I've written out a short chapter of a story of mine.

If Mother Meki is Neon Genesis: Evangelion, then Belle Grand-Mär is FLCL. And that's not just a metaphor, this story came about from me mixing FLCL, Kill La Kill, Scott Pilgrim, Steven Universe, Jet Set Radio Future, The World Ends With You, Durarara!!, and several of my own earlier stories.

Enjoy. It was originally much longer, but I effectively destroyed it because I don't like humans.

———————

We call her Belle Grand-Mär.

No one knows where she came from; no one knows why she came. But she happens like a war happens, because she knows we know we’re just kids.

[just kids?]

I entered another world. The flight dropped me off at noon, and I didn’t open the door to my dorm until noon the next day. I’m not much of a sleeper, so none of that bothered me. Störv-Aidden is too cool to dull out in a day.

To be there, in the Academy of Störv-Aidden, in the city of Störv-Aidden, in 58th State, it was all so surreal, like a dream within a dream.

And then I’d turn on my earbuds and listen to the same music I fused with pictures of this place years before. It was soul satisfaction to bob my hedgehog head to The Clones while standing on Dorset Street, or dancing to Mäs Stereokoptica in Angel Plaza. I spent hours every day reading zines and holograms about 58th State, Moddie music soothing my ears after the usual explosions from my hard-arse boss, 天照Amaterasu-sama.

But I could never disrespect Ama-sama. When he had, at long last, numbed his mouth, he’d stumble through his dusty neurons to find what’s left of memories and tell me in raspy whispers about how great 58th State was in his youth. About how he had been a part of a Battle Syndicate to save Oswald Island, about a girl known as Belle Ayn-Mär.

I didn’t care back then. I just wanted to get some money, download an English chip, and enroll in Beat School, the Academy of Störv-Aidden.

It wasn’t until I graduated from my nameless high school that I made a penpal out of who else but Gideon Lennon, a 58th State native— and wannabe superhero.

October 31st, 21XX

Yo, Miyamoto-chan. You’ll never freakin’ believe it! I booked you a flight outta Japan! Yeah, you’re paying for food for the next six months. Nah, jk. Hey, when you get here, you’ve GOTTA come to Soho. I didn’t even realize this place existed until yesterday, and it’s sweeeet. There’s so many rudies and moddies here, it’s unbelievable. Something about a convention.

I’m faxxing the ticket over now. Heads up, sorry about the date. I wish it could have been just a day later, considering, but whatev. It’s still a good time.

That said, whatever you do, do NOT go into Turquoise City til Murphy, Moz, n‘ me can get to you. Tektonik, Psychoteque, and X-Jet chose this week to throw a little moddie gang war, and I told you how they get towards newbie byodokans.

I Give My Heart To You.

Stay Safe

Gid the Kid

PS: BYOL. Bring your own lightsaber.

The sun was beginning to paint reds and maroons on the world by the time I realized that Gideon was taking his sweet time. He and his friend, Murphy Lawson, were in the Sapphire Kingdom on some quest to find a rare earth ‘soul gem.’

I hung out at cafés infested with hipsters and dens overflowing with moddies, and it didn’t take long for the stares to start getting to me.

I’m a periwinkle Japanese hedgehog. But the sight of other byodokans assured me that I didn’t make the scene too jarring.

Then came dusk. There was one barista, silver haired and a husky build, slouching in front of a holographic TV. When commercials came, I asked him if he knew someone by the name of ‘Gideon Lennon.’

“I’ve known a few Lennons. Not the Big One, mind you. Refresh my eyes.”

“Shaggy long rocker hair, surfer voice, carrying a double-neck Cobra Cavehound guitar---”

“Stop!” He waved his finger at me and smiled. “Had me at the hair. I know just who you’re talking about.” He rushed to his back room and came out with a book. A quick blow to clear off the dust, and it was mine.

My mouth was dropped and drooling by the time I realized what had happened. “He didn’t tell me I’d get a free book.”

“Free?!”

So I was out a few bucks after that, but it was worth it.

“Nice book.”

The Soviet Union didn’t have a red flag big enough. Who the hell ever says that?

I aboutfaced and saw two youths coming at me. They looked like moddies. When I say they looked like moddies, I mean they had all the style--- the neon clothing, the long drape, the funky hair. And they were on skates— Sanzumi model 9s. But something about them was off.

“What’s your problem?”

“Nice book.”

I didn’t even know what happened, except that I was on the ground and those two thugs were gone.

Except they weren’t. They were stuck in the side of a wall, unconscious.

And I saw the strangest blue haired girl skate past me. She glanced at me, goggles hiding her eyes, but continued on like a specter, fading into the night.

I turned back to the two goons. Still knocked out, still in the wall. With the book clasped to my chest, I hurried back to the Academy. But instead of heading to my dorm, I found myself following the waypoint to Gideon’s. Didn’t even realize what I was doing until I was already there.

“Hey, Niko.” There he was, Gideon Lennon, sitting on an unkempt bed, strumming away at some blues-rock riff. “How was your flight over?”

“Fine, but-but I just barely survived a run-in with three freaky guys out there. Where were you? I thought you said you’d be here by noon!”

His face contorted in bewilderment. “I…I was. You weren’t here.”

Oops. Maybe it should have been obvious to me before, but of course Gideon would be in his dorm.

And then there was an explosion.

BELLE GRAND-MÄR

BGM

[To Maximize Your Reading Pleasure!]

FLCL-- Last Dinosaur

Chemical Bros.-- Another World

Stereocool vs. Fais-- The Funktotem

Anamanaguchi-- Jetpack Blues Sunset Hues (or anything by Anamanaguchi, considering the video-game esque nature of BGM)

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World-- Another Winter

Parov Stelar-- Fleur De Lille

The Death Set-- They Come To Get Us

Gorillaz-- 5/4

Daft Punk-- Fragile

Jet Set Radio-- Miller Ball Breakers

Led Zeppelin-- Ten Years Gone

Sheavy-- Pictures of You

The Prodigy-- Stand Up

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs-- Gold Lion

Electric Wizard-- Electric Wizard

The World Ends With You-- SHIBUYA

MuteMath-- Clipping

Radiohead-- Sit Down, Stand Up

Gotye-- Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra