A reasonable time for both of us at last, WriterGreenReads. And I'm glad you liked the cameo, M1LK T3A! She'll be popping up more as the series progresses. We're going for a bit of a slow burn on this one.
The delay for this particular chapter is because I was doing an art trade with someone and got. Like. WAY too into it. I wrote them two fics, with 73,000 words all total, in little under a month. Like its weird to think that I take so long with these, but am able to churn out such long chapters for something else in such a comparatively little time. I think its because Hellsing (the fandom for those two fics) is something that's been near and dear to my heart since I pretty much started writing, so I am constantly In The Zone for it. All hours are Hellsing-loving hours in my whacky messed-up brain. By contrast, even though I love Arya as a character, a lot of this particular fic and even her series as a whole is an exercise in writing practice for me, with things like chaining together different stories to form a long series without plot holes, exploring developing a character through said series without her becoming boring or OP, writing horror (which I'm not used to), and to a certain extent doing a bit of worldbuilding. It takes EFFORT, whereas Hellsing is just me taking my monkey brain off its leash and letting it go feral.
This'll also probably be a bit of a boring chapter for those that have actually consumed the Soul Eater series in any form, but it IS necessary for Arya as a person to do. We can check the wiki for things we forget about the series, she cannot. Plus a decent number of my fans from prior fics in this series have absolutely no idea what's going on, and actually do need this exposition.
Speaking of which, what I really like about Soul Eater in particular is that, somehow, both interpretations manage to seem like high-quality fanfic of each other. The anime is like a fix-it fic for the manga. The manga is like a grimdark AU of the anime. I've never seen this in any other series and I think it's because, broadly speaking, somehow both the anime and the manga cover the same rough sequence of events. After the fight with BREW, Arachnophobia and Medusa's group starts making moves, Medusa enlists the DWMA to backstab Arachne, there's a fight between the DWMA and Arachnophobia, Medusa is killed and Crona's issues are resolved after she coerces him to betray the DWMA, the Kishin starts making everything worse, and the main trio fight Asura and beat him. The only difference between the anime and the manga is how they TREAT these events and what additional stuff happens alongside them. In the anime, Maka returns Crona to the side of good, and he actively confronts his bitch ovum donor and together with Maka they cast Medusa from Rachel's body and destroy her soul. In the manga, Medusa treats Crona with motherly kindness one (1) time after she takes him from the DWMA and brainwashes him, making his favorite meal and congratulating him for becoming the killer she wanted, even going so far as to hug Crona and say she loves him, which turns out to be a deliberate provocation to goad Crona into snapping utterly and killing her, thereby removing his last shred of stability and support and thus finalize her experiment turning him into a Kishin.
The lesson we take from this is fuck Medusa, no matter what the adaption.
November 16th, 2020
Arya's POV:
By this point I had established my morning routine. Ao and I woke up to the shared beeping of our alarms, and we both silenced them more-or-less in tandem. Grabbing our toiletry bags, we'd join the great stream of sleepy and deceptively big-breasted adolescent girls shuffling down to the communal kitchen. Ao did whatever she did, I drank some orange juice, then returned to our shared room to do my morning exercise routine that consisted of various push-ups, curls, and stretching. Once that had been accomplished, I tromped back down to the communal showers –with a decent percentage of the other girls settling down to have a larger breakfast now that they were awake enough to handle it or gathering their effects– and stepped under a shower with the water turned up so hot it forcibly opened every pore in my body, basking under it for however long I could bask until I had to towel myself off, get dressed, and head on down to the bus stop, waiting with the other students who didn't have bikes, motorcycles, or cars to get them there ahead of the bus.
It pulled up, and I got in alongside the others, and then sat down by Rex, who would offer me a muffin or a scone or some other early-morning-pastry that was still slightly hot –apparently there was a bakery right next to the boys' dorm– and I would fork over a dollar in return (despite his protests), munching down my breakfast as Rex and I rattled on about whatever, Rex usually pulling out a baked good of his own and chowing down alongside me. We'd get to the school, drag ourselves up the mountainous stairs, and face whatever testing apparatus Sid and the other NOT teachers had arranged for us.
Not today.
Today, we signed the legally binding agreement that said yes, we were actually going to go through with this. We, the new NOT class, were going to become DWMA students with all that that entailed, risks and rewards alike.
Rex was actually kicked out of the room for this, alongside what I presumed to be the other old NOT students: people that, like him, had only just found partners in this particular semester, or were even still partnerless, and had all already signed the DWMA agreement ages ago.
It took the form of a white sheet of paper with a black box on the margins, scrollwork in the corners and a header with –of course– Lord Death's iconic mask emblazoned over a black splotch of slightly ominous wavy lines. Inside this border was the actual agreement itself, and lawyers stood by in discreet corners of the room to help anyone who was having problems with the language or the legality. I didn't have much problem there: the entire paper was basically just a terms-and-agreements type thing, in which I wrote my signature on the bottom line and said yes, I understood and would obey all the rules set out on the rest of the contract.
Most of them were normal school rules, but there were a couple things that were more anime-esque. For one, students apparently might come across confidential information inside the academy, and we weren't allowed to discuss any of the information we saw, overheard, or pieced together outside the academy grounds without teacher permission. For another, we weren't allowed to sue the school in the event of our kidnapping, death, mutilation, rape, or torture, as we understood that we were taking a risk upon publicly and legally aligning ourselves with the academy and the consequences thereof was on us.
Something that made me grin as I saw it, the rule that if there was a fight on school grounds, at least one faculty member had to be present to witness it. That was an old rule, going all the way back to when Blackstar and Soul had decided to be each other's partners and then kick the ass of an enrolling Death the Kid on his first day of school –something that had been witnessed by Stein on his first day as a teacher, as a matter of fact, and had ended in utter, complete, humiliating defeat for Soul and Blackstar. But then, what could they expect, fighting without their actual partners? Even Blackstar, who was the best combative student in the academy by far, still wasn't much when he was fighting solo against a Grim fucking Reaper.
Especially when it was just the beginning of his character arc, but whatever.
Other stuff I knew –hunting souls without academy permission/outside Lord Death's list was forbidden, over-hunting souls was forbidden, students could be expelled if they failed all of their class subjects or if they were EATs with poor performance in soul collecting/remedial lessons, they could also be expelled if they broke the terms of this agreement, and so on.
More new information made me raise my eyebrows: an execution order from Lord Death was needed to hunt a Witch, meisters and Weapons could not undertake extracurricular activities without their partner(s), and perhaps most relevantly for me, towards the end of the list, In the event of an emergency, students are allowed to walk into the Death Room without permission.
The phrasing of that implied that one needed to have permission to enter the Death Room at any other time, and I suppressed a groan of disappointment as I slumped in my chair.
Still, barring that, nothing else important jumped out, and I scratched out my signature, then walked up to the front of the room to turn it in. This wasn't one of the lecture halls, but rather a larger auditorium with no furniture that I vaguely thought might've been the same hall that everyone was in on the DWMA anniversary when Medusa activated her plan –and her trap– and locked everyone inside said room for about 45 minutes, even Lord Death.
