#solo leveling header

[exyminna]

ㅤㅤ ㅤ⪼ㅤSolo Leveling . 120 x 120

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ . 1200 x 350

[se8kies]

jungkook x solo leveling layouts

like if saved

[soulfullofstarx]

S-Rank Duo

Sung Jin-Woo & Cha Hae-In

[brucebocchi]

Winter 2024 anime, Pt. 2: Mixed reactions, the bench, and the gems

hey y'all, this is also up on my ko-fi! it's free to read both here and there, but i'm struggling financially rn so i could appreciate if you'd throw a few bucks my way if you liked it! part 1 can be found here.

And we're back for part 2! Here's all the new stuff I finished this season, and one more I'll get back to later. As with before, these are sorted alphabetically within each category and are not ranked as of yet.

Also as before, the OP for each series is linked in the title. Check them all out if the header images aren't giving you the right feel for each show, but also check them out because most of them were actually pretty damn good this season.

[Solo Leveling OP voice] LET'S GET IT!

Mixed Bags:

Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!

Your standard, quasi-harem “easily flustered Regular Guy wins over hot girls just by being really nice” shonen romcom. I really don’t have much to say about this one other than if you’ve seen My Dress-Up Darling, you’ve basically seen this already. The only thing that really sets it apart is the setting.

Tsubasa (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki, in a FAR cry from his turn as Mahito in Jujutsu Kaisen) is a straight-laced Tokyoite whose family situation lands him in a small city in the frozen boonies of Hokkaido. While looking for the bus to his new house, he runs into a gyaru in the snowy wild, the underdressed, hilariously-proportioned Minami, and they hit it off. It turns out they go to the same school, there are other cute girls there who take a shine to him as well, it’s nothing new.

I ultimately don’t have much to say about Hokkaido Gals, but I do have a soft spot for series like this, and after reading ahead in the manga I felt obligated to see it through. This is all junk food, but it’s all stuff you’ve seen done better in other series. I also have a soft spot for gyaru in anime and manga, and while I do like Minami just fine, she isn’t Marin Kitagawa or Rumiko Manbagi. I don’t really have it in me to recommend this show to many, though, at least not until another season rolls around, if that ever happens. The manga genuinely does get a lot better as it goes on, but the really worthwhile stuff may not happen until a third season, and I just don’t see that happening. 

The manga has issues that the anime isn’t willing or able to solve, chief of which being the visuals. The art style of the manga is wildly inconsistent, and getting a mediocre animation team on this didn’t help matters at all. While the colors often pop nicely against the pretty, snowy backdrops, nobody looks all that great overall. The characters are recognizable, but they just plain don’t look great a lot of the time, nor do they look consistent from one cut to the next; I said that Minami’s proportions are hilarious, but just as hilarious is how wildly they vacillate from one scene to the next for the sake of trying to titillate the viewer.

My biggest takeaway from both the manga and anime was everything I learned about Hokkaido in the process, and if the series is taking subsidies from the island’s tourism bureau, then it’s a job well done. I want some goddamn jingisukan now. The OP is a great time, though. I’m shocked it took over a decade for us to get a proper “Uptown Funk” knockoff in an anime.

Metallic Rouge

I’ll be upfront in saying that this was my biggest disappointment of the season by far. This show had so much going for it, and what we got was… ugh.

There was an unbelievable amount of promise from the outset: This was Studio Bones’ commemorative 25th anniversary production, and coming from the studio that gave us all-timer adaptations like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Mob Psycho 100, not to mention later works from Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichiro Watanabe (including the Cowboy Bebop movie), you can’t fault anyone for having high expectations. It looked to be a fitting production as well: Watanabe’s influence shines through immediately in the gorgeous, lived-in cyberpunk off-world locales and racially diverse cast. Action takes the form of dope robo-tokusatsu transformation fisticuffs, and it’s entirely in 2D animation to boot. The first couple of episodes were killer, too; everything looked and sounded amazing, and there were just enough plot threads teased out that I just had to see how they’d unravel.

It brings me no joy, then, to say that Metallic Rouge collapses into a jumbled mess. I don’t even want to bother talking about what happens in the show because I don’t fucking care anymore. There are few media experiences more sobering than to have it dawn on you over a span of several weeks that “oh… this isn’t actually all that good, is it?” Episode after episode piles on with sloppy lore, weak worldbuilding, warring factions whose names you immediately forget, pointless double-crosses, and the most predictable twist you’ve ever seen. For a while I was willing to accept the fact that I didn’t know what was going on half the time and expected things to become clearer, but now I’m not entirely sure the writers knew either. The stakes apparently kept rising and everything just kept getting more claustrophobic. I’m glad it’s over, if only because if I had to hear “Clair de Lune” one more fucking time, I was going to go ballistic. 

There are several attempts at emotional beats, as the story is rife with tragedy and sacrifice, and every single one lands with a wet thud. Nobody gets enough time, motivation, or characterization for any of these things to feel like they actually matter, and that’s especially a shame because the finale might have been able to stick the landing if the previous episodes were less dense and better paced. Emphasis on “almost,” though, because just before the season ends, we get the absolute most pointless fakeout I’ve seen since The Rise of Skywalker, which is the lowest point of comparison you can make for any work of sci-fi.

This is especially frustrating because on paper, there is so much to like here. Rouge and Naomi are likable-enough deuteragonists with a fun dynamic, and they’d make easy yuri bait in a better show. The characters are all pretty and uniquely designed across the board, and the overall aesthetic, almost a pastiche of late-90’s anime futurism, is undeniable. The toku suit designs are neat and several of the action scenes are gorgeous. The score and soundtrack are outstanding (except for the aforementioned Debussy indulgence). I have few complaints about how the show looks and sounds; the style is great! All of my issues lie with the substance.

Metallic Rouge may have had all the ingredients, but it just needed more time to cook; whether that would have been by doubling the episode count or by more carefully planning the pacing and trimming some of the fat from the lore, I’m still not sure. Probably both. It probably needed better writers, too. Maybe it just isn’t as smart as it acts and there was no way to satisfyingly resolve the clumsy civil rights allegories that bring it uncomfortably close to the likes of Detroit: Become Human. So all of the above, I guess. I tend to adore stories that involve artificially-intelligent beings developing their own wills and emotions and learning to cut their own strings (the likes of Blade Runner, Nier Automata, even a couple of character arcs in the Persona series), but this ain’t it. I’m not even mad anymore. I’m just disappointed.

If there are two positives that will stick with me, though, they would be the absolute banger of an OP and, of course, Naomi Orthmann herself (pictured above, left). Outstanding character design. I’m mildly obsessed. She deserved a better show.

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

This one isn’t even worth talking about, so here’s a brief synopsis, then I’ll add some commentary, and then we’ll all move on with our lives. 

Rentt, a beloved but mediocre adventurer in a fantasy town, gets lost in the mysterious labyrinth that all adventurers explore for personal gain, gets waxed by a dragon, and awakens as a shitty-looking CGI skeleton. He notices, though, that he’s able to level up better as a skeleton than he did as a human, and with the more monsters he defeats, the more he evolves into something closer to human. The rest isn’t really worth discussing.

If I’m being honest, I should’ve dropped this show much sooner. It looks kinda lousy most of the time, the plot (inasmuch as there even is one) is boring, character designs are forgettable (except for Rentt’s closest ally, Lorraine, holy hell) and it seems wholly uninterested in actually building its own setting. If it returns for a second season, I won’t be there, nor will I feel like I’m missing anything. Each episode felt like a chore to watch. I probably only saw it through because 1) I liked looking at Lorraine, I know what I’m about, and 2) I didn’t want to lump it in with the shows I did drop. The Unwanted Undead Adventurer isn’t as patently upsetting or frustrating as those three, but it just plain isn’t a very good show.

The Witch and the Beast

This show could have been so much more. I was drawn in by the gorgeous character designs and intriguing blend of Victorian gothic aesthetics and architecture with modern infrastructure, and very quickly disappointed by just about everything else. The first episode is an exceptional proof of concept, and almost everything that follows is an upsetting showcase of what could have been.

The story centers around Ashaf, a languid, chain-smoking agent of the governing church with a big-ass coffin strapped to his back, and his partner Guideau, a snarling hyena in a young woman’s body, as they investigate abuses of magic across the continent in search of nefarious witches. Guideau in particular has a bone to pick with witches, as the body they presently inhabit is the result of a witch’s curse, and they remain in furious pursuit of the one who cursed them. The curse can be temporarily undone by a kiss with a witch, allowing Guideau’s true body, a hulking brute confined to the coffin, to escape and wreak havoc. Meaning that on a few occasions we get a girl-on-girl kiss followed by a big dude wrecking shit. There’s also other investigations of serial killings, necromancy, and a cursed sword, and here’s hoping you like those, because the coffin breaks are few and far between.

This wasn’t great! By the third episode I had the sneaking suspicion that the animation talent on hand just wasn’t enough to support the aesthetic. While the character designs are exceptional, almost everyone looks awful in any shot that isn’t completely focused on them. This is especially true of Guideau, who looks so inconsistently off-model from one shot to the next that I’m still not entirely sure what they’re supposed to look like, and that’s kind of unforgivable when we’re talking about a main character. Everything looks too dim and too shiny at the same time, and action scenes look like shit more often than they look interesting. I can see so many flickers of something excellent (or at least really good-looking) in Witch and the Beast, and everything else that keeps those flickers from actually igniting makes it so much more frustrating to watch. Maybe just read the manga instead; the panels I've seen from it were uniformly gorgeous.

Actually, yeah, you should probably just read the manga, because for a season of anime, the pacing is atrocious too. It’s clearly trying to angle for a monster-of-the-week format, but each of these mini-arcs is a little too dense for a single episode, so multiple episodes are dedicated to these one-off curiosities, most of which do nothing to advance the plot or show off what the show does best. And if one of them isn’t particularly interesting, you’re saddled with it for the next two weeks like you've been stuck munching on a mealy apple. And I know you can only adapt so much in a 12-episode season, but the decision to end the season on a flashback arc and a lore dump was baffling. That’s not world-building, that’s lazy, and it made the show’s existing pacing issues feel that much more inane.

I feel like I was sold a false bill of goods. I can only imagine how the mangaka feels about this. Dull and uninspiring all around. What a waste.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Isekai, unassuming high school boy gains a unique power, impending war with the Demon Lord, yadda yadda yadda. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic isn’t anything new or special by any means, nor is it particularly well-animated or -paced, but at its best it’s silly and charming enough that it made a nice, brainless palate cleanser on Fridays.

Usato, your standard quiet high schooler, ends up walking home on a rainy evening with the popular, attractive student council president and VP, when an isekai portal happens. It turns out that it was just the seito-kai that was invited along for the ride (and President Suzune, as it turns out, is fucking psyched to get to be in an isekai), and Usato got caught along with them. When tested for magical aptitude, Suzune and VP Kazuki hit the jackpot with electric and light affinities, respectively, but things go awry when Usato’s reading turns up with healing magic. Terror strikes the palace as the intimidating dommy-mommy Captain Rose barges in to spirit Usato away from his new friends and into her squadron of goons to train him as a combat medic.

As character comedy goes, this one is actually pretty solid at times. Shogo Sakata is plenty of fun as the put-upon, lippy Usato (a much louder role than Chainsaw Man’s Aki Hayakawa), and Atsuko Tanaka (Major Kusanagi herself!) is a blast as the uncompromising Rose, a terrifying slave driver of a drill sergeant with a secret soft side. The dynamic between them is great, too; Usato is over Rose’s shit from the beginning and isn’t afraid to talk back to her, but before you know it, this transforms into friendly banter as Rose clearly takes a shine to Usato and knows he can handle any punishment she doles out. Suzune’s also a bunch of fun now that she’s broken away from having to be the competent, popular girl at school and gets to fully lean into being a complete dork.

Wrong Way also works decently as an isekai, because it makes an effort to stay rooted in high fantasy rather than fall back on JRPG mechanics, meaning there are no stat screens! It also avoids the trappings of wish-fulfillment isekai series by having Usato start out as a regular-ass guy; he’s not a Kirito type, just someone Rose sees as a rough gem in need of cutting. There are no cheat skills or OP weapons or anything, just a kid training every day to get stronger so he can protect the people close to him, and that’s the kind of anime protagonist you should want to be.

For better and for worse, I get serious mid-00s vibes from this one; watch the OP if you don’t believe me. Some of the colors pop uncannily in that early-digipaint-era way, and the animation is pretty middling; the most fluid animation we see is whenever Suzune is acting like a creep. Much like those mid-00s anime, though, Wrong Way may have benefited from being weekly (or twice as long) rather than seasonal. There’s a ton of planting with very little payoff, and it doesn’t feel like the actual scope of the story has even been addressed yet. We don’t even learn why the series has the name it does until someone literally says it aloud in the 11th episode. I may have to reevaluate this season after a possible second, if we ever get one, because this doesn’t stand too well on its own.

Of the anime in this “mixed bags” segment, I’d say I enjoyed Wrong Way the most, but it still had enough problems for me to keep it here. It’s not a particularly bad anime, but it’s not especially good either. I guess we can slot it into what Hazel refers to as “good mid.”

On Hold: 

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (three episodes watched)

Man, what a title. That was the main draw for this BL series, which on paper is basically a gay version of the Mel Gibson vehicle What Women Want. 

