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bitter-rabbitholes · 8 days

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Soma and Whitewashing in Anime:

Avoiding "Brown"

Here is an image of Soma comparing his skin tone from the first season of Black Butler and the current season airing now. As you can see, Soma's skin is noticeably lighter than it was in the past. I considered the lighting and took shade from his hand that looks relatively mid tone. However, that's not really a fair excuse if the anime continues to lighten Soma's face this way.

I also compared his skintone from the Book of Circus season which is relatively more recent, and chose images where he's clearly in good lighting. Soma is still noticeably lighter this time around.

Whitewashing is an incredibly common phenomenon that been happening a lot lately in anime, especially with reboots. A great example I can think of off the top of my head is One Piece where they lightened nearly everyone's skin color in the anime, despite some of the cast being characters of color?

(^^^this character is canonly black according to Oda, the mangaka.)

"Oh but Oda gives Usopp pale skin in all his color illustrations"

One, he should know better. Two, if Oda said Usopp would be African in real life, and chose a brown, Jamaican-american actor to play him, then yes, they have been ridiculously disrespectful in how they've been portraying the character's racial features so far.

In that sense, it's actually relief that anime studios in the past weren't afraid of giving their characters darker skin unlike mangakas who were terrified of even the lighest shade of brown.

For instance, I am happy that A-1 studios made Soma, Agni, and Mina, who are all the same race, slightly differ in skin tone. Mina's skin is cooler toned compared to Soma and Agni's warmer hues.

HOWEVER, and other fans pointed this out, Soma and Agni's skin leaned so far from being golden brown to straight yellow in many scenes, that they were walking around like they have jaundice which is so... Of course A-1 studios found some way to mess it up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Another thing, do you guys honestly think being accurate to Yana's art style is always the best thing to do in adaptions? Angela Blanc, the secret villain in the anime original first season, pretends to be an abused maid and gets whipped in her very first scene. And according to Yana's concept sketches, she was originally brown. I'm actually glad the anime whitewashed her in that instance.

I'd like to point out, Sebastian's skin tone has also changed in the new season, and he's noticeably tanner than his previous anime appearances and yana's illustrations. So why is this okay for the anime to make creative changes for sebastian's skin tone, but have to stay accurate for Soma? (whose dark skin been established in anime viewers' eyes for decades now).

To be fair, I did a comparison of the anime grayscaled and Soma in the manga during the Weston arc. I checked the values and while I will say that his skin is relatively in the same as the manga, only few degrees lighter, whitewashing isn't only about skintone.

Colourism in Features

We could argue whether its just different anime styles or the way Yana draws noses, but its not a great look for Soma's nose to be made noticeably sharper compared to his flatter/rounder nose in the manga/earlier seasons of the anime.

Talking about the Mandela effect and cognitive dissonance as well... there's also something about how manga readers seen Soma with brown skin and pure black hair years in the manga, only for the anime to lighten those features.

It doesn't help that Soma canonly has purple hair and yellow eyes (if anything, I do appreciate the more natural tones they gave Soma this season. No more highly saturated purple hair/yellow eyes and skin!)

Yes, Kuroshitsuji is a fantasy story, and YES artists of color like to play with fantasy features with characters, me included! But my point is that black/brown representation in media is so little already, character artists are also averse to drawing any defining racial features.

Yana has designed brown-skinned characters in the anime with straight white hair and light-colored eyes about three times now (ie. Agni, Angela, and Hannah). The only Indians with dark skin and hair are a bunch of homeless thugs that Soma and Agni stop from mugging Ciel, proving they're "one of the good ones", and Mina whose treatment in the manga/anime is abysmal.

Discussing Racism in Fandom

Alright, so over the past few days, I've seen some fans disappointed with Soma's skin tone change and I hope my post illustrates why they would be. But I've also seen some angry and frustrated reactions to those fans! And I want to ask, why?

Why is fans bringing up racism in anime considered "discourse" but reacting harshly towards those fans is not?

Why would fans expressing disappointment about whitewashing gets you more angry than the whitewashing itself?

Why is being disappointed that an anime lightened a character's skin tone, a character who both anime-only watchers and manga readers alike saw as dark-skinned, stupid to you?

How come the fandom gets a good laugh out of the usage of "fag" potentially canceling the anime, but talking about race is a "risk" to getting a new season?

And if you disagree with my points and believe the anime is only being accurate to Yana's work, why not just say "Soma's skintone is more accurate to Yana's color illustrations, but I understand the disappointment and shock," without being condescending towards us for being concerned in the first place?

I'd be pretty happy if the anime was just using intense lighting and that Soma is darker than he appears (in fact, if that happens I'll reblog the good news to this post!) Because this post isn't "discourse" to me, I'm discussing race regarding one of my favorite characters in the fandom. Discussions like these don't ruin the fandom, but actually help it become a more welcoming place for fans of color.

