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seoafin · 3 years

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tbh,, i havent read the raws of the interview yet, only the translated ver from fan-translator and b4 i start, i think that this will be just me talking in circle and in no particular order AND a real mess (my brain does weird things after exams) but uhh here we go

gojou collects talented people, and by doing so he finds the people he can most probably relate to, except that he can't, not really, because something in the universe shifted when he was born. and it makes me think of how he's always known it, that he is special, and he's proven it, time and time again— he wants to take in talented ppl and he does, but there rly isn't much he can do for them. for they are talented, more talented than the world can understand,,

but they aren't gojou satoru

gojou took in megumi, bc he knew megumi was strong, and would grow up to be someone even stronger, but gojou can't facilitate or encourage his growth, bc for all they're similar, they are so fundamentally different. ALSO,, while geto was in his life, gojou rly judged everything according to his understanding of geto’s moral compass. gojou wears a human suit and geto is how he learnt to wear it well 🏃

the dragonfly analogy regarding to geto’s response to gojo, who was shown wearing a dragonfly patterned yukata in HI arc,, i’m trying to not think abt the fact that dragonfly symbolized victory in jpn....pain. i quoted from a web here for more explanation : In Japan the dragonfly is known as the "victory insect", or kachimushi, because of its hunting prowess and also because it is known to never retreat. Dragonflies are agile and fast fliers and can even hover, but never fly backwards

and bringing this up again, matricide and patricide are 2 of the 5 worst act to commit in buddhism, and it was said that if u commit one of those act u’re going to spend a real long time in the deepest pit of hell before continuing the samsaric cycle (higher chances to be born as an animal after that probs)— this might be geto’s divine retribution. held no power over his own body and could be considered that he’s the same as those “monkeys” 💀

ALSO the fact that sukuna's interest is "eating" rly drives home his hedonistic philosophy of seeking pleasure for himself. and he’s a cannibal...makes me think if he’ll just chomp on ppl with the mouth on his stomach

randomly, to date i think he hasn't really called himself a human, shaman, or a curse, and has held himself apart from all 3, and we've also the intro of the cursed wombs so i wonder if he’s trying to become, or is, a different entity altogether

so onmyoji got mentioned in the interview and what they practice is called onmyodo and abe no seimei and kano no yasunori were the notable practitioners,, and the kamo in jjk is the same as irl who served the imperial court back then

maybe i was right when i said that the relation between the govt. and jujutsu elders are similar to how the shogunate and imperial court work (ie, the former holds the actual power) but... lets see later,,

and i cant believe that i actually nailed it on the analogy of jujutsu practices by religion,,, so mahayana buddhism, shintoism, and taoism is present in jjk along with their respective jujutsu practices...but between the 3, it shld (?) be taoism > shintoism > mahayana buddhism (which could took a path to pure land buddhism)

it’s weird that the number of curses are supposedly higher in jpn comparable to other countries when taoism was brought from china....tengen sus

so the zenin family tree is sth like :

brothers: [toji's dad] ; naobito ; ougi

so toji, naoya, and maki & mai are cousins of the same generation

[toji's dad] → jinichi (probs) ; toji → megumi

naobito → other brothers, naoya

ougi → maki, mai

but yea i’d call anyone who’s within/close or below my age range as cousins and others above 30 as uncles/ aunts LMFAO,, i dont rly memorize my own family tree 😭😭 especially since most call the other by honorifics instead of names : aunt, uncles etc or attaching said honorifics at the end of a name for an older sibling figure/ older cousins [but like ppl in my country also call the other who are older with sibling honorific even if we’re strangers,,, rly similar to korea’s hyung/oppa—eonnie(unnie)/noona but some uses more genderless honorific] (1)

tw // topic of incest, mentions of abuse

if anyone got the wrong idea when reading this : i am not glorifying/ romanticising incest(uous themes),, i’m looking at this with absolutely no lenses of bias even tho im rly against it

初恋 = literally : first love, or puppy love

恋 = romantic love/ deep longing

i literally don't know how else to put this...🧍and with language barrier...using a western interpretation of the eng word "love" to explain a jpnese term is not quite that simple, unfortunately

that thread omg,, i rly do understand how exactly someone could associated kindness with love bc of my upbringing, it was when i was slightly older that i was just...oh so its not like that orz,,, so the most plausible explanation would be that

but the problem is that,, akutami never specify when exactly she had a crush on them,, and when megumi answered todo’s question she had a “♡” reaction 😶,, uhmmm there’s rly no way to look past this if its this way or be in denial

i’ve seen some of "why wouldn't mai react that way after hearing megumi say he'd like someone who's compassionate when she's surrounded by men like naoya",, well I MEAN,,, that, but also mai probs admires that megumi grew up so well out of the clan, regardless of the fact that he had the foundation (10 shadows) to do so. imo she seems happy for him the way she can't be for maki, bc maki ultimately had to leave her behind

hate to say it but yea,, the 3 clans most likely still practice inbreeding in order to preserve their power and presumably their wealth too 😀

i had an idle thought abt it at first but i filed it deep in the back of my mind asap,, bc i ont wanna jump to conclusion abt this out of all things too early. it’s probably not even in jjk, but all those elite clans in other ani/mangas that produce powerful heirs and whatnot also do the same,,, but this way of (my personal) thinking was influenced when i first got into tsukihime (type-moon),,, i read abt the nanaya family background and found out that they practice that in order to keep their bloodline “pure” (to keep it short : they have an optical power),, and i had this kind of assumption ever since so there’s that

i’m,, convinced the zenins' inbreeding made it more difficult for them to get powerful shamans bc they got 2 jujutsu technique-less children with heavenly restrictions in the same generation: toji & maki

even more convinced that maki might be a bit stronger than toji bc toji could see curses without aid while maki can't so the pay-off must be higher,,, SJJASN IDK ,,, plus naoya sort of implies his older brothers are nothing compared to him, and idk if we should take that as his arrogance or that his older brothers rly are weak/powerless. it would make sense as to why naobito had a lot of sons, ig, as head of clan

i feel so bad that if one of the factors that can caused heavenly restriction is inbreeding,, toji and maki and mai had no say in how they wanted to be born but are scorned for it,, typical asian families projecting their traumas and ideals onto their kids but get mad when they realize that those ideals are ugly...😁😁😁

since the zenin are conservative,, i wonder if they still hold onto old jpnese dining traditions. where in ancient jpn, hierarchical relationships were made readily apparent even within families. a dining table where everybody sat down and ate as equals would be unheard of. rather, each individual is given their own table that indicates their status,,, someone who is not considered “strong” according to the zenin’s views most likely have no place at the table, and probs eat when those who are “strong” finished/ serve them when they are eating

if toji was tossed into a swarm of curses,, i dont think abuse during said time is below them,,,

the zenin clan was already great, but they further amassed power and strength by, what i assume to be, marrying and adopting powerful individuals into the clan 🤔 ,,, i imagine they're like the hiiragi but without doing what they did to shinya (ons reference)

BUT after all that, i like to think that since akutami’s a big horror fan, jjk might be an outlet to explore said topics or even darker ones, so i wouldnt be that surpised abt it. given that there’s more than enough “red flags” before this was dropped : a reference to “tale of hikaru genji” when a grown woman asked for gojou’s number in HI arc (out of all things); granny who transformed into the man’s daughter, sat on his lap and man just touched her waist; mei mei and ui ui ; and...this (incestous theme is in the novel btw)

lets not start with whatever the fuck in kubo’s head in the interview otherwise i’m writing paragraphs with every curse words possible,, those big 3 mangakas are so— UGH,, a planet w out (cis) men like him sounds real good rn 😌 if one of yall out there decide to do it,, pls hmu rly cant do this shit anymore

akutami said i like my men pretty and i like women who will step on my neck and spit in my face (I REMEMBERED TATSUKI FUJIMOTO’S INTERVIEW WHEN HE WAS ASKED ABT MAKIMA AND IT WAS SO 😭😭😭😭) but ykw,, love that for both of them <3

when i said 3 : one piece, bleach, naruto. aside from the blatant depiction/ characterize of women in those 3,, idk if some ppl arent aware yet but oda is friends with two (2) convicted pedos,, man...the major disappointment and disgust when i first find out abt it

anyways this is just my 2 cents (which i think rightfully belong to the trash can) so pls just take this w a lil to no grain of salt - 🐱

YEAH THE ♡ LMFAO I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A “good answer ♡“ heart BUT NOW IM RE-EXAMINING?????

honestly i wouldn’t be surprised if the three clans practiced inbreeding. but ik people are going to be 😡😡😡😡😡 about it when the queen of fucking england is literally married to her (something) cousin. i’m not justifying it but like....love the double standards, just as always with the west 😍

DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT FUCKING PED* LIST THEY SHOULD ALL BE IN JAIL. JAILLLLL. it’s all so gross. that’s why i fucking hate when people look towards manga for positive representation because the chances of that are super slim to zero, especially since the industry is saturated with misogyny and ped******* and a lot of other gross stuff.

i think ppl forget jjk is a horror manga LOL so obviously it’s going to confront darker themes. the question is whether it’s going to be done tastefully or not......

