#I still wish there was a bit of contrast like there is between Jeanne and Bayonetta

[death-rebirth-senshi]

This is a tiny nitpick considering all of Bayo 3's sins but I kind of wish Madama Styx had a bit of a different vibe and personality instead of just being Madama Butterfly 2.

[tsuki-chibi]

BlackBerries (Adrinette April) Day 4: Hand Touches

Or see it on AO3: Blackberries 

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Not long after they returned to class, Adrien got the text from his bodyguard that it was time for him to go to the photoshoot. He regretfully packed up his things and, when Madame Mendeliev came in to start science, slipped out before the lesson could start. Marinette and Nino waved as he left; Adrien waved back, wishing that he could stay. The weight of what was sure to be a boring afternoon settled heavily on his shoulders as he headed for the car waiting just outside the gates.

“Hello,” he greeted his boyguard as he opened the door.

The Gorilla merely grunted, as always. Adrien sighed and climbed inside, setting his bag down beside him. It was moments like this where the weight of Plagg’s absence was heaviest. He didn’t know what he would’ve done without Marinette’s presence in the back of his head. She was the only thing making this situation bearable: losing Plagg and not having Marinette would’ve driven Adrien crazy.

She registered those thoughts, of course: even without the miraculous, their bond was still deepening at an accelerated rate. Adrien grinned to himself as he felt her embarrassment, followed by a soft pulse of affection that warmed him from head to toe. That was, if he was being honest, his favorite part about having a soulmate. He loved that there were no shields between them, and so he could feel the full force of whatever Marinette felt.

‘So you don’t regret it, then?’ Marinette thought, and Adrien could tell that this was something that she’d been idly thinking about ever since they’d left Master Fu’s. He knew immediately what she meant.

Most soulmates put up their own rudimentary shields when they first met. Children like Rose and Juleka, or people who couldn’t create their own shields for whatever reason, usually had someone else create blocks for them. There were specialized services out there just for that. Neither Adrien nor Marinette knew how to construct shields, so what they technically should have done upon finding out that they were soulmates was told their parents and been instructed on how to do that. Then, if they still couldn’t, blocks would have been put up.

Of course, in Adrien’s case, Gabriel probably wouldn’t have trusted him to create adequete shields and so would have insisted on the use of blocks anyway. His father was controlling like that. But from what Adrien knew, most people used shields that they had built and thus could modify themselves if they chose to. It was pretty rare to find someone who had blocked or shielded a bond fully, but it did happen sometimes.

He supposed that’s what Master Fu would’ve wanted them to do. Had he and Marinette had shields in place, they could’ve hidden the information about their miraculouses behind those shields. It would’ve been difficult and probably pretty awkward at times, and might have even required a full shield eventually. The thought was enough to make him shudder, and Marinette reached out comfortingly.

She was so good. Too good. So soft and sweet and gentle that from the moment that they’d met Adrien had never had any hesitation about letting Marinette into his mind. He hadn’t wanted to hide anything from her. Maybe that made him weird - few people were comfortable with someone else having unfettered access to their minds, particularly when that someone else was still a stranger – but it was just how he felt.

‘That doesn’t make you weird, Adrien. I’m okay with not having any shields too,’ Marinette thought, ready to jump to his defence as always. Adrien smiled.

‘Or it makes us both weird,’ he thought.

Marinette paused, and then he felt her smile too before she thought, ‘Okay, I’ll give you that one. But either way, this works for us. It really sucks that we don’t get to be Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore because of it, but I wouldn’t change anything.’

‘I wouldn’t either. I don’t want any shields or blocks between us,’ Adrien thought back, staring out the window. Frankly, at this point, he wasn’t even sure if a shield or block could be created to block their bond. And if it could, within another year or two it probably wouldn’t be possible. He was looking forward to that day, because then he’d be able to tell his father and Gabriel wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

‘Me either,’ Marinette thought, pushing more affection and comfort his way until Adrien was drifting on it. Pushing his own feelings back towards Marinette created a feedback loop that both of them thoroughly enjoyed until the car got to its destination and Madame Mendeliev snapped at Marinette to pay attention.

“Ah, Adrien,” Nathalie said as Adrien opened the door. “You’ll be modeling with Jeanne today.”

“Okay,” Adrien said. He liked Jeanne. She didn’t try to cozy up to him the way some of the other models did. He got out of the car and followed Nathalie inside, where he was put through the full wardrobe and make-up regiment. Today was a formal shoot, which meant he was wearing a dark grey tuxedo with a black papel, white shirt, and blue tie.

