#first vs last chapter btw

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 763: The third year's start!!

Pag 2

1: Ten seconds until the start

Pag 3 /4

1: Let's run with everything we have!!

The last Inter High of the third year Sakamichi, start!!

Pag 5

1: Yeah!!

2: Let's go!!

3: Let's pour our whole guts into it!!

4: Yes!!

5: Let's go!!

6: Teh!!

Pag 6

1: The first day of the boy's Inter High competition in Fukuoka, starts now!!

It's here!!

Pag 7

1: All the cyclists are beginning to run, with the big bridge connecting Kyushu and Honshu through the Kanmon Straits in the back!!

Goo!

Waa, splendid!!

Do your best!!

Pag 8

1: The entrance of Kyushu, here from Moji city in Kitakyushu, going south, they'll fight for three days

Gooo

It's Sohoku!

Yeah!!

2: Waaaaa

The wind is so strong!

The cyclists are so close!

So fast!

Pag 9

1: Kumadai you can do it!

Fukuokaa!!

Their fight will unfold on the stage of Kyushu's nature!!

2: There are so many cyclists

Which team will win?

3: The one you need to pay attention to in the first place, is the one in the front with yellow jerseys

Pag 10

1: Chiba's representative, the two times in a row champion, Sohoku

The third year they call “Mountain King” took the top goal two years in a row!!

Huh... then it's decided already!!

2: Another one is the one with the blue jersey, Kanagawa's Hakone Academy

They were the team that kept winning before, and they're so strong they say that in that team “everyone is an ace”

Huuh... that's amazing too

Pag 11

1: Then there's Kyoto representative, with the purple jerseys, Kyoto Fushimi, who make the race unpredictable every time!!You can already feel their peculiar tenacity!!

They look scary

2: So those three!?

Well, yeah, but rumor has it that this year the mountain bike champion is participating, too

4: MTB!? The off-road one!?

That's right!!

5: And I guess the local Kyushu team won't keep quiet, and Hiroshima is strong too

There's a strong element of uncertainty in road racing

There are a lot of people, and the distance to cover and the time are long too

6: It's not the stronger one who always win

Huh

It's always been said that....

Pag 12

1: Until the finish line is crossed and the race is over, you never know what can happen during a road race!!

Pag 13

1: Hyoo... there's so many people, teh

2: They're all waving their hands, teh!!

Ahhh.... so many people, the scale is so different from the prefectural qualification, teh

3: What's wrong, newbie!! Hahaha

Ka-Kaburagi-san!!

4: It started

Huh!?

5: Finally, the Inter High!!

Pag 14

1: I'll show everyone here what I can do!! Take a look, newbie!!

2: This is the genius Kaburagi Issa's!! Super Special Strong-

3: Start Dash!!

Listen up, Rokudai

Yessir, teh

The red on the referee car means we can't surpass it

Pag 15

1: As long as that racket-like thing is red, this is a parade run

2: Until it gets turned round and becomes green, the race is in a neutral situation

Horuaaa

It means we have to run slowly and safely

3: There's no point in jumping ahead here

And if someone did that, he's just an idiot

Are you watching me, Aoyagi-san!! Haha

Teh... Aoyagi... san..

I'll surpass the care ahead of us!!

4: Once it becomes green, the speed will increase

Don't fall behind

5: Ye... yessir, teh!!

6: Hahaha I guess I left them behind of quite a lot

Waaa!? They're still right behind me!? Imaizumi-san, you're so fast!!

Choose a senpai to refer to

Ah.. huh... yessir, teh...

Pag 16

3: We've pretty much passed the residential area, teh

The parade will go on for a few more kilometers

4: Once we get on a wider road and can confirm it's safe, then there's the real start

Ohh

Pag 17

1: My first Inter High....

What on earth is it... the Inter High....

2: Ahh... my heart is pounding, teh...

Yeah, enjoy the scenery and the heart pounding while you still can

3: Teh!?

4: Once the race starts you won't have time to look at the scenery or take a breath

6: You- you have enough time to take a breath

Ro- Rokudai-kun

Don't bully the first year, Hotshot

7: Onoda-san!!

Pag 18

1: Only a little

3: Almost... none... the Inter High!!

I see... teh

Onoda-kun... you were even worst than Hotshot now..

Huh!?

The Inter H...igh sounds harsh

4: No, uhm

Uhm, it is

5: It's incredibly hard

It's so hard you could collapse

6: Your whole body falls apart and you can't even take a breath!!

Fall apart...!!

He's really putting the boot in...

Pag 19

1: But we run with all our strength

2: with everyone supporting each other

3: If we connect

Connect...

4: and we run until the end with all our might

7: When everything is over and we look back at it

Pag 20

1: We'll feel like it a really irreplaceable time

2: That difficult moment

Pag 21

1: When we were angry, frustrated, or when we smiled

We'll remember everything

2: Then, we'll think that we're happy we didn't give up

3: “Think”....

“Wish”....

4: That's....

Pag 22

1: That's the Inter High!!

3: If there are people who have “power” in their words

4: For me, it's this person

I've been thinking it since I've met him

5: Are you... in trouble?

Follow me

6: He usually seems unreliable when he talks, and there are times when he's awkward, but

… yes

Pag 23

1: His words always strike my core!!

Yessir!! Teh!!

That's right, Onoda-kun

You're right, Onoda

You can bet on it..!!

Yes!!

Pag 24

1: Thank you so much, teh

For bringing me, who didn't know anything, in such a brilliant and heart shaking world!!

Pag 25

1: Huh!? Everyone else too!! You were listening!?

Ah... uhm.. I was talking to Rokudai-kun...

2: Hahaha, we heard

3: And thanks to it, I'm all fired up!!

Don't get fired up more than this or you'll turn into ashes quickly

4: I-I'll run with everything I have, teh!!

5: So that you can fulfill

6: your dearest wish you told us about when we were coming here on the ship!!

Pag 26

1: “Dearest wish”

5: Yokosuka-Kokura ferry, off the coast of Kochi Prefecture

7: Well, the schedule after we arrive is roughly like this

Remember it yourself

Yes

Yes

Pag 27

1: Now if you get too excited you'll only get tired, and now it's okay to relax

Get a good night's sleep today, when you wake up tomorrow we'll go ashore

Yes!

2: Onoda, you want to say anything?

Huh!?

5: Let's... let's do our best

6: Yessir!!

Yes!!

On!!

7: Good night

Good night!!

8: Can I ask one last thing?

Pag 28

1: Earlier, Naruko-san said that our objective for this Inter High is to get our “third consecutive victory”

To be on par with Hakogaku, who is the only team to ever win three times in a row in the history of the Inter High

4: I agree, I also think we have to do it

But I there's one thing I'm curious about, and I don't think it's been asked yet

5: Onoda-san, what's your objective this year?

What are you running in the Inter High for?

[p-artsypants]

Hey there, just wanted to ask: do you have any good httyd fic recommendations?

(Btw I love your AU, all caught up and excited for more!)

Oh do I? Allow me to pull up my bookmarks.

But first, thank you very much! I appreciate that you're reading the Pale Rider! I have several other HTTYD fics that I wrote here.

I just finished going through the entire Hiccstrid tag on Ao3, and some of these fics are old and don't consider parts of the series. That being said, you should definitely read them and comment!

After I made this list, I know I have more recs from FF.net, but this is what I have from Ao3.

