CHAPTER FOUR
Theatre as Sport and Puns as Art.
The Pun-Lover's Slapstick.
Looking at the crowd of contestants, Chat drew a deep breath. There were so many of them. Anyone who wanted to win this competition was going to have their work cut out for them. A small, gloved hand coming to rest on his forearm made Chat turn to the woman beside him. Ladybug was looking at him, head tilted to the side in silent question. She really is adorable, he thought. Smiling, Chat nodded towards the crowd, "There's lots of competition, LB."
Ladybug's eyes sparkled as she returned her partner's grin. "Yeah, well, they'll need to bring it. Right, Chat?!"
Chat's breathe caught in his chest, before he exhaled with a laugh, "Absolutely! Anything less would not be at all a-mew-sing," he said.
Ladybug rolled her eyes, but was saved from replying by the announcer stepping up to the microphone. A hush settled over the competitors. "Ladybugs and Chat Noirs," he said. "Welcome. As most of you already know, this year's theatre sports competition is being sponsored by DAGS Inc., The Drama, Animation, and Gaming Society of America. DAGS Inc. have generously provided five cash prizes, each worth $10,000, to be awarded to the five teams to best portray MLB's lead heroes in this year's competition. That's $50,000 in sponsorship, people, so let's give it up for DAGS Inc. Yeah!"
The announcer clapped enthusiastically, joined by everyone in the auditorium. "Alright, then. Now, what no-one knows is that after today's winners have been chosen, DAGS Inc. have a surprise announcement to make. It's a big one, so stay tuned. But, for now, let's get down to business. Contestants, what do you have to do to win a cash prize? For this competition you have but one task. You are to develop and perform a short act. The rules are simple. Your performance must be not longer than five minutes, it must have something to do with an akuma, and...it must include at least five puns."
The effect of this announcement was almost instantaneous. While the audience succumbed to general laughter, there were groans from several Ladybugs, matched by hisses of "yesss!" from their Chat Noirs. The announcer held up his hand, pausing just long enough to reclaim everyone's attention before adding, "And you will have just one hour to prepare. The five best teams will each be awarded a cash prize, and the decision of the judges is final. Competitors, if you will follow me, you will be provided with access to a studio in which to prepare your performances. Ladies and Gentlemen of the audience, have a break, take in a signing, or grab yourself some merchandise, and we will see you back here in an hour's time to discover which teams will be taking home a prize." With that, the announcer began leading the masked heroes backstage.
Turning to Ladybug, Chat Noir held out his hand, "Shall we, My Lady?"
Smiling, Ladybug put her hand in his, "Right beside you, Chaton."
Ladybug was frowning. She was, in fact, thinking furiously. They had to come up with a plan, solid enough to defeat an akuma and win the day, and they only had an hour in which to do it. Chat Noir's future depended on it. Seeing her tense expression, Chat Noir squeezed Ladybug's hand, "Don't worry, My Lady, we'll think of something."
Ladybug smiled distractedly, "mmn...hmm..." she breathed.
Before Chat could say anything else the announcer interrupted. He had led the contestants backstage and into a corridor lined with doors. Turning to the group he said, "Along this corridor you will see that there are studios, each separated from the other, and clearly marked with your team numbers on the doors. Inside each room you will find everything you need to prepare for your performance - bottles of water, paper, pens, a white board, wifi, space for practicing, and access to a bathroom. You have one hour to prepare. At the end of that time you will be collected and brought back to the stage. Are there any questions? No? Good. Then, I wish you all luck. Find your door numbers, and in you go."
The contestants began to move along the corridor, each team peeling off from the group as they found the door with their number on it. Ladybug and Chat Noir's room turned out to be the last one on the left. Pushing the door, they saw that it opened into a large, windowless, rectangular room. It was empty except for a whiteboard on the far wall, a small kitchenette in the far right corner, a couple of chairs, and another closed door, behind which there was no doubt a sink and a toilet.
