#(juliette does have family. but her father never leaves his office)

[bookshelf-in-progress]

A Jules and Vern Christmas

A time travel story for the Christmas Challenge at @inklings-challenge. This is a follow-up to "Jules and Vern"--a very short piece that explains how the time travel works, so you may want to read that one first.

*

Vernon looked up from his writing in a daze. The papers spread across his kitchen table, the books piled on shelves and chairs across his sparsely-furnished apartment, seemed suddenly unfamiliar. Outside, it was nearly dark, and a light snow shower was falling.

He'd lost track of time--gotten too deep into his writing. This draft of his article was due by the first of the year, and there was so much worth writing about now that he had practical experience--not just theoretical knowledge--of time travel.

He had his new patroness to thank for that. His one and only time travel cruise--paid for with his life savings--had brought him in contact with one of the wealthiest heiresses on the planet, who'd adopted him like a stray cat. She'd guided him through the cruise and even paid to extend his trip. A man in his position couldn't refuse gifts like that--but neither could he repay them.

He looked at the silver-wrapped package sitting on the edge of the table. It seemed silly, giving presents to a woman who could buy him a thousand times over without blinking an eye. He could mail the package next month. Send a nice little note keeping things purely professional.

But it was Christmas. After roaming through history with Juliette, he'd come to consider her a sort of friend. This deserved a personal touch.

He put away his manuscript, seized the package, and left on his errand before he could talk himself out of it.

*

The high-rise hotel, sleek and silver, towered over the squat brown-brick historic buildings of the rest of the street. Bedecked in golden lights, the building looked like a Christmas candle, like a queen among peasants.

Vernon felt like a peasant as he stood in the golden light coming through the glass of the revolving door. A doorman in crisp livery—blue with gold trimmings, a finer suit than anything Vernon had ever worn—took one look at the threadbare elbows of Vernon’s jacket and the holes in his woolen gloves and growled, “Move it along.”

The doorman’s square head reminded Vernon of some of the meaner-looking idols he’d seen on ancient temples. This face would have been a guardian of the underworld, ready to smite the unworthy with the wrath of the gods.

No, he scolded himself. It was the face of a doorman. Of a hotel. Vernon hadn’t walked through ancient battlefields to turn tail because a hotel employee scowled at him.

Vernon held up his package—a silver rectangle. “I’ve a delivery for Miss Juliette—“

The doorman's voice was like something that would have come from one of those stone idols. “She doesn’t take unmarked deliveries.”

Vernon felt like he’d run face-first into a wall. He stepped back and tried to gather his wits. Snowflakes fell down his collar. "If you'll just--"

From behind, a languid female voice drawled, "Vern? Is that you?"

Juliette stood behind him, wrapped in black fur. Her black hat—bedecked with white feathers and an enormous red flower—was wide enough to cover both of them, and her heels were so high that Vernon wondered how she’d managed more than two steps on the icy streets.

Juliette took Vernon's arm and told the doorman, "Relax, Pete, he's with me."

The doorman gave a skeptical stare.

Juliette's laugh sparkled. “Oh, very well.” She tugged Vernon by the arm. “We’ll roam the streets.”

Juliette took Vernon down the sidewalk, past the stores of this wealthy shopping district. These shops were nothing compared to the astonishing height of the modern hotel, but their wares were so rich Vernon half-feared he'd be charged a fee just for looking.

Juliette strode through the snowy streets with perfect confidence, never looking at a shop, never stumbling in her heels. “What brings you here, my darling little scholar?”

Compared to the wares being sold just outside her door, Vernon's offering seemed pathetic, but there was no help for it now.

He held out the package. "I brought a gift.”

Juliette stopped and tipped back her hat so she could look him in the face. “Gift?”

Could he call this a gift when her world meant so much more by the name? Jewels, cars, vacations—those were gifts. This was—

“A...small token,” he amended. “In honor of the holiday."

"Holiday?" Juliette seemed truly perplexed. At last, she laughed, low and languid. "Oh, Christmas. How quaint!"

Her laugh made Vernon bristle. Not for the first time, he wondered if she'd ever had a heart.

"I ought to have known you celebrated," she said. “It's so earnest and wholesome--like you."

“You don’t celebrate?”

“I haven’t paid attention in years.”

“Why?”

“When you’ve experienced every single Christmas in history, it gets rather dull.”

“Every—”

“Christmas cruises. Some time travelers try to hit every Christmas Day in history. They get so insufferable about it.”

Not for the first time, Vernon’s mind swam at the unimaginable wealth this implied.

Juliette said, “I decided against the full set. It’s just not worth it. The first one’s off-limits, of course, and then there's nothing really interesting until the Arians show up. But even in the most exciting years, it's all variations of the same thing, isn't it? Food and fires and presents and songs and various states of inebriation. There's only so much of that kind of thing one can take."

Vernon's chest burned--a bit of shame, a lot more anger. He tucked the silver-wrapped package beneath his arm. "I'm sorry I wasted your time," he said, turning away.

Juliette grabbed his arm. "Wait!” The languid tone had been replaced by genuine alarm. “Don't listen to my nonsense. It was kind of you to think of me."

Her eyes, amber in the streetlight, held some deep spark that Vernon had never seen before. A hint of genuine feeling. She was truly afraid of being alone. Vernon felt a pang of pity.

He handed her the gift.

She tore off the wrapping and uncovered a hardback book. The crimson cover glowed like an ember against the black of her furs.

"The first copy of my latest work," Vernon said. It didn’t sound so pathetic when he put it that way. "A treatise upon the interactions of parallel time streams, supplemented by observations from our travels."

She turned the book in her gloved hands, looking at it from all angles. “It looks disgustingly academic.”

"Exceedingly so."

She grinned. “I’m delighted, and I’ll never read it.

Vernon relaxed into a smile. "I didn't think you would. But I thought you deserved a copy all the same."

She put the book into a massive handbag. "I feel I ought to have a gift for you."

Vernon laughed. "A time cruise is a gift I could never repay.”

"Would you like another one?" Juliette asked.

Vernon stepped back, his hands held before him. "I couldn't accept such--"

"Just a short one. A cheap Christmas trip. Horribly touristy. Everyone and their mother heads to the Victorian era for a proper Dickens Christmas. The place is crawling with time travelers."

Vernon thought about the book in Juliette's bag, and his mind lit up with a new theory. "That would explain the ghost stories--"

She pointed at him, her eyes bright. "See? That's the mind that could make even that kind of Christmas interesting again."

It was flattering, and tempting, and yet--

"I think you're missing the point," Vernon said.

“Am I?” Juliette drawled, one eyebrow raised.

“Yes,” Vernon said firmly. “You don't need to run off and watch a Christmas that's already happened. You need to experience this one."

She waved a dismissive hand. "I've seen a thousand like it."

Vernon wondered how literal that was. How many Christmases had she traveled to--?

He pulled his mind back to the point. "I'm not sure you've seen any Christmas. You've seen parties, feasting, carols, but you haven't seen Christmas. The reason for the celebration. I'm not sure you can see it."

“I know," she said. "That’s why I need you.”

