#k-ro

[mania-motherofsouls]

Whumptober Day 1: Race Against The Clock

search party | panic attack | "if only we could hold on"

TW: vaguely described panic attack, thalassophobia maybe

The storm was the worst Kaula had seen since her uncle had brought her aboard his ship. The waves rolled beneath the ship, heaving it about like a child's toy. Voices hollered back and forth, but the wind stole the words the very second they were spoken. 

Kaula had only been on the ship for a few months. Not nearly long enough to be of any help with the rigging. The ship tossed and suddenly there was a figure at her back. She recognized Fishbait by his beard as he bent close to her ear.

“Get to the galley! Help Zoulo tie down-”

A wave crashed over the deck. Water surrounded Kaula, slamming into her with a force beyond any she’d felt before. Fishbait’s hand was torn away from her shoulder and she was swept over the edge. 

Kaula plunged into darkness, lungs far too empty and beginning to burn as she tried to orient herself. Her mind was spinning too fast for her to process anything. Up? Down? Too dark to tell. No sun anyway. Just needed a moment of stillness. Just one moment. Just- one- she flung out her hands and the gem on her wrist glowed.

The water stilled immediately. She was still getting pushed around, but the little bubble that she occupied was still.

Everything around her was dark. No clues which way was up, but her mind settled ever so slightly. Her chest burned with sour air and she had nothing to replace it with. Still, she released a thin stream and watched the bubbles. They drifted to her right. 

Desperate for air, she broke her little bubble of calm and twisted the water to her left, propelling herself up. She breached the surface with enough velocity to fling herself into the air before splashing back down. Just time enough to take a breath. 

Surfacing a second time, Kaula twisted herself around rapidly. Where was the ship?

A sob caught in her throat as the magnitude of the ocean hit her, another wave pushing her down. Stubbornly she fought her way back to the surface. She was alone in the middle of the ocean, a tiny life in an uncaring sea. She'd never be found. Who could possibly find one little body in the vast expanse of water? 

Her breaths came faster and faster. Faster than she could afford. She was only fourteen! She hadn't even done anything yet! That storyteller didn't know anything. Kaula, do something great? Fat chance of that, she was about to die! 

Tears streamed down her face, the heat of them the only indicator that they were anything other than sea water. Her vision blurred and she screamed curses into the sky. Got a mouthful of salt water for her troubles. How was she supposed to find the ship when she couldn't even see? 

A dull shine caught her eye and she lifted her arm out of the water. It blurred out of focus. Angrily she used her other hand to brush the water from her eyes, stirring up the sea underneath her just a little bit more to compensate for her lack of arms while treading water. The shine grew brighter. 

The gem she got from the storyteller so many years ago. The gem that let her manipulate the water. She didn’t tend to notice the glow in daylight, but in the storm…

Kaula swallowed, ignoring the salt scratching at her throat. She could use this. If she got higher maybe. Gritting her teeth against the wind and rain, she pulled the water up around her in a spout, holding herself high above the twisting, roiling waves. The gem glowed brighter and she thrust her wrist into the dark sky. Now, she just had to hold on. If only, she could hold on.

“MAN OVERBOARD!” Came the call and Roka felt the chill down to his gut. Fishbait was clinging to the side of the ship, one arm waving, sheets of rain garbling his words. “CAPTAIN- KAULA!”

His gut turned to stone as the cry went up around the ship. “Hard to starboard!”

Ruza, straining at the whipstaff shook his head. “That’ll capsize us, Captain!” 

Roka grit his teeth. Curse it all, the man was right. The ship pitched to and fro, cresting the waves and getting farther away from his niece with every dip and rise. He couldn’t stop, he couldn’t turn back. He was the captain of the ship and he couldn’t do a single thing for the girl he’d raised as his own daughter. 

“Please don’t take her,” he found himself praying. “I’ll do anything, penitence, anything, Lora, please don’t take her.” 

“Bring her about! I don’t care how long it takes, we’re going back!” 

Maybe his prayer was answered. The next wave that hit them slammed the rudder in the same direction Ruza was pulling it. The ship began it’s wide turn about, navigating through the waves as best it could. 

“All eyes not on the rigging, out at sea! We’re finding her! If it’s the last thing we do!”

For far too long, all that could be heard was the howling wind and the rain pounding into the boards. 

“Captain! There’s something out there! Starboard! Off the forecastle!”  

Ruza needed no direction to alter their heading. Roka ran forward, searching desperately for whatever it was Squinteye had seen. 

