Why A Pinocchio Ending To Miraculous Wouldn't Be Right

Why a Pinocchio ending to Miraculous wouldn't be right

Now...as you may know, I fought for a long time a battle with the acknowledgement that Adrien may have been a sentimonster. I didn't understand why at the time, but as the evidence kept piling in and especially after watching Ephemeral and Gabriel Agreste, I had to give in and admit that i too was convinced now that he indeed was a sentimonster. Risk has just proven me and all the people who had been convinced about it right eventually.

Now, one thing I have noticed among some people who have been shocked yesterday by getting the full confirmation that he was a sentimonster: people hoping that Marinette may manage somehow to save him and change him into a human being. Basically changing Miraculous into a modern life Pinocchio.

However, while Pinocchio is a beautiful fairy tale (almost a symbol of my country, which makes me love it even more), having Marinette do that would, in my personal opinion, destroy the message that Miraculous is trying to convey with the very fact of making Adrien a sentimonster.

I have read and seen pictures of the fact that Adrien, at the start of his conception as being ADRIEN and not Félix, had been depicted as disabled. He was walking with a stick, which when he transformed became his baton, and of course as Chat Noir he wasn't limping or needing support but when he wasn't transformed, he needed the stick to go around. This concept was rejected by the production because they felt that the writers wouldn't be able to handle it. But I think that what Astruc decided to do at that point was to change a physical disability into a MAGICAL disability. By making Adrien a sentimonster he has created for him an invisible disability and a vulnerability, which works in my mind because it's a metaphor.

First of all, based on the rules of Astruc's universe, there's NO DIFFERENCE between Adrien and a human. He's been made to be like a human and he is, indeed, that. The ONLY difference is that his living essence (soul or how you want to call it) is stored outside his body into an amok that has possessed his mother's wedding band (or at least this is what we think currently). This means that, as Astruc said, Adrien will be able to live a full life, grow up, get married, have children, grow old with the woman he loves and all. However, like Superman with cryptonite, Adrien has an Achille's heel. He's a sentimonster, which means that he needs to be VERY careful to what happens to the Peacock Miraculous AND to his mother's wedding band, because the first can cause his death "with the snap of a finger" and the latter can cause him to become a marionette in the hands of the person who holds it, and breaking the wedding band would mean for his amok to get out of it and him disappearing, again. Tricky, right? Have your life being held by such a delica--, uh, well, hang on a second.

Have you ever tried to break a ring? I had to (my wedding band had got too tight on my finger) and I must tell you that it's HARD. You need specialised items, and depending on what metal the ring is made of, you could need a bolt cutter and a professional intervention. Even classic rings made with gold or silver are hard to cut; you CAN cut them with household stuff like a small steel circular saw blade, but it's still not very easy. You could melt it (Lord of the Rings docet), but even that's something that usually only a professional would do. So a ring is *not* a delicate object. Yes, it can get lost, it CAN potentially be cut, but it's not something that can happen by accident. *Whoopsie* sorry, I broke your ring. Nope. Not gonna happen.

Besides: there's the problem of the Peacock of course and the fact that, in order to consider Adrien safe, the Peacock MUST be safe, either with him (so make him a double holder) or permanently inside the Miracle box and making sure it NEVER gets lost again, at least during his lifetime. Well, yes, there is, but keeping the Miraculous safe should anyway be Marinette's first priority as the Guardian: Fu lost the two Miraculouses once, but there's a reason why Su-Han wasn't impressed to find out that he had lost the jewels in the first place. They're objects that hold immense power, not toys! So keeping the Peacock safe should be a priority INDEPENDENTLY from whether Adrien is a sentimonster or not. Him being a sentimonster AND Marinette's love interest makes it even MORE important and so is choosing the RIGHT holder for it, because by giving it to ANYONE she would put Adrien's life at risk.

Now, as I was saying before, there have been theories around and some think that it would be beautiful if Marinette was going to change all of that and either use the wish or use her power of creation and love and make Adrien become human. Sweet in appearance, right? Not in my mind.