"Well, it ain't the bat cave," said Chat, "but it'll do. Shall we get started, LB?"
Ladybug pressed her lips together to suppress a smile. Her partner seemed to know exactly how to make her to laugh, but there really wasn't time for that now. "Ok, Chat," she said. "So, tell me... is there something in particular you'd like to do for this performance?"
Leaning against the wall, Chat folded his arms across his chest. "No, there's nothing in particular I have in mind. I'm happy to try anything, and something tells me that you already have an idea."
Ladybug hesitated, as if weighing up competing options, before sighing heavily. "I do, actually - have an idea, that is - but, I mean, well, it's a bit out there, and you may not like it. In fact, I'm not sure that I like it. But..." she trailed off.
"Try me," said Chat, his green eyes holding her gaze.
Ladybug drew an uncertain breath and held it. She looked like a diver, poised at the edge of a cliff, perfectly yet precariously balanced between terror and exhilaration. Chat continued to hold her gaze, waiting. The moment she moved from indecision to resolution, was unmistakable. It took his breathe away. He had no idea what had caused her to hesitate, to hold back, but he had no doubt about the moment that she committed herself to action either. The fierce expression overtaking her features was simply awe-inspiring.
"Alright, then," said Ladybug. "I'm thinking that we need to do something that is true to our characters, and entertaining, but not hackneyed."
"Sure," said Chat.
"Well," said Ladybug, continuing. "We know that Ladybug and Chat Noir are both attracted to each other, but entirely oblivious about that part of their relationship, right?"
"Yeah," said Chat, cautiously.
"And the fandom likes it when a story's puns make fun of their obliviousness, as well as making fun of an akuma, right?"
"Of course," said Chat, following Ladybug's logic with interest.
"And there's this idea that Ladybug and Chat Noir, or at least their Kwami, are several millennia old, so they've been around quite a few ancient civilisations - not just modern day Paris, right?"
"Ye-es," said Chat Noir, suddenly wondering where Ladybug's argument was heading.
"And, this is Comic Con, right."
"Yes," he said, again.
"So, we want our story to be both sufficiently high-brow in its pop-culture pedigree to attract kudos, yet low-brow enough to be entertaining," said Ladybug.
Erm, yes?" said Chat, nonplussed.
"Well, then, I think we should do an Atellan Farce," said Ladybug, as if she was saying the most obvious thing in the world.
"I'm sorry. What?" said Chat, his eyes blown wide in surprise.
"An Atellan Farce," said Ladybug, again, staring at Chat just as intently as he was staring at her.
"Erm..." spluttered Chat, unhelpfully.
Ladybug sighed. "An Atellan Farce, Chat. It's a kind of improvised, masked, farce that was highly popular in the Roman Empire. That way, our performance itself would be a kind-of pun."
"A... farce," said Chat, looking like he was at something of a loss.
Ladybug hesitated. "A farce, Chat. You know...it's kind of a bawdy romp, like the ones they used to do immediately after each performance of Shakespeare, as an encore. You know... - 'a witty but lewd bit of comedic relief' - designed to restore an audience after all that death, and gore, and tragedy."
Chat Noir blinked. Ladybug tried again.
"You know. A farce. It's like, it's like - well - it's like Punch and Judy," said Ladybug, searching desperately for something to wipe the blank expression from Chat's face.
Chat blinked again. Ladybug bit her lip. It was time to pull out all the stops. "You know," she said. "It's like the difference between Teen Titans Go and Teen Titans. One is full of chibis doing farcical things, while the other is a serious cartoon about serious heroes doing serious stuff, all taking themselves waayyy too seriously."
Ladybug looked hopefully at Chat. Chat blinked again.
"Oh come on," she groaned in exasperation. "You have to know about Teen Titans Go!"
