#I have too many thoughts to be able to stay coherent at this point

[inkblackorchid]

I watched this duel again yesterday and I honestly wish I had any sort of fresh take or unusual perspective on it, but I think the truth is that I just don't. This duel is three things for me:

Proof of concept for a very intriguing larger narrative (whose execution sadly doesn't land all the way for me)

The introduction of a character who has several interesting key aspects to them (and who could have, perhaps, been handled a bit better)

Emblematic of all the issues I have with the WRGP arc's writing.

As I said, I don't think I have any truly revolutionary things to say about this duel, but I feel like getting my thoughts out, so expect a fairly non-structured, stream-of-consciousness post below. There are multiple things here that bother me and I finally want to dissect them. Feel free to follow along if you also like examining stuff like this in more detail than it perhaps needs to be examined in. And I really mean examine them in unnecessary detail. Be warned, this post could count as a dissertation in terms of length. But I'm passionate and like analysing things, so no attempt to control its length was made.

So, I won't mince words here. The Team New World duel is absolutely where several major aspects of the time-travel-Iliaster plot completely fall apart for me. I want to make it clear that this isn't the fault of Aporia's character writing or what this duel is building up to, though. Nor do I think that the concept of a secret shadow organisation using time travel to influence world events is too out there. Lbr, this is yugioh. The time-travelling-cyborg-shadow-organisation is absolutely not the culprit of why I think some things don't work here. (And by here I mean specifically the WRGP arc.) Moreover, I'll be the first to admit that the finale this duel builds up to, with everything from the Ark Cradle beginning its descent to Yusei's final duel with Z-ONE, is stellar. So there are several things that do work here—but I think that may be exactly the reason why the other things piss me off all the more.

So what are the "other things", then?

Well, simply put, a lot of this arc's supposed setup and worldbuilding falls apart as soon as you start asking a few simple questions, first and foremost "why". And again, I will likely not be treading new ground here, but this just irks me to no end. However, so this post doesn't devolve entirely into unproductive whining about a part of the show I wish had been better than it was, I'll be doing another thing here: Trying to provide solutions for the things that irk me as I go along. As a kind of thought exercise, and because it's not hate motivating me here, merely extreme frustration about an arc that feels like it was fumbled like a hot potato. So, let's start digging through this mess.

The elephant in the room.

This whole arc (and in fact even the pre-WRGP arc before it) hinges on the concept of antagonists using monsters that can absorb synchro monsters, which is treated as such a monumental problem that we see Yusei, our protagonist, in downright anguish about it not one, but several times. Like, this eats at him.

(Pictured: A troubled boy brooding about his synchro summoning issues.)

And look, I know everyone and their mother has brought this up at this point, but this is already the first bit that falls apart under the weight of the question "why". Why is Yusei so hung up on the fact that duelling against Meklords means using synchro monsters becomes pretty risky? Why is this enough of a problem to supposedly drive the plot for a not insignificant stretch of episodes? Now, I know Yusei uses mainly synchro monsters as his heavy hitters, and I have seen someone bring up the fact before that even irl, completely altering the strategy of your entire deck is a pain in the ass, to say the least. And I do want to admit that this is a valid argument. If Yusei genuinely had to change his whole deck to accommodate the new circumstances, that would be a Herculean task, to say the least. However. While I can see the merit of that argument, I have to raise two counterpoints: One—who said he had to permanently change the entire structure of his deck? The show never gives us reason to believe that anyone other than the cyborgs will suddenly jump out of the woodwork and also use an anti-synchro strategy, and it doesn't show us anyone else who uses a strategy like that, either. And two—note the framing of this issue. The show never suggests that Yusei needs a new deck, or that all his old tricks are completely invalid now. It harps on and on about how he needs a new strategy, yes. But is that the same thing? In my opinion, nothing really demands that Yusei needs to restructure his deck completely. If anything, he only needs to keep in mind that this is now a possibility when duelling people, and thus start keeping a backup plan. And unfortunately, he kind of does, which is where I need to address the Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste-shaped elephant in the room, because it sadly undermines that sensible argument something fierce.

(Yeah, remember this thing? Because I do and sometimes wish I didn't just so I wouldn't have to get frustrated about it all over again.)

Listen. We're all not stupid. Even before the Team Unicorn match, the vast majority of people watching 5Ds would have been aware that tribute summoning, ritual summoning, and fusion summoning are very much methods to get around the dreaded synchro-killers that already exist in the card game and don't require any supernatural shenanigans to be acquired. But speaking only for myself for a moment, I was still at least a little bit willing to suspend my disbelief and accept that not being able to synchro summon would be a categorical impossibility for our beloved motorcycle family before this scene. Except, then Draco-Equiste comes out. And naturally, you're left to wonder "ah, so this is the solution to the synchro problem, then"? But no. No, it very much isn't. Because unfortunately, this is the one and only time Draco-Equiste even shows up. Immediately before and after this duel, this card is treated as though it never existed. Even though this thing could have posed a serious threat to the Meklords, what with being able to absorb the effect of a dragon synchro monster in the graveyard and being able to bounce back effect damage. (Can you imagine how differently the Team New World duel might have proceeded if Yusei had summoned this again?)

So, of course, we're left with the question: Why the fuck was this even here? And on the surface, the answer is super simple: To sell copies of Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste, naturally. But narratively? Narratively, this card's appearance is a disaster. It's a miscalculation of such insane proportions I can hardly find the words for it. Because it proves the assumption many viewers, especially TCG players, would have had from the start: Fusion, ritual, and tribute summoning are still a thing and would definitely work against Meklords. To say this takes the wind out of the sails of the central problem of "oh no, what are we going to do without synchro summoning" would be an understatement. And that's without addressing the fact that the actual "solution" the show provides against the Meklords, as cool as Shooting Star Dragon and Red Nova Dragon are, is, on paper, ludicrous: In a bind because your synchro monster gets absorbed? Just synchro summon harder! And I just. Please. We can agree that this is silly, right? Even if they're very cool dragons and I definitely appreciate them, this is almost looney tunes logic.

Swinging around to a more productive discussion, could they have done their "uh oh, synchro summoning is now impossible"-bit in a better, more coherent and less silly way? Probably, but depending on how they might have handled it, they would have probably needed to sacrifice some other things. The issue here is the thematic element. Synchro summoning is hated, and thus punished, by the emperors of Iliaster because to them, it's a symbol of humanity's greed and subsequent destruction. And originally, the show ends up vindicating its use despite their warnings about the destroyed future in a sort of awkward "with great power comes great responsibility"-way. As in, synchro summoning still has the potential to ruin humanity by the end of the show, but Yusei and the others "earn" their right to use it anyway because they and humanity as a whole learn the lesson not to overdo it. Supposedly. The metaphor is, frankly, a bit wonky, which might be another problem in and of itself. But what's relevant here is that any attempt to fix this conundrum would thus have to keep the thematic element intact. To do that, our protagonists would therefore have to rely on synchro summoning at the start of the arc, as they did before, and would also have to rely on it by the end of the arc (again). The in between is, I think, where more interesting things could have been done with the concept, though—moreover, it's where I think the plothole of "hey why doesn't anyone tribute/fusion/ritual summon" could have been addressed. Say the gang learns that synchro summoning might now get dangerous and actually tries to shift gears. Say they do try out fusion, ritual, and tribute monsters to account for that—only to run into an in-universe meta wall and realise that sure, these monsters might not get absorbed by Meklords, but their effects and strength can't keep up with the synchros their opponents use, or that they're flat out too cumbersome to summon! It could have been as simple as showing scenes where trying to get tribute fodder onto the field or play a fusion or ritual spell card would have been too slow, too inefficient in a duel. They could have also gone an even simpler route and flat out made it so that Meklords could have absorbed any extra deck monster. Would this have made them stupidly overpowered? Sure. But wasn't that kind of the point, anyway? The Meklords were supposed to be a nigh insurmountable obstacle that ultimately required discovering not one, but two new, unique ways to synchro summon—and even then, the solutions still weren't perfect because Shooting Star and Red Nova can still get absorbed under especially tricky circumstances. So I doubt making them that much more powerful would have mattered. (And they had to be heavily adjusted for the irl TCG as is, so there's not really a need to factor in that concern, either.) Finally, and I admit this pains me a little to say, I think that any version of the synchro dilemma that wanted to make sense should have flat out removed Draco-Equiste. The card does nothing except open plotholes, and especially if we want to keep the themes intact without opening the can of worms that is alternative forms of summoning possibly being a better solution than Accel Synchro or Burning Soul, its presence just becomes a hindrance. Sorry, Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste.

So much for the synchro dilemma, then. But unfortunately, this is not the last aspect of the worldbuilding surrounding the three emperors of Iliaster and especially their Meklords that's built on a shaky foundation, to say the least. Onto the next one.

2. The Meklord genocide and the many questions it asks (and never answers).

I'm gonna roll several points into one here because they're all related to the Meklord genocide—that being the supposedly unavoidable catastrophe in the future where Aporia received all his trauma from. And I want to preface this with two statements, one good and one bad. Firstly, Aporia and the way his backstory gets exposed, quickly getting us intimately acquainted with the utter devastation of the Meklord genocide, is extremely compelling. You really get a sense of the terror at play and it gives him a perfect, understandable motivation for wanting to avert that future at all costs, even if human lives have to be sacrificed along the way.

(Ahhh, the lovely smell of childhood trauma in the making.)

Secondly... The Meklord genocide makes zero sense, and it has everything to do with the fact that once again, several major aspects of it buckle under the weight of a few simple questions. But let me roll that back first and examine what those major aspects, which the Team New World duel introduces us to, are.

Number one: I went back and checked, and this is the first time in the series that we are introduced to the concept of synchro summoning resonating with Moment reactors. Previously, the reactor itself, through the concept of planetary particles, and, by extension, the Moment energy itself was only implied to be something like a perpetuum mobile, infinitely producing its own energy.

Number two: Now, we have heard of Moment rotating backwards and exploding in the show before. But there are two new things here, one being that the Iliaster trio explains that in this instance, it caused a chain reaction, and that, for some reason, all the Moment reactors began exploding one after the other. The other, more crucial part being that they claim the Moment reactors responded to people's hearts. This ties in with another small thing introduced much earlier, where Bruno/Antinomy explains that Clear Mind, Yusei's accel synchro technique, is a way of "controlling Moment". Both link the reactor and its energy, which are pillars of 5Ds' worldbuilding, to human emotions. And I already need to say this here: This doesn't make lick of sense. But more on that later.

Number three: We don't get an outright explanation for this in this duel, as in, it's not stated verbally, but right after Moment supposedly "responds to people's hearts", the Meklords show up, heavily implying that the reactor, for some reason, summoned a robot army to destroy humanity.

Now, I'm going to give you the quick-fire round of questions these three concepts immediately sparked in my mind when I saw these scenes, because I think that will illustrate just fine why I have such a problem with all this: Since when is synchro summoning linked to Moment and how? If humanity already knew through the Zero Reverse incident, which is the foundation for 5Ds' canon, that Moment reactors could spin too fast, gain a negative rotation, and subsequently explode, why on earth did nobody think to install safeguards against that? Why are the Moment reactor and its energy linked to people's hearts now? How does that even work? And how is a human supposed to "control" a sodding energy reactor that was implied to stay in perpetual motion through a set of gears, which famously know how to read hearts, through achieving a clear mind? And why, oh why did the reactor—independently of its human creators, apparently—have a killer robot army at its disposal to let loose on humanity when it grew sick of their shit?

This plot has so many holes, it may as well be a net instead. And you know what the worst part is? The show answers none of the questions above. Moreover, the implications behind the concepts introduced for the sake of setting up the Meklord genocide are buckwild, to say the least. Let me run with this real quick to highlight the absurdity here.

Taking the idea that an energy reactor can respond to people's hearts and summon an on-demand murder robot army of apocalyptic proportions when humans around it grow too evil at face value honestly makes me wonder how the Moment reactor in NDC hasn't exploded five times over since its creation. You mean to tell me that between Goodwin's Iliaster goons, the Arcadia Movement, the corrupt security forces, and all the duel gangs in Satellite, there weren't enough evil people there to make the reactor go crazy? Plus, all of these people were already synchro summoning as if their life depended on it! Synchro summoning is basically ubiquitous from the moment the show starts, to the point where it's more unusual to see a duellist who doesn't synchro summon than one who does. But somehow, that wasn't enough to affect the reactor yet? Or is the implication here supposed to be that the part where the man-made machine meant to produce limitless energy can suddenly see into people's hearts was added later into the reactor's development? That humans for some reason decided, "yeah, that's what our new energy source needs! A way to shame and punish us with violence on an unimaginable scale for our transgressions!" And that's without addressing the robot army. Who built these things? And who decided it was a good idea to put them at the disposal of the very reactor itself? Do you mean to tell me some team of utterly cracked up scientists decided that the best entity to put in charge of the robot army that was constructed for some reason was the reactor system supplying the world with energy, "computers can't be blinded by human error and would thus never deploy this army for selfish reasons"-style? (Honestly, I almost wish that had been the idea here, but I'm absolutely certain it wasn't.)

I can already hear two major criticisms to the above, purposefuly hyperbolic extrapolation in the back of my head here. Allow me to talk about them for a moment.

One—"Okay, so the WRGP arc has plotholes. Didn't the dark signers arc have those too, though? It's not like they explained everything about all that stuff."

You're right! It did! As much as I love the dark signers arc, it hardly has the most tightly-written worldbuilding of all time, either. There are lots of things, some small (why was Rudger/Roman somehow a signer and a dark signer at the same time), some not so small (why on earth did Rex' plan to summon the king of the underworld and remake the world seemingly hinge on one of the signers failing to seal their tower, which he could have never guaranteed in a million years) that the DS arc never properly takes the time to explain. But even so, the dark signers arc doesn't fall apart under questions such as "why" and "how" nearly as easily as the WRGP arc for a reason that is as simple as it is stupid: The DS arc has a much less ambitious premise, and though its antagonists are cool, they don't actually pose a greater, moral dilemma. Think about it. The premise of the DS arc is a run-of-the-mill prophecy thing. You've got your chosen heroes, your destined enemies, and a battle for the world using supernatural shenanigans. And a lot of questions of "why" or "how" are relatively quick to be brushed aside with "magic" (or rather, Crimson Dragon/Earthbound Immortal shenanigans). Moreover, the dark signers themselves, while having interesting stories relating to the heroes on a personal level, are still, fundamentally, pure evil. They're not fighting to prevent a devastating, apocalyptic future, they just deadass want to get revenge and destroy the world. And all the more complicated, major themes the arc has (class discrimination, police brutality, how societal alienation can lead teenagers to join cults, poverty, etc.) are actually not really tied in with the Earthbound Immortals, instead happening on the sidelines or only being tangentially related to the dark signers (such as when Kiryu becomes a dark signer through the abuse suffered in prison). The only major theme that ties in with the dark signers is destiny VS. freedom of choice, which also gets resolved in the battle with Rex Goodwin. (Interestingly enough, all the more complicated themes on the side were also dropped after this arc, but that's a rant for another time...) Perhaps the arc still has some inconsistencies here and there, but largely, it stays fully coherent. Thus, the DS arc makes it way easier to suspend one's disbelief, making the unexplained parts seem much less egregious.

Two—"Calm down, this show was made for twelve year-old Japanese boys. They don't need to explain any of this."

If you honestly think children don't deserve well-made entertainment whose concepts and worldbuilding can hold up to scrutiny, I have nothing to discuss with you. Sure, children will swallow some concepts much easier and will suspend their disbelief much longer and more artfully than any adult on average, but that doesn't mean "kids are dumb anyway so why bother putting as much effort into worldbuilding for their shows as for adult shows" is the hot take you think it is. I am fully congnisant of the target audience for this show—that doesn't make me any less convinced that said target audience deserved a show where things made sense while they were watching it and where things could still make sense if they decided to rewatch it years later. Because, you know, that's what I think a good show should be able to do.

And with that, I can come back to the WRGP arc and an issue that ties in with both things I just addressed: The WRGP arc's actual story premise, buried beneath the well-known, equally beloved and beloathed tournament arc format, is a lot more ambitious than the DS arc and has several, fairly heavy, core themes that it sets up and tries to resolve by the end, among them: learning how to cooperate as a team (during the WRGP) and learning how to be independent (by the end of the show), destiny VS. forging your own path (round two), and, most importantly, taking responsibility and fighting for one's future. That last one especially is not only a good topic to address in a show specifically made for 5Ds' target audience, it is also represented by both Team 5Ds and Team New World in-story. Spicier yet, both teams are actually fighting for the same thing. Team New World, having seen the supposedly unavoidable, tragic future and thus decided to take action against it, is fighting for a future that doesn't have to be marred by such tragedy, by whatever means necessary. And Team 5Ds, young, hopeful, and trusting in their connection to one another and humanity as a whole, is fighting for a better future because they believe that tragedy can be avoided. The future these two teams want is almost the same—the only, crucial difference is that Team New World has embraced the use of drastic measures to bring that future about, while Team 5Ds hasn't. To Team New World, the future presents something like a trolley problem, if you will: They think doing nothing will lead to that inevitable tragedy and erase humanity, whereas sacrificing New Domino City in the present will still kill people, but preserve humanity in the long run. And they have firmly decided pull the lever and set the course so the trolley runs over just one person instead of many. Team 5Ds, meanwhile, isn't even thinking about the lever, instead insisting there has to be another way, and that even thinking about getting anyone killed for this is stupid. The whole conflict is, on paper, wonderfully compelling, because you can see where both sides are coming from. Sure, Team New World's members still act like absolute dickheads in true yugioh-tournament-opponent fashion, but ultimately, their goals make sense. Viewers can put themselves in their shoes and perhaps think that, faced with a horrible dilemma like theirs, they would make the same, awful choice to set the course and cause suffering now to avoid greater suffering later. For the greater good.

Unfortunately, the questions I listed above undermine all this somewhat, because as good as these antagonists are on a character level, it's incredibly easy to poke holes into their backstory and especially the circumstances surrounding the horrible, distant future they want to avoid so desperately—which, in turn, undermines that terrible future somewhat, because this is a narrative that demands weight (in my opinion). But if the supposed threat at the end, the terrible thing even our protagonists briefly aren't sure they'll be able to avoid, begins falling apart at the seams in terms of logic when you think about it for more than two minutes, where is that weight supposed to come from? There is also another question to be answered here that I need to discuss so I can touch on a central aspect that hampers the plot in this arc somewhat later:

Why are they so convinced that horrible, destroyed future is utterly unavoidable?

I want you to really think about this question, with me. Canon... never really gives us any direct proof that they're justified in being this certain. However, that doesn't mean we don't get an answer, per se, though the answer is a bit vague.

