Starfish

[marinetteplztakeabreak]

Every once in a while I think about Adrinette and am just overcome with love again.

It would have been SOOOOO easy to make it cliche and simple. Marinette is a shy little fashion designer. Adrien is a model for her fashion idol/favorite brand. It would have been so simple to say “he represents everything she wants in the world and her dream future so of course she daydreams about being In His World and having him as a beautiful model boyfriend.” And it still would have been so fun and cute!!!!

But INSTEAD!!!! Instead this show said.

Marinette took One look at this boy and went. “Good LORD not another pretty person. There was a time I had an open heart but now I am THIRTEEN and know how the world is. BEGONE. Begone you horrid little demon. I will not stand for your evil little games. I am a Mature Woman so i KNOW that you and your stupid little pretty-boy facade and your extravagant wealth are just tools that you use to get what you want and you don’t think your actions have consequences but GUESS WHAT. I’m a human being. Now SCRAM.”

And then he Did. And then later that day he came crawling back to her like “hi. hi hi hi. Sorry for bothering you I just??? Don’t know what I did wrong??? And like i’m not… you’re allowed to be mad it’s fine I probably messed up!!! I’m not making excuses!!! I just???? Can you please tell me so I can fix it??? Please I’ve never had friends before and you seem sooooo cool and I really really want you to like me and I’ll do literally anything,.. here take my umbrella it’s fine i’ll just get soggy… i just want you to be okay. Please like me”

and it worked so well she was like “Okay. Change of plans. I’m not gonna kill him I decided he might be redeemable” and then she went home and IMMEDIATELY started planning their wedding and just forgot the step of Telling Him She Didn’t Hate Him Anymore and also the step of Proposing and went straight to planning their fiftieth anniversary family reuinion party with all their grandkids.

And THEN!!!!! There’s this whole arc when they finally DO date???? Like????? She’s part of the reason he quits modelling. She’s like “the fashion world is HORRIBLE to you” and yet it doesn’t make her give up she’s like. “I could do better though.”

Like. Instead of giving us “marinette likes adrien because he gives her an Opening into her dream future” (which would STILL be so good and girl power and all of it) this show gives us “marinette likes adrien and he shows her the flaws in the fashion world and she gives him a way OUT. AND he gives her the motivation to go against every barrier and fix an entire industry so that The Horrors don’t happen again and so she can make the world as pretty and perfect as it is in her middle school daydreams.” She likes him bc he shows her that there is good even in the darkest places and that you CAN choose to be kind and that the world is fixable and that she has the power to make her dreams come true and that her dreams are important. and I’m just. I’m so feral about this show how does it keep DOING this

[burningstarfishqueen]

Something in the Miraculous movie bothered me. It took time to sort through everything, but I have it now. It’s the way the narrative handled Gabriel Agreste.

(trigger warning—discussions of abuse)

There’s a popular trope across media where an evil character carelessly hurts strangers but won’t harm their loved ones. It’s always annoyed me, but I never thought about it too much.

The show never uses that trope. Audrey’s generally nasty to everyone. She’s mean to strangers, awful to servants and staff, and abuses her husband and daughters. The closer you get, the more she hurts you.

The character I want to analyze is Gabriel Agreste. In the show, he’s a garden variety abuser. His obsession with Émilie escalated to the point where he ignored her wishes entirely, preserving her body in his basement while he fought to control death itself.

Control is the biggest factor in abuse. It’s woven all throughout his character, in every choice, every action, every word. Anytime Gabriel is onscreen with Adrien he is working manipulations to keep Adrien under his thumb.

The Butterfly is based on control. Perhaps not the powers as Nooroo wishes they were used, but the way the story presents them. Monarch sees a weakness in his victim and he takes over their mind, giving them a new name to change them into his puppet.

Gabriel started by abusing his son and trying to control his wife(it’s never made clear what Gabriel and Émilie’s relationship was like, but it wasn’t good). Terrorizing Paris was an escalation.

His love for Adrien could never stop him from hurting Chat Noir, because Gabriel’s love for Adrien isn’t enough to keep him from hurting Adrien himself.

Evil people hurt their families. Love has never stopped them. The kind of man who would terrorize a city, hurting countless strangers, would hurt his own child as well.