Jeanne joined him on set wearing a blue gown that was so tight she was clearly having difficulty walking in it. She tottered awkwardly over to Adrien and he laughed as he stuck out an arm to help her balance. She gave him a mock glare, her lips twitching with humor, before taking his arm.

“I swear, this dress couldn’t get any tighter if it tried,” she said.

Adrien gave the gown a critical look, feeling Marinette peek through his eyes. The beautifully decorated gown was very form-fitting, with a small trail that would slide behind her as she walked. She had a pale blue shawl which had been carefully set over her elbows before falling almost to the ground. He wasn’t a designer, of course, but he knew enough about photography to know that his father was probably all about the contrast between the tight dress and the loose shawl.

‘That should really have a slit in it,’ Marinette thought.

“No slit?” Adrien said.

“There is one, but for the first part of the shoot they’ve sewn in shut,” Jeanne replied. “Sorry, Adrien. Most of this is going to be on you. At least until they cut the slit.”

“I’m fine with that. I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself,” Adrien said. At Marinette’s mental request, he glanced down at Jeanne’s shoes and was unsurprised to see that they were four-inch stiletto heels.

‘Your father creates amazing stuff, but it’s not very practical,’ Marinette thought.

‘Not even a little bit,’ Adrien thought back. He was suddenly very glad that he was a boy.

“Alright, you two, let’s make some magic!” Vincent shouted, walking towards them. “Let’s have you both in front of that wall over there, yes?”

“Ugh, moving,” Jeanne whispered, and Adrien couldn’t help a grin.

It took a bit of effort but finally they were both where Vincent wanted them to be. Per Vincent’s direction, Adrien stepped behind Jeanne and leaned over her, resting his chin on her shoulder and his hands atop of hers. They both cast coy looks at the camera. Vincent practically squealed in delight and started snapping photos, occasionally pausing to give them different directions.

‘School’s over,’ Marinette thought. ‘There goes Alya and Lila.’

Adrien had to remind himself not to frown on the outside. ‘Are you jealous, My Lady?’ he thought.

‘No. Yes? Maybe a little? Alya’s allowed to have other friends. I’m just not sure Lila is the right choice for a friend,’ Marinette thought back. ‘I’m really curious to see what this interview contains.’

‘You and me both,’ Adrien thought. Chat Noir was Ladybug’s best friend, thank you very much.

‘Yes, you are,’ Marinette thought with some amusement; she was smiling.

“Adrien!” Vincent exclaimed, and Adrien snapped to attention. “I need a serious look, not a smile!”

“Sorry,” Adrien said quickly, trying to school his expression.

‘Oops, sorry,’ Marinette thought.

‘It’s not your fault. That’s just the effect you have me,’ Adrien thought, stepping away from Jeanne. He dutifully took her hand and tried to pretend like they were dancing and he had just spun her out. Though how Jeanne would dance in her dress, he had no clue.

‘Flatterer,’ Marinette though, sighing. ‘I guess I’ll go help in the bakery.’

‘Cheer up, Mari. Things will be better tomorrow. It’s only Monday; I bet it’s going to be a great week,’ Adrien thought. He had no idea how wrong he was.

[histoireettralala]

Joachim Murat: his youth in Quercy.

His steps often joined those of Napoleon. Born 250 years ago in Labastide, Marshal of France, the king of Naples remained, all his life, attached to his native land. His native village now bears his name: Labastide-Murat.

Published on August 29, 17 at 16:05, in ActuLot

Joachim Murat en uniforme de sous-lieutenant au 12e Régiment de Chasseurs en 1792 (Age 25), by Jean-Baptiste Paulin Guérin, 1835

His name will later be inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile. On April 5, 1791, three young people from Quercy (Murat, Bessieres and Ambert), appointed by the Lot Directory to be part of the King's constitutional guard, whose creation has just been voted by the Legislative Assembly, take the road to Paris. Coming from a family of small social status, Murat will reach the highest military glory thanks to the Republican wars and the prestigious imperial epic.

He was born on a causse with unexplored abysses

Joachim Murat was born on March 25, 1767, at La Bastide-Fortunière, a village in the Causse de Gramat. This physical environment has a certain connection with the future King of Naples' life and character. “La Bastide, a small village on the high plateau, looks like a fortress commanding the country. This majestic appearance amidst the drought, the almost desolation of the limestone soil which unexplored abysses hollow out in some places is the very image of Murat's life, a life full of contrasts where the good and the worst intertwine, where the peak honors and glory are next to disasters, mentions Marcel Dupont in his work on Murat. The sometimes violent wind is still a striking image of the marshal's mind, always filled with clouds and where hopes, vast projects, fury and annihilation collide day and night. Here is summarized in a few strokes, the prodigious and fatal destiny of this horseman who would have no equal to descend like a windstorm on the enemy troops.

