Charming, But Unsure

charming, but unsure

So today I’m going to tackle this commonly held notion that Chat Noir is somehow Adrien’s true self, as well as the fandom binary that likes to treat them as separate characters, when they’re the same person. Adrien is not separate from Chat; Chat is not separate from Adrien.

I feel like a huge part of the confusion has to do with the fact that Chat Noir presents himself as confident and sure-footed while Adrien is polite and understated, and a lot of folks have trouble reconciling the two.

This is because in the current media environment, nuanced characters who show any sort of duality in their personalities are rare (especially in children’s shows). But there’s also something else going on here. One of the reasons that people have such a tough time accepting that Adrien and Chat are the same person is because Adrien Agreste is a trope breaker. 

How? Well, there is the fact that other people have already mentioned; how he’s the Yin to Marinette’s Yang, the dark, reserved, and passive energy to her outgoing positive energy. But that’s not the only trope convention that he breaks.

Adrien is the actual embodiment of all the YA/shoujo stereotypes that people like to project onto Marinette.  Actually, together, the two of them subvert and reverse the typical male/female dynamic in this genre, and that’s what makes them such compelling characters. 

Of course, he doesn’t fit the mold entirely—and neither does Marinette—but it’s true! Adrien is both utterly charming and utterly unsure about himself.

I think on some level, most people recognize this. In fact, I’m almost positive that it’s one of the reasons that Ladrien is less popular than the other sides of the love square dynamics.

Because people aren’t used to having the boy be the one who’s the daydreaming shy one, and with no actual canon interaction to work from to see how interesting it can be, people are filling in the blanks with their own interpretations, and some people love it, and some people hate it.

It also explains why he seems to be so different when he’s Chat Noir. Let me deconstruct how this works.

Adrien Agreste is sweet, charming, encouraging and friendly.

And he’s also shy as hell. 

The way it manifests in his behavior could easily be mistaken for politeness if you don’t look closely, but it’s everywhere if you’re searching for it.

We can clearly see it in the littlest things. Like when Adrien comes over to Marinette’s house to practice for the video game tournament and her father comes up multiple times with offers of food, Adrien looks very pleased and eager, but Marinette, focused only on being alone with Adrien, immediately shuts her father down and sends him back downstairs.

She’s not looking at Adrien’s face, and so our shy kitten, who definitely wants the cookies but isn’t used to speaking up for himself, doesn’t get his food. This happens twice before Adrien finally feels confident and comfortable enough to speak up for himself and say that he’d like to take a break and try Madame Cheng’s quiche. 

You can see it in the way he deals with Chloe too. Note the difference between Adrien and Mari’s respective reactions to Chloe trying to barge into Juleka’s space to stand beside him for the school picture: while Marinette basically tells her to fuck off, Adrien makes a comment about how it’s not gym class, but that’s about it. Once she’s there, he sighs and suffers in silence. Because that’s how he always deals with Chloe, as she walks all over him, invading his personal space and getting in his face.

It’s clear to anyone paying attention to Adrien’s expression that he isn’t happy about any of it, but again, that’s the key: you have to be paying attention. Because Adrien rarely actually verbalizes his displeasure, and even if he does, he does so in a very subtle manner compared to how Marinette expresses anger.

Like when he does confront Chloe, in Kung Food—he backs up Marinette and then again, makes a snide comment at the end when Chloe tries to assert herself. But he’s never openly confrontational, and he’s rarely the aggressor.

Compare this to Marinette, who often rushes in and says things without thinking, and you can see the difference. 

Once again, to accurately read Adrien, you have to be paying attention to him. And if you pay attention to him, you can see that he is often replete with uncertainty, and he’s constantly seeking some sort of validation. Because the thing is, for most of his life, Adrien has been a sheltered homeschooled boy with essentially no interaction with peers of his own age, let alone girls.

Unlike Marinette, who has spent her life surrounded by people who care about her and encourage her bold personality, Adrien has had to repress and present the perfect facade. He’s still figuring out how to interact with regular people, and he takes his cues from the way people react to him. Which is why Marinette’s awkwardness confuses him—it’s not quite friendly and yet it’s not quite unfriendly, but in this strange middle space, and he’s clueless as to how to deal with it.

So what does this have to do with how Adrien matches up with typical shoujo tropes?

Well, it’s because of this: if anyone needs a boost of confidence from a magical suit, it’s Adrien. If Ladybug is the sun, Adrien is the sunflower, looking up at her to catch a ray of light. He’s dazzled by her, and he wants desperately to be worthy of her love.

The thing is, as Chat Noir, Adrien finally gets a chance to explore saying whatever he wants to say and being whoever he wants to be, without being repressed by his family or Nathalie or the Gorilla. Finally, he has freedom- and powers- and he gets to save the world with a really amazing partner who he’s in love with! That’s great, right?

Well, sort of. Thing is, Adrien still needs validation from someone, to check if this new style he’s trying on, this new personality as Chat Noir, actually works. And who gives him that feedback? Ladybug. And he craves it endlessly.

Chat’s over the top personality is an overcompensation designed to get a reaction from Ladybug. The puns, the jokes, the flirting, it’s all for her. No matter what he does, she’s going to respond in some way, and Chat Noir is addicted to it, and he’s fallen for her in the process.

So if you’re still with me, that’s the point, you guys. Even though he’s sweet and charming and can hold his own, at his core, Adrien is still very unsure about a lot of things. Including where he stands with Ladybug.

