#gotta love rose of versailles | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cviperfan · 4 years

Text

Okay so partially motivated by how many references there were in SPoP and largely bc it's been in my backlog for years and I remembered the whole thing got uploaded to youtube a while ago, I finally got around to watching Revolutionary Girl Utena for the first time so time for some hot takes

2 clarify I did see the movie about around 2000 which was my introduction to the series, and I did see like 1 episode back in anime club (over a decade ago now tbh) but for the most part I went into this with only a vague sense of the ending and offhand knowledge of a few of the weird comedy episodes so this was mostly a blind watch

Before getting into #spoilers I will say that this ended up being an easy Top 5 and that it's definitely still worth watching (fair warning for the very frequent rape and incest (and sometimes both)), especially if you've somehow also avoided most of the context of this show like me, and it really is one of the rare Nothing Else Like It kind of show (though it has roots in older shoujo like Rose of Versailles and modern stuff like Revue Starlight have picked up its lede)

Okay spoilers from here on

I really only kinda have vague memories of the more knightly take on Utena from the movie so Series!Utena having this powerful Dumb Jock Energy threw me

Like she's out here invoking the Air Bud Rule from minute one

This bit where Akio is going on about some Important Life Lesson thing and she's just fuckin

crab walking im

what a hero i love her

I have always kinda been more partial to shoujo than shounen bc the sense of like emotional urgency and the heightened exaggerated feelings are just more compelling to me narratively and what Utena does spectacularly is really drive that to fucking 11 and it permeates every aspect of the show

Like the melodrama of it all is so shameless and it's so committed to letting its visuals and music drive the mood and emotional intensity of its stakes that they kind of speak for themselves and demand to be taken on their own terms rather than having clear or rigid interpretations

Like it's kind of a situation of "yes most of what you're seeing ties into the show's bigger themes and characterization but also you can just vibe to the spectacle as well" like even when it's not on the Dueling Arena there's a theatricality underlying everything that pairs perfectly with the spirit of shoujo even as it... not necessarily contradicts it, but challenges it in some ways and also wants to coexist with it?

And I think that's the interesting thing how it wants to tackle some of these arch concepts tied into the genre while also being deeply intertwined with it. Like it really is a Product Of Its Time in so many ways but it also feels somehow timeless and transgressive in others even now?

Like part of me would be interested to see a remake that took into account 23 years of conversation about how much perceptions of gender and sexuality have changed but at the same time would it lose some essential part of itself in that transition? idk potentially

Also lbr a hypothetical remake wouldn't even attempt to revise anything it would just redo it thus making it pointless

So I know this has been a thing that's been brought up before but seeing it play out dang RGU and NGE really are just companion pieces to each other huh

Subverting the themes and narrative arcs of their respective genres, mysterious quiet girl who's directly the key to everything, the ritual of action setpieces rendered as Actual Ritual in the story, banger OP, comphet ruining everyone's lives

Also they really don't have much in common comparatively but I'm definitely seeing pieces of Utena in Kill la Kill too? Particularly how Mako's arc feels like a fleshing out and expansion from the archetype divergence Wakaba got in that one ep (I can't believe klk was the utena/wakaba au fanfic)

Speaking of which damn he is a sleazy bastard and a gross predator but ngl Akio can Get It he and Ragyo are basically the same character and I guess this is just my type apparently???? oops

Like I'm recognizing how like really awful he is but also you really can't blame Utena for crushing on him he is super hot and charming

aside i lost it at the audacity of "well even tho i am a man like twice your age (AT LEAST) and took advantage of the situation and also i am clearly not the type to take no for an answer since you didn't reject me you're basically just as bad as me" bruh

The Black Rose Arc is... interesting bc like it borders on superfluous with how it resolves and yet the introduction of a "monster of the week" type power rangers element specifically built to expand on the secondary cast is a pretty inspired choice

again my primary point of introduction to the series was the movie which is basically a remix of the Student Council arc so when I got to 12 I was like wth are they gonna fill the rest of this with? WELP

What I really like about it is that usually this kind of setup-- the 'character is faced with their dark inner thoughts they shy away from and they become a short-term enemy' deal-- ends with the char in question coming to terms with this and overcoming it to become a better person

but here it's just like... they lose and then they just gotta... sit with that, forever. Like it doesn't really change the status quo of their relationships w/ utena or the others but it does just stick around for them and now the audience knows that about them too. like sometimes you just can't take that shit back.

Utena's relationship to queerness, having heard about it tangentially for years but seeing it play out now is also interesting bc while in the grand scheme it doesn't feel necessarily any more ahead of its time than something like Cardcaptor Sakura there is a casualness to it that's distinct

Like for the most part it's either kind of the tangential fluff that even then was part of shoujo as a standard but then there's also stuff like the Akio/Touga or Touga/Saionji hinting or Kozue's casual pass at Anthy in addition to the maintext Juri/Shiori push-pull and ofc the subtext-but-maintext Utena/Anthy threads

I wanna take a moment to talk about Juri bc of how kind of in the spirit of the show itself it plays things both with and against the grain with her

Like she's a Tragic Lesbian which is nothing new but usually this character type (and Distinctively Lesbian characters in general) in anime/manga tend to be portrayed as being very predatory, invasive and either played for laughs or to repulse the audience, so the degree of empathy RGU shows her in 97 is rare to see even now.

Like there is a "safeness" to her bc of how unattainable Shiori is (though their arc ends in a decidedly ambiguious way), but it doesn't really feel like she's getting the short end of the stick over the more straight-leaning characters bc arguably all of the relationships here are defined by an aspect of chasing the unattainable, echoing Utena's own quixotic search for her Prince, and her choosing to remain closeted feels realistic *especially because* of the surrounding context of how heteronormative the world she exists in is. Like the character is aware of that and is navigating it in a way that feels honest

Speaking of which it's interesting how the reveal of Juri's pining for Shiori in Ep 7 echoes the bigger reveal of Utena/Anthy bc of how it plays up this heterocentric love triangle or at least it seems to be but then the cards are on the table and no that's really not what it is at all, and it feels significant that after spending most of the series naively oblivious to Juri’s feelings and what she wants out of a relationship with Shiori that Utena finally Gets It in Ep 37

Is it a coincidence Juri actually gets to be the one to point it out? No

Speaking of triangles big ups to the Ruka/Juri/Shiori one honestly bc of how hard it commits to the unknown third result of a LT where absolutely no one comes out happy and it actually works even with the handicap of Ruka basically coming out of nowhere just for these two episodes

Like all three of them want the one person who's absolutely never gonna love them back and that's just rough buddy and isn't that kinda the show in a nutshell

So the thing that struck me about Utena/Anthy and how it plays out is how subtle it really is. And that does make sense bc while f/f teasing/subtext again was part of shoujo before it's quite a different thing for the heroine to ultimately reject her 2 male love interests and choose a life with her female best friend, esp in nineteen ninety seven

Like I think you can argue that Ep 12 feels like The Moment where What Their Relationship Is, Definitely shifts and that possibility is suddenly there, and then it doesn't come back in a big way until the ending but there are tiny glimpses throughout where you can see that working in the background if you’re really paying attention

Small things like Anthy's flashes of unspoken jealousy, Utena fretting over her even when she's in bed with Akio, and part of that is coming from going in with a knowledge of what the endgame is and keeping an eye out for it. I can hardly imagine being a viewer during the og broadcast and then ep 34 comes and suddenly the intent is made clear and our understanding of the inciting incident gets all flipped turned upside down

And to a modern viewer I can get coming into this for the first time and being frustrated at just how close to the chest it gets played, but that's also kind of the only way it gets to happen at that point in time? But I think it ultimately is effective and vital to their individual arcs and dovetails nicely with the themes of the show

Like I remember hearing that original manga creator Chiho Saito was pretty against their paired ending, but with a lot of convincing from Ikuhara ultimately came around to it, and it's hard to imagine the anime's ending working any other way and being nearly as impactful

And there is something really beautiful about the bucking against the established idea of yuri relationships being a childish concept that gets left behind in order to 'grow up' actually becoming the impetus of their own journeys into adulthood and eventually back to each other, and it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed that for this Bold Step and declaration for the future that RGU takes that while yuri is more common than ever it largely continues to exist within the realm of schoolgirls and something to be left behind in adolescence like for RGU’s faults and shortcomings it saw this world of possibility in moving forward, while the genre largely elected to stand still

And it really speaks to either the timelessness of the show or how much the queer experience has remained constant that even with a tragic ending, that hope, or rather the promise of their reunion, feels bold and defiant and genuinely uplifting even now

Like the moment where just before they reach out to each other one final time, and their voices as children speak out to each other, as if finally fulfilling a promise they barely remember, I really did just start ugly crying

Lastly some assorted closing thoughts--

-Touga? Punk. Guy really takes advantage of Utena's whole prince thing to manipulate her, ends up losing to her in the rematch and then fucks off to mope for like AN ENTIRE SEASON then pops back up "oh yea im in love with her literally nothing else about my behavior has changed tho" like lmao you tried i guess

-Also i know Touga's design is p stock standard bishounen ojou-sama type but god this is all i can think about when I see him

- Green Touga Saionji is a bitch-ass motherfucker but like he at least tried more than anyone else so uh that's something I guess?????

Like the guy clearly has some unresolved feelings about Touga so i'm inclined to be sympathetic bc wow poor choice my dude but also... bitch-ass motherfucker

-Nanami really went through this thing for me where it's like... she's a brat and a shitty person but it's also hard to really dislike her bc she does get what she deserves most of the time and also she gets kinkshamed more than most of the cast despite none of them really having a high ground over her lol

-Miki did nothing wrong (aside from like the implied incest but that's also like... half the relationships in this show uh)

sidenote I can completely see the notable excess of Incest Subtext/Maintext being intended as like... A Thing to comment on how common it is within shoujo and also tying in to like the bigger themes of Growing Up bc the idea that you’re chasing after your own damn siblings betrays some freudian inability to mature or whatever but tbqh it doesn’t always feel like the show knows the line between commenting on this and indulging in it and RGU is very indulgent by its own nature so I really can’t blame people put off by the show as a whole bc this is an area where RGU is largely indistinguishable from its genre peers

-Juri really did nothing wrong tho also props for having the best duels

-FUCK SHIORI THO for eel

so obviously i have not seen the show up to now but I've been in yuri circles for a long time so I knew about Juri/Shiori and my perception of it had always been "oh it's one of those kinda messy with complicated feelings" kinda ships where the drama is a big part of the appeal and that's true but like

the actual nature of it I did not realize up to now and OH SHIORI'S REALLY THAT BITCH HUH

So not only does she date that one anonymous guy specifically to spite Juri unaware she doesn't actually like him BUT THEN WHEN THEY GET REUNITED SHE'S JUST LIKE LOL IT DIDNT MATTER BUT HEY WE COOL RIGHT *AND THEN* when she finds out about Juri's feelings she's like HELL YEA I CAN HANG THIS OVER HER HEAD FOREVER FUCK HER

***AND THEN*** when she gets some karma after Ruka dumps her ass she airs her dirty laundry out in front of EVERYBODY like Juri hasn't been dealing with this shit like an absolute champ the whole time like?????

Like ok i get that there's the sad longing drama there and usually that's my jam and the show itself seems to end on kind of an ambiguous note and the follow-up manga from this year seems to leave it as kind of a "maybe" but I'm sorry get Juri a better GF 2020 she deserves better

I saw some Juri/Wakaba going through the tumblr tag for the show and honestly that's some big brain shit I'm here for it

Also now knowing exactly how this dynamic operates it really makes that Jasper/Lapis reference pic one of the SU crew drew of them read very.... interestingly???????? (tho Lapis' design reads a lot closer to Kozue and that's probably a closer personality analogue too)

-I love that thing in ep 37 where the whole SC is just very casually like hey utena if the whole revolutionizing the world thing with anthy doesn't work out uhhh call me im free haha just kidding unless...? lmao

-I'm pretty uninclined to try to pin precise sexuality HCs to characters for series this old where the ambiguity is part of how its danced around like partly coming from my own experience I'm inclined to read Utena as bi but that really is just coming from me?

But on the other hand literally every time a guy is like "i love you utena come be happy with me and we can love each other forever" she's like "k" after having left them on read for a day and disconnects from them entirely so lesbian going through comphet is a pretty valid read i think lol

-Lastly I think it’s pretty interesting but validly frustrating how fast and loose the show’s relationship with dream logic and non-traditional storytelling really is like when the shadow girls show up I was like “oh this is a greek chorus thing and it’s meant to reflect on the themes of the episode” (or uh in the case of exactly Ep 29 to break from tradition and explicitly tell us what a characters deal is lmao) but then no actually turns out they’re actually real characters who exist within the show too fuck you

ANYWAY I really did love this show and felt like I got a lot out of it despite it being pretty infamously hard to decipher but the ways it's inscrutable appeal to me specifically so very happy with this I'm gonna be thinking about it for a while

#revolutionary girl utena #cw: rape mention #cw: incest mention #might follow up with some thoughts about the movie later

19 notes · View notes

lanonima · 4 years

Text

Top 15 Italian anime openings

This was really tough, and I actually did leave out a bunch of ones I liked just because I wanted some variety. Also, there are million of these, and I have not listened to every single one of them. These are mostly pulled off of ones that I remember specifically. Overall, I'm more likely to like an Italian opening than dislike it. These are kind of in an order, but stuff with the same rating is pretty much equally good. From least favorite to favorite.

1 - Quelli che Guardavo - Robin Hood - 7/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weybo-6Py3I

I've never seen this but the opening is pretty cute. I like the… I think it's supposed to be like hunting horns in the background? Whatever, it's fun.

2 - Prince of Tennis – 7/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKZNehTt84Y

Again, I've never seen it. But it's on one of the CDs I bought and I enjoy listening to it. It gets me pretty pumped up, and what else you need from a sports anime?

3 - Jem - 7.5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAgsPXsHQUc

I think I did used to watch Jem reruns on TV, but I don't have any real attachment to the series. This one starts off strong though and is fun all the way through. Plus the melody gets stuck in my head a lot.

4 - Gotta Catch ‘em All - Pokemon (1st) - 8/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPDJpFnUg2w

Pretty fun, pretty catchy, that's all you need for Pokémon. But this is not the best Italian Pokémon opening.

5 - Rossana - 8/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3d7M2RgQfU

Again, I don't know this show at all. I don't know if I would want to watch it, but I appreciate the opening. It has strong parts and weak parts though.

6 - Captain Harlock - 8/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIWrcsDuLpw

Never seen the show but the opening is very fun, even as an adult. But really I think I would've liked this one a lot as a kid. The melody itself is really catchy.

7 - Detective Conan - 8.5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hFA_jliv38

Another show I haven't seen. But this opening is a bop. Starts off really good.

8 - E’ Quasi Magia Johnny - 8.5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC2qtc52N5k

I don't even know what show this is for? It does not look familiar. But it's really fun, I feel like this would be a fun one to sing along to because it's not too fast.

