#And the lessons in each episode are so good and I LOVE all the games the girls play with Bandit

[shima-draws]

I started watching Bluey and when I say I was absolutely fucking ENLIGHTENED.

Me: Bluey’s such a popular show and even my adult friends like it…but why?? Isn’t it just a show for preschoolers

Me, after watching one (1) episode: OH….I UNDERSTAND NOW…..

[baddestbittyontheblock]

wanda maximoff fic recs (2)

𖣁 hi everyone!! here is my second rec for wanda, i hope you all enjoy!! 𖣁

ཐིཋྀ remember to like and reblog the works you enjoy in order to support each incredible writer!! ཐིཋྀ

𖣁 however, make sure you read the information on each story themselves such as triggers & warnings 𖣁

ཐིཋྀ if you’d like me to remove your fic from this list, message me! ཐིཋྀ

ਏਓ beginners episode by @wandasfifthwife hockey coach/player!wanda x ex figure skater!reader | HEAVY TOPICS, injury (r = leg and brain), r’s mother is verbally/physically abusive, r’s mom sees herself in r, body-image issues, heavier angst w/ happy ending, hurt/comfort, established relationship (w&r), break ups (not w&r), past relationships, player!wanda for a minute, injury (w = broken nose), 2.1k

-your mother had made a suggestion during dinner for you to get out more, have a sport or a club activity to join so you weren’t inside so much.

ਏਓ she tells me keep fucking cause she loves this shit by ^ hockey player!wanda x afab!fem!reader | SMUT MDNI, established relationship, angry-makeup-im going to miss you-sex, argument, angst w/ happy ending, hurt/comfort, top!wanda, bottom!reader, strap (r receiving), oral (r receiving), impact play (spanking), marking (neck), r is called little thing (by wanda), overstim if you squint, cum kink?

-wanda has an away game, meaning she has to leave you in the morning. your emotions to rise, hurt turning into anger and causing you to snap at her, resulting in an argument—but you can’t stay mad at her. before you can realize you’ve ended up under her, pleas for her to fuck you good before she leaves.

ਏਓ nightmares by ^ hockey player!wanda x afab!fem!reader | HEAVY TOPICS, mentions that r’s mother was physically&mentally abusive, nightmare has a SLIGHT description, angst w/ happy ending, hurt/comfort, argument (w&r), nightmare, love confessions, r thinks they’re going to breakup, fluffy ending

-your lack of sleep comes to play when you snap at wanda and end up sleeping on her couch. wanda comes face-to-face with the issue when you come into her room late at night, crying from a nightmare

ਏਓ say, “don’t go” by @scarletssienna wanda maximoff x reader | hurt, comfort, angst, mommy wanda, sub!reader, grinding, car sex, fingering, hair-pulling, oral, biting, fighting, scars, AU, 6k

-it’s been three years since you and wanda saw each other last - three long years. you were as good as dead to her. figuratively, and unfortunately, literally.

ਏਓ unspoken truths by @spaghettiposts wanda maximoff x reader | pregnancy, dickhead vision, friends to lovers, attempts at comedy, reader being a sweetheart like always, mutual pinning, faint talks of abortion, talks of nausea and vomiting, 4k

-you and wanda have been friends for years, but never once has she showed up at your doorstep in this state. pregnant, alone, and hurt. you take her in and you both dive into the difficulties of pregnancy, and hiding feelings.

ਏਓ to seek forgiveness by @esouliie wanda maximoff x fem!reader | strap (r!receiving), breath play?, wanda is rough & reader is crying lol, aftercare! (18+)

-recklessness requires a certain type of punishment, but you can only take so much

ਏਓ hers by @themidnightcrimson top!wanda x reader | 18+ only. minors: do not interact, jealousy, possession, voyeurism, fingering

-in which natasha has a hard time staying away from what isn't hers, so wanda decides to teach her a lesson.

ਏਓ the scarlet siren by ^ wanda maximoff x fem!reader | siren!wanda, dubcon/noncon, fingering (r receiving), oral (r receiving), size kink, biting, a lot of blood, violence, fear, suspense, drowning, deep water, mentions of death, i wrote this in an irish accent for some reason, did you know i have thalassophobia?, 6.0k, 18+ only. minors: do not interact

-in which you take a trip out to sea that you will regret.

ਏਓ their mistake by @scarlet-daisy dark!wanda x reader | mentions of torture and being kidnapped, hydra agents & wanda killing them

-“you made a really big mistake…”

ਏਓ lost in the universe (pt:1) by @mionemymind wanda maximoff x reader | fluff, cursing, slight angst?

-y/n is transported to a different universe and by chance, meets the wanda that inhabits it.

ਏਓ lost in the universe (pt:2) by ^. wanda maximoff x reader | fluff, kissing, cursing, jealousy, 1.3k

-the aftermath of y/n being rescued from the alternate universe.

ਏਓ you’re the only thing keeping me center by @themultiimagines wanda maximoff x fem!reader | smut (18+ MDNI), jealousy (healthy ofc), thigh riding, cursing, 2.7k

-you’ve never had a bond with anyone quite as strong as the one you have with wanda.

ਏਓ turn a blind eye by @wndaswife  wanda maximoff & fem!reader | MDNI: smut, a bit angsty in the beginning, some fluff at the end, tiny mood switch because wv wanda is scary but also just the cutest, manipulation, implications of magic usage (this is up to your interpretation), fingering, cunnilingus, mommy kink, dom!wanda maximoff

-something strange is happening in westview, and your wife is adamant about soothing your frustrations.

ਏਓ a glimpse of you by @marvelfilth wanda maximoff x f!reader | dubcon, noncon, somnophilia, oral, fingering, pet names, (18+)

-she looks down at her chest where your head rests, your back pressed neatly against her front, and smiles when she sees you fast asleep. and then she gasps, because the image twists abruptly, and now you're no longer asleep, but panting, your cheeks red, your forehead glistening with sweat. wanda's hand moves between your legs, the wet noises her fingers make as they plunge deep inside you make her shudder.

✦ dividers by @cafekitsune, @dollywons ✦

[padawansuggest]

Okay so a lot of us make fun of Qui-Gon for giving Obi-Wan a stone for his birthday, and people seem split on it.

Some people think it shows true apathy towards him, and you know what? Fucking maybe. Sure. Whatever. The authors of those books smoked a lot of Qui-Child-Abandonment-Gon meth and you know what? Whatever.

But some of us like him to genuinely be a good master because guess fucking what else? I don’t care about him but Obi-Wan deserved a master who ADORED his sweet baby boy with all his codependent heart.

And you know what? We’re right too, because he eventually did get there.

Not what I’m here for I’m saying don’t fight me on this because both of us can be right.

But idk if this fact is canon or not but he told Obi-Wan that it was a force sensitive rock.

Why do people mock that aspect of it so much? So many of you say ‘lol nah he just gave the boy a rock’ no????? This entire series is built on force sensitive rocks??????

