#plus a hoshi cameo

[bei-b]

Minghao's advice makes Coups very uncalm Carat Land 2024 d2

[hopeymchope]

If we had a Danganronpa version of “A Christmas Carol”, which character do you think would be a good stand in for Scrooge? And which characters would fit the three ghosts?

Probably the best parallel I could make for Scrooge is Tokuichi Towa, but that's a lousy pick given that he's 99% an off-screen character that we only HEAR about. So I'm going to limit myself to the main casts (i.e., just characters who get focal "screen time" at some point in the series) instead.

Ebenezer Scrooge — I'd argue Byakuya Togami is our best option, though he's certainly not a perfect parallel. Sure, he's wealthy and regularly cruel, but he's definitely not greedy and miserly like Scrooge; Togami pays those under his direct employ *very* well, actually. Even so, it's easy to picture him dismissing Christmas as a stupid waste and narrowly focusing his life on the pursuit of ever-increasing power and renown. For that reason, I think he works well enough as our Scrooge. (You can also naturally expand this to suit the rest of the cast: The way he treats Naegi during his FTEs in DR1 makes Makoto a great Bob Crachit. Jacob Marley? Pennyworth! Fred the Barely Noteworthy Nephew? A cameo role for Shinobu! And so on.)

Ghost of Christmas Past — I had to look into the base description of these ghosts to really dig into this question, particularly in regards to this first ghost. They're definitely the most varied in how adaptions visually portray them. So let's take it back to the source: In the book, Christmas Past is said to look youthful yet simultaneously old; in a lot of adaptions, this is taken to mean their face looks young but their clothing ages them up. They also possess wisdom their youthful appearance would not initially suggest, and they're the smallest of the three — usually child-sized. Perhaps V3's Ryoma Hoshi is a good proxy? He's smaller than most DR characters, plus he can seem both younger than the rest yet simultaneously older in other ways. ... I could make a case for Yuto Kamishiro as a decent alternative. But seeing as he's relegated to a light novel and a DR3 cameo, he's probably not noteworthy enough.

Ghost of Christmas Present — Boisterous, friendly, large, surrounded by food — that's Chrismas Present. Their large size is most often interpreted as being a muscular figure, but some adaptions portray him as being more rotund. It's not hard to see his personality filled quite well by a number of DR characters, but I feel like Nekomaru Nidai is probably the closest and best choice. He's got that positive energy that can still carry a tone of warning/threat, he's big and imposing, he's kind, he's pretty damn hungry... you get the idea. After him, I'd say Akane Owari and possibly Ultimate Imposter are the nearest runners-up... and there's defintely something particularly delightful about the idea of Togami being "haunted" by the Imposter. :)

Ghost of Christmas Future/Yet to Come — This one is the most visually consistent in adaptions. It's basically "Death" — a shadowy, silent figure who just points at shit ominously. And if you want a visually threatening character who doesn't talk much? Isshiki Madarai is the obvious pick. But he's also a very obscure pick, so uh... how about we take a page from the few adaptions where this ghost is allowed to speak and instead find ourselves someone who can act threatening and/or haughty while still cutting a grim, imposing figure? I think if you put Gundham Tanaka, Kokichi Ouma, or Celestia Ludenberg into this cloak and let them turn their Attempted Menace level all the way up to 11, you'd have something REALLY entertaining and interesting. Or if you really want to torment Togami specifically? Make this ghost take the form of Syo/Jack. That might make it harder for the Ghost to coherently convey useful information, but it'd certainly be funny. :D

[wonlouvre]

Yayyy i absolutely love your writing!!

I would like to request a Hoshi × gn!idol! Reader angst+fluff imagine where Soonyoung cheers/takes care of his reserved s/o who has been having a hard time and has opened up to him about it for the first time. S/o is someone who can't say no easily and because of that their workload had increased a lot. But in the end they can't hold themselves any longer and breaks down.

strength | k. sy.

pairing: hoshi x gn!idol reader genre: fluff, angst, then fluff again warnings: mentions of anxiety, physical and mental tiredness (please tell me if i missed anything!) word count: 1.8k+ (i honestly don’t even know anymore)

💌: thank you very much for requesting! i made some tweaks here and there and i hope you still like it! thank you for loving my writing as well :’( it really means a lot that <3 i hope you like this!

Soonyoung was aware that you’d be coming from Japan for your collaborative magazine photoshoot. He just didn’t know that you’d be going straight from the airport at four o’clock in the morning. 

