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achtung-attitude · 2 years

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CHAPTER 61: Shelter

There is a buzz of electricity as the TV screen blinks to life. Silence gives way to trumpets and the flashing CBS News logo. A firm male voice announces “You’re watching CBS News live, with a special bulletin: Horror in Hollywood: the aftermath of the ‘Little Armenia Incident’. And now our host, Ray Tannermann.”

The logo screen fades and is replaced with the clean-cut and honest image of the news anchor, clad in a crisp suit and tie, fair skin and well kept graying hair. “Good morning, Los Angeles,” he says, earnestly facing the camera, “We’re on the air now as the memorial service for the officers slain in last week’s ‘Little Armenia Incident’ is taking place. A large group of protestors has gathered around the service, prompting security concerns. We go now to our live correspondent, Alicia Martinez. How’s it look down there, Alicia?”

The camera view lists to the left. The female reporter appears in a split screen, saying nothing as Tannermann’s words are relayed through her earpiece. When she does speak, she must do so loudly, as a few meters behind her, 250 people chant furiously, shaking signs declaring ‘GOOD COPS ARE DEAD COPS’ and ‘No Honor To Killers’.

“Morning, Ray,” Martinez says, “I’m here outside the Beckman Auditorium, where the mayor of Los Angeles, the governor and even the President himself are all in attendance for the memorial service for officers slain in Little Armenia. However, as you can see behind me, not everyone is in support of this service.”

“What can you tell us about the atmosphere on the scene?” Tannermann asks.

“The air is fraught, to say the least, Ray. People are outraged over the inclusion in the service of officers alleged to have been directly involved in last week’s violence. This is especially controversial after the live footage from the downed KNBC Chopper 1, which documented the final moments of reporter Patricia Leeson. The footage seems to show uniformed officers driving erratically and even firing on the chopper, which is speculated to be the primary cause of the crash.

“It should be noted that no evidence exists that the officers depicted in the KNBC footage are the same ones being commemorated, but that hardly matters to this crowd, Ray. Just one look at this crowd will tell you they’re not interested in any technicalities.They're angry, and they want justice for what they see as an open attack.”

Security personnel stand in line, decked out in riot gear, watching tight-lipped as the protest intensifies, each protestor feeding on each other’s fury. At the crowd’s edge, some notice Martinez and her camera, and sense the world’s eyes on them. “Excuse me?” the reporter asks, approaching a young woman of college age with red hair and a nose stud, “I’m with CBS. Would you mind telling me what you’re out here for?”

“Well, we’ve got a moral right!” the protestor announces, eager for the chance to share her stance. “We’re here because we’ve all been affected by the attack last week, and now the creeps in the police department are trying to scrub the stain out! Make out like the pigs who started this are actually heroes!”

Martinez adjusts her grip on the microphone. “So then, you believe the reports that the police were the cause of the violence?”

The protestor sneers. “Obviously! It’s just another reminder that this city is NOT a safe place! The systems in place which are supposed to ‘protect us’ are, in fact, just foot-soldiers to an oppressive. Patriarchal. System.”

She punctuates her statement by punching her open palm in time with her words. “All this… this bullshit! About some kind of virus or chemical weapon that the Police Department is trying to blame, it’s…! It’s just a smokescreen! To cover up how a bunch of cops went on an unprovoked rampage in broad daylight! And when the people of Little Armenia defended themselves, they call it a riot! The line has! To be drawn! Here! How many times do we have to be attacked before we recognize that the police are our enemies! Women, people of color and everyone oppressed across America MUST come together to put an end to this threat! Anyone that fails to answer that call will be treated as they deserve… a TRAITOR-!”

The young woman doubtless intended to say more, but she’s cut off when a dark and ruddy arm, embellished with gold bracelets, grabs her by the collar. The camera image shakes as the operator recoils. When the image settles, it focuses on Kilo holding the protester a meter off the ground, glaring at her with contempt. She stares at him agape for a moment, before squirming aggressively in his grip. He tosses her forward, sending her colliding into the crowd. A human domino effect occurs at the edge of the gathering.

