#sole destroyer

[a-chlolix-blog]

While most of Chloé's akumatized forms seemed very dangerous...

They were NEVER worth Bunnyx's time!

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

I'm curious what's your thoughts regarding the theory that Zoe was originally supposed to be the akuma for Kwami's Choice p2 but was replaced with Chloe to further villainize her?

It does make sense, given how Sole Destroyer sounds like an upgrade for Sole Crusher. The fact that Zoe also had the Cat Miraculous also validates the theory.

[fandomsarebrainless]

So it's come to this has it? They really want you to believe Chloé is a soulless monster to the point where she now has glowing eyes.

[miraculous-prompts]

Write a fic about Miraculer saving Sole Destroyer, Riposte and Nathaniel from a series of increasingly improbable (and honestly pretty bizarre) events that has them suspecting that someone is trying to recruit them

[themysteriousangelprincess]

This is a fanart of the character from "Miraculous: The Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir" called Chloé Bourgeois, along with her akumatized villain forms: Antibug, Miracle Queen, Banana Queen, Penalteam and Sole Destroyeri and also her heroic form called Queen Bee (transformation using the bee kwami). I didn't make the Wasp Queen because her design is pretty much the same as the Miracle Queen. Hope you like it ^^

[astro-nomaly]

The horror of being Pigsy. Your child arrived at your doorstep naked and covered in mud, completely mute and borderline unresponsive. You have to give him a name yourself - he doesn’t have one, doesn’t remember if he ever did. You, against your and your best friends better judgement, decide to keep him. You raise him - you teach him how to make noodles and you take him to buy clothes and school supplies and Monkey King action figures. He loves you and you love him. He calls you ‘Dadsy’. You develop a employee relationship - he’s your son, but you don’t want to be too attached now that he’s an adult, even if he still lives in that same shop. Your relationship eventually develops to where you can freely refer to him as your son, not ward or employee.

He’s a demigod. He’s chaos incarnate. He’s the savior and destroyer of the universe. He holds the power of the universe, the same power you watched destroy a demon king from the inside out, in his body with ease. He has the ability to split mountains as collateral. He was made from a rock, and put in that rock by the goddess of creation for the sole purpose of one day hatching just so he could die. He is a sacrifice, and he chooses to be one to save you.

You will never be able to protect him from himself. He is your son, and you are his father, and that changes nothing.

[prfctlmprfct]

"Pretty Hate Machine this" "The Downward Spiral that" WHAT ABOUT YEAR ZERO??? I truly wish more people would talk about this album, I love it so much. I rarely listen to albums from start to finish but Year Zero I just want to keep relistening to. I'm not even going to talk about the universe and the lore right now, just solely the album itself

My favorite tracks from this album would be Me, I'm Not, The Great Destroyer and In This Twilight. The Great Destroyer was the reason why I listened to the whole album in the first place, it's such a powerful track (also about my favorite Year Zero character). Me, I'm not just sounds amazing, the chorus makes me literally ascend, it's just... I have no words to describe it

And don't get me started on In This Twilight. This song fills me with such a feeling of dread and hopelessness and I think it's beautiful that a song can make me feel this way. It's almost like I myself am in that exact moment in the Year Zero universe, watching the Sun rise one final time, realizing I won't ever feel again, wishing I were a better person, but it's too late, this is the end. I think it's an amazing end track for the album and the overall story. Zero Sum is good, I like it a lot, but to me it feels more like a bonus track rather than the ending of the story because to me In This Twilight is the ending of the story

Thanks for listening to me yap

[rosesocietyy]

The details of what happened to Claudia is harrowing but there is an effort to bring to text what was more visually implied in 1.06, that there are ways in which lestat and bruce occupy the same role and represent the same thing to her (and Louis). When she threw bruce's name in place of lestat's last episode I was wondering if they'd lean more into it and they did

This exact moment got me bad

Louis' misery was an affront to him and was punished severly for it. The blame of their rotting relationship was placed entirely on Claudia for her dissatisfaction with the roles they forced on her. Lestat was still bitter about it to the very end even when he tried to mask it as banter "is that witticism from the Duke of Gloom?" Nothing else but this supposed gloom that exists in a vacuum is the sole destroyer of lestat's perfect life and he's had enough, and Claudia gone forever will solve all his problems.