His mother Jeanne's favorite child

Yet he seemed destined for a peaceful existence. Murat comes from a family that has lived in the town for more than three centuries. They are hard-working peasants, exploiting poor soil in harsh winters. How could a king arise from this modest environment more conducive to the development of country virtues than to warlike exploits?

This required the ardor of his youth, which will never leave him, but also the revolutionary upheaval. His father exploited the lands of "a few enlightened minds" in the village. Not being the owner, he is the manager, receiving earnings proportional to the crops. These are certainly satisfactory because the couple have a large house in the center of the town. This is the mother’s domain. The ground floor has been converted into an inn and the floor is divided between the family apartment and a few rooms for passing guests. This energetic woman who runs the inn is a caring mother. The good Jeanne Loubières, whom he will adore all his life, in fact, makes of the youngest of her eleven children, her favorite. By her constant presence, her desire to provide Joachim with an education, that goes beyond that of his environment, she will shape this son to the point that he will never forget his childhood.

With his curly hair and cheerful face, he's a rowdy kid, sometimes a brawler, as it should be to be respected in this country where endurance is proof of character. His time at La Bastide-Fortunière school made a good impression on his teachers: he is an average student but whose qualities of camaraderie and friendliness are recognized. His loving mother, who has deep religious feelings, thinks that the day will come when young Joachim will enter the Orders and may be parish priest of La Bastide.

His great pleasure is to lead alone the horses to the village trough. At the age when a horse seems formidable to a child, Joachim, who has an unusual vigor, already knows how to subdue them.

An amazing ability to lead

These predispositions did not arouse any suspicion among his parents who obtained a scholarship to send him, at 10 years old, to the Saint-Michel college in Cahors. He will stay there for 8 years. It is there that he will have as a comrade Jean Bessières from Prayssac, a future Marshal of the Empire. An unwavering friendship is born between these two men who would become close to the emperor.

Far from La Bastide, the young Murat discovers unknown horizons which open up new appetites for him. His intelligence is real. But as soon as he crosses the threshold of the class, he takes a singular ascendancy on his comrades, even develops an astonishing capacity to lead. How to blame him? If he goes too far for his age, he knows how to repent, implore and become very sweet again.

His whole life, he will use these weapons. Many contemporaries believe that he is completely sincere. Going from anger to tenderness, from elation to dejection, he is already and will remain, impulsive, even excessive in everything. Not without kindness and generosity.

At 20, he joins the cavalry

At the age of eighteen, he joins the Lazarists' seminar in Toulouse. But wearing the cassock does not make the seminarian. And this handsome young man of 1.85 meters, with a pleasant smile, already leads, outside the establishment, a private life the "good fathers" ignore. Here comes an important moment in Murat's life: his military engagement. It is allowed to think, with Jean Tulard, that after a quarrel, our too fiery seminarian was excluded from the University and dreading his father, takes advantage of the passage of the Cavalry of the Ardennes regiment to sign up for, he says "a life that does not displease him". In fact, the new Chasseur is "thrilled". He quickly stood out for his ability to train the most reticent horses and quickly became sergeant*.

For the simple rider, the days are repetitive and gruelling. After an early awakening (at six o'clock), you must groom sick animals, currycomb and brush them before preparing fodder, water and oats. It is only after this daily work, at ten o'clock that a soup is distributed. Then the upkeep chores of the stables. Strict rules still from the Ancien Régime! Because already Parisian ideas are swarming in the garrisons.

Giving free rein to his temperament, his need to be a leader, Murat, who places a lot of hope in the new ideas, takes the lead of the discontented men of the Regiment. This behavior is little appreciated by his leaders: he is put on permanent leave and expelled from the army. Humiliated, he decides to go back to the Lot. We are in 1789.

Delivery Clerk in Saint-Céré

Very badly received by his father who cuts him off, he returns to Saint-Céré where he is hired as a delivery clerk. For a few months, he was enraged, champing at the bit with impatience, convinced that his place is not here. The villages are buzzing. He became aware of the real state of France, of the mounting demands of the campaigns. Murat takes advantage of this return to his native land to attend and participate in public meetings of local clubs.

