusher

102. Destruction

103.  Guiltrip

104.  Hack-san

105.  Rocketear

Tell Nino Adrien is Chat Noir! 

106.  Qilin

107.  Dearest Family

108.  Reunion

109. Horrificator

110. Penalteam

111. Silencer

D Tier for “Dumb”

Now we are getting into the territory of boring or just generally bad, or things that I don’t care about. These are episodes that I don’t have a desire to rewatch, and will likely always skip unless I’m just in a really particular mood.

112.  Conformation

113. Santa Claws

114.  Simpleman

115.  Truth

116.  Queen Banana

117.  Migration

118.  Malediktator

119.  Mega Leech

120.  Crocoduel

121.  Bakerix

E Tier aka “Awful”

We have reached the bottom 10. I have them in two tiers because some of these episodes are worse than others, or my reasons for hating them are worse than others.

122. Captain Hardrock

This episode isn’t so much about the episode itself, but more about the fandom reaction and pushback I received for daring to be indifferent to it when it came out. I will never forget Birthdaygate, you sons of bitches. I hope you enjoy your cringe lord campfire guitar boy in all of his mediocre glory. If it weren’t for the stans, I’d likely have put this one in the bottom middle somewhere. I was and still am indifferent to it. 

123. Frozer

Stemming from birthdaygate, I just didn’t care for this episode as a whole. The double-date, the pitting girls against each other for a boy, the contrived LadyNoir conflict. The ice powerup is cool, I guess.

124.  Animaestro

I still cannot believe that Thomas inserted himself into this universe with his whole confident chest just to bitch and complain about how underappreciated he feels while working on this show. Like, sir, get a therapist.

125.  Stormy Weather 2

Arguably, this episode isn’t terrible. It’s just not necessary imo. It’s just a clipshow recapping the previous 2.5 seasons of info, and for someone who has been following this show the whole time, it’s just redundant and doesn’t add much. It could have been redeemed if Adrien had rubbed his braincells together a little harder at the end, but alas, we left with net-zero development.

126.  Chameleon

I feel like anyone that knows me, knows my feelings about this episode by now. I mean, I wrote *checks AO3* 160,000 words across various fics because of this episode because everyone in it is struck dumb with an idiot ray, and I just could not. I’ve cooled off a lot on this episode, but not enough to rank it out of the bottom 10.

127.   Queen Wasp

So, while I enjoyed Style Queen and found Malediktator meh, Queen Wasp is the sour middle of this trio arc. I have many more thoughts on Chloe’s character throughout the show, and maybe I’ll talk about them more later, but they spent several episodes in s2 trying to make Chloe sympathetic, then this episode happened, and in some regards, you can still argue her mom sucks, and she’s just a young girl, blah, blah. However, I don’t see a reason why she got her Miraculous back after this. If it were up to me, I’d have brought in Zoe after this arc and made her the new bee as far back as s2 because Chloe did not deserve her moment in the s2 finale after this. And I was rooting for Queen Bee to happen back in s2. A lot of people were. But again, as I mentioned in my s5 episode ranking post, I think the writers just realized around this time that it was more plot convenient for Chloe to be mean. I think having her be a hero was just to sell merchandise, and maybe they did play around with the idea of redeeming her, but when they started thinking about where to take things, it served the plot better for her to be mean. So, that’s what they went with. Which is sad, because I do think they could have given her more potential, but I mean, we’ve all watched the episodes after this one. Choices were made.

F Tier aka “Why?”

These are episodes that make me irrationally angry when I think about them for too long.

128.  Miracle Queen

I will attempt to not be too wordy on these last 4, and especially this episode, I feel like I’ve voiced my opinion on it numerous times. If Queen Wasp bought the wood to make Chloe’s character coffin in s2, Miracle Queen was the finished product. And don’t get me started on Fu.

129.  Feast

In my other two rankings this episode used to be my least favorite because HOW COULD THEY DO MY BOY FU LIKE THAT? Honestly, I feel like his mistake was a plotline that they started, realized they didn’t have room to explore, so they just threw something together to cut it off. I think that’s also why they made Fu lose his memories in the s3 finale, then replaced him with a worse knock-off in s4 just to avoid elaborating on it all together. They knew what they did. People have (incorrect) opinions on Fu as a mentor to Marinette, but are we really gonna sit here and act like Su Han is a better one? Is anyone willing to tell me with their full chest that Su Han is a good character? Or a better character than Fu? You can’t. And if you think you can, you’re a liar. Idk, the LadyNoir shenanigans redeem this episode a little bit, but I have not forgiven them.

130. Re-Creation

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this finale. As an end to the Agreste arc, it doesn’t feel satisfying at all (to me). I think my feelings for this episode are going to have to marinate over the next season and see what they end up doing with it. What does Gabriel’s brave new world look like? What are the after-effects of his wish? I just think that overall, it’s a weird choice to let the villain get what he wants and paint it as a good thing. Because we’ve spent the whole show rooting for Ladybug and Chat Noir, the heroes, but in the end, you just let them lose? You let the bad guy make his wish? Just because it was about a main character’s mommy? Yall couldn’t think of any other alternative? Like idk, making Gabriel go to therapy and move the fuck on? Yall spent all this time on GabeNath in prior seasons, and even made a point to show that Adrien was fine with it. Then yall didn’t do anything with that? No?

