#and after rereading the reddit post a few times and just looking at the end of the server i feel like. it's pretty fair to say

[cdroloisms]

Ok there are a lot of things I don't understand about Wilbur and Dream's interactions, but one of the main things that I don't quite get is the whole breaking into the prison and burning the disks with Tommy , like ok why was Wilbur so convinced that by threatening to kill himself he was gonna make Dream do what ever he wants ( burn the disks)

And well we can say that Dream was just agreeing to whatever the hell the wanted because he wanted them out of his living room ( and because he didn't need the disks) but like ,Wilbur didn't know that, what made him so sure that Dream wanted him alive especially after the prison break ( Dream didn't need his help anymore) to the point that he thought he could use it ( his life ) as leverage

Did Dream want to keep Wilbur alive, if so, then why? I don't know man, seems like the only person that would be losing in this situation is Wilbur himself.

I got more questions but like this is what confuses me the most. Idk just don't get it

Honestly I'm going to assume you know about these reddit posts, but while like I think that people should be able to draw their own conclusions to a text without strictly subscribing to what is said by the authors, like, cc!Dream and cc!Wilbur did give explanations behind what happened in this stream that I think are worth checking out: x x

A lot of people perceived cc!Wilbur's comment specifically as speaking for c!Dream in a way that was uninformed and therefore dismissed the post, which I think is...unwise? Like, cc!Wilbur literally says that he's posting from the perspective of his character's thought process, not an out of character word of god on what c!Dream actually values and believes. Further, he literally clarifies that his character isn't entirely correct and is an unreliable narrator.

But looking between the posts and looking at c!Dream's behavior, I mean. What we can say, rather definitively, that c!Wilbur was right about is that c!Dream didn't want to lose that feeling that he had leverage over c!Wilbur. Like, he's pretty damn desperate not to lose it, actually. c!Wilbur "believes that Dream has nothing if not himself"--a perspective that obviously leaves out c!Punz, considering c!Dream's secrecy in terms of this one particular ally, but is otherwise I mean. Like. Correct? cc!Dream emphasizes repeatedly that c!Dream doesn't want to lose "that feeling of control over Wilbur," that c!Dream's power over c!Wilbur is "just in his head," that he's holding onto it even though "it's seemingly gone after the exile reveal." The rest of the server's story only throws this in sharper relief--c!Wilbur literally fucking leaves the whole damn server and c!Dream is cowering in the prison worrying about him A MONTH LATER.

When c!Wilbur makes the assessment that c!Dream is going to hold onto the perceived leverage he has over c!Wilbur tightly, EVEN WHEN SAID LEVERAGE DOESN'T EXIST, to the point of doing almost everything c!Wilbur tells him to? He's 100% right. c!Dream doesn't want to break the illusion. When cc!Dream gives the two examples of what c!Dream wouldn't do, he mentions that c!Dream wouldn't "kill himself" or "give over the revive book," which, I mean. Is literally just saying the same thing twice. Which, again, just goes to show how far c!Dream is willing to go in order to keep holding onto a feeling of control, that--once again! Is emphasized by both ccs AND by the literal text (as we can see that c!Dream at no point is able to actually use the "leverage" he has over c!Wilbur from reviving him to do LITERALLY ANYTHING AT ALL) as not existing in any meaningful manner. This isn't a case of c!Wilbur having an inflated sense of self-importance or a case of him pushing his way into this conflict recklessly w/ a delusional belief that his pitch will work. This is a case of c!Wilbur (as is like, usually the case with him and c!Dream) reading c!Dream like an open book and getting exactly what he fucking wants by force, literally shouting down at c!Tommy and c!Dream until they both comply.

(And it's worth pointing out that like. This whole thing does have a visible toll on c!Dream. He's extra jumpy and defensive in the stream on the same day after Inconsolable Differences, says he went for a stroll outside the prison (something he basically Doesn't Do after he gets the prison back in Daedalus) explicitly to "keep his mind wandering," he bristles at the perception that he's being accused of a terrorist--the exact wording that c!Wilbur uses against him when he makes him write the book in the prison. c!Dream's behavior, while not yet pushed to the point where he starts lashing out in self-defense, was pretty obviously off as soon as c!Wilbur started making demands--he grows quieter, more still, visibly less comfortable--honestly, not at all unsimilar to certain behaviors that we saw in the prison arc.)

And I mean. At the end of the day. Why wouldn't c!Dream want some reason to believe that c!Wilbur would work with him? Why wouldn't he want some kind of leverage? The guy is pretty obviously worried about him, if not outright scared of him. He was ranking c!Wilbur with the likes of c!Sam and c!Quackity when he mentions him in the Finale, for god's sake. c!Wilbur was the person that first called him the tyrant that c!Dream ends up believing he has always been. c!Wilbur was the originator of L'manburg, which c!Dream blames for the literal loss of his home. c!Wilbur is like. Extremely charismatic, extremely good at convincing people that he's well-meaning, that what he's saying is right, that this-person-is-the-enemy and you-want-to-stand-for-freedom and that so-and-so is a cause worth dying for, isn't it. c!Dream was The-Man-That-L'manburg-Opposed from the minute that c!Wilbur decided so and this narrative would follow him literally for the rest of his life.

So yeah c!Dream wanted to keep c!Wilbur alive out of the delusional belief that doing so would mean he has leverage over him. Why he wants that leverage (even though he never uses it and the fact that it literally doesn't exist), I mean.

[miradanii]

MTMTE/LOST LIGHT First Time Read

Short time text text because it's 4am. I had to finish it...The Lost Light was short and I had 4 chapters left. Had heat exhaustion twice in one week, lack of sleep for days but I couldn't help but finish just so I can go back and reread parts I didn't understand/have an excuse to finally look up this comic without massive spoilers.

I had never read a lot of long ass comics. But wow have I just had a wild ride. I think it took maybe two and half months to read this? Maybe more. One of the few things I had difficulty with reading but pushed through because how captivated I was with the story and its insane cast of characters. I have tons of new favorites I will now create powerpoint slides to present to my friends now on how much I've enjoyed my time with them.

I am so thankful for the internet due to these comics being out of print. And my past self just happening to own volume 1 of Dark Cybertron and never donating it despite not fully understanding what it was until this year. I hope these comics get reprinted one day but I guess for now I'll hunt down copies because I think I want to do these comics a service by having physical copies...

Anyways I 100% recommend this series as a first time reader for reading any Transformers comics. It was pretty difficult at first but I got the hang of it for a while. Not sure it helped that I was already familiar with a lot of the characters already like Rodimus, Megatron, ect. ect. ect.

Here's a link to a reddit post about the order for reading MTMTE/Lost Light. Though, when you come to Dark Cybertron it comes it two volumes so you don't have to switch between MTMTE and RID issues. Like I said I have the physical copy for Volume 1 of Dark Cybertron but mistakenly went back to reading MTMTE and had not realized the issues were alternating.

The reddit post mentions it but I was dumb and didn't fully read it. I just kinda kept going to the next page with a jarring lack of information thinking a lot of stuff was happening off screen.

Immediate ending spoiler nonsense thoughts down below:

Yeah the ending note made me tear up. I am in the mist of consuming a lot of Transformers Media before Transformers One comes out...I had decided to read MTMTE because I think I wanted something that I felt when I watched Transformers Prime. More detail in the characters. I think I flipped when I found out Ratchet who I've seen 3 iterations of on tv has a love interest. Megatron and Optimus have like....just...yeah it's gay. Unhinge divorced but never married gay interactions, then there's more gay, then idk I just started learning more and more about it all from just doing research all for a powerpoint party I hosted and because it was my birthday I was able to go up to 45 minutes due to birthday privileges.

Like I can go from liking Megop to MiniMegs? Is that the ship name? Idk it's almost 5am. But it's not even about pairings at this point, I'm going on an insane fucking adventure. I'm reading this shit in a King's Hawaiian parking lot now being part of my core memory. Actually that part does have a pairing. I'm seeing this:

I went through emotional toil in a restaurant parking lot with my friends to see and not understand the shock I'm having after I get out of the car.

I understand the flowers. That's a fuck ton.

I technically got spoiled about who Rung actually was but it had been so long I actually was STILL shocked when I found out at around 3am. Though...I didn't know he fucking died. Guys he fucking died. I think he came back or its one of his children idk man he fucking died and there's a character with a very similar color palette to him in Cyberverse.

On a random note I guess they weren't that close but Im surprised there wasn't a conversation between Nautica and Chromedome about forgetting Skids in a sense of grief. And it just kinda happened to her...Though I am glad she was still prioritizing Velocity.

Okay so Terminus just dies off screen and Megatron never finds out that he gave him the wrong location?? Damn. But I guess it was no hard feelings when he reunited with the Lost Light so that's all fine and dandy.

This is the one of the few stories where I am proud bullshit with no further explanation reunites tragic lovers. This series lets me live. I mean there was a very simple explanation why Tailgate didn't fade away from Cyclonus' arms but when that moment happened I was like yeah fuck it let them be happy. Of course Kaput was gonna go Kaput but rip can't believe it had to get Tailgate involved.

Ah Anode and Lug were cute! I think it took me a bit to warm up to them but I think I start to like characters when they start having fun dynamics with the rest of the cast. Anode and Swerve pranking each other on the shrinking ship with all hell breaking loose with the rest of the Rod Squad is just...yeah that whole chapter was paced so well.

Okay Whirl didn't just win me over, he snatched my heart and made a clock out of it with his lil pincers. I love this fella. He's such a homie. Top 10 in my list of characters with best character growth.

Okay okay...so the ending right...I knew Ratchet died in the end. Or a portion of the end. But it still caught me off guard. Not to mention I thought Tailgate had died in the end too. I mean it was technically true. But still...ouch. I saw the panel with the Rodimus Star and thought it was so dumb. Had no idea that it was so much more impactful than I thought. Legit before knowing the context I thought Rodimus didn't want to give his most inner energon and gave a Rodimus Star instead. Oops.

I've seen panels of Minimus and Megatron interact and had no idea that it was from the final issue.

5:31am

This series has given me a small portion of joy I couldn't feel for the past few months without it. A boost in creativity and expanding a range of wow that's a lot of fucking insane shit that can happen and still be fun huh?

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1101 review

I'm very pleased to finally see full colour schemes for all the Vegapunks. Sure, we got a hint at their intended appearances with the vol 106 animated trailer, but I'm glad Oda found the chance to circle back around and give us his vision by his own hands, because there are some differences. Putting this next to the Strawhat outfits and environments on the vol 106 cover and you can see that Egghead is going to be a vibrant piece of work when the colour manga catches up to it a few years from now.

Despite the milestone colour spread, this is another transitional chapter plotwise, continuing to fill in the timeline as the present day looms. Maybe Oda really is just looking to show everything up to Sabaody and/or the present and is fine taking his time with it, but I can't shake the feeling that there's one last tragic twist to Kuma's story yet to be revealed. But even without immediate plot progression or huge reveals, this ends up being another emotionally impactful, as so much of this flashback has already managed to be.

Kuma's visit to Windmill Village ends up not being a huge deal in the long term, something done more to provide a cliffhanger than anything else. As expected, Kuma's orders have nothing to do with Luffy or Goa. But copout though it might be, it does give Oda the chance to show us a little more of Dragon's motivations and personality. I get it, the high stakes battle he's fighting, he can't afford to give the Government the leverage of using his child against him (as we saw with Roger and Ace, you don't even have to be alive for them to try it), and he obviously cares enough that he knows it would work.

What's interesting is that the conversation with Dragon happens in flashback, seemingly when they were in the area for the Grey Terminal fire. Interesting that Kuma has chosen, of his own volition, to check in on Luffy as he passes by. Does he see it as a favour to Dragon, who he can no longer contact, to check in on the kid while he has a chance? Does he feel the similarity between himself and the Revolutionary, both forced to keep a distance from their children, and visit Luffy as penance for not being able to see Bonney. And you would hope this development at least slightly dampens the number of people online memeing on Dragon for being a deadbeat or whatever. Probably not though. Memes are short and snappy and more fun to spread the nuance, even it becomes impossible to have serious discussions on places like Reddit because you can't tell what level of irony anyone's on when they seem to be experiencing the story purely through agenda and slander posting.

So, I initially thought I'd dedicate a section of this review to going back over Kuma's scenes in Thriller Bark and Sabaody and analysing his actions with what we know now. Obviously it was clear from the start that Kuma went into Sabaody intending to save the crew, but somehow I got it in my head over the years that Kuma's actions and intentions at Thriller Bark were more ambiguous, and that there was a chance he'd sincerely tried to take out the crew before learning more or changing his mind later. But then I rediscovered the scene right after Zoro's big moment where he says that Luffy has exceptional friends because "he's your son, after all… Dragon." So yeah, Kuma knew from the start. Oda knew Kuma knew from the start. There's no possible retcon or new motive to look closely at, just the same info we've actually had since 2008. I love these kinds of discoveries (or rediscoveries in my case); they're going to make the series so much fun to fully reread when it's done.

There are some things of note though. I feel very differently about Kuma asking Nami if Ace was really Luffy's brother having seen the conversation about Dragon's weakness in this chapter. Ivan would also mistakenly worry that there was a blood connection that would drive Dragon to do something rash when he heard they were brothers during the Impel Down arc.

Knowing that by this point on the timeline Bonney had already escaped does shed a little light on Kuma's willingness to toy with the crew and let them go, despite Moria deriding him as the only Warlord who follows orders a few chapters earlier. I wonder how differently things would have played out if he'd been put up against Luffy while the knife was still at his daughter's throat.

My main thought about Kuma at Sabaody is that Sentomaru doesn't seem like he's written to be as familiar with Kuma as we know he would be. "But no one knows if that's true," he says of the rumour that Kuma's powers send people flying for three days and nights, as if he couldn't have just asked at some point. When he calls Kuma out for attacking the Pacifista he calls him 'bear-man' instead of his name. But maybe the harshness is something he's putting on to distance himself, knowing what his boss is going to be forced to do to Kuma in the near future.

