#kwami headcanons

[mymiraclebox]

The Set Up of the Mother Box

So this is the main canon Miracle Box, which already has its established setup, though I do have a few of my own thoughts and headcanons about it. Canon seems to have based them around the ideas of Yinyang, Wuxing, and the Zodiac.

In my headcanons these kwamis are not the literal embodiments of these philosophies, but rather their existing powers were matched up with ones the Celestial Guardian felt they could best symbolize. So the kwamis and philosophies existed separately before they were brought together in this Miracle Box.

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Yinyang -Ladybug – Tikki – Yang -Black Cat – Plagg – Yin

I think there's a good argument for Tikki and Plagg representing either sides of Yinyang; but personally I like Yang (white) for Tikki and Yin (black) for Plagg. Not just because Yin matches Plagg in color; but I think a lot of the other aspects of Yin and Yang symbolism fit these two the best. While Yang does represent masculinity and Tikki uses she/her pronouns and vice versa with Plagg and Yin, I don't think this applies to the kwamis too much, especially since I don't think the kwamis had any concept of gender until they came to earth. Also with the show giving Marinette a lot of the classical masculine roles and Adrien the feminine, I think this pairing works even better.

As for their arrangement in the Miracle Box, specifically when Fu was Guardian, I'd keep it the same. The Black Cat being on the Yang half, and Ladybug on the Yin, but with the Miraculouses themselves being placed on the center dots on the opposite color. which again puts Plagg with Yin and Tikki with Yang, showing the Yin within Yang and vice versa.

While Yinyang doesn't directly symbolize Creation and Destruction, it overall together symbolizes many different powerful opposing forces that are intertwined to create balance, which I think fits Tikki and Plagg very well, making this symbolism connection pretty strong overall in my opinion.

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Wuxing Butterfly – Nooroo – Wood Peacock – Duusu – Fire Turtle – Wayzz – Earth Bee – Pollen – Metal Fox – Trixx – Water

There are many different ways these kwamis probably could be matched up with the elements of Wuxing, and I went through several different versions myself, and this version is the one I like most. Of course these kwamis don't have any elemental powers themselves, but like how Wuxing symbolizes cycles and processes more than they do literal elements, I feel it is the same with the kwamis and what they symbolize.

Wuxing also has a lot of connections to the body and medicine, along with certain colors, seasons, animals and even more that they are paired to, which I won't be focusing on with these pairings, as it just won't align with what canon has given us. Because of this I feel overall these Miraculouses have the least connections to their philosophy, especially compared to the other sections of this Miracle Box.

In my headcanons these Miraculouses are still in the upper box, arranged in an ring around the Yinyang in the center. I will be slightly rearranging the order they are in though, with Nooroo being near the top, then going: Duusu, Wayzz, Pollen, then Trixx in a clockwise pattern. Basically just the reverse order as they are arranged in canon. This is to keep the interactions and flow in the same direction as the elements they represent.

Wood: I chose Nooroo for Wood mostly due to its associations with growth and the general idea of rising up, which I felt fit with Nooroo's abilities of empowering others and giving them the powers they need to overcome whatever they're currently facing.

Fire: I chose Fire for the Peacock due to its association with power and action, with the Peacock creating physical manifestations and overall being one of the more overpowered Miraculouses in general with a lot of potential.

Earth: I chose Earth for Wayzz due to its associations with stability and firm nature, which just felt fitting for Protection. However I felt Wayzz could fit with multiple elements of Wuxing, though Earth is the one I like best.

Metal: I chose Metal for Pollen with its association with order and precision, which was basically a perfect match for Pollen's Subjection and powers of control. Something unmoving that works from both sides.

Water: I chose Water for Trixx for the idea of fluidity and adaption, with Trixx's illusions being able to do just that. On the surface Water and Trixx didn't seem like it would be a good match, but when diving deeper I do think it works quite well.

In my opinion the biggest way these kwamis don't fit with Wuxing is the interconnected way Wuxing elements interacts with each other. I am not going to pretend that I am an expert with this philosophy, but one of the key aspects is how they all flow and interact with each other, weakening and strengthening each other in different ways depending on the element to create balance, which the kwamis powers just don't achieve with each other.

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Zodiac Mouse – Mullo Pig – Daizzi Dog – Barkk Rooster – Orikko Monkey – Xuppu Goat – Ziggy Horse – Kaalki Sass – Snake Longg – Dragon Rabbit – Fluff Tiger – Roaar Ox – Stompp

I don't think this one needs much explanation, they each align to an animal in the zodiac, and they do that well. I know sometimes the Goat is replaced with a Sheep or the Mouse with a Rat in different versions of the Zodiac, and I have Sass specifically as a Cobra instead of a general Snake, but even that doesn't throw off the set up of this box, so it works perfectly in my opinion.

The only place where I see a variation with what canon might have intended is in power level, but canon has never flat out said that each level of the Miracle Box was supposed to be symbolic of how powerful each kwami is. Yet at the same time it feels like it can be seen that way, so I just want to say in my headcanons the levels mean nothing save for Tikki and Plagg being the strongest. But aside from that the upper box isn't more powerful than the lower box, and the lower box actually hosts some kwamis I say out power those in the Wuxing level; such as the Dragon, Cobra, and Rabbit.

[imthepunchlord]

Did the kwamis give little nicknames to the holders? Like Pollen calling her holders my queen/king/majesty

It depends on the kwami. It's something even canon does.

Plagg I remember referring to Adrien as kid more than using his actual name (though that could be a fanon thing?). There is Pollen using "My Queen" (which really shows these guys don't know how bees actually work as the worker bees are the ones that actually run the hive, they do take care of the queen, but will also terminate her if she's not useful). Tikki meanwhile just straight up uses Marinette's name, no nicknames.

