#AND THE KITTY POSE TOO I mean both versions of the cat are so cute and perfect and I can’t get over the eyes in the second one LMAO ♥️♥️♥️ | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ryqoshay · 3 years

Text

Happy Life: Cat Café

Primary Pairing: YohaRiko Words: ~2.7k Rating: G AU: Angelic? Time Frame: Early February of Riko’s 2nd year and Yoshiko’s 1st year of high school Story Arc: Stand Alone

----------

Author’s Note: 2020 was a bit of a blur for me, so I’m not sure why I decided to start writing this scene well after Valentine’s and after I had already posted a YohaRiko Vday scene earlier in the year. And yet, despite confirming on Sukutomo that the cards that inspired this scene were released in 2020, it feels like I’ve been writing this since 2019. Probably doesn’t help that 2019 was also a blur for me as well...

----------

“Welcome, Aqours!” The café owner greeted with arms open wide.

“Thank you for having us.” Dia replied with a bow.

“Th-Thank you…” Ruby also bowed next to her sister.

“Please take care of us.” You followed suit.

Chika, Kanan and Riko were about to offer greetings of their own when they were interrupted.

“Mirai, zura!” Hanamaru marveled, eyes wide as she took in the scene before her.

“<Shiny!>” Mari exclaimed, grabbing a themed cat toy with a sparkling pink heart near the end. Immediately, she began dangling it in front of a cat on a nearby platform.

“Ku ku ku” Yoshiko chuckled. “The fallen angel Yohane needs not such trinkets to attract a new familiar!” She pointed to a cat with leopard spots. “Tepēyōllōtl! Yohane summons thee to her side!”

For its part, the cat continued on its way past the group with nary a glance toward the blue-haired first-year.

“Cait Sidhe!” She tried again with a white bellied black cat. “Thou shall make a fine familiar for Yohane!”

To her credit, at least this time, the feline in question turned its head at the call but made no move to approach.

“Tepe-whatsit?” Hanamaru inquired. “Kite Shee? What kind of strange names are you trying to give them?”

“No stranger than Laelaps…” Riko murmured under her breath.

“Sorry for that.” Dia apologized to the owner.

“Don’t worry about it.” The owner chuckled at the continuing antics. “Many of the cats here actually don’t have names yet.” She explained. “If you girls can get them to respond to some you might come up with, we will certainly consider them.”

Several of the gathered school idols gave their affirmations.

“So, if you’ll follow me” the owner continued “we’ve set up a changing area in one of our private rooms. The photography company has already placed your outfits in each section.”

And yet another Valentine’s Day theme. Riko thought to herself as she followed her fellow second years to the mentioned room. There, she found her area as designated by a small handwritten sign. She pushed back the sheet to enter and found a pair of costumes.

So we’re doing idolized versions as well this time. She continued to muse to herself as she changed into the one that seemed more appropriate of a normal café employee, the one not decked out with lace and ribbons and extra accessories. Despite this not being for the idol magazine…

In fact, though they were utilizing the same publishing company to take the pictures and assist with costuming, this photoshoot was instead being sponsored by the café itself. The pictures were to be used for advertising and celebrating their grand opening. So, in that light, perhaps it wasn’t just another Valentine’s set. And the outfits were quite cute.

“Alright,” The head photographer said as the girls began to exit their changing booths “if I could have Kunikida-san, Kurosawa-san and Tsushima-san follow me to the kitchen.”

“You mean me, right?” Ruby asked, pointing to herself.

The woman checked her list. “Ah yes, that’s right, sorry for not being clear.”

“The kitchen?” Yoshiko inquired. “Are we not taking pictures with the kitties?” There was no mistaking the disappointment in her voice.

“We want to get a few pictures of everyone performing duties of the café as well.” The photographer explained.

“Yoshiko-chan just wants to play with the cats.” Hanamaru teased.

“Of course!” Yoshiko rebuked as she reluctantly followed the others. “They’re all so adorable and deserve all of the attention and affection we can give them. And I intend to do my fair share.”

“Probably more than your fair share.”

Whatever Yoshiko said in reply was cut off by the door closing behind the group heading to the kitchen.

Riko felt a small smile turn her lips as she realized that the younger girl cared far more about the animals than the photoshoot. Not that this came as any surprise to her, based on the behavior she had observed with Anko, but she couldn’t deny that she saw an endearing quality to it all.

----------

The grey cat sniffed the collar in Riko’s hand once before stepping closer. Gently, Riko slid the faux leather band around the cat’s neck and secured it. She then leaned back to admire the accessory and decided she’d made the right choice. Pink worked well with grey.

Riko smiled as the cat climbed up into her lap then giggled as she continued to climb and stretch up to lick her cheek.

“Perfect.” The photographer spoke up. “I think that might be the shot.” Though saying as much, he continued to snap more pictures in case an even better one presented itself.

Suddenly the cat’s ears perked up and her head snapped around to the side. Riko followed her gaze and after a moment was barely able to pick up a tiny, plaintive mewl.

“Sorry, sorry, Bastet!” Yoshiko’s voice followed. “I didn’t mean to sca-kyaa!”

Riko flinched as a thump sounded and the whole structure of a nearby tower bumped up, disturbing the half dozen cats perched upon it. Due to the commotion caused by the younger girl, Riko barely noticed that the grey cat had leaped out of her lap and made a beeline for where Yoshiko was now backing out from under the structure.

“I’ll leave this here for you for when you decide to come out, alright?” Yoshiko said gently before pulling herself out completely. “Hear that, Kankyo, Nunogire?” She directed her attention to the two cats who had not fled the tower. “That treat is for Bastet. But you can have… oh, hey there.” Her gaze shifted once again, this time to the grey cat who had arrived at her side and seemed to be staring daggers at her.

“Seems you met the shiest of our new arrivals.” A nearby staff member commented. “And earned the ire of another.”

“Who, her?” Yoshiko questioned as she let the grey cat sniff her finger before petting her. “Seems Anhur is just a little protective of the little baby, nothing to wrong with that.”

Anhur? Riko’s knowledge of the Egyptian pantheon was not the greatest, but she was fairly certain Anhur was the brother of Bastet, not her sister.

“They’re both quite protective of her.”

“Both?” Yoshiko asked.

The young woman glanced around for a moment before saying, “Oh, here he comes.” Sure enough, a golden chinchilla cat came trotting around the corner. “We took all three in at the same time and they bonded almost immediately.”

“Such a good big brother, Horus.” Yoshiko grinned as she reached over to introduce herself to the newly arrived cat. “Sorry I scared your little Bastet, I was actually just trying to follow Kankyo.”

“You’re still trying to give them names?” Riko inquired, moving over to the grey cat she had been working with earlier.

“They’re all too cute to not have equally cute names to refer to them with.” Yoshiko replied in a tone similar to the one Riko remembered her using when fawning over Nocturne. “Isn’t that right, Anhur?” She scratched under the grey cat’s chin before giggling as the golden cat refused to be left out and began petting himself on her free hand.