Statistics back up this take. There’s a reason murder investigations start with the spouse and continue through the rest of the family. The closer two people are, the more history they have. More reason to help and more reason to hurt. If someone tears down the boundaries stopping them from attacking other people, that applies to those they love just as much.

I have never met an evil person who was not hurting their family. Maybe they exist, but they’re nowhere near as common as fiction would like to believe. I guess it’s a nice fantasy.

Watching an abuse depiction I resonated with get swapped out for the fakest trope I’ve ever seen left a nasty taste in my mouth.

[familyagrestefanblog]

You think Marinette’s emotions were having some.. small opinions about seeing Chat Noir’s black suit revealing more and more white as he slowly detransformes while basically pouring his entire heart out to her when they thought they reached the end of the line, that he secretly still thought so depressingly little of his own value as person this entire time?

Cause ngl, that was probably one of the worst possible places for Adrien’s transformations to mostly vanish in such a horrible situation. And what a gut-punching visual reminder for Marinette that Chat Blanc was not just caused by her breaking his heart (as she slowly learned in season 4 through set-ups and then for good in s5 through pay-offs over time) but so many more reasons playing into Chat’s civilian life she doesnt know the details of that made him so overly depended on his love for her (which is STILL the case Mr. I’m-sorry-Marinette-I’m-not-worthy-of-your-love as his father ruins his life!)

Or let’s talk about that Marinette’s jacket is more dark grey here than outright black and that would make Ladybug more and more look like

the fucking DUST CORPSE he’s afraid of turning her into as her demise

👏But 👏besides 👏that 👏I’m 👏good👏

👏How 👏are👏 you? 👏

[ck2k18]

Whitewashing in the ml fandom and why you shouldnt do (or support) it

Disclaimer: Because I am a Black person and the characters I am talking about are Black, this post will specifically address the white washing of Black people and characters.

What is white washing? White washing in the context of fanart is when you take a character of color, usually one with brown/black skin, and either make their skin lighter, give them more Eurocentric features, or both.

Why is it harmful? To explain why this is harmful, I will use one of the first examples of fanart; renaissance paintings of ancient Greek myths. Specifically, artwork featuring Princess Andromeda. Go to your search engine and type in "princess Andromeda". Based on those images, you would never have known that in the original Greek legends, Andromeda was black. So why is she most often depicted as a white woman?

McGrath’s article was definitive in addressing three things: that all the Greek mythographers placed Andromeda as a princess of Ethiopia, that Ovid specifically refers to her dark skin and that artists throughout Western art history frequently omitted to depict her blackness because Andromeda was supposed to be beautiful, and blackness and beauty – for many of them – was dichotomous.

That quote is from this article, and I highly recommend you give it a read. When you whitewash a character, you are perpetuating the idea in the quote above. That this character you like, whether you like them because they're funny or smart or beautiful, cannot be those things and also have black features.

White washing in miraculous ladybug

The show itself is guilty of whitewashing it's own characters. For example, look at these side by sides of Alya and Max alongside their hero alter egos.

Was this done with malicious intent? Hopefully not. But intentional or not, what it says to the people watching is, "These characters cannot have darker skin and also be heroes." And if you think it's not that deep, it is. The show's inconsistencies can't be used as an excuse for whitewashed fanart, because this shit isn't okay either.

Colorism and whitewashing

I'm going to bring up colorism, because even though Max's skin is lighter in that image, he still looks black. However, that doesn't make it okay.

colorism: prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group:

Lighter skinned Black people, while still targets of racism, are closer to whiteness than darker skinned Black people, and in some cases face less discrimination. When Black people first started to appear on TV, it was generally lighter skinned ones because that was more acceptable. This article goes more in depth about colorism.

Misogynoir and whitewashing.

Misogynoir is a word coined to describe the unique hatred that black women face. It is the intersection of racism and misogyny.

People may whitewash a female presenting character but not a male presenting character. In this fandom, you see it with DJWIFI fanart. People will make alyas skin color significantly lighter than Ninos. One trait of misogyny is tying a womans worth to their beauty. When you realize that beauty and blackness were (and still are) seen as antonyms, the issue with this type of whitewashing is made clear.

Texturism and whitewashing

texturism: a form of social injustice, where afro-textured hair or coarse hair types are viewed negatively, often perceived as "unprofessional", "unattractive", or "unclean".