You could do that when you had a werewolf who specialized in spatial magic on your side, I guess. Maybe Free would know some of the stuff I needed to find out about to understand all this universe-hopping.
I passed the academy agreement to Naigus, who read me my metaphorical rights, ensuring that yes, I absolutely meant to do this, before waving me on to stand against a light blue background. I was told to look at the camera and try to assume a neutral expression, which I did to the best of my ability. Naigus clicked the button, the camera flashed brightly, and she waved me back over as she began typing on her monstrous boxy dinosaur of a computer –it was about a foot thick behind the screen, with clunky plastic lining the screen itself. It looked like it would crackle and spit out a fax message from one of the vents at any second…or maybe that was just my new-age millennial mindset talking. Anything older than a laptop seemed ancient to me.
"This ID card will allow you to access DWMA facilities, including the Deathbus, free of charge." Naigus said briskly as she typed things out. "Losing it subjects you to a penalty, so I suggest you put it somewhere you can keep close tabs on it. If your ID is stolen, report the theft immediately."
"Yes, ma'am." I said promptly, remembering that there was probably a nonzero amount of shapeshifters in this world. Valid ID was probably all that stood between some of them and infiltrating the school.
"Your ID will be updated with every new rank you achieve. You said you wanted to aim for EAT?"
"Yup."
"A new card will be issued if and when you accomplish that ranking." Naigus continued, hitting one last key with finality and turning to another, smaller machine beside the computer. She selected an empty plastic card and fed it into one end, pressing another button as the machine whirred and sucked it in. "As will one if you become a two-star meister. Please destroy any and all prior DWMA ID cards upon receiving your new one."
With one final whir and slightly destressing noise, the machine spat out my card proper, and Naigus gave me a warm smile as she handed it over.
"Welcome to the DWMA."
I grinned at her and nodded, taking my card and trotting off. As I did, I turned it over, looking at the plastic card with interest. The fresh photo of me (looking slightly nonplussed) was on the upper middle left, with the caption STUDENT underneath it inside a black bar, with an ID number underneath that consisting of nine digits. Beneath this in red (fine) print was a warning, This student ID card cannot be used as a replacement for law enforcement badges or qualifications in any country.
To the right of my picture was my name, Arya Thompson, with the words Death Weapon Meister Academy in elegant orange cursive underneath it, divided by a floating black line. Beneath all of this were three large stars, one of which was filled in with rusty orange, denoting my ranking as a 1-star meister, and taking up the remaining bottom-right quadrant was a three-by-three table listing my fine details.
The first row described me in order as Meister, Female, and my classroom as NOT 011, with the second row listing off particulars such as H: Blonde, E: Brown, and Blood: O+, with the final row detailing, NOT, USA, and finally Med. None.
I wondered if it was a bit macabre of them to list my medical information like that, but then again, as far as I understood it, if I majorly fucked up and got myself injured by someone targeting DWMA students regardless of class, an EMT could just fish out my ID and immediately have all the information they needed to keep me alive on the way to the hospital –my blood type and whatever underlying medical conditions I might have.
But still, with this tucked inside my wallet and my wallet zipped inside my pocket –which was a blessed if slightly jarring clothing advancement that I was still getting re-used-to– I was officially, indubitably, absolutely a member of the DWMA, and as such my general course had been plotted out. This was the side I was on, these would be the people I was fighting with and for. Sure, betrayal and backstabbing and lost options might happen down the line, but it wasn't likely, and I could prepare for it in my own little way.
Flashing the ID to Rex, he gave me a giddy smile and we exchanged a hearty and deserved high-five, before retiring to the sidelines to talk shop as we waited for the other students to finish signing things and getting their own IDs printed. As before, Rex was enthusiastic in telling me about the highly overdramatic plots of the operas he listened to, and I was surprisingly invested in interesting, since before I had vaguely dismissed most operas as being nothing more than wailing in various tones with some random background/costume changes thrown in for aesthetic and flavor. No, apparently there was a plot to most of these, and all the loud arias and solos and whatnot were deep, highly theatrical expressions of said characters or thoughts.
Basically, opera was extra as shit, and hearing about it was fun, even if I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to watch one live, or a video thereof. My closest experience with such things was a Phantom of the Opera soundtrack on my phone from what was apparently one of the shittier movie adaptions, but whatever.
Anyways, eventually the class was filtered through in its entirety, and we were gathered up and hustled along to a welcoming party. I was surprised by the warmth of it: most school parties like this were token opportunities to pay lip service to the idea of welcoming in new students/income, and basically containing little more than a thinly veiled introductory speech, explaining more about the school and the students within it. This, though, this was…genuine. The old crop of students were genuinely welcoming and trying to get to know the new ones, the food was actually really good, and you could feel the bonds being offered and formed.
Rex and I, by unanimous awkward assent, kind of shuffled over to the edges of the room, watching the other NOT and even some EAT students –it seemed we couldn't escape the introductory speeches entirely– hang out and get to know each other. People were still…weird around Rex, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, not-quite-pointing at us and whispering behind raised hands and averted expressions. I still couldn't pick apart the exact nuances what their expressions –some pitying, some smug, some concerned– actually meant, but given my luck, it was something that was going to bite me in the ass later.
Eh. It wasn't a problem quite yet.
With the preliminary work all done, though, totally done and with nothing left for me to do except plot my advancement through the curriculum, I was able to take a mental step back and assess my assets and resources –more specifically, tick back on what I knew of the canon characters and their personalities, relationships, and future history. I'd have to write it all down, of course, but doing that in Italian was probably safe enough, and would keep my skills sharp in that language. I could actually speak Italian, French, and German organically, whereas the other two more esoteric languages in my roster –Latin and Greek– had been more or less magically uploaded into my brain. Sure, I could read and speak them, but I didn't understand either language –the meaning was instantly transferred through to my mind, which made spontaneously writing the words out instead of copying them over from something somewhat difficult. There was also no point in maintaining my so-called skills in those two languages: I understood them because of magic, and that magic wouldn't wear off, so I would keep right on understanding them until the day I died.
I did sometimes regret magically forcing Latin and Greek into my brain, even if studying them normally would've taken years before I could actually use that knowledge.
Still, Rex and I were able to chatter amicably enough as I pulled a notepad and pen out of my little bookbag/satchel (which made me feel absurdly anime-protagonist-y) and started writing, our discussion serving as both a good background noise and a distraction keeping him from paying attention to what I was doing.
First off, the where and when. Today was August 29th, which meant that I had roughly two months between now and the finalization of Not!, when Sid died and Shaula Gorgon made her power-grab on the day of the Death Festival, Halloween. Between now and then was a nebulous series of shenanigans between Tsugumi and her two partner candidates, as well as Shaula's own diabolical plots.
I started a new paragraph, quietly thanking the fact that no one else was around me and Rex, by his own admittance, couldn't understand Italian.
Shaula Gorgon –scorpion Witch, younger sister of Medusa and Arachne, uses venom(?) in jewelry (like rings) to infect and brainwash DWMA students. Also uses Traitors (as test subjects towards perfecting the venom?) to attack and cause trouble prior to DWMA attack.
