#Forcing myself to make longer animations and actually FINISH THEM

[doostyaudi]

Ouh my god theyer so silly

[remxedmoon]

(You don’t know how much longer you can do this.)

hi the wip for this was absolutely not supposed to blow up. why does that have 1k notes. horrifying. anyways!!!! it’s update time baby!!!! 64 new assets this time around!

so that’s what the caption was supposed to be. this update was already pretty damn big and took a ton of time to make!!! and i was finally done!! but then my hand slipped and now we’re at 143 new assets. super sorry for the delay! That Was Not Supposed To Happen.

i’ll go more indepth below the cut, but this update encompasses all menu/profile art for both isat and sasasaap, battle portraits for sasasaap, every single pixel icon in isat (to my knowledge anyways), the dialogue skipping animations, and a few miscellaneous additions.

also i spent too much time on these to put them below the cut so Please God Look At My Icon Resprites I Spent 16 Hours On Them. enjoy!

okay first things first. why the hell is this batch 143 assets. so. i HEAVILY underestimated how many times the menu drawings are used in the games. even removing all of the custom art, it’s still ≈30-40 variations! that’s a lot! and once i finally finished everything, i got Posting Anxiety and somehow convinced myself that attempting Animation And Pixel Art (two things i haven’t done in YEARS) would be easier than writing a normal post. so here we are.

the custom art here is pretty much par for the course at this point. extra menu art for bonnie, extra expressions for the party in act 5, we’ve done this enough times that it’s expected. i am aware that bonnie’s custom menu art gets completely covered by the ui. i kept it in because it’s really funny (and also i didn’t feel like extending the sprite (but then the sasasaap version forced me to extend the sprite anyways so Whartever)).

once again, provided a spritesheet for sasasaap’s battle portraits! i do intend to cover both games, it’s just a slightly lower priority atm. unlike isat though, i’ve got Less (read “No”) experience with sasasaap, so there might be more issues with those assets?? apologies if there are, i’ll try to fix any issues that come up!

the Miscellaneous Additions i mentioned above are the sprites used on the teleport map and the loading screen, which is just a tiny version of the skipping animation. they were pretty small, so i figured i might as well get them out of the way!

not actually much to say about the 75 icons surprisingly! i haven’t done pixel art in about 5 years?? and that’s a Travesty actually these were super fun to make. i did make mockups for the overworld sprites earlier, but they aren’t Officially part of the redraws (yet) so they’re getting posted seperately

and also!! some exciting news!! this project might actually become a Proper Published Mod pretty soon!! i’ve been in contact with someone who’s willing to help me get everything set up, and i’ll be getting a Usable Computer around the end of the year!!!! it’ll still be at least a month before it’s up (i’d like to get the enemy art finished beforehand wauaua) but!!! still exciting!

okay, i think that’s everything relevant to the update!! i Definitely can’t fit all of the relevant assets here lol. but i’ll try my best ! please enjoy !!

[ninzied]

green things

alex kisses henry to make another guy jealous. that’s it. no other reason. based on a prompt for @onthewaytosomewhere. modern au. 1.9k.

“You’re quiet tonight,” Pez remarks, halfway through one of the worst house parties Alex has been to in his life. Seriously; he’s been to so many, and none of the others even compare. “Something on your mind?”

Yes. “No.” Alex takes a sip of his drink and goes casually back to not looking at Henry.

He’s kind of not really been okay-totally-watching-them all night, and it’s fine. It’s fine, because it doesn’t matter who Henry talks to, what matters is that he looks happy, and animated, and hasn’t stopped smiling.

He hasn’t stopped smiling all night.

“Hey, so, who’s the guy?” Alex asks.

Pez glances over. “Ah—yes, that’s a visiting prof in Henry’s department. Hazza talks about him quite a lot, actually.”

Alex grits his teeth so hard he’s surprised that none of them crack. “Does he.” He refrains from adding under his breath, Well, I’ve never heard of him.

“All the time, as a matter of fact,” Pez continues. He doesn’t even sound like he’s had to exaggerate. “And with good reason. It’s not even that he’s easy on the eyes, though there is that too. He’s already accomplished so much in the field despite being our age, from what I understand.”

“I see,” Alex says as neutrally as possible. He’s starting to see a lot from where he’s standing, actually, and he doesn’t like it. Like, at all.

Pez raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him. “Do I spy something green?”

“No,” Alex says quickly, too quickly this time. “Nope. Definitely not.”

“Well, if you say so.” Pez pops an hors d’oeuvre in his mouth and chews, surveying the room like it’s his own private theatre. Like he’s waiting for something. Like he has a vision. It’s both impressive and disconcerting to see.

As if on cue, someone comes up to Mister Accomplished and claps a hand on his stupid-broad shoulder, drawing his attention away. He flashes Henry a grin—one that’s way too white and with too many teeth, in Alex’s opinion—before walking off and leaving Henry alone in the corner.

Henry, who’s no longer smiling as he closes his eyes and sags at the shoulders. He tilts his glass back and drinks.

Well, fuck. Alex can’t even be glad anymore that the guy has just left because now he wants to punch him for it.

“Douchebag much?” he mutters under his breath.

“Oh, most excellent,” Pez is saying at the same time. “Couldn’t have planned the thing better myself.” He clears his throat, all business-like all of a sudden. “It appears that our poppet is in need of assistance. Are you up to the task, Alexander?”

“Wait.” But Alex finds himself getting pulled along by the sheer force of Pez’s will before he’s even finished speaking. “What task, exactly?”

Pez looks two seconds away from rubbing his hands together like some kind of cartoon villain. “Nothing like making a man jealous to finally spur him into action.”

Alex sputters; didn’t he just say that he wasn’t—? But then he catches the pointed look Pez gives Mister Accomplished again. Oh. That guy. Then: “Wait, that guy?”

“Nothing gets past you, does it,” says Pez.

Alex makes a wild gesture. “You want me to make that guy jealous. Fucking how?”

Pez lets out a long-suffering sigh. “The fact that I must spell it out for you really does explain a lot, actually.”

“A lot about what?”

“One kiss ought to do it, I think,” Pez muses, almost to himself.

Alex swallows. Flirting with Henry every day like he does is one thing. Harmless, mostly, unless you count feeling heartsick that Henry never looks at him the same way.

What Pez is suggesting, though, may be the thing that tips Alex fully over into heartbreak territory.

“I don’t, um.” He clears his throat and glances toward Henry, who’s gazing into his now-empty glass. “What makes you think he’ll be down with this plan?”

“Absolutely nothing, he would never. Which is why we must be quick about it.”

“But,” Alex starts to protest.

“Alex.” Pez says his name like he’s scolding a child who’s being too selfish. “Don’t you want to see Henry happy?”

“More than anything,” says Alex, too honestly. Fuck.

“Then trust me on this,” says Pez, in the voice of a person who’s not to be trusted at all, before opening his arms wide and beaming. “Hazza, darling.”

“Oh, thank God,” says Henry, glancing up as they approach. “I need another one of whatever this was.”

“I have a better idea,” Pez sing-songs, then looks askance at Alex. “Unless, of course, someone’s getting cold feet. I can always ask if dear old Hunter’s available, I think I saw him by the—”

“No, I’ll do it,” Alex says instantly. “I’ll take one for the team.”

“Yes, a big sacrifice on your part,” Pez murmurs, and Alex shoots him a sharp little glare. Henry scrunches his brow, looking between the two of them in something like concerned confusion.

“Alex? What’s going on?” he prompts carefully as Alex marches up to him, taking a breath. He’s determined to do this for Henry, no matter the cost to himself.

“All right. I’m ready,” Alex says solemnly. “Lay it on me, Fox.”

“Sorry,” says Henry, “I still have no idea what we’re talking about?”

“Babe,” and Alex takes Henry’s face in his hands, “Don’t even worry. I’m here to make all your dreams come true.”

Henry stands frozen as Alex presses their mouths firmly together. There’s a second that lasts half a lifetime in which Alex thinks he’s made a terrible mistake.

And then Henry’s lips soften—wow, fuck, they are really soft, actually—and then he’s kissing Alex back and so hard that Alex stagger-steps, almost knocking a chair over as he pulls Henry even closer.

He tries not to totally lose it when he feels Henry’s fingers thread through his hair, or the hitch in Henry’s breath when their lips part and their tongues meet.

It occurs to him that they probably shouldn’t be kissing like this while surrounded by all their work colleagues. Alex doesn’t really care. All he cares about is how devastated he’ll be once it’s over.

Henry is the first to pull back. He’s breathless and smiling, and Alex’s heart hurts like fucking hell but this is what he wanted, right? To see Henry this happy?

Alex puts his hands on Henry’s waist, which, fuck, he shouldn’t have done that; now he thinks he might never let go. His breath comes up short as he gasps into the space between them, “Is he watching?”

Henry blinks. His smile falters a little. “Is who watching, Alex?”

“The guy you were talking to. I was trying to make him jealous.” Alex can’t bring himself to see if he’s noticed. Alex thinks he would rather die than look away from Henry right now. All he wants is to kiss him again even though he probably shouldn’t. “Do you think it worked? Henry?”

Henry has gone very still in his arms. The expression on his face is glazed over, distant. “That’s why you kissed me? To make someone jealous?”

Fuck, they really should’ve talked about this first. Fuck. “Yeah?” Alex winces.

“That man specifically? I didn’t even know you two were acquainted.” Henry heaves out a breath, looking strangely like he might be sick. “So you—you like him, then?”

“What? No, of course I don’t like him. I don’t even know him,” says Alex. Henry isn’t making any sense. “I thought you liked him.” Unless…shit. Unless Henry just doesn’t want them both liking the same guy?

Henry just stares at him for a long time. He’s looking kind of like Alex is the one who’s lost it. “You what?” Henry says finally.

“I thought you liked him,” Alex repeats, but this time it comes out as more of a question.

“You thought I liked him,” Henry says for emphasis. “That man.” Like there’s some other guy Alex could possibly be talking about right now.

“Apparently,” says Alex. He realizes he’s clutched the sides of Henry’s shirt and wills his fingers to loosen a little. It feels like some kind of miracle that Henry hasn’t shoved him away yet. “And then you looked so sad when he went to talk to other people, and I thought, I don’t know, that I’d help? Pez said you talk about him all the time, so…” Wait. Wait a minute.

Henry breathes out. Something solidifies in his expression, like he’s just worked through a math problem of his own. “Hmm,” he says in a weirdly calm tone. “Did he, now.”

“Yeah,” Alex says slowly. “He…” What else was it that Pez had said? Nothing like making a man jealous to finally…

Wow. Okay. Well-played, Okonjo.

“I see.” Henry looks pointedly around for Pez, who’s conveniently nowhere in sight at the moment. “Percy didn’t also happen to mention the fact that the man’s an absolute bellend who’s been gatekeeping my department’s research funding? That I’m thus woefully obligated to kiss the ground he walks on at parties?”

Ah. “He…did not,” Alex allows. “So, just to be clear, you don’t? Like him?”

“Christ, no,” Henry says firmly, and Alex feels something light in his chest flutter and try to take flight.

“Anyway,” Henry goes on, looking all sober now for some reason, “I ought to apologize on Pez’s behalf. He really was only trying to help, in his way. He knows how I feel about—well.” He flushes. “And I’m sorry, too, for kissing you like that. I was under a very different impression as to what it, um. Actually meant.”

“Yeah, hold up.” Alex straightens. “You kissed me back.” Henry looks cautiously on as Alex starts smiling and can’t seem to stop. “You had no idea and you still kissed me back.”

Henry goes a shade pinker each time Alex says the words. “Yes, well,” Henry says faintly. “I believe what you said was something about making all my dreams come true? Which I did take at face value.”

Alex tightens his hold on Henry again. Definitely not letting him go after that. “Henry,” he says. “You’re my fucking dream, are you kidding?”

“I—” Henry gazes at him. His smile is soft with something like wonder. “You’re serious?”

“How do you think Pez got to me?” Alex wants to know. “Do you have any idea how jealous I was of that guy when I thought you were into him?”

“Mm.” Henry tilts his head. “Yet you kissed me fully believing that it would, what, drive him so mad that he’d throw himself into my arms?”

