The fire, revisited
I have a crack theory that might not be too cracky.
Previously, I'd thought the fire at Phantomhive Manor was started by either the attackers (and/or John Brown) or by Tanaka (on Vincent's standing orders, in case something like this happened to him).
Well, I'd be surprised if Tanaka somehow managed to do that, considering he'd fallen from that stab wound to the back. Either John Brown or the other attackers on his/the queen's orders is still a good possibility. Particularly since I expect that John and the queen already know by then that Undertaker is a reaper.
But there's another possibility I'd never really talked about before: the reapers who came to collect all those souls. I was thinking of this during discussions about ch209, because this new reaper states there're no additional comments to make about Snake's death, even though he's in a space underground where there are body parts stored, blood transfusion equipment, and a bizarre doll who is actually Snake's killer.
You'd think he'd at least mention the odd circumstances of Snake's death, especially when there's a hunt for Undertaker and his latest bizarre dolls. I don't think this reaper is completely oblivious to what's going on; it seems to me he might be trying to actively cover up what's happening, so he's not including such details in the official documentation. It could be for selfish reasons (to avoid overtime), or it could be based on special orders he's been given.
I say that because for a long time, the reapers weren't talking about Undertaker, and Grelle didn't even know about Undertaker's past as 136649. Othello knows because he was there and he was trained with 136649. But if he's a "fugitive of legend", why aren't reapers like Grelle and Ronald aware of his history? William has been at least somewhat aware of him for a while... but he's in management. The "superiors" are finally getting reapers in collections involved with this ongoing case against Undertaker, and I suspect it's only out of necessity. If they could, they would keep the vast majority of the reapers in the dark about this deserter.
Because they consider him to be that much of a threat to their organization. For quite some time, I've thought he knows something (bad) about the organization itself, and if he spread that knowledge around to the reaper masses, there could be an uprising. We've seen it with the maids turning against Heathfield, Ada and the patients turning against the Aurora Society, and now with the top students against the orphanage. When people realize they are being controlled and harmed for someone else's benefit, they tend to rise up, and I think that's what could happen if enough of the reapers learn whatever Undertaker knows.
The "superiors" finally got serious about it, according to Othello, when they sent him from his lab to the human realm. They seem to have hoped he could make this problem go away by talking to the deserter, destroying him, or capturing him. But once Othello realized it really was him, of all reapers, he knew he couldn't handle the situation on his own... and that he and Grelle wouldn't be enough, either. That's why he sent the dove for backup.
But I think someone else in the reaper organization already knew Undertaker was involved and tried to stop him without properly documenting anything -- they tried to cover up his activities. The night of the attack, one or two reapers were sent to collect souls from the dying, as per usual. While looking through their cinematic records, the reapers saw occasional instances of Undertaker showing up in them, but the most instances would have been in Vincent's records.
Vincent's records would have had extensive chunks of memories involving Undertaker, and the information in those records (things they said to each other) could have been damning somehow. To the organization, at least. What if Undertaker admitted to being Vincent's father? What if he told Vincent secrets he knew about the reaper organization? What if he mentioned the experiments he'd already been conducting on cinematic records and corpses?
Any reaper reviewing such records might think the best thing to do is destroy all this evidence, which might hopefully destroy the information, too. Why would a reaper destroy evidence about the organization's activities, if that information could help spawn a revolution? Too much of a hassle? Doesn't understand the full implications? On someone else's orders? Perhaps the reapers sent to collect these souls were specifically told to burn Vincent's body and the manor, and those reapers did as they were told, regardless of the circumstances. I wonder what happened to any reaper who saw whatever they saw in those cinematic records.... 🤔
Whoever ordered the fire to be started, or whoever decided to start it... they did so to destroy evidence.
As well as to keep Undertaker from collecting Vincent's body and cinematic records. Because whoever this person is, they know Undertaker would have found those things useful. And they didn't want him to have access.
The end result is pretty much the same, except that now I think reapers might have actually done it, instead of attackers/John or Tanaka.
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I just had a silly thought, admittedly one probably joked about before:
Neku and Shiki are AU versions of Cloud Roxas and Kairi.
They even have black coat enemies who can summon the magic soul demon monsters the players have to fight. Look at that coat and tell me that it doesn't remind you of Xemnas.
