Various Family Dynamics // Lemony Snicket’s centrality of siblings in stories

Hello readers! 

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It is the month of talking about what we love. That's what I do every month on this blog, but this has a special focus for talking about the people we love, not just stories. Therefore I'm going to talk about siblings.

As someone with siblings (note, plural), stories that represent that bond are important to me. And often it feels like character either don't have siblings or act around them in a way that is foreign to me. 

There is, however, a storyteller who absolutely nails talking about various family dynamics, especially siblings: Lemony Snicket.

His most famous work is A Series of Unfortunate Events, which doesn't sound promising for families. In fact, "It will wreck your evening, your whole life, and your day." On the surface it is a series about three orphans who are plagued by terrible events. But at its core, it is a series about trials and triumphs of three siblings trying to figure out the world.

I've come to view Lemony Snicket as writing some of the most realistic siblings I've ever read and related to. And I'm going to tell you why.

Note: This is about two series in the same universe for Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events and All the Wrong Questions. I'm going to talk about the relationships between the characters, but will avoid the plot details, so this is spoiler-free. I've written reviews for the first two books in A Series of Unfortunate Events, so you can read book 1 HERE and book 2 HERE.

Let's get started!

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First, I'm going to say that I didn't always think the best of Lemony Snicket's works. In fact, at first I thought "no siblings act like that". That was before I realized that he was portraying some ideal siblings and didn't recognize the special traits he gave each. But not all of this is joy (hello, none of it is joy. It's Lemony Snicket we're talking about). Snicket has a range that I'll talk about today and how that only strengthens the contrasting siblings. I'll give a few examples though I had to cut myself off from talking about EVERY sibling group because or else we'd be here all day.

A Favorite:

The Baudelaires: A Series of Unfortunate Events 

Key characteristic(s): Defense of each other and using each other's strengths.

The three marvelous and brave children are Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. Each of the children is very defined by their skills (inventing, reading, or biting respectively) and the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of them is how they make the most of their bad situations by using their strengths. Klaus is always suggesting materials that Violet can use to invent things, Violet is always asking Klaus about subjects he might have researched, and the two of them are always making sure Sunny is comfortable and has something to bite. And not just, oh, amuse the baby. They truly include her. This support of each other speaks volumes because they don't look down at each other's interests, but rejoice in them being different and able to lend themselves to the situation from different perspectives.

'[Talking about a picked lock]  "Nice girls shouldn't know how to do that sort of thing"

"My sister is a nice girl and she knows how to do all sorts of things."'

- The Reptile Room 

Secondly, even though the whole world is against them, they have each other's backs. Besides already suffering from so many misfortunes, people always judge the Baudelaires for being orphans, for being intelligent, for anything. In the midst of condescension they always celebrate each other's victories and don't let each person be too hard on themselves.

They are also realistic and always make me laugh when one of the adults say "when I was your age" and they say, "but we're all different ages". That's how I always feel, too.

Even though there is such a big age gap, going back to Sunny, the way that Violet and Klaus understand her is so remarkable to me. They go to lengths to listen to her, even though she doesn't speak in real words. They always convey her feelings to the adults with "what my sister is trying to say...". These are brilliant children and part of that is that they treat each other like they are capable to do what needs to happen.

It's been awhile since I read the books ( I mean, 2021 wasn't THAT long ago. But still. My mind is full with too many things) so this might be wrong but I remember the end of The Reptile Room being all about the Baudelaires saying at least we've got each other in the middle of this miserable time. And that's the best things about siblings. So don't fight each other, support each other, and don't let go.

“I think we'll always miss our parents. But I think we can miss them without being miserable all the time. After all, they wouldn't want us to be miserable.” 

- The Reptile Room 

And in The Wide Window?? How they are rearranging their gifts to make everyone happy even though that leaves Klaus the least happy. They are selfless when it comes to each other. And I've written about how Klaus is my darling, but the other two equally are! Which is why, in The Miserable Mill, they knew something was wrong. Other siblings who didn't know each other so thoroughly would be thrown off, but they stepped outside of their comfort zones to help each other. They know their strengths and when to imitate each other.