Timeline:
Brainwashes Meme Tatane. Increased strength(?) of brainwashing/venom causes memory issues like omnipresent temporary amnesia and unknowing existence as a spy for Shaula inside DWMA.
Starts infecting/using Traitors. Individuals seek out DWMA students and attack them: they have no prior record of combat experience or aggression, baffling DWMA investigators, including Sid and Akane Hoshi.
Has blanket at a Death Bazaar sale. Uses ring to infect Eternal Feather, NOT upperclassman, and has her attack members in the crowd with Weapon form. (Butterfly knife.) Eternal Feather confronted by EAT students Maka Albarn and her partner Soul, witnessed by Tsugumi, Meme, and Anya. Brief confrontation, before Shaula tests her poison's strength by forcing Eternal Feather to kill herself via slicing her own neck open.
Plots? Goes to ground? Does not move until around the time of the Death Festival.
Apparently anticipates some kind of trap laid for her or her spy. Kills/infects much of investigatory squad and lures Sid to his death via a brainwashed Meme Tatane.
Death Festival. Shaula strikes and infects a wide swath of the DWMA populace, turning them against each other much like a zombie flick, and confronts Tsugumi and Anya, who have come with a cure for Meme. The trio fight, break the brainwashing, and then reconcile, with Tsugumi choosing both meisters as her partners. They kill Shaula.
Still half-listening to Rex's conversation, I hummed and responded in all the right places, starting another list.
Tsugumi Hardori:
Soul Eater Not! main protagonist. From Japan, shy, kind of moe. Insecure over flat chest, lack of transformation skill, being at DWMA, etc. Black hair usually in pigtails, copying Maka. Black sailor fuku with white tie that looks like Lord Death's mask. Indecisive and reluctant to offend people, hence her lack of immediate choice at the beginning of the series between Meme and Anya. Weapon form: halberd. Possibly has the same anti-demon/anti-magic Wavelength Maka has? Sources unclear.
Meme Tatane:
Tsugumi's partner/meister. Initially birdbrained, is actually a highly skilled fighter and very determined. Very well-endowed, frequently serves as fanservice during gym scenes, as she usually wears a sweater/jumper otherwise. Provides comedic relief outside of Tsugumi and her insecurities. Brainwashed by Shaula up until Halloween.
Anya Hepburn:
Tsugumi's other partner/meister. Has a much longer real name, fills the role of snooty rich blonde girl. Huge tsundere, wants to experience "common" life as she's become tired of living in a castle and wants freedom. Hails Tsugumi as "Goddess of the common people" due to her being average at literally everything. Is secretly guarded by Akane Hoshi and Clay Sizemore due to being a member of the royal family.
Akane Hoshi:
An EAT student who works under Sid in some way. Central Intelligence Agency or something? Is comfortable and practiced at going undercover in NOT to protect Anya, takes over case when Sid dies. Spiky black hair and glasses, hair falling over left side of his face to hide the distinctive star pupil therein. Other eye normal? Star Clan is a branch of his family's dojo, which teaches the old, fatal ways of martial arts. Formal, something of a perfectionist, intensely loyal to DWMA. Helpful and courteous, still teases his partner sometimes. Can use Soul Force attack, possibly also Soul Perception.
Clay Sizemore:
EAT student, Akane's partner. More laidback than Akane, also flusters and panics under direct pressure of being questioned. (Could not even answer 2+2 when surprised with it.) Not very good at coming up with immediate covers –serves as the comedic relief to Akane's seriousness during Not! Blond hair, white shirt, nondescript. Weapon form: great sword/claymore.
Sid Barrett:
Three-star meister and faculty member at DWMA. Appears both in Not! and in main series. Very much a professional, well-known and respected by students and other faculty members alike. Caring and protective, but somewhat strict and by-the-rules –obeys the letter of the law and is incredibly loyal to both Lord Death and the school. Catchphrase: "That's the kind of man I am/was." Originally black man with dreadlocks, becomes purple (rigor mortis?) after reanimation.
Sid raises Blackstar after the Star Clan is exterminated, and at some point becomes a teacher. Taught Soul and Maka's EAT class, also helped out with NOT a lot. Part of the DWMA Central Intelligence Agency or whatever, keeps track of Witches and other enemies and engages in covert operations and special ops. Was investigating Shaula Gorgon through her Traitors, eventually set a trap for either her or Meme and was unfortunately decoyed into an ambush in turn. Killed by an uprooted copy of the Statue of Liberty with the pointy part of the torch through his skull. (WHICH IS SOMEHOW POSSIBLE?)
Referred to as the "statue-through-the-forehead/Goddess of freedom to the face" incident by EAT students later in the main series, when both it and he are first introduced. Sid's body was sent to Stein, who turned him into a zombie. (Mind still intact.) Sid and Stein then work to trick Maka, Soul, Blackstar, and Tsubaki in a remedial class to improve their skills, pretending that Stein was an unknown antagonist that reanimated Sid for the purposes of attacking DWMA students. Sid later rejoins the academy, still as a teacher, and is sent to investigate Medusa when Stein's suspicions are aroused. He finds and assesses her lab, and barely manages to escape the ensuing trap to warn the DWMA. Following this, he participates in several other missions of espionage and special operations, including the attack on the magnetic island for BREW and on Arachnophobia's base, as well as several Arachnophobia outposts.
Mira Naigus:
Sid's partner, Weapon form: combat knife. Some type of instructor within the DWMA? Position unclear, aside from general helpfulness/homeroom-teacher-ness for NOT class. Also becomes interim nurse after Medusa gets her skank snake ass kicked out of the academy. Serves alongside Sid during missions, second in command and also apparently good at setting traps and other such things. Calm and professional, can also become passionate when someone else makes mistakes, usually scolding the offending party, sometimes harshly.
Maka Albarn:
Main character. Female meister with ash-blonde hair in pigtails, green eyes. Slender and short, flat-chested and self-conscious about it (hi anime cliché), usually wears white blouse and yellow sweater vest, alongside green striped tie and long black trench coat. Trench coat is usually buttoned so you can only see her tie, white collar, and short red plaid skirt. Cloak of coat bells out around her ankles –she wears cartoonishly oversize boots with white buckles, and also wears white gloves when wielding Soul.
Bookworm, always has a book, straightlaced, determined, courageous (key character aspect!), hardworking. Maka hates her father due to messy divorce and wants to make Soul into an even better Death Scythe than him –petty as hell. Short temper for comedy moments, holds a grudge for a long time, but is usually clear-headed during a fight. Insecure over her relationship with Soul for a variety of reasons, not the least of which because Soul often carries her during the early stages of their partnership. (Also because Soul is hypnotized by curvaceous women and again, issues with womanizing dad and self-image.) Has a signature technique, "Maka Chop," in which she whacks the offending party over the head with a book, frequently to the point of comedically indenting their skull and making them gush blood.