#honestly I don't have high hopes unfortunately 😭#but who knows I might be...pleasantly surprised #idk I don't have high hopes in manga nowadays so hmmm #anyway as always I enjoy ur thoughts <3 ❤️❤️#hope ur doing well!!!#and getting all those genshin impact goodies #🐱 anon #long post

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simpingforthisonedeer · 4 years

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Chapter 4: At The Mercy

Summary: Julius' loneliness threatens to choke him but it's okay, because Aika is there to make sure he breathes.

Oh, and he's kinda gay and there's a daughter and an assassin.

Notes: I didn’t mean to make it angsty in the beginning like that but it just kinda happened and uhh there’s abt 4599 words in this chapter sooo enjoy!

“Aika?”

Julius and Aika looked at each other in horror.

Oh, shit.

Raymond slowly opened the door to find his niece and successor sitting incredibly close, legs crossed, and a glass in their hands as they looked at him with carefully guarded expressions. Or as carefully as two drunks could be. Aika jolted with a silent hiccup and excused herself quietly. Julius looked over at her fondly and bumped his knee with hers in sympathy.

Oh, something was definitely up. He’d thought he heard some strange noises in here, quite different from the murmur he expected to hear from standing near the doors. He thought there was something going on between the two, considering the fact that they seemed so familiar during the meeting today. Raymond thought they were perhaps friends, but they threw secret looks at each other too often and for too long to be just friends.

Looking at them now, there wasn’t a wrinkle nor a hair out of place, unnaturally so. Maybe nothing happened. Maybe they just clicked when they started talking.

Julius spoke up first.

“Aika had let me know that she is your niece, Master Raymond. She had also agreed to continue providing me with information from her network.”

“That I did. Space boy here, and Captains Marcus and Leah also know about my—our operatives here.”

“Space boy? Jayce, Evan and Ellie?”

“This man uses Spatial Magic and says he doesn’t and yeah, who else at MK headquarters?”

Raymond sighed heavily when he noticed the empty whiskey bottle. Julius’ shouldn’t be drinking yet there he was with a half glass but he only seemed slightly tipsy and with the way Aika’s looking around the room, she was completely sloshed.

“Okay, as long as you two are on the same page, we’re good,” He nodded at Julius. “Could you please drop her off at the nearest house to the Demon Skull in Hage? I know it’s asking a lot but she can’t really ride the broom in her...state. I would owe you one.”

Julius stood up and bowed his head with a polite smile.

“No, sir. I owe Miss Aika one. She helped heal the curse on my liver,” he pressed his formerly injured side to emphasize. “The least I could do is take her home.”

“Oh, that’s great! I’m glad you’re doing better now.” It didn’t surprise him that she figured out a way around his particular curse. She had always been quick on the uptake on all cases she had the chance to observe. This was no exception and he couldn’t be any prouder.

Raymond noted how he didn’t say drop her off. He watched as the two shared an amused look. Julius offered a hand to Aika and she stood up next to him and pressed into his side.

Raymond raised an eyebrow at that. His suspicions were all but confirmed when Julius didn’t push her away. He would often keep drunk and excited women who threw themselves at him at an arm's length but he was perfectly fine with Aika. He smiled internally. While it was none of his business who his niece consorted with, he couldn’t think of a better match for her. They were both ruthlessly ambitious people with hearts of gold. He knew their professional relationship would be a match made in heaven but the personal interest they were showing in each other was a pleasant surprise. Julius was already like his son and his imminent successor, and the thought of having him around as family made him smile.

Julius picked up the file of his papers and tucked them into his robe pocket. He wrapped an arm around Aika’s shoulders and shared a smile with her.

“Oooh, I want to see how it feels to teleport,” Aika slurred as she grinned at Raymond. “Bye Uncle! Give my regards to Aunt Lydia.”

“Good night, sir. See you tomorrow.”

He nodded officiously as they phased out of the room.

Aika stumbled a bit as they suddenly found themselves on top of the Demon Skull. Julius wrapped an arm around her tightly as the wind threatened to knock her off her feet. She thanked him and cupped his cheek as she pressed a tender kiss on the other one. He stared at her, dazed.

“What was that for?” He murmured as he touched his cheek. Aika looked at him strangely then a mischievous smile lit up her face when she understood that he was genuinely confused.

“That was for going along with my charade that I was more drunk than I really was, for catching me when I was going to fall, and for having a really kissable face. All good reasons, don’t you agree?”

“Oh.” He looked away with a small smile. Aika paused for a moment when her heart skipped a beat at his smile. She was falling hard and fast, but it was exhilarating. She couldn’t help it. Maybe it may not go the way she wanted but for now, he was what she wanted.

Though, she found it strange that he was a little shy and hesitant. He was a handsome man. Surely he was used to the company of women? Aika tilted his chin back towards her and looked at him imploringly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Julius quickly denied as he looked away again. Maybe he’s worried about the war?

“Are you worried about the war?”

“Well, yes. But it’s not about that. It’s just—” he seemed to hesitate. “I’ve never been with someone as Julius.”

She tilted her head.

“What does that mean?” He seemed alone as guilt flashed across his features.

“I’ve only ever had flings with people in disguises, with transformation magic. I was too focused on becoming Wizard King that I would either risk scandal, distraction or getting my significant other hurt. By doing this, whatever this is, I’m exposing myself.”

Aika stood silently for a moment as she watched him with a heavy heart. While a small, but a loud part of her wanted to ask about the transformation magic, the implications of everything else he had just told her caused a painful twinge in her chest. Each moment she stayed quiet, the more regret racked up on Julius’ face. He stepped back and moved to turn around and walk away but Aika stopped him.

She took both his hands reverently and sighed. She had one simple question.

“You’ve never fallen in love?”

He was taken aback by that before his eyes grew somber.

“Once,” Julius answered truthfully.

“As Julius?” He hesitated.

“I’ve fallen in love as Julius...but he never looked at me that way.”

Aika’s eyes grew wide. Well, that wasn’t expected.

“He?’”

Julius panicked.

“I meant ‘she!’ ‘She!’ It’s a woman!” He laughed weakly as he rubbed the back of his neck in defeat. “Please forget everything I said,” he extricated himself from her grasp and turned away. “I’m going to go home and pray that you forget. I had a lovely time. I look forward to working with you in the future. Good Night!” Julius clenched his hands and moved to teleport.

“Wait!” Oh, boy. He was probably going to regret this but he stayed.

“I get it!” His shoulders slackened as he swung around in surprise.

“What? Get what?”

“I like men too so I get it!”

Julius let out an incredulous laugh as the last of his anxiety melted away. This ridiculous woman! If he wasn’t falling for her already, he was now.

“But the question is, do you like women?”

A smirk crept up his face. Wasn’t it obvious? He stepped into her personal space and cocked his head at her.

“I think you know the answer to that,” he murmured as his eyes flashed darkly.

“Mm, I had to make sure,” she pressed herself flush against his front and ground her leg into his half-erect cock as he hissed in pleasure. “Because you see, I do too.” She smiled when his cock twitched against her thigh.

“You like women too?”

“Yes, you got nothing to worry about. Just another thing we share in common,” she fiddled with the collar of his fur cape as she stepped back. “Now, getting to the part where you feel exposed. We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. There is no need for anything except a professional relationship between us if that is what you want.”

“What do you want?” She paused. She wanted a lot but this wasn’t about her. His face was closed off, nearly emotionless if not for the little quirk in his eyebrow.

