#Part of the character of Mari vs LB

[a-flaming-idiot]

Marinette: "Chat Noir drives me mad! He's so annoying and he won't leave me alone!"

Also Marinette:

[princess-of-the-corner]

Speaking of the finale and Chat blanc, I still don't understand why the writers or rather ta claims that would have happened had Adrien took part in the final battle since the only reason Blanc happened was due to Gabriel learning Adrisn's identity before Adrien learned his

YEAH NO THERE'S T

There's two things that are fucky about it.

Firstly yeah Chat Blanc (and Ephemeral) only happened because Gabriel found out that Adrien is Chat Noir and used that knowledge as leverage to blindside Adrien, manipulate him, and in Ephemeral go full on to using his Amok to force him even if he resists.

SECONDLY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY:

In a hypothetical scenario where Chat Blanc and Ephemeral were a failing on /Adrien's/ part somehow. A moment of weakness at the idea of bringing his mom back, hesitation fighting Gabriel because that's his father and he loves him, whatever it is.

The answer isn't 'let's keep him out of the final fight', it's to give him the development to be able to handle it better this time around!

And the REALLY FUCKING IRONIC thing is:

We've had more time and little bits of character development since then anyway!

We have the entire arc of Season 5 addressing the dynamic with Gabriel and Adrien slowly realizing what a bastard he is and having little issue fighting against him outside of the whole Amok thing. He's fighting as best he can, he's tearing Gabriel apart figuratively and literally in Chat vs. Nightormenter. Finding out Gabriel is Monarch would not surprise him, and any last shreds of hope would be tossed out and he'd have no issue fighting him.

The Re-Verse Special addressed directly the idea of Adrien using the Wish to save his mom. He's tempted, but as easy as it would be to surprise attack Ladybug he refuses to because he doesn't want to trade that situation to someone else.

Those are 2/3 of the biggest 'issues' regarding Adrien being in the final fight solved already with what they'd written!

The trickiest one to get around is the 'Gabriel has Adrien's Amok' thing but there are so many solutions:

Gabriel never finds out Chat is Adrien and doesn't control him with the Amok

Adrien enters the final battle, only for Gabriel to use the Amok and force him to fight Ladybug. He can't resist, but LB manages to incapacitate him and we get Bugnoire

Gabriel conveniently forgets about the Amok like he did in Chat Blanc

Adrien makes the informed decision of 'I can't risk my father controlling me during this fight' and taking himself out of it 100% AWARE OF WHAT HE'S DOING

Adrien and Mari manage to get the Amok away from Gabriel. Maybe they prioritize that before grabbing the other Miraculous. Maybe they get the ring Nathalie has so they can counter Gabriel's orders. Who knows.

Adrien finds a way to break the Amok's control. Maybe it's the Power of True Love™ giving him the strength to fight against the bonds. Maybe he manages to Ella Enchanted his way out of this. Maybe it's just a 'Nuh-uh!'/'The FUCK you mean 'nuh-uh'?!" because of that whole maturing or whatever thing.

There were so many solutions on the table to let Adrien at least be aware of what's going on and participate in the final battle.

[don-quixotine]

Hello!

A mutual of mine reblogged your analysis of Chat's use of Cataclysm and I had a question/thought regarding that (very interesting read, btw!).

You mentioned there being pros and cons of emotion versus logic-driven wielders and I wondered if maybe Marinette's pressure to be happy/positive all the time (because she's Ladybug and Ladybug can't get akumatized) is part of what drives her to be more logic focused than emotions focused, a person's natural thought-processes aside, thus partially explaining how she sees and thinks about things and why she was so frustrated at Chat for not using the Lucky Charm "correctly"?

When you start evaluating Chat and LB's characters from the emotion vs logic angle, you can kind of see the differences between the two from a different angle and how someone who is more logic-driven could get frustrated and confused by how emotionally-drive people work. I think.

Idk, sorry if this doesn't make much sense. It's late where I am and I didn't want to forget to ask you this before I went to sleep XD

Have a fabulous day!

Hey @sunshinedragon20 ! Thank you so much for your ask! And sorry it's gotten me literally like a month to reply haha. Life has been A Handful™ lately, but anyway about your question.

It makes total sense, don't worry! Though, I'm not exactly sure if the pressure to be possitive would be the reason she's logic-driven. But alas, let me get on my clown bullshit for a sec and allow me to elaborate:

We've never gotten a scene where Marinette prevents herself from feeling in order not to get akumatized. We don't know what she thinks about it, nor what her strategy is to prevent becoming vulnerable to akumas. We constantly see Marinette feeling all of her emotions, even when those emotions are negative. When she got cornered by the akuma in Chameleon and Tikki reminded her that akumas only attack people who think there are no solutions to their problems, Marinette was very much able to fight it off because at her core, she is someone who always has a solution.

There's also the fact that Marinette finds comfort in logic. She tends to get carried away by her feelings-- though not to a tipping point of despair-- and one strategy she uses to stay in control is to rationalize. We see her doing this constantly while trying to manage her crush on Adrien, for example. She comes up with elaborate plans to tell him she loves him because in her mind, that ensures that she will be successful because her plans are logical, and that way she won't get hurt. The thing with Marinette though, is that she struggles following her gut feeling. Even when her strategy is correct, even when the plan checks out, she has trouble trusting that she's right (or at least, at the very beginning and occassionally when someone comes to question her performance as Ladybug). And that's where Chat comes in.

Adrien is a very intuitive, empathetic person. In contrast with Marinette, he's able to keep his cool even when people are trying to push his buttons because he's able to see situations from several different points of view. Whereas Mari thinks her way out of a problem, Adrien emotes out of it. And that's something Marinette as Ladybug cannot easily relate to with Adrien as Chat because they're two partially opposite ways of reacting to your environment.

Marinette is used to make the most out of a situation by using logic per the Lucky Charms. She has never even considered she's able to ask for whatever Lucky Charm she wants because 1) It's not like she actually knew what she was doing the first time she was Ladybug. She got a random Lucky Charm and just assumed that's how it worked. And 2) Even if she can ask for a Lucky Charm, Marinette second-guesses herself so much that she probably would have a hard time choosing a Lucky Charm to begin with, so it's probably in everyone's best interest that she gets random ones because her strength lies in her improvisation skills anyway.

Chat on the other hand has no problem following his gut feeling to take a decission in battle. Once he sees a solution, he sees a solution. He follows through with it and only becomes aware of other possible outcomes once he's in hot water. But that also has to do with the way he's used to wielding his Miraculous.

From all the different ways Chat has summoned his Cataclysm we can assume that wielding the Cat's ring requires a lot of restraint and resolution because the Cataclysm can actually come up in a lot of different ways, so you have to be clear in your intent of how you're going to use it. As we saw in Chat Blanc when he was about to attack Hawkmoth, if the wielder is not focused, it can get out of control. So, whereas Marinette has the luxury of considering all possible outcomes, Adrien has to commit to one.

These two fundamentally strategies are also seen in the current Ladynoir Conflict, btw. The reason there's a problem at all is because a) Ladybug thinks her logic checks out and hears no complaints from Chat b) Chat assumes he's seeing things from Ladybug's perspective (e.g. "Now that you're the Guardian you have so many more things to do," "She probably won't need Chat at one point anymore," etc.) and that, added to his plethora of trauma and personal problems, prevents him from speaking his truth because he doesn't want to upset her as he assumes he will.

So yeah, in short, when you start looking at the characters from this logic vs. emotion-driven strategies, you see how Ladybug could get frustrated at the way Chat comes up with a plan and how Chat canonically thinks Ladybug's plans sometimes are borderline ridiculous (Pharao, Sapotis, Reflektdoll, Origins, and many, many more lol). It also gives you a nice little new way to look at the Ladynoir Conflict. You can see why Chat's silence could eventually irritate Ladybug and why Ladybug's assumption that everything is okay could end up wounding Chat.