Snow fell onto her expensive furs, white against the black. A cold breeze ruffled the flower on her hat. She was a fashion plate, the model of luxury--and she looked so alone. All the money in the world, able to buy anything she wanted, go to any place or time she desired on a moment's notice--and she had no one to spend Christmas with.

He took her hand in his, tattered wool against sleek leather. "Then I'll come with you. But not to Victorian Christmas. To this one."

She raised an eyebrow “The time travel expert is turning down a chance to time travel?”

“Gladly."

"You'll never get anywhere in your career if you keep turning down opportunities like this."

"I'll take the risk."

She looked at their joined hands, then shifted her grip to turn it into a handshake. “You have a deal.”

Snow fell faster, thick white flakes. The shops along the street began turning off the lights in their windows. In the distance, church bells sounded.

Vernon inclined his head toward it. “We can start there.”

As the snow fell and the bells rang, Vernon tightened his grip on Juliette’s hand and pulled her down the street. In the lamplight, her eyes held a spark of something that looked a little bit like joy.

[ronninoir]

Can I Steal You For A Second Chapter 36

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3

Welcome to the end everybody!!

                                          Six Months Later

Marinette was walking home from the grocery store when her phone rang. Checking out the caller ID, she quickly answered.

“Papa! I already told you that we’ll be at your house promptly at 5:30 tonight!” Marinette sighed into the phone as her father went off, just reminding Marinette of the precautions her and Adrien needed to take as they traveled throughout the city. Marinette hummed and replied generally where needed, knowing her Papa was just going to continue on.

Marinette was fully aware of the precautions she needed to take, her whole family been dealing with crazy fans and excited viewers for almost six weeks now. Someone had made the connection between Marinette and the Dupain-Cheng Bakery soon after the first episode premiered. Business had been booming, and crazy fans would find Marinette in the street, pledging their loyalty to her and some even saying she needed to find a better person than Adrien. Marinette had been able to connect with all of the girls involved in the show through social media except Lila, who refused to acknowledge any of them. The other girls, especially the ones who made it far like Juliette, and Lucie, had been dealing with similar situations in their hometowns as well.

Thankfully, Adrien was steadily by her side, even if they couldn’t be in public together. After the first incident with people surrounding her on the street, Marinette had broken down crying in their apartment, and Adrien had built her up and talked with her about similar experiences he had been through, as well as what to do about it in the future. Marinette had been cheating slightly, travelling more as Ladybug than she had in her daily life before the show.

Hometowns were airing tonight, and with that meant even more press for the Dupain-Cheng Bakery and even more attention on Marinette. Adrien and Marinette always had dinner before the Bachelor shows started airing because her parents wanted to know everything that went down that week before they watched the edited version, and so there wouldn’t be any surprises for them.

“Papa, I promise that Adrien and I will be careful, I really have to go now, I’m almost to the apartment.” Marinette and her father said their goodbyes before she ended the phone call. The doorman, who smiled sweetly and tipped his hat at her as she neared, opened the door for her and she quickly rushed into the elevator and up to her floor.

Living with Adrien was a dream. They just fit so well into each other’s lives and it made the transition to living together easy. Adrien had just finished converting the extra bedroom into a design space/office for the two to share, and it was perfect and convenient. Adrien had been forced to work from home since the show started airing, only leaving the apartment for important business meetings that never took place at Gabriel’s offices. Too many people knew where to find Adrien on a daily basis, so Adrien’s security team thought it was too dangerous to go to that building. And Marinette was inclined to agree.

If Marinette had it bad, Adrien had it worse. There were adoring fans, begging him to consider them, angry fans, demanding to know why their favorites went home, and even the crazy ones, wanting to just be near him and breathe the same air as him, but those were no different from his model days, just older than before. Adrien never let them bother him, and he has also taken to travelling more as Chat Noir, who at the moment seemed less famous than his alter ego, and was able to get from place to place safely.

As Marinette unlocked their door, she felt herself relax. No one had found their apartment yet, but Marinette had a feeling it was just a matter of time. Thankfully, she knew that all of the locations for shooting, unless specifically chosen for brand purposes, were kept secret and edited out of the show. Which meant that no one could find the mansion, nor more importantly, the apartment she was currently in.

“Adrien?” she called as she placed her keys in the bowl by the door, the one grocery bag she had on the counter next to it, and hung her coat up on the rack. She was just slipping her shoes off as she heard footsteps approach, and a smile spread across her face.

“Welcome home, beautiful,” Adrien said as he pulled her into a hug. She relaxed into the embrace and a feeling of home settled over her. It didn’t matter where she lived, if Adrien was by her side, she would be home.

“How was your day?” Marinette asked, moving to unpack the groceries and put them away. Adrien followed her into the kitchen, not really letting go of her waist.

“Ugh it was long. Who knew rebranding would be so crazy difficult! The paperwork is horrible, as well as the physical part of rebranding.”

“It would be easier if you weren’t doing the rebranding in secret, and your father wasn’t causing so much trouble about it.”

Adrien finally let go of Marinette and plopped down on a stool that was positioned at the end of the counter. “You think he would just accept the fact that this was happening and move on. He’s not going to involve a courtroom because he knows they would side with me. But it’s not like I’m changing the brand dramatically! It’s going from ‘Gabriel’ to ‘Agreste!’ It’s still his name! It just makes more sense that when we’re running the company we aren’t running a company named after someone who retired unpeacefully.” Adrien groaned again as he ran his hand along his face. “I’m sorry, I probably sound like a broken record. We’ve had this conversation before. Tell me about your day.”

Marinette smiled and gently placed her hand on top of Adrien’s. “I will happily listen to the events of your day every day, even if that means I get to hear the same stuff. Whatever bothers you I want to hear about it every time.” Adrien smiled and flipped his hand over to give hers a squeeze. “Anyway, you asked about my day. Well, Papa called me twice today, determined to make sure I didn’t forget what time we are supposed to be at their house. I think he’s nervous about what this episode is going to do to the bakery.”

“If it’s anything like what’s happening to Gabriel’s, he should be pleased with the results.” Business had been booming since the show aired. Everyone was dying to wear whatever the beautiful girls that were fighting for Adrien’s heart were wearing.

“He figures as much, he’s just worried about the extra workload that it’s going to put on them. They’ve already hired three new employees just to brace themselves for the impact.”

“They sound very well prepared though, and that’s half the battle.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling them!” Marinette interjected exasperatedly.

There was a pause where Marinette, still thinking about her parents, had zoned out into her own world. “Is that all that happened in your day today, love?” Adrien asked sweetly, squeezing her hand gently.

She snapped out of her daze and blushed. “No! Today was good. We started working on the new designs for the spring and I’m really excited. Especially considering my name will actually be on those designs since I’ll have publicly begun working at Gabriel by then.” Marinette paused once more, racking her brain for anything else that had happened today when she nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement. “Oh my gosh! I completely forgot to tell you! I saw my wedding dress this morning before work!”

Adrien beamed and his eyes glazed over like he did every time he was proud of her. “How amazing was it?”

