Now that Bravat and the Blue Sect’s part in the deaths of people have been revealed, the S4 are wanted criminals. With the exception of Violet, chapter 125 shows them hiding in a pub with no place to go.
They are wanted ‘criminals.’ They have no money for food or shelter. In fact, they even reach out to Ciel, who simply walks away.
It’s clear that they are desperate, but now the question comes up what will happen to them in the future. As I see it, there are a few possibilities.
They are caught by the police and punished for their part in the cult.
This is a possibility, and it actually wouldn’t necessarily be a bad outcome. They have committed crimes in the past, so this would actually be somewhat fitting. At the very least, they might be forced to face their own naivete. After all, we saw other people involved with the Blue Sect being arrested, and many of them might have been as innocent as the S4.
Ciel ‘rescues’ them to use them later.
Like with his servants and Sieglinde, Ciel could save the S4 in some manner. He could help them prove innocence or even remove them from danger in some manner – but they would have to be loyal to them. They would become more pawns to be used.
Honestly, I don’t think this is as likely. All that Ciel wanted to know from the S4 was the location of Bravat and Lizzy. They knew nothing about Lizzy but were able to direct them to Bath. Since that’s all they know, I doubt that Ciel could have any of use for those three. It’s still a possibility, though, so it could happen.
They are proven innocent.
There’s a chance that those that were involved could be proven innocent. The other people that helped would be released and the S4 are no longer wanted as criminals. Of course, this wouldn’t make everything perfect. There would still be those suspicious of them and there would be shame, but they’d no longer be wanted criminals. They would have to find new ways to live.
They simply disappear.
They are never able to prove their innocence, yet they remain free and out of jail. If this happened, they would be forced to remain ‘underground’ and have to seek how to survive with this new lifestyle. They might never be heard from again – unless someone thought they might be useful. This would also be the result of their earlier actions that led them to work with Bravat.
Oddly, things could be very different for Violet. He is sick and needs help, so it’s not as if he could simply hide or try to prove his innocence. Because of his weakened state, he will either be taken to a medical facility or Ciel will have him taken care of privately. Either way, he could be exposed. If any of the S4 will be set up to be Ciel’s future pawn, Violet seems the most likely. Of course, this is all just theory and conjecture at this point.
Thoughts?
This might be me grasping at straws, desperate for a scene between the S4 and the F5 (which we haven’t had so far despite them performing in the same building together for many weeks), but here’s my two pence.
The S4, in desperation, seek out Edward at his manor and beg for his help – and asylum.
Greenhill’s first port of call will be the fag who he managed to persuade to give him another chance, I think. Presumably they can’t, or won’t, return to their own homes (and considering the circumstances it would be foolish to do so) and so they need to find at least one person in the world sympathetic enough to take them in in their time of need.
That person is not Ciel, as we saw in the last chapter, and not Sebastian either. Unless the S4 can prove to them that they can and will be useful in the long run, their business together is done.
Therefore I think they may turn to Edward, the fag with the most compassion towards them in spite of his disgust at their actions (see Chapter 109). Of course, Cheslock was also persuaded to come to the Sphere Music Hall, but I have a feeling he took more persuading.
Regardless, I would be surprised if they didn’t at least try to seek his help. Even if they don’t want his help, they could still try and explain themselves, explain that they really, really didn’t know anything about Lizzie or the dark goings on within the cult. Whether Edward, for all his gentlemanly compassion, would accept this second grave mistake is another matter.
Personally I expect, and hope, for Edward to turn the S4 away, and insist they give themselves up (not having the power to do it himself). Enough is enough. Once is a mistake. Twice is foolhardy. The S4 has put innocent people and their former fags through enough torture through their ignorance and naivete, I should hope that Edward’s sense of honour would compel him to leave the S4 and at least appeal to their consciences and tell them to just let justice take its course and give themselves up.
The S4, hearing about Violet’s condition, hurry to visit their friend in the hospital (disguised). Either the F5 are there at Violet’s beside before they arrive, or the F5 arrive after the S4, they will bump into one another.
I feel like this one is the most likely, considering the S4 care very much about Violet and will want to know where he went. They could find out on the grapevine, or in the newspaper, or even after chasing Ciel and begging for help from him (to be rejected again probably).
Then we will have the fraught, emotional confrontation that’s been a LONG time coming, and it would be fitting if the S4 are put under arrest at the hospital or shortly after leaving (tip-off from Ciel?), so they receive the punishment that has also been a LONG time coming.
