#I know that probably isn't very much but I hardly ever animate much of anything.

[cubicpeebles]

ENOT HAS FINALLY BEEN HYDRAULIC PRESSED!

I am so incredibly sorry for how long this took! It was about 16 hours of actually working on it, and around four months of procrastinating... I have learned that drawing the same character almost 100 times is not very exciting!

But it is done!

Also, for the people who didn't want them to be pressed, they are okay!

(I honestly don't even know if they can feel pain...)

Different speeds under the cut!

[ghouljams]

Love horse farm Konig! Would he still be wearing his hood do you think? If not I can imagine him constantly touching and rubbing down his face when he talks to his darling while he feels exposed.

Much like Ghost he's improvising! He's got a bandana and that feels enough like his hood that he isn't self conscious. He really only wears it when he has to go into town or meet people so he isn't wearing it when he meets his darling.

Fantastic news for her because she gets to stare at him while he carries her around and tries to wrangle her horse. oh wait, I can write this hold on:

When your sweet -horrible- beautiful -horrible, horrible, you hate this damn thing- filly jumps the fence between her pasture and you neighbor's you feel like that must be the icing on the cake. Your life has fallen apart and now your horse is gone. She prances happily through your neighbor's pasture, hardly giving you a glance as you throw on your boots and jump the fence yourself.

As soon as you do she takes off, making a bee line as fast as she can towards who knows what. You're forced to chase after her, thanking God that it hasn't rained recently enough for you to get trapped in the mud. She stops a little ways ahead of you and waits before taking off again right when you get close. You're exhausted by the time you notice she's pranced her caramel ass over to the biggest damn horses you've ever seen. She's barely half their size, and absolutely thrilled to be making such large friends.

You are significantly less thrilled. Those horses look far too big and far too wary of her to be safe. You run towards her, absolutely breaking a very good rule of animal husbandry, and are unceremoniously lifted off the ground almost as quickly as you spook one of the closer giants.

Thick firm arms wrap around your waist, scooping you up and holding you high as a voice gentles the agitated horse. "Sich beruhigen," He says, transferring you to his shoulder with far more ease than you would like, "hör auf auszuflippen." You're too surprised to say anything as a large hand holds onto the back of your thighs. You stare down at the grass, it is very far away. Should you be panicking? You don't feel like you should be panicking.

"Come here little one," He mumbles, and ooh that does something to you, makes something warm settle in your chest. He rustles with something in his pocket, thumb stroking the back of your thigh like he's trying to gentle you. "That's it, nice and easy, I won't hurt you," He clicks his tongue and you know he's not talking to you but shit. Shit! Shit, fuck, this man is corralling your dumbass horse and you're thinking absolutely impure thoughts about this kind stranger.

A stranger that probably thinks you're a dumbass for running at his horses. His hand leaves your thigh and you press your hands against the deliciously firm muscles of his back to keep yourself from falling off his shoulder. A shoulder you can feel moving under you, like it doesn't even notice you're still on it. Christ.

When his hands touch you again it's to settle you back on the ground. He's careful to make sure your dress doesn't ride up in the process, even averts his eyes politely as you sort out your skirt. When you look up from your fussing he's holding out a makeshift lead with your horse on the other end of it (looking far too pleased with herself you might add). You look from his offering hand to his face, and then you are just... staring.

His eyes are so blue, and despite the nervous crease in his brow he looks at you like he can't take his eyes off you either. Strong nose, pink lips, fuck he is easy on the eye. You wonder if he knows how expressive his face is. The lovesick look he fixes you with when you hold your hand out for the lead, it makes your stomach burst with butterflies.

"Let me-" He starts, before clearing his throat and fixing his face, "Let me help you get her back, in case she breaks loose again." And yeah, you could do that.

[whatudottu]

I don't have too much context on the Aligned books, but a part of me thinks that the reason why the Decepticons in TFP are a bit more hesitant to actually accept Starscream as a leader (an official one when Megatron was found comatose rather than a temporary one while Megatron was soul searching) is because of his status of being forged and alloted as a military bot, whether it's seeker high command or what.

The Decepticons in Aligned started because Megatron was a charismatic gladiator from the pits of Kaon, speeches like poetry and ideology loud and proud. A lot of mecha see him as the face of the 'Cons (despite their symbol being clearly Soundwave's face) even if Megatron's grasp on tactics had to be learned in a fight never flight scenario that the pits put him through. When it comes to being a functional leader, Megatron barely knows anything and is leading by being essentially a figurehead though if you brought that up he'd slay you the instant you spoke, which would probably be the reason WHY Megatron insists of having Starscream be his Second in Command despite all his treachery.

The Decepticons feel that they NEED Megatron, for having anyone else be in charge would feel like hypocrisy, the closest anyone would ever get to being a leader based purely on being a model Decepticon would probably be a Vehicon which well... 1) they'd have to outclass Megatron's very impressive charisma, and 2) Vehicons don't have the best eh track record of being treated well. And seeing that Megatron NEEDS a competent Second in Command, competent enough to plan out strategies he wasn't forged (or constructed) to train in, the second element in play perhaps is the satisfaction of being of higher rank than a military bot. And I'm not pulling that shitty 'exotic bird' seeker shit in here, seekers aren't an entirely different species or worse a fucking animal species (it's a job, it's a rank, it's a role, etc), but who wouldn't feel even a remote sense of accomplishment, glee, whatever at having to fight tooth and nail to get to the very top of something and having someone that didn't have to work hard to be good under your command?

And that shit pisses of Starscream so fucking bad.

As the SiC, Starscream can preen all he likes about suggested strategies and pathways and general other management duties of an entire army (or at least to the sphere of influence the Nemesis holds), but it is Megatron with the final word. Like a rich idiot CEO flaunting their power and kicking dirt into their adviser's eyes, Megatron still has the mindset of a gladiator, has only the experience of a gladiator that Starscream gawks in horror at. To be fair, in combat (even in minor activities like fencing and mind combat like chess) you fear the amateur that knows no opening strategies for if the beginner has no strategy how can you outplay them, but that would only work up until a certain extent. Sometimes games of combat last near forever, a complicated battle between winning and losing of micromanaging fleets and squads to correctly combat the enemy, other times you make a fatal error, exposing your weak spot and cringing as the knife sinks deep.

If Starscream ever were to permanently take over the Decepticons as their leader, he would have far more foresight in planning - as evident by his competence at the beginning of TFP whereby he, the entire Nemesis, and their mining operations went undiscovered for years - and probably needle the Autobots with far less casualties between engaging and victory. However, he from his background is not representative of the Decepticons, for he came from something. Starscream did not battle his way to the top, not in the same way Megatron had to in the pits, nor did he battle his way into the Decepticons, he from memory was purposefully sought after. Hell, given his tendancies as SiC already giving Starscream a bad rep with many a 'Con, Starscream isn't as... not liked (Megatron would hardly be considered 'likeable') but... compelling, as grandiose of a leader as Megatron had built himself to perfectly appeal to an audience.

They need each other to rule, and the saddest part of TFP and it's characterisation is that statement is inherently contradictory. Neither can stand being in the same room as the other, there is a significant power imbalance between the two and frankly? Their mutual dysfunction working with one another is detrimental to the effectiveness of the Decepticon High Command.

As it is in canon, it's eh not the easiest to watch. Megatron makes the dumbest decisions and Starscream has to pull a plan out of his ass to make it better, or Starscream gets over ambitious and Megatron feels threatened and sets everything back to the status quo in the way a gladiator does.

I think that it might've been cool, interesting maybe, if the Megatron and Starscream had a more balanced dynamic. Megatron cannot have a Second in Command that doesn't know what they're doing, cannot have one that doesn't take initiative and seize the moment; Soundwave isn't a military bot, Airachnid's impulse is to run away to try again. Starscream cannot hold an audience, he cannot inspire troops with a rags to riches story he himself does not have; Vehicons have less power in their voice fresh off the assembly line, they are the people Megatron inspires.

Maybe in some universe where the Decepticons are more akin to a fucked up family, this could be... something better. idk... I just think it's interesting.

