#dead fandom paradox

[wengenn]

Being in a really dead/really specific/really unpopular fandom that has really FEW fan creations is so frustrating but at the same time so encouraging, it's like

you'll have seen every tumblr posts 4 times, read every existing fanfiction, liked every fanart, searched more on every websites, even the worst ones (r34), and obviously found nothing,

but

you'll be so inspired by the few you found and so eager to have more that you'll want to CREATE the content you're searching for, trying to resuscitate the fandom in every way that you can because you want it to LIVE even though you'll be alone to enjoy it

and that, my friends, is what I call the Dead Fandom Paradox.

[wurmholz]

Because it's a thing that pops up multiple times and I'm pedantic.

White Wolf publishing doesn't exist anymore and hasn't for a good while. V5 is made by Paradox.

For context: In 2006 White Wolf publishing has been merged with CCP. WW would handle traditional publishing while CCP would deal with some mmo stuff they wanted to do.

At one point in 2011 a shit ton of employees were laid off and the creative director then went off to create onyx path publishing which published White Wolf stuff on CCP's (and now Paradox) behalf.

In 2014 more staff was laid off and the mmo was canceled. Then Paradox bought White Wolf. Since 2018 White Wolf has been restructured directly into Paradox and hence doesn't exist.

Update: As off 2025 'World of darkness' rebrands to 'White Wolf' and handles its licensing and publishing for transmedia properties.

[sounds-nostalgic]

hello to all night owls! I finally finished this drawing. actually.. more than a week has been spent here, despite the fact that the date is 7th from the sketch on the left.

I was on vacation with my relatives from June 27 to July 5. On the 6th we returned home, so.. at the evening i decided to draw dutch. (before all this i played cube escape: paradox, so... maybe this sketch looks strange)

yep. and it's also based on a roleplay with my bestie. (sry, if it looks not so good, I've just finished it) (ok, at the time of post it will be ± 15 minutes, but whatever)

now i can go to the bed, yeeah, I'm pleased

[prpfz]

Hi all!

21+ looking for 21+ for some rps for the below fandoms -

Strangers From Hell

All Of Us Are Dead

A Killer Paradox

Squid Game

I’m looking for cc x cc, however I could maybe be swayed into cc x oc, that is a slim maybe. I really enjoy rare pairs! Would like dead dove topics included with nsfw. Looking for mostly mxm pairings! I only rp on discord! 🌝 like this post and ill message you!! ❤️

Leave a like, and anon will get back to you!

[jaylienpotter]

Imagine if Remus didn't believe Sirius committed the murder in the slightest so he went back in time to fix things. But why save Sirius when he could save everyone?

Remus who goes back in time to his last years at hogwarts and tries to change things so that his best friends don't die. So that no one dies.

And if it failed, well, Remus died inside already anyways.

[distracted-and-diffused]

Charles is a ghost and is no longer living, and the story we've seen focuses on some of his roughest moments, when he’s angry and sad and troubled for some very good reasons. So it seems like it ought to feel paradoxical that the things I think of most when I think of what Jayden Revri uniquely brings to the role of Charles Rowland are his vitality and his joy.

And yet to me those qualities help define Charles.

This show’s Charles Rowland is the kind of character who, when he finds what’s good, grabs on with both hands and doesn’t let go. (“You’re stuck with me,” indeed.) He loves who and what he loves with exuberance — may we all find someone who misses us as much as Charles misses spaghetti.

And Charles loves Edwin, and his (after)life with Edwin, with a tenacity and a joy that leaves an impact. It’s so amazingly clear that he loves being a Dead Boy Detective with his best mate that when the story shows us yet again that he chooses this over a chance at heaven — that he does it before and he’ll do it again — it’s a confirmation rather than a revelation.

We knew before the opening credits first rolled, and we are shown it again and again, in ways both big and small. Each reiteration is a reminder that even through turmoil and change, that remains constant: that it’s something that Charles will fight for every time.

How lucky are we as a fandom, not only to have the benefit of Jayden Revri’s performance as Charles in Dead Boy Detectives, but to find that Jayden himself loves this character and this show with that same kind of joy and tenacity? And because of that, through that, he has inspired so many fans to employ our own tenacity and our own joy in our endeavors and in advocating for our goals.

