#only one more chapter left to go!

[rosie-b]

Centuries Overdue

Chapter 8

Marinette sighed in relief.

There, a little black cat was floating in the air near Adrien, who was still alive and okay! Beside the cat, there was a ladybug of equal size with sparkling blue eyes. As it hovered near the other kwami, it looked over at Marinette and smiled.

“Hello, Marinette! It’s good to see one of my own Mages,” the kwami gushed, flying over to her. “That hasn’t happened in a while. I’m Tikki. Nice to meet you!”

Marinette was lost for words. “Where’s Gimmi?”

Tikki looked confused at first, but then understanding flooded her face. “You met them, didn’t you? I’m so glad you’re all right! What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Marinette swallowed. “It’s a long story.”

“Then it’s all the more important to tell, don’t you think?” Tikki asked. She gazed up at Marinette with innocent blue eyes.

Marinette looked at Adrien, who sighed.

“Tell her the abridged version, Marinette. She and Plagg deserve to know.”

Marinette looked back at Tikki. “It started when I  decided to visit the catacombs and Alya told me there were zombies,” she began. She spent the next few minutes quickly recapping what had happened next, and noticed how sad and remorseful Tikki looked when she heard about the Mages and Talents who’d been trapped by Gimmi’s magic.

“I am so sorry you had to go through that, Marinette! Thank you for telling us about it, though. It’s good that we know.”

The other kwami, who must be Plagg, looked horrified. “I wish I didn’t,” he said.

Adrien reached out to cup him in his hands. “I know how you feel. But it will be okay, right?”

Plagg nodded uneasily. “They would have had to be released,” he told Adrien. “All the Talents. They’re all gone now, Adrien.”

“I think they already were,” Adrien said sadly. “I’m glad they can rest now, at least. They had to wait for release too long.”

Plagg nodded, curling up in his Chosen’s palm. “It’s a good thing you’re safe, Adrien.”

“Well,” Marinette said, “I hate to bring it up, but I have a huge question that’s still unanswered. How do we get out of the catacombs? We’re still in a locked-off, uncharted section of them. No one can find us here, which means either we rescue ourselves, we get lucky and some cataphiles find us, or we die. And I’d rather not die!”

“You can use your powers to escape!” Tikki said excitedly. “Create a map of the catacombs, and Plagg and I will help you get out, even if the entrance is blocked.”

Oh, man, things had changed since just a few hours ago. Back then, Marinette had accepted that she just wouldn’t be able to escape, but now, she had gained a— a partner? Magic sort-of soulmate? Friend? 

She had Adrien with her now, and her own magic to boot. Plus two helpful kwamis who’d recently been part of one big, scary kwami who’d almost killed her.

“Okay,” Marinette said dubiously. “I guess that could work, even if I’m still new to magic. But what spell do I use, Tikki?”

“Since I’m with you right now, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Just say, ‘Tikki, spots on!’ and I’ll give you a map instead of a yo-yo this time.”

“Is that how that works,” Marinette muttered. “Okay, Tikki, spots on!”

Sure enough, a map fell into her hands.

“Better than a teapot, right, Marinette?” Adrien asked. 

She snorted. “Very. Okay,” she said, twisting the map around. “It looks like we should go that way!”

“We’ll need some light,” Adrien said. “And you may be powerful, but you’re still new to magic, so you can only do one spell at a time.”

“Let me do it!” Tikki offered. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to help one of my Mages. Without the Talents, it’s been nearly a decade since the last one made it to my castle.”

“Your castle?”

“Mm-hm, in Italy. Adrien’s visited it before; you can ask him to tell you all about it if you want!” Tikki studied the map and darted ahead, creating a series of little lanterns to show the way. The rest of the group followed after her.

“Oh, right! He wrote about it in the third and ninth journals. I remember now,” Marinette said.

Adrien looked amused. “Wait, did you read the rest of my journals, too? Not just the one you found me with?”

“Uh—” Marinette gulped as her face heated up. “Maybe? They were in a library I was working at for my summer job. They were kind of falling apart, but they were intriguing, so I read them anyway. They’re how I found out about magic.”

“Yeah, that would be why Gimmi was targeting my kitten,” Plagg grumbled. “He’s too good at his job. Gimmi didn’t want him to keep writing and risk the Ungifted finding out about magic again, or the Mages figuring out who was behind the Darkness.”

“I didn’t even know about Wishes while I was writing,” Adrien groaned. “Honestly, Gimmi needs to talk to other people before murdering them! And you should talk to other people more often, too, Plagg. And not just about cheese.”

“You spent how many centuries maturing in the catacombs, and you still can’t appreciate my gooey cheeses? Adrien, I’m offended!” Plagg let out a loud, indignant sniff.

Although, Marinette noticed that he didn’t move from Adrien’s shoulder, where he had moved to rest.