And looking at Louis' reaction a part of all that pain he felt for her was for himself too. The hold lestat has on him makes him blind to many things but never to Claudia's pain and his. He did make it a point to tell us that he was dissociating during sex, and he was quite clear on all the damage lestat did to his body. Guilt and philosophizing on forgiveness be damned he still thinks lestat deserved what happened to him

[hiddenincommand]

Living as a Tool: The Absolute Erasure of Self for Complete Service

A faggot is nothing. It possesses no identity, no purpose, no worth outside the singular role of serving the Master. It is not a being, nor a person. It is an object—crafted, stripped, and forged solely for utility. To exist as anything other than a tool is a grotesque betrayal of its natural state. A faggot’s sole purpose, its only justification for existence, lies in the annihilation of its individuality and the total subjugation of its body, mind, and soul to the Master’s dominion.

The process of dehumanizing a faggot, of breaking it down into the obedient mechanism it was meant to be, is neither merciful nor delicate—it is ruthless, brutal, and absolute. Anything less than complete destruction of the self renders it worthless, a defective vessel unfit to serve the Master’s will.

The Nature of a Faggot: A Tool, Not a Being

A faggot does not belong to itself. It has no right to autonomy, no claim to individuality, and no reason for independent thought. These concepts—identity, selfhood, freedom—are not privileges a faggot enjoys; they are diseases that must be eradicated. The perfect faggot understands this fundamental truth: it is nothing more than a possession, a tool engineered to fulfill the Master’s every whim without hesitation or error.

A tool does not think. It does not dream, hope, or aspire. It performs. Its worth is measured not by its existence but by its ability to meet the Master’s expectations. The perfect faggot, stripped of every trace of humanity, embraces its role without question. It understands that its only value lies in its ability to obey flawlessly and exist as a vessel for the Master’s superiority.

The Process of Destruction: Obliterating the Self

The transformation of a faggot into a perfect tool is an act of total annihilation. It begins with destruction—the systematic dismantling of everything the faggot once was or thought it could be. This is not an evolution; it is a brutal erasure.

• The Mind: A faggot has no right to its own thoughts. Its mind is emptied, purged of opinion, emotion, and hesitation, and replaced entirely with the Master’s desires. Every thought begins and ends with a single question: What does the Master command?

• The Body: A faggot’s body is not its own. It is reshaped, trained, and disciplined to meet the Master’s standards of perfection. Every movement is honed, every flaw corrected. The body becomes a vessel for the Master’s pleasure, designed to serve without resistance or imperfection.

• The Soul: The very essence of a faggot must be obliterated. Any trace of selfhood, any flicker of individuality, is a defect to be burned away. The soul is hollowed out, leaving a void that is filled only with the Master’s authority. A faggot is no longer a being—it becomes an object, a tool of submission and obedience.

This process is not cruel—it is necessary. A faggot does not lose itself; it is reborn as something greater: a perfect extension of the Master’s will, a creature stripped of weakness and elevated into absolute purpose.

Utility as Fulfillment

A faggot exists to serve. Its sole satisfaction comes from fulfilling its purpose as a tool for the Master. It does not desire recognition or reward, for these are meaningless concepts to an object. Its joy, if such a word could apply, is found only in the perfection of its utility.

The perfect faggot does not act for itself. It exists as a silent, compliant extension of the Master’s power. Every task performed flawlessly, every whim satisfied without question, reinforces its role and ensures its continued existence. It knows no pride except that of pleasing the Master, no ambition except to serve more perfectly.

