#I also just love thinking about ghoul hierarchy in general

[spoiledleaff]

I dunno why but the only thing I can think about is ghouls and ocs so let’s mush that together and make a concept :’) joking cw for leaf rambling :)

so we have ministry ghouls and ghost project ghouls but what if there was a not-so-secret, kinda more sinister third option? a group of ghouls based loosely on the four horsemen of the apocalypse, who are essentially the handmaidens of Papa. Obviously not as high up on the food chain as band ghouls, but they do command more respect than your typical abbey ministry ghouls. these ghouls can be passed down from papa to papa just like the band ghouls, or new ones can be summoned to take the place of an apocalypse ghoul.

although here’s where my brain gets a lil tricky hehe with mythology at least. There are four horseman named conquest, famine, war, and death in the book of revelations. however, in the Old Testament's Book of Ezekiel they are sword, famine, wild beasts and pestilence (or plague/illness). In common media interpretations, the four horsemen are war, famine, death, and pestilence/plague. Soooo, which ones do the ghouls identify with?

Well, the apocalypse ghoul hierarchies are conquest, war, famine, and pestilence, and they typically follow the direct orders of Death, who can be commonly referred to in the Satanic Church as Papa Emeritus :) Technically five horseman, but only four are actually ghouls while the Horseman of Death is symbolically viewed as whichever Era’s Papa. Being an apocalypse ghoul is also more like a title, not necessarily an element. So, for instance, most times the Ghoul of War is a fire ghoul, or the ghoul of Conquest is a multi ghoul. Very, very, very, very rarely will an apocalypse ghoul not manifest an element. They are also capable of playing instruments! But of course, aside from whatever instrumentation pull their elements might gravitate them towards, their skills won’t be nearly as great as the Ghost Project Ghouls, but hobbies do exist!! :) Apocalypse Ghouls also often have an incredibly strange or defining trait, such as more than two pairs of arms, or more than two eyes. In a crunch, much like Dewdrop’s elemental shift, a “regular” ghoul can be shifted to become an apocalypse ghoul, but the mental whiplash is intense and often life-threatening.

But what do they do? Surprisingly domestic things actually, haha!! The Ghoul of Conquest is typically in charge of public affairs, like Special!! ;D The Ghoul of War is typically like the Church’s law enforcement, the Ghoul of Famine is in charge of ensuring the upper clergy’s food isn’t fucking poisoned, and the Ghoul of Pestilence ensures that the Abbey grounds are safe and not, like, bug-infested. Ironically enough, they kinda work to ensure that their specific titles don’t happen, except for conquest.

For instance!! I’ve already got an Apocalypse Ghoul in the works :) The Pestilence Ghoul from Era II to Era IV/V (Copia’s Era) has been an Earth(…?) Ghoul named Maggot! Or Maggie for short :) He goes by He/They/It pronouns, and the only reason they haven’t been returned to hell is because the Ministry is kinda scared of what other kind of Ghoul of Pestilence would take his place. Needles to say, their… definitely an odd one. But Maggie takes its job very seriously!!! Although it does often times befriend whatever bug infestation happens to plague the ministry instead of simply removing it :’) Copia doesn’t seem to mind him though. He has his rats, Maggie is allowed his… uh, bugs. They’re quite whacky, but very helpful :) You just have to get over… well, them. Especially their eyes. Instead of two, they have three pupils. In each socket. It’s, uh, appearance can be hard to diminish for your average mortal, but Maggie does mean well :) Usually… luckily, they only really seem to run especially rampant around night time, after most siblings have gone to bed :)

Uhh, that’s it, mostly!! Just a fun idea I’ve had swimming around in my brain for awhile :) Feel free to use it, I guess!! I don’t think I’ll actually take this idea very fair besides using it for Maggot, haha. If you use it, lemme know!! We can have a whole army of Apocalypse Ghouls running rampant, hehe ♡

[caddy-whump-us]

Some questions/food for thought: Why can Lucian never be a Black Swan? Has he done something to discount him from that entirely? Does he ever beg to be treated like one (and get suitably punished for his insolence)?

Oh anon~ This is about to be a Deep Dive into the Lore and Backstory. Spoilers ahead for some of the unwritten bits of the vampire series. And this is seriously long, okay? And, more importantly:

CAUTION/TW for referenced non-con, sex work, and forced/non-con sex work, and physical violence. Nothing is described outright; all mentions are only oblique references. Still, please proceed with caution!

Okay. Lucien. This snide little asshole. Let’s talk about him!!!

Lucien could be a black swan–in theory. But he’s been passed over because he’s actually not entirely human. O wat? O yes.

So the “red light district” of this city (which needs a name; I generally picture something like Yharnam from Bloodborne but with fewer monsters and more of a functional city) is called Smoketown. And it’s off to the southeast corner of the city, on the other side of the river. And this is the part of town where the drugs, gambling, dance halls, and sex workers are found. To use the local slang, there’s grindhouses and ponyboy stables, and dollboys around Smoketown. 

There’s a bit of a hierarchy, I guess, in all this, with the “dolls” and “dollboys” being the top tier (charging the most), down to the ponyboy/ponygirl stables (middle tier), down to the grindhouse boys/girls (lower tier), on down to the “crib hoors” and “street hoors” (generally regarded as awful and only suitable for the most broke and desperate). This is a real simplification, but I guess that explains the basics? 

Lucien was, some time ago, a dollboy (so was Maggie Magpie, actually). They’re regarded as the prettiest and most expensive–if you want to be fancy you could almost call them courtesans. And, ideally, they’ll get themselves a particular patron and be a sort of love affair for pay.

An aside: so this imagined world has different views on sexuality (and to some extent gender? but not quite so much). Basically, when one is young, go ahead and fool around. You’re young, what you do now is less important than what you do later. But because this culture still very much holds to primogeniture, you had better be married to someone with whom you can have a biological child. That’s the ideal. But while you’re young, a teenager, a 20-something, go ahead and fool around–ideally not in Smoketown, but if you’re a boy and you find yourself drawn to a boy classmate, well, that’s just how it is when you’re young. And if you’re a girl, and you find yourself drawn to a girl classmate, well, go on ahead, because young love is passionate but rarely lasts. You can like whoever during this period of particular romantic and sexual freedom.

Once one gets a little older, it’s considered mature and responsible to “grow out” of this phase of experimentation and rampaging passion. You settle down, you marry someone with whom you can have biological children, and your firstborn will inherit your estate, &c &c. But, of course, some people just…won’t. Because this is how they are. In some cases, like Nikolai and Jonathan, they go on with their relationship and don’t grow out of it but rather into each other (this is why N&J staged a secret wedding between themselves, with rings and all; they can’t marry in the eyes of the law, but they consider themselves married). And, yes, this is not considered mature or wholly acceptable, so they keep these (quite committed) relationships as secret as possible.

