#retirement journey

[betterbooksandthings]

Best Fantasy Anime (with mostly female leads)

Listen, I love fantasy anime. They are fun and I love a fight scene as much as the next girl. I am relatively uninterested in male leads mostly because of the *cough, cough* excessive fan service. So, without further adu, if you are interested in some fantasy with women at the helm here's what I got.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Yona of the Dawn

Inuyasha

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina

Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!

Fluffy Paradise

Ascendance of a Bookworm

I Shall Survive Using Potions!

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent

Tearmoon Empire

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

Reincarnated as a Sword

Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools

Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits-

The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess

Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!

Management of Novice Alchemist

These ones I am keeping an eye on but signs point to a favorable outcome.

The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor

I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History

Nina the Starry Bride

[red-flagging]

💛 seb/lewis :-)

(kiss fic prompts!)

a little epilogue to rabbits are chasing :)

Lewis's flight lands at 8:02PM, which means that by 7:31PM, Seb is parked outside the airport arrivals door, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel and scanning the sky for approaching planes.

It's quite silly, getting here so early, but it's not as if there's much left to do at home. There's roast vegetables waiting in the oven, the cauliflower steaks that he started marinating earlier this morning chilling in the fridge. Mina and Ellie are safely ensconced in their duck coop with the heater turned on for the night. The sheets on the guest bed are freshly washed.

The car parked behind him starts up. Its headlights illuminate Seb's cabin. For a moment, he catches a glimpse of himself, harried and too-bright, in the rearview mirror. He scrubs his hands down his face. Christ. Get it together, Sebastian. He is a full 39 years old. Far too old to be getting the same jitters that he did the first time he invited a girl over at age 17, agonizing about what album to have playing when they came back to his room. Lewis is far too old for Seb to be doing all this. Lewis might not even be gay.

His phone buzzes. Seb nearly jumps out of his seat.

Lewis

just landed

getting my luggage now

hows it so freaking cold here

The inside of the car is already fogging up. When he'd asked Lewis to send dates he could come visit and Lewis had said just so you know the next few months are kind of crazy for me, Seb had expected late fall, maybe the holidays. Not the middle of slush season, when all the roads up the mountain have a 50/50 chance of being so muddy that they're undriveable.

Sebastian

I'm outside, in the blue Infiniti :)

He glances back up at himself in the mirror. The scab from where a wood chip caught the corner of his eyebrow while he was sanding the new planter box is almost healed over. His hair looks as good as it's ever going to. If Lewis asks whether he's been using conditioner, he's fucked.

It shouldn't feel like this. Seb beat Lewis to Senna's record, and Lewis still laughed at all his jokes the next season. Lewis watched Seb DNF twice in five races and still said in the media pen that he was waiting for the day Seb would be back up on the podium with him. When they inevitably auction off Lewis's Le Mans racesuit, it'll have to be with Seb's snot all over the front of it, because Lewis let Seb sob all over him and then laughed as he wiped sweat off of Seb's cheek with the sleeve. After all that – the fact that he's about to be in Seb's house for the next week shouldn't make Seb feel like he's standing in front of Lewis naked, without even the promise of a fast car or a good competition to distract Lewis from looking right at him.

His phone buzzes again.

Lewis

outside i think

Seb peers through the windscreen. Lewis – or rather, the blurry figure lugging a giant suitcase behind him that he assumes is Lewis – waves at him from the sidewalk. Seb flashes his lights at him twice.

The back door opens and Lewis's head, along with a burst of cold night air, pops in. "Hey," he says, a little breathlessly. "I don't think this is going to fit in the back."

It does, eventually, but not without a fight that involves Seb having to climb into the trunk alongside Lewis's suitcase and physically wrestle it into place while Lewis shoves from behind. They're both out of breath by the time they finally climb back in the front and slam the doors shut.

"You know, there are beds at the farm," Seb points out. "You didn't have to pack your own."

Lewis shakes his head, tugging off his gloves. His coat collar is turned up around his neck. He's wearing an an ear warmer headband, held in place by two butterfly pins. Every other bit of uncovered skin is pink, even with the heat in the car up at full blast. Lewis shoves his fingers in front of the vents and sighs with relief, closing his eyes. "Ugh, thank God," he says. He sounds exhausted. "Listen, you're lucky I fit everything into one." It sounds far less like a joke than Seb would hope. The fact that the fondness in Seb's chest still manages to outweigh the exasperation is probably a sign that Seb's beyond salvation.

