MKajitsuno

Human Larva... Amateur draftsman.... @MKajitsuno on tiktok I also have a DA newly raised from the grave https://www.deviantart.com/miraino If you like my work THANKS for follow 🖤🖤🖤

[mkajitsuno]

The arm of freedom

She shouted to the sky as a declaration of reality, 'Long live France!'

The love of her life died, but her spirit remained until the very last moment, fighting until he called her back to his side.

She lived without regrets, loving, fighting, and being free.

[rovbookshelf]

I know this is sadly seen as a heated topic in the ROV fandom and community so I assure and promise that I ask this genuinely out of curiosity and because I want to understand things better but has Ikeda made any comments regarding the scene where Andre assaults Oscar? I have interpreted it as an old unfortunate trope of its time (plus we see similar stuff even in modern stories today, for example there is this whole genre known as Dark romance) where the man assaulting or almost forcing himself on the woman is seen as romantic or passionate, like "oh, he loves and wants her so much that he wasn't able to control himself anymore!". Plus I also thought that Ikeda was trying to showcase the desperation Andre feels and the tragicness of his situation. Like, he loves Oscar but cannot marry her due to him being lower social class than her and he is losing his eyesight which means soon he won't ever be able to see the woman he loves so all of that drives him to make a poor decision and lapse in reasoning and thus he ends up assaulting Oscar. So I wondered if Ikeda has every commented why she wrote that scene or why she wrote Andre the way she did in that scene? My grievance with that scene is that it is never brought up again after it happens and Oscar and Andre never discuss it afterwards. I also find it unfortunate that Oscar starts to see Andre as a man after he assaulted her. I want to clarify that I am not against characters doing problematic things because even in real life people sometimes make problematic choices in good and loving relationships. If you don't mind me asking, what are your thoughts about that scene? It's fine if you don't want to answer that but I would be interested to heard (well, read) your thoughts and opinions about it. Do you think it is fine as it is or do you wish it had been handled differently? Sorry about this essay and thank you so much in advance and thank you so much for all your hard work for the ROV fandom!

No, she hasn’t. I have never seen her speak on it in anything I have read anyway.

What I think about it.

I have been a RoV fan for over 24 years and honestly only in recent years have I seen this be such a HUGE issue. This is pretty par for the course in historical fiction and with Ikeda. If people are this bothered they should go away. This is not for them.

I get the discomfort, but I also understand that it does have a narrative purpose and it pushes the characters forward and I am honestly not mad at it, I don't think it is nearly as bad as people make it out to be and I don’t think we need to “pretend” it didn’t happen. Yes, I would say it is an outdated trope but I think it still works today, for a piece of historical fiction, for what its being used for. But people lack the capacity to look at it properly and past their kneejerk reaction to it. I also don't see it as, "dark romance" or romance at all. Its dramatic, tragic and emotional.

People focus so much on the Andre half of this scene so let’s start with Oscar and what this does for her character.

To start. People give Oscar far too much credit. She isn’t the most considerate person or the most emotionally intelligent. Throughout the story she is shown to overlook peoples feelings and is very slow in learning about herself and others.

It takes being hit over the head or her experiencing the same things to fully understand people, especially when it comes to emotions. She was built for a specific role and doesn't really think about much outside of that.

She disregards Marie Antoinette’s loneliness and desire to be loved, then realizes she isn’t immune to that either (even falls for the same guy). She is extremely dismissive and kinda mean to Rosalie, then she herself experiences unrequited love and finally understands and empathizes with her (the very misinterpreted marriage line scene). We have Fersen ask her if she is lonely living her life they way she does, which she answers 'no'. Only for Girodelle to ask her again later and she hesitates, because yes, by age 33 she is and also has a better understanding of love. Oscar and Marie Antoinette never really understand each other and there is always a disconnect, until their final meeting where Oscar, through her love for Andre finally understands Antoinette as a woman.

Her treatment of Andre is also not great..