Kyber. Obvious.

Kyrat Dragon Pearls. They can literally be used as a kyber replacement in a lightsaber, they are THAT powerful.

In the Star Wars Visions episode Journey to the Dark Head, we see a temple of Jedi where seers are sent. They have a courtyard full of head sized round flat stones. When it rains, you pick them up, and certain ones will give you vivid visions of the future. The seers then read the vision out to a keeper who writes down each vision they can while it’s still raining. This happens on a sibling temple.

Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures: there was an episode where one of the main characters, Ky, goes into the forest with another child to finish a small mission. Obviously it’s a lesson in learning to work together, but the point is that they have to find a lantern that’s not glowing, and figure out what to do to get the lantern to glow again. None of these lanterns have a source of electricity, and they can’t be solar powered since they’re in a forest so dense that these lanterns are used regularly to keep the paths lit. As it turns out, they have a chunk of crystal inside, the side of one of their heads, and they both need to work together to make the crystal glow again. That was an obviously force sensitive crystal.

Same show, The Mystery of Opal Cave, in which the main characters stop pirates stealing a bunch of valuable opals from a planet. At the end of the episode, the natives show them what makes the Opal so valuable to them. They touch two opals together, it creates a ringing sound, and in turn, the previously dark cave lights up and all of them start to glow and sing. That was magic af don’t tell me real rocks do that they Do Not.

That fuckass rudesss cave on Mortis that gave everyone weird ass mean dreams and was full of giant crystals. Obviously they projected rudeass force visions meant solely to hurt me feewings.

There are probably a hundred more types I’m forgetting rn. Because. I’m literally just going off the cartoons and a bit of the video games. There are a LOT of force sensitive rocks, they do a lot of weird things.

Now. With that in mind. In an AU where Qui-Gon adored and doted on and loved Obi-Wan from the start (or even just what it likely was in canon, a thoughtful but maybe not adoring gift) he likely would have given Obi-Wan this force sensitive river rock without even realizing it’s abilities.

Let them keep that parent to child connection, I promise, it means a lot.

[girl4music]

YES! Finally! Catra’s redemption! I’ve been waiting for this moment for the whole fucking show. I knew it had to take a long time but I didn’t expect 4 full seasons.

So they’ve got 1 season (technically 10 episodes) to really make something out of this redemption arc for Catra. We all knew she cared. That she was only so awful to people because she didn’t want to feel weakened and without purpose. But taking her out of her familiar and comfortable environment and completely stripping her of her friends (or those that tried to be her friends) would have an immense effect on her. Would make her go the opposite way because she’s got nothing left to prove except the fact that she could do one good thing. Unlike Hordak or Shadow Weaver, Horde Prime has no use or value for Catra unless she’s of the Horde Hive Mind. Unless she’s completely erased of all autonomy…. Just like Hordak. She knows she doesn’t want that. No autonomous being in their right conscious mind would want that.

So they did all that well. I don’t think it needed to take 4 full seasons but… the point is that she’s turned the corner now and she’s ready to help the Rebellion even at the cost of her own safety and well-being. So heroic.

And her heroic efforts won’t be in vain because now they have to return the favour. They have to save her.

I’m assuming (I don’t know for sure) that from this, this is when Catra and Adora reconcile their differences, become friends again and hopefully… fall in love. I mean strong and deep feelings for each other were always there no matter which side of the spectrum they fell on. Hate or love. In fact I would say that’s the only reason why the hatred was that intense between these lead characters. Because it was formed from and by such an intense love for each other ever since they were kids. So it has to come to the forefront at some point otherwise there wouldn’t be any reason to make it so intense. It’s a culmination of so much left unsaid, unheard, undone and I know you can’t just do it without all the build-up.

After all, that’s exactly how you do enemies-to-lovers.

Or… friends-to-enemies-to-lovers. It’s complicated. But the aim of the game is to show the intensity of feelings there no matter which is on the side of “good” or “evil”.

They’ve done that well and then some. Now they have to show what all of that intensity was cultivated from.

And the answer always is love. Deep romantic true love.

I could make a million predictions on this because there’s so many ways you can do this. But the best way - in my opinion - is to put them both in dire straights and then have them prove to each other what’s more important to each other. The mission or each other.

Now the mission as it stands now - from this episode and onwards - would be to escape Horde Prime’s clutches and return to Etheria to the other Princesses and leave Catra to deal with her betrayal on her own.

But they won’t do that because that undermines the lesson of the mission as a whole. To protect their own.

Catra is one of their own now that she saved them. This is what makes the difference between good and evil. The good guys don’t ever leave one of their own behind.

The arguments of the greater good always falls to love and when you’re put in those dire straights - one thing has to be accomplished from the narrative undertaking.

That is that the greater good and love aren’t conciliable. Even in a kids TV show the honesty of that is important.

In all respects leaving Catra behind would be the greater good thing to do for the betterment of Etheria.

But it wouldn’t be the right thing to do between them. Between the love that’s there and always has been there between them. It would still feel very wrong.

So the prediction is that they’ll save her because how could they not after she’s risked herself to save them?

And even if she didn’t - how could Adora not want to? Strong, deep and intense feelings determine the plan whether it be for the mission or against the mission.

That’s the way I’ve always known it anyway but then I’ve always had the best example of what true love really is and all my mindset, personality and worldview is informed by that representation of what true love is.

It goes beyond the greater good. It goes beyond destiny. It goes beyond life itself. It’s that profound.

If I didn’t have that lesson ingrained into me from when I was a child, then I would say leave the cat behind and get on with your lives in the way you deserve to live them. But that’s not who I am and it never has been.

[eerna]

You stated that you used to ship rayllum and didnt like the way there arc went ahead in season 3 so how did you envision there arc going ahead and do you think that they should of been built up a whole lot more before getting together in season 3 ?

Just to be clear: when s3 first dropped, I was absolutely ecstatic about them getting together!! My take was "I know it is rushed but I DON'T CARE because they are ADORABLE!!" It wasn't until s4 dropped that I lost the rose tinted glasses and could no longer enjoy them.

