#if you watched madoka magica you know what's up in the last comic and I'm sorry :( poor luka

[foxwitchaine]

Question

Which characters from other media, do you think is a better version of miraculous ladybug characters?

I'm gonna take this question with a huge pile of salt. Because there's more than one show that does this concept better than what MLB does. That also includes how they handle the cast. I'm also gonna sound like a broken record with the upcoming "buckle up", but buckle up and hold on tight, everyone. It's gonna be a rollercoaster.

1.) Mr. Freeze

I know for sure I'm cheating just by mentioning him, but Mr. Freeze is what Gabriel Agreste should have been in regards to his quest for Emilie. Mr. Freeze isn't just a sad man mourning for his wife. He is broken. Shattered. Screwed over by people higher on the corporate ladder than himself (doesn't that sound familiar). Thing is, Mr. Freeze's story resonates with people and is part of the reason why he is still talked about today. He's also shown a kinder side, like the time he made it snow during Christmas in one issue of The Batman Adventures comics. All for the simple reason his late wife would have been sad if there had been no snow that year.

His demise in Batman Beyond left many viewers heartbroken, as we're left wondering what could have been.

Gabriel Agreste, on the other hand, is utterly and thoroughly selfish and thinks of no one but himself. This is best seen in how he treats his son throughout the show. Disregarding Season 5 (I have no idea how they thought they could pull it off), Gabriel has not shown one ounce of humanity. Not towards Nathalie, not towards Adrien, not even towards his wife, who he supposedly loves. Other than the show telling us how much he loved her (this is a recurring problem with MLB's writing), we never would have known.

Gabriel's death in Season 5, as a result, is much less impactful than Mr. Freeze's death in Batman Beyond.

2.) Madoka Kaname

Now this is a more recent show that I still think holds up. For those not in the know, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a 12-episode anime series that aired in 2011 and, for lack of a better word, changed the game in magical girl anime. While one could argue that it tears down rather than celebrates women in power (as magical girl shows are supposed to do, Astruc), and it's not the most original concept (what is, nowadays), one thing most can agree on is the character writing, especially for Madoka.

Madoka, just like Marinette, is a selfless sweetheart who performs the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. What separates her from Marinette, tellingly enough, is how her sacrifice is written. Throughout the anime, Madoka watches helplessly from the sidelines as her best friend Sayaka sacrifices herself for a boy. And then Sayaka gradually loses herself as the truth about magical girls comes to light. We aren't just told how Madoka feels about it. We see and feel it ourselves. I could write an essay on how well-written Sayaka's tragedy is, but that's beside the point. The point is, Madoka chose the sacrifice rather than having it forced on her by the writers.

Sound familiar?

It should.

Gen Urobuchi, despite his reputation, took the time to respect Madoka's agency as a character. Thomas Astruc tears down Marinette every chance he gets. You can't get more telling than this.

3.) Prince Zuko

You're all probably gonna get tired of hearing me talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender. But then again, I'm pretty sure every ATLA fan has heard that in the years since the original show ended. I've mentioned him before when talking about Chloe's botched redemption, but I feel this is the perfect place to expand and discuss more.

Prince Zuko is what Chloe Bourgeouis should have been in the show. And no, his redemption didn't come out of nowhere. It was consistently foreshadowed throughout the show all the way from the very first episode. This is an essay all in itself, so I'll refrain from diving into detail. But the fact of the matter remains that Zuko is the gold standard for writing a villain redemption. I could point out Darth Vader as another example of a villain redemption. But where he had to die to redeem himself, Zuko didn't.

Zuko also had a better-written backstory that explained (not excused, there's a difference) his behavior at the start of the show. I can't claim to know what the MLB writers had in mind when writing Chloe, but I'm pretty sure Audrey Bourgeois was supposed to be the Ozai figure in Chloe's backstory. Which leads me to my next point:

Zuko wasn't forgiven right away.

Yes. You heard that right.

Zuko had to work to be forgiven by the people he had wronged. And guess what? He failed. If anyone remembers when Azula critically injured Aang and Zuko betrayed Iroh to the Fire Nation, you'll all know what I'm talking about.

Zuko fell during his redemption arc. But he got back up again. And he apologized — genuinely apologized — to the man he betrayed.

4.) Odd Della Robbia

Code Lyoko is a relic from the early 2000s eras of cartoons. And boy, could I write essay after essay on this show. But since we're talking about characters and such, we'll be focusing on this lovable jokester from the show.