But getting back to the chapter at hand, I was caught off-guard by how upset I was when Kuma's letter was intercepted and destroyed. His message is simple but heartfelt, but you understand how much it would mean to a child still too young to understand why her dad isn't around and what's been done for her. Alpha's choice to destroy the communication is just so callous and unnecessary, far beyond what was needed to keep a hostage, and you can't help but empathising with how let down and abandoned the young Bonney must have felt. If anything, keeping her satisfied with the promise of going to the sea in the future in the letters must have made it easier to keep the girl under control. But Alpha, as the kind of person who'd take on this kind of assignment for the Government, just needs to be cruel.

I'm not sure what to make of Stussy's comment about free will. She's perhaps already gone into Government service, but she also gets to moonlight as an underworld boss, and obviously retains her loyalty to Vegapunk, given what's happened at present-day Egghead. What parts of this vibrant career did she choose, and which ones were expected of her as one of Vegapunk's successes?

It's heartwarming to see the locals and Conny come together to dupe the Government and facilitate Bonney's escape. The simple joy of getting to go outside for the first time in years is cathartic for Bonney as well. Similar to the fishmen trapped at the bottom of the ocean, Oda uses the absence of the sun as a symbol of oppression, and it didn't even occur to me how similar Bonney's indoors incarceration was until she was appreciating the sun in this sequence. No wonder she got so into her dad's stories about a liberating sun god. Whether you're a prisoner, a slave, an underclass, a hostage or just unwell, the sun is freedom; its absence, chains.

I actually don't love what Bonney is able to do with her fruit at the end. It feels too extreme. Ageing like a particular person? Fine. Getting super buff or anything else a human could reasonably achieve in a lifetime? Yeah, great. But I don't get what the power is drawing on to warp her appearance that much. And while she was kept conveniently unconscious (fainted because of bugs) for the Gear Five sequence in the lower lab and blasted away before the transformation in the upper one to keep her from recognising Nika, she did personally stop Luffy from using Gear Three against a Pacifista near the start of the arc, so you'd think there'd be some kind of conversation to be had there. Could be that she was just too distracted thinking about her dad to connect the dots at the time though.

But weird power-releated stuff aside, it is immensely satisfying to see Alpha cop it after what she's done. And to see Bonney win her freedom and take to the seas like she always dreamed.

I think the flashback is nearing its end as we close out the year and start exploring volume 109, but there's still this gut feeling that there's one last stinger or final bit of info we haven't been shown yet, maybe relating to the moment Kuma fully loses himself. But even if we're just taking it slow filling in the time up to the present with Kuma's perspective of Thriller Bark, Sabaody, protecting the Sunny and the Reverie, Oda's proven here that he can still make low-plot chapters tug on the heartstrings, cuing up a quick but effective combo of frustration followed by catharsis. Very much looking forward to all this pain and suffering and emotional build-up coming to a head when Kuma arrives at Egghead in the present, presumably in the new year.

Wordpress!

[mittelan]

just me fangirling nbd

I have so many thoughts in my head after read ‘I Want to Hold Aono-kun so Badly I Could Die’ AKA 青野くんに触りたいから死にたい, 想要觸碰青野君所以我想死. Whew what a long title in both languages. After a recommendation from a youtuber I follow I gave it a read, as supernatural shenanigans are my JAM.

And this was top tier jam for me.

Here’s the official summary: I would die if it would allow me to touch you. That is my love. Airhead Yuri-chan and her boyfriend Aono-kun had a perfectly normal relationship until one day Aono-kun suddenly “passed away” … They will never be bound together, and they cannot even touch. This is their difficult and almost too sincere love story.

I absolutely loved it. I immediately went scouring the internet for reviews or even just thoughts of the manga. But I barely got any reviews that reviewed all 8 volumes of the english release, and adding reddit to the end of the title just gave me posts of people wanting to talk about it with others with zero responses or just a general recommendation. Maybe because it’s in Kodansha’s digital jail? Who knows.

This is me screaming into the void about how much I love the series. I hunkered down and reread it for the next couple of days savoring it. I think because of how hard it is to find media that I really enjoy these days, I tend to obsess for a good while.

OK, I won’t deny the art isn’t going to be winning any awards anytime soon. However, rather than being rough, I would say it’s simple. It doesn’t look bad in my opinion, but it also doesn’t stand out much. I read a review where he felt the art would be something you’d see in a comedy series rather than a horror romance series. I agree, it kind of reminds me of ‘Yugami-kun Doesn’t Have Any Friends’ art. To be fair there is quite a bit of comedy in the series. I feel the art does get better in the more recent chapters, some chapters have stunning panels (when Yuri is chasing dark Aono, and the dream she had come to mind), and the covers are beautifully done as well.

And this may be a pro just for me but it doesn’t feel that male gazey if that makes sense. Being a seinen I’m not surprised sex is brought up within the story. Yuri’s underwear is seen a few times, but because the art is simple it doesn’t feel gratuitous. It could also be because the author is a woman tho (I believe the author is a woman as mangaupdates list her as a female and Umi Shiina sounds like a woman’s name). I feel where a more fanservicey inclined author would show more, Shiina shows us enough to get the gist of their love/lust and cuts to the next scene. ALSO rather than feeling like fanservice the racier bits feel more like horny pent up teens being uhhhhh horny pent up teens. They can’t even touch, I’m not surprised they get all frisky when they can LMAO.

Here’s where I’m gonna word vomit my spoilery thoughts, as I think volume 9 won’t be out till the end of the year (probably I’m just guessing after looking at their past release schedule) so I want to refer to this if I forget.

Also this is a stream of consciousness in retrospect. I honestly don’t expect anyone to read this LMAO.

Ok so, I wonder about the beginning of their relationship. Yuri fell for him because he was nice to her literally once. In all honesty I suspect this is the first time someone was nice to her in years given her sister. So while her response to Aono’s kindness is honestly out of proportion, I wonder what the timeline was for her older sister. So long as her older sister lived with her, Yuri could not form any meaningful or healthy relationships. Yuri has very low self worth I think? I believe her sister is seven years older than her, yuri I believe is 16 (or 17?) at the start so her sister is what 23 or 24? And it seems she had left home for a year already (don’t quote me on this tho lmao) for her job before she quit and came back for whatever reason in recent chapters. I have no idea if she commuted to college from her house or if she lived elsewhere during her university years. I’m guessing she commuted to college maybe? maybe??/??? Idk. I’m just thinking, why was Yuri in her 2nd year of highschool (so like 11th grade?) without any friends. The flashback of her during elementary school shows why that was the case, as her sister guilt trips her and makes ultimatums when Yuri tries to hang out with her friend, causing Yuri to come across as unreliable and flaky to her peers. I could see her doing that during middle school as well… but her first year of high school… hmmm. Perhaps at that age it’s simply hard to make friends after a certain point. It could also be that though Yuri may not be conscious of it, she perhaps had a habit of remaining distant from her peers. I guess it’s not too surprising she ‘imprints’ (aono’s words not mine lol) on Aono after their encounter. She is a teenage girl after all, it’s not weird that even though she seems to be a bit of a loner, she is gung ho at the thought of dating a nice boyfriend. And the timing perfect, as her sister wouldn’t be around to fuck shit up… Though I will say, Yuri normalized her sister’s behavior at this point so idk.

Aono on the other hand is an enigma, especially after the recent revelation from his younger brother (teppei). Thinking about it more however, we know that they were not close at the time of Aono’s death (not in the sense they hated each other, though I’m sure teppei holds mixed/bitter feelings towards aono, I get the impression they were simply distant). However I thought about it more because I like to think a lot apparently, and I stupidly realized that a traffic accident in Japan ain’t the same thing as one over here. I know Aono couldn’t drive, so the only way to explain his death is that he was hit by a car. No one said it was a car accident and the rest of his family is fine as well. However that still doesn’t mean he committed suicide for sure though. I mean he could have, but it could have been an accident. Only Aono knows at this point. And Teppei already has his own misconception of Aono, though ofc I don’t blame him. But I wouldn’t say he understands the inner workings of aono’s mind better than Yuri or even fujimoto.

But if he did commit suicide it does spin things around right???? When I reread the first chapter I wonder if it was guilt he was feeling when he realized his suicide would cause Yuri to attempt suicide? Or was he just feeling bad in general about being the cause of her suicide attempt. He is a nice dude after all but HMMMMMM. Also thinking about it there is a general theme of … anti suicideness (ok DUH)?? Anti lonerness??? I mean I guess you could say the power of friendship…… but it’s more like, “you guys are not alone in this, and we will all try to figure out a way to fix the situation” ok I guess it's the power of friendship. But the story/characters point out when Yuri’s selfless and thoughtless (as in, so long as it only harms me idc) actions cause harm to others. Or when she says to Hirota that he doesn’t have to feel sorry for those who harm him. Both Yuri and Hiroto also had similar thoughts when they realized they could see the ghost of their loved ones, they didn’t care what would happen to themselves. And both eventually realize that the consequences of their choices harm more than just themselves.

I have to wonder what aono thought about her during the two weeks they were dating. I get the feeling initially he feels somewhat responsible for her and sticks around because of that after his death. As much as I like Yuri, the girl IS a bit unhinged. But it’s lovely to see them grow as people, and their attempts to make their relationship more healthy. There is some drama/tension in their relationship because well, aono is dead and as much as they wish for it, they can’t have a normal relationship. And fujimoto is shown to have feelings for Yuri as well, though at this point he has no plans on acting upon it. But Aono knows so uhhhh. 

Back to aono tho woops. There's his mother. I truly have no idea how accurate teppei’s claim that aono killed her is. Whatever the case, it was deemed a suicide. This was 5 years ago I believe? I don’t really know if a 12/11 year old can coerce someone into suicide. (Though I will say aono does mention he’s not as nice as he seems. Perhaps he feels guilt for his role in her death? If he even had one. He was like 10 ok. Not saying that he couldn’t have been mean to her, but his mom seemed unstable to begin with.) Or hide a murder. Their relationship was giving off incest vibes as well. Hate to get all jungian or whatever but the odd relationship with his mother probably explains why Aono was a crazy magnet. What’s really mysterious is… the ghost of her that we see. It’s weird. If we are to take Horie’s theory about ghosts as absolutely correct (tho who knows, maybe we’ll be proven wrong later) then it can’t be her, rather an offshoot of Aono for some reason. Perhaps his mother’s suicide formed a contract between them, but I don’t think different ghosts can interact with each other in this setting. Dark Aono said that if Yuri were to die, they’d never see each other again, somewhat confirming this theory. And in the small epilogue for Sota, it looks like he couldn’t see anyone in his world, and I doubt anyone could see him. Though I noticed he seemed to have a shadow. Whatever this ultimately means though… no clue. But it’s weird as when aono’s mother initially appears, neither of them can see her. Also when Yuri is possessed, she keeps seeing his mother (well… her feet lmao), and dark aono even seems scared/wary of her? He makes sure that Yuri hides from her so there’s that.

BUT ALSO, I think only Yuri is able to form a contract with ghosts. The ghost girl’s grandmother mentions that Kariya’s have some kind of relationship with ghosts. And well Yuri is a Kariya. Also don’t know if it’s relevant but perhaps her older brother’s death has something to do with their blood as well. Just spitballing ideas. Still have no clue why when the kid trio saw Aono as some weird dinosaur thing. It’s obvious he’s chilling in her womb for whatever reason though at some point. BUT IN THE BEGINNING. Was he just chilling and checking in on people after he died? WHERE DID HE COME FROM? He popped in at the right moment. I will concede that maybe Sota’s circumstances were not typical for ghosts… so perhaps an average ghost CAN see living people? I keep confusing myself.

I think dark aono is his instinct/inner consciousness as a ghost. Perhaps an entity of sorts? But he seems to reside in Aono’s conscious. Given that the Kariya family is special somehow, maybe it’s some kind of being tied with that. And perhaps the further the contract goes along, the more this dark aono merges with regular aono, as we can see later on Aono seems to be able to be more aware when he’s like that though still not in control. It is weird that dark aono just straight up knows things. Like Kubinashi and the leaving behind half of a pair thing… It initially comes across as inhuman, but as Yuri withholds and takes back her permissions, dark Aono attempts to come across more human. Weird dude. It does beg the question of where ghosts are tho when they aren’t seen. Do they simply suffer alone in their own world like sota seems to have done? Or do they rest in peace at some point? Sota ran off to the sunset seemingly realizing something at the end of the epilogue. I remember he also says he doesn’t really remember what he was doing before Hiroto summoned him. Is there some sort of ghost world? The story bases its mythology off of real world myths and folklore, so I’m curious to see where it will go.

[gofancyninjaworld]

OPM Webcomic Chapter 141 Review

Intro

Normally I like to take a couple of days and a few rereads to see how I feel about a chapter before reviewing it, but with ONE’s unpredictable schedule, I’d best do this now.  It’s longish.

The first thing to say is that this chapter really messed me up.

The cavalry has a stone in its shoe

The first thing that fucked me up was realising what the sound effect in the first two panels of the chapter was: the sound of the doctor’s increasingly agonised breathing.  What a horrible thing to have to hear, made worse by the three Machine Gods showing up and reporting that their latest kill would have a 0% chance of survival after 5 minutes.

If you thought then that this chapter would be about a by-the-skin-of-the-teeth save, you’re sadly mistaken.  Genos was awesome.  He spared no power (nor powers for that matter) in fighting the three dragon-level machines simultaneously, aiming to kill them as quickly as he could and get that time.

ONE’s grasp on choreography has improved immensely and he’s used it fantastically here.  He’s always been versatile, but this time, Genos was plasticity itself, wielding heat, freezing, magnetism, anti-gravity, electricity and much more.  In turn, they didn’t commit the mistake of trying to attack one at a time, analysing his moves as they went and attacking in unpredictable formation.

it might not be psychic power, but being able to move and warp anything magnetic is a damn useful substitute

Machine Gods may vary in form, but they do share a basic interest, which is in understanding heroes, and a basic personality, which is a snarky wit that’s quick to mock. Machine God Tech lobs a back-handed compliment to Genos, saying that if he’d mastered these variable abilities, he’d have been able to aim for the top of the hero world.  For their confidence, Tech and Ray end up dead in pretty short order, smashed to pieces, leaving an outraged Machine God Body howling about how it simply couldn’t be that a mere ex-human cyborg could outdo them, these magnificent AIs.  He takes up the components of the other two to strengthen himself further, but  he’s dead soon, smashed to bits by an appropriately named Final Smash.

