#No beta we die like beheaded cousins | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cavernfullofexistentialdread · 1 year

Text

OK HERE WE GO LIST ON WHY EX WIVES IS THE BEST THING TO EVER <3

It instantly tells you what to expect. Bunch of amazing women with insane vocal ranges and the energy of a Taylor Swift concert.

Amazing composing

The use of motifs, every single verse with the queens saying lines in order has the green sleeves melody snuck into there

Great symbolism with said motif! We are quite literally forced to hear it even if the situation doesn’t particularly call for it

EBM GREENSLEVES MY BELOVED <333333

The use of the different vocal ranges overlapping in the “Wives” and the first sung note in musical is just ✨chefs kiss🤏✨

“All you ever hear and read about!” RAW LINE. RAW. OMFG YES

All of K Howard’s lines. That’s the entire bullet point.

Great introduction to the queens! The problem with Uranium Suite and Fall Fair Suite is that Uranium depicts how people would see the choir (only on a surface level) while Fall Fair shows us how their actually like but doesn’t provide that much context as to that their a choir. However what Ex Wives does it that it shows them as individuals as well as clearly shows they CAN work as a group but they don’t get much individuality from it

Also speaking of RTC’s St. Cassian Chamber Choir, the Queens are technically a choir! MAKING THISE DAMN MELODIES SO MUCH MORE SATISFYING TO LISTEN TO

Also iconic lines

Quickly foreshadows in subtle ways (AUDIBLE STORY TELLING MY BELOVED)

Once again comparing my 2 fav musicals, RTC has this thing where each character gets a version of Karnak’s theme, SIX does this too in the Queen’s intros

AND ALL THE REMIXES. ALL SOMEHOW MANAGE TO SNEAK IN MORE GREENSLEVES. THE SYMBOLISM. THE MOTIFS. YESSSSSS

Already tells you the amazing humor of wit and sarcasm you can expect to see through out the musical

More audible foreshadowing via the style of each remix

Lina is simple at first with a few strings, but has a lot of little bits added from time to time. It toys with the melody and what it can apply into the already catchy tune. Her intro is probably the one with the most inconsistency as it does not keep the added stuff going. It has a relatively low and steady beat but makes up for simplicity in vocal potency. ALSO JUST SO SAVAGE SHE ATE THAT UP FR FR. Just like No Way

Anne has a slightly higher and more excited melody. The Tempo is the same but serves less of a heavy role unlike Lina’s and is mainly just the supporting cast to the melody. While Anne’s vocals stay relatively high throughout at the end she goes lower and more sinister. Great audible storytelling! There’s little to no playing with what’s been set up and when there is it’s all subtle. As mentioned before the break is only at the end. It’s so cherry and cheeky but if you look at the lyrics it uh- kinda intense. Very DLYH if ask me

JANE SEYMOUR JUST IS PUN FILLED, THE JOKES. It perfectly sets her up to be the one overlooked and the more… patient and forgiving one of the group. She only ever snaps in one of the two fight scenes. Also the fact that she claimed she was the only one he truly love, while sadly likely to be true, also contrasts how loving and caring her sing ends up being with the slight cockiness that the line can be read as along with the infamous “RUDE!”. Her melody is the middle. The added wind pipes(?) later are the high. The tempo is a sort of balance from the higher notes. Her melody is so melancholy and monotone. It’s very Jane and very Heart of Stone fr fr let’s keep this greatness up!

ICH BEN ANNA VON CLEVES. This one does not disappoint either! You can already see the consistent parallels of Anna’s relationship with online dating throughout the song, so it’s good that’s it’s inky reinforced here but not much! Also Haus of Holbein foreshadowing so I guess that softens the whiplash somewhat- Also this intro if the only one where the other Queens serve vocals more than once, I guess you could connect it to how Get Down is the only song that has Anna going out of her way to get the Queens involved (THATS ISN’T BY U BEING PROBLEMATIC ANNE). Also Anna’s snarky comment at the end is ironic as she was probably the only one besides Cathy who didn’t have to deal with Henry in that aspect. Also very very simple only having the accordion, tempo, and clicks to compliment. Get Down!

PRICK UP YOUR EARS IN THE KATHRINE! WHO LOST HER HEAD! For the longest time I thought it was “beheaded; before I promised you I’d see outside of wed” referencing both how short her life and time with Henry was. But no it’s “promiscuity outside of wed“ 💀. Either works however! Kinda ironic that Kat is the one to interrupt Anna’s comment as… ya know… But anyways. The chord progression on this one is especially of note as it’s actual kinda different from AYWD. While AWYD goes High and ten descends, this one go High -> Lower -> Lower Medium -> Low. Interesting indeed! Long of stings and slashes to replace the clicks that Anna had! Also not sure but Tempo seems to be more dominant?

BAM TINY WHIPLASH STRAIT INTO A LAMENT BABY. Then it goes pop again as Cathy gains her balance. Notice how the beats don’t comeback until that point. The first two lines rather have the piano as the click clack. Past that THEN the tempo beats come back once Cathy is talking about and addressing them as a GROUP. She is the one to slide them back into the chorus after all! Foreshadowing as how she convince them to write fanfic- I mean reclaim their stories! Anyways as I saying, she’s probably the one who shakes it up the most. More foreshadowing!!! Also Pt. 1 of Cathy being an independent women’s who may or may not come off as slightly protective and clingy-. Still very IDNYL!