9 - Il Mistero della Pietra Azzura - 8.5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-DKeG49tCI

I also don't know what show this is. But it gets stuck in my head all the time, and therefore deserves to be on this list. One time I woke up singing this song. It was in my dream, you guys.

10 - Yu-Gi-Oh (1st) - 9/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qsaEG78YNA

I was a Yu-Gi-Oh kid. I watched the show all the time, and while I love the original American opening, I think I like this one better? They’re are at least equally good. This is also very catchy and get stuck in my head a lot, and I often go to YouTube to rewatch it.

11 - Il Cristallo del Cuore - Sailor Moon (3rd) - 9.5/10

youtube

This song is exactly what I would expect from an animated opening from my childhood, and I really love it! Although it's not as good as the first one. Also I think she got in trouble because it sounded too much like another song…? But I've never heard that other song so I don't care.

12 - Una Spada per Lady Oscar - Rose of Versailles (2nd?) - 10/10

youtube

This song is a treat to listen to, made better by the fact that it's pretty gay for Lady Oscar, and I'm also pretty gay for Lady Oscar. This is almost enough to make me forget about the original Italian opening, which still haunts my nightmares. I don't actually know if this was an opening, an ending, or just a song? But it's good, I like to sing along to it.

13 - Oltre i Cieli Dell’avventura - Pokemon (2nd) - 10/10

youtube

Now this is a Pokémon opening. To be honest I'm not a Pokémon fan and I never really was so I'm not attached to the series at all, and I don't even remember what the American opening sounds like. But I do look this song up on YouTube to listen to it on a fairly regular basis so it's safe to say that I like this one. It's peppy and gets you in the mood, and is fun to sing to.

14 - Sailor Moon (1st) - 10/10

youtube

You listen to this song and tell me that it's not at least as iconic as the original Japanese opening, I dare you. It has a sort of mysterious slow start, with a fantastic melody. And then it gets more energetic later on, but always in a way that feels very much like Sailor Moon. Yes, I love this one, and I also like to sing along with it, and even sing it to myself sometimes when I'm not listening to it. Which is about the same as what I do with the original, so basically they're both good.

15 - Un Incantesimo Dischiuso tra i Petali del Tempo - Slayers - 10/10

youtube

I have never seen Slayers. But I know, that if I do ever watch it, I will exclusively watch the Italian version because of this opening. I usually like pretty energetic songs, and this is not that, but there is something to it that just gets me. What even is this musical genre? Pseudo-medieval anime music that gets more intense as it goes along. Yes please. The first Cristina D’Avena CD that I bought, I bought specifically because it was the one that had the song on it.

#I don't know what to tag this #reviews #anime #Italian anime openings #they're seriously so much fun

4 notes · View notes

dreamwritesimagines · 5 years

Text

Once A Year 8 - Old Tricks [Billy Russo x Reader]

A/N: Hello my darlings! <3 I hope you’ll enjoy it, and please tell me what you think, kisses and hugs! <3

Summary: Let the games begin.

Characters: Billy Russo x Reader, Frank Castle x Karen Page

Warning: Explicit language, mentions of guns, violence and sex, dysfunctional relationships. As usual, I don’t condone any of the messed up stuff happening on the show or in this story.

Word Count: 3168

Due to the linking issue, the previous chapters are on my masterlist<3

“Here’s the venue,” the wedding planner stepped into the huge ballroom and you raised your brows, looking up at the high ceiling. It actually looked like one of those ballrooms from an animation movie, and you half expected the chandelier to start to talk all of a sudden.

But you were sure even that wouldn’t be enough to distract you.

If you had to be honest, everything was going well. Carter had basically charmed your parents during the dinner couple of days ago, you had signed three new artists for the gallery and you were now more than free to really look for the things necessary for the wedding, but-

It was your wedding, and you weren’t half as interested in this as Carter was.

“How many people can we fit in here?”

“Around 300 people, sir.”

“Well, that might be a problem. How about the garden?”

“Oh garden is actually gorgeous, would you like to step outside to the balcony or….”

Your phone beeped and you took a look at the screen;

From: Billy

Did you tell him you don’t love him yet?

You pressed your lips together, shaking your head slightly, and typed in your reply.

How’s Krista?

Your phone beeped in about two seconds,

We’re not getting married, unlike you and Campbell.

You rolled your eyes,

Carter.

“And you know, with her family and with my family- and business partners…”

“I definitely understand your concern.”

“It sort of reminds me of Versailles...”

Whatever. I bet you’re actually bored now.

You raised your brows and typed quickly,

Did you give Krista my phone number?

Your phone beeped and you scoffed a laugh,

So that you could scare her off?

“Y/N?”

Your head shot up, “Yeah?”

“What do you think?”

You stared at them, and cleared your throat, “Sorry, I- Rose keeps texting me about this new buyer, I- can you repeat it?”

“I sort of liked it actually, what do you think about the place?”

“I-“ you wetted your lips and looked around, “It just feels-um… Don’t you think it’s too much?”

“Too much?”

“For the wedding?” You motioned around, “This whole thing? It feels like- it reminds me of Cotillion night.”

“This year’s Cotillion was actually held here.”

You motioned at the wedding planner, “See? I have way too many memories about that.”

“I liked mine.”

“Of course you did.”

“Good memories.”

You raised your brows, “Is that right?”

“Can we have a moment please?” he asked and the wedding planner nodded, then walked away.

“Good memories huh?”

“I lost my virginity on my Cotillion night.”

You grinned, “I’m sure it was magical.”

“Magical five seconds.”

“No worries Charming, you improved yourself,” You winked at him and heaved a sigh, then looked around.

“You don’t like it.”

“I-“ you crossed your arms and looked around, “It’s- I want something smaller.”

“Smaller?”

“Yeah it’s just- it doesn’t feel like….”

“What?”

“Me.” You shrugged, “It doesn’t feel like me.”

That’s because it’s not you and you’re marrying a man you’re not in love with, idiot.

“It feels like my mom actually.”

Carter sucked in a breath through his teeth, “I mean your mom is hot and all-“

“Carter!”

“But you know, I don’t wanna marry her.” He smiled at you, “I told you, baby. Whatever you want, okay?”

“Something smaller.”

“Something smaller.” Carter nodded, and looked around, scrunching up his nose,

“Did you see the napkin rings though?”

“Very funny.”

“No seriously, I feel like we need more napkin ring options.”

“Carter, don’t you dare.”

“I should just let her know, so that she can give us even more pages to pick from-“

“I’m warning you!” You pointed at him, making him let out a laugh and pull you closer to peck you on the lips.

“We’d better make sure your mother doesn’t see here, right?”

“Oh definitely-“ you started, but your phone started ringing, making you pull back and look at the screen. It was an unknown number, and you thought for a moment, then answered it.

“Hello?”

“Y/N, hi. It’s Krista.”

And just like that, your whole body tensed up. You could almost feel yourself straightening your back, clenching your jaw for a moment before you smiled.

“Oh hi!” Your voice was very energetic all of a sudden as you walked away from Carter, “Billy gave you my number after all huh?”

“Yeah, it took some convincing though.”

Oh honey, you’ll have to try a little harder than that to rub it in my face.

“Really?” You asked, “Ah. You should just spend some time with him, that’s all. Trust me, I haven’t even had to make any effort to convince him for years now.”

Krista hesitated for a moment, “I see,” she said, “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

Your smile didn’t falter, “You should.”

“I was actually wondering if you want to grab a coffee sometime.”

You stole a look at Carter who was talking to the wedding planner, “Sure! Um- are you free today?”

“Today?”

“Yeah I’m not at the gallery anyway. We can meet in an hour or two if you’d like?”

“That’d be great.” Krista said, “I’ll text you the address? Billy says he’ll be free in two hours.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.” You said and hung up the phone, then made your way to Carter.

“Hey there,” he said, “Mrs Russel says she can show us smaller venues this week.”

“Thank God,” you shut your eyes, “At least we’ll be together in this. It worries me to even think that you might go back to Italy before we can pick anywhere, and then it’ll all be on me.”

“But you know I’ll be back here really soon right? I’m almost done in Italy, I’ll be back before you can even miss me.”

You tried to smile and ran a hand over his jacket, “Yeah.”

“And then you and me forever baby.”

Less than that.

“Okay.” You murmured, and he heaved a sigh as he checked his watch.

“Okay, I gotta go meet my uncle, and set up a meeting for three of us,” he said, as you felt your stomach make an unpleasant flip, “It’s about time he met you.”

Trying to keep your expression stable, you smiled at him, “Good idea.” You managed to say, “I have to meet a- meet a friend, but um- you can call me when you’re done?”

Carter nodded and pecked you on the lips,

“You okay?”

“Hm?”

“You look…” Carter shrugged, “Unhappy?”

You shook your head, “No, no…” you said, “Just… I don’t want you to go back to Italy and time is going too fast, that’s all.”

“You won’t be alone in this, Y/N. I promise you.”

You heaved a sigh, “Okay then.”

“So….no to the napkin rings?”

“No to the napkin rings!” you let out a laugh, then walked away.

Even you had to admit, this was maybe a little too much.

After all, you weren’t a teenager anymore and all the tricks you had played on Billy’s girlfriends were just petty games, and you were way above that now. Both you and Billy were adults now, and even if you tended to tease each other about that-

It didn’t mean you actually had to go through with it.

And yet, here you were.

It was no secret that you had never liked any of Billy’s girlfriends, you always had that rivalry between you for some reason, no matter who it was. They either hated you before having even met you, or you hated them when you saw Billy getting too close with them. But Krista?

Krista’s comment on the times you hadn’t visited him at the hospital?

No way. That was war.

You heaved a deep sigh and looked down at the bottle of fragrance. You had memorized what Billy had used just like how he had memorized what you used as perfume, shampoo and even conditioner.

This was just a high school cat fight technique, and oh God, you felt silly but it didn’t stop you. You sprayed the fragrance into your hand, then ran your hand through your hair, so that the faint scent would cling to your hair, not enough to be obvious, but enough to raise a suspicion while Billy wouldn’t even notice. You put the bottle into glove compartment, wiped your hands with wet wipes, then left the car and walked to the café Krista was waiting for you in. You smiled at her, then shook her hand.

“Hi!” You said as you turned your head, so that the scent would hit her without you being obvious about it, “Sorry, I just left my car over there, took forever to find a spot.”

Krista took a deep breath, then stared at you for a second or two before she smiled,

“No problem,” she said, “I just got here.”

“Billy isn’t coming?”

“He says he’s running late.”

“Oh okay. I’ll um-“ you looked up at the waitress, “Can I get a latte please?”

“Tea please.” Krista said and you turned to her as waitress walked away.

“I’m not much of a tea person, for some reason.” You shrugged, “So um… Bill says you’re a psychiatrist.”

“I am, yes.”

“That’s how you met?”

Krista nodded, “He was my patient, correct. I’d like to believe that….it’s actually how we connected.”

“That’s uh…unconventional.” Your smile didn’t falter, “I’m just asking because I have no knowledge on medical field, but- is that allowed? Like, I’m also seeing this psychiatrist, and it would actually crush me if I thought he saw me like that, you know? There’s that trust, that… would just break.”

God damn it, now you knew what Billy had meant when he talked about how annoying it was to never know what you thought. You couldn’t read anything on Krista’s face at all.

“Well, if you have any suspicions about it, I suggest you ask your psychiatrist.”

“Yeah,” you nodded, “Yeah I should. Because it would worry me actually to find myself open to any kind of…manipulation, you know? Like he’s supposed to be a professional and everything.”

“I’m sure he is.”

“I also read about this dude who got suspended because he had something with his patient.” You shut your eyes for a moment, “I don’t mean that about you of course! I just- I’m a very curious person, Bill knows that.”

“No problem, curiosity is actually in our nature.” Krista said calmly, “It is true that it’s frowned upon but Billy isn’t my patient anymore. So there’s honestly nothing to worry about.”

“Great,” you said, “Because it’d break his heart if he caused anything like that.”

“Well, I think my job is the least of the issues in this situation.”

Right. She knew about Billy’s activities after all.

“Oh I totally know what you mean.” You said as the waitress brought your latte, “You don’t approve huh?”

Krista shrugged, “We talk about it a lot,” she said and you raised your brows.

“Of course,”

“How about you?” Krista asked, as she nodded at your hand, “Nice ring.”

Shit.

“Thank you.”

“Is he around?”

“He just came back from Italy,” you said, “Surprise visit.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“We’re still working on that one.” You let out a laugh, “But I’m more worried about his habits than the wedding itself to be honest. My apartment sometimes looks like a tornado hit it, since Carter came back, all his belongings are everywhere. You’re lucky with that.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh, you know. Living with Billy is actually pretty easy. He’s pretty tidy, right?”

Her gaze was unwavering on you, “Absolutely.”

Liar liar…

“I mean I assume. We don’t live together, yet.”

You took a sip of your latte, “Ah. Not there yet huh?”

“He insists it’s for my own safety. It’s lovely, to be honest. Even if he stays at my place more than he does at his.”

You tried not to make a face at that.

“How about you? What do you do?”

“I have a gallery,” you stated, “I studied art at college so…”

“Your surname sounds familiar for some reason, perhaps I’ve heard about your gallery?”

Right. Your surname.

As it turned out, while you were trying to read Krista, she was also trying to read you.

You narrowed your eyes, then looked up as if trying to remember, “I don’t think we’re in same social circle but maybe?”

“I’ll make sure to check it out.”

“You should.” You said “You know, I actually like this. This is the first time I get along with a girlfriend of Billy’s, you should’ve seen the other ones.”

“You didn’t get along with them?”

“Well, they didn’t get along with me,” you made a face, “But I suppose I had some contribution to that one.”

“How so?”

“It’s just that-“ you took a deep breath, deep in thought, “You know. People tend to feel…threatened. It’s been like this our whole lives, people don’t seem to understand that. They actually get it wrong every time.”

“Get it wrong?”

“It’s just that…” you heaved a sigh, “We’re always going to be in each other’s lives, you know? No matter what people think, or tell us. I’ve lost the count of how many girlfriends or boyfriends we had to break up with for each other. Or because of each other. So it’s great that you don’t feel threatened or anything, it usually ends badly.”

Krista tilted her head, “I’m sure I can handle it.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Billy approaching you and you raised a hand to show him where you were, then turned to him.

“Awesome. As long as you don’t change your mind, I’m sure everything will be just fine,” you said as Billy got there, fixing his hat.

“Hey, sorry about that.”

“No problem.”

“Yeah, we were just catching up.” You said as Krista grabbed her phone from the table.

“I’m so sorry, I just remembered I actually had a patient today,”

“What?”

“Aw, that’s a shame.” You told her as she stood up, “We can catch up some other time then?”

“Of course, it’d be great.”

“Krista-?”

“I’ll see you at home,” she pecked him on the lips before she walked away. You leaned back, as Billy turned to you.

“She should get a planner or something.”

“What did you do?”

“What?” you asked him, looking up at him innocently, “She literally just said she has a patient, Billy.”

“Please,” Billy scoffed and tilted his head, “What did you tell her, Skittles?”

“Nothing?” You shrugged as you took a sip of the latte, “She seems nice.”

“Y/N.”

