#bois blanc isnt that difficult

[yzerman]

its neat that michigan has its own little slang or pronunciation for certain things and places but every time i have to say “boblo island” out loud i noticeably cringe

[chat-noir-always-here]

Debunking “Adrien is perfect”

  To voice a rather non-Marinette-like opinion of Adrien: He’s not perfect. He’s never been perfect. He has, in fact, been riddled with flaws from the very beginning. Part of the reason Chat Noir gets hate is because he serves to exaggerate Adrien’s flaws and make them more obvious, destroying the perfectionism façade. And the sooner Marinette tosses the “I love the perfect Adrien” filter in the trash where it belongs, and starts actively recognizing and acknowledging his faults, the better off the endgame relationship will be.

 Long post is long and I don’t like cuts, cuz i’ve lost a few posts in the past using them. Please filter the tag “long post” I use it for walls of texts like these. 

First of all, flaws are just one of the many things that happen when someone either learns something the wrong way, spends too much time in the wrong environment, lack any decent role models... really there are a plethora of causes. What i mean is character shortcomings aren’t necessarily reasons to hate the character themselves. They’re more or less internal obstacles put there to be overcome in order to portray character growth. Of course spending an exaggerated amount of time with these characters without seeing them overcome particular shortcomings is frustrating it does not necessarily mean they will never be redeemed or developed and are/were deserving of hate.

 Except for Gabriel. That creature belongs behind bars.

 Most of Adrien’s flaws come from his toxic home situation:

The Miraculous Wiki puts Adrien at fifteen. Meaning Adrien has only been actively leaving the house (for public school and the occasional social get-together) for about a year. His fourteenth birthday was one of the earliest episodes and im assuming his fifteenth birthday happened off screen between the s3 finale and the new york special.

Regardless the majority of his life was spent in isolation and his only company was his immediate family, Nathalie, Felix and Chloe. None of whom are particularly good role models except for Emilie. Maybe.

He’s rather overworked for a 14 y.o. boy. On top of school, he has fencing, piano and Chinese lessons. This leaves him with very little time for himself. 

He lost his mother. In Feast, Adrien expresses Emilie was a source of joy in his life--”Only Mom can make me laugh like that.” Felix marked the one year anniversary of her disappearance.  Worse still, we’re led to assume all Adrien knows is that Emilie disappeared. Did she abandon him? Was she kidnapped and killed? He doesn’t know. He has no closure regarding her absence. 

On top of losing his mother, his only remaining parent is an emotionally manipulative and abusive prick. Gabriel has denied Adrien a birthday party, threatened to take Adrien out of school just because he can, never lets him have friends over for any reason, hardly ever makes time for Adrien and only once in a blue moon will actually sit and eat a meal with the poor kid.

And on top of all of this he’s not out of the woods yet. He’s still living with his abusive father. He’s still not allowed to see his friends outside of school much. He’s still got a packed schedule. He still doesn’t have closure regarding his mother’s “disappearance.”

Looking at it like this paints Adrien in a rather sympathetic light.

 Marinette doesn’t know Gabriel is Hawk Moth either, but she does understand Adrien is lonely, isolated and in need of a source of love and comfort. She also understands to some degree that his heart is delicate, so she constantly handles him with kid gloves and looks on him with a perfection filter. 

We see how Mari reacts to upsetting Adrien in Malediktator when she softly whispers an apology after Adrien expresses his sorrow over everyone celebrating Chloe’s departure. She’s seems pained and distraught over causing him to be upset. Thus the reason Marinette calls Adrien perfect isn’t that she never sees any of his flaws--she just cannot acknowledge or process them under these conditions. Shes too busy trying not to hurt him. She also has shown some signs of having extreme anxiety, which messes with ones head and makes it difficult--nearly impossible--to think straight. She wants to be the source of love and comfort he desires (and already is in a way) so his faults go unprocessed.

But what are Adrien’s flaws?

1. He has trouble standing up for himself. 

He’ll take a stand for others.

