u/United_Yesterday9628

I haven't dug too deep into the Fwends era because it took me a bit to get into the Flaming Lips featuring X vibe but I'm willing to give it a try nowadays. What are everyone's take on this era? I do like the Is David Bowie Dying? song they did with Neon Indian on the greatest hits. Even if sadly, that song came true.

I still can't even believe that Wayne and Miley had such a "bromance" for a few years and I remember when he appeared on the VMA's with her and the lips and all those drag queens singing that she "smokes weed but ain't no hippie"

I'm kind of amused by this era now but back then I thought Wayne going from that sort of patron saint of Yoshimi to hanging around with Miley during her rebellious phase as really weird. Oczy Mldy came out around that time and I remember the lyrics no longer displaying that sort of whimsical wisdom that the Lips had and just was a bunch of wacky or edgy rhymes. I really hated the album for that but now I actually find it quite amusing and the music is quite good still. It is a good album and anything with Steven Drozd on it has a mark of quality anyway.

So what were your thoughts when this all went down? it is also weird and funny how the whole event was memory holed by everyone nowadays

I will say that while I am happy that people are happy the show is getting darker and more bummer, do you think this is going to pay off in the long run in order to teach Marinette a lesson as Trix once said, or do you think they are just trying to slide into darker and mature territory just because their audience is ageing?

I only say this because I genuinely loved Miraculous because it was happy, funny and uplifting when very little shows were doing it that weren't like Cocomelon type baby stuff. It does sadden me because I did like how it stood out for that reason.

But as a wise and long deceased man once said "if you want to have a rainbow, you have to have a little rain" so I'm willing to follow them down this path a bit further but due to the sort of dodgy levels of writing where it fluctuates between brilliant and questionable, I do wonder if there is a point or this is just Book 7 of Harry Potter type darkness for the aged up audience.

I am not saying the show needs to be tensionless and drama less or that it needs to have no problems or be perpetually happy but I am very curious if they're gonna keep going down this trauma trip for Marinette.

And I will say as someone who loved Mari in earlier seasons, that her gaslighting Adrien and literally manipulating other people to lie to him too, while making her more complex and flawed, is greatly off-putting too. But perhaps after many seasons of Marinette learning a lesson and everyone forgetting it next episode, they finally want to make sure that there are repercussions for her negative behavior. It's very ugly, but at least they are being bold considering how much hatred was directed at Marinette for never truly changing and learning anything.

So I have a love hate with this new approach. I love it because people are finally recognizing that the writers aren't completely incompetent and can create compelling stories (or the new writers have injected some new blood into the shows veins) but I hate it because it's turning into misery p0rn.

And poor Adrien honestly. I always liked Mari more than him but I think the permanent focus on her misery does his trauma a major disservice.

I always enjoyed Marinette as a character during Seasons 1-5 but I do think that her quirky behavior, constant presence and her obsession peaking with Adrien around Season 3 resulting in some of her cringiest scenes really did make the fandom sour on her.

Personally, I've always found that her kindness and her cute slapstick and awkward comedy made her redeemable even with these genuinely off putting qualities but lately I have actually seen people praising the way they are handling her in the new season by allowing her to behave in a way that is frowned upon greatly.

They've also made her life helluva lot more depressing with Roland dying and slowly giving her a massive meltdown. While I find this genuinely depressing to see someone who was so funny and kind in the earlier seasons get broken like this, I am happy that it's finally allowing people to recognize her as having a valid character arc and not a Mary sue. Yes the world revolves around Marinette but now they are making Marinette's actions also affect the world in interesting ways.

It is a bittersweet moment to see the show get genuinely more depressing and darker and finally get recognized beyond Seasons 1 and 2 but at the same time, I'm very happy my favorite character and one of my favorite shows is finally managing to gain some favor after the great Chloe purge of Miracle Queen and the controversial finale without Adrichat.

The lukewarm reaction to the cast and how they were introduced aside, do you have any characters you think you will like based on what we know of their personality or even their astrology sign?