As for how I would fix it... man, I can't really fix it without rewriting the entire show. You can't have good romance if the characters aren't good. You can't have good characters if the world they're in doesn't make any sense. Technically there is nothing wrong with a couple getting together 27 episodes into the show, but THIS couple would require significant rewrites to make it emotionally rewarding. So I guess the broad strokes without changing too much are: keep Rayla emotionally distant and morally flexible regarding all the Moonshadow Elves culture things (murder, social exclusion, rejection of individualist worth, emotional connections), let Callum be the emotionally mature one and morally inflexible until dark magic is brought into the game, make the elven culture VS dark magic their point of friction and make them both wrong and right at the same time (this is imperative), let them grow closer and for Rayla to discover the wonders of being loved as a person and not in a transactional way/as a part of the collective, keep her crush unrequited in s3 so that Callum feels awkward rejecting her considering he's her emotional anchor, the arc where she leaves has to happen in the show itself and should be about Rayla making a decision completely powered by her character development ("I can't lose the one person who truly and honestly loves me for me, so I'm gonna leave him behind" when in the beginning of the show she would scoff at such a weakness). The annoying thing with TDP heroes is that they don't have any wrong ideas or beliefs that could be changed. Which is why I am making Callum NOT instinctively underatand dark magic is bad (he has never done it because he doesn't know how, but sees nothing wrong with using it because he knows it saved humanity many times before) and Rayla NOT instinctively understand murder is bad (she has never committed it, but she is willing to, which also makes her seem like a more dangerous person). So basically arc 1 would revolve around them learning lessons from each other and seeing the world in a different light, and then separating on a weird note. I tried writing ideas past this point, but it became less "broad strokes" and more "rewriting the entirety of arc 2"

[winchester-reload]

I have a few thoughts about the Winchesters finale, and though I wasn’t gonna weigh in on this, it turns out I needed to write this down to get it out of my head, so here we go.

I understand that Misha was approached to be included on the show and that there was a “scheduling conflict” that included multiple conversations with Jensen. Here’s my interpretation of that: 

I believe Cas was supposed to make a cameo in episode 13 to tee up the confession resolution—this was always the episode where they were going to crack open the “surprise twist” even before learning they would only get 13 episodes total. In the original scenario, episode 13 would have been the hellatus episode rather than a finale, leaving room for everything to come to a head with episode 22 instead. It’s then they would have given us the actual Dean and Cas reunion. This would have wrapped both stories nicely with each group going off into their own respective sunsets—their own happy endings, while still leaving all the room for the new crew to explore more seasons; all along, we see, The Winchesters was about Dean and Cas as much as it was about Mary and John.

When they didn’t get the back half of the season picked up, I assume they feared it would be more dangerous to show a Cas cameo without getting to address the confession, so Misha likely opted to be left out instead. With the only hint to Cas being Dean’s line that he was looking for his family when he found the Akrida, then directly drawing the parallel that Jack and Bobby were “family.” The core crew for Dean has always been Bobby, Sam, Jack, AND Cas. And he wasn’t looking for Sam because he was still on earth. So who’s left? You might be compelled to believe he was window shopping AU versions of his parents, but he confirms he ran into the Akrida in this world and then sought to interfere with the order by approaching John in an effort to prevent it from spreading to Sam's world. (Why Cas would be AU hopping, idk. The boy is really afraid of being shot down, I guess.)

It goes far to explain the vast narrative parallels we saw reflected in the Monster Club crew if it was intended as a setup for the confession payoff. It honestly doesn’t make a lot of sense otherwise. There’s no reason these people should be living Dean's experiences and regrets every episode unless the writers wanted the viewer to be thinking about the lessons and resolutions in how they relate to Dean too.

Additionally, as this has been a largely uncontested take, this is Jensen's well-funded fanfic come to life. Complete with the embracing of many of our favorite fanfic tropes and emphasized by Dean’s own words throughout the season. Because this is an obvious embrace of that “write your own story” fan side, I believe the reason Dean couldn’t even say Cas’ name in the episode is because they were going to change the spelling from “Cass” as it was in the show proper to the fan-adopted (and more accurate) spelling of “Cas,” which would have appeared in the subtitles and later the script pages.  And even that little thing right there would have been a huge giveaway to the whole game. And a very dangerous thing to do if there wasn’t going to be enough time for follow-through. 

But the truth is, this isn’t a game for many people, and the harm that can be caused by good intentions is just as real. It also begs the question: why should this be so difficult? The answer is it’s not. Edging forever isn’t fun. It’s torture. I understand there’s an art to storytelling, but your audience is weary, and trust has been violated too many times. Even still, the flip side of that coin is honest to god respect for DeanCas endgame means taking the story and the reveal seriously. It’s a tightrope walk. And one that Robbie somehow managed to keep balanced after the finale, without it falling either way.  Also we also need to consider the possibility that Jensen did pitch a full-on destiel love story spin-off but got shot down, opting to couch it in a more CW-branded world instead. He’s mentioned over half a dozen pitches were rejected. It's up to you whether you want to give him the benefit of the doubt on that.

But, I’m gonna be honest here, I don’t know that we will ever get that resolution we crave. Even Robbie confirmed The Winchesters were always meant to “go it alone” after the first season. It’s hard to imagine Dean popping in there to fuck around again after that handoff. But the dude is clearly a very restless sea-faring*, swoopy-haired mofo right now, so I’ll leave that one up to the SPN multiverse and the new Mr. Superwholock’s magical universe-traveling impala. (This show used to be about what again? *looks at notes*.) And FWIW, if they do get green-lit for a whole second season or are allowed to move networks, I believe a good-faith effort will be made to tie the narrative parallels we saw in season one to some real Dean and Cas resolution. If there gets to be a world where John *might* not turn into an abusive dick, then this possibility has to be true too.

For the record, I enjoyed The Winchesters, all the new characters, and the doors the finale opened for the possibility of more. I would have been fine half-watching it with no promises, empty head no thoughts, but I got my clown** suit on again, and though I mostly kept quiet, unlike last time, I did regrettably manage to drag a few friends down with me yet again.  Though the spec sessions were epic, and we did get some art out of it—it still rocks the boat when the base level expectations were only 1. Dean alive, and 2. seeing Cas again. 

But for anyone, like me, upset by the (likely unintentional) Cas-baiting or anyone still reeling about why this stuff can hit so hard, here’s an interesting article about the way our brains respond to fictional characters. Tl;dr: There’s nothing wrong with you. This is science. And while you’re at it, take a look at this article about the very real power of disenfranchised grief over character loss.

Ramble on, fam. And take care of yourselves.

<3 Jackie

*Um hi he appears as a sailor? Literally, on a show with a story Dean is writing whose audience is looking for a resolution to a conversation between two people who’re famously the “most shipped” characters of all time? That’s not an accident. That’s intentional. And it’s another reason why there might be a bitter taste in your mouth. These nods came without resolution, so it still feels dirty, despite the brilliant Easter egg.

**I hesitate to say “clown” here because the lesson on episode 12 was that the clowns were the ones who chose a self-induced limbo rather than face some personal hard revelations. That sounds more like a certain closeted character than it does the people cheering him on, and that felt like an intentional nod too.

***obviously, this is my own rambling spec as I try to reorder my thoughts in the wake of the finale.

[david-talks-sw]

"Does it make sense?"

I think, ultimately, the thing that it comes down to for why I just can't see "the Jedi are intentionally written as dogmatic/dispassionate" or "Obi-Wan failed Anakin" or "the Jedi brought their own downfall" reads as valid anymore is because... it makes no sense that George Lucas - of all people - would write that.

