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erenenthusiast · 3 years

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In that 2016 interview, Isayama spoke of Eren and Mikasa's eventual separation being ideological: 'If I were to draw the separation of Eren and Mikasa... Mikasa would have to endure the strain of being stuck between Eren and Armin. Even though she can sympathise with Armin, who considers things from a "globalism" perspective, it's possible that she can't just let the more self-focused Eren go'. This ideological separation begins the moment Eren defects from the SC. It's from this point onwards that EMA's paths truly begin to diverge, and Mikasa in particular is presented with a choice that she's never had to face before.

The choice she makes will most likely conclude Mikasa's character arc once and for all, and it's a choice that's been building since before the time-skip, represented by her interactions with two characters in particular:

1. Mikasa and Floch

At the award ceremony in Chapter 90, Floch points out something interesting about Mikasa in what is otherwise an easily overlooked moment in the manga. Although multiple people were present on the rooftop during Serumbowl, he is the only one to explicitly draw attention to the fact that Mikasa let go. She resigned herself to losing Armin because Hanji convinced her that Erwin was more important to humanity and Mikasa's grief at losing him was something that would pass.Floch sees this as maturity, but the realisation that she was willing to let Armin go for the sake of humanity is something that Mikasa is shocked by. It makes her falter, and let go of Eren.

Mikasa has always defined herself as Armin and Eren's protector; she's presented in the story as such, and she styles herself as such. She's the one who keeps Eren and Armin safe. But Floch's words make her realise that, on the rooftop, she was able to step away from that role - because her world has expanded beyond Armin and Eren. It has expanded to include Hanji and Levi and the other Scouts - and humanity.

Mikasa is capable of making choices that hurt her deeply for the sake of a greater cause.

2. Louise and Mikasa

Louise meets Mikasa on three occasions. The first time, Louise tells Mikasa she likes her because Mikasa saved her, and gave her something to strive for: 'You can't save anyone without power. It's okay for us to fight against unjust violence. That's what I learned' (109). In the same way Eren 'gave' Mikasa a motto to live by, Mikasa gave one to Louise.

The second time, Louise tells Mikasa that she's happy to be by her side again, fighting for the same goal. Mikasa is ambivalent towards her. And she leaves her scarf behind, choosing to go and fight the titans without it.

In between the second and third meetings, Mikasa talks to Armin. When Mikasa asks what should be done about Eren, Armin replies (due to bottling up stress and frustration) that there's nothing to be done and he doesnt know. After Armin leaves, Mikasa notices that the scarf is missing, and goes to retrieve it.

The third and last time they meet, Louise is dying. She tells Mikasa that Eren wanted her to throw the scarf away, but she thought that she could take it to be close to Mikasa. Though she appears to sympathise with Louise's plight, Mikasa demands the scarf back from her. She walks away from Louise even as Louise tells her that she had no regrets, because she chased after Mikasa, devoting her heart.

Each meeting between Louise and Mikasa mirrors, in an abbreviated way, the different stages Eren and Mikasa's relationship has gone through. 1: Louise's initial love and gratitude, and her taking Mikasa as an inspiration; 2: their fighting side by side as equals; and, finally, 3: their literal separation as Mikasa chooses to walk away.

Mikasa never seeks to stop Louise from talking about her feelings; instead, she listens. She might not reciprocate, but she does understand. She walks away, but she takes the scarf with her. Despite what Armin said, and what Louise told her about Eren and the scarf, Mikasa chooses to keep a hold of it in the way she keeps a hold of the hope that Eren can still be brought back.

Mikasa is capable of holding on to the person she loves even when he's gone too far.

Mikasa Chooses... Mikasa

Despite the apparently binary choice, Mikasa doesn't have to choose to side with Eren (allow the Rumbling to go ahead) or with the opt: kill Eren to stop him. She said it herself: there's a third option. Her way. Eren's wandered so far down his path that he's lost sight of Mikasa and of Armin; of what connects him to the world. Mikasa chooses, not to support him or to believe that he's a lost cause, but to remind him that walking away from his humanity doesn't mean that he can't turn around and walk back.

Kruger said 'Anyone can become a god or a devil. All it takes is for someone to claim it for it to be true' (88). But if there's someone to challenge that belief, then the possibility remains of breaking the facade and setting the story straight - thereby freeing that person from the role they've either taken on out of necessity, or been assigned. It's something we've already seen happen. All it takes is for one person to question it, and the goddess falls apart to reveal an empty, unloved young girl, or the devil's mask cracks open to show the boy still grieving for the world he's lost.

Ymir knows that Historia's faking it; Mikasa knows that Eren is kind. Each of them challenges the story that their loved one is telling in order to keep going: Historia to survive, Eren to achieve his dream.

It took Mikasa years to truly overcome the cruelty she had seen as a child. Despite everything, she did, in the end, go back to being that 'ordinary girl'. She came to acknowledge that cruelty exists, as does death - but life must nevertheless be lived, people loved, experiences had, and faith kept. Seeing the beauty in a world that is inherently cruel is, and always has been, Mikasa's greatest strength. It's something she is capable of offering Eren, who no longer seems to believe in that duality, or in his own humanity. She can show him what he showed her; that the world isn't black or white, cruel or beautiful, dark or light. It's both. And it's possible to live with that.

