Marinette: i’m ladybug…
Alya, remembering that one time she’d asked Marinette to beta read her Renabug fanfic:
when all the ml veterans KNOW that this kiss isn’t gonna happen and theres a good chance we might be back at square one by the end of the episode unless the writers have finally gotten their bs together and decided to actually develop this show
If Eerie couldn’t find words to say???
Inspired by this new Chouette! story I wrote where Connor and Eerie have a fun day volunteering at a carnival for charity and hang out then things turn soft and important things are said!!
SOFT HUGSSSSS
oh my GOD i cannot believe i missed THAT?????? i just came back to look at these panels again and OANFLHAWFKAWEKJF EERIE PUT CONNORS HAND ON HER HEART SO HE COULD FEEL IT??? AVFLAWIEFUAK OH MY GOD IM GONNA DIE WHAAAAAT
WAAAAAAAAAAAH HES FEELING HER VIIIIBE CAUSE SHES IN LOOOOVE AND SHE WANTS HIM TO FEEL ITTTT OH MY GOOOOOOOOOD
LISTEM I AM NOT OKAY ITS 4:31 AM RIGHT NOW AND I JUST KLADGWRA;L;.LDKMA;LW
OH GOD I DIDN’T EVEN REALIZE HIS GLOVE WAS OFF AND ITS OVER HER HEART AND AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ITS SUDDENLY TEN TIMES BETTER
HOLY FLAPS YOU’RE RIGHT WHY DIDN’T I SEE THAT BEFORE OMGOSH THATS SUCH A PERFECT ANSWER I’M GOING TO FAINT
@inkshila @thewritewolf @whitennerdiest HEHEHEHHEAGDHAJFKA I’m so glad you guys noticed!! Without color I guess it wasn’t super clear so I’m glad you caught it!!!
OML THIS IS FRICKING TOO MUCH FOR ME TOO HANDLE!!!!!!I
I THOUGHT IT ALREADY KILLED ME BUT SOME HOW I’M STILL SUFFERING!?!?!??! PLEASE SEND HELP!!!
HAHA JUST KIDDING DON’T BOTHER I LOVE IT TOO MUCH AND IT’S ALREADY TOO LATE FOR ME ANYWAY!!!!! IF ANYTHING COME JOIN IN THE FUN ASWELL!!!!!!
OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT. THIS IS PERFECT AND THAT LITTLE DETAIL! It’s so easy to forget that Connor has this ability sometimes, but then you see this, and you notice the slight difference between this and other drawings, in which Connor isnt wearing his gloves in this one.
And as you’re wondering why he’s not wearing them, YOU GET HIT WITH THE REMINDER OF THIS POWER AND THE SMALL LITTLE PENCIL DRAWING HITS A LITTLE HARDER THAN YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD ND NOW IM SCREAMING, HELP
ASD;LKFHASD
RE: that kind-of confession and carnival story ;)))) @p-artsypants
bringing back this masterpiece
While my roommates have been gone all weekend I destroyed my corner of the living room trying to make a better desk set up, and realized I didn’t have room. But I started doing episode planning on the newly bare wall, and realized this would be a really helpful way to do this, put in episodes I know I definitely want (not all are on here) and then use smaller and smaller stickies to fill in emotional beats I want in each episode, and re arrange as needed. But soon in I was like OK this is a really good method and I don’t wanna go any further bc I’m going to have to take it down when my roommates get back!
So it made me realize I have a huge desire for the next room I live in to be spacious enough to have a huge wall for this planning, it is really useful to my brainnnnnnn aaaa
That fluffy plastic in the front is covering a cute shell shaped teal velvet chair that came stained and with no legs but I’m hoping to get it replaced soon!! It was my bday gift to myself tho my bday isn’t til feb 5 😎 it hugs my butt ever so gently. Pamper me
SANDWICH DAAAAAYYYYYYY
darkness before dawn
Ladybug and Chat Noir constantly being frustrated that they do need to eventually plan out some different tactics to defeat hawkmoth other than just defeat the akuma when they show up—
But they are just so busy living their normal lives and not getting caught. They have so little time to get out of this rut, to get ahead, let alone bond. Both Marinette and Adrien are nodding, with bags under their eyes from lack of sleep when their literature teacher covers the story of Sysyphus.
LB and CN are both so frustrated they’ve known the other for years and still feel they barely know the other, and yet ironically would trust the other with their life. But even a little more bonding time would make it feel relatively normal.
Keeping the secret, they agree, is the most time consuming task of all.
And so one day when they finally have time to really hang out for more than 30 minutes, LB and CN take a good long look at each other and realize so much time has passed. Their baby fat has gone, their heights caught up a while ago, but now CN is several inches taller, shoulders broader, Marinette’s proportions have filled out to be more womanly. They laugh ironically, shaking their heads in disbelief. It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s a hurtful thing- they are grown now, their teen years taken from them by survival mode and bearing the burden of secrecy alone. And still they’re still fighting, the same stupid endless battles, still just barely getting by. It’s been enough to make each of them scream and panic alone in the night, feeling trapped, suffocated, like everyday is a repeated dream turned nightmare, and every morning they wake up, to later find out they’re still in the dream. It feels like they’re trying and failing to complete a difficult boss in a videogame- failing, respawning, failing, respawning. No help, and no quit button. Only bouts of sleep and distraction.