When Black characters were first introduced to media, aspects of them would be changed to heighten their proximity to whiteness and make them more palatable to white audiences. Black women would get perms or silk presses, and Black men would keep their hair cut short and "tidy."

Note: This does not mean that all Black women with silk presses or perms or all Black men with short hair are trying to heighten their proximity to whiteness, or do not love themselves and their hair.

Animation has a history of not representing Black hair. Nowadays, Black hair is more represented, and beautifully so. Just look at movies like Encanto and Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse or TV shows like Moon girl and Devil Dinosaur.

In Miraculous Ladybug, Max is the only character with blatantly afro hair. Nino's hair is always covered and is cut short, and Alya's hair has a looser texture. Therefore, I give fanartists a pass on that one. However, this is a good thing to be aware of anyway.

How can you help?

Don't create, support, or reblog whitewashed art.

(P.S. if anyone wants to come on this post bripnging up blackwashing, read this post of mine)

[geekdawson]

one of the more valuable things I’ve learned in life as a survivor of a mentally unstable parent is that it is likely that no one has thought through it as much as you have. 

no, your friend probably has not noticed they cut you off four times in this conversation. 

no, your brother didn’t realize his music was that loud while you were studying. 

no, your bff or S.O. doesn’t remember that you’re on a tight deadline right now.

no, no one else is paying attention to the four power dynamics at play in your friend group right now.  

a habit of abused kids, especially kids with unstable parents, is the tendency to notice every little detail. We magnify small nuances into major things, largely because small nuances quickly became breaking points for parents. Managing moods, reading the room, perceiving danger in the order of words, the shift of body weight….it’s all a natural outgrowth of trying to manage unstable parents from a young age. 

Here’s the thing: most people don’t do that. I’m not saying everyone else is oblivious, I’m saying the over analysis of minor nuances is a habit of abuse. 

I have a rule: I do not respond to subtext. This includes guilt tripping, silent treatments, passive aggressive behavior, etc. I see it. I notice it. I even sometimes have to analyze it and take a deep breath and CHOOSE not to respond. Because whether it’s really there or just me over-reading things that actually don’t mean anything, the habit of lending credence to the part of me that sees danger in the wrong shift of body weight…that’s toxic for me. And dangerous to my relationships. 

The best thing I ever did for myself and my relationships was insist upon frank communication and a categorical denial of subtext. For some people this is a moral stance. For survivors of mentally unstable parents this is a requirement of recovery. 

[burningstarfishqueen]

I can’t believe nobody is talking about the most shocking change in the movie!

The following picture reveals the truth about Luka

What is the black line under his closed eye?

Luka. Has. Eyelashes.

[ao3commentoftheday]

I'm just putting this out there because I'm thinking about it and because I want people to know it's not just them.

I don't really read fic anymore. It's not because I stopped liking it, though. It's because I made a rule for myself that I'm not able to follow.

I told myself that if I read a fic, I should comment on it. And not just "I loved it!" but a detailed comment. A live reaction or at least quoting favourite lines. Maybe talk about symbolism or about references I caught or about characterization etc.

I did that because I loved the authors I was reading and because I'd received so many lovely comments like that and I wanted to be able to pass that joy onto others. But then I found it hard to actually comment like that.

I could manage it sometimes? Oneshots weren't too hard, for example, but multichaps? My rule was that I had to comment every chapter. And the kinds of comments I wanted to write, well that meant reading on my laptop because I hate typing on my phone.

Eventually, I felt so guilty when I read fic without commenting on it that I stopped reading fic altogether. Better to just not read if I wasn't able to hold up my end of the bargain.

I shifted out of my fandom not long after that, and I haven't found a new one that's sparked the same interest (ie obsession), so I don't know if I might be able to fix this habit if I ever get into a new fandom in the future. All I know is, don't be like me.

Comment as you can and when you can, but don't set up strict rules like I did. I can't speak for all authors of course, but I know that personally, I'd rather you enjoy my work without commenting at all rather than make yourself feel so guilty you stop reading it altogether.

[burningstarfishqueen]

still thinking about Careless Whisper

would it be in keeping with the tone of the Miraculous movie

Marinette slips his mask onto her face

Adrien tears up

and starts singing

“Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down.”