The past winter has been harsh and long. The harvest was poor. Lack of food and unemployment strike everywhere. Castles see their dovecote burned down. " Here will be hanged the first inhabitant who will pay the rent to the lord," says a poster from a Cahors merchant. It’s the revolt. Louis XVI summons the Etats Généraux on May 1, 1789 in Versailles. In 1790, for the Fête de la Fédération on July 14, each department must appoint two to three delegates. You can imagine that Murat is volunteering! The sympathetic, sweet talking but proud young man speaks. And it is in Lotois dialect that he expresses himself in cafes, wishing to reach the greatest number. The Revolution is born: Joachim Murat, who is part of the Third Estate by his origins, tries to change public opinion according to events. Every Sunday, he goes to Cahors: he listens, he harangues the crowd. He is on the Montfaucon list and is chosen to represent the Lot department.

The republican patriot leaves for Paris

Murat, 23, can go and explore the capital. It’s the consecration.

A new man is born. After a secular mass celebrated by former Bishop Talleyrand, speeches on the Champ de Mars ignite the crowds. One hundred thousand Parisians came to celebrate the first anniversary of the Capture of the Bastille. A year later, returning to the army, he is appointed to the King's Constitutional Guard, to protect but also to monitor Louis XVI. Indignant, the protester manifests a flawless patriotic commitment, calling himself a "pronounced republican", facing "this hideout of royalists who gravitate around the king". But the wind turns, Robespierre falls. His revolutionary passion almost interrupted his meteoric career. Bitter and worried, he is put on leave and returns for some time to Quercy, "wanting to become a simple plowman again".

Aide de camp

Skeptical about his future, then dejected, Murat quickly reacts, helped by the deputy for Gourdon, Jean-Baptiste Cavaignac, who encourages him to return to Paris. It is on the night of 12 to 13 Vendémiaire (October 5, 1795) that Murat is put in contact with the First Consul who needs him. He orders him to save the Convention threatened by the royalist riot. Forty cannons are placed by Squadron Leader Murat around the Tuileries Castle. Three hundred royalists will be killed. The government of the Republic is saved again. As Tulard points out: "From now on the star of Murat will merge with that of Bonaparte". No more depression, finally power and glory.

Promoted Bonaparte's aide-de-camp, he leaves for the Italian Campaign, direction Marengo. There, "his clothes will be riddled with bullets", but they will know victory.

He becomes Napoleon I's brother-in-law

In 1800, he marries Caroline, the First Consul's youngest sister, becoming the brother-in-law of the future Napoleon I. This marriage will give Murat an outstanding position among the marshals of the Empire. Quickly, he is invited to move to the Château des Tuileries and becomes part of the close entourage of the new master of France.

The rouser of men from the imperial epic will remain kind to his family at La Bastide. Coming from a small inn in Quercy to fly with his squadrons across Europe and into Egypt, Murat seems like a legendary character. Chateaubriand will devote long passages to him in the "Mémoires d'Outre Tombe". He will be admired by Stendhal, Dumas and Balzac. Three words characterize the King of Naples: ardor, ambition and panache. If he remains the most magnificent rouser of men the imperial epic will produce, he will invest much into the Lot whose deputy he will become in 1803.

And he will show kindness for his whole family. Especially for his mother, for whom he will show a deep attachment: he sends her rosaries blessed by the Pope.

The portrait he has done of Jeanne in 1792 will never leave him. It will be with him, in his homes, in his tent during his campaigns and in Naples, in his palace. He will build a castle for his "La Bastide family" in his native village, modeled on the Palais de l'Elysée, where he had resided as governor of Paris.

The King of Naples dies executed on October 13, 1815.

By André Décup

[Translation is mine.

Note: I translated by ‘sergeant’ the grade of Maréchal des Logis, which is its equivalent in the cavalry (and nowadays in the Gendarmerie).

There is no right translation for “entraîneur d’hommes”, I hope “rouser” doesn’t seem too weird in English.]

[bemused-writer]

VNC Chapter 39 Analysis

This chapter immediately got off to a good start. With the return of Roland to the series the tone immediately takes a more energetic, urgent vibe. We also see that Noé has a pretty good understanding of Vanitas’s feelings both about Roland and hugs:

In other words, Vanitas can’t stand either and Noé is willing to be the body shield for the occasion. Probably doesn’t hurt that Noé likes both Roland and hugs, so it’s not like he’s making a huge sacrifice here....