The ship pitched down and it was everything Roka could do to keep his footing, but he saw it. A light shining out in the storm, far higher than he’d expected. A column of water rose up from the sea, height untouched by the waves and at the top, perched Kaula, visible only from the waist up, but there, alive!

“Kaula!”

Her answering cry was lost to the storm, but the water funnel rushed toward them, slapping the hull and dissipating against it. Kaula dropped to the deck where K-ro grabbed her, unwilling to let her wash away again.

Roka couldn’t get there fast enough. K-ro cut the distance for him, jumping down the steps and handing off the teenager he was all but carrying to his captain. 

Kaula clung to him, sobbing. Maybe in different circumstances he’d chide her for it, but right now? He too had far too much rain in his eyes. 

Distantly, he heard Kopuno taking over orders. Good. That meant Roka could focus his attention where it deserved to be. Zoulo pulled them both into the galley, out of the rage of the storm. Kaula buried her face in his chest, and with his other responsibilities handled, Roka held her.

[cedric-k-rossignol]

[midnight-in-town]

"Humans really do change in the blink of an eye" (ch105) vs. "I feel as if you were born nary a moment ago" (ch151)

My guy UT really got emotional seeing his bby girl, huh...

[secretdadblog]

My daughter: *blissfully zoning out on the couch in a big t-shirt next to me*

Me: *gets hard while I think about pushing her into a mating press and shoving my cock into her*

Also me: It's cute when you do that. Get all sleepy. Careful though, someone might take advantage of you like that.

Daughter: If you can't trust your dad, who can you trust?

[ignotarts]

🤔

"Phantomhive Family"

[childrenofcain-if]

oh no, they’re not an RO but can be a fling option. you’ll definitely meet them again in all the routes to make the situations a little bit spicy 👀

#and by spicy i mean that punches are gonna be thrown #jealousy jealousy

Is Kyle a frat bro? I just find the idea of a frat bro (even one at Yale) being C’s love rival so funny, C would be so annoyed about it lmao.

lmao not you clocking them 😭 they’re not a frat bro/sorority sis yet, but it’s inevitable since they’re about to pledge soon 🫢

none of the ROs will be too happy about MC being involved with someone from the greek societies, especially C and M 💀

[manalltheseart]

OMG finally finished this. I was actually drawing this just for funsies but then the event came up so why not?

Happy 4th Anniversary with the game that pulled me into interactive fiction, made me brainrot so hard and froth at the mouth for such a well written and thought out story, @evertidings

The illustration without the text is below:

[sanguinesky-if]

Just wanted to share that I’ve done all the romances (I’ll specify the fem ones since Roderick and Rebecca have some differences and I’m uncertain if it’s something palpably obvious this early) and they all kind of occupy a different kind of soft spot, like I would replay multiple times to see where each goes. I’m pleasantly surprised by some of them, I usually play a very no nonsense stubborn type of mc, so I was expecting to not be able to stand R, and I found that wasn’t the case, and I actually kind of like that it feels like mc is uncovering reactions that R is learning about at the same time as them, it lends a flash of genuineness before it’s covered by something less sincere. Friends to lovers is also super hit or miss for me but I went with the obvious dynamic with L and I found I loved how pathetic (affectionate) mc and L could be for each other. I love that we can keep some ROs guessing, and the almost quiet confusion some ROs are feeling are 🤌. There is a certain RO that thinks they’re pulling a fast one on mc and I feel so torn between not giving into their expectations and teasing them.

I was pleasantly surprised by the jealousy scenes, how they felt significant but not controlling, which I was scared was going to happen. You’ve probably written my favorite jealousy scenes I’ve ever come across.

I will say that there is a scene that lives closest to my heart, and it’s when we get to just…hold a certain someone before we go to the most recent crime scene. There’s something to be said about being allowed to do that and not knowing the significance of such permission. Of quietly wrecking someone and being their solace as well.

But also I enjoyed that mc feels like a barometer for the plot line almost. Like how bad it’s going to get is going to be reflected in your plot and setting. I’m excited for the helplessness everyone is gonna feel about it.

(Also I love that mc has a sister thats ride or die, it hits close to home)

it feels like mc is uncovering reactions that R is learning about at the same time as them, it lends a flash of genuineness before it’s covered by something less sincere.

I think you're one of the rare kind of readers who can actually see past R's reactions by just a few small details present in certain sentences.

While it doesn't excuse R's behavior [or the reason behind it], I'm pleasantly surprised by the way you described it, especially considering how you usually play your character!

I found I loved how pathetic (affectionate) mc and L could be for each other

That's actually a pretty accurate description!

Writing everything related to L [and also to K], I understand how pathetic and childish their reactions and thoughts might seem.

