#jeffory tag

[aphverse-confessions]

This has probably been said hundreds of times but,

I think Jeffory and Abby should have been in mys more, they would have added an interesting element, a single dad and his daughter, it has so much story potential and I would have loved to see Jeffory and Abby interacting with more characters.

.

[xerith-42]

Redesign The Nine Part 3 (sort of)

If you haven't read the previous posts in this series, don't worry. In the last two posts I turned my attention to characters who didn't exist, or characters who's development/implementation in the story left a lot to be desired. This is going to be more of that second one, mostly because I love all of the characters I'm going to talk about in this post.

This post is partially redesign, but mostly analysis of the Jury and how these established characters might interact with less established characters to flesh out the Jury of Nine as a whole. I just gave it the same title for consistencies sake, please know that I am not making any drastic changes to these characters that would contradict or retcon their purpose in the story. It's mostly adding extra details around what we already know.

With that being said, let's get started with

Ivy The Venom Scythe

Why doesn't Ivy have a scythe? It's in her fucking name, why didn't they-- well I guess I have to!

Bam!

(image found on Pinterest)

This is Ivy's scythe now. Size and all. Big fuck off scythe that's kind of impractical but god damn does it look cool when she uses it. How does a girl learn to use a scythe like this? By being a weapon raised by farmers.

Ivy was raised to believe that her worth as a person was determined by her ability to protect herself. Unlike many other members of the Jury, Ivy doesn't come from Ru'aun. She comes from Tu'la, where might and fury is upheld as aspirational. Growing up in the outer kingdoms, separate from the tyrannical rule of the king, Ivy never had any sense of civic duty to her kingdom. However, she was raised to be a weapon to protect her family's homestead.

She learned how to use a scythe because it was something always around her parents farm, something that made her stand out against any poor boy with a sword and gave her a unique flare she hoped to use to instill fear into her enemies. Ivy's dreams of guts and glory where shattered when she was just a teenager and her little family farm and the village adjacent to it were beset by colonizers of the main kingdom.

That day Ivy failed. She was raised to be a weapon and she failed, barely making it out alive with her dad and getting on a boat to Ru'aun. It stuck with her in a way she never wanted to admit. She later came to greatly resent her parents, but this event and this failure still haunts her. Just in... Different ways. In Ru'aun Ivy quickly picks up on the fact that the best way to survive is to become a guard. She doesn't really understand the inner workings of Ru'aun's political and religious powers, she just needs a means of supporting herself and goes out and gets it.

And she goes so hard that she makes the top of the Jury list without trying. She was literally raised to protect her family, raised to be a fighter, she knows the answers to any tests they ask her without studying anything. She doesn't fight with a sword, she demands that she fight with a scythe, using a terrible wooden one as a demonstration of her skills. She ends up breaking it over someone's body because she went too hard, but it was impressive as hell. Ivy garners instant attention and recognition for her abilities, and when instructors are writing the Jury list, she's the top name on all of them.

But there is one worry. Ivy's attitude. Despite her great combat prowess, Ivy has a really stand off-ish personality. She didn't really interact with other people a lot and tends to be really awkward in conversations. Eventually she just starts intimidating people because it's easier to get them to do what she wants if they think she'll gut them. And she will.

There's a worry that her stubbornness and lack of cooperative skills will make her unfit for the Jury, who are meant to be a collective that fights stronger together. Fortunately for Ivy, this Jury is run by Zane Ro'Meave who has no morals and pragmatic ideals that serve his own ends instead of upholding the sanctity of a centuries old tradition that barely worked. When Zane meets Ivy she threatens him at one point because her brain just has not had the capacity to wrap around how important Zane is. He reminds her of the stuck up nobles that were always badgering her parents to sell their land and become a part of their kingdom.

Zane is endlessly amused by this angry lesbian threatening him with a sharpened gardening tool, and doesn't even think twice about letting her in. He even assigns her name before she's signed all the paperwork signing her rights away to Zane. Ivy the Venom Scythe. It's too fitting. Ivy takes great pride in this name, and in time take great pride in serving Zane.

Her initial judgement wasn't wrong, but she sees the benefit of being in his good graces. There's an element to people who've left Tu'la that I love to implement. This lingering, always present but never quite visible fear, the threat on the horizon but our of focus. Tu'la and the colonizing fucks that run the major kingdoms are always a quiet threat. Ivy sees what O'Khasis looks like, gets a sense for it's military and their values, and gets a taste for how ruthless Zane is and she realizes if anyone stands a chance against them, it's him.

That's why Ivy is loyal to Zane. And that's why Zane always has faith in her, even if he doesn't express it. He doesn't need to blackmail her by threatening her family, because she gladly moves her dad into a nice home in O'Khasis where he won't pose any threat. And over time, as Ivy spends less and less time away from him, she realizes skills she has outside of being a weapon. Thanks to Zane, possibly Teony, maybe Janus, Ivy does start to come out of the armor she's put around herself.

Teony spends a night with her where Ivy confesses that she actually really likes classical theatre. She used to watch theatre troupes that traveled the countryside do different plays and epics and she loves them so much. Zane makes her realize the value of how analytical she is about people. Ivy is naturally talented at reading people, a skill she's picked up over the years of watching people's footsteps in combat. She knows how to get into an enemy's head and then make a battle plan around it, and she attends almost all of Zane's war room meetings because of this.

As Ivy realizes more and more the person she is outside of what her parents wanted for her, a sort of resentment starts to grow. She starts to reflect on experiences differently. Some fond story about a time that her father taught her a harsh lesson quickly makes her feel angry and protective, how dare he speak to her like that. What gave him the right to harm a child? And why didn't her mother ever do anything?

Ivy doesn't like to be controlled. It's what her parents taught her whenever they talked about their disdain for the kingdoms vying for territory at all times. That the best thing they could be is free of all of them. None of them actually care about their individual lives, they're just numbers, just spots on a map they can say they own. She realizes that her parents thought of her the same way.

Barely their daughter, just something to fend off the enemy. How could she ever be ready to fight an entire kingdom? She was a child, and they took that away from her. How dare they. If there's one thing we know about Ivy, she's ruthless, and she doesn't like being controlled. She tends to take matters into her own hands, and she isn't afraid to cut the threads tying her to a legacy she no longer cares to protect.

Ivy rebuilds her life in Ru'aun, serving Zane, fighting for O'Khasis, forming relationships that mean something with other members of the Jury. And then Teony leaves. Ivy wasn't around when it happened, only getting the letter Teony left from her. That's when things change... Probably not for the better. That's when Ivy starts leaving for jobs longer and longer, taking on projects in other regions even if she isn't who Zane wanted to send.

She starts to desperately chase after Teony because in a life of being a weapon for someone Teony was the first person who liked her fighting but made her feel like a person. Teony gave Ivy hope that she could have a life outside of fighting, killing, and intimidating. She still lives this life but her heart has started to fall out of it and it's almost like she's grieving.

This all comes to a head when Janus finds her in Gal'ruk. He sought her out. He hunted her down when Zane was content to leave her while he achieved his goals in Ru'aun. He hunted her down because Zane is gone now, and so is Lilian. Janus didn't have many people he ever connected with, only three, and Ivy is at the bottom of that list. But he needs some tether after everything else is gone, and quite frankly so does Ivy.

The two travel together for quite some time, but eventually end up in Tu'la, a place Ivy is surprisingly eager to return to. Her eagerness is because she wants to prove to those militants and the monarchy that they failed. They failed to kill her, failed to end her bloodline, and failed to keep down a resistance force against their tyranny, especially with Janus at her side.