Conclusion

Mikasa is fighting to prevent a massacre and stop eren. She's the person best suited to do that not only because she's his family, but because Eren's despair and anger at the world is what she might have ended up with herself. If any character could have become as bitter about the world as him, it was Mikasa. But he stopped that from happening because his kindness showed her that the world, as bad as it was, had good in it.

Little by little, Eren's abandoned that view of the world himself. He no longer sees both its beauty and its cruelty, but has confined himself to seeing - and acting on - only one. When they fought Annie in Stohess, Mikasa had to remind Eren that the world was cruel, because Eren had lost sight of that truth. Now, Eren's lost sight of another, equally valid truth; that the world, as cruel as it is, is also beautiful. That he, as inhuman as he thinks he is, is also kind.

If Mikasa manages to 'bring Eren back', she'll have come full circle. She started off as a little girl who was seeking something, anything, to hold on to. She needed a saviour, and she got one in the form of Eren. In this scenario, she'll end as a saviour herself, someone who is now able to pass on the light that she once received. Her fear of the world and of losing her loved ones subsided; she managed to find the warmth she needed to carry on.

( analyst: u/lemmesay1stupidthing on reddit. I edited tho but it's by them)

#mikasa #aot #attack on titan #snk #eren

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sasorikigai · 4 years

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100 days of headcanons:

Day 18: Nightmares

Most Hanzo’s nightmares are originated from amalgamation of preexisting, chronic untreated conditions that have been mounted discharging during the nights, causing him to struggle not only with insomnia, but actually staying asleep without recurrent nightmares of 1) his death, 2) his family’s death, and 3) the Shirai Ryu massacre. Depending on his experiences with numerous people - notably Kuai Liang (Sub-Zero), Bi-Han (Noob Saibot) and Raiden (corrupted with Kamidogu Blade) - such fatal battles with them will also be the constant subject of his suffering. I already wrote extensively on the contexts in more detail in the link above.

Also, while permanent death is something Hanzo wishes upon himself (as it should have happened when he died along with his family), he also does wish to come back to life, in order to ensure the Earthrealm’s protection. Hanzo often dreams about his brutal death after fighting Havik, and never having enough paternal instinct, protectiveness and willpower to fight Scorpion, rise triumphantly in order for him to literally go through hell and back to find his place, where he belongs as the Shirai Ryu Grandmaster. And because he was reborn in the Netherrealm, I headcanon that Hanzo/Scorpion will always come back to life one form or another even after his physical death.

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Sleep deprivation may contribute to adult nightmares, which themselves often cause people to lose additional sleep. A number of psychological triggers such as anxiety and depression can cause adult nightmares. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also commonly cause him to experience chronic, recurrent nightmares. The nightmares usually consists of multiples of those events, and most people Hanzo knows - even more so if one is his lover - are familiar with the events.

During sleep terrors, Hanzo may act scared, afraid, agitated, anxious, or panicky without being fully aware of his surroundings. The episode may last 30 seconds to 5 minutes; he most likely would not remember the event the next morning. Sleep terrors may leave him feeling even more exhausted and perplexed the next day. Verbalization during the episode is incoherent and his perception of the environment seems altered. Tachycardia, tachypnea, sweating, flushed skin, or mydriasis are prominent.

Kuai Liang’s nightmares and night terrors are nowhere near as severe and frequent as Hanzo’s, as he is more emotionally inhibited and have taken measures to repress them. Despite it, it doesn’t mean that his own sense of unbelongingness paints a vivid colorful world full of pain and suffering, as the physical signs of a terror may include not only uncontrollable excessive perspiration and labored breathing, but also a paling of the skin and eyes opened wide and yet seemingly unaware of what they are seeing. His flawless control of cryomancy could also slip considerably while in such state, as his view would drench in blackness, then to the familiar violation of his body, mind and soul, as his cyberized body would turn back into a human form, but as a revenant under Quan Chi’s dark magic.

The excruciating, indescribable and unbearable pain would have been unparalleled as Cyber Sub-Zero’s exoskeleton and circuitry transformed back to gleaming bones and muscles and splattered blood, as the regained human form would have gotten him a mouthful of loose teeth again, grinning all bloody in the mutilated mirror of his once handsome facade. Quan Chi was utterly merciless in Kuai Liang’s transformation, as the crude magic would have shoved everything back in, as the cryomancer’s tested resilience threatened to break and shtter with shaky fingers and clenching jaw would have ground with undurable pain until he felt the roots of his resurging femurs and pelvis and spinal chords stabbing up his sinew and muscles, pain throbbing till he could hear it in his ears - a pulse, a beat - as magmatic salty blood still flowed, spilling from the corners of every orifice of his being, while Jackson Pollock-ing the white canvas of the bones as it drips.

How Kuai Liang would have fought a crimson ocean in his mouth as teeth of his shattered bones flying like projectiles, cracking the mirror, his face all crooked and screwed up, splintering with every tooth that pings into his reflection as all the pieces would clump back like fresh clay, hardening back. Shards start falling to the ground, and his form would convulse, jump back with bareness as the crimson crime scene before him fades as his corporeality would have been resculpted. The very tormenting agonization he went through via Quan Chi’s hands, specifically, is something he will continuously have nightmares about.

Also where Kuai Liang gets corrupted by Kamidogu Dagger, gets not only injured by it, but left to die by Hanzo Hasashi. The line where he says “I’m not a monster.” and later, when he wakes up at the Sky Temple is also a frequent recurrence of his nightmares, as it was against his volition to commit such wrongdoings, freezing more than half the city and killing the innocents.

