#he wants to defeat death and for some reason get close to kuro

[childrenofthesun77]

I wonder if the count is going to be jealous of mahiru if he returns in one way or another.

Mahiru achieved all the the count so desperately wanted. He became kuro's eve. He became friends with him. They understand and trust each other pretty much completely at this point. And all without mahiru having to sacrifice anyone like the count wants to do. Before the count came up with the plan to become one with kuro he simply wanted to be his eve. But kuro didn't want that so the count eventually arrived at more desperate measures. I guess if they talk mahiru will have much to teach/explain to him about relationships and death.

[plague-of-insomnia]

Fave Kuro moments

I sent an ask about this to @chromehoplite and she suggested others answer as well, so here goes.

I’m going to list my ten favorite moments, broken down by arc. I really didn’t get hooked on the manga until the circus arc, so that’s where I’m going to start.

(Warning in advance, this is a long post.)

Circus Arc

1. Ciel shooting Kelvin is one of my fave moments because it shows that he isn’t going to rely on Sebastian 100%. Just as he had said when they formed the contract, he is willing to kill—with his own hands—when necessary. Although Sebastian is the one who finally ends Kelvin’s life, and this entire scene is controversial, I also picked it because this was when I really began to relate to Ciel as a character. As someone with PTSD myself, the moment he begins to lose himself really clicked with me and he began to feel like a fully fleshed character for the first time. When he says shortly after that there are two types of people, “those who steal, and those who are stolen from” (anime translation), I felt like that really hammered home who Ciel has become. He no longer sees things in terms of morality but rather survival. Either you kill or are killed, simple as that.

2. The scene at the orphanage is one of my absolute faves in the manga. I related to Ciel so much here because my instinct was also to laugh at the futility of the circus troop’s lives and deaths, and I love Ciel’s little speech. I love Seb’s reaction. I love how Yana subtly shows Ciel’s guilt (not just by having him go, but having him go dressed in mourning), and how he “lets go of that guilt” at least partly when the ribbon comes off and blows away.

Murder Arc

I prefer the movie bc it’s so much funnier, so a lot of my fave moments of Seb and Ciel teasing each other aren’t actually in the manga (at least in the English translation). I could probably do my ten fave moments in this arc alone (since it’s my fave) but I’ll just pick one for now.

3. I absolutely go nuts every time I watch this scene, where Bard forces the other servants to remember their duty. It’s the first time we really see him as more than just comic relief, as the leader he is (and probably one of the reasons he was hired, though I do hope we find out when we get to his and Lau’s part). This scene was an enormous inspiration for how I write WDH Bard.

Campania Arc

This arc also has a lot of great moments, so it’s hard to narrow it down. I love Seb’s cinematic record, but since I’m keeping this to 10 moments, I’m going to skip that for now.

4. My one absolute favorite moment in the arc is Seb collapsing in the boat. (Obviously, since I love whump and I wrote “Affinity & Agony. “) It’s the first time we really see Seb “defeated” and truly in pain. I also love how it highlights how he risked his life for Ciel... and he didn’t have to do that. It shows how he’s changed subtly from the demon in the flashbacks who handled Ciel like a rag doll.

Weston Arc

My favorite part of this arc is the whole Professor Michaelis thing, but it’s also how devious Ciel is. So while I know a lot of people find the cricket part boring, I love it bc I absolutely love how it shows how far Ciel will go to get what he wants.

5. So if I want to condense to one moment, it’s when he gets hit in the head and his and Sebastian’s performance in front of the crowd vs when they’re alone in private. I love it so much, especially bc I feel like even in private we’re able to see how their relationship has changed subtly.

Green Witch Arc

In some ways this is my least favorite arc, but I still love a lot about it, like seeing another side of Ciel, and how his PTSD affects him, which felt like the first time since Circus we’ve really seen that, or ofc Finny being awesome and protective. I also enjoyed seeing Seb’s jealous side quite a bit. But if I had to pic just one or two moments, it would be these.

6. The panel where Sebastian has the semiconscious Ciel in his arms and is rushing for help is a huge favorite of mine because of the expression on his face. The demon who made the contract wouldn’t look like that. He’s changed. Ciel is still a meal to him but this is more than just “oh no my meal may be damaged.” The fact that Seb was willing to do anything to save Ciel, even to the point of risking exposing their secret, was a huge inspo for my canon fic Deadly Nightshade. The end of this scene, when Ciel begins to “wake up” and flashback was also an enormous inspiration for WDH. I love the detail here of Ciel’s fingers scratching so hard he tears the flesh of Sebastian’s arm.

7. The first time I read the scene where Sebastian snaps Ciel from his flashback, it felt like a slap in the face. Why? To me, it seemed like the character progression I had seen in the Campania arc had disappeared. But then when I stopped to reflect on it I realized this was a good way of Yana reminding us that even if he’s changed, he’s still a demon and he still plans to eat Ciel. The way Yana drew this, with all of Sebastian’s inky tendrils ensnaring Ciel influenced me heavily for Deadly Nightshade.

Blue Sect Arc

Definitely my least favorite overall. It’s also really long, but I won’t break it down, I’ll just pick the moments that really stand out in my memory.

8. The negotiation of the contract. I love this because after so many years we finally got to see how Sebastian and Ciel hammered out the details of the contract. I absolutely adore seeing this version of “Sebastian” where he’s not the devil who first appears in his black nebulous shape-shifting form, nor is he the butler we come to love later, but somewhere in between. I absolutely love how his posture is so relaxed and casual (and apparently rude in Japan?), which is a stark contrast to his stuff, formal, and seemingly subservient posture he adopts later. I adore adore adore the feral way Yana drew him here, especially bc it’s such a contrast to the seemingly genuine emotions of sorrow and anger we see in this arc with Agni’s death and RCiel’s reappearance.

9. This scene is so great. We get to see Bard as the calm leader again. I love the little panel showing Bard putting his hand out to silence/stop Finny in a wordless way of saying “I’ve got this.” It also shows that either he and Sebastian had worked out some kind of signal at some point prior, or he has worked closely enough with Sebastian to know that the demon would understand what he was really saying here. I’m also very excited to learn more about how Bard came to the manor.

10. I geek over this moment bc it’s so important narratively. Ciel has a huge inferiority complex throughout his life because of his abusive and manipulative older brother, and this shows he is accepting that despite RC’s return, he is the earl and he’s accepting who he is. I firmly believe that before we can get to the final arc, where Ciel goes after the culprit who ordered the attack on the manor, he must “kill” his brother so that he can fully bury his past and accept who he is and what he must do before he dies (by Sebastian’s hands, as he agreed).

〰️〰️〰️

Feel free to chime in with your fave Kuro moments!

[volixia669]

ARR, of course. How about an angsty or domestic (what you're feeling up to write! no pressure :3 ) ficlet for Oji and Aoi?

This got a little on the long side, but I hope you enjoy!

CW: Mentions of self harm, suicidal tendencies, and loss.

No major character death

Oji had been around for awhile. Over the past century he had loved and cared for many, while also losing the same people. Different reasons for all of them. War, hunger, sickness, or even just age had taken them.

           But none of that had prepared him for this long night..

~~~

           Oji breathed out the last of his smoke. To most people it was a quiet evening, but something felt off. As if there was an unknown danger.

           “He’ll be fine.” Oji muttered to himself. Kuro had decided that Aoi had spent too much time cooped up in Raccord, so needed to join himself and Futaba out on patrol. So it was the three of them keeping an eye out for any unwelcome wraiths. Of course Oji had to keep reminding himself that both lads were capable fighters, perfectly capable of handling themselves. And not only could Futaba purify the wraiths, but with the help of the others she was becoming quite a scrapper.

           As young as the group was, they were perfectly capable. Or so he thought.

           Just as he turned around to go inside, he could hear their voices.

           “Just a little bit longer, okay? We’re almost at Raccord. Then you can scold Oji!” Kuro’s voice could be heard, in a panic.

           “Kuro, he’s not responding.” Was Futaba’s. Oji’s heart sank. No. He immediately went towards the voices, only keeping enough of his eyes open to see any other danger. He didn’t need to see this before he was there. He needed to hope it wasn’t too bad.

           “Oji!” Futaba’s voice was grateful to see him. Oji could feel his heart in his mouth. Kuro and Futaba were supporting Aoi, an arm around each one. Oji slowly opened his other eyes more, allowing him to see more clearly in the darkness. He could now see a headwound still bleeding. Given the bruises on the parts of Aoi’s neck he could see, Oji knew that the blood on Kuro’s hand, that was against Aoi’s neck, was not the lad’s, but Aoi’s. In the moonlight, his surrogate son was paler than ever before.

           Oji strode over to the two and swiftly scooped up the lad, being careful to put his hand where Kuro had his.

           “Oji, your back!” Kuro shouted. Oji just looked at Aoi. Still breathing. There was still time.

           “I’ll be fine. Raccord isn’t far. I’ll take over from here, you two can run along.” He said, hating this more and more. Particularly since Aoi was far lighter than Oji expected. Perhaps his memory was faltering, but Aoi didn’t feel much heavier than he did a few years ago.

           “No! We’re staying by his side.” Futaba stated.

           “We’re not leaving him again.” Kuro affirmed.

           “Fine, fine.” Oji said, as he quickly walked back to Raccord. Normally he would engage in banter, or question what was meant by again, but not now. Not while Aoi’s life was in the balance. And for how long?

           The walk to Raccord was short, but felt far too long. With every step, Oji wondered if Aoi would breathe his last. By the time they had gotten inside, Oji did something he hadn’t done in years. Barked orders.

           “Kuro, get bandages.”

           “On it!” Kuro ran off to where Aoi had stored all their medical supplies.

           “Futaba, two buckets of water. One normal, and a smaller one with a little bit of salt added to it. Clothes for the normal bucket, drinking ladle for the smaller one.”

           “Salt? If you say so!” She said, and ran off to the kitchen. Oji took Aoi to their main living space, and rested the lad on cushions, keeping pressure on the neck wound.

           “You will live.” Oji stated. He wouldn’t lose another person. Especially one so young.

           Kuro quickly came back with the bandages, followed by Futaba with the water buckets. Both young adults put the items next to Oji.

           “Just watch.” He said. He wasn’t some monk, turning every little event into a lesson, but it seems neither one knew anything about field medicine. Which after this, was gonna change.

           For now, he carefully washed around the neck wound, quickly washed the wound itself, then swiftly wrapped a firm, but not too tight bandage around Aoi’s neck. Oji was careful to make sure Aoi still had room to breathe. He then found the source of the head wound, now bleeding sluggishly. Oji did the same, cleaned the area, then bandaged it.

           “Kuro, hand me the blankets in the corner.” He said. Kuro nodded, and handed the spare blankets Oji kept there, as colder nights were upon them. He carefully placed them over Aoi, being careful to not put too much weight on him.

           “Now what?” Futaba asked.

           Oji sighed, and looked at the two terrified youngsters. “Now. We wait. If he comes back to consciousness, then he’ll get some salt water before he likely goes back under again.”

           “Salt water?” Kuro asked.

           “Salt water. Helps the body more. Not too much though. Too much dries it up.” Oji desperately wanted another cigarette, but he wasn’t going to smoke near Aoi, especially in this condition. “Now. Would one of you like to tell me what was meant by abandoning him again?”

           He could tell he was frightening them by dropping the silly old man act. Given his son was close to death’s doorstep, he didn’t care.

           Futaba looked down. “We were ambushed by a bunch of wraiths. Aoi said he’d draw some of them off, so he shot at some then started running down streets. We didn’t get a chance to object. We defeated the remaining wraiths, but by the time we got to Aoi, a wraith had pinned him down. He wasn’t even fighting back. We…We killed the wraith, then immediately came here. I’m sorry Oji-san. We should have stayed near him.”

           Kuro nodded. “I’m sorry too. We should have been at his side.”

           Oji sighed once more. This was all starting to paint a picture he wasn’t liking. This wasn’t the first time Aoi had jumped into danger. Oji just figured it was him being a rash teenager. But it had happened more and more. Sure, boys do all sorts of idiotic things for the women they loved, and Aoi couldn’t be less obvious about his adoration for Futaba, but what was the line between recklessness, and self harm? Oji realized Kuro and Futaba were still waiting on a response from him.

           “I’m not the one you should apologizing to. Not that it’s your fault. Someone made the decision to go off on his own, and it wasn’t you two.” Oji said. Kuro and Futaba both nodded, neither one quite believing Oji, but letting it go for now.

