#which is what i was afraid of though i will say the deaths didn't reduce me to tears like kny did

[tvrningout-a]

the rollercoaster i just went on MY GOSH like yes i'm happy and hyped as heck!! and it's got the gears in my head turning!! but man i might fight gege with my bare hands

[my-adhd-gremlin-blog]

I am as disappointed as everyone else is with the final season of The Umbrella Academy, but I also have some of my own Thoughts™️. Allow me to weigh in.

We can all agree that the finale was absolute dogshit, right? I've seen a lot of commentary about the character assassination of Number Five, and the cursed as fuck crack ship that should've stayed in the deep recesses of ao3, where no one could find it. But there was also absolutely no character development for any of them in the end? Not really?

Luther still has unresolved daddy issues (why else would he be squatting in the condemned building of the Academy?). And he just, what, gave up looking for his wife? Luther "loverboy" Hargreeves. The man who chased and pined for Allison almost his entire life gave up on HIS WIFE after/within six years? No way.

Diego's character basically went nowhere. Four seasons, and he still didn't come to any kind of realisation that, hey, maybe he is enough. No. If he isn't in Luther's shadow, he's insecure about his marriage, or his powers, and being "strong enough." Everything was a competition to him, even though he was the only one competing. He deserved a little bit of self-love, but apparently, "self-destruct" is all he gets.

Allison had her ups and downs, and they let her end on a fucking down? Her arch was the most disappointing. We literally see her trying to be a better, more honest person in s1, and then a human rights activist in s2. Her powers are morally grey, sure, but she had so much potential. Then she just straight up becomes a villain and has barely any redemption for it? Her character started on a high. It was natural progression for her to hit a low. But not that low. And she never really came back up from it. In six years, it seemed like she made no real effort to make up for what she did. A couple of good decisions do not make up for a multitude of bad ones.

Which brings me to Klaus. I wasn't sold on sober, germaphobe Klaus to begin with. I thought it was just a little bit too out of character. But I'll take that any day than what happened to him this season. And to his credit, his hypochondria after losing his powers at least made sense. But he'd made so much progress, not just on his sobriety but on embracing his powers rather than being afraid. (Also, he and Allison being codependent on each other like that was not healthy).

This season made Ben, as a character, pretty much pointless. From the beginning, it seemed like his death was supposed to bring the Academy together, narratively speaking. It was his "purpose" to die and become a sort of martyr to his siblings (I mean, it didn't work, so even then, Ben kinda died unnecessarily). But in reality, his death wasn't a teachable moment, it was just murder. And without Ben, the story still would have ended the same way. Any of the children born from the marigold could have brought about the cleanse, it didn't necessarily HAVE to be Ben. And with the number of timelines there were, it was probably inevitable that it would happen in at least one of them. They all died pointlessly, but Ben's deaths were especially pointless.

Viktor was about the only character that DID have some development. He finally stood up to his father and received at least some validation for his mistreatment as a kid. Not that it ended up mattering because his relationship with his siblings was practically non-existent at this point. All he'd ever wanted was to be a part of the team, and yet apparently made no effort in six years to see his siblings and actually be a part of the family. It makes no sense for his character.

I hate that Lila was a damsel in distress for most of this season. She's a grown woman who we know is fully capable of standing up for herself, but it felt like she was reduced to just her role in the family. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with being a mother or a wife, but that seemed to be ALL her character was this season, when we know she's more than that. The one thing she got to herself was taken away from her coz it hurt "poor Diego's feelings 🥺". Grow up 🙄. And I am not touching the other thing with a ten foot barge pole.

Now, obviously, there's Five. People have already talked about how his character was completely butchered this season. No, Five of the past would not have given up so easily. Despite the jabs and the squabbling, Five loved his family. He fought hard to get back to them when he was stranded. After a struggle like that, why the fuck WOULD he stop fighting to keep his family together?

I'm not saying all of these characters had to be good, outstanding citizens by the end of the show. But they should have at least had a journey from season one. Instead, they either went backwards or in circles. And in the end, none of it mattered anyway.

This season was so fucking stupid. It completely undermined the rest of the story. What was the point in literally anything that happened in the previous seasons if it was just leading up to all of it being erased? This is some, "and it was all a dream" bullshit, and I'm not here for it.

[teaandmisanthropy]

We had to say goodbye to Snookums a few weeks ago, on August 16, 2024. These are some of the last pictures I have of him.

He was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as a result of (probably) lymphoma and had been losing weight for a couple of months and his digestive system was deteriorating.

He got lots of attention and extra treats at the end of his life, and he lived to the age of fifteen and was a happy, goofy, lazy snugglebug who was full of affection for us and friendly to everybody, including multiple dog acquaintances. He was a devoted, biddable sidekick to the BB (Arwen) (2007-2021) and a wonderful adoptive uncle to Tristana (2020, adopted April 2021-). And despite being a mellow fraidy cat who had always been submissive before, he didn't hesitate to become the senior boss cat and tell off Anubis (who is young and unusually strong and was about half again his size) and actually defended Tristana from Anubis's attempted attacks a few times when he managed to breach containment.

Snookums was my baby, and what you might call my familiar animal or one true cat, from the time we brought him home. He spent three days hiding in a blanket cave in the sauna at our old apartment in Turku and wouldn't eat for over 24 hours, until I finally got him to by feeding him from my hand.

He was afraid of crackling noises and especially plastic bags and loved chasing/ collecting hair elastics and chewing on rubber bands and silicone oven mitts and old wired earbud wires, all of which had to be hidden from him. He loved kisses and his method of kissing was to headbutt you in the head, earning him the nickname "butthead".

He was also the most talkative cat we had ever met when we got him, and used to meet me every time I came home and make a long speech that I referred to as the Kittysburg Address. He purred very loudly and was terrible at cleaning his own claws, which was perhaps partly because he was already missing a couple of the tiny teeth when we got him at age 1.5, but mostly because he was lazy. So he had to have toe gunk cleaned from his claw sheaths basically his whole life and he hated it, but was fundamentally non violent, so the most resistance he ever offered was occasionally squirming in a half hearted escape attempt.

When he was young he also used to wake me up in the middle of the night wanting to play, and I woke up many times back then to find his toys (usually hair bands and silicone oven mitts) in or around the bed. But even when young and irrepressible, Snookums was pretty lazy and spent much more time snoozing and snuggling than the BB, who often ran around bouncing off the walls without him, even though he was her constant companion and playmate.

In later years he got more lazy, as well as becoming more like himself in other ways (snuggly, silly, food-motivated), and he also acquired diabetes, which reduced his energy a lot. But he lived for about six years with his diabetes under control after his diagnosis, and was doing very well recently. The final illness was probably not related to his diabetes.

For many years, actually since he was very young, I used to periodically just start crying while I was holding him in my arms, because I loved him so much. The spectre of losing him someday, even when it was far in the future, was already scaring me. (We got him two years after the death of @waxjism's One True Cat, Lily, so this wasn't out of left field.) Maybe I did some of my grieving in advance. I felt like I didn't have time to grieve right after, but even though the sadness is massive, I have had an easier time adjusting my brain to the new reality than after the loss of past pets. Cornish rexes are very snuggly and affectionate cats and most of them spend a lot of time lying on people's laps, giving out hugs, basically, but Snookums is the only pet I've ever felt was comforting and soothing me just as much with his snuggles as I was soothing him.

[woahrarepairsagemare]

plaguebow 1990s au angst i thought of while i was having an episode

I remember the first day I ended up in her care , it was really embarrassing for me , considering I was supposed to be that journalist who got away with everything .

I mean , guess they could call me that , i didn't do anything this time yet that rockstar tried to blow my brains out with her bat .

that .. doctor .. who I find so endearing .

She laughed away my case instead of treating it like a serious matter , and it had made me a little annoyed at first ..

but maybe that was what started this attraction to her .

Her laidback personality , her hedonistic tendencies , her curious lisp and southern accent .. and her humor ..

I just couldn't find her annoying no matter how hard I tried .

It's safe to say I healed much faster than I should've when I was under her care .

When the time came for me to be discharged , she laughed at my slightly disappointed face .

' You look like a dying duck , you want me that badly ? Glad you didn't stay or else I would've done some .. medical malpractice ;) '

I remember my face going redder than a tomato , causing her to giggle and give me a friendly slap on the wrist , before she pushed me out the doors to where storm was waiting for me .

I still couldn't resume to being a journalist , I still had appointments , and thankfully they all happened to be with her .

It was embarrassing how it was in that first appointment that I had learned her name .

' Wisteria's what they call me ! Though they know me simply as plague . '

An odd name for a doctor I figured , yet I loved it , it suited her .

The appointments had become everything for me in my life , over those checkups we giggled like little girls , which neither of us had been able to be .

It was like a break from reality .

She brought out the emotions in me no one had bothered to find .

we even begun calling them our little dates , though she often mocked the name in a playful manner .

' what would the others say if our relationship was anything but professional ? '

I smiled and shook my head , but I yearned for it to be true .

And here I am , still yearning ,

as I picked up the receiver , making the last few calls i'd ever make to my loved ones

and made feeble excuses for why i'd not be able to come for any arrangements i had made with them .

As I hung up on Sage , trying to savor her soft words , i felt the gun being pressed into the back of my head .

'are you done yet ? gods , i hate your pathetic voice . '

Nightmare spat those words out at me , and I was about to say no .

and then I remembered the love of my life , and realized that she too should hear my words .

I let out a small groan and bowed my head down .

' one more , please . Just one last call . '

I knew she was tired but she let me have my way ,

which not before she contented her self with a small slap to my head .

trying to stop the tears from rolling down my face , I dialed my beloved Plague .