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Fan art is my FAVORITE.

As Opposed to:

The Poes: A Series of Unfortunate Events 

Key characteristic: Selfishness.

Edgar and Albert are characters who only get a fraction of a chapter in the first ASoUE book, as opposed to siblings who get more "screen time", but I'm going to talk about them because they set an important standard to help us get to know the Baudelaires better.

In the midst of grief, the Baudelaires have to stay with the Poes. And Edgar and Albert are quite horrible. They complain about having to share with three children who lost everything in the world. I don't remember everything they say because it is not worth remembering, but it shows us a place of sneering and selfishness that contrasts the comfort the Baudelaires give each other.

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A Favorite:

The Quagmires: A Series of Unfortunate Events 

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Everything I said about fan art still holds up because this is glorious.

Key characteristic: Unbreakable bonds. 

I've seen things before that says there's a word for orphan, but no word for losing a child because there isn't a way to express that pain. Same for losing a sibling. The word that adults try to use is "twin", but that's completely wrong. Duncan and Isadora refuse to be called twins, and instead always refer to themselves as "triplets", because that's what they are, whether or not Quigley is there he won't be forgotten. This is a dark introduction to the Quagmires, but shows that they are not their name: they do not "give way underfoot" (the definition I looked up for "quagmire" in the New Oxford American Dictionary. I've lauded Lemony Snicket before about his naming skills.). Isadora and Duncan stand in Quigley's memory.

I love that Duncan and Isadora's strengths are so similar and yet so different. They both like to write, but Duncan is the journalist and Isadora is the poet. 

As rare as it is to see siblings in fiction, I feel like it is rarer still to see groups of siblings who are completely friends with each other. The Quagmires and Baudelaires carry how they interact with their own brother and sisters into their friendship with each other. It's beautiful in such an austere place.

The way they even sit to leave room for Quigley? *cries*

I keep accidentally calling Duncan "Dylan" due to him being played by Dylan Kingwell. I just need to say their name in the opposite order, Isadora and Duncan...

A Favorite:

The Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events and All the Wrong Questions

Key characteristic: Fighting for justice.

"...Snicket?" those of you who are unfamiliar with this series might say. "As in Lemony Snicket? The author?" Absolutely.

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This is what sets the tone for these books, Lemony's narration and hints at his life being connected to all of this.

If you read ASoUE and thought, "but I want to know more about Lemony!", then All the Wrong Questions is the series for you. He is literally the main character in addition to the narrator. Does this answer questions about his family and upbringing? Not really. But the hints make me scream and shriek and everything. One of my favorite parts is the code phrase: "Give my regards to Jacques." which Lemony explains to mean one thing...and then also what it says. 

I think there are only one or two times that we see two of the Snickets interact, there is still such a strong bond between these siblings. They all lead such busy lives in their fight for justice and truth and being well read. Being on the run does not give time for family, but they don't forget each other. One tells the tales of woe of the others. A moment in book 7 nearly made me cry the last time because it is one of those sibling connections where the two characters aren't on the page at the same time, but are unbreakably together all the same.

Even though AtWQ does its best to not answer questions, you get little glimpses into Lemony's life because he'll remember waiting at a bus stop and playing Beethoven with his brother. And yes, I agree with his sister, it's inane, but it's also SO STINKING FUN. I love the phone calls, that however short they are, it is Lemony reaching out for comfort. I just realized that I've always assumed that Lemony is the middle child for some reason, but now I'm starting to think that maybe he's the youngest? He might be too elusive to ever say.

“I looked out the window at the dark and racing scenery and I thought of the city, where the train would eventually arrive. I hadn’t seen the city since my apprenticeship began, and for a moment I felt so homesick I had to stop and lean my head against the glass. Dear Kit, I thought. And then I said it out loud.

'I wish you were here.'"

- Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights? 

As Opposed to:

The Denouements: A Series of Unfortunate Events 

Key characteristic: Conflicting causes.

