#bound // bael

[purposefully-lost]

I've done everything and I've been everywhere, you know

I've been fed gold by sweet fools in Abu Dhabi

And I've danced real slow with rockettes on dodgy molly

But I've had no love like your love, from nobody

I'd be appalled if I saw you ever try to be a saint

I wouldn't fall for someone I thought couldn't misbehave

But I want you to know that I've had no love like your love

[devilmen-collector]

When their kids want to succeed them as kings

Headcanons

SFW

Ft. The Four Devil Kings available at the present

Each king's part will be divided into 2 cases, child-like and arrogance

The child is the king and MC's child

"Father/Dad/Dada/Papa, I want to be the next king/queen of Gehenna/Tartaros/Hades/Avisos and I'll be a king as great as you." The devil prince/princess declared to his/her father.

Satan

If the kid's attitude is child-like

Satan laughs and rubs his kid's hair.

"That's a given. You will be a great king, just like me."

If the kid is arrogant

Satan will immediately gets mad and punches his arrogant child in the face. Don't worry, he punch will be lighter for his child, out of his love for the kid and his consideration of you, MC.

"A king has to love and take care of his people. The throne is not for someone who wants it for their ego and vanity."

The wrathful king will have his kid see and experience the life of a normal Gehenna citizen. He will make his kid realize the heavy responsibilities of a king, which is totally not for someone who has a false perception of what being a king really is.

Mammon

Child-like kid

Mammon is pleased as he can see his child's greed.

"That is without a doubt. I can see you maintaining our country's status as a economic powerhouse and even make us richer than before."

Mammon even makes a mino gold throne for his child.

Arrogant kid

Two golden hands emerge from the ground and press on the kid's shoulder. Of course Mammon will not crush his child, he just wants his child to experience the weight of his words and responsibilities in a more tangible way.

"Being greedy is a good thing. But greed alone will not be enough to run and sustain this country. Power, wisdom, etc. You will need all of them."

Mammon will start teaching his child everything he/she needs to know to be a king who can run a country well. And he won't be lenient like when he tolerates the shenanigans of his subordinates.

Leviathan

Child-like kid

The innocent words of his child makes Levi feel happy inside.

"Being a king will be very hard, but I'll be sure to guide you through it." The King of Envy says with a warm smile on his face.

Arrogant kid

Levi glares at his egoistic child and summons a creature with a bunch of tentacles to restrain his child.

"It seems you do not know your place, son/daughter. If you want to succeed me that bad, I'll have to make sure you will become a perfect king."

Levi will make his child go through intense Hell-level training that lasts for a very long time for him/her to be the perfect king that Hades deserves.

Beelzebub

Child-like kid

Beel laughs out loud because he doesn't understand when did his child see him act as a king to say such silly words.

"Well, go ask your Uncle Bael. The throne is currently in his care."

Arrogant kid

Beel frowns. Gluttony wonders in his head why would his child prefer a strictly-bound life of a king to a carefree life.

The wanderer king will do a minor test. He takes out his gun and aims it at his child's head.

"Go home to your mom/dad (MC), you are not ready for this."

Only if your kid is still insisting after having a gun pointed at his/her head (despite being visibly shaking), the King of Gluttony will agree to let the kid receive royal (and mafia) training from Bael and the others.

"The throne...and all its duties...are very heavy. Don't come to me crying later and beg me to take them back when it becomes too heavy for you to bear. I already warned you, son/daughter."

[wordsandrobots]

Is it just me or do the pilots that hold onto their suits for longer just generally tend to be stronger than the ones that switch them around? Mika and Gaelio, the ones that held on to the same MS for the longest in the series (Barbatos and Kimaris, respectively) are freakishly powerful with their respective Gundsms. The Bael, being the first Gundam in IBO, stayed with its pilot for the entire duration of the Calamity war. There's some sort of strengthening connection between pilot and machine going on here. The thing with the AV system pretty much being the first system in a mainline show where the pilot has to be physically tethered to the MS might also play into this. Idk this is sort of a thought vomit.

No, it's definitely an interesting angle . . .

Iron-Blooded Orphans isn't strictly the first Gundam series to play with the idea of linking a pilot directly to the 'suit. Arguably, the psycommu from the Universal Century stuff is the earliest human/machine interface in Gundam, albeit one bound up in the psychic powers and suchlike. Mobile Fighter G Gundam introduced a telepresence-style interface allowing martial artists to map their skills on to their machines. Later, Turn A Gundam would include a full-body connector allowing direct operation of a mobile suit, which would be kind of back-adapted into the UC canon via Unicorn's NTD system. All these, however, are presented as exceptional and fairly unique (in G Gundam, the Gundams are their own special class of mobile suit, even if most of the mobile suits we see *are* Gundams).

In IBO, though, the Alaya-Vijnana system is a more widespread, even commonplace technology, allowing the production of cheap, expendable soldiers who require minimal training. True, there is an original or 'perfected' version of the system that accords better with past examples, permitting mobile suits to operate at a superhuman excess. Mostly, however, the A-V is used as an illustration of the impact of military development beyond a national army or clean lab setting. They also have that great visual of the tethering, a far more viscerally arresting image than past attempts to play with the same concept.

This aside, what about the idea of pilots growing stronger the longer they use the same mobile suits?

I think in IBO specifically, there's a few things at play that mean it's worth digging into what we mean by 'stronger'. At a base level, certain mobile suits are described as being more powerful -- the whole point of the Gundam frame is to be exceptionally strong and durable, with two Ahab reactors allowing it to perform fetes beyond other machines. It is however entirely possible for a non-Gundam machine to match or even best a Gundam (Kimaris vs the Grimgerde or Barbatos vs the Reginlaze Julia). Pilot skill is also a factor and on top of that there's the A-V system, which allows for more instinctive control over a mobile suit, making it a physical extension of the pilot. In some cases, this permits novice pilots to overcome those who we can assume to have had much more training and experience; conversely, in others, a skilled non-A-V pilot can overcome pilots using the system -- see the Turbines vs the Brewers, for example.

