#also i like the gamer blonde guy's design. really cool

[trophygony]

tired pathetic man has me bewitched, more news at 7

[faemen]

WAIT YOU DONT LIKE MIKAN OR KAITO HOW

thank you for asking! not sorry for the rambles!

tw mikan, kaito, chiaki, kaede, kokichi slander and spoilers for sdr2 and v3 under cut!

first of all, look. im not a terrible person and i know mikans backstory and literally everything but i STILL cannot fucking stand her. but unlike SOME PEOPLE im not gonna MAKE FUN OF HER TRAUMA and things.

i know she has her reasons but honestly her constant apologizing bothered me to no end and i know for a lot of people, once they saw her smile they fell in love or something, but instead i felt gross and wished she would stop. her voice is irritating too. ugh everyone makes me feel bad for hating her since i KNOW she has her reasons but i cannot. stand people like that shes so annoying and clingy and ughhh. also i get way too many requests for her constantly and i never liked her in the first place. too much fan service as well

kaito? fuck that dude legitimately! i dont even like maki all that much but it really irked me when he kept on downplaying her like that. and punching shuichi after he just WATCHED SOMEONE DIE? yes, i do think saimatsu went wayyyy too quickly to actually be meaningful, but she fucking died bc he pointed it out! anyone would cry why would you say he needs to man up tf?????? and also with joe being the exception, best friend bro type characters who cant take a hint fucking. i cannot deal with them at all bc i have too many irl who'll latch onto me and think im lonely when im alone on purpose.

i hate doing pushups and i hate this guys attitude and although i never played his chapter it honestly wouldnt have affected me at all. hes annoying and clingy and you can tell me how hes smart bc of his ultimate and that hes sexist and homophobic bc of who he was raised by but i literally dont care. its the way he acts for me. why is he even so liked i LITERALLY dont get it. he wasted his aesthetic too tf

anyways have some more bonus rants since youve activated me

chiaki. yes, yes i know that anime her and game her are different bc of her being an ai and stuff. guess what? i dont care. you can try and defend your favourites all you want, but seriously. chances are i know more than you. anyways i hated how we were supposed to care about her dying in game when all she did was kinda stand around and be helpful ig. she was way too bland and nice for me. i wont go as far as to call her a mary sue, but shes just. bleh. blehhh i dont care about chiaki at all i cannot connect to this sleepy gamer girl in any form. her execution and aesthetic are cool from a design pov but yeah. in anime form she was actually worse imo! bc in game she didnt really randomly be loved and adored by everyone, while she was way too nice. also once again WAY TOO MANY CHIAKI REQUESTS I SWEAR

kaede! you mightve been able to tell this by now but i do not like people who push friendship onto me and thats literally ALL kaede did. while valid and i dont really care about either of the characters involved, i have a personal vendetta against saimatsu bc it felt like a romance movie with how fucking QUICKLY it developed in a GODDAMN death game. if some blonde girl started talking about how shes gonna end a killing game id boot it out of there SO QUICk not stare lovingly into her eyes as we hold hands. her though, other than that bit, i do think she was killed off way too quick and she had a lot of potential. her story is cool from a writers perspective, as with the thing where she was trying to help by being positive but ended up making things worse. but she really severely overestimated herself. and from a fans pov? i fucking hate positive characters who try to make me positive. let me be a grumpy bastard in peace

KOKICHI mkay i like the other antags bc they have actual reasons but kokichi just exists to be a fucking clown. i do not like him i hate sharing a birthday and a height with him and i DO NOT GET. THE FANS. AT ALL? what is there to like? hes an annoying little bitch who wont stop laughing. OKAY BUT ONCE AGAIN. from a writers pov hes really underdeveloped bc while i appreciate his role in the story, and his morally grey character that is willing to do a lot for the greater good, his motivations do... not make sense? whatsoever? we dont know anything about his backstory PLEASE for the LVOE OF GOD stop calling him your uwu gay pg panta yandere boy. there is nothing to defend at all. yes he has a major impact on the plot but guess what. as a fans pov i literally couldnt care less. and for the final time PLEASE GET YOUR SOFTCORE PINK KOKICHI STUFF ELSEWHERE i am going to EXPLODE

thank you again!!!!!!!! and yeah blablabla youre valid for liking them just dont attack me or try to change my opinion. thanks.

[krytus]

I think I might start watching bf5 so can you tell me why I should watch it

bro you’re going to get a giant block of text because hot wheels battle force 5 is a series that is really near and dear to my heart.

ok first off the plot is kinda simple but it’s really fun: it’s a group of six teens that have to drive cars real fast and battle some aliens. the second season gets more complicated but its. fun.

the aliens are called the sark (robots led by a tyrant), and the vandals (tribal dictatorship). there’s never any doubt about them being evil—not only are they conquerors that have destroyed worlds, the vandals practice slavery (which is a minor spoiler) and the sark are led by zemerik who is. just a fucking asshole. however, the show plays with this tradition model of heroes vs villains a lot in s2: zemerik Because Of Reasons ends up on the heroes’s side. this does not mean they trust him. they have to help kallus (the leader of the vandals), too, but they know for a fact the second there isn’t a greater evil to unite against, they’re back to throwing fists. 

there’s another race of aliens called the sentients which are like. gods. they created the universe and all the battle zones—this is the place where our heroes fight/race the bad guys. also ps battlezones are some of the COOLEST concepts we get out of this show. they’re usually unique in design but there are reasons our heroes sometimes revisit them that makes narrative sense. battlezones are unlocked by battlekeys, and getting the battle key is pretty much the premise for every episode in s1, except for a couple near the end that build into the main conflict of s2. anyways, back the sentients. they’re dicks. i don’t trust them. they also have slaves but it’s like. lowkey slavery? it’s. yeah. also, they are 2 kinds of sentients: the blue ones and the red ones. the red ones you THINK are dicks but then u find out the blue ones. weren’t that nice either. so it’s. spicy. sentients also had like. a couple of civil wars.

anyways, let’s talk about our main heroes!

there’s vert wheeler

he’s kind of a dork and you can tell he’s probably like. 18. he’s the leader and he’s kinda arrogant but he always manages to keep his team together. he makes bad jokes sometimes and you can argue he’s a little op but honestly? as skilled as he is he clearly needs a team at his back. i stan him so hard. he drives the saber which is a car with a chainsaw on it. a chainsaw.

vert’s second is command is agura ibaden, this beautiful lady:

she made me into a lesbian. she doubts herself sometimes and gets a couple of episodes about learning to be in control and eventually she’s a great leader in her own right. she drives the tangler which is a beast of a vehicle and she’s good at planning and hitting the enemy in ways they don’t expect. i love her so much.

next up we have the cortez brothers, spinner and sherman.

they’re latino but it’s implied they’re mexican because spinner’s gamer name references a specific city in mexico. also, side note, bf5 was ridiculously popular in mexico. like. reruns every other hour. it was the life. but anyways, they’re the technical brains of the team. spinner is good with computers and sherman is an engineering genius. although they’re both the tech support, i love that they have different skills!! they love each other very much but they also get on each other’s nerves. in one episode they dare each other to eat increasingly gross things it’s hilarious and they’re peak sibling culture. also sherman is big and still the brains! there are however a couple food jokes about him which is :( but they’re not like. his entire characterization! he’s complex and i love him. they drive the buster which is. basically a tank. 

anyways, next up is zoom takazumi, resident ninja

alkjd actually he’s a mixed martial arts fighter! he’s the youngest and i would protect him with my LIFE. also i don’t have the episode on hand right this moment but he’s south asian! yay diversity. he gets flak for being the baby of the team but he really finds himself and he’s an awesome scout. also i love alessandro juliani, his VA so. stan him. he drives the chopper which is a bike that becomes a helicopter. i don’t make it sound very cool but it IS.

we also have stanford isaac rhodes 

he’s our moron representation. he’s vain, self obsessed, and thinks he should be in charge (the villains literally. know him as “the vain one” it’s hilarious). if the writing for this show were weaker, i’d hate him. however! he learns to not be such a dick. he becomes ride or die for his friends. as much as he thinks he should be in charge and clashes with agura, he learns to be better! i appreciate this dumbass white boy. he drives the reverb which has guns. a car. with sonic guns. this show goes ridiculously hard.

in s2 we get two more characters, tezz and aj. 

tezz volitov is like stanford, but ridiculously smart. he strands himself on an alien mood at the age of NINE, and spends the next 9 years alone. it’s kinda sad. it takes him a while, but he eventually learns how to be a good teammate and i love him so much. he’s also russian, i think, but he’s. probably not white? it’s complicated. this is an issue i got with the show but i’ll tack it onto them wanting to be diverse whilst being white people. tezz drives the splitwire which i. legit want. it’s so fucking COOL.

finally, we have aj who i dont have a gif for, i just realized. he’s white n blonde, tho so. just imagine that. he doesn’t have too big of a role in the series, but he’s vert’s friend so i trust him and also the times he does show up he doesn’t steal the spotlight or anything, which i respect. they knew he was a bland white guy and they committed to that.

but yeah the characters are really interesting. also, the animation? is god tier for a show from 2010 that had the graveyard time slot. there are so many little details and the SCORING IS TO DIE FOR, also the way they color skin tones? is something you rarely see in 3D cartoons. they understood that dark skin in different lighting doesn’t react the same as white skin. there is no moment in the show where you can’t see the difference in the skin tone of the characters. it’s amazing and i love it so much.

a couple of details from the animation bc i love it

but yeah! this show is very colorful and what i call “lovingly animated”

another great things about it are. the jokes. the way they write dialogue is literally. to die for:

“bro, what would you do without me?” “live to see my next birthday”

“who wants to help me destroy a pack of killer robots?”

“a great warrior has fallen. an ally, an enemy, but, mostly a dismal failure, and a loser”

“believe it or not, i’m too exhausted to humiliate you”

“you’re risking our lives based on artwork made of STICK FIGURES?”

“if a 50ft statue of one of us showed up in a battlezone, what would we do?” “i’d blog about it” “no one reads your blog”

“the brains of this operation?” “he’s the left hemisphere. i’m the right”

some of them have visual elements which i love in jokes!!

but yeah. this is long enough i guess.

to sum up:

diverse cast

great animation

great music

solid plot

solid writing

funny joaks

some AMAZING foreshadowing 

the webisodes are funny and cute

the theme song SLAPS

WORDBUILDING TO DIE FOR

there’s so much i’m leaving out because this show is SO MUCH AND SO GOOD but yeah. i made some gifs if you want to see the flavor of this show

there’s no romance like. at all. the focus is solely on the action and i love it

however, i am known for being a salty little bitch so issues™

could have used more women

there are a couple of jokes which are kinda cheesy

the diversity is the kind written by white people so take that as you will. also it’s a show that’s like. as good as white people can write. nothing super revolutionary.

it doesn’t entirely have. a solid ending. it has a tv movie that wraps it up but 1. it’s in spanish (yours truly wrote a translation) 2. it includes a cliffhanger which was. unnecessary. it’s more that they wanted to leave the door open for more but. didn’t make it. however! all the main conflicts get resolved so it’s not too a big issue

there’s probably more stuff but honestly? it’s a solid kids show. flaws n strengths. i love it

[bffhreprise]

Entry 268

 After leaving the boarding bridge from the plane, I pulled out my phone to double-check the instructions.  This all felt so weird to me.  If I didn’t trust Jarod, I’d have never accepted the invitation for his bachelor party.  The free, first class flight for a vacation covered by James seemed too good to be true, given that he was such a public figure to gamers, but I was part of his guild and didn’t believe Jarod would endanger me.

 Still, who provides a phone app with such detail directions, including course-plotted maps, for a weekend vacation?  Just how organized were these people?  Well, Jarod was a bit ridiculous in his schemes.  In any other game, our guild’s coordination would be impossible, but I really doubted many people had mastered Ancient Tribes of Earth’s system as Jarod had.

 The map’s directions matched the signs for baggage claim, so I followed them.  Supposedly, there would be a car waiting for me right outside.  Whoever prepared the maps had even placed a car symbol there, changing colors for the car route.  Finally spotting my bag, I grabbed it and headed out.  I frowned, only seeing a limo near the door.  What was I supposed to be looking for?

 “Lake, come on!  Don’t make us wait all day.” called Jarod.

 I recognized his smiling face from convention pictures.  “We’ve got a limo?’ I questioned, realizing as I said the words that it made sense.  These people were rich.  Okay, so renting a limo for a bachelor party wasn’t exactly uncommon either, but I still hadn’t expected it.

