#rewatch/watch as in i watched it as a child but grew out of it before it ended

[pebbles-scatter]

hey im planning on watching mml after my pnf rewatch/watch what the fuck do you mean theres a gay pistachio-related time travel subplot

[devils-yui]

Rewatching TFA, for the hundredth time in a row, and I've got to say. I used to think Sari was, kind of annoying, during my first initial watch and sometimes. The things she does makes me go wide-eyed and gripping at the screen going, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

But then now, as I'm rewatching it hundreds of times over. I have to physically remind myself that she is a child.

And not only that, but she was a child that was BARELY raised properly. She didn't have other children to socialize around, she had a robot teacher, a robot dog companion, and her occasionally in her life father who was busy manufacturing robots, entertaining the ideas of tours and etcetera.

So maybe, yes. I can definitely understand why she does rash things, and act the way she does. I understand why she's seen as a social outcast amongst other groups of kids (like in the show, ON HER BIRTHDAY).

And I'm not as mad as her, as anybody should be for a child who was raised/taught the wrong things or having not been taught at all.

However...

THIS GUY.

IS A WHOLE 'NOTHER CASE.

I JUST WANNA-

[ghouldump]

I love how you write for Lestat!!!! PLEASE NEVER STOP ❤️❤️❤️

Thicker Than Water | Lestat De Lioncourt x Reader

ෆ you should have known better than to entertain someone who would bring up the idea of leaving your husband and daughter.

lol, thank you, rewatching s1, after seeing s2, he is so toxic 😭 but so passionate and caring about everything he does, and lestat and claudia are so much alike so i thought of this

Motherhood. One of the biggest blessings this life could bring forth. You were unfortunate, turned before you were given the opportunity to bring creation into the world. Lestat always managed to keep your relationship alive, not allowing the chance to think about it, but there were times.

Those late nights, hunting for your next meal like an animal, you’d see mothers, holding the hands of their sons and daughters. Staring for a moment, you could feel your heart, which hadn't beat in years, break. Then Claudia came along, or you came to her, saving her, pleading that Lestat turned her.

He warned that she would be a mistake, forced into the body of a child forever. While you understood him, you couldn't think rationally at the moment. A child needed to be saved and you weren't letting up, begging him, before he finally gave in.

Claudia was turned and quickly became the apple of your eyes. A mother, you had become a mother overnight and you loved her as if you'd birthed her. Her relationship with Lestat always seemed strained, the two constantly bumping heads. You found it adorable at times, they couldn't see how much they were similar, with Lestat’s blood in her veins, she was his daughter through and through.

Your baby, she was, although you may have spoiled her too much. As she grew older, wanting more than other preteen girls, the guilt began to sink in. Your baby, yet instead of taking her to a hospital that night, you forced her into becoming what you were.

“Hey,” you smiled as the front door opened, Lestat walking in. Claudia sat in a chair, while you stood behind her, carefully brushing her hair.

“Hey,” Lestat said in a weird tone, making you furrow your eyebrows.

“He’s such a dick,” Claudia said, crossing her arms.

Staring at the stairs for a second, letting his tone process, as he disappeared upstairs. Putting on your best fake smile, you changed the subject, letting Claudia talk about the current boy she had a crush on.

Your relationship, recently, had been distant. At times it was about things you felt you should no longer do, inviting people into your home, your sex life, threesomes, and orgies. You didn't want to expose Claudia to those things. Then came discipline, you never corrected her, at least not like Lestat. You were gentle with her, always, never raising your voice, and making excuses for her. It was beginning to cause a rift in your marriage.

Braiding the soft curly hair into pigtails, you sent her off to her room, the sun would be rising soon enough. Going to your bedroom, you were surprised to see Lestat already in his coffin.

“Honey, is everything alright?” you asked. One of the essential rules of your union was never to go to bed angry at the other.

“I am fine,” he said with a huff, as he opened the coffin.

“I don't like when you talk like that in front of Claudia,” you told him, watching as he rolled his eyes.

“Claudia does a lot of things I don't like, and I don't complain”

“Yes, you do, to her face and me, she's a child-

“She is not a child, she’ll be 19 in four months. She's a brat who whines to get her way, and every time, you give it to her,” he said, making you scoff.

“Sorry for being a mother to our daughter, even if you don't like her,” you told him, getting into your coffin.

“Y/n,” he called out, his voice full of sympathy.

“Just leave me alone, I'm tired,” you said, closing your eyes to fall asleep.

As night fell upon the sky, you opened your coffin, going straight to the closet, picking an outfit. You could hear Lestat standing up, but you didn’t dare to face him. His eyes set on you as you changed, slipping into the form fitting dress.

“Ma chèrie, I want to apologize for the way that I spoke to you-

“It’s fine,” you told him, adjusting the pantyhose, before stepping into the heels.

“Where are you going?” he asked with a smile, he was still bare, while you had already dressed, and were walking out of the room.

“Out,” you said, nonchalantly.

Leaving out of the room, you saw Claudia come out of her room, looking at you as you passed.

“Are we going hunting?”

“No, I have a few things to do,” you told her.

“Can I come?”

“No Claudia, I have to go alone, see if Lestat will take you”

“But-

“Or go alone, it doesn't matter,” you told her, walking away. You knew you'd probably hurt her feelings, but you couldn't be bothered to care. You couldn't care about anything right now.

You needed a break from both of them. Lestat is such a dick, Claudia is a brat, He wants you all to himself, She is trying to take you from me, it was an endless cycle of them bickering against each other - leaving you to try to be a mediator.

“What did you do, asshole?” you could hear Claudia scream at him.

“Shut up, you insolent brat,” he told her, as you left out of the front door.

Walking through the streets, you attempted to clear your mind. Claudia could be heard, talking, asking if you were alright. If you wanted to leave Lestat for good, but you ignored her. Entering the crowded bar, you tuned out her voice, choosing to focus on the jazz music played by the band.

Sitting at an empty table, you sighed, enjoying the comfort the harmony brought to your sanity.

“Mind if I sit here?” you heard, making you look up, gasping immediately.

“George,” you smiled, your eyes traveling from head to toe, examining the army uniform.

“I thought it was you I saw, I had to be sure,” he laughed, pulling you into a firm hug.

“What are you doing here? I thought-

“I’m only home for a few days, then I'm going overseas,” he said. Truth be told, you weren't paying attention to much he was saying, focused on his Adam’s apple.

“Please, sit, it has been forever,” you smiled, as he sat next to you.

George was a childhood friend, while not exactly your first love, he was your first for other things. You remembered your last time with him, he had been drafted and was being sent away to the military. He was only 18, when he left, that night being over a decade ago.

“You still look as beautiful as you did back then,” he told you.

“I know,” you smirked. You could hear his thoughts, sex clouded his brain, his eyes full of lust.

Leaning close to him, tilting your head, you slowly pressed your lips into his. You and Lestat both had your fair share of fulfilled fantasies, but this was different. Something on your own, the stress relief you needed from the problems in your life.

“You want to come back to my place?” he asked you.

“Lead the way,” you told him, biting your lip, as he stood, walking you to his car.

During the drive, he caught you up on his life and how he managed to rank up within the service. The loss of his parents, inheriting their house while he was away. He went on about how he was getting older and needed to start looking for a wife.

“What about you?” he finally asked as he parked in front of the house.

It wasn't nearly as extravagant as you had become accustomed to, living with Lestat, but it was perfect for a normal, small, but growing family.

“What about me?”

“Your life? How has it been these last few years?” he asked as you followed him, and he unlocked the door, letting you in.

“Well, I'm married and I have a daughter,” you said, chuckling as his eyes widened.

“You probably should've told me that before I took you to my house,” he told you, as you went to the living room, sitting on the sofa.

“It's complicated”

“Then talk to me, you know you can trust me, sweets,” he said, you couldn't help but smile at the old nickname.

“My daughter, she's…adopted, but that doesn't change a thing, she's mine. She and my husband, are always bumping heads, they are so similar and so stubborn. Their relationship is causing a rift, I just need a break from both of them,” you shook your head.

“You sound stressed out, sweets,” George said, reaching for your hand.

“I am,” you nodded.

“Maybe I can help you?” he said, as you looked at his hand, the way his thumb brushed against your skin.

“Yeah?” you smirked at him, as he pulled you onto his lap.

“You don't think she’ll leave us, do you?” Claudia asked her father. They sat in the car, a good distance from the house.

The two of them were worried about you, and while they argued at first, they quickly got it together and chose to follow you. Full of jealousy, it took everything in them to not kill the man the moment he joined your table.

You, despite also having Lestat’s blood, weren't like them. You weren't so quick to kill, hunting rodents before you’d choose to drain a person to death, always trying to bring comfort to the two of them. You held onto human traditions while embracing immortality. From convincing them to partake in family portraits to bonding with the two of them in the living room. They loved you greatly, so much that they'd put up with each other.

“You know this is your fault, she asked you to stop messing with that hussy, and you wouldn't,” Claudia spat at her father.

Lestat could hardly listen, his shaken hand going to his mouth. He could hear undoubtedly, what you were doing, what the two of you were doing. This was different than a threesome or orgy with people that meant nothing to the two of you. They'd usually end up drained or glamoured before the night was over. But this, my god, was different, Lestat felt the lust that you felt for this man, that you knew, and that made him sick to his core.

“You went to see her again?” you crossed your eyes, leaning against the doorpost, as he entered the house.

“She is no competition, ma chérie, it is you, who have my heart,” he told you, as you clenched your jaw.

“I thought we decided to put all of this stuff behind us”

“You did when you decided you wanted to become a mother,” he said, a gleam of disgust in his eyes, briefly staring at Claudia, as he went upstairs.

This was his fault, he had caused the wedge between the two of you, and he had to be the one to fix it. A bloody tear slipped out his eye, while he moved his hair out of his face.

“She won’t leave us,” he told his daughter, as he started the car, driving past the house.

“I have to go,” you told George, straddling his waist, in his bed.

“You don't have to leave,” he told you, his hand caressing your back.

“I do,” you laughed.

“Your family, you can leave them, start over with me, get married, and we’ll make a daughter of our own”

“Those things are easier said than done, I couldn't up and leave them, they need me as much as I need them,” you said, pulling away, to get dressed.

“I didn't mean to offend you, sweets,” he apologized.

“It's okay, really, I just need to get back home, the sun will be up soon enough,” you shook your head.

“Well I can drop you off-

“No need, you don't live too far from my house”

“Can I see you again, tomorrow?”

“We’ll see,” you smiled, before leaving his house, walking home.

Entering the house, you were surprised by how quiet it was, abnormally quiet. Going upstairs, you peeked in Claudia’s room. Everything was neatly organized, with her coffin in the middle of the room, closed. Smiling lightly, you shut the door, before moving to your shared bedroom. Lestat was already away in his coffin, while yours was still open.

Stripping from your clothing, you felt a weight lifted from your shoulders. The previous tense stress that was there before, was gone. Climbing into your coffin, you looked over at Lestat’s before shutting your own.

“Good night,” you said lowly, before falling asleep.

Sleeping throughout the day, as night approached, you felt an uneasy sensation in your stomach. Unable to move, you felt restricted, when suddenly, your Achilles’ heel was sliced. Your eyes finally opened, widening seeing Claudia stand, a small blade in her hand. Staring into her piercing eyes, she held a deep frown, before going to Lestat’s side.