Since adult night terrors are so closely associated with life trauma and psychological disorders, Kuai Liang will attempt to endure this bedtime battle, and sometimes also exhibit signs of aggression, anxiety, memory loss, and inward pain that are often expressed in the form of self-mutilation. Some are even at risk of sustaining physical injury during a terror, as the unconscious mind is unable to overcome the disconnect between reality and illusion. While he is much less likely to mutilate his flesh in a form of self-cutting, what Sub-Zero will resort is to become a recluse and train in the frozen lake of Arctika, pushing his body beyond even ferocious cryomancer like himself could ever endure.

#✗ obsessive cathartic (headcanon)#✗ the ineffable testimony of spawned hellfire (scorpion)#✗ seeking reconciliation with his own humanity (iii)#✗ you are an equal amongst deceivers (iii)#(this got VERY LONG)#(but very very important as comics play huge part in how I characterize both my boys)

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a-damson-in-distress · 5 years

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The Protégé 2

Pairing: MadaSaku

Plot: In search of a new cellist for his prestigious orchestra, an infamously feared maestro stumbles upon a young rising star.

Note: Some of my favourite composers are mentioned in this chapter, if you’re into modern classics, you should definitely check them out. Hint: Maybe take a closer look at Bergersen’s pieces, he may or may not pop up again sometime down the road, as a pretty central plot device, if I might add. Also, I am a MASSIVE Lord of the Rings fan, and I would literally kiss the ground Howard Shore’s feet walk upon, so naturally, I had to mention him as well. The White Tree is a piece he composed for Return of the King, and you can hear it while Pippin was trying to light the beacons of Minas Tirith. If you want to check it out, here’s a video. The really good part begins at 1:25. Enjoy.

Madara usually closed his eyes during auditions – not that this was one, at least not one she was aware of. He felt he could concentrate on the music better this way, listening to every subtle sound and picking up even the tiniest tremble. But he couldn’t help but watch her perform. The way she swayed with the music, as if almost allowing herself to be lifted out of her seat by the melody and carried away into that fantastic world she seemed to conjure up in her head whenever she played. The way her brows furrowed in thorough concentration, intense agony, and passionate ecstasy. The way her head would sway and bob and jerk, freeing tendrils of her striking pink hair from the confines of her strict, tight, and predictable chignon.

That’s what this entire concert was so far – predictable. Classic. Safe. Tsunade Senju was one of Japan’s most renowned conductors and her tour so far has been met with nothing but praise, and even though Madara had to admit that there were a handful of her orchestra’s musicians who seemed to possess something akin to talent, or at least satisfactory control over their instrument, he was bored. The only person worthy of his attention was her principal cellist.

Sakura Haruno was a child prodigy. Madara had been following her unprecedented, albeit short career for a while now, even toying with the idea of signing her on. Yet his orchestra had been in no need of a new cellist for a very long time, primarily because his principal cellist was a damn good musician himself, and Madara knew kicking him out simply because he wanted Ms Haruno, without him ever having done anything wrong, would not go well with his Music Director. Until he found out the tutoring sessions of Mr Nara had nothing to do with him improving his fellow cellist’s sforzando, but everything to do with him sticking his hands down her pants.

Which resulted in a vacant cellist spot in his orchestra and Madara flying to Sapporo to see Sakura play. Despite her outstanding performance, Tsunade’s safe and predictable pieces were smothering her true talent, and – having already suspected a boring programme – he had asked the conductor in advance to give her principal cellist an experimental solo piece.

Madara expected many things, one of Zoltán Kodály’s works perhaps, or a Gaspar Cassadó, maybe something with a hint of Jazz. What he absolutely did not expect, however, was Sakura Haruno plucking, bowing, and playing her instrument, the audience, and herself into a state of musical ecstasy with a cello rendition of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck.

He had watched countless breathtaking performances in his nearly twenty-year long career, conducted even more – but Madara honestly had to admit he had never once gotten goose bumps before. And yet four minutes of this delicate pink-haired fairy nearly massacring her cello was more than enough to regret every single second of not having her in his orchestra.

So he did the only logical thing and stole her.

“You know, my Music Director considers this stealing.”

Madara raised an eyebrow. Of course, he does.

“So do many others here at Kyoto Concert Hall. They all think you’re stealing from us.”

He couldn’t supress a smirk. Of course, they do, because of course he was. Though he would never call it stealing. Strategic relocation sounded much more like his modus operandi.

His widening grin only made Tsunade’s nostrils flare even more.

“You should consider yourself lucky that I have nothing left to teach her, otherwise I would fight you tooth and nail for that young lady.”

Madara lowered his amused gaze to the index finger threateningly pointed at his chest, before meeting Tsunade’s eyes. “My my, I think I should consider myself lucky to have witnessed the moment Tsunade Senju admits that I’m a better conductor than her.”

“That is not what I said, you daft bastard!”

If looks could kill, Madara would have probably died of spontaneous combustion right this second.

The raven-haired conductor resisted the urge to roll his eyes and levelled Tsunade with a deadpan expression. “There’s no need to go over this again. We’ve discussed all the details and necessary arrangements. She will be part of my orchestra, and there is nothing you can do about it. You said it yourself, she’s learned everything she can from you and now it’s time to move on to bigger and better things. I will be good for her.”