Chat smiled. "Of course, Ladybug. I know about Teen Titans Go. I also know about Punch and Judy, and the farces traditionally performed after each Shakespearean play," he said. "It's just, I was so blown away by your idea of doing puns within a pun, that by the time I stopped screaming internally, you were already explaining what a farce is. I thought it best to just wait and let you finish."
Ladybug's mouth dropped open. "You...You..." She spluttered. Groaning, Ladybug hid her face in her hands. "I can't believe you did that!" She said, her voice muffled.
"Aw, come on, Bug. You know it was purr-fectly funny," he said, drawing close to give her a reassuring hug.
Ladybug raised her face from her hands to give Chat's shoulders a playful slap. "No, that was appalling, you mangy cat," she said, despite the smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. Sobering quickly, she said, "But, here's the thing, Chat. To be done properly, an Atellan Farce is usually quite physical, and rather crude, and I wasn't sure how you would feel about something like that."
Chat grinned at Ladybug. "My Lady, I'm game if you are," he said. "And I think that, if we want to win this thing, we are really going to have to pull out all the stops."
"Right, then," said Ladybug, mentally rolling up her sleeves. "What are you like at Hip Hop...?"
An hour and several rehearsals later, Chat Noir and Ladybug were as ready as they were going to be. With last minute drinks of water and trips to the bathroom out of the way, they rejoined the group of contestants being ushered into the corridor and toward the stage. Making their way down the corridor, the group could hear the muted noise of the audience. It somehow sounded bigger than before, despite the distance and corridor walls. Once they reached backstage the announcer came forward to tell the contestants to wait until they heard their team's number called. The numbers would be drawn randomly from a hat. When their number was called, they were to make their way onto the stage, explain what kind of an act they were doing, and then perform it. Wishing them luck, the announcer stepped through the curtain separating backstage from the performance space. The noise from the audience increased dramatically as he whipped them up to enthusiasm. Finally, the number of the first duo was drawn, and the audience erupted in a cacophony of applause and cat-calls. Breathing deeply, Ladybug tried to lower her heart rate. It felt like her heart was trying to escape through her rib cage to lodge in her throat. A clawed hand slipping into hers made Ladybug turn to the man beside her. Chat's green eyes glowed in the dim lighting. Ladybug smiled as he squeezed her hand in gentle encouragement.
An hour and a half later and there were just three teams left to perform. Of the performances already gone, some had received quite mixed responses. Clearly the audience had no qualms about letting the judges know what they thought. It was obvious that they preferred comedy to tragedy, and tragedy to lack-lustre deliveries and lame puns. "Right," thought Ladybug. "You can do it. You can do it. Just - don't - be - lame."
"And now," said the announcer, his amplified voice rolling out across the audience. "Please welcome Team Number 15, Ladybug and Chat Noir."
Chat Noir held out his hand, "Shall we, My Lady?"
Ladybug put her hand in his, "Right beside you, Chaton."
Stepping onto the stage, they were greeted with applause from the audience. The enthusiasm in the air was palpable. Ladybug felt her spirits rise to match it. Waving to the crowd, the pair struck heroic (and in Chat's case - nonchalant), poses for the fans. The announcer embarked on his usual routine. "So, Ladybug, Chat Noir. What have you prepared for us?"
"Hi, Everyone," Ladybug smiled. "With over 5,000 years of experiences to choose from, it really was a tough decision. But, finally, we decided to draw on the time that we spent in Ancient Rome, and to perform for you an Atellan Farce called The Missing Link."
The announcer blinked. "O-kay. Can you explain to us what an Atellan Farce is?"
"We're so glad you asked," said Chat Noir, waggling his eyebrows. "An Atellan Farce is an impromptu and risqué piece of comedy. It is essentially a masked slapstick," he said, pointing to his mask and tapping his staff on the stage floor. "Which makes it just purr-fect for me, don't you think?" He added, smiling roguishly at the crowd.