In other cases, especially among the titled, the gentry, the upper-class, who all marry each other as one does, if you must indulge in this misplaced youthful exuberance, there’s Smoketown. And if must go to Smoketown, at least pay for the services of one of the sex workers of equally high status. (Does that always happen? No. But you get the idea.)

So you have this set of “houses” of highly-paid, highly-regarded “dollboys.” And these houses are both in competition with one another but not a strenuous competition. Any competition mostly plays out in trying to find or recruit new workers (Maggie, as an example, was born to a sex worker and, presumably, a client and was kept as a kind of a household servant in that same “house” until the proprietor of the Aviary encountered him and essentially bought him and kept on using him as a household servant until he was of age to actual start work; he’s in debt at this point). 

And, of course, the different houses have different aesthetics. The Aviary tends to have boyish workers that play to that nostalgic “school romance” or “university romance” aesthetic, Lucien’s house (no name yet) tends to play more with gender especially re: clothing and makeup. Lucien likes feathers and leathers and silk and lace and painting his eyes. He knows he can kind of saunter along and blur that line. And it works well for him.

So that’s Smoketown. Now. Off north of the river and outside the city (northwest of it, I think?) is a district called “The Five Churches.” And there are, indeed, five churches, that all share a large plaza or square onto which their doors open (p.s.: weddings are conducted on the porch of the church; just a fun fact there). The sixth side of the plaza is open to the city. Beyond and behind the churches is a massive, massive cemetery–it is absolutely the cemetery for the entire city (please picture Highgate Cemetery or the Glasgow Necropolis).

And somewhere out in or beyond or (actually) under the cemetery is a secret, hidden, exclusive…club, I guess. It’s not a cult, but it’s extremely secretive. A secret society, is I guess the best way to put it. And it is called The Red Circle.

The truth is, the Red Circle is really just a giant whump party. The rich and powerful (men, almost exclusively) have at their disposal a selection of whumpees to use as they see fit, to release the tensions of the lives or to satisfy urges that otherwise cannot be soothed or just because. 

Now it’s time to introduce a new character. His name is Cyprian and he is a vampire. And he is also under the control of the Red Circle (for reasons I haven’t figured out yet). They’ve got something to use against him if he betrays them, IDK. 

Etienne has actually found evidence of Cyprian but doesn’t know it. There are tally marks in a book hidden in Viktor’s library that add up to about 3 years and change and at the end are the initials C. G. That’s Cyprian from back when he was Viktor’s black swan. And, yes, Viktor turned him into a vampire. And, no, Cyprian wasn’t happy. He should have been Viktor’s heir, but that didn’t work out. And now he’s under the command of the Red Circle. But why?

Well if you have a bunch of whumpees and you love whumping them, how do you keep whumping them without constantly killing them and then needing new ones? The answer came from some of Cyprian’s research (he started digging into the whole “black swan” custom among other things): it is possible to create a kind of ghoul, a kind of half-vampire by carrying out the procedure used to turn a human into a vampire but carrying that procedure out only partially.

Rather than draining the human of all (or almost all) of their blood and then feeding them blood from the vampire that drank their blood, a vampire can inject a human with a small amount of their blood (not taken from the human victim in question here) and you’ll end up with what’s been termed a ghoul.

Ghouls are worthless to vampires: their blood is disgusting, they smell like rust and iron to vampires. And they don’t get many of the benefits that full vampires have–they can’t move so fast, they don’t have the sharp teeth, &c. they do have better vision at night but their eyes are inclined to reflect light like a cat’s eyes will. 

Instead, ghouls are more like humans but still have the vampiric sensitivity to sunlight (neither ghouls nor vampires burn in the sun, btw) and are bound by what’s called the Obligation of Flesh. Where vampires can sustain themselves with blood only, ghouls have to eat raw meat with some regularity. This both keeps them essentially sane and (more importantly to the Red Circle) helps them to heal inordinately quickly. Deny them meat and they heal like typical humans. Feed them some raw liver or brains or raw chicken and raw eggs and they’ll start mending right before your eyes (no, it isn’t comfortable, thanks). Yes, they can die and much more easily than true vampires and some of the Red Circle’s ghouls have, in fact, died.

Now you’re probably way ahead of me by now: Lucien is, in fact, a ghoul. 

The Red Circle’s method goes like this: one or more of them identify someone they want to add to their collection. This decision is discussed and debated until consensus is reached–and they’re very careful about how often and who they add to their collection. At that point, lower-ranking members are sent to the target’s working house and pay for their services–whereupon they whump them up but badly. 

This happens sometimes, even in the best houses, even in the Aviary. The target is allowed to heal but this means less money for the house. As soon as the target is back at work, someone else comes in and repeats the process: payment, whumping. The proprietor is not likely to put a bruised boy out on the floor in a good house, so back he goes to heal and, again, money is lost. And this repeats as long as is needed until word gets out that the proprietor is getting a little fed up with this pattern but it’s not one obvious person or one obvious group doing it. At that point, a messenger from the Red Circle will arrive with an offer to buy the target outright at an extravagant cost, enough to make losing this one boy worth it, especially if it means an end to having an unworkable boy so often. It may take time, but the proprietor is eventually coerced into accepting the offer and the target is spirited away by members of the Red Circle (or aspiring members maybe? pledges, if you will?) and to their secret meetingplace. 

Everything about this sucks, including the part where Cyprian makes them into a ghoul, because that alone hurts like hell. And then they’re stuck there, getting whumped regularly, then patched up and/or fed raw meat. One of the higher-ranking members serves as a kind of proprietor there; Cyprian is as much a servant (or slave?) as any of the ghouls.

So that’s how Lucien ended up being completely undesirable to vampires. But how did he get out of the Red Circle? Mostly because he was a very bad element to add to the collection and there was an uprising against the members of the Red Circle and there may or may not have been some revenge whumping and even cannibalism (gotta meet that Obligation of Flesh somehow). 

At that point, after the Red Circle was broken, everyone in the collection kind of went their own ways. Even Cyprian was free. Lucien, though, kind of fascinated by Cyprian and the things he talked about, sought out Viktor and offered himself as a postulate. And, as we all know, Viktor accepted him. And Lucien set out to be the best and most devoted because that’s how you get rewarded in the world he comes from.