He watched her narrow her eyes in suspicion. Tsunade took another step to bridge the distance between them until she was so close her chest was almost touching his torso. Madara forced himself to supress the groan of annoyance threatening to escape his throat. He had always hated, and at the same time respected Tsunade’s in-your-face attitude.

The blonde conductor scrutinised him for another moment, before hissing, “But will you also be good to her?”

A careful knock on the door suddenly dissipated the tension in Tsunade’s office, and she turned towards the sound. She grabbed the handle of the door and opened it wider to allow the person in.

“Ms Haruno, come in.”

Madara watched the object of his musical desire hesitantly step into the office before Tsunade grabbed a hold of her shoulders and practically forced her inside. She leaned her cello case against the wall and nervously played with her hair. She seemed so skittish that, for a moment, Madara feared Tsunade had already told her that he was here today because of her.

“Ms Haruno, there’s somebody I would like you to meet.”

The raven-haired conductor could no longer keep still and raised his voice, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms Haruno.”

And then she turned around and fixed her wide doe-like eyes on him and a tiny, barely audible gasp escaped her lips. Her jade orbs widened in admiration, and Madara knew in that instant he had her.

“I’m Madara Uchiha.”

Hook, line, and sinker.

He allowed himself another moment to bask in her reverence so clearly mirrored in her expressive eyes, before offering his hand.

She blinked a few times, as if to shake herself out of her trance and her gaze jumped back and forth between his hand and his face. When she finally seemed to realise who was standing in front of her, she gingerly shook his hand and whispered, “It’s such an honour to meet you, Mr Uchiha. I’m – “

“Sakura Haruno, I know,” he interrupted while enjoying the feel of her warm tiny hand in his.

She abruptly let go and looked at him in wonder before stammering, “You – wait, how do… You know me?”

How adorable, Madara thought. She was a world-famous musician herself, rubbing elbows with international A-listers of the classical music scene, and yet she couldn’t wrap her pretty little head around the thought of a fellow countryman knowing her name.

He was just about to open his mouth to speak when he heard Tsunade sigh behind her.

“There’s no point in beating about the bush, Ms Haruno, so I’m just going to come out and say it. Mr Uchiha is looking for a new principal cellist in his orchestra and he has approached me with the idea of signing you on.”

Sakura’s gaze swept back and forth between her current maestro and the raven-haired man next to her, her lips opening and forming a bewildered little o. Both conductors looked at her expectantly and gave her a few seconds to process the information. After a few moments of silence, where Sakura vacantly looked at her cello case, deep in thought and seemingly boring holes into it, Madara fixed his questioning gaze on Tsunade. Sensing her hesitance, he took it upon himself to break the silence.

“Ms Haruno, this is the point where you say something,” he gently coaxed her.

Her head whipped to the right, surprised eyes meeting his expectant ones, like a deer caught in the headlights. Sakura closed her mouth, licked her lips, and shook her head as if to force herself to concentrate. Tugging a strand of hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat before turning to Tsunade and raising her voice.

“Is that why you gave me the solo in Sapporo? You’ve never given me one before, I thought it was strange.” Sakura’s head slowly turned to face him again, and she shyly peeked up at him through her eyelashes. “It was an audition. You were there, weren’t you?” she murmured.

Madara immediately recognised the look on her face. She wanted to know how she did.

“I wouldn’t call it an audition, really. Not when I decided to sign you on weeks ago. It was more of a formality.” The way her blush spread across her cheeks and her lips spread into a tiny, proud grin and her eyes sparkled with gratification told him that was exactly what she wanted to hear.

Their moment was interrupted when Madara heard Tsunade pointedly clear her throat.

“I know this might be sudden for you, Ms Haruno. But rest assured, you have a month to think about the offer. After all, we still have two concerts to play in the upcoming weeks and by the end of March, we will be done with our tour, which will also be the same time your contract with our orchestra will run out. If, by then, you choose to extend your contract with us, you’ll stay here, no questions asked.” Tsunade fixed her principal cellist with a determined gaze, no doubt silently imploring her to remain in Kyoto, Madara mused. She then let her annoyed eyes rest on him, staring daggers in his direction while hissing, “Should you chose to accept Mr Uchiha’s offer instead, we will do everything in our power to help you transition to Tokyo as smoothly as possible.”

The two conductors waged a silent war with their challenging and determined gazes, each trying to stare down the other, when they were suddenly interrupted by Sakura’s hesitant whisper.

“I don’t know what to say.”

Madara’s eyes landed on the young cellist in front of him and his expression immediately softened when he found her nervously chewing on her bottom lip, brows deeply furrowed in confusion. Her uncertain gaze swept back and forth between the two conductors as she spoke, “This such a huge offer, and thank you, by the way, Mr Uchiha, really. This is just… You have – I can’t even begin to describe how much this means to me. But at the same time,” her eyes landed on Tsunade, “my roots are in Kyoto, this is where I started my career and learned so much, and I really feel tied to this place, as well.” Sakura lowered her gaze and started pulling on the ends of her west, before letting out a long sigh. “This is a really life-changing opportunity for me. So I hope neither of you expected an immediate answer. I think I’m really going to need that month to think things through, if you don’t mind.”

