#level upper arc

[imkazz]

EDIT: okay, so I talked to my mom & brother about it and they added that we also got douma being upper six, so just vote for your second favourite and put him in the tags bc I cant edit the poll. Also I meant Gyokko as in you like him and agree that he should've been upper six with daki & gyutaro as upper five.

[sneezypeasy]

The Lightning Scene, How Azula Targeted Katara (of All People), and the Doylist Reason Why That Matters

Mention Zuko's sacrifice for Katara in Sozin's Comet Part 3 as part of a pro-Zutara talking point, and invariably you'll get a Pavlovian response of:

"But Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone."

(Not to be confused with the similar-sounding Pavlovan response, which is "Zuko's sacrifice ain't shit compared to a mouth-watering, strawberry-topped meringue dessert"*, which is actually the only valid counter-argument to how the lightning scene is a bona fide Zutara treasure, but I digress.)

Now, I've talked in depth about how the lightning scene is framed far more romantically than it had any right to be, regardless of how you might interpret the subject on paper; this is an argument which I still stand by 100%. That Zuko would have gotten barbecued for anyone, and that he was at the stage of his arc where his royal kebab-ness represented his final act of redemption, doesn't change the fact that the animators/soundtrack artists decided to pull out all the stops with making this scene hit romantic film tropes bingo by the time it played out on screen.

(I mean, we stan.)

There's also a deeper level to this conundrum, a layer which creeps up on you when you're standing in your kitchen at night, the fridge door open in front of you, your hungry, sleep-deprived brain trying to decide on what to grab for a midnight snack, and quite inexcusably you're struck with the question: Okay, Zuko may indeed have taken the lightning for just anyone, but would Azula have shot the lightning at just anyone?

But there's yet a deeper layer to this question, that I don't recall ever seeing anyone discuss (though if somebody has, mea culpa). And that is: would you have written Zuko taking the lightning for anyone else?

Or in other words, who Zuko would have taken the lightning for is the wrong question to be asking; the question we ought to be asking is who Zuko should have taken the lightning for, instead.

Get your pens out, your Doylist hats on, and turn to page 394. It's time to think like an author for a hot minute.

(If you don't know what I mean by Watsonian vs. Doylist analyses, and/or if you need a refresher course, go have a skim of the first section of this 'ere post and then scoot your ass back to this one.)

So. You're the author. You've written almost the entirety of an animated series (look at you!!) and now you're at the climax, which you've decided is going to be an epic, hero-villain showdown. Classic. Unlike previous battles between these two characters, your hero is going to have a significant advantage in this fight - partly due to his own development as a hero at the height of his strength and moral conviction, and partly because your villain has gone through a bit of a Britney Spears 2007 fiasco, and isn't quite at the top of her game here. If things keep going at this pace, your hero is going to win the fight fairly easily - actually, maybe even too easily. That's okay though, you're a talented writer and you know just what will raise the stakes and give the audience a well-timed "oh shit" moment: you're going to have the villain suddenly switch targets and aim for somebody else. The hero will be thrown off his groove, the villain will gain the upper hand, the turns will have indubitably tabled. Villains playing dirty is the number 1 rule in every villain handbook after all, and each of the last two times your hero's braved this sort of fight he's faced an opponent who ended up fighting dishonourably, so you've got a lovely Rule of Three perfectly lined up for the taking. Impeccable. The warm glow of triumph shines upon you, cherubs sing, your English teachers clap and shed tears of pride. (Except for that one teacher you had in year 8 who hated everybody, but she's a right bitch and we're not talking about her today.)

Now here's the thing: your hero is a hero. Maybe he wasn't always a hero, but he certainly is one now. If the villain goes after an innocent third party, there's basically no-one your hero wouldn't sacrifice himself for. He's a hero! Heroes do be like that, it's kind of their thing. The villain could shoot a bolt of lightning at Bildad the Shuhite, and the only thing that'd stop our boy Redeemed Paladin Bravesoul McGee from shielding his foxy ass is the fact that Bildad the Shuhite has the audacity to exist in a totally different show (disgusten.)

But. You're holding the writer's pen. Minus crossover shenanigans you don't have the licensing or time-travel technology to achieve, you have full control over how this scene plays out. You get to decide which character to target to deliver the greatest emotional impact, the juiciest angst, the most powerful cinematic suspense. You get to decide whose life you'll put at risk, to make this scene the most intense spine-chilling heart-stopper it can possibly be.

This is the climax we're talking about, after all - now is not the time to go easy on the drama.

So.

Do you make the villain target just anyone?

Or do you make the villain target someone the hero cares about?

Perhaps, someone he cares about... a lot?

Maybe even, someone he cares about... more than anybody else?

You are the author. You are the God of this universe. You get to choose.

What would deliver the strongest punch?

If you happen to make the inadvisable decision of browsing through these tropes on TV tropes, aside from wasting the rest of your afternoon (you're welcome), you'll find that the examples listed are littered with threatened and dead love interests, and, well, there's a reason for that. For better or worse, romantic love is often portrayed by authors, and perceived by audiences, as a "true" form of love (often even, "the" true form of love). Which is responsible for the other is a chicken/egg situation, one I'm not going to go into for this post - and while I'm certainly not here to defend this perspective as objectively good, I do think it's worth acknowledging that it not only exists but is culturally rather ubiquitous. (If you're playing the love interest in a story with a hero v. a villain, you might wanna watch your back, is what I'm saying.)

Regardless of whether the vibe you're aiming for is romantic or platonic however, one thing is for certain: if you want maximum oomph, the way to achieve that is by making the villain go after the player whose death would hit the hero the hardest.

And like I said, this doesn't have to be played romantically (although it so often is). There are platonic examples in those trope pages, though it's also important to note that many of the platonic ones do show up in stories where a love interest isn't depicted/available/there's a strong "bromance" element/the hero is low-key ace - and keep in mind too that going that route sometimes runs a related risk of falling into queer-bait territory *coughJohnLockcough*

That said, if there is a canon love-interest available, one who's confessed her love for the hero, one who has since been imprisoned by the villain, one who can easily be written as being at the villain's disposal, and who could quite conveniently be whipped out for a mid-battle surprise round - you might find you have some explaining to do if you choose to wield your authorly powers to have the villain go after... idk, some other sheila instead.

(The fact that this ends up taking the hero out of the fight, and the person he sacrifices himself for subsequently throws herself into the arena risking life and limb to defeat the villain and rescue her saviour, also means the most satisfying way this plays out, narratively speaking, is if both of these characters happen to be the most important person in each other's lives - at least, as of that moment, anyway - but I think this post has gone on long enough, lol)

This is, by and large, a rebuttal post more than anything else, but the tl;dr here is - regardless of whether you want to read the scene as shippy or not, to downplay Zuko's sacrifice for Katara specifically as "not that deep™" because "Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone anyway", suggests either that a) nobody should be reading into the implications of Katara being chosen as the person nearest and dearest to Zuko, so that putting her life in jeopardy can deliver the most powerful impact possible for an audience you'd bloody well hope are on the edge of their seats during the climax of your story or b) the writers made the inexplicable decision of having the villain threaten the life of... literally who the fuck ever, and ultimately landed on someone who's actually not all that important to the hero in the grand scheme of things - which is a cardinal writing sin if I ever saw one (even disregarding the Choice to then season it with mood lighting and sad violin music, on top of it all), and altogether something I'd be legitimately pissed about if my Zuko-OTP ship paired him with Mai, Sokka, or just about anybody else 😂

Most importantly c) I'm hungry, and I want snacks.

*The Aussies in the fandom will get this one. Everyone else can suffer in united confusion.

[failbettergames]

You dream of rain. You dream that the ink that is your flesh is running off the page, smeared into dark rivulets on the vellum. When you wake, you can still feel a stiffness in your back; as if your spine is being held tautly by yarn.

In the dark of the cabin, your mind enumerates sensations as your eyes adjust: The sway of the gondola. The vibration from the engine in the starboard nacelle above you, rattling slightly – still no replacement for the broken fuel intake.

The noise of water rapping against a porthole window.

Hello, delicious friends. It appears that time, very disrespectfully, has chosen to march on until it is very nearly April. The time has come to talk about our major future plans for Fallen London.

A new major storyline

Firmament is Fallen London’s next major expansion, a main story arc that adds on to the game’s ongoing progression. Acquire an airship – permanently, this time. Fly to the Roof. Explore the stalactite fields ruled by the Starved Men, the carved paths of the Moon-MIsers, the inverted jungles of the Antipelago, and more.

This expansion focuses on the Roof. Just like the unterzee gets stranger and darker as you zail away from familiar shores, so do the upper airs of the Neath contain more than what you know about. As these castles on the ceiling open to you, you will learn more.

Firmament will launch over the course of April, with a prologue becoming available on April 11th, and the full first chapter on April 18th.

While Firmament is in some ways a follow-up to the Railway storyline, we are aware of how long it takes to get to the very end of the game’s (current) highest-level story. When Firmament launches, you will be able to start it as long as you have already begun the Railway storyline and reached Ealing. While you will need to advance your railway further to access the latter parts of Firmament, there should be ample time to catch up on the Railway in between Firmament chapters.

New mechanics

The Railway arc added new advanced skills. During the Zeefarer cycle we added revamped Zee travel and the new Boon/Burden mechanic. This set of updates comes with its own mechanical expansions to the game.

New item slots

Airships make their return as full-fledged items. Much like zeefaring ships, they serve you mostly in air travel – Aerial Prowess and Aerial Armament also make their return. But we’re also adding a few other item slots, while we’re at it.

Adornment includes all manner of jewellery and accessories – rings, necklaces, earrings, neckties, brooches, and more. Previously, items in this vein would appear in slots like Gloves or Clothing, leading to the somewhat odd mental image of wearing your Pendant of Helicon Amber and nothing else. With this update, these items gain their own space, enabling more player expression and empowering players to reach slightly higher stats.

Several existing items will be shifted to the Adornment slot, slightly buffing them by allowing them to stack with other existing items. Adornment is intended to be a part of the game from relatively early on – around the later parts of Making Your Name. A new Bazaar store, selling Adornments, will be added in a future update.

Crew is a complement to both ships and airships. We’ve long wanted to give ship crews (distinct from the vessels themselves) a bit more personality. Are they experienced or green? Are they Admiralty men through and through, or a band of privateers and villains? These kinds of concepts never really fit the Companion or Affiliation slots, so we are creating a purposeful slot for them.

Crews will be made available in a future update, initially accessible to players who have a ship.

Luggage may seem like a slightly odd addition, but so much of Fallen London, and Victorian fiction in general, is about travel and the mystique of travel. A battered steamer trunk that’s been everywhere. A briefcase full of secrets. Phileas Fogg’s carpetbag. Luggage is intended as a midgame slot. In a future update, you will be able to assemble some initial Luggage items in the Bazaar Side-Streets.