So yeah, sorry for the rant haha and thank you very much for your ask! I'm glad you enjoyed that meta. I could talk about Chat's Cataclysm all. freakin. day.

[sponfawn]

LB has every right to not trust CN - he consistently fails at his job, disrespects her boundaries and is an entitled jerk. She DOESNT owe him her identity and esp given how pushy and selfish he can be (dating her in blanc once he found out her identity but not telling her this) LB shouldn’t tell him a fucking thing

... So I wrote a whole essay responding to this, but i saved it as a draft by accident and the entire thing got deleted. 

So I’m gonna condense it here. It was about how Maribug and Chatdrien both have defining strengths that are the others’ weakness (namely emergency situation/problem based strategy and understanding physical problems - Mari’s strength/Adri’s weakness - vs strategy for social and emotional situations and seeing what type of support ppl need and how to deal with social conflicts - Adri’s strength/Mari’s weakness, and need for control and certainty vs trust in others despite uncertainty). See how they handle Lila, and also how they deal with Rose in Guilt trip - spoiler: Mari jumps into action before understanding others’ emotional/social needs and makes the situation worse, while Adri is the only one trying to calm her down cuz he sees that its’ not what Rose needs end spoiler. How one of her biggest repeated boundaries that he always respects is not telling her his identity even tho he has expressed that he wants to, and how he could have violated that boundary and/or her identity boundary in The Dark Owl and countless other times, for his own “pushy, selfish” reasons but didnt. Not to mention the reason he found out her identity was cuz she was violating a pretty standard boundary herself - entering someone’s room when they’re not there, touching their stuff, smelling their pillow,etc.  Arguably, i think he should have at least told her he knew, but i can also understand him not wanting her to have to give up her miraculous. In fact, Plagg reminds him that he isn’t supposed to know, and that’s when he says that he won’t tell her. Since she wasn’t the guardian yet, he had no reason to believe that her miraculous wouldnt be taken back if he made it known he knew her identity. Do you really think that if she found out his identity when Fu was the guardian, that she would tell Adrichat she knew? Or that she wouldn’t want to ask him out as Ladybug before Tikki stopped her from using her powers for those reasons (and he needing to be Ladybug to pull it off would probly be the only thing stopping her)?

We see the way she reacts when she feels that someone has intentionally disrespected a boundary in Felix (ie “What is it about ‘no’ that you don’t understand?”), in contrast to how she responds to Chat and how she gently but firmly set a boundary with him about giving her roses when she felt it was necessary (and that she doesn’t feel it’s necessary to respond to Chat like she did to Felix. This is not to say that she secretly wants Chat to flirt with her or whatever, cuz thats just ugh, but that she feels that playful quips and a roll of her eyes or a gentle, firm reminder are enough - that her “no” is enough for him to listen). Both Adrichat and Maribug need to grow and learn about boundaries, cuz lets’ be real, these kids are both problematic with boundaries. You can’t only criticize or demonize Adrichat for a lack of boundaries when Maribug is just as bad. In fact, SO many of the characters are bad with boundaries.

His “failures” in the eyes of the fandom mostly seem to be things that can be explained by “if he hadnt jumped in front of her she would have gotten hit by the akuma instead/strategy for physical problems aren’t his forte because it’s part of their yin-yang characterization/his weapons arent as suited for long range or agility as ladybug’s are”. Mari and Adri are intentionally characterized as having mostly opposite/contrasting situations, strengths, etc. And their strengths are what make them best suited in their respective roles. Adrien is not suited to being LB cuz he isn’t as strong strategically and tactically. Mari is not suited to being Chat cuz she is not good with uncertainty or trusting others to make decisions/plans (this extends well beyond Chat, into her friendships).

If she thinks he’s that bad, why not just take his MIraculous? I mean, she’s the guardian now. The only plausible reason is cuz she values him as a partner and recognizes that there have been many times when she couldn’t have done it without him. You can hate Chat if you want, that’s fine. He’s a flawed character and no one has to like him. I’m just tired of these bad takes based on cherry picking scenes, and a lack of critical thinking or analysis in favor of black-and-white categorizations. Especially when the same flaw in 2 characters is treated differently.

The nice thing about seeing posts you don’t agree with is that you don’t have to interact with them or send anon disagreements. You can just not look at them 😉

[edorazzi]

Well, here we are again! Twitter said yes to a review post for a Miraculous magazine that suddenly showed up in my local area. ‘Tis the season after all, and by that I mean someone bought it for me as a joke birthday gift and I was way too happy about that.

I’ve done previous reviews of the Miraculous Christmas calendar, Easter egg set, superhero fashion dolls and action figures, so let’s dive into the unknown world of merchandising yet again!

(As always, if you enjoy my posts, please consider checking out my Twitter page or supporting me on Patreon for lots of bonus content!)

4 FREE GIFTS! PACKED WITH ACTIVITIES! MEET THE KWAMIS! PRANKS & LOLS! CUT-OUT MEMES! FANGIRL ALERT! NAIL ART! 100% OFFICIAL! I’m overwhelmed! It feels like I’m having a seizure just from the packaging!!! 

I should preface this by saying I haven’t bought a magazine like this in years. Possibly ever. I read things like the Beano, Animals & You and the odd Disney Princess zine when I was a kid but I have no idea what to expect from a free-gift-packed kiddie magazine in 2019. If the outside is anything to go by we’re in for a wild ride.

I’m noticing that it says “Miraculous #20″ on the back. Does this mean I’ve missed 19 previous issues? I’m genuinely a little upset by that. My local area is a complete dry zone for Miraculous so I haven’t had the chance to pick these up.

First step: let’s separate everything out and get a look at these freeeee giftssss. Except they aren’t free, because this magazine was like £3.99. This does seem to be the current trend - it’s kinda rare to see any kids’ zines without the excess packaging crammed with ‘free’ stuff. Is it really too expensive to just produce the magazine? Probably, in this economy.

Chat Noir is revealed on the cover! He was on the back of the plastic jacket, but it’s still nice to see the kids as a front-cover duo. Apparently we’re going to learn to draw Pollen, too, which sounds fun. I’m actually liking the look of the gifts as well, but we’ll get into those in a minute.

This hairbrush............. is adorable. Oh my god. It’s pretty cheap and flimsy but it functions the way it’s supposed to, and the Ladybug design has been taken into account in a better way than “it’s red/black, that counts” (lest we forget the UTTER BULLSHIT of the Christmas calendar, and YES I’m still mad about that). I don’t know how well I expect the outer sticker to last, but if it can take a bit of wear and tear this would be an adorable little travel brush. Nicely done, lads!

These nail stickers? Also adorable. They remind me of the kiddie makeup sets I had when I was little, back in the early 00s when plastic stick-on nails and decals were all the rage. Are they still a thing? That’s nice to know.

There are 13 designs (that I can count) - a Queen Bee mask, Chat Noir pawprint cake, macaron, cupcake, heart-print cookie, Ladybug stud, flower, lightning bolt, love heart, Marinette heart, bee, fox tail and star. The majority are directly related to the show and that makes them feel special. No Carapace though? :(

I’ve put a little Marinette heart on my furthest finger. At the time of typing this up (about a day later) it’s still firmly in place. I haven’t really knocked it around, granted, but it’s not flimsy enough to fall off after five minutes either. It’s also really cute to look at. Guess I’m still a decal-loving 2004 girl at heart......

These stickers though!!! Wow! They’re those holographic and slightly-puffy kind and they feel like pretty good quality, and the designs are so cute! I can’t fault these, they’re absolutely adorable. I immediately want to stick them everywhere.

So I’ve stuck them everywhere. I’m especially proud of the light switch pun. My room looks GREAT.

I saved these “mystery stickers” for last because I’m weak for the thrill of mystery bags, and there wasn’t anything on the packaging to indicate what kind of designs to expect. And OH!!!! OH, IT’S MY BOY!!!! Look at him!!!! 

I made jokes with the Christmas calendar about all the Chat Noir items being stolen ahead of time, but that’s definitely NOT the case with this magazine. I have been SPOILED with the presence of my cat son.