Your mouth was taped, and your body was wrapped in chains, you felt weak and confused. Immediately, you looked to Lestat, whose back was turned to you, before he turned to face you, moving to reveal the surprise.

George sat tied in front of you, tape on his mouth, his face already bruising. George looked at you, before screaming at Lestat, who frowned at him.

“Pathetic,” he said before his eyes went to you. You could see the blood stains on his face that he had been crying.

“Ma chérie, you hurt me badly, both of us,” he told you, before ripping the tape from your mouth.

“What are you talking about? How is this different from you going to see her?” you asked him.

“That was different and you know it, I heard you, I could feel your passion for him,” he screamed at you, tears pouring out.

“No one told you to follow me”

“No, but he will pay, for thinking he was worthy to have you, and for trying to break our family apart,” he said, as he moved to George, using his nail to cut his face.

“Claudia, let me out of this, I need to heal,” you hold her, but she turns her head, the bloody tears leaking from her eyes.

“He wants to take you from us, mama, and give you a new daughter, I know we had our problems, but I never thought that you would want to leave,” she said, crossing her arms.

“I don't, I told him I didn't, I love you both, I’ve been overwhelmed with stress, and I wanted relief, but that's it, not to leave you, either of you,” you told him. George continued struggling to speak. Claudia rolled her eyes, ripping the tape from his mouth, making him yelp.

“It’s true, she said she needs you both, as much as you need her,” George said, making the two look at you.

“Ma chérie-

“Mama-

The two spoke at the same time, making their way in front of you, and wrapping their arms around you.

“I’m sorry for how I've acted, I don't want you to find pleasure anywhere else, just hours with you in the arms of another, feels like death all over,” Lestat told you.

“And I don't want to lose you as my mama, I’ll be better,” Claudia said, her voice cracking. You found both of their confessions heart-touching, becoming emotional.

“You both are perfect the way you are, we should've communicated better as a family,” you told him, as they both agreed.

Standing tall, you watched as Claudia grabbed the bolt cutters, breaking the chains from around you. Lestat helped you stand, holding your waist, as you leaned on him.

“We had to be sure you wouldn't break free if you were leaving with him, sorry, mama,” she said, glancing at your feet.

“It's alright”

“Y/n, help me,” George pleaded with you.

“Your meal, ma chérie,” Lestat eyed him.

“We know you prefer hunting your rodents, which is why we brought the meal to you, as we celebrate,” Claudia said.

“What are we celebrating?”

“Our companionship,” Lestat smirked.

“Our family will be stronger than ever, after this,” Claudia told you.

Looking at George, he was confused and scared. Baring your teeth, you limped over to him.

“Don't worry about the mess, we will clean up,” Claudia said.

“Y/n, what are you-

Covering his mouth, you sank your teeth into his neck, climbing into his lap. Your eyes shut, as you took pleasure in the rarity, the blood dripping from your chin.

“Y/n, please,” George begged, his eyes slightly rolling back.

“Join me,” you told Claudia, smiling as she rushed over, biting his wrist. Looking at Lestat, he was more hesitant, approaching as you held out your hand. Intertwining your fingers, he leaned down, kissing your lips. The blood smeared on his mouth before he attacked the other side of George’s neck.

Leaning against the brick wall, you watched as Lestat and Claudia burned the body. Your arms wrapped around your body, as you watched them interact. They calmly conversed with each other, before they turned, walking towards you.

“And so who was right in the end?” You could hear Lestat talking.

“You were”

“Correct”

“What was he correct about?” you asked Claudia, smiling at the two.

“Blood is thicker than water,” she said, as he pat her head in approval. All you could think of us was how close they seemed.

“It's cause we're a family, mama, we have our problems but we are meant to all be together,” she giggled, as she heard your thoughts.

“You're right, I love you, both of you,” you told them, accepting Lestat’s kiss, before kissing Claudia’s forehead.

“We still have a few hours before sunrise, should we go for a nice drive?” you asked him.

“Sounds perfect,” Lestat said, watching as you turned, going into the house.

“You did well,” he told Claudia.

“I learned from the best,” she said, as they shared a secretive handshake, going inside, pleased, knowing that together they were able to fix the problems in their family.

[garbinge]

GOOD MOOD

Leroy Jethro Gibbs x F!Wife!Reader // Word Count: 1.3k Summary: Gibbs comes home in a good mood and you decide the best way to break some not so 'good mood' news to him. Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. liiiiight angst. liiiight fluff. Smoking Weed/Being High. Mentions of losing a job, violence, punching. No use of Y/N. Reader is a private investigator, married to Gibbs, and has a teenage child in this fic. A/N: Been rewatching NCIS from the beginning and I just simply forgot how much I love this show. Grew up watching some episodes when they'd be on tv running reruns but never watched from season to season before and I just jkshjkhf love it so much. So now I'm adding another fandom and character to the roster!

“You know I’m a federal agent, right?” Gibbs’s voice came from behind you along with the sliding of your back porch door. 

“Yea, but I’m not.” You smirked, holding the joint in your hand as you blew the smoke out that he was clearly smelling as he joined you in the backyard. 

“What’s with the new recreational activity?” He still had his work clothes on as he turned the patio chair around so it was next to yours. 

“Rough day at work.” You exhaled. 

“Being a private dick will do that.” He had a hint of humor in his voice as he said it. Teasing your occupation the way he would if it was anyone else.

“Investigator.” Correcting him with a smirk on your face, you continued talking. “And what can I say, there were no more special agent openings at NCIS.” 

“You’d fail the drug test anyways.” He was looking over at you, a smile wide on his face. 

“You’re in a good mood.” Your eyebrows raised, your face matching his humor. 

“Better than usual.” He shrugged and kicked his feet up on the bricks that surrounded the fire pit in front of you.

“Hm.” Turning your head back forward, you looked at the fire that was starting to die down. 

Gibbs’s face turned into a frown as he questioned you. “What’s that?” 

“What’s what?” You teased him, taking advantage of his good mood. 

“What’s with the hm?” He mimicked the noise you made. 

Letting out a laugh you dropped your head on your shoulder, “I’m debating if I want to ruin your good mood.” 

“Ah.” It was his turn now to look away and towards the fire pit. “How bad?”

“Eh.” You shrugged. 

“That’s like a 5, that’s not bad.” He was joking but his face was serious which is what made you laugh out loud slightly before deciding to spit out the news. 

“I lost my job.” 

Gibbs didn’t show any emotion on his face, just a slight nod as he acknowledged you. “Who’d you punch?” 

It never should have surprised you when Gibbs knew things without being told, but it always did. 

“Your knuckles.” He was getting up to feed the fire as he said it. 

Your eyes looked down and saw the red bruising finding it's home around your knuckles and closed your eyes as you rested your head against the back of the chair, joint still in your left hand. 

“My private dick of a boss.” 

Gibbs smirked slightly at that as he dropped a few more pieces of wood into the fire. “Enough was enough, huh?” 

“That and he called me a bitch.” That was a statement which earned you a look from him, he froze in his steps and stared up at you through his brows. “Don’t worry, I clearly took care of it.” You flashed your hand to him. 

He went back to feeding the fire as the silence fell over you two for a few minutes. Coming back to the patio chair, he sat down and placed his hands behind his head. 

“All things considered, that’s not too bad. Never understood why you worked for that asshole.” 

“I told you, NCIS wasn’t hiring.” While it was a joke, Gibbs took you seriously. 

He pointed to the joint. “I could get you in. Just have to wait a couple weeks.” 

“Nah, I’m goin’ back to my roots. Investigative journalism.” Your eyebrows raised. 

It was how you met Gibbs all those years ago, you were working on a big story, one that brought you to the NCIS headquarters during Gibbs’s first year on the job as special agent. The rest was history. 

“And now I have an in at the Naval Criminal Investigators offices if I find myself with a big Navy scoop.” 

“Pretty sure you had an in when you first stepped onto those offices.” He was smiling now, staring at you. 

“You’re still in a good mood.” You smiled back at him, both of you looking at each other as the orange tone of the fire reflected off his skin. 

“Told you, wasn’t that bad.” 

“Hold onto that feeling.” You scrunched your face up while his own face dropped. “Aren’t you going to ask me where I got the weed?” 

Gibbs's mind started running, trying to think of an answer that made sense. Putting that special agent brain to work as if it wasn’t overworked enough all day on duty. He was coming up blank, which automatically put him a few points lower on the good mood meter, stumping Gibbs wasn’t enjoyable, for anyone. 

“Where’d you get the weed?” He asked, knowing you wouldn’t tell him unless he did ask. You knew better than to interrupt Gibbs when he was working a case, interrogating someone, or even just as simple as working through a thought. 

“Your daughter.” After you said it, you took another hit from the joint, knowing you were gonna need it for his response. 

“What?!” He kicked his feet off the fire pit bricks, his arms were next to his body which was sitting up now, bent over his legs as he leaned forward all while turning to look back at you, shock–or anger, all over his face. 

“Got a call from the school today, she got caught smoking in the bathroom. The school apparently doesn’t discard of the herb on their own so they gave it back to me.” You let out a giggle at that, clearly the weed starting to work its wonders on you but also laughing at the strange policy. 

“Where is she?” Gibbs was still concerned. 

“In her room, where she’ll be for the next two weeks. I told her how her father is a federal agent and she can’t have this shit in the house.” 

Gibbs’s face twisted up in a smile at that comment. “So you, her mother, clearly are out here setting the example for her.” 

“I had to get rid of it somehow.” You lifted your hands in innocence. 

Gibbs let out a laugh. “You too high to help me with the boat?” 

“Never.” You were getting up, tossing the joint into the fire. “You gonna talk to her?” Now you were standing in front of your husband, his eyes were moving away from yours at the thought of needing to scold his teenage daughter. 

“Depends. What else you tell her?” 

“That I was still deciding if I was going to tell you or not.” 

It was the most you saw Gibbs smile in one night in a while. He was in a good mood. 

“That’s good, that’ll keep her guessing.” 

“Ain’t my first rodeo.” Your shoulders raised as you bragged, humbly. 

It was then that he placed his lips on your forehead, giving you a quick kiss as his hand moved to your hand that was littered with the memory of your awful day. His thumbs lightly caressing the bruises on your knuckles.

“You knock him out cold?” 

“I told you, it ain’t my first rodeo.”  That made Gibbs good mood turn to a great one, he never liked the guy you worked for, he didn’t like private investigators at all, but for you he tolerated them. But this not only meant he was done tolerating them but that he’d get to live with the mental image of you knocking the jerk out cold. 

“C’mon, I’m almost done with the hull, have a feeling this story is gonna get me through the finish line on that.” 

“Eh.” You scrunched your face up again. “I am high, so probably through the rest of the hull and the start of the bow. I get kind of chatty.” 

With a laugh, Gibbs tossed his arm over your shoulder and planted another kiss to your temple. Yea, he was still in a good mood.

Dividers by: realitycanbewhateveridesire ♡ 🕵️ NCIS Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @kmc1989 (let me know if you’d like to be added! I'm using my all writing taglist right now!)