I LOVE the juxtaposition of the Denouements against the Snickets. The Snickets are all for fighting for the same cause no matter what the price and bearing that heavy burden together, while the Denouements are on different sides and use being identical to keep up the facade. Here it's something that is accepted and fought against at the same time, but you don't really see Frank and Ernest interacting, besides supposedly (aka seen through a telescope) arguing.

And that's reality. Sometimes you aren't on the same side as your siblings. "The schism has turned many siblings into enemies." Sometimes siblings can do terrible things, things that aren't noble. That doesn't mean that you don't love them, but love looks different.

A different set of siblings looks at loyalty despite morals, so Snicket covers a wide range for how families interact.

The whole question of "Are you Frank or Ernest?" is quite poignant.

I'm 100% sure in the show that the "give my regards to" line was inspired by All the Wrong Questions. And even though I hadn't read AtWQ at that point, I flipped out for completely different reasons. It was fabulous.

A Favorite:

The Bellerophons: All the Wrong Questions

Key characteristic: Teamwork

Because I couldn't just mention All the Wrong Questions once because I'm still not sure which series I like better.

The Bellerophons are the sole transportation in Stain'd-by-the-Sea, though neither of them are old enough to be driving a taxi. Their dad, the official driver, is incapable at the moment, so they use what they have: each other. I believe Squeak operates the gas and breaks while Pip steers. They will give you a ride for free if you give them a tip on what to read next. It's not an ideal childhood, working, but they do it with each other. They are champions of the world.

“It's hard when you're missing your family," Pip said, and started the motor. " You wake up every morning like someone took one of your legs.” 

- Shouldn't You Be in School? 

There are more siblings in Lemony Snicket's works, but this list is four of my favorites with two to contrast. My huge theory is that Zada and Zora in All the Wrong Questions are the two White-Faecd Women, but that's a conversation for another day. All together, Lemony Snicket writes about mourning and grief, but also how we shouldn't let go of our siblings because with them we can get through anything.

This is my entry for Hameltte's We Love Siblings Week! There are games and a giveaway and all kinds of fun things, so go check all the other posts out!

Do any of you have siblings? Does anyone else know Lemony Snicket? If you do, then I hope you enjoyed all the references I stuck in there because it was so fun to create! I haven't seen the movie version, only the series and read the books, so does anyone know if the movie represents siblings like this?

Which of the Baudelaires do you feel most like? Which Quagmire? In fact, which of any of these siblings are you most like? How do you act around your siblings?

Thanks for reading!

Chloe the MovieCritic

All My Sons // 10 (+1) More Fictional Boys I Have Adopted

Hello, friends!

Today's post is brought to you by a title: All My Sons by Arthur Miller. It is one of the few plays I have actually read (as opposed to watched), and I love it. That has more to do with it's connection to my favorite musical artist, but it's still literary. 

A while ago, while I was gushing over my babies, my sister said "You and all your sons". So it feels applicable to one of my favorite subjects.

Let's do this again.

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Do you remember the post where I explained the concept of my "babies"? HERE it is. Go read that if you haven't because this is just a continuation of that.

But, if you don't want to: Tl;dr: I designate myself as the mother to my favorite characters who are a) helpless, b) clueless, c) sometimes hopelessly in love, and d) in desperate need of a hug.

One second my sons make me say:

And the next moment they make me do this:

It's exhausting taking care of these dudes.

("MC, uh, you realize these characters are fictional, right?" I absolutely do. All the more reason for me to worry about them because no one else is.)

This time around I am not ranking them, just putting them in alphabetical order by first name. I do have fictional daughters that need to be talked about, but this just seemed like too good of a title to pass up. Next we'll just talk about children in general.

(I've also started "adopting" people in real life which my sister says is unhealthy. I am the ultimate mom friend. Ooops....)

These aren't spoilers because I'm giving things out of context and not focusing on the plot. I'm talking about why I love the characters. I totally get that if you want that as a surprise, too, so feel free to skip over the ones you don't know! But my secondary goal of this post is to convince you to watch/read the things you haven't, so if you're looking for recommendations check these out...

