Why are you diving into the Septimus Heap fandom again? Don't me get wrong I love the series. I think it a good possible successor to the Harry Potter series but I'm curious on the why.
Ahaha, well basically, I was at the thrift shop the other day, dropping off some clothes, and in return they gave me this $5 coupon for books, and since I didn’t have anywhere else to be, I thought I might as well take a look to see if there was anything I’d like, and I happened to stumble across Magyk.
I used to be super super into the Septimus Heap series like...gosh, ten years ago or so? I loved it to death, but my library didn’t have the entire series so I only read up til, like, Queste or Syren, I don’t remember which one.
I’d forgotten about it completely until I the stumbled across the book, and even though I don’t remember much about the series past the first book-
(except, strangely enough, I remember quite vividly that time Septimus was thrown back in time and became an alchemist’s apprentice and he was feeling very homesick and then he went into the Wizard tower and it was just like he remembered and he thought he’d somehow returned to his own time and got super happy for like a minute)
-I do still feel very fond of it, so I thought I might as well give it another try to see if I’ll still enjoy it now that I’m older, and my tastes have changed ^^ I really WANT to like it, because like I said, fond memories.
If all goes well, I’ll probably be buying the rest of the books too~
I'm afraid this might be pestering but do you have the part 2 for that Log Horizon AU?
Okay okay my dear, I’m sorry it took me this long, but here it finally is! Part 2 of my Return to Earth au.
While Minori has always been Shiroe’s protégé in regards to being a strategist, Rudy is the one who inherits Shiroe’s magical talent. Rudy is the one that’s stayed up with Shiroe throughout the nights, studying magic, researching new spells, trying to find a link between the worlds.
When Rudy wakes up one day to find his entire family gone, to find himself the only adventurer left in the entire world, it just about breaks him.
He’d always suspected that he’d have to say goodbye one day, he’d always expected that he’d end up alone. But when Shiroe had come up with the idea to find a way to allow the adventurers to travel freely between their own world and Theldesia, he’d started hoping. He’d started hoping that he’d be able to keep these warm, laughter-filled days. He’d hoped that this would be his new forever. They’d been making good headway too, but now that his master, his much admired older brother is gone, Rudy just doesn’t have the faith in himself that he’ll be able to bring them back.
He wallows in his grief for a long time. Him and all the other People of the Land who’d made Akiba their home. The reason they’d all come to Akiba was because they’d been drawn to the adventurers, to their carefree ways, to their bright, colourful lives, to their fascinating culture. And now, with half their population gone, with their Round Table Council no longer upholding the peace, their town quickly crumbles, becoming merely a shell of the beautiful place it had become with the arrival of the adventurers.
Lord Sergiatte orders his granddaughter to return to the Palace of Eternal Ice. Now that the adventurers are gone, there is no longer any reason to have an embassy at Akiba.
Lenessia reluctantly obeys, leaving behind the home she’d gradually grown attached to. It’s difficult, getting used to her own peoples’ class-based society once again, after having gotten used to the freedom of the adventurers.
In the end, it’s actually Regan who pulls Rudy out of his downward spiral. It’s no secret to anyone that Shiroe of Log Horizon, the strategist of the Round Table Council, had gained the favour of the Sage of Miral Lake. It had caused quite the stir among the nobles of Eastal - the Sage was a highly respected, if extremely elusive, figure, and it was nigh impossible to even enter into his acquaintance let alone become close with him.
Regan had come to admire Shiroe greatly in the time they’d known each other, so when he learns that the adventurers have all been spirited back to their own home, he immediately sets to finding a way to bring them back. Regan hadn’t had a chance to tell Shiroe yet that he’d been considering taking him on as his successor, the next in line to inherit the title of the Sage of Miral Lake. He’s getting on in years after all, and he already considers Shiroe his equal in terms of magic, if not even superior.
So he and Rudy work together to bring their friends and family back.
It takes them three years.
But finally. Finally, Rudy and Regan are sitting in Shiroe’s office at the Log Horizon guild hall (and it doesn’t matter that Rudy’s been using it for three years, longer now than Shiroe had ever used it - Rudy will always think of it as Shiroe’s) and they’ve got their hearts in their throats.
It’s the middle of the night.
Rudy opens his status screen, and Shiroe’s name is lit up on his friend’s list. It’s the only one so far, but it’s a start. With this one tentative connection, they’re closer than ever to achieving their goal.
Rudy selects his guild leader’s name and a telechat ringtone sounds in his mind, for the first time in three years. He waits with baited breath, and after what seems an eternity, there’s a click.
