I'm just saying, having the gaang all together again after the events of the movie would likely result in chill shenanigans and good times and unfinished business...
Toph: Hey Sparky...
Zuko: Yeah, Toph?
Toph: We never did go on our life-changing field trip.
Zuko: I suppose so...
Toph: Well. I'm here...you're here.
Zuko: Toph, that sounds great, but I have a nation to run-
Toph: I'm just saying, what if we died-
Zuko: *groans*
Toph: -and I never got a chance to go on a life-changing field trip.
Sokka: We did actually die, though.
Zuko: Sokka...
Toph: YOU LET ME DIE WITHOUT EVER GOING ON A FIELD TRIP?!
With my rekindled interest for A:TLA (which I loved growing up, and now the hyperfixation is in full swing), I wish more than anything for something slice-of-life with the gaang. Animation would be amazing, but I'm perfectly thrilled to have comics, and theories, and stories, and just about anything that lets them be together and be them.
Because I can never have enough of group dynamics with people that are simultaneously brilliant and also playing hot potato with the one brain cell.
And also the group dynamic where everyone is totally aware that their friend is totally capable of being a badass with their mindblowing skills while also totally 100% committed to trouncing whoever tries to hurt them.
(And besides, slice-of-life can include feats of badassery and battles just as much as shenanigans. Because with the Avatar, a master waterbender, a brilliant tactician and warrior, the Greatest Earthbender in the World, a prince- turned-fugitive-turned-dragonfire-wielding Firelord, and a Kiyoshi Warrior, what else could one expect?)
For those that say that Donald abandoned Mickey due to his cowardice, that’s not what happened, okay?
Okay, so maybe his cowardice did play a part, but it’s so much more than that. Donald has always been known to have an Inferiority Complex and right now this is the perfect example of it. He didn’t run away because he was afraid. He left because he thought he was useless.
Before this scene they had a brief conversation in which Mickey said “We defeated them once, didn’t we?” And Donald replied, “I was hiding!” How do you think Donald felt when after all these years of “We can do this together!” and “The three of us are a team!”, then suddenly he found out that Mickey and Goofy were completely capable of taking out the bad guys without him? This got him into the mindset of “Hey, so they don’t really need me.” To make things worse, Mickey and Goofy don’t notice this and happily credit him also about saving the Princess. The only reasons he stuck around was because a) he was still a friend and he wanted to be with them and b) I believe partly because of Daisy. When this whole musketeer thing got too far and too dangerous (he was almost beheaded, guys), he did the first thing he’d been thinking about doing all this time: run away.
And here’s where his loyalty come in. He could’ve just ran away after escaping Pete’s castle of doom, but instead he came back to warn Mickey and Goofy, and tried desperately to get Mickey away from there when he found out that “they got Goofy, too”. And when Mickey tried to get him to stay, all his guilt about doing nothing in the confrontation before came back in full force. He knew Mickey might need help, but it certainly won’t be his, because his help won’t make a difference. Just look at him here. Look at his face. He knows it’s wrong to leave. He doesn’t want to leave. But he just can’t bring himself to believe Mickey that he can do any good by staying.
The last words he said to Mickey before leaving was “I’m sorry, Mickey. But I can’t. I just can’t.” It’s not “I can’t, because I’m afraid.” It’s “I can’t, because it wouldn’t matter if I stayed, anyway.”
This is just something that I’ve been wanting to rant about for a long time. I’m sorry for all the text. QwQ
The thing I found most intriguing about Strike Back (measured arbitrarily by the amount of time my brain returns to focus and mull over despite thinking of all the fascinating points the whole finale brought up) is that it brought the series back to where it started.
Kind of.
The series started with the duo of Ladybug and Chat Noir against Hawkmoth. Just the two of them.
And now we're back to the two of them, facing off against him again.
Albeit with Hawkmoth having a lot more powers...
(And yes, Felix has the Peacock Miraculous, so he's going to probably be doing something too, in the shadows in the background if nothing else. It's not exactly the same. Shhhhh...)
But we've also got plot arcs that have been running through the past few seasons, and characters that have been developing, and relationships that have been growing and changing.
So there's a potential for more undercurrents going on during the Ladybug & Chat Noir partnership that weren't there. And I'm excited to see what happens!
(I will admit, I also focus a little too much that the crowd is chanting Ladybug’s name only. But Chat is clearly totally on board with her getting as much support as possible and not upset; besides, Shadowmoth called her alone out about the loss of the Miraculous so she really needed to hear that Paris supported her. So I admit that's nit-picky on my part 🤣)
So imagine, on Adrinette's wedding. Adrien will give Marinette his ring and will trust her with his existence from then on 😭.
