History Recap / ScarletLadyS5E5Reverser

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the original episode, ''Nathaniel'' is the one who rips up Marc's work; he initially assumed that the diary ''actually'' belonged to Ladybug and angrily accuses Marc of intentionally trying to deceive him. Since [[ForWantOfANail Ladybug is a purely fictional character here]], Nathaniel doesn't leap to the wrong conclusion and is much more receptive to the idea of working with Marc.

A heavy sigh from Nathaniel prompts Alix to ask him what's up. He explains that he hasn't been able to track down the person he danced with at Chloé's party. Not for lack of looking, though Alix still suggests that he might not be looking in the right ''places''. "But where else can I look?" he laments, following her up the stairs... unaware that Marc happens to be crouched right underneath that very same stairwell.

Unlike Nathaniel and Alix, Marinette ''does'' notice Marc sitting there and goes over to say hi, startling them. Both of their classes have gotten out early, and she invites Marc to join them in the art room. After saying they might come by later, they go back to studying their cell phone, having pulled up a picture Nathaniel drew of Marigold and Chat Noir posing together.

Meanwhile, the art teacher is examining Nathaniel's latest work, noting that he keeps drawing evil versions of Scarlet Lady. Nathaniel chalks this up to artistic expression, admitting that they're only concept sketches, anyway--he's not a very good writer. The teacher suggests that he could team up with one, and Alix jokes that "Maybe someone as into skin tight suits as ''YOU'' will walk through the door one day!"

Marinette then notices Marc lingering in the doorway and happily greets them, pulling them over to introduce to the teacher. Nathaniel immediately recognizes them as the person he danced with at the party, and the two share a happy reunion, with Marc revealing how they've been admiring the work Nathaniel has posted on the school blog.

Sadly, Chloé chooses that moment to barge in, haughtily declaring that if they're impressed by ''Nathaniel's'' work, just wait until they see what '''she's''' got to show off! She's got a ''unique masterpiece'' that will ''revolutionize'' the art world--

"Let me guess," chuckles Alix, mimicking her dramatic pose: "''Another'' collage of selfies?"

Chloé tries to deny it, shouting about how utterly ''ridiculous'' everyone else is while they laugh at her. Furious, she attempts to knock everyone down a peg, starting with Juleka and Rose: "'''No one cares about your dumb baby unicorn songs!'''" Juleka wryly retorts that ''Chloé'' sure seemed to care when she helped rip off their designs, reminding her that Kitty Section has a recording contract.

Flustered, Chloé moves on to Marinette: "'''Y-your designs are trash!'''" Marinette remarks that both Gabriel Agreste and Jagged Stone don't feel that way... and again, Chloé's tried to steal her work ''twice''.

Chloé then turns towards Marc, pointing an accusatory finger towards them even as she wonders just who they are. Panicked, Marc flees the room, dropping a book in their haste to escape. Chloé then leaves in a huff, while the art teacher chides Alix for not giving her a chance to show off her work. Alix bluntly asks why they'd ''want'' her around, given how she constantly insults everyone and tries stealing ideas from them. The teacher doesn't know how to respond to that.

Meanwhile, Marinette finds the book Marc dropped and looks inside, finding that it's titled "The Diary of Ladybug"--an AlternateUniverse FanFic where Marigold got the Ladybug Miraculous instead of Scarlet Lady. Curious, she reads a passage detailing how the heroes nearly cornered and captured Hawk Moth, only for the evil Scarlet Queen and her minion Antibug to interfere. Pollen remarks that the story reminds her of Nathaniel's drawings, and Marinette agrees... though she wonders at the wisdom of writing such a blatantly anti-Chloé and Scarlet Lady story.

Finding Marc searching through their locker, she returns the journal, admitting when asked that she read some of it. Marc is mortified; while they admit that they based the story off of Nathaniel's illustrations, they balk at the thought of letting him know: "What if he gets weirded out?! I'll have to change schools, change my name, change my hair--"

But Marinette reassures them that she's got a plan. Marc isn't particularly comforted, though, asking whether they should be concerned about that. The following day, Marinette tells Nathaniel that a friend needs an unbiased opinion on their story, asking if he's willing to read it and share his thoughts. He reads a passage about Scarlet Queen sacrificing Antibug so she can escape, noting that "Maybe she would've put up a better fight if she was less concerned about her hair." Laughing, Nathaniel declares that he's got to draw that sequence.