One shots

Murphy's Law- Impractical Dreamer. This is a Fairytale AU, with a Princess stuck in a tower schtick. Adorable!

When you're close to me by seagreen-meets-grey (haddxck) Technically three chapters, but it's short enough. Modern, Prom AU. Not usually my cup of tea UNLESS it's Hiccup and Astrid being best friends and realizing they love each other...which is what this is. SO GOOD.

I'm enjoying Discovery by LolloB07, which is an on going series of Oneshots where Hiccstrid get together in the RTTE era.

I'm also enjoying Elskask: RTTE Hiccstrid One Shots by FrickinChicken321 which follows the plot of RTTE but fleshes out the Hiccstrid scenes more.

I'm going to throw Katergator as a whole on here, because I liked like seven of their one shots, and then found out they wrote them and I was like, "hey wait, they did ALL those great fics!?"

Stay Close to Me by Neon_fire. Trapped in a cave and have to share body heat to stay warm? DON'T MIND IF I DO

Blue Oleander by SANfangirl Modern AU, Hanahaki disease but it has a happy ending!

Cannon

Stand by Me another one by Katergator. An elaboration on 'Blindsided'. My beloved!

Whirpool- Mionach This is a retelling of Dire Straits and I LOVED it.

I'm in the middle of reading 'Simple Gifts' by Ecoutez, which is pretty long but extremely cute. Takes place one year after the first movie, and it's very cute. Published in 2014, so I think it ignores most of the series. I haven't finished it yet.

Learning to Fly - NRGBurst. Bridging the gap between the first and second movies, written before RTTE. Hiccstrid relationship developing, along with Hiccup's gadgets we see in the second movie. Rated M for seggy times in last chapter.

AU

By the Light of Dawn by gray_ghost_gal just wrapped up. Hiccup is a dragon by day and boy by night, and Gobber shoots him down and catches him for training in the arena. Follows the plot of the first movie. She just posted the first chapter of the sequel!

Dragon Eyes is also by gray_ghost_gal and is similar in that it follows the plot of the first movie and Hiccup is a Weird Creature ™ (remember our mood for 2025?) but he was raised with the dragons with Valka and he has the eyes of a dragon.

The Imposter by harrypanther Hiccup wants to be a knight and kind of gets the chance to try when everyone else is too hungover to rescue Princess Astrid. Everyone is out to get him and prevent him from succeeding! Happy ending!

Spicy Recs under the cut 🤭🤫

Locker Talk by JohnnaLeigh Modern AU. Hiccup and Astrid are rivals, cheerleader vs band leader. They have sex in the locker room (idk I just like it)

A Hiccstrid Compendium by James_Rabbit There's only one chapter in this collection. Hiccup and Astrid wrestle and then accidentally have sex. It's so ridiculous I love it.

A Simple Massage by hushhushmyprince Hiccup gets horny while massaging Astrid and touches her inappropriately. But she's into it.

[gnomewithalaptop]

do you have any really devastating hurt/comfort recs?

Hi!! Sorry this took me so long to do -- holiday season has me swamped

your ghost i will gladly bear by @mamawasatesttube - Comic book alternate universe logic leads to Tim and Kon reuniting after living through the other's deaths. UGH obsessed with this fic -- the implications of Elseworlds Kon taking on the Robin mantle after Tim's death vs Canon Tim changing his colors to reflect Kon's after Kon's have me seeing shrimp colors

Scandals Stick Together by @traya-sutton - With his mother dead, his father in a coma, and everybody convinced he's going to run his family company into the ground, Tim has to go to a Luthor gala. Unparalleled mental stress + public emotional breakdowns + no capes AU TimKon -- this one hits like nobody's business man

i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time by @popsunner - I've recced this series before, but this one fic (which works as a standalone btw) legitimately gets me every time. Cassie Sandsmark POV on dealing with Bart and Kon's sudden return from the dead. The only issue? It's been two days since she went to Tim's funeral, and nobody's told them he's dead yet. I read this fic whenever I need to cry for real -- Cassie gets put through the wringer in this series

A Long Fall with a Sudden Stop by @eggmacmuffin - Dick gets fear gassed. Tim has to deal with it. This not only has Tim comforting Dick through a fear gas incident (obvious H/C setup) but also it has a SUPER well-done and interesting take on fear gas that I haven't seen elsewhere

Oil and Watercolor by @dedicatedfollower467 - A Damian-centric platonic soulmate AU where you leave colors on each other's skin the first time you touch. SUCH a good relationship between Dick and Damian -- not technically tagged as H/C but I'm calling it that anyways because it gave me similar vibes

tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you about mine and its sequel you do not have to be good by @luvo27 are some of the most absolutely gut wrenching Cassandra Cain-centric fics I've read probably ever. Dealing with Cass's passive (and sometimes not-so-passive) suicidal thoughts pre and post Steph's death, these two fics focus heavily on her road to recovery, leaning on Steph, Tim, and Babs. Legitimately made me cry multiple times, and I actually held off on making this rec list until the author posted the last chapter so I could include it. Hands down two of my favorites of all time -- though heavy content warning on self harming behaviors and attempted suicide

If anyone wants to add on with your own recs below, or even if you just want to plug your own fics, I'm always on the prowl for new reading material! Just make sure to tag the authors if you know their tumblr username <3

[lunaneko14]

Okay I hate it when Sakura stans do this.

No Sakura is not an example of “hard work” THAT title clearly belongs to Lee.

Sakura was supposed to be naturally talented to begin with which is why they highlighted her not having to cheat on the written chunin exam. THAT is her special ability and while I admit that she was shafted from showing off that ability in the fourth war arc in favor of being a Sasuke fangirl, this is a huge flaw nonetheless and shows just how abilities can be overshadowed by arrogance and selfishness. I guess in this way Sakura is a good example of wasted potential vs everyone else in the series besides Tenten (whose wasted potential is more so her lack of screen time rather than missed/botched opportunities) and it only highlights how little Kishimoto cared about her when she doesn’t get redemption AND gets REWARDED for her selfishness by being canon with Sasuke.

Sakura is just what she always wanted to be, an Uchiha c*m dumpster and blank vessel to rebuild the clan. Which btw failed because how tf does Sarada need glasses???? 😂

It’s just hilarious to me that compared to Sasuke

Who FAILED as an Uchiha at first.

And Naruto

Who also FAILED at first

Are being called “special” compared to someone who probably did the least work out of the team. Work that didn’t even start until the LAST chapters of part one when she was picked up by Tsunade because she was the last one left out of the main team without a master.

Like really? Sasuke and Naruto who started working on being ninjas BEFORE Sakura even decided to be one had to work less than her????

They try this shit with Hinata too. Hinata who was trained since she was in diapers before even getting into the academy worked less than Sakura who was smart from the get go even though she never trained or even belonged to a clan that would’ve began her training long before the academy????

Sakura isn’t a damn hard worker, she’s a Mary Sue

[aihoshiino]

chapter 151 thoughts

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 8

Aqua Hoshigan Status: Black

Kana enjoyers continue to eat good in this new arc, as 151 very clearly parallels what's considered one of the more iconic AquKana chapters from the first half of the manga with a bit of role reversal in the mix. 'Reversal' is sort of the keyword for this chapter for a handful of reasons but we'll get into that when it's relevant.

the usual shout out to mengo for Peak Faces this chapter. my faves were kana's blushy face as she takes off her glasses and aqua covering his blush with his baseball glove… it does NOT get cuter than that.