And the way he acts as Chat Noir is a way to build a sense of self-worth, through positive feedback from Ladybug and by being a hero for the city of Paris. The reason he’s so over the top- and why he’s so head over heels for Ladybug, is because she justifies the choices he makes when he’s with her, and responds positively to the way he acts! Again, it all comes down to the way she reacts to him.

I guarantee you that if Ladybug stopped responding and flirting back, he would stop immediately, and shift course. He’d still be her partner and a good friend, but I have no doubt that if she truly responded negatively to his flirtatious overtures or puns, he’d be a lot more serious with her.

So don’t be fooled by Chat’s bravado; the extremes of his behavior stem directly from Adrien’s craving for validation; therefore, the two are inextricably intertwined. They’re the same person, driven by the same internal desire.

Anyways, that’s my piece on my little kitten son. I don’t know if I actually articulated anything useful to anyone, but I tried, haha- Adrien’s a complex character! Thanks for reading :)

More Posts from Krishnarjunforlife and Others

4 months ago

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, and Emilie Agreste and the Miraculous

After watching “The Collector” again, I have noticed a few strange things.

But before I do that, let’s do a recap.

We know that:

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

1. Master Fu is the last living member of the Order of Guardians, which protects and distributes the Miraculouses. Children are chosen to train for this grave duty from a young age.

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

2. When he was young, Master Fu made a world-changing mistake that led to the demise of the Guardian’s temple.

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

3. He was able to salvage the Miraculouses and the Grimoire, a book containing the secrets of Miraculouses.

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

4. He lost the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous, along with the Grimoire on the same day of his escape.

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

5. Assuming that what Gabriel says is not a lie, he found the Grimoire, Peacock Miraculous, and Butterfly Miraculous when they went on their trip to Tibet.

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

6. Assuming that Gabriel is not lying to guilt trip Adrien, the Grimoire was Emilie’s last gift to Gabriel before her disappearance.

With these 6 facts laid out, I want to point out the 3 things that I found interesting:

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

1 - As young Master Fu escapes from the burnt temple, he is holding the box containing the Miraculouses AND the Grimoire.

This means that wherever he lost the Grimoire and the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses, it was NOT the temple. It may be close to the temple, but it is NOT buried underneath the ruins of a millennia old civilization dedicated to the harmony of the world. It was buried somewhere in the middle of nowhere, most likely, where no one would be able to find it unless they happened to find it by pure, pure dumb luck or set out to find it.

No wonder no one found it for 170 years.

(Master Fu is 186, and he looks to be around a tween to 16 in the picture.)

However, there is something even more interesting about this. Because, as you know, Master Fu ended up losing the Grimoire, Butterfly Miraculous, and Peacock Miraculous on the very same day he was forced to depart from his childhood.

But, Master Fu had the Grimoire in his hand when he departed. How could have been lost?

I’m going to make a guess as to what happened, using two pieces of the puzzle:

The picture has what seems to be a winter storm in the background.

The existence of the man.

Explaining number 1, it is possible that young Fu, after his escape, lost the Grimoire and the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous because of a particularly bad storm.

Oh! The storm must have knocked the Grimoire off his hand, thus leaving Mother Nature to guard the secrets of the Miraculous for more than a century. Yea.

It sounds plausible, until you consider more things into account.

Because if it was only the storm that made Master Fu lose the Grimoire, how do you lose ONLY the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculouses and not the entire box?

Assuming that the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous wasn’t taken when Master Fu had decided to flee with the world in his hands, the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculouses should have been snuggled safely in the box. (Because if people were going to take a Miraculous, wouldn’t it be the Ladybug and Black Cat that would be the first to go?)

Why would ONLY the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous go missing, without any outside help?

The answer is probably that, it couldn’t.

It did have help.

My guess is that, after young Fu had escaped from the reminders of his failure, he had an… encounter with someone he knew. Someone who was probably after the Miraculouses after the temple fell:

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

his teacher.

I assume that the man who gave young Fu the bangle was his teacher, because of

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

this picture.

In this picture, we see one master, who is in a visibly different stance and colored clothing from the others. Moreover, he is taller and has a beard, implying (not at all subtly) that he is the adult in this school. The teacher.

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

As you can see, the man that gives Master Fu a bangle has similar features as him.

An adult, has a beard, and wears a red robe. He also has what I assume to be is a Miraculous on his hand. Something that I can conclude with no doubt that no commoner or just a regular teacher can just get.

Even if he isn’t young Fu’s teacher, this man must have been in the higher-ups of the Guardian society. A man who commands respect from the people. Whether that is from just the fact that he is the teacher of the future Guardians or because of his deeds is something that only the creators would know.

Anyways, this man asks for young Fu’s help, which sets a sequence of domino effects and leads (intentionally or unintentionally) to the demise of the Guardian society. Only the Miraculouses and the Grimoire survive, thanks to the effort of Master Fu.

(Come to think of it, I remember saying that Master Fu chose the wrong person for a Miraculous. If the bangle is a Miraculous, maybe the teacher asked young Fu to choose a person, which ended up in disaster?)

Of course, Master Fu being Master Fu, he corrects himself saying “We made a mistake” to “I made a mistake,” shifting the blame away from both of them to solely himself. So characteristic for a person who chose our two cinnamon rolls as the balancing force.

Anyways, back to the topic.

I imagine that the teacher had an idea to save the society or some other noble goal (We see the octopus in the back, so maybe there were attackers from the outside? Or people who were abusing their Miraculouses? I dunno.), which Master Fu may have carried out to perfection with terrible consequences or carried out disastrously (Unplanned or as planned for the man, we don’t know). Anyways, it ultimately led to the downfall of the Order of the Guardians, leaving Fu as the lone survivor.