“Me?” He nodded. If he wanted to know, then here goes nothing.

“I want you, Julius,” she grazed his cheek with the back of her knuckles. “But if trust is what I need to make you mine, then I’ll wait. I’ll wait for the war to end if that’s what you need. I’ll begin to help you more in a professional capacity, keep talking about all things magic with you, make excuses to take you to dinner, run my hands through your hair when no one’s looking, hope that when you become Wizard King, you’ll start to open yourself up more and I’ll probably fall in love along the way, because as terrifying as it is, I see a beautiful soul and I can’t help but be attracted to it like a moth to flame,” she wiped the involuntary tears that gathered at the edge of her lashes as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Due to her drunken disposition, she had basically laid her soul bare and Gods above, that was terrifying. She was really a dumb drunk.

Aika looked up at him with no small amount of hope as Julius stared at her, dazed. He felt a warmth blossom in his heart that made his toes curl and his hairs stand on the end. He had never been on the receiving end of such raw and emotional confession. Love was a far off dream for Julius ever since his very unrequited feelings for Zara, whom he had admired for being the shining example of a Magic Knight, then grew to love because there was nothing more charming than his smile.

Then here she stood, hope in her eyes as wind swept through her hair behind her, a fervent confession hanging between them. Not once during the night they had met and today had Aika never called him anything besides Julius. He wasn’t Captain Julius to her, or even the next Wizard King. He was just Julius. Not some fake name, fake face, or personality. He could belong. The realization made him feel like his chest was going to explode.

Julius held her face between his hands and pressed his forehead to hers as he composed himself. She wrapped her arms around him and cradled the back of his head and nudged him to bury his face in her neck.

Aika felt her heart beat like the rain as his breath quivered against her neck. Did she say something wrong? Was he okay?

“Could you,” he swallowed thickly as he tightened his hold around her. “Could you please just hold me tonight?”

“Of course,” Aika exhaled in relief. He pulled back and his eyes were slightly glassy and his face somber.

“Are you alri—”

He claimed her lips with his in an explosion of desperation. She wound herself tightly around him as she arched into the kiss. He kissed her till they couldn’t breathe. He kissed her with all the words he wanted to say but couldn’t. He poured his all his hope and thanks into it, hoping her brilliant mind would somehow catch it.

Aika tried to pull back to look at him and make sure he was okay, but his lips would seek hers again, open-mouthed and deliberate, determined to consume her whole.

Julius finally let go, slowly, his fingers still buried in her hair.

She found it hard to open her eyes as she swayed lightly on her feet.

“I like you too…” She blinked up at him with wide eyes when he spoke.

“You are the first person to not fawn over me because I’m a Magic Knight Captain or something or another. Talking to you was really fun,” He seemed a little shy to admit it but Aika smiled gratefully. She liked the fact that he liked to communicate too. “and you have a very kissable face too,” he said with a laugh. Aika drew him into a short kiss as they both giggled.

“You still want me to hold you?” She took his hand and looked searchingly in the direction of her house. Julius resisted a blush.

“If that’s okay with you. I don’t even know why I asked.”

“It’s completely fine. As long as you’re okay with my daughter accosting us in the morning.”

Aika winced when he whipped his head around. Whoops, that slipped by accident. Tomorrow was Saturday and a large part of her was always happy to see her daughter on the weekends, so of course it slipped.

“Daughter?”

“Er, yes...She’s ten and I only see her on the weekends.” He looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

“Wh-what happened to the father? If you don’t mind me asking…”

“I don’t mind and he’s still around. We share custody that is all,” she assured him as they walked to the edge of the demon skull.

“...Was he your husband?”

“Oh no! I was never married!” Aika laughed. “He just wanted my firstborn in exchange for a favor. That’s all.”

“What?!” He looked at her hysterically. “What kind of favor?”

“I mean, it’s a long story but he changed the tide of a war at my request and he wanted my firstborn so I instead made a deal to have his child,” she shrugged. “Life was strange back then.”

Julius gaped at her.

“I have so many questions.”

They looped arms as they floated off and down the demon skull.

Aika told a story of a man she met who called himself Arthur. She told him how Arthur changed the course of history many times in exchange for riches or favors. She explained how when she was trying for a child with him, she had become good friends with him and he agreed to let her raise the baby for a year and then share custody. She left out the part where he was actually a fae and only agreed to father a child with her, a human, as part of an unspoken eugenics experiment. They both were secretly fascinated by the fact that a half fae, half human hybrid would almost certainly have two attributes and therefore two grimoires.

“That’s very nice of him,” Julius laughed. This was the most bizarre story he had ever heard in his life.

“I know! They come every weekend so Holly could spend time with me.” Her face broke into a grin. “She’s amazing.”

Julius looked at her with keen interest as she described Holly to him. Moments like these were when he regretted the fact that he didn’t start a family sooner.

“She has blonde hair, my eyes and the most adorable freckles across her nose and cheeks,” Aika giggled in remembrance. They turned right past a thicket of trees. “She may be young but she is determined to be well-versed in world politics and—” She immediately tensed up when her house came into view. She noticed that the lights were on in the living room of her house and the mana masking the fresh remnants of forbidden magic in the backyard was gone.

Julius looked curiously between Aika and the modest-looking two-story house.

“Is that where you live?”

She nodded tightly as her eyes roved over the front of the house, scanning for forced entry.

“Your family seems to be up,” he murmured disappointedly, completely oblivious.

“Julius,” she hissed. “I live alone and Holly does not come on weekdays. It’s a rule we enforce religiously for safety.”

Aika let go of him and flexed her wrists. The wards around her house were also down, meaning someone broke the stone tablet that holds the mana in place.

“Be on guard. We may have a home invader on our hands. I’ll explain later.”

Julius’ back immediately straightened, his eyes sober as he looked at her searchingly.

“Are you sure it’s a cause for concern,” he whispered loudly as they moved silently towards her home.

“Yes, I get assassins sent after me at least once a month. I wasn’t kidding when I said I got chased around the world for my magic.”

He threw her an alarmed look as she shook her head, assuring him that she will explain later.

They wordlessly jumped over the walls surrounding the house and creeped towards one of the windows that gave them a view into the living room. Aika peeked in carefully and nearly choked on her breath when she noticed who sat on the armchair directly facing the front door.

Julius cursed softly behind her.

“Is that your daughter?”

“Yes…”

Holly’s hands were in her lap, covered by a blanket but it was obvious that they were tied together along with her ankles also covered by the blanket. Her eyes were alert and focused resolutely on the front door, no doubt waiting for her arrival.

Aika scanned the living room with measured breaths. Anyone who dared to touch her daughter were going to feel the wrath of a thousand Suns. She knew they couldn’t do real harm to her because that was simply the nature of Holly’s magic. Her spatial magic simply didn’t allow anything to touch her if she willed it. But if Holly let herself be restrained, it meant she was waiting for either Arthur or Aika to deal with the threat.

Where on Earth is Arthur?

“We should go in through the front door,” Julius looked anxiously at Holly. “The unsub is probably hoping to ambush us as we interact with Holly since they went through the lengths to cover her restraints up.”

Aika agreed.

“We have code for anticipating surprise attacks like this. I’ll ask for the time and she’ll tell me which direction the unsub is hiding or will come from if they don’t attack already,”

They linked hands and nodded, all psyched up. They stood in front of the door and Aika raised a hand as she took a deep breath, and knocked.

“I’m home!” she exclaimed with false cheer as she opened the door.

“Hey, mom—Oh. You brought someone home.”

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind,” she looked knowingly at Holly.

“What time is it? I already made some bread and tomato soup if you want to eat.”

Holly exhaled sharply, her eyes darted behind her.

“It’s really late. I think it’s 11 o’clock.”

Immediately, a dark figure jumped out of the closet door at Aika’s eleven o’clock, which was right behind Holly’s chair as they threw something in Julius’ direction.

Julius caught it inside a light blue orb as his hand hovered in front of him.

The attacker held a dagger into Holly’s neck as their hood fell, revealing a gray-haired, fit man, who seemed to be approaching his fifties.

“Surrender now, Sarkany, or yer daughter’s dead, ” he growled in a foreign tongue. Aika vaguely noted it was a Thessalonican dialect as she scanned the man for any identifiers like a crest, tattoo or anything that could show any affiliation.