At the same time, I find it realistic because people can act like that when genuine feelings are mixed with urgency and desperation: both of them know that sometimes it can be too late, but they're also too afraid of making things worse, which prevents them from thinking rationally.

The "I should have said that" or "I should have done that" that comes afterward is pretty relatable, too.

I was pleasantly surprised by the jealousy scenes, how they felt significant but not controlling, which I was scared was going to happen. You’ve probably written my favorite jealousy scenes I’ve ever come across.

I'm glad they feel balanced! Jealousy scenes involving secondary rivals are probably the ones I struggled with the most for the update.

But it was a great experience, and I hope it will help me with other jealousy scenes in future updates, hehe!

But also I enjoyed that mc feels like a barometer for the plot line almost.

It means a lot to read something like this because I believe it's a very important quality that any MC should have, as they are the connection through which the reader experiences the story.

I’m excited for the helplessness everyone is gonna feel about it.

I'm surprised to read something like this, because I understand how everything feels frustratingly helpless and hopeless right now.

However, putting the MC and the reader through this is an intentional decision, as I hope to make both the MC and the reader feel the desire to finally break free from the helplessness.

But before that, and along the road to that, everyone will suffer.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! I'm so glad you enjoyed all the routes and the story!

[captin-azoth]

BA BA BADUM BA DA~!

[art-ro-vert]

That’s a scene from this fic!

It made me laugh so hard, I had to draw it 😂

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

Do you think Roman and Logan would wash each other's hair?

Y E S Y E S Y E S 👀👀👀👀👀👀!!!!

[every-claudia-phantomhive]

Day 11: THE PANEL THIS IS THE PANEL THAT'S THE PANEL THAT'S THE ICONIC ONE

[cedric-k-rossignol]

03.25.25. Happy New Years Day, Annunciation Day, Vernal Equinox, and most importantly - a very Happy Birthday to our beloved nightingale.

[midnight-in-town]

TOP 10 reveals during the Green Witch arc

Since this arc is airing soon, I thought I’d recap what to look forward to, plot wise, since most of these are still very relevant to the current storyline. :)

10) A new ally

Spoilers for anime-onlies, but obviously Sieglinde's introduction is a big deal. Her genius aside, like Soma, Sieglinde is one of the few characters who has only known our!Ciel and who owes him a lot, which explains why she'd remain a friend and ally to him, in the current arc against real!Ciel.

The fact she's a genius is also extremely plot relevant, because Sieglinde's laboratory is funded by Queen Victoria, which means Sieglinde will definitely play a big role in the series until we get to the heart of the Victoria vs Ciel conflict.

9) Diedrich

Long time hinted at, first real time actually seeing him in action and, man, did he serve !

Despite his grief, he's a genuinely caring evil noble, because he promised Vincent, but also, because he simply cares that a kid like Ciel has to shoulder this burden. That's why he immediately chose to side with him, instead of his own army : patriotism, who ? Friendship is the real deal.

He's also one of the few characters who may have known that our!Ciel was lying about his identity, considering he never called him "Ciel", which means that he might remain an ally of our!Ciel in the current conflict between the twins.

8) Finny's backstory

Finny's the first servant to have his backstory revealed, because this arc happens in Germany, but also because Finny has similar circumstances to Sieglinde. Both of them were "experiments" of the German military, Finny with enhanced strength and Sieglinde with intelligence, creating new weapons.

The bond between Finny and Ciel is revealed to be deeper and a more emotional one than we could imagine, as Ciel is Finny's savior and Finny would even stand against Sebastian for his sake.

There is also the possibility that our!Ciel gave Finny his birth name that he discarded 4 years ago, making that bond even more significant if this turns out to be true.

7) All the servants in action

Not seen since the Circus arc, will not be seen again until our!Ciel runs away from Scotland Yard in the current arc (and will probably be seen next time against bizarre doll!Snake T_T).

We had many badass moments, for all of them, showing how much they want to be helpful to their master, which is heartwarming. Bonus point for Dee's remark :

In other words, Tanaka aside, Vincent didn't have a household full of talented fighters.

Finny's backstory and standing against Sebastian also proved that the servants are all definitely devoted to our!Ciel, making them his most secured allies, which will be hella significant (as we now know) when real!Ciel returns (and in case there is one day a conflict between Seb and Ciel).

6) More development for the War subplot

This story has different subplots (the main plot being Ciel's path to revenge) and this one was introduced back during the Murders at Manor arc :

Queen Victoria is said in the story to be a visionary (*cough* thanks to Brown being a supernatural being *cough*), reigning over the most powerful Empire in the world.

