#NOW YOU CONFESS TO ME THE IDENTITY OF YOUR FAVORITE EGO just to be fair

[the-dance-of-italy]

I demand to know if you have a favorite ego of Mark's

As of recently?

I ain't quite sure if I have a preference for any character.

There is definitely...

...not a character I'm focusing on...

...for an ambitious fanmade project no sir-

[rosegardentwilight]

6 Smiles

{A03}

Pairing: Adrienette and briefly Lukanette

Summary: The reveal left the heroes in a tight spot, Adrien is pining and Marinette is together with Luka. But will a rain confession change anything?

A.N.- Wipes the sweat off forehead. I'm so glad I was able to finish this on time. It was a last minute decision to finish this for Valentine's Day, but the words just poured out of me.

So this one-shot is inspired out a some of the scenes from a movie called To WIn a Date with Tad Hamilton. It's an older movie, but this scene melts my heart every time.

It was all his fault. He had pushed the topic of revealing their identities, and it led to a series of events where he got what he wanted, and everything fell apart. Adrien could remember his stomach drop when he found that the love of his life was none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He would have to drop to his knees and beg for a chance, but the point was mute, she was taken. Marinette had started to date Luka not even a month ago after he figured out that he might have feelings for her. He had tried to be happy for her when he found out initially, but knowing what he did now, the information gutted him all over again. The love of his life was sitting right behind him, how could the teacher expect him to pay attention to the review for the quiz next week?

"Earth to Adrien? Are you okay?" Nino nudged Adrien's shoulder pulling him out of his another pity party to realize class had ended, and even worse Marinette was nowhere in sight.

"Yeah, fine." He was anything but fine, but even if he did tell Nino the basics, it wasn't like his best friend could do much about it.

"Alya is waiting for me, but if you need to talk, I can tell her that I need a rain check."

"Nah, you go on, it's Valentine's Day; I don't want Alya to skin me alive. I have some questions that I wanted to talk to M. Foret about."

Nino placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder, "I'm here for you if you need me."

A pang of jealousy grew within his chest as he watched Nino meet his girlfriend at the door with a kiss and the two strolled off hand in hand. He wanted that more than anything, but he only had his eyes set on one person, and she... had Luka. He sighed as he gathered his things and slung his backpack over his shoulder. It wasn't necessarily the truth when he told Nino he needed to talk to the teacher; he knew that in doing so it prevented him from seeing Luka steal a kiss from her on the steps. For his sake, that was worth all the wasted time with one of his least favorite professors.

Adrien stopped dead in his tracks. Of course, it had to be raining; it was the universe’s way to torture him especially on Valentine’s Day; he could hear her laughter echoing between the raindrops. He gripped his black umbrella tighter the edges of his knuckles brimming on a white color from lack of blood circulation.

The one upside is Marinette and Luka should have already left, he stayed much later than he usually did when asking questions about the homework (even if he didn’t really need it).

Adrien froze when he saw Luka leaning against the wall. No doubt he was waiting to walk Marinette home. His skin crawled. This was the guy wooing over his lady — the one who had earned Marinette’s laughter, joy, and her love.

All this time he was focused on Ladybug when she sat behind him in class. He felt like an idiot. The worst part was Luka didn’t know exactly who Marinette was.

All he could do was be there for her as support. As a friend. And as a friend, he had to make sure Luka was taking care of her. He shoved his hands in the pocket and took the plunge and approached him.

“Luka,” the words such in his throat. “You—uh, waiting on Marinette?”

“Yeah, She had to talk to her teacher about something.”

He should stop there. Marinette was okay, talking to a teacher, an activity not out of the normal for her. Then she would walk home with Luka, but despite knowing that Adrien only walked a couple of steps before twisting around again. The motion had caught Luka’s attention, but it left him in a place where words weren’t coming to him.

“You win.” It was a summary of everything that he was feeling at the moment. Mari was happy with Luka, so who was he to ruin it?

Luka blinked a couple of times, “I’m sorry?”

“I want her to be happy.” There was no need to use Marinette’s name, Adrien was positive that Luka knew about his crush on her, but this was the first time he had been bold enough to bring it up to his face. Luka could distract her, so she didn’t get as much time as Adrien, but Ladybug and Chat Noir had an unbreakable bond that Luka couldn’t touch even if he knew her alter ego.