[kamiana-ruzha]

so, because of what is happening on twitter with opbee currently, i think some things need to be said.

for context: there's a trend "we listen we don't judge" going around social media, which, well, most of the time you're not listened and judged and roasted instead. so someone posted an 'opbee edition', asking of people's opinions on the pairing. at first it's been...more or less okay. but i won't be wrong if i say shit hit the fan rather quickly.

there were words about how disgusting the ship is. how disgusting are the shippers. there were words that the shippers must be investigated. there was a death wish and i think kai agreed with it?

why there was so much hate?

because people see them as father and son. because Bumblebee is infantilised by the fandom. and that is the problem. not the shipping or shippers.

so... let's go over all the facts, okay? calmly. read all of this post please.

1) Father and son

the biggest argument why this is a 'trash ship' is because people *see* them as father and son. yes. *see them*. they're not father and son. there's no canon confirmation of Prime ever adopting Bumblebee, or Bee being blood-related to him. if you google it -- you'll get a wattpad AU! fanfic. they're not canonically related in any way.

why do people see them like that?

as far as i'm aware, it started in g1 and some tfone voice actors said that they see them like that too, but a) i don't have the interview, b) it all grew out of a meme.

and that argument crumbles after a couple questions. what a father would Prime be for sending his alleged son to war? even after his arch nemesis literally yanked his alleged son's throat out, taking his voice away (tfp)? yeah, that's a great father an son relationship, don't you think?

a less... scientific or journalistic or rational, call it what you want, answer, is...daddy issues.

people just see Prime as a father figure and because Bumblebee is infantilised he's seen as his child.

i have daddy issues too, i don't deny it. my father was emotionally unavailable until recently. but to people who say only fatherless ship opbee -- look into your own traumas. please. talk to a therapist and then think twice about telling others something like that.

2) Bumblebee is a child

no he is not. there's no canon info about how old he is. from what I was able to find - he's six millions old. SIX MILLIONS. Optimus is nine millions, and that COMBINING his existence as Orion Pax (4-4,5 mil) and as Optimus (the rest). so, do the math. Bumblebee might be just a little older than him, older than PRIME, but a bit younger than PAX.

the infantilisation of Bumblebee is a huge problem for transformers fandom and the canon itself. no-one takes him seriously. and yes, i agree, he might be in his very late teens or a young adult, but he's not a child, not a toddler, not a middleschooler, not a minor. look at Bayverse Bumblebee. look at War for Cybertron (especially Netflix) Bumblebee. look at Earthspark Bumblebee. even G1 is *not* a child.

think about it. would a child be able to kill Skyquake or any other Decepticon (tfp)? would a child be a mercenary, that avoided war up until it killed cybertron (netflix wfc)? wouldn't a child hesitate when sent through the city that is currently being destroyed and heavily bombarded to tell some guy named 'Optimus' that Zeta Prime is dead (wfc game)?

think about it twice. rewatch anything but animated while watching for "signs of adult personality".

think thrice before saying Bee is a child or child-coded. at most, he's neurodivergent-coded, or just someone who's not really in touch with his emotions (think the rage moments)

3) age gap

there's none. i said about it slightly higher. at most their age gap is three millions old. that is insignificant for beings that are essentially immortal, unless they get sick or killed.

now think of all the mech+human pairings. how come that kind of age gap is normalised?

i'm not saying that to shame the fans of Charlie/Bee or Mirage/Noah or Optimus/Michaela or any other, no. i like those ships. every ship is relevant.

the double standard and hypocrisy is not. it's not okay.

4) all, or anything of listed above makes people uncomfortable

it's okay. your feelings are relevant.

and i, a shoker, don't like opmeg too much. i didn't like that my whole twitter was only them after tfone. you know what i did? i added 'opmeg' and 'megop' into ignored words. and that's all. my soul is at peace.

is it so hard to do the same? let the shippers be. are they hurting you? no. are they hurting anyone else? no. so just use the feature twitter and tumblr have had for a long while and bluesky has too. use it. and ignore the ship if it makes your eyes hurt. spare yourself and spare the people that like the ship.

5) there's no dynamics

no there is. watch fall of cybertron trailer. rethink all "Optimus I'd die for you" and actual deaths.

6) the shippers are sick and other words people say

you know what i read? i read that someone thinks that blocking shippers isn't enough, they want them, they want me dead for shipping and creating content. that i'm weird for shipping opbee. that i'm sick. that i, and others, need to be investigated.

no, no we are not weird. i don't know about everyone, i only know about myself. i have issues. i have trauma, hell, who doesn't? i know it could have been worse, for example, if i stayed in Kyiv after the war began. opbee helps me cope. and it helps not only me.

have you.. actually mindfully, objectively read what is posted under opbee tag? yes there's a lot of valveplug, but have you seen the size difference? the kink is tickled.

but the content shippers make is wholesome, cute and comforting. hell, opbee helped me get over my self halm issues, slightly helped with my anger issues, that's what my first fics of them are about.

any ship might be someone's way to cope. respect it. respect people's feelings. it saddens me that empathy doesn't exist anymore. think what impact your words may have on someone before writing those words. think for a moment more. and think again, would it be worthy? would saying that someone's favourite ship is shit and they're sick for loving it be worthy of someone killing themselves? and i'm not exaggerating -- that happened many times.

if you think it's worth it...just block me, okay? like i blocked many people who asked to block them if you ship opbee.

respect other people. respect their feelings, their ships, their requests.

and don't be a dick.

[hamletshoeratio]

"But no new content 😭!!" that means jack shit. We have several literal decades worth of content we can watch or rewatch. The writers and now the actors too are not only fighting for their livelihoods but for the futures and the soul of their industries.

Fuck new content, fuck the executives and producers and powers that be who make millions upon millions while the people, who create the content that make them rich, can barely make ends meet.

Here's some suggestions to anyone who doesn't know what to watch;

Nostalgia rewatch; watch old favourites, shows and movies you haven't seen in years but that stayed with you, the ones that mattered to you.

Watch the shows your parents didn't let you watch growing up because they thought the show was "too mature" for you.

Watch the shows and movies people have recommended to you that you never found time for before.

Watch indie films!!!

Look at different genres than what you've watched before and give them a go.

Try films and shows from other countries and/or in other languages. There's dubs and subtitles available and these shows and movies can be just as good if not better than their American and/or English speaking counterpart.

And remember when watching shows, that you do not have to binge them all at once, you can have your own personal tv schedule and watch say an episode a week like you would've done when/if they aired before streaming

Look at some older films and shows, why does it matter if it's in black and white or the camera quality is lower than 4k and hd, so long as it's good? And so many of those shows and films, while not perfect, have aged better than shows that have come out in the last decade, like the golden girls for instance has aged so much better than say glee (ok many many many shows aged better than glee but let's be real for a second, music was better when artists were terrified of the Glee cast doing a better version of their song on the show. I do still wish it was a show my mom didn't let me watch tho, lmao glee was fine but no, her twelve year old being obsessed with Les mis and rewatching it religiously was cause for concern 😂😭 I was just as obsessed with glee for seasons 1-4 especially).

It's ok to indulge your inner child and rewatch the classics tm. The shows and movies you grew up with. Rewatch the shows that got you through sick days from school, the tv movies you remember watching premiere, the cartoons that MADE your Saturday mornings, etc.

On the topic of animation, that's literally an unlimited genre you can tap into, which rarely gets the recognition and respect it deserves.

Don't be afraid to watch the one season wonders, the shows that networks and streamers cancelled after one season in spite of strong reviews and good ratings. Or the shows that ended abruptly around the season 3 or 5 mark because networks and streamers cancelled them because they didn't want to negotiate contracts and have to pay the actors and writers more. Get angry, remember what the actors and writers are fighting for.

The privilege of older shows that either concluded naturally or that writers were given a heads up on might be on it's last season is that you get closure, unlike with the above. That might not mean an ending is good but a bad ending is better than a cliffhanger. There's always fix its fics for a bad ending. And if the ending is good, it's typically GOOD in my experience. The fear of a cliffhanger and zero closure has already turned many against watching new content until the show is renewed for another season or is fully wrapped (and fans don't hate the ending).

Watch the shows that were in their day or are popular or critically acclaimed, they usually hold up to the hype.

Watch the old shows and movies your favs were on/in before they were your favs.

Try a soap or a telenovela, they can be entertaining af (holby city my love, Tuesdays have never been the same since the BBC robbed me of you).

If you liked a reboot or a revival of a show, try the original (in certain cases, the og is even better, see boy meets world v girl meets world).

If you like period dramas, try shows and films from other countries based on their history. A lot of times when people are telling their own history it goes far better than when Hollywood tries it (see the many times Hollywood has actors brought in because producers think they're good for box office and they then go on to butcher the accent their character should have, see Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and so many others who have absolutely butchered the Irish accent over the years for instance. There's also many many instances even recently of just blatant whitewashing see Matt Damon as the last samurai...).

Listen to recommendations, watch the shows and movies you know your family and friends loved but you never got around to watching.

[burnin0akleaves]

Here's the draw six fanarts meme I decided to participate in 4 years late

In true burnin0akleaves spirit I didn't ask anyone for requests and just went ahead with all of the characters that have been the most impactful/important to me, so there is a high chance you've seen me draw these guys before.

By the way, unlike the rest of the blorbos here Siyra is an original character and belongs to @nineteen-rats!

Close-ups and rambles under the cut because it's my blog

Ohh the Dark Urge. My latest obsession. I love his design so much, I'm a slut for white/red color schemes, but I feel like it's a double edged sword that takes you out of the horrors he's commiting at the same time?

Durge is supposed to be murder incarnate, someone that does every fucked up thing related to death imaginable; but when you see a giant lizard eating babies or humping corpses, it dulls the effect a bit since you automatically view it as an animalistic act. Dragonborns are obviously a fully sentient humanoid race in-universe; but when the violence you're seeing is already toeing the line between horrifying and hilarious, seeing a scalie doing it just pushes it over the line. I still think it works really well most of the time and I'm very glad that this is the default durge we get! It's just funny to me that when you choose to play as the giant lizard, the dark and disgusting horror story turns into the hilariously edgy bloodfest.

Reminding everyone again that Siyra belongs to @nineteen-rats! I love this man so so so much. I am the Siyra fandom. I am the number one Siyra fanartist. He did nothing wrong and I will defend his every decision. I also hope terrible horrors befall him and that his actions keep him awake for the rest of his life. Pookie bear xoxo

COMING IN WITH THE STEEL CHAIR IT'S WILL TREATY

He is on my mind, always. I don't talk about him as much but he's probably still the fictional character who had the most impact on me as a person.

PATROCLUS! PATROCLUS!!! SIR I'M YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN!!

I got into patrochilles and the Illiad in general thanks to "The Song of Achilles". It was one of the first queer books I got to have in real life and the prose captivated me instantly, I still have it on my shelf. After reading the Illiad itself however, I hate that book so much. I'm sorry it's genuinely beautiful and I get why people like it but I can never forgive that horrible Patroclus characterization after seeing what he was originally like. Achilles too for that matter.

Hades swooped me up into its arms like I was a sick baby bird and nursed me back to health with its portrayal of the two though and for that I am forever grateful. I can't wait for Hades 2, death to Chronos.