[looks at the canon for what happened to Janus in Tu'la]

THIS DID NOT GO WELL.

Needless to say trying to stand up to your oppressors starts to fall apart when your best friend kills a few civilians and then said oppressors respond by killing your friend. As admirable of a fight as Janus put up, as hard as he fought, even he fell to their might. Janus was slain and Ivy was left with a choice. The Tu'la military has some great respect for her due to her fury, her fighting prowess, and the fact that she's a natural born Tu'la citizen. She deserves a nice cushy spot in their ranks as a proper warrior of Menphia. Ivy is left with three choices.

Run, hide, or fight. She chooses to hide, playing the long game she always has and taking the job in the Tu'la military, accepting her guard dog, and using her friends sword as a secondary weapon in remembrance of everything she's lost. Ivy serves knowing that one day she will become a thorn in their side and a knife in their back. Ivy has always fought for her own survival, and the greatest threat to that survival has always been Tu'la.

That doesn't change just because she works for them.

Katelyn The Firefist

Imagine this. You're born to a large, not so well off family living in the fringes of the biggest city in the continent. While you could have moved somewhere better at some point in your life, that point is gone now. Now you have three baby brothers to look after, a mom who is gone all the time, and a dad who is working himself into an early grave and still unable to provide. What do you do?

Katelyn fought back. She may have been the only girl in a family of boys but she was manlier than all of them. She convinced her dad to teach her to fight before her oldest brother could even walk. She was an energetic and occasionally violent child. It was good for her to be trained in how to kill someone so she wouldn't accidentally kill one of her family members if she wasn't paying attention.

Katelyn sparred with her brothers all through their childhoods, it's how she connected with them, how they came to be close. Not all of them took to fighting, but they still learned self defense from Katelyn. She never talked to them about it, but it's clear that the environment she grew up in wasn't always pretty. As O'Khasis started to have more presence bandits were driven out and things became more peaceful. But even still, Katelyn never trusted O'Khasis fully.

She really didn't like that she never saw the full face of its leader. It meant they would always have things to hide. Nevertheless, in an attempt to not only get her family out of poverty, but also to potentially serve and see behind the dark secret of the O'Khasis Elite, Katelyn applied to the guard academy, expecting to get her certification and then work as a guard at the Ro'Meave Estate.

She wasn't expecting to make the Jury list. It was just not a thought that ever crossed her mind despite knowing it was a thing. Katelyn was content to do her own thing, and while she could be friendly with her classmates, she never made the offer herself. She always had to be coaxed out of her shell by others, and few made attempts to really connect with or understand her. She didn't go to the Academy to make friends, she went to make a living.

Instead the day before her graduation ceremony she was approached by Zane Ro'Meave. He seemed delighted to meet her, genuinely excited after all he'd heard of her fighting prowess. I mean, she never fought with a sword.

All that time it was hand to hand. Gauntlet to armor. Bladed glove to throat. Different members of the Jury stood out for unique weapon selections and mastery, but Katelyn stood out for being able to kill a fully armored guard without a weapon. She would be an invaluable asset as Zane's personal guard, able to cover a weak spot in his security. One issue.

As Zane and Katelyn are talking, one of her brothers comes running into the courtyard, excited to see his big sister after so long. Her dad brought them early to surprise her at the worst possible time. Zane responds to the presence of her family professionally, even introducing himself to her father and speaking to him about Katelyn getting the Jury position before she even agreed to it.

Despite not knowing Zane, Katelyn can't fight the feeling that this is wrong. That she should be shielding her family away from whatever was hiding behind Zane's mask. But now her dad knows she has this opportunity, she could be a true hero to her brothers, give them the life they deserve. Any doubt she has about the position is overshadowed by her unending love for her family. She takes the position, moves her family into central O'Khasis, and serves Zane exclusively now.

One issue. Katelyn cannot fucking stand Zane. She's really good at biting her tongue and clenching her fist, but Zane isn't an idiot. He can see the change in her expression, the twitch of her brow, the way she gets tense when he brings up less than moral ideas. He knows that she's thought of punching him hard enough to knock his head off, but still needs her to know she can't really hurt him.

The day before he plans to put this in action, Katelyn meets a fellow member of the Jury, the one who joined a year before she did. Their initial interaction doesn't leave her with much, just an idea of the kind person he is. It's their interaction the next day that matters. It's what Zane says to Katelyn.

At this point, she's been in the Jury for a few months. And while she's shown no outward intent to harm Zane, he feels it's only inevitable before she does and decides to nip it in the bud. This is when Zane instates a new rule. Jury of Nine members are not to have family.

Katelyn has a few options, all of them running through her faster than she's able to keep track of as Zane speaks. All she can think of is how miserable her life would be without her brothers, without her dad's cooking, without the joy they bring her. She doesn't know if she can live a life without them. But as it is, her options are limited.

She could quit the Jury, but it would be a black mark against her in the eyes of O'Khasis. She'd be seen as a deserter, and her chances of finding work as a guard would be gone. Her reputation would never be able to recover from this. She could cut off her family, renounce them, and instruct them to never speak to or attempt to contact her. She'd lose the thing that means most to her, but Zane promises they'll be supported so long as she works for him.

He doesn't need to say why, or what happens if she decides to take... Drastic measures. Even if she ran away, there's a chance Zane would send someone else from the Jury to take her out and cover their tracks, and whoever that was certainly wouldn't leave the rest of her family alive. "Willingly" cutting herself off from her family to keep the Jury position is the only way to ensure their safety.

Katelyn promises to do it in the morning before the decree is announced to the public. If she doesn't, she knows what'll happen. Katelyn manages to keep it together long enough to get past Zane, but the minute she finds somewhere alone in the estate she breaks. She breaks and she sobs and she wails and she mourns the family she's done so much to protect that she may never see again after tomorrow.

It's there that the man she met before becomes more than just a colleague. It's in the outer part of the Ro'Meave garden that Katelyn is offered a handkerchief and a shoulder to cry on by a man she never expected to leave an impact on her the way he did. It's there that Katelyn learns she isn't alone. He has to leave his daughter under the watch of a caretaker assigned by Zane, and nobody is allowed to know about her, even if she's his pride and joy and he carries not only a folded up drawing of her, but he even has some of her artwork or poorly written letters to him.

The sincerity shown and the vulnerability between both of them is palpable, something stronger than the metaphorical blades to their neck held by Zane. While Zane may be holding them hostage in a way, during a quiet tear filled talk in the garden, they're holding hands, and showing love to one another in spite of it all.

Katelyn would later recall this conversation as the only reason she was able to get through the next day of her life. Saying goodbye to her family is... Crushing. Nothing in their life is to change, other than the occasional presence of an O'Khasis guard to make sure they don't break Zane's rules. Katelyn's dad is keen enough to know that Katelyn doesn't want to say goodbye to her family, but is putting up a tough facade to protect them. He knows his daughter well enough to know that she wouldn't do this if she had any other choice.

Her brothers don't take it as well, heartbroken, angry, and devastated. While one of them can't even look her in the eye, Kacey won't let go of her when they hug for the last time, refusing to let go of the most stable thing in his life. When he lost a mother Katelyn stepped in as the best older sister he could ask for and he's not ready to lose that again. It's a moment that tests Katelyn's loyalties further than anything Zane tried to do directly. She has to push her brother off, tell him that she has to go, and that if he ever sees her again, he's not allowed to talk to her or tell people they're related. She has to do that.