' Dr. Wisteria speaking , which patient or future patient am I speaking to ? '

that lovely voice soothed my nerves , reducing my fear of death

' Hey Plague- its me , Rainbow , remember ? '

I heard those giggles come out of her mouth again as she replied with that playful tune .

' of course i do ! youre my favorite patient and- dont mind me .. my favorite playdate , after all ! '

I blushed , before the gun was pressed harder into my head .

' hurry up , I dont want to hear your sappy conversation with her for too long . '

I secretly rolled my eyes before I continued to tlak to her .

' yeah , im afraid I wont be able to come to our next appointment , things are a little rough for me right now so .. I'll show up for the others though , probably . '

she sighed in mock annoyance and giggled , causing a bit of disruption down the line .

' whats the point in having me as your doctor if you cant come for our little date ? im VERY high maintenance you know .. '

I smiled before I heard that horrid countdown .

' .. 25 , 24 , 23 .. '

I panicked and quickly said my goodbyes .

' hey plague im kinda busy right now so i'll talk to you later , kay ? '

she paused as she noticed the barely concealed terror .

' dear rainbow , whats wrong ? surely the- .. '

she couldnt say more as the receiver fell out of my hand . I was slammed against the wall of the telephone booth , my face buried in the wall .

I trembled as I heard the panicked words down the line

' Rainbow ? Rainbow whats wrong ? Has something happened ? '

I wish I could respond , but how could ? I didnt even have the energy to yell or whimper , as Nightmare stamped on my hand with hatred . positioning the gun just below my chin .

' youve wasted enough damn time , now say your final words before you die a silent death . '

plague .. no .. she heard those words and panicked more . Why- why ?

I trembled as I heard those words , they sounded like static in the back of my mind .

' NO ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?! LET RAINBOW GO ! YOU CANT KILL A FUCKING JOURNALIST ?! '

I turned around so that my back was against the wall and tried to tell her to calm down , but all that came out of throat was a whimper as the gun was pushed further up my chin .

' any . last . words ? '

she asked in that horrible fucking tone .

I sighed and look up at the red ceiling of the telephone booth .

' Plague my darling .. I love you . '

I closed my eyes as NIghtmare flicked the safety off .

Plague broke down into tears at the other end .

' RAINBOW , NO ! '

BANG - !

[nightfurynova1217]

This is already a super long (SUPER GOOD) post, but I'm just gonna add another thing I considered about his character as well. You brought up how the Titan reduced him to little more than evil and a lot of fans took that at face-value. You also brought up that the Titan had no way to know nor care where Belos was coming from and the true nuance and depth to his character. As a character himself, the Titan didn't have an obligation to. They only wanted to look after King, and considering Belos's part to play in endangering King (indirectly or otherwise), the Titan is gonna have themself a bias.

That said though, in a way, the Titan wasn't wrong. He said that Belos wasn't really trying to save and protect humanity, he's more interested in being a hero. That's what he is now. That's what his motives turned into.

Also consider the context of when and why the Titan said that. Boiling it down, Luz is terrified of becoming Belos. She has a very open mind and is trying to see the situation from his perspective, while also not being blind to the horrific things he does to accomplish it, nor is she excusing it. She's aware enough to understand that there isn't such thing as born evil, he became that way. And if that's the case, she could just as easily fall down the same traps. Thus, she questioned if they were any different than him, naming what she thought his root motives were, saving what he loved and fighting for what he believed. The Titan saw through and identified what she was trying to say, what she was afraid of, and dispelled it in a way that made her understand that the two of them were nothing alike. Given the contrast of their core beliefs, they never will be, which, in that moment, is what she needed to hear.

That said, I'm gonna bounce back again that the Titan wasn't wrong. That's who Belos is now. But he may not have started that way.

To deviate a bit, I'm coming from the perspective of having been a superfan of Death Note (bear with me), and I see a TON of parallels between Death Note's big bad, Light Yagami, and Belos.

To be brief, in Death Note, Light starts the story watching the news and being disgusted with the world, wanting to change it for the better. Lo and behold, the way to do that almost literally just falls into his lap, the Death Note itself, where he can easily and indirectly kill criminals, the people making the world awful. Seeing the obvious opportunity, he takes it and does exactly that, kills criminals to better the world even if only a little. Now to delve deeper into Light's character (again, bear with me, I have a point to bring this back to Belos), he's also aware that what he's doing is murder and there will be consequences that will catch up to him. For the first few days he mentally prepares himself for this. Until the day finally comes when the Shinigami Ryuk - who dropped the Death Note into the human realm in the first place - shows up, and Light has completely convinced himself that he'd come to take his soul. When Ryuk doesn't, and even explains that he's just here to watch then take the Death Note back as soon as Light inevitably dies, however long that takes, Light's mentality immediately shatters. There are no consequences. And that moment is a pretty clear point to pin that that's when he starts to spiral out of control.

By the end of the series - actually long before then does he transform into this - he's completely consumed by power and has a literal god-complex. As far as he's concerned, he's a force of nature itself, he chooses who lives and dies, he is judgement, he is a hero. Despite that, he convinced himself that he still believes he's doing it for the right reason. That he's not actually in it for the power and being a hero, that he's selfless and trying to help people, when in reality, that's just not the case anymore. His motives, at their core, changed.

Thanks for your patience, back to Belos. My point in saying all of that is that I beleive he changed. He may have come to the Boiling Isles with the intent to save humanity in what he believed was a selfless act, but then it got skewed a bit here and there by the points you brought up about the BI being a downright hostile place for a human, and whether or not there was a major shift in him (like Light) just before or just after he killed Caleb.

In any case, over time, his mentality changed. He still tells himself he's trying to save humanity. He still tells himself that no matter what, witches are evil and he's doing the right thing. He still tells himself that this is for the greater good. He goes so far as to tell Luz that's what he's doing and she believes it. But at his core, he wants to be a hero. He's after personal glory. And we see that at the end of S2, on the Day of Unity. He could have destroyed the Boiling Isles and everything in it, and had the self-awareness to understand that he was no longer human at that point. With that, still having two options: know that he destroyed and mutated himself with magic, became precisely what he came to eliminate, and, well, eliminate himself with everyone else, or, sure, gone back to the human realm and retire. If nothing else, to see his home one last time.

But the biggest indication that his motives were selfish was that he wanted to return to the human realm as the Witch Hunter General. That was his goal. Everything he did was building to returning home as a hero, and to be put in charge of it all.

Thus, in that moment, the Titan was not wrong about Belos. They had it completely right, I'd say. It's been 400 years since he got the the Isles, there is no way he stayed the same person after all that time. So it's reasonable to speculate that he wasn't always that way.

I genuinely don't understand the gripes a few people have with how Belos was handled in the finale. "Dont just brush him off as being evil" Well, why the fuck not? Dude wasnt born evil but he purposefully chose destruction and death at every possible opportunity for 400+ years. Nothing about his backstory would have made any impact on the characters affected, because its not an excuse, its not even an explanation! Caleb had the same childhood and he loved the Boiling isles. Eat boots Belos.

Ok, buckle up cause this is gonna be a long one, we gotta have a chat about Belos as a character, because there's been so many takes about this i keep seeing about " he never accepted the isles the way luz did" and "He had 400 years to change and he never took the took the offer", because it just seems like the fandom wants to kinda ignore a lot of the nuance about his situation and why it's not that simple?

and i'm for sure certain it's because the fandom is obviously already pretty biased against him since he's the villain, and what he does to the main characters as well as represents.

And that's fine, obviously he becomes a pretty bad person, no one is obligated to like him and it's ok to feel uncomfortable given the character he is.

But i think a lot of these issues as to why people have such mixed opinions about the finale has a lot to do directly with the fact the show DID keep his backstory as vague as they did, when if they had gone into it i think we would've had less of this discourse.

Now none of this is me excusing him obviously, but the fandom is very adamant to just not allow him to have depth either, when....he's allowed to be irredeemable and have depth at the same time. He's meant to be a very human villain, a character that could happen to anyone under the right circumstances

So not exploring that depth, why it got how it did, and how things like it can be prevented is a flaw within the show and among a lot of fans.

And to be fair, the show does not HAVE to do it, but the show also clearly wrote his character to have a lot of implied depth whether people like it or not, him coming from a very real religious group alone and making him a foil to luz has turned what could of been a very one note villain into one with a lot of layers to his villainy.

And if the show wants to make belos a very one note villian, no depth, they could of very easily done this by just cutting out details like his love and care for his brother, or just make make him want to destroy witches simply because he decided on his own they were worth destroying.

But that's not exactly what they've presented belos as being.

The show thrives in having characters who aren't just simple nor cookie cutter.

Hunter isn't just some cocky sidekick, he's an abused teenager who craves love and affection, and is willing to go high and low to earn it, terrified to be thrown away and replaced and constantly is forced into a mold just to get the affection he craves. He's highly sheltered and isolated just because his father figure doesn't want him to be his own person since that wasn't what he was created for

King isn't just a tiny little brat who craves power, he's a child whose been lied to about his past, and he wanted nothing more then to be taken seriously and feel a sense of belonging. He believes that he wants power, but finds out he really only wanted to be treated like anyone else, and that he's far happier with a family that loves and cares about him rather then being a powerful demon king.

Lilith isn't just a self important antagonist who wants to force eda to do what she wants, she grew up close to her sister and wanting to be by her side well into the future, but felt a sense of inadequacy in comparison to eda. The pressures of the coven system and need to win against her sister made her make a drastic choice she regrets and she wants nothing more then to fix it and make everything the ideal fantasy they grew up wanting to have together. She's also a large nerd, craves the attention of higher figures since her own mother used to put all the attention on eda, and changed her appearance just so people would take her seriously.

