#me knowing good and goddamn well the db universe might as well be on a floating timeline but looking like charlie_day.meme anyway

[shannonsketches]

If Pan's only 3 in Super Hero it means that

Battle of the Gods

Resurrection F

Universe 6 Tournament

Zamas

Tournament of Power

Broly

Moro

Granolah

and Super Hero

all took place within ~4 years

no wonder Geets is done with everything all the time and Gohan had to lock himself in a room to finish a dissertation, good lord

[belle--ofthebrawl]

Behold My Interests That I consider Foundational To Me (under the cut. Too much yapping).

Thank you for the tag Miasma! Tagging @coffeeghoulie @mac-and-thefox and @stuffikindalike and @ghnosis well as YOU reading this if you really want to do it but can't wait for a tag. This is it. This is your tag.

Death Note - Creative enjoyer. I had so many friends on Quizilla before it went down. I was also constantly cosplaying L since the baggy shirt and jeans made it easier to deal with everything going on with my body at that point in time. Matt too, my poor idiot. But now his death makes me laugh. "You won't shoot" (proceeds to die of hundred bullet wounds) I wanted to fuck mello and also be him but I was too Catholic to understand or even have the language for these feelings at that point in my life. (Death note yaoi did in fact significantly change my way of thinking.)

Xxxholic/Reservoir Tsubasa: Passive enjoyer. Loved yuuko.

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro and Soul Eater (they aren't related): passive but really wanted Neuro's hair/Soul Eater's outfit. Mom said no and also what do you mean it's a demon detective and also what are you doing when I'm not looking and also I am installing a block on the computer. (Opening songs still slap a decade and a half or so later)

Cirque du Freak: passive enjoyer. We don't!! Talk!! About!! The Movie!! I loved Cirque du Freak. It destroyed me and ground the pieces to ash. You should also read cirque du Freak.

Fire Emblem Sacred Stones: creative enjoyer. I wish my mom hadn't tossed my tote bag of notebooks filled with godawful fics about this game. I was so obsessed with it. 

Golden Sun/GS: The lost Age: creative enjoyer. See above note concerning tote bag.  There's so much I could say about these two games. I still have my old GBA color...I really want to play them again. Collect all the djinn. Make Felix and Piers swap stat boosting rings and pretend they're married. The story telling might not be the greatest but goddamn it Weyard was and still remains the home of my heart. monsters and weird Alchemy nonsense no withstanding. There's a third game but I'm not interested in it. I sunk so many hours into TLA...navigating those damn whirlpools...

Final Fantasy 15: Passive Enjoyer. Prompto was My Boy. but since my copy is loooong lost my interest died down. Still have my favorite fics bookmarked though. Should give them a re read.

Homestuck: creative? I think? I had so many Aspect tshirts...a friend made us matching Dreamer jammies. There's more I could say but honestly it highly involves my personal life that I've put behind me. I'm just glad I have the good memories still. (I was NOT involved in any of the horror stories that gave the fandom a bad name. Need to say that, for my own peace of mind.)

Skyrim- creative enjoyer. I have been writing fic about this game since it came out twelve years ago but it's all in my head. I only just started putting it to paper with my dozenth reiteration of my beloved DB. My brother and I really bonded over this game too, and when he decided he was "too old" for videogames, I took the character he made for our universe and I kept the story going. A very exhausted single father has one child that will save the world and another who is convinced it's all a dream and isn't real so why bother at all?  By extension, this includes other games in the elder scrolls universe but since I insist on having physical media, they aren't as readily accessible. Soon, though...soon. (stares at Morrowind with obvious and barely concealed lust)

TMNT- Passive enjoyer.  I watched the old 80's cartoon a lot whenever we visited my grandma and the first and second live action movies with the puppets were pretty much on repeat at home. The third one does not exist :). I do want to get started on the comics but I don't know if I can emotionally handle The Last Ronin. I really enjoyed ROTTMNT. Didn't get a chance to see Mutant Mayhem in theater. I enjoyed the Bay movies for what they were: explosions and easy laughs and also my childhood crush on Megan Fox.

Transformers: Passive enjoyer. I read all of MTMTE/LL a few years back. Didn't like how it ended. We deserved better than that. See above IRT live action movies and again, Megan Fox. 

Bioshock: Passive Enjoyer. I still get a weird feeling in my chest when I think about the good ending with the Little Sisters where you adopt them as your daughters instead of using them for your own purpose.

Dune: Passive Enjoyer. Help. Why does Duncan Idaho keep coming back. 

Kushiel's Dart: Passive Enjoyer. Phedre's books are phenomenal. Not interested in the other series. Would like to get her Marque as a tattoo somewhere.

Discworld: Passive Enjoyer but in the most passionate passive way ever. I am collecting all of the books. I have a yearly re read of Night Watch (may 25th) and Hogfather (December 24th/25). This portrayal of Death made me less afraid of dying and also less suicidal. "Lord, what can the harvest hope for if not the care of the Reaper Man?" can make me tear up if it catches me in the right mood. I want a tattoo of the  Guarding Dark. I base my Cirrus off of Adora Belle Dearheart (kind of). If I go into the ways Pratchett (GNU) and Gaiman have changed/saved my life we will be here forever. Look up a reading guide and decide which Discworld series you might be interested in starting with. I recommend Death and Witches first, google will tell you which books are in those series. The City Watch is good too. Don't start with Rincewind unless you want to start with Rincewind. It has a lot of Early Installment Weirdness. Lots of one off books too in case you don't want to start a series: The Truth, Monstrous Regiment and Small Gods are highly recommended. 

Ghost: idk, I just started listening to them but I think they might be really big you guys. You should check them out.

𝕱𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖒 𝖙𝖆𝖌 𝖌𝖆𝖒𝖊 ✨

I saw this little fandom game thingie on another site and I really liked it, so I decided to bring it over here to tumblr while my apple pen charges. I’m also going to change up the rules. I’m going to list the fandoms I’ve been in, and classify them by:

Passive enjoyer = simply enjoyed it and the fan content made for it OR Creative enjoyer = actively made art, fanfic, cosplay, etc etc etc.

I’m going to tag people here but no pressure if you don’t want to do it! @miasmaghoul @lonelymentality @copiasjuicebox @iamthecomet @thediktatortot Also if you see it and want to do it, feel free.

Game under the cut since mine will be long<3

Harry Potter - creative enjoyer - My very first. This shit was a family affair in my house. I went to watch parties, themed parties. I cosplayed shittily, wrote shitty fanfic, and my walls were plastered floor to ceiling in teen magazine posters. Went to the Exhibition. Every second movie would come out in July so I would pretend it was like a birthday gift to me.

Twilight - creative enjoyer - Jfc. Don’t get me started. I still have my Edward action figure whose now missing both hands. Used to write self insert fanfic on quizzilla.com. RIP you beast of a website

The Walking Dead - passive enjoyer - This was also a family affair. Every sunday we would all gather round our shitty TV for the newest episode. I was more of a liveblogger than anything else. My dad has a bit to this day that ‘Hershel isn’t dead. He’ll be back.’ Yeah, sure dad.

Legend of Zelda - creative enjoyer - For most of my childhood I was passive, only really doodling Twilight Princess stuff sometimes. Then BOTW came out and it all changed.

Lord of the Rings - passive enjoyer - I look at Legolas and Aragorn. That’s enough for me. I don’t need creative works because I just need to look at them.

Marvel (Spider-man and Loki mostly) - creative enjoyer - I’ve been drawing these guys since birth, for better or for worse. MCU can suck my nuts but so can Loki franchise /sex DC (Batman) - creative enjoyer - Batman the Animated series did something bad to me. Now I draw Joker sometimes. Watch out, stay safe out there

Sherlock and Doctor Who - passive enjoyer - I’m putting these two together since I never really made fan art or anything, but I did attend watch parties for both on several occasions.

Supernatural - creative enjoyer - Sighs. Sighs even harder. Somewhere out there, deep in the depths of fanfic.net there’s miles of really really really bad fanfic. Somewhere…. Final Fantasy VII - creative enjoyer - Sighs far more dreamily. My favvvvv my ultimate fav. Sephiroth is my fictional other and LOMF. Many, many arts of him throughout every sketchbook I own. Also some fanfics IIRC.

TF2 - creative enjoyer - I used to draw Medic and Pyro kissing<3

Homestuck - creative enjoyer - War flashbacks. Not only was I a semi-well known fanartist, I was also a semi-well known cosplayer in my city. I was a ‘friendleader’ in my cities Homestuck fangroup and attended events, dances, etc etc etc. I was on a cosplay gif blog here on Tumblr. I ran the second most popular groupchat on MSPARP.com before it was MXRP.com. I had beef with mods. Most of my relationships at that time were forged in the fires of LOHAC. I still see my art of Dave in MCR black parade uniform around sometimes. Dramatical Murder - creative enjoyer - To no ones surprise. Yeah. I like the yaoi dissociation game. Dream Daddy - creative enjoyer - SHOUTOUT DREAM DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Evil priest Joseph lovers rise UP. Didn’t do much, but there’s some art floating around out there.

Voltron: LD - passive enjoyer - Thank GOD I never made anything for this. However, I was active in the kin community so thats a huge L. I also ate uppppp stuff about it and sheith still fucks.

Overwatch - creative enjoyer - Sometimes you’re a Genji main and the world is so so hard for you. That’s how I used to live my life, then I got better.

Final Fantasy XV - creative enjoyer - Second LOMF. My old art blog is stocked full of chocobro content, mostly fanart of the boys and meme redraws. Also used to cosplay Noctis CONSTANTLY! Here’s an old tiktok

The Band Ghost and Sleep Token - creative enjoyer - (((((((: Hi guys

[rikotin]

Angst 13, fluff 12, random 7 and kiss on the nose 🤗💛 i did this on mobile so i had to keep them all in my head.. hope this helps 💛

Hi! Thank you for the prompts

If you want, you can also read this on AO3

and the silver lining seems so dim when it hurts

Angst 13 - “If you don’t hug me right now I think I might fall apart”

David sat on Matteo’s bed, on the same spot where he had finally opened the letter that had arrived the day before. He had postponed opening it on purpose: he had gathered up his things and rushed over to Matteo’s to spend the evening and night there, pointedly trying to think of anything and everything that wasn’t the letter burning in his pocket. Matteo had been quick enough to call him out on it, and David had promised to deal with it first thing in the morning. It hadn’t been as easy as it sounded, his nerves proving to be too much to actually open the goddamn thing right after he opened his eyes after a restless night, and he had ended up psyching himself up all morning. He had told himself over and over again, that whatever it was that the letter brought was something he could handle.

A week ago, he had gotten a letter from another university that had informed him that they had rejected his application for the coming semester. It had been quite disappointing, of course, but he hadn’t had the best feeling about his application, so it had been no surprise to him that he hadn’t been accepted. On top of that, the school was located in a completely different city, and he wasn’t really feeling the long-distance relationship. He was also not going to force Matteo to move with him and abandon his mom and friends for David to reach for his dreams, not even after Matteo had been very emphatic in assureíng him that it would be no problem for him. David would have felt guilty anyway.

It all must have had reflected in his application since he had ended up being turned down, but despite being a bit upset over it, the fact that he was still waiting for the results from Die Filmuniversität Babelsberg – to which his application had turned out much better, so good he was actually proud of it – had calmed his mind a lot.

That was the thing, though. He had worked so hard for that particular application to perfect it to his taste, and was so proud of the outcome, that despite the morning of psyching himself up and assuring himself that the rejection would not be that big of a deal, deep down he had known those were just empty words and that it would be absolutely devastating if that actually happened. Matteo had followed his pacing and even offered to reschedule his lunch with his mother, obviously anxious on David’s behalf, but David had managed to assure him that he was fine and that Matteo should go. That no matter what the result was, he could take it.

Unfortunately, there was apparently nothing that could prepare you for excruciating disappointment.

David stared at the letter in his hand, reading it through once again, but there it stood, just a short few sentences. Nothing changed no matter how many times he’d read it, and he found himself feeling… Numb.

He had been rejected.

Logically, he knew he was probably in shock. In some utter denial this was actually happening, wishing it was all a bed dream and that he would wake up from the nightmare any second now. Except that he was also fully aware that this was not a dream. In fact, he knew extremely well that it was now official: he would not be starting university anytime soon and he had absolutely no idea of what to do now. His plan had failed and he had nothing to land on.

The door of the flatshare slam shut and some careful steps resounded in the hallway before the door behind him opened, closing just as quickly. He was facing the windows but knew well enough that no one but Matteo would come into the room without knocking anymore – not after some rather unfortunate timings for all of them – and soon enough the bed jostled as Matteo flopped onto the bed behind him/ Matteo flopping behind him on the bed, placing his chin on David’s shoulder.

“I texted you when I left the restaurant but you never read it,” Matteo said softly. The tone of his voice was not accusing or questioning: it was just a statement and David could hear the underlying worry clear as a bell and it made his stomach twist. He didn’t say anything nor did he turn to look at Matteo – he merely lifted his hand with a letter in it, offering it to Matteo. Matteo took it from his hand and paused for a moment, most likely to read it over, and then sighed deeply.

“Well, this fucking sucks.”

“No shit,” David let out a joyless laugh, and closed his eyes tightly. All of the sudden, the numbness was gone and the rejection hit him so violently it left him breathless for a second – like someone had kicked him in his gut and smashed his head against a brick wall all the while insulting his work and mocking him for being dumb enough to have any pride in his application whatsoever. He felt almost nauseous with the overwhelming defeat and disappointment that now filled his head, threatening his thoughts to overflow.

“They don’t even know what they missed, you know,” Matteo continued straight away. “I mean, look how talented you are. Like, you’re amazing and–“

“No, actually, apparently all I’m worth is ‘Dear Mr. David Schreibner, we’re sorry to inform you that you have not been accepted’. So yeah, very fucking amazing, that is.”

He knew it came out harsh and bitter, but couldn’t bring himself not to let his disappointment bleed through. He was feeling way too much hurt to actually do anything about it. Matteo sighed again and placed a careful hand on his thigh, not fazed by David’s outburst. His touch made David feel a little more grounded in the mess of his emotions.

“I know it sounds cliché but you can always apply again next year,” Matteo offered quietly, voice full of compassion, but David had to shake his head as he swallowed, his throat feeling awfully tight all of a sudden.

“It’s no use if I can’t apply to anywhere else. It’s so hard to get into these two, DFFB requires the age of 21 so that’s a no go, there is no way I can afford dBs. And I just don’t want to move and leave you behind, and I know you say you’d come with me but I’d feel terrible to drag you away from your friends and mom and I don’t know what to do!”

Every breath he managed to take was becoming more laboured, like he was not getting enough air for the words that kept on coming more and more rapidly. Matteo had moved around him at some point and was now kneeling down in front of the bed, squeezing David’s hands, and tried to softly hush him. David finally opened his eyes, everything a bit blurry from pressing them closed so tightly, but then he met Matteo’s bright eyes, ever so patient and warm, and an overwhelming and desperate need for comfort washed over him like ice cold water.

“If you don’t hug me right now I think I might fall apart,” he whispered, struggling to get a full breath in again, and Matteo stood up immediately. He pulled him up onto his feet and enveloped him into a tight hug. David closed his eyes again and buried his face into the crook of Matteo’s neck, now breathing in deeply like Matteo was the one to let the air in, and the feeling of being safe overlayed the absolute despair still churning in his gut. Matteo brought his other hand up to the back of David’s head, gently pressing him closer and carding his fingers through David’s hair.

“I’m here so you’ve got all the time in the world,” Matteo mumbled, echoing his own words from a long while ago, and pressing a kiss on top of David’s head. 

Matteo was right. 

David didn’t have a plan and he didn’t have anything to continue with, but he still had the people who loved him to help him deal with the downfall, and he had all the time in his hands to come up with a new plan after the one he had had failed so miserably. He still had Matteo, who was always right by his side, who never hesitated to call David out on his bullshit, but who was also always ready to reassure and comfort him the best he could. And now, if that wasn’t something special.

David lifted his head a little and turned his face so his nose now brushed against Matteo’s cheek, soft under the touch. He sighed deeply, feeling just the slightest bit of the sadness that was crawling under his skin ease off. 

“I know I have. But I just– It still fucking sucks.”

He felt Matteo squeezing him a little firmer against himself.

“I know.”

They stayed there for a moment, pressing their foreheads together. David let Matteo’s presence ground him –  let it calm down the raging storm inside his head. He was still sad. He knew this was something that would eat at him for a long time, as losing was never something he was good at. But with the help of Matteo, it didn’t feel like the world was ending anymore.