#breaking out the caps for this #i really do feel spoiled by manga edits of soma #that give him dark brown skin i imagine him having #only to return to yana's art of him like oh... :')#some of yana illustrations of soma is just inconsistent anyway so im used to it #like he'll go from midtone to white... eh #also one piece fans you have my condolences #this recent season hoo boy #anyway im not even 'that' bothered by the change - its so typical at this point #but i just dont want anger towards fans of color to take root in this fandom #just because they want to discuss race #kuro #kuroshitsuji #soma asman kadar #weston arc #public school arc #b.txt #racism #whitewashing

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elizakai · 8 months

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AU INFO ARCHIVES

AU REFERENCE ARCHIVES AND QUICK FACT GRABS

Ok keep in mind, some of these Are going through reboots or are ongoing!

but these are BASICS and should mostly hold up!

I only knew of a few of these sources before tonight, so I did have to skim a few of these sources as I searched…. I’d like to think I’m a decent info surfer 🫠 but take with a grain of salt as you should most things _^_

I may have to come back and edit this post :( lmk if any of the links don’t work, sites prove unhelpful, or if you have BETTER sites, please 😁

If you want other au’s, or if anyone’s interested in specific characters simplified facts and/ or analysis, I can do the research for you and write it up more swallowable, just lmk _^_

❗️BELOW THE CUT❗️

KILLER SANS ARCHIVED

Au/ canon by rahafwabas

The ao3 link in this was especially helpful to me personally :)⬇️

DREAMTALE ARCHIVED

Au/ Canon by jokublog/ joku

SIMPLE, HELPFUL SUMMARY, JUST FACTS! updated 2021 so beware of potential changes but most of this holds up from reading it⬇️

Dreamtale past archive , xxtha has been approved by joku and has some good character analysis things on their blog, esp on dreamtale/ and dream’s character :D!⬇️

DUSTTALE ARCHIVE

Au/ Canon by ask dusttale

DUSTTALE is hard because the creator speaks Korean. I’ve yet to find compiled info so here’s their tumblr, there is an archive of asks and such on blog!

DUSTTALE has a lot of intentionally unanswered questions in general, so if it’s confusing that’s…part of it😪

Ask DustTale — Can you clarify something please? You keep...

This is helpful and simple character wise⬇️

Canon Dusttale Sans Storyline, Character, and Facts | Undertale AUs Amino

the creator has several stories on ao3 about dust (well, technically murder) sans, but most are in Korean….if you know how to find translations I’d love to get my hands on it 👀

INK SANS ARCHIVE

Au/ Canon by comyet

COMYET Being golden and splendiferous and making it easy for me by compiling it for us I will marry them just for that, this includes a personality section too⬇️

HORRORTALE

Au/ Canon by SourAppleStudios

❗️This comic contains gore and disturbing images❗️as long as that doesn’t bother you…ABSOLUTELY go read it!!! IT’S GOOD.

Welcome

If the link is weird, just find sourapplestudios and you should be able to figure it out! Keep in mind the comic is still in the works but a good amount of content is established

K so for horror SANS this is a wiki ( :( I tried avoiding those…) BUT it’s quick and easy, slightly biased but still valuable⬇️ I’m sure there’s better sources but this is the first decent quick one I found!

UNDERSWAP

Now most of you are aware of the underswap drama that occurred…and that most of the fandom doesn’t adhere to the original underswap, especially after the creator stepped away from the story

However, I think this still holds valuable information, even if just for reference or ideas, so here THIS hefty chunkalunk⬇️

Canon Underswap research

I’m afraid an archive for the Fandom underswap probably doesn’t exist, as interpretations are kind of just…accepted?but if the original was more your thing, or if you just want the info, there it is!

ERROR SANS

god I’ve analyzed this hoe left and right. Not even kidding.

We all know loverofpiggies/ CQ , you should easily be able to find the comic with a search ‘ask error sans’ , there’s also some fun comic dubs on YouTube :) ! Here’s the blog with start at beginning and archive options⬇️

Ask Error!Sans (Unfinished) (Posts tagged errortale)

Also. This entire thing is AMAZING I read this years ago and had a ball,I need to reread it but I managed to find it and 😪✨ great phycology analysis by she-of-many-fandoms…⬇️✨

I draw comics sometimes — themightymarai: she-of-many-fandoms: Preface...

That’s all for now, my arms are dying from Internet surfing🧎🏽‍♀️AGAIN feel free to suggest, request, correct, comment or offer more info! Happy brainworms :) 🐛

( @zucchiyeni )

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riddle-me-ri · 1 year

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Okay so we’ve had Mad Hatter and Riddler reacting to the dress….

What about Scarecrow?

A/N: Whelp, uhh…never expected my original headcanon idea of Riddlers reacting to a tiktok dress to go this far lmao. But it only makes sense I go ahead and round up the Dork Squad.