“I did.” Alex takes both of Henry’s hands into his. “I want you. Henry. But I think I want you so much that the only thing I want more is for you to be happy.”

Henry’s eyes are bright and so very, very blue. “And if I told you that they’re one and the same?”

Alex is smiling so hard that it hurts. He never wants to stop feeling like this. “Then I guess that guy can be jealous all he wants,” Alex shrugs, bringing Henry’s hands up to his shoulders. “Because he can’t have your arms now, they’re mine.”

“Noted,” says Henry, mock-seriously. “Anything else you wish to claim while you’re at it?”

“Actually,” says Alex, “yeah, just so we’re clear,” and he pulls Henry back in for a kiss.

[fleouriarts]

remade the height lineup for jamie and co! it's been almost exactly 6 months since i made the original one, and omar and andre didn't even exist when i made it, so i figured it needed an update. also the original was made in one night (vs this being made in a week) and you can TELL

under the cut are individual pics for each of them with some design notes and such. tumblr also likes to crunch big images like this, for full size click here and here

originally finished 9-28-2024

JAMIE: biggest change is that im actually drawing him with a long ass linsang neck. i wanted him to be small so bad before that i forgot the most important linsang trait... this is also why he has gained 2 inches of height LOL

SANTIAGO: santiago got like 25% wider and his horns are more visible. i considered making a second unclothed ref for his look during the summer (all wool shaved except for the head), but i don't draw him like that very much. maybe later

JOHNNY: no changes. johnny is a perfect animal. i just finally have a full ref of her spots (at least from the front)

NULL: i completely changed their head shape to look like an actual siamese cat, and gave them 6 nipples like an actual cat. their original shirt had just a blue scribble (my usual shorthand when i'm drawing from a ref and don't feel like drawing a shirt design) but i decided they deserve an actual shirt design now. i tried a cat skull at first and then i thought to do cartoon fish bones instead and fell in love with it

ARGYLE: argyle's face spots became more pronounced, his mane is bigger, his bigass robe has only yellow stripes now, and i changed the colors on his pants a bit. a character change that comes with this is that he is now a journalism student instead of fashion. he was originally a fashion student so him, jamie, and santiago would all have to interact (since they're all in the arts at their college). however developing argyle more made me think he would care way more about comfort than looking good when it comes to his clothes. also the son of a lawyer and a history professor going into journalism just makes sense to me

OMAR: omar wasn't on the original lineup, but when compared to my first drawing of her, i just made her fatter with a longer neck. and now i have a good ref of his spots! i've also decided they have hyperestrogenism, no clue if it's caused by an underlying syndrome like aexs or not. either way she has gynecomastia and hypogonadism because of it

ANDRE: andre straight up didn't have a color ref before now cus i mostly drew her in my sketchbook. i just forced myself to figure out his markings and give him a "default" outfit (i really liked the one i drew him in here so that's his default now). also i have decided she does not wear wigs anymore she's just a cool bald bitch

overall i think i just got better at drawing furries ^__^ a lot of it comes down to just thinking harder about their anatomy. you may notice that the new drawing has the carnivorans (jamie null argyle and andre) as plantigrade at rest now instead of digitigrade. part of this is because i went and looked at my zootopia artbook to study it and that's how they do it. another part of it is that when you look at plantigrade vs digitigrade legs (unguligrade is here too i guess):

the entirety of the paw on a digitrade animal is homologous to just the toes on a plantigrade one. do you want to stand on your toes all day? does that sound fun to you? HELL NO!!!!!! unguligrade animals stand on their toenails but they're weirdos we don't have to talk about them

anyway enough of my rambling cheers to you if you read this far. if you're an aspiring furry artist you might find it fun to learn some irl animal anatomy to help you w your drawings, like looking at skulls/full skeletons and stuff. or maybe it'll just frustrate you. i'm a biology student so this is enriching for me. have a nice day

[i-am-grell]

I’m Back! Throw Anime at Me!

If you’re new here, I suck at starting and finishing series and making choices, so I let Tumblr pick which anime I’ll watch next.

I’ve just returned from vacation, and have the freedom once again to include longer series - and long long series (description of how that’ll work below with the propaganda) - in these polls!

As always, propaganda* (*rambles about series I haven’t finished and how little I know about series I haven’t started yet, etc) below the poll. You’re welcome to reblog if you wanna bully your followers into voting for your fave. Other people’s followers and assorted Tumblr users: you don’t have to know me, follow me, or like me to throw anime at me. You don’t even have to like anime if you just wanna press a button. Go wild.

Propaganda:

How the long long series will work in my polls:

We all know some anime series are hundreds - even thousands - of episodes long. When it comes to these polls, rather than straight-shotting through these beasts, I’ll break them up by however the series is naturally divided (by season or arc - whatever that series has chosen). If there’s a shorter season/arc, it may be combined into the next one (for instance if one arc has 16 episodes and the one after has 30, I’ll watch 46eps for that poll option, since that’s pretty manageable. We’ll play it by ear, folks). I’ll always be specific in the propaganda about how far I’ll be watching for that particular poll and update my pinned post with my progress for that specific series after. The series may not show up in back-to-back polls for the sake of taking breaks and not burning myself out on the same thing.

Rambles about the options:

Blue Exorcist - I watched everything available circa 2014/15ish, but now there’s more? Apparently? I guess? Cool! I’ll probably rewatch what I have seen since it’s been a while and proceed from there.

Free! - I watched ISC and ES as they were airing. In sub. And y’all know I prefer dubs (of course I went back and watched it when there was finally a dub). But while everything past Eternal Summer was airing, I was in my busy period… 😬 Still have to finish it - but to be clear, I will be marathoning everything, starting yet again with Iwatobi Swim Club. Also I absolutely don’t mean to influence the vote but the longer Free! stays in these polls, the more 50% Off! quotes I get to use. If you ever see “backstroke for days,” assume I’ve run out.

Zombie Land Saga + Revenge - This has been in the polls before and I’m sure many of you have seen my propaganda for it before. TLDR: Love it, wanna finish it, TERFs aren’t welcome here 😌

Bungo Stray Dogs - I think about Dazai at least once a day and I haven’t even watched this show. I have 1) seen pictures of this man 2) listened to anime tiktok simps talk about this man. Do with this what you will.

One Piece - There’s a quote from an episode of Um, Actually… where Mike Trapp says he hasn’t read Wheel of Time because, while he’s always meant to, it “feels like nerd homework.” One Piece is my “feels like nerd homework.” For the purpose of this poll option, if chosen, I will start One Piece by watching the first arc.

Mashle - Anime OP make brain go brrr. Also from what I understand, it’s regular guy brute-forcing his way through Legally Distinct Hogwarts.

[panharmonium]

Hi! I love your Naruto thoughts and meta posts with all my heart and I want to ask your thoughts on something that has been on my mind literally since I was 13: what do you think about the relationship between Sasuke and Sakura? I went from being a hardcore shipper when I was a teenager, to being against any romantic relationship in Naruto after finishing the anime when I was in my early twenties. Nowadays I'm very into platonic love and depictions of friendship and I think the anime's obsession with forcing the "romantic interest" curse upon the main female character robbed us of... so much. There are a few wonderful moments in the anime where Sasuke and Sakura acknowledge each other, but because she's always "the girl with the crush", her actions are so often interpret as irrational or selfish by the fandom.

Hi @riemmetric!  It's great to talk to you again! Sorry it's taken me so long to answer this; RL has been making demands of me lately and it took me way longer to finish writing this up than I wanted it to (then again, I knew from the minute I read your original ask that my reply was going to get long, so I suppose I should have predicted a delay XD)

It's funny, my sister once asked me to choose between Sasuke or Sakura for an “unpopular opinion” meme, and I ended up doing Sasuke solely because I think the negative fandom opinions about Sakura are so unhinged and divorced from the actual text that I wouldn’t even know where to start.  People are entitled to dislike whatever characters they want, obviously, but there are some fandom takes that are, for me, so obviously rooted in bad faith viewings/readings that there’s no urge in me to discuss them.  That said, since you asked, I’m happy to go into my own thoughts on this a bit, with the disclaimer for other potential readers that I only write about fandom things for my own personal enjoyment, not as a contribution to The Discourse. If you don’t like Sakura, great!  I have no interest in changing your mind. Please consider this a sincere invitation to scroll on by and go enjoy whatever parts of the fandom appeal to you.

In general terms: I love Sasuke and Sakura’s relationship as much as I love all of the relationships in Team 7.  If we’re talking about them specifically as a romantic couple, then I probably fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, because I do like them together in a post-canon (to be clear: non-Boruto) setting, after time has passed and they’ve continued to develop individually and reconnect with each other, but I also wouldn’t exactly call myself an intense “shipper,” in the sense that I have no interest in pulling things out from the text and incorrectly citing them as evidence that Sasuke has hidden romantic feelings for her during the canon period. He cares about her in the canon period, just like he cares about Naruto and Kakashi.  That’s not up for interpretation; it’s the text.  But Sasuke during the canon time period does not demonstrate specifically romantic interest in anyone.  

[A note before people who might ship Sasuke with Someone Else emerge to rail against this statement - please just scroll past and continue enjoying fandom in whatever way is most fun for you. It is cool to ship whatever fanon thing you want; I think that’s great!  But earnestly citing any loving or emotional thing Sasuke does re: various characters in this story (yes, Sakura included) as indicative of specifically romantic love isn’t supported by the text. I know there are always going to be enormous subsets of any fandom who insist that it is, and I'm certainly not going to barge into anyone else's space to complain about that (because other people having fun together is harmless and none of my business), but I'm not obligated to indulge it on my own blog, either.]

Anyway, that said - the reason why I love Sakura and Sasuke’s relationship (from here on out I’ll use “relationship” in a general, non-romantic sense) is precisely because Sakura isn’t just “the girl with the crush.” Sakura has an arc when it comes to Sasuke, and its trajectory moves in the exact opposite direction of “irrational” or “selfish.”  She specifically goes from “the girl with the crush” to “the girl who steels herself and tries to put her personal feelings for Sasuke aside for the greater good” to “the girl who knows she can’t put her feelings aside, but who also knows full well that Sasuke doesn’t reciprocate them, and who still wants to save him regardless, because he matters to her as a person and a friend.”

[I'm putting the rest of this under a cut to save everyone's dash, and also to emphasize once again that this is a personal post on my personal blog which I wrote in response to a question from a personal acquaintance, the full content of which no one is obligated to read. I am not sending this post to random strangers and forcing them to look at it. I'm not even putting it in the character tags. I'm typing it up on my own blog and putting it under a cut. If you already know that you don't like Sakura, but you still click the link/read the post and then feel an urge to comment and complain, I am going to copy-paste this disclaimer and remind you that I specifically recommended that you scroll past and go have fun with fandom in your own way. Thanks in advance for responsibly curating your own fandom experience!]

So, from the top:

1. the girl with the crush

Sakura is, obviously, completely obsessed with Sasuke at the beginning of Part 1.  She’s also deeply clueless about him and his history (bizarre though it is, the story seems to indicate that she initially doesn’t know what happened with his family, the same way young!Obito is initially clueless about Kakashi’s father).  But what I like about Sakura and Sasuke’s Part 1 relationship is how this changes over time.

The critical scene that kicks this off happens right at the beginning of the manga, when she and Sasuke are talking by that bench - she complains about Naruto and blames his behavior on him being all alone/having no family to scold him; and even says she’s jealous that he doesn’t have parents to nag him all the time.  This obviously triggers an outburst from Sasuke, who tells her she has no idea what loneliness means and that she “makes him sick”/she’s “annoying” (importantly, the exact same thing Sakura said to Naruto in anger earlier that day), which in turn prompts Sakura to reassess herself and wonder whether she’s been making Naruto feel this terrible all the time, too:

From that point on, it’s a process of her putting little pieces together.  She still has a MAJOR crush, and she still acts like a twelve year-old, but as we approach the end of Part I, Sakura actually has a more accurate grasp on Sasuke’s current state of mind than Naruto does.  Naruto is initially excited to fight Sasuke on top of the hospital, because he feels like Sasuke’s finally acknowledging him, whereas Sakura is the one who immediately recognizes that something is wrong about this situation.  She is also the one who, after this fight, is concerned that Sasuke is really unwell and might do something drastic like run off in pursuit of the power Orochimaru promised him, but when she communicates this to Naruto, he assures her that this would NEVER happen:

(Sakura isn't convinced, though, because she goes to monitor the exit out of the village anyway.)