~~~

           Hours later, both Kuro and Futaba were curled up on the floor, asleep. Oji had placed a blanket over each of them, and even gave Kuro a pillow to hold in the youth’s sleep. Of course Oji would deny doing such a thing in the morning. Besides, there were better times for Futaba to learn how clingy Kuro got in sleep.

           He still remained awake, watching over Aoi. His son’s breathing slowly became less rapid, more regular. His lips were still blue from the blood loss, but pink was starting to return.

           “Ngh.” Aoi muttered. Oji snapped to attention. Aoi’s eyes fluttered for a moment, then opened. They were glazed over, but they were focusing on Oji’s face. Good. “Oji-san?”

           “I’m here.” Oji said, his voice breaking a little on here. He’d watched so many friends die on battlefields and in medic’s tents, he was glad his son was making it. He reached over to the salted water bucket, and lifted the drinking ladle. “I need you to drink.”

           “No’ thirs’y.” Aoi said, his cracked voice betraying his body’s need.

           “Just a little bit, I’ll support you.” Oji said, lifting up Aoi’s and resting the lad’s head on his arm. With his other hand he slowly gave Aoi the water. “Easy, go easy on it. Can’t have you throwing it back up again.”

           “Mhm.” Aoi muttered once more then slowed down. After the ladle’s contents were gone, Oji rested Aoi back down, putting the ladle back in the bucket. Aoi looked at Oji. ‘Can’t throw up…Would have to clean it…”

           Oji chuckled. “No, no. I’d clean it. I promise. But rest. We’ll talk more in the morning, Aoi, my son.”

           Aoi seemed to stare at him for a moment, then rolled over. “Stupid fever dreams.” He said, much louder than he probably thought.

           Oji just gave him a sad smile. It seems he hadn’t made some things clear. But what’s an old man without a few mistakes? He now knew he needed to make clear that Aoi was far more than a mere employee. He also knew that he needed to keep a closer eye on Aoi. Find out the reason behind these incidents, and prevent more from happening. Oji had lost many people in his century of life, but he would be damned if Aoi was going to be one of them.

[woolishlygrim]

Winter Weebwatch #6

Infinite Dendrogram is the lone late-in-the-week show that always makes me late posting these. If it wasn’t around, I could get these done on Tuesdays.

Anyway, kind of a mixed week this week, from the highs of ID: Invaded (now firmly cemented as the best show of the season, nobody’s coming even close to beating it by now) to the lows of Darwin’s Game (still incredibly forgettable).

ID: Invaded.

★★★★★

Another five star episode this week, as the gang decides to enter Narihisago/Sakaido’s Well, sending newly minted serial killer detective Hondomachi in, where she takes the identity of Miyo Hijiriido. Their goal is to discover whether John Walker, the mysterious red-coated man who has appeared in multiple killers’ Wells, and who might have supplied both the Challenger and the Gravedigger with video equipment, also influenced Narihisago to become a serial killer.

While what they find is fairly in line with what Wells have been like so far (in this case, Narihisago’s Well is a numbered board where lightning strikes seemingly at random, somehow never striking the same place twice), things start to go distinctly strange once Hondomachi investigates further: She eventually comes across a perfect recreation of the device for entering Wells, registered as active and diving into the Well of a woman who was the last intended victim of the Challenger, who escaped after Narihisago killed him.

This, we quickly learn from Momoki, is impossible: The woman in question wasn’t a serial killer, so how could she have a Well; the same woman wasn’t important to Narihisago, but rather to Momoki himself; and most importantly, the technology didn’t exist at the time Narihisago’s Well would have formed, so there’s no possible way he could have imagined a version of it.

Things get much stranger when Momoki is immediately arrested, with officers informing him that not only have they traced access attempts from the video equipment to his computer, but they also found John Walker’s distinct red frockcoat and cane in his home, and the body of the Well technology’s missing creator buried in his garden. 

So, this is officially the point where things have gone extremely weird, and the fan theory that’s been going around that the whole show is actually taking place in someone’s Well is growing … ever more plausible, as the show floats the idea of entering Wells within Wells and separate layers of unreality. The evidence that Momoki is John Walker is all a bit too neat for episode seven out of thirteen, so it’s doubtless not actually him, but beyond that, it’s impossible to predict where this show will go from here.

Any episode that is both technically perfect and which totally upends your understanding of the series is deserving of five stars.

In/Spectre.

★★☆☆☆

Here’s that tone problem again.

The episode opens on a fight scene of sorts between Steel Girder Nanase and Kuro, before segueing into a flashback to Kuro’s backstory (which I didn’t think we’d get this early, but sure) and then into an explanation of what Nanase actually is.

It’s … not as jarring as the tone problems in other episodes, but the flashback to Kuro’s origin is far, far darker than anything else in the episode, to the point where it feels staggeringly out of place. The story of Kuro’s powers, in which he is fed the flesh of intelligent beings without him knowing about it by his grandmother, only to then watch his siblings all die before, as the seeming lone survivor, his grandmother decides to begin experimenting on him, is the kind of sequence that wouldn’t be out of place in a much grimmer and more disturbing anime. It clashes hard with In/Spectre’s generally more comedic tone.

The explanation of the identity of Steel Girder Nanase is also a little disappointing. After setting us up for some kind of reveal that the real Nanase is still alive, this episode tells us that no, no, Nanase really is dead, Steel Girder Nanase isn’t her but rather a spooky meme of her that has come to life. I’m not generally fond of ‘mass human belief changes the nature of the world’ stories anyway, and this comes over as a rather weak plot twist.

It’s an enjoyable enough episode (although, man, are we really doing the Steel Girder Nanase thing for the rest of the show? After three episodes, it feels like that arc is almost done), but it’s riddled with all the problems we’ve seen before from this show.

Pet.

★★★☆☆

This episode should’ve been a four start one, but it gets a little bogged down in its own terminology and worldbuilding to really make it. There’s a lot of talk of peaks, valleys, locks, and images, and since the show has never really adequately explained what all of those are, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that these are things we’re meant to full understand, but can’t because the show hasn’t deigned to give us all of the details.

It doesn’t ruin the story or anything. We know enough of these things to get a basic idea of how they work: The peak is the best memory they have, the valley is the worst, the image is the form they take when traversing memories, and the lock is the guard they have on their own memories. It’s just not clear how those all interact. Why and how is the peak hidden by the valleys? Why does having a weak lock make an image stronger? Why is it necessary to find someone’s peak in order to change their memories?

Since the bulk of this episode relies on understanding those things, though, as Hayashi races to find his way to Tsukasa’s peak, only for Tsukasa to reveal a trick with his image that allows him to link their peaks and crush Hayashi’s mind by flooding it with his own valley, it means you do spend a lot of the episode just kind of … along for the ride, not quite lost, but also only really having a surface understanding of what’s going on.

The end of the episode, which sees Hiroki save Tsukasa from his self-inflicted mindcrush by performing the same trick in reverse, sharing his peak to ‘clean out’ Tsukasa’s, also relies on knowing those things, and so also falls a little flat.

There are some solid emotional beats here, though, and some really vividly disturbing imagery, and that’s nice. We also get formally introduced to the guy who I assume is going to be our next villain, a higher-up at the Company who wants to tap one of the three main characters to keep making ‘babies,’ psychics who are mindless automatons. 

Darwin’s Game.

★★☆☆☆

Honestly, it’s still tough to remember anything that happens in these episodes, even with notes, and this episode, which is decisively a ‘setting things up’ episode instead of a ‘things that happen’ episode, is not helping with matters.