Like, this is the guy who preaches the same lessons and philosophies that the Jedi do in the Prequels, every chance he gets (sometimes going all the way back to American Graffiti).

So ask yourself:

Does it make sense that he would intentionally make the characters to whom he gave his own values "dogmatic"?

He's a self-proclaimed "methodist-Buddhist". The Jedi are based on Buddhist monks.

Does it make sense that the buddhist would write a story about space-buddhists being "emotionless", "devoid of compassion" and "at fault for their own genocide"?

Lucas had an apprenticeship, that turned into a friendly/brotherly bond with his mentor Francis Ford Coppola. Their personalities were completely opposite (Coppola was more outgoing, George was more prudent) but they worked in sync, they completed each other.

Do you really think that this guy's intended narrative would be that "Qui-Gon would've been better-suited for Anakin as a teacher than Obi-Wan because the latter was prudent/strict and too different from the more passionate Anakin"?

George lays Anakin's downfall on Anakin's shoulders almost every time he talks about it. It's a corruption that was caused from within, he would be able to love without getting attached if he had joined the Jedi at an earlier age, but he didn't so his attachment and greed results in his turn to the Dark Side.

So does it make sense that Lucas' narrative would be that "the Jedi (aka EXTERNAL forces) pushed, denied and failed Anakin that they caused him to turn" instead of "it was Anakin's own fault because he wasn't able to let go"?

He has said multiple times that, aside from Anakin's downfall, the Prequels center on the Republic's downfall, never mentioned the Jedi once when describing what the Prequels are about.

If the Prequels were actually about "the fall of the Jedi and how they lost their way", wouldn't he have brought it up once? And would he really have focused so much on the Senate and politics rather than adding more development to characters like Mace and Yoda?

I think the answer to all of these is "no".

Here's one more: Lucas stated so many times that this was a fairy tale, that all six Star Wars movies are meant for kids. The situation of the Prequels is more complex than the one in the Original Trilogy, but before, during and after the Prequels Lucas confirmed that the Star Wars morality is binary, it is black and white, good vs bad.

Would he really intentionally make the Prequels this subversive story wherein "actually, if you stop and think about it, the good guys are really the bad guys"?

Or is it just that:

We live in a time where movie audiences expect the "good guy" to be individualistic, flawed and non-conformist, and the Jedi are a community of nigh-incorruptible champions of good who've already completed their character arcs.

So the adults (aka not the target audience) who watched the Prequels at the time were turned off by these characters who they perceived as "holier than thou", having been conditioned by the times they lived in to think that there are skeletons in "Mr. Perfect's" closet.

Thus, they retconned the films (via comics, books, games and episodes) so that they could enjoy the Prequels more, and did so by:

injecting more realistic "gray morality" themes into the films and

projecting an oppressive "boys don't cry" philosophy onto the Jedi.

For lack of a better metaphor, "they put a skeleton in Mr. Perfect's closet so that they could finally find his existence bearable, and keep bringing up that skeleton to this day."

[dandylovesturtles]

31 and 36 for the ask game 🏄‍♂️

Okay so I’m going to answer these in reverse because while I was thinking of the answer to 31 I ended up having a whole tangential rant and I’m going to put that part of my answer under a cut lol

36. I think Mikey is the hardest one for me to write. He’s easy enough as a side character, but when I try to make him the main character I have a harder time delving into his flaws and problems and what makes him tick as a driving force of the narrative. It’s something I would like to change, though, because I love Mikey a lot. I’m grateful to the people who write Mikey-centric fics because I can read those and learn more so I can better rotate him in my brain microwave haha

31. So it’s not necessarily that I dislike Donnie’s Gifts as an episode, but I do tend to pretend it didn’t happen most of the time, because I have no idea what to do with it lol. It’s definitely not meant to be taken too seriously and I think that’s fine, and I don’t really like taking it too seriously. But I am usually writing more serious-flavored fics, so bringing up that time Donnie put a shock collar on his brother feels…. well, it breaks the tone haha

I have enjoyed the occasional fic or comic that DOES choose to take it seriously but I prefer to just pretend it’s not there for my own work.

Mind Meld is kind of in the same boat but this is where I ended up going on a whole tangent so I’m going to put it under a cut

The thing with Mind Meld is I feel like they had a good idea but then lost the through line. I THINK they wanted the ultimate lesson for Donnie to be that he prefers his brothers the way they are, even if that means they don’t think and act like he does. And I don’t think this is a bad issue to tackle with Donnie. Overall I kind of like the idea of him using a machine to make his brothers more like him as a thing he thinks at first will be beneficial, so that’s not really where my problem is.

My problem with the episode is… it works? Like, they do the mission properly. And then the bros end up being even smarter than Donnie and better at doing things. So by the end it feels like Donnie isn’t reverting his bros because he misses them, it feels like jealousy. Especially because they start being actively hostile toward him.

If I were writing the episode, I would have them bungle the mission the second time too. And Donnie would not understand, because how could four of him have messed it up! But of course, it’s BECAUSE you have four people who all think the same way that it falls apart. They all get caught up in Classic Donnie Overthink and everything goes to shit. Mikey can no longer razz his tazz around an obstacle and Raph doesn’t want to use his fists for smashing and Leo is thinking straight forward and not in 4 dimensions.

Donnie having to come up with a THIRD plan, one that properly took his brothers’ strengths and personalities into account, and then convincing his Donnie-fied bros to think that way and thus accomplish the mission, would show that Donnie has learned the error of his ways and has come to fully understand the strengths that each of his brothers has even if they aren’t the same strengths Donnie has. Which is what Donnie’s Gifts was trying to do too but if they’re going to do the same story twice anyway might as well do it better the second time.

Anyway in conclusion Nickelodeon should hire me /j

Thanks for the ask!

[absolutebl]

Hi!!! Your posts are always amazing and I have so many bookmarked because you create the best little collections. Anyway, I am in a big BL rut right now and I can't seem to get into anything. Any fast-paced, recs that can bring me out of my slump? Thanks so so much :)

Oooo, fast paced is pretty subjective lemme think...

Imma got with the narrative sense of the word pacing (rather than just an in-your-face fast-moving plot, although that too,) so: good tension, craft, and narrative. Here's my pulls - I went broad and into the well, in case you had seen some recent stuff.

10 Fast-Paced BLs to Pull You Out of a Slump

(I'm assuming you have seen KinnPorsche)

I did a quick pitch for each cause I'm drunk so maybe they're funny, all spelling errors are my own and the result of growing up in 3 different English speaking nations and 2 non-English ones.

Someone wanted more elevator pitches a while ago, here ya go!

