OKAY, so there’s way more to the AU than just this, but I wanted to have something to post for the actual day, so here’s a little sneak peek with my favorite character! More info under the cut :)
For anyone not aware, this is based off my Tokyo Underground AU (which you can search on my blog with the tag). Just a disclaimer: I’ve never watched Tokyo Underground and have no idea what it’s about, but I made a few drawings parodying the opening, and I got some random ideas from that alone lol. I really need to find a new name for this AU :’)
The basic idea is that Aelita is a girl with magic powers in a world where people with magic powers are kidnapped by people who want to use/exploit their magic. People with magic powers are rare, and none of the other Lyoko warriors have any (as for why Aelita has them, that’ll be revealed when I post more of the AU!)
The main actors behind all this are the Lyoko Federation, the Carthage Institution, the Kadic Society, and X.A.N.A.
More details on these organizations to follow, but the alignments are:
Lyoko Federation – Good
Kadic Society – Neutral Good
Carthage Institution – Neutral (Neutral Evil)
X.A.N.A. – Evil
The Carthage Institution works with people with magic powers to create magic tools (but they’re actually creating weapons to sell for profit). The weapon production is illegal, and to ensure the protection of their secrets, they recruit and train individuals to become bodyguards/assassins/security/whatever they need.
Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi have all been hired to work for Carthage. They all joined willingly for different reasons (but this doesn’t mean they’re happy with it). Odd is there mostly because he has nowhere else to be, Ulrich is there because his father forced him to, and Yumi is there because she needs money for her family. Everyone is also a little older, with Jeremie being the youngest at 17. Aelita is 18, Odd and Ulrich are 19, Yumi is 21.
Through a series of circumstances, Jeremie eventually hires them to protect Aelita. Initially, they go with it because Aelita is under contract with Carthage and they have no choice, but they’re not okay with it. Reason being, they were hired to work for and protect Carthage, not a girl. No matter how special and magical that girl is. Protecting Aelita is also a much more dangerous job, as she has many more enemies and much less protections. They didn’t want to risk their lives protecting a stranger. Lastly, part of the reason why they were hired to protect her is because of Jeremie’s own connection to Carthage, so they were forced to protect her through him, instead of via their actual employer.
But as time goes on, they grow attached to Aelita and Jeremie, and they sympathize with her plight. She’s a very vulnerable person in constant, considerable danger. And if it weren’t for them, she would be facing that danger all alone. As they interact more, the five of them become a family, filling the void in many of their lives. Ulrich and Odd especially like having a good cause to fight for. Yumi likes it, too, but she already had a good cause to fight for, so Aelita wasn’t as big of an impact on her life as she was to them.
Eventually, it becomes clear Aelita and Jeremie don’t plan to work with Carthage, and they defect and make themselves enemies of Carthage, who then order the three to go after them. But by this point, they like Jeremie and Aelita and want to protect them, so they also defect and continue protecting her via working for the Lyoko Federation instead.
Oh, and X.A.N.A. here is not an AI, but a criminal organization after Aelita’s power.
Okay, so now onto the actual character lol:
Odd comes from a notorious assassin family that hires their services to whoever can afford them
The marks on his face are indicators of his assassin family (and they identify him as such)
(When he needs to sneak around incognito, he covers them with a mask and headband/bandages)
Despite his scary family, he wasn’t very good at assassination (or combat in general)
He was belittled by his sisters for being the weakest of them (not only because of his age/size, but he also had very little natural talent for it)
His parents genuinely love and support all their children, but are too absent because of their jobs to look after them, and they’re also not the best at supporting Odd when his sisters bully him
Like a, “Don’t let it get you down, you’ll get it eventually!” instead of actively stopping the bullying
Along with having no talent, he was also afraid of killing, which made him wonder if staying with his family was right for him
Eventually, with all this, he runs away from his family at a young age, and picked up by Carthage
When he learns what they want him for, he just thinks, “Why not?”
He’ll take their food and shelter, and if they decide he’s useless, they’ll just kick him out and he’ll be no worse off than where he started
While training in Carthage, he learns he has a knack for acrobatics and shooting/sniping – turns out it wasn’t that he had no talent, he was just slow to learn/develop
He also learns basic martial arts for self-defense (he’s not as good at it as Ulrich or Yumi, as he doesn’t really enjoy it)
However, because of his past, he still believes himself to be inferior to his family (when that’s no longer true)
As Aelita’s bodyguard:
His main strategy when protecting Aelita is to get her somewhere safe and attack from a distance
When they're cornered, he's the best at finding a way to flee and bring her to safety
In situations where they can't run, he'll take risks to ensure they both get out of there alive (though his plans are usually fairly dangerous/reckless themselves)
In the early days of protecting Aelita, Jeremie designates him to be the one to kill, if they ever need to, because of his background
He wasn’t comfortable with it, but he agreed to the role because he didn’t want to let them down/didn’t feel like he could ask anyone else to do it
But Odd can never hide his feelings for long, and it’s clear early on that he’s not okay with it (Ulrich especially picks up on it right away)
The first time Odd has to kill someone, he hesitates and freezes up, and it’s only when Aelita is in mortal danger that he pulls the trigger to save her
But by now it’s clear he’s not comfortable with killing (and that he’s never done it before)
After that, the job of killing falls to Yumi (explanation on that will be in her post!)
