Hi everyone! Welcome to this small blog of mine, where I scream about things I like :]
My name's Vii! You can call me Vii or V! I'm 18+ (not telling the exact age!) And I'm from somewhere in southeast Asia~
I'm new around here, hope we all can get along~ have like, a WIDE variety of interest! Some fandoms I'm in includes:
Saint Seiya, Haikyuu, Danganronpa, Beyblade burst/evolution, Banana Fish, Dragon Warriors, Percy Jackson and The Olympians (anything by Rick Riordan tbh), Warrior Cats, Miraculous Ladybug, Dandy's World, and more!
I hope we all can get along, feel free to interact and stuff~ My lil blog here is open for all!
First I’m glad I knew as much as I did about SoG before jumping in, or else I would have been pretty upset. At least I knew what I was signing up for and by Athéna they filled the contract.
So yeah I enjoyed it, it was fun, but if you start thinking about it for more than three seconds it’s over.
Now the Golds themselves.
Mū was fun, it was weird but enjoyable to see him being so familiar with the others.
Aldebaran was interesting, but I refuse to accept they made him say he was not really someone that thinks before acting when that was literally one of the rare personality traits we saw from him.
Saga really felt like they didn’t want to take any risk. They completely ignored the Ares thing, it’s really just vaguely mentioned with Aiolos at the end. It made Saga kinda weird but also I understand this take.
The interpretation of DeathMask is interesting but badly executed. Even if we follow SoG on the “strayed who finally find back what made him a GS” interpretation, the lack of spacing makes it kinda awkward as Helena just got a stalker and absolutely nonsensical as why the fuck are the kids so excited for DM??? To better work this plotline would have benefited from getting a few more scenes of DM actually interacting with them, or at least observing them.
Aiolia was… GoodMCBoyTM so kinda sad. I did not really have expectations for Aiolia, and I understand. But still.
Shaka TEACHING EMPATHY OMFG WHAT ARE WE EVEN DOING. Ik I was trying to not jump on the upsetting things but sorry his fight with Baldur is the definition of the French saying “it’s the Roquefort telling the Camembert it stinks”. Nah nigga you ain’t fooling no one.
Dohko was… making sense? He’s a bitch to me and bitch he was.
The interesting thing about Milo is that I wonder if many spin offs focus on his relationship with Camus to avoid digging in his other character trait: cruelty for fun. Like it’s always about Camus and it’s never about something else because for that you’ll have to address that shit about him.
Aiolos: narrative tool you are and narrative tool you’ll be. At least we got to see him a bit and be gay with Saga oh my gods they were so gay
Shura unfortunately had to carry all the weight of Aiolos’ murder trauma (obligatory part since Aiolia is the MC) which technically is a side effect of not wanting to take any risk with Saga’s character. On the other hand he did look like a child in that flashback so bonus points?
Camus F IN THE CHAT FOR EVERY ACTUAL FAN OF CAMUS THAT CHARACTER ASSASSINATION WAS DIFFICULT TO WATCH EVEN FOR ME AND I DONT EVEN LIKE THE GUY THAT MUCH.
I was prepared for Aphrodite. Plus, I already mentioned I think that I love those kind of characters! Just not for Aphrodite, I’m still upset they did that too him, and don’t get me started on his early as fuck death, and that explanation in the finale doesn’t make me feel better in the slightest. It just really feels like they killed him because they didn’t have anything to say about him (and didn’t want to invent one) and found a perfect little explanation for that later, a convenient explanation that brings back everyone for the finale.
Speaking of that finale…
Definitely too long. At some point I didn’t even know what they were trying to hype up? By shortening it from like 1 episode at least would have allowed more development for other plotlines (yes DM and Helena but I think Camus Milo and Surt would have also benefited from that). Maybe Im biased because I’m less of a fighting fan and more dynamics fan.
The God Warriors
Underdeveloped even though really intriguing? I wished we saw more of some of them
Stopping here because it’s like 2:30 in the morning and I’m sleepy
@littlelightvii because you asked and I’m using that as a way to add from where I left off.
The New God Warriors:
Overall, they had a lot of potential, and I would have loved to learn more about them. The problem I think was mainly towards how their stories are inserted in the show? Very little is shown, just barely mentioned by the characters. Even though that’s enough for you to understand on a conscious level what is their deal, in the end it doesn’t feel with as much weight than it could have.