“Where’s your father, Holly?”

“Dad’s in the closet,” she swallowed thickly as she grew greener. “His daggers are iron.”

Aika tsked. Iron was deadly poisonous to the fae and could make half-fae sick. But she wasn’t going to be worried about Arthur because tonight was the waxing moon and his innate Moon Magic would neutralize any iron poisoning.

The man snarled as he pressed the dagger harder against Holly’s neck.

“I don’t think you understand the seriousness of my words. Perhaps a cut or two would drive the point home?”

“No, I don’t think you understand,” Julius began in Greek, much to Aika’s surprise. “If you don’t let go of her now, there will be a hole in your chest,” He raised a spheroid of his mana encircled by Roman numerals.

She waved away the many questions that popped up as she urged him to put him hand down.

“It’s alright, Julius,” Aika nodded permissively at Holly. “Come here, Holly.”

Holly slackened in her seat and phased through the dagger and restraints holding her in place. She turned to her attacker with a feral smile as he was caught off-guard by her movement.

Then suddenly, he was slammed against the wall as his dagger clattered to the floor, his form pinned against the wall like a cross by an unknown force.

Holly walked up to her mother with an overly-pleased smile and leaned forward expectantly.

“Good job, Holly,” she praised with a laugh as she patted her head, subtly healing the little knick in her daughter’s neck. “You’ll make a brilliant operative one day.”

“Operative? I’m going to be the Queen. ”

Aika huffed. Her daughter wanted to be the Faerie Queen, a title earned by passing a series of rigorous tests, evaluations of intentions, and demonstration of significant power capable enough to protect all fae. It was one of the most difficult jobs in the world and she couldn’t be any prouder as a mother to see her daughter dreaming big and working hard.

“Woah! What kind of magic is that!?” Julius exclaimed, enthralled by what he had just witnessed. “You just passed through the knife and blanket! Is that some kind of evolved version of spatial magic?!”

“...yes?”

“Oh my god, that’s so cool! I’m Julius by the way!” he offered a hand for her to shake. “Nice to meet you!”

“Hello, Mr. Julius...Nice to meet you too,” she threw a baffled expression at Aika as she slowly shook his hand. “I’m Holly.”

Aika examined the hovering object inside Julius’ spell. He badgered Holly with questions while she threw concerned looks at their captive, who strained against the invisible force holding him in place. Aika paled when she realized what the assassin threw. It was a flat circular token with explosion runes inscribed onto them. Anything that touches the flat side would explode irreparably. If it touched a human being, it would be an instant kill.

The assassin threw that at Julius. He hurt Holly and Arthur. Her vision flashed red.

In a blink, Aika was on the other side of the room where she threw a solid punch across the man’s jaw. His head whipped to the side and spat blood as it dribbled down his chin.

“What’s your name?”

He grinned toothily, showing off his bloody teeth.

“You’re already dead, Sarkany. We will all be dead.”

She punched him again. This time his head lolled unsteadily, skirting the edge of unconsciousness. Julius tried to turn Holly away from the scene but she shrugged his hand off and shook her head. Her mom was usually far more composed but today was unusual.

Holly sniffed and nearly gagged when her incredibly sensitive nose picked up the smell of whiskey and something musky coming from the man next to her and her mom. She scrutinized Julius and raised an eyebrow when she noticed a faint, blue, star tattoo on his forehead similar to the one her mom was sporting. She also noticed that he was this kingdom’s mage warrior, a Magic Knight, she faintly recalled.

“Let’s start again. What’s your name?”

“Sven,” he rasped.

“Sven. Why are we all going to die, Sven?”

“I hurt your daughter and her father,” he wheezed. “I attempted to hurt your Greek friend over there,” he looked up at her with a crooked smile. “You’re going to kill me and the moment I die, I’m taking everyone in this village down with me.”

Aika’s heart stuttered at his words. There were no visible runes on him so she tore his tunic apart and stared at the bright, red runes carved into his chest. If he died, he was going to use the release of his mana to power an explosion big enough to wipe out the countryside. If she spared his life, she would have to make sure he didn’t kill himself. That wasn’t going to happen going by the crazed look in his eyes.

Aika hovered her hand over his chest and tried to undo the carved runes but just as she predicted, he had mana resistance. She used her last potion on Julius and the potion wasn’t on the market yet.

“What’s wrong?” Julius padded over silently to her side.

“He is going to kill himself if we hold him captive and when he does, everything in a 2 kilometer radius is going to be destroyed by an explosion.”

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She had a bad feeling about this. She needed to make sure.

Aika sped up the time of the mana around her and strained her senses to pick up a sound, a vision or even a smell.

She coughed violently when the smell of smoke and burning flesh filled up her lungs and her ears rang faintly from an echo of a detonation.

“Aika, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she stared hard at Sven as she swallowed the lump in her throat. There was only one way that the explosion was inevitable. “Holly, can you open his mouth wide?”

Holly flicked her wrist and an invisible force pried Sven’s mouth open. Aika and Julius strained to look inside and their eyes widened when they noticed more runes. These ones were the same as the ones on his chest but they only needed blood to activate, blood which was already in his mouth.

He was dying anyway. His mana was slowly being sapped to power the runes and his chest was expanding outwards to build up an explosion.

“Holly, let go of him!” She needed to get him as far away from here as possible.

“Wait, what? What are you doing?” Julius exclaimed as Aika picked up Sven from where he crumpled on the floor. She jogged to the front door and kicked it open.

“Julius, watch over Holly for me please!”

“Wait, I can contain the explosion!” He called out as he followed her outside. She whipped her head around.

“Are you sure?! This is forbidden magic. I don’t think it’s that easy.”

Julius nodded, his brows furrowed in determination.

“We need distance but I’m sure I could do it.”

“I’m going to throw him high. Could you contain him then?”

He nodded, his fingers clawed as he gathered his mana.

Aika put her arms under Sven’s armpits and held him tight and began spinning to gather momentum. She spun until she was blur then changed course, tilted sideways and flung him straight up as she accelerated his speed with a touch of her magic.

Julius shot his spell after Sven’s ragdoll form and it caught up to him when he broke through the clouds.

For a moment, his prone body stayed suspended inside the spell, and with a flash, he exploded.

From where Julius, Aika and Holly stood, they heard a faint bang and a small ball of light up for a few seconds before it was silent.

Aika felt faint as everything caught up to her. She collapsed to her knees in relief and buried her face in her hands.

“Oh my fucking god, we all nearly died.”

Notes: I have a genuine question: Is my writing ok? Like idk I think its readable and im not like insecure abt it but no one besides my beta comments on my writing so idk what yall thoughts are.

Next chapter we meet Arthur, some hand-holding ;) and the final battle begins.

#julius novachrono #oc: aika tolliver #julius novachrono x oc #black clover oc #black clover #damn this was a whole ride #i made some memes for this chapter too #i wanna hold julius TvT #julius is a switch #sub julius novachrono #julius novachrono x reader #demons run #my fic

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rontra · 5 years

Note

do you have any recommendations on how to like. Take In Umineko. I think it looks really cool and I’d like to get into it, but there’s a lot of things that are confusing (like all of the different games, the manga, the anime, ect.) and I’m not really sure where to start watching/reading it. Do you have any advice on where the best place to start is?

HOH BABY NOW THIS IS A GOOD ASK

Basically, a lot of this depends on you and how you prefer to take in media. People are different after all; some people like reading long novels, some prefer comics, u know! So let’s just go over all the avenues and how to get at them, and the rest is up to you!

I’m gonna make this post very long. VERY VERY LONG. IM SO FUCKn SORyr

First, I’ll talk abt what umineko is; then I’ll discuss the various media; finally, at the end, I’ll write down what I typically recommend to newcomers! SCROLL REALLY FAST TO THE HEADERS IF U HAVE NO TIME FOR MY RAMBLING LOL

So…here we goooo

READING UMINEKO: UNTANGLING THE WEB

OR: what the fuck is umineko and why do you want me to read it, diesel?

Since this is a general To Whom It May Concern post: Umineko no Naku Koro ni (Or Umineko: When They Cry, alternatively When The Seagulls Cry) is a murder mystery/fantasy/metafiction visual novel published between 2007 and 2011. I know “murder mystery” and “metafiction” sound pretty boring when you combine them, but trust me–Umineko’s unlike anything you’ve seen, and defies explanation. Still, I’m here to do my best!