Did naming cats after Egyptian gods count as cute? Well, Bastet made sense as she was feline in nature, but the others…

“Cute collar, by the way.” Yoshiko commented, offering a treat to the grey cat… Anhur, apparently.

“I thought it would look good on her.”

“You have good taste.”

Riko was about to thank the other girl for the praise when she noticed something. “Say, those don’t look like the treats we were given, where did you get them?”

“Oh…” Yoshiko chuckled a bit abashedly. “Yeah, I ran out a while ago, and even went through a second bag they gave me… so I bought more.”

“You’re on your third bag already?”

“I can’t help it!” Yoshiko admitted. “They’re all such good kitties! And even Tepe and Sidhe wouldn’t ignore me when there were tasty treats to be had. And head pats, of course. And lots of scratchies and belly rubs.” She seemed rather proud of the last part.

Riko smiled. The younger girl certainly was enjoying herself. And was displaying a rather rare side of her personality; her grandiose entrance and continued use of strange names notwithstanding, Yoshiko seemed to have all but forgotten her fallen angel persona. She hadn’t even used her strange nickname for Riko, despite Riko deciding to allow it just the other day, for the time being, at least. Yoshiko may have still used Hanamaru’s nickname though, at some point.

“Well, if you run through that bag, I’ll let you use some of mine.” Riko offered after a moment.

“Thanks, but those are yours.” Yoshiko shook her head. “Far be it for me to deprive you of your own bonding experience with these adorable purr boxes.”

“You seem to be bonding quite well with them.”

“The treats help.”

I believe it’s more than just the food. Riko thought to herself as the other girl turned to offer a few niblets to another cat.

Riko looked up to see some of the other girls heading back to the changing room. “I think it’s time for the second round.” She said to Yoshiko.

“Alright,” Yoshiko nodded as she inspected her stash of treats. “I’ll join you guys in a minute.” She upended the bag into her palm and started distributing the remaining pieces among the cats gathered around her.

----------

“We should probably get a few shots of your iconic poses.” The photographer said. “Your fans always comment on them when we put them to print.”

“Very well.” Yoshiko nodded. “If that is what my little demons demand, Yohane shall accommodate.”

Riko glanced over from where she was posing for her own shots. Was that the first time Yoshiko had mentioned her fallen angel name since the group had arrived? And she hadn’t even dropped her voice to do so? Strange.

“Good, that will… oh?” Despite expressing her surprise, the woman’s fingers did not stop pressing the shutter button and continued to capture the scene in front of her.

“Eh?” Yoshiko glanced down. “Bastet?”

So that was the kitten Yoshiko had been so intent on befriending earlier. Riko watched with amusement as the small cat jumped and batted at the large ribbon streaming from the back of Yoshiko’s outfit. Of course Yoshiko would pursue a black cat.

“I think that’s the best one yet.” The photographer commented, checking the screen on her device. “I’ll let you two be.” She added before turning away.

Yoshiko laughed merrily and pulled at the ribbon to move it more for the cat playing with it. “But of course!” She replied, not seeming to notice the photographer was already leaving. “Any shot with a kitty as cute as Bastet in it is going to be the best.” She knelt to pet the cat who rolled onto her back to paw at the hand rubbing her belly.

“I must say, I’m impressed.” A staff member said as he paused to watch. “I’ve never seen that one out of hiding, especially without the other two nearby.”

“She just wanted to play.” Yoshiko barely looked up at the young man. “Although, you’re right.” She glanced around for a moment. “Ne, Bastet, shall we go find Anhur and Horus?”

As if understanding the question, Bastet jumped up towards her. Yoshiko didn’t appear to have been ready, but managed to catch the cat anyway, throwing herself off balance in the process. She quickly righted herself and laughed while cradling the kitten in her arms.

“Sakurauchi-san, if you could pose something like this?” The young woman working with Riko held her arms up with hands mimicking cat paws.

“Eh?” Riko turned her attention back to her own photo session. “Sorry, urhm…” that pose is kind of embarrassing… “will this do?”

“Perfect.”

----------

“Oh, is that the time?” You asked, looking at her phone. “Geez, I really need to head out.”

“I’ll go with you, You-chan.” Chika said. “You coming too, Riko-chan?”

“Uhm, one moment.” The redhead surveyed those around her. “Do we have everyone?”

The photoshoot had come to an end and the crew had already packed up and left. The girls had changed back into their street clothes before accepting an invitation to stay for a light snack provided by the café. But now things were winding down and everyone was looking to head home for dinner or to study or whatever other plans they had for the evening.

“We’re missing Yoshiko-chan.” Ruby pointed out.

“I don’t think she left our table.” Hanamaru chimed in.

Sure enough, as Riko scanned the area they had left a few minutes ago, there remained a blue-haired girl still lounging on the booth bench. Riko sighed and made her way back.

“We’re all heading out, Yoshiko-chan.” She said as she approached.

“This place is surely heaven on earth.” Yoshiko sighed contently as she closed her eyes and leaned back.

Wait for it… … What? That was it? Nothing about angels or demons or…?

Yoshiko’s smile grew as Bastet wrapped her front paws around her arm and nuzzled into the crook of her elbow. Anhur, Horus, Sidhe, Tepe, Kankyo, Nunogire and several others Riko couldn’t remember, but likely had received strange names, surrounded Yoshiko; on her lap, at her side and even across the top of the bench behind her head. Their combined purring could be heard from halfway across the room.

“I think this place broke Yoshiko-chan…” Hanamaru mused as she caught up.

Or fixed her, Riko thought to herself, this is the most at ease I’ve ever seen her. And she looks pretty cute sitting there, surrounded by cats and apparently about to fall asleep. She may very well have found her heaven here on Earth.

“I think…” Riko started “I might stay for a little while longer as well.”

“You sure?” Chika asked. “We could just wake her up.”

Riko shook her head. “I think we should let her rest. She had a busy afternoon.”

“Yoshiko-chan did have the most fun today, I think.” Ruby pointed out.

“Anyway,” Riko continued “I don’t want her to wake up and think we all abandoned her. And I don’t have anything in particular planned tonight anyway.”

“Oh, alright.” Chika shrugged. “You-chan, wait up!” She scurried away to chase the departing ash-haired girl.

As the rest of the girls said their goodbyes, Riko took a seat on the bench next to Yoshiko. Or, at least as next to her as allowed by the gathered cats.

“Care to order anything while you wait for your friend to wake up?” A menu entered Riko’s field of vision. “You girls worked hard today, so feel free to pick out whatever you want.”

Riko looked up to see the smiling face of the café owner. “Thank you, but you already gave us a snack a little while ago.”

“True, but I have a feeling you two might be here a little while.” The woman nodded her chin towards Yoshiko.

“Right, uhm… do you mind if I get something for Yoshiko-chan as well?”

“Of course, if you see something she might like.”

Riko scanned the menu, easily settling on a sandwich that looked good. And something for… her eyes found chocolate covered strawberries. Perfect. She placed her order.

