#zeno backstory

[realclever]

Yona of the Dawn Ch 257 Manga page coloring

Spoilers!! And blood and violence trigger warning!

[starrysharks]

10 months after gym + mewing ‼️‼️💯💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[tartagliove]

LANTERN RITE CELEBRATION IN SUMERU starring ✧ zeno (cyno x zebra)

a surprise celebration, the scent of spices from home, a gifted qipao, tears of gratitude and long hugs, plump dumplings with imperfect folds, citrusy spray of peeled tangerines, lit sparklers burning in the night, a quiet walk to light lanterns in remembrance.

it's the first year that I won't be able to go home to see my family around the winter holidays, so I start to feel especially homesick when the Lantern Rite Festival is approaching. I end up telling this to Cyno—who I've started to become closer with lately—while we're both doing our own research in the library. he nods as he listens and looks oddly contemplative the rest of the day, but I don't think much of it.

on the day of Lantern Rite, Nilou delivers me a note from Cyno, inviting me to his home to spend time with our friends. I nearly decide to not go, but being surrounded by friends might make me forget about missing my family.

the sun is setting by the time I arrive at his home. the air carries a hint of star anise and other spices that remind me of my mother's cooking. when Cyno opens the door, I'm hit with scents of traditional Liyue dishes, but that is forgotten when I take in what Cyno is wearing. he's dressed in purples and gold—his usual colors—but he's wearing a qipao. his hair is half up in a knot, held up with a ribbon. he's handsome, but I won't admit that—at least, not to his face, and not anytime soon.

he holds out his hands, a slip of red between his fingers. "happy Lantern Rite," he says. "this is for you."

tears start to well in my eyes but I laugh, accepting the red envelope with a bow. "I haven't received one of these in years! Cyno, what is all of this?"

Nilou appears behind him, dressed in a qipao herself, and when she sees me crying, she throws herself at me in a hug. "he spent days preparing this for you! we all wanted to make sure you still got to celebrate the holiday. now come, you have to get changed!"

she pulls me inside, and all I can do is give Cyno a teary-eyed smile and mouth a "thank you," before a pink qipao is thrusted into my arms. I find out later that all my friends bought clothes from Dori, but Cyno was the one who picked mine out.

when I'm changed, I step outside to greet everyone else—Alhaitham, Tighnari, Kaveh, and Collei are there as well. we spend a while making dumplings, where I get involved in a debate about how to make the best folds, and though our dumplings are all a bit misshapen and overfilled, they're the best thing I've tasted in a long time.

there are other traditional Liyue dishes and snacks that they've made or purchased beforehand. we end dinner by eating oranges, to usher in wealth in the new year.

after dinner, we go outside and light sparklers, waving them around in the air. Nilou chases Kaveh around with hers, making the rest of us laugh.

Cyno ends up asking me if I'd like to take a walk with him, so we step away, talking as we end up finding a nice spot on the Divine Tree, overlooking much of Sumeru. he pulls out two lanterns from beneath a nearby bench that he had prepared in advance. we light them, both of us quiet and contemplative. they float away when we release them, drifting up and up, light growing smaller, until they are indistinguishable among the stars.

"thank you, Cyno." my eyes are getting teary again as I turn to him, but my heart feels like it's overflowing with the love I've been shown today.

he smiles, then, soft and small but genuinely happy. "I didn't want you to be alone today. I hope this helped bring a bit of home to you."

I throw my arms around him, tears starting to fall. he hesitates, then wraps his arms around me, warm and strong against my back. he lets me cry until my tears stop, releasing me when I finally pull away.

we walk back to his home, where I'm surrounded by friends and warmth all night long.

[luckycheesefoodie321]

PUKYUU WATCH CH 42

The introduction of what I wager is one of the most complex written characters I have ever personally read about.

My guy, genuinely asking, how long has it been since you last ate?