“Uh… G-Good morning?” Martinez hazards, approaching him, “Are you here for the protest? If you have any comments you’d like to-”

“Fuck off,” Kilo says on live TV, reaching his hand back without looking to block the camera lens. The image blurs out again, the image turning to light, then clattering into static. The image quickly flickers back as a view from the ground, showing Martinez shouting at Kilo as walks away from her, hands in his pockets.

“You…!” she shrieks, “What do you think you’re doing?! I hope you’ve got a good lawyer, asshole!”

Kilo doesn’t respond or even turn around. He watches as the security step forward, which sends a ripple of fear through the crowd. The fear gives way to anger and they also advance, getting in the security guards’ face and challenging them.

Somewhere amidst the throng, Kilo spots a masked protester readying what is clearly a Molotov cocktail. A dark green liquor bottle with a rag stuffed in the mouth, and a lit lighter inches away.

“SATURN BARZ,” he mutters. His Stand materializes, unseen by anyone else, and cartwheels in mid-air. A gray cloud forms over the protest, formed from the polluted air of LA. Kilo watches nonchalantly as the rain of the lowest possible acidity descends over the crowd. The impact is minor at first, but it quickly builds and the protesters begin to scramble away from the stinging shower.

“Oh, what is this now?!” Martinez complains, “Quick Dan, get the stuff back in the truck! Maybe we can still save the camera!”

The protestors and the media disperses, and the security personnel retreat to a safe distance. Kilo looks on at the entrance as the auditorium fills up. He ponders at the entrance for a moment, before turning around and heading back the way he came.

Hours later, a motorcade emerges from the auditorium, with several hearses in the middle, passing through blocks of onlookers filling the sidewalks. Many of them wave American flags as the hearses go by. Nadja and Svetlana, Arma’s wife and daughter, watch from the crowd in sad silence. The butcher is nowhere to be seen.

The motorcade disperses, allowing the hearses to file into Calvary Cemetery. After several minutes, the final vehicle parks on the road right next to the headstones. 6 pallbearers slide the coffin from the hearse, and carry it to an open grave. Next to the headstone is a framed portrait amidst a bouquet of flowers, that of Moya Pezzente wearing her uniform and a subtle smile.

Under the shade of trees apart from the funeral, Shizuka, Kilo, T’onga and Jerome watch. “I wish we could be there,” Shizuka murmurs.

“We should be down there. What we fuckin’ round over here for?” Jerome says, his arms crossed.

T’onga replies, “It’s not safe.”

“Bullshit,” Jerome hisses, “Any fucker try to start shit on us, I’ll take ‘em, Stand or no Stand. That’s our girl down there.”

“It’s not safe for them,” T’onga clarifies, pointing at the mourners. Moya’s captain addresses the crowd, preparing to say a few words. “Last time All-Kill attacked us, there was collateral damage. She sacrificed her body to save as many as she could. We can’t risk spilling blood over her grave.”

The rapper bristles, then falters before his expression drops. “…We were right there. She was right there. We were so close, and then-”

“And then she died, yes, C-King, we all remember,” Shizuka’s mother says. “There’s no need for further reminders of our complete failure.”

“You knock that off,” Kilo rumbles.

The Asian woman casts a sideways glare at him. “Why? Did you want to say it first?”

“I said knock that shit off! You ain’t here to talk shit!” he points at her aggressively, his rings jangling. “You’re here to tell us how to stop All-Kill! You ain’t been out of his gang for too long, so don’t get too comfortable!”

T’onga turns to him, scowling. “If you’re scared I’m going to go back, you can forget it. I’m never going back.”

“Then make yourself useful. Name, addresses, numbers. What cars do they drive, which girls do they fuck at the weekends? What are their powers? I’m going to kill every one of those bastards, so come clean already!”

“I don’t like your tone, kid. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were threatening me.”

“Do I have to spell this out for you? If you don’t tell me what I wanna know-!!”

“Guys,” Shizuka says, cutting between the two combatants. She doesn’t turn, but stares at the funeral. The captain finishes his speech and three officers in crisp uniforms form up, holding rifles. “Mom… they killed my friend.”