“I love you,” Matteo then said, voice low and with so much weight and warmth in the words it made David a little more emotional again. But this time, it was a good one – it was the kind that felt like there were not enough words to describe how lucky he actually was for having Matteo in his life. He really didn’t know how to convey the utter joy and gratefulness he felt for him, so the simple ones would have to do.

“Thank you.”

[itsclydebitches]

Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball Z Dragon Ball Super. Which is your favorite?

Oh, anon. You poor soul. You’ve activated my current obsession. Okay. I preface this by saying that DBZ, imo, is the CLASSIC. Frieza, Cell, and Buu? Iconic. DBZ is what I think of as the core of the DB franchise and I adore it accordingly. That being said… I’m really, really loving Dragon Ball Super. 

(And I’m totally gonna tell you why because you made the mistake of starting this conversation in the first place :D)

I’m just? A sucker for lore filled with fallible gods?? This is my long-lived love of Greek mythology rearing its head. Even back in DBZ the Supreme Kai was instantly a favorite of mine. Yeah, yeah, the whole fandom rags on him for supposedly being “useless,” but that’s precisely why I love him? He starts out as this mysterious, incredibly powerful figure–powerful enough to scare the crap out of Piccolo–and then very quickly falls off that pedestal, making him relatable and humanized. Shin clearly has a shit ton of trauma from, you know, watching Buu kill and/or absorb his entire family. He’s been forced to take on a job meant for five and he definitely hasn’t been trained (or at least fully trained) for this particular position. He comes to Earth expecting to use mortals as a tool, as one would expect from a high-ranking god, and is just totally blindsided by how powerful they are. It’s an instant double-edged sword. On the one hand hell yeah defeating Buu just got a whole lot more likely. On the other hand, existential crisis much? Who am I–who are all the gods–if we’re not intrinsically more powerful, knowledgeable, or spiritually sturdier than the mortals we watch over? Goku, Vegeta, and especially Gohan upset the presumed hierarchy. It’s why we get such a good dichotomy between Shin and Kibito. Shin rolls with this new information and embraces it fully. Okay. Mortals are stronger than us in so many ways, how wonderful! We can learn from them and rely on them, forming equal partnerships to achieve our goals. Kibito is stuck in his assumptions. How dare you set foot on this world? How dare you think you can pull out the Z Sword? How dare you think yourself equal to a god? 

It’s a familiar theme for DB: humanizing the latest, all-powerful entity. And each new introduction becomes more extreme.

Kami was our original god… who got some awkward moments. Then King Kai is the top guy…who loves lame jokes and lets Goku tear up his sacred planet in the name of training. Then Shin, Supreme Kai of the whole damn universe… who is also an anxious bean Just Trying His Best. It’s a theme I love because it upholds humanity (or in this case Saiyans adopted by humanity) as beings of endless potential. DB is all about pushing past your limits, but that doesn’t just apply to physical power. It also ties into upending the status quo; showing those who think themselves arrogantly better–in this case the gods–that no, we all have worth here. When the chips fall it’s mortals who consistently manage what the gods cannot, reaching a point where, ki-wise at least, they’re indistinguishable from gods, raising the question of why they were ever above them in the first place. They’re not. We’re all on equal footing once those assumptions are acknowledged and done away with. Ancient Kais can like dirty magazines. Supreme Kais can have panic attacks. Destroyers can love pizza as much as the next, average anime watcher.

Indeed, we see in the Tournament of Power that these rules now apply to Goku in his god state. He might have reached incredible power that everyone else thought impossible… but that doesn’t make the rest of the cast “below” him. It’s only because of his friends–presumably “useless” friends like Krillin and Tien–that allow him to enter the tournament and get as far as he did. It’s his old mentors who he has far outpaced that remind him he still has much to learn and who help Goku tap into Ultra Instinct in the first place. It’s a simple android we haven’t seen in years who manages to win the whole damn thing. The story consistently applies that same message of equality and worth to everyone, including our original paragon who has now reached the status of the very beings he’s worked to outpace. Rather than turning Goku into the hypocrite, DB keeps reminding him that no amount of power is going to change his or anyone else’s worth. He’s still BFFs with Krillin. Still married to Chi-Chi. Still needs other “weak” people like Bulma to help him when things get tough. No time machine, money, or strategic smarts? Sorry, no win.

In short, Dragon Ball Super takes that fantastic message and dials it up to 11. Now suddenly we’ve got a scary Destroyer God… who is easily swayed by tasty Earth food and a good nap spot. Angels who are equally humanized in their humor and love of mortal creations. An omnipotent ruler who is recognizably child-like. It both makes Zeno lovable and downright terrifying. He’s human enough to form friendships and use his power inappropriately. Zeno has the capacity to fall in love with a simple handshake as well as destroy an entire universe with the same detachment that we might, say, walk through an ant hill. Why did I do it? Because I could and no one has taught me yet that this might be something I shouldn’t do. Everyone has the capacity for growth.

And it’s so goddamn funny? Literally this scene is everything to me because it slams godly assumptions together with simplistic, mortal friendships, then lets that contrast play out. The most powerful being ever, creator of it all, the god that makes every other god shake in their boots wants… a friend? Okay! Our equally intimidating Grand Priest cracking up at this development? Whis losing his shit in the background? Shin straight up fainting? Goku pressing his shiny new god button because who DOESN’T press a button when you’re suddenly presented with one? All of it slays me. Forget stories where you endlessly bow before your supposed betters, knowing that you will never be able to even fathom their power. I want more stories like this, where the hero introduces enough kindness and brazen communication that it upends everyones’ expectations and fun, crazy new relationships form. Goku moved from utter shock at learning the Supreme Kai even existed to hoisting him over his shoulder like a drunk friend who is still refusing to head home. I love this weird-ass family.

All of which of course introduces the opposite as well. What if we’re given Zamasu, a fallible god whose imperfections don’t result in him becoming another quirky family member, but lead him down a path that endangers the entire multiverse? Though Super hasn’t commented on it explicitly yet, we’re also starting to toy with the idea of exactly how “human” the top gods are and how much growth they are capable of. For example, I’m fascinated by the Grand Priest. The anime makes him out to be far darker than he is in the manga, and I know there’s a disconnect between the two, so I’m not currently inclined to think that he’s the end Big Bad. Rather, he seems to actually have a stronger moral sense than Zeno–he comments on how awful it is that mortals riot and kill one another after learning about the Tournament–but as Zeno’s subordinate, and being well aware of how easy it can be to displease him, he’s not in a good position to sway him. We see him introducing tiny bits of logic to the Zenos (like stopping the fight between Goku and Toppo in the anime), but that’s a far safer thing to suggest then, say, “How about we don’t erase a ton of universes at once, hmm?”

Like his angel children, the Grand Priest ultimately exists to serve his Lord… but Goku and his friends are in no such position. Not as overtly, anyway. Created through evolution and developing their own ideals, they have the freedom to challenge and ultimately teach all those high-level gods, including Zeno. He says it himself in that clip: “No one will try. You can do what no one else can do!” Goku, both as a mortal and a very straight forward one, has the capacity to charge past those expectations and hit on something grand.

However, we see with Whis that, wow… maybe angels really are so far removed from us that they don’t care in any meaningful way. Whis seems like a friend, but when push came to shove he wasn’t very upset about his entire universe–and a Destroyer he’s known for who knows how many thousands of years–getting destroyed. We can attribute this apathy to him assuming it will all turn out alright (if anyone would realize that whoever wins can just use their wish to revert everything back to normal, it’s Whis), but even if he actually doesn’t care much right now… he’s learning too. Whis went from shrugging about Beerus destroying the Earth (at least he has his leftovers!) to telling Trunks and Mai how to break more time rules–rules Whis originally thought were more important than anything else–just so they could get a happy ending. We’ve seen him form a legitimate friendship with Bulma. He does little things like waving a Universe 7 flag and having them hold hands that demonstrate care, outside of practicalities (like delivering Bulla so Vegeta can fight). He seems more invested in challenging the status quo than his brother and even his brother, notably, slips up and uses “Father” instead of “Grand Priest,” demonstrating a certain level of familial love that can sometimes override pure duty.

Vados copies Whis and sits with the Universe 7 team, shrugging off the other gods’ disgust. Whis then shows legit pride in Goku managing Ultra Instinct. It’s GREAT watching these beings move from seeing mortals as inconsequential specs in the multiverse to individuals worthy of their time, attention, and respect. We’re seeing that development with Whis most of all, slowly but surely.

