#the fact that i made a similar post to this before posting the last chapter..lol i look like a damn fool thinking it would get better ig

[helionpegasus]

ceilings part 3

Azriel x Reader

Part 2

summary: Reader always had vivid dreams due her Seer heritage. But things take a twist in her life when she starts dreaming with a male she never seen, and wake up in a world that is not hers.

warnings: none :)

words count: 1458

author’s note: i’m sorry for not posting last weekend :( things gone out of plans. but i’ll update tomorrow as well!!! and the chapter will probably be huge lol. also, i changed the narration, do you guys thinks it's better this way? let me know. anyway, hope you all likes it! thank you for your patience :)

You woke up not feeling your hands. Not able to move them in fact.

With your eyes still heavy, your vision takes a while to steady and take the place you were in. Drawers on your right are full of little glass bottles and mixing pots, on your left side a window with a breeze slowly coming in, blowing the white curtain. The smell of flowers getting into your nostrils - It must be spring time - you think. 

Your wrists are strongly tucked into the bed by the sides of your body, ankles free but it is not like you have the strength to fight with your legs anyway. At least the cut in your ribcage was not hurting anymore, fully healed. The fact made you question how long you stayed unconscious.

A groan left your dry lips when the tiredness of your muscles settle in. The sound must have warned whoever trapped you because no long after you hear footsteps coming closer to the door of the little room you were in.

The person walked in covered by the shadows. Your eyes slowly adjust to recognize the creature that may be a threat.

First you see the wings. The huge pair of leather wings similar to a bat, both stiff in the back as if sensing something dangerous.

Then you see the leather armor, hugging the most muscular body you had ever seen and by that you know you have no chance of defense.

The blue stones shine more brightly once he starts to step into the room. There were seven of them. You wonder what the purpose of them is. Should you be scared of it? Is it just jewelry? Is it magical?

The last thing you glance at is his face.

His face.

Your head starts to spin. This isn’t possible right? This must be another vivid dream. You must look more pale than the sheets you’re laying in the bed, because you feel the blood stop running through your veins.

This was the male.

But not the male that you know.

His hazel eyes were not warm and did not bring comfort like you remember them doing. His brows were furrowed giving a hard glance towards you.

The full and soft lips were closed in a thin line. 

His muscular arms closed in front of his chest. A sign he was not open to anything or anyone. 

The shadow cripping in his shoulder and ankles don’t go unnoticed by you. The sight of them was almost comforting for you somehow.

“Who are you. And what are you doing here?” He says in an old language, startling you from your thoughts. 

You understood, from learning the language years ago. But hearing someone actually speaking it, was out of your expectations in life.

“I’m demanding an answer in case my tone didn’t make it clear enough.” He was harsher this time, sending goosebumps in your body.

“I-I’m sorry. I have never heard this language before.” Your throat hurts by sounding your voice out. Your strong accent is noticeable even by you. At this point it was quite clear you were not in your world anymore, you have no idea how you traveled through the portals.

A confused frown takes place in his face.

“My name is Y/N.” You said with more confidence this time. “I’m from Midgard. And I have no idea how I came to your world. I’m just confused as you are.” You say in an unsteady breath. A little breathy laugh coming off, not believing all this situation. 

The recent events coming all at once for you for the first time. You’ve never felt so vulnerable. And what a situation to feel that way. You must be looking pathetic in his eyes.

“Our High Lord is coming to talk to you.” He says and leans in the wall on your left, next to the window. Eyes never letting go of your frame, as you were about to do something tricky. 

The sunshines meets his face, exposing more of his beautiful facial features. You could help but stare. Mind still spinning wild about how this could be possible, how you could finally meet him, and him not having a clue who you o are, even with both of you living a whole life together in your dreams.

The dreams were just for you. Apparently.

You hear more footsteps approaching. Two more people, you recognize. The door opens revealing them.

High Faes.

Your breath stops in your throat when you take the male in. The dark hair, facial features and eye color. He’s exactly like Ruhn. But he has the same wings as the shadow male in your right.

The female beside him was just as breathtaking. Her blue and gray-ish eyes are warm and welcoming, but slightly tired.

The scent of their bond soon meets your nose. Strong and irreplaceable. How lucky they are, you think. The scent of a baby comes right after. A newborn, that explains why she seems tired.

“You kept her trapped in the bed?” The female asks, turning to the hazel eyed male. Her face is disbelief.

He only shrugs, the female only sighs and comes in your direction. Instantly going to the fabric strongly wrapped around your wrists, undoing them.

“You can sit by yourself?” She asked once you were free. Her words were slow, as if she knew their language was not the same as yours.

You nodded to her and used the last strength you had in your arm to sit yourself on the bed. You can’t help but contort your face at the feeling of the dried blood in your shirt.

The violet-eyed male comes to place himself next to her. His power is leaking from him, showing protectiveness towards his mate and mother of his child next to some stranger.

“I guess we need to present each other right?” He says with a forming smile. “What is your name?” He asked, meeting your gaze.

“I’m Y/N.” You said, voice low.

“Pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I’m Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court. And this is Feyre, the High Lady.” Feyre gives you a small smile.

“The grumpy male on your left is Azriel. He’s the Spymaster of this court.” The male rolls his eyes at the High Lord.

 When you heard his name something clicked for you. You asked yourself if he felt the same.

“Can you say how you came here? What do you remember happening?” Feyre asks you calmly.

You open and close your mouth a couple of times. Not knowing exactly how to start explaining.

“You can take your time finding the words. We understand it must be hard to speak a language that’s not yours.” Azriel says getting your attention. Rhysand and Feyre looked at him as well, but you don’t understand what their gazes were saying.

“I heard a chord, like an instrument. Then everything went black and I woke up in a forest. Some creature started hunting me, I knocked it out and went to a cavern to hide.” You said slowly, remembering everything in your head. “I was going unconscious from the blood loss, and started to hear voices.” 

“What kind of voices?” Rhysand asks.

“They were almost like whispers.” Azriel shifts in his place at your answer. “I don’t know if I heard them when I blacked out. But it seems like it, because I was in a dark place. They asked what I needed help with, and I said for them to take me somewhere safe.”

They look at each other for some time. You don’t know how, but they were certainly speaking to each other at this point.

“I heard the same voices before hearing the chord.” You remembered. The three of them look at you expecting. “They were anxious, like they didn’t know what to do. And they kept saying ‘Save him’.”

“Save who?” The High Lord asks.

“I don’t know. It didn’t say a name.”

“When exactly did you hear the voices before the chord?” Azriel asks while getting closer to you. His tall figure towering and hiding the sunrays of your frame.

“Like 10 minutes before. It wasn’t much time.”

“Nyx.” He said. “The voices were saying to her save Nyx.” Rhysand and Feyre look at him at the same time. 

“But how exactly is this possible? And it didn’t work after all, right? Nyx don’t need to be saved anymore.” Feyre says.

You were so confused. Looking at each of them, like watching the ball at a tennis game.

“What I’m thinking is…” Rhysand starts, index finger coming to scratch his jaw. Putting his thoughts into place. “Maybe Azriel's shadows is more powerful than we think.”

taglist (users overlined i couldn’t tag) :  @humanpersonlasttimeichecked @valeridarkness @his-sweet-nightmare @leeknows-wife @mich0731 @kristalhi @marina568 @brekkershadowsinger @cafe-inaaa @lovierhys @kenmaisacinnamonroll @alt-ghost @marigold-morelli @thelightnddarkness @amysangel @thecraziestcrayon @fall-myriad @a-court-of-milkandhoney @hungryforbatboys​ @allison-rosewood-maximoff

#Azriel #azriel acotar #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x reader #azriel imagine #azriel x you #azriel x oc #azriel fic #acotar #acotar fics #acotar imagine #acotar x reader #acotar x you #azriel

[feyreandhercourt]

My thoughts on HOFAS, ft. SPOILERS

Overall, I will say I think this was a very well "written" book craft-wise. Like better than HOSAB and ACOSF, imo.

Okay Bryce telling Hunt “thinking about you getting tortured was hard for me!!!” was a… choice. If fated mates could divorce, I’d be filing

Honestly all around. They are my least favorite but before I attributed it to just not being into Hunt. But honestly they just seemed to be on different pages.

Where was Fury?????????????????????

Okay the hand thing was brutal but well played

Lidia was great. Also I recognized the Brann thing when he was introduced and was very proud of myself because I never make the connections lol

But I did think he might be like OG Brannon… the fact he’s not still has me interested

The bonus chapters were decent generally. Az and Nesta were likeable in them which makes me hopeful because Az’s LAST bonus chapter was Not A Good Look (tm)

Tell me how Feyre beat the Midgardden wyrm or whatever with a bone and yet Az and Nesta couldn’t. Nothing but respect for MY high lady

Speaking of, Theia really went the tradwife route and said no more high ladies tee hee only men should rule, huh?

Did Sigfrid or whatever even matter?

Ariadne felt like the opposite of Chekov’s gun. You have a DRAGON and a lot of fire and girlie is MIA

Ithan becoming Prime when the boy has zero main character energy was… meh.

Getting their powers back was AWESOME though am I forgetting something or did that not happen to Bryce? It felt like a copout but maybe I missed it?

The Theia/Silene reveals were interesting but lmao Nesta and Bryce kept talking shit during them which was both funny and just… repetitive

Bryce seemed to CONSTANTLY making inappropriate wisecracks. Like I don’t mean with the king but like when Lydia’s sons were captured or whatever??? not necessarily that but similar. Like girl there are times to be serious.

Ruhb SHOOTING LYDIA IN THE LEG while they are in enemy territory was one of the DUMBEST things going. But ya know what I need a couple to root for and Juniper/Lydia had no page time so they get a pass

Um. So we’re just not gonna address the Rhys/Ruhn twinsie connection?????

Tharion really made the bold choice to just… exist.

Also not the book’s fault but the video thing lmao would SO be disbelieved with where AI is today and that was all I could think when they released it

The Urd/Wyrd thing was a facepalmer that I liked

Wehb ACOWARA came out, a blogger (who posts great takes) was annoyed Feyre reused the starfall dress because that was a major royalty faux pas. That’s how I felt when Bryce used the mask.

People said things felt “too easy” but I don’t think that was an issue. Like QOS was “easier” but it’s one of the most beloved SJM books. I think the real issue is people didn’t feel connected and SJM had a few too many instances of explicitly saying “they didn’t know what they were doing but they did it by instinct”

GIVE ME MY FIRE BREATHING BITCH QUEEN WITH HER POWERS BACK PLEASE

SJM is 100000% going to write another TOG book and I am so ready. Those do. Not. Miss.

As ever, (and I had the same issue with Marvel) the issue with these multiverse things for me personally is I read some really fantastic theories that make a TON of sense, get excited for them, and then when they’re either not present or not present but with no explanation or a worse one, I wind up disappointed.

I’d say this is my second favorite CC book. I did think it was well-written though. And I know some were upset not to have ACOTAR POVs (okay me too lol) but I do think it makes sense to keep it as Bryce’s book. Except it’s more “Bryce and Friends” than Bryce.

#HOFAS #hofas spoilers #house of flame and shadow #house of flame and shadow spoilers #cc3 #bryce #crescent city #hunt alathar #sjmaas #throne of glass #acomaf #acosf #acowar #nesta archeron

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 72: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Hellooo everyone! The plot-train that will bring us to the finale of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc is unstoppable, so here we are once again, at the beginning of another month, for another chapter of the climax of this saga!! April 1st as usual is a very busy and important day in the CLAMP world, as it is not only the so-called "CLAMP Day", but also the birthday of our Sakura Kinomoto (and many other CLAMP characters!)!! Moreover, precisely as I'm writing this post, SakuraFes is being held in Tokyo!! Fans strived hard to get a ticket (I could see the struggle on my TL on Twitter) and while some managed to get one somehow, others were left out....since there's been lots of anticipation for this event, we'll see if it was worth the struggle and if we'll get info about the thing we're all waiting the most for: a second season of the Clear Card anime!! (UPDATE: IT WAS INDEED ANNOUNCED like we all hoped for!! Congratulations to all of us!! 😂)

In the meantime, let's focus on the analysis of chapter 72 because boooooy, it might be one of the shortest chapters ever (I remember chapters this short were released in 2018) but the info that was disclosed in it!!! We're definitely, definitely at the climax and it shows. CLAMP sensei are solving all the mysteries and giving us all the answers one by one. But since this is important info that will help us understanding the story better, let's review this chapter (and its translation) carefully!

And as usual, before diving under the cut and into the chapter, the gif of the month (paying homage to Lilie, lol) !!