Top of Oscar's crimes list here is the whole Black Knight fiasco. While the scene is played out comedically, Andre is forced by her into this very stupid plan. Forced to cut his hair, risk his life and belittled the whole time by Oscar and nanny. This is quite an abuse of power by Oscar as his master and also of his feelings, as he thinks the only reason he is doing it is because it is for her. Then of course he looses his eye, we see Oscar's guilt and a bit of her sense of possession over him with the first "my Andre". This could be read as hidden feelings coming to light in the heat of the moment or as the more nefarious "you broke my property". I think its a bit of both.

A lot of people, use the “Oscar started to see him as a man” phrase for this scene. While true, maybe it gives the wrong impression. This isn't a dark romance, sexual sexy moment, for either of them. So I’ll try this one.

Oscar never saw Andre as being any different from her.

She didn’t see him as a man. She didn’t think he had any desires that she didn’t. Needs that she didn’t. Feelings that she didn’t. I sometimes don't think she even saw him as his own person. He was more an extension of herself, a third arm, always there to do what she need. So when this happens, its unexpected and she is forced to see him as his own person and THAT is what is scary.

So not only does Oscar now have to think about Andre's desires, needs and feelings...She has to think about hers, because that is how she works.

When it is said that this the start of her "sexual awakening" its not "oh that turned me on" *wink wink dark romance* its "oh that is a thing, I never thought about that, Andre feels that thing, do have those feelings too then?"

Answer is yes, we see from here on that she is extremely sexually attracted to Andre. (and is almost seduced by Girodelle) But it isn't because of that scene being physically sexual or arousing, its about the idea planted in her head that she now has to confront within herself.

The scene is after she has her talk with Fersen and he tells her

"Welp sorry I thought you were dude, maybe if you were more girl looking I'd have liked you back, duces" So she is feeling a certain sort of way and Andre senses this.

She is sitting it the dark (it is dark, no one can see, I think people forget this, for what its worth) feeling sad. As the conversation progresses Andre knows something happened with Fersen, and of course he knows Fersen doesn't return Oscar's feelings. He askes what happened and Oscar refuses to tell him and he gets mad that she is keeping things from him. So he one ups her with his insane confession. Worst possible moment to do so.

I agree with your assessment on Andre. I think he is desperate, his situation is bleak, and he has a moment of crazed weakness. This is also meant to shock us all, audience, Oscar and Andre himself as this scene is very uncharacteristic for him from what we have seen so far. There is also the fact that they are master and servant to add to the mix.

I think it is important to note that his main goal throughout this whole scene is to get her to listen to him (I imagine she doesn't do that often) and he is doing so by holding onto her. He also keeps saying he would rather die and be killed, he is baiting her to call her father and have him shot. (Her father, just come in and shoot him? Does this say something about anything? That he could just do that?) So he is a bit suicidal too. What is being said is much more disturbing then what is being done.

A large part of this scene is also to highlight his "great passion and restraint" and at the time it was considered very admirable and people liked this scene for that reason. Here is "the times" and outdated trope. It is an assault though, I don't think anyone would deny that but the point of this scene isn't that it is an assault. The point isn't the physical act but the emotional repercussions, which get so largely ignored it becomes not worth even talking about this scene.

I know Oscar and Andre never talk about what happened and I understand the disappointment with that. But it doesn't go unresolved or without follow up. We see Oscar realize she is very selfish when it comes to Andre, that she makes his life difficult, that she wouldn't be able to live her life the way she does if not for him and her whole female sexuality thing which is also an out of story achievement as it showed women as subjects of desire as opposed to just being objects.

Everything ties into her realization of equality and living her life on her own terms, which enables her to open herself up to returning Andre's feelings and breaking from the nobility. I think a lot of this gets ignored because people don't look at how this scene contributes to Oscar's growth via her relationship to Andre. For god sake its a story about class and he is our one commoner, the main characters' servant. Everything between has weight and importance to that main theme as well. People are too busy seeing Oscar as a victim to notice the growth she gets out of this. Granted I know most of the people who feel that way don't like the Oscar/Andre relationship or really Oscar either, if we are being honest, so it would be easy to miss.