The implications here are... something, to say the least. First, as our basis, we have to assume that every "correction" Iliaster has made has been to avoid humanity's destruction in the future. Because frankly, that's all we get as far as Jose, Placido, and Luciano's definition of the "correct path" goes. Then there's the second bit. Apparently, they've been merrily "repairing" history for a good while already, yet, for some reason, they always get the same outcome: The Meklord genocide. This, in turn, has led them to take more and more drsatic measures to try and avoid it. And I want to point out the very obvious, mind-boggling implication that comes with this: Apparently, after every "correction" they made, these three have either let history run its course to see where it ends up this time, or have quickly zipped over to their own time to check whether things were still shit. Meaning Iliaster's whole deal of fixing history to make sure the Meklord genocide never occurs has been a very, very long run of trial and error. (I want you to think of all the possible "fixes" this could have included for a moment. We know from BBT that killing Pegasus was one of the ideas they had, for example. Did they also try to kill the presumed Industrial Illusions employee who came up with synchro monsters? Did they try to kill Yusei's dad so Moment would never be invented? Could they not have tried to simply inhibit the creation of the robot army, then? Or made sure someone installed some bloody safeguards on the reactors, as Yusei later does in-canon, which somehow works when he does it? The list goes on.) Now, we know that in canon, their newest idea is that the future can be fixed if they just destroy New Domino City altogether.

Here, the questions begin again (you may sense a running theme): If Moment is already invented and internationally known, why would destroying its place of invention do anything? If synchro summons are already a thing, doesn't that mean destroying NDC would only slow the catastrophe down, at best? And most importantly: Why are these guys so utterly convinced that this "repair", of all the ones they've already done, will save their future? How can they know that this particular plan will work when they've supposedly already tried everything?

(There is, of course, the tragic possibility to consider that perhaps, they know that there's no guarantee this will work. They've tried everything, after all. So maybe they know this won't fix things, either. But we know that Aporia, like Paradox, like Antinomy, and like Z-ONE is, somewhere at the bottom of his despairing heart, still desperate for a shimmer of hope. And maybe, just maybe, he has reached such a point of desperation that he'll watch an entire city getting destroyed if it has even the faintest chance of succeeding. But unfortunately, this is purely speculative—the show never states this, and so, I can only leave it in the realm of fan interpretation.)

The show never answers this question, either, instead relying on the audience to suspend their disbelief some more and assume that Iliaster has put in the work and is 100% certain that the future can and will absolutely end in disaster unless they destroy NDC now. It almost acts like they have some sort of supernatural foresight; they know things nobody else in the show's world does, and due to this (and their non-human status) they label themselves as superior to the "foolish humans", who, without their guiding hands, will only bring about the apocalypse. But their superiority and the internal consistency of their actions is already wobbling under the weight of all the half-assed worldbuilding I mentioned above, which is an extra big problem due to another, major difference between the WRGP and the DS arc: While the DS arc stylised itself as a sort of funky genre mix between cyberpunk dystopia and urban fantasy (in a very broad sense, given that ancient Inca gods are very much real and their prophecies come to fruition in the modern day, yet we are not presented with any sort of magic outside of the conflict with the dark signers), the WRGP arc, aside from its tournament format, stylises itself much more as science fiction. The antagonists are no longer ancient, evil shadow gods, they're cyborgs from a destroyed future. Their motivation isn't as simple as wanting to destroy the world, either! In fact, they want to save the future! And they don't pose a threat to our antagonists through shadow duels in rings of fire and giant, magical monsters that sacrifice human souls to be summoned. No, they have advanced technology like high-tech robots that cut our protagonists off from one of their go-to tactical options, and they send out duel robot armies, and they travel through time by means of sophisticated wormhole-technology.

...But do they?

Now, I said I don't just want to complain here, I also want to provide solutions—and I intend to stick to that. But first, because these two things are so intrinsically tied together, let me address the final aspect that puts Team New World as antagonists and the WRGP arc on such shaky ground from a writing perspective.

3. Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, magic-science cyborg nonsense.

So, I've talked about the strongly differing methods the Iliaster trio uses in comparison to the dark signers. Sci-fi is the name of the game now, so we've got robots, cyborgs, advanced tech and... time travel. But amidst all this, you may have noticed something. Even though our plot is supposedly decided by futuristic tech now, the magical/occult element that was there in the first half of the show doesn't actually get dropped. Why? Because it can't be. Because the signers, our protagonists, are defined by their status as a group of magical chosen ones, hand-picked by an ancient Incan deity. Regardless of what the writers of the show wanted here (and my personal guess, based on hearsay and what I've read on forums, is that they wanted to hardcore-pivot to sci-fi because they hoped it would engage audiences more), this was an element they couldn't erase. (Or, well, technically, they could. The signers do lose their marks at the end of the show, after all. But perhaps they thought doing that earlier was too risky.) So genre-wise, we've got a bit of a situation here. From the pre-WRGP arc on, 5Ds is more of a sci-fi show, yet, we've still got all this occult stuff wandering around that can't be cut out of the narrative and still influences it because it's too intrinsically tied to our main actors not to. And you might have noticed that this actually doesn't just extend to the signers. As in, they're not the only ones where sci-fi and magic elements mix. This happens for the Iliaster trio, too. Placido gets a sword that can randomly cut a hole in space-time (and it's never explained how). The Meklords can cause real damage in duels even though they're supposedly not supernatural. Moment reactors can suddenly read people's hearts. Not one, but multiple cyborgs get a magical girl transformation where they change clothes and runners, or even combine from three people into one. And for some reason, the Crimson Dragon, even though its "own", central enemies, the dark signers, are already defeated, doesn't take its marks away from our heroes until after the cyborgs are taken care of, suggesting that the ancient, magical entity recognises the robots from the future as a supernatural threat of some sort. None of this is presented with any sort of attempt to get it to make sense, yet, we're supposed to believe it isn't magic, because we're all about robots and time travel now.

(Insert the magical girl transformation song of your choice.)

And I want to make one thing clear: I'm not saying this weird genre-mix couldn't have worked. In fact, I think it's hilarious and low-key brilliant even in the wonky state we got. Sure, let's make the antagonists robots from the future while keeping our protagonists the agents of an ancient Incan god on the mortal plane! If nothing else, you absolutely can't argue the idea wasn't original.

However, even with all the love I have for the show, I can't help but feel like there's an issue here, and the only way I could put it into words would be genre dissonance. We are supposedly in a sci-fi show now, yet the central antagonists, who are also the fundamental reason for this genre shift, seemingly can't decide whether they're actually using technology or magic for their schemes. And this becomes a problem insofar as that seemingly no effort to meaningfully fuse the fantastical elements with the pseudo-scientific ones is made, yet at the same time, they aren't properly separated, either. Specifically the latter might be harming the show even more than the former. Let me explain what I mean.

I'm no stranger to the fact that sci-fi sometimes likes to use technology that's supposed to be so advanced that to an outsider, it begins looking indistinguishable from magic. And in all fairness, that is probably what the 5Ds writers were gunning for. What hampers this a little, though, is that we're just coming from an arc that had actual magic in it, which leads to the allegedly scientific elements sending some mixed messages. Especially because they're never explained. And I'm not saying we needed super hardcore, internally fully consistent sci-fi worldbuilding here. Frankly, with all the weird nonsense 5Ds has already mostly handwaved by the start of the pre-WRGP arc, that would have been absurd. But I think a few explanations here and there, hell, even just the occasional off-handed remark, could have done a world of good for this arc, and especially for the Meklord dilemma and the setup of the ruined future. I don't need a whole breakdown on how exactly a reactor knows about the greed in people's hearts, but a remark somewhere on the side about how, for example, the particles that are the central player in that reactor also happen to be copious within the human heart (which would be impossible to prove, but ignore that) would have been nice. And I don't need a full breakdown of how the robot army was built; a throwaway remark that humanity created it as weapons in their supposedly endless, petty wars could have been cool, though.

My point is, fundamentally, that unlike the occult nonsense, which can skirt by on prophecies and simple, black-and-white, good VS evil stuff, the sci-fi elements feel like they demand a surface-level justification for their existence, at least. A surface-level justification they didn't get. And this is without addressing the much, much bigger problem that may actually be the root cause of most, if not all the things I've listed above so far: The time travel.

I don't think it's any sort of new, groundbreaking opinion to say that time travel is a notoriously finicky worldbuilding element that many writers, regardless of medium and/or skill, have already massively shot themselves in the foot with. And unfortunately, I feel like this has happened in 5Ds, too. Specifically because the time travel has seemingly absolutely no limits. The Iliaster trio (and even Paradox) can seemingly be everywhere they want, in any time period, and do whatever they want/deem necessary. Worse yet, the time travel is actively shown to have massive consequences more than once. And I think it's under the weight of this massive, utterly uncontrollable element that the plot really begins to collapse. Because frankly, with the implications we're given, things just really don't look good in a universe where limitless time travel can be used! Let me circle back to two questions from above to really emphasise this: Why are these guys so utterly convinced that this "repair", of all the ones they've already done, will save their future? How can they know that this particular plan will work when they've supposedly already tried everything? In a universe with limitless time travel, these questions become an absolute mess to deal with. And the real problem is that canon never even entertains the idea of answering them. Sure, you can begin to fill in the gaps for yourself if you feel like it. Maybe it's not that all the previous "repairs" Iliaster did truly didn't work, maybe they brought about even worse futures and that was the reason why they were discarded. Or maybe there's a hidden in-universe rule that people from the future who go back to the past actually don't have the power to change anything, as in, no matter what they change, it will never affect their present, because their actions will always loop back around to causing the same things they already know. But there. Precisely there is the problem. I'm not getting this from canon, I'm making it up from scratch. And sure, all stories have gaps—that's where a lot of fanfiction lives, after all. But when you reach the point where you have so many gaps that the audience can no longer suspend its disbelief over these gaps, that's when there's a problem. And the WRGP arc, for all that its antagonists are extremely compelling, pose genuine, moral dilemmas, and for all that it resolves in one of the best arcs of 5Ds, has precisely this problem for me. The worldbuilding is stretched too thin, and my suspension of disbelief breaks and leaves me wondering why so many good themes have to be buried in an arc that is this frustrating to watch sometimes.