They are old enough now to be more independent and less unaccountable. So they both agree it’s time to run away and make a real plan. They didn’t expect the first several days to be emotional damage control, finally being able to talk openly. They know they should be planning, they know they should be striving, straining to get ahead of their enemy that keeps them pinned like collected dead bugs of whom he’s proud to make a show, an empty success in front of Paris. Chat Noir and Ladybug realize they need this, it felt awful to be vulnerable not so much with each other, but with themselves about just how painful the past many years have been. Full of adventure, joy, and fame, yes. But they agree it began to give way to profound loneliness and feelings of powerlessness, feelings of just being actors that entertained a city at the expense of their blood, sweat and tears. It has been cruel, it has been humiliating. Wins started feeling meaningless, because they knew the war would be endless til they changed tactics.
They agree they couldn’t have done it alone. They agree in laughter, “Screw Paris! We’re going to do this for us, okay?” They high five through teary eyes and hug each other in deep, deep thankfulness. Their love and trust is not romantic, it’s not even platonic, maybe familial- maybe one of a kind. Two soldiers fighting to protect the world alone, in secret, with each other. Friends forged in fire. A sister and brother born to help one another through adversity unlike any other. They squeeze each other tight and pull apart, sniffling, and smiling, feeling a great burden lifted off their chests. At the same time they confess:
CN: “I’d die for you—“
LB: “I’d kill for you!!—“
They both burst into laughter and can’t stop grinning. It’s so true. They sure have their roles in each other’s lives.
Ladybug sighs contentedly. “Ladybug, Hero of Paris...”
“Chat Noir, Hero of Ladybug.” He winks cheekily. Ladybug admires his brilliant smile that has only gotten more handsome and endearing over time. He’s a man now but has all the sweet soft-heartedness as back when she met him.
They get to cooking together in the kitchen is the two-room secluded cabin they booked for a week. It may have to be longer, and Chat Noir assures her he can cover it. After the first few days they start to feel normal, remarkably healed, they find themselves hanging out like friends who have known each other forever. Having too much fun bonding over common interests, spilling way too much personal info. Even Ladybug, only one glass of wine in, rolls her eyes and bats away Chat Noir’s hesitance at her sharing about one of her favorite hobbies. They eventually overshare about their families, high school crushes, vaguely about part time jobs, and videogame opinions. They watch a few episodes of a show Ladybug things Chat Noir would like, and she falls asleep laying sideways on the couch, with her legs over his own- so comfortable and natural, it makes him smile, his heart flutter with those butterflies he still tries to set aside for his sanity. But mostly his heart feels warm, thankful and at peace for once with her. Everything is okay. They’re where they need to be. And they’re going to recover and overcome their enemy once and for all and be free, so they can be as close as this all the time, without running away to the wilderness, covering their paper trails and lying to their friends.
It’s going to be okay. And we’re gonna make it okay. Chat Noir, brow furrowed from deep thought, nods once to his own conviction like a soldier receiving orders from a commander.
He then admires the sacred sight of Ladybug’s precious sleeping face. She’s the best. His number one friend and favorite.
He feels more at peace, focused and empowered than he has felt in years.
* cries *
When Zuko apologized to uncle Iroh in the tent cause he was so
ashamed of his actions and what he’d done to the only person who
unconditionally believed in his ability to do good >>>>>
So okay, I’ve given this rant before but this is another good time for it.
Structurally speaking, ATLA did something important with Zuko that, in a purely mechanistic sense of narrative development, I think a lot of people don’t notice immediately, and that even fewer people who want to emulate what was done with him get.
Which is Zuko is made a protagonist VERY early, and the show goes out of its way to continually place Zuko into situations where the audience empathizes and roots for him.
This happens in literally the second episode of the series, if we count the two-part premiere as a single episode, which I think we should. The A-plot of that episode, “The Southern Air Temple,” is Aang reckoning with the genocide of his people… but the B-plot?
The B-plot is the introduction of Zhao, and more specifically, his introduction in a way that is calculate to shift the audience, whose introduction to Zuko did NOT engender a ton of sympathy to him, directly and forcefully onto his side. They want Zuko to kick Zhao’s ass.
This continues all through book one and book two. Remember, Zuko is never, ever the main villain of this series. That’s initially Zhao, followed by Azula and Ozai. (Plus various temporary players like Long Feng.) Whenever Zuko isn’t placed into direct conflict with the other protagonists, he’s always written and presented in a way that is careful, VERY VERY careful, not to make him too monstrous, and to make us root for him. He’s placed right next to Iroh, who is designed for people to like, and that reflects back onto Zuko; we want Zuko to be better than he is because we want Iroh to have good things.