At Chat's statement, the audience burst into laughter, groans, and applause, and the announcer invited the duo to begin their performance. Chat tensed immediately. Head down in concentration, he suddenly launched himself into a series of acrobatic moves, to parkour across the stage. It was quite spectacular really. Then crouching down, cat-like, he opened his staff's communicator. "My Lady," he breathed, "I've located the akuma. I'm on a rooftop near the Eiffel Tower."
Moments later he was joined by Ladybug. "Hey Chat. What's the score?" She asked, swinging onto the rooftop beside him.
"It's a pleasure to see you, as always, My Lady," he said. "Right, then. Today's akuma is a Miss Inga Link. She's using her mobile phone like a remote to create purple chains that bind people together. Apparently, she's disgruntled with the world's Telcos. She's sick of calls dropping out unexpectedly, and people not being as connected to each other as they should be. She's threatening to chain everyone together unless we hand over our Miraculous."
"I see," said Ladybug. "Well, as much as I might sympathise with her, I think it's time we put her plan on hold. What do you say, Chat?"
Chat's eyes shone. "My Lady, did you just pun?" He asked.
A look of horror crossed Ladybug's face before she deadpanned, "Nope. No. Of course not. Nooo."
But it was too late. Chat was already smirking gleefully at the spotted heroine. "You did. You did," he laughed joyously at Ladybug's chagrin. "You, My Lady, just made a pun, and now - LADYBUG, WATCH OUT!"
From the corner of his eye, Chat had seen the akuma target them, but his warning came too late. Even as he tried to tackle Ladybug out of the way, the akuma sent multiple chains in their direction, the heavy links connecting at the heroes' wrists, elbows, shoulders, ankles, and knees like some giant, messy, spiderweb. The akuma continued to target nearby civilians with more chains. Desperately, Chat Noir and Ladybug tried to wrest themselves free of the chains, but with every movement they only succeeded in pulling each other off balance.
"You know, LB," said Chat, finally, "when I said you have me enthralled, this is not exactly what I had in mind."
"Argh," Ladybug groaned. "Chat, we don't have time for puns. If we don't break free of these chains before Miss Inga Link returns, it'll be us who'll be extinct."
Chat laughed, "For someone who doesn't like puns, My Lady, your comments sure seem to be evolving into them, today."
Ladybug's body went rigid and her eyes narrowed. Before Chat realised what she was doing, she swung her arm to jerk the chains between them, pulling him off balance to kneel at her feet. "Concentrate, Kitty," she said, cupping his cheek with her hand, before ruffling his hair. "We need to find a way to slip these chains, fast."
Chat sighed at her touch. "It's Cat's cradle," he said.
Ladybug blinked. "What?"
"Cat's cradle," he repeated. "You know - that threading game kids play, where they loop a piece of string around their fingers and try to weave as many patterns as possible without getting tangled. If we can unravel the pattern formed by these chains, we should be able to slip them off as well. But we'll have to work together to avoid any unfortunate chain reactions."
To emphasise his pun, Chat flexed his elbow, causing the chains to jerk and Ladybug's hand to shoot forward. Grasping her hand, Chat pulled himself up, to stand beside her. Ladybug raised an eyebrow at his antics. "Cat's cradle, huh? Then, perhaps you should lead the way on this one, Chaton," she said.
With a wry smile, Chat gave a slight bow and kissed her hand. "I'm ready to test the chain of command if you are, My Lady," he said.
To everyone watching, the next three minutes consisted of the most extraordinary acrobatics. Ladybug and Chat Noir wove and spun and flipped and threaded themselves around each other so quickly, that every time they stopped, each pause seemed shockingly abrupt. At the first halt, Ladybug had just completed an assisted somersault to land slightly in front of Chat, with her back to the audience. The momentum of her somersault caused Chat, who was facing the audience, to lurch forwards into her slightly. This, in turn, forced Ladybug to jackknife over Chat's right hip and thrust her arms out towards the floor to arrest her fall. Chat's arms pin-wheeled, as he desperately sought to grab something to prevent them both from falling further. With a resounding slap his hands came to rest on either side of Ladybug's dainty derrière. Like a deer caught in the headlights, Chat froze. Ladybug's voice filtered up from close to the floor, "Did the manoeuvre work, Chat?"