Now, here I need to let you know a little about my life. 9 years ago I had my first son. i was so happy, and like any mother in the world, from the second I saw the two lines on the pregnancy test i started having all those dreams about a normal life for my child, him studying, getting a diploma and a degree, finding a good job, maybe finding love in any kind or shape he chose (woman, man, alien...? whatever, as long as he's happy I don't care and I will respect his choices and love and make part of the family whoever he will decide to love), maybe if he chose to love a woman, have kids of his own...you get the drill. Two mere years later, I was faced with the massive rock on the head of a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I felt DEVASTATED. It took me A LOT of thought, and time, and reading about it, and talking to specialists and such to slowly starting to accept it. I still loved my son, and I've never stopped loving my son. But I had to face all stages of grief and deal with the fact that the idea of a son that I had created in my head when I saw the two lines on the stick wasn't REAL. That my son was different from what I thought he would be. I thought I had accepted it eventually and kept going on, until I was talking on the Internet with a person who was autistic, asking them how their life was, to get reassurance that maybe my son's life would be similar. And I was there telling this person that sometimes I wished that I was waking up one day and my son wasn't autistic anymore. That a magic spell could take his autism away and set him free.

That person told me off, not harshly, because he could see where I was coming from, but still told me off. We spoke for a long time and the essence of the conversation was that AUTISM IS PART OF WHAT MY SON REALLY IS. Autism isn't a parasite that has possessed my son and that needs to be cured or taken away. My son was BORN like that, and autism is the essence of his being. You can't take the autism away because you would CHANGE what my son is, you would MAKE HIM BECOME DIFFERENT. The way that he behaves, the way that he reacts, the beautiful and funny cherry bean that he is, all the things what make me LOVE him to bits, also come from the fact that he's autistic. By rejecting his autism I was REJECTING HIM, I wanted to change him. If one day he woke up and he wasn't autistic anymore he WOULDN'T BE HIMSELF anymore, he would be a different kid.

Being told that hurt me in the deepest. I got out of the conversation and had a very good thought about it that night, because I knew that this person was right. To love my son I had to accept him with all his baggage, including his autism, because his autism MADE HIM HIM.

Now you may be wondering why I'm saying all this stuff in a blog about Miraculous, taking about a cartoon character? because it's the exact same thing! Adrien is a sentimonster. That's part of his essence, it's who he is, he can't be detached from being that. If Marinette "used her love to make him become a human being" she would literally changing him. Change his essence and make him become something different.

No, I think it would be much more powerful if she didn't do that. It would be much more powerful if she was accepting him for what he was and loving him for what he was. let's say he would sacrifice himself for her and she would need to make him come back, as people say, using her power of creation and the "power of love always so strong". Wouldn't it be a fantastic message if, instead than making him become a huma being, she used her power to recreate his amok and ring and made him come back exactly like he was? And if someone (Gabriel? Félix?) told her that she was stupid, that she had had the opportunity to really make a change in his life and set him free by making him become human, she would answer saying that no, loving him by changing his essence isn't real love? That she loved and cherished him for what he really was and that meant also accepting him for being a sentimonster, and work the rest of her life to protect that, and protect him? Because he's perfect as he is, amok included, and it would mean making violence to his whole essence to change him into something that he's not? Wouldn't that make Adrien love her even more thinking that she's grown to accept him with his difference, as he really is, letting him BE who he really is, rather than doing what everybody else seems to be wanting to do and just try to make him be what THEY want him to be?

Now excuse me but I go cry in a corner. And I go nourishing this massive plot bunny that has started screaming in my dungeons since I accepted this reality, and maybe one day I will write this story, especially if this won't be the message that Miraculous will want to portray.

Sukuna: *stabs someone*

YN: ahhh wow

YN: isn’t he just dreamy

Nobara: your vagina needs glasses

sukuna, a killer who lies in the blood of his enemies is shut up by you, and can't find it in himself to kill you the moment you snap at him

sukuna, a killer who doesn't hesitate to snap a neck in half hesitates to speak to you, not wanting to embarrasses himself and potentially ruin the spark that ignited the moment you laughed at something stupid he did

sukuna, someone who never tries to impress anybody but himself, finds himself trying to impress you, getting you little things when he goes on a trip away from his temple, seashells from the seaside, roses from the farm he paced by

sukuna, the curse that is feared by the sorceress, fears that you will eventually grow tired of his silly tactics, and grow tired of him

sukuna, who never falls at the knees of anybody, falls at yours, kissing your feet when you patch his wounds up one night, stating that you must be a heavenly body for no human deserves to share your title

sukuna who kisses your neck gently, his hands holding your face and the back of your head, kissing your tears away as he promised to slaughter anybody who dare tried to hurt you

the curse that was said to never love, you proved them wrong, as it was possible for sukuna to love with his little heart, to give his life to you, letting you live yours comfortably

sukuna, who died so violently and so hauntingly, told you he'd find you once more, over the river and under the hillside, where the sun reached so softly, somewhere made for two lovers to roam

the fushigojos are like heaven on earth literal sweet tooth rotting fluff but like imagine the angst and (almost) crashing and burning 😔 where theres a huge argument/fight that tears gojo and his lover apart,,, and the kids just have no idea what to do or how to resolve the situation ☹☹☹

oh boy subtle fushigojo angst incoming

the air in the apartment is icy.