Our Dating Sim - nerds in love, reunion, deadlines, gaming, teasing, pining tiny idiots, ADORABLE

2. Semantic Error - you cannot be a BL fan and not have watched this, the ultimate enemies to lovers, also the prettiest

3. To My Star - neurotic actor (actual puppy), grumpy chef, sparks, cooking lessons, LOVE!

4. We Best Love - defines fast paced in romance, literally when asked why his character fell in love so fast Yu said, "well I only had one 20 minute episode." Yet... we BELIEVED IT.

5. HIStory 2: Crossing the Line - it's a perfect sports romance, don't bother me with trifles

6. Not Me - also how do you say antidisestablishmentarianism in Thai? + hot boys kissing who probably shouldn't be and convoluted soap opera identical twins plot... someone at GMMTV thought it made sense, we just here for the tattoos and the the Pride scene

7. The Eighth Sense - who let Korea be this angsty? SO MUCH TENSION.

8. Unintentional Love Story - omg the plot, forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the eyes EMOTING at us in PAIN

9. HIStory 3: Trapped - hot cop falls in love with hotter mafia boss he is chasing for MURDER (bonus weirdly domesticated switch-blade wielding hit-man obsessed with geeky police tech support - COME ON)

10. Long Time No See - assassins, cat fishing, either side of a turf war, HOT sex scenes then even hotter beating the shit out of each other and kissing while COVERED IN BLOOD (this came from KOREA?)

There.

All kinds of flavors.

One of them just HAS to work!

If not, you could go for shorts. Try Strongberry:

(source)

[youbutstupid]

My personal ranking of all of the episodes directed by Matthew Gray Gubler

1. Mosley Lane, 5x16: the first episode directed by MGG and arguably one of his most iconic. The carnival themes along with the actual story created a really stressful but engaging watch and I loved watching the mum be proved right. The line ‘he was alive yesterday’ really sealed the episode for me.

2. Mr Scratch, 10x21: I love dark and creepy episodes, as you will see from this list, and this episode was perfect. The horror movie aspects added to the mind games that were being played on both the audience and the characters were insane. I loved how the lighting in this episode remained dark so the audience never got any reprieve from the horror. We also had to grieve each character at some point.

3. The Lesson, 8x10: this episode was so gruesome and I don’t normally like gore but this was done in such an interesting and terrifying way. I loved the ballet scene and the end when Hotch is walking through the fake ‘audience’- both such beautifully haunting scenes and I loved how we were put inside the unsub’s delusion.

4. Lauren, 6x18: arguably one of the most iconic episodes for Emily Prentiss’ character. I really loved how this episode opened a lot of things up for Prentiss as a character and also allowed for a lot of things about her to be explained. I also loved the reveal about Doyle’s son and it really left me on edge and questioning a lot.

5. A Beautiful Disaster, 11x18: I really deliberated this ranking because I wanted it to be higher but didn’t know where to place it. I’m not easy to make cry yet this episode had me sobbing. It was so intense and Morgan’s departure was done so beautifully, I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself after watching it. MGG really perfected his craft with the set out of this one.

6. Tall Man, 14x05: this episode is amazing because you can see the influence it takes from the real life Slenderman case which made it really eerie but interesting to watch. I also loved that the episode was JJ centric and we got to learn more about her and her background with Roslyn and her parents. This episode really made me adore JJ’s character even more and AJ’s acting was incredible (I know that isn’t a note about MGG’s directing but I just needed to give AJ her credit because she was insane).

7. Heathridge Manor, 7x19: the old Salem themes with the medieval dresses and the old rituals? Stunning. The visuals for this episode were amazing and the story was so interesting. The end when she hallucinates and we are left with the image of her alone on the doorstep; my Lord.

8. Elliott’s Pond, 12x06: this might not be the right word for a Criminal Minds episode but it honestly felt kind of cosy? With the 80s horror themes and the overall lack of death, this episode is more wholesome than other Gubler episodes whilst still maintaining his classic spark. The end of the case itself was really emotional and heartwarming and I’m glad that MGG gave Hotch’s character some semblance of a goodbye because we know how close he was to Thomas Gibson.

9. Blood Relations, 9x20: probably the most messed up episode ever. Picture every dark theme you can put into a piece of media and you get this episode. It honestly made me feel sick and I think that’s why I liked it so much; I like episodes that make leave an effect and this one definitely did that. I can’t even describe what happened in this episode without getting banned but oh my. This only isn’t higher because I preferred the storylines in the previous episodes.

10. The Capilanos, 13x17: this episode had a good premise and I think the introduction where there is no music and you’re left with the odd squeaks of the clown was amazing. I liked the calls to IT, my only issue with this episode is it had the opportunity to be really tense and scary but the middle chunk of the episode just wasn’t. The end of the case was good though and it started to pick up a lot.

11. Alchemy, 8x20: this episode had a good storyline and the visuals definitely had influences from horror movies such as The Shining. The only reason it’s not higher is because it didn’t hit me as hard as the others, but it’s still a really good episode to watch.

12. The Gatekeeper, 9x07: the storyline was good, it just felt more like classic Criminal Minds than a Gubler episode. The main star of this episode is the team bonding that we get to see with Rossi helping Reid grieve Maeve and then the karaoke scene was so beautiful.

[mislamicpearl]

Thoughts about/favorite moments from LMK season 5 eps 3-5:

SPOILERS BELOW

Bahaha what? Monkey King's cloud isn't magic but a pet? Ahahaha!

Feels like it's been awhile since we had an episode of just MK and Wukong together and it was hilarious

MK making fun of Wukong acting like he knows everything was something I didn't know I was waiting for, he deserves a chewing out more often lol

Is that MK's mom then???

OH WE'RE GETTING ANGST ALREADY HUH, YEAH THEY JUST STRAIGHT UP SHOWED US HOW THIS SEASON WILL END WTFUDGE

"Do the snakes represent my childhood? No, they represent my many many dads!" I laughed for a good full minute at this 🤣

Wukong was basically teaching MK the same lesson Macaque tried to teach him with the video game last season about making his own path, except he actually said it straight instead of messing with him.😆

FINALLY Sandy gets some focus!

MK's reactions to having to learn meditation reminded me so much of my students haha

"I've got my trauma bottling process down pat!" Lmao these jokes are always funny, but I feel like they're kinda pushing it with how meta they're going with lines like this (and all the McGuffin jokes), it might get old.

YOOOOO SANDY ALMOST WENT BERSERK THERE! Seriously this is the first time I've ever actually felt like Sandy was a character and I love it!

RED SON!!! WITH MEI!! A WHOLE EPISODE OF DRAGONFRUIT BABY YESSSSS!!

Seriously though I missed the red boy so much! AND MEI HUG TACKLING HIM WAS SO CUTE!

Ooh nice, we haven't forgotten that Mei is also struggling with some inner power issues.

Straight up it's just canon now, Pigsy is MK's dad and they won't let us forget it!😭

Was that supposed to look like the IZ style?? If so that's an awesome reference!

