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rosethornewrites · 2 years ago

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Vash the Stampede as a Contemporary Outlaw Figure

(This is a paper I wrote nearly 20 years ago. It is also a first draft, and were I to rewrite it, I would make major structural changes. It was written for a Robin Hood literature class, and the assignment was to analyze a contemporary outlaw figure in a work of fiction using the framework developed in the course. I received an A on the paper, and the professor loved it because most folks just did it on Robin Hood.)

The twenty-six episode Japanese anime series Trigun was originally published as an eight-volume Japanese manga (graphic novel or comic book) by Yasuhiro Nightow in 1997. In 1998, the manga was turned into an animated series, which was directed by Satoshi Nishimura. Trigun’s genre is rather interesting, as the setting is a desert planet called Gunsmoke, so the series itself is a mix between science fiction and westerns. Interestingly, the year 1998 is sometimes referred to by Japanese anime fans as “the year of the ‘space cowboy’ animes” because of two other anime outlaw series that were produced in the same year: Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop (Raye).

The main character of Trigun is Vash the Stampede, also known as the Humanoid Typhoon, a man questing for love and peace. Vash is tall with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He is distinctively marked by a mole on his cheek and an earring, and he always wears a red trenchcoat. As the title of the series implies, he wields three guns: one “regular revolver, the hidden gun in his artificial left arm, and… the Angel Arm” (Adam). Vash has a bounty of sixty million double-dollars on his head because he destroyed the town of July with the Angel Arm. The setting of Trigun creates problems for this outlaw, as Gunsmoke is technically uninhabitable. The cities on Gunsmoke have to use technology to protect themselves from the harsh elements, so when Vash destroyed July it was a death sentence for the surviving residents. In fact, there should be no humans on the planet at all, but a colony fleet crash-landed on the planet centuries before. It is later revealed that Vash is not human and was born on the vessels. His twin brother and the major villain of Trigun, Knives, decided that humanity was evil and had to be kept from spreading to the rest of the universe and caused the near-fatal crash. Knives is also able to manipulate Vash’s Angel Arm[1] and was the true cause of the destruction of July. At the end of Trigun, Vash and Knives battle one another. Vash wins, but refuses to kill Knives.

Vash has three companions: Meryl Strife, Millie Thompson, and Nicholas D. Wolfwood. The major villains are members of the Gung-Ho Guns, a misfit gang of technologically or genetically enhanced humans who serve Knives in his quest to rid Gunsmoke of all humans. The Gung-Ho Guns follow Vash wherever he goes and cause trouble that is generally blamed on him. The main members of the gang, who Vash fights at various points in the series, include: Legato Bluesummers, Monev the Gale, Dominique the Cyclops, E.G. Mine, Rai-Dei the Blade, Leonof the Puppetmaster, Grey the Ninelives, Hopperd the Gantlet, Zazie the Beast, Chapel the Evergreen, Caine the Longshot, and Midvalley the Hornfreak. Various other villains not associated with the Gung-Ho Guns, appear in the anime as well.

Vash the Stampede is a contemporary outlaw figure. The series itself follows very closely with traditional outlaw themes, though much of the underlying philosophy and mysticism is decidedly Eastern. Trigun can be easily viewed as an outlaw tale using the tracking outline. In addition, it is important to look briefly at the birth of the Japanese outlaw figure.

Trigun exhibits many qualities common in outlaw tales, though with a different and sometimes unabashedly silly flavor. Instead of a reigning monarch, Gunsmoke is ruled by the Bernardelli Insurance Company, which initially outlaws Vash and places the bounty on his head for the destruction of July. Of course, the desire to gain that bounty causes mayhem wherever Vash goes, and things simply get worse. Gunsmoke is run by the whims of the insurance company, coupled with the whims of town mayors and sheriffs, who are often corrupt. There are several examples of this. In episode four, the owner of the town water supply, Mr. Cliff, turns out to be blocking it for economic gain, which has forced the town residents to flee or die of dehydration. In episode four, the town patron, Grim Reaper Bostock, and the town sheriff, Stan, are revealed to have murdered innocent people to gain their positions. In episode ten, an unnamed town mayor takes a woman and child hostage in an attempt to force Wolfwood to kill Vash so the mayor can acquire the sixty million double-dollar bounty. In each instance, Vash tricks the villains and delivers justice, setting things right again, though often leaving quite a bit of damage in his wake.

Vash “recruits” followers quite inadvertently. Meryl and Millie, two employees of the Bernardelli Insurance Company, meet Vash in episode one, but do not believe that he is really Vash the Stampede because, as Meryl says quite blatantly, Vash acts like a bumbling idiot. However, they keep running into each other because the two insurance agents are chasing Vash sightings. During their initial meeting, Vash rescues them from two bounty hunters who end up destroying a town in an attempt to capture or kill him. As the story unfolds, Meryl and Millie slowly realize that he really is Vash the Stampede. Through their observation of Vash, they come to understand, to a certain degree, that the destruction that follows him is not his fault. In fact, several times they help him restore justice in the towns of Gunsmoke. Despite their reports of this to the Bernardelli Insurance Company, Vash is labeled a human natural disaster and the insurance company stops paying for damages caused by him. Meryl and Millie become outlaws, of sorts, by continuing to follow Vash against company orders. Similarly, in episode nine, Vash saves Wolfwood from dehydration in the desert. In the same episode they work together to save a child. Though Wolfwood doesn’t join the three immediately, they run into him several more times. When Vash and Wolfwood are forced to fight each other in episode ten, it becomes obvious early in that they are evenly matched. Following the battle, Wolfwood becomes a permanent fixture in the series as a traveling companion.

The code that Vash exhibits is also very similar to that of the traditional outlaw. One of his oft-repeated lines is “This world is made of love and peace!” and he travels Gunsmoke questing for those two ideals. In addition, Vash tries to help those in need and believes in protecting the helpless and innocent, especially women and children. However, his biggest code of conduct is his refusal to kill. Vash tries to get his travel companions to follow this particular code of conduct over all others, especially Wolfwood, who has no qualms about killing those who attack him. Wolfwood obeys until near the end of the series, when he kills a child: Zazie the Beast, who controls sandworms and is trying to kill not only Vash and the others, but also several dozen orphaned children. Vash is outraged by this because he was convinced that Zazie was simply misguided and could be helped, and a rift forms between him and Wolfwood, which never heals because Wolfwood is killed. Similarly, Vash is forced to kill Legato Bluesummers, a telepath who can take control of humans’ actions, which drives him to a mental breakdown.

Vash’s determination not to kill is very complicated in its origin and consequences. Vash promised a woman named Rem Saverem that he would never kill. Rem is the outlaw’s love interest, though she is much different from the Maid Marian figure: Rem is dead. Ironically, Knives is the person who killed her when he tried to destroy the fleet of colony ships. Rather than escaping death with Vash and Knives, Rem went back and altered the course of the other ships enough to prevent them from burning up in Gunsmoke’s atmosphere, giving the humans aboard a chance to survive. Rem is a powerful figure in Trigun, and almost acts as a patron saint, appearing in dreams that sometimes warn Vash of danger and in flashbacks that show that she is the basis for the system of moral values that Vash follows. Rem’s appearance is generally accompanied by the Greenwood vision of red geranium blossoms, which, she explains in one flashback, represent determination and courage[2]. Vash’s refusal to kill is his attempt to keep Rem alive, and killing Legato causes a breakdown because breaking his promise to Rem reminds him of her death. Though he would never acknowledge it, part of the purpose of Vash’s activities is vengeance, though in the end he forgives his brother and stands by his promise to Rem, deciding to reform Knives.

Trigun also has some major comparative scenes that fit the traditional outlaw tale. For example, in episode three, Vash plays an altered version of the game of truth. He and Frank Marlon, who repairs Vash’s gun, save a town from bandits using only their fingers, which they pretend are guns, Vash with his in a pocket and Frank with his up against the lead bandit’s head. At various points in the series, mayors and sheriffs, along with other characters, break their oaths, welcoming Vash with open arms only to betray him in an attempt to get the bounty. For example, in episode six, Vash is hired by a woman named Elizabeth to protect her while she repairs the plant that protects the town. However, she sabotages the plant and locks Vash in it because she is a survivor of the July incident and wants revenge so badly that she is willing to sacrifice a town. Vash also has a habit of helping his enemies or taking service with them. For example, in episode two, Vash is hired to protect Mr. Cliff, stumbles upon his criminal activities, and seeks justice. In episode five, Vash saves the women who were holding him at gunpoint when their lives are threatened by outlaw mercenaries hired to kill or capture him. Vash defeats the outlaws and donates their bounty to the town, despite the fact that the townspeople had tried to kill him.