I’m not criticizing Naruto for his response here.  I ADORE hearing him say that Sasuke is too strong to need Orochimaru, with such perfect confidence - I love seeing how much respect and admiration he has for Sasuke underneath all their fighting, because that’s the whole reason he’s always baiting Sasuke and yelling at him and claiming “you're not so great!” He looks up to Sasuke; he wants to be like Sasuke; he thinks Sasuke is awesome! (It’s that Obito @ Kakashi behavior, you know?) But the fact remains that he is clueless about what’s actually going on with Sasuke in Part 1, and he remains clueless(ly optimistic) for a long time.  

(Eg, when he catches up to Sasuke during the retrieval arc and Sasuke climbs out of that cursed seal coffin, Naruto waves at him and calls "Come on, let's go!" as if Sasuke has been successfully rescued and is now going to come running home.  Even in Part II, when Naruto hears that Sasuke killed Orochimaru, he beams and immediately says, “So he must be on his way back to the Leaf Village!”  And everyone else in the room is like, “....,” because they know better.  Naruto doesn’t yet fully understand [or doesn't want to accept] the extent to which Sasuke has willingly chosen this path, and it’s not until after Jiraiya’s death/the Pain attack/the Five Kage Summit that Naruto really starts to understand Sasuke more clearly, which is something he himself admits.)

Sakura, in Part 1, has access to more information about Sasuke - she’s there for his first dissociative monologue during the bells test, she’s there for the curse mark’s placement, she’s there for his first violent transformation in the Forest of Death - she is, in fact, the unwitting catalyst for it (“Sakura…who did this to you?”), and her compassion is the reason Sasuke is later able to overcome the curse mark’s influence - so she has a more accurate/complete picture of “how he’s doing,” for lack of a better phrase, whereas Naruto, who doesn’t know about the curse mark in the first place, is still in the dark.  This means that Sakura is able to accurately discern that Sasuke is struggling more than Naruto realizes, and specifically to predict that he’s going to run away.  

(This dynamic is then interestingly flipped in the back half of Part II, since at any point after the Five Kage Summit, Sakura doesn’t have access to extremely relevant [if currently questionable and unproven] details that would in any other circumstance inform her behavior).

Of course, just because she has more info in Part 1 doesn’t mean she has some kind of miraculous insight into Sasuke’s every thought and feeling.  There are parts of her attempt to convince Sasuke to stay in the village that are as clueless as any of Naruto’s assumptions, and they showcase the kind of magical thinking common to childhood - like when she says that if he stayed with her, she could give him happiness, she’d do anything for him, even help him get his revenge - this idea that she herself can do something to make him feel better, that she can love him powerfully enough to defeat his pain - obviously none of that is rooted in realism.

Is this part of her approach irrational and immature and inadvertently self-centered?  Of course it is!  But it’s no more irrational and immature and inadvertently self-centered than Naruto’s stated plan to drag Sasuke back to the village even if he has to “break every bone in [his] body!” 

Hating on Sakura for her Part 1 attempt to convince Sasuke to stay in the village while simultaneously lauding Naruto for his feels like a bad faith misread of what is, to me, pretty clear narrative intention.  The story doesn’t at any point intend for us to see her begging him to stay as a selfish or conniving attempt to get something she wants.  She’s begging him to stay for the same underlying reason that Naruto is: she cares about him.  She thinks he’s making a mistake that will only cause him more pain in the end (she’s right) and she wants to make it so he feels less pain right now (she can’t.  But she doesn’t understand that/isn’t able to admit that, and she’s willing to try ANYTHING that might help).  

It’s critical that this farewell scene is set in front of that same bench from their first important confrontation - she references that day and how angry he got at her, and this time she tells him that she understands his reaction.  She’s learned things and she recognizes how insensitive she was being back then (“I know what happened to your clan, Sasuke”), even though she still can’t fully grasp all the complexities of the situation. She tells him that him blowing up at her back then helped her understand what loneliness actually meant (as opposed to her previous shallow understanding of it), and she challenges him about his choice right now: "So that's it, you're choosing the lonely path?" And when she tells him that she'll be very lonely if he leaves, we're immediately shown a panel of Sasuke thinking of both his friends, with the very clear implication that if he goes through with this, he will be lonely without them, too - that he's still struggling with the idea of leaving them, no matter how hard he tries to pretend:

Sakura at this point knows that Sasuke isn’t interested in her the way she is in him, but she still wants to give him happiness, however fantastical and immature her ideas sound to us (and, I’m sure, to him).  “I’ll do anything, even help you get your revenge/we'll have fun every day, and...and you'll be happy! I'll make sure of it!” - of course, it’s completely childish.  It’s irrational.  It’s ridiculous to think that any of this would ever be effective, but no more ridiculous than Naruto’s belief that he can simply break every bone in Sasuke’s body and keep him in the Leaf by force.

Both Naruto and Sakura are children who have a deeply oversimplified understanding of Sasuke’s situation.  They both still think they can fix him themselves.  They both think they can save him themselves.  They both think they can convince (or force) him to do what they want, what they think is in his best interests.  Both of them don’t yet understand that he has to want to come back, if it’s ever going to mean anything.  Their attempts to keep him in the village are immature and unrealistic, yes.  What they aren’t, however, is selfish, because neither Sakura nor Naruto are doing any of this with the intention of advancing their own interests.  They’re only thinking about Sasuke - how to keep Sasuke safe, how to make Sasuke happy - even when neither of them are taking an approach that will actually work.

Naruto and Sakura are children.  They’re afraid of losing somebody they care about.  Their attempts to prevent that from happening are desperate and messy and ultimately ineffective, but they are also genuinely felt and rooted in a true desire to rescue Sasuke from his pain, which - and this is the single most important thing that should impact our viewing of Part 1 - is something that Sasuke RECOGNIZES.  He doesn’t spend that agonizingly long moment bowed over Naruto’s defeated body so we can pretend he doesn’t understand that Naruto was just trying to help him.  He doesn’t take the time to murmur, “Sakura…thank you,” before laying her out carefully on a bench, just so we can discount it and pretend that he doesn’t recognize and appreciate her genuine intention to make things better for him, however clumsy that attempt might have been.

2. the greater good

If Stage 1 Sakura is "the girl with the crush," then Stage 2 Sakura is a progression to “the girl who decides to put her feelings for Sasuke aside in order to protect innocent people, including (but certainly not limited to) Naruto.”  She’s driven to this decision by interactions with Shikamaru, who all too recently had to grow up fast himself (“We're not kids anymore...we can't allow a war to break out between the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Cloud because of Sasuke") and Sai, who risks his new friendship with Sakura and Team 7 in order to speak some hard truths and deliver one of my favorite lines in the whole story: “I don’t know what promise Naruto made to you, but it’s really no different than what was done to me.  It’s like a curse mark.”

(INCREDIBLE.  How can anybody be complaining about a season where Sai gets to say something that goes THIS HARD and Sakura LISTENS and takes DRAMATIC ACTION that actually propels the story forward in a meaningful way - )

[Okay, yeah, brief personal opinion interlude - it is just bonkers wild to me that there are people who complain about Sakura in the Five Kage Summit arc. That entire season is the greatest character arc she ever has.  Literally she has never been more interesting and dynamic than in Season 10; it’s the first time she ever gets to be as deep and fascinating as the boys; what is everybody so worked up about?  Oh, “she lied to Naruto that one time” - Sasuke joined infant-kidnapping baby-murdering human experimentation machine Orochimaru when he was twelve years old in order to (dare I say it????) selfishly pursue his personal goals and yet, somehow, we are still able to root for him.  He abandoned his friends/allies to imprisonment and death (Suigetsu and Jūgo) or outright stabbed them in the chest himself (Karin) in order to (SELFISHLY) get what he wanted, and yet, somehow, we are still able to love him, understand him, and be on his side.  Naruto is canonically not upset with Sakura about her lie after receiving context for the situation and I think we can probably take our cues from him without feeling the need to bring her up on war crimes; please calm down]

[Sorry, I just really love most of Season 10 and think it’s one of the best examples of how good this story can be when every single character gets to do something that matters (as opposed to things being all Naruto, all the time) so I get a little bit worked up over people complaining about some of the best writing Sakura ever gets.  I don’t understand what certain elements of fandom want from her. People complain about her being “useless” and not doing anything that contributes to the story, but then they complain just as much when she does finally get to act decisively and have just as complex/dynamic an inner world as the boys.  She’s “weak” for being unreasonably in love with Sasuke, but when she tries to be “strong” and put her love for him aside and eliminate him in order to protect Naruto and the rest of the world, she’s evil, because she should have been more understanding of his situation (despite the fact that she doesn’t KNOW anything about his situation).  But then when she can’t go through with killing him after all because she cares about him too much despite the things he’s done, she’s not "compassionate" or "kind" or "a good friend," she’s “weak” again. Nothing Sakura does in S10 is more wrongheaded or rash than any of the batshit, buckwild things Naruto and Sasuke have done in the past (and will continue to do in the future), but when Naruto and Sasuke have big feelings or take bold action, it makes them interesting characters, whereas Sakura can’t breathe in anyone’s direction without being minutely scrutinized for moral impurities.]  

Anyway. Back to a more measured response.  

Every single piece of development Sakura has with regard to Sasuke in this season satisfies me so much.  Her initial shock and disbelief at hearing that Sasuke had joined the Akatsuki?  Good, appropriate.  The fact that she starts to acknowledge the reality of what Sasuke’s done sooner than Naruto does?  Also extremely appropriate, very in-character for both of them.  Her taking Sai’s words to heart and deciding that the promise she asked Naruto to make when they were children is causing him to suffer and she has to relieve him of that burden?  Juicy!  AND thematically significant (promises!!!!  the burden that a promise places on a person, especially when it can't be kept - we've seen that before in this story and we'll see it again).  Her anguished pivot from wanting to protect Sasuke to realizing that she has a responsibility to protect the countless innocents who will die because of the war he’s trying to start?  HELLO THIS IS INCREDIBLE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.  Her knocking out the classmates who agreed to help her so they don’t have to share in her burden (and so the only person Naruto will hate when it’s over is her)?  BRUH.  Her being so committed and focused on her goal of saving innocents and protecting Naruto (not just from being harmed by Sasuke/the Akatsuki, but by the possibility that Naruto will someday have to hurt Sasuke himself) that she tries to take everything on by herself and walks into a confrontation that she absolutely cannot win??  INCREDIBLE.  (Literally the first time I watched this, I said, “Finally!!!  It’s Sakura’s turn to go off the rails!”  I laughed with my sister about how Kakashi isn’t even mad, because Naruto and Sasuke have been pulling stunts like this for years and Sakura was way overdue for her own meltdown.)  And then, after Kakashi intervenes in the fight - Sakura barreling back into the battle when she realizes he’s going to take on the burden of killing Sasuke himself in order to spare her and Naruto the horror - “I can’t let Kakashi-sensei bear this burden!”  I love her for that.  

And then, of course, in the end - her not being able to do hurt Sasuke after all.  Despite committing herself to the act, despite forcing herself to put her feelings for him aside, despite resolving to stop him from starting a war and killing innocent people, she can’t harm him.  She cares about him too much.  This, too, is thematically significant - think about Itachi’s “you don’t have enough hatred” - she doesn’t have enough hatred to kill someone she cares about, even if it seems like he deserves it, even if would be the right thing to do to protect others.  She can’t do it, and Sasuke almost kills her for her compassion.  

I love the dynamic this sets up between her and Sasuke, for a few reasons:

1) Personally, I think Sasuke respects Sakura much more for trying to kill him than he would have if she’d just tried to talk him out of his behavior or beg him to come home (a la their original confrontation in Part 1).  This is the first significant interaction he’s had with Sakura in years, and the fact that she does something SO contrary to his memory of her is an important demonstration of the fact that she’s not the same girl she used to be.  Sasuke spends a lot of time after his defection declaring to his old team “I’ve changed; I’m not that person anymore,” but this is one of the moments where he’s forced to acknowledge that his teammates have changed, too.  Time didn’t just stop for them when he left.  While he was turning into someone new, so were they.  They grew up without him, and his old memories of them can’t encompass the whole picture of who they are now.  