(Lil addendum: I won’t refer to them with their Robes in that post because forced french dub + audio processing difficulties = I did not understand what the fuck the name of their Robes was)
Starting with the most perfect example, Sigmund! First of all let’s all use this beautiful thing called suspension of disbelief to accept that yes, Siegfried had an older brother lower on the hierarchy in the kind of society that put everything on the firstborns. That aside, Sigmund’s storyline is interesting, especially that the Hades Arc (and SoG) happens less than two months after the Asgard Arc. A freshly grieving brother, throwing himself in that battle to prove himself… I think he’s a great example of what I aforementioned because it would have definitely add to see some flashbacks of him and Siegfried, to develop their relationship more! To dig more on how Sigmund saw his brother, and how his death impacted his vision! (Bonus points if they did highlight the big bro bad at this/lil bro prodigy that would totally rewrite their dynamic)
Another pretty good case is Surt. The fact that they did not show that much of the sister makes sense with how Surt ended up evolving (even if, pun not intended, that makes her just another woman in the fridge). Even the way he treats Camus makes sense. The thing that bugs me is that they made quite the story about them being (childhood) friends, but we don’t see it! Yes they say it, but all you see on screen is Surt being terrible toward Camus and Camus keeping up with it in some hope of redemption/fixing Surt and you understand they used to be close because why else Camus would let him be like that but. I think having at least one flashback of those two being genuinely good friends would have added so much more (at least to show how much Surt has changed).
Ok so I complained a lot now let’s go for Baldur: 10/10 no notes. Interesting story, said story inserted following the same pattern is the Og God Warriors which worked very well for him, dare I say perfect? The only negative thing I have to say about his fight is not about him! Also very interesting that Andreas, in his very possessed state so you could argue it was Loki themself, called him a God. The implications.
The three next are going to be really quick for a simple reason: Not Enough Infos. Starting with Hercules (Heracles?) I liked his ending. His decision to trap Aldebaran, his lack of change of heart, his reaction… I liked it. Bonus point for he was one the first red flag saying something was definitely wrong with the New God Warriors.
Fafnir: I WISHED WE SAW MORE. It is one of the characters that would have been interesting to see how he became a New God Warrior, his link with Andreas.
The undead (yeah I did not get his name sorry)… what. was. going on? I did not understand how or why he was here. Maybe they did say it but that would have been nice to yk have it developed? Like really shown and explained thoroughly? Also I was absolutely sure the big reveal about him was about to be that actually he was a girl. Which would have been interesting considering how conservative is Asgard.
Now last but not least, Frodi. I don’t have a lot to say about him, his story is pretty well coined; he is in love with Lyfia, they can’t be together, he has to chose between his love and his duty, etc… Frodi is the classic archetype of the “good guy amongst the bad guys” the “brave and loyal soldier who thought he was doing good” etc… like Frodi himself wasn’t bad, his character is just a tad generic to me.
Asgard’s Others:
Soul of Gold tried to implement more things in Asgard and, I’ll accord at least that, tried to make it more realistic. Hilda and Freya has servants, there is a medic, a monetary system, we see more of Asgard as a kingdom. It’s not bad, just… frustrating to watch? Like it does not work with what we saw in the Asgard Arc. I won’t go in individual details for Hilda and Freya.
Before dabbing about the Mythology, just precising that I am in no way an expert, and knows very little about (if not nothing) about Norse Mythology. I’ll only say two things: evil Loki this is Saint Seiya sad but nothing else to really expect and I need to know how high having Yggdrasil as an evil and destructive thing is on the blasphemy scale.
Andreas: I’m quite interested in what kind of person he was before the possession, but that’s personal not a critic of Soul of Gold. That’s sad for him (them?) and quite the tragic ending (which yk was not even treated as the death of someone since Loki was still here).
Lyfia: oooohhhh this one is HARD. Because I think the whole Odin thing towards her utterly and simply sucks. She, in the beginning, had an interesting thing. It was hyping, it was intriguing. It made you wonder if she was truly acting for goodness, and if not you had that dawning horror that Lyfia herself doesn’t know that. She also follows a pretty classic archetype, but once again not a bad character in itself.