*deep breath*

Okay. So now I've aired all my grievances and laid out all the problems that make me shake my fists in frustration at this arc, at the Meklords, and at the Team New World duel. What about the productive part, then, you might ask. I did say I wanted to provide solutions, as far as I can, anyway. How would I try to solve this mess?

Well, honestly, I think the solution here, at least to me, would be fairly basic: More consistency. Make it make sense. The genre mashup can stay exactly the way it is, but maybe tone down the magic on the cyborgs a bit. Make them actual cyborgs. Even if their tech is justified through bullshit, at least justify it. Why does Placido have a reality-splitting sword? Oh, it's actually the Moment Express wormhole technology in miniature. Why can Moment reactors see into people's hearts? Well, duh, they contain the same, special particles as human hearts. Why is there an army of robots in the future to begin with? Humans built it. For war. Like they did so much else. And why did the reactor use it against them? Because it was just responding to their own negativity. Their own, constant desire for strife and petty conflicts amongst one another made them actually turn the weapons against themselves (or rather, against the people they personally didn't like, which ends up being everyone when everyone has a grudge against someone) through the reactor. (The show almost does this one, but not quite.) How do the three emperors of Iliaster know destroying NDC, specifically, will fix the future? They don't! They're doing this on trial and error, and more importantly—and I think this would work best if it was introduced purposefully late—they can't actually save the future by changing the past, because they're not from the past. They just don't actually know that this is a rule of time travel.

None of these fixes would have to be big, episode-spanning things. Off-handed remarks would have been enough. But I think just that could have saved many points from becoming the plotholes they did.

And with that, I think I'll finally leave you be, I've rambled quite enough. To anyone who has made it all the way to the end, I can only give a sincere, heartfelt thank you. I realise this is a LOT of words. Moreover, I'd like to leave you with one more statement: Though I can absolutely understand if this post comes off as me getting on a soapbox and cupping my hands around my mouth before yelling, it's not meant to be. I absolutely invite discussion about the the handling of, the themes behind, and all the arguments I gave regarding the Meklord worldbuilding and the Team New World duel. So, feel every bit as free as I did to yell about this. This post encourages yelling.

[jesssssssssica]

'but i love you-' 'so? please let me go' ln4

'but i love you-' 'so? please let me go.'

in which saying 'i love you' to keep a relationship together has been overused.

in which you've had enough

One too many times had you found yourself back in the arms of Lando Norris. The strong comforting arms of Lando Norris that holds you at times of need, became an addicting pull factor of keeping this crumbling relationship together, well that along with his constant throwaway of the words “I love you.”

Words that once held so much adoration and joy in your mind were now the words that were slowly destroying you from the inside out, and yet your weeping heart constantly craved for more, wanting to be with someone that claimed to want you. Of course you’d noticed that these words caused your heart to freeze up, rather than beat faster and yet you still somehow still had this idea that Lando did truly mean these words.  Was it delusion to help soothe your already breaking heart or was it just pure insanity? Either way, you received pity from the onlookers that watched in on your relationship, week after week, watching the distance between you two in the pit lane become further and further apart, watching as the man that supposedly loved you, laughed at the unfunny jokes that the models would tell him, watching them place their arms on his arm and stay there as he refused to shove them away. 

And yet, you still loved him, because after all he still loved you. Right? Of course he loved you, that’s why he’d say those magic words. He wouldn’t throw those sacred words around, right?

Of course he would. 

Lando Norris would only find himself using the words ‘I love you’ at times where he needed to avoid his mistakes being thrown back into his face and to keep you by his side. Of course, at one point those words did truly hold value and meaning to his relationship, but that was a long time ago and the meaning was now washed away, and a new definition for the phrase was made, to keep you. If you were to ask him what the meaning was however, he would proclaim that it means and symbolises his adoration and infatuation with you, and you being none the wiser would further and further into his arms, never wanting to let go and leave this comfort blanket that had been made just for you. 

I mean who would want to leave this VERY financially stable man that was able to fill your house with flowers and gifts, constantly flying you around the world with him as he always holds you and reassures you with his ‘love’.

You certainly didn’t want to. For god’s sake you had been with the man since you were 17, having known eachother since you were both 14, and you didn’t know anything about the real world without having Lando by your side. Of course your mother would always offer a place to stay whenever you had one of your rocky moments but that was only for a day or so, now where would you go if you truly were to finally take that leap of faith and leave the one person that was actually holding you back? 

But I mean what were you even talking about? Leaving Lando sounded more like a nightmare than a saving grace, I mean leaving the one man that has always been there for you? You’re crazy to think I would eve-

“Y/N! I am baaack” his voice sounded slurred as he shouted into the apartment. 

You turn your head from where you sit on the sofa, swirling the glass of wine that you hold in your hand, watching Lando struggle to slip off his trainers, a task he ultimately gives up on, huffing loudly before straggling over to your spot. 

“I missed you” he breathes, his breath confirming your thoughts.

‘Great’ you think, ‘Another night of babying him’ 

You don’t dare try and translate his coherent babbles, watching as he mindlessly talks to the ceiling, waiting for him to slowly sober up, which leads you to getting up and filling him a nice glass full of wa- 

“I cheated on you.” 

“What?”

“You heard”

You freeze, both out of shock and also out of anger. How could he? A man that she had dedicated 7 years of her life to and yet this is the cause of the end. An easily avoidable action that he seems to have no guilt or sorrow for happening? How could someone that preached to his lover how much he loved them, then proceed to do the complete opposite? 

Your brain speaks for your heart in this moment, sacrificing your feelings for the next couple of months for your sanity, putting down the glass and heading down to your shared bedroom without saying a word, pulling out a suitcase and packing what you needed most, you could leave behind items, that would be his problem as you would not be coming back. You grab what little trinkets you have that don’t remind you of him and start to leave for the front dorm when you are stopped by him. 

It’s only now do you take in the intoxicated state that he was in, though you’re pretty sure that by now he’s sobered up, messy hair that seems to poke out at every angle, definitely having felt the fingers of many a woman comb through it. You also notice the slight rouge colour that’s been attempted to have been smeared off, a clear sign at the man’s infidelity. It’s pathetic really, that you had once been enamoured with the man that stands in front of you but now here you are, leaving behind the one thing that has held you back this whole time. You don’t know where you’ll go but anywhere is better than this place that you once thought was the place you’d grow old with each other in, but that was before you truly woke up. Sometimes it’s best to leave things in the past and Lando Norris is a great example of this, though you’ll never forget when it was real, when you were both happy. 

Maybe it was meant to be at a time but it wasn’t meant forever. 

“Where are you going?” His voice snaps you out of your monologue that you preach in your head. 

“I’m leaving and I am not coming back.” 

At first he thinks you're joking but the strong demeanour you hold on your face shows that you are doing anything but. 

“B-but I love you y/n.”

You scoff.

“So? Please let me go Lando.” You say, voice laced with desperation.

So he does, he lets you go and you don’t dare look back.

[sage-is-in-fact-very-tired]

I'm not really coherent right now, there's a lot going through my brain, but. Being sappy is not something I do a lot - but fuck I'm gonna do it this once.

To the Fable SMP cast, thank you. Those words don't, never have, and truly never will encompass how I feel; how much gratitude and thanks and appreciation I have, but they're the best that summarize it. Thank you. For the bottom of my heart and from the bottom of my *everything* - Thank you.

As a cast, you guys have taught me a lot. How to deal with more complex problems and emotions, how to process things, how to realize things. You guys have shown me so much through disability rep - being able to look at characters and go *oh* and *understand* has been a wonderful thing I've been able to do, and I thank you for that. You guys have thought me so much about friendships and relationships and how messy they can be - but also how kind and caring and gentle they can be. You've shown me just how big a found family can get - how the people you call your friends morph into family after so so much. You guys have shown me how messy sibling relationships can get. This is probably a bit more a a specific point in Heyhay and Sherb's direction but *fuck*, seeing how you can fucl up as a sibling, bit as long as you try your hardest, maybe just maybe you can be forgiven - it means a lot to me. I have 5 siblings - which is wild, but it means there's problems left right and center sometimes, but seeing that these characters can get through it, always makes me happy. (And you've reminded me just how little I tell my siblings that I love them - and how little they tell it to me in return. Maybe we should work on that..) Really in general you guys have taught me so much aboit *life* it's hard to know where to begin. But yet again, I thank you. Not for anything specific but *everything.*

I probably wouldn't be here as I am without Fable. Emotionally or mentally. I've learned so so much. And I've figured out so so much - and I've created so much based upon the things you guys have written out for us. I wouldn't be as good as character analysis as i am without this. I wouldn't be as good of a writter as i am with out this. I wouldn't have the friends I do today without this - wise, echo, cobalt, sunny, ash, howl, all the quixivists really, snow, rin, *everyone* - I wouldn't have those people wouldn't this. And I really want to thank you *all* for that - because I don't know what'd I'd do without some of those people. And I just. Thank you. Really truly thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I don't know what other ways and thank yous I can give - but if I think of any I will gladly tell them; because this community and this smp has meant so much to me. Seeing *all* these stories grow and blossom - I know I'm "the icarus poster" and probably won't be relinquishing that title any time soon, *fuck* if I haven't watched everyone's story. I've watched and observed and I. I love everyone's story - and I'm glad everyone's gotten a good ending. And I thank you all so much - again, I know I keep saying it and I don't know how many times I can repeat it before it's too repetitive, but I really really *really do.*

To the Fable smp cast, thank you so much. I am glad I was here for this - I'm glad I was here to watch as this story came to a close. And I'm glad I'm going to stay and see how we continue it. And I'm glad I'm going to stay to see where *you all* are off to next.