T’onga and Kilo look away from each other, embarrassed over their behavior. At the call of their conductor, the riflemen aim their weapons skyward.

BANG!!! BANG!!! BANG!!!

T’onga finally speaks. “…His name is Ganmyeol Seo. Stand: BLACK KEYS. 57 years old, born in Korea. I don’t know anything else about his life before LA. In 1992, he was there during the riot. He helped organize the militia that defended Koreatown. That’s how he drew Dust’s attention and got invited into the Congregation.”

“What does BLACK KEYS do?” Kilo asks.

“It’s got only one ability. If he sticks the keys into an object and turns it, he can shut it down or start it back up. What that means depends on the object. If he sticks it into a person, well…” she gazes past her daughter, at the open grave.

“It even deactivated HOUSE OF PAIN while it was in effect. I never thought that could happen,” T’onga continues. “I don’t know if this matters, but his Stand is natural. Not given to him like mine was.”

“That doesn’t explain how he did that thing with the sidewalk. There was no friction, I couldn’t stand up. How’d he do that?”

“I told you, the meaning of ‘shutting down’ varies between objects. Whatever the main function of the target is, it gets removed. For the sidewalk, I’d say… the function is to be walked on. So he took away that ability.”

“…What’s the weakness?”

“Doesn’t have one. They won’t bend or break, and all he needs is an instant to end things. Which means a head-on attack is not an option,” the former assassin stresses, “You have to attack from a distance. It’s the only way.”

“I can do that…” Kilo murmurs. “Who else?”

“The wolf, Yeon-in.”

“Wolf? That, like, a nickname?” Jerome asks.

“No, like an actual Tibetan wolf,” T’onga clarifies. “All-Kill picked him up years ago while he was on vacation in the old country.”

“A wolf with a Stand?” Kilo says skeptically.

“Why not? Didn’t you kill a building a while back?” she challenges. The tall man backs down. “I don’t know what it’s called, but its Stand lets it set fires with its eyes. The range should be its entire field of vision, but this is an animal that relies on smell and hearing. I estimate the range is around 10 or 15 meters.”

“Hmm,” Kilo says, “Which is why All-Kill keeps it around.”

T’onga smiles softly. “That’s right. As long as Yeon-in is around, he can protect his master from a distance. Which is why they need to be separated if we want to stand a chance.”

“Fine. What about the last guy? You mentioned him… San Gok?”

“Yeah… the wild card. I don’t know what his Stand does.”

Shizuka speaks up. “Mom, we really need…”

“I know what we need,” T’onga cuts her off, “but we don’t have everything. Sang-ok never explained his ability beyond cryptic bullshit. I doubt even he understands. He calls it BETTER THAN THE REAL THING. People that are hit by it go into a kind of… trance. They just stand there, move around and mumble like they’re sleep-walking until abruptly they die. It usually takes at most 3 hours though…” she pauses, then goes on. “All-Kill raised him as his own son. Sang-ok lives for him. That devotion can’t be underestimated. Their abilities might not seem like much to you, Staples, but you don’t get to be King of LA by being easy to kill.”

The funeral procession begins to leave, though some officers still linger around the headstone. “What’s your suggestion?” Kilo asks.

“Sang-ok’s too unpredictable,” the former assassin declares. “We avoid him, and confront him later, if we have to. We separate the wolf from All-Kill, kill it, then go for the boss. He has a house on Mulholland Drive. We’ll hit it tonight.”

“Tonight?” Shizuka exclaims, turning around.

“The longer this goes on, the worse it’ll get. I’ve betrayed him and his beloved Sunmi is dead. It has to be now, while his heart is shaken with grief. Before he can collect himself.”

As the funeral procession files out of the cemetery, a gust of wind blows over, shaking the trees. Shizuka’s friends stand in silence as the wind blows over.

“OK. Let’s do it, then,” Shizuka says firmly.