[erabundus]

would  you  like  me  to  write  down  your  wish  on  your  lantern  for  you? i ... don't have anything to wish for.

his  footsteps  crunch  against  the  damp  pebbles  that  line  the  shore.  it's  late  —  he  doesn't  know  how  late,  and  he  doesn't  care.  (  insomniac  that  he  is, it hardly matters.  )  his  phone  is  back  at  the  van,  tucked  away  somewhere  among  the  chaos  of  his  and  kazuha's  belongings.  it  might  be  a  bit  FOOLISH  of  him;  they're  isolated  in  the  mountains.  anything  could  happen. he could be attacked by a wild animal. he could lose track of where he is. dottore could manifest from the underbrush, wielding scalpels and syringes filled with dubiously legal chemicals  —  but  in the moment, none of that really matters. the streamer  just  can't  stomach  the  idea  of  other  people  right  now,  even  over  the  comparatively  impersonal  nature  of  a  text  conversation. he'll take any risk just to avoid them.

at  least  it's  a  nice  night.  the  moon  up above  and  the  moon  reflected  upon  the  surface  of  the  lake  both  gleam  like  polished  gemstones.  the  skies  are  clear  in  a  way  that  makes  his  stomach  painfully  twist  with  familiarity.  (  don't  think  about  tatarasuna.  don't  think  about  tatarasuna.  )  there  isn't  a  sound  in  the  world  beyond  the  cricket-song  and  the  gentle  lapping  of  the  water's  edge.  only  his  footsteps,  and  soft,  steady  breathing.  it's  a  kind  of  NOTHINGNESS  that's  so  very  enticing  to  just  lose  himself  in.  there's  a  part  of  him  that  dearly  wants  to.

i ... don't have anything to wish for. ( ... but that was a LIE, wasn't it? )

he swallows, but a sudden lump in his throat refuses to go away.

there's  a  wooden  dock  that  stretches  far  out  into  the  water.  ren  tries  to  push  down  those  repulsive  feelings.  there's  something  to  investigate,  and  he's  always  been  nosy  to  a  fault.  as  he  steps  closer,  the  streamer  thinks  it's  a  bit  difficult  to  make  out  much  of  the  finer  details  —  even  under  such  a  bright,  bright  sky.  if  nothing  else,  he  can  tell  it's  certainly  very  old.  the  wood  is  damp  and  coated  with  a  layer  of  either  moss  or  algae  (  perhaps  a  mixture  of  the  two  )  —  enough  to  dye  it  a  faint  shade  of  green.  it  creaks  and  trembles  when  he  tests  his  weight  on  it,  but  doesn't  collapse.  there's  a  voice  in  the  back  of  his  head  that  tells  him  it  still  probably  isn't  safe,  but  ren  ignores  it.  he doesn't care; he's feeling reckless tonight. he  takes  a  step.  then  another.  then  another.  over  and  over  until  he's  perched  precariously  at  the  end  of  the  rickety  pier  and  the  lake  stretches  out  far  before  him  like  a  glossy,  obsidian  mirror.  he  takes  a  moment  to  marvel  at  the  sight ...  yet  much  like  one  is  wont  to  do  when  faced  with  a  mirror,  his  attention  is  inevitably  drawn  to  his  own  reflection.

large  eyes.  smudged  makeup.  hair  haphazardly  combed  with  fingers.  more  parody  than  person.  he  crouches  down,  and  so  too  does  the  the  thing  in  the  lake.  ❝  i  wish  you  were  never  born.  ❞   he  tells  his  reflection  in  a  matter  of  fact  tone,  watching  as  it  mouths  the  words  right  back  to  him.  ❝  i  wish  you  didn't  take  everything  personally.  i  wish  you  knew  how  to  stop  hurting  people.  i  wish  everyone  forgot  you  ever  existed.  ❞   gradually,  his  voice  rises  in  volume  —  louder  and  louder,  until  he's  practically  shouting  at  himself.   ❝  i  wish  you  knew  how  to  have  a  family.  i  wish  you  could  just  stop  feeling  —  just  stop  feeling  anything,  you  crybaby  piece  of  shit.  i  wish  you  could  be  likable  without  putting  on  some  stupid,  shallow  act  for  validation  from  complete  strangers.  ❞   in  disgust,  he  swats  at  the  copy  in  the  water  —  scattering  droplets  like  a  thousand  bits  of  melted  glass.  chest  heaving,  ren  stares  at  the  ripples,  at  the  distorted  face  that  feels  nearly  unrecognizable.  how  childish.  this  trip,  these  feelings  —  everything,  everything.  he  even  had  the  audacity  to  drag  kazuha  into  this  mess.

when  his  reflection  reforms,  it  looks  almost  disappointed  in  him.  is that what you really want? the question sits heavy in his mind. taunting him. waiting patiently for a response.

❝  ...  ❞  no.  he  exhales  a  quiet  breath. not completely.   ❝  i  wish  they  would  be  happy.  ❞   more  drops  hit  the  water.  ren  drags  a shameful  hand  over  his  face.  ❝  ...  i  wish  niwa  could  just  be  happy.  ❞

he  sits  there  in  silence.  his  chest  feels  heavy  —  like  his  heart  has  been  replaced  with  the  stone  from  tatarasuna.  it's  only  when  his  legs  start  to  cramp  from  crouching  for  so  long  that  ren  grumbles  beneath  his  breath  and  stands,  intending  to  start  the  tedious  walk  back  to  the  van.

... only for the rotten wood to snap beneath him.

it all  happens  very  quickly after that.  pain  EXPLODES  in  the  back  of  his  skull,  harsh  and  disorienting.  ren  plunges  into  the  water  like  a  stone  —  and  it  feels  like  ICE,  at  least  compared  to  the  warm  summer  air. it's dark.  everything  is  dark,  beyond  the  moon  and  stars  that  shimmer  through  the  ripples  above.  he  can  vaguely  feel  himself  sinking.  he  can  vaguely  make  out  the  shape  of  his  own  hands  —  fingers  outstretched,  as  if  reaching  for  a  lifeline  that  will  never  come.  the  clear  white  of  the  moon  is  tinted  a  faint  red,  and  it  takes  him  a  moment  to  realize  it's  his  own  blood.  headwound.  the  severity  is  hard  to  gauge;  his  entire  body  is  going  numb  from  the  cold  and  all  he  can  register  is  a  distant  ache.

this  is  bad.  probably.  the  bubbles  that  escape  his  lips  look  like  spheres  of  fragile  glass.  is  this  bad?  if  he  wanted  to  DISAPPEAR,  this  seems  like  one  way  to  do  it.  but  as  he  sinks  further  into  the  freezing  depths,  ren  can't  help  but  wonder.  what  will  become  of  kazuha?  will  he  think  he  abandoned  him?  will  he  go  searching  for  him?  what  of  everyone  else?  farrow,  taiyang  and  anhe  —  they  looked  after  him  for  so  many  years, even when he was at his worst.  it's  a  kindness  he  still  hasn't  managed  to  repay.  they  are  his  family,  more  than  anyone  he  happens  to  share  blood  with.  what  would  they  think  if  he  vanished  without  a  trace?

niwa  just  woke  up.  niwa  just  came  back.  the  two  of  them  are  all  that's  left.  he  can't ...  leave  him  ALONE  like  this.

ren snaps out of it.

he  flails.  clumsy  and  graceless,  he  flails  —  reaching  frantically  for  that  too-bright  moon  through  the  water.  his  lungs  are  burning  and  his  limbs  feel  heavy.  yet  against  all  odds  (  and  the  dizziness  pounding  in  his  skull  )  ren  manages  to  surface.  he  clings  to  the  old  dock  with  all  his  might,  coughing  and  sputtering,  dragging  himself  on  top  of  the  rotten  wood.  it  shudders,  but  miraculously  doesn't  collapse  any  further  beneath  his  weight.  alive.  alive.  alive.  the  streamer's  breaths  come  ragged,  and  for  a  moment,  he  can  only  lay  there. his eyes sting.  blood  or  water  trickles  down  his  temple;  it  all  feels  the  same.

he needs to get his shit together, he thinks.

he needs to ...

...

[arttrampbelle]

there are a few things that i wanna talk about shang tsung in the mk legends animated film series.

The pros:

At first i didn't care for artt butlers shang tsung. As i am firmly convinced that no one can ever top cary hiroyuki tagawa. (Sorry not sorry that man IS SHANG TSUNG,thru n thru. Time and time again he shows up as shang i will drop everything. Fr! ) but for a VA,and comparison to shang's other voices. His isn't bad. It need to be a bit more...low and suave. But he has that "hiss" to his voice. That villain charm. Its not the best. Buuuuut its the closest we've got to an alternative for shang's voice.

His old man design is PEAK! omfg i can't gush enough how badass it looks. Young shang is ok. I never was a fan of "racoon death metal look" for shang tsung. But that's a personal preference. But his character design in the first 2 animated films is amazing.

His sass and swag is still good.

The first half of him fighting liu kang was good. The rest....well. I'll talk more about that in the cons.

His fight with Stryker was epic. Sorry stryker fans. I enjoyed his ass getting fatality'd too much. That fatality is a Klassic ok? Besides that the only time we really see shang fight fight. Ugh which is a pro and a con.

His banter with raiden is funny

Him besting quan chi at snek shit i live for. But i hate how quan chi is there too early in the story and upfrontly at that. Never liked that type of storytelling. Look quan chi is a cool villain,dont get me wrong. But i hate how people put him above shang or below him. When they both are two bad bitches and just go about the "sorcery" differently. Quan chi is a demon. He is gonna demon. And shang well he's just a curse mortal. But shang has more knowledge in soul magic,and can get more milage out of it than quan chi. Quan chi while a very powerful necromancer,is limited to the bounds of the netherrealm. And can be easily beaten if he isn't careful. However i hate it when NRS tries to replace him and do this back and forth shit. Like shang tsung is THE OG. quan chi was a Saturday morning cartoon replacement. FR LOOK IT UP! his debut was that old defenders of the realm mk cartoon. Which btw is a guilty pleasure of mine. But like i wont sugarcoat it,quan chi sucks in anything that isn't exposition character,or a character that is more for a stepping stone for a bigger threat. He does better in behind the scenes. Story wise and character wise. Look he's cool he just will never be as cool as shang tsung. Never will have that swag. He is the copycat of the "copycat"... see what i did there....cuz....shang tsung....shapeshifts....ok I'll stop now

Ok now for the cons...oh boy:

Shang tsung ok,look i love him. But he is WEEEEEEAK in the animated film series. Like good lord. We only get one or two fights in the whole two ass first films. I dont count the snowblind because face it....it sucks beyond them putting two hardly used characters. Which also in turn sucks because these unused characters we haven't seen in a bit. Are cool af. And it sucks they have to be in a film which in all honesty is unnecessary af.

