My Rambles - Blog Posts

If you ask I will rant about this forever because I have OPINIONS

I feel a need to bring this back in the wake of the canonical representation of Adrien as a princess and Marinette as his knight in shining armor

Gender Roles in Miraculous Ladybug

Miraculous Ladybug is filled with excellent subversions of gender stereotypes. And no, I'm not just going to say it's feminist, because what I'm talking about is much broader than that. The show is filled with characters that refuse to fit the standard roles their gender lays out for them, both for female and male roles.

Let's start with the most obvious example, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, or Ladybug. It's pretty clear that her character and function in the story revolts against stereotypes of femininity: she is a woman—well, a girl—but she leads her team, which is a traditionally male role. She is the decision-maker, the rationalist, the realist, the one who catastrophizes before she hopes—this is stark contrast to the traditional expectation that women follow and comfort, holding the team up with optism and joy. She is the head, not the heart (that's Adrien). She is driven, strong, determined, and self-assured.

Adrien, too, subverts stereotypes—perhaps more than Marinette, although it's not something you notice immediately like Marinette's subversions. (This is because we're familiar with the patterns of feminist characters, but not the anti-sexism found in Adrien.) At heart, Adrien is arguably the most clasically "feminine" character in the show. On the surface, it's easy to see—he is a model, objectified for his beauty, something that has been done to women for all of history and is still being done today. But it runs deeper, too. He is submissive, mild, willing to bend to other's will—both his father's and Ladybug's, as well as the desires of other people in his class like Chloe and Lila (both of whom are, interestingly, women). His kindness and sensitivity, as well as his role as the heart and support when suited up, all mirror traditionally feminine traits and roles.

And yet, despite all this subversion, neither of the main characters are simply a rebellion against stereotypes. It's clear in Chat Noir's tendency to flirt and his function as a protector, but it's especially evident in Marinette, who doesn't just subvert female stereotypes—she also fulfills them.

Marinette is a leader, a thinker, a pessimist, but she's also interested in fashion and art, both of which are considered feminine. More than that, she's incredibly kind, exemplifying that women can abandon the negative feminine stereotypes of submission and obedience without sacrificing the positives like kindness and selflessness. And finally, she's clearly not a "strong independent woman who don't need no man" because she wants a man. No, she doesn't need a boyfriend, but she wants one. True feminism doesn't mean women throwing aside all romantic relationships, it means not pressuring women either way, into or away from romance. Marinette can be strong and independent while still loving someone and wanting to be loved back.

The characters in Miraculous Ladybug are not governed by stereotypes. They were written to be good, nuanced characters, not feminist characters. Marinette has both feminine and masculine traits, proving that traditional "feminine" values are just as valuable as "masculine" ones. Adrien has both, but far more feminine than masculine traits, demonstrating that masculinity is not superior, and that toxic masculinity is just as harmful as classic sexism.

Miraculous Ladybug didn't say "We need to stop forcing women to be feminine," which is a common and harmful misinterpretation of the feminist vision. It didn't say "We should let women act like men!" or "Femininity is bad! Let's leave it all behind." It said, "Stereotypes—both for men and women—are harmful, and we should let people just be people instead of defining them by their genders." It created a world where there are no traditionally feminine and masculine traits, there are just people traits, and anyone can be anyone.

Sharing books is so intimate. It's like . . . here is a book with hundreds of pages, I've touched each one of them and now you will too. Here's something I've cradled against my heart to keep it dry in the rain, and now you get to hold it too. Here's the thing that's lain on the table beside me as I sleep, and now it'll lay next to you. Here's the thing that's traveled with me across seas and over mountains, and now you get to journey through the world with it. Here's the universe I've been trapped in for days on end, the confusing and painful and beautiful events I've witnessed through these words, and now you get to experience the same things as me. Here is the thing that has consumed my mind and soul before, and now you get to let it consume you too.

where's the ladrien umbrella scene

WHERE'S THE LADRIEN UMBRELLA SCENE

WHERE'S THE—

One of my favorite side effects of my Year of Overthinking my Sexuality is what I learned about the differences between aesthetic and romantic attraction.