But the first time he offered his blood to Viktor, Viktor laughed and called him a monster and refused his blood. And here Lucien, having learned of the whole black swan tradition mostly from being in Viktor’s house, had been hoping for such a place of honor and now it seems like it’s been absolutely denied to him forever–because he’s a monster with blood Viktor can’t consume. And, yes, Lucien is unbelievably angry and bitter about the whole situation, especially when Etienne enters the picture (unexpectedly).

I hadn’t thought about him begging for the chance to be treated as a black swan and then being punished for daring to ask for such a thing but, damn, now I want to think about that. He probably would–albeit in private. There’s a lot of jockeying for position among the postulates and Lucien has worked his way up to the top, almost a class by himself, and he will not let that go easily. So to be seen begging for something could weaken his position and that won’t do. And yet…and yet…he does want it…

He might get what he wants someday. But it’s going to take some interesting circumstances.

So that’s a bit of a deep dive into the lore, worldbuilding, and backstory that’s running along and behind the vampire stories. If you made it this far, thanks for reading all this! Bits of this will come out as I get more of the stories sorted out and written. But there you have it~

[twentysevenletters]

The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken

(OFFICIALY POSTED ON WEBSITE HERE)

What evil can come from a choice made with a pure heart and the best of intentions?

If you know me, you know it's essentially impossible for me to talk about books without talking about The Darkest Minds. Ergo, it's impossible for me to talk about my favorite authors without bringing up Alexandra Bracken. From dystopian worlds to time travel troubles to middle-grade Halloween-ish adventures, I've never once walked away from a Bracken book without being absolutely and utterlygobsmacked. And, unsurprisingly, The Last Life of Prince Alastorwas no exception.

By the end of The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding(which you can read my full review of here!), we're left with endless questions - most of these pointing to the mysterious world that is the Downstairs. The Last Life of Prince Alastor follows Propser as he attempts to navigate a realm in which he was clearly not invited to, while also following Alastor as he tries to reclaim what he deems as his rightful throne. At this point, I feel like I sound like a broken record because I always seem to suggest that it's best to read an Alexandra Bracken novel blind. But, in my defense, I reallydo think that in doing so, you're setting yourself up for the best wild ride possible.

I'd made mistakes, I'd been misled, but I wasn't some helpless victim in this story.

Admittedly, and I think a majority of book lovers can agree, sequels have a way of being incredibly nerve-racking. Personally, my biggest fear with sequels are the dreaded recaps. Even though I'm pretty sure I have the worst memory of all mankind, I don't want to spend 50 or so pages being spoon fed what happened in the last book because it simply becomes repetitive or boring.LLOPAdoes remind us what happened in the last installment, but only in small side notes and not full chunks of a chapter. This may seem like a small thing to notice, but it already puts the book on my goodside. (That, and the fact that I get to revisit some of my favorite characters with my favorite author. I might just be a little bit biased here).

In the same vein, because we're falling into a whole new realm (we are quite literally falling through an open mirror),some substantial world building hasto be done. From the moment we're in the Downstairs with Prosper and Alastor, we're immediately introduced to the off-putting smell, the perpetually-dark sky, and how the land is laid out. We're right there with Prosper as Alastor explains the Downstairs to him and how their overall hierarchy works. And because of Prosper's completeinability to keep himself out of trouble, we meet Ogres, Fiends, and Ghouls along the way. The description to this new world feels natural, realistic, and instantly drew me in.

I am always right, Alastor said. There are only degrees of how correct I am.

I truly cannot stop thinking about how well Prosper was written as a character. There are countless complexities and realistic tendencies woven into him in this sequel that I can't get over it. Prosper goes through a constant internal pull when he's trying to decide between what's right and wrong, and it just felt so humane. Similarly, there were often two different Prospers because, at times, he felt like he needed to put on a brave face when other times all he really wanted was a little bit of help. Even though I'm now 22, I could relate to so many of the thoughts that Prosper had.

When I read books with the intentions of reviewing them, I take notes in my phone, and my favorite note taken for LLOPAwas definitely: "Honestly just talk about how much you love Alastor." As weird as it is to say that I missed reading in the voice of a parasitic malefactor, I reallydid. I missed his clever insults - some of my favorites from this book being "Gorbellied, crook-plated measle" and "Abominable, crusty thumb" - and his cunning schemes. I can't delve deep into the specifics of why I loved him so much in this book for fear of spoilers, but you've got to trust me on this one; his character development is unreal.

Alex aways somehow finds a way to introduce side characters that embellish the story and add to the main characters, not take away from them. We meet elves, shades, new changelings (friendly reminder that I still love Toad with my whole heart), and they each add a new level to the story. And with that, they add even more plot twists that will be sure to leave your jaw on the floor. Furthermore, Alexandra Bracken brings in her ability to discuss big problems readers of this genre might encounter in their own lives, but she stays on track with the plot; it doesn't feel forced whatsoever. There's one plot point with Nell that I really think every single reader can relate to; I know I can.

"You're a good friend, Prosper Redding."

"You're a better friend, Nell Bishop."

It's important for a story to be entertaining. It's fun to escape to a world that's not like your own, but it starts to get really impressive when an author can include elements of our world into a fictional one. Even in a world filled with monsters threatening to take over the human realm, we can still afford a lesson of how we should treat others even when they're different than us.

And again, without giving too much away, the plot is so intricately planned and executed. When you think your questions are close to being answered and the story is going to start wrapping up, yet another plot twist hits you in the face and pushes you forward. You're right there with Prosper as he looks for answers to his questions and tries to make his own connections. The twists will even keep you guessing until the very end.

When a castle is crumbling, you do not stop to find the crack that began it all, you try to hold all of the fracturing walls together in any manner you can, to the best of your ability.

The fantastical elements of this book are nothing short of amazing but, what really grounded this story for me, where the natural moments between Prosper and Nell. There were small conversations of reassurance and general friend banter that made them feel like real people. I could even see myself having these same chats with some of my own friends. Nell also even has an incredibly realistic experience with a Barbie Flower which genuinely had me thinking, "that's me! that's me!"

AH!I keep having to press the delete button on so manysections of this review because I don't want to spoil anything, but there is just so much I could talk about. This could probably easily turn into a 7 page, MLA formatted literary analysis. So please, please, please go pick it up so we can talk about THAT ENDING, and I can stop rambling about it here.

The Last Life of Prince Alastor officially comes out on February 5, so make sure you run out to your local bookstores or place a preorder!

The absolute BIGGEST thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for providing me with an arc to review!

Overall: 4.5 white foxes out of 5.

Want to talk about this book or see me review your favorite? Just let me know!