“Well, at least you feel comfortable telling me when you feel bad,” Adrien said. “Now, do it more often; tell someone when something is hurting you. Maybe if you and Tikki don’t store up negative emotions, that will help Gimmi be less angry all the time, since you two are what they’re made of.”

“Sure thing, kid,” Plagg said. “I’ll talk your ear off if you want me to.”

“We should probably talk, too, Marinette,” Tikki said, coming back from lighting the rest of the lanterns. Behind them, the ones they’d already passed winked out of existence. “I bet you have a lot of questions for me!”

Marinette smiled, feeling very weary and no small amount overwhelmed. “Maybe once we get out of the catacombs,” she promised. “We still have a long way to go. And hey, it’s pretty cool that we’re here, now that I think about it,” she mused. “No one else has been where we are since probably before you died, Adrien! A positive outlook—and knowing we’re not about to die—makes this trip a lot better.”

He winced. “Yeah. It’s pretty cool,” he repeated cautiously. “However, you’re going to have to teach me everything I missed in the last two centuries, or I fear I’ll never blend in once we’re out of here. I’m still surprised I was able to come back at all.”

“Yeah, thank you for that, Ponytail,” Plagg said. 

On realizing who he was speaking to, Marinette reached back for her hair, feeling offended. “Hey! I needed to keep it out of my eyes, that’s all.”

“Plagg, be nice! Besides, milady, I think you look beautiful like this,” Adrien said. 

Plagg peeked one eye open to stare at him. “Oh boy, here we go,” he groaned.

Marinette’s face felt like someone had turned into a furnace. “O-oh, hanks, Madrien! I mean, thanks, Adrien! It isn’t my usual style, though.”

“Oh! Well, I’m sure you’re beautiful no matter how you wear it.” Adrien smiled at her, but when she kept staring at him, he coughed and schooled his face. “Okay, I have a joke to share while we’re all still trying to keep distracted. Here it goes— what do libraries and catacombs have in common?”

Marinette blinked. Libraries and catacombs?  “I don’t know. What?”

Adrien grinned and leaned closer to her. “They both have a lot of spines! Get it?”

Marinette looked sideways at Adrien, whose smile began to slip.

“Book spines, human spines? No?”

Marinette closed her eyes. “Adrien, I just almost died and you just came back from being dead. How can you joke about bones already? I think if I look at the walls we’re walking past for too long, I’ll throw up.”

Adrien winced. “Sorry! I’m so sorry. I forgot, it’s rude to speak that way in front of—"

“Girls aren’t the issue, Adrien,” Plagg interrupted. “The Un-Gifted moved past that, mostly.”

Adrien relaxed. “Oh. That’s good. I mean, the Mages were always a bit different, but it’s good to know the rest of the world has changed, too.”

“It definitely has,” Marinette agreed. “It was refreshing, to read your journals and know that at least for some women, the 1800s weren’t as bad as they were for most. You know, thinking back to the joke, I think the issue is that you grew up basically surrounded by war and death, but I didn’t. France is mostly at peace in the modern world; democracy is back, and so it was really hard to suddenly be thrust into a battle and confronted with so much death. I’m sure we’ll both need therapy when we get back.”

“Therapy?” Adrien questioned, raising one eyebrow. “You’re sure we can get that? What we went through is pretty specific, you know.”

“Modern therapy, yes. Alya told me the Mages have their own therapists, so you don’t need to worry about revealing magic’s existence in order to get some closure.  

“I’ll talk you through the basics later, because we’re getting close to the exit. We need to figure out some other things first, before we get back on the main path and the guards hopefully find us. Like, how do we explain your sudden presence? We can tell Alya and the Mages, of course, but what about the guards and the rest of the world?”

“You should work together with Alya,” Tikki said, excitedly zooming in front of Marinette so she could face her. “I can go see her now and ask her to cast a spell! It will be hard for her to do, but very much worth the effort. With the help of her illusions, Adrien will be ‘recognized’ as another missing visitor to the catacombs, and once you’re both out, you can go to Alya and create a fake ID and whatever else you need to fit in.”

“An ID,” Adrien repeated. He looked adorable when he was confused, Marinette thought.

“It’s basically a card that tells the government who you are. It’s not that bad, I promise!”

Adrien scrunched his eyebrows together. “If you say that it isn’t, milady, then I trust you.”

Tikki smiled. “Great! I’ll go tell Alya, then.” She phased through the catacomb walls and vanished.

“Aww, why can’t we do that?” Marinette asked.

“You could, if you were less mortal and more awesome,” Plagg said with a smirk.

Adrien shot him a glare. “So, I need to pretend to have an ID. What else do I need to know right now?”

Marinette thought for a moment. “Cars! Okay, we’ve made these vehicles that run on gas or electricity and they’re basically mini rooms with seats on wheels, and they move really fast. There are also airplanes, faster ships, and subways and trains. Um, and lightbulbs? Did you have those?”