Then there's the fact Gaelio is a cheating cheater who cheats. The Alaya-Vijnana Type E exists specifically because he comes up short in his fight with McGillis; even with Kimaris' extra oomph, he doesn't have the raw skill necessary to beat his old friend. So he lets Ein's undead brain do the flying instead. The way it's presented, while Gaelio is technically in Kimaris' driver-seat throughout, he isn't actually in control for the majority of its operations during Season 2. The writing is very explicit that the Type E is puppeteering his body, allowing it to exceed those pesky human limitations without resorting to full-on Alaya-Vijnana surgery. Gaelio selects the target, yes, but it's otherwise not *his* strength at play. In fact, the Eve of Vidar side-story shows the system can run entirely out of his control, to the point of tearing off and destroying everything in its path (hence the 'calibration' that keeps Gundam Vidar out of action for the first few episodes of Season 2).

[As an aside, we know the IBO setting has AI technology capable of matching and exceeding human pilots, and that mobile suits have algorithmic control programs assisting with their operation, so it wouldn't be out of the question to do all this without the squishy bits. Certainly, on the face of it, there seems little reason not to just plug Ein's brain into Kimaris and let it have at. But since military AI has a history of working out . . .

. . . poorly, it would make sense for there to be restrictions on its use. It might even be unquestioned best practice to always have a human with their hand on the on/off switch. So whether or not the Type E is actually capable of running a Gundam on its own, Gaelio's presence is probably non-negotiable.]

My point is, Gaelio is functionally a doorstop when the Type E is in operation so can we actually say he's getting stronger as a pilot over the course of the series? He certainly expends a lot of effort and makes personal sacrifices in order to reach a position where he beats McGillis. He has to be physically augmented to use the Type E, breaking his previous moral stance on that kind of thing. And Kimaris itself undergoes a lot of upgrades aimed at combatting McGillis' style of fighting. So in a sense, yes, being Kimaris' pilot for such a length of time means he gets stronger. Yet isn't it more like a lot of compensation for a persistent lack of strength? Gaelio himself doesn't necessarily improve through all this; it's more that he's willing to do things that give him a greater edge.

Which is a good point to turn to our other example. Mikazuki and Barbatos follow a similar trajectory over the course of the show, with the 'suit undergoing constant upgrades and Mika gradually removing the limits on his connectivity with it. True, it's not a case of Barbatos using Mika's body but --

Well, let's back up on that one. Because it isn't presented as Mika becoming a redundant extension of his 'suit. He is always clearly the one in control. However, when he takes . . . let's call it the first-stage limiter off his Alaya-Vijnana system in Edmonton, demanding more so he can beat the Graze Ein, he suddenly knows how to use Barbatos' sword to its fullest extent. Previously, his comments suggest he's at 'pointy end goes in the other guy' level with the thing. After the connection is deepened, he's able to perform incredibly precise cutting strikes and take Ein to pieces. As if the information on doing that was already stored inside the machine and just needed to be unlocked.

Yet the interesting thing is, he doesn't use that skill again. Not directly. Barbatos Lupus' sword is designed more for clobbering than slicing, for all that it *is* a sword, distinct from the clubs he favoured before. Later, he'll return entirely to the mace as his principle melee weapon. Almost as if he took the skills he'd . . . downloaded and then adapted them to his existing strengths.

That seems to be what is happening here. Where Vidar/Kimaris is a deliberately constructed weapon targeting McGillis, circumventing the shortcomings of its pilot, Barbatos is somewhat more organically tailored to act as an amplifier for the man in the cockpit. It's reworked to fit his style. Even in the middle of battling Hashmal, where we might expect residual performance data to come to the fore again, instead Mikazuki's existing impulses go into overdrive, crushing everything in his path with speed and raw power.

So the longer Barbatos is with Mika, the more it resembles him and the more strongly they act as a single unit. Not accidentally, either. Despite the implied contrast above, it's very much something Tekkadan and Teiwaz's mechanics deliberately engineer over the course of events. But it's based on Mikazuki's personality and his preferences (he seems to have looked at Hashmal's tail and gone 'I need that'), rather than with a particular end in mind.

I think if I was going to draw a thesis out of this, it'd be that all this is just an extreme version of something that happens with any pilot. Amida outfights Julieta (someone whose life is literally dedicated to mobile suit combat) and the Julia (a machine at the bleeding edge of 'suit development) in a relatively unexceptional Hyakuren. That is to say, the Hyakuren isn't a very flashy mobile suit. But this *is* a custom model and more importantly, one Amida has been using for a considerable length of time. We know pilots update their 'suits using data from old fights, that they tweak the settings to better fit their abilities, and that they train extensively in simulations. It makes sense for someone like Amida, with likely approaching a decade of additional experience, to be nigh-on unstoppable compared to everyone around her. She's put in the effort. She's gotten comfortable with her equipment. She knows exactly what she's doing.

The Alaya-Vijnana exaggerates this effect, allowing both rapid advancement in ability (the Tekkadan boys are exceptionally quick students because part of the point of the surgery is to circumvent learning curves) and for the pilot to adapt to the machine and vise versa. I think the longer someone used an A-V with the same 'suit, the more they'd be able to understand that 'suit's quirks and direct maintenance to correct or increase them. Ultimately, though, I suspect that's just speeding up a general rule.

Because the A-V is never presented as an instant-win condition. It doesn't trump everything else on its own. Skill still matters. Experience still matters. Ein runs rings around Shino while they're using comparable machines because, A-V or not, Ein trained for years in a Graze; Shino had been using one for a few weeks, at most.

I love that about IBO. It never has any of the tech be magic by itself. You need a pilot willing to go the extra mile and put in the effort to become something truly incredible.

[sulumuns-dootah]

22.12. Naberius - Snowed in

    ༺☆༻

⟡ Masterlist ⟡ 

₊˚⊹.* The Yule festival of Hell *.⊹˚₊

    ༺☆༻

It has been snowing a lot in these past days. Like a lot a lot. The snow was piled up so high, you one day wake up laying next to Naberius and look out of the window only to realise that the ground floor window is now partially buried in snow. Not that you minded. At least now you have a good excuse as to why you can't go out and attend multiple boring meetings where the first half is spent by waiting if Beelzebub shows up and the other one, after Bael decides you've had enough waiting around, where you're only mostly listening and pretending to pay attention.