“Just a dessert for her?” The owner inquired.

“She can have half of my sandwich if she wants, in exchange for some of her strawberries.”

“Very well, we’ll bring that right out.”

“Thank you.”

Riko smiled as she glanced over at the sleeping girl beside her, surrounded by a purring mass of fur. There was no denying this side of Yoshiko was incredibly adorable.

Riko pulled her tablet out of her bag, set it up on the table and continued her work on the new song on which she and Chika were working. A few minutes later, a server came by to drop off the food she had ordered. Riko swapped half of each item onto the other plate and slid one closer to Yoshiko’s side.

Though the official holiday was still a little ways off, Riko couldn’t help saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Yoshiko-chan.” before returning to her work.

----------

Author’s Note Continued in Followup Post

#YohaRiko #YoshiRiko #Sakurauchi Riko #Tsushima Yohane #Love Live Sunshine #Happy Life #fanfic #Tsushima Yoshiko #Happy Valentine's Day!

8 notes · View notes

flightfoot · 4 years

Text

Divergent Points - Reflekdoll

AO3/FFN

Thanks to @galahadwilder for idea bouncing!

Oh yeah, this is a bit late, but I figure @alya-appreciation-week might appreciate this with the Kwami Swap. Because Ladybug!Alya and Black Cat!Nino are awesome.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alya grinned. Marinette may no longer need help finding opportunities to hang out with Adrien (as Chat Noir at least), nor to push her to get closer to him, but still, any opportunity that Marinette and Adrien had to really spend time with each other as civilians was something to treasure. And getting to participate in a group activity? Even better.

Adrien and Marinette talking with each other about fashion, giving tips, making jokes, really just having a conversation without any stress or anxiety? Not something she’d have thought was possible even a month ago. Finding out that Adrien was Chat Noir really let her relax around him.

Of course the rest of the class had noticed, and many of them were suspicious, but they’d deflected it as best they could. They’d considered telling the rest of the class about Marinette and Adrien dating, but had eventually decided against it. Most of them would be thrilled, but between Chloe potentially lashing out at Marinette if she discovered that Adrien had fallen for her and the ambiguous threat that Lila represented? It wasn’t worth it.

Time to film the main model!

She turned her phone from Adrien and Marinette towards Juleka. She wasn’t filming yet, but if there was one thing she’d learned from running the Ladyblog, it was to always be ready to press that record button.

“How about a little smile for the camera, Juleka?”

Juleka looked up, mumbling something quietly, barely coherently. It sounded like “I don’t think this is such a good idea guys?” With the way her words were blending together, it was hard to tell.

Juleka had been the one to put herself forward as a model earlier, but now she seemed weirdly freaked out. But this wasn’t like Marinette’s freak outs. Those tended to be a lot louder and more obvious, and a lot easier to pinpoint the cause of (Adrien. Almost always Adrien).

By contrast, Juleka seemed a lot more restrained, but in a way that was even more worrying. With Marinette she knew what was going on. With Juleka, she just kinda appeared freaked out and barely responsive, looking down at the ground, eyes darting around, mumbling, and with not being able to hear her really well, she wasn’t even sure what the issue was, much less how to fix it.

Marinette walked over to Juleka, holding onto her shoulders and talking to her comfortingly. Alya relaxed slightly. She wasn’t sure what to do, but Marinette was pretty talented. Maybe she’d be able to help Juleka through… whatever was going on?

She frowned. Juleka was hyperventilating now, even with Marinette there with her.

Hm. 11:30. They didn’t have long before Adrien would have to leave to go have lunch with his father. Whatever they did, they’d have to do soon.

Marinette spoke soothingly to Juleka. “It was great of you to volunteer to model for me, but I can tell you’re not feeling that comfortable about it. Would you prefer if someone stood in for you? These are my designs, I really should model them myself…”

If someone stood in for-

Oh.

OH.

This was perfect!

Adrien was already a model, and Marinette’s designs were unisex, fitting both men and women and looking good on them too. And, naturally, she already had versions on hand that were the right size for both herself and Adrien. (Come on, like she WOULDN’T design clothes in her kitty’s size).

It would be perfect for showing off Marinette’s range for her website!

…Okay so the main reason was because she’d get some matching clothing couple pics out of it. So sue her, they were cute together.

She was still waiting for the day they would get their first hamster together. She wasn’t sure who would be most likely to die of cuteness overload first, Marinette when cooing over the hamster, Adrien for cooing over the hamster AND how cute Marinette was, or herself for cooing over the cuteness of all of them.

Oh who was she kidding, it would be Adrien. The boy was such a smitten kitten.

Wait, what was she thinking about?

Oh yeah. New models for the photoshoot!

“Of course! Awesome idea Marinette!”

Alya grabbed Marinette and yanked her over next to Adrien, positioning them close enough to both be in frame of a potential camera. “If we want to show off how truly awesome this design is for both boys and girls, it’d be best to have the photoshoot with both a girl and a guy! You in Adrien?”

He shrugged. “If it helps. Could be fun! A lot more interesting than my regular photoshoots at least.”

“Perfect! Give Marinette your suit Juleka.”

She didn’t wait for a response, already grabbing the hat off of Juleka’s head and pushing Marinette and Adrien towards two shades they’d set up for any outfit changes.

This was going to be SO. COOL. Even better than the original plan!

The two of them emerged minutes later. She wasn’t surprised that Adrien was so fast at changing, he certainly had enough experience. Marinette was a bit more of a surprise, but she was used to acting fast, so maybe it wasn’t TOO surprising. Plus she was intimately familiar with the outfit and the accessories, which probably helped with the changing speed.

They looked so awesome! With the simple dark blue shirt with black stripes, the outfits were well-suited for casual wear, but the pop of color from the red berets and the addition of the rings and clip-on earrings added some extra interest that took the outfits to the next level!

Wait… rings and earrings…

She glanced at Adrien’s hand and at Marinette’s ears. Both of them were wearing the accessories for the outfit rather than their Miraculous.

She pulled them aside quickly.

“Adrien? Marinette? Where are your Miraculous?”

They both looked slightly uncomfortable, patting their bags.

Ok. So they weren’t wearing them right now, but they were close by. This would be fine. It was only going to be for a little bit, less than an hour. Surely Hawkmoth wouldn’t attack during this tiny little window of time.

Right?

…Maybe she should call for back-up. You know, just in case.

She sent off a quick text to Nino, asking him to meet up with her and the others at Marinette’s house. If there was an emergency, she knew she could count on him.

“Ok, let’s do this quickly before Adrien has to go back.”

They tried a few different positions in the room, but unfortunately-

Alya frowned. “Marinette, I don’t think your room has the best lighting for this. It’s a little too dim.”

Hm. It would mean more of a delay, but- “Maybe we should go outside? It’ll be brighter out there, and the background will be more appealing. Plus there’ll be more room for different shots.”

Alya following Marinette’s gaze as she glanced over at Juleka. She looked better now – well at least she wasn’t hyperventilating or mumbling. Slightly downcast maybe? But at least she didn’t seem ready to collapse to the ground.