[kippipies]

What are your favorite tomarry fics?

hahaha oh boy, what a question. i feel like there's so much talent in this fandom that i could just sit here and list fics for hours and I wouldn't even be scratching the surface of everything amazing out there. But I'll just try and list some of my faves off the top of my head....

What He Grows to Be and And the Living Will Envy the Dead by Severus_Divides_into_H

Of Your Making and When the Phoenix Cries by Purplewitch156

Mind Magic and Blood Magic by Snickerdoodlepop

Dead Leaves on a Wet October Day by trello

Hauntingly and No Glory by ObsidianPen

draw me after you (let us run) and love is touching souls (surely you touched mine) by ToAStranger

Of Kings, of Pawns, and of Men by Mads999

Too old to be this young by Nadia_castillo

Lover's Spit by Amelinda, k3u

Tender Reigns Our Night by noumena

Eat Your Heart Out by evaleon70

My Name is Tom by VanillaGhost

Literally everything by Mosiva lol, but my personal favorite is The Way to a Man's Heart

Also everything by Ailora hahaha, but my personal favorite is Inventing Paradoxes

[mimimigan]

I think it's really interesting that as a fandom for DP&W (specifically in fanfic) that we collectively decided that OG Wolverine is currently dead when Worst Wolvie comes to the universe when that's just.. wrong. (It's not y'all's fault the timeline makes no sense in that movie though)

Logan takes place in 2029 while DP&W is set in 2024. Paradox himself even says 'Logan's death sent ripples down the timeline' and DP definitely uses one of their iPad thingies to travel through time to get to Logan's bones.

I mean it's certainly more convienient (and would actually make more sense) that OG Logan would be dead. But I really wish there were more fics that explored other options.

Because Option A.) OG Wolverine is still alive, meets Worst Wolvie and DP and is utterly confused and borderline disgusted that his alternative self and Deadpool are fucking dating. I just think it would be hilarious to see him react to DP and Worst Wolvie's relationship. It would also be funny And angsty to see Worst Wolvie react to OG Wolvie. I think it would make him feel so much worse about what happened in his universe (This Wolverine is a hero, why couldn't he be?). I could also see a lot of jealousy happening because Wade obviously hero worships his Universe's Wolverine, and maybe Worst Wolvie thinks he's just a replacement or a substitute for the Wolverine Wade can't have but actually wants (although this is definitely not true).

Option B.) Would be having Worst Wolverine *replace* the current Wolverine. This doesn't make a lot of sense with in universe rules but here me out. OG Wolvie disappears when Worst Wolvie enters their timeline. The X-Men beg Worst Wolverine to become an X-Men, to rejoin their team since it's technically his fault they're missing their Wolverine. But Worst Wolvie would struggle so much with that, would probably refuse and want to stay with Wade. He would probably be scared to rejoin them, terrified of repeating history and not being able to protect them again. He would also feel so guilty saying no, though, because clearly this Universe's Wolverine was a hero, someone everyone looked up to and needed, and Worst Wolvie views himself as a failure, a monster. He can't live up to that AND his precense got rid of their Wolverine. It would be so angsty and just *mwah*.

I want to write some fics with these concepts but I just wanted to put this out here because I really want to hear what other's thoughts are or maybe encourage people to write some fics of their own based on this because I would love to read them! Or if anyone does have any fics where OG Wolverine isn't dead post DP&W please link me them so I can read them!

[relaxxattack]

The most crucial factor in Rose's character, in my understanding, is that she thinks herself much more mature than she truly is. She uses this both for egoboosting & self-degradation.

yes, you’ve hit the bullseye. the thesis of all my posts is this.

however, paradoxically, she’s also putting up a front in this way— although she thinks of herself as mature she’s also constantly trying to convince herself of that. pretending she’s special and unique and smart for her poser tumblr girl behavior.

it’s the same as dave trying to convince himself that he’s cool.