Andreas Marowski from Ladies in Lavender (2004)

We are not going to talk about what this movie did to me. How it BROKE ME. But we're not going to talk about that. (This is me more telling myself that me telling you guys. Like writing "I will not tell lies".)

This poor guy starts the film off almost drowning. Looking like a wet, miserable kitten will definitely make me want to cuddle you. On top of that, the place where he ends up is not his native land. So everyone speaks a different language. These two old ladies seem to be nice but what in the world are they saying? Then he finds the universal communication: music. The strings of the violin reawaken his soul. The fact that the ladies get him all dressed up to go play music?? ADORABLE.

He gets into making decisions later that are a struggle with the future. Different people are trying to convince him of different things by their means and nobody is giving him a hug. Give him a hug, okay? He's brilliant.

If a sweet youngling brings anyone of any age flowers, I will adopt that person on the spot. He got some for both Ursula and Janet (though she didn't really approve).

Asher Lev from My Name is Asher Lev - by Chaim Potok

The guy just wants to paint, okay?

LET HIM PAINT.

A common element of my babies is how they have terrible parents, ergo I want to be their new parent. Asher's parent's aren't the worst ever, but there are struggles. When I read this book for a class we were focusing on the theological growth, but my professor said he thought it would be really interesting to read it focusing on the mother. Because she is a vital crux of the story.

One of the hardest parts early on in the book is when Asher's mother is sick and for the first time Asher and his dad have to get along by themselves. There's so much despair wrapped up and no one is wrapping Asher up in a hug.

Asher's dad is dealing with a lot of pressures in other ways and just doesn't understand his son. This is a whole problem with the book where people are trying to make Asher choose to be one thing over another. Just let him be both! I feel torn apart a lot because I relate to many different arguments and people want me to choose. And life isn't black and white; its colors show through both the paintbrush and the pen.

Bryce Loski from Flipped (2010)

Because hello, my heart. He's an absolute himbo. And I mean that in the best possible way. He's just clueless, okay?

Maybe I should start a checklist for these boys and whether or not they have decent parents. His mother is doing the best she can, but his dad...ooof. Bryce has his grandpa, but Pops seems more interested in forming a relationship with the girl across the street than his own grandson. And speaking of that girl, what is with Julie Baker?? Why won't she leave him alone?? (I for one ADORE Julie and would be the kind of mother who would encourage him to make friends with her and he would think it was torture.)

To reference Okay for Now, that's "the terrified eye" if I ever saw one.

Bryce just wants to enjoy Bonanza. He does not want to be teased about Julie Baker when he has never wanted anything from her except to be left alone. The plans this dork comes up with though. THE PLANS. Like asking a girl out only to have your bestie fess up to her that it was just to have people forget about Julie Baker.

His pretending-to-listen-face, though.

I can't forget to mention THE EGGS. My. poor. baby. I mean, what he did was absolutely wrong. But I also don't have the courage to talk to people and I am constantly searching to avoid conflict, so I get it. I would likely do the same. He inherited it from me. I know he's more than the sum of his parts and he just has to find that for himself.

I would still be stoked that he got to do this, though it was TORTURE for him.

He doesn't realize that Garrett's a jerk, and that trees are beautiful (though that was quite a comeback: "If by beautiful you mean unbelievably ugly, then yes, I would agree."), and he's fighting against this weird feeling inside him. And what's the big idea with perpetual motion?

It is a treat to watch this movie and just focus on his expressions. Because they are hilarious.

I'm not trying to be biased towards anyone on this list because I love them all, but I've just seen this movie A LOT. And it's in my top ten of all time. So. I love the book, too, but the movie hits me in the feels like nothing else.

Charlie Delgado from Lemonade Mouth (2011)

The drummer is my son genetically. Because not many of you probably know this, but one of my goals in life is to play the drums. I just think they're so cool.

Anyway, we were going to start the parent problem meter: check, he's got it. He's suffering from having a perfect brother. And his parents want him to be exactly like the perfect brother. But he doesn't like soccer. Drumming, on the other hand...