And the show does this with most of it's cast, obvi there's the exception like tibbles and even bosha who don't have too much to them, but they're also very minor antagonists and there's still stuff you can pick up on.

Belos however is the main antagonist, everything that happens in the show, happens because of him, his entire backstory is basically why the plot of the show happens.

Not just that, but also caleb and evelyn, if it weren't for the drama between these three, there would be no show.

And people are WELL aware these three aren't the main leads, they aren't going to be the main focus of most episodes and obviously the show was going to end in the favor of the main characters.

But

the story the show tells between these three ties very strongly into the ones with the leads too. We are given at least enough details to notice parallels between stuff that happens with characters like luz, and characters like philip.

We know philip and luz grew up in gravesfield, we know there were outcasts there, and they had one family member they relied on to support them there. They ended up in the demon realm, they both learned magic, and they both are strongly motivated by their beliefs regarding the isles.

So there's a lot they share in common, which makes it really easy to take a look at philip and say "Well it's his fault for not being like luz and accepting the isles like she did".

But, there's a lot of differences here

Luz grew up with fantasy, with magic stories about witches and heroes and demons. Philip grew up in a 1600s puritan village which demonized this stuff, he was a young child growing up being told this stuff was evil and he was taught to fight against it.

Luz felt odd for her interests and out there personality but at worst she felt isolated and misunderstood, she didn't like her mom's efforts to change her to be "Normal". Philip actually conformed to gravesfield, caleb clearly encouraging his brother to do so, just so both of them could fit in with the town. Had they not conformed at best they'd be isolated, but at worst they'd be dead.

Camilia is an adult who eventually opens up and talks to luz about how it was wrong to try and change her to be "Normal", that she herself hid her own interests to do so.

Caleb, was a child, he did not have any open conversations with his younger brother. Caleb hid evelyn and his interests with witches from philip and then on top of this, left philip behind.

You could absolutely say the fact caleb didn't talk to philip is pure speculation, and not confirmed at all. That all of this could be summed up to unreliable narrators.

But we know caleb left for the isles before philip did, we know it took time for philip to find him again (because his beard grew out), we know caleb had a wife who seems to be pregnant, that he was introducing philip to (Implying he not only hasn't seen philip in awhile, but that eve and philip have never met to caleb) and all of that alone feeds into the fact caleb left him behind to start another life. This is all shown in his memories alone, stuff we can't chalk up to unreliable narrators.

So the most logical conclusion to come to is caleb left philip to start a new family, we don't have a lot of details as to if caleb ever planned to return, if caleb had good reasons to do what he did, or much about his mindset.

But we have enough to know Philip loved and looked up to caleb, that he relied on caleb, and caleb lied and left him.

There is again, reason to tie this back to camila and luz.

but this is not a child leaving a parent behind, this is a parental figure leaving a child behind.

This is what i mean by the issue being lack of clear answers, people claim caleb left when philip was an adult, but we actually have no confirmed evidence for this. We have enough of philip's memories to know 2 things, that he was still a teenager when caleb was meeting evelyn, and he was an adult when he arrived.

You could argue philip was an adult by the time caleb left, but it's so vauge you can also argue caleb left when philip was a child and philip didn't figure out his way to the demon realm till adulthood and there's not enough proof to go one way or another.

now titan dad says philip had no genuine reasons for his actions, that he did this all for glory, but as steve put it back in OTWAT, the titan is just a guy.

And given the collector situation, he can make mistakes and screw up just like anyone else.

Titan dad only sees what he can see and make observations based on what he sees. He saw a human come to the isles with a bias already against witches, who ended up killing his brother, who claimed to come here to save others and that's all he's going to see philip as being. Someone who wants to save others but just hurts them instead.

He has no reason to know what philip grew up under, nor does he have reason to know philip and caleb's story before they arrived. There's no denying philip did love caleb, and that they were close, but that caleb leaving him behind for witches drove them apart.

I think the problem ppl even have with what titan dad says is purely because the fans take it at face value, because let's be honest, most fans will believe the objective heroes for what they assume over the villians. And since the show again, leaves philip's story vauge, and never puts it in the main focus, people will just assume what titan dad says must be the truth.

Like yes, you can pick up on these details if you are paying attention, but most people won't do that, so a lot of fans will listen to the god telling them what philip's motivations are coming from rather then put together the sense of betrayal from caleb that hurt philip that most of the evidence is actually pointing to.

philip had no parents, and had no one but caleb as far as we can tell, and then caleb left him too, like he didn't want him anymore.

And he left him in a bigoted town, alone.

the damage this could of done if he was a child is pretty darn bad, and for philip to assume this happened because of a witch means reinforcing everything he's been taught about witches.

Caleb lied about his changes, so when caleb sees him again, caleb seems to be a different person, which does fit with what philip says to luz about the isles "Brainwashing people".

tho you can argue that that's not the truth, that philip knows caleb did it on purpose and killed him for betraying him, cause of how he blames him in episodes like FTF.

But again, this is the result of leaving things vague, because either situation is plausible.

it's plausible philip never intended to kill caleb at all and he died as the result of trying to protect eve because the show says he was trying to target evelyn to save caleb, and it's plausible he died on purpose out of philip's rage for caleb leaving him. Because guess what? That means caleb had the means to go see him and could've seen him but made the choice NOT to, so yeah, that's pretty heartbreaking.

again, this also comes into play regarding Philips's guilt.

People objectively keep saying philip HAS no guilt regarding caleb, but we have evidence for both guilt and non guilt.

Now, sure, his portrait of dead caleb implies philip is not guilty for his death based on his expression after the fact. We also have the fact philip shows distain towards the grimwalkers, that he never outright expresses he feels bad to anyone.

But, we also have caleb's death being treated as one of philip's worst memories in KT that he objectively recalls in horror, he says he "Tried" to save caleb in FTF, which implies he wanted to save him and that he's mad he didn't manage to do so. The grimwalkers and caleb could be seen as ghosts, but also as hallucinations, and if you are seeing them as the latter then it makes sense he'd be seeing them out of some level of guilt towards having them killed.

If the show had these details explained more fully, it would be easy to either deem belos as being a murderous dick with no remorse who thinks killing was the right thing, or as a guilt ridded stubborn murderer who wants to not acknowledge he was wrong and screwed up.

it's why people are split, because you could objectively choose to see him both ways and the ending will affect you differently depending on what you picked up on.

But now let's talk about philip not changing, because people have bashed him for not doing so in the 400 years he's been there and that he had opportunities to do so but didn't.

And i think this is half right, half wrong.

Philip came to the isles with biases, he basically grew up in a cult, he came in thinking he was traveling into hell to go find caleb. Caleb encouraged his hatred, and then his hatred got further pushed when caleb seemed to be kidnapped, and then further pushed when he was surrounded by nothing but bigots.

So this man was already on a bad foot compared to luz, who was here to live out the fantasy books she grew up on, and objectively would have no reason to hate or fear witches nearly as much.

And we do know while the BI can be compassionate, it also has it's issues, even luz faced discrimination for being human herself while on the isles. Being powerless there is well, not great, it's why luz had to figure out her own way to do things alongside everyone else.

And the Bi ARE dangerous, especially for humans, so it's at least understandable philip is not going to just show up and look past the flesh eating plants, the evil weather, and the lack of anything he can even objectively eat.

Now philip could of considered things outside of his bias, and made the effort to try and look at things from a new perspective. But we also have to acknowledge that it's not easy to come out of this long time brainwashing either, and that it takes time and help to do so.

And philip, didn't seem to have that.

Yes, caleb grew up the same way, but not only was he older, which already set him up to question things more. But he had evelyn, he had someone to challenge him and his views and change his mind.

Philp, doesn't have that, there is no confirmation anyone ever really chose to challenge his views or make him realize he was following a lie.

Caleb could of but caleb left.

All we see is philip, isolated, following the beliefs he was taught and being hostile to witches, and witches rightfully being hostile back, which just further is feeding into his bias.

You can assume philip had chances to change but didn't, but there's no real strong evidence of that being offered to him either. That any witch ever tried to make him question anything.

It's pure speculation.

Now Philip is a stubborn ass dude for sure, so yeah, we can claim he just simply didn't want to consider it.

But people are claiming Philip was shown help that he didn't take and that's just not true. We never see anyone asking him to do the right thing or making him question things, at least not compassionately.

no one to our knowledge ever did challenge him, or did reach out to him, not even in the show itself.

Luz is rightfully hostile towards him even when trying to challenge him, hunter does attempt to try and come up with helpful ideas but he would silence himself if his uncle didn't like it (Not to mention the existing fact that he is supposed to be a caleb replacement so his existence comes from philip not wanting him to change or question things philip thinks caleb should not), and well....collector giving him a hug isn't gonna do anything at that point to stop him from thinking the worst of the isles.

This is partially because belos has the power in scenes, that if he hears what he doesn't want to hear he can quickly silence the individual and ignore it.

He's basically put in situations where no one is challenging him and if they are, they're usually doing it with distain and he's responding like a dick right back.

So maybe not much could of been done when belos has become emperor, outside of some rare occurrences where he has no choice but to listen or if he was challenged by someone he respected and would be less willing to hurt. Maybe he's too far gone to back out now and has too much power to even allow himself to consider what anyone had to say, even if they did do it kindly and wouldn't face his wrath.

but he was only emperor for 50 years too.