These stickers are similar to the sticker sheet (and the Chillin’ Out design is reprinted), but they’re puffier and non-holographic. I’m deeply allured by the “decorate your phone or tablet” suggestion on the packet, but I’m going to see how the previous stickers withstand the wear-and-tear of my laptop lid before adding any more. If I damage these beautiful Adrien stickers I’ll be devastated.

Those are our free gifts! They’re actually very fun and cute, I’m really happy with them! I guess now it’s time to get into the magazine itself...........

I genuinely almost forgot the magazine was the main part of this package. I figured I was done, but we’ve barely even started! Here’s a splash page of the kwami. Kwami with a capital K? Kwamis? I still feel like it should be singular-lower-case-k-kwami. I’ve never been happy about this “miraculouses” business either.

But is that--

It IS!!!! It’s Nino!!! 

I guess this is the new flavour of Miraculous tie-ins. Now they’ve broadened out to a full team we’re seeing a lot more of Adrien alongside the girls, and Nino is the elusive hero who shows up once in a blue moon. At least this time his name isn’t in the title of the gotdam show.......

Anyway, I can see I’m supposed to draw my “fave Kwami”. Better get to it.

Felix just wants a break. Just one break. But not in this magazine.

Speaking of seeing more of Adrien (and, tragically, less of Nino), this is the kind of splash page I want to see! Both kids are here! The banner themed with Marinette’s signature flowers is a nice touch too; that’s associated with her arts ‘n’ crafts in the show already and it makes sense to apply it to the creative portion of this magazine too.

I LOVE the promotion of Chat Noir nails as something the little girls buying this magazine will definitely want to try. I’d expect them to do Marinette vs Ladybug nails, but instead we get a boyish option! Hell yeah!

I’m a little confused by the Queen Bee masks apparently going on the Chat Noir nails though. I guess they’re friends? Is this secret AdriChlo confirmation? Watch out, Marinette, Kagami’s not the one to be worried about.

SURE WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME TURTLE STICKERS FOR AN ALL-BOYS THEME BUT I GUESS NOT HUH

Next up is a short merch catalogue (why would you put the big bold arrow pointing right to the underoos.....). Would those Chat Noir socks come in my size? Asking for me.

Then there’s......... this page. FANGIRL ALERT. God. It’s like the Ladyblog, if only the Ladyblog ever gave a heck about reporting what Chat Noir’s up to.

THE SPELL WAS BROKEN AND THE FANDOM IMPLODED WITH JOY.

I really have to wonder what age range this is meant for. Do kids know what a “fandom” is? Do little girls consider themselves “fangirls”? I guess most kids have enough internet access to figure it out these days (all the hashtags and LOLs and memes speak volumes), but I can’t imagine being young enough to fit the target range of this magazine while also knowing these terms. I dunno.

(Also, the definition of ‘implosion’ is ‘an instance of something collapsing violently inwards’, so I’m not sure that’s the word they’re looking for. Unless the return to the status quo in Dark Cupid and the continuing stagnation of the love square was enough to make people quit in frustration? Probably.)

I’m filling it in, of course. Because I must.

I gave up on the pre-approved ratings system pretty much right away, but I think this is an accurate rating of my LadyNoir opinions. 

I might be kinda cynical about it here, but I am actually pretty fond of how this magazine sells Ladybug and Chat Noir as a couple. The show’s portraying it as very onesided lately, with Chat pining over Ladybug who has absolutely no interest in him (Glaciator was a TERRIBLE episode and I’m still hurting from it), but reading this zine I’d guess they were already dating. It’s cheesy, but in a nice way.

I have to laugh at “the most amazing thing about this super duo is that they always look out for and protect each other” though. Chat’s usually pretty focused on LB, sure, but there are endless instances of LB using Chat as cannon fodder and just generally abandoning him to get mauled by akuma while she carries out her personal private plan to save the day. Maybe we’re just focusing on the better-written episodes, huh?

Moving ahead. I’ve been dreading this page since reading “Plaggs Pranks & LOLs” on the back of the packaging. I feel hatred in my very bones just looking at it.

I like that there’s ONE instance of the term “ladybird” in the joke column. This is a UK-based magazine and that IS the word we tend to use over here - “ladybug” is an Americanism - but it’s like they’re worried kids could have got to the middle of this magazine about a superhero named Ladybug and then not understand the bug jokes. Maybe whoever was writing this page slipped up?

OH NOOOOO. MARINETTE, NOOOOOOOOOO.

THIS IS WHY FELIX GOT RID OF YOU, PLAGG. THESE ARE ADRIEN’S PROBLEMS NOW.

(mmm whatcha saaaaay)

I mean........... YEAH, I guess, but we absolutely did see Plagg destroy Felix with an entire shelf of heavy books. I guess he’s nicer with Adrien. It’s all fun and games until someone has a nervous breakdown in the library.

I do love the concept of Tikki getting glitter-bombed by Plagg through the mail. She just curiously opens up the little letter which got slipped into Marinette’s purse, and-- WOOSH. One entire wall of Mari’s room is glittery except for a little Tikki-shaped silhouette. 

Next up is a two-page comic which is absolutely adorable! Look at those little chibis! The warm and soft colour palette! This is nicer than most of the official Miraculous comic book art I’ve seen, I hope they keep giving this artist work.

Nino’s here too (and he looks great!), and I like the touch of Marinette and Adrien playing as each other’s superhero characters. Adrien even wins the match, though I guess there’s something to be said about Ladybug beating Chat Noir (again)...... 

It does raise the question yet again of where this tie-in merchandise is coming from! They’ve had action figures, a movie, music video features, now an arcade game... Who’s getting the royalties here? Who’s profiting? Is this how Fu can afford to buy all those rare ingredients for the magic potions?

Over the page we have an activity to Design your Secret Lair! Right away I love the Marinette theme of the page, the soft pink and flowers, and the drawing space looking like a page in a binder with marker tabs and everything.

I have to design my secret lair, of course: 

What do you think? I’m very creative. I’ll need an adult to send in the drawing of my hideout but I think I’ve really got a shot at those unicorn headphones.

Now we’re on to puzzles and character pages. I don’t know what ol’ Gabe is doing trying to meet a 13 year old girl in the dead of night without telling anyone, you’d think if he’s got that much free time on his hands he could be spending it with his son.

I don’t know how those points in Ladybug’s power profile are awarded or what they mean, but you can tell this is a fan magazine. Official sources would have put her at a 10.

Standard House of Villains page! Most of these were good episodes but I’m deeply offended Riposte isn’t on here. Maybe her motives weren’t dramatic and cartoonish enough to be up in the ranks with Glaciator and Gorizilla?

“Cat Noir’s dad is also the evil Hawk Moth”, huh? I mean that’s not WRONG, but is it really something to put in his power profile when Adrien doesn’t even know yet??? Feels like we’re kinda jumping the gun on the poor boy. What if he picks up this magazine?

Apparently he’s one point weaker than Ladybug (seriously???), two points faster, equally as agile, one point less skilled and two points less cool. Despite all those lesses he still comes out at an equal 9, which is a relief! These kids are a team, putting either of them below the other would have been a big no.

I did the colouring page too, naturally. Je suis un artiste.

Now we’ve got a page fresh from the Ladyblog, a Miraculous quiz! Not a lot of excitement, but it’s nice to see Alya getting her own section.

I like that the qualifications of “you could be Ladybug herself!” are knowing what city Marinette lives in and what school she goes to. Well done, Mari! You’re doing your best!!!

TEACHER I AM SO HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I gotta say, I’m not so sure about decorating donuts with fondant. I’ve never tried it so I could be wrong, but it feels like rolled icing instead of frosting(?) would be too heavy for an entire donut. The texture is totally different.

I mean I guess if you’re going to load your kids up on sugar you might as well go all the way. They’re going to look like they’ve eaten something horrible with all that black fondant, but they’ll have fun. Adrien would love these.