Thank you. You all are wonderful people, and I hope you know that. <3

[emmanuellececchi]

Not-Yet-Written-Fics Game

AKA 4 liners outlines in my Scrivener files that no-one asked for but maybe I'll write ✨someday✨

Thanks for the tag @erathene 😘 As you did I added the probability of writing it... Maybe

1 - When Eomer got a hair cut. Way back when I was younger I imagined this that Eomer got capture by orcs and that they had cut his gorgeous hair. Not so long ago I exchanged with @konartiste about it and put a few lines in a file. Eomer got captured, hair cut, eored filled with mutuals as horse lord (thought it would be funny), Eomer feeling ashamed in front of his Queen, until he feels her nails rakes through his short hair, and feels her kissing his neck... That's it. That's the plot. Probability of being written: 1/10 - Already lots of things on my plate. Maybe a scene somewhere... Or a one shot. For now, it will stay in my files.

2 - Valisthea University. FUNNY AU for Final Fantasy XVI. Where every dominants is a Uni Professor. each of them in a depatment fitting with their personality/powers. No plot. Just shenanigan on a campus with professors acting like adolescent, love and gossip, all fun no drama. Maybe an OC, maybe not. Just a fleeting ideas among the sea of ideas I have. Probability of being written : 1/10 - Simply because I have already so much WIP for FF16, this one is just... too much. Although it could be one shot compiled in a non coherent story... Maybe I just bumped the probability by one... So 2/10

3 - Dark Phoenix. DARK FF16 AU Where Joshua turns evil after learning the Undying actually killed his brother. Once again. No plot. just an exchange of ideas with @cantanatova. Probability of being written : 0/10 - Even when I am making his life even more miserable, I want Joshua to have a happy ending. This cannot end good... So I don't feel I'll be able to write it.

4 - The Warden of Shadow. DARK FF16 AU where there are only two dominants Light and Darkness AKA Dion Lesage and Barnabas Tharmr. All the other are allies from one side or the other. In this one Barnabas capture someone of Dion's family to have a child and make the child the next Warden of Darkness but imbue with the power of light. Goal being to have someone able to overpower Dion and conquer the whole world. The child is growing up without love and is teached war, fights, and so on. Sleipnir watches over the child who is a daughter. This is a twisted relationship as Sleipnir, is actually an spirit/egi from a third, forgotten power : Shadow. At one point Barnabas will want to break the twisted bond between Sleipnir and the girl in order to break the girl and make her the perfect vessel. All hell break loose, And the girl claim the Shadow power. The last scene is of the girl and Sleipnir looking over a battle field where Darkness and Light are fighting and reading to wreak chaos on both side. Probability of being writen : 7/10 - Barnabas and Sleipnir are bad guys in the game and I have no trouble giving them hell. And I found the twist of having another set of "bad guys" or non aligned guys to just break everything without a care in the world.

I have many others but I'll just list this 4. It actually helped me while writing about them so thanks again @erathene!

Let's send a no-pressure tag to @konartiste @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras and @quillofspirit and everybody else who would like to share with us! @ass-deep-in-demons and @frodothefair: I am tagging you but you already posted yours ;)

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Some replies! Starting with one about our Prison AU, but then going into a slightly more cursed territory…

No headcanons today, sorry.

Anonymous asked:

I know it's been awhile since prison au has been last talk. But have ever wondered what Vil and Ortho be like in that au? Both being guards while also Vil being a prisoner and Ortho as a guard.

It really has! I think about it from time to time though, revisiting this AU is always fun. I’m glad you like it, Anon!

Whether Vil is a guard or a prisoner, the dynamic between him and Ortho is going to stay relatively the same: Ortho is his little sunshine in this hellhole lol If both of them are guards, Vil probably uses Ortho’s robot functions more than any other guard (except for Idia, obviously). While some of the other guards are either neutral or even a bit distrustful towards Ortho (because he is a robot + because the Shrouds are very detached from the rest of the guards), Vil makes it a point to treat Ortho as an equal. Or at least as a promising protégé who deserves all the praise for his hard work. Whenever he actually works and not just hangs out with Idia at their booth, of course.

If Vil is a prisoner, he really enjoys the days when it’s Ortho’s turn to patrol. Because Ortho always says hi to everyone and stops to chat with Vil specifically for a minute or two. Maybe it’s the fact that Ortho’s views on morality are so weird and his emotional development is at a very awkward stage, but Vil is very drawn to him, so their little chats are highlights of his days. Ortho enjoys it a lot too – he learns a lot from Vil, especially considering the fact that Ortho is into movies and Vil is an actor with a very turbulent life. So yeah, Ortho is probably one of the few people who make Vil smile in this AU.

Anonymous asked:

This is such a cursed thought, but imagine Sebek and Greenhill having a screaming match, lol.

Oh god, they’ll break so many windows with their yelling, these loud blokes lol I wonder who’s louder…

Anonymous asked:

Women Azul pegs idia for sure

Even better, she tentacles Idia 🥰 even if it’s a f/m situation

Anonymous asked:

I’m probably gonna regret this but what cringey stuff does Lilia bully Idia into yelling?

It depends, Lilia is kind of a menace and sometimes demands his lovers to say things that make no sense and that aren’t even that sexy, just weird. Like animal noises and stuff, but fortunately he didn’t ask Idia to do something like that yet… well. Maybe he told him to meow once. Maybe twice.

Sometimes Lilia goes the classic route and demands his lover to beg to let him cum or forces him to pick between two equally embarrassing options, but it makes Idia so overwhelmed and nervous that he ends up getting hiccups and barely being able to make any coherent sound. It’s always a blur for both of them, because Lilia just says shit without thinking about it, and by the time this happens Idia’s brain is a complete mush oops. I’m so vague with this reply...

Anonymous asked:

You mentioned in a headcanons post for Lilia and Idia that Lilia will degrade but that he’s done much much worse? You can’t tease us like that and not spill the deets, yk.

Damn I was kinda hoping I’d get away with it (headscratch png)

Well, compared to what Lilia used to do when he was younger, some degradation is really kind of vanilla… he really mellowed down with age, that Lilia.

Some of the shit that Lilia used to do: physical and emotional torture that lasted for days, public humiliation, orchestrating gangbangs/orgies and participating in them, desecration of his wounded enemies’ bodies, brainwashing, insane and intense kinks, scaring the fuck out of his enemies and haunting them, etc etc etc. It didn’t happen every single time of course, but at his worst Lilia used to be quite scary. Debauchery was his middle name… Lilia Debauchery Vanrouge.

[vampiricmechanic]

My review of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”

rating: hard to say but somewhere between ★★★ and ★★★★ (while both at the same time)

text below — includes spoilers!!

Such a hard movie for me to rate. This is going to be long but I’ll fang it as much as I can – fasten your belts.

When I watched this movie at the cinema, I walked out of the room a little overwhelmed, little disappointed, a little happy regardless but mostly trying to sort my thoughts and weigh them in a way that pointed a direction towards like or dislike for it. I’m not sure if I made any progress, but I was able to crank out some coherent sentences that, at least, verbalize the mess inside my head.

I said to my friend – “I feel like I gotta watch this movie three times to be able to opine.” Today I rewatched it with no pretensions, but – if anything – I feel like I rusted the chrome finish of it all by doing so. It’s not bad, yet it’s not good. It is, in all of its pomposity, furiously okay.

I knew it wasn’t going to be Fury Road – by Valhalla, I didn’t want it to be – but I wanted it to look like Fury Road. A little seedling, yet to turn into a ripe peach when set behind its predecessor. The visuals are duller, and while I’m not sure what was attainable filming in a different country, you’ll take the toll of not catching the public’s eye. Humans, we’re like magpies (or crows), there’s no way around it. The hot-blue sky and even hotter orange sand are almost like missing characters.

The way Furiosa loses her arm — I was (in all of my know-it-allness) so sure that, the reason it happened was because she had tried to run away a couple times too many, making someone take away her map. Still, the canon alternative leans so much more into the very nature of Mad Max narratives — bad things will happen no matter how hard we try to avoid them, how far we run from them. The act of not only having to do it herself to live, but also knowing she'd have to trust her memory from now on, is such a clever and heartbreaking choice.

Plot holes can be extrapolated to be worn-out patches or vice-versa, potential for fan additions, creative liberty or overall diversity in interpretations, but I can’t help but yearn for more story – clarification – in some bits. Did no one notice how Furiosa went missing? And no one recognized this little, so thought war-boy, popping up from chains and car gears? When she came back as road warrior Furiosa, I connected the dots that Jack convinced Joe to let her stay as a road warrior, “she’s too good at what she does to be lowered into breeding stock.” Or something of this nature. Charlize’s headcanon of a proven barren Furiosa, bitterly recycled as Praetorian sounded more realistic, but that’s at least one less trauma on her back.

But fear not, not everything is mediocre!