He thought he read your message wrong saying that you’re on your way to the assigned shooting location. As far as he’s concerned, the call time was at seven a.m. He had to do a double take while squinting his eyes over the brightness of his phone but when he saw another bubble pop out saying you’re already there, he immediately jumped off his bed to shower. 

He misses you. You’ve been going in and out of the country because of promotions and the chances of getting to see you has been slim to none. If he ever meets with you, it will be short because either one of you has to go back to work or has to go back to bed because there is a flight to catch the next day. It’s obviously tough. But your relationship perseveres. 

Soonyoung will do everything to make it work and you are together with him on that. So if it means he has to shower half-asleep and wear his boxers backwards just to see you, he’d never mind.

Your Japanese album tour started and ended successfully but work didn’t stop from there. You were just getting started. Before leaving the said country, you were fully booked for live television performances, interviews, variety shows and the like. It was exhausting but, it was an opportunity that you couldn’t miss out on for the world even if you wanted to. 

Soonyoung is proud of you and he will always be. Heart eyes were formed whenever he got the chance to watch your performances whether it be from a paid livestream event or from kind fans sharing and uploading their videos or photos on Twitter or Instagram. He’s even more in love when it’s in person and he gets to watch your performance plus enjoy it with your never failing supportive fans. 

However, Soonyoung is also worried because he knows you’re also tired. He knows how fulfilling it is to do what you love the most, but he’s no stranger to the physically and mentally tiring part of it. He wasn’t even surprised to catch you asleep on the couch when he arrived at your dressing room. 

Your manager’s eyes brightened when they saw him, quickly standing up from the chair to give him a hug. 

“They told me they just need a fifteen minute nap,” they whisper against Soonyoung’s shoulder as he hugs them back. “But we both know they need more than that.”

Soonyoung sadly smiles while his eyes never leave your curled form. He mutters a simple “I’ll take it from here” while your manager excuses themself to buy everyone breakfast. 

It’s a challenge to take you into his arms without disturbing your sleep because he doesn’t want that from happening. He just wants to hold you for the remaining time without interruption from other people. He just wants to hold you and share this moment of calm before the lights and camera get into action later. 

Soonyoung’s thankful you didn't, although he still felt your lips lightly ghost against his jaw, telling him that you know that he’s here. He brings your legs over his lap while he cradles your head close to his neck. He wishes to lay down, but the couch is too cramped for two bodies so he’d have to settle with this position. He guesses it’s fine with how you deeply inhale his scent and snuggle closer and closer, locking your arms around his waist with no intentions of letting go. 

Just like you, he falls asleep, completely comfortable and content in finally having you in his arms again. 

Your tangled bodies were shaken to wake up at least an hour later. Both of your managers have food in their hand, ready to energize the two of you up before moving forward with the hair and makeup. The agenda for today includes a photoshoot with several changes of outfit, a short shoot for an audio video presentation and lastly an interview or question and answer of some sort. 

Your relationship has been publicly known for two years already. Some fans have been supportive while some have been angry. It’s nothing new and it’s nothing the two of you could care about at this point. 

Countless projects have been offered to the two of you during the course of those two years whether it be a song or dance performance, a guesting on a famous variety show and even a three second cameo appearance on a drama. They’re all lovely offers and you would love to participate, but the two of you made a decision to keep the relationship private. Sure, you’ll accept it from time to time. But, it’s still very limited to one to two songs to sing or dance to together and some magazine photoshoots. Just like now. 

By far, this is the third time the two of you would be featured on a magazine cover. Your respective publicists already know how to communicate to the publishing company your terms and conditions. Questions about your relationship are allowed, but to a certain number only. The rest will be about what’s mostly seen by fans and the rest of the public which is automatically your music. 

The concept is not necessarily daringly romantic. After all, what you’re trying to promote here is the clothes. But your chemistry is maintained with a few fleeting touches here and there. In one shot, you two were holding hands and the other has his arm is loosely wrapped around your neck. 

You and Soonyoung are careful to not get lost in each other’s eyes during the short breaks in between because the cameras were still rolling. Although, his soft touches on your hand and arm still lingered. On the other hand, you help him fix his hair whenever he gets excited and jumps from time to time. You could kiss him right now, but again, you want to be careful. 

The shoot concluded faster than you thought and the next thing you know, the two of you are sitting side by side with a camera blinking red in front, ready to record the interview included in the contract. 