Marc is watching nervously from nearly; as Marinette returns to check on them, they ask if she thinks Nathaniel likes their work. She reassures them, but Adrien pipes up, remarking that it's rude to spy on people. Marinette immediately drags him into their hiding spot and hushes him; as she gets him caught up, Adrien thinks that he just wanted to tease her a little.

It's not long before Chloé overhears Alix complimenting Nathaniel on how his art spree has taken the school blog by storm. His reference to the "Scarlet Queen" catches her ear, and she decides to check it out... and promptly shrieks with outrage upon seeing what he's been up to. As Marinette arranges for him to meet the author who inspired this burst of creativity at the Place des Vogues Square fountain, she also overhears him guessing that the one responsible is none other than Marc, the only writer friend Marinette has.

"Operation Comic Book" seems to be a success, as Nathaniel and Marc meet at the fountain while Adrien and Marinette watch from a vantage point nearby. But when they spot Chloé storming over, they frantically scramble for the hatch, only to collide and go tumbling down, ending up in a dazed heap. Chloé screams at the creative duo for ''daring'' to slander both her and her "BFF" Scarlet Lady's good names, snatching Marc's journal away and ripping it apart before their eyes.

She then whirls on Nathaniel; as a result, she misses Marc's akumatization, as they declare "Yes, Hawk Moth. Everything ''would'' be better if she was the opposite of who she really is." Nathaniel calls out to them, only for the akuma to declare themselves as Reverser. Before they can attack Chloé, however, Roger interrupts, asking if they've got a vehicle registration for their giant origami crane. Nathaniel is utterly ''aghast'', wondering if Sabrina's father is incapable of knowing an akuma when he sees them.

Fortunately, the same can't be said of Marinette or Adrien. Upon spotting Reverser, Adrien directs her to hide in an alleyway, leaving her to wonder why he didn't stay with her. Could it be because he also needs to find someplace safe to transform...? Regardless, she sets such suspicions aside for now, telling Pollen that they've got an akuma to deal with.

Meanwhile, Reverser reassures Nathaniel that they don't plan on targeting ''him''. Nathaniel expresses his relief, while secretly thinking that he needs to try and do ''something'' to stop this.

As Chat Noir and Scarlet Lady confront Reverser, Marigold awkwardly climbs up to join them, tripping over herself. This distracts them; as Scarlet Lady asks "Why are you lamer than usual?", Marigold calls out a warning, but it's too late--both are struck by Reverser's sneak attack, robbing them of their usual confidence. Chat Noir immeidately starts freaking out about being so high up, leaping into Marigold's arms while screaming for her to save him... which knocks her into Scarlet Lady, sending all three hurtling into the water. Reverser is left somewhat taken aback by their apparent victory.

Seeing a report about how the three seemingly vanished after they were struck by Reverser's powers, Master Fu turns off the television while casually remarking "Welp, we're up Wayzz."

Meanwhile, Mayor André is busy hyping up his "space dumpster program": all the trash in Paris will be shipped up and stored in orbital dumpsters, making Paris the cleanest city in the world at great and unnecessary expense. Ivan and Mylène are in the crowd booing him, when the latter notices Reverser's arrival. One snipe with Reversion later, and André goes full eco-superterrorist, bragging about how he'll order the satellites to dump all the trash back down on Paris! (Leaving the incredulous crowd to wonder ''why that's even an existing feature''.)

Back in the river, Scarlet Lady is drifting along aimlessly while Chat Noir attempts to pull Marigold up to the surface. Thankfully, Nathaneil snags the line on her yo-yo and reels the lot in. Marigold thanks him, admitting that Reverser's curse stripped her of the coordination necessary to swim, while Scarlet Lady... doesn't. Asking why he even ''bothered'', whining about how they're powerless and there's no way for them to win. Side-eyeing her, Marigold wonders how she managed to get even ''worse''.