Chat, his face red with embarrassment, managed to squeak, "S-s-sorry, M-My Lady, but I seem to have hit rock bottom."
In the background, the audience burst out laughing as Ladybug called back, "Well, don't give up yet, Chat. We've only just started. Here, let me see what I can do."
Ladybug reached her hands back through her legs towards Chat. Grasping her wrists, Chat swung Ladybug up in a series of somersaults and twists, above his shoulders, around his body, and back down to land behind him. In doing so, Chat had turned side-on to the audience and the sudden arrest of Ladybug's momentum again pulled him badly off-balance. Falling backwards, Chat was forced to brace his arms against the floor to support his body in an awkward arch, as he stared up at the ceiling. Unbeknownst to him, his fall had also pulled Ladybug off her feet to kneel, awkwardly against his side, in direct line with his groin. Oblivious to his partner's sudden embarrassment, Chat asked, "Can you see the answer, LB?"
Blushing hard, her hands steepled together in the shape of a tee-pee, Ladybug replied in a choked voice, "S-s-sorry, Chat. No answer, just an (eyeful) Eiffel." With that innuendo the audience fell about laughing.
"This isn't the time for sightseeing, Ladybug," said Chat. "Oh, nevermind. There's something else I'd like to try anyway. I'm going to attempt to stand straight up from this position. When I do, the manoeuvre will probably pull you off the ground and into my arms. I'm going to have to catch you bridal style, so I need you to be ready. Ok? Right. On the count of three: one..., two..., three..."
With amazing agility, Chat drew himself up into a standing position. The manoeuvre dragged Ladybug off the ground and up into his arms. It worked almost perfectly, except that neither hero had counted on the chains pulling Ladybug into an inverted circle, with her back stretched across Chat's waist and her arms and legs curving to join at the hero's back, like a living cummerbund. Clamping his arms around Ladybug, to prevent her from falling, Chat was disconcerted to find them tightly encircling the spotted hero's very feminine upper torso. The hero's ears turned red as Ladybug asked, "Is it working, Chat?"
"I-I-I'm not s-sure," Chat squeaked. He cleared his throat to try again. "I'll have to keep you abreast of developments," he deadpanned. The audience, roaring with laughter, let loose a barrage of applause and wolf-whistles.
Ladybug spoke again. "Chat, I know we need to be flexible to fight new akumas, but I don't think that means I need to be a human pretzel. If you don't mind, I'd like to roll down towards the ground from this position."
"Certainly, My Lady, just give me a minute to adjust my grip, and - NO, WAIT..."
Unfortunately, Ladybug started turning over just as Chat was trying to re-adjust his grip. With a yelp, her body dropped below Chat's waist and swung further round to his back. Chat twisted in a desperate attempt to prevent her from unceremoniously hitting the floor. Feeling herself falling, Ladybug crunched her body around her partner and held on tight. No longer falling, to her immense chagrin she discovered that she had grabbed her partner's posterior. Ladybug let out an unladylike, "Eeep!"
"My Lady, are you ok?" Chat asked, concerned she had somehow hurt herself.
Ladybug gulped and without thinking stammered, "Ch-Ch-Chat, they're like steel."
Then her brain caught up with her mouth. The audience chortled. Ladybug eeped again, turned as red as her suit, and let go. Surprised, Chat only just had time to twist his body beneath hers before they hit the floor hard. Chat lay flat on his back with Ladybug sprawled across him. There was a moment of complete silence, before Ladybug groaned and buried her face in her hands. How was she ever going to live down having told her partner what his buns felt like? Seeing her distress, Chat was deeply concerned. "My Lady, are you alright? I'm so sorry I dropped you. Those chains really are like steel. Did they hit you as you fell? Are you okay? My Lady? My Lady, please. Say something!" he babbled with worry.