“What? What’s with the look?”

“I’ll go after her, but we’ll talk about this.”

Your lips pulled into a mocking smile, “Run along, puppy.”

Billy had taken a step but when he heard you, he stopped dead on his tracks and turned around as you batted your lashes.

“Go after your girlfriend,” You told him, but instead, Billy just pulled a chair and sat down.

“Careful there, your rich spoiled girl is showing.”

You narrowed your eyes at him before you shrugged slightly,

“I don’t know why I’m being blamed for your girlfriend’s forgetfulness.”

“We both know how you can be Y/N, don’t play naïve.”

“And how can I be, Bill?” You leaned in slightly, looking him dead in the eye, “Enlighten me.”

He smirked at you, “If you’re jealous again-“

“Oh don’t flatter yourself.”

“No?”

“No!” you defended yourself, “You know what, dating your psychiatrist did you no good, you’re seeing things.”

Billy let out a small chuckle, then stood up and pressed a kiss to the top of your head,

“That’s cute.” he muttered, “Fine. We’ll play it however you want.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’ll see you later, Skittles.” he said before he walked away and you pulled your brows together, then shook your head and looked down at your phone, vibrating on the table.

“Hi mom,” you answered it after a couple of seconds of hesitation,

“Hi, where are you?”

“I was with a friend, you’re still at the restaurant?”

“Yes, and still waiting for you to come here and tell me the details about that venue.”

“I’m on my way,” you mumbled and pushed your chair back, put some cash on the table and walked to your car.

When you got home after your lunch with your mother, Carter still wasn’t home. You entered shower almost immediately, just in case he could smell Billy’s cologne on your hair and spent at least half an hour there. Eventually, you left the shower, wrapped the towel around you at the same time Carter unlocked the door to walk inside, calling for you.

“Hey,” you said as you left the bathroom, “You’re back early.”

“Yeah, I actually dropped by the gallery to see if we could come home together, but you weren’t there,” he stepped closer to kiss you, “You smell so nice.”

“Thanks,” you giggled, “I didn’t go back to the gallery, I had this terrible headache.”

“Aw,” he caressed your cheekbone, “You’re okay now?”

“Yeah. Painkillers and a hot shower can make miracles.”

“I’m sure about that,” he said as you made your way to the kitchen to fill yourself a glass of water.

“Hey, do you wanna hear something funny?”

“Hm?”

“I met a friend of yours today,” Carter smiled, and you almost dropped the glass.

“What?”

“Yeah, Billy?” Carter said as your heartbeat sped up, “Did he get the scars in war or an accident?”

“You- you met Billy.”

“Yeah, he looks like a great dude. He was the childhood friend you were talking about right?”

You swallowed thickly and nodded, “Um- yeah! Where did you-?”

“That’s what’s funny, I walked into the gallery and he walked in like…two minutes later, asking for you.”

You clenched your jaw, “Oh? What did he tell you?”

“We talked a lot about you actually.” Carter grinned, his excitement visible on his face, “He’s pretty friendly, isn’t he?”

“….He’s something.” You nodded, “What- what did he say about me?”

“That you grew up together. He got my number too, he says we should all meet sometime, us, him, his girlfriend, his best friend-“

“Frank?”

“Yeah, him. It’d be fun, wouldn’t it?”

You pressed your lips together, “You- yeah, it would be but you’re going back soon and we’re both very busy.”

“Oh come on, we can make time.” Carter winked at you, then looked down at his phone when it started ringing, “I’ll always make time for you and your friends, I should meet them before we invite them to the wedding- sorry, it’s my uncle,” he took the phone to his ear and walked towards the living room, “Hi uncle. Yeah- no I’m not doing anything, what is it?”

You let out a breath you hadn’t even realized you were holding and leaned your palms on the kitchen island, then your phone vibrated on the kitchen island, the text message lighting up the screen.

From: Billy

Game on, Skittles.

Special thanks to: @theskytraveler @iblogabout-stuff @marauderskeeper @asongofmarvelanddc @thorohdamnson @mellxander1993 @papercloudx @noisyinfluencerstrawberry @superwolfchild-fan @billyrussotiddie @lostkizzy @anxietysucks @finnickfoxes @luminex3 @rhabakoli @fictionalthrill @xpunishedx @utterlyhopeful @redrxbel @ilkaeliseb @rpo03 @pancakefancake @flowers-in-your-hayr @thescarsweleave @maelloute @we-are-all-wild-things @evilturtlemonkey @xinyourdreamsx @demoncrypt1066 @go-crybaby @i-am-always-famished @delicatelilyflower @nightxshadex201 @mamaraptor@ms-baekhyun @audreychaz @rmwest9 @drinix @writeyourmindaway @rothsgoddess @becs-bunker @margot-black @bubbleself @wittysunflower @flaboyance @binbonsadoration @propertyofpoeandbucky @alwaysadreamingoptimist @lisa-stilinski @colddecember-night @denimandcabernet @tofadavidson @seriouslynogood @chloe742 @alwaysadreamingoptimist @editboutique @amelya5567 and lovely anons! <3 You’re awesome! <3

#billy russo #billy russo imagine #billy russo imagines #billy russo x reader #ben barnes #ben barnes imagine #punisher #the punisher #the punisher imagine #marvel #marvel imagine #marvel imagines #marvel x reader #mcu #punisher imagine #punisher imagines #imagine #imagines

517 notes · View notes

bluepenguinstories · 4 years

Text

Happiness Overload Chapter Fifty-Three

That vile man stood hunched over, then laughed up a storm before once again standing up straight.

“What a bold declaration, but from you, it rings hollow. You don’t truly believe anyone is innocent, do you, Etna?”

“What?! You really are Miss CEO?! I thought you were Versailles!”

I turned my head to the side. “I would rather die than become a CEO. There are some evils that I won’t stoop to.”

“Indeed, miss Juniper. Your friend here died to become the entity known as Dr. Etna. So did you.” He laughed again. “And now that the two of you are here once more, Dr. Etna can be born anew! Hopefully this time, she’ll be more obedient.”

“Funny. This is my first time seeing you,” I ignored his own threatening declarations.

“Even if you didn’t count the multiple versions of you that I’ve crossed paths with, that simply isn’t true.”

“I’m sorry, you don’t ring any bells.”

“Not surprising,” he chuckled. “Your lapses in memory, after all. Not to mention that you only ever encountered me once throughout each incarnation. I was never a part of the ETNA project; I was only an observer. I belonged to the Militia Department, a group which oversaw each war throughout history. Rather rotten work, though, wouldn’t you agree? The Militia Department was pretty much the Department of War, but then we also have a Peace Department. This whole company is a floating contradiction!”

“Ah, but the thing I love most about here is the fact that you can see entire lifetimes pass with little time at all passing here. I observed the ETNA project in its very beginning. Quite a fascinating thing, but just as you must have heard, an utter failure. None of the children could handle the power of the angel. As for your father,” his lips spread to a wider smile, his voice grew more raspy. “When he was ordered to include his own daughter into the project, he did not refuse. But rather than dispose of you in the end like all the other failed experiments, he took you and ran off. He tried to change his identity.”

I shook. He must have been trying to rile me up, in order for me to lower my guard. I had to look past his words, not let them stick to me.

“Look at you!” He spread his arms out. “How much you’ve grown! He created his own device to travel through time under the guise that it was the first. He failed to realize that he never did send in his resignation letter! He was Flashbulb property, just like the device he created was, and just like you are!”

“Enough!” I shouted. “None of that matters to me anymore!”

He shrugged. “Oh, I know. I was just reminiscing. As for when we met proper, you were young, but just a few years into adulthood. We had captured you, but you managed to escape once again. It must have been over a dozen times that we enacted our fleeting encounter, but it never gets old to me. Rather, it’s like rehearsing for a play. Each time, I get to deliver my line with just a little more passion. I, Dr. Lamington, and you, the girl who would forsake every identity if it meant getting to live another day.”

He walked over to me, slow strides. I stood froze, even in my more loathsome state, I was the one horrified. The memory resurfaced.

“Ah, those eyes. Is it time to repeat my timeless line?”

He extended his arm to his side and the metal rod flew back to him.

“Electromagnetism?!” Juniper was in awe.

“Magnets, or magic? Miracles, really. I admit, I don’t know how it works, myself.”

“I remember,” I found myself speak up.

“Tell me, how many identities will you cast aside in order to keep this up?”

“I’ll forsake every part of me if I have to if it means I can stay alive,” I followed up, the words passionless. As if recited from a script.

“Bravo!”

“Verse! Watch out!” Her voice came into my head.

I saw the swing of the metal rod and caught it in my left hand. Steam seeped out from my palm and bent the rod; it snapped in his hand, and once again, I yanked it away. Then, I swiped at his cheek with my other hand. Blood trickled down from the claw marks on his cheek, and he held his hand over the wound, but rather than cry out in pain, he laughed.

“Look at you! How much you’ve grown! You really did cast everything aside, even yourself!”

“Yes,” I gave a short nod. “I threw so much away in order to protect myself. Now, I no longer care about keeping myself alive, so long as I can protect another.”

“Again! Another bold declaration! How wonderful! How noble of you!”

“You can’t be serious, can you? You need to live!” Juniper cried out from behind you.

I shook my head. “No. You need to live. I may wither here, but I will not allow you to be harmed. Go now. Leave this room.”

I saw her get up and run out the door from the corner of my eye. He did not prevent her escape. He remained fixated on me.

“Whether it’s her, both of you, or just you, it doesn’t matter.”

“You’re right: it doesn’t matter. Because you won’t get the chance to take either of us.”

“How can you hold yourself to that when you’re withering away?”

It was true: my body was growing weaker even as the part of me which held the entity persisted. I wasn’t like Blanc; I wasn’t meant to hold this all in.

“I’ll tear you limb from limb before I disappear completely,” I assured him. He laughed at that remark.

“Yes, you’ve become quite bloodthirsty in your transformed state.”

“You have no idea,” my lips spread to form a smile, the fangs of my teeth stuck out and blood dripped down from my mouth. I wiped my mouth, then I pounced on him. He had little time to react; he tried to grab the metal rod, but I tore his hand right off. “Aah!” He yelped, but his reaction was rather short, and he went right back to hysterics. “That’s right! I heard how you made quick of our top mercenaries! I see now! But even with them gone, we could just hire more and more! Even in the state you’re in, you would always be pursued!”

I sliced his other hand clean off. I let out a sigh of pleasure.

“That’s why I came here,” I crooned. “So I could be the pursuer instead.”

I began to laugh. “Didn’t I make good on my word?”

Rather than show any hint of being in pain, he continued to smile as well. “That you did. But you still made a mistake.”

“Oh?”

“I never needed my hands. I just needed to keep you still.”

I got up off of him, fear rose in me as I backed away. He too got up.

He bumped into the generator, and to the side, I noticed a button. Above me, a machine with a needle-like funnel with a laser attached descended and was aimed right at me.

“All I need to do is give the order and your life will vanish! To think, you came right to me, and once again, fell to the same fate! It’s so wonderful! Don’t worry, though! Your life will start anew, as Dr. Etna once more, and this time I will make sure –”

“You talk too much,” I heard the voice of someone behind him say.

He fell over.

I watched as the one who stood behind him was none other than Juniper.

“I thought I told you to leave!” I cried out.

“Yeah, I did. But I could still hear everything from outside. It wasn’t like I could just leave you with that guy.”

“You shouldn’t be here!” I shouted. “You should be somewhere safe!”

“Oh, sure. That’s the thanks I get for saving your life.”

“Why?” I looked away. I didn’t want to face her looking the way I did.

“I told you already, didn’t I? People care about you. You shouldn’t do something so stupid like throw yourself away. I don’t care what you look like, you’re still the same person,” then I heard her whisper. “In fact, that monster form is kind of hot…”

Birds of a feather.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

“No problem! Anyway, I’m gonna go. This room isn’t all that interesting to me.”

I looked at her as she left. “Stay safe, okay?”

“I get it,” she said before we parted ways. “You’ve got some weird crush on me, but look, you’re a married woman, and you gotta respect that.”

What?!

I looked down and smiled. Even as the way I was, I couldn’t help but nod along. “Yeah. You’re right.”

As she left, I looked over to the unconscious Dr. Lamington. I had little strength in me, but I already found myself reverting to a more human appearance. I dragged his body against the wall and conjured up some rope, then tied him up.

I sat in the corner of the room and waited for him to wake up. He loved a good show, so I would allow him to remain alive, as an audience.

“I’m sorry, Velvet,” I shook my head and smiled. “I’m going to do just what I intended to. Even after meeting up with you and the others, I’m still going to go through with it.” I shook my head again. “I really wanted to protect you all, but I’m going to have to lower that shield now that I am alone once again.”

Maybe I too loved to run my mouth. Or maybe it was just the state I was in. The delirium. The anxiety of what I would soon carry out.

Dr. Lamington woke up not a moment later. His affable and cordial act was replaced by a panic at his situation.

“You’re still here?”

“Ah, you’re finally awake.”

“Untie me! You’re better than this!”

“I have nothing but contempt for you all. For years, I wished for nothing more but to kill every last person who wronged me. But I never quite did that. So you’re right. Even as for the ones I did kill, it was either in an altered state, or accidental.”

“Do you think that absolves you of your actions?” He cried out. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to psych me out.

“On the contrary,” I got up. “You wanted to see Etna, didn’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

I pulled out a USB drive. “I must warn you: I’m not very good with computers.”

“Whatever you’re about to do, please reconsider!”

“Hmm...no.”

“I can tell you what happened to your father!” He grew desperate.

“You can, can you?”

“Yes!”

“That’s too bad. I’m no longer interested in such a thing.”

He begged and pleaded, but the words were drowned out. It took a few tries, but I got it in. Then, I turned on the computer. In an instant, the monitor lit up. I dragged the cursor over to the program on the drive, then clicked.

What a pitiful state I was in. To think it was no illusion, but instead an insult added to injury. We were in my laboratory, far into the labyrinth underneath the city. All of which was in ruin, as was I.

It would take a good deal of time for me to recover. In the meantime, she sat on the floor, while I, connected to wires, waiting to be fully recharged.

“What did you mean when you said ‘let’s work together’?” I asked.

“You of all people shouldn’t be wondering such a thing.”

How wonderful. Her voice was so devoid of emotion. I wanted to weep tears of joy upon seeing her driven so low by despair, but I could do no such thing in my weakened state.

“You believe you can make a deal with me.” Make no mistake; that wasn’t a question. That was a statement.

“Neither of us are satisfied with our current situations,” she replied. The whole time, she never looked my way. Not that I could blame her. She already told me she despised me, as she should.

“To make a deal with me is to make a deal with the devil.”

“I know. But as I said, there may be no place of comfort for me. I’m finding that I am the same devil as you.”

The last time I saw her, she was in denial of such a thing. I think I preferred it that way. Any other time, I would revel in her despair, but at the moment, I was dealing with my own hopelessness. To think that mad half-Beige could drive me to such a state, besting me at my own game, with half the wit. It disgusted me.

“Since when did you wear your hair braided?”