For me, the orange fox girl and the pink artist girl are my favorites. Orange fox girl seems to be like quirky since she mentioned cockroaches and the artist girl seems to be like a more shy quieter version of Rose who isn't always screaming in a shrill voice. Maybe more like Hinata from Naruto.

I expect the dude who looks like a fashionista version of Mako from Korra is going to be funny and campy. He already had that sparkle background with Marinette 😂

I think the big lady is going to be like a nice version of Jasper from Steven Universe. Just really big and strong but a marshmallow on the inside.

I think the chubby dude is gonna probably be like Bolin from Korra. Straight up comedy relief even though I'm gonna cringe if he's just permanently associated with eating.

Taurus guy already seemed to be a big ham too. People compare him to Kim but I really hope he isn't that dumb. Kim is sometimes unwatchable for me. I want the red guy to be arrogant and jocky but also at least average level intelligence even if he's the butt monkey. Sokka is a great example. He's a total clown but he's also a tactical genius.

The Ninja one spoke about hacking so she's probably obsessed with online gaming or at least programming. Probably the techie of the crew.

The feminine looking guy with those big orange locks of hair (or earrings? Hard to tell) is a wild card for me. He seems kind of dressed indigenously. Maybe he's the nature guy?

The goth one seems like an obvious Julieka but they also went with the half buzzed head and dyed hair look. Didn't know that look was still trendy but hey Tumblr fans will probably like her.

The black girl sadly seems to be a bit of a blabber mouth. She's one of the ones who talked a great deal to showcase her quirk. Seems like a fan girly type too. Her design was the most controversial with some people. She kind of looks like a lounge singer.

Miki and Kazuno were showcased the most. Miki ironically is like a sporty version of Chloe. She's a Queen Bee type and seems to like being the boss but she's actually a kind person once you can get past her bossyness.
Kazuno is the sweet shonen MC boy. He's also a bit emo too, dressing in black and moping around but he's not really goth or morbid or anything, just heartbroken over Kagami.

As usual with Miraculous, everyone is mostly super duper tropey but there's nothing wrong with that if the show is fun like Miraculous is usually. It's only bad when there's no chemistry and it's all predictable.

I know it's not everyone's favorite Lips album but there's some great high points like Sound of Failure, My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion, Vein of Stars etc and also, there's so much B-side material and songs written around that era that it would be nice to have them all in one place. Quite a few of those songs are actually better than what made it on the album. Where Does It End is so amazingly depressing and heartbreaking.

The whole era deserves a reevaluation I feel. Maybe they fear it wouldn't be worth the time, but I still think it's a very good album, just with a few sillier songs like the singles.

I wasn't expecting much from it since it seemed lightweight and some people don't think too highly of it, but I was impressed how much this album harkened back to Yoshimi at such a late point in their career.

It sort of has that whimsical but serious fairy tale vibe that Yoshimi had but maybe a bit more twisted. I really like the cute trip hoppy type songs at the beginning like Giant Baby and How Many Times and then it gets a bit more solemn with the kings death and then once they celebrate his head being dipped in steel and going inside its very emotionally uplifting.

Like Yoshimi it's a very twee album but it deals with serious issues such as a death of a parent or sacrificing your life for the people who love you. I like that approach to storytelling and was surprised that Wayne wanted to make an album like that after all the darker works he did. This one is definitely twisted and trippy like those old fairy tales but it's still got so many positive moments too and like Yoshimi, it's a very cozy album to hear.

I grew up watching Blues Clues and I've been on a Flaming Lips binge so I decided to take a chance on this one and it is amazing! It deserves so much more credit than it got because it sounds like a great 2000s Flaming Lips album but also has great singing from Burns and all the lyrics and jokes are well done and thoughtful.

"I Won't Let You Change Who I Am" literally sounds like Mystic era lips too.

Would love if Drozd starts working with Burns again. They work really well together. We need more wholesome but clever and well written albums like this one!

I became a fan in 2024 and now a roughly a year and a half since Season 6 began we are finally almost done! And I must say, I absolutely love this show and being part of the fandom!