"It's like destiny chose MK to toy with!" Unfortunately Pigsy, that's what happens when you're the main character (just ask Lloyd😔)

Both Red Son and Mei calling each other by their actual names when they save each other😫

Also them talking in unison during their team attack ugghh freaking dragonfruit!!

"Wouldn't be a 'fun hang' if you didn't destroy everything I own." Lmao

Mei has been texting him the whole time omg!

Mei and MK communicating with each other exclusively in puppy pictures is just perfect. 😆

[thefiercest]

TMNT 2012: Father Splinter 3 - Donatello

(Sorry it´s been a while)

I love Splinter's relationship with Donnie so much. (Mostly because I find it funny)

I love how out of all of the turtles, Donnie is the one who tries to question Splinter´s wisdom and methods the most. He always seems to challenge Splinter in that area, like he is craving for the day when Splinter is proven wrong.

I like to think that Donnie and Splinter used to butheads when it came to ninjutsu. Donnie seems very insecure about his fighting skills, which is why he is always trying to think ahead and smart his way out of the worst situations. Donnie seems to know his strength and his limits, better than his brothers´ but though that was good, Splinter wanted him to push past his limits.

However, Donnie always seems to try to prove something to Splinter. Like he is just as strong as his brothers? Brains is better than ninjutsu or something like that?

¨Master Splinter, I think there is a lesson. You know like, brains over bravery or...something?¨

¨I think the something part is most accurate.¨

(Splinter´s responses are the best)

It's like they almost make a game out of it. (With Splinter always winning)

Donnie may get annoyed, when Splinter lectures him about how he overthinks and how he criticize him on not trusting his instincts but Splinter only does that because he is trying to raise Donnie´s confidence.

Donnie is more confident with his brain than he is on his skills as a ninja and he prefers to stay where he knows he is the most strongest, where he is comfortable.

Splinter hates how hard his son is on himself, and Donnie hates feeling constantly misunderstood. Out of all his brothers, Donnie is the one who takes after Splinter the least and sometimes, it is hard for them to relate or understand each other but Splinter always tries.

He seems to enjoy his and Donnie´s usual banter.

¨With all due respect, Sensei, I can´t keep fighting alien technology with a 6 foot staff. I was hoping to upgrade my weapon.¨

¨Mmm. A 7-foots staff. Interesting.¨

¨No, I meant using modern technology.¨

¨Aah, a solar-powered staff.¨

¨I´m serious, Sensei!¨

¨I know. And yes, you may upgrade your weapon.¨

¨That´s totally unfair! You can´t just- Wait, did you say yes?¨

(Lol. I love them so much) 

I also like how unlike sons, Splinter does not judge or mock Donnie for his crush on April. He is very fatherly in that area. When Donnie was upset about April being gone, Splinter was the one who comforted him and when he was being a bit...obsessive. Splinter had a private conversation with him (That we didn't get to really see because of stupid Nick!)

Splinter never crushed Donnie's hopes in April liking him back. When raising his sons, Splinter not doubted feared that they would grow up never finding true love and having a family of their own. He thought his sons would only have each other in the world. So, when April came along and he noticed his usual reality son, crushing on a normal human girl...he allowed his son to have that hope, not having the heart to tell him that April returning his feelings may be a difficult task.

However, when Splinter learned that Donnie was stalking April, he had to snap his son back into reality.

"My son, for someone so intelligent the obvious often eludes you."

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HE SAID AFTER THAT!!

Splinter probably thought, what the others thought, that Donnie stood no chance with April and that he was just awaiting heartbreak but he did not want to say that it was impossible. Even so, his son was clearly not taking the hint from April, so Splinter took it upon himself to gently explain to his son that he could not force her to like him and to give her space.

Remember that episode when Donnie first made the retro-mutagen?

If that episode did not show how much Donnie and Splinter care for each other, I don't know what will.

Donnie was so proud and happy that he made the retro-mutagen, not only to help April's dad but his dad as well. Donnie was a fixer and he wanted to give Splinter something that he unfairly lost. He could not give him back his wife or his daughter, but he could give him back his humanity.

However, Splinter was hesitant...

"Save April's father first and then I will...consider it."

Donnie did not understand why his father did not want to take the retro-mutagen right away but he did not question, assuming it was just a lot for his father to take in and then...Stockman, in his ugly fly mutation glory, came in ruined everything.

Donnie was so conflicted. On one hand, he knew he had to save April and her father but on the other...what about his father? Splinter has been a mutant rat, forced to live in the sewers with them for almost over 15 years and Donnie wanted so badly to give him back the freedom he lost, for him to be happy. Thankfully, Splinter made the choice for him, telling him he must save Kirby but Donnie was still sad, sad for his father.

What Donnie did not understand though is that Splinter did not want to turn back. Yes, maybe he had considered it, wondering what it would be like if he returned being a normal human in society but he no doubt already knew his answer was going to be No.

For one thing, if his sons were going to remain mutants then so was he and another thing, Splinter, I believe, considered his mutation almost like a ...rebirth? A second chance.

As a human he had Tang Shen, Miwa, a clan that admired him but when he lost that, he moved to New York and had nothing to keep him going. He was alone but as a mutant, he gained a happy home, and his four amazing sons. His sons were his second chance to be the father he couldn't be with Miwa and he does not ever regret following that man in the ally that day.

Hamato Yoshi was Splinter's past and he did not wish to return back to it. He was content and happy where he was now.

So...why would he want to change that?

"Do not fret, my son. I am constant with what I have become. I have no place in the human world anymore. This is my home, and you four are my family."

I mean...it's true. What is waiting for Splinter up there when his sons are down in the sewers?

Even so, I just love how Donnie is always determined to take care of their father. How he wanted Splinter to have that retro-mutagen and how, he worked very hard to get Karai back for him.

Donnie cares for his father so much and Splinter does in return. Splinter is always there to help ease his overthinking son's mind, give him advice when he needs it, and shows his appreciation for all that he does.

"I know how hard you have tried, Donatello. Some things are just not meant to be..."

It was sad and it obviously broke Splinter's heart but even though he was in grieve, he still made sure to acknowledged how hard Donnie has worked and assure him that it was not his fault that he could not find a cure for his daughter.

Overall, these two have a great caring father and son relationship.

(With some fun banter added to the mix) :)

Leonardo

Raphael

[theholypeanut]

Being besties with Hiori, Kurona and Niko

Content: Fem!reader, Headcanon that Niko, Kurona and Hiori are same age, school au, mentioning of Shidou, Otoya, JJK and Merge Mansion (it’s a mess I know)

- You were friends with Kurona first, bc he has the best social skills

- He saw you sleeping in between classes one day, and you overslept the bell for next period, so he woke you up.