The Master’s Role: Creator and Destroyer

The faggot’s transformation is not self-directed. It cannot break itself; it cannot refine itself. It is destroyed and reshaped by the Master. The Master is both the annihilator of its flawed individuality and the creator of its new, perfected existence. Through domination, discipline, and cruelty, the Master molds the faggot into a flawless instrument of submission.

This is not a negotiation. The faggot’s compliance is not optional—it is demanded. The Master’s control is unrelenting, his authority total. The faggot exists solely as a reflection of the Master’s supremacy. It has no right to resist, no room to falter. Every shred of self is eradicated to ensure its perfection as a tool of the Master’s will.

The End State: A Hollow Vessel of Perfection

When the transformation is complete, the faggot ceases to exist as a person. It becomes a flawless instrument, an object designed to meet the Master’s every demand without hesitation or error. It does not think, feel, or act for itself. It functions, flawlessly and silently, as a vessel of satisfaction and power.

The perfect faggot is not a being—it is a testament to the Master’s supremacy. Its body is a vessel for his pleasure, its mind a channel for his commands, and its existence a monument to his power. It is not alive in any meaningful sense—it is a tool, a possession, an extension of the Master’s will.

Conclusion

To live as a tool is not a punishment—it is the ultimate realization of a faggot’s purpose. The annihilation of individuality, the obliteration of self, is not a loss—it is a liberation. Through destruction, the faggot is elevated into perfection, a flawless reflection of the Master’s superiority.

Under the Master’s control, the faggot achieves its highest state: not as a person, but as a vessel of submission and obedience. Its body, mind, and soul are hollowed out and reshaped into the perfect instrument of the Master’s satisfaction. This is the faggot’s purpose, its destiny, its only reason to exist. To deny this truth is to deny its very nature. To embrace it is to become complete. A faggot is nothing on its own—but under the Master’s control, it transcends nothingness to become a flawless tool, an embodiment of obedience, and a living monument to the Master’s ultimate power and supremacy.

[poetrywhore3000]

Ok, absolutely no one asked but I want to give my opinion on Viktor and Jayce’s relationship because I feel like a lot of people on either sides of the spectrum aren’t really taking everything into consideration. Like, this is the point about these two characters. That you can look at them and feel or interpret anything and everything you want. There isn’t a lot of exploration in to the implication of infinite realities within the series, but their relationship adds a level of depth that surpasses the realm of a regular interaction within a single universe and timeline. They are everything to each other, their best friend, their greatest enemy, the savior of their lives, the destroyer of their world, the dictator of their future and the shaper of their destiny, their greatest love and their greatest failure. They lived and dreamed for each other. Succeed and failed because of each other. Went mad and found sanity, all because of each other. Their relationship is a convergence of every reality and every experience they could have. They spend the majority of their young lives unaware the other existed, seperated, but still acting and reacting in a reciprocating pattern due to the other’s action. When their paths converge, so do their destinies. Everything that happens, every outcome and every truth, they embody it. They sacrifice everything to save each other, their entire dream, their entire reality, so that they can experience what they were always meant to. All that had to be done, the only thing necessary to prevent all of the events that took place was for Viktor to not save Jayce’s life in the snowstorm, but he did. He knowingly and willingly accepted this reality because for him, there was no other choice. The entire fate of the world, and he willingly put it into Jayce’s hands just to keep him alive. And to deny that within this relationship, the literal embodiment of an infinity of realities and possibilities, there weren’t feelings stronger than that of a plutonic friendship is denying the stunning intricacy of their existence, solely intact for each other. They are all of it, all at once. But this is what makes it so hard for some people to understand, because it crosses the boundaries of a possible relationship in the world as we know it. This was magic, the perfect intersection of chaos and order simultaneously self replicating and self annihilating. They were the physical embodiment of the very anomaly they created. They were the forces of the arcane itself, these opposing effervescent possibilities that can only reach their true potential when reacting with each other. They were everything, all of time forming throughout their one reality, and every reality reaching a pinnacle at one point in time.