BUT ALSO LOOK AT AO ALSO WITH HER LIL HANDS PRAYING FOR THE DEER

[myreia]

FEBHYURARY XI: RAID

Acrid smoke lingers heavily on her tongue. Ash chokes her lungs, searing the insides. Her blue and gold uniform is stained and torn. Aymeric’s scarf—a parting gift, was it that long ago now?—trails in the wind, its tattered hem fluttering pathetically behind her. The raid came quickly, overwhelming them in minutes. She is furious she didn’t see the signs beforehand. And so, battered and bruised, her eye stinging from blood that drips from a forehead wound, she stakes her broken lance into the ground and pushes herself up onto one knee.   The monster—impossible in his strength, his size, his speed, an enigma forged of blood and steel—approaches her from behind. Slow, methodical, each step foretelling her doom. But he is not a monster, not to her. For she knows exactly what man lies beneath that armour and she hoped she would never encounter him on the battlefield. Fool.   She knows exactly what face lurks beneath that helmet. She had the dubious honour of fighting the crown prince many years ago—a test of strength and a battle of wills to prove the worth of her fellow savages. When their contest ended in a draw, he told her the memory of their fight had seared itself on him like a brand. Permanent and eternal. Few managed to make such an impression. Her reward? Sanction for her unit to operate—a unit she would later massacre during her defection. Does he still remember? When he glimpses her unmasked face, what will he see? Eorzea’s champion or the Garlean defector? Both? Neither? She licks her dry lips, tasting salt and iron, and hefts her lance, the first embers of vengeance flickering in her heart. It will not end here. In crimson it began… and in black it will be complete.

[tenebriism]

// I am forever a sucker for writing "evil" characters, with traumatic backstories that made them into monsters, getting a fresh chance at a better life and experiencing good emotions. Getting to have that good, FAT cry that they've needed for so, so long, and finally being shown love.

It's such GOOD. MATERIAL.

[sidsinning]

He made me cry

[psychopomp-namine]

I've been ignoring the japanese dub for link click for a while now (I watched the original chinese audio and one season of the english dub) and so I only found out just now that liu xiao has THE natsuki hanae as his va in the japanese dub. wtffff okay maybe I do care about liu xiao then lmao. maybe I will rewatch link click yet again in another language

[urlocalbitchboy]

*impatiently waiting for demon slayer s3 ep6 english dub to drop*

[voidedleylines]

FFXIVWrite 2023 Day 5: Barbarous

Welllll this one got a way from me a little bit lol. Finally had the inspo to focus on my girl and i. Gave her a real bad dream lmao. Zenos & WoL focus. Allusions to Hien/WoL

Enjoy?

Rating: T+ CWs: violence, character death

She misses sleeping. It’s not something that comes easy to her as of late. Her head feels like it’s filled with lead and it hurts to move it around too much. It’s a humid day in her room at the pendants and the beads of sweat accumulating on her forehead and rolling down her neck don’t help her need for sleep.

She crawls out of bed and walks to where there’s a pitcher full of cool water at the table and splashes it on her face, soaking her clothes in the process. She’s too tired to care about the mess as she wanders back over to the mattress and lays down again. Her heart beats loudly in her ears and her jaw aches with how hard she’s biting it closed. “Please,” she whispers, “Not tonight.”

Whatever god she was praying to, it was obvious they weren’t listening as she sees herself in the same venue as before. He’s waiting with open arms, a smirk dripping from his face. “Ah! My friend you’ve finally come,” he says. As she always does, she stays silent.

Zenos’ face falters only just as he lets out a hum, “Very well. I see you still play the role of the stoic hero,” he walks towards her and his eyes linger on her up and down. A rage begins to bubble in her gut. “But as I say again and again you don’t have to take that facade with me. Lest you forget I am the only one who knows you. The real you.”

The venue changes and she’s back in her village, up in the mountains of Southern Thanalan. The smell of sulfur hits her in a wave that makes her cough. She sees herself, small and dirty, barely five summers old. She hears whispers from the room outside. Voices she barely recognizes. Her mother and father.

“We have to leave this place,” her mother begs, “It’s not safe here. No one cares or listens to me. We have to go.”

“It’s not that simple-” her father begins.

“The hells it isn’t. I don’t want to be around that thing. Don’t want to be killed in my sleep by it one day.”

The other voice is quiet. Freyalin stares at the small child as she sleeps. Her face twists in discomfort. Hands glow red for the briefest of seconds. She looks down and sees her own doing the same. She hides it behind her back. “Alright,” her father says, “We’ll leave tomorrow.”

The scene shifts again and Zenos laughs from behind her, her spine tingles with his breath.

“Get out of my head,” she growls. He responds with more laughter.

She’s still home in her village, only now a friend is dead in front of her. She chased after a voidsent too powerful and something happened. She stopped in the middle of a cast. Light blinded her, head pounded. She saw a vision of another voidgate close by, people slaughtered. There wasn’t anything she could do for them though so why watch in fear. When she came to, she was too late. Her squadron around her cried out in confusion, asking why she stopped, why she left him defenseless. She couldn’t answer. Her hand turned red than black until the light dripped from between her fingers.