New Skills

We are conscious of not adding too much complexity to the game, especially not all at once. Firmament doesn’t add a full suite of new skills, like the Railway. It adds one new skill, and two new qualities of a somewhat skill-like nature.

Chthonosophy, the study of the root of things, has already been teased – but you’ve not really been able to obtain it, thus far. It is the major new skill for Firmament, playing a role similar to the role Zeefaring had in Evolution.

Inerrant and Insubstantial join Neathproofed as its two other counterparts. Like Neathproofed, these will appear more as additive benefits; they help your checks with other skills, more so than being checked in themselves. They exist to add a little extra, to help differentiate otherwise-similar items, and to act as an occasional bonus. As part of Firmament, we are pushing to make more use of Neathproofed, and carve out that space for its new counterparts, also.

Roof Travel

I won’t go into too many details about Roof travel, other than to set expectations. Yes, there is a new map. No, Roof travel is not quite a fully-fledged activity like zailing is.

We aimed it at a sort of middle ground between Railway travel (which is convenient and fairly predictable) and Zee travel (which is a whole venture unto itself.) Traveling from point to point on the Roof mostly takes one action; very occasionally, two. But it is drastically more variable than rail travel. There’s a broad variety of different things you can encounter in the upper airs of the Neath. And as you progress this storyline, you will encounter stranger things as you travel through the air.

And other delights…

Of course, we have other things planned for the rest of 2024. Our usual festivals will run as usual. A new Estival. Monthly Exceptional Stories. Various other surprises, including a series of more grounded new stories set in London. But we’ll talk about these things in detail sometime after Whitsun, which should take place, as usual, in May.

[datlokibumtho]

EDIT: I said I'd add more, and so I shall. I swear, the more I rewatch it, the more abserdity crosses my mind. I forgot some, so I'll add those when I remember them.

Rewatching the Mugen Train Arc, and there are a few things I noticed that I shall now share with you. I will add more as I think of them.

▪︎Rengoku's mom is hot

▪︎You will never be able to convince me we didn't see Akaza's O Face during that final attack.

▪︎Why didn't Akaza just drag Rengoku along with him to escape? All that oomf he has, and you're telling me one dude is too heavy? Nezuko can carry someone easily while in baby mode and was strong enough to curbstomp Daki, and you're telling me Akaza, Upper Three, the fourth most powerful demon in existence can't drag one guy along for the ride while bailing? I'm calling that shit hard.

▪︎Tanjirou's VA knocked this shit out of the park.

▪︎I call bullshit that Rengoku didn't activate his Demon Slayer Mark during all that.

¤ Edit: I now know why that didn't happen, so nevermind this one.

▪︎While we're on the topic of Rengoku, can I just briefly express my confusion as to his dream of choice when Enmu put him to sleep? Out of everything he could have dreamed, all the scenarios his mind could have conjured up, he chose "that one time I did something extraordinary and my dad didn't give a shit" followed by any given day of the week. Tanjirou got his family back, Zenitsu got to spend time with the girl he loved, Inosuke got to do whatever the fuck that was...and Rengoku's got an alcoholic father who doesn't give a hair on a witch's tit if his kids live or die, a mom that's still dead from illness, and last Tuesday, the Tuesday before that, and the Tuesday before that, also known as his everyday life. Why? He could have had a father that was a presentable human being again, a mother that wasn't dead or ill, a happy life...and he bypassed all of that. Just. Fucking. Why.

¤Edit: upon further thought and some amateur analysis of his psyche, the dream probably revolved more around time with his brother, or his boundless optimism making him think every day is a gift or worth celebrating or special somehow. Or maybe he just has a really bad imagination.

▪︎Rengoku just gave Enmu his first brush with heartburn.

▪︎Look up the lyrics to Homura by LiSA, and I believe you will join me in saying fuck whoever chose the music. Why they gotta do that? Why?

▪︎Get you a man that's an absolute goober, a total badass, a complete and utter derp, a major sweetheart, and a super serious hot mess all at once. Get you a Flame Hashira. Get you Rengoku Kyoujurou.

▪︎"I'm a box lunch vendor" wasn't suspicious until he said it wasn't suspicious. Then it became suspicious.

▪︎Rengoku moving his ass like "Total Consentrstion Fuck You I'm A Hashira" speed mode activated. "Ecceleration Mode", for anyone that's up on older anine.

▪︎Pigtails runnin' her way through Rengokus dream world like the edge isn't invisible and she was at zero risk of slamming face first into it.

▪︎God damn, Tanjirou, right between the man-titties. Rude as fuck.

▪︎Tanjirou: smells blood in a snow storm, Muzan in the middle of Tokyo, identifies people by their scents after only meeting them once, can smell character traits

Rengoku: two cars down from them, chowing away at bento, unnoticed

Zenitsu: hears thing down to a celluar level and can figure out what something's species and intent are based solely of of their sounds of existsnce

Rengoku: two cars down from them, practically yelling "tasty" repeatedly, unnoticed

Inosuke: has super insane instincts and the ability to lock onto things miles away

Renkgoku: STILL just two cars down from them, living his best life with a crapton of bento, unnoticed

Tanjirou/Zenitsu/Inosuke: "Wonder where the Flame Hashira is."

▪︎Slasher demon: "No one's faster than me!"

The Other Speedy Stripy Boi Of The Mugrn Train Arc: "Destructive Death: Kick-Your-Ass-Faster-Than-The-Speed-Of-Sound-You-Scrub Type."

▪︎Rengoku's Dream World: sunshine, daisies, and fatherly rejection

Rengoku's Subconscious: flaming hellscape

Enmu's Lackey: "What the flip flap fuck is going on with this man?"

▪︎Enmu: shocked Zenitsu did anything while under his spell

The rest of us: "Yeah, it was always gonna go that way, chief."

BONUS: ORIGINAL WATCHTHROUGH THOUGHTS

▪︎My thought process through my original watchthrough eons ago: "Rengoku is a silly mans. Rengoku is kinda cool. Rengoku is utterly endearing. Rengoku is awesome. Rengoku is one BAMF. RENGOKU IS DEAD."

▪︎My almost simultaneous thought process through my original watchthrough eons ago: "I can't believe he dies, he's so amazing and wonderful and i love him. Ok, he dies in this fight, and now that i know the man, i instantly hate whoever did it. Oh no, he's HOT! My emotions are very mixed right now. My emotions are completely decided in their stance, and I am getting teary-eyed over yet another ficticious character."

▪︎My afterthoughts of my original watchthrough eons ago: "Akaza is the absolute worst, that pretty face, hot body and smooth af voice cannot change that. Wow, Muzan was mean to him after he did his damndest. My opinion can not change now that I have seen Senjurou, he is a wonderful little cinnamonroll, and Akaza must remain the worst. He can be terrible and still look good. I mean, are he and his utterly whorish waist and very lovely, somewhat delicately featured face really to blame or is Muzan or psychosis of some kind? Wow, that's a nice hourglass physique and horribly tragic backstory."

▪︎End conclusion from my original watchthrough eons ago: "My opinion of Rengoku has done a 180. I would die for Senjurou. I will probably never truly like Rengoku Shinjurou despite understanding that grief and disillusionment do strange things to people. Akaza is too hot, broken, and in a weird way endearing and lovable to hate. I loves me a tragic backstory and damaged man. I DO NOT HAVE A NEW SHIP I DO NOT HAVE A NEW SHIP I DO NOT HAVE A NEW SHIP"

▪︎I had a new ship

[sanriokamabodo]

Interview with Akaza + Douma (Actor!AU)

A/N: wanted to write this as a full on fic but who am i kidding (not proofread haha..)

“Hi I’m Hakuji Soyama and I've had the honour to play Akaza since the Mugen Train Arc” He gives a brief nod after his introduction. Slinging his right leg over the other, he glances at his counterpart who awkwardly raises his hand.

“...And I play Douma.’’ He states, causing Akaza to erupt into a fit of laughter, the audience and interviewer joining him instantly.

“Well that’s one way to introduce yourself.” Akaza grins, dramatically wiping a tear away from his eye.

“So tell me, what’s it like behind the scenes?"

"I think everyone gets along great, we all have a similar end goal in mind and work hard to achieve that together."

Douma nods before starting. "This is my first big time job and everybody has welcomed me with open arms. The writers even listened to my ideas and we've made some changes together for me to portray him better."

"We've heard rumours about you all doing your own stunts. Is it true?"

Akaza sighs making Douma laugh.

"You know that one scene in the infinity castle where I parkour around like it's nobody's business? That took a week to film, I nearly had to relearn to walk again because I was dangling in the air so much."

"Tch, you're so dramatic." Douma quips.

"You didn't make it any easier for me! You know how ticklish my feet are and you kept taking advantage of it while I was hanging from the ceiling!" He scoffs jokingly. "You guys better appreciate that scene." He laughs, making the audience cheer for the duo.

"How do you guys get ready for a day of shooting? Walk me through the day you started filming the uppermoon meeting."

"Make-up is the first thing we do, during make-up we go over our scenes together."

"Whose make-up takes longest?"

"Hantengu's by a long shot. He's actually really good looking in real life."

"I second that. I think Hakuji's the quickest since he has temporary tattoo's and dyed his hair for the part. He only needs to put in his contacts."

"Muzan's actor is actually really soft-spoken in real life, we had to reshoot the 'Upper Moons' meeting a lot because he would be to gentle with us and we would end up laughing." Akaza chuckles.

"Who do you respect most among the actors?"

"I respect everyone, especially the younger actors! They're super professional. I shot a scene with Ume who plays Daki and she gave me a lot of useful tips."

"The way Rengoku's actor portrays him gave me chills. He did so beautifully! I really respect him!"

"Hakuji came home crying after they filmed Rengoku's death scene." Douma teases.

"It was a long day, alright?"

"Yeah, you guys live together right?"

"We've been best friends since we were like five, so becoming roommates when we both wanted to go to theater school was an easy decision."

"Is your friend a bit like the character he portrays?"

"Absolutely not! When we're not shooting he's cooped up in his room playing video games all day. I don't know how he maintains his figure because all I see him eat is instant ramen. I'm even convinced he's a virgin." He cooes at Douma, pinching his cheek.

"Get off me!" The platinum haired man laughs. "Like you're anything like Akaza, you manwhore."

Akaza shrugs, a sly smirk on his face. "I know a bit of martial arts. That's like my character, I guess."

"The karate workshop we had when we we're eleven? Really, that's your knowledge of martial arts?"

Akaza nods seriously, trying to hold in his laugh.

"Wow, you're really something..."

"We're almost out of time." The interviewer states. "Anything you want to add before we round this interview up?"

"I can't recommend watching Demon Slayer enough! I've never been so proud of a show or movie I've done, this is next level."

"What he said, and hi mum!" Douma says, waving at the camera with a toothy grin.

"Give a round of applause for the one and only Akaza and Douma! Thank you for the interview."

[youreallyshouldtalkmore]

Infinity Castle

I haven’t even finished watching the Swordsmith Village arc yet but do you know how many times I watched the demon reunion in the Infinity Castle scene? I may have a slight obsession. 