“Rudy?” asks a familiar voice, an incredulous voice.
And Rudy almost breaks down crying. There’s a lump in his throat, but before he can get even a word out, he hears the wail of an infant, and a quiet curse from Shiroe.
“Shit,” he whispers to himself. “Sorry Rudy, just a second. Let me put the baby down.”
Rudy is confused, and maybe a little heartbroken. Shiroe has a baby now. Had he and Naotsugu broken up then? It feels to Rudy almost like his parents had just separated.
But then there’s the sound of a door opening, and the sound of a sleepy, disgruntled grumble.
“Keeeeiiiii. Make him stoooooppppp,” groans a voice that Rudy recognizes as Naotsugu’s.
Shiroe sounds breathless when he replies that, “I need you to put him back to sleep. I’ve just gotten a call from Rudy.”
“Mmh, fine...” replies Naotsugu sleepily. There’s silence for a moment, and Rudy can picture perfectly in his mind’s eye the moment Naotsugu really realizes what Shiroe had said, because the next moment he screeches, “WHAT?”
The baby’s wailing gets impossibly louder.
“A telechat. From Rudy,” Shiroe insists. “I need you to take the baby so I can talk to him and figure out what’s going on.”
Another moment of silence, and then Naotsugu’s voice, louder, as if he’s yelling right into Shiroe’s ear.
“I knew you could do it, Rudy!” he crows in delight. “You better bring us back home soon!”
There’s a few moments of grumbling from Shiroe then, and a grunt of pain from Naotsugu, and Rudy knows that Shiroe must’ve kicked him in the shin or something for yelling into his ear.
Then the sound of the baby’s wailing becomes more faint, and there’s the sound of a door closing.
“Rudy?” asks Shiroe, “You still there?”
“Shiroe-nii,” he whispers, still feeling all choked up. “You and Naotsugu-nii have a baby?” he asks.
And he can hear the smile in Shiroe’s voice when he replies that, “Yeah. We adopted him only a few months ago. He’s already got Akatsuki and everyone else wrapped around his tiny little pinky, you know?”
“I’d love to meet him one day,” Rudy whispers in response, and there’s a warm chuckle from Shiroe.
“I’m sure you will. Hopefully some day soon, if you can tell me just how you were able to get this telechat to connect,” Shiroe says, voice warm.
And with that, they’re back on topic.
They talk long into the night, working out logistics, with Rudy acting as the go-between so that Regan can participate in their conversation as well.
So far, Shiroe is the only one they can connect with via telechat, and there’s still no way to bring him to Theldesia. But with Shiroe’s input in the discussion, they know it’s only a matter of time before they get the problem solved.
An hour into their discussion, Naotsugu quietly comes back to the bedroom, having finally managed to get the baby to go back to sleep. He keeps quiet for the most part, not able to really contribute much to the topic of magic, what with being a guardian. But every once in a while he has an idea that opens new channels for them.
Eventually, when they’ve been talking for four hours already and the first light of dawn is beginning to creep over the horizon, they have to call their discussion to an end. Shiroe and Naotsugu need to get a few hours of sleep in before their son wakes them up again, and Rudy and Regan need to start testing out the things they’d discussed with Shiroe.
Both sides also agree that they need to bring others into the conversation as well.
The next day, Regan sends word to Maihama, to inform the Duke and his family that they are close to bringing the adventurers back to Theldesia. Lenessia arranges to return Akiba immediately, while the other noble families of Eastal argue and debate over the pros and cons of bringing the adventurers back. Regan finds it funny, that they seem to think their opinions mean anything to him - as if he’s asking their permission to bring the adventurers back, and not that he’s merely being decent enough to inform them ahead of time that he’s going to do it no matter what they say.
In the other world, Shiroe gathers together the other members of the Round Table Council. He tells them they’re close to finding a way back to Theldesia.
But before the other guild leaders can get too excited, he warns them. He warns them that this time will be different from the last time they were sent to Theldesia.
This time they’ll have the option of returning to their home world whenever they wanted. And while that has many pros, it also has its dangers - the Round Table Council will have just as many - if not MORE - responsibilities than last time. It’ll be difficult if the members plan on keeping their jobs and their lives in their own world. If they are planning on staying in the Council, he needs to know they’ll be willing to put in the extra time and the effort to continue running the city of Akiba.
“Isn’t it the same for you?” Crusty asks Shiroe, raising one delicate eyebrow. “It’s not like you can just pick up and move permanently to Theldesia. You have your son to think about.”
