#ons chapter 14

[lostsoulaltair]

OnS Analysis - Everything connects. The final spiderweb.

Hello everyone. On the last post I updated, I mentioned I'd talk about certain topic regarding the story along how Yuu might actually underestimate Guren and company but at the end of the day, this is merely an analysis and a theory to some extent.

P.S: Analysis are held within a neutral view

First of all, to some degree it was rather special that Yuu was the first to take independent action regarding his fate along what he wanted to achieve, which of course lead to the Shinoa squad take a path on their own as well.

But now. The first point surges

1. The proof of the spiderweb

To begin with, it is evident that we have had several schemers within the OnS Story, those schemers being: Guren, Mahiru, Rigr Stafford, Ferid Bathory and Shikama Doji.

In the LNs of the Resurrection at 19, it is stated that Shikama Doji or Sika Madu was well known for being someone who could command which empires would rise or fall, leading to having control of "Fate" itself. Of course this changed thanks to Rigr Stafford after he made the Ichinose branch split or distance from the Hiragi Family.

But let's get closer to events that affect the characters.

The fateful encounter

The very first element of this spiderweb between Guren, Yuu, Mika, Mahiru and Ferid lies in the very encounter between Yuu and Guren.

At the beginning, the story itself felt like coincidence but further events proved that the whole meeting and arrival of Guren was planned from the get go which is revealed after 109 chapters, leading to chapter 110.

In chapter 110, Mikaela managed to rewind the events that took place when Yuu and him were children, given that their memories were quite the same and his status as a demon allowed him to spot anomalies, he managed to see who were their schemers along realizing that Ferid organized everything so Yuu could leave along making Mikaela turn into a vampire.

Reunion

The next element to the massive spiderweb is the very fact that the reunion between Mikaela and Yuu once they turned 16 was planned very independent from Guren activating the Seraph within Yuu for the first time.

Of course at such time, such point could easily be misleading given that it was more aligned to human experimentation than what Guren truthfully sought.

But what was the real reason?

Correct. Guren needed Yuu to actually erase his humanity given that at the beginning of the story; among the three wielders of black demon series, only Yuu had the special drugs to trigger the Seraph trait. This eventually would lead for Yuu to lose his humanity due to the abuse he gave along finally touching the trumphet.

Within this, it also played the role that given the love Yuu felt and the signs of Yuu's bonds with the Hyakuya Sect, specially with Mikaela; this lead to the first awkward statement from Yuu.

Purpose

The next part that follows up is the fact of the purpose or reason. Guren never lied in the fact that he needed to use Yuu along Mikaela.

The very first time Guren opened on his use for Yuu given that he was the vital piece for the Resurrection was back in chapter 59.

Now, this might feel like a disconnection but actually, it connects to the fact that in chapters 113-114, Guren explained briefly the requirements for the Resurrection but of course, that wasn't the real plan at all.

The beginning of the battle against the First and the birth of Demon Mikaela.

Now, following up with this, Mikaela's transformation as a Demon wasn't just something that was within sight from the First Progenitor but also a plan from Guren and Mahiru. But what was the whole purpose for it?

Truth to be told, there is actually a purpose but just like the other points, it was made from a finite spiderweb as well.

Given that Mikaela was a test subject for carrying the Michaela Trait and the Seraph Trait, he was bound to be special and among the abilities he had, was the fact that in contrast to the other demons, Mikaela was able to see through Yuu's memories into more depth.

And this of course, eventually led to something Mahiru aimed from the get go, since in chapter 110 she suggested they needed to figure out who they were millenia ago.

Back in chapter 120, Yuu and Mikaela finally chose to discover who they were but, the question might pop: If the purpose was for them to see their memories and identities, was there a need to split them?

This connects to the next point.

2.Is Yuu in control of his own fate or is he actually dancing on Guren's palm?

Answering the question in point 1; there is actually a reason as to why Guren, Mahiru and Ferid needed the Squad to split but this is divided in two points.

1. Adquiring the remaining sinful keys.

First of all, way back from old chapters, it was known that there were seven sinful keys, but so far, we were able to see in total 4 within the manga, one being held by Yuu in chapter 139 making them 5, and lastly the mystery of the remaining two as shown in the same chapter.