“Contrary to your popular opinion, I want that too.”

Their friendship had been strained at best since Luka started to date his best friend. As easy as it would be to leave the conversation there, he was already riled up and in no headspace to back down.

“Do you know how long she keeps on hair in pigtails versus anything else?” Marinette had been more bold about new hairstyles over the year, she always looked gorgeous, but he lived for the days that she wore pigtails. It was familiar, warm; she felt like home on those days especially when she smiled at him.

“Why would that matter?” Luka scoffed, “she looks pretty no matter how she wears her hair.”

He didn’t get it, nor did Adrien expect him to. He had been mooning over Ladybug for as long as he could remember but also had started to take note of the girl behind him over the previous year. He half chuckled to himself to calm the voice that wanted nothing more to shout that he didn’t deserve her. “Did you know she has six different smiles?”

“Six smiles?”

“Yeah, one when something flat out makes her laugh then there’s one where she’s laughing out of politeness.” It spoke to her character, Marinette always wanted to do anything in her power to make people at ease. “She has this smile when she’s making plans for her sketches.” And planning out Lucky Charms, he mentally added. “One for when she is making fun of herself.” That was one of his favorites; he loved seeing so carefree and relaxed. Marinette had enough stress with preparing for university and saving Paris, not to mention her duties as guardian in training. “She has a smile for when she’s uncomfortable.” He knew that one well, she wore it whenever she met with his father. “And one —“ he stopped himself as his mind pounded him with images of Marinette laughing and smiling with Alya, Nino, or the girls before it switched to memories that they shared when he was Adrien and Chat. “One where’s she’s talking about her friends.”

Friends. He had used that word so much around her, and now he wished they were much more. He clung to the thought that if they were meant to be, that she would find her way back to him.

“ I don’t know those things yet.”

And that’s why Luka shouldn’t be with her; he treated everyday like it was an ordinary everyday thing, unlike the privilege it was. “No you don’t,” Her bitter tone stung through. Even though Adrien believed that Luka didn’t deserve her, he knew deep down he didn’t either. He had made so many mistakes over the years; it was only fair he missed his chance with her. It was the price of his bad luck. “She’s a—a treasure more than you could possibly know. Marinette isn’t just some wholesome city girl; some good breath of fresh air. She’s a wonderful person with a huge heart! And the kind of beauty that a guy once sees once.”

Adrien knew he needed to stay calm, picking fights with Luka wouldn’t gain him any favor with his Lady. He winced to himself; he couldn’t put that label on her; she was never his.

“If there’s even a chance that you could break her heart-“ he stopped himself as the air in his lungs got sucked out at the thought. Adrien would never wish that on her, but if they wouldn’t last the pain would be minimized if it was earlier on in their relationship. “For her sake, please, walk away.” Adrien knew not many people entered relationships thinking that it wouldn’t last, least of all Marinette. It meant that she had to see the potential of being with Luka, whether she saw the potential in him was a fact that caused his stomach to churn.

“I could never—ok?” Luka replied.

“Good. Because if you do, I swear I’ll rip you apart with my bare hands.” What scared him was he didn’t didn’t know how serious he was about the threat. He had always been protective of Marinette in general, but now that he learned she was his partner as well. If Luka ever hurt Marinette in purpose—well for the sake of everyone involved he hoped that he would never find out what he would do.

This was the part that he waited for Luka to blow up, start yelling, anything. He had crossed lines in his speech because he allowed his passion to take over.

Instead, Luka placed his hand in his shoulder, “you’re a good guy.”

The comment stung as if the words crafted a blade and sliced open his skin. Adrien Agreste had always been good enough, with his hobbies, school, and work, but now—

“Just not good enough.”

Luka’s mouth open to reply, but he never got the chance.

“There you are.” Marinette’s voice cut between them.

Adrien couldn’t pinpoint the look that she had on her face; it was a mix of nervousness of caution. He allowed himself to linger as her bluebell eyes captivated her heart for the umpteenth time and drove his drowning soul to patter with hope. Marinette owned his whole world, but he gave it to her gladly every time.