[burningstarfishqueen]

just thinking

Marinette wouldn’t like movie Adrien

she’d coax him out of his shell

he’d be one of many friends she cares about

but what traits of his would draw her in?

none of them

that’s sad to me

that out there in another universe

there’s an Adrien Marinette wouldn’t love

[burningstarfishqueen]

The Miraculous movie took out the interesting parts of the show.

There’s no love square. The main selling point of Miraculous Ladybug, the reason people love it and watch it, is just missing.

The ladynoir in the movie is fine. The dynamic isn’t as good, but considering how little time they had it’s decent. I believe they like each other, and they have some cute moments.

Adrinette is basically nothing. Marinette likes Adrien because the script told her to, and there’s a montage that might be Adrien liking her back? Maybe? This relationship should’ve been massively expanded on or cut entirely.

Ladrien and marichat aren’t there at all. It’s not a big deal. There isn’t much time and I wasn’t expecting those ships.

The problem is that there are no identity shenanigans in the movie. It’s ladynoir with bare scraps of adrinette. There’s no fun to be had with the love square.

The other huge missing piece is that Gabriel isn’t an abuser. He’s just a bad father who couldn’t grieve his wife. He doesn’t have a conscience, but that’s hardly shocking in a rich, white man.

Adrien only bears a superficial resemblance to his tv counterpart.

On the show, Adrien grew up isolated and abused. His mother disappeared and he was trapped in his room to grieve alone. Gabriel controls his every move. He’s so starved for affection he clings to anything that looks like care. He keeps his heart open through everything. Adrien’s hope is unshakeable.

Movie Adrien lost his mother and his father pulled away from him. He closed himself off to avoid the pain. There’s nothing wrong with this character, though he is horribly cliche. He’s just not Adrien.

Marinette’s anxiety is quite well handled. She’s the most competent part of the movie. Her chaos is missing. There are no complex plans, none of the creative genius that makes her Ladybug.

I won’t spoil the ending. All the pieces are fine, it’s just very half-hearted. It doesn’t really land.

What saves this movie is the cringe. It’s by far the best part, but the show also has plenty of cringe. Although, nothing can quite stack up to Careless Whisper as the soundtrack to Adrien’s tears. 10/10, funniest thing I’ve ever seen.

[burningstarfishqueen]

Ladybug holds out her hand. Chat Noir gazes up at her in awe, hesitantly reaching back. Cue Careless Whisper!

Later, Adrien’s sobbing because Ladybug rejected him, and they play Careless Whisper again. I laughed too much; my throat hurts.

I feel mean.

Adrien’s lying there crying while Careless Whisper, CARELESS WHISPER plays.

Still cackling.

Careless Whisper. Careless Whisper, I can’t.

My cat is worried about me. He thinks I’m going to choke laughing.

[kisilinramblings]

In your opinion, who ought to tell Adrien about the fact he is a Sentihuman?

Nathalie (She was involved in the process + has Émilie's recorded messages)

Félix (He's Adrien's cousin + is a Senti too + is the Holder of the Peacock)

Ladybug (Please cite your reasons)

Voting ended onAug 3, 2023

For the "Gabriel was Monarch" secret, please check this poll.

[burningstarfishqueen]

imagine Félix hunting for Ryūko/Argos works, clicking a link and being asked verify you are human

[burningstarfishqueen]

spoilers for the season five finale

Wrung Out

Chat Noir’s legs hung limp off the ledge. The sun rose over Paris. Clouds tinged the sky orange and scarlet. His eyes stung. 

His cheeks had dried. Salty tear tracks stood out on his skin, all the way to his collar. 

Ladybug’s breaths were quiet, even in the silence. He didn’t look at her. 

Echoes of shouts rasped in his throat. 

They’d sat on the Eiffel Tower, just apart enough they didn’t touch, for long enough. 

Rising to his feet, Chat let his gaze rest on her. Slowly, her head turned to him. 

She’d been angry—scared—before. The line of her mouth had softened. Her eyelids drooped. 

Her cheek could’ve been swollen. A bruise in purple, his father’s colors. For all his rage he’d never touch her. 

A nightmare burned to dust. 

He offered his hand. Her grip was strong. 

His voice was a weak croak. “You and me against the world?” 

It wasn’t a smile on her face, but she didn’t let go. 

“Always.” 

