u/Unusual_Ad9894

Okay, so I've been thinking about a Harry Potter AU idea, and I honestly want to know what people think because I haven't personally come across this exact concept before.

Basically, Harry, Ron, and Hermione end up traveling back to Tom Riddle's era. But instead of just going back in time as themselves and somehow explaining why three teenagers from the future are suddenly walking around Hogwarts, they create completely new identities for themselves.

Harry becomes Hadrian Peverell-Gryffindor, the heir to two ancient and noble wizarding houses. Hermione keeps her first name but takes the surname Emrys and becomes Lady Emrys. Ron becomes Ronan Montclair, heir to House Montclair and known as Lord Montclair.

The reason they use these identities is that they need a believable cover story. They claim that their families were lost during the war and that they're essentially on their own. It gives them an explanation for why they don't have family members constantly showing up, asking questions about their past, or wondering where they came from. Obviously, they'd have to be careful about how much of their actual history they reveal.

What makes this interesting to me is that they aren't just three random people who happen to meet in the past. They're already a family in their own way. They've been through a war together, lost people they cared about, and spent years relying on each other. Even after everything changes, that bond doesn't just disappear.

I imagine Hadrian being sorted into Slytherin, Hermione becoming a Ravenclaw, and Ronan ending up in Gryffindor. They'd be separated into different Houses, surrounded by different people, and dealing with completely different expectations because of their new identities. But they'd still find their way back to each other.

And then there's Tom Riddle. Imagine him encountering these three mysterious students with prestigious family names, unusual backgrounds, and knowledge of magic that seems strange even for their age. They know things about the future that they absolutely cannot let slip, especially around someone as observant and ambitious as Tom.

I'm also interested in the idea of Hadrian, Hermione, and Ronan developing a three-way relationship. Instead of another Harry/Tom Riddle romance, the focus would be on the Golden Trio's relationship evolving into something more while they navigate a completely different time period. I'd want it to develop naturally rather than have them suddenly become a couple just because they're together in the past.

Their main goal wouldn't necessarily be to rule the wizarding world. It would be to survive, protect each other, and possibly change the future for the better. They could prevent certain tragedies, expose things that were hidden, and make choices that create a completely different timeline. But changing history could also have consequences they never expected.

I'm still figuring out the details of the three houses, their family histories, and how the magical world would react to them. I just really like the idea of the Golden Trio entering a new era with new names and different roles, only to discover that no matter which House they belong to, they're still each other's family.

Would you read something like this? And what would you change or add to the concept?

Discussion / AU

I’ve been thinking about creating a Naruto AU that changes Obito’s family history while keeping his recognizable personality, abilities, and important relationships.

The main idea is:

What if Obito Uchiha was actually Minato Namikaze’s biological son?

I know this is not canon, but I think it could create an interesting alternate timeline for Naruto.

1. Obito's family background

In my AU, Minato Namikaze had a relationship with an original female Uchiha character before he married Kushina Uzumaki.

They had a son:

Obito Namikaze-Uchiha.

Obito is older than Naruto.

Later, Minato and Kushina become a couple and have Naruto.

Kushina knows about Obito and accepts him as part of the family. She isn't jealous or hostile toward his mother. She understands that Obito is Minato's firstborn son.

This means Naruto would have an older half-brother.

2. Why I think Obito could look like Minato

One reason I came up with this idea is Obito's hairstyle.

Minato has spiky blond hair, while Obito has spiky black hair.

I started thinking:

What if Obito inherited Minato's hairstyle and facial features, but had black hair because of his Uchiha side?

I think a black-haired version of Minato's appearance could work really well for Obito.

Of course, hairstyle alone doesn't prove a biological relationship, but I think it would be a cool visual connection in an AU.

3. Obito's personality

In this AU, I want Obito to have more of Minato's personality:

\- Calm and collected.

\- Intelligent and strategic.

\- Naturally talented.

\- Mature and responsible.

\- Kind, but not overly emotional.

\- Confident without being arrogant.

He would still have his Uchiha heritage and Sharingan, but his personality would be closer to Minato.

I don't want him to simply become a copy of Minato. I want him to have his own identity.

4. Obito and Naruto

This is one of the biggest changes.

Naruto would have an older half-brother who is also Minato's firstborn son.

I think this could create some interesting family dynamics.

Would Naruto look up to Obito?

Would Obito become protective of Naruto?

Would they have a close brotherly relationship?

Or could there be some tension because Obito is Minato's firstborn and Naruto is the younger son?

I think there are a lot of possibilities here.

5. Obito and Kakashi

I also want to keep Obito and Kakashi as teammates.

But now Obito is also Minato's son.

That could change their relationship in an interesting way.

Kakashi already knows Minato as his teacher, but now he would also be working alongside Minato's son.

Would Kakashi treat Obito differently?

Would Obito's personality make him more similar to Kakashi?

Or would their rivalry become even more interesting?

6. The biggest question: What happens to Obito's destiny?

This is the part I'm still thinking about.

Should Obito still become the masked man/Tobi from canon?

Or should being Minato's son completely change his destiny?

I think this AU could go in either direction.

If Obito remains connected to the events of canon, it could create a tragic family story.

But if his relationship with Minato, Kushina, and Naruto changes his life, maybe his future would be completely different.

I'm not sure which direction would be better.

What do you think?

I would really like to hear honest opinions from Naruto fans.

1. Do you think making Obito Minato's biological son is a good idea for a Naruto AU?

2. Does the idea of Obito having Minato's spiky hairstyle but black hair make sense visually?

3. Would Obito having Minato's calm and intelligent personality make him more interesting, or would it take away from what makes Obito unique?

4. What do you think about Obito being older than Naruto and having Kushina accept him as part of the family?

5. Should Obito still become Tobi, or should this AU completely change his destiny?

6. What would you change or improve about this AU?

I'm open to criticism and suggestions. I want to make this AU as interesting as possible while still making the characters feel believable.

Thanks for reading!

Okay, this is my first time posting in a Spider-Man/DC/Marvel community, so please bear with me because I randomly came up with this idea and the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it became.

Basically, imagine Earth-616 Peter Parker after the events of Superior Spider-Man. Otto Octavius has taken over Peter's body, but Peter eventually regains control, like in canon.

Except in my AU, Peter has reached a completely different breaking point because of everything that happened to him. He's been betrayed, isolated, and pushed way past what he can emotionally handle.

That's when the One-Above-All appears.

Instead of allowing Peter's story to end, the One-Above-All essentially removes Peter's consciousness/soul from his body and sends him somewhere completely outside the Marvel Universe.

And this is where my idea gets REALLY weird.

Peter Parker → Thomas Wayne

Peter ends up in the DC Universe.

But he can't simply walk around looking exactly like Peter Parker, because that would create an enormous multiversal problem. So his appearance changes. In my AU, Peter has blue eyes, inspired by the older versions of Spider-Man where he was depicted with blue eyes, and his hair becomes black.

Eventually, Peter somehow ends up taking the identity of Thomas Wayne.

And yes.

I KNOW.

“How the hell does Peter Parker become Thomas Wayne?”

That's exactly what I asked myself after coming up with this.

But then I started thinking about the timeline problem.

Thomas Wayne is supposed to die.