The interview consisted of questions that’s nothing out of the ordinary. The magazine asked about your favorite go-to styles lately, your look inspirations, a little bit of this or that, your recent music releases or favorite music releases at the moment and of course something about your relationship that you're comfortable and willing enough to share. 

But one particular question caught you off guard that you had to hold your tears and brave through the rest of the interview without showing any signs that you’re about to cry.

“How have you guys been lately, individually?”

“I’ve been great,” you quickly answer with a smile that didn’t even reach your eyes. The camera may not have noticed, but Soonyoung did. It took a lot of patience and restraint for your boyfriend to stop himself from cutting the interviewer off to ask you again how you really have been. 

Everything that was in store for the two of you today ends and when the cameras are gone, you and Soonyoung hand in hand walk back to your dressing room. It’s a relief that this is the last project for the day and you’re glad you could get some rest for the coming week.

Your body slumps on the couch while the staff pack up. You puff out a breath before closing your eyes. You wish you could yell out how tired you are lately. Work piled up over the course of six months and you couldn’t have at least two days away from the makeup and flashing lights. 

Soonyoung bites his lower lip as he settles beside you. He’s contemplating whether he should ask you now or later because he doesn’t want you to grow conscious and shut yourself away. He knows how brave and strong you are. But he also wants you to know that you can trust him and that if you ever need a shoulder to cry or at least lean on, his are more than welcoming. 

“You okay, babe?” He asks in the quiet as the staff leaves one by one. “Anything bothering you?”

You surprise him by sitting up straight and opening your eyes, welling with tears. That makes him shoot up and instantly hug you close. “Oh baby.”

You finally cry and set free the tears that you’ve been locking deep within you. You thought you could brave through this pain and anxiety without having the need to shed any vulnerability. You thought this shall pass soon. You thought you could do this. 

But here you are now letting go with sniffles and shaking shoulders as Soonyoung gently caresses the top of your head. 

He hates to see you cry. But it’s only right to let you. 

“I just feel like I’m going to miss out on everything if I turn down any project offered to me.”

Soonyoung pouts when he hears what’s been bothering you. It took a while for you to calm down and finally talk, but it’s okay. He doesn’t mind. He will never mind. 

“I understand, honey,” he assures you and wipes your tear stained cheek. “And there’s nothing wrong with feeling that way.”

Your lips shake again and crying makes you want to hide. Without hesitation, you crawl to your boyfriend’s lap and wrap your arms around his shoulder. Soonyoung doesn’t complain and just keeps you close, protective arms around your waist.

The dressing room is empty except for the two of you. The staff got the message once Soonyoung pleaded with them through his eyes to give you some time with him since you’re already done for the day.

“It’s also okay to work and work,” he continues, soothing hands rubbing against your back. “But at some point, it’s also okay to take a break for them.”

You pull away and rest your hands on his neck. “Even though I’m going to miss out?”

Soonyoung nods and leans his forehead against yours. “Yes and there’s also nothing wrong with that.”

“I seriously want to go on a trip with my family,” you say and sigh. “And of course, with you too.”

Soonyoung can’t help but giggle. “I’d love to. How about next month? Let’s go somewhere with your family or friends. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?”

Your boyfriend’s enthusiasm puts a smile on your face and this time, the smile reaches your eyes. “Let’s go somewhere quiet first. I want to take a long nap before we proceed to do anything that needs an awake body.”

“You got it, babe,” Soonyoung promises and kisses your lips.

[rose-sereniteeth]

[1] A scandal @ Seventeen’s

[Sereniverse]: [1]

Pairing: dom!Jeonghan, dom!Joshua, switch!Hoshi x sub!reader, (Chan cameo :3)

Word count: 1.8k

Genre & Warnings: kinda idol!au, poly!seventeen, crack, sexual themes, suggestive, maybe smut if I ever write it, sir kink if u squint, explicit language

Summary: In which the boys look way too tasty after a formal appointment and you just can't hide your feelings, leading to Joshua, Hoshi and Jeonghan showing you how good they can make you feel.

