nice seeing this series back

First real lover... second spot... i see i see. Hmm, 6th sense, 7th heaven, twelfth night, 72nd Infantry... Wonderful story as always!

But like, maybe change the title of your story. Strange Fruit is a jazz standard where lynching victims hang from trees like a strange fruit. It’s just not a good look when you are talking about literal fruit that seems unusual.

Oh this chapter was certainly interesting. The dynamics of the tourney and how william and the others used the associated festivities and their reputation as skilled knights to lure more folk into demonhood was well executed. The images you've shown of the demons in their true forms are to some extent how I was envisioning them- something red, harsh and almost sharp in tone- but with William and Gregory and the others there is also something very...terrifying might be the best word to go about it. They remind me a bit of the demons of Slaanesh- who often are seen as frightening and alluring, like the daemonettes. There's a surreal disconnect that despite the fact that they can be kind in their own way- as we've seen it chapter 2 and elsewhere- their appearences are still very lurid and frightening in a sense. As much as within universe the demons allure through all their attributes, I feel like the unwashed aspect of Frederic would honestly remind me less of something erotic, and more of something rotting and diseased (that might be in relation to something else though, but when I think of something unwashed, I often think of impurity or in more extreme cases, rot and death- that might be my own cultural upbringing talking)- I'm sure there is another way to interpret this that I'm just not seeing. I do wonder...how do they look like while in human disguise? Still like their human selves I guess, but I'd love to see how you imagine them, as well as Collin and the others. . Meanwhile, Collin is getting run through the wringer. I feel great fear for Leon, who appear to be another friend of Collin's in this, he clearly is fed up with Collins near enslavement to the order and it seems he knows about his death being faked. You've mentioned that demons are often made to indulge in something they liked while human- and bathing leaves me interested. Does he like the feeling of being clean in a sense ( I mean, I can't blame him- I sure love the feeling of a good shower and what comes after)? Perhaps I could see him once turned (if he is) seducing Collin while bathing with him- if he's into Collin like that (I think Eddie is Collin's lover yes, so maybe not). I'm assuming he likely won't grow gluttonous, but his body type will not be extremely muscular as he is not an adrenaline nut like William and Gregory (though not akin to a stick either). But it is Collin who truly has faced something horrible- his breakdown and vomiting over what he was forced to witness while going through Garret's mind was horrifyingly tragic- imagine the guilt one feels when even in faking one's death to protect your family despite the emotional harm you cause in doing so, not to mention the beast tribes threats on his life and the lives of his loved ones- and yet you fail anyway. I think that despite the fact that Collin was feeling the pleasure Garret felt or witnessed, this likely felt very frightening, and potentially even violating to an extent. The fact that the grandmaster is literally calling Collin by a number at times is a little frightening because of the implications of dehumanization, and the implication torture has been used to silence and "dispose" of the turned is equally a ends justify the means action to preserve humanity as it is terrifying. Eleven seems to be with her mind the right place, but willing to do whatever in interrogations to see the mission through- even if it might lead to someone's mind getting scrambled. But it is garret's and collin's conversation that I loved the most- unlike the last man Collin cured in this story- who was frightened and guilty over what he did while transformed, this man is a true demon loyalist- as he recounts how demonhood allowed him to reunite with his brother who he wronged and to be able to find forgiveness for his mistakes. In Garret's mind, dealing with the pain of human life is something that can be avoided by becoming a demon, and since humans often aren't all that great, why does it matter? But Collin is right that blindly following lust at the expense of all else will likely often bring ruin, correctly noting that if you love somebody, how could one consign them into what is by all rights a form of madness, and in a way could be seen that such means one loves themselves more than what is best for another (this is another ethical dillema as you've mentioned- the demons are freed from the more oppressive structures of the culture and institutions of the west (which Collin has been a victim too), but in doing so often there are other factors that can be potentially negative in scope- as well as the "doing it for your own good" angle) . In particular, I feel Collin makes a good point regarding the havoc the demon's actions cause- while Garret feels that being with your loved ones in such actions is what makes them somewhat okay and that