Both conductors let their shoulders slump, releasing some of the tension they were feeling waiting for the cellist’s reaction. They both exchanged a knowing look before Tsunade stepped closer to the pinkette and gave her shoulders are reassuring squeeze. “Of course, Ms Haruno. Neither of us want to pressure you with this, so take your time. We both want you to be absolutely certain with this decision and we both want you to feel comfortable in whatever orchestra you choose.”

Sakura gave her current maestro a thankful smile. Tsunade released her shoulders and stepped in front of her, crossing her arms in front of her chest and pointed out, “Just keep in mind that I still expect you to bring your A-game for the last two concerts, so don’t allow your daydreaming about Mr Uchiha’s offer to tarnish your performance.” Another blush tainted Sakura’s cheeks. “Of course, Maestro.”

“I’ll send a copy of your contract to Mrs Senju, and she’ll forward it to you. You can take your time to read through it and get a feel for the things that I will require from you, rehearsal schedules, planned tour dates, a list of my rules, that sort of thing. I’m sure it’s not much different to the contract you signed with Kyoto Concert Hall, but I am known to be somewhat stricter than other conductors, so I want you to know exactly what you should expect before you make your decision.” Madara stared into her jade green eyes and expected to see uncertainty, maybe even a touch of apprehension. But he was again met with awe and reverence, as if she couldn’t believe he deemed her worthy enough to even cast a glance in her general direction. His entire orchestra and virtually every musician he had ever met stared at him the same way, so Madara was long since used to the awe-inspired looks and couldn’t care less about them.

But something about the way this young cellist peeked up at him, as if he were something out of every musician’s dream, a god among conductors, and the walking talking embodiment of musical perfection all wrapped in one with a ribbon on it gave Madara a massive, albeit unnecessary, ego boost. He realised then that Ms Haruno was the only person whose obvious adoration did not annoy him. He found himself enjoying it. Which was why the need to have her grew even stronger.

The raven-haired maestro swallowed the lump of unexpected excitement in his throat and gave Sakura a subtle, encouraging smile. “Give it your best for the last two concerts. And I promise I won’t be secretly attending anymore, so you don’t have to be nervous or anything. Take your time to think about everything, and once you’ve made up your mind, Mrs Senju will give you my email address and you can let me know directly. But you must be absolutely certain about this. I tend to be very possessive of my musicians, and I would have a hard time letting you go,” he drawled vaguely.

Madara didn’t think it was possible, but her blush deepened even more. Before allowing himself to keep teasing the cellist and to fall further down the rabbit hole, he forced himself to end the conversation and extend his hand, which she hesitantly took.

“Ms Haruno,” he murmured, his gaze lowering to her lips for the briefest moment before meeting her wide eyes again. He gave her one last long tempting look before letting go of her hand, nodding goodbye to Tsunade, and sauntering out of the office.

Sakura was on edge. They were currently in Osaka for the last concert of their tour, and even though Mr Uchiha promised not to attend and she believed him, she still felt incredibly nervous. Not so much because of the performance per se, she knew how well-prepared they all were and that the concert was going to be a success. She was nervous, because the one-month waiting time was almost over, and both Mr Uchiha and her maestro were going to expect an answer soon.

While the two violas she shared a hotel room with were busy in the bathroom putting on their makeup, Sakura was lying on her bed with her laptop in front of her, staring at the contract she got from her conductor for what felt like the millionth time.

Mr Uchiha had been right, it wasn’t all that different to her current contract. Though the rehearsal schedules were a bit more tightly packed than she was used to and the planned upcoming tour would take them to farther away places, her employment with the Tokyo New National Theatre essentially included the same responsibilities and requirements as her current work for Kyoto Concert Hall.

One aspect of Mr Uchiha’s offer that was incredibly appealing to her was the repertoire. The pieces he performed with his orchestra were completely different to what she had been playing so far under Maestro Senju’s lead. Though his programme did include the most important classical composers and his orchestra did occasionally play some of the most well-known and most popular pieces, he was more famous for his penchant for conducting modern classics. She had almost spat out her tea when she first read the names Brian Tyler, Thomas Bergersen, and Howard Shore. The thought of being on the same stage as Madara Uchiha and performing Howard Shore’s The White Tree made her insides tingle with excitement.

And the repertoire was almost enough to maker her agree. Were it not for his incredibly precise and incredibly strict list of incredibly precise and incredibly strict rules. While Sakura was used to high expectations and rigorous leadership form her time with Maestro Senju’s orchestra, nothing came even remotely close to Mr Uchiha’s demands.

As stated under section 1. Rights Granted and Territory and section 3. Delivery, the Musician is obliged to abide by the following set of rules set out below.

The Musician:

1. Acknowledges his/her role and responsibility as a person of public interest and shall henceforth be mindful of his/her public image and the way it reflects on the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. A respectable demeanour is expected at all times and measures shall be taken to avoid embodying unwanted characteristics, including but not limited to:

o Tardiness

o Discourteousness

o Vulgarity

o Promiscuity

o Intoxication

o Arrogance

2. Agrees to take meticulous care of his/her appearance, especially during concerts and other public engagements when representing the orchestra. The Musician shall wear whatever concert outfit the Conductor deems appropriate during concerts as well as appropriate formal clothing for other public appearances in accordance with either the Conductor or the orchestra’s publicist. In private, the Musician is free to dress however he/she chooses, with the following restrictions and requirements:

o No cleavage

o No skirts and dresses shorter than three (3) centimetres above the knee

o No shorts shorter than five (5) centimetres above the knee

o No torn clothing, pants or otherwise

o No visible underwear and/or bras

o No transparent clothing

o No clothing with provocative and/or controversial statements, logos, or pictures

o No exaggerated make-up, including but not limited to bright lipstick, bright eyeshadow, and bright blush

o No facial piercings

o No greasy and/or unkempt hair

3. Shall limit displays of affection when out in public with his/her significant other and keep them to a respectable minimum. Short kisses and pecks on the cheek as well as short hugs and holding hands are within the scope of acceptability. Prolonged physical contact as well inappropriate and/or intimate touching and gestures are not allowed.

