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How far can a person bend before they break and how long can the broken be wielded before they turn double edged?

This season was so devastatingly beautiful, but ironically, the metaphorical crown wouldn't be heavy if the gemstones didn't dig into the head of the wearer.

Sometimes, the line between mercy and cruelty can be thin.

The reason WHY Claudia resonates so deeply with Aaravos' story is because it's a mirror that she finds herself in. She IS the daughter in the story but not the one who pays the price. No, that was paid by her father... her father, who was brave enough to do what Aaravos couldn't. What's heartbreaking is that she doesn't even realize what she's discarding is the same thing Viren chose to embrace in death; his humanity.

One father who chose to bear the brunt, and another who chose to sacrifice his child.

I absolutely loved the parallel between Callum and Rayla having a do-over of their reunion, getting what could've been, but Viren refusing to reveal the truth to Soren, knowing one is a blessing and the other, a curse. Forever losing the opportunity to know what could've been.

The loss portrayed was so unsettling...

To even the loss we felt as the audience, seeing what made Viren who he was... his own son, to seeing what he made himself and the loss of what could've been and how his death proved the one thing we didn't want him to show... him having a human heart. And that's what this show did magnificently... it made this audience root for people against our will.

From the unfinished story of the lovers forever frozen in time to the mournful ballad rayla sang to console the stormbringer.

The only thing left to see is how these weapons charecters are to be utilized.

How callum will embrace his darkness and if Rayla will be able to kill him if need be. Or if promises will not be the only things to be broken next time.

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I feel like this season of House of The Dragon is going to be utterly ruthless in it's approach.

As always, the intricacies never fail to take my breath away...

Last season, the opening showed blood on rock... rock that does not stain. But this time, we see blood tainting canvas, likely to leave deep gashes that won't be washed over, won't signify beginning anew.

Helena saying beware of the rats but not knowing who it is... Alys, who betrays information or her, who betrays herself.

The ruthlessness is further seen in how the last shot we saw of Rhaenyra was with her back facing the fire and darkness in her eyes. Yet, here we see in in the same room with a map of the seven kingdoms... alit with fire, demanding Aemond's life and walking out without a word.

Fire in all it's duality is clearly seen when alicent lights a candle for Viserys parallel to Luke's pyre being burned and finally as she wished to quell her guilt, lighting a candle for Luke, only for it to cut to Rhaenyra being obscured by flames, signifying that this stain isn't going to be washed off, it's not a rope that's frayed, but one that's cut.

In all its glory, there are four fronts that are going to impact the game moving forward:

Alicent's desire for victory, and whether she sees it in sleeping with Crison Cole, or allowing her soul absolvement from guilt by making peace between her and the blacks (Rhaenyra).

Otto's thrist for violence and who he deems (un)worthy enough to sacrifice.

Rhaenyra's vengeance, and which wing will forever be grounded next.

And Daemon's venerence towards Rhaenyra and who he's willing to betray for it.

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The new miraculous world episode has me hooked!

I might be completely wrong about this, but since the world's are complete parallels it only makes sense that the one who chose to be true to himself DESPITE knowing the true identities of ladybug and chat noir turns out to be the evil mastermind which means that the Supreme is none other than Luka.

I truly can't get over how well mlb portrays symbolism:

"Sometimes, destroying is the right path to build the new."

The way it starts with breaking when shadybug loses hope in her wish after seeing plagg and tikki's kwami forms explode. The way Shadybug truly sees what she has become when she sees a shattered mirror and how Marinette makes her realize that she could be different by seeing her reflection in a fixed one.

(The parallel between both bugs facing each other was beautiful)

The same way looking at Adrien, at his own (albeit, distorted) reflection, Claw noir also feels the same, like somehow both LadyNoir reflected what they truly wanted.

Throughout the episode, Hawkmoth continues to wear glasses and does not come face to face with Betterfly, showing that he does not wish to change even on the inside.

But either way, the best part of the episode was how when both Marinette and Adrien were talking to Shadybug and Claw noir, they were talking to their past selves as well... Marinette to herself who had been bullied relentlessly by Chloe and Adrien to himself before he started going to school and met all the people in his life.

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The awakening movie was so impactful, but its strongest aspects were its subtleties.

The way it starts with Master Fu saying that together Ladybug and Chat Noir possess something stronger than death and in the end Gabriel says the only thing that is, is love.