Contemporary outlaw themes also run through Trigun. The Greenwood theme is apparent in most of the flashback scenes with Rem, many of which take place in a garden on the ship and are accompanied by the symbolism of red geraniums. Vash also conforms to the idea of the good outlaw. His “outlawry does not bring shame upon [him], but instead proves [him] to be superior to [his] opponents, both in martial prowess and… in moral integrity” (Ohlgren xxiv). Vash meets his match in his draw with Wolfwood and later in his battle against his brother, though he emerges victorious. There is a repeated carnivalesque theme in Trigun, as the revealed corrupt officials are placed on the level of an outlaw while Vash acts as the official. Vash also plays the role of the trickster repeatedly, disguising himself once as a farmer in an effort to escape his outlawry and its heavy burden. Trigun also contains many elements of Monomyth; for example, Vash and Knives are pitted against one another in a battle over the fate of humanity and eventually must reconcile. In this reconciliation, Vash is able to understand and learn to control his destructive Angel Arm. In his battle against Knives and with his eventual understanding of his brother and also himself, Vash matures.

Trigun contains quite a bit of social conflict, especially between officials and the rich (the aristocracy and bourgeoisie), and the ordinary citizens. Citizens are often helpless against the corruption in towns, and are villein rather than citizens. In addition, the only example of clergy is Wolfwood, who does not hesitate to use violence to accomplish his goals and often abandons a moral value if it is inconvenient. Furthermore, ethnic conflict is rather obvious. Knives falls from grace because of the prejudice he and Vash suffer on the ship because they are not human. In addition, the members of the Gung-Ho Guns are all freaks of nature, mutated by the harsh Gunsmoke climate and are not welcome in society.

Interestingly, Trigun’s Vash the Stampede also fits the Japanese version of a good outlaw, which is rather similar to the European version. Like the European good outlaw, the Japanese outlaw fights injustice for the common good. A famous historical rebel known as Sakamoto Ryouma, a samurai who participated in the Meiji Restoration that moved toward ridding Japan of the oppressive warrior class, fought against the shogun, eventually forcing him to resign and allow a new government to form. Sakamoto Ryouma “did not live to see the Meiji government come into existence,” because he was killed in the chaos in Kyoto following the resignation (Jansen 335). Sakamoto’s rebellion resulted in “the 1868 collapse of the Tokugawa shogun’s military government (Bakufu) and the restoration of power to Japan’s Imperial family” (Huddleston). Outlaw tales about the Meiji Restoration are extremely popular in Japan, the most famous being Rurouni Kenshin, which is at least partially based upon the story of Sakamoto Ryouma.

Trigun takes the traditional Meiji Restoration tale and sets it in the far future on a desert planet far from Earth. Vash is no different from the traditional Japanese outlaw of these tales: he seeks to atone for his sins (the destruction of July) and also wishes to attain justice for the people. His quest for love and peace, as well as justice, leads him to better the lives of many people, despite the destruction he leaves behind him. In addition, he learns important life lessons along the way, and is able to reconcile his past and move on toward the future.

Vash the Stampede’s adventures are that of a contemporary outlaw. Trigun has many of the same elements as traditional European outlaw tales, and the series also contains allusions to historical Japanese outlaws. When looking at Vash in this context, one can easily see Trigun’s value as a contemporary outlaw tale.

Works Cited

Adam. “Trigun Characters and Weapons.” TheOtaku.Com. 27 Sept 2004. 10 Nov 2004 <http://articles.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=21>.

Huddleston, Daniel. “The Meiji Restoration.” Animerica. October 2000: 9-10, 34.

Jansen, Marius B. Sakamoto Ryōma and the Meiji Restoration. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1961.

Nightow, Yasuhiro. Trigun. Geneon Entertainment.

Ohlgren, Thomas H. A Book of Medieval Outlaws. Thrupp: Sutton Publishing, 1998.

Raye. “Trigun.” Spectrum Nexus. 9 July 2001. 10 Nov 2004 <http://thespectrum.net/review_trigun.shtml>.

[1] This is because the Japanese believe that twins have a connection that borders on magical. Often times in Japanese stories, twins have the ability to communicate with one another telepathically. This magical quality associated with twins may be because Japanese twins are very rare.

[2] Vash wears a red trenchcoat for this reason as well.

#tumblr university #vash the stampede #wolfwood #academic papers #academia #trigun

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jokerskellington · 15 days ago

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How did the au designs come to be???

Well, it actually started with the famous carnival au! That au had inspired Bon and we have our own priv discord server that we vc in sometimes, and one day we were in the vc when Bon brought up wanting to make a tadc horror au. I'm a horror buff so I was instantly on board and even used my own dvds to collect ideas. One pitch was a toy au inspired by The Toybox by The Stupendium. I am a HUGE Puppetmaster fan (I own EVERY movie, reboot included), and so the idea of using puppets came up. Bon had watched the Sideshow 2 parter of Creeped Out on Netflix and we combined them. I found old victorian-esque marionettes on Google, which was where my son Freakshow Jax's design came from! This very clown marionette pictured below!

Puppetry also inspired Gangle's role, and Pomni's design, hence her jointed limbs. For Caine's design we near instantly knew we HAD to use The Greatest Showman as inspiration. Not just because of the musical factor but the actual history of P.T. Barnum himself. Aingle was Bon's idea, 100% inspired by a two headed Gangle design from the au of a friend of ours. I suggested the 'twins' to use victims as puppets for stage performances(hence Kaufmo's head in early artworks lol). We struggled with Zooble until we came up with strongman. Because since Zooble can change parts I was thinking they could take parts from the victims, and acquire their strength. Magician Kinger, assistant Ragatha, Bubble, and Dancer Pomni were all designed by Bon. She had ended up staying up late after I went to bed in the very same vc we had designed Jax, Caine, and Zooble in. I was up at the start of Ragatha, who was originally an acrobat. But we switched it to magician's assistant and Bon found the design inspos for her. So I didn't help too much. The next day we did Gangle and Aingle, and Pomni. Again, Pomni's design was all Bon. I only helped in the role and on color palette opinion. Lastly, the creepiness in the art itself. We wanted it to be semi-realistic and visceral to add unsettling factors to disturb the viewer and really sell the horror. So The Mandela Catalogue was a pretty big inspirationto make them eerily uncanny. Hands down I say Caine, Jax, and the 'twins' were the funnest to design, at least for me. (P.S. while we do have a strict no canon ships rule for our au so the fans can ship as they want, two of our favorites are Jaxmo and Ragangle lol. But shhh, didn't hear it from me!/j) But obviously I AM biased to my special son Jax, since I was the one behind most of his design. He and Kaufmo WERE partners and his death by the hands of Aingle IS what lead him to snapping and becoming what he is now, which is why he looks creepy now. As promised now to wrap this up, thank you for the question, and @hootbon and I genuinely, deeply appreciate how much our au has grown to be loved, even getting it's own fandom. We freak out EVERY time we see your fanmade creations and content! And this is a personal request but PLEASE, I AM STARVING FOR JAXMO CONTENT. 🥺🙏🏻❤❤❤❤ PLEEEEEAAAAAASE feed us with some Jaxmo, Ragangle, and even CainexPomni content! We love each and every single fan and hope everyone continues to enjoy our beloved Freakshow AU! Have a great day everyone!!! And remember to check out @hootbon 's tumblr for ALL of our Freakshow content! Including sketches, artworks, comics, facts, lore information, you name it! Bye!!!