Genos hurries to the doctor, but there’s no let up.  Seven more high-powered robots appear. Thankfully so does Saitama, still in his underwear. He takes on the five approaching from the front, leaving the last two to Genos.  Saitama casually walking through the assault, not even bothering to shape a punch has to be one of the scene-stealers of the chapter and one of the very few light moments in it.

And then it’s over.  Saitama picks the doctor up to try ferrying him to hospital, but the doctor refuses, preferring to tell Genos where to find a secret, final upgrade, to use it to run away from Them (looks like the doctor knows exactly who killed him) and to beg forgiveness.

what a way for a beautiful relationship to end

Genos doesn’t say anything. Nor does he hurry after Saitama, but after the latter has left, he bows deeply in gratitude and says that there’s nothing to forgive, for the old man did nothing wrong in his eyes.

The action recommences at dawn.  For the avoidance of all hope, we see that Saitama has buried the doctor in the forest with a chunck of the lab wall as a headstone and the shovel still stuck in the earth by the grave.  Genos comes out of the repair pod with a new body and the two of them take their leave.  Genos intends to take out Metal Knight immediately, before whatever the plan for a ‘general offensive’ is executed.  Saitama agrees to accompany him.  But as they walk along, there’s a light over the nearest city.  It seems ‘The Plan’ Machine God Tech talked about has begun.

Indeed, on the ground, there’s carnage as a formation of robots marches through, burning every building they pass and shooting down anything that moves.  Various heroes look on in numb horror as the army advances. 

That’s where this monster of a chapter ends.

never ones to half-ass things

Meta

Unsurprising Surprise

The Organization strikes at last.  Our longest-running villains finally show their hand. They’ve measured, they’ve planned, they’ve done their homework, made that list and checked it twice.  Fitting in with Metal Knight’s warning about a shadowy power waiting its time (in the manga, not the webcomic), they’ve struck right when the heroes are at their weakest.  We don’t know the extent  of it. Is City W the only place being scrubbed off the map, or is this part of a much more widespread trend?

Well, now we really do know that when Genos spoke of not only acting for himself when he introduced himself to Saitama, he was just telling the truth.  He might be looking for vengeance, but his scope was always much bigger than just himself.  It’s a shame things have had to deteriorate to this extent for us to see it.

If not now, when?

So this is it! This is as good as it gets for him then. If he is to survive, Genos will have to take a page from Drive Knight’s example and quickly master everything his new body has to offer.  We’ve (well I’ve) complained before that he’s merely competent at using what the doctor gives him, throwing parts and bodies away without giving himself a chance to truly get the best out of them.  No choice now.  And it looks like there’s a world to save -- no time to luxuriate in practice. Or grief.

Forgive me

A few years ago when I was still new to Reddit, one of my first posts was to ask if Dr Kuseno was a good man. Against his manifest good deeds in supporting Genos as he did, it didn’t sit well with me that he’d performed a Reverse Pinocchio on an ordinary boy, turning him into a living weapon.  Not hard to imagine that it wasn’t received too well by the sub, lol.  In time, as we got to see more of Kuseno, my position on him softened, but what the hell, doctor?  never went completely away.

With Kuseno’s dying words being apology, we see that he knew he’d done wrong by Genos.  He knew that roping him into his quest for justice came as much from his own selfishness and rage as it did from a desire to set the world to rights.  I’ve repeatedly said that the cyborg body Genos has has nothing to do with health. It was all about gaining the power to fight and forgoing a chance to have a life in the process.

And so Kuseno died, in agony, weeping and begging for a forgiveness that he never heard come.  He was buried like a dog in what had been his backyard. By a stranger.

Fuck.

That’s cold.

Now I’m not faulting Genos for not forgiving the old man to his hearing. But there’s a hardness to him that he’ll want watching lest it grow more.

this is why the Machine Gods always fail despite their detailed calculations.  They just do not understand the depth of the human heart, nor its importance.

But I’ll add one more thing.  Dr Kuseno did not just raise a warrior.  In the end, he raised a damn fine hero too.  In the end, I really hope that some great good might yet come out of this.

Saitama and compassion

I’m glad that Saitama is here.  I’m even more glad that he’s not been acting to try stealing the show, instead supporting Genos when the latter needs it. It’s not ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ But it is compassionate. 

What’s next?

Why fighting of course.  Lots of it. I hope that somehow, the fog of war ends up nevertheless clarifying the relationship between the Neo Heroes, The Organization, Metal Knight and possibly Drive Knight.  I’m ready for this arc to build to its crisis and resolve one way or the other.

Bits and pieces

Number 23 on the list?  If Kuseno weren’t keeping such a low profile, I’d be insulted on his behalf.

I surmised last chapter that Kuseno must have an extensive basement as the superstructure of his place looked positively humble.  West basement?  With multiple hangars?  That’s not a basement, that’s an underground castle.  I hope Genos has locked up after himself.  If he succeeds in putting sword to his enemies, he’ll want what’s in there.

Finally, with the way living and dying works in this world, I wonder if the old man might yet have survived if he’d not decided it was too late for him.  I guess we’ll never know. At least I hope not.  I hope he’s beyond the clutches of those who’d raise him to an undeath for their own purposes.

[alyblacklist]

Hey!!

I am new to your tumblr but I read your fics all the time (and reread them more often than I should admit lol)

I think you’re really amazing!

I’m so relieved that you answer asks and discuss speculation because I really need someone to talk this through.

So, I have watched a couple of other thriller series along the same lines where the makers don’t have any issues killing off major characters off the show.

There are a couple of things that are happening in this show which I think (and I honest to god hope I’m wrong) are building up to them killing off Ressler.

They get together, they partially admit their feelings (which we’ve been waiting for too Damn long) - so they get closure. Ressler is in the hospital, they show him deteriorating, he goes into v-fib.

And all of this is not that much of a game changer but hear me out. The task force is being dismantled and they need to give the viewers sth that they won’t expect. And bring some new spice in s9. With Liz going full time into crime, it seems a lot easier for them to kill off Ressler.

My only counter debate to my point is that they would have killed him off the moment he got shot (like they did with Meera) rather than show him being treated.

I really need to know what you think. Please tell me he’s not gonna die cause honestly who on earth will watch the show then?

Hi there! I have to say a special thank you to you, @alrightygirl, and to my anon (above) who I have lumped in, for the shoutouts on my stories. I came to Tumblr in the first place during the hiatus between S2/S3 in part because I realized some of my fav fanfic authors (@aussieokie !) were here so I am especially happy to read this.

I'm not sure people realize how much we fanfic writers thrive on feedback, and especially on the multi chapter works we invested so much time into. So thank you, and I have to say I really am looking forward to the end of the season so I can step away from the BTS hunt and my inbox and get back to just creating. Hopefully the writers will leave things in a good place in 8.22 so there's plenty to work with. Ok, on to the substance of your ask and I'll put in a jump because I can already tell this is getting long.

I really do NOT think Ressler will die. I didn't think so before 8x19 and I still don't think so after the "medical drama" of 8x20. Because that's what I think they're doing - they're creating drama because it's the end of the season and they want people freaking out and guessing over who will survive. Call it the curse of cable, or thrillers or whatever, but we as audiences have been conditioned to believe that major characters have to die every year, even if it's pointless.

The thing is, The Blacklist has never been that show. They have killed three "main characters" in the life of the show. Meera in S1 (and I later read Parminder only had a one-year deal), Tom in S5 (with huge fanfare and foreshadowing and an entire "hero" arc following a failed spinoff with a new series eagerly awaiting him at NBC), and Samar in S6 after the actress specifically requested to be released from her contract after S5 and gave them time to write her character an appropriate conclusion arc which also had huge foreshadowing.

Could they go a different route this year? Sure. We're late in the life of the show and twists and cliffhangers and budgets all come into play but the thing is - I just still really don't see it when it comes to Ressler.

For me, the characters' perspective is always paramount. What purpose would Ressler's death serve? It would make Liz more upset (because, you know, Sam, Tom, Katarina, her sister, her whole team weren't enough?). And other than that......?

The audience already knows the gravity of the stakes. So does Liz. So does every other character. The only purpose Ressler's death would serve that I see (and to be clear, I am focusing only on the characters in the show not the irrational fandom hate for his character) is to "punish" Liz more, to make her feel worse about what she's done, to deal another body blow on top of all that she's suffered already.

I don't think Liz needs that. (I'm positive nearly all of Reddit disagrees).

She turned herself in to Cooper because she recognized the bloodshed needed to end after she FEARED losing him. She stayed by Ressler's side and spoke her entire speech in the hearse and by his unconscious side because she can't handle losing him too. This is exactly the scenario the writers teased when Eisendrath teased all those months ago that maybe he would use her feelings for him to get her to come back.

Source (X)

He didn't overtly "use" her feelings in the end because that is not Ressler. He is not that guy. But in the end, her feelings for him were EXACTLY why she turned herself in.

I don't think Liz doesn't need to be punished further or suffer more in anyone's eyes except those who still can't come to terms with her war against Red. I don't think the writers feel that way about her character. To the contrary, they introduced a hallucinated Kaplan to try to give her a pass and also had her give lengthy explanations to both Ressler and Aram defending her behavior. I think from all I have read and seen that the writers view Liz as a victim of circumstances caused by Red - something Cooper has also articulated to Panabaker along the way in defending why Liz has done what she's done under extraordinary circumstances. We can all agree or disagree on the why and the method and the extremes but the bottom line is that I think the writers still view Liz as more "victim" or "forced criminal" than diabolical villain so killing Ressler, on top of everyone else Liz has lost, is just another deep blow on top of all the blows that have turned her into who she is. I think we're past the point that that is necessary and we'll be even further past that point after 8.21/8.22 when Liz learns some truths.

This has gotten crazy long so I'll just add these final thoughts which I have also articulated in prior posts:

- I think if the writers were going to write out Ressler - an original character from the Pilot - they would do so with more hype and fanfare and story than what he's gotten this season. Sure he was present in 8x19 a lot but it was really Liz's story. She was the heroine saving him and moving them from place to place while he suffered. I think the writers have enough respect for Diego to give him at least as much substantial story as Tom and Samar got in their sendoffs if this was really the end. He's a good guy and a good character and he deserves more than for his final moments to be a quiet fade to black in Vfib in a hospital with only Park present (or even Liz present for a final, vague, goodbye). A show that can't do that isn't a show I'm interested in watching, you know?

- his agents congratulated him on the S9 renewal back when it was announced. Hardly an indicator that a major character is getting jettisoned.

-You'd also think, if he was leaving this season, that he'd be doing more to elevate his profile on social media like he did at the end of Homeland to gear up for a new gig. He's done NOTHING.

-Finally, there has been literally nothing in JB's recent interview with The Blacklist Exposed, any of the BTS, the press, the episode descriptions, the crew photos, or anything else to date to indicate that a major actor/character is leaving. I know people can hide the ball but usually in this show, something slips through. So far - nothing. (No, I don't take Megan's thank you's or wrap party photos that way).

Anyway, hopefully we'll all be here at this time next year (or a few weeks earlier if things are back to normal), analyzing S9 and all that has happened. Thanks for the ask!

[mikanyuzu-26]

Is Chapter 139 of Attack on Titan being messed up deliberately?

*Views are my own. I barely post anything on social media but I feel the need to express my thoughts as a long-term AOT fan.

You need to be a genius in getting everything wrong. As a reader who has been following the series for 8 years, the frustration and disappointment the recent chapters brought me are beyond words. The series Attack on Titan has long been known for its well written plotline, with pieces of hints eventually leading to the reveal of mysteries, ranging from the identity of enemies to the origin of titan. Isayama the author is more than capable in building a story, as evidenced by the carefully arranged setups and successful characterization in 130+ chapters. Probably echoed by other readers, the story surprisingly went downhill since Chapter 124 (aka the alliance arc) when pacing becomes slow with no major progress in overall plot. Eren who is the supposedly main protagonist is nowhere to be found in most of the chapters, let alone his inner thought. The conclusion in Chapter 139 is even more confusing, showing clear disconnection with previous chapters and major characters being OOC. There are fans who are kind enough to summarize the inconsistencies.

Chinese netizens’ comment on the story quality

I would interpret the bad writing in Chapter 139 as intentional, with two possible reasons, or both: 1). To betray and hurt the readers as expressed in his interview. He is free! 2). To passively protest against a plot change by his editorial team

“I was a big fan of Game of Thrones, so I can relate to the feelings of those fans who were disappointed with how the series ended. But when I’m drawing, I’m expressing my own feelings, and I think as long as I’m doing that, my fans will be able to accept whatever ending I come up with for them”. The question is – was Isayama hinting at a GOT-like ending that expressed his true feeling? Looking at his response at this point of time, was he foreshadowing a disappointment?

Personally I am a believer of (2) – the plot was hijacked. I see the pacing issue starting from Chapter 124 as Isayama and the editorial team trying to buy time in reconstructing the plot. This is the period when multiple minor subplots (e.g. Connie’s mom, Aruani, conflicts with Yeagerists like Daz, formation of Alliance, Reiner’s mom & Annie’s dad) are introduced and closed off shortly after, while Eren is nowhere to be found.

Also note that Isayama did not even show up in the interview/live stream after the end of the manga in on Apr 10 and Apr 14, 2021. The editor represented him instead. It was also revealed in the most recent live stream that the editorial team had quite a lot of influence over the plot, in which they changed the last few pages of Chapter 139.

As many of you have already raised, early chapters already mentioned the “only way to put a final end to the cycle of revenge” is to do a full rumbling. I believe this is the first draft of the ending of the story as this idea has been expressed more than once directly out of the mouth of Eren.