So to recap that giant section; it’s Good use of simplicity, effects, and contrast -> Vocal centric within a happy lucky tune and beat that breaks at the end -> Puns and a somewhat monotone melancholy feel that easily shows character -> More simplicity and focused on the vocals to carry it, also ironic jokes and sarcasm! -> Interesting chord progression and really good wordplay -> Amazing and subtle foreshadowing mix into a lament turned beautiful transition to chorus

Also apparently the Queens go from right to left if you have ear buds in but as a half deaf person I will sadly never get to get the full experience-

Have I talked about the amazing vocals???

MUST WE HAVE A GOOD PLOT WHEN WE HAVE GODLY VOCALS???

THE DAMN RISING NOTES ON THE LINE “WIVES” AHHHHH

IM SORRY ITS JUST TOO SATISFYING

ALSO NOT TO MENTION THE LINE IS ALSO YET ANOTHER GREENSLEVES INFUSED SNEAKY RAT THING

I SWEAR THE OVERLAPPING VOICES EFFECT GOT ME IN A TRANCE

THE RISE AND THEN THE STOP AND THE LOWER RISED IS SO

SEJSJKSKEMSKKEMEMSKEKEK

Also can we talk about how dramatic the beginning is? I love it lmao

Also how over time when they the rhyme their just like “ugh this b*tch again stfu I’m too tired to deal with this”

The fact that Catalina is the first every voice you hear in the entire musical but Cathy isn’t the last line in the sing or the whole show is a nice detail, idk if it was intentional fore shadowing but it’s great!

Also the fact that Hamilton ends on “Who lives who dies who tells your story” and SIX instantly throws you with a “Listen up let me tell you a story!” Is my favorite coincidence

Kat’s lines are potentially longer to match AYWD’s length

ALL THE REFERENCES TO BOTH THE QUEENS AND TUDOR HISTORY I CANT GO INTO BECAUSE THERES TOO MANY

LOOK AT GENIUS

LITERALLY EVERY LINE HAS SOMETHING BEHIND IT

EVERY. LINE. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

Ill try my best to fit as many as I can off the top my head

I can’t fit everything so this is it- thank you for coming to my Ted talk

#Six the musical #Ex Wives #RANTY RANT RANT #fight me I dare you #Most underrated song #I wanna do a part 2 as well #No beta we die like beheaded cousins

14 notes · View notes

kuriquinn · 7 years

Text

Penthesilea [18/20]

Cover & Disclaimer:

Chapter Summary: “The path to peace is never smooth. Sometimes what is necessary doesn’t always keep our hands clean.”

Chapter Beta: None beyond my own two eyes and at the moment. Since I’m finishing the fic this week, I’d say all edits will be forthcoming within the next few weeks as my beta has time to look through everything.

AN: It’s a bit of a time-skip chapter, but to be honest, the big dramatic confrontation was last chapter. This is sort of the mandatory dark moment, gearing up to the climax of the story chapter…

Sasuke spends a day confined to his bed as Rin does her best to heal the injuries he sustained in his fight with Sakura. She doesn’t speak to him, instead exuding a judgemental, angry silence that says volumes; Obito has no such qualms.

His older cousin rages at him without end, insulting and castigating and threatening him with violence.

Sasuke tunes it all out, lost in his own thoughts.

His fury has calmed somewhat, enough to offer him a shred of perspective. He can admit to himself that the accusations he made to Sakura were wild and likely unfounded—from the logistical standpoint, malicious deception is not in her nature— but her refusal to stand beside him hurt more than he would like.

It was the final clue that their ill-fated affair could not continue.

He doesn’t regret the confrontation; it was necessary. He can’t afford to see her as his lover any longer, not if he is to succeed in his endeavours.

Because Danzō, for all his spite and vitriol, was right.

Both can’t exist at the same time.

As soon as he has the strength to dismiss Rin and her healings, Sasuke calls together a session of all the remaining vassal clans and Uchiha allies, the infantry and camp-followers. Standing above everybody else and imparting his will is not the station he was prepared for as a child, but he commits himself to it now.

He is quiet as everyone takes their place before him, the air crackling with unease; there’s barely any talking, and even that peters out as he stands before them and begins to speak.

“We have all been fools, allowing this war to continue as long as it has,” he tells coolly. “Misguided notions of seamless harmony. Rivalries across the lines which become friendships but never translate to change. It has dragged this conflict out over the generations.” He waits for this to sink in and then continues. “We have become complacent in this battle, and because of that we have lost much. This will end.” He searches out his cousin’s face in the crowd and adds quietly, “The path to peace is never smooth. Sometimes what is necessary doesn’t always keep our hands clean.”

Obito’s scarred face morphs into an expression of incredulity.

“To end this war, there will be no rest or respite. No mercy. No quarter for traitors,” Sasuke continues. “Our purpose must be to not only bring about the end of the bloodshed, but to replace the system with one that will prevent it from happening again. Even if we must fight to the last man. We will bring this land under one authority, and we will do so as one unit. Now is now a time for division or dissent. Inabi.”

He addresses his other cousin, who has been sharing significant glances with his cronies in the corner, and indicates that he come forward. Frowning at the address, Inabi complies, stepping to the front of the assembly.

“From the beginning, you have been a staunch enemy of the Senju,” Sasuke tells him. “You have fought against them with the same ferocity of our ancestors, and they would no doubt be proud.” Inabi smirks at this, eyes gleaming at the acknowledgement. “This is the world you have fought for—the goal of the utter destruction of the Senju and the Uzumaki. There is no one as determined in the pursuit of this as you.”