 “I’ll take care of your bags.” stated a girl from behind me.

 I blinked, staring at the tiny, beautiful girl dressed as a maid.

 “Mila’s with us.  Hand over the bags and get inside already.  We’ve got a schedule!” insisted Jarod, still grinning.

 I heard other people laughing from inside.  Was everyone else here?  I passed off the bags, feeling a little guilty, but the maid girl acted like they were weightless, easily lifting my large, check-in bag and walking around me.

 The door for the limo opened as I approached, and I saw James sitting on the other side of Jarod with Aaliyah on his lap.  I reminded myself to breathe as I was trying not to freak out.  That adorable half-pint with her messy, blonde hair and large, blue eyes had created the most incredible game on the planet, and she was here with us.

 The vehicle was in motion before I snapped out of my daze.  “Would you mind if I get an autograph later?” I asked, ignoring the laughter.

 “Check the app, Lake.  She scheduled an autograph time between paintballing and dancing.” asserted Jesse.

 Finally seeing faces to match all of the voices was different.  I never knew how beautiful Jesse was when she smiled.  James, Jarod, and Brandon didn’t even need to speak to be recognizable, despite Brandon having a stand-in at the convention.  His red hair was obvious.  I knew Shaurya instantly, as the only Indian male in the car.  That left Alec and Damien, but I was confident that the older-looking, blond-haired guy was Damien.

 As we chatted on our way, I became even more confident in my assessment and started to relax more.  This was just like we chatted in game, save that Brandon, James, and Aaliyah were talking directly with me at times.  Brandon was the most over-bearing of the guild Generals, but he obviously deferred to James, even in real life.  I could understand why.

 James was a large man with the face of a model.  He came across as even more charming in real life than he had in interviews and on the game, which was really saying something.  The other girls were obviously into him, but I had known they were straight.

 We ate a light lunch at a local diner, not wanting to be too stuffed during paintballing.  I wondered if any of these people had tried it before?  My bet was on James, Jarod, and Damien.  They’d quickly find out that I knew a bit about it as well.

 On the way to the paintball center, Aaliyah gave a short lecture over what was about to happen.  Special uniforms were already waiting for us there, so we’d be able to change clothes.  We were entered into several team-vs-team fights.  To my surprise, Aaliyah was planning on competing too.  Did they even allow people her size to play?  Wasn’t she really young?  Her website claimed she was twelve, but she didn’t look it.  Even twelve seemed young for this.

 When the first match started, I quickly felt like a novice.  The teams we were competing against were amazing compared with the ones I had fought before.  Who were these people?  I was stunned to find out we had won.  Jarod, James, and even Aaliyah were still alive.  Between matches, we talked about what had gone wrong, and Jarod gave us a new battle strategy.

 Seeing the Generals move in real life was a bit awe-inspiring.  They were like video game characters who stepped out into the world to mercilessly destroy our enemies.  I had seen people shoot while flipping through the air in movies, but seeing Jarod do that in real life was distracting enough that I forgot to get down.  By the fourth match, I was really determined not to get out, even knowing that I couldn’t keep up with these people.  Little Aaliyah was surprisingly hard for enemies to hit, and she never seemed to miss.  Her skills were probably the freakiest.

 Only on the way to the clubs did I find out that we had been up against actual military teams… and won.  James had expected us to win, and explained this his company did martial arts training daily.  I still didn’t understand how they were so good with paintball guns!

 The only big surprise to hit me while we were out clubbing was that Aaliyah was the one with a VIP pass into all the ones we hit.  I found some cute girls while we were out, and certainly had a good time being treated like some sort of celebrity.  Finding out that we were sleeping on an enormous yacht didn’t even faze me by that point.  Of course, I was too tired to really care where I slept.

 I had some pretty crazy dreams and felt a bit disoriented when I woke up, but I had no complaints when I smelled breakfast.  During the night, the yacht made its way clear to the Bahamas!

 A bit of video gaming started right after breakfast, using some super high-spec laptops.  I was amazed at how fast our connection was, but again… rich people.

 “When you told me the girls had nabbed Marco, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed.” claimed Jarod just before biting into another macaroni and cheese hors d’oeuvres at lunch.  “Poor guy doesn’t know what he’s missing.  Aaliyah and Mila really have things covered.”

 Mila certainly knew how to move.  I danced with her a little last night, but she was another one whose focus was mostly on James.  He had quickly stolen the show at the clubs.

 “Surprisingly, I actually did have some input as well.” replied James defensively.

 Jarod laughed and said, “I’m sure, but this is still crazy!”

 “Who’s Marco?” questioned Shaurya.

 “Marco’s one of our friends and James’ chef.  The guy’s cooking is off the hook!” exclaimed Brandon, grinning widely.

 “He’s my friend too.” insisted James.

 “Oh, Master, no one would question that you consider Marco a friend.” stated Mila, smiling at him.  She always referred to him as “Master”, which was a bit unnerving.

 “Does she always call you, ‘Master’?” questioned Jesse, looking as confused by it as I felt.

 “Of course!  He is my master.” replied Mila, still smiling.  “I was made to serve him after all.”

 “Huh?” asked Jesse.

 “My mind was created by mother.” explained Mila, nodding toward Aaliyah.  “And my body was then constructed as a joint effort between mother, Jarod, and me.”

 “Wow.  Thumbs up to you, sir.” teased Damien, winking at Jarod.

 “I’m still confused.  Are you saying that you’re a machine?” I questioned, feeling like I missed some joke.

 “She’s my baby girl!” exclaimed Aaliyah as she grinned at me and patted Mila’s arm.

 “She’s really not joking.” insisted Jarod.  “Mila, mind giving them a little demonstration?  Maybe comment to them on the laptops?”

 A message appeared on my laptop as an overlay above Ancient Tribes of Earth, saying, “Hello, Lake.  I hope you’ll believe the truth after a few small demonstrations.”  My eyes shot to Mila and back to my screen.

 Several of the others were laughing and grinning, but this was…

 “I also can control this vessel.” claimed Mila.  The yacht’s motor suddenly turned on with no one at the controls.  Mila simply smiled.

 “This is completely insane, but cool!” exclaimed Marlin, her long, black hair flowing in the wind as she grinned.

 “Mila’s an incredible friend and exceptionally talented, so don’t underestimate her.” warned Jarod.

 “I won’t, but where did you get the idea for the design?  She’s hot!” insisted Damien.

 Smiling and nodding at him, Mila said, “My master answered a series of questions to determine preferences, which led to the form you see here.  I will admit to slightly resembling his girlfriend, whom you know as Eseld.”

 “Sorry, Mila, but I’d say more than slightly.” argued Brandon with a laugh.

 Frowning, Mila told him “As mother would say…”  Then she stuck her tongue out at him.

 He laughed even harder, but she was smiling again.

 “These laptops are pretty amazing.” commented Alec, who seemed to take Mila being an android in stride.  “Have you guys logged in yet?”

 I had to admit that Aaliyah had created numerous highly sophisticated AIs for her game, so creating one to function in real life wasn’t that much of a stretch, but I never guessed that she wasn’t human.

 “Make sure the name at the bottom is right before you get too far into it.” stated Jarod.  “They’re yours to keep.”

 I wasn’t the only one completely floored by that statement, quickly checking the bottom of my machine.  In the center, there was a plate with a hologram of my character, Agnimitra, saying,

“To Lake

 May this serve you for a couple good years of gaming.  Thanks for attending my party.

-Jarod”

 “I designed the operating system, though mother personally created the port for Ancient Tribes of Earth.  The hardware was a joint project between Jarod and me.” claimed Mila.

 “James, did you hear that?” asked Marlin.

 “Sure did.” he replied, seeming amused.

 “Oh, he doesn’t get to keep his.  Don’t want Mila jealous.” teased Jarod.

 Mila’s smile widened as she said, “I wouldn’t mind.  Think of Master’s gentle caress as he touches the keys.  Imagine his deft strokes across the touchpad.  Even if he activated the motion controls, I would follow his every hand movement as if I were the air through which he moved.”

 “Yes, Mila can be a flirt.  Please don’t read into things.” stated James as he watched her.

 “Sure, James.  Not sayin’ a thing.” teased Jesse.

 “Whatever floats your boat!” added Damien, also smiling.

 Brandon was obviously amused as he said, “He’s actually being serious.  His girlfriend’s got a bit of a temper.”

“Let’s get started, shall we?” suggested James to change the subject.

 We had met up in the game to explore a dungeon after breakfast.  Hopefully, we’d finish before dinner.  This was one unique vacation.

[their-destinys-writer]

Caged - Chapter 11

Rated: Teen

Chapter: 11/?

Word Count: 10,231

Ao3 / FFnet / Wattpad

A/N: Surprise! I know I normally give updates before each chapter, but as anyone who’s been following me knows, circumstances have been dire lately, and updates were impossible at the time. I’m taking advantage of the limited resources we have, because I refuse to allow everything to fall apart because of a pesky hurricane.

Okay, not pesky, it’s been a very difficult two months.

But I do want to give a shout out to those wonderful readers and friends who’ve reached out, concerned. I love you guys and I promise not to let this whole ordeal bring me down. Thankfully, the situation hasn’t been so bad for me, like it was for many dear friends of mine. For that, I feel there’s no excuse for me not to move and do my best to keep going. Although I do this for free and fun, Caged also means a lot to me in my growth as a writer, so I think it’s important I continue and finish this project.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, and enjoy the first chapter of Caged, post-Maria.

Caged Chapter 11 - Not so Friendly Anymore

There was a beat, in which the two just stared at each other with wide eyes. Suddenly, both slapped their hands to their mouths, but for completely different reasons.

Plagg was doing everything in his power to hold his laughter in, while Adrien’s eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates, mortified.

“Don’t—”

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Adrien whined and covered his whole face with his hands. As Plagg’s laughter became louder, the boy let himself fall headfirst on the floor.

“I knew—PWAHAHA!” Plagg heaved. “I knew you couldn’t deny it forever!”

The blond let out a muffled ‘shut up,’ while Plagg laughed even harder.

“Oooh no, she’s just a friend,” the kwami mocked. “Friend my butt. Didn’t believe that even if you were dancing around naked professing your love for Ladybug.”

At last, Adrien removed one of his hands to give Plagg a bewildered look at the image the little god created. But he didn’t seem to care, as he continued cackling. A strong annoyance suddenly rose within the boy, that wanted to shut the damn cat up. So, in a rash move, he grabbed Plagg by his small body, making him let out a strangled yelp, and brought him close to his face.

“This is not funny!” he almost shouted.

“You’re squeezing me,” the kwami wheezed.

“Plagg!”

“It’s very funny!”

“I can’t have feelings for two girls at once.”

There was a pause.

“Yes you can,” Plagg finally said. Adrien gave him a look of warning, so the kwami continued. “Look, it happens. You can’t always control your heart, but you can control what you do about those feelings. That doesn’t make you a bad person.”

Adrien stared at the cat-being, until deciding to let go and sulk on the floor again. Meanwhile, Plagg gingerly took a seat at the edge of the coffee table.

“How did this happen? When did this happen?” the boy whispered.

“I think that if you use your brain, you’ll find the answers to your questions,” Plagg responded in a matter-of-factly tone.

While Adrien was annoyed by Plagg’s attitude, he took him up on the advice. He turned his back to the floor and started thinking.

It was clear that those feelings had been developing for a while. The question was when and how. And why.

He knew he’d had feelings since before today, otherwise he wouldn’t had gotten jealous of Félix.

No use in denying it now, he internally sighed.

Definitely before giving Marinette the spray bottle. He remembered feeling comforted by the smell of her hair when they hugged.

Before Damage Control, because he felt he betrayed Marinette for having close contact with Ladybug.

Before Chatte Noire, because he defended her honor against Charlene.

Before the interview with Nadja Chamack, because he told the world Marinette’s heart belonged to Adrien.

Before…

The letter.

Adrien bolted up into a sitting position.

That can’t be right, can it?

Despite the disappointment he had felt when he found out the heart-shaped letter hadn’t been from Ladybug, he had also been beyond flattered for what Marinette had said about him. And that the letter belonged to her.

Absentmindedly, Adrien left the floor and allowed his legs to drag him to the desk. In a swift move, he snatched the red paper, moved his computer mouse for light, and read it for the hundredth time.