"Next time I'll bring a trailer so you can fit your bathtub and toilet, too," he says, reaching for the keys. The engine purrs to life as he flicks the lights back on, then leans forward to scrub the worst of the fog off the windscreen. The thermometer on the dash says it's still 3 degrees outside. They might still be able to make it back before the slush freezes over. "Okay," he says, sitting back down and twisting around to reach for his seatbelt. "Ready to go?"

Lewis doesn't say anything. When Seb looks over, he's staring out the front window, playing with one of his rings.

"Lewis?" Seb asks.

Lewis's head jerks around. "Hm?" he says. "Oh. Yeah." He doesn't move to put on his seatbelt.

Seb frowns. Kills the engine so he can properly turn in his seat. "Lewis," he says. "Is everything –"

Lewis leans across the console and kisses him.

It's barely half a second. Seb still hasn't moved by the time Lewis sits back down on his side of the car.

"Uh," Lewis says, after a second. He clears his throat. "Sorry. I just – Shit. Sorry. The whole way over, all I could think about was – I had to get it over with before I chickened out."

He's fiddling with his rings again, but his eyes stay fixed on Seb's. His jaw is set. He still looks half-ready to bolt through the door behind him, out into the night.

"Well, you don't have to make it sound like taking your medicine, Christ," Seb says hoarsely, and drags Lewis back across the console to kiss him properly.

Lewis's lips are still cold. When Seb opens his mouth, Lewis sighs, pressing in closer with a soft sound that makes Seb want to go twenty years back in time and kick himself for not figuring out how to make Lewis make that noise sooner. His hands settle on Seb's wrists, holding him in place. Seb slides his own hands up, cradling the back of Lewis's head, to return the favor.

When he finally pulls away just far enough to catch his breath, Lewis follows him, close enough that their noses bump. His eyes are wide. This close up, Seb can see the dark circles under them more clearly.

He closes his eyes. Lewis is still there when he opens them.

"How long have you been awake?" he asks.

Lewis blinks. "What," he says. "Are you talking about."

"Sleep deprivation," Seb says. His heart is pounding hard enough that he feels it in his throat. "People start to get delirious when they're tired enough –"

"I was awake for 24 hours and I didn't kiss you at the end," Lewis interrupts, his eyes sharp and bright. "I'm not making the same mistake twice."

Seb opens his mouth and nothing comes out. He tries again. Still nothing.

"Fuck," he says, closing his eyes. "Okay. Okay." He drags himself back upright and reaches for the keys. "We can – tomorrow. But we should – you need to shower. And sleep." Lewis's hand settles on his leg. Seb rests his own on top of it; after a second, he squeezes Lewis's fingers gently. Lewis flips his hand over and laces their fingers together.

"Yeah," Lewis says. His thumb traces over Seb's knuckles. "That – tomorrow sounds good."

The slush crackles under the tires when Seb starts to move. Ahead of them, the headlights carve a path through the darkness. Lewis's hand is a solid, steady weight against his leg. "Okay," Seb says, to himself, to both of them, to no one. Lewis hums softly from his side of the car. He squeezes Seb's knee gently.

Seb closes his eyes for a second. "Okay," he says quietly. "Yeah. Let's go home."

[kingofanemptyworld]

okay I may need to rethink this because like. the absolute best configuration for the pokemon au would probably be champion Umemiya and then the four kings as the elite four. but that puts him at the very end of sakura’s journey and that doesn’t sit right with me… he needs more time for growth after meeting Umemiya, y’know? hmm. will need to think on this. if anyone has any thoughts. please. share them. I’m gonna waffle on this for a while

[spinji]

Genuinely what other interpretation could you give this other than Bakugou holding up and supporting Izuku's dream when it starts to waver and he stuggles to keep it together on his own. And that Katsuki is the only person who loves Izuku that much to be there for him on such an intimate level. His friends, his family, his teachers, they're all important to him but they are not the one and only Kacchan Bakugou.

I diagnose you both with terminal yaoi.