And it helps that our protagonist is really worthy of that respect this arc. Beyond his innate capacity for kindness, Goku is wonderfully smart in Super. I myself have mentioned that being naive and battle obsessed to the point of endangering others is kind of his thing, but Super hits a wonderful middle ground. Goku is the one who thinks to use the future Zeno to destroy Zamasu. He figures out a good portion of Zamasu’s plan. He thought up the idea of using dead warriors in the Tournament of Power and instantly has a way of negating the danger Frieza would pose: let’s use Baba so he can only come back for 24 hours. The anime (strangely…) emphasizes how the Tournament is supposedly Goku’s fault, but Vados reminds everyone that Zeno planned to erase the universes regardless. Though he didn’t intend the outcome, Goku’s suggestion of a tournament gave all universes a fighting chance. Much more importantly, it introduced the reward that would ultimately save them all. Goku’s got a good head on his shoulders this time around and the story emphasizes that it’s his capacity to care that saves far more than his brute power. Sparing enemies leads to them turning over a new leaf. Cultivating a diverse family results in a team with the strength and strategy to win. The ability to look at anyone–even Zeno–and smile as you shake their hand results in allies who can save the day when your own strength fails. IT’S ABOUT LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP AND I’M A WEAK GOODY-GOODY.

I just… fucking love DBS. It takes all of the best underdog themes of the DB franchise–Can a low-class warrior become the best? Can a normal human woman gain the love of a prince? Can mortals ever stand side-by-side with gods?–and homes in on those questions, emphasizing them to an almost meta extent. I could give you another hundred reasons of exactly how much I’ve enjoyed these new stories… but I should stop now lol

Last note though Ultra Instinct is AWESOME

[tisfan]

If You’re Everything You Say You Are

(Would You Come Close and Hold My Heart)**

Title If You're everything You say You are (Would You come close and hold my heart?) Link A03 Square Filled B5 Ship WinterIron Tony x Bucky Rating explicit Major Tags Dom/sub, Alternate Universe, Mildly Dubious Consent, Nature of the D/s Universe, Intercrural Sex, Kneeling, Dom Bucky Barnes, Sub Tony Stark, Drunkenness, Background Pepper/Rhodey, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse

Summary Everyone knows that Tony Stark is a dom. And everyone knows the Winter Soldier is a sub. So why is Tony on his knees? In which what everyone knows is wrong and trust is treasure greater than gold. Word Count 4,288 Created for @mcukinkbingo 

Thanks to @kamaete for “domasses”

For @anythingpastorpresent who gave me the prompt “I     didn’t know you were a dom and when I called you Sir/Ma'am you almost     jumped me” sex   

Drinking was a terrible idea. It had never been a good one, but at Pepper and Rhodey’s wedding, it had seemed like the only one. Watching the only person he’d ever been able to make any sort of relationship work with marry someone else was bad enough, but that it was Rhodey, and he was happy for them -- he really was -- was even worse.

They both knew he was hurting. No one wanted that for him Not Pepper, who was thrilled to find love and stability, didn’t want to hurt Tony. She loved Tony. And not Rhodey, who’d been brother/best friend/surrogate for so long that sometimes Tony forgot that they weren’t actually related at all. Rhodey would have cut off body parts to avoid hurting Tony.

But what they all knew was that there was no way around what had happened.

One person could be hurt, and probably get over it. Or all three of them would be hurting, and probably never get over it. Even at his very-most selfish, Tony couldn’t deny the math.

It was just gonna suck for a while.

Thus, drinking.

Booze didn’t change anything, but it did make all the jagged edges hurt a little less.

That was the theory, at least. He hadn’t quite gotten around to it, yet. The drinking until he couldn’t see; pick up someone who was also drunk and who wouldn’t notice Tony’s secret. Having a not-completely satisfying fuck, but that might hold off the depression for a while. Have Happy drive someone home that he’d never see again. He’d done it most of his life, ever since Howard had filled him in on the Truth of the Matter.

He drained the glass. Pondered throwing it off the side of the balcony. He’d skipped out on the reception as soon as he wouldn’t be missed. Well, Rhodey might miss him, but he wasn’t going to come looking. Not tonight.

Tony had done his bit. Stood at Rhodey’s side for the joining ceremony.

“That was generous of you,” a deep, rumbling voice came from behind him.

“What was?” Tony wasn’t drunk enough to go with Bucky; he’d need a lot more booze before he was willing to force himself to act the part. But oh, sometimes he wanted to. Bucky was a beautiful man. Luminous.

“Back in my day,” Bucky said, “two men like you and Rhodes, you would have fought over someone like Pepper. Didn’t matter that you were all but brothers.”

Tony scoffed. Checked his glass. Still empty. Boo.

(more below the cut)

“She loves him,” Tony said. “I’m supposed to, what? Fight Rhodey for a woman that’s never going to love me?” It wasn’t like Pepper could bond with him, anyway. Even if she hadn’t found her true match with Rhodey, they’d have gone through their lives together, incomplete. Tony scowled at his empty glass, gave in to temptation and threw it, hard as he could, off into the garden where it smashed against one of the cement walkways.

“You should go clean that up,” Bucky said, and despite the mild tone, it did not come out sounding like a suggestion.

Tony glared at him suspiciously. “Yes, sir,” Tony snapped, and that came out sarcastic, but also… wanting.

Even in the dim light, Tony watched Bucky’s eyes widen, his pupils go round and dark. The fucking hell? The Winter Soldier was a sub. Tony knew that. Everyone knew that.

And almost no one knew that Tony was a sub. He’d been on black-market drop-suppressants for decades. He even had a special blend of cologne that masked most pheromones, including his own.

“What did you say?” And Bucky was crowding into Tony’s personal space, forcing him back, forcing a retreat. Tony was shivering even before his back hit the wall, because damn, it’d been such a long, long time, and he was just a little bit drunk, and he was caught unaware by Bucky’s powerful Dominating presence that--

Tony went to his knees.

Slow and easy and as graceful as if he did it every night. His gaze dropped to the floor, hands went to the small of his back, and if Bucky didn’t back off right that instant, Tony was going to be groveling, because he hadn’t felt a Dom’s command in so long, he’d almost forgotten it.

No one tried to Dom him; everyone knew Tony Stark was a Dom. And that just wasn’t something you did in public anymore, unless you wanted to be arrested. (Mostly. There was still a hard push back movement from the Dom-ass contingent, who were of the opinion that all a sub wanted was to be dominated, and they were only doing what biologically came naturally by ignoring consent.)

“Oh, my god,” Bucky said, “look at you. Good, oh, that’s so good, baby.”

“No,” Tony managed to snarl, between clenched teeth. “No, back off, back--” He wasn’t going to submit, not again, no. Not--

“Hey.” Bucky’s hand, cupped under his chin. “Hey, baby, can you look at me, come on, it’s all right, come on… there you are. Tony. Tony, what’s wrong?”

God, that voice… it was like quicksilver down Tony’s spine, keeping him supplicant on the ground. All he ever wanted, needed, swirling in his stomach. Heat that seeped through him, from Bucky’s hand down to Tony’s toes. This was exactly what Howard had warned him about. Jesus, he hadn’t responded to a Dom’s voice…

… since Afghanistan.

“Don’t call me that,” Tony gritted. “I’m not yours. How are you fucking doing that? You’re not a Dom.”

Bucky spluttered, made a protesting noise in his throat. “You’re not a sub,” he whispered. “What the hell, Tony?”

It took everything Tony had left to raise his head and glare. “Well, now you know the truth,” he spat. “What are you gonna do about it?”

He’d be lying to himself if he tried to say he didn’t want Bucky to just tell him what to do. To finally be conquered. To let go.

“Nothin’,” Bucky said. He twisted into a squat and then was down on the ground, sitting cross-legged, on Tony’s level. “Didn’t mean t’... I was bein’ an ass, Tony, that’s all. You just. You looked sad an’ angry, and I thought you might need an argument. So I was--”

“You were domming me to piss me off? Well, congratulations, mission accomplished!” And fuck, he still couldn’t get off his goddamn knees. Bucky was holding him right there, he’d whipped his words right around Tony’s spine. Compelled him, crushed him. Tony fought against it, and it hurt, and it kept hurting, because he knew as soon as he stopped fighting, everything was going to be fine. “Stop it! Let me go, goddammit! You’re a goddamn sub, everyone knows that!”

“Winter Soldier’s a sub,” Bucky said. “I’m not. That’s how they broke me. How they made him. Forced conversion, sublimate the base instincts. Enough pain, enough drugs, enough… force and reward, and anyone will break.”