Regardless, his efforts are for naught! Roland shields them both from the chasseur ships and we get an interesting tidbit as well:

They were heading to Saugues? I’ll admit I have no first-hand knowledge of France, so if anyone knows better please let me know, but looking at a modern map indicates Saugues is quite a bit further away than Gévaudan! From Paris to Saugues is 533 km while Paris to Gévaudan is 575 km. All this time, I was assuming they were heading for Gévaudan but Roland is making it sound like they ended up at Gévaudan purely by accident.

Chapter 24 never outright said where they were going, just that they were going somewhere. Gano was supposed to meet up with Astolfo, but so far we haven’t seen this Gano whatsoever.

So, Roland might be lying and I wouldn’t put it past him. Maybe they were heading for Gévaudan but he doesn’t want Noé or Vanitas to know that just yet. But he might also be telling the truth, which raises three interesting questions: Where is Gano? Why were they heading to Saugues? What was the incident in Carcassonne? Also, if you’re wondering (like I was), Carcassonne isn’t exactly close to Gévaudan either; it’s 301 km away. 8D Regardless of whatever else we learn in this chapter, we know the chasseurs are used to long-distance assignments all over France. I suppose this makes sense; they seem to have a limited amount of paladins and they’re keeping tabs on the whole country.

Getting back to Roland, he has immediately made himself Noé and Vanitas’s co-conspirator and I love it.

No�� looks slightly enchanted, which fits in with his general attitude twoard Roland at all times and Vanitas looks like his soul might depart from his body at any moment, which is also consistent to his reactions toward Roland. XD

What’s really great is the reason Roland gives them for why he’s helping them in the first place:

This is... technically not a lie, but Roland is omitting a lot of the truth here as well. Roland does like Noé, there’s no doubt about that, but a big part of why he’s helping them is because he no longer fully trusts the Church. He suspects they’re hiding something and he’s entirely correct. He’s been researching the Beast of Gévaudan since volume 5, chapter 22.

Even then he wasn’t seeking out banned books. He’s toeing the line remarkably well. Furthermore, the fact he isn’t telling this to Noé or Vanitas shows he still has enough loyalty to the Church that he isn’t about to voice his criticisms to outsiders; he wants to learn the truth of it for himself.

All of this is in interesting contrast to his namesake. The Roland from “The Song of Roland” never questioned the Church, his Christian morals, or whether their foe was someone they should defeat. He was a stalwart warrior who was loyal to an extreme. This Roland is loyal but he has no problem asking questions or adjusting his belief system.

Noé doesn’t suspect he’s not being given the whole truth, however, and confesses he likes Roland as well. I double checked the Japanese for this and they’re both using “suki” to describe their affection. With the reactions on display I had almost wondered if they were using “daisuki.” XD If they had, it would have been essentially a love confession and the ship would have been sailing freely, but as it is it’s a little toned down. This has done nothing to appease Vanitas, however:

Vanitas’s anger could be for two separate things (or both!): 

1) He can’t stand Roland, so the insinuation that Noé’s little declaration somehow counts for him as well is disgusting.

2) Noé is getting along with Roland exceedingly well. Arguably better than he gets along with Vanitas and he’s focusing all his attention on him, forgetting why they’re there in the first place. In other words, he’s a little jealous. He can’t exactly go around saying that--it would hardly fit his character--so he just gives Roland something to do. An important something, there’s no question that it needs to be done, but it’s also something that will keep Roland away from both him and Noé for a while.

Noé’s strong reaction to Roland’s declaration as well as the one back in the catacombs where Roland announced they were friends indicates to me that Noé is kind of lonely. That isn’t surprising; he only ever really had two friends and one of them died a few years back. Teacher only visited sporadically from what we’ve seen and Dominique is restrained in her affection in the present, which is understandable. She can’t let Noé how she feels, so she can hardly go around announcing something like this in the way Roland can. Of course, Vanitas can’t really be described as affectionate at all. 

Noé is pretty open with how he feels about people, so Roland is probably a nice change of pace and probably the only person being as open and forthright as Noé wishes everyone would be. Granted, as I just pointed out, a lot of Roland’s openness is a facade, but Noé doesn’t know that....

We also get to see Roland and Olivier in action at last!

Furthermore, we got to see Olivier’s weapon, which seems unnecessarily violent in my opinion. XD A sword and a chainsaw? Sounds excruciating... And apparently he’s quite vicious with it. I laughed pretty hard at how the villagers were initially cheering him on without abandon, but the more he fought the wolves the more their cheers started to die down as they realized this guy might be a little unhinged. 

That one guy became physically ill...

It’s also confirmed that Olivier’s weapon shares the same name, Hauteclaire, as his namesake in “The Song of Roland,��� too. According to the edition I have on hand, Hauteclaire means “Highbright” while Durandal (Roland’s weapon) might mean “Enduring.”