After this, I don’t see myself doing this for any other rogues (or for any other tik tok dress...I don’t see their reactions being any different than what I’ve already described lmao), so this’ll likely be the end of this wee series I accidentally made lol. By all means though, if y’all haven’t already feel free to do these with your own fave rogues and even do a different dress!

Just for posterity: here's the tiktok and dress in question.

By the way…this was ridiculously more difficult than the others, just thought I’d put that out there. Most of these Scarecrows are ominous and stoic as hell so it was weird trying to get in the appropriate state of mind for each of them asdfgjk also don’t mind me still playing with headers, this isn’t all the Scarecrows featured, there’s three more sorry if the header is a wee misleading; BTAS/TNBA and Fear State also make an appearance!

Anyways, without further ado, you guys demanded him; The Prince of Panic, the Lord of Despair, The Master of Fear…

The Scarecrows React to Reader in a TikTok Dress:

Arkhamverse Scarecrow:

- To say he was caught off guard would be an understatement.

- He may be immune to fear.

- Immune almost to a point of being void of most reactionary emotions.

- Jonathan wasn’t immune to you.

- He inhales deeply, takes you all in.

- Normally he'd consider this type of dress ludicrous…

- However he can make an exception for you, as always.

- He runs his calloused hand along the skin that's revealed.

- Occasionally teasing the skin with the needles from his gauntlet.

- When he hears your soft gasps and hushed moans…

- There's nothing more satisfying.

Dark Knight/Murphy Scarecrow:

- Jonathan won't admit it but he had to do a double take.

- He finally came home from his "experiments" at Arkham.

- He longed to see you, and was pleasantly surprised to see you

- So…scantily clad for his amusement.

- Amused he is, as well as pleased and undoubtedly aroused.

- Without almost a second thought he drops his suitcase and rushes to get his hands on you.

- As much as he enjoys seeing these sneak peeks at your skin.

- He yearns to caress and touch you, both with and especially without the dress.

BTAS Scarecrow:

- You have rendered the poor ex-professor speechless.

- And he usually enjoys hearing his own monologues and lectures, so that’s a win!

- His eyes blinking madly, trying to reboot his brain.

- His ever so pale face, growing ever so red as his signature costume.

- Jon recognizes the sensations of his heart palpitating and his breaths shortening.

- He's not afraid no….quite the opposite actually.

- He's stunted, unsure of what to do.

- Jon sheepishly compliments you, even asks if you're some gorgeous dream in the sea of his nightmares.

- You convince him you're absolutely real.

- As you wrap your arms around him, bring your body closer to his…

TNBA Scarecrow:

- He’s quite shocked to be honest.

- Perhaps, even a little confused.

- Not entirely sure what brought this on, where or why you own such an outlandish dress.

- However, he can’t say he’s complaining.

- He chuckles deeply, asks if this is for some kind of occasion.

- You say there isn't one. Just wanted to surprise him.

- Well, you've certainly done that.

- He's still getting used to being intimate with someone else.

- However, when you open yourself up to him, you are so vulnerable…

- Just how can he resist?

Fear State Scarecrow:

- For all the fear he wanted to wrought upon Gotham City…

- The absolute thrill to see it be succumbed in it’s worse fears to reach a precipice of fearlessness.

- It didn’t come close to how his heart skipped a beat at the sight of you.

- His eyes widened in surprise at you in the dress.

- Jon practically stalks you as he comes closer to you.

- Normally, like a couple other Scarecrows, he would find the dress ridiculous, holding no purpose.

- You may as well just be naked.

- Yet, with you wearing it, the way it compliments your curves and valleys of your body.

- Teasing the more intimate parts of you with just strips of fabric

- Even the Master of Fear yearns to enjoy the excitement of…other emotions.

Year One Scarecrow:

- Oh…oh boy

- Umm…wow.

- He's always been aware of scandalous wear, especially for women.

- The only reason he knew was because it was one of many of the "devil's temptations", Granny forbid him to pursue.

- But now, Granny's long gone.

- And here you are, looking drop dead stunning.

- He's gulping for air.

- For a minute mistaking his reaction for fear when it's in fact…something equally as primal

- You realize you may have stunted the sheltered southerner.

- You will have to ease him into it.

- Let him know what he's feeling is natural and safe.

- Be open with him (more emotionally than physically the dress did that enough for you) and let him decide how he wants to…proceed.

Masters of Fear Scarecrow:

- Were…were you trying to give him a heart attack?

- But ooh, the view of you would've been worth it.

- He never thought he'd ever experience the bliss true love could bring after Sherry Squires.

- Yet, now, Squires couldn't even hold a candle to you.

- She never could, but especially not now.

- Dressed so intimately and vulnerable.

- For him, because you're comfortable with him.

- You love him and respect him.

- That's what goes through his mind as he slowly approaches you.

- He's reluctant to touch you, worried you'll disappear or break somehow.

- When he finally gets his hands on you, it will be a long while before you can get them off.