(This is a little tangential, but in general, I love the spectrum of reactions that Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi have in this sequence, and the way that all of them are ultimately messages Sasuke needs to hear.  Sasuke - who we know textually regrets what he did here, who apologizes to Sakura for it later - for “everything,” in fact - needs Naruto’s aggressively optimistic open-arms policy, yes, needs that potential, that unconditional possibility of return.  He also needs Sakura’s refusal to let him hurt her friends and start a war that will kill thousands of people, needs her surprisingly ruthless attempt to take him down; needs just as much her failure to do so, because it shows him that she still loves him too much to kill him even as she condemns him.  And he needs Kakashi’s grim line in the sand, needs someone who very possibly won't hesitate like Sakura (despite the horrifying personal cost), someone who will try to reach him but also won't let him escape and become the next generation’s Orochimaru, who won't let him cause untold suffering to untold numbers of people just because a teacher loved him too much to stop him when he had the chance. 

(And then even Kakashi chooses not to deliver a killing blow when he has the opportunity -)

(I know that in fandom people are more likely to be all, “oh, Naruto Good, everybody else Bad,” but I don’t think the narrative frames Sakura or Kakashi as “worse” than Naruto in any way.  The story goes out of its way to make it clear how desperately they don’t want to hurt Sasuke and how much they care about him.  And [this is just my interpretation, so obviously I won’t claim it as fact], I personally think that Sasuke - Sasuke, who, looking back, can see how lost he was then and how tortured he would have been if he’d gone through with many of his plans - would be grateful to Sakura and Kakashi for making an attempt to stop him when he couldn’t stop himself.)

2) On the other side of this, the fact that Sakura wasn’t able to deliver the killing blow means a lot. Sasuke was incapacitated under that bridge; he was completely at her mercy - but she stopped with the kunai an inch from his back.  She couldn’t kill him, even though she knew that he was completely willing to kill her (because he'd attempted to Chidori-assassinate her from behind just a few minutes ago).  That’s huge!  Sasuke is too out of his head right now to process this or understand it, but later, it's going to matter.  She stayed her hand.  She spared his life.  She loved him too much to hurt him, even when he’d given her every reason to take him down.  She hesitated, and he almost killed her for it, but her inability to strike him ultimately gave him yet another chance to come home, another chance to get better, another chance to have a life outside of his pain.  Despite everything, some part of her still hadn’t really given up on him, and that knowledge will matter later, when he’s finally able to acknowledge it.  

The point of all this is to say that I really have no complaints about Sakura and Sasuke’s dynamic in their S10 confrontation.  This season is the point where Sakura fully grows past her “girl with a crush” stage and into her “shinobi must make very harsh decisions” adulthood, but it never means that she doesn’t care about the person she’s trying to take down.  Her ultimate inability to deliver the killing blow remains a dangling lifeline for her relationship with Sasuke, an open door that Sasuke is able to walk through at the end of the story (literally, in fact, when Sakura opens that portal for him and saves him from Kaguya’s desert prison, and figuratively, too, when Sasuke apologizes to her).

3. she only wants to save you

The last stage in their relationship is what Sakura settles into during the war arc.  She started off Part 1 being just a girl with a crush, then tried to harden her heart and put her feelings for Sasuke aside in service of the greater good, but she was unable to actually follow through and kill him, and because of that, what she’s come to accept by the war arc is actually two things: that 1) Sasuke truly is willing to let her die if it furthers his goals, and 2) she wants to save him anyway.  

She has no intention of pursuing Sasuke romantically.  She knows full well that Sasuke isn’t interested in her.  She even knows that Sasuke isn’t really on their side (there’s a great scene where Sai questions Sakura about Sasuke’s return, and she reassures him that everything is fine, and Sai sadly thinks to himself “even I can tell your smile is fake”).  She’s well-aware that Sasuke didn’t try to help her when Madara stabbed her.  She’s well-aware that he left her to die in the lava pit.  She’s also well-aware that none of this is enough to make her stop loving him.  He doesn’t have to care about her - she still cares about him.  She still wants to help him.  She still wants to save him.

This is not hidden, hard-to-parse character development.  It’s explicitly articulated on the page:

Sakura’s not trying or wanting to make you hers!  She only wants to save you.

I’m not sure if people look at this last confrontation and unquestioningly take Sasuke at his word (as if we haven’t just read 71 volumes/watched 700 episodes showing us how how painfully distorted his thinking is), or if they stop reading/watching before the end of the scene, or if they don’t understand that Sasuke saying something doesn’t make that statement an accurate representation of reality.  The entire point of this scene is to show us how deeply mistaken Sasuke is about Sakura (and, by extension, the rest of Team 7).  He’s locked into a false pattern of thinking.  His single-minded focus on revenge and destruction has blinded him to the unconditional love his friends feel for him; he’s become so accustomed to using others and being used that he can’t understand or accept that someone would care about him without needing a reason, without needing him to love them back, without needing to receive something from him in exchange.

Sakura’s not trying or wanting to make you hers!  She only wants to save you.

Sasuke matters to Sakura as more than a love interest.  He always has.  She does love him romantically, yes, but she doesn’t only love him romantically, and her desire to help him is not and has never been contingent on him returning her feelings, romantically or otherwise.  Sasuke isn’t able to acknowledge that in this scene, but that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to just sit back and agree with his warped perspective.  Kakashi is the one who’s explicitly positioned as the voice of the narrative here.  We, as the audience, are supposed to recognize that Kakashi is the one telling us the truth.

[tangential thing 1: You don’t have to love Sakura's last plea to Sasuke here. It’s not my favorite, either - the best part, other than Kakashi’s speech at the end, is the moment after Kakashi collapses when Sakura’s expression changes from pained uncertainty to pure rage, when she grits her teeth together - when I first saw that, I almost leapt out of my seat like “Oh my god.  She’s finally going to let him have it.  It’s finally happening - ”  I wanted that so badly, and I still think it would have been a more effective writing choice for Sakura’s last words to lean more into her anger at the suffering Sasuke is causing all of them (himself included!) and less into yet another of Kishimoto’s “let me have Sakura articulate what a shame it is that she can’t do as much as Naruto despite the fact that I literally just went through a major reveal sequence in the war to show that she’s caught up to the boys; I can’t make up my mind about whether I want her to progress or not” - it’s extremely frustrating (and it's something he does at the very end of the S10 Team 7 reunion, too, which is the ONLY moment of S10 that falls flat for me).  But at the same time, even if there are ways this sequence could be more satisfying, it doesn’t change the fact that her plea to him is not remotely motivated by a desire to be with him romantically and not anything to condemn her for.]

[tangential thing 2: I do like how she remembers that moment when Sasuke says “Thank you.”  That panel precedes her saying “If there’s even a tiny corner of your heart that thinks about me…” (which I’m sure is one of the things that people like to criticize about this scene, aka “oh she’s sooooo self-centered” etc), but that particular line of dialogue is preceded by that particular flashback panel for a reason: Sakura knows that Sasuke DOES think about her.  He thinks about all of them.  Sakura remembers that “thank you,” and it reminds her that despite everything Sasuke has done and said since, despite all evidence to the contrary, she knows in her bones that his expression of gratitude back then was genuine.  He cared about her once.  He cared about all of them.  She’s trying to reach the part of him that still does, if it exists.]

[tangential thing 3: The fact that Kakashi says “she suffers from loving you,” and it triggers Sasuke to remember his own family - thinking about how much he suffered (and still suffers) from loving them - “Perhaps…those are the ties to a failed past” - the idea that it’s not worth it to have bonds if it means you suffer this much…that it’s too difficult, it’s too painful, and if Sakura and the rest of Team 7 were smarter they would just give it up (all Sasuke knows how to do now is sever potential bonds before they can hurt him; so why aren’t Sakura and the rest of his teammates doing that, why can’t they let it go, why are they making this so hard - ) << yeah, he clearly doesn't care about her/them at all.]

4. the shadow of my family

This has all been a really long way to answer the original question, but the short response to “What do you think about the relationship between Sasuke and Sakura?” is “I really care about it,” just like I really care about the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto, just like I really care about the relationship between Sasuke and Kakashi. And I don’t think the story ever asks me to choose between them.

I’m not sure whether it’s the impact of Boruto-era “canon” that gets in the way of other people approaching things this way (I don’t consider sequel material when I evaluate the original story), or if it’s Kishimoto’s frequent disinterest in/disrespect towards female characters, which yes, does sometimes make it harder, or if it's a shipping thing (bane of my existence), or some combination of factors, but for me, taking one member of Team 7 out of the equation hobbles the rest of the story.  I can’t read/watch Naruto while hating one of the protagonists and loving the other three.  It doesn’t work like that for me.  The story wasn’t written that way, and there’s nothing in the text that would cause me to receive it that way.

That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with disliking one of the main foursome (or any character, for that matter) - obviously we're all going to have different preferences, and everyone is free to enjoy or reject whatever parts of a story they want, or to like or dislike whatever characters they want. I know that some people have more fun disregarding canon and doing their own thing, which is fine.  My own personal zone of enjoyment comes from receiving the story as closely to how I think it was intended to be read as I can, and personally, when I look at this particular story, what I see is that all the members of Team 7 clearly demonstrate their love for Sasuke in ways that he himself later recognizes and acknowledges. All of them are driven by their desire to save him and their unwillingness to hurt him. All of them make repeated choices to chase after him when he runs away, to trust him when he hasn't exactly earned it, to give him another chance when he doesn't appear to deserve it. ALL of them, not just Naruto, do these things multiple times throughout the story, and Sasuke owes his life (and thus his eventual recovery) to ALL of them, many times over. Kakashi disobeys Hokage-elect Danzō and breaks the law to negotiate for Sasuke's life with a foreign head of state. Sakura and Kakashi both have opportunities to kill Sasuke in the Land of Iron, and they choose to spare him instead. Kakashi stops Sasuke from killing his only friends at two different points in the story, which would have been a mistake Sasuke couldn't have recovered from. Sasuke would have died in Kaguya's desert dimension if Sakura hadn't saved him (Sakura, who knew that Sasuke wasn't even truly on her side yet, who knew he'd abandoned her for dead multiple times already that day). Kaguya's bone bullet would have killed Sasuke too, if Kakashi, with his intention to die in Sasuke's place, hadn't leapt in front of it (Kakashi, who also knew that Sasuke wasn't fully on their side yet, who also knew that Sasuke had abandoned him for dead earlier that day). Sasuke and Naruto would have BOTH died in the Final Valley if Sakura and a severely injured Kakashi hadn't chased after them to heal their injuries.

Remove any one member of Team 7, and Sasuke never makes it home. Without the combined efforts of all three of his teammates, he doesn't survive.  That’s the way it should be, thematically, for a story whose first and most foundational premise was the importance of teamwork, and since Sakura was just as essential to that framework as everyone else, I’m just as invested in her relationship with Sasuke as I am in his relationship with everyone else.  You can’t remove one leg from a four-legged stool without damaging the integrity of the entire structure, and for me, discounting any single member of Team 7 irreparably damages the integrity of the entire story. 

TL;DR: I love all of the Team 7 relationships, including Sakura and Sasuke's, because despite what some segments of fandom seem to believe, the text of the story never gives me any reason not to.

[venomous-soliloquy]

Some things I've realized since I started mainly drawing OCs again:

I was putting too much of an expectation on myself to churn out fanart and it was both debilitating me and stagnating my growth

I was too worried about validation, if a certain piece of fanart didn't preform well I would question if I was even that good of an artist when I constantly saw other fanart getting sometimes 500+ or 1000+ notes - Worth noting, that yes, when I post my OCs on Bluesky in particular I do hope they do well and people enjoy my art. But, I no longer care if they 'do numbers' because at the end of the day I'm actually enjoying myself while creating art and that's what counts

The StonyLovesSteve event forced me to stop drawing for nearly a month after it, I was in horrific pain from my hand to my elbow after spending hours every day working on the animation. Despite that, the pause in creating helped me to reevaluate what I was doing and why. - I am still suffering ramifications from doing that animation. I spent a month working on it, still barely finished it. I now am consistently forced to take breaks in the middle of creating art because of the hand and arm cramps that pop up.