rose knows deep down that she isn’t quite as mature as she says she is, and to compensate for this she decides to get all wise about lampshading it, like “oh you think my cartoon fandoms are ridiculous? well i do too. in fact i made an entire theory video about how the squiddles are secretly dead children who are trapped in purgatory. all ironically of course. oh you think wizards are stupid? don’t worry i do too, so i jokingly wrote an insanely complex wizard porn fic that is so dense it’s unreadable, to mock the idea.”

rose lalonde falls back on irony more than dave does. she’s counting on the people she’s talking to to think that she’s just hilarious for doing this, and that way they won’t notice that in actuality she just… really fucking likes a kid’s cartoon.

rose is a bundle of little fronts. she KNOWS she’s way less mature than she acts, so she has to sidestep that by joking about it, by being like “haha aren’t these things i like stupid?”, and then once she’s done that she thinks she’s incredibly smart and mature again.

she’s relieved that at least she now looks way smarter than those people who naively like a children’s cartoon GENUINELY.

basically, she’s like those recent marvel movies that are so cynical and ungenuine that they joke constantly about their own premises thinking that makes them immune to audience criticism.

because hey, knowing you have a problem means it can’t really be real or affect you, right?

knowing you’re immature means that you are, in fact, mature enough to recognize that, and SUPER self aware.

probably.

[akaeyamain]

I’m so deep in the Khaenri’ah trenches right now, I’ve started seeing Dainsleif in my sleep.

The fandom is sleeping on the NATLAN ARCHON QUEST LORE BOMBS, and I’m here to SCREAM ABOUT IT.

Let’s recap:

• Capitano, our favorite 6’2" walking tragedy, was literally a sentient corpse whose heart acted like a teapot stuffed with dead Khaenri’ahn/Natlan souls. Iconic.

• Clothar is our equally iconic weird uncle who had a kid with a mondstadian baddie and spent his life figuring out how to cure his son...and also dies. Like- actually dies.

• Meanwhile, Capitano had to trigger a whole ass paradox before the shade of death, just to give the souls he carried, rest. (and even then, when Thrain told her "if you don't agree, then let me be the sacrifice and die then" the Ruler of Death was like ‘LOL no, <3’ ).

BUT HERE’S THE PLOT HOLE THAT KEEPS ME AWAKE:

HOW DID CLOTHAR ALBERICH JUST… DIE?!

This man was cursed with immortality like Dainsleif/Pierro, yet we found his BONES UNDER MUSHROOMS like some forgotten side quest.

Meanwhile, Capitano had to orchestrate a dimensional paradox just to maybe rest. WHAT GIVES?!

POSSIBLE ANSWERS (RANKED BY COPIUM LEVELS):

• The Alberichs hacked the curse ( Trough alchemy? Sheer spite?).

• Clothar stuck the loom of fate so far up where the sun doesn't shine, it rewinded his existence until when he wasn't born WHO SAID THAT???

BOTTOM LINE: Clothar’s death isn’t just a plothole—it’s proof the Alberichs are built different. And Kaeya? OH DONT GET ME STARTED ABOUT KAEYA!!!

[fivelasanctum]

I blame the snippets from the Commission handbook I found online but I am shipping the young man form of Founderfive + Lila together. Love her with her canon beloved in any form. A bit of a crackship but still intriguing in the scope of fanon and the fanfiction realm. Does offer many compelling storyline developments if he had survived past season three. Or a trace of himself lingered in the timelines given he created the time Commission and most likely the subway system as a possible contingency plan. Five assumed he was 100 years old given that is a normal human lifespan and he passed away in his 'can'. In the excerpt he mentioned he no long remembered his name. Yet he was still quite lucid to talk to his other self to not save the world. Not suffering from dementia at all. Been established that time was nothing when at the commission. Why we can't truly gauge lila's age given she worked for them as well. Five was suppose to only do 5 years of service for the Handler but was still with them up until he was 56 or 58 year old self. Was rescued when he was 45. Time is subjective. So the founder may be more godlike in terms of his age and abilities (thinking timelord for those familiar with the Doctor Who series)