As for the mysterious Gano, I haven’t yet seen a name that looks like his in the poem. Maybe it’s a nickname? If so, I wonder if he might be Ganelon. In that case, his weapon would be Murgleys, which the translation thinks may mean “Death brand.” If he does ever show up, I think we may find him the most fearsome paladin yet.

Olivier and Roland are each leading their own teams (team 6 for Roland, team 3 for Olivier) and we finally get to see how these two interact during battle and it’s exactly what I hoped for: Olivier is barely tolerating his nonsense, and Roland is getting his way through sheer force of will alone. In this regard, they’re definitely like their counterparts but the main difference is that they’re both leaders here as opposed to Olivier working for Roland. Granted, he seems to give in to what Roland wants regardless, so...

But Olivier is no fool. He sorts out why Roland is making such bizarre requests.

He knows that the only people to get Roland to change the way he does everything, to make him rethink his belief system, is Noé (and kind of Vanitas). He kind of looks worried; he knows Roland is pushing things with the Church, but there’s nothing he can do to stop him.

For all of Olivier’s worries though, Roland will do his job. He will wipe out all the vampires if he has to.

It’s all too easy to forget how dangerous Roland actually is but let’s not forget that while Astolfo called him a “buffoon of a man” this was the image he had of Roland when he thought of him:

He’s looking down on him with a face of stern judgment. That’s not a man to be messed with. Makes me wonder how Astolfo and Roland actually get along...

As it is, Noé only has the barest inkling of Roland’s true nature himself. But this scene makes one thing very clear: Roland is restraining himself. He has no doubt he could kill Chloé and quite likely Jean-Jacques if he needed to. It would be fascinating to see him and Jeanne fight each other. They’re each absurdly powerful but they each restrain themselves for personal reasons. If they ever did have a confrontation where neither was hindered, I honestly don’t know who would win. On the flipside, imagine if they teamed up? My goodness...

This monster kind of reminds me of Prédateur in the catacombs arc. It’s misshapen and grotesque. I suppose it must be a result of Chloé losing control of her power? I’m looking forward to seeing how he and Olivier sort it out.

This chapter we also finally got some insight on Jeanne as well. Honestly, I really thought this arc would be focusing a lot more on Jeanne than it actually did, so I’m glad we’re finally getting back to her.

Jeanne was knocked out along with nearly everyone else who was too close to Chloé, including Astolfo, Dante, and Marco (Astolfo’s assistant). She’s lost in a memory, and it’s a memory that is very interesting:

She’s surrounded by water and she’s being approached by a man with a candle, telling her she’s a doll who must obey without question.

To me, it looks very much like she’s in a tank, much like whoever this individual is:

Both Jeanne and the girl (?) in the tank have something to do with Ruthven as well. Furthermore, both of them react to Charlatan, which I’ll get back to in just a second.

There’s a theory that’s gone around that the Jeanne we know might be a clone and I’m really starting to wonder if that might be the case. Look at this flashback of her parents, for example:

The way this is set up is confusing. At first I thought the two individuals in the first panel were her parents but they kind of look like chasseurs, don’t they? Furthermore, they ask her if she’s alone and if she’s all right. After that we cut immediately to the second panel, which we know for a fact is a conversation between her parents and Ruthven, and it’s shown they’re not her biological parents.

If the two in the first panel are chasseurs, I think it’s safe to say she was probably in one of those tanks in the catacombs at some point and that she’s some kind of experiment, possibly of Dr. Moreau’s or simply of the Church/Ruthven more generally. Either way, not a good thing.

When her parents betray the vampires, she’s the one who’s punished, which is just absurd and heartbreaking.

This goes a long way toward explaining why Jeanne is so hesitant on occasion. She knows the price of doing things according to her own will: someone else will die in her place.

I think for the first time we’re actually seeing what she and Vanitas have in common. Neither of them were allowed much agency in their youth, both were treated as subhuman/vampire, and both are try to rectify the mistakes of their past. They differ in how they want to accomplish that, however. For Jeanne, she’s decided that the only way to sort through the horrors of her past is to obey and cut off any sense of individuality she might have. Vanitas is inflicting his opinions on the world at large and is trying to separate himself from other individuals by denying them any agency.

But this chapter we see them both go the opposite direction. Jeanne was reiterating to herself that she cannot be a person--she must be a tool. There’s no point trying to save Chloé--she’s beyond that point and Vanitas and Noé can’t hope to get there in time. But then:

 Vanitas extends a helping hand to Jeanne. A real helping hand, for once, free of any demand or manipulation. He tells her it isn’t too late to help Chloé; something can still be done.