Needless to say, Katelyn wasn't doing great afterwards. Neither was the poor father she had spoken to, and once more they meet each other near the edge of the garden and talk through their awful days, this time with some drinks or even a pipe. It's the one respite that Katelyn gets, the one place she can be herself and not put up a front.

When Jury work is awful, she can fall back on him. When one or both of them is pushed to do something outside of their moral compass for Zane, they confide in one another and assure each other that they aren't the monsters Zane wants them to be. And while it started slow, these little meet-ups are when they start making plans to get the hell out of dodge and get their families to safety. It takes a while to work out all the flaws in their plans, and they need a lot of that time to get into Zane's good graces again. Get him to trust them enough that they can take advantage of it.

Finally there's a window of hope. Katelyn just needs to finish this one job, and then Zane puts a plan into effect he won't need either of them for. He'll go off to negotiate with Scaleswind on his own, leaving them enough time to get out of O'Khasis and save their families. One minor hiccup occurs when Katelyn gets sick the day before she's supposed to go on her job. While she insists she can handle it, that doesn't really slide. He's going to take her job whether she likes it or not.

Katelyn never forgave herself for falling in love with him. She never forgave herself for "making" him fall in love with her. She never forgave herself for being too cowardly to admit this love. She never forgave herself for killing her best friend.

So she did the best thing she could. She tried to avenge him. When she hears the news that he failed her assignment and is on trial as a traitor, she realizes that their plans are falling to pieces and they have to act fast. Katelyn realizes that... They can't save their families. If he dies now for his transgressions then they'll never have a chance to get them out. Zane will tighten his chokehold on that which they love most.

She has to save herself. And maybe save him. Or at least find out what he was saving. Katelyn reads the official report and any testimonial she's able to get her hands on. They aren't allowed to see each other, obviously, but she's pouring over any detail she can get. And it all comes back to one name. Aphmau.

This strange woman Zane keeps mentioning, this paradoxical lord who keeps sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Her name is never in any of his testimonies, but Zane fills in the blanks of the story with her name. He knows. And Katelyn honestly believes him. From what she's heard it would make total sense for Aphmau to be the reason for the apparent "slip in judgement". From everything Katelyn heard... She sounded a lot like his late wife.

Katelyn has to know more. And that leads her to Phoenix Drop under some guise of "investigation" as if it was possible he didn't do the right thing for once. And we know the story from there... Meaning there's one more--

Jeffory The Golden Heart

GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS THIS IS MY FAVORITE MCD CHARACTER YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND

There's one important thing to know about Jeffory. Out of everyone in the Jury who had the potential to even think about backstabbing Zane, Jeffory was the one who the would-be ruler of Ru'aun was most scared of. Not because Jeffory was the strongest, or because he had a greater threat to his collateral, or even because he had the strongest grudge against Zane. Because Jeffory came to Zane with a title.

In canon MCD we're told that Jeffory's name comes from his Golden Glaive, but let's be real, we know why he was called that. Because Jeffory is golden hearted in and out. He's so kind it hurts, he's so god damn nice it's fucking annoying, this man is infuriatingly patient and compassionate. Jeffory had the name Golden Heart attached to him from childhood, first a compliment he was given when he saved an injured bird and fixed its wing. The golden songbird sang along with him, and his mother remarked that Jeffory's heart was as gold as it's feathers.

As Jeffory grew up his kindhearted nature never changed, only improved. He learned to become a guard because he wanted to protect those who could not protect themselves. He was trained by a local blacksmith and one of the guards who sparred with him sometimes, but he was largely self taught. His mother was a baker and his father was a tailor, they had no idea how to train a guard.

But Jeffory was determined. He felt a sense of obligation, not to anyone else, but to himself. To this inherently kind heart he was apparently born with. Jeffory knows he can be a great warrior, and he knows there are lives he'll be able to save if he's given the chance. Eventually he felt good enough to go to the Academy.

All and all, Jeffory had a very basic academy experience. He didn't stand out from the crowd too much, but there's no shame in being in the middle of the pack. He gained some flack and some respect for his unending chivalry on the battlefield, often being the best sport after a match which did piss some people off, but he never let it get to him.

The other reason Jeffory was called Golden Heart was because after enough people attributed it to him, his father brought it to reality. Any piece of clothing made by Jeffory's father had a small golden heart embroidered in. Sometimes it was over his chest, where his real heart would be, other times it was sewn in where nobody could see it, and even made him one coat where the buttons were all small golden hearts. It was in the Academy that this became a pattern people outside of the small village he grew up in picked up on. People called him Golden Heart like it was a call sign, and he often responded to it.

It wasn't lost on Academy staff how much it sounded like a Jury members title, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. Jeffory didn't even qualify for the Jury list, there really wasn't any worry. He finished his time and got assigned to work in O'Khasis. While he would dearly miss his parents, Jeffory was more than excited to explore Ru'aun more and work somewhere new.

Two weeks into his job in O'Khasis and Jeffory met the most beautiful woman he had seen in his life working the graveyard shift in the shadiest tavern known to man. This shitty bar does not deserve to have the goddess that is Grace working it, none of the patrons treat her well, and most of them are blackout drunk anyways. Jeffory stops in to get a drink before changing shifts, and while he greatly resents the bar that treated her so poorly, he's so glad he went into that bar that night.

Grace is more than delighted to have a patron who's not only sober when they come in, but comes in with a smile and likes talking to her instead of ordering her around. Even if it's only 15 minutes, she is properly flattered by Jeffory's natural charm and well meaning nature. He tips her well, and even tells her where he'll be patrolling if she ever needs help with anything. He doesn't expect anything to come of this, but he's still hopeful that something will.

And boy howdy does it. A few weeks later Grace finds Jeffory on his shift and brings him a little care basket with some booze she snuck out of the bar, some bread she baked, and assorted fruits and snacks she could fill it with. He's almost always patrolling the area around her bar and since he showed up the amount of issues she's had have gone down significantly. Whatever he's doing to keep the streets clean is working and she wants to show that appreciation.

This very quickly turns into Jeffory taking her on a picnic date at the top of one of the watch towers where they can watch the sunset together. Because of course it does. And both of them agree that they want this to be the first of a potential many dates with one another. Needless to say dates of this manner continue for some time, and eventually the two fall fully and foolishly in love.

This pushes Jeffory to decide to fully move away from his childhood home and into O'Khasis with Grace. From there the two only become more infatuated with one another, like I cannot enforce how much these two adore each other. Jeffory was ready to propose to her on the second date and he's amazed that they made it to three years of being together without him cracking.

The straw that made him break was actually rather simple. It all took place in one conversation he had with Grace when she came home from a visit to the local cleric.

"What's the news?"

"...I'm pregnant."

"Will you marry me?"

And like that, Jeffory was living the life of his dreams. Jeffory has always been a very family oriented person, always trying to make his parents proud, valuing them and the collective family of his village, and he always had dreams of finding The One and settling down, and now he had that. He and Grace married shortly after he proposed, so she could wear a more traditional wedding dress with minimal modification.

The following months with Grace were the happiest times in Jeffory's life with very little competition. He loves taking care of his wife, he loves spoiling her, and he loves spending time with her. One minor problem. They're kind of broke. Their incomes were enough for them to live low cost together, but they don't make enough to account for all the expenses of a baby.

So when Grace is 5 months pregnant, Jeffory reapplies to the Academy with the express purpose of being made a member of the Jury of Nine. The training should take three months, meaning he'll be back in time for his child to be born. And this time he's taken advice given to him on a whim by a fellow member of the Jury. He had one chance encounter with Ivy on a patrol, and she gave him an odd piece of unsolicited advice.