As shown in the image above: Seems to be a somber, melancholic version of five that is filled with regrets. Horrified about what he has created. That has a life all it's own. Essentially feels the road of hell was paved with good intentions but that despite the original aim for what he wanted, "time is a finicky mistress." Cannot be molded by one person no matter how powerful the founder became. "someone I lost" could mean his youthful self that was self aware and confident in his purpose. Knowing what he wanted and needed to do. Believing he could change the world on his own. Since founder lost touch with what it meant to be a 'Five'. Yet it can also mean he lost his version of lila. The series is familiar with tragic endings with couples. Luther and sloane were sweet, married each other and looked to be endgame. Yet when the universe was reset, luther remembered and still loved her but for whatever reasons, couldn't find her. When five and her found him in the bunker she did have pity for him. Trying to calm Five's ire towards the founder since by this time he was in a more fragile state when it came to his health. He did acknowledge her with 'bingo.' A five-ism I'll call it. Confirming she was keeping up with it all. Not confused like other characters would be (Diego and luther in particular) When he did perish, she was hesitant to leave her five alone with now dead founder. Knowing it was an emotional moment for him. Confronted with his future mortality and the realization he would be alone. Not having accomplished what he sought out to do. Their was another revelation in the commission handbook that five can't use his powers if his hands are bound yet was not verified completely. Take with a grain of salt since I still need to purchase the book and this is second-third hand accounts from others that gave hints to some lore on five/founder. Still opens some doors with the information. Many ways to go with founderfive and lila within the fandom. ♥ Could be more manic with a god complex in his younger days since five revealed to Klaus he thought he could evade death in addition to time and disasters. Would make founder be more insane or at the very least more of an anti-hero type character. ♥ slow-burn beauty and the beast tale with Lila. Projects being more insane than he actually is to push her away. ♥ Possibly stalking/watching her when both were at the time commission courtesy of his own powers and the infinite switch board. ♥ Their were three chairs in the bunker with opened alcohol bottles and glasses. Showing he could have had company but with himself. Since he made the Bunker paradox psychosis proof. Most likely to bounce ideas off alternate fives for how to save the world before he threw in the towel in the end. ♥ Perhaps created paradox psychosis as a means of sticking it to his other selves. Five has always been self deprecating as we saw with his adventure with luther. Both trying to kill each other and insult one another. Founder could see what his alternate selves were doing, jealous if they had a happier life with their 'lila' compared to his situation of being stuck at the commission with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Well. More than one world infinite ones due to timelines branching off. ♥ With his mastery over time it could have served as a double edged sword. Slowing down his own time subconsciously. Lila, while able to mimic his abilities, she could have hit her limits. Having to watch her age eventually while he would remain. Maybe worked on finding a way to let his time move so he could reunite with her. In the comics, Five is frozen in time as a ten year old. Never able to grow from that point. The handler was able to freeze time for a couple minutes and she wasn't even the highest ranking person in the commission. Makes sense founder can impart a crumb of his powers. ♥ Founder serving as the battery core of the commission for everything to function. Suitcases leeching off his power, creating custom timelines.

♥ Idea of founder being annoyed with his other self. Jealous if main lila has a relationship already with main five. Might separate him in three bodies. Representing the three parts of his mind while in physical, different ages. Kid five, apocalypse five and 25 year old five at the end of the series. Yet all have the memories of lila and events leading up to what founder did on a whim. Can't stay separated forever since memories or sense of self can be distorted. Just some ideas I have had and other Fivela/live/Fila fans have had when discussing this on Discord <3 Thanks for reading~

[devilofthepit]

and while i'm at it here's a buffy theory reading list

Slayage: The International Journal of Buffy+

Articles:

"Buffy and the 'New Girl Order': Defining Feminism and Femininity" by Elana Levine

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: An Introduction" by Rhonda V. Wilcox

"Power Girl/Girl Power: The Female Action Hero Goes to High School (A Review of the Television Show Buffy the Vampire Slayer)" by Jacqueline Reid-Walsh with Krista Walsh

"'Hot Chicks with Superpowers': The Contested Feminism of Joss Whedon" by Lauren Schultz

"Female Heterosexual Sadism: The Final Feminist Taboo in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series" by Carol Siegel (for the life of me i can't remember where i found this and when i emailed the author she wouldn't send it to me lol)