WHERE’S NINO. THIS IS JUST UNFAIR. You’ll have four out of five heroes, then a double of Marinette and Tikki? Maybe this just goes to show how little memorable dialogue Carapace has.

Though if “Spots On!” is Marinette’s dialogue and not Ladybug’s, why are the other transformation phrases attributed to Rena Rouge and Queen Bee instead of Alya and Chloé? Surely they could have picked something better for Marinette to justify having her on this list twice instead of Nino.

The next page brings us one of those flowchart quizzes! And ouch, yet again the absence of the other heroes is obvious. I can understand not including Chloé here since she’s technically not a “friendly” character yet, but no Nino? Alya and Marinette are close friends, but Adrien doesn’t really hang out with them without Nino around. Having the three of them together just seems strange.

I do like the little fashion page! They’re all cute and affordable and easy to find on the high street here. I’d love to see how other issues of this magazine are structured; is there a different fashion spot every time? Styles to channel each individual hero would be adorable.

Moving on to a tutorial for a Ladybug notebook! I would have made this, but I didn’t have the time nor a notebook to stick it to.

Between this and the donuts, it seems weird that these designs are based on, like... an actual beetle, eyes and antennae and all. Shouldn’t it be Ladybug’s symbol? These come across more like “fun animals” arts ‘n’ crafts instead of themed after Miraculous specifically. I think if I made this (or decorated the donuts) I’d miss out the head and match the spot pattern to Ladybug’s symbol. 

The hidden message design is adorable though. I can see this being a craft kids are super proud of.

Another activity page! I didn’t have a go at these but they’re pretty standard. It’s cute that the coded message designs are the same as the stickers and nail decals!

Also, apparently Ladybug’s ‘secret’ is “LB mask + heart + CN mask”, which was (somehow) stolen by Volpina. Is that the secret Hawk Moth was talking about earlier in the magazine? Is he blackmailing Ladybug with revealing she has a crush on Chat Noir? How did Volpina ‘steal’ this secret? Is LadyNoir finally reciprocated???? THIS IS A WHOLE EPISODE IN ITSELF, I NEED ANSWERS--

Next page we have an ad for another girly magazine (Quizzes! LOLs! Celebs! Cringes! Puzzles!). I think I’ll pass, no matter how appealing that giant microphone pen is. 

And a “Miraculous Identity” quiz! Tikki’s apparently super fickle with her wielders, three seasons of relentlessly praising Marinette and now she’s telling us we’re the Chosen Ones. You can’t fool me with those big ol’ eyes.

My inner superhero is Marvellous Fox, by the way. Though yet again I’m noticing we don’t have turtle options...................

And on the back cover... the memes. Oh, sweet lord, the memes. They’re hashtag-SoRelatable! And I can cut them out to keep! Oh boy!!!

Is this what kids do when they have limited internet access? Cut fresh memes out of magazines and carry them around? I need to know.

That’s a very sinister Ladybug at the bottom of the page though. What’s-- What’s she going to do to me if I don’t cut out and keep these memes. Ladybug what are you going to do if I d--

Well that brings us to the end of the magazine! And yet again I’m surprised by how much time it takes to just put a bunch of photos together and write about them.

This is a neat little magazine all in all! The ‘free gifts’ are pretty nice, there’s a fair amount of content and the whole thing is pretty cute for young fans of the show. I could see myself buying this again - if it ever shows up on shelves, Miraculous is so scarce around here that I fully expect it to disappear again after this one issue - just for the free junk, but it would be interesting to see how they’d structure different issues too!

I notice we never did get that promised tutorial on how to draw Pollen; the one advertised on the cover. Was the “draw your favourite Kwami” activity supposed to cover that? I’m not sure that really counts.

If you got this far, thanks for joining me on this Miraculous journey! We’ll meet again whenever I get another piece of weird ML merch to cover. Bien joué!

[roastingyaoigirl13]

HEAVY SPOILERS

I REPEAT THIS IS A MAJOR SPOILER

DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU DONT WANT TO BE SPOILED

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

.

SPOILER in

3

2

1

So I really wanted to rant or at least give my opinion on season 3 finale. First of all holy shit was it a bitter sweet finale. Lets talk about Marinette and what this finale told us about her and her future.The obvious is that this is such a critical part/moment for her character. Marinette has shown in the past that she can be a reactive person emotionally, especially when it comes to adrian, however this two part episode has shown us a different side of Marinette in fact I really saw this episode as a way of Marinette finally growing up. In stories, writers often have moments where a character loses their “innocence” in order for them to have a revalation. In the case of Marinette , her revalation was that she could no longer afford to be childish or overly emotional. I say this is her revalation because since she’s now the new guardian of the miraculouses, she no longer has the guidence of Master fu other than what he had already taught her. In the past she would always go to Master Fu for help when she wasn’t sure what to do but now that he’s not there anymore the student must now be the master. Marinettes time as a child has estential come to an end because she now has to be more in control with her emotions in order to lead the others. This is when the whole adrian/ kagami thing comes in. It’s obvious that Marinette wasn’t happy about what was going on between the two and when she sees them almost kiss as lb she takes kagami before it could happen, this was her being reactive , however unlike the other times Marinette was jealous she wasn’t being mean to Kagami instead she asked her what she thought about adrian and when kagami said that yes she values Marinette as a friend but also wants to make herself happy .Marinettes response is to essentially go through the motions of grief in a sense. She starts to have a mental breakdown because she understands that she could never do what Kagami can ,at least not yet,which is feel comfortable enought to be herself and to allow herself to be happy . In a sense marinettes hinders herself because she is too willing to sacarfice her happiness for others.Kagami to me was always a parallel of what Marinette is not. Kagami has her own issues but she was always herself around others and was always confident about what she wanted/wants. She also never truly sacrifices her happiness for others unless it’s reasonable. This is why I honestly think adrian is with Kagami because he needs stability which unfortunately Marinette can not provide compared to Kagami. Adrian isn’t a bad guy for being with Kagami because this boy has deeply rooted issues to the point he needs stability.As much I love and want Adrian and Marinette to be together I also understand that they both need to grow up in order to be together and sometimes thats a journey that needs to be made alone .Kagami was essentially created to show what Marinette lacks as of right now despite all her amazing qualities. Marinette needs to internally accept that Marinette is Lady bug and lady bug is Marinette if she ever wants to be with Adrian cause lets be real the end game really is Adrian x Marinette, which is why I found it really heartbreaking to see Mari let go of Adrian. Adrian, in regards of the this episode, symbolizes Maris innocence of childhood . It was Mari’s way of saying goodbye of being immature and starting her journey of adulthood. Adrian was unfortunately a hinderence to Marinettes character because he represented her childhood and once she lets it or at least decides to she goes to Luka. Luka in a nut shell is everything Adrian is not. He has a stable life and family which makes it easier for him to actually see Marinette for who she is and be a rock for her.Adrian is damaged which makes it hard for him to see Marinette because he isn’t in a loving home or has any sense of stability, which honestly makes Kagami such a good thing for him. Kagami will serve as a healthy stable experience for him which will lead him to be better for Marinette in the future.

This whole season finale was so needed for both characters because it sets in motion their journey towards adulthood . We can now understand why they writers/writer created the time episodes because it set up the premise that Marinette was going to be the best leader because of what she did for herself this finale. She finally did something right by herself by letting going of Adrian in order to be better. Adrian will stand by her side in the end of the show but he has to be worthy of it just like she has to be. In order to be in a relationship both parties have to be fully open with each other and be able to be the person they need not what they want. There is a difference between being the person that someone needs vs the person they want. In the end of the day Adrian and Marinette will be together but for now I’m glad they are letting the characters grow in order to be one the other needs.