Part of later Spartoi unit, becomes a two-star meister. Has one-in-50-million Grigori soul, which allows her to use flight through the intermedium of magic or a Weapon. (Uses Soul.) Only other known Grigori is Gopher, who is a villain. Also possesses anti-demon/anti-magic Wavelength, allows her to destroy evil when properly harnessed and used in a Resonance attack, such as Demon/Genie Hunter, Kishin Hunter, etc. Her ability to see souls is eventually her strongest ability, enough so to catch the Kishin on the moon (manga) and Crona from across the world (anime). THEREFOR AVOID AT ALL COSTS AFTER SHE MEETS STEIN!
Soul "Evans" Eater:
Maka's partner, Weapon form: scythe. Albino(?) male with spiky white hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth. Wears not-quite letterman jacket and headband, later switches it out to orange shirt and black (leather?) jacket. Lazy, aloof, obsessed with being "cool," has some kind of familial inferiority complex tied with music and his big brother Wes, therefore does not like to play the piano in public despite being extraordinarily skilled at it. Stubborn, headstrong, BFFs with Blackstar.
Very loyal to Maka, despite being often distracted by pervy shenanigans, and ultimate ride-or-die despite their occasionally rocky relationship. After being attacked by Crona in Italy during Crona's introduction, gains a scar slashing across his chest, as well as infection of black blood that manifests as a little demon/ogre/whatever in a piano room in his mind that tries to tempt him into Madness. Uses music to harness Soul Wavelength, can spread Maka's anti-demon/anti-magic Wavelength through this medium to other people. Joins Spartoi with Maka.
Blackstar:
Secondary main character. Male meister with spiky bright blue hair and green eyes, tattoo(?) of a five-pointed star on his right shoulder that is a shade lighter than his normal skin tone. (Same star is on the toes of his boots and backs of his fingerless grey gloves.) Has sleeveless black shirt with high funneled collar and weird white baggy pants that are black below the knees. Also has some kind of grey riveted strips that serve as scarf, belt, and trimming on his collar. Not particularly tall, but muscular.
Arrogant, narcissistic, superiority complex, tactless, typical loud shounen hero. Rushes into things without thinking, loyal to his friends but very loud. Most combatively powerful meister in the DWMA, can attack directly using his soul (Soul Force) but can barely sense other souls and whatnot. Highly attuned five senses. Has ambitions to transcend humanity and become a god, which he achieves in the manga but not the anime.
Tsubaki Nakatsukasa:
Secondary main character. Female Weapon, has multiple forms inherited from her family: chain scythe (kusarigama), smoke bomb, shuriken (several feet across), ninja sword (more like a dagger though?) and eventually a katana after she kills her brother. Tallest of the main cast, long black hair kept in a ponytail, dark blue eyes, has a sleeveless cream dress with same riveted grey bands as Blackstar as a sash. Yellow star on the left breast. Better endowed than Maka, occasionally used as fanservice as such, though not frequently. Has gloves/bandages/detached sleeves(?) with a tiny star near the wrist.
Accommodating, mature, practical, often serves to temper Blackstar's exuberance and energy. Polite, gentle, definitely one of the -dere archetypes, but still is not a complete pushover, as evidenced by her duel with her brother. Has multiple Weapon forms due to being a direct descendant of one of the first Weapon families made by Arachne. Completely loyal to Blackstar and the DWMA by extension however: family moved away from Arachne's influence at some undisclosed time.
Death the Kid:
Secondary main character. Male meister, also the son of Lord Death and a Grim Reaper. Black hair with three white stripes on the left side –source of much consternation, as he has OCD and is obsessed with symmetry. (Lines are ONLY on left side.) Wears a black suit with symmetrical bars on the sleeves and down the front, as well as a grey metallic Lord Death mask like a tie under his collar. Yellow eyes with two different shades, very unique. Also has rings on each middle finger with a band of three bars and a centerpiece of a Lord Death mask.
Obsessed with symmetry, which is used for comedy towards the start of the series when he will collapse and have a hissy fit over unsymmetrical things, including mention of his own hair. Otherwise very cool and composed, can still become angry when people disrespect or blaspheme the DWMA's idea of order. Loyal and respectful to his father, Kid will still defy and question him, such as when he enrolls in the academy, asks about the Kishin, or begins to learn about Eibon. Uptight and a bit of a perfectionist, but has the power to back it up: is many leagues above his fellow students when it comes to fighting, at least at the beginning of the series. Has two Weapon partners, one of the only two known meisters to do so. Can sense souls, but not nearly as well as Maka. Apparently immune to toxins and hair dye? Also likes skateboarding tricks, apparently. Shoots his guns UPSIDE-DOWN?! Pulls trigger with his pinkies!? Weird dude.
Liz Thompson:
Secondary main character. Weapon form: pistol. Older of the two sisters, long dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Wears red sleeveless turtleneck belly shirt (why?) with white tie and jeans. Has silver bracelets and a cowboy hat too.
Very stereotypically American teenager, obsessed with fashion, makeup, etc. and more mature than his sister, Patty. Jaded and cynical, was the leader of the duo when they were in Brooklyn. Was apparently high when she tried to mug Kid, who later captured her and Patty and offered them parole if they became his Weapons, as they were both symmetrical in Weapon form. Originally agreed in order to milk Kid for everything he was worth, eventually grew to respect and care for him as a loyal partner. Terrified of ghosts and the supernatural, such as monsters, and collapses in a puddle of tears when confronted by them.
Patty Thompson:
Secondary main character. Weapon form: pistol. Younger of the two sisters, short blonde hair and blue eyes. Wears red sleeveless turtleneck belly shirt (why?) with white tie and puffy jean-shorts. Has silver bracelets and a cowboy hat like her sister: is also shorter and more curvaceous.
Childish, playful, apparently simple-minded and naïve, also has a violent and sadistic streak that was displayed more obviously when she and her sister were living in/terrorizing Brooklyn. This aspect can come up during fights or other situations, and can mix to a gleeful sort of aggression that is aimed at whoever she and the others are fighting. Enjoys teasing her sister's fear of ghosts and the supernatural, often makes art projects and other things absentmindedly.
Doctor Franken Stein:
Main cast member. Male teacher, short silver-grey hair, round glasses, very tall –tallest in cast? Also muscular and athletic much like Blackstar. Has a giant screw sticking out of his head, which he will twist when wanting to adjust his mood (?) or focus. Makes a loud clicking sound as he does. Also covered in blanket stitches from past experiments on himself, with a crescent of them going across his right cheek. Wears a turtleneck made out of various patches of grey cloth, also sewn with obvious blanket stitches, and a lab coat with more of the same. Cigarette addict, can exhale a Lord Death mask out of smoke.
Sadistic, eccentric, views everyone and everything in the world as a test subject, himself included. Macabrely curious about everything, very susceptible to the influence of Madness. A good teacher despite this, also the most skilled and powerful meister to ever graduate from the DWMA (until Blackstar in the manga.) Can use Soul Force to attack directly, can also instantly master any Weapon he shows an interest in due to his highly flexible soul and supreme control over his own Wavelength. Can fight Maka and Blackstar during the earliest stages of the series while sitting on a rolling desk chair, can also beat them barehanded. Has a very powerful ability to perceive the nuances of other people's souls, even when those people are still alive, which is apparently the highest form of that ability. ALSO ABSOLUTELY AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Spirit Albarn:
Male teacher, Lord Death's current Death Scythe. Weapon form: scythe. Maka's father, red hair and black suit with a tie that looks like an upside-down cross. Womanizer, desperate to earn Maka's approval, recently divorced from her mother, apparently unable to stop flirting with women no matter how much Maka despises him for it.