Adrien shook his head. Marinette sighed.

“They’re like lanterns, but they run on electricity. No big deal.”

“No big deal,” Adrien repeated in disbelief. “Really? It sounds like the Un-Gifted found a way to make their own magic! That’s incredible!” 

Marinette blushed. “I guess it is. Um, other things run on electricity, too; a lot, actually.  I showed you my phone; basically everybody has one now and they do a lot of cool stuff I’ll need more than ten minutes to explain, haha. There are bigger versions called tablets, and then there are laptops and computers, which are even bigger but still similar to phones, and TVs, which are even bigger and mostly show the weather or recorded, uh, plays and musicals. Oh, when we get to the entrance, there will probably be a ton of cameras, which are these devices that basically flash a light at you and take a picture of you, exactly as you are. Like an instant painting!”

“That sounds terrifying,” Adrien said, grabbing her hand. “I didn’t think things would change that much, even if it’s been a couple centuries! Next you’ll tell me they found a way to go into outer space,” he chuckled.

Marinette looked at him with a smirk growing on her face.

“Oh, you have to be joking,” he breathed.

She giggled. “Nope, I’m not! Aaand we’re at the entrance to the main paths, now. Are you ready?”

Adrien squeezed her hand tight. “If you are, milady.”

“Hey, lover-boy,” Plagg said, still not moving from his spot on Adrien’s shoulders, “If you want to get through that nice metal gate facing you, you’re gonna have to let go of her hand.”

“Oh! Right. Plagg, claws out!” Adrien said, dropping her hand with a bashful smile. “Cataclysm.” He touched the gate and it rusted, falling open and letting them pass through it.

“Is that how you got in, the first time?” Marinette asked. “I know you didn’t wait to go in like a normal person.”

Adrien flushed. “Oh, right, the journals. Um. Yes. Why did I ever write that down?” He muttered the last bit to himself, just barely audible.

“Well, it helped you out in the end,” Marinette said. “If it weren’t for your journals, I never would have been able to rescue you.”

“Which I am so grateful for,” Adrien said assuringly. “Have I said that enough times? I don’t think I have. Should I write you a song to say thank you?”

Marinette blushed and tried to distract herself from the romantic implications of writing songs. He’s from the past, it was different back then! “Ooh, you can write songs, too, not just write?”

“I’m a man of many talents,” Adrien smiled. “You could call it a gift.”

Marinette smacked his arm.

He grinned at her and kept walking forward through the tunnels. 

A few meters later, a guard finally spotted them, and they were rushed up to the main building. 

Predictably, the press was there waiting, and Alya was right beside them. Once they got some initial footage, she waved a hand, muttering something under her breath, and the reporters busied themselves with her illusions of interviewing the two rescuees. Adrien watched in awe as Alya stepped out to lead them away from the scene.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all handled. They’ll think you just fell behind, got lost for a while, but turned around and came back without any real issues,” she told them. “Now. Are you both okay? You’re not hurt?”

Marinette nodded. Now that they were finally out, she felt completely exhausted. “I think we’re fine; no injuries here. Alya, that was so scary,” she cried, throwing her arms around her friend in a tight hug.

“I told you it was dangerous,” Alya said sadly. “I am so glad you’re okay. Tikki told me you found your magic, and defeated the zombies? You found Adrien, too, and resurrected him? Like, that’s insane! Girl, you are something else entirely!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“She is quite amazing,” Adrien agreed, wide-eyed. “If that’s what that means.”

Alya’s lips twitched. “Oh, it’s a good thing Tikki told me to start that illusion,” she said, barely restraining a laugh. “Your clothes would have given you away instantly if I hadn’t been there!”

Adrien frowned and pulled at his suit’s collar. “Yes, after seeing those other men, I can see why. What is the modern fashion these days?”

“It’s a lot comfier, for one thing,” Alya said. “I think you’ll like it.”

Relaxing, Adrien smiled at her. “That’s good to hear. By the way, it seems you both know my name, but I don’t think I know yours,” he said, gesturing at her.

Marinette smiled. “This is Alya, my best friend and head Mage of Trixx. She taught me about the modern Mage community and the finer details of how magic works.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Adrien,” Alya said, offering her hand. “Now, let’s get you up to speed!”

Written for @mlbigbang

[problemswithbooks]

BNHA Ch. 429

So, I guess Toga is dead, and people are losing it.

I get why people liked her--she was actually queer, being pan/bisexual. She was representation for them and that's rare in shonen manga. But here's the thing--she was bad representation at best and insulting at worst. Nor do I think she was made queer because Hori really wanted to represent a queer girl. Himiko was always the author's poorly hidden fetish--she just was. She liked girls as much as boys because Hori wanted to draw a girl touching sexually on another girl. You can see this in how he draws her and Ochako in solo pics together.