She didn’t turn to me. “It was something I thought would make me happy. But not even an angel’s blood can bring me joy.”

“I see. It looks ridiculous.”

“I didn’t ask.”

Even if I couldn’t fully enjoy it, I wanted to crush that faint bit of hope that I sensed she still possessed.

“I want to meet up with someone. I think you already knew who.”

“Yes. The brat who made you who you are.”

“If you never meddled with this world, they never would have been the way they are.”

“That’s only true for a previous incarnation of me. The one of this world died not long ago.”

“Pity. I would have liked to have met them.”

“They died in Area 51, in fact, trying to save a friend. Pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. Saving someone you care about often results in the death of another.”

Unfazed. I couldn’t believe it.

“Would you like to know what became of the Juniper and Trent of this world?”

“Only so much as to know whether or not they ever met a version of me.”

“They didn’t. The ‘you’ of this world grew to be old, with a normal life, and died in her 60s.”

“Good for her.”

“As for those two, they also died. Trent worked himself to death attending to too many patients, and Juniper was crushed under her many inventions. Both related to the pandemic, in some way or another.” That was a lie. They were still alive, but she didn’t need to know that.

“Maybe it’s better that way. This world is dying. I think it would be less painful for them to die sooner rather than later.

“She was a deadbeat and he lacked ambition.”

“That doesn’t matter to me. I still cared about them and they cared about me. I just didn’t deserve it.”

“Indeed, you didn’t.”

She scoffed. “You sound like my mother.”

“If anything, you would be my mother, since I was made in your image.”

She made gagging noises. “That’s the most disturbing thing you said.”

Out of all the things. Such a simple joke.

“The reason it won’t work is because I’ve already brought myself into despair. You’re just upset because you didn’t get to take credit,” she added.

That struck me. It shouldn’t have, but it did.

“Tell me what your proposal is already.”

“I want to be rid of this. To be human again.”

I laughed my robotic laugh. Ha. Ha. Ha.

“Do you believe that I can do that for you?”

“I figured you were the only one I could turn to.”

“You are correct. I can remove it from you. In turn, it would be absorbed into me.”

“So you would become more powerful. Win-win.”

“Yes. But there is something else I would like you to do.”

“What?”

“I want you to take this,” I reached my arm out. She walked over and took it.

“A flash drive?”

“Call it what you want. It stores a copy of me within it.”

“What do you want me to do with this?”

“The Flashbulb has excluded me from returning to their headquarters. I want you to go there and upload the copy of me to one of their terminals. Once this planet is no more, I too will disappear, but I do not wish to die here.”

“I want nothing more to do with that place.”

“I understand that, which is why I think you will be pleased to know that once I am present there, I will kill every last inhabitant and reduce The Flashbulb to ashes. Of course, you will be spared, and free to leave.”

“Do what you want. My hatred for that organization runs deep.”

“Yes, and I always wanted to experience firsthand what vengeance feels like.”

“I’ll do it. I don’t care for anything else anymore expect being human again.”

She began to walk away. I would leave her to her own devices, but first, I had to warn her.

“If you try anything, I will know.” I didn’t even know if my threat reached her, but I couldn’t allow myself to not have power over someone.

She shook her head. “I don’t even know what I would try.”

I watched as she disappeared. All the best, my strength was returning to me. I too, had to be off, to attend to my other toy back in Nevada. Her struggle would be quite the delight.

I backed away from the computer terminal. Soon, she appeared in front of me, as if I was looking into a mirror.

“What have you done?!” He shouted. “She’s a monster with no respect for humanity! I wanted to create a new version who was more obedient! This one enjoys the suffering of others! She could never be good for humanity!”

Dr. Etna looked to her side where Dr. Lamington was.

“You talk too much,” her hollow and mechanical voice carried more menace than I thought she was capable.

That��s the same thing Juniper said to him. To think that this being’s personality could be a combination of both of us when she’s much more cruel than either of us. I know I made a mistake, but maybe I could at least persuade her to not kill Velvet and the others.

Shadowed limbs, much like thorny vines or tentacles, shot from out of her palm and tore through Dr. Lamington. I tried to look away, but even doing so, his screams rang through my ears and pierced through my mind. In an instant, he had become no more, and in his place was a mangled mess with blood and chunks of flesh stuck to the floor and walls.

His sick laughter paled in comparison to hers. Low and husky, she turned to me and crooned.

“It seems he caused you some trouble,” it sounded like she was toying with me. “Funny. It was no trouble at all for me.”

“Doctor,” was all I could manage to say. Where had my confidence gone?

“Professor,” she corrected. “I always preferred that title, myself.”

She moved about the room and I watched as she took note of her surroundings.

“I would have preferred if I had returned to my laboratory, but this will suffice,” it seemed like she had forgotten I was still in the room, until she made her way back to me. “Not to worry, dear, I have not forgotten our deal.”

I shuddered, but I regained composure. What did I have to fear? She was me, and I, her.

“I just have one more request before you strip me of my power.”

“’Strip you’? My, I didn’t think you brought me here just for that,” she teased.

“Shut it,” I growled. “I came here with a group of people. All I ask is that you bring no harm to them.”

“Oh my. Don’t get greedy, now.”

I took a step back. Even though I had made such a mistake, I didn’t want Velvet or the others to suffer for it. Especially not Juniper…

“Relax. I am nothing if not merciful. Let me see…” She held up her hand and began counting on her fingers. “That second-rate hacker, two living mistakes, and your distant bride. Four in total. Five, if counting you, but counting you feels a little redundant.”

“How do you know who I came with?” Could she read my thoughts? No. I didn’t see how. I may have sunk so low as to work with her, but she did not possess me.

“I watched you back on Earth before you left. Funny that you would still choose to fulfill our deal even considering who you chose to bring along. You must really be that desperate that you don’t care who dies if it means you can be rid of your ‘gift’.”

“It’s not like that! I just thought –”

“That I would obey your every whim? That I could play the role of your maid servant? Should I call you Madame?” She gave a short and false sounding laugh. “The way your mind works sure is something.”

“Just hurry up and take this from me. I’m afraid of myself and everything around me. I understand now that no matter what I try, I will never experience true happiness.”

She pushed her glasses up, then closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Dearie me, I may find myself a little sympathetic toward you. Your naivete is astounding. Try to think of the implications of your request. Do you really wish to proceed with this?”

I couldn’t tell whether she was being sincere or not. It all sounded like a great, big tease, which was all too typical of her. Why would she want to warn me of anything?

“Of course! More than anything! I wish to end this life as a demon!”

She scowled. “I think I preferred when you acted more devilish. You may find yourself eating such words.”

“I don’t care what you say! Just let me end this life so I can feel human again!”

“Very well,” she sighed. I closed my eyes and waited. I expected to feel something different, a change, but instead, I felt nothing.

I opened my eyes.

“Nothing happened,” I told her. Then it hit me.

My insides felt like they were twisting up, my head felt as if it had grown ten times heavier, and my legs gave out. I fell to the floor. The whole room around me turned to an oppressive feeling and while I clutched my stomach, it was as if gravity had increased and weighed exclusively on me.

“What...did you do to me?” I gasped out the words.

“I did exactly as you requested. You have no one but yourself to blame for this.”

Tears began to form from underneath my eyelids as I felt as if my face itself contorted. But no, that couldn’t be it. Something stirred in me. It was as if I was being cut open in every direction, an invisible force stabbing into me, causing ceaseless pain. I cried out, but I couldn’t even tell if I had made a sound. The weight continued to pull me down.

“What is happening to me?” I shouted, the tears pushed their way out and I couldn’t stop them. It was much more than a trickle, it was like an endless barrage of hail. “I never wanted to feel this way!”

“I know,” I heard her speak. I couldn’t even see very well anymore. My glasses fell off my face, having gotten fogged up anyway. My face was against the floor, and in my mind, I begged and pleaded for it all to end. It was all. Too. Much. “I even tried to warn you against it. Albeit, last minute, but still. I gave you the option to back out.”

“Am I dying?” I struggled to get the words out. Spoken through sobs, my voice drowned out.

“No. You only feel like you are.”

“WHY?!” I shouted through the tears, my voice grown hoarse. Weak. Like a child. I didn’t even know who I was anymore, or who I was becoming.

“You’re experiencing for the first time what it would have been like had you not been born with Euphoria in you. She really is a guardian angel, you know.” It sounded like she was so far away, and musing to herself only, but I could tell she was still next to me. “You weren’t a failed experiment. Rather, it was because of her influence that you were able to get as far as you were.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Your anger and passion when you were younger. You felt that way because it made you happy to feel so strong and defend yourself. When you were being pursued, you were always able to evade or escape capture, not because of your inherent abilities, but because being free would have made you happier. Living to fight, that brought you considerable joy. Though you may have thought yourself aloof, you were elated to be free.”

“But my father! The way my mother treated me! The fact that I was pursued in the first place! Losing my childhood girlfriend! Knowing that I would be doomed to become you! Losing my wife! Feeling like I could never be at peace! How can you say that I’ve always lived my life with this thing being a part of me when so much has gone wrong in my life?”

“That’s the thing, isn’t it? You got more of what you wanted than you realize: you must have thought at some point ‘I wish he would disappear’. That angel couldn’t dictate how your parents would treat you, but you were able to break free of your mother not long after your father disappeared. You wanted something to fight for, and thus, an enemy appeared. You broke free from Anais because you felt you would have a higher chance of survival if you were alone.”

“The only reason I exist is because at one point you were manipulated into believing the pros of my existence would outweigh the cons. You don’t remember this because it never happened to you that way, but it only took once for me to be born. After that, all your pursuers had to do was tell you that your fate to become me was inevitable.”

She went on, as if obligated to answer my every question.

“The fact that you found someone in the first place is because you desired security. You even said so, yourself. But that doesn’t mean you never loved her. Rather, you always desired a calming presence, a place to call home. Many people do. You are not unique in that regard. If by ‘losing her’ you’re referring to both of you dying to become me, again, you were manipulated and it only took once for the cycle to fall into place. I admit, my existence is a perversion. You shouldn’t consider me either of you two, nor a combination. I am the way I am because of the intentions in which I was created, after which, I developed into who I am now. You could say I am closer to that of that man I disposed of, or the overseers of the ETNA project.”

“In truth, I despise those who are like me. I prefer to drive people to the brink of despair, then have them reach the conclusion to live out their lives because there is no other option. Watching as they fall into a routine and accept their miserable existences because they’ve reached such a low point. That is delicious. But to see someone like me, that disgusts me. I admit, it was amusing to watch you think you were anything like me, but it grew tiresome.”

I shook. Fear? Dread? No. Something greater.

“Or, if by ‘losing her’, you mean only recently, after receiving the power that you thought you so desired, that was your choice. Knowing her, she would have stayed by your side, had you let her. To your last point, you could have always been at peace, had you known what would have truly made you happy.”

The tears continued to escape from within me. They wouldn’t stop. It was all so heavy, and brought with it so much pain.

“But I hurt her! I hurt so many people! I’ve done cruel things! I also manipulated others! I…” I huffed, my breaths felt like they were leaving from me as well. I didn’t deserve to breathe. I knew it already. “I took the form of a demon! I never felt like I could be happy!”

She sighed. “I never said the things you wanted were things that were right for you. Your appearance altered the way you did, because you already felt that about yourself. Your physical state was just reflecting how you thought you should be. Not just because you thought worse of yourself than you truly were, but because you desired to express yourself more freely. For years, you thought it was best for yourself to repress your emotions, to subdue them. Because you thought that doing so would be best for your overall happiness. I could tell that when we spoke upon your initial transformation that you would become more unstable. Why, you may ask? Because you were beginning to experience a wider range of emotions than just anger and it confused you.”

“I wish I could have known! I wish I didn’t have to learn this way! I didn’t want to go through all that!”

“I know. But it is too late to make wishes and expect them to be granted. The angel is gone from you now and what you are feeling is all the pain you kept down. Years and years of emotions you would have felt had you allowed yourself. Not to say I blame you, given everything you had to endure, the conclusion you came to was only natural. So many people have felt the same under less circumstances. ‘If I could only turn my emotions off’. Well, aren’t you a lucky girl? Now that that filter is gone, it’s all coming out at once.”

I slammed my fists against the floor, but I felt like my hands would fall off. It was too much, I was falling apart. I was normal, I was human, but I never got to experience these things before and it fucking hurt. The worst part of all of it was, as cruel as she was, as much of a propensity she had to lie, this time, I knew she was telling the truth.

It’s always been so wrong. Everything. My very existence. I should have never wanted any of those things. I was afraid. Much of my life. Afraid of my parents, afraid of my peers, afraid of society. So I tried to fight back. I lashed out at others. I was so afraid of becoming powerless, of being enslaved to something beyond my control. So I propped myself up. Tried to stand as tall as I was. But I was always stumbling, often hunched down. It was often too much to bear, and I held it in anyway.

All that grief. I held it in all so I could continue on. Did I deserve to continue on? Did I deserve to live in a world where I felt like I had to hurt others to protect myself? Or to protect them? Did they deserve any of that?

For so long I thought that the reason I held my emotions back was because deep down, I was someone who got off on the pain of others. But that wasn’t it. I myself was in pain, and in turn, I thought the world should have been as well. That wasn’t right, either. Because in truth, I only wanted my life to be full of peace. A life full of love. Instead, I thought I could settle on security. But I was always insecure, even then.

Even now. I cannot stop myself from letting it out anymore. I don’t want to. But I deserve to, don’t I? To feel the full force of the pain throughout my life. I deserve to die along with my emotions.

“Please…” My voice hoarse, a near croak. “Kill me.”

“Normally, I would oblige, but I prefer it this way.”

Right. That was how she was. To watch me suffer. That was what brought her joy.

“How can I live with all that I’ve done? I brought you with me! It all hurts! I don’t deserve to live!”

“That’s not for me to say. Stay here and die, if that’s what you want. But the two of us are no longer one.”

“I feel so weak,” my words couldn’t even register as a whisper. They were so hoarse and broken.

“Yes. That’s how you have always been: Not a killer, not a demon, not someone so cruel. Just a weak, scared, little girl.”

“...Please…” I reached beside me. I reached out. “Let me feel you one last time.”

“Very well. After, I leave you so I may slaughter every living soul in this headquarters. You made a mistake bringing me here. I hope you know that.”

Even still, she extended her hand. I was so blinded, so weakened. But just to experience her in her physical form. I took her hand, picked myself up, then sent her my goodbye.

By driving the metal rod through her chest.

“You...made a mistake...by taking on a physical form.”

I could see a little more clear. Red. Blood running down her lab coat. I wondered if that too, was artificial. Rather than be in any kind of shock, she spoke with her same monotone.

“Right through the heart. I didn’t even know I had such a thing.”

My balance was off. I took a couple steps away, then fell back once more. I knew it. I was too weak to even stand.

“I’m proud of you. You finally managed to face your demon.”

I looked up. It was so unclear, but I knew nothing would have fixed that. I was in far too broken a state. If I were to shatter into pieces, it would come as no surprise to me.