I dunno. I’m not mad about Lilamoth bc we all saw that coming, and I don’t even know that I’m entirely mad at this episode. I honestly, don’t know how to feel about it. I do know that I would not have ended it that way, if it were me, and I stand by it not being a good ending. It maybe doesn’t infuriate me like s3 did, but overall, I just don’t think it wrapped up s5 and the Agreste plotline very well at all. And again, s6 maybe continue to tie up loose ends, or it may move on and pretend the ends aren’t loose at all. You never know with ML.

131.  Wishmaker

Okay, so this one has lost favor in retrospect given the follow-up in s5. I wasn’t as pissed at the time that this episode aired because I told myself to wait and see what happened. Well, we saw what happened, and BOY! Like, am I secretly pleased they wrote in a reason to write blue boy out of the show for a while, sure, but can we just revisit the fact that he LIED TO HER FACE about the biggest secret she has. The secret she dumped him over? She trusted him, and he turned around and LIED to her about it, then in s5 he doesn’t even get punished for it. “Oh, but he has to leave-” and who does that punish? His annoying stans? He went and traveled the world with his dad and ended up learning Mirakungfu, and Marinette wasn’t even mad at him for LYING TO HER FACE about blowing her BIGGEST FUCKING SECRET. Blue boy stans can miss me. I wasn’t sorry to see him leave, and he deserved way more pushback than he got. Glad to know lying is only bad when it’s a young girl looking for attention and not when your ex-boyfriend crosses your boundaries and then lies about it.

Anyway, I’m gonna leave it at that because I’m getting too heated. So, there you go to the 4 whole people who will read all of this. As always, if you disagree with the ranking, uhh spend 4 days making your own damn tier list. If you agree with my rankings and want to gush/vent about it, feel free to send me an ask. Additionally, if you’d like the reasoning behind any of the episodes I didn’t comment on or just want me to elaborate on, feel free to ask about those too. Or don’t. I dunno. Live your life.

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #cat speaks #cats episode ranking

[is-nino-actually-luka]

rank ml characters based on how likely they are to be insane about revue starlight

or just put as what kind of fan they are/what character is their fav

I see you found out about my secret third blog, but to answer your question, they're all insane about revue starlight because I'm insane about revue starlight and I'm the one making the list

But I gotta say, I think Kagami would gravitate to the show. I just think she'd resonate with the anime with the swordfighting wlw who all aim to be the top star. She'd like that I think. She'd especially like Maya, getting how Maya always held herself to a perfect standard until her rival (who happens to be part french btw) managed to beat her and convince her to be herself instead. I just think Kagami would get that.

Luka, I think, would be all over it too. He's constantly going on about how music can reveal a person's heart, and revue starlight definitely runs with that idea, with the revue songs having the characters reveal their most honest and vulnerable feelings. Actually he'd love musicals in general now that I think about it. He'd definitely see himself in Nana, with how she watches over everyone from the background, but then episode 7 happens and he very much doesn't think he's similar to Nana anymore but like, Second Chance you know? The connection is there.

The movie has a bunch of references to other films, so Nino may like those. But then again, Nino is a bit of an amateur so they'd likely go over his head, just like with me. At the very least, he’d appreciate the visual spectacle of the revues. As for his favorite, my gut says Mahiru since he dealt with similar feelings of jealousy and worries that he's inadequate compared to others in Rocketear and Anasai respectively, but the truth dictates that his favorite character is Nana, so I'm gonna go with that instead, i mean she too is a sort of a director with some control freak tendancies.

As for Alya, she likes superheroes so she’d probably like the overdramatic fights that clash each stage girl’s ideals and philosophies, even if there is no clear cut justice in the fights. I’d say she’d probably root for the underdogs like Futaba and Mahiru, but especially Junna.

Sabrina thinks that she and Chloe are like Futaba and Kaoruko, but no, they’re not. Chloe doesn’t have the love that Kaoruko has for Futaba, and Sabrina doesn’t have the self determination of Futaba. 

Marinette, especially post guardianship, would very much see herself in Hikari. Like how she tries to take the burden of everyone's struggles and tries to deal with the stage of fate alone because she's the only one who knows what becoming the top star means. Marinette would empathize is all im saying. And the way that was resolved, with Karen still coming back for Hikari even when Karen kept getting pushed away, I just think Marinette would appreciate that too, like when she lost the miracle box but everyone was still there for her.

Adrien probably really likes the banana puns, but realistically I think what would draw Adrien to the show is just the passion each of them have towards being an actor. Like Adrien is pretty apathetic towards most of the work he does for his father. He doesn't really want to be a model and he's always glad to ditch most of his bookings when there's an akuma attack going on to interrupt it. But despite that, he always tries to help his friend’s projects. He’s been an actor in Nino’s various movies and is always willing to model for Marinette’s work or Kagami’s art. He likes being able to help his friends, that’s part of it yes, but it’s because his friends are passionate about what they’re making and he wants to help them with that. Adrien himself doesn’t really know exactly what he wants to do yet, which is why I think he feels drawn to passionate people who know what they want. It’s why he fell in love with Ladybug when she stood up to Hawkmoth in front of the whole city. As for his favorite, he’s a romantic and likes being overdramatic, so I could see Karen being his favorite. Especially because of her 12 year long promise to perform starlight with Hikari. He’d like that kind of devotion I think.

So yeah, in conclusion, watch revue starlight. it’s good and the miraculous characters like it so you should try it too. 

#asks