Gabriel [in origins]: you can’t go to public school. i don’t want you out there in that dangerous world
Adrien: but it’s not dangerous, father!
Gabriel: oh yeah? it’s not, huh? fine. I’ll let you go to school then. I’ll let you go, and then I’ll turn all your classmates into supervillains. I’ll endanger your life on a daily and then we’ll see about how ‘not dangerous’ it is. dumbass.
I can’t believe I haven’t heard more about this in this fandom, but honestly look at Nathalie’s hair- and just stick with me through this post, it just makes me super happy.
Now it’s pretty obvious that this isn’t a ~natural~ color. I mean, it’s bold bright red, obviously dyed, there’s no need to state the obvious.
Nathalie is a professional, well respected woman in a high position. She gives off an air of professionalism, and even mild intimidation to people not used to dealing with people any higher in status than a school principal. She does her job, and she does it well. No one questions her capabilities, and no one has ever made any snide comments about her hair in my memory.
And here’s why I love this- I don’t know if this happens in France, but I DO know that in America, employers can be turned off by the fact that someone has their hair dyed bold colors. They have it in their mind that it somehow might take away from their quality of work, or result in the employee and company not getting the respect it/they deserve.
Now I’m not the kind of person to dye my hair, not because I’m against it, but just because I don’t want to. But not only have I been discouraged from ever coloring it due to employer’s opinions, I have had many friends and acquaintances discouraged from coloring their hair because they could “lose respect”. We’ve been told that bold colors like that are “unprofessional” and make people trust you less. Things like that. It’s because of this stereotype that people with bold colored hair are edgy or something and Nathalie is the first cartoon professional I recall seeing with unnatural hair.
Just LOOK at her. She’s gorgeous- she rocks that streak. But imagine if someone disrespected her. Imagine if someone questioned her capabilities based on the color of her hair.
She would blow them away without even lifting a finger and I freaking love it. I love it!
I know it might seem like something very minor to be so happy about, and I realize she is employed by a fashion designer so something like that is more likely to be “overlooked” (tbh when Gabriel hired her though I highly doubt he was looking at her hair and just wanted a capable assistant) but still, I love the fact that it’s colored but…no one’s been a snob about it. I just really like seeing people like her, in her position with things like that. It just acts as a small subliminal reminder that there’s nothing wrong with it. You deserve respect, and it’s not a valid reason to question someone’s capabilities.
[ID: a animated gif of Magnus, Merle, and taako from the adventure zone balance arc. All three boys are in the process of falling over, and everything is drawn in a blue/purple color scheme. Taako is a thin tan elf with a big tall wizard hat, puffy white shirt and pink skirt. He has curvy fantasy boots and has fallen flat on his face. Magnus is a light skinned man with dark short hair and a beard, he is wearing a white tank top and jeans and boots, and is currently falling backwards with all his limbs flying in the air. His tongue is also comically sticking out. Merle is a short fat tan dwarf with a dark grey beard and man bun and found glasses. He is wearing a baggy blue shirt with a pink belt and is falling sideways with his arms trailing behind him, where’s he’s holding his bible. Emphasis lines jiggle around them.]
“Taako,” Edward says as Taako puts his hand on the wheel. “We’ve had a little confab, and-“
“Confab?” Merle interrupts. “Isn’t that a little conference room-y?”
“Like Wolf of Wall Street?” Magnus adds. “Did you guys see Wolf of Wall Street?”
“Er, yes. A little too, a little too long for us.”
“Yeah, I kinda felt like it was just a redo of Goodfellas, too.” Merle shrugs. “Goodfellas was good enough on its own, y’know?”
“Yes, definitely, definitely not Scorsese’s best work. Taako?”
“Speaking,” Taako answers, trying not to feel the conspicuous lack of hit points too hard.
“We’ve been having ourselves a little think, and we want to make you a very special offer.”
“Yes,” Lydia chimes in. “We’ve never given this option to anyone journeying through Wonderland before, but we just can’t resist.”
“Hit me,” he answers wearily. “Maybe not literally. Cha boy is hurting.”
“We are going to allow you to opt out of the wheel and instead answer this very simple, very easy question.”
“You see, Taako, Edward and I are, mm, rather taken with your fetching umbrella there.”
Taako blinks, looking down at the Umbra Staff, dread growing in his stomach. “Okay.”