But what I saw was not a corpse fall. Make no mistake; she had died. That copy, anyway. But she was always artificial. So it only made sense that she would simply disappear, rather than leave behind a body.

Her death was no illusion, either. There was no one else in her place. The drive that had been in the computer had also disappeared. Not because it was an illusion, but because it seemed to only exist as a part of her.

How I knew this? I didn’t. But it was the most comfort I could take. Because I didn’t want to think that I had truly unleashed her upon others. Because in this room, I was alone. Lonely. But I didn’t think I should have felt any other way. Everything hurt. To simply exist was a painful experience. I didn’t know what to expect, because it was the first time in my life that I was fully human.

If I didn’t get up and move, there was the risk of being found and killed or captured. But I couldn’t find the will. All I could do was lay there and sob.

I was free. I was unhappy.

#happiness overload #writing #stories #scifi #horror #action #dark fantasy #etna #vesuvius #unhappy

3 notes · View notes

alarriefantasy · 5 years

Note

Do you have any historical recs?? I love Victorian era but I’ll take really anything. Thank you!

I have been wanting to do this one for a while, glad you asked me!!! :) Here you go, darling!! :)

Historical Fic Rec

Summer Starlight by LadyLondonderry

Words: 3k

Only of three things is Harry Styles certain of. First, that this is his first summer in the large city and he must make the most of it. Second, that his parents are pledging to have him married off to a wealthy benefactor by the end of the summer. Third, and this is most important of all, Harry doesn’t particularly care for the notion. In fact, he rather has his eye on a very different sort of prospect.

We Gotta Get Away From Here by AFangirlFantasy

Words: 4k

Or a Royal AU where Prince Harold needs saving and Louis is his Knight in shining armor…sort of.

We Never Said Our Love Was Evergreen by PumpkinspiceLou

Words: 9k

OR A Victorian Masquerade Ball AU where Harry is basically the Phantom of the Opera

A Rose, By Any Other Name by iwillpaintasongforlou

Words: 10k

Louis Tomlinson is the head of New York City’s mafia, and Harry is the beautiful boy from Texas who falls in with the wrong crowd (which turns out to be the right crowd).

lead me out on the moonlit floor by scrunchyharry

Words: 12k

Victorian!AU where Louis is a wealthy lord throwing a masquerade ball for his birthday and Harry is a toymaker who’s only confident when he’s wearing a mask.

all i trust, i leave my heart to by prettyoddnjh

Words: 13k

Salzburg, Austria. 1938.

Harry Styles is a young man who, despite his protests, will never be a Catholic priest. He is assigned a summer job as a governor for the six siblings of Mr. Tomlinson, a wealthy ex-navy soldier who runs his household like a navy ship. They fall in love.

The Sound of Music AU that a couple people did ask for, if you can believe it.

Howls Like A Beast (You Flower, You Feast) by indiaalphawhiskey

Words: 16k

Palace of Versailles.

“You don’t love me,” Louis had said, utterly blasé as he callously fractured the heart of a Harry that was just barely eighteen.

“I do,” Harry had insisted pleadingly, green eyes already watering.

Louis had rolled his eyes, exasperated and flippant in the way only beautiful, young boys could be when faced with the affections of a baby prince. He had run his finger down Harry’s cheek then, had forced him to look into his eyes as he delivered the final blow.

“You’ll change your mind once you’ve seen more of the world,” Louis had teased, pressing a brutally delicate kiss onto Harry’s lovely, pure cheek. “Once you’ve been properly defiled.” He had whispered filthily, delighted by the gasp he heard, the frantic pink blush that had rested high on Harry’s cheeks, the power he had felt at knowing he could make the Crown Prince squirm.

Our Stable Heart by Arora

Words: 30k

Louis Tomlinson had it all. A beautiful mansion in the country-side of London, a well known job in the heart of downtown, and a lovely fiance he would soon marry…But what happens when Louis’ world is turned upside down just from gazing into a pair of dreamy, green eyes?

Something Louis could never have imagined himself…

Our Sweetest Memorial by messofgorgeouschaos

Words: 34k

Ever since Harry was forced to break off an engagement five years ago, he resolved to never marry for the remainder of his life. Now his family must move out of his beloved Kellynch Hall to recover some of their debts that their father had accumulated. The last thing Harry expected was for the new tenants to be related to his former fiancee. And for that fiancee to come back to Somersetshire a much more wealthy man that still holds resentment for their past. A Persuasion AU.

Along The Heather by noellehenry

Words: 35k

Jane Eyre AU/Victorian AU

Orphaned Harry Styles grows up with his cruel aunt and cousins, before he is sent away to a boys’ boarding school, which teaches poor and orphaned boys. Even though his aunt tries to undermine Harry’s experience at the school, he does well in school, and stays on at the school as a teacher after he graduates.

When he becomes restless after significant changes at the school, he applies for a job as a tutor at Thorgill Hall, teaching the younger brother of Mr. Louis Tomlinson. Harry develops romantic feelings for his pupil’s brother…

Thorgill Hall,however, holds a secret; it’s becoming slightly more eerie every day and when his life is threatened, Harry makes a drastic decision…

I Sail With You by AFangirlFantasy

Words: 35k

Against his wishes, Omega Prince Harry Styles is arranged to mate with someone he doesn’t love, much less knows. Though he pleaded to his parents incessantly, they not only refuse to comply but force him to depart on a ship days later. Harry prays for fate to step in, to change what’s to come, however, the answer he is given is not exactly in the form he had hoped.

Enter Will Tommo – deadliest pirate captain of all seven seas.

If I Loved You Less by allwaswell16

Words: 36k

Beautiful omega Louis Tomlinson is set to make his come out in London society and determined to find a mate in his first Season. With the help and protection of his oldest friend, Lord Niall Mendes, he takes Society by storm.

Being a wealthy and titled alpha means Lord Harry Styles has grown used to avoiding unmated omegas…until now. This Season he finds himself at every Society event just for a chance to speak with the omega with the flashing blue eyes.

Louis has the aristocracy at his feet and all the suitors he could hope for, but his secrets may ruin his chance at a love match.

All The King’s Men by sacredheart (orphan_account)

Words: 39k

Louis is an arrogant, self assured prince who falls in love with a charming thief named Harry during his youth. However, years later, a revolution is sparked amongst the frustrated commoners… and Louis’s former teenage romance is leading it.

Fool For You by flowercrownfemme, qupecupid

Words: 46k

In which Harry is a brooding prince who’s scarcely smiled since the death of his mother and Louis is the dashing jester hired to change that.

keep this love in a photograph by suspendrs

Words: 48k

Or, it’s 1919, and Harry’s been falling in love with his best friend for his entire life.

the last person on earth i could ever marry by igotfeels

Words: 50k

A Pride and Prejudice AU, where Harry is fed up with rich men and Mr Tomlinson is a very rich man.

For the Sake of Propriety by panda_bear21

Words: 52k

Louis Tomlinson is the caretaker of an estate that is not truly his, and when his Uncle calls upon him to take it back, Louis knows he will soon be out on the streets with four overly zealous sisters to care for. His only solution: wed the eldest two off and pray for the best. When an even better solution unexpectedly presents itself in the form of the charming Mr. Styles, Louis is faced with a difficult choice. But as with all things in the regency era, reputation very well may threaten to outweigh the fleeting matters of his heart.

Paint The Sky With Stars by kiwikero

Words: 62k

Or, the historically accurate Titanic AU with a happy ending.

Liberté by larriebane

Words: 64k

AU. 1647. “Pretending you don’t have a heart is not the best way to not get it broken. It’s just the easiest.”

Lend Me Your Hand by QuickedWeen

Words: 63k

Society has long since decided that the soulmarks everyone is born with are entirely unfashionable. They’re just another way for people of a lower class to scam their way into marrying above their station.

Lord Louis Tomlinson, Viscount Loring, on the other hand, has always believed that he will find his soulmate one day. Despite preparing for a match his whole life, he is entirely unprepared for the arrival of Gemma Styles’ younger brother.

Harry Styles has been traveling and away from society for over a year. Coming back, he intends to spend time with his sister, and slowly reacquaint himself with life in town. He doesn’t need to wait around for a soulmark to determine how his life will play out.

Such Good Luck by casuallyhl

Words: 66k

Or, an Edwardian AU where Harry is a young aristocratic lord and Louis is a working class dairy farmer. Secrets are a necessary part of their relationship, but Louis has one that could topple their whole world.

Si Pudiera Volar by messofgorgeouschaos

Words: 68k

When Harry’s fiancé leaves him for his cousin, he looks the other way for the sake of his happiness. He’ll do anything to forget about him, including joining a monastery. It isn’t until his cousin’s former lover, a pirate, appears that he realizes everything is not as it appears, and an honest pirate might be the only person worthy of his heart.

Or, a fic loosely based on Corazon Salvaje.

Chasing Empty Spaces by Lis (domesticharry)

Words: 79k

The year is 1934 and Harry Styles was to inherent the largest tobacco firm in the south. His parents have picked out the “perfect” girl for him to marry and he has the privilege of receiving the highest education possible. The problem was, Harry hadn’t realized he didn’t actually want any part of that future until he met a mechanic named, Louis Tomlinson.

Coax the Cold by MediaWhore

Words: 86k

England, 1897.

English Professor Louis Tomlinson’s passion for the occult has been a source of mockery and derision for most of his life. When he hears whispers of a travelling freak show newly established in London claiming the existence of a monstrous sea hybrid, half-man, half-fish, Louis sees it as his ticket to credibility amongst his peers. The summer he spends undercover working on the show, however, gives him much more than that.

Victorian Boy by DonnaHaywardsHead

Words: 101k

Victorian AU. Harry the virgin Duke of Somerset knows little of love, while Louis the sly Duke of Warwick knows too much. When the two dukes come together for the Bilsdale fox hunt in York, Harry finds himself drawn into Louis’ bed. But when secrets from Louis’ dark past come to light, Harry fears that the fox isn’t the only one being hunted.

A Taste of Desire by casuallyhl

Words: 104k

Or, a Victorian ABO where Harry is the owner of the most successful cotton mill in Manchester, and Louis is an opinionated social activist about to disrupt Harry’s world.

The Florentine Letters by forreveries

Words: 118k

The edge of summer has just begun to dawn over the university campus, exams are almost over and the dust is just beginning to settle over the desks.Harry Styles, in the last years of his PHD study of The Renaissance, has managed to maintain a safe existence within the walls of his books and classes and late night romances. He’s made a place that’s safe from the expectations of high brow society and the cold stare of his father.That is, until an all too sharp, all too witty, and all too handsome man walks into his life.Louis, the cocky man with the smile, brings with him a strange object - declaring that it’s a puzzle piece from the one and only Leonardo Da Vinci. He speaks of age old mysteries, and puzzles that cannot be solved without Harry’s help. Immediately, Harry is quite literally swept off his feet, and together they take their chances on the find of a life time - Da Vinci’s lost works.But what Louis doesn’t mention is the high stakes game of cat and mouse that comes with chasing things that do not belong to you. A game where nothing, and no one, is as they seem.

credit to the owner of the manip

updated 07.21.2019

#ask

110 notes · View notes

houkagokappa · 5 years

Text

Sarazanmai dish 11 thoughts

I suppose it’s time for me to talk about Sarazanmai dish 11. For the last time, let me watch the episode again and give you my thoughts on it.

This got absurdly long so I’ll put it under a read more for once.

The episode starts with Tooi having followed the Chikai-otter into Dark Keppi to go outside of the circle, to the place where there’s no beginning, no ending and no connecting. The Chikai-otter tells Tooi to cut of all his connections by shooting at his past self. His gun gets a coating of Dark Keppi to make this possible.

Kazuki, Enta and Keppi rush after Tooi and enter the same world inside of Dark Keppi. Tooi has been visiting scenes from their past together, erasing himself from them. Kazuki figures out that they need to go all the way to the beginning, when Tooi gave Kazuki the miçanga four years ago because that’s when they all first connected. Kazuki finally remembered! That’s nice and oh how convenient for the plot...

Suddenly the otter appears and fills the space with liquid. Luckily Keppi farts out air bubbles and “saves” Kazuki and Enta. I think I would’ve rather drowned. I don’t know if anyone finds this funny because I don’t. At least it fits in with all the other butt stuff compared to say, Keppi blowing bubbles with his mouth, so I gotta give them that.

Keppi sends Kazuki and Enta off to save Tooi and stays behind to fight the otter. Dark Keppi was born when Keppi threw away his desire (and split his shirikodama into two in typical ikuni fashion). Now he needs to connect with him again to get rid of him. The otter wants to see Keppi engulfed by despair, although I’m not entirely sure why (simply because they’re on opposing teams?).

I already mentioned this in my PV post, but I really appreciate the Osamu Dezaki styled painted freeze frame we get of Keppi and the otter. It reminds me of how I began watching Oniisama e... this spring before I had to abandon it in favor of Sarazanmai’s second half. Now with Sarazanmai ending I can finally get back to my tragic lesbians. Ikuhara has named Dezaki as one of his inspirations and it’s fun to see such blatant references, especially when Ikuhara’s been shady about what’s inspired him before (what do you mean Utena took inspiration from The Rose of Versailles?)

Tooi has reached Azuma Bridge four years ago. All he needs to do now is shoot his child self and then he’ll be outside the circle. As he’s walking towards his past self he’s talking about the dream he used to have of becoming a soccer player. Too bad Chikai is there to dump the cold harsh reality on him. His life turned around when their parents died and he shot a man. All Tooi had left was his brother, but he only used him. Well that’s what the Chikai-otter tells him. I want to believe that the real Chikai truly cared for Tooi. I think their moments have been some of the sweetest in the entire show, although I do realise that Chikai is a bad guy and that Tooi’s life would’ve been better without his involvement... That’s how some relationships are, especially familiar ones.

Tooi claims that he knew about Chikai’s “use” of him and that he was okay with it. Tooi went along with everything because he believed that’s what had to be done for their survival. Then he shoots Chikai stating that this was a connection he chose for himself, meaning he can chose to end it too with his own hands. When Chikai falls to his death (again) bills blow up all around him (AGAIN). Money is what his life was about and what he died for. I think this is a really nice scene. Tooi gets to say goodbye to his brother and move on. Granted he’s about to move on outside the circle, but I still think it’s important that he got this moment because it’ll help him later on.

Kazuki and Enta make a sudden appearance and stop Tooi from shooting his past self. However the bullet scratches the miçanga and it breaks. Then Dark Keppi shows up. He was in the gun that he now uses to shoot past-Tooi which destroys the miçanga. The subs threw me off a bit here. Enta calls him an “imposter” which to me sounds like Keppi betrayed them, when he’s in fact referring to how Dark Keppi was disguised.

Kazuki’s showcasing his strong will when he refuses to let go of their connection. Him tying that miçanga again speaks to Tooi who wavers.

Next thing we know of the boys are falling down in the white space we see after a zombie has been defeated (with the rings that say “butt”). The image of the three boys falling down head first matches the one in the third teaser PV! I’ve been wondering how that fits in. It’s a lot of fun to look back at the old promotional material now when we know what happens and can spot the references. It also makes me incredibly nostalgic. The Sarazanmai twitter account posted the Tsunagaru PV’s again as a countdown for the last episode and seeing them again brought me to tears.