Harley Quinn the Animated Series Scarecrow:

- Out of all the Scarecrows, of all the Cranes, of all the Twig Boys…

- This one is the LEAST kept together about you in the dress.

- Man’s is dead to rights.

- The only comprehensible sound that’s made is his hushed mutterings and stammering.

- You can maybe make out a compliment or two out of it.

- This poor sap is tripping on actual air the minute you start walking over to him.

- Is there such a thing as being frightened and turned on?

- He's anxious about what to do (and not mess up) but so bricked up to not function.

- Please reassure him and take the lead, he'd be most appreciative.

Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! (2018) Scarecrow:

- Ooohhh this smug bastard. Since I’ve gotten the requests to do this, his stupid smirk grin hasn’t left my brain (not that it ever has left since I saw it, BUT STILL)

- You may see his eyes widened slightly but that's about it.

- His eyes will scan you up and down, going ahead and undressing what's left of you to be dressed.

- If you're lucky he may have a sly grin on his face.

- Well, this is a pleasant surprise.

- Jonathan will try his damnest to not fall totally putty into your hands.

- He appreciates the view, but you're out of luck if you expect him to…react entirely primal.

- (Ppstt…top it off with a black beehive wig and a valley girl accent wishing him "unpleasant dreams") (yeah I'm an Elvira stan too go ahead and @ me)

- (man's will fall apart at the seams…or straw rather)

#ri writes #the scarecrow x reader #jonathan crane x reader #arkhamverse scarecrow x reader #dark knight scarecrow x reader #dk scarecrow x reader #murphy scarecrow x reader #btas scarecrow x reader #tnba scarecrow x reader #fear state scarecrow x reader #year one scarecrow x reader #masters of fear scarecrow x reader #harley quinn the animated series scarecrow x reader #hqtas scarecrow x reader #happy halloween scooby doo scarecrow x reader #hhsd scarecrow x reader #headcanons

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zackmartin · 2 years

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13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN 👻 night eight

are you afraid of the dark? carnival of doom (2019) | (insp.)

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intoxicatingimmediacy · 7 months

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Where Have You Seen Loki Season 2's X-5 Actor Before?

This post contains spoilers for the season premiere of "Loki."

"Loki" is back this week, and along with the return of Norse trickster god Loki (Tom Hiddleston), agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), and the rest of the Time Variance Authority, the show's premiere also sees the introduction of a few new key characters. Among them? Ke Huy Quan's helpful, tech-savvy Ouroboros (or O.B.) and X-5, a mysterious new TVA agent played by Rafael Casal. And it's the latter who is particularly intriguing.

So far, we haven't seen X-5 do much besides question whether jet skis are part of the sacred timeline, but the character already seems to be an agitating force within the organization. He's also quite possibly poised to become a recognizable Marvel villain. After all, a featurette for the second season had a couple bits of footage from behind the scenes that showed him in a TVA jumpsuit, as if he was being held prisoner. So that should be interesting to watch play out. But there's more.

As /Film's Sandy Schaefer pointed out back in July, the trailer for "Loki" includes a poster for a movie called "Zaniac!" which fans have tied to Casal's character via leaks and speculation. Zaniac is a noteworthy character in Marvel Comics, though he bears little resemblance to X-5. The character was an evil entity that possessed the man who would become Jack the Ripper, and later took over slasher actor Brad Wolfe.

Ahead of the show's premiere, Casal has been credited by several outlets as Brad Wolfe, not X-5, so it seems likely that he could play out some form of the Zaniac plot this season. Regardless of Casal's true role in the show, though, he's an excellent multi-hyphenate artist whose past works deserve attention.

If X-5 looks familiar, it's likely you recognize Casal from "Blindspotting," a fantastic 2018 musical comedy-drama that he co-wrote with longtime creative partner Daveed Diggs (yes, of "Hamilton" fame). "Blindspotting" was a labor of love for Casal and Diggs, who also produced the film about two best friends living in Oakland, California whose lives are disrupted by the broken policing system. As serious as that sounds, "Blindspotting" is also laugh-out-loud funny, and Casal is a totally charming standout as hot-headed Miles.

The performer reprised the role for Starz's "Blindspotting" TV show, which ran for two seasons and was recently canceled. A criminally underseen hidden gem of a series, "Blindspotting" takes place after the film and puts the focus on Miles' girlfriend, Ashley Rose (Jasmine Cephas Jones), as she parents the pair's young mixed-race son in a racist world, all while Miles is behind bars. Despite his character's incarceration, Casal still appears in the show frequently and his hilarious, soulful character is a fan favorite. If you're looking for a thoughtful, entertaining, dynamic watch – or just want to see what Casal's made of – you can't do much better than either iteration of "Blindspotting."