Ladybug raised her face from her hands in amazement. He thought she had been referring to the chains...?! She sighed. "I'm fine, Chat, just frustrated." Eyes blowing wide, she slammed her hand over her mouth.
"Thank goodness," he replied, still oblivious. "For a moment there you had me really worried." Chat gripped Ladybug's upper arms. Straddling him, she raised herself onto all fours. "You know, LB, if we don't get out of these chains really soon, we're going to be in trouble. We need to hurry before the akuma comes back."
"Right!" said Ladybug, sitting back on her knees and ankles. Looking up, she noticed a chain hanging straight down between them. "What about this chain? Will it help to unravel this mess any faster?"
Reaching up, she pulled the chain. Chat suddenly slid feet first along the floor, on his back, until his neck came into contact with her groin. Chat gulped. "Erm... I see Christmas coming faster than we're escaping," he said. The audience erupted in a cacophony of cat-calls.
Turning right around, Ladybug shifted back towards Chat's waist. "Well," she said, pulling a chain off the floor from between his legs. "What if I pull on this?" The audience turned apoplectic with laughter.
Chat's whole body jackknifed painfully into a crunch. Grabbing Ladybug, he grunted. "L-L-Ladybug. Stop. You're yanking my chain."
Ladybug froze. "Chat," she swore, "If you're just punning around, I swear..."
Chat cut her short. "No. Wait. I think I know what to do." With a sudden flurry of lifts and twists, Chat managed to swing Ladybug and himself upright, standing together, face to face. With his arms encircling Ladybug, Chat waggled his eyebrows. "My Lady," he grinned. "I just knew we were bound to be together."
To Chat's surprise Ladybug blushed and pressed her face into his chest. "Urgh, stupid cat!" she groaned. "How am I supposed to cleanse the akuma when you're distracting me?"
Chat's smile turned tender. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind Ladybug's ear, he said, "I think, My Lady, that it's time for you to do what you do best."
Looking up at Chat, with one hand on his chest and her leg popping at the knee, Ladybug raised her other arm and called, "Lucky charm!" Moments later a pack of cigarettes and a lighter materialised in her outstretched hand. Ladybug looked at the charm, nonplussed, until, as the world turned grey, items and people began to flash in colour - the cigarettes, the lighter, Chat, herself, the akuma, and the akuma's phone. Could it really be that simple? Lighting two cigarettes, Ladybug said, "Okay, Chat, time to do your thing."
"With pleasure, My Lady," he said. Grabbing hold of the chains on either side of them, Chat pulled Ladybug firmly against himself as he called, "Cataclysm!" Instantly, the chains in Chat's hands turned black, crumbling along their links, before falling away like black powder. Swiftly, Ladybug gave one of the lit cigarettes to Chat, as they turned to zero in on the akuma. Drawing deeply on their cigarettes, both heroes blew a heavy cloud of smoke directly in the akuma's eyes. Miss Inga Link flinched, dropping her phone, as she desperately knuckled her watering eyes. Stomping on the phone, Ladybug broke its screen to release the purple akuma. Swinging her yoyo she cried, "Time to de-evilise!" and slung it to catch the akuma. Seconds later, releasing a purified white moth she called, "Bye-bye little butterfly."
Ladybug turned to look at Chat Noir. Green eyes met blue. Slowly, both heroes dragged on their cigarettes to blow smoke rings. As the rings joined in mid-air to form a chain, the heroes finally bumped fists. "Pound It!" they laughed.
Taking the cigarettes and lighter, Ladybug threw them into the air calling, "Miraculous Ladybug!" Everything returned to normal and suddenly the place was crawling with reporters. Seeing them Ladybug said, "I'm sorry, there's no time for interviews today. This bug has to Bug Out!" And with that Ladybug parkoured to the nearest rooftop.