Which is why joining a band is the perfect thing for him. Even if it happened in detention. He's so used to hiding in the back of a class, he's the most in awe of the attention the band gets. It's quite adorable. Especially because he's not used to girls talking to him. I never went to high school so I'm not one to say what movies set there are accurate, but most feel like they aren't. This one does.

Even though the perfect brother is ruining his life by being so perfect, the two of them have a great relationship. Which makes me, as Charlie's mother, proud.

Claudio from Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

I talked about my husband from this movie a while ago so we're going through the family tree and talking about my son. Who I guess is our joint child.

Ah, Claudio. And this is the first son on today's list who is really suffering from the helplessly in love problem and not the parent problem. Which is why he is called "Monsieur Love". On which point my sister and I always DIE of laughter.

Presenting this year's "baby-face".

Speaking of names, another favorite that he gets called is "lack-beard". MWAHAHA. Benedick has the best roasts (Not that not having a beard is a bad thing. Stay that way, hun.) Ahem. Anyway. This is where my protective nature comes in because people say "Kill Claudio." And I'm like, hhhhhheeeeeey, that's a little extreme! Yes, he needs to be scolded. And yes, the person to scold him was the best one to do it. 

Because he made mistakes. Huge mistakes. And even though he was set-up, he should have faith and patience and understanding. Still, he felt sorry.

Yes, he has a tendency to be jealous. So we're going to work on that. But he's the sweetest guy ever and I'm ever so happy that he's turning away from the army now. I want him to live his sweet life happily.

This gif is bad quality but THE PAIN!! THE PAIN ON THE POOR BOY'S FACE! This also shows why I am betrothed to the Prince because he is very stoic.

On a side note, because I've talked about most of the Much Ado men, you're probably wondering how I feel about Benedick. So we'll take half a second to discuss Ben. I adore him, but that's because we. are. the. same. person. I echo his sentiments about love all the time. I auditioned for a different Shakespeare play with his monologue about his disbelief about Claudio's sentiments. With good results, I'll tell you. Anyway, though I don't understand Claudio's heartache, I think it is very cute. He and Hero probably win most adorable couple with their puppy eyes.

Benedick's not taking any of this nonsense.

I had SO MANY gifs and it was so painful to sort through them all. But if Bryce gets 4, so does Claudio. ....but he gets an extra because I put 2 of him in pain (one physical and one emotional) and I need to apologize for that.

Klaus Hargreeves from Umbrella Academy (Seasons 1 and 2)

(I should probably get the guts to watch the third season. But I haven't yet. I'm scared because I already thought it was massively gory but then the 3rd season got bumped up a rating.)

Remember how I had Klaus Baudelaire on the other list? If your name is Klaus I will probably adopt you.

Seriously, he needs SO much help. Starting a cult is one of the signs that it's time for therapy. Not that things are his fault! Because parent problems? Check. His father was so awful that he didn't give Klaus a name. He was Number Four. It was only his robotic mother who gave names to him and his siblings. (If that doesn't summarize this show I don't know what does. It's insane. One day I'll write a full post just on it.) And speaking of his siblings, I love them all...but I think they make bad decisions and I wish I could be their mother.

The whole show starts (so this is not a spoiler, it's the premise) with the father dying so what do we all do? Years ago they were a superhero team and now? Their lives are falling apart collectively and separately. No one takes Klaus seriously so he doesn't see a reason to take himself seriously.

But you know what, if I saw the dead, I would probably fall apart and do anything to make it stop. Which for him means not staying sober. He just needs a support system! The only one he has is one of the ghosts...

What Reginald Hargreeves did to Klaus to try to get him to unlock his power?? HORRIFYING. NEVER. EVER. EVER DO THAT. There is giving challenges for growth and then there is torture.

Because he and his siblings were so broken, my favorite parts of this show is when they get to heal together. His relationship with his sisters is ADORABLE. And he and David are cute.

(Aww, shucks. This is making me want to rewatch the show which is something I never thought I'd say.)

Ricky Bowen from High School Musical The Musical The Series

(Mainly seasons 1 and 2 because while I loved some things about season 3, the development with Ricky was not one of them. I hated it so much that I may not watch season 4. But we'll see.)

