Void And Stars

i hate gender. fuck being perceived. from now on the only words youre allowed to use to describe me are “fucked up”

The Beginning of the Overarching Plot and Conflict

In a sense, the Harvest Festival feels like the end of an era in the story. Major story beats are resolved, new conflicts and plot points are presented, and there’s a shift in focus. I’d say the most important question in this first part of the series is whether Iruma wants to stay in the underworld, so with that finally answered, the story must evolve to continue. While Iruma is still the focus, other character like the Misfits and some teachers start gaining more independence, having their own storylines. There’s also a slight tonal shift as the plot gearing up mandates a bit more seriousness and creates a sense of urgency. Since I’ve already covered those aspects in previous sections, I now want to take the time to cover some new conflicts and plot points.

The Demon King prophecy already sets up Iruma to be the next demon king, so it’s not as if this is new information, but there is a key difference. A prophecy is something magical and beyond interference, making it seem like Iruma was coincidentally stumbling into its criteria, but this is an event created by a specific person, likely Delkira himself or someone operating on his orders, and we know that Sullivan served him directly.

The purpose is purportedly to find the “least demon-like demon,” but the criteria to find the legendary leaf seems less concerned about that and more concerned with finding a human. All the necessary traits are natural to Iruma as a human, and the final form of the legendary leaf is a cherry tree. It’s as if the person who created the festival wanted to bring humanity into the underworld. Sullivan is a very good grandfather, and I would never diminish that, but he’s definitely hiding things, including his real reason for bringing Iruma into the underworld. When Iruma tries to question the cherry blossoms, Sullivan cuts him off, establishing that line of questioning as off-limits, but also showing that it, and his role in everything, will become relevant later. He’s an increasingly suspicious figure and I genuinely don’t believe that Iruma fitting the prophecy is a coincidence considering both Sullivan’s connection to Delkira, and his own ability to meddle in the demon world.

Delkira’s involvement is proven by his appearance once the legendary leaf blooms, surrounding Iruma almost as if capturing him, perhaps representing Iruma now being in destiny’s clutches. There are a couple ways the line “So, it’s you?” can be interpreted. It could simply be in regard to the one who grew the legendary leaf, but I’m less inclined to believe that considering multiple people were involved in that while Delkira only appeared to Iruma. The other option, and the one I’m in favor of, is that Iruma’s been chosen, and whatever part of Delkira that was released recognized that. Delkira doesn’t show up that often, but he seems to have strong feelings on what the underworld should look like, so there’s a good chance that he purposefully disappeared as part of some greater plot. A plot that now includes Iruma.

Wrapping up this arc, the demons shaping up to be the main antagonists of the series return in a truly bone-chilling fashion. Iruma’s declaration was a powerful moment, but right at the end, those same words take on a sinister meaning, now haunting every subsequent chapter until the other shoe drops. The one thing that Iruma can’t let anyone know without compromising his safety is now in the hands of the enemy. An enemy who isn’t opposed to killing and eating him. Whatever they’re cooking up, it’s clear that this secret is part of their plans and it’s only a matter of time before Iruma gets exposed. However, Iruma’s words “because I’m human” spark the next big theme of the series. I consider everything from the first chapter to the end of the Harvest Festival as sort of part one in terms of story development and themes. Up to this point it’s all about Iruma discovering what he wants, after this he knows, so the focus changes. The next part is concerned with secrets, things not said or seen, and it all centers around the core lie of Iruma’s identity.

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Dem boys!!

‘boy i sure wish i was asleep,’ i whisper, clicking Next Chapter fourteen fucking times

how do you infinite scroller webcomic people DO IT

Eldest sibling?

No, dear, you mistake me. I’m the eldritch sibling.

Lied

By now, the elephant in the room has probably grown about three stories, but don’t worry, there was no way I was going to forget Lied when he plays such a crucial role in this arc. A lot of the scenes he’s in covers all the different sections I created like character development, trauma, and undemonlike behavior at the same time, so I decided that instead of trying to break it all apart, I’d just give him his own section where he can fully shine. Every arc and self-contained story in m!ik will focus on Iruma and, usually, one or more additional character(s). Prior to the Harvest Festival, the characters bearing the weight of the story were Iruma (obviously), his adopted family (Sullivan and Opera-san), and his two closest friends (Asmodeus and Clara). Shorter stories would branch out, and many of the Misfits had their chance to shine in specific scenes of larger arcs, but in the Harvest Festival, Lied, someone outside Iruma’s family and the trio, becomes one of the most important characters, second only to Iruma. This is first brought to attention by how the Misfits are positioned in ensemble shots. Like the one above, Lied is placed front and center, drawing the readers’ attention.

When looking back on the purpose of the legendary leaf, a lot the focus is on what it means for Iruma’s future. It’s worth considering since it provides greater insight into the mystery behind Delkira, and therefore the overall plot, but we shouldn’t overlook that half of the challenge was completed by Lied. I’d say that based on this arc; Lied may be the least demonic of the actual demons. That’s not to say he isn’t at all demonic, but his defining characteristic is antithetical to demons. Lied harbors the greatest concentration of any character in the series, and it develops further in the same arc where Iruma masters a weapon unfit for demons because of how much concentration it requires. It’s not just a random trait either; that level of focus is essential to using his bloodline magic, so in order to be a better demon, Lied has to develop undemonlike qualities. Paradoxical sure, but true, nonetheless. So, his concentration is abnormal, but paired with his love of the thrill, Lied’s an absolute monster. Honestly, I have trouble categorizing Lied’s gambling and demonic or undemonic, and at this point I’m thinking it’s a mix of both. Risking his life for fun is undoubtably demonic but pushing forward when the going gets tough is decidedly not.