Did you know you can think someone is pretty, or cute, or handsome, without liking them romantically? Yeah! Maybe that's common knowledge, but I sure didn't know until I went down the rabbit hole of researching asexuality. The result of that extensive research and the discovery of separate terms for separate kinds of attraction is that I now feel much more comfortable finding people attractive.

The curly-haired boy on my cross country team? Cute. The woman with the braid carrying her child? Very pretty. The short kid I keep passing in the halls? Gorgeous. The big lady I ran into at the grocery store? Breathtaking. It's made me realize that the vast majority of people in real life actually look really good. Very few of them perfectly fit what I've been taught to see as conventionally attractive, but so many of them have faces I long to just . . . look at. I swear, ninety percent of the girls I know from church are prettier than any model I've ever seen. Most people, maybe even all people, are attractive in a very genuine, very mundane, and very beautiful way.

I like feeling like I can say someone looks good without implying that I like them. And I like admitting that if I'm honest, everyone looks good.

Sticky lines from fics I've read:

“Adrien still thought that home meant a big, lonely bedroom with barred windows. Chat Noir knew better.”

—"tell me something i don't know" by @carpisuns

"It’s not your fault, Milady. I don’t blame you."

—"Sebben, crudele, mi fai languir (Although, cruel love, you make me languish)" by @komorebirei

“"We’ll be together tomorrow, won’t we?' he asks, moving his face closer to hers on the pillow. She does the same, their foreheads touching.

She says: 'Yes, always.'

Cut to black."

—"tomorrow" by @peachcitt

"Above him, the sky is black. It’s a void of another name, stretching beyond the horizon and swallowing the world in darkness. But it’s not empty, not in the slightest. A dazzling array of stars glitters above him, packed denser than he thought stars could be."

—"make beautiful things" by @aquaquadrant

"Her grief is not gone. Her grief will never be gone. But for now, the Castle of Lions needs a leader, and she is the only one they have. Her grief drives her. It will not be put to rest, and neither will she.

There is a war to win."

—"change of heart" by rythyme (pugglemuggle)

"Some things don’t make any more sense under a microscope.  You can spend all night turning them over in your head, and the harder you look, the more they seem to shift, made inscrutable.  It’s the difference between observing things and actually living them, maybe.  The risk of getting too close."

—"quantum mechanics, smirks, and other complications of the universe" by @amillionsmiles

"This vexing, brilliant, beautiful boy was laughing so hard she couldn’t tell if his cheeks were wet with water or his own tears. Like everything else, he put his whole heart into it."

—"Tu Eres Mi Corazon" by 13Vivacious13

“'Real.'"

—"Real" by @carpisuns

Sticky Lines Ask

You know when you come across A Line in a book or a fic that just makes you stop in your tracks and let it sink in because it’s so beautiful? Or one that makes you lose your mind and wheeze-laugh for five entire minutes? Or just one that’s said in such an interesting way that you’ll never forget it? I call those “sticky lines.” The ones that stick in your brain for a long, long time after you’ve finished reading, sometimes forever.

Writers, reblog this if you want people to tell you what your sticky lines are! Or feel free to make your own list of favorite sticky lines :)

Unpopular opinion: Vin/Elend is actually really well written.

Not because of the pining/buildup in the first book, but because of the way the established relationship was written in books two and three. It's rare to see characters together, on screen, in stories. Rarer still to see them having problems that they work through, arguments, doubts, differences, and issues that they overcome because they love each other, even if they're different people. Rarest of all to see love that lets a character sacrifice their loved one for the world as the loved one would want, instead of sacrificing the world for the loved one.

Gender Roles in Miraculous Ladybug

Miraculous Ladybug is filled with excellent subversions of gender stereotypes. And no, I'm not just going to say it's feminist, because what I'm talking about is much broader than that. The show is filled with characters that refuse to fit the standard roles their gender lays out for them, both for female and male roles.

Let's start with the most obvious example, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, or Ladybug. It's pretty clear that her character and function in the story revolts against stereotypes of femininity: she is a woman—well, a girl—but she leads her team, which is a traditionally male role. She is the decision-maker, the rationalist, the realist, the one who catastrophizes before she hopes—this is stark contrast to the traditional expectation that women follow and comfort, holding the team up with optism and joy. She is the head, not the heart (that's Adrien). She is driven, strong, determined, and self-assured.

Adrien, too, subverts stereotypes—perhaps more than Marinette, although it's not something you notice immediately like Marinette's subversions. (This is because we're familiar with the patterns of feminist characters, but not the anti-sexism found in Adrien.) At heart, Adrien is arguably the most clasically "feminine" character in the show. On the surface, it's easy to see—he is a model, objectified for his beauty, something that has been done to women for all of history and is still being done today. But it runs deeper, too. He is submissive, mild, willing to bend to other's will—both his father's and Ladybug's, as well as the desires of other people in his class like Chloe and Lila (both of whom are, interestingly, women). His kindness and sensitivity, as well as his role as the heart and support when suited up, all mirror traditionally feminine traits and roles.

And yet, despite all this subversion, neither of the main characters are simply a rebellion against stereotypes. It's clear in Chat Noir's tendency to flirt and his function as a protector, but it's especially evident in Marinette, who doesn't just subvert female stereotypes—she also fulfills them.

Marinette is a leader, a thinker, a pessimist, but she's also interested in fashion and art, both of which are considered feminine. More than that, she's incredibly kind, exemplifying that women can abandon the negative feminine stereotypes of submission and obedience without sacrificing the positives like kindness and selflessness. And finally, she's clearly not a "strong independent woman who don't need no man" because she wants a man. No, she doesn't need a boyfriend, but she wants one. True feminism doesn't mean women throwing aside all romantic relationships, it means not pressuring women either way, into or away from romance. Marinette can be strong and independent while still loving someone and wanting to be loved back.

The characters in Miraculous Ladybug are not governed by stereotypes. They were written to be good, nuanced characters, not feminist characters. Marinette has both feminine and masculine traits, proving that traditional "feminine" values are just as valuable as "masculine" ones. Adrien has both, but far more feminine than masculine traits, demonstrating that masculinity is not superior, and that toxic masculinity is just as harmful as classic sexism.

Miraculous Ladybug didn't say "We need to stop forcing women to be feminine," which is a common and harmful misinterpretation of the feminist vision. It didn't say "We should let women act like men!" or "Femininity is bad! Let's leave it all behind." It said, "Stereotypes—both for men and women—are harmful, and we should let people just be people instead of defining them by their genders." It created a world where there are no traditionally feminine and masculine traits, there are just people traits, and anyone can be anyone.

@carpisuns Heard you wanted Ladrien sugar so here you go

I love Ladrien because, though it's often called boring (and I used to think it was too), it has the potential for some of the most complex conflicts in the love square.

First of all, it seems like the side of the love square most likely to happen, but it's actually the least sustainable. Ladybug and Adrien are each in their least free states with Ladrien: Adrien is micromanaged by his father, Ladybug has duty she has to focus on. (Not to mention they're both hunted by the paparazzi.) That's not to say they can't be real or truly in love; but a Ladrien relationship is the hardest to maintain, even though it's the easiest to begin.

It's been mentioned that Ladrien tension can be drawn out, since Mari doesn't know Adrien likes Ladybug, and Adrien doesn't know Ladybug likes him. They don't necessarily have to get together immediately. And yeah, that has a lot of potential. But also, Ladrien has potential if they do get together immediately. Established relationships can still have complex, interesting, or even conflicting and tense dynamics. Most fiction only shows the buildup to a relationship, but in the real world, most relationships are . . . you know. Relationships. Not endless will-they-won't-they nonsense. Even if Ladrien got together immediately, that doesn't make their relarionship boring. In reality, it could make their relationship interesting in a very unique way; interesting, because it actually shows what real relationships are like, instead of just the buildup.