Controversial opinion. I think for the short form serialized medium that The Rose of Versailles is, the scene is fine. I'm not really sure what else could have been done at this point in the story to get the characters moving to where they needed to be while also beating Aim for the Ace in the polls, so..? I think If it was adapted into some other longer "for TV" format it could be handled differently, It would look differently, staged differently. I mean look at the anime, it completely changed the context and made it 10 times worse! But I don't think the bones are bad, its supposed to be uncomfortable shocking drama:

Two friends of 20 years sitting in the dark talking about their past, the woman is hiding something form the other and won't tell, the man knows its about his rival for her love, they start to argue, he tells her to call out for help but she doesn't, the man confesses his impossible love to the woman not caring if it means his death and kisses her, poetic word vomit, she is in shock, he is ready to die by the hand of her father, finally she calls for help in the name of the other man she is in love with, in the struggle the man rips her shirt, everyone in shock, he immediately stops and apologizes.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That all being said I do think the poison scene does a lot of the same work and maybe even a little better, I think it is an easy replacement for this scene or the two could almost be mixed together. It almost feels like it was a late to arrive better idea that got missed the first time around. We will never know.

I’m going to be blunt. I think most takes on this scene are really lazy, shallow cop outs "assault bad" like omg the sky is blue and the grass is green. Please don't waste our time. I think a lot of it is posturing or people being too scared to be judged by people on the internet and over correcting by talking to much about it as if they need to make sure EVERYONE knows they know its #BAD.

This is #1 bad faith topic and close to 99.9% of people who bring it up don't care about anything other then saying "I know assault bad, omg HIT TWEET" It is an argument that they see as being a 100% win because no one can argue against that.

And. its. just. gotten. fucking. old.

[dailyrov]

Regarding the poison scene doing a lot of the same things: I completely agree with that, but I have to say that I think the poison scene would not work well if this scene had not come first.

This scene was very necessary for Oscar's development for the reasons you already pointed out, and she needed that development (seeing André as his own separate person) for her to understand what happened with regards to the poisoned wine.

Like, he is so powerless. We see that he is in the incident scene, too, but that is about his feelings; this scene is about his fate—and hers.

Keep in mind that the marriage arc is the first time Oscar feels as helpless and powerless as André has always been and it turns her into a shell of her former self. She's completely mired in her depression and drinking to excess to cope. She can't even talk about it. Seeing that André considered something as drastic as murder/suicide doesn't tell her that he wants her dead, but that he was willing to try the only thing that was in his power to help her even though it would have damned his eternal soul.

Her that her happiness and comfort mean the most to him. More than his own self. His own afterlife. His eternity.

And even though she's too far mired to convince herself to fight for her own happiness, she can sure as hell fight for his. He needs her to. He cannot do it for himself; he does not have that power.

Something something his unhappiness means her unhappiness and she knows what that means even though she struggles to articulate it in that straightforward "I love you" way. Remember, she tells Girodelle that if you love someone you don't want them to be unhappy and then goes on to say that if André was unhappy then she, too, would be the unhappiest person the world.

To which Girodelle says, "I understand."

I think a lot of people see the poisoning scene as like this very selfish moment for André but they don't realize that it's also showing us how selfish Oscar is; she's so lost in her own pain she doesn't see André's at all, even though his life is also affected by her marriage; she also KNOWS he is having problems with his eyes but is too busy thinking of herself to feel like she can help him.

But he NEEDED HER to stand up for herself. He needed it because he could not do it himself; he did not have the right or the power to save or protect her.

It's an unpleasant scene but Oscar needed something to slap her out of that helplessness she was imagining for herself that wasn't even real.

Please don't think I'm diminishing her mental illness (which she clearly has) by saying this, either. I just think it's important to point out that for all of Oscar's good points, she has many bad points, too. She is OFTEN very selfish, and takes advantage of André's good nature. The incident scene forces her to contend with the fact that the reason André has always been so compliant is because he loves her, and so his love is the reason she's been allowed to live freely. A love she never noticed because she did not see him as his own person, but rather, an extension of herself and of her will.

