#golden great ape

[floofy-nerd]

I don't really watch Dragon Ball but I started playing this guy in Fighterz and he's super fun and can turn into big ape hehe

[trueutopian]

"I'll show you the difference between an evolved Tuffle, and the primitive power of the Saiyans!"

This one took me a while to do. It's my biggest figure to date, but also quite fragile, for I screwed up in the base. I need to repaint still.

Great Ape Baby from Dragon Ball GT! I love his concept, and I have fond memories of him of when I played Final Bout on my Ps1.

[rwac96]

Shallot gold great ape rampage ends wgen weiss yells at him making him go super saiyan 4 for first time

A horrific roar erupted throughout the snowy Tundra outside of Atlas, a giant, golden-furred ape in familiar blue armor rampaged. Attacking friend and foe alike, Shallot ran rampant, after looking at the moon and transforming into a Golden Oozaru. The monstrous beast's transformation was a ploy by Cinder, knowing that seeing an ally would trigger a great sense of dread/demoralization; a potent magnet for the Grimm. Flying Beringel, Lancers, Griffons, Megoliaths, and Nevermore attacked Team RWBY and the Atlesian Forces that were in the area.

If some unlucky soldier wasn't attacked by the nightmarish creatures, they found themselves thrown or crushed by the rampaging Shallot. He roared, pounding his chest uncontrollably, a sign of him having lost his rationality. The golden ape swatted away airships and flying Grimm that got too close to him. He turns his attention to the floating kingdom of Atlas, opening his maw and an ominous greenish-yellow Ki Sphere begins to form.

"SHALLOT!!" Weiss Schnee screamed at him, as she rode on one of her Summons, the Queen Lancer. "STOP! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!"

Hearing the voice of the former heiress stopped him from charging the blast, which would've ended the floating city. Shallot turns his head to Weiss, staring at her with those crimson, pupilless eyes. The white-haired Huntress sat on her mount, gesturing to the carnage taking place. Meanwhile, the rest of Weiss' team was fighting the Fall Maiden, who was besting them one by one and her main focus was Ruby.

"You're doing what Cinder wants," Weiss pleaded to him, which caused the beast to turn his gaze to the fight between the trio and the aforementioned madwoman; witnessing Yang being slashed by the woman's Grimm Arm. "Do you really want to help her? Help Salem?!"

Blinking, as if rational thought began to return to the Saiyan. The Oozaru growled, then roared as he became surrounded by a blinding bright light. Meanwhile, Ruby clashed the blade of Crescent Rose against Cinder's blades of Midnight. The young Huntress was moved back towards a cliff inch by inch. Then, the one-eyed woman grabbed the scythe and plunged it firmly into the snow. Cinder knocked Ruby off of her feet, grabbing her by her throat with her human hand.

"See what you did to me, brat!?" Cinder raises her Grimm Claw, fire erupting from the edges of her lips. "To make things fair, an eye for an eye."

"Makes the whole world blind," a baritone but familiar voice spoke up, grabbing the black-skinned claw. "Somethin' Weiss said to me."

"What?!" The Fall Maiden turns to the interloper, only to be punched off the cliff. Ruby is free, falling onto her knees, looking up towards her savior.

It was Shallot, but he was shirtless, his body covered in crimson fur and his spiky hair longer and unruly than before. He gazed down at her with gold eyes, surrounded by red lines. Somehow, the warrior still has his gleaves, shorts, and boots. Ruby rubs her eyes as Shallot takes notice of a more enraged Cinder, using her abilities to float and surround herself in fire.

"How about ya pick on somebody ya own size, witch!"

[darius-1]

"I'm not such a bad puppet master, am I?"

[bluehairlaunch]

Top 7 BEST Dragon Ball Transformations

Honorable mention: Yung King Piccolo

Does this count as a transformation?

Mecha Tao

Yup, the best villain in all of Dragon Ball also did this first.

Eat your heart out, Frieza.

Muscle Bottom Trunks

This is where Super Saiyan and its myriad iterations (including "SS2" and whatever you nerds call the version Goku and Gohan have when they emerge from the Room of Spirit and Time) would go, but I decided to choose just my favorite one instead.

I think this transformation has over half a dozen names: Super Saiyan Third Grade, Super Saiyan 1.5, Super Super Saiyan, Ultra Super Saiyan, lmao jesus christ, Power-weighted Super Saiyan, Power stressed Super Saiyan Bitch Super Saiyan, and somehow the list just keeps going on. But what I like most about it is that everyone can do it.

Well not the Super Saiyan part, you have to have a little bit of Saiyan in your brainpan to do that, but the getting big. Doing so makes you stronger, but also so much slower that the difference just doesn't matter (for those of you that just watch youtube videos, and don't read the fucking comic). Frieza is such a useless he/they thembo that he also mistook it for a legitimate transformation against Goku on Namek. Y'know, his 100% (this time for real guyz).

Golden Fuuureeeza

I railed against lazy recolors in my worst transformations list, but Frieza is the physical embodiment of sloth and affluenza. He was the strongest being in the universe by far barring an ancient alien prophecy for fucking decades. And what does he do with all that power? Well, ride around on a rascal scooter, of course, while sending endless swathes of Appule's to do his dirty work. Instead of lifting a finger for an hour and then being immortal FOREVER.

And that's why it works for me in all the ways Resurrection F didn't. He's supposed to be stupid and ostentatious. Dragon Ball Super writers, you're NOT.

Janemba

Frankly, this is the biggest glow up in Dragon Ball history. From lazy Buu clone to, well, admittedly a lazy clone of another great character. But he has a sword! And that moveset. And it's an actually good filler movie in which Hitler dies (again).

Just look at him

Legendary Super Saiyan

Why is greenish Super Saiyan soooooo coooool??? Well, I'll tell you why.

It's because it just is. Super Saiyan? Actually so cool. Green? Such a good color Victorian aristocrats were willing to kill themselves using a shade of it that contained arsenic. It was basically their version of Oceangate, but they all did it! We could only be so lucky nowadays. And the lore implications? Mmm, yeah. Yeah!

You see, in canon Goku did a little prophecy, but Toriyama can't help but be a great writer, so instead of just being the generic Chosen One a la every bad shonen we all know and love, he's not. He's just not. Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks, baby Trunks, baby Goku, they all do it too. Turns out, Super Saiyan is something each and every Saiyan can do. And then filler happens, Broly shows up, and everyone sees that this is because he's the real Chosen Boy.

And he's green! And we all loved it so hard we got a quality version a century later in the form of Super Broly The Movie

Nice. That's history for you.

Great Ape

The OG. Look at this trendsetter. If this isn't the second best, what is? You're wrong.

Perfect Cell

It's perfect

[chernobog13]

A beautiful Tarzan page from the Sunday comics by Russ Manning.

[zongoku]

lads i'm going to be honest this hasn't left my brain for like 15 hours i love this sequence so much

[dillydally6969]

Please bless my eyes with a Jackie fic🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙇🏽‍♀️🤰🏽🧏🏽‍♀️

GREEDY .ᐟ 𝓙ACKIE TAYLOR

♱ jackie wants more than she can have; but did you really have to punish her for it?

♱ cw; angst, toxic!jackie, jealousy, travis, long ahh fic ( 6k words )

“randy walsh? really?” you scoffed, “nuh-uh. no way.”

“come on! he’s not that bad,” jackie pleaded, watching you shove your books in your locker. “shauna’ll be there too.”

“then why don’t you get shauna to do it?”

jackie sighed, leant against the cool metal beside your open locker. her eyes raked across the frantic way your hands worked, her words choking in her throat for a brief second.

“y’know shauna’s too vicious for him… just one date.”

you laughed, much to her dismay. “my love for you is very conditional it this is the condition. sorry, jack.”

“i’ll take care of you… make it worth your while...” she murmured, her voice dropping to a smooth purr. “i promise.”

her hand crept up the side of your hip, the tips of her manicured nails grazing your skin. it was like just that tiny scrape of her touch could set your body on fire.

when two cheerleaders strolled by, jackie’s hand jerked away just as fast as it had settled on you. she waved, flashing them that picture-perfect ‘golden girl’ grin.

you hated how much of an effect she had on you.

you hated how much of an effect her reputation had more. maintaining it was jackie’s sole purpose in life.

she cleared her throat, scanning around before nearing you.

“please, l/n,” she whispered, her eyes darting down to your parted lips. her teeth gently tugged at her own. “for me?”

fuck, she was doing this on purpose, you thought.

how could you say no? god, you were so boneless.

you sighed, eyes fluttering shut. you really wished you had the willpower to deny this big-eyed princess whatever she wanted. because by the way you saw her lips spread into a grin, she knew she had, yet again, successfully gotten her way.

“fine. one date.” you sighed, holding up a finger. “one date. but if he grabs my ass, i’m leaving.”

“yay!” she squealed, her arms flailing around your neck in a tight embrace. “that’s perfect. i’ll let jeff know then.”

right. jeff. the sexist monkey-face jackie’s dating.

“i have ap world right now, you have… calc?” she pondered. you nodded. “great, i’ll see you outside after school.”

she gave your shoulder a quick squeeze, before leaving.

as she skipped her way down the hall, you shut your locker, squeezing your eyes shut as you let out a regretful sigh.

fuck, i might’ve just made the dumbest decision ever.

“well, that isn’t a pretty face,” van’s voice chimed, her arm effortlessly slinging over your shoulder. “right, tai?”

the other shook her head, pouting. “it sure isn’t, van.”

“and here i thought lover girl ms. l/n can’t look at jackie with anything but hearts in her eyes.” the redhead teased, poking your rib with her free hand. you jumped with a yelp.

“that’s why she closed her eyes, right?” tai snorted.

of course, the running joke among the team about your loyalty to jackie, even when she treats you like a pet sometimes.

you rolled your eyes, shrugging off van’s arm over you as they chuckled at their own banter. “very funny.”

“aw, come on, y/n, we’re just kidding.” van nodded at your sour expression, then down at the calculus textbook clutched to your chest. “shit, so we have calc? now i’m depressed too.”