It's pretty cathartic to see Kana get a similar TV spotlight to BH!Ruby, where she's centered in B-Komachi's success and Ruby is sort of just in the background lol. That said… kinda of hate that OnK is continuing to frame the ShimaD shit!!! I have a lot of complicated feelings about it but I will say that overall, it's pretty fucked that the story made all those correct assertions about sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and how women and young girls specifically are pressured to kowtow to men to retain their place in the industry and then like… not? link any of this?? to what happened to Kana??? Weird and bad!!!!

on the plus side. megarima and maskua <3

It feels like a good step for Kana to confidently assert that they are, in fact, on a date and their shared visible embarrassment is pretty cute. This is what I meant when I said this chapter was a bit of a reversal of chapter 30, which Aqua even calls explicit attention to - running from school to play catch vs running to school. It works well, imo, as a sort of marker of both change and consistency for both of these characters, showing us how far they've come… but at the same time, how much has managed to stay the same. This return to the early AQKN dynamic is really nice… their moment to moment rapport is the one I enjoy most in the series so even though it's definitely jarring to whiplash back to it after the Movie Arc… idk!! I am still enjoying it all the same.

aqua calling her out on it being a baseball date was really funny btw

And their talk about dreams is… Very Shrimptresting. I keep waffling back and forth on what to take from it, because hypothetically I think it's really interesting but whether or not I really end up liking it is going to depend on how things are handled with Aqua going forward…! IDK, this is the obvious pitfall of analyzing the story like this week to week,

I guess all I'll say now is that this falls in line with how I was reading last chapter's framing of Gorou -> Aqua, where Aqua's inheritance of that identity is just that - an inheritance and it's up to him what he chooses to do with that legacy. He can decide for himself what parts of it he wants to take with him into the future and what he chooses to leave behind.

That said: this is still black hoshigan Aqua. Is this just a 'dream' because it's something he wants but doesn't think he'll be able to have? Or is Aqua starting to seriously consider a future for himself past the end of his revenge quest? It was Kana who prompted him for an answer, after all, and he's already had to make a promise to her that he won't 'disappear'. Is he just lying here to put her at ease? Much to consider…….

Kana's side of this conversation is also really interesting. Kana is a person who acts out of genuine love for her craft, yes, but she's also correct that she kind of already got her assumed end goal of 'be a nationally famous actress' when she was a kid and it didn't necessarily make her happy or fulfilled. To a degree, she's been operating on momentum and desperation to cling to the industry so much of her identity was formed around. But if a 'dream' is something she just wants for herself, without her career coming into it… then what does Kana really want?

And the answer, obviously, is Aqua. With another 'oshi no ko' title drop, to boot…!

It's a little sad that even as Kana makes this tentative confession to him, she still downplays herself in favour of Memcho and Ruby but the emotional stakes she's putting on the table are very loaded. This essentially, without either girl knowing it, puts her in direct competition with Ruby who very much seems to still want to milk her sensei's Little Aqua and I don't imagine that conflict is going to go off without fireworks.

Interestingly, though, this isn't the only point on which the two are opposed here: this is what I mean when I said this chapter's keyword was 'reversal'. While Ruby insists that 'Sensei' is her oshi, Kana offers to be Aqua's oshi. This isn't the first time it's happened, either - when Kana talks about her feelings last chapter, she describes them as 本気の恋 (honki no koi), i.e, seriously, earnestly, truly in love whereas Ruby's confession uses the term ガチ恋 (gachikoi), a slang term referring to a fan who considers themselves to be legitimately in romantic love with a celebrity/idol/etc - and specifically says she's gachikoi for Sensei. Gachikoi is also how the first generation of B-Komachi are described in both Viewpoint B and 45510 in the original Japanese text. On just about all fronts, these two are bound to clash going into the final arc of the story and I'm tentatively interested to see where it goes.

No break next week!

[moonsuke]

Chapter 296 leaks (spoilers)

Yesssss Reo!!! The rong fans are so gonna have a field day with this one lol. I'm excited to see their reactions, they're the only ones who sorta echo the same sentiments as me, like calling Nagi a "lost child" and feeling sorry for him and all ;-;

And again, every release I gotta ramble about the parallels between epinagi and bllk and how knsr's purposely linking them up for Nagi. I mean just the last epinagi chapter Reo was really down in the slumps and talking about how he needs to get stronger on his own, while Nagi's all excited after winning and beating "Isagi". The contrast was explicitly drawn to show us their parallel too.

But now in bllk, we've Reo aura farming again while Nagi's having his downfall arc. I've missed this Reo so much, I like him best when he's like this. Like Nagi said, he's really "strong and dazzling" indeed. Now please score a goal, I need him to want to be a striker again (and I think Nagi needs him to be like that too).

I never really dived much into why I hated their duo at risk of sounding too delulu reonagi-ish (vs the nagireo fans who liked the set up), at most I just said their duo is really not good for each other, but in reality I was thinking the reason their team up got sooooo much negative connotations left and right is because of their roles switching, with Nagi's dream taking precedence over Reo's, and Reo letting him lead. It gave me a lot of discomfort like Nagi's goal. This chapter has a throwback to that moment Nagi first asked Reo to team up which has brought nothing but losses since. This time though, Reo's stepping up!! I can (half) believe in their duo again!!

Half because Nagi still needs to change and I don't think this is enough to trigger his comeback… I'm still on the Nagi downfall route btw and if knsr is intending otherwise the writing better be fire. But honestly, while I really want his his downfall to be done well, its just getting sad and hard to watch at this point ;-; How he's thinking even an assist is fine but he couldn't even do it ;-;

Throughout this whole chapter, Nagi's just watching and admiring those around him achieving impressive feats. Even with Reo's declaration, and Nagi's "you're strong and dazzling", it doesn't give the vibe that he's locking in at all. The only time he did something active was a lackluster, uninspired pass to Reo and this was despite him motivating himself with "I'll survive with Reo!!!"

At the end too, it's saying REO'S dream is shining on Nagi but that's exactly what Nagi needs to stop doing, relying on a borrowed dream and ego. He cares about Reo and being the best together for sure, but what truly motivates someone needs to be more egoistical and selfish like his prior "beating Isagi".

I've entertained the thought of Reo using Chameleon to transform into “Isagi” and becoming a rival of sorts before and it seems like it can go that way? With his whole "I can become anything to become the world's best with you" declaration. Honestly, this line, or rather Reo's whole scene, made me kinda emotional lol. Isn't this line gayer than Nagi's? I'm seeing everyone pointing out Nagi being gay but like not this? 😭

Anyway, I would def like their duo dynamics more if this happened as compared to the one they'd against BM. But when it comes to Nagi's story alone this seems kinda meh now ngl. Like we have him struggling so hard throughout the entire NEL arc to find his inner motivations just to end up with him gaining it from something external??

Like maybe seeing Reo shine could trigger him, I mean he wants to shine the brightest on the field after all, but like that's it?? The reason why he got so attached to Isagi's light was because that was his first defeat! Right after he discovered his curiosity and heat towards football and actually wanting to win with his goal for once, Isagi stole all that away while being reborn right before his eyes! Like the image of Isagi winning over him was drawn imprinted in his eyes TWICE. This is the sorta level of impact that's needed to bring Nagi back again and I'm expecting that! It could be Reo or something else but the impact should be there!