"Word to the wise, you've got skill, but it's wasted on a sword. Try to broaden your horizons."

With this in mind Jeffory goes in and trains in using polearms, a spear, and eventually he finds a real fancy for a glaive, It's a weapon that's hard to use in training situations against other cadets, but when Jeffory shows what he can do with the weapon against the training dummies, it's impressive. He always wants to protect as many people as possible, a far reaching weapon is effective at this goal and gets attention. Zane wanted the Jury to be an assortment of fighters with a variety of skills, able to take on different jobs and cover up each others weak points.

Jeffory was the only part of this crop of cadets that ever really caught Zane's attention. There's just one issue he can't let go of. When he see's Jeffory's name on the list, next to it is written "Golden Heart." One of the academy directors explains the origin of his nickname, and how fitting it would be if he were a member of the Jury. Zane despises the idea of Jeffory having a title given to him by anyone else, but the seat is empty and he needs to fill it.

So he approaches Jeffory. Jeffory is as friendly to Zane as he is to anyone else, and only kind of sucks up to him the entire conversation. His natural charm doesn't work on a pessimistic Zane, but he can't argue with the numbers. Jeffory was the best member of this crop of candiates, even if he'd failed before. He'd be a fool not to offer it, and Jeffory would be a fool not to take the offer.

It's the day after Jeffory has agreed to join the Jury that he gets the news. As he's packing his belongings and getting ready for the journey back to O'Khasis, he gets a rather frantically delivered letter, sealed and signed by the cleric Grace had spoken to before. There isn't anything that can prepare Jeffory for the contents of that letter.

He has a beautiful, healthy, breathing daughter. In the process he lost his beautiful, snarky, fantastic wife. He's lost everything and gained everything as well. And he wasn't there for any of it. His daughter breathed her first breath and his wife breather her last and he wasn't there. Nothing else matters.

Jeffory doesn't say goodbye to any potential friend or would be pupil, he doesn't even look Zane in the eye as he passes. He just leaves, goes home to O'Khasis, unable to really speak to anyone. It's the first time in his life he's been this quiet for this long. The entire ride home is just... Quiet. He thinks of Grace in the silence, of her voice, her songs, the music she taught Jeffory, her laughter, her sobbing, any sound she could make that he ever took for granted bombards Jeffory's mind in the silence.

When he reaches home something else fills it. The sound of someone new. Her crying, her screaming, her laughing, her babbling, suddenly there's a new and beautiful life in Jeffory's arms and he's never felt happier in his life. From the moment he laid eyes on her Abby is the greatest treasure of his entire life. Jeffory's daughter is everything to him.

There's a bitter sweet grace period. A time where Jeffory has to start going through all of Grace's things, figuring out what to keep for himself, what to keep for Abby, and what to send back home to her parents. A time where he can adjust to being a father and the challenges of raising a newborn he is not even close to fit to raise. It doesn't last for very long, but Jeffory remembers it as the last time he ever felt peaceful.

Then Zane comes home. And with him comes Jeffory's previously unaddressed Jury summon. There's not any doubt in his mind that he wants to take this job to provide for Abby, but he actually initiates negotiations with Zane to ensure that he'll have time to care for her, and someone equipped to care for her if he isn't present. Zane showed up at his home ready to intimidate and possibly threaten the life of this child and Jeffory's suddenly trying to get proper sick leave and setting up Bring Your Daughter To Work days.

Once again Jeffory displays something that Zane is less than fond of. Jeffory's forward way of thinking, the way that he sees the world in spite of the way that it is and then takes the world into his own hands to get it if he has to... It's unsettling to someone trying to maintain power and control for his own ends. Suddenly Jeffory's a liability but Zane can't get rid of him. He needs Jeffory, needs one of the many empty seats his father left him to be filled, needs someone with his skills and charisma on his side, but he can never trust Jeffory the Golden Heart.

Zane begrudgingly agrees to Jeffory's request, arranging for him and Abby to stay in a smaller homestead near the Ro'Meave Estate, and Zane will make arrangements for Abby to have a caretaker that will care for Abby when he's away. (Don't ask me for details about the caretaker cause then they'll just turn into an OC mid post). Once they're moved, Jeffory does as he agreed.

He serves Zane Ro'Meave. Why wouldn't he? Sure, Zane's a little off-putting, but he's still learning to rule, still learning how to do things. Jeffory sees Zane for the child wearing adults clothing that he is and forgives any perceived shortcomings because of this. He can tell Zane is calculated, but he hasn't wrapped his head around just how calculated Zane is, how many steps ahead he's thinking, and how far he's willing to go for his own ends.

There's just. One problem. Jeffory was the first and Katelyn was the second member of the Jury to come in with previous attachments. Before Zane mostly found people with no attachments, or who were already attached to him and his family. Jeffory was his first taste, and it was not a good one. Jeffory's sincere nature meant Zane couldn't ask him to do messier jobs that he would be best suited for because well, if anyone would tell him "I'm not gonna do that" it would be Jeffory.

And if Jeffory gets away with doing that, if he gets treated differently just because he has the audacity to call Zane cruel, then he won't be the last. Zane cannot let this become a problem. And Zane is rather efficient at killing two birds with one stone. The day after Katelyn and Jeffory first became acquainted, Zane tells Jeffory the unfortunate truth. He needs Jeffory to do a... Less than ideal job.

Kill the last of a resistance group fighting against O'Khasis' forced annexation of their village. Ivy has done a good job of cutting down their numbers, but Zane wants Jeffory to lure them into false peace talks so they lower their guard, and she can do the finishing blow. Jeffory, obviously, says there's no way he's doing that. He'll kill to protect himself or others, but this resistance group hasn't hurt anyone other than Ivy, who has been actively killing them and their friends.

That's when Zane shows how far he's willing to go. Normally Zane speaks in a more... Vaguely threatening manner. He doesn't like to say things outright if he can avoid it, plausible deniability is a powerful tool. When it comes to someone like Jeffory, he knows he can't mince words.

"Kill this resistance, or I kill your daughter. It's that simple."

Zane only has to make this threat once. He never has to say those words again because once was enough to burn into Jeffory's memories. Zane said it with such confidence, such conviction, there's no way it was an empty threat. It puts Jeffory in a... Really bad position. His immediate temptation is to run to Abby, but he doesn't know if he can face her right now. He doesn't know if he can even face himself, come to terms with the innocent lives he is considering taking just to keep her alive.

Jeffory takes a rather aimless walk through the Estate, mostly mulling over Zane's threat and his predicament, and coming to no conclusion on it. Until he's in the garden. He hears the muffled sobbing of a woman in distress, and finds Katelyn the Firefist, curled up and crying against the vine covered pillar. No doubt suffering from a similar family related dilemma thanks to their shared employer.

Jeffory didn't know Katelyn at all. This was the second time he'd seen her, and she made it clear to him that her vulnerability was a rareness he should consider himself lucky to have survived seeing. But her vulnerability is the only reason either one of them open up to the other about their struggles. What started as a hushed conversation trying to relieve some stress turned into them being trusted confidants that either one could go to.

Zane attempted to cut them off from sentimentality, from sincerity, from the things that make them human so they'd be willing to do anything for him. He inadvertently caused his own destruction through this, bringing together two people who could have had a barely passable coworker friendship and instead making them the only people who they can trust. As always Zane's attempt to keep people down only makes them all the better at fighting him.