This episode is mostly here for introducing the next two members of our main team, neither of which are given names yet (or are they? I wouldn’t remember if they had been): A man with a lie detector ability and a lot of guns, and a kid with a split personality who has water manipulation ability.

Given that this arc is leaning towards our main team coming together as a clan at the end of this treasure hunt game, it seems to go almost without saying that the Florist isn’t going to survive. He’s the only one on Team Hotel who isn’t also in the opening, and with it having been several episodes since anyone last snuffed it, someone has to die if the show wants to keep its death game cred. So the Florist is, to put it nicely, doomed.

This episode also floats the idea that collecting the rings isn’t the point of the treasure hunt game, but it gives us no reason to care about that. Our protagonist is motivated by just surviving, so all he or any other character needs to do is get three rings and not get killed, with the actual goal of the hunt being … I don’t know, an afterthought, I suppose.

Not exactly compelling material.

Infinite Dendrogram.

★★★☆☆

So, I watched this episode when I hadn’t slept for … I think it was thirty-two hours, at that point? It was a few hours before I actually got some sleep. So I think it’s fair to say I wasn’t exactly watching it attentively.

That said, this episode was okay. Most of it is taken up by another big battle with a monster, with Ray and Nemesis trying to figure out the best way to maximise the advantages their abilities offer them, versus a seemingly impossible foe. Where it falls down somewhat is that, just like the previous huge battle, this one ends exactly the same way -- with Ray gaining a new ability and using that to win the day.

But we do get a nice little flashback with his brother Shu, who we see outside the game is a martial artist who enjoys winning impossible fights. This … might actually be the first time we’ve seen Shu in a very traditionally Anime Big Brother role, instead of as a dorky guy in a bear suit making bear puns. 

The episode even has something of a twist, as it’s revealed that Penguin-Suited Doctor Guy, the one who tricked Ray into getting temporary dog ears, is actually Hugo’s older brother a part of the plan for Dryfe to take over Altar, and the dog ears were a way of him listening in on Ray. I said last week that nothing was really done with that plotline, and the whole thing about Ray randomly being given dog ears by a mad scientist was pointless, so colour me wrong, I suppose.

All this together, along with Penguin’s suggestion that they can defeat Altar without any casualties, makes it seem like the show is gearing up for a Penguin vs Bear Battle of the Big Brothers, which is an interesting prospect, at least.

[captainkurosolaire]

LF Contacts : Captain Kuro Solaire

NAME: Captain Kuro Solaire AGE: 35 (Appears 29) - (’Temporarily Immortal’ Limited on deaths before next story-arc, or, life is dependent on another to pass.)

RACE: Seeker of the Sun, Miqo’te

GENDER: Male

SEXUALITY: Straight, Dom

MARITAL STATUS: Married/Poly/Open Relationship

SERVER: Balmung

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ––––

HAIR: A slick jet black texture, Kuro’s hair is majority of the time unkempt with downward spikes often cascading across the sides of his face and more light spikes here and there, sometimes when grown-out it’s placed in a bandana and combed on the sides. Under rare occurrences the length of his hair can be lower then his shoulders and without being straightened leaving a shaggy and feral look. Often sporting an accompanied goatee, through more veteran experience and age has extended that further with a stubble to boot and long sideburns.

EYES: One eye is often left visible with an amber glow, while the other eye lays remained behind an eye-patch for a particular reason that is usually left in speculation to other onlookers.

HEIGHT: 6 fulms, 0 ilms.

BUILD: Built as a complete ultimate fighter. 

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Scattered scars from a gash hidden underneath a leather collar from his first defeat and near end. To followed historical injuries to dragon claws swiped across his hip to rib nearing his chiseled abs, to lance wounds on his pec, bite-marks from a fanged creature nearly always adorned near his throat or shoulder-blade. Scratch marks from passion on his back. To matching fiendish talons shredding the opposing side of his rib-cage. With a gashed-cut draped across his right-eye. Lastly an X incision on his chest crossing over his upper-torso and halting near his shoulders to his pecs. This is all left to be seen as he’s often shirtless for all to see. Additionally, he’s got a tattoo on his forearm of runic engravings with summoner lettering’s that seem to be serving as a seal. Compass on his left-hand to prevent him losing memories of being a sailor that points in all four-directions. The south-seas etched above crossing over his bicep. Behind his back on left upper-most shoulder is the Goldbrand Crest. A forgotten ritual that has since been lost among the Crew as little carry it left but two-survivors him and another included.

COMMON ACCESSORIES: Talisman across his neck that has several link-pearls attached to a string with a feather which represents ‘freedom’,  the pearls mainly allow him to keep in-contact with crew-mates and a bundle of criminal orientated allies or other like-minded individuals he’s met in his travels with arrangements of companionship with many varying in uniqueness. A combat satchel attached to his belt that allow him quick accessibility to ‘Get out of dodge methods’ not to mention golden earrings the eye-patch of some sort always. With a very symbolic tricorne hat that is leather matching his often outfit of black leather and being ever mysterious and imposing a scoundrel aesthetic.

PERSONAL –––-

PROFESSION: Captain of the Goldbrand, navigation, commanding, claiming panties all over Eorzea and providing pleasure where others need the lesson or reminder. Along with a thief, smuggler, diplomat and a veteran sailor. He’s also a chaser of treasure from old relics to folktales passed on in Legends through very little evidence of the existences but scrolls & charts that he reads and plans out accordingly before attempting his plunder for fortune.

HOBBIES: Drinking, Ocarina, Women, Pleasure, More Pleasure, Even more Pleasure, Entertainment (Former Pleasure Dome worker as a Dancer and Escort.) Juggling, Acrobatics, Jury-rigging, Swimming, Teaching, Training, Mentor, Fighting, Fishing, Brawling, Working out. Exploring. Adventuring. Landing into Dangerous situations. 

LANGUAGES:  Fluent (Mostly) Eorzean, Xaelic, and Hingan, Pirate Tongue. (Working on venturing past his horizon to open trades and communications with beast-tribes for business escapades or other relationships.)

RESIDENCE: Ul’dah

FEARS: None. (Backstory behind that) Though not immune to psychological damage or other borderline issues in his mentality plus he’s got things that put him in discomfort as the following dictates. - Authority - Confinement - Rules - Fees - Harm to loved ones - Loneliness - Discrimination - Ribbons

RELATIONSHIPS –––-

SPOUSES: Ayla Moenwyb / Sivir Ka’vaul

CHILDREN: Bastard children all around, who knows you might be one. He’s often out there being ever the manwhore and shameless about the fact. So, just call him Daddy regardless.

PARENTS: Hoku Solaire (Father - Alive) Rokeia Solaire (Mother - Deceased giving birth to Kuro Solaire)

SIBLINGS: Unknown but Father was a former Nunh so would be reasonable to say there’s tons out there.

OTHER RELATIVES: Many unknown. Though Sol Akagane / Founding GB Captain Gark would be considered along with his OG Crew as Family in a more surrogate / adoption style way.

PETS: A list of women out there. ~ Oh, that kind of pet.... --- KY, Levi and Box.

TRAITS –––-

extroverted / introverted / in between

disorganized / organized / in between

close minded / open-minded / in between

calm / anxious / in between

disagreeable / agreeable / in between

cautious / reckless / in between

patient / impatient / in between

outspoken / reserved / in between

leader / follower / in between

empathetic / unemphatic / in between

optimistic / pessimistic / in between

traditional / modern / in between

hard-working / lazy / in between

cultured / un-cultured / in between

loyal / disloyal / in between

faithful / unfaithful / in between

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION –––-

SMOKING HABIT: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

DRUGS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

ALCOHOL: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

POSSIBLE HOOKS –––-

If your character keeps up to date with gossip or visits the ferry possibly heard of a pirate crew whispered about and a charismatic Captain that shows up from time-to-time stirs up trouble for the locals or swoons women in the residence.

Few Wanted warrants on him by this point but nothing overly grave but still enough to be sent to the gallows if captured with a lot of disturbances or complaints about public indecency potentially could even upset or have effected someone emotionally enough to slaughter instead of thinking twice about imprisoning.

If your character is also in the crime or shady organizations / dealings no doubt heard of inklings about him and often offers services to make smuggling deals across the Five Seas as this current-point or human trafficking. He’s also contributed in black-markets or to show up voluntary but his bravado can even potentially irk that who are the closest to him in nature.

If your character visits Ul’dah will often might see an encounter with him there and his ever showman and brazen self on display but he doesn’t have his payments ever overdue and has shown to be quite difficult to get out of the tavern by a legit reason outside of his exotic behavior mostly enforcing or provoking scuffles but pending and tricking others to take the fall while not fighting back depending on his cheery mood.

Isn’t without being imposed to battle, train, mentor anyone he sees with promise though his eye cannot help but glance at any woman as his greed isn’t that of gold and gil, but more of a carnal lust a whole different hunger entirely sees him think with the head between his legs instead of his actual noggin.

If your character is a prude, uppity, or a noble, You though can probably consider him rather riled up or anyone with governmental leverage or oozing ‘authority’ He can’t stand with anyone in SUPPORT or relation to those who supposedly have ‘political power’ he believes strongly in freedom and will often contest them. 

Hes dealt with voids and other relics so can be seen with other people unlike that are standard city-folk. But adventurers or other expediting travelers or mutual connections may have grumble his name out before. If there’s something to learn or culture to be taught to him then he’ll wish to learn it. He’s all about the social interaction and the moment made to leave behind memories with those of the denizens across Eorzea enough he’s faded and nothing but a fragmented set of syllables left off words of old as a tale in passing.

Hes participated in a few joining with Captaining of unlikely circumstances and a War among the Depths under a civilization buried under the Rohtano Seas where a massive criminal empire laid as many of his battles and advisories involve rivaling other pirate crews in a ‘robbin hood style’ of sorts, namely it’s out of creative story plots usually playing the other antagonist crews and giving them their own morale, roster, beliefs.

WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR ––––

Crew. Not just a crew, ‘The’ Crew select band of individuals to go to high heights of grander with. 