T’onga smiles sadly at this and stays quiet when Kilo steps towards her daughter. “You understand what this means, right?” he asks his friend, earnestly, “it’s not like before, when we were attacked and had to defend ourselves. We’re taking action this time. We’re going to kill him.”

The girl lowers her gaze, thinking before she answers. “What the Congregation’s done… Phantasma, Dust and All-Kill… It’s unforgivable. I never imagined when I stepped off the plane at LAX that I would get involved in this… But I achieved what I set out to do. I found my mother. And if this is the only way I can be with her, then what I have to do is obvious.”

Kilo smiles softly. “Just checking. Anyhow, that fucker drew first blood. We’re due some payback for that.”

“Ah shit… This is gonna be intense, huh?” Jerome says, shaking his head with concern.

T’onga sighs. “Alright then…” she mutters, the four of them looking across the cemetery resolutely. “Let’s do it!”

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo no kimyou na bouken #achtung attitude #Shizuka Joestar #kilo staples #moya pezzente #t'onga kim #c-king #ch61

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outofcontextwebnovels · 2 years

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#i am such an expert; why do i have to take in disciples #ch61

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salteytakesonmanga · 11 months

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This is scratching the surface of something I actually find really interesting about characters like Gin and Bellamy.

People have done studies about people who join gangs or cults or neo fascist groups, and something most of them have in common is that they’re so alienated and poisoned by toxic masculinity that they eagerly adopt the hatefulness and toxicity of these groups because it gives them a sense of belonging and community and acceptance. And here we have Gin, who has only experienced something resembling acceptance from Krieg in exchange for viciousness and violence and blind obedience. Actual kindness, given unconditionally, is so alien to him that forcing himself to confront it is breaking him.

I don’t want to give Oda too much credit here, but whether he realized it or not he did manage to render a pretty good profile of this personality type that has unfortunately been inflicted on us a lot in the past few years.

#one piece #op ch61 #saltey takes on one piece #gin #I’m keeping certain words out of my post and my tags on purpose #but I hope you can catch my drift

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firawren · 1 year

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Bingley to Jane after 1 year of living near his in-laws:

Gif source

Pride and Prejudice Chapter 61: Jane and Elizabeth get married to the men they love, the Bingleys buy an estate near-ish to Pemberley, and almost everyone lives happily ever after

View the full series of P&P chapter memes here

#the last one in this meme series you guys! 😢#p&p chapter memes #p&p ch61 #pride and prejudice memes #pride and prejudice #jane austen memes #jane austen #english lit memes #mr bingley #jane bennet #mrs bennet #dwayne johnson #gif #my stuff

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merchantarthurn · 2 years

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Another fic! I posted the first chapter a while ago but it was only a short prologue - now there’s a second chapter!

Phantom Flame

Chapters: 2/7 (Smoke; Embers)

Qifrey POV, spoilers for chapter 40 onwards (currently no spoilers for untranslated chapters)

"Olruggio’s eyes are warm in a way blue couldn’t be, shouldn’t be, crinkled at the corners from frowning and laughing, pupils wide under the shade of his hair and always, always watching. Qifrey had watched back as he snuffed the fire out of them, leaving cold and empty."

Qifrey forgets the dangers of fire.

#witch hat atelier #tongari boushi no atelier #orufrey #qifrey #olruggio #wha fic #arthur art #i struggled with this chapter pff but mostly it was joining all the little bits i needed #regrettably the 8 pages i have of other chapters will need scrapping or serious overhauling since i was writing then post ch57 lsjdf weeps #and i took a very different direction... but.. ch61 is PERFECT for continuing this so im reinspired

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shysheeperz · 6 months

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#spy x family #sxf #RIP loid #lol #damian desmond #anya forger #loid forger #agent twilight #becky blackbell #ewen egeburg #emile elman #yor forger #bond forger #mangacaps #caps #sxf spoilers #ch61

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everymariemjolnir · 2 months

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#soul eater #marie mjolnir #ch61

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pardon-my-scifi · 18 days

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This has "parent grabbing their kid and noping the fuck out" energy to the max.