“Oh, Adrien, it’s everything I ever dreamed it would be! I know I designed it and everything, but I was blown away when I actually got to see it in person. Maman and Alya both cried too.”

“And you’re sure you won’t let me see even the designs for this amazing piece of art you created?” A playful tone had colored his voice and Marinette felt her heartbeat quicken.

“You know the rules. No peeking until the day of the wedding, as I’m walking down the aisle.”

“Not even if I gave you a little something in return?” Adrien purred as a smirk spread across his face. He leaned towards her, and Marinette almost forgot how to breathe. She loved this man with every fiber of her being, and yet he would do something seductive like that and she would pause, thinking, Is this real? Does he really love me as much as I love him? And he showed her all the time, through his actions and words alike, that he really did.

Their lips met in a rough way and Marinette felt the fire in her gut heat up in response to Adrien. She leaned in closer, parting their lips and deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer than they had been a moment before. Marinette’s hands were tangling themselves in Adrien’s hair and she was just about to ask to take this to the bedroom when her phone rang.

The two jumped apart and Marinette quickly answered, trying to keep her heart rate down and her breathing steady.

“Hey Alya, what’s up?”

“We’re still invited tonight, correct? Because if I calculated correctly, I’m in this episode, which makes it automatically the best,” Alya asked, the city loud in the background of the call.

“Of course. You know that if Adrien doesn’t see Nino at least once a week, he’ll keel over and die of heartbreak.” Marinette joked. Both her and Alya laughed as Adrien let out a defensive, “Hey!” which caused the two girls to laugh even more.

“Oh well, we can’t let Sunshine’s heart break.” Alya responded, specifically using the nickname that she knew Adrien hated. Alya claimed that between Adrien’s bright blonde hair and his constant positive disposition that he was more sunshine than human. Marinette found it very appropriate, however, Adrien thought it was too high of a compliment to be applied to him, the black cat and essence of bad luck. He never argued with Alya though, just rolled his eyes and let it be, like he did right then, causing Marinette to giggle once more.

“I’ll text you as we leave my parent’s house and we’ll meet you guys here. The doorman should let you guys in the building, he’s used to seeing you two by now.”

Alya agreed, and the two girls said their goodbyes. Marinette put her phone on the counter after checking the time. “That call was very well timed, we really should be heading out. If we’re late, I think my Papa might pop his top.”

Adrien sighed as well and went to straighten his hair that Marinette had just messed up, “This having to be at places on a timely manner really is ruining my love life,” to which Marinette just laughed.

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

 The week after Hometowns was aired, Adrien was summoned to a television studio to do a live question and answer episode of the show called “Women Tell All.” All of the girls are invited back, except for Lucie and Marinette, to talk about various things that happened on the show and get the opinions of everyone after having watched it all back on their TVs.

Marinette was grateful Adrien had asked her to come with him. She wanted to see Hanna and Juliette so badly it physically hurt her. The producers had demanded that no one get together or see each other in person until this show, in order to keep the tensions and relationships fresh, even if it was filmed six months before. 

She was wearing a casual outfit, and felt very out of place with everyone’s fancy cocktail party dresses. But she knew that the only people who would see her are the other contestants and the backstage crew that passed her hiding spot. She watched the whole thing on a television backstage, and was able to watch Chris Harrison interview and ask the girls what the viewers wanted to know.

As the show began filming, Marinette almost felt more like an outsider rather than a participant in the show. The audience was lively and excited to hear what everyone had to say. Chris started out by interviewing Adrien, asking him about the journey, the ups, the downs, the bloopers, everything. It was exciting to see Adrien relax with Chris and play up certain things to the audience. He was a hit.

Then, Chris brought out all of the girls except for Juliette, who would have her own grand entrance, and Lucie, who wasn’t present. The conversation got heated, especially when the topic of where most of the drama stemmed from came up and all fingers pointed to Lila. Lila, who was paid by the broadcasting station to show up, was there and was the center of almost all of the discussion, as Chris (and truthfully, the viewers) were dying to know what in the world was going through that girl’s head for most of the show. Lila tried to deny all of her involvement in the drama, but a good number of girls, Hanna in the lead, stood up for Marinette, which warmed her heart. It was nice knowing that even after winning, these girls still cared enough for her to defend her on live television.

After Chris reigned in the chaos that Lila had caused, once again, among the girls, they brought out Juliette and asked her about the heartbreaking goodbye that Adrien had given her after Fantasy Suites. Juliette was awesome and Marinette yearned to give her a hug, especially when she teared up remembering how much it hurt to watch that back and have people tell her they wanted her to win. Eventually they brought Adrien back out and he talked with Juliette for the first time since that break up. Juliette handled it like a pro, and Adrien was as gentlemanly as ever.

Finally, Chris was signing off and telling everyone to tune in next week for the dramatic finale and a special live episode called “After the Final Rose,” where all the secrets will be revealed. Marinette had to pause, freaked out that in a week she would be going public about her relationship with Adrien. And on such a grand stage. She heard one of the producers say that they were viewed in every city in France, most of Italy, Germany, and England as well as scattered broadcast throughout the rest of Europe. It was an impressively scary number to consider.

Marinette was broken out of her trance by an all-too-familiar squeal.

“Marinette!”

She whipped around to see both Hanna and Juliette standing together, both looking ecstatic to see her. She let out a squeal of her own and collided with the two of them.

“Oh my gosh I’ve missed you guys so much!” Marinette squealed into Juliette’s shoulder. The girls laughed and echoed her sentiment. As they pulled away, Hanna grabbed her left hand and brought it close to her face.

“Ooooh he did a wonderful job!” Hanna announced, pulled back to show Juliette. Marinette blushed slightly.

“Damn, I would have married him for that ring alone.” Juliette said in a mock serious tone, shooting Marinette a wink, who let out a giggle.

“Just because it isn’t big and magnificent doesn’t mean that it isn’t beautiful. Plus, the two of us know better than anyone else, Marinette isn’t marrying Adrien for his money, and that here is obvious,” Hanna added with a wink.

“Hey!” Marinette protested, cradling her left hand against her chest. “I think it’s perfect.”

The two girls laughed and pulled her in for another hug. “Of course, you do, sweetie, because you’re smitten, that’s just who you are,” Juliette teased with a child-like pat on the head. Marinette giggled against them once more before they dragged her out of her hiding spot and onto the staging area, where the rest of the girls (minus Lila) were waiting. They all cheered for Marinette as she walked out and she blushed an even deeper red than before. They took turns admiring the ring, giving their congratulations and just reminding each other how amazing it is to be together once more.

“Oh, this won’t be the last time you see each other,” Marinette announced over the general chatter, after Alice sighed about how they would never see each other again. After a dramatic pause, Marinette continued, “You’re all invited to our wedding, of course!” The girls laughed and squealed and made plans to meet up at a later time to prepare for the upcoming event.

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

Nearly a week later, the day before the “After the Final Rose” special, Marinette was sitting at a coffee shop, mid-morning, sketching absentmindedly in her notebook. She was so engrossed in her work, that she didn’t even notice when someone had walked up beside her until they spoke.