Luka leaned in to give her a kiss, only to meet her cheek instead of her lips. He frowned but was grateful that she still allowed his hand to grasp hers. He had known that Marinette used to like Adrien for years, it was hard to ignore. She swore she was over him, and he wanted to believe her more than anything, but moments like this spread seeds of doubt. There was something between them that ran deeper, even if it happened to platonic. It was a month after they had started dating that Adrien started to hang around more and talking to her constantly. When he approached Marinette on the matter, he had nothing to worry about; that they were just friends. He believed her, but as he watched the two interact, it wasn’t hard to pick up on Adrien’s growing feelings. Luka didn’t know if Marinette had picked up on it too, but she remained loyal to him and that kept some of his anxiety at bay.

The rain had stopped, and he fully was ready to use it to his advantage.

Luka squeezed her hand, “ready to go?” He only managed to take a few steps before he felt resistance at his wrist. His girlfriend was biting her lip, mulling over something, before her head turned back in Adrien’s direction.

“Give me one minute,” she promised, releasing his hand in the process. Before he could protest, she was running to catch up with Adrien.

"Just like she always has,"  he muttered to himself.

“Adrien! Adrien!” He froze in place when he heard her. He had to quiet the voice in her head; she wasn’t chasing him to confess her love or anything, she probably wanted to say goodbye. The second locked, he knew he was a goner; the hope that their interactions between them would dull the pain of his broken heart.

“Yes, Mar?” He couldn’t ignore the fact that Luka was waiting for her.

She shoved her hands in the pockets, “are you ok? Is there an Akuma or does Master Fu need us?”

Of course, duty was hardwired into her DNA because of Ladybug. As much as he wished, there was a reason to keep her with him, but the luck wasn’t in his cards.

“No, nothing like that.”

“What were you talking to Luka about?”

You . But Adrien couldn’t admit that instead, he would have to do what he hated, to lie. “Small talk to pass the time.” If small talk meant a vivid love confession for Marinette to her boyfriend, then he was telling the truth.

“Did-did I do something wrong?”

Adrien’s eyes blew wide open. “No,” the word couldn’t tumble out fast enough, “of course not.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?”

She could always read him like an open book, “I’m not.” Another lie and he hated himself for it. It was easier on his heart if he put the necessary distance between them unless she needed him. He would always be there for her then.

“Since when do we lie to each other?”

The silence between them was deafening; it made Adrien almost miss the patter of the rain to fill the gap. “You better go,” He sighed as he adjusted the strap of his bag eyes falling to the floor.  “Luka is waiting for you.” As much as this conversation hurt to have, walking away from the love of his life twisted the knife in his heart even more.

“Mar, you’ve been quiet. Are you okay?” Marinette jolted from her thoughts to see her boyfriend peering down at her. It was then that she realized that most of their walk was filled with silence instead of their usual conversations. She must have given at bare minimum one word answers, or he would have stopped her long before they reached bakery. “Sorry,” she replied, although she couldn’t bring herself to be. It was not a crime to not want to talk, especially with her head space in the condition it was in. “I just have a lot on my mind.” Luka’s shoulder brushed hers playfully. “Penny for your thoughts?” It was the nice boyfriend gesture, but it didn’t help that she couldn’t talk about it. She couldn’t tell him that she heard his entire conversation with Adrien. And certainly not tell him that her heart fluttered in her chest as her mind soared. Her partner, one of her best friends, loved her. The reveal came as such an inconvenient time that she wished that they could go back and do it right a month earlier before she had agreed to go out with Luka. But life wasn’t fair and sometimes cruel, and the look plastered on Adrien’s face when he found out burned into her memory and haunted dreams at night. The reveal changed them. It took a week or two to get back into a rhythm as Chat and Ladybug, but it became more comfortable as neither addressed what happened. As if the knowledge that Adrien Agreste was her partner was anything she would forget anytime soon. She expected the love that Chat claimed he had for Ladybug over the years would spill over into their personal lives, but that never came, in fact, Adrien only grew more distant after he found out her secret. All she could really conclude was that his love for Ladybug didn’t extend to Marinette Dupain-Cheng. With the dust settled, she turned back to focus on Luka who she knew liked her. Until today. Today gave her the knowledge that she could be with Adrien, that door wasn’t closed like she thought it was. Granted, she wasn’t supposed to know it, but she couldn’t help be listen in when she heard her name.