“It was the Echo,” she whispers. Again Zenos laughs with such sincerity she turns and swings a punch at where she thinks he is, but he’s gone.

“Now now adventurer. That’s no way to treat a friend. An equal,” he says.

It feels like there should be blood pouring out of her mouth when she speaks, “we are not equal,” she says.

The scene splits into two now. A side by side. Zenos rips through soldiers on a battlefield. The smell of hot blood hits her nose. She winces. The other shows herself fighting through many different scenes so far. Preatorium. Doma castle. The Ghimlyt Dark. Her movements match his, they’re just holding different weapons.

The scenes merge into one. Her blood runs cold. It's one she's never seen before

Hien stands before her. Before him. That scene when Elidibus still took his body, though this time it's her inside. “Zenos,” she tries to scream but he's not listening.

His arm moves, readying his sword, she's helpless to try and fight him. She's trapped in the motions as they fight Hien blow for blow.

“Freyalin will be here soon my lord,” Yugiri calls out from somewhere beyond her current tunnel vision. Zenos’ laugh rings loud around her. She feels every vibration.

Steel meets steel and faulty ground twists Hien’s ankle and he screams out as he falls to the ground.

She looks down at him as his chest rises and falls. She watches in horror as her arm rises and places the sword on his chest.

Directly above his heart.

“Zenos,” Freyalin cries out again, “You can't win this. This will not break me.”

Again all he does is laugh, deep and long, “I’m not looking to break you, my friend, that was never my intention,” he says. Weight is put on the sword. Hien’s face is stoic and his jaw is set; but his eyes shine with tears. Show how he’s scared. “I’m looking to see how long I have until you realize how meant to be we are. As equals,” he presses down, breaking skin, “as partners.”

She's too slow to react as the blade cuts through Hien. She feels every thrust and twist of it. Her eyesight goes blurry, her head fuzzy. Hien chokes out his last breath before his green eyes go lifeless.

She feels numb.

The scenes shifts one last time and the two of them stand in a dark space, a void with no light. He is smiling at her. She is standing tall across from him. After a moment he turns away. “Until next time, adventurer,” he says. He walks on, the echoes of his footsteps the only sound.

She wakes in a pool of her own sweat and her throat sore from screaming. She quickly flicks her hand to light the candles near her bed. Her chest feels heavy and she takes deep breaths in and out. There's a knock on her door, now doubt the manager or a concerned neighbor coming to check on her. She doesn't answer. She stays up the rest of the night, a low fire burning in her chest.

In the corner of the room a sad soul watches over her, wishing there was something he could do to help.

[forgivenfolly]

trying and failing to sketch out thing floating around in my brain and not sure if i want to take the time to make it into anything polished lmao

[nezuchuuko]

reading yona is not enough i need it to get a full adaptation. the anime only covering the prologue is so fucked up actually

[tritoch]

because that's the thing that makes Zenos cool and interesting. the narrative's relative disinterest in his redemption (and also like. i think you could absolutely describe EW as in part his redemption arc, esp. for Dialogue Option 1 choosers) reflects his own explicit disinterest in his redemption, which is entwined with his own view that most people's sense of morality is weak, hypocritical, and mostly consists of after-the-fact reasoning to justify what they already wanted to do. that's the whole point of his speech in his final return to garlemald.

Yotsuyu and Emet and Hermes (debatably) and Meteion and Golbez all desperately wanted to be redeemed. Zenos alone recognizes that drive for redemption as a selfish desire easily repurposed to ill ends and he says fuck that, I'm going to do evil shit purely of my own volition and own it 100% of the way down. He does, and that's why he absolutely rocks.

(and he's not alone in this. Pandaemonium Part 3 Lahabrea is in some ways very similar to Zenos in his rejection of sentiment or the desire for redemption.)

Hey so someone explain to me why like 90% of all the antags in ffxiv get treated with kid gloves and get redeemed EXCEPT Zenos. Why is he an irredeemable evil despite being arguably the closest thing our WoL has to an equal on several levels.

Genocidal rulers get to be redeemed because they're waifublobs, Golbez gets redeemed because the waifublob of the patch demands it, the fucking bird who wants to wipe out all life in the universe gets redeemed because she's saaaaad (and a moe/waifublob), and lets not forget Emet Selch.

All of these characters have far worse writing, far less connection to the main cast and have committed far worse crimes than Zenos. There is an incredible disconnect in how the narrative treats Zenos vs them.