“Not one,” Inabi agrees, earning scattered cheers of appreciation from his associates.

“That determination was such that you sought out Danzō after Shisui was killed,” Sasuke goes on, watching his cousin’s face carefully. “And instead of killing him for the murder of your kinsmen and the theft of his eyes, you instead told him how to infiltrate the peace talks.”

There is a ripple of shock amongst the crowd, and Inabi’s smirk freezes on his face.

It’s a suspicion he’s been harbouring since Danzō mentioned traitors among his people, if only because no one expressed as much dismay at the idea of peace as Inabi and his ilk.

“In doing so, you not only betrayed your clan, but put your leader into a situation that resulted in his death.”

Inabi looks around in surprise, panicked, noting the looks of dawning realisation and anger on people’s faces; even some among his own group look scandalised and disgusted, most likely because of his complicity in allowing the thief of a Sharingan to walk free.

“You are about to die,” Sasuke informs him. “You may as well choose how you do it. Denying the truth or running like a coward would be expected, but for once in your godsforsaken life be honest.”

Inabi’s eyes snap to his wife, Yumi, who is watching the proceedings with a cold expression, and he nods.

“Itachi was weak,” he snaps. “He’s not like you and I, Sasuke. He didn’t know what needed to be done.”

“You’re right,” Sasuke agrees. “He didn’t.”

Without warning, he summons a blade of chakra to his hand and shoves it through Inabi’s heart.

His cousin chokes in surprise, blood spraying from his lips and hitting Sasuke’s face. “You…you…!”

His face slackens and he falls to the ground; in the crowd, Yumi emits a noise like she has been punched, but Sasuke ignores her.

“No quarter to traitors,” he repeats, and disperses the electricity as he considers the people watching the spectacle in shock. “Know that this is the fate awaiting anyone whom I discover colluding with the enemy.” His eyes rest on Obito and Rin, and then moves across to Hinata, who stands by her clansmen looking stricken. “Make yourselves ready. The next time we march into battle, it will not be border skirmishes and single-combat. We will lay siege until there is one clear victor.”

And he turns and goes back to his tent.

戦国時代

Of course, things are rarely that simple.

The Senju forces are not as keen on fighting unto their end, and appear to pursue a strategy of retreat. Soon Sasuke forces overrun the traditional territories of the Senju, laying claim to them and hunting the enemy across the vast land beyond their usual borders. But the enemy’s skills in survival are strong.

Periodically, the Uzumaki or Senju will send an envoy attempting to establish peace talks; Sasuke orders them all beheaded and sent back.

Soon, there is no more talk of peace.

The next weeks inch by, turning into months, and Sasuke allows himself to exist only in moments defined by rage, grief and war. He pushes the men onward, through the rainy and wet winter without break. Respite gives the enemy a chance to regroup, and that is unacceptable. The forces of the Uchiha are ordered to burn settlements and villages, anywhere that might supply the enemy with materials of shelter.

There is dissent – Obito and Rin are vocal objectors, despite their continued presence by his side, and even the Hyūga are wary despite honouring their alliance with him. Others who doubt remain silent; Itachi’s death and memory continues to be a motivator, and even those who do not agree with Sasuke’s methods wish to shed blood in recompense.

Some more than others.

During the course of the winter campaign, Sasuke is forced to deal with a badly executed assassination attempt from Inabi’s Yumi, as well as the men who were still loyal to him. In this area Obito is willing to put aside his resentment of Sasuke long enough to help quash it. It was he who advocated destroying Inabi and his followers long before the peace, and Sasuke wonders how the story might have been different if Itachi had allowed it.

Spilling the blood of his own causes him to lose some support among the older generation, to whom blood means everything, but most take it as a warning against mutiny.

Sasuke never encounters Sakura or Naruto or even Kakashi directly again in the field.

The latter two appear to avoid him for their own reasons—obviously influence by sentiment. Kakashi won’t want to face his best friend in battle, and perhaps Naruto still holds on to enough of that deluded notion that he and Sasuke are friends. As for Sakura…

Once, during a battle that Sasuke surveys from the sidelines, acting the general instead of the foot soldier, he sees her in the distance. While Naruto’s clones form a defensive line to impede Sasuke’s offensive forces, she coordinates an evacuation and retreat. Despite the grey winter and the heavy, cumbersome cloak around her body, she is radiant – hair longer, face glowing and full. Somehow, where the war has made him gaunt and tired, it has caused her to thrive. She looks in his direction, as though she can sense his eyes upon her, but at this distance he doubts she can see him. Still, before she turns away, he doesn’t miss the anguished look on her face.

It’s the last time he sees her, because in the months afterward she is conspicuously absent from the battlefield. Other medics flit through the trenches, but she is nowhere to be found.

A churlish part of him wonders what could possibly keep her from the field, keep her from helping others. She has always cared more for the plight of the unfortunate than her own safety, and if she is so affected by the end if their affair so as to avoid battle, she isn’t the woman he thought she was.

He tells himself he is unbothered by this.

Sasuke grieves and fights endlessly, sometimes taking on entire enemy units on his own. These are groups sent specifically to distract him while the main Senju army flees, and every individual there knows that when his eyes gleam with the Mangekyō that they are not long for the world.

A vicious monotony in his life emerges.

