#kagami literally means mirror

[multimousenette]

the 'how big is your english vocabulary' test dropped new ship dynamics

[sweetmeatdale]

Upon her introduction to the series Kagami’s main weapon of choice is a foil, a sort of light weight blunted fencing rapier. This is however possibly also intended as a pun, because her purpose in the narrative is also a foil.

A word repeated changes it’s meaning.

Kagami means “mirror” in Japanese and as is often the case in fiction, that name gives us some insight to what the writers intended when imagining her. In this case, she’s a mirror/foil to both our main protagonists. But since Marinette and Adrien are already a Yin Yang couple, built on complimenting and contrasting each other all the way down to having their color schemes be each other’s negatives. So how does she manage to mirror them both?

Well, where is the mirror between you and your reflection? Right in the middle. She shows each of them themselves, but with a little bit reversed.

A foil exists to provide contrast; When Marinette’s too afraid to make a move Kagami’s bold and rushes straight ahead, when Adrien struggles to disobey his father her strong and stubborn will stands firm, when Marinette’s trying to self sabotage her best friends day contest Kagami’s making an earnest effort with Adrien’s quirky friend who he suggested she might like, when Adrien and Luka are too stunned to help up Marinette she makes her move, when Ladybug has a plan for a stealthy escape Ryuuko boldly attempts to fight Ikari Gozen, when Marinette’s clumsy and disoriented Kagami’s athletic and skilled, and when Adrien is unable to effectively comment why he can’t always be present for her Kagami is able to express why that lack of honesty won’t work for her.

A silvery foil is what gives a mirror it’s reflective surface, the things reflected on the other side will still match.

The Cat and Ladybug miraculouses always find each other through fate? Well Adrien and Kagami were literally made for each other.

She high society like Adrien.

She struggles to communicate and express herself like Marinette.

Adrien’s an anime nerd? Kagami reads manga and bases relationship advice off of them.

Marinette hates liars? Kagami’s reason for breaking up with Adrien also led to her becoming an Akuma that embodies her hatred for dishonesty.

She revels in tiny bits of rebellion with Adrien.

She tries to capture the world around her through art and even sketches and paints in her spare time like Marinette, she even paints with Marinette.

She tries to wingman for Adrien with Marinette like how Marinette tried to help her back together with him

She’s burdened by familial expectations like Adrien

She had a helmet removal scene that was literally copied for Marinette, both even happen at the front of the school

Ryuuko’s fighting style matches Chat’s, her main color scheme matches Ladybug’s, and her civilian attire has a white overcoat with a black under shirt like Adrien’s that give a perfect white/black futatsutomoe (☯️) with Marinette’s black jacket over a white shirt.

She’s obviously visually inspired by Marinette’s overall design with her hair and even her freckles are more prominent on the opposite side of her face than where Marinette’s are(Kagami has more overall but her’s are mainly on the left side of her face while Marinette’s are on the right)

When Adrien’s only parent is his father she’s left with only her mother

When Marinette has several friends to fall back on Kagami feels alone and when Adrien feels isolated Kagami’s there alongside his other friends

When we start to get clues about who is a senti-being we get scenes of both Kagami and Adrien

Both Marinette and Kagami have arcs about setting their own feelings aside to support the other

Both Adrien and Kagami have their image co-opted by their parents for a soulless ai assistant copy of themselves.

She even counterbalances their heroics by having some of the most akuma forms and by being one of the fastest to reveal her own identity

A foil has many uses in a narrative, and by letting her be a counterpart to two protagonists at once it has allowed her to become one of the most dynamic and fleshed out characters in the show, even if a lot of that was in service of fleshing out other characters. Heck she even mirrors herself in ways, just look at how Ryuuko’s symbol flows counter to the Tsurugi family crest, she’s a break from tradition and what was intended for her.

I know I’m probably still forgetting things but I just wanted to have a little rant about how I love these themes.

Kagami is a mirror, she is a foil, a word repeated.

[almadesarrollo]

MLB MARINETTE SENTISER!!! no no I'm not crying, SHORT THEORY ABOUT S6,7,8….

ok…while I analyze Jeremy Zag, I discover other clues that left me frozen…

ok you remember this right?

It is from Robostus, this is not a coincidence, it is put there for a reason AND LESS A PHRASE LIKE THAT.

Now let's think about the 3 sentisers that steal the show, the most important of which are: FÉLIX, ADRIEN AND KAGAMI.

so think about this for a moment what if one of the three made that wish? THINK ABOUT IT…

Who would ask for it? Logically, if we think about it, it would be Adrien, because Félix has already agreed to this idea, he knows what it is and accepts it, kagami also thanks to Félix, who could react like that? When Adrien finds out, I mean it would HURT him to accept the idea that his life depends on an object and that with one click he could DIE.

Of course, thinking about all the things that Marinette hides from him and he finds out about it, which is no small thing, then he would make that wish and because of that rule of three, who would pay the price, MARINETTE!!!! MARINETTE COULD LOSE HER HUMANITY,

NOTE THAT THERE IS A PATTERN THAT IS REPEATED, AND IT IS that Marinette always loses her earrings in the same way, Adrien is involved in this, Marinette is always looking out for him, could Adrien take off his earrings?

This issue is strong, that would justify why in the future Argos will protect Marinette so much because he is literally a sentiser, so that piece fits in the pretension chapter, we know that Tomoe controls Kagami, now think about what if these are actually Marinette and Kagami and if Kagami controls Marinete, and in the future, Argos frees her and that's why he says he knows her but she doesn't know him because if he controls he can order her to forget certain things, whoever has the amok has control of the I felt, we all know that…

look what marinette's diary says precisely in the shadybug and clawnoir special,

That example again!!! In the special it is implied that they, the bad guys, are sick or something like that,

the mirror is broken, mirror is the symbology of kagami, kagami is sentiser ,MARINETTE IS SENTISER!!!! MARINETTE WILL BE SORRY AND HER AMOK WILL BE BROKEN…HER LIFE IS IN DANGER!!!!.

I have to leave it here because this post is short, but I will definitely develop this theory later… in more detail…

Like and reblog if you like it, and follow me for more content of this type.

See you in the next post.

[felinetteagain]

Kagami's role in the series. Who is she? Prophet, matchmaker or victim of situations? The name Kagami means mirror or mirror image in Japanese.

I think this name was chosen by the writers for a reason, since her role in the series carries precisely this meaning. Often she sees what others do not notice and shows the person his reflection through herself. Repeatedly her words sounded like prophetic, let me remind you how in the episode “Glasiator 2” Kagami literally predicted that Marinette could fall in love with the one she was training with, and he with her.

Later, this is exactly what happened? Thanks to her insight, she was able to see Adrien's feelings for Marinette and practically brought them together.

So what's next? Kagami brings Marinette and Felix (two seemingly irreconcilable enemies) together, expecting that they will simply trust each other and everyone will be happy.

Does Kagami really know Felix that well? Maybe he's personally interested in making peace with Lady Bug. Without thinking about the consequences, she makes a fatal mistake.

What mistake? Think about it!

Is Kagami doing the right thing by interfering in someone else's life and giving advice? Would she become a victim of her own advice?

[my-plastic-life]

It's January 11, which means it's time for kagami biraki!

To conclude the Japanese New Year celebrations, kagami biraki, literally meaning "opening the mirror" or breaking of the mochi, is typically held on January 11. The term "kagami" translates to "mirror," and "biraki" means "opening" or "to break." The ceremony involves removing the round-shaped mochi from the family altar and breaking them into smaller pieces before cooking them in dessert or soup to enjoy. Eating the mochi symbolizes a prayer for health and good fortune in the New Year.

