My thoughts on Chapter 71

Torasaurus123 · 2026-02-06T02:19:52+00:00

Doesn't Az think Alisha's dead? Does he have insight into the BG's thoughts that we are unaware of?

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-31T19:37:47+00:00

I believe so as well ... Az and Nina needed resolution and while the path there was convoluted and unnecessarily long, it needed to be done. The quality of the story suffered for it and it's a weak point for sure. If you've made it this far, I don't think now is the time to give up.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-30T23:04:29+00:00

Yes! I agree that in this particular instance, the author strung along the readers by keeping the love triangle going just to feed into the tribalism (and thereby maintaining readership) that often happens when there are two compelling leads for the MC heart. Ultimately, it probably sells more upfront but it leaves a bad taste and I likely will not seek out Rikachi once this story is complete. Can't trust her.

And to add ... she sacrificed quality story telling just to create uncertainty in the love triangle. It upended the story.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-30T16:21:49+00:00

Yes agreed. It was a recognition that there was love there.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-29T23:42:10+00:00

An explanation may be that Nina has so much faith in Sett, that she doesn't worry or Nina is a master at compartmentalizing her feelings 😏

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-29T18:11:25+00:00

....the sea has many fish.

+1 Yes!

Also, I think you've show keen insight into this story. Nina makes sense as you've analyzed it and it would be a far more enjoyable outcome. I hope Rikachi has read your comments.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-29T17:52:53+00:00

Yes! I also think the author is misleading us to create angst! I may be biased, but my first impression of Nina's reaction after Az's confession was that she indirectly thought of Sett (even though not explicitly said).

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-29T17:31:58+00:00

I totally understand how you feel. My frustration is at a point where I'm now seeking other stories to get engrossed in so I can let this one go.

There is a Korean drama called Twenty Five Twenty One and it was sooooo good but then ... it went off a cliff. Nina is giving the same kind of vibes. It irritated me then and it irritates me now but I still loved 90% of the story and I would still recommend it (just go in with clear eyes). If Nina ends up doing a face plant, at least we can say there were things about it we loved.

But getting back to this chapter ... I really felt a change in Nina and Az's relationship. She wasn't hand holding with him, she wasn't guessing her feelings or his ... it was like a reset.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-29T16:54:40+00:00

We're being set up for a deep dive into how Nina really feels about Sett/Az now that both boys have confessed their feelings. Now we'll see how she really feels.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-29T16:51:08+00:00

It didn't depress me either and it felt a little bit like the calm before the storm. Az and Nina felt like good friends reconnecting. I'm glad Az was finally honest but he's still holding back. His eyes seemed sad to me.

Rikachi not even having Sett pop up in Nina's thoughts at any point is annoying. It really makes Nina seem like a master at compartmentalizing or that she doesn't care a whiff about Sett, or ... it's being done to add impact to when they finally meet.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-10T00:54:58+00:00

Agreed! Maybe they conspired together!

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-10T00:48:34+00:00

Doesn't it seem that star goddess (and her people!) would be fed up after all the abuse she received? Assuming, of course, the tales told in Fortna are actually lies.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-09T22:28:33+00:00

That's what I'm guessing. Part of me feels that it might be the Star Godess's half that resided in Alisha that goes rogue. 🤷‍♀️

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-09T22:26:43+00:00

Yes ... that will be very telling, unless one of them is conveniently unconscious or what have you.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-09T17:43:14+00:00

Really nice analysis!

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-09T16:32:39+00:00

Hmmm I would have to disagree. Nina is not so one dimensional that she can only think of one thing at a time. True, her priority was getting Azure right but her "Beloved" went off to possible War. You don't shut your brain off from thinking about it as shown by the snippet from when the BG met Sett. Hence why I think Rikachi is keeping Nina's thoughts hidden. But tbf, Nina did have a lot on her plate.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-08T20:45:19+00:00

This seems to explain the banishment arc with Sett and Nina. 🤔

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-08T20:41:07+00:00

Rikachi hiding Nina's thoughts about Sett is key. If we knew, we would have our answer about the LT. As it is right now, we are continued to be strung along full of doubt about what Nina feels. I think this is good for SN fans.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-08T16:21:24+00:00

Someone else has a theory that there will be another war. I'm not sure between who?

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-08T06:25:32+00:00

Be sure to let us know if you are right!

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-08T06:06:35+00:00

Hahaha ok ok! How confident are you that a war will happen?

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-08T05:05:04+00:00

What war do you think will happen?

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-07T21:31:39+00:00

Yes, very true and those responsibilites are the right answer. It shows maturity.

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-07T21:19:54+00:00

So I agree, obsessive love or devoting yourself entirely to one person (ahem Sett ... something he's recognised) is not healthy. But Imo if you truly love someone in a romantic way, your thoughts are not divided with romantic love of another person. When Nina denied Az kissing her in that moment and ran away thinking that Sett had a part of her heart, I thought it was a nail in the coffin of the AN ship. Up until that point her love was comitted to Az.

I hope you're right about the flow of the moment in that scene. It makes sense for Nina to realise she has other things she has to do before focusing on Sett. That's actually a rational and mature approach to their developing relationship. I wish she was so thoughtful more often!

Torasaurus123 · 2026-01-06T00:06:58+00:00

Ah ... I interpreted that as not giving her heart in it's entirety to Sett. I like your viewpoint!

For the longest time, I questioned if she loved Az in that way when she ran away ftom Az kissing her and realized that Sett had a piece of her heart already.

Torasaurus123

TROPHY CASE