There comes the day when his eyes begin to fail—when blood drips down his cheeks and the world around him blurs painfully. It becomes difficult to ignore the dizziness and weakness when he tries to use his dōjutsu. Rin treats it as best she can, but he knows that without Sakura’s forbidden technique he will not be long for the world.

This doesn’t bother him as it might have once.

戦国時代

Everything changes the day that Hinata disappears.

The alarm is raised in the Hyūga compound one morning, and Sasuke’s presence is demanded. It’s clearly serious if they presume that much, and upon arrival he hears the words “kidnapping” and “treachery” bandied about.

Hiashi clamours for blood, his fury and fear over his daughter’s well-being causing him to lash out at Neji for allowing her to be taken. Sasuke’s comrade cringes on the ground, the mark in his forehead burning into his brain at the command of his clan leader. Hiashi is only stopped from killing the young man when Sasuke intervenes.

“This will not return your daughter,” he tells him blandly. “I have sent a search party.”

“And why are you not leading it?” the leader of the Hyūga demands. “She is your betrothed—though you obviously have lost interest in such things with your military pursuits. You might at least pretend to honour that alliance.”

“Your daughter has shown herself to be a capable warrior,” Sasuke replies. “She has mastered the teachings of your people, even without your attention, and has never been receptive to this betrothal. That you believe someone might have kidnapped her without suffering for the trouble implies you are not only blind, but a fool.”

Hiashi narrows his eyes. “What are you suggesting, boy?”

“He’s saying she left of her own free will,” Hanabi Hyūga says quietly. “And when he said he sent a search party…”

“He meant an assassination detail,” Neji realises darkly, getting gingerly to his feet.

“The punishment for her will be the same as any other traitor,” Sasuke tells them, turning to head back to his own camp. “Be grateful I do not judge your clan on her actions. At least you still have one heir to your main house. The favourite, as I recall…”

Though he cannot sense another’s chakra, he hears the swish of movement through the air, and throws up the ribcage of his Susanoo around him. Inclining his head, he sees Hiashi glowering at him, the veins in his eyes bulging furiously. His hand is broken against the vibrant barrier.

“I won’t judge you on that, either,” Sasuke informs him. “Take the time you need to grieve if you require it. But I expect your forces to be ready at dawn tomorrow when we move out.”

“Uchiha…what the hell are you doing?” Neji asks him quietly as he passes him. “This is not how things are done.”

“Because tradition has always brought happiness?” Sasuke challenges, eyeing Neji’s marked forehead with a frown of disgust.

“If you keep going as you are, it won’t just be assassinations you’ll have to worry about,” the other man warns him. “You’ll have your entire army turn on you.”

Sasuke shrugs and continues walking away.

If that’s what it takes to end this.

戦国時代

A week later, one of the general’s bursts into his tent while he discusses strategy with an ever-reluctant Obito.

“The Hyūga!” the man cries, appearing panicked at the idea of giving Sasuke bad news. “They’re all gone—every sentry within view of their compound has been neutralised.”

Sasuke doesn’t allow his face to betray his feelings on the matter.

“Double the guard shifts and send a unit to follow them. Deserters won’t be tolerated.”

“But my lord—”

“Do it,” Sasuke insists. “And send an envoy to Oto. Without the Hyūga, we will need more men. They can provide that for us.”

“Sasuke, what the hell?” Obito demands. “You know how Itachi felt about Orochimaru. And even without that, trying to pursue the Hyūga as deserters? Even you’re not so foolish as to think that would work?”

Sasuke ignores him and glares at the general. “Well? What are you waiting for?”

The man almost squeaks, and vanishes from the tent.

Obito shakes his head at him.

“You’ve really lost your mind, haven’t you?”

“You would recognise it,” Sasuke responds, and returns his focus to his plans.

In the coming months, he finds new allies to replace those has lost.

With the help of Yakushi Kabuto, a treaty is negotiated with Oto, which furnishes Sasuke with a mighty mercenary force. For the most part they are little more than canon fodder – whenever the fleeing Senju are forced to fight, Naruto appears in droves of fiery clones and decimates them.

Without Neji, he lacks the little social interaction he had before, but he finds a replacement in an unlikely individual—the youngest Hozuki swordsmaster.

Unlike other vassals who fear him or pretend to respect him despite dislike, Suigetsu doesn’t bother with any of this. He follows Sasuke for the opportunity to improve his skills in battle and the possibility of renown. He also has a blunt way of speaking to him that Sasuke appreciates, especially in the face of so many who quiver in fear or disdain.

At the end of winter, Sasuke begins to cough up blood.

戦国時代

Within weeks of the Hyūga defection, the news is reported of the Hiashi approaching the Senju and declaring a truce. Although they have no power to sue for peace for the overall conflict, not without the Uchiha, they will remain neutral until a final peace can be brokered. It’s a half-hearted attempt to not violate their oaths of alliance any further than they already have.

The Hyūga are the first, but not the last.

Over the course of the year, more and more of Sasuke’s vassals and allies abandon him. Some he catches before the act, and makes grisly examples of them, but more defectors succeed than fail. Soon, all that remain by his side are a handful of fighting men. Jūgo, a giant from Oto with a deadly temper, and Suigetsu, who insists he has nowhere better to be. Then, of course, there are Obito and Rin.

Sasuke knows they are simply there out of duty to Kakashi, but there is a small, barely there shred of himself that relies on their presence in his life.