The other possible change is the way of how Ymir is being freed. In earlier chapter, Eren clearly understands what Ymir has been waiting for 2000 years in Chapter 122, and this is also the reason why Eren is able to start the rumbling in the first place. The possibility of Mikasa freeing Ymir is not being introduced until Chapter 138 (or 139), and certainly comes out of nowhere as the only people outside of path who have seen Ymir are Armin and Ramzi.

How is Chapter 139 being intentionally messed up? The inconsistencies above suggest that at least two plot twists are only being decided at the very late stage of the story. • Eren’s true intention (Eren Requiem vs. full rumbling) and the reasons behind • What Ymir wants

Throughout Chapter 139, there are definitely better choice of words which even average Reddit/Twitter/Tumblr users were able to re-write in the past few days. However Isayama just somehow chose the worst way in presenting the story as if it is a shoutout to readers. The presentation also makes Chapter 139 memorable, though not in a way most have expected.

“Why Mikasa?” “Well…only Ymir knows that one…” When I reread Chapter 139, it seems to me that Isayama is not trying to shy away from admitting the plot change. The disbelief from Armin’s way of saying “Huh? Did you just say Mikasa?” is an analogy to the readers’ reaction due to the lack of interaction between Ymir and Mikasa before the last panel of Chapter 138. Eren is also drawn with a resigned expression. If this is an over interpretation of the frame, Eren’s next response “Well…only Ymir knows that one…” directly points out how the statement lacks a clear and sound reasoning. You can translate it into “Well…only [the company/my editor] knows that one…” or “Nothing I just want to throw this in”. Isayama clearly knows what he is writing and indeed “only Ymir knows that one” becomes a meme.

Also to add that prior to Chapter 139, Ymir has always been a parallel of Historia/Krista, not Mikasa, even as early as Chapter 51, but this plot was just somehow nowhere to be found eventually.

Why Rumbling? The most disastrous consequence of a plot change, from wiping all history and civilization (that has been repeated in his conversation with Historia in Chapter 130 and his internal monologue in Chapter 131) to an Eren Requiem, is that it takes away all the justification and rationale for Eren to eliminate 80% of the population in the first place. Whether or not Eren executes the rumbling and dies willingly, the world will still be in conflict and future generation will remain in the forest. If the plan is to free Ymir, a better way is probably just asking Mikasa to chop his head off. That saves humanity (Ymir likes drama, after all!).

Isayama could have easily used phrases like “I just want to move forward” but he put “I don’t know why, but…I wanted to do that…I had to”. This is also Isayama speaking from the Eren – he does not know why Eren is doing rumbling just to achieve the 80% plan. He just “had to” draw it.

“10 Years, At least!” This is probably the most debatable and dramatic part of the chapter. Eren expresses his love to Mikasa but the scene is presented in a way as if it is a kid throwing a tantrum. In addition to that there is Armin’s comment “Oh ok…I didn’t expect something that pathetic..” as if it is again, the readers’ comment. The scene is portrayed in an unbelievably comedic way, especially when you compare it with Eren’s conversation with Ramzi in Chapter 131, which is supposed to serve the same purpose in showing Eren’s human/soft side. Most importantly, freedom has always been Eren’s core value throughout the series. The outright contradiction this line shows only makes the whole idea of this panel questionable.

Character Regression Needless to say, characters’ behaviours surprisingly regress back to the first arc, wiping out all developments throughout the series. The worst thing is it even kills the hype of re-reading the manga as you know the characters never grow, after all the sufferings and hearts sacrificed. Examples include: • Eren is still a crybaby • Mikasa remains trapped by her relationship with Eren and the scarf • Historia is not living proudly for herself after the Uprising arc • Reiner sniffs Historia’s letter after going through depression and wars (there is even a petition online asking Isayama to change this! You see how problematic this is.) • Jean and the horse joke

Almost everything that could possibly go wrong is wrong in 1 chapter These are written by the man who have been writing good chapters in the past 10 years. Can you believe it is just a lack of sense?

• “Thank you. You became a mass murderer for our sake.” • The “poop” that Armin gives Eren (Isayama likes using meme right? :P) • Eren’s face when he is punched

Is this the High School AU style?

Compared to Chapter 112...You can tell the difference.

The way how the fandom views Chapter 139 is certainly very divided, but even amongst those who like it, most still think “things could have done better” (source: SNK Chapter 139 Poll), showing how awkward the style is compared to previous chapters. The inconsistencies in character portrayal and plot are too hard to ignore. It pains me to see a well-constructed and reputable series, one step away from legend even just with an average ending, closed with a chapter that almost defeats the purpose of the rest. Trust in Isayama – while he can build a legend in 10 years, he can also take it down with 1 chapter.

By the way, Levi is one of the few characters who isn’t ruined. Probably also a conscious choice.

[jungleuniversity]

How I Improved My MCAT Score (509 -> 518)

Hi Everyone! I got back my new MCAT scores awhile ago, but I thought I’d write a post about how I achieved my score, with hope that it could potentially help another student. I know that while I was studying, a lot of the advice I saw on the internet was overwhelming and made me feel that my level of studying would always be inferior to what others were doing. The vast array of available courses, practice tests, and other services available certainly did not help either, as there is no reasonable way to complete every single resource that exists. In this post, I’ll go through a timeline of my basic study plan and explain which resources I used and why I think they are worth using. 

Stage 1 - Kaplan 7 book set and other content resources

I had trouble coming up with a time frame for how long it should take to go through the Kaplan set, which is why I simply called this part the “first stage.” Many guides I have read online mention strictly separated “content review” and “practice exam” phases of studying. Personally, that would never have worked out for me because I would have gotten anxious every time I got a question wrong during the exam phase. Instead, I spent about 3-4 months simply reading and taking notes out of the books, and then doing a mixed exam and content review stage. I used each book in the following ways, especially the second time I studied: 

Biochemistry - For the first half of the book I took detailed notes as if I were learning from an ordinary biochemistry textbook for a class. For the second half, I eased on the notes and started drawing out the different pathways. I think I wrote down the Electron Transport Chain pathway 10-15 times and the Citric acid cycle path about 50 times. I did not draw the shapes of compounds, but I won’t tell you not to do that either. 

Biology -  Same as the Biochem book. I did spend extra time on “high yield content” that's more difficult to memorize, such as actin/tropomyosin activity in muscle. 

Physics - I cannot stress what I am about to say enough. The absolute most important things to know from this book are the units. If you are truly stuck on a physics (or often chemistry) question, there is a very good chance you can use dimensional analysis to force your way to the right answer in a relatively brief amount of time. If nothing else, PLEASE learn the units behind every concept. 

Chemistry - Use the advice from physics, but I also took pretty heavy notes, especially in the first half, since there’s a lot of content that, despite being easier than biochemistry in my opinion, are foundational and will cause problems if you skip it. 

Behavioral Sciences - This was the section that brought down my first attempt score. I found that the premed95 anki deck that’s in circulation was helpful, but it made me incredibly lazy in studying to the point where I would pretend to be productive, while just looking at slides. I was desperate not to repeat my mistakes, so I brute forced my way through the Kaplan book this time instead. I didn’t take notes the way I did for other subjects - instead I hand wrote every single bolded word and definition in a notebook, organized by chapters. This took about a week and I did not study any other subject during this time. I don’t know if I would recommend this method for Behavioral Sciences for everyone, but the truth is that after I did this, my practice section scores went from 124 to 128-130. One thing to keep in mind though, the last few sections of the Physics/Math book are absolutely critical to the Behavioral Sciences section as they are the only resource within the Kaplan set which explain the research methodologies for both Psychology and Sociology. 

Organic Chemistry - I took sparse notes on this book. I think it's the least useful out of the 7 book set, and I often had to look to the internet and old organic chemistry class notes to clarify mechanisms and pathways. Nevertheless, make flashcards or write down reactions such as the Aldol condensation, which more likely than not will show up at some point. 

CARS - Skip this book. In my opinion, there are better ways to study this section. Most importantly, use the CARS question packs from AAMC. 

Stage 2 - CARS, Mixed Content Review and Practice Exams (2-3 weeks)

This is around when I started taking CARS much more seriously, so I would recommend starting earlier. I mainly focused on using the two AAMC question packs, although the KhanAcademy passages were also useful. The first question pack was definitely a bit more difficult and you might feel discouraged after going through half of it. However, I promise it does get better. Part of the change is that as you read explanations for why you get questions wrong, your skill will begin to improve. The other part is that the second half of the question pack, as well as most of the second question pack are more closely aligned with the difficulty level of the actual test. 

This was also when I began taking NextStep full length exams. (Insert surprised Pikachu face) My first score was a 501. Definitely not expected at the time, but it was a necessary wakeup call to understand where my content gaps were. 

After each exam I took from this point on, I would take the rest of the day off after taking the exam. Just relax, after taking a 7 hour exam, you deserve it tbh. The next day, go over the entire exam, question by question and take notes where you need to. I wrote very brief 1-line notes for questions I got right and understood, and more detailed notes for all incorrect questions as well as correct questions that I did not fully understand. This is important for two reasons: First, this allows you to know exactly where your content gaps are and understand how you can improve applying the concepts that you already know. Second, there’s only so many different things they can ask you on the MCAT. It might sound endless, but there are a finite number of concepts and you are bound to see very similar questions on future practice tests and also on the real MCAT. In my experience, writing down the explanation for the correct answers on missed questions ensured that I never get a similar question incorrectly in the future. Overall, next-step exams were alright, but their content felt incredibly low-yield. Now, studying low yield concepts is extremely important, but it's obviously detrimental if that's all you study. 

For the next month, I would alternate between taking next-step and AAMC full lengths, with breaks in between to review my content gaps. My highest Nextstep exam was a 512, but I tended to score around 507-508. My aamc exams, in order, were 519, 517, and 515. The downward trend was concerning, but I was honestly happy since all of those scores were higher than my target at the time, 513. Also, I falsely began to think that NextStep exams were extremely deflated. (They are, but not nearly to the extent that you might think.)

Finally, the day before my first exam: I couldn’t sleep at all, and I went against common advice of not studying on this day. As for exam day, just trust yourself and the studying you have done. My main advice beyond what anyone else will tell you is to keep a close eye on the clock. Several people who tested with me lost up to 5 minutes on CARS because they forgot to take into account the time during their lunch break. Not every test center will have digital clocks, and the one I went to only had a tiny analog clock near the area they check you in. When I asked a proctor for the time, he just laughed. So make sure you look at the clock and remember the time when your break starts. 

My score on the first exam turned out to be a 509. Not necessarily a bad score at all, but this score was much lower than what I was aiming for. It was disappointing, mainly due to the time I put into studying, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. My behavioral sciences section severely pulled my score down, and there were a few content areas that I truly was not prepared for. I felt bad about it for about a week, and afterwards started studying again. 

Stage 3: Final Preparations 

Initially, I found it relatively difficult to study during the semester. One of my friends recommended I use UWorld questions to effectively use my time. This resource definitely helped me out when I felt like I simply did not have enough time to finish studying. They provide you with 1500 or so questions, categorized by section and sub categorized by topic. You can choose how many questions or passages you want to do in one sitting, and if you want it timed or not. After you finish, they provide you with personalized statistics for the session, as well as explanations for each question, which are saved and can be viewed at any time. Alongside simply rereading the Kaplan books, this is the best way to reinforce content knowledge. 

The final resource I used were the Altius exams. I purchased a pack of 5 on a whim because 1) I ran out of practice tests and 2) someone on reddit said these were severely under-appreciated. Well, that gamble paid off because I believe these exams are about as close as you can get to the AAMC full lengths, BUT they give you much more detailed explanations, and are just a little bit more difficult, so you actually end up feeling like the AAMC practice exams are a bit smoother and easier to pace yourself on. After purchasing, I had one month to take all five, as well as the then-recently-released AAMC FL #4. Altius exams were great, and honestly, my only “complaint” was that CARS felt a little bit too difficult to be as useful as it could be. I also studied Behavioral Sciences and Biochemistry the way I described in Part 1, since I felt like I underperformed on those sections. 

When second exam day approached, I forced myself to get a full night of sleep this, and it absolutely paid off. I was noticeably more aware during this test than my previous attempt, and corrected myself before making a bunch of silly errors. 

A month later, I found out I got a 518, which was higher than my original goal. 

Tl;dr: 

Studying for the mcat is expensive, and it can be hard to find advice on which resources are useful. 

In my opinion, only: Altius exams are amazing. UWorld is a great resource for content gaps and reinforcement, especially when you have sharp time constraints. Kaplan books are awesome for content review, but it should be fine if you buy an older edition (I used 2015).

[everlarkficquestions]

Sunday Stumped Day 29

It’s another Sunday Stumped Day!

Sometimes we straight out get stumped. So every few months we will pick a Sunday when we’ll post of a list of asks that we need your help on.

This time around we have focused on Asks that are looking for specific fics. 

If you know the answer to any of these asks please shoot us a message/ ask/  with the Post number and the fic details and we’ll add it and give you a shout out with our thanks. Any links you can provide will also be super helpful.

Thanks!

Post 1 , Post 2 , Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7, Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12, Post 13, Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, Post 17, Post 18, Post 19, Post 20, Post 21, Post 22 , Post 23, Post 24, Post 25, Post 26, Post 27 and Post 28 can be found here - and there are still fics we need your help with. 

495. theman189-blog said:

Also looking for a growing together fic where peeta and katniss are painting a room ar one point and they get in a paint fight, at the end when peeta has katniss over his shoulder she draws a heart in paint on his lower back

494. theman189-blog said:

Hi there, just read a fic where katniss and peeta were peacekeepers and fall in love called protect and serve, and I could have sworn there was another one where they're peacekeepers and fell in love but had a more concrete ending and I cant remember it... any thoughts?

493. breakmeaswitchson said:

Hi! So I posted asking about this on a sub in Reddit and got directed here, it's not specifically an Everlark one (I don't think) but if you could help I'd be so thankful! Basically, it took the characters from the 74th Hunger Games, but the twist was that they all had to work together in designated groups? And (I think) weren't allowed to turn on each other until nobody else was left. I'm pretty sure Rue and Clove were on a team together, and I think the setting involved abandoned buildings.