Creating stories with meaningful relationships. Friendships, Business Associates, Teachers, Students, Sparring Partners, Rivals, Long-term Romance Partners(Can be discussed/depends), Flings, Shorts, Playing ‘Villainous’ roles. Boosting credentials like Law enforcement etc. or joining with fellow corrupted figures.

OOCLY, I AM ––––

Bedridden (Sick) Usually takes some works around and patience but if that is tolerable and doesn’t see you packing, we’re going to get along well can already consider me your BFF for all the juicy topics.

Overly chill and outspoken along with communicative being my prime focus, though, don’t get me wrong I am always down to meet and learn of other peoples characters despite the image that may be seen!

I para-rp but do nearly ever format and style usually, I don’t go without matching my partner.

I plot with everything and genre just about though Dark/Romance/High-Fantasy/Fantasy/Erotic//Dramatic seem to be more where I often am seen engaging-in.

Nerd, +14yrs Dungeon Master / RPer / Former event runner /  Former Owners/Leaders for Discords and Linkshells / Tabletop Creator (Slacked off on that obv.)

I’m CST. But, can’t go on that. My health makes my sleep lately all over the place, I used to be a Vampire as nightly used to be my prime time but now I have no official time, I stick with. So, It’s a lame process to catch me.

YOU CAN CONTACT ME VIA ––

Twitter -  Captain Kuro Solaire

Tumblr - I try to follow everyone in FFXIV Community so should be able to DM me.

Discord: Kuro Solaire#0508

Ref Sheet - Captain Kuro Solaire

+18 F-list

(Branch out further more sometime)

[pocket-luv101]

The Forest of Ash || Chapter 16

Fandom: Servamp Characters: Mahiru, Kuro, Licht, Hyde Pairings: KuroMahi (main), LawLicht (side)

Summary: To stop the never ending winter the gods created, Mahiru entered the Forest of Ash to steal fire and gift it to the humans. When he was caught, he thought that he would be put to death. But Kuro was far from the God of the Dead that he heard stories about. He decided to stay in the Forest of Ash with him. {KuroMahi//Greek Mythology AU}

FFNet || AO3

Ch.1 || Ch.2 || Ch.3 || Ch.4 || Ch.5 || Ch.6 || Ch.7 || Ch.8 || Ch.9 || Ch.10 || Ch.11 || Ch.12 || Ch.13 || Ch.14 || Ch.15 || (Ch.16) || Ch.17 || Ch.18 || Ch.19 || Ch.20

Mahiru's ears were ringing when he woke up. His mind was still fuzzy and he didn't recognize the room he was in. The cobblestone walls didn't help keep the damp room warm and Mahiru shivered. Aside from the pile of hay he was sitting on, the room was sparse. There was a single, small window in the room and he had to stretch to see through it. He was hoping to see where he was but the blinding snowstorm made it near impossible to identify his location. He could hear the sea so he knew he was near the coast.

In the dim light, his ring gleamed and caught his attention. The moment Mahiru saw it, memories of the previous night came back to him. He remembered Tsubaki attacking them and Kuro sending him away. Mahiru's mind immediately began to race. Where were Kuro and Black Cat? Were they safe? A cold chill ran through him at the thought of Kuro being hurt in his fight with Tsubaki. He needed to find them.

He tried to run to the door and leave the room but his foot became caught on an invisible string. Mahiru fell forward and crashed into the ground. He groaned and sat up. He found a string wrapped around his ankle and the other end was bolted to the wall. The string was so thin that it was nearly invisible yet it was incredibly resilient as well. Despite having the strength of a god, Mahiru couldn’t break the string.

He vaguely recalled hearing the siren’s song before he lost consciousness and bit his lip. She was working with Tsubaki so she likely took him to one of his temples or towers. But what worried Mahiru was his foggy memory of the incident. He couldn’t remember what happened after Black Cat took him away from the fight no matter how much he tried. He hoped that Kuro was safe.

Mahiru’s focus was only pulled away from Kuro when the door opened. He saw Tsubaki enter and the room became frigid. He moved away from him to place a safe distance between them. Tsubaki was an Olympian so he had to be wary of his powers. He tried to keep his fear from making his voice shake when he spoke, “Where’s Kuro? I swear, if you hurt him last night, I will never forgive you!”

“You remember the previous night? I thought I sealed that memory away. Manipulating the memories of a god is no easy task but I didn't think you would remember so quickly.” Tsubaki seemed to be mumbling to himself and Mahiru’s brows furrowed together. Why would Tsubaki manipulate his memories? “How boring. Now Sakuya’s gonna be—”

“What did you do to my friend? He has nothing to do with your war or the other Olympians so let him go.” Mahiru snapped. The night was still a blur to him and he hated to think that his human friend was in danger because of him. There was a long pause after Mahiru's outburst and he couldn’t read Tsubaki’s expression. “Whatever you think Kuro did wrong, I can assure you that he didn’t do it. Please, take me to Kuro so the three of us can talk. I’m sure there must be some confusion here.”

“Who are you to demand anything of me?” Tsubaki unsheathed his sword and Mahiru stiffened. He didn't strike him but the silent threat was clear in his action. “You're my prisoner now. If you want to see your husband again, you will take me into the Forest of Ash. Sleepy Ash placed a barrier around his forest to keep me from entering. But you must know a way pass his barrier.”

“I didn't know that Kuro has a barrier around the forest so I can't tell you how to bypass it. Even if I did know how to, I wouldn't tell you! Your siren attacked Black Cat and almost made it destroy the forest. I won't let that happen again. The Forest of Ash is my home.” Mahiru said firmly. “There's nothing you can do to make me turn against Kuro either.”

“How can you stand beside him so faithfully when you don't know a single thing about him? Then again, no one can say they understand what goes on in that head of his. I never expected him to give his fire to such a minor god. But I can see it in your eyes. It irritates me to see that.” He spoke in a low and steady tone but Mahiru could hear the restrained anger in his voice. “He killed a dear friend over fire but he gives it to you like it's nothing.”

Mahiru bit his lip, not knowing if he should tell him the truth. He was certain that Tsubaki would only become angrier if he knew that he originally planned to steal fire and give it to humans. He tried to reason with him, “You cannot reverse death and this war of yours won’t help you move on properly. Kuro told me about your human friend and showed me his journals. He wouldn’t want you to fight with your siblings. Think of how he would feel if he knew that humans are dying in your snowstorm.”

“Don’t speak of him as if you knew him! Sleepy Ash didn’t only kill Sensei but he also damned his soul so that none of us may speak to him again. He never told us why he decided to send his soul to Tartarus. He had no reason to! Sensei was helping people with his experiments.” Tsubaki yelled and his voice became pained. “He allowed Sensei to continue his work for over a hundred years pass his death. I don't understand why he would suddenly…”

“I don’t know either but I’m certain that Kuro has his reasons.” While Mahiru was confused, he didn’t want to doubt Kuro. He recalled the sadness his red eyes held that day in the garden. “He isn’t a cruel god and you should know that as his brother. It’s just hard for him to talk about a friend’s death and he’ll explain his reason eventually.”

“I’ve waited over a thousand years already and I’m not going to wait any longer. I have a right to know.” Tsubaki said calmly. His disinterested tone worried Mahiru more than any crazed screams could. “If you can’t tell me how to enter the forest or where Sensei is, then I will ask Sleepy Ash. I’m certain that he will be more willing to talk to me for his husband’s sake. He should be here soon.”

“Do you think I'll sit here and be your bait? I won’t let you hurt Kuro.” Mahiru burned the string with his fire and sprinted to the open door. He threw embers at Tsubaki’s feet to stop him from blocking the door. The flames staggered him long enough for Mahiru to run out of the room. He slammed the door close and thrust the lock into place. He didn’t know how much it would slow Tsubaki so he had to escape quickly.

“Black Cat! Where are you? Make a sound if you can hear me.” Mahiru called out to the cat as he walked down the hall. No matter the danger, he couldn’t leave without Black Cat. He wanted to yell so Black Cat could hear him easier but he was also worried about one of Tsubaki’s followers finding him and capturing him again. There weren't many places he could hide if someone did come into the dungeon.

He didn’t know where they were keeping Black Cat so he had to look into every room. Each room he found empty made Mahiru's worry grow. He prayed that they hadn't hurt the creature and that it was in the tower. Mahiru reached the end of the hall and swore when he saw that someone was coming down the stairs. He couldn't hide or run back. Behind him, he heard Tsubaki laugh.

“Did you think you could escape so easily?” Tsubaki laughed. Mahiru turned to face him reluctantly. He knew that he couldn't defeat an Olympian and his followers by himself but he didn't want to simply give up either. “Return to your room peacefully and we won't hurt you.”

“Threatening me won't work. I don't care what you do to me. I'm going to try to escape again and again so it's simpler for you to let me go. Your extreme methods aren't the right way to get what you want.” He said. He doubted that Tsubaki would be swayed by his words though. Mahiru created a ring of fire around him and heated the hall so he couldn't attack him with his ice or snow.

Then he summoned a stream of fire and aimed it at Tsubaki. The Olympian barely regarded his attack and took out something from behind him. Mahiru stopped his attack when he saw that it was Black Cat. Tsubaki grinned at him and said, “How about I make you a new deal? Return to your room peacefully and I won't hurt your little friend.”

Mahiru bit his lip because he knew that he didn't have a choice in this situation. He glared at Tsubaki but he released his fire and let it dwindle. While Tsubaki grinned triumphantly, Mahiru was far from defeated. He kept his feet stubbornly in place and said, “Put down Black Cat and let him come to me. I want to make sure that this isn't a trick.”

Tsubaki shrugged and placed it on the ground. The cat immediately scurried into Mahiru's waiting arms and he hugged it tightly. He ran his hand over its head and he was glad that it didn't seem to be injured. He loosened his grip after a moment but held it securely in his arms. Mahiru looked around him and saw that several of Tsubaki's followers were behind him now. It would be difficult to escape and Black Cat was still weak so Mahiru hesitantly walked to Tsubaki.