The group started heading downstairs. Well, all except for one.

Juleka shook her head. “I’d rather not come.”

Rose looked put-out. “What? Why not?”

Juleka turned away from everyone. “It’s nothing, I just…”

Alya frowned as she checked the time, missing the rest of what Juleka mumbled. “We’ve got to head out now if we’re gonna do this, we only have thirty minutes left!”

Marinette called up to Juleka, looking uncertain. “Well, if you’re sure. Feel free to make yourself at home, we’ll be back soon.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nino met up with them on the ground floor. Marinette living so close to Francois-Dupont definitely came in handy sometimes.

“What’s going on dudes?”

Alya smiled. Seeing Nino never failed to lift her spirits. “There’s been a change of plans, we’re heading outside for the photoshoot. You up for it?”

He blinked. “Sure. Where to?”

He looked around. “And where’s Juleka?”

“She said she wanted to stay behind.”

Nino frowned. “Is she okay?”

“She said it was nothing.”

Nino glanced up at the top floor, where Marinette’s bedroom – and Juleka – were, but didn’t say anything.

“We can talk to her later if you want,” Alya suggested, “but we’re on a time crunch here.”

Nino hesitated, seeming conflicted. Finally he gave in. “Ok, where’re we going? And how’re we getting there?”

Adrien perked up. “I can take care of that!”

A few moments later, they were all squeezed into the backseat of the Agreste family car. Or, well, one of them. Alya hadn’t exactly kept track. Surely they had a second one in case Gabriel needed to go somewhere?

…Then again, Gabriel almost never left the house.

Alya had… OPINIONS on Gabriel. Between what Adrien had told her and the others a few weeks ago during the Chameleon incident, and what she knew from personal experience… well, most of what she had to say about him couldn’t be spoken of in polite company.

At least Marinette’s family had practically adopted Chat Noir. Adrien had seemed a lot happier and well-assured these past three weeks. She wished that Adrien could just move in with them already, but Nathalie would probably notice that.

She bet that if it was just Gabriel they could manage it though. For a guy who never left home, he sure didn’t spend much time with his son. Though that might be a blessing in disguise.

At least Adrien had Gorilla when he was at the manor. The man wasn’t exactly talkative, but he clearly cared for Adrien and gave him more slack than anyone else did.

Speaking of which…

The car halted. It was fortunate the school, Marinette’s house, and the Eiffel Tower were so close together, or they wouldn’t have had a prayer of finishing this within the time frame.

It wasn’t long before they had everything set up for the shoot. Marinette and Adrien had a few nice poses – nothing too coupley sadly, they had to keep that on the down-low for now. But still really nice pics that showed off the clothes well.

Then the giant Reflekta doll robot stomped into view.

Well, crap.

“Hello, my friends,” she heard Juleka’s voice call out bitterly. “I’ve got something special for your video.”

…And there were the giant laser beams. Welp, typical Tuesday she guessed.

She was more concerned with what was going on with Juleka. She’d seemed a little off when they left, but badly enough to get akumatized?

A small nagging feeling built in her stomach. Juleka’d been freaking out and hyperventilating, she KNEW that, she’d just… well she didn’t know why or how to help, so she’d just… brushed it off. And Juleka had seemed a little downcast when they left, but she’d been so focused on her whole “get Adrien and Marinette in cute matching outfits” crusade, she’d just… brushed right past any niggling feeling she had that something was wrong.

“I’m sorry Juleka, I should’ve stayed with you!” Rose cried, looking distraught.

“I am not Juleka, I’m Reflekta.” The giant Reflekta-bot fired a laser at Rose, which she barely managed to dodge in time. “Everyone always forgot about Juleka anyway.”

The nagging feeling deepened into guilt. Because yes, Alya HAD forgotten about Juleka. She hadn’t meant to hurt her, hadn’t been malicious at all! She just… just hadn’t given her much thought.

Marinette, Adrien, and Nino may be her closest friends, but that didn’t mean that she should forget about her other friends when they needed help.

Glancing quickly around, she saw Marinette and Adrien quickly dash towards some concealed spots.

Perfect! They’d transform soon and-

OH DOUBLE CRAP.

SHE KNEW THEM TAKING OFF THEIR MIRACULOUS WAS A BAD IDEA.

Okay, okay, so Juleka had been transformed into Reflekta again, this time with a giant mech to help her, and Ladybug and Chat Noir couldn’t transform.

Well today was just peachy, wasn’t it?

Ok good. They were heading towards the car now.

Aaaaand the Reflekmech was turning around to face them.

Maybe she should just stop thinking optimistic thoughts. The universe wasn’t looking kindly on tempting fate today.

They dove behind the car.

“You stole my limelight, Marinette,” Reflekta snarled. “I was supposed to be the star of the photoshoot!”

No. Marinette didn’t do that.

She had.

She’d gotten an idea in her head about what she wanted to happen, and she’d brushed aside any obstacle to getting it done.

Obstacles including Juleka.

Heck, she’d taken the hat right off of Juleka’s head, barely even looking at her as she did it!

Alya’d always known she had a bit of a one-track mind, but seeing the negative results of that so clearly displayed…

How many other people had she accidentally hurt in her overeagerness?

“But- you told me you didn’t want to!” Marinette shouted at Reflekta, indignant.

“You didn’t let me explain,” Reflekta told Marinette. Then she blasted her with a Reflekt laser, turning her into a Reflekta clone.

How many times could Murphy’s Law activate over the course of two minutes? Because this was getting ridiculous.

“Ha! Maybe you’ll understand me better now that you’re in MY shoes!”

Honestly, if she thought it would help, Alya would stand in the way of a beam herself. She still didn’t quite understand what was going on with Juleka, but with the hints that she HAD gotten? She wanted to learn more. To figure out just what she’d done wrong, and how to do it right next time.

Adrien tried to open the trunk, to no avail. Of course not, like Gorilla would be incompetent enough to leave it unlocked. She guessed that Adrien hadn’t had to get a lot of things out of the trunk himself though, so it was understandable that he didn’t know.

Oh. And now the Reflekmech had picked up the car with the Miraculous, thrown it, and Reflekta’d Adrien. She supposed that might as well happen at this point.

This was so much less nervewracking back in the days when she had Ladybug and Chat Noir on pedestals as invincible superheroes, and didn’t realize that they were just kids like herself.

Ok. What could she do to help?

“Alya!” Nino shouted.

She startled. With how hard she was concentrating on Adrien and Marinette, along with thinking about her own role in this akumatization, she’d completely forgotten that she’d asked him to come just in case something like this happened.

He hurried over to her. “What do you think we should-“

A beam of light interrupted his sentence. Two seconds later, both of them were a lot more pink and in far less practical shoes than they were before.

Juuuuust great.

At least they kept their own voices. It’d be a nightmare telling people apart otherwise.

“For now? Run!”

She took him by the hand as they bolted, trying to help keep him moving without stumbling. She was decent at running in heels – they weren’t exactly her favorite kind of shoes to wear, but she had some experience at least. Nino had none.