Naberius didn't say anything but you could tell he was glad too. After getting off a call with Bael and explaining him your situation, the Cerberus personified breathed out in relief. A forced vacation was even better than planned one. The only problem being your survival. Realising that the pantry only has so much to offer and Naberius being one of the demons afflicted by glutton was bound to be an interesting combination.

“So what do we do? Do we even know how long it will take until we can go out?” you anxiously say while twirling your hair and staring out of the window on the blinding white.

“I'm sure it will melt soon. If not, I'll call the dragon owner to clear at least our entrance.” Naberius absent-mindedly responds while reading a book. You're only wondering why you're the one worried about food and not him. You can get by just with some baked beans a day, but the demon himself requires at least five meals a day.

“Well you seem awfully calm.” you remark and look away from him to focus back on the white nothingness outside. There has to be something for you to do. There are so many things you've wanted to do but hadn't had the time, but now you don't feel like doing any of those. All you want to do now is to climb back into your bed and maybe watch something or read too, but more cosily.

After all why not? It's your time off and you'll spend it however you want. You turn around and leave the kitchen without a word to make your way into the bedroom. On the way there you walk past your bookcase. Maybe you can also reread your favorite books. It's been a while since you've so much as opened one of them.

The pile of books is taller and heavier than you'd expected, but you manage to get to your destination without any harm or dropped books. The bed is still slightly warm from when the two of you got up to assess your situation. Climbing back into it feels right. Like you were made to hibernate these next few days away.

You're half way through the first book when Naberius enters the bedroom with some breakfast on a tray, “As it turns out, we don't have to starve. There are some restaurants whose delivery workers have wings and get to us.”

“That's good. Care to join me in here?” you pull the covers on his side away.

“That actually sounds amazing.” Naberius smiles and climbs into the bed with you and his hands are almost instantly pulling you closer to him

    ༺☆༻

But wait, this demon also has a gift for you!

"I do rather enjoy giving practical gifts. Here, I'm sure you'll enjoy these."

[2af-afterdark]

I have a little idea that during God!MC period of learning how to God, whenever they use their power, it makes them hungrier and hungrier each time. And that could be like a gateway to inviting different devils to eat with them, it'd be a fun bonding experience. Since MC have some Godly power, they should be able to create something of value to pay for the food consumed.

MC inviting Amon to eat with them every other day to make sure he's at least eating more often than before. Or treating Bael to a fancy lil dinner before sending him to his bed to sleep, telling him not to worry about the paperwork and that they'll take care of it(*cough cough* MC hunting down Bell and bound him to his office til he finishes them)☺️ inviting Satan to go eat to have some alone time with him (〃ω〃)

MC could try bonding the angels and devils through meals, first invite both Gabby and Satan because they've been beefing with each other since the beginning of the game, I doubt it'd work since Gabby can't get along with his own peers, let alone bonding with an individual from a species he've been hating on for so long.

I also thought of MC needing lots of sleep after using their power, but then it would cut down the time they get to spend with everyone so I chose the former idea over this one.

This fandom, along with a few others, is making me consider reviving my Tumblr acc and upload things...

-🐰

But, like, this is actually so cute? I love it. No notes. I just need domestic fluff.

If you do, then please let me know! Your creations are so pretty and I want to see them all! I literally have no other social media

[istumpysk]

"My(Alys) house and yours are bound in blood and honor. Hear me, kinsman."- Jon(ADWD IX).

"So there it is—you have Bael's blood in you, same as me."- Jon(ACOK VI).

Alys and Ygritte told Jon that they are kins. Jon saw a little bit of Arya in them. But didn't comment on similarities with Sansa.

How fortunate for Jon to have so many female blood relatives at the Wall, none of whom remind us of she who must not be named.

[gremoria411]

*Follow-up to my previous post about Mcgillis and how Gundam Ibo does myth really well*

Honestly I really like Mcgillis from Gundam ibo, because I like how you can look at him and understand exactly why he does what he does, and why he thought that was a good decision at the time.

And I think this is because he’s quite…… childish? In his reasoning sometimes. Like, him wanting to become the successor to Agnika Kaieru to reform the corrupt gjallarhorn. It feels like a lot of who Mcgillis is and what he does was decided in that moment when he looked at that book, and he hasn’t really questioned or changed his goals in that period of time.

Around the end of Iron-blooded Orphans run, his plan was solidly criticised as he basically just wanted to get Bael, and assumed that the rest of Gjallarhorn would just bow down once he had it. But, to Mcgillis’ mind, why wouldn’t they? That’s the foundation of gjallarhorn. He essentially sat down in the empty throne and expected everyone to do as he said. It’s a simple, childish way of looking at things. And how did he get Orga and Tekkadan on side? He promised to make them “Kings of Mars”. Not ruler, not make them a Gjallarhorn branch. Kings. It’s something a child would offer. It’s why his rhetoric convinces the young Liza Enza, who’s with the revolutionary fleet.

It’s why he gets on so well with Mikazuki. And it’s why I think his relationship with Almiria is so interesting.

(Not that all that’s for nothing, he’s very intelligent and knows a lot about how Gjallarhorn works which is why he’s so effective. It’s just that his goals were decided when he was a child, so they’re still tied to the perceptions of a child)

I do believe Almiria’s underutilised in IBO - she doesn’t do that much and I feel that she could have been used to contrast Kudelia a lot more, as a “princess” figure. But she does showcase a lot of Mcgillis (and Gaelio’s) character. Mcgillis is very gentle, kind and understanding with her and reassures her when she expresses doubt or worry about the situation they’re in. Mcgillis has been in a similar situation to her and probably sees at least a little of himself in her. He treats her the way he wanted to be treated and his childishness probably allows him to understand her a lot better (Though I should point out that he does knowingly manipulate her, her brother and her father a lot during the show, even if he does believe every word he tells them).

Even Montag, his alter ego is another expression of this (and of course, Char reference), because it’s just so dramatic and theatrical. He appears and warns Kudelia like a masked theatre villain and even when he betrays Gaelio, you can tell that a part of him is absolutely loving this. It’s yet another childish affectation that makes perfect sense for someone who fully believes that if he can just get Bael, then everything will fall into place.