Umineko is about a rich and complicated family, and their annual family conference–and the year it goes super duper badly. On an isolated island, in the middle of a typhoon, tragedy befalls the family–on a massive scale! Someone is killing them–all of them–and the only answer that seems to be rising is–

“Beatrice did it.”

But Beatrice isn’t supposed to really exist. Not for real!! No one by that name is on the island. It’s just a story! She’s made up–Beatrice is a legend. A witch who has lived for a thousand years–who loaned the family patriarch ten tons of gold, an insane amount of wealth, in exchange for his soul. Now she’s collecting on that loan, taking everything back, with interest–the lives of the family included.

Is the culprit a human, or not? Does the witch exist, or not?Is the culprit one of the 18 people? Does a 19th person exist? Or…?And, most importantly–when the typhoon passes, will anyone remain alive on the island?

[YouTube: Umineko opening]

I’d super-recommend Umineko if you enjoy: strong characterization, a solidly built mystery (with plenty of smaller mysteries to try your brain with along the way ;) ), complex and nuanced characters, hype magic fights, Logic-Based Combat(???), deep discussions of trauma and its consequences, large casts of characters, Genre Fuckery, coping, Meta™, and milfs Complex Lore

I would, however, NOT recommend Umineko if you are triggered by/can’t stomach reading about: body horror, gore, death, trauma, child abuse, bullying, discussion of suicide, discussion of sexual assault, etc (you can message me for a more complete list of warnings; I’m happy to provide super-specific ones if there’s something specific you’re concerned about, or even give you specific scenes to watch out for. I kept this vague on purpose, but if you message me off anon or via DMs here or at @aceyasu, I’ll be happy to answer anything!)

Overall it’s a pretty dark, emotional story, with a lot of Themes™–but it’s also full of love and genuine heartfelt Feelings. I don’t think any story has touched me the way Umineko has! Of course, everyone’s experience is very unique to them, but I think Umineko has something for everyone (provided, of course, that we’re taking into account the content warnings and excluding people who can’t/don’t want to encounter those things!). The characters, music, story and message–it all has a lot of heart and it all is very important to me as an individual. Obviously no media is flawless, but I think Umineko’s good outweighs its bad…YMMV though of course :p

Also, hype magic fights.

OKAY WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY

Umineko’s story is told over 8 arcs–styled as “episodes”. I use “arc” and “episode” sort of interchangeably! Specific ones I just call “EP#” though. All you really need to know though is there’s 8 of them, of varying length, and you have to read them all for the full story.

Thankfully they’re numbered, am i right?? HAFDmgkdfmg

Each episode has its own focus within the overarching narrative and comes with its own fun mysteries and harrowing developments just for you! yay! But basically, the important thing is that they’re divided into the Question Arcs (1-4) and Answer Arcs (5-8).

Sometimes, to make things confusing, the Answer Arcs are also called “Core Arcs” or “Chiru”. I will use “Answer Arcs” here, but if you encounter those two elsewhere, that’s what they are. :p

ACTUALLY EXPERIENCING UMINEKO

(now that im done YAPPING)

The anime

Generally viewed as a poor product. It’s a bad adaption that fails as a standalone, too, because of the amount of important scenes that are missing. Don’t watch the anime first if you really want to get into Umineko. It’s a fun watch once you know how it’s supposed to go, though :p Covers the Question Arcs only, ends with EP4–so even if it was good, it would only be half the story… press f to pay respects. The opening fuckin slaps though, and all the VAs are solid.

The manga

Each Episode has its own manga adaption, usually done by a different artist (with exception of EP1, EP3, and EP8, which are all by the same artist). Generally solid; gets the most important parts. For people who want to get through quicker, the manga helps a lot.

The primary cost is that a lot of characterization doesn’t get to shine AS bright, as there’s simply no time to get into the nooks and crannies (still a great cast, though). However, the art is usually fantastic–since the artist changes every EP, it’s easy to deal with even if you don’t like a specific one’s style. It’ll be gone by next Episode!

A lot of moments get punched up by the more visual format of the manga. You really get a better sense of the characters interacting physically with one another! You do, however, run into the Scanlation Problem…..

I know, I know–most people, when given the option to, don’t want to pay for things. So when given the choice between fan scanlations and the official release, a lot of people would choose the scanlations. And they’re fine…for the most part…except for the parts that aren’t. Some parts (notably in the Answer Arcs) are…bad. Really bad. Even I can’t really understand it sometimes, despite knowing this story inside out… LOL

If you’re good at parsing Scanlation SNAFU or can’t afford/don’t want to buy it, you can find Umineko on MOST manga hosts! I don’t know which you prefer so I’m not gonna link ‘em hahahafkgmfh I usually use Manga Rock but that’s because I usually am reading on my phone and I like their app. The episodes are all numbered, so it’s pretty easy to find your way around!

On the other hand, if you have a hard time understanding poor translations, reading inconsistent typesetting/fonts, or simply Can afford it/prefer buying media, the manga is being officially released in English by YenPress! As is standard nowadays, you can get them in both physical volumes and digital e-books! However, YenPress’ release is currently ongoing–the first volume of EP8 is slated to release in March.

[YenPress link]

The visual novel

Ah, here we are–the head honcho himself…! This is the original version of Umineko. These are the ones we call “games”, and why we sometimes say u “play” Umineko, but. Really. It’s just reading. They’re kinetic novels. Its literally just reading. So I don’t know why we complicate things like that.

(“if she an .exe, shes a game”, I guess… xD)

This is where the characterization and voice of Umineko really shines! The style is often simple to read, sometimes even comically casual, but it cuts deep when it wants to. Even really simple lines can have a really strong impact–it’s a really pleasant style to read, IMO…pretty easy to understand most of the time, but emotionally resonant all the same!

Reading the VN is somewhat of an undertaking, because of the amount of hours required…It’s a far longer read. Depending on your reading speed and whether or not you pause to think/talk about things as you read, people clock in 100-200 hours to finish it.

But, on the upside–because it has so much more time than the manga, the VN can really get deep into the characters, their dynamics, and their inner conflicts. You really get a deep sense for everyone’s character and it makes most of the cast feel fleshed-out enough that you appreciate all of them to some extent (whether positive or negative :P)

Oh, actually–the original Umineko branded itself a “Sound Novel”….as opposed to a Visual Novel, where the emphasis is on, uh–Visuals–Umineko leans more heavily on audio to create its atmosphere. And the music? Fuckin rips!! The Umineko soundtrack is huge and has tons of absolute bangers. It’s easy to see why it decided to market itself as a Sound Novel rather than a visual novel–the graphics of the original PC version are simple, but the atmospheric sound effects and BGM really shines.

Here’s some enticing tracks to pique yr interest (be careful about the comments/etc though, there’s Definitely spoilers in there xD)[worldenddominator] [dead angle] [dir] [system0] [hope]

The VN nowadays is split into the two halves; if you get EP4, it’ll include 1-3 as well, essentially. Picking up Question Arcs (or EP4) and Answer Arcs (or EP8) gives u the whole 8 episodes. Easy peasy! Because we live in the future now, and retroactive inclusion of past games is just convenient!

There is an official English release now, which is a brand new luxury. It’s even on Steam! Wow! That’s the easiest way to get your paws on the hands-on experience. The translation has been slightly updated as well! Also, they added a new set of toggle-able graphics that are…um…I mean they’re certainly new…#BarelyContainedOpinionAlert

If you don’t want to pay or can’t afford it…uhhh….I used to have torrent links but they’re all dead. :T still, you can probably just find them, if you know your way around torrents. For the translation, you’ll have to either get a pre-patched version of the game, or use the translation group’s instructions to patch it yourself.

If you can’t do either of those, or just don’t really have a preference, or…any number of reasons, you can also find all the games fully recorded and uploaded to YouTube (with or without commentary)!

As for the links, I’ve got them right h–

Wait–oh, sh–the graphics are bad?!? You think the graphics are bad? Or you think plain reading is boring? Y-you can’t understand what the background image in this scene is even supposed to be? Ah…the post-2007 struggle….