Twice now, she sent her Watchdog to thwart Germany's military achievements (when Ciel saved Finny and again during the Green Witch arc), to say nothing of her interest in bizarre dolls as weapons.

German Shinigamis also commented on the possibility of a massive world war being launched soon and it seems clear Victoria is preparing for that.

For now though, our!Ciel positioned himself as a threat, because he managed to convince Sieglinde not to give the Queen the formula for the SuLIN gas, which is what she was mainly coveting.

This means that our!Ciel probably has a huge part to play in avoiding the launch of WWI, 25 years early (could even be why he might be judged worthy, should he...ahem... die).

5) Family tree and special lineage

Ch103 made a lot of noise when it was released, between hints of real!Ciel's existence, the reveal of the birth & death dates of Claudia and Vincent, contrasting with the absence of dates for Cedric K. Ros-, thus the theory that it could be the Undertaker's previous identity.

On top of that, it's also in this chapter that our!Ciel noticed the German Shinigamis, despite them hiding, when Seb couldn't, implying the existence of a Phantomhive lineage very useful against supernatural beings.

In fact, to this day I remain a strong advocate of the theory that the Watchdog's duty is the Phantomhives' burden because of their special lineage.

4) Shinigamis' origins

The GW arc is also when we got the confirmation that Shinigamis were once humans and that other deserters besides UT exist.

The implication that the Shinigami system is an unfair one that deserters like UT might be trying to take down also started with this reveal and could be, as some of us theorized, very significant to the current arc.

3) Our!Ciel's inner guilt

The GW arc was a painful arc for Ciel, because it triggered some traumatic memories that left him lost inside his own head for a few days. A peak into his mind in ch95 showed that our!Ciel feels guilty about many people's death...

...and that it's why he bears with the contract, giving up hope for a happy future, because he's the one who made that choice 4 years ago, for his own sake.

2) The Undertaker's tearful moment

The arc started with our!Ciel trying to find info about UT and questioning Klaus about him. But Klaus turned him down, saying Dee would know more, because he was an evil noble before Klaus was.

So it was quite memorable when it turned out that UT had visited Dee, not long before our!Ciel arrived in Germany. xD

And while we can question what he was doing there before going to France (trying to sell bizarre dolls as weapons to Victoria's enemies ? or recruiting Shinigami deserters from these countries ?), what mostly struck is UT's reaction to seeing a picture of Vincent during his Weston days :

Obviously, this scene was a big hint about real!Ciel being turned into a bizarre doll, but also to the bond existing between UT and Ciel's family (aka the possibility that he's Cedric K. Ros).

This scene also confirmed that, unlike real!Ciel, Vincent can't be brought back as a BD, because his body (which is where the cinematic records remain) is too damaged.

This begs the question : was the fire, which destroyed the manor, started to damage Vincent's cinematic records, 4 years ago ? Not because of the bizarre doll project, because it didn't exist yet, but rather to hide who actually killed him and Rachel ? Food for thoughts.

1) Initial sparks of a possible conflict between Seb and Ciel in the future

A part of the fandom loves to joke about the "90% serious" incident that happened during this arc, but actually, comic relief is often used by Yana to hide a darker truth.

As far as Seb is concerned, him being 90% serious about eating our!Ciel's soul means he was more than ready to end it then.

This proves that Seb doesn't have Ciel's best interests in mind (in case anyone had doubts lmao), he just acts by the 3 rules of their contract, as long as Ciel still has his path of revenge well in mind.

Their dynamic is a chessgame that's been ongoing for the last 4 years and this indeed means that...

...Seb is the one Ciel trusts least of all, because a simple lack of focus can be deadly for him. So there might come a day when our!Ciel questions if the contract is really what he wants, but before that day happens, he will need to deal with all that inner guilt first.

For more details, please read these posts :

Rise of a possible conflict about the contract between Seb and Ciel [part 1] [part 2]

About Ciel’s inner guilt and how it might eventually cause a conflict between him and Seb

Thanks for reading ! Looking forward to more commentaries about this arc by Yana-sensei and Editor K, as the anime airs !

[ignotarts]

"Right now, you are just . . . beautiful."

[childrenofcain-if]

I was wondering if you could add a shy option for the person that you dance with at the party (sorry I forgot their name already 😭) it’s not a big deal really, but I didn’t feel like that direct flirty option made sense for a more shy MC. Maybe another option that is accepting of the proposition while not being too forward.

ooh good idea! i got too swept up in the drama of it all to add an option for that 😞 needless to say, K will think that shy MCs are even more delicious. if you thought they were insufferable before, just you wait 🫸🏻