Those words… Those words were from Marinette to Adrien. Marinette had been able to see beyond her first impression of him, further than he ever imagined she would. What was more, with Chat Noir she was kind, open, cool… and has saved his life more than once. To Chat Noir she offered a friend the moment he needed one the most.

Marinette was… amazing.

“Dammit!” the blond said, as he smacked his forehead against the desk. The light weight of Plagg shortly laid on his shoulder, but he ignored it. “I’ve liked her for almost a month.” He let out a deep breath. “And I really, really like her.”

“Tell me something new, kid,” Plagg sighed, as he started stroking the back of the boy’s neck.

“But I still love Ladybug.” Plagg stopped for a second, but then continued his ministrations, saying nothing. So Adrien continued. “This is so unfair to them. Especially Marinette.”

“Why is it worse for Marinette?”

Adrien snapped up so quickly, Plagg had to grab on to his charge’s shirt.

“Because she has feelings for me,” Adrien reminded. “And I don’t know if my feelings are as strong as hers, but now I’m aware, and I don’t know if I can pretend not to like her in school and when I visit her, plus I can’t just tell her my feelings while I still love Ladybug, who, by the way, finally knows how I feel, but hasn’t shown she feels the same way, but I know Marinette can return my feelings, and UGH!” The boy smacked his head back on the desk. “This is a mess.”

Plagg gave an exasperated sigh. Swiftly, he swooped down to sit on the desk, as close to Adrien’s ear as possible.

“It’s not as complicated as you think,” Plagg said. The model merely grunted. “You just have to organize your feelings. First ask yourself: why do you love Ladybug?”

Adrien turned his head to look at the kwami. He knitted his brows together for a moment, until he found the answer to the question.

“Well,” he started, “she’s brave, nice, yet she doesn’t let herself be messed with so easily. Very selfless, smart and… cool. I know we like some of the same stuff, like Ultimate Mecha Strike and Jagged Stone. She may be a little stubborn, but in the end, she always listens to reason. And she’s capable of admitting when she’s wrong, and pushes when she knows she’s right. Plus, she can be funny when she wants to.”

The boy sighed. Maybe he was wrong about his feelings on Marinette. Maybe he overestimated those feelings due to their newness. Maybe it was a small, temporary crush.

“What about Marinette?” Plagg interrupted his thoughts. “Why do you like her?”

Adrien gulped. Slowly, he straightened up, unsure on what to answer.

“Uh,” he stammered. “I, uuh…”

“No holding back,” Plagg suggested softly.

The boy nodded. He took another deep breath and tried to think of Marinette, and Marinette only.

“Marinette,” he said out loud. “Marinette is sweet, kind,” he rested his head back, trying to let out everything he had denied for a while now. “She’s fun, cool, insanely brave, to the point that I’m scared for her life,” he chuckled, sinking further into the idea. “She can deal with trouble so gracefully, like she did with Lila, but can also be so rash, like she was with Chloé. She’s a kickass gamer, she actually designs for Jagged Stone, which is beyond cool. She’s smart, selfless and…” He swallowed. “And she likes me for me. Not because of my status or my father, but because of who I am, as a person.”

Without meaning to, Adrien let out a wistful breath. Now that he said it out loud, having a crush on The Girl Who Saved Chat Noir didn’t sound so bad.

“Huh,” Plagg let out. “You seem to have a type.”

“A type?” Adrien drew his gaze to the cat-being.

“Brave, cool, selfless, likes the same stuff as you. You know, a type.”

Adrien blinked. “I don’t… have a… type,” he feebly defended.

“And dark hair, to boot,” the kwami added.

The boy sunk down in his chair, his cheeks starting to feel warm. He never thought he had a type. He had also never realized how much Marinette and Ladybug had in common. Wait—

“I didn’t fall for Marinette because she reminds me of Ladybug, did I?” Adrien asked out loud.

“Do you think you did?” Plagg retorted with.

“I mean—I don’t think so,” the boy said, thoughtfully. “They have some things in common, but Marinette doesn’t need powers to save people. She also takes my puns better than Ladybug. Not great, but better. Marinette is also more open to listening and just talking. And she’s more affectionate with me. Like the first time I hugged her. She just hugged me back, like she had wanted it too, but hadn’t dared to do it.”

Another wistful sigh escaped his lips, as he thought about how wonderful it had felt to be closer than a fist bump to her.

“Are you sure you’re in love with Ladybug and not Marinette?” Plagg intervened.

A load of saliva caught on Adrien’s throat. The more he talked about Marinette, the more he liked her. And it had been going for so long… Could he?

“I-I… I don’t know,” he admitted. He then pursed his lips, thinking it better. “I’m not sure about my feelings. I know I love Ladybug, but my feelings for Marinette are also strong. But I’m still not sure how strong.” He placed his forearms on his knees, hands clasped together. “I can’t tell them. At least, not yet.”

Plagg tilted his head, so Adrien explained further.

“I can’t tell them until I figure what I’m actually feeling. If I’m not clear in what I want, I shouldn’t be making that decision.”

“Huh. Sounds like a plan,” Plagg responded, stroking one of his whiskers.

Adrien arched an eyebrow. “That is the quickest you’ve ever agreed with me.”

“I know you don’t want to hurt them,” the kwami stated. “And I know you would kick yourself if you do.”

The boy couldn’t help but give his partner a soft smile.

“Thanks,” he said.

“No problem,” Plagg bowed. “Now, can I have my beauty sleep?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. Even so, he knew Plagg cared, whether he showed it or not.

“Yeah, I think I’m good,” he chuckled.

With nothing more to add, Plagg zipped away to the trash can beside the desk. Probably for more silence. But Adrien remained in his seat, the heart-shaped letter still in his hand. He stroke it with his thumb, still processing what he’d just realized.

I like Marinette, he repeated in his mind. The thought of the wonderful girl who sat behind him in school sent his heart in leaps and bounds. He thought about every time he has held her close, how her aroma comforted him. He thought about all the great times they have, how they enjoy each other’s company, and how carefree she was with him. How she started showing that freedom with his civilian identity more often now.

He thought about the times she saved his life. He thought about the times she addressed the class as president. He thought about her creations. He thought about the way she presented herself on the Evening Show with Kudret.

And he could clearly see why he was falling for her.

Helping out in the bakery was done. Saving clean clothes in her closet, also done. Worked on new designs, did her homework, clean up her desk. Done, done and done. There was only one thing left to do: sit crossed legged on her chaise and think about what she had been avoiding all day.

She almost wished an akuma would show up, but that would also mean seeing Chat earlier than programmed, so she let go of that wish.

Because the one thing she was dreading was seeing Chat.

“Marinette, you’ve been sitting there for two whole minutes,” Tikki chirped, invading the girl’s line of view. “You’re starting to worry me.”

Marinette opened her mouth, but closed it almost instantly. Truth be told, she didn’t know what was up with her. All she knew was that she felt… strange. About Chat. Something he did or said the previous day…

“He called me beautiful,” her subconscious let slip. She blinked, at last finding the source of that tingling feeling in her stomach. “Chat Noir called me beautiful yesterday.”

“So?” Tikki shrugged. “Hasn’t he called you that tons of times before?”

“As Ladybug, yeah. But as Marinette…” she thought for a moment, “not very often.”

She sat still, trying to think of all the times he called her beautiful as Marinette, but could only come up with two: the time before fighting Monsieur Barbier and the times from the previous day. What was more, both times he mentioned the nickname ‘Princess of Paris.’

“It’s probably nothing,” she resolved, her fingers fidgeting. “It’s probably just part of his nickname for me.” Was it just her, or did that sting a little? “Besides, I’m probably not the only girl he calls beautiful.” Ow.

“That’s a lot of probablys” Tikki mumbled, before letting out a hearty breath. With a flutter, she zoomed to her charge’s knee and sat crossed legged. “Why do you care in what context he calls you beautiful?” she questioned.

Marinette’s face contorted.

“It’s not that I care!” she corrected. “I just find it odd, that’s all. And I guess a little careless if he starts flirting around with every girl he meets.”

“You know he doesn’t do that,” Tikki half scolded her charge. “Besides, you used to think he did that, and never gave it much thought. Where is this all coming from?”

Marinette took a minute to think. Why was she bringing all this up? It wasn’t like it made any difference in their friendship. Or did it? No, it makes no difference, she assured herself.

“You’re right, Tikki,” she sighed. “I’m getting worked up over nothing. Not even I know where that came from. I’m being silly.”

She gave Tikki a sheepish smile, but noticed the little goddess didn’t seem convinced.

“What?”

“I might know what’s going on.”

“But you were just asking me,” Marinette frowned. “Why would you ask me if you already know?”

“I wanted to know if you had noticed it yet.”

“Noticed what?”

Tikki sighed. She opened and closed her mouth several times, as if undecided whether to say it or not. She then took a deep breath and opened her mouth one more time.

“I—”

THUD

The two looked up to the ceiling. Marinette then looked at the time on her phone: it was too early for Chat to visit, and he was usually much quieter. By instinct, she grabbed the Chinese umbrella hanging off the back of the chaise and made her way upstairs.

 Chat Noir dusted off his suit with trembling hands. It had been a while since he had such an ungraceful landing. But his nerves seemed to be in charge at the moment.

“Okay,” he took a deep breath. “You can do this. It’s just like every other time. Just a normal visit to your friend Marinette.”

But his mind corrected “friend Marinette” to “girlfriend Marinette,” in a voice suspiciously alike Plagg’s.

“I can’t do this!”

As quickly as he could, he crossed the balcony, grabbed hold of the railing, placed a foot on it—

“Chat?”

And froze.

Dammit! He thought, already starting to panic. It turned out trying to get over the visit earlier did not make matters easier.

“What are you doing here so early? Are you okay?” Marinette asked from behind him.

No. He downed a large gulp while slowly putting his foot back on the ground. He took a deep breath and used the most casual tone he could muster.

“Hey Princess! Wazzup?” he said as he turned and gave her finger guns. Marinette arched and eyebrow. It was then that he noticed she was holding an umbrella. “What’s that for?”

“Oh! I… thought you might be an intruder,” she gave him a sheepish grin that sent Chat’s heart into a frenzy. So, to calm it, he focused on the red umbrella.

Man, it sucks being aware of my feelings, Chat thought miserably.

“You okay?” Marinette asked again.

Oh God, she’s asking again.

“Me? Pfft, I’m feline great.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “Never better. Totally clawsome today. So, so purrfect.”

Chat internally cringed at the amount of cat puns he was letting out.

“I see,” Marinette responded at last. “Is that why you’re letting out such catastrophic puns?”

…

Oh, it’s on.

“I’ll have you know that my puns are top marks.”

“Not today, minou,” Marinette chuckled, yet somehow managed to sound concerned too, making Chat lose his bravado. “Seriously, Chat, what’s wrong?”

The boy looked into her eyes (had they always shined so much?), and could no longer find it in him to pretend. But he still couldn’t tell her the whole truth.

“I’m just… going through some stuff,” he resolved to say.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Chat gave her a pained look. “I can’t.”

“Oh,” Marinette uttered, as her shoulders slumped. Chat couldn’t help but wince.

“Marinette, I promise that I trust you, but this is something—”

“Hey, no, you don’t have to explain,” Marinette cut in. She then gave him a soft smile. “I, better than anyone, know you can’t tell me everything, especially if it endangers your secret identity.”

“I’m sorry,” Chat Noir sighed, cat ears drooping.

“Hey,” Marinette used the point of her umbrella to lift his chin, “don’t be. I’m sure you would tell me if you could.”

Chat Noir gave her a lopsided grin, thankful that she used the umbrella and not her (probably soft) hand.

“Is there anything I can do?” she asked.

“You can distract me.” To keep my mouth shut, he mentally added.

Marinette tapped her lip in thought. Then looked at the umbrella and smiled.

“Did I ever tell you the story behind this umbrella?” she chirped.

Chat Noir blinked, looking at the object that was usually hanging off the girl’s chaise. Slowly, he shook his head.

“It used to be my grand-maman’s,” she explained, giving the umbrella a twirl before opening it. “She gave it to maman when they moved to Paris. Maman was lonely in a strange country, so grand-maman said that, as long as she had this umbrella, she’d always have a piece of home and would never be lonely.”

The boy furrowed his brows. Marinette continued.