"Kinky Vampires and Action Heroines" by Jeffrey A. Brown

“‘Solving Problems with Sharp Objects’: Female Empowerment, Sex and Violence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer” by Gwyn Symonds

"The Epistemological Stakes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Television Criticism and Marketing Demands" by Amelie Hastie

Haven't read these so take them with a grain of salt but they look promising:

"From Beneath You, It Foreshadows: Why Buffy’s First Season Matters" by David Kociemba

"Buffy the Post-Anarchist Vampire Slayer" by Lewis Call

"(Un)safe Sex: Romancing the Vampire" by Karen Backstein

"Welcome to the Hellmouth: Paradoxical Spaces in Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

"Bibliographic Good vs. Evil in Buffy the Vampire Slayer" by GraceAnne A. DeCandido

"The Clothes Make the Fan: Fashion and Online Fandom When Buffy the Vampire Slayer Goes to eBay" by Josh Stenger

"'Hey, Respect the Narrative Flow Much?': Problematic Storytelling in Buffy the Vampire Slayer" by Richard S. Albright

"Dead, White, Male: Irishness in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel" by Gerardine Meaney

"'That Was Nifty': Willow Rosenberg Saves the World in Buffy the Vampire Slayer" by Matthew Pateman (this looks at Buffy from a Jewish studies perspective which i haven't seen much!!!)

Books:

Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan by Lorna Jowett

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale edited by James B. South

The Warrior Women of Television: A Feminist Cultural Analysis of the New Female Body in Popular Media by Dawn Heinecken (not exclusively focused on Buffy but the chapter on Buffy is very good)

I hope to keep updating this as I remember/find more!!

[prpfz]

hello! 21yo looking for 18+ partners to do some fandom roleplays with! i want to preface this by saying that i am looking for darker themed rps this time around, mainly stuff with yandere content, and if possible, maybe even some 🕊️ content. i'm also ok with keeping things on the lighter side if my partner prefers! i'm also only looking for oc x canon roleplays at this time- please do not ask me to do something with canon characters only, as i'm not interested in that. i also prefer to do doubles to keep things equal between us :) most of my fandoms are for anime, though there are some games i can write for as well. these are the ones i'm looking to write the most, but you can ask me about others as well! twisted wonderland kuroko's basketball bungo stray dogs jojo's bizarre adventure what in hell is bad? paradox live i mainly write on discord and go from semi-lit to lit! if you're interested, leave a like and i'll get back to you!

give a like and anon will get back to you

[pastorfutureletthembe]

Trapped between time and space

Today, I'm going to walk you through my new theory, which is about Cheng Xiaoshi going through the same ordeal than Lu Guang, except for longer, through more repeats.

I brushed the topic over my Curve Theory meta, stating that there was probably a sort of parallel universe or original unchangeable node around Lu Guang's death instead of Cheng Xiaoshi's.

The number of repeats from CXS' perspective is unknown for now, but my bet is on 10; X. 8 is also a repeated number in some official artworks, but never in the XIII format, so I'm ruling the hypothesis that it is related to time/timelines. (My guess is on the number of people with powers, because there are 8 seats on the promotional poster for season 2 and in the THE TIDES)

X marks the spot

Okay, one more time: this poster is a treasure hunt on its own. Beside the V clue, you'll notice 10 clocks. Cheng Xiaoshi underlights the biggest V with his silhouette but his entire body covers X on the smallest clock, while both hands point to X.

On both pictures, you'll find 10 candles on chandeliers (2 more candles are smaller but brighter than others). 8 glasses are on the spooky table while 10 glasses (8 wine glasses + 2 champagne glasses) are used for celebration on the second poster. I'm not the only one, someone else noticed the number 10.

X is often present, either in the background or near CXS specifically:

And I'm probably reading too much into this one but it's too perfect not to mention, since The Tides is mostly empty of clues to explore for now:

5+3 windows on the first floor (Lu Guang's perspective)

10 windows upstairs (Cheng Xiaoshi's perspective).

Anyway, what could it mean? As I argued before, Cheng Xiaoshi could be living through timelines where Lu Guang is dying while Lu Guang was diving from one picture to another to save Cheng Xiaoshi's life, except in two different universes; not inside the same Curve.