Of course, they could still get off with lighter sentances than normal thanks to their status/connections/wealth (as Druitt did) – but considering the Weston incident involved the Queen’s relative… I would not be too quick to presume they are safe from the full force of the law.
Hello Anon and… I can but… read it at your own risk because /! slightly salty soup of feelings ahead /! okay? Sorry in advance for the slightly annoyed tone sometimes. ;_;
So, about the beginning of the chapter:
I already talked about this panel here and here and I don’t have anything else to add for the moment. As for this panel…
(bye bye characters, see you maybe in another arc)
@erebus-cheslock did a great summary of my thoughts here and I’m, like, completely jaded about how convenient it is.
Next about Ciel’s investigation:
Personally it’s not something I was surprised about, but I have to admit it felt good to have something at least a little logical in this chapter. And about this…
Well, lmao, besides the fact that Soma is ten times less blind and naive than they are, this part was also nothing new for me.
Also about Bravat killing the old Lords, nothing new yet again but from the moment he was already collecting people’s blood to the point of killing them before this chapter, I really am sure it wasn’t supposed to be a big reveal to anyone.
Next, about Violet’s plan………… ( -_-’)
Besides the fact that I completely share @akumadeenglish‘s feelings about this being an utterly stupid and senseless plan, I also am searching for the entire subplot’s logic ‘cause…
1)
Greenhill is the one who invited Ed
but yeah, I mean, okay, maybe Violet gave him the idea, that would wor–
3) – So if Violet is the reason behind Ed coming to the Sphere music hall…
– And Ed is the one who brought Lizzie because he had a good time which is how she met Bravat……
=> Then somehow that means that the mastermind behind Bravat’s actions had planned that Violet would plan to invite Edward and also that themastermind bet the whole success of his plan to bring Lizzie into the Sphere music hall on the initial hypothesis that Violet would convince Greenhill to invite Edward (who then would need to have a good time in order to bring Lizzie with him, which would allow her to meet Bravat, leading to her running away from home 3 weeks later).
Inception
And I’m sorry but… what? So really, I have no idea what the hell is going on with the current subplot. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I mean, let’s say that the mastermind is UT, well, I love him and he’s a good judge of characters, but to say that he could see through Violet that much is going way too far into Nonsensical road lane.
4) Violet’s plan sucked anyway since it’s the Queen who ended up introducing Ciel to the Sphere music hall.
Finally about the Shinigamis…
This part kinda saved the chapter to be honest and Othello was funny.
The mystery remains full about who really is behind Bravat’s blue sect getting such knowledge though…
Because Othello gave again the example of a demon…
But I still think it’s not crazy to imagine that UT could be behind all this so… For now, nothing changes about this part of the subplot.
Lastly about this little scene…
I saw many theories already about how Othello could have known Claudia/Vincent/the twin etc. but… here’s the thing:
Othello hasn’t been in the human world for 50 years and I’m not sure he sees any humans at all when he’s not in the human world since Shinigamis like Grell only collect souls (and I’m also not sure Othello gets anywhere near those souls).
50 years ago Vincent and the possible twin weren’t born and Claudia was 9 years old, so let’s say Othello met with Claudia 50 years ago, that means he would have somehow remembered her face until now? Why not but… still seemingly a bit far-fetched to me (but at this point, maybe Yana doesn’t care anymore about making sense).
So, Vincent and Claudia aside, logically it could be interesting to consider that there is one other link between Othello and Ciel, because Othello is a Shinigami that hasn’t been in the human world for 50 years and… that person is the Undertaker (because he was a Shinigami as well before deserting 50 years ago).
So… maybe this scene could be a hint to the grandpa!UT theory, but then again that would mean that we’re supposed to consider that Ciel looks like Vincent who looked like UT and… not only is it still far-fetched but I know that not everyone agree on this.
TL;DR ¯_(ツ)_/¯
These are all my thoughts so far in exclusivity for you Anon, keep in mind that they can still change as always.
That’s not a typo, I really do mean Chapter 125 of the Kuroshitsuji manga. There’s one thing that I believe Yana must address by the next installment of the manga at least if this arc is to truly hit the ground running (combined with showing Bravat’s fate since the scandal and Seb and Ciel’s next move).