A/N: this is the first thing I really ever wrote plus the first time I’m posting shits on tumblr so pls don’t kill me :) I’m proud! Confident enough to post it... Imma prolly add the spicy part at some point, I just don’t know when yet and I’ll also not guarantee anything. Anyways I hope u enjoy this non-proofread piece of text :3 ~B

Inspired by:

"I want Hoshi's lips on my neck real bad traveling to my shoulder and collar bones and leaving marks on their way"

You felt him right behind you and you could hear the smirk in his voice "Hey there, little kitty." He stepped even closer and couldn't stop himself from touching you, his hands now resting on your hips. Your heart stopped as you kept staring at Joshua who had just leaned back in his chair, dashing smile evident on his lips. Though it was more smug than usual.

Hoshi's right hand crept up from your hip over your chest to grab your chin and tilt your head a little to the side. You felt his chest press to your back. He just wanted a taste. He lowered his head to your shoulder and used his free hand to push your hoodie away from it. He glanced at Joshua, whose smile faded slowly as he was instead biting his bottom lip when Hoshi started placing small, feather-light kisses to your skin.

He worked his way from your shoulder up to your neck, where he started nipping at the skin. Your eyes fluttered shut and you had to use all your strength to not sigh and completely melt into Hoshi's touch. You tried to steady your senses by grabbing onto Hoshi's hand that was still bending your head to the side but the quietly seated Joshua, who was watching Hoshi's every move intently, enjoying your reactions, didn't approve of that "Tssk, don't let her do that, she is not in control."

Following the elder's instructions, Hoshi took his hand from your jaw briefly to grab both of your wrists and hold them behind your back with just his left hand. As you tried tugging yourself free timidly Hoshi grabbed your jaw with his now free right hand again harshly. His voice was right next to your ear now, low and intimidating "Don't even think about it, little Kitty."

You whimpered at his words which, apparently, wasn't enough for Joshua, who seemed to be in charge of the whole situation. In the blink of an eye he stood right before you, tilting your head with his thumb and index finger so you had to look at him. Hoshi's hand had shifted and had now settled on your neck as he didn't stop marking your skin. A small noise left your lips as he delivered one particularly harsh suck to your delicate skin. Joshua came even closer. You could feel his breath on your face as he spoke "Didn't Hoshi tell you something?" He still smiled and you wondered how someone could look as angelic and yet intimidating as him. "I will punish you if you don't answer him soon, Sweetpea." His words sent shivers down your spine and heat to your core as you mumbled a little "Yes". 

"I couldn't hear you, Princess." Joshua's low voice made him even more intimidating than he already was as he stared down at you intensely. "Y-yes" you repeated, louder this time but not as strong as you had hoped. "Yes what?" He asked. 

"Yes.. Sir." 

Your brain momentarily short circuited at what you had just said and it didn't help that Joshua pressed a small kiss of approval to your hairline before getting back into his seat.

"Now be a good girl and let us have our way with you." He added, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Sir." Joshua smiled at your obedience. "Just like that. Good Kitty."

You didn't even notice that Hoshi had let go of your wrists, his hand moving down your belly now when suddenly the door opened and a very clueless Chan entered the room, originally wanting to get his charger. As he saw you standing in front of Joshua, Hoshi behind you, holding you in place, he stopped dead in his tracks. His surprised stare quickly turned into a cheeky grin, winking at Joshua first and then looking at Hoshi, whose hand had stopped creeping downwards and whose merciless lips gave your already marked skin a break for a moment.

A soft "Fuck" left Chan's lips at the sight of you at Hoshi's and Joshua's mercy. You looked at him hazily, panting.

He shot a grin to Joshua and backed out of the room with a sly smirk to let them continue what they had started with you. 

Hoshi gave Joshua a questioning look as he waited for the go of his Hyung. It made you question what they had done in the past; how this hierarchy had formed. When Joshua gave a quick "Go on, Hoshi" you almost moaned at the stern tone in his voice. 

Hoshi then turned you around so you were facing him and slowly walked towards you. You backed off as far as you could but your back soon hit the wall behind you. Hoshi came impossibly close. He lifted his hand and brushed a strand of hair out of your face which caused your heart to skip a beat when suddenly the door sprung open yet again and an extremely good-looking Jeonghan entered the room. "I heard you were having fun without me." "Seems like the kid talked, huh?" Joshua stated with a smirk.

Jeonghan wore a black dress shirt, unlike the white ones Hoshi and Joshua were wearing. All of the boys had dressed formally today and you had almost drooled earlier when you saw them in their suits and dress shirts, trying your best to not gawk at them like a teenage fangirl. Needless to say that you failed miserably which ultimately led to the situation you were in right now. 