So here's my solution:

The One-Above-All doesn't actually resurrect Thomas Wayne or rewrite Marvel's universe.

Instead, the One-Above-All transfers Peter's soul/consciousness into the body that would have belonged to Thomas Wayne, while allowing the original Thomas Wayne timeline to play out.

So from the perspective of the DC Universe, Thomas Wayne still dies.

But Peter doesn't.

Peter essentially continues existing through a completely different identity in another universe.

The really interesting part is that Peter's original body in Earth-616 is still gone.

And because Peter Parker is connected to the Web of Life and Destiny, his absence has consequences.

The Marvel Universe doesn't necessarily collapse immediately, but Peter's physical absence creates a massive imbalance. Maybe the Web recognizes that Peter still exists somewhere, but his connection to Earth-616 has been severed.

So now you have this bizarre situation where:

Earth-616: Peter Parker's body is gone.

DC Universe: Peter Parker is living as Thomas Wayne.

The Web of Life and Destiny: Still recognizes Peter as Peter.

One-Above-All: Knows exactly what happened.

And Peter himself doesn't even realize how important his existence is to the multiverse.

Honestly, I don't even know if this would work under actual Marvel/DC canon. I'm mostly interested in whether the concept could work as an AU.

Would you guys consider this an interesting multiverse concept, or did I just create the most unnecessarily complicated Peter Parker AU imaginable?

Okay, I genuinely want to know what people think about this because this conversation went WAY further than I expected.

I made a post basically asking: if someone genuinely hates Marinette THAT much, to the point where they think she's disgusting and ruins the show, why continue watching a show where she's one of the main characters?

I wasn't saying people aren't allowed to criticize her. I'm not saying her questionable behavior should be ignored either. Marinette has absolutely done things that are creepy, obsessive, and worth criticizing. I have no problem acknowledging that.

Someone responded saying they hate Marinette because she's a "disgusting stalker," specifically bringing up things like her obsession with Adrien, tracking his phone, following him, etc.

I responded by saying that while Marinette is the character performing those actions within the story, I would put criticism on the WRITERS for choosing to give her those behaviors and deciding how those behaviors are presented.

Then things got... interesting.

They basically told me that saying "the writers wrote her that way" is a stupid excuse because Marinette's actions ARE her character, and then accused me of defending stalking.

They eventually went as far as saying:

"If you like Marinette, you are in fact defending and are okay with stalking."

That's the part I genuinely don't understand.

How does liking a fictional character automatically mean you approve of every single thing that character does?

You can like a villain without approving of murder.

You can like an antihero without approving of everything they do.

You can like a morally flawed protagonist while still criticizing their behavior.

So why does liking Marinette automatically become "you're okay with stalking"?

I also want to be clear that I'm NOT arguing that stalking is okay. I'm not arguing that breaking into someone's room or invading someone's privacy is okay. I'm not arguing that because Marinette is cute, therefore everything she does is acceptable.

If anything, I think the writers can absolutely be criticized for giving her those traits and for how the show handles them.

That's what I meant when I said "blame the writers."

I'm not saying Marinette is a real person being forced to do things against her will. Obviously she's fictional. Obviously the writers created her personality and actions.

That's literally WHY the writers can be criticized.

The other person also argued that if Marinette were an unattractive man doing the exact same things, everyone would hate her because of "pretty privilege."

I can understand the argument that attractive characters sometimes receive more sympathy from audiences. That's a real phenomenon worth discussing.

But saying EVERYONE who likes Marinette only likes her because she's attractive is a huge assumption.

Some people might excuse her behavior because they like her.

Some people might genuinely not see all of her behavior as stalking.

Some people might acknowledge that she's done creepy things and still enjoy her character.

Some people might simply like the show.

Those are all possibilities.

So I'm curious what other Miraculous fans think:

Can you like Marinette while still thinking some of her behavior is wrong?

Can you criticize the writers for giving her those traits without "defending" the character's actions?

And most importantly:

Does liking a fictional character actually mean you approve of everything that character does?

Because THAT is the part of this argument I'm having trouble understanding.

I have always had this thought about Marinette’s friendships.

What if Marinette had gotten a different best friend much earlier in the series?

For years, whenever I thought about this, the two characters that usually came to mind were Chloé and Kagami. Obviously, Chloé is a much more complicated choice because of her bullying and the way she treats people, so I never really thought she would be the best option unless the show had completely rewritten her character from the beginning.

But Kagami is different.

The more I look at Marinette and Kagami’s friendship, the more I think Kagami could have been a genuinely great best friend for Marinette if she had been introduced earlier and given more consistent development.

And after Season 6, especially everything surrounding “Secret Protocol” and “Nemesis,” I think this question becomes even more interesting.

Before anyone misunderstands what I am saying, I am NOT saying Alya is a bad person or that Marinette and Alya were never good friends. They absolutely were. Alya has helped Marinette countless times, protected her secrets, supported her as Ladybug, and became one of the most important people in her life.

What I am questioning is whether Alya was necessarily the best possible friendship for Marinette from a character development perspective.

Because Kagami brings something completely different to Marinette.

I actually think Kagami and Marinette have one of the most interesting friendships in the show

The funny thing is that Kagami and Marinette did not start out as friends at all.

Kagami was introduced as someone who was competing with Marinette for Adrien's attention. Marinette was jealous of her, and Kagami initially viewed Marinette as someone standing between herself and Adrien.

Then we got “Ikari Gozen.”

That episode is honestly one of the biggest reasons I started thinking about this.

Marinette and Kagami are randomly paired together during the Friendship Day treasure hunt. Marinette initially hates the idea because she is afraid that helping Kagami win will bring her closer to Adrien.

So Marinette starts sabotaging the competition.

But Kagami is actually trying to become Marinette's friend.

That is what makes the whole thing work.

Kagami does not approach Marinette because she wants something from her. She genuinely wants to understand her.

And when Marinette discovers how isolated Kagami actually is, her entire perspective changes.

Kagami barely has anyone in her life outside of her mother and the small number of connections she has made. She was literally trying to figure out how to make friends.

That makes Marinette realize that she completely misunderstood her.

By the end of the episode, their relationship has genuinely changed.

That is a very different foundation from the way their relationship started.

Imagine if THAT friendship had started much earlier

This is where I think the show could have done something really interesting.

Imagine Kagami being introduced around Season 1 or Season 2 instead of Season 3.

Not necessarily as Marinette's best friend immediately.

Let them slowly become friends.

At first, Marinette could still be awkward around her because Kagami is extremely direct and serious.

Kagami could find Marinette confusing because Marinette constantly overthinks things, changes plans at the last second and gets extremely nervous around Adrien.

But instead of making Kagami primarily a romantic rival, the show could gradually make her a person Marinette trusts.

Kagami would become the friend who tells Marinette the truth.

Not necessarily what Marinette wants to hear.

What she NEEDS to hear.

And that is something Marinette desperately needs sometimes.

Kagami would challenge Marinette in a completely different way

Alya and Marinette are similar in some important ways.

They are both social.

They are both energetic.

They both love investigating things.

They both get excited about mysteries.

They both understand each other's social world very well.

Kagami is almost the opposite.

She is straightforward.

She is disciplined.

She is observant.

She does not always understand Marinette's complicated thought process, but she also does not encourage Marinette to spiral.