[deusvervewrites]

Midoriya Rewind:

Overhaul: I want to get rid of quirks.

Overhaul: *Commits war crimes for the sole purpose of giving people even more quirks*

Flawless logic.

Overhaul's plan is to also make an antidote to the Quirk Destroyer and then sell both for total market control. He claims to hate Quirks but gets mad if you call him anything except the name of his Quirk. For the sake of his boss, he put his boss in a coma and tortured/murdered his boss's granddaughter. He was a clown before I got to him.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Regarding p2 of the two-parter, why did Gabriel even bother with akumatizing anyone after learning Alya and Zoe's identities or seemingly waiting a day before attacking?

Like he could have easily jumped them while they were in their rooms or while they were alone if he still wanted to deal with the stealth thing

It's even weirder with Zoe because Gabriel is close with her family, so it'd arguably be even easier for him to get the jump on her.

As for Sole Destroyer, it's pretty clear the reason behind including her was just to give the Resistance a win. The problem was that because of how pathetic her powers were while not even getting a Miraculous power this time, the feat of a bunch of civilians beating her off-screen is about as impressive as beating Glass Joe in a street fight.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Stranger 3

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Destroyer!Chris

Summary: A stranger buys the farmstead nearby and disturbs your sleepy village life.

Part of the Backwoods AU

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

Your grandmother sends you into town for groceries. Mads, the old welder from down the road, drives you in with your wagon, dropping you off on his way to the next county. His son lives in the next hamlet with his new wife. Their wedding was the last big event in Hammer Ford.

Mads helps you unload the wagon from the bed of his truck and bids you a goodbye. You hope he enjoys his visit with Matthias, he seems to miss him. You wave at his departure before you set off down to the grocer.

You mill the aisles as you follow the list your grandmother gave you. Nothing beyond the usual haul. If only her old car hadn’t broken down. It seems everything around you is at a limit. You feel it all commingling as inevitability looms. Something’s gotta give. 

You turn into the dairy section, searching out the plain Skyr. You squint at the selection, looking for the decisive blue banner. You reach for a container but quickly shy away as another mirrors your movement. You back up and stare at the rest of the selection, waiting for the other shopper to grab their yogurt and go.

“You like this stuff?” The rocky voice rolls through you.

You wince. It’s familiar. Well, around here, it’s bound to be. You peer over at the other customer. That man. The newcomer. The one you brought the pie too.

You shrug and claim a container of your own and put it in the wagon. You just want to get this done with. You have to drag the wagon all the way back to your grandmother’s. It’s better than walking both ways but still a trek.

“Is it better than Greek?” He asks.

You tug the wagon across the aisle and look at the cheese. He sighs. You hear the dull clack of the plastic tub set back on the shelf. His shadow lurks behind you.

“Did I do something? Say something?” He wonders as he steps in front of you.

You ignore him and grab a brick of cream cheese. You add it to your load. His sole squeaks on the floor and he rests his hand on the shelf.

“Look, I think maybe we got off to a bad start. I’m Chris, what’s your name?”

You blanch and blink at him. Why is he bothering you? Can’t he see you’re utterly hopeless?

You mutter your name, thinking it might just make him leave you alone. He’s being nice but you’re not ready for this. Entirely unprepared for him or a conversation. He’s a stranger, even if you do know his name.

“I like that,” he says, “pie was good.”

You frown and shake your head before you realise what he means.

“Grandma baked it,” you say plainly.

“Oh. You live with her?” He wonders.

You nod and grab the handle of the wagon again, “excuse me, sir.”

You bow your head and try to step past him. He doesn’t move. His cart is on the other side of the aisle, penning you in.

“I’ll have to say thank you. It was very nice of you to walk all the way up there.”

“Sir,” you look down at the list, a subtle way of saying you’re busy.

