(Please if something I say has an answer in later chapters - 89 onwards – do not tell me. I’m only reading the physical volumes as they come out.)
Obviously, spoilers for the anime-onlies (this volume 15)
So, now that my mind has stopped screaming about what I just read, a few things !
- Hello, beautiful illustration that has been haunting me since I first saw it.
- As always I’m fascinated by Shirahama’s choices in pages layout. Love the way Qifrey is leaning on that panel.
- My man Olruggio has a fanbase and you know what? Same. I’d be among those fans if I lived in this world.
- Dagda asking Luluci to take Custas as an apprentice made me want to cry. He loves his son so much. Luluci said no but you could clearly see she felt wrong about it. She’s not like Easthies. I'm curious to see how her character evolve.
- Again, that theme that knowledge is key. Knowledge allows you to know what is dangerous and what is not. Or, at least, to be better informed about the dangers. Not knowing is far more dangerous than anything else. And I love that it's brought up again and again. Some people in real world should also learn that.
- Then this happened:
and my brain just produced a single “WHAT” then blanked out for a few seconds and began scrambling for all the implications the more I read the remaining chapters
Just...what it implies about Custas and Qifrey is making my skin crawl. You can’t feel safe. Ever. Or you’ll turn into a tree.
It grows its roots the moment you feel at ease? It makes sense from the plant's perspective but narratively it's so twisted. So horrible. Being infected with the tree is condemning you to not experiencing hope ever unless you are okay with dying because of it.
It’s so interesting, thought. The source that allows magic is the ink. The ink comes from the tree. The tree is a parasite. That parasite feeds on hope, comfort, and a hosts that eventually dies. Magic, if you boil it down to that, is based on death.
For some reason, my mind made a link with the blood Iguin puts into Coco’s ink in the early chapters to amplify its power. I can’t quite put my finger on why exactly yet. Maybe because the ink is produced using the “blood” of the tree?
- Okay no. No erasing Custas’s memories, and most definitely NOT all of them but the alternative is so cruel. Dagdaaaaaa 😭😭 Shirahama why did you need to do this? My poor son deserves a break 😭
(Also. that panel change. I'm even less okay)
- You’re telling me Qifrey never told anyone about the tree growing inside of him?? To keep himself at a state of unsafe ?? But...But…. Aside from the pain of having to keep that to yourself, it’s so dangerous! I feel like no one knowing the Silverwood tree can also parasite humans is very dangerous. Unless the seed needs to be tampered with for it to work? Wait that’d dangerous regardless. Again, knowledge. Knowing about the threat might have helped, here. Wouldn’t have solved everything but might have helped.
Also, you’re telling me Olruggio doesn’t know about that shit?? Ahhhhhhhhhhh.
- How dare you Shirahama ?
How dare you make this heartbreaking panel so beautiful.
- Innina also has the tree parasite ??? poor thing.
- Coco breaking a branch directly from the tree and using the sap or whatever that is called to directly draw her spell was very cool and smart but it worked so it begs the question of why witches usually go through the process of boiling the branch to extract the liquid that is then used as ink when the non-processed one also works? Something about the potency, maybe ?
- Tartah I understand your anger and your desire for the truth after having so many lies thrown at your face but forcing someone to answer truthfully in such a way (your friend, at that), is... questionable. Especially since it was also very obviously painful to her.
Oh hell he went with them. Tartah don’t do that they don’t seem to care about anyone I don’t want to think about what they might do to you T_T But also I understand he wants a chance at knowing what they want and more about magic and also Custas’s been taken but by hell you’re a kid that’s not supposed to be your job.
- Those panels of Coco.
The rage the sel-loathing the despair the tears. I did NOT sign up for that.
"Why couldn't I save" because you're twelve and you're just learning and your world is full of secrets baby it's not your fault 😭 someone give her a hug please.
- I like the layout of that panel, but.
Great as if there wasn't enough problems yet. The does not bode well
And it was later confirmed at the end of chapter 88 when the king bowed down to Berdaruit and the others. He has understood some shit and he is not liking it. This is also an aspect of their society that’s going to break down very soon and despite the fact that changes need to happen I wish it could have happened differently.
- She looks so dead inside at the end of chapter 87. My daughter… Cocooooo
- The more the story goes, the more witches we discover hiding among the Pointed Caps who either straight out are Brimhats or tempered with forbidden magic. Which, y’know, is to be expected with human beings. As if we ever needed some more proof that this “keep knowledge of magic secret and lots of spells forbidden” law is not – and was never going to – work to keep magically-wrought horrors to happen to people.
How easy it is, to break one’s own rules. How widespread the temptation to make things a little better. Who wouldn’t want to change their body to better fit what they want ? To heal ? And once you started thinking like that, you are very near a slippery slope about how far you can and want to go with magic tempering with the body. With anybody.
- Creeped out at how casually those Brimhats talk about hurting people. Excuse me but the fact that you do have a point when you say magic shouldn’t be a secret does not excuse the fact that you're harming others for your own goals. You’re using children to push you own agenda. Fuck the magical police but you’re NOT better.
- Qifrey’s eyes I’m not okay. It terrifies me.
- Coco saying she can be the trouble he needs so he doesn’t turn into a tree I can’t 😭 and he believes in her so much those last panels i'm gghsdhsd.
I am so unwell about that volume. Gotta ponder some more about it.
But, yeah, now the many fanarts of Qifrey with trees make sense and they hurt.
so i’m new in this fandom so idk if that’s a controversial opinion or if it’s a very common interpretation, but i feel like it’s pretty clear that Qifrey was manipulating Coco a bit when he dropped the “my roots are going to need plenty of space to grow” line with that smile (especially having read the rest of what’s currently out, including the scene of kid!frey stealing the map from Olly)
he’s a three dimensional character and he truly deeply cares for the girls, and i do believe that on some level it was a real possibility that he is conscious of that telling her his secrets would be enough to turn him into a tree in the way it does when Olrugio finds out, but i do also think that he intentionally told her that to make her stop asking questions