The final:
I already said I didn’t liked it, because it is to me just a huge bunch of fanservice tied together. Hence why I was still upset about Aphrodite because they would have found an excuse to bring back everyone anyway, so why pick the one that killed off early a character that generally doesn’t have a lot of development? It got mixed techniques which is still forbidden by Athena, but we don’t care about this because we just want to show the Gold Saints having joined attacks. Aiolia in the Odin Robe because Asgard. I won’t do the entire list, but that fight was tiring to watch (once again maybe also because I’m less sensible to fights and for someone else that would be the best part of SoG, who knows!) it still felt like they tried to put as much thing as they could with the storyline as a secondary conductor. Which leads us to Lyfia, Odin and Hilda.
I don’t like Lyfia being the new representative of Odin. It is so sudden! I remind that it’s barely two months after the Asgard Arc! It would have been more interesting to have her as another deity, piping in in favor of Odin. It would keep Lyfia’s big reveal without wildly diminishing Hilda’s importance both as a character and a person (and on a more personal note would show more color to a pantheon than one(1) good deity vs every other evil things).
Urgh I was supposed to focus on more positive stuffs so umm…
You can make the Golds ooc-ness in character if you see their reactions in Soul of Gold as Bad Coping W/ Trauma Reactions!!!!
VERY FUN AND INTERESTING TO READ UR THOUGHTS!!! And yeah, though I enjoyed SoG, I do agree it was definitely just a big fanservice that makes up their own personalities for the goldies.
Another one @mxs-space , it's more about the black saints and of course, @littlelightvii !
CHILDRENS OF FREEDOM AND LOVERS OF DEATH
The sounds of Tokyo's streets seemed almost an ally of the Black Saints, the perpetual blare of car horns and loud conversations under the starlight, obscured by the city lights, concealing the signs of life of these young thieves in their pitch-black armor. Chaim wasn't used to anxiety, preferring to hide his worries behind a small, confident smile, a mocking demeanor, but today, a monster lurked in the pit of his stomach, ripping at his insides until he wanted to vomit up everything within him, everything that made him who he was.
So this was fear. The realization that another's rage would bring about his own downfall. That vengeance against a name, Kido, unknown to most of Deathqueen's soldiers, would lead to their deaths.
The teenager's steps were much heavier than usual, and his feet, accustomed to suffering from the heat of this infernal island's soil, refused to be light, dragging as if they were chained. The portion of the Sagittarius Cloth he gripped tightly reflected every glimmer as he approached the port, and he felt as if the very spirit of the saint who had once possessed this armor was trying to condemn him.
A brief moment passed, but an eternity in his adolescent life, before his legs could no longer support his weight and he had to sit down on the asphalt, the industrial stench rising to his nostrils. It wasn't guilt that consumed him, for he cared little about causing grief to the violet-haired girl he had seen so richly dressed, but terror.
-"Chaim! Chaim! Are you alright? Did Athena's idiots hurt you?!"
Black Pegasus didn't even need to look up to recognize Keran's voice. The young Black Phoenix was running towards him, still panting from his run, and Chaim felt a wave of disgust as he realized that this ten-year-old boy, more enthusiastic than a puppy, was about to face Athena's "justice." The attack on the Colosseum had demonized them all in the eyes of other humans, and Chaim knew it was deserved, that their actions and violence must have been human. But could the gods really distinguish between the hateful and those who had simply grown up in the Underworld?
-"I…I'm fine, don't worry, kid. I saw, you gave that other butler a real beating…Tatsumi? Anyway, you did really well."
-“You see! I didn’t really want to attack, but Akina warned me he was mean, so I hurt him. But Erza helped me too, especially when people from the audience tried to grab me.”
Hearing her name, Erza raised her head, and Chaim could see her fingers trembling slightly. She didn’t say a word, because the Albanian girl had had to cut part of her tongue because of Aino: the proud eldest of the Black Saints at nineteen, a close friend of Akina’s, her eyes betrayed all the rage her lips wanted to utter.
-“Is Akina with you? Mirek saw Aino following her into an alley when she was looking for Enora, the little girl who left with the Cloth box. I hoped she was safe.” “
Hiacynt’s calm voice was gentler than the ocean spray, the young Black Dragon groping his way through the containers surrounding them, having learned from his very first breaths that his sense of touch would have to replace his sight.
His long, jet-black hair was slightly tangled, but Chaim could also see the anguish on his face in his slight pout, his downward-furrowed brows, and his tense posture.