And now she was at a crossroad. She could continue with Luka and pretend that she didn’t hear them. A voice inside her whispered that it would be impossible, and Marinette knew that it was the truth.

“It’s nothing.” For once she was thankful that they were at the bakery. Maybe she could talk to Tikki of what to do. She leaned in a kissed her cheek, but only made it a couple of steps before Luka’s voice stopped her.

“It’s about Adrien, isn’t it.”

She cringed, and her mind circled for something to say, unfortunately, the silence was enough of an answer for him.

“Look, Mar. I’m not going to pretend that I understand what kind of connection you have with him, but I couldn’t ignore the way you two looked at each other today.” He sighed, “I’ve never doubted your loyalty once, but I have to ask, do you still love him?”

Adrien didn’t think twice about packing, his yearly trip to London with his father was right around the corner. For the first time, he was looking forward to it; space would be good to help mend his broken heart. Maybe when he got back after the two weeks, he could pretend that he wasn’t bothered at all. The rain had started for the second time that day, only this time much harder than before. Not ideal for any Valentine’s date outdoors, but his mind ran through the possibility that Marinette and Luka were snuggled up on her couch watching a movie or otherwise preoccupied. The single thought made him pack faster—that is until a flash of red caught his eye. It took a double take for him to realize that Ladybug hung outside his window absolutely drenched because of the storm. Instinct kicked in, and he raced over to let her in. To think a couple of months ago he would do anything for Ladybug to come to visit him in the night; now he lived with the knowledge that he saw her daily. “What are you doing here? Is everything ok?” Given the date, she should be her boyfriend, not prancing around Paris rooftops in a downpour. “Spots off.” Adrien decided that he never would get sick of watching her detransform. The raindrops still rolled off Marinette’s body, the suit providing no protection against the rain. He ran off to the bathroom to grab her a towel. She ruffled her hair without a word, making his stomach butterflies flare up. It couldn’t be a Paris emergency; she wouldn’t make him wait for the news. “Oh, you’re packing.” Adrien sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, it’s for my annual trip with my father.” “To London, right?” “Yeah,” he replied wondering how she could remember such a tiny detail. The trips weren’t that long. “Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?” The question has been eating him since he saw her. Why did she come to visit him today of all days? “Luka and I broke up.” He tried not to react to the news; he didn’t think Luka would take his advice. To drop her suddenly like that- what he said must have made an impact. “It wasn’t an easy decision to break things off, but no matter how good of a guy that he is, I couldn’t love him.” She broke up with him? What did that mean concerning them? Adrien tried not to get his hopes set too high, even though his pounding heart screamed that she braved a storm to do so. “Oh?” He closed the suitcase realizing that the conversation had fully caught his interest. “And why’s that?” “Because I’m still in love with you.” All the air raced out of his lungs only to crash in on itself sending his head spinning. She was in love—what made her realize that? “I don’t understand.” He craved more context; especially since he didn’t know she was in love with him in the first place. He would have remembered something that important. “Adrien, you have five different smiles.” His world ground to a halt; she had heard him with Luka. This was too much of a coincidence otherwise. The heat of embarrassment spread throughout his chest. He wanted to lock himself in his closet so she wouldn’t see him malfunctioning, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes away. “How much did you hear?” he asked. If she woke up tomorrow with different feeling then maybe he could salvage their friendship, as long as she didn’t hear everything. Marinette didn’t give him an answer and continued her speech. “One when you think someone is an idiot.” She released a soft laugh as she let memories take over and Adrien found he couldn’t look away. “You have this smile whenever you’re given baked goods, and I adore your smile when you're jamming out to Jagged Stone with friends.” Her soft eyes beckoned him to stand and take the courage to step towards her. Adrien’s eyes half-lidded as her hand reached to run through his golden locks. “One you wear when you’re Chat Noir.” The contact left him causing a small whimper. He had a feeling that her touch would always him in a wreck in the best and worst way possible. “And one,” her lips lifted into a tender smile as her eyes twinkled with love and admiration. “One when you’re looking at me.” He melted into her touch when she cupped his cheek and happily greeted her lips as she stood on her tiptoes to fill the void between them. She had come back to him, just like he knew she eventually would. The cat and his bug, the way things were meant to be. They could figure out how this would change their dynamic another day, but for now, Adrien Agreste was perfectly content with affectionate whispers, loving touches and stolen kisses were hidden by the roar of the rain.