4. Retains the right to keep his/her own social media profiles active if desired but transfers the management of said profiles to the orchestra’s publicist. The Musician shall refrain from posting any content online without the explicit approval of the publicist.

5. Shall refrain from pursuing any sort of intimate relationship, sexual or otherwise, with any active member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, including but not limited to the musicians, the tutors, the PR team, and the Conductor.

And that was only the first page. The list went on for another two pages, full of uncompromising rules dedicated to upholding the good name of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra while at the same time restricting its musicians freedom in many aspects. Sakura knew that especially in Japan’s classical music scene, image, reputation, and appearance were the non plus ultra, probably even more important than for other orchestras from different countries. And she was even used to a certain level of stuck-up and pernickety snootiness. Yet, Mr Uchiha’s supercilious demands blew all of that out of the water. Sakura wasn’t sure if she was ready to agree to some contract that would stipulate what sort of skirt she was allowed to wear (not that she wore promiscuous clothing, but this was a matter of principle) or for some publicist to tell her what she was and wasn’t allowed to say on the internet.

But every time she thought about whether or not she would be able to tolerate these restrictions, her mind went back to her first meeting with Mr Uchiha and the way he looked at her so intently, and all her inhibitions flew right out of the window. He admitted that he had decided to sign her on weeks before that, he said Sakura didn’t even need an audition. When the conductor had praised her and subtly told her how well she performed in Sapporo, the young cellist felt a rush of euphoria surge through her body the force of which she had never felt before when Maestro Senju would compliment her on her performance.

After weeks of poring over the contract and weighing the pros and cons of submitting herself to Mr Uchiha’s strict rules, it seemed to Sakura that in the end, her excitement over the possibility of working under the ingenious conductor always outweighed any inhibitions or hesitance.

Hearing a loud noise from the bathroom, Sakura was torn from her thoughts and lifted her gaze from her laptop to the two violas emerging from behind the door. “Sakura, come on, we’re supposed to be at the concert hall in half an hour. You need to get ready.”

She gave the contract one last thoughtful look before closing her laptop and climbing down from her bed. Stepping in front of the bathroom mirror, the cellist gave her appearance a scrutinising look, before grabbing her make-up pouch. This was the last concert of Tsunade Senju’s tour, and the conductor always liked to go out with a bang. So Sakura was going to look extra made-up tonight.

The girls grabbed their cases and left for the concert hall.

When Sakura entered the stage amidst roaring applause, she could feel the familiar rush of excitement run through her veins. The cellist took a seat, prepared herself, and played her heart out.

After Madara returned to his office from his meeting with his Music Director to discuss details for his orchestra’s upcoming tour, he wanted nothing more than to pour himself two fingers of his favourite Scotch, lay a bag of frozen peas on his neck, and proceed to throw the damn bastard of a Director out of his window. He did the first two but refrained from doing the latter. The supercilious oaf was the one signing his paycheck, after all. His Music Director was giving him hell on the best of days, but ever since they were short one principal cellist, Madara swore his ability to annoy him grew to exorbitant heights.

One glance at his watch had the conductor groan in defeat. 1:14 am. Even though he still had a mountain of work to do, he decided he wasn’t going to stay in his office any longer, not for all the tea in China.

Just as he was about to grab his coat, his laptop pinged with the notification of a new email.

“What the everloving fuck now?” he growled, stalking back to his desk and staring daggers at the too-bright screen.

His eyes widened a fraction when he read the name of the sender. Throwing his coat over his chair, the raven-haired conductor took a seat and opened the email.

Dear Mr Uchiha,

I would like to once again express my sincerest gratitude to you for considering me for the position of principal cellist in your orchestra. Again, I cannot put into words what an honour your offer is and how deeply I appreciate it. Therefore, after careful consideration, I have decided to accept your offer of joining the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

I look forward to working under you.

Yours sincerely,

Sakura Haruno

PS: What do I do next?

All the tension and anger suddenly dissipated from Madara’s body, and he could even feel his lips spread into a victorious grin. Sighing contentedly, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head. As he skimmed through Ms Haruno’s email again, he couldn’t help but chuckle at her post scriptum. For some inexplicable reason, Madara found himself enjoying the way she was already looking to him for guidance, asking him what to do.

He was going to have way too much fun with her, the maestro thought with a wicked grin dangling from his lips.

Cracking his knuckles, Madara leaned forward again and started typing.