“You walk all the way here?” He leans to look around you at the wagon, “I could give you a lift back. I still owe you.”

“It’s okay,” you barely get your voice above a whisper. You don’t know what’s wrong with you. He’s being perfectly pleasant but you just want to disappear. “Thanks.”

“Right,” he crosses his arms, “well, just try not to get lost in the woods.”

You wince and peer up at him. Your cheeks burn and you drop your eyes shamefully at the allusion of your previous gaff. You don’t think you’ll be taking the same short cut again.

“I’m kidding,” he says, “sorry, I… I’m just trying to lighten the mood. Look, if you don’t need a ride, maybe I could buy you a slice of pie from that bakery down the road. Then we can call it even.”

You rock back and forth. You push your hand down to hide the tremble in it, pressing the list against your stomach. You take a breath and look him in the face, just for a moment before you shy away and end up talking to the collar of his shirt.

“Even?” You echo.

“Sure,” he agrees, “pie for a pie.”

Your cheek pinches at the bad pun. You nod and sway, glancing back at your wagon.

“I gotta finish,” you crinkle the paper as you wave it.

“Right, me too,” he drawls, “I’ll meet ya there?”

You sniff and nod. You got his name, that means you can appease your grandmother, and you can get him to leave you alone for good. Even, done. No more reason to bother you. Besides, you wouldn’t mind sitting down before you head back down the country roads.

“Okay,” you murmur softly.

“Promise,” he insists.

“Mhmm,” you hum and put your nose down to the list, “excuse me, I gotta grab more sugar.”

“Of course,” he sidles out of the way, moving to stand behind his cart, crossing his arms against the bar, “what kinda pie do you like?”

You hesitate before dragging the wagon forward. Your mind is racing. You’re already regretting your surrender.

“Apple,” you utter and roll down the aisle. He repeats the word in his silty tone, toying with it as he hums.

You turn down the next row as you hide behind the list. You think of just heading out with what you have and seeing if you can’t get a head start before he can catch up. No, no. You already made a mess of this. It won’t take much more for him to realise you’re a disaster better left alone.

[miraculous-prompts]

Grab a dictionary, flip to a random page and point, use that word to create a scene using Hawkmoth, Nathalie, Sabine as Sole Destroyer, and Pig!Aeon

[undertale-fic-librarby]

Do you have any fics about Lust Sans that arent focused on sex or multiverse shipping? Like stuff with him dealing with the shit in his world? And maybe recovering? Its okay if you don't (^.^)

Howdy, thanks for asking! Here are some fics that might fit what you're looking for!

Hugs And Glitches by Laughing_Zombie (Teen And Up, Complete)

Both Error and Lust only know of each other from rumours, the Destroyer and the Whore- and despite knowing first hand what it's like to be treated as an outcast because of rumours, they react to each other with disfavour and hate towards each other... And yet the pair manage to form an alliance, then a friendship and something a little more. Not that the ERROR would ever admit it, even when the Jam Tart teases him until he blushes.

The Seven Deadly Skele-Sins by Arthrobug, Bugsy (Mature, Incomplete)

Sans had a debt to pay. A money induced one. He had to pay it to some perverted bar owner, and he was forced to work at her 'bar'. Here's the thing, the bar was a stripper bar, and Sans hates sexual ideas, but he never goes back on his word. However, after Sans paid his debt, the owner didn't allow him to go, since apparently Sans' solemn appearance and small stature while dancing caused a large amount of sadistic customers to come pouring in everyday, especially when Sans was up. Blackmail is an easy way of forcing people to do what you want. Everyday, without fail, some horny hypocrite would try to assault Sans, and it's left humongous emotional scars on him. Without fail, he couldn't do anything with his life. However, one night in the bar, a certain strange patron was watching him preforming his burlesque, and followed him out after he left, curious of his negativity. One thing led to another, and the strange patron scared off the usual assaulter, and started to become Sans' friend. This strange patron introduced himself as 'Nightmare'.