“Swear to me that nothing will happen to Black Cat or Kuro if I cooperate.” He demanded and Tsubaki didn't answer him. Instead, he gestured for him to walk back to the dungeon. He sighed and dragged his feet down the hall. His only comfort was that he had Black Cat with him. Mahiru would have to wait until his next opportunity to escape.

“Let go of me, Lily! I need to go and save Mahiru. My wounds have healed enough for me to fight.” Kuro argued with his brother who was frantically trying to keep him from leaving the temple. One of Tsubaki's followers arrived with a message. He told him that they had captured Mahiru.

“You need to think things through before you face Tsubaki. This is obviously a trap.” Lily tried to dissuade him from leaving again. He understood Kuro’s worries but he was acutely aware of the danger. “His tower is on an island and crossing the sea in this snowstorm is difficult. Even if you had Black Cat with you and you could ride your chariot, it would still be dangerous.”

“I know but I'll take that risk if it means I can save Mahiru!” Kuro yelled. It was so rare to hear him shout that Lily was taken aback. When Kuro tried to leave last night, desperation and worry fuelled him. Now, there was only determination and love behind his actions. “I’m the reason Tsubaki started this war and I can’t let Mahiru get caught up in my fight. You can’t stop me from going.”

“… Okay.” Lily relented. “As the God of Love, I will support you two. But as your brother, I will help you. It’s dangerous for you to sail in the winter but I might be able to open a portal to take you directly to Mahiru. I need something you both cherish that connects you two. If it holds a special memory for you, it would make the portal stronger as well.”

Kuro instinctively looked down at his wedding ring on his finger. He brushed his thumb over the flower engraved in the gold. He remembered sitting beside the fountain and Mahiru giving him the flower ring. Did he love Mahiru then without even realizing it? No matter when he fell in love with him, he was determined to protect him. “Do you think our rings would be enough?”

“Let’s try. Place your hand against the wall and I’ll make an opening.” Lily instructed and Kuro nodded. When he put his palm against the wall, his brother placed his hand next to his. Kuro could feel his power flow through his ring and he waited impatiently for the portal to open. The wall began to crack and he became hopeful for a moment.

“I’m sorry, Kuro. I can’t make the portal any larger than this. The shield around Tsubaki's tower is too strong for me to break through. I was hoping that this would work.” Lily said apologetically.

“Don’t make that face, Lily. Thank you for trying to help me but it looks like I’ll have to play Tsubaki’s games if I want to get Mahiru back.” Kuro was about to take his hand off the wall but then he heard a voice travel through the crack in the wall.

“Kuro, is that you?” His heart leapt when he recognized Mahiru’s voice. “Where are you? I can hear you but I can’t see you."

“Mahiru! I’m in Iolcus but Lily opened a small portal for us.” Kuro rushed to explain. “Please tell me that Tsubaki hasn’t hurt you. Are you okay? Dear gods, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault that you were captured. I should’ve never sent you away like that. Now you’re in danger because of me. If I knew that his followers were waiting to ambush you, I would’ve stayed with you and protected you.”

“Kuro,” Mahiru said his name in a soft voice. Hearing the immense kindness and warmth in that one word was enough to calm Kuro. “It’s okay, you couldn’t have known. I’m just glad to hear your voice again and know that you’re safe. I was worrying myself to death thinking that you were hurt.”

“You’re the one trapped in a tower by my crazy brother yet you were worried about me? You really are something, Mahiru.” Kuro shook his head but he also had to smile wearily. That kind nature and quiet strength was so much like Mahiru. He kept his hand against the wall and leaned next to the crack. He was emotionally and physically exhausted but hearing his voice helped. “Is Black Cat there with you?”

“Yeah, but Black Cat is sleeping right now. The poor thing must be tired after everything that happened. I’m glad I have him with me right now.” Mahiru told him. "I tried to escape but Tsubaki threatened to hurt him when I did that. I told your brother I would cooperate if he promised not to hurt you two. But I doubt he’ll keep his end of the deal. I'll try again when Black Cat is better."

"Are you crazy, Mahiru? Don't put yourself in danger when you don't need to. I'm going to save you so just wait for me." He begged him. On the other side, Mahiru was silent. He wouldn't lie to him when they both knew that it wasn't in his nature to sit idly by when people he loved were in danger. "At least promise me you'll be careful and protect yourself. I'll find a way to cross the sea and reach you."

"Not if I escape and find you first." He laughed despite the situation they were in. Truthfully, Mahiru was scared but hearing Kuro's voice gave him courage. He truly believed that Kuro would come and rescue him but he also knew that Tsubaki likely had a trap for him. Mahiru traced his hand over the crack that had formed in the wall. If only he could break through the barrier and reach Kuro. While his voice comforted him, he would rather have Kuro in front of him so he could hold him.

"Kuro, can you stay and talk to me a little longer? I… I miss you, Kuro." Mahiru didn't want to worry him but he had to be honest with him. "You probably think I'm being silly. It hasn't even been a full day since I last saw you yet… I really want to see you again."

"I miss you too, Mahiru. I'm going to save you as quickly as I can." A part of Kuro wanted to leave immediately to save him but he could hear how lonely Mahiru was from his voice. If talking to him a little longer was what Mahiru wanted, he would stay as long as he needed him. He also knew that he continued to talk to him because he wanted to hear his voice too. Kuro didn't know he could miss someone as much as he missed Mahiru now.

Mahiru stood on his toes and stretched to reach the small window again. Black Cat was balanced on his head and it whimpered unhappily at his plan. The gaps between the bars were too small for either of them to climb through. He gripped the bars and used his fire to heat them. Once the metal became hot enough, Mahiru bent the bars apart so a small cat could crawl through.

"Go, Black Cat." He urged it in a hushed voice. Mahiru was worried that the guards outside might overhear him and try to take the cat away from him. He reached up and petted Black Cat gently. "Transform into a crow and fly to Kuro. He'll be able to cross the sea easier if he uses his chariot. I'll be safe here on my own so don't worry."

The cat climbed onto the window ledge but it hesitated to leave him. Mahiru knew the worries and thoughts that were likely crossing its mind. He had those same thoughts when Kuro tried to make him leave the previous night. He understood that Kuro was only trying to protect him now, even as it hurt him. He tried to reassure it. "We're going to see each other again, Black Cat. Now go and help Kuro before Tsubaki or one of his followers comes in to check on us."

It nodded and transformed into a bird. With a heavy heart, he watched Black Cat leave until it disappeared among the falling snow. Mahiru used his fire to return the bars to how they were before so Tsubaki wouldn't become suspicious. Next, Mahiru created a small, black cloud in the shape of a cat. He needed to keep Tsubaki from discovering that Black Cat was gone.

He began to pace around the room and started to think of how to break out. Now that Black Cat was safe and he knew that Kuro was on his way, he was more determined to escape. Mahiru walked to the door and pressed his ear against it. He could hear people outside his room so he knew that he couldn't simply break through the door. Tsubaki's followers would immediately see him and overpower him. He doubted he could trick them into opening the door for him as well.

He walked back to the window to think of a plan. The door opened and Mahiru expected to see Tsubaki in the doorway. So, he was shocked to see that it was Sakuya instead. He crossed the room and threw his arms around his friend. "Sakuya, what are you doing here? Did Tsubaki's followers capture you last night too? I can't remember what happened clearly but I'm sorry you got involved in this. Don't worry, Kuro's coming to save us."

"Mahiru, you can't trust him." He was confused by his words. Furthermore, Sakuya closed the door so they were locked in the room.

"What are you doing, Sakuya?" Mahiru moved around him and tried to force the door open again. He could hear whispers on the other side but it was difficult to make out what they were saying. More questions rose in his mind as he turned to Sakuya. "We need to get out of this tower and find a way to tell Kuro that we escaped. His chariot should be big enough to carry everyone."

"I'm sorry," Sakuya whispered and the words sparked a memory in Mahiru. He heard him say the same thing before the siren appeared and… His brown eyes widened and he took a sharp step away from his friend. He shook his head and he wished he could deny the facts in front of him.

"You were there last night. I let down my guard because of you and she was able to use her lyre on me. Please tell that wasn't intentional, Sakuya." Mahiru begged but his answer was silence. The way Sakuya wouldn't meet his eyes told him the truth though. "You're one of his followers. You gave me that lantern and it summoned Tsubaki. Why would you help him?"

"Because he never lied to me the way you have! I didn't want to hurt you, Mahiru. You're my best friend. If you just used that lantern on Sleepy Ash like I told you to then everything would've went as planned. Tsubaki would've seen what Sleepy Ash did with Sensei's soul and he wouldn't have had to capture you like this. I didn't want this to happen."

"Are you angry that I lied about being a human when we first met? I thought you understood that I didn't want any of you to treat any differently." Mahiru argued. He always thought that Sakuya knew a lot of the god's secrets and he realized that Tsubaki must've told him. "Even if you are angry with me and you're Tsubaki's follower, you must see that this war is wrong."

"I'm not angry with that lie. Do you honestly think I believe your story that you feel in love with the God of the Dead? You're my best friend and I know you wouldn't fall in love with someone you barely know. That's not simple at all. Look me in the eyes and tell me you love Sleepy Ash." Sakuya demanded.

"I…" Mahiru closed his eyes and pictured Kuro in front of him. His heart swelled when he thought of him and the memories they shared. At the same time, his heart tightened painfully because he missed him so much. The feelings he felt contradicted each other but they were becoming clearer. He opened his eyes and met Sakuya's gaze. "You're right, I didn't fall in love with him when I first met him. I always thought he was a good person but, the more time I spent with him, my feelings changed. I love Kuro."

The words were easier to say than Mahiru thought they would be. "He's like the moon to me. I can see that he's lonely and he has his faults but I know he'll always there for me. Kuro's kind, considerate and I love him. Even though he's lazy beyond belief sometimes, when it really matters, he tries his best. I want to see him again so I can tell him how I feel. Please, Sakuya, help me?"

"I can't betray, Tsubaki. I'm sorry." Sakuya said in a small voice before he left the room.

Mahiru looked out the small window to the moon. It was late but he couldn't sleep. He wondered if Kuro was looking at the moon as well or if he was still trying to find a way to cross the sea safely. His conversation with Sakuya made him realize that he was in love with Kuro. He missed Kuro and he hoped that he was safe. Have Black Cat reached him yet?