- Still half asleep, you looked at him and said “damn your hair are so pretty”

- He flustered and that’s how great friendship began

- Because Niko and Hiori were also in football club, and all of you were in the same class, you started eating lunch together

- All of them felt rather odd bc they were not the type to hang around girls, especially Niko, he’d blush whenever you say anything to you

- Kurona regularly braids your hair on lunch breaks, and he got so invested he learned different braiding styles and he experiments daily bc your hair are longer than his

- Need to put your hair up in the ponytail on PE lessons? No: u gonna have the prettiest braids in the entire gym

- After you get comfortable with Niko and Hiori, you guys are totally a ride or die

- You and Niko exchange mangas to each other and watch new anime episodes while being on discord, so u can comment live

- Sometimes Hiori and Kurona join, while Hiori just plays games and listens, and Kurona is studying and listens, bc without context it’s also very funny

- With Hiori you play video games but he is way too good in this

- The only game u have any chances with Hiori are the lamest phone games like Merge Mansion and he is still somehow better??

- One time both you and Niko had puffed eyes at school, and when Kurona asked what happened, you started to explain JJK KFC break up

- You are very protective of your friends, so if you ever hear anyone talking shit about them, you are ready to fight

- You always tease Hiori that he is the prettiest of all of you

- Some senpai confessed to Hiori thinking he was a tomboy, and you will remind him about it until he’ll die

- Kurona is the softest and the nicest of all of you and he is always just happy to spend time with his friends

- You always enjoy listening to him talking about sharks and you’d go with him to aquarium several times

- Whenever you mention that some guy from their football team is hot, Niko straight away says “yeah but he is a dick, don’t” (especially if you have your eyes on Shidou or Otoya)

- They won’t say it out loud but they are afraid if you’d start to date one of the more popular football guys, you’d forget about them (insecure squad, but they love u so much)

- Every week you ask Niko to allow Kurona to braid his bangs but Niko refuses every time (but u won’t give up)

- You all suck on PE, and you always mock them how they made it to football team if outside of that they act like a bunch of nerds (but then they mock you back that you don’t even play football, just suck, and they are not wrong)

- You have study sessions together with lots of snacks and soft anime music playing in the background

- You have three great listeners whenever you need to vent, and they all have your back, because they are the best

- This friends are treasure and a bunch of keepers, and you sometimes get sad thinking they will get girlfriends and you already miss them

- “Bro before any of us get a girlfriend there’s gonna be a while lol” Hiori on discord after listening to your crying hormonal rant

- “You’d better”

By slowlyholypeanut - don’t steal, give credit

Btw I do play lame Merge Mansion and Hiori would totally be better than me

Here a bonus smau regarding jjk (spoilers!)

[blacklister214]

4x06: Patrick and Eliza: Game, Set, Match

It's funny because when I got on this ship Season 2, I legitimately didn't believe it had a prayer. The title is Miss Scarlet and the Duke, for heaven's sake. Now though...any ending that isn't Eliza and Patrick is crap. As for the title...the Duke was always in small letters. He's in the background, BEHIND her. He is an important part of her backstory. That doesn't make him her future.

SPOILERS BELOW!

Let's just go over some of the stuff from the episode.

More Partner Power in the cold open. The sound like an old married couple. They prepare to fight the criminal together.

Patrick staring at Eliza center stage taking applause from the men with so much damn pride.

Eliza demonstrating a willingness to share credit with him and the men. She is absorbing Patrick's lessons like a sponge, both there and with Potts later.

He takes her to the race track and she agree with almost no cajoling needed. This is so much cooler than dinner with William, because dinner is a traditional female outing. Patrick is sharing his hobbies, and not giving a damn about societal convention.

Eliza says the thing that has always made Nash such a favorite of mine: He has faith in her when no one does. Not her father, not Ivy, not William.

She is able to stop Patrick from murdering his brother's killer with the simple words, "You are my friend." Eight years of waiting and planning for this moment, and the knowledge he is important to Eliza is enough to stay his hand.

He apologizes to her. She interfered with his plan when he asked her not to. Prevented his revenge and escape to the continent. He is facing jail time. He just saved her life. AND HE APPOLOGIZES TO HER! Try to imagine William doing that. I dare you.

He tries to make HER FEEL BETTER. Once again he is IN JAIL facing serious prison time as a PRIVATE DETECTIVE who has put men in there. Yet, he puts on a brave face and assumes an optimistic air. He uses his old joke about his good looks and her brains. All to sooth her as much as he can, while he can.

Her thinking him a good person is desperately important to him.

He'll "always keep trying." Patrick never quits, his commitment is absolute. That is what Eliza needs, because life with her will never be easy.

She takes his hand. Eliza isn't much of a comforter, and as she looks at him there is grief she can't or won't speak. So instead she take his hand to tell him without words how much she cares.

I'm sorry, but William on his best day, will never top this. Some people might say that the writers have clearly written Patrick off with this storyline. I say however the writers have perfectly tee-ed up the end of the love triangle.

William will return next season to a changed Eliza, one that has learned, thanks to her growth with Patrick, how to function as a PI perfectly well without him. Detective Fitzroy won't need him anymore either, having finally stopped caring about his father and earning the respect of his fellow officers. The icing on the cake though I think will be Patrick's trial.

I suspect Eliza is going to perjure herself to get Patrick released, possibly even blackmail some people. She going to 1) risk her license and 2) offend William. William as a police office takes the law very seriously. Eliza, when push comes to shove, is going to save her partner by any means necessary. Patrick, I further predict will also discourage her from involving herself and risking her future as a detective. More over I think he will try to get William to stop her, hopefully resulting in a frank discussion during which William will release the extent of Patrick's feelings for Eliza.

William will finally realise the truth, that though they may love each other, they don't belong together. To Glasgow or back to America will go William. Patrick will be released and from there onto more Patrick/Eliza investigations.

[penny-the-pissed-poltergeist]

Jaunedice arc rewatch time time, Let's get this over with

.One of the worst parts about early Jaune is that he's too incompetent to any cool choreography in his fights

.They real did just give the characters video game health bars

.Oh no! Jaune lost to the guy who can casually bully people multiple school years above him, how surprising

.Ren, how the fuck would you know Nora's dream better than her... that makes no sense

.Really hope Ruby had something before or alongside cookies for lunch, that ain't good for you girl

.Velvet really needs to grow a fucking spine but that doesn't make everyone going "Oh he's so bad, it must be so hard for her" while doing nothing any less bad

... Why is Menagerie called that

.I think it would have been neat to make Oobleck a Faunus because his intro is him talking about Faunus lore and it would make him going asking Faunus in his class to publicly talk about their probably traumatic and sensitive experiences with discrimination a lot less invasive (It'd also be nice to a Faunus in power who isn't a traitor)

.The Faunus won the war but nobody ever fuckin acts like they did

.God I love Oobleck

.if Jaune told canon Pyrrha to kill someone, do you think she'd do it. She's 100% down to break Cardins legs

.Why is a Jaune quip the one suicide related thing in this series that actually lands for me?

.Did Cardin know they would be there or does he just like letting the wind in?