(Side note: I know that in the LN of the Resurrection we see Mahiru getting one on her neck...though, as to why now there are physically 5 in the current manga, I don't know, perhaps that sinful key Mahiru got had its use or was more akin to a prototype. This is mere speculation)

Given that Shinoa was aware that Guren and Mahiru along the aid of Ferid were pretty much planning things without letting vital information float for the whole squad, and considering the lack of power at that time. Shinoa's squad pretty much stayed like lambs, taking in consideration that Yoichi and Kimizuki never got their Seraph trait exploited like Yuu. This left with the consequence of an umbalanced Squad and any hope of fighting against Guren would be a complete loss.

But given the new events of Shinoa finally analyzing everything that has happened so far along gaining coinfidence, this led for her to finally have a vast amount of power along ensuring her friends and family aren't deceived any longer by fake promises.

Along this, she is aware Ferid is stupidly smart, she was aware that Guren's team made Ferid keep an eye on them hence why she spied on them back in chapter 139; this of course led for her to know that within her squad there are two sinful key sources which of course are Yoichi Saotome and Shiho Kimizuki.

2. Divide and Conquer. Dancing in the palm of Guren

While it's good that Yuu and Mika chose their fate to their own hands; Mika and Yuu are pretty much dividing and conquering but there's one issue here. Which is it?

Correct. He's not the only one using such tactic. The second one using them from the very beginning was Guren's team.

But why?

Back in chapter 130, there was a flashback showing Ferid, Guren and very likely ghost type Mahiru to check the memories of Yuu and Mika, leaving an open ending about such events.

But why do I state they're still dancing to someone's tune?

Given that Guren exploited the nature of Mikaela's distrust towards humanity along having the knowledge of Mahiru of how perceptive he was; Guren knew that if the Squad along Yuu and Mika, there would be a difference in terms of power given that the squad would have played the role of supporters in a real combat.

Hence why instead of making such scenario, the best one was of dividing and conquering while making certain Yuu and Mika would dive into their pasts along ensuring to get one special thing Guren needs. What could it be?

Correct. The three spells and power of the First.

But how can I state this?

This follows up by the nature of the First. He was secretive always evading and making his web to counter possibilities but what he didn't have in sight was the very issue that Guren was one of the few that could go against such flow along the inclusion of Ferid Bathory to such team.

But in order to trigger such massive miracle, they need power of an equivalent force for such miracle.

Yuu and Mika so far have joined with the progenitors but at the same time, those progenitors are the very target of Ferid Bathory. Quite ironic isn't it?

At the end, it is possible that a decisive battle between Guren and Yuu takes place and this time won't be about letting win someone but rather defeating and proceeding with their agenda.

What do you think guys? Let me know !

[carrotchipper]

my hero minecraft

[yaolmao]

What everyone actually got from the recent episode:

[devildomwriter]

“I don’t want anyone else deciding humanity’s future for us. I don’t care whether they’re angels or demons. Humans aren’t puppets for others to manipulate as they please. We should have the right to forge our own path and decide our own future. And I want to create a world in which we can do that. For that to happen, we have to convince angels and demons that we’re their equals. Which is why I need to be more powerful than I am… I’d love it if you could help me. Your support would mean a lot.”

— Solomon to MC (Nightbringer Chapter 14-16)

[evil-swedenish]

Post ch 14 cas, you hopeless romantic you

[nebrasska-alasska]

hey nebrasska how many chapters you think from the shadows of the deep will have?

Hello there! The next upload, chapter 14, will finally have the chapter count revealed. So you shall find out very soon!!! ;)))

[blackwaves]

reading into irl ichiyo higuchi and dwelling on the statement that ichiyo was bound by the structure of acceptable writing for female writers at the time — having to recreate a performance of feminity which contradicted and moved around the actual way women spoke, & which notably did not come naturally to her — but managed to make it her own + express assertiveness within it nonetheless.

anyway this is all just to say that i'm so fond of the bsd higuchi-centric chapter which says she's not naturally suited the port mafia, but that she stays and tries anyway. the way she gains respect via throwing herself into a fight she expects to lose from the motivation of her love/loyalty for akutagawa. thinking primarily of ch.77 where tachihara's suitability to the mafia is defined in his recklessness, passion, and bravery— there is something to me there about how she makes those traits her own.