492. jayana90 said:

Hi! I'm looking for a specific fic from Peeta's POV. I read it about a year ago & now I can't find it. It begins at his house in 12 with his family, then traces nearly all of the Hunger Games trilogy. It ends with a chapter with Peeta & Katniss living in 12 years later with their kids and a bakery. I think they loved cheese bread? It was really long and so good, I hope to find it again. V smutty.

FOUND! The Sexual Frustrations of Peeta Mellark by PeetasAndHerondales, which has sadly been deleted. - thank you, mistressnightshade!

491. allflowerscatchthesunlight said:

Fic name needed: I recall Peeta was taken by the capitol and then there was trackers embedded into his skin or something and he was found by the squad while in the capitol to kill snow. They cut it out of him. Also katniss was pregnant, but miscarried.

Found!  Secret Wishes, Secret Kisses by @katnissdoesnotfollowback -- thank you KDNFB!

490. jsth2obooks said:

Hi I read this fix a while ago and now I'm trying to find it. It's Modern day Katnisss and Peeta have to go to a high school reunion an they pretend to be either together/engaged. At the end they end up with a child. Thanks in advance

FOUND! Somewhere That’s Green by Jlala. Thank you, @fangirlingoverquotes

489. uglydora15 said:

I read this fancition about Katniss and Peeta post mockingjay and Katniss was pregnant I think for the second time and Peeta has a flashback and Katniss caught him kissing someone else in the bakery and he had to beg for her forgiveness

Possibly There Are Still Worse Games to Play- The Second Part of Our Journey by panskiss123.  Thank you, @sunsetsrmydreams

488. bad-fad said:

Hi so I think there’s a fix where mr. Mellark like takes in katniss when she’s young (I don’t think prim existed in the story but I could be wrong) and she grows up with the Mellarks but I can’t remember?? If not maybe some recs along those lines

Possibly - “Kinship” by Misshoneywell - thank you @endlessnightlock

possibly Star by HGRomance  - thank you @nightlock-89

Possibly the deleted Lion’s Tooth by Alexabee

487. craftydiva0828 said:

Looking for a story where after the war, Katniss rides the trains searching the districts for Peeta; people search for loved ones by posting their pictures at the train depot bulletin board.

FOUND!  when the far-gone dead return - writingforhugs (Thanks, @ladymurphyevermore!)              

486. bookworm06 said:

I was wondering if you guys know about a fic where Peeta woos katniss slowly, they dare secretly for a long time i think. And then Katniss comes out in this beautiful orange dress(peeta’s favorite color) to announce their engagement. She’s dressed up for a feast or party in the district or something! I loved this story but can’t even remember the name 🤦🏻‍♀️

FOUND! -  I Knew This Would Have Happened Anyway by @abk1973 - thank you, @litharalen

485. cowrintimrousbeastie said:

Hello! This is actually the first time I'm posting a question, I usually enjoy doing the detective work. This time though, I've looked high and low and can't find it... it's a drabble posted on tumblr in several parts. Peeta is living with his girlfriend Delly but during one of his baking workshops discovers that this longtime best friend Katniss is in love with him (she has him as her phone screen saver). She works at the library? He confronts her and she says forget it as he is happy w/Delly..

FOUND!  By @cowrintimrousbeastie herself!  It is How Long by @ra3lynn3.  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4 and Part 5.

484. beautiful-harmony1 said:

Hello! Thank for your great work. I am looking for a fic I read a while ago. Post-mockingjay. Katniss is really sick and Peeta comes homes a realises. He takes care of her. On her “death bed” she talks about this that would have happened between the two. I’m pretty sure some bursts in and say “we found a cure”. Thank you so much

483. thehopefuldandelion said:

So I’ve been craving to read this fic that hopefully I didn’t make up and I’ve been trying to remember it’s name. All I remember is that Katinss and Gale(I think) are dating but when Gale would go to sleep Katinss would text Peeta. I’m pretty sure they were coworkers and couldn’t date bc of this. I know that she broke up with Gale but that’s all that my brain can remember. I’m sorry if this is vague or you can’t find it. I just wanted to read this again. Thanks for all you do for the community❤️

FOUND! This is After Hours by SoThere -thank you, @mendontprotectyou!

482. redhoodhungergames said:

I’m looking for a fic where peeta goes to this hotel (or something) and finds Katniss who works there as a singer. I remember when talking we hear that Katniss is from Virginia

481. just-absolutely-super said:

There’s a pre-epilogue fic I read about Katniss and Peeta growing back together. I can’t remember all the details but I think in the fic Katniss finds out Peeta painted Prim and it upset her? Toward the end she’s outside his bedroom door and confesses to him that she loves him. Thank you!

Possibly - The List of Words by MyKonstantine - thank you, @jennagill

480. peetniss27 said:

OK i must be going crazy, but this fanfic is about panem being a bunch of islands and they all do a computer session and are matched with their spouses after being “reaped” and Katniss was dating peeta and ended up with gale. It was called the islands but idk the new name please help!!!!!

FOUND!

Are You Leaving Me? - iloverueforever (*Thank you, @superchocovian!)

479. uniquepizzacollectionblog said:

Hi, i"m looking for a fic where katniss and peeta and best friends and have slept with each other in the past and now the sexual tension is coming back, maybe you guys know of this story?

478. xgetawaycar13 said:

Hiiii so I’m looking for a fic in which Katniss and Peeta get married in catching fire by order of snow and they are also forced to have children but I remember that at some point someone told Katniss about how all the girls at school liked Peeta so she got jealous and have him a blowjob Thank youuu I already look through your master list about marriage in catching fire but I couldn’t find it:(

FOUND.  This is Have Heart, My Dear by monroeslittle.  Thanks @finestunicorn.

477. ochri said:

Hi i'm looking for this fic from fanfiction It's a post-MJ fic and there's this one chapter where katniss peels? her skin off her fingers and then Peeta takes her to hospital. That's all I really remember :/

476. nikki-pondtheauthor said:

hey im curious if there are fanfics in which peeta learns how to use a bow and shoot arrows (taught by katniss). bonus if he does this in hunger games. im sure ive a read a fanfic before, that was awesome in my opinion because it is a bit out of character for him but highlighting the fact that he is a survivor too and can handle weapons even if he is more a friendly persona

475. white-dandelion-seeds said:

Hey, can you find me this story- Peeta helped Katniss to escape when her family was being killed. But he got captured and was made a slave. Later he helps Katniss to take revenge of the death of her family

474. chippedcupsandbrokenhearts said:

Ok do you know the name of Fic where Katniss finally gets away from her abusive marriage with gale and goes back to her family. They didn’t know she was being abused. She falls in love with Peeta and I remember at one point gale found her and her family drives him out of town. I read this YEARS ago and now I just randomly had the urge to reread it but can’t remember the name. Thank you!!!

Possibly - A Safe Place by HavishamWard,but this fic has been deleted. Thank you, @endlessnightlock

473. jillpill55 said:

Hi, I love your page and have read probably a hundred fics because of it. I hoping you can help me find this fic I read a couple of months ago. Peeta was captured and when he came back he couldn't kiss Katniss because of a implant snow had put in peeta's leg. I would be a mutli-chapter and may or not be finished. Thanks

Possibly - Rekindling by ShiningCity.  Thank you, @sunsetsrmydreams

472. svmn14 said: 

There was a story about Peeta suffering from an undetected hijacking attack timed 10 years after the last Games where he was designed to hurt Katniss 

FOUND!  This is Broken:  Scenes from the Sequel by MockingJayFlyingFree.  Thanks @sunsetsrmydreams

471. hiyosakura said: 

Hello! I was wondering if you could help find this everlark fic. I’m not sure if it’s completed or not but it also has hayffie in it a bit I think. So the story is that k and p fall in love before their games and they meet at their tree in school or something but then they get reaped and I can’t remember what happens after that but during the quarter quell Katniss is actually pregnant and Peeta and Katniss are able to communicate with their lips touching.

FOUND! That’s 74th Hunger games Challenge: We Always Were - Jamie Sommers(*Thank you, @superchocovian!)

470. ptx-holic said:

 Hi, i’m looking for a fic where katniss is in a relationship with gale and then she met peeta and they are in a relationship but they caught katniss having two relationship and katniss move to somewhere and then she came back few years later and met peeta again. I’m sorry if this is confusing for you but i can’t find it. Thank you :) 

Do any of these fics ring a bell? Please let us know!

[rosyredlipstick]

clown embers: my heart burns there too

For the anon who asked for a fic rec list for It: thank you for knowing i needed to take a homework break and organizing a list for the fandom i CANT STOP READING 

seriously ever since i saw the second film in October i have been going absolutely CRAZY. like, i saw the first one in theaters and was kind “eh” but something unlocked in me after that second film like ???????? !!! so yes i have a TON of recs. 

all of these of reddie because the whole thing about pining for your best friend but wait, maybe it actually works out in the end when you’re 40 and reuniting with your friends after 27 years???? fucking gets me. all fix-it fics because IM NOT A MONSTER 

some fic authors i rec: Anything theapplepielifestyle has posted! Also ShowMeAHero has a LOT of really great stuff and has been updating regularly, which keeps my little reddie heart burning. Also, check out zach_stone! 

oK FIC TIME - 

I killed a clown. AMA! By liesmyth

I (39M) got stabbed twice today and now I want a divorce. Help?

Or: the one where Eddie is on Reddit.

-

This fic Is so hILARIOUS. Seriously. I cant recommend it enough, I was dying laughing the entire time. And the different posts between Eddie and Myra? Loved it. 

____

but of all these things i like you best of all by Fluffifullness

“You can cook?” Eddie blurts.

Richie blinks. “Yeah. What the fuck? Yes. I know we’re not the pinnacle of functional adulthood, here, but there’s no way I’m the only one in seven, right?”

“No,” Ben admits. He takes a few steps toward Richie, like he hopes fleeing the scene will dispel the momentary awkwardness. “It’s just…”

“I would’ve guessed you mostly do prepackaged stuff,” Mike adds, following Ben’s lead with an apologetic smile of his own. Eddie does, too, except he also stuffs his hands into his pockets and hunches in on himself just enough to attract Richie’s attention, which is why he inadvertently directs most of his retort at him.

(Or: the one where Richie's love language of choice happens to be cooking.)

-

oh goodness, what an underrated fic. i love the relationship Richie has to build with cooking and showing the others his love for them. and eddies like,,, begrudgingly impressed with it all. love it!

____

the universe was made to be seen by our eyes by playedwright

“So. To summarize. I’m stranded on Mars, entirely alone. I have absolutely no way to communicate with my crew or with earth, since our communications antennae turned me into a human shish-kabob. If the oxygenator becomes compromised, I’ll suffocate. If the water reclaimer stops working, I’ll dehydrate. Breach in the Hab means I’ll go poof. And if, for some god-forsaken reason none of those things kill me first, I’m gonna run out of food and starve to death. Oh, and we can’t forget that everyone I know thinks I’m dead. So… yup. Totally fucked.”

On Sol 6, an unexpected windstorm cuts the Ares III Mission short and six astronauts retreat back to Earth.

On Sol 7, the astronaut they left behind wakes up gasping for air.

(Or, The Martian au)

-

Okay first of all you nEED TO READ THIS SERIES. Wow. I loved The Martian but this AU space just works so, so well for the losers. Read it, love it, cry into your pillow. Thank me later (then message me so we can fangirl about how much we love the series)

____

Derry Days by SidleyParkHermit

Everyone starts talking at once, but Richie cuts through the loudest. “Okay, back up, back up. Where are you getting all of this?”

“It’s happened before. I keep dying and reliving this day over and over.”

Bill is the first to speak, turning to Mike. “Uh, is that…”

Mike shakes his head, frowning.

“Shit,” Eddie says. “I was really hoping Mike would know something.

-

Have I mentioned that I’m a BITCH for time-loop fics? Because i really, really am. And this one, with Eddie in the loop instead of Richie, puts a twist on a familiar fic t make it completely original. Love, love it! 

____

Now What I'm Gonna Say May Sound Indelicate by IfItHollars

Eddie Kaspbrak has lived his whole life being told that he's delicate, and he's not. And nearly bleeding out in an alien fear demon's lair has helped him realize that--as well as what he can live through. It puts his priorities in some perspective.

What he is, is injured. And married. To like, a woman. And gay. And stupidly, stupidly in love with Richie Tozier, after all these years. And he'd like to use his new lease on life to act on many of these things, if only Richie would cooperate.

-

Okay this is by far my favorite fic. Every new chapter is just such a JOY to read. The characters are all so layered and Eddie’s POV makes me laugh out loud like 10 times a chapter. It’s so funny but so, so heartfelt. AND THE RECENT CHAPTER - AKLSHFLAKH

____

the anatomy of a joke by crescenteluce

He trails off and Bev raises an eyebrow. ‘So, you being in bed together fits in there how exactly?’

‘No, Jesus, Bev.’ Eddie says and Richie, horrifyingly, feels his cheeks heat under Bev’s suspicious look. Something needs to be done, so he plucks Eddie’s phone from his hands.

‘I am appalled by your implications, Beverly.’ He says sternly, trying to ignore the blood still not quite done rushing to his face. ‘I would have you know that I’d never defile Eddie like that, the poor man’s 40 year old and still a virgin and if I’d have the honor of-’

He’s cut off by Eddie trying to wrestle the phone away from him as Bev cackles delightedly.

-

This fic is locked to ao3 users only but. Anon. listen. If there’s any reason to get an account, iTS THIS FIC. this fic is…. Dare i say, iconic. I reread it sometimes and i have to stop to take breaths from getting too hyped up at the section breaks. And the sequel???? Holy shit. Pls read this fic, pls. 

____

feet on the ground, head in the sky by peggyolson

richie and eddie put themselves back together, one long-distance phone call at a time.

-

God, i love a good phone fic. And this is just such, such a good writing of richie, the author really nailed him here. Just. read it. Cry. reread it again. 