The visual novel, Part Deux: AH, THE JPEGS edition

OKAY SO I SPLIT THIS APART BECAUSE IT*S IMPORTANT

If you wanna spruce up your VN-reading experience, here’s the thing: they ported the game to PS3, with brand new graphics and–get this–full voice acting. Wow! There’s even CGs now…Jeez!

These are NOT the same graphics as the new ones from the official English release! That’s important!

SO, if you wanna spruce up the graphics a bit, or you enjoy voice acting with your novels, you can do that! People took apart the PS3 games and made patches for the PC version to enjoy the new graphics and voices. And now it’s available for the Steam version as well!

[SPRITE COMPARISON: ORIGINAL PC | PS3 | STEAM]You pick your favorite!

ALSO VOICE ACTING! WOW!! Remember how I said the anime got two things right and they were the OP and the voice cast?

SAME CAST, BABEY!!!! They are all excellent and do a wonderful job! It can really add some more interest if you struggle with staying focused on “plain” reading.

Okay so NOW the links:

You’ll have to dig up torrents yourself if you want those, bc its 6am and I’m too sleepy to… uzu

QUESTION ARCS[Physical Eng release] or [Steam page] +[PS3 PATCH]

ANSWER ARCS[Physical Eng release] or [Steam page] +[PS3 PATCH]

YOUTUBE[Non-commentated, with PS3 patch] you can find more just by searching but this one looks good to me :p

RONTRA OPINIONS / SUGGESTIONS

Personally, I favor the VN for most scenes, but the manga for my light casual reading. Y’know? The VN can be pretty…um…dense, at times.

Ironically, I think EP1 itself might be the biggest hurdle for total first-timers. It’s definitely paced as a “part 1 of 8″ for the first solid portion! By which I mean, it really takes its time establishing the cast and their individual situations. Which isn’t a bad thing–especially in the overarching scope of how long the story is–but if you aren’t sure about the premise, format, or if you’ll enjoy Umineko at all, it can be sort of…challenging.

It all really depends on the individual–things like attention span, investment, and personal preferences, imo. Some people just don’t enjoy reading that much text at once! And that’s fine! Some people love it and that’s fine! Some people think the intro is too long, some people think it’s intriguing from the start. Some really like watching character building, and some prefer to see action happening. Either way is fine, so it’s really up to you!

Usually, if someone isn’t sure, I suggest they try EP1 in manga form first, just to see if the general premise entices them; it’s fully possible to jump back and do the VN if you decide you like it! It sacrifices some characterization in exchange for exploring the main premise a little faster.

Similarly, if you just can’t get into the VN–you can read the entire thing with manga too, if you favor action over the deepest character lore. It’s still a good time and a good experience!

Though, in EP1′s favor–if you ARE sure about it, and are able to dedicate your attention to the first 10-13 hours of set-up, EP1 has one of the most rewarding escalations I’ve encountered! If you are able to sit and read a fairly long-winded introduction, you are rewarded with the most buck wild Popping Off you can imagine.

So there’s nothing wrong with jumping right in there with the VN, if you enjoy reading!

However, if you do find that the VN is dragging too much for you, you can go in reverse too–and finish EP1 by manga, then decide if you want to jump back to the VN or not. I promise, the novels pick up the pace too–it’s just getting all the introductions down that can be daunting, when the initial cast size is a staggering 18 people (plus the LORE has to be established too)!!

Just for you–if you want to get into Umineko, but struggle with EP1, I’ll offer my private archive of YenPress manga rips for EP1–read the manga, official english translation, for free thanks to your dealer friend, rontra,You will have to message me about it, though–off anon or via DMs, here or at @aceyasu.

My favorite setups when I play by myself are either Original PC Graphics + Voice Acting, or Full PS3 Patch. I personally really like the original PC graphics, but I understand some people think they’re kinda…um…Rough, to say the least xD PS3 graphics are a close second for me though.

I don’t really like the steam version’s new sprites. Some people don’t mind them, so it’s up to you what you prefer, but I think they don’t really convey the feeling as well as their counterparts sometimes… :/

But hey, everyone’s got their own opinions!

I also prefer the EP8 manga to the EP8 VN. If I have control over someone’s first playthrough, I always push over to the manga for EP8! In my opinion, it’s a rare instance where the adaption is better than its original. People have different opinions on this, of course, but since this section is My Opinions Central, that’s my opinioooon!!! :D

SO BASICALLY MY OWN PERSONAL PREFERRED STRUCTURE IS

->TRY EP1 (jump over to manga if struggling; if enjoyed manga ep1 until the end, hop back into the VN at EP2 and come back to EP1 if you want to later)

EP2-EP7 VN

EP8 MANGA(EP8 VN if desired afterwards, once the dust settles)

But you’re free to do what you want, of course. ;9

And then after that there’s some spinoffs that I didn’t talk about because that’s a post for another time. (There’s a fighting game! It’s packed full of spoilers.)

AFTERWORD

All in all, Umineko is…big. its very very big. it has a huge cast (the final count comes out to like, almost 70 characters!) and a huge story. and huge feelings.

The manga and the VN are the main avenues of getting into it. It’s easier than it looks at a glance; and yet, more daunting than it seems…

If you have the time and energy to pour hours of your time into it, Umineko is a super worthwhile story that tackles genuinely difficult material with a delicate but honest hand.

It clowns up sometimes and stumbles over its own demographic–see: Weird Vaguely Unpleasant Anime-brand Sex Comedy that springs up a lot in EP1, some in EP2, and then largely disappears save for a few dumb jokes here and there–but overall is a solidly built and solidly delivered story about trauma, love, loss, and getting your family ritual-murdered by a thousand-year-old witch who may or may not be real.

And if you have any questions at all (or just wanna talk Umineko), you can send an ask or IM me here or at @aceyasu–you can ask for my Discord too if you wanna really get into it. Or DM me on twitter! I’m happy to answer any question or elaborate on anything you’re confused about. I tried to go over this post quickly, so if I was too vague on something, feel free to ask!

The same of course applies to content warnings; if there’s something specific you’re worried about, I can answer it for you, whether it’s “does [specific thing] happen/appear” or “how much of [thing] is there, i can handle a little bit”! Anything! Of course I want people to read my favorite, but I also more than that want u all to be safe.

I’m very sorry that this post is literally three thousand words long. Umineko’s been my special interest for almost ten whole years. I get chatty! But hopefully my passion shines through and gets you excited!!!

LOVE, A BIG NERD

#Anonymous #long post #the umineko post

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the-nysh · 5 years

Note

Asghkfd I knoow everyone is tired of this topic by now especially you but I just read what I think is all your posts about the Shed In the Woods Arc it really made deappreciate how the anime skimmed details I mean yeah last two eps were animated great but I really didn't catch any of what you pointed out until I read the manga and I actually agree with your be grateful for what you get philosophy but now there's millions of people who at this point haven't even experienced the same story

I am being extremely rambly and grammatically incorrect rn but I recently stopped reading LNs because they often had bad animes which cut and changed so much I couldn’t even talk about them with anime onlys bc we had experienced different stories at that point. I switched to manga anime to avoid that and I’ve only watched three (I’m slow) so far I just wanted to talk abt OPM not holding up even if you like all it’s versions because I really like reading your thoughts okay I’m done

Oh anon. :’3 You’ve gone through and read everything, omg I’m glad you enjoy and get something out of reading my thoughts/content!

I can understand what you’re saying about LN adaptations though, with them often getting cut and rearranged, so in comparison I’m glad many current adaptations based on mangas are usually quite faithful nowadays. Back in the mid/late 00s the trend was for either completely diverging anime-original endings (way different from the source material), or longass filler arcs just to pad things out until the manga caught up with more material to adapt. So whew, I’m glad it seems the more recent manga adaptations aren’t quite done like that anymore, including opm. So in that sense, I’m glad the anime’s version of the story we’re getting is still relatively the same. While yes, things have to be cut/condensed to fit the anime format (even s1 isn’t exempt from doing this), that’s the general rule of thumb for most animes anyway. It’s also why I usually prefer mangas in general, to both read at my own pace and get the most (usually, better) content out of it at once.