#tadc freakshow

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barbossas-wench · 6 years ago

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Doodles from Nov-Dec when I start obsession with Halloween Horror Nights

Since I've got into HHN, I've been fall for Paulo (my fave icon) of course and also Albert, Cindy, Dr. White were also my favorites

#halloween horror nights #paulo ravinski #the daughter of the undead #dr. white #albert caine #cindy caine #billy skorrski #the puppetmaster #max draws

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tadc-harlequin-au · 1 month ago

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Reflections Stop mocking me

You ever just feel so terrible you started making an experimental art piece with an artstyle you've never dabbled into before? Yeah me too

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iamespecter · 7 months ago

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HARLEQUIN AU - Kingr Character showcase (+WIP Harlequin!Pomni and Puppetmaster!Caine)

I actually made these yesterday for when I eventually make a masterpost about the Harlequin/Puppet AU, and the more I think about it, the more I realize that it might've been the making of Kingr's design showcase was what made my hand hurt. A LOT

... It's okay I still love how he turned out <3

(P.S, Kinger is intentionally missing the "e" from his name in this AU)

(P.P.S, I didn't mean to make Pomni and Caine mirror each other's stances)

#tadc #tadc au #the amazing digital circus #harlequin au #pomni #caine #kinger #artists on tumblr #digital art #wip art

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stories-from-the-batcave · 4 years ago

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Cassandra Cain (Wanye) Fic Rec List

Hello again and welcome back to another rec list! This week we’ve got ten mostly gen Cass based fics and series for y’all to enjoy, as requested by an Anon.

Yes I know it’s late, blame the disparity of Cass-centric fics out there. On that note, another disclaimer that there are some fics here I haven’t read, sadly.

As always absolutely no bat*est here. Leave a rec list request in our askbox and we’ll get to it soon :) Without further ado....

Unspoken by Arsenic

7k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Bruce & Cass

“Instead of beginning his adoption spree with Dick, it is Cass who lands on Bruce's radar--and in his home--first.”

I’m Still Breathing by DontTouchTheSun

1k+ | T+ | Complete | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Bruce & Cass, Cass & David Cain

“"You're fourteen and there’s blood on your hands. The knife’s on the ground and the body’s in front of you and your face is stained with tears."

Cassandra Cain's life from age 3 to 21.”

Cass Appreciation Prompt series by RenaRoo

Instead of the usual description format I’m just going to say that there are 41 works in this series, multiple pairings, lots of gen relationships, several different ratings, and warnings. The only constant is the focus on Cass Cain, pay attention to the tags if you decide to read.

Cass-napped by NightOwl1600

8k+ | G | Complete | Gen | Creator Chose not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Cass & Bruce, Cass & Jason & Dick

“Cassandra Wayne usually doesn’t get kidnapped. Not like her brothers do. Mostly because she makes good decisions when it comes to her civilian life. Bruce usually doesn’t have to worry about her. But when one group of thugs gets a lucky snatch on Bruce Wayne’s only daughter, Bruce and the rest of the family find themselves scrambling to get her back. Cass, on the other hand, is scrambling to find her patience so she doesn't die of boredom.”

What Names Make of Us by Loxare

5k+ | T+ | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Cass & Barbara, Cass & Tim, Cass & David Cain, Cass & Bruce

“Cassandra Cain, and the many names she has held.”

Didymus by Hinn_Raven

9k+ | T+ | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Jason & Cass, Barbara & Cass, Bruce & Cass, Jean Paul Valley & Cass

“Didymous: adjective: growing in pairs or twins.

Cassandra and Jason are born twins, raised by their father to be killers. Two heads are better than one.”

the cain conundrum by uhjpg

15K+ | N/A | Ongoing, 1/2 | N/A | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Cass & Jade Nguyen, Cass & Bruce, Jade Nguyen/Roy Harper

“Cassandra knew she had one chance to leave and so she took it. Too bad that nothing is as it seems and Cain is always one step ahead of her, playing at her strings like she's a puppet and he's the puppetmaster.

Though getting stuck with an internationally wanted assassin is a fun twist that she hadn't really seen coming.”

Family Doesn’t End in Blood by DesertLily @desert-lily

777 | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Cass & Bruce, Cass & Duke, Duke & Bruce

“She had never understood what it meant to be wanted as a person and not as a weapon. That was, of course, until Cassandra found a family that would gladly help her understand.”

how lovely it is to live by Quilium

Note these last two are parts of different series. I believe they can be read on their own, but I would recommend those series as well.

4k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply (a suicidal thoughts tw though)

Relationships: Bruce & Cass

“Cass flips on her tummy and immediately regrets it. The kitchen counter is hard. The edge is sticking into her chest. Her ribs want mercy.

Cass resists the cat-instinct-urge to bat at Jason's bowl of batter and push it right over the edge of the kitchen counter. Because she is not a cat, she is a person. Unfortunately.

OR: Cassandra Wayne, and figuring out life.”

When we’ve fallen in the dark by KrazySuperGirl

13k | G | Complete | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Cass & Bruce, Bruce & His Children

“The man waves his hand at her, beckoning her to follow. Then he turns around and walks towards the van, the little boy in his arms. He doesn’t look back, letting Cass choose whether to follow, though he keeps half his attention on her, waiting to see what she’ll do.

The boy in his arms knows he is safe.

She follows.

(Or: Cass finds Bruce, Bruce finds Cass, and Cass gets a home.)”

#cassandra cain #bruce wayne #batfam #fic rec list #batfam fics #dick grayson #jason todd #damian wayne #Stephanie Brown #tim drake #barbara gordon #fic rec

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amoralityplay · 4 years ago

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Tell us something about the world/universe in which your muse lives.

Ah, this is a good one! Credit also goes to @indigosighs for this, since we’ve been plotting this AU together.

The world in which all the muses in this AU live in is, essentially...this one. “Contemporary” threads take place in/near 2021, on an Earth with a similar history as ours. But...it’s a place where there are supernatural/mythological beings, though the average mortal doesn’t think they’re real: vampires, lycans, wendigos, revenants and other undead, doppelgangers, barghests, to name a few that have made appearances thus far (or will for sure). While there’s some biological basis behind some of these (vampires, for example, are humans infected with a virus that affects their immune system and stem cell production), supernatural beings and events are definitely real.

Vampires, in particular, are sort of the secret puppetmasters behind many things, and probably the most organized and populous supernatural creatures (I use this term loosely, there aren’t THAT many vampires, but probably more of them than other sorts of beings given the relative ease of transmitting a bloodborne virus and their cultural propensity for doing so to boost their own numbers, as governed by local coalition elders); they infiltrate government agencies, banks, hospitals, etc., though mostly for the purpose of ensuring they can remain secret and continue living their lives without interruption. Vampire hunters exist, too; most people think they’re just crazy conspiracy theorists in the modern era, but they definitely caused a lot of (vampire) pain and suffering in the past. Some biblical events, like Cain’s murder of Abel, happened also; it’s not just an allegory, and Cain was the first vampire (Audrey’s natal line goes back to one of his sons). Historical events generally happen as they do in reality, but some may have been influenced by these supernatural beings that roam the Earth.

That’s the gist of it, I’m feeling kinda smooth-brained today after spending all weekend doing work for my graduate courses, but this will definitely be elaborated on in other posts and in threads.

#[headcanons]#[askbox replies]#[tags tbd]#ivakir #[lore]

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just-mary-ann · 5 months ago

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What time is it? Correct! It's HARLEQUIN AU SHOWTIME!

AU belongs to @tadc-harlequin-au

Part three of the sequel of "Purple"

Part one

Part two

Lilac

⚠️WARNING ⚠️ little to no suggestive

_________________________________

Caine opened the door of his room and looked around.

"Empty. We can go."

He cautiously led Lailac by the hand. Surprisingly, they made it through the corridor without being seen.

"Pomni's room. You can go in. I'll wait outside." Caine stepped aside to let Lailac through.

However, the Performer Harlequin had other plans. She grabbed the Puppetmaster by the collar and dragged him into the room with her.

Lailac looked around the room until she found a small wardrobe. She opened the doors with a happy smile, but the smile faded when she saw identical sets of clothes and a very suspicious black box.

"Pomni," Lailac tried to smile awkwardly, "you're not picky about clothes."

There was no response. Pomni was asleep in her subconscious, hugging her sword.

The suspicious black box caught Lailac's attention. She opened it, and her eyes lit up.

"My dress!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"Hmm. I was sure Pomni had burned it," Caine mused, scratching his chin.

Lailac started unbuttoning Pomni's clothes. Caine turned away.

