A/N: Still the 18/08/09 over here; though it is getting on for five to ten at night. I've just seen Corpse Bride (another Tim Burton film :eyeroll:) and I really like it, and it's the seventh time I've seen it! Good characters and songs; the animation is brilliant and the plot is quite original. Set in Europa Generica and it's funny too, so many puns! I'm still amazed by the lankiness and tiny footed puppets, but Jack Skellington's more outrageous in design.

You can't really compare it to Nightmare though as that film just set the bar. Corpse Bride's less of a musical than Nightmare and the songs aren't as fantastic overall. But Bonejangle's Remains of the Day from Corpse Bride is amazing.

Hope you don't mind my odd little rambling review type things in these A/N:'s from the past. Mulan's up next though. Yeah, I'll have a little Disney marathon or something.

Well, I'll leave you with a little thought from Middlemarch by George Eliot: 'Sane people did what their neighbours did, so that if any lunatics were at large, one might know and avoid them.' (pg. 9) This will be a sort of theme for the story, as well as a pretty awesome quote about the idiocy of conformity, so I hope you remember it.

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Remember, I'll try to reply to the reviews if I can before the 29th, but my main priority is grabbing a few minutes here and there to upload chapters of my stories. Uploaded 23/08/09 (I've kept my original A/N's in tact for reasons unknown, yet probably humorous in nature. And what the heck, I'll load them all up today to apologise for my past drought and the upcoming one in the order written, hence the laborious times and dates in the A/N's)

Friendly Persuasion

It had taken him a few days to look through his mother's sketchbook; most of it was fairly amateurish actually, but there was a lot of feeling put into it. He pored over the pictures and read the little whimsical stories that accompanied the more fanciful drawings. His favourite picture was the one that reminded him of the little pond in his favourite park when he was a little boy, except that the picture had made it the centre of a fantastical masquerade ball. He didn't know that his mother loved the place as much as he did! It made him feel so much closer to her.

In those two days he'd almost lived in his room reading ahead for his college course and for pleasure in between reading his mother's diaries and notes. It was such a peaceful, yet happily melancholy time. Sesshoumaru'd worked out quite quickly that his Granny had probably asked for the rest of his family to give him some space. Not even his annoying brother had intruded upon his solitude more than twice a day. A new yearly record Sesshoumaru thought dryly.

It was while he was rereading the little paragraph of a story below that his phone rang. "Sesshoumaru."

"Of course it's you Sesshy! I called you on your phone after all, who else would it be?!" Only one person in the world had the temerity to call him 'Sesshy'; he grimaced at his nickname as his best friend shouted it again down his ear. "Sesshy! You still there? Because if you're not I'm going to sing until you respond." The line went suddenly quiet and Sesshoumaru hurriedly spoke lest his delicate ears be tortured by horrifically awful music. "What do you want 'Tsu?"

"Can't a guy call his best friend for no reason?"

"Yes, but where you're concerned your 'no reason' always becomes a reason."

"Only by your standards. You hardly ever call anyone without a purpose and it makes me feel all alone and missing the gossip." 'Tsu's voice had become pouty and a little whiny towards the end and Sesshoumaru smiled as he leant against the wall and made himself more comfortable. "I swear, if you put on that voice again," He slipped into a caricature of 'Tsu's voice, "Thith Thethoumawu will wip your tongue out and make you eat it waw."

'Tsu laughed happily, "Fine, fine, this 'Tsu'll stop with the complaining. But seriously now Sesshy, you should be like this more often to people other than me. Does Mrs. Taishou even know you can do imitations?"

"Tch, no. Izayoi's Izayoi. You know how oblivious she can be to everything. Just last week she was looking for a length of purple cloth that she'd put the template for Miroku's Christmas present on and started pinning it to the fabric – she walked past it eight times and even moved it twice before she realised what it was!"

"Wow, your mum can be a real ditz." Sesshoumaru nodded even though it couldn't be seen. "Hey, so what's Miroku getting for Christmas then?"

"A kind of knee – length jacket."

"In purple!" his friend cried out incredulously.

"The lining and part of the trim only." Then he sighed, "'Tsu, I know you're going to gloat where you see Inuyasha's friend, but don't be too obvious about it."

"Aaaawww, you mean I can't dance around singing 'I know something you don't know!' that's unfair."

"Try to avoid that. Annoy them with everything else though. And don't even hint at what the present is. Even my brother doesn't know what Miroku's getting."

"Okay!" 'Tsu's voice was too chipper, Sesshoumaru knew drastic measures had to be taken.

"Promise."

"I swear on my poster of my dream date and my most treasured item that I will not tell anyone – except you obviously Sesshy – about Miroku's Christmas present or my thoughts on it.

"Now, about the reason I called you." Whatever happened to 'no reason at all' thought Sesshoumaru. "It's just that I'm bored – "

"Even though you have three jobs and babysit." Sesshoumaru interjected.

"I'm still bored! And I know you are too; even though you have two whole entire jobs and so much to read, so I thought we should go out tomorrow." There was an anticipatory silence as his friend waited for Sesshoumaru to say something. He didn't. "So maybe we could have lunch, see a movie, maybe go shopping . . . "

He knew where this was leading, "Where's the sale this time?"