“When I was younger, Chloé decided to be extra nasty to me, and I was left friendless for a little while. One day, maman came into my room and told me her story. She then gave me this and promised me I would never be alone again, and it would protect me of any negative emotion that tries to overtake me. And you wanna know a secret?”

Chat Noir nodded.

“I met my friend Kim the very next day,” she smiled. “He then introduced me to Max and Alix. Then Ivan and Mylène, and so on. Haven’t been alone since.”

The boy returned a kind smile.

“That’s some powerful magic,” he said quietly. Marinette took another look at him, so he moved his gaze to the ground. But his plain of view was quickly invaded by her hand, holding on to the handle of the umbrella.

“Take it,” she said.

Chat Noir gawked at her for a moment.

“N-No!” he blurted out. “I could never—It’s not mine—”

“I’m sure you’ll give it back,” she said, with that shining beam of hers once again. “I just think you need it more than I do right now.”

The boy’s lips parted. He could feel his heart thrumming in his chest, an excitement rising inside him. A feeling he recognized. Something he had felt sometimes, when he was very close to her. A desire? Yes, that was it.

A desire to kiss her.

His cheeks reddened, and to shake off the feeling, he swallowed and slowly reached for the handle of the umbrella. For a brief moment, his index brushed with hers, sending a spark through his veins that reached his heart. He got so flustered, he accidentally pressed a button on the handle and the umbrella closed on his face.

“Pfft,” Marinette snickered, but quickly clapped her hands to her mouth.

Chat Noir liberated himself as delicately as he could, only to find the girl before him shaking.

“You can laugh,” he chuckled.

Without needing more prompting, Marinette let out a hearty laugh that only sent Chat Noir’s heart into a frenzy. She looked so carefree and happy.

And he did that.

Almost instantly, Chat Noir was laughing too. It was almost like the night before, except this time, Chat knew exactly why he was laughing: Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her laughter was contagious, and it made him happy.

“Oh, before I forget,” Marinette pipped up, finally controlling her fit. “I got a call from the Margot and Dorian Show, and they said that they want to interview us.”

The boy’s giggles died away.

“Us?” he frowned.

“Yeah, you and me,” Marinette cleared up. “I know we’ve been avoiding interviews together, but I think it would be a good idea for both of us to go on this one.”

“Isn’t that show the one that was saying—” But Chat Noir stopped abruptly, remembering what they had said.

“Yeah, I know,” Marinette waved a hand dismissively. “They’re the ones who said you’re in love with and that I’m two-timing you with Adrien.”

Exactly. Chat Noir gulped.

“But I think it’s a perfect opportunity to set the record straight, don’t you think?” she finished.

The boy stared at her, like she had grown a second head.

Set the record straight?! How am I supposed to tell a crew of cameras that I don’t have feelings for you, when I clearly do? Wait— Those guys noticed it before I did!

“Y-yeah,” Chat Noir pushed himself to say through gritted teeth. “That sounds like a plan.”

“Great!” Marinette clasped her hands together. “They invited us for the special Saturday show next week. So we have the entire week to get ready.”

And for my feelings to possibly become stronger, Chat Noir bitterly thought. He didn’t think he would long for the days he didn’t know about his new crush. It had been so easy to deny it before.

“Sounds good,” he sighed.

“Chat,” Marinette frowned. “You don’t have to, if you feel uncomfortable.”

The boy blinked. While he did feel self-conscious, he couldn’t exactly leave her to the wolves on her own.

“I’ll make it,” he said, more firmly this time. “Count on me, Marinette.”

“Thank you, chaton,” the designer smiled.

Chat Noir did his best not to let out a whimper of misery, as his stomach lurched the second Marinette curved her lips. Why is she being cuter than usual?! And the nickname did not help matters.

The same affectionate nickname Ladybug often called him by.

I’m screwed, he thought.

“And I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you in the fashion business in the future.”

Nadja Chamack concluded her second interview with Marinette. Unlike last time, this one had gone smoothly, and had been much more focused on the girl’s achievements than her love life.

“We will now move on to calls from our audience, if you don’t mind Marinette,” she informed.

“Not at all,” Marinette agreed.

“Great. We already have our first caller,” Nadja announced. “Good afternoon, you’re on the air.”

“Yeah, I have a question for Marinette about Chat Noir,” the caller said. “Is he your boyfriend? Because they keep saying that he is.”

Marinette shifted in her seat. She expected the question, and now was the time to make sure things were clear.

“No,” she firmly stated. “He’s not my boyfriend or anything. I just happen to save him a few times and I’ve seen him once or twice when he patrols. But that’s it.”

“But that’s not what some friend of yours said,” the caller insisted.

“Ma’am, we already cleared this up earlier,” Nadja intervened. “The comments of Lila Rossi have been denied as truth. Even Miss Rossi made a public apology herself. Next caller.”

This time, a man spoke. “Good afternoon, I just wanna say that what you did, while it was pretty brave, I think you should leave it to the superheroes. A little girl like you shouldn’t be playing hero.”

Marinette’s eye twitched. If only you knew.

“I wasn’t trying to play hero,” she defended herself between deep breaths. “Sometimes instincts beat the brain.” She finished with a nervous laugh.

“Thank you for your input. Next caller,” Nadja rushed through, looking at a clock on the wall.

“Hi. I was listening and I realized it was never asked if you, Marinette, have been a more constant target for akumas lately. Has it happened?” the person, that sounded like a young woman, asked.

Marinette couldn’t help but smile. A real question, for once. “Thank you so much for that question, and the answer is yes, unfortunately. People think having a connection with Chat Noir is cool, but it has brought a lot of misfortune for me when it comes to akuma attacks.”

“That sucks. Hope you don’t get more trouble, Miss,” the caller added.

The girl’s smile grew softer at the concern of the person. It was rare for the good ones to show themselves.

“Thank you so much, but that’s all the time we have,” Nadja announced. “Thank you, Marinette, for taking the time to come to our show. With this we conclude today’s edition of The Interview with Chamack. I’m Nadja Chamack, and don’t be bemused, it’s just the news.”

A music played through the reporter’s headphones, and the ON AIR light was turned off.

“Thank you again for giving me a second chance,” Nadja said once again, but this time it was directed to Marinette, and not the microphone.

“It was nice to have a second chance at this interview,” Marinette said. “Last time was a disaster.”

“It really was,” Nadja agreed. “But I gotta say, you handled yourself like a champ this time. You were so nervous the first time around and gave such vague answers. But today you were a whole new Marinette.”

“Hehe, yeah.” The girl scratched the back of her head as she started to get up from her chair. “Guess I stopped caring about how I might sound, or something.”

Nadja nodded, while she started directing Marinette out of the studio, where Sabine and Alya were waiting.

“And what about Alya’s coaching?” the reporter asked as they entered the console room.

“Oh, yeah, that’s been a huge help,” Marinette added. While it wasn’t a lie, it felt like half a lie, at least. The girl had never been as hopeless as she initially led them to believe.

“It better be,” Alya joked. “Girl, you did great! I think you’re ready for the Margot and Dorian Show.”

Nadja halted.

“Please tell me you didn’t just say the Margot and Dorian Show,” she intervened. The women looked at each other and nodded. That sole action made the reporter inhale deeply and bring her index to her lips, like she wanted to say something, but didn’t dare to.

“Just say it,” Sabine sighed.

“I highly advice against that show,” the reporter blurted out.

“I think Marinette’s been through enough to know how to handle rowdy reporters—”

“No, you don’t understand,” Nadja interrupted, starting to sound insistent. “What I did was unethical journalism, but Margot and Dorian… They’re not journalists. They’re people who hide under the pretext of press to invade people’s privacy and invent stories. And the worst part is that a lot of people believe them.”

“But those people are the prime example of trashy television,” Alya added.

“Yet a lot of people eat it up,” Nadja responded. “Even worse, they have someone who did study journalism, but uses her skills for gossip and garbage. I’m sure you’ve heard of Anabelle Billard.”

Marinette’s brows furrowed. “Sounds familiar…”

“It should,” the reporter stated. “She was the one who interviewed Miss Rossi, and also the one who sent the video of Adrien pulling you into the school the day after our interview. She’s vicious, and could even be dangerous.”

Alya suddenly snapped her fingers. “I remember her,” she said. “But I didn’t know she worked for them.”

“And she’s very good at her job,” Nadja added.

Marinette sighed. “Well, she can’t be that good, because she’s yet to uncover my deepest darkest secrets,” she joked, nose pointing up. When she saw at the questioning looks of the other women, she decided to make herself clearer. “All I’m saying is that, after everything we’ve been through, I’m sure we can handle anything she throws at us.”

“I hope so,” the reporter muttered.

“Don’t worry about it,” Marinette made the most reassuring pose she could, chest puffed out and fists on her hips. “Chat Noir and I will be a team, and he won’t let me down. Besides, it’s not like we have anything to hide. Once Margot and Dorian see that their assumptions of Chat’s love for me are wrong, they will be the ones feeling exposed.”

“You have the strangest moments for confidence,” Alya laughed, placing an elbow on her best friend’s shoulder.

“Whatever happens, I’ll be there with her,” Sabine assured. “But thank you for warning us.”

Nadja smiled at her friend. A smile that looked more appreciative than anything else. One that was thankful that Sabine had forgiven her.

“Yeah,” Marinette added. “I promise to be careful with what I say.”

“In any case, I’ll keep coaching her,” Alya pointed at herself with a thumb.

“Good,” Nadja sighed.

Marinette nodded one last time. She appreciated Nadja’s concern, but she also couldn’t wait to clear the air with Margot and Dorian. After Chat’s last visit, she was beginning to worry that their words had gotten to him to some degree. There was something… off about him. He seemed jumpy, for some reason.

But maybe this would do them good. Clear the air. Making the news meaningless. But most of all, stop feeling so tense every time she got close to the boy.

“Where is he?” Marinette asked for the hundredth time.

And for the hundredth time, Chat Noir heard from afar.

He had gotten there early, but decided to stay hidden up on the metal beams on the ceiling of the studio. Even thought he had promised he’d be there for her, there was a very strong part of him that wanted to disappear. After he visited Marinette the week before, the boy did his best to hide his feelings, whether it was as Chat Noir or as Adrien.

Yo, bro, wanna hang out with the girls? Nino had asked.

Sorry, I gotta, uh… practice piano, Adrien lamely answered.

Hey, dude, you mind giving this book to Marinette? Alya had requested.

No, I gotta, um… a shooting, sorry, he excused.

Hey Adrien, you mind making a quick pose for a sketch? Marinette had had the guts to say.

I-I…um, pfft-I uh…Shower got to—I-I mean, Igottashower, Adrien had spluttered, leaving Marinette bewildered.

And as Chat Noir, he hadn’t fared much better. Every time she got close, he got dazed by her smell. Every time she laughed, his heart would accelerate. Every time she smiled, he just wanted to kiss her. Each and every passing day, what he predicted became true: his feelings got stronger.

And seeing Marinette from afar, hanging out with Félix did not help matters.

From the way she acted with him, Adrien was more convinced that she thought Félix was Chat Noir. The guy didn’t exactly scream Chat Noir, but he continued to call Marinette by Princess every now and then. It drove Adrien crazy, yet there was nothing he could do about it. Only hope the girl he liked didn’t fall for it.

And that hope strengthened his feelings, and his determination for her. He knew it sounded selfish, but just this once, he didn’t care.

“I’ve looked everywhere. Still can’t find him,” Alya walked up to Marinette, shaking her head.

“No luck.” Sabine joined the other two.

Marinette gave an exasperated sigh. “We’re on in like five minutes. Where the heck is he?”

“Maybe he’s waiting for the right moment to make a grand entrance,” Alya huffed, crossing her arms.

“Maybe,” Marinette said, pacing and distracted. “It wouldn’t be unlike him… You guys mind giving one last round?”

Sabine and Alya nodded and wished the designer luck, just in case. The moment they were gone, Marinette started looking around. She then looked up. Chat tried to hide, but from the deadpan look on the girl’s face, he figured he failed.

“Chat Noir, you get your tail down here this instant,” she scolded, pointing a finger to the ground.

The boy let out a whimper before extending his staff into a pole and sliding down in front of the designer.

“Hello Mari,” he shamefully greeted, gaze on the floor.

“I told you, you didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to,” Marinette said.

“I couldn’t just leave you alone with those two. They’re awful,” Chat insisted. A question then occurred to him. “How did you know to look for me?”

“Alya gave me the idea,” Marinette explained. “You do have a tendency to be theatrical. But I get the feeling that’s not why you were hiding up there.”