[lilacflamesss]

Sicilian Defense (Trivia)

Thank you very much, everyone for reading our fic and for those of you who left comments about it as well! We’re really happy! For those of you who haven’t read Vampire Knight, here’s some important things to take note of while reading our fic Sicilian Defense. 

This post is spoiler-heavy for the Vampire Knight manga, not in terms of the plot but more so for how their world and society functions. I linked the wiki in my previous post but I realize that not every bit is relevant and it might be pretty confusing in certain areas (like the twins’ curse in the wiki, which is irrelevant to the story). 

So I sieved some important information out. If I think of anything else you guys need to know, I’d simply add it into here and tell y’all about it. [Disclaimer: While I do love VK and am following up VKM, I have to admit that I am not as familiar with the universe as I used to be and there might be certain mistakes here and there. If anyone sees any issues, do feel free to point it out to me and I’ll correct it.] 

Despite how the world of VK seems, it’s actually a post-apocalyptic kind of world and I believe the plot actually takes place thousands of years in the future. 

Vampires

While vampires are pretty common in the society, their existence is kept as a secret from most humans, aside from Vampire Hunters. Some do know of them, though, but it’s a rare case.  

Vampires are actually mutations of the human race. Unlike conventional vampires, they can go out in the sunlight, though they don’t seem to like it. They’re stronger than humans of course. Vampires still get hungry for normal human food and they still eat the usual meals of a day. They just have an additional thirst for blood that they have to deal with. Things like crosses don’t really ward them off I believe, but there are in-universe equivalents of them such as certain charms done by the Vampire Hunters.

The vampire society is highly hierarchical and it is mandatory for lower classes to respect higher classes, especially purebloods. When Ayato appears in the story, you’ll see even those around him addressing him as ‘Ayato-sama’. This is usually the case for even close associates in the VK universe, though there might be some exceptions. 

Pureblood vampires (Level A) are the top of the hierarchy. They’re descendants of the first ever vampires and their blood had never been contaminated by human blood at all. They’re all born as vampires and are immortal (they won’t die naturally-- they have to be killed). They’re technically the royalty of the vampire society. They are very powerful, though even VK hasn’t revealed the true extent of their powers. Among their abilities, I think that all you guys need to know that they’re capable of manipulating the memories of others and commanding the humans they’ve turned into vampires like mere puppets. 

Purebloods have the purest, thickest blood and it’s usually delicious to most vampires. Their blood is also somewhat ‘sacred’ (for a lack of a better word I can think of right now). In VK, when the blood of the pureblood dorm president was spilt, the whole NIght Class could smell it and they were unnerved by it. The blood of a pureblood, I believe, is also capable of helping someone strengthen themselves, but a vampire who drinks it is also somewhat bound to that pureblood. 

There’s also a hierarchy within the purebloods. In VK, originally, there is a monarchy that governs the society but it was done away prior to the story. In our fic, the monarchy does still exist and it’s the Kirishima family that is in-charge of things. Therefore, Touka, as the oldest Kirishima alive, is the Vampire Queen and her younger brother is the Prince. Any other pureblood family is technically subordinate to her, but that doesn’t mean power struggles and opposition is absent. Like any monarchy, there will always be attempts to overthrow the existing ruler. For now, notable pureblood families aside from the Kirishimas are the Yomos and the Yoshimuras. 

For those of you who read VK, the Kirishimas are technically modelled after the Kurans. Touka = Kaname, who is regarded as the Vampire King, and Ayato = Yuki, the heavily sheltered Vampire Princess, and, yes, we did get rid of the incest bit so as a disclaimer, if there ever is a scene of Ayato drinking Touka’s blood, see it as an older sister feeding her younger brother and not how VK would originally have implied it. 

Aristocrat/Noble vampires (Level B) form the next level. They’re also like the purebloods in the sense that they’re born as vampires. These guys have a little bit of human blood in them. They’re also not immortal but they live for very long. They usually also have sophisticated lifestyles and huge families. 

These guys have abilities that are unique to the individuals. Some of them can control fire, ice, animals, etc. Some can create illusions. One guy can create a whip out of his blood. So these kinds of abilities will be present in our fic as well. They’re also able to manipulate memories. 

The Night Class is predominantly formed by Aristocrats. Aside from the ghouls I’ve listed as purebloods and Hinami, everyone in TG who’s a natural ghoul is a Aristocrat vampire in this AU. The Tsukiyamas, White Suits and Blades are famous Aristocrat bloodlines.

Humans bitten by them do not turn to vampires. 

Ex-human vampires (Level C-E) form the bottom of the hierarchy. They’re all humans turned into vampires after being bitten by a pureblood. It is actually a crime for a pureblood to turn an unwilling human into a vampire, just like what happened with Hinami. They tend end up as puppets of the pureblood that turned them. While it’s possible to resist, usually an ex-human does the bidding of said pureblood. 

Aside from Hinami and Kaneki, all artificial half-ghouls from TG are ex-humans, like Seidou. 

It usually takes some time for a human to transition into a vampire and when that happens, they become a Level D vampire. 

Level Ds function normally, but as time pass, they start going crazy from thirst. An ex-human vampire that gives in and falls into complete insanity. In such cases, they will become literal monsters and start attacking everyone they see. They are usually not savable and are listed to be exterminated by the Hunter Association. These guys are known as Level E vampires. 

Every ex-human will eventually fall to this level, not matter how strong they are. The only way out of it is if the ex-human is able to drink the blood of the pureblood that turned them into a vampire. By doing so, they will become a Level C vampire and they will be able to maintain their sanity. Generally, they live long lives as well but are not immortal. 

A Level D drinking the blood of another pureblood can help to delay the process of changing into a Level E, though it’s not a complete cure.

TLDR for this segment; Hinami is gonna go crazy if she doesn’t drink the blood of the vampire that turn her. Drinking Ayato’s or Touka’s blood can help her a little, but not completely.

Blood

Blood tablets are pills made to serve as an alternative to blood and vampires usually take them to quench their thirst. The usual dosage is 2 pills at a time, though some with extreme thirst might chug down many at one go. They’re not as delicious and usually vampires opt to drink blood instead. 

Vampires don’t necessarily thirst for human blood. They can drink from each other as well. 

When one is in love with someone, their thirst won’t be quenched unless they drink the blood of the person they’re in love with, regardless of the person’s race. (If I ever write a Touken spin-off based on this AU, this might be a problem...) 

Hunters

Technically, Vampire Hunters are humans. They’re the ‘police’ that protect humans from vampires. They’re permitted to kill, but mainly only Level Es. 