Sorry, this isn't nice, I would have loved for the SentiAdrien theory to be fake, but... It's not a choice anymore... That got me thinking
Their children will probably take the ring after Marinette's death at probably 120 years old... I mean Master Fu has lived very long so it could happen. I don't want to think about the science behind magically made genes and how any children of them would live if part of the source dies. So Adrien is inmortal now and he will be able to switch ages to look younger depending the situation... Yes, that will work...
My mind went on a little trip along that head canon.
So, picture this: one day the two of them are fighting, nothing big, just a fight that is not uncommon to people that are married and are living with each other, sometimes you get on each other's nerves. Imagine Marinette getting frustrated and yelling something like, "Just stop it!"
And then Adrien freezes. Which makes Marinette freeze in horror at what she inadvertently just triggered with the ring and pretty much tables what they were arguing about so they can hug, freak out, and comfort each other.
Eventually, they set up a box where the two of them can place their rings for safe keeping when they get mad and feel a vent coming on; Marinette because no matter she gets at Adrien, loves him and never wants to hurt him, and Adrien in solidarity.
On a slightly more humorous(?) note, imagine their kids eventually discerning that fights starting means the rings come off. The first fight with their SOs will probably really startle them because the rings coming off will definitely be misconstrued.
As we see the dynamics of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s friendship/partnership/relationship continue to develop throughout season 4, I continue to ship this the most:
Characters x Honest, In-depth Conversation
We’ve been holding off on that for a bit there because:
A. Marinette as Ladybug is not only super stressed from taking on the responsibilities from being the Guardian but theoretically terrified about sharing too much with Chat Noir in fear of triggering the end of the world (even though it’s mostly their identities that apparently trigger that, although do they trigger that now, where the heck is Bunnix, I need clarification). So, with everything and everyone changing around her, Chat Noir is the one constant in her superhero-ing that she can’t even fathom changing until he snaps and temporarily gives up the Miraculous.
B. Adrien as Chat Noir is both very emotional and also very good at stuffing those emotions behind a very smooth mask both as a civilian and as a superhero because he’s had a whole lifetime being trained that you do not share anything or complain about anything because heaven forbid you not be perfect. So he not only doesn’t share that he’s got problems with their dynamic on his own, but it’s second nature to shove it under the rug when Ladybug notices something is amiss (i.e. Rocketear).
So, their talking at the end of Kuro Neko is good, but it is just the first step in the right direction. They only got thirty seconds to really hash out a season’s build-up of miscommunication, emotional fatigue, and frustration because...single episode of a kid’s show. I hope we have more talking in the coming episodes. Both apologized to each other, which is good - but also barely scraped the surface of what that build-up has been for both of them.
I currently hope that Alya and Luka get collectively fed up and team up to lock them in a room somewhere, illusioned or otherwise, and have them hash their stuff out. Because they both need to be able to speak and to be heard.
I have watched Kuro Neko, and once again I let the spoilers pummel my emotions like a punching bag. Because the episodes are never as angsty and soul crushing as the fandom speculates them to be.
So, yay, Marinette isn't spitting on the ashes of her partnership with Chat Noir! And Adrien is edging his way towards self-awareness!
So, yay for at least temporary resolution! But also, where is the ANGST?
Yes, I want them to both be happy but I want them to suffer a bit first apparently 😅
I really liked Glaciator 2.0 for a plethora of reasons.
But besides the awesome Marichat and the discussion of how to appropriately process and demonstrate romantic feelings for someone and smooth teamwork defeating Glaciator (and man, hasn't Chat improved since he tried driving a bus during the kissing zombie attack), I really liked the part where Marinette and Chat were getting on the bus to the movies.
Because of how everyone responded to Chat - the Parisians were cheerfully greeting him and showing their appreciation, and Chat was cheerfully and smoothly acknowledging it.
Like it was a common thing he gets to experience. He wasn't surprised or shocked, just chill and appreciative.
And with all the angst he's personally been experiencing about his own perceived value on the team...it's really nice that other people recognize it.
Including Marinette, who looks so pleased to watch her Kitty get his due as one of the Heroes of Paris. She clearly has a lot of respect for him, even when he drives her crazy.
Which solidifies, in my mind, that respect has never been part of the currently forming cracks in their partnership. Poor communication definitely is, though. But they've started communicating here, KEEP GOING KIDS!
(Also very relieved that the spoiled script for this episode, which made it look like there would be a major rift in the relationship because of the article and some thought Chat might have been pushing the contest more than the - admittedly poorly timed - references he made during the battle, didn't quite happen that way. NEVER TRUST SPOILERS, lol.