The Cover Page

Oooh, what a pretty Sakura we have here!! She looks as if being half-asleep, and judging by the content of the chapter, it kinda makes sense. Sakura stays in a dream for the most of it. The simple dress is very elegant with all those gemstones applied on it. It also looks as if Sakura is creating them? Also, we have once again the black background that's become so common lately in the color pages of Clear Card. With that expression, Sakura looks a little bit more mature, and I really like it. The text in the JP version reminds us again of the last words Lilie said in the previous chapter: "I crossed time and dreams to come to see you".

"I know her very well, and yet I don't know anything about her"

The chapter starts right from where we left off at the end of chapter 71, with our Sakura and Lilie meeting for the first time....or is it?? 😉 Sakura sounds a bit confused at what Lilie said, but as usual (bless her!!!) she's very perceptive and notices that Lilie resembles Akiho a lot, more than actually Sakura herself. Lilie seems delighted and answers "I'm happy to hear that!!" (and not "Thank you!" like she said in the ENG translation). I was all smily when I've read this for the first time, but what came right after threw me in a puddle of sadness, and now you'll understand why. Sakura asks her if she knows Akiho, and Lilie's answer is "I could say I know her very well, and at the same time, that I don't know anything about her. And that makes me terribly sad". That's it. I was all giddy and happy to finally hear Lilie starting to talk, and she had to throw this brick made of sadness at me like that, right in the beginning. 😭😭Because it's clear here she's referring to the fact that despite being her own daughter, she won't survive long enough to see her grow up. Not even long enough to ascertain who she will look more similar to, her mom or her dad. Because Lilie died when Akiho wasn't even 1 year old. She was just a baby. The realization tinted that "I'm so happy to hear that!" we've seen before of the same sad color. ☹️ BUT!! We're not here to get shot down by angst so early in the chapter, so we proceed with Lilie apologizing for making things so confusing for Sakura, and she informs her they're in a dream. Then she finally proceeds to give some explanations on what's she's been trying to do this whole time, at the same time solving one of the BIGGEST mysteries in the Clear Card Arc. The question everyone had ever since chapter 1 was: "who's under the cloak of the Mysterious Cloaked Figure?" And here, my dear readers, we finally get our answer, in the year of the lord 2023, 7 years after the beginning of the manga: MCF WAS LILIE ALL ALONG!!! But let's see her version of the facts. Basically, Lilie in the beginning strived hard to travel through time alone to speak directly with Sakura at the age of 13 years old (HOW F*CKING POWERFUL IS THIS CHILD??), but it wasn't successful because her voice didn't reach our girl. We see a flashback right from chapter 7 with someone dressed with the robe standing right outside Sakura's house. Do you remember that? Yeah, MCF didn't appear only in dreams, but also physically in Sakura's reality. These scenes appeared in the anime as well and in the end we found out that under the cloak there was a sleepwalking Akiho, acting completely unconsciously. As it's typical with CLAMP anime, this turned out to be different in the manga! (But there's still a chance they'll explain that scene of the anime in a different way!) I had the impression, for a long time, that MCF was a different person depending on the dream Sakura had, or depending on whether MCF appeared in a dream or not. Well! Turns out even that intuition was wrong, because MCF was ALWAYS the same person, it's just that...some big mess happened, but let's see how Lilie explained it herself. Since her voice couldn't reach Sakura, and since our girl kept seeing the future ahead in her premonitory dreams, Lilie tried to get in touch with her through the dreams she was having.

But, for a twist of fate (I know you're all laughing right now) Lilie ended up mingling with Sakura's foretelling dreams. Yessir. When we saw MCF apparently "attacking" Sakura, or riding on top of Dragon-chan, she actually didn't have anything to do with it. She just ended up being mixed in the middle of all of that. Sakura sometimes dreamt about a "force" pulling her key away, and Lilie ended up in front of it, thus suggesting that MCF was the one trying to grab it. Turns out, it was Lilie probably trying to talk or communicate with Sakura in some way. But hold on, the revelations aren't over yet, oh no. Lilie explains how that mingling with Sakura's dreams went quite wrong.

Because yes, when one of her premonitory dreams was trying to warn her about Kaito taking the appearance of Syaoran during the play, with the Cat costume...well....Lilie ended up mixing in again, and that's how we got our MCF Syaoran. Hahahahaha! Are you baffled?? 😂Well I have to say I had so many theories as to why Sakura saw Syaoran under the cloak of MCF, some even concerning the psychological side...well, damn. Sakura simply never truly doubted her boyfriend and silly of me for thinking she could 😂 Also, we know now that we can rest assured Syaoran won't turn into an evil pawn or something...it was just a huge misunderstanding. Poor Lilie, I can't really hold it against her even though she ended up making a huge mess, because she really strived hard however she could, and...fate didn't work in her favor, apparently...until the right moment, that is (remember, hitsuzen always knows when it's the right time!) Moreover, Lilie tells Sakura that she already dreamed of this very same meeting they're having now, and guess when that was? Yes, at the end of chapter 6, precisely in the scene I mentioned in my post for chapter 71!!

After the shocking revelation (that made me yell at CLAMP once again for how astutely they FOOLED all of us for 7 years - I'm pretty sure no one thought about this possibility), I started to realize something. Sakura, in her premonitory dreams, pretty much dreamt about things mainly connected to Kaito. The "You won't be able to come back anymore" voice? It was the Association + Squids threatening Kaito with what would've happened if he dared touching the artifact inside Akiho. Dragon-chan? As its shape it's basically the same of the Seal of D that engulfed Kaito right before he disappeared into the artifact book, we can safely say it's strictly connected to him as well. MCF Syaoran? He was actually Kaito himself, disguised as the Syaoran-Cat of the play. I have to admit it, I had started getting signs that one of the MCFs Sakura was talking to during her dreams might have been Kaito, at some point. I knew the height worked against my theory, but when Sakura said "You look....so lonely" in chapter 48, right when Akiho had supposedly the same dream and confessed her love to Kaito through "the moon is beautiful" phrase right after that, I knew the "lonely" one could be none other than Kaito. Maybe Sakura was supposed to see Kaito in her dream, that one time, but Lilie mixed up again. Heh. 😅 And here we get our first serious translation mistake that can easily create confusion. Lilie goes on saying that the Cards Sakura had newly created (thus the Clear Cards) have now disappeared, and her magical powers diminished by an amount corresponding to the power of those Cards. Moreover, the Cards that once were separated from her (the Sakura Cards) are now back with her and their connection to her became stronger than before (well, we have seen it, Sakura now summons Mirror even without a particular reason, just to talk). Here, the ENG translation completely skipped the distinction between the two decks of Cards (in the JP version Lilie clearly talks about "the cards you had newly created" and "the cards that were once separated from you"), making Lilie sound as if she's still talking about the Clear Cards even in the second panel.......when we can clearly see the back of the Sakura Cards there. And right in the next panel, we have yet another translation mistake. They completely made up what the Book did here. ENG: What's more, the book's forbidden magic...can only turn back time so far. It has no power over times before the caster or the target were born. He's younger than me... JP: Moreover, the "forbidden magic" (that originated) after using the Book does not reach further than the (moment in) time when the person who activated it and the target of said magic were born. And "that boy" is younger than me.

Lilie never mentions anything about the Book "turning back time". The "forbidden magic"'s work is to rewrite the memories that were recorded in the Book, it does not turn back time. I wish they made that clearer, it's been messed with even in the previous chapters!

But it's not over, as even the next sentence suggests something that in my opinion is incorrect. Lilie goes on explaining that for this reason, she decided to visit Sakura "now" that she's the same age as hers (she literally says the word 今, which for her is her present), crossing time and dreams to reach her. However, the ENG translation here says "So I've come to you from the time when I was the same age as you", suggesting that adult Lilie went back in time to reach Sakura's age and then went to visit Sakura in a dream. There's nothing that suggests that, in the JP sentence. As she will say herself later, Lilie is capable of seeing the future so much ahead, so it seems convoluted that she'd wait to become an adult, just to go back in time to when she was almost 13 (supposedly Sakura's age) and then cross time again to go see Sakura in the future. It makes more sense for her to attempt this when she was *already* 13 years old. I checked the other translations, and the Portuguese and French seem to agree with me (they translate correctly that 今 with "now that we have the same age").

Anyway. For Lilie it was important to attempt this now, while the Book's power can't reach her and mess with her goal, and while Kaito and Akiho aren't born yet. And she adds "(I've come to see) You, the cute Alice (daughter) of the girl named after a flower who became my friend", and we see a nice flashback of a little Nadeshiko, at the same age when she met Lilie. Sakura in this way understands that Lilie knows her mother. Sakura asks if Lilie came from the past and whether she came to tell her something. Lilie confirms she wants to talk about something that for her will happen in the future, but for Sakura it has already happened. Sakura is unstoppable with her questions (good!) and asks Lilie if she can see the future, to which she replies that yes, she can see the future in her dreams exactly like Sakura. "I can see what will happen just moments from now...what will happen long in the future...and even...what will happen after I've passed on". And here came the other punch in the stomach for me. Because Lilie's expression here is really, really painful. I think I'll do a separate post with all my thoughts on Lilie triggered by this chapter, so maybe check it out later if you're curious.

That's who I am

Sakura asks "Isn't it painful to know plenty of the future ahead?" and Lilie's sorrowful smile is already enough of an answer. But she goes on,

"the things I can do...and even those I can't...make me the person that I am"

I found that extremely beautiful. It is painful, yes, but that's part of herself too. And Lilie seems to be very accepting of her nature and her "gift", as well as her limits. Maybe that's why she's able to remain so positive and strong even in a very difficult situation like hers.

The moment is solemn. Lilie says (lit., JP): "Kinomoto Sakura. Your memories and records have been rewritten". Here the ENG replaced "records" with "life", probably because it doesn't make much sense to include "records" just like that. The Spanish version translated it as something like "(your memories) and the records that keep track of them", and I think that works very well. Sakura is shocked upon hearing that. Lilie here talks in future tense because this is something that for her will happen in the future: "That boy...will lie and tell the guardian of the book, who will one day be named Momo, that his goal is to exchange you with the other Alice". And why will he do that? Apparently, because in this way he won't make Momo think or have any suspicion that he will be the actual target of the exchange magic for the artifact that was inside Akiho. (JP) "Because Momo knows painfully well what will happen if that boy becomes the target, in the state he'll be in at the moment of the exchange". I'm a bit butthurt they removed that "painfully" and went for "all too well", because in the original JP text Lilie uses 痛い程 and its literal translation is "to the point of hurting". And I think that's perfect to describe Momo's feelings. Momo cares about Kaito, a whole lot. And she would've never agreed to a goal like this, endangering his life in that way and ending up carelessly triggering the Seal of D. And this is precisely the reason why Kaito lied to her. Because he knows that. He knows she's a "kind and a bit stubborn" creature. And her kindness towards him would've lead her to stop him, something he couldn't really afford.

Lilie can't help but muttering "blockhead". Yeah, in Japanese it's the same わからずや "insult" that Momo used at the end of chapter 70, precisely as he was disappearing engulfed by the artifact book. (And the ENG should've kept the translation of that term consistent between the two chapters, which was "dolt" in chapter 70 and turned into "hardheaded" in chapter 72). This made me wonder whether Lilie was the first one using that term for him, and so Momo took it after her, or if she simply saw that moment in a dream of the future, and quoted Momo's words. One thing is for sure, the JP fandom used that terms quite a lot after reading chapter 70. 😂 Lilie continues saying (still in future tense) that Momo will want Sakura to stop the forbidden magic, so she will give her a hint, but that will end up being incorrect, precisely because Kaito will lie about his real plan. So, what does this translates to, for us readers? When we were thinking that Kaito wanted to exchange the girls, we weren't completely wrong. Or, rather, we weren't lead to that theory without good foundations. It's just that Kaito lied to Momo and made things seem that way on purpose, so his real goal would've come out only at the last moment, the moment of activation of the forbidden magic. When Momo couldn't do anything about it anymore. He really mislead all of us. Because he wanted things to go this way so badly. Because he wanted to be the one to take into himself the thing he inavertedly caused Akiho to be engraved with, and which was about to kill her soul. I sense a profound, desperate sense of guilt from this. It's no wonder Momo was so mad and ended up crying, at the end of Chapter 70. She did what she could to protect "her children", but she ended up losing one anyway. Because, just like in the most common relationship between a teenager and their parental figure, he deceived her and still had it his way, stubborn and oblivious to how much suffering he would've caused to the people who loved him the most. No wonder CLAMP called him more than once "immature" in their Twitter Spaces. This is the reason why I see Momo as a strong parental figure for both Akiho, but mainly for Kaito too.

What is happiness to you?

So Momo's hint ended up being incorrect (remember the "world where no one remembered Sakura"?). But Lilie says "But even so, it's still the same. What's happiness to you?" Because, as Lilie says, the answer is the same even for the other Alice by Sakura's side. And in this very important moment, there's another difference in translation.

