#strangulation implications cw

[adelaidedrubman]

ok she was funny for this. seed level projection. he’s met his match

[tsuki-sennin-creations]

"Why did this have to happen? I.... I..... I just wanted to be [Hap-py Joy-py yoripiku-ne~!]"

A Noelle Holiday piece I rather slowly made over the course of this month inspired by a nightmare I had at the end of June involving her having taken the KeyGen. NEO-elle, if you will. Much more dour subject matter than I usually post on this blog, but you know how it is, yeah? I wanted to do something a bit more ambitious than my usual fare, and hopefully you feel I've done a decent enough job. Experimenting with making an actual signature too.

[Mood Whiplash Filter]

Trying new things is fun! ...for me at least. Ya girl sure ain't having a good time right now. For partial reference, I used a certain scene from Kamen Rider Ryuki involving a character also based on a family in the artiodactyla infraorder pecora. Over-obtuse way of putting it? Oh, you betcha~!

Obviously hopin' we get more Chapter 3 info soon, but it's so surprising how much discussion still happens around what we have now. Anyways, let's relax.

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Is It Enough? (Tower: Day 99)

for Angstpril, Day 19: Breaking Down

cw: imprisonment, beating, strangulation, vague noncon implications

prev ///// masterlist ///// next

•×•×•

"See to it he never does this again."

The command, spat at the guards, was the last thing Alexei heard before they threw him back into his cell, ears still ringing from the punch he'd taken. The door locked, and for a while it was quiet. In the cell, in the hall. Quiet everywhere but in his head.

The dread building inside him was so potent he was sure he'd be sick, and try as he might, he couldn't direct his thoughts away from it.

Cold blue of a clear sky—

(What are they going to do?)

Flaking rust, crumbled iron—

(What are they going to do to me?)

Clear, cheer, deer, fear, gear, hear—

(What are they going to do to me?)

He'd been stupid. He wasn't going to pretend otherwise. The city council had been invited on a tour of the prison, something about securing funding, or acquiring votes for a new bill. Wade had told Lex about it beforehand as he hosed him down, forced a comb through his hair, a toothbrush into his mouth.

"Even the mayor will be there. Be good, or else."

They'd unchained him from the wall and had him stand in the doorway, flanked by two guards. The warden had thought he was helpless. Half-starved and wearing power dampeners and missing his fucking arms. His mistake.

When one of the council members had reached out to touch him, like a child on a double dare, Lex had fought past the dampeners, focusing until he thought his very blood would boil, and set her expensive silk blazer on fire.

 And now he was about to find out exactly what 'or else' meant.

The cell door opened before long, guard after guard pouring into the small space. Lex knew what was coming; he curled into a ball and ignored them, waiting for the blows to start flying. And when they inevitably did, he tried to find a poem, or even a rhyme to cling to, make it all more bearable, but every boot in the gut only served to scatter his thoughts, and in the end, he was resolved to simply waiting for it to end.

The beating was the worst one he'd taken since coming here, leaving his body shuddering, blood oozing from his lips, breath coming in short wheezes—he'd felt several ribs crack during the assault.

The voices above him were fuzzy. He didn't care. He didn't need to know what the guards were going on about—

"But is it enough?"

That pulled his attention, shoving him into a cold-blooded clarity, words sharp enough to cut into his skull.

"What do you mean, 'is it enough'? Look at him."

"They get beaten all the fucking time. Lopez said—"

"What do you suggest? We're not supposed to do permanent damage."

"That's what the healer's for."

The conversation was quickly turning to argument, and the words were bleeding together. He could only catch scraps.

"...strung up." (Shut up)

"Nothing to tie on…" (Bygone)

"...in the break room." (Doom, plume)

An arm curled around his torso, pressure on newly-cracked ribs, and he bit back a whimper as more hands latched onto him and lifted his body. His instincts screamed at him to fight back, but it hurt to move. He could only hang there limply as they carried him out of the cell and down the hall. Going where? Why? (Cry, pie, lie, die.)

Movement stopped, a switch was flicked on, and Lex squinted as bright light flooded his vision. He could hear garbled words from a TV, music coming faintly from a radio, the slight squeak of boots on the floor.

Break room.