However, as the events go on, and the people targeting Aelita become more ruthless and dangerous, they all learn to kill eventually
Group dynamics:
Odd was definitely the least hostile/least openly against being assigned to protect Jeremie and Aelita in the beginning
He at least tried to be friendly, and he knew Aelita didn’t really have a choice in the matter
But he did get frustrated often, especially after surviving near-death situations (working for Carthage wasn’t all that dangerous in comparison)
During those moments, he didn’t even want to see, let alone talk to, Jeremie or Aelita
When Jeremie and Aelita’s plans are revealed (basically working with the Lyoko Federation to protect more people like her), and they spend more time together, Odd has the most compassion for her situation and the most support for them
He also feels a lot of empathy for her, as the group’s “weakest” who feels like a burden (even though she’s not treated that way, compared to how Odd’s sisters treated him)
In terms of the group dynamic, like the show, he’s the mood maker and the guy who likes to cross lines and push buttons to test boundaries
He hates being serious, but he very much can be, and like the others, he doesn’t hold back if Aelita is in danger
“Shoot first, ask questions later” kind of deal
You can tell he’s serious when he gets quiet
When it comes to Aelita specifically, he makes sure to make her smile or laugh at least once a day
He’s also the designated “cheer-upper” if she’s particularly sad, as none of the others are as good at it
Pretty much the fastest way to get him to stop joking around is to put Aelita or Jeremie in mortal danger
Abilities
He’s a dead shot with a gun; he can hit his target while doing maneuvers that you’d think would make aiming impossible
He specifically requested his gun look like a toy (aka ridiculous) because he thought it’d be funny
He hates being too serious – having a “toy” gun around definitely removes a lot of the gravitas
Unlike Ulrich and Yumi, he’s not good in a straight hand-to-hand fight
He definitely relies more on trickery, distraction, and getting enough cover to make the shots he needs to
But his “strategy” and skillset lets him both fight and protect Aelita at the same time (which the other two struggle a bit more with)
He's also ambidextrous
WHEW, that was a lot. For anyone reading this, thanks for getting this far, and I hope that was enjoyable for at least some of you! I’ll be drawing and posting more about this in the coming weeks. Yumi will be next!
Hey everyone who's ready for codejuly!!!! The reason I made this was to make the tag more active again after getting inspired with the Danny Phantom's phanniemay calendar~ (sorry for the lateness as usual i'm a certified mess™️)
The official tag is "#codejuly" also "#codejuly26" (no spaces or punctuation). Please use it so that people can block it if they don't want to see it. If you are just talking about Code July, please do not tag your post with these tags
FAQ
I don't have time to do this in July?/Can I post it on another day?
Even though the calendar is for July, you don't have to do them all in July. You can do them on whatever day seem best for you.
I don't get the theme for some of these days?
You can go ask me on my ask box if you are confused on a specific day. (btw each word is just an idea, so as long as you come up with something it doesn't matter how far you stray from the literal meaning of the word)
Is this a drawing thing only?
No, you can do anything including fanfic, AMV, cosplay, tracks, and etc... the choice is yours
Do l have to do all the themes?
Nope, it's your choice on what you want to do. If you don't feel inspired by some you can skip them. (and if you get an idea later you can submit it late)
(But there is a special prize where I will give everyone who completes all the prompts a lil doodle of a character of their choice~ just make sure to let me know if you complete them all)
ONLY ENTRIES MAY BE POSTED IN THE "codejuly & codejuly26" TAGS! NO TEXT POSTS (except for Fanfiction)!
I hope everyone has fun with this (*´︶`*)╯♡
i'm still hella sick so def won't be able to participate in the correct order on the right day, but i am proud of this one so wanted to post it sooner rather than later. stay tuned for Day 1, that'll be next :))
Aelita lays on her bed, breathing deeply, running her fingers over the comforter, watching dust motes float through the sunshine streaming through the window.Â
It’s surreal, being here. She has all the faith in the world in her friends, but there was a tiny part of her that was terrified she would never be really real, that she’d have to watch all of them grow up while she’d be stuck as a virtual girl forever.
Tears form at the corners of her eyes, and she lets them fall with a big grin on her face. She’s alive, and it’s wonderful.
Code July 2026 Day 2 & 3 (Favorite Character + X.A.N.A/A.I)
this is basically my stance about generative AI and AI slop, and always will be. (read from right to left!)
(ps. yeah, I sometimes add the lip makeup to Yumi nowadays, but I make it somewhat culturally accurate, I guess. Junior maiko/geisha apprentice mostly only paint the lower lip. Also adding the lip makeup needs extra precision.)