____

Anyway i love reddie fic so much. Give me two 40 year old best friends slowly remembering how much they love each, and throw stan in there too or else i get sad at 4am thinking about patty. thanks . i have a ton more so let me know if you want more!!!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 238: Shigaraki Tomura: Tattered Goth Remix

Previously on BnHA: Young Shimura Tenko killed his whole family, as angsty young misguided antagonist characters sometimes do, and then proceeded to wander the streets feeling all sad about it until All for One just happened!! to come across him and was all “oh you poor thing it looks like you killed your whole family by accident, let me just adopt you and raise you to be my own personal killing machine.” We got some more flashbacks showing just how this transformation took place, plus some answers about the hands that kind of just raised more questions though tbh, and watched as little Tenko made his first premeditated kill after a number of effed up AFO pep talks. AFO then rechristened him “Shigaraki Tomura”, and we learned that Shigaraki is actually AFO’s own last name. The chapter ended back in the present day, with Tomura reflecting on how his family’s death wasn’t really a tragedy after all and ended up setting him free. We’ll have to agree to disagree, kid, but in the meantime have fun fucking up Re-Destro and dealing with Gigantomachia’s rampage!

Today on BnHA: Re-Destro tries to smash Tomura at 100% and absolutely nothing happens. So then he summons a bunch of robot armor bits like fucking Iron Man, and levels up to 150%! Tomura could not care less, because he’s leveled up to be one of those “yawn, is that all you got?” bad guys now, and while RD desperately tries to intimidate him, we briefly check in with the rest of the League. Everyone is freaking out at how quickly Machia is destroying the Liberation Army, and Compress calls Ujiko and frantically begs him to warp them all to safety. But Ujiko is all “nah” and says he wants to drive Tomura into a corner. Meanwhile Gigantomachia finally takes out Dairy Queen, since Dabi was doing fuckall, and the chapter ends with Tomura possibly killing Re-Destro?? To be honest it’s really unclear. For all I know the dude just dropped dead of a heart attack from all that stress. In fact, now that I’ve typed that, I kind of think that’s what did happen. Anyway! The point is I’m pretty sure the battle is finally over.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, and added one or two ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.) 

so I mentioned this in an ask post a couple days ago, but this recap is a day late because I was out of town this week. consequently I’m behind on my asks and other things as well (I know, what else is new), so I’m sorry about that!

also! @temperatezone informed me that there’s yet another BnHA spinoff coming out, and that the preview chapter debuted last week! so I went to check it out, and holy shit, it’s a manga all about the U.A. kids teaming up with various pro heroes!!!!??!! between this and the new anime season coming up in just two months (it’ll fly by) and BakuDeku: Heroes Rising coming out in December, I feel like I’m being fucking spoiled with BnHA content. and I didn’t even mention the 2nd light novel which just had its official English translation released last month! so all in all it’s a lot of good stuff, and I desperately want to recap chapter 0 of the new spinoff as soon as possible, but it’ll probably be a few days unfortunately, unless I decide to be very irresponsible and do that instead of the piles of work I should actually be doing. we’ll see which impulses actually win out sob

fortunately Jump is on a break next week if I recall, so that’ll give me some time to catch up. anyway let’s start this thing before I manage to procrastinate anymore! so the new chapter is called “Liberation”, probably after a certain army

and the chapter is picking up where we left off before, with Tomura taking his Father Hand out of his pocket and saying he doesn’t need it or any of his other hands

ooooooh

maybe the title isn’t referring to the Liberation Army after all! or just one of those cool double meaning things

oooh man

god but that is satisfying. is there anything more satisfying than seeing a character you’ve been rooting for finally reach out and take control of their own destiny? ahhhh yessss that’s the good shounen shit right there

lol Re-Destro

he finally scared you into using your ~full power~, huh? punk

don’t mind me I’m just appreciating how much of a total badass my boy here is

your move, RD. personally if it were me, I wouldn’t want to fuck with him anymore! but hey your funeral bud

hmmm

the last few chapters have been so well-drawn that I’m starting to think I was maybe getting spoiled. I wonder if Horikoshi will re-do these later for the volume release

anyway so it seems like what’s happening is that RD is trying to hit Tomura with another Almighty Bitchslap and Tomura is not having any of it, basically

oh wow

and this isn’t even the Gigantomachia damage. will there be any pieces of this town left larger than a toothpick once all is said and done here?? stay tuned! but the answer is no

so the rest of this two page spread is just more panels showing vague high-contrast images of the destruction. we’re also briefly cutting to Gigantomachia! and to Dabi, who is still fighting Pinkberry, and like, dude, come on. finish him off already

and now the dust is clearing after that latest clash, and would you guys fucking look at this dramatic bitch though omfg

Shigaraki Tomura: Tattered Goth Remix. you look like the cover of a Bauhaus album. thank god this arc isn’t set somewhere stupidly dark, like, say, a basement

lmao Re-Destro is so mad

once again I would like to point out that you invited him here, you overconfident dishrag

so now Tomura is casually conversing with him

Tomura did you burn one right before this battle. you’re so fucking chill all of a sudden. gotta say that if someone had asked me “what do you think it would take to get Shigaraki Tomura to mellow out” before this arc, I probably would not have answered, “hmm, well maybe flashbacks to his horrific childhood and the violent deaths of all of his loved ones”

well at any rate, watching Re-Destro progressively freak out while Tomura makes more (ﾟ⊿ﾟ) faces is my new form of sustenance, guys

“you seem a bit rattled. a bit ill at ease. perturbed. something’s got you in a tizzy, huh.” ⊂( ・ ̫・)⊃

(ETA: okay but rereading this here, he keeps talking about his heart pounding, and then he goes and summons a fucking robot suit that actually raises his stress on purpose. so like, I don’t know? but I vaguely recall reading a theory on reddit a few weeks ago that RD was going to have a heart attack and it looks like it could really be the case. or not! that last page is really inconclusive.)

and now the Re-Destro flashbacks that absolutely no one asked for! of course!!

-- OH MY GOD

I’M DYING I CAN’T. SEND HELP

Iida I’m so sorry. all this time I have been teasing you and calling you a 40-year-old man, when this whole time it was actually Re-Destro who Benjamin Buttoned his way from his mother’s womb

is he related to the Alpha Kid from the adventures of the Babysitter��s Club? he can’t not be, right? what else could it be? two characters just happening to vaguely resemble one another in a purely coincidental manner?? are you even hearing yourself?! get out!!

um hey, so what the actual fuck is happening

...Krestro??

lol what. Horikoshi Muriel Kouhei, did you seriously just give this fucker Hulkbuster armor. do you just have a list of Marvel comics tribute shit that you check off as you go

so apparently this suit jacks his power up to one hundred and fifty percent! wowwwwwwww

but meanwhile Tomura is all just

what would it take to faze new Toked Goth Remix Tomura, I wonder

sob omg

goddammit now he’s going to want one. Ujiko you’d better get on it

oh my god you guys

I’m starting to feel really bad about all of these nice Twice clones who are being so helpful and are just going to end up dying in the end omg

also, if someone ever asks you, “should I read BnHA,” you can say, “well that depends, how much do you like scenes of characters with two broken arms getting piggyback rides from other characters?” and they’ll be like, “that’s really specific, does that... happen often,” and you can be like, “well it’s officially happened more than once, so”

like, it’s a whole thing now I guess. also, ouch

anyway so Real!Twice is concerned that Machia is having far too easy of a time kicking names and taking ass, and he’s trying to regroup with the rest of the League

oh my god Compress, seriously?

League of Ungrateful Sods, is what you guys are. he’s trying to help you guys out!!

lol Dabi you fucking liar

no you fucking weren’t, you were going to keep fighting him for a million more years. your fight was going to make Goku VS Frieza look like a 15-second Youtube ad. once again, you guys should really be more grateful here

(ETA: why did they even invite Dabi lol. all he did was fight offscreen and have zero (0) flashbacks. fucking tease.)

so now Compress is calling Ujiko and asking him to warp them out of there

what...?

he’s absolutely 100% making this up, right?

lol yeah now even Compress is calling him on it

right, Compress??

okay now Ujiko is straight up telling him no

oh, this is good you guys

Ujiko, I don’t know how to tell you this but while you weren’t looking, the dude hopped on a fucking golf cart and drove his own damn self. and now appears to have made himself pretty damn comfortable in that corner too

oh is Halo Top finally about to fucking die??

the cornerstone?? really?? holy shit, it really is remarkable how thoroughly unprepared these guys actually were in the end

anyway so now more action panels are happening

did Machia kill him? it looks like he survived but just went flying

and what the hell does Hanabata think he’s actually going to be able to do. drive his van at him? give him encouragement??

anyway I guess we’re wrapping this up now, and we’re cutting back to Tomura who’s saying something extremely cool

it is kind of like that. except that it’s bullshit

anyway so it looks like he’s touching the ground and using his decay again and holy shit is this it???

!!!!!

YOU GUYS DID HE JUST DISINTEGRATE RE-DESTRO OH MY GOD. JUST LIKE THAT!!??!

YOU GUYS I HONESTLY CAN’T TELL, ALL I KNOW IS TOMURA TAPPED THE GROUND, AND RE-DESTRO HAD A WEIRD PANEL WHERE YOU COULDN’T SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AND HE HAD A THOUGHT AND IT WAS SUDDENLY CUT OFF, AND THEN WE CUT TO GIGANTOMACHIA WATCHING AND WE COULDN’T REALLY SEE ANYTHING OMG

but can you imagine, though?? “one single strike”?! like oh my god, there wasn’t even any fanfare? if he really did just kill him that is pretty much exactly how I would have wanted it to go down tbh

at any rate, it’s safe to say life just got a hell of a lot more dangerous for our Actual Protagonist with this new power-up. shit. oh my god

well I guess that’s it! does that mean this arc is gonna wrap up next chapter. because I’m also going to be away the 16th, so I’ll be a day late in doing that chapter too. I s2g Horikoshi, if you finally cut back to U.A. on a day that I’m not able to read the chapter right away, I will... well actually I’ll be pretty happy regardless, but secretly I will also believe it’s some sort of conspiracy against me. so just know that

[ascension-soliloquy]

An Introduction

I have been a casual fan of sci fi and fantasy all my life. I grew up watching Star Wars, Star Trek, Back to the Future; raised reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I read Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was in high school, and fell in love with the movies when they were released in the theater. I watched the first Harry Potter movie at a 2nd run budget theatre, but dismissed it as a kids movie and had no interest in the series beyond that. It was a spoiler years later for Half Blood Prince (that a certain major character is killed by another major character) that actually piqued my interest and made me want to read the books. I ended up loving the series, and have reread it four times. For a time, I really got into Doctor Who. 

My wife died in 2014 after a long illness. I have stayed in touch with her family, visiting them on holidays. They keep a bookshelf filled with her books, and she had the first three books in a certain fantasy series. I don’t remember her ever telling me about the books, and for the longest time I had no interest in them. The covers looked like cheesy D&D type images, and that was kind of a turn off for me. 

Then last November (2018) I was visiting her parents for Thanksgiving, and took a look at the bookshelf again, and for some reason decided to take them with me. I started reading the first book on a flight I took in December, and I got sucked in. I had assumed that it was a trilogy, but it turned out that there was 14 books in the series, plus a prequel, so I bought the rest of the books. It took me about half a year to get though them. I have already reread the first two books. 

I am, of course, talking about the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Somehow I had never heard of it prior to this. I also had never heard of Brandon Sanderson, the author who finished the last three books after Jordan passed away. After finishing WOT, I bought some of Sanderson’s own books.

While rereading the first two WOT books, I came across some blogs written by people reading the series for the first time, so I read those in conjunction with my reread. These are the blogs I found:

https://www.tor.com/series/reading-the-wheel-of-time/

https://neuxue.tumblr.com/post/112869532068/wheel-of-time-liveblogging-the-eye-of-the-world

When I began reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson I looked for a similar blog, and found this:

http://myawfulreviews.blogspot.com/2012/04/mistborn-final-empire-group-read-part-i.html?m=1

I enjoyed it, but the entries were too short for my taste, and it didn’t go past the first book. So that’s what led me to create this blog. I aspire to be like those first two blogs, but my entry for the first book, The Final Empire, is admittedly rather meager. I didn’t start getting further in depth until the second book, The Well of Ascension. I also can’t claim to have the power of observation that those first two bloggers have. I’m not a professional writer; I’m just doing this for fun. I originally began posting these entries at https://www.reddit.com/r/Mistborn/

So far in the first few posts I made some comparisons to WOT. On the first reddit post someone left a comment saying I shouldn’t rely on those comparisons so much. Certainly that is a valid criticism. To anyone who feels that way this is my response. 

To be clear: I’m not accusing Brandon Sanderson of ripping off WOT. I’m finding his work creative and enjoyable, and this story stands on its own. I also admit the comparisons might not hold up if the story goes in a different direction than I’m expecting, which is entirely possible, but I’m not far enough along to tell. (Certainly he was influenced by WOT. That’s how he got the job of finishing that series, because of a blog post he wrote about what WOT meant to him after Robert Jordan passed away.) I do see parallels, but rather than being detrimental, I think they’re interesting. It’s like finding something familiar in a foreign landscape.

[fractal-fourcube]

8/2/18

If I remember correctly, around midnight tonight is the second anniversary of a walk I took in the woods.

After reading @hollycrowned ‘s musings, I have my own thoughts about what CipherHunt meant to me. At the end of the day, yeah, it was a strange, cool fan thing Alex threw together, but… I think everyone who was there know that it was also something more. The further it retreats into the past, the clearer it becomes to me that I was profoundly affected.

So... some kind of cross between creative nonfiction and inane ramblings to follow, with a little candid talk about my own mental stuff. I don’t know. It just turned out to be a very, very weird, personal event in my life that I hang on to.

...................

Two years ago, I was a pretty different person. I’d just moved back to Oregon after about nine years away, and it was unexpectedly hard to deal with the fact that I’d left this place where as I was born as a child, and returned as a young adult. I was eighteen and grappling with that weird sense of upheaval and stasis you get after graduating high school, and other things I carried with me from where I was before. Meanwhile, I was watching cartoons.