[aretherenonames]

LET ADRIEN BE CAT NOIR

I am frustrated by the fact that most people who ship Ladrien, MariChat, LadyNoir, and Adrienette seem to ship them in this love square because people freaking forget that these are the same people. Marinette is Ladybug and vice-versa; same goes for Chat and Adrien. This frustrates me because it’s as if people forget that Marinette is a hero even when she’s not wearing the suit, and Adrien is a hero even when he’s not cracking awful puns. People forget that these people are one and the same, and that Mari and Adrien don’t just randomly transform into actual different human beings  when they don their suits. Ladybug is still Marinette, and Cat Noir is still Adrien.

One of the main reasons why I need people to remember that they are the same person is because I need them to be whole. If we ship them with the love square, we neglect aspects of their personality that make them who they are. For example: if we ship the narrative of MariChat, we may neglect Chat’s more “Adrien” traits: gentleness, politeness, and having “intellectual” abilities like speaking foreign languages (Chinese), playing the piano, and fencing. Instead, we focus on the more “playful” parts of him: puns, cockiness, jokes, etcetera. If we run with a narrative where we ship MariChat (without a reveal), and the ship sails, then there would surely have been a choice within Marinette/Ladybug wherein she decides “I will commit to Cat Noir now, and I will stop liking Adrien.”  Essentially, she is choosing Chat over Adrien (even though they're the same person, but she doesn’t know that). Her moving on from Adrien would mean her rejecting the side of Chat that is Adrien. This shouldn’t happen because if she loves him then she can’t just pick and choose which aspects of him she likes better. It just fucks up my mind to think about what that would mean for them when they show up to each other as Ladybug and Adrien  and they don’t love each other because they’ve decided to commit to somebody else (even if that somebody else is just them but in different clothes.) And if they do end up in a relationship but they also have feelings for their other identity wouldn’t that love be untrue, in a way? I mean, sure, they’re the same person, but they don’t know that the person they still have feelings for and the person they’re in a relationship with are one and the same. They’ve basically decided to commit to a relationship despite having feelings for other people (which, again, is just them but they don’t know that). Imagine what the implications of that would be if they weren’t one and the same. What if Adrien really wasn’t Cat Noir? Wouldn’t there be trouble brewing because of the fact that they’re in a relationship but they love someone else?

Also, we have to think of Ladybug and Marinette as one and Cat Noir and Adrien as one because that is how we get the full spectrum of their personality. If we ship them in Ladrien, MariChat, LadyNoir, and Adrinette, we’re ignoring the other aspects of their personality that make them, them. My whole point is that we shouldn’t ship Ladrien, MariChat, LadyNoir, and Adrinette exclusively; instead, we should ship them as them. Them as the whole persons that they are. We should ship the Marinette who is Ladybug with the Adrien who is Cat Noir.

Idk I’m not getting my point across clearly, but I hope someone understands.

Anyway. In order to let our 2 main characters fall in love with one another while also letting them see their whole individual personalities, we need them to reveal their identities to each other *before* committing to a serious relationship.  In order to do this, we need them to be friends first and foremost. We need them to have an established friendship before they reveal their secret identities. Then, and only then, can they start to fall in love.

(Also, sidenote, this is also part of the reason why I think Marinette should dial down on her crush on Adrien. That way, they have more time to develop their relationship with each other as friends and discover one another and build a good relationship without the strings of a romantic relationship. Chat’s crush on LB isn’t as bad because he still recognizes her faults as a person and he helps her. In short words, they’re a team, and they’re equals. Marinette’s crush, on the other hand, is like hero worship. But I digress. )

Additionally, we should also let them see the full spectrum of each other’s personalities, whether they are in hero-mode or just average-person mode. This isn’t that big of a problem when it comes to Marinette (and I’ll call her Marinette because she is, first and foremost, Marinette. She is Marinette before she is Ladybug. Her being a hero shouldn’t  define her whole being or eclipse who she really is. She is Ladybug, yes, and being Ladybug is a huge part of her; but she is Marinette first: strong-willed, creative, a good leader, a person with a big heart, and so much more. She is a hero in her own way even when she's not being Ladybug, and remembering that it important.) because her personality as Marinette already mixes well with her Ladybug persona (she has the same. Adrien, on the other hand, is different.

See, I think that one of the reasons why people continue to ship Ladrien, MariChat, LadyNoir, and Adrinette as if they were different people is because they can’t think of his secret identity and hero personality as one and the same. Hero-version acts differently from normal-version. This isn’t that big of a problem with Mari, as I said, because Marinette is still essentially herself even when she’s being Ladybug. Some of her characteristics are more prominent, it’s true, (e.g we see a lot more of her serious side because when she’s Mari we mostly see her a. stuttering over Adrien b. falling all over herself and being clumsy or c. being mad at either Chloe or Lila) but she is still herself. We have already seen Marinette exhibit some of her more “Ladybug” traits even when she’s not saving Paris.

But when it comes to Adrien, we don’t often see him acting like his Cat Noir self. For whatever reason (though I presume it is because he, as a model and as the son of a movie star and a famous fashion designer, has a reputation to uphold, and also because he might be cautious about what he can say or do because he has been sheltered his whole life and he doesn’t want to ruin his experiences in the “outside world” by doing something wrong) Adrien has rarely ever shown his pun-loving wild side show when he is in public as Adrien. Adrien is a lot more mature, careful, and polite than Cat Noir because his personality and his social standing won’t allow him to show that side of him. This might be the reason why his Cat Noir persona is so vastly different from his Adrien persona (hence why Mari immediately dismissed the idea of Cat Noir being Adrien in Lady Wifi). Because of this, not only do the characters in the show dismiss the idea of Adrien being Cat Noir; we, the audience, have a hard time reconciling these two personalities as well, even though we know on a surface level that Adrien and Cat Noir are one and the same. Sure, there are moments where Adrien acts like Cat Noir (e.g at the end of Evillustrator where Adrien asks Marinette what it was like hanging out with Cat Noir) or moments when Cat Noir acts more mature and less playful (e.g in Antibug where Cat Noir gives Ladybug advice and questions her wrong actions) but the majority of the time we see a playful Cat Noir and a calm and collected Adrien, with the two rarely ever mixing.

This, I think, is one of the main reasons why we continue to ship Ladrien, MariChat, LadyNoir, and Adrinette. Because Adrien-Adrien is so different from Cat Noir-Adrien, we have created different ships that will let us choose which side of him to ship with Marinette. Shipping Marinette with the gentle, polite, intelligent, and refined Adrien is way different from shipping Mari with the playful, joking, pun-loving Cat Noir. The different sides are so different that they’re almost the opposites of the other.

If we used Marinette as a basis (Mari and Adrien vs. LB and Adrien (Adrien being the constant) or Mari and CN vs. LB and CN (Cat Noir being the constant)) there wouldn’t be that big of a difference. Sure, different aspects of her personality will become more prominent, but we would still ultimately view her as one person. Ladybug is Marinette just as Marinette is Ladybug. It doesn’t go the same way with Adrien.

My point can be seen more easily if we used a reveal scenario: if it were revealed that Marinette has been Ladybug all along, people would be shocked, but they would connect the dots pretty easily. Marinette is creative, kind, has a good heart, and has a rich imagination which allows her to come up with solutions even with the most bizarre things. She has a strong sense of justice, and speaks up when there is something wrong. It makes sense. Why wouldn’t she be Ladybug?

If it were discovered that Adrien was Cat Noir, people would not only be shocked, they would also be confused and disbelieving. Adrien? The calm, collected, fragile, gentle, sensitive Adrien? The refined and polite Adrien? He’s Cat Noir? Isn’t he super courteous in real life? Isn’t a bit unrefined to make jokes, like those puns, especially coming from a guy who is super classy? It jUsT dOeSn’T mAkE seNsE!

So, to solve all this, I come upon my final point, the reason for this whole spiel: let Adrien act more like Cat Noir.

He doesn’t have to do it all the time. Just show us a few scenes of him exchanging puns with Nino.Let us see him act playful and cocky. Just show us more of Adrien letting his playful side out.

[saturn-j16]

My thoughts on Gamer 2.0...