Adachi (a surname that will always make me laugh thanks to Persona 4), a gloomy salaryman, has hit the big 3-0 without getting any, and now he can somehow read anyone’s thoughts just by making physical contact with them. Just as he laments that this is his life now, he accidentally bumps into his handsome, popular coworker, Kurosawa, whom he learns has been harboring a massive crush on Adachi this whole time. Well dang, what now? Kurosawa’s a really nice, thoughtful dude, but Adachi’s never even thought about being with a man before! And isn’t there something wrong with already knowing this secret? How can he even go into the office and look Kurosawa in those big, handsome eyes… every single day…

What I’ve seen so far has been pretty solid, if not particularly well animated. The visuals are really my only gripe here; I just put it off for way too long and didn’t have it in me to finish it on time to actually get this thing written and published. Yaoi isn’t my forte, which feels like a shortcoming on my end as a fledgling bisexual, and I’ve already remarked on the solid LGBT representation this past season, so I do plan on hopping back on this one.

I gotta say, the co-leading voice actors put in serious work this season. Adachi is voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi, who continued his role as Stark in Frieren, returned to Mashle as Mash Burnedead, and contributed to Metallic Rouge’s cluttered cast as Noid. Kurosawa’s seiyuu, Ryota Suzuki (of whom I’ll always be a fan for his masterful turn as Yu Ishigami in Kaguya-sama), also held down leading roles in Bang Brave Bang Bravern and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer. They’ve been great in the few episodes of Cherry Magic! that I’ve seen so far, and they’ll be a huge part of what brings me back.

The Gems:

Bang Brave Bang Bravern

I feel like the mark of a perfectly audacious piece of media is in the moments where I find myself incredulously shouting “WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING” at the screen, and Bravern made me do that at least once per episode. I have so many things to say about what makes this show great but all of it can be summed up as “it fucks so goddamn hard.”

A joint military exercise in Hawaii between Japanese and American mech pilots goes south as a sudden invasion by metalloid aliens portends certain doom for humanity. Just in the nick of time, though, a bombastic, autonomous mech named Bravern arrives from space and insists that ace pilot Isami Ao take his reins. Isami reluctantly agrees, and to his consternation, Bravern goes full tokusatsu on everyone’s asses, complete with fully-diegetic theme music, and keeps the threat at bay. With Bravern continuing to pester him to act as a pilot, Isami is forced to take up the mantle of a reluctant hero as everyone rallies around Bravern to save Earth. Tagging along is blond-haired, blue-eyed American pilot Lewis Smith, who gets to live out all of his Top Gun fantasies, right down to the latent homosexuality.

That last point isn’t a projection or anything: This show is legitimately gay as hell, and it rules. Bravern’s feelings towards Isami feel far more romantic than what you’d expect from a literal robot, and his description of how it felt to have Isami pilot him for the first time, as relayed to a grim-faced military council, is riddled with hilarious innuendo. Isami struggles not only with shouldering the burden of needing to be a hero to all of humanity, but also being beset on both sides by a loud, insistent mecha and a dewy-eyed gaijin, both of whom very well seem to want to get in his pants. Intricate rituals punctuate Isami and Lewis’ angsty relationship as these broad-shouldered, muscular men grow ever closer. It’s also worth reiterating that Isami is voiced by Ryota Suzuki, who also voiced Kurosawa in Cherry Magic!, and that may not have even been his gayest role this season. I’m not super well-versed in mecha as a genre, but I do know that there’s a lot of Warrior’s Bond-type stuff in these series, and Bravern lays it on thick. And hard.

This show looks killer, by the way. CGI implementation in 2D anime is still a touchy subject, but Bravern features some of the best I’ve ever seen. Simple cel-shading goes a long way to the point where, outside of some uncanny motion, Bravern himself feels perfectly blended into the hand-drawn animation. Mecha designs range from realistic military-style tech to otherworldly sentient robots, and battle sequences run the same gamut as the stakes rise. As goofy as all of the above may sound, it’s committed to being a grandiose, big-time mecha showcase.

This is as good as camp gets in anime; Bravern does for the mecha genre what Akiba Maid War did for yakuza film pastiche (I have also heard positive comparisons to Samurai Flamenco, which I’ll have to get on ASAP). It’s an excellent mecha show in its own right, and wildly hilarious to boot. Bravern himself is very genre-savvy and seemingly a bit of an otaku himself; he loves acting like a mecha hero, to everyone else’s chagrin. Several of the villains (also mechanical beings, voiced by an all-star seiyuu roster that includes Kenjiro Tsuda, the aforementioned Atsuko Tanaka, and Rie Kugimiya) are total dorks themselves. A CIA interrogator tries to waterboard a mecha at one point. Bravern is a deeply silly show, but the heart is as firmly on the sleeve as the tongue is in the cheek: For as wacky as it can get, the story still unfolds with a straight face and excellent emotional beats. 

This show also has the most unskippable ED of any anime since Chainsaw Man dropped a new one every week. I will not say what happens. You cannot predict what it is. Just watch it. One of the top YouTube comments on that video says “When I saw this ending after episode 2, I thought I was going crazy.” That’s a ringing endorsement.

Chained Soldier

On the heels of 100 Girlfriends completely rewiring my brain, I was raring for some more good old-fashioned anime trash. I was told that there would be plenty this season, but you can consult the “dropped” section to see how well that worked out for me. Chained Soldier came with some significant hype, and soon enough into the first episode I realized that I’d actually skimmed through this manga before (don’t ask why), so I was on board immediately. Now here’s some nice trashy fun.

The world is in peril thanks to creatures called Shuuki that can advance on our world via portals from another dimension. Women primarily lead the charge against these monsters, as this dimension produces a special fruit that can lend them (and not men) otherworldly powers to help them in the fight. Yuuki, a perfectly normal young man, ends up in grave danger as he stumbles into a portal, where he is saved by the beautiful Kyouka, a commander who is able to subjugate Shuuki at will and use them to fight others. In a bind, she asks Yuuki if she can subjugate him, which he agrees to by licking her finger and transforming into a monster himself, at her beck and call. Because of his utility in battle, Yuuki is enlisted into her squad of baddies (and also an 11-year-old), living in their home as a caretaker and answering directly to Kyouka as her “slave.”

I know, I know, but let's settle down for a second. I put “slave” in scare quotes because Chained Soldier fortunately isn’t going full Shield Hero on us; this arrangement has a give-and-take baked in. See, every time Yuuki completes his service, Kyouka (or whomever else takes advantage of this anomaly) is compelled to carry out whatever suitable “reward” springs from his unconscious, and this is where the ecchi kicks in. Sometimes it’s a kiss, and sometimes it’s something a little more; the reward corresponds to the length and intensity of Yuuki’s contributions to battle, so the heat can turn up in the form of, say, clothed face-sitting, a good scrubbing in the bath, or some nice, casual CBT. All of this is to say that “slave” is a bit of a buzzword here: It’s more of a dom/sub situationship with a lot of extra steps.

Yes, just about everything that isn’t an action setup is full-on harem trash, and Chained Soldier lays it on thick, right down to full-on nudity. Nothing about this show resembles high art, but I can’t help but admire such a high level of commitment to its aesthetic, including the sleaze. It fully commits to the bit and doesn’t even bother lampshading its own trashiness. Chained Soldier knows what it’s about, and I respect that. It also has the good sense not to sexualize the youngest girl, which is a point in its favor that I can’t award a couple other shows previously discussed.

And while this show is plenty fun, the action sequences often excellent, and the character designs usually delightful, there’s not actually a whole lot going on here. As I said with Mashle, I know that battle manga like this can take a minute to really get cooking, and as I said with Witch and the Beast, 12 episodes may not always be a sufficient runtime to adapt enough to break ground, but the debut season feels more like a proof of concept than anything else. That being said, Chained Soldier’s manga has a very effusive audience, and its praises don’t seem to entirely be about the boobs and butts, so I’ll wait patiently for the second season. I think it’s earned that much.

Delicious in Dungeon

This is the one I’m having the hardest time writing about because it so confidently and so completely speaks for itself that anything I could add would feel like scattering sawdust at the beach. Dungeon Meshi (I refuse to call it by its official English name) is a widely beloved manga among those who’ve read it, and for Studio Trigger to do an honest-to-goodness manga adaptation for the first time might as well be front page news among anime fans. 

The story follows Laios, the deeply weird human hero, as he delves back into a bizarre and mysterious dungeon to rescue his sister Falin from the belly of a dragon, along with his misfit party: the neurotic half-elven mage Marcille, the temperamental halfling rogue Chilchuck, and the dwarven warrior-slash-chef Senshi. The party is frequently low on supplies, so to survive the trip they’ll need to subsist on the most abundant resource in the dungeon: Monsters. Senshi’s aptitude in the kitchen helps ensure that everything is edible and sufficiently tasty, regardless of how nasty the monster it came from may have been. With monster obstructions out of the way and their bellies filled, our party delves deeper into the dungeon as the mysteries deepen in kind.

I love the character dynamics in this so goddamn much. Marcille and Chilchuck are frequently put off by the food presented to them, but their consternation is worsened by the fact that Laios’ fascination with monsters annoys the shit out of them. I referred to him as “deeply weird,” but that doesn’t begin to describe his absolute galaxy brain, and I mean it as a term of endearment. Laios is deeply knowledgeable and curious about the fauna in the dungeon, and not just how they taste: He is vocally curious about how certain monster attacks may feel, sings along with siren songs, and even keeps a hardcover bestiary inside his breastplate. He’s one of those people you turn to if you have a question on a hyperspecific subject, but you have to be careful how you ask it or else you’re trapped for the next two hours. And I love him for it.

Even putting the comedy aside, there is a fascinating human element at play in Dungeon Meshi, and I can tell that that surface has barely even been scratched yet. Marcille is just as dogged in her pursuit of saving Falin as Laios is, maybe even moreso (remember what I keep saying about LGBT representation this season?). Chilchuck continues to convince himself that he’s only in the job for his own personal gain, but you can see that mask slipping. And I still wanna know what Senshi’s deal is. Even with the five major players I listed, there’s an increasingly deep roster surrounding them—showcasing a broad spectrum of races and ethnicities, both real and fantastical—each with their own histories and motivations, and I cannot wait to see how they play out and interact with one another. There seem to be much deeper themes at play here as well as we learn more about perceptions and grudges between differing races, oppositional magics, clashing ideologies, and the monetary incentives that drive both the dungeon’s exploration and its very existence. I’m here for it.

I’ve been holding off on reading the manga until the season is up in June (though I could crack any day), but I know a loving adaptation when I see one. Not that Trigger ever slacks off in the animation department, but they absolutely brought their A-game here. As with Frieren, the action sequences aren’t frequent, nor are they entirely what the show is about, but they look incredible every single time. Everyone looks bouncy and cartoony in the way only Trigger can pull off while still looking as close as possible to Ryoko Kui’s source material (as far as I can tell). And the food, of course, looks incredible, no matter how weird. This is practically a cooking anime and a fantasy dungeon anime at the same time, and both aspects are visually on point at all times.

I’m obviously speaking from my own bubble as one of the six people who still uses Tumblr in 2024, but I rarely see new anime make a splash like this on social media every single week, and the ones that I do are usually the monster shonen hits like Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen. Dungeon Meshi deserves the exposure and success it’s attained, and I’m excited to see it continue. I’d easily slot this right up there with Bravern as one of the best new anime of the season.

A Sign of Affection

I’ve seen a hell of a lot of shonen slice-of-life romances in the past year and change, so a nice fluffy shoujo like this was an excellent palate cleanser. There were a hell of a lot of Big Action Setpieces and panicky teens and grim dungeon crawlers this season, and at the end of the week I wanted to unwind with a bunch of pretty twenty-somethings falling in love with each other.

The show centers on Yuki, a college student living with congenital hearing loss, making do at a public college after growing up at a school for the deaf. Though she’s able to get by with LINE messages and lip reading, she’s unprepared when a foreigner asks for help, but she’s saved by a handsome and mysterious young man named Itsuomi. He’s able to help out, and takes an interest in her when he realizes his fellow undergrad is deaf, and Yuki takes an interest in kind because he’s really goddamn hot. It turns out that he’s a polyglot and an avid world-traveler, but sign language is not in his purview. This mutual interest sparks the concern of her childhood friend, Oushi, one of the few people in her life who already use sign language, who wants to be sure that nothing untoward is happening. And it isn’t, because this is just a really lovely, low-stakes romance story.

This is pure, unfiltered shoujo at its best. Yuki’s internal monologue is peppered with flowery prose, and everything and everyone looks soft and beautiful. Fashionable, doe-eyed women and pillowy-lipped ikemen abound (seriously, holy shit, the lips on these boys) as the scope widens and the main love interests’ friends explore their own possible love stories. Itsuomi is very much of the “mysterious boy” archetype you’ll find in romance stories in this demographic, but he’s not hiding any sort of dark past like you’d typically expect; he’s just an interesting guy who keeps his personal life close to the vest. He’s a self-appointed world citizen who loves learning about how people of all cultures live their lives, and in Yuki he sees someone within his home turf who happens to live in her own world entirely. And it’s easy to see his forward behavior with Yuki as infantilizing at first (Oushi sure does, and I’ll get back to him in a second), but as they grow closer he quickly becomes much more considerate of her boundaries and learns to accommodate her as he studies sign language and gestures that help ensure her comfort. This is a story about Yuki’s horizons broadening just as much as it is about Itsuomi wanting to be let into Yuki’s narrow world, and that sort of synergy makes for some exceptional romance.