"The music shop! It's going to start tomorrow. On top of my ten percent employee discount there's a sale with forty percent of almost everything. Come on, you know you want to go. Those films you love so much are on sale too." Sesshoumaru perked up, if there was a chance to get his favourite films he was going. But first he had to ask, "Even the new releases?" If it was he was sold, he'd missed his chance to see the last film when it was shown in the smaller cinema because of work. "Yep; I even asked them to set the film aside. Consider it a belated birthday present."

"That I'm buying."

"Even over the phone I can see your eyebrow disappear into your fringe. " It was true, he'd quirked his eyebrow.

"You know me too well."

"Your fringe is far too long you know, you should come with me to my hairdresser's when I next go in."

"Hnnn," He said hesitantly, he didn't like getting his hair cut, or even trimmed. It made him feel awkward and out of place.

"Sesshoumaru, they won't even take an inch off your fringe; it's hard enough for you to see at the moment. And you drive! You don't want to have to pin it back with hair grips do you?"

" . . . I'll think about it." He said grudgingly. Then he flinched and held his phone away from his ear as his friend started squeaking. Why were they friends again? It was certainly against all reason, as according to many people, including their own families; they should hate each other. "So, you're definitely coming tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well I'm working late tonight, and I fancy a bit of a lie – in. How about one o'clock? Then we can stay in town until about eight."

"I've got to work at six."

"I thought you did the six 'til eleven shift on weekends and Fridays." He asked quizzically.

"Kageroumaru asked to switch shifts with me because his twin's going in hospital for a minor operation on Monday and he wants to be there for him."

"Juroumaru right? Is it his foot again?"

"Yes."

"Wish him luck from me then! Okay, how about this, we meet at half eleven and then we can walk to your work?"

"Sure. I'll tell Father and Izayoi over dinner."

"Sure thing Sesshy. Normal place?"

"Yeah."

"Bye!"

"Until tomorrow 'Tsu." Sesshoumaru hung up with a broad smile on his face. His friend was certifiably insane! It was the only possible explanation. Who else could possibly wheedle him away from his room when he didn't really want to? But Jakotsu was the only person who could be around him for an extended period of time without being thrown off by his natural reticence and introspective personality.

'Tsu and he on the other hand had been best friends since they met in First Year. Fifteen years they'd known each other and they'd both been to the same schools and college. 'Tsu had grinned each time they found out they'd chosen and been admitted to the same school each time. "And yet again, our friendship conspires and triumphs over fate and probability!" he crowed just last year after the pair had made it into one of the best colleges in the country. "And we never even told each other until after applying!" It was weird, but hardly unlikely, 'Tsu, for all his eccentricities, had graduated high school with the fourth best grades out of the entire year.

And he had something Sesshoumaru didn't: the audacity to talk a reclusive Sesshoumaru into making friends and convince him to do things he didn't particularly want to do. Plus he could talk the hind leg off a donkey.

His smile long gone Sesshoumaru returned to reading his course books. And he was more bored than ever; eyes closing in resignation he decided to go help Izayoi with dinner; he could tell her and father that he'd not need lunch or dinner tomorrow. "Likely Father's probably forgotten I switched shifts too."

Post – story A/N: Mulan just finished ten minutes ago. I love the soundtrack and art of this film; and it has Disney's single most ironic song ever: I'll Make A Man Out Of You. Plus, Reflection is one of my favourite Disney songs of all time. Yes, the humour from Mushu in particular is a bit jarring considering the context, but you hardly watch a Disney film for historical accuracy now do you?

And considering that the original source is a sixteen line poem which was then elaborated on in myth (or a myth which was then condensed down into a sixteen line poem) it's a very well rounded and well researched film. Especially in the art department; it's quite stylised and the opening minute to that Chinese calligraphic art is just beautiful; as is the architecture in general.

Worst part? The ending of the poem and myth has her remain in the army as a woman and become a famous general/leader of some sort. The film has her revert instantly back to honouring her family in a girly way and go home. And occasionally the art is inconsistent. The most telling one is just after the avalanche when Mulan's horse has no bellyband and is just in a halter. Then when you see them being hauled up the sheer cliff the rope is attached to the band. But you only really notice that if you've got eagle eyes or see it on a second showing. Oh, and the Emperor is just 'Your Majesty' when the Chinese saw their Emperor as descended from and protected by gods and divine beings. I suppose Disney felt awkward referring to a secular ruler as a god/called 'Divinity' or similar.

Really, though, this film is generally thematically accurate with the overarching themes and styles being extremely stylised and 'Chinese'. As far as I know anyway; I know more about Japan than ninth or tenth century China. And any moment where it's just Mulan and her father is heartwarming.

The sequell was average. Ruined some parts of the themes and beliefs of the original and didn't copy the atmosphere as well. The art was, if anything, better. The songs were bland and I felt there was too much focus on the two pairs of comedic trios. And I know it's all about defying gender boundaries and family and honour, but it wasn't as satisfying. But the part at the bridge can still make me cry.