So ok, what about before that?

Well, yeah, maybe there were chances he could of been, but that's a period of time we only see so much of, and none of it shows one way or the other that Philip was offered the chance to improve.

I think had we gotten a scene of philip being offered a chance to do good, to consider things, that he knew he was wrong and still rejected it, it would back up this whole "Philip made the choice to not get better" thing people claim.

but truth is, it's speculation, we don't know.

A guy who spent his life buying into where he grew up and came in with biases that became a cycle of him being terrible and witches reinforcing what he thought isn't just suddenly going to change his mind and be nice now on a whim unless those biases are challenged in a way he can't deny.

it's on him for not considering looking on things outside of his bias for sure, but people seem to think doing that is simple and easy and it's really not.

Philip had no evelyn, he was left with no one but his bias and stubborn mind.

It's like king said back in hollow mind " People don't want to believe they've been following the wrong person their whole lives", and philip didn't have a luz like hunter did to help him realize how wrong he really was.

Instead it got worse and worse.

This is why philip feels real, because this can happen to people, that they can grow up with hate and never receive the help they needed to pull them out of the mindset. So they get worse, they become worse people.

and we can argue philip didn't deserve the chance to get better, but you'll never know if you don't try and we don't know if anyone did try before he was too far gone.

to think all of this could of been avoided if caleb actually spoke to his brother and gave him the chance to change...

Tying this all back to the beginning-

Philip's story ties into luz, they are foils in a lot of ways, but people need to remember they have differences outside of luz being a good person and philip being a bad person. Those differences make them into the people they are.

That luz was set up to love the isles in a way philip was set up to come in with a bias against it.

That it is not as simple as "Philip should of just got better" given what happened to him and the lack of help he had.

That philip never really is objectively shown to be offered genuine chances to reconsider his views on the show as much as people keep claiming so, and it's mostly all assumption at this point.

That so much of this argument over whether he's one way or the other could of been fixed if the show hadn't kept things vague.

By doing so, it leaves a lot for interpretation about him and therefore means people will have different views on what he thinks and feels and therefore will have different views on how his death should of been handled.

Caleb and philip tie into camila and luz, they tie into the clawthrone sisters, they are the basis for the plot of the series, they tie into hunter and the themes of being understood and being honest about yourself and conformity and it is no wonder people care about them.

It is incredibly valid if anyone expecting this story, that tied into the plot so hard ,as well as the themes, was upset it felt unexplained or dropped in the finale.

Especially since the fandom, with an obvious hatred for belos, responded to it by treating titan dad's word as god and simplifies philip's story completely despite everything i just mentioned here.

It is perfectly fine if you are not someone who cares about belos, but the people who do are perfectly allowed to be bothered that the show itself kept the complexity vague and not addressed and none of it mattered when it came to how his arc ended.

And that the only person who properly gives a personal opinion of what he thinks his motives are, simplifies him to being evil, and the fandom roles with that and the show never tries to do much to prove otherwise despite the evidence.

because this is a fascinating story about how conformity and bigotry can drive two close brothers apart and it feels like a story the show should of at least dedicated more of an episode to.

Especially since there's no clear idea if we'll ever get extra toh content to really tie any of this up.

Again, none of this excuses belos/philip for what he did, does, or tries to do, no amount of his life being screwed over and people treating him bad and not reaching out to him will ever excuse the fact he went so far.

But let's also just, not pretend it was an easy fix either, that someone can just....stop believing what they believe with the drop of a hat.

Especially given how this can reflect real people who are made into people like this.

He is nuanced, and people are attached to this villain for good reasons.

Nothing is simple about him, and it's just a product of how the show has handled his character.

[handcrafted-by-fluids]

A Glimmer of Hope (Draco x Slytherin reader)

Summary: This is the second and the last part of a sixth year fanfiction. Your friend Draco has recently got distant. You've taken it upon yourself to find out what he's up to. Is it just because he's your friend.

Link for 1st part: https://handcrafted-by-fluids.tumblr.com/post/620292667778236416/a-glimmer-of-hope-draco-x-slytherin-reader

Warnings: Angst

Requested by: @malfoy7

Edited by: @eternallyconfusedsoul

Also dedicated to: @the--queen-of-hell

Y/N- Your name

Y/L/N- Your last name

Part 2

The winter was almost knocking the sunlight off the clock courtyard. Hogwarts had never been a particularly safe place to be in, but this year was going especially substandard, both for you and for the school. Last month a Gryffindor student had been cursed by a jinxed necklace. Draco was still avoiding you, and now he had started missing classes too. You were trying your best to stalk him, but most of the times he ended up in the boys bathroom or the Room of Requirement which you still couldn't access.

Christmas would be there in no time, and the word got around that Draco would stay at Hogwarts for this Christmas, something he never does. You decided to use this as your opportunity to find the truth out. Going back for a vacation wasn't more important than your friend.

On the first day of your holidays, you decided to wait in the common room for Draco to arrive from his regular venture. It was almost midnight when he sneaked in slowly, as it was well past the curfew hours.

"Filch missed you again?", you asked, keeping your DADA book aside.

He almost dropped his wand in shock. It was dark, and clearly, he hadn't noticed you.

When he didn't reply, you got up and stood in front of him. "Do you want me to turn you in?"

"You wouldn't", Draco replied, but it missed the familiar smirk.

"You don't know that, do you?", you replied. "But if you tell me where you were, I won't inform anybody."

"You think I'm answerable to you?", he replied, suddenly raising his voice. You noticed a glittery trail on his face. Was he crying? It was hard to tell in the dark. "I have support from people you wouldn't guess. Also, I asked you to stay away from me".

His voice broke towards the end of the sentence, which pained you terribly. He was crying.

But you had never seen him cry. Never. He had definitely wailed purposefully when he was attacked by the Hippogriff, but those silent tears told something else about the person you knew so well.

He was suffering.

"Draco. You can tell me. Whatever it is. I won't tell anybody. I trust you", you said softly. "It's okay."

"That's the problem Y/N. You shouldn't. You shouldn't trust me", he said, almost inaudibly. "You'll hate me."

"I- I won't", you said, carefully choosing your next words. "We've been friends for five years, haven't we? I never hated you."

"We can't be friends anymore. I have chosen my legacy. This is to keep you safe", said Draco. "Please."

He finally looked at your eyes. You gazed at his beautiful gray eyes which matched perfectly with his pale gray tinged skin and felt a sudden desire to hold his face in your hands and wipe his tears off. After what felt like an eternity, he tore his eyes away.

"I'm sorry Y/N", he ran off to his dormitory once again. You were too speechless to stop him. Were you falling for him?

.....

It was tough to accept what you actually felt for Draco, as now he was as distant as ever. By the time the students returned from the break, you had given up all hope of ever seeing him again.

The first blow came in the form of a widely circulating rumour. Draco had been fatally injured in a duel with Harry Potter. Before you even gave it a thought, you found yourself running out of your Charms class (to Flitwick's immense agitation). In no time, you're requesting Madam Pomfrey to let you in.

Being a Slytherin had it's own advantages. For example, you had some tricks up your sleeve to convince Madam Pomfrey.

"But he's asleep. He's been given a high dosage of sleeping draught. Wouldn't be another six hours before he wakes up", she said, clearly annoyed.

"It's okay, I'm just going to wait here, I won't disturb him".

You spent the rest of the day sitting by his bed and looking at him. Though you're highly tempted to brush off his hair, Madam Pomfrey was good at keeping an eye. You just hoped no other teachers noted your absence in class.

You had lost the track of time when you noticed Draco stirring. Madam Pomfrey rushed to his side and helped him wake up.

"Has the pain reduced?", she asked, as Draco started to regain his consciousness. But he was far past answering her, because he was starting at you tenderly.

"Y/N?", he asked, completely ignoring Madam Pomfrey.

"Oh, very well", said Madam Pomfrey, "looks like your pain is gone. I will give you two some time to catch up while I go for my meeting with Professor Snape", she said and left you alone with Draco.

"How are you feeling now?", you asked tentatively.

"Better", he said.

You placed your hands on his left hand and brought it close to you, but he pulled away quickly.

You noticed a small part of a black ink on his forearm, which looked suspiciously like a tattoo.

"Were you waiting here for all that time?", he asked, to which you nodded. "You know you didn't need to."

"I was worried", you said.

He looked at you unblinkingly, and once again, you felt as if someone had stunned you. All the time you had spent away from him had made you realize how much you loved his company. You had loved every bit of his intoxicating personality- his smirk, his snide remarks, his eyes, and the way he ran his fingers through his golden hair.

He sighed, but didn't break the eye contact. "You deserve the truth Y/N".

"No, Draco. I'm sorry for pushing you all this time, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to", you said. You realized that all your curiosity was driven by your eagerness to be his friend. Now as long as you could just look at his eyes and talk to him, you wanted nothing more.

"It's okay Y/N. I want to tell you."

You nodded and helped him to sit up. "I have been given a task Y/N. By- by the Dark Lord. It is my only chance to save myself and my family".

You shuddered. You had always been afraid to lose all your friends in the wizarding war. You knew it was inevitable, but never really thought about it. Especially how your friendship with Draco would be affected. You knew which side you were in. You were not the bravest, but your parents were killed by the Dark Lord, despite the fact that they worked for him. If you had a chance, you'd definitely fight against him. But if you had a chance to bring back your parents by working for him...

Your thoughts were interrupted when you realized Draco hadn't finished yet.

"I- "

"You don't need to say anything", he said. "I have done horrible things while trying to accomplish it. I almost killed Katie Bell."