This is in contrast to Rustal Elion, who actually understands how the world works and how to change it, in addition to having the force to back that up. Rustal isn’t bound by some ancient legend, he’s looking toward the future and deals in what is, like Julieta and the Bearded Man.

I just find Mcgillis really interesting as a character, because his failure was essentially pre-determined, simply because he got swept up in the legend of Agnika Kaieru, while Rustal kept his feet firmly planted. But then it goes odd slightly, because Mcgillis’ leaves behind a legacy almost accidentally.

Mcgillis allies with Tekkadan, who pilot the legendary Gundam frames, and arranged to have two of the Seven Stars (Gaelio and Carta) killed. This knocks the Issue family out of the Seven Stars and essentially brings the Baudin family into his corner. Mcgillis is later killed by Gaelio, fully restoring the Baudin family and ending the Fareed family (unless that other blond boy Iznario had counts, but it seems unlikely). This leaves the Seven Stars two down. Then, after Mcgillis has died, Akihiro manages to kill Iok, ending the Kujan family of the Seven Stars. This, completely unrelatedly to Mcgillis’ schemes, causes the large-scale reform of gjallarhorn and the end of the Seven Stars system, purely because Mcgillis brought Tekkadan on board, who then got into a feud with Iok and Jasley.

It’s just kinda hilarious that Mcgillis’ plan, which is carried out by Rustal, his sworn enemy, kinda only succeeds post-mortem because Akihiro manages to bring down Iok.

[myristicisms]

A Semi-In depth analysis of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Miriam

I haven't seen a lot of posts that have a timeline for the events listed and seeing as I write Miriam and am replaying the game, I've taken to compiling information I find important regarding the timeline as well as detailing thoughts I have regarding her characterization and personality, this is definitely something that ended up being a lot longer than I'd intended but regardless I'm very proud of it and wanted to share my findings in case anyone in the fandom was also wondering and wanted information or for anyone I write with that's not fully familiar with Miriam but wants to know her better for plotting/interacting purposes. With that said, there are four main sections to go through with the last two being full of spoilers for the game.

Part I; The Timeline Pre Game

Bloodstained Ritual of the Night begins with detailing the summoning of the hell castle by the alchemist guild in a last ditch effort to restore spirituality in England to maintain funding for their research, as per an unnamed alchemist's notes littered throughout the castle it's found that the prototype of a shard was unintentionally created as a byproduct of an attempt at creating a homunculus in the year 1764, in 1765 there was a demon that appeared and was dispatched by the guild which resulted in the discovery of other shards and their existences alongside the binding effect of the original prototype shard found a year prior, this discovery would eventually lead to tinkering with the idea of combining the shards with the human body to test what might happen and in 1766 it's implied that the first Shardbinders had been created; We see in the alchemist's notes once again that of the Shardbinders, the one that showed the most promise was Gebel however his shard lagged behind in developing further capabilities compared to the other children that had gone through the same procedure.

It's at this point in time that it's important to make mention that, due to other notes that will later be delved into, Miriam was born in the year 1765, one year before the beginnings of the Shardbinder experimentations and procedures became a thing which could imply one of three things; Either the alchemist guild acquired her as an infant and grafted the shard in her when she was a year or two ( unlikely though that's out of my own optimism which might be ill placed in this regard ), the alchemists acquired her as a toddler but waited until she grew a bit older before implanting the shard ( more likely given it's been said the shards attract demonic entities and that would endanger a young child that's defenseless ), or ( the most likely ) Miriam wasn't orphaned until later in her childhood and once she was sent to the orphanage, the guild likely took her in much as they did other children ( As Gebel is just slightly older than Miriam ) and grafted the shard into her during early teenhood.

It's also important to note additional information given by the unnamed alchemist's notes as well as Miriam herself that once the shard effectively bound itself to their flesh, the Shardbinders themselves were put into training against the different demons that would come to the guild and absorb the shards as a means of further expanding upon the guild's research and this effectively lasted until 1783, which is how I was able to find out Miriam's birth year because shes said to be 28 during the current events of Bloodstained, meaning Ritual of the Night itself takes place in 1793-1794, as we know Alfred put Miriam into an alchemical coma right before the ritual to summon Bael, which is stated to be a decade prior to when we start in the Galleon Minerva, with that being said, that's how I was able to calculate the year Miriam was born as well as when the game takes place.

Part II; Humanity, Family, and Grief

With previous timeline stuff out of the way, now I can move onto Miriam lore, I just wanted to get basic timeline information put out there, let's start off with Miriam's early life or with what we know about her early life ( likely around her early to mid teens but not too terribly close to 18 ), we know based on two separate conversations she has with Gebel and Johannes that before the ritual, likely at least a year or so, she resigned herself to feeling as though she was no better than the demons she'd have to absorb the shards of after killing them which eventually led into an argument with Gebel. We aren't given a timeline for any of Miriam's earlier years however with what we are given, it's safe to assume that a lot of her childhood/teenage years were far from normal circumstances and even traumatizing to a degree as per Miriam herself stating that the pain of all of the experiments and the shard itself had left her feeling hopeless as is stated in conversation with Gebel aboard the Galleon Minerva, quote “ I was the one that came to you broken, convinced I was a monster. And you told me— Our power doesn't make us good or bad. Our choices do. I'd given up on my humanity, but you restored my hope. Don't you remember?! ”

We also see her expand more upon this conversation/argument in a conversation with Johannes when he asks her about a promise she had made to Gebel, “ Well, back then, the experiments left me feeling stripped of my humanity. The pain from the crystal was a constant reminder. At one point, I lost my will to live entirely. Gebel and I got into a fight over some stupid thing, and I shouted,"How long are you going to pretend you're human? We're monsters now." ”; “ It cheered me right up. I felt like a person again." ” Followed by, “ And that was when we promised to stop each other if we ever lost the ability to choose. ”, As those are just her lines and not the dialogue from Gebel, I'll paraphrase the in-between; Essentially she had repeated to Johannes what she had said to Gebel aboard the Galleon Minerva, quoted in the previous paragraph.