 He stood up to Chloe on Mylene’s behalf in Horrificator and on Marinette/ Cheng Sifu’s behalf in Kung Food. He stood up to Lila in Oni-chan and Ladybug. He stood up to Gabriel in Simon Says--but as Chat Noir, not Adrien. 

There have only been two-ish instances of Adrien, not Chat Noir, standing up for himself. I say -ish only because he was kinda standing up for Lila in the first and Chloe in the second. 

First in Volpina he stood up to Ladybug for how she handled the situation with Lila. He personally believed she handled the situation poorly (which she did--there were/are serious consequences for that. still) and although he was kinda wishy-washy in conveying that it was only because he was scared of sounding too much like Chat Noir. Her partner. Her chief-of-staff. Who can and will call her out on such behavior. 

Second in Malediktator, when he more or less told Marinette she was wrong to be happy about Chloe leaving. Granted this was partly him standing up for Chloe, but aside from her—he, Adrien, was deeply upset chloe was leaving on such bad terms and made sure Marinette understood that. 

Abused children tend to be somewhat submissive/agreeable/etc. They have trouble speaking out when they’re uncomfortable or don’t want something or think a particular action is wrong. Usually because they are anticipating some kind of punishment for speaking out or afraid of offending the other person to the point that said person wants nothing to do with them anymore, or both.

 For Adrien to fix this particular flaw, he needs to prioritize himself and his own wants more. However he also needs someone who doesn’t chastise him for doing things he likes, tending to his own needs and setting boundaries. Kagami is not that person--she’s actually quite demanding of him and cold. Her understanding of relationships isnt great either, which is why these two really aren’t that great for each other. 

2. He puts his faith in the wrong people

  Adrien’s fucking household is about as toxic as it can get (please don’t take this as a challenge, S4). On top of his immediate family consisting of his abusive, toxic, terrorist father, there’s his cousin Felix. Felix who squished cheese under Adrien’s pillow, stole his phone, pretended to be him and sent an outrageous and awful video to his friends. 

 There’s also his mother Emilie whom, despite his love and adoration of her, lied to him for who knows how long and messed around with a broken miraculous to the point it forced her into an indefinite coma and left Adrien at his father’s mercy. There are theories that she did this for her family but nothing concrete or canon has been proven--all we know is that Emilie had been having frequent dizzy spells while she was still awake and using the peacock miraculous, and that she anticipated her fate and Gabriel apparently promised to save her.

There’s Lila, as well. “She’s not dangerous. She just craves attention.” Wrong, Adrien, she’s very dangerous. She is conspiring with your father to spy on you, attempted to get Marinette expelled from school, tricked you into leaving Ladybug alone with a supervillain whom she personally requested to kill Ladybug, pinned Marinette against a bathroom wall and almost got her akumatized, actually got Marinette akumatized and nearly cost you both the Ladybug Miraculous and TIkki. She isn’t just dangerous she is an actual threat, whether or not she is the future Hawk Moth who sent Timetagger after you when you were children with time-sensitive powers. Adrien has a slightly better understanding of that after the events of Ladybug and Oni-chan, so hopefully he will be on his guard at least in regards to Lila.

 The reason for Adrien’s overly trusting nature may lie in the fact that literally everyone closest to him, everyone for the first thirteen years or so, was toxic and/or a liar. You know what happens when you can’t trust anyone around you? You live with it. You accept all these bad people as they are, without making any effort to establish healthy boundaries. Adrien certainly lived with it--how’s an abused, isolated boxed-and-sheltered son supposed to know what healthy boundaries are when he’s lacking any healthy connections? I bet he can just barely endure all the anguish but he can’t stand to be alone so he just tolerates it. Not to mention the most guilty is his father. Where else is he supposed to go?

Like a frog sitting in a pot of water, you don’t realize you’re in trouble until the water is too hot. So you just accept it--all the bad feelings--you accept it, live with it and it still hurts but you rarely complain. Because anything is better than being alone. 

I think Adrien understands, deep down, that the love he is clinging to, the love provided by his relatives, isn’t really there. But if he looks at it too long and lets this knowledge sink in he’ll lose it. He really did lose it in Chat Blanc-- just that sky-crashing-down-on-him realization that he didn’t have his fathers love, hadn’t had it for a long time, just completely ruined our boy. 

