#will probs break down the MTS love square development next

[glitterpensupremacy]

Since Alya and Chloe are done, I can get into some of the other potential topics of discussion from the last poll, namely

Tikki & Plagg MTS

And why we decided to ruin them (we’re sorry y’all)

Tikki and Plagg kinda start out the story as morally grey (if not downright sinister) characters who antagonize their holders. (Well, at first the two try to get on their holders good side so they’ll do what they want, but when that falls through…) This was partially done to drive the plot (as I’ll explain later) and partially to further characterization (experimenting with the Kwami as complex characters who aren’t “the good guys” in every case. Also less to “fix” their canon selves, as Plagg especially had a strong personality in the OG, and more to take them in a different, MTS suited, direction.)

Tikki has the power of creation, but she also represents order. She believes herself to be a perfect, virtuous being who always knows what’s best (she also genuinely thinks she’s helping, but is pretty deluded in this front). This causes her to be arrogant and controlling, and primarily manifests in her relationship with Marinette through their interactions and the Miracle Cure.

Much like the original story, Tikki frequently tries to teach Marinette lessons on how to be a proper person. The key difference, is that she encourages selflessness and excellence even when it isn’t necessary, and some of Marinette’s “faults” aren’t actually things that she does wrong (Tikki is the type to lecture Marinette for an extended period of time about patience and compassion just because she got slightly annoyed at someone for being rude). In many regards, this Tikki can also be quite hypocritical on this front.

For those unfamiliar, the Miracle Cure now has the consequence of sapping its users with energy in order to repair all the damage. Tikki conveniently “forgets” to mention this little detail to Marinette, and constantly stresses how everything depends on her to stay in order. When Marinette realizes what the ability has been doing to her and renounces it, Tikki frequently guilt trips her for being “selfish”. (Tikki being more obsessed with control and opposed to any sort of disarray was integral to furthering Marinette’s end of the S1 powers plot)

Eventually Tikki does come to accept that she was wrong to have such unfair expectations for Marinette, along with ignoring her own faults and wanting the world to be in a rigid, constant “perfection”. (Witnessing Chloe behave like a little brat, while noticing how she is equally demanding of Marinette, probably helps Tikki get a reality check). Character Growth Tikki will still be different from Miracubug Tikki, as her new attempts to help Marinette will be a lot more awkward than OG Tikki. She also retains a bit of sass, so she’s rarely completely nice and friendly in demeanor.

Plagg, being Tikki’s opposing force, represents chaos in addition to destruction. He likes to run around doing whatever he wants and shaking them up as much as possible. He cares very little about who or what gets damaged in the process, and doesn’t even try to fool himself into thinking he’s a good guy (rip Miracubug Plagg 😢).

For what it’s worth, he does like Adrien when he first meets him, seeing him as a kindred spirit looking for freedom in a world determined to tie him down. However, he doesn’t like him enough to warn him about the harmful effect the Wildcat ability has on his mind. This is mostly due to Plagg’s love for the destructive, chaotic nature of the ability (Kwami physically can’t use their powers without their holder due to the Miraculous’s inhibitive function, so this is the closed either Kwami gets to having their natural power again). That being said, Plagg’s warped affection for Adrien is an additional motivation (thinking that him losing all self control and succumbing to every instinct he has is an “improvement” to being restrained in anyway).

When Adrien renounces the power, Plagg feels very annoyed that Adrien is now rejecting that wild part of his powers and as a result is “looking down on him”. Plagg frequently taunts Adrien, telling him that without the Wildcat, he’ll just go back to being that miserable, obedient boy that he was when he first got the miraculous.

When Plagg does come to care about Adrien, as well as appreciate the existence of things other than him (and is now more reluctant to the blind destruction of everything), he is a bit more similar to his Miracubug self. The main difference being that he’s a bit more energetic (though still prone to bouts of laziness) and not as good at expressing himself verbally, preferring to physically comfort Adrien instead.

I think that’s all of the relevant details. (@dumblr-account, remind me if I missed something super important.) I know I didn’t structure this like the typical character notes post, and that’s because the Kwami, while still complex in their own right, don’t have quite as much going on as the human characters (mainly due to age and backstory differences).