"Stand him up!" one of the guards called. Lex blinked away the spots in his vision, letting his eyes adjust to the fluorescent lights. As he did, he saw that the guard's number had dwindled down to three.

"I don't know if he can—"

"Well he'll remember to really fucking fast."

Hands held him up on either side, and something was looped around his throat, pulled tight against flesh and knotted. (Spotted, clotted, dotted, no no no—)

He was vaguely aware of the other end of the thing around his neck being tossed high, over a metal ceiling beam, and caught, yanked.

Lex's body jerked as it cinched on his throat, and he choked, trying to take in air, finding he couldn't unless he stood perfectly straight, and even then it was only barely. All his body wanted to do was curl in on itself, and his ribs throbbed as he tried to hold position, closing his eyes against the harsh lights. 

"Fucking hell man, this is gonna kill him."

"He passes out, you let him down. Hand me the whip."

"You sure we're allowed to touch it? Rentals—"

"Rentals won't give a shit as long as we return it clean."

A whistling sound pierced the air, followed by a sharp slap across his back. Lex arched forward reflexively, cutting off his own air with the movement.

"Dude. That was weak as shit, let me try."

Lex braced himself, but it wasn't enough. The whip cracked as it hit the air this time, striking him on the shoulders. Another was right on its heels, lighting a line of fire that ran parallel to his spine.

With every blow, it was getting harder to hold himself up, to keep breathing. It was only the fear that kept him awake, that animal terror that struck him when he couldn't reach the air.

A strike cut across several marks at once, and Lex cried out, his knees buckling.

"Maybe we should stop—"

"He's fine."

He managed to get to his feet, gasping, tears streaming down his cheeks. Wasn't it enough? How could this not be enough?

The next lash pulled a scream from him, cut off rapidly as he stumbled and the rope closed his throat. He didn't even have the energy to hold back a strangled sob. How could this not be fucking enough?

Another strike, and he lost his footing, the pressure on his windpipe crushing, legs shaking and useless and failing.

"For God's sake."

The rope suddenly went slack, and he crumpled, gasping, unable to choke down the whimpers that came crawling up his throat.

"Jeez, David. Buzzkill much?"

"I'm not losing my fucking job for your entertainment."

The linoleum floor was cool on his face, and Lex clung to the feeling, trying to focus on anything other than how much it all hurt.

"He literally tried to kill Senator Collins. He should count himself lucky right now."

"Lucky? He's practically dying at your feet."

"Yeah, we're supposed to ensure this never happens again. Gotta make sure he never forgets." Lex heard fabric shuffling above him, the faint click of metal on metal.

"Fucking hell, dude,"

"No one's making you stay and watch."

"He's already had the shit beat outta him."

Another sob escaped Lex. They were done now, right? Fuck, he'd hoped they were done, they had to be done—

"But is it enough?"

•×•×•

@whumpacabra @enteredin2eternity @kixngiggles @whumpsday @kiichu @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @shywhumpauthor @distinctlywhumpthing

[kokoch4n3l]

DEAD GIRL'S BEACH࿐ྂ "just givin' the same care you gave me, bunny. so whatcha' crying 'bout?"

(KUROKAWA IZANA x f!oc x SANO MANJIRO)

summary: she is a newly graduated psychiatrist and unfortunately, very broke. she gets a job at Sunshine Grove Psychiatric Hospital and catches the attention of a very dangerous patient who likes to hold grudges, even against those who are oblivious of their actions...

pairings: izana x f!oc, chifuyu x f!oc(one-sided), mikey x f!oc

warnings: DARK CONTENT, violence, toxic behaviour, possessiveness, gang violence, criminal activities, drug and alcohol use, mentions of prostitution, non-con elements, non-con drugging, drugged sex, drug addiction, overdose, drug withdrawals, withdrawal symptoms, near-death experiences, extreme violence, past child neglect/abuse, betrayal, misogyny, murder, strangulation, inaccurate depictions of psychiatric hospitals and medical treatment/conditions, stockholm syndrome, emotional incest, polyamory, torture, age gap(9, 6, 5 years), masochism, sadism, voyeurism, hard kinks, piv, smut, psychological horror, power imbalance, torture, waterboarding, fear play, major and minor character deaths, UNHAPPY ENDING,(MORE TO BE ADDED)

total series word count: 133 797

moodboard | headcanons & character info

ONE — mr kurokawa

chapter summary: enter Kaneko Maya, a newly graduated psychiatrist with a shit load of student debt racked up and her scary but hot patient from 4th floor, Kurokawa Izana.