Seasons 6 delivered so much! Juleka and Rose finally kissed! (Marc and Nath did so too in an end card!) Roland died (!) and the episode was so heartbreaking! Some of the side characters got epic episodes (Fury and Ivan's stories were the most intriguing! But I also love how Stormy Weather finally got her sequel episode!) Adrien finally gets his emotions out concerning what a POS Gabriel was and Marinette has an arc that I fear is gonna drive her off the deep end. Oh and Lila, who I thought was pretty lame is finally stepping up and her amazing new Butterfly outfit should be on Vogue 😂

I always loved this show and think it's super underrated but this season proved they still have tons more fuel left in the tank! And I'm not surprised! This show has an awesome ensemble cast and untapped potential!

Ironically, there is a scene with my favorite and least favorite in one picture.

Aglae is my favorite and she's always been since she debuted. I like how she's the alternative type of goth from Juleka. She's not so much the rocker goth, she's more like the superstitious plant witch who is afraid of everything. Her design is great and I love how sickly and pale she looks like something who never goes outside. It fits her phobic nature. I love how mysterious she is too. She either could be played as a sus character or just someone really fearful and timid of everything. (She also looks like a human Nooroo but I won't go there just yet ;) )

Prem on the other hand, is my least favorite. He reminds me of Terry from Dragon Prince. He's a positive super nice guy but there's something about him that just feels off. His sickly sweet kissing up to everyone by calling them Prince and Princess like some Bollywood drama is really annoying. And his little musical has been widely panned too. Considering how Vampigami has a Thriller tribute in it, maybe instead of a stereotypical Bollywood number, he should have been into Michael Jackson type disco and funk. Oh and nobody messed with Juleka, accidental or otherwise!

Probably one of the more endearing things about the MLB community is the American VA, Selah Victor who voices Chloe Bourgeois. I sometimes see her posts on social media and they're hilarious. You get to see her acting out some of Chloe's most over the top moments and really getting into the role and she also has done some videos where she goes to random places and acts like Chloe. (Medieval times and Paris were my favorites)

I think she genuinely loves acting like a 2000s mean girl. Honestly I'm not that big of a Chloe fan and I always enjoyed Marinette and Christina Vee's hilarious performance of her, but seeing some of these videos and how much Selah loves Chloe, made me really appreciate the character and VA!

Believe it or not, I believe that the show will be viewed more positively than it is now or has been for the last several years. I think that the show is a lot like Steven Universe in that it has a genuine flaws and problems, but the show also means well and had a good message in addition to colorful characters and a nice slice of life combined with an over-arching plotline. Both are also very diverse and positive and accepting of people of all kinds.

Recently, I have seen Steven getting a lot of nostalgia and people realizing that the Lily Orchards of the world were too hard on it because at the end of the day, it was a promising and even good show that wasn't an Avatar but also has a quality cast of characters and many great moments.

I could be wrong but I do genuinely think that viewing Miraculous as an abomination a la Steven is going a bit too far and I think that people might realize that.

As we all know, Miraculous has very on the nose names. So on the nose, they are JK Rowling esque and while that approach has its charm, it also has its critics too!

So my question to you is, which names do you love and think sound good and which names do you not like?

I'm no Chloe hater, but sadly her name to me is quite lazy. It is the female version of naming a character Richie Rich. And I argue that her name is why she doesn't really get a redemption arc. "Redeem the Bourgeois on a socialist inspired program? Impossible!" (Except oddly enough Andre Bourgeois is exempt from it lol!)

My favorite name is the name of our heroine. Marinette Dupan Chang. While naming our half chinese baker girl "of bread" and then a common Chinese surname is certainly not the most creative choice, it's so fun to say. Whenever Chloe snarls and calls her "Dupan Chang" I just laugh. It's so quotable. Also Marinette despite sounding like Marionette is a good combination of sailor and girl and a nice tribute to the legendary Sailor Moon. It's clever and less on the nose by Astrucian standards.

Some say Marinette shouldn't be afraid of Chloe and it was a retcon, but I do think that people genuinely feeling fear and tension about Chloe's return is earned because of Revolution. In Revolution, Chloe was kidnapping civilians and putting them in a prison camp with a creepy Big Brother (or sister) screen that endless repeats "I will always love you. Ridiculous you're utterly ridiculous!"