Hunters are generally born into the job because their bloodlines contain a little bit of vampire DNA within. The more vampire-blood they have in them, the more vampire-like they are so they’re stronger and they live longer. 

Kaneki is over a hundred years old in this fic and he still maintains a youthful appearance due to thi. His role is basically that of Cross Kain in VK (headmaster of the academy, ex-hunter, 100 years old hot daddy material), but of course the plot and character traits are different. 

The CCG officers in TG are all vampire hunters. Some of them teach in the Academy’s Night Class. 

Weapons: Hunters have anti-vampire weapons that can only be made from the metal forged by a particular furnace. Usually, vampires cannot wield them, but there are some exceptions. 

Anteiku Academy 

Modelled after VK’s Cross Academy, this Academy’s goal is to foster coexistence between vampires and humans and is mostly run by Kaneki, the Headmaster. Touka plays a big role in maintaining it as well behind the scenes. 

Day Class: Humans. They generally are unaware that the Night Class is made up of vampires. Most of them look up to the Night Class. 

Night Class: Vampires, mostly Aristocrats. Their teachers are mainly from the Hunter Association, sent to keep an eye on them.  

Contact between the Day and Night Class is generally not recommended. It is against the rules for a Night Class student to drink the blood of a Day Class student. The vampire secret must be kept. 

That’s all I have for now. I’ll add anything in when the time comes and I’ll be sure to reblog this when I do. I hope everyone enjoys reading SD and thank you for all your support! 

[the-last-magpie]

“Lincopia, You’ve Got Mail” A Ghost Fanfiction, Chapter 2

More rantings, some malice, some phantom of plot, and the Papas are in town. More or less.

Rating: still not M

Genres: General, Humor, Romance, Friendship

Based (mostly) on phone/Whatsapp chats

Hope you enjoy!

-          1.46 am

WhatsApp Lumia/Maery

Lumia: Maery.

Maery: hey

Lumia: Are you hearing this.

Maery: hearing what

Lumia: Like someone is running on the roof?

Maery: don’t hear a thing. why are you up?

Lumia: …because there’s someone on my damn roof?

Maery: probably just mist and air clearing the area

Lumia: ?? Excuse me?

Maery: didn’t you hear that

Lumia: I asked first.

Maery: we are haunted for real

Lumia: No shit Sherlock. We have been haunted since Papa I.

Maery: thanks god elizabeth is gon

Lumia: DON’T SWEAR

Maery: i hated that binch

Lumia: I was talking about god

Maery: better about than to

Lumia: What kind of creatures are we talking about here?

Maery: mh a bit of all

Lumia: Fucking Ghostbusters better be on their way.

Maery: you are aware of the existence of the band Ghost aren’t you

Lumia: Look, I just hate this whole hierarchy thing. Ghouls are always treated better than us. We can’t even know if we have to die because of a ghost or the bitchiest demon in hell.

Maery: unlikely, that just got up from the throne last month

Lumia: I liked Papa II. He was strict. He was smart. He was intimidating. He was tall and handsome.

Maery: a one woman fan club

Lumia: I don’t think so, a lot of people loved him.

Maery: i meant, you could do his whole fan club alone. also sounds like you like to suffer

Lumia: He was very kind to me.

Maery: KIND

Lumia: SHUT UP

   -          2.17 pm

WhatsApp Omega/Alpha

Omega: Are you ready.

Alpha: For what?

Omega: To finally see Air losing his shit.

Alpha: You sat on his keyboard?

Omega: Uhm. Yeah?

Omega: Actually no, I jumped on it.

Alpha: …

Alpha: Why.

Omega: You should have seen it bro. Keys exploded everywhere.

Alpha: A lot like your teeth when you are going to tell him. Again, why?

Omega: I fell.

Alpha: I made my best to understand logics and physics of this. I have no idea why someone would fall on a freaking keyboard.

Omega: I was… let’s just say I was dusting cobwebs from the beams?

Alpha: Of course. Look, just make sure to be at the rehearsal. We won’t have any piano, but who cares, it’s not like Meliora has a shit tons of it in it.

Omega: It’s not that much…

Alpha: Absolution is gonna sound so flat man.

Omega: I’m going to cry for it then. Eh eh. You got it.

Alpha: This was the cringiest thing I ever heard.

Omega: I’ll dust the piano down in the dungeon.

Alpha: Make sure to tell Papa of that, so he can slam the door right behind you and then throw the key.

Omega: He loves me.

Alpha: Yeah. Must be that the reason why he suddenly forget how to crack a smile when you enter a room.

Omega: This Emerituses are so butt hurt. You can never joke around them.

Alpha: This would be the third idiocy you throw at him man.

Omega: Excuse me? And what would the second be? Also first time I was very much justified.

Alpha: Maybe that one time you loudly whistled at him to get his attention?

Omega: HE WAS VERY FAR AWAY IN THE HALLWAY.

Alpha: YOU DON’T FUCKING WHISTLE AT A POPE. I SAW THE SKIES DARKENING.

Omega: Alright, I’ll behave. You know, it’s not that easy of a moment. Every new papacy is hard for everyone of us. We have to learn anew how to comunicate with them.

Alpha: I’ll give you a tip in this troubling times: shut your trap.

Omega: Thanks dad.

   Mitra was essentially a nosy person. Just pretending to mind her business, most of the time she appeared collected, diligent, and to some extent extremely bored. That was the reason why, when confronted with something out of the ordinary or simply suspiciously odd, she completely lose it.

Looking out from the second floor of the cloister, almost hidden behind a column, she peered below to look better at black vestments now almost familiar. That wasn’t the only thing she was seeing: the owner of said vestments was almost giving her his back, a back where two entwined hands met, shaping an embrace. Mitra stared, searching for details: the other person seemed to be a woman. There was the hint of a black and white tunic, with a large skirt that almost reached the ground. At a movement, a shoe came into view, and she recognized the bright yellow, another familiar signature of a very specific person. When this woman seemed to wrap more tightly one of her arms around the pope, she rested her head on his shoulder, a really contented, gentle smile on her lips brightening her angular features.

Mitra suppressed a gasp and very quietly moved away from the edge of the balcony, comically pursing her lips.

She now had some gossip to share.

   -          12.36 pm

WhatsApp Chat Group: Feels Ya Sista

Mitra: LADIES i just saw Fairy Feet with Papa!!

Ambrosia: what do you mean by that?

Rita: OH NO

Lumia: Is this nsfw?