Paradox: is LEAVE possible?

Could there be more than two curves? Well, I think it's absolutely possible that the House of the Hothead, as the fandom call them, as a whole or individually, on purpose or by accident, could try and succeed to create yet another one; I'll mark them with VI (Liu Xiao is showing it to us in the artwork above).

I do believe that the Lu Guang we know and the stuck Cheng Xiaoshi are from the same timeline, originally, and keep "missing" each other somehow. They basically created a paradox, fracturing time in two intertwined curves.

Now, what did I say? Cheng Xiaoshi is stuck? Not dead? That's one interpretation of the signs, yes. What is interesting in this fandom is that clues are numbered. Cheng Xiaoshi, the original, is out of time right now, while we're witnesses to Lu Guang's struggles. And we know this... how?

First, LA!Lu Guang has different sets of rules than donghua!LG. It could be narrative error, or it could very much be on purpose. Supposely, the live action is the original timeline and the dongua is the 5th timeline of our Lu Guang's journey. Mistakes were made and rules changed accordingly. Lu Guang appears in the dongua as very composed, except when the timeline he's living in changes from what he knows had to happen.

Canon states: Cheng Xiaoshi keeps not listening to him, risking Lu Guang's hard work. This is what is stressing Lu Guang out the most. He is already changing things, but he needs Cheng Xiaoshi not to touch anything while he's diving. Why? Beside the obvious, if CXS erases one important node, there might be a rupture between then and now, making it impossible for Cheng Xiaoshi to return.

The original Cheng Xiaoshi could be lost in time. This meta suggests as much anyway: CXS's has no hands on some of his clocks, while LG's turn anticlockwise. Lu Guang is going back but Cheng Xiaoshi broke time and is stuck.

Beside clocks, Lu Guang's symbol is the hourglass and Cheng Xiaoshi's is cogs. A hourglass only stops when there is no time left, it's only a pause until it's turned over. Cogs stops when the mechanism stops working altogether. If truly broken, it won't work again. And most of all, one cog is part of a machine, can't function on its own, alone.

BREAK! could refer to Lu Guang's godlike nature and his goal to break CXS free:

I saw my fate flash through my own eyes Waitin' and watchin' for the sign Take control of all the timelines Lost in the dark, Lost in the rush

Go click the parallel line Fate's in control Play your role You ain't just a tool Clock's ticking though

Lu Guang is also pictured steady on a chair, against concrete, or as an safe anchor in the openings/endings.

While Cheng Xiaoshi is not anchored in his surroundings, though, except when holding frames or cameras. The things in contact with him hurts him.

In the Tides, he only interacts with a frame and the red cloth on the table, and with dust; arguably a proof of time, a way to print his presence in a place forgotten by time itself, it seems.

There's the mirror thematic, which might as well be called a glass prison. It shows Lu Guang on the other side, Cheng Xiaoshi seeming to be on "our" side, the side where the story we're following is unfolding. And that's true. Lu Guang is the addition in this universe we are witnessing, he's from outside of the current universe.

However, in Lu Guang's perspective, Cheng Xiaoshi is the one unknowingly prisonner. The artworks are still in Lu Guang's perspective though, his watch is purposely hidden from our view to keep us uncertain on the matter of which side is the "real" one.

Going full circle, I'd say this also can reflects two intertwined curves; never meeting. It wouldn't be about one of them diving in the past to save the other, it would be about both of them trying to find each other again.

Cheng Xiaoshi's and Lu Guang's are happening simultaneously, mirroring each other, trying to respect the timelines as much as possible except for the death of their best friend.

>>> In conclusion, there is actually three sides of a story: Lu Guang's, Cheng Xiaoshi's and the truth. I have no doubt the whole show is making the biggest diversion in history of tvshows by serving us everything but the actual plotline. Some "memory of the week" in season 1, then season 2 told us two can play this game of playing with fate, and now yingdu chapter is going to prepare us for the truth. What is amusing is that each season gives us a set of new "rules" for this universe. (I'll try to make a detailed post about it at some point, after some summer re-watch.) Each rule is usually a forshadowing on what happens next.