Additionally Miriam also points out in dialogue aboard the Galleon how painful absorbing shards truly is, “ I'd... forgotten the way it felt... Like uninvited claws scraping across my bones... ” which lends to another interesting point; Miriam's willingness to sacrifice herself to some degree. Throughout the game, Miriam has to traverse the hell castle and absorb different shards in order to gain abilities and make progress, Gebel had knowingly put her into a situation where she would need to absorb shards in order to reach him and ( albeit with little success ) try to convince him to give up summoning Bael/quit being the lord of the hell castle. Something else worth noting is that with each shard that merges with her crystal, the more risk she has of the crystal corrupting and taking over her body which would effectively lead to her death; She's aware of this and even tells Johannes “ I know my body's limits better than anyone. And I'm going to need all the power I can get. ” After he expressed his concerns on the matter, of course this conversation happened prior to her conversation with Gebel and yet even with that knowledge she still put herself at risk in hopes of saving her best friend.

Moving on though, we also find out that Miriam wasn't completely parentless to some degree; Among the alchemists in the guild, she'd taken well to one named Alfred and saw him as a father figure of sorts, unfortunately though it's unlikely that that had been reciprocated as we see in the Den of Behemoths, Alfred's motivations for putting Miriam into the coma and attempting to keep her away from the castle weren't out of a sort of fatherly concern but because she's “ the most attuned ” in reference to her ability to wield demonic power through her shard, essentially making Miriam one of the main keys necessary for the summoning of Bael and effectively making her coma the main reason for the prior ritual's failure, though that isn't to imply he held no care for her either given the fact that he just as well could have killed her a decade prior which still likely would have halted the ritual much the same.

I'll be delving into spoilers now therefore this is the only warning I'll be giving regarding spoiling events in the game;

Part III; Storyline and Character Development

After initiating combat with Zangetsu for the second time ( initiate is a strong word, he decides they need to speak his language; Combat ) and proving herself worthy of wielding the Zangetsuto ( Zangetsu meaning moon slayer/to slice the moon, just neat trivia ), after which Miriam heads to fight Gebel and, depending on the player, will either receive the bad ending or unlock the final portion of the game. Should the player kill Gebel in combat ( this can be done prior to getting the Zangetsuto, similar to that of Castlevania SOTN with Richter and the holy glasses ) then a cutscene will play out depicting Miriam and Johannes standing outside the castle talking about what to do next, the castle has yet to fall and they decide to leave it to Dominique and the church despite both feeling as though something was off, this is the bad or wrong ending of the game. The true ending is unlocked via damaging Gebel just enough for the moon within his room to turn red, after which you need to slice the moon in half with the Zangetsuto which forces Gremory out and leads into another cutscene, this time between Miriam and Gebel.

In this cutscene, Gebel starts off with recognizing Miriam and telling her he's missed her and even thanks her for keeping her promise ( showing Miriam to be someone who keeps her word regardless of how painful it might be for her to do ), while the dialogue plays out, we can see Gebel slowly crystalizing and get to watch Miriam panic over how rapidly the process is taking over his body ( resulting in his death ) and insists she'll handle the castle while trying to convince both him and herself that Gebel will live, he does not. It's right before he fully succumbs to the crystal that Gebel delivers his final line, “ I'm glad I got to see you smile... one last... ” Only to die off which leads into Miriam weeping and Johannes finally making his appearance, it's here where Miriam expresses that she “ has a new promise to keep ” and then eventually finds her way into the Den of Behemoths after slicing the moon in half once more and opening a portal to the location.

It's here where she bumps into a severely wounded ( and dying ) Alfred and Zangetsu, who both reveal to her that they'd all been manipulated by Gremory and Dominique, at this point this leads into another point regarding Miriam's personality where it's mentioned multiple times throughout the game that she's incredibly stubborn as per Johannes and even Zangetsu mentioning the trait in their own backwards ways. Additionally, she's also shown to be incredibly independent as per her mentioning that she should be the one to handle the castle's problems since she's trained properly in combat compared to Johannes who is merely just an alchemist. Johannes also tends to put a focus on dietary needs for Miriam in some of his "extra" dialogue when interacted with after most of his story driven dialogue has been listened to, while not particularly impactful or important to note it can definitely be implied that Miriam could have an issue with not eating enough or simply he's concerned for her metabolism and a lack of proper sustenance due to her alchemical coma, regardless she's displayed delight in both cooking her own meals and eating new foods since she has a special animation whenever she does cook and often makes a happy remark whenever she eats something save for eating the dark matter, which results in a pathetic " that's foul... " And resulting in Miriam being poisoned, this shows she's not quite a picky eater which likely stems from a combination of her being an orphan in 18th century England and the likelihood that the alchemists may not have been too concerned about what was fed to the kids.

Moving on in the timeline as well as further characterization, upon reaching the glacial tomb, Miriam first faces Gremory, it's in this leading cutscene where she witnesses Zangetsu being ( presumably ) dragged down to hell and likely killed, during this scene just before he vanishes with Gremory's arms he says “ Good luck... Miriam. ” which then leads into Gremory taunting Miriam about the fact that while she has the Zangetsuto sword, she doesn't believe Miriam will succeed in killing her only for Miriam to respond with “ Wrong, demon. Zangetsu's wrath and mine are now one. ” Which while a bit of a cheesy cliche ( power of friendship or whatever ) also adds onto how important companionship and friends are to Miriam despite how she continuously loses those closest to her. ( RE; Gebel, Alfred, and even Zangetsu to an extent. ) After killing Gremory and acquiring the shard " Dimension Shift ", Miriam makes her way to the final room of the Glacial Tomb and encounters Dominique.

This encounter is dramatic with how intensely Miriam feels, her sense of justice shining through while listening to Dominique talk about her sought after power and reasoning for her ambitions. Dominique reveals her plan had been to slowly acclimate Miriam's shard to demonic corruption and upon being exhausted from her fight with Gebel, Gremory was meant to possess Miriam much the same as she had Gebel. Dominique further irritates Miriam by accusing Zangetsu of betraying her to which Miriam responds with “ Doing the right thing isn't a betrayal. ”, once again showing Miriam's strong sense of justice. Later in the dialogue it's mentioned that Dominique managed to find a way to receive her own crystal and with the shards sold to her ( or I guess pretend sold to her if the player refuses to do so? ) begins the ritual with the Liber Logaeth to summon Bael, Miriam makes a remark that it's a slow process to which Dominique says “ Do you really think you can stop me before then? ” resulting in Miriam retorting back with “ Oh yes I do. You don't understand what power is for. You wield it stupidly, arrogantly. And now you will pay the price. ” That line among other spoken dialogue throughout this particular conversation demonstrates a strong distaste for those that pursue ambition and power for the sake of doing so, it's after this conversation that Miriam must fight Dominique and unfortunately is just barely too late, resulting in yet another portal (?) being opened and starts the fight with the demon lord Bael.