How the movie uses symbolism to highlight Marinette's connection to Plagg and with extension Adrien AT EVERY STEP. From Alya calling her a catastrophe magnet to her hearing a cat before entering the alleyway where she first meets Tikki to EVEN REVEALING HER IDENTITY TO ADRIEN BY WEARING A BLACK MASK!

How Marinette uses a book with a black cat cover to hide herself from Adrien but at the same time reveals a glimpse of his future to him!

The one thing that truly broke my heart was when Chat asks Ladybug to "give it time to grow" as if he has always expected love to gradually arise and never to be loved instantly. Like he looked at his father, every day, hoping that if he keeps being dutyful, keeps listening and obeying, his father will grow to love him.

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We NEED to talk about the strategic coloration in the miraculous awakening movie because it BLEW MY MIND.

First and foremost, purple. The fact that it reflected around Adrien and Gabriel even before Gabriel became hawkmoth like it overshadows how it will keep them apart.

We see a glimpse of it as Adrien leaves the library,

we see it in the topmost strand of Gabriel's hair when he tells Natalie he will not be dining with Adrien.

We see it when Adrien is going up the stairs, dejected. It's the color of the curtains when Adrien sees Emilie!

The second thing I really loved was when Adrien and Gabriel had moments when they felt powerful/happy, the backgrounds reflected each other's colors; chat's green for Gabriel and hawkmoth's purple for Adrien.

And FINALLY, the use of white, the color of purity, of happiness! Of hope. We see it when ladybug and chat dance above the clouds, discovering their feelings and then...

We see it when Gabriel hugs his son, when he truly sees what matters.

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Feligami owned Pretension to such an extent that I had to dedicate an entire post about them.

The fact that Felix says them being different from one another in a positive manner as if he looks forward to learning about her... seeing their differences as a strength rather than a weakness.

I adored how Kagami tells Felix off about his behavior, and he listens and apologizes! Showing that he is willing to make a change.

The fact that Felix helped Kagami even after she tossed him like a sack of potatoes, but at the same time, I feel like he would've let her go (because that's what she wanted) if her mother hadn't attacked her because I feel like he acknowledges how capable she is.

Even if it was a passing mention... the fact that he told Kagami about his (abusive) father says a lot. It means that he truly trusts Kagami and wants her to trust him as well.

The way they're both fiercely protective of one another.

Felix going as far as to break his amok fan only to throw Tomoe off their trail, caring only about protecting Kagami.

The way Kagami realized that Felix was talking about himself... about them just by hearing the pain in his voice.

Kagami defending Felix against LadyNoir, taking his side. I know it meant the world to Felix.

Finally,  Felix reassures Kagami how she is her own master and the true head of the Tsurugi clan. I love them, they support one another and that's all I really want for them.

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Pretension pt1

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I just finished watching Pretension, and it was phenomenal. While the episode soothed many of my worries, it also left me with so many questions. Yet there were things that were undeniable.

There was only one thing that the episode outlined crystal clear... CHOICE or the lack of it.

Gabriel promises Tomoe that he will regain control of Adrien... which is why it hurts when Adrien is unable to stand by Marinette's side as it's the first time he realizes that something is wrong. It's not that he is scared of betraying his father... it's that his body won't listen to him.

The fact that Gabriel literally offered Marinette the equivalent of an 'envelope of cash in exchange for leaving my son'.

Felix's words about sentibeings really broke me...but they held power, they truly reflected the oppression faced by him, Kagami, and Adrien... if you brink life into the world, you owe them a certain responsibility.

What truly horrified me were the ironies of the whole thing...

The way Gabriel gives Tomoe the ability to grant herself the power of choice only to take the very same away from her daughter...The way both Tomoe and Gabriel were shown to have a choice while Kagami and Adrien and even Felix weren't... as if they were less than living beings.

And finally, the way Gabriel said that he dictates what people buy.

The one thing I LOVED was Marinette standing up to our local uncooked prawn (gabe)

My other mlb rants:

Passion l Emotion l Perfection l Illusion l Transmission pt1 l Transmission pt2 l Protection

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Transmission left me in such a daze that I had to make a second post about it!

The fact that Adrien was okay with throwing his own pictures in the trash because he wanted to respect her wishes but couldn't tolerate Marinette saying bad things about her own self.

While I have nothing against either Alya or Zoe having the miraculous... wasn't the whole point of the Kwami of luck/destruction that their holders must complete one another??? HOW CAN THEY JUST BE GIVEN TO RANDOM PEOPLE?? (I can be super off mark with this)

I LOVED the parenting parallels throughout the episode

Natalie recognized Adrien's distress and acted as a MOM in her own right and even warned Gabriel to not use his son for once.