Jeonghan stood next to Joshua now, both of the men that had tortured you for the last minutes looking at him expectantly. It was an understatement to say that you were scared. Mostly for your sanity. Jeonghan took a moment to look at the state you were in, before he chuckled. The sound made the small hairs on your arms stand. 

His next words made you wonder whether you were in hell or in heaven. Probably something in between.

"Joshua, please close the door for me. Hoshi, put this on her eyes." Jeonghan said as he crossed the room, sitting down in the big armchair across from the bed. He loosened his black tie and Hoshi wasted no time fetching it from him, returning back to you.

Joshua immediately got up and closed the door, returning to his seat right after. A thank you was heard from the man that had just entered the room.

At the same time Hoshi turned back to you, a cocky grin on his plump lips as he took your hand to pull you to the middle of the room. You were standing right before Jeonghan now who watched you like a predator stalking his prey. 

You felt Hoshi's body right behind you as he blindfolded you with the tie he had been given. As he did so, he placed wet kisses on your neck and shoulders and you shuddered under his touch. 

"Good boy, Hoshi" you heard Jeonghan coo when Hoshi had finished what he was told. 

"Now what should we do with this little dessert in front of us?" Jeonghan questioned next. 

"Hmm," Joshua said, "she has been good for us, but not good enough yet. I believe the little Tiger should turn her into a little whiny mess, cumming on his fingers, making her beg for more." The smile was still evident in his honey-like voice but you thought to yourself that the cute and sweet Joshua you knew must have been replaced by a demon.

You could hear Jeonghan shift in his seat. "That sounds like a grand idea, Joshua, but I would want to make one simple change…" he said. "I will make her writhe and shiver, turn her into a little whiny mess and make her cum all over my fingers."

Your soul left your body.

"But-" you heard Hoshi try to protest but he was quickly cut off by Joshua "Aish! No complaining Hoshi or did you forget what happened last time?" If it wasn't for the blindfold you would have seen Hoshi's eyes widen as he remembered just what had happened last time he talked back at his Hyungs. "N-no, I- no, I did not forget. I'm… sorry. I'm sorry! Sounds like a good plan!!" He stuttered.

"Thought so" was all Joshua had to say to that, his attention shifting to you again. 

"(Y/N), Pumpkin, come here, sit in my lap." Jeonghan said, standing up to help you find him. He took your hand gently and led you in the direction of his seat. Your heart hammered in your chest like it wanted to jump out as he sat down and pulled you into his lap, your back to his chest. 

Hoshi made a small noise from where he stood and you could hear Joshua's sweet voice cooing at him "Hoshi love, c'mere baby." 

///

About three hours later Joshua was carrying you down the staircase. You clung onto him as if you were scared he might disappear as he comforted you with his sweet words and kissed your face and hair over and over again, telling you how good you had done for them.

They had wrecked you completely. You were sure that you had never felt as good before as they made you feel. You would for sure remember that night and you would probably have a hard time walking straight for a while.

When Jeonghan opened the door to the main living area you were met with ten very curious pairs of eyes. They had heard everything. Every noise you made and every moan that escaped your lips. 

"Jesus, what did you do to her?" Minghao questioned the three men that were bringing you to Joshua's bedroom as he stood up quickly, looking at your small form. Hoshi couldn't stop a small smile from spreading over his face, saying "Ah.. You know.. this and that.." as he scratched the back of his head. 

"Her neck is completely red and purple..!" Woozi stated excitedly.

Mingyu, who was seated on the sofa to the right, crossed his arms "And you didn't even tell me! I've wanted to do that for ages!!" He cried out, scandalized. 

Now it was Vernon's turn to stand up. He crossed the room and brushed your disheveled hair out of your face. "Are you okay? Is she okay, guys?" He first asked you and then the other three. He was a bit worried even if he knew he didn't have to be. Even though you didn't really have your senses under control and couldn't open your eyes properly, you heard his question and felt the need to answer "Mmmh, yes Sir. 'M good."

Hearing that, Seungkwan spat the tea he had just been sipping across the room. “YES WHAT???” He was the one looking scandalized now. 

[usergreenpixel]

JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 1: La Seine no Hoshi (1975)

1. Introduction

Well, dear reader, here it is. My first ever official review. And, as promised, this is one of the pieces of Frev media that you have likely never heard of before.