I've learned that from hard experience, I'm also a Merlin fan.)
So, Astrochat destroyed that galactic gallette, and then casually peaced out back to earth.
On the one hand, his practically nonplussed reaction to Cataclysming something that has a greater circumference than Earth and just zooming back home like it's just a typical day is kind of like those guys in action movies who trigger explosions and just casually walk away with the inferno behind them. So, really freaking chill and hard-core. I can respect that.
ON THE OTHER HAND - Chat, you just blew up an entire planet!
Chat Noir felt like he and Ladybug made an unbreakable, unstoppable team. But as time passes, and he feels more and more pushed to the side by those he considered friends, cracks are showing in their bond.
Additional Tags: Season 4 Spoilers, Post-Episode: s04 Larme Ultime | Rocketear, Post-Episode: s04 Sentibulleur | Sentibubbler, Hurt No Comfort, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Heck I need a hug at this point
After reading @gale-gentlepenguin’s Rogue Noir headcanon posts here, I got an idea for a ficlet about one of Rogue Noir’s and Ladybug’s interactions after he broke off their partnership - mostly on how he could catch akumas alone.
I hope you enjoy!
~~~
Ladybug threw her yoyo towards the closest building, the whirring of the string and the subsequent burning in her muscles as she launched through the air mentally grounding her with their familiarity. It shouldn't be this quiet, especially with an akuma on the loose.
Wind whistled past her ears as she threw the yoyo again; she'd managed to catch Nadja's broadcast before transforming and, while she hadn't quite identified what the akuma did, the yelling of the Parisian crowds probably meant it didn't have silencing powers. Ears straining to hear a sound, any sound, she swung through the vacated streets.
Cl-cl-cl-click, cl-cl-cl-click.
Metallic tapping echoed over the empty streets, and she adjusted her grip on the yoyo string to swing in the direction of the sound. Ladybug landed on the rooftop and her breath caught a little at the familiar silhouette of her partner, legs dangling over the side of the roof, fingers rhythmically tapping beside him.
No, not my partner anymore. She swallowed hard at the memory of his cold tone as he renounced their partnership.
His ears, the left one slightly tattered and worn as though he had been in a fight, twisted slightly backwards, and he turned towards her. The absence of his smile and golden bell usually around his neck made her throat tighten even more against the prickle of tears.
“Hello, Chato-” She caught herself. “Rogue Noir.”
He inclined his head slightly, his claws not slowing in their staccato drumming. “Ladybug.”
“Have you - uh - seen the akuma?” She hadn’t felt so off-kilter since their first battle, and he’d been on her side then.
His lips twitched into something between a smirk and a scowl, and he tilted to the side. “Way ahead of you.”
Ladybug looked in the direction that he indicated to see a figure bound and lying on its side in the corner. “Chat!” She exclaimed, rushing over to the victim. “What did you -”
Her former partner stopped the tapping on the rooftop and held a finger to his lips. “Shh, Ladybug. You’ll wake him up.”
Sure enough, the young man snored lightly in his bindings, a look of peace on his face. The sheets and sheets of handwritten pages engulfing his figure fluttered faintly in the breeze.
“He wore himself out,” Rogue Noir stated bluntly. “Apparently rampaging against the people who stole his journal really wore him out.” He held up one hand, examining his fingers, and Ladybug swallowed at the savage length of his claws. “So it wasn’t that hard to persuade him to take a break, once I’d torn his journal.”
“But, akuma?”
Rogue’s lips twitched again and he pointed down at his other hand. “Here.”
Ladybug looked down and saw where his claws had splayed out and cupped against the ground. Cataclysm buzzed and hissed between his spread fingers and, as she squinted, she could just see the outline of a purple butterfly fluttering just shy of the barrier of destructive energy.
She cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say. “I - I didn’t know you could do that.”
Her former partner lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Neither did I. But it’s surprising what I’m capable of, if given the chance. And I didn’t want to Cataclysm it. You can purify it, and besides…” His eyes almost softened, although his features remained set in the same stare. “I’m not going to destroy something that’s just a pawn in someone else’s game. I can sympathize.”
Ladybug winced. “Chat, that’s not--”
His gaze steeled again. “I’m not Chat anymore. Here, it’s all yours.”
The Cataclysm vanished back into his claws, and he flexed his hand as the akuma fluttered into the air. Ladybug mechanically purified the butterfly, feeling Rogue’s cold gaze freezing into her back.