“no, it’s not that, i just--” you didn’t even know where to begin.

“are you worried about nationals?” tai questioned.

you imagined jackie’s face if she ever found out you told them. the way she would stare back at you with such disgust, with such disappointment, you felt your heart pound at just the thought. you couldn’t tell them, it felt like such a dirty secret.

“yeah. yeah, i’m just… nervous about it, i guess.”

“well, you need to relax, sweetheart,” van said, “and that, my friend, is exactly what alcohol is for. so tonight, i’m gonna make sure you body so many shots, you pass as a human keg.”

tai smacked her in the arm. “we have an early flight tomorrow.”

van whined, “fine! just beer.” when tai glanced away with a satisfied nod, van leant in to whisper. “then tequila chasers.”

“no tequila chasers, vanessa.” tai scolded, playfully shoving the redhead away before circling an arm around you. she guided you down the hall, with the goalkeeper tailing behind. “don’t think too much about nationals, okay? just relax and enjoy tonight, we can worry about it when we get to seattle.”

you nodded, but you were still plagued with your thoughts.

technically you weren’t worried about nationals anymore, so you kinda listened to tai’s advice… right?

“i don’t know, jack, this feels like a little too much.” you hissed, hands tugging at the bottom of the skimpy dress jackie dressed you in.

the fabric stopped just below your crotch, one gust and you would be flashing everybody. the cut was too low and your torso felt like you were getting the life squeezed out of you.

“i feel like my whole ass is out for the world to see.”

“and what a blessing that would be for the world,” she said coyly, her gaze shamelessly lining the curve of your ass.

it didn’t seem like she had given the comment much thought, but the way she said it so casually, paired with the way she was eyeing you down, you felt yourself heating up.

you stared back at yourself in the mirror; you looked unfamiliar.

“do you have anything a little more… conservative?”

“why? i think you look good in this dress.” she leant back on her bed, held up by her arms. “plus, this’ll get randy’s dick hard. i think you should wear this.”

eugh, you didn’t need that visual in your head.

“a tree could get randy’s dick hard if it had tits.” you scoffed, “i’m not really trying to impress him anyway.”

“what? then why did you agree to coming?”

was she really that dense? or was this, like all her flirtatious passes made on you or the way her hands would linger on you a little too long when nobody was looking, on purpose?

“y’know what?” she asked, hopping off her bed. she came up behind you, scanning your figure in the mirror.

her hands caressed the sides of your arms, her chin over your shoulder. you could feel her breath tickle your collarbone.

“eleven out of twelve months, you’re hiding this crazy body under all those jackets and jerseys.” she hummed, her lips grazing your earlobe. you swallowed thickly, praying to god she couldn’t hear the way your heart was hammering in your chest. “you’re starting to turn into shauna… i mean, if i looked like this?” she grabbed the sides of your hips, her plump lips parting in a gasp. “i’d be devastating guys left and right.”

you took in her words, the scent of her perfume. it dazed you; how could see say that with such ease? without seeing the way your knees were weak?

“come on, babe, it’s time to take this bentley out the garage.”

“okay, i’ll wear the dress.” you caved.

“that’s my girl,” she pecked you on the cheek, grinning. she scrunched her nose as her hands gently squeezed your hips.

you turned away, letting out a shaky breath.

she’s gonna be the death of me.

jackie always liked you better than shauna. she would never admit aloud, but she enjoyed how obedient you were, how compliant and willing you were when she tasked you with something. the reactions she got out of you were adorable, it was so empowering, having that effect on you.

she wasn’t stupid, even a blind man could see the crush you had on her, your best friend.

she found it endearing, the way you thought you hid it well.

but as long as you loved her, she had her own little minion.

“come here,” she ordered, pulling her vanity chair out. “let me do your makeup. i want to try this new lipstick shade on you.”

like the sheep you were, you obliged, sitting.

“sit still,” she said, standing over you, knees brushing yours as she uncapped it. her hand grabbed your jaw, locking your head in an upward angle, gazing up at her through your lashes as she dragged the tip against your lips.

the color looked warm and soft against your lips. you could feel her breath against your cheek, catching the flicker in her eyes when she looked at your mouth a second too long.

shit, were you... actually kinda cute?

her fingers lingered, and for a moment, neither of you moved--until jackie blinked hard and pulled away, sitting back so fast she nearly knocked over her perfume.

“looking good,” she said quickly, too brightly, avoiding your gaze now. you watched her back up away, turning her back towards you to grab the cap from her bed. that was the first time you noticed it--the way she looked at you like she wanted to stay close, but didn’t know how to hold it without breaking.

"you should let me do your makeup more often. i know all the right colours for you." jackie said, busying herself with her earrings, pretending not to notice how quiet you had gone. you still felt the ghost of her touch on your chin, the way her breath had caught--but now you felt silly sitting there. in her dress, dolled up by her, carefully placed like furniture in a room she didn’t want you to sit in anymore.

you shifted in front of the vanity, watching her through the mirror, hoping she'd say something, anything, that would explain why the air had changed.

“i think i’ll wear the gold hoops,” she said, like nothing had happened. “they go better with this jacket, right?”

you nodded, but it felt like she wasn't there.

a car horn blared outside, twice. you froze. jackie didn’t. instead, her movement quickened, scrambling aroudn the room to grab her jacket and do one final check of her hair in the mirror.

“that’s jeff,” she said quickly, grabbing her bag and brushing past you like this was normal. “he’s giving me a ride. you gonna get there okay? or should i call shauna?”

you stood up, lips still tingling, heart sinking.

“i'll be fine,” you said, forcing a smile. “i’ll see you there.”

"drive safe, l/n." she hesitated at the door, like she might turn around--but didn’t. you watched her leave, the sound of the door clicking shut louder than the music still playing in her room.

well, isn't this just great?

you don’t remember exactly how you had gotten there, or how you ended up with a bottomless red solo cup in your hand, but you were damn near about to pass out.

leant against randy’s truck with him hanging off your arm like you were some prize he had finally nailed.

you were tired of his alcoholic breath assaulting your senses, his rough hand groping and touching wherever he pleased.

from afar, you could see jackie twirl into jeff’s arms.

her expression looked so carefree, beaming from ear to ear.

she had forgotten her vow to keep an eye on you, inebriated, herself as she raged on with the party.

it was meant to be a send off for all the yellowjackets, including you, before nationals, but you had far forgotten the joyous occasion. all your ditzy brain has been fixated on was her.

except, hers was on him. his hands holding her like a trophy.

the sight twisted something deep inside you, it sickened you, churning in your stomach like a bad breakfast.

randy’s voice broke through your thoughts, but you barely registered his words. his hand brushed against your waist, a little too familiar. you stiffened, uncomfortable, and tried shifting away, but he was persistent, leaning in too close. you swore you could punch his lights out.

“hey, why don’t we take this somewhere private,” he raised.

you didn’t respond, your gaze still fixed on jackie, the way her hair caught the firelight as she laughed at something stupid jeff had said. the jealousy gnawed at you, but you didn’t care.

all you could think about was her, the way she looked when she smiled, the way she looked when she was happy, and how that should’ve been you standing there with her.

his hands inched down her hips.

past the slit of the skirt she was wearing--

“y/n,” randy’s voice pulled you back, his hand creeping too far down your back. “what’s going on? come on, let’s go--”

--and over the curve of her ass, giving it a tight squeeze.

that was it. you couldn’t take it anymore.

you turned sharply, cutting him off mid-sentence, and stormed off toward the trees just before where the cars were parked.

you didn’t even look back when you heard randy’s voice calling after you. you couldn’t bring yourself to care. the only reason you had came had forgotten her vow to keep you company.

since that’s gone, why the fuck else would you stay?

as you walked further, the party’s noise faded, but jackie’s laughter still echoed in your mind. you could feel your heart aching, each step heavier than the last.

“y/n!” the voice cut through the fog of alcohol clouding your brain, and you froze. you didn’t need to look to know it was jackie; her voice was your soothing shell, and it carried an edge of concern you weren’t ready to face.

she was already out of breath, but her pace didn’t slow as she caught up to you. for an athlete, she had awful stamina.

“what’s going on?” she asked, her voice softer now, more genuine. “where are you going?”

“nowhere,” you muttered, not bothering to look at her. “i’m going home, don’t worry about it. have fun with jeff.”

jackie didn’t buy it. “y/n,” she said, her tone firm now, “you’ve been acting freaky all night. what’s going on with you?”

you glanced up with hooded eyes and tinted cheeks.

“i��m just tired of the party,” you snapped, feeling the bite of your words. one look at the hurt flashing across her expression, you wish you could be swallowed by the earth and die. you had no right to take it out on her, but the jealousy was noosed around your throat, and you couldn’t loosen it.

she frowned, stepping closer, her eyes searching yours, like she could read every hushed thought that crossed your mind.

“you’re lying.” she said, “i can tell when you’re lying.”

“i said i’m fine,” you bit out, turning away from her, your pace quickening. you didn’t want her to see the vulnerability in your face, or the way your eyes were blown wide.

fuck. you were so fucking in love with jackie taylor.

the soccer captain didn’t let you go. you could hear her footsteps rush behind you, and when she called your name again, her voice was tinged with evident frustration. “y/n l/n, stop walking away. you’re obviously not fine, and I’m not going to let you shut me out like this.”

you stopped, finally turning to face her, though your hand swung the empty red cup around as you gathered your words.

“jack, i just… i need some space, okay?”

your voice was harsh, but it was the only thing you could do to keep from falling apart in front of her.

you sounded so pathetic. you hated it.

but you hated the look she gave you more. the puppy-dog eyes, the pout, the arms crossing over her chest like it kept her heart safe and hidden from your cruel words.

you? her obedient little y/n wanted space? from her?

jackie stood still for a moment, then scoffed softly. she shook her head, sulking. “fine. if you want to be like that. but i’m not letting you drive home drunk.” she snatched the keys.

she turned abruptly, heading back to the car. you didn’t follow. you just stood there, your heart hammering in your chest, feeling like you were losing something you didn’t even have.

the ride back to her place was quiet, save for the hum of the engine and the occasional shift of weight in the seat. you stared out the window at the streets in passing, your head pounding as the faint fruity aroma engulfed your nose. you didn’t speak. neither of you did. you were grateful jackie didn’t press you, you would!( know what to say if she did.

when you reached the driveway, she parked the car with an exhale, turning off the engine. you didn’t move to get out right away. the silence was thick, suffocating, but it sat between.