The performer has also made a name for himself in other projects, including several collaborations with Diggs. A poet and rapper in addition to his acting creds, Casal appeared on three seasons of "Def Poetry Jam" on HBO, released a mixtape with Diggs in 2010, and contributed to the soundtracks for "Blindspotting," including in the catchy (and foulmouthed, fair warning) song "Easy Come, Easy Go." He reunited with Diggs in the acclaimed 2020 miniseries "The Good Lord Bird," a wild historical fiction series led by a fiery Ethan Hawke. Casal and Diggs even started a public theater project called Bars Medley, which remixed classic literature into musical performances.

Other on-screen works of Casal's include a supporting role in the 2019 Hugh Jackman flick "Bad Education" (he played the love interest of Jackman's closeted character) and a multi-episode turn in the "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" revival. Casal played a ringmaster named Mr. Tophat in the reboot of the classic, kid-friendly horror series. Next up, Casal is appearing in "Wildcat," a biography of Southern Gothic author Flannery O'Connor that's directed and co-written by Hawke. The X-5 actor plays a character in one of O'Connor's short stories in the movie, which premiered at Telluride but hasn't been released to the public yet.

Whether X-5 is a frustrated TVA employee, a secret evil entity, a movie actor, or something else entirely, it's exciting to see an artist as talented and versatile as Casal take the stage in a major Marvel series. You can catch his next moves on Disney+, where new episodes of "Loki" stream Thursdays at 9pm ET.

#rafael casal #loki

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leahnardo-da-veggie · 11 days

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Merida

Merida placed the joss stick in its holder, as she did every day. The faint scent of incense invaded her nostrils, and she sneezed. This made the girl in front of her let out a little giggle. The pair sat there, contemplating the faintly burning joss stick.

"Thank you for putting that there. My parents never honored my choice of religion while I was alive. I'm glad someone does now," the ghost girl said, after a while. It was strange hearing such solemn words from what seemed to be a nine year old, but Merida was used to strange things. Ghosts always appeared as children, whether they died of old age or were stillborn. "I will not forget your kindness, Cazarsa. I owe you a boon. Should you ever be in need of help, simply call me."

Cazarsa. It always warmed her heart to hear the phrase. In the language of the dead, it vaguely meant 'ally', but with an air of gratitude and friendship. Ghosts did not use the phrase lightly. "It was my pleasure to help you. I hope the starlight shines on you as you dance beneath the full moon," Merida said politely.

"And I hope the sun warms your soul and Kurall favors you in all that you do," the ghost responded automatically, before bowing. Then Merida picked up her bag and headed off to school, leaving the graveyard as the grey morning light stole away the darkness of night. It was the time of the living, and the ghosts would soon be away, lest the exorcists catch them.

Merida Ryder spent her dawns and twilights helping the ghosts. Ofttimes, all they needed was something as small as a vase of flowers or a copy of the new reboot of their favorite show. They had come to accept her as a middleman, someone to guard them from the cold cruelties of the exorcists. She warned them of the approach of any exorcists, and they did not hunt the living. It created a peace most attributed to the nearly savage zeal with which the exorcists hunted ghosts.

Merida slipped between two cars, strolling up along the street that led to her secondary school. A few ghosts resided there, along with a spirit. They were the most frequent recipients of her gifts and assistance, for she needed their favors the most. The moment she walked through the school gates, she felt a presence at her side.

Without looking at him, she said, "What's up, Hans?" Hans was the spirit, a strange creature that never showed his face. He and he alone traded in artifacts, requesting her to go through esoteric channels to find the most incomprehensible magical objects in existence. On the other hand, his favors were far more practical than most, especially for chasing off exorcists. Most exorcists had no interest in getting into a fight with a genuine spirit, since they were unable to bully them around. It meant the difference between a painful second death and afterlife for many ghosts, so Merida tried to keep a few of his favors on hand at all times.

Nevertheless, she never truly trusted the spirit, though she rather liked him. He was far too powerful to be lurking in the middle of nowhere twiddling his thumbs. "The exorcist has brought her weapons to school again. It seems she plans on killing someone today. You might want to warn the ghosts," Hans remarked blandly.

"Thank you for the information." She had to get back into her school persona, she reminded herself sternly. It would not do for her sister to discover that she was the one feeding information about the exorcists to the ghosts, and speaking with the formality of the dead would give her away instantly. "Don't talk to me until after school. I don't wanna get caught by her."

As the presence left her side, Merida turned around. "Actually, could you warn them for me? I'm afraid I can't make my usual rounds. I forgot my homework at school yesterday." She felt him nod assent, then disappear.

The school was old, and with age came death. The ghost-mice scurried along the corridors, unbeknownst to the vast majority of the students, and Merida dropped crumbs for them as she went, crumbling the cookies for her lunch. "Go home, little ones. It's dangerous out here. The school exorcist is making her rounds," Merida murmured. The mice took the hint, disappearing into the walls and the pipes. Hopefully they would carry the message to all the other ghosts.