you’re in the kitchen, quietly getting the kid’s lunches ready while gojo pretends he’s still asleep on the couch.

at the dining table between you two, megumi pushes leftover cereal around in his bowl, and tsumiki picks at the crust of her toast.

megumi thinks the lack of unreasonably upbeat morning energy is unsettling. there’s none of the usual banter between you and gojo. no humming as you put on a pot of coffee for the two of you to share or giggles as he wraps his arms around you in an eye-roll worthy display of affection.

he never thought he'd prefer it to...whatever this was.

judging from the way tsumiki keeps glancing between you both, she thought the same. they'd both heard the way you'd argued last night, heard your hushed but harsh voices in the living room.

"he was our friend. i couldn't just..."

"...still shouldn’t have left the body there, satoru! what happens if...and the kids..."

neither of them knew who exactly you were talking about, but it must have been someone important for the tense atmosphere to have carried into the morning.

by the time gojo drags himself off the couch, rubbing pitifully at the back of his neck as he slowly approaches the kitchen, you're ignoring him, washing your hands at the sink. then you pour yourself a mug of coffee and brush past him without a word, retreating out onto the balcony. no sickly sweet good morning kiss or whiny clinging.

he just sighs, pouring himself some coffee and immediately sipping at it without adding an absurd amount of cream or sugar.

so something is wrong wrong. gojo drinking black coffee in the morning is the equivalent of watching aunt shoko end a long night with a mug of warm milk.

"still pissed at me, huh?" he asks them, leaning on the counter and nodding his head towards the balcony door.

"obviously," megumi answers, glaring at tsumiki when she kicks him under the table.

gojo just rubs a hand over his face, groaning. "yeah, well, i did something kind of stupid."

"obviously."

tsumiki kicks him again, and this time it's accompanied by a glare of her own. "don't worry, gojo-san, you just need to apologize."

"it's not really something i can apologize for," he sighs, and for the first time, megumi sees how run-down his guardian looks.

"do it anyway." he says it bluntly, rising from the table to bring his and tsumiki's dishes to the sink. "it'd help, at least."

"yeah, i know." gojo slings an arm around him as he turns on the tap and rolls up his sleeves. "thanks, megumi. i knew you'd be on--"

"not on your side," the teen bristles, scowling when gojo ruffles his hair. his next words come out in a mumble, barely audible over the running water. "i just...i don't like it when you guys fight."

gojo's quiet for a moment, arm tightening around megumi's shoulders ever so slightly. "yeah, i know. i don't either. now c'mon, grab your blazers, guys. you don't wanna be late for school."

everyone's pulling on their shoes by the time you come back inside, handing them their lunches and pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads (a habit that'd taken root when they were young, tsumiki shyly asking for one after seeing you plant a kiss on gojo's cheek before he would head out).

even though you're mad at him, even though you grab gojo's jaw a little harsher than you usually would, you still plant a quick kiss on his lips and murmur a quiet, i love you, that gojo doesn't hesitate to reciprocate.

megumi and tsumiki exchange small smiles, because they know everything's going to be okay.

Megumi: I think I know what you’re thinking

Yuuji: You’d be the first, cause I don’t

Sukuna: Can confirm, it’s quiet in here

MAY WE MEET AGAIN / xiao ( genshin impact ) ( LOOK, WE ARE NOT UNSPECTACULAR THINGS we've come this far, survived this much ; WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DECIDED TO SURVIVE MORE? TO LOVE HARDER? ) a/n: quote by ada limón. reincarnation!au. for @bluexiao ; part of axia's secret santa event! have a wonderful & safe holiday ( ᐛ )و !!

ONE. wangshu inn has always been a temporary haven for a lone adeptus, solitude and desolation a home in the depths of a wavering heart.

( and it still wavers, xiao thinks, feeling your warmth as you stand together, but for different reasons now. )

time moves slowly with you by his side, respite found in moments lost, daybreak filling the sky with wondrous hues.

"it looks beautiful." you tell him, your fingers absentmindedly trailing along the railing of the second floor. "thank you for watching with me."

xiao does not think he can tear his gaze away from you; orange and pink hues reflected in a tenderness that resides in your eyes, and almost instinctively, his hand rests on yours in the midst of longing. his lips part, and how much he wishes to express how dear you are to him, in this moment, in a forever and always, but timidness has always gotten the best of him.