So er yea, I'll wait and see what knsr does I guess. Just please, don't give me something lukewarm… Don't do that to your fav too, knsr. Do it well for Nagi's sake 😭

The way the chapters are going, it seems like it’s a set up for everyone around Nagi to grow and change and have their moment right before his eyes (like the way it’s drawn when he got a front row seat is so funny lol especially Bachira’s goal). To hammer in how he's falling behind I guess? So next would be Reo’s moment and it would be more meaningful than the others. He better be scoring their second goal istg. If Nagi scores the third, it would be one that leaves me with discomfort like his 5 volley shot... so I'm sticking with 3rd goal being Reo's with Nagi assist for now...

And I want my Bachira x Nagi striker heart to heart talk too!!

(Last thing, I do not get why that dunk on Agi was necessary he was saying objectively correct shit bruh, why Reo?? 😭 But thanks for the possessive Reo I guess? 😭 )

[readerwithsalt]

Rating the Differences In How People Reacted to Nico Saying He Would Not Be Accepted At Camp.

(Btw not a hater on percico, jasico, or solangelo in this post, this is just fact checking lol)

1. Percy

In Battle of the Labyrinth, Nico is 11 years old and Percy is 15. At the end of the book Nico asks:

“do you really think they’ll ever accept me here?”

Percy says nothing. An indication of - No.

Now a lot of people say that since Percy was only a child it’s not his fault that he didn’t try harder to make him stay, but this doesn’t make much sense.

Percy is a teenage camp counselor meant to teach and protect the younger halfbloods. He even calls himself a leader in the camp. In this book he’s gone overboard with trying to find Nico and feeling a large sense of protectiveness over him but doesn’t have that same energy with wanting him to stay at camp and allows this actual child who is eleven, to leave by himself because in Percy’s own words:

‘Nico would have to find his own dark path.’

I realize Nico didn’t feel welcome and brushed Percy off a bit but honestly If my godly parent didn’t have a cabin I wouldn’t have felt welcome either. Percy should’ve petitioned the whole “maybe we should care about other gods besides the olympians” much sooner.

Rating 3/10 (maybe a 4/10)

2. Jason

The first time Nico insinuates that he is not welcome at the camp, he and Jason are on a balcony. This is after Nico’s forced outing and Jason is feeling different towards Nico than previous chapters. He is more protective and feels like he understands Nico a little more.

Jason says things along the lines of:

“maybe you should take a chance and come out of the shadows, it’s better than hiding.”

Nico gets quiet and very angry at the word.

“hiding?” He whispers.

And Jason gets frightened but stands his ground, even when the floor starts cracking under Nico’s pissed off boots. Nico ends up brushing Jason off and says that he’s made his mind up and for the moment Jason decides to not push further.

Until Blood of Olympus. At the end of this book Nico has already decided to give camp another chance (though I’m not quite sure what the difference is between giving camp another chance in this book vs the last Olympian) but Jason runs up to him, ready to give him all he’s got one last time. Pretty much:

“I know you said your leaving but I’ve got to try one more time-“

“I’m staying”

So this proves Jason was not going to force Nico to stay nor tell him camp wouldn’t accept him. But he was still ready to keep this boy at camp since he felt a connection with him, and cared alot, enough to offer his father food and prayers to help Nico.

He didn’t want to stand by and say nothing, nor did he want to gaslight Nico and make him feel dumb for wanting to leave. He respected Nico a lot here, and didn’t make Nico feel like his past experiences meant absolutely nothing….

Rating 10/10

3. Will

When Nico insinuates to Will Solace that he’s leaving bc he won’t be accepted, this is the very first interaction between the pair in the 8 previous books ever.

At first Will is surprised and then gets very angry. He begins telling Nico angrily that no one had ever pushed him away (incorrect) and that he’d completely pushed himself away (not quite correct).

He says Nico would see people want to be his friend if he ‘got out of his brooding cloud’

To say that to Nico, the most traumatized and lonely character in the books, is a slap in the face to the readers and the character. In my opinion.

He gaslights Nico in such an extreme way without even knowing him that it surprised me that some people thought this was ‘cute’. People have pushed Nico away out of fear and stuff. We know this because we’ve been in their heads. We’ve heard the offhand comments.

Will either knows what people say about him (which makes his statement even more rude and hurtful) or he turns a blind eye and pretends not to (even worse).

Some readers say that he only said this because it was true or that Nico needed to hear it but this is simply not true. Will solace is pretty much saying what Jason was but in the worst way possible.

I would have given this character the benefit of the doubt and say ‘hey, maybe he’s grown to understand Nico more’ but after reading a passage in tsats this year, apparently Will still thinks the exact same thing proving he still doesn’t quite respect or understand Nicos past experiences even by the end of tsats and even though he’s been dating Nico about a year….

I wonder if it’s toxic positivity or something….

0/10

extra. Hazel.

I just put her in here because she understands Nicos situation the most. They are both children of the underworld and are treated differently at their camps. Although, Rome doesn’t quite have the gated fence community that camp halfblood does (or did). Rome treats Hazel more of like her own person rather than the child of so and so. Camp halfblood seems to see Nico as just his parentage most of the time. Same for the children of minor gods.

So I was pretty surprised at BOO for having Nico try AGAIN at this camp that doesn’t quite deserve him instead of going with his sister to a place that made him feel a bit more welcome (even if Rome calls children of Hades and Neptune bad luck).

Hazel is kind of out of the loop about Nico wanting to leave but let’s be honest, if Nico had really left Hazel would be the first to run after him and make him stay with her lol.

I do believe Nico should have stayed with his favorite person that he cares about the most instead of a random background character that tends to gaslight a bit and a camp that looks at him differently for things he can’t control.

100/10 bc it’s Hazel~

End.

(Also read this new comic about an alternate tsats au on @nove-thee its going to get good I can tell lol.)

[asavt]

i have only watched the first animator vs video (years ago)

tell me about them

OK, I think I can answer these two together.

Animator Vs. Animation, to put you into context Mx. Surefootcleric, ended up having another four parts that form a first season, a second season into making, you got the Animation Vs. Minecraft series that started as a single chapter thing of the stick figures discovering minecraft and eventually getting around 35 parts (I think that was the number of the last chapter, I don't remember very well), you got other videos that are the stick figures discovering other games such as League of Legends and Pokemon, and also one where they fight mister youtube, AND the newer series that I like to refer to as Animation Vs. Exact Sciences (it's very cool btw, last one was Geometry and I adored that one, as someone who doesn't exactly remember everything from school BUT remembers the classes where we saw geometry I liked that very much) (UPDATE: I've been writing this answer for a while now and there's a new one that idk if I would call it an "excat science" but man.) . All we knew about all those years back was "haha, funny stick figure comes to life and the animator starts to toy with the little guy, this is something I wish that would happen to me!! Such a fun concept" and now is "OH FUCK!!!!!!!!!!"

Tho, just like I explained before with PMTOK (months ago), you're not really meant to take absolutely everything too seriously, they are stick figures fighting their creator because the guy got issues or something, or just because he got a little too curious and bored, both could be to be honest.