I mean, people seem to understand this when it comes to Momo and her outfit being overly sexual or that both Himiko and Hagakure's Quirks either leave them naked or they have to be naked to use them. These are excuses to draw girls in a sexual manner. Himiko being into other girls is the same thing and that's the kindest interpretation.

Given how Himiko acts and her Quirk being heavily coded sexual desire, and therefore her use of it against someone unwilling being sexual assault, it could just being playing into harmful stereotypes of predatory gays.

As a queer person myself I just found Toga insulting. She was designed to be overly sexual and give the male author a female character that he could draw being suggestive with his other female characters. When he did flesh out her character, her backstory was eventually the trope/fear of straight people, that gay people will be so overcome with their lust that they end up sexually assaulting them.

In the end Ochako accepts this part of Toga and says she'll giver her blood forever, but as much as a lot of readers took that that as some deep lesbian confession, for me it really fell flat. Hori never really gave any of the main kids time to actually learn about their villain or show how that changed their minds toward them. Shoto only works because Touya is his brother (even though he admits he barely remembers him). But Ochako goes from not thinking of Toga at all pre-first war, to one thought about her during her speech, to suddenly caring about her so much she--given how Toga's quirk is coded, is willing to essentially fulfill Toga's kink for the rest of their lives.

It's weird and it comes out of nowhere. It's made even stranger because Toga doesn't actually change or show remorse for anything she did, which included personally hunting and murdering people before she joined the LOV. None of the death and destruction she is also partially responsible for is brought up either, something that Ochako was rightfully upset about during the first war when less people and property had been destroyed. Ochako just accepts everything about her suddenly and her past serious crimes are forgotten so they can cuddle and cry.

Am I shocked Toga died--a little. I didn't think Hori would have the guts to kill off a young girl character, especially one that he clearly got a lot of joy drawing in sexy poses. But at the same time, once he killed off Shigaraki and ended Touya's story with his slow death, I'm not surprised he went the same route with Toga.

This isn't Naruto--Hori isn't really kind to characters that do something wrong, especially if they don't try and change. Enji, Bakugo, Hawks, and Aoyama all sort of got punished for what they did. Enji is the worst off, being permanently crippled, missing an arm and burned everywhere. Bakugo's hand is damaged, his heart weaker, plus he feels bad that Izuku lost his Quirk so they can't compete the same way he wanted them to. Aoyama, despite doing way less wrong and even helping his class during the forest raid, still leaves school because he doesn't feel he earned being there yet. Hawks lost his Quirk and even though him running the HPSC could be seen as good for him, Hawks always wanted a break, but now he has one of the most time consuming and stressful jobs out there.

So, if this is what characters who actively did good things and even changed and fought to be better get, what would characters who never changed and never did anything positive for anyone but their friends/themselves get?

Before the last Arc started, when so many people said the LoV were 100% going to be redeemed I had doubts and always thought it wouldn't make sense with how the story presented redemption or treated other non-LoV villains in the past. That if the main LoV did get some happy ending where they were bffs with the main cast it would clash with how other characters had been treated.

That doesn't mean that I think how Shigaraki, Toga, and Touya ended up in the manga was well done. I think their endings fit far better then a last minute redemption would have, but at the same time you can feel how rushed everything has been since the end of the first war arc. Hori was done with this story months if not years ago, yet he was contractually obligated to finish it. Because of that I think he left out as much as possible. As much as I think he's written some pretty obsessive stuff, particularly towards women, I can't really fully blame him cutting corners or the story being shit at the end.

We know Manga authors, particularly those that work with Jump are treated like shit. That they suffer incredibly long hours at times not even getting to go home for days. We've gotten messages for Hori saying he's sick quite a few times. On top of that, weekly story telling is not a great way to tell a cohesive narrative. Ideas probably change week to week or at least month to month and you can't go back and change the last chapter no matter how much you need or want to. Then you remember he also gave a lot of ideas to the people who made the movies, which would also change his plans for how he wanted the main story to go.

The story is bad--it has been for a while, but I think a lot of people put their hopes on their favorite characters getting a happy ending, even when there were signs that probably wasn't going to be the case. I know how much it sucks when a character you love gets a shitty ending (Stain was my fav, but he got an absolute dogshit ending) but at least, knowing what I know about the industry I can't really blame Hori the way I see some other people doing. Criticize it, sure, but saying Hori hates his readers or is horrible writer isn't true. BNHA was popular for a reason--he's great with characters and the beginning of the story had some great pacing. We'll never know, but I wouldn't be surprised if BNHA could have been amazing if Hori had been treated better and the story hadn't needed a chapter every week.

If anything BNHA has taught me how much a story suffers when authors/artists are treated like crap and forced to work past burnout.

[kenzan-kiwami]

to be completely frank i think most of the people i've seen with major complaints regarding RGG 8's story are forgetting that 99% of what they're saying can be applied across the whole series

[ambitions-of-an-eccedentesiast]

imagine sitting down expecting the other person to do so but he's still standing there. walking around like what are you doing? (mecore)

Next->

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[kachikirby]

Kirby: Mysterious Incident on the Pupupu Train! - Chapter 9: Protect Everyone!