It was kinda unsettling and unhinged for the show so I don't blame any citizens of Paris including Mari herself for being afraid about Chloe's return. Maybe the characterization of Derision was a plot hole to some extent, but after there being a legitimate 1984 prison camp from Chloe, I don't blame anyone for being afraid.

I have a friend who loves those classic runway fashion shows and the movie Devil Wears Prada and I immediately recognized the reference to Anna Wintour/Miriam Priestly with Audrey. I wonder if the reference flies over some children's heads who aren't familiar with that 90s/2000s stuff? It's pretty dang obvious though once you know.

Even sadder is realizing that Chloe is the daughter of an expy of the toughest, most harshest woman in high fashion (at the time at least) and you can see why she's so messed up as a result.

I don't know if this is a hot take on here, but I actually greatly prefer the promo song for Hawkmoth from the show. It's somehow even catchier and funnier than the movie song ("Nooroo give me a beat!") They're both great campy villain songs though and Keith does an amazing job in both!

Hawkmoth is such an iconic villain for me and he lends well to cheese and camp so his songs are my favorite out of all the songs made for Miraculous.

So many people hate this aspect of Marinette, but it's such a funny subversion because normally in a lot of media of the years, male characters are the thirsty ones. So it cracks me up that the heroine of this story acts like a fangirl in the early days for the show.

Plus is it really that different from some classic Shojo anime like Sailor Moon? Seems more a tribute for comedic reasons than actually trying to create a malevolent character.

Only other character I can think of like her is the also blue haired Juvia from Fairy Tail and her comedic obsession with Grey Filibuster. I dunno. Until I came on here did I realize how much people hated this tendency of her. (And yet there's tons of lecherous male characters who do the same thing and very few people complained.)

I find Andre Bourgeois the most detested character on here (other than Marinette) and I wanted to have a discussion about his character arc because I think it's interesting the direction they went with him as controversial as it is.

I really think they wanted to give him the Mayor Dewey arc from Steven Universe where he was a crooked, sleazy politician and more right wing leaning, but deep down, he wasn't a bad guy. He was an artist who went into to politics in order to impress Audrey. He also was replaced with someone more liberal and reputable and willingly accepted his defeat and moved onto other things.

I think the problem with him versus Mayor Dewey though is simply because Dewey didn't have an antagonistic daughter who remained evil after he redeemed himself. So while I appreciate the show attempting to humanize him like Dewey, I do think that his history and relationship with Chloe kind of spoils the redemption for a lot of people because many believe he is the parent who enabled Chloe to the point she became the selfish and entitled person she was.

It is also a bit strange and interesting that Thomas Astruc would be more interested in redeeming a straight white middle aged political conservative over his young daughter considering his personal politics, but I won't get too deep into that. I don't want to make assumptions or base it on his Twitter profile.

Anyway, my conclusion of this is simply, I think most people would be down with his redemption if it wasn't for the Chloe connection. I don't think he's evil, but he's the definition for spineless and cowardly and if he wasn't afraid of his daughter and wife, he simply ran away from them.

I'm gonna avoid saying Marinette here (even if I think she is) to say that I think Andre is both over-hated and misunderstood.

Andre was never meant to be a creepy man who is overly invested in children's relationships, he's meant to be a fourth wall breaker and a parody of the shows shipping audience in addition to the cupid of the show. He's just a playful nod to the fact that the original hook of the show before it went into the drama of the lie was the romantic relationships between love square in addition to Kagami and Luka.

His angry and petulant reactions are more a humorous take on shippers who get overly invested in ships (Zutara in Avatar for instance) than anything genuinely creepy. Plus he isn't specifically obsessed with Marinette and Adrien, it's clear he cares about the love lives of all Parisians and they only focus on his reaction because they're the main characters.

Plus he's a whimsical stereotypical French looking guy who sings Beauty and the Beast style music numbers and also wears a beret and a striped shirt. He's the platonic ideal of French romance and I genuinely feel that some people don't understand that his investment in the love square isn't meant to be taken seriously or be seen as anything sinister.