[cococrazies]

Lovestruck Series Review: Starship Promise (Season 1)

Personal playing order: Orion - Jaxon - Antares - Nova - Atlas

Warning! Minor spoilers ahead for Antares’s/Nova’s/Atlas’s routes, as well as CGs under the cut.

Orion: I’m torn on this one. I really enjoyed the story -- a lot more than I thought I would, given my lack of enthusiasm for the series concept -- and Orion himself. (If anyone ever wanted Shang from Mulan but in outer space, this is it.) The writing also had a very natural cadence and flow; it pulled me in easily, never getting too heavy-handed with sudden plot twists and cliffhangers... except for one instance, but more on that below.

And the MC! She was a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t been too impressed by her in the first-ep sneak peeks we get in each route, but she’s really cute -- she can be a bit of a space cadet at times (sorry, bad pun intended), but she isn’t dumb. Furthermore, she really develops over the course of the route, which is impressive given everything else stuffed into these mere 12 episodes.

So now to the things I didn’t like about this route: for one, the romantic development. It seemed really sudden and almost shoehorned-in as a result of the route length, which was jarring given how well-paced everything else had been up to that point. 

Also, the Antares plot twist; it felt cliché and gimmicky, especially since I could see it coming from a mile away. I think I would’ve preferred for it to be a Season 2 reveal, or at least presented to us right from the start -- as it was, it just seemed like it was there for the “shock factor” + to forcibly give us a reason to care about the antagonist if we didn’t already. But since this was a pilot season, I guess I can understand how they wanted to tease at an intriguing backstory as early as possible to get players invested.

Overall, they still did succeed with the latter, because now I’m pretty curious about where they’re going with this. And also because I need more Orion/MC in my life; rushed or not, those two are simply way too cute.

Jaxon: Whoa, this story was jam-packed with action scenes and chemistry between the OTP. The pace is hella fast, but you never get the sense that we’re skipping past important details; the writing makes the most of every episode it has got. Not a single scene is wasted or filler-like.

Jaxon himself is a bit of a harder sell. His gargantuan ego, jokester personality, and YOLO take on everything make him one of those characters that you either love or hate -- although for me, he fell somewhere near the middle of the spectrum. I like his concept and find him a refreshing addition to Lovestruck’s character lineup, but he’s not really my type as far as romance goes; and sometimes he toes the line for being near annoying.

(The fact that I constantly seemed to make the wrong choices -- at least judging by the sheer amount of weird looks or lukewarm responses he gave me after 90% of my choices -- didn’t help. Heads-up: don’t try to play it cool. This MC really, really can’t do cool. I had several near-death experiences from sheer secondhand embarrassment while playing this route.)

That aside, he makes a surprisingly good team with MC. Except from some cringey non-heart options (which were brutal this route, by the way), they naturally eased into working as a combo. I like how they both are able to pull each other out of their respective emotional ruts, as well as complement the other’s shortcomings. Jaxon’s character turnaround near the end felt a little sudden, but I like the teased insight on his past, and am looking forward to learn more about it.

Antares: Oh, MC. Trust me, I of all people totally understand crushing on the hot, mysterious, and possibly noble anti-hero holding you captive for unknown reasons, but even so. Being constantly unable to focus on anything but your attration to him -- and using it as a basis for your foundation to trust him almost straight away despite how he works for the Big Bad, and is literally using you as a tool(-fixer) for whatever evil purposes the Empire has in mind for the galaxy -- is like a whole new level of uncool.

(Also, how is a sheltered colony girl’s reaction to seeing a military leader telling his troops not to leave a single ship standing “swoon, he’s so charismatic” instead of “holy shit, he kills people”? Priorities, MC.)

Beyond that, Antares’s route was very intriguing to me. Out of Lovestruck’s villain routes so far this is the one that has done the least to paint the love interest as less of an antagonist, or the side he sympathizes with as more morally grey. I also appreciated seeing another side of Antares himself that actually knows the definition of the word chill  isn’t perpetually dressed in bunny-ear mecha armor  that’s not completely absorbed by his thirst for vengeance against his brother.