Didn’t Tony just fucking know it? Ten Rings had offered him subs at first, thinking he was a Dom, but exposed like that, deprived of his suppressants, on limited food and water and crude medical care and exactly zero human decency and privacy, Tony had eventually lost control of his secret, and then they had a dozen Doms in there with him, working him over, until he would have promised anything, would have given anything.

If it hadn’t been for Yinsen, for the arc reactor, and for a glimmer of hope in the form of the Iron Man Mark I, Tony would have given up, given in. As it was, three months of that, and Tony was never going to be all right again.

He didn’t really want to feel sympathy for the man who’d put him on his knees. Tony wanted to know what the fucking consequences were going to be.

Tony was dizzy. Sparkles of color danced in front of his eyes. He swayed, but had no urge to get off his knees, he could just--

“Fuck,” Tony said, and that came out almost as a request, a suggestion, and not a swear. “What-- what’s your rating, I’m…”

“You’re dropping,” Bucky said. “I see that. Tony, before the War, I was a DT-9. I never got tested, after…”

Everyone knew the serum enhanced… everything. Pre-serum Steve had been a DB-2, barely able to control even an excessively submissive sub; afterward, a DB-10, with subs doing violence for the opportunity to stand near Captain America. And Jesus, if Bucky had already been over a nine, no wonder Tony couldn’t resist it.

“How… why…”

Bucky shrugged. “After everything? I can control it. Keep my pheromones down, unless I’m actively prowling. I don’t need a dozen subs hanging on my word. I just… want one. Someone special. Someone I can trust, that’ll be good for me. That I can be good to.” Bucky sighed. “It’s strong enough that I used to knock Steve on his ass from time to time, when we was growing up. Learned I didn’t want that. I don’t… Tony, I don’t want you to submit to me, if that’s not what you want. Please. Please get up.”

And it just had to be Tony’s contrary fucking nature, because as soon as Bucky said to get up, told Tony that he wasn’t wanted… well, Tony didn’t want to go anywhere.

“You’ve already got me down,” Tony said, still spiteful after everything, because Bucky might be a ten, or even one of the rare ones who broke the ten marker, but Tony was also a damn nine, and he was an SB-9 who’d learned to suppress the shit out of his instincts and cycles, and he wasn’t going all the way down without a fight. But he could play to that. He’d done enough pretending to Dom to know. Doms wanted a sub who would fight them, just a little. Just to enough to have to exert their control. “You may as well take it.”

Flashes of images raced through Tony’s mind. He was a strong sub, he needed a strong Dom to handle him. Fantasy became fear. Maintenance spankings and loss of privacy. Being told what to wear and how to act. Providing sexual service to his Dom and knowing he’d have to be good as gold to get any satisfaction of his own. Being told he couldn’t masturbate. Tony was shuddering; whether with need or loathing, he couldn’t even tell anymore.

“The fuck? Tony, Tony, wait,” Bucky said.

“I don’t want to wait,” Tony snarled. “Either get me the rest of the way there, or back the fuck off and--” He could smell his own pheromones now, and they always smelled to him like Howard’s office, stale whiskey and furniture polish and fear. Pathetic and craven and cowardly.

“Oh god…” Bucky leaned forward, nostrils flaring. Tony wanted to press against Bucky’s body, cuddle himself against that heat, lay on the ground in front of his boots and show his belly. Bucky drew back, suddenly, and Tony couldn’t help letting a small, dismayed whine slip out of his throat. He was never, ever going to be good enough. Certainly not for someone who was that--

Jesus fucking Christ, did Tony actually want to behave? To deserve someone like Bucky?

“How long has it been? Since you last went into subspace?”

… Afghanistan… “Eight years,” Tony managed to say. Bucky was no one’s fool; he knew the timeline as well as anyone, knew what that meant, and his eyes widened with horror.

“Before that? With someone you trusted?”

That morning, Tony would have rather ripped his own heart out rather than admit the truth. “Never.” Who the hell was he ever going to trust? Tony knew the consequences of being a sub in a position of power. Doms would have been lining up for the opportunity to bring him to heel; to be able to take what they wanted from him, whenever they wanted. And they wouldn’t have just stopped with Tony’s utter and complete subjugation. They’d have taken his money, his influence, used his genius brain… if he’d had any sanity or self-will by the end of that, it would have been a miracle. Howard was very clear. He’d used Tony’s nature against him a few times, to teach him a lesson. To--

Tony was gagging, choking for air.

“Shhh.” Bucky was holding him and Tony both wanted to, and didn’t want to, and was anyway, clinging to him. “I’ve got you. It’s all right.” Wrapping Tony up in that smell, like motor oil and heated metal and dark soil in the forest, the sweet tang of fallen leaves and a bitter note, like coffee, underneath. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Protected.

And when had any ever wanted to protect Tony Stark? He could have wept, if he knew how.

Tony was being carried and he didn’t know where. He didn’t struggle, but he did look up, curious. It was dark, and Bucky was moving quickly, as if he already knew where he was going, and had no fear of running into anyone in the darkness.

“You probably want some privacy,” Bucky said. “Listen, I’ll… I won’t tell anyone, but if anyone saw us…”

Tony shuddered. It would all be over, the grand facade.

“What--”

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want,” Bucky promised, and he said it with his Dom voice, and it sounded like a promise that meant something. “But I can’t leave you to hit subspace alone. I won’t let that happen.”

Tony was put down, like he was a precious package, on something soft, the fabric under him some sort of microfiber. A sofa? Bucky left him there a moment and Tony heard the sound of a lock being engaged. “Not to keep you in,” Bucky promised, “but to keep everyone else out. Do you want light? Or would you rather not look at me?”

As if not looking at Bucky in any way diminished the aura of authority he put out. It might be easier in the darkness, though. Whatever Bucky was going to do. “Dark,” Tony managed.

“All right. All right,” Bucky said, soothing. “Look, Tony… I don’t want to leave you alone. If all you want is me to sit here, that’s what I’ll do. I want to help. Tell me what you need, an’ what you want, an’ I’ll do whatever I can t’ get you safely into subspace an’ back out again, okay?”

That wasn’t right, that wasn’t right at all. “Aren’t you s’posed to hit me?”

Bucky’s eyebrow went up. “Do you want me to?”

“I’m a sub-nine,” Tony retorted. “You need to push me down.”

“No,” Bucky said, and his voice was full of Command, and his scent was in Tony’s nostrils and Tony didn’t want anything in the world aside from to please his Dom. “I don’t need to push you down, honey. What I’m gonna do is lift you up.”

“Then do it. Sir.” Tony let go of the last bit of his control. He was tired of fighting. Let Bucky have what he wanted, and Tony would clean up the mess when he was done. Just like he always did.

“Tony,” Bucky said, “only if you want. Okay? If you want, then I want you to undress. Kneel down, facing the sofa, okay? An’ I’ll take care of you.”

It felt weird, and wrong, and strange, and frightening -- and also exciting and freeing and tempting -- to have Bucky cajoling him into accepting what had to be accepted. To at least allow Tony the illusion of control, of choice.

But he was Tony Stark, and he could never, ever resist pushing. “What if I say no?’

“Then you said no, Tony,” Bucky said. “And I won’t touch you. I promise.”

That… that was a concept that Tony was going to have to come back to, at length. “And what… what if I said I wanted to fuck you, instead? If I wanted you on your knees?”

Bucky gave a shiver, and even in the dark, Tony could see his eyes widen.

He was going to say no, Tony knew it, he knew it and it shouldn’t hurt that he was lying about trust and about what Tony wanted, but it did and Tony was--

“If that’s what you want,” Bucky said. “If that’s what you need t’ feel safe.”

Tony blinked. A DT-10+ would… there weren’t even words for it. “We’re gonna talk about that,” Tony promised him. “Later. I don’t have lube here. You’ll have to settle for hands and mouth tonight.”

“I can do that,” Bucky said, and his voice dropped into a low growl that sent shivers down Tony’s back. “Take your clothes off, if you want me.”

Tony stripped and by the time he was done putting his clothes in an untidy heap to one side of the sofa, Bucky had likewise gotten naked. And he was a step ahead of Tony, because he’d put one of the sofa cushions on the floor for Tony to kneel on. Like Tony was already a coveted pet, a-- No. Bucky wasn’t doing that, and if Tony was going to have his trust broken once again, he was at least going to extend it in the first place.

He got on his knees, faced the sofa like Bucky told him to.

Obeying… obedience… submission. He bowed his head and damn if that didn’t feel good. Accepting his place.