Helping Marigold towards the stairs so she can rest, Nathaniel notes that her magically induced lack of coordination is far too extreme to be labeled "clumsiness". As she shakily agrees, a thud draws Chat Noir's attention to where Master Fu has fallen over, pretending to be a feeble old man. Master Fu calls for help, and Chat Noir looks over at the others, realizing that nobody else can help here: Marigold can't even ''walk'', Nathaniel's a mere civilian, and Scarlet Lady has no idea who the Guardian is... and he'd like to keep it that way. Even if that means having to help Master Fu all the way up the stairs.

At the top, the two duck into an alleyway, and Master Fu transforms. He explains as a Guardian, he can access the Miracle Box through his Miraculous weapon--in this case, the shell shield. Chat Noir asks why he doesn't fight himself, but Master Fu reveals that at his age, there's a backlash effect: the longer he holds a transformation, the more pain he's left in afterwards. With that in mind, he shouts at Chat Noir to "''PLEASE HURRY UP AND CHOOSE A MIRACULOUS!''", causing Chat Noir to panic.

Returning to the others, Chat Noir offers to take Nathaniel to safety. But he refuses; after all, it's clear the heroes ''need'' his help! Marigold convinces him to go with Chat Noir so that he can ''go get'' help; neither Nathaniel or Scarlet Lady pick up on the subtext, with the latter wailing about how "No one ever tries to take ''me'' to safety!"

Chat Noir leads Nathaniel into an alleyway, then admits that he lied about his intentions. They needed to get him alone so that Chat Noir could offer him a temporary Miraculous. As he bawls at the prospect of having to face Reverser, Nathaniel frantically tries comforting him, while Marigold tries in vain to activate her Bee Balm.

Ziggy appears and cheerfully introduces themselves; however, they're not pleased when Nathaniel responds to learning that the Goat Kwami will give him the ability to create any one thing he wants by complaining about the limit, suggesting it's a downgrade from the powers he gained as Evillustrator. Headbutting him, Ziggy declares that he's only limited at all because he's still just a kid, angrily ordering him to transform so that they can show off just how useful they are.

Upon Caprikid and Chat Noir's return, they check the news to find that Reverser is threatening to drown all of Paris in trash if they don't hand over Chloé, along with all of the heroes' Miraculouses. Chat Noir is intimidated, but Marigold insists that she has a plan... much to his dismay. Cut to a blindfolded Chat Noir being carried along by Caprikid, screaming that "THIS IS SO ''NOT OKAY, MARIGOLD!''"

Having taken a taxi to meet up with Reverser, Marigold convinces Scarlet Lady to summon her Lucky Charm by telling her that the sooner she does, the sooner she can go home. Reverser demands to know just where Chloé and Chat Noir are, unaware that the answer is right behind him; Marigold points out that they turned Chat Noir into a coward.

Caprikid uses Genesis to create a jetpack, warning Chat Noir that he should probably keep the blindfold on. The pair zip up behind Reverser, Cataclysming their glider right out from underneath them. This forces Marc to detransform in midair--but not to worry, as Caprikid catches them! ...Though that means leaving Chat Noir to fall instead, which Caprikid dismisses as probably fine while Marigold screams at Scarlet Lady to ''hurry up and use the Miraculous Cure!''

As they're surrounded by magical ladybugs, Caprikid returns Marc's notebook, noting that it must be important to them. Shyly, Marc admits that "Somebody I admire really inspired me, and I hoped we could get closer through our work. Well, if he still wants anything to do with me after all ''this''." Caprikid reassures him, only for Chat Noir to interrupt: his timer is beeping, so they've "goat" to go.

Once they've detransformed, Ziggy goadingly asks whether Nathaniel still thinks they're a "downgrade". Nathaniel declares that he's got so many ideas, he's got to get them all down on paper ASAP--offering Ziggy his first sketch of Caprikid, which the Goat Kwami gushes over, declaring that they'll keep it with them forever... while taking a bite off the corner.

A few days later, Chloé learns that she's been banned from the Art Room entirely. Why? Because she ripped apart Marc's journal, breaking the club's singular rule: destroying another person's work. Furiously, Chloé protests that she didn't destroy it ''there'', but the teacher holds firm.