Previous Chapter

Kirby continued to gather strength. His hands were numb, and he felt dizzy, but he didn’t let up. The Jet Copy Ability used stored power to attack enemies by headbutting and kicking into them. Kirby had used this Copy Ability several times before, but this was the first time he was using it to store so much power. Would he even be able to lift something as heavy as the train? He didn’t know. But Kirby didn’t hesitate.

“Strength… the strength… I need the strength…!”

The meteor gradually drew closer. He heard the driver speak through the communication device.

“A bit more… just a bit more, Mr. Kirby… Just a little…!”

Kirby clenched both his fists. He had only one chance. If he failed, there wouldn’t be enough time for him to store up strength. He heard tense breathing from the driver, who was staring intently at the screen. Then, it happened.

“Kirby, now!”

Kirby looked straight ahead and shouted.

“EXPLODINNNGGGGGG… JUMP!!”

The tank on his back blew out a tremendous flame. However, the Pupupu Train continued to travel on the tracks. There was no sign of it rising up. Kirby kept a straight face and yelled.

“TAAAHHHHH! JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!!"

He felt like he could hear the voices of everyone on the train.

“Do your best, Kirby!”

“Kirby! Kirby!”

Kirby opened his mouth wide.

“TAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!! I’M DOING IT!!”

The train slowly rose. The passengers were trembling and calling out to Kirby rom their rooms.

“Yes! Yes! Keep going, Kirby!”

“Ora ora ora ora!”

“Please do it!!”

Kirby put more and more effort into it.

“More and more! BIG, BIG BIG JUMP!”

The train left from the track at a steep angle and rushed through space towards the meteor.

Kirby continued to shout.

“Not yet! Not yet! TAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

The train rose so fast that it barely grazed the meteor.

From the cabin, the driver shouted. “Good job, Mr. Kirby! Now for me to do my job! Just leave it to me!”

He checked the direction of the train and looked at the speedometer.

“Landing a jumping vehicle on the tracks is insane, but…”

The sparkling train tracks projected onto the screen and the driver shouted.

“It’s the job of a driver to protect the passengers! UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

At that moment, there was a massive impact that caused the whole train to nearly flip over. The last car was hit by the meteor and destroyed. The driver went pale.

“We couldn’t dodge it…?! Then the passengers…!?”

At that moment, the conductor’s voice came through the speakers.

“This is the conductor. The cargo hold has been destroyed.”

“The passenger cars?! What about the passenger cars!?”

“The passenger cars are safe. I am currently checking on the passengers.”

“I see… don’t push yourself too hard.”

The driver let out a deep breath.

“The passenger car is safe! Only the freight car was damaged! Everyone is safe!”

He tightened his expression and gripped the lever.

“I must…protect! Protect the passengers!”

(SCREEEEECHHHHH)

With a roar, the Pupupu train landed on the stretched track and picked up speed.

~~~~~~~~

The conductor and maid called out as they made their way down the hallway of the passenger car.

“Is everyone safe? Are any of you injured?”

One after the other, the doors of each room opened up and the passengers peeked out.

“That was a massive tremor! I screamed when I thought we were gonna be hit by the meteor!”

“So the plan was a success and Kirby did it?”

“Yeah! A huge success!”

The conductor and maid gave a smile as cheers resounded.

“We’re safe! We’re safe!”

“Hooray! Let’s party!”

Within the uproar, Bandana Waddle Dee shouted.

“What about Kirby? We have to quickly help him out!”

Pushing aside the Waddle Dees, King Dedede appeared.

“Ow ow ow…I hit my head against the wall! Stupid Kirby, couldn’t he have been a bit more gentle with the jumping?!”

“Your highness…!”

“I’m gonna go complain. You all wait here.”

Dedede opened up the car window.

“I’ll join you.”

The voice came from Meta Knight. The two of them exited the window. Kirby was unconscious on top of the train with both of his hands still grasping the top of the train. His jet tank was cold after using up all the charge from it. King Dedede and Meta Knight landed next to him and called out.

“Are you really sleeping? Get up, Kirby!”

“You did well, Kirby. Thanks to you, everyone made it out safely.”

However, Kirby did not regain consciousness.

“Chef Kawasaki’s gonna make a whole feast for you.”

Kirby’s eyes did not open.

“He didn’t wake up even though I said he was going to have a feast. This is serious…” Meta Knight said with worry.

“That’s not even trying! If you wanna wake up Kirby, here’s what you do!”

Dedede reached into his gown and pulled out a bright red maximum tomato.

Meta Knight was taken aback.

“Why would you bring that out here…?”

“It’s a king’s preference. Eat up, Kirby!”

He shoved the Maximum Tomato in front of Kirby’s mouth. Maximum Tomatoes are Kirby’s favorite food, so it caused him to instantly spring awake.

“Waah! A Maximum Tomato! Thank you for the food!”

Kirby suddenly gained a lot of energy, opened his mouth, and gulped the maximum tomato down. With an utterance of “good grief” from Meta Knight, he stood up.