“y/n,” jackie said quietly, her voice much softer than before. “i’m sorry if I did something to upset you, but you can’t just ditch without an explanation.”

you didn’t answer. you couldn’t.

you just got out of the car, walking toward the door. Jackie followed you, but you kept your back to her as you entered the house, hoping she would just leave you alone.

following you into your house, she stood in the doorway of your room, watching you in silence for a long moment, until finally, she spoke. “y’know, i’m not gonna take this personal, because you’re crazy buzzed, but just know you’re being a mega jerk right now,” she said. “still don’t know what you’re so fucking mad about, would be super helpful if you told me.”

you didn’t respond, trying to hide the ache in your chest.

jackie scoffed, shaking her head, and then left the room.

as you lay there, trying to push the thoughts of her out of your mind, you heard her footsteps outside, the sound of the front door opening and closing. you had no idea where she was going, but you were just glad she had finally left.

wow, that’s something you never thought you’d say.

then, just as you started to close your eyes, you heard the click of the door again. jackie was standing in the doorway once more, and before you could react, she was in front of you, her hand on your face, soft and warm.

“fuck you,” she whispered, her voice low. “i’m not playing this fucked little game. so stop shutting me out.”

though you were still very much drunk, you froze when she leaned in and kissed you--slowly, softly, as if testing the waters. for a moment, you thought you were hallucinating, the taste of alcohol on her lips bleeding into her cherry chapstick.

was this really happening? wait, no, this has to be the drinks.

when your fingers clawed at her jacket, she lowered a hand to place yours on her hip. where jeff had his.

but just as quickly as she leant in, she pulled away.

you looked at her, heart hammering. you gasped, catching your breath as you stared back with dark eyes. “jack…”

she laughed, too sharp, too bitter. “god,” she said, backing up like she’d touched fire. as if she was t the one who kissed you. “oh my god, i shouldn’t have done that.”

you stared at her, blinking blankly. “what?”

“i’m drunk,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “you’re drunk. that--that was just the drinks talking. it didn’t mean anything.”

your stomach dropped. gaining a brief moment of clarity.

like all good dreams, this one had to come to an end. and as sobriety washed over you, you awoke to the harsh reality.

“it was a mistake, y/n,” she cut in, her voice colder now. “don’t make it more than it was.”

you blinked, trying to steady yourself, but everything was tilting--your body, your thoughts, your heart. “right,” you whispered, though your voice cracked.

jackie didn’t look at you. “and don’t you dare mention this to anybody. i don’t need jeff finding out that i--!” she ceased her sentence just before she could finish. she turned on her heel and walked out, leaving the door open behind her.

you stood there for a long time, swaying slightly from the alcohol, every inch of you numb except the sharp, bitter sting in your chest. all you could think about was her lips, the way they felt like everything, and then suddenly, like nothing at all.

you missed them already. you wish you had savoured her.

the next time you'd see her was when the team gathered to board the private jet lottie's father had prepared for their travels to nationals. blissfully ignorant to your glances and mild confusion, jackie kept her distance, sticking to shauna like her life depended on it.

how could so much change in so little time?

just before you boarded, you stepped towards her.

"jack, can we talk?"

the night prior's events weren't exactly the most sound and still memories, but, though you would prefer in this case, you weren't intoxicated enough to gain temporary amnesia either.

"about what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

what? "about last night?"

"phew, last night was a crazy one," she chuckled, one of those fake ones she only used on teachers or cheerleaders. the sound absolutely smashed your heart to smithereens. "jeff told me i called for him to get me at yours this morning. i don't even remember going back to your house."

was this her plan? to count on you being so drunk you wouldn't remember the best thing that could've possibly happened to you?

the look she gave you was so foreign, so guarded, so unlike jackie.

"hey, can we talk when we land? shauna and i are going over our pre-game traditions." jackie smiled, brushing past you.

that was your thing. the two of you would tie each other's hair before every single game. then, just as you jog on the field, you'd hook your pinkies together and kiss your own knuckles. now she was doing it with shauna? what the fuck?

the plane went down faster than you could scream, metal shrieking, trees tearing through the fuselage as the world flipped and buckled around you. you remembered smoke, blood, the sharp taste of panic, and jackie’s eyes form across the aisle--just before she turned away from you to pull shauna from the wreckage and carry her out the back. you crawled out on your own, lungs burning, heart heavier than the twisted heap behind you. the adrenaline died, and your anger came in place of it.

still, she hadn't spoken a word to you.

you never expected such a 180 from jackie, especially not when the girls were around. tai's been interrogating you for weeks, and you just had no explanation.

the days that followed was cold and cruel, the forest as silent between you and jackie as the gaping space at night where you slept beside nat. you kept waiting for her to say something--to explain, apologize, and acknowledge the kiss you'd shared like it hadn't just disappeared in smoke. but she never did, and you never asked, because you didn’t know what was worse: the way she left you, or the fact that she chose to shut you out when you needed her most. how ironic.

by the seventh day, the cold gnawed at your bones and half the girls had decided they would leave camp in search for water.

you all stumbled on a half-rotted hunting cabin hidden deep in the woods--shelter, finally--but even as everyone huddled inside, warming hands by the fire, you felt far from warmth. that night, with the others asleep soundly for the first time in a week, you caught her eyes across the dim room, and something inside you cracked.

you followed her outside when she slipped into the back room, your footsteps soft but determined. “are you done being a shitty best friend, or should i try again later?” you asked, voice shaking more from rage than the cold. jackie turned to you slowly, like she’d been expecting this, arms crossed like armour.

“we're stranded in the middle of fucking nowhere, i'd say this is the least of my priorities.” she snapped, jaw clenched. “why won't you just let it go?”

you took a step forward, heat rising in your throat. suddenly the memory of the last time you were this close surged through your thoughts. you dawdled on the ghost kiss lingering on your lips, how it felt to kiss her, how it felt to be jeff for a moment.

"maybe this is when i need you most, you thought about that?"

"i'm going to bed." she announced, but you stopped her.

"what the fuck did i do, jackie? why're you doing this?"

she silenced, unable to utter a single word.

“that night,” you continued, “you kissed me like it meant something--and then you started ignoring me like it never happened.” jackie exhaled, slow and uneven, eyes finally lifting to yours.

"it didn't mean anything,” she said, voice raw, “i was just... emotional. you wouldn't talk to me, i was just impulsive.”

you stared at her, wanting to believe that she was pushing you away because of fear, not regret. “i don't even care about the stupid kiss,” you said quietly. “if it's bothering you that much, then let's just forget it. i just want my best friend back.”

jackie reached out then, but her hand folded back into her chest.

she just couldn't. it was so shameful.

"just leave it. you're being a child." she sneered, before walking past you back into the living room, where everybody else slept. you closed your eyes, sighing. your eyes welled with tears, but after a deep inhale, you sucked it up.

after a long night of zero sleeping, you were first out of the cabin the next morning. you sat by the fire outside, organizing the dry wood from the last couple days.

it was late afternoon when travis strolled over towards you, his hands buried in his pockets. he sat beside you without asking, awkward but present, and after a few moments of silence, he picked up a block of wood and started helping. “this is the weirdest jenga game i’ve ever seen,” he said, and it caught you so off guard that you actually let out a tiny scoff of amusement, breaking into a smile.

he grinned, clearly proud of himself for breaking the ice.

“not that i'm complaining,” he said, shrugging. “but usually people don't play it alone, y'know."

you rolled your eyes, but you were smiling, the heaviness inside you lightened just enough to remember who you were before the wreckage.

"is that how you say, 'good morning'?"

"it wasn't really a good morning until i sat down," he replied smoothly, and you couldn't help the smile that spread.

across the clearing, jackie leant against the beam just by the cabin door, half-watching, half-hiding. her arms were crossed, lips pressed into a thin line as her eyes followed the shape of your laugh like it didn’t belong to her anymore. and for the first time, she realized what it meant to lose it.

walking out from the cabin with a large load of clothes, shauna nudged Jackie gently with her elbow, catching the hard look in her eyes as she watched you and travis laughing.

“you good?” she asked, half-concerned, half-curious, following jackie’s gaze with a small frown. “you’ve been staring at them for five minutes.”

jackie’s jaw tightened. “i’m not staring,” she snapped, louder than she meant to. heads turned--yours included--just as jackie shoved away from the cabin wall and took a step forward, eyes locked on you like it was your fault for smiling.

“jesus, jack,” shauna muttered, grabbing her arm, but jackie shook her off.

“it’s not a big deal,” she barked. “they barely even liked each other before the crash and now they’re acting like it’s cute.”

the clearing went still, tension humming in the air. travis looked confused, you looked hurt, and jackie, cheeks flushed, looked like she wanted to take it all back, but couldn’t stop herself from burning the bridge anyway.

shauna stepped in front of jackie, smiling at everybody, urging them wordlessly to avert their attention back to their own business.

“okay, maybe take it down a notch,” she said, “if you’re feeling some kind of way, maybe help me with the laundry--get out of your head a little.”

jackie scoffed but didn’t argue, arms still crossed tight like she was holding herself together by sheer force. “i don’t need a chore chart, shipman,” she muttered, but her voice had lost its sharp edge. the brunette just gave her a look, the kind only best friends get to give--the one that told her, you’re spiralling, and everyone can see it.

with one last glance toward you and travis, jackie turned and stormed off toward the tree line where the others were working. shauna sighed, rubbing her temples.

maybe the nice trip to the lake later will ease the tension.

she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. sure, she could have been a little more considerate with your feelings, but you were being a full on bitchazoid right now.

like, travis martinez? of all people? you just had to go let him do whatever he wanted like that, didn’t you.

first at breakfast and now, this.

yards away in the lake, you were deeply engrossed in a game of chicken with shauna and van. the brunette ushered you to get on tai’s shoulders, but you waved travis over instead.

the boy didn’t hesitate, lowering to let you hook your legs over his neck before he stood, hands grabbing at your thighs.