If Marinette started making one of her giant plans involving Adrien, Kagami could simply look at her and say:

“You are overthinking this.”

And Marinette would probably realize that she is.

That could have been a really healthy friendship dynamic.

Marinette could teach Kagami how to relax, socialize and express herself.

Kagami could teach Marinette how to be more direct, confident and emotionally honest.

They would actually help each other grow.

And this is why I don't think Chloé would work as well

I used to consider Chloé too.

And honestly, I still think there is an interesting alternate universe where Chloé and Marinette become close friends.

But canonically, it would require much more rewriting.

Chloé spends a significant amount of time bullying Marinette and other students.

Even when Chloé shows that she can care about people, she still has a lot of emotional issues and has to work through her entitlement and behavior.

So if Chloé were going to become Marinette's best friend, the show would need to start developing that friendship much earlier.

Kagami doesn't require nearly as much rewriting.

The foundation is already there.

The show already established that Kagami genuinely wanted Marinette as a friend.

The biggest missed opportunity was how little time they got together

This is probably my biggest criticism.

Marinette and Kagami have some genuinely good friendship moments, but the show often moves Kagami back toward being primarily connected to Adrien's storyline.

That is frustrating because Kagami has so much potential outside of Adrien.

Her friendship with Marinette could have been its own storyline.

It did not need to constantly revolve around romance.

In fact, one of the strongest parts of their relationship is when they are simply being friends.

Kagami and Marinette getting food together.

Talking.

Helping each other.

Learning about each other's lives.

Kagami being introduced to Marinette's other friends.

Those moments make their relationship feel much more natural.

And then Season 6 makes the Alya question more complicated

This is where I think the current story becomes interesting.

“Secret Protocol” puts Marinette and Alya's friendship under serious pressure.

The episode itself centers on Marinette organizing a surprise for Sabine, but the situation ultimately contributes to a much bigger emotional conflict involving Marinette's secrets. The following episode, “Nemesis,” continues directly from that situation.

I actually think this is an important distinction.

Alya being upset with Marinette does not automatically make Alya a terrible friend.

From Alya's perspective, she has spent years being one of Marinette's closest friends while Marinette has had enormous secrets that she couldn't tell her.

From Marinette's perspective, keeping secrets has literally been part of protecting Paris and protecting the people she loves.

So both sides have understandable emotions.

That's what makes the conflict interesting.

But it also makes me think about something else.

What kind of friend does Marinette actually need when her life becomes this complicated?

And this is where I think Kagami could fit incredibly well

Kagami understands secrets and complicated family situations.

She understands what it feels like to have important parts of your life controlled by circumstances outside your control.

She also understands what it feels like to be isolated.

Most importantly, Kagami tends to be direct.

If Marinette was hiding something from her, I don't think Kagami would spend months trying to guess what Marinette was thinking.

She would probably ask her.

And if Marinette couldn't answer, Kagami would probably be hurt, but she would understand that there are things Marinette cannot explain.

That doesn't mean Kagami would automatically accept everything.

She could still call Marinette out.

But she might approach the situation differently.

I think Kagami would be the kind of best friend who keeps Marinette grounded

This is probably the biggest reason I like the idea.

Marinette can be extremely emotional.

She overthinks.

She sometimes makes complicated plans instead of simply communicating.

She can become so focused on solving a problem that she doesn't stop to think about how other people feel.

Alya sometimes gets pulled into that world with her.

Kagami could provide a different balance.

She could say:

“Marinette, stop. What do you actually want?”

And that could force Marinette to think instead of immediately reacting.

At the same time, Marinette would help Kagami with the opposite problem.

Kagami can be very rigid.

She was raised in an extremely controlled environment.

She has difficulty expressing herself and making normal friendships.

Marinette could help her become more comfortable being herself.

So their friendship would not be one sided.

They would genuinely improve each other.

And I don't think Kagami would have to replace Alya

This is another thing I want to make clear.

I don't think the best version of this story is “remove Alya and put Kagami in her place.”

I think that would actually waste the potential.

A much better version would be Marinette having BOTH friendships.

Alya could remain the friend who understands Marinette's social life and her superhero life.

Kagami could become the friend who understands Marinette emotionally and helps keep her grounded.

That would give Marinette different types of friendships instead of making one person responsible for everything.

Alya and Kagami could even become friends themselves.

Imagine those three together.

Alya is investigating something.

Marinette is panicking.

Kagami is standing there wondering why either of them is making the situation so complicated.

That could be hilarious.

Kagami also has something Marinette doesn't always have

Kagami is very honest.

Sometimes almost brutally honest.

But I actually think Marinette needs someone like that.

A best friend shouldn't always agree with you.

A best friend should sometimes tell you when you're wrong.

Kagami could have been the person who tells Marinette:

“You are hurting yourself by avoiding the conversation.”

Or:

“You are assuming what someone thinks instead of asking them.”

Or:

“You don't need to solve everything yourself.”

Those are lessons Marinette could benefit from learning.

The irony is that canon already proved this friendship works

This is why I don't think this idea is completely random fanfiction logic.

The writers already gave us the blueprint.

Kagami and Marinette became friends.

They understood each other better.

Marinette helped Kagami open herself up.

Kagami became someone Marinette could trust.

Their friendship continued developing beyond the initial rivalry.

So the question isn't really:

“Could Marinette and Kagami be friends?”

The show already answered that.

Yes.

The more interesting question is:

“What would have happened if the writers had invested in that friendship as much as they invested in Marinette and Alya?”

Because I genuinely think it could have become one of Marinette's strongest relationships.

My ideal version

If I were rewriting the early seasons, I wouldn't remove Alya.

I would introduce Kagami earlier.

Maybe around Season 2.

Let Marinette meet her before the Adrien rivalry becomes such a major part of their relationship.

Give Kagami her own life outside of Adrien.

Give Marinette and Kagami several episodes where they simply become friends.

Then by the time “Ikari Gozen” happens, the episode would be less about Marinette discovering that Kagami wants to be her friend and more about Marinette realizing that she has been taking their friendship for granted.

Then Alya, Kagami and Marinette could develop into a trio.

But each friendship would remain different.

Alya would be Marinette's longtime best friend and superhero confidante.

Kagami would be the honest, grounding friend.

Marinette would be the emotional bridge between them.

That would actually make Marinette's social circle feel more realistic.

So after everything we've seen, I still think Kagami could have been an amazing best friend for Marinette

Not because Alya is evil.

Not because Alya and Marinette were never good friends.

And definitely not because Kagami is somehow a “better person” than Alya.

It's because Kagami brings a completely different personality and perspective to Marinette.

And honestly, I think that difference is exactly what makes their friendship interesting.

Marinette doesn't need five friends who all respond to her the same way.

She needs friends who challenge different parts of her personality.

Alya can be the person who understands her.

Kagami can be the person who grounds her.

And Marinette can be the person who brings them both together.

After “Secret Protocol,” I find the idea even more interesting because the series is showing just how difficult Marinette's secrets can make her relationships.

Maybe the answer was never that Marinette needed to replace Alya.

Maybe she just needed more than one truly deep friendship.

And honestly, I think Kagami was one of the biggest missed opportunities for that.