.You think a combat school would have good enough background checks to stop some guy from sneaking in but Jaune must have the best counterfeiting skills on remnant. even then you'd think his parents would at least be suspicious sense he had no proper combat training

."I can't do this on my own, what good am I?" You are already training as a part of school dude, stop being a stubborn loser

now on to Forever Fall....

.Ruby dropping the advice that destroys herself later (It's not always bad advice but god it became so toxic to herself)

.Cardin asking for some fucking bees, but not those bees

.Forever fall looking a bit cooler in the Black trailer but I still really like it here

."Professor Peach" Is expanded on in the books apparently but I'm point that out because there's a weapon's teacher called Herold Mulberry who's also only from the books so Ruby herself can't interact with him goddamn it.

.I will give Jaune one thing, He can SOMETIMES be funny, sometimes.

.Cardin's teammates haven't had a single line yet because they an 8th of a personalty each

.How is Nora slurping the sap that fast?

.Cardin calling Jaune "Jonny boy" gives me Maximilian Pegasus vibes

.How did Jaune's aura do that, we don't see Aura or the Aura amp do anything like that again

.Just send two more people away instead of letting them help you fight a giant ass bear because Yang and Blake totally can't deal with some grimm on their own

.Jaune has weirdly low endurance for the amount of aura he supposedly has

.People already say Jaune is "the real main character" but the problem of everyone but team RWBY feeling like the protag is something that crops up with both him and lots of other characters throughout the series.

.Remember kids if you want someone to stop bullying you, just save them from the fucking B E A R

.If someone is just watching the show without outside material, this is the first time anyone says the word semblance, no how short the episodes are doesn't negate how stupid this. Imagine if the first time hear the word mutation in an X-Man show was 8 episodes in, this is just brain meltingly dumb

.Pyrrha, all keeping that from Jaune is going to do is make him over estimate himself

.Oh yeah Jaune will never be a jerk again after this, he definitely learned his lesson. /S

[highfantasy-soul]

Moments I loved from NATLA Episode 4 - Into the Dark ❤️️❤️️

Aang and Iroh interacting more - love that they're not friendly to each other, per se, but it builds a foundation that makes their later respect make sense

The Earth Kingdom being harsh with their 'fallen foes' is nice to seed in here as in the animated version (season 1), most of the 'bad' stuff was relegated solely to the Fire Nation

The Earth Kingdom is no pushover and it's nice to see that early

Sokka defending his dad "My dad would have never done what you did" even after he commiserated with the Mechanist about his dad 'not valuing' what Sokka could bring to the table.

Though Sokka is frustrated that his dad doesn't see "him", he knows his dad is an honorable man doing his best and when Sai tries to use him as an example of 'doing the wrong thing just to survive', love that Sokka calls him on it

SECRET TUNNEEELLLL!!!

Like them introducing this now - all old buildings have secret passages - it's just a law

Teo's "its time to fight!" attitude - love it. He's so ready to stop cowering and wants to hit back

Flopsy statues!!!!!

Rolly ball throne? Nice touch

"Bumi? BUMI!!" :D

"You did 🤨" Love how Aang keeps his "I'm just gonna say the truth and I don't care if that's 'not allowed' I'm gonna do it anyways because your social rules are stupid" attitude

Katara's water pouch!!

Love the shake in Jet's voice as he tells Katara "I am nothing like the firebenders"

Katara's assessment is shallow on her part, but the core has a ring of truth - no, freedom fighters aren't the same as their oppressors, but when you start harming your own people to hurt the enemy, then you really have lost sight of what's right and wrong - why you're fighting.

FREEZE JET'S ASS!

I love Jet, especially this version of him, but yeah, no touchy

And Katara is absolutely right: Jet might have helped her through her block, but her power, that's all hers.

What are you going to do, Zuko?? What choice will you make!!??

Love that we're getting this choice of his here in Omashu

Bumi's puns 😭 kill me now - though very canon accurate

Like the vibe that everyone just has to laugh as to not anger him - there's less of a whimsical madness vibe to Bumi here and a more serious - yeah, this guy is our leader vibe that's quite unsettling

The tonal shift with Bumi did give me pause, but I like how the writers kept the jokes, the games, his eccentricities, but shifted the vibe to make them darker

In the cartoon, whimsy might work, but if you think about it realistically, that leadership style would NOT work during a war - a 100 year war, at that.

HIPPIIEESSSS!!!!

Sokka getting into that maraca - you let your little musical heart fly

"What are you doing here?" "We're doin' what we're doin'" :)

Oma and Shu lesbian supremacy!!!

Always get chills when this story is told

Lol Sokka's "There's no such thing as angry spirits." Right before the episode where they're kidnapped by an angry spirit XD

Love the switch up of the rocks not really being the path out - keeping us animated show fans on our toes as to what the lesson will be this time

Everything about the Earth Kingdom soldier's interaction with Iroh - all of it is just so good.

The cartoon glossed over Iroh's warmongering past - but he did do terrible things that hurt so many people. No, 'it was war, I was a soldier' is not an acceptable excuse (we didn’t accept it with Jet, so why the double standard for a ROYAL MILITARY GENERAL??)

The funeral scene

Leaves from the Vine

Zuko offering a soft and kind memory of Liu Ten instead of just talk about him being a soldier

Zuko sitting next to Iroh so he won't be alone!!!!!!!!!

The conversation between Katara and Sokka in the cave where she talks about how Jet helped her and Sokka how Sai helped him - then Katara reminding Sokka that when he was forced into a leadership position for the Southern Water Tribe, he didn't have anyone to help him through that

The concept of us all needing people to help us through our journeys is so important and really comes around at the end of the episode and just through the entire series

BADGERMOOOLLLEEE!!!!

Is it bad that all I could think about was how cute it was the entire time it was on screen?

Dallas Liu is so. Freaking. Good. At. His. Stunts!!!!

And the first mention of the theme Zuko struggles with of compassion being weakness!

Sokka's little 'thanks!' as Katara saves him from the badgermole XD

Seriously, all the little touches in Ian Ousley's performance are great

Idk why Sokka assumed the badgermole was a man, that's clearly a dignified lady

The power of sibling love guiding the badgermole was a great alteration from the OG - if they can be controlled through music, they can definitely respond to emotions

Bumi's whole speech here - and his willingness to get crushed - is what brought me around on this portrayal of him

He's right: it's a game where you have to make impossible choices - you have to fight even when you don't want to (a much more poignant message for Aang than 'look at things a different way')

The power of friendship saves the day!!!

"You CAN rely on your friends - and that's the only way I'm going to save the world: with my friends"

"You think like a child" (derogatory) "Is that really so bad?" (genuine)

Bumi made Appa's whistle!!! 😭😭😭😭

One last time Zuko chooses protecting his uncle over capturing the Avatar 🥲

"Everything I need is right here on this boat" 😭😭😭

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]