“what, scared you’ll lose, shipman?” you challenged.

the brunette scoffed, her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth. “bring it on, rookie.”

why was he holding onto you for dear life? and you let him.

“mari?” jackie called, flashing the filipina a bittersweet smile. “i never get a chance to chat with you. how’re you doing?”

the raven-haired girl stared back, taken aback, before nodding skeptically. “stranded in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, but otherwise pretty good. we got lucky with the lake.”

you hollered loudly as shauna swung back and fell.

the water splashing into travis’ face made him flinch, his grip on you loosened as you both jerked back into the water.

as you resurfaced, your hands swiped the wet hair out of your dripping face, gasping for hair. travis ran a hand through his hair, chuckling before he paused to stare at you.

he was anything but sly with the way he checked you out,

jackie felt her blood boil when his grubby hand reached to lay on your waist, pulling you closer to pick a lash off your nose.

mari was droning on about something, but she tuned it out.

it was almost like a betrayal, though you weren’t in the wrong.

“but i wanted to get the pink cleats, ‘cause they were prettier, but the blue ones were on sale, and--”

“y’know what, mari? why don’t you come closer?”

she grimaced, averting her eyes. “what? why?”

jackie giggled, “to hear your story better, of course. come on, i want to hear all about your creams.”

“cleats.” the younger corrected, fed up with the captain.

“whatever,” jackie stated, waving her over.

past travis’ shoulder, you couldn’t help but catch mari shuffling towards jackie lying against the trunk. the fuck?

it wasn’t until travis’ face shielding jackie from your view did you snap out of your trance. “y/n? are you okay?”

you nodded, “oh, yeah, i’m completely fine.”

“i didn’t dunk you too hard, did i?” he chuckled, “if you want, i’ll kiss it better.” he joked, but you weren’t exactly engrossed in conversation. “come on, i think shauna wants a rematch.”

jackie didn’t talk to you for the rest of the day.

you really believed it was like dying from the air gradually leaving your lungs.

later that day, while everyone was lounging and cozying up after the lake, you sat on a fallen log near the edge of the clearing, turning over a charred piece of wreckage in your hands like it held answers. tai found you there, plopping down beside you with a grunt and a squint.

“alright,” she said, slapping her lap, “spill it, l/n. what the hell is going on between you and jackie?”

taken aback by her bluntness, you stuttered. "uh--what?"

tai blinked, a stern expression on her face. “oh, come on,” she muttered, rubbing a hand over her jaw. “she's been in the biggest mood since we came down, it's driving everybody fucking crazy. ya'll ain't talking, so come on. what's going on?”

you scoffed. "didn't realize it was that obvious."

“it is,” she said plainly. “and look, i don’t know what happened between you two, but whatever it is--it’s not worth letting her die staying mad over.”

you glanced at her, like she had struck a nerve. “who said anything about dying?"

“maybe not today, maybe not tonight,” tai replied, shrugging. “but out here? none of us know if we’ll wake up tomorrow with food or fire. if something happens, do you really want your last memory of jackie to be this?”

you didn’t answer, but the question stayed with you.

she was right, but you weren't giving in that easy.

the night of doomscoming draped the clearing in a strange sort of magic. someone--you couldn't remember it being van or mari--came up with the idea for a makeshift prom to take the edge off.

you lot went all in, needing a reason to feel human again. someone strung strips of fabric and seatbelt cords from the trees like streamers, and someone else started a fire that crackled with warmth, casting golden light across faces that had forgotten how to smile. whatever makeup you had salvaged was quickly put to use, clothes borrowed and repurposed into outfits that shimmered in the firelight like they belonged in another world.

you didn’t know why you let akilah braid wildflowers into your hair or why you bothered smoothing down the dress you found in someone else’s luggage, but when you stepped into the clearing and travis turned to see you, his face lit up.

“you look…” he started, then gave a shy laugh. “good. really good.”

you shot him a polite smiled, unsure of what to say because you didn't know what to feel--not entirely for travis. "you clean up nice, yourself."

he offered his hand and you took it, letting him lead you to the makeshift dance floor where others had already begun swaying to the beat of clapping hands and hummed melodies. when the two of you walked through the arch, hand in hand, a couple hollers and whistles were thrown your way.

though you couldn't help but steal a couple glances jackie's way, watching as she danced with shauna.

you moved slowly, steps light, arms around travis like they would at a normal prom, and for a moment, it felt that way.

but your gaze kept pulling away, like a magnet, to the edge of the firelight where jackie sat in the shadows, arms wrapped tight around her knees. she wasn't dancing anymore, and she wasn't by shauna either. she just watched. her eyes found you every time yours wandered, and each look was a tether--like a never budging game of tug of war.

travis leaned in, his hand moving to your waist, his forehead almost touching yours.

maybe this will help, you thought, it's about time.

his breath was warm, eyes searching yours, and you knew what was coming. his hand cupped your cheek, slow and soft, and as he leaned in, you ignored all the protests you felt in your stomach.

just before your lips could meet, a hand yanked at your arm.

“hey, y/n, can i talk to you? like over there?” jackie snapped. you stumbled back, eyes wide, as travis blinked, clearly thrown off.

“what? jackie--”

“stay out of this, annie,” she insisted, already dragging you away from the firelight, through the clearing, and into the dark cabin.

the second the door shut behind you, you bursted.

“what the hell was that?" you hissed, "did you make an orphan insult? what the actual fuck, jackie!"

she scoffed, "how about you tell me what the fuck that was."

"i was dancing with him, jacqueline. dancing."

“you were gonna kiss him,” she muttered through gritted teeth, stepping closer. “you were really gonna kiss him.”

“i didn’t know that was still your business,” you bit back, "since when has kissing been such a big deal to you, hm?"

“since i kissed you,” jackie whispered.

before you could respond, she closed the distance, grabbing your face in her hands and kissing you like she’d been drowning without it. the world outside vanished--no crash, no forest, no doomscoming, and certainly no travis martinez.

just the two of you and the heat of the moment, finally crashing into each other like the plane never could. you kissed her back, fiercely, like you were taking back every second she’d left you wondering.

fuck. you were fucking in love with jackie taylor.

an; omg this was so fucking long but i had to get it out, yall better engage w this one cuz i put my whole dillydallyussy into it. anyways your comments and requests always make my day

happy reading xx

[weaselandfriends]

Kill la Kill (anime)

So, twelve years on, did Trigger save anime?

Existing in the present will invariably inundate one with lifeless, disposable, trend-chasing pop media, no matter the medium. Not only do moneymen like to imitate whatever made money before, but artists like to imitate the art they enjoy. The current moment will always seem bloated by dreck, while the past, filtered via the sieve of time, will always seem to contain only gleamingly original works of greatness. Were the 1980s not a golden age of blockbuster cinema, with Aliens and Indiana Jones and Ghostbusters? Please ignore the 1,000 shoddy E.T. knockoffs, thank you, or the million formulaic action hero flicks aping the Schwarzenegger formula.

Anime in 2013, when Kill la Kill began airing, was no different. The past two years had seen Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Hunter x Hunter, Fate/Zero, Stein's;Gate, Kuroko no Basket, Nichijou, Nisemonogatari, Psycho-Pass, and Attack on Titan, all popular and well-regarded shows both when they released and today. So the memetic idea in the anime community that Trigger was "saving anime" with Kill la Kill is patently ridiculous. (If you don't believe how widespread this idea was, two of the three top reviews for the show on MyAnimeList, written the same day the show finished airing, allude to it.)

It's easy to see how the idea became so popular, though. Trigger was a brand new studio formed primarily by staff from debt-stricken Gainax, the legendary studio that in 1995 revolutionized anime with Neon Genesis Evangelion. Eva's main creative figure, auteur director Hideaki Anno, wasn't with Trigger, but many of the people behind Gainax's other popular shows like Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking were, so the studio had a new-look fresh-start feel while drawing on a proven lineage of success.

At the same time, Kill la Kill itself promotes its revolutionary nature. Its plot revolves around a lone rulebreaking badass taking on an entrenched system defined explicitly by its aesthetic uniformity. It's not a difficult leap to read this storyline metaphorically, Trigger battling the waves of copy-paste seasonal anime.

However, what is most striking, most obviously eye-catching and unique about Kill la Kill, what hits the viewer with the immediate sense that this show is something different, something new, something like nothing you have seen before, is that it looks like nothing you have seen before. Kill la Kill is brimming with unique and memorable images, from the gigantic red block text used to introduce every new character and concept, to the bizarre ship-like architecture of Honnouji Academy, to the blend of fluid sakuga with choppy PowerPoint animation for comedic effect, to smaller iconic moments like Satsuki clicking her heel. It's always in-your-face about it, too. The opening scene sets the tone when a dry history lecture gets interrupted by Gamagoori squeezing through a door like a behemoth, utterly ignoring any rules regarding on-model consistency.

It's this devotion to the unique image that sets Kill la Kill apart from most of the other 2011-2013 shows I listed previously, shows that, while they might have a consistent aesthetic sensibility (such as Stein's;Gate's washed-outness or Fate/Zero's glimmering post-processing effects), are often conforming at their core to ideas of what anime "should" look like in terms of character design, setting, and animation. (The two Shaft shows I listed are an exception, but by this point Shaft's Akiyuki Shinbo had been doing his idiosyncratic visual style for over a decade, and wasn't exactly a fresh face.) Trigger's staff previously created Panty & Stocking, a show imitating the look and feel of western cartoons; Kill la Kill advances that idea into a wholly unique fusion of western and Japanese animation traditions, allowing it to break free of the insular anime landscape and its expected visual signifiers.