Back to the episode, the taiko drum of no beginnings, no endings and no connections appears in front of them and they get thrown into the circle that appears on it.

This next part is super cool when they all reflect on what they were like at the beginning of the series and how they’ve grown. They have new connections and hopes and dreams! The scene screams “last episode”. The highlight is Tooi admitting he’s grown fond of Kazuki and Enta, he even starts calling them by their first names!! (Shout-out to the anon who sent me an ask about a possible name switch over a month ago, I always think of you when this topic comes up).

The three boys connect through Sarazanmai one last time. Keppi appears looking like a superhero (with a cape and everything) and there are a bunch of ア signs in the background - just like when he first appeared!! Our last shirikodama extraction sequence consists of a simple black screen stating the action, then the three boys get spit out of Keppi at the same time. Thank you black screen for protecting us from the horrors of those shirikodama extraction visuals. They’re now back in the grey world four years ago and go to Azuma Bridge, the stage for the zombie fights.

It’s time for one last Sarazanmai no Uta. I love the insert songs so much, whenever they don’t play in an episode I end up missing them and I have to seek them out elsewhere. This version is extra cool because they all sing together. I’m so incredibly hyped! The fight is more intense and there are more random moments than usual with the otter appearing and singing about being an abstract concept (thanks for that ikuni). Keppi’s successful in capturing his desire and fusing with Dark Keppi.

THEN KEPPI’S SHELL OPEN AND REO AND MABU’S CONNECTED RINGS COME OUT AND I START SCREAMING AAAAAA!!!! ReoMabu get turned back into humans clad in their military uniforms. It’s such a sweet moment!! This is exactly the kind of content I want from a final episode. I also love the background song here, it’s a violin version of Kawausoiya and I’m sad that it’s not included in the OST album. I hope I can get it, along with this new version of Sarazanmai no Uta from somewhere.

There are some callbacks to Ikuhara’s previous anime. The gates that open up remind me of the duelling arena in Utena and the stairs look like the ones in the Crystal World in Penguindrum. It’s very cool and again, just what I want to see in the finale.

Next up the trio is successful in giving the miçanga to Kazuki from four years ago and thus they’re able to secure their connection and defeat the otter.

Keppi gets an upgrade. He’s now a humanoid character. I think he looks exactly like some of the creatures in Moomin (my home country’s pride and joy). He says to pass over the river of desire, which is another phrase that appeared in the third teaser PV (I want to make a post looking through all those PV’s again, someday).

There’s one final leak which shows the boys their future. It’s another really satisfying scene, because the boys namedrop all the episode titles when they’re talking about their wants and fears. The future isn’t all happy. Kazuki seems to get injured (like Haruka did) which hinders him from playing soccer, Tooi’s has to do time for his crimes and Enta has to see Kazuki quit soccer and leave him again. They’re still dealing with similar issues as before, not being able to communicate properly, feeling lonely etc. But while they see themselves argue in the future, a future together is something they’re aiming for nevertheless.

Sara warns us that life comes with pain (things with form will break and be lost someday). Reo and Mabu joins in and tells us that what the boys saw was a possible future for them. The CR subs are subbing their own thing here, Reo says "what they boys saw was themselves someday” and Mabu adds “that was a future someday” and “just one possibility”. While the leak obviously ties in with what happened in the past, they didn’t see anything of themselves from the past? With all sorts of crazy things going on in this episode, more accurate subs would help a lot to make more sense of everything...

Anyway, Keppi joins in as well with the same line of thought saying that the future won’t necessarily be bright. He has learned his lesson that both hope and despair is part of life and that you shouldn’t throw away either.

While all this talking is taking place Sara’s broken sara (ha!) gets turned into two crowns for Keppi and herself. Reo and Mabu put the crowns on them as the good vassals/dads they are :) I was not prepared for Sara to turn into a Moomin-creature like Keppi. She looks quite frightening to be honest. Haruka’s there, which I suppose is nice. The subs aren’t the best during this part either. I haven’t seen anyone else complain about them so I don’t know if this is just me needing to work on my comprehension skills, but I’m much happier listening to the Japanese lines or checking out Asenshi’s subs instead.

The final message is to connect with others for a better future and to share both sadness and joy.

Stand By Me starts playing and I’m not ready. I’m not ready at all. At least the song and credits are playing over some final shots and not the regular ED. Tooi’s cutting all his hair off and my first reaction is to shout out that it’s a crime, but then it turns out it’s because he’s going to pay for his actual crimes at a juvenile detention center. Forget my love for long hair, this is amazing! Completely unexpected, but so good for him!

I find it amusing how it’s almost like Tooi’s the main character now, with how much focus there’s been on him this whole episode. He got all the best moments in it.

Tooi spends three years at juvie, which means he’s now 17 and aaah this is cool to see! He’s grown up, not only mentally but physically as well! Once he’s out he goes to checks on his family’s soba shop, but doesn’t enter it. Instead he walks around Asakusa and repeats Kazuki’s lines from the first episode (and the PV’s!). The CR subs are different which is annoying, but everyone should still be able to recognize the lines, they’re iconic.

The Asakusa Kero TV cracks me up. Now we have an actual frog as our new mascot and not whatever Keppi and Sara were.

Although Tooi was told his life start here, he claims that it’s already over. Which tbh you can’t blame him for feeling that way. He jumps down into the Sumida River. Outwards it might look like a suicide attempt, but he’s actually at a good place in life. He’s come to terms with having lost everything and having to start again thanks to the support from Kazuki and Enta.

The ア signs appear and pierce him like they pierced Kazuki in the first episode, except the other way around (since he’s falling down and Kazuki was standing up). I’m not sure what to make of them. The ア signs represent connections (among other things). One idea I have is that these scenes represents times when their futures get changed thanks to their connections. Tooi could’ve jumped to his death, but thanks to Kazuki and Enta he chooses to stay with them in Asakusa and will live a happier life. In the first episode Kazuki’s connection to Haruka is what set everything in motion. The fact that Tooi turns around (as he’s falling) could also represent that their lives and their future changes into a better one (compared to how Kazuki’s life got worse). I’m looking forward to read what everyone else thinks or what the staff has to say about this. Multiple rewatches are also in order.

Tooi’s sinking down all gloomy when Kazuki and Enta jump in as well. They have also grown up and it feels so rewarding to see them like this. I love seeing characters through the ages. They’ve been waiting for Tooi! Once they all surface Tooi gives them the biggest smile ever and it’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. They sing Sarazanmai no Uta again, there’s a clipshow with them playing soccer and the other characters appearing looking very content with their lives.

The final episode title is “I want to connect so Sarazanmai”. How incredibly fitting.

Then the opening plays. Ikuhara, I love the opening, but you know you could’ve used this minute and a half to show us what happens to Reo, Mabu, Sara and Keppi instead. I’m very happy with their quick appearances, but I still have heaps of questions about them!!

It’s a lot of fun to watch the OP again being able to pick up on all the references. There’s also one slight change, the final scene (with Ikuhara’s credit) is now blue instead of yellow. The three shadows are back together. Reminds me that we’ve been seeing the seagulls that also represent the three boys throughout the episode, AT the start there was just one to represent how Tooi was alone, but they’re also back together again by the end.

The final scene, because Sarazanmai just keeps hitting us with more and more scenes is of one of the river boats passing under Azuma Bridge. The three boys are sitting on it in kappa form, heading towards the future.

I think this was an amazing last episode. It was a proper last episode with tension running high, countless of amazing moments that felt very rewarding and tied up the episodes, such as the part where they name dropped them or seeing how the ending mirrors the beginning of the first episode. My only complaint is that there are still lots of questions left unanswered, but for the most part Sarazanmai has been a fairly straightforward story that’s been easy to follow along.

I hope that the last chapter of the second novel will explain what Tooi went through at the end some more and I really hope there’ll be a short chapter telling us what happens to Reo, Mabu, Sara and Keppi. It’s also unfortunate that we never found out how the Reo to Mabu manga ties in with the anime. Let’s hope the novel answers that as well.

This post has been incredibly difficult for me to write, I hope you enjoyed reading it and I congratulate you for getting through to the end. From here on out I’ll continue blogging about Sarazanmai as long as I still have things to say about it.

#sarazanmai #dish 11 #sarazanmai thoughts and analysis #sarazanmai nonsense #long post #be warned it's 2728 words and probably not that interesting

33 notes · View notes

vgckwb · 4 years

Text

ML: Are They Worthy? Chapter 47: Darkside!/Dark Kitty

Gabriel was pacing around his office. Nathalie was watching. “So, you want me to meet with Judgement Wolf to see if we can figure something out,” he said.

“That’s the idea” Nathalie said.

Gabriel looked at his assistant. “Do you think this could work?” he asked.

“It’s worth trying” Nathalie said. “You would want to pursue any avenue to bring back Emilie, right?”

Gabriel looked out his window. “Of course,” he said. “But I would need a way for him to get to me without him revealing my identity.”

“We can think of a few options” Nathalie said.

“Very well” Gabriel said. “Let’s make an attempt.”

Meanwhile, after school, Luka and Juleka were walking out of school. “Hey!” a voice shouted at them. The siblings looked at the point of origin. She was an older girl, about 17, and she had orange hair in a ponytail, glasses, brown eyes, a white shirt, a green hoodie that was unzipped, a red and black plaid skirt, black stockings, white and green tennis shoes, and a black case strapped upon her back. She ran up to them carefully. “You’re the two guitarists of Kitty Section, right?”

“Um, yeah?” Luka said.

“What’s this about?” Juleka asked.

The mystery girl set her case down, opened it, and pulled out a black bass. “I wanna join you band!”

“Ummmmmm, OK?” Luka said.

“I can join?!” she asked.

“No” Luka said. “I mean, not yet. We’d have to audition you first.”

“Yeah, and this is kind of a friend thing, and you just kind of showed up” Juleka said. “Sooooooo…..”

The girl smiled and nodded. “I get it. We can do that. Can we do it now?”

“Uhhh, we weren't planning on meeting today…” Luka said.

“Please?” the girl asked.

Luka sighed. “It wouldn’t hurt to ask Rose and Ivan.”

“I guess not” Juleka said. “I’m still not sure about her though.”

The girl giggled. “I’m sorry. I haven’t even introduced myself yet. My name is Ashe.”

“Well, I’m Juleka, and that is my brother Luka” she said, pointing at Luka who was texting.

“Well, I’ve got an OK from Rose. Now let’s see what Ivan says” Luka said.

Mylene was approaching Ivan, who was checking his phone. “So, do we have plans this afternoon?” she asked.

Ivan looked up sadly. His sadness transferred to Mylene. “The band just called an emergency meeting. Is it OK if I go?”

Mylene felt left out, but she said “Of course.”

“Great! And I promise you, we’ll do something tomorrow!” Ivan said. He gave Mylene a kiss on the cheek and left. Mylene felt bitter about the decision and got out her phone and started texting.

Later, Mylene was sitting on a park bench by herself. “Hey Mylene!” Marinette called out. Mylene turned to see Marinette waiving with Alya right behind her.

The two sat down next to Mylene. “So, what’s up girl?” Alya asked.

Mylene looked down. “Well, it’s just, Ivan’s been spending a lot of time with Kitty Section lately. I’m worried we aren’t spending enough time together anymore.”

“Do you think Ivan doesn’t like you anymore?” Alya asked.

“That’s insane. Ivan is crazy about you” Marinette said.

“Yeah, he got akumatized twice because he didn’t know how to tell you he loved you” Alya said.

“Not helping” Marinette said.

“It’s not that” Mylene said. “It’s just, whenever Ivan and I aren’t spending time together, and I’m not doing anything with you guys, he’s off doing something he’s passionate about. Meanwhile, I just spend my time missing Ivan. I just don’t know what to do with myself.”

Marinette and Alya looked at each other and nodded. “Well, we’re here now” Alya said.

“Yeah” Marinette said. “So, do you want to be with him, or like, figure out something you want to do on your own?”

Mylene looked up. “I like that second choice. You all have your own passions. I wanna find something for myself!”

“That a girl” Alya said. “So, let’s brainstorm. Your father’s an actor, do you wanna try that?”

Mylene shook her head. “You remember how I did during the movie we made. I don’t feel comfortable doing that kind of thing. At least not yet.”

“Well, you’re so kind and gentle. Why don’t you try volunteering somewhere?” Marinette suggested. There are animal shelters, charities…”

“My mom works at a food pantry sometimes” Alya said. “They always need help there.”

Mylene looked determined. “Alright. Let’s do it!” Marinette and Alya smiled. The three of them left.

Meanwhile, at the Liberty, Kitty Section was sitting down while Ashe was on stage. “Thanks for letting me try out” she said. “I know you just met me, but I hope you’ll be impressed.”

“Before you start, we have a few questions” Luka said.

“Shoot” Ashe said.

“How’d you find out about us?” Ivan asked.

“I saw some of your videos online” Ashe said. “You’re pretty good.”

“Why do you want to join us?” Rose asked. “Not that I would mind…”

Ashe looked at the band. “I really like music. I’ve always wanted to play in a band. The way I see it: you need a bassist. I can play bass. Simple as that.”

“What makes you think you’ll be a good fit for Kitty Section?” Luka asked.

Ashe smiled slyly. “From what I’ve seen, you guys play my kind of music. I really admire your energy and attitude.”

“Are you nice?” Juleka asked.

Ashe was taken aback by that question. “She means ‘Do you think you can friends with us?’” Luka explained. “We’re a tightly knit group. You could play well, but if you’re only here to play, than I suggest you leave.”

Ashe smiled. “I see. Well, I certainly hope we can be friends.” She sighed. “Most of mine abandoned me…”

The band was shocked. “I’m sorry” Juleka said.

“No, you’re right,” Ashe said. “Getting along is just as important as being able to play well. Now, are you ready?”

“Go for it” Luka said. Ashe began to play for them.

Meanwhile, Mylene, Marinette, and Alya arrived at the food pantry. Alya waived down the person in charge. “Hi Marie” she said.

“Hello” Marie said. Marie had black hair tied up in a ponytail, a grey shirt, jeans, black shoes, and an apron.

“This is Mylene” Alya said, introducing her. “She’d like to help around here.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Marie said. “Just take an apron, and, let’s see… OH! I know. Lorenzo needs some help sorting cans. Why don’t you start there?”

“OK” Mylene said. She went to grab an apron.

“And, since you two have been here before, why don’t you help with deliveries?” Marie asked.

“Uh, sure!” Marinette said.

Mylene walked into a room and saw a lanky boy with black hair, olive eyes, a black hoodie zipped up with an apron over it, jeans, and black Chucks. “Um, are your Lorenzo?” Mylene asked.

The boy looked up. “Yes. And you are?”

Mylene smiled. “Mylene. I just started here. Marie says I should help you.”

“Well then, let’s get started” Lorenzo said. “I’ll show you the ropes.”