She starts to grow after that, and tries to pay more attention to André as his own person, but the marriage arc has her backsliding hard. Without the understanding she gained in the incident scene, I don't think she could have made sense of his actions in the marriage arc. But with them, it's a reminder that he loves her and that she matters to him, even when it feels like she doesn't to anyone else. It gives her something to fight for.

For what it's worth I don't think "the poisoning scene" itself was necessary, but something* that gave her an excuse to break the engagement off that wasn't purely selfish was—and it always had to come from André.

*And before anyone can suggest that André could have simply spoken to her and told her he loved her and begged her tearfully to do something, it doesn't work because he promised he'd never do that again after the incident scene and it's very important to the story that he held to it.

--

Also, VERY UNDERRATED section of your post is that some of this was for the serialization factor. Cliffhangers and drama that won't be fully resolved each chapter is super exciting for readers and rating polls and the like, which was important for this series. I am sure if Ikeda had the chance to write the whole thing over again, knowing the ending of her story and how much space she had, we'd have a rather different story.

But I don't really want that, so I won't think too much about it. Despite its flaws, I love this series.

[rovbookshelf]

Love this. While there are probably different ways things could have been done or shifted around I really don't think they need to be. These two scenes are fine imo and do work well together. Both are needed to push Oscar at these different moments in the story (and are I believe a couple years apart?). I think she gets forgotten a lot in discussions about these two, as well as the more unpleasant aspects of her character. For something that was serialized things really do connect and pull together really well. Rov really is one of those stories that I am very satisfied with and don't feel the need for anything to change. Even everyone dying! 😂

[mkajitsuno]

This thread has perfectly described how I see the shirt scene, and the wine scene adds another point, to which I could add that besides showing the vulnerability of André Facing Oscar's

The emphasis he places on death, death as a form of freedom within a history of social classes, death does not distinguish ranks or medals or "purity of blood", This applies to everyone.

At that point, then, we see that only in death would they be so alike and free to love each other (which is why that post-mortem reunion scene is so important).It does not cater to a mere romantic discourse but to the thinking of the time, that is why The New Heloise also has weight here, it is a reflection of the thinking of the time.

[mkajitsuno]

A Blueprint of Us

A cyanotype blueprint, a map of who we are. In light and darkness, we become the contrast that defines the lines of our love—an embrace, fingers interlaced, hands joined, and hearts forever connected.

------

This piece started as a simple sketch, but evolved into a play of white and blue contrasts to create a cold, atmospheric touch. From that chill, I wanted to rescue the warmth of the union between our beloved OA. The result is this ethereal monochrome.

[devilsrains]

rose of versailles 50th anniversary book

tribute comic by hagio moto starring girodelle and edgar (the poe clan). translated by the lovely @asnowperson and edited by me ♡

[mkajitsuno]

Ethereal (Original work)

The warm sheets that shelter hearts beating in echo.

The sound of two souls united since birth, like twin stars of the firmament landed in this world.

Of physical bodies that join and merge, following a dance that turns them ethereal...

The friends, the lovers, the spouses.

What else is this now, if not the pinnacle of happiness at the height of fulfillment?

•°•°•°🌹⚔️🌹⚔️🌹⚔️•°•°•°

Ethereal began as this poem and later became a short song; I hope it conveys the intended emotion.

[mkajitsuno]

Small, intimate moments where they could share their love. Those days when they were able to love each other, I would love to see more of that. I hope I can draw more moments like these.

[rovbookshelf]

The Rose of Versailles Takarazuka song lyrics and sheet music excerpts, from The Rose of Versailles Definitive Edition, 1976

[mkajitsuno]

✨ Oscar Felt Her Soul Leave Her Body ✨

This is one of the best OA (Oscar and André) scenes, one for which I've imagined a ton of different scenarios; this is one of them. I believe every reaction I imagine from that moment represents the very real sea of emotions Oscar felt.

