This is a ficlet based on this post I made some time back for a possible fanfiction idea.
The room was silent aside from the womanâs labored breathing. No one was there to see her; to hold her hand in those final hours as her life slowly slipped from her grasp. The realization brought tears to her dull, blue eyes as she brought her arthritic hands together to pray, but she she didnât pray for a miracle. As the tears traveled through the deep wrinkles of her face, she only prayed her death would come soon to release her of the pain that was both physical and emotional. She was tired, and she was ready for it all to end. Perhaps, she could even see one of her loved ones on the other side.
She must have dozed without realizing it because she suddenly realized that there were two figures now standing in the room although she hadnât seen her door open. They were too far away at first to make out any features, but soon one of the them stepped forward. She smiled brightly when she recognized his familiar face and reached towards him. While there was something different about him, especially about the eyes, she would have known her young nephew anywhere.
âRonnie,â she whispered in a voice that sounded like little more than a tired creak, âMy dear boy, youâve come to see me.â
Ronald said nothing as he looked down at her coolly. He turned and said something to his companion, but she couldnât understand his words. As she pondered about this, a sudden realization bloomed in her mind like a red rose in a barren desert.
âI remember now,â she added, âYou died. They said it was by your own hand, but I knew that it couldnât be true. I knew it had to be an accident, and now I know that I was right. It had to be an accident because youâre an angel now. Youâve come to take me to Heaven.â Again, she reached for him; her hands shaking but eager.
Without a word towards her, she watched as Ronald raised something above his head which twinkled in the available light, but there was no time for her to feel fear before he plunged it into her chest. She felt the sharp pangs of death as her final breath escaped her mouth. At last, it was her time to die.
âŠâŠâŠâŠ..
Ronald watched the records as they spilled out of the old woman to twist and turn about the room. âThere are a lot of records,â he said as he sighed loudly.
From the far side of the room, William stepped forward and adjusted his glasses. âThe longer a human lives, the more records there are to review. It is simply a fact, but we cannot shirk our duties simply because there are more records.â
âI know,â Ronald said.
William continued to watch, but his two toned eyes were focused on Ronald instead of the records. This was the young reaperâs first official assignment after graduating, and he was doing an acceptable job so far. He had gone about the collection with the proper level of attachment, although William couldnât help but wonder one thing.
Had Ronald guessed that the old woman had known him in life?
Ronald might have as the woman had addressed him by name, but so far he hadnât asked about it, and that was good. Once they were reborn as reapers, they had cast aside all of who they had been as humans besides their names and their faces. Everything else of who they had been was gone and forever beyond their grasp. Sometimes the dying would seem to recognize them, but the recognition could never be returned. Even now, as Ronald reviewed the records, he had no idea that the blonde boy in the womanâs memories was him, and that was good.
Finally, the records came to an end, and Ronald produced his notebook. âNothing of note,â he said, as he stamped completed, âCan we return to the office now? I want to file my paperwork so I donât have to do overtime.â
âYou canât always avoid overtime,â William said, âbut it is best to return right away. Nothing can be gained by lingering.â
Ronald barely seemed to be listening as he looked as his scythe, which was the model he had been given upon graduation. âI really need to customize this thing,â he said, âThis style is just too outdated and old for me.â He continued to talk to himself as he walked away.
âHonestly,â William said to himself, but he paused to glance back at the old womanâs body. Even if Ronald couldnât remember, it had seemed to give the woman a bit of peace at the end. Perhaps their punishment could do a bit of good for someone else. Perhaps they could provide just a bit of comfort.
We met William first
when he went to collect Grell and prevented her from being killed by
Sebastian. It has been an iconic scene as for one, we came to know
that something like a dispatch association exists and that there are
reapers who, other than Grell, strictly follow the rules and prevent
interfering with humans/demons at all costs. Chapter 12 has also been
the marker for Will to become a reoccurring character in the second
set along with Grell.
William has no interest in a fight with Sebastian, although Sebastian seems to have noticed Williamâs strength.
Characters being early
introduced, usually is a sign of these characters holding a deeper
meaning to the plot, as they are either supporting characters to the
main protagonists or their clear antagonists. Will is neither. While
Grell could be seen as an antagonist as she often starts fights with
Sebastian, William is on neither side of the supporting/antagonist
spectrum. He is neutral and therefore a rather powerful character.