[magebastard]

ok I’m a hypocrite and a weenie but while I really enjoyed vows and vengeance I’m going to need endings and long heroes journeys to stop feeling misplaced and hopeless

[astarlightmonbebe]

it's easy to read the situation between li tongguang, ruyi, and yuanzhou as a love triangle on a superficial level, but looking even one step further, it's clear that there's no triangle about it. li tongguang is obsessed with ren xin; ning yuanzhou is devoted to ren ruyi. ltg's obsession is fervent and all consuming, but it's not devotion. like ruyi herself notes, his feelings to her are on the basis of her as a mother figure in his life, as a replacement for what he never received from his mother. is there an element of romantic/sexual love/desire to it? maybe. more likely he's deluded himself into thinking that, because the truth is, it's doubtful that ltg even understands what love is (platonic, filial, familial, romantic, all of the above, etc), because he has no basis for understanding. ruyi's teachings and actions towards him are the closest thing he has to hold up as an example. what he wants is ren xin, is a replica of the master he had. he doesn't want ruyi, because he doesn't actually care about ruyi. therefore, he doesn't care if she's sad, angry, mad; he just can't bear her 'abandoning' him. we saw this way back when she first meet and left him, both at thirteen and seventeen. although he distrusts her first, she saves his life and cares for him in the way no one else has, hence her first being raised on a platform in his mind. when she leaves for good, ending their master-disciple relationship/training, even though it's for official business and she's not abandoning him, in his mind that's exactly what it is. so now that she's in his life again, he won't let her leave again. he was powerless before, a child with no proper name, but now he's a recognized member of the imperial family, a man who can meet her as 'equals' (even when that's far from the truth). as a child, he could only cling to her legs and beg her, but now he has the power to keep her by his side. it's telling that when he finally gets confirmation of her identity, it's not ning yuanzhou he seeks to harm (even though he detests him and their relationship), but yang ying. yang ying is ruyi's new disciple, and as ltg doesn't know she's a woman, he only sees her as his direct replacement.

ning yuanzhou, on the other hand, is devoted to ruyi. he wants to build a new life and future with her, instead of slotting her into a spot in the life he already has. he's someone who accompanies her on walks and makes her midnight snacks, who holds her when she needs to be held and lets her go when she needs to do things on her own. when she speaks her mind, he listens, even when it makes him discontent/it's not what he wanted/wants to hear. he sees her unabashedly as his equal, and though he acknowledges her skills and abilities, or points out her naivety, he never does it to belittle her; to him, she is his peer, deserving of the highest honor and respect. he trusts her to have his back, and she has come to trust him to have her. he did what she might have thought no man would ever do: he proved himself reliable, so she came to rely on him. yuanzhou gives her freedom and autonomy as both ren ruyi and ren xin. of course they run into problems, but they both learn and grow from them, as individuals and as a couple. yuanzhou's belief in her is unwavering, but adaptable, whereas ltg's is unwavering, but frozen in time, disallowing for any new information to be presented. yuanzhou works with ruyi to accept the changes thrown her way; he seeks the core behind her actions in order to better understand her. li tongguang cannot accept the changes in ruyi's character, because they run contrary to the master he has on a pedestal in his mind.

what li tongguang wants is to return to the past, but yuanzhou offers ruyi the promise of a future, even one that might never come to fruition. there's no triangle about it.

[cautiously0ptimistic]

The Journey Forward

[punkrockisafulltimejob]

For those who are unsure of whether or not they really have the "sensitivity to cold" symptom of fibromyalgia, because you think that it's just you not being able to handle colder temperatures like other people, that's one way of putting it. The other way is, when it's winter and the temperatures start dropping, do you feel your pain more intensely? Do you feel like you have more problems with your joints? Is your partner always commenting how cold your fingers and toes are, but it somehow gets more frequent in winter? Those are other ways to consider being sensitive to the cold.

[ship-garbage-pile]

having my WoL meet both Clive and Noctis is one of my favorite moments of all time while playing XIV

[disneyparksattractionstournament]

Finals of Extinct Disney Parks attractions and experiences matchups!

Reminder, you don't have had to experience any of the attractions/experiences to vote! Just read in the info and/or watch the vid,then vote for which you wish you would have experienced more/which sounds cooler!

Videos and propaganda/info dumping under cut

Journey Into Imagination: Epcot (1983-1998)

Propaganda:

"This is the way. Anyone else is just selling something."