The pacing is too sloppy and fast.

Shang tsung is for some unholy reason a simp for shao kahn?! Hello do the writers even know who shang tsung is?! Shang tsung would sell shao kahn out for one cornchip. FR! Like shang tsung isnt some lapdog. He may pretend. But he aint. We never saw him one bit be sneaky towards shao kahn. It's just disappointing af that these people are one step forward two steps back with characters.

Hardly any time for fatalities. Like get rid of that x ray shit. That is only good for games. Putting it in animated movies distracts us from the actual action and fighting and dialogue and storytelling. Which is probably why it sucks. Because they used it as filler for a sloppy script.

I wanted to see shang tsung soul suck. Fr. Like i mean actually take an opponent and succ souls. We didn't get that hardly. For a guy known for that. He hardly is shown doing it when it calls for it.

We again don't see a good fight. As i mentioned above,liu kangs fight was disappointing af! Not just for shang tsung,but for liu kang as well! It was so anime gokufied its not even funny. Piss poor dbz lvl of writing. Wattpad has better fight scenes written. Ao3 has better writing. Hell some fans do a better job at putting some people at the edge of their seats. How come "professional" film writers can't even make one fight scene good? Makes it make sense.

On top of that shit,liu kang only used his bicycle kick once. Wtaf. Thats a signature move and he uses it quite often. (At least players do. Lol) and shang tsung should have gotten at least one bootkick. I love shang tsung,but damn nothing?! Ugh

That fight was good in the first half. But it ended as quickly as it started and was honestly lukewarm. And is an absolute disrespect to both characters capabilities. Shang should have gave liu a bit more of a challenge. And liu should have came out swinging last minute. But barely makes it out alive. Just to show the audience....HOW FUCKED THINGS ARE IN MORTAL KOMBAT!

Therefore....when liu fights shao kahn.....ITS SERIOUS! dun dun dun. Lol. But fr tho. Actually show the stakes are high. Dont let your protag win easy. Make it actually fucking hard. And make it bittersweet af when they "win". Because this is mortal fucking kombat baby. Not some cutesy fucking bland ass cheesy overrated boring popcorn flick comicbook movies *cough*. There is no happiness here,only bittersweet Victories.

I kinda hate how cramped the films feel. Like i said too fast paced. Like they are trying to cram 30+ years of games in 2 or 3 movies and that isn't feasible because there is too much lore. Confusing af lore. So in order to make it better. It would have been better as a series instead of films or movies. Like an animated series. Even a mini series would work better. More time to actually flesh things out.

Unless you like scorpion,raiden and maybe shang tsung,you wont like scorpions revenge. And if you like raiden battle of the realms will rip out your heart like a one eyed aussie. Speaking of which If your a kenshi fan,sure snowblind is cool. But if you like me and dont give a damn about kenshi,like i dont hate the guy i just dont find him interesting enough to have his own damn movie. When there is so many other characters that deserve their own movie. And shang tsung they fo so dirty in that movie its criminal. Like it legit should be illegal to nerf your OG big bad. Like that was trash. And Kano shouldn't be more important than he needs to be. Like i love the man but no. He is better as a steet level villain with some braincells enough to lead a mercenary faction of cutthroats. Like the guy rules the underground,that's how it should stay. Nothing bigger,nothing less. Like kano isn't supposed to be a wish brand shao kahn. Ok?! Kano is kano. And is supposed to be that bastard who stays in the streets,ya know.

Ok im done venting for now. But yeah. The animated films are decent. But they still are lackluster and are a far cry from what we mk fans,and especially OG fans. Deserve.

[thatvampireblog]

Since we're talking about Humphrey and Sophie again, I thought I'd put my two cents in. Very long analysis under the cut.

First of all, "Arranged Marriage" in the Tudor period was a very different thing. You see, as much as marriage was meant to be a contract, it was also meant to breed a relationship one could stand to be in for the rest of one's life. The couple's friends and family would provide them with a selection of suitors to choose from based upon who they thought could really provide for their friend/loved one, on both a financial and emotional level. If the couple didn't get along, they didn't marry. End of.

Second of all, average marrying age was not that young. The youngest it tended to skew (except in the case of nobles, but even then, those were EXCEPTIONS and definitely not under the same time constraints consummation wise) was 14-16 for girls and 16-18 for guys. Long term betrothals were a different beast entirely, but since Humphrey specifies that his marriage was arranged, I will skip that.

Which brings us to my ultimate play by play of how two literal children, even by the time period's standards, who barely even liked each other, ended up married for what seems to be over 20 years, maybe even closer to 30.

It all comes down to one thing:

Money.

Sophie's family had to be in a bit of a bind to have to consider marrying her off at 12 years old. I imagine the poor girl was probably terrified, and even more so once she started meeting actual suitors. Her options were to marry up or become destitute and be shunned by her family, which is such a huge burden on a literal child. Half of these noble suitors had to be approaching their 20s. Men she can hardly understand, but that she does understand do not have her personal best interest in mind. And then there's Humphrey. He's not as wealthy as some of the others, but he's close to her in age, and he's always polite to her, and he's respectful of her hesitations and her poor english. So while she doesn't want to marry, and she doesn't want to leave France and her whole family behind, she picks him.

And Humphrey goes along with it because he doesn't particularly want to marry either, but his family is really keen on it, and he knows that this girl needs him.

And they both try, but Sophie can't ever get over the trauma of leaving France behind, and Humphrey becomes a walking reminder of that. He's a nice cage. A friendly captor, who wants so badly to make things better for her. But she is a caged animal nonetheless. And Humphrey simply...doesn't know what to do. He knows that he could easily end their marriage on several grounds of breech of contract, but he also knows that if he does that, he'll be making his wife of so many years a pauper, and he can't do that to her. Not after all he knows she's already been through.

So they end up stuck like that. Walking in miserable circles until the day Sophie becomes a wealthy widow.

And honestly? That is why I'm OBSESSED with Humphrey's sacrifice for her. Like, let's be clear, he doesn't love her. At least, not in any grand romantic way. He's not secretly pining after a wife that will never love him back. He just feels so much guilt regarding marrying her. He feels so responsible for being part of a trauma that surely would've happened to her either way, that he spends their whole marriage trying to make it up to her, because he does care for her. If he didn't, he'd have moved on ages ago. But in this one moment, when he is feeling so much hurt and betrayal, when he could easily turn her in and be free of her forever, once again, he chooses her life. Her happiness. He chooses to make the last effort that he can for her. "This isn't the life you signed up for. Go have another!"

And Sophie knows all of this. She doesn't love him any more than he loves her, but knows how hard he tries. She sees his efforts, and while she won't so much as speak to him in a language he understands, God forbid anyone say anything negative about him in her presence. "He is a good husband."

She knows this, and yet still, she is so moved by what he does. She knew she fucked up. She knew that she could have easily just left him behind and been free of him. But the first thing she does is try to take him with her. Because for all her bitterness and resentment, she also cares about him. She never expected him to give himself up for her. And honestly, I think she probably thinks about that, and that one kiss on the cheek- the last she'll ever give him- for the rest of her life

[masterjedilenawrites]

DM request from @veronicapuff: "Hound...I know there is hardly anything known about him, but I would love to see your take on him like you did with Thorn, if that's ok?...Can I request something with both of them considering their love life/relationship? What ever comes to your mind (how are they when in love, what kind of partner do they want/need... It can also be nsfw if you're up for it).

I'm going to do some general Hound HCs to help me get a feel for his character, and then romance HCs for Hound and Thorn are at the end! (Maybe we'll do some NSFW later)

Hound - General Headcanons:

Freaking loves protein shakes. Has canisters of protein powder under his bunk with different flavors.

Has a luscious sternum bush. Just a hairy guy in general.

Good with animals, but allergic. His helmet has an added filtration system to curb the worst of his symptoms. Still has to take medicine as well.

Old school, not the best with technology. Texts with one finger. Half his holo-calls end up on mute and he can't figure out why.

Wants to build his own house some day. A self-sustaining ranch with a garden and solar panels and a moisture recycler.

And he wants to have lots of kids. At least 4. Maybe even adopt. He likes the idea of a found family.

Knows a lot of clones from other units.

Laughs easily.

Great drinking buddy. He's just very relaxed and knows how to have a good time without things getting crazy or weird.

But usually ends the night going home with someone else...

Hound - Relationship Headcanons:

Would be faithful once in a relationship, but he isn't ready to settle down with a steady partner while he's still a soldier.

Obviously the thought of dying isn't great, but thinking of leaving someone alone if he died is even worse.

So he just can't bring himself to be serious with someone yet. Even a recon scout on Coruscant has its risks. No way is he doing that to someone.

And if he fell for someone anyway, he'd be miserable. He'd go back and forth on what to do. Confess his feelings or push them away? Throw caution to the wind or stick to his bachelor plan? He can't decide on either and it frustrates him.

If his crush liked him back and wanted to start a relationship, they'd need to be patient while they convinced him it'd be a good idea. That they'd make it work. That if something did happen, they'd be okay. That he doesn't need to worry, just be happy.

Eventually he would listen, but he'd secretly still be worried.

He'd check in with them all the time, just to let them know he's okay.

He'd get in the habit of saying "See you later" whenever they part, hoping if he said it, it would be true. They'd always see each other again.