A Sign of Affection deserves some credit for refusing to shy away from Yuki’s disability and making a point of depicting her world as one that does little to accommodate her. Very few people in her daily life ever bothered to learn sign language, she relies on a friend to take notes during lectures, and work is hard to come by. It’s an honest depiction that makes an effort not to be exploitative, which is a breath of fresh air. Not only that, but there’s some interesting meta-commentary in there: The only major conflict in the story stems from Oushi’s jealousy, and his reservations about Itsuomi possibly “taking advantage of” Yuki almost feel like he believes that he’s the only one who knows what’s best for her just because he’s done the bare minimum to accommodate her. He thinks he’s coming from a good place, but he winds up accidentally infantilizing her in exactly the way he thinks Itsuomi might. That’s a particularly interesting bit of irony!

I’ve seen enough shonen-oriented romcoms where an unassuming Regular Guy gets flustered as a way-too-casual girl pushes his boundaries (hell, I’ve already reviewed two of those this season), so it’s nice to see the formula flipped for a shoujo as Yuki and her best friend Rin blush and squee over Itsuomi and his coworker Kyouya, respectively. A Sign of Affection isn’t afraid to get a little silly with it, either; plenty of these moments are punctuated by characters’ faces going low-detail or full chibi, and they are cute as shit every single time.

This one was just cozy as hell. If you’re into this sort of thing, swaddle yourself in it and bask.

Solo Leveling

I let this one collect dust after the third episode and didn’t pick it back up until the season was almost up, and honestly, I was kinda dreading it: The trailers didn’t look too promising, the show was slow to start, and it looked like yet another derivative JRPG-style dungeon crawler that managed to get popular. Turns out, nah, this show actually kinda fucks and the web novel series and webtoon it’s based on are popular for a reason. The story is nothing special, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a perfectly serviceable turn-your-brain-off action spectacle with a bit more lying beneath the surface.

In a modern-day South Korea where portals to mysterious dungeons open up and threaten the populace, those who can brave the dungeons, known as hunters, are an invaluable human resource. Once someone is assigned a grade as a hunter, they have that grade for life, barring some rare occurrences. Sung Jinwoo is at the lowest rung on that ladder as an E-rank, incapable of improvement, assigned the epithet “the weakest hunter of all mankind.” He mostly shows up to portal raids as a warm body to fill a quota, and one such job goes haywire as a secondary dungeon within a portal brutally slaughters most of the raid party, Jinwoo included. He somehow wakes up in a hospital, unharmed, and able to access a digital menu before his eyes that exhorts him to do the One Punch Man workout every day, lest he incur punishment. He gets hilariously chadly in the span of a few days in the hospital, including an inexplicable haircut, and finds access to dungeons only he can enter and levels up within this new system.

This one gets off to a slow start and may have benefited from a longer premiere like Oshi no Ko or Frieren, but once the table is fully set, Solo Leveling really starts to cook. Jinwoo’s titular leveling process is a blast from one fight to the next, and as he moves to work in the dungeons that other hunters can access, it turns out he’s been training with the weights on. He’s suddenly fighting way above his pay grade, and after staving off attacks from hunters taking advantage of portals for nefarious ends, he is recruited by an ambitious corporate scion to make some real coin and establish an independent association of hunters.

While it can feel like there’s a whole bunch of table-setting between portal sequences, it’s some smart worldbuilding on Solo Leveling’s end to establish how portal hunting became a central pillar of this society, and doubly so how political and capitalist interests can leave a wide berth for corruption and bad actors. If there’s money to be made in hunting, of course people will find ways to make even more at the expense of others, both at the corporate and personal levels. There’s a lot of talk in there about “survival of the fittest” and “natural selection” and that… makes me nervous.

Those are terms that can be used to justify immoral actions in the name of money, sure, but Jinwoo also uses them to justify his own actions. To what end is he constantly improving himself? Sure, he's doing what he can to provide for his younger sister and their ailing mother, but I see less and less humanity in him as this goes on. There are constant hints at something far more sinister at play than just a dude getting stronger for himself, not the least of which being “the system,” the UI that implores him to keep taking on these “quests.” Someone, or something, seems to be guiding him. Whenever another hunter turns on Jinwoo, of course his self-defense instincts kick in, but system pop-ups instruct him to defeat X number of hostiles like it’s a normal video game scenario. There’s something eerily depersonalized about these encounters, despite them being full-on mortal combat, that gives me serious Ender’s Game vibes. Consider me intrigued.

I’d heard that the Solo Leveling manhwa’s main draw was its visuals, and though I had my doubts early on, I'm sold now. This is a pretty solid presentation! Hiroyuki Sawano turned in yet another banger soundtrack to punctuate all the action setpieces, helping to stitch together a fairly complete package. Said setpieces are exhilarating and almost impressively bloody, and while the animation is nothing impressive in the day-to-day, it goes absolutely batshit when the gloves come off. Movement is inhumanly fluid and the visuals can go into the same psychedelic territories we’ve seen in the likes of Mob Psycho and Jujutsu Kaisen. If this is the new meta for shonen action, I’m not complaining.

By all rights, this is a pretty decent show, but if I’m being honest, this one just hasn’t stuck with me much. And that’s fine! Sometimes I just wanna see some nutty action stuff and move on with my day. Solo Leveling hits that spot perfectly, and I'll be right back there when it returns for its next season.

‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess

I was surprised to learn that the gag manga this is based on, with such a seemingly simple premise, has been running for well over 200 chapters and counting. As the anime progressed, I was far more pleasantly surprised to learn that it actually works.

In a standard anime fantasy world where the forces of good are fighting the demonic Hellhorde, an unnamed warrior princess and her talking enchanted sword are taken prisoner and subjected to torture as they’re squeezed for intel. Said “torture,” as the title’s scare quotes would suggest, is mildly unconventional, as the demon baddie inquisitor, aptly named Torture Tortura, attempts to ply the princess by presenting her with tantalizingly delicious-looking food that she can only partake in if she coughs up some info. Naturally, the princess caves every single time, but her intel is often inane and useless, so the “torture” continues. It’s not all food, though: The princess is soon held out of arm’s reach of adorable baby animals by a gyaru beastgirl, pampered into submission by a spa-loving giantess, and is faced with a tsundere vampire faildaughter, who… tries. 

And you’d think that would be it; the joke wears thin and you move onto something else. Before you realize it, though, something’s changed: The princess and her captors are quickly becoming friends. The premise almost feels perfunctory: These inquisitors are actual people just doing their jobs, and whatever happens after the princess’ myriad confessions is fair game. There’s no malice or animosity, even during the “torture” sessions themselves: Everyone will have a blast and grow closer as friends, and then the princess will voluntarily go back to her bedless cell. It’s like Sam and Ralph after they clock out, except they’re almost always off the clock. Everyone is genuinely looking out for each other in all directions, and the only thing that keeps the torture going is the need for a status quo to return to, even as it grows more elastic. If anything, Time for "Torture" is a good example of committing to the bit without having to necessarily rely on it.

The real irony in all of this is that it becomes increasingly apparent that the princess is having her needs met in captivity far better than she ever did back home. In her proud proclamations about how she’ll never cave to the temptations before her (shortly before she does just that), the princess often talks about her upbringing and her time as the head of an imperial legion, but these stories often betray her lack of friendship or any of the little things that make life worth living. Her life as royalty was one of isolation and deprivation, to the point where she finds more freedom and fulfillment as a prisoner. She truly lives in a society.

Hellholm, on the other hand, has a surprisingly healthy approach to things like work-life balance, food, and leisure, and its most valuable prisoner is no exception. The Hell-Lord himself is a surprising exemplar of this; for as much as he looks and talks like your standard terrifying JRPG demon king, he’s a surprisingly good dude! He looks after his family, employees, and even the captive princess as if they are all one and the same; he exhibits strong principles and an aversion to conflict, sees to his employees' needs and wants alike, and is a supportive, loving father to his unbelievably precious little daughter (who also serves as a “torturer,” to the princess’ delight). He’s also a big time anime dork, and even bonds with a knight attempting to rescue the princess over their shared otakudom before sending him off peacefully. As “villains” go, he’s top tier.

Time for "Torture" is nothing groundbreaking by any stretch, but it’s a cute, silly time and it plays with anime fantasy tropes in the same way a six-month-old German shepherd “plays” with a cheap stuffed toy. How long the premise holds up is entirely up to you, but I had a lot of fun with it. I have no idea how this ended up being one of the better shows this season, but I guess it just scratched the right itch for me.

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Semi-Grade (Another Level - Installment 4)

Summary:

“Rinko-chaaaan,” Gojo’s voice in her phone called, a smirk still in his voice. “Did you hear me? You’re gonna be a Semi-Grade 1." “You’re a manipulative bastard,” she said drily. “Technically, I agreed to this under duress.” “That so?” he hummed, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Big talk from the slut who still didn’t tell me to stop.” He had her there. He’d asked her color whenever he thought it might be too much, which was often. She’d said green every single time.

AN: I once again combined the two parts into one. So this is the entirety of the installment. Say 'fuck you' to the old geezer, everyone 😂

Also, don't let the header fool you, Gojo and Rinko still gettin' a lil spicy in this one 👀👀

Prev - Let Me Know You | Another Level Masterlist | Kiko's Masterlist

Semi-Grade 2010

“Why am I not surprised to see that you put your number in my phone?”

She could hear his lighthearted laughter as she paid for her sweet plum senbei. He’d also named the contact ‘Best Friend 💦🥵😍Satoru.’ The photo was him holding up a stupid peace sign, sunglasses in place, and a giant goofy grin on his face. She’d officially learned to never leave her phone near him without supervision.

“You’re welcome!” he said, a smile in his voice. “It’s good to hear from you too!”

“Gojo,” she said, a warning in her voice.

As much as she enjoyed his antics, she was wary of him calling her so suddenly. 

“What do you want?”

“Well, since you asked,” he hummed. She felt her eyes narrow as he spoke. “I want your tight pussy-”

“Tell me that isn’t why you called me,” she deadpanned, ignoring the small spark in her cunt at his statement. She’d been planning on having a nice day to herself, buying some groceries, and making a simple dinner before she spent the evening watching TV. They’d had maybe a single conversation that didn’t end with him inside of her, taking her apart. And that was the opposite of the simple, relaxing, solo evening she had planned. “Because if it is, I’m hanging up.”

Pushing past a small group blocking the path, she approached the last stand she needed to visit before leaving.

“Wait!” he called, and she let out a heavy sigh. Waiting for him to continue, she pointed at the fresh takenoko bamboo shoots and held up three fingers. “That isn’t why I’m calling. Though, if you’re offer-”

“Goodbye, Gojo.”

“Wait-!”

She hung up, stuffing her phone back into her pocket as she accepted the bag containing her vegetables.

“Can I get four of the kamo eggplants as well?” she asked, already pulling her money out as they nodded. “Thank you.”

The bruises had finally faded from her neck, having taken two weeks to fully disappear. Not that she was complaining too much. Her uniform covered them almost completely, and when she wasn’t working, it was cold enough to justify the large, bulky scarves she wore. And just a bit of effort to hide the bruises he’d sucked onto her neck was well worth the absolute ruin he’d inflicted upon her to earn them.

Not only had she been right when she assumed she wouldn’t be able to leave first thing the next morning, but he’d somehow - it wasn’t that big of a mystery - convinced her to stay the entire weekend in his bed.

She ordered some yakitori to hold her over until dinner, taking a bite as she continued walking home. The small smile that had been tugging at her lips since she’d seen his contact when he called finally won out, and she released a quiet chuckle as she munched on her snack.

He was absolutely insufferable. But she knew he would say the same about her.

The sound of her phone ringing again made her roll her eyes. Answering it wordlessly, she waited for him to speak.

“That was rude, Rinko-chan,” Gojo said, a pout in his voice now. “But I’ll forgive you this time.”

She stayed silent still, waiting for him to get to the point.

“I have some great news!” he finally continued. “Kurisaki Rinko will be a Semi-Grade 1 sorcerer by the end of the week!”

Her eyes narrowed, remembering how he’d gotten her to agree to let him recommend her promotion.

“Do you need to cum, Rinko-chan?” his voice asked, his teeth biting at her ear. His hips didn’t stop moving, continuously hitting that sweet spot inside her that made her feel like she was being ripped apart. “Hm?”

Her moan made him chuckle, fingers speeding up as he rubbed her clit insistently.

He’d tied her hands to the headboard, a smug grin on his face as he said that he’d untie her when she agreed to accept his recommendation.

“Tell me what I wanna hear,” he murmured, moving to her neck to suck her sweaty skin between his lips. “Just a few simple words, Rinko-chan.”

“You’re such a manipulative-”

The slap to her clit made her back arch into him, a scream falling from her lips as she fought against the ties at her wrists. He groaned deep in his throat when she clenched around him desperately, still tugging on her arms.

“Give in, baby,” he growled, thrusting into her harshly and stilling as he nudged against her cervix. “I can leave you on the edge all night long, sweetheart. Make you my personal little cumslut and not let you cum once.”

Her whine was long, prompting a single, deep thrust as he grinned down at her. His eyes were bright, shining down at her sinfully as he delighted in her completely wrecked state.

“You know you want to,” he taunted, his face just a breath away. A laugh escaped him when she unconsciously tried to lean up to kiss him. “Come on, baby. You know what I wanna hear. You need to cum? Want me to kiss you?”