-“No. You think he wanted to beat her again? He’s not that crazy, is he…”
-“Chaim, Akina helped the victims of the Genma Ken regain their senses. Don’t you think Aino would see that as a betrayal of Ikki’s ideals ? Our…Comrade from Black Cygnus possesses a rather disturbing ability to see a man as his idol…"
The silence that followed his words was heavy, like the atmosphere before a devastating storm, and everyone began to feel a greater sense of unease than ever before, for perhaps, at that very moment, the Black Saint of Kelpie was already frozen to death on Japanese soil, felled by the greed of a soul barely older than her own.
"Hello…"
Chaim didn't think pity could surpass the immense relief he felt upon hearing Akina's voice, but his heart shattered into more pieces than he could count when he saw the Estonian girl's condition. Her lower lip was split open, a thin stream of blood flowing, bruises dotted her left cheekbone, and even though she still had her portion of the Sagittarius Cloth, she was staggering.
-"Oh, my Nika…"
Keran's gaze blurred with tears, but Ezra acted first, catching the teenager with a firm hand, tracing something on her pale palm, to which Akina nodded weakly. And in the next instant, Chaim realized that it was a simple piece of golden metal that was causing them all this suffering, both physical and mental, and making them appear more like evil beings than teenagers.
-"Damn it! It's not fair! Okay, we stole, it's wrong, but what gives the saints the right to chase us like we've awakened Hades?! Or Aino the right to hit you like that? Our lives are worth more than this old junk!"
When Chaim thought someone was about to encounter his rage, his passion, his youth, he was met by a long silence that made him realize their situation. They were alive, but they were absolutely worthless.
-"Chaim…"
Oh, how he hated it when Akina's tone became so gentle, so cautious, as if she had already resigned herself to being a devil who would have been more beautiful in an angel's life. She sat down next to him, and he rested his head on her shoulder, his best friend, his confidante, his everything, his favorite person, without ever having felt romantic love for her.
-"In this society, we are nothing, and that's the truth. Hiacynt seems to have understood…"
The Estonian girl smiled because she had to, to try and generate a semblance of hope in her wasted life: her organs were destroying themselves, her eyelids were heavy, her limbs ached, but at the age of 14, you were still searching for a reason to live.
-“I’m not saying this to hurt you, believe me… But God is worth more than the Devil, isn’t he? The price of this cloth, this metal, is worth more than our flesh because someone cares about it. We come from Deathqueen, Chaim. For a 13-year-old princess, the lives of some who frighten her may be futile, but money never is.”
-“Well, well, this is all very cheerful… At least we’re free. It’s okay, we haven’t killed anyone…”
-“We’re free, but the law of the strongest prevails. Aino beats me because I'm weaker, that's just how it is. It's not my place to fight back. I'm getting used to it, you know. Just be yourself, that's all you can do."
-"When we get killed, we'll basically go back home. Hell."
Erza, silent, gazed at the horizon and wondered how much time they had left before their fate was sealed.
Hiacynt, despite his seemingly peaceful demeanor, wondered how many minutes he had left with his friends.
Akina, gentle but resigned, wondered if she was so weak that she couldn't understand and escape this foreign hatred.
Chaim, usually carefree, wondered how to regain his innocence.
And Keran, a child of misfortune at such a young age, wondered if he would ever grow up to surpass Ikki.
LOVE this piece, first of all. I've always been a sucker for POV works of "bad"/"evil"/"in the wrong" characters so this is a treat. I absolutely love how you managed to humanize the black saints as... well, just teenagers that happened to grew up in Hell.
Aino sickens me </3
But the others? GOD their dialogs, the way they're being hunted down for doing something they won't even do if not for another's will, the fact that in the end they'll all die as villains—OH MY GODD.... my heart breaks for them </3
"—But could the gods really distinguish between the hateful and those who had simply grown up in the Underworld?" I hope you know this is such a powerful line it sent SHIVERS down my spine.
Another one @mxs-space , it's more about the black saints and of course, @littlelightvii !
CHILDRENS OF FREEDOM AND LOVERS OF DEATH
The sounds of Tokyo's streets seemed almost an ally of the Black Saints, the perpetual blare of car horns and loud conversations under the starlight, obscured by the city lights, concealing the signs of life of these young thieves in their pitch-black armor. Chaim wasn't used to anxiety, preferring to hide his worries behind a small, confident smile, a mocking demeanor, but today, a monster lurked in the pit of his stomach, ripping at his insides until he wanted to vomit up everything within him, everything that made him who he was.