He'd probably be most attracted to someone as easy-going as him. A fellow animal lover. Someone with a gorgeous smile. And a cute butt.

Thorn - Relationship Headcanons

As I put in my previous HCs for him, Thorn is slow to fall in love, but very loyal and committed once he does.

He 100% keeps the relationship a secret, even from his brothers. Not only does he not want to get caught for breaking the rules, but he also likes having this one thing for himself.

Not shy in expressing himself around his significant other. And if he doesn't understand their feelings, he will ask them to share.

Doesn't communicate much while he's on the job, but as soon as he's home, he loves settling down on the couch to snuggle and catch up.

Won't let them go until he absolutely has to leave again.

Unclear what he would be attracted to, since he doesn't even know until it happens. Doesn't have a type.

As long as they were trustworthy and honest, maybe more on the even-tempered side, but also able to be passionate about things that truly matter.

And has a cute butt.

Hound and Thorn are ass-guys through and through.

Clone Tag List: @damerondala, @marvel-starwars-nerd, @dangerousstrawberrypie, @pandora-the-halfling, @misogirl828, @darkangel4121, @sobstea, @rintheemolion, @dionysuskid21, @jesseeka, @hanbedumbaf, @fallingforthem, @harleyevanstan, @imabeautifulbutterfly, @justanothersadperson93, @thatmultifandomdumbass, @sarahtanmarvel, @itsagrimm, @call-me-a-fool, @lackofhonor, @error6gendernotfound, @theclonesdeservebetter, @hannahhearttcw, @salaminus, @Techie-bear

(Join my tag list here)

[desultory-novice]

What are your thoughts on Nightmare including his role in the anime?

You caught me, you tricky Anon. I haven't watched the anime (-still- haven't watched the anime) but I'll happily gab about Nightmare based on what I know anyway!

Actually, let's start off with talking about anime Nightmare, specifically since I haven't seen it yet...!

First off, I think there's some seriously amazing pun work going on there with the name! Bravo, bravo! Especially in the dub! "eNeMeE," pronounced "Enemy" and standing for "Nightmare Enterprises?" It's so darn clever!! Maybe even more clever than "Holy NightMare Co." (Though that one has a nice ~devious~ vibe to it, combining "Holy Night" and "Nightmare." Nice villain feels there!)

That said, I gather Nightmare was a bit of a disappointment in the anime? Something about him just disappearing for a large chunk of the show? Being too easy to defeat? Or that he doesn't really ever do anything except vaguely try to kill Kirby by selling Dedede silly monsters of the week? Honestly, that's a huge shame they don't go beyond that stale formula, because I think making him the big bad was really pretty cool!

And I think the idea I occasionally see pop up in fanfic, where he remains the big bad after the show ends and sends later Kirby game villains through his transmitter as demon beasts (?) is cute. Even if I've never read any of them -- well, except for THIS comic (Dess's Marx Bias) which is awesome! ...But has little to do with Nightmare...

Finally, I keep thinking that "Customer Service" is Nightmare in disguise, because of the face. But I guess they're separate people? (And Customer Service is really short too? That pic showing off his full body still throws me off every time I see it. It's like some weird photoshop!!)

....Sorry, my thoughts on Anime!Nightmare are pretty basic...

Switching gears more towards Game!Nightmare, I definitely like the idea of him being this great evil that has plagued Dream Land for some time! Mentioned this once or twice elsewhere, but the "Dream" = "Nightmare" parallels (why I like to put him in combination with a Noddy!Marx so much) strike me as REALLY GOOD STUFF.

...A lot of people seem to look down on Nightmare for being an early Kirby boss with a VERY silly design that just isn't scary. Plus, him having hardly any lore, and zero speaking lines in game. He doesn't even have a pause screen to explain his entire backstory! He's just "Nightmare Jumpscare!!!" and that's it!

But see, I kind of love him for that?? Because he's not explained, Nightmare has this lingering sense of primordial EVIL attached to him. (Whether or not he's like, "evil" evil is up for debate, I suppose.) Anyway, I like Nightmare very much as an Elemental Incarnation. Something that can never truly be destroyed.

.......Although I also like Nightmare as maybe an ancient sorcerer who once upon a time sought too much power and messed with the wrong forces and everything spiraled out of control after that? Like Magolor if Kirby hadn't been there. Or Hyness without the religious focus. Speaking of, what if it came out at some point that Nightmare was one of the Ancients?! Probably not going to happen (Dess continues to create nega-Kirby lore) but wouldn't that be WILD?! 

So, like, this is a teeny tiny tidbit of lore I had to scrape out of the JP wiki for the sake of a plot point in my fancomic (oops, still working on finishing Chapter 1 and now I'm casually spoiling stuff that I mean to hold onto till Chapter 6!!) but there's a line in Nightmare's JP trophy description that calls him "...an evil soul BORN FROM the Fountain of Dreams!" Meaning he wasn't an invader from beyond but something that emerged from the Fountain?!

Maybe he was sealed away in there after some magic accident! Or his soul placed in there as a punishment?! Maybe, in this weird Nightmare-as-an-Ancient theory we're running with now, he was the one who originally designed the Fountain of Dreams you see on all the planets, and a bit of his essence remains buried within each one!! (You see, Dess will never complain when there's not -enough- answers to Kirby lore questions, because it allows me to imagine all sorts of strange and interesting possibilities instead!)

While Nightmare Wizard's design is a bit......hmmmmmmmmmmm looking...I think his power orb form is just SO COOL. There's that joke about Kirby having biblically accurate angels (Miracle Matter) but Nightmare's Orb has that same, strange otherworld look to it....

You see, I drew the  pic above for my "Marx is a Noddy" essay, trying to convey my feelings on what I thought it would be like to see Nightmare for the first time, and I feel bad that I am not a very good artist because the visual I wanted was Marx waking up to see...

:cue Orson Welles voice:

...a mass of warping, twisting, and pulsating stars, their light alternating between too dim and far too bright in some kind of sickening pattern, all of them trapped in an undulating void of darkness without a center, without an end, as if the entire night sky had been sucked up suddenly from its resting place above, squeezed into a cramped little ball and turned inside out, the caged stars all screaming, begging to be set free...

...Ahaha, sorry-not-sorry for the dip into Cosmic Horror there. Anyway, long story short, that is what I would have WANTED to draw Nightmare to be like.

Weird old man with purple skin, a comically long chin, and ridiculous shades aside, I do love Nightmare as some early Kirby chthonian entity! I mean, King Dedede took one look at this thing and decided it was better to break one of Popstar's most important relics than let it run free. And even when Nightmare was sealed in the Star Rod-less Fountain of Dreams, he was STILL able to spread Nightmares to all of Dream Land!

It makes you wonder, just what the heck could Nightmare have done if he were allowed to roam free? (Maybe cause however many millennia of war and strife that killed hundreds of other star warriors like the anime implied? ...Maybe. Again, I'm just going off of my vague memories of what I've read.)

Long story short, I have a lot of respect for Nightmare as a last boss. Also, for an NES boss, he looks AMAZING. Great use of colors and limited NES effects.

...Hot take? He's better looking (done better) on the NES than he is in NiDL.

---

...Wait! Wait! Last minute edit!

Just found the Hidden Kirby Secrets (Settei) pic on r/Kirby - the one that says Kirby is 20 cm tall, and at the very end, it says Nightmare's "power orb" form is him in egg form? So he...hatches...? From the Dream Fountain?

I'm confused, but intrigued! (And once again, I'm completely off base with Kirby lore. Although this looks rather old, so who knows how much they stick to nowadays? Like the 20 cm thing doesn't hold a lot of water in FL.)

Unrelated to Nightmare, but this is the same document that says anything Kirby defeats or inhales just comes back to life (like the weeds in summer.)

Aha! So I WASN'T imagining it!

...

Wait...did I not include that part in my mini-"Fighting Marx" retrospective? Well, I meant to...

[sparkleapple]

Eurovision 2022 Song Opinions

Albania - I'm pleasantly surprised w their choice this year and it's something I've been wanting for a long time. I've know that Albanians know how to make a good party song and Sekret does not fail to deliver. I'm rooting hard for this and I can sense that it will be one of Albania's best result in a long time.

Armenia - It sounds like a hipster song from the early-mid 2010s that you'd hear in an ad.

Australia - They don't even belong here, but it's very Eurovision and he has a nice voice I guess

Austria - Definitely sounds like a radio friendly hit you'd see in Spinnin' Records. It's probably going to be a flop, but I'm just happy they're not sending another boring jury bait song.

Azerbaijan - So I've waited so long for them to release this song just to hear this snorefest? You've got to be kiddin me. Also do Azeri people feel so badly about their song writing/producing abilities that they have to depend on Sweden (or some western european country) every fuckin time? The chorus is pretty though.

Belgium - Is this the year of changing things? Because Belgium isn't giving us some mid tempo songs and an R&B one instead (which you hardly ever see in ESC). I absolutely love his voice and energy and this sounds like something straight out of Atlanta. I'm worried about his fate though...

Bulgaria - Wow. I expect great things from Bulgaria, but this is a huge disappointment and outdated as hell.

Croatia - Forgettable Taylor Swift demo

Cyprus - Sounds more Greek than anything Greece has sent these recent years. Woodland fairy vibes.