Shiroe nods, acknowledging his point. “Naotsugu and I have already begun discussing the logistics of it,” he tells them. “We’re willing to put in the extra effort. There’s no way I will ever quit the Round Table. But I don’t want you all to feel pressured into staying as well.”
The different guild leaders all look at each other exasperatedly. There’s really nothing to think about. The entire reason they’d all been sent to Theldesia in the first place, the reason they were STILL on the Round Table Council after all these years despite being back in their own world, was because in their hearts, they were all still MMO junkies. They’d become invested in Akiba, and they wanted to continue helping it grow.
In the end, they all decide to stay.
But even with all eleven of them, it would still be difficult to fulfill all their duties, now that they wouldn’t all be there 24/7. So they decide to bring more guilds and guild leaders into the Round Table Council.
The original seven would continue to be the main voices, the ones with the final say in decisions, but they start contacting other guild leaders, start looking for other people to help run the Council.
Of course, William of the Silver Sword Knights is one of the first people they contact. This time, he agrees to join without a second thought.
The Round Table puts out an announcement on their forum that they might’ve possibly found a way to let them return to Theldesia.
The forum explodes with the news, everyone ecstatic. Even people who’d slowly drifted away over the years return to the site with a vengeance.
It takes a few more weeks after that first telechat between Rudy and Shiroe, but finally, they have the status screens up, and all the adventurers who had gone to Theldesia the first time around find they have the option to “log in”.
It’s a brilliant summer afternoon, when the first of the adventurers materializes in Akiba in a flash of light. The people of the land who had been in the area are startled at the appearance, but the news spreads quickly around Akiba after that, like wildfire.
By the time night rolls around, the once deserted shell of Akihabara is once again alight with warmth and laughter. There’s a party that lasts well into the night.
Rudy really does cry, the first time he sees Shiroe again after all those years apart, and he runs full-tilt into his guild leader’s embrace.
He’s taller than Shiroe now. Shiroe laughs and pats his head. “You’ve grown quite a lot, haven’t you?” he asks, voice fond, and Rudy nods, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an excited puppy.
The parties last for several days afterwards.
There’s a lot of rebuilding to do, a lot of problems to fix and decisions to make, and relationships with the people of the land to rebuild.
It will take the adventurers a long time establish themselves properly in this world again.
But for now, they choose not to worry about that.
For now, they choose to bask in the joy of being with their friends and loved ones once again.
What are the chances we could actually see your bookshelf?
Well, if you guys are interested in seeing it, I’ll be sure to post a pic as soon as I’m done rearranging ^^
HERE is a link to what my full bookshelf set looks like (the second pic) from a year ago, but ever since we moved last July, we haven’t been able to find space in our living room to fit both of our shelves, so atm one of the big shelves is in my room, and the other is in my youngest brother’s room, so unfortunately I’m super short on space on my shelves T^T I’m hoping to rearrange soon I can have more room for my books, but HERE is a link to what my shelves looked like back in September.
I’ve gotten a lot more books since then though, which is why I’m rearranging XD So look forward to that!
Got an LH question for you. Now granted I've only read Volume 1 of the novels however one thing I sort of noticed is that compared to the anime the book sort of falls flat something I've seen a few others sort of say too. Which is a little funny considering it's usually the other way around with books and anime. I was wondering if you've had the same issue? On another note I am delighted to see you are an LH fan and if you exist on DA I run a group over there and we would love to have you!
Well, I’ve only read about 50 pages so far, since I’ve been a bit busy with work, but I do think I can see where you’re coming from.
It took me about 10 or 20 pages to really get into the story, because the writing style was just a little difficult to get used to.
At the heart of it all, I think that it’s probably not Touno-sensei’s fault, but more the translator’s, you know? Japanese and English are so completely different, and something that sounds good in one won’t necessarily sound good in the other, so more often than not, if you translate the words directly, it will come out sounding awkward and stilted.
I feel like the person translating Log Horizon probably didn’t have a good grasp on creative writing and what it takes to make a story sound good, so it ended up the way it did. That is completely just my guess though, so I could be wrong!
That being said, I have been enjoying the book quite a bit - it’s interesting to see the world of Log Horizon in so much more detail, and actually getting to be in Shiroe’s mind (instead of just seeing his actions on screen) is amazing in how much it really humanizes him. In the anime, he’s cunning and manipulative; he’s a bit socially awkward, but for the most part he seems collected and untouchable. Which isn’t bad, necessarily, I quite like having a super bad-ass protagonist, but there’s something endearing about finding out that he’s self-conscious about his appearance, or that even he gets intimidated by Henrietta’s beauty or Marielle’s touchy-feely attitude. It brings him off the pedestal that the anime set him upon, and it shows that while he may seem to be in complete control at all times on the outside, he himself is barely keeping things together, and is really just making things up as he goes.