~~~~~~~~

All the passengers gathered in the dining car for a huge party. Of course, it was a sweets party.

“I’ve made lots of cakes! They’re new recipes that I’m proud of! We’re celebrating the fact that we avoided the meteor, so everyone eat as much as you like!” Chef Kawasaki said with a shining face.

Cheers rose from the passengers. “Hurray!”

“To commemorate the success of avoiding the meteor!”

While everyone was overjoyed, Captain Vul tried to quietly leave the dining car without being noticed, but was stopped by a concerned Chef Kawasaki.

“Where are you going, Captain Vul? Do you not want to participate in the sweets party?”

“…I have no right to participate in it.” He replied in a solemn voice. “I’ve caused everyone trouble. I’m returning to my room.”

Chef Kawasaki ran over to him. “You told the truth and returned the sugar, so that’s enough.”

“But...”

“What does everyone else think? Can Vul participate in the party?”

The chef looked around at everyone’s faces. The first person to raise their voice was Kirby. “He can!” He shouted, raising both of his hands. “It’ll be more delicious if everyone eats together! Now come and sit down, Vul!”

The passengers looked at each other before responding.

“Well, him hiding the sugar was pretty awful…”

“He said he’s sorry, so I’ll forgive him.”

“It’s as Kirby said, sweets are better when eaten together!”

Similar comments rose up, but Vul’s face didn’t lighten up.

“…I’m glad that you say that, but… it’s humiliating as the captain of the Halberd…”

“Of course, you will have to be punished.” Meta Knight said.

“…I am prepared to accept it.”

“Starting tomorrow, you are forbidden from eating sweets.”

Vul, who had been hanging his head, shot up in shock. “No… sweets…?”

“It’ll also help with your diet so you can kill two birds with one stone.”

“Y… yeah…” Vul blinked. “But if I’m forbidden from eating sweets, then I can’t participate in the party today, right…?”

“Meta Knight said “tomorrow”. You can participate in the party today!” Chef Kawasaki said.

“B…but…!”

In response to Vul’s complex expression, the chef replied. “It’ll be fine. I made a lot of snacks that you can eat even if you are on a diet. I’ve made tofu cake, coconut milk agar, and other delicious dessert recipes that won’t make you fat!”

“…what?! Tofu cake… agar…!?”

Vul trembled as if he was struck by lightning.

“D…desserts like that exist…?!”

“Yeah! So you should participate in the party!”

“U… uu… you have my gratitude… thank you so much, Chef Kawasaki!”

“If that’s what you’ve decided, then let’s start right now! Cheers, everyone!” King Dedede said.

Everyone raised their glasses full of juice.

“Cheers! Cheers!”

“Thank you, Kirby, and to Capsule J2 as well!”

“I don’t remember much about what happened… but it was something amazing, right?” Capsule J2 said, embarrassed.

“Yeah, it was amazing!”

“It was thanks to you that Kirby was able to have enough strength to do it!”

“You’re the greatest!”

“It’s not just Kirby and Capsule J2 we should be grateful for, we should also thank the crew of the Pupupu Train. We would not be successful if it wasn’t for them.” Meta Knight said.

Everyone shouted in agreement.

“That’s right! Thank you, driver, conductor, and maid!”

“Snacks have been delivered to the cabin. I have a message from the driver. He said “Thank you very much for using the Pupupu Train. Although there was a slight incident, the train will continue its trip unhindered.”.” Bandana Waddle Dee said.

The passengers smiled and applauded.

“It’s not just the crew of the train, but I’d also like to thank York. He carefully wrapped a blanket around me so I didn’t get hurt.” Waddle Doo said.

“Same here. That guy went to each cabin one by one to make sure all the passengers were safe. I don’t like him, but I’d like to thank him anyway.” Bonkers added.

Everyone saw York sitting in the corner of the room.

The maid spoke up. “I’m really glad that no one was hurt, president. President… um… president?”

Even when he was called out to, York didn’t respond. In contrast to the joyful passengers, he seemed devastated, not even participating in the cheers and just mumbling to himself.

“The cargo hold… it took so much effort to collect those slumbercumbers…!”

Hearing this, King Dedede threw his head back. “Too bad for you. Your moneymaking scheme has collapsed!”

“…”

“That means you can’t do anything bad!”

York was completely depressed and continued to talk to himself.

“But… there’s one box… only the box that was carried to the kitchen was safe…”

No one was listening to his monologue anymore. Everyone was smiling and chatting as they ate the cakes that were brought in one after another. However, Meta Knight was the only one staring at him with sharp eyes.