Concerning fans experiencing different parts of the story, that kinda comes with the territory of having it exist in 3 ways (anime, manga, webcomic), with each one progressing at different parts of the same timeline. Some fans may only choose to view one, and not know anything about the rest (which remains their prerogative). So yeah it can get hard to discuss spoilery/canon things when not everyone has the full picture yet (incomplete both story wise and character wise). But the other charm with that comes from seeing how their perceptions gradually change as more gets revealed to them in the format of their choosing. I think it’s fun to stay up to date with all 3, to catch similar things that ONE might put in them concurrently (which in the manga’s case, becomes even more context/foreshadowing for stuff that’ll be covered later in the webcomic). Plus with the manga expanding and adding more content compared to the webcomic, it makes the manga experience fresh and unknown even to webcomic readers.

The anime showing us even a condensed version of the manga makes the story accessible to more viewers, so in that sense YES I still certainly hope a s3 eventually gets made. As there’s many lingering parts of the story (especially the immediate followup after the EC fight) that I still really want to see animated/voiced. While yes, I would prefer to see it done in the highest quality it deserves, if the studio does not change, then hopefully we can get at least a more experienced director and better sound director (passionate animator jumpaoki still deserves to come back no matter what). So with that said, I’m still looking forward to whatever comes (including possible bluray changes), because the worst option would be if a s3 never gets made at all. :’)

#Anonymous #replies #opm #long post #i'm glad people enjoy and get stuff out of my ramblings too :'D #there's always new things to find and appreciate about opm #and getting new versions of the story increases that EVEN more #so i wouldn't want that to stop either :')

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simpingforthisonedeer · 4 years

Link

Chapter 2: The War Room

Summary: You'll learn more abt Aika and Julius gets some time in the spotlight and shows off his military genius :)))

Notes: Like in BC canon, everyone's like omggg hes such an amazing wizard king who brings us so many victories!!! but we never actually see any of his ideas and plans? So i've decided to showcase that in this fic

A week later, Aika hummed a playful tune as she planted a few wisteria trees around the Magic Knights Headquarters. Lord Raymond, the current Wizard King, was planning a stressful military campaign against another imminent invasion from the Diamond Kingdom so Aika planted a few trees for him to enjoy whenever he relaxed in the gardens to get away from work.

Aika had helped Lord Raymond with foreign matters over the years and had grown to become good friends with the older man. It was only by accident that they found that his dead younger brother was Aika’s father.

Years ago, she was selling paintings her father had painted before he died and in curiosity, Raymond came to the pseudo-art show. When he noticed the artist’s name and signature, he knew it was his brother. Needless to say, Aika was ecstatic. She had lost her entire family at sixteen and finding family again nearly two decades later was like a dream come true.

Though she was his niece, her experience and information from other kingdoms was something Lord Raymond highly valued and since Aika needed a cover for her work. So she worked as an unofficial consultant to him. She would rather not be paid by her own family.

She stood up as she dusted the dirt from her knees. Aika curled her toes to grip and grass and tightly clasped the plant stone in her right palm. She took a deep breath in, spread her arms out towards the little grove and pushed her magic into the seeds and willed them to grow.

She couldn’t grow plants quickly with Time Magic alone because she would have to accelerate the day-night cycle and provide the plants with constant water and nutrition, theoretically speaking. But Plant Magic, on the other hand, doesn’t have such limitations and plants could grow just with magic alone with extra magical properties. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

Aika had noted that Time and Plant magic shared similar properties because during her studies, she had found that magic wasn’t a catalyst in some Plant Mages cases but actually accelerated time while providing all that the plant needed to grow. In other Plant mages’ cases, most notably the ones who grew plants slower, the magic only acts as an accelerant with no time magic in play.

Aika dodged as a clump of hard dirt nearly hit her in the face when the trees sprouted and rose rapidly. She watched with a small smile as the vine-like branches grew and sprouted wisteria flowers that shone in the afternoon sun. She had no doubt that they would glow in the night as well.

“Miss Aika!” her guard’s voice yelled out.

“I’m fine!” she yelled back as she adjusted her sun hat.

“No, Miss Aika,” he ran to her side. “The Wizard King wants you in the Captain’s Conference room immediately.”

“Oh? Did he say what for, Evan?” Aika adjusted her plaid skirt.

“He said it’s time you were brought in,” Evan gave her a knowing look. Aika sighed. Today was going to be a long day. At least this meant that she didn’t have to wear that god-awful amulet that made people forget her.

“Alright, thank you. Take the rest of the day off. I’m sorry I can’t join you, Ellie and Jayce tonight.”

“Yes, ma’am and it’s alright. The trees look really beautiful by the way.”

“Thank you, Evan.”

She turned and looked up at the Headquarters Tower with a squint.

It’s time, huh? Is it really that serious, Uncle Ray? Aika thought as she slipped into her heels.

She slid her backpack on and waved ‘bye’ to her guard as she flew to the arched, slightly open, clover windows of the conference room. She hid her mana and flew a little to the side of the windows and peeked in.

Her Uncle had his back to her as he faced seven captains. By the way he was gesticulating at Lord Silva, the Silver Eagles Captain, Aika could tell he was getting impatient for some reason. The walls and tables were strewn with papers blotted with inks of various colors. The rest of the Captains were in deep discussion in varying states of distress, no doubt about the upcoming confrontation with the Diamond kingdom.

She looked around at the Captains for one particular one. Her eyes met Julius’ and she grinned openly. She gave him a hesitant wave at the confused tilt of his head. Maybe he forgot her? A few Captains looked her way along with Julius, suspicious of the woman by the window.

Aika quickly sobered as she lightly touched the window. She wasn’t here for him. Maybe she’ll talk to him after whatever her Uncle needed her to do. He had been plaguing her mind for days , like who gave him permission to do that? Maybe another sit down with him will reveal something about him that will annoy her nitpicking self and she will completely stop idealizing him. Yeah, that’s a good idea.

She slipped between the windows and into the room, as quiet as a breeze. All the captains except Julius and Captain Vermillion stood and moved to attack but Lord Raymond whipped his head around and motioned the Captains to stop.

“Why use the window when there is a perfectly serviceable door, Aika?” her Uncle asked in a bored voice.

“Why use the door when there is a perfectly serviceable window, sir?” She retorted as she took off her hat with a flourish. He shook his head with a scoff.

“Enough with the cheek.”

“Yes, sir.”

Aika clasped her hands and clicked her heels together as she turned to the conference table where all the standing Captains sat down slowly, all eyes on her. They all might’ve seen her around the Magic Knights Headquarters, sitting on the floor in the hallways or in the gardens with a bunch of books and papers scattered haphazardly around her or running around with maids and guards but they would’ve all forgotten about her, thanks to her amulet. And she hasn’t been in the Clover Kingdom in a couple years so she doesn’t expect anyone except Captain Vermilion to remember her.

She had always worked behind the scenes on this continent, running her businesses, private clandestine services, professional development, etc, so she had to stay lowkey to protect her identity and her work. But when she needed to continue her work without arousing suspicion and provide information to the next Wizard King, she needed to step up into the spotlight once again, at least until some trust was established. A spy network was incredibly valuable to her Uncle and his agenda to clean up the criminal underworld from the worst of its traits like slavery, forced prostitution, anti-monarchist movements, and apocalyptic cults.

But Aika herself had personal value for her strategies, diplomacy, connections, and experience in foreign warfare. And so, here she was, her position and identity exposed along with her physique too coincidentally, in the tight, black sweater and thigh length skirt she wore.

The price I pay for trying to feel sexy today.

She was pleased to note Julius’ eyes roving over her with a small smile. She winked when his eyes met hers. He looked away with a small blush. Aika wouldn’t mind working with such delicious eye candy.

“This is Aika Tolliver,” Raymond began as he faced the Captains. “She will help us pinpoint which General will be attacking us this time and where.”

“Who is she, exactly?” The Purple Orcas’ captain asked as she leaned forward, her gray eyes scrutinizing her.

“Her curriculum vitae is irrelevant,” Raymond sat down in his chair with a heavy sigh. “What she knows and what she can do for us is the only thing we’re going to discuss today.”

“Gosh, is he like this all the time?” Aika asked jokingly as she leaned on the table and crossed her arms. While she won’t outright tell them that she was his niece, if he was going to bring her in front of the captains, she was definitely going to have a lot of fun implicating all sorts of things that will leave the captains confused about who she is to the Wizard King.