What follows is something I find fascinating:

They’re having a genuine, honest discussion of how Jeanne sees things and we see how low Jeanne’s self-esteem is. She can’t even allow herself to hope for something, to wish for a different path in life. And for once, Vanitas actually seems understanding. I think he’s been here before; he knows what it’s like to have no hope for a better future, to accept a fate of darkness.

And when he was at his lowest, ready to give up utterly, someone helped him see another way of doing things. It almost doesn’t need to be pointed out, this chapter already does, but that person was Noé.

Vanitas is offering hope in the only way he knows how and is it any surprise that when he’s at his most genuine, his most caring, he’s imitating Noé? That doesn’t mean he’s being false here, quite the opposite, but it indicates Noé is the only example he has to go off of, the only person who has ever given him this kind care, and now he’s offering it to Jeanne in turn.

There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the first time Vanitas and Jeanne have felt genuine or romantic and it’s fascinating to witness. A lot of people would argue that the scene in the cabin was romantic; it was framed to look like a kiss after all! But to me that was more about Jeanne asserting herself; it didn’t further their relationship in a romantic sense. But this? A genuine exchange of feelings and a real offer to help her for once? That speaks greater volumes of how they’re both changing their perspectives of each other far more than what came before.

Even though Vanitas is offering to help Jeanne, she still can only bear to ask him to help Chloé out loud. She asks him to help her inwardly, but they’re still not at the point where she feels she can ask him to help her specifically.

Will they ever have a real, proper romance? I don’t know. When Jeanne reveals she does, in fact, care about whether Vanitas lives or dies, he returns to his usual playful, carefree demeanor. In other words, the act he always puts on when he’s around Jeanne. After all, he has no interest in Jeanne actually loving him. He still doesn’t want that. It raises the question of what it is he does want from her, especially as their relationship continues to change the further into the series we get.

Hmm, will Vanitas or Jeanne die first? That’s the big question, isn’t it? Vanitas is trying to fulfill a broken promise to Misha through Jeanne but we don’t know what that promise was exactly. We can guess it was similar to the promise he made Jeanne, though.

If the salvation Misha needed was death, if the salvation Jeanne needs is the same, than it would really be in Vanitas’s own best interest not to grow too attached to her. We already know Vanitas is actually pretty bad at not getting attached to people though (just look at Noé and then also consider how similar Noé and Jeanne are personality-wise), so he may be in more trouble than he realizes.

If Vanitas dies before her he would, in essence, be breaking his promise once more, something he refuses to do. And we can tell this is something that’s definitely on his mind, because this is what he says to Noé shortly after.

Honestly, this is Noé’s fault. It’s only because of Noé that Vanitas keeps growing attached to people, keeps caring strongly enough to risk everything to help them. Noé is the one that keeps forcing him to change his views and to do things he’d never do normally.

Now he’s made a promise he knows he might not be able to keep, and that’s helping Chloé but if she hurts anyone in Gévaudan, there’s nothing he can do. They can’t take out all the chasseurs and Roland made it clear that he would do what he must. They have a very limited time frame to work with now and Vanitas has promised Jeanne he would save Chloé, all because he’d been in Jeanne’s position once before and when he had been, Noé helped. Now he’s essentially trying to be Noé but he doesn’t have the boundless confidence that things will work out the way Noé does. He knows this is foolhardy and has a very strong possibility for failure.

Despite being in the same room, Noé appears not to have heard any of Vanitas’s exchange with Jeanne. It looks like he was checking on other people in the room, but honestly... How does he keep missing all of this?

I really can’t wait for the next chapter; I’m curious to see how things are resolved and who takes part in what. There are a lot of ways this could go now and I hesitate to speculate. I will say that if Vanitas accomplishes what he promised Jeanne then I think they will grow closer whether he wants it or not. If he fails... I don’t know what that will do to their relationship. They won’t be completely divided; they have a deal of sorts. But their relationship would be a great deal more frayed than it was before.

Last but not least, I mentioned that both Jeanne and the girl in the tank react to Charlatan. It’s a small thing, but when Naenia’s name was mentioned, the girl’s hand twitched with recognition. Furthermore, Jeanne was actually approached by Charlatan:

Charlatan is replaced by Ruthven. To me, it seems very likely that Ruthven and Charlatan are not only working for one another but very closely linked. There was some proof beforehand that Ruthven might be a curse bearer but maybe it’s more than that. Maybe he’s spreading the curse himself in Charlatan’s stead. Furthermore, Ruthven is linked both to Jeanne, that girl in the tank, and Naenia. It’s looking immensely suspicious, but I feel like it’s relatively safe to say Jeanne is a curse bearer. Of course, if that’s the case, it means Noé is also a curse bearer and that’s going to cause some trouble later on.