"I miss you, Kuro." He whispered even though he knew that his voice couldn't reach Kuro. Mahiru sighed and folded his hands together to pray. He didn't have an offering to give so it was unlikely his prayer would reach him. "Please be safe tonight, Kuro. I wish you were here but don't come rushing into a trap. I lo— I have something important to tell you when we see each other again."

When he was finished, Mahiru sat on the hay. He doubted he would be able to sleep well with all the thoughts and worries weighing on his mind. He leaned against the wall and felt a small breeze on his cheek. Mahiru touched the crack that formed when Lily tried to open a portal from Iolcus to the temple. While he couldn’t break through Tsubaki’s barrier, the spell had damaged the wall. He could use the crack to escape.

Mahiru created a cloud in the crack and then expanded it to force the door open. The wall held strong but he refused to give up. He closed his eyes and let the fire flow from his soul to the stone wall. After he charred the wall, he used his cloud to force the gap to be larger. He repeated the process until he thought the wall was weak enough for him to break through. He punched the crack and the wall crumbled with little resistance.

On the other side of the wall was an empty room and the door was slightly ajar. Excitement and relief filled him but he knew he couldn’t stay long. The sound would draw the guards. He ran out to the hall and towards the stairway he saw earlier. He dashed up the stairs, taking the steps two at the time so he could reach the top quicker. He didn’t know what he would do when he reached the top though. He didn’t have a way to cross the sea to Kuro. Yet, Mahiru knew he needed to escape the tower so they couldn’t use him as bait for a trap.

He almost slipped on the steps when they became coated with ice. Mahiru caught himself on the handrail. He looked behind him. However, it didn't seem like Tsubaki was chasing him. Most likely, he knew that he escaped but didn't know where he was yet. He used his fire to melt the ice and continued up the stairs as quickly as he could.

He reached the room at the top of the tower yet the threat was still nipping on his heel. As long as he was in the tower, Tsubaki could easily capture him again. Mahiru climbed out the window and created a cloud to catch him when he jumped out. He raised the cloud until he was able to clamber onto the roof.

Mahiru let out the breath he was holding once he was on solid ground again. While he was exhausted, he knew that he couldn't relax yet. The sea tossed and turned because of the storm so it would be dangerous for even an Olympian to venture. He needed to find a way to tell Kuro that he escaped Tsubaki's tower as well. Mahiru looked up at the moon and an idea came to him.

He raised his hands to the sky and gathered his fire high above the tower. Mahiru shaped his flame into a sun and he made it grow steadily. Soon, his sun quelled the winter around them. He tried to keep his breathing even and he was careful not to use too much of his power. The chilly wind died and the sea became calm.

He didn't know how long he could hold the sun's shape so he hoped that Kuro would come soon. He watched the horizon and bit his lip. A white streak moved in the distance like moondust falling from the sky. As it came closer to him, he realized that it was Kuro riding his chariot. Mahiru was so happy to see Kuro that he forgot his fear of horses and chariots. He hurried to the edge of the tower to see him better. His body was beginning to falter but he made sure not to let his sun dwindle.

Mahiru guessed Tsubaki and his followers were occupied with searching for him so they didn't notice Kuro's arrival. They needed to leave quickly before Tsubaki realized that Kuro was on the island. Kuro stopped his chariot at the base of the tower directly under him. He looked up at him and called. "Stay right there, Mahiru. I'll get you."

"There's no time for that!" Mahiru called down. He gathered his courage and then jumped off the roof, trusting that Kuro would save him before he could be hurt. Kuro saw him fall and his heart stopped in fear. His body moved instinctively even as his mind was trying to process the sight. He stopped under Mahiru and caught him in his arms. He felt his soft warmth in his arms and hugged him against his chest. Mahiru wrapped his arms around his neck and held onto his desperately.

They stayed in each other's embrace, needing to reassure themselves that the other was safe. Mahiru didn't want to leave his arms and pressed his face into his neck. His breath brushed his skin as he whispered, "I have something I need to tell you, Kuro. I—"

"It's okay, Mahiru. You need your rest after creating that sun. I'll take you back to Iolcus where it's safe." Kuro kept him in his arms as he climbed onto the chariot. He set it into motion and the rocking of the chariot lulled Mahiru to sleep. He kissed his brown hair and said, "You can tell me when we get home. Sleep for now."

Mahiru fell asleep before he could tell him that he was already home in his arms.

12:15 am... I really wanted to post this on Valentines Day but oh well.

[lordofthebigtimesupernatural]

It would be cute to see the first time Antok and all of them have to baby sit a little Keith while Shiro is on a date. They suggest a game, and little Keith who just got into Ninjas, insists that he is a ninja and everyone else is the bad guys. Antok and them agree thinking it would be easy to find Keith and "defeat" him. But they are wrong so wrong. Keith is really sneaky and quiet when he wants to be. Shiro comes home to his friends all in serious mode looking for Keith hoping to "defeat" him

Yes, this is how we do it in this AU. Some super fluff after that angsty one-shot earlier today. Perfect. Oh, man, can you guys tell how much I love adding Antok, Ulaz, and Kolivan into this AU? Or Kuro? Or Lance, Hunk and Pidge? In fact, I love writing everyone into this AU. This was a blast to write so I hope that you too, nonny, will enjoy it!

x.V.x

              Keith was very lucky in which he had a very, very big family. It wasn’t just him and his daddy Shiro, as Shiro had feared it possibly would be. No, there was grandma Shirogane and grandpa Shirogane. There was Kuro, whom no one had ever thought would be back in their lives, but everyone took it as a placing. There was also Allura and her family, along with Coran. There was Lance and his mami, papi and many siblings, along with Hunk his parents and his sister. There was also Pidge, her brother Matt and their mother. Then there was also Antok, Ulaz and Kolivan.

              So, yeah, Keith did have a big family and he didn’t mind it.

              It took a few years for his family to get as big as it was, especially with Antok, Ulaz and Kolivan but Keith couldn’t picture it any other way. He loved all of his uncles and aunts, friends and grandparents. Plus, he was a little bit spoiled in a family so big.

              With such a big family, there was never a missed opportunity to watch over Keith when Shiro needed to go out. As Keith continuously got older, Shiro had gotten better about leaving the house without Keith. Now he could go a whole eight hours before the first check-in call.

              Usually, the family members and friends often rotated on who would watch Keith. Tonight, it was Antok’s turn which meant that Ulaz and Kolivan were sure to show up too. Not that Shiro or Keith minded it. Shiro appreciated the more eyes on Keith and Keith loved to play with all three of his uncles.

              “Alright. Emergency contact numbers are –” Shiro began, fiddling with the buttons to the collar of his shirt. He was a bit nervous as today he had a big date with a guy that he’d been flirting with for a couple of weeks now. Actually, Keith was the whole reason that Shiro had gotten this date, after admitting out loud that his dad’s attempts at trying to woo the cute waiter at their café was just pitiful. Thankfully the man had just laughed and asked Shiro out to dinner.

              “On the side of the fridge, right next to the house phone.” Antok nodded seriously, while Kolivan and Ulaz both rolled their eyes. By now, they had Shiro’s goodbye speech memorized.

              “And his epi-pen is –”

              “One is right in the kitchen, the first drawer to the left. The other is next to your bedside.” Kolivan answered, giving Keith a bounce in his arms. The eight-year-old beamed happily, as Ulaz pulled a humorous face at him.

              “And my number, in case you need me -”

              “Shiro, your number is probably the only number we have memorized.” Ulaz chuckled, looking away from Keith to stare at his friend. Shiro finished buttoning up his shirt only to rub the back of his neck sheepishly.

              “Sorry. I know you can handle this. I don’t know why I always have to keep giving you this speech.” He chuckled, accepting a pat on the back from his friends.

              “You are a father Takashi. It’s only natural to worry for Keith’s safety,” Antok murmured quietly. His face mask had already been removed the moment he had entered the house, with Keith standing out the door and hand outstretched. Similar to how he treated Shiro’s arm, Keith would not allow Antok to wear the mask inside their home. “Even if that worry isn’t necessary.”

              “You’re right. You’re right.” Shiro smiled, ruffling Keith’s hair. Keith pouted dramatically, swatting at Shiro’s hands.

              “Daddy, no. You need to leave already. You’re going to be late for Eric.” Keith grumbled. He graciously accepted a kiss and hug from his dad, before Shiro was waving goodbye and walking out the front door. Keith’s eyes didn’t linger on the door after it closed as long as they used to when he was younger. Instead after a few seconds, he squirmed to be put down before beaming at his uncles.

              “Well, little kit, what shall we play today?” Ulaz smiled softly. Keith’s tummy fluttered at the nickname and he smiled shyly. His three uncles were the only ones allowed to call him a kit, just like how his daddy would call him his little star.

              “Um, hmmm. It can’t be too boring or easy,” Keith tapped his chin out of thought, looking very much like his dad in this pose. He was obviously learning a few habits just from watching his dad. “Since you were special ops like daddy, so maybe not tag.”

              “How about hide-and-seek?” Ulaz suggested. Keith pondered the thought for a few seconds, nose scrunching up.

              “Hm, that sounds too easy,” Keith admitted.

              “Not if you’re a ninja,” Kolivan said. Keith momentarily froze, staring with wide, blue eyes at the ex-captain. It was almost as if stars were shining in Keith’s eyes with excitement, and Kolivan wouldn’t be surprised if there were actual stars in the boy’s eyes. He was special after all.

              “A ninja?” Keith whispered in awe. Recently, he had just started watching a cartoon on Saturdays that was all about ninjas. And about how awesome they were. Like that they could climb trees and walk on water, or throw pointy stars at the enemy. They were so cool!  

              “Yeah, only ninjas are the best at winning hide-and-seek because they are super sneaky. The best really.” Kolivan nodded seriously. Ulaz and Antok both snorted at the deadpanned face on their captains face, before nodding along. “Besides, it’s not just hide-and-seek.”