Blair:
Roommate (?) of Maka and Soul after they fail to kill her in the first episode. Cat Monster, can transform from a purple-black cat to a very buxom human woman. Wears a black witch hat and cutout dress, or sexy underwear. Most frequent vector for fanservice, has a bit more of a personality in the manga. Can use pumpkin-themed magic, frequently explosive.
Medusa Gorgon:
First main antagonist. Yellow eyes and hair, which is short and spiky but has two long strands that frame her face and are twisted into a braid below her chin. Wears black pants and a sleeveless black hoodie with eye markings on the side of the hood. Usually barefoot, except when she's in disguise as a human nurse, has stylized snake tattoos on both arms that are actually magical lifeforms she can control.
Highly manipulative, highly intelligent, highly evil, a grave threat to both the DWMA at large and any individual teams that encounter her. Physically, emotionally, and psychologically abusive to her child, Crona, has shown no remorse for any of the above, ever. Has "a thousand snakes" inside her body that she can use for wiretapping and physically infiltrating a person's body –removing said snakes with force and speed will rip the person apart from the inside. She can also pop her tattoos off of her body and use them to attack without removing her Soul Protect. Highly dangerous. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Crona:
Child of Medusa, varying between antagonist and protagonist depending on time and adaption. Pink hair chopped sort, with several long strands on his bangs, dull blue-grey eyes, long black robe with high white collar and white cuffs. Very skinny, canonically gender ambiguous. (Uses gender-neutral pronouns in Japanese, referred to as "he" in English dub.) Occasionally has Ragnarok sprout from his spine/back as a spray of coalesced black blood in humanoid form.
Cripplingly insecure and unstable, catchphrase is "I can't deal with BLANK" and/or, usually in moments of extreme madness/insanity, "My blood is black." This is due to his blood being a melted-down form of the demon sword, Ragnarok, who is still a sentient being inside his body. Crona can use every drop of his blood as a weapon, as well as defensively, hardening his body and stopping any wounds he does take from bleeding. He can fly by sprouting wings of black blood, as well as use three different swords (in the manga) with Ragnarok sprouting an extra arm from his back. Frequently uses sonic and sound-based attacks.
Ragnarok:
Former Weapon, now demonic black figure attached to Crona through the medium of blood. Appears as a cartoonish, muscular black humanoid form, with white spiked straps wrapped around his right shoulder and wrists, and white gloved hands. There is also a white X across his face, and his eyes are white with Xs for pupils. More spikes extend from the sides of his head. He can also shift to a less humanoid form with tattered black wings and an elongated face. His sword form is a black broadsword with a white stripe down the center, with the same spiked straps wrapped around the hilt to form a guard. He also has a red mouth near the lower part of the blade.
Ragnarok is loud, hungry, and rude, often Crona's opposite in terms of mortality and aggression. He often bullies Crona despite being conjoined to him, and is highly bloodthirsty. When Crona uses Scream Resonance, Ragnarok's blade vibrates like an electric saw, and can injure Weapons even in their metallic form. (Death Scythes are apparently strong enough to shrug off this effect.)
Eruka Frog:
Frog Witch, long silver hair, polkadot black and white dress, orange witch hat. A somewhat weak Witch that uses frog-based transformation magic (can shapeshift into a frog) and is adept at summoning bombs. In thrall to Medusa due to Medusa having planted a number of snakes inside her body, which will kill her if she disobeys or tries to leave. Friends with the Mizune family, including the eldest sibling, who was murdered by Medusa to demonstrate the effectiveness of the implanted snakes when Eruka and Mizune attempted to kill her for meddling with the DWMA and potentially bringing down a threat on every Witch in the world.
Mizune:
A clan of mouse Witches with pink hair and striped black and white dresses. Can combine into multiple forms with two, three, and five of the siblings, each resulting in a slightly taller and less cartoonish singular form, which acts as one entity. Can uses lazerbeam-like whiskers from any point in their body, which slices through body concrete and flesh with ease.
Free:
Muscular man with spiky brown hair and striped prisoner outfit, or black shirt and olive-green pants. Immortal due to apparently being part of the "immortal clan," cannot be killed by anything we see in the series. Stole the Grand High Witch's eye, which is now his –his eyebrow above it has been replaced by the words NO FUTURE strung together, and the eye itself is white except for a red pentagram consisting of several triangles inside each other within a circle. Powerful but clumsy, often serves as comedic relief. Can be clever, however, and is skilled in using spatial magic to project images, use ice, and on one occasion lock even Lord Death inside a certain space, albeit with help and only for 45 minutes.
Justin Law:
Blond, indigo eyes, priest cassock (with a white skullcap?) and cross necklace with a Lord Death skull on it. Male guillotine Weapon and Death Scythe, in control over some part of Europe. Works alone, always has his earbuds in, characteristic for listening to music constantly and being able to read lips. Has a rivalry with Giriko that persists even after her falls into Madness (in the manga.) Also gains horrific burn scars in the manga that stretch up the side of his face.
Marie Mjolnir:
Female death Scythe, Weapon form: hammer. Blonde, amber eye, black eyepatch. Wears black dress with yellow zigzags. Marriage obsessed for…some reason?…otherwise kind and gentle, nurturing, etc. Has a temper, though, and immense destructive powers. Gets lost very easily, has a calming Wavelength and is paired with Stein for this reason. Has a crush on him, which was fulfilled in the manga.
Azusa Yumi:
Female Death Scythe, Weapon form: crossbow with sniper rifle instead of arrow slot. Black hair in a bob, black suit, glasses, very strict. Original partner unknown, works with Sid on several occasions. Has "Thousand-Mile Eyes" or something similar, which allows her to see through allied eyes and construct detailed building layouts without stepping foot into them.
Tezca Tlipoca:
Manga-only male Death Scythe, Weapon form: mirror. Wears a giant mascot-like bear mask all the time for unknown reasons. Has a monkey named Enrique for a partner. Seems earnest and understanding, tries to reason with Justin when he went darkside before trying to kill him.
Arachne Gorgon:
Big titty Goth GF.
I spared a moment to chuckle sheepishly and be very thankful that Rex couldn't read Italian…even if what I wrote was the absolute truth.
Spider Witch, founder of organization Arachnophobia. Black hair in a decorative, aristocratic bun, black eyes with spiderlike silver lines, long billowing black dress with detached sleeves ending in splayed spiderlike fabric "claws." Choker with a fuzzy back with eight splayed legs protruding from it, a span of spiderlike webbing connects choker to the neckline of her dress. Manipulative and subtly obsessive over the idea of becoming mother to all things, acts with kindness and affection towards her minions, which masks her cruel and selfish nature. Speaks in a very refined manner, frequently drinks wine.