“Beautiful work, as always.” Marinette startled a little, almost spilling her coffee on the design. She whipped her head to find the person she was waiting on.

“Lucie, glad you could make it,” Marinette replied as she closed her sketchbook, hoping to prevent any more almost-spills.

“Of course,” Lucie sat across from her and there was a beat of awkward silence before she spoke again. “I’ve been meaning to thank you.”

“For what?” 

“For... reaching out. I was struggling a lot with what happened, and talking real with you made it better.”

“Lucie,” Marinette started, smiling sweetly and gently placing her hand on Lucie’s. “The worst part of the aftermath of the show was knowing how much pain you had to be feeling. I know you felt strongly for Adrien, as much as I did, and I couldn’t imagine what you were going through.” Marinette paused, making sure Lucie was actually listening to her. She wanted her friend to know she meant it.

“Well, I appreciate it. A lot.” Lucie gave her a small smile, and Marinette gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then reached to take another sip of her coffee.

“I would have wanted the same, so it only felt fair.” Lucie gave another sad smile and nodded. Marinette took that as a good sign. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

Lucie’s head dropped, but she let out a sigh and met Marinette’s eyes. “I am. I know it’s going to be hard, but seeing Adrien again will be nice, and it’ll be good to have everything out in the open once again.”

Marinette nodded, “I feel that. It’ll be good to not be holding in any more secrets.” Except for the other major secret I’ve been hiding almost my whole life. Marinette sighed, rubbing her face with her left hand as her eyes slipped closed. She heard a gasp and her eyes flew open. Glancing down at that hand, she realized that she had forgotten to take off her engagement ring before she left for this public outing. Her cheeks reddened and she quickly slipped it off.

“Is that it?” Lucie asked, snapping out of her funk in a blink of an eye. Marinette nodded and handed the ring over for a closer inspection. “Damn.”

“What?” Marinette asked, slightly alarmed by her reaction.

“It really has been you this whole time.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette whispered, severely confused as Lucie passed the ring back to her and she slipped it into her pocket.

“Watching the show has opened my eyes to the way that Adrien’s relationships existed outside of the bubble I had created for myself. I was beginning to see it, but the ring... that is hard to refute.”

“I—I still don’t get it,” Marinette stuttered, her cheeks turned red with the implication that was inevitably coming.

“You two are truly sole mates, aren’t you? He’s a completely different person with you, and it’s amazing to see how much more he opened up with you than with the others. Something clicked early on with the two of you, and truthfully, none of the rest of us stood a chance.”

“Now that’s not true—”

“No, Marinette, I’m not upset. It—I actually have some closure now that I didn’t before. Adrien tried very hard to truly consider his options, but he found his person. My aunt says that some American sitcom called that ‘finding your lobster.’ I don’t really get it, but she says it with such reverence that it must be what you two did. I respect that. It’s going to make interacting with Adrien tomorrow that much easier.” Lucie nodded like that was the end of the discussion, but Marinette was still trying to process what happened.

“What—wait so you aren’t upset? What just happened here?”

Lucie gave the first genuine smile of the meeting, “I found my peace.”

There was a thoughtful silence as Marinette tried to figure out what to do next. The original reason for their meeting popped into her head and she shook her head to clear it.

“Lucie, there was actually a very good reason for me to meet you here, that didn’t involve you finding peace, although I’m glad that happened, it’s going to make this next part much easier.” Marinette stopped, scrutinizing Lucie’s face to see how she would react. When no alarming emotion appeared, Marinette continued.

“What do you know about Gabriel?”

“Adrien’s father or the company?”

“Both.”

“Not much. The company is popular here in France and other places around the world, chic, and a little pricey. The man is stoic and doesn’t talk much.”

Marinette almost snorted at that last comment but continued on. “What if I told you that your aunt and Gabriel Agreste have had recent business contact?”

Lucie’s jaw dropped, but she recovered quickly, “I would say you’re crazy. My aunt would never be considering doing business with a random French fashion line, no matter how popular. She’s firm on her designs and styles, which are very different from Gabriel’s.”

Marinette felt a sly smile creep across her face as the perfect plan clicked together in her head. “Oh, do I have a story for you.”

Hours later, after eventually having lunch with Lucie as well, Marinette ran home to talk to Adrien. As usual, he was sitting in the kitchen, doing paperwork while eating a sandwich. When she burst through the door, he almost jumped out of his seat.

“Marinette! What are you doing home? Did something happen?”

“Adrien, I figured out how to fix the company’s legal problems with your father and get him off our backs.”

Adrien blanched, “Oh this I have to hear.”

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

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Marinette asked, hesitation ringing in her voice. Adrien took a deep breath but nodded. “It’s not too late, just keep that in mind.”

Adrien pulled Marinette closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on the top of her head. “I think this is the only option we have going forward. It’ll be easier though, with Lucie on our side.”

“She deserved to know. I’m just grateful she took it so well.”

“Mr. Agreste,” a stagehand interrupted and both Adrien and Marinette looked up. “We’re on air in 60.”

“Thanks,” Adrien responded while reluctantly letting go of his fianc��e. She straightened his tie and smoothed out his suit as he heard Chris Harrison address the waiting crowd.

“Well, after tonight the secret is out. You will publicly be my fiancée.”

Marinette sighed, “I can’t wait.” She grabbed his head and pulled her down to her level in order for their lips to meet. From somewhere onstage, he heard a crew member countdown from ten and he reluctantly broke off the kiss and turned to face the door he was expected to walk through after being introduced.

“I’m Chris Harrison, and welcome to After the Final Rose Live TV special. Tonight is a night none of us will soon forget. Just prior to the show, we received late-breaking news from Adrien regarding his relationship with Marinette.” The crowd ooohed but Adrien had to try not to laugh at Marinette’s eye roll.

“Yes, because so much has happened between getting engaged and still being engaged.”

Adrien let out a breathy giggle, “It’s just to build the tension.”

“And Lucie, how has her life been after a tearful goodbye almost eight weeks ago. And if that’s not enough, we have an exciting surprise for you, yes you, the viewers.” The crowd broke out in cheers for that. After a beat, Chris continued, “So, where to start tonight? How about the man himself—Adrien Agreste!”

Adrien walked on to the cheers of the crowd. He smiled and waved good naturedly and played along exactly as he was supposed to.

“Adrien,” Chris reached out his hand to shake, which Adrien took.

“Long time no see, Chris.” the crowd laughed as Adrien sat down on the love seat across from him.

“Yes, it does feel like it’s been a while. But tell me, how does it feel, now that the whole world has seen it all?”

“Oh my,” Adrien sighed, “It’s so nice. Marinette and I have been hiding and secretly being together since I proposed and it is just so nice to know that I can walk down the street holding her hand without it making the papers.”

“Well I wouldn’t go that far—” Chris joked, and Adrien couldn’t help but laugh too. Marinette’s and his lives would never be without the press.

“You’re right, that’s more of a pipe dream.”

“Speaking of that proposal, oh my it was amazing.” Adrien was slightly taken aback by the applause that followed, and blushed against his will. “What are your emotions right now, after watching that play out on the screen last night?”