Main Street Electrical Parade: Disneyland/DCA (1972-1974, 1977-1982, 1985-1996, 2001-2009(DCA), 2009-2010(DCA), 2017-2017, 2019-2019, 2022-2022), Disney World/Magic Kingdom (1977-1991, 1999-2001, 2010-2016), Tokyo Disneyland (1985-1995, Updated version 2001 'dream lights' still running), Disneyland Paris (1992-2003)

Propaganda:

While its no Spectromagic, its still one of, if not the most iconic Disney parade of all time! And the song is a BOP

[kathybluecaller]

more doodles

dohko is fully aware he the cool uncle

[fandomregression]

Pspsps regressor!goh headcanons please 🤲🤲

Regressor Goh Headcanons!

okay first of all: beautiful concept. goh is babey this is fact

goh starts regressing as he grows as a trainer. his time apart from ash and seeing the ways ash grows make him feel inferior, and he just starts pushing himself. this lands him at a point where he's just frustrated, upset, and he just feels...small

chloe does her best to help him, but its not really working and she isn't very good at this

then ash visits, and it clicks perfectly. ash is a flip, and he realizes pretty quickly whats going on with goh. pikachu ends up dragging over the Baby Bag and ash helps goh just relax and chill out and snuggle for a while as they watch old cartoons from when they were little

over time, ash gradually gets to know lil goh, and he learns that goh is very fussy, has to have his food cut up a certain way or he won't eat, learns that only certain ones of his pokemon can help with goh, and learns all the best games to play to make goh smile

they go to the park a lot because good lord goh doesn't always have a ton of energy, but when he does its best to bring their fastest pokemon and let him just run and climb and play with them

gary helps too!!! gary brings over lots of kiddie books and puzzles and things for goh to play with, and he loves to teach him random pokemon facts

pillow forts...theyre all so good at making huge pillow forts...the professor is tired of walking in and falling on blankies and pillows

give goh pokemon style pancakes or Else >:( theyre his fave foods especially when drowned in syrup. he says that clefairy style tastes the best but he will also accept scorbunny (they are not different flavors)

[babygirlwolverine]

also, mini update!

I have officially completed my 2 week mentorship program and today I completed on-boarding for my job! monday is my first official day working as a vet at my hospital!!! I’ll be shadowing one of the experienced doctors in surgery on monday, then on tuesday I will be completing a lecture to earn my USDA certification so I can perform travel certificates for pets, and then wednesday I will be seeing my first ever patients as a doctor! I’m super excited but definitely nervous. these 2 weeks of mentorship have helped me to get back into the rhythm of all things vet med and have eased some of my nerves and anxiety!

I also received cookies, a yeti flask bottle, and a card signed by all the staff in my hospital welcoming me to the clinic and saying how excited they are to work with me! also exciting is that I get a semi-private office! I’m sharing with the managing doctor of the practice and I get my own side of the desk with my own computer and get to decorate it however I want! and since the managing doctor is starting to work less hours at the clinic, it will be more my office than hers since I’ll be spending more time at the hospital than she will!

it’s feeling so damn real, yall! I’m a doctor 🥹

[characterdevelopmentobsessed]

Fall 2024 Anime

I am watching WAY to many of the fall anime shows, some will have to get the axe as I simply don't have enough time to watch them all :( BUT for now this is the list of shows that I am watching in the Fall Anime season

Another Journey to the West

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Raise in the World S2

Blue Miburo

DAN DA DAN

Demon Lord 2099

The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor

The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, In Fact, the Strongest

I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History

Let This Grieving Soul Retire

The Most Notorious "Talker" Runs the World's Greatest Clan

Nina the Starry Bride

Re:ZERO S3

Seirei Gensouki S2

Tower of God S2

Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga li

[bulbasaurfan]

Of COURSE i'm sad over Ash's journey ending. But i also understand that it's time and it had to happen eventually.

What is beautiful about the pokemon anime is that you get to watch Ash grow as a person and improve as a trainer, but there's no more improving to do. As a trainer and as a character. He's come a long way from the kid he used to be back at the indigo league. He's learned all he needed to learn and got to fulfill his original goal: become a strong trainer with lots of pokemon. He's seen all sorts of places and made all sorts of friends.

Our boy did it, he became a pokemon master. (And somewhere along the way, he became so much more)