Meanwhile, everyone else is checking out the results of Marc and Nathaniel's collab: a comic entitled "The Diary of Ladybug". Crediting Marinette for helping them get together in the first place, Marc reveals that they dedicated the first issue to her. Nathaniel also offers to include her as Multimouse or Maotif, but she sheepishly turns them down, knowing that Pollen is quietly ''fuming'' in her purse at the prospect.

Later that evening, as she's getting ready for bed, Marinette laughs about how fun it was to see "Scarlet Queen" and "Antibug" get their comeuppance. She also notes how weird it is seeing a version of herself with the Earrings, chalking it up to "the fun of fiction." Watching her settle in for the night, Pollen reflects that her Queen was ''meant'' to have the Earrings... and if they ever retrieve them, they'll probably return to their intended recipient. But if that's the case, then Pollen will have to leave her beloved bearer behind...

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the original episode, ''Nathaniel'' is the one who rips up Marc's work; he initially assumed that the diary ''actually'' belonged to Ladybug, and angrily accuses Marc of intentionally trying to deceive him. Since [[ForWantOfANail Ladybug is a purely fictional character here]], Nathaniel doesn't leap to the wrong conclusions, and is much more receptive to the idea of working with Marc.
* AdaptationalVillainy: InUniverse, Nathaniel creates "Scarlet Queen" as a villainous version of Scarlet Lady who opposes Ladybug. Chloé also handles the destruction of Marc's journal here.
* AdultsAreUseless:
** After Chloé makes a huge scene in the Art Room before storming off, the art teacher chides Alix for not giving her a fair chance. Alix retorts that Chloé is a known bully, SpoiledBrat and thief who would've tried hijacking the whole club.
** {{Averted}} during the denouncement when the art teacher informs Chloé that she's been banned for how she destroyed Marc's journal.

--->'''Art Teacher:''' Well Alix, if Chloé really ''did'' have an art project, it's too bad we didn't give her a chance to tell us about it, isn't it?\\
'''Alix:''' Uh, no? Why would I want her here? So she can come insult everyone, take over the Art Room, and try to steal ideas from us?\\

** Chloé gets hit by two of these during her tirade in the Art Room:
--->'''Chloé:''' ''(pointing at Juleka and Rose)'' '''No one cares about your dumb baby unicorn songs!'''\\
'''Juleka:''' ''You'' seemed to care when you helped XY ''rip us off''. We literally have a recording contract.\\
'''Chloé:''' ''(whirling on Marinette)'' '''Y-your designs are trash!'''\\
'''Marinette:''' Gabriel ''Agreste'' and Jagged ''Stone'' don't think so. And you ''also'' tried stealing my "trash" designs. ''Twice.''
* BerserkButton: Ziggy is ''not pleased'' by Nathaniel implying that Caprikid's powers are a ''downgrade'' from what he got as Evillustrator.

** Chloé attacks Juleka, Rose and Marinette by claiming nobody is interested in any of their work... despite the fact that she previously attempted to steal the credit for the very same things she's insisting are worthless. It's clear she doesn't know how to respond when they point this out to her, aside from switching targets and pretending they didn't say anything.
** Marigold exploits this as part of her plan; as she points out to Reverser, they turned Chat Noir into a coward, then expected him to still be brave and noble enough to risk his life against the akuma.
** PlayedForLaughs when Caprikid catches Marc, leaving Chat Noir to keep free-falling in the process.

* ExtremeOmnigoat: Ziggy, the kwami of the Goat Miraculous, ends up eating the drawing Nathaniel gifts her.

** Marc is shown to have a lot in common with Marinette, being a highly creative person who shows their love for others through their craft; Marinette likes designing things for her friends, while Marc is inspired by Nathaniel's art and creates an entire world around it. Marc's anxiety about the prospect of actually ''approaching'' Nathaniel also mirrors Marinette's {{canon}}ical struggles to deal with her crush on Adrien, including the disastrous catastrophizing about how doing so could go horribly, horribly wrong. ''Unlike'' canon, however, Marinette's plan to help them hook up goes off without a hitch... save for Chloé's involvement.