“Bye, bye, little butterfly,” she whispered, watching the white wings flap against the blue sky.
She could feel more than hear Rogue move closer, standing just shy of beside her. Glancing over, she watched his eyes track the pathway of the butterfly across the sky. Wind whistled over the top of the roof, and if she squinted a little, she could fool herself into thinking it was just another afternoon on patrol or that they were flush in victory after an akuma battle, standing side by side with her kitty as they looked over the city they protected. She could imagine him smiling that confident smile at her, extending his fist towards her.
But then she blinked, and her eyes refocused as she came back to reality. His posture aggressive and guarded rather than casual, Rogue stood stiffly with his arms crossed, his extended claws nearly piercing the material of his costume. The familiar golden bell no longer glinted at his throat, having never reappeared after Shadowmoth had attempted to akumatized the Black Cat Miraculous holder.
(She had been afraid for so long about him becoming Chat Blanc, that she should have been relieved beyond measure that he’d resisted the akumatization. And she had been, but then his bitter expression had only soured more as he flung the bell down with the Cataclysm. Her hopes of reforming their bond crushed into dust along with the bell as it settled on the ground before he stepped on it. No one had ever compared her to Shadowmoth, and she had never dreamed that Chat would --)
She swallowed, and Rogue’s eyes swivelled to her, the color familiar but the shape savage, searching, their warmth that had been so stabilizing to her replaced by a cold stare that sank deep into her bones as their eyes met.
Ladybug stepped forward, reaching out for him. “Look, could we--”
Her former partner stepped smoothly backwards away from her grasp, his shoulders jerking. “I’ll leave you to it,” he cut off her plea, his head tilted just enough to be considered a nod.
“To...it?”
“Getting him home? Talking to the press?” He shrugged. “Hero stuff.”
“Why don’t you?”
Rogue snorted. “Because you’re the hero, right? Besides, I don’t know if anyone will buy the threat’s over without your -” He wiggled his fingers. “ - magical ladybugs.”
The claws of his feet scraped against the edge of the roof and he lifted up his fingers to sketch a sardonic salute. Memories of cheerier salutes, paired with gleaming eyes and cheeky smiles, flooded her and made her choke.
Disdain dripped from his words, palpable and poisonous between them. He stepped backwards towards the edge of the roof, the distance separating them growing. Ladybug wanted to follow, but couldn’t move.
“Later, LB,” he said flatly.
And then stepped off the roof.
Ladybug found herself moving then, rushing to the edge with her breath caught in the throat.
The telltale sound of his baton extending nearly brought her to tears and she watched the black blur fly through the alleys and buildings until she couldn’t see him anymore.
~~~
Check out @gale-gentlepenguin for a thorough understanding of his head canon. It’s angsty and delightful! Thanks for letting me write about this!
I really am feeling sorry for both members of the original Chat and Bug/Bug and Chat team right now.
Adrien, of course, because we have seem him feeling more and more isolated and useless as a superhero and as a friend (and as a son, but that started way before this season). He's feeling left out and unwanted, and this is only going to blow up in their faces eventually.
But also for Marinette, who's about to get blindsided by this explosion in the most painful way possible. Because she's a teenager shouldering the intimidating burden of being the Guardian and only just managed to keep from cracking under the pressure by confiding in a friend. So, she's finally experiencing relief regarding her role and feels like she's getting a handle with what's going on – and has no clue the powderkeg that hers and Chat's relationship is perched on right now. Mostly because he's really, really good at slapping a fake model smile on, especially when pressed.
What's going to hurt worse, the slow sinking into the quagmire of depression, or the sudden shock of having the rug yanked out from under you that sends you crashing down?
(Or alternatively, being Luka, and the audience, and just watching this whole thing unfold...)
Their faces are so desperate and sad in both the flashback and the present - they just want to find each other! Wails
I just hope that Marinette doesn't freak out when Adrien gets her attention in the present...especially with how clearly she saw his profile in the flashback...
Okay screw it. I don't know why I'm the only one freaking out over this but I lost so much sleep last night because of the new Ml leak where AstroChat sends a creation of Tikkis out of control powers to hell on a cosmic level, and to hell with it I'll talk about it!
I'm gonna break down everything my mind spit out last night on this post, so LET'S GO:
As I already said in more detail on another post but Chat Noir is literally causing an even MUCH bigger scale of destruction than Chat Blanc. Tikkis creation is many times larger than our earth and Adrien is actively choosing to send that thing to hell unlike in "Chat Blanc" where the destruction of the world and moon happened unintentionally because his powers got out of control caused by his akumatization and fucking awful circumstances.