cw: unrequited love, inaccurate depictions of psychiatric hospitals, usage of drugs, mentions of gang violence, mentions of pedophiles, mentions of suicide, mentions of addiction, mentions of alcohol, f!oc with absolutely zero self-preservation skill

—

TWO — beachy dreams

chapter summary: Maya finds herself at Chifuyu's place with his rowdy friends before hitting the club and she's drawn into flirtatious exchanges with a mysterious club owner. Tensions arise when a revelation links Maya's work to her social circle. Izana gives her an intriguing invitation.

cw: mentions of body image, clubbing, alcohol use, intoxication, mentions/implications of forced prostitution, mentions of gang violence, inaccurate depictions of psychiatric hospitals, f!oc with zero self-preservation skills

—

THREE — iv bags and daffodils

chapter summary: Maya faces a moral dilemma, trying to pick between her livelihood and ethics all while under the watchful eye of the hospital director and her patient, Kurokawa Izana.

cw: inaccurate depictions of psychiatric hospitals, mentions of alcohol, mentions of depression, drug use, allusions to sex, abuse of authority, power imbalance, unethical use of drugs, mentions of alcohol, mentions of rape, mentions of murder

—

FOUR — drunk walk home

chapter summary: Amidst the emotional turmoil of guilt due to her job and Izana's treatment, Maya is left to grapple with the harsh reality of unreciprocated love after spending the night at Kazutora and Chifuyu's place.

cw: alcohol use, intoxication, insensitive comments, (badly written)sexual content, (kinda consensual)drunk sex, penis-in-vagina sex, implied multiple rounds, loss of virginity

—

FIVE — little bunny

chapter summary: with the apparent lack of staff at the hospital, Maya has no choice but to clock in despite her begging for a day off and goes through an unforgettable night. good thing she's wearing running shoes.

cw: minor character death, suicide ideation, self-loathing, mentions of vomiting, corruption, exploitation, death threats, murder, torture, blood, gore, non-con drugging, unethical use of drugs, use of weapons, noncon/rape(not mc), noncon touching, mentions/implications of forced prostitution, inaccurate depictions of psychiatric hospitals, f!oc with zero self preservation skills

—

SIX — the beach house

chapter summary: willing or unwillingly, Maya takes up Izana's invitation and he shows her just what he was feeling the past two months he was admitted into sunshine grove.

cw: DARK CONTENT 18+, abduction, murder, chase scene, noncon drugging, blood and gore, vomiting, physical abuse, slapping, death threats, waterboarding, torture, drowning, near-death experience, dehumanization, objectification, noncon touching, enabler!shion, psycho!izana, PTSD(post traumatic stress disorder), panic attacks, making out

—

SEVEN — the sano family

chapter summary: Maya learns the shocking truth and the tragic life of the Sano Family, all while Chifuyu and Naoto search for answers.

cw: MANGA/ANIME SPOILERS, bribery, noncon drugging, mentions of different torture methods, past waterboarding, vomiting, murder, mommy issues, implied child abuse/neglect, cheating, dehumanization, dubcon, noncon, coercion, choking, thigh riding, humiliation, making out

—

EIGHT — open water

chapter summary: After a phone call with Chifuyu, Mikey and Maya begin to drift closer like two boats caught in a storm and Izana watches with great interest, getting ready to crash down on both of them when the time is right.

cw: dark content 18+, corruption, bribery, implied/referenced prostitution, wet dreams, masturbation(m), jerking off, narcissist!manjiro, mention of past waterboarding, torture, noncon drugging, dehumanization, (slight)humiliation, hand kink, finger sucking, murder, dom/sub undertones, making out, soft dom!manjiro, praise kink, fingering(f receiving), overstimulation, biting, hickeys, multiple orgasms, cunnilingus, slightly unrealistic sex, smut, p in v sex, vaginal penetration, dacryphilia, creampie, unprotected sex, aftercare, brief mention of Korean + Japanese history, gang activity, mention of suicide

—

NINE — spider

chapter summary: with a drug deal gone awry, and multiple drug rings raided, Izana decides that he and Mikey need to blow off steam.