Keeping her eyes on the slate floor tiles, Merida hunched her shoulders and tried to blend into the crowd of youths who gabbled amongst each other and spilled drinks and had a deep-seated prejudice against the dead, never considering that they too would become ghosts one day. Grey locker doors swung open and closed, and Merida avoided them as she made her way to the hall.

She settled down in a corner, trying to blend in with the faded white paint of the walls, praying that the exorcist would not find her. But she had neither the skill nor the luck of the ghosts, as Miranda Ryder, youngest exorcist in the 42nd Corps, approached her.

"I need you to be on your best behavior. I'm doing a presentation on exorcism today, and the press is coming to see it. I don't want you screwing it up again. Got it?" Merida shied away, glueing her eyes to the floor.

"Look at me, damn it! Merida, this is important. There are more bigwigs coming here than I can shake a stick at. Even the head of my corps is coming here. This could mean a promotion!" Miranda all but shouted at her, and she curled up even tighter into a ball, closing her eyes tightly. The head of the corps? There were going to be far too many exorcists at the school for the number of ghosts Merida was trying to hide. It was dangerous, far too dangerous, and Merida felt her heart sink.

No matter what she did today, someone was going to die.

A sob caught her throat at the thought. "Stop that. You're not a little kid anymore. You don't get to throw tantrums every time you don't get your way," Miranda told her angrily, before striding off. Merida stopped her, terrified of what was to come.

"I want to help you. I'm sick of being in the background. Just let me be your assistant, just for a day?" If she could find out more, she might be able to minimize the loss of life. She might be able to avoid the piles of corpses, the dead who died again leaking ectoplasm. It had taken her weeks before she could get rid of the phantom sensation of sticky ectoplasm, and months to stop bursting into tears at the mere sight of the school last time.

Miranda raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You'd better not. In any case, I need to show that you're not the same batshit crazy bitch who threw a tantrum when we got rid of those pests at the school," she told Merida. "You really embarrassed me last time. Maybe this will make up for your idiocy."

Merida blinked back tears at the word 'pests', and kept her mouth shut. Monsters, she thought. How could anyone call a sentient being a pest? Even if they are dead, what does it matter? They still have feelings. Her fingers clenched the greying hand-me-down school skirt she wore. The blood flowing through her burned her flesh, bitter with anger.

But she could not hate the exorcists. She understood how dangerous the ghosts were. Part of her life, and Miranda's, involved stopping the ghosts from ripping open the guts of the living and feasting on them.

They both brought safety to the living, in polar ways. One with death, the other by preserving life. Of course, in the classic style of humanity, bloodshed was favored over the quiet negotiation and peace.

They walked up onto stage, and Miranda handed her a sheet of paper. "These are your lines. Don't fuck them up, got it?" Merida nodded dumbly.

In front of them, the school's populace settled into their morning positions, a sea of white shirts and black pants. Merida pulled her eyes away from them to look at the script. It consisted of a few lines, mostly prompting segments of Miranda's speech.

As she read further, she realized that Miranda planned on showing the school an actual demonstration of an exorcism, on an actual ghost. That pig-faced bitch! She's going to murder someone in front of us all?! And they will all applaud and cheer at the extermination of a monster… Merida had to do something. But what?

The exorcist jostled her elbow, and Merida realized that they were starting.

"Good morning everyone! I'm certain you all recognize me. I'm Miranda Ryder," Miranda said, before nudging her again.

Her line, according to the script, was 'and I'm (insert name)!' In a fit of pique, Merida said, "And I'm insert name!"

A scattering of snickers gave Merida the courage to continue, taking over Miranda's lines. "On this fine, ever so sunny day, we are going to talk about the murder and torture of the dead! Or as you all call it, exorcism!" The lines were not strictly in the script, but Merida felt it summed up the content perfectly.

"And since I know you all know what exorcism is about, given how much they shove it down our throats, let's just skip to the fun bit, shall we?! We're going to do an elaborate ritual to kill an innocent ghost! I wonder who it is… Maybe one of your ancestors, or the soul of a beloved friend?" Miranda tried to cut in, livid at her for turning her speech into a train wreck, but Merida was on a roll.

"While our beloved exorcist fetches the victim, I'll tell you the truth about ghosts, shall I? You know those stories about the dark times where ghosts stole away unsuspecting children, eating them alive?" Merida waited for them to nod, and they did.

"Well, it was true. Ghosts do drink human blood. They do it to further their after-lives. They choose children because they look like children, and because children are easily manipulated. They get the child to trust them, then they take the child off to a dark corner and they drink their blood!" Miranda had stopped protesting, and was listening curiously.

"I was the victim of this when I was five. I made an imaginary friend, and followed him to the forest one day. If my sister had not saved me, I would have been devoured by a hungry ghost. Even as it is, I still have the scar," Merida said as she pulled up her shirt, exposing her midriff. It was covered in jagged scars, as though a chainsaw had scraped across her chest. A collective gasp resounded through the hall, as people gaped at the horrific evil of the ghosts.

