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0|0|0|||1||Things that Akio knows|Peter Eng||12:38:11|06/02/2015|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jun-02-15 AT 12:38 PM (EDT)]Thinking about what happened in %5Bi%5DTaken by Storm%5B%2Fi%5D%2C I realized that Akio knows a lot more than I would have expected.%0D%0A%0D%0AHe knows that D%C3%ACqi%C3%BA is connected with Zipang.  That isn%27t exactly common knowledge%2C and he wouldn%27t have had any particular reason to investigate it before Corwin and Utena decided to honeymoon there.  Either he found that while searching for something else%2C or he had somebody in Cephiro watching the wedding.%0D%0A%0D%0AAkio also appears to know something that has him interested in artifacts that will offer him more power%3B %5Bi%5DUnderground%5B%2Fi%5D happens a day before %5Bi%5DTry%2C Try Again%5B%2Fi%5D starts.  No idea what - but it%27s clear that he%27s leaving a trail if somebody knows where to look%2C even if it isn%27t easily connected to him.%0D%0A%0D%0AIn comparison%2C knowing what would happen when he made his big push isn%27t that hard - get the White Lotus to provide a file on Korra%2C then get a map of Fort Tonraq%2C and he could probably work out where to go to grab his niece.%0D%0A%0D%0AStill%2C he has a lot of cards in his hand.  That is never a good thing.%0D%0A%0D%0APeter Eng%0D%0A--%0D%0AInsert humorous comment here.
1|1|0|||1||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|cyberpagan||13:11:46|06/02/2015|And knowing all these things%2C he still went ahead and pulled the stupidest blunder of all blunders. If anything or anyone had the do not touch sign in glowing neon over them it was Annabelle. Up until now he had been subtle%2C working in the background%2C using others to do all the dirtywork%2C enacting what I thought might be a good overall master plan. Then he does this. Think about it. He has LITERALLY brought down the wrath of GOD on his head. Not withstanding who the girls parents are%2C the entire pantheon of Asgard are her aunts%2C uncles%2C cousins%2C grand and great grandparents%2C etc etc. Not to mention the dragons%2C elves and whoever else considers her if not kin then close enough. Plus the deceased but still around in Valhalla%2C The IPO%2C Lensmen%2C Korra%2C her aunts and uncles%2C friends of the family%2C etc%2C etc%2C etc. And all those normally honorable and anything but kill members of Corwins immediate and extended family will be pushed over that point%2C like Kate%2C to accept that some beings just need killing. Hell%2C even quite a few of those from Akio%27s own realm would join in%2C because even though they are evil%2C they have respect for Griffin and kin and the rest won%27t want to get involved. There is no place Akio can go%2C no ally he can run to%2C no power he can summon to fight the wrath he has unleashed on himself. I just hope its Anthy that gets to strike the final blow%2C cause even though we don%27t really see it%2C is the darkest of the dark when it comes to someone hurting her own child. It should be a fun read.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%0D%0AI%27m really here%2C but I%27m not here%2C really.%0D%0A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%0D%0A
2|2|1|||1||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|The Traitor||14:04:27|06/02/2015|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jun-02-15 AT 02:04 PM (EDT)]I%27d be a lot more cautious.%0D%0A%0D%0ASee%2C this just became a hostage situation%2C and Ohtori prolly thinks he%27s being smart. With a hostage%2C you have leverage%2C you can cut bits off and FedEx them to interested parties. You can demand concessions. And he will%2C because he thinks he can pull it off.%0D%0A%0D%0AOr%2C and here%27s where I overthink things and they get weirdly complicated%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AHe lets one of his old students betray him. The guy%27s plotting gets discovered by Saionji%2C who takes him on as a potential ally - because the plotting has to be subtle enough that it escapes general notice%2C but Saionji has to spot it. Akio does his usual escaping act%2C they get the girl%2C yadda yadda%2C student redeemed.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnd Akio now has a spy among the Duellists%2C ready to take them apart. And next time%3F%0D%0A%0D%0ANext time he %5Bi%5Dkills%5B%2Fi%5D Annabelle. And he uses the old student as his pawn%2C because there%27s plenty more where that came from.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe message is clear. Trust no-one. I will find a way to strike at you. I will take from you that which gives you strength%2C and you will beg me to stop by the end.%0D%0A%0D%0ASaid it before%2C and I%27ll say it again. If you wanna fuck Clan Hutchins over%2C you gotta come at %27em sideways. %0D%0A%0D%0A---%0D%0A%22She%27s old%2C she%27s lame%2C she%27s barren too%2C %2F%2F %22She%27s not worth feed or hay%2C %2F%2F %22But I%27ll give her this%2C%22 - he blew smoke at me - %2F%2F %22She was something in her day.%22 -- Garnet Rogers%2C %5Bi%5DSmall Victory%5B%2Fi%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AFiMFiction.net%3A we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have %5Bi%5Dstandards%5B%2Fi%5D.