Rita: OH NO

Rita: NO NO NO DAMMIT I HAD TO BE THE FIRST

Valeriana: HEY CALM DOWN YOU GREMLINS

Mitra: it wasn’t nsfw but maybe it is at closed doooooors

Maery: who cares

Ambrosia: you are being vague, what did you see?

Rita: I WAITED LONG ENOUGH

Valeriana: Rita I’m going to kick you out of the group. You unholy little shit.

Maery: why all this fuss papa II fucked half the women in here

Maery: and honestly i thought III was gay

Maery: have you seen him moving his hands that’s totally gay

Mitra: she was embracing him, very INTIMATELY

Ambrosia: that doesn’t makes sense

Lumia: These are the times when I see clearly how tired we all are.

Ambrosia: what kind of public embrace is so intimate to suggests that kind of relationship

Maery: maybe she was grabbing his ass

Valeriana: This conversation is hands down killing me, oh my god I’m snorting, you goblins

Lumia: Ok but what about Imperator? If she finds out…

Ambrosia: You’re taking this for a fact, it’s probably just Mitra imagination

Mitra: DO YOU WANT TO BET?

Maery: i bet he gay

Valeriana: hfhgkdksh

Lumia: What about bi? SISTERS I’M TELLING YOU ALL I’M SIGNING UP FOR THE HAREM THIS TIME

Lumia: I LOST MY CHANCE LAST TIME, IT’S NOT GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN

Lumia: Can you imagine an harem with a bi Papa? HHHHH EVERYONE FOR EVERYONE

Valeriana: I’m so tempted to invite Imperator in here, you have no idea, I would die seeing you all implode from shame

Maery: what a party buster

Valeriana: I just long for unlimited fun.

Ambrosia: I’m not betting, good for her if it’s the truth

Rita: i’m taking my chance tonight.

Ambrosia: oh for fuck’s sake…

Mitra: WELL I’m going to investigate.

Valeriana: Good, see if you can find a couple of minute for work too while you’re on that

Lumia: Eheheheh

—

Chaos: …what the hell happened in here?

   WhatsApp Chat Group: Ghouls with the Most

Alpha: Family reunion.

Earth: what’s up?

Alpha: We need to figure out things. And honestly, I need the advice of my brothers.

Omega: Someone has to inform Mist @KittyKat

Air: I will be there.

Omega: We didn’t even decide time and place Air

Air: I will be there.

Omega: ‘k.

Water: What’s the matter?

Alpha: The same as last papacy. Assessment of the new Papa.

Omega: Well looks like there’s indeed a lot of ass in there.

Earth: lmaoooo

Water: What’s there to asses? He’s… fine. I mean, I don’t have that much of a problem with him.

Alpha: Look, we did the same for Papa II, and I understand that that was war zone, but I can’t figure out this dude. At least II was an old grumpy bastard and that was it. I don’t know what to make of him. He seemed so ready to be all over us with that first supper thing together last month, and then he disappeared. One moment he is all kindness and jokes and the next he raises a fist. I don’t understand what runs through that head.

Earth: ??? did he struck someone?

Alpha: It was a metaphor

Water: Are we discussing it now, here?

Alpha: No. I was just stating what troubles me.

Omega: Bro, it’s not that difficult. You piss him off, like I do, you get a stern look. You do your job, he pats you on the back.

Alpha: Doesn’t look that clear to me. Also weren’t you complaining the exact same way just last week?

Omega: I took your advice.

Special: I’ll tell Mist @OHmega. But, Alpha, actually I think you should go talk to him personally if these are the facts.

Alpha: I’m not saying I have troubles with him. Also I want to understand if it’s just me, or if he really is shady.

Earth: this doesn’t sound very good bro

Water: Should we present this to the other group chat? Maybe the other ghouls have some problems of their own

Alpha: I DON’T HAVE PROBLEMS WITH HIM

Air: Sounds like you do.

Alpha: Damn

Omega: Look, let’s just grab a cold one and crack it open over a nice chat all together. I could use some brothership… in this troubling times.

Alpha: You are so sensitive.

Omega sent  00083546589_22_nop.jpeg  to Ghouls with the Most

Earth: lol

Water: So? When and where?

Alpha: Tonight, 10 pm, rooftop terrace. @Lowmega very mature.

Omega: You know I love you.

Earth: gayyyy

Omega: Well, I am.

Air: I’ll be there.

Omega: Thanks for your contribution Air.

   Message from: Loose Ass (received at 5.35 pm)

Hey. Sorry to disturb, but actually not sorry. I tried to call you. Obviously you didn’t pick up. I need some intel on those assholes. If you can find some time to answer between a daiquiri and an heart attack I’d be very glad.

Message from: Loose Ass (received at 7.17 pm)

Of course you’re not answering.

Message from: Loose Ass (received at 7.59 pm)

Just call me when you’re free.

Message from: Bald Hitler (9.03 pm)

Get lost.

Incoming call from LOOSE ASS…

Missed call from LOOSE ASS.

Message from: Loose Ass (received at 9.05 pm)

Pick. The Fuck. Up.

Incoming call from LOOSE ASS…

 “What?”

“Hallelujah. Shouldn’t your blood pressure be lower while on vacation?”

“I’m perfectly calm. It just sounded like some strings remained attached. It is your problem now.”

“I’m not asking you to do the homework, genius. I just want you to answer a very simple question.”

“And that is?”

“Do you trust them?”

“…I wouldn’t trust them with an empty gun. Are they giving you troubles?”

“No. Not yet. But I’m going to.”

“What?”

“Since I have been elected some weights have shifted. I already knew they were backstabbing bastards, but I’ve never seen so many teeth and flashing smiles in all my life. It felt like Hollywood, but more on the side of Sharkwood.”

“Don’t make a mess. Don’t do stupid things.”

“Worried?”

“What the fuck do you think.”

“I’m not. I’m not going to turn the Church inside out. Just wanna open some windows for stale air.”

“Can you wait until I come back?”

“I don’t need you to babysit me—”

“For advices. That’s what you wanted, no? I’m going to take High Priest role after all. If you are going to make a mess at least I want to witness it with my own two eyes.”

“Look. There’s no way for me to do anything in a couple of week. I’ll need a couple of months probably. To… see through things. And then probably another couple to make some plans. And then another couple—”

“I GET IT, you need time. When I’m back we are going to have a chat… Sven was really too kind to you, you spoiled brat…”

“Why complain, we had our father to counteract that.”

“You don’t know a fraction of that.”

“These are the kind of arguments that always get us in a fight. Let’s just drop it.”

“I’ll be back in a week. Don’t do stupid things.”

“Don’t die over white stripes.”