Also, Ladrien has insane angst potential. First of all, both of them could easily think the other just has a celebrity crush, since Ladybug doesn't know Adrien knows her as Chat, and Adrien doesn't know she knows him as Marinette. It would hurt so much to think the person you love only likes you on the shallow surface level. They could also pull out a "well I have concrete evidence that you don't love me when you see my flirty/awkward/reckless/clumsy side. No, I can't tell you what that evidence is, but I promise it's definitely real and very conclusive," which could be very painful for either party.

Finally, even ignoring this complexity, Ladrien is a good ship because it's good. The shameless love is heartwarming; it's sweet, it's cute, it can range anywhere from awkward and blushy "strangers" to best-friends/old-married-couple vibes. (And let me tell you, anything on that spectrum is perfect.) Their selfless support of each other through Ladybug's duty and stress as the protector of Paris and Adrien's exhaustion and pain from being Gabriel's son is so calming and comforting. When I'm feeling down, I read or write Ladrien. It's just that good.

TL;DR: Ladrien isn't boring. It has so much potential for complexity, conflict, and depth. And even if it didn't (which it totally does) . . . so what? It's such a soft, cute, comforting, feel-good ship. I absolutely love it. And this is why.

Honestly? Agreed. I'm trying to write a recovery sequel to the fic I wrote last night where Adrien actually loses his arm, and . . . I don't know, a prosthetic just doesn't seem right. I hesitate to call it a cop-out or anything, but losing an arm is not the kind of problem a character should "solve," it's the kind of problem a character should "overcome."

Actually, I went on a rant about this to my sister one time while we were discussing character arcs, so I think I can explain why a prsothetic is a bad idea narratively. It sort of is a cop-out, in terms of story. Adrien losing his arm presents a challenge he has to overcome as a character; through overcoming it, he will grow. But if his problem is solved quickly, it's easier for him to pretend he didn't lose his arm. No, obviously it's not like all the challenges are gone—I don't know anything about prosthetics, but I doubt they're perfect replacements for original limbs yet—but the issue has in part been "solved" before he could grow. In terms of character development and story, giving Adrien a prosthetic would be a bad move.

And it's also just bad disability representation, I think? I mean, I hesitate to discuss that aspect of it because I'm not disabled and I don't know anyone who's disabled. (So if I'm misrepresenting anything, please tell me.) But I think it's similar to trying to "fix" an autistic person by making them not autistic—it's toxic, damaging, unjustified, and helps no one.

waitwaitwait i just had an idea

what if plagg can give adrien some kind of substitute for his arm?? like one of those prosthetics but magical? and so to all the civilians, chat noir never lost an arm, because it's covered by the suit.

but if adrien just suddenly lost an arm, no explanation, what would he do?? marinette and gabriel probably know his identity, but what about everyone else?? further cause for identity shenanigans?

tbh!! Despite all of the other “blonde boys that fuck up their right arms and have dead moms and are child soldiers/heroes” having magical or high-tech robotic arms, I actually prefer that Adrien never gets one! I saw someone mention that Max could theoretically build him one, and other people have mentioned miraculous wiz biz, but I think it’s still interesting to have a disabled character whose disability isn’t solved fictitiously.

As for his identity, I imagine that whatever event involving Hawkmoth removing Adrien’s arm landed Gabriel Agreste in prison or death lol. So with no more supervillain to fight, it might not be as much of a concern if people figure out his identity.

Huh.

Huh.

I can't decide whether or not Optygami lived up to my hopes.

On the one hand, we definitely saw the negative consequences of the Miracle Queen reveal. Optygami was the closest Ladybug has come to being found out, and it was a tense and frustrating episode. There were definitely at least moderately disastrous consequences.

But on the other hand, none of those disastrous consequences were permanent. Ladybug and Chat Noir were not outed, no one lost a miraculous, no one was hurt or injured. Causing lasting harm to plot or character is difficult with a show as episodic as ML, but we have seen lasting damage done in one specific area: relationships. Friendships, and romantic ships, have been injured in this show before--when you get down to it, those are our stakes. And no relationships were damaged irreparably in Optygami.