"Why are you turning away? You've already seen this body naked." Lailac giggled, looking at Caine over her shoulder.

"Your body language is different from Pomni's. I don't like looking at this body when you're controlling it."

"Oh, look at you, so delicate." Lailac removed the top half of the clothes and started on the pants. "Fine, we'll have other opportunities to look at each other."

Caine stared into empty space. He just needed to avert his gaze. He wondered how he ended up in this situation. Ten minutes ago, he was with Pomni, and now he was babysitting her second personality.

"Ugh," the Puppetmaster sighed. "Pomni, I love you, but sometimes you do things I don't understand."

A few minutes later, Lailac finished changing. The dress, the corset, the gloves, the high boots. She spun around and approached Caine.

"Tell me, does this dress suit me?"

Caine carefully lifted his gaze from the floor to Lailac.

"A dress is a dress. What's there to mumble about?"

Lailac didn't like his reaction. She decided to try something.

"Ugh. These rags again," she said in a slightly rough tone. This immediately made Caine hold his breath. "Well, if you like it, fine. I'll wear them."

Lailac closed her right eye and made a slightly displeased face. One fist on her hip, the other hand covering her right eye.

Now, seeing Pomni before him, Caine found her truly beautiful. Her beauty was mesmerizing. But before he could say anything, Lailac couldn't hold it in and started grinning.

"Sorry, sorry, you just looked at me so lovingly that I couldn't help but smile."

Caine immediately frowned.

"How often will you come?" he asked with slight irritation in his voice.

"We agreed on four times a month." Lailac showed two fingers on each hand.

"Too often. But fine." He extended his hand to her.

Lailac bowed and took the Puppetmaster's hand. He pulled her close and wrapped his free arm around her shoulders.

"Right here and now?" she asked playfully.

Caine mumbled something, and they teleported back to his room.

"Now sit and stay quiet until I return." Caine headed to his wardrobe.

Lailac rolled her eyes. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She carefully approached the exit door.

"Don't even think about it," Caine said, removing his shirt without turning around.

"Caine, can I sleep at my place tonight?" a rougher voice asked.

The Puppetmaster dropped his shirt. He turned and rushed to Pomni. He wasn't even bothered that her hair covered the right half of her face. All he wanted to do was kiss her.

After finishing the kiss, Caine pressed Pomni's hand to his cheek.

"Pomni, how are you? Did Lailac let you go? I'm so happy."

"Yes. I decided it was a bad idea. I didn't even give you a choice. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I'm just glad you're back."

"Well, then you won't mind if I sleep at my place tonight? I want to be alone."

"Of course. No problem. Go. Rest."

Pomni kissed Caine gently and turned to the door.

"I love you. Good night."

As soon as the door closed behind the harlequin, Caine returned to the wardrobe and picked up his shirt.

"I love you too, Pomni," he said, then it hit him. "Pomni said 'I love you' for the first time. She usually says, 'Same old crap'..." Caine facepalmed. "What an idiot I am!"

He quickly put his shirt back on and threw on his cloak. The Puppetmaster dashed into the corridor, but Lailac was already skipping around the corner. She playfully peeked from behind, stuck out her tongue, and winked her left eye to make the right one sparkle.

"Oh, you..." Caine ran after her.

TO BE CONTINUED

#tadc #the amazing digital circus #showtime ship #showtime tadc #fanfic #tadc harlequin au #harlequin au #tadc showtime fic

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thescarletnargacuga · 5 months ago

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Showtime request! How about a fic where Caine and Pomni get into a huge fight but in the end they are able to literally kiss and make up?

