Marchdancer - Marchdancer

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Comic idea based off this meme thing:

What it takes to forget

More concepts for my Wings of Pages series

High res image, longer time lapse, and layered PSD file available on my Patreon.com/yuumei

More from the series

62/213 rows done.

Arslan Senki Chapter 123

Edit: let me preface this by saying I'm an idiot and didn't realise the simulpub release is split into two parts that you have to buy separately... so I only bought part 2... therefore this post is all about the second half of the chapter and I'm about to go back and purchase the first half now!)

Official chapter title: The Lonely Throne (and just as I suspected this relates to Hilmes, so brace yourselves...)

SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE SECOND HALF OF THE CHAPTER from here on...

Team Arslan content at the beginning is more light-hearted in tone (joking about making Azrael a general, what sort of reward he might like, how Kishward would have to be Eran so Azrael doesn't outrank him, it's amusing) and deals with Arslan outlining his next moves. Those match up with the novels, I won't bother outlining them here for now.

Then we change locations to Ecbatana and my heartrate just shot up instantly lmao

Hilmes, inside the city: 30,000 men, versus Andragoras, whose army of 100,000 is outside the walls

PUP SIGHTING

Sad that this is his only panel, my thoughts are still spinning having only just read the chapter but I'm a little concerned that some Team Hilmes scenes were cut, especially the scene between Zandeh and Hilmes and the whole confrontation in the underground waterways that led to what comes next...

There's not even a single panel of Sam this chapter. I want to trust Arakawa and hope that we backtrack a little in the next chapter and see those events, the scene involving Sam in particular because I just can't fathom why that wouldn't be included, I think it's a really important one for his character. I suppose the other option is that it's moved to a little later in the story, and that could work, too! So we'll see.

Anyway, Team Hilmes are facing the inevitable struggles of a closed city running out of food and water, where even loyal soldiers are now worrying about their fates if they lose (or even if they don't win soon enough... the citizens could well turn on them and they know it).

Hilmes... is not having the best of times right now.

And I realised where this was going at this point, and started thinking OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK because I am not ready to see him go through the bombshell that is about to be dropped on him and I didn't even expect to see it yet this chapter either although the title did make me wary

But first we get a little flashback to his interrupted conversation with Ghundi, the sorceror, in which we learn that Hilmes learned... nothing, because their talk was interrupted by word that Andragoras's forces have reached Ecbatana

OH NO OH NO OH NO

FUUUUUUUUUCK

In the end, I was only slightly more prepared for this moment than Hilmes. The chapter ends here. I'm feeling the weirdest mixture of dread and excitement about the next one.

(I haven't counted pages but it felt short? Let me see.)

Edit: okay yeah it was only 16 pages this month OKAY WAIT WAIT THIS IS HILARIOUS but I think I only bought half the chapter lmao, I don't know how KManga works but it looks like the chapter is split into two parts? I think this is the second half???)

oooh let’s talk about this panel and more importantly, the Nishinoya of it all.

Because this is the chapter where we find out Nishinoya didn’t go pro and in fact is traveling around the world, something I reckon most people were surprised by because Noya’s one of the best liberos, if not the best that we see in canon and if he’d chosen to go pro, he’d undoubtedly be one of the top liberos in the entire world.

But he chooses not to and at first, I was slightly outraged but talent doesn’t mean obligation and while Hinata and Bokuto’s relish their new freedom to play whatever kind of volleyball they want, Nishinoya sets himself free from volleyball itself and discovers the freedom to do other things, which is frankly just as important.

As requested by @lavender-100, some details about Layla's physical appearance. Some novel spoilers in this post so be warned!

We first meet her in Book 10, where she is a trainee priestess at the Temple of Ashi in the Oxus region. She is initially described as tall, well-proportioned, and wearing women's clothing that is white with blue trim. She is even taller than Farangis (and Farangis herself is described as being taller than average for a woman and a little taller than the average Parsian man). For reference, Layla is about the same height as Narsus.

Layla's hair is short, though no hair colour is mentioned. Her clothing is also short, and her long, slender, tanned arms and legs are exposed to the sun. She has a broad frame and a muscular build, and owing to her strong physique she almost looks like a young boy.

I have some illustrations to share, too!

Book 10, Layla versus Namard, illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano.

Book 11, Layla versus Alfarid, Kermine in the background. Illustration by Shinobu Tanno. You can see the silver bracelet on Layla's left arm clearly here.

Incidentally, the design of these silver bracelets given to the three girls (Parizad, Fitna and Layla) is described as being engraved with a design of a young man on the back of a bull, stabbing the bull in the head with a short sword. I'm assuming Tanaka drew his inspiration for this from tauroctony scenes.

Anyway, as you can see, in Tanno's illustration Layla's hair is white. It's possible I missed a description of her hair colour somewhere in the novels, but it's definitely not mentioned in Books 10 or 11, so I'd say it's possible this is a stylistic choice by Tanno that is intended to show the effects of Zahhak's blood on her (a form of mind-control). Since Don Ricardo's hair turned completely white after his encounter with Zahhak, I can see why Tanno might have chosen to portray Layla with white hair here, but I'll keep an eye out for actual written descriptions of her hair colours later in the novels just in case it's mentioned.

Book 12, illustration by Shinobu Tanno, Tahamenay in the process of throwing herself in front of Gieve's sword in order to protect Layla. Gieve came very close to accidentally killing Tahamenay here but thankfully Isfan's quick reactions saved her life as he deflected Gieve's blade.

Book 13, another Shinobu Tanno illustration. Layla and Ilterish get to see Zahhak for the first time. The mage is Gazdaham.

The outfit Layla wears in Book 13 is described as completely unadorned, and she's dressed like a man, with only the silver bracelet appearing out of place with her warrior's attire. Even so, it's mentioned that Jalair thinks she is very beautiful.

(In terms of height, Ilterish is about average height for a man, so Layla's actually a bit taller than him.)