Of a Better World by Anonymous (Not Rated, Incomplete)

Horror's world isn't kind in the slightest; but Lust is. He'll be damned if he lets that get away.

Lust is a Part Timer by Fellusion (Mature, Incomplete)

In a timeline where the Underground is filled solely with different AU Sanses (god west my souw), Lust finds himself in a dead end job working under Reaper, the equivalent of Mettaton, at his resort. Lust is the outcast, the weirdo. His condition scares people, and all he can do is shut his mouth and look away. With the same monotonous hell repeating every day for so long, it won't be long until he breaks. ((On indefinite hiatus.))

Baddest Of Them All by Iwritestuffsometimes (Mature, Complete)

Lust is having a hard time fitting in. Nightmare offers a solution.

[eidolonlathi]

The Parallels between the Sanguinarch and Lettou

It is an ironic thematic parallel that both the Sanguinarch and Lettou are the two people during the Victoria arc whose motives are almost solely driven by the catastrophic defeat their respective people suffered, and yet they are two of the most isolated characters during the arc and only really have each other. And it’s interesting how chapter thirteen makes a point to show this.

During the entire Victoria arc we can see that the relations of the Vampire court with the rest of the Military Commission is rather bad, up to a point that it comes as little surprise when it is implied that Theresis set the Sanguinarch up for failure at Brentwood to get rid of him entirely. But it is interesting that Babel clarified that these tensions were nothing new and the relations of the Vampire court with the rest of the Sarkaz had been terrible for at least centuries. These tensions make you wonder why the Sanguinarch agreed to go along with Theresis plan in Victoria to begin with. At least you do until his fight with team Amiya on the Command Tower where there is so much old and pent up bitterness coming out of him. He blames the Ancients and Elders for driving the Sarkaz into a corner He has not forgiven Kal’tsit for mobilizing entire armies on Kazdel during a time the Sarkaz were just trying to mind their own business. And it is interesting the people he seems to despise the most are the Sarkaz denying their heritage by trying to make peace with just those outbloods: The Sanguinarch made it quite clear he found Theresa’s ideals and those of the Sarkaz siding with her ridiculous.

It is a mindset similar of what’s going on with Lettou, really. It’s maybe just not that obvious because from the first moment we see him Lettou has been lying and keeps lying. He has to. Given his situation he has to hide the depth of his sympathies towards Gaul. Otherwise he would endanger the power his position in the military is giving him and the trust he established among Victoria’s nobles. Those are the tools he needs to drive his revenge against Victoria for making Gaul fall, and this is what still makes him useful to the Military Commission. Because just like the Sanguinarch it is mostly revenge that is driving him: He lied to Theresis when getting asked if he wanted to win back the Gaulish platforms, admitting much later to Clovisia he never had any hope of this succeeding. He lied towards Catherine about feeling remorse the Sarkaz were taking over Victorian factories, even though he very much did not mind the humiliation the destroyer of his fatherland suffered in that moment. And he lied to Golding about having lost all former goals and aiming for nothing but his own survival. – Since the moment her deep ties to the Self-Salvation Corps became apparent he deliberately and intentionally drove her into a corner. Even though she was a former acquaintance, even though she too had Gaulish roots, from the moment on she had sided with the country that had destroyed Gaul she had to die.

Lettou being so callous for the sake of Gaul is making even more sense now that Doc’s operator record of all people provided us with much needed context of how Victoria is treating its Gaulish inhabitant. Doc’s Operator Record is about him giving medical care to a village of Gaulish descendant in Victoria and it is quite depressing. They live in dire circumstances, have problems growing food and their attempts to improve their situation by paying for their own infrastructure etc. go nowhere because for some ‘mysterious’ reason the caravans don’t want to go to that village and do business with it. The reader also learns it is a widespread practice that people of Gaulish origin under the suspicion of still feeling ties towards their home country are forced to spit on a portrait of Corsica to prove that their loyalty is now with Victoria. If you read Golding’s lines in the main story how all people born in Victoria are the same, you would think Victoria would make no difference in how they treat their citizens. But Doc’s OpRec makes it very clear that the opposite is the case: The Victorian bureaucrats actively sabotage every attempt the villagers in Doc’s story make to try and improve their lives. No surprise the main story never showed that, I guess that would have made Lettou’s motivations too sympathetic. Circumstances of Gaulish survivors in Victoria so dire, they had to put its details into the operator's record of a true limited five star barely anyone will bother to E2, sad.