“Look at you,” Bucky said. “So good, baby. God, you look so good, you’re so sweet for me.” Bucky was touching himself, stroking up that proud, fine cock. Tony shivered. He heard Bucky spit into his palm and if there was one moment that Tony really wanted to run away, it was that one, because spit did not work, he knew it--

“What are--”

Bucky pushed Tony’s knees together, just a little, and slid himself into the hollow between Tony’s legs, rubbing at his thighs, at the bottom of his balls. Wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist and took Tony in hand. “Trust me,” he whispered. “I’ll make you feel good, baby, if you’ll just… be good for me, okay? Can you do that? Do you want that?”

Bucky’s movements were slow, sinuous, a delicious tease against Tony’s dick, and he couldn’t help but respond. A Dom’s scent around him, a Dom’s hands on him, a Dom telling him how good he was, how much Bucky liked him, how sweet, how perfect.

Tony whined in his throat and pushed into Bucky’s touch.

“That’s it. That’s a good boy,” Bucky praised him, and it had been so long since anyone had told him that he was good. Even Pepper, who was a level two switch, had never told Tony that he was good. Mostly she’d scolded him and teased and they’d had fun, but it had never… never been like this.

Bucky rocked against him, the head of his cock teasing, a hot pressure against Tony’s ass. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he promised. “Not gonna force anything. Just let me make you feel good. I want that. I want you to feel good. Show me, show me what you like.” And that Command voice, pleading with him, asking him. It was… heady.

Tony covered Bucky’s hand with his own, showed Bucky how Tony liked to touch himself. And Bucky was a fast damn learner. In moments, Tony was braced against the sofa, arms spread to keep himself still, while Bucky worked him over with one hand, the other one hold fast to Tony’s shoulder, metal fingers pressing out little bruises along his collarbone, a sparkle of pain against what was an overwhelming amount of pleasure.

“Oh, god.” Bucky was bent over him, hot, lean body lightly coated with sweat; they rubbed together as he moved. Tony could feel every inch of him, and it wasn’t enough. “I… can I bite you, please?”

Marks? Oh, fuck, no. Not yet, not-- “Don’t,” Tony told him. Denied him, and Bucky whined in his throat, but he didn’t touch Tony’s back with his teeth, didn’t do anything except the one protesting whimper and then kept moving, his hand on Tony, stroking him out in delicious shivers.  

Tony’s thighs clenched up and Bucky was still fucking through the hollow between his legs, that tight, hot gap.

Being allowed to say no, no to anything, no matter how small, and that Bucky didn’t punish him, didn’t assert his authority, and Tony was flying-- he gasped with the power in it, and all the heat in his body pooled into his balls.

Everything went soft and fuzzy, like being wrapped in a blanket straight out of the dryer. A spill of carbonated water over his skin. Not a sense of sinking down, but of floating up. Not compliant, but accommodating. He didn’t have to fight with this anymore. It was easy. It was… comforting. He found a single, bright spot of serenity, where he would have, could have, given Bucky everything. And knew. Trusted. That Bucky would never take more than he needed.

Tony arched back, cried out.

He came, spilling over Bucky’s hand with a moan, nearly fell into his own come when his arms gave out, but Bucky was holding him up, rocking him through his climax. There was a warm blossom of wetness against his thighs and Bucky was calling his name, praising him, telling him he was so good, that Bucky was so proud of him, and he knew this was hard, he knew it, but Tony had done such a good job, and Bucky was grateful for it. Honored by it.

“I got you,” Bucky was saying, and… he was wiping Tony’s legs clean, using Bucky’s own undershirt to do the job, instead of leaving Tony on his knees in a puddle of come. “You’re so good, baby.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Tony protested, absently pushing at Bucky’s hands.

“Yes, you did,” Bucky said. He put the shirt aside and tipped Tony’s chin up to look at him. “You trusted me, and that’s big. That’s huge Tony, even if you hadn't been through some terrible shit, and you didn’t just watch the woman you love marry someone else. You let me help you, and… I’m happy that you allowed it. Proud, that you let me.”

Bucky hadn’t just… fucked and run, which is what happened with most other Doms that Tony had gone to -- in clubs or bars where he could wear a mask and pretend to be someone else -- or the subs that he’d sometimes make time with, barely able to satisfy them, much less himself. Maybe it was that. Or post-orgasm glow. Or maybe it was just that it was nice to hear someone saying he’d done well, done something right. He didn’t quite want to go back to kneeling at Bucky’s feet, either.

Instead, Tony had an overwhelming urge to curl up against the man and go to sleep. And he thought, maybe he could sleep, longer than forty-minute power nap or the restless up every twenty minutes or so that were his normal habit.

“So, what now?” Tony yawned, and tried not to look at how Bucky was sitting and how easy it would be to just… crawl into his lap and stay there.

“I’m gonna help you get dressed, and walk you up to your hotel room,” Bucky said. “And then I’m going to make sure you have some aspirins and some water. If you still want me to stay, I’ll help you with a shower, an’ tuck you in.”

“I--” Tony waved his hand around, trying to indicate the room and everything that had happened there. “--I mean… us?”

“Is there an us, honey?” That was said so, so gently, like Bucky didn’t want to scare Tony off and not at all like Tony was being mocked, scorned… rejected.

“I don’t know,” Tony said. His bottom lip pushed out, and he knew he was pouting, and he couldn’t help it, because… well, he didn’t know why. He didn’t want Bucky to leave. And it wasn’t like he couldn’t remember trying, really hard, to get him to back up, back off, not an hour ago. None of that seemed to matter anymore. “Stay.”

“I’ll stay the night,” Bucky promised. “But no more messing around until you’re sober, and off this drop. We need to talk. About limits and consent, and what I want from you, and what you expect from me, and that’s not talk we can have tonight.”

Tony scoffed.

“I’m serious,” Bucky said. “I know you’ve been at the hands of some terrible people, and you don’t have any idea what… you don’t know enough about the situation to make an informed decision, honey. And I would be doin’ us both a bad turn if I let you decide anything tonight.”

While he was talking, Bucky helped Tony into his clothes like he was a recalcitrant toddler. Tony didn’t look like the same rich playboy type in his bespoke suit; he looked like he’d been tumbled and that done quite thoroughly, but it covered his bits and pieces, and would get him up to his room without too much attention.

Tony turned his wrist slowly, gazing down at his watch. “It’s tomorrow,” he said, pointing at it.

Bucky made an adorable scowl. “Not until you’ve slept. Come on, honey, be good for me, for just a little longer, yeah?”

“No,” Tony said. “You… should know that. I’m used… used to getting my own way.”

Bucky chuckled, low and wicked in Tony’s ear. “I know.”

World building notes:

People are tested on the strength of their advertising pheromones and sexual preferences: Dom/sub/switch Top/Bottom/switch So, Bucky, as a DT-9 is a dom/top rank 9 (of 10) Steve, pre-serum, was a DB-2, a Dom-bottom, rank 2 Tony's a S/switch-9 Also, pheromone and drop-suppressants are illegal, but Tony is rich and he can get a hold of them.

Pepper is a mid-level switch D2/S5 essentially, so she and Tony were able to make it look like he was a "normal" Dom, but her submissive nature is stronger than her dom and Tony's a REAL BRAT, so they weren't compatible for each other, long term.

**title note: the title is selected from lyrics from Tenth Avenue North, which is a Christian Praise song, but I've often thought that Christian Praise music sounds an awful lot like D/s relationships :D (I'm going to hell. You're all coming with me.) 

[mugiwara-lucy]

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations-Episode 23-My Thoughts/Review!!

Okay before we start I should mention how there’s gonna be a rant at the end of this review so just keep that in mind for later.

In any case, let’s begin!

The episode continues from the last one where we see Naruto, Sarada and co. ride the Susanoo plane while Sarada can’t help but wonder what Sasuke’s true feelings about Sakura are

Speaking of Sakura, Shin then repeats his mantra of how he’s going to follow Itachi’s wishes, revive the Akatsuki and cause all sorts of hell and mayhem in the world.

(Sighs) You know, Itachi would be crying in his grave if he heard this idiot, right now. Wait! I have the PERFECT reaction GIF!

Although Sakura won’t let him succeed in his plans as....

Well it’s Shonen Manga and rules of Shonen Manga usually state how the bad guys lose to the good guys.