 Of course the knowledge is there. It’s literally right there in front of his face and it’s only a matter of time before he is forced to turn and look and face the music. At which point I hope Marinette knows who he is and has a plan to save him otherwise Chat Blanc is just going to happen again. 

3. Yes, he takes the flirting too far sometimes

No--that doesn’t make him toxic.

Yes, Adrien overreacted to Ladybug never showing up in Glaciator. He shouldn’t have been upset with her in Frozen for not accepting the rose. He should have told her the damn truth about being forced to leave the city at the same time she was in the New York special. 

 However, he also apologized for overreacting in both Glaciator and Frozen. And again, abused kids live in anticipation of punishment for their mistakes. Adrien’s father has taught him that the slightest mistake can result in loss of freedom or trust, even if its circumstances beyond his control. And he now understands that Ladybug isn’t going to blindly punish him for being honest with her, which he now knows to do. 

 He makes mistakes, apologizes for them, and learns from them. That’s not fucking toxic--it’s natural, human and allowed. 

 He’s flirty and suggestive, yes, but the minute she signals she doesn’t want it or isn’t feeling it he stops. He has had immense trouble with not flirting with her, despite her telling him she isn’t interested multiple times. That much is true. But he truly and deeply cares for her and he would never force himself on her and it isn’t because he knows she’ll kick his ass if he does. It’s because unlike the vast majority of his family, he’s actually a decent human being. 

 He has even begun to “flirt platonically,” toasting their partnership and friendship rather than offering a romantic relationship she can never say yes to. If that isn’t the most soft and respectful fluff I don’t know what is.

 4. He is leading Kagami on

Did he cheat? I’m actually not sure. Thomas is being vague in his tweets and won’t give us a decent answer (because he likes “watching fandom burn”--i mean MOOD but clarify please). 

 Here’s what we know and have observed: 1. Chat Noir told Ladybug “I have a girlfriend” 2. He immediately followed that up with “It’s not good at all. I just said that to make you jealous”  3. He allowed Kagami to kiss him in the new york special 4. but he has trouble telling girls not to touch him--been a problem since episode one. Yes its generally cheek kisses chloe gives him but sometimes its not and he looked downright uncomfortable in a lot of cases of physical contact with her and with Lila 5. he seemed rather comfortable with kagami kissing him--except he did say no to her kissing him in the finale 6. but he’s also trying to move on from Ladybug and be with Kagami  7. If he were in a relationship with Kagami, he’d likely keep it a secret because both of their parents are controlling of them and may not allow it 8. His understanding of relationships and girls is kinda dreadful due to not having his mom around for advice and his father’s general lack of a concept of what healthy romantic relationships and boundaries are, and, as Nino put it, not being able to understand signals very well

Adrien’s current relationship status is up in the air. I’m about eighty percent certain he’s dating Kagami--but there’s still that twenty percent chance he’s not.

 Putting aside the question of whether or not he and Kagami are official, Adrien’s been attempting to move past his feelings for Ladybug. Which--won’t sugarcoat it--he kinda sucks at. At the same time, Kagami is aware he is in love with another but lacks the understanding that his moving on will take time. 

 The main issues here is that Adrien knows who he wants but can’t have her. Kagami is a wonderful person herself and he wants to get to know her better, but they aren’t really a good match and they are both going to get hurt in the end (Love Victor anyone???). Until that happens we are going to have some questionable moments in the show, and we just need to remember that Adrien is a child with a poor understanding of relationships, and not an evil person. Kagami doesn’t necessarily have a great understanding of them either--”Your indecision hurts me Adrien,” “Adrien you and I are perfect for each other!”--and she has flaws of her own she needs to unlearn. 

 For the time being, Adrien is leading Kagami on (it needs to be said--even if they aren’t dating he’s flirted with her, given her roses etc.) I say leading her on because, no matter how much Adrien believes Marinette is just a friend and they weren’t flirting in New York, loyal boyfriends who wish to be monogamous don’t dance with other women.