So, without further ado, sit down, relax, grab drinks and snacks and allow me to tell you about an anime called “La Seine no Hoshi” (The Star of the Seine).

“La Seine no Hoshi” is a children’s anime series made by Studio Sunrise. It consists of 39 episodes and was originally broadcast in Japan from April 4th to December 26th of 1975.

Unlike its more famous contemporary, a manga called “Rose of Versailles” that had begun being released in 1972 and is considered a classic to this day, “La Seine no Hoshi” has stayed relatively obscure both in the world of anime and among other Frev pop culture.

Personally, the only reason why I found out about its existence was the fact that I actively seek out everything Frev-related and I just happened to stumble upon the title on an anime forum several years ago.

So far, the anime has been dubbed into Italian, French, German and Korean but there is no English or even Spanish dub so, unfortunately, people who do not speak fluent Japanese or any other aforementioned language are out of luck ( if anyone decides to make a fandub of the series, call me). That being said, the series is readily available in dubs and the original version on YouTube, which is where I ended up watching it. The French dub calls the anime “La Tulipe Noire” (The Black Tulip), which could be an homage to the movie with the same name that takes place in the same time period.

Unfortunately, while I do speak Japanese well enough to maintain a basic conversation and interact with people in casual daily situations, I’m far from fluent in the language so the version I watched was the French dub, seeing as I am majoring in French.

So, with all of this info in mind, let’s find out what the story is about and proceed to the actual review.

2. The Summary

(Note: Names of the characters in the French dub and the original version differ so I will use names from the former since that’s what I watched)

The story of “La Seine no Hoshi” revolves around a 15-year old girl called Mathilde Pasquier - a daughter of two Parisian florists who helps her parents run their flower shop and has a generally happy life.

But things begin to change when Comte de Vaudreuil, an elderly Parisian noble to whom Mathilde delivers flowers in the second episode, takes her under his wing and starts teaching her fencing for an unknown reason and generally seems to know more about her than he lets on.

Little does Mathilde know, those fencing lessons will end up coming in handy sooner than she expected. When her parents are killed by corrupt nobles, the girl teams up with Comte de Vaudreuil’s son, François, to fight against corruption as heroes of the people, all while the revolution keeps drawing near day by day and tensions in the city are at an all time high.

This is the gist of the story, dear readers, so with that out of the way, here’s the actual review:

3. The Story

Honestly, I kind of like the plot. It has a certain charm to it, like an old swashbuckling novel, of which I’ve read a lot as a kid.

The narrative of a “hero of the common folk” has been a staple in literature for centuries so some might consider the premise to be unoriginal, but I personally like this narrative more than “champion of the rich” (Looking at you, Scarlet Pimpernel) because, historically, it really was a difficult time for commoners and when times are hard people tend to need such heroes the most.

People need hope, so it’s no surprise that Mathilde and François (who already moonlights as a folk hero, The Black Tulip) become living legends thanks to their escapades.

Interestingly enough, the series also subverts a common trope of a hero seeking revenge for the death of his family. Mathilde is deeply affected by the death of her parents but she doesn’t actively seek revenge. Instead, this tragedy makes the fight and the upcoming revolution a personal matter to her and motivates her to fight corruption because she is not the only person who ended up on its receiving end.

The pacing is generally pretty good but I do wish there were less filler episodes and more of the overarching story that’s dedicated to the secret that Comte de Vaudreuil and Mathilde’s parents seem to be hiding from her and maybe it would be better if the secret in question was revealed to the audience a bit later than episode 7 or so.

However, revealing the twist early on is still an interesting narrative choice because then the main question is not what the secret itself is but rather when and how Mathilde will find out and how she will react, not to mention how it will affect the story.

That being said, even the filler episodes do drive home the point that a hero like Mathilde is needed, that nobles are generally corrupt and that something needs to change. Plus, those episodes were still enjoyable and entertaining enough for me to keep watching, which is good because usually I don’t like filler episodes much and it’s pretty easy to make them too boring.

Unfortunately, the show is affected by the common trope of the characters not growing up but I don’t usually mind that much. It also has the cliché of heroes being unrecognizable in costumes and masks, but that’s a bit of a staple in the superhero stories even today so it’s not that bothersome.

4. The Characters

It was admittedly pretty rare for a children’s show to have characters who were fleshed out enough to seem realistic and flawed, but I think this series gives its characters more development than most shows for kids did at the time.