Another thing I really love about the novel so far is just how much Shiroe obviously respects both Naotsugu and Marielle. He sees them as so much more mature and composed than himself, and feels less competent than them, which is funny because if you were to look at things from their povs, I’m sure you’d see that they probably think he hung the moon in the sky.
I also really like learning more about Marielle and Henrietta too. In the anime they were unfortunately mostly relegated to being the “lovable beauties” of the group, and were basically just there to follow Shiroes orders. In the novels you can see that Marielle is notorious in her own right - she has an even more extensive network than Shiroe does, and she’s fiercely protective of her guild, and she’s made a reputation for herself wholly independent of her relationship with Shiroe.
Okay, essay over, sorry I rambled so much XD
As for dA, I do have an account, but I haven’t really been active on there in a long, long time so >.>
Hey so random thing but thanks to you I've become addicted to The King's Avatar. Have you seen the trailer for the OVA? Also do you know if we are getting a second season? By the way browsing that tag I saw the LH post and I would say watch the anime first too as it is a bit getter.
Yayayayay!! I’m so glad you liked it <3 <3 <3 Hehe, I’ve seen your notes quite a bit on my activity page for my tka posts so I thought something like that had happened XDD Anyways no, I actually haven’t seen the trailer for the OVA!!!! Would you happen to have a link to it? I’d appreciate it greatly!!
Also yeah, we’re definitely getting a second season. Last I heard, I think it was confirmed for 6 seasons. It was originally supposed to last for 3 and season 1 was supposed to reach until the end of the Tenth Server arc and season 2 would have started off in the heavenly domain I think, but there ended up being too much and they’re planning on making it longer ^^ It’s don’t really well too, so I think they’re okay funding wise, though I did hear the animators are gonna change next season! If I’m not mistaken, s2 is set to air in spring 2018.
Though again, I could be wrong! Don’t hesitate to correct me if I am, guys!
Sorry to double-ask(?) but I was curious about Moonlight Sculptor and how you find it? I've seen the comic (or parts of it) on Tapas and wanted to get input
It’s super super interesting!!!! The world is super amazing, the plot is really complex and fascinating. I was totally obsessed with it for a while.
I did eventually end up dropping it in favour of The King’s Avatar, just because I was starting to really despise Lee Hyun (the protagonist), and Ye Xiu is way more likable than him.
But it was definitely good enough that I am planning on going back to it some day.
It’s really just a hit and Miss with Lee Hyun though. I know there are a lot of people who like him or find him funny. I just find him to be needlessly cruel and greedy. But I mean, I did get like super far into it before the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I just discovered your BNHA/LH AU and it's so good! But 2 questions what happens with those Class A left behind on Earth? And what happens with the Round Table for Logical Ruse?
log horizon au
ohhh, i’d actually forgotten about this one!
for your first question: none of the class a kids were left behind on earth. they were all excited for new content, so they all arranged to log on an hour or so before midnight to re-familiarize themselves with the game (since they hadn’t played in a long time, because of the league of villains and shit). they were planning to run some 20-man raids as a class once the xpac went live.
as for the Round Table, obviously class A are the ones that set it up.
third-year izuku has really come into his own as a hero - he has a kind of charisma that’s reminiscent of all might. so he’s the logical choice as the leader and public face of the Round Table. class a is used to working as a unit though, so even though izuku is technically the GL, he delegates a lot of the leadership work to yaomomo and iida, since he’s more busy strategizing
as for the other guilds of the round table:
Black Sword Knights - replaced by Shiketsu (Inasa as GL)
DDD - replaced by Ketsubutsu (Shindo as GL)
West Wind Brigade - replaced by Seiai Academy (Saiko Intelli as GL - the “hime-sama” girl from the provisional license exam filler episode)
Crescent Moon Alliance - replaced by UA Class B (Kendo as GL - she only has 8 of her classmates online. Monoma is, unfortunately, one of them)
Honesty - replaced by Seijin High (Red ninja dude as GL)
The Roderick Firm, Shopping District 8, Marine Organization, Grandeur, and Radio Market all remain the same as in LH canon.
I kind of wanted to have Eri (8) and Kouta (7) take the twins’ roles, but they’d be too young, so I’m not sure if I want to age them up by a couple of years in this, or have other characters in their role.