It's after the defeat of Bael that Johannes uses the Liber Logaeth to destroy the hell castle and the ending dialogue begins with Miriam and Johannes standing outside Arvantville, their conversation essentially is just discussing the losses it took for their victory, Miriam grieving each one while Johannes remarks that they all made their own choices and their lives deserved to be celebrated, not mourned. The scene ends with Johannes mentioning that before Alfred's passing, he'd given advice on permanently halting the spread of Miriam's crystal and while he could not promise it would work, he would do his best. Miriam seems pleased enough and the duo leave to return to wherever they call home.

Part IV; Additional/Miscellaneous information

Miriam is able to play the piano, demonstrating prior training, this can be found in the Secret Garden and if you have the Carabosse summon equipped, will lead into a song, otherwise Miriam just plays a nice instrumental version of said song. Miriam's name has multiple meanings, the main ones being Bitterness, Sea of Stars, drop of the sea, and Beloved depending on which etymology you're looking at, all of which are very fitting of her character. Just before Alfred's death, his final interaction with Miriam is asking for forgiveness for all he'd put her through. While we see that Zangetsu was dragged to hell, players who play in a wider resolution will see his model walk in from the right side of the screen which could either just be a fun little easter egg or is meant to imply that he'd somehow escaped it, I don't really know the answer but I wanted to make mention of that small clip too just to get that out of the way.

[omentranslates]

Owari no Seraph chapter 128 english fan translation

Howdy welcome pls read and refer to the official at here this is just for fun sorry for the lateness i was outside all day also thank you for leaving nice comments last month it made my day ok thanks for reading

The angel Mika who decided their own end in order to save the First....

Shikama: ...it can't be...Paimon...Mikaela...

Yuu: ...suicide.

Mika: ...just the worst.

Shikama: This can't be happening....

Owari no Seraph 128: Icarus and His Wings

The newest Volume 30 just released from JC to high acclaim!!

Bael: My King!! Paimon!! What on earth was all that.....what is this...

Bael: You idiot, how could you-....why did you go ahead of....

Bael: *breakdown noises*

Bael: .....my King. My King, Paimon surely didn't...commit suicide, right?

Shikama: .........

Bael: God does not permit ending one's own life. Paimon's soul will...

Shikama: Stop talking.

Bael: My King. Paimon loved you more than anyone. Wanted you to return to God's side more than anyone. You know this without me telling you, that this is all part of God's plan. This is all a trial, so...

Shikama: And because of that you'll expect me to just accept it? All of this? This...this...this miserable story...

Bael: My King, you're halfway there. Arrogance like this in the middle of the journey will not be taken lightly...

Shikama: DON'T EVEN! DON'T EVEN GIVE ME THAT!! THIS ISN'T ARROGANCE!! WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS DESPAIR. THIS IS FUTILITY. IT'S POWERLESSNESS.

Shikama: WHY AM I ALIVE JUST TO SUFFER TO THIS EXTENT!!? WHAT AM I GOING ON FOR!? HALF THE ANGELS HAVE SUCCUMBED TO DISEASE. WHAT PARADISE CAN WE REACH BY IGNORING THAT!?

Bael: *cough*

Shikama: No....not you too.....

Bael: I am truly sorry....for not being able to fight to the end together...but please don't worry, my King. Head towards paradise.

Shikama: This is such bullshit, from all of you. You'd really have me go alone?

Bael: That was Paimon's desire.

Shikama: Then what the hell do you plan to do? Just die here?

Bael: ...since I can't leave him alone. We might as well hold down the fort here for a bit.

Shikama: Bullshit. All of it.

Shikama: I....the hopes you all trusted me with....

Bael: I'm not like Paimon. I never had any high expectations of you, my King. I have no expectations regarding God. Or paradise. Or you.

Shikama: What DO you want out of living, if you hope for nothing in this world, then?

Bael: That's already gone. I'm just waiting.

Shikama: For what?

Bael: For instructions. For the coming of my death, to see the fruition of God's plan, to see how you oppose it. Whatever comes first.

Shikama: I'm......I'm not as strong as you all think I am.

Bael: Please, free yourself. I will support whatever my King decides. Or, well, that may all be already set in God's plan as well.

Bael: *coughing*

Shikama: What do I do? Mikaela...

Shikama Narration: Bael committed suicide soon after. So that his soul would lay in the same place as Paimon's.

*Paimon grave*

*Bael grave*

Shikama Narration: In Hell.

Shikama Narration: Suicide is a grave sin. The two of them will forever be bound to this land. To this...

Amon: My King. Everything's set in place. All the power we'll need for our return to paradise has gathered in the tower.

Shikama: With so many already dead, is there even a point in us being able to go back?

*Belial grave*

Amon: I don't know what you're saying. Isn't this the day everyone's been working so hard for for however many tens of thousands of years?

Astaroth: Let's go! This is for our lost comrades too, we will be the first to return to paradise!

Shikama: Yes, you're right. Let everyone know, then. We return tomorrow.

Shikama Narration: The source of both God's power and angels' lives is here in "Light." Miracles are possible because of this "Light."

Shikama: O, Light.

Shikama Narration: That's why we've been so fervently gathering up all this "Light" into the Tower of Babel. To return to God's side. To return to paradise. That's "Light." However, because all this "Light" is connected to God's power, we are not able to bring about miracles so freely. There are some things forbidden by threat of punishment. There are three most dire of these: Resurrection of life, prolonging of life, creation of life.

Shikama Narration: Thus, the "Light" will not be used for miraculous resurrecion, and it will not be used for miraculous healing, and it will not be used for miraculous creation....but...