So this was fear. The realization that another's rage would bring about his own downfall. That vengeance against a name, Kido, unknown to most of Deathqueen's soldiers, would lead to their deaths.
The teenager's steps were much heavier than usual, and his feet, accustomed to suffering from the heat of this infernal island's soil, refused to be light, dragging as if they were chained. The portion of the Sagittarius Cloth he gripped tightly reflected every glimmer as he approached the port, and he felt as if the very spirit of the saint who had once possessed this armor was trying to condemn him.
A brief moment passed, but an eternity in his adolescent life, before his legs could no longer support his weight and he had to sit down on the asphalt, the industrial stench rising to his nostrils. It wasn't guilt that consumed him, for he cared little about causing grief to the violet-haired girl he had seen so richly dressed, but terror.
-"Chaim! Chaim! Are you alright? Did Athena's idiots hurt you?!"
Black Pegasus didn't even need to look up to recognize Keran's voice. The young Black Phoenix was running towards him, still panting from his run, and Chaim felt a wave of disgust as he realized that this ten-year-old boy, more enthusiastic than a puppy, was about to face Athena's "justice." The attack on the Colosseum had demonized them all in the eyes of other humans, and Chaim knew it was deserved, that their actions and violence must have been human. But could the gods really distinguish between the hateful and those who had simply grown up in the Underworld?
-"I…I'm fine, don't worry, kid. I saw, you gave that other butler a real beating…Tatsumi? Anyway, you did really well."
-“You see! I didn’t really want to attack, but Akina warned me he was mean, so I hurt him. But Erza helped me too, especially when people from the audience tried to grab me.”
Hearing her name, Erza raised her head, and Chaim could see her fingers trembling slightly. She didn’t say a word, because the Albanian girl had had to cut part of her tongue because of Aino: the proud eldest of the Black Saints at nineteen, a close friend of Akina’s, her eyes betrayed all the rage her lips wanted to utter.
-“Is Akina with you? Mirek saw Aino following her into an alley when she was looking for Enora, the little girl who left with the Cloth box. I hoped she was safe.” “
Hiacynt’s calm voice was gentler than the ocean spray, the young Black Dragon groping his way through the containers surrounding them, having learned from his very first breaths that his sense of touch would have to replace his sight.
His long, jet-black hair was slightly tangled, but Chaim could also see the anguish on his face in his slight pout, his downward-furrowed brows, and his tense posture.
-“No. You think he wanted to beat her again? He’s not that crazy, is he…”
-“Chaim, Akina helped the victims of the Genma Ken regain their senses. Don’t you think Aino would see that as a betrayal of Ikki’s ideals ? Our…Comrade from Black Cygnus possesses a rather disturbing ability to see a man as his idol…"
The silence that followed his words was heavy, like the atmosphere before a devastating storm, and everyone began to feel a greater sense of unease than ever before, for perhaps, at that very moment, the Black Saint of Kelpie was already frozen to death on Japanese soil, felled by the greed of a soul barely older than her own.
"Hello…"
Chaim didn't think pity could surpass the immense relief he felt upon hearing Akina's voice, but his heart shattered into more pieces than he could count when he saw the Estonian girl's condition. Her lower lip was split open, a thin stream of blood flowing, bruises dotted her left cheekbone, and even though she still had her portion of the Sagittarius Cloth, she was staggering.
-"Oh, my Nika…"
Keran's gaze blurred with tears, but Ezra acted first, catching the teenager with a firm hand, tracing something on her pale palm, to which Akina nodded weakly. And in the next instant, Chaim realized that it was a simple piece of golden metal that was causing them all this suffering, both physical and mental, and making them appear more like evil beings than teenagers.
-"Damn it! It's not fair! Okay, we stole, it's wrong, but what gives the saints the right to chase us like we've awakened Hades?! Or Aino the right to hit you like that? Our lives are worth more than this old junk!"
When Chaim thought someone was about to encounter his rage, his passion, his youth, he was met by a long silence that made him realize their situation. They were alive, but they were absolutely worthless.
-"Chaim…"
Oh, how he hated it when Akina's tone became so gentle, so cautious, as if she had already resigned herself to being a devil who would have been more beautiful in an angel's life. She sat down next to him, and he rested his head on her shoulder, his best friend, his confidante, his everything, his favorite person, without ever having felt romantic love for her.