#naruto #naruto fanfiction #madasaku #madasaku fanfic #madara uchiha #madara uchiha fanfic #Sakura Haruno #sakura haruno fanfic

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disappointmnet · 7 years

Text

How Mnet Screwed Kenta Over

a list i will update continuously bc i know we’re gonna uncover more shady stuff mnet did to him

updated as of june 29

making him relearn sayonara hitori in japanese two weeks before recording to possibly:

justify why their xenophobic ass cut his performance

expose him to criticism for singing in japanese instead of korean

give him a storyline as the japanese dude but then had to cut him out because he talked about mnet making him sing in japanese (aka shaded them) in front of the judges

make life harder for him (*whispers* bc they hate him)

for team battles:

didn’t show how be mine team 2 chose kenta as center despite showing all of the other groups’ centers

cut be mine team’s performance (they literally skipped to the end) and kept focusing on other trainees during kenta’s (and ponyo ofc) parts

gave the person with the most votes in team battles an interview except for kenta they didn’t even show his reaction they gave alpaca and tiptoe a teacher/student story instead which is great but why ONLY them????

showed how leaders and centers were chosen in position battles EXCEPT for spring day they never showed how they chose leader which was coincidentally kenta then too wow is it just me or is something weird here hahahaha

the thing that happened in be mine happened in spring day too except it was more obvious because kenta only had like two parts this time

during his parts the camera cut to the audience and the other trainees without doing that stupid repeating thing mnet does like five times (see: dongho in bil)

for comparison see how well they edited bjy’s vocal parts giving him a nice small box for eunki to comment that he’s handsome and not stealing the spotlight from him

didn’t show kenta helping sanggyun with his japanese rap (ano ano hajimemashite) or his reaction to his finished product

(comparison: kenta reacting to dongho saying hontoni haha favoritism much but that’s a topic for another day)

(another comparison: woo jinyoung helping gwanghyun with his rap)

and for open up

aha HAHA OH BOY

H A!!!!! H A H A H AH A!!!!!

once again they completely skip over how kenta (and eunki) were chosen as center

instead they give daniel another inefficient leader storyline!!! ya y!! :D!!!!!!

why do they keep recycling storylines

@mnet i don’t even write and I could come up with a better storyline for your whole damn show in fact I have like 5 already i can sell them to you so you can release the same season but with all the unused footage you have bc you always annoyingly repeat everything like 10 times god it’s so annoying

mnet tried to evil edit kenta and his team but hey it’s the effort that counts at least they made a somewhat convincing edit this time-

(just kidding kenta was smiling in the mirror while kahi was talking all of korea noticed )

(also everyone liked how serious kenta looked and his black clothing so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

kenta vs daniel??? is this a massacre??? did they want to incur daniel fans’ wrath and destroy kenta?? actually that’s exactly what they wanted i know mnet i’ve analyzed them and gotten into their mind i have the whole conspiracy unraveled wake up america

it’s hilarious how they tried to make kenta look like he was planning mutiny against daniel and his team from open up (bc he’s a harmless puppy)

(also his serious expression?? it’s the same one he made when he was watching open up choreo it’s his focusing on choreo face)

(angry kenta doesn’t exist except maybe that time he was talking to haknyeon in open up)

fun fact that was the only time kenta ever got an interview the other time was when he got like two seconds onscreen to compliment hoeseung/hwiseung for be mine team 1

open up minus the eliminated trainees:

kenta’s screentime was still pathetic but we’ve been so deprived this was better than we could have ever expected

too bad voting closes in a few hours after the episode airs :)))))))))

and fancams are going to be released LATE hahaha i wonder why it’s because kenta killed the open up stage you dipshits wake up to the truth already

that deleted preview of kenta and yongguk and sungwoon and hyunbin as the four candidates for 20th place was cruel and unnessecary (also more preview footage that didn’t show up in the actual episode :///)

episode 10 (kill me now)

they show kenta begging for more screentime in the episode he’s eliminated (cruel and unecessary and made me want to cry)

they cut his ment far too quickly why can’t mnet be nice for once

they showed kenta in every elimination EXCEPT for the one where he was eliminated bc he wasn’t crying and mnet wanted to break him

the final episode (lololololololol)

all i have to say about this is that kenta got more screentime here than throughout the whole show

anyway

to summarize

they only used him for reactions shots and never gave him screentime for things that mattered like idk performances and skill and the one time he did get a storyline he was the antagonist to daniel’s protagonist

a special thank you to hwanoong and the dance trainer dude and alpaca and seonho for giving kenta the only pr he ever got on this godforsaken show

yumi probably doomed herself by choosing kenta as her pick too

is it just me or did she not get much screentime??

look if kenta was her pick mnet definitely has footage of her complimenting him

conclusion: kenta and all the people who chose to associate with him suffered by mnet’s hands

!! NEW !!

didn’t show a single interaction between kenta and the trainers not one nada

also the fact that seokhoon called mnet out on not showing kenta at all even though he was working hard should be convincing enough

they never showed kenta's ment for any of the evaluations besides be mine and they even cut that

in spring day everyone EXCEPT kenta got an interview when they saw the live voting results

they tried their best to make him nonexistent and tbh they succeeded

#takada kenta #produce 101 #petition to burn mnet hq and retrieve all the footage hidden in the basement #haha this got emotional im sorry #but i did analyze mnet's actions and come to conclusions based on them #and looked at how they treated other trainees in comparison to him #so uh please don't let my emotion get in the way of me being able to be taken seriously

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chilly-territory · 7 years

Note

Do you mean kudelia could be in love with Orga? I really thought they had good chemistry at first, but then the anime seemed to keep pushing her toward mika

That’s what I call part of Okada’s style, for better or for worse, in particular it’s the part that you have to get used to and develop a taste for because frankly, at first it just feels like jagged writing and things coming out of nowhere, but upon a second watch and keeping your eyes out for easy to miss details, it stops looking as incoherent and actually starts making sense and even follows certain logic.