戦国時代

In early summer, intel reaches them of a massive army of Senju and their allies uniting to fight against Sasuke. Half-blind at this point and beginning to suffer from the same mysterious illness as his brother was in the end, Sasuke makes a decision.

“You have fulfilled your obligation to Kakashi well,” he tells his cousin and his wife one evening. “You said you were here to ensure no one would kill me, regardless of your personal feelings. And there is on one left that I have to worry about. Take your daughter and go.”

Rin bites her lip, torn between the instinct to protect her child and unwillingness to leave someone to face death alone. Obito, on the other hand, considers him with an undecipherable look.

“I didn’t realise what the hell you were doing for the longest time,” he tells him gruffly. “It’s a risky move, little cousin. Your brother would hate it.” The tiniest of smirks appears on his ruined face. “But he would have been proud, I think.”

“We’ll never know for sure.”

Rin seems confused by this interchange, but Obito shakes his head.

“I’ll explain it all one day,” he tells her softly, and motions for her to leave the tent.

“Obito,” Sasuke says just as he reaches for the flap of the tent. His cousin turns back. “It’s of utter importance that you understand. This is not a gift or a mercy on my part. Once you walk away, you cannot return. We will be enemies. And you leave the Uchiha name with you.”

Obito offers him a hard smile. “I can think of worse fates, little cousin.”

戦国時代

Suigetsu and Jūgo refuse to leave him, insisting there’s nowhere else they ought to be, and it’s for this reason alone he allows them to accompany him to the spot that he has chosen to make his last stand.

There is a valley in the heart of the country where the Senju and Uchiha have fought for so long, one spoken of in his family’s scrolls and legends. At its edge, a towering waterfall overlooks land that has been touched by their war for generations; inside there is a cave-shrine known only to a select few.

The shrine behind the falls holds a special significance to him, though he doesn’t speak of it to his last two followers. Instead, he orders them to wait for him at the base of the falls, murmuring that he will fetch them at dawn.

He doubts they believe him, but they leave him to his devices anyhow.

Sasuke scales the cliff, racing up the incline with something akin to the wild abandonment and enjoyment he once felt, enjoying the feel of the wind and spray on his face. At the top of the falls he pauses, looking out on the dark horizon where a vast army of Senju and Uzumaki gather with the allies and vassals that once belonged to him. Warriors and civilians unite together, carrying torches and weapons, all united for one purpose: to destroy him.

Once, he would have been flattered at the notion of an entire army being required to take him down.

Now, he simply smirks in dark amusement, and turns his back upon them. He disappears into the shrine, intending to await his fate in quiet reflection. Incense and the smell of damp earth surround them, bringing with them a sense of finality and calm.

It’s apropos.

He senses Naruto long before he materialises behind him, chakra burning with brightness and warmth.

“Sasuke,” the leader of the Uzumaki says. “Enough. This has to end today.”

“It will,” he replies.

“I’m bringing you back,” Naruto informs him. “I made Sakura a promise, and I will keep it.”

“Promises mean nothing now. It is too late.”

“It’s never too late!”

“Do you know what this place is, Naruto?” Sasuke asks, choosing not to argue with the other man.

Naruto looks around. “Uh…a creepy shrine under a waterfall?”

“This is where the remains of Hagoromo were brought,” Sasuke intones. “Rikudo Sennin. The father of all ninjutsu. The father of Asura and Indra.” Naruto startles, gazing upon the shrine as if with new eyes. “The valley below is where our ancestors fought. Where Madara killed Hashirama, where Mito bound a demon to herself and tore Madara to pieces. This is where our birthright was formed.” He turns to face the other man. “It is fitting that it should be ended here was well.”

“It can end without a fight,” Naruto says, a hint of pleading in his voice. “We can make our peace without fighting. It makes more sense than anything else, you have to see that!”

Sasuke remembers a moonlit conversation far too long ago, and smirks.

“Humans tend to do things that make no sense,” he says, more to himself than Naruto. He unsheathes his sword. “Not that that will be a concern to one of us. Either you die today, or I do. Whoever it is, it is up to the other to ensure it is meaningful.”

“None of this is meaningful!”

“You still don’t understand,” Sasuke says, and summons his Susanoo to throw Naruto through the wall of the cave.

He shoves him through layers and layers of rock and stone, until they break through into the valley. There is a glowing flare of chakra and then Naruto hovers before him, pupils burning orange and form flickering as if on fire.

They each know the other’s moves by rote, after a lifetime of fighting one another. Even with their strongest moves, they are evenly matched—a violet leviathan and a giant nine-tailed fox, battling across the hills and valleys of this land drenched in the blood of their ancestors and countrymen. In the distance, the allied armies watch the battle, ready at any point to throw themselves into the fray should Naruto give the signal.

They are both powerhouses, pushing the limits of their chakra reserves through ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu. When they can no longer draw on this, they balance above the giant waterfalls, their swords drawn and relying on the most basic method of combat.

Their battle feels like it lasts for days, but can’t be more than two or three hours; their blood and sweat soaks the rocks beneath their feet, battle cries making their throats raw.

And then comes the point when something within Sasuke simply gives out. It feels like a tangible snap, as if some unnameable organ has exploded or given out, and he falls to his feet before Naruto.

The blond boy pauses, sword raised, temporarily unable to understand what has just happened. Sasuke is quicker on the uptake—he knows the limits of his body, and the fact that his vision has just given out tells him that he’s shattered those.