“Honestly, I’ve never been more in love with Marinette than I am right now. Getting to watch the show, our entire love story, played back was such a treat and allowed me to appreciate everything that Marinette went through even more. She is so strong and I meant everything I said and more.” The crowd awed, but Adrien just beamed. He could talk about Marinette for a lifetime.

“Wow, that was beautiful, Adrien. Are you always such a poet?”

Adrien let out a hearty chuckle, “What can I say, Marinette just brings out the best in me.” Another round of awes and applause.

“That’s sweet. I hate to burst your happy bubble, but let’s talk about Lucie.” There was a sudden hush among the crowd. Adrien made sure his expression turned solemn as well. “That was one of the tougher moments of the show, to say goodbye to her.”

“Yeah it really was. After those last dates, I spent some time thinking. I had two amazing girls, who are both beautiful and full of life and both could add such amazing things to my life after the show, but my heart had already made up my mind. I hated having to say goodbye to Lucie, but it just had to be done.”

“When was the last time you had felt emotions like that?”

Adrien paused, trying to remember what he had been feeling. All he can remember is the happiness that was finally proposing to Marinette. He would be expected to be sad, so he played along with it. “The last time I had felt that kind of heartbreak was on the first anniversary of my mother passing. This was a very similar hurt, but for this one I felt like I couldn’t break down and cry. I was the one doing the heart-breaking, so I tried to stay strong for Lucie.”

“But afterwards, did it hit you? That you had just let an amazing woman get away?”

“In a way. Those first couple of days, I would have moments of just pause. I would think about how she was doing and just hoping that she could still be that amazing person that I had the opportunity to meet so long ago.”

“As I’m sure you know, Lucie is backstage right now. Do you have any idea what you’re going to say to her?”

Oh, I have a whole script, “Not really. I’m hoping the words will come when I see her again.”

“Well on that note, please welcome Lucie!” Chris stood and Adrien followed suit as the crowd cheered for Lucie. She looked stunning, as ever and she smiled when she saw Adrien, which made him smile in return. She gave Adrien a hug and then sat down next to him.

“Welcome, Lucie. How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, Chris, I’ve been better. This is a lot to take in, but I’m doing okay considering.”

“What’s it like seeing Adrien again?”

“It’s easier than I thought it was going to be. I haven’t seen Adrien since that last day. I’ve been watching the episodes, and that last one was hard to see. I’ve mostly just wondered what happened between us.”

Adrien made eye contact with Chris, who gave him a small nod, which he took as a go ahead to answer her. “I wish I had a reason for you, I really do. You are an amazing girl, and we got along so well. But in the end, I fell in love with Marinette and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her and there just wasn’t anything I could do after that. I hated having to say goodbye to you, especially without a proper answer, but I’m hoping we can still be on good terms.” 

“It’s hard to be upset with someone as genuine as you, Adrien. I appreciate you sticking with your heart, and being honest with me here. That’s all I’ve ever asked of you, and I respect your decision. I’ve found my peace, and having watched the whole season back, I’m genuinely happy for you and Marinette.” The crowd applauded once more, and Adrien almost wanted to applaud himself. That had been very well said.

“Lucie, tell us how hard was it to watch all of the different moments you shared with Adrien on TV?”

Lucie laughed, “Funny that you would ask, my family actually was much more upset about the ending than I was. I treasure all of those moments where I got to see the real Adrien and even our last day, where we said goodbye, it was easier knowing that at least the girl he ended up with is amazing. She deserves my utmost respect, and I know that if the roles were reversed, she would have done the same for me.”

“Wait—wait. Back up. You said your family took the breakup harder than you?” Chris asked, shock easily read on his face.

Lucie laughed once more, “Yeah can you believe it? My parents adored Adrien and were already planning on taking him on our next family vacation and my aunt had even planned a trip for Adrien to come visit her in America. She had bought the plane ticket and everything.” Lucie laughed once more, and Adrien couldn’t help but blush.

“Wow, your family was dedicated.”

“Oh, that’s an understatement. I actually recently found out by accident that my aunt, who owns a fashion company in America, had actually been having secret business meetings with Gabriel Agreste. Apparently, when I won and Adrien and I became engaged, they were going to start a partnership and move towards merging the companies. So, as you can imagine, my breakup with Adrien threw a little snag in their plans.”

The entire studio audience broke into whispers and Chris’s jaw dropped. “Are you—are you serious? How in the world did you find that out?”

“Someone close to my aunt’s company approached me with their sympathies, and let slip about the deal going through.”

“Adrien did you know about this?”

“No, I had no idea.” He paused for a second and could feel his Father’s fury building from across the studio. “But, now that I think about it, it makes sense.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, my Father had always seemed to prefer Lucie over Marinette, or any of the girls for that matter. I never understood why. Right at the end, he encouraged me to propose to Lucie, and I just assumed it was because of her knowledge in the fashion industry. We both have been working in the business side of that world and on paper, she was the best fit for my life. I never would have thought that there was anything more.”

“Well, thank you Lucie, for joining us.” Chris said, rather abruptly.

Lucie looked slightly taken aback, but her smile returned quick enough that Adrien thought he was the only one to catch it. “Thank you for having me, this is exactly what I needed.”

Chris turned toward the camera, “You heard it here, Bachelor Nation. We’ll be right back with Adrien, and his new fiancée, Marinette!” The crowd cheered, but Adrien didn’t hear it, as Chris had leaned forward, turning away from the camera and whispered, “Adrien you are required offstage now.” Lucie and Adrien exchanged a look and as soon as time was called, they both went backstage, gathering Marinette on the way.

Gabriel was in a back room, sitting. Adrien couldn’t read his mood and approached him like he would a wild animal, slowly.

“You wanted to see me?”

“What have you done?” Gabriel hissed in response.

“Father—”

“Shut up! You got your little bitch, it wasn’t enough just to stop there? The company, I understand it was going to be yours soon enough anyway, but my credibility? My dignity? How did she find out?”

Lucie stepped forward and for what appeared to be the first time, Gabriel realized there were other people in the room. “You will not talk to Adrien right now. What you did was sick and conniving and despicable. How my aunt could have ever agreed to do business with you is beyond me. But as a mostly impartial outsider, if you don’t step down and get out of Adrien’s way, you won’t have a company to pass on. We may have done some damage, but we did the right thing. You cheated the system and you lost anyway. Just admit defeat, or we can go out and do even more. Marinette told me stories, and I know what else you’ve done. In my opinion you are getting off easy.” And with that, Lucie turned on her heel and stormed out.

Marinette stared baffled after her and, with a quick glance at Adrien, she handed him the file she had been holding and followed her out of the room.

Adrien stood before his Father, who for the first time in Adrien’s life looked disheveled, and felt nothing for this man. He was upset that he had given so much of his time and love to this statue who couldn’t even recognize when he’d been defeated. “Sign these papers. We’re changing the name. We’re changing the way things are done. And more importantly. we’re accepting Marinette with open arms. She is my Emile, and if for some ungodly reason I lose her before we’ve lived a full life, I hope I don’t ever become as loveless and as cold as you.”