I'm growing artistically by leaps and bounds and because I don't feel the weight of 'having to get the characters right' or 'having to draw something that appeals to the fandom at large'. This is not a weight that the fandom itself put on me, but one I put on myself. But, in the past few months I've gotten faster and because I'm not constantly stressed about 'doing it right', my muscle memory is being set free and shit that I struggled to draw before just comes so easy now it's ridiculous.

All this being said; yes, I will still be drawing Stony stuff in the future. However, to grow as an artist and a creator and if I ever want to get any of my dreams off of the ground, I definitely need to lean further in the opposite direction. After all, how am I supposed to write a webcomic about a 15+ year old story with my OCs if I'm just drawing fanart all the time? Do I always want to contend with copyright over popular IPs by only selling prints and stickers of them, or is it wiser to also work on original/personal designs along side that?

I'll keep making fanart, 100%, but it's going to slow down to a veritable crawl.

The biggest thing is, I'm a little leery about posting my OCs here, because this blog was first built on my Stony fanart. I'm not going to pretend like all 400+ followers I have here didn't come for Stony first and maybe my OC work second. Still, this blog was always intended to be an art gallery of sorts... So, yeah, I'm gonna keep posting my art here. And most of it is going to be OCs, studies, personal work that has nothing to do with fanart.

I absolutely understand if people need to unfollow me because of it, because you came to watch me for one thing and I switched it up on you.

Love ya guys.

[thebawdybaldurian]

BG3FicFeb Day 21

SFW: Tav, Astarion, and Halsin share a fancy dinner and one of them confesses their feelings for the other.

NSFW: Our beloved trio test out more of Tav’s furniture shortly after her pregnancy is revealed.

SFW: Love confession

Background: Shortly after the fall of the Netherbrain, Tav, Halsin, And Astarion spend some much needed alone time together.

The trio strolled the dimmed streets of the Gate as dusk began to fade into night. Astarion was still getting reacclimatized to the sparse twilight, forced to once again wait for the sun to set completely before venturing out. Tav and Astarion walked on either side of Halsin, arms joined, the taller man able to easily navigate the trio through the narrower lanes. They’d been taking nightly strolls to get Astarion out of the house, hoping to get him out of the depression he had sunk into once his vampiric curses returned.

They frequently ended up in a tavern, where they would sit and talk or Tav might occasionally take up an instrument, singing dirty songs in Elven to her lovers. Tonight, however, they had somewhere to be, a fine dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in the entire city. When the owner had learned of their involvement in stopping the Netherbrain and preventing the death of his entire family while he was away, he invited them at once. They were all dressed in their finest, even Halsin wearing a full suit that Astarion had tailored to his large frame. They turned quite a few heads as they made their way into the Upper City.

Halsin gritted his teeth at the stark differences that were immediately apparent. The streets were cleaner and level. No patriar had to risk scuffing one of his fine leather booties on a rough cobblestone. There were trees and fountains everywhere, intricately manicured to tame nature as only an aesthetic feature and not an actual part of nature. There were no beggars, no children wandering shoeless, no stray animals rooting around in the trash. There was only austere, power, and wealth. Just a fraction of it shared throughout the city would make a world of difference.

He could no longer hold his tongue after they’d been sat at an opulently furnished private table on the veranda, called Sir so many times already, he wanted to scream. “This place is ugly,” Halsin sighed, sliding his expensive glass of wine over to Tav. He didn’t drink much and he definitely wouldn’t be drinking something that cost the price of an entire family’s year of meals. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, uncomfortable being so literally and figuratively buttoned up. Many of the heads they turned were met with glares, whispering about what sort of sordid union the trio were involved in.

“It is,” Astarion sneered, insulting the decor with blistering verbosity.

“I think he means the Upper City as whole,” Tav rubbed Halsin’s thigh, trying to offer him some comfort. “I know this isn’t your type of place, so thank you for coming with us.”

“Of course,” he nodded, taking a long drink of water. Even that tasted overdone and expensive somehow.

“And thank you for letting me get you all dressed up. You look very handsome,” Astarion slid his hand across Tav’s lap to also pat his thigh.

“He does,” Tav smiled, pulling him in for a kiss. Someone from across the room, who clearly was already staring at them, made an offended noise in her throat. “Though I can’t wait to strip every layer off him slowly.”

He pulled her closer and kissed her with a vulgar amount of tongue, smiling a little as he heard the woman get up and demand they be seated elsewhere. “That’s enough, you two. Save it for later,” Astarion laughed. “I want to finish this wine first before they kick us out.”

“It is quite good,” Tav took a long sip, her face flushed by his kiss and her underpants throughly wet. “But I need to go refresh myself in the powder room for a moment,” she grinned, giving both their thighs a squeeze.

Astarion got up from his chair to pull hers out and to give her ass a hearty grope in full view of another table. She giggled coquettishly and sauntered to the powder room, her ass swinging as she walked. The ladies room was even more ostentatious than the dinning hall, a small burbling fountain providing ambience for anyone pissing or shitting out a thousand gold rare cut steak. She carefully gathered up the skirts of her dress so she could do the former and so she could dab the ooze of honey from her fancy lace underpants with a handkerchief she’d furtively slipped out of Astarion’s pocket. She reapplied the lipstick Halsin had smeared slightly and pushed her breasts up to sit higher in her corset.

As Tav primped in the powder room, the first course arrived and Halsin sighed at the tiny little morsel that was supposed to be a delicacy. “Thank you, genuinely, for coming with us,” Astarion tried to offer his own comfort to the druid. “We both enjoy spending time with you and appreciate you putting up with all…this,” he gestured.

“Is this really how you lived before you were turned?” Halsin looked around.

“More or less,” Astarion sighed, wishing he could taste the sumptuous food or enjoy the wine for something other than its price and intoxicating effects. “It was…alright. Boring a lot of the time, unless I could stir up a little intrigue…but even then.”

“Were you happy?”

“I thought I was, at the time. That’s why I accepted Cazador’s offer without a thought. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to lose this…bullshit,” he stuck his fancy appetizer fork straight into the food on his plate. “This life I have now…with you and Tav. I am happy, truly. And I never would’ve been able to appreciate it if I hadn’t lost everything. Lost myself even.”

“I’m happy as well,” Halsin pulled his chin up, turning his face to look at him. “I’m so proud of you…proud of how much progress you’ve made in your healing, proud of you for resisting all that power, of how much you make Tav happy. How much you make me happy…I love you, Astarion.”

Astarion fought back tears, his throat clenching. It had been easy to fall in love with Tav, she was beautiful and completely different from all the victims he’d lured to Cazador. When he’d first looked at Halsin’s imposing frame, he felt an inherent fear, a memory of all the cruelness and strength that had been used against him. He could have hurt Astarion in so many different ways, but he had been gentle and understanding. He had been exceedingly patient and accepting as well. They still hadn’t even been intimate, sharing only prolonged kisses. Halsin pulled him in for one of those kisses, alleviating the pressure of Astarion having to say it back.

“Hey now,” Tav teased, coming back to her seat. Halsin got up this time to help slid her chair in. Astarion reached into his pocket for his handkerchief, wanting to dab his eyes.

“Oh here, I borrowed that,” Tav grinned deviously as she handed it back. He went to dab his eyes, but caught the hint of her musk immediately.

“Did you…” he grinned widely, holding it to his nose fancily. “Here Halsin, you have a bit of Tav’s lipstick on your chin,” he passed the silk handkerchief to him with a smirk. He caught her scent immediately as well and smiled, taking in a strong whiff of it.

“How many courses is this dinner?” He asked, stuffing the handkerchief in his top pocket so he could easily put it out for another sniff. “I’m suddenly hungry for something else.”

“Maybe we can skip to dessert,” Tav grinned widely, finishing the last of the wine and popping the small appetizer into her mouth in one seductive bite.

Tav’s stomach groaned loudly as they waited for their next course, Halsin urging them to stay so Tav could eat all she desired. He tried to enjoy the meal as best he could, but also tossed crumbs over the veranda for the rats to eat. Despite all the glamour of the Upper City, no one could escape them. Seeing that Halsin wasn’t drinking the wine, the owner offered some spiced honey mead instead, which Halsin accepted. Everyone got a little drunk and little more handsy and after feeding each other dessert, they finally headed back home to Tav’s cottage.

Halsin and Tav groped and kissed one another as they walked, Astarion hanging back a little. “Why don’t you two go on ahead and I will catch up?” He smiled. The alcohol hadn’t gone nearly to his head and there was something he wanted to do.

“Are you sure?” Tav smiled, clinging to Halsin, who had unbuttoned the majority of his shirt already. “We can just cuddle in bed.”

“Keep it warm for me,” he kissed them goodbye, turning down a different street as they continued on.

He found his way to the familiar private garden where he’d taken a lot of his Upper City victims. He could still pick the lock to the gate with his eyes closed, slipping inside and pulling out the small journal he’d been keeping in his pocket. Tav had gotten it for him to help with his healing journey and he used it to reflect. He sat down on the bench where he’d seduced so many, gotten on his knees in front of, been hurt upon. He opened the journal to one of the first pages in it. It was mostly blank, aside for the question ‘what do you want out of the rest of your life?’ He sat for a moment, pen in hand. He finally wrote down one word. THIS.

He closed the journal with a smile and put it back in his pocket. He took his time walking home, allowing Tav and Halsin time to be intimate. He was ready for more. Ready to love them both, with all his heart and all his body. Their clothes were scattered in a trail that led to the bedroom. They were both nestled in bed together, lipstick smeared all over Halsin’s face and likely his cock too. He undressed and hung up his clothes, climbing into bed beside Tav and wrapping his arm around her. He let his hand rest on Halsin’s chest, right above his heart. “You made it,” she mumbled sleepily, gently placing her hand over top of his.

“I’m glad to finally be home,” he nuzzled closer against her.

NSFW: Sex on furniture

Background: A continuation to my many Tavhalstarion pregnancy drabbles.

Content and Warnings: Female elf x male elf (x2). Oral sex, PIV sex, anal sex, threesome/double penetration.

Halsin returned home from the market with some things to help Tav’s newly revealed pregnancy, finding her sat on the dining table, her back arched. He could see Astarion crouched in front of her, having an inkling of what he was up to. “Oh hi,” she looked back with a moan, her face blushing.

“Back at it then?” Halsin grinned widely, setting his sack full of goods on the nearby counter, eyeing the pair of them.

“This is all your fault,” Astarion grinned back, his face glistening from her honey. “Your damned blood has me all riled up.”

“Then I suppose these next few months will be quite interesting,” he leaned in to kiss Tav, caressing Astarion’s neck with his other hand.

“He wants to try to beat his old record of ten climaxes in a day,” she quivered, tightening her grip on his curls and arching her back as his tongue probed deeper inside her. “This will make…uhhhh fuck…uhhhhhh, three now,” she huffed, her legs trembling as she came.

“Happy to add my assistance to the attempt,” Halsin smiled, giving Astarion a deep kiss when he stood back up, sharing the honey that lingered around his mouth. “It is a day of celebration, after all.”

“He’s already gotten me throughly warmed up for you,” Tav slipped her robe off completely and reached down to rub Halsin’s cock. “Perhaps we can do a reverse of earlier and Astarion can fuck you and you can fuck me?” She leaned over to kiss him, pulling his bottom lip back with her teeth.

“I’d like that very much,” Halsin sighed, her gentle touch stirring him already.

“Can you strip and suck him while I eat?” she purred at Astarion, who had taken her warmed bone broth off the stove.

“Of course, my love,” he pulled Halsin close, unfastening his robe.

Tav climbed off the dining table as her lovers kissed hungrily and continued to undress. She poured her bone broth into a large mug, leaning up against the kitchen counter to watch them. She got so turned on seeing them together, thumbing her clit a little as she sipped her broth. “Mmmm, do we want to…ahhhh,” Halsin gasped as Astarion pulled his cock free and circled his tongue around the head. “Do we want to move things back to the bedroom?”