To break open the ornamental mochi, one should never cut it with a knife. The action is a reminder of ritual disembowelment from ancient times, and it is considered a sign of bad luck. For that reason, the customary way to break the mochi is with a wooden hammer or with one’s hands. These days, it's very common for people to buy a plastic decorative kagami mochi at a store, which the small mochi pieces are inside.

Kiku has prepared the mochi for the ceremonial opening - she even found a large wooden hammer like in ancient times. :D

After the mochi is broken open, it's customary to cook the smaller pieces in dessert or soup. A common dish is zenzai, which is red bean soup with mochi. That's what Kiku went for this year!

Time to enjoy that soup! Mmmm

[uptoolateart]

One last one before we get new episodes (!!!).

So, this whole 'those two were made for each other' business becomes really interesting when we hear Gabriel and Tomoe say that Adrien and Kagami were 'made for each other, just like we planned' and 'perfection calls for perfection'.

In the most literal sense...it's Adrigami who were made for each other. Seen from that angle, Adrinette are actually breaking the programming...even if they are bending to some more mysterious influence.

Gabriel and Tomoe imagine that they can shape and control destiny - that they are the highest power. And whenever mortals develop that kind of delusion, the universe throws some wild cards into the mix.

Enter Felix. He definitely wasn't 'made' for Kagami, even if he looks like the boy who was...but he seems to be for her anyway. He's a mixed up ball of emotion - the perfect complement for a girl groomed to believe emotions are a weakness. She tempers him and he sets her free. There was no way she could have been with Adrien. They're too alike. Of course he needed someone like Marinette, his wild card who allows him to be just a normal boy.

Perfection doesn't exist - and no one is drawn to their exact likeness. Remember 'Kagami' means mirror, and if you stare in a mirror all the time, you start noticing all your flaws. Good relationships are founded just as much on our differences as our similarities. That's how we grow - we learn from each other.

We can't know why things happen as they do, or even be certain there is a reason (though I like to think there is). The adults can't truly control the paths of their children - and this even applies to Marinette's family, where Sabine might be the only one not carrying a clear vision of who she hopes Marinette will be. No parent controls their child's destiny. No parent is a god.

In trying to divide Adrinette, Gabriel claims it's all done so Adrigami can have their happily ever after. Gabriel clearly can't see that he's the wicked witch in this fairy tale. (Imagine him as your fairy godmother.) What the kids keep demonstrating is that it's up to us to find our own happy ending - and it just might take others by surprise.

Please no post-Revelation spoilers in comments :)

[lynaerith]

demon mika and the parallels between mahiru/guren and mika/yu

Something i've been giving a lot of thought to recently is how Mika has ended up as Yu's sword/demon—following in the same steps that Guren fell into with his literal fiancé/girlfriend.

Subtextually, this implies a mirror between Yu and Guren, and Mahiru and Mika. Mika is to Yu what Mahiru is to Guren, and by that nature, implicitly romantic by nature. We know that Guren and Mahiru were in love despite her being arranged to be with Shinya, and even with Shinya in the picture, it's said she still went behind Shinya's back and saw Guren.

I think that Shinoa is Shinya in this situation; she's forced to take the back seat and just watch as Mika and Yu run off together (even if Yu wouldn't disregard her as a friend completely, he IS and HAS disregarded her feelings several times now). Will she be as forgiving as Shinya? Probably not. After all, she did say she's willing to kill Mika if it means getting Yu back. Disregarding the fact that Yu would never forgive her if she killed Mika for good.

In this context, Shinya may be Shinoa's foil, since he was aware and let Mahiru be with Guren despite the family arrangement.

What's even more interesting is how not only are they paralleling in that regard; but Yu and Mika are running off and causing their own "catastrophe at sixteen" and may be setting up Yu's own "resurrection at nineteen" arc.

Guren raised Yu after all, it's befitting that they become mirrors. And I think we can roughly guesstimate what's going to happen at the climax of the manga by looking at what happened in the prequels of Guren's catastrophe and resurrection novels.

Maybe Yu's "catastrophe" is him finally unraveling the entire timeline of his life with Mika, or maybe it's more literal wherein it's referencing the destruction he's causing to get those answers. Maybe Yu's "resurrection" parallel will be successfully reviving all of humanity along with Mika.

Who knows :') I hope Kagami and Yamamoto are nice to the boys... I need to read up the Guren prequels to more fully understand what's going on. Along with doing a deep dive into biblical imagery because phew

Feel free to reblog with your own thoughts since I'm just spitballing and I wouldn't even be surprised if I'm like, totally off the mark and someone's already talking about this way more in depth. I'm always happen to hear more :-)

[singular-yike]

Yago Ametsukana (Revisited)

My analysis on Yago Ametsukana was the first post I've ever made here, and while I still think it holds up to scrutiny 100%, I've since found a comfortable format in which to write these, so think it'd be nice to revisit and expand on it~!

And so, here's

A Thousand Blades and a Thousand Arms — Yago Ametsukana

Name: Yago Ametsukana

Given Name: Yago

Their given name, Yago (ヤゴ), is the Japanese word for dragonfly larvae, nymphs and naiads.

This is reinforced by its official Chinese rendering as 水蠆, which is also the Japanese kanji for the word and refers explicitly to the same things.

Family/God Name: Ametsukana

Their family name, Ametsukana (天目津金) is modelled after the names of Shinto deities, like those one would find in the Kojiki or Nihon Shoki, thus it takes a bit to analyse.

This name can be sub-divided into 3 parts:

First is "ame" (天目), the pronunciation along can refer to "the heavens", though further dissecting the name reveals that "a" is assigned specifically to 天, which means "heaven(ly)".

This can be deduced from the fact that "me" is a standard reading of 目, which means "eye". Taken as a whole, "ame" here combines to give "heavenly eye".

Secondly is "tsu" (津), the word literally means "harbour", though its often used in Shinto deity names for its pronunciation alone as an attributive particle, in other words, it means "of".

Finally is "kana" (金), which could mean "gold, metal or money", though considering Yago's occupation and domain likely means "metal"

Putting the three parts together, the name probably means something along the lines of "metal of the heavenly eye".

Curiously, this surname actually seems to be moreso Yago's title as a god rather than their name, as we see Yago invite Sukune to "become the next Ametsukana" in BPoHC.

Mythological Inspiration

Like a good chunk of Len'en characters, Yago is based on Japanese mythology, not just one such figure, but three! Let's quickly go over them here:

Shinto Deity: Ame-no-Mahitotsu-no-Kami

Firstly and most majorly, Yag is based on the Shinto god Ame-no-Mahitotsu-no-Kami (天目一箇神 lit. "Heavenly one-eyed god").

Below: The Usuno Hitotsume Shrine (薄野一目神社), one of the places where Mahitotsu is enshrined. (I couldn't find a traditional depiction of him so have this instead.)

Mahitotsu's Domain & Story

He is a god of metalworking and blacksmithing, of metalworkers and miners, mirrored by Yago's own domain of blacksmithing.

A god closely associated with him is Amatsumara (天津麻羅). He appears in the Kojiki, where he helps forge the mirror Yata no Kagami, used to lure the sun goddess Amaterasu out of hiding.