God Half-Life is such an important series for me. My dad would let me play through a few levels since I was a child, he grew up with the games, but I REALLY played through the entire series one summer shortly before dad moved out. He was there watching me play most of it and getting to enjoy someone actually translate the game's dialogue for him for the first time.

Gordon may not speak once but I like the hints of his personality we get throughout the games, most importantly from the way Alyx talks to/about him. I have my own characterization of him obviously but I do really think you can get a good understanding of the kind of man he is meant to be in-universe just by paying attention to his surroundings. Also another reason the games were so immersive for me is that I'm just as in love with Alyx as Gordon is. I must have let her get hit only once or twice the entire time just out of how protective I was over her. I'd topple the entire Combine empire just for her hand in marriage. I rewatched the ending of Half Life Alyx recently and cried.

I read the entirety of LOTR in one week in 11th grade, carrying that damn brick of a book everyday to school and back. I'm so glad I did honestly. Frodo and Sam are my important little guys and I find myself going back to them when I need something to calm me down in a way no other series except LOTR can. I've read most of Tolkien's work at this point, but nothing captivated me like those two little hobbits. Everytime I read a bad take about their relationship I sketch them making out.

People liked seeing my drawing process before so here's the original sketch and the little notes I wrote to myself trying to set the mood. I followed like half of them.

[momoliee]

Here Is Why You Should Read Priest’s Modern Danmeis :

As much as i love priest’s period novels, i absolutely adore her more recent, modern novels even more. You can tell that her writing style has completely changed as she grew and gained more experience, giving an edge to her work. I definitely believe her modern books NEED to be as popular as her wuxia ones cause COME ON?

(i’ve written in depth reviews on my page for each title i mention)

First, my absolute all time favorite, one of my top 3, Mo Du :

I’ve read this series a total of two times so far, and I’m about to read it a third time cause it’s just that good. And here’s the thing, i almost NEVER reread or rewatch stuff ok.

Fei Du is one of the most complex characters that i’ve encountered in my reading experience, with the worst type of mental trauma that i could come across. His relationship with Luo Wenzhou is one of the most enjoyable and perhaps, priest’s best written romance. Theyre both equally flirtatious, equally bold, their back and forth bickering is full of sexual tension and their progression from enemies to lovers is IMPECCABLE.

And the plot? PHENOMENAL. The BEST mystery and thriller detective series that I’ve ever encountered, with each book having it’s own individual mystery, and no two mysteries are similar. From child trafficking to serial killers to drug dens and even terrorism….you name it. Each arc is well crafted, and by the end, you’ll truly be able to sigh in satisfaction. For priest to be able ro make you enjoy both the romance and the plot equally…shes a genius. a 27/10.

Trigger warnings: this book discusses heavy topics such as pedophilia, rape, drug abuse, suicide, self harm, and a lot of similar topics

Next: Can Ci Pin:

Her most underrated work and i cant even begin to understand why. I mean yes it takes place in outer space in a futuristic society where people live for around 200 years across the span of 8 galaxies (not there are no aliens, but there are concepts such as ais and robots) but like….you’ve all read sha po lang with its steampunk theme and you all KNOW just how good priest is at world building. Dare i say, priest is the best danmei author when it comes to world building.

Yes, this is perhaps her slowest and longest piece of work and i get why so many would get bored after the second book. But here’s the thing, ccp has one of the most complicated worlds and plot. the plot is actually one of the most confusing and heavy plots that i’ve encountered. so in order for the story not to fall apart, it was very necessary for priest to spend the first two novels and half world building as well as slowly laying out a proper foundation for the plot. That way, when she starts speeding up the pace, you are basically a pro who doesn’t need to backtrack, reread or double check anything. By the time i was done with the third novel, i felt like i knew everything about space politics, wars between galaxies, Ai and microchips, and everything in between. And that’s saying something cause im an IDIOT when it comes books and shows politics ok.

In this series, priest has seriously invested into every single side character, even those who’ve been dead since before the series even started. With extensive backstories, each and every single character grows on you as much as the main pair if not more, and you fall in love with the found family priest created as well as all the characters who are only talked about in flashbacks and past tense. Another favorite part about this series.

Now the main characters and the romance….chefs kiss. Lu Bixing has one of the BEST character arcs that i’ve come across. He starts off as this bright sunshine boy, goes through hell, becomes this depressed cynical man then finds his way back to his old self again all in the span of the novel itself. Being able to go through the pain with him then watch him heal, makes you very attached to this baby. Li Jingheng my all time cold prince biggest crush ok i love him. Their romance was SOO entertaining cause EVERYONE was rooting for them and everyone played matchmaker and wingman with them it was HILARIOUS. The comedy was top notch, the second hand embarrassment was real, but it made the reading experience feel much more organic idk i just enjoyed myself so much and laughed so hard. 20/10

Trigger warnings: human trafficking and experimentation, self harm and suicide

Third : Lie Huo Jiao Chou

Xuan Ji’s wings of flame are the highlight of the series ok. Almost every single scene has him whipping his wings out just to show off and his boyfriend eats it up everytime ok.

I absolutely love the amnesiac plot line where two past lovers meet again and yet are unable to recognize each other. Yet, slowly, as they spend more and more time together and one of them starts regaining his memories, the pining and longing begins. And oh does Xuan Ji YEARNS in the most beautiful way possible. And once they BOTH regain their memories in full, the angst is just the cherry on top. Being unable to resist each other yet still trying to pull away, the tension, trying to hold back…delicious.

The plot is so easy to keep up with and enjoy too. Both the story taking place 3,000 years ago and the one in present time are equally entertaining, where we see scenes of war and tomb raiding and investigations and a little bit of magic too. The visuals are fantastic, and the contrast between the two parallel settings is new and refreshing as a concept. 8/10

Trigger warning: main characters experience severe child abuse and neglect

Fourth : Guardian

Guardian is the most popular out of priest’s modern novels so i dont feel the need to say much.

Guardian discusses heavy topics such as death and what’s beyond. With an element of mystery where an investigation team search after where dead souls are being stolen to or why some souls are being sucked out of living people, the premises has an element of horror and goth that gives it this edge. Coolest ghost story around.

The main cast is also a hilarious bunch, and you sort of grow attached to the entire office especially a fat black talking cat. 7/10

Trigger warning: death and murder

I hope this is enough to convince you all to check out more and more of pipi’s work. Yes, sha po lang, lord 7, faraway wanderers and fuyao sect are amazing…but if you haven’t read priest’s modern work then yall are missing out ok. that’s it for now xxx

[imaginatorcreates]

Nimbasa Trio! Soul Resonance!

25 July 2024 — 30 July 2024

Summary: Lord Death calls upon the Nimbasa Trio to deliver a pep talk / demonstration to the students of DWMA. Along the way, Elesa (meister) reminiscences on how the three of them deviated from the standard path of fighting evil. Oh, and there's a Kishin egg somewhere in the mix, but the pep talk was more important.

Word Count: ~3.9k words

Author’s Note: Listen. Soul Eater gripped me back when I watched it years ago. It was only a matter of time before I started writing a Soul Eater inspired thing.

Important!: Please keep in mind that my knowledge on Pokemon is close to zero. I'm mostly here because of the Submas Twins. Most knowledge comes from Detective Pikachu (which I should rewatch), absorption of basic terms via mild osmosis (TY to my close friend of over a decade), Discord friends, and infodumps to my Tumblr inbox. Feel free to expand my knowledge though!

Also on AO3

(notes may differ between Tumblr and AO3)

Elesa was fully aware that she was an only child. She had always had all the attention of her parents, may that be separately or joint force. She had learned to share via her classmates, and her house had been devoid of other kids around her age unless playdates had been approved by everyone’s parents.

She had been praised to be pretty from a young age, having components of her parents that people have always said mashed well together. She had been praised about how strong and friendly her soul was, one that would easily resonate with others if she so chose to venture down the path of a meister.

She didn’t exactly care about any of that when she was younger. What she had cared about was how lonely she was.

So to no one’s surprise but her parents, when she was eight, she latched onto a pair of identical kids and declared them to be her friends. No playdate approval. No stiff conversations because “just because the parents were friends didn’t mean the kids were friends” either. These kids were her chosen friends.

Sure, there were struggles at first. The combination of Elesa’s enthusiasm alongside the twins’ own should’ve caused a large clashing of personality. In spite of that, the trio stayed together. The twins introduced themselves first as Ingo and Emmet, then as demon weapons who could turn into a pair of knives.

“Daggers sound cooler, so we say that we’re dagger twins!” Ingo had explained to Elesa. Emmet frantically nodded along, bouncing around the two as if on a pogo stick.

Despite being twins, the Ingo and Emmet were complete opposites. Ingo little to no volume control (the amount of times that Elesa swore that she would never need an alarm clock again if she lived with the twins was too numerous to remember), while Emmet moved around so often without so much of an utterance of his voice that Elesa had relied on how his footsteps sounded to know that he was around. Ingo frowned in red, then in black despite his joy. Emmet smiled in blue, then in white despite his discomfort.

But what the two were opposites in, Elesa also found that they also complimented each other. And with such compliments, she wriggled herself in between them and found the perfect piece of the puzzle that she’d been trying to solve for so long.

Friends.

She shared Emmet’s boundless energy and Ingo’s chattermouth. She didn’t share their height at first — something that Emmet had tried to impulsively fight her on after she tried to physically drag him down — but as the trio grew out of single digit ages, she shot past them and stayed a comfortable two inches taller than them. She liked reminding them of it sometimes.

Something that the trio also shared was a well-controlled level of chaos. It wasn’t enough for any adults to raise concern over any of the trio developing a madness wavelength, but it was enough for said adults to shout at the children to be careful. What each person had to be careful about differed: the twins had to be careful about their demon weapon transformations and to not accidentally get stuck in weapon form, and Elesa had to be careful to not try wielding either twin.

Of course being children, no one listened. Perhaps that was why the trio was one of the best weapon-meister groups in their not-so-humble opinion. Of course, that had gone to their heads just a little bit when they had enrolled in the DWMA’s E.A.T. program, only to have encountered changes in their desires of future careers.

“I am Emmet. Hear me out.”

“Hearing.”

“You’re being listened to.”

“I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Thank Death you said it first!” Elesa had exclaimed. She remembered that she had been lounging on the trio’s couch in their rented apartment, their AC unit chugging away the hot air of Nevada. “I’m not too interested in fighting evil on a daily basis either.”

“I considered this to be a back-up after our last mission,” Ingo had added. “We’re some of the best, I agree. But even this three-car train needs a change in maintenance to keep its engines running.”

“We caaan’t quit the program though,” Emmet had huffed. The corners of his mouth had downturned slightly, giving his signature smile a frog-like appearance. “That’ll be considered defeat. I looove winning more than anything.”

The twins had glanced at each other, and with just a few twitches of their eyes and shrugs of their shoulders Elesa had known they were doing twin-to-twin communication. A feeling of unease had started to build in her. Looking back, she probably should’ve spoken up sooner, or at least had broken the silent communication. “I — ”

“Nope!”

“Not it!”

“You doofuses! Why do I have to talk to Lord Death about this?”

“Because yooou’re our meister!”

“We’re just following the rules we set up here. Last one who jumps out has to do it.”