(OR maybe his chosen was intoxicated by the power that he had, that it led to the chosen being power-hungry and thus leading to the burning of Fu’s home?)

Maybe the teacher had had good intentions, or maybe he had selfish ones. Maybe he was trying to set something right in a world full of what seemed wrong, or maybe he was trying to do something wrong to destroy something right. Maybe he succeeded in his intentions, or maybe it had HORRIBLY backfired. Only the creators may know at this point.

If the power-hungry chosen story is incorrect, I have a few guesses of what the man could have wanted, but all of these are speculations. We don’t know anything about this man, so it could have been that he just wanted to poop rainbows and needed the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses to do that:

Getting rid of a foreign invader or inside enemy.

Wanting power (maybe also lowering the chances of getting repercussions, if he was truly evil and wanted to pull the strings). For a wish or any other selfish purpose, maybe.

Setting something he deemed in the society as wrong, right. I imagine this to be one of those political goals that would require a lot of worldbuilding for the Guardian society.

Destroying all the Miraculouses. Because of typical “better not to have them at all” logic.

Anyways, whether or not it is the man or the chosen, I think it would be a great flashback episode. Just think of the drama! Thinking that everyone who you knew was dead, and then finding the person who had driven you to the demise of the world blocking you once again. Denying you of grief, of sorrow for everyone you knew, who you grew up with and talked freely about your fears and desires for the future. This person declaring that they need the Miraculouses and the Grimoire. They are the world to you and hold the secrets to the world. They are your only relic of the existence of you and everyone else you knew. You being anchored only by the box in your hand. Gripping it tighter in the hopes that it infects you with some reckless bravery for the sake of your loved ones. You refuse the person’s demands of handing over the box. Commence fighting.

Due to lack of experience, you are overpowered by the man easily. You hold onto the box protectively, desperately, selfishly, not caring whether or not you bleed to death. You expecting to die that moment. Apologies to your loved ones for being such a big letdown. Then suddenly, as the man almost gets his way, a storm so big blows up that the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculouses, as well as the Grimoire, are knocked out of sight and into oblivion. Destined to lie dormant for 170 years, until a couple from France stumble upon them. The man gone from your sight. Unable to know for sure whether or not they are alive.

You’re still alive, able to feel your fingers and see your breath intermingling with the cold air. You look at the situation with speechless shock, as the storm subsides and the sun begins to shine again. Warmth radiates back into your face, illuminating the tears dripping down your cheeks. Your heart pounds, begging you to stand, but your hands do not move from where it is placed protectively around the box. Your hands curl into fists, punching the ground mindlessly. Your eyes cannot see the snow underneath you. Your eyes only see black. Stifling, hopeless black.

You eventually getting up, limping side to side. Leaning more towards the side you carry your box, as if the box is the only thing that gives you support.

The drama!

Okay, I got carried away lol.

But do you just SEE the potential in this?! It could be one of the best scenes in Miraculous Ladybug. Seriously. With good music, it would be one of those unforgettable scenes in cartoon history.

AND, if the man really WAS after destroying the Miraculous permanently, wouldn’t that REALLY step up the game from Hawk Moth, making him look “like a baby”? It would be like Le Paon would be taking on his will and all that anime stuff. It would be GREAT.

Every movement would be done to permanently erase Tikki and Plagg off existence, to destroy the Miraculouses. Once the enemy finds out about the identity of the heroes, we’re done. Game over. More Love Square dynamics. More stakes. Who cares about the life of the heroes? As long as the Miraculouses are gone, the world will finally be put into balance again logic.

Even if the Miraculous Cure does set everything back to normal, it doesn’t work if Ladybug is dead. Thus, every attempt to kill her, every single fight, every move of the villain calculating and without a hint of mercy even when not in a suit. Chat Noir becoming overprotective and paranoid that she will be gone the next day. HELLA interesting fight scenes.

God, I really hope they go this route. Even though it is a kid show. It would be wonderful. The sheer depth of emotion that they could show, from grief, to fear, to hopelessness. OH MY GOSH. (What can I say? I love angst. Not the unnecessary kind though.)

Anyways, I’m rambling now. Let’s do the other two.

2 - The Clothing Colors

Sort of a continuation of the last. But this is something else that I have noticed.

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

If you see the background characters, you see that they are wearing blue. Even some of the adults in the background are wearing blue. The same color that the students of the Guardian school was wearing.

Meanwhile, young Fu and the man are wearing red robes. The same color that the teacher of the school at the beginning was wearing.

What could this mean?

My guess is that the common folks wear the blue garments while those who are more in the upper class, who are more respected, get to wear red.

What i really like about this is that this correlates to the colors that ancient Chinese (and Korean too :)) government officials used to wear in history, by rank. A color would mean a specific rank, and you were required to wear the color that made your status visible. What color symbolize nobility always changed, from black to red to yellow, etc. However, the important thing was that color revealed the status of the individual in question.

And I think that is what the Guardian society did.

Therefore, by the time that the man gave young Fu the bangle, it would have been that Master Fu knew enough about being a Guardian to officially be a member of the upper class. Or, he was already born in the upper class. Whichever one. Still, he was well-respected, even as a kid.

Which makes the escape scene even more interesting. Because he wore blue robe with a red cloak when he was fleeing the temple.

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

It may have been accidental for young Fu that he was dressed like this, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t for the producers.

Because if we take the blue = common man, red = well-respected and upper class into account, the symbolism is ripe here.