Why do some of the best scenes of this anime happen in Infinity Castle? I even rewatched the scene with Muzan and the lower moons in Infinity Castle more times that I want to count. 

Let me shut up…. Akaza x reader, Douma x reader. You are in the middle of their fights. Congratulations. 

____________

No human or demons could enter or exit Infinity Castle unless they were summoned or had the right to be there. Generally speaking that pertained to demons, however it was a not so quiet kept secret that you, a full-blooded human, lived in Infinity Castle. The particulars of how this arrangement came to be, was something only you and Muzan Kibuchi knew. None of the demons dared to so much as breathe a question of why you were there. Not even Upper One, Lord Kokushibo, ever questioned it. Not that he cared to. Such things were not his business. As long as you existed in Lord Muzan’s good graces, you were safe from all demons. 

You heard the biwa sound from within the castle even as you made your way to the meeting. Nakime had impressed upon you that you were to at least pass through. You rounded the corner to see a familiar pot. You grinned and crouched down, trying silently to sneak up on Lord Gyokko.  But just as you went to reach out, the pot slid away from you. 

“Hehe, nice try, Miss Y/N, but I could hear you coming a mile away.” 

Although you knew you had no way of sneaking up on any of the demons, you still amused yourself to try. You pouted, “Lord Gyokko, you could at least pretend.”

“Oh! I could not possibly. As amusing as that seems, my pride as a demon would not allow such a thing. However, perhaps you would be willing to peer into my pot?” 

“Not even in the least, my lord.” 

The pot vibrated, “Such a shame! Such a shame!” 

You did not have a death wish. Although you knew you could get away with a lot, you were not willing to outright tempt fate. Who knows what Lord Gyokko might try if he was in the mood? You had seen full-bodied humans dragged into his pot before. And you even had the displeasure to view one of his artworks. You had no intention to become one. Of all the upper level demons, Lord Gyokko was the one that you were cautious of the most. 

Rumbling reached your ears, as you saw a platform slowly lift and then stop. Your eyes lit up even as you gave a bow, “Lord Akaza! Welcome back!” 

Akaza’s face softened when he saw you, “Lady Y/N, I’m surprised to see you are here. I thought this was a meeting for the upper rank.” 

You shrugged, “Lady Nakime told me to come, so I came. And I’m no lady. I’ve told you this many times, my lord.”  

“Fair enough, and I will address you how I see fit. You have the mercy of Lord Muzan, so you are to be afforded a sense of respect.” 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Lord Akaza!!” the pot jumped up and down before Gyokko decided to exit the pot. 

You shook your head fondly as you made your way to Akaza who sent a death glare to the snake-like demon. Akaza didn’t comment on Gyokko’s “concern” for him, nor did he give Hantengu any comment either. He only tsked after they had their say before turning to you. 

He didn’t quite glare at you as he asked, “Has Lord Muzan arrived yet?”

You shook your head.

"Then do you know anything about this meeting or if Lord Kokushibo here? I have a hard time believing he is the one that is dead."

You shook your head even as you shrug just as you heard the echo of a familiar voice around you, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! You are beginning to hurt my feelings, my dear Lord Akaza. Weren’t you even a little concerned about me?” 

You bit back a giggle as you stepped away from the two of them. It never bolded well, if Douma was taking to teasing Akaza.

Ah, this was precisely why.

Although you had the foresight to put some distance between you and them, the force of Akaza’s fist, still sent blood splattering onto your kimono.

You heaved a sigh. 

Akaza blinked once realized what just happened, “Ahh, I’m sorry, Lady Y/N. I did not mean to soil your kimono.” 

“Y/N!! Did you see, Lord Akaza’s so mean to me!!” Douma cried, latching himself around your shoulders after the lower half of his face regenerated. He lowered his face into your hair and began to sob. 

“Get off of her!” Akaza snarled. 

Douma wailed, “And he wasn’t even conscious of your cute kimono!! This boy is a tragedy walking! He claims you are deserving of respect, so he addresses you as Lady, but what does he call me?” 

Akaza simmered, “Were you listening earlier?” 

“That’s the takeaway, Lord Akaza?” Douma cried, “We are the best of friends, aren’t we? Why must you treat me like this?”  

“Eh!! Quit it!! I will not be in the middle of your fight!” you cried. You had seen Akaza’s right eye twitch, and although he was nothing if not respectful towards you, you had no desire to be the middle if he should lose his temper. 

You would have stepped away but despite Douma’s lazyfair attitude, his grip was iron-clad. His hands only slid around your middle as he hugged you from behind,“Y/N!! I missed you!!” 

You heaved a sigh, “You saw me last month. I do visit you sometimes, you know.” 

“Yes, and what fine visits they are! We have great fun….” Douma cried before his lips were inches from your ear and whispered, “...don’t we?” 

You knew he was looking dead at Akaza, whose nose flared once. This time you managed to snatch away from Douma who chuckled. You knew it was only possible because he allowed it, “You play too much, Lord Douma.” 

Douma pouted, “How many times must I tell you to call me Douma. I don’t need formalities from you. You are our favorite human, after all.” 

You gave a mock bow, “At least once more, Lord Douma.”

“Some people have manners.” Akaza stated, stepping up to stand beside you, even as he glared at Douma. 

“I am the epitome of manners!!” Douma cried vehemently. He glared at you when you suddenly had a wheezing fit. 

You waved away the cloud and got yourself under control. With a serene smile, began inching away from Douma.  

Nakime spoke up then, “You do know that Upper One was summoned here first, no? He's been listening the entire time.” 

You were glad of the interruption, not sure you were liking where it was headed. It seems no matter what you did lately, you always seemed to land in the middle of one of Douma’s and Akaza’s tug of war. 

You weren’t exactly sure why though. 

You all looked behind yourselves to see Lord Kokushibo sitting calmly from a small room, “Yes, and I did not get summoned here for such foolishness.” 

“I apologize, Lord Kokushibo.”, you spoke with a low bow towards him even if his back was turned to you. 

“You are not the one that needs to apologize. But this will have to keep, Lord Muzan has arrived.” 

—

You kept your head bowed to your hands, even as your eyes widened. Upper Six were dead? Both Gyutaro and Daki had frequently visited you when they were able. Daki had been like a little sister to you. And you found Gyutaro to be charming in his own way. He always thought himself ugly but you were touched by his kind heart, as evident of how he handled his sister. Though that was the humanity that Muzan Kibuchi so hated. 

So you never understood why he kept you around. Muzan Kibuchi never tried to change you into a demon and kept you locked in Infinity Castle. You found you didn’t mind.  Being here was better than the cruel world out there. You learned that when you were only nine years old. 

You didn’t really expect Lord Muzan to address you at this meeting, and he didn’t. His eyes only passed over you before he gave his final orders to the others and disappeared. Not two seconds after Lord Muzan’s disappearance did heads begin to roll. 

And hands too, apparently. 

You heaved a sigh as you watched. 

Lord Kokushibo turned to you and beckoned you over. You stood and made your way over. His six eyes were riveted on you. It was a bit chilling to look at but you had long gotten used to it. However, you never figured out exactly which set you were supposed to look at, so you ended up being constantly distracted by all of them. 

“No one is causing you any trouble?” 

You shook your head, “No.” 

“Eating well?” 

“Yes.” 

“Hm. Anything you need?” 

“No.” 

Kokushibo gave a nod, “Good. It would not do for Lord Muzan’s human to rot in here unless he chooses it, nor for others to bother you.” 

You just bowed once, using this time to lower your eyes. If Lord Gyokko was an upper rank you were most cautious of, Lord Kokushibo was the upper rank you tried hard to give the utmost respect. Although Lord Gyokko would humor you, or perhaps it was you humoring him, Lord Kokushibo was to the point. Your interactions with him were always say what you need, get what you need and get out. 

“You will tell me if anything becomes amiss.” 

“At once, my lord.” 

Then Kokushibo disappeared. 

“You don’t have to rely on him. He’ll be dead soon enough. If anyone bothers you, let me know.” Akaza spoke a minute after Kokushibo disappeared. 

“Oooh, bold! Lord Akaza!” Douma harped. 

A smile toyed on your lips. You were well aware of the fact that their protective nature would last only as long as Lord Muzan said so. Maybe one day you would become food for one of them. A shiver ran down your spine as you dropped your head in thought. It used to keep you up at night but perhaps being around them, slowly in a way, your own human heart had changed despite the fact that you were still human. 

“Are you okay?” 

Your head jerked up only to realize that Akaza was gazing down at you. At some point, he had made his way over, standing so close to you, you could feel the heat from his skin. 

“Ahh…” you went to step back instinctively only to step wrong. You would have tripped but Akaza reached out and wrapped an arm around your waist, steadying you. Your hands ended up on his biceps. 

The pink-haired demon scowled, “Don’t become clumsy on me, Y/N.” 

“F-forgive me, Lord Akaza.” 

You peered into Akaza’s yellow eyes. You felt him pull you in slightly. 

“.....Whatcha doin?” 

Akaza scowled as Douma’s head popped up besides you both. You went to step back and Akaza released you. A playful smile was frozen on Douma’s face. You tried to quietly extract yourself but before you could get any further, Douma used one arm to pull you to him. Still the frozen smile on his face didn’t change as stared at Akaza. 

You saw murderous intent flash in Akaza’s eyes as he balled his hands into fist. You ceased breathing. But then you blinked as you saw Akaza’s form from behind once as he moved out of Infinity Castle. 

You were breathing again, only for that to cut short when Douma’s rainbow eyes swung to you, “My dear little human….” 

Nerves ran through you. You never liked it when Douma sought to play too much. He used his free hand and reached up to cup your chin, bringing your faces inches from his. 

“I think you are due another visit with me, hm?” 

You barely heard the strum of the biwa or Gyokko requesting an expeditious exit with Hantenka. 

“I think we need to have some fun, no?” Douma asked. 

“Lord Douma…I have things I need to do.” 

“Do you, now?” He dipped his head lower.  

“I believe you have things you need to do as well?” 

“Do I, now?” His lips hovered over yours. 

Then the pluck of the biwa sounded as you blinked. 

You were back at your own house in Infinity Castle. 

You heaved a sigh.

First, let’s change and wash your kimono.  

[thatanimewriter]

COWARD.