Elesa had given both twins a frustrated huff before she had gripped onto both of their suspenders. “Then, as your meister, I demand that both of my weapons be there so you two can explain your future paths.”

Their complaints had stopped the second the trio had decided to race up the stars of the DWMA. It had given everyone enough time to formulate their words to Lord Death, and afterwards, to start formulating where to get jobs after they graduate.

------

If there was something that Elesa loved about where she currently lives, it had to be the transportation system. It was reliable and efficient. Best of all, her boys worked there, directing passengers and shouting out orders.

Now, she hardly calls them “her boys” in public or in front of the camera. Reporters and the paparazzi would eat those words up out of context and spit out atrocious stories that might sully her image. No, she only called them “her boys” when the three were off duty. She admits, that had been a while ago. However, between her boys being the bosses of the subway system (with select cars being perfect training grounds for weapon-meister pairs while traveling), and her own job of being a model and owner of a Death-approved weapon-meister training facility, things were busy.

So of course, it was only during some of their time off — movie night at Elesa’s apartment — did Lord Death call the trio over to the DWMA for a demonstration.

“Because you three are some of the best and worst students I’ve ever had!” Death explained over the phone. Seemingly ignoring the shouts of indignation, he only started to ramble on about various stories that he remembered about the trio in their schooling days. The narratives varied between laughable to embarrassing, and it was only until the trio shouted at Death loud enough to cause neighbors to start knocking on the door did Death return to the main topic at hand.

“I’d like the three of you to visit the DWMA for a pep talk for our current batch of students. Demonstration. Pep demonstration.”

Elesa could already see the comical way that Death was posing as he said this, and it only made her blood pressure rise.

“Pardon the interruption, but why us?” Ingo asked.

“Because you three nearly dropped out of the E.A.T. program!” Ignoring the shouts from the trio, Death continued. “I admit, I was surprised! But I’m not one to fail students without good reason. You three gave me a good reason to not fail you. Running a training facility and train in your home city? You three must send me souvenirs when you visit! Travel and lodging expenses have already been paid for, so I’ll see you soon!”

The phone call ended with a click.

That started up a racket. Only after pacing, muttering, yelling at each other, and downing some pizza did the trio admit defeat. There wasn’t really a way they could wriggle out of this.

“Boys.”

“Yes?”

“Yeah?”

“Whoever doesn’t pack their bags two days before departure day has to pay for souvenirs for Death.”

“Understood.”

“Bet. Not losing.”

------

Elesa gets nervous plenty of times. Before a photoshoot, when schedules change, when she spots reporters and paparazzi on her commute. But she had tactics. She would stand in front of a mirror, feet shoulder width apart and hands on her hips. She would breathe in and out and would hold the pose until she felt like she could walk into a room and ace the challenge.

“Ingo, Emmet. The purpose of this is to feel powerful,” she said as the three powerposed in the hallway just outside the gymnasium. “You’re supposed to stand still and be silent. Clear your mind of thoughts.”

Emmet’s smile on his face was tense as he bounced between one foot and the other. “I am Emmet, and I need to move to relax.”

“This engine needs ample time to warm up before running, and this is the sound of it warming up,” Ingo said before continuing to mutter under his breath, his frown deeper set on his face.

“You two literally run a battle subway! You interact with hundreds of people daily, and what makes you nervous is standing in front of a bunch of kids?”

“Kids are verrry wild!”

“These kids are also looking up to us as their alumni. To set the expectations so high only to fail to meet them…it would be a blow to the school and ourselves!”

Elesa glanced between the two of them. Just watching the two trying to dispel their nervous energy caused some of her residual nerves to try to build up again. However, she shook out her hands and stomped her foot on the ground. “We are the Nimbasa Trio! We carry the pride and joy of our district far beyond New York city! We’re the best of the best out there, and we’re the best of the best here!”

She struck a pose, one manicured hand pointed up and the other one pointed down. Her puffy yellow jacket made her upper body look like an appealing plate of fluffy scrambled eggs, and she shook out her black hair so they fell at just the right angle around her red and blue headphones. Her electric blue eyes shone with determination and pride. “We’re the Nimbasa trio!”

Emmet was the first to join in on her posing. He dropped into a squat and raised one of his arms up while pointing the other one forwards. He stuck one foot out and his smile grew. “I am Emmet, and we’re the Nimbasa trio!”

Ingo joined in, raising one of his arms and keeping the other pointed downwards. To Elesa’s joy, he allowed himself to slightly cock out one of his hips as the corners of his frown turned upwards, resulting in a cat-like expression. “We’re the Nimbasa Trio! All aboard!”

“All aboard!” echoed Emmet.

“Our team will be the next one to make your heads spin!” Elesa announced. Build up that confidence, and natural charisma will follow!

“Well, I guess there’s no need to announce who you are, seeing how we can all hear you loud and clear,” Death suddenly said as he popped up behind the trio. “Stop screaming, I was here all along!” He gave an annoyingly cutesy peace sign that did nothing to calm Elesa’s racing heart from the scare. “I already told everyone no recordings of any sort are allowed unless they want to fail their next exam. Or get fired.” He quickly started to push the trio towards the door of the gymnasium as he said, “Now go along and I’ll be enjoying those wonderful souvenirs you three definitely got for your dear ol’ headmaster!”

Just when Emmet was about to swipe at Death with both hands, Death disappeared. “I am Emmet! Stop doing that!”

“He can be perfectly on schedule and we can still miss him. How does he do it?” Ingo mused. He stroked his chin and gave a huff of irritation. “I wonder how his current batch of passengers manage to keep up with his erratic changes.”

Elesa loved her boys. She really did. But there was a certain point of patience she had when there was something that required her utmost charisma, and unfortunately, being around her boys lowered her charm and replaced it with the strong urge to be goofy. While she would rather be goofing off with the twins instead of being presentable in front of the current batch of students at the DWMA, she couldn’t exactly disobey the orders of the headmaster that allowed the trio to pursue their current paths in life.

She cleared her throat and tapped on her wrist. “Let’s stay on schedule.”

“Right!”

------

The second the trio presented themselves to the crowd of eclectic students, any and all nerves melted away. To the sides were the E.A.T. students and in the middle were the N.O.T. students. Elesa could see confident and bored expressions on the E.A.T. students, with some blatantly paying more attention to the unheard conversation they were having amongst themselves. Contrast that with the eager and nervous faces of the N.O.T. students and one could easily tell whom this talk was supposed to be towards.

The trio easily captured the attention of everyone with a loud yell of “All Aboard!” and a pose. The twins flanked Elesa with a large swoosh of their capes while pointing towards the audience. Elesa took one knee to the ground and threw her arms out in one of her signature poses. People have often said how it accentuated her limbs or something, but that was mostly modeling business. She did that pose because it made her feel powerful. It started in her chest and bloomed outwards until it spread through her entire body.

“Good morning DWMA!” Ingo announced. Even without the microphone provided, his voice easily echoed through the walls of the gymnasium. Several students perked up and actually paid attention. “It’s a bright day in Death City, Nevada. Before we get started, we have to set a few safety rules down.”

“Stay in your seats!” Emmet piped up. It took a bit more effort for his voice to carry through the room, to which he resorted to using the microphone. “It keeps things verrry orderly for us!”

“I’m sure that Lord Death had told you already, but no recordings of this talk are to be taken or shared with anyone.” Elesa rose from her position and flipped her hair. Gone was her smile; instead, a serious and stoic gaze was plastered on her face. “We may have our faces plastered on the internet due to our jobs, but that doesn’t mean that we consent to such today.”

“I’m sure many of you are amateurs anyways.”

Ingo gasped. “Emmet!”

Introductions were supposed to be brief. Of course, when one had a reputation, questions were sure to follow once people had confirmation that the face and name matched. There had been plenty of unrelated questions towards how much money the trio made (“Strictly confidential!”), modeling careers (“It’s a matter of connections, genetic lottery, and not something you easily study for in school”), how the train managed to stay running despite battles on it (“Not telling!”), and plenty more inquiries that more or less had repeated answers.

After clawing their way out of the ocean of questions, the trio managed to start sharing the information that Death actually wanted them to share: the idea of changing careers when it didn’t match one’s enrolled class.

As the trio shared their story, Elsa’s eyes moved over the mass of students out there, hoping that their anecdotes helped soothe some of the minds of the students. She remembered the day that the stray thought of ‘Is this what you really want to do for the rest of your life?’ crossed her mind. It ate at her every waking hour and followed her to bed. It had festered as she spared with her classmates and grew until it had burst from her mouth in a declaration that had been swept underneath the rug of exam season: “I need a break.”

Sure, the talk with Lord Death at the time had been nerve-wracking. It was expected that all E.A.T. students were to continue on that path and not stray. It had taken some persuasion, along with laying out some half-formed but passionate plans, but the trio had been able to graduate their E.A.T. program and march off to a different path.

They had to send Death official reports of their businesses every couple of months, as well as take care of any Kishin eggs that happened to spawn in New York, but it was better than being frontline soldiers and risking their lives daily.

Yeah. Elesa was happy with her decision.

So of course, it was only near the end of the talk did things go sideways.

A window high above the gymnasium shattered inwards, glass raining down on a large group of students. The staff at the edges of the crowd of students braced for the high possibility of attack and for defending the students, a few of the demon weapons already transforming in preparation for combat. Orders that were barked out told the E.A.T. students present to not engage and to focus on protecting the N.O.T. students. Already there were a few shouts of protest, but when the intruder revealed themself to be a meister-weapon pair, the students’ attentions moved back towards defending their classmates.

“Kishin?” Elesa curtly asked the twins.

“Verrry possible,” Emmet said.

“This may not be our district anymore, but we are its alumni.” Ingo threw a glance towards his younger twin, then towards Elesa. “And these passengers are quickly approaching a yellow line that’s moving towards them.”

“Then let’s go!” Elesa thrust her hands out to her sides and started running towards the rogue Kishin pair. A pair of flashes poked at her peripheral vision before two familiar knives settled into her hands. She didn’t even have to peek to know which colors were in each hand; at this point, it didn’t matter which hand wielded which twin. Elesa sent out her soul’s wavelengths towards the two demon weapons in her hands and felt them respond. Perfect, the basics of soul resonance were achieved. She dug deep into her soul and prepared to boost her boys’ abilities.

Elesa leapt towards the Kishin and twisted her body to one side to barely avoid a morning star being swung into her side. The sharp spikes on the end of the round metal ball nicked her yellow puffer coat though, tearing into the waterproof material. She hissed, not out of pain, but frustration. “Hey!” she exclaimed. “This is quality material! You’re not allowed to tear it!”

She threw one of the knives towards the Kishin. The silvery-gray blade glinted in the fluorescent lights and she could briefly see a wide grin reflected in the metal. The Kishin pair leapt up and towards Elesa, missing the knife completely.

However, Elesa had foresaw this possibility. How many times had she sparred with her classmates and experienced this? She threw her other knife into the air — it was identical save for the black handle — and shouted, “Rebounding tracks!”