ENG: "Even if it makes someone else happy...imagine living in a world where the people you held most dear are gone. Could you call that happiness?"

JP: "Even if someone told you that's happiness/even if someone told you they're happy like this, can you really call it happiness if they live in a world where they lost what they didn't want to lose?"

It's painfully clear what Lilie is meaning here. Even if Akiho looks (and maybe even affirms to be) happy and cherished in this new arranged world with her memories rewritten, can she really say to be happy if the ONE thing she didn't want to lose the most....is gone? Sakura thinks hard about that. Even if Lilie doesn't mention names specifically. And just as she's thinking hard about the answer, the dream starts to crack. Sakura is about to wake up and Lilie knows it. (JP) "I come from a time where the forbidden magic can't reach. But you're right within its range. Once you wake up from this dream, I guess you will forget about meeting me. But, you have the magic that you've been preparing yourself. You just need to realize about it. I believe...in the two Alice"

And just like that, Sakura wakes up in Syaoran's arms, on the floor of the school grounds. Syaoran is visibly stressed and nervous, so much that when Sakura wakes up with a "Oh..." he goes "Don't "oh" me! You suddenly fainted!!" 😂 although this is a tense moment, I laughed at this scene because the stressful moment made some of the old, "rude" Syaoran come back 😂yes, there isn't any translation mistake this time around. The nervousness made Syaoran a bit snappy with Sakura 😆 Sakura, still in his arms (kyaaa), says that she had a dream, and she had the impression Akiho appeared in it. Syaoran helps her standing up, trying to defuse the situation joking that "that's what they call a sister complex, Sakura", and that Tomoyo told him about this term 😂😂(I've already seen some of my Japanese mutuals on Twitter saying Tomoyo teaches Syaoran stuff she shouldn't teach him 😆) Sakura doesn't really answer the joke, as she's still quite dizzy and confused by the dream. Syaoran goes back to be serious, seeing her like that, and asks if she's ok. Sakura says she is, but she holds her head almost as if she had a headache, so Syaoran asks her if she had a premonitory dream. Sakura isn't sure, you can really see she's trying hard to remember the content of the dream, but she just can't. Although, there's one thing she remembers. That this was a dream telling her something very important, both for her, and for everyone else.

And this, dear readers, is where chapter 72 leaves us, ready to advance the plot once again in the next chapter. As I said in the beginning, this chapter was short but finally explained some important things that were torturing us ever since the beginning. But not only: the just released volume 14 featured a change of script in chapter 70, when Momo is talking to Kaito after the forbidden magic was activated. Instead of asking him "what about you?", she tells him "You even lied to me, the guardian of the book, about the subject of the rewriting" which is directly connected to what Lilie said in this chapter. It was a "last minute change" (that normally happens between the Nakayoshi version and the tankobon version) probably to justify better why we were lead to believe that Kaito wanted to exchange the two girls (and thus not giving the impression CLAMP were playing us for fools completely). Moreover, it sounded strange that Momo would've let Kaito go on with his plan if she knew he would've ended up triggering the Seal of D. It looked pretty OOC for her, so maybe Ohkawa wanted to fix that. I was a bit confused by this change in the beginning, but now I completely understand why she did it.

Furthermore, there's the mention of the "magic Sakura has been preparing" that really intrigued me. Is this about the usual "zettai daijoubu da yo", or is it something more complex? Could Sakura have been preparing a spell that would activate in a certain circumstance before the play happened, in case she needed it later? Of course her memories now have been rewritten, but Lilie's words suggest that she will soon remember about preparing this magic. And I'm super excited to find out what it is. It would give Sakura a really good development, and show she can be planning things too!

At the end of the chapter, Sakura forgets about meeting Lilie. And while that might seem as once again an unnecessary stepback, I don't really think it is. If this was played in this way to give Akiho the agency she needs later, then it makes a lot of sense. Especially when many of us are hoping to see her remembering about Kaito on her own. Because it would be particularly significant. If Sakura remembered this meeting, and the fact that their memories had been rewritten, and about "Momo" and "that boy" who lied about exchanging them, logically the first thing she would do is to inform Akiho about it. But is this how things are supposed to go? Is this how Akiho is supposed to find out a truth that concerns her very closely? If Akiho is meant to remember Kaito on her own, because the void he left in her life will soon feel larger and larger, suggesting her that she's not truly happy and that something/someone is missing, then it makes sense for the narrative to hold things back for a short while. Sakura can always remember about this meeting on her own later on, thanks to her magic. While Akiho will work hard to grasp the true happiness she wants, with the help of the people who care about her. And I suspect that might happen as soon as next chapter. And then it'll be time to understand what to do to bring Kaito back, or to reach him where he is.

While here we keep praying hard for a happy ending in the manga, in the meantime I bask in the happiness of the freshly announced sequel of the Clear Card anime!!

Next release dates for what concerns chapter 73:

April 30th, on CLAMP’s Youtube channel (digital, JP and other languages) May 2nd, on Nakayoshi (paper and digital, JP)

Kodansha announced for May 10th the launch of a new simulpub platform directly managed by them (K-Manga), where it's very likely it'll be possible to read Clear Card in English digitally and simultaneously with the Japanese release. Although, that service will work only in the US (for the moment).

Alright, see you at the end of this month!! 😉

#card captor sakura #cardcaptor sakura #ccsakura #ccs spoilers #clear card arc #kinomoto sakura #lilie (cardcaptor Sakura) #chapter 72 #translation differences

[hollyhomburg]

LI!‼️‼️ OMG

This chapter has made me gobsmacked!!!!

Like it was so well written!! And idk,, but the way your write the shower part just makes it so easy to imagine. Like the whole thing is so easy to picture and understand.

AND POOR MC FINDING THAT IN HER /EAR/ !! I would've thrown up just like tae tbh. I also thought she was partially deaf in that ear when she was saying she couldn't hear properly-

The whole part from mc in the closet calling moonbyul wasn't that shocking to me? tbh I was kind of expecting it? Because when she shushed Namjoon in the bathroom I know she didnt do it because he believed what he was saying. Maybe it's because I have a slightly similar mindset to the mc when it comes to things like this (taking responsibility when things go wrong) but I just knew she was gonna try and do something.

And just because I'm a dumb bunny😓 I did NOT see hobi's secret coming AT ALL so I am more shocked now than ever before. Idk why but hobi's secret out of everyones is the most shocking to me for some reason. Maybe it's coz I was like already shocked and like thinking about everything else in the chapter? But it really has shocked me beyond anything else.

BUT NOW i'm just questioning moonbyul!! Like?? I thought she was an alpha?? or am I just stupid and remember wrong?? Or did hobi not realise? Or did she hide it from him?? Like I'm so confused!! Even when describing the scents ,, didn't the mc describe them once?? and didn't she describe them like really putrid or something?? or was it just because she was in a situation she didn't want to be in? OR AM I REMEMBERING WRONG AGAIN?! if i am i apologise 😓

but this whole chapter really was an EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER!! It literally had me going 'what the heck??' and 'hold on- wait?!' like over and over and over!! You did so well Li!! Good job and thanks for writing such an amazing chapter!! Can't wait for the next one!!

Stay safe and healthy 🫶

(also I asked to be an anon before but forgot which one so can I please be ☁️ anon?)

Ahhhh thank you for sending such a cute ask <3 I’ve been so distracted the last few days I haven’t even gotten to all of these!!

I think one of the reasons why it’s easy for people to picture bily is because I also see it super cinematically- and most of the writing process for me is just continually asking “what could I add to make this feel more real? What am I pictureing that I’m not saying?” there was this tictok trend talking about the minds eye and how some people see nothing when they imagine and other people see everything…I’m pretty sure I’m one of the very few 4k, smell, touch, sound, level imaginers out there lol

Yes! You’re right in assuming that this is the m/c trying to take responsibility for the situation! Because it was her reliance on Moonbyul in the past that made the pack get into this situation in the first place! It’s character growth and I’m very proud of her 🥰

You’re not a dumb bunny! I was trying to toe the line between it being a complete surprise and having people figure it out! The fact that it seems to be a dead even split of people who didn’t know and did means I’m learning! And that I did it alright!

As for your questions- I did a little breakdown post of a it a while back but! Basically Moonbyul didn’t have to hide anything from Hobi at the time- because she wasn’t taking the drugs to turn her scent into an alpha’s scent. The scene you’re thinking of with the m/c- she describes their scents that way because Moonbyul is on the edge of needing another dose and her omegan scent it starting to peak through. It’s all chemically because of the drugs which is why the m/c doesn’t like it.

I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! I’m already about 3.5k into the next chapter- I know it will need tons of editing but I feel like this is the first chapter that’s come easy to me in a good long while <3

[comingyourlugubriousness]

⭐ For Yume! ⭐

1- 4- and 20!

🌙🌙🌙🌙

Do you have a song that represents your OC, if so why?

I have SEVERAL songs that represent Yume. Last time I answered a song in this post, that made me think of Yume's overall time in Twisted Wonderland. (It's a sorta long post with analysis.) And @bunnwich has said that "Waiting on a Miracle" from Encanto reminds them of Yume. Most recently the song that represents Yume for me is. Camera's by Matt and Kim.

"No time for cameras We'll use our eyes instead No time for cameras We'll be gone when we're dead No time for cameras We'll use our eyes instead I see flashes of gold."

I love the idea of Yume slowly coming out of their shell and learning that they need to be more than just a spectator in life if they wanna be happy not only in the future but now as well! 0v0

Honestly, I should just drop and Yume Ume Playlist. (And my cheez whiz Yume x Idia playlist too)

Who is your OC’s closest platonic friend?

I know I KNOW I DONT TALK ABOUT IT MUCH!

But Ruggie and Yume are besties y'all! They don't really know how it happened either considering Yume disliked his smug aura and hates when people steal from them specifically. And Ruggie can smell a goodie too shoes a mile away. Of course, that's just the surface-level projection of both of them.

Once they get to know each other in and after chapter 2 they both see past that and realize they have things in common and of course a dumb similar taste in humor.

Add that to the fact that Yuuta and Leona "hang out" and also Jack and Yuuhi "hang out", and it leaves Yume and Ruggie as the platonic 3rd wheels. So they kinda just gravitate toward each other during those times too. Don't get them wrong, Grim, Deuce, and Ace were their first friends and hold a special place in their heart. But I think they get along with Ruggie on a very visceral level that they didn't expect lol. Reminds me of this OLD but still good meme:

Tell us about a complicated relationship your OC has with another character?

Last time with this question I talked about Yume's relationship with Jamil! So this time let me talk about Yume's relationship with KALIM!

Oh boy where to start. Yume didn't officially meet Kalim until chapter 4 and was very skeptical meet a genuinely kind person at NRC, especially after getting betrayed by Azul. So when Kalim is just genuinely nice and kind it kinda threw them for a loop. And then he started talking and saying nice things ABOUT Yume. Compliments they've never heard from anyone before! Plus the fact that he was so touchy (in a good way! Yume enjoys casual affection)

And the whole flying carpet under the stars didn't help (even with their brothers with them the whole time.)

So yeah it kinda developed into a big time crush, unfortunately. Though after going through the events of chapter 4 they realize that Jamil and Kalim have their own things to work through and that maybe trying to get into a relationship with Kalim...isn't right at the moment. (Plus all their fear of rejection/vulnerability/ and inexperience when it comes to dating in general. Oh, and not to mention the feelings they're definitely not catching from some shut-in gamer boy too.) Still they don't really shake their crush completely until I'd say the near end of my fic The Diamond in the Rough and the Boy without a Fairy. (Which takes place between chapters 4 and 5 in game)

Though they still find things awkward around Kalim so that leads to them just kind of...avoiding him for a while. It's a lil shitty on their part but eventually Kalim notices and they both officially have a talk of sorts that clears the air in Chapter 5 (during the VDC training camp.) I do plan on writing it one day but right now I'm in the middle of writing other lore!

What are your OC’s minor fears?

SPIDERS, TALKING TO STRANGERS, TALKING ON THE PHONE. HEIGHTS, ADVANCED DARKNESS! FLOYD LURKING IN THE CORNER WITH THAT LOOK ON HIS FACE! (the usual) 20. What chapter does your OC get the most personal character development? @cyn-write asked this question too!

Definitely Chapter 3! I feel like in me and @bunnwich timeline so many things happen around that time.

The Ramshackle gang getting to know their respective love interests, Yuuta/Yuuhi getting their respective weapons, Yume snapping and going a little insane on how to plan and get back at Azul and showing that they're not just a shy goody goody. It just is a time when the brothers are starting to really feel like they understand and belong in Twisted Wonderland to a degree y'know?

ANYWAY SORRY THIS GOT SONG LONG! The muses possessed me.

