i think the bullet train as a space with rules and boundaries that shift and change is really interesting. it’s a very dangerous place, obviously, because it's teeming with contract killers with conflicting missions and nobody knows the truth of the situation, etc., but it is also sometimes framed as a safe space or the safer option with the outside world being even more dangerous. and within the train there are spaces that are safer still, and then even more dangerous. the bathroom for example is a safe space where ladybug can hide away and talk to maria, reflect on what he knows and gain new information, and the momomon car becomes a sort of halloween funhouse that's ominous and otherworldly and extremely dangerous and disorienting for tangerine as he reels from the perceived loss of lemon and the changed rule that open killing is now permitted.
the boundary of inside/outside the train is also very thin and many characters find themselves on both sides of it throughout the journey. i've spoken about this before, but having the characters trapped on the train sometimes and willingly getting back on the train other times does a great job of building tension and keeping the audience on our toes while also doing a lot of really important character work. the fact that tangerine and ladybug both voluntarily get back on the train when they don’t Have to (and that tangerine has to fight so hard to do it!) shows the legitimate depth of ladybug's compassion and the strength of tangerine's devotion to lemon. also, the white death's power to police this inside/outside boundary, with his goons and the threat of his rage being a primary reason the characters are trapped in the first place, actualize and foreshadow the complete influence he has over the plot and the characters and the train itself.
this boundary also helps provide relationship development. shigeru getting on the train to help yuichi in the final act shows how much he cares about his son despite the friction we’ve seen between them up until this point. and tangerine and ladybug are shown flying violently out of the train in their fight and having to claw their way back on, and later they move in synch as they glance at each other and then run back onto the train, from enemies to allies almost immediately, and then back to rivals when ladybug kicks tangerine off the train again.
i just find the train setting really interesting. it’s a public space in the most straightforward sense. societal pressures to to be quiet in the quiet car, to not take too long in the bathroom, and to not kill people, for instance, do a lot for the story. so i think it’s perfectly fitting at the end of the movie, when everything’s going to shit and the story we knew is crashing to its end, for the train to go off its tracks and the inside/outside boundary to get ripped right open. the destruction of the train is a great symbol for the end of the mission and freedom from the restrictions it imposed on the characters. still pissed it had to fuck up that town though
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Chapter Two: A Modern Plague
It's been three years since you and Roshan had tied the knot.
You lounge on the expensive chaise longue, looking distantly through the grand window overlooking the vast garden.
The warm sun rays kiss your skin and reflect over your e/c eyes; with a heavy sigh, you look at the diamond ring around your finger.
"Roshan, what are you doing?" you sigh deeply, still playing with the ring.
You recline on the chaise, heart heavy by all the information your husband has entrusted to you.
⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧
*Flashback*
You laugh at your mother's joke coming from the other side of the call, asking for the billionth time when you will bless The Family name with a tiny mobster.
"Mom, Roshan, and I...I think Roshan is a little paranoid. He keeps saying when things get safer."
"Safe? He's married to a Family name. What's he afraid of?" your mom answers immediately, offense and maybe anger lacing her voice.
"He was with Father's name early this morning. Did his plane arrive back in Japan?"
You hear the door handle open, and your husband enters. The menacing glare in his eyes changes into a soft glimmer as the side of his lips perk up,
"Speak of the devil. " you smile at your spouse as he waits in the middle of the room, waiting for you to finish the call.
Your mother chuckles, and with a fast, "Right, go welcome your husband back home." before she hangs up.
"Bye-bye." you eye your husband as he takes off his meticulously tailored jacket and puts it on the couch.
You reach for him, and he pulls you into his arms. The smell of smoky wood cologne engulfs your senses, and in some way, it calms you down.
He kisses your head and buries his face in your h/c hair, mumbling something.
You hum in question, looking up at his sapphire eyes," Is something wrong?"
You know I was with your father today, right?"
"yes.."
"We discussed the future of the Family name and," he stops for a moment and licks his lip before he calmly utters," I'm planning to over throne Minegishi."
"What?" you break away from his embrace. Shock and fear resonate through your body, your heart rate quickens, and you stammer, trying to form a sentence.
"Roshan, Minegishi will have your head if he senses betrayal."
"Y/n, everything is planned. I joined the Japanese underworld, planning to one day be the leader."
Mental pictures of bloodied and injured Roshan surface in your mind, causing tears to well up in your eyes.
"Y/n..." he calls for you, sadly.
He steps toward you, his tattooed hands reach for your cold hands, and he puts them over his beating heart.
"I planned everything except you. From my joining ceremony to climbing up the ranks, everything. Minegishi blessed me with the unexpected, and I'm happy, ми́лой"
"Don't worry about me." he lifts his hand to wipe away the tear sliding down your cheek.
"When will it be?" you utter, cloudy eyes looking at his saddened one.
"Next week," he answers, his hands still holding yours over his chest.
The room stands still, your rapidly beating heart contrasting with Roshan's calm rhythm.
"Is there a way I can help? You know I can use guns." you inquire.
" I need you to leave the coun-"
you interrupt him," Absolutely not, Roshan. I'm staying. " your voice rises and rings in the room.
He looks down at his polished leather shoes, displeased. His two white locks hang over his face, shadowing his eyes.
"so?" you stand grounded in your place, hands crossed and a frown on your face.
He looks at you through his eyelashes.
He shakes his head in disapproval before he straightens up and pulls a gun from behind his back strapped to his belt,"
"The upcoming years won't be easy, y/n." He hands you the gun, heavy in your hand.
"Then let's face it together." you cup his cheek and tentatively caress it with your thumb.
"я тебя люблю" He leans down, capturing your lips with passion and hunger. You melt into his touch when he pulls you back to him, enveloping you between his broad shoulders. You ran your hand through his black hair, pushing him into you to deepen the kiss even more.
A sudden knock pulls you away from each other. A string of saliva connects you two before it instantly breaks.
You wipe your lips, and take a deep breath to gather your thoughts before answering with a questioning yes.
"The dinner is ready," the maid's voice comes muffled from the other side.
"We'll be down soon," you reply, gaining a grimace from Roshan.
You hear the maid's footsteps fade when you walk toward the door.
" Take a cold shower, and don't fire the maid. " you tease him as you exit the room to help aid the rest of the staff. His words of love are fresh in your mind, subduing the stinging pain in your chest for the upcoming clash.
⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧
hehehehe, hi I'm back with another chapter. maybe next chapter we'll get something i dunoo :3
anyways have a lovely day and see ya in next chapter.
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