#frieren: beyond journey's end #sousou no frieren #ch61 #himmel #heiter #eisen #frieren

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mqfx · 2 years

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After a pause, he still decided to comment. “I bet he thinks I’m always picking on him because he thought I knew about the gold foil business, but really, I just don’t like people like him. A grown man thinking too much about this and that; he must’ve suspected you told me a long time ago. Even concubines in a harem don’t have thoughts and moods as twisted as his, so annoying!”

“It’s not as bad as you say,” Xie Lian said. “The Royal Holy Pavilion had never lost anything before, meaning this was his first time, and at the end of the day it was for his mother…uh, anyway, he already assuredly promised that he would never do it again, so giving him another chance isn’t wrong. And he kept his word. Besides, today when that little kid fell, if Mu Qing didn’t cooperate with me, the parade wouldn’t have ended so smoothly.”

#feng xin.#ch61 #tgcf reread

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dunmeshistash · 5 days

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How do you feel about Milsiril? Like what do you think of her interactions between the canaries, her goals, her intentions and morality? I keep seeing people with mixed feelings about her, some saying she's just toxic or morally grey or doing bad but with good intentions or that she's just a mentally ill and literally so much more, also with the comic about Otta calling Milsiril love for her children/Kabru as just love for a pet, I always saw people take it at face value and say yes, Milsiril did love them more as pets instead of children, did she take up raising/adopting non-elf children because she felt like none of them could ridicule her like the elves did because they didn't know what an elf was supposed to be like (and also because they were children) or did she inherently view them as less? I mean the canaries and I'm pretty sure almost all of the cast in dungeon meshi have some sort perspective on different races especially because how they were taught about them, i just think it was interesting to finally see someone interpret it as Otta just misinterpreting Milsiril, I'm just really interested in her, i think shes neat, sorry for the rant!

Ooh, well to preface this, I hadn't really realized Milsiril was such a controversial character before my last post, I kinda live under a rock. She's really not a character I had given much thought besides what I wrote there before it, but I can do my best to express what I have thought since, with sources for it. I'm not sure what order to go thru so I'll just go by manga appearances and then extras, this will probably be quite a long post

This is the first time she shows up in the manga (ch55) Kabru is wondering about what future they might have if the elves take them into custody because of the ancient magic, he thinks about Milsiril as a get out of jail card, and mentions "There's a chance they would make us become permanent resident of the elven lands." with the image of Milsiril holding him. I don't think that means she would be the one to not let them leave, since this would probably be an legal issue, and the fact Milsiril lives away from other Elves. It does set up that Milsiril is quite overprotective tho, with Kabru's reaction to her teary hug. (rest is under a cut)

The next time she shows up is in ch61 right after Kabru falls down the dungeon along with Mithrun, he faints and has this flashback

She's being her overbearing self treating Kabru's small injury as if its something you need to be in bed for, hand feeding him like he's a toddler, and when he insists he wants to learn how to fight and be strong like her, she hugs him revealing to us for the first time her arm scars, she's cleary in distress too, so you wonder "what has happened to her?"

It continues in the next pages, as she tells him to stay there, where it's safe and there's cake, and describes the bad things he might encounter. Until he tells her he will go with or without her help

Honestly this is a Kabru we don't see often, this is the version of him that is usually in thought bubbles, he's blowing out in frustation over being smothered and demanding straight up what he wants, instead of trying to manipulate Milsiril, very blunt for him. Milsiril seems to flip a switch into battle mode, when she decides to train him for real.

I really thought this was funny, the visual of these cuddly toys and this Mom that was being so soft just a second ago completely flipping into something menacing is very amusing to me. She says "I'll give you an exhaustive, thorough training in how to use a sword... until you finally decide that you're ready to give up." although it sounds cruel, it seems she really trained him as best she could to make sure he would survive the dungeon. If he couldn't take the training with her there was no way he would be able to take on the dungeon, but he could, so much so that he managed to make her let him go. I can see this being seen as her trying to prevent him from going but to me it seems more like some tough love from a traumatized war veteran in this case.

The last thoughts he has is admitting his Mom was right, "Not only were there plenty of traps, monsters, and malice... but there were times when I felt so hungry and cold that I couldn't stand it."