A/N:...is it okay if I make this Harlequin?👉👈

SAY THAT AGAIN

A HARLEQUIN AU SHOWTIME ONESHOT

Harlequin AU credit: @tadc-harlequin-au @iamespecter

WARNING: violence, swearing, hurt/comfort

~~~

Caine leaned over his workshop table. Pomni laid below him, unconscious and quietly rebooting after he painstakingly put her back together piece by piece. "Twenty seven..." He muttered. "Twenty seven times..." He looked to the side. Small scrap pieces littered the floor, including pieces of Pomni's heart. He balled his fists and didn't flinch when Pomni jolted awake.

She gasped and sat up, clutching her chest. It only took her a second to recognize were she was. She sighed and swung her legs over the edge of the table. "Fucking charge attack." She coughed to clear a small amount of dust from her throat and hopped off the table.

Her legs hadn't quite caught up with her and her knees buckled. Caine caught her arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, out? I still have a boss to kill."

Caine's voice was rigid, his grip tightened. "No. You can't go back to that boss."

Pomni glared and tried to pull her arm away. "Yes, the fuck, I can! And I will! Let go!" It surprised her how hard it was for her to get away from his grasp in that moment.

Caine gripped her by her upper arms hard and made her look at him. "Do you not realize what happened to you!? Your heart-... You are not ready to handle a boss of that caliber! Stay away, for your own sake!"

Pomni bristled. "What, are you saying that I'm WEAK!?" She shoved him away, getting him to let go this time. "You think I can't handle it just because it takes me a few tries?? Fuck you!" She grabbed her sword and turned to leave.

Caine blinked in front of her, cold anger in his eyes. He stood between her and the door. "You're so confident that you're ready?" His cane materialized in his hand and he stamped the ground. Jolts of electricity shot up Pomni's body, stunning her in place. Before she could speak, Caine's hand was around her throat. "Prove it."

Blink.

Pomni immediately swiped her sword at Caine, he dodged and backed off a great distance. Pomni did not have to look away from him to know where they were; the old circus arena. Far from the manor. Far from friends. Far from anyone. He blinked all the way there with her and didn't seem drained in the slightest. "What the fuck has gotten into you!?"

"You said it yourself...you wanted a rematch. Congratulations, you're getting exactly what you wished." Caine stood with both hands resting on top of his cane. A blue aura of electrified energy surrounded him.

Pomni steeled herself in a ready position. In that moment, she wasn't looking at Caine, but the Puppetmaster. Her sword edge came alive with bright gold energy, anger contorting her face. "Fine!! You want me to kick your ass!? I'll tear you a new one!!" She roared, bearing her sharp teeth.

Caine didn't move as Pomni rushed him. His aura alone made the air buzz with static, jolting out against Pomni's sword. She leapt into the air, bringing her heel down. Caine predictably blinked aside and she swept her other leg out when she landed. She kicked out his ankles and he did a back hand spring to recover.

Pomni kept on him, her sword going for his lower chest. He perried her attack with his cane, gold and blue light flashed on impact. Pomni relentlessly cut at him, not a single blow landed. Caine looked bored. "Is this all you're capable of?"

She growled and managed to corner him, her mechanical arm transforming into it's gun state and aiming at his chin. "No."

Caine blinked as the gun fired point blank, blasting apart the ancient circus audience bleachers behind him. He reappeared behind her and elbowed her spine before roundhouse kicking her several feet across the ground.

Pomni recovered and fired her gun twice to keep Caine moving as she charged him again. She needed to wear out that damned blink. Her sword blazed with energy as she struck at him. The razor light wave cut his collar as he dodged.

Caine reacted this time. His eyes went wide for a second before returning to a steely gaze. "Better." He quietly praised as he activated his puppet strings. They grabbed Pomni, freezing her in place. She strained against the strings of energy, glaring daggers at Caine. He spoke only slightly out of breath. "You've improved, but you're not ready. I can find a different boss for you to cut your teeth on."

"The only one I want to sink my teeth into right now is YOU!!" Pomni snarled.

"I'm flattered." Caine cleared his voice, trying to stay focused. "Nevertheless, we're done here."

"This fight is over WHEN I SAY IT'S OVER!!" Pomni's yellow eye glowed brightly. Her whole body ignited with gold energy, severing the strings, and she lunges at Caine with blinding speed.

Caine is caught off guard. He doesn't even have time to focus on a blink as he dodges attack after aggressive attack. She lands a blow from the side of her gun against his head, sending him flying into a support pole.

Caine sees double and barely blinks in time to avoid Pomni fly kicking at his face. The base of the large pole that had cracked when Caine hit it, shattered when Pomni impacted. The center mass of the tent shifted and swayed as the big top partially collapsed.

Pomni lost sight of her target. Her body still ablaze, she never felt so amped for a fight. "WHERE ARE YOU, COWARD!? AFRAID TO FACE ME NOW THAT YOUR PRECIOUS STRINGS CAN'T HOLD ME!?" She looked in all directions, ready to attack at the first glimpse.

Caine was ducking behind the partially fallen section of the tent, shaking the dizziness off. "Since when could she do that??" He whispered to himself. His cane crackled with energy as he calculated his next move.

Pomni spotted a Caine shaped silhouette behind the tent flap. "There you are." She rushed and slashed, cutting through the tent and hitting the target. It wasn't Caine. Her sword was lodged into the face of a dummy.

BOOM!!

A powerful shockwave threw her off her feet. Her sword was twisted out of her grasp, still stuck in the dummy, and she was tangled in the cables that had attached the tent to the fallen pole. Dust and debris clouded her vision, blinding her from targeting Caine as he rushed her.

Caine's energy clashed with hers as he twisted his cane into the cables around Pomni's gun arm and held it there, firmly tying it in place away from his body. He grabbed the wrist of her empty sword hand. He straddled her waist, pinning her fully to the ground.

Their energized auras angrily swirl around them. They panted, both partially exhausted. His eyes are a bit warmer now, if still pained. Pomni was still glaring pure spite.

"Cheater..." Pomni growled. She tried to kick, but the cables tied her legs together.

"I prefer the term: resourceful." Caine huffed.

"I don't care what you say. I'm going after that boss." She hissed between her teeth. "I'm stronger than EVER! So strong I can make you nervous! I'm GOING!!"

Caine sighed. "Pomni....please don't. Yes, you are very strong. You have some new tricks, and I am very proud of you, but-"

"BUT!?!? There's ALWAYS a but!! What is it Caine?? WHY ARE YOU HOLDING ME BACK!? WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF!?!?" She shouted, leaning up towards his face as much as she could.

Caine was too tired to lie. "Losing you..." His energy calmed and dissipated.

The harsh glow of Pomni's eye faded as she stared up at him in disbelief. "...say that again."

"I'm afraid...of losing you. This last time you died-...your heart was in pieces. I thought your soul piece was destroyed. I thought-" Caine's eyes watered. He looked away from her as he struggled to compose himself. "Without your soul piece...you can't come back from the void. I would never see you again."

Pomni laid her head back, watching him closely. This wasn't a trick. She could hear the sincerity in his voice. "Oh my god...you care."

He looked back at her. "Yes. I have come to care deeply for you. So much so that, every time you die, a part of me dies too. When you throw yourself to the wolves over and over and over....I experience a pain I didn't think possible, and I'm no stranger to pain, Pomni." The floodgates had opened. His heart was pouring out it's long repressed emotions and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Pomni laid stunned beneath him. "When...?"

"The moment you defied your directive. Do you know how difficult that is for so many puppets? You were becoming your own person. I knew you were special, but I never dared imagined... Just how special you would be."

Pomni tried lifting her arm, suddenly remembering she was restrained. "Let me up?"

With his hands on her, he blinked her out of the cables to a standing position away from the tent wreckage. Pomni changed her mechanical arm back to normal and slid her wrist free of his grasp. She took a deep breath. "Are you saying...what I think you're saying?" She kept her eyes on his, daring him not to look away.

"I'm in love with you." He said quietly with a twinge of fear in his eyes from the vulnerability.

Pomni's heart sang in her chest. She'd never given it much thought, she was always so busy with combat, but now that she really looks at him in this light. He's incredibly attractive. He's always been there for her; willing to drop everything to rush to her aid, no matter the danger. How many times has he spent the work and resources to bring her back? And when they'd get drunk...he felt like a real friend. Something she didn't think she could have in this life, let alone something more.

She stepped closer, the uncertainty of what to do now made her anxious. "You mean it?"

"You can crush my soul piece yourself if I'm lying."

She reached out, gently placing her hand against his lower jaw. Caine closed his eyes, held her hand to his face and leaned into her touch. Pomni rested her mechanical hand against his chest, next to his heart. Caine held her around her waist, pulling her into him.

"It's okay if you're unsure..." He said with a low tone in his voice. "...I'd wait a lifetime for you."

"I've never been one much for waiting." She pulled him to her lips as she stood on her toes to kiss him.

The souls within their hearts glowed bright in response to one another. The once violent and unyielding auras around them become welcoming, if with some trepidation.

Even in a world as broken as this, one could still find that missing piece.

#Is there such thing as writing too much Harlequin?#I think I have an addiction #the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc fanfiction #tadc pomni #tadc caine #tadc showtime #tadc harlequin au #harlequin au #pomni x caine #caine x pomni

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spyderlondon · 5 months ago

Text

Vs. Maddened Princess

Harlequin AU by @iamespecter @tadc-harlequin-au

NOT CANON! JUST MY TAKE ON THE BOSS BATTLE!

----

A long abandoned theatre stood amongst overgrown weeds and other plant life that appeared ready to overtake the dilapidated building at any moment. This was where the last of the battle harlequin puppets found herself in front of. After some travel, defeating all the other bosses and doing a bit of training with Caine- she finally found herself at the boss arena. The Puppetmaster had dubbed this boss: The Maddened Princess.

According to him, this boss used her ribbons like a spider's web to feel and catch unsuspecting prey like marionettes or unwitting puppets who wander into her arena so she had to be cautious when approaching this boss. He made sure to advise her to use the skills she had honed during the last few boss fights and whenever she sparred against him. Oh, and to not to die *too often*. 'I am running out of supplies because of you.' He once joked.