So the writers probably upped the sense of stakes with this episode. But they also gave Alya her miraculous, permanently. I'm overjoyed at this in terms of Alya and Mari's friendship, as well as both of their character arcs, but it seems like a . . . questionable decision narratively.

I don't know. We'll see. In conclusion, my thoughts on Optygami are as ambiguous as the episode was. It definitely showed some negative consequences of reveals, but showed a lot more positives and took the Alyanette reveal arc even further into risky territory.

Hopes for Optygami

Miraculous Ladybug set up a good stakes system in the first three seasons with this simple rule: identities must not be revealed. If they are, there will be dire consequences. Hence, while we don't really believe that our main characters are ever at risk of dying, we can accept that they might someday lose their masks, and that that would be bad. It's a risk that adds real weight to the action and plot. It also justifies the endless identity dance between Marinette and Adrien. But then Miracle Queen happened, and all the heroes except for our main two were outed. We saw no consequences in that episode. We saw no consequences in the NY special, and we've seen no consequences in season four yet, either. This makes the entire narrative feel far less convincing and lowers the tension immensely. Not to mention that it almost completely invalidates how Adrien and Marinette continue to hide their identities from each other. (It doesn't invalidate their secrets completely because we're not going to forget Chat Blanc any time soon, but it still lowers the stakes considerably.) Not only are almost all the superheroes out, but Alya still sometimes runs around as Rena Rouge, despite her identity being publicized. And she knows Ladybug's identity, which we've been told is dangerous, but we haven't seen anything that convinces us it's dangerous. The thing is, we have seen negative consequences of identity reveals. Chloe being akumatized is one instance, and another is Chat Blanc. But the show has done nothing with the biggest large-scale identity reveal so far (the one at the end of season three), which makes the "we must keep our identites a secret" spiel very hard to swallow, and makes the entire plot feel almost risk-free. I hope that Optygami shows us the negative consequences of this large-scale identity reveal, and returns strength to the narrative by doing so. TL;DR: With a few rare exceptions, we haven't seen much to back up the story's constant claim that identity reveals are dangerous. I hope that Optygami will finally show us some of the disastrous consequences of identity reveals, thus adding more weight and stakes to the narrative and justifying Marinette and Adrien's continued secrecy.

Hopes for Optygami

Miraculous Ladybug set up a good stakes system in the first three seasons with this simple rule: identities must not be revealed. If they are, there will be dire consequences. Hence, while we don't really believe that our main characters are ever at risk of dying, we can accept that they might someday lose their masks, and that that would be bad. It's a risk that adds real weight to the action and plot. It also justifies the endless identity dance between Marinette and Adrien. But then Miracle Queen happened, and all the heroes except for our main two were outed. We saw no consequences in that episode. We saw no consequences in the NY special, and we've seen no consequences in season four yet, either. This makes the entire narrative feel far less convincing and lowers the tension immensely. Not to mention that it almost completely invalidates how Adrien and Marinette continue to hide their identities from each other. (It doesn't invalidate their secrets completely because we're not going to forget Chat Blanc any time soon, but it still lowers the stakes considerably.) Not only are almost all the superheroes out, but Alya still sometimes runs around as Rena Rouge, despite her identity being publicized. And she knows Ladybug's identity, which we've been told is dangerous, but we haven't seen anything that convinces us it's dangerous. The thing is, we have seen negative consequences of identity reveals. Chloe being akumatized is one instance, and another is Chat Blanc. But the show has done nothing with the biggest large-scale identity reveal so far (the one at the end of season three), which makes the "we must keep our identites a secret" spiel very hard to swallow, and makes the entire plot feel almost risk-free. I hope that Optygami shows us the negative consequences of this large-scale identity reveal, and returns strength to the narrative by doing so. TL;DR: With a few rare exceptions, we haven't seen much to back up the story's constant claim that identity reveals are dangerous. I hope that Optygami will finally show us some of the disastrous consequences of identity reveals, thus adding more weight and stakes to the narrative and justifying Marinette and Adrien's continued secrecy.