Adrien left the papers on the table and followed the girls out the door.

He found them right off of the stage, where they could still hear the commercials coming through. Adrien opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Lucie. 

“I am so sorry, Adrien. I don’t know what came over me. I just got so fired up for everything he had done to you and to me and to this show. I bubbled over and I hope it didn’t do too much damage.”

Adrien couldn’t help but smile. “You were perfect. I think you got through him better than I ever could. Thank you for your kind words and for being so amazing about this.” Lucie attacked him with a hug and Adrien felt his heart swell. 

“I hope I can find something like you two have,” Lucie announced when they broke apart.

“You will,” Marinette said, stepping up and giving Lucie a hug as well.

A loud voice called from onstage, effectively breaking up their huddle, “Ten seconds to live!”

“Please stay in touch!” Adrien called to Lucie as he was herded onto the set. She nodded and turned once again towards Marinette as Adrien plopped down onto the love seat. This second half should be easier.

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

“Welcome back Bachelor Nation! It has been a whirlwind of a night. We’ve checked in with our Bachelor, we’ve checked in with Lucie, and we’ve checked in with France’s hottest couple, Marinette and Adrien, but what is the big surprise? Let’s find out.”

“Marinette, Adrien, all of those in the studio audience and the viewers at home all around Europe have been on pins and needles—scratch that even I’ve been on pins and needles waiting to know what this big surprise is. Will you please tell us already!”

Adrien and Marinette laughed, “Okay okay, we’ll tell you.”

“So, as you all know,” Marinette started, “Adrien and I are getting married.” Cheers from the studio audience. “And you know that Adrien and I love each other and are just ready to start living our lives together.”

“And with that being said, we want to tell you that we are indeed getting married—” Adrien paused for dramatic effect.

“In a month!” The two said together. The crowd went wild.

“And the best part is,” Marinette shouted over the glee, “everyone’s invited!” The crowd went crazy again, and it took Chris a couple of minutes to calm it all down.

“How does that work, exactly?” Chris asked, once everyone could hear again.

“Our wedding is going to be aired, live on television!” Adrien announced. He sounded as giddy as a child on Christmas.

“All of the viewers have been a part of our love story for so long, we wanted to make sure no one got left out. The ceremony will be filmed with exclusive behind the scenes features that you wouldn’t be able to see in person and the reception will be aired as well! All of the girls will be there and my best gal, Alya is going to be my witness!”

“Well what a surprise that is!” Chris said amongst the cheers that would never end. “Congratulations, you two! Everyone is invited to a Bachelor Wedding, a month from today. We’ll release more info as the time draws near. Have a great night, Bachelor Nation!” The cheers and excitement of the crowd continued, even as the credits began to roll. 

“Are you really watching that again?” A voice said from behind her, causing Alya to jump.

“Ahh! Nino! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Alya screamed as she clutched her heart and collapsed deeper into the couch.

“Babe, I’ve been in the house the whole time. At least I waited until the end to judge your 73rd watching of that episode. I learned my lesson.”

Alya flinched slightly, remembering how much she had yelled at Nino the last time he interrupted her mid-episode. “I said I was sorry.” All she got in return was a non-committal hum. “Look, our Marinette found the love of her life and we got to experience it with her the whole time, and then again as we watched the episodes. It’s beautiful, I love to be reminded of their true love.”

Nino just snorted. “More like you love you being on national television.” 

“Hey now! They are starting to show our season in America as well, so it’s actually international television.” Nino just rolled his eyes.

“Whatever you say, babe. But if you don’t go get ready now, we’re going to miss the rehearsal dinner, and I heard a rumor there may be cameras there too.”