Jeffory isn't proud of the man he becomes. But every day that he returns home to Abby it doesn't matter. Every night he gets to spend with her by the fire makes all of the blood shed worth it. Zane is careful to space out when he gives Jeffory less than pretty jobs, so they don't happen often. Yet they still haunt him as he's cooking breakfast for her. He just has to remind himself that it's all for her. One day he and Katelyn are going to get out of this together, they're going to get her family, get Abby, and run away together.

When he puts it like that it almost sounds romantic. And the romanticism of the situation is not lost on him, he's been flirting with Katelyn since the first time they talked. He considers bringing up the elephant in the room, but never follows through, mostly because he struggles to tell if it's reciprocated. Katelyn is frustratingly good at hiding her emotions, even if Jeffory is equally good at tearing down her mental walls.

There was one time he almost said the quiet part out loud by accident. When Katelyn met Abby. Abby was about 3 years old at this point, and Katelyn came to Jeffory's house planning on just picking up something for Zane. But the caretaker is gone and she opens the door to find Jeffory sitting at the table teaching his daughter to read. He doesn't shoo her away, he invites her in and introduces the two to each other.

The rest of the day is a delight as Katelyn teaches Abby anything she can ask a question about, plays with her the entire day, and acts like the mother Abby truly needed. Seeing Katelyn interacting with Abby makes Jeffory want to confess his love to her. He doesn't, but Irene help him he desperately wants to. But he can't. Saying that would be putting another target in both of their backs, and it would just complicate things more. Get out of hell first, then fall in love once you're out of the fire.

And just before they're ready to make a break for it, Katelyn falls ill. Jeffory keeps her housed in his room and has Abby's caretaker look after her while he handles her job. Katelyn insists that it's fine, not because she can do this sick, but because she doesn't trust Jeffory to do this and she makes that clear to him. But she's too weak to even get up and stop him from taking this job. He promises to return home to her soon.

He never does.

[jpdrawsalot]

Laurance and Garroth deserved better imo. Also finally saw Rebirth and well, this is my takeaway concerning the Jury of Nine lol

[garrothromeave]

gonna post this here for now. mcd edition (if you have questions i will gladly answer)

(based on tarot cards ofc)

Aphmau - The Fool

Garroth - The Hanged Man

Laurance - The Tower

Zane - The Chariot

Katelyn - Strength

Vylad - The Hermit

Dante - The Moon

KC - The Sun

Zoey - The Star

Travis - Temperance

Emmalyn - The High Priestess

Donna & Logan - The Lovers

Cadenza - The Empress

Levin - The Hierophant

Malachi - The Wheel of Fortune

Aaron - Justice

Lucinda - The Magician

Jeffory - The Emperor

Irene - Judgement

Shad - The Devil

Judgement (Mystreet Shad) - Death

[silverjurors]

Rating Jury of Nine members based on how physically strong I think they are (my opinion):

1. Janus. They are OP. Like, could kill you without even trying level of strong. He's too powerful for this world that's why jesson killed them off before we even got to meet them in the og diaries

2. Ivy. It's heavily implied she killed Janus whilst in her prime. Also, she has canonically killed Shadow Knights. Only died because Raven attacked her from behind. Arguably the Juror that got to be evil and alive for the longest amount of time (if you don't count Zane). Good for her, they hate to see a girlboss winning

3. Katelyn. Based on pure vibes alone. She's buff, she's glorious, she could kill you but she's morally complex and probably won't <3

4. Lillian. I love her don't get me wrong, I just also think she doesn't rank higher than Katelyn (Katelyn did take her out in the Irene dimension). But I say she's stronger than Ivan because he primarily relies on magicks and psychological torment to win imo

5. Jeffory. He's awesome but he got killed by Zane. ZANE. I cannot rank him higher out of good conscience. However, I will say that if magical and tactical abilities were counted on this list then he'd be higher. You died before your time rip king you will be missed

6. Ivan. Previously explained. Too magicks oriented for me to rank him higher. He's a Mage he has two hit points.

7. Unknown person.

8. Unknown person.

9. Zane. I know he's canonically strong enough to fight Garroth, but consider. No. He doesn't NEED to be strong, he has people to kill FOR him.

(Yes I count Zane he's a Juror shut up)

[duin-i-guess]

Its that day.

I don't have much to say, its valentine's day I guess.

So I'll just put some ships I like, you've already seen some but whatever.

:Aaron x Jeffory, because obviously:

:Kacey x Vylad, It just makes sense to me:

:mcd Dante x Nana, i'm a sucker for blue and pink being together, I also find the ship Wholesome:

:Ein x Blaze, purely from mini games and Angelsville:

:Table x everyone, because:

:mcd Brendan x Laurance, cuz I want it to be less of a joke ship now:

[pack-coven-thing]

I love how diverse ships in this fandom are and I love being able to enjoy them all either within our own rewrite context or other people's contexts <33

[mcdgarroth]

Minecraft Diaries Focus Questions

Please respond within 150-500 words and reply to at least two of your peers (jk)

These are some questions I have about people’s opinions/predictions/interpretations that I’m really curious about!! Feel free to answer only one, a few, or all if that’s what you want, and answer in any way (reblog, reply, in the tags)

1. Do you think Laurance would have survived till the end of the series? What do you think his fate would have been if Jess continued? What would you want his fate to be?

2. Do you think Zane is Leona’s father? Would you think it’s a good plot point if he was?

3. Was Irene a good person? Do you think she was justified with her actions?

4. Do you think Shad is as evil as he is believed to be in the series? Do you think he is justified?

5. Do you think the Divine Warriors are gods or just humans with godlike powers? Are they humans who become gods?

6. Do you think Gene would have been redeemed if Jess continued? Would Dante forgive him? Would he forgive Dante? What do you think his fate would have been?

7. Is Zane capable of redemption in some way in your eyes? What do you think his fate would have been?

8. What characters do you think is the relic holder of each Divine Warrior, apart from the known ones? Would you have a different arrangement?

9. Was it a good idea to connect Mystreet and MCD together? Would you have preferred if they stayed separate universes?

10. Why do you think Zenix betrayed Phoenix Drop, was it the Calling? What would Zenix’s fate have been, and what would you have liked it to be? What do you think Garroth and his reunion would have been like?

11. Do you think Jeffory would have come back as a Shadow Knight at some point? Would you have liked it if he did?

12. What do you think would happen to the Shadow Knights after Shad is defeated? Would there be a difference between those that are immortal and those that aren’t?

13. What non-canon ship would you have loved to see, no matter how outlandish or obscure the character(s) are?

14. Is there any major character(s) that you feel is unnecessary to the plot? Is there any minor character(s) that you feel should have played a bigger role?

15. What do you think of the relationships between the Ro’meave brothers? What dynamic would you have liked to see between Vylad and Zane?

16. Do you think Garte is alive? What would you like his fate to be?

17. Do you think Kenmur’s death was a good plot point? Would you have preferred if he stayed alive?

18. What do you think of the personality changes from MCD to Mystreet?

19. They mention Cadenza has magicks that relates to the Nether portals but never really utilize this. What do you wish they had done with this information?

20. Many people have well established rewrites for MCD. Because of this, would you still want Jess to continue MCD, even though it will most likely go in a direction we wouldn’t like? For example, she would most likely focus more on the relationship between Aaron and Aphmau in her rewrite. Would this still be something worth seeing or have you grown content with the unfinished series?

Thank you so much to anyone who answers!