➳ request: How would Coco and team JNPR react to their mega intimidating and stronger then strong Male S/O, saving Velvet from Cardin's bullying, by comin' out the wood works, and just punching the absolute SOUL outta Cardin like bro's on his knees, holdin' his stomach, eyes wide, struggling to breath and all that, meanwhile the rest of his team are just trying to jump S/O but are failing MISERABLY, like it's watching 3 4-year olds tryin' to jump prime Mike Tyson, and for reference on what S/O looks like, look up Fredrick Jason the boxer manwha in images, pls and thank you :)

➳ character/s: jaune arc, nora valkyrie, pyrrha nikos, lie ren

➳ warnings: mentions of bullying, violence, swearing, mentions of thirsty people (pyrrha)

➳ notes: i don't write for coco, but i can do jnpr :))

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

── 𝐉𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐂.

cheering you from the sidelines because he has tried standing up to cardin before and it went horribly

is probably mildly embarrassed that he's tiny compared to you, but is very much happy that cardin is ALSO tiny compared to you

got slightly worried when the rest of cardin's team tried to gang up on you

but you just waved jaune away with a lil flirty wink and dealt with the issue very chill

jaune was very hot and bothered after cause he couldn't lie, it was kinda attractive-

but afterwards he's so asking you for training sessions so he can get buff like you

he probably recorded the altercation on his scroll just for later entertainment

it was already put on the internet very soon after, if not livestreamed by someone else in the crowd

── 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐄.

she would've joined you if it weren't for ren letting you handle it by yourself

he wants her to preserve some level of her reputation and let you uphold your own as you basically hold cardin away from you with a hand to his forehead

you're clearly not invested in this fight, cause you look very bored this whole time

but you'll let her hit them with her hammer at least once, followed by a hair ruffle and a "that's my girl"

is very proud of you because if you didn't do anything about the bullies, then she would've

laughed her little ass off when the rest of the gang tried to jump you and you didn't have any difficulty

she took a selfie of you guys and the bullies on the floor n you're just smiling with a peace sign

still her favourite photo to this day and she talks about it all the time

── 𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐑𝐇𝐀 𝐍𝐈𝐊𝐎𝐒.

very much concerned for how often you might be getting into fights with cardin

but also not that mad because even though she probably doesn't wanna get involved, she'll let you have your fun

you're both such a power couple now because BOTH of you have fought cardin's whole team 1v4 and won

will stand back and watch you as if she doesn't want you to be fighting bullies in the courtyard

but she's proud on the inside and will treat you for dinner later when you win

not super happy that randos on the internet are kinda thirsty for you though

but maybe she'll jump in next time if there is one just so people can back off

and also because she thinks it's probably super cathartic-

── 𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐍.

also doesn't join in, but he won't make any moves to stop you from doing what you gotta do

he's been watching cardin be a bully for a while and is happy with the karma he's getting from you

very much annoyed by the rest of the team trying to get the upper hand, because he's trained with you and failed to do so-

a rare smile on his face when you beat them all to a pulp and will make you pancakes in the morning

special treat for delivering some well-deserved justice for the students

generally discourages you from engaging in petty school fights though, because he'd rather you save your energy

and not use it on useless people who will end up in the dumps on their own anyway

but if it's warranted, then he'll support you from the shadows :))

[whoishotteranimepolls]

In Defense for Sabo (Why hes appealing to me)

To be perfectly honest, I am absolutely down bad for Sabo. I am a Simp in every sense of the word. So understand, I am biased by this point- That out of the way, he's perfect your honor. He's so tragic, so cool, and so silly- i think people overlook him because out of the ASL trio he has the least amount of screen time of the three- but everytime he's there it's a wild ride

I coukd write a really shitty 100k word thesis on this bastard(affectionate) so I'll try my best to keep it short

How do I even begin this? What hooked me initially on his character as a whole was how he was born into nobility and instantly hated it. He could see how messed up the people around him were even as a child, Hes a born anarchist. So he runs away and meets angry child Ace and then they're both menaces to society with a plan on ditching this place. You know the backstory I don't gotta explain more but like, the whole ASL brother dynamic is amazing and hes so middle child coded. Then the tragedies begin- in literally every single way the upper class could be horrific and terrifying, it happens over and over within like no time just to really hammer into him his distaste for the whole system. To skip all the angsty details, He felt so cornered that he ran away. Just sets sail despite his age, then of all people to aim a weapon at him, a Celestial Dragon proceeds to give him amnesia for the next like 9 years of his life with some insane blunt force trauma. That gun was basically an explosive canon, the fact Canon!Sabo just has the eye scar is why so many artists headcanon him with a much bigger scar. How he survived that is just a testament to how he's just

Built Different™

Then he basically jumps into the deep end so to speak with no fucking memory. By the time Ace is setting sail- he's already insanely strong. He ends up second in command for a reason- he's smart, he's powerful, he's got that never ending well of stamina just like his bros, he's a beast

And what finally brings back his past? He sees the news about marineford. What rejogs his memories- is his brother fucking dieing. (Oda basically confirmed that if Sabo had his memories, Ace would have lived. I mean- pretime skip Luffy almost succeeded- putting Sabo in the mix would have absolutely turned the tides. But that's beside the point- as i said hes just strong) Sabo only remembered when it was already too late- like...holy shit- the Angst. Tragedy after Tragedy and he couldn't even try to help this time-

Listen, what I'm trying to say is He's cool and angsty (like every other character tbf lol). He's just like his bros, a crazy bastard with a heart of gold who breeds chaos by being himself and standing for his ideals. Luffy and Ace have some crazy bloodlines and ya know, D. But Sabo is just Sabo and is right there with them in levels of chaos from day one.

He's just Built Different™

His whole presence in Dressrosa was amazing and hilarious- he shows up for the first time in- ever, one whole body luffy hug later and he's in the coliseum in Luffys disguise being an absolute badass. He successfully gets Aces fruit and then destroyed the coliseum with one move- he has some insane Haki and wields a damn pipe at the same time (the fact its something he kept from his time with his bros is so 🥹 but the juxtaposition is hilarious) Evertime he fights in this arc it's them sitting up the altercation and next time you see him- hes won and moved on to the next thing he's doing. One of my favorite little things is after Dressrosa -when he talks to the few who weren't passed the fuck out- and he gives Luffys vivre card to the strawhats. Not his personal Card to luffy- Luffys to his crew. He hasn't seen his brother in at this point like 10 years and somehow had his DNA to make it- everyone overlooks his crazy but it's hilarious

One of the best hugs in the anime just saying ^

I was head over heels after Dressrosa ngl.

If Luffy is silly and Ace is hot cool guy, Sabo is right in the middle. I do think it's funny he's boiled down to the smart one of the three, he is, but he's also so much more. Also, as the person who originally asked what the appeal was said, yeah he also doesn't smell like a trashcan. He's the only one of his bros that takes a regular shower lmao. And while I do blame my insant love for the tophat look on my prior love of Jacob Frye from assassins creed, I think he's got style too. He looks good and he's wearing a damn cravat(the white neck scarf thing) most the time, he pulls it off. The movie look with the teal/cyan trenchcoat, the Reverie scenes, the newest episodes he just got animated in again-

He is beauty, He is Grace, I want him to sit on my fa- sorry

For context, they are responding to this post about Sabo

Wow, I'm impressed the one piece fandom never ceases to amaze me with your dedication to your characters

[moonpaw]

Skypiea really was one of the arcs of all time. It may not hold a candle to all the crazy stuff that’s been going on recently since it’s considered early One Piece still, but honestly nothing could compare to how Skypiea came to be and it’s overall tone.

The sense of mystery and adventure as the crew finds out there is an island in the sky, and as they scramble to find clues of its existence, even after getting laughed in their faces for believing such a thing could be real. Learning about the weird ocean current where there might be a CHANCE that this massive cloud just might be holding the island, with no real for sure proof that it’s really there, knowing that if it wasn’t they’ll all fall right back down and die.

Then the knockup stream shoots up and everyone is sailing on a vertical current as the original opening starts to play and-- there it is! A sea of clouds! They can sail on it, catch fish that have adapted to living in the sky, lounge is chairs made of fluffy clouds, discover dials, meet people who made their home up here and are a bit different than those down in the blue sea and it’s all so wonderful it really feels like a secret vacation hideaway were you can just live your best life in leisure!

Then there’s plot with Upper Yard, God Enel, and the Shandians and the whole thing quickly develops into a large scale free for all treasure hunt-- where is the city of gold? The Strawhats have a pretty good idea! Let’s go find it! There’s currently a large scale war going on in Upper Yard, but it’s not really #TheirBusiness at the moment. Until it is. Enter Enel, and he’s a huge threat. The tension keeps building and the treat level only grows and grows because what can you do against lightning? He has all the gold, after discovering where the city was years ago and he’s about to destroy the very island the Strawhats worked so hard to get to!

But then Luffy’s back after getting eaten by a giant snake (don’t worry about it) and proceeds to kick his ass hilariously just because he’s rubber and lightning doesn’t work on him. He does this just because he wanted to ring a giant golden bell so the 3 people down in the blue sea would hear it and because Enel made the weather a bit stormy on their day off.

Also that bell was the reason the Shandians were fighting so hard btw. Yes their home got stolen 400 years ago but they were sooo angry about the bell and wanted to ring it so so bad, because the previous top warrior was in love with a chestnut from the north blue and he wanted to let him know they were still here.

Peak writing and storytelling, slay

[poisonousquinzel]

Perhaps I am a bleeding heart but it makes me so sad the Sirens are beating up Punchline. You’re telling me a group of women who’ve been through tons of trauma related to abuse (both childhood and in relationships) and wouldn’t immediately clock Punchline as someone in need of desperate help? Like yeah okay she’s an asshole but they were all assholes at one point or another. What happened to girls supporting girls :(

I mean, I getcha, but Punchline was kinda doing the exact stuff that they'd have an issue with in this story lol they clocked onto who was in need of desperate help in this story, and it very much wasn't Alexis.

She was the causation behind Jaina needing help. Why would they offer a hand to the woman who caused all this in the first place? One who's not, and will not, apologize for what she's done, has shown no regret or second thoughts about her actions, and who would kill each and every one of them if given the chance?

Girls supporting girls is the Sirens supporting the woman Punchline was going to, with no hesitation, use as a prop to kill for her elite billionaire subs enjoyment.

And the whole "lets send em to Arkham for the help they desperately need actually" is more Batman's vibe skdjsks

She used Ivy's pheromones without her knowledge. She abused animals. She called Harley a slur.

Not to mention, but none of the four of them are at the point narratively wise where it would make sense for them to try to reach out or for her to accept their support. She doesn't like them and the feeling is returned.

Alexis has personal beef with Harley, she already had a grudge against her before she'd even met her cause she's a damned Joker groupie,,, she knocked out Selina during The Joker War (regardless of the questionability about overpowering her so damned much during her first appearance )

And they've had numerous run ins during Selina's comic that've only continued to sour the dynamic.

And while Ivy hadn't encountered her personally before this story, she did know Alexis is responsible for burning down the Eden she handcrafted for Harley, she slit Harley's throat & had her dumped into the sewer to die.

And then in this story Ivy finds out she synthesized her powers for personal profit.

Minutes before the Sirens got the upper hand, they were essentially baking alive inside a cell Alexis had them locked in.

And I don't think Punchline has that shared trauma type you mentioned? It's something that I think can help tie the Sirens together and find a common ground of understanding between one another,, even when all of their personal goals and motivations are different there's a level they'll come together at.