#pumpkin talk #long post #whoops #twisted wonderland #twst oc #yume ume #disney twisted wonderland #mention: oc x canon #yume and friends #twst mc #yuusona #ask game #thanks for the ask #I have so much hidden lore it shakes around in my like peas in a can

[giuliano-fan-account]

hxh chapter 392

This chapter is a little crazy I have SOME WORDS ON IT!!! 

Obviously spoilers ! 

Alright so it starts out normal and continuing from the last chapter, a little confusing cause the guy is still alive.

People thought that the Misha person was the cat apparently, but no, Hinrigh sadly did not name the little guy... but... we did get THIS

HI MISHA?!?!?!?

This ability is pretty sick and cool and awesome if i do say so myself, and I love the name. It also carries on from her original life because she was a cleaner, and her dedication for the Xi-Yu family must have been pretty strong if she developed this.

I cant wait to see more uses of this ability later on.

Speaking of Xi-Yu, I was NOT AT ALL PREPARED FOR THE NEXT PART. 

We get back to Lynch and Zakuro who are punching these poor people above 6′2 and then once they start to doubt their tactics... GUESS WHO SHOWS UP.

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS AT ALL!? The fact that he has the audacity to dress in a similar fashion to how he did before says a lot. He is definitely waiting for the Phantom Troupe to come and find him, and is most likely not interested in any of the families associates at the moment.

My heart dropped when I saw this scene and I could feel Zakuros fear. He’s obviously grown considerably stronger if his very presence is intimidating.

I really love the depth into post mortem nen in this arc. It’s been a pretty reoccurring thing over all. Iirc the first callback is the fact that the seed urn ceremony was a product of an ancestors post mortem nen, then we have the highlight on the meteor city elders post mortem nen (sun and moon), then obviously here we have hisoka, then we have camilla and the curses AND also kachos nen beast, and NOW we have Misha!! whew. There’s probably more that I haven’t listed... I feel like post mortem nen will be even more important later. (especially with Kurapika really pushing his lifespan) 

Im begging for him not to kill them PLEASSEEEEE DONT KILL ZAKURO AND LYCNH. PLEASE. 

Also I’m just thinking though. Hisoka is building up to be an unbelievably strong character. At this point after death, I think he has become stronger than all of the troupe members, so that’s trouble when they are the ones wanting to kill Hisoka a lot, and when he is going to kill them on sight. I think thats why he made his desicion, to really test his strength with his post mortem nen... if he thinks hes that strong, he very well may be. 

And I’m just thinking. Who else is unreasonably and inhumanely strong that really no other character (probably other than the chimera ants lol) could compare to?

Tserriednich, of course. We have to tie the threads somehow, don’t we? 

I believe that if Hisoka even lays his eyes on that man he will have a new target. His whole power scaling thing will be out of the roof. 

You could also say Ging, but first of all, he’s completely occupied with another endeavor, so I doubt he would be very interested in fighting anybody, and second of all, if he is going to fight somebody, he most likely wouldn’t be interested in fighting somebody like Hisoka. Unlike Chrollo, he would not let him have his way and let him fight him. He’s already getting under Pariston’s skin by doing a similar thing by getting in his way.

Tserriednich is much different... he’s... interesting for sure, and would probably find Hisoka very intriguing (specimen worthy).

Anyways, Moving on we have even more people looking for Hisoka. I wonder what they’ll do once they realize that Xi-Yu was the first to find him, whether they still have him by the next time we see them. (please let lynch and zakuro live please let lycnh and zakuro live plea-) I wasn’t very interested in that though.

We’re back to Phinks, Feitan, and Nobunaga! It looks like theyve established a back and forth bond of some sort with Cha-R, so the last thing they want to do is kill them, and a search party went out.

Also fun fact I guess, Franklin is probably claustrophobic. I love how we just get these random facts like we didn’t need to know that Shizuku is left handed and that she forgets everything but we do.

They know of Luini and I really dont think they like him lol.

Luini is a super fan and I think Togashi was trying to do commentary on toxic fans/parasocial relationships with him which is interesting but im sorry this is just so funny.

“THE WIKI PAGE” THE WIKI PAGE???????????????????? THIS ISN’T AN OFFICIAL TRANSLATION BUT STILL.

Does this mean what I think it means, that the hunterpedia wiki exists IN CANON?

Most likely not the actual wiki but like still. This implies that there’s like forums talking about characters that we know about, and there’s probably some community of people who fans over and romanticizes the troupe in that world like we have here now for serial killers... oh boy. That means that those Chrollo stans are real. Thanks Luini. I really didnt want to think about that but thanks Luini.

I’m gonna try to get that imagination out of my head. Anyways, I loved this chapter, it was awesome as always and so are you.

Keep being awesome. (I don’t have any image to show you sadly)

#hxh #hunter x hunter #dark continent arc #succession war arc #zakuro hxh #hinrigh #lynch hxh #hisoka #phinks #feitan #nobunaga #luini hxh #nen #chapter 392 #review

[tangsakura]

What You've Missed On Chapters 55 & 357 Of Hunter x Hunter

Not an analysis post. I just want to point out some similar stuff that I noticed between these two chapters. Post under the cut.

Warnings: if you haven’t read chapter 357 of Hunter x Hunter, then it’s gonna be spoiler so don’t go any further if that’s the case; bad grammar; unedited; typos.

Do you remember chapter 55 or episode 32 of the 2011 anime, when we first see Hisoka and Machi interact after his victory from Kastro, who used a doppelganger of himself?

He accepted Machi's services, listened to her lecturing (to which he smiled slightly all throughout; srsly he was) and showed off his abilities to her after the stitching, which Machi praised inwardly.

Machi told him she's going to leave since her job is done, but Hisoka doesn't seem to want her to. But then, Machi stopped, and told him Chrollo's new message and his intentions in doing so (biggest mission yet).

When Machi left Hisoka before he can finish his 'dinner or something else' invitation to her [I made a post about this part. I have it on the list of Hisoka x Machi posts at the end], Hisoka said, after staring at the door for a few moments, '残念♥', which is pronounced as zannen. This can mean 'too bad,' 'what a pity,' 'how unfortunate,' 'How regrettable,' etc. There's many ways to translate this depending on the context. Take your pick, lol.

Then we see them again in Chapter 357. After his defeat Chrollo, who used doppelgangers of people (dead ones mostly).

In Chapter 357 of the manga, Machi told him off, but this time Hisoka wasn't smiling - he was shocked and he didn't take it well. Hisoka rejected Machi's offer for her stitching service, which surprised Machi. However, he showed off his new applications of his nen abilities - he healed himself. We didn't see her praise him in any kind of way, but we see her say, 'I see', indicating she understood their mechanics and all.

Machi informs him that she's leaving since he doesn't need her anymore, but this time he stops her. This time, he was the one telling the intentions and message, albeit his own.

Last time he let her walk out of the door. This time he restrained her, kept it like that despite her anger. Previously, he wanted to ask her out for a 'dinner or something else,' but this time he was taunting, mocking and teasing her. Instead of an invitation for the night, it was an invitation to try to get out of his restraints and stop him.

In the end, the one who ended up leaving was Hisoka.

Do you notice a pattern here? It's like Chapter 357 is the opposite or inverse of Chapter 55.

Plus, get this.

Remember what Hisoka said when Machi left his home in chapter 55? He said, '残念♥' - 'Zannen♥'.

Do you know the title of chapter 357, where Hisoka was the one to leave Machi this time?

残念 - Zannen 

WANT MORE? HERE ARE SOME MORE RELATED POSTS ABOUT HISOKA X MACHI:

Hisoka's Invitation to Machi For Dinner Analysis

Hisoka's Line - 「甘えってんの?」 - What Does It Mean?

Hisoka's Line - 「甘えってんの?」 - Add-on (pt. 2 sorta)

Hisoka's Request to Machi - A Mini Dialogue Analysis

Hisoka's Line in Chapter 357

Machi Offering Hisoka To Stitch Him - An Analysis

Fun Fact About Machi - Chapter 357

Random - Episode 56 or some sort

#togashi you motherf*cking goat #this is why I love you #godashi #hxh #hunter x hunter #hisoka #hxh hisoka #hisoka morow #hisomachi #machi #hisoka x machi #machi komacine #hxh manga #hunter x hunter manga #hxh 2011 #hxh anime #hunter x hunter 2011 #phantom troupe #heaven's arena arc #hunterxhunter #hunterxhunter manga

[stardew-atlantis]

Ao3 Fic Stats Meme!

^_^ Thank you for the tag @witchfall !!! Nice to see you!!

rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

1. Most hits

This would be my sdv inktober fics from last year. (2023 version is still in progress despite the fact that I'm like 6 days behind XD)

fandom: Stardew Valley (Video Game)

rating: T but barely.

pairing: Too many to count, it's 31 minifics from my Atlantis Farm series

2. Second most kudos

This one would be a fic called Three Taps. It's a oneshot I wrote about that stardew mechanic where you're exhausted and can't move fast anymore until you sleep (just like real life lol)

fandom: Stardew Valley (Video Game)

rating: G, very fluffy

pairing: Harvey (Stardew Valley) / Original Female Character(s)

3. Third most comments

This would be one of the works in my main fic series, Everest Farm. A stardew fic with a sci-fi twist.

fandom: Stardew Valley (Video Game)

rating: Mature

pairing: Harvey (Stardew Valley) / Original Female Character(s), Elliott (Stardew Valley) / Original Male Character(s)

4. Fourth most bookmarks

My first ever Ao3 post!! Worst Case Scenario was only meant to be one chapter, but then I wrote a very similar fic and decided to group them together

fandom: Stardew Valley (Video Game) [Noticing a pattern XD]

rating: Not Rated (It's not smut it's just a little violent and I'm not sure how to rate it)

pairing: Harvey (Stardew Valley) / Original Female Character(s)

5. Fifth most words

(editing this post because I can't read apparently) This would be Spring Equinox, which actually takes place right before Everest Farm.

fandom: Stardew Valley (Video Game)

rating: Mature

pairing: Harvey (Stardew Valley) / Original Female Character(s), Elliott (Stardew Valley) / Original Male Character(s)

6. Fewest words

At a whopping 780 words, this is one of my favorite oneshots, Thunderstorm. Plus, it has art attached to it, made by a good friend ^_^

fandom: Stardew Valley (Video Game)

rating: G, also very fluffy

pairing: Harvey (Stardew Valley) / Original Female Character(s)

This was really fun!! These are actually some of of my favorite fics I've ever written T_T

No pressure tags for @word-ghost, @barrebard, @mossymountain, @hometownbard

And anyone else who would like to do it ^_^

#ao3 fanfic #fic stats meme #stardew writing #sdv #tag game

[redspectragamecorner]

RSGC0015 - Release Your Old Games, Japan!

I love Japanese video games. They're the reason why, even though I'm in my late 30s, I'm still utterly captivated by the medium. Through rigorous refinement, Japanese game makers helped shape the industry as we know it today. As a result, they have left a lasting impression, a legacy, in the hearts and minds of fans worldwide.

But, for quite some time, it felt as if these companies didn't understand this impact, as they've let some of their lesser known works slip between the cracks. This can be due matters of licensing or other litigious obstacles. Other times its a lack of interest from the mainstream; a poor reception. But more often then not, simply, someone "fumbled the bag" so to speak. 

Let's discuss. 

Chapter I: Namco X Not Releasing A Bunch of Their Old Games

When Bandai Namco released their most recent Museum compilation for the Nintendo Switch it was surprisingly threadbare; it was just 12 games. Twelve. Of course, it included Pac-Man - the game that made them a household name in the 1980s - and other staples such as Dig Dug and Galaga. They're undisputed classics, sure, no argument there. Deep cuts, however, they are not.

Namco's catalog has dozens of fantastic games, most of which would remained elusive if I didn't dive deep into retro gaming (and, by extension, collecting). One example of these is 1985's Baraduke, a 2D shooter with lite maze-runner gameplay. It's pretty rad, but somewhat under-the-radar these days. What if you want to play it right now, on real hardware?

Unless you own a prohibitively expensive Sharp X68000 computer along with the sole port of the game; an arcade PCB; or a copy of Namco Museum Vol. 5 for Playstation, it's highly unlikely you're going to be flying through rooms, blasting Octies any time soon. Out of the aforementioned options, the most feasible one is buying Namco Museum Vol. 5. Again, this is to play the game through legal means.

This was, in fact, the main inspiration for this post. There were 8 or so Namco compilations for the PS1. Why is the most extensive collection of Namco classics locked on an almost 30 year old console? Does Namco not value their older IPs? Do they think we just want Pac-man, Dig Dug and Galaga for our shiny current-gen game boxes and to Hell with obscure titles like Youkai Douchūki (aka Shadow Lands)? Or what about the esoteric hack-n-slash Genpei Tōmaden (aka The Genji and Hieke Clans)? Certainly everything that's been previously available (and then some) can fit on a Blu-ray disc or a Switch cartridge, no? Its frustrating, as someone chomping at the bit to own and experience such things. Sadly, Namco is not alone in this regard.