Chat Noir scratched the back of his head.

“Chat, you don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do.” He grabbed her hand. “We’re in this together, right? What kind of a cat would I be if I left my master hanging?”

“Cats leave their masters all the time.”

“But they always come back,” Chat grinned. Marinette smiled back, and the boy was quickly reminded on why he had considered running.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, Princess.” Without thinking, Chat Noir lifted the hand he was holding to his lips and gave it a soft kiss. “I’m always loyal to you.”

He brought his eyes up to hers and instantly froze. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks were pink, her mouth was in the shape of an ‘o’. She too was petrified.

“M-Mari?” he stammered.

Marinette only let out a few ‘ers’ and ‘ums’. At last, she resolved in giving a large, dorky smile that Chat Noir had only seen in his civilian form. And for some reason, it made his heart skip a beat.

The second he felt that leap, he let go of the hand, as if it had burnt him.

“Thirty seconds ‘till we’re live,” a man yelled.

The two teens quickly took a step away from each other, each dealing with their fluster as much as they could. After several breaths, Chat Noir asked: “Ready?”

“Y-yeah, ready,” Marinette nodded.

“Everyone in position,” the man, who was the producer, called to everyone. From the hosts that were sitting on the center of the stage, to the crowd that was murmuring behind the cameras. “We go live in five, four, three, two…”

He raised one finger and pointed it at the hosts of the show. The music started, cameras slid across the studio and the crowd started applauding.

“Welcome back, lovelies, to the Margot and Dorian Show, Saturday Edition,” Margot started, waving her blonde hair. “And we’re gonna start this segment with a very special interview.”

“That’s right,” Dorian added, in his usual chipper tone, despite the professionalism his suit suggested. “This is the moment everyone’s been waiting for, isn’t it Margot?”

“Indeed, it is, Dorian,” Margot responded, overly-energetic. “You’ve seen them in social media, you’ve heard them on the radio, and we have them right here with us.”

“Please welcome, CHAT NOIR AND THE GIRL WHO SAVED HIM!” Dorian called.

In unison, Chat Noir and Marinette took a deep breath just as they stepped on the stage. Applauses invaded their ears. Lights blinded them momentarily. They tried to walk at a reasonable speed. At last, they reached one of the famous purple couches from the show.

The crowd quieted down.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome,” Margot said, excitedly. The two teens merely gave shy waves. “How good it is to have you two here. I must ask Marinette, where did you get that cute purse?”

That’s a stupid question, Chat Noir grumbled internally.

“Oh, I made it myself,” Marinette answered, almost mechanically.

“It’s super cute. Anyway, into the real stuff, what’s it like to save a superhero?” the blonde woman asked.

“Please, spare no details,” Dorian chuckled.

“Well,” Marinette drawled for a moment. “I honestly wasn’t thinking about it at the moment, but I guess it feels like saving anybody else.”

“Uh huh, uh huh,” Margot nodded. “And what about you, Chat Noir, what’s it like for a civilian to save you?”

“Pretty much the same,” he commented. “I get saved by Ladybug all the time, so I’m kinda used to it.”

“Are you comparing Marinette with Ladybug?” Dorian quickly asked.

Chat Noir almost choked. “NO!” He coughed. “No, I would never do that. I can’t compare them, that’s not fair. I mean—” the urge to slap himself became strong. “That’s not what I meant. That’s all.”

Almost immediately, Chat felt an elbow hit his ribs, unbeknownst to the crowd.

“Then what did you mean?” Dorian pushed, leaning slightly.

Control yourself, control yourself, control yourself. Chat Noir continued to repeat the phrase over and over in his head, in the hopes of calming his nerves.

“Ahem, what I meant was that it’s unfair to compare a civilian with a superhero, for obvious reasons.” Go on. “What Marinette did was very… unique. I’m just, personally, used to getting saved every now and then.”

He could’ve sworn he saw a glimmer of disappointment in the hosts faces with his answer. He would count that as a victory, but he still couldn’t help but worry.

“Well, very unique indeed, right Marinette?” Margot directed her gaze back to the designer. Marinette merely responded with a feeble ‘yes.’ “Something that only Ladybug would do. Speaking of Ladybug,” Margot exaggerated, as if it had just popped into her mind. But Chat Noir knew better. “We tried getting her for the show, but she refused our invitation. Any idea on why, Chat Noir?”

Because she knows better. “I’m sure she had her reasons,” he answered out loud. “But I’m guessing she didn’t think this subject needs her commentary on it.”

“Now, you would think that,” Dorian intervened. “But word has it that she yelled and threatened a poor reporter for simply asking about the nature of your relationship with her—”

“That’s not what happened,” Marinette and Chat Noir interrupted in unison, both scowling.

There was a short pause, where the crowd started muttering between themselves.

“Oooh, then what did happen?” Margot pushed, moving to the edge of her seat, yet still making sure her white dress continued to look impeccable.

It took only a glimpse from Marinette for him to know he was the one who had to tell the story. Then again, she wasn’t there, he reminded himself.

“That reporter was asking questions that had nothing to do with the akuma that showed up that night. Ladybug refused to respond because it wasn’t the place or time, or his business.”

“Right, we heard you’re in love with Ladybug,” Dorian intervened.

Chat Noir tensed, and he could swear Marinette did the same.

“I have to ask, what is my purpose here?” Marinette suddenly burst, starting to sound irritated. “I’ve only been asked like two questions, and one of them wasn’t even a proper one. Can I go?”

“Oh, dear Marinette, of course you have a purpose,” Margot clasped her hands together. “But before we get to you, we want a response from Chat Noir. Are you in love with Ladybug?”

The boy took a deep breath. “No,” he responded what he and Marinette had agreed to lie about earlier in the week. “Marinette only said that because she wanted to get back at me for talking too much about her admiration of me,” his heart did a quick summersault, “so she said she got tempted to say that just to shut me up. But no, I am not in love with Ladybug.”

Except I totally am, but I can’t tell her now because I just realized I’m also in—woah, Chat Noir stopped himself before finishing that sentence. No, that’s too far, I’m not there yet… I think.

Panic started to rise.

“That’s right,” Marinette said as he tried to even his breathing. “We were having a private conversation which was taken out of context. But I meant it as a joke. It’s not fact.”

“Hmm, I see,” Dorian nodded, exaggerated. “I don’t know about you, Margot, but I’m confused.”

“Me too, Dorian,” Margot responded. “There’s been so much information flying about, I don’t know what to believe anymore. I think we need to call an expert.”

“We definitely have to.”

“Who should we call.”

“Oh, you know who.”

Oh, just get on with it.

“I definitely do. Please welcome to the stage our very own, Anabelle Billard!”

There was a new round of applause when a portly, middle aged redhead stepped into the light and started waving to the cameras. What was more, she looked…

Chat Noir immediately glared at her the second he recognized the woman. He’d seen her before, in a crowd of rowdy reporters incessantly asking questions to Marinette outside their school. Because of her, he had had to intervene, so the girl in question didn’t say something she could later regret.

It was the woman who had dared to ask Marinette if she was two-timing Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste.

And from the look on Marinette’s darkening face, she remembered her too.

“It’s good to be here,” Anabelle spoke quietly as she sat down in an additional chair between the hosts and the invited couple.

“Anabelle, you know so much more on this story than we do,” Margot feigned ignorance. “Tell us; what are the facts, so far?”

“Well, the fact is that these kids change their story more than Hawkmoth changes akuma,” she said, in a firm, confident tone that made Chat Noir’s blood boil.

There was a collective ‘ooohhh’ from the crowd.

“Are you implying that I’m a liar?” Marinette scowled, hand squeezing the arm of her chair.

“I have been studying every public appearance the two of you have had, and I noticed a discrepancy between the story you tell and the way you act,” Anabelle explained. “Here’s the thing, Margot: when these two are interviewed, after the FMi incident of course, they know exactly what to say. But when they’re caught off guard, their attitudes towards each other changes dramatically, to the point Marinette has her own nickname. Right Princess? Or is Princess of Paris your full name?”

Chat Noir’s heart did a flip, hearing someone else call Marinette by the nickname he had reserved for her, and her alone.

“I don’t—”

“He doesn’t—”

“I have proof,” Anabelle interrupted them. She then directed her gaze to Marinette. “I’ve been analyzing the videos of your rescues, and noticed in both occasions Chat Noir called you by the same nickname. I also have witnesses that say he called you by said name before fighting an akuma in your school, called Chatte Noire. Yet, none of the other women he’s rescued have claimed the nickname. Care to comment, Dupain-Cheng?”

“So what?” Chat Noir blurted out, almost over Anabelle’s last question, heart racing. “I give nicknames to people all the time. Why not Marinette? Especially after saving me twice.”

“Except, after analyzing the first video, I noticed you called her so before rescuing you. In fact,” she waved a hand, “why don’t we play the first video? Keep in mind, we’ve enhanced background sounds to better hear the conversation that went down that day.”

Why the hell did we think this was a good idea?! Chat Noir mentally kicked himself.

Just then, the screen behind them showed a transition animation, right before playing that very first video that started it all.

The image was shaky, showing vines crashing all over the place. One dragged a girl out of a fabrics shop, who was furiously trying to free herself, to no avail. The person recording got closer, just when the girl seemed to have called someone. Seconds later, the superhero landed, and the video stopped.

“Listen closely to the conversation we managed to salvage,” Anabelle pointed out.

The video played once again, and the conversation was finally heard.

“…in these situations?” Chat Noir finished.

“Just get me out of here!” Marinette insisted. Chat Noir gave a small giggle.

“Cataclysm!” he yelled, making the vines evaporate in a black mist. He then managed to catch her before hitting the ground, arm wrapped around her back.

“You’re lucky I like you, Princess. I might have left you if—”

“Look out!”

“Right there!” Anabelle stopped the video, just as Marinette was pulling Chat Noir by the bell to save him. “Not only does Chat Noir call her Princess, but he admitted to like her the very day Dupain-Cheng saved him the first time.”

There was another collective ‘ooohhh’ from the crowd. Meanwhile, Chat Noir placed a hand over his mouth as discreetly as possible, covering his heating cheeks as much as he could. And the frozen image with Marinette pulling on his bell did not help matters.

“He was obviously joking,” Marinette affirmed, brows knitted together. “I think it’s already been established that Chat Noir is the theatrical one of the pair. And, again, like he said; he gives nicknames to everyone.”

“Sure, that could be all,” Anabelle waved a hand dismissively. “Except that it is not only his commentary that’s intriguing, but also your demand, Dupain-Cheng, that he rescue you. Now, from what I’ve gathered, you tend to be a… generally well-mannered girl, yet you acted so… unbothered.”

Chat Noir inhaled deeply and shifted his eyes towards Marinette. Who seemed… livid.

“Well,” she started slowly, “I don’t know if you’ve ever been a target for an akuma, Billard, but from my experience, you don’t exactly have time to gawk at a superhero. The only thing the adrenaline makes you think about is: ‘how am I gonna get out of this alive?’ So excuse my lack of tact in a stressful situation.”

To finish it off, Marinette smirked and rested her elbow on the arm of the chair. The one she had been squeezing only moments before. Like it was nothing.

It was so….

Flawless.

Chat couldn’t help but stare at his current partner in crime for how flawlessly she batted that question. Even better than how she started the interview with Kudret. That confidence that made her look like an almost completely different person and was just so… so…

His cheeks felt even hotter.

“Are you sure it was lack of tact and not familiarity?” Anabelle pushed.

“Absolutely.” Marinette nodded. “Besides, Chat Noir probably doesn’t even have time to hang out with civilians. Right, Chat Noir?”

Crap!

The boy’s eyes widened their stare at the girl beside him, hand still over his mouth, which he hadn’t dared to move. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him. He could see Marinette stare at him. He knew he was supposed to respond. But he was frozen with an uncontrollable blush that simply refused to leave.

“Chat Noir?” she asked. Yet, even though she sounded worried, her eyes were begging him to say something. He swallowed, but it didn’t help.

“Cat got your tongue?” Anabelle dared to quip.

Instantly, both Chat Noir and Marinette shifted their gazes to the reporter, Marinette with a scowl. The cat hero, in the meantime, managed to get his breathing under control. Because that was one comment he would not stand for.

“No,” he finally responded, slightly croaked. “I don’t have time to waste on befriending civilians. I have more important things to do, like protecting Paris, for example.”