cw: dark content 18+, unreliable narrator!maya, stockholm syndrome mentions of suicide, depiction of corpses, blood and gore, character death, funerals, murder, mentions of drugs, police raid, use of weapons, corruption, bribery, mentions of suicide, implied memory loss, implied dissociation, torture, forced drugging, withdrawal symptoms, addiction, vomiting, power imbalance, dehumanization, humiliation, drugged sex, MAJOR dubcon, noncon(tagging this just in case), no prep, unprotected sex, p in v sex, extortion, hickeys, bondage, ruined orgasm, voyeurism, drug use/misuse, fingering, threesome(kinda), making out, unsafe sex, temperature play, waxplay, dacryphilia, sadomasochism, creampie, aftercare, first-degree burns

—

TEN — i don’t smoke

chapter summary: Kakucho forces Maya to face the reality of her situation and Izana reveals some not so nice things to her

cw: DARK CONTENT 18+, unreliable narrator!Maya, vomiting, drug use/misuse, withdrawal symptoms, possibly inaccurate depiction of at-home withdrawal care/survival, first-degree burns, depictions of injuries and burns, blood and gore, hickeys, bite marks, kissing, thoughts of self-harm, emotional manipulation, slight infantilization, betrayal, dehumanization, depiction of corpses, mention of suicide, MAJOR noncon(not detailed), noncon to dubcon, allusions to sex, unprotected sex, forced orgasm, coercion, implied creampie, memory loss, dissociation, past torture, past waterboarding

—

ELEVEN — what was i made for?

chapter summary: Izana gets carried away and Kakucho and Maya do damage control, bringing them right back to the start.

cw: dark content 18+, character death, depiction of corpses, corruption, slight religious themes, suicide mention, suicide attempt, suicide ideation, self-loathing, slight hanagaki takemichi slander, scarring, bite marks, implied relapse, drug use/misuse, mentioned drug addiction, withdrawal symptoms for unnamed drug, possibly unrealistic/inaccurate withdrawal care, possessive!izana, betrayal, mentions of past torture methods(noncon drugging, waterboarding, noncon, noncon waxplay, first degree burns), emotional manipulation, mental health issues, MAJOR dubcon, unprotected sex, no prep, piv, making out, nipple play, hair pulling(m), multiple orgasms, tummy bulge, creampie, implied cockwarming, implied dissociation, aftercare, possessive!manjiro, noncon, mirror sex, coercion, forced orgasms, hair pulling(f)

—

TWELVE — his dead girl’s beach

chapter summary: Mikey thinks about the past while Maya tries to remember what she missed. Izana helps Kisaki choose an engagement ring.

cw: dark content 18+, self-loathing, mental health issues, mentions of scars, mentions of burns, drug addictions, drug use/misuse, withdrawal mentions, mental breakdowns, emotional manipulation, stockholm syndrome, past noncon, infantilization, possessiveness, emotional incest, mommy issues, dehumanization, oral sex(f receiving), cunnilingus, fingering, implied multiple orgasms, slight hair pulling(m receiving), praise kink, dacryphilia, dom/sub undertones, overstimulation, aftercare, slight ooc!Kisaki, draken & og toman slander, mental health issues, depression, vomiting, toxic and unhealthy relationships, implied emotional abuse, past character death, past picture taking, implied voyeurism, scars, memory loss, kissing, smut, handjob, piv, no prep, dissociation, creampie, use of guns, blood and gore, depiction of corpses, major character death

—

THIRTEEN — can’t catch me now

chapter summary: Mikey goes to the Philippines, leaving a trail of bodies behind him. Takemichi returns to the future. Maya keeps her promise to Izana.

cw: dark content 18+, manga and anime spoilers, multiple character deaths, murder, guns, use of weapons, stabbing, mentions of suicide, blood and gore, depiction of corpses, scars, torture, depiction of wounds, unhealthy attachments, toxic and unhealthy relationships, vomiting, suggestive themes, mental health issues, depression, dark impulses, emotional manipulation, blackmail, corruption, bribery, torture, allusions to sex, suggestive themes, dehumanization, toman + draken slander, slight grandpa sano slander, non-linear narrative in one part, slight emotion incest, funerals, grieving