In fact, in the Kogo Shūi (古語拾遺), Mahitotsu is said to in fact have assumed the identity of Amatsumara during those events, and are thus the selfsame entity.

Perhaps this very event is what lead to Yago's contributions being acknowledged and their subsequent promotion to godhood.

The Hyottoko Mask

Also, Mahitotsu is sometimes said to be the origin of an archetypal character known as the Hyottoko (火男 lit. "fire man"), often acting as a comedic character during shrine festivals and other festivities.

Below: A typical hyottoko mask.

We see Yago themself wear the hyottoko mask on their head, as well as wearing the same headscarf a typical hyottoko mask wears over their eyes.

The 5-7 Paulownia Shrine Crest

As a final note, the most common shrine crest for shrines where Mahitotsu is worshipped is the 5-7 paulownia crest (五七桐紋), named so for the number of flowers on each cluster.

A stylised version of this crest is found in Yago's spell card background as well, no doubt a reference to their irl sites of worship.

Below: One of the layers of Yago's spell card background, featuring the stylised crest (most prominent to the left of Yago's head), with the standard version of the crest in the bottom-left corner.

Youkai: Ippon-datara

Yago is also based on the youkai ippon-datara (一本踏鞴 lit. "one-legged bellows"), who is often times said to in fact be the corrupted form of Mahitotsu after he fell from grace.

Below: An ippon-datara talisman, the specialty of Mastumoto Studio (松本工房), said to protect travellers, especially on mountains.

While tales and descriptions related to the ippon-datara vary greatly from region to region, they all generally agree that it is a fearsome being with a single leg, on which an eye as large as a dish sits.

Varieties aside, it's agreed upon that the "datara" in the name refers to tatara-shi (タタラ師), a type of blacksmith that works with Japan's historical tatara furnaces.

Based on this connection, the origins of the ippon-datara's two most consistent traits can be deduced:

It only has one eye as blacksmiths would've constantly kept one eye on the furnace, leading to its deterioration.

It only has one leg, as the other would've gone bad from working the bellows for so long.

This, by the way, would also be the same reason Mahitotsu is the "one-eyed" god of blacksmithing.

These are referenced in Yago's design as well, their left eye covered by a piece of headscarf and left foot modified to accommodate for how it had "gone bad from an occupational disease".

Shinto Deity: Kanayago-no-Kami

Finally, we come to their last basis, the Shinto goddess Kanayago-no-Kami (金屋子神 lit. "child-god of the metal house").

Right off the bat, we already note the inclusion of "yago" in her name, which is already interesting, but there is of course more~.

Below: A hanging scroll depicting Kanayago.

Kanayago is not the most consistent deity, at least in terms of her character details. She is most often said to be female, but is also occasionally cited as male.

She is sometimes said to be the same as Kanayamahiko-no-Kami (金山彦), or Kanayamahime-no-Kami (金山媛), or even Mahitotsu, all gods of mines and metalworking. Yet is other times simply a god that somehow relates to them, without explicitly being them.

What is consistent about her, is that she is a blacksmith, and is specifically a goddess of tatara furnaces, blacksmithing, fire and iron-making. These of course line up with Yago's domain quite well.

Kanayago is perhaps not as notable compared to Mahitotsu or the Ippon-datara, though I'm fairly sure that a connection exists regardless, if only a faint one.

Who knows? Maybe one day this connection will get expanded upon, and I'll get to tell you more about this goddess. (She's a very fascinating figure indeed, but that falls outside of our scope today.)

Sword: Sugari no Ontachi

Yago's goal in life is to one day make a weapon that's a perfect match for themself, but despite being a master at doing this for others, he simply cannot do so for himself.

Until that day finally comes, he instead uses the "Crested Ibis Sword", Sugari no Ontachi (須賀利御太刀).

Curiously, Yago's Sugari no Ontachi is said to be "the counterpart of another sword from the outside [world], and has lost its original owner and purpose".

We, of course, know nothing about its original owner or purpose, though the first part about it being a "counterpart of a sword from the outside" is indeed notable.

Counterpart Candidate #1: The Sugari no Ontachi

One candidate for this counterpart, is indeed, the Sugari no Ontachi itself.

Below: The real Sugari no Ontachi

That's right, the Sugari no Ontachi is not an original invention by JynX, but actually exists in reality.

The sword is one of the sacred treasures of the Ise Grand Shrine's Inner Shrine, in fact one of the most extravagant and important treasure of the shrine.

JynX titles it the "Crested Ibis Sword" (朱鷺剣) in Yago's spell Crested Ibis Sword "Sugari no Ontachi" because the sword is famous for having two crested ibis feathers decorating its hilt.

Below: A close up of the sword's hilt, showing off the pinkish red feathers of the crested ibis tied to it.

Despite the sword's sacred status, the ones you see in the above image is not actually the original sword.

You see the shrine has a tradition of being taken down and rebuilt every 20 years on an adjacent piece of land under the same exact specifications, based on the idea that new objects have greater divine power.

The Sugari no Ontachi is part of this tradition, ritualistically reforged every 20 years to retain its divine might. This would of course mean that the sword we have now is not the original, perhaps the original lies with Yago still?

Notably, the sword contains elements of its design that are anachronistic to when it should've first been forged, indicating that it must've received a redesign during one of these reforgings.

I do not know whether this should just be attributed to JynX not bothering to or not being able to copy the sword's design 1-to-1, but the sword in Yago's hand indeed features a slightly different design to the Sugari no Ontachi of our world, perhaps another point to Yago's being the original.

Counterpart Candidate #2: The Tamamaki no Ontachi

This is the other candidate for an outside world counterpart to Yago's Sugari no Ontachi, the Tamamaki no Ontachi (玉纏御太刀).

Below: The Tamamaki no Ontachi.

As you can see, the two swords are extremely similar in appearance, and are thus often considered a pair. In fact, the Tamamaki no Ontachi is also a sacred treasure of the Ise Grand Shrine's Inner Shrine and is similarly reforged every 20 years.

There's not much more tying the two swords together, but it doesn't take much investigation to see why this could be the counterpart to Yago's sword.

Yago as a God

Finally, I want to devote a small section to Yago's status as a god, as they're one of the few windows into what godhood is like in Mugenri (alongside Souko, of course).

Powers After Becoming a God

We know that Yago (and Souko too) didn't start off as gods, but instead as a "human-like" being (which I theorise to be the race that split into humans and non-humans in the future, like Hoojiro mentions).

Instead, they became gods after their contributions in certain fields got acknowledged, by a group of yet-unknown people, and they got promoted to godhood.

Alongside this, they gained incredible longevity, but is this the only power they gained as a god?

Curiously, Yago seems keenly aware of Suzumi messing with time during the evens of BPoHC, and is even able to hear the voice of Ardey, and deduce that there are two souls inside Suzumi.

It is curious that they are seemingly unable to detect the presence of Benny, perhaps it is simply because they didn't speak during that conversation, or perhaps there is something more here.

Whether this is something inherent to Yago or something that they learnt after becoming a god (personally I lean towards the later), it is still a very interesting tidbit.

Godly Spell Card Backgrounds

Now for a much more lighthearted one, Yago actually shares part of their spell card background with Souko, likely symbolising their equal status as gods.

Below: Yago's spell background (left) with Souko's overlaid on top (right).

Clouds shaped like these have long been a popular motif for wood carvings decorating Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, and so it's not surprise at all that Yago and Souko, gods themselves, would reference this pattern as well.