But, pls correct me if I'm wrong !!! I've seen nothing yet that indicates that that's something tied into Alexis' character. Even her relationship with Joker at this point, which is very on & off, hasn't went to that level that I'm aware of. We've had the scenes between her and Harley in The Joker War but those are warnings from Harley about how this will end, not necessarily representative of the current stage Alexis is at.

Alexis was also incredibly, beyond victim blamey during their encounters. I get why she was the way she is, she's bought into all his bullshit hook line and stinker. But she was wrong. And we all know it. We all know she was talking about shit she doesn't know jack about, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't have effected Harley to hear.

The Sirens are going to hold a grudge. That's understandable. It's also important to keep in mind that Alexis is a very new character so she's very early into her development, there's a definite chance one day maybe 15 years from now where she'll have improved a bit and be on level with them, I hope she gets that cause no one deserves to be stuck with that crusty loser haha

But she's very much in her Deep Rooted Villain arc rn skdjsks there's also a chance that she sticks to being a full time female villain in the gallery to take up part of the place the Sirens themselves leave open and is never on anything close to good terms with them.

And she called Harley a slur.

An actual literal slur. Harlivy especially is not going to play nice with her when she's called one half of their relationship a (very likely) homophobic slur. Selina wasn't here for this, but at the end all of them are aware cause Harley's mentions it again.

She's gonna get beat up by three gays for calling one of them a slur that's just the karmatic balance of things skdjdkks

Batman (2016) #93, #96, #97, #98

Gotham City Sirens (2024) #1, #2, #3, #4

[weareallgonnaliveforawhile]

7th Division Arc- Kokomi Reigen AU

Orignally, this was gonna be about the Teru's but then I realized that Teruki doesn't really interact much with Reigen

Ah, the Teru's. The reason I have to use both of these fucks full or first names when referring to them. To make this less annoying for me, I'm referring to Teruhashi as Kokomi and Teruki as Teru.

Kokomi meets Teru during the 7th division arc. Kokomi, in the time that since she had been hired, was extremely attached to her coworkers, and when Reigen tracked down Mob's location, she went with him. Despite Reigen's numerous protests that it might not be safe, Kokomi refused to budge and went with him anyways.

The whole claw confusing Reigen for their boss goes even better for two main reasons

Kokomi's natural glow, beauty and aura made it seem like she was a powerful psychic who was willingly listening to their random guy

Over month or two that she's been at Spirits and Stuff Consultation Office, and the weeks she's spent mainly around Reigen, she managed to hone one skill. The skill of 'Yes and'ing

So they see this powerful young psychic being like 'What? They really can't tell who you are' and were like 'Holy shit, this must be the boss and one of his right hands'.

(Reigen did not realize they were mistaking him for the boss. Kokomi absolutely did and had a field day with it.)

She meets them very briefly before they're attacked again and for the first time in her life, she's put in danger. Not the kind of danger that her brother brings but the kind that brings death or severe harm.

Unfortunately, Claw's upper echelon have no qualms about attempting to attack her alongside the rest of the cast. Half of them believe she's psychic and are enraged at her for taking 'the other side' and 'making herself look prettier while the rest of us suffered in society'. The other half think she's not psychic but are angry that someone so pretty exists in a sense.

(Remember, these people think society wronged them by existing and that they're above it. They're not happy to see someone 'normal' who has abnormal traits, Kokomi's beauty, that make her almost on the same level as them)

(It's kinda like incels to put it simply)

Luckily, Mob and Reigen make sure to protect her and Reigen ends up saving the day.

The arc ends with Kokomi realizing that her beauty doesn't necessarily mean she's unable to be hurt. The cosplayers psychics in Claw clearly thought she was beautiful but their own delusions made it so that they believed they were fully entitled to harm her. It also makes her think about her own morals and what it'd be like if she let her beauty go to her head like that.

She ends up asking Reigen if she's a good person. He tells her that if she has these types of doubts, she's already doing better than the Claw fucks.

He also tells her that he knows it takes effort for her to be kind to other sometimes, but she puts that effort in constantly. So yeah. He'd consider her a good person.

[normalbrothers]

i think this could be better phrased but something that i keep thinking abt re tommy's arc and 'they are worse than us' and knight's 'the upper classes have their houses furnished with blood' (houses passed down from generation to generation) and tommy's own question of accountability/redemption/doing the right thing. tommy runs up against his own moral injury/the thawing of a more principled man and buckles under the guilt of his doings and on an individual level the 'right' course of action would be to abscond his wealth and how he gained it + dismantling of the peaky blinders by now itself more of an insitution, etc. but what does the personal 'right' choice matter when violent systems prevail?

it's finally a question of tommy's own morals and questions and pb is ultimately about tommy, his own choices take precedence and he is not a revolutionary, etc, but i'm curious what this dilemma will look like in the movie and how it will be solved

[noneatnonedotcom]

remnant society and general ramblings from me

@weatherman667 @howlingday @heliosthegriffin @thatorigamiguy

there are two differnet types of aura users, huntsmen who are considered tradesmen. they specifically take on grimm and only grimm though on occasion fight criminals due to the nature of bandits.

they have very simple ranks

apprentice: fresh out of huntsman accadamies these newbies hang around certain towns and cities taking on low level grimm until they build up enough experience and cash to buy all their own gear and pay off their debt to the guild they apprenticed under once their able to care for themselves they are ranked up

journeymen: a journeyman hunter travels between different guild halls taking on upper level grimm, sometimes this is done with a specific group backing them up but mainly a journeyman relys on the guild to back them up and provide lodging and info in new areas. apprentices are mainly the ones providing the info to them.

master: a huntsman who has grown old enough to settle down. these huntsmen become teachers in huntsman academies and guild masters making sure the apprentices and journeymen stay alive longer.

on the other side you have nobels, these are land owners who provide safety to those who rent from them in exchange for material goods and money. their standing is based on how much land they control and how many lesser nobels are under them.

knight: these nobels are the lowest level of land owner. most of their money comes not from their rents but rather from their pay as they work to protect the lands of those nobels over them. typically they own their own home stead and possibly the village that works their fields.

barron: these nobels own a city or castle. often with a mill. their money comes from not only rents but also from people paying to use their mills to turn grain to flower or for use of their storage areas to act as food banks ensuring a random grimm attack doesn't destroy all their stores for winter. they will sometimes hire knights in the surrounding area but mainly are just richer knights still expected to protect their own area from grimm and bandits alike personally

count: these nobles occupy the county capital and receive payments from many villages cities and towns. these are the guys who tend to hire most knights and dispatch them to handle problems throughout their realms. this is the first level of noble who will also receive taxes rather than rent sometimes too. as they receive payment from the barrons under them.

duke: a powerful figure, in charge of many counts, almost all of their money comes from taxes rather than rents. but their seats of power attract larger industries. they tend to hire huntsmen to handle grimm at this point and use their knights to handle criminals in their territories. they are a military leader rather than a government though and most of the actual legislation tends to fall to their councils rather than their own personal whims

there are no longer royal ranks in the modern remnant, most of the military leadership at this level is nonexistent. and the dukes are held in check by the guilds and other dukes preventing anyone from usurping the council. at least in Vale. In Atlas they have an actual military. and vaccuo is mainly divided up by various desert clans.

jaune is a member of house Arc a house that has spread far and wide and mainly expands via handing off territory to other members of the house rather than personally trying to hold greater and greater territory. as a knight and a newly minted one at that he's made waves by entering into a huntsman academy for further training. putting his homestead into a regency until he graduates. this is a problem as he's next in line for a ducal title and if he manages to get some of the guild masters on side he'll be able to make a play to become king. he of course isn't planning on doing this and mainly just wanted to travel and go on quests to fight grimm.

ruby is the daughter of two master huntsmen tai-yang xiao long and summer rose. summer is the master of the local guild and tai passed away when they were attacked by a ancient grimm that some locals managed to awaken and piss off. while she's still in the academy and not considered a huntsman yet she is the closest thing to a princess that the guilds have.

pyrrha is a knight recently hired by the arc family to act as a retainer for their son jaune, alongside nora and ren. she might be planning to sleep with her new master and by might I mean defiantly.

weiss is still an heiress for the sdc but being the daughter of a former duke is what really marks her. she's expected to somehow marry up since her older sister has abandoned the house for military service under Ironwood. this is a problem because the only eligible bachelor is jaune and she can't seem to get him to negotiate with her about a future marriage (he keeps trying to court her but she doesn't get that)

blake and yang are both from tribal societies and have come to vale to learn more about fighting grimm. they could go either huntsman or noble depending on how they developed their lands. blake is from Menagerie and yang from the branwen tribe.

yang loves her baby sister, even if she only got to visit half the year since her mother insisted she learn the ways of leadership for their tribe.

basically rwby but I tried to make a society that would reflect the overwhelming social power of aura users and their utter necessity in remnant society

thoughts? any changes you would make?

[everlastingdreams]

The Weeping Monk x Reader : Born In The Dawn Chapter 10

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Story Summary: Locked inside a dark room in a dungeon, kept alive only for your power, you believed you’d never see the daylight again. That is until the Weeping Monk finds his way down and steals you from your captors. It is the beginning of a journey that leads you through hardship and newfound hope, but nothing is assured in a world that is changing for the Fey. The magic that runs in your veins is drawing out the worst the world has to offer, does it include the man who pulled you from the dark?

Chapter Title: The Enemy Of My Enemy

Notes: Considering I'm near done with proofreading, I can give ya'll another chapter.

Warnings: Violence. Torture. Sexual Assault. Rape Threat. Gore. Enemies To Lovers. Pining. Trauma. Flagellation. Manipulation. Strong Language. Blood. Gore?. Misogyny. PTSD. Spicy and smut parts. Slight redemption arc.

Other warnings: Jealousy. Forbidden Love. Romance. Slow-burn…

Word count of this fic: +190K

Chapter:  10/ It’s a secret.

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You did not see the Monk again until hours later, and when he did walk into the tent you were huddled up into the corner of it.

When he offered you a bowl of soup, you refused to even acknowledge it.

With visible uncertainty he put the bowl on the ground and came closer, reaching down for your hands.

You recoiled, furious that him bringing you here had led to the Reaper finding you.

The feeling from earlier still ran through you, that powerlessness when they had dragged you to your worst nightmare…

And here was the person who had damned you to this fate.

You were on your feet instantly and approached him.

“You did this to me…” You gritted out through your teeth, despair blended with rage. “How could you?!”

It was the second time today that someone had asked him the question with such level of disgust and disappointment in their expression.

The spitting fire in your eyes warned him of what was to come.

And still, he caught himself to be reluctant to stop it.

His reflexes were slower, the first hit you gave landed to his jaw. The others he prevented by grabbing hold of your bound wrists.

Too angry to stop, you tried to set your teeth in his hands.

He was quicker and turned you forcefully, an arm across your arms and chest to keep them from moving, it put him into a safer position.

Even then, you jerked your head back and tried to knock it into his face.

The Monk must have known that the fury made you far more dangerous, he was able to avoid it from happening.