 Or look this happy when that other woman touches them

Does this make Adrien a deceitful and hateful character? No. Does this make him an unworthy character? No. It makes him an abused child with little to no concept of healthy relationships. 

Also Adrien’s friends, including Marinette, have no reason to believe he is dating Kagami. They know he is interested in her and she in him, but as Nino said, Adrien has a hard time picking up signals and understanding their meaning. Not to mention the boy is fifteen. Flirting skills, understanding boundaries, and other relationship concepts are a challenge even for ordinary fifteen year olds in healthy environments to grasp--case in point: Marinette.

Adrigami and Lukanette are simply not going to end well. The Love Square is the endgame and ultimately both Lukanette and Adrigami are going to fall apart to make that happen--I knew that going into the possible Adrigami and Lukanette  territory that the finale created.

 Kagami is a strong, intelligent person--she’s likely going to be the one to end it given what we’ve seen. I don’t like to think about what might happen then--she may be akumatized and Chat Noir would feel rather guilty and may not be able to fight her. But they will both come out of it with something they needed--Kagami will understand (as Marinette needs to) that Adrien isn’t her perfect soul mate incapable of making mistakes. Adrien will understand relationships better. 

 Its unfortunate that this has to happen in order for Adrien to learn due lessons, given that he actually does have someone who can talk to him about girls and relationships and loyalty: Nino.

 Given what Nino wasted no time in scolding Mari for spying on Adrien and Lila when she confessed doing so in Chameleon, as well as how he treats Alya, I undoubtedly believe Nino would be the one to come out and say “You can’t dance with Marinette when you’re with Kagami.” 

 Assuming he is with Kagami. 

In conclusion: Adrien is flawed but not deserving of hate. He is a traumatuzed child stuck in a toxic household who lacks proper mentors. Marinette, Alya and Nino are out of the loop about his potential relationship with Kagami. And Marinette and Kagami both need to acknowledge Adrien is imperfect. Nino and Adrien need to do guy talk like two seasons ago. 

Also Marinette probably has some intense anxiety issues. But more on that later.

[familiarlyjiji]

• alias - Foxx

• age - 25  

• pronouns  - She/Her

•timezone  -  Eastern-Pacific

•favorite artist  -  Let's just say I dont have just one genre of music i like. Miyavi, Exo, Evanescence, Pink, Disney Soundtracks blasting out my car windows(All of them), All Time Low, SOAD, recently Clair Wyndham(Thank you Lucifer for having amazing music. Lol)

•favorite  movie  -  Labyrinth, Corpse Bride, Queen of the Damned, Dark Crystal

•favorite  fairy  tale  -  Peter Pan, Rapunzel

•favorite  color  -  Blue 

•character(s)  you  play  - Jin Jin-wu JiJi

•about  the  character  -

The memoirs of Jin-Wu start as any good story would, with a man or in our case a cat who became the loyal servant of a young lady of nobility. A familiar who would do anything for his master. Even take a few punches to the gut for being more than a little outspoken on what he thought was in the best interest of the young women. Especially when even she, herself was sometimes oblivious to the dangers that lurked around her. Akane in its warring state was not the safest place you see; for even those in a higher social order found themselves in the line of fire on occasion. Of course, our handsome feline wasn't opposed to setting aside his own morals and getting his claws a little dirty for his master's sake.

One wouldn't think much of an average sized cat whose fur was as black as night being of much use to a noble, her family or her friends. But then wouldn't they be ignoring the agile evasiveness of a feline and that ignorance my friends, is how the small Jin-Wu learned of those who would come to plot against his mistress. But our little kitten was not so much impressed with just that, and he eventually learned to shift those claws of his in that form he took that resembled a man. Because there was a few unfortunate instances where the conflicts of man vs beast had found them and Jin-Wu refused to leave the Ms. unprotected. Learning hand-to-hand or hand-to-claw he stood against those who wished to place harm upon his master.