I’ve been working on a Naruto AU that takes the whole “Naruto becomes an emperor after being betrayed” idea, but I wanted to actually give it a believable reason instead of just making Naruto royalty out of nowhere.

The basic idea is that Naruto is still Naruto. His childhood is mostly the same, he still grows up in Konoha, becomes a shinobi, forms Team 7, and eventually goes after Sasuke when Sasuke leaves the village.

The major difference is what happens after Naruto tries to retrieve Sasuke.

Naruto is betrayed by the people he thought were his friends and finally realizes that Konoha was never really the place he thought it was. Instead of simply coming back to the village and continuing to accept everything that happened to him, Naruto leaves.

And that's when the truth about his parents finally starts coming out.

Minato wasn't originally from the shinobi world.

In my AU, Minato Namikaze was actually born into an ancient royal family from another land.

His father was King Arashi Namikaze, the firstborn son and heir to an old royal dynasty. Arashi was known as a strict but respected ruler who believed that the royal family shouldn't involve itself in the wars between the shinobi nations.

Minato's mother was Queen Sayuri Namikaze, a woman from another powerful noble family who married into the Namikaze dynasty. She was intelligent, politically powerful, and much more interested in diplomacy than military expansion.

Minato was their first child, which meant he was the official heir to the throne.

But Minato never wanted that life.

He was fascinated by the outside world and eventually left his homeland. During one of his travels, he became involved in a conflict that brought him into contact with the shinobi world.

He basically disappeared from his family's world.

His parents spent years believing that their son was either dead or permanently lost.

Minato eventually became a shinobi, and the rest is history.

He met Kushina.

He became the Yellow Flash.

He fought during the Third Great Ninja War.

He became the Fourth Hokage.

He married Kushina.

And Naruto was born.

But there was something almost nobody in Konoha knew.

Naruto wasn't just the son of the Fourth Hokage.

He was the firstborn son of the former heir to a royal dynasty.

And Kushina wasn't exactly ordinary either.

In this AU, Kushina is the princess of the Uzumaki clan.

The Uzumaki aren't simply another clan. They're descendants of one of the oldest bloodlines in the world, with their own ancient royal lineage. Kushina comes from what is considered the purest surviving branch of that bloodline.

Her father could be King Jiro Uzumaki, the traditional ruler of Uzushiogakure and head of the Uzumaki royal family.

Her mother could be Queen Akemi Uzumaki, who came from another ancient noble family that specialized in sealing techniques and helped preserve the Uzumaki's traditions.

Kushina was therefore raised as both a princess and a future political figure.

However, the destruction of Uzushiogakure changed everything.

Kushina was sent to Konoha because of her status as the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, which eventually brought her together with Minato.

So when Minato and Kushina had Naruto, they accidentally created something that nobody really understood.

Naruto possessed blood from two ancient royal houses.

His father's side came from the Namikaze royal dynasty.

His mother's side came from the Uzumaki royal bloodline.

And because Minato had disappeared from his homeland before becoming a shinobi, the people searching for the missing heir never knew that he had actually survived, married, and had a son.

That means Naruto was essentially a missing prince who didn't even know he was a prince.

Konoha knew him as Naruto Uzumaki.

The Namikaze kingdom would know him as the lost heir.

And the remaining Uzumaki would recognize him as the continuation of their own royal bloodline.

That's where I want the Emperor Naruto storyline to become interesting.

After Naruto leaves Konoha following the Sasuke retrieval incident, he eventually encounters people connected to his father's homeland.

At first, they don't even believe he's Minato's son.

Then they discover the truth.

Naruto is alive.

Minato's heir is alive.

The missing prince has returned.

Except Naruto doesn't immediately want the throne.

He's spent his entire life being treated like a nobody, so suddenly being told that he's supposed to rule an entire kingdom would obviously mess with his head.

And I don't want Naruto to instantly become some emotionless emperor either.

I want him to struggle with it.

He has to learn politics.

He has to learn how to rule.

He has to deal with nobles who don't respect him.

He has to deal with people who think he's nothing more than a village orphan.

He has to decide whether he even wants revenge against Konoha or whether he wants to build something completely separate from it.

Eventually, though, Naruto accepts his position.

And that's when the title of Emperor becomes important.

He's not just becoming a king because of his father's bloodline.

He's creating something larger.

He brings together the surviving Uzumaki, his father's royal territory, shinobi from different lands, and people who were abandoned by the existing system.

His empire becomes a completely new power.

And ironically, the same Naruto who was once treated like a burden becomes one of the most politically powerful people in the world.

I also like the idea that Sasuke's betrayal is what finally pushes Naruto toward this path.

Because Naruto spent his entire childhood wanting acknowledgment from Konoha.

He wanted friends.

He wanted Sasuke to acknowledge him.

He wanted the village to acknowledge him.

He wanted to become Hokage because he believed that would finally make everyone respect him.

But after everything that happens, Naruto realizes something.

He doesn't need Konoha to tell him who he is.

He was already born into a legacy far greater than he ever knew.

The boy who wanted to become Hokage eventually becomes something much bigger.

He becomes the Emperor of his own empire.

That's basically the foundation of my AU.

I'm still working out the exact history of Minato's royal family, the Namikaze kingdom, the Uzumaki royal family, and how Naruto's discovery of his heritage would actually happen.

I'd also want the royal system to have actual politics, rival families, succession laws, nobles, military factions, and people who genuinely oppose Naruto becoming emperor.

I don't want it to just be “Naruto is secretly royalty and everybody bows to him.”

I want him to actually have to earn the crown.

Ever since watching Secret Protocol I have been thinking about how I would write the final battle and I honestly would not have Marinette win. I know that sounds strange at first but I think letting Lila win would actually create a much stronger story.

In my version Lila successfully defeats Ladybug and makes the Ultimate Wish. Instead of wishing for unlimited power or something simple she wishes to have Marinette's life because she believes Marinette has everything she has ever wanted. The universe resets and history rewrites itself. Lila becomes the girl everyone has always known as Marinette. She inherits Marinette's family her friends her memories as Ladybug and every responsibility that comes with protecting Paris.

Meanwhile Marinette loses everything.

She still looks like herself and keeps her own identity but she is forced into Lila's place. Overnight she goes from being the greatest hero in Paris to someone nobody trusts. Every friendship she built disappears. Every victory she earned is erased. Even Adrien no longer remembers the person she used to be.

At first Lila believes she has finally won. She gets the perfect family. She gets Adrien. She gets the Miraculous. She gets the respect she always wanted.

Then reality starts catching up with her.

She quickly realizes that being Ladybug is nothing like she imagined. Every akuma attack becomes her responsibility. Every mistake puts innocent lives at risk. Every decision carries impossible consequences. She begins losing sleep. She starts feeling the pressure that Marinette carried every single day without ever asking for recognition. For the first time in her life Lila understands that Marinette never had an easy life. She only made it look easy because she always chose to protect everyone else before herself.

Marinette's journey becomes the emotional heart of the story. Instead of giving up she slowly starts rebuilding her life from nothing. She has to earn people's trust all over again without anyone believing who she really is. She cannot rely on the Ladybug Miraculous anymore. She has to rely on her intelligence her determination and her heart. She proves that being a hero was never about magic. It was always about the person behind the mask.