Get away from akuma now, plan later. Maybe try to find the Miraculous and Adrien and Marinette? That was less of a “plan” and more of an “aspiration” though.

“Ladybug? Ladybug?” She heard a familiar voice call out faintly.

She froze, causing Nino to bump into her. “Why did you-“

She put her fingers to her lips, silencing him. Looking up, she scanned the sky.

A small red-and-black blur darted around.

“Tikki?” she called out, wanting to attract her attention, but no one else’s.

Hordes more people ran past her screaming.

…She probably didn’t need to worry about that too much, come to think of it. There was a bit of a distraction going on already.

Tikki flew over to them. “Alya?”

She nodded.

“Nino?” she asked, looking to her side.

He nodded as well.

“Where’s Plagg?” he asked.

“Still trying to find Chat Noir. I’ve been trying to find Ladybug, but…” her antenna drooped.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Alya told her, “I’m sure you’ll find her eventually.”

The bug kwami perked up, eyes widening.

Ooh. Alya knew that face. That was the ‘I’ve got a brilliant idea’ face.

“Alya, how would you feel about being Ladybug?”

Her?

Be Ladybug?

She’d be lying if she said it’d never crossed her mind. Heck, after finding out that Marinette had wanted her to be Ladybug, that she’d even tried to give her the Miraculous because she believed she’d be a better Ladybug than her? Alya’d daydreamed about it for weeks, what might have been.

Not that Alya was unhappy with the way things had turned out – Marinette was a BRILLIANT Ladybug, she doubted that anyone else could make use of it the way she did – but it made a girl wonder.

She reached out eagerly for the Miraculous… and hesitated.

Back when she’d first transformed into Rena Rouge, she’d nearly let her ambition and desire to be a superhero override the promise she’d made to Ladybug. Her promise won out, but it’d taken a little pushing from Trixx.

Was she making the same mistake, letting her desire to be Ladybug, something she’d dreamt of since the superhero had first appeared all those months ago, override what was right?

“…Are you sure?” she asked. “This whole mess was partly my fault to begin with. Whatever was going on with Juleka, I should’ve stayed and listened, but I got so caught up in my own idea for the photoshoot I just… sorta ignored her.”

Tikki smiled at her. “You made a mistake. That’s okay, Alya. Just apologize once we fix this and be a little more careful next time.”

She bit her lip. “Are you sure I can do this though? Ladybug’s always coming up with all these crazy plans. My mind doesn’t work the way hers does.”

The little bug flew up close to Alya. “Remember what she told you before? You might not be able to do things the way she does, but you can do them the way YOU do. I’ve had lots of different Ladybug, each one different. You can do this.”

“She’s right,” Nino spoke up. “You might not come up with the super complicated plans that Ladybug does, but you can do them your own way. You’ve got this.”

She smiled at Nino and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. It was a little weird with them both still being Reflekta clones, but they made it work.

Taking a deep breath, she held out her hand. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Tikki dropped the earrings into her hand. Automatically they turned from the spotted earrings she knew, to solid orange ones.

Ah. Camouflage mode at work. Not a huge surprise they were orange for her, since that was her favorite color.

She went to put them on… and paused.

“Uh… Tikki?” she said. “My ears aren’t pierced. Or Reflekta’s, for that matter.”

“No problem!” she said cheerfully. “Marinette’s aren’t either.”

RECORD SCREECH.

“WHAT?!”

“Shh!” Nino pushed Alya around the corner, trying to keep her out of sight.

A group of Reflekta’d people looked around, trying to find out where the shouting was coming from.

Luckily Reflekmech started stomping their way, so they booked it pretty hastily.

Yay for giant robots bearing down on them?

“The earrings magically pierce the wielder’s ears when you try to put them on, and unpierce them when you take them off,” Tikki hissed. “All the piercing Miraculous are like that.”

Seriously?

Wait…

“Other piercing Miraculous? There are MORE?!”

“Ah, well, you know…” Tikki shook herself. “Never mind that, we have other things to worry about!”

Alya gave Tikki a searching look. “You’re right. Don’t think I’ll just forget about the other Miraculous though, I AM going to ask more about them later.”

Tikki looked away.

Alya looked at the Miraculous quizzically. “So I just hold them up to my ears…?”

Tikki looked back at her, nodding happily. Alya got the distinct feeling she was thrilled with the subject change. “Just pretend you’re putting on normal earrings, the Miraculous will do the rest.”

Well she’d never done that before, but maybe intention was good enough?

She moved one to her ear lobe, squeezing her eyes shut.

Then, it was in.

Eyes widening, she felt the earring.

There it was, secured like a perfectly normal earring. At least so it seemed, until she felt around it and noticed that there was no “hole” exactly, that it was sticking out of. It was almost like it phased through her ear.

Hm. Maybe it was related to how Kwamis could phase through things? She’d seen Tikki do that back when Marinette first met her.

Focus, Alya. Investigate Miraculous later, defeat akuma now!

Putting the other earring in (and honestly it was still weird how it DIDN’T feel weird to do that) she took a deep breath, looking to Nino and Tikki for encouragement.

They both grinned and nodded, Nino giving her a thumbs up as well.

Okay. Time to do this.

“Tikki, SPOTS ON!”

She shivered for a moment as the pink light rushed over her.

Blinking, she looked at her hands.

Red and black spots.

Her heart pounded.

She was Ladybug!

Or rather…

She looked back at Nino, staring at her with awe and pride (not that unusual to see from him, but it made her heart skip every time).

She smiled back at him. “Time to introduce Paris to Marybug!”

Nino gaped. “Wait, what?!”

Alya smiled. “What, did you think I hadn’t picked out a name already? Even before I knew what – and who – Ladybug and Chat Noir actually were, I daydreamed about being in their shoes. And finding out that I was almost the Ladybug Miraculous Wielder – well, I was going to at least consider what I could’ve named myself.”

Nino shook his head. “Yes, but – Marybug? That sounds way too similar to ‘Maribug’, aren’t you worried someone might draw the connection?”

She laughed. “That’s what makes the name so perfect! See, here’s the thing – it actually makes sense when researched, and I assure you, the Ladyblog is gonna have a front page article about this in the next few days. It turns out, that the ‘Lady’ in ‘Ladybug’, is actually supposed to be the Virgin Mary. So it’s just replacing ‘Lady’ with ‘Mary’. And if it just so happens that it sounds like ‘Maribug’, and Chat ever slips up and starts to call Ladybug ‘Mari’ or ‘Maribug’ or anything like that, well… it’ll be embarrassing that he almost called his partner by the name of a different Ladybug Miraculous wielder, but that’ll be all.”

Nino chuckled. “Should’ve known you had a plan with that name.”

She smirked. “…Also, it’s just a fun little reference”.

Throwing her yo-yo, she swung away, ready to make her (second) superhero debut.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was a goddamn MESS.