She slammed her head back against the bed, another moan escaping as he started to move slowly. The head of his cock brushing her gspot was just enough to send a shiver through her.

It wasn’t going to work, she’d told herself stubbornly when he’d started his game. He wasn’t that good. His ego sure as hell didn’t need the boost. She wasn’t going to let him fuck her into agreeing to-

A sharp thrust, paired with another slap to her clit and him biting her neck had her relenting in a broken sob.

“Fine!” she cried, her body shaking with the pain and pleasure combination. “I’ll accept it. I’ll let you recommend me! Please just- fuck!”

He’d leaned back as she finally gave in, a smug grin on his face as he sped back up and rubbed tiny, quick circles on her clit.

“Good girl,” he cooed, capturing her lips with his, pulling her tongue into his mouth and sucking on it. “Such a good girl. Cum for me.”

She whimpered against his lips, her body falling over the edge so quickly she barely registered it happening. The pulses of her cunt squeezing him pulled a low groan from him, and he let out a cruel laugh when she tried to pull her hips away from his fingers still teasing her clit.

“Keep going, baby,” he murmured, pecking her lips sweetly. His eyes were glinting as he leaned back just enough to stare into hers. “You’re gonna keep cumming for as long as you held out.” The mirth in his eyes made hers widen. “That’s right, sweetheart, you held out for so long. Did such a good job edging yourself. Now, you get rewarded for giving me what I wanted.” He paused his thrusts to grind his hips against hers. “Now, be a good little slut and take it.”

“Rinko-chaaaan,” Gojo’s voice on her phone called, a smirk still in his voice. “Did you hear me? You’re gonna be a Semi-Grade 1.”

“You’re a manipulative bastard,” she stated drily. Ripping another bite of meat from the skewer in her hand, she willed herself to keep her thoughts from how many times he’d forced her to cum that night. She’d screamed her throat raw, unable to form coherent thoughts as he wrung her dry. Her clit had been a swollen, overused bundle that hurt by the time he was done with her. “Technically, I agreed to this under duress.”

“That so?” he hummed, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Big talk from the slut who still didn’t tell me to stop.”

He had her there. He’d asked her color whenever he thought it might be too much, which was often. She’d said green every single time.

“When’s my first assignment?” she asked, changing the subject. “Who am I shadowing?”

“Tomorrow,” he replied, his amused tone telling her he knew exactly what she was doing. “And you’ll be with Nanamin, just like I said you would.”

“Am I supposed to wait until he contacts me?” She stopped walking, taking the final bite of her snack and tossing the wooden stick into the nearby trashcan. “Or are you giving me the details?”

“Both,” he replied, voice still amused. “I’m calling to tell you that you can meet me afterward, if you don’t take too long, for dinner.”

“Am I staying here or coming there?” she asked, immediately regretting her choice of words. “Don’t you even dare say what I know you want to say.”

She’d opened the door, but she was slamming it right back shut. Still, her lips curled up in a smile when he let out a knowing laugh.

“Fine, fine,” he relented, still chuckling. “Here. This one will be a two-parter, so you’ll need to be here for a few days. You can stay with me if you want.”

“Why do I feel like this is a ploy to trick me into bed with you?” she teased, her smile growing when he scoffed.

“Baby, I don’t need to trick you into my bed,” his mock offense was driven home by his haughty tone. “You’ll come to my bed willingly, and we both know it.”

Most likely, she mused to herself. But she hadn’t really poked at him in a while.

“Maybe Nanami will offer-”

His growl was quiet, but she heard it, and she would deny the twitch her pussy gave at that sound until the day she died. It was somehow more fun to rile him up the more she got to know him.

“If you want to be bored to death,” he replied, his voice nonchalant. There was a dull edge to it that was quickly sharpening. “I’m sure he’d love to have you. But I know you wouldn’t leave me hanging on my birthday, Rinko-chan.”

Raising her eyebrows, she pulled her phone away from her ear to look at the date, realizing that he wasn’t joking. His birthday was tomorrow.

“Hm,” she murmured, climbing the stairs of her apartment building. “I supposed I can try to squeeze you in tomorrow evening. Think you can fit me into your busy schedule?”

He hummed, voice immediately losing its edge.

“Baby, for you?” his voice was teasing. “I’d clear the whole damn thing.”

Unlocking her door, she let out an exaggerated scoff. Setting her groceries down, she began to put away the ones she didn’t need for her dinner.

“Oh?” she asked, opening her senbei and crunching on one absently, uncaring that he could certainly hear it. “I guess I should feel honored that you’d be so willing to let me skip the line.”

Now he was laughing, she could hear him muffling his chuckles unsuccessfully and then him apologizing to someone.

“Jealous, baby?” he taunted, the playful lilt to his voice making her roll her eyes. “Wish there wasn’t a line?”

Weirdly enough, she suddenly realized she wasn’t. That had her freezing in her task, bamboo shoots inches above the countertop. It was something about their casual teasing and his insistence to become her friend that had her smiling slightly, an odd fondness overtaking her.

He wasn’t exactly a manwhore, he didn’t have the time for that. But she knew he wasn’t celibate either, and she found herself not caring as much as she thought she might.

Then again, that could have something to do with the fact that after the first time they’d had sex, she didn’t think it would be happening again.

“No,” she admitted, surprise coloring her voice as she said it aloud when she realized she hadn’t responded to him. “I actually don’t.”

There was a pause, one she assumed meant his eyes were narrowing as he tried to figure out if she was telling the truth.

“Huh,” he finally breathed. “That’s good, I guess. Wow.”

“Don’t tell me you want me to be jealous?” she asked, resuming her task. She put her phone on speaker as she set it down on the countertop. Even though she got a rush when he acted a bit jealous as well. But maybe it was the insult to his pride in thinking someone could be better. She did like to poke at that aspect quite a bit. It made the sex so much better when he had a little bit of aggression pent up towards her. “This isn’t-”

“No,” he cut her off, his voice serious now. “I’m just surprised. But that makes it easier. I’m glad we don’t have to go through any… I’m glad we’re on the same page already, I guess. I don’t usually-” He stopped for a moment, his voice muffled as he replied to someone’s question. “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t usually see someone more than once.”

She raised her eyebrows, giving her phone a look of disbelief.

“Gojo,” she said, scoffing again. “You don’t need to bullshit me-”

“I’m serious,” he cut her off again. “I’ll make you a deal. Because I said I want to be your friend - and I meant that by the way - I won’t lie to you about this shit. If you’ll agree to the same. Occasional, casual sex, and we let the other know if that changes or something happens.”

Tilting her head to the side, she mulled his words over. He made it sound too easy, just like recommending her for Grade 1.

“Kurisaki?” he asked, and she realized she’d been completely silent. “You there?”

“Yeah,” she called, walking back to her phone and staring down at the stupid contact picture he’d taken. “Kinda unclear though, what do you mean by if anything changes? Like, if we have a partner we think may have given us something?”

“Or if you get a boyfriend,” he replied easily, and she could almost picture him shrugging. “Any change. But yeah, definitely safety. I always use condoms, but-”

“Always, huh?” she asked, cutting him off with a smirk. “Pretty sure-”

“Okay,” he cut her off in return, defensive. “It was- you agreed-”

Her laughter made him trail off, and now she just knew he was scowling.

“I’m just messing with you,” she said lightly, finishing her task and getting out a cutting board so she could start dinner. “You said you were clean and I believe you, and I have an implant. But yeah, I typically use condoms, too. So we should be fine.”

A thought occurred to her, and she couldn’t help but giggle as she wondered how to word her question.

“Okay,” she began, almost dissolving into giggles. “This is such a stupid fucking question,” she heard him let out an annoyed sigh as he waited for her to continue. “But indulge me for a second-”

“Yes,” he deadpanned, but he did sound amused too. “If you’re asking if my reverse cursed technique could counteract STDs. I’ve never tried, but with how it works, yes-”

She finally lost the fight, her laughter bubbling out of her loudly as she leaned against the countertop, wheezing and clutching her stomach. Why it was so funny to her, she would never know, but it just tickled something in her that found it hilarious.

“You literally have a free card to be such a manwhore,” she wheezed, her giggles still making it hard to breathe. “It’s like an asshole’s dream come true.”

“Excuse me,” he snapped, sounding offended. “I still need to be careful because it doesn’t exactly prevent pregnancies. And it’s not like I’ve confirmed that it actually works against- stop laughing!”

“Sorry!” she gasped, gaining control of herself with some effort. “I just- it’s so funny to me. I’ve heard so many men complain how they hate how condoms feel and you’re out here choosing to wear them like some kind of masochist-”

“You’re enjoying this too much,” he said, the irritation in his voice sobering her. “Do we have a deal or not?”

“It’s a deal,” she agreed, taking a deep breath to ensure her giggles were gone. “Though I guess there isn’t much of a point for you, but I appreciate the idea of communicating like adults. So it’s a deal.”

“Good.” He was quiet for a moment before she heard him say under his breath, “You’re such a fucking tease, you know that?”

Raising her eyebrows, she looked down at her phone in confusion.

“Me?” she asked, trying to remember what she’d done. “Wait, what did I do?”

He was silent for a minute, and she wondered if she’d actually made him mad.

“Fuckin,” he groaned quietly. “Got me thinkin’ about how you feel wrapped around my cock.”

Another laugh escaped her, even as she felt her cunt twitch.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she teased. “Did having the responsible conversation about safe sex and-”

“You weren’t just talking about that,” he countered, his voice stern. “You were talking about how it feels to not wear a condom and what else am I gonna think about except your tight cunt wrapped around me like a goddamn vice?”

Her jaw dropped open, a rush of heat running through her now, her underwear suddenly sticking to her uncomfortably.

“That sounds like a you problem,” she said, keeping her voice even. “I am thinking about my dinner.”

“Oh, I’ll fucking show you how it’s your problem,” he whispered, the words sending a shiver through her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Rinko-chan.”

He hung up without waiting for her to reply, leaving her grinning as she continued prepping her veggies.

“How did it go?”

Gojo had been waiting for her when she exited Yaga’s office, falling into step with her easily when she brushed past him.

“As if you weren’t listening in,” she teased, tossing him a look over her shoulder. “But it went fine. It was just tedious.”

It had been a bit textbook if she was honest. A few dozen Grade 3 curses in an old apartment building that was scheduled for renovation. It had been simple but tedious.

Nanami had called her the previous evening not long after she’d gotten off the phone with Gojo. He’d informed her that he would meet her at the Shinjuku metro stop early the next morning, meaning she would need to catch the first train to Tokyo.

His monotone voice had been unsurprised that she’d already been informed of her soon-to-be Semi-Grade 1 status, but he still went through the basics to remind her of the steps.

As a Semi-Grade 1, she would be accompanying him on at least half of his missions for a minimum of six months. After that six-month period, depending on performance, she’d be reevaluated. If she was up to par, an exam would be scheduled in the form of a solo exorcism of a Grade 1 curse. Upon successfully completing that, she would officially be a Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer.

She knew the steps, but she was still reeling from the idea that she was actually getting a chance to go through them. Part of her knew that she could be expecting a disgruntled call very soon.

Pulling her scarf tighter, she walked faster, wanting to escape the cold that had been seeping into her since the moment she’d stepped off the metro to greet Nanami that morning. She’d been bleary-eyed and exhausted, having had to rush to catch the metro after her train from Kyoto had been delayed. It wasn’t much, but it had been enough to stress her already fraying nerves.

Gojo matched her stride easily, his long legs having no trouble keeping pace as they reached the car Yaga was lending her during her stay.

“Dinner?” he asked, leaning down to cage her against the driver’s side door. “Or did you get dinner with Nanami already?”

Rolling her eyes, she gave his chest a light shove, surprised when he relented so easily.

“I need to shower,” she stated, pointing an accusatory finger at him when he grinned. “Alone. I mean it. I’m gross and sweaty and cold after today, and I just want a hot shower. And then maybe dinner. I’m fucking exhausted.”

“We can stay in,” he said, his hands going to her waist. Pulling her closer, his right hand went to her ass, massaging it as he spoke. “I can grab something while you shower.”

“Just let me go to my hotel-”

“Rinko-chan,” he cut her off, leaning down again so his face was just a breath away. “We both know that while you’re not on assignment with Nanami, you won’t be at that damn hotel.”

Her breath stuck in her throat as he grinned at her, his blindfold doing nothing to hide that he was watching her every reaction.

“You can shower at my place while I get the food.” His grin grew. “It’s nicer than a hotel’s anyway.”

Sighing, she gave a small nod. He leaned in to press his lips to hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth briefly, teasingly, and then withdrew as quickly.

“I’ll see you there,” he whispered. “Park in the garage, spot 4.”

Giving her ass a light squeeze, he smirked when she swatted his hand before disappearing as he warped away.

She shook her head before taking a deep breath and climbing into the car. As she started the engine, she plugged in the address for his condo. The last time she’d been there, he had been the one to take her to the train station to go home, and he’d warped them to get there to begin with.

When she pulled into the parking garage, she somehow wasn’t surprised that the spot he’d specified was near the top, making the walk to his door almost nonexistent.As she grabbed her bag from the backseat, she heard the ping of her phone.

Gojo 🙄😈💦| key is in your back pocket

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she felt her pockets to find the small key tucked inside her pants. As she retrieved it, her eyes narrowed when she realized he must have slipped it there when he’d been groping her ass.