And that goes into what Lied enjoys. I find it hilarious that the other three afflicted Misfits were forced to confront their life-long traumas and Lied just got turned down by his crush, but that’s part of what makes Lied a likeable character. At the end of the day, he’s just a teenager with normal teenage problems. The rest of the Misfits are too, but a lot of them have these larger-than-life problems and backstories, so Lied balances out the dynamic by reminding everyone that they’re all just teenagers going to school and living life. We also have to revisit his concentration one last time, but now from a different angle. I’ve previously described how it’s impressive that the Misfits were able to overcome failure and frustration since that sort of dedication doesn’t typically come naturally to demons, but it does to Lied. Rather than balking at stress (something demons try to avoid to prevent entering a wicked phase) Lied enjoys being under pressure, making him quite the formidable opponent.

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writing-prompt-s:

Valhalla does not discriminate against the kind of fight you lost. Did you lose the battle with cancer? Maybe you died in a fist fight. Even facing addiction. After taking a deep drink from his flagon, Odin slams his cup down and asks for the glorious tale of your demise!

Oh my god, this is beautiful.

A small child enters Valhalla. The battle they lost was “hiding from an alcoholic father.” Odin sees the flinch when he slams the cup and refrains from doing it again. He hears the child’s pain; no glorious battle this, but one of fear and wretched survival.

He invites the child to sit with him, offers the choicest mead and instructs his men to bring a sword and shield, a bow and arrow, of the very best materials and appropriate size. “Here,” he says, “you will find no man who dares to harm you. But so you will know your own strength, and be happy all your days in Valhalla, I will teach you to use these weapons.”

The sad day comes when another child enters the hall. Odin does not slam his cup; he simply beams with pride as the first child approaches the newcomer, and holds out her bow and quiver, and says “nobody here will hurt you. Everyone will be so proud you did your best, and I’ll teach you to use these, so you always know how strong you are.”

————

A young man enters the hall. He hesitates when Odin asks his story, but at long last, it ekes out: skinheads after the Pride parade. His partner got into a building and called for help. The police took a little longer than perhaps they really needed to, and two of those selfsame skinheads are in the hospital now with broken bones that need setting, but six against one is no fair match. The fear in his face is obvious: here, among men large enough to break him in two, will he face an eternity of torment for the man he left behind?

Odin rumbles with anger. Curses the low worms who brought this man to his table, and regales him with tales of Loki so to show him his own welcome. “A day will come, my friend, when you seek to be reunited, and so you shall,” Odin tells him. “To request the aid of your comrades in battle is no shameful thing.”

———-

A woman in pink sits near the head of the table. She’s very nearly skin and bones, and has no hair. This will not last; health returns in Valhalla, and joy, and light, and merrymaking. But now her soul remembers the battle of her life, and it must heal.

Odin asks.

And asks again.

And the words pour out like poisoned water, things she couldn’t tell her husband or children. The pain of chemotherapy. The agony of a mastectomy, the pain still deeper of “we found a tumor in your lymph nodes. I’m so sorry.” And at last, the tortured question: what is left of her?

Odin raises his flagon high. “What is left of you, fair warrior queen, is a spirit bright as fire; a will as strong as any forged iron; a life as great as any sea. Your battle was hard-fought, and lost in the glory only such furor can bring, and now the pain and fight are behind you.“

In the months to come, she becomes a scop of the hall–no demotion, but simple choice. She tells the stories of the great healers, Agnes and Tanya, who fought alongside her and thousands of others, who turn from no battle in the belief that one day, one day, the war may be won; the warriors Jessie and Mabel and Jeri and Monique, still battling on; the queens and soldiers and great women of yore.

The day comes when she calls a familiar name, and another small, scarred woman, eyes sunken and dark, limbs frail, curly black hair shaved close to her head, looks up and sees her across the hall. Odin descends from his throne, a tall and foaming goblet in his hands, and stuns the hall entire into silence as he kneels before the newcomer and holds up the goblet between her small dark hands and bids her to drink.

“All-Father!” the feasting multitudes cry. “What brings great Odin, Spear-Shaker, Ancient One, Wand-Bearer, Teacher of Gods, to his knees for this lone waif?”

He waves them off with a hand.

“This woman, LaTeesha, Destroyer of Cancer, from whom the great tumors fly in fear, has fought that greatest battle,” he says, his voice rolling across the hall. “She has fought not another body, but her own; traded blows not with other limbs but with her own flesh; has allowed herself to be pierced with needles and scored with knives, taken poison into her very veins to defeat this enemy, and at long last it is time for her to put her weapons down. Do you think for a moment this fight is less glorious for being in silence, her deeds the less for having been aided by others who provided her weapons? She has a place in this great hall; indeed, the highest place.”

And the children perform feats of archery for the entertainment of all, and the women sing as the young man who still awaits his beloved plays a lute–which, after all, is not so different from the guitar he once used to break a man’s face in that great final fight.

Valhalla is a place of joy, of glory, of great feasting and merrymaking.

And it is a place for the soul and mind to heal.