*EDIT (this is old lol) I started writing (and now rewriting) this post about month before the announcement of the Namcot Archive (a collection of Famicom Namco games) for the Switch. It's a neat set but my point, for the most part, still stands.*

Chapter II: The Virtual Console was Disappointing.

Nintendo needs no introduction. Their name is synonymous with video games, built on the fact that they dominated the home console market in the mid-1980s with their Family Computer (aka Famicom) in Japan. A few years later they expanded Westward with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to similar acclaim. While they didn't quite hold the same market share they secured in the 80s into the 90s and beyond, Nintendo still shaped generations with their games.

With Nintendo's fifth console, the Wii, they entered the realm of online game distribution. It was called the Virtual Console and it debuted in November of 2006, with it coming to the 3DS in 2011 and the Wii U in 2013. At launch, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games were available with Turbografx-16 following a few days later.

Eventually, the service would offer western gamers titles that never got released outside of Japan. The first of these was Sin & Punishment for the Nintendo 64, an on-rails shooting game from Treasure. The most notable instance of this, however, was Konami's Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo (aka Castlevania: Rondo of Blood), a highly sought after title. At the time, it must have been incredible to finally play this without the need to purchase a costly secondhand copy of the disc or an expensive PC-Engine CD Turbo Duo console.

VC had its drawbacks, though. Most notably that when the service had come to other platforms, users were unable to transfer their purchases as the Wii, 3DS and Wii U eShops were separate entities. This lead to customers paying fees to re-download their titles or having to outright buy them again. This was, for lack of a better term, shitty on Nintendo's part. The lack of a universal pricing model, for what were essentially ROMs, didn't help either.

The 3DS and Wii U eShops also offered less games, 184 and 267 respectively, than the original VC's 398. 

Between the slow-drip of re-rereleases at launch and anti-consumer practices, VC ultimately squandered its good will and potential. 

Chapter III: Sega Does What Ninten-does, Too?

If there's one thing that Nintendo and one-time rival Sega have in common is that, like clockwork, they churn out the same classic titles over and over again. We saw this when the Virtual Console came to the Wii U and were hooked into the slow-drip of Mario Bros. 3, some random black box game, or a re-release of a third-party offering.

Sega is no better. I own Genesis compilations across at least 3 console generations. Their game lists are nearly identical. Golden Axe. Ristar. Phantasy Star II. I can go on. All are fantastic games in their own right, no doubt. I'm a fan. But like so many other Japanese game companies, they’re holding out on us. Yes, many will be placated with the likes of the current-gen Sega Genesis Collection's value (53 games for less than $50) but, I don't know, I can only attempt to play through Comix Zone and Phantasy Star III so many times; I'm sure many others share in this frustration.

A bright spot in Sega's history, however, was the Sega Ages line. The project started off as 3D budget (¥2500 at retail) remakes of their biggest hits that, thankfully, evolved into a series of definitive collections. This was due in part to the work of M2, a company who's MO is masterfully porting older games to modern consoles. Case in point, their 3DS Sega Ages port of Outrun was, at the time of its release, the best way to experience it. Again, as with Namco Museum, the bulk of the Sega Ages line is locked to the Japanese PlayStation 2 library. To further exacerbate this issue, most of later releases have started to become expensive on the secondhand market and Japanese auction sites. Bummer.

Conclusion 

It's not all doom and gloom. Publishers like Johnny Turbo's Arcade are keeping classic Data East games alive and, more importantly, available. Price wise, it's pretty fair too. For example, less than $10 USD nets you a download of Night Slashers, a 3-player horror-themed arcade-only beat-em-up from almost 30 years ago. While, no, it isn't the pinnacle of the its respective genre, I absolutely welcome its availability with arms wide open.

We also need to acknowledge the efforts of Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archive. Through them, we have whole bunch of Neo Geo games (well, except for Tengai Makyō Shinden aka Far East of Eden: Kabuki Klash but that's more a Konami problem) and most then arcade-only obscurities available for download on every console, mobile and PC marketplace. It's wonderful time to be alive unless of course you love Tengai Makyō-flavored Samurai Shodown clones, I guess. Hopefully, that'll change soon.

[megumixtsumiki]

Hii~

I've been a lurker/liker here for some time. And I love your blog 🫶

Have you seen jjk ch 218 leak?

At the end of the chapter, Yorozu concluded that Sukuna "knows love" just by seeing him smirk(?)

(And she's not happy with this at all coz she's the one who ought to teach him Real Love lmao)

It's such a bizarre thing to have "love" attached to Sukuna's name (unless it's twisted)

What are your thoughts in this?

I'll share mine (delusion) if you don't mind ^^;

Since Sukuna was established as a calamity/disaster even as a human. It's kinda unbelievable that he had "loved" before, I assume that he learned that "love" thru other people's experience. (3rd pov or just a bystander of an affair/relationship)

Maybeee...

He saw through Megumi's memories/feeling for Tsumiki? 👀👀👀👀

While I may be reaching and just advocating for Megumiki (sibling love or romance or whatevs) but I think this is also possible

Or.. Maybe Gege will surprise us with something entirely different lmao..

I want to hear your perspective on this

Thanks for letting me blab on here

ʘ‿ʘ hahaha

Hey hey, thanks for the kind comments and for reaching out.

This is perhaps a bit late but yes, I have indeed read the latest chapters lol.

It's such a bizarre thing to have "love" attached to Sukuna's name (unless it's twisted)

What are your thoughts in this?

My thoughts under the cut!

But before...

I'll share mine (delusion) if you don't mind ^^;

Since Sukuna was established as a calamity/disaster even as a human. It's kinda unbelievable that he had "loved" before, I assume that he learned that "love" thru other people's experience. (3rd pov or just a bystander of an affair/relationship)

Maybeee...

He saw through Megumi's memories/feeling for Tsumiki? 👀👀👀👀

While I may be reaching and just advocating for Megumiki (sibling love or romance or whatevs) but I think this is also possible

I do not mind at all 🫢, by all means! Thanks for sharing (your delusion). I actually love your delusion lol.

The idea that Sukuna has seen Megumi's memories of his relationship with Tsumiki is totally canon, we just don't know what specifically Sukuna has seen.

But I love the collective megumiki headcanon that Sukuna has seen #things in Megumi's memories.

ehem.

Right. #things.

Anyways...

I actually haven't finished writing my thoughts about it because I've been busy, but there's so much going on regarding the psychology of romantic love that I want to explore regarding Sukuna and Yorozu and the idea of Sukuna being someone who can or cannot experience love.

For one, I am massively biased by this panel from x/1999...

"There is a definite crime that can't be made up... there's no one who can't love someone."

I bring it up because, thematically, x and jjk share certain similarities. One of them is the idea of characters who have no empathic connection to others, and so they have no regard for others.

Seishiro, the character in the panel above, is basically a serial killer and psychopath who is caught off guard by the fact that, contrary to what he believed to be true about himself, he realizes he can feel love. Said love, however, is very, very, VERY twisted and it manifests in this very creepy and sinister way.

I won't spoil it but basically he's a massive idiot.

So I personally much prefer the headcanon that Sukuna has felt love at some point in his life, even if it is a twisted and corrupted version of love.

I particularly love head canons of said love being so twisted that it involves hurting or killing the Beloved.

Anyways, I just wonder if Gege is trying to portray love as something that exists on a continuum where our ideals of love as a beautiful force exist on one end, and where the nastiness of toxic love exists on the opposing end.

If you're interested in the psychology of romantic love and don't mind reading me overpsychologizing the hell out of the last couple of chapters, I'll share the post to this blog when I'm done with it.

Thanks for reaching out! Hope you're enjoying JJK!

Chapter 219 was a total heartbreaker what with our girl getting fridged at last, at the hands of Megumi no less.

Like... talk about tragedy.

[kidflashimpulse]

seeing that Carol and Preston are contacts in Bart's phone in your new fic made me smile SO big. i love the idea they live in Central City instead of Manchester on Earth-16 purely so they can still know Bart. we know absolutely zero about Bart's civilian life but i've always loved the idea the basics are similar to his Impulse solo: he finds school SUPER boring, he's inadvertently popular and HATES it, and he's got like two or three close civvie friends (Carol, Preston, Rolly)

omg same! like im sorry it is wat it is sdjdjk they've been plucked right out of Manchester into Central City by the E16 relocation program lol  

its so interesting that u think this too!! because I've very strongly since forever been thinking about how a lot of the stuff that happens to him in the impulse comics happened to him adjusting to his new life in central city as a civilian, in fact it was the concept of one of the first ever fanfic that I've written that explored all this! I am just SO INTERESTED in his adjustment to civilian life, especially at the beginning because its actually so wild if u think about it, just like in the comics hes literally a time traveller from some alien ridden timeline (to the point of an apocalypse in YJA) and now suddenly, hes supposed to adjust to some stable life with something called school? Just wild lol 

in my fanfic and in general I have the same idea! Like not every single scene and moment from the Impulse comic happens in E16, there are a lot of differences, but some rough plot and characters remain (I love Carol Preston Rolly, Assistant Principal Sheridan too LOL, tho I do think Carol has moments of poor characterisation due to the comic being written in the 90s, so in my fanfic I've put the personality traits that were suggested in the comic at the forefront, cut out all of the what I think of as totally unnecessary characterisation and then filled in the blanks with other stuff, but her background remains the same, just like Preston with his parents) 

One day Id like to post that fanfic (hopefully after I finished all my current series lol) but because its my first one, it needs a COMPLETE work over, I've really learnt a lot by posting what I have so far and will definitely be putting it to good use for that series too (I can't believe how different my writing is compared to back then and its only been a year), but it will definitely be a while before I start working on it again. 

Since it'll be a while until I work on it, ill address the impulse derivative HCs now lol for some satisfaction: 

-yep he finds school insanely boring (but also super weird, the concept is so strange to him, hes also struggled with some things A LOT but of course he eventually adapts (to an extent lol))

-hes inadvertently popular and hates it: I think at first (which also happens in the comic but I think also passes really quickly there) people think hes super weird, and first impressions do last, but I think its kinda split, there are people who keep that first impression negatively but also others who like in the comics spin it positively and think hes cool so hes accidentally involved with stuff and yes he totally hates it, because he has so much on his plate at that point with the whole apocalypse thing that school related stuff is literally the least of his concerns so if it gets in the way of his hero responsibilities then he rlly hates it lol 

-his two to three close civvie friends being Carol, Preston and Rolly, totally agree

In An Anomaly in Time the principal that Reep impersonates is actually Randal Sheridan, I didn't make any clear reference to it in the fic but just know that every mentioned principal in Barts fics is him lol no matter the school, the guy just loves his job that much 

apologies for the essay as always but I have so many thoughts on this lol and im so glad u enjoyed their ref :) I wasn't planning on it initially but I might try to involve them in a chapter at some point in An Anomaly in Time who knows ;) 

#YJ asks #bart allen #impulse #kid flash #young justice #An Anomoly in Time #impulse comics #young justice animated

[cheesybadgers]

Taking advantage of your post about being able to send questions about your fics, I've always wanted to know if you have books that inspire you to write OHDH.

You know it's a statement for me to talk about how much I love what you do, but I think your narrative bias is impeccable! Not to mention the references you use in the story which are great.

Ahhh Maria, bless you and thank you so much for your kind words 🥺 And wow thank you for asking such a great question ❤️

I'll put this below the cut, because it got a bit long lol.

I've read a lot of books specifically as research for OHDH, in the sense of knowing my next chapter was going to be about X subject/place etc. but I didn't know anywhere near enough to be able to write about it well without researching first. I've mentioned a few of the books (fiction and non-fiction) I've used for this in my OHDH trivia post.

One of those books listed in that post, Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester, was also a big inspiration for including Día de los Muertos in OHDH. The book is set in a Texas border town, follows a Mexican family and covers parental loss and grief (the main character's father-in-law is dead and his ghost visits her every Día de los Muertos to try and fix unresolved conflict with his son), cultural identity, and also the realities of crossing the US-Mexican border. So, it was a bit of a goldmine when I found that lol.

I also read a couple of books by Colombian authors: Like This Afternoon Forever by Jaime Manrique and Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras. They both follow Colombian characters living in Colombia during the 80s. I found these stories really useful in giving context that Narcos just doesn't give, because obviously Narcos isn't told from a Colombian POV. The first one mentioned also has two gay priests who fall in love, but their ending is a sad one (I understand why though, as the author is a gay man who lived through the HIV/AIDS crisis but their partner didn't, so I think this book was him processing his own grief).