Gravity Falls ended a handful of months before I started watching. I don’t have any crazy fandom stories from back when it was airing. But I still really appreciated seeing Oregon the way little kid me remembered it lovingly depicted in a fantastic story, at a time when I didn’t feel at home anywhere. There were a few things that helped me feel more anchored, and that little town west of weird was one of them. I wanted to live there. Still do. And I remember the little thrill of mystery when I learned about the single hint we had of statue’s existence, the mysterious image in the show credits, the code in the last episode, rusty gates and secrets. I remember many people doubted the statue was real, but somehow I never did, even when it started to look like we’d never find him.

I didn’t have Tumblr yet, so I was mostly in the Reddit side of the fandom when the Hunt started. Words can’t describe the initial rush when that first clue went live: LET THE GAMES BEGIN. No one knew what was going on either, but I don’t remember feeling confused, if that makes sense. I knew immediately: something big was going down. And then I spent the next two weeks glued to my phone, refreshing the Megathread over and over, feverishly cracking codes, waiting for the next update. I go back there, sometimes, and reread our collective descent into near insanity. And I’m really only half exaggerating—as far as I am concerned, anyway. I was practically consumed. I didn’t sleep. I was hardly able to. But I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so exhilarated. That was the best part of it: we had no idea what was happening, but we all knew we were taking part in something bigger than ourselves. Half the time I couldn’t quite believe it. It felt like any moment, I should have been waking up from some dream.

So I was there for the nun debacle (sorry Sister Mary!), the post office storytime with Ariel and Jason, and Puzzle Hell. I watched streams, listened to Stan’s voicemails, put forward theories, and mostly just reveled in the event itself. I met one of my best friends through the Hunt. And when the time came and we cracked the last code, I realized: I could go.

I was going to go meet Bill.

I was streaming, too. I never quite managed to save the footage, but I don’t mind, given that it’s about 30-45 minutes of me deliriously mumbling into my phone and tripping over things in the dark. I remember there were a few other people there, all the way from Portland, and we ran into that cute little family from Bend. They left us a sign that it took forever to find. We got lost a lot.

Around midnight, we found him. As soon as I saw him, I broke down into hysterical laughter.  I think I was expecting something small, and for some reason, discovering otherwise felt like a rug swept out from under me. At five feet tall, I stand eye level with the brim of his hat. I had to catch my breath. I ended up taking a 50 ruble note from the box. I regret not taking some of the plastic coins or gems, but I’m still glad they went to other Hunters. And, of course, I shook Bill’s hand.

I had to do it. There was no other choice, really. I knew I was never going to have the chance again, and if I didn’t do it, what would that mean? That I was scared?

I remember being weirdly struck by how long and thin they’d made his hand. If it had been alive, it would have been able to wrap all the way around mine. I was so caught up in two weeks of building suspense and so addled by lack of sleep that in the moment, it was honestly a little scary. It really did almost feel like any moment, his fingers might tighten and his eye might blink toward me, and smile.

I’ll do anything, I said in my head, if the way I feel right now lasts forever. I never want this to end.

And then I went home, and slept like the dead.

Bill’s a cartoon triangle. It’s just a game. But... I like to think he kept his promise.

There are certain times in your life where, down the road, you realize that it was a turning point. The end of one chapter and the beginning of another. I don’t know what happened in that clearing in the forest, but something did. One of me went in, and a different me came back out. I cannot express enough how grateful I am that I was able to be part of the Hunt, especially at the time in my life when it happened. I was depressed and lost and often afraid that I was an embarrassment, and that nothing was going to get better. And I still am, but now I have how I felt to hang on to. I wasn’t scared of being myself during that time, I didn’t care if I was weird. Everything was weird! I fit right in!

It’s so hard to articulate how being in that forest was, to me, but I remember this feeling like: “Life really can be magical after all.” I’m still holding out hope that someday, I can return to who I was during the Hunt, when I was brave and unreservedly full of joy to be part of this unbelievable adventure that I will never forget, as long as I live.

If all goes well, I’ll be visiting Bill again soon, in his new home. I can’t wait. It’s a journey that’s long overdue.

[bebizboss]

20+ Things To Do After Publishing A New Blog Post In 2020

Have you ever wonder What to do after you publishing a new blog post on your site to drive more traffic, sharing and search results? Would you think after the hit the publish button it’s all over, People will click on your post title and okay with reading your full blog post? Then, sorry my friend, you are wrong. There are a lot of Things To Do After Publishing a New Blog Post. Then, let see What are the Things To Do After Publishing A New Blog Post In 2020.

20+ Things To Do After Publishing a New Blog Post There are a lot of quality blog posts go to waste easily because the blogger or writer didn’t understand What should they need to do after publishing their blog post and how content marketing works and use? They think their post automatically become search engine first page and easily drive traffic, sharing, and search result for them as soon as only hitting the publish button. For writing a quality blog post it requires putting so much effort and time into writing your blog post. So it is better to take another few extra minutes to make it ready to change the game. Those few minutes will help you to bring success for another year. Writing a blog post is not a simple thing. There is a lot of things even small or big, to successfully complete to get a successful blog post. Already we discuss,

Things that you need to complete before publishing a blog post.

Such as, How to write blog content that drives more traffic, shares and search results?Tips for writing a blog post that convertsHow to write a powerful blog post title?How To Write A Blog Introduction? It is necessary to make massive and powerful readers for your blog site after publishing your blog post. Also, you need to improve your blog post SEO too. Then Give it some time. It will help your blog post to build its own place among the millions of pages on the internet. This will help you to reach a large audience and increase traffic, sharing, SEO and many more. To be successful in your blogging journey, you need to be a Designer, Content creator, Editor, SEO specialist, Marketer and more! If you need to grow your blog engaging, sharing, traffic, search results, you need to do a few but most important things before clicking the publish button as well as after clicking the publish button on the blog post.

What Are The Things To Do After Publishing a New Blog Post?

 This is a to-do list that after you publish a blog post on your blog. It will help you to make sure your content gets maximum traffic and exposure.

01.Reread the post (Second Proofread)

Yes. Already you have done one proofreading before published your blog post. However, it is better to do second proofreading after you hit the publish button because there can be some errors when you add your writing content, adding images and many more while publishing your post. So reread or second proofread will help you to find mistakes somewhere in the post after you published it. That will help to error-free our content and improve the credibility of your content.

02. Tell the search engines about your new post

Most of the search engines such as Google, Bing, will eventually enlist your latest blog post even if you do not do anything until their crawls indexing the next scheduled date. Search engines do not index your site as soon as you publish the new blog post. It takes a little time for it. That waiting period is not safe for your bog content especially t is a popular blog. Most of the content thieves, copy-paste your blog content and repost in their blog site as their content. If their copy paste blog posts are indexing by google or search engines before indexing your post content, your content becomes duplicate content and thieves copy paste content become original content. That will be harmful to your site ranking. So it is very important to let search engines index your posts as soon as those published. It will regularly index after a few days, but it is better to fast up that process. So as soon as you hit the publish button and second round of proofreading the very first thing to do is tell the search engines about your new post content on your blog site. How do you tell the search engines about this? It simply called “PING.” You can follow the below 02 methods to PING. 01. If you are using a static sitemap, you need to rebuild a sitemap after you publish the new post. For that, you need to include a link to the new post and re-submit your sitemap to the search engines. This is the best method to get the update automatically if your sitemap is not updated automatically. 02. You can PING your new content using some pinging service that free of cost on the internet such as Ping-O-Matic. You can use the easy and fastest method among the above two methods.

03.Link to old posts (interlinking)

You need to insert links to new content from relevant old posts. Interlinking helps you to encourage your readers to more explore your blog content, also, it helps for building site architecture that boosts your SEO. There are two methods to interlinking your content. 1. Link older blog posts on your blog site with your new blog post on appropriate keywords and places 2. Edit your old content and link it to the new content you just published. Your links should come from appropriate, quality articles and proper keywords only. This gives your readers more information about helpful titles and keeps them on your site for the long-term.

04. Add questions at the end to encourage discussion

People use the internet to search for answers to their questions. If they can find the right answers from your site, they will keep InTouch with your site. Also, they will share your content with others. You need to hearing people’s perspectives and answering questions that people asked and search. By starting to add an open-ended question at the end of each post, you can start to build a better conversation with your readers. By asking questions at the end of the post, it encourages people to comment and engage with your blog post. Ask a question is one of the “calls to action” to engaging with your blog content.

05. Make sure your post is SEO-tactic

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an absolute must and should not be ignored thing. By applying the right SEO methods, you can grow your search results, Traffic and blog income opportunities because SEO will help to drive search engines peeps to your blog site. As well as when writing the blog post, after publishing the blog post you need to keep improving your blog SEO. For that, it is better to do some SEO audits and keep improving your post SEO after publishing your blog post.

06. Pin your post images to Pinterest

Pinterest is one of the best social media platforms that help to bring more visits than other social media. So it is better to pin your post image into Pinterest. If you haven’t a Pinterest account yet for your blog start a Pinterest profile today because it is one of the leading social media. As soon as you have renamed and write ALT Tags of all your images in your blog post with relevant keywords, you need to pin the images directly from your blog site onto Pinterest. Then, you need to create a Pinterest board specifically for your blog, which only shares pins from other sources. Pin your blog post images onto that board first. Then, after a few days, pin them onto other relevant boards.

07.Post Twitter and Facebook

Facebook and Twitter are the most powerful and leading social media today. There are millions of audiences you can reach within one touch. However, you need to find the right audience for sharing your blog content. That will help you to increase the engagements and traffic for your blog content. It is highly recommended to add attractive images that help to explain your blog post. Also, do not forget to add #Hashtags for boosting your reach level. When posting your article on Facebook and Twitter, add a quick sentence that explain the main benefits and what about your post?  On Facebook, you can share your post to specific communities that related to your niche market. However, on Twitter you cannot write sentences like Facebook, In Twitter, your writing description limited to characters. So try to write a short and sweet description that explains the benefits of your sharing post. In Twitter, it is important to use one or two #Hashtags, but do not overdo. A few of hashtags will help you to double your post engagements. In twitter, it is very important to study Twitter trending. It will help to understand what are the trending things and important hashtags.

08.Post in Reddit and Quora

Reddit and Quora are the biggest forums. It is an internet’s home for hipsters and geeks. You can get a thousand traffic from posting those forums. There are specific audiences for each possible niches in Reddit. Those audiences are addicted to those sites. So they always keep in touch with their threads. By posting those treads you can generate millions of traffic for your post. But to achieve that success, that posting content should be super quality and valuable to read. If your content is great, you can easily get referenced, and thousand of traffics for your site. Quora is also a forum with thousands of internet users who looking for an answer to their questions. As well as ask questions, you can provide answers for questions and publish posts on your quora blog page. In quora, you can add site links to your writing content. Also, most of the questions and answers on quora support for display on search engines high ranks. If you write quality content without spamming, you can get a thousand views from quora and search engines.

09. Share in other relevant Social Media Networks

As well as Facebook and Twitter, it is important to share your post on other social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Medium, Tumblr, Snapchat and other social media sites that might beneficial to you. Build your audience in social media and provide value through your content that post in there without spamming. That will help to build a strong, fixed audience for your blog posts and drive thousands of traffic for your site.  

10. Repost your post for social media in several more times

It is better to repost your blog posts on social media platforms several times, between a regular time period. It will help you to increase the post reach, people engaged and traffic both social media and blog site.

11. Send Post alerts to email subscribers

After you finish publishing your blog post, make sure to send a new post notification to your email subscribers. This is the best method to get some immediate traffic to the blog post as soon as you publish it. You need to share only a little information from the published post in the newsletter and include a link to your post that readers can access the pot easily and quickly from email. Use powerful and attractive words to call-to-action. You can send new post notifications and newsletters to your subscribers that help you to increase traffic and engagements, but do not Spam your readers’ inbox. If not, they will unsubscribe you without thinking twice.

12. Ask your team, friends, and others to share it

You can occasionally ask your key contacts such as Your team, friends, family members, and others to share your blog posts on their favor with their friends and audience. But never being irritating them to share your content. However, just make sure that sharing the audience is relevant to your niche and add value to the audience.

13.Advertise in social media campaigns and Ad Networks

Most bloggers only share their posts on social media. But smart bloggers create “evergreen” social media campaigns to bring traffic for the long-term. What is an evergreen campaign? An evergreen campaign is a series of social media updates that constantly recycle themselves. So instead of just sharing your post a few times and calling it a day, then your post gets promoted over and over again, on autopilot. For that, you can use a tool called, MeetEdger.

14.Respond to comments

If your posts receive any comments, make an effort to respond to them as soon as possible, especially if people have asked questions or any extra thoughtful. Make sure to answer questions to your best ability. Respond for blog comments is a great way to build a strong readership, conversations, more engagements, and friendships. Also, it will help you to know your audience well and easily connect with them and make your audience feel valued about you and your blog.

15.Comment on other blogs

This is another good thing to do after publishing your blog post. You can leave comments on other relevant blog sites. It is all about engaging with real people other people. So always provide a value for other people and your comment without scammy link building.

16.Comment on a Commenter’s blog

This is another highly recommended strategy for new bloggers to take a few extra time to reach out to the people who are commenting on your blog and other relevant blog sites.

17. Answer the burning questions on Reddit, Quora, and other forums

There are a lot of forums such as Reddit, Quora and etc. Those platforms allow internet users to discuss their different types of problems and others to provide answers for asking questions. Most people serf these kinds of sites to find answers to their problems. When answering questions, you can add your site links which helpful for solving the problem without scamming. After reading the answers and solve the problems, people will click on your site to know more details that help to solve their problem. By using those methods, you can generate a thousand traffic for your site.