Giriko:
Male Weapon and Enchanter that works for Arachne. Weapon form: chainsaw. Brown hair that spikes in a variety of ways, including a quasi-mohawk, brown eyes, sharp teeth, lots of piercings. Huge gloves that all Enchanters have. Creator of the first golem ever, has been loyal to Arachne for over 800 years and has been pretending to be placid and calm all that time. (Survived by imprinting his memories/soul into his children.) Bloodthirsty, rude, crass, frequently drinking, loves to brawl, etc. Highly dangerous, implies several times that he is not afraid to rape his female opponents before killing them. AVOID.
Mosquito:
Male Monster and Arachne's butler. Short old man in a black top hat and suit, with a grey mustache and cartoonishly long, pointed nose, which he can use like a mosquito's proboscis to drain people's blood. Loyal to Arachne body and soul, is capable of assuming his past forms, including his toughest (100 years ago), fastest (200 years), most numerous (400 years, and the only time he looks like a normal non-cartoonish person), and his original form, which is briefly hinted at before he is summarily killed.
"Eibon"/Noah:
Manga-only male Enchanter. Dark skin and hair, wears a plaid newsboy cap and has a white(?) shirt. He masquerades as Eibon for a while, but is actually an icon created by the Book of Eibon, more specifically the Index within it. Several Noahs are created over the course of the manga, each one specific to a Seven Deadly Sin. (Initially Greed, then Wrath. Other Noahs are then vomited out by Crona after consuming Noah, the Book, and Asura, but never take action in the series.)
Gopher:
Manga-only male…something or other, created by Greed!Noah to serve as his servant. Species never specified, but has a Grigori soul and was augmented by magic in some way, according to Maka. Can use magic, may be a Sorcerer like Noah. Has black, slicked-back hair and an odd vest with gold(?) designs on it. Obsessively loyal to Noah, craves his approval and is devoted to him completely, no matter which Noah appears. Appears sadistic and has no problem tormenting others in his encounters with Maka and Kid.
Eibon:
Great Old One of Knowledge, appears as a figure dress in odd, ornate robes with a visor-like mask over his face. Viewed as the greatest Sorcerer of them all, Eibon is immensely intelligent, as befitting the Old One of Knowledge, and has a curious, scientific mind. However, Eibon also seems to possess a strong sense of ethics, refusing to continue the Weapon experimentation when he figured out its ultimate end, and assisting the DWMA at one point in both the anime and the manga. Similarly, like Lord Death, he seems to contain his god-like Wavelength to keep it from infecting nearby people with his particular brand of Madness, unlike Asura and the Black Mass.
The Black Mass:
Manga-only Great Old One of Knowledge, appears as a vaguely humanoid figure many times larger than a human, made of some type of viscous black substance, with white eyes and dripping tendrils forming its mouth and spindly arms. Infects people with its Madness to test them and their personality, as it gives them unhindered power at the cost of their sanity. It actually sealed itself into the Book of Eibon voluntarily to confine itself, as power would be the "eighth" deadly sin. Technically good/on the DWMA's side, but dangerously unpredictable.
Excalibur:
A cartoonish male creature, all white, with a top hat and cane. Excalibur's ability to annoy people is legendary, which fits, as the manga heavily implies that he is the Great Old One of Rage. Excalibur is the first Weapon in the world, and the inspiration for Eibon's experiments, able to match Wavelengths with anyone, but as many characters find out over the course of the series, there are little to no people who can actually endures Excalibur's conceited, nonsensical personality. Excalibur does have moments of seriousness around Lord Death, however, especially during dire moments.
Asura:
Great Old One of Fear, and more specifically Madness Through Fear. Wrapped in mummylike bandages/scarves made of his own skin, which occasionally wrap around his face, Asura has an eye motif: his symbol is three long, vertical eyes in a rough triangle, which is tattooed onto the backs of his hands, and the strands of his black hair actually look like eyes, with white streaks interrupted by black bars in their center. He also has a third eye in his forehead, and his pupils are slitted to resemble eyes themselves. All up with the eyes, this guy!
Passively emits a Madness Wavelength that causes other people to hallucinate and pulls them into insanity and corruption. Can use skin-scarves as weapons, and is strong enough to break bones with his bare hands. Uses multiple kinds of energy-based attacks, including regurgitating his former Weapon partner (whom he ate) to shoot lasers. Impossible to kill. Can also generate Clowns in the manga, which can serve as perpetually-regenerating foot soldiers as long as they are connected to his Wavelength –Clowns can also corrupt people themselves, with a Clown being responsible for Justin Law's eventual betrayal.
I flicked through my pages with satisfaction –sure, it wasn't a whole lot when you thought of how much a lot of the characters did, going through the series and whatnot, but it had what counted. Namely, this pages-long list had power sets and a rough personality recap of all the characters I remembered, which would jog any memories loose if/when I encountered these people, and also tell me when and how fast to run when I did. For instance, if I came across Giriko, Medusa, or Asura, I'd take to my heels immediately, because they majorly outclassed me in terms of combat ability and ruthlessness. A fight with them would end up with me dead or worse inside of five minutes.
Munching absently on a breadstick Rex had passed over, I started a new list. This one would probably be a lot less reliable, and definitely not something I should treat as gospel in terms of order, but it was important to get as many plot details as I could remember down on paper.
PLOT:
After Death Festival, start of main series. Main protagonists (Maka, Blackstar, Kid) are introduced. Maka fails on her 100th soul to collect a Witch, accidentally confronting Blair instead. (Blair survives due to all cats having nine souls.) Blackstar first meets Mifune and Angela, and passes over killing them and instantly turning Tsubaki into a Death Scythe. Kid confronts a Witch in Egypt, but has all his souls confiscated by his father after he destroys the pyramid in an OCD-based rage.
First proper arc. Maka and Soul are shown in school, discussing Sid's death. They get called up to the Death Room along with Blackstar and Tsubaki and are given a remedial lesson because they have all collectively failed to collect a single soul. They go to confront Sid, and then Stein after they beat him, prompting a concerned Kid to enroll in the school (as he couldn't interfere without being a student) after he watches Stein beat the tar out of them with his father. Kid, however, doesn't even make it out of the school, as he has another anxiety attack, and the entire event is revealed to be a trick by Sid and Stein, who pulled this whole stunt on Lord Death's orders. Maka and Soul learn to Resonate for the first time in this arc, and Maka unlocks her Soul Perception ability.
Second arc, Kid's introduction to the school. Blackstar and Soul split from their partners and try to partner with each other instead, while Blackstar also tries to confront Kid for allegedly taking his spotlight. Kid wipes the floor with both of them, and they return to their partners. Maka also practices her Soul Perception, trying to see Lord Death's soul out of curiosity when he comes to pick up Kid, but doesn't see anything, unaware of the fact that Lord Death's soul is so large that its diameter covers all of Death City.