Obviously the counterpoint lurking beneath this preamble is that, under the unique visuals and tone, Kill la Kill isn't all that innovative at all, even painfully standard at times. Battles are decided by the power of friendship or the power of staying true to oneself (Don't Lose Your Way!), the hero is mind controlled and her friends call out to her until she breaks free, the one-dimensionally evil villain has a big end-the-world plot that everyone teams up to defeat. Even within the parameters the story establishes for itself, Ryuko proceeds linearly, starting out by fighting small fry club captains, then the Elite Four student council, then Satsuki the student council president, and finally Satsuki's mother who owns the school, with only a few speed bumps along the way.

But Kill la Kill makes the argument that aesthetics are too intimately interwoven with content to be disentangled that way. It's the crux of the conceit of the show, which is founded on a series of puns. "Fascism" sounds like "fashion," so in the world of Kill la Kill those concepts are now entwined. "School uniform" ("seifuku") and "conquest" ("seifuku") are homophones, so uniforms are the method by which Satsuki exerts her intra-Japanese imperialism. (Early on, Satsuki delivers a monologue in which she remarks on how Japanese school uniforms are aesthetically modeled on military uniforms, making it natural for her to militarize her school.) The title is itself a tripartite pun, combining words for "kill," "cut," and "wear." (Notably, this is a pun that blends the English and Japanese languages, much like the blended animation style.) Despite the visual, slapstick nature of Kill la Kill's humor, puns abound throughout. Some are obvious even in translation, such as the "Naturals Election" used to choose the new student council, while others can be difficult to catch. Nui, for instance, apes Dio Brando's catchphrase of "muda, muda, muda" (useless, useless, useless); later, when her arms are cut off, she screams "ude, ude, ude" (arms, arms, arms).

The core idea of most of these puns is that superficial similarity indicates similarity of content. Sometimes, this is an insightful observation, such as with the pun between fashion and fascism. Fascism is notoriously difficult to define rigidly in relation to other forms of dictatorship, but what is easy to define about it is its aesthetics, to the point that films like Star Wars are able to use aesthetic signifiers of fascism to define the politics of its villains even when withholding any actual explanation of those politics. Star Wars never has to show what the day-to-day rule of the Empire is like, because its army looks like the Nazis, so the audience gets the idea. Fascism as a political ideology and fascism as an aesthetic are, effectively, the same thing.

And if aesthetics are equivalent to meaning, then doesn't that mean that Kill la Kill looking new in fact makes it new? That its plot, generic in dry summary, is elevated by the distinctive way it's depicted? One pun, delivered upon the revelation that parasitic alien clothes have influenced humanity's evolution for the purpose of harvesting them for food (a story beat itself derivative of Puella Magi Madoka Magica), is that "the clothes make the mankind." The common refrain of Satsuki and Ragyo that people are "pigs in human clothing" hammers the point home: Aesthetics are everything. There is no meaning without aesthetics, just as people without clothes are unevolved animals.

Ultimately, though, Kill la Kill rejects this statement. Clothes are the enemy, literally, and the heroic organization fighting against them is Nudist Beach, whose members fight naked. At the end of the show, all clothes are destroyed, and the final image before the credits is of the entire cast in a giant, naked, triumphant huddle, an assertion of the inherent value of humanity even without aesthetic adornment. Isn't that the point behind all those power-of-friendship, power-of-believing-in-yourself speeches that Ryuko, Mako, and Senketsu use to turn the tables and win the battle? An appeal to a hidden inner nature that one must remain true to (Don't Lose Your Way!!!), that can overpower superficial displays of strength? Ryuko's mind control arc depicts this idea most overtly. She is controlled by having clothes sewn to her skin -- having an aesthetic forced onto her -- but Mako manages to dive into Ryuko's inner world to bring her back to her "true self."

This kind of undermines Kill la Kill as a work, though. What does a "nudist" Kill la Kill look like, stripped of its unique visual language? Certainly not something that would stand out from the waves of high school battle shounen that have been a fixture in the anime landscape since time immemorial. Kill la Kill's thesis might assert that there's a reason these power-of-friendship cliches endure (a sort of, if you'll allow me to become a parody of myself for a moment, post-postmodern reclamation of a narrative mode tarnished by irony and cynicism), but it contradicts the unique visual style that Kill la Kill developed to convey that idea.

In some ways, Kill la Kill does strip down to a nude, or at least semi-nude, state by the end. Many of its earlier concepts, including the connection between fashion and fascism, vanish as the story progresses. Satsuki and her fascist system are revealed to have been a deception while she secretly worked to betray her mother (playing on Ragyo's mistaken belief that aesthetics mean everything by Satsuki looking compliant while not actually being so), and once the twist occurs, the entire fascism plotline goes out the window. It's never really mentioned again; even when Ryuko gets on Satsuki's case for her past misdeeds, she only calls her out for "Looking down on people from on high," a general and ideologically-agnostic call against elitism. The 1-episode OVA set after the series briefly touches on the fascist system Satsuki enforced, with the episode's villain accusing Satsuki and the Elite Four of generating real, actual terror and abuse despite their ultimately pure motives (an assertion, once more, that aesthetics mean everything, that looking fascist makes you fascist no matter your true beliefs), but Mako quickly dismisses the claim with another power-of-friendship speech. Satsuki and the Elite Four have grown as people, she says. They're no longer bad like they used to be!

Kill la Kill also gets stripped down tonally by its end. The show's opening scene depicts a disobedient student being whipped, seemingly to death; later, his nude corpse(?) is displayed over the school gates. Combined with the title "Kill la Kill," it sets a dark, violent tone that lends weight to the otherwise cartoonish animation style. By the end, though, this dark tone is revealed as a false aesthetic; there is remarkably little killing in Kill la Kill. Stripped of real narrative stakes, the climactic battles diminish to flashy lightshows, action figures bouncing against each other. Worst of all, the blend of "fluid sakuga with choppy PowerPoint animation" I mentioned earlier increasingly tilts toward the latter. This is largely due to the prominence of Nui as an antagonist, since her cartoonishness is part of her character, but given Gainax's track record of running out of money and/or time by the end of its shows and phoning in parts of them, I wonder whether the habit transferred over to Trigger.

In short, as Kill la Kill strips down, it becomes a weaker show. In doing so, it not only undermines its own theme, but undermines itself as a truly new and innovative work, exposing its reliance on superficial aesthetic. The notion that Trigger "saved anime" would depend not only on Kill la Kill's individual success, but on its influence; twelve years out, and the only other notable shows like Kill la Kill were also made by Trigger. Perhaps you can see some influence on Masaaki Yuasa, who also blends high-quality sakuga with deliberately cheaper animation for comedic or stylistic effect, but he had already established himself in 2010 with Tatami Galaxy. Another show with a distinctive "Trigger" feel, Flip Flappers, was a flop flopper that caused its studio to immediately pivot to generic seasonal stuff.

My friend Lurina, when I asked her whether Trigger really had any influence over the larger anime landscape, suggested that Trigger sparked a general desire for more high-quality animation, which can be seen today in shows like Chainsaw Man or Dandandan. I would counter that those shows, while well-made, lack the distinctive blend of high and low, east and west that defines Trigger; if anything, the notion of the high-quality seasonal shounen adaptation comes from My Hero Academia, where Bones eschewed the traditional 500-episode weekly low-effort adaptation style of Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece and set the blueprint for shows like Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and so on, which adapt their source material in 12-episode chunks with lavish production values.

At the same time, I question whether Trigger even saved itself. Kill la Kill would be the studio's peak, and much of its subsequent output is a pale shadow of the show. (Its only other megahit, Darling in the Franxx, had an even more disastrous ending.) This culminated in BNA, a show that takes Kill la Kill's themes and iconography but does them cheaply and lazily. Since then, Trigger has rebounded -- but not by being "Trigger." Cyberpunk Edgerunners and Dungeon Meshi were both popular and well-regarded shows, but they were adaptations where Trigger had minimal control over the storytelling or aesthetic; Dungeon Meshi, other than a few sparse sakuga moments, doesn't even look distinctively like a Trigger show. It feels like any competent studio could have turned Dungeon Meshi into a hit. Trigger still exists, and in its partnership with Netflix is possibly stronger than ever, but it is losing its unique identity, becoming more standard, more similar to the crowd. Another conformer. Maybe the upcoming Panty & Stocking sequel can turn it around, but who can say.

Either way, Kill la Kill's moment has passed, without the cataclysmic ripple on the anime industry fans at the time expected or craved. Honestly, though, despite how I opened this essay, I can't blame them for their desire to see anime "saved." After all, the biggest anime of 2012, the year before Kill la Kill aired, did cause a cataclysmic ripple, one undoubtedly felt to this day. Unlike Kill la Kill, the biggest anime of 2012 spawned countless imitators, an endless flood of imitators, imitators that have themselves spawned imitators and imitators of imitators. That anime of 2012 has even extended its reach past anime, coating the current webfic scene; one could say that the site RoyalRoad would not exist if not for it. In face of such an oppressive, daunting influence, perhaps those fans of 2013 were right to clamor for something, anything, that would reveal a new direction, a way out. In such a context, one might even see it as tragic that Kill la Kill failed to deliver, that at the last moment it came up short. If Kill la Kill was the fork in the road leading to sunnier pastures, this anime led the industry into a deep, dark forest.

The name of that anime?

Sword Art Online.

[gilbertscurls]

hopeless — chris sturniolo

While you were busy fighting with your unruly eyeliner pencil in the poorly lit girls’ bathroom, Chris Sturniolo was wrestling with the snooze button on his alarm clock.

He finally managed to drag himself out of bed, bleary-eyed and muttering curses at the cruel world of 7 AM wake-up calls. His morning routine wasn’t exactly polished, and that became painfully evident when he spilled his coffee—hot coffee—on his favorite lacrosse jersey.

“Are you kidding me?” he groaned, holding the stained fabric away from his chest like it had personally offended him.

