Miraculous Ladybug set up a good stakes system in the first three seasons with this simple rule: identities must not be revealed. If they are, there will be dire consequences. Hence, while we don't really believe that our main characters are ever at risk of dying, we can accept that they might someday lose their masks, and that that would be bad. It's a risk that adds real weight to the action and plot. It also justifies the endless identity dance between Marinette and Adrien. But then Miracle Queen happened, and all the heroes except for our main two were outed. We saw no consequences in that episode. We saw no consequences in the NY special, and we've seen no consequences in season four yet, either. This makes the entire narrative feel far less convincing and lowers the tension immensely. Not to mention that it almost completely invalidates how Adrien and Marinette continue to hide their identities from each other. (It doesn't invalidate their secrets completely because we're not going to forget Chat Blanc any time soon, but it still lowers the stakes considerably.) Not only are almost all the superheroes out, but Alya still sometimes runs around as Rena Rouge, despite her identity being publicized. And she knows Ladybug's identity, which we've been told is dangerous, but we haven't seen anything that convinces us it's dangerous. The thing is, we have seen negative consequences of identity reveals. Chloe being akumatized is one instance, and another is Chat Blanc. But the show has done nothing with the biggest large-scale identity reveal so far (the one at the end of season three), which makes the "we must keep our identites a secret" spiel very hard to swallow, and makes the entire plot feel almost risk-free. I hope that Optygami shows us the negative consequences of this large-scale identity reveal, and returns strength to the narrative by doing so. TL;DR: With a few rare exceptions, we haven't seen much to back up the story's constant claim that identity reveals are dangerous. I hope that Optygami will finally show us some of the disastrous consequences of identity reveals, thus adding more weight and stakes to the narrative and justifying Marinette and Adrien's continued secrecy.
If you ask I will rant about this forever because I have OPINIONS
Visiting family over the summer be like
Pidge: Why did I never enjoy things like the rain, or sunsets, before I met you? I didn’t even notice them.
Lance: I think that’s the point. We make each other better. For example, I never thought things through before I met you.
Pidge: I’m pretty sure you did.
Lance: Well, what can I say? I’ve always been perfect.
Pidge: *laughs* Pff, I’m sure.
Pidge: Lance?
Lance: Yeah?
Pidge: I love you.
Lance: I love you too.
Pidge: Are you seeing somebody?
Lance: *screaming internally*
Lance: Why? Are you interested?
Pidge: No, I just think it would help if you saw a therapist or something
Aaaand I'm back to writing short fluffy pieces. Oh well. I have an eight-chapter fic full of pining planned, so um, give me some credit?
Here ya go.
This is a fascinating analysis, and it also may have boosted my level of relating to Adrien from a 7/10 up to an 11/10. I'd like to add that I think the fact that Marinette won't press him to take off his mask is actually a good thing, despite the fact that this analysis leans toward it being a problem that needs to be overcome--it allows Adrien to learn to trust her at his own pace (which I believe will happen eventually), instead of being forced into a rather terrifying leap of faith before he's ready. Speaking from experience, a friend who just accepts whatever you show them as the truth tends to be far easier to be honest with than a friend who's constantly questioning your lies. I'd also argue that Adrien's lying isn't deliberate, it's instinctive. It's not that he enjoys lying, it just feels safe and easy for him. Still, this the best ML analysis I've read in a while, and it's absolutely spot-on.
wait. don’t go. I promise this isn’t salt. I have not been hacked. It’s me.
Hear me out.
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Marinette Duapin-Cheng, future clothing designer and current helper of rich kids with family issues!
You can call me Starry! I'm a fan artist and fanfiction writer. She/her, asexual. I'm a huge nerd (and by that, I mean I love math, science, and language). I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Reblog blog is @starryarchitect-reblogs, queer mormon blog is @acemormon.
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