I waited for the English Sub to do this one. As always it will be split in parts so read what you want :)

Humor - This episode made me laugh a lot with regular humor and jokes along with smaller side things (2D drawings, dialogue, character actions, etc). Subtle things like LB flying on her magic pillow or Lila getting punched in the face by Ladybug... I mean Evillustrator...yeahhh. I like some episodes that bring up the mood! 

Am I the only one who laughed when Marinette was giving the shirts to Kitty Section and when she turned around they just went *poof*. 

Gamer 2.0 - I love how they constructed Gamer 2.0 and what his story would be this time. The video game it’s self seemed so enjoyable and I noticed fans saying they’ed like to play it themselves. So would I! I love the akuma victims that willingly give up their akumas, it’s like a breath of fresh air. 

Marinette - I like her subtle progression in the episode from being stressed out and refusing fun activities > to letting go a little bit > back to stressed > to calmer and more free towards the end. 

Character Interactions - I really liked seeing all the villains fighting against each other with only their unique powers. However, they still had the minds of LB and CN and seem like the perfect hero pair to play the game, considering they fought all these villains already. A personal favorite of mine is Reflekta vs. Roger Cop!

Ladybug and Chat Noir: 

Ladybug  - I’m sure a lot of us know the feeling of having a bad video game (or general activity) day and just loosing over and over again. You get frustrated and eventually stop having fun. Ladybug’s emotions are more relatable this episode and the same goes with Marinette too.

Chat Noir - Are you kidding me??? I was so sad when this boi sacrificed himself. He did it with a soft smile towards LB, knowing she would save him. I honestly thought they were going to fight it out or something. Damn. When they were put on that platform I was just like “oh shit. it’s happening”. He still loves LB and he’ll be relieved when he finds out that both of his crush(s) LB and *cough* Mari *cough* are one person. 

[lupintyde]

Master List of ML Crack Posts: #1

 As some of you may know, my memory sucks.  This list is as much for you guys as it is for me ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ 

I’ll be updating this thing periodically.  I’m putting the links under a “read more” so the updates will show up in case someone wants to reblog this.  I love it when something is reblogged (especially when I can read the funny tags), but y’all are random af.  You give me a good laugh on my rough days and I love each and every one of you ＾ω＾

Have fun down the ML rabbit hole of crazy (after the cut)!:

*PLEASE READ THE GENERAL DISCLAIMERS*

i won’t tell you how to live your life

but it’s probably a good idea to read the general disclaimers

I am no longer in this fandom for several reasons

so there won’t be any updates to this list

but here are the posts I’ve done

we watched the English dub because I have a kid who can’t read

and a husband who doesn’t want to

I prefer the French, but use the English names for all but Chat Noir

**********************************

Master list of ML Crack Posts: #2

**********************************

Have Y’all Noticed...?

This show is not just for kids  

Episodic Nerdery

Homages by episode

The Opening Credits Homage to Anime (Opening) ML’s Love Letter To Horror Movie Fans (Horrificator) Obvious homage is obvious (Kung Food) No one is above Naruto running (Kung Food) Gamer Geeks: UMS3 = Street Fighter (The Gamer) The Mime = Marcel Marceau (The Mime) Where have I seen that...? (Multiple) Historic Miraculous Holders (Multiple)

The Walking Pop Culture Reference

aka, Adrien is a NERD

Adrien the Old-School Nerd (Adrien = Fred Astaire) Dorito chins are easy to grasp when flirting… (Adrien = Tamaki) The Devil’s in the Details (Learning to make friends through anime) Life skills through gaming (Chat = Frogger)

That Was Random

Did...they mean to do that?  Yes.  Yes, they did.

The ZAG license plate Is this an inside joke or…? Continuity in ML Nathaniel the art director Dotting their eyes WTF psychic Hawky

*****************************************************************

Jen & Dave’s Arting Adventure

My husband’s amazing fanart and my crappy artings.  I encourage reblogging, but please do not repost Dave’s art.  If you don’t know what that means, check out my rant.

Jen’s Crappy Artings

Don’t expect much -_-

Jen attempts to art (Chat Noir) Poor Hawky... (Hawkmoth/Papillon) Chat Noir Car Art Jen crappily arts all over Chat Noir

Jen’s Attempt to Comic

Comics is HARD

Jen’s Arting Problem: Silent, But Not Deadly

Dave’s Amazing Artings

You can tell which of us is the household artist

Hawmoth/Papillon

Jen & Dave’s Collaborations

Where we work together for once.

Chat & Nino: The Bromantic Fluffcanon (DJNoir Bromance)  Jen continues to art (with special appearance by Dave) Battle of the Nino Artings (Nino)

Miraculous Sewing

I sew for a living.  This show was bound to influence me...

Jen’s Completely Free ML Doll Tutorial So, I found this fabric... I made this thing... Then I made all the things All. The. Things.

*****************************************************************

Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir

Our favorite sunshine cat son and what the majority of my posts are about.  Let’s be honest with ourselves.  He’s deserves a category of his own.  Literally.

General Adrien Goodness

Grumpy Chat (Adrien = Grumpy Cat) Chat Noir, the Blue Paladin (Adrien = Lance)  Adrien’s Adorkable Wink Master of the Cheese The Real Agreste Smile Chat’s gravity-defying hair When you’re making a You Tube video... It looks like he’s requesting takeoff First day of school...again Adrien Agreste, Professional Fanboy HIS SARCASM LEVEL IS OVER 9000!!! Chat’s face in Volpina He’s not gonna try to get out of this one Someone should put a bell on him Let it out Adrien’s...er...”talents”

Let Adrien Eat 2K17

Someone please feed this kid

Feed Him Rule #1 

Actual Model Adrien Agreste

In case you needed a reminder about what he does

The Photo Dump The Reality Your Chat Is Showing Taking Flight Sneaky Alya

Chat Is A Cat

=^..^=

That rare cat that comes when you call Coming home to your kitty Chat, The Jellicle Cat Chats don’t always land on their feet Cats can sleep anywhere It did him a startle Cat Memes: The Box Cat Memes: The 3:35am Marathon Cat Memes: The Invisible Fly

Adrien vs. Chloé

Exploring the dynamic between my favorite blondes

Adrien Vs. Chloe: Round 1 Chat can relate to this Chloé: The Mountaineer   When Chloé adopts Ladybug’s moves DO NOT WANT Slasher movie poster Marinette’s escape plan

*****************************************************************

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug

Our favorite Fearless Leader/Low-Key Stalker

Marinette vs. Cat (Part 1) Marinette’s not a cat person (Marinette vs. Cat Part 2) Mari Be Scary Ladybug Be Scary Epic conversational Skills LB = ctrl+z Mari’s charade game is STRONG Writing LadyNoir Fics Adrien’s Controller Learning an important lesson Marinette’s Guide to Being Hands-Free

*****************************************************************

The Miraculous Holders

I think this category will grow next season.  Call it a hunch.

Cat and Bug Team

The LadyNoir meet-cute (Origins) Look at these dorks The Chat In the Hat The True Meaning of Bugaboo Raining Cats and Bugs: The Horrible Pun Transformations Reverse Transformations Chat’s premature gray is named “Ladybug” LB puns against Chat (Mr. Pigeon) LB puns against Chat (Reflecta) Lady Wifi’s plan went to pot The Cat & Bug Team (Bubbler) Ladybug Is Done, Y’all He was just kitten (Puppeteer) Breaking the laws of physics as a team (Stormy Weather) Synchronization  LB grabs some tail

Chat Misses His Punportunity

Bad puns based on lucky charms.  That’s pretty much it.  Sorry not sorry.

The Bubbler Stormy Weather

*****************************************************************

The Kwamis

Again, mostly Plagg because I’m a cat person.

Plagg & Adrien

My favorite dynamic in this show

Plagg: Adrien’s Literal Shoulder Devil The original trash son (Plagg) Plagg’s True Love (Plagg/Camembert) Plagg’s True Love Pt. 2 (Plagg/Camembert) The Poster Child for Chaotic Neutral How can something so devious be so cute? It’s not like he’s magic... Plagg’s cheesy undoing When people look like their pets When you can’t see your cat...