The scene when Tom and Sabine just slowly shut the trapdoor upon realizing that their daughter needs to have this moment.

And then we see Gabriel... who not just saw his son's sorrow as an opportunity twice but also manipulated him into wearing the Alliance ring (God, I hate his so freaking much)

(Look at his creepy smile. GET HIM AWAY FROM ADRIEN ASAP)

And finally, WHY DOES GABRIEL'S ALLIANCE LOOK LIKE EMILIE IN A WEDDING DRESS???? This man is SICK.

My other mlb rants:

Emotion l Illusion l Perfection l Protection l Elation l Passion l Transmission (Part 1) l

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I just finished watching Transmission (Kwami's Choice), and it was mesmerizing.

The fact that when he says that they could be different, it doesn't just imply as a relationship, but it could also be a hint regarding his future as a senti-being and hers as destined to lose her memory being the guardian of the miraculous.

The way Marinette first describes Chat Noir and then Adrien when she says that she can't love anyone... as implying that one is her past and the other her future, both of which she refuses to accept.

It made me realize why Adriennette has always been a primary ship for me.

In Elation, we saw glimpses of both Marichat and Ladynoir, but none of them have ever felt as grounded as Adriennette. Don't get me wrong, there is love! I'm just not sure there is enough basis for that love to flourish, YET.

While ladynoir is the perfect pairing, them being unable to know each others identities prevent them from forming a deeper relationship, and Marichat felt like a fever dream, extremely desirable but like a time bomb, never letting us know when it'll end.

This episode showed us the importance of communication and its impact on a relationship, I loved them talking to each other and voicing their thoughts in this episode! Let's hope it continues.

My other mlb rants

Elation l Emotion l Perfection l Protection l Passion l Illusion l

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Emotion absolutely blew me away! I have always loved Felix's character because of how multidimensional it was and this episode completely proved my point.

Felix genuinely loving Adrien and wanting to set him free and honestly breaking down when he realized that he may have hurt Marinette was so painful to watch... I really wanted to give him the biggest hug.

I did not expect to LOVE the Kagami/Felix dynamic as much as I did but i still think that now isnt the time for it and that it has too many red flags for now. I WOULD support it if Felix refuses to make decisions on behalf of Kagami and instead encourages her to be more confident in her own.

But there were things I absolutely adored and which can really form the base to grow their relationship.

Felix's extremely destroyed look after noticing the ring on Kagami's finger.

Felix calling Kagami 'his queen' which is something I TOTALLY see becoming a thing.

Her saying he has become more of the person she wanted him to be AAAHHHHH!!

Him teasing Kagami for being jealous but also part worried if he overstepped by kissing her hand (couple behavior 101)

Couples who fight together, stay together>>>>>> (yes, it's a friendly spar. No, It's not up for a debate)

My other mlb rants

Passion l Protection l Elation l Perfection l Illusion l

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Okay, so my sister pointed out something INSANE after we finished watching perfection.

While Gabriel designed Alliance, Tomoe Tsurugi was the one who created them... She could also have created the rings used to control Adrien and Kagami!!!

This must be why she said that Gabriel owes her everything, as without the rings he never would be able to get Adrien to do his bidding!!!

The fact that she could make Gabriel's dream 'disappear' clearly pointing to harming Adrien... maybe because Gabriel need Adrien as collateral to bring Emilie back...

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Was I the only one left Horrified by Protection??? I felt devastated for Kagami throughout and it made both Gabriel and Tomoe Tsurugi much more sinister in my eyes.

The fact that neither of them view their children as living beings... only sentient ones, made to fulfill a task.

It really made me think... did Kagami even exist before her introduction to the plot?? When was she made as I think it could only occur once Tomoe met Gabriel as she wouldn'thave any access to miraculous before that. Were the memories of her past planted and is it the same for Adrien??

My heart honestly bled for Kagami when Adrien started praising Marinette... like i know that he loves her but truly, it would've shattered me (Yes, I understand why it was important for the three of them to have that conversation but I don't think that was the correct way to go about it.)

THERE WERE SOME POSITIVES

Adriennette date at the same place as Gabriel and Emilie.

Adrien and Chat Noir fencing parallel was so awesome it was my favorite bit.

My other mlb rants

Emotion l Passion I Perfection l Elation l Illusion

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I haven't even watched the episodes yet but from all I have gathered... I know that Adriennette is not going to be smooth sailing and that's GOOD.