At first, Jin-Wu was content in following his duty and helping in whatever way he could. Having a heart during these awful times however; made him long for what those bound in servitude to one person for a lifetime found difficult in obtaining. Love. Our feline was like every other soul who wished for another to care for him. Who wouldn't wish to achieve some sort of happiness in such troubling times. The young Ms. had her own life and the familiar was quite lonesome when his presence wasn't required. But he did meet such a beauty and fell as hard as one could fall in love with her. The familiar had become infatuated; bewitched into believing she, Lily Blanc was nothing but a simple white cat familiar like himself. Unbound and alone; she would tell him. The dark witch spun her lies. Tricking Jin-Wu in order to lure him away from his master and blind him to her true intentions. He later found himself conflicted when he got wind of the truth.  

Confronting Lily he finally saw her as the dark practitioner she really was and is faced with the decision to end her life. Heart broken and thinking Lily dead at his own hands Jin-Wu finds it too shameful to return to his master's side. Without a word our handsome feline distances himself from the young noble. Still helping her however on the outside as best he could. Unfortunately he learns that the woman who had ripped out his heart had lived and that his master was potentially still in danger. Seeking vengeance for disrupting the bonds between his master and breaking his heart Jin-Wu's story hasn't found it's end. Collecting information on Lily Blanc and anyone who may be allies to the accursed women the familiar to this day is still searching.

  •wanted  connections  - Kiki (Definitely needs the leading Lady in his story.)

A potential rival that would share that sort of like/hate relationship with him.(Cause honestly I enjoy a little angst.)

A friendship type bond. Any one who JiJi can relate to.(This is my fluff outlet. Lol )

Interactions with all the witches. (JiJi is a familiar so he will be naturally drawn to them like a magnet. So throw all those muses my way.)

Romances are welcome cause our handsome feline needs someone to help put that broken heart of his back into his chest. (I'm as hopeless a romantic as my poor muse. Let's just go and blame all the kdramas I watch)

•goals  for  your  character  -  Well currently JiJi is internally conflicted about what he should do in order to repair his lost bonds with his master. I'm hoping he rises back up from the torment and becomes a stronger character. Truthfully he is likely to fall into the hands of another character easily. I would love for him to get put in another situation where he is manipulated into doing someones bidding. Cause I'm evil and I do it all for free. :D

•favorite  tasks  - Any really but the ones that force me to really dip into my mind and flesh out my muses tend to be my favorites.

•favorite  events  - I'm a fan of swaps of all kinds(Gender/Power/Species/Personality), Disaster Plots that devastate my muses.

•any  ideas  - Not atm.

•anything  else  - 

Headcanons

•JiJi coats the tips of his claws in substances according to the situations he's in. (Causing Poisonous Paralyzing, and Numbing sensations. Mainly targets have been humans.)

•Personal Alignment: Harsh mix of ChaoticGood/LawfulEvil (Protecting his master and those hes fond of he has crossed the line. Murder, Blackmail ect.)

•Likes: Food(Yep he's one of those you can get to through his stomache types.), Sweets, High Places, Fish, Other Animal's, KiKi, Textures of all kinds (This boy will rub his face all over them.)

•Dislikes: Birds, Large Bodies of Water, Bitter Things, Wet Fur, Cold Feet, Weapon's(If it comes down to it he prefers Daggers, Short Swords and Knives. But he hates them because of humans overusing them during the war.)

•Combat: Skilled in close range combat and using his flexibility(Think Contortionist Level) and Agility to overpower his opponents. Has the basic strength of a human with his build and can be overwhelmed by someone or something that's exceptionally strong. Has the potential to do well in long range combat because basically cat eyesight but he currently has no experience with anything long range.(Bows, Guns.) Can however throw a dagger particularly well.

•Quotes: "Losing someone you loved isnt easy, but getting lost within oneself can be far worse."

"The moon has disappeared into the deep dark night and here I am talking to myself, again." -A.Jayakumar

•Lily Blanc's motives for going after Kiki I left unclear so I can plot and the KiKi Mun or other muns don't have to limit their creativity to one idea. (Jealousy, Working beneath another Villian, Corrupting the nobles of Akane ect.)

•TrueForm: Average-sized housecat with dark black fur and lavender bits making up the interior of both ears. The lavender fur transfers into his human form as two lavender streaks mingling into the dark black fringe that tends to cover his forehead.