-"In this society, we are nothing, and that's the truth. Hiacynt seems to have understood…"
The Estonian girl smiled because she had to, to try and generate a semblance of hope in her wasted life: her organs were destroying themselves, her eyelids were heavy, her limbs ached, but at the age of 14, you were still searching for a reason to live.
-“I’m not saying this to hurt you, believe me… But God is worth more than the Devil, isn’t he? The price of this cloth, this metal, is worth more than our flesh because someone cares about it. We come from Deathqueen, Chaim. For a 13-year-old princess, the lives of some who frighten her may be futile, but money never is.”
-“Well, well, this is all very cheerful… At least we’re free. It’s okay, we haven’t killed anyone…”
-“We’re free, but the law of the strongest prevails. Aino beats me because I'm weaker, that's just how it is. It's not my place to fight back. I'm getting used to it, you know. Just be yourself, that's all you can do."
-"When we get killed, we'll basically go back home. Hell."
Erza, silent, gazed at the horizon and wondered how much time they had left before their fate was sealed.
Hiacynt, despite his seemingly peaceful demeanor, wondered how many minutes he had left with his friends.
Akina, gentle but resigned, wondered if she was so weak that she couldn't understand and escape this foreign hatred.
Chaim, usually carefree, wondered how to regain his innocence.
And Keran, a child of misfortune at such a young age, wondered if he would ever grow up to surpass Ikki.
Another one @mxs-space , it's more about the black saints and of course, @littlelightvii !
CHILDRENS OF FREEDOM AND LOVERS OF DEATH
The sounds of Tokyo's streets seemed almost an ally of the Black Saints, the perpetual blare of car horns and loud conversations under the starlight, obscured by the city lights, concealing the signs of life of these young thieves in their pitch-black armor. Chaim wasn't used to anxiety, preferring to hide his worries behind a small, confident smile, a mocking demeanor, but today, a monster lurked in the pit of his stomach, ripping at his insides until he wanted to vomit up everything within him, everything that made him who he was.
So this was fear. The realization that another's rage would bring about his own downfall. That vengeance against a name, Kido, unknown to most of Deathqueen's soldiers, would lead to their deaths.
The teenager's steps were much heavier than usual, and his feet, accustomed to suffering from the heat of this infernal island's soil, refused to be light, dragging as if they were chained. The portion of the Sagittarius Cloth he gripped tightly reflected every glimmer as he approached the port, and he felt as if the very spirit of the saint who had once possessed this armor was trying to condemn him.
A brief moment passed, but an eternity in his adolescent life, before his legs could no longer support his weight and he had to sit down on the asphalt, the industrial stench rising to his nostrils. It wasn't guilt that consumed him, for he cared little about causing grief to the violet-haired girl he had seen so richly dressed, but terror.
-"Chaim! Chaim! Are you alright? Did Athena's idiots hurt you?!"
Black Pegasus didn't even need to look up to recognize Keran's voice. The young Black Phoenix was running towards him, still panting from his run, and Chaim felt a wave of disgust as he realized that this ten-year-old boy, more enthusiastic than a puppy, was about to face Athena's "justice." The attack on the Colosseum had demonized them all in the eyes of other humans, and Chaim knew it was deserved, that their actions and violence must have been human. But could the gods really distinguish between the hateful and those who had simply grown up in the Underworld?
-"I…I'm fine, don't worry, kid. I saw, you gave that other butler a real beating…Tatsumi? Anyway, you did really well."
-“You see! I didn’t really want to attack, but Akina warned me he was mean, so I hurt him. But Erza helped me too, especially when people from the audience tried to grab me.”
Hearing her name, Erza raised her head, and Chaim could see her fingers trembling slightly. She didn’t say a word, because the Albanian girl had had to cut part of her tongue because of Aino: the proud eldest of the Black Saints at nineteen, a close friend of Akina’s, her eyes betrayed all the rage her lips wanted to utter.
-“Is Akina with you? Mirek saw Aino following her into an alley when she was looking for Enora, the little girl who left with the Cloth box. I hoped she was safe.” “
Hiacynt’s calm voice was gentler than the ocean spray, the young Black Dragon groping his way through the containers surrounding them, having learned from his very first breaths that his sense of touch would have to replace his sight.
His long, jet-black hair was slightly tangled, but Chaim could also see the anguish on his face in his slight pout, his downward-furrowed brows, and his tense posture.