“Stop.” He warned.

He could not manage to sound threatening.

You struggled against his hold, the worst he could do was hurt you, it could never be worse than ending up in the Reaper’s hands.

The struggle got worse. If he took no control, this would get ugly.

Whatever action he had made to get the upper-hand, it worked and got you to your knees, but not without forcing him to his own as well.

He gave one firm pull and blocked your range of motion severely when bringing you completely against his chest.

He locked both of his arms around you like a chain.

Frustration set into you when your fury saw no way of release.

The struggle lasted for a moment longer, until the closeness of the Monk became overbearing.

“Let go off me!” You snarled.

“Once you are calmer.” He told, too close to the back of your neck.

Did he think this was helping?!?

You snapped at him, “I’ll be calmer once your filthy hands are off of me!”

He actually sighed.

You made another attempt to break free.

He prevented it. “If Father knew of this, he would send you to Brother Salt.”

You believed it to be a bluff. “I thought I was needed.”

His words came slow, like he wanted you to fully understand the consequences you could face, “Brother Salt knows many methods to cause pain, even ways that do not cause lasting suffering. Avoid them.”

After taking some deep calming breaths, you asked him, “Why is it, that you have never hit me?”

He went quiet…

Countless times he had been struck into obedience, a grave dislike for it had grown inside of him overtime. It was not the pain that bothered him much, it was the humiliation it brought.

The answer came. “I can restrain you without it.”

It was no lie…

He held on for a little while, whilst you tried to compose yourself.

Then he released you and stood up from the ground, less worried that another attack would come.

He kept some of his fingertips on your shoulder, perhaps to make sure he could respond in time if you made a sudden move.

Still, you smacked his hand away upon feeling it.

The Monk stood still and silent for what felt like minutes.

Your shoulders slumped forward a bit when the defeated feeling came down on you. Feeling the fight leave you little by little every day was destroying your spirit.

Your eyes pressed shut in disappointment.

Slowly he knelt down in front of you, his eyes searching to see the wound inflicted on your hand.

He sounded quiet and remorseful, “I did not know.”

There was a smudge of blood staining your jaw, he should have brought something to wash the blood off.

The never ending threats on your life were pushing you to the edge. “The Reaper has seen my face, he won’t rest until he has me.”

Was that how the Fey called Soran?

“The reaper?” He questioned.

Was he that oblivious?

You snapped at him. “Soran, the Reaper, is the leader of the Brotherhood. The Manbloods who hunt the Dawn Folk! Him and his predecessor are responsible for the erasure of my clan! And now he’s here to take me too!”

He hoped his words would be a comfort. “Father refused to give you to him. We need you.”

You hated to hear him say it. “I am being pulled between evil.”

The Monk foolishly tried to deny it, “We are not evil-”

No. You would not let him deny it any longer.

You all but shouted at him, “You may not burn the children, but your God expects it off you! You serve evil! You bring evil! The Fey who beg for mercy are struck down by the sword before they can even finish their plea!”

He had not expected the rage flying from your mouth.

You snapped your eyes away and caught a glimpse of the tearing in his sleeve where steel must have cut through them.

This time your curiosity did not win, you wanted him to leave you alone.

The Monk was quiet for a moment, then made the polite request, “May I see your hand?”

It struck you as odd that he wasn’t commanding you to show your hand, and actually asked.

That quietness in his voice… it had been like this since he walked in. Was something the matter? No…

No. You could not afford to be concerned for someone who willingly kept you into this hell.

To answer, you brought your hands in close to your chest.

He still tried to reach for it.

It came out viciously, “Don’t you touch me!”

He withdrew his hand fast, as if a cat had lashed out at him.

All he had heard these past few days was others lashing out at him. For his failures, for his actions, all of it.

He understood the response and remained silent.

You bitterly told him what you believed to be happening, “The Reaper and the Weeping Monk working together… how could you?”

He denied it right away. “I am not working with him.”

You pressed him with his nose on the facts. “You serve the same god.”

Another silence went and passed between you.

The Monk stood up, picked a dagger from his belt and used it to cut a piece from his cloak.

The piece was dropped down right into your lap by him.

A small advice came along with it, “Bind it over the cut. Do not let dirt get into it.” When you said nothing, he made another attempt to lighten the mood, “I will bring you something to eat when I return.”

In silence you picked up the piece of fabric and tried to wrap it around your hand. There was only one problem, your wrists being bound made the task ridiculously difficult.

You would not have said a word of it to him, but it must have dawned on him right that second.

He sounded far more uncertain now. “Let me…”

“No.” If that cut was what killed you, so be it.

The Monk gave up on trying to ensure that you did not grow an infection that could be deadly.

The question slipped from your thoughts, “What did he offer, in exchange for me?”

He took a few steps away from you. “A good word to the Holy Father and Abbot Wicklow. Father will not trade you just for words, you will remain with us until Soran proofs that his support will help the mission.”

Your tone grew colder when sensing he was withholding the truth, “What else?”

He had hoped you would not press on. “He vowed to capture and bring us three other Dawn Folk in exchange for you.”

“Like hell he will!” You snarled.

The reaction piqued his curiosity. “Those others, they are your family, are they not?”

The look in your eyes certainly gave it away. “It makes no difference to you anyway.”

He did not respond to the claim and stood there quietly for a moment longer, then turned and walked to the exit of the tent.

“Wait!” You called out and saw him turn to face you somewhat, “Did he say whether or not he knew where to find them?”

With a shallow nod, he confirmed it. “He did. But I believe he was lying.”

You kept eye-contact to see if the Monk was lying, but found no hint of it.

The persisting silence all but made him flee out of that tent. He did not like it, to have another pair of disappointed eyes on him, even though this time he felt like he deserved it.

The Monk walked out, leaving you alone in the guarded tent to return to his work.

Not long after, just before the evening, paladins came to collect you to heal just one of them in the infirmary. One stupid blister on a paladin’s foot, that’s why they brought you there.

At least it did not take long and on the short walk back you saw something shine a bit on the ground. Metal?

It was worth seeing if it could be useful.

You stumbled and fell to your knees on purpose, landing just where the shiny object was, quickly you picked it up and closed your hands around it to hide it.

The paladins pulled you up to your feet again, mumbling something you could not hear well.

It felt sharp against your palm, a good sign.

They dropped you off at the tent again and left, the sun had begun to set.

You opened your hand and saw that the metal object was an arrowhead.

It would take a few minutes to get through the rope, newfound hope settled inside of you.

You got to work right away, it was far from easy and you dropped the thing more times than one could count.

Halfway through the task, a voice coming from outside made you halt.

Someone was cussing up a storm, a boy… Squirrel.

~“Brother Salt will make sure he’ll never open that foul mouth again.”~

The paladins were laughing at the horrors that awaited the boy.

You were on your feet now, a flash of panic fueling you.

No, no, no… not him.

At this point you were cutting so fast that you nicked your skin, it did not matter, you needed to get out of those ropes. It was no longer about your survival, you needed to save Squirrel even if it cost you your own life.

The last string of rope snapped open and fell to the ground when you pulled your wrists apart with force.

Brother Salt’s kitchens were at the other side of this camp, yet they had taken Squirrel in the other direction.

You needed to get rid of the paladins guarding the tent outside to stand a chance to escape.

Often one of them at the entrance would be gone for a short amount of time, either to get a drink or when nature called.

This time you waited at the entrance for that time to come, the long piece of fabric that the Monk had cut from his cloak was ready in your hands.

Every minute you waited was a minute too long and you grew impatient.

Finally, you heard one say something to the other and he walked away.

With quiet steps you got closer and opened the entrance to peek through it.

The paladin stood with his back to it, and you waited until those other paladins in sight had passed by.

You wasted no time to catch the fabric around his neck like a noose and used all your strength to pull him inside the tent. This was life or death for Squirrel and you wouldn’t hold back on strangling a red drape to save a child.

The paladin tried to break free and you tightened the noose, the blows he delivered to your arms would certainly leave bruises behind. He scratched at your throat and drew blood, you felt him weaken and held on.

When he finally fell to the ground, you only let go off the noose when he no longer breathed.

His red brother would return soon and find him missing.

You would help him on his search. A deep cut to the paladin’s hand was enough to soak the piece of cloak in blood.

By squeezing it out just outside the entrance and making a trail his search would be much easier.

You tossed the bloodied cloth on top of the dead paladin and resumed your wait.

The other returned and as assumed found his red brother missing, it took him a few seconds to spot the blood drops on the grass. They led him into the tent, of course he was shocked to find his red brother dead on the ground. He was only a few steps into the tent after unknowingly having walked past you hiding at the entrance.

You took no risks, sneaked up on him and cut his throat with the arrowhead.

The tent was a mess, the wool was soaked in the blood.

There was no way back now, you doubted they would forgive you for butchering two of their comrades.

You stole the sword from one of them and got out of the tent when the coast was clear.

Finding the tent where they kept Squirrel in was not hard, the boy was still cursing his lungs out, staying out of the sight of paladins was another thing. Just like there had been paladins guarding your tent, there were a few guarding the one where Squirrel was.

The tent was near a hitching post where horses stood, seemingly bored by it all.

You went towards it and hid behind a barrel filled wagon. The first thing you did was loosen the reins from the hitching post. You could scare the horses yourself, but they had done you no wrong. It was rare for you to call upon the Hidden for help, but a Fey child was in danger and time was of the essence.

You closed your eyes and prayed they would listen, “Help me save Squirrel. Let me be your weapon…”

Your markings lifted to the surface of your skin and you could feel your eyes change to the green.

The Hidden could sense your intention and heard your plea, their whispers traveled from your ears to the horses.

Your eyes returned to normal and locked on those of a horse.

Now…

The horses became restless and stormed off, knocking over everything and everyone in their sights.

The paladins who had been guarding the tent were quick to give chase.

You used the chaos to quickly make your way over towards the tent and found Squirrel tied with his hands to one of the wooden poles in the midst of it.

“Y/n?!?” The surprise was written all over his face.

You held a finger to your lips and hushed him. “Shhh…”

You hurried to him and carefully cut him free from the ropes. The second his hands were free, he threw his arms around you in an embrace.

Squirrel could not believe that you were here and alive. “I thought they had killed you!”

You quickly looked over his face and hated to see how his eye was blackening already. “No. They are forcing me to heal them, it doesn’t matter now.”

Squirrel spoke ridiculously fast, “They caught the Green Knight! I was trying to save him but they found me and he could not walk anymore.”

The news seemed to greatly sadden the boy, understandably so. The Green Knight was a knight of the Fey, one of the only few left and now he was lost to the hands of the paladins.

You took hold of his hand. “We have to escape this place, Squirrel. Now.”

Surprisingly, he let you pull him along and out of the tent.

A horse would come in handy now, but they had taken some of them to chase the others.

It took some careful searching around the place to find an available one.

Squirrel was the one to point one out.

A black steed. You sighed, knowing exactly who’s horse that was.