[somestorythoughts]

Here’s a thought, what if the Ladybug isn’t always the leader in her team? What if sometimes it’s the Black Cat, or another member?

We’ve only seen one team at work. Chat Noir can be viewed as either recklessly endangering Ladybug by getting zapped out of the fight/mind-controlled or as selflessly protecting her, either way he does a lot of throwing himself into danger. But what if in the past, in different situations with different teams, protecting the Ladybug didn’t mean taking a blow for her but making sure she didn’t run off and do something stupid? Or maybe you had a creative and clever ladybug who wasn’t good at strategizing or people skills, so the black cat filled that role?

Creation isn’t neat. It’s almost as wild and chaotic as Destruction, and at least as dangerous. Maybe sometimes the Ladybug and the Black Cat are both a little too wild and yes, they mean well and they’re good heroes, but they aren’t team leaders, they aren’t strategists. So someone else steps in. Maybe the leader then is the Butterfly, who guides from afar and watches through the eyes of their chosen hero. Maybe it’s the Peacock who plays the same role and watches through a sentimonster. Maybe it’s the Turtle, calming tempers and erecting defenses while calling out orders to their team. Maybe it’s the Bee, a role meant for understanding hierarchies and for protecting the team. And rarely but occasionally it’s the Fox, who is chaotic and wild but knows lies when they see it, can twist words and concoct schemes.

[roses-at-moonrise]

Kwami Shenanigan Headcanons

Spoilers, obviously, since this is only relevant since Marinette became the guardian.

Plagg whines to Adrien about all the other kwamis getting to hang out together and he doesn’t. Adrien gives in to Plagg every single time.

Marinette lets the kwamis out of the box and hang around her room any time they want (as long as they don’t make a mess)

Some of the Kwamis have cute coordinated dances.

Trixx and Wayzz talk to each other more than they ever have before, since their (temporary) holders are in a relationship.

There’s shipping wars among the kwamis. None of them talk about it to Marinette, and she pretends she doesn’t know about it.

Yes, Plagg is an Adrienette shipper, and yes, Sass is a Lukanette shipper. Tikki is fine with either.

Tikki and Sass will talk calmly about Luka and Marinette, and Plagg will randomly jump in and say how she and Adrien belong together.

Whenever one of Marinette’s friends comes over, the kwamis work like little fairies to make her room look spotless.

Sometimes while Marinette is sewing, the asks some kwamis who are hanging around watching her if they can hold things like needles, pins, design templates, etc. She has her own little personal helpers and it’s amazing.

“Am I going to get a holder soon?” Is a common question

When Marinette sleeps through her alarm (which is often) the kwamis work together to wake her up by aggressively poking her face and her arms.

[mymiraclebox]

Kwamis had to learn to blink.

Despite giving their physical forms eyelids, kwamis had no need to use them unlike other physical life forms. However their new human companions found it quite creepy that they never blinked in conversation, so with time they taught themselves how to do so at regular intervals to make humans more comfortable around them. Now days it is habit for kwamis, and they don’t have to put much thought into it.

Learning to sleep with their eyes closed was another story.

[mymiraclebox]

Do you think a kwami can look like an animal that hasn't been discovered yet or doesn't exist on earth?

They definitely could, and there has certainly been cases of kwamis being based on an animal that a holder or their culture doesn't know of yet.

As for a creature not existing on earth, again it's possible, but I headcanon that kwamis purposely took on earth-based animals when going to earth, so something like that hasn't happened in my headcanons.

[mymiraclebox]

A Kwami's Heartbeat

Kwamis don't have a heart.

They don't have blood or bones, no true physical body, just a physical form they temporary inhabit. Not bound to flesh and blood, but to artifacts and magic.

When they first came to earth, the many nuances of the human language confused them. It was hard to understand how mortals saw blood as life, and heart as emotion. It was connections to things they did not have. With time, however, they came accustomed to these metaphors, and adopted them into their own speech.

They also found ways to make these sayings their own.

A Heartbeat is something not all kwamis have experienced, and something those who have are convinced they'll never have again. To an immortal being the time with their Heartbeat feels as if it is only a moment, a burst of life and emotion that they will not find elsewhere. A single instance they will treasure forever.

The word Heartbeat is a term kwamis use to describe a human companion, a holder like no other. Not just a human they love or are close to, but one that becomes a part of them in a way no other could. Kwamis struggle describing it to other beings; phases like "brother", "other half", "soulmate", "kindred spirit" and many others have been used, but it does not truly describe what these companions are to them.

When a kwami loses their Heartbeat, it can truly wound them. It is a pain they will always carry with them. They did not just lose a friend, they lost a part of themselves.

For thousands of years it was thought that Alpha kwamis could not have a Heartbeat, that such a role was always filled by their other half, but this was proven false when Graay found his Heartbeat in India. This did not happen again with any other Alpha until many years later, when Plagg met his Heartbeat in France.

[mymiraclebox]

Hi, I'm not sure if you've answered this already or not, but I was wondering if you have an order in which your alpha kwami's came to be or were created? Because in the show I believe Tikki is the oldest Kwami because she would have come into existence at the same time as everything else because her concept is creation. Plagg probably would have come later when something was destroyed for the first time. So I was just wondering how you would slot your alphas in?

Actually all the Alphas are the exact same age in my AU, their formation being the Big Bang itself. Since their existence is essentially the fabric of the universe, the lack of one of them would unravel the universe. So they all had to come into existence together or else the universe couldn’t be.

The only other group of kwamis that are all the exact same age are the Timekeepers, though for different reasons than the Alphas.