#castle arc

Woaw!! Devotion duo, I recently watched all the Castle Arc vods, so yeah they've been on my mind recently, happy mapicc Monday to everyone

Kinda ugly Yellow version below

After what would be home sweet home (an argument turned fight turned near death), zam has a new base.

Someplace he doesn't recognize and can't be bothered to remember, what he does know is that it's missing the noise of home. And he fears never getting that back.

It's been maybe a week of barely living. Still recovering from both the physical and emotional hurt. He's long asleep when mapicc enters from the window, he's been sleeping a lot lately.

Mapicc glances at zam, stares and stares and stares, before moving on. He opened the small pantry, reaching for the top before stopping. In the team awesome base they kept cereal on the top shelf, zam had changed that.

It didn't feel right to mapicc but it didn't matter either, at least he was here. Zam leaving was messy, something mapicc didn't want to happen, and yet he couldn't respect the other enough to leave him be.

And now he was eating cereal in his ex best friend's apartment without him knowing, while he was still there.

First off, if you disagree with my post don’t comment or reblog. I will not read or respond to it. 

You have your opinions and fan pairings and I have mine. My views are based off of the evidence given in the manga and movie. 

Kyojuro and Akaza are not a pairing, Kyojuro isn't attracted or romantically interested in Akaza at all. They are rivals and meant to be foils of each other and they do that perfectly. Not all rivals are a secret pairing/pining pairing. Everything Akaza says just pisses Kyojuro off, even when he’s “praising” him and Kyojuro flat out tells Akaza: 

“What is it you would like to discuss? While this is our first time meeting, I already dislike you.”

“If that is the case I do not believe we will ever get along.”

“Both growing old, and passing away, these are things that make being human beautiful, those may seem like weaknesses to you but our lives are all the more precious and honorable because of them.  You see true strength does not just refer to the physical body. This boy is not weak. Don’t insult him. Let me be clear, the two of us will never see eye to eye. No matter what -twisted reasons you give- I will not yield!” (Important to notice that when Kyojuro says this in particular Akaza frowns, because Kyojuro just struck a nerve because Akaza in that moment did believe Tanjiro was weak.)

“Let me make this clear, I do not like you. I will not become a demon!”

As Akaza is running away he’s not feeling bad Kyojuro is gonna die at all “This battle’s already been decided, with a wound like that, he’ll die before long!” And there is absolutely no sadness about the fact that Kyojuro’s gonna die. Akaza doesn’t even think about him again until Tanjiro brings him up in their fight. When Kyojuro is brought up, Akaza immediately ridicules him, he lays it on as praise but it’s not and Tanjiro calls him out on it. Just because you are saying compliments doesn’t mean that you mean it.  

Remember that Tanjiro can smell people’s emotions even if they are smiling and being happy. Akaza is saying these flowery words but they are not compliments, they are insults. “I’m glad Kyojuro died that night.....his worthless values made him want to stay human.” and then he immediately says “I only despise the weak” after just confirming to Tanjiro that to him Kyojuro was a weakling even though he’s trying to deflect with the words that he uses. He says it as flattery and makes it sound like compliments to hide that its an insult. Akaza has such a hatred for what he perceives as weakness that Tanjiro calling him out on it makes him feel such disgust that he briefly loses his composure. Do I believe that he really wanted to make Kyojuro a demon and truly admired his abilities? Yes, I do believe Akaza was truly impressed because he loves fighting and he loves seeing people’s strength and their skills. But he also lays on that same praise heavy with Giyuu, in the exact same way he did with Kyojuro. 

He praises Giyuu’s techniques heavily, and flat out says “I’m going to ask you over and over until you tell me your name” and then lights up like a Christmas tree when he hears Giyuu’s name. Every single thing he did in the fight with Kyojuro he does with Giyuu as well. Every. Single. Thing. That’s Akaza’s schtick: asking your name, getting you to use all your attacks, trying to convince you to become a demon and laying on the praise so that you will agree to become a demon while he’s actually insulting you. Once you've shown him all your attacks he kills you. Kyojuro shows his hatred for Akaza so clearly, and he doesn’t give Akaza even a fleeting thought once he’s gone either. He was just a demon that attacked them, that Kyojuro fought and got killed by, he wasn’t anything significant to him. Akaza replies in kind by being a swarmy little smartass, Akaza never gets flustered, never thinks about Kyojuro after their fight, even though we spend a significant amount of time in his head while he’s talking with Muzan, Kyojuro was just another Hashira on Akaza’s chalk board. He put Kyojuro down the instant he’s brought up, there’s no attraction in that relationship, because they’re rivals and foils, and they act as such. When Akaza dies, he doesn’t think about Kyojuro either, he thinks about the people he does actually love, his father, his mentor and his wife and no one else. Not all rivals are secretly in love with each other, sometimes they really do just hate each other’s guts and it’s a good and valid relationship. 

Blood painted the walls, the floor, anywhere it could reach. Zam was stuck on the ground, weak from fighting and weak from the chase. He couldn't lift his head, it felt weighed down by the world.

Stalking up came mapicc, sword sheathed again, hand on hilt. All zam wanted in that moment was to get up and run. He couldn't fathom moving now.

His eyes were fighting to close, the world, the castle becoming too much to bear. The sound of the sheath brought him back, breath pounding. Blood was rushing in his ears and he was so sure it would be pouring out soon.

He was not accepting his fate, but what could he do? As Mapicc brought the sword to his chin and lifted so they could see each other eyes. Mapicc looked anything but normal. Livid, almost.

The thoughts appear before burning away under blade. A trickle of blood leaked onto the tip of his sword, zam watched as it became more and more likely this would be a prolonged death

Instead mapicc removed the weapon and brought it close. Taking his thumb he swiped off the blood and brought it to his lips. Zam watched in abject horror as his blood was used as lipstick.

Mapicc turned away after. It was a needless taunt, something only so zam would get more afraid. Zam knew this.