Now, even if I'm saying this, I'm not going to deny the big appreciation and admiration I have towards these shorts that are honestly no longer just "shorts" about funny stick figures. I think the first thing one can note about the videos is how even with a lack of dialog for most of the videos the story still gets across pretty well!! I love how much you can get to know of each character from their motions alone and the way they react to certain things. This same thing of the characters being mostly nonverbal also gives way to a few funny moments; I think of the few moments in AvA 3 where the tension is broken by the natural silliness that The Chosen One seems to have (and that rarely comes out to light, I might get back to this later) or a moment in Cave Spider Roller Coaster in the AvM series where the color gang is running away from the spider nest Green just runs faster and ahead of the rest because of course he is he was playing bait for the others to escape (the poor guy surrounded by spiders... ew...).

I was re-watching the last six/five episodes of the season three of Animation Vs. Minecraft and it's the reason why I wanted to talk about how much I like these series. That season contains some of my favorite chapters and character interactions so far, BESIDES the music which is another thing that has gotten better and better with time. So, to give context, the plot for this season is "there's this older orange stick figure that Purple is working under that apparently wants to use this weird staff thing that is clearly dangerous, and we gotta stop him" something like that. Those five to six chapters are what really solidified the character personalities (in my opinion) (and marked ships too holy sh-) and god if the music doesn't help with all the plot. Just, the way that the individual songs for each chapter before the season finale just add to another tune while they fight the "big bad" and then the tracks that I just completely adore from those chapters are last tracks for chapter 29 "Note Block Universe", specifically the ones where Purple and Green are basically doing a duet and Purple's whole emotional turmoil, the tracks of "Monster School" because I am an old minecraft fan and I was there when Willcraft was uploading (it's more of a nostalgia thing but I adore how the score is like the original series' tracks, and the animations too its so silly hehehehhehhehHEHEHEH) , and the tracks from chapter 30 "The King", the way the individual tracks combine to make that one hell of a perfect song during around the first half of the episode, then the track that plays when Herobrine appears again and the synthesizer sounds that made me think so much of Minecraft's own tracks (I was losing my mind when I heard those oh god) while also making me think of the original Animation vs. Minecraft, and the tracks for Purple confronting the King and the color gang running back to the PC its great. So good, I re-watch those chapters often can you tell?

So, going back to character personalities, I'll answer the second question (@breadthecat 's) and say my favorites (because I have a hard time choosing just one) are most likely The Chosen One and Purple. Purple is a kinda biased choice based on color (help) also designated flower-guy besides Blue (who I also like a lot actually! witch-gardener guy that's so cool). And then we got TCO, a little maybe basic choice but I enjoy the way he seems to be portrayed as this all powerful, kinda serious and definitely traumatized guy who is actually very silly and overconfident at times (First fight against TDL with the thing with the card and him challenging TDL first, in the newer season the way he kind of taunts the mercenaries by waving at them while carying TSC around, and his little wave and "I leave it to you!" thing towards Second two. What is his problem.)

Anyways, this became extremely long. Yes I love this silly series about stick figures.

[hellboundhimbo]

Pleeeeeease talk more about Kuwameshi I live for your takes

well. don't mind if i do. you have no idea what you've just unleashed btw.

so like they're sooooo attached to each other right like SOO fucking dependent. both of them trying to die for each other every five seconds, yusuke constantly crashing out because kuwabara like. stubbed his toe a full continent away. episode 89 just generally. they're basically attached at the hip. and on one hand watching them beat each other up while also caring sooooo embarrassingly much is cute its also like low-key kinda codependent. like oh you don't know who you are without him? erm. and while I do think a big reason for that is just bc they're quite literally the only other person among their peers who would understand the trauma they've experienced what with dark tournament n all, there's also a degree of personal shit for both of them that impacts it.

cuz like. lbr at the start of the show yusuke was very very lonely. its part of the reason he just writes off kuwabara as a run of the mill punk chasing glory, at first. why he's so surprised at kuwabara's breakdown at his wake. yusuke has this idea in his head that he's no good for nobody, navigating a world where every man fends for themself. seeing that "hey ppl care if I live" is really impactful for yusuke, even if he never fully processes that lesson. and he still has that idea that "oh kuwabara's just some dumbass" going into The Promise, but ofc he has his shit flipped on him when he realizes "oh this guy's really cool actually." and from that point onward yusuke just gets sooooo attached so quickly. bc like other than keiko, kuwabara was yusuke's first real friend.

and rq that is NOT DISCREDITING THE IMPORTANCE OF YUSUKE AND KEIKO'S BOND NONONO but there's a clear distinction there between what yusuke and keiko have vs what yusuke and kuwabara have for a number of factors, the whole "not really able to have a normal friendship bc you've been paired off as a couple since diapers" thing only being part of it. kuwabara's a lot like yusuke in a lot of ways. hot headed delinquents with shitty grades judged by their mentors with less than conventional family lives (kuwabara was practically raised by shizuru despite her only being like 17-20smth in canon. there's implications there I think.)

its just that in a lot of ways they're genuine equals and lord knows yusuke needs someone to relate to at the point in his life he's at. moreover kuwabara was never afraid to challenge yusuke, something he clearly values and revels in, even if yusuke himself sees it less of an actual rivalry and more of a bit of fun. he's forced to recognize in The Promise how good of a guy kuwabara actually is and that made an impression on yusuke, nihilistic and untrusting as he is. and as we all know yusuke's protective of the people he cares about, but its like. its different with kuwabara. because unlike someone like keiko kuwabara runs headfirst into danger. he's a fighter!! a manly man if you will. and yusuke fucking Hates that because HELLO you're not allowed to get hurt ever you mean too much to me. but he's also beating up kuwabara on the reg bc duh they still fight. so its this weird kinda dissonance where yusuke's like "NO ONE'S ALLOWED TO BEAT UP KUWABARA BUT ME" and that's very funny and lowkey fruity ngl. stop trying to kill my girlfriend only I'm allowed to bully him.

obv the whole being overly protective angle takes on a whole new context as the show goes on but I think if I got into anything post chapter black this post would end up longer than my last longfic so. I'm just gonna say that kuwabara taking yusuke's protectiveness as him thinking kuwabara is weak (or a joke as he puts it which feeds into his larger sidekick/inferiority complex when compared to the rest of team urameshi) it's just. ugh stupid idiots with their stupid egos and pride.

SPEAKING OF KUWABARA that boy is so insanely whipped it's not even funny. like yes yes yusuke is totally gay for kuwabara I feel that in my bones and there's So Much there. stupid fuckin romance anime bubbles in the promise (manga.) literally keeping up with a SPEEDING CAR ON A BIKE just to save kuwa. again yusuke crashing out whenever kuwabara's even slightly in danger. kuwabara constantly being set up as yusuke's damsel in distress, for some fuckin reason. super gay. but Oh My God Kuwabara. he is so in love with him its not even FUnny and how do I even articulate that without pointing at episode 89 and going !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hes just. sooooo hopelessly devoted man. for YEARSSSSS. "winning's never been the reason I fight him" ITS NOT ABOUT WINNING.... he just. he fixated on yusuke for so long obsessed over earning his respect followed him into hell and back over and over and over again literally tried to DIEEEE for him. "YOU'VE ALWAYS GOTTA BE THERE URAMESHI DONT YOU GET IT. IF YOURE NOT THEN WHO AM I" I'm gonna IHFRBIFVBIVHOFHSI. he just wants yusuke to SEE HIM to respect him as an equal but because yusuke wants to protect him he just processes it as "oh you think I'm weak" but THATS NOT IT!! HE JUST CARES ABT U DNSA and then kuwabara's like "yeah I'm actually gonna try to die for you again but DONT U DARE TRY AND PULL THAT SHIT W ME" I hate them basically.

again they're soooo sweet on each other but in that same breath like I do think their lil divorce in ep 98 was sorta necessary. not just bc of the events of canon but again kuwabara was just. he didn't know what to do with himself without yusuke there with him. the romance of "I need you" vs the logical thought "hey wait that's. that's not healthy." idkidk this was absolutely incoherent I just have a lot of thoughts on them. I care them deeply. kuwameshi forever and ever but also I need them to die.

anyway. them.