Odd Della Robbia is what Chat Noir should have been if he had been in the hands of competent writers. Odd isn't just the perpetually hungry jokester of the group who chased the first pretty girl who caught his attention. He pulled his weight in the battles against the malevolent AI X.A.N.A. Be it through helping Aelita reach the Towers, fighting Specters in the real world, heck even fending off Sissi during her worst moments. Perhaps even more damning is how Odd, despite his less pleasant actions and habits, was more of a true friend to his group than Chat Noir is to Ladybug.

Yes, writers. You can write a jokester character beyond what comes from his mouth.

No, this doesn't mean you can let them harass everyone they come across.

Perhaps, I'm gonna say this a lot, even more damning is how Odd responds to the rejections from the various pretty girls he chases. He actually takes no for an answer. Shocking, isn't it. He chases a skirt, they say no, he moves on. And no, this isn't portrayed as romantic or heroic. It's portrayed just as it is. A hormonal teenage boy being prone to doing stupid things.

What teenager hasn't done something stupid thanks to their hormones?

5.) Susan Ashworth

(Content Warning: mature themes such as suicidal depression)

I'm venturing into mature video games here, admittedly. I couldn't quite find one from my childhood that stood out, so I browsed through some game playthroughs I watched years ago. Ultimately, I settled on Susan Ashworth from the 2012 game The Cat Lady. Astruc being a man shouldn't be an excuse for him writing Marinette and other female characters so poorly. Why? Because Susan Ashworth, and by extension the game she is from, was written by a man.

Funny. I know.

What's even more amazing is how the developer Remigiusz Michalski, who publishes his games under the label Harvester Games, tackled such serious topics such as depression and suicide. No, he didn't use them for shock value, as that's very commonly done very tactlessly. He handled them with maturity and grace. Susan isn't defined by her depression even though she successfully committed suicide in the opening of the game. She has moments of humor and snark, like in the scene where Mitzi is showing her how to use social media. It also helps that Michalski... actually knows what he's talking about, as it's stated in interviews that he worked as a nurse before he created the first game Downfall in 2009.

I can't stress enough the importance of research before writing. Astruc clearly has a lot of ideas he wants to shove into Miraculous Ladybug, but they all fall flat due to a glaring lack of research and preparation. I'm not saying go do gruesome things for your craft and stick to "write what you know". I'm saying know what you're getting into before you dive in. One glaring example I think everyone can agree was poorly handled was Qilin, thanks to plot with the racist ticket inspector.

Michalski clearly knew what he was doing when he wrote Susan's story. Astruc continues to flail in his attempts to keep Miraculous Ladybug relevant.

Honorable Mentions:

Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter - This is how you write snarky hero and sidekick duos

Jerry, from Totally Spies - Come on. You all knew as soon as I mentioned Code Lyoko that this guy would come up

Mandy, also from Totally Spies - She's very entertaining despite being the high school queen bee archetype. It also helps that she consistently faced punishment for her actions

Sissi Delmas, from Code Lyoko - I was gonna use her in place of Zuko just for the fact she showed other traits, such as her protectiveness of Milly during the zombie episode

Uncle Iroh - Do I even need to say it out loud?

KOS-MOS, from the Xenosaga trilogy - She's an excellent example of how to slowly unveil a character throughout the story

Tidus and Yuna, from Final Fantasy X - A really good example of how to write a romance into the story without dragging the plot down

Fiona Belli, from Haunting Ground - A bit polarizing, I know, but Fiona's friendship with Hewie is so heartwarming and grounding. Basically what Chat Noir should have also been to Ladybug

[petrichor-and-moondust]

Now those of you who followed me before the DC comics days (or those who somehow scrolled fsr enough down my profile) will know how many fandoms I've been in. So let's get this show on the road!

1. Xanthe Xhou (DC Comics)

I don't know that many people know them, but Xanthe is SUCH a badass. They featured in their own 6-issue run, Spirit World, this year, which is honestly so iconic. The art? The story? The character development? AMAZING. Not to mention that series has got Cass in SUCH a beautiful Batgirl costume! Xanthe and their half-living half-dead shenanigans are ptecious to me and i have all of my spirit world issues on display (all variant covers!) not to MENTION that the absolute queen jessica fong made 3 different variant covers foe this series, too?

2. Shinsou Hitoshi (bnha/mha)

If there was EVER an autistic coded character in that show-

but really, I love shinsou. He means so much to me personally and the feeling of being seen as bad or wrong for something out of your control, and for something you haven't ever done, just because of other people's preconcieved notions about what is "good" and "bad"? He deserves better than he got and honestly, the way he is getting to shine in the manga's current arc pleases me a lot. And I mean, come ON, he literally imitates people as his superpower? AUTISM CENTRAL.