Below: A carving of a dragon surrounded by such clouds at the Suga Shrine (須賀神社), Yabu city, Hyōgo prefecture.

Ending

And that, I believe, concludes my revisit to Yago Ametsukana, my favourite Len'en character of them all.

I decided to really lean on the mythology side of things with this analysis, since it's what made me fall in love with Yago in the first place. Though I really enjoy them as a character too! Perhaps I'll write about that some other day~.

In any case, and as usual, I hope you enjoyed~! :)

[transactinides]

Okay, this is a bit longer than I expected so the ask intended for @daz4i has turned into its own post. huh. Context:

[also this is not proofread or anything. I am literally just putting words together]

I pulled up the related manga chapter to quote it, but Fukuzawa’s ability, All Men Are Equal (the name is important too!) is described as “ability of inhibition (!) that grants a person control over their own (!) ability”, with the requirement being that said person should be considered Fukuzawa’s subordinate. Given the general nature of abilities and how much of them is a direct reflection of a given ability’s owner, the distinction between who is and who is not a subordinate is based on whom Fukuzawa himself considers one, and therefore the whole “must pass the ADA entrance exam (<- aka align with ADA’s values etc because that is also a part of exam evaluation or whatever)” is more of a self-imposed limit, since Fukuzawa himself could only consider someone as his subordinate (speaking of which, i wihs i knew Japanese so I could get into the original terminology used and not base everything of translations) if they are not only just working for him, otherwise such an extensive hiring process with personally fitted exams wouldn’t be such a necessity for him, but also someone sharing his values and being of respectable character. That is where “All Men Are Equal'' comes in for me - despite “subordinate” implying position of submission, for Fukuzawa it comes with sharing a common ground, not someone to follow his orders, but someone he trusts to act towards the same goals as him even on their own. I would get more into how that is influenced by irl Fukuzawa’s philosophies, but it is too late for me to go and reread his works right now, I’ll be real. TLDR: 1) it suppresses abilities 2) making them easier for the owner to control -> giving said owner more agency 3) and is influenced in his belief of general human equalness etc. 

Fukuchi’s Mirror Lion is, at its core, the ability of the same type - let’s call it “stats boosting”. It enhances the potential/efficiency of any weapon he wields. The “weapon” in that case is a very broad concept - it involves things conventionally understood as weapons (example - sword), a rock he picks up, his own fist, even living beings like Bram (question mark on “living”) and. the entire Humankind Army (with Holy Sword and One Order respectively etc etc). Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that just as with Fukuzawa’s ideas of a subordinate, Fukuchi is limited by what he himself considers his weapon. Your weapon is your tool. You are the one controlling it. Going back to Bram, Fukuchi is the one wielding him. There are no shared grounds or values or respect here. His ability enhances instead of inhibiting, yes, but it also takes control from anyone but Fukuchi. Allow me to mention the inspiration behind the ability for further illustration, a kabuki titled Kagami Jishi / Mirror Lion. It tells a story of a young lady chosen to perform the lion dance during the New Year celebration and getting possessed by the lion spirit as she practices the dance. ”Gradually the spirit of the lion entered into her and took complete charge of her limbs. [...] Finally the dancing maiden disappeared altogether, leaving only the rampaging spirit of a lion” <- quote from a summary by A.C. Scott. Taking source into account, the notion of Fukuchi taking control over what *or who* he considers his weapon is very intentional, and is definitely a reflection of the trauma Fukuchi got during the war, both in commiting atrocities and war crimes on command of government (in that, his ability can be seen as reclamation of control and agency) and in going through this alone (see - without Fukuzawa, who refused to join him). Where Fukuzawa can put trust in his subordinates and their actions, Fukuchi has learnt he can only depend on himself. TLDR: 1) it ehances abilities (in its broader meaning, not just Abilities abilities) 2) but gives full control in Fukuchi’s hands <- strips of agency 3) and reflects his general attitude of seeking control

Clearly, Fukuzawa’s and Fukuchi’s abilities are as much of polar opposites as abilities of the same “type” can be, which reflects their shared history as much as their individual views - they used to be best friends until making a cardinally different choice in life, putting them in vastly different life situations and, eventually, on opposing sides.

[skylarynn-ninjago]

Plot concepts/canon divergences

Continuation of this post over there.

01 - Masters of Spinjitzu

The pilot season.  As mentioned there are not major changes in overall plot, however I am adding in an episode [called “A Brother’s Shadow”] to cover what’s going on with Nya in the Underworld since we literally never see what all went down between when she was captured and when she was chained up in the Fire Temple.  Also I will be giving plot to the mini movies, which tacks an additional 5 episodes [“New Masters of Spinjitzu” is getting thrown in the fire] onto the season, making it a nice round 10 episodes.

02 - Rise of the Snakes

Season 1.  As mentioned it’s not overly different from the original, though there will be seeding for concepts I introduce later, such as Lloyd’s aunt Koko and the Kagami family of professional dancers.  

03 - Legacy of the Green Ninja

Season 2.  Lloyd’s aunt Koko is introduced in the same episode Misako is, and she participates in shenanigans from then onwards for the season.   Also I will try to come up with some explanation of Dr. Julien leaving Echo on the Lighthouse so he’s not an utterly Terrible Parent™.

04 - Rebooted

Season 3.  Hopefully I can try to iron out/rectify most of the pacing issues they had, as the show was going to be 4 episodes, then 13, then 8, and you can kinda tell with the way the plot’s tempo fluctuates.  Also there will be reference to Koko having traversed Hiroshi’s Labyrinth because she’s Like That™.  Koko might get involved in the season, but if so it will be towards the end.  Also also Cryptor won’t be blown[frozen?] to bits exactly, there will be salvageable remnants of him left for reasons To Be Seen.

05 - Tournament of the Elements

Season 4.  The Ninja board Chen’s ship to find shock! horror! Koko is here for some reason!  She’s then revealed to be the Master of Sand, which is why she’s so helpful on Misako’s digs.  We’re also introduced to Viridian Kagami, another oc and the alleged Master of Glass, though strangely no one actually witnesses him using his element... Oh and at the end I add a reference to Skylor having a little brother.

06 - Possession

Season 5.  Koko gets involved once word reaches her of Lloyd being possessed and she spends most of the season helping Misako figure shit out because those two are Nerd Siblings™.  Also two other original characters are introduced/referenced: Cerulea Kagami, or just Lea, who was kicked out of the Kagami family of professional dancers for breaking a mirror [It Makes Sense In Context™]and was promptly adopted as a sister by Ronin; and Kaiya Mori, Ronin’s biological daughter who’s only really mentioned in passing.  She is roughly Nya’s age and, as her name literally means “forgiveness”, has a lot to do with the mistakes Ronin references making.

07 - Skybound

Season 6.  Still haven’t rewatched it [which I really should do] but I did some critical thinking about the ending and decided to completely rework it.  Functionally the season holds the same narrative space, but I found it kinda counterintuitive that in the season where it’s heavily emphasized wishes do not solve problems, the entire season is fixed with a very poorly-worded wish.  So instead Jay does not make a final wish, but the plot is resolved by other means.  If y’all are curious I will gladly explain the Shenanigans™ there, but I don’t want to spoil it quite yet.

08 - Escape from Tera Uragiri

The first [of many] of my fan seasons.  As previously explained it is inspired by Escape from New York and Escape from L.A. and tells how the Imperial Family of Ninjago got the Mask of Deception before Sons of Garmadon: Ronin.  Also introduces Fugi-Dove 5 seasons before his first canon appearance because a friend suggested it as a joke and I cannot say no to the bird man.