Him being the last hope for humanity - both the people and the dignity and honor of the people. Both red and blue with him.

Him being the representative for the common people. Carrying on the torch for those who was born with the privilege of having the Miraculouses nearby. Him being, ultimately of the common people and human and full of flaws and mistakes in the inside even though he may have been higher than others in this society, due to birth or skills.

It could also symbolize his newfound humility. Red symbolizes fire, which is passion. Which could have been something that he was, passionate to serve something for the greater good. To change the world. Etc. Everything gone awry exactly because of that passion.

Learning to internalize the lessons of humility, of the value of being calm under situations. Of valuing harmony, stillness, depth not breadth, and becoming a Jedi.

3 - Of how the Agrestes all fit into this

What especially intrigues me is how the Agrestes fit into all this. Because Gabriel has the Butterfly Miraculous, Adrien has the Black Cat Miraculous, and it is usually thought that the Peacock Miraculous was Emilie’s. That’s an insane concentration of power in one family. 3/3 members have Miraculouses. Wow!

But it is especially even more intriguing is because: WHY THE HELL DID THEY GO TO TIBET IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

Gabriel, if he is telling the truth, said that he found the Grimoire with his wife in a trip to Tibet. Which is strange, because:

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

Why didn’t Adrien go too?

Why Tibet?

Why this specific hunk of ruins on a random ass mountain? Why this mountain where there doesn’t seem to be any sign of LIFE, let alone civilization? Even if a storm blew the Miraculouses away, it doesn’t seem to be a good place for humans to live in anyways.

What was their goal with this trip? Why would the reserved, strict, and fashion designer Gabriel agree to such a trip? There is no inspiration for clothes. No movies to be filmed. It was a VACATION.

Let’s assume, for a second, that they knew what they were doing when they went on this trip, that everything was purposeful.

They didn’t bring Adrien because they feared that the trip would be too dangerous.

They knew what they were doing. They had at least a vague idea of what they were looking for. Otherwise, why would you go to a random (maybe?) country? And go look for a random book and two pieces of jewelry that could be anywhere in an endless maze of mountains?

There is a very little to no chance that you can get “accidentally” lost and stumble upon a Miraculous in a place like that. No sane human would go and make themselves lost there without having a specific goal in mind.

I’m really starting to doubt the fact that it was a “vacation.” More likely that they weren’t there to have fun. There was an objective that they had to reach.

My guess is that Mrs. Agreste either had a tie to Guardians other than Master Fu, knew the wrong chosen for Master Fu, or was into conspiracy theories and Chinese culture. But take the last one less seriously.

She had something that she had wanted to do there. But what?

(Dang… Emilie is entangled so much in the Miraculous Ladybug lore. I’m starting to wonder whether we’ll even get to know her as a person before the lore starts kicking at full speed.)

I think this quote may help out a lot in answering this question:

Miraculous Ladybug Lore Theory: Master Fu’s Past, Symbolism, And Emilie Agreste And The Miraculous

Gabriel says that the book was a gift from Emilie.

Meaning, that it was Emilie’s. Then, she gave it to her husband, effectively making it his.

But they had found it. Together.

What one found, should have been the other’s as soon as long as one found something that they both interest in.

But Emilie owned it. Gabriel, the person who must have been by her side (whether or not he was discouraging of this whole trip to begin with, nonchalant, or supportive) the whole time they were looking for the jewelry and fancy book, should have had equal ownership.

But he didn’t. It was Emilie’s. Most likely because Gabriel didn’t care too much for the book.

So, what does this mean?

Emilie was very invested in this trip. Even if Gabriel had no care for this trip, she cared so much to make up for it. She also likely had connections to a Miraculous wielder or a Guardian, who could lead her in the right direction of where to go, and she personally made it her mission to retrieve the missing Grimoire, Butterfly Miraculous, and Peacock Miraculous.

She probably thought of the book as important, and before she “disappeared,” made sure that Gabriel would think so of it too.

After all, it was the last gift that she ever gave to him. Even if Gabriel hadn’t become Hawk moth, it should have enough reason to be important to him.

Everything relating to Miraculouses, it must have mattered to her. It mattered to her intensely. To the point that you would want to go to a mountain in Tibet, out of all places, for VACATION.

Ironic how she had to exert so much effort for her get a Miraculous (which she couldn’t even use afterwards, because she “disappeared.”), while her son just had to help an old man up to get one.

As to why she wanted it and why she would know something like a Miraculous and Grimoire and know someone who knows about them is beyond me.

Oh god please let Marinette be either related to Fu,the man who gave the bangle to Fu, or one of the (surprising plot twist) alive ones after the fall of the temple.

Oh wait. I know.

What if she was related to the maker of the Miraculouses.

Now THAT would be something.

7 months ago

Death Note: The musical JP 2015

Where is the justice?- Urai Kenji

JP

>>2015 Kakizawa Hayato, Koike Teppei ver.<<

>>2015 Urai Kenji, Koike Teppei ver<<

>>2020 Shouma Kai, Fu Takahashi ver.<<

KR

>>2017 Han Ji Sang, Xia ver<<

>>2022 Hong Kwang Ho, Xia ver. <<

>>2022 Ko EunSung, Xia ver.<<

>>2022 Ko EunSung, Kim Sungcheol ver.<<

EN

>>2015 Jeremy Jordan Jarrod Spector ver. <<

>>2023 Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Dean John Wilson ver.<<

RU

>>2017 Alexandr Kazmin, Yaroslav Bayarunas ver.<<

>> [Eng cover] Alexandr Kazmin, Yaroslav Bayarunas <<

INSTRUMENTAL

>>Instrumental ver.<<

2 months ago

the Harry Potter handsome men’s club

i’m not even kidding, I went on a word search rampage, motivated by an initially serious thought train about how JK Rowling depicts & portrays conventional attractiveness vs. non-attractiveness (inspired by me finally reading the Robert Galbraith books) and how it contributes to her characterizations. It has resulted in this:

The only characters ever outright called “handsome” by either the narration or another character, in the order of “handsome” appearance:

Gilderoy Lockhart: Actually indirectly called handsome: introduced as “very good-looking”; handsomeness only mentioned in that “he didn’t look remotely handsome anymore” and Ron going “*cough*Lockhart*” when accusing Hermione of only liking people (aka Cedric) for handsomeness’ sake. 