I feel like I should be worried at how easily you did that. |

Gojo 🙄😈💦| ;) Gojo 🙄😈💦| what can i say? Gojo 🙄😈💦| i’m good with my hands

Shaking her head, she chose to ignore his last text, walking into the building and through the small lobby that led to his front door. It was nice. Expensive. She’d looked the complex up out of curiosity when she’d gotten home, only to find that it cost a hefty fortune to purchase a condo that nice.

He was a rich boy if there ever was one.

Though, she mused as she unlocked his door and stepped inside, Special Grades were paid well. Even if she didn’t know the exact numbers, she knew that they made a small fortune for each job. On top of the fact that they received a consistent salary whether they went on exorcisms or not.

She made a beeline to the master bathroom, starting the shower and turning it to the hottest it could go. As steam filled the room, she pulled the leggings and oversized sweater from her overnight bag, shedding her dirty clothes and shoving them into the bottom.

As she climbed into the shower, she sighed deeply at the feel of the boiling hot water against her skin. It was ridiculously cold outside, and the majority of their mission had ended up involving chasing the Grade 3s around the outer hallways of the construction site. She felt like the chill would never leave. But as she stood under the spray, her muscles relaxed, and she reached for the shampoo he had sitting on the ledge.

He’d told her last time that she was welcome to use any of his products, which she fell in love with and then immediately forced herself to fall out of love with when she found out how much they cost.

Again, he was a rich boy to the core of his being.

Taking her time, she stayed in the shower longer than she needed to because it felt so relaxing. The rainwater showerhead made it feel like a luxury, and she had to admit that was one of the things that had her relenting earlier.

The hotel that Jujutsu Tech had booked for her could never.

Smirking to herself, she dried off slowly, slipping her sweater over her head and pulling on a pair of boyshorts and her leggings. Toweling her hair dry, she allowed herself a heavy sigh of annoyance when her phone rang.

Just because she’d been expecting it didn’t mean she was ready for it.

Holding the phone to her ear, she tossed her towel into Gojo’s overflowing hamper in the corner and waited.

“You knew this wasn’t going to go over well.”

She released another heavy sigh, making sure her phone picked it up.

“Don’t sigh at me, girl,” Yoshinobu scolded, his voice quiet. “You do know this isn’t going to go over well.”

“That’s why I’m sighing,” she replied, combing her fingers through her wet hair to brush it. “I’m surprised it took you this long to call me to give me an earful-”

“Wouldn’t have to if you had just told me yourself,” he cut her off in a stern voice. “What are you doing getting mixed up with Gojo Satoru? Better yet, what did you do to have him so damn insistent to get you to Grade 1?”

An excellent question, she thought to herself as she took a seat on the edge of his bed. Yoshinobu would have a damned heart attack if he knew where she was now.

“Couldn’t tell you,” she replied honestly, still not even sure herself. “But he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer when I tried to refuse.”

“Well,” Yoshinobu scoffed quietly. “It’s because he knew you’d be a fool to turn down a recommendation from him.”

The small smile that pulled at her lips was stamped down immediately.

Gakuganji was a hardass, grouchy old man. And he answered to the higher-ups, mainly her family, but he did care about her. He’d made that clear throughout her time in school. But his loyalties had to lie in preserving his own skin at the end of the day.

Still, it was slightly comforting to hear him tell her indirectly that he approved of her recommendation.

“I’m well aware,” she said quietly. Finally giving up on her hair, she focused instead on fidgeting with the ends of her sweater. “It’s my only shot, yeah?”

“A risky one, though,” he agreed indirectly again. “I’ll be getting another call in the next few hours. News has traveled quickly. They aren’t happy. But they can’t go against Gojo, at least not openly. They’d make it far too obvious that they’re purposefully impeding your promotion if they did.”

Nodding her head, she let out another sigh.

“How far you think I’ll make it?”

It was the question that had been swirling in her mind since she’d heard Gojo’s voice excitedly telling her she was Semi-Grade 1. While she knew that she was skilled enough to make it, she also knew that her father and the Zenin clan would go to great lengths to keep her as far away from success as possible.

“Realistically?” Yoshinobu sounded reluctant to answer. “You’re more than capable. But-”

“They’re also more than capable of stonewalling it.”

“You got lucky,” he argued. “Your official committee is going to have Yaga and Nanami on it, as well as Mei Mei-”

“But,” she pressed, knowing he was hedging. “Who else?”

“Naoya and Ogi,” Yoshinobu finally relented. “Naoya recently gained Special Grade 1, and he’ll be serving as a special addition to the committee so he can see how it’s done. Ogi will be mentoring him because Naobito can’t mentor his own son.”

“Dodged one bullet right into two others,” she muttered. “Ogi is more level-headed than Jinichi, at least.”

“And they’re all angry,” he countered. “Watch your back, Kurisaki. They might not care to stay on official channels for this.”

“You think they’ll put out a hit on me over this?” she asked, trying to tell herself she was surprised. But she wasn’t. Feeling the sadness settle in her chest, she realized she was far from surprised. She suddenly remembered the threat they'd given her years prior, worry settling in her gut. “My mother-”

“Will be in danger,” he confirmed. “More so than you.”

“If I withdraw now-”

“You’ll only solidify the weakness they want to take advantage of.” His voice was stern again, and she knew he was right. “If you withdraw now, you’ll only confirm that they can control you with fear.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’ll talk to Mei Mei, she keeps an ear to the ground when it comes to high-paying hits. But you can’t give it up now. If you do, you’ll only be throwing away the only chance you’ll ever have.”

Her heart clenched, knowing that now more than ever she needed to focus on her technique.

“What do I do?” her voice was quiet, feeling desperation threatening to swallow her. “How am I supposed to-”

“You stay calm,” Yoshinobu stated, his voice harsh, just like it had been when she was in school. “You don’t let them get to you. And you focus on yourself. These assignments with Nanami aren’t a joke. You can still get yourself killed if you’re too worried about other things.”

She couldn’t fight the frown as he spoke, knowing he was right. Letting out another heavy sigh, she clenched her jaw.

“So my only option is to make it.”

“Always has been,” he replied, voice still unforgiving. “Name a time when that wasn’t the case?”

The call ended soon after, with him reminding her to watch her back and her snapping at him to worry about his own skin.

Pushing herself to her feet, she tossed her phone back onto Gojo’s bed behind her. Shoving the anxiety down, she resolved to visit her mother as soon as she was home again.

Yoshinobu would let her know if Mei heard anything about a hit put out on her mother. Hell, Mei would likely reach out to her directly if something like that popped up.

As she exited Gojo’s room, she saw him placing takeout containers on the large island in the middle of his kitchen. He turned when she entered, pulling his blindfold down briefly to show her how he looked her over.

“No bra,” he mused, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Still mad about last time?”

His teasing made her roll her eyes because yes she was, actually. He’d ruined her favorite, most comfortable bra.

“What’d you get?” she asked, ignoring his question and moving to peer into one of the large paper bags he’d yet to empty. “I’m hungry.”

He hummed, caging her against the island and leaning down to press his lips to the left side of her neck. Inhaling deeply, he moaned as he sucked a mark onto her skin.

“You smell like my soap,” he grumbled, letting his tongue flick out and caress the spot he’d just released. “Fuck, I’m fucking starving-”

“I am eating real food,” she stated firmly, biting her lip against the moan that bubbled in her throat when he bit her neck teasingly. “I’m serious. I haven’t eaten since before lunch, and whatever this is smells delicious-”

“Fuck yeah, it does,” he moaned against her neck. His hands grasped her hips, pulling her back to grind against his crotch, his cock pressing against her back insistently. “You can eat, baby, but let me at least have a taste to hold me over-”

She swatted his hands, turning quickly in his grasp and poking a finger into his chest.

“You are literally impossible,” she retorted, her eyes narrowing when he pouted at her. “Gojo-”

“It’s my birthday,” he whined, nuzzling his face into her neck again and she laughed at that.

“What are you, eight?” she asked, unable to keep from teasing him. “Who even says that about their birthday-” she cut herself off, grasping his hair and tugging him back gently so she could look him directly in the blindfold. “You’re an only child, aren’t you?”

His ears turned pink, and he shrugged his shoulders as she started laughing again. “I fucking knew it! Of course you are. An only child to one of the big three. And you were born with the Six Eyes and Limitless? No fucking wonder you’re such an asshole.”

Setting aside the very glaring fact that she was, technically, also an only child, she pressed on.

Gojo was pouting at her dramatically now, and she let out an exaggerated sigh. Taking a step forward, she placed her hands on his chest and forced him to step back until his hips were resting against the counter opposite the island. Pulling his blindfold down, she held his gaze with hers as she sank to her knees slowly.

“But I guess I’ll cut you some slack since it is your birthday,” she murmured, unbuckling his belt and quickly unzipping his pants. “But then you’re letting me actually eat some fucking food.”

His eyes were wide as he stared down at her, mouth parted in surprise. She freed his cock, fisting it tightly for a moment, watching his eyelids drop as she did.

“Fuck,” he groaned, his hands threading into her hair as she gave his leaking tip small kitten licks, savoring the taste of his precum. “Shit, baby-”

He cut himself off with a deep groan when she opened her mouth and eased him in slowly. Licking along the underside of length as she took him, she let out a moan when he touched the back of her throat.

“Oh my fucking-” he almost choked when she continued, taking another deep breath through her nose as she relaxed her throat until her nose was just nudging his pelvis. “Fuck, Rinko!”

Moaning again, she eased him back out, letting her teeth just barely scrape along the thick vein on the underside as she did so. Flexing her jaw, she felt a satisfying pop from her joints as she shifted them around to adjust to the strain. He was bigger than she was used to, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Yeah?” she asked, blinking up at him slowly, smirking when he just stared back silently. “You wanna fuck my throat? Hm? Think you can handle it?”

Without waiting for a reply, she pulled him between her lips again, sucking his head lightly like a lollipop. His broken moan was paired with his hands tightening in her hair, fingers digging into her scalp as he thrust into her mouth.

“Fucking perfect,” he grit out, eyes going hazy as he stared down at her. Thrusting again, he nudged the back of her throat roughly, tears jumping to her eyes at the feeling. “Taking me so good, baby- shit!”

She swallowed around him, blinking quickly to clear the moisture from her eyes.

He seemed to take that as her sign to keep going, using his grip on her hair to slam into her repeatedly, his head falling back with a low moan. She whimpered around him in response, closing her eyes as she focused on relaxing her throat and breathing through her nose. Tonguing the underside of him occasionally, she smirked internally at how wrecked he sounded.

“Gonna cum,” Gojo rasped a few minutes later, his thrusts growing choppy. “Fucking- oh fuck, Rinko. Baby-”

He tried to pull back, but she grasped his hips, hollowing her cheeks and sucking harder. Feeling smug, she refused to release him as he stuttered, cock twitching wildly as he came down her throat. His moan was long, low, and broken as she swallowed around him, letting out her own moan at the taste.

As she felt the last of his cum coat her mouth, she released him with a pop. Catching her breath, she wiped the drool and cum that had dripped down her chin with the bottom of his shirt. A satisfied smirk overtook her when she looked up, seeing his dilated pupils and heaving chest.

“Happy birthday,” she murmured smugly. “You enjoy yourself?”

He let out a feral growl, using his grip on her hair to yank her up so he could shove his tongue into her mouth. Teeth knocking against hers, he groaned again when he tasted himself on her tongue as it massaged his. One hand moved from her hair down her back to grip her ass, already trying to push her leggings down.

“Ah,” she chided, pulling away and pressing her hands against his chest when he tried to follow. “I said I was going to eat some real food afterward, and I meant it. Just needed an appetizer.”

Smirking up at him, she skillfully removed herself from his grasp. Tucking him back into his pants and zipping them up, she turned and went back to peer into the takeout containers on the island. Digging through the bag, she discovered he’d gotten them Thai food. She hummed excitedly as she pulled the plastic forks and spoons from the bottom of the bag before opening one of the containers.

Turning back around, she saw him still staring at her, dumbfounded.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice teasing.

Taking a small bit of rice on her spoon, she soaked it in the green curry and did a tiny dance at the flavors on her tongue. She took another bite before she realized he was still just staring at her silently, and her face scrunched.

Growing worried, she felt the dread begin to build at his continued silence. Part of her, a loud part, was beginning to worry she’d done something wrong. Her fingers began fidgeting with the spoon in her hands, willing herself to stay calm.

“Gojo?” her voice sounded small, and she cleared her throat. Taking another deep breath, she fought to hide the anxiety bubbling to the surface. “Did I-?”

He seemed to snap out of his trance as she spoke, moving to cage her against the island again.

“You can eat,” he murmured, leaning down to press his lips to the skin just below her ear. “But after?” He ground his hips into hers, letting her feel how he was already hard again. “You’re mine.”

Hiding her moan with a hum, she let her head fall to the side briefly. Her confidence was returning quickly with his tongue teasing her skin and making her feel dizzy. She could feel her boyshorts sticking to her now, a fresh rush of slick escaping when he nipped her neck repeatedly.

Still, she couldn’t help but mess with him further, standing on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek and moving around him.

“If you think you can handle it, Gojo,” she hummed, searching his cabinets until she located a bowl. Shoveling rice in the bottom, she poured the curry over top and took a seat on one of the stools on the other side of the counter. “You look like you could use the breather, anyway.”

Her pussy twitched when his eyes narrowed, and he clenched his jaw.