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I discovered so many cool ifs thanks to your blog. I must say your taste in characters and stories is exquisite. Do you have a certain type of favourite ROs as in are there some romance tropes that you always go for? I'm a sucker for the emotionally unavailable ROs, so Orion and August have me in a chokehold rn. I'm honestly having so much infamous brainrot after reading that amazing demo. Do you prefer gender-selectable or gender-locked ROs? I personally don't mind either way as long as they're well written and portrayed. And you're so right we need more NB/Trans ROs for sure! Specially more that are POCs! <3
Oh, anon you don't know how much this makes me SMILE! Not so much about my tastes (though I'm smiling on that too, you flatterer :-P) but because of the IFs. I think Interactive Fiction is such a delightful medium with SUCH potential, and I love trying to stuff it into more people's faces.
Oh, man. I've actually been thinking of this -- because I once semi-jokingly said/had the thought that I always go for the characters of color [that's not TRUE, but I feel like I'm more inclined to give them a chance regardless of trope as long as I find the character intriguing enough] because I want to make sure they get love. So, I feel like I haven't really been looking at games/stories through tropes of late -- because IFs haven't yet reach a place where I'm afforded that? I don't know if I'm making sense.
BUT this question definitely took me back, lmao. And it is going to expose why TWC will always be on my neck, as well as that I am a LITTLE bit of a liar (because thinking on this made me realize though I may try and be broad with my interests to support characters of color, my subconious is a clown and likes what it likes werew lmao).
TL;DR I do love the stoic ones. I do love the ones that seem indifferent and/or cold or just So Serious and Don't Have Time For Your Tomfoolery but also have a sense of humor, a sense of justice/loyalty, and can get super soft/flustered for MC (but not just mc but their loved ones:
A du Mortain 🤡
Orion Quinn (Orion chuckling at Rowan's jokes privately? I knew he was the one for me BUT THAT SOLIDIFIED IT. I AM GONE FOR HIM)
August Pierce (letting themselves be suckered into things by their sister, being flustered by MC in a romance??)
Calderon (Andromeda Six)
Elliot (OFNA) - though I haven't gotten far in ofna.
D (atoc)
I love the soft and bright ones. Sometimes they're sarcastic (but to a point. There's a reason why I love the Scott McCalls more than the Stiles Stilinkis), they're mischevious. They don't need to have a dark past but I'm not against it. They're still KIND despite all they've gone through. Their hearts are just so BIG. And if you throw in a bit of friends to lovers? I'M THERE.
F Hauville.
Bash (a6)
I think Victoria might fit here, but more of a hardened shell version (which I wanted to add I feel this type has a lot of subcategories that I also enjoy). A more defiant version, a version who is less impulsive, more in control? idk what im saying. Which I'd also put Ayame from A6 here.
Skye Cortéz from Skin and Scales.
I feel Kiran from Unseelie will fit this.
Those are clear off the top of my head but there are other ones I like. I love characters that have poise but also are cunning (I think A from ATOC would fit here if you need an example; Sabir from the Exile, Straasa from TSSW, Leonie from Reaper's Bay .... that theyre all black is a coincidence -- one I JUST realized wqere lmao), I love childhood friends to lovers as I stated, I love enemies to reluctant allies to friends to lovers, I love second chance romances (or reunited friends that turn to romance). I'm blanking at personalties, right now. I'm sorry.
Oh, negl. Sometimes I go for the 'fuck everyone but you' Villain. I like it when the powerful "bad" guy (gn) is obssessed with MC. Like, not an RO but for an example Falk. Or an actual RO Manerkol from The Soul Stone Wars. Krios from Dying Stars.
Sometimes, but not always, I go for the hopelessly devoted and utterly loyal to MC bodyguard sort like Kai from Reaper's Bay. Devoted and protective does usually get my pitter patter - like John from Made Marian, but like I said not always. Especially if OVERPROTECTIVENESS can be a point of discussion between the pair (ie mc and the ro).
There are other stuff but i am blanking right now.
As for gender, I don't care generally -- but I do tend to shy away if there isn't an NB option when they're gender selectable, and if there isn't I want at LEAST ONE NB ro (more than one) that isn't gender selectable. I like it better tho when it's all gender selectable or like two are gender selectable and the rest are set genders but evenly so.
and yes that SPECIFICNESS -- you make a point I hadn't even thought of: DEFINITELY need more trans/nb options, PERIOD, but please writers and artists should consider having them of color as well!!
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