09 - Echoes of Memory

The second fan season.  Features Ronin accidentally adopting Echo Zane and Echo joining the Ninja’s funky family.  Also features Jay and Nya explaining what the hell was Skybound.

10 - Day of the Departed

The holiday special.  I’m throwing in Li’l Nelson to help Cole, because evidently the writers originally planned on it based on his presence in the sets.  And Yang doesn’t get a redemption because that man’s motives make no sense [why are you afraid of getting forgotten when you know for a fact you’re well known for creating a martial art?  You literally possessed the portrait of you hanging in the museum, there’s no way you think no one remembers you] so instead Morro sticks around and helps yeet Cole through the Rift [and maybe accidentally crosses it himself...].  Also, I really didn’t get why Pythor hopped on the murder train so quick when he has no reason to do so, and instead changed it to Pythor trying to warn Lloyd of the Shenanigans™ [much like Morro] purely to spite Chen for culturally appropriating his tribe and wearing their remains as a hat.  He still almost gets killed by Lloyd because he’s proven himself Untrustworthy™.

11 - Hands of Time

Season 7.  There’s...a lot of pacing issues in this season, and the dialogue kinda suffers throughout, so hopefully I can fix those things.  For once, Koko is not likely to be around.  Also there will be episodes about Dareth and Ronin post-Dareth breaking Ronin’s leg because Dareth found this anemic emo teen in the street and decided to adopt him.  Yes it is Morro, and no he is not happy because he Did Not sign up for mortality again.

12 - Decoded

No idea if this season is canon or not frankly, but it’s a thing, so.  I’m just adding Echo to it pretty much. Though now that I think about it this might be when I have Echo give Gizmo/Tai-D [that adorable glorified roomba tea bot Dr. Julien had at the Lighthouse] an upgrade in body and sentience, and he has now become a young child with built-in rollerskates who likes to help fix things.   Unlike Zane and Echo [and PIXAL I guess] Gizmo isn’t big on the whole fighting thing and would rather stay at the Monastery, but heaven help you if you try to attack the Monastery because there’s now a devious robotic Kevin McAllister living there.  

13 - Obsession

The third fan season where I stole the concept from The Fire That Burns Too Brightly.  It’s on AO3, go read it. Gist is Kai gets a stalker who’s trying to destroy the Element of Fire and murder Kai for Personal Trauma Reasons™ and Lloyd contemplates Murder™.

14 - Apex Predator

The shiny new fourth fan season.  Stole this concept from an AI actually, a TannerFishies YouTube video where he was generating potential Ninjago seasons.   So the pitch is that one of the 16 Realms is just the Old West, from whence originates the villainous Talon, an outlaw of some ilk that the Ninja have to defeat.  Talon is based on Great Horned Owls, which makes him rather terrifying to be frank.   Also this will be a Nya/Koko focus season because I didn’t realize I didn’t have those yet.   Oh and there will be a wonderful episode called “Holstergeist” [stole that from Reddit] where the Ninja tried to get help by bringing back ghosts in the Caves of Despair from the prospecting era [got that idea from tumblr’s very own drawtice].

15 - Sons of Garmadon

Season 8.  There’s now a total of 6 Oni Masks, 3 Greater and 3 Lesser.  The Greater 3 are those from the show - Deception, Vengeance, and Hatred - while the Lesser 3 are similar concepts - Fear, Cruelty, and Corruption.  There are also 6 Dragon Amulets, one to counter each Mask as follows: Deception/Loyalty, Vengeance/Forgiveness, Hatred/Compassion, Fear/Bravery, Cruelty/Kindness, Corruption/Justice.   Also there’s a 4th general amongst the Sons of Garmadon called Tempest; no one’s really sure where he came from, but he never takes off his mask.  He just casually showed up with the Mask of Cruelty as well [that’s not the mask he wears constantly] and he won’t tell where he got it.   Oh and the Falcon mysteriously vanishes.

16 - Hunted

Season 9.  Lea and Koko join Lloyd’s resistance, and about halfway through the season Tempest just disappears on the Sons to Harumi’s great befuddlement because they’d been Bonding™.  Not really sure what Echo’s role in this will be, so that needs to be ironed out. Also Morro finally reveals his alive-ness to [what remains of] the Ninja, which nearly gets him drowned by Nya.  He’s captured by the Sons of Garmadon before the other Ninja return from the First Realm, which is really fun because he just pops up after the jail break and all the OG Ninja have a freak-out before Lloyd and Nya can explain It’s Okay, He’s Chill Now.  

17 - March of the Oni

Season 10.  Definitely adjusting the pacing because so much happened in so little time.  Totally having an entire episode dedicated to the introduction of the Oni and calling it “The Bringers of Doom” because kickass melodrama is the flavor of the day.   Also Echo and Morro have been added, and Morro very nearly yeets himself off the Bounty when Cole falls, only not also falling into the cloud because Jay catches him by the collar, because up to this point Cole was the Ninja closest with Morro and he was Not about to lose his Only Friend™. Also also the Falcon reappears, now in a shiny new body as another sentient Nindroid but with wings because bird go brr and calling himself Merlin.  He helps evacuate people and integrates into the group after the Oni shenanigans.

18 - Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu: The Fire Chapter

Season 11, part 1.  Gizmo and PIXAL become best friends building stuff together and Merlin helps them sometimes. Unlike the other Ninja, Morro did not go out of shape and thus is not being harassed by Wu.  In fact, he’s definitely helping Wu prank everyone.   Kai isn’t super out of shape, as, post-reforging the Golden Weapons, he’s taken up blacksmithing again and has in fact made all the Ninja’s weapons.  He has been slacking off in the combat training, however. Lloyd also isn’t completely out of shape I feel, but he is definitely slacking somewhat.   Oh and, while Echo and Gizmo stay behind, Merlin is definitely going into the Never-Realm to get his brother back.

19 - Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu: The Ice Chapter

Season 11, part 2.  Morro actually kinda enjoys the Never-Realm because he Does Not like really hot environments.  Sorla gives him some advice about the PTSD this man clearly has, and I might have him go after Cole to find the Traveller’s Tree because Only Friend™.  Also this is where we learn he has Iron Deficiency Anemia because he starts fainting and such.  Not a fun time. Merlin has Bonding Time™ with all the Ninja and proves to be really useful as a flyer. Also Echo helps PIXAL during the episode with the Preeminent, but he’s incapacitated so she still gets her dramatic I’m The Only Line Of Defense moment.

20 - Prime Empire

Season 12.  Somehow Jay’s mother Liberty is being used for Prime Empire, I’m just not sure how.  Also the season might start earlier, with Jay getting a letter from his hitherto-unknown sister Ivy Gordon asking for help to find their missing mom. Also not sure how Echo and Merlin will fit into this season, but I’ll figure it out.  Merlin is going to be very pissed when the Mechanic abducts Zane.   Morro enters Prime Empire and probably dies between Cole/Kai and Lloyd.  Also he gets an alt avatar form that just looks like the depressed teenage offspring of Hot Topic.

21 - Master of the Mountain

Season 13.  Morro ends up with Zane and Kai among the Geckles, and his anemia comes up again because the glop shit they’re given does not contain enough iron to keep this man conscious.  Oh and during the whole Trial by Mino thing, Morro’s just Jedi Flipping™ over the thing to keep from getting gored while Kai and Zane try to dodge.  And he’s probably the one who makes the slug fly down the ice slick. Likely to add some episodes about what’s going on at the Monastery like how they did in the Ice Chapter, covering the jailbreak that supposedly happens before the Island.