3|3|2|||1||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|Offsides||14:18:48|06/02/2015|You%27re assuming that they don%27t know how bad Akio is%2C and are going to let him live.  Even if Corwin%27s granddad didn%27t want Akio killed for political reasons%2C I doubt he%27d stop Corwin%2C or Utena%2C or %5Bi%5Despecially%5B%2Fi%5D Anthy from permanently ending the bastard.  And that%27s assuming he doesn%27t try it himself.%0D%0A%0D%0AThere%27s also this to consider - just as Corwin couldn%27t act against Akio as the Duke of Sheol without risking war%2C I doubt Surtur wants Muspelheim brought into a full-scale war with Asgard %26 co. either.  This means%2C in all likelyhood%2C that Akio is %5Bi%5Don his own%5B%2Fi%5D%2C and may even have BOTH sides gunning for him%2C albeit for different reasons.%0D%0A%0D%0ABottom line - his existience on any level is coming to a close%2C the only question is who%27s going to do the deed%2C and how messy is it going to get for everyone else before it%27s complete.%0D%0A%0D%0AOffsides%0D%0A%0D%0A%26%2391%3B...%26%2393%3B in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.%0D%0A    -- David Ben Gurion%0D%0AEPU RCW %23%26pi%3B%0D%0A%23include %3Cstdsig.h%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A
4|4|3|||1||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|cyberpagan||14:32:24|06/02/2015|That was my point exactly. %0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%0D%0AI%27m really here%2C but I%27m not here%2C really.%0D%0A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%2A%0D%0A
6|4|3|||||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|Meridias||22:00:02|06/02/2015|%0D%0A%3EBottom line - his existience on any level is coming to a close%2C the %0D%0A%3Eonly question is who%27s going to do the deed%2C and how messy is it going %0D%0A%3Eto get for everyone else before it%27s complete. %0D%0A%0D%0A%22You done goofed.%22 Alucard%0D%0ATFS - Hellsing Ultimate Abridged
5|2|1|||||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|BLUE||16:12:19|06/02/2015|And here I am just remembering Corwin%27s promise to Matalde. And Matalde%27s promise to Corwin. And the brand inflicted on Akio by Corwin%2C which one could assume would come even more into play when he%27s acting directly against the inflicter of the brand. Akio overreached himself a bit%2C this time. 