Edit: my dumb butt mixed up the numbering and had put 11 twice lol. I fixed it by combining the Zenix questions together, so I’m sorry if question 10 is very wordy :)

[lucindaspartnerrealandtrue]

Hi. Does anyone remember/did anyone read that one fic on Ao3 where Jeffory actually arrests Aphmau in Pikoro and brings her to O'Kasis? And like. She ends up marrying Zane. And she becames friends with Jeffory and Katelyn. And the boys get arrested as well for trying to disturb the wedding.I do not think it was supposed to be Zanemau as in. Romance. If I remember correctly(hopefully. But i really am sure it wasn't the case) It was. Idk. Ig a what if scenario? Anyway. I remember really loving the fic, but I don't think it was ever finished? Anyway.

My main question is, does anyone remember the title and/or author? I can't really find it anymore in the tags( it might just be me because I haven't entirely got the grasp on how to use the tags just yet, but like. If anyone knows the tilte and/or author, please share that information with me too, I'd really appreciate it).

That fic is actually one of the reasons I ended up loving Jeffory so much, and why I ended up making a whole narrative where he's alive.

And thank you to anyone who read this in general <3

[lovelaurs]

Can we get some Katelyn and Jeffory domestic fluff in MCD? Maybe Jeffory taking care of Katelyn while she's sick right before he takes her job in Pikoro?

ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU

pairing : mcd katelyn & jeffory synopsis : katelyn falls ill while watching over pikoro and jeffory is sent to take over her job. but of course, the golden heart himself went straight to katelyn's quarters to take care of her first. tags : sick fic, domestic, fluff, platonic, slight romantic tension (if you squint) word count : 717 a/n : since there was no x between the names, i took this as more of a platonic request, but just in case i sprinkled a little tension at the end just for sillies! i hope you enjoy!

MASTERLIST

Katelyn couldn’t help that she felt awful.

Really, she couldn’t.

Her muscles felt heavy against the plush mattress provided by O’Khasis, unable to move around much due to the pounding sensation that rang through her head. 

Her body ran hot; sweating profusely through each sheet. And yet, every time she would rip the blanket off of her, chills would run down her arms and she’d have to cover herself once more.

Honestly, she just couldn’t win with this.

Out of nowhere while patrolling Pikoro, she fell ill, having to resign to her quarters until a replacement Jury member arrived.

Luckily enough, the only Jury member close enough to take her place was Jeffory, The Golden Heart.

Oh, Jeffory.

She had been ecstatic (or as ecstatic as a sick person could be) at his arrival. Yes, he ran straight to Katelyn’s quarters without question once he heard of her falling ill. 

The man truly had his priorities straight, as friends and family would always come first before his job.

He opened the door to Katelyn’s room quietly, not knowing if she was asleep or not. Jeffory closed the door silently with his boot as he held hot broth with a spoon in his hands.

He set them down on the nightstand beside her bed, before turning to pull up a chair besides her.

“You don’t have to be so quiet. You know I’m awake, right?”

Jeffory sighed, pulling along a chair to the side of her bed. “Of course it’s like you to not get proper rest while sick.” He chuckled, motioning for her to lean forward so she could eat. “I was so sure you had finally given in, but alas… Katelyn The Fire Fist is stronger than that, eh?”

Katelyn set herself upward, playfully punching Jeffory on the shoulder. “You know, if I wasn’t so incapacitated by this fever, I’d totally send you hurtling towards several hay stacks.” 

“I seriously doubt that.” Jeffory sang, lifting up the bowl of soup with one hand and the spoon in the other. “Now say, ‘ahhh’.”

He motioned the spoon towards her mouth, while Katelyn frowned and furrowed her brows. “You’re joking.”

He giggled at the sight. “Come on, just eat the soup! It’ll help you get better, you know!” 

Katelyn swiped away the bowl and spoon, beginning to sip on the broth herself. “I know that, genius. I’d just prefer it if you would let me eat on my own.”

After a few tiny sips, and then a bunch of large gulps, Katelyn had drained the bowl of its contents within a few moments. After handing the bowl back to Jeffory; who set it aside, Katelyn quickly fell back down onto her pillow with a sigh.

“Everything is so hot and cold… I’m dying over here!” She groaned, closing her eyes.

With that, Jeffory got up and left the room– leaving behind a very confused Katelyn.

He soon returned with a wet cloth in hand, smiling. “What? Did you really think I was going to abandon you so soon?”

Katelyn chuckled, snuggling into the blanket more. “I wish.”

Jeffory placed the wet cloth on her head, causing her to exhale softly at the cool damp cloth.

This was exactly what she needed.

As soon as he saw the satisfied smile on her face, he stood up and pushed the chair against the wall, ready to head out.

“Oh so now you’re leaving?”

“It seems like my job here is done, Ms. Fire Fist.” He grinned. “Besides, I have to take on your job, remember? I don’t want them to question my loyalty to Zane, after all.”

Katelyn groaned at that name. “That damn heir brat…” She looked over to see Jeffory snickering at the comment.

After coughing to clear his throat from laughter, he paced over to the door, opening it. “We have to do what we must, Katelyn. I hope to see you better soon.”

His eyes lingered on her form for only a moment, a feeling of comfort washing upon him as he looked upon her, before finally turning to walk out of the room.

“Hey, Jeffory!” Katelyn called out to him.

He turned back around from the doorway. “Yeah?”

“Good luck out there! You’re going to need it!’

Looks like she’ll be better in no time.

@lovelaurs, 2024. do not repost this work in any way!

[aphverse-confessions]

You know the song "Out for love" from hazbin hotel?

can anyone else see mcd jeffory and aphmau having such a talk

.

[xerith-42]

Redesign the Nine

[This post is very long. Just a heads up.]

I'm a member of the Jury of Redesign, proud member of fleshing out previously left to rot or forgotten content. It's a hobby. A passion. I have and will continue to go into entire novellas to describe the inter personal relationships of characters we know next to nothing about, but what about characters we know literally nothing about?

We know only 6 members of the total 9 that belong to the Jury. Technically seven if you include Garroth, but that last for like twelve seconds, that doesn't count. And one of them is only made known as a member in Rebirth (which I really like and I like Rebirth). That means there's three entire characters just waiting to happen! How have I never thought of this before?!

This idea really struck me when I was looking at the Jo9 wiki page and saw this comment

The rest of the comment goes on to their whole theory about Ein killing Blaze, but I am mostly against the idea of killing Blaze because nobody ever gives it enough story significance, weight, and meaning. Only I get to kill Blaze, you all lost your privileges.

That's not what's important though. What's important is that I actually love Teony and Ein. I think they're some of the most wasted Aphverse characters, and that's saying something considering how I literally never shut up about Blaze. So let's flesh them out in a... different setting.

Teony

I imagine Teony being in a very similar situation to Katelyn and Jeffory. She has someone she deeply cares about that Zane knows about and is threatening to put in danger. For Jeffory and Katelyn, it was family. For Teony, it's similar, but just a slight flavor different. A gay flavor different.

Teony belongs to a high ranking noble family in O'Khasis, like one step below the Ro'meave family. Originally the plan was for her to be married off to one of the Ro'meave heirs (probably Zane), but then she did something weird. She uhh... She started training to be a guard. And got strong enough fast enough that nobody could really stop her because Teony would just challenge them to a round of armed combat about it despite being literally 12.

So she was allowed to go to guard academy and go through full training. She was never going to be a lord, and she could still easily join the Jury and serve the same purpose with less arranged marriage. Also if they tried to arrange Teony into a marriage she might just pull a sword on them about it. She learned very quickly that her parents wouldn't be allowed to abuse or control her if they feared her. Caused a different kind of trauma compared to the other children of nobles.