22 - Malediction

The fifth fan season.  Focuses on Morro and features Clouse as the villain, actually revealing his familial origins.  Takes place on Chen’s Island and Much Shenaniganry™ occurs. Not all of the Ninja are present for it, as Kai is visiting his parents and Cole is visiting Lou.   Also Lea is there looking for Ronin because he’s mysteriously vanished while out trying to catch escaped inmates from Kryptarium and she’s worried about him.  And this is when it’s finally revealed that Viridian from all the way back in Tournament is not, in fact, the Master of Glass, but rather Lea is.  After the Shenaniganry™, Lloyd offers for her to join the Ninja so she can better master her element and she accepts.

23 - The Island

Either a miniseries or season 14, people count it differently.  Lea is now officially one of the team, but they have not yet found her missing adoptive brother [Ronin].   Oh and Koko was on the expedition team with Misako and Wu and Clutch, and she’s Very Much Done with Clutch’s Shit™.   When they find the fake Wojira there’s still the bit like this: Lloyd: Who do we know that uses weird vehicles to get his way? Lea: Ronin! Lloyd: Actually I was gonna say the Mechanic, but that works too-- But instead of ending there it deviates slightly Lea: No, I mean--Ronin! And we get the reveal that Ronin had been captured by these hooligans while doing his bounty hunting and in fact the real mastermind was the Mechanic, who is then sent to prison while Ronin’s taken to a hospital.

24 - Throne of Glass

The sixth fan season, and Lea’s focus.  The city has finally gotten its act together long enough to elect the Kagami family as the new Imperial Family of Ninjago after Harumi nuked her parents.  This upsets Lea, because that is the family that cast her out.   Much Shenaniganry™ occurs, though like in Malediction only a few of the Ninja are here:  Jay and Nya are visiting with Jay’s family [Ed and Edna but also Liberty and his sister Ivy] Lloyd has been kidnapped by Koko to go off adventuring in some remote jungle somewhere And Zane, Merlin, Echo, and Gizmo have gone off to Do a Thing in honor of their late father Dr. Julien, with PIXAL coming along with.   Lea and Cole have a lot of Bonding™ as we learn about their shared history at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts, and Lea’s family tries to have her assassinated because Reasons™.  Dragon Amulets are found and used.   Also there’s a big fancy Imperial Ball that happens so Morro wears a dress to hide more knives on his person and Kai wears a dress because he’s a Fashion Victim™ and not to be outdone.  

25 - Seabound

Season 14 or 15 depending on how you count.  Morro’s powers start going wacky just like Nya’s, and he goes with them in the HydroBounty but Does Not have a Fun Time because thalassophobia/aquaphobia residual from his Ghosty Days.   Merlin, Echo, Gizmo, and Lea all vibe at the Monastery with Kai, Ray, and Cole and have an absolute blast. Also, after Kai calls Maya and she starts annoying Nya, Misako suggests that since Ronin helped her figure her powers out the first time Nya should call Ronin.  So she does, and now Maya and Ronin are competitively trying to help her. When Nya goes to merge with the sea, Morro follows her and merges with the sky.  While Nya has her nifty water dragon form he has a white tiger form.  Also he’s not got the same ‘call of the sea’ thing Nya has going on, so he mostly maintains his identity’s integrity.  

26 - Cloudburst Elegy

The seventh fan season covering shenanigans between Seabound and Crystallized.   So, much like how Nyad had also previously merged with the sea, there’s an elemental Master of Wind who had merged with the sky before Morro had and was semi-stuck in the white tiger form.  He causes shit [and is the reason Jay ends up at the lighthouse].  No one has a good time.

27 - Crystallized, Part I

Season 15-16, part 1.  Morro is also un-merged with his element, though in the process a giant white tiger also pops into existence; the other Wind Elemental.  Koko names him Benji and he’s a menace once he wakes up but is thoroughly perplexed by Koko, She Who Has No Fear, enough that he actually listens to her commands because whoever has the audacity to tell a tiger “Bad kitty!  Sit!” is worthy of respect. Ronin is still in prison in this season, but that’s because he broke into places to find a way to fix Nya.  He’s quite relieved to hear that she’s okay now. The whole scene where Lloyd convinces an inmate to be better still happens, but rather than be Ronin, it’s someone else: namely Eugene Chen, or Gene as the Darkly’s kids knew him, Skylor’s younger brother that was fleetingly foreshadowed by me in Tournament.  While Sky took over the noodle production, he took over the crime syndicate.  Lloyd convinces him to Do Better, and Gene sneaks out of Kryptarium the same time Pythor’s busted out. Speaking of, the Crystal Council actually tries to recruit Nadakhan [the alt timeline had been explained by the Ninja in a press conference so it’s common knowledge by now] but he declined for reasons to do with how I end Skybound, so they opt for their second choice: Pythor.  Pythor also declines initially, but he’s strong-armed into it by them taunting him with information on his son, Clancee. Also I’ve made Clancee be Pythor’s son by the way.

28 - Crystallized, Part II

Season 15-16, part 2.  So firstly when the Crystal Council comes for the Golden Weapons, I’m changing the assignment slightly.  Pythor gets the Shurikens of Ice [and fights Nya in the finale] while the Mechanic gets the Nunchucks of Lightning [and fights Jay in the finale].   Morro’s in the same boat as Nya on the power loss front and is with her, Wu, Skylor, PIXAL, Echo, and Gizmo when the Monastery’s blown up.   Lea and Merlin are with Cole, Kai, Zane, and Jay in the subway.  Koko was at Domu with Misako because Nerd Siblings™. Garmadon’s subplot with Lloyd is changed. Also there’s a whole subplot about the relationship between Ultra Violet and the Mechanic and it’s kinda sad.   Only the OG Ninja get fancy new vehicles, so Lea, Koko, and Morro were all on the Bounty when it went down.  Echo, Merlin, and Gizmo were all with PIXAL and Skylor in the Sam X cave for those shenanigans. Lea, Koko, and Morro end up navigating the city together.  Merlin, Echo, PIXAL, and Skylor all entered city separately to try and avoid detection.  PIXAL found Zane first and then Merlin found her, Zane, and the inmates at Borg Tower later.  Echo ended up with Jay and Nya.  During the Distress Calls sequence, while Lloyd leaves a message for the Serpentine, Cole tries to broadcast to Shintaro, and Nya sends fish to Merlopia, Morro has the wacky idea to message the Never-Realm and manages to contact Sorla with magic Bansha taught him, while Kai suggest calling Faith for help and Wu does so with some Traveller’s Tea one of the paperkids found. In the ‘allies unite’ sequence, in addition to everyone who shows up, Gene appears with his crew of criminals, Nadakhan appears with his Sky Pirates, Akita and Kataru pop out of a portal from the Never-Realm, and Faith flies in on Firstbourne with some of her Dragon Riders.   The OG Ninja are the only ones who can do the Dragon Form since they’re the sub-elements of Creation, and when they release their powers it just gives Lloyd the Golden Power again instead of making a gold dragon for him to ride that just disappears at the end because my god that was so dumb... Harumi is sent to prison for her various atrocities, along with most of the Crystal Council.  Vania does come to collect her father and take him back to Shintaran prison.  Also we finally find out that Mr. F/Mr. E is actually the rebuilt remains of Cryptor that I hinted at in Rebooted.  And also that the Sons of Garmadon general Tempest was secretly Morro all along.   The inmates who helped [Ronin, Killow, Ultra Violet, and Fugi-Dove] all get their sentences changed so they can do ‘public service’ instead and they end up working at Skylor’s noodlehouse since Skylor becomes a full-time Ninja.  Killow cooks, Fugi-Dove does waitressing, and Ultra Violet handles customer service while Ronin supervises them.   The Sons of Garmadon [Harumi, Killow, Ultra Violet, Mr. F, and Morro] have a very messy and complicated reunion, but they all work out their grudges and rebuild their friendships, with everyone agreeing to work for good from now on.  Pythor is reunited with Clancee after centuries.   Akita and Kataru decide to stay in Ninjago while Faith returns to her realm.  