[verycharismaticdragon]

17, for the ask game? 👀

*for svsss

[ there should be more of this type of fic/art ]

(funny as hell that this came right when i started to compose the previous answer btw)

Oh I have a LIST:

Binghe POV. There's simply. not. enough.

Sopping wet cat Bing-ge as previously mentioned

Whoever actually explores assault survivor Bing-ge in fic will have my entire soul fr fr

Literally anything that would capitalize on the conflict (lit analysis meaning) built into SQQ and LQG's relationship - that one of them treats it as a regular friendship and the other as an epic xianxia bromance (at the very least). I think it would be cool if LQG was given more role than just "a loyal guy with unrequited feelings" from time to time. And I would be especially interested in the iteration where LQG's feelings are entirely platonic and still this intense.

Less pressing than previous because I've actually seen a fic referencing it, but a similar situation in cucumber/plane friendship, where SQQ unquestioningly takes SQH as an ally based on their shared background, but SQH is actually. not at all more loyal to him than to anyone else? Like he'll help, but he'll also sell him out without suffering much guilty conscience too. I think it's a fun discrepancy!

Explore SY!SQQ projecting his older siblings feelings onto YQY. (In more detail than canon does, because this is literally. canon. I've been rereading and there are at least two lines referencing this in early chapters.)

Anything about the parallels between ZZL's loyalty to SQQ and SQQ's loyalty to LBH. I might write meta about this myself one day, but I wish someone else did, I'm lazy okay. The tldr is that in both relationships one person's loyalty hurts rather than helps the other, ultimately because they are trying to do what they think is right for the other without understanding them first.

Shen Yuan's family, esp in reverse transmigration or Bing-ge comes to modern world fics. This is clearly something that shaped SY's character a lot and I think you could get a lot of fun interaction out of it.

For fics that have both Shen Jiu and Shen Yuan without them being siblings: more SY being a bitch to the guy who was mean to his blorbo. Not necessarily for the entire fic, but I think shen vs. shen dynamic is vastly underrepresented, we gotta get onto that. (Also a bit of an aside, but I've seen the idea in fic that SJ is much more powerful than SY as a cultivator, and that... listen, while I agree that SJ would have the benefit of experience, I feel this kinda ignores the fact that SY fixed SQQ's damaged cultivation in several months - before being nerfed by Without a Cure for his efforts, ofc, but still, this implies some level of talent.)

Oh, and last but not least: fics that would explore Binghe's love for SQQ being complicated and not-unfaltering. I tried to imply that a bit in Transmigrator Time Traveler, but I would love a more direct look from someone with more love for angst than me, maybe.

[riverpookie]

Can you tell us about your interpretations of the yellow green team and their shadows? Your art is amazing btw

HI HELLO sorry ive only seen this now lol

yes of course! anon be aware of a lot of yapping HELP #certifiedyapper

Okay so like we already know that shadow rider exists so i dont rlly need to explain that ,, so heres shadow stealth blazer and bamboo

stealth goggles seems to be pretty anxious thru the manga (it got better for him in vol 16 btw!), but he is still a kind guy and he tries his best to help his team (and his teammates) by how much he can! he is also a kind of an airhead lol, rider mentioned how he basically never uses his toxic mist in the last page of the team monarch vs yg team chapter(s)

there are more examples but i’ll not get into that

so i like to picture shadow stealth goggles having a cocky personality, he is also very competitive and NEVER forgets to use his toxic mist!!!!!!!!! 🙄 he is also very mean towards shadow rider LMAO (shadow stealth goggles still likes airsoft btw like how shadow rider is still obsessed with his gold dynamo HELP)

okayy blazer now! honestly blazer is kinda hard to characterize since she has the most least appearances from yellow green team ☹️

blazer is known to be very optimistic and supportive, shes like the most happiest character from yg team HELP😭 this is (kind of?) a headcanon i have for blazer’s personality but i like to picture her as also a kind of an airhead who doesnt understand sarcasm most of the time like shes DEADASS saying this with a straight face😭😭😭💀💀💀💀💀 (context in that panel goggles pointed out that rider’s pants are sagging)

for shadow blazer, i like to imagine her as being very serious and selfish, she dislikes her teammates a lot ESPECIALLY bamboo hat #doomedyuri she is also very sarcastic

(ANOTHER HC I FORGOT TO MENTION but i hc blazer being a bookworm so like how i mentioned before with rider and shadow rider both being obsessed with their gold dynamo roller so does blazer and shadow blazer with books)

finally the last one we got bamboo hat yippeee

sooo bamboo hat seems to be pretty cold-faced, serious and sarcastic, but she is still very emotional which is such a cool personality for a character ngl! bamboo is so underrated ugh (for the emotional part she is seen to be crying at the end of the team monarch vs yg team match 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 girl why u crying its not even that serious)

for shadow bamboo hat i like to picture her being like. emotionless but smiley (does this make sense?? sorry im not rlly good at explaining stuff) and she would NEVER get sarcasm. so whenever shadow blazer will tell her a joke she’d take it genuinely

(as i mentioned beforeee, since bamboo is a wood carving hobbyist, so is shadow bamboo! awesome sauce)

other shadow yellow green team stuff id like to mention:

instead of shadow rider being the captain, shadow stealth goggles kinda just replaced him on his own so shadow stealth is basically the captain of shadow yg team (the co captain is shadow blazer btw!)

since yellow green team get along very well while all of them being very different and unique from each other, shadow yellow green team are different here. bc of how different they are from each other they just DONT get along and NEVER get along which costs to a lottt of fights ☹️

shadow rider thinks shadow stealth and him are friends when in reality shadow stealth doesnt care about the other shadows 😭

shadow bamboo is obsessed with shadow blazer and shadow blazer tries to avoid her

shadow bamboo considers shadow rider as her best friend

shadow stealth and shadow blazer argue all the time!!!!!!111!!!!

shadow stealth and shadow bamboo make actually a pretty cool duo ngl

okay thats it thank you btw! 🙏 sorry for any grammar mistakes btw rnglish is not my first language/its like 12am here HELP

[goldom]

I'm falling behind on every game, but playing in order of which limited reward expires first, that means it's time to get back to HI3 Part 2 with chapter 6.

And of course I've already forgotten everything that happened last time. Uhhh... 100 years ago... um... tower? There was a tower? Whatever, I'm here to find Senadina and get married, not to save the world.

Ah yes, Helia and Coralie exist. I have very good memory. They were being snuggly and cute. Now I remember.

You'd think that after Otto was deposed (presumably, reminder I'm only on chapter 12 of part 1), Schicksal would maybe stop recruiting children to fight wars, but nahhh Theresa's fine with child soldiers too I guess.