With no time for a wardrobe change, he shoved his feet into mismatched socks, grabbed his gym bag, and dashed out the door with his hair still doing its best impression of a hedgehog who had been struck by lightning.

It was third period, and the universe seemed determined to keep your life firmly categorized under “mildly catastrophic.” You sat in the library, surrounded by an intimidating pile of textbooks, your laptop blinking a low-battery warning at you.

“Great,” you muttered under your breath, shoving your glasses up your nose and squinting at your notes.

The universe, however, wasn’t done with its morning antics. Because at that exact moment, Chris Sturniolo barreled through the double doors of the library like a golden retriever that had just been let off its leash.

He was wearing his stained jersey, his hair still a mess, and he looked utterly confused as he squinted at the rows of tables.

“Chris?” Mrs. Jenkins, the librarian, hissed from her desk. “This is a library. Lower your voice, please.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Chris whispered, though it wasn’t much quieter than his regular speaking voice. He scanned the room, spotted you hunched over your pile of work, and beelined toward your table with an exaggerated sigh of relief.

You glanced up, your pencil hovering mid-air. “Uh… can I help you?”

Chris dropped into the chair across from you, dropping his gym bag onto the floor with a loud thud. “Please tell me you’re in AP Chemistry.”

You blinked at him. “Yeah… why?”

“Because I am so lost, and I think I’m about to fail this entire unit. Coach said if I bomb another quiz, I’m benched for Saturday’s game.”

“Okay… and you came to me because?”

Chris grinned, and for a moment, you could see why half the school practically melted every time he flashed that signature smirk. “Because you’re, like, the smartest person in this school. And also because I think everyone else is scared of me.”

You fought back a smile, biting your lower lip. “You? Scary? You literally tripped over a basketball in the hallway last week.”

“That was one time!” Chris exclaimed, a little too loudly, earning a sharp glare from Mrs. Jenkins. He winced and lowered his voice. “Listen, Y/N. Please. I’ll do… whatever. Carry your books, buy you coffee, sing your praises in the hallway—just please help me not fail.”

You stared at him for a moment, watching his puppy-dog eyes practically bore into your soul. You sighed, finally closing your textbook.

“Fine. Meet me here after school. Bring your notes—if you have any.”

Chris grinned wide, his dimples on full display. “You’re the best, seriously. Like, the best.”

Before you could respond, he was up and out of his chair, gym bag swinging wildly over his shoulder as he dashed out of the library.

You shook your head with a laugh.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, and true to his word, Chris was already waiting at your usual library table. His jersey still had a faint coffee stain on it, but he’d at least attempted to fix his hair—it was still a little chaotic, but charmingly so.

“Okay, show me what you’ve got,” you said, setting down your backpack.

Chris unzipped his gym bag and pulled out… nothing.

“Chris.”

“No, wait, wait!” He started digging through the pockets, pulling out crumpled papers, a broken pencil, and—somehow—a granola bar wrapper.

“Chris!”

“Okay, okay!” He held up a single sheet of paper. “This is all I have.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose, trying not to laugh. “You are hopeless.”

Chris shrugged sheepishly. “But I’m charmingly hopeless?”

You rolled your eyes and motioned for him to sit down. “Alright, let’s start from scratch. And if you mess up one more formula, I’m writing it on your forehead with permanent marker.”

Chris grinned as he grabbed a pencil. “Deal.”

Two hours later, the library was nearly empty. Chris had his head resting on the table, groaning softly as you pointed at yet another chemical equation.

“Chris, focus.”

“I can’t. My brain is full.”

“It’s been full since the second grade, hasn’t it?”

Chris lifted his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Wow, Y/N. Who knew you were so sassy?”

You shrugged. “It’s easy when the person across from me still doesn’t know the difference between a mole and molarity.”

Chris groaned again, dropping his forehead onto the open textbook.

“Okay, fine. We’ll stop here for today,” you said, unable to keep from laughing.

Chris lifted his head slowly, a tired but genuine smile on his face. “Thanks, Y/N. Seriously. I would’ve been toast without you.”

You hesitated before responding. “You’re welcome, Chris. But you owe me. Big time.”

He stood up, slinging his gym bag over his shoulder. “Oh, don’t worry. I plan on paying you back.”

You raised a brow. “How?”

“With my sparkling personality, of course,” he said with a wink before jogging backward out of the library.

You shook your head, watching him disappear down the hallway.

Chris Sturniolo, the messy-haired, coffee-stained, perpetually-late lacrosse jock, had somehow managed to make chemistry tutoring feel… fun.

And maybe—just maybe—you wouldn’t mind seeing him at the library again tomorrow.

tag list: @stuwniolo, @sturnobsessedwh0re, @matts-myloverboy, @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut, @lizzymacdonald06, @asherrisrandom, @sturniolowhore69, @faith5drpepper, @emely9274, @psychologyloverfr, @lovetaylorrussellgrr, @conspiracy-ash, @helpimateenagerinlove, @ghostlythinggoingaround, @sturmatt, @chris-hallelujah, @goingtojohnkramershouseee, @wurlibydominicfike, @straw8berry, @shadowthesim, @courta13

[intuitive-revelations]

The near future in the Doctor Who universe sure gets dire doesn't it? Especially if Mad Jack / Roger ap Gwilliam is still part of history.

I thought I'd have a bit of fun listing things out, combining as many sources as possible. Turns out he fits in shockingly well with what we know. There's a lot missing here or cut out, and for obvious reasons it's very UK / Europe focused, but nonetheless:

[ID: Scene from The Christmas Invasion showing Harriet Jones on BBC News. The news ticker reads "PM HEALTH SCARE", "Unfit for duty?", and references a "SECRET GOVERNMENT MOLE" and a quote: "BLOOD ON [HER HANDS]".]

2006-2021 (obviously the past now, but still noting for the resulting temporal and political butterfly effect) - In the original timeline, Harriet Jones remains Prime Minister for 3 consecutive terms, presumably 15 years assuming no snap election was called, referred to as a 'golden age' [World War Three]. The Tenth Doctor deliberately changes history to cause her deposal [The Christmas Invasion], leading to numerous disastrous terms in the meantime, including those of Harold Saxon [The Sound of Drums et al.], Brian Green (who tried to appease the 456) [Children of Earth], Boris Johnson (an auton host of the Nestene Consciousness) [Rose (novelisation)], and Jo Patterson (responsible for deploying cloned Dalek defence drones in the UK's streets) [Revolution of the Daleks].

[ID: Scene from Revolution of the Daleks. A 'defence drone' Dalek is used to support anti-riot police in a test, dispersing protestors with mock tear gas.]

2010s-2030s - The European Union gradually integrates further, eventually becoming the European Zone / Eurozone, a global superpower which competes with the USA through the 21st century. The UK eventually forms part of the bloc [Trading Futures].

It's likely that Harriet Jones's deposal led to this and related events being delayed or erased, with Brexit (driven by, among others, one of Jones's successors in the new timeline) reducing european unity. Most notably, Ramón Salamander's rise to power occurs now not in the 2010s [The Enemy of the World], but in the 2030s [Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World]. There are other events that are seemingly delayed by ~20 years by changes to the timeline, including future events like the dictatorship of Mariah Learman [The Time of the Daleks, Trading Futures], and yet also possibly past events like the death of Queen Elizabeth II [Battlefield, The Longest Night et al.], which may suggest something else (eg. the Time War) may be responsible.

~2030 - During a time of rising global tensions [73 Yards], Ramón Salamander convinces a group of scientists in an underground shelter endurance experiment that nuclear war has broken out on the surface. They are convinced to generate artificial "natural" disasters to fight back against the enemy. Between this and ongoing climate change, several global food sources collapse as a result, including Canada and Ukraine's corn and flour production [The Enemy of the World].

2031 - Tensions culminate in the "Great Russian War". Despite posturing, not a single nuclear weapon is fired, at least by NATO [73 Yards]. This may be later considered World War III [Trading Futures].

~2032-2035 - Following the war, tensions rise again, now between the Eurozone and the USA [Trading Futures], possibly in reaction to actions (or lack thereof?) taken by NATO during the war [73 Yards]. Both send separate peacekeeping forces to conflict in North Africa. Meanwhile, Italy is engaged in civil war [Trading Futures].

[ID: Scene from The Enemy of the World, showing Ramón Salamander.]

Over the decade, Ramón Salamander rises in power in the World Zone Authority, using his patented "Sun Store" satellite technology to aid the growth of crops by controlling sunlight over agricultural regions. In the background, he murders and blackmails officials to place loyalists into powerful positions, with the goal of ruling over the World Zone Authority as a dictator. Salamander's treachery is later discovered and he disappears [The Enemy of the World].

2037 - 2042 - Several militia declare wars of Independence from the USA. Notably, Phoenix, Arizona is destroyed in a terrorist attack. While the country largely persists after the conflicts, some territories seem to successfully secede - with, for example, a Montana Republic seemingly being in existence in 2054 [Alien Bodies].

2038 - The World Zones Accord is signed. This is later considered to have reduced the United Nations to a 'joke' compared with the World Zone Authority [Alien Bodies]. Given the extensive power it gives to the WZA, this was likely originally part of Salamander's plan, but due to his disappearance he is not around to reap the rewards [The Enemy of the World].

2039 - A group of Mexican astronauts studying minerals on the Moon go missing [Kill the Moon].

~2030s - 2040s - The Earth begins to experience major climate change effects, including "appalling storm conditions" which harm agriculture [The Waters of Mars]. The ice caps melt and flood much of the Earth [K9] with nations like the Netherlands ending up entirely flooded [St Anthony's Fire]. Some regions experience corrosive acid rain [Cat's Cradle: War Head, Strange Loops]. One summer sees Britain experience a 22 week drought. At this time, the Eurozone closes its borders to millions of North African and Baltic Sea refugees [Hothouse]. This time period may be known as the "Oil Apocalypse" [The Waters of Mars].

[ID: Scene from K9 Episode 13: Aeolian. Big Ben stands in the middle of a colossal storm of wind and rain.]