Similar to Orion’s route, the romantic development also dropped on us out of the blue here... but strangely, I didn’t mind. In a way, it seemed to make sense for Antares’s emotionally dysfunctional personality (to the point that it gave me Chance S1 in GiL flashbacks). I think I almost preferred this to him doing a sudden 180 and going all mushy on MC when any potential romantic build-up outside of premium choices has been minimal. I’m holding my thumbs now for a gradual turnaround -- much like Chance got -- in his future seasons.

Nova: I keep going back and forth re: how I feel about this route. To again start with the positive -- I’d been worried that Nova would be a Space Medusa 2.0, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that she wasn’t. For all the kuu in her kuudere demeanor, Nova still spends a fair amount of the route bonding with MC through actual conversation, and unlike Orion’s/Antares’s routes this season the romance didn’t even seem that rushed. Furthermore, I was intrigued by Nova’s backstory (not to mention that she’s hot as hell).

But to be entirely honest, this story is also the most formulaic, “typical otome”-esque route I’ve read so far in Lovestruck -- not so much in concept as in execution. It reminds me of one of those Voltage JP fantasy routes where we spend the first 1/3 of the route with semi-slice-of-life scenes interspersed with action, the middle 1/3 of this route discovering the LI’s angsty past and them distancing themselves to protect MC, and the final 1/3 with MC dissolving into hysterics/apocalyptic depression, stupidly running after LI alone, and declaring their undying love for them after having known them for a couple of days in the middle of a life-or-death situation.

Since I do play Voltage JP games I’m not saying it’s necessarily a terrible thing, just... jarring. I might seem like I’m awfully hard on Lovestruck’s writing a lot of the time, but that’s because I have high expectations of it. In a sea of near-identical mobile otome clones Lovestruck stands out with a more Westernized and creative take on standard otome tropes, hence often avoiding common pitfalls associated with the genre. The writing in general is a cut above what I expect from mobile games as well, hence all my criticisms; I don’t balk (as much) at LIs doing sudden 180s or MCs being stupid in a Solmare game, but I do with Lovestruck because I know -- and have seen firsthand -- that they can do better.

So this route was confusing to me. Because, if I were to go for my usual standard from what I would expect run-of-the-mill Voltage JP route, for example, or a Shall We Date? one -- then I’d think it’s fine. Or even good. But for Lovestruck? I don’t know. I wouldn’t say it’s bad, just not... good. (The GiL-esque Pokémon-battle narration for action scenes -- yes, this is my official pet peeve now -- didn’t help.)

With all that said though, I didn’t dislike Nova’s route. (Hence the confusion.) And definitely not Nova herself. I just don’t really know how I feel about its writing direction, and how it measures against my expectations of a Lovestruck route.

Atlas: I fell head over heels for this route. Seriously, this was Astraeus-in-season-3-of-AFK level instant love, except without the devastating angst and with a decent helping of fluffy feels on top. Not that it was all fluff -- we had our share of prospective angst here too, if less literally earth-shattering. And hell of a lot of action, character development, and tons of other goodies tightly stuffed in a 12-episode-package of awesome.

Similar to my review for Astraeus, I don’t even know where to begin talking about this route’s good points. The prose, for one -- there were just so many beautifully worded narrative transitions, and the dialogue didn’t lose out in that aspect, either. The sass, sarcasm, and the humor were well-timed, but didn’t go overboard/seem out of character for MC or the rest of the cast.

Then there’s Atlas himself. Breaking down tsunderes is one of my favorite otome pastimes, and doing exactly that to our resident grouchy pilot was no different. First of all, I love that he maintains a healthy balance between insults that are obviously all bark and no bite, and genuinely worded criticism that should logically be voiced. In fact, there’s so little unnecessary tsun here that he could almost pass for a kuudere. 

Regardless of whatever mold he’d better fit into, finally crumbling down that cranky demeanor of his and seeing him dere was a sweet, sweet reward. (I actually caved and went premium twice despite my agonizing wallet because I couldn’t resist seeing more of it.)

Or heck, even the platonic moments building up to that were great. Because the romance with Atlas was really well-paced; I love how we went from almost-hate (my favorite trope!) to begrudging respect, then to friendly equals/teammates, and finally something more -- all the while there was obvious chemistry between him and MC interlacing every interaction. I was kind of worried whether we’d get some last-minute romantic confession slapped on near the end, but thankfully we got a development that, for all its unrealistic corniness, still had me squealing. Especially with that cliffhanger; dammit, how am I even supposed to emotionally last until I get to his second season?