The white knife switched directions and flew towards the black knife. It managed to slice into the Kishin pair and send a brief electric shock through the pair. Elesa amplified the electricity before she leapt up to catch the white knife and throw the black knife. The knife enveloped itself in hot purple flames and embedded itself into the abdomen of the kenshin’s meister. The electric shock from Emmet’s electric soul would’ve temporarily disabled any soul resonance between the meister and weapon, as well as caused the meister’s muscles to cramp.

With a simple amplification and a blink, the meister’s body was aflame. Uninhibited, Ingo’s fire soul would’ve burned everything to ashes, body and soul. However, Elesa was sure that Lord Death would want to get a look at this intruder and provide proper punishment, so she raised her free hand and the black knife flew back into it.

The most important part right now was to get the meister and weapon separated.

She ignored the painful screams of the meister and discarded her puffer coat. With that, she wriggled in between the kenshin pair and pressed her knives where they’d work best: Emmet against the weapon and Ingo against the meister. She sent out her own soul wavelength towards the two and muttered, “We’re the Nimbasa Trio.”

Energetic sparks and warm flames enveloped her own soul as each knife sent out their specialties. Only this time, amongst the purple flames that burned at the meister’s body were small sparks of electricity. Amongst the yellow lines of electricity that worked to dismantle the weapon’s current form were small licks of fire.

And right in between them, was a soul that glowed as it sent out pulses of energy towards the two. Elesa’s arms slowly started to move further apart as the meister’s grip on their weapon started to slacken. With a final burst of energy, her arms fully extended and broke apart the kenshin pair. She could hear the twin’s voices echo in her head as she gave herself a moment to breathe.

Bravo Elesa and Emmet! What a well polished-engine we still are!

Verrry much so!

“Weapon first?”

Promptly.

Of course!

Just as she took a few steps towards the weapon, who had shifted to their human form now, Death suddenly manifested and gathered up the discarded kenshin pair. “Magnificent work as always! I had every bit of faith in you three, but for the moment you three needed help, that’s when our regular staff would’ve jumped in. I didn’t think that we’d need too much of their help though, so I hoped they took notes on your work!” He waggled a finger at the trio and added, “Glad to see the proof of your words up close! You three really haven’t gotten rusty.”

Elesa. Lemme at him.

Emmet! No! We’re not going to attack our headmaster!

I am Emmet, and he keeps doing this! Aaalways tricking students!

I too detest his tricks, but we’re not going to have to make others make safety checks right now.

Elesa ignored the twins bickering in the shared headspace and instead gripped their handles tighter. “Death,” she hissed, “you cheater of a god. You owe me a new yellow puffer!”

“Ah, touché.”

Elesa tossed both knives behind her before feeling arms hook into her own. She didn’t have to look to her sides to see who the familiar knife-shaped sideburns belonged to, nor did she hesitate when the three of them walked out without a second glance back.

Yeah, they may have graduated from the E.A.T. program at DWMA, but their skills learned there didn’t define their paths. So as soon as Elesa got a new yellow puffer and the trio were checked over for any injuries, Ingo asked, “How about a movie?”

“The claaasic!”

Elesa laughed. “You goofy boys.”

[redwolf41-blog]

Ok, so this got a little out of hand so I'm putting it under a Read More. I just love this show so much and can talk about it so much and have no other outlet for it than Tumblr. So... Here you go XD I'm keeping the first paragraph above the line break to help y'all get a peek of what I'm blabbering on about under the break. I might add more to this, who knows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I grew up watching Star Trek Voyager. I was between the ages of 3-9 while the show was airing, so most of the episodes I remember were either reruns or episodes in the last couple seasons. It was a show my father and I watched together all the time. I'm rewatching it again now, at 32 years old. I've rewatched it before, many years ago, but watching it now, and thinking about how it shaped me as a child has lent me a very interesting perspective of the show.

Captain Janeway was always my favorite character. She was someone I looked up to, and quite possibly my very first queer awakening. I watched the show mostly for her, so it was to her I looked and her actions I paid the most attention to. What little girl wouldnt adore her? She's strong, confident, self assured. She commands her own starship with grace and kindness and compassion, but also with a fierce determination that is almost unrivaled. For a little girl with no mother in her life, no other female role model? It was no wonder I turned to someone like Captain Janeway.

Watching these episodes, and watching her protect her crew so fiercely, watch her having to make all the hard decisions in an effort to do anything to get her crew home without sacrificing her own morals or principles, her trying to make as many friends with other races as she can along the way, affected my growth in ways I'll probably never understand, but will always be thankful for.

And its not just her actions that I feel this show did so well, but the relationships between the characters. On one side, you have Janeway and Tuvok, (a topic I posted about earlier), two old friends who stand by each other through anything and everything, an unfailing and fierce loyalty to each other that is a delight to behold. On another you have Janeway and Chatokay. Two people who used to be enemy captains who eventually see in each other something profoundly different. Their loyalty to each other is new, and takes time to grow at first, but, in my opinion, is no less fierce than it is between her and Tuvok. In her, Chakotay sees a future and perhaps salvation for himself. Its a beautiful relationship that never steps past the threshold of "what could have been." It feels like decades are left unsaid between them, and as a member of the audience I used to think that was tragic. I was so upset that they didnt get together when I was a child, but now? Its a relationship more media needs, in my opinion. They respect each other very much, and want the other to be happy, but they never quite take that extra step. Its a wonderful depiction of friendship between two people of the opposite sex. I dont remember if something like that was common in the 90s, but I feel like modern media has completely ignored this kind of relationship. They're too busy pairing off all the lead male and female characters. Seeing a relationship like Janeway and Chakotay is so important for people to see.

And then there's the crew. I finished watching Revelations just a bit ago. This episode, out of all the episodes Voyager ever aired, was the one episode I never forgot about growing up. The crew love Captain Janeway so immensely, they were willing to face down what could have almost been certain death (or worse) in order to get her back on the ship. Janeway's ship, previously running like a well oiled machine, was breaking apart at the seams without her. Their love, and their loyalty for their captain, and their willingness to do anything for her just like she's willing to do anything for them, is such a heartwarming relationship.

Watching this show so young, during such formative years, its no wonder I turned out so much different than my conservative father. I can only speculate on why he watched the show, but very little of it would be flattering. I doubt he saw the same things I did, or internalized them in any way similarly to me. I feel like Voyager had a powerful and profound message of friendship, loyalty, strength of character, determination, and the importance of kindness and never giving up. I'm so very glad this was one of the shows I got to grow up with, and I wish more shows were like it.

If you made it this far, thank you and I'm sorry. I get rambly when I love something, so I'm both sorry for rambling, and thankful for anyone who made it this far. Feel free to share your own thoughts if you'd like. I'd love to hear them

[despair-inc]

Thinking about every movie I saw in theaters (or remember watching in theaters, anyways) in 2024. Kind of a ranked list but the criteria is how much I liked it.

1: The Substance. The unchallenged lead for both "best movie I saw all year" and "favorite movie of the year". The beautifully grotesque child of New French Extremity and USAmerican style Elevated Horror, it has the best performances of the year, oodles of extremely impactful and pointed imagery, and amazing special effects. Just amazing stuff all around.

2: The Wild Robot. Undisputed champion of "best family movie of 2024”, it has beautiful visuals and makes quite a lot out of its simple and heartfelt story about family and community. Can't judge the original dub's performances because in Mexico it was only released in theaters dubbed into Lat Am Spanish, but hats off to the dub cast, they were killing it the entire film.

3: Robot Dreams. Technically a 2023 release, but in Mexico it played in early 2024, so it goes on the list. Amazingly heartfelt and melancholic, I was bawling on the theater. Once again, also just beautiful to look at, an amazing work of animation that functions entirely without dialogue.

4: Inside Out 2. I will always be biased in favor of Pixar because, like most people on this website, I grew up watching their movies, and those movies from 2010 and before are all universally good. That being said, after the stumbled releases of Lightyear and Elemental, this was a surprise by being actually pretty good. That being said, it's held back by having a plot that's basically a retread of the first movie (Riley experiences a stressful life situation and emotions that shouldn't be solely in charge of her mental state take over and fuck shit up), so overall it's a bit weak on that regard. Still, very solid and fun movie, and if The Wild Robot hadn't come out in the same year, it would be the strongest family release of a major USAmerican studio of the year. Possibly the best non-Toy Story sequel Pixar has made.

5: Wicked. It was pretty nice to have a live action musical film that was overall well made and performed and that people actually went to see, unlike shit like Cats or Dear Evan Hansen, or Spielberg's West Side Story which was actually good but no one went to see. People on here have ragged on the lighting and it is kinda bad in some scenes, but when actually watching it, I didn't really notice it, because the rest of the stuff was very compelling. Here's hoping that Part 2 lives up to the hype.

6: Dune 2. Not much to say about this one because I went to see it first thing in the morning after only sleeping like three hours, so I'm pretty sure I slept through like a quarter of the film. The stuff that I do remember was pretty good though, like that one fight scene in Black and White. I need to rewatch this one to give it a fair shot.

7: Deadpool & Wolverine. I'm like 90% sure that this was the only major USAmerican Superhero movie released in 2024, but it still probably would've been the best superhero movie of the year if others had released. I'm kinda hoping that they keep this movie as the final Deadpool movie because while it is pretty good at what it does, the shtick is too worn out. Like, where can Deadpool 4 go? It's not gonna happen, cause DP sells well and Reynolds has developed an allergy to appearing in movies that are creative, but dreaming is free.

8: In A Violent Nature. This is the movie that surprised me the most this year, even if I was already aware of the concept of "a slasher film from the killer's POV". The very sensate and deliberate aesthetics of having no non-diegetic music and constant scenes of our killer walking in the woods seem boring on paper but work very well when you're actually watching it, and when it goes for more traditional slasher film aesthetics, like the kill scenes, it does them exceptionally well. And the extremely tense monologue scene at the end is an amazing finale to cap things off. That being said, it can get pretty slow and I think that the concept only really works for one movie. I read that they're gonna make a second one, and I really hope that they think of a different aesthetic style for it because reusing this one will probably turn part 2 into a slog.

9: Next Goal Wins. First movie I saw this year, and it is thoroughly unremarkable and forgettable. Pretty standard white savior sports story where the main white guy learns to loosen up while the Samoans get good enough at actual football to reach their meager goal of scoring at least one goal in the climactic big game. It had some laughs, and it is the only movie I saw in theaters with an openly transgender character in it, but it's really nothing special or noteworthy. Hell, the most memorable thing about it for me is that the guy who sat in front of me when I watched it spent the whole movie playing games on his phone and blasting my eyes with its light. I wonder if Waititi will make movies worth watching again, or if he's gonna be pegged as peaking with Jojo Rabbit and then falling off.

10: We Live In Time. This movie was surprisingly good. I went to see it on a whim because I had to go pick up some stuff and there was a promo on the ticket prices at the time (30 MXN ticket at Cinemex Fashion Drive, it's a steal even if they recover the money with the popcorn), and I rather enjoyed the non linear structure and the very good performances. Honestly, it just gets a low spot because I've never been into pure romance films so it's a bit unmemorable for me, I ain't gonna watch it a second time.