I would also completely change Adrien's character. After the reset he becomes much colder and far more emotionally guarded. His personality would be inspired by the original Miraculous PV version of Felix. He no longer trusts people so easily because deep down he feels that something about the world is wrong even if he cannot explain it. His relationship with Marinette would slowly grow through trust instead of destiny which I think would be much more powerful.

The best part of this ending is that Lila's greatest victory slowly becomes her greatest punishment. She spent so long believing Marinette's life was perfect only to discover that every smile hid an incredible amount of pain responsibility and sacrifice. She would finally understand that wearing the Ladybug earrings is not a reward. It is a burden that requires courage every single day.

I think this kind of ending would make the final season unforgettable because the heroes do not always need to win immediately. Sometimes losing creates the strongest character development. Watching Marinette rise from absolute rock bottom while Lila slowly breaks under the weight of the life she stole would be one of the most emotional stories the series could ever tell.

That is the finale I would write because it challenges both the hero and the villain in ways that neither of them ever expected.

If we're talking about Ellie versus Clementine, the answer depends on what category we're judging.

When it comes to combat, Ellie has some advantages that people conveniently ignore. She's immune to the Cordyceps infection, so she doesn't have to fear being infected the same way everyone else does. On top of that, she received formal military training from the WLF and spent years learning from experienced fighters like Joel. Those advantages matter. They helped shape her into the fighter she became.

Clementine didn't have any of that.

She started as an ordinary little girl with no combat experience, no military background, no immunity, and no special abilities. Everything she learned came from surviving one impossible situation after another. Lee taught her the basics, but after that she had to keep adapting on her own. Every skill she has was earned through experience, mistakes, and survival.

Now let's talk about the zombies themselves.

People also forget that the walkers in The Walking Dead are a constant threat because every single person turns after death, whether they were bitten or not. That's a completely different kind of apocalypse. You never know who might turn next, and one mistake can destroy an entire community.

The infected in The Last of Us are terrifying too, but they're infected humans controlled by Cordyceps. They're not the same type of undead as The Walking Dead. Both universes are dangerous, just in different ways.

As for survival, I honestly lean toward Clementine.

She survived from childhood all the way into her teenage years without being immune, without a military organization backing her, and while constantly protecting AJ. She had to make impossible decisions, lose people she loved, and keep moving forward. That's survival at its finest.

For character development, I also give the edge to Clementine.

We literally watch her grow from a scared little girl into a capable leader. Every season builds on her growth. We see her learn, fail, mature, teach AJ, and eventually become the person Lee hoped she would be.

Ellie has fantastic character development too, but a lot of her story focuses on revenge, grief, and trauma. It's powerful, but Clementine's journey feels more complete because we experience almost her entire life growing up.

For storytelling, Clementine wins for me.

Lee's sacrifice.

Clementine growing into a survivor.

Clementine raising AJ.

AJ becoming the person Clementine raised him to be.

That entire cycle is one of the greatest character arcs in gaming.

If we're ranking categories honestly, this is where I stand.

Combat goes to Ellie.

Raw fighting skill goes to Ellie.

Stealth is very close, but I'd slightly give it to Ellie.

Survival goes to Clementine.

Leadership goes to Clementine.

Adaptability goes to Clementine.

Mental strength goes to Clementine.

Character development goes to Clementine.

Storyline goes to Clementine.

Emotional impact goes to Clementine.

Legacy goes to Clementine.

Both are incredible protagonists, but I think people overlook how much of Ellie's strength comes from advantages she was given, like immunity and advanced combat training. Clementine had none of those advantages. She survived through intelligence, determination, and experience alone.

That's why, overall, Clementine is still my favorite protagonist.

​

I'm still annoyed that the show confirmed Lila and Kagami are sisters. It honestly feels like such a random twist compared to what they could've done.

I genuinely think making Lila and Marinette half-sisters—or even full sisters who were separated when they were young—would've created one of the biggest plot twists in the entire series.

Think about it.

Lila and Marinette are weirdly similar in a lot of ways. They're both incredibly intelligent, both know how to manipulate situations to their advantage, both are excellent at acting, and both are capable of maintaining double lives. The biggest difference is how they choose to use those talents. Marinette uses them to help people, while Lila uses them to manipulate people.

Imagine if all those similarities weren't a coincidence.

What if Lila was Sabine's daughter from a previous relationship? Or Tom had another child he never knew about? Or both girls were separated because of something connected to the Miraculous? Suddenly their rivalry becomes much more personal than "the girl who lies a lot."

Imagine Marinette discovering that the person who has been making her life miserable is actually her own sister.

Imagine Lila finding out the one person she hates the most is family.

That would've created so much emotional conflict. They couldn't just beat the villain and move on—they'd have to deal with betrayal, jealousy, identity, forgiveness, and whether family is defined by blood or by the people who raise you.

It also would've explained why they're so evenly matched. Lila constantly manages to fool almost everyone, while Marinette is one of the few people who sees through her. Their rivalry would've felt like two sides of the same coin rather than just "hero vs. liar."

I know not everyone would like the idea, but to me it feels like it would've been a much stronger twist than revealing Lila and Kagami are sisters. The Marinette-Lila rivalry already had years of development behind it. Turning that rivalry into a family conflict would've raised the stakes in a way that felt emotional and personal.

Does anyone else think this would've been a better direction, or am I completely alone on this?

I've had this theory for a long time, and I honestly can't stop thinking about it.

Bloom has always been my favorite character in Winx Club, and I feel like the series never fully explored just how powerful she could actually become.

Throughout the show, we're constantly told that the Dragon Flame is the source of all magic. The Great Dragon used it to create the entire Magical Dimension before passing its power on. That's an absolutely massive piece of lore.

But here's where my theory begins.

I don't think Bloom has ever fully awakened the Dragon Flame.

Yes, she becomes incredibly powerful throughout the series. She unlocks different transformations, defeats villains, and learns to control her magic better. But almost everything we see is Bloom learning how to fight with the Dragon Flame—not truly understanding everything it can do.

I always wished the writers had dedicated an entire season to Bloom training alone. Not just learning stronger attacks, but discovering the true nature of the Dragon Flame itself. Imagine her traveling to ancient places connected to the Great Dragon, uncovering forgotten history, and learning abilities that no one else even knew existed.

Here's the part that really makes me wonder...

If the Great Dragon used the Dragon Flame to create the Magical Dimension itself...

...then shouldn't the Dragon Flame be capable of creating more than just fire?

What if its true power isn't destruction at all?

What if its greatest power is creation?

Think about it.

If the Dragon Flame created planets, worlds, magical creatures, and all magic, then Bloom may have inherited only a fraction of what it's actually capable of. Maybe she's only using the "combat" side of the Dragon Flame because that's all she's ever needed during the series.

But what if, after fully mastering it, she could eventually:

- Create entirely new magical life.

- Restore destroyed worlds.

- Heal places where magic has completely disappeared.

- Create forests, oceans, or even entire ecosystems.

- Bring magic back to dying kingdoms.

- Forge magical artifacts from pure Dragon Flame energy.

- Possibly even create completely new realms within the Magical Dimension.

I'm not saying she'd become omnipotent or able to do anything she wants. I imagine these abilities would require an unbelievable amount of energy, concentration, and emotional balance. They would probably only be possible after years of training and complete mastery of the Dragon Flame.