Liu Xiao's character is also a very interesting one. Some people suggested that he could be Cheng Xiaoshi or Lu Guang from the future. But he could be from another curve, with a different kind of unchangeable node. He could be a version a Cheng Xiaoshi who never met Lu Guang for example. His goal seems to melt everything into One True Timeline, I think? That alone rises some questions.

~

That's everything for today! I would like to dive even deeper about all the different timeline according to colors but it will probably be a whole other meta.

[victorsandvanquishers]

Olbers' Paradox

Fandom: DC Comics

Ships: None!

Ratings: T+

Warnings: the sadz; mental health issues; multiversal fuckery, remembering past lives; thinking ur dad gave u mental illness

Summary: As the Phantom Zone disintegrates with the Flashpoint Paradox, Chris Kent and Mon El reflect on their short, painful lives. Similarly, after the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and the rebirth of multiple dead worlds, Lor Zod of New Korugar and Warden Mon El of the Phantom Zone opine on why they keep dreaming about someone who doesn’t exist.

[in-canon, written for 2025 Superfam Horror Week, Day 5 - The Phantom Zone]

~~~

This story is set in the current canon of DC's mainline comics. It reconciles the following story arcs: pre-Flashpoint New Krypton and Nightwing & Flamewbird, post-Dark Crisis Sinister Sons, and 2024 Action Comics written by Mark Waid. Mon El and Lorzo stay struggling! Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave a review. ( •̀ .̫ •́ )✧

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello! Me and my friend were talking about Razzmatazz by I Don't Know How But They Found Me and I couldn't help myself from putting in into Sherlock context

(screenshot of the conversation below)

So maybe that makes the song count for the Johnlock playlist? If not that's oki! :)

[Verse 1] Wait, don't hold your breath for goodness' sake Nobody's home But you've got parliaments filled with parasites, plus marquees with your name in lights A star is born, and that's the trade for everyone you know

[Chorus] Let's go paint the town on our way home The blinking lights are breaking bones Cast all your spells, and there you have That good old fashioned razzmatazz

[Verse 2] Oh, you broke my heart again You climbed up on your ivory tower, and you paid off all my friends And now, well some things just cannot be fixed with sparkled tongues and politics In a fascist little paradox, we all become anonymous

[Chorus] Let's go paint the town on our way home The blinking lights are breaking bones Cast all your spells, and there you have That good old fashioned razzmatazz

[Saxophone Solo]

[Chorus] Let's go paint the town on our way home The blinking lights are breaking bones Cast all your spells, and there you have That good old fashioned razzmatazz

[Instrumental Outro]

[Spoken] Complete

(Lyrics from Genius.com)

======

(TEXT IN THE SECOND IMAGE:)

okay yes I read into things because I am a fandom mess but consider. Consider.

"Oh." <-John realising his feelings.

"You broke my heart again" <- Because Sherlock breaks John's heart with every breath, every reminded of what he can't have.

"You climbed up on your ivory tower" <- Sherlock on the rooftop.

"And you paid off all my friends" <- John's feelings of betrayal that Molly knew Sherlock was dead.

"And now well some things just cannot be fixed" <- It can never be fixed. Not with "not dead" not with a return, not when he spent two years bleeding grief into every smile he faked.

"With sparkled tongues and politics" <- John refusing to trust Sherlock, feeling like everything is a scheme to get him to forgive him, every action is political.

"In a fascist little paradox, we all become anonymous" <-John's anger at Moriarty, at Magnussen, at everyone for making him into an anonymous character. Moriarty and Sherlock revolve around each other in a game only they are playing, while everyone else is a lump of rock out of orbit.

And then the razzmatazz bits because Sherlock's sense of dramatic, "it was all a magic trick" for the spells bit, "the blinking lights are breaking bones" feels like a nightmare sequence for The Fall…

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Hey Nonny!

OOOO! I like this one a lot, and I love the convo you and your friend had about it!! Such a great pick! Thank you so much for your suggestion!!!

🎶 LISTEN TO THE JOHNLOCK PLAYLIST ON [SPOTIFY] & [YOUTUBE] 🎶