"Guess you aren't gonna fuck this up again," Miranda muttered. "I'll bring the ghost out. I'm glad you've finally stopped being a fuckwit."

Merida ignored her. "These ghosts have done things to rival the cruelties of the most infamous serial killers. Worse, they exploit the very thing that makes children children; their innocence. These creatures are child predators! Wouldn't you agree?"

There were wholehearted cheers from the teachers, many of whom had kids of their own. "Exterminate the ghosts!" Someone in the back cried.

"They're just like the human scum we give death sentences to, right?!" The response was deafening, and Merida was filled with horror at their support for mass genocide. These people… Do they not realize they are killing humans? Have they not made the connection? Simply because they are dead does not change the fact that they were human once!

"That's because they are," Merida said. The half a thousand people in the room hushed, confused by the sudden turn. "These ghosts you hate so much are the very same serial killers that society reviles. Stop to consider. Ghosts are just the souls of the dead. Serial killers and rapists and general human scum have souls too, yes?"

The people nodded uncertainly. Behind her, Miranda had stopped to listen, and Merida gestured for her to get a move on. She did, and Merida continued.

"And therein lies the problem. These disturbing crimes against humanity are being committed by a tiny portion of ghosts. Most ghosts, just like their living counterparts, simply want to live their after-lives in peace. An exorcist's job is to eradicate these evil ghosts."

She let them simmer in that, as Miranda wheeled a massive cage, made of cold iron, with a long velvet curtain draped over it. Its bars were wide and flat, covered in an enchantment meant to contain ghosts. Merida nearly gagged at the terrifying aura of the cage. It was slimy, like ectoplasm, and putrid, magical rot embedded into metal. It was a cage meant for cruelties, made to corrupt and corrode.

"Please, let me out," someone said from within. Merida recognized that voice immediately. It was the girl she had visited in the morning.

As one, the audience gasped in excitement. Ghosts were normally only perceptible to children and those with magical talent. Merida placed her hands on the velvet cloth. "I'll get you out, miss. Just play along for now, okay?" The girl reached out to the small gap between the bars and touched Merida's hand. Her fingers were cold, even through the thick layer of velvet.

"I trust you, Cazarsa," the girl whispered. Internally, Merida cursed herself for forgetting to warn the ghosts beyond the school. They were in as much danger as the rest.

"Well, shall we?" Miranda gave her a tight-lipped smile, rightfully suspicious of her whispered communication with the ghost. Merida nodded.

Together, they dragged the curtain off the cage, revealing the ghost. She was an absolute mess, with ichor running down her cheeks, tears of the dead, and wide, terrified gray eyes. She floated in the center of the cage, curled into a foetal position in an attempt to get as far from the cage as possible. Merida felt horribly uncomfortable being in the vicinity of the cage. She could not imagine how infinitely worse the girl felt.

"Look at this horrible criminal! This peddler of evil, participant in the most vile of sins! Dearest sister, will you please tell us all what crimes this inhuman filth has committed?" Merida placed as much emphasis on the 'crime' the girl had committed as possible. If they saw she was innocent, Merida might be able to convince the exorcists to let the ghosts be, if only for a while.

Maybe there was a chance to stop the bloodshed.

Miranda instantly saw the minefield she had set up. Her eyes hardened, lips flattening into a line. She said nothing.

"I will tell you what I did to deserve this," the ghost girl said, uncurling herself. Her tattered clothes were stained with ichor and ectoplasm, and her eyes were red from crying, but she still managed a semblance of dignity.

"What are you doing?! Get down!" Merida hissed urgently at her. She was going to ruin the entire thing!

"No, Cazarsa. I must speak. My horrible crime, as you put it, was being young and stupid. I was a drug addict, a New Age fool who thought getting high was the key to enlightenment. I had a teenage rebellion, went for the religion that seemed most likely to piss off my parents, and joined a community of equally foolish youth. Some of the adults in this room might remember doing the same."

"The only difference is, I did not survive. It was two days from my coming of age, when I got run over. I was in the middle of the road, higher than the top of a skyscraper, when I got hit by a man rushing his pregnant wife to hospital. I did not come back to haunt them. I do not hold a grudge against them."

"Yes, I did drugs. Yes, I did stupid things. But I paid for them in blood and the tears of my loved ones. I came back for them, to say sorry, to tell them that I had been stupid. I do not care that they did not respect my religion, or even acknowledge my presence at the funeral. But I forgive them."

"I am not a ghost of revenge, or of evil. I am a ghost of regret, one made to sit and contemplate my own foolishness for the rest of eternity, to find peace and lead others to it. That is my crime, if you so wish to prosecute me for it," The girl spoke eloquently, projecting her voice throughout the room. There was no way anyone could not have heard it, and Merida thanked Ina for her mercy.

The room had fallen completely silent, all eyes and ears on the ghost girl. The cameras of the journalists were pointed right at them, and Merida knew she had scored a point for ghostkind.