To me, that's what makes the theory interesting.

The Dragon Flame has always been described as the origin of creation, yet Bloom mostly uses it as an incredibly powerful weapon. That always felt like only one piece of what the Dragon Flame truly is.

I honestly think the writers missed an opportunity. Instead of introducing more and more transformations, I would've loved an entire season focused solely on Bloom exploring the Dragon Flame's origins, its hidden abilities, and discovering that creation—not destruction—is its greatest power.

What do you all think?

Do you think Bloom ever reached the Dragon Flame's full potential, or do you think she only mastered a small fraction of what the Great Dragon originally possessed? And do you think the Dragon Flame could eventually evolve beyond fire into the power to create life itself, or is that taking the lore too far?

A genuine question about Harry Potter fanfiction and the mpreg trope

I want to start by saying I understand that fanfiction is fiction and people are allowed to write whatever kind of stories they enjoy. I’m not saying people can’t have their own ships or creative ideas.

But something I’ve always been curious about is why certain fandom spaces, especially with Harry Potter ships like Harry x Draco or Harry x Tom Riddle/Voldemort, often use the same dynamic where Harry is always the “bottom” and then the story adds pregnancy.

What is the appeal behind this specific trope?

I know a lot of it comes from omegaverse and fantasy worlds where writers create different rules, but I’m curious why this became such a common thing. Why is changing a male character’s biology into being able to get pregnant such a popular way to explore these relationships?

Because if the goal is just to write a couple having a family or experiencing pregnancy, why not create an alternate universe where one character is female instead? What is it about keeping both characters male while adding pregnancy that makes the story more interesting to some people?

Again, I’m not saying people can’t enjoy fictional concepts. Fiction has always changed rules, created fantasy worlds, and explored things that don’t happen in reality. I’m just questioning why this specific trope became so common and what people enjoy about it.

I’d actually like to hear from people who enjoy these types of stories because I’m curious about the reasoning behind it.

​

The link: https://www.reddit.com/r/MiraculousFanfiction/s/VGOD2hRXpU

Theory: Another reason Marinette didn’t reveal Gabriel was Monarch — she was protecting Adrien from becoming hated too

I know a lot of people have talked about why Marinette didn’t tell Adrien the truth about Gabriel being Monarch, and my other theory was that Gabriel’s wish might have had some kind of consequence that affected Marinette.

But I also think there is another realistic reason:

What if Marinette was afraid that telling the entire world the truth wouldn’t just destroy Gabriel’s reputation… but would also destroy Adrien’s life?

Think about it.

The moment everyone finds out that Gabriel Agreste was Hawk Moth/Monarch, people are not only going to look at Gabriel differently. They’re going to look at the Agreste family differently.

And unfortunately, Adrien’s biggest problem is that people might not separate him from his father.

Even though Adrien had nothing to do with Gabriel’s actions, there would probably be people asking:

“Did Adrien know?”

“How much was he hiding?”

“How could he not notice what his own father was doing?”

“Was he involved?”

And that’s the part Marinette would hate the most.

She knows Adrien.

She knows he spent his entire life trying to be loved by his father. She knows he was controlled, isolated, and kept away from the truth.

So imagine Marinette revealing everything and then watching the entire world turn against Adrien because of something he never chose.

That would destroy him.

I think Marinette’s mindset was probably:

“Gabriel is gone. The person who needs protecting now is Adrien.”

And yes, some people might argue that the truth should always come out, and I understand that. Gabriel hurt a lot of people and people deserve answers.

But Marinette is not thinking like a politician or a judge in that moment.

She’s thinking like someone who loves Adrien and knows exactly how fragile he is emotionally.

She’s thinking about the person who would suffer the most from the truth.

And that’s why I think her decision is complicated.

It’s not because she thinks Gabriel was a hero.

It’s not because she agrees with what he did.

It’s because she believes exposing the truth could create another victim: Adrien.

And adding my previous theory about Gabriel’s wish possibly affecting Marinette, it makes the situation even more interesting.

Maybe Marinette wasn’t just carrying Gabriel’s final request.

Maybe she was carrying the fear that telling the truth would ruin the one person she was trying hardest to protect.

That’s why this whole situation feels so complicated. It’s not simply “Marinette defended a villain.”

It’s a girl trying to choose between justice and protecting someone she cares about.

I keep seeing people saying Lolirock would destroy Winx Club in a fight and honestly after watching both shows I think the answer is way more complicated than people make it seem.

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A lot of people compare them like one team is automatically stronger but both shows handle magic completely differently.

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Starting with Bloom vs Iris because that is usually the main debate.

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Bloom has the Dragon Flame which is one of the most powerful sources of magic in the Winx universe. It is connected to the Great Dragon and gives her abilities like powerful fire attacks, energy blasts, shields, healing, breaking spells and sensing magical energy. But I also think people overestimate her sometimes. Bloom is extremely powerful but she is still a fairy using that power not the actual source itself.

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Iris from Lolirock is also not someone to underestimate. She is the princess of Ephedia and has crystal magic, strong offensive abilities, good combat skills and powerful transformations like Shanila. She is more of a warrior type fighter and she is used to fighting directly.

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The difference to me is that Bloom has the bigger source of power while Iris has a more straightforward fighting style.

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If they fought at their strongest I would personally give Bloom the win but it would not be a complete stomp.

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Then looking at both teams.

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The Winx have:

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Bloom with the Dragon Flame

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Stella with sun and moon magic

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Flora with plant magic and healing

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Musa with sound powers

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Tecna with technology and energy magic

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Aisha with water and fluid powers

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They also have multiple transformations like Enchantix, Believix, Harmonix and Sirenix which give them different abilities.

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Lolirock has:

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Iris with crystal magic and royal powers

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Talia with strong magic and strategy

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Auriana with her ribbon weapon and defensive abilities

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The thing is Lolirock is actually very strong because they fight more like a magical battle team. They are quick, coordinated and their powers are shown more directly in combat.

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But the Winx have fought much bigger threats over the years and have more experience against villains that threaten entire magical worlds.

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My opinion:

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Bloom vs Iris

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Bloom wins around 7/10

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Winx vs Lolirock

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Winx wins around 8/10

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However if we are talking about early Winx before they reached their strongest transformations then Lolirock has a much better chance.

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I think the reason this debate exists is because both teams are powerful in different ways. Lolirock has amazing teamwork and combat ability while Winx has the bigger magical scaling and experience.

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What do you guys think? Does Lolirock actually beat Winx or do people underestimate how powerful the Winx really are?

I have been seeing a lot of discussions about Bloom from Winx Club lately, and something that honestly surprises me is how some people who claim to dislike her seem to spend so much time talking about her.

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I want to specifically talk about the TikTok account Mother Flora. First, I want to say there is nothing wrong with the person behind the account, and I do not know anything about their personal life or who they are outside of the account. This is not about attacking a real person.

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What I find interesting is how much attention this account seems to give Bloom. The amount of posts, discussions, and energy focused on one character almost feels like Bloom is living rent free in their head. At some point it starts to feel less like simple criticism and more like being extremely invested in a character they claim to dislike.

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It is completely fine to dislike a fictional character. Everyone has different opinions, and Bloom has always been a character that gets a lot of debate in the Winx fandom. Some people love her, some people think other fairies deserve more attention, and that is normal.