I wasn't a fan of the original HSM. So I started watching the series mainly to make fun of it. Yet, I loved it from the first second. That's all due to Ricky. At first I was intrigued to see how they would deal with his faux pas. As that first episode went on I realized how precious and scared he is.

Now, do I approve of what Ricky did? No. "Taking a break" and then expecting everything to be fine? That's just pushing a problem to the side. But I feel for him because we are all at different stages and in a family where he's trying to hold it together, those "three little words" might seem like "not a big deal". But it is, because people abandon him.

Why? Parent problems: check. They're getting a divorce and in the midst of his despair and confusion he finds solace in a musical. What started out as a romantic gesture turns into something to hold onto.

Ah, the great origin stories of actors.

Any time he breaks the fourth wall it makes my day.

He's trying to do the right thing and be the person others want him to be but he's always scared of falling short. Because he feels he fell short for his parents. Though he didn't, it wasn't him, it was what they had tried working through together and failed. I just want to demand custody for Ricky, okay?

High school is probably the most emotional time of life because everything seems like such a big deal. That's where this show guts me, because it was all a big deal to me, the steps these characters were taking. But I have to remind myself that they. are. in. high. school. There are going to be changes for the rest of their lives. 

Even looking at this image from ep. 4 brings me pain.

Episode 4 of season 1 (...I think it's ep. 4, could be 5...) physically hurts me. I cry every time I watch it. There is a deep loneliness and resignation that cuts me up inside. And I know we've moved on into new drama, but that doesn't erase what has happened in the past. It shows why stories are so important to us because they are an escape from reality.

Scorpius Malfoy from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

OH MY GOODNESS I’M A BAD MOTHER

He's the one who made me realize I needed to do this post again.

It's been awhile since I read this, and that was only the once. But Scorpius is the dictionary definition of a cinnamon roll. Yes, basically all these characters are cinnamon rolls because babies are very similar to cinnamon rolls, BUT Scorpius takes it to another level.

I also have adopted Albus. At the same time I relate SO MUCH to Albus, it's more like we're twins. Middle kids, ya know. So I don't think I'm emotionally stable enough to be Albus's mother. (Am I emotionally stable enough to be any of these characters's mother? Probably not, but it's my blog so I make the rules.) Scorpius, on the other hand, is a darling and would be no trouble at all. Besides the events of this book. But that wasn't really his fault!

Scorpius suffers from the same pressure his dad felt. Which is that you have to be a certain way. The difference between Scorpius and his dad is that Scorpius couldn't be arrogant if he wanted to. He's sweet to the core. Both Albus's and Scorpius's parents are HORRIFIED that they are friends but it's what I always wanted. Albus is more of the punk and Scorpius is trying to keep him out of trouble. They just want to be friends. Is that too much to ask?? Is it too much to ask that they don't feel obliged to carry on their fathers's legacy as enemies??

At first I didn't really like the story (I came around about halfway through, though) so all that was keeping me going was darling Scorpius. He deserves all the hugs.

Kang Seo-woo from Cinderella and the Four Knights (2016)

Rewatching made me realize that I did not give this guy enough love. That's why sisters are good for watching things with because my little sister has done nothing but talk about how much she loves Seo-woo.

His grandpa has hired a gal to get the Kang cousins into shape. Hyun-min is a playboy, Ji-woon is a punk, and Seo-woo? A good-for-nothing because he's a musician. WHAT?? He is not a good-for-nothing! His music is fabulous.

He is the sweetest guy on the face of the planet. He's been shoved into this rivalry with his cousins and because they never want to do what they are told he's been witness to their bad influence. I relate to his feeling of he only gets so many days off in a year, so he wants to spend those ALONE. Mwahaha.

But can we normalize guys being sweet? That would be great. That means that I would adopt everyone.

Seo-woo is very subtle as opposed to his cousins. He cares about people and shows that in small ways. Like calling over 40 times. Some of my favorite scenes are the birthday obsession. And the flowers. And the helping pull stuff out of the water. And the Rock Paper Scissors on the stairs.