—

BONUS — sugar bunny

chapter summary: how Maya's first day on the job would have gone if she had been nosy or, Izana and his sugar baby bunny

cw: dark content 18+, inaccurate depictions of psychiatric hospitals and medical treatment/conditions, canon typical violence, gang activity, dehumanization, drug addiction(c*caine), drug addiction recovery, drug withdrawals, withdrawal symptoms, abuse of power, murder, non-graphic torture, blood and gore, panic attack, blackmail, alcohol, slight sugar baby-sugar daddy dynamic, suggestive themes, possessiveness, gold digger!oc, guns, vomiting, threats, very fast-paced, making out, kissing, implied smut, suggestive themes, slight bondage, implied virginity loss, collaring(?), open ending, not edited

notes: cross-posted on my wattpad. I DO NOT condone any of these behaviours or any crimes committed in this fic. This is purely for my own entertainment. Please read all the warnings before each chapter.

All medical terminology is inaccurate and inconsistent as I know nothing about psychiatric hospitals. However, this is a fanfiction so I will write the way that fits the plot the best.

Takes place during the Manila Future Timeline with bad Toman. This fic is simply my take on what happened during that timeline and it will include many canon aspects from the Tokyo Revengers manga/anime.

I CAN NOT write [y/n] fics to save my life so the oc has a name. If you do not like that, then do not read, simple as that.

Enjoy! Asks, reblogs and comments are highly appreciated. It gives me the motivation to continue writing.

this work belongs to me. do not copy or steal my work and do not use my work in any AI or chatgpt program. I also do not want any republishing or binding of my work

banners all done by myself

all dividers by @benkeibear

© kokoch4n3l — Please do not copy, translate, modify, or post my work to other platforms. ♡

[losingheart]

a fun little fact for u guys. kaito has a scar in the shape of claws around his neck from his possession :)

[mahouproject-one]

all i want is to forever dream with you | Miyu | MM Trial (re: Takako, Outa; ATTN: All)

[ CW Mention of throat trauma and strangulation ]

Well… Well, okay, let’s be fair. That entire speech sounded incredibly lame to begin with, and even worse coming out of the mouth of Miyu Suzuki, Known Murderer and Kris Tenshi Stan.

The reactions she fished up with whatever the hell that was could potentially have some information of their own, at least. A way to read the nuances in what they took offense to and how they worded their displeasure.

But leave it to Takako (Ume) to blow it all to hell. Shizuka leapt right in to argue with her, and Reiko, thankfully, broke it up before it could get much worse. Miyu muttered something, wanting to defend herself on two points in particular – but she had not the time, the energy, nor the will to address most of what was said.

“I will say, for someone who spent so long trying to convince me all of my regrets were over literally nothing, you sure seem angry that maybe I am trying to dig myself out of that hole and find something to believe in.

And next time, don’t strangle people if you don’t want them sharing your secrets. You’re lucky I found a healing potion.”

Miyu’s expression suddenly softened to a smile. It was clear that this was one of her practiced, formal smiles that never actually met her eyes.

“But I thought we were done, Imai? I believe that’s what we agreed upon, isn’t it? We’re done.”

Miyu would not engage the peanut gallery any further. Unless the gallery decided to rush the stage – and if Takako wasn’t actually bluffing at all and tried to do something, Miyu would put herself in the way to stop her. She had the potions to back herself with.

And the tea. Mustn’t forget the tea.

Back to the people that actually mattered. Outa posed a simple question. Miyu wanted to take the time to read between the lines. But… she had gotten some reaction, and she needed to respond while the momentum was still flowing.

She hoped this didn’t disrupt whatever her allies were planning.

“…I will say this, first: If anyone tries to sabotage it, I will put myself in your way. I have multiple potions with me right now, and you don’t want to test me.”

She would… try to leave explaining some of the details up to the others. Miyu didn’t want to play the full deck just yet, not until she knew exactly what reactions she’d get. Reading reactions would be essential.

“It is a Time-Turner. An object that can send things across time. In this particular case, this one only sends back memories; it’s supposedly ‘safer’ than trying to send a person back. And before you tell me this is bullshit… well, it is bullshit that it even exists. But Headmaster Seiichirou Ohara owned it, and now it’s ours, and he can just suck it up.