Simon's even more sympathetic if you over analyze because he clearly has a mental illness making him afraid of abandonment, resistant to change, emotionally unstable and having immense difficulty relating to others. Like he gets worried about Hazel in the cabin when the Cat gets near her, its clearly foreshadowing the next episode.

Agreed! And actually, I pulled put the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to research your suggestion that Simon has some mental disorder, and . . . you're right! He almost definitely has a mental disorder.

The criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder are: (not quoted, but paraphrased directly from the DSM-5)

Instability in personal relationships and self-image, impulsivity, indicated by five or more of the following:

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. - check, this is kinda Simon's shtick.

A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, fluctuating between extremes of idealization and devaluation. - there's not much potential for a "pattern" here, but his relationship with Grace definitely fits this.

Markedly and persistently unstable/fluctuating self-image or sense of self. - Simon does not qualify—if anything, his inability to paradigm shift indicates the exact opposite.

Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging. - violence, aggression, murder, all may or may not qualify. Simon ticks this box.

Recurrent suicidal or self-mutilating behavior or threats. - Simon does not qualify for this.

Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood. - In other words, subject responds intensely to swings in interpersonal relationships. Which sounds a heck of a lot like episodes eight through ten. Check.

Chronic feelings of emptiness. - We can't know whether or not this is true, because we can't really get inside a cartoon character's head. So . . . maybe?

Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger. - This is definitely present in him. He has a temper, he shouts, he gets angry, and it gets more extreme as the show progresses.

Transient, stress-related paranoia or severe dissociative symptoms. - Simon displays this too—lines like "everyone always lies to me" come to mind as evidence. (No dissociative tendencies, but the paranoia is present, so he meets this criterion.)

Now, the subject of a diagnosis needs to meet at least five of these criteria to qualify for BPD. Simon definitely meets five of these criteria (specifically, criteria one, four, six, eight, and nine), possibly even a few more (two, perhaps seven). In other words, Simon Laurent has Borderline Personality Disorder.

I'm not sure what conclusion to draw from this discovery that Simon is provably mentally ill. Does it mean calling him "evil" is deeply problematic? Does it mean he could've been saved? Does it mean he can't be blamed? Or is it just as toxic to argue that people with mental disorders are not responsible for their own actions as it is to argue that people with personality disorders are inherently irredeemable? (Not that anyone's argued either of those points—I'm mostly thinking in frantic hypotheticals at the moment.)

And of course these questions raise other questions (well, one other question) that has been on my mind since I first heard Simon called "irredeemable." What do people mean by "he's irredeemable"? Do they mean he couldn't improve and grow after the events of episode ten? Do they mean that his actions were unforgivable? Do they mean he was predestined to be a murderer from episode one, unlike the redeemable Grace? "Irredeemable" has become Simon's buzzword, but no one's ever really defined it. And until I get a concrete definition, I can't slap that label on him and throw him in the garbage with the rest of the characters I hate. (To be clear, I'm not saying anyone's wrong that he's irredeemable, I'm just asking what people mean when they say he's irredeemable.)

However, one thing is clear: as Anon pointed out, Simon is easy to relate to, easy to sympathize with, and easy to pity because of this. We may not all have personality disorders, but we all have flaws that make our brains work differently from how we'd like them to, whether those flaws are anger, laziness, or selfishness, or a mental illness, or something else. Yes, few of us are driven to be murderers because of this, but it still means that we can feel bad for Simon, even as we condemn his actions.

Every time I post something about Simon and it's not ten thousand words long, I'm showing enormous self-restraint and deserve a few claps. Also, sorry, Anon, for using your ask as an excuse to rant about Simon. You made a good point and I wanted to explore it!