Yana must place significant attention on the conflict or dynamic between the F5 and the S4. Former fags-turned-new-P4 versus the disgraced mentors they used to revere – this new phase of their relationship dynamic is burning with dramatic tension and stakes that have yet to be addressed.
They have not locked eyes ever since that moment the F5 first revealed themselves on stage. They may have walked roughshod over the stunned S4 with the word ‘fraud’ on their lips, but that is where the extent of their interaction has remained since.
Not only are the dramatic and emotional stakes severely lacking on their side as a result – and considering the history of the Weston Arc and their involvement in this one this is sorely needed – but their characterisation is also. As it stands we’ve only bare bones of a character to care about at best, of course with the exception of Edward. While Cheslock has a better deal for being so striking and unique as a character by design and manner in comparison to most of the cast, we still know nothing of his past, his fears, his desires, his true self, anything that endear readers to characters beyond a very basic (and rather shallow) level.
If something happened to Clayton or Harcourt right now, what would we lose? Would we lose a deep, meaningful character with whom we had come to emphasise with and support and love and want to see them achieve all their ambitions and go on to live successful lives?
For Clayton I think we’d be able to cry: “Oh no, not…. that guy! What was his name again?” at most.
For Harcourt: “Oh no, not my baby!! He was so cute!! Why?!!!”
Let’s face it, as it stands we only have basic categories like ‘cute’ and ‘cool’ to attribute to the members of the F5 who aren’t Soma and Edward. They do not make a character either memorable or worth caring for beyond superficial aspects such as appearance or the one trait that seems to define their entire beings. And of course, there’s whatever our brains can come up with in terms of filling the blanks – such us a backstory and personality and so forth.
But that cannot carry a character through an arc or a series.
It’s quite sad, considering the amazing job Yana did fleshing out and humanising the members of Noah’s Arc circus just in the space of one arc. They were filled with such depth that their depths still have an enormous impact reading back through the chapters today. They even continue to have an impact on the other characters in the story to varying degrees even so many chapters and arcs later.
The fags of Weston – current P4 and members of the F5 – have been given two arcs with which to shine, and we know just as little now as we did in their debut! If they were to kick the bucket right this minute nothing would change.
As far as Ciel is concerned, they have fulfilled their usefulness to him, and if they happened to snuff it he would barely even spare them a second glance, and would forget about them in five seconds. Their deaths would ring out especially hollow because they have been given so much time to show potential that is there, but so far never acted upon to any meaningful degree except what the plot demands of them.
Hell, most of this arc can be summed up with: “Ciel wants thing to happen. Thing gets done. Sebastian explains it – twice, necessary or not.”
This arc is crying out for dramatic and emotional stakes relating to the F5 and the S4, and it’s really making the arc suffer at this point, and will continue to do so if it is not rectified quickly. I have faith in Yana, mind you. I’m just concerned that this arc is lacking in the sheer power of emotion and drama we’ve seen in previous arcs in favour of long-winded explanations and a rather plodding plot already – perhaps – reaching it’s climax.
I’ve been wondering about our poor F5. Sebastian really had no need to tell the two thugs that they were ignorant of his and Ciel’s true goal in using them. He was speaking more to the reader than anything, which, for me, sort of takes the reader out of the story for a moment, if you know what I mean. It feels like something we could have been shown by their reactions as the news got to them.
Anyway, now we ask the question: what will the F5 do once they see the front pages of the newspaper with the shocking story revealed by Sebastian and his photographer friend? Unless they live under a rock, they are bound to see it.
At the moment, Edward is the cleverest of the group. He is also the most informed about the nature of the cult, and his motive for performing was already steeped in the dark dealings of Ciel and Sebastian and Bravat. He, out of the five, should therefore be the first to realise that their performances in some way contributed to the dead bodies piling up. Or is this perhaps too much of a stretch?
We never hear exactly what Sebastian tells the other F5 members when recruiting them, but judging by their (comparatively) trite responses that in no way reflect the true gravity of the situation – a kidnapping at this point, as I don’t think that Sebastian had found the bodies yet, etc. – it can be safe to assume that Sebastian kept quiet. He most likely did so to ensure that he would get enthusiastic performances from the four (Soma included) without the added pressure of knowing lives were on the line disturbing it. Perhaps it also would make them easier to manipulate.