Czech Republic - Generic

Denmark - I love seeing a female rock song, but this sounds dated and is bound to be lost in the semifinals

Estonia - For the love of god, can Europe stop imitating country music?! Why would you want to mimic the US in a place like this? That said, I do like this song actually and at least it's not the Netherlands doing it.

Finland - The lack of rock entries this year is disappointing, and this one is the best one, but that's not saying much. The song's alright. However I love the Gorillaz like animation and, this did introduce me to the Rasmus, which lead me to "In the Shadows", which is a great song, so thank you for that.

France - LOVE! I'm a sucker for an ethnic techno track and the mysterious aura and Brenton makes me love it even more. Will certainly stand out. This is my personal winner. Well done France.

Germany - Forgettable Travis McCoy demo

Greece - Sure it's well produced and will certainly be in the top 10, but it feels very safe and not Greek at all. Gives off more Nordic vibes. If she was a Norweigan representative I'd like this song more. I'm just tired of Greece sending half Greek girls that aren't from Greece...

Iceland - When I first heard it, I thought it was boring, but now I enjoy it. It's pretty and sounds like a warm hug while camping in an Icelandic forest.

Ireland - I usually expect Ireland to send dull songs, but it was a pleasant surprise to hear this bop.

Israel - Fun and very Euroivision. Is it safe to call Israel the king of ESC gay performers?

Italy - I'm not a fan of returning performers bc I like seeing new faces and at first I was annoyed to see Mahmood return (this time with a little friend though). When I actually heard the song, I realized I was a clown. This song is great and it's very different from what he sent last time. If Italy doesn't end up with a high placement this year, no hosting country will.

Latvia - So they're not sending an electronic song. A joke entry I see. Very memeable. I miss the good old days when esc entries did stuff like this.

Lithuania - I thought it was going to hard to have a song almost as good as the Roop last year, but they ate this year too. I can't get enough. Smooth, unique, and mysterious with a touch of 20s/30s sounds. If this doesn't make to the finals, I'll riot.

Malta - I take back what I said about this bing the year of changing things up. Wtf is this hot mess? Out of Sight, while boring was still pleasant. Although with Malta's desperate attempt to be low odds, they replaced that song with something much worse. A corny ass Melofest reject that nobody's going to care for. If they place last in the semifinal, they deserve it. Also I'm tired of them only having girls.

Moldova - A simple, fun, ethnic song that's very eurovision.

Montenegro - I was looking forward for their return, especially since they haven't had a solo female singer in such a long time, but this song is pretty boring and the lyrics are cringey af. So much for making a comeback.

Netherlands - When I saw images of S10, I thought we were going to get a pop song, but instead we get a sad girl song in Dutch, which is even better. I don't like her voice, but I do like this song.

North Macedonia - I know it likely won't make it to the final, but I love it anyway and I can't stop listening to it. It also feels a bit nostalgic.

Norway - For a gimmicky entry with lyrics that don't make sense, it's a banger. It's even got a dance to go with it. Definitely something that'll motivate me to go hard on the treadmill. Another one of my faves.

Poland - Considering how had they've been flopping, I was surprised to see that they ate this year. Easy qualifier. I'd say it's the best of the sad boi ballads.

Portugal - Ooh I like this one. Seems very earthy and touching for someone who lost a loved one. If we forget about last year, Portugal has been serving as quality lately.

Romania - When I think of Romanian music, this is what comes to mind. Good ole' summer dance songs that we heard more in late 2000s- early 2010s. As a fan of Inna and Akcent, this is something up my alley.

San Marino - I heard this guy is popular in Italy so I was surprised to see someone like him represent this tiny country. What was even more surprising was to see them have a rock song and not some disco song.

Serbia - As a fellow weird person with a monotone and obsession with hygiene, I appreciate it. I can see it being a future iconic entry with its catchiness and gimmick on hand washing.

Slovenia - It's a shame this song is overlooked. It's a great example of a modern retro song (with a cute music video to boot). These kids have a mature taste.

Spain - Okay, y'all only like this basic ass song because of the choreography. That doesn't change the fact that the song is mediocre. Also the lyrics are cringey and I'm sick of women objectifying themselves. I'm not looking forward to seeing Chanel and her backup dancer's cheeks.

Sweden - I've tried to see what makes this song so high in the odds, but I still don't see it. Her voice is nice, but this sounds like something in the A Star is Born soundtrack, which I don't care for. But hey, at least they're not boring us with another generic male pop song.

Switzerland - I was disappointed considering how well they've been doing lately after so many years, they've sent us this Toy Story song. Don't get me wrong, he has a great voice and I really love the message of the song, but the delivery could have been better.

Ukraine - I prefer the Alina's song, but this one is great too. Fun, ethnic, and lighthearted with the iconic flute guy. I know for sure this will do well, but I'm afraid a lot of its points will be sympathy points and making it win would be cruel seeing that Ukraine can't afford to be the host country both location and financial wise.

UK - From the looks of it, this looks like it won't be a flop and possibly in the top 10. I wouldn't get my expectations to high though. The staging could be a hot ass mess and end up in the bottom once again.

[stargazer-sims]

Journal Entry #1

Victor

Hi! My name's Victor Nelson. Welcome to my online journal!

Since this is the first entry, it might be good to start by telling you something about myself, right? Let's see...

I’m 25 years old, my birthday is the second of December, and my favourite colours are blue and red.. I like food, naps, and taking way too many selfies which I shamelessly post on Simstagram. Some people say I'm hyper and that I'm over the top, but I like to think of myself as energetic, enthusiastic and adventurous.

I love sports, and particularly winter sports like snowboarding, skiing and skating. Especially snowboarding! Fortunately for me, I currently live in Mt. Komorebi, Japan, where I can snowboard all year long on the mountain, Yukimatsu. I'm really good at snowboarding, even if I say so myself. In fact, I do it competitively, and I've won medals. My friends say I'm a showoff, but I say if you've got a talent, why hide it?

Another thing I love is travelling. So far, I haven't visited very many places, but moving from my hometown, Willow Creek, all the way to Mt. Komorebi was so exciting that now I've decided I want to travel the world! I think I was bitten by the travel bug the minute I stepped off the plane and into a brand new environment that I’d never seen before.

Oh, you want to know why I came to Japan in the first place? Okay, I'm more than willing to tell you all about it.

This adorable boy right here is my partner and best friend, Yuri Okamoto. Yes, I took this picture, and yes, it's terrible. Photography isn't my greatest talent, probably because I spend too much time doing sports and not enough time practicing with my camera. Maybe I can improve it during my world travels, though.

Yuri and I met online, and there was an instant connection between us. It was instant from my perspective, at least. I guess you’ll have to ask Yuri if he fell for me at first sight like I fell for him.

I hardly ever do anything slowly or halfway, which basically explains why I’m here. Yuri and I wanted to be together in person, so I made up my mind to visit, and I may have forgotten to get a return ticket. I may also have given up the lease on my flat in Willow Creek, and sold my car. You get the idea. But, it’s been absolutely fantastic, being here with him. Mt. Komorebi is stunning, and have I mentioned the year-round snowboarding? Year-round snowboarding! But, anyway…

Yuri’s glad that I decided to move here too, although he was kind of shocked at first that it wasn't just a visit after all. Yuri is more circumspect than me, which is a good thing because we balance each other. I can be a little impulsive sometimes, so having a best friend who’s more cautious helps keep me from getting into too much trouble.

Okay, so maybe 'best friend’ isn't entirely accurate. I mean, we're definitely best friends, and we're partners like I said, but I think it's more complicated than that. I love him with every fiber of my being, but we're not lovers exactly. Soulmates? I think that's it.

Our friends tease us a lot about our names and the fact that we're so close. Apparently, we resemble the main characters from an animated series that's very popular here in Mt. Komorebi. I've never seen it, personally. I usually can't sit still long enough for television. Yuri says we look a bit like those characters too, and I'm fine with taking his word for it, but I can assure you that we are our own unique, individual selves and any resemblance to some fictional TV characters is purely coincidental.

Okay! Now, on to the reason why I've decided to make this journal. Even though I'd be perfectly happy to go on for ages about my adorable Yuri, the real reason I'm doing this is to chronicle my travels. Check this out!

My next voyage is going to be to Sulani. As much as I love winter and the cool, fresh air of Mt. Komorebi, the idea of visiting a tropical paradise where it never snows truly fascinates me. I won't get to do any snowboarding while I'm there, but I'll bet there’ll be lots of awesome water sports I can try. I've been looking at travel books about the island, and I've heard all the legends about the merpeople of Sulani. Maybe I'll get to meet a merperson, if I'm lucky.

The only thing that worries me about going to a place where it never snows is what the weather might get up to in lieu of snowing. Thunderstorms. I can't stand them. Camping on the beach is going to be amazing, but I'm not sure what I'll do if there are any thunderstorms, especially if Yuri isn't around to console me. He's really good at that.

Maybe I can convince him to come along.

Anyway, I guess I'll figure everything out when the time comes. I know I have to do some planning, but I don't like to organize my life too much. I like spontaneity. Yuri says I'm impetuous, but I prefer 'carefree'.

Whatever happens, I'll be sure to keep this updated so all of you can follow along with me on my adventures. See you soon!

[mochuelovelli]

GAAAAHHH OKAY

Let's talk about the Timephoon Episodes

This is such an old topic of discourse but after reading many fanfics, videos, and some posts on the subject I have found little divergent takes on the whole subject.