              “No?” If Keith were an anime character, his eyes would be bigger than his face and twinkling with lights all around him. He was practically hanging off every one of Kolivan’s words, that he didn’t notice when Ulaz took a picture (nope, this was definitely not going to be his phone wallpaper) or when Antok demanded that Ulaz send him that picture.

              “No, little kit, a ninja must defeat his enemy,” Kolivan replied causing Keith to squeal with excitement. “That doesn’t just mean finding your opponent but that means that you must be so sneaky that you catch them!” Kolivan whispered with a snap of his fingers and Keith instantly started clapping.

              “Yes, yes, ninjas! Ninjas!” Keith cheered excitedly while Kolivan smirked at his two friends. The other two shared an exasperated look before breaking into smiles of their own. This could actually be fun. Suddenly, though, Keith stopped in all of his excitement with a fierce frown on his face.

              “Wait, we gotsta look like ninjas,” Keith said quietly, causing his uncles to blink in confusion. “You know? Masked faces and all dark and macho.” Keith puffed out his chest while trying to hide his face. Of course, Ulaz, Kolivan, and Antok would deny that either of them was seconds away from cooing at their nephew like a bunch of school girls.

              “Ah, I think we can figure something out,” Ulaz smirked.

x.V.x

              Their target had been acquired.

              Until they were suddenly the targets.

              “Holy fudge donuts,” Ulaz panted quietly. “I didn’t know he was so fast. Did either of you know he was so fast?” He was currently hiding behind one of the couches in the living room, out of breath with Kolivan and Antok next to them. Antok was scanning the room with such an intense look on his face and Kolivan was obviously trying to strategize.

              “No. Shiro never warned us.” Antok murmured softly, trying to make as little noise as possible.

��             “He was last seen in the hallway. Meaning he must be hiding out in one of the bedrooms since he has to come through the living room to get out of the hallway, and we haven’t seen him come out yet.” Kolivan mumbled to himself.

              “Captain, I detect movement in the kitchen.” Antok’s voice was gentle like a soft breeze.

              “What?!” Kolivan and Ulaz both hissed, scrambling to see where Antok was looking. Briefly, they saw a dark shadow running across the kitchen.

              “How did he get past us?! He had to go through this room to get in there?” Kolivan hissed sharply.

              “Unless there are other passages that we do not know about,” Antok replied.

              “He knows this territory better than any of us. He definitely has an advantage there.” Ulaz rubbed a hand tiredly over his face. “What do we do now, captain?” Both Antok and Ulaz turned to their captain, with looks that told Kolivan that these men would follow him to the end of Earth. He was honored to be fighting alongside with such brilliant and brave men.

              “We need to split up. He’s trying to capture us all at once,” Kolivan admitted gravely.

              “Captain, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ulaz whispered softly. Kolivan’s hands clenched into fists on his legs before he nodded sadly. “Alright. I’ll take the east wing.” With that, Ulaz was flipping himself over the couch and silently racing towards the dining room.

              “I’ll take the northern rooms.” Antok murmured, heading over towards the hallway, blending into the darkness of the house. For a few more moments, Kolivan sat behind the couch and sighed heavily.

              “May God have mercy on our souls.”

x.V.x

              Ulaz knew he was being quieter than silence. How that was possible, Ulaz did not know. Yet, he felt as if he were panting like a poor donkey being forced out in the hot sun all day. His feet felt like he was walking on broken glass and shattering with every step he took.

              His eyes scanned for their target.

              He had lost sight of him while ducking under the table earlier.

              The two had stared each other down, ready to face death. It was like a silent dance now, and neither was taking the first steps.

              From the corner of his eyes, he could see movement darting towards the garage. Plenty of hiding spaces there. Ulaz calculated that he could probably make it to the door before the shadow could. He had no doubt that the shadow was none other than his target. He calculated the probability that this could be a trap, but figured that there was no way that an eight-year-old thought like that.

              Quieter than anyone else on the planet, Ulaz crept towards the garage. He maneuvered himself to be position in the dark, just as a figure darted towards him. Hands at the ready, Ulaz smiled and awaited victory.

              He reached out and grabbed the squirming figure, laughing triumphally…

              …only to be met with a slobbering tongue to his face.

              Blinking, Ulaz was horrified to realize that it was Red who he had captured and not his intended target. He barely had time to register new movement from the darkness behind him, and he could only turn around to catch a glimpse of blue eyes that looked violet in the dark, staring back at him.

              “Incredible,” Ulaz whispered, resigned to his fate, just as his target pulled down his weapon onto Ulaz.

x.V.x

              “Gosh dangit. He got Ulaz.” Kolivan hissed, sprinting silently throughout the house. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and a sad song was ringing in his ears for his fallen comrade. He prayed that Antok wouldn’t suffer the same fate at Ulaz when a quiet creaking noise made him freeze.

              Kolivan ducked into the nearest room, which happened to be a tight mud room, as he scanned the hallway before him. For a while, he couldn’t detect any sudden movements, but he remained in position.

              Their target was smarter than they gave him credit for.

              He would not make the same mistake as Ulaz.

              Kolivan was well aware that the traitorous Red was guarding Ulaz’s body, which meant that their target could not use that trick on them. Kolivan briefly smiled to himself and he scanned the hallway once more.

              “Where are you, little kit?”

              “Not out there.” Kolivan felt as if his blood had turned to ice at the whisper in his ears. He was chilled down to the bone and frozen with disbelief. How? How did he get in without Kolivan realizing?

              Kolivan’s eyes darted down towards a small cupboard on the floor, one that seemed impossible for anyone to fit into. Yet, here was their target crawling out of it easily. Kolivan gawked.

              “How?”

              “It was pretty easy to know where you’d duck into for cover.” The eight-year-old grinned in the dark. “I just had to wait for you to come as I knew you would.”

              “You got Ulaz.”

              Suddenly, Kolivan felt a weapon drawn down at his torso.

              “No hard feelings, uncle.” Then the weapon struck down.

x.V.x

              “My brothers, I am sorry. But I will avenge you.”

x.V.x

              Shiro was quite happy when he returned home near midnight. The date had gone spectacularly well and there was already a second date planned. Best of all, there were no phone calls from his friends, meaning that everything with Keith must have gone well. Shiro imagined that Keith must have gone to bed a couple of hours ago and the boys were probably eating and watching old dramas on tv.

              He was pleasantly surprised to see parts of his house turned upside down, Ulaz lying on the floor with his eyes closed and Red happily laying on top of him. Kolivan was sprawled out with half of his body in the mudroom and half in the hallway. There were terrible cutouts of ninja stars all over the floor with pillows flipped and curtains pulled back.

              Shiro blinked in surprise when he saw Antok stalking through the house, in a manner that Shiro hadn’t seen since their days in the military. What was most interesting was the scarf wrapped around Antok’s head and mouth, leaving only his eyes uncovered.

              “What is going on?” Shiro stammered and instantly Antok’s eyes were on him. Shiro swallowed, seeing the predatory look in Antok’s eyes. That was never a good thing.

              “You’re his father! I can certainly use you as bait!” Antok announced before grabbing Shiro and throwing him over his shoulder. Shiro was embarrassed to admit that he had yelped loudly and cursed at Ulaz and Kolivan’s quiet laughter. It was no surprise that Antok could easily carry Shiro. In fact, he probably could carry all of his friends at once.

              Antok, what is going on? What the hell?!” Shiro gaped in surprise when Antok led him all throughout the house.

              “You are bait. There’s no way he’d let you get hurt.” Antok said gruffly, shoving Shiro on a couch. He silently checked all of the doorways around him, before a stunned Shiro felt himself being wrapped up tightly in a blanket. Shiro squirmed suddenly but found that he could barely move a centimeter while tied up like this. He was like a tight burrito, held together by a softy tortilla blanket.

              “Who are you talking about? Where’s Keith? Antok, I demand that you release me.” Shiro grumbled, trying to keep from laughing. Antok eyed him warily, but his eyes were amused.

              “You are the traitor’s father. He has taken Ulaz and Kolivan from me, so he must pay.” Antok murmured softly. “He will understand my pain once he sees that I have you.”

              “Antok,”

              “Daddy?!”

              Shiro struggled to look over the couch to see Keith staring at him in horror. He almost snorted out loud when he saw that Keith had several scarves wrapped around him, with one wrapped around his head and face similar to Antok.

              “How could you?!” Keith gasped dramatically, ignoring his father.

              “You left me no choice little kit, after what you did to Ulaz and Kolivan,” Antok admitted quietly.

              “They lost. Accept their defeat.” Keith sniffed, arms raised at this sides.

              “Then you will lose your father.” Antok replied solemnly. Suddenly, he pulled out the most pathetic, paper knife from his pocket and slowly Shiro began to piece together the puzzle. He could already fill a headache coming on.

              “You wouldn’t. He’s your friend!” Keith said sharply, pulling out his own paper ninja stars.

              “And you were once my nephew, I thought.”

              “Antok please.”

              “I’m sorry kit.” Antok looked saddened before he was facing Shiro and bringing the paper knife down on Shiro. Keith shrieked (but it wasn’t a real scream), and all Shiro saw was a dark blur flying over him and crawling over Antok. Antok grunted, struggling (while trying to make sure he could hold the person upright) against his attacker before a paper star smushed into his neck. His eyes widened before he dropped heavily to his knees.

              A tiny giggle erupted from the figure clinging to him before he crawled off him and Antok turned to face Keith and Shiro.

              “I…will…have my…revenge…”

              With that, Antok flopped to the floor eyes closed and Keith was clapping. Quickly, Keith ran over and began to untangle his dad from his prison of blankets.

              “You’re okay daddy! I saved you!” Keith announced happily, pulling down his face scarf slightly.

              “My, my, what a brave young ninja. Thank you, sir.” Shiro swooned happily, scooping Keith into a hug. Keith giggled loudly and wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck. “But if I remember correctly, a certain ninja’s bedtime was at nine?”