So that was him. What task could be so dangerous that he almost killed a student? Afterall, he was just sixteen.

"The truth, Y/N, is that I'm a Death Eater now", he said, and rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a tattoo that you knew so well. He sighed again. "I know you'll hate me after this. But you weren't going to leave me alone, were you? I wanted to keep you away from my messed up life, but I was also afraid that you might hate me. I didn't want to lose you, but you deserved the tru-"

You grabbed his hand and leaned in to kiss him before you could change your mind. For a moment, the world paused. The only thing your senses could pick up was the subtle scent of his musk cologne and the slightly bitter taste of his lips, probably from the medicines.

Before your realized what you were doing, you felt his hands on your cheeks, drawing you in his embrace. He was kissing you back.

After what felt like an eternity, you parted, though his hands were still on your cheeks.

"I love you", you whispered.

"Why?", he mumbled, more to himself than to you.

"You are the strongest person I know. You are doing what you must, but you are not a bad person. I know", you replied. "You don't need to tell me what task you have. I know what the Dark Lord is capable of. We all have our terrors Draco."

He removed his hands from your cheeks, held your hands and brought them close to his lips, and gave them a soft tentative peck.

"I don't know what is to come Y/N", he said. "I might not be able to finish the task, I might not be able to survive. And if I do manage to finish it, I'll never be able to look back, I'll have to commit to him. But for what it's worth, you, Y/N, are my only glimmer of hope, and you'll always be", he said, and kissed you again.

You didn't know how long the peace would last, how long you would have the opportunity to kiss him, how long you could hold on to him, but you knew how much you loved him, and how you always would.

As if reading your mind, he replied.

"I love you Y/N, and I always will."

Note: I tried my best to write it without affecting canon, so it's a bit of an abrupt ending. If you want me to continue this and change the main plot of HBP, do tell me.

[xtruss]

Decadent like the late Roman Empire, the West is committing suicide through its irrational response to Covid-19

For years, I was puzzled why the Roman Empire ceased to exist and was replaced by barbarians. Looking at the West's response to COVID-19, I know now.

Decadent like the late Roman Empire, the West is committing suicide through its irrational response to Covid-19

— 25 March, 2020 | RT

Colosseum and Arch of Constantine during the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). Rome (Italy), March 19th, 2020

By Dr. Luboš Motl, Czech theoretical physicist, who was an assistant professor at Harvard University from 2004 to 2007. He writes a science and politics blog called The Reference Frame

Many think Covid-19 is some kind of alien invasion that spells the end of the world. But the real threat to us is a much deadlier virus: a hatred of all the values that have underpinned our civilisation for centuries.

For years, I was puzzled as to why the Roman Empire ceased to exist and was replaced by communities that were uncivilized by comparison. How and why could mankind’s progress reverse in this way? Recent experience has eliminated the mystery. No special devastating event was needed; the cause of Rome's demise was simply the loss of its people's desire to support their ‘empire’ and its underlying values. And as it was 1,500 years or so ago, so I fear it is now.

The Covid-19 crisis – specifically, the reaction to it – demonstrates that people have grown bored, detached, and easily impressionable by things that have nothing to do with the roots of their society. We are all – or too many of us – fin de siècle Romans now.

A large number of Westerners are happy to accept the suicidal shutting down of their economies to try to halt a virus that predominantly causes old and sick people to die just a few weeks or months before they would have anyway. Just as they enthusiastically endorse proclamations such as that there are 46 sexes, not two; that the flatulence of a cow must be reduced to save a polar bear; that millions of migrants from the Third World must be invited to Europe and assumed to be neurosurgeons; and so on.

The widespread opinion that everything, including economies, must be sacrificed to beat coronavirus is a revival of medieval witch hunts; the sacrifice seems more important than finding an effective method to deal with the problem.

Our increasingly decadent mass culture has gradually become more ideological and openly opposed to the values Western civilization is based upon. And while it boasts of being ‘counter-culture’ and independent, it’s acquired a monopoly over almost all the information channels that determine opinions, including mainstream media and political parties.

Our leaders have become sucked into this group-thinking and happily institute policies that unleash shutdowns that may cause the worst recession in history. Thousands of businesses are closing and long-term prospects are bleak.

Governments are stepping in to pay wages and fund other services. As tax revenue will be virtually non-existent, public debt will soar. Some governments may default on their debts or resort to printing money, causing soaring inflation. These countries may be unable to fund healthcare, their police or their military, and be so weakened they will be invaded by others and be erased from the world map.

That may be a worst-case scenario, but it’s almost certain that the impact of the shutdowns will be a recession comparable to the Great Depression. Yet what do most Western citizens make of it? Well, they are either unaware, uncaring, or they’re happy about it. They don’t seem to appreciate the consequent dangers. Instead, they are more obsessed with the latest celebrity who’s caught the virus.

The consumers of this mass culture haven't built anything like what our ancestors did – enlightenment, the theory of relativity, parliamentary democracy, industrialisation, major advances in philosophy, science, literature and engineering. They don't have to defend any real values against a tangible enemy, because hiding in a herd with uniform group-think is good enough for them.

Our ancestors had difficult, short lives; they had to work hard, produce enough to survive, fight enemies, and defend what they’d inherited. Numerous lasting values emerged from those efforts. The current generations of Westerners are good only at producing and escalating irrationality and panic.

If a two-month lockdown isn’t deemed enough to contain the virus, they’re happy to extend it to six months, if not years. China decided to impose strict policies, but they were assertive enough to be relatively short-lived; many Westerners want less perfect policies to last for a much longer time. That’s clearly an irrational approach; instead of ‘flattening a curve’, rational leaders (like Beijing’s) try to turn the curve into a cliff. The faster you eliminate the virus, the cheaper it is.

Immortality As An Entitlement

This support for economically suicidal policies didn't start with Covid-19. Westerners have spent recent decades amid a prosperity in which they took material wealth and good healthcare for granted. They forgot what hunger (and, in most cases, unemployment) meant. They got used to demanding ever deeper ‘entitlements’, such as the ‘right not to be offended’.

Activists sensationalised smaller and more implausible threats and demanded that governments mitigated them. In particular, the climate change movement advocated that the 1-2 °C of warming caused by CO2 emissions in a century was equivalent to an armageddon that had to be avoided, whatever the cost.

In this context, it could be expected that the first ‘real challenge’ – and a new flu-like disease is certainly one – would make people fearful. Because if people were led to believe that 1-2 °C of warming was basically the end of the world, is it surprising that they're absolutely terrified of a new disease that has the potential to kill a few million old and sick people?

The existential threat posed by coronavirus – or at least, our irrationality towards it – is greater than the climate threat (though still very small). Westerners who haven't seen any real threats for a long time have developed a condition – termed "affluenflammation" by the American musician Remy – which is a pathological habit of inflating negligible threats. When this inflation of feelings is applied to a real threat, namely a pandemic, they lose their composure.

The context of Covid-19, where every death is presented with horror, makes it clear that ‘immortality’ is just another ‘human right’. This wisdom says that our leaders are failing because they cannot defend this so-called right. But this excessive sensitivity is just one part of the problem.

Many Westerners actively want to harm their economies, corporations, rich people, and governments, because they don't feel any attachment to or responsibility for them. They take security and prosperity for granted. Their money and food arrive from ‘somewhere’, and they don’t care about the source.

And they believe that the structures which allow them to survive – the governments, banks, and so on – are ‘evil’. Some are just financially illiterate. But others know what they are saying, and rejoice in demanding that trillions be sacrificed in order to infinitesimally increase the probability that a 90-year-old will avoid infection and live a little bit longer. They don't accept their dependence on society and the system at all. They don't realise that their moral values, their ‘human rights’, are only available if paid for by prosperous societies.

I have used some dramatic prose, so let me be clear: the scenario I’ve outlined – ending in the suicide of the West – is avoidable, and I hope and believe it will be. I know some who are willing to fight for its survival.

But even if this acceleration towards shutdowns is reversed and countries restore their pre-virus businesses, our world won't be the same. Many people will conclude that the crisis was exciting, and try to kickstart a repetition. The curfew is likely to reduce CO2 emissions this year, so climate activists may try for similar results in the future. Terrorists may deploy some new disease – which, after all, is likely to be more effective than any stabbing or bombing.

It's conceivable that the West’s brush with mortality will lead people to regain some common sense and survival instincts. Perhaps several nations going bankrupt will be a wake-up call. Maybe people will realise that the reaction to the coronavirus was disproportionate. But even if that is so, I’m afraid it won’t be enough.

We need to accept that the positive relationship of Westerners to the roots of their civilization will be still missing – and that this is a virus that poses a much more fundamental existential threat than Covid-19.

[ration-channel-blog]

Kitakyushu captivity murder case-part 5

~ Mother killing ~

In January 1998, the bottom target Takashige died, and the next target became mother Shizuka. An electric cord always extended from the silent crotch, which was laid on the back next to the kitchen. Matsunaga who sits in a chair and looks at it. Shizuka's head became strange due to the concentration of electricity.

"Hmmm" "Hmmm" Shimomi has always come out with a strange voice. That's a problem with Matsunaga's nephew "What would you do if it were reported to the neighborhood? I'm troubled with my daughter, I'm sorry. You're the one who's dismantled, so you're in trouble? I can't take care of you. "

Junko proposed to "enter a mental hospital" and "to rent the apartment and let Shizumi live," but was rejected by Matsunaga.

"If you go outside and ask for something extra, what do you do? It will cost you money to rent a room. How about that money? Make a conclusion in less than an hour."