With Earth's ecosystems collapsing [Davros], humanity begin to realise it's facing extinction [The Waters of Mars]. An artificial cooling agent is spread in the atmosphere to semi-successfully combat the effects, but leads to dramatic side-effects, including freezing some areas of the globe. This is known as the "Great Cataclysm" [K9].

2041 - A three-human team, including Adelaide Brooke, lands on Mars for the first time [The Waters of Mars]. However, with this accomplishment, and increasing turbulence on Earth, Humanity gradually loses interest in space exploration [Kill the Moon].

Before 2045 - Around this time, the UK falls into a dictatorship ruled by the "Director", head of a military council that has allegedly (secretly?) controlled the government since 2028 [Britain Protests]. It is possible that this Director was previously the "Minister of War" for previous governments [Before the Flood].

2045 - The World Zones Authority evolves into a World Government, with Nikita Bandranaik being elected President. The UK is not part of the organisation [This is 2065].

2046-2050s - The Director is overthrown [Down with the Director] and the rest of the government "collapses in shame" [73 Yards]. Some of the revolutionaries celebrate now being "masters of [their] own country" [Down with the Director]. Despite the hopes of the World Government for international integration, this nationalistic streak continues.

[ID: Scene from 73 Yards. Roger ap Gwilliam, with an Albion Party ribbon on his chest declares victory on BBC News, live from Kennington High in London. Headline reads "LANDSLIDE VICTORY FOR ALBION PARTY: Majority of 92 predicted. Roger ap Gwilliam declared Prime Minister."]

Roger ap Gwilliam is elected Prime Minister, with the far-right nationalistic Albion Party gaining a majority of 92 MPs [73 Yards]. While his government does take the step to officially join the World Government senate [Down with the Director], he seeks greater independence from other nations. One of his first actions is to expand the UK's nuclear arsenal, purchasing missiles from Pakistan and withdrawing from NATO. In his term, the world is brought to the brink of nuclear war [73 Yards], likely in the pre-2050s "Euro Wars" [The Time of the Daleks].

In this time, the "Department", a (private?) multinational security organisation is born, based primarily in the UK. They gain broad powers, which they use to control populations with propaganda and use of "CCPC"s: robotic law enforcement notorious for their surveillance and brutality. Despite its recent revolution, the country is rendered practically a police state [K9].

[ID: Scene from K9 Episode 1: Regeneration. CCPCs, hulking police robots, march down a dark alley.]

2049 - The Moon starts to dramatically gain mass, causing massive tides on the Earth, flooding entire cities. In a last ditch at survival, humanity plans to try and destroy the Moon using an array of nuclear bombs. Despite the people of Earth being offered the vote on what to do by turning off their lights, it appears the decision is made on a national level, with lights going off grid-by-grid. Nonetheless, the Moon is allowed to hatch, leaving behind a new less massive egg "moon" with minimal further destruction [Kill the Moon].

[ID: Scene from Kill the Moon. The Moon hatches in the background, as the TARDIS stands by the sea.]

Humanity's interest in space exploration returns [Kill the Moon], starting a new space race. Among these projects, Australia begins constucting a space elevator, Spain a project called "SpaceLink", while Germany and Russia each begin a series of new Moon missions. The Philippines are rumoured to be planning their own landing on Mars [The Waters of Mars].

~2050 - The UK Government (ap Gwilliam's?) is couped once more, by General Mariah Learman. With the King's permission, elections are suspended for at least a couple years, with her ruling over a "benevolent dictatorship". She is later abducted and forcibly mutated by the Daleks [The Time of the Daleks]. Despite the previous description, her promotion of Shakespeare in schools is remembered as the only good thing about her rule [Trading Futures]. (Note: As mentioned prior, it's likely that Learman's rule may have been delayed as Salamander's was. This is suggested by the mention of her in Trading Futures, set seemingly ~2030s or earlier, despite The Time of the Daleks taking place around the 2050s.)

~2050s - The Gravitron is built on the new Moon. This is used to artificially control the tides and weather [The Moonbase]. It likely also is intended to study and monitor the new Moon for future changes [Kill the Moon].

[ID: Scene from The Moonbase, giving an external shot of the base.]

2058 - 2059 - Bowie Base One is established: humanity's first colony on another planet and an international collaboration between the UK, USA, Russia, Germany, Turkey, South Korea, Lithuania, Australia, and Pakistan. One year later, it is mysteriously destroyed in a deliberately triggered nuclear explosion. In the original timeline, there were no survivors. However, after the interference of the Time Lord Victorious, the true story is eventually told on Earth. Regardless "a veil of darkness" sweeps over the planet over the next few years. [The Waters of Mars], as international tensions heat up once more... [Total Eclipse of the Heart].

[ID: Scene from The Waters of Mars, showing an internet news website. Various articles appear focused on the Bowie Base One incident, including "SURVIVORS STORY - BROOKE SAVED EARTH", "THE MYTHICAL DOCTOR", "BROOKE'S HEROIC ACTIONS SAVE EARTH", and "HOW THE COUPLE ESCAPED MARS". The feature image shows the two survivors: Yuri Kerenski and Mia Bennett.]

2060s - The "Great War" breaks out on Earth, involving every country on Earth. This is likely World War IV. Details are vague, but it ultimately ends in a ceasefire, when it's realised the conflict is risking Earth's habitability [Total Eclipse of the Heart].

[o-craven-canto]

Living species listed according to how closely related they are to us

(part 1; pictures from Wikipedia, species numbers mostly from Catalogue of Life)

Genus Pan, 2 species: chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes; bonobo, Pan paniscus. Our closest relatives.

2. Genus Gorilla, 2 species: western gorilla, Gorilla gorilla; eastern gorilla, Gorilla beringei

3. Genus Pongo, 3 species: orangutans

(We've reconstructed family Hominidae, the great apes, with a total of 8 species.)

4. Hylobatidae, 20 species: gibbons and siamangs

(We've reconstructed superfamily Hominoidea, apes, with 28 species total. We obviously share with them a great deal of physical similarities, including a lack of tail, a chest wider than it's deep, highly mobile shoulders, and very long childhood that requires extensive parental care and teaching.)

5. Cercopithecoidea, 161 species: the "Old World monkeys" of Africa and Asia, including macaques, baboons, vervets, langurs, colobuses, and proboscis monkeys

(We've reconstructed clade Catarrhina, which among other things all share 32 teeth in the same pattern, nostrils opening downward, and never having a prehensile tail, unlike...)

6. Platyrrhini, 182 species: the "New World monkeys" of South America, including spider and howler monkeys, marmosets, capuchins and squirrel monkeys

(We've reconstructed Anthropoidea, which share flat fingernails, a fused upper lip -- :) instead of :3 -- and a single-chamber uterus undergoing a menstrual cycle)

7. Tarsiiformes, 14 species: tarsiers

8. Strepsirrhini, 143 species: "prosimians", including lemurs, indris, bushbabies, lorises, and the ayé-ayé

(We've reconstructed order Primates, with about 500 species, which among other things share an omnivorous diet, a relatively large brain, fully prehensile hands, and bony eye orbits.)

9a. Scandentia, 23 species: tree shrews 9b. Dermoptera, 2 species: flying lemurs

Unclear which of these two groups is closest to Primates, or whether they form a clade of their own (Sundatheria). This and the next few links are based mainly on molecular evidence.

10. Glires, ca. 2500 species: Rodentia (including mice, rats, squirrels, marmots, beavers, porcupines, guinea pigs, and capybaras) + Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares, and pikas)

11. Laurasiatheria, ca. 2700 species: a very large and diverse group of mammals, including Carnivora (cats, dogs, hyenas, bears, weasels, seals and sea lions), Cetartiodactyla (ruminants, pigs, camels, hippopotami, whales, and dolphins), Perissodactyla (horses, tapirs, and rhinos), Chiroptera (bats), Pholidota (pangolins), Eulipotyphla (moles, shrews, and hedgehogs), and so on

12a. Xenarthra, 37 species: sloths, anteaters, and armadillos 12b. Afrotheria, 88 species: elephants, manatees, ardvaarks, hyraxes, tenrecs and golden moles

Again, these two may branch off in any order from our line.

(We've reconstructed Placentalia, the placentate mammals, with about 5900 species total.)

13. Marsupialia, 335 species: possums and opossums, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats, bandicoots, Tasmanian devils, and so on

(We've reconstructed Theria, a clade of mammals distinguished by having mammaries with nipples and XY sex chromosomes.)

14. Monotremata, 5 species: the platypus and echidnas

(We've reconstructed Mammalia, mammals, with about 6200 species total. Many distinguishing features, including milk glands, middle ear bones, isolating fur with various skin glands, and warm-bloodedness, a four-chambered heart, and differentiated teeth.)

(to be continued)

[trueutopian]

Baby as an Golden Oozaru

A remake of my old Baby figure who unfortunately I had to take out because the base fell. Unfortunately this one doesnt have a good base either

I need to be careful with these big figures, for their base need more work.

Done in modelling clay, as usual. 🦔🗿

[the-monkeies-girl]

I recently saw your prompt list, and I would like to know if I could pretty please have the 6 and 60 with caesar?😭

6. teasingly kissing the tip of the nose. 60. Sitting in their lap.

Smoldering is how his hands felt against your skin, taking in the delectations against your side as they were brought down from the side of your rib cage towards your hips, Caesar securing his grasp there and pulling you even closer with a small huff of contentment mixed with need. If he could, the Ape King would have you inside of his skin at moments like this where the wall he had needed to rebuild time and time again in all his interactions with humans since the flu came tumbling down and he was able to feel the trembling of your body against his own.

The pure torture his leathery skin gave you as he held you so tightly, in any other form would cause you to burst out of laughter as it tickled instead of pleasured, was sending you in the the highest bid imaginable. That was the thing about Caesar. He would always get you there, bring you to the very edge and in a seconds worth of hesitation as you both never wanted the feeling to end, he’d staved off and thus make you follow him into the trenches were all you were able to mutter was his name and the occasional plea. You were such an incredible sight to the green eyes that were so intent on watching, admiring and trying so desperately to remember the way your eyes rolled back, the way your mouth, ajar murmured one prayer to him before you were utterly consumed in white heat that seemed to burn hotter than the sun itself, Caesar doing his best to swallow the sounds you were making as he knew they caused a ruckus to the Colony members, but he could not bring himself to care anymore with the subsequent actions you put him through.