I keep reading Ruimu as Reimu. Man I wish.

Looking at Schicksal's Imperative Theresa makes me viscerally uncomfortable

UI element remains in the cutscene. Theresa stares at a giant floating hand.

Vita, that's kinda creepy? Maybe no?

I am in love with this NPC conversation:

"I'm having an existential crisis" vs "I'm hungry for balls"

btw I am largely skipping over collectible lore pages for now because I'm rushing to catch up (and honestly "lore" rarely keeps my attention even in games where I'm already invested in the story)

Skott?!

really has Big Skott Energy. Sadly not the same VA to my ear. (Skott's CN VA is very distinct, he sounds hilarious.)

so much button mashing in this chapter already =(

aww, they're flirting :)

RIP

Ajita is from outside...? Huh? But ... no, I don't get it. I'll just accept it for now.

Oh yeah I already called her Herta last time, but now she also looks incredibly The Herta-esque and is an administrator of a simulated universe...

Narrator: "There was no reason to worry, right?" Nope, nope nope nope, you stop that right now.

the girls are fighting ;_;

Why is Vita looking at me like that. I'm scared.

Also if Ajita is an outside person why is she all flickery like Dreamy?

Oh good, we're adding back-and-forth time travel into the story. That certainly won't make the plot even more confusing.

I'm gonna need you two to kiss and make up ASAP; you're driving me insane.

kitty ;_;

I would let Coralie use the Abyss Flower to save the kitty ;_;

...I hid the interface and now realize that is a dog. Point stands.

"You were born a failure" Jesus, Litost, that's a little severe to tell someone you just met

"and now, Helia, I shall monologue to you about the exact character arc you were going through."

Mihoyo does not do "subtlety."

really really tempted to roleplay along and choose the latter, but scared it might actually have consequences like some quests in HSR.

I guess it didn't matter.

Thinking about why they care so much about saving people who "aren't real" and who will recur in loop after loop no matter what they do... but then they just outright say, it doesn't matter. Each life is still important if they care about it. Even if they're only a story. And yeah. I get it. After all, they're all only a story to me, and...

noooo :( :( :(

But I've said it before: nothing in the Hoyoverse is less lethal than being impaled through the chest. It never, never, never sticks.

This scene is so strong. Hearing everyone else arguing in the other room, but we're out here...

...but... impaled through the chest... never sticks...

hoyoverse, man...

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Ten opening lines tag

I was tagged by @willtheweaver for this:

List the first line of the last ten (10) stories you published. Look to see any patterns you noticed yourself, and see if anyone else notices any.

I don't think this tag game is aware how far back "10 stories" goes 😭 If you're looking for patterns, btw. Anyway, let's see.

10: The first chapter of Fancy Boots vs Wild, which will continue soon.

Riordan stared at the squiggly letters of his own handwriting in the small, leather-bound book on the table in front of him.

9: The first line of All of our Lives, which isn't technically published yet, but fuck them rules.

The little girl hid behind her mother’s skirts, one hand firmly grasping the fabric as she looked around with wide eyes.

8: The first chapter of Sweet Little Lies, which was published almost a year ago.

Watchmaker. Tailor. Candy store. Shoemaker. Herbalist.

7: The first chapter of Till Death, which was published in Dec 2023, how time flies.

Finnian hated dealing with sick people.

6: The first line of Nuisance, which sat somewhere in the middle despite being the earliest prologue.

“Look at that. A little thief.”

5: The first chapter of Fancy Boots, which was later published as part of Undeserved, but I need to reach 10 here, okay?

Boring.

4: The first chapter of Glass Shards, which I don't even know where to put, because it was running for a year.

“One hundred and fifty-four. One hundred and fifty-five. One hundred and fifty-six.”

3: The first line of Undeserved, which started a saga.

It was a figure in the crowd, a missed sign, a tiny movement of his finger that changed Damien’s life forever.

2: The first line of Second Chances, which under the name Heal my Wounds was the first ebook I put up.

“Don’t call me Fifi!”

1: And the first story line I ever posted on this blog, from Thorns and Jasmine, all the way back at the end of 2021.

Caldyn’s head hurt.

Man, that goes way back. With the exception of Thorns, which has been a thorn in my side lately (haha), I still like all of them :)

We're on day 3 of headache, so I can't think, and I don't know who to tag because most people I talk to on here definitely don't have 10 stories. Consider this an open tag if you want to do it, and feel free to use 10 chapters instead or whatever, I'm not the tag game police.

[aliensupersyn]

258 Fight Choreography PbP and Explanation by Lightning

A play by play of the fighting in this chapter, as well as Lightning's clarification of Sukuna's barrier technique being used here!

JJ-High vs Sukuna

After the last black flash in 257, Yuji launched Sukuna into the wall above them both!

The narrator explains that Sukuna should have been able to recover his reversed cursed technique after the black flash he landed on Larue, who seems to be dying after the experience. In the last panel, Miguel notices Sukuna's menacing aura spike in the distance.

Gege used this same visual to depict 200% Hollow Purple, and Sukuna's first appearance after the bath.

Please check notes for a disclaimer concerning everything after this page!

Sukuna's domain possesses eyes like his mask, and two hands cradle the underside of it. Black texture can be seen upon its summoning, like that of a usual closed-barrier domain.

Sukuna's domain expansion destroys a wide area within Shinjuku, seemingly just with its initial summoning. More black texture of closed-barrier domains can be seen here in the bottom panel. Mei Mei's birds fly away to escape Sukuna's brewing storm.

Yuji casts Simple Domain to avoid Sukuna's Malevolent Shrine!

Sukuna and the cast rest at the eye of the storm that Sukuna's created. The eyes in Sukuna's shrine bleed, like the bottom eye on his mask that Yuji punched last chapter.

EDIT: Lightning made updates and I have added them in place of the outdated information.

By Lightning on Twitter:

"Essentially, this narration has two independent, separate clauses:

What Sukuna did, the open-barrier Domain (with no drop in output or range) that doesn’t separate its barrier from real space

Why a closed-barrier Domain wouldn’t work against capturing Maki In the official, it assumes Sukuna is doing not only (1) but also (2). It assumes he’s doing open-barrier, then closing his Domain. This is what I also wrongfully assumed btw"

Specific Clarifications:

"In summary, what Sukuna used is his high-level, open-barrier Domain; no closed-barrier traits involved

A closed Domain cannot capture Maki bc it “pushes” out inanimate objects from its mental landscape; an open-barrier Domain keeps Maki in bc it acts directly on the real world.” 1

This in no way diminishes either of them btw

The reason why Sukuna opted to expand his divine open-barrier is exactly bc Maki could potentially break it from outside or sneak attack him. He risked it all to give no chances to the “monkey” who could fk with his game 2

Yuji, Miwa, Ino, and Choso all cast simple domain and prepare to withstand Sukuna's final domain expansion!

Notice the tornado.

Ui Ui likely teleported Miwa into range to help Maki.

Yuji's SD breaks and he suffers Sukuna's slashes.

When Yuji loses his leg from the slashes, the attacks stop, and he recovers the limb by reconnecting it with blood manipulation!

Sukuna finally uses "fuga," or Furnace - Open!!