Pomni scoffed at that memory but simply began her walk inside of the theatre, her steps becoming more cautious when she starts seeing red ribbons along with dead marionettes and puppets strewn around the floor. Something that caught her eye was how a few of the ribbons seemed to be connected to the corpses, it actually made her grimace at they seemed to be puppets awaiting for their puppeteer to control them.

She furrowed her brows and frowned slightly as she slowed her walk to a stop once she got into the main room so she could examine the arena as much as she could because it was extremely dark. She could see faintly were a few scattered ribbons lying around the room but, if she could hazard a guess, there were probably a lot more that she couldn't see. She followed one of the ribbons with her gaze to where it was connected to before she spotted a large boss puppet that was made of the ribbons. It appeared that The Maddened Princess hadn't realized that she had company as she simply looked forward at the puppets that she was controlling into performing some type of play for her.

The harlequin could only see the side profile but from what she could see- the boss was mostly made of ribbons that she had used to apparently decorate the theatre with, she had giant claws on the one arm she could see but it'd make sense to assume the other arm had claws as well, there was a shoulder pad that protected the top of her torso and a large mask that adorned her face with the side she could see having a grin. Seeing how The Princess was currently controlling puppets, it was fair to say that she could also fully control the puppets and marionettes that were all over the theatre which meant that she wasn't going to fight just the boss but also corpses that she could control as minions.

Pomni took a silent breath before letting it out, she wanted to get this done in one attempt but with how many disadvantages she had in this room, she had no doubt that there would be deaths but that never scared her. She crouched down as she began to quietly move forward, she hate how slow she had to be but it was better than being killed immediately by taking a risk. She kept her eyes down as she looked for ribbons that this spider laid for her prey and any of the victims that were already actors for the Princess.

One ribbon...

Two ribbons...

Three ribbons...

Okay, so far so good. Maybe she could speed up a-

She suddenly didn't hear a small click coming from her shoe and she couldn't hear the faint words coming from the boss' direction- oh no. The harlequin's eyes widened as she could barely turn her head in the direction of the boss before hearing the giant puppet screech as she began to very quickly spin like a top and the last thing Pomni saw was a ribbon coming straight for her and it looked razor sharp.

DEATH

Pomni grumbled as she placed herself right back where she was before she died, trying to ignore Caine's scolding and how Ragatha fretted over her back in the manor. As much as she cares for them, she didn't have time to sit around and chat right now- she had a princess to beat.

She rubbed her temples a little before she silently began moving again, making sure to remember where each of the ribbons were that she passed the first time around along with the ribbon she accidentally stepped on. Her head perked up a tiny bit as she hear a change in the area, she peeked around the obstacle she was hiding behind and noticed a few marionettes were now patrolling the room in certain routes with lights shining out of their eyes- probably doing so because of her last visit. She clicked her tongue silently as she ducked down in time for one of the marionettes to come by. Usually she didn't care much if she died since none of the other bosses changed their damn tactics like this! Little miss Princess just *had* to be the special one! Fuck. Okay, no more dying.

....hopefully.

Pomni waited for the current marionette to pass by before she glanced behind the broken wall again so she could observe the routes each of the minions were taking and how fast they were moving. A couple things she noticed that gave her actual advantages were that the lights in the eyes were able to both tell her where they were looking and that the ribbons hidden in the darkness could be seen for a brief moment. She hid once again as she made mental note of that and silently watched as few lights passed by the current direction she was facing so she could see where to go to avoid upcoming ribbons.

Once the lights disappeared from her sight, she moved quickly and quietly to get past the ribbons and hide behind the next wall before any marionette was able to catch sight of her. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding once she got behind her next hiding spot and did the same thing she did at last spot.

----

It took longer than the harlequin wished it would've but she was eventually right behind a pillar that was next to the boss puppet and it seemed that she was none the wiser about her presence. It gave Pomni time to breathe and steel her nerves for the fight.

When she was ready, she went in front of The Maddened Princess with her sword drawn and pointed straight at her mask- which Pomni found had two different sides to it and wasn't just a grin. It had a grin on the left side and frown on the right side of the mask- comedy and tragedy in one.

She didn't get much time to focus on that detail as a spotlight suddenly shined down on her, making her lift her free hand to block the light. She squinted up at the boss in annoyance, who didn't pay any mind to her irritation as she spread out her arms to the stands that had a few lifeless puppets and marionettes in them, "OUR LATEST STAR HAS ARRIVED TO TAKE THE STAGE!" The Maddened Princess announced, clearly the comedy mask was in control currently.

"The hell are you talking about?" Pomni sneered at the boss, finally putting her arms down and glared at her, "I'm just here to challenge and *defeat* you." She hissed out, getting ready to attack, only to be stuck in place by a few ribbons, "Wha- HEY!"

"Now, now." The boss had her hands do a calm down motion with her metal claws uncomfortably close to the harlequin's face which made her lean back, "That's no way for the star of our play to behave, now is it?" She questioned as a few more ribbons made their way slowly up Pomni's body as a way to keep her still and a way to kill her quick if she didn't play along.

The harlequin bared her sharp teeth and she began to slash at the ribbons trapping her until a few ribbons caught her wrist, "I AM NOT GOING TO PLAY AS YOUR LITTLE ACTRESS, YOU BI-" She was silenced in an instant as giant claws came down and slashed her back, hard enough to kill her instantly.

DEATH

'Maybe you should've been her little actor-' Pomni could hear Jax' mocking tone inside her head, he had teased her the moment she came out of Caine's office. Apparently, that asshole of a rabbit was nearby when she died to the boss without even having a chance to fight her yet.

The Maddened Princess was waiting for her to return within the shadows, as if she didn't wish to get the spotlight on her, while tapping her metal claws on the ground, when she noticed the harlequin's entrance she seemed to brighten up, "Our star has returned! Not even death can keep her down!" She cheered, her ribbons made all of the puppets and marionettes clap in unison as well.

Pomni familiar feel of ribbons gripping onto her once more but this time, despite how much she really wanted to, she didn't fight the restraints. Instead she glared up at the boss, "What *exactly* do you need me to do?" She questioned through gritted teeth.

The Princess either didn't see how angry her new puppet was or she just didn't care because she had her dance and twirl around before having her stop, "I need you to play a very important role in my new play!" She announced happily as she had a few more puppets join her in the spotlight, probably her 'co-stars', "I need you to play as the Sacrificial Princess!" She cheered again.

"What-" She froze as she saw ribbons piece through the ground and broken walls nearby as well as one of the puppets holding a real axe, "...shit-"

The boss sent her a look for the language she just used but decided to ignore it, "I'll be sure to lead you the entire way!" It was obvious that if the mask could fully grin then it would in the instance, "And who knows? You may even be able to get out of your strings on time!"

Pomni desperately wanted to escape but knew struggling right now would lead to death and besides, it sounded like the boss wasn't going to stop her from trying to get out during this so-called play, "Fine." She grunted out in irritation.

"Wonderful! Let's get metaphorical curtain up then!"

-----

Before Pomni knew was happening, she was being dragged to the center of the stage by the ribbons holding her tightly. She bared her razor sharp teeth, she hated how this felt but knew that one wrong move would result in another death.

"We begin with a sole survivor in a destroyed town~" The boss narrated from behind the curtain, Pomni didn't even notice her get up and move. Probably because she was a tad bit too busy trying to struggle away from the ribbons and towards anything sharp. Something that was apparently allowed as there was no consequences. She kept that in mind.

"Many from outside of the town heard the horrors that had befallen this poor place and had rushed in to find out if there was any way to possibly give their aid." The boss continued as if she didn't feel any pull on her ribbons. She had multiple marionettes slowly enter the stage from where they were once patrolling on the ground, "To their shock, everything appeared destroyed and many bodies were strewn around the town, dismembered. All except one lone survivor. A woman that the town had declared their princess- covered in blood and surrounded by a bodies." She forced the harlequin to move her head to look at the marionettes that had swords, shields and spears made of ribbon.

Their lifeless eyes seemed to express shock before shifting into anger and disgust at the sight of her before their mouths seemed to move by the boss' voice came out of each one of the in different vocal ranges:

"She must've been helping those monsters!" One of them accused with a somewhat masculine voice, as masculine as the boss could do at least.

Another pointed at her in horror, "She must be a witch that disguised herself as this town's princess only to curse everyone!" This one had a light feminine tone.

"Look at her clothes!" Another exclaimed in anger, "Covered in blood! She must have killed some herself!"

Pomni's fingers twitched a bit, she had a burning desire to use her teeth to tear up the ribbons just to get the ACTUAL FUCKING BOSS FIGHT STARTED! She hated that she knew that that would be a stupid idea though.

Her thought process was interrupted when the marionettes surrounded her, the one that had the masculine voice approached her with a sword, "The outsiders approached the princess with anger and hate- wishing to purge the supposed witch to prevent the curse to possibly get further than the town." The boss' voice continued to narrate but seemed to pause and wait as the marionette used their sword to slash at the harlequin.