“Aika, not the time.”

“Alright, alright,” she set her hat down on his desk with an amused smile and took out a leather-bound notebook and a fountain pen. She looked up at the captains with a mild look.

“Long story short, I’m an off-the-record tactical strategist who helps Lord Raymond every now and then,” Aika looked down and flipped through the pages of her notebook as she continued. “I didn’t want my name to be known for my own privacy and the safety of my assets. That’s why I was never brought in but I assume the situation is dire if Master Raymond wanted to bring me in front of the captains.”

Said captains stayed silent as they processed the vague information. Aika looked apologetically at Julius. For all Julius knew, she lied to him but he shrugged and shook his head with a small smile.

“So what is the issue here?” She quickly skimmed the papers next to her. There were several different combinations of squads that could be dispatched but it was all useless if they didn’t know which general or generals they would be facing. In her opinion, they should bring down the hammer and send out all the squads and end this mess once and for all. “I’ve already told Master Raymond what generals and where and I’ve given him the maps of the location of the fortress their brigades have relocated to. I've also said when. They are going to execute their plan next Saturday.”

“Captain Silva here doesn’t believe me,” Raymond crossed his arms and glared at the silver-haired man.

“Well, now it’s even worse,” Silva slammed his fist on the table. “because your information comes from a dubious source we have never heard of!” he barked, spittle flying as he pointed an accusing finger at Aika. Raymond was about to retort but Aika only hummed thoughtfully at his outraged face.

She knew Captain Silva and Uncle Raymond had a fierce rivalry because they both had Water Magic, but it should’ve ended when her Uncle became the Magic Emperor. But Captain Silva still seemed to hold a grudge and Aika also knew that he had become severely depressed and irritable after Lady Acier’s death and the stress of this war was really getting to him so she bit back a reflexively cutting remark. She took the diplomatic route instead.

“I definitely understand where you’re coming from but I can assure you that this information is from our spies in the Diamond Kingdom.”

“Lies! We don’t have any spies in the Diamond Kingdom!”

Julius quickly moved to interject when he noticed Aika’s cheek twiched in annoyance. A verbal smackdown like the one he got that night wouldn’t be received well by the proud captain. He saw how easily she shrugged off the pressure he put on her, so he wasn’t taking any chances with an actual confrontation.

“Well, let’s not get hasty,” he addressed the captains gently. He turned to Aika and quickly masked a smile when her face lit up. “Even if we did have spies, the information they’ve given us is wrong. We destroyed the South Fortress last month and Lord Raymond told us that two brigades have relocated to the South Fortress which I assume is the information from our ‘spies.’”

“You assumed correctly, Julius.” His lips twitched up at being addressed so familiarly in front of everyone. “And forgive Master Raymond for not clarifying, he’s just a little sleep-deprived,” she pursed her lips when the captains threw her confused looks at that causal comment. “They’ve moved their operations in the former South Fortress to a black site previously used for human experimentation and other R&D.”

Silence fell over them. Human experiments. While the captains were aware, being reminded of what they had read in the reports of said experiments sickened them.

Aika quietly flipped through her notebook.

“Here it says that Generals Hennequin and Allard have mobilized their forces into the black site, now called the South Fortress.”

“And how can we know for sure,” Julius began mutely. “That what you are saying is true?”

“I’ve been working for the Wizard King for years, providing him with information regarding foreign matters—”

“And don’t forget about unsolicited advice on domestic ones,” Her Uncle’s muffled voice quipped, unaffected by the mention of human experiments. She threw a mocking glare at his head which was now buried in his arms.

“And most of the information I was given was accurate and useful. We take very good care of our assets so malicious betrayal and misinformation is incredibly rare. I can assure you that this information is accurate.”

Julius and the other briefly scrutinized her for any tells that she was lying and were satisfied that they didn’t find any. While they believed her, they were still wary. Aika sighed.

“Now, if we’re done discussing whether facts are actually facts, let’s get back to the planning. We can’t agree on what squads to send,” Raymond groused as he pushed maps of movements that a trio of squads will follow towards Aika. Each map was a different combination of 3 squads and movements and attack sequences. It was all on the surface. But Aika left her Uncle notes in his folder last night about new intel. The two Diamond generals purchased rights to build exclusive tunnels to the Main Channels from the black site which was underground, the Main Channels that lead directly into the Common Realm in the Clover Kingdom.

Aika suppressed the fear that struck her heart and turned to glare at her Uncle for real this time. He didn’t look at the notes she had left and now he was making completely wrong moves. The wrong moves that would cost many civilian lives.

“Master Raymond,” she nearly growled. “I assume you haven’t looked at the new intel and notes I left last night?”

He glared back.

“What new intel?”

“New intel saying that the Diamond Generals bought rights to tunnel into the Main Channels from the black site.”

“What?!”

She sifted through his papers and found the thin folder and showed him the notes and explained the situation.

“So there would most likely be a fight on the surface for a distraction while they invade us through the tunnels, meaning more than two brigades will attack us.”

Aika nodded gravely.

“I’m sorry, what are these tunnels and channels you’re talking about?” The captain of the Praying Mantis, Marcus, asked. A few others nodded, confused as well.

Captain Vermillion cleared his throat to draw attention to him. He sat up straight and his deep voice rang clearly through the room,

“They are talking about The Innkeeper’s Tunnels. The Innkeeper is a neutral, underground organization that provides safe houses indiscriminately. And in order to get to the safe houses, the Innkeeper had built a tunnel system. This tunnel system was built centuries ago and today it’s also used for underground travel, trade, and the black market, across the continent. It is the only way we trade for magic gems with the Diamond Kingdom because of the current hostilities,” He turned to Aika. “I don’t believe The Innkeeper would allow them to send brigades through the tunnels.”

Aika masked her surprise that he even addressed her. He had completely and deliberately cut her off after she broke up with one of his children and now he was talking to her all of a sudden?

Despite his surprising behavior, Aika agreed with his explanation. She remembered when she tailed him on his frequent missions to the criminal underworld so he knew what he was talking about.

“I agree, The Innkeeper wouldn’t allow them, but they have no real means to stop them. They don’t have a private army and the magical barriers won’t hold against two whole brigades.”

“Then they will call in a favor.”

“From who?”

Captain Vermillion leveled his gaze at her.

“From you.”

“No,” Aika said with absolute finality. He raised an eyebrow as she bristled.

“‘No, they won’t ask,’ or ‘No, you won’t do it?’” He knew she wouldn’t and did he really need to bring up her past here?

“No to both, Leonardo,” Raymond cut in with a scowl and changed the topic. “We need to be ready to face them under and over, and that means all squads need to roll out.”

“Actually,” Julius interjected. “We should leak the information that we know,” he suggested. The captains turned to Julius, not surprised by his unorthodox idea. He may be the youngest of the captains at the table at nearly thirty-six years old, but he was also the smartest and the strongest. His unexpectedly brilliant ideas and the strategic way he built his squad left no doubt that he would be a great military leader as The Magic Emperor.

“Why would we do that?” Captain Silva asked as he pressed his fingers to his temples, knowing full well that there was a good explanation coming.

“Because this plan to use the underground tunnels would only work if we are unaware. If they know that we know, and that we would come prepared to the tunnels, they will change their plans. They will think that their element of surprise and lack of resistance is gone, so their chances of winning decreased. And since they don’t know that we leaked it, they would think that we put our squads underground for their ‘attack.’ So they will put their troops on land or air to take us on.”

“But instead,” Aika began quietly as his idea became clear. “we will be prepared to attack with the full weight of our army above ground and overwhelm them completely, giving us a chance to negotiate a ceasefire.”

“No,” Julius laced his fingers together with a cool expression. “We demand a surrender.”

Notes: Julius is lowkey scary in canon and i plan to show more of that in this fic. The end was just a lil taste, but in battle? oooooh I can't wait to write ruthless Julius ;))))

oh and yall should read the hashtags in the posts. There’s info abt next chap in them:)

#julius novachrono #julius novachrono x oc #julius novachrono x reader #can yall believe i did a thorough character study and researched realistic behaviors??#sighh #sorry this was lil plot heavy #the next chapter focuses more on the two lovebirds #so don't worry ;)))#we get to meet Aikas friends and help Julius with his lil liver problem :)

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