It had not let you mount it before and you doubted the steed would allow it now.

“Not that one. He doesn’t like me.” You whispered.

Squirrel send you an odd look, like you were insane.

While sneaking through the camp and avoiding all red, you failed to avoid those in black robes.

Three Trinity Guards had spotted you and you moved Squirrel to stand behind you.

It could not have been more obvious to them that neither one of you belonged there.

“Run.” You urged the boy and gave him a nudge.

It took a second nudge from you before he even took one step away.

A guard spoke the command you already anticipated, “Seize her!”

You weren’t going to just let them and used the stolen sword in your hands to try and hold them off. “Run, Squirrel!”

They were brutal, as their reputation said they were. When you blocked the sword of one of them, another lunged and punched you in the jaw.

Brave young Squirrel did not hold back and launched himself into the fight, trying to hold back their arms as they fought you.

A guard grabbed him and got the boy to the ground and under control.

It only made you more vicious, your sword cut through the hood of one, sending the golden mask flying to the ground.

With a hard kick to your stomach, the other send you falling backwards and to the ground.

The kick had knocked the air out of you, and you saw Squirrel being handed over to the paladins again. “No! Squirrel!”

You wanted to get up but received a boot to your back.

A slash at the guards leg was the last thing your sword had to offer before they ripped it from your hand.

They twisted your arm on purpose when pulling you up from the ground.

Those damned bastards dragged you along and not a minute later presented you to Father Carden.

The Abbot was present and their conversation was interrupted by this.

Abbot Wicklow looked at you as if you were a strange curiosity. “Is the girl Soran spoke off? The Dawn Folk Fey?”

The priest confirmed it. “It is.”

To make matters worse, a panicking Paladin ran over and loudly exclaimed, “Father! Father! Two of our brothers were found dead in the tent of the Fey girl!”

The priest looked like he wanted to strike down the paladin for saying this while the Abbot was next to him.

Father Carden had no choice but to have you punished for this, the Abbot had already seen his Weeping Monk defy him publicly. Being lenient towards the enemy would not be wise now.

The priest began his judgment, “Brother Salt will see the boy after he is done with the Green Knight. She-”

The Abbot oh so kindly offered, “Perhaps the Trinity Guard can cleanse her of these violent tendencies with the whip? Forty lashes will suffice, I believe.”

Forty?!?

Father Carden agreed to the sentence and allowed two of the Trinity Guard to take you away. One of them took over a rope that a paladin offered and took it along.

They took you to another tent, the tallest collected a whip that was placed on what looked to be an alter of sorts, a cross was placed on the middle of it.

The other gave the order, “Face the cross and bare your back.”

You did not know how to respond, but you could sense that they would not take ‘no’ for an answer and ‘help’ you out of your clothes if needed be.

Your hesitation took too long for their liking and the one without the whip came to you, sword in hand.

You hated how you backed away from him, their reputation was known among the Fey. “I’ll do it!”

He barked the command, “Turn to the cross!”

Part of you was grateful for it, because your eyes were getting watery. If you obeyed and lived through this, if the Hidden had mercy on you, you could still try to save Squirrel.

You forced your hands to stop trembling when taking of your vest and letting it drop close to your feet. The bodice was next and you paused when it was the shirt’s turn, it was where your courage left you.

By praying quietly to the Hidden to give you strength you tried to calm yourself down, you did not want them to see you cry or pray.

You hugged the shirt to your chest after you took it off, and they ordered you to kneel down.

The cold air went over the skin off your bare back without mercy.

This was humiliating. You took solace in the knowledge that all they intended to do was punish you with the whip.

You drew in deep breaths, an attempt to try and prepare for the pain.

With the first strike of the leather on your back, you knew it was a futile attempt.

Within seconds, blood trailed it’s way down your back and your eyes stung with tears from the pain.

The second lash of the whip cut through your skin and you pressed your lips shut to stop the quiet scream that threatened to sound.

Just breath… just breath…

You shut your eyes, only two of forty and they did not hold back on using their strength to do this.

Sadists. Just as the Fey had always described them.

The Trinity Guard got the whip ready for the next lash, they were ignoring your silent prayers that fell to deaf ears.

You clutched the shirt to your chest.

Weak, exposed, humiliated…

And all you could think of was Squirrel on his way to be tortured by Brother Salt.

He had to be saved…

The third lash struck the air out of your lungs, your grip on the shirt was near painful.

You could hear him pull the whip back towards himself and prepared yourself for the next lash.

“Who-” One of them began to speak.

You heard a strange noise and the other cursed, it made you look over your shoulder.

The one without the whip was on his knees, trying to stop the heavy flow of blood from pouring out of his throat, it was a gruesome sight.

If you had blinked, you would have missed the Monk sinking the short sword into the other’s neck and pull it out again.

What was happening?!?

A freed Squirrel was about to run over to you but the Monk caught him by the back of his vest before he could.

The state you were in now… this was not how you wanted the boy to see you. Or the Monk for that matter.

He told Squirrel, “Wait here.” And came over to you.

You locked your eyes on his face. “Don’t!”

The Monk halted and kept his eyes on the ground. “Put your clothes back on.”

It didn’t need to be said to you.

You felt your face burn and that embarrassment shone through in your tone, “I will. Turn around! Both of you.”

The poor boy was looking at all the blood running down your back and the Monk turned him around by the vest and held on.

Putting your clothes on over those bleeding cuts was anything but painless. Your back burned from them.

Why was the Monk here?

Why was Squirrel with him?

Why had he killed the Trinity Guards???

Once you were done getting dressed in a hurry you walked over to Squirrel to pull him out of the Monk’s grasp, and you fired your questions, “Why are you here? What is the meaning of this?”

The Monk replied in a hushed voice, “The boy refused to leave without you.”

The child had threatened to shout his lungs out and make it known to everyone that he had killed Brother Salt to free him, if he did not free you as well.

It did not sound like a terrible idea to free you in order to ensure the boy could get to safety.

And now that he had seen what was being done to you…

He would not watch another suffer the path he had suffered.

You were staring at this enigma of a man.

He noticed how you were trying to keep the boy from being anywhere near him. “Remain quiet and I will lead you out of the camp. Not a word, not a sound! Follow me.”

You did not trust him, but you wanted Squirrel away from this place swarming with enemies.

When the Monk stepped outside, you looked down at Squirrel.

“He freed me… cut a paladin’s throat for it.” The boy seemed as baffled as you were now.

He. Did. What?!?

You had no chance to ask something, the Monk’s hand shot into the tent again and fished out Squirrel’s arm.

Quickly you rushed out after them and kept up with the Monk’s fast walking pace.

By the looks of it, he was marching right to the black steed.

He suddenly stopped and you nearly bumped into Squirrel.

First you looked at the Monk, then at what had stopped him dead in his tracks.

The Abbot stood there with a group of Trinity Guards, as if he always expected this to occur.

The Monk looked at you from the corner of his eyes, like he hoped you would not notice how he was keeping track of your exact location on the spot.

Abbot Wicklow saw the look in the Monk’s eyes. “I wouldn’t.”

It had been his intention to let go off the boy and let him run. But the Abbot made it no secret that it would mean certain death for the child.

He drew Squirrel back in closer and faced the Abbot.

Wicklow stepped closer. “Does he remind you off someone? This… Fey orphan?

The Monk moved Squirrel behind him. “You don’t need him.”

Not like they needed and chose him all those years ago.

Not this boy, not another child, no more.

The Abbot looked at the three of you as if you were the dirt beneath his boots, “Why? Can’t he smell out his own kind like some kind of animal?” Then he let it be known that he knew exactly what the Monk was. “Or is that just your species?”

You could feel the tension rise between them, this felt like a personal matter you and Squirrel were trapped between. You took a small step closer and formed a barrier between Squirrel and that infuriating disgusted look the Abbot was sending.

The Abbot put his attention on your presence. “Can he heal others, as she can?”

The child nor you should ever end up in the hands of the Abbot and the Trinity Guard. The suffering would be endless and cruel.

The Monk had his hand on the pommel of his sword and turned to you, pushing the boy into your hands. “Find cover.”

Your eyes locked on his, something in them had changed. The presence of fear in his reflected in your own.

You did not need to be told twice to get out of there and ran off with the Squirrel for cover.

Stuck in the middle of an enemy camp with armed paladins and not a weapon on you.

And the Monk faced a group of Trinity Guards ready to fight.

The Abbot offered a chance for the Monk to come to his senses, “You do have a reputation, but this is the Trinity Guard. You know their skill.”

You believed the Monk signed his own death sentence when he drew both his swords and accepted to fight instead of surrender.

It visibly annoyed the Abbot as well. “So be it.”

You were trying to think of a way to escape this hell when the fight commenced.

Never had you seen anyone fight like the Monk, the way he turned in the air…

He landed and made quick work of the first two, blood rained down upon the grass around them.

Six of them.

Six Trinity Guards fell to the sword of the Grey Monk, and not a single one of theirs had touched him.

For a brief moment in time, it made you forget the situation you were in.

By the heaven’s this man could fight.

Dammit…

You tried to keep your voice hushed, “Squirrel, we need to get to the horses!”

The boy did not let you pull him along, “What about him?”

When you turned back to look, the Monk was being challenged by the six remaining Trinity Guards.

These guards were smarter than the previous ones, flails were used to disarm the Monk of his swords, he was struck by one on his back.

They remained at a distance, like cowards, while beating him with the flails.

Even when they got him to his knees, they did not stop and aimed for his face.

Once across the jaw and the last strike of a flail hit him from below the chin at a force strong enough to break someone’s skull and neck.

The whispers of the Hidden rang in your ears, they fumed with anger at what was being done to one of their kind by the Church again.

Dammit…

You should not be getting involved, you could finally flee.

Just grab the boy and flee… just…

Dammit.

“Stay here. Stay hidden.” You hoped he would stay behind these barrels.

They kicked the Monk in his back again as you looked around for fallen weapons.

You ran over to the nearest sword you could find, you were not unskilled with the sword, but they were Trinity Guards.

If the Hidden insisted on the Monk’s survival, there must be a reason, you hoped there was. A moment of distraction was what you could offer and you attacked the nearest Trinity Guard.

“Seize her!” The Abbot commanded, knowing that a Fey with your ability was truly valuable to the Church.

The Trinity Guard had to block the blade of your sword with his arm and countered your attack.

With a kick to his stomach you send him stumbling backwards and another came to his aid.

A flail wrapped it’s chain around your sword and snatched it from your hand.

“Shit!” You cursed aloud.

The Trinity Guard you had attacked swung at you and you were just too late to avoid the blow completely, his fist still impacted with the side of your head and send you to the ground.

Squirrel hit the head of the Trinity Guard, who was about to give the death blow to the Monk, with a rock.

Then the boy ran over and picked up a fallen sword too, “Who’s first?”

It nearly gave you a heart attack to hear Squirrel challenging them with the sword.

Who would have thought that the sight of the boy risking his life, was enough for the Monk to find the will to fight again?