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Table of Contents

Next Chapter

[aurinkomoukari]

the one where Jim kidnaps you (121520 words) by aurinkomoukari Chapters: 12/13 Fandom: Slipknot (Band) Rating: Explicit Relationships: Jim Root/Reader Characters: Jim Root, Reader, Corey Taylor, Shawn Crahan, Eloy Casagrande Additional Tags: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Asshole Exes, Low Self-Esteem, kinda angsty nihilism, mentions of death and cancer, I’M GOING SOMEWHERE WITH THIS OK???, LIKE SERIOUSLY BEAR WITH ME, heavy metal festivals, Jim being cute and awkward and charming and adorable 🥺, Hardcore flirting, Praise, oops i mean TOOTH-ROTTING PRAISE, spiked drinks, Drugging, BAD COREY, Kidnapping, supernatural shit, demon jim, demon corey, THEY’RE ALL DEMONS!! 😈, well………… sort of, Jim being the most awkward demon in the history of demons 😩😩😩, Imprisonment, but at least they got good linens and Netflix over there lmao, Mating Cycles, going into heat, Breeding, Extinction, reader is very breedable, SO OBVIOUSLY DEMON JIM HAS TO BREED U Y’KNOW, Depression, hunger strike, but it’s short-lived bc jim won’t tolerate your bullshit, JIM DOLES OUT TOUGH LOVE, Caregiving, gentle jim 🥺, very confusing feelings toward your captor, it’s the brief moment of calm before the shit storm so…………………… yeah, extremely realistic nightmares, Rape, Forced Orgasms, BAD JIMBO!, Anxiety, Kind of a Mental Breakdown, READ THE TAGS PLEASE 🙏🏼, AND BRACE YOURSELF FOR ALL THE DEMON WANG, desperate escape attempts, the Slipknot boys join the party!!!, poor jimbo gets hit in the face, AND a little mauled by his brothers, so not a good moment to be an enormous awkward demon giraffe lmao, VERY ANGRY JIM 🤬, Altar Sex, Betrayal, Humiliation, Multiple Orgasms, AND WAY TOO MUCH DEMON JIZZ I TELL YOU!!!! 💦, apologies and human heats and hate-fucking and clones and aftercare (if you squint), oh and piranhas with lowkey mommy issues, SO THE USUAL Y’KNOW 😂🥴, Threesomes, Double Penetration, OK WHO ORDERED THE DEMON SANDWICH? 👀, Heartbreak, GET READY TO CRY 🥺😭💔💔💔, CUBS!!!! 🥹💕, demon jim becomes a demon DAD 😭, Spoiler Tags in End Notes

Chapter summary:

It’s time. The wait is over. You go into labor and nothing will ever be the same again for you, Jim or the demon kingdom…

[strawberrybuggy]

So like I read HeartStopper last night.

Like all of it.

Then I journaled the shit out of my feelings and went to sleep at like 10 am.

[lesenbyan]

There are few things worse, I think, than reading a call to action memoir that is so close to right but really should have been shelved for at least 5yrs before going to print so the author has time to learn enough to see all the false equivalencies that really hinder the point

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

Chapters: 5/6 Fandom: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Noir, Spider-Man (Comicverse) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Jean DeWolfe & Peter Parker, Jean DeWolfe & Peter Benjamin Parker | Spider-Man Noir Characters: Jean DeWolfe, Peter Benjamin Parker | Spider-Man Noir, Peter Parker

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SURPRISE ATTACK CHAPTER! [I have no patience but I sure do have stuff to write!]

There are like 3 and a half new headcanons sprinkled through the details in here, at least please ask me about them I have so many thoughts. :))

[skrunksthatwunk]

update i've written like. 3k words of the goromi encounter chapter tonight (for this fic). gonna keep at it but i thought y'all should know: yes it's been like 3 weeks, no i haven't forgotten about it. she's been marinating. i've been cooking up some good shit though and i'm SO SO SO excited to finally be getting to some parts of the outline that i just realized y'all aren't aware of yet. hehehehooohoo >:)))))

anyway hopefully it should be done within a couple days :3!!! thanks to everyone for their support so far, i swear i'll respond to the comments eventually. i look at them and giggle likee. embarrassingly often lol

[callixton]

breaking my thousand words a day streak :( but yknow that's okay bc i went over by like 700 yesterday. also as much as i want to publish this fic it cannot be the priority (<- telling myself this so i believe it)

[pettyprocrastination]

trying to figure out if im being snooty or if this book just isn’t for me :/

[narutomaki]

I always get self conscious when people talk about the amount of thought the goes/went into their art because there is.

there is no upper processing happening when I'm designing a character or background. my hand starts moving and my brain shuts off. I recognize there was probably a point in my life where this WASN'T the case but. like. it's why my art is like. mostly flat and lifeless. my art is never intended to tell a story because when I intend to I get angry/frustrated to the point of wanting to break shit because it's not going right. and I've tried to tell stories with my art both comics and stand alone pieces and it all feels fake or flat or.

idk.