“Why not test the strength of the table?” Tav bit her lip, taking another long sip of broth. She pawed through what Halsin had bought her, eating one of the pastries, still watching Astarion sucking him.

“Are you just going to watch or are you going to come here to me?” Halsin teased as she sucked the sweet honey cream from the pastry off her fingers, taunting him with the sweetness.

“Ohhh, does my little bear need some sugar?” She grinned, grabbing another of the treats and holding it playfully in her mouth. She brought it to him, letting him take it in his teeth.

“Mmmm one of the few things I love about the city,” he happily the swallowed the soft and delicate pastry.

“I’ve rediscovered the joy of cooking again,” she sunk to her knees beside Astarion, nuzzling his back and reaching around for his cock. “I can make you anything your heart desires.”

“Perhaps my belly will grow with yours,” he looked down at his lovers, both sharing his cock between their mouths. “If you two keep spoiling me like this….hmmm…I might never leave.”

“You could both keep me in the house as your breeding pig then, full of cum all day,” she purred, standing up and pressing Halsin down onto the table, eager to be filled again. Astarion helped her climb onto the table, gripping her ass.

“Maybe I should fuck your ass instead?” He whispered in her ear as she prepared to mount Halsin’s thick cock. He teased his hand along her ass, sliding a finger of honey down her slit. She let out a long sigh as she sunk down onto Halsin’s cock, Astarion’s finger nudging against her asshole. He’d just fucked it a few days ago, but she was curious about how it would feel with Halsin inside her too. She hadn’t been double penetrated since she was still at the Bard’s college.

“Ummmfff, if you were very gentle…hhhhnnn…I’m already so full…” she rode Halsin’s cock slowly.

“Would you mind?” Astarion peeked over her shoulder to look at Halsin, wrapping his arm around her waist to tease her clit as she circled her hips.

“Please uhhhh,” he grinned, knowing he’d feel him inside her too. “You can save mine for last.”

Astarion kissed and nuzzled on her neck, playing with her clit while he fingered her ass, getting her stretched for him. He could feel each stroke as she rode him, the pressure on his fingers ebbing and flowing. “I purchased more…mmmmmmm…oil for us,” Halsin moaned, eager to feel Astarion inside her too. Astarion reached back for the sack of goods, barely out of his reach.

“Bend over for me, love,” he pulled away from her for a moment, reaching inside the bag to search for the bottle of oil. He poured a bit on his fingers, slicking it around his cock, stroking himself as he watched her riding Halsin. She was leaned onto him now, her asshole in perfect view. “Fuck him a little harder,” he asked, still stroking himself. He wanted to see her bouncing on his cock for moment, knowing she’d need to take them both much slower.

“Enjoying the view?” She glanced back at him, her ass now slapping against Halsin’s meaty thighs.

“You look so beautiful riding his cock,” he grinned, teasing his hand around his own.

“You better get over here then, he feels like he’s ready to burst,” she turned her attention back to Halsin, who groaned happily. She slowed down her hips, settling them at the base of Halsin’s cock as Astarion got behind her again.

“I’ll go nice and slow, my little dove,” he fingered her ass a little more, slicking her warm canal with more of the oil.

He eased the head of his cock in slowly, stretching her open as both she and Halsin let out a little gasp. “Mmmm, you’re so tight and full,” he whimpered, knowing he wouldn’t last long inside her.

“Fuck…” she whispered as he eased further into her, letting her hips rise up to take more of him in, then slowly moving back down along Halsin’s cock as they found a rhythm together.

They moved against each other slowly, their heavy breaths mixed with the wet sucking of her holes being gently fucked. The dining table creaked slightly under them, seemingly able to hold their weight. She slowly began to move her hips a little more, him joining her pace to continue their rhythm. “Are you going to come, my heart?” Halsin grinned, hearing the telltale sharpening of her breath.

“Yeah,” she whimpered, fucking him a little faster, Astarion mimicking her pace. “I might not stop…uhhhhh…coming…mmmm…you both feel…so…hhhhn…fucking good…fuck. Faster, Astarion, please. Fill me with cum.”

She bounced on Halsin’s cock again as Astarion pounded her ass, her moans getting more punctuated. Halsin gripped her ass tighter as he erupted inside her, his moans joining hers. She quivered and squeezed around both their cocks in a cluster of orgasms, Astarion ready to join them both. Tav and Halsin grinned happily at each other as Astarion rocked the table, filling her ass full of his seed with guttural moans. He collapsed onto Tav’s back, smiling contentedly at Halsin. “We fuck her quite well, don’t we my bear?”

“I think we do,” he looked down at her, her face pressed into his chest, still vibrating from her cluster of climaxes. Astarion kissed her back, stroking his fingers through her hair.

“You okay?” He whispered into her skin, her body still quivering slightly.

“No,” she giggled, shifting her hips slightly. “I’m still coming. I’ve lost count of how many. Can you both just…stay in me for a little longer?”

“Of course,” they both laughed, letting her rest around their softening cocks.

She soon let out a long sigh her body finally relaxed, nuzzling against Halsin’s chest, letting his soft hair tickle her face.

“My bear and my goose,” she reached back to stroke Astarion’s curls. “My loves.”

“How many more do you think you have in you?” Astarion grinned, nibbling on her shoulder.

“That should count for at least five…or more,” she pushed herself up slightly with a groan. “Can you carry me?” She rested her chin back on Halsin’s chest. “My legs feel like jelly.”

“Of course, my heart,” he sat up gently with her, as Astarion stepped away to let them climb off the table, a hearty pool of cum forming. “Good to know the table is sturdy,” Halsin smiled and kissed her deeply.

[asexual-spongebob]

The Waves That Lap The Shore - Chapter 30 - Closing Time

Notes:

I can’t believe this fanfic is actually coming to an end- it feels like just yesterday this was just a concept. Just a thought. Just an idea. Just a drawing. But now here I am, many months later. Posting the last chapter… But don’t worry! Our beloved fish dudes aren’t going to be completely gone after this! I have a feeling I’m still going to think about this AU quite a bit. Who knows, maybe in the future I’ll post some one shots of them. And I know for a fact I’ll probably still make animations or pmvs with them most likely. I have actually made some pmvs of this au already if you’d like to watch them For yourself:) https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW7sHfzMCSsxyuwvZ9RvFfwjukOMHv1_3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Hey it’s Shellington! It’s been many years since the “Kwazii was bitten by a cobra”  incident. I still can’t believe that was 11 years ago! 

I’m thankful that he survived!

Now Kwazii’s the captain of the Octopod, Barnacles retired a few years ago and now lives up in the Arctic near Pearl and Bianca. 

Inkling is still here, somehow. Koshi helps ink out in the library. 

Me and Peso are happily married and have been for almost ten years! Our anniversary is coming up. 

Kwazii and Paani and Dashi and Tweak also got married many years ago. 

After the “Kwazii was bitten by cobra” incident Kwazii and Paani found a newborn kitten (which they named Kai, as it means ocean or sea in several languages.) and took her in. Kai is 11 years old and they are quite intelligent, they like watching me do my experiments. 

Me and Peso also have a child  as well, their name is Lucia and they are almost 11 years old, she’s an albino sea otter and I saved her from being eaten by a predator. 

Periwinkle is now in college and is majoring in Marine Biology, we still talk quite often. 

We look back fondly (or… not so fondly) on our adventures (and misadventures) together. 

Like that time Peso got moonstruck and through that party, or our crazy times in the Amazon! Or the time Paani forced us all to watch (or in me and Dashi’s case, rewatch) Invader Zim. We all became fixated in the process-

Anyway. Thanks for reading our story :) 

~ Shellington Sea Otter.

Notes:

Holy shit that was a wild ride. I just want to thank everyone for reading this fic, leaving a comment, leaving kudos, likes or upvoting, it really means the world to me. I genuinely didn’t think so many people would want to read this kind of fic, but boy was I mistaken. I’m honestly very proud of this, this is the first ever long fic I actually finished and didn’t abandon. How I even thought of this AU was I saw my dear friend, Midori’s Octonauts Mermaid AU “Reclaimed By Nature” (which by the way, is a very good fanfic, I’d definitely recommend giving it a read! Especially if you’re a fan of Kwazton and Pearlanca! You can read it here: https://reclaimed-by-nature.carrd.co/) And I thought that was pretty neat. So I wondered to myself “huh… what if I made a H2O x Octonauts AU?” So I started to think of concepts. I had a couple in mind, one of the first being that Shellington would keep the secret much longer (he didn’t even tell Peso for awhile, which he would’ve felt very guilty about) and that he would’ve been very stressed about keeping it hidden from everyone. (Which, was inspired by a merman Lewis h2o AU fic I read, called H2O: A New Tail) Another one I had was basically the same as the first, but Peso would’ve found out sooner, as he would’ve gone after Shellington after got splashed while they were cleaning the beach, and he would’ve found him in the kelp forest. Shell would’ve tried to tell him that it was just a costume but Peso wouldn’t have really bought that so he would’ve told Peso the truth and Peso would’ve been like “it’s okay I still love you :) <3” One of the things I originally planned for this fic was that it’d be short, around 12 or 13 chapters, and that It’d just be about the lives and times of Peso and Shellington after Shellington became a merman. But now here we are, many chapters and scrapped concepts later- I actually even have an AU of this AU, it’s basically where I put all my scrapped concepts (one of the being that Paani was always a merm, I even wrote a short one shot about it, which I’ll probably post sometime soon) I named it “The Sight”. I originally planned for this fic to have 40 chapters, but I realized that many of them were unnecessary, so I scrapped most of them, other then my concept for chapter 35, which I kept and incorporated into chapter 29. Also I might make a story about Kai and Lucia??? If y’all really want that… It’s probably not gonna be anything big, just one shots or something but I mean maybe? If that’s what y’all want? Like I’d be happy to write a short fics on their origin story’s. After this fic, I might write a fic for another Octonauts AU I came up with that ive nicknamed “Invader Kwazii”. It’s an Invader Zim x Octonauts AU where Kwazii is sent to conquer Earth by The Tallest (who are Barnacles and Inkling) because they think he’s worthy of it. And it’s basically the plot of Invader Zim after that, there’s a few differences (like how it takes place in high school) tho, but other then it’s very similar to the plot. It also has Kwazini. It’s a little passion project for me, not to mention I’ve got plenty of ideas of how I want it to go. Another AU of mine I’ve been thinking about writing is my “Vampire Kwazton AU” it’s basically a AU where Shellington is a vampire and it takes place during the early 1990s when Grunge music was the big thing. It’s still a w.i.p but that might be a fic I write in the future, if I do I might just be a ficlet collection or something of the sort. Another fic I have I in mind is for my “Shellinoir” AU. Which will probably be a series of one shots. I came up with it after watching the SpongeBob episode “Squid Noir” which is where I got the title. It’ll likely be just a series of one shots. I also am currently pre writing an Invader Zim AU fanfic, it’s an AU where Dib and Gaz are sirens. I’ve currently got some chapters of it already written, however I want to finish it before I post it. I feel like this fic has taught me a lot and I’m glad.

[ardentlytess]

✨the tag game✨

tagged by: @talays-portkey thank you so much!!<3

THREE SHIPS 🚢 i have so many, but the top three that live in my brain rent free most often would have to be: puentalay from vice versa, wangxian from mdzs/the untamed, & sangwoo/jaeyoung from semantic error (with akktheo from enchanté as a close close close fourth)!

FIRST SHIP 🚢 i'm honestly pretty sure the first ship i was every properly invested in was percabeth from percy jackson & the olympians, followed by peeta & katniss from the hunger games, closely followed by suki from avatar: the last airbender & myself. what can i say. past me had taste.

LAST SONG 🎧 it was one step closer by intersection (AKA, fruits basket's second ending theme)! i tend to listen to a lot of anime openings/endings while studying in particular so i'm cycling through one of my usual playlists right now!

LAST MOVIE 🍿 i actually very rarely watch movies so i had to think a bit for this one, but i'm relatively certain that it was your name engraved herein. very heartbreaking. very beautiful. very very very real. the ending broke me as a human being, especially paired with the quote the director gave about the reality of missing the "train of happiness."