11: Venom The Last Dance. I guess I didn't count it as a major USAmerican Superhero Movie because Sony's "Spider-Man minus Spider-Man Movie Universe" never felt like major releases, and the Venom movies, regardless of how much I have enjoyed them, are a bit like the cheap knockoff of Deadpool. And just like DP, the third entry is the weakest of the series. Unlike DP, at least we know that they're not gonna milk the series dry because in between the Symbiote dying at the end and the failure of Kraven the Hunter, I'm pretty sure that Sony is just gonna give up. The movie itself is a kinda subpar action film, and while it got me a few laughs and it has a few standout scenes, like Venom dancing with Mrs Chen or Otto Hightower's UFO Conspiracy Theorist family, it's nothing remarkable. It has a very "Movie that plays on Canal Cinco on a sunday morning" vibe.

12: Joker Folie A Deux. I don't need to tell everyone that this movie is bad. It flopped and everyone hated it. I'm actually in the camp that this movie is a bit better than its reputation makes it out to be. If nothing else, I'm giving Todd Phillips props for trying to make a movie that spits on the face of the misaimed fandom of the first one, even if he thoroughly fucked it up. Still, the attempts at making a diegetic jukebox musical fall completely flat, and the performances of Gaga and Phoenix can't save the script like Phoenix did on the first one. I can only recommend checking this one out via the magic of online piracy, it ain't worth money.

13: The Apprentice. This is the movie I hated the most out of all the movies I saw this year, mostly because the things I heard about it made it sound a lot better than it was. It's a political movie that, ultimately, only has the message that Donald Trump is Bad with very little examination of the systemic issues that made him rise to the position he rose to. It is overwrought, the performances can't save the script and it honestly wouldn't have been in theaters if it wasn't an election year. Worst movie I saw in 2024, not even worth pirating.

[maxwellatoms]

Hello, I hope you are well. I look forward to the stream on Thursday.

I suppose first I should ask if you would rather me send asks through here or through Patreon. But anyway, here is something I have been wondering. I have quite a bit of a preface though:

I never actually grew up with Grim Adventures. I was a wee little tot when it was airing, so if I was watching TV, I was watching one of those preschool shows. When I did get old enough to start watching shows geared towards older kids, I had just missed out on it. I only got around to watching Grim Adventures and Evil Con Carne rather recently.

But what I did grow up with was Chowder. I never remembered it well as I got older, but what did stick with me was "The Puckerberry Overloads." Child me struggled to comprehend the logic behind how Chowder could be in his own mouth. After rewatching the series recently, I was very surprised and excited to see you were credited as one of the writers and the storyboard artist for the episode. I even recognized your voice from one of the characters. I suppose you really were there all along.

So I wanted to ask, how did you end up doing some work for Chowder? Were you simply a guest of sorts? I also saw you credited as a writer and storyboard artist for another episode in another season, so how did that come to be? What I'm mostly curious about is how that factored all in with the Great Purge.

I would love to hear whatever you are willing to tell me. Thank you for reading.

Thank you for writing!

I'll still be around on here. I think the Patreon is probably a better place to ask questions if you really want an answer, since I'll try to answer every question on there. Here, I tend to cherry-pick and I've got a bit of a backlog.

Long story short, Billy & Mandy eventually wrapped, which left me to do Underfist and develop a couple of other properties for CN. My friend C.H. Greenblatt (creator and voice of Fred Fredburger, and writer of a number of memorable episodes) got his own series, "Chowder". They were having trouble finding a board artist to fill one of the slots, so I said I'd do a board. Greenblatt and I have always helped each other out when we can over the years. Just this year we got to produce Jellystone Season Two together, and it was the best time I've had on a series in a decade.

I did another board for Season Two, and that's about when "The Great Purge" happened. And there was no escaping that for anyone, really.

C.H. Greenblatt and I had a really fun Looney Tunes pitch we sold right before the pandemic hit. Like everything else during that time, it went into Deep Freeze. Maybe one day we can get back to it.

He'll definitely be making an appearance on "Billy & Mandy vs. The Entertainment Industry". More on that soon™!

[spongebob-connoisseur]

Kamp Koral season 2 will drop today! I can't wait <3

I know I've said before that I didn't care for kamp koral but it really grew on me over the past two weeks. That's probably because I've been watching the 2nd half of season 1 of the show. I procrastinated on it for so long because I said I'd watch it when I get it on dvd. Even after I got it on dvd, I was more interested in rewatching the Patrick Star Show.

Anyways I admit I like it. I think it's because season 14 of Spongebob has been really lackluster thus far. I never thought I'd miss Spongebob and Sandy being actual characters. Sponge just doesn't feel like an actual character as of late. He feels like a background character in his own show. As for Sandy, Bubblebass currently has more screentime in the main show than Sandy WHICH IS CRAZY

I've been fine dining on Slappy content for the past few years and I adore him as a character but it's also to cover up my slow growing disinterest in the main show. It started with the latter half of season 13 but I think now it's more of an issue with season 14. I don't think I've really enjoyed a season 14 episode outside of Tango Tangle (not just because of Slappy. It was nice to see Plankton WIN for once. Also Karen is adorable)

I know people enjoyed Bassward but I just can't stand Bubblebass as of late. The food thing™ with him grosses me out. I know Spongebob often has characters eating in excess in a cartoonish way but Bubblebass manages to actually disgust me which is. Crazy because I love SB and its excessive gross out. I can't stand the details of it with Bubblebass. Stahp it dawg. To think there was a time where I was happy that Bubblebass was going to be used more in the modern seasons.

There is also the absolute fumble of Necro-nom-nom-nom-icon. I was REALLY looking forward to this episode only to be disappointed. It such a good episode idea!  The actual book of the dead and necromancy ending up in Spongebob's hands?? This could've been Night Patty 2.0 but more insane!  How does such a good concept fall so flat?

Sometimes I feel like the crew took the complaints of the show being ""too expressive"" and tried to tone it down but didn't really try to fill the gaps with any gags or interesting story. I'm getting off topic here though.

Kamp Koral was pleasant to watch, knowing the end is right around the corner is kinda sad (patrick show supremacy!!!) The show still does feel limited because the characters are children and there's only so much you can do with them but at least they ARE characters. It's so so nice to see Squidward SMILE once in a while.

I had fun watching it, it's not like it's a masterpiece or anything but it got some laughs out of me. Plus the 2nd half of the first season has better graphics overall.

 You probably already know I love the Trawler cabin characters. @froskii teased that I only liked it for Kidferatu which isn't true. I do think it is funny that there's a child carbon copy of Nosferatu running around with no explaination but he isn't really the focus.

I think if you made a regular non-spongebob related cartoon with monster characters then I'd watch it (which I'm actually doing right now with some childhood favorite cartoons)  My favorite character amongst the Trawlers is Preda Tory, she's a sea spider and the true star amongst the Trawlers. There's actually a leaked image of her adult design for the upcoming episode Kreep Away Kamp. It's sO GOOD.

I was going to say Narlene isn't that bad in Kamp Koral, until I saw the episode "The Taste of Defeat".

THIS TITLE CARD ALONE IS FOUL I RETRACT ALL POSITIVE OPINIONS

Anyways episodes I did enjoy thus far includes 

Hats Off To Space - side quests in space

The Perfect Camper - Trawlers create some Frankenstein abomination to win the camp games for them

Scaredy Squirrel - Sandy is being racist (speciest?) towards the weird kids

Painting With Squidward - Squishwart wants to win a painting contest. Sandy invents AI art

Revelie Revolution - Squishwart beefing with the anchovies.

Camp Crossbones - Sponge and friends become pirates.

Deep Sea Despot - Squishwart establishes a dictatorship when left in charge

Lake Crashers - if demolition doofus was done right

Camp Spirit - Sponge and friends befriend a ghost <3

Boo Light Special - there has never been a bad episode with Dutchy. I don't need to elaborate further.

There's definitely more but these are what I remember off the top of my head.

So yeah, I'm highly anticipating the new episodes and I would love to hear your thoughts this too <33

[trangkhanhi]

Motherly love - Uzumaki Kushina

Don't know if anyone who has read this article has become a mother? I'm not a mother, I haven't had children yet so I don't know what motherhood is like for children. Every time I read or watched Naruto's birth, I cried because I felt sad for this family for not being able to live happily together. That fateful day Kushina went from a woman to a mother, a beautiful and sacred vocation

However, Kushina must not have expected that on the day she expected her son to be born, it was also the day that she and her husband died.

And what made me feel even more sad was to read the manga again when I saw Kushina's messages to Naruto before she left this world

As I read and watched this passage tears kept coming to my eyes, an indescribable sadness, how sad. I'm not a mother, I can't know the pain Kushina endured when she had to leave her baby and turn Naruto into a jinchuriki but I knew it definitely hurt.

But all I understood was sadness until I saw 2 videos on social media at which point I understood Kushina's feelings even though I am not a mother.

There was a girl who was pregnant but then she found out she had cancer, her family and husband were both very panicked but the girl was especially calm and only asked the doctor one question "I have cancer so is my baby affected?" and the doctor answered no. The girl replied calmly, it was okay.

Because of the cancer, she started treatment so she could prolong her life so she could deliver the baby. During her pregnancy, her treatment was painful, but she managed to overcome it for her little one, and she also prepared birthday presents for him year by year and filmed videos saying messages to her son, when her child grew up, Child could rewatch the footage.

As she neared her due date, the pain from the treatment made her unbearable, causing her to burst into sobs and tell her husband, "I don't want to die, I want to see my baby grow up healthy, I'm not comfortable leaving my baby in someone else's care," which is not what Kushina did before she died. with Naruto? That's why when Minato neutralized Edo Tensei, Naruto responded to Kushina's earlier instructions and told him not to worry about him

And the last line "Try to find someone like your mother" when I read this far, I just thought it was simply to find a strong girl like Kushina, but actually behind that sentence is very meaningful

In another story, there is an exchange program between musicians and students on the topic of songs composed by that musician. And there was a boy who asked the musician this one question Boy: I want to ask if the whole song is about a mother's love for her son, but one sentence that I really wonder about is, "There will be someone who loves you more than I love you", I want to understand what you meant when you wrote that sentence?

Musician: Haha, You think I wrote it wrong, right? Boy: I don't know who will love me more than my mother? Musician: Let me tell you, your mother is always the person who loves you the most, your mother will still love you the most in the future, your mother will always love you the most, that's what I'm sure of. But for your mother, in your mother's thoughts and in my thoughts for my son, your mother always hopes that someone will love her child more than she does. That sentence is only true in your mother's mind because your mother loves you too much and your mother knows one thing: your mother will not be able to go with you when you grow up. I also cannot go with my child when he grows up because I will get old and when I am no longer in this world, who will take care of my child?

With the two stories I told above, both of them are parents and those are the similar feelings of parents in those situations.

I finally understood that Kushina's statement was find someone like your mother, which means find someone who loves you like I love you, even loves you more than me. Kushina has become an instinctive mother who loves and protects Naruto unconditionally. Kushina knew she couldn't see Naruto grow up and become an adult, and at the same time placed the burden of becoming a jinchuriki on Naruto. Kushina understood the pain that Naruto was about to go through because she was also a Jinchuriki, she knew how lonely and sad that pain was until she met Minato and Kushina was very happy and grateful for that. So she also hopes that Naruto will also meet someone who loves him, someone who cares for him, someone who is willing to protect Naruto the way she is willing to protect her son from the Nine-Tails.