“Careful,” he warned, watching her hum contentedly. “Don’t get all cocky-”

“Too late,” she said, watching him round the counter until he was next to her, wrapping his arms around her middle. His chin rested on her right shoulder, fingers intertwining just above her left hipbone. She held her plastic fork up threateningly, her own eyes glaring at him in warning. “I am serious about eating. So if you don’t let me eat, I’ll use this fork to-”

“I’m gonna let you eat,” he said, exasperated. A small smile tugged at his lips when she nodded, her eyes narrowing at him seriously. “But I mean it when I say I hope your little game is worth it. Because when you’re done eating?” He paused to lick at the lobe of her ear slowly. “I’m having dessert.” Emphasizing his statement with a harsh bite, pulling a surprised yelp from her. “And then I’m gonna fucking wreck you.”

Turning back to her bowl, she hummed as she chewed.

“Big promise from someone who was an absolute mess from just my mouth a few minutes ago.” Watching his face from the corner of her eye, she continued. “You taste delicious, by the way.”

His hands flexed against her side, nostrils flaring and letting her know she was really testing his self-control.

Turning her head, she accepted his kiss, allowing the quiet moan to escape when his tongue gently probed her mouth. He moved against her slowly, lazily, for just a few moments and then he pulled away.

“You’re a fucking menace,” he grunted, pecking her lips once more before removing his arms and getting his own bowl.

Returning to her side and sitting on the stool to her left, he rolled his eyes at her wide grin.

“You like it,” she teased, nudging his shoulder with her own. “You can’t tell me otherwise.”

Chuckling, he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

“Makes dessert that much sweeter,” he muttered, watching her pause midchew before she smirked subtly, resuming her happy food dance.

-

AN: I am too lazy to make the same graphics I occasionally make for the texts right now... 🫠

[violivs]

NMTDaily: BIRDS

- There he is, folks. My favorite fictional character ever. In his first solo episode. I cannot be held responsible for the level of fangirling that must now commence.

- I mean, I was a lonely teenage girl watching this show in 2014, and he was a cute, nerdy, dark-haired guy with an accent. It was a foregone conclusion, shallow though it might sound. There was no way I was watching this show and not loving Benedick. Including when he’s being cringy and over the top. And then we peel back the layers and see that “having a new friend every week” just means Ben is ALSO desperately lonely and self-conscious? I was toast. It was so over for me, from day one.

- I love that his header image is just a piece of paper with The Ben Show written in messy Sharpie and he’s still acting like he’s presenting the most exciting show ever. The confidence! His icon image being him kissing his reflection and the username “benaddicktion” are also strokes of genius. The cocky, overconfident characterization is so strong just based on those choices. Truly a teenage version of the character from the play.

- We must note the heinous laser cat t-shirt and how Ben is matching Beatrice with her Grumpy Cat t-shirt in recent videos. Love it. Another parallel- they both have extensive collections of nerdy and random t-shirts. AND they’re both cat people!

- Set dressing: Ben has a horse lamp for some reason, which reminds me of “Hero, it’s Darcy on a horse!” Beatrice, meet your very own personal Darcy. He’s just, you know, a lot less shy and buttoned-up than actual Darcy.

- He also has several sports trophies on his desk there, I like that he’s accomplished. Proud of you Ben! A good soldier becomes a good football player, modern adaptation choices! (I can practically hear Beatrice snickering about them just being participation trophies though lol)

- The trophies do remind me of another question: why does Ben never try out for sports at university in Lolilo? He can go intramural just for fun, he doesn’t have to be on a scholarship or trying to go pro. Maybe anxiety??? Maybe he just wasn’t feeling it anymore, or maybe he did try and didn’t make whatever team? *adds to social anxiety headcanon evidence list*

- I always wanted to know what book was on Ben’s bed, and someone in the comments has come through for me! It’s Children of Huron by Tolkien even though that cover art looks like it should be literary historical fiction about a tragic married couple who are lighthouse keepers. Which is also a valid literary genre!

- He also has Game of Thrones books, another connection to Beatrice and her interests. You know they must argue about whether the books or show are better at least once offscreen.

- He also has a little rubber duck dressed like Shakespeare (thank you again comment section for your eagle eyes), which has catapulted me back in time to one of the NMTD fandom’s finest early crack!posts: the Beneduck. Born of an unholy typo made by yours truly these many years ago. (I only made the typo, though, not the edit. Credits for that at the link lol. Miss you both, hope you’re well.❤️ ) You’re welcome. 😂

- “A story about birds”- this reminds me, Ben doesn’t seem as upset about all the bird killings as someone who loves birds would be, so does that mean him loving birds wasn’t set in stone yet? I sometimes wonder if I’m misremembering Ben liking birds because Jake likes birds. But the flamingos are canon so I guess it is canon.

- “easily the best driver in Messina High School, no matter what Beatrice says” Oh, Ben is absolutely only making a video about this topic because he and Bea had another argument about this recently. He’d be like, “I’m an excellent driver” and she’d say, “oh yeah, how many living things have you killed” and that’s the true “how many hath he killed in these wars” moment!

- This video is, of course, intentionally, very cringe. But Ben is so damn good at making it likable. Honest props to Jake, the comments in this video are all loving Ben already because he makes him so likable and fun to watch make a fool of himself.

- Not even 45 seconds into Ben’s first video and he’s already mentioned Beatrice TWICE. Speaking of it’s so over- he was literally always obsessed with her. It’s adorable.

- “obviously he’s quite nervous- but it’s all good! He knows he can do this ‘cause he’s great.” Oh my GOD there it is! There it all is! His entire character. Ben gets so nervous- anxious- and he gets through life by ignoring that feeling and having a big head. Because if he keeps telling himself he’s wonderful and perfect and confident, then he can make himself believe that’s true long enough to get through the scary thing. I love him.

- The fact that Ben definitely scripted this and hunted down all these props ahead of time though. The water gun for the rainstorm! It’s so cute and earnest of him. It reminds me a little of Lizzie Bennet-style costume theater, but it’s puppet theater instead. Good thing, too, because some of these stories sound like they were extremely visceral and gory in real life 😬

- “Bird death rua” Ben knowing a little Te Reo Māori reminds me of another backstory question: how long has Ben lived in A/NZ at this point? He’s lived in Auckland since he was 13, because that’s when he met Peter/Pedro, the year leading up to the summer he was 14 and met Bea. But did he live in another part of A/NZ before that for a while? Or did he come from the UK at 13? I just feel like the timeline is important for the “has a new best friend every week” thing, and actually it could make sense if they lived in the UK for his early years (he didn’t know the reference to an A/NZ little kids’ tv show the flatmates made in Lolilo because he was too old when he moved there to have ever seen it), but then also maybe bounced around different parts of A/NZ for a while before settling in Auckland- he was always the New Kid and that’s why he comes on so strong in friendships and never believes they’ll last. But it’s also very cute if Peter and Beatrice are his actual first friends he makes in A/NZ right after moving countries. I don’t know.

- Extremely funny to me that Ben is a Taylor Swift fan since the moment we meet him. The artist who is stereotyped for only writing about Ben’s supposed least favorite thing, romantic relationships. It’s not even like he gets into her music while he’s coming to terms with his feelings for Bea, no, he’s already singing I Knew You Were Trouble back when he says he hates relationships and romance. Actually, goddamn, that’s a good song choice for him right now, when he sees Bea as the ex-best friend who broke his heart. She’s the one he knew was trouble when she walked in! She’s the one who puts him down!

- Now I am admittedly not a pet person, but it seems unusual for a teenager to be taking the cat to the vet by himself. He doesn’t hold the pet insurance policy, right? So this is the first moment that shows Ben is actually really independent and mature on some levels (foreshadowing), and that his parents are very hands-off. That’s partly because of the “parents must be absent so the kid can have a plotline fully unencumbered by rules and adult interference” trope. But I also always interpreted Ben’s parents as loving but emotionally neglectful. And that also contributes to his anxiety, loneliness, and wild self-esteem fluctuations. (It suddenly occurs to me that this interpretation of it being unusual for a teen to be able to take a cat to the vet by himself might be colored by the fact that I had severe social anxiety as a teen, so I literally could not have gone up to a person working a desk and asked for what I needed in most contexts. If it’s normal for a teen to take a cat to the vet alone, then never mind. But I still hold these headcanons.)

- He dedicated the video to Hero and Bea! Oh he was definitely so nervous and hyperaware that Bea was on the sidelines that whole game and he doesn’t know why it genuinely made him happy that she was there. He’s being sarcastic here, but still! Cute.

- As mentioned in one of my other NMTDaily posts, Ursula helped edit this video and Ben thanks her in the description, and I love that for them. Ursula is probably relieved that Bea hates the video too much to bother reading the description, or she would be mad at Ursula for being friends with him.

- I still can’t watch this video without thinking of the song “Live in Living Color” from the musical Catch Me If You Can. Really, it’s literally the perfect MT song to represent this video. I should find and reblog my old NMTD as a musical fanmix just for fun.

- You see? A big long analytical post about a video in which my cringy dorkass boy pretends to gnaw a bird-shaped oven mitt to death. I can’t even help myself.

- I am so behind on these but i promise I’ll catch up!

💖🦩🥭

[marui-bunta]

why are u mad at the nail shop when u the one who cant keep up just go solo so customers kno its gonna be a whole day event and get to make the actual choice themselves 👀

Not that I can't keep up, as in I take 2 hrs per gel manicure. Literally takes me 15 mins more than the rest of the girls and for them that's 'a problem' and not the only reason.

They are banning me from doing services after a client reported the salon to the national customer's service because of an acrylics set I made that lifted. Now, let me give you some background into how this happened as this was the only time something like this happened.

I ran out of materials, because we had to provide basic materials. Acrylics, base gel, top, e file, stuff for nail prep, etc. and honestly I was running low on them to begin with, my bad there, I should've asked for help to a friend or someone, but I wasn't expecting them to take so long to make payments (that first month my payment was made on the 8th) and when they finally paid I asked for permission to go to a nail supply store that was close by, explaining the situation to my bosses, that the materials I needed were essential for all of my services and I was still denied because of the massive amount of appointments. Joke was on them as there were pretty much no appointments that day, reason why I asked for permission and I could've perfectly gone and get all I needed, it would've taken me less than 30 minutes, but, no, Pikachu knows everything.

Knowing I didn't have the essentials for an acrylic they still booked me an acrylics client last minute, we didn't have access to the bookings and we weren't allowed to say no either, so, I had to buckle up and do a bad job because of them, knowing that it'd lead to something like this because this client was a lawyer. After that they banned me from doing most services BUT gel and regular manicures.

So, it's not only a thing of being able to keep up or not, which yeah, I do have a difficult time with my eye in comparison with my colleagues, but also these people destroyed the trust I had in my work and lowered my self estheem to levels I never knew existed, to the point of near suicide, and also they messed up my finances pretty badly, so excuse me for being a little mad to them.

Also, how do you expect me to go solo, if I don't have the money to invest in supplies, smartypants? I'm in debt (I'm pretty sure it says in the title or header of the post), barely earning 200 usd/month and in the debt registry in my country to boot, and just by being there and earning that little I'm automatically denied credit cards and any sort of loan, and most likely, jobs as well. Note that minimum wage here is at 500 usd/month and I live in one of the countries with one of the highest costs of living in Latin America.

[stateofsport211]

Argentina Dramatically Clinched the Third World Cup, Defeated France in A Penalty Shootout Despite the Comeback

Kylian Mbappe (left) and Lionel Messi (right), one of the major key players for France and Argentina, respectively (📸 Getty Images via BBC)

A thrilling final was delivered in the classic match between France and Argentina. They last met in the Round of 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where France defeated Argentina 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinals, and eventually become the World Champions. Knowing their last meeting and their current form, they were expected to enter another rollercoaster match, which precisely happened this year.

There is a possibility of this match ending not in regular time, which happened because of every equalizing goal. Here goes how everything unfolded.

The Regular and Extra Times: Always Scoring, Always Equalizing

The first several minutes of the regular time was filled with Argentinean dominance, where they mostly attacked France and left no room for the latter to even respond. One of those early chances came from Julian Alvarez, where the ball was saved by Hugo Lloris; followed by Alexis Mac Allister and Angel di Maria, but their chances were not materialized. On the other hand, France had their own chances: there was one coming from the middle where it was saved by Emiliano Martinez, while Olivier Giroud's header several moments after went too wide. In between, Argentina kept initiating their own chances.

Lionel Messi's first goal from the penalties (📸 The Guardian)

Argentina was granted a penalty after Ousmane Dembele fouled Angel di Maria in the penalty box by making a contact from behind, and Szymon Marciniak (the referee) pointed out to the spot, hence the penalty. Lionel Messi then executed the penalty perfectly at 22' for Argentina to lead 1-0. Their full-scale aggressiveness continued when by the middle of the second half, they had 2 on-target chances out of 5 to French no-chances-at-all. Angel di Maria's second goal was caught off-guard at 35' when Messi flicked the ball towards Julian Alvarez, sending Mac Allister away before di Maria received the ball and went solo to convert the goal, breaking the French defense lines. France made interesting substitutions before the end of the first half with the entrance of Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani to replace Giroud and Dembele, but the Argentinean 2-0 lead still stood at the end.

Kylian Mbappe celebrated after scoring one of his goals in this match (📸 Deutsche Welle)

In the second half, Argentina kept itself in an offensive position, when several chances were recorded, one of which was saved by Hugo Lloris. One of their closest chances came from Messi (where the ball landed outside of the goalpost) and Mac Allister (where he tried to break the French defensive lines, only for Lloris to save the ball again). Take into account how France raised their level trying to counter-attack Argentina when Kylian Mbappe had a shot on target at 70'. However, Nicolas Otamendi's drag-down to Randal Kolo Muani in the penalty box resulted in a French penalty, which Mbappe executed perfectly for France to get back in the game. As a result, Mbappe became the youngest person to score in 2 World Cup finals.