At least most civilians had already fled. (Though it took a little longer than usual. Those heels were hard enough to WALK in, running in them when you had no prior experience with the giant hat thing unbalancing you? No thanks.)

So. Yo-yo. She’d practiced a little with a toy one she’d bought, imagining what it’d be like to swing on one, so she had a teeny bit of experience? She guessed?

Well at least she was an expert on the moves Ladybug used. Even Adrien probably hadn’t studied them in as much detail.

Hm. Competition for later maybe?

FOCUS, MARYBUG. FOCUS.

She shook her head.

Ok. What first?

Maybe try to contain it? It was bad enough running rampant over here, best to stop it from leveling more residential buildings.

She flung her yo-yo at the Eiffel Tower and some nearby lightpoles, creating a makeshift fence.

Downside: the lightpoles were too flimsy and she’d aimed too low to make an effective fence. It tore the lightpoles right out of the ground.

Upside: It tripped.

The mech crashed, Reflekta’s startled scream ringing out.

Yes! Point one for Marybug!

Leaping down, she ran at her downed foe. If Reflekta was controlling the doll, maybe removing her would stop it?

She pulled back to throw her yo-yo, and barely dodged the beam from the Reflekta robot’s eyes.

Oh, right. It could still do that. That was bad.

So just sending the robot crashing to the ground was out. That HELPED, it stopped it from moving around as much and restricted its range of attack, but she still couldn’t actually stop it from attacking, and she couldn’t get Reflekta out that way.

And if getting Reflekta out didn’t stop this robot… what then?

Lucky Charm? This was pretty early in the fight, but Ladybug DID usually call for one if she was stuck…

LIGHTPOLE

So, don’t stop and ponder, because apparently Reflekta had figured out she could get even MORE range (as if the Reflekta laser beams weren’t enough) by using a lightpole as a makeshift bat.

Dangit, WHY WERE THE VILLAINS ALLOWED TO IMPROVISE WEAPONS.

Also, a partner would be really nice right now! No wonder Ladybug and Chat Noir were sent out together; fighting an akuma by yourself without having someone to distract the supervillain was a NIGHTMARE. Maybe if she had a more purely offensive Miraculous that would make sense, but the Ladybug miraculous was built around tricks and plans. She needed time to think and plan; time she wasn’t getting right now.

A familiar staff smacked the lightpole out of the mech’s hand.

Awesome! Plagg must’ve found-

She took a closer look.

And did a double-take.

Still a black suit with cat ears, but this time the ears were attached to a black hood, and the seams of the outfit were bright green.

She grinned. “So, what’s your name, handsome?”

“Uh- what-“ he spluttered, looking taken aback.

She rolled her eyes as she tackled her boyfriend out of the way of a beam.

“Your superhero name! You’re not using the turtle anymore, ‘Carapace’ doesn’t make sense.”

He stared at her. “I give up. How can you always recognize me?!”

Her gaze softened. “You’re always there when I need you. I need a partner to take down this akuma; of COURSE it’s gonna be you.”

He blushed.

She laughed.

“ARE YOU SERIOUSLY IGNORING ME RIGHT NOW?!” Reflekta screamed, her mech barreling towards them.

She flinched. Ok, flirt later, akuma now. Bad enough she’d shoved Juleka to the side earlier, she didn’t want to repeat that mistake.

Especially since this time she might get flattened or Reflekta’d (again) if she did. That would be bad.

“Can you keep the mech busy? I need some time to think,” she said, dodging another beam.

“There’s something you need to know first,” he told her. He motioned for her to follow him to an out-of-the-way rooftop.

Marybug frowned. What info could Nino have picked up in the last two minutes? She’d JUST left him!

“So, less than a minute after you swung away, Plagg flew by calling for Chat Noir. Of course I answered him. He gave me some new info before I transformed. Apparently both that robot and the purple moth on Heroes Day were sentimonsters, creations of the Peacock Miraculous. They work a lot like the Butterfly MIraculous’s akumas, except the object that’s infected – it’s called an amok by the way – doesn’t transform the person themselves. A sentimonster just kinda… manifests. Whoever holds the amok controls the sentimonster.”

“…Well that would’ve been nice to know earlier. Why didn’t Tikki mention this?!”

Nino shrugged. “Maybe she forgot? Or she didn’t realize she was allowed to? Plagg mentioned something about having gotten permission to fill us in.”

Honestly she was surprised he’d waited for permission. He didn’t strike her as the type.

Wait… if the amok was used to control the sentimonster…

“Reflekta must have the amok!” she realized.

But… crap. How to get to her?

“Hey… uh… okay I give up, what should I call you?”

He thought for a moment. “Call me Panther.”

“Panther, can you keep the robot occupied? I want to see if I can spot something I can use to get in or get Reflekta out, or some pattern in its movements – SOMETHING we can use to take Reflekta and the sentimonster down. Hard to do that while dodging attacks.”

He nodded, pole-vaulting away.

She slapped her cheeks.

Ok. Focus, Marybug. Everyone’s counting on you and Panther. You can DO this!

Panther smacked the Senti-bot with his staff, dodging its attacks and just generally keeping it occupied, but doing no real damage.

The attack and movement seemed the same as ever, nothing special ther-

OOH

THAT SLOT ON THE BACK OF THE MECH’S HEAD LOOKED IMPORTANT.

Hm… but how to access it? She didn’t have something to open it with, and besides, it wasn’t like the sentimonster was just gonna stand still and let her and Panther get inside.

Well, if she didn’t have everything she needed right now, then…

“LUCKY CHARM!”

She’d wanted to do that for so long!

A remote fell into her hands.

…Huh.

What the heck could she use it for? Did it control something in particular? Or was it gonna be one of those weirder, utterly insane Lucky Charms that no one in their right minds would be able to decipher?

(Seriously, she wasn’t sure whether Marinette was a genius, crazy, or both. Probably both.)

She pressed a few random buttons.

Far away, she spotted a giant TV screen – one that normally displayed ads, but occasionally broadcasted news to the masses, like akuma attacks – turning on.

Right now it just showed static – nothing was being broadcasted, not on that channel.

Not yet.

A grin slowly spread over her face.

Marinette had her insane Macgyvering (some people had started calling it Ladybugging, something Alya THOROUGHLY supported) but Alya?

Alya knew how to put on a show and draw people’s attention.

Jumping out of cover, she waved frantically.

Panther dodged and weaved around the sentimonster’s attacks, extricating himself from the fight and making his way over to Marybug.

“COME BACK HERE! STOP LEAVING ME AND GIVE ME YOUR MIRACULOUS!” Reflekta roared.

Marybug winced. Well THERE was another one for the guilt trip.

“You got something?” Panther asked quietly, just in case Reflekta could hear them and zone in on their location.

(Probably unnecessary. With how loud the beam firing was and how far away the robot was, she doubted Reflekta could hear anything short of screaming at the tops of their lungs.)

“I think so.” She pointed at a nearby metal beam the Reflektmech had knocked over. “Think you can cataclysm this into a long, thin sheet of metal? About a foot wide and an inch thick, if you can manage it.”