[burningstarfishqueen]

a fallout fic, for the season five finale

He wasn’t alone. Adrien perched at the edge of the couch, Marinette lounging beside him. She’d finally relaxed. Graceful fingers played across her controller. Her chest rose and fell smoothly, a bit of her shirt wrinkling with each easy breath. 

Victory sounded. 

“Ha!” Her lipgloss shone in the sunlight. “Were you even trying?” 

He wanted to kiss her, but she’d been shy since their first. “Alas, your beauty overwhelms me effortlessly!” Hand clasped to his heart, he flopped into the pillows. 

“You’re such a dork.” 

“Your dork.” 

She leaned in. The bars on his window cast a shadow over her face. He reached out like it was a stain he could clean. His fingers brushed her skin and he could feel her shaking. His hand fell away. 

“Marinette-”

“When did it get so late? Time passes so quickly around you, Adrien. I have somewhere to be.” 

A glance at the clock showed it was patrol. He did need her to leave, but not like this. He caught her wrist in the gentlest hold. “Come by tomorrow?” 

“Of course.” She smiled brightly. “I love you, Adrien. Isn’t it great how everything worked out like this?” Lips pressed to his cheek in a lukewarm kiss. “Bye!” 

The way she ran brought back the first weeks of their relationship, when his touch triggered her and she fled from him. 

At least he had to meet Ladybug. Transforming, he escaped through the bars and vaulted to their meeting point. He sat down to wait for her. 

His father’s statue cut the sky like Chloé’s had, but Miraculous Ladybug wouldn’t whisk this one away. An eternal memory of the night his father died defeating Monarch. He’d thought he’d grieve more. Instead, the summer sun chilled him and a weight stayed in his stomach. He’d sobbed in Marinette’s arms the first day, but since then he couldn’t feel the right pain. 

Gabriel Agreste was a good man. He’d been right to call Chat an uncontrolled child. In his mind, he’d dared think his father was abusive. What sort of son thought that? He’d been ready to cataclysm him. 

His father was the kind of person who stood with Ladybug against Monarch, while Adrien, the superhero, crumbled alone in a white cell. 

Feet tapped on the rooftop behind him. He rearranged his features and turned to see her. Ladybug’s expression was unreadable, her face raised to the statue. 

“Hey, Bug.” 

A flinch. “Mon chatounet.” She offered her hand and he took it. 

They stood side by side, looking up. Chat’s lip twisted. 

“We should patrol,” she said. 

“There isn’t much to do anymore. Not after he saved us from Monarch.” 

“Are you mad at him?” 

Why had there been so much venom in his voice? His fingers clenched. “Why would you think that?” 

She laughed. “Nobody’s mad anymore. The world’s been great since I defeated Monarch. We, I mean. Gabriel Agreste and I!” 

“He helped you.” 

Her arms crossed over her chest as she twisted away. “That happened.” 

Frustration built in his throat. 

“Everything’s good again,” she said, “since he was so trustworthy.” 

He spat out the words: “I don’t believe you.” 

Slowly, Ladybug’s head tipped up. His father smiled down on her. 

“I’m right.” 

Her head shook, frantic. 

Chat put a hand on her shoulder and he was thrown on his back. Ladybug was above him, palms pressed to her ears. “Sorry!” 

Her lies, her new fears, even the way she stood added up to one thing. “He took your Miraculous.” 

She swallowed. “He made the Wish.” 

“For Maman. Père is Monarch.” His lungs didn’t have enough air. “Then how did he die?” 

Her breath hitched. He followed her eyes to the Black Cat ring. 

His body moved on its own, legs carrying him to the edge. 

“Chaton-”

He hardly heard her. 

Dropping into the square, he stood at his father’s feet, craning his neck to try to see his face. It was too far. 

“Cataclysm.” 

Rot ripped through the statue in moments. If only it could’ve killed the real thing so quickly. Magic ripped into the ground. It’d leave a scar. 

Ashes rained around Chat Noir, thick enough to blot out the sun. 

[burningstarfishqueen]

a surprisingly dark ending, for Marinette to win the physical battle and lose the psychological one

always trusting, always failing because of it

reality bent to Gabriel’s will, her falling victim to and cooperating with his twisted desires

Marinette and Adrien each fight alone, and they both lose

season six will be heavy

[burningstarfishqueen]

headcanon: Marinette covers herself in tattoos

She knows as the Guardienne she will lose every memory she’s making. She has them inked on her skin in defiance.