That makes me happy because it adds that sense of maturity, it shows us that even though we've been fed the whole 'they complete each other as luck and destruction' THEY STILL NEED TO PUT IN ENOUGH EFFORT FOR THE RELATIONSHIP TO WORK!!!

And while I'm supremely pissed that we aren't getting the episodes in order, I adore how they probably won't make them 'click'.

My other mlb posts:

Passion l Elation l Illusion

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My thoughts on elation (cause there are so many)

The way they started the episode with the parallel of glaciator scene but this time chat leaves ladybug on the roof...

Lolll, Tom and Sabine planning their inheritance lollll!!! Captains of the Adreinnette ship I tell you.

Mari being embarrassing in 1080p... kill me already. THEY ADDED A PARALLEL OF HIM GIVING MARI A ROSE!!

The way my vertigo would kill me if Chat dropped like that when I was with him.

OMG, ANDRE DONT CALL MY BABIES OUT LIKE THAT... It got so sad omggg

I loved their confrontation... the way chat smiled into their kiss AAAHHHHH. It was so gentle omggggggg

The fact that Adrien doesn't reject Marinette but rather says "not under these conditions "

The way Mari shivered after realizing she almost got akumatized... I loved this detail!!

Oof- Andre sure takes his shipping seriously loll.

I think Ladybug nuzzling chats head after finding out is so amazing... she really is the only one who understands how difficult it is to have all the power in the world yet feel powerless in terms of feelings of love and desire.

Mari stop giving those things out!!! They don't work lollll.

Gabe knows Mari likes Chat... tbh they shouldn't have advertised ittttt.

This was a really fun episode, I can't wait for the next one!

My other mlb posts:

Passion l Illusion

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Okay but illusion had no business being that funny:

Mr. Pigeon saying he believes in lb and cn after being akumatized 72 times is legit giving me tearing at the seams, pathetic, wet cat vibes lolll.

Not Gabe manipulating his son first thing in the morning. DID HE WINK AT ADRIEN... take my baby away from him rn and the way Nino assumed he was akumatized lol same.

Ugh, the way I groaned when I saw Lila.

WHY DOES NINO HAVE A LITERAL WHIP... IM DYING😭😭

Gabe looking like a uncooked prawn walking with his bleached as hell clothes omg... tbh the food on it only made it better. This scene way way too funny for its own good!

The fact that he had to use mirage to even show feelings... I'm crying lolll.

Okay but the vemon + multitude bit was actually smart.

Gabriel straining his butt to complement Nino for cracking the secret behind the transfer of powers AHHAHAHA OMGGG.

This would've been perfect is Lila would've been named something shit.

God, I can't wait for the next episode.

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So Marinette being a "normal girl, with a normal life" can summon THE Joan of Arc to ask for dating advice but when I try to do the same with my ancestors, I'm disrespectful, unstable and need therapy???

Sounds kinda unfair if you ask me🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

My other mlb posts:

Passion l illusion l elation

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I have a thought which absolutely refuses to leave my head so here it is... NATALIE WAS IN LOVE WITH EMILIE!!

I have quite some things to say about passion. For once, how appropriate the title was because it explored exactly that!

I LOVED how the episode explored pasts of both Natalie and Gabriel.

I somehow am not completely sold over Natalie having feelings for Gabriel... I think the one she DID have feelings for was Emilie. This explains the fact that she came to the Agreste manner to hunt for Mystic objects but stayed behind to protect Adrien (the last link of Emilie to this world) I also think this might be the reason she preserved the recordings and even tried to help Gabriel bring her back, maybe she wished to sacrifice her feelings in order to unite Emilie with the one she actually loved (I don't see her doing that if she would've been in love with Gabriel).

(Yeah, she deserved Natalie)

One thing which really led me to believe that Natalie might have had feelings for Emilie is her adamantly refusing to be called family as if Gabriel was putting her in Emilie's place, the place she truly loathed for the one she loved as it led to her downfall.

I think the fact that she wants to get her hands on the miraculous before Gabriel is also another hint that her motives definitely don't align with his.

The final image of Natalie glancing at the painting of her and Emilie while hugging Adrien just screams of a silent vow to protect him!!

I also really adored the fact that Adrien was so accepting of Gabriel and Natalie BUT I JUST DONT SEE WHY GABRIEL WOULD PRETEND TO BE DATING?? NATALIE and what it means in terms of his plans.

I might be digging too deeply and seeing stuff that isn't there, but I can't stop thinking about this...

(All my interpretations are based solely on the show)

My other mlb posts:

Illusion l elation