He smirks, unseeing. “It seems I’ve lost this fight.”

Naruto pants in reply.

Sasuke straightens up and holds out his arms in invitation. “Strike the final blow.”

“Sasuke—no!”

“If you let me live, you jeopardise the peace and cooperation you desire,” Sasuke tells him, narrowing his eyes in the direction of the idiot’s voice. “I know nothing but warfare and bloodshed.”

“You stupid idiot!” Naruto snarls, lashing out and punching Sasuke in the jaw. His head whips to one side, but he doesn’t react otherwise. “You had a brother, so you knew what it was like to have a family—that’s more than I ever had! You had Obito and Kakashi and Shisui! And you had Neji, who’s a stuck-up dick, but respects you even now! Even that guy with the teeth cares about you! And you had me, because I’ve always been your friend whether you like it or not. All I’ve ever wanted was for that friendship to exist without us constantly trying to kill each other. And…” He trails off for a moment here, inhaling deeply. “And even if you had none of that, it wouldn’t matter, because you had the love of an amazing woman, who would forgive you in a heartbeat if you just abandoned your pride! And you have a…” He hesitates here, like he’s struggling with a word or concept, and finally decides on it. “You have a family, Sasuke. And you didn’t need to fight a war to keep that.”

Sasuke’s eyes burn at this, but he clenches his fists and snorts. “As usual…you see nothing. This was never about me.”

“Bullshit!”

“Danzō was right,” Sasuke tells him. “There can be no peace as long as both the Senju and the Uchiha walk the earth.”

“I don’t get you!” Naruto shouts, furious. “You’re supposed to be a genius, so why can’t you figure out that us fighting will not solve anything?! Half of the decision’s you’ve made this past year, I though were coming from someone else! It’s like you’re trying to get killed—”

His voice cuts off with an audible click, and Sasuke knows that the other man finally understands.

“That’s what it is, isn’t it?” Naruto whispers after a beat; there’s a sound of metal brushing against cloth, like a sword being lowered to one side. “That’s what you’ve been trying to do since that day in your camp.”

“People cannot be trusted to create peace on their own,” Sasuke tells him in a low voice. “They cannot be led to it. They have to want it. They have to fight for it. They need an enemy to unite against. Peace does not unite people. Only the fear and threat of something worse.” He inclines his head in the direction of the people he can no longer see. “They are all here, united behind you. Not the Senju or the Uchiha. A dead last loser of an Uzumaki.” He smirks. “With my death, they’ll look to you for leadership, because you will be the vanquisher of the enemy. And this land will fall under one authority—yours.”

“I—you—that’s...!” Naruto stammers, and the growls. “I will not go down in history as the damned hero who killed you!”

“You have no choice. You must become the one who saves them, as I have accepted becoming the enemy who unites them. Both roles require sacrifice. And I have less to lose than you do.”

“Less to—you idiot! Even if I was capable of killing my friend, Sakura would never forgive me. After everything, she still loves you, and you have a—"

“If you do not kill me, all of this will be for nothing!” Sasuke snarls. “All this suffering, all the death and bloodshed and betrayal—they have to see the old order done away with. Otherwise any peace you contrive will be doomed to fail from the outset. Some things are worth the sacrifice.”

He remembers Itachi throwing himself in front of Sakura.

Naruto is quiet, and Sasuke can sense him stewing angrily in front of him. He imagines him glancing out into the valley where countless men and women watch their battle with baited breath, knowing that victory for either side will irrevocably change the future.

“If I don’t kill you, you’re going to kill yourself, aren’t you?” he asks in a flat tone; Sasuke narrows his own in reply. Naruto snorts. “You manipulative bastard. Even when you’re doing something selfless, you’re still an arrogant prick.”

“And you will always be a halfwit.”

“You should have found a way to speak to Sakura before this. If you knew…you wouldn’t do this…”

“You understand why I have to do this,” Sasuke counters. Then, in a softer voice, he says, “When you see her…tell her it had to be this way. Now she can live in that world she dreamed of.”

Sasuke doesn’t see the blow that will kill him, only feels it rip through him like a razor and his body fly through the air like a ragdoll.

As Naruto’s chakra passes through him, he imagines he can hear a voice—ancient and reedy.

My sons…finally you both understand…sacrifice born of love…

Pain encompasses him, gathering in his chest where Naruto strikes the blow and radiating outward, as if the other man’s chakra is shredding his veins from the inside. His lungs seize and he can no longer breath, but instead of the instinctual, primal panic and need to struggle against impending death, Sasuke relaxes into it.

He smiles up at the sky he can’t see. As the vision fades, he imagines soft hair tickling his cheeks and her damned green eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs to the blackness, or thinks he does. He doesn’t think he’s actually capable of speech any longer. “For everything…up until now.”

His eyes drift shut.

You damned well better be…idiot…

つづく

I know. Sakura was not very present in this chapter. But I think you all know the reason she was conspicuously absent...

And the way I see it, Naruto and Sasuke got their big celebrity death match in the anime. I don’t feel the need to rehash it blow-by-blow here. Also, it was really hard keeping Sasuke detached and vague because he had a big-damn-plan. Uchihas and their martyrdom *sigh*. It’s a good thing we all know how good Team 7 are at following rules, huh? Or else you guys might be doing something silly like panicking right about now…

In any case, I hope you guys liked it 😊

Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated! Also, if you are in a supportive mood, I have a ko-fi button at the top of the page, or you can find my tip jar here.