Shikama: Combine.

Shikama Narration: I stumbled upon something. A way to use the "Light" without it reaching God's eyes. After many such experiments in conducting miracles unknown to God, I first dared the creation of Mikaela. I created an angel, unobserved.

Shikama: Mikaela.

Shikama Narration: Your creation was successful, and yet I bear no punishment. But this...

Shikama: Is this your lenience? Or just a test upon the bounds of my arrogance? Maybe you're not even watching us at all. If I don't recieve an answer, I'm going through with it. I'm going to convert all the Light gathered in Babel...

Shikama: First, I resurrect Mikaela. Mikaela has enough Light to resurrect and heal all of the angels, and I've gathered it all into seven keys. With that power, I'm going to perform it on all of them. Everyone will return to paradise together, alive. That good?

Shikama: I cannot go back alone. We'll be coming as a group.

Shikama: You never do answer. Well then.

Shikama: O, "Light."

Shikama: Hide from God's sight, change into Darkness.

Shikama: Yuu, I'm going to resurrect Mikaela and save everyone. Convert all the Light stored in Babel to Darkness.

Amon: What is THAT??

Astaroth: What's going on!?

Shikama: So there really is no punishment. Then am I forgiven? Or are we just that completely hidden? Which is it?

Shikama: Ah, Fuck. No good.

The hammer slams down on the First and his accumulated sins...!!

[darkestspring]

Well, I can say that Helaena acts like a bottom but is actually a switch with Baelon ii. She’d want to go top first and ride him before wanting to him to take over. And she’s actually the instigator when she first seduces him. And probably begs him to take her the second time to have another bby.

Baelon had been walking back from the kitchens to over see that the cake that had been prepared was going to be handled with the utmost care.

His mind wandered off to Helaena and their baby. She was nearing her first name day, no one knew she was his but the guilt ate him alive.

He had sworn to never dishonor his wife and yet he had. And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about Helaena.

"Bael." A soft voice greeted him and he flinched back started, purple eye staring at Helaena in her soft green dress.

"Hela." He greeted, making sure to keep a respectable distance between them. No one could know, no one could even suspect.

The hallways they were in was desolate and she came closer. "Please, my Bael. I want another baby, our second one." Her voice was soft as her hand grabbed his and red painted his cheeks.

Helaena had always been his weakness, he had always looked after, cared for her, loved her.

His cock throbbed at the thought and he pulled away as he fought to restrain himself. "We cannot. You are married and the queen, and I am... married as well."

"You do not love her. You love me, I know you do. You told me many times, that you loved me." Helaena would not give up, she loved him and no matter that Maris Baratheon thought she claimed him, he would always be hers.

"I may not love her but I am bound to duty." He choked out, taking care not look at her.

Helaena smiled at him, her eyes bright as she walked closer. "Were you also bound to duty when you took me for the first time. It only took one time for your seed to take root." It was a victory in her eyes.

Baelon didn't fight back as she led him through the passageway that aegon had showed her that led to her personal chambers.

Helaena's tongue peeked out to wet her lips as she untied his breeches and pulled them down with much eagerness, she had never wanted anyone as much as wanted him. He had been hers from the day they met.

Maris would meet her end eventually, Helaena would endure it.

Baelon watched her with a dark gaze as she took off her own clothes and lowered herself onto his erect cock.

"Oh. Oh, my love, my Bael." Helaena breathed, joy filling her as they were together once again. "My Bael does want me, not that thief!"

Baelon didn't want to wait, didn't want to be teased. He quickly spun the around so he was on top and didn't waste a single second. The sound and feeling of her around him only made it worse.

"I love you. I love you. I do, I love you Hela." He choked out, unable to stop himself.

Helaena gently wrapped her ams around him. "Only me? You never told her you loved her, right? Just me?"

"Yes, it's only you. I won't ever love her, just you, my love."

"Inside me," helaena breathed, the thought of another child with her love making her insides twitch with anticipation. "Please grant me your seed, my husband."

The title alone was too much and Baelon released everything inside her with a choked groan.

Helaena grinned up at the ceiling. She could feel it inside her, they'd have another child. Just like her dreams told her. A perfect life.

[valentinesparda]

the thing about f/o weddings for me is that they're all unconventional

the vergil wedding was a handfasting ceremony done on a whim because why not have a celebration, why not indulge, why not do this just to experience what humans do (but everyone needs to mind their business). i've retconned either of them wearing a ring because neither of them are the type (gabriel gets a band tattooed around their finger and vergil insists he doesn't need a token of their love because he has no plans to leave them again)

killian and travis forget their wedding until the couple of days before it happens, and even then the only reason they had a ceremony is because I'm sentimental and I want to think about a world where the assassins would take a day off to celebrate life and happiness (sylvia organized it). the two only exchange wedding bands because it's tactile and they're sometimes away from each other for a while, and because promising to kill for your spouse is frowned upon in most situations

thomas and aubrey went for the pomp and circumstance of a ceremony because thomas has an image to maintain but also because he enjoys a good party, and his first wedding was the best day of his life (and he wants to make his family proud - but mostly he wants to show off) and they wear wedding bands but they don't fully love each other at that point, and when they do, they commit to a "renewal", small and on a whim in the countryside at a camp, drunk and alone and happy

james and avery never had vows exchanged and the rings they wear around their necks are far from fitting them comfortably (tokens from another time and made for someone else). they both simply decided one day that they loved each other enough to never give up on the other. they never really admit to it - they always said partner anyways, you are under my skin - but they both know that they wholly belong to the other person and nothing would break that bond. the rifle is a pretty sweet engagement gift though

mordecai and rhodes essentially go to a courthouse and don't let anyone else know, it takes forever for mordecai to commit to it but they just wanted a shotgun wedding to feel like it was real. rings?? of course!! they stole found some that they liked and wear them tucked safely beneath the collar of their shirts, because of course mordecai would be like that

john and micah have a large ceremony that is moreso a celebration than an actual wedding, with the members of eden's gate as their guests and john's family as witness and party. it's the only time that my insert and their partner actually gives a shit about the whole ordeal and live it up as a representation and example that love exists in hope county (it gives john an excuse to also have the marriage represented by tattoos on their fingers, but it upsets joseph because he wants them to wear rings, that's traditional)