[insertsomthinawesome]

Warmonger.

+ silly addition under the read more

[phoenixwithapencil]

Here’s an evil thought: a version of ffxv where all the foundational bits are the same.

Except

There is no decade long reflection.

I think a decade of darkness, a decade of Noct being all but dead, a decade of being curled up in the void with naught but endless blue and Bahamut and memories as company, at the end of which everyone walks into the capital chin up and dressed to the nines to go kick ass knowing the ending and accepting it- makes the whole thing feel very fair, very regal. It’s all very just, don’t you think?

But without it, Noct is twenty and he touches the crystal and gets its powers-

And then he gets the truth.

Does that feel just?

You’re going to fight Ardyn, Bahamut will inform Noctis, and you must not die before you defeat him. And then you will die afterwards. To save the world, of course.

Does that feel just?

Noctis ascends the throne at twenty, bruised and battered and wearing raiment that feels like dressing up in his father’s clothes. He says goodbye to his friends, who at most a month ago believed their journey had reached a happy end with a wedding in Altissia. Their friend will die and the world will keep spinning for it and time will march on for it. Noct’s voice wavers, cracks, as he tells his friends to walk tall.

And then he’s gone.

Does that feel just?

Anywho thanks for listening to the nth reason for ‘why Bahamut is actually just a vile trickster masquerading as an arbiter of justice and is the true BBEG of ffxv’ (because without that decade timeout corner no one would be remotely as chill about the ending as they end up being)

[uhcasual]

Mo Dao Zu Shi Manga - Chapter 3 English translation

Finished my English translation of Chapter 3 of the MDZS manga!

Support the official release and buy the Japanese manga at cmoa.jp (It's only around $2.00 per chapter)

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

Mangadex link

Happy birthday Wei Wuxian!

(Next chapter Nov 13th/14th!)

[melchinafan]

Oh, another thought just occurred to me that made me gasp real soft because ow, my heart.

First, to set up what led to the thought, I'll establish something else I noticed in chapter 14. Spoilers ahead:

At the end of the game, you finally get the opportunity to sit in the Flood graveyard without the stress of the storm, and take a moment with Trey's mausoleum if you wish. It's even interactive, letting you get a comment from Hazel and a nice, zoomed-in view of what it says. But if you look closely, you'll notice that there is an owl head at the top of the Flood family crest. (This is theoretically also visible on things like, say, the fancy plates you can see at other points in the game. But it would be too small to make out on those, unless you knew to look.)

After this, you head into the mansion proper. And perched near the broken wall as you exit the graveyard? Is an owl. One that slowly, slowly flies ahead of you, escorting you all the way to the mansion itself. At this point, if you hadn't guessed earlier in the game, it becomes clear that this owl—the one that had landed on the balcony railing when you first hear the strands call to Hazel, and indeed, can occasionally be found flying ahead of you on your path throughout the story—is Trey. Or rather, his spirit, manifested in the form of an owl. It's a lovely little detail, having him help Hazel in what ways he can, while she searches for Lacey.

EDIT: I replayed chapter 1 to grab some extra screenshots for a pair of posts I'm working on (about when SoM takes place), and need to add this detail that I'd forgotten. As Hazel goes through the cemetery on her way to the Flood mansion during the storm, she pauses a moment to talk to Trey. She ends by saying: "I'm so scared for mama. Dad, if you're up there… keep her safe." That quote, in combination with the owl head on the crest? There's no doubt in my mind now that the owl guiding Hazel is definitely Trey. Except maybe in chapter 7, as noted below. Molly's already looking after Lacey, so Trey does his best to get Hazel to her, and of course sticks by her all the way to the end.

EDIT 2: there are also two small rabbits flanking the owl head that I could not see on the mausoleum, but noticed when I found a post from a dev on artstation that includes the Flood family crest (among other things from chapter 6). The rabbits are certainly nods to Bunny, or (in universe) why she was named that...though one might also argue that Hazel could be one of them, since Roux calls her "rabbit" in a note in chapter 13.