[rovbookshelf]

Rose of Versailles PSA: Rosalie

Common misinformation.

Rosalie is a character loosely based on the historical figure Rosalie Lamorlière (1768–1848), the last servant to Marie Antoinette before her execution.

Rosalie was incorporated into The Rose of Versailles relatively early to highlight the contrast between Marie Antoinette’s life at court and the lives of the people in Paris. She also functions as an audience surrogate and was meant to be a character younger readers could relate to.

Rosalie is eight years younger than Oscar and meets her when she is twelve years old. Oscar takes her in, gives her a home, and decides to teach her how to read, fight, and blend into society so that Rosalie can eventually search for her birth mother.

Many readers were enamored with Oscar, and Ikeda, already influenced by the Class S stories popular during her mother’s generation gave Rosalie a one-sided “onee-sama” admiration/crush. This further increased Rosalie’s relatability for younger readers.

Common Fandom Misinformation

Rosalie’s age

Eight years younger than Oscar and twelve when they meet: This information has existed since early in the manga's run and in official materials. Her age was also part of her appeal as an audience surrogate as the story focus shifted to the now adult Oscar.

“Rosalie’s age was retconned”

False. Her age was revealed early in serialization, included in Margaret Q&A sections, and has been known within the fandom from the beginning. Her portrayal, how she is drawn, how she behaves, and how other characters treat her also makes her age obvious.

“Her age is different in the anime”

False. It is very clear that Rosalie is a child. People do not hold fellow adults on their laps the way Oscar does with Rosalie that would be strange and inappropriate. Very obvious tell.

“Oscar was in love with Rosalie (canon)”

False. Oscar consistently refers to Rosalie as a younger sister figure. The frequently circulated “marriage” line is taken out of context: it is actually about Oscar’s feelings for Fersen. The scene’s purpose is to show that Oscar now understands unrequited love and is empathizing with Rosalie, not confessing romantic feelings toward her.

“Rosalie was Oscar’s original love interest”

False. Not at all. Oscar’s original love interest was Fersen and was possibly only going to be Fersen. Later, Bernard and André also became possibilities. Ikeda has stated this many times in interviews.

“Rosalie was Oscar’s original love interest, but André fans forced Ikeda to make Oscar straight”

False. Oscar was always written as heterosexual. Moreover, Oscar expresses homophobic views in the text, a point many fans are uncomfortable acknowledging, but one that is supported by the work itself and acknowledged in supplement material. Ikeda has said that working women wrote in saying they wanted “an André too”. A man who supported a woman's career was something women wanted.

"In the end, it naturally stuck to Andre. That’s a strong character, someone who is always by your side"

Totally forced.

“Rosalie was written out”

False. Rosalie is never written out. How people think this? I don't know. Her main character arc concludes, but she reappears multiple times, including the sequel and ALL major spin-off works. Claims otherwise usually come from people who have not read the manga closely or engaged with the greater Rose of Versailles IP.

“Rosalie was hated by fans”

False. Was she the MOST popular character? No. Did her chapters perform as well as Oscar’s or Marie Antoinette’s? No. Some fans were jealous of her closeness to Oscar, but there was no widespread hatred or backlash. Rosalie consistently ranks among the series’ most notable characters. Currently ranking number 3.

This misconception comes from a comment in the 30th Anniversary Encyclopedia, where Ikeda mentions that she based the character Caroline in The Black Countess side story on the negative feelings some fans had toward Rosalie.

[mkajitsuno]

Loving each other without freedom...Marie Antoinette and Fersen loved each other, of course they loved each other, but fate was cruel, it was farcical, His love could not be even if it were, it would not be even if it existed, no not only because it was a hidden, clandestine love, but because the weight of obligations was heavy.It was so heavy, so suffocating, the protocol, the etiquette, the role assigned to them from birth, no The answer to everything was no, a sea of negations, where that glimmer of affirmation foundered in the mishap of history, The barrier existed, and yet the love persisted.

--------

Inspired by René Magritte's "Les Amants".