Tom Riddle. Not introduced as handsome by 12-year-old Harry (16-year old Harry makes up for it by calling young Tom Riddle handsome EVERY time he is mentioned), just as a boy “much taller” than Harry with the same jet black hair. Dumbledore makes the handsome explicit* when at the end of CoS he refers to how most people failed to connect Voldemort to the “clever, handsome boy” Riddle had been.

Sirius Black: Pre-Azkaban, in the wedding picture: “handsome, full of laughter”; his “handsome, laughing face.” In the flashback, after we’re reminded he’s very good-looking he sits around looking: haughty and bored “but handsomely so”. Our last look at him alive is of his “wasted, once-handsome face” (this is where I cry); in the picture on his wall we see Sirius looking “carelessly handsome … slightly arrogant”, and of course break-our-hearts-one-last-time-Resurrection-Stone Sirius looks “tall and handsome” with a grin on his face and even walks handsome, really: “loped with an easy grace.” 

Cedric Diggory: uh, Cedric may actually be the best-looking, according to the text.  

Cedric alone gets adverbs of degree; he is “extremely handsome” and “exceptionally handsome”, thank you, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter. Cedric also gets called pretty boy at least twice, once by Seamus Finnegan, and once by a jealous Harry in his thoughts. Yet he is one of the few members of this club who shows no signs of a) evil b) vanity or c) arrogance. Cedric is downright lovely; poor Cedric.

Firenze: he’s confirmed as the “handsome centaur” in HBP, but we assumed as much before from Parvati & Lavender, whose giggles are probably the best non-explicit* barometer of male handsomeness in-text.

Bill Weasley: 14-year-old Harry actually calls long-haired Bill “cool”, not handsome. But we gather more information from Fleur’s eyeing him up: aka by “cool”, Harry, I think you meant “hot”, or possibly, since this is UK-set, “fit”. Hot/fit, being of course a distinctive category of literary attractiveness, it can, but does not always, crossover with “handsome”. 

Mrs. Weasley (painfully) confirms Bill’s handsomeness after his face is ruined: “very handsome little b-boy”, “always very handsome”. Again, the handsome is there to make us sad- but not too sad this time, since it’s a glorious set-up for Fleur’s epic good-looking-enough-for-the-both-of-us moment of true <3.  

Tom Riddle Sr. - the “handsome” Muggle, whose son looks like his “handsome father in miniature”; his handsomeness is both a huge plot point in Merope’s story and further re-emphasis of T.R. Jr.’s own looks.

Gellert Grindelwald - yes, the other Dark Wizard was also a card-carrying member of the handsome club. We first get him stealing the Elder Wand with “delight upon his handsome face”; later as Dumbledore’s “handsome companion,” “merry-faced” and “smiling lazily” in his picture. You wouldn’t remember it from the Very Serious version of the photograph used in the movies, but it’s also noted in the photograph Dumbledore and handsome friend Grindelwald are both “roaring with laughter”. 

…which, interesting: the association of handsome + laughter is explicitly connected, repeatedly, with only one other character: Sirius Black. 

-and not to go all psychoanalytic literary criticism, but THAT adds an angle to Dumbledore’s distrust of Sirius (offering to be the Potters’ Secret Keeper instead, buying into Pettigrew’s frame job) and how Dumbledore & Sirius have little rapport, especially compared to Dumbledore & anyone else from Sirius’ generation. 

Am I making the ridiculous statement that Dumbledore didn’t like Sirius because he was handsome? …actually, sort of, yes.

Keeping in mind that Sirius and James are pretty confirmed to have gone around the school hexing people, that Grindelwald was kicked out of Durmstrange for much-more-extreme “near fatal” attacks on other students, and that Sirius did in fact set a “near fatal” situation up by telling Snape about the tunnel as a prank… 

I think there’s a reasonable argument that Dumbledore looked at a clever, handsome boy, and thought of other clever handsome boys he’d known and how they’d turned out-  particularly the one who was briefly part of his own laughing double act - and did not trust Sirius Black. And so offered to be the Potters’ Secret Keeper instead. And bought into Pettigrew’s frame job. And even later (in one of Dumbledore’s many What the Hell, Hero moments) letting that whole Sirius-confined-at-Grimmauld-Place situation build, and critiquing his character ten minutes after he’s dead. Sirius is one of the few characters in the series who Dumbledore never seems to give a fair shake, even while able to analyze him to a T… 

But I digress, so back to the handsomeness:

 runners-up:

11-year-old Dudley Dursley- looking v. “handsome and grown-up” in his uniform, but since it is Aunt Petunia saying so, and Harry is choking on laughter, HEAPS of salt from the narrative here. 

Ron Weasley, assured he is “very handsome” by, of all people, Slughorn. Grain of salt for love-potion circumstances, but giggling sixth-years suggest it is not much of an exaggeration.  