              “Ninjas don’t have bedtimes!” Keith shouted happily, just as Antok was sitting up and Ulaz and Kolivan were entering the room. One of Shiro’s eyebrows rose and he stared at his friends with an unimpressed look. Each of them sheepishly rubbed their necks.

              “Well, I think one little ninja is getting tired,” Shiro tweaked Keith’s nose as the boy let out a mighty yawn. Keith snuggled up against his dad tiredly.

              “Did you have fun with your uncles at least?” Shiro asked softly, twirling Keith’s hair under the scarf. Keith immediately nodded despite how tired he was.

              “Yes. I love playing with Uncle Kolivan, Uncle Ulaz and Uncle Antok. They are great at these games.” Keith mumbled tiredly. Shiro laughed and nodded in agreement.

              “Yeah?”

              “Yeah, we already planned a pirate’s capture during your next date with Eric,” Keith whispered before drifting off to sleep, leaving his father to stare at his friends again. Antok simply shrugged.

              “What? It was pretty obvious you and this guy would hit it off.”

[kuro-freakin-shitsuji]

▌a review: Book of the Atlantic

~read after the jump at your own risk~ Kuroshitsuji: Book of the Atlantic 劇場版「黒執事 Book of the Atlantic」

Alright, this post contains very specific spoilers for the new film in Japan! 

I’ve watched it twice during the premiere weekend. I’m writing this as a personal keepsake for myself, but am allowing others to read, share, and discuss. For the love of all things kuro, read at your own risk!! 

I recommend you bookmark all reviews, and wait to read them until after you watch the movie yourself. 

I promise you it will be worth the wait when you can just enjoy the experience yourself first!!

If you want a tl;dr basic little review, see the first point. If you want to spoil yourself rotten with each and every specific detail that stood out to me in whatever way, skip down to the second point. Your own risk!! 

basic review

The movie was beautifully animated despite having spare brief moments of questionable budget. It moved in a steady pace without feeling too slow or fast, and felt like a creepy thriller. It is packed with violence, gore, and a threat of danger. All of the major scenes and moments that make the Campania arc complete were included in the film, and I loved it enough to watch it multiple times in one weekend. I would watch it a third time in theatres and will definitely preorder the bluray and soundtrack!

a very detailed spoiler review

warning: there are spoilers after this jump & it is a long read. bring tea.

Updates

8-26-2017 ♞【 “That butler, resting” blu-ray comic translation 】 8-25-2017 ♞【 Japanese blu-ray release 】 8-25-2017 ♞【 I’m creating & linking edits that coincide with this review! 】

a very detailed spoiler review

The Campania arc is my favorite arc of this series, however I didn't go into the movie with any expectations other than Sebastian’s cinematic record being as sharp as the end of his butter knives. I wanted Yana Toboso to do what she and the production team do best, and I’m happy to say I am a satisfied fan!

Immediate Impressions what stood out to me

The animation is clean and sharp, but with brief, varying moments of questionable budget. The team utilizes various styles of animation to tell the story, specifically during certain points of comic relief, Undertaker’s explanation of the dead bodies, scenes of Sebastian demoning, and Sebastian’s demon-to-butler debut within the cinematic record

Everyone was beautifully cast! I really enjoyed all of the voice actors, new and returning. I’m most impressed with Undertaker, Sebastian, and Ciel in that order, for various reasons listed in my favorite moments. I also loved seeing Knox and Snake on screen~!

EYE PORN (the enhanced, dramatic, and intense focus of a character’s eyes). There is so much eye porn and I live for it; I can’t wait for tumblr to get a hand on this film. I see so many edits and gif sets and art flooding my future dash. Specifically impressed with Sebastian, Ciel, and Undertaker’s eyes in this movie and the various angles, styles, hues, and reflections they all gave. Sebastian had so many gorgeous, deadly, and very unique hues of red throughout the entire film, and the most distinct scene of them is the close up to his eyes as the first deceased body is being resurrected. Ciel’s contracted eye was flawless in each scene it is exposed, and seeing reflections hidden within his blue orb really intensifies the anxiety and fear he’s feeling during the scene when Undertaker was going to give a fatal blow to Sebastian ━【 ♞ 】

For the Undertaker stans… you all are not ready. You’re just not; you won’t ever be. Accept this. Just sit back and accept this gift and drown in your fandom feelings during his entire reveal scene. Bless. ━【 ♞ 】

Lizzie’s reveal touched me in so many ways!! Seeing Lizzie in action on screen for the first time… The anime downplays her character, but she redeems herself so much from the bad portrayals of the anime. And when babygirl started running on the walls...yes. It was a bit odd at first, but it worked, and I LOVED seeing her elegant foot and wristwork as she slayed

Sebastian makes so many facial expressions and I died from each one either with laughter or awe

 Favorite Scenes & Tiny Moments there’s a lot

when Knox dodges Sebastian’s knives (favorite gif)

the look on Sebastian’s face when Knox was like “k bye, gotta go” after their fight – priceless ━【 ♞ 】

the utterly confused look on Snake’s face when Rian Stoker escaped into the elevator (I need this screenshot) ━【 ♞ 】

the Undertaker’s silhouette reflecting in Ciel’s enlarged, fearful blue eye because Undertaker was about to slice into Sebastian a second time (I need to make a sebaciel appreciation post about this scene right here) ━【 ♞ 】

the vulnerable quivering voice from Ciel during the night terrors scene of Sebastian’s cinematic record...I believed his fear and hearing Sebastian soothe him not only with the warm milk & honey but just the way he spoke to him...

actually, the entire cinematic record and their verbal exchanges

Lizzie’s entire reveal scene, from start to when Sebastian stops her finish

just hearing Sebastian apologize to people over and over again, especially Lizzie when she’s the one doing the work in the reveal scene, and the truly pained, disappointed-in-himself look that’s on his face as he does so

Sebastian’s extended laugh when Ciel is flustered by Lizzie after they battle Knox and Grell

Sebastian knocking Lizzie out with that hand ━【 ♞ 】

Sebastian dripping over those blueprints and then redressing himself

When Sebastian and Ciel take turns wanting to kill/wait to kill Druitt

Undertaker’s voice as he give his infamous lines during his reveal

Undertaker revealing his death scythe & every fight scene with him in it ━【 ♞ tba 】

the growl Sebastian makes while reaching for Undertaker when he took Ciel

when Sebastian mastered how to kill intruders silently in his cinematic record, holding the knife to that guy’s neck just like the manga scan (Died.) ━【 ♞ 】

when Undertaker smirked right before taking his death scythe and attacked the Campania

when Sebastian punched Knox and got right into his face just like the manga scan after Ciel vouched for his demon (Died. Screens and gifs, please. Please.) ━【 ♞ I 】//【 ♞ tba II 】

I FORGOT TO ADD THIS!! when Lizzie jumped on Ciel and started to nuzzle his shoulder and cry on him because she was sooooo thankful he survived!!! and then the look on Sebastian’s face as he watched them embracing!! MY HEART!!! ━【 ♞ 】

Alterations From the Manga ...that I could catch or remember

Charles Grey and Charles Phipps make an appearance (think we all got this one)

Ciel does not tell Snake to not be ashamed of his appearance

Snake is the one who jumps on the boxes and tells Elizabeth and Ciel to move higher up with him (from what I remember, Elizabeth is up with him but Ciel stays down to shoot at zombies, and Snake calls down at Ciel to join them). In the manga, Ciel is the one who takes charge there for everyone to ascend higher, and this stood out to me in the manga

Tanaka, Madame Red, and Nina’s scenes do not appear in Sebastian’s cinematic record. The focus is entirely in Sebastian’s point of view and the cinematic record scene does take a good 10-15 minutes (it really felt like it did) of precious screen time, so I am personally not upset by this decision of the animators. It doesn’t take away from the overall experience of the film, unless one of these characters are your absolute favorite : /

I’m not a big fan of the scene when Sebastian kisses Ciel’s hand; it looks like he’s smiling at it but in the manga it’s a direct kiss. It’s not a huge discrepancy but, I noticed. However I did thoroughly enjoy the cinematic record

The Midfords make an appearance, but we do not see them kick some serious ass the way Elizabeth does. Their scene is rather brief; when Sebastian asks if everyone is safe and informs them of how to defeat the monsters, they slice into their heads and that’s it. They introduce themselves just as in the manga, but once Sebastian leaves we don’t see any fighting from them again

We don’t see Lizzie or Snake doing the Phoenix pose

We don’t see Grell try to give Ronald his glasses back; Ronald recovers them himself

Interesting Discrepancies ...that I could catch or remember

Since Tanaka doesn’t appear in the cinematic record, I found it odd that Sebastian transitions from calling Ciel ご主人様 (master) to 坊ちゃん (young master, originally coined by Tanaka). Tanaka is the one who taught 坊ちゃん to Sebastian and the language shift stood out immediately for me because I enjoy this series in Japanese much more than in English. I would have liked to see Tanaka in the scene, or at least have Sebastian not utilize 坊ちゃん during the rest of the record since it was cut. It’s tiny but important to me and I could go into more detail about that and all of the sebaciel of the film in a separate post

It is a little obvious in certain places of the film where there was a limited or extinguished(?) budget for the animation, but nothing that takes away from the overall quality of the film, in my opinion

We finally see where Sebastian’s hand went in that one bathroom scene, however it is not exactly aligned the way it is in the manga. His hand is on the small of his back in the film; in the manga it is hidden by a speech bubble in unspoken territory but you can clearly see Ciel’s waist is hand-free

Closing Thoughts

I walked away from this movie so appreciative for this arc finally being released in anime-form, and choosing to make it a movie was a wise and fruitful decision. This movie will feed the Sebaciel and Ciel x Lizzie fans very, very well, and a I have a new appreciation for my favorite characters!! 

I also will say...I loved Undertaker in the arc, but he wasn’t in my top tier of priority characters. However, leading up to the movie I noticed I’ve been reblogging enough of him to make his own tag. After seeing this reveal in action I’m probably going to be a little obsessed with the character until I can see him fight again; it was so beautiful~!

Whenever you all get the chance to watch this, please feel free to stop by and share your own thoughts and opinions in a note, tag or my inbox!!