And he concludes with "I never once thought that I wanted to go back there. That room where I could eat all the cake that I wanted..." While I can understand the interpretation that he means he would rather go thru all this than go back, perhaps cause he hated it there, I think it's rather a statement to how committed he is to defeating the dungeon, the visuals show him in rubble vs him in a soft big bed, the rough reality he fought to be able to face and the comfyness of what his life could be. Plus is mirroring exactly what Milsiril said to him. Admitting she was right about the bad things but that he won't give up for the safe easy life he had.

After that visuals of Milsiril are used while Kabru tries to sus out Mithrun but she shows up again in Mithrun's backstory.

Here she's straight up called Gloomy, which wasn't really the version of her we saw so far, gotta remember this is also how Mithrun saw her and that she was called gloomy as a way of bullying. Kabru mostly cuts off her part in the story until the end, when she's the one to find Mithrun after he was eaten by the demon

She doesn't really care much for Mithrun as we see in some extras, and she was ready to mercy kill him, but she is also the one to spare his life. This could be seen as her thinking he can still be of use, and it's how it sounds with how Kabru tells the story, but I do think this was also a merciful act, Mithrun was in rehabilitation for 20 years after being saved, by the time he was actually useful for anything Milsiril had already left the canaries and adopted Kabru.

Now for extras... About Mithrun/The Canaries, Milsiril was cleary someone that hated the people around her. This is her extra in the Adventurer's Bible

Milsiril seems to be the type that hates "popular kids" so to say, her description says she was bullied by other elves for being so introverted so I believe she holds a grudge against people like Mithrun that seem to have succeeded where she failed. But realizing he was a twisted person like her seemed to make her feel more sympathetic towards him, that's why I think she really did act with mercy when she saves Mithrun, he's now someone she sees as similar to her, she sees he also suffered like her

Her decription also mentions she left the canaries specifically because she was disgusted with how the Utaya situation was dealt with. Yet it seems like she came back to help Mithrun with his rehabilitation once she quits.

There's an interpretation to be made that she did this only to get "revenge" on the demon since she just saw the destruction of Utaya, and that she's using him. On the other hand maybe she wants to help him find a motivation to live, she's no longer a canary and she has time to actually help him now. I don't know which one is the truth but it's not obviously something self-serving if you ask me. Especially in the context that right before this scene Milsiril admits she wishes they could have talked before.

My interpretation of her relationship with the canaries and other elves is that she's someone depressed that was mistreat for her 'quirky' side, the dolls are clearly one of the ways she used to cope with anxiety/depression but it only caused her to be bullied by her own kin, she's the daughter of an important family and it's shown in other extras, including one about Mithrun, that nobles often send out the kids they don't want around to become canaries. It's an easy way to get rid of someone undesirable and I think it was the case for Milsiril. (Pattadol even assumes her parents love her less than her sisters for sending her to join the canaries).

No wonder than that now that she's finally free from the canaries she chose to seek her own happiness away from the society she felt she could never fit into, she clearly likes to take care of children too, I think it's mean to assume she only likes them because she feels superior to them when there's no indication that this is the case.

And I don't think it's a coincidence she's so overprotective of Kabru after Utaya, it's literally the tragedy that was the breaking point for her, and he's a surviving small child from that tragedy, Milsiril cares about Kabru and wanted him to have a comfortable safe life after everything he went thru...

This ended up getting way too long so I'll make second part tomorrow about the rest of the extras and Kabru, and some other things I've seen said about Milsiril, but to answer the questions...

I don't think she treats her children as pets, Otta is just salty she was called out for dating like Leo Dicaprio.

Every single dungeon meshi character can be called morally grey because they all have flaws that in our world can be considered unforgivable, but they don't live in our world. To me Milsiril is doing her best in the context she lives in.

Who even is neurotypical in dungeon meshi, Milsiril is yet another flavour of a neurodivergent traumatized character among so many.