Honestly I have an incredible amount of respect for the ML writing team. It takes so much creativity to come up with all those ridiculous akuma ideas, not to mention the lucky charms (holy crap, speaking as an ML fanfic writer, lucky charms are SO hard to come up with, it's insane that they've invented nearly a hundred lucky charms)

did Gilmore Girls invent the coffee shop AU

Everyone always compares Infinity Train to Adventure Time or Gravity Falls or Steven Universe, but to me, watching Infinity Train always feels more like watching a studio Ghibli movie: captivating, immersive, and surreal.

Dear Cartoon Network, HBO Max, and whoever else is in charge of Infinity Train these days,

You have decided not to renew Infinity Train because the next season has no child entry point. Though this is a conclusion that makes sense, it is a decision that is largely unsupported and will lead to a great loss, both on your part and on the part of its audience.

Season five does not need a child entry point, because any children watching the show are already invested in the characters that will lead the season. They need no entry point because they have already entered. You do not need to worry about grabbing their attention, because Amelia and One-One have already grabbed it.

Yes, you could argue that since this is a new season, the show has to regain investment from the audience. And, as you believe children make up a large part of the audience, the show has to capture a child's interest. You believe children make up the majority of Infinity Train's audience because animation has always been considered a child's art form. Assuming this is true, then isn't the child entry point the very medium of the season? If the majority of the audience is children, that is because animation appeals to children. And if animation appeals to children, does that not make it a child entry point?

But the truth is, when it comes down to it, you don't need a child entry point. This is because Infinity Train appeals to adults and teenagers, not just children. This is not a weakness or a paradox; if anything, it is a strength. After all, children are not the ones who buy subscriptions—adults are. And it is guaranteed that the adults will be deeply invested in season five, child entry point or not.

You cancelled Infinity Train because the next season does not have a child entry point. But it does, in the form of familiar and beloved characters, as well as animation. And even if those don't count as entry points, the season does not need an entry point, because Infinity Train is not just a children's show, it is a people's show.

Sincerely,

a child who is already invested in season five, no entry point required

For some reason, nothing hits me harder than seeing characters laugh hysterically because of frustration or exhaustion or anger or grief. We always talk about how subversive tears of joy are, but man, laughs of sadness are so much worse. Maybe it's just a me thing, but my chest always gets tight and my breathing shallow whenever a character starts laughing because of a negative emotion. I just. Can't. Handle. It.

And Infinity Train uses this trope two times!

First time with Simon:

You could argue that this is laughter because of insanity, not negative emotions, but it still hits hard. No matter how much you hate him. At least if you're me. Seriously, this was my reaction when I first saw Simon's death/breakdown scene:

The second time Infinity Train pulls this is with Ryan:

This, too, killed me! Emotionally, at least. Why is it always the laughing?!

Anyway, yeah, of course I want Infinity Train to continue, but it might be a good thing that it doesn't if they planned another one of these maniacal laughter scenes in the next season. Not sure I could handle another amazingly animated, amazingly written, amazingly voice-acted breakdown like this.

I can be found in the summation of all the Infinity Train protagonists so far. Simon has my oldest, worst flaws, Min-Gi has my fears and worries, Tulip and Lake have my strengths, Jesse and Ryan have the traits people like most in me, and Grace has the traits I'm developing. Oh, and Ryan has my glasses.

I'm resisting the temptation to go back through all four seasons of Infinity Train with a notebook, pen, and my writer hat on, because this show is a work of art and I need to analyze every episode five times over to learn how to write well. But I have an AP test in two weeks and now is NOT the time to have another breakdown because of Simon's character arc (dive).

Septimus Heap has the ultimate found family. You start with the core seven-son family, which is already guaranteed to have at least nine members. Not to mention they have a crazy aunt and at least six uncles, as well as a tree or two.

Throw in an adopted daughter, 1.5 ducks and 0.5 of a cat, the youngest son's adoptive mother/mentor/BFF and semi-adoptive father/kidnapper, the adopted daughter's biological dad, the youngest son's best friend who will someday be the adopted daughter's boyfriend, a ghost uncle, the youngest son's first best friend/adoptive brother from his childhood in the army who is probably also the second oldest son's boyfriend, the youngest son's dragon, and the oldest son's wife.