Anya is magnificent, but she feels like a different font of the character – and fair enough! Tom is captivating, Jack is so easy to crush on, every interaction between him and Furi feels like a warm hand clasp. Organic Mechanic, The People Eater, Kalashnikov – even if briefly – maintain their brilliance. Joe feels like Joe but younger, like he’s growing out his evil glare, blunt-blow personality and whatever-it-takes mindset; all that’ll unwillingly soften as he’s past his peak, aged and tired. Scrotus is nowhere as cruel and distressingly unstable as I expected, which is as unfortunate as it isn’t – he’s a fun little guy. Rictus has a surprising twist, and more intellect than I assumed. I’ll take it as his mental capacity being wavering and hard to measure.

Dementus is his own thing. He’s a confident failure, a powerful mess, a character playing a character. He’s so immersed in his idea of greatness he began believing it, no matter how pathetic life proves him to be – and he’ll only come to his senses too late, but regretting none of it. That’s a character I’d read a second chapter of comics about.

Cars, cars, cars. They don’t feel as grand, no longer a key object – and again, fair enough! The War Rig was so many things beyond a truck, but there’s no need for such thing again. For the CGI, I silently winced less than I thought I would, but a couple times too many. Dealbreaker? No.

The blurt out between Furiosa and Dementus in the end, oh, grandiose. Quite literal while maintaining some poeticism, time-old lesson about revenge.

There were many more things I planned on writing down, many of which I talked about so much after watching that my brain made sure to wear away and discard so I could shut up – or alternatively, attain some ability to be briefer. The rest of it I considered irrelevant while my brain revved and fingers burned rubber on the keyboard.

Every time I try to ponder this movie fully, I start out excited, get upset midway through and finish it contently and glad George is still so in love with his own creation, as he should be. In the end, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga isn’t as shine as Fury Road, and as much as I don’t use one as a standard to the other, comparison is unavoidable – just don’t let it be thing that ruins the experience for you. It is an unpolished V8, a movie I wanted, thought we didn’t need, and wouldn’t trade back.

Witnessed! Risen from the ashes of this world into the gates of my Mad Max hyperfixation.

———

NOTE: PLEASE take into consideration this is my opinion and i'm NOT seeking beef. you have every right to disagree, just keep things civil.

[fluffypotatey]

What are your in depth thoughts about MK’s and Sun Wukong’s vs MK’s and Macaque’s relationships? Because lemme tell you I’ve got so many it’s essay worthy

i saved you for last <3 but i honestly don't know if i can talk about this coherently T^T

short answer: they are on different levels in 2 ways, MK's comfortability and in how they grow

long answer: *inhales*

so you see, there are many levels that are set between the two relationships. and by levels i mean power dynamics, casualness, formalities, respect, and idolization :)

MK and Sun Wukong

with MK and Sun Wukong their relationship began very formal. MK was simply Wukong's student (with a wish to one day be close friends with his mentor/idol), but then by around 1x09, there becomes this shift in their dynamic. in this episode, we do get insight into how far Wukong actually cares for MK because for about most of s1, the monkey keeps his distance while putting up a laid back attitude. but after MK admits to his desire of being "good enough, like [Wukong]," you will notice that Sun Wukong, slowly starts to pull down his walls for MK. he even invites MK to stay over with him for New Years (2x00), despite knowing that it was more likely for MK to leave and celebrate with his friends. (WHICH MK EVEN SAYS BECAUSE BY THIS POINT MK COMES TO REALIZE THAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP MIGHT NEVER BREACH INTO THE FRIENDSHIP HE ROMANTICIZED IN HIS HEAD. THUS SHOWING HOW THE TWO ARE DOING A REVERSE IN THEIR DYNAMIC AND- *gets dragged away to calm down*)

as i was saying.

in s2, Wukong ends up leaving to investigate a way to stop LBD before things blow over (which succeeds and fails bc it did, in fact, blow over). he didn't do it because he believed that it would hurt MK. personally, my assumption is that Sun Wukong didn't really see himself as that great of a mentor and that MK had been able to quickly pick up on new moves and techniques without much help from him, and with that thought, he believed that by leaving MK nothing but scrolls and a goal, MK would still be capable of mastering the new skills (which he did, thereby reinforcing that idea). but unfortunately, our beloved monkey king forgot that while MK is a very capable individual of incredible power, he's not confident in himself. he's simply "just loud" about himself and his prowess (which, if you noticed, MK grew even more quieter about this in seasons 2 & 3....fascinating).

so now there's this manufactured push to bring back their previous formality because Wukong is not completely ready to tell MK the truth despite how much he cares and trusts him (because, and this is my opinion, Wukong really wants to ensure that MK is not too involved in something as dangerous as LBD because she can get into your head and she can make matters worse for everybody). said manufactured push confuses MK because they had come so far from 1x01 and the distance they had before. sure, it's not as close as s3 and s4, but it definitely felt like they were at the cusp of something. this leaves MK sort of in his own limbo on where he stands with the Monkey King, and even if he sought advice about this with his friends, none of them have met the guy yet and can only make opinions based on their assumptions of what they feel like is going on (*cough, cough* Pigsy *cough, cough*).

and even after s2, in s3 Wukong is exhausted, a lot of his power depleted, and has to try and mingle civilly with MK's friends on a mission he originally planned to do alone (a suicidal mission to obtain the Samadhi Fire, if i might add). his reasoning for refusing at the beginning is because they are mortals, which MK misinterprets to mean that Wukong does not think MK can handle this mission and wants to prove himself.

omg their relationship is so complicated and messy T^T i love it

anyway, MK's and Sun Wukong's relationship is a push and pull between both people wanting to uphold and prove their worth to the other (Wukong lying to keep MK ignorant of a danger the monkey plans to eradicate in secret VS MK pushing himself into becoming powerful in order to prove himself as someone swk sees as worthy to trust). also, their dynamic is literally a platonic slow burn that slowly brings them closer and closer with s4 beginning with them (swk mostly lol) trying to be more honest and upfront about their thoughts and feelings. and s4 ending with the two actually fighting for each other and protecting each other and fighting WITH each other and T^T it's so beautiful. but also because their dynamic is a slow burn, that provides ample time to seed in doubt and insecurities and wanting to bottle up your issues to keep the peace and-

ugh T^T them <3

(side note: the actual timeline of this show is a tad confusing to me. how long was s1? a month, a couple months, a week? how long was s2? how long is the gap between seasons???? idk and i've tried to find something feasible to work with but i'm mostly just taking an "academic" estimation)

but now onto Macky and MK's relationship!

Mackenzie and MK

this one despite how rocky it looks is not a slow burn dynamic. it's got a fun roller coaster of levels because it goes "secret mentor/student" to "enemies" to "frenemies?" to "morally dubious but is actually a softie" to "potential mentor 2.0???" and i love it.

so, MK and Macky's dynamic begins in 1x09 (the blessed episode) since that's Mackackle's introduction to the show and MK begins to train under him in secret because MK is frustrated with swk's teaching methods. through the brief montage of MK's training, i can't help but notice the words and phrasing Macky uses:

Mackarell: [sounding disappointed] Not bad...[chuckles] [in a mocking tone] don't get me wrong, but I was expecting a little more with someone of your power. MK: [is defensive] H-hey, I've got more- I can give way more than that! [sighs] I can do better. Macaroni: [bemused] Kay, maybe show me next time.

ok, honestly, i just wanna talk about this. because if you heard it without seeing Marconi's face and how they animated him, you could side-step the the fake disappointment and mocking tone. what he's saying on the surface, isn't anything malicious or cruel. he is acting like a mentor and it appears like he is trying to encourage MK so he can stop hesitating. but that's not what Mac's really doing.

he is acting disappointed in MK because MK has a need to prove himself. the scene before MK meets Macaque, he is with Wukong and is frustrated by how slow his training is. he knows he can do some pretty powerful moves if his mentor allowed him to, if only he can prove to him that he can level up from the "baby stuff", if only he could have someone see that potential and train him in something more his "style." how convenient that right after he vents his frustrations MK encounters exactly what he wants, but oh no, they're disappointed in his strength and prowess, he has to prove that wrong, he CAN prove that wrong.

see where i'm going? MK fell for Macky's web, hook-line-and-sinker because it was tailor made for him. BUT! this mentor/student dynamic does not last very long. and that's mostly because it never a long term relationship in the slightest. Macky always planned to use MK's powers for his own, so now the two are slotted into the enemies level. they were never on equal ground like MK thought, or even on a similar mentor/student level MK has with Wukong. Macaquack absolutely abused that dynamic for his own gain and MK lost his trust for it.