Okay. Next detail:
Just how MUCH energy did he release?? He's GLOWING! I immediately assumed that it definitely would take him more effort to destroy that thing than the simple touch we see in the leak, but that's another level!
Next
I don't know what exactly it is and how it can be THIS long (maybe also created by Tikki?) but AstroChat has some sort of rope around his hand, which screams "when shit goes down help me come back to earth again" to me
Initially I thought he's extending his Staff in the first Pic but I realized that that makes hardly any sense considering he's in AstroChat Modus.
The savety rope is most likely going to be seriously needed because OH MY GOD
That wave of destruction is 100% going to get him! This is animation. If Chat Noir isn't supposed to be hit here in the next shot then they wouldn't animate the wave directly clashing with him.
Which brings me to the necessity of him doing this in the first place. Because all of this is unapologetically a possible suicide mission and I'm pretty sure he's aware that.
If the spoilers and confirmations by Gloob are correct then Tikki getting out of control and all of this is going to happen in the episode where Marinettes parents will get akumatized.
Ladybugs powers can possibly not undo this thing because it's created by Tikki and it's not even sure if Marinette was able to transform already at this point or if this things has to be destroyed for Tikki to get normal again. Which would mean there is no way to quickly send another miraculous holder into battle to help Chat Noir. Renas power of illusion is not of use here and Adrien has no reason to believe that Alya has access to the miraculous. Which is also up to question in general if she even could get them right now since Marinettes parents getting akumatized could very likely make their home unaccessible in some Form, meaning an additional miraculous can't be brought into battle through going to the Miracle box and Marinette still being unable to transform means she can't use the only other way of getting a miraculous: her yo-yo.
Honestly, Ladybug being absent and Chat Noir thinking he's now the only person who can prevent this gigantic thing from possibly crashing earth is the only way I can see this happening.
Marinette would never ask Chat Noir to do this because of how dangerous it is and because she has never seen him use his powers on this scale (besides Chat Blanc) to even think about this option. I'm pretty convinced it was Adrien own decision to do this because of Ladybugs absence and the incoming end of the world, fully aware that this time it could very easily cost him his life.
Actually Adrien being willing to make the heros sacrifice here knowing there is no miraculous ladybug to bring him back, would pay off the set up of "Lies" which showed that Chat tends to self sacrifice himself so easily by the start of season 4 because Adrien feels so save with Ladybug that he doesn't think his sacrifices could ever come with fatal consequences for himself. Now he would do the sacrifice knowing it could very well cost him his life because our boy is one hell of a heroic soul
And when I'm already at it, let's go all out now.
So Chat Noir is indeed hit by the damn destruction wave and he doesn't fucking make it (but the viewer doesn't know that yet and it's never really too graphic). The destruction of Tikkis creation made her go normal again and Marinette is finally able to first catch and purify her parents akumas (which she did somehow idk, maybe she will reveal herself to her parents and they free themselves? Damn thats actually really likely...), while people are freaking out because a cosmic explosion the size of what? VENUS?? Went off right besides damn earth.
Whoever was on the other side of the rope-like thing around Chats hand is also freaking out because the destruction wave just caught up with Chat and people are desperately trying to bring him back to earth. They manage it but since Adrien isn't going to God damn MOVE anymore after not having made it Chat is now just god damn free falling towards earth and Ladybug catches him before he crashes.
The day is saved but Chat remains unresponsive in Ladybugs arms back on earth and after a bit it dawns on her that he's gone. Marinette reacts with denial and panic causing Ladybug to FINALLY develop her separate healing powers to bring him back.
BECAUSE CAN YOU IMAGINE LADYBUG DEVELOPING HER HEALING POWERS TO BRING CHAT NOIR BACK TO LIFE? I SURE CAN!!!!!
Again:
HOW AM I THE ONLY PERSON CURRENTLY FREAKING OUT OVER THE NEW ML LEAK??????
I don't know why, but my brain, when you wrote that he didn't make it, I fully thought that that meant he'd disintegrated in the blast, like in the Shanghai Special.
Which then made me wonder what would happen if he disintegrated. Would the ring get destroyed in the blast? Probably not, it's the house of the Miraculous of Destruction!
So...imagine Tikki snapping out of it (if this is the episode where Tikki goes crazy) and reuniting with Marinette. Imagine the ring just...appearing next to them.
And that's how Marinette knows that her partner didn't make it.
(Also, I know that Miraculous Ladybug brought him back and the ring never appeared next to her in Shanghai, so why would it happen here? I don't know, just made me wonder...)
Because dang this season, the angst just keeps coming and hurting me so good...