“…Maybe? Not like I’ve ever done this before, but I can give it a shot? Why?”

She explained her plan.

He grinned. “Babe, have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“Only every day. Now c’mon, let’s show the world what Marybug and Panther can do!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let’s see, where was she? She had about as much sense of self-preservation as Alya did, she had to be-

Ah!

Probably should’ve expected her near the TV; that area had a good view of the chaos, while being out-of-the-way of it.

“Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news!”

Marybug landed in front of Nadja. “Could I take the microphone for a minute?”

Nadja stared for a moment, but shook it off. Handing it over, she asked, “Who are you and the new mysterious superhero? Are you two replacing Ladybug and Chat Noir? What’s happened to Paris’s favorite duo?”

Marybug gave the camera a confident smile, making sure to press her remote’s button so the TV was tuned to the channel Nadja was broadcasting to. “I’m Marybug, and my partner’s Panther! Don’t worry, we’re only replacing Ladybug and Chat Noir temporarily. They’ll be back soon; I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw them later today in fact.

But enough about us; I’d like to interview the true star of show, Reflekta!”

“WHAT?”

Reflekmech turned around, stomping towards Marybug.

Hearing low voices? Probably couldn’t do that in a mech.

Hearing a gigantic TV cranked up as loud as it would go? Now THAT she could hear.

“Reflekta – what would you like to tell the public. Everyone’s here watching and listening to you!”

For a moment Reflekta was silent, the mech completely still. Then-

“You’re really listening? You’re not gonna brush me off and ignore me?”

“No. This is YOUR show. It’s all about YOU. You’re not going to fade away into the background and be lost; not now.”

Reflekta speaking quietly from within “Yes I’ll get the Miraculous, I know we have a deal, but I need to do this first; I’ll get them afterwards, don’t worry.”

More loudly; “I want people to pay attention to me. They never paid attention to Juleka. Just because she shrunk back and mumbled didn’t mean she wanted to be ignored. She just wanted people to recognize she was there! She existed! But her ‘friends’ threw her away the moment things got hard and just… let her stew. She obviously WASN’T okay!”

Marybug’s stomach curdled. “You’re right. They should’ve tried harder, checked in on her more. Checked in on YOU more. I promise, once you’re deakumatized, I’ll talk to your friends, try to help fix this.”

“I don’t want to be deakum- AH!”

The robot lurched around, no longer being controlled. A moment later it evaporated, leaving a feather behind. Juleka, newly freed from Hawkmoth, was caught by Panther a moment later.

“Wait- what- who’re you? What happened?” she asked, confused.

Marybug smiled. “He’s Panther and I’m Marybug – we’re filling in for Chat Noir and Ladybug temporarily – and you were akumatized.”

Juleka buried her face in her hands.

Crap. What did Ladybug and Chat Noir usually do with akuma victims? She didn’t just want to leave Juleka, not again, but-

Aaaaand her earrings were beeping.

She gave a strained smile. “It can happen to anyone. It’s Hawkmoth’s fault, NOT yours. I’m sure your friends will tell you the same thing. But for now, Bug Out!”

Throwing her yo-yo, she swung away just as Rose made her way to Juleka.

Ok, good. Hopefully Rose could help comfort her until she herself could get back. She still needed to apologize.

Panther pole-vaulted over with her, both of them eventually landing in an abandoned alley.

“Not bad, kitty cat,” she smirked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks. Reflekta was so distracted, she didn’t notice I’d entered the robot until I’d already hit her hand.”

She laughed. “I think you might have our own resident Black Cat beat in the stealth department. Unless he can figure out how to pull off that ‘materializing behind locker doors’ trick as Chat Noir. I swear I STILL want to know how he does that.”

“Don’t we all?”

They both chuckled and detransformed. With a small pang of regret, she handed the earrings over to Tikki, Nino handing the ring over to Plagg. “I liked being Marybug, but… well, I’m really glad Marinette kept the earrings. How she does that on a daily basis, I don’t know.”

“She’s one of the best Ladybugs I’ve ever had!”

Alya smiled. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”

As Tikki and Plagg flew away to find their holders, she turned to Nino. “Come on, let’s go! We have a photoshoot to complete – IF our model still wants to do it anyway.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette, Adrien, and the rest of the crew were all circled around Juleka by the time the two of them arrived. With a jolt, Alya noticed that while Marinette had her earrings back, Adrien’s ring was still missing.

She shook her head. Worry about that later. Plagg could take care of himself… probably. Maybe. She hoped.

Nothing she could do about it right now anyway. And Adrien didn’t appear too worried, and she KNEW how much he cared about Plagg, so it was probably fine.

“Juleka, I’m so, SO sorry, I should’ve listened to you more closely. You’re my friend too, and I just brushed you off when you were obviously not okay. That wasn’t cool of me. Do you still want to do the photoshoot?”

She smiled, perking up a little. “Yeah, that’d be awesome.”

Alya snapped several photos, some of Juleka and Adrien together as planned, but then their friends kept on getting in the frame and – well, most of the photos may not be suitable for Marinette’s website, but they suited her digital photo album perfectly. Adrien and Juleka both seemed especially thrilled with how things turned out. Neither of them had a ton of photos of themselves having fun with their friends.

As she looked over the photos, her eyes wandered downwards.

A very familiar red and black box sat in front of her.

Heart pounding, she opened it.

And smiled at the sight of the familiar orange fox-tail necklace.

#divergent points #ml fanfic #ml fic #miraculous ladybug #alya cesaire #reflekdoll #Kwami Swap #Ladybug!Alya #Black Cat!Nino #fix-it fic #djwifi

35 notes · View notes

rahliterature · 6 years

Text

CBC: Three Page Paper: Select one comic or Sequential Art object that you have read in full either to series completion, or to a story arch completion, and analyze the comic for content, including one to three major themes discussed in the author lectures in Module Three. (Marvel Tsum Tsum)

One of the biggest complaints adults have in regards to children’s media is that it is too commercial. Often times television shows and movies can feel like one giant advertisement for their toys, trading cards, and video games. Some shows, like Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh! were created with the main purpose to advertise their merchandise. So, when a comic book that was based around a cute fluffy toy came out, it turned many people off, making them think it is just another advertising ploy. The beauty of Marvel Tsum Tsum Takeover by Jacob Chabot and David Baldeon is that this comic is not just a long advertisement for Disney’s tsum tsums. It does a good job in making the reader want to buy a tsum tsum to cuddle. Through a short four volume issue, this fun and action-packed comic not only brings a little joy and humor into a series that has become pretty dark and bleak in recent years but also questions the definition of a hero as well.