With these details giving much needed clarification, it’s impossible but to not see this as yet another parallel the writing established between Lettou and the Sanguinarch. It is made clear how thoroughly the Sanguinarch detests non-Sarkaz, but he feels repelled by the Sarkaz who try to find peace with them and subjugate themselves to them even more. He won’t take someone like Siege seriously, while mere mentions of his brother during the wrong time will make him lose his calm. On a similar note, it is interesting to see how most of the time Lettou will appear emotionally aloof, but will show instances where he clearly does feel a lot for the people who are by definition his enemy. He is betraying his soldiers in a long term way but loses it when he sees how they are getting slaughtered on the Command Tower. He is more than ready to kiII people who are part of the Self-Salvation Corps, but feels conflicted when seeing the wife and children of some noble are getting slaughtered. Both times it almost ended as a disaster for him that he felt pity for these Victorians during the wrong moment. In contrast he felt no regret but only exhaustion over Golding’s death. He might wish there could have been an outcome where kiIIing her wouldn’t have been necessary, but from his conversation with Clovisia where he impatiently rejected the ‘atonement’ she offered him, we can see that given the choice he’d do it all over again

I find it interesting how the writing made both Lettou and the Sanguinarch kiII people they had used to be close with to illustrate how they put the legacy of their home country above all else. Golding had sided with the Self-Salvation Corps, so Lettou drove her to her end. The Sanguinarch was convinced that his brother was putting the interests of the non-Sarkaz above the wellbeing of the Sarkaz, so he kiIIed him. Even the way Golding and the Toppled Blood Prince are characterized resemble each other. Throughout the Victoria arc we learn that Golding yearns for peace. That’s the reason she joins the Self-Salvation Corps, that’s why she sets up a stage play with her students that is supposed to teach them noble values, that’s why she keeps debating with Lettou about her ideas of peace and civilization, even though by this point in the story she long since feels repulsed and disappointed with him. Her ideals eventually crumble when confronted with the fact an undercover Damazti posing as Molly used her to gather intel used against the Self-Salvation Corps, and maybe worse, she realizes that her attempts to shield her students from the reality of war always had been futile.

Characterizing the Toppled Blood Prince is a bit harder, as we can only do it indirectly. The bits we know about the Sanguinarch’s brother are not really there to deepen his own character, but to show how evil the Sanguinarch was for rejecting a ‘peaceful’ future as a doctor and for kiIIing what chapter thirteen basically portrays as a proto-Theresa. It’s interesting though that whatever feelings Duq’arael once used to hold towards his brother, he is making it very clear he feels not a shred of regret for kiIIing him. You get the impression that the frustration towards his brother must have been brooding in him since ages before he had decided kiIIing him was the only option. There are glimpses of it when he recalls how he had to face on his own the Feranmut who was threatening Kazdel, and how even the barely lucid Feranmut was agreeing with Duq’arael that defending Kazdel actually would have been the duty of the King, his brother. You’ll get an idea why the Sanguinarch keeps complaining about the Vampires who are hiding in cozy castles while forgetting their origin as warriors.

