#i dont remember my tag for this kind of thing

[alovelyburn]

Not gunna lie I'd absolutely //love// to hear even unfinished thoughts about that sequel idea you mentioned? ☕👀

And soon I'll be rereading everything again, cause time has passed enough for me to forget the wording and storylines for Maximum Effect lol

So, sorry if you get comments that sound exactly like ones I might've left before 😅

I hadn't thought that deeply into it since I didn't really mean to do it. But it kind of starts from the central question of how does Griffith go about seeking his kingdom in a world where he doesn't have Charlotte's claim to legitimize his rule. And...

Okay full honesty here, one of the main reasons I would be reluctant to do a sequel (aside from generally not doing them) is because I write NeoGriffith (Neo specifically) a certain way and I don't necessarily know that anyone wants to read that, lmao. Because he's not a black hat sadist the way Griffith haters would want to see him, but he can be Machiavellian, cold, ruthless and cruel in ways human Griffith wouldn't be. This doesn't come out as much in my normal stuff with NeoGriffith because they're usually from Guts' POV or they're all about the romance - I don't need to get into the chess game he's playing with the world because I'm just writing about him pining for Guts so it's not relevant.

So basically, the main thing he would need to do if he doesn't have Charlotte to legitimize his claim is find a way to remove her from the field. This doesn't necessarily mean having her killed - I don't really see Griffith (any Griffith) as someone who kills people just because it's easier than doing something else, so if there's another path then I'm sure he'd take it. But given that she's the rightful ruler of Midland anything he does is sure to be a major downgrade in her life's prospects even if she's alive.

And of course the other side would be him arranging to place himself in the position of "most desirable start for a new dynasty." Charlotte is the last of her line, and Midland doesn't necessarily exist anymore, so it makes sense to choose a new leader. That's the easier part - saving them from Ganishka would do it on its own, nevermind all the savior shenanigans and summoning souls and such.

The other thing is, the original Hawks are still out there - the ones who aren't dead anyway. They don't have any reason not to rally around Griffith - just like Rickert on the Hill of Swords was ready to do. And of course I'd need to explain what happened with Casca (whether or not she's dead).

So that's the main thoughts on the general PLOT, politics, war and the awkward mix of the old Hawks and new Hawks.

As for the other thing, you know, that thing -- When Night Comes Down was a straight up romance (at least as close as I ever get, being me), and I suppose the will they/won't they is covered at this point. But there's always interesting things to look at - immediately there's the question of how Guts, who even as an Apostle has a kind of insecure core - handles being next to the man who outshines the sun. Not to mention, Griffith is the destined master of all Apostles which is worth addressing if only before it makes for a seriously weird power dynamic.

Etc etc... just some rather raw unformed thoughts.

You know, it's interesting to me - I feel like a lot of the people who normally read my extremely rare writing were not enthused by When Night Comes Down, but at the same time I got some of the most effusive praise I have ever received from other people and that's kinda fascinating. CURIOUS.