“Idiot.”

“Venom-spitting butthole.”

“Loose ass.”

“AH!”

“It’s true.”

“See you at the gate.”

“ahAH!”

“I’m short but I can beat your ass.”

“I’ll see you in a week big baby.”

“Are you hanging up on m—”

 Call ended

[lilacflamesss]

TG:re[quest] Union: Reaction

Hey guys, so I suggested it and some of you were pretty supportive of this so yes, here’s my reaction to the Ayahina novel story! @poclee had kindly translated it here so if you guys want to, check that out first! Special thanks to them for translating it! 

Okie leggo. This story is Ayahina/Aogiri heaven. It’s really the only Aogiri story we’ve ever had and I am so pleased with it because we get to see more of Miza, Naki and even a little of Seidou as well. 

I get a little shippy under the cut with my longer reaction but I want to say something really interesting I noticed. The imagery of the aogiri tree is really strong in here and Hinami compares the organization to a literal tree. As a member, she’s in its shade and here, sunlight never reaches. This lightless image continues when she talks about how she’s used to the night now and how the base, even in the day, is really dark. When she’s with Eto, she calls is the deepest part of the tree and normally, the deepest, is usually the darkest.  But there are times when she talks about light and all these have to do with Ayato. The first time in a while since she goes out in the day is to find coffee beans to make them for Ayato. After some time with Ayato, she’s convinced of a light that’s beginning to shine. And it’s an interesting contrast– the woman who brought her in as darkness and the boy who’s asking her to leave as light. Hinami can only return to the light if she leaves the organization. 

Only after she leaves Aogiri and Cochlea she’s ends up underground, but whatever.

I talk more underneath– weee! Let’s go.

WINGS. Hinami hiding under people’s wings– it has to start with a clear Kirishima reference 

Ayato’s so harsh when he says she’s in the way and all but at the same time, he tells her to take care of herself. Clearly his tsundere meters had toned down from the ‘i’d beat the fuck out of you so no one else can’ level in the original TG.

Hinami wants to cover her ears but she doesn’t because that’s the only way she can tell if Ayato is okay. Hinami cares about him so much as well my heart is breaking oh my god. And she’s super bitter that he’s doing her share as well ahhhh. GODDAMMIT I LOVE THEM. 

Ayato’s first words to her when he’s back was to try and cheer her up and it’s so unlike him. Hinami’s excited to seem him back and god she’s worried if he’s hurt ;-; (especially since he fought for her sake as well)

I love this part where Hinami’s comparing him to Touka but she doesn’t say anything yet but Ayato knows she is and he stops her from saying anything else. I wonder how many times she’s told him he’s like Touka, probably enough till he’s completely sick of it. 

Ayato being burdened with work after work in Aogiri is something I always loved because like, he’s such an important member to the organization, no wonder Tatara was so harsh on him when he was disobedient. But, imagine the possible consequences of his disobedience getting out. Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if we saw more of Aogiri during and pre Rue arc. There has to be some reaction among the members below when Ayato, the strongest and most experienced Executive left the organization. I mean, there’s bound to be some chaotic consequence. Aogiri Tree in general was a really untapped potential and one of the things I’m the most upset about when it comes to Ishida’s writing actually. 

Hinami is sweet and lovable but she hasn’t changed at all?? She’s still worrying about burdening others, but like if Auction told me anything it’s untrue. 

God is she a shojou manga heroine??? 

Yes, give him something he likes, good girl. I think you’re the first person in this entire manga who’s ever thought of making Ayato happy, aside from Touka that is. Good good. Clearly no one bothers enough about what he thinks and feels since they had a wedding for his sister in his absence.

It must be so painful for Hina to be with Ayato? She misses both Touka and Anteiku whenever she’s with him. God, Hina you shouldn’t have left, my girl.

Lmao Aogiri sucks. A ghoul organization that doesn’t have basic coffee brewing equipment. This made me think about that time in Root A when Kaneki was making coffee. Where did those things come from? Did he sneak some out of Anteiku. 

She actually had work to do as well, why does she think she’s useless. Hinami I love you. 

Hinami’s so used to Aogiri now? In the past she used to go out more in the day. I think it’s interesting how her being used to the night ties in well to the earlier imagery of the Aogiri Tree– and how her being under their shade had stolen the sunlight from her life. 

Seidou, sigh. Don’t traumatize Hinami. To be honest, I seriously still dislike Seidou as Owl. But I love Hinami’s reaction to him. She’s so un-Aogiri, yet even when she says she doesn’t belong and all, you can see that no one else (by that I mean the Executives) think so as well. 

Also lmao, Seidou’s head-ball dropped onto the ground and all Hinami thought was how the sound it made was similar to the sound of the heads dropping when Ayato chopped them off. Always thinking about Ayato I see. :’)

Miza is so sassy. I love her.

MIZA IS ENVIOUS OF AYAHINA’S RELATIONSHIP. I’m not sure if Miza has fallen for Naki yet. Technically the manga made it seem like it was after Auction that she realized her feelings for him but I think it’s blossoming even now. But either way, Miza is someone who wants children, so going by that line, I’m sure she longs for a romantic relationship as well. Which means, for her to be envious of Hinami’s relationship with Ayato… huehuehue (Does Miza picture Ayahina’s kids I wonder)

Miza’s relationship with Hinami is precious. I love them. She’s so protective. 

Hinami being unable to fight and kill due to her personality and not just ability and Hinami thinks about how this troubles Ayato. The contrasts between the two of them are so interesting. They’re so different in many aspects of themselves, but in the end, both Hinami and Ayato still struggle with and crave for the same thing. ;-;

Apparently Miza isn’t so good with sunlight. Fun tidbit. I’m glad we get to know more about the other members of Aogiri as well in this story. For an Aogiri fangirl like me, this story is amazing even without the Ayahina. 

HA. Okay, Hinami and Miza have a cute little girl to girl moment here that I absolutely love. They both find each other cute and are envious of each other… They’re adorable. New brotp guys. 

Hinami is so surprised that Miza is over 30 but Miza prefers this to being called Old Hag by the White Suits, aw. Hinami still apologized what a sweetheart. 

I feel some kind of parallel with Miza and Ayato over here? Hinami says that she feels like Miza is always taking care of Naki and Miza response is to complain about how he always rushes into things and how she doesn’t want to be dragged down by him. I feel some similarities to Ayato when he’s with Hinami. 

Miza doesn’t like sacrificing people, aw. I love this new batch of Aogiri leaders. Ayato-Miza-Naki combi is the complete opposite of tg!Ayato-Bin-Yamori combi. There’s so much care and love from the :re batch. 