Junko, Rieko, Kazuya, Aya shut up. In other words, "kill me". As expected, Junko also thought, "I can not kill my mother, but let's decide to kill her to convince Matsunaga."

When I told Matsunaga, I was told, "If you do what you want, do it.

Four people who came to the mother sleeping in the bathroom. Kazuya squeezed his neck with an electric cord and Rieko was holding back his leg. Because Junko and Aya were ordered not to do anything, they were just looking at it like that. When Kazuya put pressure on his wrist and squeezed his neck, "Gue" and Shizumi began to go wild. Rieko used her whole body and pressed down all the knees. The buzz and Shizumi were longing, but after a few minutes they became quiet. Shimizu died.

The demolition work was carried out as well as at the time of the event.

~ Sister Rieko murder ~

Matsunaga decided to disperse the agits in order to prevent someone from collapsing and running away.

Matsunaga, Junko, Rieko, Aya, eldest son, second son and family, Yuuki, and daughter of Toraya. The apartment where Kazuya and three people live is an apartment where dismantling work was performed.

After Shizumi died, the target of energization moved to Rieko. Rieko had her hair tied up with gum tape and she was cut off with scissors. In addition, the shirt was shirtless, the bottom was a piece of pants, and a small piece of gum tape was attached to the part of the nipple, and I was doing housework with that figure.

Something unusual happened to Rieko. My body became so thin that it was hard to hear my ears. Physiology also stopped and it was thought "pregnancy". Matsunaga said, "Don't Rieko's head get weird? What will you do if you want to see Shizuka?"

At one time Aya and Rieko had a fight. Matsunaga didn't miss the words of Aya. Matsunaga concluded that Rieko was "heads upset".

Matsunaga told Junko: "I'm going away from now. Do not know what that means"

In February 1998, Matsunaga and others arrived at the apartment where Kazuya and others live. "Rieko should sleep in the bathroom" Rieko, instructed by Matsunaga, will sleep in the bathroom. In the meantime, Matsunaga told Junko, Kazuya and Aya, "I go to bed from now and talk at Ogata's home and make a conclusion. Let me finish by the time I wake up."

The three were left in the bathroom. All three understood that it was "kill me". The three did not want to kill Rieko. However, if they do not kill themselves, they will be targets for energization. The three narrowed their wisdom on how to avoid killing.

If I just had to earn time, I tried to hear Matsunaga's opinion, and the doorknob in the washroom suddenly stopped to open.

The time went on, and they had to be killed before Matsunaga got up, and the three were forced to go.

At last, I decided to prepare.

"Since my dad squeezes my mother's neck, please hold my mother's foot and do a final farewell" "Yeah"

It approaches Rieko who is sleeping. Then Rieko's eyes opened quickly.

"Kazu-chan, I'm dying ..."

"Rieko, just plain"

Kazuya squeezed his cord tight around his neck. After confirming that Rieko had died, she stood in the bathroom and cried saying, "At the very end my wife-in-law was killed." Aya brought Rieko's hand over her chest.

After that, Matsunaga got up and came to the bathroom. Matsunaga, who confirmed the scene, said, "What have you done, you have done something!" "I did something terrible! Cursed!" "I didn't come to ask before I did it".

Matsunaga immediately ordered that he was unfolding his hands. It is because it was decided that it would take time if it stiffened after death when dismantling. "Don't dismantle the work early," Matsunaga told the three.

Junko, Kazuya, Aya dismantled Rieko.

~ Kazuya death ~

The next target moved to Kazuya. The electrification point to Kazuya was mainly penis. It was ordered by Matsunaga and Junko was supplying electricity to Kazuya's penis. Because of that, the penis was swollen with blisters.

One month after Rieko's murder, Kazuya was getting lost more and more. Vomiting and diarrhea continued and I couldn't walk.

Matsunaga did not stop harassment even though he knew he was ill. Because he was afraid that the rules would be loosened because of illness.

I couldn't walk and did diapers and let me eat the stools. The stool was divided into 2-3 pieces and wrapped in toilet paper and swallowed with water.

In April, Kazuya was abandoned. Matsunaga gave him some beer. Kazuya drank it and died in the bathroom.

"I drank a beer because I knew I would die. It would be my last hope."

The dismantling of Kazuya took time. The reason is that Junko and Aya performed it together, and there was also an offensive odor like a collection of corruption. Matsunaga misled with lavender's fragrance.

~ Killing Yuuki ~

We talked with Junko how to handle Aya and Yuuki that are disturbing for Matsunaga. Junko thought that they both wanted to keep it alive, but Matsunaga refused. The reason was "It costs money" and "What to do if someone hits you".

"I may not say Aya because I am guilty of myself, but Yuuki is not. I may tell someone in the future. The story of Genpeira destroyed with compassion for children (When Yoshitsune was a child, It is overlooked by the Heike, and it revenges after that).

Junko was scared. I thought that children might get revenge rather than get revenge by themselves.

Matsunaga called Aya.

"What will you do now?"

"Yuki and two will go back to their father's home"

"You will hear a lot when you get home, how do you answer?"

"I don't say anything"

"I don't say Aya-Chan, but Yuuki-kun may say. Yuuki-san has an optimistic view that you may not say anything because you don't know that everyone is dead, but it's because you don't know You may be honest: Aya-Chan can be responsible? "

"I can not say anything"

"Even if you say something, Yuuki says, if the police moves, Aya-chan will be arrested. And, I may be caught by the police.

"......"

"My dad and my mother are no longer there, and it's not painful to live, isn't it better to give it to my mother and to me?"

"Hey, what do you do?"

Aya decides. Junko and Aya called Yuki to the kitchen.

"Yuki, I'll take you to my mother."

Lying down in the bathroom, Junko and Aya passed the cord under the neck. Yui pulled the end of the cord with two people, and Yuuki shook his prickly leg. And it just became quiet.

~ Aya killing ~

Junko was delighted to have killed Yuki. Junko was thinking, "If this kills Aya-chan, you can save Aya-san if you kill Yuuki." But Matsunaga was not sweet.

"I wonder if I'm telling someone!", I was energized every day to Aya. In addition, I was instructed to make Aya want to die.

And I reduced the amount of meal of Aya. At this time, Junko understood, "Because I can't eat it because I'm going to kill Aya."

The time will finally come. In June 1998, Aya was called to the kitchen. Aya, who knew everything, went to where Yutaka was lying from himself and fell on his back.

It was Junko and the daughter of Toraya who received the killing order. Aya raised her neck from herself to make it easy to turn the cord around her neck. The two pulled the end of the cord, as they did with Yui. Aya died.

Thus, the killing and dismantling of the Ogata family is over.

~ The girl left ~

The next target is Toraya's daughter. After graduating from junior high school in 2002, she was forced to do childcare and housework and was violently beaten by Matsunaga. She ran away. The destination is my grandfather's home (Toraya's father's home).

She ran away and said nothing about what happened. However, Aunt's mother was suspicious that "the situation is strange". And Matsunaga comes and is brought back.

She was beaten for twenty days. I was instructed by Matsunaga to peel off his thumb nail with a pliers, and while crying, I peeled the nail with a pliers. And with that blood he wrote an oath saying, "I will not run away."

"I will be killed. Next is me ..."

She escapes for the second time. And that was successful. Aunt and mother contacted the police. She kept a note on her first escape. She was protected by the police, and Matsunaga and Junko, who did not know it, got in with her Aunts.

"Put your daughter! Return! Where are you !!"

Matsunaga and Junko were arrested by the police who were hiding.

~ The end ...? ~

Thus, Matsunaga's devil's work ended in the form of an arrest. Junko is ruled by Matsunaga for 20 years and now lives like a human being in prison. Junko separated from Matsunaga and finally got back his mind.

Matsunaga appeals all the decisions.

"I have not killed one. I have not restricted my life. I have set the minimum rules for living together, but I have been allowed to live freely. I have had electricity. However, it means the discipline, and I told the reason in advance, and after the other party convinced me, I was energized. Because there was a sip in the bathroom, I asked, "Is this a stool?" When I asked, "Are you able to eat this?" I said, "I can eat it." That's why it wasn't my instructions, but Mr. Toraya ate himself. "

Matsunaga's trial always seems like this. Oh, say, It was only empty air flowing.

As of 2019, Junko Ogata is serving a lifetime imprisonment. Matsunaga is said to be executed from 2019-2020.

I would like to disseminate to the world the fact that such a horrible affair is happening in Japan, in addition.

In Japan, there are many people who do not know the truth because the content of the case is not reported by the news regulation.

[thousandeyesand-one]

In the name of the White Wolf & The Dragon Queen!

So I was recovering from dumblr not allowing my posts in the jonerys tag for some reason finally it seems to have worked out smh, like I did nothing!? I badly wanted to discuss the Ghost won't like dany nonsense but I couldn't coz you know dumblr! Here It is I've been holding it forever!

"The wind was blowing wet and heavy as they crossed the valley of the Milkwater and rode singlefile through the river camp. Ghost kept close to Jon, but the scent of him went before them like a herald, and soon there were wildling dogs all around them, growling and barking. Lenyl screamed at them to be quiet, but they paid him no heed. “They don’t much care for that beast o’ yours,” Longspear Ryk said to Jon. “They’re dogs and he’s a wolf,” said Jon. “They know he’s not their kind." *No more than I am yours.*"

In the books Ghost was with Jon when he was wildling's hostage as opposed to how in the show they made ghost wander off before Jon came across ygritte. Ghost is the reason Jon could kill Halfhand when he bites his calf but in the show Jon kills him on his own, in a single combat without any help also Jon uses Ghost to keep Ygritte away from him at night & ghost even helps him because that's what Jon wants, just like ghost protects Sam & cares for him because Jon cares for him & because that's what Jon wants. Ghost is Jon's extension of his personality just like Drogon is to Daenerys. Because the entire time that Jon was beyond the wall with him While he was a hostage ghost was an extension of his inner monologue. Outwardly Jon was playing a turn cloak for the Wildlings but only ghost truly knew he never gave up on being a man of the Nights Watch.