Since we’re on the topic of the good guys, our heroes finally arrive at the Shins’ hideout before they’re ambushed by an army of Shin clones

And Naruto being the sunshine hero he is, Naruto stated how he’d protect Chocho and how true father would never see or use their children as pawns

Speaking of children, Sarada makes her way to where Sakura and Shin are fighting which ends with Sakura “defeating” Shin at the expense of her being injured

Sasuke then makes his way to where the girls are and he gets rid of the rods impaling Sakura’s arm and she thanks him before makes his way to capture the real Shin. 

At least before another Shin clone appears in front of him and is about to seemingly protect the real Shin with his life before....

He decides to give Shin, revenge long overdue along with other Shin clones, much to the shock of everyone. (Also I should appear that Naruto and Chocho appear during this time as well! XD)

As the initial shock wears off, everyone gets another surprise as the whole army of Shin clones appear!

Okay, tell me the big one DOESN’T remind you of Majin Buu! XD

And so it’s everyone versus the Shin clones as Naruto and Sasuke dispose of the Shin Clones as well as Majin Buu (who gets a susanoo punch)

Sarada decides she’s not gonna stand around and decides to show off some of her new power as she crushes the life out of the mini Ten Tails clone with monster strength!

...Even though we haven’t seen her train....

...It’s not as bad as Trunks’ Super Saiyan Rage transformation in DBS OR Kale and Caulifla going Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball Super so.......I won’t rant too hard on this.

While everyone is impressed with Sarada’s power, Naruto decides to use some Haki on a Shin clone, Kurama-Style.

Since the battle is now officially over, Sakura then embraces Sakura, overjoyed that she’s okay.

Aww, what a sweet hug~

As the sweet moment ends, Sarada then decides to use this time to ask Sasuke on his current feelings for Sakura and whether or not he loves her and his answer is a “Yeah”.

When asked if he’s indeed genuine in his response he says how it’s because she exists 

Now, unlike other people, I’m not as mad at his words as a part of me understands what he means.

With the Uchiha family having their resolved ending, the scene jumps to the Konoha Orphanage where Kabuto welcomes all of the Shins with open arms.

....Sweet but.....

.....

A part of me still wonders why his snakey ass isn’t behind bars. I’m aware he helped in the war with saving Sasuke who was on his death bed BUT that doesn’t negate how he killed 40,000+ Shinobi.

NOT to mention all the Shinobi who died when Madara was revived.

I guess forgiveness goes all ways? XD

With all that said and done, everyone returns home to Konoha where Chocho FINALLY finds her dad because that’s been objective NUMERO UNO in Naruto Gaiden, amirite??

Although...

Chocho decides to have Choji teach her his slimming jutsu as that’s what she’s been obsessed with.

I DEFINITELY have A LOT to say about this so stick around for the rest of the review.

Miles away from Konoha, Karin (Who looks FUCKING GORGEOUS BTW!) is chewing out Suigetsu and berating him with how Sarada isn’t her kid but Sakura’s and how she simply delivered him.

Thus rendering Kishimoto’s words about her being Sarada’s mother in the last episode useless and worthless.

You all KNOW I have A LOT to say about this.

But Suigetsu asks her whether she’s truly over Sasuke or not and Karin is silent before saying how connections come in all forms before reminding Suigetsu how he needs to send Sarada a new pair of glasses since she’s most likely outgrown her old ones.

In any case, the Uchiha fam make their way to their home where Sakura serves the meals

This scene was weird to me for ANOTHER reason I’ll be getting to at the end of this.

The next morning opens up with Sasuke leaving before he notices Sarada’s distraught expression as he gives her the forehead poke while promising he’ll be back

Sakura smiles before giving Sasuke his lunch. He takes his lunch and Sakura leans in for a kiss before he decides to leave, being the troll he is XD

The episode technically ends here before Sarada arrives later at the academy where Boruto thanks her for giving Naruto the boxed lunch Hinata made for him before she announces how she wants to become Hokage

...Much to Boruto’s disgust

And that’s the episode! And with that the arc is officially over!

Now my thoughts on the episode?

1.) The Animation/Soundtrack? The animation was no episode 167 and I think there was a new OST in this episode so that parts gets a passing grade from me.

2.) The Pacing? Given how this is the CONCLUSION of the “Naruto Gaiden” arc, this part gets a passing from me as well!

Now to OTHER parts in my review....

3.) The Timing? I know some of you may be wondering, “Emily, what do you mean about Timing?” I mean it like this.

Okay, so four episodes ago, we see how Chocho was eating at a restaurant with her family

But in this episode he mentions how he was on a mission.

So my question is....

HOW LONG DID THIS ARC LAST??

I mean they left the village what looks to be that VERY SAME afternoon yet it looks like it’s the evening time of the SAME DAY.

So my question is how long did time pass??

Which brings up another question related to timing? Where did Sarada, Sasuke and Sakura have dinner at??

Sakura destroyed the house back in episode 19 but it looks like they were right back in the same house??

Did Yamato make another house for her??

Did Naruto just let her have another house even though most home owners WON’T let you have have the same insurance on a house if you caused the damage yourself.

So...what happened??

I suppose the world will never know....

Now that I’ve said my piece on that let’s move onto my FOURTH point.

4.) Chocho’s/Female’s Thin Obsession.

As I stated earlier in my review, Chocho has just been OBSESSED with wanting to be thin in this whole arc and she mentions how she wants Choji to teach her his slimming jutsu.

Now this REALLY bothered me when I first read this in the manga and you know what it reminded me of?

THIS.

Yep. Way back in the early parts of Naruto where Sakura admits to starving herself.

And I just have to ask this?

Why is Kishimoto making some of these girls obsessed with being thin???

I mean what?? Are girls with more meat on their bones not attractive or something? 

I CALL BULLSHIT!!!!!

And someone might ask, “Emily, why does this make you so mad?”

Number one, it doesn’t make me mad, just annoyed. And it’s annoying to me as it reminds me of a time when I STARVED MYSELF.

That’s right, everyone. I’ve always been honest with you all and have admitted some stuff, here’s one admission from me.

Back when I was 12 I starved myself for an ENTIRE week. Why? If you want the full story, I’ll explain it but long story short, I was 12 and knew nothing and with seeing this it just really irritates me as, let me be as clear as possible.

STARVING YOURSELF IS NOT A GODDAMN DIET!!!!!!!

Let me repeat myself:

STARVING

YOURSELF

IS

NOT

A

GOD

DAMN

DIET!!!!

It’s unhealthy and it robs your body of the nutrients it needs to function and survive. Not to mention it leads to potential eating disorders.

So girls who might be reading this review, take it from good ‘ol Emz, DON’T starve yourself.

It is NOT worth it.

And also, what happened to the Chocho who didn’t care what ANYONE thought of her??

Now let’s get into the MEAT of my ranting.

5.) Let’s talk about how Gaiden was in essence NOTHING MORE THAN A TIME WASTER.

That’s iright, I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY believe that Gaiden was a time waster.

Now what makes me think this?

Last episode, we see how Suigetsu said how Karin was Sarada’s mother as a DNA test. And Naruto (albeit believing the test) gave a saddened Sarada a speech on how it’s not blood that determines family but the bond.

Now as I said in previous reviews, children have a 1 in 5 chance of having vision problems with parents who have ocular troubles while parents without vision problems give their children a 1 in 40 chance of getting them.

So my question is....

Why is Sarada’s vision bad? If Sakura’s vision isn’t bad or Sasuke’s vision isn’t bad, why does her vision suck??

But that leads me into my opinion on how Gaiden is a time waster.

I say this because Gaiden could’ve been used to prove how bonds in this universe go PAST blood and familial ties.

It seems as if the message Gaiden was trying to convey was how family is not just because of familial ties but because of the BONDS as well.

Or to be simple, family just isn’t your relatives. It’s the people you share a close bond with. I myself would know from personal experience. Heck, I consider all of YOU online my family.

But then Kishimoto did his “Red Herring” which I should point out WASN’T a red herring.

And I know some people might say but it’s what he said and my reaction is simply:

Sorry but no.

As a person who’s been analyzing literature ever since she could comprehend words on a page, I’m well aware of what Red Herrings are.

The whole Sarada is Karin’s daughter only to change it at the last moment to be Sakura’s ISN’T a red herring.

It’s trolling and even LYING. 

That’s right. Building up something only to be, “LOL! It’s been this all along!” is NOT a red herring, as I’ve said time and time again.

But like I’ve said above, Gaiden was seemingly portraying a message of how “It’s the bond not the blood that counts” but that’s rendered moot as in the end, it DOES rely on blood.

