Hawkmoths/Mayuras glass window + scenery appreciation post
This is a post I’ve been meaning to do for a long while already and now I accidentally found a solid reason to finally do so!
But I’ll start with the beginning because this is an appreciation post and I want you all to appreciate every little aspect of this beautiful glass window with me.
Hawkmoths butterfly glass window + scenery
Quickly starting with the basics here because there is not too much to unpack. Hawkmoths butterfly window is the most direct and obvious side of the window, since it’s the one we see every episode because Hawkmoth is/has been the main villain since day 1. I don’t think there is a single person in a Fandom who hasn’t noticed the implied butterfly in it. As seen above, the butterfly spreads across the whole window and it’s present to us from a tilted side perspective from the left corner of the room, slightly looking up.
The “corner and up” perspective gives Hawkmoths presence in the room a more threatening and uneasy feeling, highlighting his chaotic and uncontrollable tendencies and persona. The slight tilt of the “camera” and his stand also functions as a visualization of Gabriels unstable mind.
The window itself is the highest focus point in the picture and the light falling through it throws light and shadows on the floor, in which Hawkmoth himself is standing in the bright center of it. This and the big butterfly on it tells us one thing inmediadly: Hawkmoth is in charge now. Through it we see Paris the way Gabriel sees it in this moment. Far beneath him, small and unimportant (Paris is blurry out of focus).
Mayuras peacock glass window + scenery
Yes with this I mean the scene in “Mayura” where Natalie stood in HM lair and used the miraculous to “akumatize” Gabriel.
Right of the bat one can notice that the scenery is giving quite different feelings to the viewer. The perspective we are given for her is straight upfront and (again) looking up (same as with him, Paris is far beneath her, small and still blurry out of focus. It and it’s citizens are unimportant to her.) In comparison to Hawkmoths tilted side perspective, it tells us that Mayura is more focused and calmer/more collected than him (as we have seen in her scene in “Mayura”). She’s not here to make a show, she’s not taking unnecessary chaotic/sadistic enjoyment out of it (though I’m sure Natalie is enjoying herself just fine as Mayura/Catalyst) the way Gabriel/Hawkmoth does, she’s BUSINESS! Hawkmoth may mean serious business too but her focus and straight forwardness brings her to another level (still do NOT underestimate this man, Mayura being more focused doesn’t mean he’s not a serious force to reckoned with. He’s highly dangerous and a league for himself!)
Back to the window and to the next visual point. Unlike Hawkmoth Mayura is not standing neatly in the middle of the center of the light. She’s a few steps off and for her the window isn’t fully in frame anymore. Meaning the butterfly is not viewable for us anymore. Instead we get a view on the window that shows us this:
Now instead of the butterfly we have Mayuras mask in the focus of the window.
The way she’s standing in the light but not on Hawkmoths propper place, how her symbol is in the window but unlike his not on the entirety of it and that the room is now colored in her blue but the personal and owning aspect of the butterflies is gone (now its just empty) let’s the viewer understand straight away that Mayura took over and is now in charge of the villain room that doesn’t belong to her!
This fits perfectly and perfectly forshadows what we have been told about Mayura before met her. She an even bigger and worse threat/evil than Hawkmoth and will “make him look like a baby”. She will overthrow him!
But frankly, that’s not what I wanna focus on here
This comparison between Hawkmoths and Mayuras symolism and presentation in and of the window was originally the reason I wanted to do the application post. I just thought it was so freaking awesome how they managed to put two villain symbols into it and presented the needed one and Hawkmoths/Mayuras mannerisms to us through the placing of the “camera”.
But two nights ago, I looked at these two window pictures trying to analyze the details (and honestly just starring at it because it’s just so visually appealing and pleasing and just such marvelous work imo)
So I just laid in my bed gushing over its awesome design when I saw it and I just
Okay 1. That’s a cat, plain and simple. And this is not a coincidence or just accidentally looks like a cat. I literally don’t think that’s humanly possible to accomplish with how detailed the cat is in the woven linework and how big it is (literally half of the window/half of the butterfly symbol). It’s there because they want Adrien in there. Make with this information whatever you want.
2. Or you know what? Do that later. I’m gonna ask you now to take a step back for 3 more minutes and to just appreciate the insane level of design and craftsmanship that went into this window to put THREE layers/perspectives of character symbols into it while at the same time making 2 of them subtle enough to never overpower the third (and main one) in a normal episode.
Seriously, whoever designed this is a bloody brilliant genius and I hope they’ve got a raise for it. This is just.. just.. I really can’t find another word for it, IT’S MIRACULOUS, that’s what it is! Like, I dead-ass lost almost 3 hours of sleep that night, because I lost my shit after finding the cat and I simply couldn’t stop fangirling about the BRILLIANCY of the window! Working and coming up with this had to have been so frustrating, infuriating and complicated. Redoing ideas and sketches over and over and OVER again, to then having to scratch them entirely,had to have been a complete pain in the arse but GOSH I swear it was so worth it! I am in love with this window and it’s easily one of my favorite visual story elements of the entire show.
I’m giving my permission to spread these pictures everywhere you like. I really want this to get the attention and appreciation it deserves and therefore you can take/use it. No credit needed.
Here a better “cat glass window” picture
annaxmalina
romaincrisis
snowghoul
kaledo-art
janainaart