Mylene learned from Lorenzo and together, they sorted cans all afternoon. The two became fast friends. The same was happening over that the Liberty. Kitty Section was impressed by Ashe’s playing skills, and they started a jam session once the solo stuff was out of the way.

Once their sessions was over, Luka said, “Man, that felt great.”

“Yeah, I’d say you pass” Juleka said.

“Me too!” Rose said.

“I agree!” Ivan said.

Ashe looked at Luka. “Well, what do you think?”

Luka smiled back at her. “Yeah, I’d say you pass.”

“Yes!” Ashe said, pumping her fist.

Anarka rushed out. She looked worried, but then saw Ashe and was curious. “My, who be this?” she said.

“Oh. Right. This is Ashe” Luke said.

“Hi” Ashe said.

“Well, hello” Anarka said. She squinted her eyes and then returned inside.

“What was that about?” Ashe asked.

“I don’t know” Luka said.

“Yeah, usually mom is a lot more free spirited” Juleka said. “I should go check on her.” She went inside.

Luka looked at Ashe. “So, why do you play bass?” he asked.

“Well, I can play an assortment of instruments” Ashe said. “I’ve learned when I was very young. But the bass has always been my favorite. My mom plays bass, so I feel connected with her when I play it.”

“I see” Luka said.

Richard’s car pulled up and Richard got out. He looked onto the boat. “It’s her!” he called out.

May got out and got a look. She started to approach the ship. “Oh no” Ashe said.

“What?” Luka said.

“Ashley!” May said, getting close to the ship.

Ashe shrunk into herself. “Hi mom…”

“Mom?” Luka said.

“Yes” Juleka said, coming out on deck with her mom. “Apparently, she’s May’s child. She ran away when she and her dad were in Versailles. He called May, May told dad, and dad told mom, who upon seeing Ashe knew who she was, and called dad back that she had been found.”

Luka looked at Ashe in disbelief. “Is this true?”

“Yeah…” Ashe said.

“Ashley!” May said, getting on the boat. She hugged her daughter. “Don’t scare us like that!”

“I was fine” Ashe said.

May broke the hug. “Your father was really worried.”

“Good!” Ashe said. “He deserves it!”

“What’s gotten into you?” May said.

“Everything!” Ashe said.

May was shocked. “Well, I’m sure we can talk it over with your father once we get to London.”

“No!” Ashe said. “I hate it in London! I’m never going back! Everyone hates me there!”

“Honey, you can’t mean that” May said

“I do!” Ashe cried out. “School is a nightmare. Dad’s away a lot of the time. You left me. No one cares about me…”

May saw that her child was upset. “Well, I’m sure we can figure something out,” she said.

“NO! I’m never going back! You can’t make me!” Ashe grabbed her bass and ran off of the ship.

“Come on! We gotta follow her!” Luka said.

“Right!” Richard said. The band, Richard, May, and Anarka all chased after her.

Ashe found an isolated space. She sat down, took out her bass, and started strumming. She stopped and broke down crying.

Meanwhile, in Hawk Moth’s lair, Hawk Moth monologued. “Well well, a lonely soul who just wants to be free. Surely we can help this struggling artist. Fly away, my little akuma, and set her free!”

The akuma flew off and fused with Ashe’s bass. “Dark Kitty! I am Hawk Moth. Your new friends and new band are about to be taken from you? I won’t allow it! I’m giving you the power to make sure you and your band throw the best concert Paris has ever seen! The cover charge for the acquisition of this venue will be Ladybug and Cat Noir’s miraculous!”

“Yes Hawk Moth” Ashe said. The purple-black aura formed around her. The was about the time everyone else caught up with her. Once the aura faded, she now had the look of a black leather tank top with three belts on it, a black leather skirt, black stockings, black pumps, black shoulder pads with white edges that carried a black cape, and a black Kitty Section mask with a white horn and white streaks of lightning coming out of the eyes at the top.

“Ashley?” May said.

“It’s Dark Kitty now, mom!” she said. “And me an my band are about to put on the greatest concert Paris has ever seen! However, you aren’t invited. You can still see the concert, but you have to view it from the special ‘downer’ section.” She strummed her bass, aimed it at the three adults, and then transported them.

“Where’d they go?!” Luka said.

“I just told you” Dark Kitty. “Now, it’s time for us to set up!”

“Hold on! We’re not going to play like this!” Rose said.

“Yeah! We’re not your band!” Ivan said.

“What they said” Juleka echoed.

“You’re turning me away too?” Dark Kitty said. “After we had such a good time this afternoon?”

“We had a good time with Ashe! Not you!” Luka exploded.

“Pity” Dark Kitty said. “Still, I have the power. You will be there.” She strummed, aimed, and made her bandmates disappear. “Now, every good concert needs some attendees. Let’s work on that!” Dark Kitty began to prowl.

Marinette and Alya were out delivering food. “This is great” Marinette said.

“Yeah, but it would be easier if we had a car and could drive” Alya said.

Marinette bumped into Adrien. “Sorry” they said at the same time.

Alya started laughing. “I’m sorry. It’s just that moments like this make me realize that you two were always meant to be a couple.”

“Thanks?” Marinette said.

“So, what are you doing out here?” Adrien asked.

“Well, we’re helping the local food pantry by running some deliveries” Marinette explained.

“Wow” Adrien said. “If you’d have told me, I would have helped.”

“Well, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing” Alya explained. “We were trying to help Mylene out since she was feeling down.”

“I see” Adrien said. His eyes widened. “LOOK OUT!” He grabbed Marinette and ran off.

Alya was confused, but was then hit by a bass blast from Dark Kitty. “WOOOOOOOOO!” She said. She began walking off.

“That’s it!” Dark Kitty said. “Now, let’s find more concert goers!” She went off in a different direction.

Adrien and Marinette were hiding in some bushes. They nodded at each other. “Tikki! Spots on!”

“Plagg! Claws out!” They transformed and followed Dark Kitty.

At the food pantry, Mylene and Lorenzo were wrapping up for the evening. “I’ve gotta say, this has been a wonderful experience” Mylene said.

“Well, you’re welcome to come anytime” Lorenzo said. He smiled. “I had a good time too.” There was a silence. “Say, I know this might sound crazy, but would you want to go out with me?”

Mylene was shocked at the offer. She remained calm and said “Sorry. You’re a really nice guy and all. But I have a boyfriend already.”

“Oh” Lorenzo said. “Of course.” He sighed.

“It’s OK” Mylene said.

“Yeah…” Lorenzo. “It’s just, see, I had a crush on this girl but she moved away before I could do anything about it.”

“Oh no” Mylene said.

“Yeah. I’ve been in kind of a funk since” Lorenzo said. “I’ve been volunteering to get my mind off of it.”

“What a coincidence” Mylene said. “I decided to volunteer because I don’t know what I want to do with my life yet.”

“Hm. I guess we’re just two peas in a pod” Lorenzo said.

They heard some noise coming from the front of the food pantry. “What was that?” Mylene asked.

“I’ll check it out. You stay here and hide. Call the police if I don’t get back!” Lorenzo said, leaving the area. Mylene peered through the door only to see Dark Kitty putting Lorenzo under her spell. “WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!”

“Perfect! Pretty soon ALL of Paris will come to my concert!” Dark Kitty said. Mylene went back and hid. Dark Kitty saw the door flap.

She was about to investigate further when she was cut off. “Great. Another situation caused by a Kitty Section rip-off” Ladybug said.

“I’m the real deal. Dark Kitty’s the name, and I’m the latest member of Kitty Section” she said. “Everyone’s setting up at the Eiffel Tower. I’m out here rounding up a few fans!”

“Wow! A Kitty Section concert at the Eiffel Tower?! Can you Mark us down for tickets?” Cat Noir asked.

“Of course I want you two to attend, but the price of entry is going to be your miraculous!” Dark Kitty said. She fired off blasts from her bass, while Ladybug and Cat Noir dodged it. They kept dodging and moving around.

Judgement Wolf managed to sneak up on Dark Kitty and get a hit in. “Judgement Wolf!” Ladybug and Cat Noir said.

“That’s gotta Sting!” Cat Noir added

“Sorry I’m late. I had to hide to transform” he said.

“You! How lame of you to do a sneak attack like that!” Dark Kitty said. “For that, you’re going to the downer section!” She played her bass

“No!” Cat Noir said. He tried to save Judgement Wolf, but ended up getting hit and transported as well.

Judgement Wolf and Cat Noir ended up in a black box. “Well that Wentz south fast” Cat Noir said.

“OK, what are you doing?” Judgement Wolf said.

“Famous bassists” Cat Noir said.

“I see” Judgement Wolf said.

“Cat Noir! Can you get us outta here?” Anarka said.

“And please! Save my daughter! She was just Akumatized!” May said.

“Yeah, I’m sure your Cataclysm could break through this” Judgement Wolf said. He looked out the window that was there. “But maybe here is safer.”

“Why?” Cat Noir asked. He got a look out and he saw that the box was floating above the city close to the Eiffel Tower. He also got a look at the other members of Kitty Section who were just standing still, deep within a trance. “Oh. Yeah, we could escape, but Dark Kitty could just put us back here if she found us. Plus, we have you guys to worry about. Not to mention that drop. I think we need to bide our time for now. Ladybug will come through in the end.” They all nodded.

At the food pantry, Dark Kitty turned and said “Now Ladybug! It’s time for you to join them!” However, Ladybug was nowhere in sight. “Where’d she go?”

“Dark Kitty” transmitted Hawk Moth. “Don’t worry about her for now. You’re putting on a spectacle the likes of which Paris has never seen. You also have captured two of her teammates. She’ll have to come to you sooner or later.”

“Of course Hawk Moth” Dark Kitty said. She left the food pantry.

Ladybug hid in the back room and sighed once Dark Kitty left. “Ladybug?” Mylene called out.

“GAH!” Ladybug shrieked. “Oh good. I thought you were under her spell or something.”

Mylene shook her head. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine” Ladybug said. “Are you OK?”

Mylene nodded. “I think so.”

“Good. I need you to stay here and keep out of sight” Ladybug said.

“I can’t just do nothing!” Mylene said. “If what she said is true, she has my boyfriend! I can’t let her get away with that.”

Ladybug sighed. “I understand how you feel. She has my boyfriend as well.”

“Cat Noir?” Mylene said.

“Yeah…” Ladybug blushed. “But the best thing for you to do right now is stay put. I have powers. You don’t. Imagine how your boyfriend would feel if you got hurt because of him.”

Mylene thought about it. “I get it.”

“Thank you” Ladybug said. “Now, let’s not go into enemy territory empty handed. Lucky Charm! A sword?”

“Wow. That’s a bit more violent than your Lucky Charm usually is” Mylene remarked.

Ladybug remembered the sword. “I’m not going to use it violently. I’ve gotta make a stop!” Ladybug left.

Marientte walked into Master Fu’s parlor to see Master Fu and Hao-yu. “Master! Hau-yu! Paris is in trouble and Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, and Judgement Wolf are incapacitated!”

“I see. Let’s fix that” Master Fu said. He opened up the miracle box. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good. Once the mission is over you will retrieve the Miraculous from them.”

Marinette had a look in the box. She grabbed the mouse miraculous. “If she wants something big, maybe we should fight with something small.”

“An excellent choice” Master Fu said.

“Gotta go! By Master! By Hau-yu!” Marientte left.

“Does this happen often?” Hau-yu asked.

“Well it’s been getting more frequent” Master Fu said.

Mylene was sitting around in the back of the food pantry. “I wish there was something I could do,” she said.

“And there is” Ladybug said. Mylene was surprised. “Mylene Haprele. Here is the mouse miraculous. Which grants you the power of multiplication. You will you it for the greater good. Once the job is complete, you will return the miraculous to me. Can I trust you?”

Mylene nodded. “Of course Ladybug!” She grabbed the box and opened it.

Mullo popped out. “Ah. How exciting!”

“Oh my!” Mylene said.

“Don’t worry. I’m nice!” Mullo said. She reached out her hand

Mylene smiled and shook Mullo’s hand. She put the miraculous on. “So, what do I do?”

“Just say ‘Mullo! Get Squeaky!’”

“Ok. Mullo! Get Squeaky!” Mylene transformed into a hero with a pink headband going over her hair that has Cat Noir-like mouse ears, a mostly grey skin-suit with black hands and black boots, a black belt with a pink buckle, and a grey Ninja Turtles-like mask. “Wow!”

“Now, let’s get going!” Ladybug said. The two heroes lept into action.

Dark Kitty was getting everything set up for the concert. The crowd had amassed, the lights and sound were set up,the band had these stands they were on, there was a big TV attached to the Eiffel Tower, and news crews were reporting on it. “Oh! I’m so excited!” she said.

In Hawk Moth’s Lair, he had a thought. He nodded at Nathalie and contacted Dark Kitty. “Dark Kitty. I have a favor to ask of you. Tell Judgement Wolf to meet me at the Arc de Triomphe. I want to speak with him.”

“Really? OK” Dark Kitty said. She got on her stand and told her unwilling band mates “I’ve got another errand to run, but then we can start our concert. Isn’t this exciting?!”

“Yes Dark Kitty” they all said in unison.

Dark Kitty hopped on her stand and it became a board that she could fly through the air on. She flew to the black box and said “Hey wolfy! Hawk Moth wants to meet with you at the Arc de Triomphe. So I’m letting you go. Don’t try anything funny.” She strummed her bass and Judgement Wolf fell through the floor.

Judgement Wolf found his direction and landed safely. “Huh. I wonder what this is about” he said. He made his way to the Arc.

Once he got there, he was face to face with Hawk Moth. “Hello Judgement Wolf.”

“What’s stopping me from using my power on you right now?” Judgement Wolf asked.

“Straight to the point” Hawk Moth said. “My assistant Mayura is close to the concert. She’ll create a sentimonster if you don’t cooperate. And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

Ladybug is already down Cat Noir and myself. Plus, from what I’ve seen, all of the other known heroes have been put under Dark Kitty’s spell. If she can even find a new hero, that’s still going to make it a bigger mess than it could be. “Fine. What do you want?” Judgement Wolf relented.

“Good boy” Hawk Moth said, condescendingly. “I was hoping you could help me. Nooroo says you could.”

“That’s odd…” Judgement Wolf said. “I thought you didn’t want to reveal yourself.”

“I don’t” Hawk Moth countered. “But Nooroo says you could help me in other ways.”

Meanwhile, Ladybug and Mylene’s hero form arrived at the Eiffel Tower. They managed to keep out of sight. “Alright, we need to think of a plan” Ladybug said. “Hey, what should I call you?”

She thought about it for a bit. “Scouries” she said.

“I see. I like it” Ladybug said. “I bet Cat Noir will too.” The two heroes giggled. “Now then. Lucky Charm! A bag of marbles?” Ladybug looked at Scouries, the intricate set-up, the black box floating in the sky, and Dark Kitty’s bass. “I bet her akuma is in the bass.”

“Are we going to make her trip and fall? Like in the cartoons?” Scouries asked.

“Not in that sense, no” Ladybug said. “But we can trip her up. Here’s the plan.”