The story doesn’t end there, I’ve just not worked out everything following that.

[ilikekidsshows]

What do you think about the opinion of "you can care about someone and victim blaming them accidentally because you don't know better"? Because this feels like an opinion that. Felix Stan to have regarding his treatment to Adrien. But for me it sounds like another way to manipulate an abuse victim like Gabriel always did and it didn't sounds right.

Frankly, I think, if we’re going to be making excuses for Félix, we still need to look at why he doesn’t understand what he’s doing is wrong. Because Félix knows enough about Adrien’s situation to know better. Regardless, the most obvious reason Félix has for “victim-blaming Adrien without meaning to” still doesn’t make him very sympathetic.

Here’s the rub: Félix doesn’t respect Adrien. Few characters in the show actually do, but Félix is one of the worst offenders right after Gabriel. Who looks at their cousin, who is being abused by his literal supervillain of a father, and then has the gall to tell him to take a risk, without also telling his cousin that said father is a literal supervillain? That’s the behavior of someone who has no respect for who they are addressing as a person. You don’t tell someone to try to change a situation without telling them what you know about said situation. Félix values himself and his own perspective so much he steamrolls everyone else around him. He’s actually a lot like Gabriel in that. So, yeah, I do think the “Félix doesn’t realize he’s victim-blaming” angle would just make him like Gabriel.

However, it might also be that even the writers can’t see that Félix is victim-blaming Adrien. Relating to my recent talk about the writers’ lack of respect for Adrien’s character, and Félix being not so much the writers’ pet, but pet tool, Félix’s disrespect towards Adrien seems to mirror the writers’ attitude towards him. Félix denies Adrien important information that he has a right to know, something many other characters, especially Marinette, do as well, so it’s shown to be the right thing to do. Similarly, him telling Adrien he’s responsible for doing something to change his literally abusive supervillain father is also done by Kagami, so it’s being framed as the correct attitude to take as well. Adrien is denied tools to change his situation, while also being criticized for being unable to change his situation, and the writers frame this as correct, making them the ones victim-blaming Adrien.

Basically, the writers create a situation where Adrien is “in the wrong” and then blame him for it. The show is really starting to read like a bashing fic.

[ao3feed-ladynoir]

Monster

Monster by enigmaticEditor

Monarch has fallen, and his crimes are at last come to light. Yet, it is the actions of his late wife which are, among a certain few, a far greater cause of alarm.

Kagami had always known who she was; finding out what she was came as a shock. She might be handling it better than most, but she still must seek answers from the only one capable of answering them.

Words: 3044, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, Multi

Characters: Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Tomoe Tsurugi, Chloé Bourgeois

Relationships: Kagami Tsurugi & Tomoe Tsurugi, Chloé Bourgeois & Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi

Additional Tags: Post-Hawk Moth Defeat, Suicide, Implied/Referenced Suicide, no really this is pretty fucking dark, it's not a 'bad ending' but it certainly ain't the nicest, spoilers for released but currently (december 1 2022) out of order episodes, adrigaminette isn't too important to the plot but it is there, as for the plot:, on a scale from kagami to adrien to chloé, how well does your designer baby handle learning they're a sentimonster, also you know how 'kagami' literally means 'mirror', i have some thoughts on this

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43358335

[almadesarrollo]

MIRACULOUS LADYBUG, IT IS A GREAT AND MAGICAL SHOW, BUT MANY PEOPLE DON'T SEE IT PART 2

Part 2 I am going to give an example of my part 1 so you can see a little how it works in show.

For example, we can see the feligami here, we all remember Pretense season 5 and how forced and strange that Félix caught Kagami, he told him everything he told you, but what if I told you that that's not really Félix, if not Adrien,! to! So it would make more sense, because clearly Adrien has lived with Kagami more than Félix, well Kagami means mirror, when you look at a mirror, what do you see? your reflection, then if we physically put Félix literally in front of a mirror, the direction of his bangs is reversed, making him have them like Adrien, since this is one of the things that most differentiates him, it is Adrien who wants to be with kagami, not Felix!!….then what happens? Well, as I have already said above, the characters play a role in this case, Felix plays Adrien, and as it is with Kagami, this tells us that thanks to the fact that Felix tells her certain things and interacts with her, in story number 2, The real one, the adrigami is going to happen with great certainty, because we have the clue of Adrien and his attitude towards her, protective to the utmost. Conclusion when you watch Miraculous you realize how entertaining it is and how different it is from the other series, YOU CAN SEE ITS MAGIC AND HOW WELL DONE AND CREATED IT IS, of course, there can always be some other animation error like every series, but not blunders like the ones that many people usually point out at the script level, this series is well made, you just have to know how to see how it is constructed and you will see how magical it is…so for those of you who doubt this series, pay attention to everything, to the characters and superheroes to the color palette, shapes, prints, etc… EVERYTHING! You will see that they really have prepared a great story of magic and superheroes for us, very romantic and beautiful, the best is yet to come…

[keentrigger]

marigami for the ship ask game!

of course all of you would ask that 🤣 sorry, feather, she was faster

Do I ship Marigami?

*stares at the camera as I'm surrounded by an entire band of mouse miraculous mini-mes, all banging pots and pans together while wearing 'I ❤️ Marigami' shirts*

I mean, maybe a little.

What made you ship it?

I honestly can't remember the first thing that made me realize I shipped it, but I'm sure it involved sidnerdart in some way. Frozer screenshots were probably involved.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Other than the fact that I kin Kagami so hard that I literally commissioned pfps of her, I'm obsessed with the mirror aspect of her and Marinette, about how canon makes her out to be the less deserving of Adrien's affections and that Marinette would absolutely not fucking let her think that's true for a second, and that they are such a power couple that would take the world by storm if Astruc and co. weren't absolute cowards.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

A lot of Marigami shippers headcanon Kagami as a lesbian and, while I see why and empathize, I think both of them are definitely bisexual that might just be the polyshipper in me talking.

Thank you both for asking~

Send me an ask and I'll respond with this format!

[uptoolateart]

Going through old post drafts before the next episode airs. This is a bunch of musings I had about Kagami, working on the assumption that she's a sentimonster.

First of all, after Perfection I really wondered when Kagami was made. If you know the answer based on spoilers, please don't tell me, because I'm watching in order.

But imagine if it was shortly before that fencing lesson in Riposte. It always struck me as strange that Adrien had never heard of her before. She was meant to be so renowned - and Tomoe has business connections with Gabriel.

And she wasn't introduced to Adrien in a normal way. She was sent into that lesson, masked, with a mission to compete with him. When she lost (or maybe didn't), she rang up Tomoe and told her she'd failed, indicating that there was a very specific purpose to that meeting.