Pomni was quick to understand that The Maddened Princess was giving her a chance to cut some of the ribbons. She furrowed her brows as she quickly twisted herself a bit, a little shocked by how the restraints holding her seemed to a tiny bit more lax so she had a chance. Once the ribbon blade came down, she was barely able to move her body enough to have the ribbons holding her right arm be cut which allowed her access to her change her arm into her gun and attempted to shoot at the opponent in front of her... only to find there were no bullets.

"The boss removed your bullets when she was putting her ribbons around you." Bubble explained as he puttered over near her, "You were too blinded by your rage to even notice!"

The harlequin groaned loudly in displeasure by that, letting her gun go back to being her regular arm in defeat, "Of course-" She grumbled, going back to looking at the marionettes who looked shocked as if she hadn't just failed with her attack.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?!" The one with the feminine voice cried out, "SHE PROBABLY JUST CAST A SPELL ONTO US!" She was quick to rush away from the harlequin by a few feet.

"The outsiders of the town grew far more wary and cautious around the so-called princess as it appeared she was beginning her spread of powers to the heroes from the outside..." The narration continued in a more spooky tone to apparently make the harlequin sound more like a villain- which Pomni truly could care less about.

Another marionette approached her, this time with a spear in hand, "I'll stop her this time!" They announced before swinging their spear at her feet this time. Once again, the ribbons loosened a little but were a bit tighter than last time as to make it harder- it didn't deter the harlequin as she was able to jump a bit forward enough to force the spear to cut the restraints on her ankles. Although, she did end up falling onto her face as she moved a tad too quickly and slipped on one of the discarded ribbons on the ground. She huffed in irritation at that before using her free hand to try and push herself up but found she was being forced down by one of her 'co-stars' with a blade pointed at her neck which made her scowl.

She could barely hear stifled laughter from from behind the stage but it was quickly cleared up before the boss went back to telling the play's story, "As the spear from one of the heroes was able to make the villainess fall hard to the ground, another had kept her down." She announced, "One of the knights from the neighboring kingdoms had just arrived on the scene in time to force the witch down while his comrades were close behind to aid in her defeat!"

Pomni's eyes moved to look up and behind her to see about four puppets in armor, helms, actual metal swords and shield taking the place of the more rural marionettes that had attacked her before. The Princess had decided to take the fight up a notch, it seems like the harlequin had proven to be strong enough to increase the difficult. It made her smirk some, boosting her ego to know her final boss found her tough enough to actually put in some extra effort to kill her. Well then. Bring it.

She ducked her neck as the knight holding her down swung his sword and she was able to have the blade slice off the ribbon holding neck which allowed her to freely move her head around now. She was able to use her free hand to grab her opponent's ankle and knock him off balance before quickly flipping herself around to use both of her feet to kick him away from her and quickly getting to her feet. She used her sharp teeth to tear the last bit of ribbons off of her left arm and whipped out her sword from her sheath to be more on an even ground as her opponents, even if they stand no chance against her. She grinned widely, looking like a shark searching for the next meal, "You want a fight? BRING IT ON!" She laughed, more than ready to get her irritation for being used as a literal puppet out on these puppet corpses.

The cut ribbons that were holding her back before were dragged back to their owner backstage and it almost seemed like the knights changed their stance to one that was far more aggressive, "It appears the villainess witch has shed her innocent appearance to show her true evil intentions!" The Maddened Princess narrated as the knight she knocked off of her stood back up, ready to attack as well, "Will our brave knights be able to overcome her or will more befall her curse?"

The knights raced forward and began their attack, not giving her the ease of fighting one on one- not that she really needed it. Her sword blazed with energy as she let her opponents close in on her before she quickly slashed her and had the razor light wave that came from her blade knock them all down.

Each of the puppet knights had a large gash in their armor from the attack, the ones who attempted to block it with their shields ended up having them sliced in half. The harlequin laughed, "You wanted a witch! A powerful, sword wielding witch you got!" She called to the backstage where she knew the boss was.

She received no response but the knights seemed to grow cautious in their attacks now, seeming to simply observe her for now. The boss seemed to fully understand that if she wanted to defeat this challenger without letting her fight her personally then she needs to start taking things more seriously.

Pomni twirled her sword in her hand as she observed her enemies, her gun had been emptied without her knowledge before this 'play' had begun so she could only rely on her sword and fists. That's fine, she could adjust and still win this. She just had to defeat these armored corpses then she can fight the actual Princess of this theatre.

'Don't be reckless.' Caine warned through the Bubble blimp, 'I really rather not patch you up for the *third* time during this fight.'

She scoffed at that, "Well, if I do then I'm sure you'll kiss my injuries better." She joked a bit as she clashed her blade with one of the knights who tried to catch her off guard while they thought she was distracted talking to the blimp.

'I-I, uh, well, I-I mean-' The puppetmaster stuttered- she could just see how flustered that comment made him, 'Just don't die again!' He commanded in his flustered tone before having Bubble float away to give her room to fight.

The harlequin couldn't help but snicker at that, that definitely gave her some much needed energy to keep going. She smirked as she knocked back the knight she had blocked before quickly knocking them down to the ground and sliced off the ribbon that was controlling them. That was one down, three more to go.

Pomni narrowed her eyes as she picked up the fallen sword from the puppet that she just cut the strings to. She grinned, "Well, you three are certainly fucked now~" She showed her razor sharp teeth to the remaining knights as she adjusted her grip on the newly acquired sword before activating her super speed so could get up close to the remaining opponents, "Hey there, motherfuckers~" She taunted them as she decided to put her face in the middle of them- she could already hear Caine scolding her about doing something as incautious as that but she really didn't care right now.

The knights gave no reaction other than to try and slash at her, and to their credit- two of them did get hits in on her, both on the shoulders but she ignored the pain as she did a front flip over all three of them while use her dual blades to chop off all three of their heads before landing behind them and slicing each of their ribbons off so they could rag doll to the ground lifeless.

Pomni let out a breath once she was finished with all of those puppet knights. She put both swords in one hand before staring at the darkness that was the backstage as it held her final opponent.

"Maddened Princess, I'm coming for you now." She said loud enough that she was sure that the boss could hear her clear.

------

The backstage was darker than the main room was before the spotlight was turned on and completely silent aside from the clicks of her shoes on the wooden floor. The harlequin let her gaze wander around as she observed the area in which her final battle in this decrepit theatre would be held- and, oh, how she was hoping it'd be shorter than that shit she did on the actual stage. She noticed how there were spotlights overhead, connected to the catwalk, and recalled how she saw how the Princess hid away from the spotlight that was aimed at the harlequin on the main stage- as if it could burn her. She would have to keep those lights in mind in case the ribbon boss became a pain in her ass.

She felt her foot step on a some type of cloth, most likely a ribbon in the dark, but it didn't appear that the boss wanted to attack her just yet. Perhaps she was doing the same as the harlequin, observing and learning. That was fine- it would be more thrilling if the fight was more fair and harder for Pomni.

Her gaze moved upwards towards the large bundle of red ribbons next- her next target. One of the boss puppets Caine had asked to help so she had to be sure to keep the die in one piece as well as bring it back for him to work on it- if this annoying bunch of ribbons can be enlightened then so be it.

This boss certainly seemed to like hiding in the darkness- she could only really see a bit of the mask that adorned the top of the ribbons and the shine of the claws but not much else. She didn't like that, not when it gave her such a big disadvantage. She scowled, she needed a plan...

A few ribbons could be heard and barely seen shooting towards her in high speeds, "Shit-!" Pomni hissed out, quickly using her swords to slash the ribbons into pieces. She sent a look at where the ribbons came from, "That was such a cheap trick!" She snarled at the boss.

"Expect the unexpected,

As a puppet made for battles

that should have been know~"

The boss responded in a poetic tone, almost sounding a bit smug at getting the harlequin irritated. Although, the way she became poetic now was making Pomni even more annoyed.

"Really?" Her eye twitched, "First a stupid play, and now poetry? Are you trying to be the most irritating boss?" She grunted as she made note of how a few marionettes and puppets had slowly risen from the floor, beginning to go behind the large pile of ribbons that was controlling them.

"Performance arts

A statuette's purpose

to please and amaze

But now

I wish to just win and end."

With that, more ribbons bulleted towards the harlequin on all sides with the darkness making it hard to make it known where they were. Pomni's eyes widened as she swiftly cut the ribbons in front of her but was caught from behind and felt a sharp slash on either of her sides by what could've easily been invisible swords. She gasped as the ribbon from behind her rose her upwards before slamming her on the ground roughly but not enough to kill her or take too much health off of her. But the throw into the wall certainly didn't help much. She groaned as she slumped to the ground in pain, "Sneaky fucking bitch..." She grumbled as she took out a small vial that had a battery acid in it. She moved bell, holding it tight as to make sure it didn't jingle before unbuttoning her shirt until her die was exposed- she poured the acid onto it as a way to give her a bit more energy and health back. She didn't exactly know how it worked but Caine had always told her not to question it since, at least, it kept her alive a bit longer.