MK cannot trust Macky, why should he? in s2, MK and Macky's relationship is mostly antagonistic because Mk cannot trust Mac and Mac enjoys tormenting the guy by hanging his insecurities over him. they are not on equal ground. Mac only sees MK as some mortal child who is in over his head and thinks he can be a Wukong 2.0 while MK sees Mac as someone who betrayed his trust, tried to kill him and his mentor and it is very personal.

but then there's this interesting choice made by lmk. Mac warns MK of an upcoming danger. why does he do it? he had just proven that he is an enemy! but also, he ends up freeing MK's friends on the basis that it "wasn't fun anymore". why take pity (should we even call it pity) on MK enough to tell him that "big things are coming"?

why choose to give MK some (very vague) advice about what's to come? what caused Macky to decide to offer this information?

well, 1st it is clearly the writers' way of showing that there is more than meets the eye with Macky. this is a little indicator for the audience about "hey! keep an eye on him! he's more complex than you think! he's more than a stock villain!" 2nd, this is the very first push into Mac's more amiable relationship with MK.

in s3, Macky is under LBD's command and has to follow her orders or else she might send him back to the Diyu either by ripping his soul from his body, or encasing him in ice/bone. he is only on her side to survive. he doesn't even plan to stay. instead, it really looks like Mac wants to escape from her hold (which he eventually plans out after learning about the gang's mission to find the Rings of Samadhi).

when it comes to MK, Mac is very antagonistic. @shadowpeachyuri made a really great analysis on Macky's antagonistic behavior in s3. especially in 3x04 where he taunts and mocks MK for his self worth and powers, but he's also stalling from his own mission in retrieving MK for LBD. most of s3 is him stalling and picking fights with people rather than do his own job. not to mention, that he purposefully separated MK and Wukong believing it would be easier to retrieve them. but why all the stalling and hesitation? because he's upset with his circumstances, and wants to take out on everyone? yeah, that's definitely part of it.

still in s3 Mac is not trying to befriend MK, he's not trying to help him either, but he also isn't truly trying to catch him. his main objective is getting out of dodge, escaping and finding somewhere that is far from here. yet, he can't help but challenge MK into using his powers, offer some (very biased and skewed) advice on who the guy should trust. and it's not until "Embrace Your Destiny" when his on-again and off-again mood finally gets to MK because he saved MK, he brought MK to Mei and he gave them the Not-Mayor guy for information.

just...this whole exchange T^T

Mackardy: Look, I brought you the Lady Bone Demon's lapdog, but I'm not up for being a hero, kid.

here lies, Macky trying to tell MK that he is not on his side. he has been constantly antagonistic and while LBD is also his enemy, he was planning to just give MK and his gang enough help for them to plan out how to defeat her.

MK: We don't need you to beat him. We just need you to keep him busy. As long as he's [Monkey King] under her control the Mech's vulnerable. We can do this! You can do this.

enter MK, looking at Macky with such optimism and arguing back at Macky with the guy's own logic. it won't be a battle to try and defeat Wukong, Macky just has to "keep him busy". Stall, like he's been doing for all of s3. and he sprinkles in a bit more optimism and encouragement to sweeten the deal.

Macaroon: Nice speech, kid but it's not gonna- MK: [frustrated growl] STOP! You keep playing at being this bad guy, acting like you're just in it for you! But I know deep, deep down: you're not that guy. Help us. Make it right. Macadoodle: I'm not a hero, bud MK: Then be a warrior!

personally, i feel like this is the moment where the two's new dynamic begins. also, Macky and MK's relationship feels a but more on equal footing. neither of them hold a pedestal or an image of who they are. MK is able to figure out that a lot of Macky's outward appearance is just that, an appearance. and Macky is able to see that MK isn't some Wukong 2.0 he imagined up in his head in s1. MK is the Monkey King's successor but he is also his own person who will and has made different decisions than Wukong.

after s3, their dynamic is very similar to mentor/student in 4x10, but not in the same way as in 1x09. Macky isn't trying to be manipulative or play with double meanings, he's actually trying to help and figured a video game rpg would be the best bet since MK likes video games. MK is able to snap back at Macky and isn't afraid of showing the monkey his worries and fears (something he's struggling to with Wukong and vice versa) because Macky has seen that side of him already.

idk it's fascinating. i feel like i'm repeating myself a lot, but my main takeaway is that MK and Wukong have a slow burn friendship that began with formalities and over the seasons, they gradually grew closer and more comfortable with admitting that they care about each other (mostly Wukong needed this help but it's ok). and MK and Macky's relationship though began as enemies, grew into 2 characters who view each other as equals by the end and respect ach other loads.

there be my thoughts *jazz hands*

[tadpolesonalgae]

i've read the last chapter twice and i honestly thought things would go a different way? idk i thought even if running away didn't work with the magic that maybe she got at least a bit of a backbone, it kinda feels like running to eris and have all that guilt on top of the one she already had was all for nothing. i wanna root for her but at a certain point she's really doing all this to herself. i thought the reunion would warrant some well deserved anger from both parts like a climax of sorts, i guess it did it was just more depressing and defeated than the anger i was expecting. kinda wish we'd seen azriel or even mor tell the others too

and i'm sorry but how did she pick the weirdest way to off herself 😭 like there are so many easier ways, even just with the arrow just stab it through your heart, she definitely wouldn't hit azriel like that and she remembered the wards but didnt think to mind speak to call rhys and feyre? like i get she was in shock but i just dont know how she's so smart but keeps making the dumbest decisions. i also thought the prophecy meant she'd kill him with her powers not just this

i'm sorry if this sounds a bit critical, the chapter was beautifully written as always, you're really amazing at conveying emotion, the reason it's so frustrating to see her stay stuck in her self pity is because of how well you write it but i just thought there would be more happening when she came back - 🧶

Okay…I have some thoughts drifting around in my head so I hope I’ll express them in a coherent fashion 😬😭🧡💛 (though this did get a little long, sorry 🫣🫂)

So, first of all, I think some people probably were expecting anger or some kind of emotional detonation, but in my experience anger and frustration take a lot of energy to sustain and I don’t believe reader—where she was at that moment—was capable of directing her resentment anywhere but herself? She’s exhausted from being alive; she doesn’t have the energy nor the instinct to become angry with Azriel or any of the IC.

I know this is a fanfic, so it would be quite simple to have her ‘fixed’ after visiting Eris, but that scene was supposed to be the first moment of catharsis, where reader is able to physically exhaust a portion of her magic that has been straining on her. It’s mentioned (I think in acomaf, and we also see it with Nesta in acosf) that Rhys has to constantly have magic in use to relieve the pressure it puts on him or else it will drive him insane, so reader needed to have some kind of release moment since her magic wasn’t able to manifest correctly.

I’d also like to mention that I think it might seem underwhelming or anticlimactic in some lights because it is frustrating in a way to see someone continuously be unable to stand up for themselves and just kind of melt into a puddle on the floor? Particularly if they aren’t entirely deserving of certain behaviours and it would be simpler to fix if the person just took a stand and stopped muddling about the place 😭

‘kinda wish we'd seen azriel or even mor tell the others too’

With this, do you mean that reader ran away to Eris, or that she tried to end herself, because I’m pretty sure both of those will be spoken about in chapter 16 if that’s any consolation! 🧡💛

Okay, onto the method of suicide! (Yes, I acknowledge it was a weird choice, certainly a more unintentionally flamboyant approach)

So, since she’s fae (I can’t actually remember if decapitation works?) I’m pretty sure ash is the only thing that can actually kill her? Which limited the options quite significantly? I suppose she could have taken a large dose of faebane to reduce her healing and then ended herself in a more ‘human’ (?) way?

Personally though, there were a couple a reasons I wanted to use the crossbow and arrow!

First of all, using a crossbow, letting reader set it up, knowing she just has to knock into a book and then it will be out of her hands? It’s passive. She’s again letting things be taken out of control—I didn’t want her first moments of real autonomy to be trying to end herself (though that might have been very impactful for a different direction of the story) (I’m also not counting her giving away the earrings since that wasn’t something she did entirely for herself)

Secondly, the Crossbow itself was lying inside the House of Wind, along with various other weapons and blades that the IC are just too accustomed to—I want a specific reason for the IC to understand what sort of problems are happening with reader. While I don’t feel it’s expressly their fault (again, I feel it’s passive, not active—they didn’t intend for their distance to have a negative impact on her, though it did anyway) they will feel responsible that she used something of theirs to hurt herself with.

Then, Eris was the one who gave reader the ash arrow and I would like to have a reason to elaborate on what’s going on in the background (which I’m scared I won’t do well 🫣)

Admittedly this is a slightly strange reason, but I think from reader’s perspective and without being able to understand az’s side, he’s seemed quite cold/distant from her due to external pressures and I wanted this to serve as a reminder that despite how bad things are right now he does still care about her? Not romantically or anything obviously, but he doesn’t want any of the people he cares about to be hurt where he can help it so this felt like a good circumstance that would set their reconciliation (not reconciliation, but their distance closing I guess?) in motion and give them a reason to actually pay attention to one another and figure out what’s going on

(Lastly, this one is more an allegory than anything, but being shot through the heart by an arrow is usually something done by Cupid. So revolving around her love for Azriel and how it’s kind of messing her up? This is definitely a more indulgent reason though 😭)

For the mind speaking thing and why she didn’t call out for Rhys and Feyre—I’m not sure if I expressed it incorrectly but reader was suffering through an onslaught of pretty debilitating inclinations revolving around ending herself, and then the solution to those urges was stripped away from her when Azriel took the arrow instead so she’s having to grasp with the fact she’s still alive, she’s now responsible for murdering someone rhys, Feyre etc. love dearly, she’s killed someone she loves dearly, while also dealing with small glimpses from the war—she isn’t in the right headspace to think outside of those problems.

Also, I don’t feel daemati abilities are explained very clearly, but in my mind Azriel, Cassian, Mor etc. who aren’t daemati would be familiar enough with it (through speaking with Rhys) that they know roughly where to push within their mental expanse to search for a connection point. With reader who has only been fae for two years, has little to no experience with speaking mind to mind—I don’t feel it would be at all possible for her to figure out how to call for someone mentally when she can barely control her own magic and when neither Rhys nor Feyre would have a reason to be checking on her mentally when as far as they know she’s safe and with Az.

With the prophecy/vision that Elain got, all she explicitly sees is Azriel on the floor with blood around him then a flash of green. He looks dead but that’s not something Elain can determine just through visuals just yet—no, Azriel is not dead, but he comes close enough to imitate it!