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But there is a difference between having criticism and constantly dedicating a huge amount of time to a character. Sometimes the biggest haters of a character are also the people who keep that character the most relevant because they never stop talking about them.

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I am curious what other Winx fans think about this. Do you think Bloom gets more hate than other characters because she is the main character, or do you think some people have taken their dislike of her way too far?

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice because I’ve been wanting to learn how to draw for a long time but I honestly don’t know where to start.

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My biggest problem is that I’m really only good at tracing. I can look at a picture and copy the lines pretty well, but when it comes to creating something myself from imagination or even just drawing without a reference I struggle a lot.

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I know tracing isn’t the same as actually learning how to draw, and I really want to improve instead of just copying other people’s work. I want to actually understand things like anatomy, poses, faces, expressions, backgrounds, and how artists make their own characters.

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I even bought a drawing tablet because I wanted to start practicing digitally, but I had a lot of problems setting it up and getting it to work properly. It was acting weird and I couldn’t really figure out how to fix it, so I ended up having to ship it back.

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Now I’m trying to figure out what my first steps should be.

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For people who learned how to draw from basically zero, what should I focus on first?

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Should I start with anatomy? Shapes? Perspective? Gesture drawing? Studying other artists? Or something else?

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Also if anyone has advice for someone who is basically starting from the beginning I would really appreciate it. I know becoming good takes time but I genuinely want to learn and improve.

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Thanks to anyone who responds.

A lot of you seemed to enjoy the discussion on my last Bloom post so I figured I'd make another one https://www.reddit.com/r/winxclub/s/a8kP8oHTQg

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This is something I've been thinking about for a while and I honestly want to know if I'm the only one who feels this way.

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Why does the fandom love shipping Bloom and Valtor so much?

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Before anyone gets mad this is not me attacking the ship or the people who enjoy it.

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I'm genuinely curious.

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Because every time I see people explain why they love Bloom and Valtor together it usually comes down to one thing.

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Chemistry.

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And I understand that.

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Valtor is charismatic.

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He's intelligent.

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He's manipulative.

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He's powerful.

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He understands Bloom in ways that most villains do not.

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He has a direct connection to the Dragon Flame.

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I understand why people find their dynamic interesting.

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But I've always felt like that same connection is exactly why I never saw them as a romantic pairing.

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If anything I always thought they would have worked better as family.

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The more I think about it the more it feels like a missed opportunity.

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Valtor was created by the Ancestral Witches using a fragment of the Dragon Flame.

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Bloom carries the Dragon Flame.

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Both of them are tied to the same source of power.

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Both of them spend a huge part of their stories trying to understand who they are.

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Both of them are connected to Domino.

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If I was rewriting the story I honestly think I would have made Valtor Bloom's older brother.

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Not her twin.

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Not a love interest.

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Her brother.

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Imagine finding out that before Domino fell the Ancestral Witches stole part of the Dragon Flame and used it to create their own child.

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A dark reflection of Bloom.

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A sibling who was born from the same power but raised completely differently.

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Suddenly every interaction between them becomes even more personal.

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Instead of a villain trying to corrupt the heroine it becomes a brother and sister who represent two completely different paths.

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One became the Guardian of the Dragon Flame.

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The other became its greatest corruption.

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To me that sounds way more interesting than a romance.

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And if I'm being completely honest I think the age difference plays a role too.

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Valtor is not some teenage boy.

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He's ancient.

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He existed long before Bloom was born.

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He's closer in age to people like the Company of Light than he is to Bloom.

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I know fantasy stories play fast and loose with age sometimes but it's always been one of the reasons I could never fully get into the ship.

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Then there's Sky.

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And this is where I know some people are going to disagree with me.

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Do I think Sky should have told Bloom about the arranged marriage situation?

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Yes.

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Absolutely.

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I think he should have.

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But I also think the fandom acts like Sky committed the greatest crime in the history of Magix.

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People talk about him like he spent years intentionally manipulating Bloom.

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The reality is that he was a teenager dealing with royal responsibilities he never asked for.

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That doesn't excuse him keeping the secret.

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But it does add context.

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Sometimes when I read discussions it feels like people bend over backwards to justify Valtor while treating Sky like he's the worst person in the entire franchise.

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And I've never really understood that.

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One is a centuries old villain responsible for massive destruction.

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The other is a teenager who handled a relationship problem badly.

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I think it's perfectly fair to criticize Sky.

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I've criticized Sky before.

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But I also think some parts of the fandom have turned him into a bigger villain than he ever was.

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At the end of the day I think Valtor is one of the most interesting characters in Winx.

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I just think his connection to Bloom would have been even stronger if they had been written as siblings rather than a potential romantic pairing.

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What do you all think?

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Would Valtor have worked better as Bloom's brother?

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Or do you prefer the dynamic they already have?

Since a lot of you seemed to enjoy the discussion on my last Bloom post I figured I'd make another one. https://www.reddit.com/r/winxclub/s/LS37plZntM

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The more time I spend in the Winx fandom the more I feel like people are arguing about two completely different things and treating them like they are the same thing.

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One argument is that Bloom gets too much focus.

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The other argument is that Bloom is a bad character.

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And honestly I do not think those are the same thing at all.

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If somebody says Bloom gets too much screen time I can understand that argument.

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She is the main character.

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She gets the Dragon Flame.

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She gets the biggest storylines.

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She gets the most attention from the writers.

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I understand why some people get frustrated when their favorite Winx does not get the same amount of development.

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That is a completely fair criticism.

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What I do not understand is how that somehow turns into Bloom being a terrible character.

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Because when I look at Bloom as a character I see somebody who is actually full of flaws.

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She is impulsive.

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She is stubborn.

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She can be reckless.

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She can be emotional.

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She can be impatient.

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Sometimes she lets her feelings control her decisions.

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Sometimes she messes up badly.

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That does not sound like a perfect character to me.

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It sounds like a teenager.

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And that is where I get confused.

​

A lot of the criticism I see is not actually about Bloom's personality.

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It is about how much focus the writers gave her.

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Those are two different things.

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Bloom did not choose to be the Keeper of the Dragon Flame.

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Bloom did not choose to be the main protagonist.

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Bloom did not decide which character got the most screen time.

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The writers did.

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So here is my question.

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If Flora got all of Bloom's storylines would people eventually get tired of Flora too

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If Musa got all of Bloom's storylines would people eventually get tired of Musa too

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If Stella got all of Bloom's storylines would people eventually get tired of Stella too

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Because I genuinely think part of the problem is not Bloom herself.

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I think part of the problem is that people have been seeing Bloom at the center of almost everything for years.

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After a while that naturally creates frustration.

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But frustration with how a character is used is not the same thing as the character being badly written.

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I am not saying everybody has to love Bloom.

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I am not saying she is perfect.

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I am not saying she should never be criticized.

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I just think there is a difference between saying

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"I am tired of Bloom always being the focus"

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and

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"Bloom is a bad character"

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Because those are two completely different conversations.

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What do you think

As someone whose favorite Winx character has always been Bloom, there's something I've never really understood.

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Why do so many people call her a "pick me"?

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I'm genuinely asking because every time I see someone use that term for Bloom, I feel like we're watching two completely different shows.