A small utterance 'Caesar' catapulted the Ape into the great Heavens themselves as he brought his face between the bridge of your breast, nuzzling his mildly protruding muzzle there and garnering himself a tightening of your hands in the fur of his shoulder when Caesar bared his teeth against the already flushed skin and tasted your sweat on them. 

Coming down was never the easy part, your head lulling itself into the crevice of his neck as the grip on your waist that was keeping you leveraged as you bounced atop him mildly were becoming loosened as even the great Ape himself staggered out of the abysmal heat into the trenches of chilled air that lingered around the nest during the latest hours of the night. His eyes shut long enough for him to recollect himself, to recollect yourself as he dragged his hands upwards on your back, touching barely on your shoulder blades but feeling you tense out of heady intentions to go again despite your mate coming back from his trip late, despite him being tired. Caesar dragged you down with him with carnal desire and now you were both reaping the utmost consequences. 

“Mmm…” You murmured, bringing your head from the fur of his neck where you had been swimming in his musk of ashen wood, the tallest red wood where its top peaked the clouds, the deepest and riches parts of the Earth were only a worm would enjoy until this moment where all you wanted to do was consume it yourself. “You need to go on long trips more often.” Caesar chortled at that, the action in his shoulders causing you to shift ever so slightly in his lap as your legs loosened their tensed grip they had around his sturdy pelvis. “Think… You should stay awake… and wait for me when I return late from these trips…” Caesar lifted his gaze to meet your own, the flushed nature of the green and golden specks always mesmerizing and your breath caught in your throat, enough to cause you to grasp the fur of his shoulders much tighter as you saw the glimmer of flirtatious notes playing behind them. Caesar, unprompted, was not one to speak like this and you really only got it in the aftermath of intense throes of scorching pleasure. You took what you could get, dishing back what he had served. 

Bringing your face down towards his own, Caesar had thought that you were going to swipe your lips against his, then bracing for impact on the immediate basis that he was only blessed with lip to lip contact on occasion, knowing that it wasn’t something common amongst the Apes.

But--- He was wrong, your lips placing themselves on the cartoon heart shape of his nose for only a fleeting pash in time as you laughed against him, your chest rattling movements causing his eyes to dip just once so he could see your breasts move along before the visual was lost as you came scrunching in tighter, the hands that had scratched themselves into his bare flesh beneath the thickness of his furred shoulders now coming to wrap themselves around his muscular neck.

“I’ll be sure to try my best.”

[somereaderinblue]

LMK God Games

Did somebody say LMK x Epic the Musical??? I had to post this after seeing these amazing YT animatics which I highly rec. Anyways, enjoy some LMK Nezha content!

[NEZHA]

Father, general, rarely do I ask for favors

Now I humbly, beseech you to spare some mercy

For a dear friend who’s a prisoner far from home

Sun Wukong.

[LI JING]

Divine intervention, is that what you seek?

To untie apprehensions that were placed on that beast?

You may upset the balance for an ape full of shame

But if he's worth the risk of such loud dissent

Let us make it a test.

Convince each of them that he deserves to be released, and I'll release him.

[NEZHA]

Who's them?

[LI JING]

Nüwa! Lao Tzu!

Guanyin! Ao Guang!

Chang’e! Or Me.

What do you say?

[NÜWA]

Great.

[LAO TZU]

Very well.

[GUANYIN]

Agreed.

[AO GUANG]

Hmph.

[CHANG’E]

Groovy!

[NEZHA]

Bring it.

[NÜWA]

You know well I'm a fan of nature’s all

So with so many creatures gone

Has Wukong no heart at all?

[NEZHA]

Their intentions meant him harm

He had companions under his charge

It was a hard choice to make

To live another day and prevail despite the stakes!

[NÜWA]

Fair point, release him.

[LAO TZU]

Trust is not real without care

Why should we offer him a hand?

He turned his back on all his friends.

[NEZHA]

Did you forget they failed to listen?

He was betrayed and then imprisoned

But if you make the right decision 

He can still build a future with those he misses.

[LAO TZU]

Fine, release him.

[GUANYIN]

Though he is strong and mighty, your friend Wukong

Has a callous heart, disregards others for himself.

[NEZHA]

He was busy fighting-

[GUANYIN]

More like busy spiting the deities

It is only fair he faces comeuppance for his crimes.

[NEZHA]

Wait! Please reconsider this….

[AO GUANG]

Really Nezha? These old tricks?

[NEZHA]

Ao Guang!

[AO GUANG]

What kind of so-called warrior just uses his power

Uncaring of those in the crossfire?

He didn’t even spare his brothers

Turned to fodder to sate her

Traded all their lives to demons of bone

Untrustworthy, obtuse, upfront

Pathetic and weak like his son!

[NEZHA]

Hold your tongue now! His son's my friend!

And when were second chances something we can’t spare?

You want redemption? Then set him free

To get back to his homestead for atonement, you’ll all see!

[GUANYIN & AO GUANG]

Very well, release him.

[CHANG’E]

Hey bestie~

So many legends, so many tales

Give me one good reason why yours should prevail!

[NEZHA]

He's got some nice golden vision!

[CHANG’E]

Try harder.

[NEZHA]

He wields a mighty staff!

[CHANG’E]

You can do better than that!

[NEZHA]

He's kind of funny?

[CHANG’E]

Eh…

[NEZHA]

Never once does he stop loving his mate.

[CHANG’E]

Release him!

[NEZHA]

I’ve done your test and passed! Release him.

[LI JING]

You dare to defy me? To not know your place?

No one beats me, no one brings heaven shame!

Power, madness, balance, justice

I must show you right from wrong

To cease this tantrum once and for all!

.

.

.

[GUANYIN]

Is he dead?

.

.

.

.

An entire lifetime unfolds between Nezha’s heartbeats.

Sun Wukong’s life.

As a troublemaker, a warrior, a king……

Then a husband, a father.

How lovely the day had been, the memory as sweet as the peaches and plums they had gorged on.

And then-

“YOU’RE ALONE!”

The words erode him from within like rot through fruit. He’s not alone, he has powers mortals could only dream of having a speck of, he has his father, brothers and duties-

He has Wukong’s friendship. Or well, he had it. 

Nezha blinks and suddenly he sees Xiaotian, MK, Wukong and Macaque’s son, their legacy, the star to their sun and moon, Nezha’s-

“-friend, I couldn’t ask for more!”

Wukong was wrong.

He knows what he’s fighting for now.

.

.

.

.

Through the blinding glow of Li Jing’s attack, a flurry of pink lotus petals explodes in retaliation.

Gritting his teeth, Nezha’s arms trembled under his shield. He takes one step forward, then another, and another-

His shield shatters, he takes two steps back. He barely raises his spear in time to block his father’s next blow. The shaft of his weapon is molten lava in his palms. 

He loses his spear first. Then most of his armor, then his wheels, ah he hasn’t walked in a while, with how shaky his legs are he’s surprised he’s still upright-

Then he’s not. His father’s wrath rumbles in warning. What was one more act of defiance?

And so Nezha, Third Lotus Prince, crawls up those final steps and uses the last of his strength to grab the Pagoda-Wielding General’s fluttering cape.

.

.

.

.

[NEZHA]

Let him go….please

Let him go…..

[carlostck]

SPOILERS! (ninjago dragons rising season 2 part 2)

I'm crying why did she grab him??? And he doesn't even resist

Also, I LOVE how they go about Arin's "betrayal" Arin doesn't like him, he doesn't want to be on his side... He just wants what Ras can give him

Very confused about the "Wu caused the merge" thing because I feel like it's more of caused-it-due-to-not-stopping-it situation rather than directly causing it? Especially because Wu was actively trying to prevent it from happening, as shown on a few occasions

In addition to that, love how Cole is shown in the series so far, just wish we got a little more of him. I know they aren't the main characters anymore but he's the mom friend and they all need more of that lol Geo and him running to the museum together is so cute awgh

Liking how this is going, the Ras situation is curious in that it seems like he was attempting to avenge his people by "controlling" the forbidden five (moreso attempted to)

The only thing I didn't like about season 2 part 2 is how they went about the Jay situation? Something about it felt off or wrong, can't place a finger on it though... I may just be stupid and it may only be me, but felt funny; like it wasn't right??

Now, questions on my mind since this has raised some: If Lloyd hadn't been disqualified for being injured in a fight (lame rule by the way, he seemed fine <3), then would he have won? And if he did, he would have to fight Sora, but I'm more curious about what Nokt would have done about it Why did Lloyd's eyes stay green after losing his power? Is it not completely lost, just limited? 'Cause Cole was still able to control the rocks due to the assistance of the elemental energy in his mother's mech, meaning they still have the connection... Which would make sense, considering all the "got my powers back" instances Oh, also they called his power "life," which I find interesting because one would assume that the Tournament of Sources would have the correct name for his power! Curious what else Lloyd can do, since I don't think he's ever really reached his true potential? (I know people consider him becoming the Golden Spinjiztu master it but that doesn't make much sense to me) When Zeatrix attacked Lloyd with the sword, was that supposed to be her literally cutting through his side? They're legos so it kinda just looked like she whacked him with a long stick, lol

Euggh I cannot wait for more I love Sora and Lloyd's relationship. Also when she said "If he (Arin) even wants to be found" I lost it because I immediately thought of Morro oops Wyldfyre sleeping with Riyu, awjwaah... I was slightly sad when we didn't get much of her and Riyu at the beginning (since the relationship just makes sense), but those little things are great I also love Frak (however you spell it) and I hope he doesn't just disappear after that

Still want to see Lloyd go ape shit please elpase pleasesplease pelasep palesepelase pleaseee