Tikki & Marinette

aka Mari and her conscience

Tikki: Marinette’s Shoulder I-Told-You-So Tikki is Mari’s Toddles

Wayzz 

I See No Difference: Wayzz = Kif Wayzz is Chat’s biggest fan

*****************************************************************

The Others

The-other-but-no-less-important characters

Nino Lahiffe

My second fav ML character

Nino the Peacock AU Pt 1: Shell or Feathers? Nino the Peacock AU Pt 2: Cluck cluck you guys Nino the Peacock AU Pt 3: Nino should have gotten the Troll Miraculous… WTF Nino… Nino Models

Alya Césaire

The real MVP of this group

Alya’s default reaction to Mari’s “love life” Alya’s Adventures in Matchmaking: This’ll Be a Breeze!

Secondary Characters

Mostly Chloé because I love her so

What would have happened in Dark Cupid... (Chloé Bourgeois) The Seeds of Chloe’s Redemption (Chloé Bourgeois) A dad & his baby girl (Mayor Bourgeois &  Chloé) Poor Gorilla (The Gorilla) On no you didn’t! (Sabrina Raincomprix) Kim’s expressiveness (Kim Lê Chiến) That sneaky tomato (Nathaniel Kurtzberg) Fang is a good boy (Fang & Jagged Stone)

Background Characters

What happens when the animation team only has a set number of characters made up for the background, but still needs a crowd.

The Return of WTF Dad WTF “Family” WTF Kids Xmas Special Minor Characters in ML (Mireille and Aurore)

*****************************************************************

Gabriel Agreste / Gabe Is Hawkmoth Theory

OR Gabriel’s evil twin idk

This is why he doesn’t smile The unmentionable post  Dr. Hawkmoth’s Guide to Parent/Child Relationships

The Main Theory Posts

Gabriel is Hawkmoth/Papillon Hawkmoth/Papillon’s Room Gabriel Has a Sense of Humor (Adrien’s butterfly shoes) Gabe’s Safe Gabe’s Old as Crap

Gabriel Notices Crap in Simon Says/Jackady

The cat’s out of the bag (also under “Crazy Headcanons”) If you want something done... (LB’s earrings) Not today, Dad (CN’s ring) There goes his freedom (Adrien’s ring)

(Insert Name) Is a Better Dad Than Gabriel

The Dad Clap™ (Nino Lahiffe) Kindred Spirits (Tom Dupain)

*****************************************************************

Speaking of Outrageous Theories...

Theories, predictions, headcanons and CRACK.  It’s all crack.

Jen’s Crazy Headcanons & Bullet Point Fics

I apologize for what you are about to see

Crappy Gif Theatre: Hawky’s Cold Crappy Gif Theatre: Adrien’s Thirst Crappy Gif Theatre: The True Identity of the Easter Bunny

Second-Rate Storytime:  The Epic Tail of a Girl and Her Cat Second-Rate Storytime:  The Bully Blues

The cat’s out of the bag (also under “Gabriel Agreste”) LB Gets Woke: A Bullet-Point Crack Fic (Chat x OC, Ladynoir) Chat & Nino: The Bromantic Fluffcanon (DJNoir Bromance)

ML Theories & Wild Predictions: Spoiler-Free

Theories based on common knowledge

Gorilla KNOWS (Gorilla and the Kwami Social Club) That…makes so much sense (their identities are safe!)

Spoiler City: NOT Spoiler-Free

Theories using spoilers from upcoming seasons of ML

ML Season 2 & 3 Predictions Poor Kim... Is this foreshadowing or...? That leaked season 2 ep Who has the Butterfly Miraculous?

ML S2 Trailer Shenanigans #1: Adrienette vs. Chloenette ML S2 Trailer Shenanigans #2: Frenemies ML S2 Trailer Shenanigans #3: New Miraculous Season 2 Trailer (10/17)

ML S2 #1: The Collector ML S2 #2: Despair Bear

Thank you for visiting.  Please come again.

*****************************************************************

[comiconverse]

Jason David Frank: Much More Than Mighty!

Power Ranger to Pop Culture Icon

Jason David Frank (JDF) was an undeniable presence at Big Apple Con (BAC) 2017. BAC certainly had their fair share of star power and I had the pleasure to interact with this fan favorite. Mr. Frank is best known for his roles in the Power Ranger universe, most specifically as Green Ranger Tommy Oliver. Recently though, he has been promoting his character Bloodshot for the soon to be released (Bat in the Sun Productions) Ninjak vs the Valiant Universe. It was at the Ninjak vs the Valiant Universe cast signing, during New York Comic Con 2016, where I first met Jason David Frank. I was fortunate to have our paths cross again at Big Apple.

Jason David Frank signs for fans at New York Comic Con. Credit: Linda Marie

Fan Affection

There is no doubt in my mind why Jason David Frank is so well-loved. As I meandered about the convention floor, I heard numerous stories from fans about how Mr. Frank had inspired their lives. He was much more to them than a hero on the TV screen. Mr. Frank doesn’t just show up for his fans, he takes the time to connect with them, all of them. While the line to meet JDF was quite daunting at Big Apple Con, there were never any complaints from those patiently waiting. In fact, the excited crowd started a chant of “JDF, JDF, JDF” at which time Mr. Frank paused to record a video clip to share on his social media. He continuously works hard to show love and appreciation for his fans.

Jason David Frank takes a selfie with his fans at Big Apple Con. Credit: facebook – jdfffn

Loving Life

As I approached Mr. Frank’s autograph area in hopes of obtaining some photos, I was taken aback as he addressed me directly. He immediately welcomed me into his world and was more than happy to have me there observing the kindness and warmth he shares. It was awesome to see such light and positivity emanating from a single individual. There is no way anyone could walk away from speaking with Jason David Frank and not feel better about themselves.

Jason David Frank engages his fans at Big Apple Con. Credit: Linda Marie

As I wrapped things up, I reached out to thank Mr. Frank for allowing me to be there and to wish him well. To my surprise and pleasure, he offered to spend a few moments with me for an interview. I was overjoyed and immediately accepted the invite. We were able to chat the following day after his enlightening Q&A panel. If you ever have an opportunity to hear Jason David Frank speak in person, just go.

Jason David Frank’s Comic Connection

During his panel, JDF not only spoke about his beloved Power Ranger characters and acting in general, he also spoke about his life. What impressed me the most about Mr. Frank was his humbleness, something he indicated is tough to do in Hollywood. He expressed how important it is to stay connected with those that love you and with yourself. It is clear that he recognizes how fortunate he is in life and yet focuses on remaining grounded. At one point, to the amusement of the audience, he stated “I put my spandex on one leg at time.”

Jason David Frank holds a Q&A at Big Apple Con. Credit: Linda Marie

Some other tidbits Jason David Frank shared during his panel were regarding his personal connection to the comic book realm. Growing up, JDF was a big fan of Marvel and his favorite character was Logan (Wolverine). In fact, at 18 yrs old, he sold his extensive Marvel collection for $11,000 to open his own school, Rising Sun Karate. His dismay at parting with the collection was apparent, though he is clearly happy with how his life turned out. Now he can secure all the comics he desires.

Keeping It Real

As I continued listening to Mr. Frank address the audience, I found myself most impressed with him as an individual. It was refreshing to hear his thoughts on money as it relates to the show business industry. JDF’s fan base is ultimately the chief factor in determining his course of action and he finds it offensive to be offered money to do something that is not in line with his beliefs. He feels that when money is offered to do a ‘shout-out’, it is deemed meaningless; there is no truth behind it. Mr. Frank’s high moral standards are forefront when making decisions regarding his career.

Jason David Frank requests a group photo after his panel at Big Apple Con. Credit: facebook – jdfffn

Hanging With A Hero

As JDF’s panel was coming to a close, he gathered everyone together for a big group photo. It was then Mr. Frank kindly took time to sit and chat with me for a few moments…

Linda: You are such an eloquent speaker. Very Inspiring.