Nino had never seen Alya get ready so quickly.

~~~

This is the LAST CHAPTER and then the Epilogue! Hope you all enjoyed this story! We just wanted to say thanks for coming along with us! 

There is an idea we have for a sequel, so let us know if you would like that to happen!! 

@momor3202

@legendaryneckjudgestudent

@discoveringmiraculouswriters

@adrianarfox

@verooquieremimir

@jeminiikrystal

[pellicano-sanguino]

Now that Kurenai Yuzuru's taidan is drawing closer, I wanted to write something short about some of the roles she's done that I have fond memories of.

These are mostly from Reon's era, since most of my Hoshigumi shows are from that time. I need to see more shows from Kurenai's own top star run.

Mercutio from Romeo&Juliette 2010

This was the first zuka show I saw, and still my favourite show to this day. I could go into all the details about how I love this musical, but now I'm just going to mention the casting. It was perfect. Everyone got a role that fit their acting style perfectly. Kurenai was a natural Mercutio, the best one I've ever seen. She nailed Merkku's immaturity, playfulness and – most importantly in my opinion – his recklessness.

Memorable scenes are Mercutio's song number when he tempts his Montague buddies to go with him to crash the Capulet's party, him and the boys bullying Nurse, confronting Romeo after hearing the news about his wedding (I was quite shocked to see Mercutio threaten Romeo with honor violence, claiming he's going to slit his throat if he won't give up Juliette) and the fight scene followed by Mercutio's death including a final song of ”goodbye friends and PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES!”

I admit, I don't usually care for it when zuka gives a dying character one final song that they sing in weak, slow voice, milking the tragedy for all the drama its worth. It often fails to be sad and just feels cheesy and soap operaish. But I found the song of dying Mercutio very touching, when I saw the scene for the first time I cried real tears. Despite the language barrier, Kurenai managed to reach to me with her voice and her acting and make me shed tears for Mercutio's death.

Sid from Officer and Gentleman

Officer and Gentleman isn't the kind of movie I'd thought would get a zuka adaptation and yet it exists. Zuka is very clearly targeted for women and this movie is more for the male audience. I know it has a romance and is therefore regarded as a love story but in my opinion this flick is more like a coming-of-age story about the character growth the male lead goes through (also, it oozes toxic masculinity, a thing more common in films for men). Anyway, the zuka version is actually a pretty good show. Ouki Kaname totally steals every scene she's in. But today I'm here to talk about Kurenai.

Kurenai is probably best known for her talent in comedy. Sometimes I've heard people say that's the only kind of shows she should do and that always made me sad, because Kurenai isn't a one trick pony trapped to do only one character type. I have been very impressed at her talent in playing sensitive men. Many otokoyaku roles rely on strong and cool male image, but Kurenai sometimes gets roles that let her show emotions, the men she plays are allowed to be vulnerable. Sid is one of these. Sid is young and a bit naive and makes stupid decisions, but when he thinks he's done a mistake, he is ready to take responsibility of it. The scene where he goes to propose Lynette breaks my heart every time. That look on his face when he finds out he's been lied to, it just hits me right in the feels. There is something so naturally charming and lovable in Kurenai that seeing her characters get hurt makes me feel awful. Like, no, don't do this to her!

Karenin from Anna Karenina

I have not read this book, but its one of my mother's favourites, so we watched this show together and she pointed me all the things that she thought zuka had adapted well and the parts that they had changed. She was especially impressed with Kurenai's Karenin. According to my mother, the character of Karenin is often done quite poorly in other adaptations of the book, he is often portrayed as just a onesided, simple man who's a little dumb and doesn't have much depth of character. Much like Sid, Kurenai's Karenin is allowed to show his emotions and not be just a boring, stoic figure who reacts to his wife's affair with mild disinterest. There is kindness in Karenin, it's not always easy to see, but it's there. He lost his own parents and a brother that was dear to him, and because he remembers how horrible it is to be alone and lose your family, he adopts Anna's and Vronsky's child, not wanting her to be left alone.

Antonio from Tale of Coimbra

I have opinions concerning this show. Namely, I think it misses a golden opportunity to put the zuka trope of reunion of lovers in the afterlife to proper use. Big part of the Coimbra legend are the coffins of Pedro and Inez being placed so that when they rise in Doomsday, the first thing they see is each others' faces. And zuka just had to go and twist the story so that Inez doesn't die (and they don't even get a happy ending despite that! Poor Pedro, he just can't win.). Also, very, very disappointed at the lack of Corpse Queen and tearing out assassin-Makaze's heart with a line ”You broke my heart, therefore you have none!”

Ahem. Sorry about the rant. Anyway, Kurenai is in this musical. He plays a guy named Antonio, who is...   umm... I think a pirate or a robber or something along those lines. The group of robbers/pirates gets made into scapegoats for Inez's murder, and Pedro, Pimenta, assassin-Makaze and some soldiers mercilessly slaughter them all. Kurenai's role gets very little stage time, but I wanted to mention this role, because I was very impressed with her stage swordplay skills. I don't know if I should credit the director for this, or if Kurenai did some research of her own, but her legwork is strong and sometimes I can even identify the poses she makes as part of real swordplay moves.

Warrior seeking to fight with Reon, from Takarazuka Floral Dance Scrolls

This is my favourite nihonmono revue. The music, the dancing and the costumes are all great. In one of the numbers Kurenai plays a warrior who doesn't get along with another warrior, played by Reon. I don't know what their beef is about, Kurenai just hates Reon's guts and sends ninjas to ambush him when he's spending time flirting with local ladies. Reon being Reon, he defeats all the ninjas and makes a daring escape with courtesan-Nene. They are heading towards a river, intending to ride a boat to safety, but by the riverside Kurenai confronts them. Holding his sword he opens his arms like inviting Reon for a hug. Come at me bro! And so they fight, doing the samurai slash thing where time freezes after they've struck at each other and then the one who lost slowly falls. The one who falls is Kurenai, and Reon and Nene proceed to their romantic boatride.

This number has left an impression on me, because I think the nihonmono look suits Kurenai really well. She made a very handsome and cool-looking warrior.

Shibata Rihito from Mei-chan's Butler

Takarazuka and shoujo manga have walked hand in hand since the days of BeruBara Boom and even before, inspiring each other. Every now and then zuka does a show based on a manga. This one, unfortunately, is based on a manga I have never read and therefore I had no idea what was going on during most of this musical. But I still found it rather entertaining (the prop work sure was something different, with weird video projections, shadow theater and parachuting puppets). I admit, the many colourful side characters steal the show from Kurenai quite often, being wilder and weirder than her character is. I will have to give special mention to Makaze's evil butler, I love it when Makaze plays villains. But at the end, this is Kurenai's show. She was a very dashing butler.  

Memorable scenes include a weird, artsy, dream-like interpretive dance scene where the shadow theater is put to good use for * symbolism *.

 Because I haven't read the manga, I have no idea what is going on here. My bet is on drugs.

Also among the memorable scenes is the fencing. I still think Kurenai is pretty good with a sword.

I need to come up with name for this trope, where the opponents lock their swords for a while to glare at each other and chat.

Bourguignon from Second Fortuitous Meeting

Many zuka comedies are wasted on me because so many of the jokes are language based and I still don't understand much Japanese. But this one I liked very much. Admittedly, I got to read a translation once, so this time I got the jokes, but even ignoring the spoken jokes, it's just a really fun show. Every character was fantastic, Kurenai's role as a manservant forced to fake being his own master included. Her talent in comedy is very strong, she masters small things like the tone of her voice, the expressions of her face and simple bodylanguage and makes her character absolutely hilarious. I have noticed  that one character pair zuka shows tend to have is pairing a cool and serious master with a sassy, loud, no-filter-between-brains-and-mouth servant, who works as a comedic relief softening the seriousness of their master. In a show like Second Fortuitous Meeting, where everyone is sassy, loud and has no filter between brains and mouth, Kurenai needs to tone her comedy up quite a bit so that Bourguignon will appear even funnier than his master.

Most memorable scene is Bourguignon sitting down in protest like a misbehaving infant when Dorante demands they leave.

This show got a sequel. It was just as fun as the first one, even though this time I had no translation and so had very little clue what was going on. Something involving a pumpkin thief.

Beniko and Reon's father from REON!!

Otokoyaku in drag for comedy reasons is quite a common thing in zuka, and usually I find it as amusing as real men in drag (in other words, not very). But I adore Beniko. The reason why her comedy works is that the joke isn't just putting otokoyaku in drag, Beniko is a carefully designed sketch character. Her costume, her curls that she constantly keeps shoving back over her shoulders, the way she speaks (this has to be some sort of dialect, I swear), she is just incredibly funny. I don't think I can properly explain why I find her so amusing, after all I don't even understand what she says. There's just something about Beniko that always makes me smile.