In fact, most of the LGBTQ+ books I've read since starting OHDH had sad/bittersweet endings (including Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, which gets referenced a couple of times in OHDH). I know that's not surprising in the slightest...but in a way, I think reading those books inspired me NOT to do that? There are enough tragic stories about gay/bi men (especially in the 80s/early 90s) already...and whilst they are absolutely valid and serve a purpose and are often based on the author's own experiences, I didn't want to add another.

There are a few books about/set in Madrid I've read for chapter 18 that have been really useful in providing historical context I wasn't aware of, but I don't want to give away spoilers lol, so I'll talk about that in my trivia post once the chapter is done and dusted!

I know you asked specifically about books, but film and TV inspire me a lot as well. Huge shout out to two gay films that have spookily similar premises but very different endings: God's Own Country and A Moment in the Reeds. They're both really atmospheric (God's Own Country is also aptly set on a farm, albeit in England rather than on a ranch in Texas lol) and the way they capture m/m intimacy made me YEARN.

As for TV...I know this is a bit random but Buffy the Vampire Slayer, purely for the way that show uses tropes. I know it's absolutely not the only show to do this, but I did a Buffy re-watch at some point during the pandemic (so probably not long after I started writing OHDH) and remember being impressed by the tools they used to tell stories, particularly dreams/foreshadowing/objects of significance (hello cross necklace, my beloved). I ended up including stuff along those lines in OHDH after I did that re-watch.

I also really wish I'd been able to watch The Last of Us before I started writing this fic lol...I don't think I've ever experienced such extreme writer envy as I did after episode 3 😂 It won't be part of OHDH, but after that episode I was daydreaming about looking in on Javier and Horacio when they're that age and then I made myself cry 😭

By the way, I do know this is all going waaaaay beyond what anyone needs to do to write a fic lol. But in my defence, it serves me right for writing about places/people/events I didn't know much about beforehand lol. And I also love learning new things! And this has been the perfect opportunity to learn but in a more fun way than my school days ever allowed. I've also read a lot more books than I had done in years, so who said pushing your favourite fictional men together like dolls and making kissing noises had to be a shallow hobby? 😂

Thank you once again for sending this, Maria! It's been fun to respond to 😘

#Ask #Asks #Replies #OHDH

[violetnatelley]

Changing of the Song: Chapter on 'Welcome to Far Harad' Citations

Hello, because one of my chapters on Changing of the Song has too many citations, I decided putting this here. I first put it on a google docs page but realised that's just annoying.

NOTE: Map of Middle Earth is at the bottom

Here ya go:

Chapter 35: Welcome to Far Harad

[1] - Vincent van Gogh: A Dutch Post-Impressionist painter famous for his pieces such as Sunflowers, Cafe Terrace at Night and the Starry Night.

[2] - Bollywood: Is Hindi cinema and was formerly known as Bombay cinema. Illyria mentions it as she was exposed to them as a young kid when she used to live in Kamar-Taj.

[3] - Raj: Means ‘paradise’ in New Apysaic. The fertile region of Far Harad, located in the north part and includes The Dar, and the forests surrounding them.

[4] - The Dune Sea: What the North of Middle Earth technically call as Far Harad but is in fact called the Dune Sea to the Southerners. It is famous for its constant moving sand dunes due to the winds and is known to have a lot of nomadic tribes within them.

[5] - Far Harad: Known as Bozisha-Miraz in New Apysaic. This includes the Region of Raj, Ciryatandor, Tulwang, Bur Esmer and the Coastal cities and the Fireplains.

[6] - Bur Esmer: A city west of Bozisha-Dar and the next most populous city. Bus Esmer is the last known city before going north and the road becomes dangerous.

[7] - Deal or No Deal: A British Game Show that aired between 2005 and 2016.

[8] - Endor (Star Wars): A moon in Star Wars, known in Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

[9] - Endor: The term for Middle Earth in Quenya. The proper name is Endórë. Ennor is the Sindarin version.

[10] - Oliphaunt: Known as Mûmakil (in Haradaic) are large creatures resembling elephants used in battle by the Haradrim.

[11] - Rijesha: Means ‘River’ in New Apysaic. Runs through Raj and into the Bay of Tulwang.

[12] - Suza Rij: A lake at the source of the Rijesha, also the name of a village next to the lake.

[13] - Bozisha-Dar: Known commonly as 'The Dar', is the the capital city of Raj meaning ‘Gift of the Goddess’ in New Apysaic

[14] - Vuki: Or Vuk for singular, are wolf/jackal-like dogs that are common in Far Harad. Used as guard dogs.

[15] - The Katedrala: The Name of the Dome-like hill in Bozisha-Dar. It comprises the seven mansions of The Dar.

[16] - Aladdin: A Disney Movie about a guy going into the desert to find a genie in a lamp. Set in the Arabian peninsula, which sets a similar culture/vibe.

[17] - Qarth: A city in the world of Game of Thrones, and just like Aladdin has that desert city vibes and is one of my inspirations on how The Dar looks like.

[18] - The Apysani: The ethnic name of the people of Far Harad, they are related to the Haradrim of the North.

[19] - The Council of Dar: A group of leaders represented by the seven most influential families of Raj. Positions are tended to pass on by their families and as always - a little corruptible.

[20] - Baklava: A layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry filled with nuts and syrup or honey.

[21] - Apysaic: (Short for New Apysaic) is the dominant language of Far Harad. It has Haradaic influences mixed with Andunaic from Numenor. I based Apysaic from Swahili.

[22] - Ube: Purple Yam, Taro, it's a lovely delicacy that's used in multiple foods. I personally love it in Bubble Tea, Halo-Halo (Filipino dessert) and Ube cakes.

[23] - Bozishanarod: Collective name for the People of The Dar.

[24] - Tar-Ciryatan: The 12th King of Numenor.

[25] - Ciryatandor: Once a Numenorean colony but now a crumbling kingdom that now comprises only a few towns and villages.

[26] - Tresti: A Town south of Raj, bordering the great arid plains. It is on the Great Harad Road that connects Raj and Sîrayn.

[27] - Sîrayn: The Region called Greater Harad located in the far west of Far Harad. It comprises seven cities all lying on a river.

[28] - Vatra: Sauron's lovely name in Apysaic. It's funny that it sounds like Varda lol.

[29] - “Asante, Bibi wa jua.”: 'Thank You, Sun Lady.' in Swahili/New Apysaic

[30] - "Salamu": 'Greetings' in Swahili/New Apysaic

[31] - Nandor:

[32] - "Wachawi Wa Bluu": 'The Blue Wizards' in Swahili/New Apysaic

[33] - "machafuko": 'Chaos' in Swahili/New Apysaic

[34] - Star Wars Reference: “I don’t like sand. It’s coarse, and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.” - Anakin Skywalker.

[35] - The Corsairs of Umbar: A group of men descended from Gondor’s once proud navy. Pirates in a nutshell. They are involved during the War of the Ring.

[36] - Map of Endor/Middle Earth 

#the oialea series #citations

[killherfreakout]

.

#ok rant on being a fic writer on this site incoming #idk like i’ve been posting my fics for almost a year and just wish i had more recognition for them :( #the worst part is seeing a post like an anon asking for headcanons or wtv about a fic and that post has MORE notes than my chaptered fic.... #haha that shit h u r t s bro like. imagine putting so much time and effort into a multichaptered fic for it to just...not get noticed #the fact that i made a similar post to this before posting the last chapter..lol i look like a damn fool thinking it would get better ig #and i ALWAYS try to support every writer and fic i come across by liking/rb/commenting/talking in the tags/sending an ask to rave abt it!!! #just fucking sucks that the same energy is not reciprocated and it makes me so upset that i could screeeeam ugh #and then whenever i talk about my wips there seems to be a good reaction which is so cool!!!!! but then when i post it’s crickets lmao..... #and this is not me fishing for compliments or expecting anything of anyone i’m just so defeated whenever i see the recognition i want on- #-my dash all fucking day man...and it makes me want to not post bc i fucking hate feeling like this and putting myself through it #but i still will bc i love to write! but :( u know #just pls support small writers it means the world :( #for real: i don’t want compliments i just want my writing to be read :( #but the sweet comments mean absolutely everything to me and i promise if you have given one i have not forgotten 💞 #end of rant sorry i needed to get this out

[drabbles-mc]

A Little Closer

Happy Lowman x F!Reader

Request by @shinypeachkitten​: Can you do a Happy Lowman smut where he Just simply make love to you? We know he is rough and all. But I would love to read his soft side in this

Warnings: 18+ like everything on this blog, alcohol, light angst, canon compliance/post s7 finale, unprotected sex, fingering

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: My first time writing smut for Happy and I kinda like that it was a soft scenario. Not that you need to read it, but I picture this taking place shortly after All That’s Left, hence the sad feels lol. Also, idk if you guys are interested but this was also inspired by the song Come A Little Closer by Dierks Bentley. We are full of fun facts today haha. Hope you enjoy! xo

SOA/Mayans Taglist: @thesandbeneathmytoes @paintballkid711 @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @queenbeered @kelpies-shed @sesamepancakes @yourwonkywriter @chibsytelford @gemini0410 @multiyfandomgirl40 @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @plentyoffandoms @georgiaaintnopeach @twistnet @garbinge @themoonandthewicked @bucky-iss-bae @encounterthepast @rosieposie0624 @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo @mijop @xladymacbethx @blessedboo @holl2712 @lakamaa12 @masterlistforimagines @lilah1903 @toni9 @shadow-of-wonder @crowfootwrites @redpoodlern @punkgoddess-98 @black-repunzel99 @lexondeck @mrsstevenbuchananstark @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindos @amorestevens @angelreyesisdaddy04 @mijagif @frattsparty @winchestershiresauce @bellisperennis0 @beardburnsupersoldiers @mveggieburger @thanossexual @xeniarocks @choochoo284 @littlekittymeow @beardsanddetectives @bruxasolta @slut-bitch-brat @i-love-scott-mccall @espieviolet99 @i-just-read-stuff​ @unicornucopia-fuckers​ @jitterbugs927​ @be-my-dear​ @sgtxliptons86​ (If you want to be added to the taglist, just let me know!)

The past couple of weeks had been showing you a side to Happy that you hadn’t seen before. For all of the amazing qualities that he had, all of the things that made you love him, he wasn’t the kind of man to ever really show his emotions. Good, bad, or indifferent, whatever he expressed was always a watered-down version of whatever he was actually feeling. You knew that was just how he operated—it wasn’t something that was going to change so you didn’t try.

In the days and weeks following the most volatile day of SAMCRO, though, there was a shift in Happy. He’d come home to you and cried one night, and from there on out it was like the two of you had shifted into a new chapter of a book. Things were similar, but definitely not the same.

He was home more often, as often as he could be, and softer with you behind closed doors. He wasn’t ever the kind of man to ignore you—you were always taken care of. You thought that maybe everything going on with the club was a wakeup call, thinking that this was his version of a mid-life crisis of sorts. He still didn’t say much about anything, even when you asked, but it was almost like he felt more. You didn’t mind it, but you just hoped that he knew that it wasn’t like you were going anywhere. You promised him that whatever it was, the two of you would figure it out, and you meant that.

You got home from work one night and saw his bike already parked in the driveway. Very rarely did he ever beat you home. Your brows furrowed, mind already going to the worst-case scenarios as you made your way up the driveway. With the way things had gone over the last couple of years, you started realizing that it was better to expect the worst rather than hope for the best.

Unlocking and pushing the door open, you called out for him, “Happy?”

He was standing at the kitchen counter, popping the top of a beer bottle as he turned around to face you, “Yea?”

Toeing off your shoes, you tossed your bag to the side as you walked over to him, “You’re home early.”

He nodded, pulling you so that you were tucked against his chest, “Just wanted to be home.”

You inhaled deeply, soaking up the scent of him, “Rough day?”

He gave a noncommittal grunt in response as he wrapped one arm tighter around you, using the other to lift the beer bottle to his lips. You knew that was all the response you were going to get out of him for the time being.

“Gimme a sip,” your tone was playful as you swiped the bottle from his hand.

He chuckled, watching you intently as you tipped it back, pressing the cold glass to your lips. When you looked back at him, you saw the way that his demeanor was shifting. He pulled you a little tighter, fingertips pressing a little harder into your back to keep you close. Desire darkened his eyes for a moment, but then it softened into something else, something with a little less hunger and a little more longing.

Handing him the bottle back, you gently cupped his chin, “C’mere,” you tugged him towards you and lightly pressed your lips to his. He softened into you the second you kissed him, both arms looping around you. Your hand slid from his chin up to his cheek before pulling back and looking at him, “You can talk to me, you know.”

He nodded, “I know.”

“You okay?” you hoped that he wasn’t going to lie to your face point-blank.