Third arc, Crona's introduction. Maka and Soul first encounter him in a basilica in Italy, where he kills and devours a large gang of thugs. Stein and Spirit come rescue them when they get in over their heads, with Soul nearly being killed by Crona slicing his chest open when he lunges to protect Maka. They also encounter Medusa, who retrieves a comatose Crona after Stein Soul-Forces him into disharmony with Ragnarok and sends a cursory attack after the group, which Stein defeats easily. Maka begins to have an inferiority complex with Soul, who she views as stronger than her, and works to overcome him, which leads to a strained relationship and eventually an argument that makes it impossible for her to even wield him when they are confronted by a newly-freed Free in London. (Medusa freed him to experiment with how much the black blood mixed in Soul's wound would affect him.) This is also when Medusa forcibly recruits Eruka.
At some point in this, Tsubaki confronts and kills her brother, who was on the path to becoming a Kishin, and takes on his ability as the Uncanny Sword. This allows her to manipulate her meister's shadow: however, this comes at a cost, as the Uncanny Sword eats away at its wielder's soul unless they make peace with the embodiment of Tsubaki's clan, which looks like this deer…thing.
Fourth arc, DWMA anniversary. Kid encounters Crona on the ghost ship, the Nidhogg, and the Flying Dutchman's comments prior awaken a suspicion in Kid about his father and the Kishin "closer to him." After offscreen interrogation, Lord Death reveals the truth about Asura to Kid, which depresses him during the anniversary party. Medusa takes advantage of all the DWMA personnel being in one place to use Free and Eruka to lock the space in an Independent Cube, which even Lord Death cannot escape, and sends the Mizune sisters to cause death and destruction in the city. Sid, however, manages to get back from the investigation of Medusa's booby-trapped lab that Stein sent him on in time to drop Stein, Maka, Soul, Blackstar, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, and Patty out of the Cube before it forms. This group then head beneath the school to stop Medusa, meeting up with Spirit, while Blair confronts the Mizune sisters in the city. Stein and Spirit confront Medusa, with Maka fighting Crona and Blackstar and Kid sent after Eruka and Free, who have a briefcase full of black blood, which when injected into the Kishin (currently sealed in a bag of his own skin) will awaken him. Kid and Blackstar are delayed by Free placing an illusion of himself much farther back then he and Eruka's progress, and though they manage to reach the duo and fight them, an illusion born of the Kishin's latent Madness stops Blackstar from slicing the correct syringe at a fatal moment, and Asura is resurrected, before blasting his way out and engaging in a fight with Lord Death over Death City. Asura escapes and Medusa is "killed" by Stein and Spirit, while the rest of her faction flees. Maka manages to reach Crona, who is taken into the DWMA on a trial basis.
Fifth arc, trial enrollment. Death Scythes Marie, Justin, and Azusa arrive in the city and personnel is reshuffled, with Spirit being assigned permanently to Lord Death (who probably would've won the fight with Asura if he had a Death Scythe) and Marie being assigned to Stein to counteract the negative affects a risen Asura's Madness Wavelength would have on him. Maka and the others help Crona adjust to being a DWMA student, including a mission to the Czech Republic when the oldest golem goes berserk, in which Giriko and Arachne are introduced and it is revealed that Arachne is Crona's aunt and Medusa's older sister. Maka is paralyzed by spiderwebs shooting out of the golem, but Crona protects her for long enough for Justin Law to arrive, as he confronts and fights Giriko on equal terms before Arachne orders Giriko to retreat while leaving the golem to death with them. It is destroyed by Justin, and Maka is returned to the DWMA, angering Blackstar with her condition. He goes to confront Arachnophobia and finds Mifune, who has been coerced into joining them by threats to Angela, the young Witch he's protecting. Blackstar is soundly beaten by Mifune, which shakes his confidence in himself.
At some point, Kid is pulled out of a party he organized for Crona and sent to retrieve the Eternal Spring from the Red-Hot Runaway Express in the Sahara Desert. He sees Eibon's name alongside his father's on the creation plate, disturbing him and making him question his trust in his father and what he's doing. When he goes to borrow the manuscript from the DWMA library (getting high-level clearance due to being Lord Death's son) he finds that the book is missing and only the letter M is left as a checkout name, possibly indicating Medusa. (It is later revealed to actually have been Maka, in the manga.)
After said party, Medusa (who split her soul into multiple pieces, then reassembled them with the enormous energy released by the Kishin's resurrection), who is now possessing the body of a prepubescent girl, starts manipulating Crona into spying on the DWMA for her, using him to plant a snake in Marie's tea, which will amplify instead of calm Stein's Madness and also act as a magical bug for Medusa.
Sixth arc, chain resonance. The EAT class is taught to extend their Resonance to a team of two other meisters and their Weapons, something that Maka, Kid, and Blackstar all struggle with. After a remedial lesson from Stein, however, they succeed, just in time for the BREW mission to kick off. Arachnophobia and the DWMA clash over the demon tool BREW, the Tempest, created by the Sorcerer Eibon and currently in the middle of a vast magnetic field on an island north of Alaska. Stein and Marie attempt to Resonate after entering said magnetic field, but the snake Medusa planted inside Marie quickly drives Stein to the brink, with Marie unable to retrieve BREW. Maka and her team then enter the magnetic field proper and confront Mosquito with their first combative Chain Resonance, while Kilik, Ox, and Kim fight Arachnophobia forces outside said magnetic field. Arachnophobia retrieve BREW, but later find it powerless, which is actually because Medusa sent the Mizune sisters in early to retrieve it and plant a copy.
CANON BETWEEN ANIME AND MANGA BEGINS TO DIVERGE AT THIS POINT.
Anime:
Joe Buttataki is summoned to create new technology based on Eibon's demon tools that the DWMA has discovered. Kid begins to investigate Eibon and his ties to Lord Death, while Blackstar, frustrated over his recent losses, challenges Kid to a fight, which Blackstar loses horribly, but then uses to regain his confidence afterwards. Medusa also pressures Crona into running away from the DWMA (thankfully Maka recovers him once again), as well as cutting a deal that involves her giving up BREW and Asura's location, which is at Arachne's castle. A big battle with Arachnophobia occurs, in which Lord Death uses BREW to mobilize Death City as a fighting robot and Maka and Soul temporarily leave the engagement to help Marie and Crona find and kill Medusa once and for all, as she has corrupted/kidnapped Stein. Lord Death manages to recapture Asura, and the two fight, with Asura using Lord Death's desire to protect the others to land a near-critical hit before fleeing back to Arachne's castle and killing her. Maka, Blackstar, and Kid all then confront, fight, and defeat Asura.