There was also a number where Reon sang about her family. Makaze and Kurenai played her parents. Makaze made a very charming Japanese beauty in her apron (I usually don't like it when they make her wear dresses, but here she looked so natural it suited her well). She had to bend her knees a little to appear shorter than Kurenai. Kurenai as Reon's father was weird looking, with thick eyebrows that made him look like a comic character. But he was a very sweet father, eagerly making faces and shaking a rattle at baby Reon, and smiling even when the fighting kids accidentally poured a tea kettle on him. I've always felt that Makaze and Kurenai had great chemistry together and seeing them play a married couple was adorable.

Gemini from Etoile de Takarazuka

Again, putting otokoyaku in drag isn't fun if you don't give her character. Well, in this revue Kurenai had to put her skills to the test by switching between two characters several times during the same number. The split-personality Gemini suffered from manic-depressive behavious. 

The female side was happy and giddy and optimistic (”Everybody loves me, I'm so pretty, and so witty, I'm so gay!”)

...and the male half was gloomy and depressed and had no self-esteem (”Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms...”). 

I have to respect her for managing these quick switches between otokoyaku and onnayaku, cheerful and gloomy, the changing between characters was done smoothly.

Also, I want that dress...   suit...   costume...   thing...   I want that dresssuitcostumething. I would wear it to every dance ball ever.

Frederic de Marmont from Napoleon

This show had a ton of characters, many of them quite colourful ones, and unfortunately Marmont was often left as only the observer of things happening around him (well, the story is being told by him, so it kinda fits). Nevertheless I think Kurenai was very handsome in the uniform, and I think Marmont got some important scenes. He knew Napoleon from the military school and there's a song number where he voices concern for his friend's endless thirst for more victories. In the end, he is the one who decides to surrender Paris, understanding that it's madness to keep fighting and lose more lives when losing the battle can no longer be avoided.

The part I remember Kurenai most in this show is actually from the minirevue. She dances a rather romantic dance with Makaze. I will say it again, these two had great chemistry together.

Philippe from Sun King

I know there are probably only like a handful of fans who like this show besides me, but I loved it. I've always been a sucker for French imported musicals in zuka. This show is another example of good casting, everyone gets a character that no one else would have done as well as they have. Kurenai, being the best there is at comedy, gets the comedic relief character Philippe the gay-tailed pheasant, who also shows to the audience how the royals and nobles lived in a fantasy bubble completely separated from real life. She gets three songs and she sings them well. I haven't mentioned it before now, but I really like Kurenai's voice. It's a very recognisable, charming, unique voice. I also have to show respect at how easily and naturally she wears the gaudiest costumes. This show has some really ridiculous costume designs for the nobles to show how separate they are from common folks, but Kurenai wears hers with pride. I can almost picture her looking at a costume desing and being like ”Wow that is the ugliest thing I've ever seen, when can I try it on?”

Percy Blakeney from Scarlet Pimpernel

When Reon and Nene graduated, my star also left Hoshigumi and I followed her to a new home troupe, so I haven't seen that many Hoshigumi shows after Reon's era. But when I saw that they were going to make Scarlett Pimpernel, I had to get it. I had seen Kurenai perform Percy as a shinko role and I thought she was brilliant even then.

Of course I was going to use screenshots of the fencing scene. What else did you expect?

Once when I was sick and couldn't even read books, just rest, I borrowed some audio books from the library. This is how I was introduced to Scarlet Pimpernel. I liked the audio book a lot, especially the menacing, raspy voice they gave to Chauvelin. I was delighted to discover one of the first stories to use the idea of a masked hero. Men who like Batman are not allowed to make fun of me for liking Scarlet Pimpernel.

Scarlet Pimpernel is such an entertaining story and Percy is such a charming hero, saving innocents and having fun while doing it. I like Kiriya Hiromu's Percy a lot too, but Kurenai's is my favourite. She really gets into the character and makes a very lovely Percy. Having to wear disguises in this show, she once again shows her ability to fit into all deliciously awful outfits (like the suits they wear to the party held by the prince of Wales). But even out of disguises, I've got to admit Percy's got style. I also obviously adored the sword dance in the mini revue. Kurenai's Percy brings a smile to my face whenever he's on screen. This is probably the role I will remember her most from.

I will miss Kurenai terribly. Whatever she decides to do after leaving Takarazuka, I wish her good luck and happiness as thanks for all the times she brought me lauhter, tears and joy.

[ofbanncr-blog]

u know what ship I want. let's not play games here.

send me a ship & i’ll tell you —status: accepting

where was their first date ?: seeing as their relationship is very much an on the down low one, they’ve never really been on like, an official date ? the closest they’ve come to a traditional kind of thing was a business outing for tony involving an overnight stay in l.a. and dinner out at a nice restaurant one on one, but they didn’t call it a date. what my muse would do to cheer your’s up: her go to’s are pretty simple. if he’s in town, she’ll bring groceries to his place, cook something he likes, chit chat about things that take his mind off work. back and shoulder rubs are definitely given, as are plenty of kisses and attention, and let’s be real, when in doubt, she sleeps with him, who wakes the other up with kisses ( and where ) ?: it varies. jules will occasionally dole out neck and shoulder kisses, whilst nik is far less innocent if he elects to start the morning with kisses.who would pour water on the other to wake them up ?: juliette. but only if she were really and truly pissed.how my muse would wake your’s up: generally she doesn’t have to, but when she does, it’s gently, soft murmurs, coffee already brewing in the kitchen.who would start a food fight while baking or cooking ?: juliette, hands down, is the first to throw flour every time.who would suggest putting marijuana in the brownies ?: neither ? jules isn’t into the scene, and it’s generally a bad idea for nik to be put off his game via getting high.who said i love you first and how ( or when ) did they say it ?: listen. juliette says it first but it’s far more tragic than it is romantic because she’s 100% convinced saying it is gonna be the kiss of death. she says it like an apology, like it’s something she should be ashamed of.who would get into a physical altercation over the other ?: sorry but i dead ass see some drunk guy getting way too handsy with jules at a bar despite her denying his advances and nik just. drops him. right then and there.who insists on purchasing a pet together ( and what kind of pet ) ?: juliette already has a german shepherd, kahlua, who ends up totally adoring nik. but she might eventually sucker him into getting a shelter dog.who is louder ( in and out of bed ) ?: jules is more vocal in bed, but only to a slight degree. she’s definitely more chatty than nik in general though.who takes more risks ( in and out of bed ) ?: nikolai, hands down. jules is not and will never be a risk taker.who would bring up the word ‘daddy’ first ?: neither. civil war ii would start by juliette asking daddy to pass the salt at dinner and having nik and bruce both move to do so okay it’d happen.what is their shared, favourite kink ?: probably sneaking around in general ?? fucking in their respective offices, in the compound kitchen, anywhere and everywhere they run the risk of getting caught. but also restraints, low key, b/c jules would so be down for nik tying her wrists up are you kidding me.describe their typical kiss: day to day, it’s hardly a peck b/c it’s gonna be on the sly. but in general, they’re actually pretty slow & affectionate.how my muse shows their love for your’s: she frets. all the time. despite the fact it drives nik insane. but she also does little things for him, like leaving coffee on his desk for him in the mornings, or ordering his favorite take out after a rough day, down to simply knowing when she needs to just lay down with him and be quiet for a while.their favourite ways to give affection: kisses. so many kisses. juliette also likes to play with his hands, especially b/c she doesn’t get to hold them in public ?? closeness in private is just a big thing. physical contact.who is more dominate ?: it depends ?? like jules can be v bossy about things, but when nik puts his foot down, that’s the end of discussion. in bed though, usually nik.who sings in the shower ?: jules. but her voice isn’t half bad, so it could be a more painful thing to endure.who washes the other’s hair in the shower ?: listen. nik doesn’t always wash her hair, but when he does, juliette banner is literally putty in his hands.who initiates shower sex despite being in a rush ?: they’re both guilty of it, honestly.who teases the other under the table at dinner with the family ?: juliette. she is shameless.who has the weirder taste in music ?: whenever nikolai controls the radio, she ends up complaining that his age is showing because she doesn’t know any of the songs.who would initiate dancing in the rain ?: jules, on the way to the car, splashing through puddles in designer heels.who would be the one to suggest marriage ?: neither, directly. julie occasionally mentions that one or another of her friends just got engaged, but that’s as far as the hinting goes because she knows it’s not really feasible for them. what would they name their children ?: maksim & sofia are the twins, with alexei as the youngest brother.who would their children take after more ?: it varies ?? maks is very similar to his father, sofi her mother, & alex is a fairly even mixture of the two.