​

First, let's define what a pick me actually is.

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A pick me is usually someone who puts down other girls in order to gain male attention, validation, or approval.

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The key part is putting other girls down.

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That's what makes a pick me a pick me.

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Now let's look at Bloom.

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Does Bloom spend the series insulting the other Winx girls to make herself look better?

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No.

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Does she constantly talk about how she's "different" from other girls and therefore deserves more attention from boys?

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No.

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Does she sabotage her friends to get Sky's attention?

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No.

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Does she build her self-worth around male validation?

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No.

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So where exactly is the pick me behavior?

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Because from what I remember, Bloom's biggest flaws are things like being impulsive, stubborn, emotional, reckless, and sometimes making decisions without thinking everything through.

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Those are flaws.

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But they're not pick me traits.

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I think what actually happened is that people started disliking Bloom for completely different reasons and then attached a label that doesn't really fit.

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Let's be honest.

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A huge reason Bloom gets criticized is because she's the main character.

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She's the face of the franchise.

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She gets the Dragon Flame.

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She gets major storylines.

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She gets more focus than most of the other girls.

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And whenever a main character gets a lot of attention, some fans start feeling like their favorite character is being pushed aside.

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That's a completely understandable criticism.

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But that's not the same thing as being a pick me.

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Another thing that gets overlooked is that Bloom spends a huge portion of the series helping her friends.

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She supports Stella.

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She supports Flora.

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She supports Musa.

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She supports Tecna.

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She supports Aisha.

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The Winx argue sometimes, sure, but that's normal.

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Show me a friend group that never argues.

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What I don't remember seeing is Bloom constantly tearing down other girls so she can get attention from Sky.

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And that's because she doesn't.

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You can absolutely criticize Bloom.

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Nobody is saying she's perfect.

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She's made mistakes.

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She's had moments where she frustrated me.

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She's had moments where she acted emotionally.

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She's had moments where she was stubborn.

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But words have meanings.

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Not every female protagonist people dislike is automatically a pick me.

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Sometimes she's just a protagonist with flaws.

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And honestly, I think some of the Bloom hate comes from people being tired of seeing her get so much focus rather than anything she actually did as a character.

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If your issue is that the writers focused on Bloom too much, that's a valid criticism of the writing.

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But that's not Bloom's fault.

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That's the writers' decision.

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So maybe the conversation shouldn't be "Bloom is a pick me."

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Maybe the conversation should be "Did the writers rely on Bloom too much at the expense of the other Winx?"

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Because those are two very different discussions.

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What do you all think?

I've been in the Miraculous fandom for a long time, and there's something I've noticed that I've never really seen people talk about.

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Why are there so many reincarnation and self-insert stories involving Lila and Chloe, but barely any involving Marinette, Adrien, or Alya?

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Seriously.

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Maybe it's just me, but every time I go looking for reincarnation fics, I keep running into the same pattern.

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Someone gets reincarnated as Lila.

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Someone gets reincarnated as Chloe.

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Sometimes they get reincarnated as an OC.

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Sometimes they become a completely new character.

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But it's surprisingly rare to find somebody getting reincarnated as Marinette herself.

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It's even rarer with Alya.

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And that's interesting to me because Marinette is literally the main character.

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You'd think there would be hundreds of stories where someone wakes up as Marinette and has to deal with all the pressure, responsibilities, secrets, and chaos that come with being her.

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Instead, a lot of authors seem to prefer putting themselves into characters they think they can "fix."

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Which brings me to another thing I've noticed.

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A lot of reincarnation stories don't really explore the consequences of suddenly waking up in somebody else's body.

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The character usually adjusts in about five minutes.

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Nobody notices anything strange.

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There aren't many identity crises.

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There aren't many moral dilemmas.

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And somehow they immediately know exactly how to solve every problem in the story.

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I've always found that a little strange.

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If I woke up inside the Miraculous universe tomorrow, I'd probably be confused, terrified, and making mistakes every five minutes.

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I wouldn't instantly become the smartest person in Paris.

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Another thing that always makes me laugh is how often these stories end with Adrien falling in love with the reincarnated character.

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No matter who they are.

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No matter where they came from.

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No matter how different they act from the original character.

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Somehow Adrien ends up liking them anyway.

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And I've always wondered why.

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Is it because Adrien is the male lead?

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Is it because people want to experience the story through a romance route?

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Is it wish fulfillment?

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Or is there another reason I'm missing?

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I'm genuinely curious because I've seen this happen more times than I can count.

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The funny thing is that some of the most interesting stories I've read weren't the ones where the reincarnated character immediately fixed everything.

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They were the ones where they made mistakes.

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They got overwhelmed.

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They struggled to fit into the world.

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They actually felt like a real person trying to survive inside a fictional universe.

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Anyway, maybe I'm completely off base here.

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I'm curious what everyone else thinks.

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Why do you think reincarnation stories in the Miraculous fandom tend to focus so heavily on characters like Chloe and Lila?

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Why do you think Marinette and Alya get used so much less often?

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And why do so many of these stories eventually end up pairing the reincarnated character with Adrien?

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Drop your thoughts below.

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I probably won't be able to reply to every comment, but I'll definitely be reading them. If you've got a different perspective, I'd love to hear it.

This is something I've noticed after reading a lot of Miraculous fanfiction over the years.

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I'm not talking about every reincarnation fic, self-insert fic, or reader fic. There are definitely some good ones out there.

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But has anyone else noticed a pattern?

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A lot of these stories start with a person from our world getting dropped into the Miraculous universe. Sometimes they're reincarnated. Sometimes they're a reader insert. Sometimes they're an OC with knowledge of the show.

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And almost immediately, Marinette becomes Public Enemy Number One.

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The story usually goes something like this:

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The reincarnated character knows the future.

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They know Marinette likes Adrien.

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They know about the stalking jokes.

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They know about all the fandom criticisms.

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And instead of looking at the situation as a whole, they immediately decide Marinette is a terrible person.

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Then the story turns into betrayal, banishment, humiliation, and call-out speeches.

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What I've always found interesting is that if someone actually came from our world and had all this knowledge, wouldn't they notice that Marinette is clearly a teenager struggling with a lot of issues?

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You don't have to agree with her actions to recognize that.

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A real person would probably ask questions.

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Why is she acting like this?

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Why is nobody helping her?

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Why does nobody seem concerned about how much pressure she's under?

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Why is a teenager carrying responsibilities that would overwhelm most adults?

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Instead, a lot of these stories skip straight to punishment.

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No conversations.

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No growth.

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No therapy.

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No self-reflection.

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Just immediate condemnation.

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And then something else usually happens.

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The reincarnated character or OC suddenly becomes Adrien's new love interest.

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Or Adrien falls in love with them almost immediately.

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Or the story bends itself into proving that this new character is everything Marinette isn't.

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I've always found that part fascinating because it says a lot about fandom culture.

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It feels less like people are trying to understand the characters and more like they're trying to rewrite the story so they can take Marinette's place.

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Again, there's nothing wrong with self-insert stories. They're supposed to be fun.

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I just find it interesting how often the same pattern shows up.

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Instead of helping Marinette become a better version of herself, the story removes her from the equation and replaces her.

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Has anyone else noticed this trend, or am I completely off base here?