While commentators are of the mind that, for the most part, the punishment and execution of said punishment for Louie's actions were partially if not fully justified but how she went about it was wrong.

Some fanfic writers and some subsects of the fandom but they are much more critical and often in a more black and white interpretation. Which is valid for vent art. However, I find both these portrayals to be lacking in some nuance.

Specifically when it it comes to who's to blame for the next 3 episodes, and to me, its more than just Della (and Louie but there really isn't much discourse here).

Let's start with Timephoon:

This pretty much solidifies their relationship throughout the episode[Also sorry for no captions]. Multiple times Della is shown to have a very laissez faire style of parenting as she primarily wants her kids to enjoy being kids and having fun. This is probably in part to her personality in general - which is probably what Beakley assumes here - however it is also her want to be loved by her children and even more critically, she doesn't ever want them to suffer like she did. Above all else, she wants them to be happy and feel confident in themselves. We see this in all the previous episode with her and her kids - From Dewey and reassuring him that he doesn't need to prove himself to her [notably in this episode she only shows concern when Dewey himself is in danger, she doesn't give a shit when he almost kills her] to Huey and helping him to have the most fun he possibly can, to even Webby and making sure that she also feels confident in herself regardless in how she goes about things.

Bringing up all these adventures does raise some pretty damning hypocrisy. Della encourage Dewey's reckless behavior in his episode. The lesson at the end wasn't, okay maybe we shouldn't be going on dangerous adventures, it was its okay to be afraid and you don't need to prove to me that you're great I already know you are. Huey's message was similar, albeit more low stakes. Webby's lesson wasn't even that she shouldn't be trying to take such risks to find adventure in the future, it was just a lesson in not being disappointed when things don't work the way you want.

So why wasn't Louie's adventure treated the same? Well... let's look at some more examples of Beakley V Della this episode before we answer that -

This is right before the kids find Bubba, Beakley's reaction is what most people would consider to be parental as she is concerned for the safety of the kids running out in a hurricane. Again we see Della acting casual.

Once Bubba is inside and Huey geeks out about him, Beakley actually smiles bc she knows that something like this means a lot to Huey [keep this in mind for l8r]. She only gets serious after Della says it's neat without much after thought so she gives the lesson of the episode - "Small problems become big problems later if not prevented early."

Next we have Della's faux attempt at being strict with her kids. Letting the irresponsible thing happen as long as they are "safe". While also harkening back to her previous episodes where she also is shown to have this attitude that "the kids can do anything as long as they are safe with ME or Scrooge or another SAFE adult", it is also good to note SCROOGE'S expression here to her patting herself on the back for her parenting. Now he could just be confused as to why Della is taking this "lesson" as a win, but he could be noticing that she really doesn't know what she is doing but unlike Beakley doesn't make any attempts to correct this.

Another scene that people often forget when reviewing this episode, just like with all her other kids she at first takes LOUIE'S side and decides they should just roll with the punches like always. Which honestly is sort if valid because that's kinda Scrooge's whole MO; though he also had others to there to keep him afloat but we all know someone like Scrooge, Della, and the kids hardly see that. I also want to hammer home that, just like with the other boys, she doesn't shy away from displaying that she loves them ALL. A few seconds later, it's subtle but she is shown smiling and patting Louie on the head because like the other kids she just wants him to feel supported. If I was to be critical, I would say this is possibly because she likes the IDEA of her boys more than them but I mean - this is pretty much everyone's attitude towards kids. It might be amplified bc of her trauma but it's not unusual. But even still I would argue that she mainly does love the boys for who they are as she is excited to get to know them.

After Della figures that they are looking for a "master thief", Scrooge and Beakley immediately know it's one of the kids. Shocking her since she later states she is of the belief that her kids are too "good" to do something like this. I also want to bring attention, again, to Beakley smiling (ik im putting a lot of stock into expressions but animation tends to do stuff like this for a reason). She is smiling at whom she expects is Dewey for messing with time and space. Bc even if she planned to scold him, she knows it's just their normal. Scrooge seems to also be of the same mind. Later Beakley gives a really good line about "Even good kids can do dumb things. We got to make sure those dumb things don't turn into bad things like destroying all of existence!".

Mrs. B exists stage right

All jokes aside, this must have been a nightmare for all of them but especially Della. She had just finally admitted that she was out of her depth and made another mistake in parenting. But now it seems like she lost her chance to rectify that. Because for all she knows, Mrs. B will never come back. This is import-ALLRIGHTWEGETIT

Della is then shown explicitly worried about her family. Emotions, insecurities and fear obviously getting the best of her. We don't know exactly what she is thinking but we know she is terrified of the possibility of losing one of her kids. When she asks about Louie, she probably thinks he must have disappeared without her knowing. That she might have already failed more than she could know, because she wasn't there to protect him. She doesn't know - she is "Della Duck" and she doesn't know how to fix this. She didn't expect everything to go so horribly wrong, but that's her theme isn't it?

She is both relieved and understandably PISSED when finding that Louie was responsible for almost destroying the fabric of reality (let me say this again, nearly destroying the fabric of reality). She goes scold both herself and her son about the danger he put them in. Later we see Della, the last one leave and seeing almost everyone she loves vanish. We don't know how long each of the characters who left were in the past but we can assume it was long enough to have to change clothes. Yeah this was probably more of a visual gag but like, the other past characters didn't change their outfits when they came to the present so - (also Launchpad was specific about knowing how the world ends so he had to be there enough for him to understand it). Side note someones gotta write fanfic of these characters time misadventures. I wonder if Dewey and Webby ran into Agent 22.

[Last picture of the infamous scene, side note did anyone notice Launchpad NODDING his head when Della mentioned his time schemes could've cost them their future? He's the only one who knows what happened so maybe Louie's misadventure has more impact than we think-]

Anyways, yeah we know what was said here. But I think it's important to see the reaction the other adults (sorry LP, and Gryo i GUESS) have here BC this is basically why I made this post. What Della decided to do was unquestionably the wrong decision, at least her way of going about it and I will not absolve her of her many MANY mistakes. However, let's remember she wasn't alone in any of this. She was with other parental figures who KNOW more about her kids than she does.

After Louie leaves, why did they think it was good to encourage this course of action? Why did they think giving full parental control to a PTSD, trauma survivor who barely got back less than a month ago was a good idea? Sure it's one thing to not want to overstep your boundaries but are you telling me they wouldn't want to guide her in the right direction at least? We KNOW both Beakley AND Scrooge have their grievences towards Della's parenting strategy or lack there of. Beakley so far doing the most to try and put her in the right direction (which speaks volumes to the problems Scrooge has).

So why wouldn't they explain that, hey, maybe taking away the one thing your kid thinks he is good at ISNT a great idea? Why didn't either say anything about their two day vacation? Something that came up presumingly on a whim and might of prevented (although i doubt it) Louie from trying to steal w/ time? He might have considered pushing back time schemes at least 3 days later. While Mrs. Beakley might be less aware of Louie's insecurities and ambitions, Scrooge definitely isn't. He should have talked to her, and hey we don't see what happens before they leave so maybe MAYBE they did. But again, I doubt it. Seeing as how they all agreed with her at the end, I don't see them trying to meddle with her.

But they should've. They are both experienced guardians and they have nothing to say to her? Plus Donald (goddamn it i almost finished a post w/o him) have THEM responsibility to take care of the kids NOT Della. So they are obligated to help her. Really, the other option other than just well negligence would be not thinking this punishment was a big deal. I wish this aspect was also scrutinized just as much as Della and Louies role in this arc.

Beakley and Scrooge (more so Scrooge) are just as much to blame in what happens as Della if not MORE since they know of her situation in only a way that an experience adult can. There is no excuse for their negligence.

[daikenkki]

MrDonald09: Since Series 22, what new change has annoyed you the MOST??

tttedrawings: Fantasy sequences and the intro/life lessons outro, they just make the episodes shorter, and most of the time aren't really needed at all.

MrDonald09: Ah yes unfortunately you can only have 4 options on Twitter polls, I’m sure the list would be huge if you could have more.

MasonDey1: To me the whole concept of the Steam Team is just pointless.

MrDonald09: Yeah it limits the characters that are used most of the time.

PSideplates: I voted for bouncing since it's closest to the general "kids show" tone that BWBA takes on. It really is like watching a show you put on for your 3 year old so you can leave the room in peace. It hurts to watch. If we were getting the Brenner era where the engines bounced, had ugly details, went worldwide, and got Nia and Rebecca, I'd be miffed but accept it. But BWBA just claims to be TTTE and acts like a generic preschool show. And I don't wanna be in a position where I'm an adult watching a preschool show.

MrDonald09: Agreed. I feel proud to be a fan when I watch classic era and Brenner era, but if it was like BWBA throughout the whole show I can tell you I would not be supporting it now.

TCKRangeltoon: I blame Chuggington.

PSideplates: I don't. Chuggington ended before they came up with BWBA. If anything, Chuggington made the market for train toys/shows competitive which forced HiT to make good Thomas products, well toys anyway.

ronniethe14xx: Honestly, disagree with the point it's the most general kids show tone. Travelling seems to be the new hip and cool thing to do in kids shows, I'd argue that makes it slightly worse then the bouncing because it's clear Thomas only jumped on that trend to be "hip".

JovanniChavez11: Faster pace and Thomas losing his identity. I don’t mind Thomas going on a trip but that wasn’t the way to handle it.

MrDonald09: Yes. IMO it should have stopped after the BWBA special, I think it should have only been a special.