He rested his forehead against yours with a sigh, “Working on it.”

That was about as honest as it could get. All any of you seemed to be doing these days was working on trying to be okay. You traced your thumb along his cheek, “Thank you.”

You felt his hand move along your back followed by the sound of the beer bottle clinking against the counter. The two of you had hardly put a dent in it, but you could tell by the rise and fall of his chest against yours that it was the least of his concerns right now. He shifted you carefully, pressing you back against the counter and gripping the edges of it on either side of you. His lips were impossibly close to yours but still not quite touching, his arms and legs boxing you in against the cool granite behind you. Still, even caged in, feeling the heat of his breath flush against your skin, there was something gentle about it all.

It didn’t feel dominating like it had in the past, despite the position he had you in. The tiny gap between your lips and his was filled with his silent pleas to tell him that it was okay, that you wanted him. The lack of contact had its own kind of softness.

“I love you,” if the house hadn’t been silent, he wouldn’t have been able to hear you.

His body eased with relief as he leaned in and caught your lips in a deep kiss. He pressed his body to yours, chest to chest as he tightened his grip on the edge of the counter, like he didn’t trust himself to touch you for fear that he might break, not you. You let yourself fold underneath the pressure, leaning back. Your hands started on his shoulders before slowly sliding down his arms until they reached his hands. Interlocking your fingers with his, you gave his hands a light squeeze.

He met your grip, squeezing back with the same intensity as he pressed his lips harder against yours. You could tell from the desperation of his movements that he was looking for something to anchor him, and you were more than happy to be that for him.

Prying his lips away from yours, he stepped back and tugged you with him, “Come on.”

He pulled you so that you were in front of him, your back pressed against his chest. With each step the two of you took, he pressed another kiss to your neck, your ear, your shoulder, anywhere he could reach. His hands slipped easily into the pockets of the skirt you were wearing, using the leverage to make sure you stayed pinned to him.

Even though it was just the two of you in the house, and it was really only ever the two of you, he kicked the door shut once you’d both crossed the threshold of the bedroom. Sliding his hands out of your pockets, he spun you around so that you were facing him, wasting no time as he cupped the side of your face and kissed you on the lips, soft and slow and full of need. You wrapped your arms around his waist, hands slipping beneath the fabric of his shirt and trailing lightly up and down the warm skin of his back.

The longer you kissed him, the more you noticed every little shift in the rest of his body. His breathing sped up, his hand that wasn’t delicately holding your cheek came to rest on your hip. Inch by inch he walked you back towards the bed, not taking his lips off of yours the entire time. You felt the backs of your calves brush against the side of your bed and you fought the urge to fall back onto the mattress.

His grip on your hip tightened, his other hand sliding down from your cheek to the side of your throat. His fingers began to tighten, and while you didn’t mind it, you knew that it wasn’t really what he was looking for.

Pulling out of what felt like a blissful, never-ending kiss, you fought to catch your breath as you waited for Happy to look at you, “Hey,” your voice was soft as you gripped lightly onto his biceps, “I’m not going anywhere. We’re okay.”

The tension melted out of his body at your words, his grip loosening immediately. Resting his forehead back against yours, he let his hand slide from your hip to the back of your skirt, easily pulling the zipper down and letting the fabric pool on the floor around your feet. His hands gently explored all the newly exposed skin, fingertips skimming over the waistband of your panties as he kissed you again. His hands found their way to the front of your shirt, and he began undoing the buttons of your blouse with relaxed, expert precision. He easily pushed the thin fabric off your shoulders and let it join your discarded skirt on the floor.

In return, you lightly tangled your fingers into the bottom hem of his shirt and pushed it up his torso, letting him pull it off the rest of the way and toss it to the side. In a quick, gentle motion he lifted you off the ground and laid you down on the bed. Before you could blink he was settled over you, forearms braced on either side of your head as he leaned in and kissed you.

You could feel the tension in his body, like he was fighting to have restraint and be soft. He wasn’t incapable of it, but it wasn’t what came naturally to him. It was what he needed though, and you knew that. Sliding your hands up his arms and across his shoulders, you stopped when they were cupping the sides of his face. Running your thumbs along his cheekbones, you felt the tension slowly starting to disappear, his muscles relaxing as he melted into you.

Shifting his weight, he slowly brought one hand down your chest, fingertips feather-light and leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. They traveled over the fabric of your bra and continued down your stomach before reaching the hem of your underwear. The gasp you let out was muffled by his lips as he continued to kiss you while he slipped his fingers beneath the thin fabric.

You arched into his touch, and you felt him easily maneuver to that you couldn’t get the contact that you were on the brink of whining for. Always a tease, even in a moment like that. He didn’t hold off for long, though, and you moaned into his mouth as he traced his fingers along your folds, and you could hear the shift in his breathing when he felt how badly you wanted him. He gently eased them into you, and only then did you break your kiss as you let out a shuddering breath. Your hands dropped to his shoulders, gripping onto him like you were afraid he was going to stop.

He pulled back, wanting to be able to see your face. He slowly began pump his fingers, mesmerized by the way your eyes fluttered, the way your mouth hung open slightly as you soaked up every sensation. His other hand rested on the side of your face, his thumb pulling down on your bottom lip for a moment before you turned, pressing a kiss to the palm of his hand.

“Happy,” your voice was half whine, half whisper. When his eyes locked onto yours, you squeezed his shoulder, “I need you.”

He dipped his head down, kissing you hard on the lips before sliding his fingers back out of you. You whined against his lips at the loss of contact, but you were quickly distracted by the way he was sliding your panties down, lifting your hips so he could slip them off all the way. Once he tossed them to the side you started unbuckling his belt, and in what felt like no time at all, he was tossing his jeans and underwear onto the floor as well.

He was about to reposition himself on top of you, but you stopped him with a gentle palm against his chest. You pushed him lightly, nodding for him to lie down on his back. You could see it in his eyes that it caught him off-guard, but he didn’t fight you on it at all—he was putty in your hands.

Swinging your leg over him, you straddled his hips. His hands slid up your hips and sides, eyes traveling over every inch of your body as you positioned yourself over him. He let out a sharp exhale as you lowered yourself onto him, his hands instinctively grabbing onto your hips. You let out a quiet fuck under your breath as you laid your hands on his chest. His touch lightened as you adjusted to him, his hands snaking up your chest.

Once you found your rhythm, you could tell that Happy was fighting the urge to let his eyes shut in bliss. He wanted to see you, watch you and feel close to you when he felt so far away from everything else. But as the sensations flooded through him, it was hard not to get lost in it and let his eyes close.

“Come here,” you sounded as breathless as you felt as you gave his hand a slight tug, urging him to sit up, “closer.”

He did as you asked, his hands keeping you secure against him as he readjusted your positions. Your hands rested on his shoulders as his arms wrapped around your waist. You felt his hand creep up your back, making quick work of the clasp of your bra before sliding the straps down. He could hardly wait for you to remove it completely before flinging it off the bed. Wrapping his arms tight around you again, he reveled in the heat seeping from the bare skin of your chest into his. He kissed you hard on the lips, his tongue slipping into your mouth as you used his shoulders for leverage to get your rhythm back. He grabbed onto your hips, moving and helping you along. Peeling his mouth off of yours, he buried his face into your neck as he listened to the soft whimpers falling from your lips.

“Happy,” it was a whine, a plea, asking for something that you weren’t quite sure of.

He kissed the soft skin where your neck met your shoulder, and you could feel his lips move against you, his words muffled as he told you, “I love you.”

Your hands slid from his shoulders to his back, pressing his chest tighter to yours, “I love you too.”

It wasn’t long before you were coming undone around him. Happy clung to you for dear life, teeth sinking lightly into your shoulder as he basked in how you felt, and knowing that it was him that made you feel that way. The sound of you repeating his name in nearly inaudible whispers filled his ears, and when he felt you trying to pull him even closer, even farther into you, that’s when he spilled into you. A low moan that died down into a shuddered breath came out of him as he gripped your hips, pinning you down onto him as much as he could.

The two of you sat like that for a little while, all tangled up as you attempted to catch your breath. Happy stayed tucked against you, forehead resting against your shoulder while he soaked up the feeling of you lightly scratching the back of his head. He released his grip on you, allowing his hands to blindly wander around your body. His touch was soft, reassuring.

Leaning back, you forced his head up as you peeled your chest apart from his. Your hands rested lightly on his shoulders, thumbs rubbing idle circles into the muscles there. You couldn’t stop the soft smile that took over your features as you looked at him. He looked a little dazed, but you could see it in his eyes that it was the most present he’d been in a long time. It was just the two of you, shut away in your bedroom, and for once there was nothing more to it than that.

You leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips, and you were rewarded with him resting his forehead against yours before he shut his eyes. He took a deep breath, focusing on your breathing and the feeling of your hands massaging his muscles that had been tensed up for far too long. You tried to think of the right thing to say, something loving and reassuring, but as you listened to the sound of his breathing beginning to level out, you thought to yourself that maybe this was enough. The closeness said more than your words ever could.

#sons of anarchy #soa #sons of anarchy imagine #soa imagine #mayans mc #happy lowman #happy lowman x reader #happy lowman x you #happy lowman fanfiction #my writing #fanfiction #drabblesmc

[makeste]

but I just feel too tired to be fighting

this is a follow-up post to what I said in my recap the other day about this arc being the Deku Angst arc, as opposed to the Villain Hunt arc or the Deku SIXQUIRKS Exhibition arc. I feel like the fandom discussion tends to focus on the flashier parts of the chapters -- the sexy villains and the new quirk reveals and the Shindous -- each week, and so the quieter emotional beats sometimes get overlooked, especially since the character arc here is playing out in little bits and pieces over time rather than all at once.

this has always been a very reactionary fandom, and there’s a tendency to judge the chapters week to week without ever going back to look at how they all fit into the big picture. so I figured I would try to attempt that, and basically go chapter by chapter here to look at what exactly Horikoshi is setting up and how it all fits together.

so let’s start with the end of chapter 306, which is when the arc officially kicks off. specifically with the very last page:

this is imo one of the best pages Horikoshi has ever drawn. I got the sense that this was a scene he’d had in his mind’s eye for quite a long time, and that he was excited to finally get to this part of the story. it’s extremely effective as both a chapter-ender, and an arc-opener. like, look at this:

it establishes the initial premise of the new arc -- the world is in chaos, and Deku is now seemingly on his own

it leaves the readers with a number of questions. why did Deku leave U.A.?? is he really on his own now?? why does he look so beat-up and exhausted?? what is he up to?? what is the world like now that all these villains have been unleashed and the heroes have been decimated?? and most importantly of all, what the fuck is going to happen next??

it pays homage to some of Horikoshi’s comic book influences -- Batman in particular

it dramatically hits us with that “THE FINAL ACT BEGINS” and lets us know that shit is getting real now

that’s some good shit. so much so that I think people tended to overlook the other notable thing about this page amidst all of the initial excitement and discussion and speculation about where the series was headed. and that is the fact that the final panel in this chapter is NOT the panel of Deku standing above the city. the very last panel, the one that this chapter actually ends on, is instead the close-up of Deku’s face. his face, which is covered in shadow; and his eyes, which have dark circles under them and are prominently missing the usual flecks of light that give him his signature “sunny optimistic shounen protagonist” look.

not to mention this last line here, which is a call back to the very first time we saw the 14-year-old Deku way back in chapter one.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Horikoshi chose to throw this reference in. nor is it a coincidence that THIS is the scene he actually chose to end the chapter on. what this does is show us the drastic shift in Deku’s emotional state of mind, and his attitude towards being a hero. he’s gone from being thrilled and excited to being jaded and exhausted. he’s matured, but at a great cost. it’s always been his dream to be a hero, but “be careful what you wish for” is a popular adage for a reason. and right now he looks the furthest thing from happy.

and this is the emotional beat that Horikoshi chooses to end the chapter on. this is the panel that closes out the War arc, and begins the final act. to me the message could not be clearer -- this arc will be about the exploration of Deku’s character, and his struggle as he tries to live up to the expectations that have been placed on him as the Last Holder of OFA and quite possibly the World’s Only Hope.

it’s a character arc that builds on a lot of the things we’ve already learned about Deku over the course of the series, such as the fact that he is reckless, and that he focuses on others often at the expense of himself. but more importantly, it’s an arc that finally expands on the dark side of what has up until now been a net positive for Deku -- the power of OFA. up until this point, despite its ups and downs, it’s been a boon for Deku overall and has allowed him to pursue his dream. but now we’re finally reaching the point where the monkey’s paw part of the OFA blessing/curse finally starts to come into play. OFA gives Deku more power than he could have ever dreamed of, but it also comes with a built-in destiny that he can’t opt out of whether he likes it or not. AFO is on the loose and out there trying to destroy the world. and now everyone has pinned their hopes on this sixteen-year-old kid, and the question of whether or not the sixteen-year-old kid is ready is apparently not one that anyone feels inclined to ask (possibly because they’re afraid that the answer might be “no”).