“That’s why we’re offering you the choice of a lifetime: you can take a penalty or you can give us that tasty little treasure.”
“Penalty,” Taako answers, only aware that he’s saying so halfway through the word coming out of his mouth.
“Taako,” Magnus mutters. “Taako, a penalty might kill you.”
“I don’t care, just means I get my Sunday afternoons back. I’m fine. Taako’s good out here. Penalty me.”
“Taako,” Merle says. “We’ll buy you a new umbrella. Real nice one.”
“Nope. I’m good. All good for Taako. I said it, I meant it, let’s move on. Hit me with that bad boy.”
There’s an almost disconcerting silence punctuated by Edward and Lydia muttering to each other. Taako grips the Umbra Staff in his slightly sweaty palm.
“We’re prepared to up the ante,” Edward says.
“Whatever you have, I don’t want it.”
“Are you sure? We think you might.”
A little 8 bit cartoon of a bell floats in front of them, placidly turning in a steady circle. Taako swallows.
“What,” he says, in an attempt at breezy. “Something Pac-Man could eat? No, thank you. Grossarooni.”
“If you give us the staff,” Lydia says. “We will give you the Animus Bell.”
Taako’s hands are shaking. He looks down at the handle of the Staff and is a little surprised to see he’s white knuckling it.
“No more fighting,” Edward tells him. “No more choices. Everybody’s happy.”
He thinks he’s gonna throw up. He swallows, staring at the handle.
“Taako,” Merle says. “This seems like a reeeeeeally good deal.”
Taako’s mouth works. He doesn’t know how to vocalize what he’s feeling. He doesn’t even know what it is he’s feeling at all. This is my last piece of- he thinks before the thought is unceremoniously cut off. He doesn’t know what it’s the last piece of but they can’t have it. They’re not allowed to touch it.
“Taako?” Magnus has his cautiously steady voice on, which is never a good sign. “You good?”
Taako looks up at them helplessly. Both their brows are furrowed but Magnus is looking off into the corner at something else, staring intently.
“Hey,” Merle says suddenly. “You didn’t say we could take it with us.”
“Beg pardon?” Edward asks.
“The Bell. You didn’t say we could take it with us, you just said Taako could have it. So does he get to leave with it?”
“Well-“
“I mean, kinda bogus, isn’t it? You’re asking him to give something up when really, you get to keep both things.”
“Yeah,” Magnus says, finally pulling his attention off from the corner. “Yeah, I’m with Merle. This is bullshit.”
Taako, decisively, sits down.
“Taako?” Lydia asks. “What are- what are you doing?”
“I mean, if I die in here, you can just take it off my corpse, right? No harm no foul. So why would I give it to you now? So I’m just gonna stop playing.”
“That’s not… really an option, Taako-“
“I can sit here in this room forever,” he interrupts. “And be miserable but not like, that miserable. Or I can spin that wheel, and keep going, and get even more miserable, and eventually, probably, uh, pretty soon, I’ll die, and you can have it then, what do I give a shit, I’m dead.”
“Yeah.” Magnus sits on one side of Taako. “Yeah, I’m with Taako. No easy outs.”
“I like easy outs,” Merle says, sitting on Taako’s other side. “But this doesn’t seem like it’s it, so, y’know, I’m with him, too.”
“I will say,” Taako adds. “I will be exponentially more miserable with these two thugs here with me for all eternity, just gonna be a real downer, so maybe it’s a more difficult decision for you than not.”
“Gee, thanks,” Merle grumbles. Magnus doesn’t blink.
Edward and Lydia mumble again, then fall silent.
“You still want that job opportunity?” Lydia asks.
“I mean, I think I’m good. Love your style, real Zoolander shit, but I’m gonna have to pass on that one.”
“Bummer.” She sighs softly. “Spin the wheel, Taako.”
All three of them get up and Taako approaches the wheel, feeling profoundly, inordinately grateful that the Unbra Staff, for now, remains in his hand and, a little surprisingly, grateful to the two chucklefucks standing on either side of him.
For a bizarre moment, he thinks the Staff might be a little grateful too.
Jon: Timothy Stoker, if you show up wearing this to the office, you’re fired.
Tim: ✌️😊
(In case anyone was wondering how I pictured Tim. This was only meant to be a quick sketch to figured out his design I didn’t mean for it to go this far)