18.Hunting for Backlinks

If you need to rank your post on google's first page, You have to work hard and show your post is worthy of their (Search engines) page one. This is one of the best Things To Do After Publishing a New Blog Post. For that, you need to build quality backlinks from high-quality sources in your niche. This indicates search engines that your post is also high- quality by association. If you are done a competition analysis related to your post title, you can identify all of the highest-ranking blog posts has lots of links from other blog sites. That is why they rank in higher. So you need to find other related blog owners who might want to link to you by doing google searches.

19. Check the analytics of your post to see how much engagement it received

As a hobby, it is better to check your Google Analytics account data in daily basics and compare it with past data. This will help you to see and check which posts received the most page views from which traffic sources. These statistics can tell about how much engagement received for your blog posts. By deep analyzing, you can identify which types of posts your audience loves and not really care for. Then you can use these data to more improvements for your existing data as well as future posts. It can be your game-changer. Use plugin such as Analitify to study the Google analytic data page-wise.

20.Update and refresh blog content in regularly

You need to update your blog content on a regular basis. You can add the latest updated content, Solutions, tips and tutorials, products, and many more. After finish the update, you need to add the last modify day of publishing your post. It will improve the credibility of your content and the trust of your reader to your blog content. It will help you to keep updating in search engines and improve your site SEO results. Bonus tips –

21.Schedule social sharing

Most of the people share their posts only once or twice after it is published. But it is most important to do more share after you published your blog post and you shouldn’t just stop sharing the blog posts after its first day. It can be difficult for you to keep in touch and share blog posts multiple times after published your post. For that, you can get a few plugins to help to schedule your blog post on regular basics.

Conclusion - Things To Do After Publishing a New Blog Post

All of the above tips require time and hard and smart work as well as a lot of patience. Then, it will help to maximize the value of each blog post that you published. The above list will help your blog post to build its own strong place on the internet and getting traffic from search engines such as Google and social media. It will help you to generate interest among the correct audience from the beginning. I hope the above 20+ things to do after publishing a new blog post will help you to make a specific place on the internet drive traffic and search results and be successful in your blogging journeys. And if you know more about things to do after publishing a new blog post or have any suggestions please share with us in the comments section below. Read the full article

[kentonramsey]

All the Questions That Ran Through My Head Yesterday

Are we going to miss the best season in New York—spring—altogether?

Everything is cancelled. Which events will be rescheduled and which ones will never happen again or at all?

Are people going to get TV deals out of this outburst of Instagram Live content? Is Cat Cohen’s live show better on Instagram or in real life? (I haven’t seen it IRL yet.)

Everyone is going to feel like they need a vacation after this (especially if one they had planned was cancelled), but we’re also going to have an economic recession so no one’s going on vacation anytime soon. Even though this is a statement, it felt like a question?

Did they already shoot Succession season three or is production paused?

Is everyone going to be an extrovert for a year?

Is everyone going to forget how to behave around other people?

If we take before/after photos, how much older will we look by the end (fingers crossed) of this?

It’s been more than a week, so how come I can still only do five pushups?

Is my dentist still in the office? What if someone had a dental emergency? It must be so weird to be in a profession where you put your hands in people’s mouths right now?

What are Jack Handey’s deep thoughts at the moment?

Are music festivals a thing of the past? Are commencements a thing of the past?

Should I trim my hair or just take advantage of this opportunity to let it grow out, even if the ends are driving me a little nuts?

What is this doing for Facebook’s stock? Slack’s?

Is Cuomo going to run for president in 2024?

* muffled, indistinct existential questions too bleak to spell out here *

Is it masochistic to listen to one song on repeat?

What is my password to WordPress?

How many people who listen to Spotify in a “public session” listen to music performatively?

How much can we learn from history to help us? Where is even the best place to start?

Is this the… pivot to video?

Do I even dare to so much as look in the direction of Reddit right now?

Is it better if I divvy up the money I donate in a piecemeal way to different organizations and causes, or just send one significant sum to one cause? Where can I make the most impact?

What should I do with my 30-day unlimited MetroCard that I used once? (The answer is to send it here.)

How much “digital connection” is fulfilling and how much of it is a marketing tactic?

Is this person not responding to me because they’re trying not to look at their phone or because they’re sick?

Will we wish we never posted anything on social media during this time?

Should I reread The Argonauts or start a new book? Should I rewatch Ghost World or watch a new movie? Why do I have an unquenchable desire to read what I’ve already read?

How much will this experience factor into our process of decision-making in the future? Will we always weigh this when we consider how far we move away from our families, who we choose as roommates, where we decide to live? Building a lifestyle that operates on a walking distance, dating someone in your own borough?

Should I stop texting my friends and just start writing them e-mails?

If something makes me laugh hysterically, is it because it’s actually funny or I’m just very fried?

What’s the shelf life on a pair of pajama pants that you wear every day?

Can you hand-wash a towel? A bedsheet?

How much should I read to have a realistic sense of what’s going on? How little should I read to prevent myself from completely wigging out?

If and when (I wrote this down and then lost my train of thought but I actually think this is an entirely valid question on its own)?

If this pandemic “ends,” is it going to resurface again in a few months?

Will anything ever be the same? On a global level, a national level, a city-wide level, a neighborhood level, a personal level?

Is the first week the worst or is the eighth week the worst?

Are we just going to get used to it?

Graphics by Lorenza Centi.

The post All the Questions That Ran Through My Head Yesterday appeared first on Man Repeller.

All the Questions That Ran Through My Head Yesterday published first on https://normaltimepiecesshop.tumblr.com/ All the Questions That Ran Through My Head Yesterday published first on https://mariakistler.tumblr.com/

[31lemon39]

Reddit user Throwaway7289333 claims to have the plot of season 5. Since the account was deleted, here's all of the posts together:

I created this account just to share this with you all. I will not answer questions or reveal my source, but this sub will know I'm real as Season 5 progresses. I was made aware of a few things that will be happening and some of it really excites me as a new fan of the show, some other parts not so much. Please do not ask me my source or ask for more details, I'm telling everything I can that won't give away my source, and I don't want them to get in trouble after the convincing it took for them to tell me I could post this. I apologise if my descriptions isn't as accurate as a much bigger fan's of the show would be. i do not know the order a lot of these plotpoints occur. I was going to post this on the main reddit but I saw that there was one just for spoilers. Please take this with small grains of salt because a lot of this show is new to me and confusing. -Lapis has a major fight with the Crystal Gems and leaves. Garnet tries to prevent Lapis from leaving and is nearly poofed until she backed up. Lapis fly's through space until she finds a planet colonised by homeworld and blends in with other gems of her kind to build a world. -Steven/Connie visit Lars and the off-colours in space. After stealing a ship, Steven and company is found by a new squadron of Moonstones sent by a group of upperclass gems. Moonstones are scout gems, and are able to tell where any cut of any gem is at anytime if shown an image of the gem. The moonstones are led by a gem that the moonstones call "Cat." The gem named Cat has the power to override any homeworld technology and uses this power to shut down the ship. Lars's, Rhodonite, and Flourite try to fox the ship, while Stevonnie senses danger and fuses. The fusion of Connie and Steven somehow get on a smaller ship that gets shot down by a bigger one. Steven and Connie crashland on a planet that I am not going to bother to try and spell. -Steven and Connie meet Lapis in this world and she helps them hide. Throughout the world are statues and morals of a gem called Pink Diamond, no Kindergardners are in site. It is revealed that the race of this world has another galactic empire that rivals the gem empire. A White Diamond owns this world and has found out the planet is not good for making gems. Because of this, she has had Lapis Lazuli's putting water on this world for centuries, and forcing the enslaved race to build towers of the Pink Diamond. Other gems that do not talk are seen painting and carving big pictures of Pink Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Blue Diamond, and the White Diamond. After being captured in the ship, Rhodonite and Flourite are destabilized for being fusions and are put in bubbles by the White Diamond. -A gem called Emerald is given a weapon and is put in charge of the breaking of Steven and a pink sapphire. Connie/Lars are to be taken to the homeworld for research purposes. Steven's Lapis creates a diversion to stop the shattering of Steven. The next few parts I have tried to erase from my memory and I feel is a little too dark for a cartoon network show. During Lapis's diversion, Lars uses all of the power he possesses to create a portal back to Earth. Steven, Pink Sapphire, and Connie escape through this portal. Steven sees Lars collapse as he runs through and it is implied that Lars is no longer going to be with us. Lapis is poofed by the Emerald. -Upon returning home, Lars's parents and Peridot are heartbroken by the fate of Lars and Lapis. -To put this in a better note, Steven's Sapphire defuses from Garnet, angering Ruby. After seeing Pink Sapphire's defect, she wants to fuse with her. The 2 Sapphires fuse, and Ruby is really angry (in a comical way). After seeing the murals on the gem colony, Steven/Connie have even more questions about Pink Diamond. Due to the fear of homeworld, Steven/Connie fuse back to Stevonnie and it is implied they intend to stay as Stevonnie for a while. With the help of Steven's Sapphire, the Sapphire fusion is able to combine her powers with the other Sapphire. The Sapphire is overwhelmed with emotion and makes sculptures of ice. This sculptures lead the viewer into a flashback where we see Pink Sapphire serving the Pink Diamond. -A lot of the flashback is hard for me to explain, but it is revealed that Pink Diamond on the surface cared about all life, but that was because of her fascination with manipulating it. The Pink Diamond started the creating of Forced Gem Fusions. She would borrow races from the other diamond's colonies and have them kept in Zoo's and try to study their interactions together. Stevonnie is overwhelmed by emotion as well, and the sapphires create a sculpture of a fusion between the Pink and Blue Diamonds. It is implied that Pink would keep Blue forcefully fused in this fusion for varying periods of time. When Yellow Diamond found out, she told the White Diamond the viewer is shown through a sculpture. The Sapphire fusion breaks apart. Peridot is overwhelmed and runs and it is unknown to where she is going. Sapphire and Garnet reform. This is what I gathered from what I was told and please don't ask anymore, mostly because it would make my source obvious and also because a lot of things I do not understand. We get to see that Steven's Sapphire are Ice Spike things, to end on a positive note. I did not plan on logging back onto this account after I logged off. Not saying How I knew this was rude, I'll give you that. My father is very good friends with a translator of Steven Universe and other animated shows. He has read and shown me parts of scripts of upcoming Steven Universe Episodes. The reason I didn't post pictures of the scripts is one: security reasons for the company, two not wanting the firation of him, and three, in general a lack of motivation to go through the effort of proving the reality of myself when I know in around a month I will be proven real. My native language is not english, but I know with the intelligence of my main language revealed, it would be obvious who my source was, that is a main reason why i have hesitance. Rereading my post, I noticed some mistakes I would like to fix: I did not know who Rutile was but I looked again and she is friends with Flourite and is and bubbled by the White Diamond. Expect another song of Lapis and of Peridot I mistaked in the last sentence, Sapphire's weapon are Ice Spikes, and the pink sapphire is named Padparadscha. Her weapon is her eye but Steven is teaching her how to use it. The best proof I can offer are pictures of parts of the scripts, but with heavily cropped out names and numbers of production Hi guys, it is a little late in my country. Earlier today, I sent pages of the reading of two episodes of season 5 to the moderators. I have more and I'm going to try to get physical copies to take pictures of and send. Earlier today, a reddit user sent me a message and correctly came to the situation of the country I am from. He convinced me to send him the scripts of three of the episodes and he summed up for me what happened. I even added him on snapchat jajajaja -A song is being written featuring White and Pink Diamonds. -White Diamond has every single gem power and weapon in her arsenal. She created Yellow Diamond for war, and Blue Diamond for diplomacy. Blue Diamond was the first resort, to use powers of emotion to convince other aliens to surrender to homeward. Yellow Diamond, second resort, to take empires by force if they didn't comply. White Diamond's jobs were colonisation and running homework.d -Pink Diamond was an accident. She was born with no powers. White Diamond did not want to shatter her because she had a vision of a new power of the empire. She planned on taking her strongest 20 gems and abandoning homeworld to spread the gem empire thousands of places away. She had the intending of leaving her homeward to Pink Diamond eventually. -White Diamond created every gem under Yellow and Blue Diamond. Pink Diamond robbed White Diamond secretly and stole these plans. Pink Diamond designed all of the Earth gems to rebel against homeworld. When she was first birthed, yellow diamond was disgusted and wanted to shatter her. She grew on Yellow Diamond eventually. Blue Diamond thought she was beautiful. -Pink Diamond created the powers of healing and dreaming with others. Rose Quartz was her main experiment, a gem designed to rebel against homeworld. Pink Diamond's plans of destrificaiton were to learn how to use Rose's dream powers, take control of the body of the White, and make her do something to turn everything against her. -At the highest hight, of pink diamond, almost every gem, regardless of court had their main loyalty to her. She had Blue Diamond obsessed with her, and she had the intention of assumption that Yellow does what Blue wants, and that Yellow and Blue would help her take down homeward. -When Yellow Diamond found out the power of keeping Blue forced in fusion, she told the White Diamond. -No single gem is responsible for her shattering. There are multiple episodes dedicating to why Rose's Pearl, Pearl, Rose Quartz, each diamond, and all pink's subjects are responsible for her demise. -I do not know who killed Pink Diamond or who shattered her, and the episodes seem all over the place with the hinting of the guilty. -White Diamond has around a hundred pearls just for her. Every Pearl is a different color, but they all have one aspect of white clothing on them. One of these Pearl's was given to Rose as a gift by White, another was given to sabotage Pink. -Homeworld was a lot more open and less discrimination against fusing before Blue and Yelloe Diamonds revealed to the White Diamond what pink was doing to EDIT: blue not yellow, sorry, was double checking to see if my editor missed anything and found that all by me I am hoping this makes sense, I sent it to another user earlier and he fixed it for me, i do not believe there are mistakes now. One of the final episodes of the season (My helper from here said he thinks it was early Season 6 but I have no reason to believe any of my episodes are from season 6) ends with White Diamond sending Steven a dream and telling him "Alright, I'll finish this myself." Steven then sees her sleeping getting into a bodysuit and flying off of homeward. EDIT: Pink Diamond also created a lot of gem technology to give herself a fighting chance. She created the blueprints for a lot of the planet we see in our series.