It might have looked like a carriage, but Mbappe caught the Argentinean defense department off-guard from the way he broke it down, where he passed through Messi and several other players before cracking the ball on E. Martinez's ball for an equalizer. Another "whether or not this foul resulted in a penalty" discourse then arose in the injury time when Kingsley Coman was fouled near the left corner flag, followed by contact between Eduardo Camavinga, Adrien Rabiot, and Emiliano Martinez, but the match played on. Several minutes after, the regular time was finished with a 2-2 draw, hence the game carried on to the extra time.

The goals of the extra time: Lionel Messi's goal for the Argentinean initial lead (left; 📸 The New York Times) and Kylian Mbappe's second penalty execution (right; 📸 USA Today FTW)

The extra time has proven itself to be a unique kind of rollercoaster. While several intriguing substitutions were made (e.g. Wesley Fofana replacing Rabiot for France and Lautaro Martinez + Leandro Paredes substituted J. Alvarez and Rodrigo de Paul for Argentina), several other chances were caught after for the match to heat up, mostly for Argentina: Marcos Acuña's cross went too wide, and Lautaro Martinez fired his on-target shot only for Dayot Upamecano to defend the ball, hence the French corner (which carried through the possession). Toward the end of the first half (of the extra time), Lautaro fired another shot behind the goal net, while it was perfect in construction with regards to the preceding passes.

The second half of the extra time delivered the portion that might have summarized the regular time: one would equalize when one scored a goal. Messi started with an extremely close chance before it got converted several minutes later with his right leg, even though there were concerns about this goal being offside in construction. A preceding handball when Gonzalo Montiel tried to defend (but it touched his forearm instead) enabled Mbappe to execute his second penalty, resulting in his ability to score a hat-trick and France getting back to the game thanks to his electrifying executions.

Toward the end of the extra time, both teams had their chances, but nothing got converted. Kolo Muani fell short in his attempt (and another French chance went too far away), while the "game of chances" ended the extra time with Mbappe's shot saved by E. Martinez responded by Lautaro's shot went too wide in execution. Even with Mbappe's three goals and his leadership to get France back in the match (and match Argentina's level in a similarly aggressive manner, capitalizing on the penalties when it mattered), the Argentinean counter-offensive response and balanced defending brought the final to the further distance: the penalty shootout.

The Exciting Penalty Shootout and the Awards: Mostly Argentinean Sweep (except the Top Scorer)

The penalty shootout proceedings (📸 self-illustration) and Lionel Messi lifted the trophy for Argentina during the awarding ceremony (📸 Associated Press via NBC)

The penalty shootout was equally thrilling as the regular and extra time. The first turn started with Mbappe and Messi scoring for each team, before Coman's penalty kick was saved by E. Martinez in the second turn. Paulo Dybala managed to score another one, followed by Tchouameni missing the ball too far and wide for the Argentinean 2-1 lead by the end of the second turn. In the subsequent two turns, Leandro Paredes and Randal Kolo Muani scored for their respective teams before Montiel sealed the title for Argentina after strengthening the lead 4-2 by the end of the penalty shootout.

With this victory, Argentina won the World Cup for the third time (after 1970 & 1986) and marked Messi's first World Cup title. What made the title sweeter is how he shared this with Angel di Maria since they were teammates in 2005 and how he decided to continue playing international football to the best of his ability despite this World Cup likely becoming his last.

The FIFA World Cup individual awards recipients, from left to right: Enzo Fernandez - Lionel Messi - Emiliano Martinez - Kylian Mbappe (📸 Reuters via India Today)

Furthermore, there was an Argentinean sweep in the players' individual awards: apart from Mbappe becoming the top scorer with 8 goals, Lionel Messi also received the Golden Ball Award as the best player of the tournament (for the second time since 2014). E. Martinez received the Golden Glove Award for his two heroic penalty shootout performances (both against the Netherlands and France, which if without the latter, there could be a debate between him and Dominik Livakovic as the recipient), while Enzo Fernandez received the Young Player Award for his influence, especially against Mexico.

Within the fans, not only the party exploded the afternoon in the center of Buenos Aires (and the rest of Argentina in general) but also "affirmed" Messi and Mbappe's status in the fan-induced goat debates, with the former being "coronated" by this World Cup victory. A tweet from 2015 emerged when a fan predicted Argentina to lift the World Cup and how it would be Lionel Messi's first World Cup title. After the competition, the French team was consoled by their President, Emmanuel Macron.

The domestic leagues will return sometime next week, with some countries already having their leagues back (and some already did an "exhibition" or their friendly matches). For the other World Cups: the FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in the middle of next year in Australia & New Zealand, as well as FIFA U-20 (Men's) World Cup in Indonesia in a similar timeframe. At the end of the day, while this achievement is being celebrated this week, the football keeps footballing, the ball is round, and any other things can still happen. FIFA World Cup will be back in 2026 with North America (Canada-United States-Mexico) hosting.

Until then, one of the biggest football competitions in the world! The 64th match, the "match of the matches" of this year, was complete. This match surely goes down in the history books as one of the most unbelievable matches of all-time, with the dynamicity of the final and how dramatic the turntables were.

[vallerta124]

Soccer Mastery Made Easy: Pop-Up Goals, Rebounders, and 12x6 Nets for All Levels

Are you looking to take your soccer skills to the next level? Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting out, having the right equipment can make all the difference. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of using pop-up soccer goals, soccer rebounder nets, and 12x6 soccer goals to enhance your training sessions and elevate your game.

Pop-Up Soccer Goals: Portable and Versatile

Pop-up soccer goals are a game-changer for players of all ages and skill levels. These goals are lightweight, portable, and easy to set up, making them perfect for practice sessions in the backyard, park, or even the beach. Whether you're working on your shooting accuracy, passing precision, or goalie skills, pop-up goals provide a convenient and efficient way to hone your techniques.

One of the greatest advantages of pop-up soccer goals is their versatility. They come in various sizes, ranging from small goals suitable for young children to larger goals ideal for adult players. Additionally, many pop-up goals are designed for indoor and outdoor use, allowing you to practice year-round regardless of the weather conditions.

Soccer Rebounder Nets: Master Your Control and Touch

If you're looking to improve your ball control, passing accuracy, and first-touch skills, a soccer rebounder net is an essential training tool. Rebounder nets consist of a sturdy frame with a taut netting that rebounds the ball back to you when you kick or throw it against the surface. This enables you to practice solo or with a partner, simulating game-like scenarios and refining your technique in various situations.

Whether you're focusing on volleys, headers, or ground passes, a rebounder net provides instant feedback, allowing you to adjust your technique and improve your consistency over time. Additionally, many rebounder nets are adjustable, allowing you to change the angle and tension of the net to customize your training experience.

12x6 Soccer Goals: Regulation Size for Serious Training

For players aspiring to compete at a higher level or simply want to replicate the dimensions of a regulation soccer goal, a 12x6 soccer goal is the perfect choice. These goals provide a realistic training environment, allowing players to practice shooting, crossing, and goalkeeping with precision and accuracy.

A 12x6 soccer goal is also ideal for coaches and teams looking to simulate game scenarios during training sessions. By incorporating regulation-size goals into drills and scrimmages, players can develop their tactical awareness, spatial positioning, and decision-making skills in a realistic setting.

Conclusion: Elevate Your Game Today

In conclusion, investing in quality soccer equipment such as pop-up goals, rebounder nets, and 12x6 soccer goals can significantly enhance your training regimen and elevate your performance on the field. Whether you're striving to improve your skills individually or as part of a team, these tools provide the versatility, convenience, and realism needed to take your game to new heights.

So why wait? Upgrade your training arsenal today and start seeing the results on the field tomorrow. With the right equipment and dedication, the sky's the limit for what you can achieve in soccer.

[vallerta1234]

Achieving Excellence with Soccer Rebounder Nets, Pop Soccer Goals, and 12x6 Goals

When it comes to honing your soccer skills or simply enjoying a game with friends and family, having the right equipment can make all the difference. From practicing precision shots to mastering your ball control, investing in high-quality gear can elevate your soccer experience to the next level. In this blog post, we'll explore three essential pieces of equipment that every soccer enthusiast should consider: pop soccer goals, soccer rebounder nets, and the versatile 12x6 soccer goal.

Pop Soccer Goals:

Portable Precision Pop soccer goals are a game-changer for players of all levels. Whether you're training solo in your backyard or organizing a pickup game at the park, these portable goals offer convenience without compromising on quality. Constructed from durable materials such as fiberglass or steel, pop-up goals are lightweight yet sturdy, making them easy to set up and transport.

One of the key advantages of pop soccer goals is their versatility. Available in various sizes, from compact options for small-sided games to regulation-sized goals for serious training sessions, there's a pop-up goal to suit every need. Plus, many models feature innovative design elements such as pop-up mechanisms and anchoring systems, ensuring stability during intense gameplay.

Soccer Rebounder Nets:

Master Your Technique For players looking to enhance their skills in passing, shooting, and ball control, a soccer rebounder net is an indispensable training tool. These nets consist of a taut surface attached to a frame, which rebounds the ball back to the player upon impact. Whether you're practicing volleys, headers, or first touches, a rebounder net allows for repetitive drills that simulate game-like scenarios.

The benefits of incorporating a rebounder net into your training regimen are manifold. Not only does it improve your accuracy and technique, but it also helps develop muscle memory and reaction time. Additionally, many rebounder nets are adjustable, allowing you to vary the angle and trajectory of the ball for customized training sessions.

12x6 Soccer Goal:

Professional-Quality Performance When it comes to serious training or competitive play, nothing beats the reliability and performance of a regulation-sized soccer goal. Measuring 12 feet in width and 6 feet in height, these goals provide ample space for practicing precision shots and executing set-piece strategies. Whether you're aspiring to be the next Messi or Ronaldo, having access to a professional-quality goal can make all the difference in your development as a player.

Constructed from heavy-duty materials such as powder-coated steel or aluminum, 12x6 soccer goals are built to withstand the rigors of intense gameplay. Many models feature reinforced joints, weather-resistant coatings, and secure anchoring systems to ensure stability and durability in any conditions. Whether you're playing on grass, turf, or even indoors, a regulation-sized goal delivers the performance you need to take your game to the next level.

Conclusion:

Investing in top-quality soccer equipment such as pop soccer goals, rebounder nets, and 12x6 soccer goals is essential for players looking to improve their skills and elevate their game. Whether you're training solo, practicing with teammates, or competing in organized leagues, having the right gear can make a world of difference in your performance on the field. So why wait? Upgrade your equipment today and unleash your full potential as a soccer player.

[vallertausa]

Soccer Mastery Made Easy: Pop-Up Goals, Rebounders, and 12x6 Nets for All Levels

Are you looking to take your soccer skills to the next level? Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting out, having the right equipment can make all the difference. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of using pop-up soccer goals, soccer rebounder nets, and 12x6 soccer goals to enhance your training sessions and elevate your game.

Pop-Up Soccer Goals: Portable and Versatile

Pop-up soccer goals are a game-changer for players of all ages and skill levels. These goals are lightweight, portable, and easy to set up, making them perfect for practice sessions in the backyard, park, or even the beach. Whether you're working on your shooting accuracy, passing precision, or goalie skills, pop-up goals provide a convenient and efficient way to hone your techniques.

One of the greatest advantages of pop-up soccer goals is their versatility. They come in various sizes, ranging from small goals suitable for young children to larger goals ideal for adult players. Additionally, many pop-up goals are designed for indoor and outdoor use, allowing you to practice year-round regardless of the weather conditions.

Soccer Rebounder Nets: Master Your Control and Touch

If you're looking to improve your ball control, passing accuracy, and first-touch skills, a soccer rebounder net is an essential training tool. Rebounder nets consist of a sturdy frame with a taut netting that rebounds the ball back to you when you kick or throw it against the surface. This enables you to practice solo or with a partner, simulating game-like scenarios and refining your technique in various situations.

Whether you're focusing on volleys, headers, or ground passes, a rebounder net provides instant feedback, allowing you to adjust your technique and improve your consistency over time. Additionally, many rebounder nets are adjustable, allowing you to change the angle and tension of the net to customize your training experience.

12x6 Soccer Goals: Regulation Size for Serious Training

For players aspiring to compete at a higher level or simply want to replicate the dimensions of a regulation soccer goal, a 12x6 soccer goal is the perfect choice. These goals provide a realistic training environment, allowing players to practice shooting, crossing, and goalkeeping with precision and accuracy.

A 12x6 soccer goal is also ideal for coaches and teams looking to simulate game scenarios during training sessions. By incorporating regulation-size goals into drills and scrimmages, players can develop their tactical awareness, spatial positioning, and decision-making skills in a realistic setting.

Elevate Your Game Today

In conclusion, investing in quality soccer equipment such as pop-up goals, rebounder nets, and 12x6 soccer goals can significantly enhance your training regimen and elevate your performance on the field. Whether you're striving to improve your skills individually or as part of a team, these tools provide the versatility, convenience, and realism needed to take your game to new heights.