Now, with that said, some of the owls in the game are probably just owls. But while I was thinking about things, as I said at the start of this post, it occurred to me...there might be one other owl that had very similar significance.

Granted, this could just be a normal owl. The sign next to the stick tent for the Mississippi State National Forest Laurent's Camp has an owl as its logo. And Laurent himself became an owl, of sorts. So there are plenty of reasons for the animal that shows up in his memories to be an owl! However, given that the game establishes a different owl as Trey...it could very well be that this owl was Laurent's mom, Thea. But poor Laurent, he had no idea. He was too hurt to let her watch over him from so close, to keep him company. And oh, how it hurts my heart. At the same time...I wonder whether the owl you see in chapter 7 is still Trey? Or if perhaps Thea is the one acting as a guide in the dark forest, still close enough to keep an eye on her son, while the Strands whisper louder and more often than any other chapter...

EDIT 2: the artstation post I mentioned in my other edit above also includes the photos Bunny had a detective take of Laurent. In a detail too hard to see in-game, in the photo with him walking up the stairs to the Juke Joint? There is an owl to his left, staring straight at the camera. I think that lends itself well to my theory that the owl in this chapter is Thea instead of Trey, and in this photo she is staring real hard at the detective...or through the photo at Bunny herself.

A bonus observation, while I'm here:

This is the boat Laurent would go fishing in as a kid, to get them dinner when his dad fell into depression and couldn't manage. (This memory gets me right in the heart, too. Young Laurent is so small, alone in that boat.) Most of the color scheme of the Rougarou is pretty self-explanatory—red muscle and white bone, reflected in his wings, feathers embroidered with eyes almost like a moth's eyespots. But the little bit of green kept puzzling me...until I ran across this boat. That's why his smaller secondary wings have green in them, and why their embroidery is more rudimentary. Hidden under his fabricated outer layer of fancy suit-like wings, under his normal put-together-adult appearance, is the lingering echo of a hurt little kid who had to grow up too fast.

[devildomwriter]

“I love you, ___. As deeply as I’ve ever loved anyone. Stay right here by my side. So I don’t lose faith. So I always have the strength to keep going. So I can keep the promise I made to my friend. Stay right here with me, always…”

— Solomon to MC (Nightbringer Chapter 14-16)

[chodzacaparodia]

One of them is fake

[stromuprisahat]

Six of Crows- Chapter 14 (Leigh Bardugo)

The Darkling's hated for "forcing" Grisha to become soldiers when he had no say in their inclusion into society, yet the only position "The Heroes" offer once at helm is canon fodder in Ravkan wars they're losing.

The Darkling's judged for offering safety in return of service, when he wasn't in position to change the later, Nikolai's lauded for similar thing he does as a rich normie with absolute power. Wait, no. The trio of his suddenly accepted witch puppeteers does, not him.

The Darkling had Grisha come to him, offering them relative safety and community of alike from a position of a serf. KING Nikolai sends people to look for them (Possibly drawing attention to their whereabouts.) to offer them servitude and a promise there won't be even inquiry into crimes against them. It's enough they're outlawed, isn't it?

Don't worry, it's only understandable- he needs support of his First Army fans and even his special mixed units were founded with very specific ideals in mind. (We hate the Darkling, remember? ~That's~ what matters.)

[vynnyal]

This is a pretty good point in the wip to share this, methinks :]

Map part for the hole dwelling map, starring... Not my ocs! I wanted to use ocs, but I don't have any-- so I just used the characters from a fic I was reading at the time 😂

Turns out, the symbolism was so much fun to twist into the 11 seconds I had to work with, I ended up going way more complex than I meant to. If you wanna read the fic this was based on, please do!! And tell the author I said hi! :D

[burrythebusy]

Been ranting on the twt lately bc i once again bore witness to egregious kagi takes and for once it opened my third eye. Before I was mostly annoyed at the idea that his "pushiness" is somehow toxic or manipulative, but then I went back and actually read hrkg (ik, reading, crazy right?) And i was enlightened. I now refuse to entertain "kagi is pushy" agenda any longer because it literally just isn't true. He's not pushy. Like at all