Also, Jeanne used to be a bourreau for the whole senate. She was only permitted to continue because of Ruthven’s interventions. Despite how his treatment of her has been iffy at best, it’s no wonder she is loyal to him.

[recentanimenews]

Body and Soul - Inside the Characters of Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc and the Alchemist Knight!

Shin Itagaki is an animator and animation director who has worked on such notable titles as Berserk, Wake Up, Girls! New Chapter, Teekyu, and Basquash! to name a few. Currently, Itagaki is directing the new anime series Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc and the Alchemist Knight, which is currently streaming on Crunchyroll as part of the fall season of anime.

  In the first of our multi-part interview with Shin Itagaki, he discusses the challenges in adapting a light novel series into an anime while balancing action, entertainment, history, and myth!

What kind of impressions did you have for each of the characters? Please tell us about Montmorency first.

          Montmorency is basically just an alchemy otaku. (laughs) An otaku is someone who is determined and is sometimes capable of achieving something extraordinary, right? But on the other hand, they’re not aware of their surroundings and realize something important too late, which they have no way of fixing afterwards.

  Did you have a similar experience?

          I used to draw flip books all the time, and I graduated from college before I realized it, so I know how that feels. Montmorency was also like “I’ll end the war with alchemy,” and before he realized it, 7 years had passed while he was messing with his test tubes. (laughs) He was too focused on doing something he was passionate about and avoided reality, then things turned out that way. He’s a very otaku-like character. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but in that sense, I think it’s easy to empathize with a protagonist like him for the viewers.

    How about Jeanne?

          I see her as a courageous girl. The scene where she embraces Montmorency in episode 11 gave me a strong impression when I was drawing, because it felt like they really “connected.”

    What about Astaroth?

  Artistically, it’s interesting because she can fly, so we’re free to pick our viewpoints. I was very conscious about presenting the feeling of flying in the air while drawing storyboards. As a character, she would “never die,” so she would fall in love with many men in different eras, but those she loved would always die before her. It was interesting to imagine her happiness and sadness that are unique to being a fairy.

    How about Richemont?

  She sees herself as someone who wants to be dignified and responsible, but there’s a gap between that and what society considers to be feminine. My impression is that she is a girl who is always struggling because of that. There’s a line she says to comfort herself “I’m a bit too strong to be a princess protected by a knight in shining armor,” when she lets Montmorency pass through a path in episode 8. Personally, I wish I could’ve directed that scene to be more dramatic, which might have changed our impression of Richemont.

    Please tell us about Charlotte, too.

  I remember having most fun drawing storyboard for Charlotte when she was in knight training school in episode 1. She would get jealous, and she was just a really energetic girl. 7 years later, she fell rock bottom in despair. Circumstance may be different, but Richemont became a prisoner and still never gave up hope, so it shows her mental strength in contrast to Charlotte.

    How about Philip?

          As for Philip, we debated about whether or not to include a scene where she wet her pants. (laughs) Since such a scene didn’t exist in the light novel. Also, I felt the fragility of friendship and promises when I saw her transform into Ulysses Noire. Philip was the one who suggested swearing the oath to “remain best friends forever” during childhood, yet she was the one who became a traitor.

  What did you take serious consideration for while drawing for this anime?

  It’s not unique to this series, but I take serious consideration for emotions and subjectivity when drawing storyboards. Actually, I edited almost all storyboards that were submitted by the storyboard illustrators on my own. I think there were only few frames that I didn’t fix. This is because when you want to express emotions in a human drama, it is difficult to sufficiently express it through storyboards drawn by multiple people. It is a very important part of the production, and I put extra care into it to make sure storyboard was consistent.

  So the storyboards were that important for this series?

          This time it was. It may sound like an exaggeration, but I worked on it as if it was the only thing that mattered. My mentor is Otsuka Yasuo-san, who always said “animators are actors.” That “half of your job may be drawing illustrations, but animators are fundamentally actors.” In that sense, storyboard is acting expressed by illustrations, so I imagined myself as characters in the story, such as Montmorency or Jeanne, and put my body and soul into drawing storyboards.

  Watch Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc and the Alchemist Knight now on Crunchyroll!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com