Regulus Black is “rather less handsome” than Sirius. While not 100% confirming handsomeness, given how often it comes up regarding Sirius, a remaining degree of reasonable handsomeness is implied.

handsome woman’s club: 

Madame Maxime! at least three “handsomes” to her name 

other “handsome” things: Fawkes except on Burning Day, silver platters, roaring fires, leather-covered books, tawny owls, a Christmas tree, and the face of the  “noble-looking” from a distance but up-close vacant wizard of the Fountain of Magical Brethren, etc

*any other male characters’ handsomeness is either implicit, fanon, or movie-driven assumptions. There’s plenty of strong implicit arguments to be made, though, through the lovely showing-not-telling of attractiveness. But no one else is explicitly “handsome”, unless I missed one, in which case, do tell.

generally, though, if you are handsome in a Harry Potter novel, you are either evil or something terrible is going to happen to you. But handsomely so!

10 months ago

Who translated…? This episode? 

In the French version, Adrien says to Kagami, “I hope the film will live up to your expectations,” 

In the English version, Adrien says to Kagami, “Well, I’m more of a dog person” 

?????????????

4 months ago

Stuff I learned from the Miraculous Instagram and the wiki's guide on it:

Marinette is a Keysmasher.

Stuff I Learned From The Miraculous Instagram And The Wiki's Guide On It:

2. Nino is probably a Soundcloud Rapper.

Stuff I Learned From The Miraculous Instagram And The Wiki's Guide On It:

3. Kagami does not go to the same school as Marinette and the gang.

Stuff I Learned From The Miraculous Instagram And The Wiki's Guide On It:
2 months ago
THIS BIT. THIS BIT THO. Because Remember, This Is From BEFORE Harry Even Lands On His "Malfoy Is A Death

THIS BIT. THIS BIT THO. Because remember, this is from BEFORE Harry even lands on his "Malfoy is a Death Eater” theory. Like. He hasn't even figured it out yet. But he still spends the entire last week of his VACATION thinking about Draco.

He's in denial though. Obviously he's not obsessed with Draco. No. Draco is just objectively a fascinating topic. And therefore it's totally rational to be annoyed that Ron and Hermione don't want to take part in the perfectly normal hobby of discussing Draco Malfoy 24/7. How dare they?

I just know that after drarry finally happens someone asks Ron if seeing the two of them together feels weird and Ron's like 'honestly it was weirder when they weren't together.'

1 month ago

Mapping the Drarry storyline: a deep analysis of Draco and Harry's relationship in the Harry Potter series

Yes, I did it. I made it into a fucking essay.

Well, my pals, let me begin by explaining that I should be paid for this, because holy shit, this is a Herculean task. But it’s fine, I’m doing it because I love these books too much and it’s my duty! *standing up with the union flag in the background*

How is it going to work?

This very post will be my masterlist, where I’ll slowly be adding links to all the text posts as I write them. So like it, save it, reblog the shit out of it. Thank you.

Each post will discuss a specific moment in the books (as well as getting references from the movies and discussing what they left out), so it could be just one interaction or a whole point in their relationship, it will depend on my methods at the time.

Will you talk from a shipper perspective? Isn’t that biased?

Well, I’m glad you asked. I will, indeed, talk about how their interactions are further proof that DRARRY IS FUCKING CANON, but I promise to be rational. Furthermore, this is not the only aspect of their characters that I love, so I’ll include a lot of discussion about character development, redemption, coming-of-age and all that.

When will you be posting each post?

I can’t promise I’ll be able to keep a steady rhythm going, but I’m already writing the first one, about the moment they met at Madam Malkin’s. Please, don’t push me about it, because I do have a real job and all that rot.

So yeah, it’s on!

Philosopher’s Stone Chapter 1 - First Impressions

1 month ago

A Justification of Drarry

Here’s a fairly extensive compilation of Drarry ‘evidence’ (it got kind of lengthy so the rest is below the cut) <3

Keep reading

4 months ago

What is the REAL purpose behind the Miraculouses?

As we see in the show, both Miraculouses (Peacock and Butterfly) are allied and used for evil. When we dive deeper into the show, there already awaits many obvious things. Let’s take a look at Ladybug’s power.

1. Lucky Charm: This is used as the power of creation. There is nothing that’s really alarming with this power, seeing as it doesn’t always have to be focused on defeating akumas. This power can be used as so much more, like aiding in catching criminals, saving lives, etc.

The real question is her other power.

2. Capturing/Purifying Akumas and Feathers: Now as we watch the show, we may have just looked over this seeing as it made perfect sense for the plot itself. But now when we really think about it, did the miraculous always have this power? This goes to show that after the temple burned down, or even before, the Butterly and Peacock Miraculouses were most likely used for evil or else there would be no high demand of a purification power.

Before you say that they could have been used for good, think about this. If the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculouses were used for good,  there would be no need for Ladybug’s purification power.

When we look back on Heroes Day, Hawkmoth had akumatized Lila into Volpina yet again. He then removed his akuma from Lila, saying that he didn’t need her at the moment. His akuma that he took out of her then returned back to him. Later on during Heroes Day, Mayura created a sentimonster to protect Hawkmoth. When the Heroes were about to attack it, she then blew the feather out of Hawkmoth’s cane.

If the people used the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculouses for good, Ladybug would not need her purifying power, seeing as their miraculouses all have the potential to call back their akuma or feather and then de-evilize it. With the information that the show has released to us, we can only assume that the two miraculouses were used for evil ever since the Guardian Society collapsed.