The thing is, thinking that romance is set in stone is a no-no. Characters develop and change as the plot progresses, especially a plot of IBO’s complexity. Take Lafter, for an example within IBO-verse. When she was first introduced, no small number of people added her to Mika’s harem because she seemed interested in him. The reality was she was Naze’s “wife” though and, from her lines, even slept with him, yet in the end she ended up developing feelings for Akihiro. An intricate route, isn’t it.

So, in my understanding, Kudelia underwent a similar process. Until Dorts, as she was gradually accumulating various knowledge and experience, she still preserved the naive teen - “otome” if you want - side about her not unlike your typical harem heroines. I even arguedthat her romance with Mika made sense up until that point (and I still think so, but only until that point). But in Dorts everything changed for her character. I doubt anyone would deny that the romantic plotline with Mika just… flatlined after that. Not only because they all got too busy, but because of how rapidly she was forced to grow up and mature in the light of her being used as a pawn to further Nobliss Gordon’s warmongering interests and the resultingdeath of Fumitan and massacre of the colony workers. She simply lost that naive side, to never reunite with it again.

It’s at that time that the nature of her crush on Mika that was always more a hero crush than it was romantic to begin with (even her attempt to console him like Fumitan did a child testifies to it) had started to change for good. At the same time, that huge forced leap in development upon Fumitan’s death equipped her with the necessary maturity to start fully appreciating the person Orga is and to see their similarities, as well as develop an understanding as fellow leaders shouldering responsibility for others and the pain of difficult choices the other was facing. That was when she started looking Orga’s way (quite literally, btw, in episode 23 and 24, for example) and when the two of them became truly equal.

There was a lot of important firsts for Kudelia with Orga. He was the first person to try to understand her in episode 3, as well as letting her hear the name he chose for his group first, he was the first to explicitly include her into Tekkadan’s family in episode 9 during their talk with McMurdo Barriston (remember her little overwhelmed “Orga…”, the only time she called him by the name?), and he was the first to acknowledge her equal standing in episode 21 with a little smile despite their dire straits. His attempt to understand her at the beginning of season 1 was nicely mirrored at the beginning of season 2 when she took her turn to make effort to understand him, too.

As sad as it is, Mika, unlike Orga, can never share or understand the ideals she fights for, her worries and burdens related to them. She grew to be too big and too mature for the Mika and Atra level anymore which invalidated the triangle to me well before Atra made an awkward move on Mika about babies and he accepted in his usual blunt and direct manner. This difference in the maturity level was especially striking with Atra since it’s Atra Kudelia spends a lot of time communicating with, with how Kudelia handled Atra’s outburst like a mature adult (despite having zero experience in romance and baby-making herself) with a well settled set of priorities and values. It just doesn’t look plausible to me at this stage that an accomplished mature person like Kudelia can be interested in Mika romantically anymore (and btw, it never once looked to me like Merribit could be interested in Orga romantically, because to my eyes her attitude was always more motherly than anything else and his of a child before an adult, and hey look, the show confirmed I wasn’t wrong in that interpretation).

Now, make no mistake: Kudelia is worried sick about Mika. But not because she’s in love with him. She cares about him greatly as family, and she’s smart enough to see that the path he’s taking leads straight to his own demise. She also understands that it’s his own will, his own choice and that there’s nothing she, or anyone (even Orga…), can do about it. Of course it would leave her feeling sad and powerless.

And so, keeping all of the above in mind, we’re back to this scene.

I was asked in the comments, “Other possibilities? …How so?” Here’s how:

The one calling the shots in Tekkadan is obviously Orga and Orga alone, not Mika, so the one to order the break-off with her, without telling her in person at that, was also Orga.

I interpret Kudelia’s frustration here as a mixture of two:- her being hurt because Orga left her completely out of the loop even though he himself had acknowledged her all the way back in season 1 as a part of his family;- her anger at herself for failing to notice what was going on with him and where Tekkadan was headed even though she was supposed to be Tekkadan’s - and his - family and should’ve seen the signs.

Now, by way of conclusion let me say the following: this take is my own, and by no means am I forcing it on anyone. Feel free to disagree, but keep something in mind (not to sound preachy though): no matter who you ship, details, even if they’re inconvenient for your ship, should never be ignored, because you would rob yourself of the chance to fully understand the story. In this case, what constitutes obvious food for thought that shouldn’t be ignored is things like Kudelia never agreeing to Atra’s idea of farming together with Mika once her job is done, her encouraging Atra to go for Mika if she wanted, her constant WTF reactions to Atra suggesting she should pursue Mika too, and her applying the word “suki” to both Mika and Atra equally (ever since season 1 we, as the audience, are often presented these types of events from Atra’s perspective, but it doesn’t at all mean that we should take Atra’s perspective for our own as she’s a clearly biased observer/participant, that is, Atra interpreting Kudelia’s “suki” as romantic doesn’t at all mean Kudelia meant it as romantic). That’s how I myself always try to approach works that have many complex layers like Gundam IBO does.

#gundam ibo #g tekketsu

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