he doesn’t have a choice in the matter. he has to do it, because there’s no one else who can. that’s the kind of pressure that is on Deku now.

and on that note, we begin the Deku Angst arc.

chapter 307

this in hindsight was mostly just a set-up chapter to better establish the current state of the BnHA world at large (spoilers: it’s not good), while also providing an answer for one of the big initial questions of the arc -- namely, “what happened to all of those villains that AFO released from Tartarus?” these are important things to touch on, but the pacing could definitely have been better, and the bulk of the chapter was dedicated to providing fanservice to all of the Shindou fans who spammed the most recent popularity poll (which, whatever lol). anyway, so this was the sole chapter thus far with absolutely no Deku development. thankfully the arc picks up from there.

chapter 308

on to the next one! this was the one and only chapter thus far which I think actually qualifies as an “exhibition fight.” this was definitely all about showing off Deku’s current powerset, as well as introducing us to another of the SIXQUIRKS. however, there was Deku development here as well, most notably in this scene:

this is the scene that got a lot of people speculating that this arc was going to focus on Deku hunting down all of the old villains. but I think people got so caught up in that speculation that they overlooked what this scene tells us about Deku’s mindset. and yes, there is new information being revealed here, and it’s not just a rehash of the stuff we already knew. like yes, we know that Deku was shaken up by the recent encounters with Dabi and Tomura, and we know that made him start questioning why villains become villains in the first place, and all that good stuff, and that’s great. however, there are two additional important things that this scene helps establish for us.

the upcoming battle with TomurAFO is weighing heavily on Deku’s mind. this is something that will become a recurring theme in this arc. Deku is thinking about this constantly. the question of what to do when he finally encounters TomurAFO again is knocking incessantly at the back of his mind, and this won’t be the last time it comes up.

Deku is using these villain encounters as test runs. can Tomura be redeemed?? is he just being stupid and naïve?? or is this really something worth attempting?? the interesting thing about this is that Deku’s resolve to save people is usually so strong and unwavering that it’s more than enough to overcome any doubts that he might have. but this time it seems like the repeated objections posed by the Vestiges and Gran Torino have really gotten to him. it’s possible I’m just reading way too much into things, but to me it really feels like Deku’s recent attempts at Talk no Jutsu were meant to do more than just show his growing awareness that the line between heroes and villains is thinner than he once imagined. they’re also serving as trial runs for the real test, when it finally comes. if he can “save” even a villain like Muscular, there’s hope for him being able to save Tomura as well. and so that moment when Muscular rejects him out of hand is all the more disappointing to him, even if it wasn’t really unexpected. basically it wasn’t the answer that he had been hoping for.

aside from those little notes though, like I said, this was unquestionably an exhibition fight first and foremost. which is fine; we needed to establish where Deku is currently in terms of strength, and it was also just fun to see him kick some ass, ngl. in terms of story purpose this chapter was similar to 219, which showed us how Shouto and Katsuki had powered up after getting their provisional licenses. people who don’t care about those characters might argue that these fights weren’t necessary, but as someone who stans all three characters hard, I would disagree! but anyways, moving on.

chapter 309

in contrast to the previous chapter, this chapter focuses more on establishing Deku’s current mental state, as opposed to his physical state. and this is what we learn:

(1) Deku is ~technically~ being shadowed/accompanied by All Might and the Hawksquad (but in practice he’s avoiding them).

(2) it was Deku’s own decision to leave U.A., and he did it because he didn’t want anyone else getting hurt in order to protect him.

and finally, (3) Deku’s game plan is to stop Tomura and All for One before they reach full power.

this last part is very important, because it means there’s a countdown in effect. as far as Deku is concerned, there’s only a finite amount of time before TomurAFO becomes unstoppable. which means that he’s not only under “gotta get stronger” pressure, but time pressure as well. he doesn’t have the luxury of taking his time and training in safety. he’s being rushed now; this is do-or-die.

this chapter is also the first in this arc in which we get to see Deku’s expressions without the hood covering up his face, and what we see is very telling. as previously stated, the light is gone from Deku’s eyes. he keeps his expressions very neutral, and the only time we even see a hint of a smile is when he hugs his mom in the flashback, and it’s clear from the dialogue (“it’s okay, I’ll come home to you”) that he’s doing it for her sake in order to comfort her.

but aside from that, this is very much not the Deku we’ve grown accustomed to. this is the chapter that really establishes his current mental state imo. above all else, he’s afraid that more people will get hurt because of him, and so he’s distancing himself from everyone around him. and he’s also morbidly preoccupied with the inevitability of having to face TomurAFO again, and soon. the chapter ends on the flashback of Gran giving him his cape, and telling Deku that “killing can be another way to save someone.” there’s a lot on this kid’s mind, to say the least.

chapter 310

this chapter opens with a gang of civilians who are trying to open fire on a nice fox lady whose only crime was walking around in the rain at night. Deku intervenes to save her, and it’s the first time in this arc that we see anything close to the “old” Deku, who just wanted to save people with a smile.

but it’s bittersweet, because all the lady can talk about is how scared she was, and how horrible everything is right now. and so Deku, who feels responsible in a lot of ways for everything that’s happened, just feels that much more pressure to somehow make things right again.

there’s also this extra throwaway line which is especially heartbreaking:

“I can’t afford to be around anyone.” fucking ouch. just reinforcing once more how incredibly isolated Deku is right now -- not by choice, but because he feels like it’s not safe to let anyone else get close to him. and so he’s out here running around this dystopian cityscape in the middle of the night in the pouring rain all on his own, and neglecting himself to the point where All Might practically has to force a bento on him.

but does he complain? of course not. because his focus is never on himself. instead, when he settles down to eat, his thoughts immediately drift back to, guess who...

it’s that time pressure once again. “unless I draw out One for All’s full power, I can’t stop any of this.” it’s just nonstop, I have to get stronger, I’m running out of time, I have to do better, and constantly thinking about that inevitable confrontation.

Deku is a thinker, you guys. and when left to his own devices he will overthink, every time. his mind will run in endless loops while he mentally works his way through all of the possibilities. and that’s one of his greatest strengths, don’t get me wrong, but at a time like this it’s also one of his greatest weaknesses. it’s just so fucking easy for him to get stuck in his own head, in his endless rambling thoughts and analyses. and without anyone else there to help distract him, or help him focus, he’s become fixated on his mission, and it’s slowly consuming him.

this, incidentally, is also the chapter in which we finally see Two and Three’s faces, and learn why Two in particular is so reluctant to lend his power to Deku. he appears to be the lone holdout at this point, so stay tuned on that, because I don’t doubt this will wind up being crucial to Deku’s future development, however it winds up playing out.

chapter 311

this chapter flips back to the Hawksquad for the first half, so we get a brief respite from the ongoing Dekuangst. right before we switch back though, we do get confirmation of something we had pretty much already guessed:

like, that much was already apparent based on what we’d seen (the bags under his eyes; the fact that he refused to sit still in any one place for very long even at night), but it’s always nice to get the official confirmation so that people can’t dispute it lol. so yeah, Deku isn’t sleeping much. and not eating much either, if all he’s getting is the occasional bento from Dadmight. so basically not taking care of himself at all, huge shocker there. but this is something that’s important enough to the story that Horikoshi took the time to point it out in the dialogue, in addition to all of the visual clues we’d already gotten.

and just in case we needed to drive that point in any further, this chapter ends with the appearance of Lady Nagant! like yeah, no shit Deku isn’t getting much sleep, what with him having to fend off racist civilians and hired assassins every five fucking minutes. smdh. can he live??

chapter 312

so this is the chapter that properly introduces Lady Nagant, who maaaay or may not be one of the primary antagonists of this arc?? like, it’s really unclear right now tbh, but she gets hyped up by Hawks and AFO, and has a flashback and a mysterious past and a weird trump card (where did you go, Overhaul) and all that good shit, so yeah? one can hope at any rate.

but anyway. so to his credit, Deku’s first thought is to retreat, but he quickly abandons that plan once he figures out Nagant’s location. this is played off like a logical strategic decision at first, but the subsequent chapter quickly makes it clear that Deku’s decision to take the fight to Nagant is less rational than he might have you think.

chapter 313

so yeah. last but not least, the most recent chapter, in which Deku’s real reason for targeting Lady soon becomes apparent:

what’s more, it quickly becomes clear that he miscalculated and probably would have been better off following Hawks’s advice, seeing as he promptly gets himself shot, and subsequently realizes that AFO gave Nagant an extra quirk, something he hadn’t taken into account. but instead of cutting his losses and running at this point, he doubles down instead and not only breaks out Smokescreen, but also the Third’s quirk which he has never even used before.

it’s worth noting that both En and the Third start telling him to chill at this point, and warn him that what he’s attempting is too dangerous. but tbh if they were expecting him to listen, they haven’t been reading the same arc I’ve been reading. once again, Horikoshi makes it clear that Deku has one thing and one thing only on his mind right now.

of course. once again it all comes back to this. hunt down AFO. it doesn’t matter that he’s exhausted. it doesn’t matter that he’s just been shot twice. it doesn’t matter that Hawks, despite knowing what Deku was capable of with his OFA abilities, specifically warned him away from this one person only. it doesn’t matter that even the Vestiges are trying to tell him you’re going too fast and you’re trying to do too much and it’s too dangerous.

he just doesn’t care. long story short, the only thing that matters to Deku right now is tracking down and defeating TomurAFO. and as the person who knows him best once so aptly put it, “he doesn’t take himself into account.” and therein lies the major challenge of this arc.

and so this is where we’re currently at now. and this has been a very long post, but if nothing else, I hope I was able to get this one point across: there is absolutely no way that Deku will be able to defeat TomurAFO as he is now. not a chance in hell. somehow he’s managed the uncommon feat of waging a war of attrition against himself, which is really quite an accomplishment. he’s not taking care of himself, and he’s refusing to listen to sound advice from the people surrounding him, and is trying to skip ahead to the final boss battle before he’s ready, because the guilt and pressure from feeling responsible for the current situation are eating him up. the only way that the world can go back to normal is if he can defeat AFO; therefore he has to do it as soon as possible, because time is running out and everyone is counting on him. this is who Deku is. and this is what inevitably happens when his saving mentality is taken to extremes, and left unchecked.

anyway so to wrap up this post now, I do think this arc is a lot more cohesive than it’s gotten credit for thus far, and Deku is the glue holding it all together. I for one am loving the exploration of his character and all the subtle little angsty touches as we build up to the big moment, whenever it finally comes. just keep in mind though that if his decisions right now seem reckless and short-sighted, it’s because they’re supposed to seem that way, because Deku is not in a good mental state right now. the cracks are finally showing in our perfect protagonist, just like everyone has been wanting this whole time. he is just a kid. he is doing his best. he is trying far too hard to do his best, and it is hurting him so badly, but he doesn’t even realize. this arc is not an endorsement of the Angsty Nomad Hero lifestyle, lol. it’s the exact fucking opposite, and I think it’s being wildly misinterpreted with all of the emphasis on “oh look at that, he mastered another quirk with no effort”, as opposed to “oh look at that, he is shutting down emotionally and is a few more missed nights of sleep away from a complete and total breakdown.”

tl;dr the overarching storyline of this arc is all about Deku slowly falling apart due to his trauma from Jakku, and the subsequent pressure that was put on him by the Vestiges with their whole “GUESS WHAT, YOU’RE THE LAST USER OF OFA, THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S ALL ON YOU BUDDY” pep talk. and mark my words, things are not going to go according to plan. something is going to go terribly wrong here. whether it’s something happening to All Might, or AFO setting up a trap for him, either way Deku is being set up to fail in a major way. unless of course, someone (or a group of someones) manages to intervene first, and possibly stage an intervention or something. it’s what he needs right now, but idk if Horikoshi is going to make it that easy.

anyway, but in other words, the point of this arc is not to show how much stronger Deku has gotten and how he doesn’t even need his friends anymore. it’s the exact opposite -- the point of this arc is to show that Deku needs his friends now more than ever. that in spite of OFA and all of its mystical trappings and fancy SIXQUIRKS, Deku can’t do this alone. he needs his friends. that’s the core message. and right now, we are at the “I can get by on my own” part of the story. and the part we are all waiting for, but which is coming -- I guarantee it is coming, you guys -- is “the thing is, you don’t have to.”

and that shit is going to slap hard you guys. and I for one can’t wait. but until then, enjoy the angst.

#bnha 313 #midoriya izuku #bnha meta #deku meta #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #long post #like 'long' is really an understatement here lol #our little green protagonist is really going through it you guys #and I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings about it