Put aside for the moment whether any specific character, including Zuko, deserves their redemption. If you’ve decided you’re going to do that, you have to erect the proper narrative scaffolding around them, and it extends to far more things than “did this person not do things that were too horrible” and “is this person genuinely sorry and is working really hard to atone.” There’s a difference between protagonist and white hat, but if you want someone to eventually wear that white hat, you REALLY need to establish them as a plausible protagonist early on.
Yeah, it was made obvious from the get go that Zuko is definitely nowhere near Zhao’s level of nasty, which in turn means he’s nowhere near Azula’s and nowhere in the scope of Ozai’s.
1.)
He made a deal with Aang to leave the Southern Water Tribe alone if Aang went with him. When Aang escaped with help from two of those tribe members, Zuko didn’t demand they go back and destroy what was left of the tribe as revenge. He didn’t even think of it as an option. There was no split second where he went, should I/shouldn’t I?
2.)
This is repeated. He corners the Avatar somewhere, causes some damage to the area in the ensuing fight, but does not stick around to raze the village/monastery to the ground and kill the people when he doesn’t get what he wants. Doesn’t consider this a necessary action even once.
3.)
The Iroh&Zuko relationship is juxtaposed with the Zhao&Zuko relationship. Both older men have more power over him. Iroh is a retired War General and Prince who is not banished. Zhao is a Commander in favor of the Firelord, who is also not banished. We could tell early on that Iroh is wise and despite being on the bad side, seems to be pretty chill. We took a liking to him immediately. Zhao is the opposite. He is very much like early!Zuko. Impulsive, rude, loud, cocky, etc… But why is he more annoying? Why do we root for Zuko as opposed to him?
Because we see what Zuko is like with his Uncle Iroh. Iroh does not rub in the fact that he’s banished. He doesn’t use that when reprimanding him for his attitude or his failings. That is a hot iron and he knows it. It’s to the point where Iroh can bend fire in Zuko’s face and Zuko is perfectly relaxed over it and doesn’t once believe his uncle will hurt him. There is a lot of faith in Iroh, from this angsty teenager, and it’s very obvious with their interactions.
Zhao is not trustworthy from the start. We’re shown this by how both Zuko and Iroh are hesitant to interact with him and don’t want to linger in areas he has control over, for too long. They even lie to him despite him obviously having more favor in the Firelord’s eyes than either of them do. Zhao’s personality opposes both Zuko and Iroh. And as we like Iroh, we want him to win and have nice things, as stated above. But Zuko&Iroh is a package deal. And as Zhao reveals himself more and more to be nasty even if it’s subtle, we want Zuko to win even harder.
And even when Zuko wins and he’s in the prime position to do to Zhao what Ozai did to Zuko for also ‘speaking out of turn’… he doesn’t do it. He walks away. He is the bigger man in that scenario. And Iroh further puts shame onto Zhao when he goes against the sacred rules of the Agni Kai because he can’t handle a loss to a banished teen. We are shown that Zuko follows rules and has honor, which is reinforced by Iroh’s, ‘even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you’. Iroh’s Word is basically Law at this point. Sf he says it is so, then he must be right and the audience accepts that. He knows Zuko better than us and hopefully we’ll get to understand more as the story progresses.
Already by the 3rd episode, we’re shown that Zuko is in no way the worst person from the Fire Nation. In fact, we’re given a sort of scale now from the four major Fire Nation people we know of. Iroh–Zuko——-Zhao–Firelord.
We’re also hoping that Iroh rubs off on Zuko enough for him to also become wise and learn to chill out.
4.)
When “The Storm” finally rolls around, we’re pretty invested by then in the Iroh&Zuko relationship and that episode gives us so much more info into Zuko’s character and we are shown that Iroh is right. He has honor and he cares for others. And yet it’s obvious the Firelord doesn’t because we see Zuko do the right thing(protesting the plan to treat new recruits as cannon fodder) in the wrong place, and then his face gets burned off by his father because of it. And further, he’s banished for refusing to fight his own father. What sane parent wants to do battle with their own child? What sane parent banishes their child for speaking out of turn at the defense of their own peoples’ lives? What the fuck is wrong with the Firelord?
Zuko was punished severely for showing compassion and having a kind heart. And Iroh(and the ship crew even) is properly mortified by the punishments his nephew received for it, which in turn affects the audience’s perception of this situation. Iroh doesn’t like it, it’s especially bad then.
Now we start wondering why does Zuko wants to go back to the guy who burned his face off?! Iroh, talk some sense into him! PLEASE!
Halfway through S1, they got us to the point of wanting Zuko to have a redemption arc.
Making the audience want a character to be redeemed is also very important in this. We were shown he has redeemable qualities. We want that pay off! Do it justice!
the amount of love I have for zuko and just his character in general is huge and it grows everyday
STAN THE RIGHT MAN. STAN THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
NO TO PREJUDICE. NO TO RACISM.
YES, BLACK LIVES STILL AND WILL ALWAYS MATTER. THIS VIOLENCE SHOULD NO MORE BE TOLERATED!
| Cr articles Time & Variety pics twt jinKissLetsgo & eluceo_himes