[astrxealis]

thinking about belial and zenos uhm similarities?

[cryinggirlnamedhelen]

some Chrollo things i found/realized on my rewatch + reread of hxh

- he has REALLY bad posture. in the PT base during yorknew, when Chrollo is reading a book, he is literally hunched over and his back is at like a 45 degree angle🥺

- he’s very smug and cocky. after his fight against Zeno and Silva, he asks with a smirk to Zeno “if we were in a fight, who would win, you or me?” and chuckles knowingly when Zeno replies. during Chrollo vs Hisoka, Chrollo says that he is “100% sure that i am going to win”

- his personality switches depending on who he’s with. with the troupe, he’s logical and stoic—never losing his temper. when he’s with Hisoka, he’s much more relaxed and friendly + smiles much more often. when he’s with someone older, he’s respectful.

- he doesn’t seem to mind celebrations/parties. he’s seen drinking with the troupe in a manga panel after the auction.

- he seems very self aware of his handsome appearance, as he lured Neon in + most of the abilities in his book are from women.

- in terms of physical strength, Chrollo is 7th in the Troupe —above Bonolenov, Nobunaga, Shalnark, Pakunoda, Shizuku, and Kortopi, making him MUCH MUCH MUCH stronger than even superhumans such as Gon and Killua. (I love this fact for some reason)

- he had many similarities to Gon and Kurapika as a kid. (read Ch. 395-397, which is the Troupe backstory. it has a lot of cute baby Troupe member scenes🥺)

- he has a habit of covering his mouth with his hand whenever he is thinking deeply about something or connecting the lines.

- he knows a shocking amount about the Kakin Empire (in the manga), even more so than some of the Princes of the Kakin Empire.

- he seems to have a habit of smirking whenever something is going according to plan or when something went according to plan. he also just seems to enjoy smirking in general.

- his favorite color seems to be purple due to much of his outfits being some sort of variation of purple.

- in official arts + mobage cards, he seems to have dark circles under his eyes. in the yorknew city arc, he is also the only troupe member who didn’t sleep during the entire arc, meaning that he seems to have some sort of insomnia.

- in mobage cards, Chrollo seems to have a habit of fidgeting with his clothes. (pulling off his tie during the Christmas mobage card, playing with his hat, etc,.)

- he is very athletic, considering how at the end of yorknew city when he was left nen-less on those plateaus, he managed to climb down and find shelter all by himself.

- he is also very rich, since on average, every Zoldyck assassination costs around 1 billion—Chrollo managed to afford to assassinate the 10 Dons, meaning 10 billion Jenny.

- Chrollo doesn’t seem to care whenever someone is being disrespectful towards him or the troupe.

- Chrollo seems to have a particular fondness for suits, as he is often seen wearing a suit in official arts

- Chrollo often wears clothing that covers much of his body

- Chrollo seems to have the traditional values of a chivalrous man, meaning that he respects women quite a lot and makes sures to keep them safe. Chrollo made sure to catch Neon in the most respectful way when she “fell” (he literally could have just grabbed her by the arm and it would have been fine), he made sure to keep Pakunoda + Machi + Shizuku in the same team during yorknew (there were no men in their team), and during the Chrollo vs Hisoka battle, none of the female spectators (or even the commentator) were harmed.

———

AUGHHHHHH CHROLLO ILYSM PLEASE LIVE UNTIL THE END OF THE SERIES😭🥺😫❤️CHROLLOOOO UR MY BBY AND ILYSMMMMM😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺🥹🥹🥹❤️❤️❤️😫😫😫💕💕💕

[bungeepuppet]

and young silva!!! he's mostly stoic but he does emote every once and a while... like when he is laughing maniacally 🥰

bare bones backstory below;

Silva’s parents were arranged and he was born within a year of their marriage (Zeno 21)

His mother is a tough woman and adores him, insisting on anything she can think of that will make him grow strong and healthy (food, drink, habits, sleep, etc)

Zeno is more lax and trains Silva to be an efficient assassin

Silva is obedient and respects his father immensely, but doesn’t understand his stories much

At the age of 6, Silva is brought to Heaven’s Arena to train

He makes his way to floor 200 in one year, and returns home to begin work

His Nen manifests around age 8, and he trains Emission brutally with Zeno

At 18 there is talk of marriage, but Silva is uninterested in his potential brides

His mother chides him, but Zeno lets him be for awhile longer

By 20, both of his parents are pressuring Silva to find a wife