-“No. You think he wanted to beat her again? He’s not that crazy, is he…”
-“Chaim, Akina helped the victims of the Genma Ken regain their senses. Don’t you think Aino would see that as a betrayal of Ikki’s ideals ? Our…Comrade from Black Cygnus possesses a rather disturbing ability to see a man as his idol…"
The silence that followed his words was heavy, like the atmosphere before a devastating storm, and everyone began to feel a greater sense of unease than ever before, for perhaps, at that very moment, the Black Saint of Kelpie was already frozen to death on Japanese soil, felled by the greed of a soul barely older than her own.
"Hello…"
Chaim didn't think pity could surpass the immense relief he felt upon hearing Akina's voice, but his heart shattered into more pieces than he could count when he saw the Estonian girl's condition. Her lower lip was split open, a thin stream of blood flowing, bruises dotted her left cheekbone, and even though she still had her portion of the Sagittarius Cloth, she was staggering.
-"Oh, my Nika…"
Keran's gaze blurred with tears, but Ezra acted first, catching the teenager with a firm hand, tracing something on her pale palm, to which Akina nodded weakly. And in the next instant, Chaim realized that it was a simple piece of golden metal that was causing them all this suffering, both physical and mental, and making them appear more like evil beings than teenagers.
-"Damn it! It's not fair! Okay, we stole, it's wrong, but what gives the saints the right to chase us like we've awakened Hades?! Or Aino the right to hit you like that? Our lives are worth more than this old junk!"
When Chaim thought someone was about to encounter his rage, his passion, his youth, he was met by a long silence that made him realize their situation. They were alive, but they were absolutely worthless.
-"Chaim…"
Oh, how he hated it when Akina's tone became so gentle, so cautious, as if she had already resigned herself to being a devil who would have been more beautiful in an angel's life. She sat down next to him, and he rested his head on her shoulder, his best friend, his confidante, his everything, his favorite person, without ever having felt romantic love for her.
-"In this society, we are nothing, and that's the truth. Hiacynt seems to have understood…"
The Estonian girl smiled because she had to, to try and generate a semblance of hope in her wasted life: her organs were destroying themselves, her eyelids were heavy, her limbs ached, but at the age of 14, you were still searching for a reason to live.
-“I’m not saying this to hurt you, believe me… But God is worth more than the Devil, isn’t he? The price of this cloth, this metal, is worth more than our flesh because someone cares about it. We come from Deathqueen, Chaim. For a 13-year-old princess, the lives of some who frighten her may be futile, but money never is.”
-“Well, well, this is all very cheerful… At least we’re free. It’s okay, we haven’t killed anyone…”
-“We’re free, but the law of the strongest prevails. Aino beats me because I'm weaker, that's just how it is. It's not my place to fight back. I'm getting used to it, you know. Just be yourself, that's all you can do."
-"When we get killed, we'll basically go back home. Hell."
Erza, silent, gazed at the horizon and wondered how much time they had left before their fate was sealed.
Hiacynt, despite his seemingly peaceful demeanor, wondered how many minutes he had left with his friends.
Akina, gentle but resigned, wondered if she was so weak that she couldn't understand and escape this foreign hatred.
Chaim, usually carefree, wondered how to regain his innocence.
And Keran, a child of misfortune at such a young age, wondered if he would ever grow up to surpass Ikki.
actually that’s why they’ve helpfully dropped a big-ass cement block with a bridge surrounding it in the middle of the lake: for the express purpose of doing what OP aspires to do
So, I love genderbend shits, but GB!Percy's name should not stay the same.
Like, yeah, there's nothing wrong with naming your daughter Perseus and calling her Percy as a nickname, but why would you name your daughter after a male demigod when Atalanta is right there ????? If Sally named Percy after Perseus in canon because Perseus got a happy ending, then she should named Percy after Atalanta if he was a girl.
Plus, think of the pun / nickname potential ! Like, Atalantis, or something like that. And like Percy, she gets a nickname too, since her full name is a mouthful, like Tala or Ata, or Lani works too ! Like, think about it !
Point is, GB!Percy being named Atalanta is a hill I will die on and I want other people to know about it.
Ohh that’s fun! I thought about Penelope, since most genderbends try to keep the names as similar as possible, but Penelope’s story didn’t really have the same effect as Percy’s.