(Using in the background the fragment of "Uruwashiki hito yo" dialogue from Marie Antoinette)

[mkajitsuno]

After Oscar's confession comes André's oath... or rather, his vows. There, he could finally say everything he felt without the fear of falling into the abyss like that failed confession. This is the dialogue from the manga that was used for Jounetsu no Akai Bara (OA drama).

André says:

Do you want me to promise you a thousand times?

Ten thousand times?

I only have one thing to say to you: I'll give my life for you.

Do you want me to repeat that?

I love you.

[yuevir]

ethereal

[katyakartina]

my first proper digital artwork in YEARS idk if you can tell but i was inspired by alexander deineka

and lemme say i love lady oscar so much im never gonna shut up about her

[ma-bien-aimee]

All that is André - Still water

This is my attempt at an analysis of the imagery used to represent André in the anime movie. Although the limited runtime of the movie required many scenes to be trimmed, the creators still took care to convey the emotional depth of the original work through thoughtfully placed visual motifs. Noticing these subtle symbolic choices scattered throughout has made me appreciate the movie even more. I hope you enjoy this analysis, and as always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

The title of this two-part analysis is a nod to track 29 from the original soundtrack. Stay tuned for part two.

First off, the credit for identifying water as a leitmotif for André goes to @mannatea. She casually mentioned it in one of the comments of her awesome fic and listed all the scenes where it was hinted as such. Naturally, I was mind-blown and had to go rewatch the anime movie to track down every single one.

Now, the first scene by the fountain… After their duel, teenage Oscar and André sit by the fountain in the gardens of the Jarjayes mansion to catch their breath. Oscar speaks with pride about being entrusted with the role of protector to the dauphine, while André listens with quiet admiration. She tells him she’ll need his support more than ever as her attendant at Versailles, and he is only too glad to fulfill that role.

The fountain is shown from multiple angles throughout their exchange. Its jets are off, and we hear only the faint sounds of still water. The scene ends with André telling Oscar, “I’ve always been by your side and I always will be,” and at that moment the camera cuts to a close-up of the water in the fountain with the rays of the setting sun shimmering on its surface.

I felt like this shot was meant to convey the soothing and ever-present quality of water. And André is both of those things. Think about it. André’s gentle nature is the anchor someone as willful and driven as Oscar needs. To quote @mannatea, “[André] very much feels like a ‘still waters run deep’ kind of man.” And he’s always simply there. Oscar says so explicitly in the scene with the poisoned wine. They probably haven’t spent a day apart since André was brought into service. He has witnessed almost every single day of Oscar’s life—just as that fountain witnessed many of their precious shared moments. Always in the background yet essential—André's presence is a lifeline for Oscar, as she comes to realize towards the end of the story.

The second scene by the fountain takes place nineteen years later. I got very emotional watching these two scenes back-to-back, especially once I realized that they intentionally paralleled one another.

Although both scenes unfold at sunset, the light differs subtly. In the earlier scene, the sun burns brighter, almost like sunrise—because then Oscar and André were at the dawn of their lives. In the later scene, the sunlight is deeper, more somber, like the final glow of a setting sun—because they were approaching the end of their lives.

The imagery in the second scene also represents André’s soothing and constant presence. The French Guards have received the order to march the next day and Oscar tells André to stay behind, fearing for his safety given his disability. Naturally, André refuses, and Oscar relents. She asks him to stay by her side and lend her his courage. Then, suddenly, she rests her head on his shoulder—no doubt to calm her nerves. And again, we see the shimmering surface of still water in the background. While Oscar doesn’t voice it as she does in the manga, it’s easy to imagine her wondering to herself at how André’s quiet strength comforts her at times like this.

The same fountain appears in the scene where Oscar’s father tells André to enlist in the French Guards. We see this view of the garden from the library/study precisely when the General calls out for him.

The next scene heavy with the water symbolism is the "proof of love" scene with Girodelle. I love this scene so much that I thought it deserved its own appreciation post which I’ll share soon. Here, Oscar meets with Girodelle in the gardens of Versailles to declare her resolve never to marry. They stand between two fountains that are shut off. The only sounds are the rustling wind and chirping birds. When Girodelle asks Oscar if it’s for André’s sake that she would not marry, we get this shot with the one of the fountains at the forefront. 