This information still leaves us with many questions left unanswered.

1. How did Ladybug get the purification power? Why was Ladybug the one to receive it and not the other miraculouses?

2. What made people before the current peacock and butterfly holders use their miraculous for evil?

3. What would be the consequence of obtaining their wish with the cat and ladybug miraculous? Are they aware of the risks they would have to take? Would they still be willing to go through with it after knowing mast must be sacrificed?

4. If any other Miraculouses fell into the wrong hands, would Ladybug or Chat Noir get another power similar to the purification one? How exactly would one go about that?

5. If any other Miraculouses turned evil, would they have to hide themselves like the current evil holders or would they go out and fight physically?

6. Since we don’t know much of the other miraculouses powers, do they have the capability of being evil? How have the other miraculouses been used throughout time? Were all the miraculouses out or were they kept in seclusion?

Leave theories down in the comments below! vvv

-dog food uwu chan ♡♡

You have a point. Maybe the butterfly and peacock miraculous is really destined to be used for that purpose. Cause despite their real intention for the miraculous to not be used for evil, seeing ladybug’s power to “purify” what is there left to purify but not those akumas? What is the real purpose of the miraculous? Were the guardians fighting an evil entity which led to the creation of the miraculi or is it something more?

5 months ago

An Incomplete List of Times Adrien has Treated Marinette and Others Like Absolute Shit

This will be fucking updated when I fucking remember more examples. Very fucking aggressive language because I am fucking pissed off. 

Are you willing to fucking learn? Are you willing to set aside your shipping goggles? Are you willing to fucking look beyond what the writers tell you to see what they show you? Then fucking read on. 

But if you’re going to fucking ignore all of this and insist that Adrien is a good person who treats Marinette with respect and ‘always stops when she’s uncomfortable?’ then fuck off right now and block me because I am sick of the fucking rape apologism that runs rampant in this fucking fandom

Yes you fucking read that right. Rape apologism.

========================

(Episodes are not listed in any particular order. Maybe someday I’ll put them in chronological order but that’s a lot of effort.

———————————————————

In Ladybug, he attacked her because she wasn’t in love with him. He chose a fantasy over the real her, and attacked her twice because she wasn’t in love with him. First he threw his baton at her. And then he fucking tried to Cataclysm her. He would have lost his fucking Miraculous if she hadn’t fucking gotten him away from the Sentimonster and how does he fucking repay her? By fucking attacking her because she’s not in love with him.

———————————————————

In Syren, he blackmailed Plagg with letting over two million people drown so that Plagg would tell him someone else’s secret identity. He grabbed Marinette’s wrist to stop her from leaving and guilt-tripped her for not telling him information he knew she wasn’t at liberty to reveal to him, which he even fucking admit out loud just to make her feel bad!

———————————————————

In Oblivio, he sat on the ground and verbally harassed her while forcing her to defend him, herself, AND fight the Akuma all on her own. Because of him, they both got their memories erased by the villain, and while under the Akuma’s influence, they kissed. And then, when they got their memories back, and she found out they kissed, and she was genuinely upset and horrified? He laughed in her fucking face. And called them a couple again, for the third time in this episode alone, despite her telling him not to literally every time he does it. And then when she tells him off again, and tells him he’s the reason they got their memories erased in the first place, after she tells him AGAIN, TO STOP CALLING THEM A COUPLE, he laughs in her face and tells her “We’re meant to be together, m’lady, you’re the only one who doesn’t see it.”

———————————————————

In Weredad, he tried to kiss her, and the only reason he didn’t suceeed was because the Akuma pulled her away. And the reason that happened? Because she was singlehandedly trying to save her parents’ lives while he stood there harassing her and refusing to help, and didn’t show any fucking concern at all for the civilians even though he knows they’re Marinette’s parents, and even after a fucking concrete statue was smashed into her bedroom, he still didn’t show any fucking concern at all. 

———————————————————

In Stormy Weather, the Akuma threw him to the ground, and Marinette offered him a hand to get back to his feet. He accepted her hand, and instead of letting go, kissed it, forcing her to push him away. 

An Akuma turns off the lights in a building, and Adrien has to lead Marinette outside because he can see in the dark and she can’t. Which is fine.

Except that when they get outside, he fucking refuses to let go of her hand, Even when she glares at him and makes it clear she wants him to let go.

He fucking smiles like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, showing He knows that it is wrong, he knows she wants him to let go, but guess what??? He still doesn’t fucking let go.

She is forced to pull her hand away from him.

And then he has the fucking gall to laugh. And we’re meant to be laughing right along with him, because the 45 year old white men writing this show think boys touching girls without their consent is funny.

———————————————————

In Reflectdoll, he tried again to kiss her hand, but her reflexes are fucking faster now, literally because she’s been dealing with him for three fucking seasons now, so she managed to pull away in time, and you literally don’t even need to fucking pause the scene to see the horror on her face when she realizes what he’s about to do. 

image

[ID: A screenshot from the Miraculous Ladybug episode Reflektdoll, showing Adrien as Chat Noir holding Marinette as Ladybug’s hand, in the process of leaning down to kiss it. Marinette is staring, her mouth fallen open and her eyes bugging out of her head in horror. End ID.]

She then immediately fucking crosses her arms over her chest and turns away form him so he can’t try again

 And then he fucking calls her Buggaboo, literally just to piss her off.