I believe she thought of the other canaries, especially Mithrun, as the same type of people that were cruel to her, probably because some of them really were, but that she generalized it to the point she thinks of all of them as bad by default. You can only get hurt so many times before you assume everyone will hurt you.

Part 2

#dungeon meshi #adventurers bible #this is REALLY long because I dont know how to say things #and I want people to make their own interpretations of this...#Milsiril #Ask #Long post #longpost #Part 1 of 2 #Edit: I went back and rewrote some stuff I thought were written in a confusing way #I keep repeating this in tags but I really am bad at writting I say things in a weird order using strange words sometimes #If you ever dont understand something I said please ask

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achtung-attitude · 2 years

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MULHOLLAND DRIVE

The front door clicks open and Sang-ok steps into the house. An unfamiliar atmosphere makes him uneasy. A certain lack of neatness in a place usually kept spotless. The burn marks and shattered window pane remain unrepaired from the confrontation with Moya and T'onga. “Boss?” he calls. “You around?”

No answer. The young man walks down the halls. The air conditioning struggles to keep out the muggy humidity from outside. Yeon-in the wolf pads round the corner, and spots Sang-ok. He is downcast and sullen, its head and ears hanging low.

Sang-ok crouches to scratch the wolf’s ears. “Hey, buddy. Where’s Papa?”

Yeon-in grumbles in response. He walks ahead of Sang-ok to the door to All-Kill’s study. At the door, Yeon-in rises on his hind legs and deftly opens it with his front paw. Sang-ok enters behind the wolf.

“…Hey… Boss.”

All-Kill slouches at his desk facing away from the door. He doesn’t respond to either of his agents’ presences.

“So, uh… how you holding up?” the young man asks.

No answer.

“Bad, huh? …I figured. With what happened with Sunmi… I… I can only imagine what you're going through…”

Still no answer. Yeon-in paces back and forth, nervous and frustrated. “Ah, Boss… Ganmyeol, listen,” Sang-ok pleads. “I know you’re in pain, but you can’t just hang by here forever. I’m… I’m here for you! You’re not alone…”

“I know Gok,” All-Kill says, “I know. And I’m grateful.” He sits up in his seat. Immediately, Yeon-in pads over to him and lays his head on his lap. The boss strokes him between his ears.

“Eh…?” Sang-ok blurts, “you’re really OK?”

“…No. Not ok. But ready for what comes next,” the boss declares, rising from his seat.

Sang-ok gathers his words as All-Kill passes him. “O-oh… Oh! Well, that’s great! Don’t scare me like that, man! Alright! Leave the rest to me, eh? Soon as T’onga and her little crew shows up, I’ll take care of them-”

“Don’t hurt them.”

“Huh?”

“T’onga and her daughter. Shizuka. Don’t hurt them. They still have to take their place with us.”

“…You can’t be serious.”

No answer.

“Ganmyeol… Come on, I know how you feel about family, but this… T'onga killed Sunmi! She tried to kill you! And she’s going to try again, only this time with an entourage! How can you be willing to take her back after all this?”

“She’s family-”

“No, she’s not! Not anymore. She gave that up when she tried to murder you. She can’t be-” All-Kill turns slowly and Sang-ok’s outrage sticks in his throat. Fury paralyzes All-Kill’s face. Molten rock beneath a frozen lake.

“You don’t understand. None of you do. She doesn’t get to decide that, and neither do you. I am. Me. I decide when I am finished with you. Nobody walks away from me, Sang-ok. Nobody.”

He strides out of the living room with Yeon-in in tow, leaving Sang-ok to fall against the back of the couch. After a moment, he sighs deeply. “…Phew… what a piece of work. I should ask for a raise…” He looks upward, staring at the ceiling. From the ether, floating strips of film reel manifest flowing in concentric circles around him. His hands clench the desk and his hair bristles with rage. He snarls from the back of his throat, “T’ongaaaa…”

Eventually, Sang-ok settles and the film reels fade into nothingness “…No-one walks away. That’s goddamn right.”

END of CHAPTER 61

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo no kimyou na bouken #achtung attitude #all-kill #sang-ok park #yeon-in #ch61

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