"*There were cookfires all along the river, amongst wayns and carts and sleds. Many of the wildlings had thrown up tents, of hide and skin and felted wool. Others sheltered behind rocks in crude lean-tos, or slept beneath their wagons. At one fire Jon saw a man hardening the points of long wooden spears and tossing them in a pile. Elsewhere two bearded youths in boiled leather were sparring with staffs, leaping at each other over the flames, grunting each time one landed a blow. A dozen women sat nearby in a circle, fletching arrows. Arrows for my brothers, Jon thought. Arrows for my father’s folk, for the people of Winterfell and Deepwood Motte and the Last Hearth. Arrows for the north.*"

This is where his undying fidelity for North comes to play he doesn't respect ryk, rattleshirt, weeper or ygritte! He doesn't yet know what it's like to be a ruler, a leader, he surely has those traits in him but still at heart being as young as he was (in the books) he is a follower, of his old gods, his father's words & his home of Winterfell along with his newest allegiance to Night's Watch. Ygritte wanted to change Jon's loyalty, she wanted him to help them raid & ravage the lands of his father & his fore-fathers but jon is way too loyal to his kind for that to happen just like arya is fiercely loyal to the north. Jon's & ygritte's goals never matched, ever! But Jon still fell for ygritte nonetheless he kept his undying loyalty to the north but still fell for a Person who reminded him of arya. And in jonerys's case by the end of S07 Jon & dany's goals matched. No matter how much people deny it by saying dany is still more focused on the conquest; night king killed her child she will destroy anyone who does that & Jon feels guilty that she lost her dragon because of him, that her house sigil is now incomplete because of him, there is guilt in her too for not trusting him. She wanted to help Jon in saving the north which is & always has been his goal. And to say dany's stubborn nature, rashness, bravery & her inclination to not only understand him but also to fly to a frozen, strange corner of the world to help him on his word reminds him of arya would be an understatement!

"*But not all he saw was warlike. He saw women dancing as well, and heard a baby crying, and a little boy ran in front of his garron, all bundled up in fur and breathless from play. Sheep and goats             wandered freely, while oxen plodded along the riverbank in search of grass. The smell of roast mutton drifted from one cookflre, and at another he saw a boar turning on a wooden spit.. *"

Jon idolized King Daeron I Targaryen, the Young Dragon. He was a Bastard who was hungry for glory the likes of which he knew he won't find anywhere in the 7K but at the wall. So he joined the ancient order only to learn of it's receding ranks once honorable men of nights watch now reduced to reavers, rapers, cut-throats, thieves. Nobody as honorable as his uncle or LCMormont. But he made his peace with the situation & the First chance he got to get out there & earn some valor & make a name for himself like Qhorin Halfhand, that which he was so hungry for he took the chance! Which lead to series of events that spiralled out of his control he ended up falling for someone which he never intended & he learned that the price for glory is quite high! At this time he was a young boy who thought glory was easy that's why he looks at all the battlements & instantly villainizes the wildlings. Only to realize with ygritte's death that there was no glory in killing the Wildlings so he tried to save them hoping to see the glory in that. Maybe there was glory in it being the first LC in the known history of the watch to have done so but the watch itself didn't think so & ended up taking his life. The path to glory didn't turn out to be as promising as he thought in fact it was full of compromising crossroads. His loyalty to North never died but something else awoke him; the openess to considering all human life equal & the fact that battle has two sides of compromising crossroads. He wasn't ready for Battle of the Bastards until he saw Rickon die up until then it looked like he was just going where his new life was taking him, he doesn't like fighting unnecessary battles unless it's against the dead & for the living. He's a better leader for all that & as a LC who wasn't afraid to do what nobody has done by saving & taking Wildling's help against the dead & he wasn't faking it! Even though Wildlings have been the enemy of the North when time came they helped save his life against the watch itself; similarly he wasn't afraid of taking the Dragon Queen's help against the dead fully aware of the era-defining conflict between Starks & Targaryens & still being truthful in all his actions when time came the Dragon Queen came to his help & saved his life too. 

"*Can a bird hate? Jon had slain the wildling Orell, but some part of the man remained within the eagle. The golden eyes looked out on him with cold malevolence. “I’ll come,” he said. The blood kept running down into his right eye, and his cheek was a blaze of pain. When he touched it his black gloves came away stained with red. “Let me catch my garron.” It was not the horse he wanted so much as Ghost, but the direwolf was nowhere to be seen. He could be leagues away by now, ripping out the throat of some elk. Perhaps that was just as well.*"

In the books Jon is a warg or atleast has shown warg-like traits, by far dreaming Ghost's vision & inhabiting his mind initially he wasn't sure what this exactly means. When orell's eagle attacked him he wasn't brutally harmed but still he wanted ghost close to him similarly when he dies he called for Ghost. That was his last words "Ghost.. " 

I believe everyone is aware of this very popular theory that before dying Jon warged into ghost. Like orell left a little bit of himself in his eagle, his most immediate emotion that he felt before dying that is hate & revenge just like Jon who must've felt the same before dying & his calling was more of a defensive move since all his other defences were failing, ghost was what he needed at the very end. His "Ghost.." was just like daenerys's "dracarys".

Daenerys & Jon's journey in taming their magical beasts & properly using them as the magical mythology of the WOIAF tells of a magical beast like a Dragon or direwolf were used back in the time when both of them weren't unheard of, all Kings of Winter had a Direwolf & some even rode into battle on the back of their direwolves & most of the Starks of the Past were wargs , that's how they tamed such vicious beasts like direwolves. Once warged into a Direwolf that creates a life-long bond between the beast & the warg. Similarly all the Valyrians had dragons & they rode into battle on the back of their dragons, Daenys the dreamer was a dragon dreamer who foresaw the doom of valyria making dragon dreams a recurring aspect in the blood of Old Valyria as daenerys had dragon dreams too. Also dragons natural lifespan goes past the rider but the bond only breaks when the rider dies before that just like the wolves this bond is unbreakable too. So basically the show gave us a good view into the journey of dany taming her dragons & becoming a dragon rider just like in the books but with Jon on the other hand unfortunately the t.v. show cut major arcs of his story related to Ghost.

Apart from being Jon Snow's Loyal Albino-red eyed pal ghost is very interesting in the books..

Firstly when the Starks discover their direwolves all 5 of them belonging to the true born stark kids are huddled together but ghost was seperate from the group. His appearance is also very different to other direwolves with white fur & red eyes. There is another theory that says Bloodraven often warged into Ghost. That many' a-times he used Ghost to get to Jon. For example when ghost brought jafar flowers hand warning the watch & specifically Jon about the threat of the dead, then leading him to Jeor Mormont's chambers before the Wight attack, in the books Ghost leads Jon to cachè of dragonglass hid by the fist of the first men along with the Horn also when Jon tries to leave the Watch in the middle of the night it's ghost who gives away his position by moles town, he stops Jon from leaving the watch. Not that ghost was never himself or always warged by bloodraven or something but yeah a lot of times he was.

Apart from ghost there was another, jeor mormont's crow who is also believed to have been warged by bloodraven.

Before bran falls off the tower he used to climb there to feed corn to the crows & after his fall during his coma in his dreams bloodraven asks him "... say got any corn?" So bloodraven was basically keeping an eye on bran through one of the crows.. When jon talks about Bran's health with LCMormont his crow screams "Corn! Corn! Corn!" & when jeor mormont informs Jon that bran is awake the crow screams "Live! Live!"

"He rose & dressed in darkness as mormont's raven muttered across the room. "Corn", the bird said &, "King", &, "Snow, Jon Snow, Jon Snow." That was queer. The bird never said his full name before, as best Jon could recall" 

                                                                  -Jon AGOT

"Do you think your Uncle Benjen was the only ranger we've lost this past year?" "Ben Jen", the raven squawked, bobbing its head, bits of egg dribbling from its beak. "Ben Jen. Ben Jen."  "No", Jon said. There had been others. Too many. "Do you think your brother's war is more important than ours?" the old man barked. Jon chewed his lip. The raven flapped it's wings at him. "War, war, war, war," it sang   

                                                                  -Jon AGOT

 When Jon burns the Wight in LCMormont's room..

"Jon tried to shout, but his voice was gone. Staggering to his feet, he kicked the arm away & snatched the lamp from the Old Bear's fingers. The flame flickered & almost died. "Burn!" the raven cawed. "Burn, burn, burn!"

                                                                 -Jon AGOT

When LCMormont gives him Longclaw he initially refuses it so the crow says..

"Take it" echoed his raven, preening. "Take it, take it."

                                                                 -Jon AGOT

In the show they omitted both these aspects of Jon's storyline, wherein not just bran but also Jon has a connection to bloodraven. Him being Aegon & Bran being Brandon. Both these names have prophetic value in their respective houses. The raven stayed with Jon when he became LC in fact he is the reason Jon was elected. I was always pissed at why the tv show reduced ghost to just another 'pet'. But before getting to that, first about the journeys of both Jon & dany in taming their magical beasts.. 

Dany at first acquired the dragon eggs that were said to have turned into stone over the time but she hatched those eggs bringing dragons back into the world.