Thanks for your interest in my work!

クリ

Next Chapter

#naruto fanfiction #sasusaku #au #warring states period #kuriquinn #sasuke uchiha #naruto uzumaki #angst #drama #plot #itachi's spirit lives on

114 notes · View notes

cavernfullofexistentialdread · 1 year

Text

Personally I believe

The reason I am so invested in Talia is not because I’m also born under the sign of aggression and heavily relate to Mischa character in the concept of having so much passion in all your emotion, good or bad; but because of how it’s structured.

It’s traditional. It falls into my category of “emotion driven medium of beautiful madness”. It’s all this anger and fit of rage that is really just comprised up of the love he feels for someone put into lyric and dance. It’s a folk song. It’s humble and so extravagant at the same time. And god is it astonishing; both in the visuals and in the lyrics themselves. It’s a perfect representation of both Mischa’s culture and personality.

That’s why I love it. It’s the only way I can truly explain how I feel about people I personally love. Yes that’s how I would probably do it. I’d do something involving my culture, I’d do something that would be made up on a Wim. THIS SONG is how I feel about all I love. In my passion factory of a heart, I am eternally grateful that all I am and all that is.

I can’t put it into words, but I put my all into everything. I have visible reactions, I’m a tad bit dramatic (*cough* very dramatic *cough*), and I just go extreme with everything, it’s all screaming and shouting and singing and all that is associated with both anger and joy. Everything I’ve ever appreciated and cared for is my divine Talia.

Talia is a perfect representation of me as a person when it comes to affection. It hard to put into words just how much it means to me, I think it would be better/easier to talk about myself instead of typing down words. It means so much to me because not only is it what I am, what I am fascinated and adoring of (cultural traditions and my own cultural upbringing), but it is all that I live for in people. It is all that live for.

Talia is an expression of a person whom I can easily slip into. I am just as restless and prideful as Mischa (although he’s prideful in a good way and I am not if I’m gonna be honest). Talia is an exploration of the lust of power someone’s very thoughts and feelings can have. I can see myself and BE in those feelings for I myself would have no other way.

OF COURSE THAT TOO AND THE FACT THAT I LOVE EVERY SINGLE DEPICTION OF TALIA-

#No beta we die like beheaded cousins #Ranty rant rant #rtc #ride the cyclone #mischa rtc #mischa bachinski #talia rtc #Haha look it’s dread be all sappy and crap #But seriously #i would have it no other way #I’m officially deeming Talia my favorite song #So let’s see #i use get down and TSIA to describe my gender #I use Talia to describe me #And I use 2 individual sets of 6 dead people to cope #Oh god #woof was right #We have problems

10 notes · View notes

cavernfullofexistentialdread · 1 year

Text

Here's a Parrlyn fic idea! (Pirate au 👀)

Cathy works at a place thats essentially like a pirate ship stable, you can rent out other people's boats or just keep your's in good hands over there. She like to write in her free time and her plan is as soon as she gets enough money she's booking it out of there and writing full time. But recently she's has a crash course when her godmother/boss suddenly brings in this nice lady Jane and her two cousins. Who just so happen to look like they haven't slept in weeks (Anne), like they are about to have a mental break down (Kat), and looks like they are about to snap and the next person who even looks at them with a negative connotation (Jane). Not to mention a new employee is a little too rambunctious (Anna).

(So basically the cousins are freaked up, injured, tired, and about to snap when they arrive. Anna is there to freak with people)

The cousins are a trio of pirates that are just tryna make it in the world after some traumatic events they had to go through together. Anne is this semi sarcastic and charming life of the party who is not anti social enough to be considered distant but seems to hold too many mysteries to count. She always knows too much and lets others know too little. Always using charisma to get what she wants.

So when when a hot, extroverted, mysterious, pirate shows up; Cathy in all her introverted gay gay homosexual gay glory immediately is the first person to look after the Boleyn girl. No one bats an eye as all of three of the cousins obviously need help, and Cathy uses that to her advantage. After spending some time with the strangers, hijinks ensue as everyone spends more time together. (Everyone can tell Cathy and Anne like each other. Anne even flirts with her and gets her all flustered while simultaneously dying on the inside from her gayness and how cute Cathy is. REMEMBER TO MAKE THEM HELLA OBLIVIOUS THO)

Insert trauma dump and Parrlyn being a dorks here and BAM YOU GET THE IDEA!

Kk maybe i'll go make a fanfic later using this prompt who knows 😍

#Parrlyn #parrleyn #six the musical #MWAHAHAHA #GAY PIRATES YAY #No beta we die like beheaded cousins

11 notes · View notes

cavernfullofexistentialdread · 1 year

Text

Ok so rant about Jane Seymour/Doe and why I love both of them to the depth of my soul

CLICK IF YOU WANT A HELLISHLY LONG POST

Jane S. and Jane D. are 2 very similar characters. (Besides the names at least) They are both very sad blondies named Jane who are featured in a single act musical about 6 dead people singing about their lives to win a competition. Wow thats specific

Well, as characters/people they are very similar. They are pushed aside and are considered "weird" in an already kinda out there group. Jane S is considered the only one her truly loved and as the one who didn't end on a bad note with Henrat VIII. Jane D is in Ocean's words; "AND SHE'S A FREAKY MONSTER!". Their also very emotionally driven without being directly moody and acting on impulse so to speak. Their temper and voice's are to be feared as kind as they can seem. Just look at the Queen's fight scene and the line in The Ballad of Jane Doe, "BECAUSE WHEN I GOT TO HOLD MY NEW-BORN SON, DIED!" and "And I'm asking, WHY LORD? Is this the way I DIE LORD?" are the examples that best show this. What makes them both so lovable in my opinion is that they are just so damn wholesome and tragic at the same time. Both of them can't BE in their groups. Doe isn't even allowed to know who she is! (More on that later). Jane S. is teased and mocked for what happened even more than the others! Their not allowed to just BE.