Bostonthomasfan: Don’t really mind the bouncing but it can be over done at times. For around the world? I wish there were more episodes on Sodor and less around the world. Like 18-8 would be good.

MikeArc31375512: The bouncing. Loathe it with a passion.

ThomasTVNostal1: The thing I hate is constant arguing over opinions.Some people have been told to fuck themselves for disliking an episode of BWBA that the majority of the fandom likes and vice versa. This is unacceptable. As a fandom, we're a team and we help each other out.

ChillerB3: The forced feminism with Nia, Rebecca and the newer Steam Team really rubbed me the wrong way, more than hyper bouncing and worldwide shit did.

MrDonald09: Same, especially how the majority of the audience really doesn’t care about that, having more females, great! but don’t mess with many people’s childhood to make SJWs and toxic feminists happy cuz I guarantee you the people who wanted this change probably don’t even like the show.

ryanburges4472: I didn't read properly and the real thing since Series 22 that has annoyed me the most is the bouncing. I've been more bothered about the steam team without Henry (Just Henry). I'm happy with Edward sleeping at Wellsworth.

MrDonald09: Yeah, I completely agree honestly i’m not mad that Edward isn’t in the Steam Team anymore. It's Henry that annoys me the most.

ryanburges4472: I know! Gordon and James sleeping at Tidmouth without Henry. Edward is best at Wellsworth because he has a branch line which stars from Wellsworth.

CoolCar161: Henry and Edward stopped appearing as much anyway. They haven’t been good characters since series 4, even in the Brenner era they had little to no appearances due to writer's block. Rivets is a nice little detail that makes them seem more real, Thomas always wanted to see the world and the bouncing is hardly that bad.

TheBlueE21: Thomas' world tour. It's so inconsistent. Doesn't tie into the movie that hyped it up, never explains why or for how long Thomas is in each country, 1 ep he's in China, then Brazil etc then Sodor eps act as though he never left due to always being there. Plus most sets aren't great.

halfbakedhex8: For the record, I voted the 'rivets' option because the inclusion of the new detailing runs so counter to what the show is now, that trying to inflict reality onto the now-very-unreal engines feels very confused as to what the show is trying to achieve.

BluebellThEngin: The "bouncing" doesn't bother me much at first, but as time went on, it starts to get a little out of control and it kinda bugs me. I don't have a problem with the added details like the rivets, but they do look a little too big. Shrink them in size and they'll be okay. I'm mixed on Thomas travelling around the world if I'm being honest. The new Steam Team is what bugs me the most out of all of these options. I never liked it to begin with (minus my child self). It makes the other characters look useless. What I love about the Classic Series is we got lots of stories about almost each and every single one of them it makes the series interesting. But with the Steam Team, not only does it focus on the main characters so much, but it also brings them out of character. Especially if it's for the sake of the plots.

fan_ttte: The New Steam Team with Nia and Rebecca is what I don’t like most. I don’t mind the bouncing or rivets, Thomas going worldwide is okay. I don't know, I just feel like it would’ve been better if Nia and Rebecca did join, but also keep the others, for some interesting interactions and episodes.

islandofodor: If Thomas hadn’t gone worldwide, we’d probably still be in the Brenner era. Granted, it’d still be a slight step down but the international episodes barely take advantage of the different setting and opt to use generic plotlines that we’ve already seen on Sodor.

thesaddletank18: Bouncing, rivets and worldwide idea are bad but the new Steam Team is just....why was this done to the show?

Jacob34335638: I liked the new details, I’m mixed on the New Steam Team, and Thomas travelling the world. But the bouncing is what pisses me off the most, it literally makes the show look like Chuggington. The bouncing was at it’s worst in Journey Beyond Sodor and Thomas’ Magical Birthday Wishes.

TWR_Douglas_10: ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!!!!!

DFox1203: Is everything an option?

TheWinnerGuyCJP: Voted worldwide cuz it makes Thomas completely out of character.

SoupyGunzilla: I think a lot of the stories suffer from the shorter time. A lot of them could be better if they had more time.

kofi_milky: The bouncing, more sing alongs, replacing Edward and Henry with Nia and Rebecca. Even Thomas going worldwide. When the Rev. W. Awdry said "Here is your friend Thomas the Tank Engine. He wanted to come out of his station yard and see the world", the world that's he meant is Sodor.

sodordaily: Choosing New Steam Team because I miss the old SO MUCH!

peter_sam_no4: I think for me the bouncing as it’s so unrealistic . A 1 ton lump of metal can not swing all over the place like it has no weight.

Growlithemaste1: I hate the bouncing the most, but the rest are all useless too.

sixteen_dnw: Worst is the New Steam Team, then worldwide, then rivets, and then bouncing. TBH it doesn’t bother me too much.

BearsFlush: It annoys me that Thomas travels the world, as they remove chapters that might be focus on Sodor, and the locations and some engines are not represented correctly on the railroad.

VacentTest: I’m fine with the New Steam Team changing Edward and Henry out for Nia and Rebecca, I’ve always supported it in the beginning because increased feminism is good. Thomas going worldwide, that didn’t annoy me cause I was interested in that, the rivets is minor and nothing to worry about. But the bouncing, annoyed me the most at first but I’m used to it.

SnatchyBoi: The bouncing and the New Steam Team.

GWREngine: The New Steam Team is the most annoying change. It feels like Mattel doesn't care how special Edward, Henry, and Toby are. Plus we don't need to have more than 1 female main character. Emily being the only girl used to make her special. With Nia and Rebecca around, she isn't special anymore.

TurnTable2002: Chris Renshaw's music really annoys me.

MichaelfromNZ1: Bouncing, worldwide and New Steam Team. They represent how far Thomas has fallen since Mattel fully took over.

ArmchairRailway: New Steam Team.

TI4MGP: This is probably the hardest time I’ve had deciding on one of your polls lol. I went with the Steam Team though, but bouncing comes in a REALLY REALLY close second. The other two are less but equal with each other.

jack_bench: TBH, I'm fine with all of them? But I chose bouncing because the rivets are neat, world-tour - while it makes no sense - has a valuable goal (and is kinda fun), and the Steam Team really needed more female representation which we got with two positive role models in Nia and Rebecca. Bouncing is unnecessary, but not horrendous.

Holycro1Michael: Everything!

JosefSnowBall: Rivets was something I actually liked seeing on some engines. Bouncing is something I’m OK with, it’s kind of grown on me. New Steam Team sucks because it gets rid of the 2 best engines, Edward and Henry, and Thomas worldwide sounded like a bad idea to begin with.

TheThomasFan: Probably Thomas going worldwide . The animation is shit and it’s all just recoloured.

TheUnluckyTug: The new Steam Team. I think I'd be a little more accepting of BWBA if Edward and Henry weren't so transparently and obviously thrown to the side and treated as if they don't exist. It was like the biggest "fuck you" to fans ever.

MrDonald09: Yeah, not to mention Nia and Rebecca have such generic personalities they can barely hold a unique episode nowadays. I can understand Edward staying at Wellsworth but they did Henry DIRTY by slapping him at Vicarstown so he can focus on his Mainland duties yet not do any episode focused on this new job.

SteamEn83954980: Ok so ignoring Emily, it was a perfect 1-7 number of characters and now it's just 1, 18, 22, 4, 5, 6 and 12. Like I know it's minor but that fact gets under my skin.

DBlue02: I voted for the bouncing, but yeah, I kinda have to agree with Simon Martin’s opinion on the Steam Team concept, it’s long since overstayed its welcome. I’d prefer a nice balance of the main and side characters getting their share of the spotlight, like in the classic seasons.

TFan512: What if Edward, Henry, Nia and Rebecca were all part of the main cast.

[anthrat]

The Akatsuki members as high-school students

Has this been done before? Probably! Do I care? No, because these are my terrible headcanons and nobody can take them from me.

A/N: This has been in my drafts for a long time, probably since early February. I’ve been lacking motivation to do anything at all for months and lo and behold, I find this basically finished piece bar one character. I really, really want to start writing again but I’m struggling to think of ideas, so if you have any requests for future headcanons/one shots/etc feel free to slide me a message or something :)

He's definitely the generic super intelligent kid who gets straight A's in pretty much every subject. All of his notes are really well organised, he keeps bullet journals and everything is colour coded - mans notes are literal art. His handwriting is definitely beautiful, we're talking professional calligrapher here.

All of his equipment is immaculate, he cries if one of his books gets a crease or something on it somehow. If you accidentally nudge him or ruin his notes he will silently hold a grudge against you forever - he probably won't act on his grudge though, he just wants to blend in and he dislikes conflict in general.

Despite being fully aware of his intelligence he hardly ever speaks up in classes. He only really speaks when spoken to and so is renown as the token quiet kid. I also envision him as being super pretentious, although he doesn't show it he definitely thinks he's better than everyone else.

His favourite subject would be English because he enjoys analysing anything and everything. If you're friends with him he will make comments on how random pieces of media etc. are a representation of -insert important world issue or theory.- He'd also like art despite it being the only subject he's not very good at. All his art is abstract, he will draw a pink square and claim it represents a patriarchal society.

Doesn't have many friends because he isn't very talkative, spends most of his time at school alone doing schoolwork. Sees school purely as an educational setting and so doesn't see the point in making an attempt to be social.