I especially like Mathilde as a character. Sure, at first glance she seems like a typical Nice Pretty Ordinary Girl ™️ but that was a part of the appeal for me.

I am a strong believer in that a character does not need to be a blank slate or a troubled jerk to be interesting and Mathilde is neither of the above. She is essentially an ordinary girl with her own life, family, friends, personality and dreams and, unfortunately, all of that is taken away from her when her parents are killed.

Her initial reluctance to participate in the revolution is also pretty realistic as she is still trying to live her own life in peace and she made a promise to her parents to stay safe so there’s that too.

I really like the fact that the show did not give her magic powers and that she was not immediately good at fencing. François does remark that her fencing is not bad for a beginner but in those same episodes she is clearly shown making mistakes and it takes her time to upgrade from essentially François’s assistant in the heroic shenanigans to a teammate he can rely on and sees as an equal. Heck, later there’s a moment when Mathilde saves François, which is a nice tidbit of her development.

Mathilde also doesn’t have any romantic subplots, which is really rare for a female lead.

She has a childhood friend, Florent, but the two are not close romantically and they even begin to drift apart somewhat once Florent becomes invested in the revolution. François de Vaudreuil does not qualify for a love interest either - his father does take Mathilde in and adopts her after her parents are killed so François is more of an older brother than anything else.

Now, I’m not saying that romance is necessarily a bad thing but I do think that not having them is refreshing than shoehorning a romance into a story that’s not even about it. Plus most kids don’t care that much for romance to begin with so I’d say that the show only benefits from the creative decision of not setting Mathilde up with anyone.

Another interesting narrative choice I’d like to point out is the nearly complete absence of historical characters, like the revolutionaries. They do not make an appearance at all, save for Saint-Just’s cameo in one of the last episodes and, fortunately, he doesn’t get demonized. Instead, the revolutionary ideas are represented by Florent, who even joins the Jacobin Club during the story and is the one who tries to get Mathilde to become a revolutionary. Other real people, like young Napoleon and Mozart, do appear but they are also cameo characters, which does not count.

Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI are exceptions to the rule.

(Spoiler alert!)

Marie-Antoinette is portrayed as kind of spoiled and out of touch. Her spending habits get touched on too but she is not a malicious person at heart. She is simply flawed. She becomes especially important to the story later on when Mathilde finds out the secret that has been hidden from her for her entire life.

As it turns out, Marie- Antoinette, the same queen Mathilde hated so much, is the girl’s older half-sister and Mathilde is an illegitimate daughter of the Austrian king and an opera singer, given to a childless couple of florists to be raised in secret so that her identity can be protected.

The way Marie-Antoinette and Mathilde are related and their further interactions end up providing an interesting inner conflict for Mathilde as now she needs to reconcile this relationship with her sister and her hatred for the corruption filling Versailles.

The characters are not actively glorified or demonized for the most part and each side has a fair share of sympathetic characters but the anime doesn’t shy away from showing the dark sides of the revolution either, unlike some other shows that tackle history (*cough* Liberty’s Kids comes to mind *cough*).

All in all, pretty interesting characters and the way they develop is quite realistic too, even if they could’ve been more fleshed out in my opinion.

5. The Voice Acting

Pretty solid. No real complaints here. I’d say that the dub actors did a good job.

6. The Setting

I really like the pastel and simple color scheme of Paris and its contrast with the brighter palette of Versailles. It really drives home the contrast between these two worlds.

The character designs are pretty realistic, simple and pleasant to watch. No eyesores like neon colors and overly cutesy anime girls with giant tiddies here and that’s a big plus in my book.

7. The Conclusion

Like I said, the show is not available in English and those who are able to watch it might find it a bit cliché but, while it’s definitely not perfect. I actually quite like it for its interesting concept, fairly realistic characters and a complex view of the French Revolution. I can definitely recommend this show, if only to see what it’s all about.

Some people might find this show too childish and idealistic, but I’m not one of them.

I’m almost 21 but I still enjoy cartoons and I’m fairly idealistic because cynicism and nihilism do not equal maturity and, if not for the “silly” idealism, Frev itself wouldn’t happen so I think shows like that are necessary too, even if it’s just for escapism.

If you’re interested and want to check it out, more power to you.

Anyway, thank you for attending the first ever official meeting of the Jacobin Fiction Convention. Second meeting is coming soon so stay tuned for updates.

Have a good day, Citizens! I love you!

- Citizen Green Pixel