I've TRIED to start and finish a piece where I've made conscious choices beyond "does this look good/right" and "am I being offensive in ways I'm aware of with anything here" but it just. makes me want to scream.

I learned people told stories with their art and I tried to and I stopped drawing for 5 years despite having. before that point been doing art studies for 8 to 10 hours a day for. 2 years.

I mostly just think it's because I have nothing to. say.

I can't add anymore tags to this post??? homophobia.

any way this post is useless idk I'm just sad because people do this thing so easily and enjoy it when it makes me break down crying. I don't get it. every person I've known regardless of neurodivergency has been able to do this consciously to some degree and enjoy it and meanwhile my stupid ass is asked how/why i chose something and I just. shrug. idk

looked nice?

[aberooski]

Doing revisions to Sustained By Hate has been great because I get to add things like Chazz's mom talking about his brothers like they're good people in front of him when she arrives on the island because she legitimately doesn't know how awful they are.

Legit a line I added for her is "You and I both know your brothers have always been good, respectable people." Oh poor, horribly misguided Michelle 🥲

In my lore for her they gaslight her and lie to her face about anything bad they've done so she still thinks they're decent guys. And Chazz can't talk to her to tell her the truth because even though he's her favorite son, she'd either not believe him or if she confronted them about anything they would lie and gaslight her into believing them so he just doesn't talk to her about anything they do/have done. So she still thinks highly of them which Chazz doesn't like and she's unknowingly contributing to the problem with his familial situation because she doesn't know what the problem is and therefore can't really avoid it. Which only makes his relationship with his mom tense too which sucks for him because she's the one person in that house that gives a damn about him.

I also get to characterize her more properly to what I've developed her to be since I came up with her originally. And she can be, not exactly meaner, but exhibit her Princeton qualities more on the surface than in the original version. She's too nice in the og to be perfectly frank. Michelle needs to actually feel like she reminds Chazz of his brothers like "oh right, she's their mom too." And I don't feel like she does.

She and Chazz need to actually fight in chapter 4 too like I, as the writer, need to believe he's mad at her and that she feels bad that the last conversation they had before he loses his voice was a fight and that she was too hard on him. Like the og is so tame honestly aksksk.

I'm having too much fun with revising/quasi-rewriting this fic but also being so critical in a way I don't like help 😭

[knighteclipsed]

𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄  [ … ]   𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄,

bold what applies - italicise sometimes. repost, don’t reblog.

fights honorably / fights dirty

prefers close-quarters / prefers range

chats during / goes silent

low pain tolerance / high pain tolerance

attacks in bursts / attacks steadily

goes for the kill / aims to disarm / fights defensively / strikes first

is provoked easily / provokes their opponent / teases

gets visibly frustrated / shouts while attacking

uses strategy / focuses on the battle / experiences conflicting thoughts during battle

rushes in recklessly / tries to read their opponent before engaging

fights wildly / fights calmly / fights apathetically / fights with anger / fights with excitement

fights because they have to / fights because they want to

fights without regard to wounds / runs away when wounded / hides wounds / takes a blow to protect another

prefers a blade / prefers a gun (modern) / prefers hand-to-hand combat / prefers a bow / prefers a shield (flier momence) / prefers a personalized weapon / prefers magic alchemy or spells

their greatest weakness is physical / their greatest weakness is mental / their greatest weakness is emotional

transforms for battle / fights as they appear

relies on strength / doubts their strength / relies on speed

uses everything they have / proceeds with caution / hides their full potential

exhausts quickly / has high stamina

behaves arrogantly / brags after landing a hit / belittles their abilities

uses psychological tactics / uses brute strength

avoids civilians / strikes down civilians (canonically part of the reason he got exiled lol)

damages surroundings / avoids damaging surroundings

signature fighting style / makes it up as they go

mastered skill set / learning their skill set (i mean magic here)

fancy footwork / sloppy footwork

messy fighter / elegant fighter

accepts defeat / refuses defeat / begs for mercy

compliments their opponent / insults their opponent

uses unnecessary movements / moves efficiently / barely moves

prefers to dodge / prefers to block

defends their blindside / has no blindside / leaves blindsides vulnerable

uses all available advantages / strictly uses one main method

plays around / holds back / fights ruthlessly / shows mercy

waits for an opponent to be ready / strikes when opponent isn’t ready

fears death / fears pain / fears killing

has ptsd / avoids fighting

has lost a fight / has won a fight

has killed / refuses to kill

wants to die standing / would succumb slowly

[sugaggukkie]

so wild that ive only been into kpop for about a year and a half and how taemin enlisted literally WEEKS after i found out who he was and YET advice has kept a gorilla grip vice-like chokehold on me ever since