And then she found out she was gay. While she was at the academy the person who was writing the Jury recruitment list was the newest member of the Jury herself; Ivy the Venom Scythe. Teony fell in unending sapphic love from first sight. Even if she had become wise to her parents controlling nature in search of power, she still respected and revered the Ro'meave family, and the Jury of Nine. She was set up for it, and she wanted that. And now that she was finally experiencing love for a member of the Jury of Nine.

As always, things in Teony's life were set up for perfection. And she was such an overachiever, are you kidding me? Top ranks in all her classes even though she didn't need to. She would half ass it sometimes and still get the highest scores on every test. When she put her all into something, there wasn't any competition. She was just showing off for Ivy, and she did not hide that in the slightest. Ivy was fully aware that Teony was not only showing off, she knew that Teony was in love, or at least lust with her. Teony is not subtle at all, it's just not a concept to her yet.

On the last day of her training at the academy, Zane Ro'meave himself shows up. I imagine Zane and Teony were almost sort of childhood friends. Zane didn't really like having friends, but he and Teony were personable and able to get along when they were forced to spend time together by their parents. He has a sort of fondness for Teony in a "I'll see where you're going with this" sense. He's heard how passionate she is about fighting and being a guard. And he knows it's not for a violent sake, but because of that nobility that is her bloodline and the baseline of her identity as a person.

She may be overzealous, she may be a know-it-all, she may be a show-off, but Teony always fights with honor. She always showers her classmates a great amount of dignity and respect when they fight her. To her combat is an art form, one that she takes very seriously. She won't attack unless provoked, and more often than not will just skip the talking it out phase and just jump to the dueling stage because that's the part she understands best.

She's autistic. That's what I'm saying. Teony is an autistic lesbian. Look at her go! However, Zane is terrible and evil and so is Ivy. When telling him the candidates, he brings up that Teony is a no brainier. Which is when Ivy tells him that Teony is in love with her and was fighting to earn her attention. She willingly threw away some of her nobility in the name of love. Which means she can do it again if provoked to.

What better way to provoke her than to give it to her and then threaten to take it away? Zane and Ivy literally manipulate Teony, putting her on the Jury, assigning her to work with Ivy, and Ivy starts actively feeding into it in a rather coy way just to drag her along. And right when Teony is ready to fess up, her parents show up at the Ro'meave manner. Teony remembers what they expect of her. That they don't know the truth about her.

She knows beyond a shadow of a doubt they'd disown her. Jury members aren't supposed to have family anyway. For a minute she thinks about outing herself to sever her ties. But then she learns that her mother is pregnant again. She... She has a little sister on the way. And if she cuts ties with her family now, she'll never get to meet her. She doesn't know Zane invited them at first, but when he talks to her later, she pieces it all together.

Zane says he'll let her family live, even let them be known as her family if she wants, but she isn't allowed to be with Ivy in any non-professional manner. Otherwise she'll give herself away, and while he doesn't exactly threaten it, Zane makes it very clear he will out Teony to her parents if she doesn't do as he orders from now until the end of time. It's then that Teony realizes she's trapped. She went from one gilded cage to another.

Until it got to be too much for her. Remember how Jeffory was apparently on the Demon Warlock Island in Gal'ruk? And it was literally never explained. What if he was there to find her? What if it became too much for Teony after meeting her sister, and she ran away? Zane doesn't know what happened when Teony met with her younger sister, but it was enough to shake her that she barely responded to Zane's taunting when she returned. And then she left that night.

Jeffory was sent to follow her trail. And he actually found her before she managed to break the Demon Warlocks curse. On a completely different continent, no guard escorts, and no way that Zane can hear them, they talk openly. They confide in one another. And they work together, as friends, to break the curse and get themselves back home. Teony moves to a different island in Gal'ruk, and tells Jeffory to give Ivy a letter the next time he sees her.

And he's not allowed to let it leave his hands unless it's Ivy taking it. No messengers. No leaving it somewhere she'll find it. Jeffory never learned the contents of that letter, but he did manage to deliver it to Ivy. Only she and Teony knows what's contained in those pages.

(Final note, idk what her funny anime villain name or her weapons would be. I would love council/jury/anyone to give input here. Same for the next member)

Ein

Ein being a big heroic softie is the best thing ever to me you don't understand.

Much like the doll anon, this anon changed my life. I love this idea so much. Listen, I like unrelentingly evil characters, just look at Zane. But that's the thing. Zane's already there. And so is Janus. And Ivy. And probably Lilian. And another character I've yet to get to. And even more characters when we get out of the Jury. We need more innocence that becomes corrupted in the Jury, everyone likes being evil too much.

So I want to make Ein a big ol' softie. He grew up in the Brightport Wolf Tribe with his best friend eventually turned lover Blaze. They mostly stayed within the confines of their tribe, which was small, but spacious enough for two wolf children prone to rough housing to get their energy sufficiently out. It was only when they were older that they started waking up to the... less than ideal circumstances of their relationship.

After being friends and being incredibly close and physically affectionate, when the two started thinking about mating and all that dumb romantic nonsense, it just made sense that they would be with each other in that way too. It's how they got through everything else in life. It was at the ruiner and creator of gay romances, that Irene forsaken Guard Academy that things got... worse.

Because Ein is definitely a very well rounded fighter. He's decently studious, wanting to keep up on speaking both the werewolf language and the more common language, and making sure that Blaze does the same. But Blaze finds these things to be dreadfully boring and doesn't put in more effort than Ein makes him. This is fine when they were kids and their plans weren't more ambitious than protecting their tribe. But their Alpha wanted to see if humans and werewolves could truly get along.

If anyone could prove that werewolves are just as human as they are, it would be these two dorks. But uhh, people are racist. And homophobic. So it doesn't go great. Couple that with the fact that the academy prioritizes individual excellence over collective greatness and suddenly things are just doomed to go wrong for these two. Ein naturally excels, and Blaze who's used to having someone to rely on starts falling behind without the consistent support system.

That was his emotional support nerdy jack of all trades boyfriend! How could you take that away from him? And Ein is stripped of his absolutely pure of heart dumb of ass boyfriend. They don't even get to stay in the same bunks as each other, and barely have any classes together. It's just awful. But Ein finds... something else. After doing particualrly well on a certain test, one of the teachers pulls him aside and tells Ein he might be able to qualify for the Jury of Nine position. Or at least be their bench warmer.

Ein's ambitions in life never went too far beyond the borders of their childhood home. He was the one who always pressured Blaze into going further than they were allowed, but Blaze was easily convinced anyways. But Ein was always an ambitious person. He just didn't know enough about the world to realize them. The highest he'd ever gone was thinking "Wow, it'd be cool to be the Alpha." And like that's it.

Suddenly he's told that if he somehow gets better than he already is he could hold one of the highest positions in the entire fucking continent. It's a no brainier. He has to go for it. He doesn't realize it means he's only being further isolated, pulled away from his few meet ups with Blaze to study, to practice, to do something that only a top student does and a near drop out student doesn't.

In fact the last time they see each other is, like with Teony, the day before the Jury posting for their class. Ein is sure he's on that list. Maybe not the top spot, but defiantly in the top five. Just as he's about to go introduce himself to Zane Ro'meave, try and make a good impression to sweeten his chances, he gets intercepted by Blaze.

Who just hands him a letter. And he whispers a single word under his breath as he's leaving; "Goodbye."