But now the news is out – linking the music hall with covering up murders and so on – this is an ideal moment, I think, to test the F5 (especially Cheslock, Clayton, Soma and Joanne) and hopefully reveal sides to them we have not yet seen. Perhaps their responses to Sebastian masked deeper intentions, or their previously trite motives will be transformed into more noble, meaningful determination to aid Ciel and co. against Bravat and the S4.
Thoughts?
I think it’s a great post, I just wanted to add something…
At least they know that the S4 are in a bind, similar to what happened last time, but as Seb said, they didn’t know the plan using them was to decrease the blood collect, so… I don’t know, them knowing that murders could be involved isn’t that far-fetched.
At the same time, Edward and Soma aside, they’re really not of Ciel’s world in the slightest so between what Ciel implied and what he said… As readers we know he meant the S4 were involved with the murders (even if just indirectly) but Clayton, Cheslock and Harcourt at the very least maybe didn’t pick up on the hint (after all Clayton said “I don’t want to see our former prefects fall even lower” but like, they already did, even if they’re not the ones who directly killed people).
In any case, I’m really happy about the next chapter, I really want to know how the S4, Bravat and the P5 will react to all of this. xD
Bugger, forgot about that panel there! So Sebastian definitely informed them that the S4 were bad news for other people at least. It certainly sounds like they’re being made aware of a situation more about brainwashing idiots. If ‘endangered’ is anything to go by. I’d be willing to bet, like you, that at least Cheslock, Clayton and Harcourt are unaware of the true severity of the situation.
(Wait, does Edward know about the dead bodies turning up? As far as I remember he only knows his sister has been kidnapped and held in Sphere Music Hall. I suppose Ciel could have told him about the deaths off-screen – or off-panel – but…).
One other thing that puts me in doubt that they’re aware of the severity of the danger is Soma’s expression in that panel. Would you really have a cocky smile on your face when being reminded of your mission – a mission involving people dying?
Perhaps I’m wrong and Soma is just the sort of person to smile brazenly in the face of this sort of thing. Still a bit weird though. Like, dude, people are dying here. Not the time to be smirking!
Speaking of Clayton, I’m as surprised by his motive now as I was when the chapter came out. Why would he care about the former P4, the murderers, the liars, the mentors who saddled their successors with the burden of the awful truth they had tried – and ultimately succeeded – to cover up. The natural response would be either Cheslock’s “Yeah let’s kick off their fucking high horses, bastards!” or “Fuck ‘em, let them disgrace themselves. No skin off my nose!”.
Clayton doesn’t even seem like the sort to be that emotionally invested in the former P4 – again, especially given the legacy they left … and the scars – to the extent that he would take time out of school and jeopardise his education for them. Haven’t they fucked up his life enough?
By trying to save the S4 from… well, from themselves, frankly, and from forces neither Clayton or anybody else in the Funtom group truly understands, Clayton stands to lose his education, his own reputation, and even his own life when things hit the fan. Of course, it’s extremely unlikely he’s aware of the last one, but he would certainly know his education and reputation would be on the line.
In summation – Clayton has far more to gain by staying at Weston and ignoring the whole S4 fiasco. So why isn’t he?
I suppose the same question can really be applied to the other F5 members (except Soma and Edward). Goddamn, Yana’d better give us some character depth and exploration of these boys soon!!!
@erebus-cheslock
This isn’t much of an answer but I’d say that yes, Ed might be aware of bodies showing up…
[…]
…although I doubt Ciel told him about his plan to use the P5 in order to decrease the blood collect and thus create more bodies (’cause even for Lizzie’s sake, I’d have a hard time seeing Edward okay-ing this plan).
As for Clayton, well, when you think about it, they’re all endangering their studies in order to be a part of this, even if it’s for different reasons. Maybe Clayton really was close to Bluer? Or it’s about the school’s reputation?
I’d like some answers and development as well, so I hope we’ll get some in the next chapters 🙂
I love the fact that Edward was so determined to perfect his performance in rehearsals that he literally ran Clayton ragged by insisting they practice over and over until Cheslock finally said: “Before Clayton keels over, let’s stop now”.
Lizzy: How did you eventually get 5 boys to take the stage in girl’s clothes?
Ciel: Edward did it to save you, Cheslock did it to laugh about Edward, Soma is in for anything, Joanne is a pushover, and Clayton is blind as a bat without his glasses, we didn’t tell him.
Lizzy: Why dress them as girls in the first place?
Ciel: I was depressed, I thought a good laugh wouldn’t hurt~
midnight-in-town 