I'm resisting the temptation to go back through all four seasons of Infinity Train with a notebook, pen, and my writer hat on, because this show is a work of art and I need to analyze every episode five times over to learn how to write well. But I have an AP test in two weeks and now is NOT the time to have another breakdown because of Simon's character arc (dive).
Me: You know what would look great? Pidge in a suit and tie. I should draw that.
Me: I really should draw something that shows Pidge as the ace queen I've always headcanoned her as.
Me: Wait a second . . . How about I Voltron these two ideas together? I'm such a genius.
(I was going to add fancy shading but I'm lazy. Just gonna post it, pretend addìng a purple tie to a monochrome suit is enough to reference the asexual flag, and crawl into bed.)
@carpisuns Heard you wanted Ladrien sugar so here you go
I love Ladrien because, though it's often called boring (and I used to think it was too), it has the potential for some of the most complex conflicts in the love square.
First of all, it seems like the side of the love square most likely to happen, but it's actually the least sustainable. Ladybug and Adrien are each in their least free states with Ladrien: Adrien is micromanaged by his father, Ladybug has duty she has to focus on. (Not to mention they're both hunted by the paparazzi.) That's not to say they can't be real or truly in love; but a Ladrien relationship is the hardest to maintain, even though it's the easiest to begin.
It's been mentioned that Ladrien tension can be drawn out, since Mari doesn't know Adrien likes Ladybug, and Adrien doesn't know Ladybug likes him. They don't necessarily have to get together immediately. And yeah, that has a lot of potential. But also, Ladrien has potential if they do get together immediately. Established relationships can still have complex, interesting, or even conflicting and tense dynamics. Most fiction only shows the buildup to a relationship, but in the real world, most relationships are . . . you know. Relationships. Not endless will-they-won't-they nonsense. Even if Ladrien got together immediately, that doesn't make their relarionship boring. In reality, it could make their relationship interesting in a very unique way; interesting, because it actually shows what real relationships are like, instead of just the buildup.
Also, Ladrien has insane angst potential. First of all, both of them could easily think the other just has a celebrity crush, since Ladybug doesn't know Adrien knows her as Chat, and Adrien doesn't know she knows him as Marinette. It would hurt so much to think the person you love only likes you on the shallow surface level. They could also pull out a "well I have concrete evidence that you don't love me when you see my flirty/awkward/reckless/clumsy side. No, I can't tell you what that evidence is, but I promise it's definitely real and very conclusive," which could be very painful for either party.
Finally, even ignoring this complexity, Ladrien is a good ship because it's good. The shameless love is heartwarming; it's sweet, it's cute, it can range anywhere from awkward and blushy "strangers" to best-friends/old-married-couple vibes. (And let me tell you, anything on that spectrum is perfect.) Their selfless support of each other through Ladybug's duty and stress as the protector of Paris and Adrien's exhaustion and pain from being Gabriel's son is so calming and comforting. When I'm feeling down, I read or write Ladrien. It's just that good.
TL;DR: Ladrien isn't boring. It has so much potential for complexity, conflict, and depth. And even if it didn't (which it totally does) . . . so what? It's such a soft, cute, comforting, feel-good ship. I absolutely love it. And this is why.
Here are some Plance kisses I doodled!
(and now the last one, but with glasses:)
Marinette Duapin-Cheng, future clothing designer and current helper of rich kids with family issues!
yes girl. cry. let it out
Here, have a pre-Simon Hazel sketch and be happy
The proper move when you have a sucky week is to figure out what made it sucky, buckle down, and work hard so next week isn't as sucky. But I'm tired so instead I just drew Sep
"The fire in his veins cooled under her rain, and stillness settled over him. Something soft fell into his lap. He held it up and breathed in its scent, sweet and flowery. Marinette.
"He buried his face in the fabric and held it close, imagining he was holding her instead. It hurt to be together. It hurt to be apart. But the hurt felt like a promise, and when she was in his arms he always felt that he was exactly where he was meant to be (the cosmic phenomenon, the whole that made sense). He couldn’t touch her, but she touched everything around him.
"(She was the rain, and she was everywhere.)
"The last chord rang though the room and then faded into silence. There was a rustling sound on the recording, and then he heard his own voice whisper into the microphone: 'I love you, Marinette.'
"The recording stopped. Adrien sat motionless, still hugging her hoodie."
-@carpisuns, "tell me something i don't know'
I don't know why this scene hit me so hard—the entire story is full of scenes that both make me want to sob and smile for the rest of my life, after all. But this one . . . I just had to draw it. It feels almost immoral to illustrate a scene from this story so imperfectly, but I can't do perfect art, so I tried to do emotional art instead. (No it's not raining in Adrien's room, I was just trying to illustrate the metaphor that Marinette is rain, I'm sorry this is so bad Mar, I love this story so much)
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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