The main plot was really interesting, too -- probably my favorite premise out of the ones we’ve been offered so far. Even though it starts out similarly with MC on the run, I like how 1) we see the Union as evil right from the bat, avoiding having another MC-gets-out-of-her-naïve-colony-girl-mindset mini-arc; 2) rather than being perpetrated for some valuable information/artifact that the Starship crew might benefit from, MC is in a situation where they actually have no reason to keep her around, adding more tension to the intro; and 3) how all of this tied into Atlas’s own personal character arc. (Not that I minded how the other premises played out, it just made for a fresh change of pace.)

To wrap this gigantic word-vomit ramble up, I’d just like to conclude by gushing one last time how fantastic this route is -- I’d warmly recommend it to anyone interested in giving Starship a chance, because after this, the series personally had me hook, line, and sinker.

Final character ranking: Atlas > Orion > Jaxon > Antares > Nova

....This got a little longer than I intended it to be, oops. Kudos to anyone who has made it to the end of this season review. (I’ll try to be a little more concise in my next one, i.e. GiL S7.)  You can follow my tag #coco reviews lovestruck for more reviews of Lovestruck games, or check out the ones I’ve done so far on this list.

[dorkydrabbles]

The night air was chilly. A breeze rolled through, ruffling Marinette's loose hair, as she climbed on to her balcony. She took in a deep breath to enjoy the smell of fresh air. After a rough day, she needed a night like this to help relax her sore body and mind. She pulled down the sleeves of her hoodie to cover her hands. Slowly, she ventured over to the railing, peering out over the beautiful sight she was blessed to see whenever she pleased. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. A rush of memories from the day pulled it back down. She heard Tikki say something to her from somewhere behind her. She asked to be left alone, something she hardly ever asked of  her kwami. She hated doing that to Tikki, but silence and solitude seemed perfect right now. 

She watched the streets below her as people shuffled this way, that way, across the street, and into shops that were still open. She was mildly surprised to see people still out with it being past eleven. Though, it is the weekend, she mulled. She bent over, resting her cheek on her arms as the railing supported most of her weight. She stared at all the people walking, taking amusement in the groups of tipsy club goers that found their way to this part of the city and the people that avoided having to pass those groups of people. She wasn't sure just how long she stood there people watching, but came to the conclusion it must have been a long time since her face felt like ice and her legs were stiff from not moving. She straightened her posture, trying to stretch her legs and back, when a soft thud sounded behind her. 

"Good evening, Princess." The tell-tale voice danced around her ears. "What are you doing out here so late?" Marinette glanced at Chat Noir as he pranced up beside her. Her gaze returned to the now less populated streets below. 

"People watching."

"People watching?" He leaned against the railing with her. "Is that fun?"

"Some nights. Most nights it just passes the time. What are you doing out this late?"

Chat Noir stared into the streets with her. "Ah, I got restless. You never know when an akuma might pop up so I went patrolling and just happened to spot my favorite civilian outside."

"I'm your favorite? What an honor." She felt herself smile at their exchange. Chat Noir even smiled at her sarcasm. Comfortable silence fell between them as the streets below cleared for the night. 

"So, why are you really out here on a cold night?" 

She blinked up at him. He knew she wasn't herself. She sighed, eyes rolling up to the night sky as stars twinkled brightly for them. She could feel him watching her and it sent a shiver up her back. She shook her head and sighed once more. "It's just been a really rough day."

"Tell me about it. Sometimes talking about it can help."

She felt her shoulders drop. Maybe venting to someone would help. "Okay, kitty, you win. I'll tell you, but let's sit down first?" She led him over to the lounge chair and they plopped down next to each other, sharing the small seat with one another. He turned to face her while she opted to stare at her plants. "It's no secret that I'm a little on the clumsy side and today is the worst it's been in a while. I woke up late for school. I dropped my breakfast on the way to class. I was pretty much all the way up the stairs before the bell rang, but slipped on a drink someone had spilled and toppled down them. I really don't know how I didn't seriously hurt myself doing that. During class my tablet died and lost all the work I had done. My favorite shirt got stuck on some part of the door and it ripped. I was supposed to meet my friends for a study session, but couldn't make it, which I felt awful enough for already, then two of them messaged me saying they were disappointed I hadn't shown up. Turns out I forgot to tell them that I couldn't make it. Lastly, a girl that doesn't like me was relentless with her bullying today. I know I shouldn't let people get me down, but she was really nasty today and it just rubbed me the wrong way."