[evelyn-1234]

Net Success: Elevating Your Training with Soccer Rebound Nets

Soccer training is a dynamic process that requires dedication, technique, and the right equipment. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the world of soccer rebound nets and quality soccer nets, exploring their significance in enhancing player skills, optimizing training sessions, and achieving game-changing results.

1. The Power of Soccer Rebound Nets: Soccer rebound nets are indispensable tools for players of all levels, offering a myriad of benefits that contribute to skill development and overall performance:

Solo Training Excellence: With a soccer rebound net, players can engage in solo training sessions, focusing on improving passing accuracy, ball control, and first touch without the need for a partner.

Versatility Redefined: Rebound nets facilitate a wide range of training drills, including shooting practice, volleys, headers, and goalkeeper training, making them essential for well-rounded skill enhancement.

Instant Feedback Mechanism: By rebounding the ball back to the player, these nets provide instant feedback, allowing for immediate adjustments to technique and fostering continuous improvement.

2. Finding the Perfect Soccer Net for Goal Mastery: Selecting the right soccer net for goals is crucial for optimizing training and gameplay experiences. Here's what to consider:

Durability and Reliability: Invest in high-quality nets crafted from durable materials to withstand rigorous use and varying weather conditions, ensuring longevity and consistent performance.

Proper Size and Fit: Ensure that the net dimensions align with official regulations if used for competitive play, and verify compatibility with goalposts to achieve a secure fit.

Ease of Installation and Portability: Opt for nets that are easy to set up and transport, facilitating seamless integration into training sessions and enabling versatility across different environments.

Safety Features: Prioritize nets with reinforced edges and sturdy construction to minimize the risk of injury during gameplay, promoting a safe training environment for players of all ages.

3. Elevating Training Efficiency with Soccer Nets: Beyond serving as goal targets, soccer nets offer multifaceted benefits for maximizing training effectiveness:

Targeted Skill Development: Customize training drills by setting specific targets within the net to enhance shooting accuracy, precision, and decision-making skills.

Small-Sided Game Dynamics: Incorporate smaller-sized nets for small-sided games and training exercises, promoting teamwork, spatial awareness, and tactical proficiency in a dynamic setting.

Adaptability and Innovation: Experiment with a variety of net types, such as pop-up goals or portable training nets, to adapt training sessions to diverse environments and training objectives effectively.

Soccer rebound nets and quality soccer nets are indispensable assets for players and coaches committed to excellence in skill development, training optimization, and performance enhancement. By incorporating these essential tools into training regimens, players can unlock their full potential, refine their technique, and elevate their game to new heights. So, invest wisely, train diligently, and embark on a transformative journey towards soccer mastery with the aid of soccer rebound nets and quality soccer nets.

[vallerta]

On Target: Enhance Your Game with Pop-Up Goals, Rebounder Nets, and 12x6 Soccer Goals

Welcome to our blog dedicated to enhancing your soccer training experience with some essential equipment: pop-up soccer goals, soccer rebounder nets, and the versatile 12x6 soccer goal. Whether you're a beginner looking to refine your skills or a seasoned player aiming to elevate your game, having the right tools can make all the difference. Let's dive into how these key pieces of equipment can revolutionize your soccer training sessions.

Pop-Up Soccer Goals:

Pop-up soccer goals are a game-changer for training sessions, whether you're practicing solo or with a team. These lightweight and portable goals can be set up in seconds, making them perfect for impromptu practice sessions in the backyard, park, or even indoors. Their collapsible design ensures easy storage and transportation, allowing you to take your training wherever you go. From honing your shooting accuracy to perfecting your passing and dribbling skills, pop-up goals offer endless possibilities for improving your game.

Soccer Rebounder Nets:

A soccer rebounder net is another invaluable tool for players looking to enhance their skills. These nets feature a spring-loaded surface that rebounds the ball back to you, mimicking real-game scenarios and helping you improve your first touch, ball control, and reaction time. Whether you're practicing volleys, headers, or ground passes, a rebounder net provides consistent feedback, allowing you to refine your technique with every repetition. Plus, many rebounder nets are adjustable, allowing you to vary the angle and intensity of the rebounds to keep your training sessions challenging and engaging.

12x6 Soccer Goal:

When it comes to match-like practice sessions, a regulation-sized goal is essential. The 12x6 soccer goal offers the perfect dimensions for honing your shooting accuracy and precision passing. Whether you're practicing free kicks, penalties, or shooting drills, having a full-size goal gives you a realistic target to aim for, helping you develop the muscle memory needed to succeed on the field. Additionally, the sturdy construction of a 12x6 goal ensures durability, making it suitable for both training sessions and casual games with friends and teammates.

Pop-up soccer goals, soccer rebounder nets, and 12x6 soccer goals are essential tools for any player looking to take their game to the next level. Whether you're practicing alone or with a team, these pieces of equipment provide the perfect platform for improving your skills, enhancing your technique, and mastering the fundamentals of the game. So why wait? Invest in these soccer training essentials today and elevate your game to new heights!

[pattonkessler97]

Most Trusted Cryptocurrency Mining Hardware Store

At D-Central Technologies, we perceive that the world of Bitcoin mining can be advanced. Whether you need advice on choosing the proper ASIC miner, sourcing mining hardware, or any other mining wants, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our group of experts is always able to give you the support you should succeed in your Bitcoin mining journey. Remember that if even one character changes, the hash adjustments, so the hash of each following block will change. This is the quantity called the block hash, which is used in the next block's header as a part of the knowledge run via encryption. Each block uses the previous block's hash, which acts to chain them together, thus creating the time period "blockchain."

An ASIC miner is a computerized device that makes use of ASICs for the only function of "mining" digital currency. Generally, each ASIC miner is constructed to mine a particular digital foreign money. One method to think about bitcoin ASICs is as specialized bitcoin mining computer systems optimized to unravel the mining algorithm. Initially they were a telecommunication firm but entered the ASIC space in 2015. In latest years they have centered on developing ASICs for Ethereum; their Bitcoin miners, the T2T and T3+ are old and not efficient sufficient to make our Top Miners record. Besides being an excellent versatile program, BFGminer can be cross platform, together with an possibility to put in on Raspberry Pi which is fairly neat. Though textual content based, the interface may be very easy and you must use hotkeys to undergo the different options it offers. Together, these parts create a system that may redirect the heat for numerous purposes, corresponding to heating other areas of a constructing or integrating with present HVAC techniques. Each block incorporates a set of transactions the miner has validated and confirmed. The first miner to successfully solve the cryptographic puzzle and create a model new block is rewarded with a set quantity of cryptocurrency. This course of is recognized as “mining” and is important to the operation of the cryptocurrency network. Model Antminer K7 (63.5Th) from Bitmain mining Eaglesong From the above dialogue, it is evident that although ASIC Bitcoin mining may be very profitable, there are components to contemplate before diving in, since it's also aggressive. For instance, joining a pool is healthier than solo mining when you lack the monetary muscle to construct an enormous rig set or a mini ASIC farm. The Antminer value is decided by, amongst other issues, its mannequin and hash rate, which is a measure of its computing energy. Each of the GTX1070 cards pulls in over one hundred fifty watts of energy, so your monthly electricity invoice might be higher. Having an ASIC specs doc is step one in receiving value estimates from ASIC design companies. Without proper ASIC specs, distributors won't be able to asses and scope the project. If you don't have ASIC specs document, you can contact us for steering. At this level we have not seen any miner reviews of iPollo’s SHA-256 products. Circuits are rated primarily based on the maximum ampere rating of the overcurrent safety system (OCPD), sometimes the circuit breaker. Therefore, the derated capacity of a circuit is simply 80% of the current score of the circuit breaker. A circuit with a 20 amp breaker has a capacity of sixteen amps, and a circuit with a 30 amp breaker has a capacity of 24 amps. For instance, if the total current demand of a twin enter miner is 14A, every input will only draw approximately 7A of current. You merely click on a button to start mining and click on a button to stop the entire process. GPU mining offers higher returns than CPU mining, but they're nonetheless lower than what an ASIC miner would supply. Many industry experts strongly imagine that the hash charges of those mining rigs are unprecedented within the business. HONG KONG, Oct. 17, (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ASICRUN has recently launched three power environment friendly crypto miners which are helping customers maximize their mining income. These power-packed ASIC miners are capable of mining Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Dash, delivering unmatched efficiency and ease of use. Direct grid connection – May guarantee constant, uninterrupted power supply, maximizing uptime and optimizing potential mining rewards and efficiency. Some miners are also in a position to promote energy back to the grid at peaks times, which can be much more profitable than mining itself. There are a selection of components to contemplate, such because the hash rate, power consumption, and price. Acquire more info of money you make may be considerably affected by how much your power costs, given the quantity of power an ASIC miner consumes per hour. Yet, there are websites that may calculate your common revenue when taking electrical energy prices into account. When shopping for an ASIC mining rig, you should also be serious about the terahash per dollar, not the general price of the machine. According to Chang, ASIC miners can vary from $100-$120 per terahash. Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) miners are computers designed for the only purpose of mining cryptocurrencies which are created via proof of labor.

[tylermayer61]

What's Bitcoin Mining And The Way Does Mining Work?

The dynamic will create a rush among miners to get their houses in order, he explains. As they scramble to chop prices, miners are enjoying a high-stakes recreation of hen. In spring 2024, the halving, a mechanism baked into the bitcoin system that periodically cuts the variety of coins awarded in half, will slash mining earnings. The quantity of profit for a miner is dependent upon how much hashpower the miner has relative to the community. The Bitcoin Protocol operates on an financial model of deflation with time degrading static subsidy. The pool server runs specialized software program and a pool-mining protocol that coordinates the actions of the pool miners. The pool server can be linked to one or more full bitcoin nodes and has direct entry to a full copy of the blockchain database. great site allows the pool server to validate blocks and transactions on behalf of the pool miners, relieving them of the burden of operating a full node. It is essential to note that this problem adjusts after every 2016 blocks are created depending on how a lot time it took miners in the previous 2016 blocks to solve an equation. This also helps to maintain the speed at which transactions are appended within the blockchain at 10 minutes. Mining costs are substantial when you suppose about the electrical energy and maintenance costs wanted to run computing gear to compete for each block at all hours. A large share of the community hash price on the blockchains originates from mining farms that have invested a considerable sum of money in mining rigs. Solo miners with a small proportion of hash energy have little likelihood of discovering the following block. To construct the block header, the mining node needs to fill in six fields, as listed in Table 8-3. By independently verifying each transaction as it is received and before propagating it, each node builds a pool of valid (but unconfirmed) transactions generally identified as the transaction pool, reminiscence pool or mempool. These circumstances could be seen intimately within the features AcceptToMemoryPool, CheckTransaction, and CheckInputs within the bitcoin reference consumer. Note that the circumstances change over time, to address new forms of denial-of-service assaults or typically to chill out the rules so as to include more forms of transactions. However, earlier than forwarding transactions to its neighbors, each bitcoin node that receives a transaction will first verify the transaction.

To be aggressive, you will want to spend cash on several costly machines, run them 24/7, and pay excessive electrical energy bills. Between one in 16 trillion odds, scaling issue levels, and the massive community of users verifying transactions, one block of transactions is verified roughly each 10 minutes. That is, the chances of a computer producing a hash beneath the target is 1 in 48.7 trillion. To put that in perspective, you are about 166,781 instances extra more doubtless to win the Powerball jackpot with a single lottery ticket than you're to pick the proper hash on a single try. However, the block you closed and received a reward for is not yet confirmed. The target hash, used to find out mining difficulty, is the number miners are attempting to solve for when they mine. This quantity is a hash generated by the network transformed from hexadecimal to decimal kind. Bitcoin (BSV) mining is the delicate peer-to-peer course of utilized by nodes to add transactions to the publicly available ledger and mint new Bitcoins. Miners provide the computational funding to maintain the Bitcoin ledger and secure the network.

[utopiaskids]

Mbappe scores solo effort as PSG narrowly beat Lille 4-3

PSG emerged victorious in a thrilling encounter against Lille on Sunday, with a stunning Lionel Messi free kick in added time securing a 4-3 win for the Parisians at the Parc des Princes. The victory extended PSG's lead at the top of the Ligue 1 standings to seven points, with AS Monaco moving up to second following their 2-1 win over Brest. Kylian Mbappe, making his return from injury, opened the scoring for PSG in the 11th minute with a superb solo effort, while Neymar doubled the hosts' lead six minutes later with a tap-in from a Vitinha cross. However, Lille responded well and pulled one back through Bafode Diakite's header, before Jonathan David scored a penalty to level the score early in the second half. Lille then took the lead through Jonathan Bamba's strike, but Mbappe once again came to PSG's rescue, finishing off Juan Bernat's cross to make it 3-3. In added time, Messi won a free kick and curled it into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic victory for PSG. Despite the win, PSG were far from their best and struggled for consistency throughout the match. Neymar was taken off on a stretcher in the second half with a suspected ankle injury, which could be a concern for PSG in their upcoming fixtures.

Meanwhile, Lens secured a 3-1 home win over Nantes to move up to 49 points, level with third-placed Olympique de Marseille. Deiver Machado and Adrien Thomasson scored for Lens in the first half, before Florent Mollet pulled one back for Nantes. However, a Charles Traore own goal in the second half sealed the victory for Lens. Overall, it was an eventful weekend in Ligue 1, with PSG extending their lead at the top, Monaco moving up to second, and Lens joining Marseille in third place. With just over two months of the season remaining, the title race is shaping up to be a fascinating battle between the top teams in the division. Read the full article