All of his school equipment looks like it's been mauled by 300 dogs because its all second/third/fourth+ hand. Man would never pay full price for a textbook. He definitely steals all the faculty equipment too. You could fill an entire room with the amount of stationary this man has but he will NEVER lend it to anyone else. If he does lend you something it's because its either A) broken B) barely functional (so like pens which can write 2 letters before running out) or C) you're giving him something better in return/paying for it (even then he'll probably take whatever he lent you back without you realising)

He also definitely runs mini-shops in school where he'll sell stolen equipment and things like sweets/chewing gum/trendy items (he made bank when fidget spinners were a thing) for like triple what they're actually worth.

His favourite subject is definitely history (He's a crusty dusty old man so of course) but he will never admit this. He takes business and economics but hates them, he's already done all of his own research into the subjects and is only doing them to get the qualification. Definitely complains about how he already knows it all already and it's a waste of time for him to learn it again. His only conversation topic is him talking about how he's going to set up his own business as soon as he leaves school.

Is very intelligent but only gets average grades in most subjects because he refuses to try if he dislikes the subject or sees it as a waste of time.

Watched DeathNote once and now thinks he's an actual real life version of Light Yagame. Carries around his own DeathNote and threatens to write people's name in it.

Convinced that he's been bestowed with supernatural powers, whenever he speaks he does lots of flashy hand gestures, - think generic cool-dude protagonist poses - these change depending on what piece of media he's currently obsessed with. His personality also changes alongside the poses.

Basically what I'm trying to say is he's the over-saturated 'weird anime kid' with a touch of superiority complex. Although, he's super confident and has absolutely 0 shame in this fact.

Bless his little heart, he loves writing but is the definition of 'uses complicated words without knowing what they mean'. He's still decently smart though. His grades would probably be pretty average because he struggles to apply himself properly. His favourite subject would definitely be something like sociology where he can freely express his profound ideas, even if some of them are completely god awful. He'd also enjoy any subject which gives him creative freedom such as art or English.

Cannot see this lad as anything but a jock. He loves sports, lives and breathes them. He's probably a member of practically every single sports team and is surviving on the basis he has a sports scholarship of some kind.

Despite him being a jock he'd be the most approachable out of all the Akatsuki members. He's the kind of guy who no matter who you are he'd always be happy to crack jokes and talk with you. He definitely brings in way too much food, he's that dude who brings a whole mini banquet to school every day for no discernible reason. He's always happy to share though, he's definitely the kind of guy who if he saw someone sat by themselves at lunch he'd sit with them and offer them food.

His grades would be a little on the lower side because most of his free time is taken up with all his sports, however, he'd still work hard at his academics regardless. If anything this man is probably the most dedicated, he would hate the fact that he's falling behind all his classmates but at the same time would rather die than give up any of his extracurricular activities.

He'd be fairly popular because of his naturally easygoing and humorous nature, but people would rarely ever invite him to events as they'd just assume he was busy.

Konan is an absolute babe, the kindest and most caring person in the whole school. Forgotten your lunch? She'll buy you some or give you her own. Didn't do your homework? Bitch will give you hers to copy, if it's an essay or something she'll sit with you and help you write it. Looking a little upset? Konan's right there to try and cheer you up even if you aren't friends.

Despite how wonderful and 100/10 a person she is she probably won't have many close friends. She'll get used a lot by others who take advantage of her good nature. She's smart enough to know what they're doing but she doesn't care, she's happy to be of help to anyone even if they don't appreciate it.

She's a bit of a teachers pet though, she's on super good terms with every teacher in the school even if she doesn't take the subjects they teach. Most of her breaks/lunches would be taken up by her helping with display boards or whatever.

Her favourite subject would be geography, she'd really enjoy learning about different cultures and societies. I can see her just really enjoying learning about how rivers are formed and stuff like that as well. Her least favourite would be something like math which is only fact based, she enjoys being able to look at things from different perspectives.

Also bitch would bake all the time, literally every lesson she'd whip out a box of cakes/cookies/anything else she'd baked the night before to share with the whole class.

Carries knives around with him because he thinks they make him look cool. He can and will whip one out at any given opportunity so he can flex a knife trick on you. His knife tricks suck though, he always drops them or cuts himself, if you try and walk away he'll beg you to stay claiming that fortieth time's the charm or something.

He never shows up to lessons, he doesn't even know what one is. If you ever ask him what subjects he takes he'll look at you blankly and ask what you mean. If he ever is in a lesson it's because he was dragged there by a member of staff. Honestly, the few lessons he's actually present for are so chaotic teachers find themselves praying he doesn't show up. Being as he never willingly shows up he'll never know what subject it is, and he'll ask insanely bizarre questions un-ironically because he gives no fucks and has no idea what is happening. For example, you'll be learning about arteries in biology and he'll ask something like "What ingredients do we need?" because he'll have confused arteries with artichoke and think he's in a home economics lesson.

Despite being the weird knife kid he's pretty popular, he's so completely brain dead and unaware of his surroundings that its impossible not to get along with him. He doesn't have the critical thought to bully anyone and so even if he tries to be horrible it always comes off as though he's just trying to be funny.

Oh dear oh lord what can I say about Zetsu? Zetsu is an absolute shit show of a student. Black Zetsu I can see as being very academic focussed, with their favourite subjects being religion, politics and some form of economics. I imagine they’d be very active within school politics/religious scenes, probably the head of some sort of group for both.

Black Zetsu would also be interested in applying for positions such as Head of Year, Class Representative and anything similar. They’re a big control freak and as a result have basically 0 friends. People would find them overbearing and awful to be around. They’re the incredibly opinionated kid who dismisses anything which they don’t personally agree with.

White Zetsu on the over hand, hoo boy. Class clown obviously. The living bane of Black Zetsu. If Black Zetsu wants class representative then you know people will vote for white Zetsu instead because he’s infinitely more popular. He’s incredibly weird but in such an innocent and goofy way they’d have a large group of friends. They wouldn’t be popular per say, but they’d be friends with practically everyone.

Their favourite subject would probably be biology because sex jokes, but I also think they’d enjoy English because uhh… Sex jokes. I just can’t see White Zetsu taking school even slightly seriously.

He basically lives in the art department. If you walk near him he will tag along and start talking to you about art, it doesn’t matter who you are you will be forced to listen to his speech.

Incredibly confident and has no issue starting a conversation with anyone. He's definitely the type of person who every time you see him he'd be with a completely different group of people, whether they want him there or not.

Despite his weird constant art rants he'd be the life and soul of the party. He's always fun to be around purely because of how much energy he has. He'd be the kid who makes everyone laugh completely on accident, although people would probably be laughing more at him than with him.

He'd probably get invited to lots of places by other kids just so he could be the butt of every joke. He wouldn't mind though, he'd brush it off and probably enjoy the attention he gets from it.

Most of his friends would end up being people who know nothing about art though, all the students who participated in any artistic subjects would stay far away in fear of him starting another argument about art.

If the art class ever does clay his has to be put in the kiln separately because it always blows up. He also has a habit of 'accidentally' damaging other people's art if he dislikes it. Eventually he would mellow out and start appreciating other forms.

Nobody knows who he is, people will have sat next to him for years and won't even know his name. The amount of times his name is called in the register and people will pipe up with "who's that?" or "didn't he move to another school?" is genuinely concerning. He doesn't care though, he'd rather go through school completely unnoticed.

Excels at all subjects (besides sports, he's never showed up to a PE lesson because of 'health reasons') despite putting very little effort into academics. His favourite subjects would be biology and math. He'd absolutely hate art as a subject, preferring to do art in his free time rather than make it into a chore at school. He'd have been put in Deidara's class at least once and it would have completely ruined all enjoyment of art as a subject for him. He'd also hate any subjects which prompt discussion such as English or sociology, he doesn't have any opinions on them and he doesn't care to listen to anyone else's.

Honestly, dude is the definition of a background character at school. He just simply does not exist, and I have mad respect for him. On the off chance anyone even tried to speak to him he'd probably completely ignore them, the only communication he has at school is through emails with teachers. He has 0 interest in making friends when they have nothing in common with him.

Another character sort of hard to pinpoint. He’d probably be somewhat similar to White Zetsu, but not quite as popular. He’d be a right teachers pet, with few friends his own age. He’d probably spend spend all his breaks and lunches with teachers in their classrooms, offering to help them with display boards etc.

Despite being a teachers pet he wouldn’t be academic whatsoever. He’d always try his best but bless him, he’s terrible at every subject and ends up constantly making a fool of himself. He’s definitely the sort to raise his hand to make a really great point, but his really great point is basically repeating the lesson objective. When studying of mice of men he definitely asked “what’s the name of Curly’s wife’s husband?”

His favourite subject, regardless of his ineptitude would be drama. He’d always be the most melodramatic and over the top in every character he played, not really caring what other people thought of him. In fact, that’s probably his best feature. Despite his lack of popularity he’d always unapologetically be himself, his goofy and over the top self.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

If we’re thinking more about Obito, I’d like to imagine for the sake of this headcanon Tobi is what he’s like during lower school years and then suddenly one summer he comes back and he’s completely matured into this foreign character unrecognisable to nobody.

He’d become incredibly serious, forgoing the role of energetic teachers pet to a much more muted one. He’d still be just as terrible at all his lessons, and still spend most of his time around teachers rather than others his age but he’d no longer have that fun spark. He’d probably start caring greatly about what people thought of him so his latter years would be trying to stay under the radar completely.