That means we can send messages back, right? Through memories. There is so much we can do with that. We can send back so many warnings: We can reveal the truths of what happened to Morgan Lowell and Midori Morisawa. We can lead people to where Michaela-san and her friends were buried. We can write down everything we know about this school, and…

…and, because this trip may have been doomed from the very beginning…”

She didn’t finish the sentence. She let the unstated implication sink in.

“…I know. I know, this sounds imperfect. There are limitations that we’ll still have to discuss. And there is still the us of now, the people who will still have to move on with ourselves. At least this way, we’ll have closure and we’ll know we did what we could.

I can’t promise a perfect outcome. But I can promise we have every resource to get the best outcome we can get, and we can salvage something from this that isn’t just the conclusion of this blood ritual.I don’t want that effort to be blown away at the last second. We don’t have to continue with any more blood sacrifices: Not us, and not you.”

She wasn’t looking at any one person on that last word, but she hoped they understood her meaning.

[mahouproject-one]

Great Googly Moogly... What the /Fuck/ || Reiko || MM Trial 1.3 RE: Fight #2, Sollith, General Discussion

[CW; Mentions of Strangulation w/ Hands, Head Trauma, Injuries]

The detective’s head continued with the deep pounding in her skull as tensions continued to escalate. As more time went on, it was more and more obvious that she was becoming inattentive as more blood rushed to her head (as well as out of her body).

Though, the sight of her beloved partner being choked out by the local chaos demon definitely brought her some clarity in the ways of feeling pure rage. Her words come out with a clear, seething venom.

“G-Get your hands o-off of her you lonely, p-pathetic, waste of space.”

Did it matter Clove had started it? No. Was Reiko happy about that? Definitely not. She would have that talk later, when they didn’t have this stressful trial to go through. Had it not been for the fact that her taking a step towards the brawl to try and help Itona was thwarted by her leg and a sudden wave of dizziness - she would have gone right back into it.

Sweet heavens, what did she start?

Thankfully, her classmate is able to break them up (though, where the fuck was he when she was trying to leave that first fight?) and she shakily moves herself back to Deborah’s stand to make room for Clove.

The moment the journalist rejoins her, she grips the blonde’s arm a bit too tightly.

“… Don’t you do that again. Ever. God… W-We need'a brain between the two of us… d-don’t go gettin’ yours bashed in too.”

While stern, her expression softens as she examines the other girl’s injuries carefully before turning back to listen to the trial proceedings. She did acknowledge Kris’s hand on her shoulder by placing her’s over his. She was fine not having everyone agree with her scrambled-brained theories this time around, but she wouldn’t forget them. There was a lot of times that she made accusations, but stepped back on them and helped produce a mistrial.

For now though, she would find mild concern in the idea that Sollith presented - considering the implications it would have for a certain someone…

“… I-I… I can’t seem t’ find a reason t’ refute that - a-aside from it being outlandish. Again, I only knew about the cats, Shino’s s-spear, an’ some background stuffs from the labyrinths I survived. Though… I-I’m not at full brain capacity right now…”

She rests her head in her hand, taking a moment to suck in a breath.

“I feel that theory’d be openin’ a whole can o’ worms that may not even be true… U-Unless someone could call Mi-ke in here?”

With the angry outburst (primarily by Shinobu), the girl’s expression fell to something of mild annoyance. It was nowhere near the look she had insulting Takako. Reiko just looked tired.

“Yeah… listen. Shizuka’s done questionable, d-downright awful shit. I won’t deny that. But, he’s far f-from the only one in this class who’s caused death or acted as a criminal. You’re throwing out pretty strong words, despite dating a felony-level thief y'know.”

Reiko had… strangely grown an appreciation for Shinobu. She almost wanted to consider him a friend, which is why her tone came off without any real anger in it.

“Shizuka’s someone who, despite what’s he’s pulled, i-is probably the one person I-I can understand the best here." 

She spares a glance to her side to watch Kris’s expression before looking back to the Social Media Manager.

"He and I don’t always agree - w-we hardly do, t’ be honest - but h-he’s still someone I care about because of some… r-reasons we’ve both come to realize. Fair amount o-of people care about him, actually. Even c-criminals are allowed t’ be loved - even if the majority has rightful cause t’ hate ‘em.