Notes:

A little more late than I'd like to have uploaded, so I apologize. I reached out to Lightning for confirmation she'd provide her own translation, and thankfully she was already working on it. I, and many others, trust her translations and linguistic analyses more than anyone else. I wanted to make sure I was providing as much accuracy as I could.

Further analysis by Lightning, and she echoes my own!

Do note, Ui Ui has the soul swapping ability, not Yuji.

Yuji literally saved everyone's lives last chapter by making it so Sukuna could only recover one arm lol.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2, Match 13: Askeladd vs. Rune Saint John

Submitted kids:

Askeladd: Thorfinn, Canute

Rune Saint John: Max Saint John, Quinn Saint Nicholas, Layne Dawncreek, Annawan Dawncreek, Corbitant Dawncreek

Propaganda under the cut!

Askeladd:

1. "The funny thing about Askeladd is he keeps killing the dad's of characters and then adopts them.

At the very start of the show he kills the main character's father. The 6 y/o main character vows revenge and follows him around trying to kill him for like ten years. Askeladd does not take this seriously at all and is basically his mentor and new dad, even though Thorfinn despises him.

Then later they meet Canute (prince of Denmark). Askeladd kills his right-hand-man/father-figure to toughen Canute up, then becomes Canute's evil advisor/father figure in his quest to overthrow his biological father (king of denmark)

Askeladd ends up killing the king of Denmark as well which makes us three for three on the father-killing.

None of this ever bites Askeladd in the ass btw he's free to kill and adopt and is having a grand old time. He's so funny about it, too"

2. "Askeladd is the leader of a band of Vikings. He was hired to kill a man named Thors. Thors' son Thorfinn witnessed the murdur of his father at the age of six and swore to avenge his death by killing Askeladd. So he joined Askeladd's band. Askeladd, who despite being the cause of Thors' death respected the man, and agreed to duel with Thorfinn if he followed his orders during fights. Thorfinn was defeated each time and Askeladd (in a twisted and mocking way) always gave him advice how to be better. In the end Thorfinn didn't kill Askeladd because - as Askeladd alluded to by his own story of killing someone out of hate - he would've killed him sometime earlier during those 11 years if he really hated him. In the end Thorfinn realized too late that from a hated person Askeladd became kind of a father figure to him during those 11 years. (The mangaka called Askeladd 'an amazing tsundere dad')

Canute is the youngest son of the Danish king. When the Danes were fighting in England the king sent Canute to lead the siege of London so Canute could die there and there wouldn't be any fights for the throne in the future. Askeladd, being a sly mastermind who plays 5D chess at all times, decided to save Canute from the enemy forces so when he'd return him safely to the king he could get into a position so he could influence Canute to protect Wales. But before that he had to get rid of Canute's previous adoptive father, Ragnar. (Yes, it's a pattern.) So when Ragnar was dying, he told Askeladd that ""Btw, the king hates his son and wants him dead"", so Askeladd had to recalculate a lot of things, and in the end he and Canute worked together to kill the king and create a situation where Canute could come out as a strong heir.

In his last minutes, Askeladd decided to not chose between Wales and Canute, and saved both instead, and used his last breath to convince Thorfinn to let go of his anger.

Sometimes a family is a half-Danish mercenary who kills father figures, an gremlin child from Iceland with anger issues, and a timid Danish prince who goes through a strong character developmen by becoming rejecting his religion."

Rune Saint John:

“Oh my god, oh lord where do I start. Within the FIRST CHAPTER of the FIRST BOOK he accidentally adopts a teenager in exchange for a magical artifact during a deal with a fae- this teen is Max! He then later adopts Quinn, whos older brother he is dating. Then he adopts the three Dawncreek children after a series of events in the second book that i wont get into due to plot spoilers, but it was ✨traumatic✨ AND the author had confirmed that there will be ANOTHER kid joining his found family in the upcoming 4th book. Rune is the chosen one, there are MANY prophecies about him, to the point that Quinn; who has the ability to see future probabilities, finds it difficult to look at him. He experienced horrific sexual assault, and he just wants to be a decent person and look after these traumatized magic children. Every member of his found family is a chaos gremlin- including Rune. Honestly this book series is so so very near and dear to my heart, and it handles topics like grooming and assault with incredible tact and care and more people should read about Rune and his queer disaster found family.”

[bonesandthebees]

im alive (questionable) and im finally back (real) and gods does it feel great to finally read the new rose chapter

I did NOT realise just how MUCH I missed it but DAMN

the crimeboys bonding is going great and theyre doing good in their surviving, im so proud of them

poor phil has to deal with the one thing he cannot control and so he ofc focuses on what he can control, control freak

im enjoying reading about him A LOT, hes so intriguing to me, like yeah so far hes a good character id say, but we get a peak at what he could be capable of and are slowly learning where his priorities and loyalties and limits lie and oh gosh is it fun to watch

and ofc THE BIG MOMENT OF THE CHAPTER: friendly nicknames privileges

and like its a really important and sweet moment in itself and ive been excited for it ever since learning there will be different official names like nikanna and willum and oh did it NOT DISAPPOINT like yesssssss letsgo they are FRIENDS and they let the other call them by their NICKNAMES and it shows how much CLOSER to got and the TRUST and just AHSHSHJSDHBSBSHS YESSSSSSS

and it gets even BETTER bc thats not all, this is a recurring theme with you, whether its a fae name that carries power, a mermaid name that signals family like in last years mermay, knowing a name that reveals the secret identity in superhero aus coming with trust but also responsibility, official and personal names of royals like rose and stars showing friendship or in the other way loss of it, and in glass the reclaiming of self identity thru the reclaiming of name and letting go of a title (which btw the coolest and most genius work with narration ive ever read) you just keep on giving names value in your stories and especially the act of sharing them, the one close to you, with others as a sign of love, even just a little bit and it gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME and the fact its a recurring theme gives it even more meaning, makes it get to me even more

and like its something that happens even in real life in some ways but we often overlook just how much love is hidden in it and I love that it gets to shine like this in your stories

I know we talked about your love for giving names more meaning like this before but I just needed to scream about it again bc IT STILL GETS TO ME

it feels so good to have you back in my inbox (and my ao3 comments) with walls of text like this jiksvokrat

they're doing shockingly well!! shoutout to tommy's survival knowledge wilbur would've been dead by morning without him

I'm so glad you're enjoying the phil pov. I love showing his control issues and how his mind works. he's such a calculating character and I have so much fun writing him

I'm so glad you like my recurring thing with names. I really don't know where it came from, I never had this whole thing with names before I started writing mcyt fic. I think I just really liked it both when I wrote that first fae au fic so many years ago and then when I was writing clinic and there was obviously the whole secret identity thing going on that I just realized I liked the theme and decided to use it where I could.

I just think the act of sharing your name, your identity with someone else can be so vulnerable and full of trust!! I guess this translates to every day stuff as well. like when one of my childhood friends came out as trans to me I felt so happy when she trusted me with her new name and identity (I was one of the first people she came out to). or as a less intense example, part of why I like having an online nickname is that it feels strangely nice to have a name that you guys here can use that's me but also a bit separate from me, but then I have my real name which is reserved for the people I'm closest to (though of course most of my internet friends who know my real name still use bee for me which I don't mind at all). I guess it's kind of like having a public persona vs a private persona. idk, I guess I just really feel the importance of names so I like including it as a theme in my writing.

I'm just very glad you guys aren't getting sick of the whole name giving thing yet lol