As for why I love them on their own as individual characters...

_____________________

JANE DOE/PENNY

Jane Doe is such a special character, she frustrated, she's stagnate. She's in the background. She isn't allowed to BE. Jane isn't in the opening and ending shot. Jane has to be introduced on her OWN. The Ballad of Jane Doe is what I personally like to call "emotion driven medium of beautiful madness". I classify any song that is just supposed to be just screaming, emotion, passion, and various flavors of sadness all thrown into an amazing song that drives the character depicted in the song to their edge as "emotion driven medium". Think "Meant To Be Yours". You just wanna scream these kind of songs out and act like a maniac. The Ballad Of Jane Doe is exactly that. She is so sad and mad and just so full of tired rage. "It's implied the high notes are her screams as the ride shuts down." Click on the official album video of the ballad and that's what the top comment says. "Now that everything is said and done, is there anyone to tell me who I am?". The am has a hint of desperation in it. Just please... just finally say who she is. Her catchphrase and absolute iconic line of "Time eats all his children in the end" is supposed to kind of hint (at least in my opinion) at what her parents were like, as they never showed up and probably just continued on without her. "Time eats all his children in the end" is as pointed out by many as a reference to Kronos, or the greek god of time. Of course my mythology and history nerd self can dump all my info on you, but I won't. To put it simply, Kronos ate all his children as in a prophecy one of his children will overthrow him. However he continued to have children like the lions and eventually it led to Zeus who freed his siblings from his stomach and overthrew him. As for why they reference Kronos, I think it's because in the myth he's this fallen god who's sickly and violent. He's the god of time, this never ending tail of life and death is never ending. The Ballad of Jane Doe is Jane's testimony. A testimony to her pain and impatience at this point, her frustration of staying eternally Jane Doe. A testimony that leads to her finally getting what she deserve. Friends/family. The New Birthday Song entirely captures what I mean. You have to remember, she's NOT Jane Doe. Jane Doe is a concept. Jane isn't Jane, she's PENNY! She's just so interesting is the sense of not knowing where to stand and never being allowed to BE. Oh and also her friendship with Constance and Ocean. (AAAAA THE SILLIES MAKE ME WANNA SQUEAL)

JANE SEYMOUR

"JANE SEYMOUR THE ONLY ONE HE TRULY LOVED!"

"RUDE-"

*ahem* sorry for that. Compared to Penny, Jane is sound. She is stable. She is stagnate, but she isn't trapped in a state of unmoving confusion. What she is a statue long crumpled and forgotten who by now is only known for being another pawn in the Henrat's game of life. (Yes that RTC reference was intended) However she's a stone carving that has "survived" over the years. Her song is about her love for the people around her, even if the feeling isn't mutual. She strives to make her mark. AND GOD DAMN SHE DOES CAUSE I BE SINGING NOTES I WILL NEVER HIT IN THE SHOWER! Her song is sort of a jab as like her cousins. DLYH is pretty obvi in it's joke, AYWD is a little more out there of a reference. Heart of Stone's little nit pick is that "Heart of Stone"'s double meaning, your either stone hearted and uncaring, or your love is set in stone and will always be there. Jane being the latter. She is the mom friend. Her love unbothered. She is an immovable object. And she will remain that way. You need to understand that she is someone dealing with her inner conflict of a love she was never loved by, and wanted to share love with others who only push her away farther. Her role in SIX is strange as like Cathy, she isn't striving for a win, but instead her victory is held elsewhere. She isn't against or with the competition. She just wants to BE. Just like Penny! She wants to hold her ground and shoot up for the stars from there. Jane is loving, caring, yet is filled with underlying sadness, tragedy, and a rage that can be ripped out and screamed. Jane Seymour is a figure to look up to. Alway seeing the positive without blocking out the ugly tears and train wreck. She compliments both Lina and Anne even after they roasted her. She doesn't care, she just wants to set herself down, stay, and tell her message. Her song has NOTHING to do with putting the others down in one way or another and simply directed towards her loved ones. Simply put that she is a mother figure who simply does not care, she is just here to bake cookies and share them with the others. Of course I'm not going to talk about her history with Anne as I don't find in relevant in this, but we can't forget that she can be very emotional in moments of "weakness" so to speak. She's flawed.

Their both flawed. Which makes them all the more human. Penny and Jane ARE human. Not some pawn, not some game, not some head without a body, not some concept. They are their own characters and deserve to be loved and hated. They are works of art in a medium I am eternally loving and appreciative of.

_____________________

Thank you for reading my rant as to why I love Jane Seymour and Penny Lamb so much

#jane seymour #jane doe #penny lamb rtc #sorry not sorry #ranty rant rant #god this took so long #but hey #a rant is a rant #ur welcome woof #NO BETA WE DIE LIKE BEHEADED COUSINS #I WILL NOT BE CORRECTING THIS #THIS ALREADY TOOK SO LONG TO TYPE

4 notes · View notes