JDF: Thank you. I really appreciate it. I probably don’t have the best grammar when I write and stuff but… I try, I do the best I can.

Linda: How did you get into acting? You talk about martial arts. How did that all come together?

JDF: I just ya know, being a little kid acting up the whole time, my mom said I should be an actor. I did some modeling when I was 12 for some TV magazines, and I can’t find those issues but I just liked it. I loved acting, I got into it, I was very passionate about it and honestly like Power Rangers was one of the first auditions that I did. I didn’t go and go and go and try and I’ve done auditions afterwards but yeah when I got Power Rangers at that age [19] it was like one of the first things and it just, I landed the role.

Diversity

Linda: Did you see yourself ever doing any other type of character?

JDF: I’m writing a movie now called Black Dragon. It’s about a coach that’s dealing with a lot of issues like alcoholism and stuff like that and he’s working with a kid that has autism. So it’s a really good acting movie but it’s funny because I like acting but if I would prefer to do movies I would rather do drama and stuff. I’ve done action my whole life so I think drama would be great.

Linda: Where did the martial arts come in?

JDF: When I was 4 years old just walking by a karate school and thinking that was something I wanted to do.

Linda: Do you do a lot of your own stunts? Do people try to prevent you from doing the stunts?

JDF: Yes. Yeah sure [they try to prevent him]. Power Rangers tried to prevent me from doing it but as far as Bloodshot they don’t want a stunt double. It’s too hard to get a guy to get into to character to do a stunt double.

Linda: I’d like to talk a little bit about Bloodshot since you brought it up. How did that come about? How did they approach you?

JDF: Aaron [Schoenke] with Bat in the Sun, I did quite a few shows with him with Bat in the Sun, and he’s the director of it and he told Valiant hey man this would be a good guy… and I had to kind of go through the hoops a little bit with Valiant. Dinesh [Shamdasani] was like he didn’t know in the beginning and he was happy he cast me afterwards but, it was Aaron [that] introduced me and I just didn’t want Aaron just doing a favor for me unless I fit the role and I just fit the role. I saw it, I was like this is perfect.

Linda: Did you have to do anything specific to prepare for it? Bloodshot is a little bit darker in comparison to the Power Rangers.

JDF: My mom was passing away at the time. That character I wouldn’t say is emotionless, he has emotion but it was just like that type of fight and fire in his eyes during that time. Also, I had to gain weight for it. I was about 210, I’m about 195 now so I put on about 15 lbs for it. Because I thought it was just gonna be over ya know so… but now I’m written in the show. I told Aaron and the guys I’ll be about 195 – 200, that’s it, that’s all I got. [With] the trainer at New York Comic Con, the Bloodshot trainer, I was about 190. So I looked fine. We haven’t seen the other stuff with me looking 210, the only difference was, I had to wear a bigger shirt. I couldn’t fit into my wardrobe so I had to get a bigger shirt.

Ninjak vs the Valiant Universe cast at New York comic Con 2016. Credit: Linda Marie

Linda: Can you tell me what’s in the pipeline, anything upcoming?

JDF: Yeah, ya know everything in Hollywood is like non-disclosure but I tell ya we got a lot of good stuff coming out… for my fans, for Valiant fans. It’s gonna be a lot of good stuff.

Linda: I’m excited for the Valiant stuff.

JDF: Yeah, me too. I really am too. It’s gonna be good.

Linda:  Thank You!

I can’t thank Jason David Frank enough for taking the time to speak with me. The chance to sit with him was completely unexpected and thoroughly enjoyed. I wish him well with all his future endeavors and look forward to seeing him on the screen and at future conventions. Any fan of Jason David Frank is a fortunate fan indeed! Follow him on social media… Facebook: @jasondfrank, YouTube: jdfffn, Instagram: @jdfffn, and Twitter: @jdfffn.

Jason David Frank and Linda Marie at Big Apple Con. Credit: Linda Marie

Keeping You Comic Con-nected!

Linda Marie

Twitter: @LindaMW87, Instagram: @comic_con_crazy, Cosmunity: ComicConCrazy

The post Jason David Frank: Much More Than Mighty! appeared first on ComiConverse.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Ok, on the topic of Miraculous Mary Sue's I have thoughts, bc both Maribug and Adrichat have been called Mary Sue's, and not for no reason, which I think is kinda fascinating

So, the two big things that make a character a Mary Sue (the way I understand the trope) is 1) hyper-competence in whatever task is thrown at them by the plot, regardless of whether it makes sense for that character to have that skill at that level, and 2) the rules of the universe they're written in seem to work differently for them than everyone else, bending things to always fall in their favor

Maribug and Adrichat both seem to hit one of these factors.

Maribugs creativity and ADHD twelve-steps-ahead-of-everything-including-myself brain and her wide range of craft skills make her seem to hit the first point. She's always able to come up with a creative solution to the problem at hand with whatever the universe throws at her (literally in the case of Lucky Charm).

But this is never Maribug whipping out a new, never before mentioned skill or hobby that fits the situation, like her suddenly being a master computer hacker when they need one in Startrain, she's just using the skills she's already been established to have, as well as the people around her, like Max, to save the day.

Maribug seems to fit into the hyper-competent Mary Sue zone on the surface, but when you take a second to actually think about it, she doesn't, and she certainly doesn't check the second box of having the narrative bend its knee to her.

Adrichat seems to hit the second point thanks to the whole 'Adrien is Perfect, the world needs to change' rule in the shows bible. None of his mistakes or bad choices are portrayed as such, like in Copycat when he lied to Ladybug about how Theo's Akumatization was entirely bc of her missing the ceremony, and not partially bc Adrichat got jealous of Theo's apparent feelings and then lead the artist to believe he and LB were dating. But LB was the only one who apologized, she never learned her partner basically lied about them dating (something she, at the time, was very against) and still believes Theo getting Akumatized was entirely bc of her.

Adrichat blatantly lied to his partner to avoid the consequences of his actions, and the show frames it as a perfectly fine course of action for him to take, with nothing wrong about something that was a blatant violation of trust between two partners.

And Chat Blanc fits this pattern too. Adrichats actions (using the fact he learned his partners secret identity to date her without her knowing she's actually dating her superhero partner) contributed to that whole apocalyptic mess as much as Maribugs, more so I would argue since all Mari did was get distracted and not notice Adrien saw her. A genuine mistake vs a conscious choice to deceive someone.

But who gets blamed for everything? Maribug.

Now, I want to say that the one to truly blame for Chat Blanc and all Akumas is 100% Gabriel, but I'm talking about how the show frames everything. And the show framed everything that happened there, from the set-up of the Akumatization to the apocalypse itself as squarely on Maribugs shoulders for, again, getting distracted and thinking Adrien didn't see her.

Adrichat is always framed as correct, no matter what he's actually done and how his actions affected the people around him and the story as a whole, which makes him seem to fit the second Mary Sue requirement on the surface. But that also falls through when you look deeper at things, bc part of the universe-warping Mary Sue stuff involves making everything fall in the Sues favor, and that is not what happened with Adrichats story.

...kinda

I fully believe the writers think Adrien being kept in the dark his entire life about, y'know, everything from who his parents really were to him being a different species than he thought he was is the best ending for him, despite how actually unfair it is to him as a character.

So the narrative did technically bend everything to give Adrien his 'happily ever after', but what it's calling a good ending is unsatisfying and actually unfair to him, and with how much the writers like damseling the poor kid, he doesn't even have a chance to try and check the hyper-competence box.

So yeah, Maribug and Adrichat both have Mary Sue traits on the surface, and for someone who prefers one character greatly over the other, it's actually pretty easy to see how those surface level details can interact with that bias to create a Mary Sue where there isn't one

Yeah it's.

I mean hello clear bias in talking about Adrien's faults and making shit up about what he did

But also yeah the narrative likes saying that Adrien's perfect and Mari is fucking up when they're both fucking up on shit.