I know Adrien viewed her Wikipedia page in that episode, but her mother / Gabriel could have easily set that up and invented a history for her. She could have literally been 'born yesterday'.

And now we move onto her name. I've pointed out a number of times that it's the Japanese word for 'mirror'. Previously I said she acts as a mirror for Adrien, as they have a lot in common and she often helps him reflect on himself.

But...her name has also been a glaring clue ever since her debut on the show, because she could be seen as a mirror for her mother. Tomoe is one of those parents who wants to live vicariously through her daughter. Taking God complexes to the extreme, she sort of made Kagami in her own image, forcing her to take up her interests and live up to her standards.

Kagami wanted to be an artist and Tomoe wouldn't allow it. That would be way too much self-expression. Any chance of asserting independent personality is thwarted. You know...like Gabriel does to Adrien. We all know Gabriel has a God complex.

What really got me about Perfection was the concept of nothingness Kagami expressed when akumatised. In a hint at her cultural background, she sort of became pure energy, formless. It was really Zen in concept.

For those who don't know, some key principles of Zen philosophy are:

Denial of the ego (Kagami achieves this through relinquishing her physical body)

Everything in the universe is interconnected (I think this was expressed through Kagami embodying the elements)

Attachment is a key source of suffering (Kagami renounced friendship, as it caused her too much pain)

Human perception is flawed (Kagami gained the power to no longer hear or see anyone, allowing her to filter out distractions and achieve greater objective clarity...or so she claimed)

Kagami ruminates that in her non-corporeal state she has given up all fear. She no longer worries about disappointing her mother or Marinette. 'Everything is so calm now. So peaceful. So...perfect.'

Perfection is a standard Kagami and Adrien are both held to. But perfection is also repeatedly linked with blankness. Staying in the context of Eastern beliefs, this blankness is a removal from the material world.

As someone who was originally raised with an Eastern religion, this whole scene struck a nerve in me. There are different ways you can interpret and apply such beliefs to your life. Some use them to enrich their family life. I mean, if you truly believe you are not your body, it stands to reason that you don't really 'own' your daughter. Therefore, you shouldn't control her, instead supporting her as a fellow soul in the journey through life. Ahem, Tomoe.

But I've seen so many people distort these ideas and use them as an excuse to run from their problems and disconnect from others. I've seen people use the 'we are not the body' thing as a reason to walk out on their kids. This is what we see with Kagami when she gives up friendship - potentially beautiful ideas twisted into unhealthy escapism, because Gabriel is in control, manipulating things.

At the same time, if Kagami is a sentimonster, this Zen moment has other implications. We can link it back to Adrien in Wishmaker, when he says his head goes blank every time he tries to think of what he wants - and when he finally realises his childhood dream was to be whatever his parents wanted him to be.

Working on the assumption that Adrien is also a sentimonster (and again, if you know the answer, please don't tell me, but...it just seems so obvious that he is one)...he and Kagami are both blank canvases for their parents to paint on. The second half of Perfection was chilling - because sentimonster theory aside, there are plenty of real parents who treat real children this way.

The good thing is that if you're a blank slate, you just need to take back the paintbrush and then you get to make whatever picture you want. Kagami and Adrien have the power to be whoever they want to be - just like we all do, no matter who tries to dictate who we are. Go on, Kagami - be the artist you want to be. Write a manga.

As an aside, if that ring Kagami wears holds her amok, it's interesting that she's allowed to wear it. Gabriel doesn't let Adrien wear his ring, because that would give Adrien too much self-control. In a strange way, Tomoe seems to have given her daughter a bit more personal freedom. And given her action against Gabriel at the end of Perfection, Tomoe also seems to care about her child more. I still don't think she's winning Mother of the Year, but...well, I guess when you're being compared to Gabriel, you'll always come out looking better.

As ever, I feel like there are a million other things I could add to this, but it's already long enough. Please no post-Perfection spoilers in the comments :)

[kaontic]

*Takin’ a stab at this cuz about time I did—*

🦁 Emperor of Destruction, King of Beasts and Guardian Spirit of Paradise 🦁

Or, um, in other words, here’s Megs’ holoform as a shishi:

See? I’m not biased for Megatron over Optimus. I didn’t even color him in all the way. 😅

(Which is totally not because I’m scared of messing up the outlining. That’s potentially demoralizing fr…Maybe I’ll try anyway later idk)

Cliffjumper: >:(

Me: Um...you guys are probably wondering about some stuff— 👀💧 *Clears throat*

*In the tone of Barbs from Geography Now*

What is a “shishi”? 👋

What are the flowers he is holding?

Well, as the poem one Kubuki dance abides to puts it:

Hence the association.

Reflector: You better put a source for that.

Me: I KNOW— 😭

Renjishi (Two Lions) is the name of that Kabuki dance. There’s another dance (and other versions of that dance), but we’ll get to that if you’re interested of course. ;)

Btw, the dancer above, Yukimasa Futamura of Miyabiya? He’s awesome.

He wasn’t even the one that convinced me (that was Onoe Kikugorō VI from this 1936 documentary you’ll see down below), he just reaffirmed it because WOW DO THEY LOOK SIMILAR— O_O

Someone (i really wish I remembered their post 😭) noted how Megatron has one of the most human-like face plates out of everyone (and ironically so)

Idc what anyone says, they were on-target (yes that pun was intentional).

Oh wait, he’s not “human” after all, is he? Riiiiight… 🦁

(You know he would try to make that excuse lol)

Ok ok ok, last question—

Is a shishi good or evil?

I mean, their purpose, whether in China (as these specific Kabuki dances are based off of Chinese legend. Renjishi even takes place on a holy mountain in China, with the shishi guarding the bridge to Buddhist paradise), Japan or other countries, are to protect important (usually religious) locations and ward off evil spirits.

Yeah, in the other major dance Kagami Jishi (Mirror Lion), a servant girl named Yayoi, working in the shogun’s palace is influenced and gets possessed by a shishi via a lion mask, and dragged off-stage due to the shishi chasing 2 butterfly spirits, but ya know…

Cats will be cats. :)

The same actor that plays Yayoi will even return as the (male) shishi to dance with the butterfly spirits.

What happens to Yayoi in the end tho? Um—

She’s fine. Probably. Maybe (just me speculating, this has nothing to do with the actual performances) she gets to spend the rest of eternity as the lion’s hostess. 👀

Is there more to the dances? Oh yeah, always. It's Kabuki, an intricate and detailed art form requiring huge skill that everyone should check out.

I didn't even mention the son character in Renjishi and his significance.

Furthermore, are there other Kabuki characters (especially villainous) that would fit Megs? Yep.

There was literally this one noble, Togashi Saemon from the dance-drama Kanjinchō, who was so impressed by how far his enemy’s follower was willing to go for his master through deceptive means, that he just straight up let them go.

Even at the cost of his own life because that’s how much trouble he’s gonna get in for that. 😬

Megs notoriously enabling his traitorous subordinates’ behavior even if it’s self-sabotaging? Similar energy.

There was also the provocative (and quite frankly pathetic) governor Kō no Moronō from the drama Kanadehon Chūshingura, who the 46 rōnin came for on their quest to avenge their master, and proceeded to [REDACTED].

Yeah, given our options, so far, he better be thankful that his holoform is a shishi. 😑

It’s not the only holoform he has (any Cybertronian can have several in my AU), but I think it’s a good start.