Judgement Wolf was in the midst of his conversation with Hawk Moth. “So, you need my help with something.”

“Yes” Hawk Moth replied.

“I’m not turning my back on Ladybug” Judgement Wolf said.

“Of course. If I thought you were that kind of person, I wouldn’t need to coerce you like this” Hawk Moth said.

“You are a tricky fellow” Judgement Wolf said. “What do you want?”

“Well, there are a lot of details to get into” Hawk Moth said. “I was hoping we could plan for future meetings here.”

“I see” Judgement Wolf said. “In that case, let’s lay some ground rules. No meeting on days with akuma attacks.”

“Agreed” Hawk Moth said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to give up.”

“Same” Judgement Wolf said. “Also, we should keep the meeting place consistent. I hate having to run around and get vaguely sourced invitations to meet someone.”

“Very well” Hawk Moth said. He closed his eyes. “Well, it looks like the show is about to begin. Maybe you can go and watch it for yourself.” Hawk Moth left in a hurry. Mayura fell back as well.

“Well, that was interesting” Judgement Wolf said. “Let’s see how big this concert is going to be.” Judgement Wolf left as well.

The cameras started rolling. Dark Kitty called out to everyone “Alright Paris, are you ready to party?!” The crowd cheered back. “Then let’s get started. Hit it!” The band played “I Love Unicorns.” The crowd loved it. “Thank you! Thank you!”

There was some strange clapping. Dark Kitty looked down and saw that it was Ladybug. “That was a nice opening act there. Now it’s time for the headliner” Ladybug told her.

“Ladybug. You’re just in time for the show” Dark Kitty said. She used her bass to blast at Ladybug. Ladybug dodged it and leapt up to the lights. Dark Kitty kept blasting, but Ladybug kept dodging to the rest of the band, to the tv, and to the stereos. Finally she made her way to the mixing booth. Her earrings started to beep. “Ha! You’ve already used your Lucky Charm. All I have to do is wait you out!”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t worry about that just yet” Ladybug said. The TV went to static. The lighting fixture got detached and was hanging by a thread. The instruments began falling apart. The mic became unplugged. The TV fell off behind the band, luckily hurting no one.

“Grrrrrr. How did you do that?!” Dark Kitty demanded.

“I used my Lucky Charm, didn’t I?” Ladybug said.

Dark Kitty was still mad. “Well, seeing as you’re almost out of time, I just have to do this.” Dark Kitty aimed her bass carefully at Ladybug and strummed it.

Ladybug was teleported into the box as well. “Ladybug! They got you too?” Cat Noir said.

“Relax Kitty, this is all part of my plan” Ladybug said. She looked around. “Where’s Judgement Wolf?”

“Hawk Moth wanted to talk with him” Cat Noir said.

“I see. Well, we’ll talk about that later” Ladybug said.

“Care to Phil me in on this plan of yours?” Cat Noir said.

“Sinc we’re here, let’s free these people” Ladybug said.e

“Gotcha. Cataclysm!” Cat Noir called out.

Dark Kitty was standing there, having just dealt with Ladybug. “Now that that’s settled, let’s fix this!” She went to play her bass when she noticed little marbles sliding down the strings. “What the?” The black box exploded, and Ladybug and Cat Noir freed everyone.

Dark Kitty took her bass off to fix the problem, but she got kicked in the back by a returning Judgement Wolf. “Oops” he said. Her bass began to fall, but she went to grab the strap. However, once she got a hold of it, the strap broke off from the bass and the bass continued to fall.

“Equalize!” Scouries’s voice called out. A full-sized Scouries then appeared forming from a bunch of little Scourieses. She then used her jump rope to attack and subdue Dark Kitty.

“Nice” Judgement Wolf said.

“Thank you” Scouries said.

Ladybug and Cat Noir came back from rescuing everyone. “Where are they? Lemmy attem!” Cat Noir said.

“Relax” Scouries said. “It’s almost over.”

The bass crashed to the ground and broke, freeing the akuma. “Thanks” Ladybug said. “No more evildoing for you, little akuma. TIme to deevilize! Gotcha. Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!” She threw the bag of marbles in the air. The ladybug fixed all of the damage caused by Dark Kitty.

Ashe appeared out of the purple-black aura with her bass. “What happened?”

“Pound it!” the heroes said.

“So, I’ve been defeated once again” Hawk Moth said. I might be low now, but I do have a bass-line for my plans for the future!”

Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Scouries’s miraculous began to beep. “We should go. Are you OK by yourself?”

“Yeah. I think so” Ashe said.

Ladybug nodded. “Bug out!” The four heroes left.

Once they were hidden, Scouries asked “I know you know, and I know Judgement Wolf has to know, but why is Cat Noir here?”

“Well, we’ve resolved to be more open about our plans for dealing with Hawk Moth” Ladybug said.

“I can leave if you don’t want me to know” Cat Noir said.

“No. It’s fine” Scouries said. “Mullo! Un-Squeak!” She transformed back into Mylene. Cat Noir and Judgement Wolf raised their eyebrows.

“Good luck on Mr. Wolf’s test” Mullo said.

“Thanks” Mylene replied. She gave back the miraculous. “Well, I should get going.”

“Wait! How did you do all of that?” Cat Noir asked.

“Oh. Well, I activated my power, which caused a bunch of little clones of me to appear. I then hid in Ladybug’s hair as she took me around to various places. While she was distracting Dark Kitty, I was doing whatever I could to mess up the concert. Once Dark Kitty aimed her bass at Ladybug, I jumped off of Ladybug with the marbles she summoned and onto the bass to mess with that.”

“I see. How clever” Judgement Wolf said.

“Well, you know what they say. Les is more” Cat Noir said. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“I really should get back to the food pantry” Mylene said. “Seeya!” She ran off.

Ladybug and Cat Noir ran out of time and detransformed. “Well, speaking of being more open” Marinette said.”What were you doing with Hawk Moth?”

Judgment Wolf looked at them and said, “He wanted to speak with me. I think he wants help.”

“You’re not going to give it to him, are you?” Adrien asked.

“It depends on the type of help he wants” Judgement Wolf said. “He didn’t seem to have an interest in using me. However, I suspect that there may be more to this than expected.”

“Well, I trust you” Marinette said. “Just keep us informed.”

“Will do” Judgement Wolf said. He left.

Marinette grabbed Adrin’s arm. “Come on. Let’s return this together.”

“RIght” Adrien nodded. The two walked over to Master Fu’s.

Ashe came out of the Eiffel Tower. “Ashley!” May called out. Ashe looked up and saw her mom, Luka and Juleka’s parents, and the band sans Ivan. May came up to Ashe and gave her a hug. “It’s OK.”

Ashe hugged back. “Thanks mom.”

The hug ended. “Tell you what. It’s pretty late. Why don’t you spend the night with me and Richard and I’ll talk with your father and see what we can do.”

“Thanks” Ashe said. She looked at Kitty Section. “If it’s alright with you, and if I’m allowed to stay, I would still like to be a part of the band. But I understand if you wouldn’t want that?”

“Are you KIDDING?!” Rose said. “We’d love to have someone like you.”

“Yeah. You kind of cool” Juleka said. “A little troubled, but we all are.”

“Besides, you’re practically like our step-sister” Luka said. “How could we say no to family?”

Ashe hugged Luka. “Thanks!” Rose and Juleka got in on the hug. “Where’s Ivan?”

“He said he had some business to take care of” Luka said.

Lorenzo entered the food pantry. “Mylene! It’s safe to come out now!”

Mylene walked out texting someone. “Oh, hi Lorenzo” Mylene said.

“Mylene! Thank goodness you’re alright!” Lorenzo said, hugging her. He broke the hug soon after. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah. I just hid here until the whole thing blew over” Mylene said.

“MYLENE!” Ivan said, entering. He saw her across the room. He ran up and hugged her. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Ivan” Mylene said. “But thanks for asking. Lorenzo, this is my boyfriend.”

“I see” Lorenzo said. “You have a great girlfriend.”

“Thanks?” Ivan said.

“So, where do you go to school?” Mylene asked.

“Well, I just moved here last week. Starting tomorrow, I’m transferring to Francois Dupont High School” Lorenzo said.

“Really?! That’s where we go to school” Ivan said.

“Really? Well, then I guess I’ll see you around then” Lorenzo said. He walked out.

“What was that about?” Ivan asked.

“He’s just been having a hard time recently” Mylene said.

“Well, maybe we should help him,” Ivan said.

“I like that idea” Mylene replied. The two shared a kiss.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fanfic #Marinette #Adrien #Alya #Vlad #Mylene #Ivan #Luka #Juleka #Rose #Anarka #Gabriel #Nathalie #Mullo

2 notes · View notes

mermaidsirennikita · 5 years

Note

I need to start new period dramas. Can you list your favs like which you recommend most? (Ive seen Reign) Thanks!

Sure!

Spartacus--set in Ancient Rome, obvious during the Third Servile War. This is actually one of my top... five? three? favorite shows of all time. It deserves INTENSE trigger warnings for basically everything--gore, sexual violence, torture. I will say that a lot of the general gladiatorial violence is purposefully over the top--originally because the show couldn’t afford realistic effects and they were like “fuck it, let’s go OTT and embrace it” and later because it basically was the Aesthetic. Lots of slo mo and AAAARGGGGGHHHHs!!!! Also a surprising amount of sensitivity towards the trauma the characters endure. Like. This is one of the only shows that I feel deals with trauma correctly for the majority of the characters. They never really... “heal” in that unrealistic soft way. But they do live. It’s also surprisingly diverse, and the female characters are EXCELLENT, both the heroines and the villains. The villains are so well-done too. Well-developed without being portrayed as justified or excused.

Rome--set during the rules of the First and Second Triumvirates. Definitely a “must watch” period piece. It really set the tone for many that have followed, and few have matched or surpassed it. It’s great drama, has one of the best female villains on TV of all time. I do really, really dislike its version of Cleopatra. As a whole. But I loooove its portrayal of Octavian and Antony, so--what’re you gonna do?

Vikings (season 1-2............................................ maybe season 3 in some spots though that’s still gotta fuck ton of issues)--set in early medieval Scandinavia. Not a good show now, but I really loved it for the first couple of seasons and I think that those seasons, especially the first two, are still worth watching. Really, the ending of season 2 is quite final in a lot of ways. So you could watch it like that? Vikings was an extremely odd and trippy show in the first couple of seasons as well, which I enjoy seeing blended with its period piece setting. It also has some really cool fight scenes and music.

Medici: The Magnificent--set in early-to-high Renaissance Florence. Okay, so technically this is season 2 of Medici (the first season is called Medici: Masters of Florence) but season 1 frankly... sucks. And season 2 has only one or two hold-over actors, and it’s set a couple of decades after season 1 ends. It is, for all intents and purposes, a whole new show. I love it. This is a soapy show, and not every actor is greeeeat but Daniel Sharman is FANTASTIC in it, and so are the villains. I really can’t emphasize how much I love Daniel Sharman in this role--and not just because he’s hot. It’s also lovely to look at for the most part. I really love the men’s costumes on this show too? And the Pazzi Conspiracy is pretty well done.

The Borgias--set in High Renaissance Rome. Oh, this show. I loved it SO HARD once. And I don’t anymore. It’s very flawed. But it’s fucking BEAUTIFUL in some scenes, and while it’s not the way I want the story of the Borgia family to be told, it does have some great moments, and some great performances for that matter. (They should have let Francois Arnaud go Full Evil with Cesare, but whatever.) It’s soapy. There is an actual canonical incest pairing, and it’s played as totally romantic. So heads up on that. But this show did shape a part of me, so I can’t totally complain.

The Tudors--set in Renaissance/Reformation/post-Reformation England. This show is so bad in some parts? I still refuse to say that Jonathan Rhys Myers is putting on a good performance as Henry VIII. Because I don’t think it’s good acting. But it’s like. Entertaining. There’s a scene where he’s like, trying to pole vault over a pond or something and he’s like “watch me lads this’ll be rad” and he just... ends up in the pond. I think he gets sick and ends up screaming. He does a lot of screaming. But the women are very good in this!!! Maria Doyle Kennedy and Natalie Dormer kill it in the first two seasons, and Tamzin Merchant is so good at playing up more than just the sexy lil thing role that this show wanted to give Katherine Howard. She put a lot into fleshing her out. I would say that the first two seasons are like, fun soapy shenanigans with a few genuinely good beats, and the last two are kinda dull except for when they relate to the downfall of Thomas Cromwell (who is very well played in this show) and Katherine Howard.

The White Queen/The White Princess--set during medieval England. Do I recommend? No. No I do not. Is it kind of incredibadly watchable at times? Yes. These loosely related minseries monstrosities are like, horrible feminism, horrible costuming, and occasionally really fucking good performances. It’s about the Wars of the Roses (TWQ) and the early reign of Fuckboi In Leather Pants and A Pirate Shirt Henry VII. Also, Richard III is a goth in this series. There will be another installment, The Spanish Princess, once again with a whole new cast, very soon. It will be about Catherine of Aragon. Supposedly.

Versailles--set in 18th century France. This does for Louis XIV what The Tudors did for Henry VIII. But it’s marginally better because George Blagden is a better actor than JRM, and Louis XIV actually seems like he has a brain sometimes, and is generally an evil plotting cocker spaniel with his gay brother. A typical episode of Versailles is basically Louis XIV having Somewhat Awkward Sexual Tension with said brother as they snipe at each other, until they agree to be friends and rule the French court through psychological manipulation. Louis gives somewhat an absolutely withering glance. They commit suicide before him. Everyone is wearing a mask. I mean, I have fun with it. Though there is a VERY CRINGE STORYLINE in the beginning that is based on a VERY CRINGE LEGEND that always makes me hesitate to recommend it.

Alias Grace--set in 19th century Canada. Essentially, this is a thriller and a period piece. A doctor learns through a series of interviews about the heinous murders that Grace committed while a servant in a rich man’s house. I really like this show’s exploration of class divides and women’s relationships with each other. It’s preeeetty dark.

North and South--set in industrial England. I always describe this as like... Pride and Prejudice if Darcy had a more sexual vibe and was more working class, and if Elizabeth was tbh.............................. a bit dumber, if well-intentioned. I love it. The smoldering gazes. The secretive glances. The classic “woman rejects man’s marriage proposal, man is a broken husk” scene. It’s great.

The Crown--set in twentieth century England-present. This is one of the GREATEST DRAMAS EVER, frankly. Like. This show takes objectively petty arguments and turns them into something super epic and intense. It’s all about the strength of the acting and the writing. There is only one episode in the two (so far) seasons that disappointed me. Plus, this show looks intensely expensive.

Peaky Blinders--set in Post WWI Birmingham. First two seasons ONLY. But oh, they were great seasons of TV. This show is about a crime family, and I absolutely love crime family dramas. It also features Grace Burgess, one of my favorite characters ever. She is a lady cop who sets out to seduce the main character, head of aforementioned crime family. For The Law. That is all.

Hopefully, this is a good starting point--ngl, most period pieces drop in quality after a couple seasons, so it’s hard to give a wholehearted recommendation.

#Anonymous

18 notes · View notes