Just like the Bakerix episode was a metaphor for interracial marriage, a lot of people picked up the fact that Felix is a metaphor for harassing/mistreating women. So let’s dive into it, shall we?
*SPOILERS FOR FELIX AHEAD, PLEASE WATCH THE EPISODE BEFORE READING THIS IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS*
⚠️ Also, I understand this may be a sensitive topic for anybody who has been a victim or knows somebody who has gone/is going through this sort of thing at the moment. So please be wary of this while reading.
⚠️ Also please note, whenever I say “women” or “boys” or “men” it’s just a generalization. The terms are fluid for everyone, but because Felix is a boy and Alya, Rose, Juleka and Ladybug are girls, my terminology is mostly stemming from that. None of the terminologies are meant to be malicious.
PRE-THOUGHTS:
AS SOON AS the episode synopsis for Felix dropped all those months ago, I had the biggest hunch it would be taken in this direction because of who gets akumatized: Alya, Rose and Juleka. It said they were coming after Felix which meant he did something to upset them and I could only assume it was going to be a metaphor for mistreating women.
THEN THE TRAILER DROPPED and my suspicions were only moreso confirmed.
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ALRIGHT, LET'S DIG INTO IT.
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1. THE "VICTIMS"
Alya, Rose and Juleka are our beautiful, personable and lovely women who are akumatized as a result of Felix being manipulative, a liar and verbally abusive.
These are all the traits of the type of guy (and there are women who are like this too) who see women as objects, or as trophies to "conquer."
They start off looking like a nice guy - saying all the right words to make you feel good about yourself. Quite literally, they may be pretending to be somebody they're not. They may be impersonating someone else and lying about who they are just to impress you or put you at ease.
Only to reveal his true colours later on.
His words hurt them and they are left feeling disappointed and betrayed.
The fact that all 3 of them are akumatized could represent a situation where a guy has played multiple girls at once.
The words he uses to akumatize people are usually a hint to the meaning of the episode.
In this case, 'the boy you thought was your friend' could be switched out with 'the boy you thought who liked you/flirted with you,' again, tying back to the description that boys like these always come off nice, or seem like your friend at first... until they cross the line.
Then this was their reply:
This is the kind of thing you would say to a boy who's played you or used you - otherwise, I don’t believe Alya, Juleka and Rose would get so easily akumatized over one mean video. I believe they were specifically akumatized as a demonstration to fulfil this underlying message.
Imagine a group of exes getting back at their abusive ex-boyfriend together.
I believe this was intentionally a piece of dialogue to represent when guys like these make promiscuous comments towards women such as referring to them as a "bad girl," in need of "punishment" (if you understand that innuendo).
Many people have come to critique this as ‘toxic phrasing’ which implies that the boy will assert his dominance because the woman is ‘asking for it/she deserves it.’
It's a common phrasing guys like these will use to flirt and 'get in,' but as the Trio of Punishers express: this is just terrible.
And finally, this scene perfectly and ultimately captures their underlying message:
Let's go through it frame by frame:
Firstly, Felix grabs LB's hand in a manner she is startled and uncomfortable with.
Guys like these will often touch you or hold you unexpectedly or without permission, or, in ways that may make you feel uncomfortable. They often just help themselves to it, usually under this twisted mentality that 'you want it' or 'it must feel good.'
Ladybug in this scene represents women who face this situation and are startled, shocked, or taken aback by the sudden affection.
Look at the way she has clenched her fist - she's being protective of her hand now.
And this part:
Again, reiterating the idea about how guys like these tend to say things you want to hear. They'll seem nice, they'll seem like they care... but all they 'care' about is getting your guard down so they can slide in.
In more specific situations, guys might actually say they 'love you' because they know it works.
And Ladybug lets her guard down for a second because, in reality, it does sound nice at first.
And she has a bit of a gleam in her voice.
Then ooof
Cue this twisted music, to match his twisted mindset.
The fact he trails off after "let me..." is to insinuate that real-life situation where guys want what they... want 👀
Then he starts advancing on her.
Look how uneasy it's making her.
It's to simulate these real-life situations as I keep mentioning.
And backs her up into a wall.
Years ago, this was seen as the 'classic' move in shows, films and even cartoons to 'get' ladies. In fact, there's even a name for it in Japanese media called "kabedon" - the ‘wall push/wall slam/wallpin’ whatever you call it.
But in this day and age, we realise it is showcasing some sort of ‘toxic masculinity’ where the guy is advancing dominance over a woman who:
a). does not ask for it
b). did not give consent.
But many new media forms are also using it ironically or satirizing it as a way of being subversive.
To heighten her discomfort, Cristina Vee adds these sounds and mumbles of discomfort.
And this frame is given a second or two for us to soak in.
The diagonal angle reinforces how twisted this is,
Ladybug is shown to be helpless, startled and her limbs are spread against the wall, overshadowed by Felix's body.
This is how it used to be.
The show is making a statement for how wrong this is.
She expresses her first "no."
And look at how disgusted and uncomfortable she looks.
But he ignores her refusal and keeps going, signifying men who don't respect other’s wishes.
And then our favourite moment:
punches him
Because Ladybug represents this forward movement with women.
This kind of behaviour should not be tolerated and no woman (and even man) deserves to be treated this way.
The staff behind Miraculous express their attitude towards this through Ladybug when she exclaims:
They want to tell you that "boys" like him are not worth your time. You should not have to put up with people who cannot respect personal boundaries and try to violate yours. Ladybug represents the idea that you deserve so much more than a guy who is manipulative, shallow and tries to weasel their way into your affection with cheap tricks.
The best part is, Cristina's comment about all this:
Felix is meant to represent the "bad boy," who thinks he's so suave with women when in reality, he's just a player, a cheat, and as Cristina says: not worth it.
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5. ENTITLED
One extra thing!
This line reveals one of Felix's key characteristics: he always gets what he wants. He thinks he's entitled. He gets away with everything. Hence why he thinks he can treat women the way he does.
Requesting a sound off! Like this post if you’ve gotten off/gotten ridiculously hot and bothered and distracted by felixbug‘s fanfiction. Please don’t reblog for accurate count!
felixbug replied to your post:felixbug replied to your post “You should totally...
i came up with a really in-depth idea for DA4 a couple of weeks ago that wouldn’t work as a regular fic but now i’m thinking i could write it!!! i’m excited and also don’t have time for another longfic lmao RIP me
Oh god, you’re fucked XD I think this is just the natural evolution of a fic writer. You start writing too many things and well, this is just your life now lmao
You totally should though ^^ That sounds seriously awesome. Tbh I wish I’d known about this back when I started OPAJ because I could’ve taken a completely different turn with it and made it so much better