Oh, and don't forget the ghost uncle's ghost girlfriend, the mother, father, and brother of the oldest son's wife, the second youngest son's girlfriend and her transforming panther, maybe a couple witches (or maybe not), the adopted daughter's ghost mom and ghost grandmother, the oldest son's pet tennis ball, the adopted daughter's pet rock(s), and a centuries-old magical grandpa who you can only see by exiting time.

And we haven't even gotten to the sequel series yet!

It just occurred to me that we've heard all the protagonists of Infinity Train sing:

Tulip sang for nearly half of episode four.

Jesse sang "Travel Friends" and Lake improvised on the same song mockingly.

Simon and Grace's VAs sang two lines each in "When I Look at You, I See Me".

Ryan and Min-Gi basically spent all of season four singing.

. . . I'm adding this to my looooong list of reasons to love this show.

This is a fascinating analysis, and it also may have boosted my level of relating to Adrien from a 7/10 up to an 11/10. I'd like to add that I think the fact that Marinette won't press him to take off his mask is actually a good thing, despite the fact that this analysis leans toward it being a problem that needs to be overcome--it allows Adrien to learn to trust her at his own pace (which I believe will happen eventually), instead of being forced into a rather terrifying leap of faith before he's ready. Speaking from experience, a friend who just accepts whatever you show them as the truth tends to be far easier to be honest with than a friend who's constantly questioning your lies. I'd also argue that Adrien's lying isn't deliberate, it's instinctive. It's not that he enjoys lying, it just feels safe and easy for him. Still, this the best ML analysis I've read in a while, and it's absolutely spot-on.

Adrien The Liar

wait. don’t go. I promise this isn’t salt. I have not been hacked. It’s me.

Hear me out.

Keep reading

I was rewatching Voltron and I watched the scene where Pidge rambles to Allura about sweating a lot, and it hit me:

Pidge is short

Pidge sweats a lot

Pidge is always grumpy

Holy crap, she has celiac disease

I'm an asexual Plance shipper and a fan of Miraculous Ladybug. The pundit should declare me the best punster on the planet, but all my puns are either punbearable or so punassuming that no one even notices them.

I've been drafting a Plance animatic for . . . months . . . and my drawing style has gone through at least three iterations, plus the sketchy first draft:

I think I've finally found the one I'll stick with, though:

Now I just have to redraw all the frames in this style

Yayyyyy

Look me in the eyes and tell me that Plance and "Princess and the Frog" don't have almost exactly the same character dynamic

That moment where you're halfway through an animatic and you suddenly decide you loathe everything about your art style.

On second thought, I like yours better.

Pidge: Well, looks like the world is in trouble again.

Lance: Ah, yet again. What a tragedy that our evening is booked. *shoots Pidge a meaningful glare*.

Pidge: *grabs her super suit* Lance... 

Lance: I know, I know, world first. *pulls on his super suit* But I’m still going to complain anyway. I mean, it took me two months to get you to agree to something romantic! Two months! I feel like the supervillains could wait a couple more hours to unleash hell on us, right?

Pidge: If supervillains planned their evil schemes around your convenience, they’d never get anything done. That’s why they don’t do it. I’m sure they’ve considered it, of course, it just didn’t fit in with their schedule.

(they run off into the distance, still bickering and bantering, their voices fading as they get further away)

Lance: Well, duh, but I think one friendly exception isn’t much to ask.

Pidge: From a supervillain?

Lance: Fair, but I’m still bitter. Two months of begging!

Pidge: Begging and blackmailing. Don’t forget blackmailing.

Lance: Of course! What’s love without a little blackmail?

I saw this, and . . .

I feel like we can all agree that Pidge would be the one trying to find her paladin armour for something, and Lance would be the one standing in the background whining "but you promised you'd have dinner with me! I had candles and music planned and everything! How could you do this to me?"