The Monk grabbed a sword from the ground and cut through two of the Trinity Guards by the time he was fully on his feet again. He blocked the attack of another and sank his sword into their back, then pushed the guard into two others to keep them at a distance.

With the strength in his attacks, the sword sliced through the golden mask of another and blood spilled through it. His sword returned and cut through the abdomens of the other two. One threatened to get up and was speared to the ground with the sword. Another that made an attempt got his neck snapped by the Monk.

It all happened so fast, by the time you were back on your feet, most of the Trinity Guard were either dead or bleeding out on the ground.

“Gods…” You muttered in shock and even secret awe.

The arrogant twat picked up his own sword and raised it, publicly challenging to fight the Abbot too. It was a miracle he was even on his feet but the second this man had a taste of battle…

Abbot Wicklow did not accept the challenge and fled the place in a haste.

It felt like the Monk found some joy in seeing the coward flee after this.

You saw the Monk sink to his knees, the sword fell from his hand.

He could barely keep himself up on his knees anymore, the injuries he had sustained would have easily killed anyone who did not wear such padded clothing to take most of the impact.

Squirrel was the first to run over to him and grabbed hold of his arm, “Come on, we have to go!” The Monk was visibly drowsy, “Come on! Get up!”

You went over to help and wasted no time to grab the other arm to put it over your shoulder to support his weight, he grabbed his sword up off the ground and clumsily got it in it’s sheath.

The rain made the ground slippery and it was not simple to keep your footing.

“To the horses!” You said, ignoring how odd it was that the Monk just let you drag him away for once.

Of course the Monk steered the two of you a little, first to the short sword he wanted back, then right towards the black steed who didn’t like you very much.

You felt your hands get covered in his blood, “Can you mount?”

He did exactly that, then reached a hand down and offered to let the boy ride with him, “Come on.”

The offer was made to you in silence as well but you did not feel comfortable with that idea.

So you took a sword from the ground again and stole your own horse, quietly disliking how quick Squirrel was to trust the Weeping Monk.

You rode next to them as he leaded you out of that camp, but you never took your eyes off of him nor Squirrel.

Just because he had betrayed the Church, did not mean that he would not betray you.

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[ultraericthered]

Don't believe in what you can see (but I see you, Liam!)

Had some random thoughts to spare regarding Moriarty The Patriot following my viewing of the "Scandal In The British Empire" arc.

This is a series that lives or dies based on how it characterizes and handles the main protagonist, what he does, what he believes, and what he's striving for. And given that the protagonist in question is THE Professor James Moriarty, that had to be a tricky thing to figure out. So I guess it speaks to the writing quality that I am very engaged with how William James Moriarty and his brothers operate and am absolutely on board with the fundamental sentiments behind the motivation and support the revolutionary societal reforms they seek to bring about as their goal....but I also disagree with the angle Liam has settled on and what he believes has to be done to achieve it. Quite vehemently, in fact.

For starters, he wants to destabilize British society through a barrage of well planned, coordinated and directed crime waves throughout the empire, even reaching elsewhere in Europe. It'd be an extreme rarity that such crimes be victimless, and though done towards the end of crippling the power, wealth, and status-based influence of the nobility, there are plenty of non-noble class victims claimed. As part of these crimes, Liam will either commit murders, arrange murders, orchestrate suicides, or just look the other way as an aristocrat is placed in a life-ending situation by his machinations. Breaking laws, ethical norms, and common sense regulations of civil society in ways that harms more than helps is very, very seldom a good, righteous, justified thing no matter what rationalizations could be made for it. Now sometimes I can't fault Liam for what he does (the poisoning of the Viscount was aided by him but mainly required he simply not save the guy just as he himself hadn't save a terminally ill child, Dudley Bale fell off the bridge on his own, etc.), but most of the time his actions fall squarely under the category of "illegal felony".

Then there's the fact that the envisioned crescendo hinges upon the Lord of Crime coercing the masses into unity against a common threat to their homeland and collective well-being, prompting a need to re-asses and reconstruct things under dubious pretenses rather than allowing the people to seriously look at and examine the full reality of their fucked up society to come to a clear-headed, informed consensus on a decided course of action to fix things. It's the same thing Lelouch did in Code Geass R2 and I wasn't entirely okay with that either. I just think it's dickish and not even sustainable in the long term, and to think "I just need to make victims out of enough people to the point where they'll all rise up to want and demand social reforms and changes in their ruling class' leadership, and meritocracy will kick in!" is surprisingly naive for a genius like Liam.

Then there's his hypocrisy. The title "Moriarty the Patriot" is because Liam, in spite of being a criminal mastermind, also cares greatly about Great Britain and has sworn allegience to the crown, believing the nation needs a healthy government, honest law enforcement, non-abusive abiders of Noblesse Oblige in key roles of society's upper levels working alongside commoners, and the monarchy and military kept in-tact in order to thrive. It's that last part that seems like a problematic area, as monarchy by definition puts those of royal blood and status above all other people, and it's been known to allow anyone close to or in the favor of the royals to play parts in shaping how the country is run and how society is influenced. So if Liam wasn't keen on deposing the monarchy and reforming government in Britain altogether, who's to say that, no matter what reforms his plan may yield, the class system won't continue to prevail, aristocracy won't continue to abuse its power, and society won't remain as cruel, unfair, and inequal as it was before? ..... Oh wait, we CAN say that!

Lastly, the senseless martyrdom factor. Liam never valued himself as a priority in his life, never saw in himself any worth to society at large beyond what he could reshape it into, and due to turning to aiding crime and plotting murder even at a young age, he believes his heart is too blackened and his hands are too unclean. So naturally, he plans on the fulfillment of his revolutionary vision to come along with the end of his life. Beneath all the ideals and the honest assessment of what ails British society and does great harm to so many of its people, Liam is driven by a personal desire to leave behind this harsh and unjust world, to give his life to his cause and seal the realization of his envisioned future with his blood, and to validate the self-image he has of an accursed, dreadful, loathsome villain who can bring into reality necessary change only through necessary evil. It's wasteful, corruptive, insensitive, self-loathing, self-destructive, and wrong. (Thankfully I do know Sherlock's around to talk him out of this.)

So yeah, I find the James Moriarty Brothers to be quite the compelling Villain Protagonists/antiheroes, and Liam especially. So much I want to laud him for and just as much I want to kick him for.

[paingoes]

Destroyer - Help

(Masterlist)

this is short but its one of my personal favorites. hope you enjoy.

(Content: physical abuse, self-loathing, dehumanization, self injury, electric shock)

=======================

Well, that didn’t work. The operation had been botched on about five different levels. The calvary had been held up. The infantry was underfed. The leadership was in contention. The terrain had slipped away in the downpour. And Delta had seized up when the strike was called – less than 40% effective.

Paris was furious. Paris was shaking. He really shouldn’t have been anywhere near the frontline at that point, but the war made no concessions. He walked home with frayed nerves and burns in his fingers, the whole calamity breeding dark dreams in his mind. Delta trudged behind him. He didn’t really think the loss was his fault, but that had no bearing on anything. Paris had been blaming him for the way the wind blew recently.

Same routine, then. Delta braced himself. He had to compartmentalize whenever Paris got like this. It kept him from fixating too much on the unfairness.

He didn’t deserve it, but Paris had the right.

He didn’t deserve it, but it wasn’t his place to decide.

He didn’t deserve it, but in a cosmic sense, he really did. 

That last one was what he circled back to most often. He couldn’t bring himself to resent Paris. In the end, he did deserve it. Nobody should be able to snuff out thousands of lives in an instant and live happily with it. Delta had to be punished, in one form or another. The prince was just a convenient medium for a more karmic kind of justice.

“Don’t know why I fucking bother,” Paris was dragging Delta by his upper arm. The grip was steely, impossible to pull away from. Did Paris seriously think he was going to run? When had he ever? He shoved him roughly through the entryway of his room. 

Delta didn’t bother kneeling this time. There was no need. Paris took a fistful of his hair, forcing him down onto the floor, low enough that he could kick his ribs in. The blow knocked Delta onto his hands and knees. 

He felt the hand in his hair again. Paris dragged him — really dragged him — back up into a sitting position. His head stung from the force. It put too much sudden pressure on his sore ribs. Paris had pulled him up just to have a clear shot at his face. He closed his eyes, not pulling away, but not able to stop himself from flinching.

Without warning, Paris slumped against the desk. He landed on one knee, breathless. Delta jumped back at the sudden movement. It took him a second to realize what had happened. Had Paris’s leg just given out? Too much blood rushing? The prince didn’t speak, breathing heavily with his face hidden in his arm. Delta listened in a little closer. He was cursing beneath his breath. The words were labored. 

Delta brushed his hair back into place, readjusting himself on the floor. Paris didn’t look up, nor did he speak to him. Delta waited. Nothing. 

“Your Highness?” Delta said evenly, almost sympathetically.

“Do you want me to do it?”

Paris did look up then. His curiosity had gotten the better of him. Delta held two fingers up, a little arc of electricity flickering between them. He pressed them gently to Paris’s hand, releasing a small pulse. It was enough to shock, but not burn. Delta then put the fingers to his own collarbone.

“I can make it hurt.” He explained patiently. Paris was staring at him. 

“…Okay.” Paris nodded.

Delta released the current, sending the shockwave through his own body. His body locked up uncontrollably. The pain radiated down his spine. It cramped up tight. He forced it for five seconds before letting go, now gasping for air. Too much, maybe. His heart was beating quicker than it was supposed to. He collapsed back against the desk. 

Paris was gazing at him with a bemused expression. It was strange for them to both be on the floor like this. It was strange for him to be so close. 

“Do it again.”

It was worse when he knew it was coming. He forced himself calm before pressing his fingers to his clavicle. This time, he let out a soft gasp as it unleashed. He saw bright colors in his vision, felt a sharp knot in the small of his back. Too much. Too much. He released it, his vision spotty. He took a few seconds to catch his breath. Paris did not say anything. Delta reignited the spark between his fingers.

“Stop,” Paris said abruptly, “You’re sorry, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Delta said weakly. His body ached. 

“Okay then. That’s enough.” Paris was clearly put-off by the display. He was pretending to have ended it over anything but his own squeamishness. Sure, Delta had learned his lesson. No need to take it further. Paris clambered to his feet, putting some distance between himself and the psychic. He sat down on the edge of the bed. 

Delta saw the way Paris was looking at him. He was always demanding abject shows of submission, then freezing up whenever he got it. Delta found this a little frustrating. Over and over again, there was no winning with Paris. 

“Are you sure?” Delta leaned back against the desk, not removing himself from the floor. He had barely finished his sentence before Paris interjected.

“Just get the fuck out Delta seriously you’re pissing me off,” Paris snapped. He laid down on the bed, pulling the pillow over his face. 

“Yes, Your Highness,” Delta nodded, rising unsteadily. The doorknob gave off a static shock as he turned it. He barely noticed.