However, the person Naruto likes is not a girl but a boy. I read a sentence on a tumblr blog that I don't remember from someone who said "Except for Naruto's parents, no one in this world loves Naruto more than Sasuke." The biggest thing Kushina and Sasuke have in common is that they love Naruto unconditionally. Sasuke took care of Naruto, feeding him bentos at the cost of his ninja career. Worried about Naruto when he trained alone all night and didn't come home, and most importantly, he was willing to sacrifice his life for Naruto's smile without any regrets.Naruto and Sasuke are so happy because they found each other and shared their pain together

Sasuke is not a girl, but if she knew there was someone who loved Naruto unconditionally like that, Kushina would definitely be happy and reassured.

I read somewhere that Kishimoto had no intention of letting Naruto meet his parents again until he had a child. He knew he owed Naruto an apology and he decided to create two very emotional moments. allowing Naruto the opportunity to see his two most important relatives again.

A mother’s love will never end. It is there from beginning to end.

Hope everyone will also find the other half of your life, "soulmate" or "true love", someone who loves you unconditionally like Sasuke loves Naruto and Naruto loves Sasuke and even if you can't find that person, please always love yourself.

[chrimsonfoxdon]

Ooh question, you mentioned rewatching as an adult, and I'm curious, what kinds of things do you view differently now? I'm rereading the manga after a long time too, and the big thing I'm noticing is that I have more compassion now, especially towards characters who I didn't realize reminded me of myself and not in the best ways 😂 And especially during part 1 I found myself wondering why we don't see their parents more often (for those who still have them) and who took care of them growing up (for the others).

I have felt similar!! Ok I’m gonna maybe list stuff out on what I’ve noticed I view differently.

Very long post under the cut of me rambling (again)!

1. My Opinion on What I Consider Good Media Has Changed

Starting with this one as I feel it’s a big overarching thing that’ll dictate all my other opinions and thoughts. I’ve watched, read, and listened to A LOT of other series and media since I first started watching Naruto (also you know life experience and such), so I have a better idea of what is “good” media and what is “bad.” When I was younger, I considered Naruto to be the best of the best, but I don’t think that now (as far as anime that title now goes to FMA:B it’s very good please watch it if you haven’t oh my god). It has a lot of flaws, some endearing and others… not so much. Granted that’s any piece of media. Nothing is perfect (not even FMA:B). But despite that, I’ve also learned that it’s ok to still enjoy it!! Imo it’s not all bad, I mean, we’re still here discussing it yea?

I guess the TLDR of this part is: it’s cringe but that’s ok cuz life is short and we should enjoy the stuff we like.

2. Female Characters/Feminism

I feel like, while these are different topics, they’re very linked together in how I watch Naruto now so I’m putting them together. When I was younger, I didn’t like really any of the female cast (except Tenten). I found them “annoying,” to put it simply. Sakura always chasing after Sasuke?? Lame. Ino being obsessed with her looks?? Shallow. Hinata losing to Neji? Weak. I began to think that I didn’t like those characters because I didn’t like female characters mostly as a whole (which is kinda hilarious cuz I did start making Chihiro back then who does in fact identify as a woman LOL!!). But this negative attitude towards female characters not only leaked into how I consumed other media, but how I saw myself and other women irl. Like I distinctly remember believing that a woman could never beat a guy in anything. Which is uh… not true!! And kinda fucked up!!!

Now that I’m older I just realize that kishimoto doesn’t know how to write women all that well. Imo, it’s not the girls’ faults, it’s their creator. Which is disappointing but also freeing almost?? Plus, I can now appreciate what good they do have to offer!! (I talked a little about the konoha 12 girls and what I like about them in this ask in case you’d like details on individual characters)

I think also being exposed to other fans with differing opinions and views has helped me with this as well. When I first started watching I didn’t really go online (wasn’t a thing in Cuba plus I wasn’t really interested), so I didn’t really have other perspectives to bounce off of.

Also wanted to add that there are definitely parts of the show I laughed off before but you know, just are not acceptable nowadays. Mainly thinking of Shikamaru talking down on girls/women, Neji made a rude comment about girls too (that Tenten corrected him on tho thank you queen), and some bits that could be perceived as a little transphobic (I’m not trans tho so I don’t wanna speak for them on that bit). Its viewpoints that I feel are a product of the time, but does not make the overall series bad per se.

3. Seeing Other Children as a Child VS as an Adult

Ngl since I grew up with Naruto, I feel as if I will always see them as my peers in a sense. If anything, almost like the “older kids” in school. Like I don’t know if this is a common perception, but I remember when I was like in 2nd grade I saw 6th graders as like tiny adults, but then when I was in 6th grade I saw 2nd graders as like babies. Does that make sense?? Anyway, it’s interesting rewatching Naruto as an adult and seeing my “peers” when they were younger. I remember thinking that 12 & 13 year olds were badass and cool and practically ready for the real world (I was like 8 or 9 when I first started watching leave me alone), and being amazed at stuff like the chunin exams. Nowadays my brain just kinda goes “why are we letting these CHILDREN go to war???” It’s a similar story with like the sensei. Thinking they’re so experienced and old and… now I’m the same age as them and I’m still young!!

4. Might Gai is Cringe and I Love Him For That

The way I didn’t appreciate this man when I was a kid is a CRIME. Teaching his students (and friends) that it’s important to find joy in life is SO IMPORTANT and Gai just does an EXCELLENT job with that!! He strives to be a source of light for the people in his life, and to show others it’s important to smile and laugh from time to time. It warms my cold dead grownup heart what can I say. There’s a line in OG Naruto after Lee beats Sasuke in their fight before the chunin exams, where Naruto turns to Sasuke and Sakura as their cringing at Lee and Gai and says, “actually, it’s kinda sweet how they’re all hugging and stuff!” And that kinda summarizes my thoughts on them.

TLDR Might Gai is cringe but he is free and I love him so much for that.

5. Seeing Myself in Characters I Didn’t Before

Off the top of my head, the three characters I see myself in more so now than when I was younger is definitely Choji, Lee, and Tenten.

I was never popular growing up, especially when I moved back to the US after living in Cuba. Kids just didn’t wanna play with me or have me on their sports teams, so I was purposefully left out oftentimes, kinda like how choji was when he was younger. Rewatching that part made me cry honestly HAHA I saw myself so clearly. I’m also plus size so the beauty standards he has to deal with really speak to me. I remember Shikamaru telling him one time that girls don’t have to be skinny to be pretty and I would be lying if that didn’t give me a huge amount of confidence in myself.

Rock Lee’s story has always been top notch, but as someone who chose to specialize in a path that I didn’t really have natural talent for myself it REALLY speaks to me now. I’ll be 100% honest, I was never really one of those “been drawing since I could hold a pencil” kind of kids. I liked it, but I didn’t really consider myself any good until like 8th grade or so. Anyway, there’s this scene where Lee is crying at the training grounds cuz he’s scared that, no matter how hard he works, it’ll all be for nothing and that he’ll always be a loser, and uh… had to turn the show off cuz that struck WAAAAAAAY too close to home for me as an artist with a… let’s be real, a failing art business. Anyway, he inspires me though to keep going cuz this is what brings me joy. I may take longer than most, but that doesn’t mean I’m less of a person for it.

Tenten I’ve honestly seen a lot of myself in even when I was younger! But there’s this filler episode that goes into detail on how she tried really hard to be just like Tsunade, since that was her dream since she was little. Turns out she doesn’t have the capacity to do that (not being able to do medical ninjutsu well, etc), but she finds her own strengths along the way. What really spoke to me was letting go of your childhood dreams. It’s hard. It feels like you’re failing in a way. But Tenten was able to persevere and find a new and even better path forward for herself. And that’s just amazing. I love seeing that, and it helps me feel as if I too and maybe find my path.

6. Final Thoughts and Random Little Things

I think it’s also safe to say that I can pick up on story flaws (I’m looking at you 4th great ninja war arc) and inconsistencies (how the heck does the hyuga clan work wtf). It’s a long series and nowadays you can binge the whole thing in one sitting (I don’t recommend that please take care of yourself). Back in my day I had to wait a whole week to watch the next 26 minute episode with commercials in between. Also I was a kid. AHAHA!! But again, long series, so I’m sure Kishi forgot about certain details while he was being pushed to continue the series.

Also my views on certain things that happened in the series changed based on what I know what happens later, which I find to be quite fun!

Overall I still enjoy the series, both for similar reasons as I did back in the day (Neji) and for new reasons!! Flaws and all. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk

[blue-slxt]

Old Story

A/N: Okay, so this is just a quick little fluff blurb that I wrote. I've been obsessed with watching and rewatching Holes and the scene between Katherine and Sam always makes me feel a way. That scene inspired this for me. Hope you like it!

Pairing: Neteyam x Fem!Avatar!Reader

Warnings: None, just fluff

Word Count: 567

Summary: You sit on the beach with Neteyam recounting an old story that you love.

You and Neteyam took a walk together along the beach. It was almost time for the eclipse and it was your favorite time of day. The way the sky changed colors and the water’s surface danced with the final shining lights of the sun. It was breathtaking. You had already been with the Metkayina people for a few months now, but the view truly never grew old.

“What are you thinking about?” Neteyam prods. He did that because he knew how you could get in your own head. He was always the one to pull you out.

“Just enjoying the view.” You both stop and stare out at the horizon.

You decide to sit in the sand and let the waves brush up and over your ankles. You close your eyes and inhale the sea air, listening to the sounds of the water.

“I don’t know why, but it reminds me of a story I read once.” You explain to him.

“What story?” Neteyam always loved listening to your stories about your life before coming to Pandora. He was attentive and picked up on new English words quickly. And you enjoyed swapping stories and songs with him from your respective cultures.

“It is a very old Earth story, but there is one part that is my favorite.”

Neteyam watches you waiting for you to continue on with the story.

“And this maiden, she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me

She was a child and I was a child in this kingdom by the sea

But we loved with a love that was more than love

I and my Annabelle Lee.”

You looked out at the water as you spoke, but Neteyam’s eyes were glued to your face.

He watched as you lost yourself in the story. Your gaze drifting far away as if you were chanting a spell.

“It suits you.” He says brushing a piece of hair behind your ear. You turn to look at him, snapped out of your trance by his touch.

Oh, Eywa, Neteyam just knew he was done for. Watching the colors of the changing sky dance across your skin and the lights from the surface of the water now seemingly trapped in your eyes.

“What makes you say that?” your eyes never leave his.

“Because it is beautiful.” His hand comes up to hold your face and you lean into his touch. You close your eyes unable to look at him any longer as you feel the blush creep into your cheeks.

Neteyam was truly a beautiful boy. The kind of beauty that convinced you Eywa had to have favorites. At times, you would have to bite your knuckles to keep from screaming because of how good he looked. It was the kind of pretty that hurt.

And now here he is calling you beautiful. It was too much. Surely the butterflies would burst from your chest at any given moment.

You open your eyes to finally look at him and catch him admiring the features of your face.

You finally pull away out of his touch, “We should be heading back. It’s getting late.”

You stand to start making your way back towards the village and Neteyam stays in place for a minute watching longingly after you. He sighs to himself figuring that the time still wasn’t right, but that was okay.

‘Soon.’