Ein reads the letter immediately, heartbroken to read that Blaze flunked out and is going back home without him. Blaze says he's proud of Ein for being able to go so far, and hopes he gets on the Jury. Ein knows he's lying. He tries to chase after Blaze, to try and make it up to him, but then suddenly Zane's there. He's caught Ein in a dangerously vulnerable moment, and while Ein manages to recover, he never gets the chance to wipe the tears from his eyes.

He never learns what rank he got on the Jury list. Just that he was one of the two who were filling vacant seats from this class. It's painfully bitter sweet. It's everything Ein wanted, but he realized that he never made room for Blaze in these dreams of grandeur. He tried to help Blaze at first, but Blaze eventually rejected his offers. And Ein couldn't even blame him. He'd been ignoring and neglecting the most important relationship in his life. And if Ein keeps going down this path, he realizes he'll destroy it even more.

In spite of that, he accepts the invitation and starts working as a Jury member for Zane. One month into his stay at the Ro'meave Manor as Zane's personal body guard, Zane asks him an odd question. A name he's apparently heard Ein muttering to himself and in his sleep. "Blaze."

Ein tries to say it's nothing, just an old friend he was thinking of reaching out to. That's when Zane makes it clear that Ein has absolutely no control here. Because he saw what happened between them. He asks if this old friend happened to be the one that gave him "that love letter". Ein tries to find it where he keeps it tucked into his armor, but Zane is holding it. He knows everything. And he's known the entire time he's had Ein in the Jury. It was all a test of loyalty.

If he reaches out to Blaze, he will fail. And again, Zane doesn't directly state what the penalty is, but he makes it abundantly clear that it's death for both Ein and Blaze. Ein was always easiest controlled when he was isolated. After this he was only paired up with two members of the Jury Zane trusted enough. Lilian, and the last member of the Jury. We'll get to him in a second.

As a result, Ein desired but never sought freedom. He knew Blaze was capable of a great life, he had a future, and was probably going on incredible adventures without him. He never forgot where he came from, and who he accidentally left behind. When Zane and Lilian disappeared... Ein was set free. His leash was just dropped for the first time. Mr. Mysterious wasn't even there to pick it up.

And he ran straight home.

There's only one threat that's unknowingly standing in the way of Ein's happiness. And his name is

Zachary the Plague

Nobody knows where the title came from. They don't want to. Zachary is one of the oldest members, sometimes referred to as the "shadow member" of the Jury. He's rarely seen, and scarily little is known about him.

And that's because he doesn't directly work for Zane. Unlike the others, who were all put under Zane's command after the other Ro'meave heirs died, Zachary stayed under the command of Garte. He did work for Zane here and there, Garte didn't get out much and was content to leave it all to Zane. And Zachary took a liking to Ein when they met, and when he requested that Ein train under him for some time, Zane wasn't in a position to object.

The only people who would be able to give more insight into Zachary are Garte, Janus, and Ein. Garte won't talk. Ever. Zachary is his most trusted guard, and that is all anyone needs to know. Janus just says they respect Zachary. It says enough given what it's known that Janus values. Ein freezes when he hears the name. Even when he says it.

He's only told Blaze what he knows, and neither one will willingly give up this information. He's a quiet fear in the back of Ein's mind, but Zachary stayed with Garte. Even when Zane disappeared, he stayed with Garte. He was never relieved of his duties officially or unofficially. The reason he abandoned Ein is because Garte told him to. He always followed orders.

It's unknown where he or Garte are now.

[noble-guards]

Mcd Minor Character Tournament

I’ll be putting out new rounds (3-4 per day) every day (times will vary, sorry) and they’ll be put here 💪

Look for posts under the tag #mcd minor character tournament

1.Boss vs. Zack - Winner: Boss

2. Calku vs. Merida - Winner: Calku

3. Visher vs. Brendan - Winner: Brendan

4. Cloud vs. Roco - Winner: Cloud

5. Luca vs. Yip - Winner: Yip

6. Malachi vs. Cadenza - Winner: Cadenza

7. Malik vs. Paul - Winner: Malik

8. King of the Southeastern Wolf Tribe vs. Logan - Winner: Logan

9. Nuntis vs Kyle - Winner: Kyle

10. Issa vs. Matilda - Winner: Matilda

11. Boldof vs. Kaguhf - Winner: Boldof

12. Emmalyn vs. Mikai - Winner: Emmalyn

13. Lillian vs. Jeffory - Winner: Jeffory

14. Castor vs. Joh - Winner: Castor

15. John vs. Leona - Winner: Leona

16. Kiki vs. Vincent - Winner: Kiki

17. Ivan vs. Fenrir - Winner: Ivan

18. Zoey vs. Lello - Winner: Zoey

19. Aerith vs. Dmitri - Winner: Dmitri

20. Samos vs. Chad - Winner: Chad

21. Urla vs. Lilith Garnet - Winner: Lilith Garnet

22. Abby vs. Tahnavul - Winner: Abby

23. Zenix vs. Khira - Winner: Zenix

24. Dr. Bees vs. Kiva - Winner: Kiva

25. Dale vs. Louvel - Winner: Dale

26. Gale vs. Kalzul - Winner: Gale

27. Tala vs. Ungrth - Winner: Ungrth

28. Corey vs. Burt - Winner: Corey

29. Ylva vs. Tarnak - Winner: Ylva

30. Janus vs. Rollo - Winner: Janus

31. Hayden vs. Alina - Winner: Hayden

32. Isabel vs. Mino - Winner: Isabel

33. Maccon vs. Glenda - Winner: Glenda

34. Lowell vs. Liochant - Winner: Liochant

35. Molly vs. Brian - Winner: Molly

36. Alexis vs. Emma - Winner: Alexis

37. Azura vs. Ulrich - Winner: Azura

38. Dell vs. Dr. Doctor - Winner: Dr. Doctor

39. Ice Cream Sandwich Man vs. Rose - Winner: Sandwich Man

40. Hailey vs. Levin - Winner: Levin

41. Ulger vs. Amber - Winner: Amber

42: Lo vs. Kenmur - Winner: Kenmur

43. Gabriel vs. Phelan - Winner: Gabriel

44. Alpha of the Eastern Wolf Tribe vs. Raven - Winner: Raven

45. Balto vs. Nekoette - Winner: Nekoette

46. Thomas Yale vs. Oliver - Winner: Thomas

47. Barrett vs. Lily - Winner: Lily

48. Gaia vs. Kimberly & Sylvia - Winner: Kimberly and Sylvia

49. Lord Puu vs. Trall - Winner: Trall

50. Balder vs. Asmund - Winner: Asmund

51. Amethyst vs. James - Winner: Amethyst

52. Elder Wolf vs. Xavier - Tied, will be rerun

53. Gary vs. the Lord of Scaleswind - Winner: Gary

54. Lord Luke vs. Gavin - Winner: Luke

55. Tifa vs. Sota - Winner: Tifa

56. Jacob vs. Damian Yale - Winner: Damian

57. Lord Janna vs. Donna - Winner: Donna

[mcd-ms-rants]

We were robbed of jo9 content in mcd

We were robbed of jo9 content in ms

Basically we were robbed

[duin-i-guess]

He went to the tea party

[bi-travlyn]

Mcd season 2, episode 34, My Golden Friend is one of my favorites out of any mcd episode. The revelation that Jeffory went to Enki Island at some point? Katelyn finally having a breakdown about her worries about seeming weak and her grief over Jeffory? Aphmau reassuring Katelyn? Finding out that the Demon Warlock is Travis's father? So amazing and iconic.