“And yet here you are,” the redhead poked, pushing up her red trimmed glasses. “Spending your time in an interview with the same civilian, once again, instead of patrolling the city.”

“You invited us!” Marinette’s arms flailed.

“You get mad if I don’t patrol, but you also get mad when either me or Ladybug refuse an interview. It’s like there’s no winning with you guys!”

“Because you refuse to admit the truth,” Anabelle pushed once again.

“What truth?!” Chat Noir and Marinette yelled in unison.

“That you two are in love!” she finished.

“This is ridiculous! We’re not a thing!” Marinette cleared up for the hundredth time. “How many times do I have to say it?”

Marinette continued numbering the times she has had to clarify the status of their relationship, but Chat Noir barely paid attention. All he kept thinking about was how Anabelle was half right in her conclusion. While he didn’t feel in love yet, his feelings had become strong enough for him to contemplate the possibility that he could, potentially, fall in love with her.

But she can’t know that, he reminded himself. Neither Marinette or Anabelle could know, for completely different reasons. He sighed. If I can deny my love for Ladybug on live TV, I can deny my feelings for Marinette.

“Do I need to repeat it?” Marinette finished.

“That’s right,” Chat Noir intervened, straightening his posture, ready to lie his way out of this mess, even if it hurt. “I don’t have feelings for Marinette, no matter how many times I call her Princess. The truth is that I would never be with her, not only because of the obvious,” he pointed at his mask, “but I don’t even know her well enough for that. And even if I did know her better, I still wouldn’t be with her. It’s just never going to happen. Not in a million years I would be with Marinette.”

The boy exhaled with difficulty, but kept his eyes directed at Anabelle, ignoring the stabbing pain in his heart. Another round of murmurs began in the crowd. The reporter fixed her glasses as she glanced at the girl beside him. A spark shone in her eye, but Chat Noir continued scowling at her, hoping to intimidate her somehow.

“That’s too bad,” she said, the edge of her mouth twitching. Like it was holding a smile.

“Well, that was in-tense,” Margot intervened, with her over-energetic attitude once again. “But unfortunately, that’s all the time we have left, as we need to go on a commercial break. But stay tuned, because we have many more surprises coming your way in the Margot and Dorian Show, Saturday Edition. We’ll be right back!”

A music played, the crowd applauded and a man behind one of the cameras yelled cut. Conversation spread among the crowd, and Chat Noir was more than ready to leave the cursed studio.

“I’ve learned a lot today,” Anabelle commented.

“Yeah, well, that’s all you’re learning for ever. Come on Mari—” But the boy didn’t finish his sentence, because when he turned to look at said girl, she had already gotten up and was walking away from the stage. He frowned.

“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other again,” Anabelle stated, fixing her glasses once again.

Chat Noir gave her one last scowl, before leaping behind the sofa and rushing in Marinette’s direction. He had just reached her, when Alya and Sabine showed up.

“Girl, you just pulled off a miracle!” the young reporter said, while she slapped her hands to her friend’s shoulders. “You left Anabelle Billard with no words. That was awesome!”

“I’m so proud of you,” Sabine added, placing a hand on her daughter’s cheek. “But I don’t think I’ll allow another interview with that horrible woman. She almost massacred you two out there.”

“Y-yeah,” Marinette stammered, gaze towards the ground. “I-I suppose…we did do a good job.”

“Good job?! It was an awesome job!” Alya cheered on. “When you said that thing about your lack of tact, I literally squealed. Just ask Mrs. Cheng.”

“She really did,” Sabine laughed. “Come on. We have to take Alya home.”

“Marinette?” Chat Noir blurted out.

The three women turned to look at him. It was then that he noticed Marinette’s eyes seemed to have lost their shine. Something was bothering her.

“I-I…” but he didn’t know what to say. He was afraid a reporter would suddenly jump out, and a private conversation would once again become public.

“Thanks for the help, dude. We can take it from here,” Alya intervened, giving him a warning with her eyes.

“Right,” Chat Noir deflated.

Alya and Sabine softly pulled Marinette towards the exit. He wanted to go after her, find out what was wrong, but it was too risky.

Perhaps he needed a new strategy.

The spray bottle rolled on Marinette’s desk for the fourth time, sent by its very owner. The girl rested her head on one of her arms, while the other kept mussing with Chat Noir’s gift. She hadn’t been there for long. Only minutes ago she had gotten back from the most awful interview she had been in so far. It may had been seen like a success by everyone else, but for the pig-tailed girl, she saw very little reason to celebrate.

“Marinette?” Tikki called once again, after the many times she did since they got home.

Without uttering a word, Marinette got up, spray bottle in hand, and walked down the stairs. She didn’t even stop to make sure her kwami got in her purse, trusting in the swishing sound she heard before closing the trapdoor. As she got to the kitchen, she let her parents know she was going out and exited the apartment.

While it had been her intention to walk around the streets, she only got as far as the park by her house and collapsed onto a bench. She stared at the spray bottle in her hands, finger stroking the green cap. For some reason, half her mind wanted to hug it close, while the other wanted to chuck it.

“Marinette, what’s wrong?” Tikki placed her paws on her charge’s arm. But the girl didn’t respond. “Please, talk to me.”

Marinette continued to hesitate for a few more seconds, undecided on whether to talk or make up her mind about the spray bottle.

“I’m…” she started. “I’m hurt.”

“Hurt?!” Tikki’s antennae stood straight, surprised. “Why? What happened?”

“Didn’t you hear?!” Marinette snapped, finally looking at the kwami. “Not in a million years I would be with Marinette,” she mocked Chat Noir. “What? I’m not good enough for the great Chat Noir or his dumb famous secret identity? Tsk. I swear, if I could, I would reveal myself just to make him bite his tongue.”

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t!”

“Yes you do,” Tikki snapped. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be this upset. The question is why.”

“I don’t know!” Marinette finally cracked. “I don’t know, okay? I—” she searched for an answer, “I guess I’m offended that he would want Ladybug, but not her civilian identity. It’s rude.”

“But he doesn’t know!” Tikki reasoned. “Besides, who’s to say he didn’t just say that for the cameras?”

Marinette opened her mouth to retort, but closed it almost immediately, with eyebrows knitted together.

“You think he didn’t mean it?” she asked instead.

The kwami placed her tiny jaw on her nubby hands.

“I think it’s a possibility,” she responded with a soft smile.

Marinette’s eye’s shifted from side to side, like she was trying to figure out something.

“Tikki?” The kwami hummed. “What’s happening to me? Why am I being like this?”

“I can’t always tell you what you’re feeling.”

“But you know, don’t you?”

Tikki nodded. Marinette sighed and started thinking. What was the real reason she was upset?

“Do I feel like I’m losing my partner?” Marinette looked at Tikki for a reaction. And a deadpan look was what she got.

“Marinette, I know you’re not this dense,” the kwami said.

Marinette cringed. It was like whatever it was, it was at the tip of her tongue, but a sort of denial was holding her back.

“I can’t—”

“Marinette!” Tikki scolded. “I can’t always tell you when you like a boy!”

The girl almost chocked on her own saliva. “Like a boy?!” she repeated, incredulous. “I don’t—” but she stopped abruptly as a couple passed by. When they were out of earshot, she started again, more hushed this time. “I don’t have feelings for Chat Noir.”

“PAH! Yeah right,” Tikki laughed. “You gave him your umbrella.”

“So? Adrien gave me his, doesn’t mean he has feelings for me.”

“Yours was a family heirloom,” Tikki deadpanned.

Marinette’s face contorted. “He’ll give it back.”

“And you’ve been trying to find out his identity,” the goddess added.

“No I haven’t,” Marinette denied, starting to shift uncomfortably in her seat. When she saw her kwami boring her gaze into her, she felt the need to retract her words. “I mean, not intentionally. I happened to find a lead and I held onto it. But it’s not like I’m investigating to see if I’m right.”

“You were googling Félix two days ago,” Tikki deadpanned, again.

“I wanted to know if he was famous, like he said,” Marinette defended.

“You wanted to know how much he fit the profile for Chat Noir.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Urgh!” Tikki gave an exasperated sigh. “You can be so stubborn sometimes.”

Marinette huffed and sunk down in her seat. She stared harder at the bottle in her hands.

“Why is it so hard for you to admit that you may like Chat Noir as more than a friend?” Tikki asked.

“Because that would mean I didn’t love Adrien,” Marinette confessed, without missing a beat.

All of a sudden, a large amount of tension that had been building up for so long was lifted off her shoulders.

She found the source.

“Oh, Marinette,” the kwami soothed. “Liking Chat Noir wouldn’t mean you don’t love Adrien. Sometimes the heart works in ways we just can’t control. But you have to, at least, consider the possibility.”

“The possibility?!” Marinette repeated. “I-I can’t… I mean, I-I shouldn’t…”

But the words died in her mouth. Was it possible? Could she really like her partner in crime-fighting? As more than a friend?

Yet, when her heart started to accelerate, her thoughts were interrupted, as Tikki yelped and hid in the pink purse.

“Hey, Marinette,” a shadow in front of her spoke.

The designer looked up, to find one of the blond boys complicating her life.

“H-hey,” she stammered.

“Thanks!” Adrien waved at Mr. Dupain, as he exited the bakery to find Marinette.

He had been so tempted to vault up to her room and hold her as tightly as he could, but, at the moment, he couldn’t help but feel watched as Chat Noir. So, his secret identity would have to do. And now more so, since she wasn’t in the privacy of her room.

“She’s probably fine,” Plagg insisted, poking out of the boy’s over-shirt. “Can’t we go somewhere more interesting? Like a cheese store?”

“She’s not fine,” Adrien insisted. “I could tell. There was something wrong, but she couldn’t tell me in such a public place.”

“Are you sure you’re not just making excuses to see her?”

“I’m telling ya, she’s upset. And whether I’m Adrien or Chat Noir, I’m not gonna—”

But Adrien froze as he reached the park. Plagg asked several times what was wrong, but the boy didn’t listen, as his eyes were focused on a bench on the other side of the park:

Marinette and Félix were close. Too close, if anyone asked him.

“Oh, hey, it’s the weirdo,” the kwami commented.

The words were enough for a growl to escape Adrien’s lips. As quickly as he could, he snuck from tree to tree, trying to get as close as possible without been seen.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Plagg whispered when Adrien got to the nearest tree possible.

“What is he doing here?” he snarled under his breath.

“Talking?” Plagg suggested. Adrien ignored him, and instead tried to listen to the conversation.

“You think so?” Marinette was asking Félix.

“Well, if it were me saying it, I’d definitely only say it for the cameras,” Félix responded to whatever Marinette had been questioning. “You’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. Smart, kind… beautiful.”

Marinette shifted, looking away, her cheeks turning pink.

Meanwhile, something stirred within Adrien.

“What is he doing?!” Adrien hissed. Plagg called him several times, but the boy continued ignoring him.

“All descriptions befitting of a Princess,” Félix added, leaning closer to the girl in pig-tails. Who was, in turn, turning a darker shade of red.

“You’re just saying that,” she giggled, using the tip of her index finger to push him away, but only slightly.

Something awoke inside Adrien.

“Uh oh,” Plagg let out. On cue, Adrien grabbed the little god and brought him close to his face.

“I’m gonna need one serious favor right now,” he said, darkly.

“I am not transforming you because you can’t control your jealousy.”

“I’m not jealous!” Adrien denied. “There’s some guy there who Marinette thinks is me. This is about saving a friend!”

“Bull—”

“Plagg, transform me!”

The little cat being was rudely dragged into the miraculous ring, and for the second time that day, Adrien was Chat Noir. The second his transformation finished, he vaulted up the tree and used his trusty staff to jump high enough to land him right in front of Marinette and the imposter. The moment the two jumped, startled, Chat Noir uttered three words:

“Hello there, Princess.”

[thenichibro]

Fall 2017 Anime First Impressions

And so here I am again, three weeks late because I can never keep up. Fall 2017 thus far doesn’t seem too, too bad, but I’m sure that will change, considering the multiple original shows on my watching list. Luckily there’s plenty of cute girls doing cute things shows, which is all I need, really. As usual, here’s what I’m watching, with MAL links and original shows marked: Osake wa Fuufu (MAL) Starting off with a short show this time. Osake wa Fuufu follows a wife, Chisato, and her husband, Sora. Sora likes making drinks, and Chisato likes drinking. Match made in heaven, if you ask me. The show even includes drink recipes depending on the featured drink, and a food pairing with it. It's a three minute show about a cute, drunk wife. What's not to like?