alucard and amelia are bound by a sacred practice, far more involved and romantic to them than your standard marriage; after all, the ritual that ties them together means alucard will always be in their head, his blood is the reason they still exist, and their blood will be tribute to him. it is an endless cycle of being in each other's veins and it will always transcend the traditional practice of saying I Do in such a viscerally romantic way - you are alive because i worship you, you are what you are because I made you, and we are entwined immortally because I love you

callisto and yasha keep their love a secret so why would they let anyone know they've been married?? they grab someone to officiate it and they have a witness but they don't have any reason to announce it. the only reason anyone finds out that they're married is when yasha dies and callisto mourns him for a few thousand years and tells mithra to keep the only tie they both had to each other safe - matching cuffs worn on their ears that eventually (after several centuries) get passed to their reincarnations in the modern day

bael and zevran are also the lovey dovey type, the wearing matching jewelry type, because zevran goes off every so often and it's - again - a tactile representation of their love and a reminder that they're there; moreso a token of love than it is a sign of possession, but zevran is fiercely protective of his little mage that he coaxed from their own darkness and helped grow. bael feels their heart flutter seeing the earring that matches theirs twinkle in the light, or twirl his braided leather band around his wrist and smile knowing they were both made identical and would never be worn by anyone else

adrian and lacroix are bound by their commitment to their clans and their courts, but they are also what most people would call married to their work in the worst way. do they hate each other? do they love each other? or do they revere the other as their god, their sun, their making and undoing, devoted solely to show "i am the only one allowed to devour you" because they are. married in the way of life and death; a promise to let you live because i will be with you in the end

anyways. *vibrating into the fifth dimension* i'm totally normal

[put-me-out-of-my-destiny]

I'm thinking about the "Kyrie gets familiars" AU yet again, because I recently noticed something about DMC4 that I hadn't before:

I hadn't noticed that when Sanctus merges with the Savior in a last-ditch effort to destroy Nero, it takes on his appearance.

The reason I point this out is because it cements something I kind of knew about this AU, but hadn't put into words:

I imagine Berial, Bael, and Echidna as separate beings from Kyrie, despite being bound to her consciousness, most obviously like Griffon.

To be more specific, I imagine Bael, as the embodiment of Kyrie's lust, being very friendly toward those Kyrie cares about, and encouraging her to embrace her relationships and follow her heart. However, she has a habit of not thinking about consequences.

Echidna, however, embodies Kyrie's resentment toward others, so she's very critical of Kyrie's loved ones, and very quick to point out when someone seems to be taking Kyrie for granted.

Berial, who embodies Kyrie's skepticism, is sort of a voice of reason, and often ends up mediating arguments among his companions. He's also the most willing to criticize Kyrie herself, though it's always from a place of love and respect.

Keep in mind that none of them are bad - they all love Kyrie and want her to be happy and safe, but it's still for the best that they obey Kyrie and not the other way around.

However, the Savior has even less of a personality than Nightmare did, because it's not a separate being from Kyrie, but an extension of her. In practice, I think this should mean that the Savior essentially functions opposite to Nightmare, only attacking when Kyrie commands it. Perhaps it's necessary for Kyrie to merge with her Savior when summoning it, resulting in something like this concept art:

Also, while I've said this in the past, I'd like to reiterate that I think Kyrie should undergo a transformation when summoning her Savior, not unlike Sanctus's own Diabolica form:

In fact, I think the gem on his forehead is my favorite detail - just like V stored his familiars in his tattoos and hair dye, I think Kyrie should grow gems on her body in which she stores her dormant minions. The one on her head, of course, corresponds to the Savior.

However, I think the horns on Kyrie's head should be of uneven length, and she should only have one wing, as a nod to her late brother Credo.

Though if Kyrie merges with her Savior when summoning it, these points may be moot, unless her transformation simply happens upon acquiring the Savior, and persists even when it's dormant. Like how V's hair is dyed black until Nightmare is unleashed, I guess.

[kits-shrine]

“Isn't that handy,” Ziz grinned, taking the bound chopsticks.

“Oh, like Bael?” Laurel asked softly, “I never did ask what was beneath his flames.”

“Huh, now how’d you do that?” Tony inquired, curiosity rolling off him in waves.

"They're training chop sticks." Granny smiled showing her how to use them easier. Seishin was grinning broadly trying not to snicker.

Yurei slowed for just a moment, having forgotten she had other versions of many of their friends that had long passed "Yes I Suppose So." he smiled sadly squeezing her hand before cheering up a little "You Can Also Met Kaen. She's A Fire Monster Too, But I Think She's Different From Kagu."

Tamashii cracked open socket to smirk at him "Specialty of mine and Yurei."

[gruesomejack]

Roleswap Jane and Bael,, Jane is a demon hunting down creatures that've escaped hell and Bael is some goth guy who gets caught in the crossfire with something bound to him that she has to take time to break,,,

HELLO YES??? Bael (Beau?) but a college student and a ballerino? Who's been getting "sick" frequently and it's starting to sap at his strength and give him weirder symptoms?? Speaking in tongues, foggy glazed eyes and dissociation, maybe waking up places covered in blood with seals and symbols painted around him/having moments of total possession 👁👁

It starts off as just a job for Jane especially since Beau is,,, very intolerable and annoying vbHCFHFG And Beau is scared out of his mind because he's never actually believed in any of the occult he's been interested in?? And still managing to irritate each other into a sense of comfort between them ghSHDHXHCHCHG

[mostofourtownismissing]

Preview of the first page of Chapter 4: "Nowhere Bound" which I've just started editing.

Arson Andrias is BAEL's annoying super fan who calls in nearly every day and seems to be one of the few things on the planet that Perry has zero patience for.

[purposefully-lost]

Hook, line, and sinker, drop it down to the bottom

Butterfly, float, flicker, soar to the top

Kill for the thrill, cut it, stick it where you got him

Circle rollin' under, runnin' red to the stop

-

Where's your mother? Fall down dead

Dirty mind, dirty mouth, pretty little head

I wish you were here, I wish you'd make my bed

Dirty mind, dirty mouth, pretty little head