While they were infants she taught them as a pet is taught to take care of themselves, be able to gather or atleast help themselves with food & or follow commands by daenerys "Dracarys". In many ways dany trained them like she would've trained her son. 

Whenever daenerys acts like a Valyrian or behaves like a true Targaryen & let's the Fire & Blood in her out by commanding her dragons to do what they do best. Whenever daenerys let's the dragons behave like themselves they grow closer to her. Their bond shows best at such a time.

Again when daenerys acts like a Valyrian during the sacking of Astaphor & truly allows the greatest weapons of war in the world her Dragons to do what they do best she brings them closer to herself.

And then as the dragons grew in age & in size their viciousness grew as well & they became harder to be tamed. While this was one of the many reasons why it was harder for dany to tame them but that isn't it. Daenerys locked them away for the sake of the safety of people of mereen like her ancestors who made the Dragon Pit to lock away their dragons. Being treated as a mere pet doesn't do well with dragons instead of being captured drogon escapes while Rhaegal & Viserion are imprisoned. When daenerys tries to be a Queen unlike the Targaryen Queen that she should be & sort of resists her Valyrian nature the dragons grow apart from her. For a long time Daenerys tried to be a different sort of queen for mereen so drogon knew he wouldn't survive the captivity like the dragons before him & he escaped. But the bond never died as long as the blood of Old Valyria flows within dany she will always have a bond with the dragons. Drogon doesn't let her touch him until he returned to Daznak's fighting pits & in a way reminds her what she is & she rides him for the first time.

Beyond the books what also happened is drogon gave her a taste of who she really is, a Dragon in her own right! After which she burns all the khals & was reborn in the fires again which gained her drogon's allegiance.

I suppose there were elements of Jon's Targaryen heritage coming to play when drogon accepts his touch in S07. But it's not drogon who burns quentyn it's Rhaegal because quentyn tried to tame him without any blood of Old Valyria. Jon embracing his Targaryen heritage will be complete when he becomes a dragon rider himself. But before that not only does drogon accept Jon but also recognizes something in Jon, drogon already has a rider so it was just a moment of recognition. Tyrion has also touched both Rhaegal & Viserion but they didn't recognize anything in him except the fact that he isn't a foe & they didn't harm him. Apart from recognizing blood in Jon; drogon is now not only a full grown embodiment of Targaryen sigil but also an extension of daenerys's personality. That's why he is roaring while dany is roaring her bloodriders speech. They have truly become bound to one another! Quaithe's words of remembering that she is blood of dragon is complete now because she has truly become a dragon, she's owning it!

Continued

[superiorllathanvie]

Hair's Breadth From Death

— [WHUMPTOBER, DAY 3] {SEMICANON}

• characters :: hitori, unnamed boss

• genre :: whump, narrative

• warnings :: graphic depictions of violence; firearms; suggestions of a child soldier program (basically comes with emotional child neglect); torture; mass murder/death

synopsis / prompt(s) :: gun to temple, “say goodbye”

a/n :: hi yes hello i hope you like hitori because this is a huge fucking lore dump about her background, some parts were kept vague ofc but yes this is a lot even though it's incoherent in some parts (intentional, have i forgot to mention how hitori used to black out a lot to keep herself from remembering unpleasant things 😍)

also listen to hayloft ii by mother mother it's a vibe & sets the tone quite well for this one 👍

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each bullet hit the dead center of the shooting target. With how many times she had hit the exact spot over the past three years, it was surprising to her how a hole hadn't been blown straight through the steel silhouette.

In addition to that, it was a wonder how Hitori still managed to keep track of time despite being closed off from the outside world. If her mental math was right, she was.. fourteen or fifteen, at most. Right.

Her age was practically all she had left of her past life; her birthday had long been tossed to the side, deemed insignificant by the people who took her in, as was her name. Even her appearance was slightly different from what she remembered every time she looked into a mirror — her hair was always a little darker and her eyes were always a little brighter.

In color, of course. If referring to the 'light' that shone in most kids' eyes displaying their hope for the future, then Hitori's candle had since died out along with her brother.

Ah, yes. The last time she saw him was when she was twelve, through a glass as he smiled at her right before his sentence was carried out.

She missed him.

Was this torturous life similar to what he had to go through to provide for their simple, merry life?

Hitori's grip on the pistol tightened, jaw clenching as she took a silent breath to compose herself. That was all in the past, so it didn't matter — not that the present and the future had anything to offer.

‎

‎

Bang!

'I'm sorry.'

"Good job, sweetheart," The bad man praised, walking up to Hitori from behind and looking down at the fresh corpse at the teen's feet. He scrunched his nose up at the sight of a bullet-shaped hole right in the middle of the victim's forehead, turned away and gave Hitori a pat on the head. "Not your first rodeo, but you never cease to amaze me. You're a natural-born killer, ain't you? Aw."

Hitori only stared at the deceased with a blank look on her face, unfeeling and unbothered lieslies liar. She glanced down at her weapon, which still had all the bullets in it minus one. She spoke not unless told to, not wanting to be punished for it.

She wasn't afraid of it, however. She did not feel fear, for she did not feel anything at all guiltyguiltyguilty. She was but an empty husk, a tool used for assassinations and hits and nothing more.

They made sure to break her down carefully, reduce her to nothing — just so they could build her back up again into their perfect mold murderer.

And so far, the results were stellar. Hitori was only fifteen and she was better than most adult hitmen. She'd never missed a lethal shot, and that was thanks to their.. extensive lessons on vulnerable areas of the average humanoid body.

Hitori's angelus descent made it much easier to teach her about anatomy — her quick regeneration was very helpful, considering they often had to cut her into pieces.

Suppressing a flinch from feeling a hand on her shoulder, Hitori nonchalantly looked up at her employer.

The man smiled sweetly at her, seemingly pulling out candy out of nowhere. Hitori obediently showed him her free palm, where he carefully placed the singular piece. Hitori bowed slightly and murmured a "Thank you," satisfying the higher-up.

"You have another job, downtown. Long-range, client's waiting for you on the roof of the building on this address," He stated, dropping the niceties as he handed a card towards the little Hitori. "Your gun has already been set up in advance."

"Understood." Hitori replied automatically, quickly scanning the text on the card and pocketing it. She gave her boss a nod, before heading towards an open window.

"I would wish you luck, but you don't need it," The man chortled, smirking. "I'll just say... Finish the job." He warned.

Hitori didn't respond, opting to slip out through the window and go on her way. Of course she'd finish the job — what would keep her from doing so?

Herself, maybe.

Bang! Bang!

It took one more shot than normal for the scorner to blow Hitori's arm off, but they succeeded in the end.

Hitori only gritted her teeth to endure the stinging in her left shoulder — this wasn't the first time she'd had to have been dismembered or mutilated or 'broken apart to be put back together'; nothing hurt anymore after having so much time to get used to the pain. Instead of a piercing, unbearable agony, all Hitori felt was a tingling numbness.

Being an assassin, she had to be trained to withstand torture in the scenario that she was captured and interrogated. How did they train her, exactly? By using their own twisted form of Mithridatism — if Hitori were subjected to a regular amount of time being beaten and the like, she'd eventually build up an immunity to it, right?

Their hypothesis was correct. Hitori felt virtually nothing every time they slashed apart her limbs by the joints one by one.

Aside from the mental strain of having to carry so many of her sins, anyway.

How long exactly would she last like this? She couldn't lie to herself forever. She was only human; feeling 'nothing' was an impossible concept. Even for her.

Physically, yes, she was practically unkillable due to her regerative abilities, but she wasn't immune to fatal injuries like a bullet to the head.

A bullet to the head.

Bullet to the head.

The head.

The head of the organization that took her. Wasn't he the same person who turned in her Nii-san to the authorities, even after he showed so much loyalty and contributed so much to this pathetic excuse of a job?

That bastard got him killed, didn't he?

Would he do the same to her, too?

...

She'd been repressing so many of her experiences for long enough. Figured it was about time she did what she wanted with all this power... Hitori had always been stronger than the others in every way, yet she stayed under their foot like a doormat.

Hitori decided that she wasn't going to risk that. She had wanted to be just like her brother, but unlike him, she didn't have anything worth fighting for that still happened to be alive.

Except herself.

Would that make her selfish..?

Maybe. But who cared?

Not Hitori.

A loud crack rang through her ears as she delivered a swift kick to the closest tormentor's ribs. Without further delay, she abruptly bent her knee and harshly sent the kneecap into their face.

They stumbled backwards before fainting, but two others were still in the room. One charged towards Hitori with a blade, yelling something about her traitorous behavior; the other ran out of the room to sound the alarm that blared across the entire underground building not long after they left.

Hitori's sharp senses noticed a loud echo of footsteps and firearms being cocked from down the hall, and judging by the amount of people sent to incapacitate her...

They were all fully aware of how powerful she really was. The fear in their falsely confident shouts were in vain.

Hitori always did want to try out her wings. She did have four pairs of them.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Click. Click.

"Oh," Hitori pouted, disheartened by the sudden lack of ammunition. "That's too bad." She murmured, narrowing her eyes at the pistol in her hand before throwing it over her shoulder.

The metal did not hit the floor. It hit something much softer than concrete — Hitori assumed it was one of the carasses by the doorway, who tried so desperately to defend their leader. Where was he?

Oh, right. Dead. Right in front of her, with sixteen bullet holes in his face. When did that happen?

Well, regardless, at least it was over now. Whew. Hitori felt.. really tired all of a sudden. Wow.

Maybe she should look for another place to sleep tonight. No one was left to manage the air conditioner.

That was her fault, though. She had to take accountability, so she did.

"Sorry."