Hinami thinking about Kaneki. Ahhhh. 

Miza is jealous of Hinami’s aura that makes people want to protect her, but Hinami hates this part of her– Miza and Hinami seem to really want what the other has. Sigh. These two. 

Miza talks about how valuable Hinami is to the organization like, come on Hinami, you’re amazing please. And also, since Aogiri doesn’t have enough girls, it seems like Miza really likes having Hinami around. 

The picture of Hinami and Miza is too adorable. Hinami, your hair. =w= She’s so cute???

Hinami’s so thorough– she asks the clerks and all and spends quite a bit of time in the stores. SO MUCH DEDICATION, GIRL. 

Some blade guy called Mikami appears. (Lmao, Mikami? Death Note ruined this name for me lol.)

Some Blade stuff. Hinami notes how the Blades were more like family and how despite the respect Mikami has to Miza, there seems to be no hierarchy. It’s something we see briefly in the manga as well during the Rue Island arc but it’s nice to see more of it, especially considering how Miza seemed to have lost all of her Blades. I kinda feel sad for her now. 

Hinami starts feeling comforted by Mikami and Miza and she wonders if she’s worrying and pushing herself too much and it’s amazing oh my god how she’s starting to feel better about herself. SHE STARTS BEING MORE POSITIVE ABOUT HERSELF asadlkkhskafa i love hinami 

She wants Miza to try some as thanks WHAT A HINAMI THING 

Okay but Miza the Ayahina shipper surfaces now when she tells Hinami to save the first cup of coffee for Ayato but then later says that Hinami can use her as practice instead. 

This scene is so heartbreaking because Hinami thinks about everyone in Anteiku and the instructions came from different members. She must really miss them so much and it’s really a pity how she’s no longer with them. SHE EVEN THINKS OF NISHIKI OKAY. 

Naki being Naki as usual but listen, he’s dense af and Miza is just too in love I CANT

Hinami wanting to make coffee for everyone but Miza’s like “bruh, didnt you buy this for ayato”. After this story, you guys can’t convince me otherwise. Miza is the number 1 Ayahina shipper in canon. NOT TO MENTION, she told Hinami to enjoy the last two cups of coffee with Ayato coughcoffeedatecough

Ayahina’s scene LEGGO

Ayato came home late and he seems really tired and stressed– my headcanonsssssss ;w; Still, I’m honestly surprised that it’s actually true that Ayato’s a lot busier than the rest are. Even Miza seemed shocked earlier on when Mikami said Ayato isn’t back yet. Tatara, stop working him to the bone gdi. 

Hinami’s so sweet? Even after all the trouble and training, she wonders if maybe letting Ayato rest would be a better idea. I can’t believe people used to say that Hinami probably doesn’t care about Ayato like she is so concerned and worried that she contemplates letting him rest instead. 

AYATO HAS GROWN– god Hinami thinking about this made me chuckle. And I love how she completely sees through that tsundere :’) 

AYATO IS YOMO 2.0 CONFIRMED. When Hinami mentioned how he doesn’t talk much that’s all I could really think about. Ahhhh… 

Ayato’s so dreamy when she’s making coffee for him. It’s like he’s silent and even Hinami commented that his mind seemed to be wandering. I BET HE’S THINKING ABOUT TOUKA because it’s in this same novel where Touka thinks about how she used to make coffee for Ayato as practice. 

Tsundere bunny is so tsun that he can’t even comment or thank her but Hinami knows him so well that she can tell he liked it and that he probably was happier and seriously, this is my favorite part, when she actually thinks that there will be light waiting ahead. Being with Naki and Miza comforted her and made her surer of herself but only when she was with Ayato did she receive some hope and courage. 

The imagery of Aogiri being a dark tree with shadows appears quite a bit here and how because of Aogiri Hinami doesn’t have much light in her life. She got used to the night, the base was dark despite it being noon, etc. But I think it’s interesting how there’s also light in here and all of it has something to do with Ayato– she went out in the day to get coffee beans and utensils for Ayato, it was after he drank her coffee that she was convinced that there will be light waiting for her. 

There wasn’t a break here but I just had to split because I hate this scene so much ;-; 

Hinami you should have just listened to Miza and drank together with Ayato. Your coffee date would have been so much more worth it than giving it to Eto. 

What’s interesting is that when she was going to Eto, it was referred to as her walking into the deepest of the tree. If there’s light waiting ahead, she’s walking away. (I wonder if this is me thinking too much into it, but if Aogiri is what covers Hinami with darkness and shadow, Eto, the person who brought her in is the deepest part of the tree, also the darkest probably. On the other hand, Ayato who’s always asking her to leave the organization is the one who was compared with light here. If there’s light at one end and darkness at the other, one is the kind of life she had without the organization, with Anteiku, the 6th Ward Gang, her parents, etc, while the other is Aogiri.) 

Another thing I like is how, to Eto, Hinami is seemingly dehumanized? She’s just another member in the organization. She’s nothing special. She’s replaceable, etc, just like how Tatara treats her in the manga. Even though Eto knows Hinami is there, she doesn’t bother until Hinami calls out. When she offers Eto the coffee, Hinami describes breathing to be difficult as well. And this is such a contrast to when she was with Miza and the rest, because being with them actually made her comfortable. Miza in fact told her she’s important. 

Reading this after Rue arc makes me a little bitter because seeing how Aogiri is, there was so much more potential in there. The organization was so badly split between the higher-ups and those below. I feel like it would have been really interesting to actually see them falling apart before the raid. Just some untapped potential, which seems to go along well with the rest of Aogiri currently in the manga (ie. Tatara and Eto’s ‘deaths’). Sigh. 

Another thing I find interesting is how Ayato is not enough to save Hinami in a way? Like, the light he provided for her was immediately overshadowed by Eto. Because in the end, Hinami’s own desire is still much stronger– she wants to get stronger so she remains in the organization, she believes so strongly that she’s weak so she doesn’t believe when others tell her she’s not, but when Eto does something to reinforce her own insecurities, she immediately falls even deeper. I really feel so sad for her but I love this bit actually. 

Hinami being eaten up as nutrition for the tree– in a way, she was. Aogiri used her for her abilities, which were clearly very valuable– and then when she’s no longer there, they simply discarded her. I think it’s suitable how in the end, Ayato went to save her with the Anteiku people rather than Aogiri people. Even though she had friends here, it makes it seem like how the Tree had washed its hands off her because it was done with her. It had eaten its fill, you know. 

Sigh Hinami you really should have listened to Miza here.