The name tsum tsum comes from the Japanese word “tsumu” which means to stack1. Tsums tsums are stuffed toys that are easily stacked hence the name. They come in four different sizes and hundreds of different characters: from classic Disney characters like Mickey and friends to every episode of Star Wars, from Disney Princesses to Marvel superheroes and villains. These cuddly things have been around since 2013 in Japan and 2014 in the United States1 and new tsum tsums are released bimonthly. In August of 2016, from the inspiration of the marvel tsum tsum app as well as the cuddly toys, comic writer Jacob Chabot and penciller David Baldeon decided to create the first volume of Marvel Tsum Tsum Takeover2. Chabot was not new to the idea of taking a child’s toy and turning it into a comic series. From 2013-2015, Chabot worked on a 6 part “Hello Kitty” comic book series3, turning a cute and cuddly cat toy into a real character with emotions and feelings. While “Hello Kitty” does have some plot and character developments in video games and a few mini-series television shows that have come out over the years, there is nothing really cohesive or a well-defined canon to turn into a full-fledged comic. On the other hand, Chabot has also worked on 74 issues of “Sponge Bob Square Pants” comic books over the years3 which has an over abundance of plotlines to turn into a comic series. Both of these different comic issues show how he is used to creating stories with either a little or a lot of source material. It also shows how Chabot is used to drawing inspiration from unusual source material that most people wouldn’t consider turning into a comic book. Prior to the comic release, tsum tsums had no plot or purpose behind them. The app, Marvel tsum tsums, was more of a “Candy Crush” style game without any real cohesive plot line. Disney has never released a back story to go along with the tsum tsums; they are simply cute toys to play with and cuddle. Chabot was able to take these cute toys and give them a purpose and a story that was unique and exciting, just like he had done with other characters in the past. He managed to craft the story in a way that uses the cute and ridiculous nature of the tsum tsum and make that tell a story, rather than telling a story about a cute toy. He was able to do so because of his past experience, both with unusual comic topics but also with normal American comic plot lines as well.

Chabot has worked on previous Marvel comics, specifically X-Men and Spiderman comics, so he knew how superhero comics in a traditional American way worked and he was aware of how dark Marvel comics have become. In the same month as the first tusm tsum volume release, 33 different issues in the Civil War II arc were released as well4. Just a few months prior, the entire world was shocked and angered at the reveal of Captain America being a Hydra agent. This was a dark time for Marvel. Superheroes were punching each other, both in comics and on the big screen as Civil War had just been released in the MCU that May as well. One of the most beloved Marvel characters had just become evil and at the time there seemed no hope of redemption for him. Marvel Tsum Tsum Takeover was like a breath of fresh air. It’s simply a fun comic. There are these cute little toys becoming miniature versions of some of marvel’s favorite superheroes, running around with miniature versions of their powers, and chaos ensues. It’s fun without being too silly. There is a cohesive plot line in the story with real character development. Although there are toys that are alive, in the comics they are an alien species, giving credibility through comic logic on how these toys are alive. The comic doesn’t take itself too serious though as there are times when other characters question whether or not the tsum tsums are toys, creating a great moment of dramatic irony in the story. The story does a good job of straddling the fine line of humor and silliness, keeping the light-heartedness of the story flowing without comprising the story. There is real character development not only with the tsum tsums but also with the human characters as well, making this a real story instead of simply a long advertisement. That growth is found, not only in the three main characters, Albert “Bert” Ergle, Holly Hae, and Duncan “Dunk” Diggs, but in their families and even in the main human villain as well. The combination of plot, real character development, dramatic irony, and the silliness that comes with using tsum tsums creates this funny comic that is just fun to read. It can reach a large audience, from children to adults, because it is so light-hearted and fun. It’s a reminder that comics don’t have to be dark in order to accomplish character and plot development; fun and light-hearted comics can deliver a message just as efficiently and maybe even better than a dark and grisly comic.

Through the light-hearted story, the comic poses the question of what is a hero and what do they fight for. The initial thought would be that the tsum tsums are the heroes of the story; after all, they are the titular characters with superpowers. In a normal comics, they would be the hero of the issue. Instead, this comic seems to focus on the three children dream of being superheroes5. They draw their own comics and do stupid stunts to try and gain superpowers. The reader, along with the Avenger tsum tsums, watch as Bert and Holly are scolded by Bert’s mother for running around and playing superhero when Ultron has been attacking the city. This panel puts an emphasis on the children as the main characters with the tsum tsums on the sidelines. This panel is also is a major turning point in the comic as well. Before, the children were focused on the superpowered superheroes and trying to gain powers like them. When they found the tsum tsum, they get swept up in the excitement that came with discovering the tsum tsum’s powers and what amazing deeds they could accomplish. Bert’s mother acts as the voice of reason, reminding the children that they aren’t superheroes with superpowers. She reminds them of the very real danger that exists in their universe, with real villains who have killed before. After this wake-up call, they seem to end their superhero shenanigans. Until something goes wrong with the tsum tsums and they don their superhero costumes, this time to help their friends instead of for glory. The children go to fight in a battle they know they cannot win, not for the glory or the chance to show-off to the Avengers but to protect their friends, the tsum tsums. They become heroes in this story, not because they fearlessly ran into battle but because they ran to help their friends even though they were scared. Fighting beside the Avengers and the tsum tsums, the children are viewed as the real heroes of the comic. The comic shows that it’s not superpowers that make a hero; someone is a hero when they fight to protect their friends and family.

It doesn’t take a dark and gritty comic to communicate a message to an audience. Even a light-hearted and somewhat silly comic can send a powerful message of what it means to be a hero to an audience. Comics can use any medium to communicate this message, even fluffy cute toys called tsum tsums. Just because something is based off of a toy doesn’t mean there isn’t a message to be learned. Creating a comic from a toy can be a great way to advertise the toy, but it is also a way to reach an audience at a level that they can relate with, both as children and adults.

Refences:

1. Graser, Marc. “Will Japan’s ‘Tsum Tsum’ Characters Translate in the U.S. for Disney?” Variety, 1 July 2014, variety.com/2014/biz/asia/will-japans-tsum-tsum-characters-translate-in-the-u-s-for-disney-1201256414/.

2. Kieranshiach. “Disney Tsum Tsum Invades The Marvel Universe.” ComicsAlliance, 16 May 2016, comicsalliance.com/disney-tsum-tsum-variant-covers-series/.

3. “Jacob Chabot (Person).” Comic Vine, comicvine.gamespot.com/jacob-chabot/4040-55702/.

4. “Calendar | Comics.” Marvel.com, marvel.com/comics/calendar/month/2016-08-01?byZone=marvel_site_zone&offset=0&tab=comic&formatType=issue&isDigital=0&byType=date&dateStart=2016-08-01&dateEnd=2016-08-31&orderBy=release_date%2Bdesc&limit=300&count=21.

5. Reviewer, Joey Edsall Best Shots. “Best Shots Review: MARVEL TSUM TSUM #1 'Removes The Doubts Imposed By Adulthood Cynicism'.” Newsarama, www.newsarama.com/30488-best-shots-review-marvel-tsum-tsum-1.html.

These are two of the panels I referenced in this paper.

#CBC #editorial #amanda #marvel tsum tsum #tsum tsum #3 page essay #sorry not sorry #I LOVE TSUM TSUMS #go read this comic it's amazing!

0 notes