Finally, someone said, "That's not a crime at all!"

"Yeah! She's a good person!"

"Let go of her!"

Echoes of the sentiment reverberated around the room. Merida turned to the girl and raised an eyebrow.

"I used to win prizes for my public speaking and impromptu speeches," she admitted sheepishly.

"Thank Ina for that," Merida whispered, then corrected herself. "Kurall, I mean."

Miranda surveyed the hall with a poker face. "You knew this was going to happen," she said accusingly.

"I did not. All I know is that I cannot let the exorcists to continue harming innocents, whether they are alive or dead," Merida replied.

"This time you've gone too far. You're a traitor to your own kind, and I'm going to stop you," Miranda snarled, pulling a gun out of her jacket.

Everything happened in a blur. Merida instinctively ducked as the gun fired, diving towards the floor, but she was not fast enough. Sharp, bloody pain filled her shoulder.

Merida looked up, confused and in agony. "You shot me! But… I'm your sister!"

Miranda stared down at her with dead eyes. "Not anymore," she said dispassionately. She lowered the gun slightly, aiming it at Merida's head.

This is the end, Merida thought. I knew someone was going to die. I just never expected it to be me. But I cannot give up. I must not. Nobody will protect the ghosts otherwise. I can't try to be peaceful anymore. Not unless I want them to keep massacring the innocent.

Someone's going to die today, and it's going to have to be my sister. The thought, horrible and wrong as it was, gave her the will to move.

Merida was not a trained fighter, or a magician. She had never seen the point in learning magic, unless it was to help or to heal. But she did learn to enhance her speed and endurance. She was long and lanky, and being able to run from the graveyard to the school in five minutes seemed like an excellent idea. She was glad she learnt to do so, because it was the only thing that could save her.

She slammed into Miranda, tackling her legs even as her shoulder screamed in agony. The gun went off as Miranda went down, and a second source of pain shot up her leg, and she clung on to her consciousness. She had to finish it. The world seemed to become smaller, encompassing only the two sisters and their struggle.

Miranda slapped her, sharp nails raking across her face as Merida slapped the gun out of her other hand. They fought bitterly, like all siblings did. The only difference was that it was life and death, rather than a squabble over the last slice of cake. The gun skidded out of range, leaving the two of them to fight it out with their fists and teeth.

Merida thrashed like a fish in a net, ignoring the throbbing wounds that tried to claim her attention. I have to finish this, she told herself. I must finish this. She tried to drag herself to the gun with her uninjured arm, clawing desperately. Just before she could reach it, the gun floated out of her range.

"Hello there, Merida," Hans said with his typical cheer. "Need some help?"

Merida gritted her teeth. She did not know if she was glad to see him, irritated, or too pained too care. She suspected it was the latter. "Pass me the damn gun. And hurry up about it!"

Behind her, Miranda was stumbling to her feet, clutching a broken wrist. She looked like a reanimated corpse from a zombie movie, complete with gratituous gore. Unfortunately, most of it was Merida's.

"Are you sure? I mean… She is your sister," he said skeptically. All the same, he tossed the gun to her.

Merida's mind flashed back to what Miranda had told her. _Not anymore, huh?_ She raised the gun, cocked it.

Miranda had just enough time for her mind to register that she was about to get shot. She raised her hands, a futile gesture. The bullet went straight past them, penetrating the spot between her eyes.

The world seemed to slow. Blood blossomed out of the wound, the flower of Death opening for the briefest of moments. Miranda's eyes were wide with horror, caught in that moment for eternity. Her mouth was open slightly. She looked the very picture of shock.

Merida wanted to feel sorry for her, like she had for the dead ghosts, but she could not. All she could think about was how the exorcist got what she deserved. Or, as Ina had put it, karma had come to bite her in the ass. _Those ghosts had the same expression when they died too. That or relief that their torment was finally over. _

Then time resumed on its normal course, and Miranda fell backwards, dead as the ghosts she had failed to kill. Maybe she would become one. That would be truly ironic.

Merida turned back to Hans. "I guess you only owe me two favors now," she said calmly.

"I guess so," he replied, sounding unnerved. It took a lot to disturb a spirit. They were notorious for having no empathy. If Merida had been in any proper state of mind, she would have been horrified. But she was not. So she did not care.

She stumbled to her feet, numbly ignoring the pain that racked her leg as she put her weight on it, and hobbled over to the cage. The girl was still floating in the middle of it.

She fiddled with the latch, which needed no key, and released her. Merida's vision was slowly going black from the blood loss. And the trauma of watching her own sister die (albeit indirectly) at her hands, though she would never admit it.

The last thing she remembered doing was kneeling over her not-sister dumbly.

#Remember when I said I was gonna be posting about her soon?#Yeah guess what #She's honestly my traumatised precious #writeblr #writing #my writing #creative writing #writerscommunity #writing community #short story #spilled ink #fantasy

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