* IncomingHam: Chloé announces her arrival in the Art Room with a dramatic flourish while boasting about how her latest work will prove ''far'' more impressive than anything that any of her peers have created.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Destroying Marc's journal gets Chloé banned from the Art Room.
* LoopholeAbuse: When the art teacher calls her out on ripping up Marc's journal, breaking the Art Room's one rule, Chloé claims that it doesn't count because the vandalism didn't happen ''inside'' the Art Room itself. The teacher is unamused.
* LovableCoward: Despite Reverser stealing away all his self-confidence, Chat Noir proves willing to do whatever it takes to save the day... however reluctantly.
* NoodleIncident: Going by Alix's comment, this isn't the first time Chloé has tried to present a collage of photos of herself to the art room.

* RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: The art teacher runs into this when he suggests that it was a shame that Alix and the others drove Chloé away before she could show off her "masterpiece". Alix counters by bluntly reminding him of just what kind of person she is.

* StealingTheCredit: It's pointed out that Chloé has a history of this, with her victims citing several examples. Alix asks the art teacher outright if he ''really'' wants to give somebody who's known for stealing other's works and attempting to pass them off as her own easy access to the Art Room.
* SuddenlyShouting: Master Fu does this after explaining to Chat Noir how he can't transform without consequences anymore, prompting him to pick a Miraculous already so that he can drop his form faster.

As they're surrounded by magical ladybugs, Caprikid returns Marc's notebook, noting that it must be important to them. Shyly, Marc admits that "Somebody I admire really inspired me, and I hoped we could get closer through our work. Well, if he still wants anything to do with me after all ''this''." Caprikid reassures him, only for Chat Noir to interrupt: his timer is beeping, so they've got to go.

!!Episode 45 - Reverser - Tales of Marc the Writer

"Operation Comic Book" seems to be a success, as Nathaniel and Marc meet at the fountain while Adrien and Marinette watch from a vantage point nearby. But when they spot Chloé storming over, they frantically scramble for the hatch, only to collide and go tumbling down, ending up in a dazed heap. Chloé screams at the creative duo for ''daring'' to slandering both her and her "BFF" Scarlet Lady's good names, snatching Marc's journal away and ripping it apart before their eyes.

'''Art Teacher:''' ...\\

* DramaticIrony: Marc's story imagines a universe where Marigold got the Ladybug Miraculous instead of the Bee, making it much closer to {{Canon}}... save for the part where Chloé exists alongside the evil Scarlet Queen.

* ThisIsGoingToSuck: Poor Chat Noir expresses this sentiment several times. First when Master Fu forces him to accompany him ''all the way up the stairs'', again when Marigold announces that she has a plan, and [[RuleOfThree a third time]] when Caprikid warns that he'll want to keep the blindfold on.

* AdaptationalVillainy: InUniverse, Nathaniel creates "Scarlet Queen" as a villainous version of Scarlet Lady who opposes Ladybug.

** After Chloé makes a huge scene in the Art Room before storming off, the art teacher chides Alix for not giving her a chance. Alix retorts that Chloé is a known bully, SpoiledBrat and thief who would've tried hijacking the whole club.

* {{Foil}}: Reverser hits Scarlet Lady and Chat Noir with the exact same effect, stripping both of their confidence. As a result, Scarlet Lady... ''remains'' TheLoad; the only real difference is that she drags the team down with her whining about how making any effort at all is ''pointless''. Chat Noir, by contrast, reluctantly forces himself to do whatever needs to be done.

Chloé tries to deny it, shouting about how utterly ''ridiculous'' everyone else is. Furious, she attempts to knock everyone down a peg, starting with Juleka and Rose: "'''No one cares about your dumb baby unicorn songs!'''" Juleka wryly retorts that ''Chloé'' sure seemed to care when she helped rip off their designs, reminding her that Kitty Section has a recording contract.

Chloé then turns towards Marc, pointing an accusatory finger towards him even as she wonders just who they are. Panicked, Marc flees the room, dropping a book in their haste to escape. Chloé then leaves in a huff, while the art teacher chides Alix for not giving her a chance to show off her work. Alix bluntly asks why they'd ''want'' her around, given how she constantly insults everyone and tries stealing ideas from them. The teacher doesn't know how to respond to that.

* LoveableCoward: Despite Reverser stealing away all his self-confidence, Chat Noir proves willing to do whatever it takes to save the day... however reluctantly.