Not to mention he almost fucking made her Lucky Charm fail and did not fucking apologize for almost costing them the fight against the fucking supervillain. Instead of fucking apologizing, he told her that she’s the responsible one, and he’s the funny one, so he’s under no obligation to fucking help her to the best of his ability, so if she’s upset with him not helping, it’s her fault for not being more responsible

———————————————————

In Glaciator, he asked her out on a date, she politely turned him down by saying she already had plans with friends, he blew off his friends and lied to them about it, then when she didn’t fucking come to the date she said she wouldn’t be coming to, he punished her by being snarky and mean, and implied that She was fucking lying about going out with friends, even though he literally fucking lied to his so-called friends and blew off their plans together and refused to cooperate with he to take down the villain until she apologized to him.

After she explains that she’s in love with someone else and can’t return his feelings, he tells her he’s happy with her friendship.

And then he immediately fucking turns around and tells Plagg that he’s happy with her friendship FOR NOW. 

The only reason he is “friends” with her is because he wants her to fall in love with him. He is literally being the literal fucking definition of a Nice Guy. He is the fucking asshole creep who thinks that being friends with you is a chore he has to put up with so he can get into your pants. Literally.

———————————————————

In Frozor, after she’s already fucking told him she’s in love with someone else and wants him to stop asking her out, he fucking once again asks her out, she fucking ONCE AGAIN tells him she wants him to stop, and his fucking response is, “I know that [you already told me you’ve in love with someone else and want me to stop asking you out], but if he weren’t here, would things be different between us?”

Can you literally fucking imagine someone asking you to break up with your fucking partner to date them instead? because that is what he is fucking telling her to do.

Don’t you fucking dare play dumb.

He literally admits out loud that he knows she’s asked him to stop and he knows she wants him to stop but he doesn’t fucking care and he’s going to continue anyways.

Look at the fucking anguish on her fucking face and tell me she’s consenting to this. I fucking dare you.

———————————————————

In Copycat, he lies to someone else about their relationship and causes the person to become Akumatized, then does not fucking confess to lying to anyone, and Marinette is the one who ends up apologizing to the Akuma victim, after Adrien fucking implies that it’s her fault he got Akumatized.

———————————————————

Anonymous said: In Prime Queen, “he fans Ladynoir flames on live tv, ignores Ladybug’s feelings and it was HIS idea to kiss for the akuma! (He also looked creepy during his first attempt ngl.) He tries to kiss her twice! And brings up the kiss a third time! The akuma doesn’t even care about the kiss! I don’t have a tumblr but I hope this'l l help get Adrien stans to step off. Everything he did felt wrong that episode.”

In Prime Queen, Adrien also gets right the fuck up in Nadjia’s personal space, fucking caging her in to her chair.

He literally doesn’t move out of her space until she smacks him in the face with her hand by accident.

He calls her Marinette Buggaboo once again, and she once again reiterates that she wants him to stop calling her that.

The moment the idea of them dating is brought up, Marientte recoils, Adrien perks up excitedly.

When Marinette says they aren’t a couple, Adrien buts in that they might be one day, so that she has to turn and tell him “Chat, not now!”. He downplays her feelings, telling her that being asked invasive, personal questions is what they signed up for when they became superheroes.

He then tries to ask her out on a date even though she’s clearly upset and literally just told him she wants to keep their relationship professional. Later, he interrupts her when she’s talking to the Akuma, grabs her by the shoulder, spins her to face him and puts his hands on both her shoulders, makes a fucking serial killer expression, tells her, “Pucker up!”, and leans in to try and kiss her while he is holding her in place.

He stops when she tells him, “not a chance, kitty” but then not even five minutes later he fucking does it again.

And she once a-fucking-gain has to tell him to fucking stop.

Not even five fucking minutes after he did it the first time.

He took her “No” as “try harder”.

———————————————————

Every single fucking chance he gets, he is trying to kiss her, or leaning into her space, or touching her even though he knows she doesn’t want him to. Every chance he gets, he calls her Buggaboo, even though he knows she hates it. He calls them a couple, even though he knows she hates it. He goes out of his fucking way to piss her off and torment her, because he fucking thinks it’s funny.

Adrien violates every single fucking boundary Marinette sets, no matter how fucking clearly she words it, no matter how fucking simple it would be for him to fucking respect her. Ever single fucking chance he gets he is harassing her both verbally and physically, and yes, he has literally fucking assaulted her at least once because it doesn’t fucking matter that it’s a kiss on the hand instead of the mouth. She didn’t fucking give consent and he didn’t even fucking pretend ask for it. The kiss in Stormy Weather was assault. All of his fucking behavior towards her is sexual harassment.

Here’s A FANTASTIC post by @thewheezingbubbledragon that details Adrien’s abusive behavior in multiple situations, with screenshots for proof.

It doesn’t fucking matter that he’s not harassing her to have sex with him. There is no fucking category of sexual harassment called “romantic harassment”. Any fucking unwanted requests or statements or touching or attempted touching of sexual or romantic nature is fucking sexual harassment. 

literally any unwanted touching or attempted touching at all is assault.

Just bcause you ship it doesn’t mean it’s not sexual harassment. Just because you ship it doesn’t mean he’s not abusing her. Just because you like him doesn’t mean he isn’t a fucking horrible person. 

============================

Here is a link to a post with infographics explaining rape culture 

@miraculousladybugandconsent​ literally just has resources explaining sexual harassment, abusive relationships, and healthy relationships.

============================

Please fucking feel free to add on because I’m sick and tired of being the only one giving evidence for this crap.

The best way to do this would be to create a new post, with the name of the episode, and examples of Adrien’s behavior, and then you can @ me and let me know to add it to this, and I’ll copy and paste it in. If you can include screenshots or gifs, even better.

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