URAHARA (MAL) Taking a sharp departure from the calmness of Osake wa Fuufu, URAHARA involves three fashion-loving Harajuku girls saving the planet from aliens. This show is Harajuku personified. Everything from the character design to the OP explodes with a bubbly, colorful atmosphere, wrapped up in a beautiful watercolor aesthetic. ORESAMA's fantastic brand of electropop is the exact cherry on top the art style needed. Rito is the skateboarding, soft-spoken girl with demon horns, Kotoko is the peppy blonde kemonomimi, and Mari is the twintailed idol who also owns the clothes shop the girls work at. After aliens sucking up cultural landmarks appear, an American girl wearing a talking fried shrimp shows up, gives them "physical manifestations of imagination," and they promptly transform into magical girls and fight the aliens, making them explode and turn into donuts. Sure, that made no sense at all, but everything's so colorful. Capped off by a similarly bubbly ED, this show is just outright fun. If it stays about three cute girls happily fighting fashion-stealing aliens, I'm in.

Dies Irae (MAL) Just as an FYI, Dies Irae aired an episode zero prequel, but I've waited until the formal episode one before doing any impressions, seeing as the prequel was a complete clusterfuck anyway. Now then, after the prequel involving Nazi supermen, Dies Irae's main series cuts to the future and the protagonist Ren, a solemn oft-hospitalized teen. Plenty of mysteries abound - a sudden murder, a strange vision at a museum, a runaway friend, a girl calling him Cagliostrio in a dream - interspersed throughout an otherwise thoroughly boring slice of life. Following that, the episode alos teases plenty of the insane bullshit the prequel was few of. In one line, one character drops 5 proper nouns we have had zero interaction with, with the off mention of one name from the prequel episode. Foreshadowing is fine; introducing three characters in the span of 15 seconds and then talking about 5+ more of them is a bit much. The art is nothing special, and the orchestral soundtrack is unique enough, but if the prequel was any indication, this show is going to get insane, really fast. And not insane like the fun, rollercoaster ride kind. More like the trying-too-hard, unnecesarily edgy, impossible to actually follow kind.

Net-juu no Susume (MAL) Ah, the MMO spin on the isekai genre. Net-juu follows Moriko, a NEET woman living alone who devotes her time to playing a guy (Hayashi) in an MMO. She meets with an amazingly cute girl, Lily (who later we see to be a guy IRL), and they start adventuring together. Cut to 70-odd levels of grinding, joining a guild, and an upgraded PC later, Moriko/Hayashi has settled in just fine. First off, Lily's VA is the fucking cutest, holy shit. My reactions about echoed Moriko's anytime she was being cute. Other than that, the first episode was surprisingly sincere. Relatively light on the "MY REAL LIFE IS ON THE INTERNET!!" in favor of Moriko just being more of an awkward, lazy video game nerd. Using video games to not have to deal with real life is nothing new, but the heart with which Hayashi/Lily meet and grow in just one episode impressed me. This could go either way, and I'm hoping it stays a interesting vignette on the trials and tribulations of the two lives Moriko lives.

[ORIG] Just Because! (MAL) Next up, Just Because sees Eita Izumi returning after four years to his locale's high-school, reuniting with people he lost touch with. The first episode sees a wonderful moment of return, as Eita practices with an old baseball friend, leading the practicing band to strike up into the chorus they played at games, seeminginly on their own. The trumpets flowing into the full orchestral matches the rising tone perfectly. Juxatposed with a Photography Club facing termination and a former class prez buried in obligations, a web of connections lies in wait, ready to reaccept Eita. The art is quite muted, and even with complaints about the hot weather, the sun is behind clouds and the cityscape is grey, as opposed to the beating sun we often see. Just Because's first episode, while not telling much, showed plenty, and indicated what the main issues would be and who would be involved, and that's exactly what a first episode should do. If an original work is showing that early on, maybe it has more direction than most - and that's a very good thing.

[ORIG] Two Car (MAL) Sidecar racing is something I haven't seen, for sure. The island of Miyakejima, with its uncontrolled speed limits, is home to famous sidecar racing, or "kneeler racing" competitions, and the show follows the endlessly arguing but amazingly similar local team of Yuri and Megami. A bouncy pop soundtrack plays over the high-speed racing, creating a light yet competitive tone that perfectly fits the colored visuals, featuring the same artist/production company as Masamune-kun no Revenge from a few seasons ago. Discord has cropped up between Yuri and Megumi due to their beloved coach leaving for greener courses and the feelings they had for him as he left. The cuts between the high-speed raising and the melancholic, reflective flashbacks does quite well in explaining their movements throughout the race - catching us up to speed, so to speak. The tone of the show comes across perfectly as the episode closes, backed up by the fantastic soundtrack and beautifully done OP and ED. You just feel this show is time spent on an island, split between relaxing and racing. It's wonderfully done. It remains to be seen if this show will echo others like Minami Kamakura and Bakuon and go really into the mechanical aspect of sidecar racing. However, this show is a surprisingly emotionally-based piece where emotions are expressed on the race course - and I'm interested in more.

[ORIG] Animegataris (MAL) Minoa is our orange-haired, ahoge-sporting protag, called out by the school princess Kamiigusa to talk about anime, of all things. Go figure. Coming off the trash that was Gamers last season, the blonde perfect girl actually being a huge nerd is already tiring. Minoa is looking for the name of an anime that moved her as a kid, and to do it suggests to get the anime club back in action, then promptly gets roped into leading it. Her endless optimism isn't original but it's always refreshing, and the use of anime to let Minoa see "more of Kamiigusa's faces" is a bit better than just having the red face of a normally "perfect" girl besmirched by the recognition she likes anime. Also there's a huge-headed cat and a somehow magical beret, which came out of the blue just a bit. We get a sneak peak of the future members, ranging across all archetypes and social cliques, and then the magical beret comes back and the cat now talks. Interested to see where the hell any of that goes, but if this stays more comedy and less Gamers romance-misunderstanding bullshit, I'll be satisfied. Also, both the OP and ED (especially the OP - GARNiDELiA is so good) are great. Some very strange plot choices, especially worrying in an original work, but if they pay off this will be enjoyable. Let's just hope they do.

Mahoutsukai no Yome (MAL) Backing off the slice of life, Mahoutsukai imagines a modern day world intertwined with fantasy - beastmen, magic, and the few humans who can see it - one of them being Chise Hatori, ostracized for her power until she is bought at an auction by a legendary mage, Elias, who aims to make her his apprentice. Chise is actually a "Sleigh Beggy," a rare being that attracts "faries and mysteries," whatever that will eventually entail. Mahoutsukai thus far gives off a kind of Uchouten Kazoku vibe as Chise moves into Elias' tranquil house. An ostensibly normal-looking environment inhabited by mystical beings, and a duality of calmness and turbulent themes below echo Uchouten's politics. The juxtaposition of the forcible buying of Chise versus the welcoming environment she is brought in creates an interesting dynamic that I'm interested in seeing played out. The animation is beautiful, and the small switches to a more chibi style aren't disruptive in the least. Aside from some confusion about the initial setup of the world, if this show becomes a magical slice-of-life with even a fraction of the heart of Uchouten, I'm in.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (MAL) Two girls in old-school fatigues, cruising around a cold, apocalyptic, industrial wasteland. Sounds cool to me. Chito is the collected, tired foil to Yuuri's galavanting, charismatic self. The animation is a bit divergent, in that while the landscapes are detailed in their greyness, the art of the two girls echoes something like Hidamari in its style. While initially strange, it didn't become anything more than just "noticeable." The muscial backdrop is a flowing, airy tone that fits well with the girls having fun praticing shooting or walking around looking for supplies.The music and the attitudes of Chi and Yuu create an atmosphere to the point that doesn't feel like a depressing, sober look at war. Seeing it through the eyes of two children also puts the concepts of war and conflict in eerily simple terms, providing a new look at a concept done to death, so to speak. There's a strangely relaxed feel despite the landscape and color scheme. It remains to be seen if this will go the route of Made in Abyss, especially with an out of place scene at the end of the episode, but while MiA was fucking phenomenal, I could do with less bawling two seasons in a row. This is a strange one, but the simple story of Chi and Yuu trudging across the snowy landscape is appealing.

Konohana Kitan (MAL) Cute fox girls working at a traditional Japanese hot spring hotel? I'm in. Yuzu is the nervous newbie, Kiri is the charismatic head attendant, Natsume is spunky and atheletic, Satsuki is responsible to a fault, Ren is the doll-like one whose personality doesn't match her cute exterior, and there's the diminutive, quiet Sakura. The personalities of the girls are varied and interplay nicely, and I look forward to seeing how Yuzu fits in. Moreover, the art is fantastic. The character designs echo perfectly the individual personalities, and the landscapes of cherry blossoms are stunning. I personally love the traditional Japanese aesthetic the inn and surrounding town embody, and it obviously fits well with the fact that the girls are all kitsunes. Konohana seems to me like a slightly less energetic/comedic Urara Meirochou, which is a good thing. The aesthetic is great, the girls are cute - this is a show for healing, and I need it.

Blend-S (MAL) Maika, a perpetual job hunter with her naturally scary eyes, finds her home at a cafe where all the waitresses are archetypes, as the sadistic one. Blend-S is almost like a more overt version of the varied personalities in Working!, with all comedy and less romance. I quite like the juxtaposition of the girls' normal personalities when talking to each other and their work personalities (especially when the line blurs). While usually its a cute girl who's actually evil or something and used as boring shock value, being the point of the show pivots the concept into a new way I enjoy. Even moreso, Maika especially has plenty of quirks that bely her role as the "normal" main character. The art is clean and sharp, and the girls have great character designs - I really like the facial designs. The OP, by the VAs (which is always a plus), is fantastic both in design and music, and compliments the more relaxed ED (which is also by the VAs). Overall, this show is friendly and the girls are cute. Sounds good to me.

Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken (MAL) Adaptations with stock character protagonists and plenty of overt fanservice.  Yay. I'm amazed this isn't from an LN, because it is exactly that kind of show. Shobitch begins with our MC Shinozaki confessing to Kosaka, which she accepts. Then she learns "how to be a good girlfriend," which far more often than not involves plenty of fanservice. Also, despite him having a girlfriend, there's a whole variety of other girls interested in him - the childhood friend and imouto get ticked off the list int he first six minutes. On the bright side, the art is great. Character designs aside from the protag are varied and well-drawn. Kosaka's earnestness with which she wants to be a good girlfriend is endearing in itself, but the 100% focus on sexual themes is just a bit tiring. Sort of like how Kuzu no Honkai went from seriously emotional to reducing any character motivation to "the only way I can be loved is physically." Regardless, you know exactly what you're getting into with a title like this show. There are some genuine emotional moments, but they are few and very far between. Otherwise, Shobitch is a well-drawn yet bland ecchi definitely-not-LN adaptation.

Inuyashiki (MAL) Last but not least, adding to the limited action slate I'm watching this season, we have Inuyashiki. Inuyashiki is, for lack of a better term, strange. It begins with nearly all CG, but then transitions to a mix of normal animation and CG for the rest of the episode. The first half of episode one is one of the most solemn, depressing sequences I've seen, and that's blown away by a whirlwind of aliens, body-swapping, and mechanical bodies. While the tonal shift is quite jarring, the change wasn't anything completely incomprehensible. The problem will be where this will go, now that Ichiro, our man with months to live, is now equipped with alien technology. I'm hoping that within the mix of action there will be a sense that Ichiro, now unshackled by sickness, can make concrete steps to make his life better. While the action shots were nice-looking, and the CG actually doesn't look half bad, with how emotionally powerful the first half of episode one is I want to see more of that as well. Either way, Inuyashiki has my attention, and I'm eager to see where Ichiro goes.

[theky2aqw-blog]

Dies Irae - Me vs AnimeFeminist

Hey Sorry for the wait. I was watching Dies Irae and thought should I need to go for the funniest thing to exist by searching a triggered feminazi/sjw talking an article about Dies Irae.

But Before that

wow I am quite getting good with this huh?

Dies Irae is an anime adaptation of the Visual Novel with the same name. It contains themes of Nazis, Magic, Immortals, Witches, and Harem because why not.