Being not bound to one side enables him to freely take sides and to
fulfill his job without any feelings of mercy and remorse.
While we could argue
that Grell as well is not bound by any party, she is often lead by
her emotions, thus often resulting in her going against her own job.
Will has no such boundaries, he only is affiliated with the dispatch
and the officers working for him.
William being set on UTâs trail. Perhaps a hint that he is some sort of inquisitor to terminate deserters? MBD has shown him in this role, when he came to kill Eric.
By creating this
character Yana showed us that she is able to tell a story from many
different point of views, often challenging the readers mindsets on
moral and justice â with William as a center of rest in between the
cruelty that is Kuroshitsuji. There is something that makes the
reader trust his intentions and gives us a safe space in form of a
character who not necessarily needs to be understood.
For most fans he
therefore seems boring, but, with him missing in the plot, the story
gets often so intense, that the reader is left with an uneasy
feeling. There are other safe haven characters, like Soma and Finny,
who take some of the darkness away, but when it comes to the real
challenging parts of the plot, it is always Will to ease the readers
mind.
We knew something was fishy about the Circus with William being present – nevertheless he was the one to give us unexpected laughs.
A perfect example is
the Circus arc. We are talking here about an arc where the victims,
as so often, are the weakest parts of society: children. And instead
of letting us fall into this pit of horror alone, Yana gives us an
arc, where Will is a very prominent character, his bickering with
Sebastian and his honesty is both refreshing and lightening the mood.
He gives us some laughs during a part of a story which in any other
way would not allow us to catch a break. Neither Grell nor Ronald
would have been able to provide such a service to the readers.
Iconic.
For one because Grell
spikes the readers pulse and on another note because Ronald, despite
his cheering behaviour is more of supporting nature to the lead
reapers. He has been shown as nonchalant and flirty, but there needs
to be further development on his character so that he wonât end up
being expendable to the story. So far he would not be able to
shoulder a whole arc like Will and Grell did.
William is far more important to the story than it seems.
Because he knows something that we, as readers, donât.
Does anyone have any idea where the concept of Eric Slingby being Scottish came from? I cannot find the original post/fic/comment.
It was lifted from Will mentioning Glasgow, Scotland meaning the London Dispatch actually get dispatched outside of London. We were a tiny handful of a fandom then, so we kind of took that and ran RAN FAR AWAY with it. Londonâs a melting pot anyway, so whoâs to say there arenât Reapers from Scotland and Ireland?
I remember hearing something about Slingby being a Scottish last name, though I donât know how accurate that is, and also Ericâs got a tassel on his belt like the ones on kilts, at least in the character sketch.
Slingby is a name originating more from Yorkshire. I think where it came from was in Ericâs character design.
Not saying there are not bulky and broad English people, but just looking at Eric gives you an idea that he doesnât entirely look English with his broad shoulders and wide hips. Heâs a big person, even taller than William by an inch or two. And yes, Eric does wear a tassel thatâs attached to what is like a wallet chain. With the Scottish kilt, you wear a bag called a sporran. On the sporran is where you normally put tassels. Eric possibly could have kept it from his attire in Scotland and wears it with his reaper uniform in London.
Also looking at the way he speaks and acts might give some insight. He acts very different from the other reapers in terms of how he addresses people and handles relationships. Again, not saying English people donât act that way, but we are just characterizing the way Eric acts and looks with how someone from Scotland might act and appear.
I did make a post about a year ago showing Ericâs tassel as well as what the kilt looks like to show a comparison.
With more people roleplaying Eric as a Scotsman, it grew as an accepted thing among a lot of the fandom is my best guess.
Yana on Ronald: âHeâs having fun doing this kind of stuff.â [*see explanation below]
Info: This is a parody of famous Japanese comedian group âBlouson Chiemi with Bâ. The woman in the centre is comedienne Blouson Chiemi and one of her famous catch phrases is âpathetic woman (ăăĄăŠăŒăăł)â.
So Grell, William and Ronald are mimicking âBlouson Chiemi with Bâ, and while William seems rather annoyed reluctant, Ronald is actually having fun lol
Okay, but like how did they still get William to do that??? lol
đ„ There is beauty in destructionđ„ 