His songs have deep meanings and are a beautiful way of expressing himself. I just want to give him a hug because no one ever does. One of the songs is about his relationship with his dad and I can't. It's so sad and heartfelt and AACCKK.

His fashion is fly and I love the nicknames he gives others. Like, "Miss Celebrity". As a celebrity himself he's always hiding from the crowds which usually turns into quite the situational comedy.

Wendell Gifford from Lemonade Mouth (2011)

I didn't realize his full name is Wendell because he always goes by Wen. But I love that so much.

I know we already discussed a character from Lemonade Mouth (2011) today. Face it, I have adopted the whole band because as teenagers, every single one of them has problems with their parents.

Yep, absolutely all of them are my darlings.

Wen's problem is his dad's girlfriend. He feels understandably weird about the whole situation. He feels like he's being pushed to the side because all of a sudden everything is being done to accommodate her. What about Wen and his sister? The picture frame scene hurts me. Yes, Wen was hurt more, but it hits me so hard. Then the sunglasses are totally something I would do...

I love that he and Olivia write the songs for the band. They are dorks to their core but that means they are adorkable. 

What does Wen contribute to the writing? Rap! 

"It's Wen and I'm heaven-sent, music like a veteran

Renegade lemonade, use it in my medicine"

My sister and I once challenged each other to memorize all of Wen's rap in "Determinate" and we now are experts. 

When they're trying to come up with a band name, he suggests "Wen". And that becomes a running joke. While I usually would hate that kind of ego from others, Wen gets a pass because he's so sweet.

How many keyboardists are in bands? It's kind of rare. I just got back from a festival I've gone to almost every year and I saw a keyboard there for the first time.

And mwahaha there's one more. Because of the 10 I did last time, plus the 10 more this time I need 1 more to be 21. Because it's All My Sons. (Those of you who understand, understand. If not, read All My Sons. Or watch it.) (Why am I using such a depressing number? "I swear, MC," you're saying, "if this is your excuse to get an honorable mention...")

Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir (TV Series)

(Yes, I call it Chat Noir instead of Cat Noir. Because if we're translating it it's going to be Black Cat. So let's just say it one way or the other.)

Like Umbrella Academy, this probably doesn't count because I'm not done seeing it. Did I go back and rewatch parts of the first episode because I couldn't remember how it all started? Yes, I did. It's been since 2021 since I watch that, okay? I'm only in season 3. And I haven't seen the movie yet. But things are getting WILD and I'm not going to love Adrien any less, so let's chat. (Did you see what I did there? That was totally unintended.)

Like Much Ado, Miraculous has a character I am in love with and a character I have adopted. We are going through this the opposite way and I'm talking about the character I have adopted: my darling Adrien.

Parent problems? Check, check, check. His father is deep in grief over losing his mother, but they would be so much better if the two of them worked through it all together. How does Adrien react? Does he become a sullen punk? No, he has the purest heart on the face of the planet. 

It is frequently SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT *cough* that people get akumatized (it's a thing in the show. It's so bizarre you have to watch to understand). It is never Adrien's fault.......*crickets*.......OKAY, maybe it has been a few times but that has been for reasons completely out of his control. And all those times have in fact been that OTHER PERSON'S fault. He can't help it that he's one of the most adored models of Paris.

He just wants to go to school and have friends and have his dad talk to him. He is kind to the most hated person at the school and does things to cheer everyone up. He's a quiet one, but even his presence radiates calm. I feel like I didn't appreciate him enough until we saw the origin story. 

Source.
Someone else noticed this!!! It wasn't just me!!!

I love his personality change to be a superhero. He's breaking out of his shell and saying all the things he never says because he's the quiet one. I find his puns and jokes amazing and everything he says makes me want to be his mother more.

Now you know 21 of my sons. With each new story I experience I adopt more, so these posts may become an annual thing. You never know.

Thanks for reading! Does anyone else adopt characters? How many of these do you know? What is your relationship with these sweets? Who are some of your favorite cinnamon roll characters?

Chloe the MovieCritic