"beautiful." he murmurs. you smile at him, understanding, and he hopes that's enough for now.

wangshu inn has always been a haven for a yaksha burdened with past sins and the future of humanity, but perhaps he has found love & safety elsewhere.

TWO. xiao does not sleep much; he expects tonight to be no different. you toss and turn next to him, the sheets disheveled and in disarray. there are times where you fall asleep the moment xiao holds you, so he does, his arms wrapped around your figure in a comforting safety. but it doesn't work tonight, and your mind continues to wander a little too far, so you give up on the idea of getting rest, and give into the thoughts that continue to linger.

"xiao."

he lets out a hum of acknowledgement, senses your hesitance.

"what bothers you?"

you're not going to say it bothers you, because it doesn't-- just one of those questions that will always remained unanswered, you suppose.

"do you believe in another life?"

he pauses, and for a moment, you feel a tension in his arms. he has lived for a very long while, known those who have done the same. but it has always been the same life and never another, rebirths and reawakenings self proclaimed.

he does not know what happens once the river is crossed and the departed leave this world. perhaps there is another life; perhaps there isn't.

"i don't know." xiao muses, watching as you trace haphazard circles into his skin. "but if there is, then surely i would find you in the next."

& there is something so gentle and promising in his voice that you cannot help the tears that threaten to blur your vision. you nod, overwhelmed with a love so powerful that you believe his words to be true.

"i'd find you, too."

xiao kisses you on the forehead, mumbles a quiet goodnight against your skin.

"you would."

THREE. there are days long past & you cannot remember them. a haziness in your head and a vague grief that resides itself in a dull pain with each beat of the heart, then the feeling of absence in your existence.

you think you must have forgotten something dear to you.

you wake up alone, glance in the mirror. in your reflection there is a silhouette of a past forgotten. a fleeting feeling of yearning and loved missed.

( YOU ARE FORGETTING SOMETHING DEAR TO YOU. YOU ARE SORRY FOR THIS. )

FOUR. it is midnight and you cannot sleep again. you step out of the apartment, mind in a daze as your feet wander endlessly. you don't put much thought into where you're going; you know it's not safe, especially in the late hours, but there's something in your gut that tells you it's okay, that you should just go, that it'll be worth it in the end.

you end up on the playground, find comfort in the sway of the swing. the moonlight has always been beautiful to you. a blanket of stars that cast protection over the living, brilliant and glowing in their wake. you hope for a shooting star-- anything, something that offers the granting of a wish. because this nagging feeling of knowing that there is something more to this life is unforgiving, and you cannot ever let go of it.

the shooting star does not come, but that's okay. the stars are beautiful nonetheless.

"it's not safe to be here alone."

there is familiarity in the voice that comes from behind you. you plant both feet on the ground, stabilize yourself. the swing comes to a stop. you stand, and you wonder why you're afraid to turn around. but you do, eventually, and you see him.

( this is how you meet xiao in this life. )

FIVE. he waits with bated breath, watches as you struggle to take in the sight of him, your eyes wide, hands trembling as you take a deep breath as means to calm yourself. slowly, he approaches-- both in regards to not overwhelm you, but also in fear-- because part of him is afraid, too. afraid that he's taken too long struggling and traveling to the ends of the earth to find you. afraid that you don't recognize him, afraid that you don't remember.

the distance between you two lessens considerably. xiao's gait halts, and he waits. how terribly does he wish to hold you, to feel you in his arms again, and to know that he's with you once more. but he stands there, stagnant, afraid that this is all too overwhelming. ( he fights the urge to smile when he sees your tears forming. he is not cruel by any means, but there is something so reassuring & comforting in the confirmation of knowing that you are remembered and still loved. )

you almost want to make light of this situation-- because the idea of losing the person you love and finally meeting them again in another life seems like too much-- because this is all so much. because xiao is really here with you, only a few feet away. because you longed for him so much that your heart hurt. you almost want to tell him to hug you before you burst out in tears, but even now, there's a dull ache in the being that resides in your chest and it almost resembles guilt.

"i forgot." and the tears do come out anyway, and you can't help the sobs that escape you in overwhelming numbers. "i'm sorry, i forgot."

-- and that's when xiao moves, quick to wrap his arms around you in a i'm sorry i took so long. please don't cry. it's okay.

neither of you know how much time passes until your grief settles and the tears stop. xiao kisses them away, lips curling ever so faintly when you look at him.

"i'm sorry, xiao."

"do not apologize," he murmurs, his hand holding yours as his lips ghost against your knuckles, "i told you that i would find you, did i not?"

you finally laugh, and how wonderful it is to hear it once again.

"you did. you found me."