3. N (pokémon main videogames)

Basically the same as Shinsou, here...plus the idea of Pokémon liberation to my tiny little 7-year-old brain did irreversible damage. Not to mention how pretty this man is- and how much of a sucker I am for tragic backstories, too. I really love the character development and the way his character was carried on and portrayed in BW2.

4. Aled Last (Heartstopper universe)

Radio Silence has to be one of my favourite books, and Aled's character is very nuanced and just...Man. I love him so much. I love his stupid hair and his secret podcast and his neon green shoes. Aled's story is one that I barely see anyone talking about in the Heartstopper community, even though it's such a good one. And exploring the depth and spectrum of asexuality with Aled and his boyfriend was really personal for me. We don't get enough Canon asexual characters across any mediums.

5. Hobart Brown/Spider-Punk (Marvel Comics)

Punk? Check. Spider-powers? check. sick-ass guitar? check. honestly, what isn't to love about this guy? Hobie's Spider-Punk character is one of my favourite spins on the Spider-man powers and the comic art and storyline are both excellent. Plus, his redesign and character on the Spider-Verse movie is on point, too!

6.Saiki Kusuo (The disastrous life of Saiki K)

He is truly the epitome of aroace swagger. Canonly transgender, loves sweets, and just generally wants people to leave him alone to watch anime. He literally has the power to become a god but chooses noy to because he can't be bothered. What a king.

7. Fischl (Genshin Impact)

She was the first character I got in Genshin Impact! I'm quite a fan of long-range fighters in general, and her design is gorgeous. I love her tragic anime backstory and then her made-up tragic anime backstory. She really is just a teenage girl with an Instagram roleplay account and she wins for that

8. Madoka Kaname (Puella Magia Madoka Magica)

She's God, she's a lesbian, she's mostly useless for the entire series. What else do I gotta say?

9. Caleb Widogast (Critical Role)

He's like if a pathetic drowned cat was a man. His backstory is phenomenal, he's bisexual, he has a magic cat, he has trauma, and a cool design. Big fan of him and Molly!

10. Jayfeather (Warrior Cats)

(this art is by @ataleoftides)

My roots of fandom- everything I am is from long-term exposure to the warrior cats fandom when i was a kid. Jayfeather is sarcastic, disabled, asexual, can and will kill you, and an all-round badass. But he will also complain about literally everything there is to complain about. Just like me, fr.

Tagging:

@sw00nii @guzmagobbler @ponfarrtimeatthevulcannightclub @kogs-and-gears @rubski02

10 characters | 10 fandoms | 10 a negotiable number of tags

tagged by @poetikat thank you so much!!

Cassandra Cain: DC. It was hard to choose just one DC character, but she's my girl. When I think of her, I think of redemption and love and sacrifice and aiming to be perfect even if you destroy yourself in the process. I could write essays about her, don't tempt me.

Samwise Gamgee: Lord of the Rings. How do you hold on to hope when the world is burning? How do you believe that there's good, and that it's worth fighting for? How do you love despite everything? By being Samwise Gamgee, that's how.

Billie Lurk: Dishonored. Another character carrying the weight of her guilt on her back (I love those), but also the weight of being a complete badass (I also love those).

Hadrian Blackwater: Riyria Revelations. He's a gentle giant. A man capable of infinite kindness, but who also has a big sword and knows how to use it. Ah, he's also a thief. What more could you want?

Viktor: Arcane. A self-isolated dreamer, a hurt idealist, a man in love with knowledge and at war with his own body.... let's just say I relate to him way too much.

Sophie Hatter: Howl's Moving Castle. I love movie Sophie and I love book Sophie. She gets to find her place and her confidence while calling others (mostly Howl) on their bullshit. A true hero.

Inej Ghafa: Six of Crows. I want to see her burn the world and get revenge on everyone who hurt her, but I also want to see her free and smiling and demanding the love she deserves.

Leon S. Kennedy: Resident Evil. Watch this poor guy kill zombies for the millionth time and solve ridiculous puzzles while delivering the corniest one-liners. He needs vacations and therapy.

Nathan Drake: Uncharted. Mister Cognitive Dissonance. He's a nerd, he's a thief, he'll say "oh crap" and tell funny jokes while murdering hundreds of mercenaries.

Kaladin Stormblessed: The Stormlight Archive. There's something about having a character who's lost everything and who's given up, but then decides to fight against all odds with tooth and nail for the sake of others just to realize "Hey, I'm fighting for myself as well."

No pressure tags!! @zukoisblorbo @cephalog0d @xetlretl @putting-the-bi-in-robin @manjirian @opposite-of-aster and anyone who feels like playing!!

[ladycibia]

when you think about it, witchers are just magical girls

what about sorceresses though

I'm pretty sure those are not Yen's clothes