There was no development on the plot or even the characters in this arc, save for arguable the Shins but in all honesty, who cares about the Shins?

They’re not organic villains nor is their villain arc relevant to the rest of the Boruto series or even the original Naruto series as a whole.

And in all honestly, this arc could’ve been skipped and we just could’ve gone to another arc and eventually the Boruto movie arc and the ONLY thing that would’ve needed answering was Sarada’s goal to become hokage which could’ve been explained in a minute.

...If even that long.

To add;

Not only is Gaiden a time waster but it also brings in a lot of questions that need to be answered.

For one, what about the Taka picture we saw in episode 19?

When or why was it taken??

Another question:

Even though I am NOT a SasuSaku fan, when did Sakura and Sasuke get together??

If Sakura was the mother of Sarada, then how did she and Sasuke get together??

All we can do now is assume and while some can argue how they told Sarada off panel, this means nothing as we as watchers DIDN’T SEE IT.

SMH.

And the fact I’ve seen SasuSaku fans say the same thing with how Gaiden was pointless and unnecessary trolling speaks volumes.

To conclude, I should say how I heard how Kishimoto made Gaiden to troll the SasuKarin fandom and if he did then congrats.

Congratulations Kishimoto, I guess you succeeded.

In any case, thanks for reading my review everyone and I’ll see you all in the next one.

[theedblog]

Alright, NFC East time, y’all. There are a lot of super competitive divisions this season. The AFC West, AFC South, NFC South...all pretty fucking decent. The NFC East is definitely the toughest to predict though. The Cowboys won it last year and should keep things rolling this season, especially once Zeke gets back. Kirk Cousins keeps throwing for pretty decent numbers despite everyone assuming that this is the year he regresses. How is literally nobody convinced that he’s a good quarterback yet? Not even me and I am fully aware of how ridiculous that is. Carson Wentz is a ass hair away from being a top tier guy. One big step forward and Philly is a serious contender. Then there’s goddamn Eli Manning. Let’s get into it.

NFC East Crew..

QB - Eli Manning, Giants

RB - Zeke Elliot, Cowboys

TE - Jordan Reed, Redskins

WR - Odell Beckham Jr, Giants

WR - Dez Bryant, Cowboys

FLEX - Terrelle Pryor, Redskins

OL - Lane Johnson, Eagles

OL - Tyron Smith, Cowboys

OL - Trent Williams, Redskins

OL - Zack Martin, Cowboys

OL - Travis Frederick, Cowboys

DL - Brandon Graham, Eagles

DL - Fletcher Cox, Eagles

DL - Damon Harrison, Giants

DL - Olivier Vernon, Giants

LB - Jordan Hicks, Eagles

LB - Sean Lee, Cowboys

LB - Zach Brown, Redskins

DB - Josh Norman, Redskins

DB - Landon Collins, Giants

DB - Janoris Jenkins, Giants

DB - Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles

Offensive Player of the Year - Odell Beckham Jr, WR - Giants

Defensive Player of the Year - Fletcher Cox, DL - Eagles

Rookie of the Year - Evan Engram, TE - Giants

Breakout Player of the Year - Su’a Cravens, SS - Redskins

Comeback Player of the Year - Jason Pierre-Paul, DL - Giants

Newcomer of the Year - Alshon Jeffery, WR - Eagles

Offensive Player of the year would have been a no brainer for this division if Zeke Elliot weren’t missing the first six games of the year. Shit, I still think he ends up the best RB of the bunch. But you got another blue chipper in the division. ODB. I used to substitute teach at a school in Little Rock and all the cool kids had his hair. He’s this generation’s Deion Sanders and it’s not even close. Defensive Player of year is Fletcher Cox. He is a renaissance master’s oil painting of an NFL 3-technique. This division is so fucking loaded on both sides of the ball. With all the talent around him I would guess Cox comes out of this season with at least double digit sacks. Rookie of the year is going to Evan Engram. Tough call because TEs are generally not great as rookies but Engram could really be special early on. He’s already one of the most athletic TEs in football but a great route runner and landed on a team with a lot of talent around him. He’ll lose some targets but won’t get nearly as much attention as most first round picks at his position. I think Jonathan Allen will have the best career out of all the rookies in this division but he’s going to get so much attention all season. Plus he’s not playing a glory position. He’ll be two gapping in a division full of really excellent offensive linemen. Couple years down the road and he’s an All-Pro, for now he has a solid rookie year but lacks great numbers. Comeback player of the year is JPP. He’s got most of a year playing with 7.5 fingers under his belt. He should only get better from here, right? Not sure how that works. Newcomer is Alshon Jeffery to Philly. I actually don’t even think he’s the best new WR in the division. My guess is Terrelle Pryor goes for about 400 more yards and 2-3 more TDs. The difference is who’s throwing him the ball. Cousins isn’t Joe Montana but he’s definitely more settled in as who he is as a QB than Carson Wentz. Philly has hitched their wagon to the boy from Fargo. He was solid as a rookie last year but now has a true #1 WR. Breakout Player of the Year is Su’a Cravens who has retired and unretired since I started this blog post. With the uncertainty I’ll switch it up to Byron Jones for now.

I could honestly go four different ways at QB. I went Eli because of the talent around him. Wentz and Dak Prescott have way more potential but I always worry about the possibility of a sophomore slump even if all things are pointing up. It’s very possible Eli is the absolute worst QB in this division. 

RB looks like this: 10 game Zeke > 16 game Rob Kelley. 10 game Zeke > 16 game Paul Perkins. 10 game Zeke > 16 game LaGarrette Blount.

There are a few guys that could’ve gone before Terrelle Pryor, maybe even on his team (Jamison Crowder) but Pryor went for over 1000 yards in his first full season as a WR in the NFL for the Browns when he had a mixture of Kevin Hogan, Cody Kessler, and I don’t know...Brian Hoyer??? throwing him the ball. A solid QB situation with a great offensive line, decent WR/TE options around him and no great running game...I think TPJ is going to go big this year. As far as the other two go..I think Dez could lead the NFL in TD receptions and ODB could lead the NFL in yards. 

Jordan Reed is the clear favorite at TE assuming he stays healthy unless you count blocking ability then Jason Witten might have a claim but nobody cares about blocking really. Zach Ertz has a chance to challenge Jordan Reed if Reed is hurt.

This is probably the best division for offensive linemen in the league. I’m an Arkansas boy. Lifelong Razorback and University of Arkansas alumni and so when I don’t include Jason Peters into this group it means this is a great group. The only question was Peters or Lane Johnson and I honestly believe Johnson is bound to be one of the three or four best linemen in the league. Also, how is Tyron Smith only like 26? He’s probably another year or so from hitting his prime.

This division may not have the best defensive line but it’s close. Even the Redskins and the Cowboys who are a little thin have good talent. Fletcher Cox along with J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald has a claim for the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL. Snacks Harrison is very one dimensional but he is just so fucking good against the run his lack of pass rush ability can be overlooked. Brandon Graham and Olivier Vernon are two of the most solid, all-around DEs in the game.

It was tough leaving Ryan Kerrigan out of this group (and also the DL for that matter) but these three linebackers are all three a little more well-rounded and better at what they specialize at than Kerrigan. Jordan Hicks is on his way to being one of the absolute best coverage linebackers in the league. Sean Lee does everything very well. Zach Brown was the closest but he beats his new teammate out by a hair. Better against the run, better in coverage, and although he will only have half the sacks..that’s not bad considering how much more productive he is in every other aspect of the linebacker position.

Byron Jones Su’a Cravens were really the only guys I was considering. Assuming Cravens actually plays this year and has his head in it, he should push for 100 tackles with plenty of opportunities as a pass rusher and in coverage. If Jones had more productive in coverage (as far as turnovers go) he would have made this list. On top of that, he is hoping a young, depleted line gets enough pressure on opposing QBs to give him looks at INTs. Janoris Jenkins and Marcus Peters both proved themselves last year as true shut down guys. Malcolm Jenkins and Landon Collins both have great athleticism and versatility. Jenkins is great but Collins has done nothing but produce at a top tier rate his two years in the league and with his best defensive crew around him I can’t help but think he’ll be even better this year.

This division is tough but I gotta go with the Giants. The NFC East is notorious for never producing repeat winners so you gotta think it’s different this year than last year. I think the Giants will have one of the best defenses in the game this year and if the O-line holds up there should be enough talent on that side of the ball to hold up.

Yeah boys and girls...AFC East up next. Oh shit, who wins that one, right?!