Once again, the mention of André summons the image of still water glimmering in the sun. Oscar answers Girodelle with a resolute nod. But then, when he asks whether she loves André…

Suddenly the fountains burst to life, water surging loudly from the conduits and jets. It’s as if Girodelle’s question triggers a flood of emotion in Oscar’s heart. To quote @mannatea again about Oscar realizing her feelings for André in relation to this particular scene: “It's like the waters were so still, Oscar was submerged in them and didn't notice it until something happened to make her realize.” 

Indeed, the question takes Oscar by surprise. She gasps, as though the thought had never crossed her mind. And it’s not like she has fully grasped her feelings yet. She tries to make sense of what Girodelle’s question stirs in her and can’t really put a name on it. So she answers him truthfully and tries to explain how she feels about André. And this is how the anime visualizes her soul-searching, taking the imagery in the manga as a reference.

So, while still water symbolizes André, flowing water symbolizes Oscar—as established in this scene. This symbolism returns in the battle scene at the Tuileries Garden. After the French Guards open fire at Oscar’s order, fountains in the garden surge on. 

It's as if the fountains running throughout the fighting mirror Oscar’s state of mind. She is overflowing with emotion. She’s confident—free at last from the restraints that held her back. She’s exhilarated—commanding her troops in the name of shared ideals. She’s hopeful—having promised André that they would wed after the battle. And she’s terrified—having seen him take the bullet meant for her.

The next morning, the fountains in the Tuileries Garden are silent, as though the overflowing emotion of the previous day has settled into solemn stillness. Oscar rallies the remainder of her troops for the storming of the Bastille. Her uniform is still stained with André’s blood. When she calls out to him out of habit, a light breeze stirs the leaves where he would be standing. That’s when it hits her anew that he’s gone. She excuses herself to her soldiers and breaks down crying.

@mannatea helped me revisit this scene with fresh eyes. The scattering leaves capture the force of Oscar’s grief. But then, we see a single leaf drift down onto the fountain’s surface. The still water—again symbolizing André’s steady, reassuring presence—receives it gently, sending soft ripples across the surface.

It’s a serene vision that perhaps reflects what Oscar herself sees in her mind’s eye at that moment—as if she feels André's presence and it helps her calm down. The gentle ripples across the water are meant to show us this shift back toward composure. Though the memory of André is painful, it still brings Oscar a measure of calm when she needs it most. 

Indeed, when we see Oscar again in the next shot, she has steadied herself. The worst of the storm has passed. She wipes away her tears, resolve returning to her features, and gives the order: “To the Bastille!”

Stay tuned for part two: Bird of prey

[mkajitsuno]

I recorded some of my RoVtober speed paints, and I'll be sharing them here as well.

I'm also on TikTok...

[mkajitsuno]

This is my attempt at imitating oil painting on a digital canvas. This fan art is inspired by the final arc of the fanfic "As long as you're still Breathing" by my friend Bárbara Gallegos, which you can find on FanFiction, Wattpad, and other platforms. The song is called "Je te promets" by Johnny Hallyday.

English ver.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/67613496/chapters/174766251

[mkajitsuno]

RoVtober Day 31: Death

Like Hades carrying Persephone to the underworld, André waited for Oscar in that ethereal space, perhaps heaven, perhaps the Elysian Fields. He waited, with the calm that timelessness bestows, like patience itself.

Just as in life he extended his hand to his beloved, in death, too, the refuge of her soul awaited.

And the moment arrived, perhaps sooner, perhaps later. In that place there was no time, no space, only eternity. She was there, ready to take his hand, he, ready to embrace her forever... Life and death were finally united.

Eternity... What is greater than the union of the earthly and the divine? For them, death was simply the power to shatter all that in life bound them to their fears... In death, forever, like stars in the sky, forming constellations, shining resplendently.