Yesterday, a devastating explosion tore through a downtown Sabaton apartment building, owned by Cagliostro Real Estate, allegedly claiming the life of Jordan Cagliostro, son of the reputed Mafia leader, Don Marco Cagliostro. The fire raged with mysterious black flames, a sinister mark that has become synonymous with the infamous Red Claires and their former allies, the "Sin Eaters," an adventuring team last active 20 years ago.
The incident occurred in the late evening, just hours after another explosion engulfed a separate apartment building earlier in the day, which also displayed the same unnerving black flames. This string of violent events has left the city on edge, fearing that the criminal underworld may be escalating its activities.
Eyewitnesses reported that the flames spread rapidly through the building, leaving little hope for those trapped inside. Firefighters struggled to contain the blaze, but the intensity of the black flames made their efforts nearly impossible. No bodies were recovered from the wreckage, but the flames burned so fiercely that they left virtually no trace of the victims.
As investigators continue to sift through the rubble, early findings suggest that the explosions may have been the result of the long-lost black flame magic, a deadly power known to be favored by the "Sin Eaters" and Red Claires. This evidence, combined with the appearance of the black flames, has led authorities to suspect that the Claires are responsible for the attack.
The alleged murder of Jordan Cagliostro marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the Cagliostro and Claire families. It seems that the Claires may be attempting to send a strong message to their rivals, targeting the heir to the Cagliostro criminal empire in a brutal and public display of power.
As the city mourns the loss of Jordan Cagliostro and those who perished in the explosions, concerns are growing about the potential for further violence between the feuding crime families. The attack has sparked calls for a crackdown on organized crime, with citizens demanding that the government take action to restore peace and order to the streets of Sabaton.
It remains to be seen how the Cagliostro family will respond to this brazen act of violence, but one thing is clear: the battle between the Claires and the Cagliostros is far from over. As the stakes continue to rise, the people of Sabaton can only hope that this tragic event will not mark the beginning of an even bloodier chapter in the city's history.
I spent a lot of time for at least a couple of years after transitioning asking women whether women did this or if they did that. It wasn't until a transmasc friend sat me down and explained to me how important it was that I don't worry what women are supposed to do, and instead worry about what I want to do as a woman. Some of that is kind of wrapped up in this, because I imagine Marie still slips and is trying to figure it all out, but hasn't quite gotten there yet. Gender is a constellation of expression imo, not a sliding scale, and while in some ways society defines gender, we also have a say in how society defines something. So while we're trying to reach the ideal of womanhood, we also have to think about what we think that ideal should be. So many people are hurt by gender, because they've become slaves to the societal roles they were assigned. Boys don't cry, Girls aren't funny, etc. etc. etc. I think it's important to remember that we're all just people, and we should be able to do what we want, and be who we want to be, and that's what I'm trying to do with this comic. I'm trying to be the person I want to be, and I hope that you can too.
https://patreon.com/bobapearlessence (Patreon is up for those who want to support me.) I will not be spamming this with every post, but there'll be a niiiice shiny button on the site soon.]
https://bobapearlessence.com/media.html If you want to read that whole news article, or in the future other in world shit, I've put a place where I can put things I write like that.
https://bobapearlessence.com/voices.html I've got somewhere I'm hosting voices, and I'm actually working with AI and / or voice actors depending, on creating voices for these. I don't know what I'll use it for but it'll be rad as always.