We will be focusing on Episode 00, the Episode designed for VN viewers to relate with the anime, which highly focuses on the Theresia(Rea) route without the Hentai parts and combines some moments for Marie, Kasumi, and Kei routes. Sadly it removes the interesting bits of Rusalka and her slight romantic and really well defined sexual interest for him in the Theresia(Rea) route.

So what is episode 0 all about?

Episode 0 is actually talking the times of the start of 1939 Germany where the Villain Reinhard Heydrich has a secret meeting with the Obsidian Round Table. Of course the interesting bits of how the Nazi officers were debating and talking back and forth on things they are interested in talking about. And it also slowly ends with the current day Japan where episode 1 will begin.

So what is with AnimeFeminist I mean FemiNazi,

well they are fully triggered over everything especially the depiction of Nazis in Anime, so why not dissect it and the funny claims in their article. so yeah I loved mocking this article to death. Time for us to go with the debunking part. (Yay another reason for me to kill my sanity once more):

1. “ Under normal circumstances, it would be hard to choose the worst part of Dies Irae. The show is a Kickstarted adaption of a 2007 visual novel that’s notorious for originally being released unfinished, among other… qualities. This episode technically wasn’t the start of the story, but a prologue “Episode 0,” serving to set up the villains before the main story begins. ”

- Unfinished? Prologue? What? 

- It was unfinished in its early days and that is thanks to both Sony and Nintendo not really giving them the liberty to do so and that the project was already at its deadline making delays and unfinished content.

- It did finish it all after the release of the first part of the series by extensions and additional content packs for play station gamers to play it and also the PC ports was Japan exclusive so it took many years untiil reached the West. Also its not a prologue just a part of the VN itself.

2. “ this episode was about Nazis. Not “serial numbers filed off,” Marvel’s Hydra-style pseudo-Nazis, but actual, factual Nazis. Sure, the swastika on their armbands is replaced with a vague, meaningless fantasy symbol, but that doesn’t do much to cancel out that this episode focuses on real historical figure Reinhard Heydrich. Yes, that blue-eyed, blond-haired bishounen that background characters call an “example of the master race” (shudder) ”

-At least you made some clarifications in your 2017 article, but still funny how you get easily triggered by this

-Yeah it focuses on the old medieval man named Karl Kraft(before becoming Heydrich) in his time in Germany as one of the generals for Hitler, and the fact that nobody cares if they are nazis or what.

- and Master race? yeah you get afraid when it is said because it clearly talks about people like you who act like actual facists without realizing it.

3. “In the year 2017, with fascism rising at alarming rates worldwide, someone decided it would be cool to make an anime with a bishie-fied fantasy version of the man who systematically murdered tens of millions of people. Heydrich is one of history’s greatest monsters and his atrocities are still in living memory and they made an anime focusing on him and making him look cool. I don’t give a fuck if he’s a bad guy. It’s frankly irresponsible these days depicting Nazis as anything but repugnant.

I’m actually shaking a little as I type this.”

-I am going to laugh, well I did, laugh so badly when I read this part. You are so triggered that you have to type it on the keyboard.

-And who caused Fascism rise anyways, well its puritans like you who did it in the first place. Obviously when you act like your opponent in every manner, you will end up being the enemy outside of your delusion.

-Irresponsible? When how and where? Tell me the details, I love to hear what is it all about. They did not make him look cool, its just Heydrich being Heydrich.

- also why is it repugnant to talk or make something about the nazis when you yourself act like the very nazi you hate. Hello not everyone thinks nazis are completely evil.

4. “ Dies Irae could have the most gorgeous animation (it doesn’t), witty writing (it doesn’t), and likable supporting cast (it doesn’t) full of empowered women (they aren’t), and it wouldn’t matter because they’re fucking nazis. ”

- Your sarcasm ends here huh? ok just because they are Nazis, you really get super triggered that you made an article about it. Hahahahaha even I can make something more sarcastic things without the need to put open close tenses just to say they aren’t. duh.

5. The animation is thoroughly blah. The character designs are bland and the movement is jerky and limited, even in the action scenes. It doesn’t help that most of the episode takes place at night, so everything is muddy.

- Muddy or Moody? also I do have to slightly agree with you that the animation is not really the best but at the same time it does the job it wants to propose.

6. “I have only the vaguest sense of what happened. There was a lot of jumping from one weirdo to another without any sense of transition. The episode concluded with Heydrich making a long speech about how bored he was with everything, with incoherent writing that could only come from a visual novel. The flow of the episode seemed mostly about quickly introducing a big group of characters designed to make the VN fans point and say, “Hey, I know that guy!””

-well the episode just follows what the VN did, so what else does it says.

Now comes the funny part. Brace your seats before you lose your sides from the very words the writer has to say about it.

7. “ One of the Nazis goes on a violent rant about how an androgynous character is “disgusting” for not clearly presenting as a man or a woman, which is going to be flat-out triggering for some viewers. ”

-Ku- Kuhahahahahahaha......I lost myself laughing at this. Why would anyone be triggered because androgynous characters are disgusting except when you are offended this badly. Some Viewers? Maybe just you and your fellow mental patients. Hahahahaha

8. “The female characters might, under different circumstances, be interesting… too bad they’re fucking Nazis.”

- Here we go with the Nazis and shit thing again. This is the funniest thing I had read for my entire life coming from you. Kuhahahahaha! At least you admit Rusalka and the other females were interesting. But Noooooo, because Nazis.

9. “ There’s nothing good about Dies Irae. I can’t even recommend it in good conscience for a hatewatch because of the shocking insensitivity toward historical figures and events. Throw Dies Irae in the dumpster and find a better trashy action-spectacle series to watch this season. ”

- Thanks for throwing good trash to us. Because you are only a pansy who can’t understand others

ok now for the comment that I laughed the most

10. “ Are the Japanese just flat out ignorant as a culture about Nazi's? Considering their country was allied with them during the war and had their own issues with how they treated fellow east countries I really can't understand why anyone let along a publishing company would think a series about damn Nazi's is a good idea. The only reason I can fanthom any admiration a Japanese person could have for them is their own issues with what's a "true scotsman" or maintaining the myth that theyre a ethnically monolitic country. (including but not limited to Unit 731 where they straight up tortured POW's and civilians in some of the most disgusting ways imaginable). ”

-first probably since almost every nation outside the west talks about Nazism that much. So generally every Asian has little to no Knowledge about the Nazis and also they are not insensitive it is just that you westerners are too sensitive about that topic. well if we do not include the Koreans and Chinese who hated Japan the most.

-Yeah because Nazis are interesting to look at and think about you american thot.

well looks like I might end up making myself pissed off on how much they do not understand the world they live in and the fact that they go full on racists when the topic is about Nazis and nations that has some positive outlook on them.

Well I will let you all watch the anime, its fun to watch and sometimes boring. But hey at least we get to know some interesting things that they will never know.

[rieshon]

Summer 2017 Power Rankings

These power rankings are pretty late so I'm going to kind of half-ass them.

1 NEW GAME!!: I loved the original NEW GAME! of course but this new series really cements it as one of my favorite cute girls series. It's not just that the girls are cute, but it even has real character development and an interesting story that nevertheless doesn't cross the line into distracting from the cuteness of the girls. Basically what I'm saying is any cute girls doing cute things anime that makes me cry at the end is going to end up being my anime of the season. ★★★★★

2 Kakegurui: So it had a non-ending, but Kakegurui was the sequel to Akagi I never knew I wanted: the one where Akagi is a hot babe with huge tiddies who is sexually excited by gambling. Great production values, compelling gambles, and Hayamin as Jabami Yumeko is easily one of the best performances of the year. ★★★★☆

3 Mahoujin Guruguru: Kukuri is angel! The humor in this show sometimes vacillates between "riotously hilarious" and "fart jokes" but when it's on, it's on. It's full of great homages to classic RPG tropes, without ever being cloying in that "hey, you guys remember that?" way. But most importantly, Kukuri is angel. ★★★★☆

4 Princess Principal: The ending was pretty lame, yes, and I ended up docking the show a star for it, but everything leading up to it was so enjoyable that I still have to give the show a lot of credit. The look and aesthetic of the series is fantastic and some of the individual episodes are wonderfully crafted standalone stories, even if the show's overarching plot turns out to be kind of dumb. I don't think I'll ever forget the cute workers' co-op episode. Also can't forget about those amazing Kuroboshi Kouhaku character designs. Dorothy is the best girl. A second season is practically confirmed, so it'll be interesting to see if they can do something more interesting with the political stuff going forward. ★★★☆☆

5 Tsurezure Children: I feel like this show kind of flew under the radar, but for me it was one of the cutest things I saw all year. Adorkable couples get up to adorkable shenanigans and it's great. I just wish it had had more of delinquent Ayaneru, but really all the girls here are great. ★★★☆☆

6 Aho Girl: It's what it says on the tin. A show about a stupid girl. Yuuki Aoi is a joy as the titular aho, screaming her head off like a moron in the best possible way. A few of the vignettes fell flat, but the show moves long fast enough (and is only half length at any rate) that it never overstays its welcome. I think as a full length series this show might have been kind of tiring with Yoshiko's constant screaming; the 12 minute format works perfectly here. ★★★☆☆

7 Hinalogi ~from Luck & Logic~: Luck & Logic was one of the worst shows I watched in Winter 2016, so imagine my surprise when the spinoff sequel turned out to be this good. Douga Koubou doing a sci-fi action series never really sat right, so they decided to stop doing that shit and make a cute girls doing cute things anime instead, and if anyone can make those it's Douga Koubros. It's not in that top tier of cute girl anime, but it's definitely solid, with some good humor along the way. ★★★☆☆

8 Made in Abyss: This show also started strong and fucked up at the end like some of the shows above, but Made in Abyss gets penalized harder because what it did wasn't just incompetent, it was also offensive. Sorry guys, but I don't sign up for anime with cute girls in them to watch the cute girls get tortured. It's saved from falling further because Nanachi's character is so great (helped along by Izawa Shiori's wonderful performance) and some of the Meaty storyline got me right in the feels. It's still a shame, though, because after two or three episodes this show really seemed like an anime of the year contender. ★★★☆☆

9 Fate/Apocrypha: What can I say, I'm a sucker for Fateservice. You got people summoning servants, command spells being used, that now-trademark "DONG" sound that polearms always make in these Fate anime... There's definitely a lot to enjoy here for the right kind of viewer. Obviously the production values aren't on the level of a ufotable Type-Moon production, but the action sequences are fun enough, and with a cast of characters this broad there's bound to be someone you'll like. Astolfo-kyun is angel! ★★☆☆☆

10 Gamers!: For a show called Gamers!, there really isnt a whole lot of Gaming! that goes on. It's really just love polygon romantic comedy shenanigans, which I like well enough, but I can see why some people would feel betrayed by this turn of events. It had me laughing pretty heartily at times so I can scarcely complain; unfortunately something I can complain about is that the show gets dangerously close to QUALITY towards the end. Also, the final episode of the series where they decide to talk about games after all and Aguri just complains about microtransactions the whole time is great. ★★☆☆☆

11 Tenshi no 3P!: Sadly this will not be filling any Mokkan-shaped holes in my heart any time soon. It just doesn't have the spark that Ro-Kyu-Bu! had, and the high school girl ended up being my favorite character anyway. It doesn't help that the plot gets genuinely stupid in the second half, when our hero threatens to call the police on one of his friends stealing a few guitar picks from the lolis... and that's not even the half of it. Cute character designs and Saku-nee's angelicness gives this show something to enjoy, at least, but it's no RKB. ★☆☆☆☆

12 Hajimete no Gyaru: You know I love me some gyaru, but it's harder to enjoy them when they're QUALITY. Hajigyaru has its moments but is mostly just mediocre, even with Kitaeri as a blonde lesbian gyaru. You'd think that sounds like a recipe for AOTS, but it never goes anywhere. Unlike some people, I did actually enjoy the antics with the protagonist's moron friends, though; they seemed like just the right level of stupid and offensive for a show that's about gyaru tiddies.  ★☆☆☆☆

13 Senkizesshou Symphogear AXZ: I really wish Symphogear was good. In theory it has everything I like: cute girls doing cool things, yuri, a great voice cast, copious Elements Garden music, over-the-top sci-fi weapons... Too bad the writing is just atrocious. I never cared about anything that was going on at any point in this series. They also keep killing off all the new characters that might give me something new to enjoy about these sequels. At least we got to hear Genjuurou yell GUNGNIR DA TO!?! again. ☆☆☆☆☆