CURRENTLY READING 📖 i am currently reading girls of paper & fire by natasha ngan! to be honest, it's been a pretty difficult read for me emotionally given the subject matter, but it's a sapphic fantasy novel set in an asian-inspired, caste-based fantasy world that follows a young girl who's abducted & forced to become a concubine to the king, only to find herself falling for a fellow courtesan while juggling her own goals of survival, justice, & revenge. i'm just about to finish this one, though, so after i do, i'm probably going to pick up either hell followed with us by andrew joseph white (a queer sci-fi/dystopian novel that follows a trans mc who's slowly mutating into a deadly monster— also has autistic rep) or godslayers by zoe hana mikuta (the second book in a sapphic sci-fi/dystopian series about mechas carrying out the will of a tyrannical capital city & gearbreakers who are the only ones willing to bring them down)!

CURRENTLY WATCHING 👀 i've been in a weird kind of slump lately, so of everything currently airing i'm only really keeping up with my school president, moonlight chicken, & bokura no micro na shuumatsu— & even with these, i'm very rarely watching them on the days they actually come out, even though i'm enjoying all of them so far! i am, however, also doing an impromptu, completely unofficial vice versa rewatch that was definitely not supposed to be a full rewatch & was just supposed to be a quick little flip through to get some quotes for a set i'm working on but turned into a full rewatch because i simply couldn't resist. 10/10. highly recommend. puentalay will never not transcend a slump for me.

CURRENTLY CONSUMING 👄 this one's maybe slightly strange but strawberries dipped in ice water!! ice water just makes strawberries (& every fruit, honestly) taste so much better. also trying (& failing) to focus on a pchem lecture. considering i'm writing this up instead, i'd say it's not going too swimmingly. 

CURRENTLY CRAVING 🫦 hmmmmm honestly i've been craving milk tea for weeks now & tteokbokki even longer! will hopefully be treating myself with one or the other once this round of midterms is over & done with!

ONWARD TAGS 🏷️ i'm tagging: @i-got-the-feels @pannakorn @puentalay @oswlld @icouldhyperfixatehim @stormyoceans @chinzhilla @chinzillas @gooseras @hidden-joy @laowen @intolove & anyone else who'd like to do it! i'm not entirely sure who has/hasn't been tagged yet &/or who's interested so definitely don't feel obligated! just sending lots of good vibes & love to you all<3

[ladyimaginarium]

1. Favorite Anime? Naruto, GANGSTA., Black Lagoon, Michiko to Hatchin, Ergo Proxy, Death Note, No.6, Shingeki no Kyojin would've made this list if it was written by Jewish writers bc my& mixed native jewish ass is conflicted w/ this one, Deadman Wonderland, I& haven't finished Tokyo Ghoul yet but it's really good, I& didn't finish Kuroshitsuji either but i& rly vibed w/ the aesthetic, BNHA was... ehhhh, okay, didn't really vibe w/ the whole ableist trope of "disabled coded character magically gets new powers or becomes abled" so I& dropped it, I& know for a fact that the animated ASOIAF stuff coming up is gonna make me& reverse shit myself&. all i& know is that if the books were animated that would fix me&. 2. Your Worst Anime? Can't rly think of any tbh, I'm& picky, the closest I& could think of was the Boruto series. Mostly bc it basically destroyed any kind of development in Shippuden & shit just doesn't make sense & not to mention it slaughters Sasuke's character & just the entire female cast as a whole which im& not even gonna get into for the sake of my& own sanity. lmao 3. Do you read the Manga that go with the Anime you watch? Usually yeah but I like to keep these separate tbh. I read the manga only if I know that the anime won’t get a second season and I’m still interested in what happens next. Anyway, in short, I bother with the manga only if I really love the anime ie gangsta & naruto but I& can't watch or read long series anymore due to adhd & spoonie reasons lmao 4. Favorite Genres? action, supernatural, fantasy, science fiction, comedy, horror, psychological. 5. Least Favorite Genres? Harem mostly bc the dudes are so lame & basic lmao 6. Favorite Character? Erica ( GANGSTA. ), Beretta ( GANGSTA. ), the Benriya trio ( GANGSTA. ), basically the entire Second & Third Destroyers regiments ( GANGSTA. ), basically the entire Akatsuki ( Naruto ), basically any of the founders ( Naruto ), any of the jinchuriki & tailed beasts/bijuu ( my& plural ass vibed w/ them so hard & i& didnt even know i& was plural at the time lmao ), Michiko Malandro ( what do u think lmao ), Nezumi ( No.6 ), Uchiha Madara ( Naruto; he really is That Black Air Force Energy Icon ) Eren Jaeger (snk; LISTEN HE'S MY& INSYS BF IM& CHEATING OKAY ), Mihael Kheel / Mello ( Death Note; g-d he's so fucking iconic ), Misa Amane ( Death Note ), L Lawliet ( Death Note; aro autistic mf represent ) Marco Adriano ( GANGSTA. ), Rebecca Lee / Revy ( Black Lagoon; she could beat my& ass & i'd& thank her lmao ), Eda ( Black Lagoon; smth about a nun w/ a gun who dresses up like a bimbo at night but is actually a cia agent makes me& go WOOF WOOF BARK BARK ). others im& def forgetting lmao 7. Least Favorite Character? bitch idk 8. Qualities you like in a Character? Kindhearted, caring, badass, strong-willed, cheeky, has deadpan sense of humor. women who can beat my& ass. poor little meow meows. 9. Short or Long anime? Short these days. I& litcherally Cannot watch longer anime. naruto was my& first long anime & it'll likely be my& last lmao 10. Anime or Manga? I procrastinate both but I guess manga, mostly because I can read it without fearing that the plot will go to shit  11. How do you choose the anime you watch? If it has pretty art, if the aesthetic is pretty, if my& friends watch it 12. Skip or listen to Intros/Outros? I usually always listen. I& literally never skip Naruto, Black Lagoon or the GANGSTA. openings & EDs 13. How do you cope if your friends or family don’t like you watching anime? most ppl around me& like anime but if they don't i& dont give a fuck?? like. why the fuck should i& care what other ppl think lmfao 14. Do you stop an anime midway if you don’t like it? I& sometimes drop anime for no reason whatsoever. lmao It’s a waste of time if it doesn’t hold your attention, let alone if you don’t like it. it's somewhat what happened w/ bnha as explained above. i& just really dislike that trope as a disabled & neurodivergent system lmao 15. Who are you tagging to do this? @librastrai @dethqveen @abri-chan & whoever else wants to do this !!

[paranasloc]

This has barely anything to do with the actual story of yakusoku no neverland it’s just me rambling about myself mostly 😭✊🤡

As I thought it was probably a bit too ambitious 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I was planning to finish the manga by today but I feel like that plan is just as insane as I thought it was. I started at where I left off from last time which was at chapter 119 and now I’m in the middle of 124 and ngl it’s already a bit too much for me. Admittedly I do get overwhelmed quite easily, but I really don’t think this is in any way a lighthearted story that you can just breeze through. Or at least, for me it isn’t. It’s why I usually take frequent short breaks in between chapters and sometimes longer ones that last up to a month or two. I don’t like having to take a pause on it either I really don’t, especially because it makes me even more likely to forget things, but that’s just how I am unfortunately 😔 even this time I kind of forced myself to start reading again after only a week and a half since the last time…BUT. I will keep trying later in the day. My goal is to finish this manga if not today then in the next three days or so. I’ve been reading since June 2024 ffs it’s literally been more than half a year OTL part of me is still unwilling to rush myself because it really might end up ruining the overall experience for me instead, and I also kind of don’t want the manga to end for me because there’s no sequel as far as I know, and I know there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking my time, but…I also really don’t like it when I forget things or when I procrastinate. I want to try being a bit more proactive, as strange as that may be. I know it’s not that deep it’s just manga/anime, and tbh I’m much, much more comfortable just doing things at my own pace and I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember, virtually my whole life, and even with things that have nothing to do with my hobbies. But sometimes it annoys me too that I miss out on so many things because I keep putting them off or because I’m too scared to just go for it. For once I just want to try to actually push myself and see what happens. It’s intimidating and difficult but I want to try. I’ve been wanting to for the longest time but have never had enough courage or motivation. Maybe it’ll end horribly, but at least I tried it. Anyway this has been more of a personal rant than anything else and I suppose it’s really not that deep but I just felt like writing all of this down.

[trans-l-lawliet]

1, 3, and 5 from the Death Note ask :)

1- Favorite chapter/episode?

Chapter 80/Episode 31 (Clean-up/Transfer), the visuals alone of Near using the L money to distract Demegawa and his mob, the Mikami intro shot in the anime, the shots showcasing how Near is starting to crack the trust of the Task Force on Light... I just feel there's all the elements for incredible critique of multiple things and further metaphor within the story and Light's journey, and Ohba could have committed more to these ideas other than the initial concepts (but that's my usual complaint about DN as a whole lmao)

3- How long do you think you could get away with hiding a Death Note?

Assuming I'm pulling a Light and using it regularly to purge criminals, there's two factors in this question for me.

First in use: I'd try to put ego aside and add variety to the type of deaths straight away: times, days of the week, causes, countries, frequency of purging, crime severity... it will take longer to take notice, and harder to comb through it if someone were to notice that Something or Someone is killing criminals

Second is the physical way: I would pick somewhere I can frequent regularly that has a place where I could be alone with no cameras around, and a way to lock its access. Based on my own life, I go to the nearby woods at least once a week to walk my dog for over an hour, so I would get a watertight container and pick an isolated spot to bury the Death Note. Since the notebook doesn't run out of pages, I'd rip a handful each time, different amounts as well, and use them mixed in with actual notes in a binder (I have notes for my work on paper that looks very similar to Death Note paper and is a similar size, and I work in a place with security clearance levels so my documents are always secure and only accessed by myself), and get rid of them via burning each time I went to retrieve more, making the woods trips vary and not always purposed for the page taking.

Taking all these steps, I think I could have a solid couple years... But I also have the power of knowing the story and not being a 17 year old edgelord on my side, so you know, can't fault Light's Burning Man desk rig (I do fault him for being in his 20s using the Chastity Belt of Remembering, what the fuck was that)

5- A scene that makes you laugh.

Aside from the classic potato chip scene, the whole Matsuda faking his death by falling off a balcony never fails to make me piss myself laughing, from start to finish, the anime using the dramatic chorus just *chef's kiss*

Ask meme

[nazali]

danganronpa :3

keeping in mind i have yet to play v3 or watch the anime so this is entirely based off of the first two games (and i guess the half of ultra despair girls that i played)

my favourite female character: it's probably still sakura, i am so fond of her she's so resilient and kind and forgiving and selfless. i find it interesting that everyone seems to love her but she also never really gets any attention in the fandom? like she's just universally agreed to be a likeable character but at the same time no one seems to make her their Absolute Favourite my favourite male character: prooooobably a tie between byakuya & nagito? nagito is more prevalent in my mind rn just because i finished the second game very recently but byakuya i'm still super fond of and i forget how much until he pops up again and i'm like BYAKUYA IT'S BYAKUYA!! they're very cliche choices but i think i just love the antagonistic/rival characters without them being the actual mastermind Big Bads yk, i love the dynamics they have with the protagonists and how much chaos they add to the trials and mysteries three other favourite characters: chihiro fujisaki (he is so sweet and so relatable), leon kuwata (his design admittedly carries this because he gets very little screentime aside from in school mode), probably ibuki mioda?? there were a few characters i was going between for #3 but i think i was most invested in ibuki, i love how cheery she was, love her design, love her serious moments like her final free time event with hajime my least favourite character: teruteru hanamura..... it's not even that i think perverted characters are inherently off-putting, i'm pretty fond of hifumi (though i will die on the hill that hifumi wasn't even that bad & that toko fulfills the Perverted Character archetype for dr1 not him), but teruteru was just genuinely gross and invasive and he just NEVER STOPPED, up until his trial there was not a single moment he wasn't sexually harassing someone or making suggestive comments or violating someone AND THEN I FIND OUT that in the anime or whatever he tries to rape someone??????? excuse moi? his backstory was sad and his "i think i'm the one who went crazy" line got me, his thing with his mother hit different once i thought about it as someone who just recently lost my own mother, but GOD am i so glad he died quickly i could not have handled him for any longer my otp: hajime/nagito and byakuya/makoto are both my ride or dies, like i said above i love the antagonist/protagonist dynamic and in this case i genuinely think both combos would balance each other out and help one another grow as people my notp: going against the grain here since it's the Fandom Favourite Ship but i do not vibe at all with makoto/kyoko (or really any of the forced Implied Heterosexual Romances like makoto/sayaka & hajime/chiaki), i absolutely hate feeling forced into some straight romance in games and having them repeatedly shoved at me throughout it and it immediately made me resent it the character i’m most like: definitely chihiro - very timid, very self-deprecating, spends a lot of time on computers and with technology where i find it much easier to communicate with people and show who i am, dedicated to improving myself as a person and growing/developing, Gender Struggles, very shaped by experiences of bullying, quiet, surprisingly emotionally resilient favourite game: this is a good question, i feel like it's been too long since i played dr1 to compare them accurately?? but i did like the plot twists in dr2 a lot so i'm probably gonna go with the second game saddest character death: chihiro :( he didn't deserve that most attractive character: from the men it's probably nagito & leon in terms of best design so far but i actually really like what i've seen of shuichi, from the women it's gotta be ibuki if we're talking nicest design but mukuro-as-junko if we're talking who i personally find most attractive (it's the freckles)

send me a fandom !