since this pleasure is good so it must be fine to spread it, Collin is thinking of the bigger picture and how these actions can negatively affect those outside of one's group or circle, and how forcing a person to essentially lose any sense of moderation seems akin to forcing somebody to go mad, and then forcing that upon others in turn. Additionally, lust without any moderation or consideration for others can become a frightening thing, but lust and love often are intertwined in many ways that are not so lurid. The philosophical twining between love and lust I think is something important in this context. Both can exist, but one does not preclude another. A story I once read (and might have mentioned earlier in past comments) highlights this I think- a woman once in a failing marriage falls in love with another man, and seeks to seduce him, and she knows he likes her back, but he refuses to engage in adultery- though he doesn't refuse at once- he too is driven to some extent by his love for her. Incensed at feeling that she is condemned to be in her ruined marriage and that the one she loves has decided to stay loyal to her neglectful husband in her eyes, she elects to enforce boundaries (in a less than ideal way) by essentially laying out an ultimatum- either he is with her and they become one, or he is against her and she will see him thrown in prison (it's not exactly a healthy behavior, but it makes a sort of sense). But many years later, haunted by the guilt of what she is done, she confesses that it was she who seduced him, not the other way around- there, she does not expect that her sexual desire for him will be reciprocated, but she loves him enough to see him freed, without anything in return. Some telling's of this story do see her eventually reuniting with her love and seeing it consummated in the erotic sense, but many variants of the tale exist where this does not occur. Here Collin's point would highlight the woman's journey to selfless love and not being bound by lust alone, while Garret would likely point out that the woman's lust in some ways heightened and contributed to her gaining that selfless love- the former eventually led to the latter . This I think encapsulates what Collin speaks of. But I find it refreshing that Garret respects Collin's stance on things- even regretful that more people aren't like Collin- I think Garret, while not agreeing with Collin, sees that Collin is genuine- he is not two-faced regarding his beliefs- simply pretending to be virtuous. But he also sees that Collin for his kindness is suffering, and leading his way to his own death, and pities that too. The demons then are a strange bunch in terms of their thoughts and actions at times- sometimes hideous and sometimes more human than one thinks. But as you and I have discussed before, "humanity" in the sense of compassion or the like is I think not something solely limited to humans in thought and act. But I think things are coming to a head at this point. The order has been compromised, the beast tribes are plotting, and the demons are spreading. I only hope that Collin is able to stay psychologically healthy- if Leon is turned, it may very well destroy him. Losing somebody else he knows would be horrible, especially now. I could easily see him shutting himself down and essentially treating his demonified family and friends as something "separate" to their past human only selves to keep his own sanity and sort of removing himself mentally from the situation while trying to cure them, which much like Jonathan in hunt, breed and kill will likely see William and the others making it clear that they are still them to Collin. Which may terrify him even more and mire him further in cognitive dissonance and turmoil, or he might just to ease his own pain, succumb (there's always option C where the grandmaster just decides to uhh...make it so that Collin can't be turned (and by that I mean likely some horrific experimentation that might essentially lobotomize him into a being a walking healing machine which while doing so (if he does it while desperate) he might delude himself into thinking that hey at least Collin can't be turned like Gil was by doing so!). But I think that to see Collin's kindness altered - something in me recoils at the thought. You've made him a very intriguing character to follow, and I only hope he can find peace. And also the grandmaster needs to get knocked down a peg.

Would be curious to see that second slave develop

Ah, wonderful writing. I could smell the Captain's sweaty pits and feet and taste the hot piss...Foxy's story shows corruption at its best..but there's a niggling thought..if Captain has hypnotised the other three and has plenty of hypnotic gas left what future might he have in mind for them...or for any army boys he might want to bring into service...mmmm

I first read this on mcstories and loved it there so glad it’s here so I comment and let you know how great it is.

I really loved that series! Thank you!

Oh man, this chapter was excellent! George's resistance was really hot.

Dan's in a tight spot! Looking forward to what happens next. I love that he kind of knows what's going on, but is helpless to do anything about it.