my knight you have to live you have to get up you have to put your hand over your wound and hold it there. you have to keep walking and walking and walking because you cannot lay down yet, it’s not time. wipe the blood off your breastplate and look up into the sun. lean on your sword if you need to. lift one foot after another. get up. get up. this would be a pitiful grave.
Any headcanons about the Arise original shadows? (Blades, Cerbie, Bigrock, Beste, Uros, Skull, Brute)
Blades I think is one of the more care free shadows when it comes to Jinwoo. Yes he would still use honourifics but he would also joke a bunch and laugh at Jinwoo when the chance arises. He would also be kinda flirty after Iron tries to replicate Igris by bringing Jinwoo corpses, Blade does the same but instead he kinda kisses Jinwoo's hand as if he was a lady (Igris does not approve)
I also see Blades and Beste as kind of enemies beefing all the time creating chaos. They would also do pranks on each other.
Beste is close to Tusk as they are both mages maybe even exchanging knowledge about the magic they know maybe even doing research on magic together.
Not much to say about Bigrock tbh. Since they are composed of many souls I would guess they spend their time just kinda, sitting somewhere or maybe doing gardening (?)
Skull is a bureaucratic shadow. He handles all the paper work in the shadow realm resolving problems not related to military. I think he would also work closely with Bellion to improve the shadow realm meanwhile becoming kinda like Prime Minister of sorts?
Uros is mostly the one responsible for archery training working close with Igris to train knights to ride horses and shoot with bows. He would also be kinda like a strategist in the shadow army when Jinwoo is not around? I guess he would be dedicated on bettering his stragedy skills going as far as buying history books to read about what tactics humans used throughout history.
Cerbie is the shadow that guards Sung's home doing much similar task he did back in the demon castle. He is also more of the demanding shadow in terms of needing attention. He whines when Jinwoo doesn't take him to battles so he could be with Jinwoo and protect him. He also has a beef with Kaisel even when both of them were alive alongside Baran.
Brute is.... difficult. Honestly no ideas what to say about him.
And that's about it? I plan of making dedicated chapters about them in my fic "Finally, a stage for us" but I am extremely slow with updates since not much comes to my head. But I still hope you like those!
Your Kamish and Ennio idea is sending me (though seeing pre-shadow!Ennio's response to shadow soldier Kamish would also be funny)
Although Ennio resisting being arisen only to go "wait, that mf is still alive?! ah hell no!"
Ennio: "WHAT?! You got yourself killed by humans and then became a shadow soldier OF A HUMAN????? HELL NAH! SHADOW MONARCH THIS GUY IS BASICALLY IMMORTAL I GOTTA DUKE IT OUT WITH HIM AS A SHADOW AS WELL!!!!!!"
He would become a shadow out of pure need to not be below Kamish in any way. Like if he isn't dead why should Ennio also stay dead? Ian's die I love their dynamic so much, Kamish completely unbothered ragebaiting Ennio who falls for it every time
Any SL exclusive bossess you'd like to see become shadows in SLArise?
Venom fanged Kasaka is my number one pick despite knowing full well they are lost somewhere between dimensions. Idk I just like that snake what can I do.
When Jinwoo goes to see the boss in the Hunters' owned gate and gets stopped by Haein there is like this huge golem like creature and I love it so much I want to see it join the party despite, again, it is probably reduced to weapons and armour.
In the last story there are also those Ent like creatures that I adore, they could be nature born from death kinda thing which I ADORE.
Overall there aren't much more. Maybe the numerous mages and knights golems the game gives but that is about it.
The dynamics between the characters in Solo Leveling and the relationships they share (both romantic and platonic) are really interesting despite most of them being rushed. But Ashborn and the Rulers? HEART WRENCHING AGONY. And I am an absolute sucker for it. Sadly, this wasn't really explored in either the novel or the manhwa or even Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, which I 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 cry over because please, I just want some Ashborn and Ruler content...
(Spoilers ahead for the anime only people)
In the novel, it's mentioned that the other Fragments of Light trust and respect Ashborn the most amongst themselves. So much so that they were willing to disobey the Most Brilliant Fragment's orders to kill Ashborn in favour of not only sparing his life but begging for his forgiveness as well. Even his soldiers were willing to follow him to death when everyone else rebelled. So yeah, he sounds like a great guy.
I feel it's more tragic considering the nature of their relationship and the roles they were forced into. I imagine that they're already fully grown from the moment they were born from the fruits of the World Tree, whether they slowly develop inside the fruits or just manifest like that is a different mystery. The command, 'Obey the Absolute Being and fight the Monarchs', is ingrained into their minds in that moment itself.
They have no caretaker figures in their life except the Absolute Being who is distant and shows little to no concern for them. Not to mention they were also heavily brain washed from the start so I can't even begin to imagine how that affects their psychology. They were soldiers who really only had each other to rely on. I wonder how they felt when they realized they would need to go against Ashborn, when they knew nothing they said would change his mind. His loyalty and devotion, the same thing that they used to admire so much, were now the biggest obstacles between them...
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” _ Spock, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Ashborn had every right to break down too since everyone he trusted his whole life betrayed him and the cause they were all fighting for together. His entire troop died in front of him and he was the only one who survived. And in his rage, he ended up slaughtering thousands more of his kind and continued the war they had so desperately wanted to end. The cycle starts anew.
I'd like to think none of the Fragments of Light could bring themselves to truly end his life so they left him to succumb to his wounds instead. A twisted form of mercy but the road to hell is often paved with good intentions. Further more, I bet it felt like rubbing salt to Ashborn's wounds when they decided to rename themselves as 'Rulers' after the death of his Master.
• • •
I didn't expect to be blasted by so many new notifications the moment I opened the app. I'm so glad there are people who enjoy reading my head canons and brainrot <3 I love my centuries old being made of shadows and crippling depression. I really want to post about the upbringings of the Monarchs and the Rulers next but my schedule is so irregular...
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