She sighed silently in relief as she moved her bell back in the center of her neck, put the vial away and stood up with a light huff, not worrying about buttoning her shirt back up since she had a feeling she'd need to heal again eventually. She scowled as she felt her now slashed sides but said nothing as she looked around before noticing that there was a broken ladder leading to the catwalks nearby, it didn't have a bottom but she should be able to jump high enough...

She suddenly went into a defensive position when she heard close by, no doubt The Maddened Princess was sending in a few minions after her. She narrowed her eyes as she was able to block the unseen attacks that came her way, using her ears to locate them. She might be blind currently but her hearing still worked just fine. She was able to knock them all back harshly before quickly jumping against the wall and pushing off hard enough to be able to leap into the air, grabbing the ladder. She had to move quickly because the rung she first grabbed onto creaked loudly before as she grabbed the next one breaking in half, clattering to the ground which alerted the boss to her presence. Ribbons were shot like rockets towards the ladder, aiming at the harlequin's head but she was, thankfully, able to scurry up onto the catwalk, barely having the ribbons miss her feet.

"Run, run, run

Try to flee and hide

but it'll be your hide

as my trophy at the end of the night."

The Princess mocked in her poetic tone as the ribbons began to wrap around the catwalk, feeling for their prey.

The harlequin growled silently as she felt a tiny bit of silky fabric under one of her feet as she got close to the spotlight nearest to the ladder. The silk slowly began to go up her leg but before it could go much further, she was able to turn the spotlight on and turn it towards the pile of ribbons.

The boss screeched and covered her mask as the light shone bright down at her, she seemed to freeze for a moment and the ribbon on the catwalk unwrapped itself and fell. It gave the harlequin a perfect opportunity to dive down and put energy in both of her swords to create two powerful light waves that broke a few ribbons off of a few of the puppets as well as slice a dent into the boss by breaking numerous ribbons on the boss herself- it didn't make enough damage to expose the die within the silk but it made it where she could do a few more strikes like that and expose it for good.

"HISSSSSSSSS!!!" The boss screeched like a cat being sprayed with water as she finally got out of her slight blindness before skitter skattering away from the bright light and back into the shadows as if they protected her. A couple ribbons grabbed onto to Pomni and threw her opposite of her while another ribbon rocketed upwards, shattering the still shining spotlight so there would be no more light on her.

The harlequin used one of her swords to help her not hit the ground too hard by stabbing it into the hardwood floor and spun around it a little as a way to help catch herself. She smirked as she pulled out the blade- she found the weakness. But she's have to make sure to defeat the boss with the last three working spotlights left on the catwalk or else it'd be back to doing everything blind and hoping she doesn't get caught off guard and die.

"Tis but a scratch

Surprise by the light

that does not belong onto me

Oh, dear actress,

the spotlight merely belongs to you."

The Maddened Princess continued reciting her poem although a small angry hiss came through in her tone this time. A few more puppets rose from the ground but it looked like it was less this time- looks like slicing a dent in the pile of ribbons did give her more of an advantage.

The harlequin kicked away a couple puppets that sounded like they got a bit too close to her before front flipping over the ones that sounded to be right in front of her. Only to have her feet land on both of their heads which made her almost lose balance, she had to put her arms out to try regain it.

Which only left her wide open for a few ribbons to grab onto her arms tight before once again slamming her into the ground a couple of times, making her lose her grip on her swords and having them clatter onto the ground a bit further away from where she was tossed.

"Running and jumping,

Can get you far

but can you see

where you're going

to make it?"

"Oh, COME THE FUCK ON!" The harlequin slammed her fist into the in irritation, feeling one of her sides break a bit more due to the slams onto the ground. She took a breath as she stood up and sped towards where she heard her swords land, not liking how she was unarmed currently. She heard a marionette slice their sword in her direction and she was scarcely able to duck under it, half of her ponytail was cut off as it bounced upwards from the swiftness of her movement. She felt how she lost some of her hair but couldn't be bothered to care at the moment as she simply kicked the marionette to the ground and used her teeth to tear the ribbon off of them before somersaulting on the ground to get to her swords faster. She grabbed them right as she heard a couple puppets slash down towards her- she reacted swiftly by using both of her swords block where she heard where the blades were. She laid on her back as she struggled against the weight on both of the swords on hers. She bared her teeth as she shoved hard against the two and forced them away from her, knocking them off balance which she was quick to use to her advantage. She hopped onto her feet before quickly slicing at their ribbons.

The harlequin made use of the time where nothing was currently close enough to attack her rush up on top of the catwalk again, speeding towards the farthest light from her since she didn't feel like risking getting there after pissing off the boss three times. By the way she could hear the platform squeaking a little bit- she definitely made enough noise to alert the boss enough to have more ribbons race towards her. She gritted her teeth as she ran bit faster before sliding towards the spotlight and having it shine on on the pile of ribbons once more.

Like before, the boss screeched and covered her mask with her ribbons which left her wide open for Pomni to dive down again. Maybe not wide open because this time one of the boss' claw reached up to slash at her. She moved slightly to avoid it and make it where she could do another double light wave attack that both sliced off the the ribbon arm that had the claw on it and increase the size of the dent she made on the pile of ribbons initially but it still looked like she had a ways to go.

Pomni landed on the ground, avoiding the ribbons that attempted to grab at her this time. Only to be caught off guard as she felt some silk underfoot, "Oh, come on!" She yelped out as her ankles were grabbed, making her trip and fall on her butt and was forcibly slid her towards some spikes that were made on the wall. Her eyes widened and she had to quickly spin herself so her back was facing the spikes instead of her exposed chest and die. She clenched her teeth as a harsh gasp came through them, that definitely left some awful holes in her back but they didn't go through her body enough to hit her die at least. She hissed through her teeth as the ribbon spikes suddenly came out of her back and were used to destroy the spotlight that was currently still on. Turning everything dark once more.

The harlequin listened for any nearby enemies before taking out her last vial of battery acid and poured it onto her die like she did with the first one. She grumbled as she forced herself up, using the wall as support. If she got hurt that badly again, she won't have anymore battery acid to heal her again- she had to be extremely careful now. Being careful sucked though.

"Difficulty increasing

Tension raising

How much longer

will you be able to survive?"

Pomni ignored the threatening poetic tone the boss used as she forced herself to move towards the ladder as fast as she could despite her injuries, countering any puppet or marionette that tried getting in her way. She didn't feel like putting up an effort to make it more of a show anymore. At least not until her pain numbed.

She grimaced as she looked up at where the lowest rung of the ladder was and how she knew she had to force herself up there again. She grunted as she moved back again before giving herself a running started and wall jumped up to the ladder again, barely making it. She grunted as she got up on the catwalk once more. She panted a bit as she crouched down to take momentary breather- she should have about fifteen seconds before the ribbons start wrapping around the platform.

She went through the charms she had on hand but weren't currently using as she didn't like boosting herself unless necessary. She found the one that boosts her jump height and placed it onto the collar of her shirt, she could tell this one was fully necessary now. She put the rest of the charms away as she could hear the silk ribbons climbing up the ladder and frowned as she began to speed off towards the second furthest spotlight from her.

Once she turned it on, turned it towards the pile of ribbons and began her dive down, making sure to avoid the metal claws aiming at her and used the light wave attack to slice off the claws as well as make dent even bigger- she could start to see a shine coming from the boss' chest, the die. She felt a sense of relief as she knew she was almost done.

The Maddened Princess let out a loud, angry, catlike snarl as she destroyed not only the spotlight that was on but also the one that the harlequin was supposed to turn on next- ...well, that blows.

"Darkness surrounds,

You had your fun,

Now it's- ARGH! IT BURNS!"

Pomni had her right hand shift into her gun and had the rest of her energy go into to create a laser to burn the pile of ribbons from the bottom up- interrupting another irritatingly, smug poem from the boss.

She only used it for a few seconds until her energy felt like it was going to run too low for her to walk any longer, or even stay standing. The gun went back to being a hand as she watched The Maddened Princess lean down to try and attack her a bit more. The harlequin gave an exhausted look as she simply used the last bit of her energy and her charm to jump high enough to slice off the mask that the boss wore before letting herself land on her butt on the ground in exhaustion.

Once the fire got to the point where the boss' die was fully shown, she was quick to grab it before running as fast as her body would let her out of the theatre before the flames could reach her.

------

"Here's the stupid die heart, Caine." Pomni grumbled in exhaustion as she got back inside the manor and weakly gave the item to the man who had been waiting anxiously at the door for her, swaying a bit as she tried to keep herself upright.

The Puppetmaster didn't even hesitate to simply pocket the die heart before putting his arms on the harlequin's waist so he could pick her up bridal style gently. She didn't even fight it, simply collapsing in his arms as soon as she felt herself become weightless.

Caine felt himself blush a tiny bit as he brought her to his office table to start repairing her body. He paused a moment before deciding to take a small advantage of her being unconscious right now to give her a quick peck on the forehead.

---------

A/N: Yes, the ending is *extremely* rushed. But after writing 6k+ words in the span of three days? I got too tired to care much longer. Hope y'all still enjoy the read.

#the amazing digital circus #tadc harlequin au #tadc pomni #tadc caine #caine x pomni #tadc showtime #boss battle concept pretty much #violence #action

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