Manga:
Joe Buttataki is summoned to investigate the possibility of a mole within the DWMA. Joe has the strongest Soul Perception in the series, and is said to be one of the first meister who might be able to break through a Witch's Soul Protect with it. This, incidentally, is why he broke off a relationship with Marie, as he feared his Soul Perception would grow so strong that he would be able to read her every thought. They try to rekindle their romance, but en route to the restaurant Marie is waiting at, Joe unfortunately unlocks his fullest Soul Perception, detecting several Witches in the city, and is then murdered as Medusa looks on. Suspicion is put on Stein, who is actually almost arrested over it, with him being saved only by Spirit letting him go to find the real murderer with Marie. Crona is also abducted/forced to leave by Medusa, but remains antagonistic to the DWMA until the end of the series due to what is heavily implied to be brainwashing mixed with more of her manipulation. Blackstar fights and is defeated by Kid, but then goes on a sabbatical with Tsubaki to her family in Japan to learn how to properly use the Uncanny Sword. Maka discovers the first Clown on a mission in Russia with Blair and Kid, which tries to sink her into Madness, but fails, as she discovers her Demon-Hunter attack, which is more powerful than the usual Witch-Hunter and channels her anti-demon Wavelength to great effect. Medusa also tips the DWMA off to several innocent Witches living in the city, including Kim Diehl, who flees the city due to a mishandled confrontation. Medusa then uses the favor of said tip to manipulate the DWMA into attacking Arachne's castle with her, showcasing Blackstar's new abilities upon his return as he kills Mifune in armed combat, as well as reuniting Ox and Kilik with Kim, who were manipulated into joining Arachnophobia and then brainwashed into staying there. Kid is captured by the Sorcerer Noah, barely managing to fling Liz and Patty to safety in time as he is sucked into the Book of Eibon. Arachne drops her body entirely to become one with Madness, but Soul and Maka kill her anyways, and Medusa possesses Arachne's body, once more looking like her adult self, except with her sister's black hair. She is driven away by the timely arrival of Tezca and his partner. After the battle, a disoriented Giriko (who was drugged by Liz and Patty during infiltration) wanders the halls, before he is confronted by a traitorous Justin Law, who brings him over to Noah's group, with Justin being later confronted by Stein and Marie in the desert near Death City. The Spartoi unit is formed, consisting of Maka, Soul, Blackstar, Tsubaki, Kid (later), Liz, and Patty, as well as Kilik, Ox, and Kim and their Weapon partners. Maka turns Soul into a Death Scythe with Arachne's soul, then harnesses her Grigori soul with Soul's new abilities to create wings out of his scythe, enabling her to fly. During a practice run of this, she is confronted by Gopher, who accidentally reveals Noah's name during their ensuing fight. Kilik investigates one of Medusa's labs in Africa, alongside Liz and Patty, and Blackstar and Tsubaki discover another of her lairs, fighting a decidedly more unhinged Crona. Spartoi then gears up to enter the Book of Eibon and rescue Kid, going through seven chapters that reflect the Seven Deadly Sins before Blackstar enters the Power chapter and fights an insanity-enhanced Kid. Spartoi is then ejected from the Book, and manage to kill Noah, but Gopher escapes with the Book of Eibon. Tezca manages to track Justin down, but is killed in a final confrontation, though his soul manages to retreat back to Death City to reside in a mirror. Crona then resurfaces in Russia, killing the Death Scythe there by subsuming him and his partner in spheres made of his black blood, which radiate more Madness of their own. Crona also destroys an entire town in Ukraine with this same ability: for this, he is put on the Death List. Medusa later drives him to kill her and sever his last idea of "order," which fully pushes Crona off the edge into insanity. Maka, searching for Crona, later discovers that Asura is on the Moon, and preparations go forward to confront him and the Clown army there. The battle is bloody and ultimately futile due to the endless regeneration of the Clowns, and Kid is eventually called back down to Earth to negotiate a treaty with the Witches. He manages this, and the Clowns are defeated and killed alongside Justin Law: however, Crona has entered the Moon's nasal passages and already consumed Asura, as well as defeating Noah and Gopher. The ensuing tide of Madness causes the Witches to teleport everyone back down to Earth, accidentally dragging Kid with them: eventually, he, Maka, and Blackstar confront Crona, who drives their Wavelengths out of sync until Maka manages to Resonate with her father, stating that family is a bond that cannot be severed. Remembering what he did to Medusa, Crona snaps, and Asura subsumes him, fighting with the trio as Maka reclaims Soul and eventually manages to use his piano skills and the influence of the black blood to enter into Asura and find Crona. Crona uses BREW to lock Asura away on the Moon, ushering in a new age of peace and cooperation.
I surveyed my two lists with a frown. The manga was longer than the anime –darker, too. More people died or were corrupted past salvation…I didn't like it.
Not like that mattered, though. If this was the mangaverse, I was just gonna have to suck it up and endure, and maybe also start frantic plots on how I could lock the Kishin away without Crona being sentenced to be the eternal lock on his prison. Crona was a good kid, in his/her/their way, and he'd basically been kicked around by his mother and fate for his entire life, and just when he'd gotten a glimpse of a good life, she'd ruthlessly snatched it away from him. If this was the anime verse, I wouldn't have to do much of anything, really, but…well…
If I wanted to save Crona in the mangaverse, I'd have to out-plot fucking Medusa.
No pressure.
"Hey, Rex." I said between absent-minded bites at the snack platter he had fetched earlier, and we were demolishing between us. "How would you outsmart a Witch?"
He blinked at me as I looked up from my notepad for the first time in over an hour.
"A Witch?"
"Yup." I nodded. "I mean, we'll have to do it eventually, right?"
Rex pursed his lips thoughtfully and nibbled at a chip to buy himself time.
"Don't be predictable." he said eventually, making me blink in turn. "Witches live way longer than we do, right? That means they have more experience, so…don't do something that they would have experience with."
I hummed thoughtfully. "Not bad, not bad at all…" I said, somewhat impressed. That was surprisingly practical information from a guy who had probably never run across a Witch in his life.
Rex flushed happily.
"Still though," I said, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back with a frustrated frown. "How the heck would we be unpredictable to someone who's lived for hundreds of years? Like they've got to have experience with just about everything that we, as DWMA students, would think to throw at them, right?"
Rex sighed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, there's a reason that only EAT students are allowed to go after Witches." he admitted. "And only after they collect the 99 other souls. Countless teams have lost their lives when they challenged a Witch."
I echoed his previous sigh, exhaling mournfully as I slumped even further back in my chair. Sure, I wasn't planning on challenging Medusa directly in a fight (despite how satisfying it would be to part her head from her shoulders), but that didn't change the fact that she could probably run rings around me, scheming-wise.
Heck, who was I kidding. She would cream me, as far as scheming went. She'd been the one to betray Arachne to the DWMA during her near-death, which meant Medusa was at least 800 years old, and been evil and plotting the entire time.
Still…planning for a contingency for Crona's betrayal specifically wouldn't even put me on her radar, as long as I was excruciatingly careful not to arouse any kind of suspicion by enacting anything before the last second. It was risky, but in theory, if I had a solid strategy that I could pull at the very last second, with little to no prep work, I'd be able to enact it flawlessly, because Medusa wouldn't have time to counter-plot. That in itself would be problematic, as she almost certainly had backup plans in place, but in theory, if I dug deep enough, I'd eventually come to a point that she didn't plan for, especially if she hadn't anticipated trouble in that direction. Oh, sure, she probably had two or three contingencies for everything, but there were moments when she didn't expect opposition, and thus there would probably only be those two or three contingencies for that particular element in her plan.
And what a delightful moment for me that might be, being able to honestly say that I had out-schemed the greatest schemer of them all.
6.11 PM, USA Central Time