7|3|5|||||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|discord||20:11:19|06/03/2015|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jun-03-15 AT 08:14 PM (EDT)]You have a point with the Matalde-angle%2C I%27ll give you that.  But here%27s the thing I%27m betting that Akio%27s banking on%2C other than having Annabelle and Garnet as bargaining chips against the Duelists%3B Oriphos is its own unique realm%2C separate from the whole of creation and complete unto itself%2C like Cephiro.  Here%27s the thing%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AIt took the Chief going to some fairly extensive lengths to just REACH the realm when he was trying to rescue Raven from her father.  Admittedly%2C UF-Gryph isn%27t a divine anything%2C but he knows quite a few comparable beings of the appropriate power level that probably COULD have gotten him there%2C even in the relatively small window of time he had had in which to pull it off.  I%27m guessing that Akio is sorta%2Fkinda the Pillar%2FGodking%2Fwhatever of Oriphos and thus can completely block %28or nearly so%29 all avenues of access to his realm if he so chooses.  If not%2C then he has access to such means%2C and no-doubt plugged every hole he could before planning the smash and grab.  I highly doubt that with his level of access to arcanum and whatnot he failed to figure out HOW UF-Gryph got into his realm the first time%2C after the fact%2C and so I doubt that method ingress is available anymore.%0D%0A%0D%0AOf course Utena%2C Corwin%2C and the rest are no slouches in the %22raw brute force when necessary%22 department%2C but I just wanna point out that if they went that route they could potentially kill everyone in Oriphos with it%2C infant and hatchling included%2C never mind the hundreds of students attending Akio%27s Academy.  Brute force approaches like that may be good for bank vaults%2C but only if you don%27t care if some of the contents of said vault are damaged%2C in not destroyed%2C in the attempt.  And you rarely get the choice of what happens to the items within in such a scenario.  And I doubt that even in their aggrieved state that the Trinity and the Duelists would go with the %22fuck everyone and everything and get our kids back NOW%22 approach%3B they%27re not the the type to do it.  %0D%0A%0D%0AAfter all%2C how many people down the years have they seen%2C who ultimately managed to turn their lives around and redeem themselves after some initial bad choices that once put them at odds with the Duelists%3F  I can%27t see any of them going scorched-earth mode with Oriphos if there%27s even a chance that they could redeem some of the inhabitants.%0D%0A%0D%0AIn the end%2C Akio doesn%27t have just two hostages%2C he%27s got throngs of human shields from all over the realms to put between himself and his foes%2C and if someone from the Black Rose prisoners they have after the assault crumbled were to make it known to the Trinity and the Duelists %28Saionji and Anakin are the most likely to bring it up%2C but I%27m not discounting Leyna Taggart here either...%29%2C I%27m pretty sure that they%27d agree that going in and cutting everyone down wouldn%27t be an option.  That%27d make them no better than Akio himself.
8|4|7|||1||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|Nova Floresca||21:33:21|06/03/2015|One angle to keep in mind is Iona- after all%2C she %5Bi%5Ddid%5B%2Fi%5D just appear out of nowhere on Diqiu%2C and while Akio isn%27t likely to leave any route unprotected%2C he might not be able to keep a Fog vessel from popping up in his garden pond. %0D%0A%0D%0AOf course%2C this assumes that Iona is willing and able to work with the Duelists in time%2C but historically Akio%27s downfall has been hastened by those he tries to use as puppets.%0D%0A%0D%0A%22This is probably a stupid question%2C but . . .%22
9|5|8|||||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|discord||06:25:43|06/04/2015|%3EOne angle to keep in mind is Iona- after all%2C she %5Bi%5Ddid%5B%2Fi%5D just %0D%0A%3Eappear out of nowhere on Diqiu%2C and while Akio isn%27t likely to leave %0D%0A%3Eany route unprotected%2C he might not be able to keep a Fog vessel from %0D%0A%3Epopping up in his garden pond. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EOf course%2C this assumes that Iona is willing and able to work with the %0D%0A%3EDuelists in time%2C but historically Akio%27s downfall has been hastened %0D%0A%3Eby those he tries to use as puppets. %0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0ASay... that%27d be pretty sneaky.  And poetic.  I like it%21%0D%0A%0D%0AAssuming%2C of course%2C that Corwin would be able to undo the god-mojo wammy he laid on Iona and her vessel.  Otherwise they%27ll have to figure out another angle.  Maybe via another Fog ship...%3F%0D%0A
10|1|0|||1||RE%3A Things that Akio knows|Peter Eng||13:53:04|07/16/2015|%3EThinking about what happened in %5Bi%5DTaken by Storm%5B%2Fi%5D%2C I realized that %0D%0A%3EAkio knows a lot more than I would have expected. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EHe knows that D%C3%ACqi%C3%BA is connected with Zipang.  That isn%27t exactly %0D%0A%3Ecommon knowledge%2C and he wouldn%27t have had any particular reason to %0D%0A%3Einvestigate it before Corwin and Utena decided to honeymoon there.  %0D%0A%3EEither he found that while searching for something else%2C or he had %0D%0A%3Esomebody in Cephiro watching the wedding. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%0D%0AAh.  I just figured it out.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bi%5DAkio has Ozai%27s files.%5B%2Fi%5D  He probably knew about D%C3%ACqi%C3%BA early on - possibly early enough that he%27s been manipulating the White Lotus to keep Korra and Corwin separated from day one.%0D%0A%0D%0APeter Eng%0D%0A--%0D%0AInsert humorous comment here.