Chat Noir gave the reporters a two-fingered salute. "Yeah, cat-ch you, later!" he called, before following Ladybug. Catching up to his partner, he said, "Well, LB, that akuma was off the chain, don't you think? Although, I have to say, she did kinda just phone it in at the end."
Ladybug and the audience groaned. "Ugh, Chat. That was terrible."
"Oh, come on, LB. That Cat's cradle wasn't all bad, now, was it?"
"Hmm," Ladybug deadpanned. "Well, I suppose we were lucky it wasn't a game of pogo with your stick," she said. The audience snickered.
"Meowch," said Chat, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "You know, My Lady, for the record, this Cat wouldn't have minded being permanently wedded to you."
Suddenly the audience was holding its breath. For a millisecond, Ladybug's eyes blew wide. Then, placing her hands on her hips, she snorted, "Whoa, there, Kitty. Now your chain is missing some links."
Chat sighed, his tail trailing despondently. Pretending to play off his comment he said, "Hey! I'd look good with a gold band to match my bell, and you know it."
Ladybug smirked and sauntered towards him. Chat gulped. "I don't doubt it, Kitty," she said. "It's just that I happen to like those links you missed, and I think you should work on them first. So...," she said, tapping him gently on the nose, "How 'bout you race me to Andre's for an ice cream?"
Chat's entire being went still. Then he blinked. "Really?" he almost whispered, in disbelief.
In that moment, Ladybug felt that looking at Chat Noir was like staring at a 10,000 watt light bulb. Time to dial it back a bit. "Of course," she said, grinning wickedly. "His ice creams are way better than anything you can get from a chain store."
Stunned, Chat blinked again. Ladybug tried to hold his gaze, but her lips twitched and they both fell about laughing, joined by the audience.
With a grin, Chat turned to Ladybug and held out his hand. "Shall we, My Lady?"
Smiling, Ladybug put her hand in his. "Right beside you, Chaton."
POSTSCRIPTUM
The Shout Out
"Chat's Got Your Tongue." Enough said: /watch?v=Jqn6IO2ndcY
Atellan Farce
The Atellan Fables or Oscan Games, were invented at Atella in Campania and brought to Rome in 391BC. According to the historian Tacitus, performers of Atellan Farce were banished from Italy by the Princeps Tiberius in AD28.
Commedia dell'Arte
Popular in the 16th to 18th centuries, this partly scripted and partly improvised theatrical form involved masked characters performing lazzi (witty or foolish jokes).
Slapstick:
The name originates from the Italian batacchio or bataccio - a club or bat-like object composed of two wooden slats, used in Commedia dell'arte.So, yes, I couldn't resist creating a headcanon that Chat Noir's divisible staff is the next gen. tech. of slapstick... (lol).
POST POSTSCRIPTUM
Want to hear a funny story? So, I had to invent a company name for the competition sponsors, right. I actually went through a couple of iterations and acronyms before finally settling on the Drama and Animation Guild of America (DAG). All I would have to do is whack an "Inc." on the end to make the name sound professional, but not real, right?! Surely, no one would call their business DAG Inc, right? Wrong. Fortunately, I checked. And, what do you know. There they were: D.A.G. Inc. A visual effects production company - a large one - with over 100 employees, and Nintendo and SEGA amongst their clients. (Funnily enough their full name, The Digital Artists Guild, doesn't actually appear on the official website. I had to check another site to find it). Oh, well, darn! (Yes, for those of you snickering away in the background, I am one of those people who was invented before the internet. Of course, now that I've looked up the company, I'm not at all sure that I haven't [subconsciously] come across them before). Anyway... who knows if the company has a sense of humour? If I ever find out I'll let you know, but rather than risk it, I tinkered with the name a little further. So, now you know how DAGS Inc. - The Drama, Animation, and Gaming Society of America was formed.