I’m not sayin’ Kris Tenshi o-or anyone close t’ 'im can expect people t’ change their views, 'specially after this boneheaded move. But, I’ll remind you that Sollith asked him t’ do this. T-They wanted t’ have a trial and didn’t realize what else w-was happenin’… Personally, I-I don’t understand the desire t’ want t’ make yourself a "martyr” or somethin’ stupid like that. Being 'selfless’ won’t get you anythin’ 'side from pain and death… which is what they’re both receiving.“

The girl huffs, forcing herself to stand up as much as possible.

"Thinking on it, that’s probably the difference that separates the two of us.” Reiko lightly shakes her head. “'Nyways, it’s a-a worn subject now. W-We need t’ decide what we’re doin’ about this vote.”

[mahouproject-one]

Catgroove but it's at x2 speed and high pitched || Clove || MM Trial 1.2 || Re: MM deets, vote

[cw: description of attempted choking; strangulation by hands]

Clove Rosenburg had seen better days, but she’d also seen worse days. Still a bit loopy from air loss, Clove learned with an arm strung around Reiko’s shoulder in favor of the podium. She was supporting the detective as much as she was supporting her, with everything that’s happened.

…ok, maybe Clove was trying to support Reiko a bit more. She hadn’t gotten her leg vored by a chaos demon, after all. Having someone - no, a few someones, Kris and Shino were both so important to her - to back her up was something she never expected to find in this hellhole.

She was admittedly quiet for a few minutes after stumbling with her head held high-ish back to her podium, content to fuss over Reiko’s busted lip while the adrenaline wore off. Seems being choked - and actually feeling a bit of mortal fear - made her tongue hesitant for a bit. The blue collar of her shirt didn’t quite hide the already splotchy purple marks on her neck.

Her throat was still pretty tight, so she’d keep this brief. At least, briefer than she normally did.

“We have less people who have nothing pointing to them than something pointing to them, so that’s a start.

The vote for me is because Imai’s petty, I think. Not because she has any evidence. Since we’re talking about this now… you won’t find evidence because I’m not the mastermind.”

Big words for a little Byakko, especially when there were so few people currently under the microscope. Clove continued on, her voice hoarser than usual.

“ I…don’t have many concrete ways to prove this, at least not yet. Pointing to all the labyrinths and snooping around the castle I’ve done isn’t substantial. However, Otohiko said something on the third floor of this castle is specifically linked to her “little one,” and I don’t think anything on the third floor can be linked back to me. Also… I don’t talk about this very much, but I have a family back home. They’re really important to me. Also, I originally came to Japan to wrap up a really important story, one that could find a lot of displaced people. Entering some sort of blood pact with The Ouryuu isn’t in my best interests.“ 

Admittedly, she had no idea what that "something” on the third floor was. However… a few rooms were worth further investigation. Specifically, the armory and the natural history room.

“Suzuki, you completed the Golden Labyrinth and got a vision for Byakko, correct? Was this Kris’s labyrinth that you completed? If you can choose any tapestry to add to…that nixes a theory I had. But furthermore-”

Faint rustling followed as Clove thumbs through her legal pad, scratching out one thing and looking for something she another thing she had written down. Maybe not everyone knew this, so she wanted to get everyone on the same page.

“I believe your exact phrasing you used when first telling me and some others about the shadow cats in the labyrinth was that they took the shape of… something that is drawn to the person summoning them - the Ouryuu - unless that phrasing isn’t accurate? For the sake of the here and now, we could focus on the four of us who appear directly connected to the cats - or three, as I’m also doubting Kris could be the mastermind with that much evidence. However, the words “drawn to” are vague. They could also implicate someone with strong ties to either me, Shino, Kris, or Mi-ke.”

Or even someone attached to animals, as had been pointed out. But that option was less likely in her mind, as cats were so specific.

“Lastly. I don’t think Mi-ke is exempt from this discussion because they were executed. If the question of whether or not the mastermind is among the living came up, who’s to say it’s not an option? So perhaps they’re less likely, but…”

Clove was very pointedly not mentioning whether Shino was or was not the mastermind here. It wasn’t a matter of whether he could be, really! That was an option she’d entertained before and seriously considered a week later. Right now, Clove refused to even entertain the idea. They had a talk before this, after all, and that was enough for her.