[ibringyouasong89]

Story Time! (Bear with me, it’s a long post; sorry)

My most favorite movie of all time. I was four years old when I first saw it - sitting on my father’s lap, trying to recite our home address (in case I got lost, lol), when I turned and looked at the TV screen...and there he was; Captain Quint, getting eaten alive by the shark, while I sat there watching with horrific awe, crying and stuttering through said home address, doubtlessly traumatized beyond repair.  I had nightmares. Vivid nightmares. My mother had to buy rails for the bed because I kept falling out of it due to said nightmares. I used to take every single stuffed animal I had in my room and make an outline around my body with them, in hopes of protecting myself from the imagined shark fin that was, beyond a reasonable doubt, poking up between my floorboards in the middle of the night and swimming around my bed...even whilst I held my orca plushie (which my father bought for me due to my love for Free Willy). I wouldn’t go near the deep end of the in-ground pool of my childhood home, which had a tree from the neighbor’s yard overshadowing it. I was convinced that there was a man-eating great white shark living within those shady waters, and it was best just to stir clear of it altogether. When I was nine years old, I saw it again on TV, and because dad had control of the remote, there was no way I was going to be able to negotiate for a channel change. Again, I became heavily traumatized (because now I could actually comprehend what was going on throughout the entirety of the movie), but there was also something so...intriguing to me, at nine years old. So, the next day (it was a Jaws movie marathon that week; summertime, y’know), I sat myself down and watched it with my father - who was obviously noticing my willing and voluntary subjection to the horrors that this film invoked in me - who said not a word but held me on his lap all the same. I watched the movie every day, that whole week, still shaken, but no longer afraid. Now...now I was stirred. During the next two years of watching the movie, the dreams stopped, the rails were tossed out with the garbage, and my stuffed animals no longer had to be queen’s guards. Though I still snuggled with ‘Willy,’ ‘cause he was the best. And here I am, now in the present in my early-to-mid 30′s, Willy-less (thanks for throwing out my prized orca plushie, mom - more traumatizing than the movie now), and I can quote this entire film, from start to finish, verbatim. Including the songs. Wanna know why it’s my favorite? And no, it’s not just the obvious action/adventure of it all, nor the chowing down of the innocent swimmers, or the madness and obvious Ahab-like qualities of Quint...the camaraderie between Brody and Hooper, while Hooper and Quint fought like ally-cats on a boat. It’s not even the whole small-town-cop vs man-eating-predator thing...or the obvious family moments Steven Spielberg threw into the movie as a way to relive his own childhood...while all of those are wonderful elements (along with the bts stuff that came out and all the technical coolness, and humor, of a mechanical shark in the water), that’s not the main reason. The main reason is that I found myself relating to Chief Martin Brody over a simple notion: overcoming your fears. During the course of the movie, it’s revealed by Ellen Brody, his wife, that the Chief of Police of Amity Island has had a fear of drowning since he was a boy. His response in the following scene with Hooper, while drunk on Hooper’s private boat (”It’s only an island if you look at it from the water.”), is obviously meant to be a sort of humorous deflection about a serious phobia that he does not deal well with or tries to ignore. He sits in his car when they take the ferry to the mainland, for Christ's sake. So, what happens to change that? Naturally, he’s forced to confront his fear to save the town he’s charged with protecting, and in so doing, comes face-to-face with the monster that is trying to eat him and everybody else. Instead of allowing that fear to cripple him in the end, he overcomes it by allowing his natural inclination for survival, and his powerful will to live and need to protect the innocents, to overshadow it. To drown out that voice of fear so that he can do what he’s obviously meant to do. He’s able to kill the shark that not even the shark-studying-expert, or the shark-killing-captain, can overcome...and in a twist, it’s revealed that Quint’s need to hunt down and kill sharks is born out of a need to not only gain vengeance against the sharks that killed his fellow friends and officers when the USS Indianapolis went down, but also out of the traumatizing fear that he would be forced to face death and be killed by one of them as well (which, ironically, he was in the end - which sort of served as a symbol for both retribution for the innocent sharks and nature’s revenge against him, I suppose). Hooper’s need to study sharks, and perhaps try to preserve them, is also born out of fear that gives way to deep obsession and fascination from when he was a boy. He watched a shark turn his boat into a sinking vessel after he reeled one in while fishing and had to swim to shore. Still, he finds himself also outmatched by this mindless “eating machine” that he so deeply reveres and is forced to hide in a patch of seaweed forest on the ocean floor. So, if the two most expert-like people in the world, one who kills and one who studies sharks, can’t kill the murderous beast, why Brody? Is it because he was destined to be the hero all along? Maybe...but he was an anti-hero, through and through. He got pulled into this because it was his job and because he supported Quint’s proposal to the town to kill the shark. Did he want to go out, onto a somewhat-dilapidated boat, to go “fishing” for the man-eating shark, in the middle of the ocean? Of course not! Nor would I expect him to spend willing time with two crazy people who went to sea whenever they got the chance to either kill or study these animals in their natural environments. But in being forced to play the hero, he is able to overcome his fear...cause what’s the last scene in the movie? Him and Hooper (who survives in the film only; not the book - spoiler alert for those of you who did not read it!), grab a couple of those yellow barrels, lash ‘em together, and swim a couple of miles back to shore. Is Brody screaming, or showing any signs of fear, at being in the water? Nope. The shark doesn’t just represent a mindless, man-eating creature that swims the oceans...the shark also represents the subconscious, and even conscious, fears that lurk deep within our minds. Brody, in killing the shark, kills his fear, and is able to find both resolution to the obvious conflict and peace for his inner child.On some subconscious level, I must’ve recognized that, and that’s why I forced myself to sit down and watch this movie for that one week at nine years old. I, too, wanted to flee the room and avoid the thing that was causing me such terrible nightmares and anxiety...but I also knew I would be missing out on an opportunity to learn something. And I did, but about myself. I’ve kept that lesson in mind all of these years - in order to get over a fear, one must push through it - and though it has not always worked out, whether it’s because of stress or an inability to handle an entire situation - it has helped me in a lot of ways, both big and small. And while I revere this movie and adore it endlessly, that main theme is something that continues to stick out to me and is what makes it a one-of-a kind movie.

JAWS (1975)

[doughisaur]

Finally, after two months of work, I am over-the-moon proud to show off something I quickly became passionate about: designing a fursona. And not just one, but two!

Over the past three years, I've surrounded myself in a new group of friends that have been so wholesome, friendly, caring, kind, just about any positive synonym you could think of. When I first met them, they were all mostly Nintendo fans, and dominantly represented themselves by Yoshis and Koopas; it actually became a running gag of how many Yoshis there were. However, as time went on, one by one members of this group were exploring new horizons, not out of requirement but by curiosity. What was a group of dinosaurs and turtles became a varied and vibrant group of animals: a duck, bunny, giraffe, crocodile, among many others. The thought never really came up for me much at all to try it myself, I was happy with what I had and I wasn't being forced to try anything else.

A couple times when the topic of furries came about, I expressed interest in trying to design a pig for myself if it was ever pushed upon me that I could no longer represent myself with a Yoshi anymore. Of course, I don't find myself in any position where that would happen, so I didn't need to think much of it. However, that changed while I was on vacation in New Mexico, staying with my boyfriend LilArrin. While in a Discord voice call with these friends, the subject of fursonas came up. While I don't remember the context, I once again shared my interest in trying to make a pig for myself. By this point in time, I had tried to sketch one out, but immediately disliked the look of it once I finished, and told myself I would come back to the idea later when I feel like I could do the idea the justice it deserves. However, I was also right next to Zergy during that call, and he heard me talk about it out loud, and even asked me about it; my response was what I gave above. Little did I know what he had in mind for me, and how far it would go.

Yesterday, I uploaded a six-panel comic that Zergy had drawn for me shortly after I had gone back home, featuring my Yoshi as a piggy, and that caused my brain to fire off like a rocket. Through the next day at work, all I could think of were ideas for this, and what else I could do, how I could draw it...   and unfortunately, what else I was interested in. I've always had an interest in pigs, at least the full pink domestic variety you'd likely see on a farm. Most of their cartoony appearances in children's books or cartoons always stuck with me, I was interested in the design and had been most of my life. I was born in the Year of the Pig. However, Zergy was interested in cows, as early as his own childhood too. Getting to stay with him, I was able to see some of his doodles, which included a couple of designs of a cow character that I really loved. That thought entered my mind that day, and the prominence of having a piggy as a fursona started to shrink, and up came a cow. These two ideas swirled and battled for dominance until I just decided...

Why not both?

Later on, Zergy makes an attempt to give me a visual of a cow fursona for me, using the pig's body. This process just kept me going and wanting to really nail down what I wanted, and knowing it could be accomplished on the same canvas, I spent almost all of August sketching the two furries you see above: a cow, and a pig. I'm so proud to show these off, I've become really happy with both of their designs and what they mean to me...as well as what they've already given me!

My Yoshi is also not being retired or demoted, he is still the face of me and my main representation. However, in the event that he can't be used or is not preferred, I offer a cow form and a pig form for him to turn into. Accomplished by the power of the Rainbow Scale, it transfers down to the tail of the latter two when he turns into something else. Therefore, these three are not separate characters or beings but are the one. Each of them have "code names" to them, sorta like project files. The Yoshi is known as Cookie, the cow is Milkshake, and the pig is Mochi, but these are all me: Kyle! However, in contradiction, I think it might be best for me to retract those later on and just keep my real name as a form of addressing, with my nickname being Cookie (I seriously love being called this).

Once again, these are not individuals but the same person in a different form. They all share similar details about each other: same hair color, eye color, skin and body color, and the presence of a rainbow somewhere on the body. Originating on the Yoshi, the Rainbow Scale allows forms to be "saved" to it and allows Cookie to swap between others at will. When he transforms into a cow or pig, for example, that transitions to his tail. However, this is also falling in line with Cookie's Softie nature and the ability to manipulate his body either by choice or not. As such, that portion of the body can be humorously yoinked off of him and taken away. Without it, Cookie cannot return to his Yoshi form, nor can he turn into other forms as a Yoshi.

Additionally, because he can be easily flattened, inflated or otherwise, using the Rainbow Scale to turn into other forms doesn't help him out of being misshapen. All three forms use the exact same color palette and feature clothing and outfits that are mostly interchangeable between the three. All of them wear the same circular glasses, can wear the same neckerchief with Royal Emblem pin, have a smartwatch worn on the left wrist and wear the simple Yoshi boots...which somehow stretch and grow for the cow and pig because they are bigger than the Yoshi!

In time, I plan to make new, individual references for all three forms, since the Yoshi portion reuses older art and all three have new and updated outfits that I'd like to show off, and I think it's important to show off details of each. I also think I might end up redoing this reference as well as I feel it could be better laid out and provide more details. In the end, I'm super excited to have these here and I hope you all like it too! This is a new chapter for me and one I'm excited to embark on with all my friends! 🍪🐮🐷