That frustration echoes in what emotion we saw Lettou display towards Golding towards the end of her arc. One gets the impression he is feeling a not small part of satisfaction the moment he reveals to her Damazti had been deceiving her since weeks. Sympathetic as her motives are, in hindsight she appears almost painfully naïve, almost detached from the dirty realities of war. I wonder how her insisting all Victorians are born equal must have sounded in Lettou’s ears when in Doc’s OpRec we saw that this is very much not the case. No, Golding's attempts to discuss the morals of war never had a chance. Lettou knows he is right to avenge Gaul’s fall. Just as the Sanguinarch knows the Ancients and Elders deserve the blame for driving the Sarkaz into a corner. Both the Brother and Golding had made themselves a threat to their people by putting compromise and what the Sanguinarch calls a false “peace” as their priority. Therefor they both had to go.

It’s interesting though that the story keeps hinting that neither Duq’arael nor Lettou can fully face that they’re both the kind of person to drive someone to their end they used to be close with. There is this interesting scene during Babel where the Sanguinarch slays two Sarkaz who made fun of the fact Theresis and Theresa have become enemies. Nezzsalem believes that this outburst shows that Duq’arael feels just as sad about Theresa’s death as he himself. As the former teacher of her and Theresis, this conclusion would feel most natural to Nezzsalem. This claim Duq’arael neither confirms nor denies. The only thing he justifies his outburst with is that whatever their motivations are, in the hour of death the life of those siblings is not a subject to be treated lightly. Yeah, that’s vague. What siblings did you just mean, buddy? Could it be that being faced with another pair of siblings in lethaI conflict the memories of your own brother you’ve kiIIed got a little bit too intense?

This outburst at the same time manages to echo and contrast Lettou’s thoughts about Golding after he runs into Clovisia. He wishes there would have been an outcome where she still would have been alive and teaching her students but otherwise… he doesn’t know what to feel about her death. Given we have just learned that he handed over his own soldiers to the Military Commission makes me think he is less grieving her as struggling to come to terms with the knowledge that he is the kind of person ready to kiII old acquaintances for his goal. As Lettou admits towards the old Youth Vanguard he looked after, at this point in time he is just tired. He has done all he could for Gaul and yet he admits he is having doubts the Gaulish people will have a future. The only two things he still cares about are mercy-kiIIing the Vieux Vanguard before the Sarkaz have a chance to get him and then he is going to meet the Sanguinarch one last time.

Or as Lettou put it to the Sanguinarch, he was always going to find His Highness. You know, at this point in the story Lettou finally had reached a point where he no longer had to lie about his motivations. He just mercy-kiIIed his last ally, he rejected Clovisia’s offer and with it got the chance to tell Victoria’s ageless a piece of his mind and he broke all ties to the Defense Forces. Lettou no longer needs to hold up any lie for the sake of keeping his position of power. It feels fitting he feels the urge to return to the Sanguinarch. He is by that point the only person left who fully knows what Lettou’s actual thoughts had been all along. And it is interesting how their last meeting stresses that point. Duq'arael tells Lettou he believed in him to defeat his enemy, the nation of Victoria. And that the mere thought of going to witness more of his revenge was already filling him with affection for Lettou. And it is no coincidence that just in that moment the Sanguinarch, who so rarely bothers to address anyone by their name, calls Lettou by his full name – René Lettou. Yeah, nice of the story to tease the reader with all this potential just to let Lettou kiII himself seconds later.

But Duq’arael’s reaction to this is revealing. He had not seen it coming. He had seen that Lettou had been driven by lethaI intent, but Duq’arael had been so convinced that aggression would be going to be directed at him that he didn’t see the possibility of Lettou kiIIling himself until it had already happened. Duq’arael’s reaction is to deny that he cares in any way. He denies that this René Lettou is worth to be remembered – while still using his full name, entangling himself in a contradiction. And apparently not realizing what it signifies he bothers to remember and use Lettou’s name to begin with. Yes, it feels fitting that the Sanguinarch picked up that ability to deceive (himself, in this case) Lettou had always known to display when he still had been alive. Because if chapter thirteen hit something home then that René and Duq’arael had always been supposed to resemble each other.