Chat Noir listened silently, feeling a weight in his chest at how bad of a day she'd had. He knew she was clumsy, but he didn't realize her morning had begun so horribly and he definitely didn't know Alya and Nino had text her about forgetting to meet them in the library. That made him feel even worse. 

"This girl that's mean to you," he began softly, "do you want to talk about what she said today?"

"Not all of it. I'm used to most of her insults. I've been in classes with her for years." Marinette fell silent. Chat wasn't sure if he should probe her for more information or let the silence stay. Gently, Marinette shifted and rested her head against him. "Chat...have you ever loved someone just to learn they'll probably never love you back?"

He thought back at how Ladybug brushed off his advances every time he'd flirt. It was a reality he didn't like to face, but he knew it was likely that Ladybug wouldn't return his feelings. Slowly, cautiously, he wrapped his arms around Marinette and rested his own head against hers. 

"Yes." His voice was more constricted than he wanted it to be. "Is that what you were bullied over today?"

"...Yes. I saw my crush walking with his best friend while I was at my locker so I watched him for a moment because...well, who doesn't shamelessly watch their crush every now and again?" Chat chuckled, knowing all too well about that. "Then my bully was suddenly beside me with her best friend cornering me. 'You know, he'll never love you, right?' is how she started the whole conversation. She stood there and beat into me that I have no chance with my crush at all and that if I ever found the courage to confess to him he'd probably make fun of me to my face. They kept going until the bell rang for class."

"You don't really think that's true, do you? That he'd make fun of you?"

"I don't think he'd make fun of me at all. He's too nice to make fun of anyone to their face. But I did realize that she's right. I'm not good enough for him. He deserves someone that's as amazing as him."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Chat Noir took Marinette by her shoulders, making her look at him. "Do you not think you're amazing? Because the girl I see in front of me right now is beyond amazing! She's astounding, creative, smart, compassionate, gorgeous, brave...Marinette, you're more than amazing. You're...well, you're miraculous." Chat openly looked at his ring, a play on word slipping into the conversation. Marinette crinkled her nose, a smile playing on her lips as she gently swatted at his chest. He chuckled lightly at her then brushed some stray hairs away from Marinette's face, taking in just how breath-taking she is. He caught himself looking at her pink lips. A thought of how soft they must be crossed his mind, his clawed thumb carefully tracing her bottom lip. 

Marinette held her breath. She didn't know Chat thought all that about her. Was she really that great to him? She had searched his hypnotic green eyes for any sign that he was lying to her in some way, but found only sincerity. She trembled under his touch. A warmth in her chest was building. It was both warm and comforting while burning and torturous. She wasn't sure which meant what, but as Chat's claw tickled her bottom lip she felt weak. Her gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips, in the moment wishing she could feel them. A force pulled her closer to him as he gravitated toward her. She could feel his breath now, warming her lips from the air that had become even colder as they spoke. He could smell the green tea she had sipped on earlier before he had come to see her. Less than an inch was left between them. Their eyes slipped closed...

Beep, beep, beep, beep!

Their eyes snapped open, Chat pulling his ring into view to see he didn't have much time left as Chat Noir. Dammit, not now! He cursed himself for spending too much time as his alter ego before finding his way to this balcony. He didn't immediately pull back from Marinette despite his ring's warnings. She stayed frozen in her position, disappointment written all over her face. Chat's heart dropped. He offered a lopsided smile, brushing her cheek with his knuckles. 

"Sorry, Princess, but unless you're ready to see what face is behind this mask I need to go." He stood and pulled his baton free, going to the edge of the balcony. She followed behind him, arms crossed to help her keep warm. "I don't think it would be fair to all the Chat Noir fangirls if I knew his identity before them." She tried to joke, but the tired edge in her voice gave her away. He frowned. I can't just leave like this, he thought. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer to him. He moved her hair and pressed his lips to her cheek. As he pulled back he paused to whisper in her ear. 

"May I come visit tomorrow night, Princess?"