‘i'm sorry if this sounds a bit critical, the chapter was beautifully written as always, you're really amazing at conveying emotion, the reason it's so frustrating to see her stay stuck in her self pity is because of how well you write it but i just thought there would be more happening when she came back - 🧶’

I think it was critical but I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all and really appreciate it!! 🧡💛 It wasn’t malicious or mean and I really enjoy hearing your opinions on cbmthy’s storyline because it helps me adapt and shape the direction of the plot—seriously, I love getting to hear your thoughts, thank you so much for taking the time to articulate them, it’s such a massive aid 😭🧡💛 I hope none of my replies felt too harsh or absolute, and I would love to know if you have any other thoughts on the storyline!! 🧡💛

[teaspoonofdread]

THOUGHTS on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

I'll start with two statements regarding Anya Taylor Joy's casting and go from there.

I like her (I know some don't).

I agree she doesn't look like Charlize Theron (and we all know Charlize realized Furiosa as much as Miller did).

BUT a thing that struck me as soon as I heard she was cast was that she had that ethereal vibe of the Five (when I first saw them, the word 'mermaids' wouldn't leave my mind). I could see Anya playing a 'wife', which works with a backstory, I don't think any fan would like to watch play out on the screen...

Now let's try not to be too skeptical: she's tall like Furiosa, there's the probability she was more feminine as a girl living in a feminine world the Green Place of Many Mothers, she didn't need to be as muscular in her youth so she wasn't, etc.

Now. The trailer didn't manage to completely sell me the idea of Anya as Furiosa, but it eased some of my nerves. THE EYES! I saw a troll post on redit literally the day before the trailer dropped with close-ups of Theron and Joy (brown-eyed) captured "Furiosa eye color change?"

I've read the meta, I knew the eyes were carefully retouched in Fury Road in post-production, so I had hope. And seeing Anya's eyes in the trailer, I thought to myself, 'This is THE death stare. This is Furiosa'. And when she screamed all disheveled, I liked that part best. The one with her face covered, making the V8 symbol - second best.

I liked that she was shooting, I liked that cropped-out-seconds-rising-the-tension-rising-the-momentum Gorge Miller magic, I liked how over the top Lord Dementus was, it worked for me. Joe looked like Joe, I believe he didn't have any lines.

I definitely didn't like that head-touch with Tom Burke's character 😕 (sorry. He seems to have a lot of fans.)

And I didn't like the opening and closing shots. Can't quite place why: the opening one seemed like I'd already watched it before, also a bit too long, and the closing felt not authentic somehow. I wish she was more muscular. She just seems fragile in the classic Furiosa outfit.

Last roll of 'complains' before I start with the excitement-inducing points:

The over-explaining in the trailer itself, the big words with the exact number of years and all (like they could've converted into days, like they do in universe) but alas I suppose that's in order to bring in a wider audience. I hope it succeeds, tho!

Is a prequel the story I wanna visit - no. I'd like a movie about the Four - rebuilding, reforming, growing (green and as people), I want Max back even as I know it isn't like him to stay, and finally I want Theron and Hardy side by side, even as I know they wouldn't haha.

All of that is so unlikely. And there are so many spectacular novel-length fics about that. Hell, one such universe has been materializing in my mind for the past year. I almost don't want a movie about what comes after.

Still, I'd prefer a movie about the after rather than the before, but that's what's happening.

But I'm a nobody. The Creator of this world has a story he'd like to share, and it is centered around one of the most incredible characters in recent history, I think we're lucky to be able to witness that.

Now, onto the real excitement!

Disclaimer: this is less coherent even than what came before it.

First of all, we're finally getting a Wasteland movie by Gorge Miller (edited by Margaret Sixel!!!)

I cannot stress this enough!

We're getting chases, and War Boys and shiny mutant-cars, and we're going to GasTown, people! To the Bullet Farm! Helloo, I'm so ready, so curious!

And we're going to the Green Place, y'all! I'm so excited about it. Like they had horses wtf? Mary Jo Bassa! Canon Vuvalini names! Traditions! Defense strategies, weapons, male Vuvalini maybe, crows, so much lore...

But I'm most excited about that Lady driver and the little girl. I'm soo ready for the stories of women in the Wasteland!

To sum up: I'm mostly hyped for the expansion of the world because I love it so much. Because we'd see another of Miller's visions.

And I trust the team behind it enough to know it won't be an unremarkable movie.

I know it won't be another Fury Road because there never will be.

I watched it way too late, and it's my dream to see it on the big screen, which wouldn't happen. So I'm grateful for a second chance to experience something like it. And I'm hoping the fandom will live again, because from my lurking I've found it to be as intricate and smart and fucking amazing as Fury Road itself is, and I'd like to be a part of it this time around :')

[zorilleerrant]

“Which is the dude from the thing?” Bernard asks, and Tim has to stare at him so hard it feels like his eyes are going to melt out of his head, but Bernard doesn’t even clarify until he clears his throat so blatantly it hurts. “You know, that one pop star that everyone wants to make fight Batman. I think he’s from – okay, now I can’t remember where he’s from, either.”

“Maybe you should go to sleep,” Tim says, rubbing his shoulders and kissing the top of his ear. “You’ve been up all night writing fanfic.” And it’s maybe selfish, but Tim kind of wishes he’d been up all night making chili or something, if he’s going to stay up all night, because the shitty fast food places aren’t open yet, and he needs something dense to eat. Whatever there is to microwave isn’t going to cut it.

“You’ve been up all night fighting clowns or whatever, so I think of the two of us, I make healthier life choices,�� Bernard says, snappishly, but also without looking up from his screen. Tim knows it’s his fault that Bern keeps staying up, that it’s just a reaction to his anxiety, that it’s going to have to be Tim doing something, or else they’re just going to have to wait it out. But he still doesn’t expect Bernard, half asleep and writing what appears to be barely coherent language (and not entirely English), to say, “there’s a guy, he’s named after a bird? Shit, maybe he’s a superhero, actually. You guys all have bird names, and you’re superheroes, right?”

“Bern,” Tim says, gently, turning the chair so Bernard has to look away from his computer, which he clings very hard to, making agitated noises. “Bernard. Bernard, look at me. What the hell kind of bird do you think a Nightwing is? Do Oracle, Red Hood, Spoiler, Signal, or Huntress sound like any kind of bird to you? Are you tired enough to think a bat is a bird?”

“Red Hood sounds like it probably could be a bird,” Bernard mutters, scratching a little too intensely at his eyebrow, “some kind of like. A falcon or something. A hawk. What’s the dude who dresses in like super fashionable clothing and then he’s got like a motorcycle and stuff and I think he’s an assassin.”

“Bear, babe, you just described like half my family,” Tim says, tilting their foreheads together so he can attempt to look his boyfriend in the eye, except said boyfriend keeps darting his gaze back and forth, not like he’s looking for hidden dangers or weapons to fight them off with, but like he forgot something crucial. Turning off the stove level stuff. (Tim darts out to check the stove, just quickly, but it’s off.)

“He’s pink,” says Bernard, with a level of certainty Tim definitely can’t pull off on that little sleep, much as he tries. But he has no idea what kind of pink pop star motorcycle riding assassin fighting Batman Bernard thinks he – fuck.

“Flamingo?” Tim practically yells, wondering how to best pack incredulity into the rest of his sentence, “are you talking about Eddie fucking Flamingo, Bernard? That’s not a pop star and he’s not from a TV show, he’s real, and he has a rap sheet a mile long, because, as you said, he’s an assassin.”

“Right, yeah. Him. He’s cool,” Bernard says, with the tone of voice that definitely means that wasn’t the first adjective he thought of but he’s still worried Tim’s going to be jealous about it. Which isn’t totally unfair, because Tim still does get a little jealous when Bernard looks at other guys, but he’s trying to cut down on that because it’s not exactly helping anyone with anything. And Tim would like to be able to look at other guys without feeling guilty. (Just look.)

“He is not cool, Bernard, he eats fucking faces, Bernard, you need to go to sleep,” Tim says, and then pulls Bern’s face into his hands, and looks at him very long-sufferingly, but lovingly, and places a kiss on the tip of his nose. And then, just to drive his point home, repeats, “Go the fuck to sleep.”

“No, I have to get this scene,” Bernard says, typing the word Flamingo way too many times for Tim’s comfort, scrolling up and down through the document he has open, and several other files that don’t actually seem to have writing in them. “Hey, how strong is your dad, anyway? Could he like. Lift a motorcycle?”

“Could he lift a motorcycle?” Tim asks, giving up on spinning Bernard’s chair around again in favor of rubbing at his face and regretting asking any of these questions at any point, but unable to (after hearing that) let this lie. “How strong do you think Batman is? You know he’s human, right? Like a regular human? I did explain this, didn’t I?”

“He could have robots in his suit or something, I don’t know,” Bernard says, while Tim tries not to cry, because, admittedly, Luke can lift a motorcycle in most of his less compact suits. But the recharge time on those is astronomical, so it’s not like that’s a helpful comparison. There’s a reason Bruce uses them so sparingly, but there are a couple he obviously could lift a motorcycle in, if he saw a reason to use them. So Tim doesn’t even know what to say.

So he just reads over Bernard’s shoulder, while his boyfriend smirks and points out a couple of choice sentences, one of which he’ll have to come back to because that is definitely not a language he knows. It might be Mando’a. It’s written in roman characters, at least, which rules out a lot of things. “What do you need him to lift a motorcycle for, anyway?” Tim asks, because so far the motorcycle doesn’t seem to have appeared, although it might be in an earlier chapter. He’s really going to have to ask Bernard how many chapters this thing is.

“Oh, I want him to pick it up and use it to smack Flamingo in the face,” Bernard says, matter of factly, and then mimes what Tim figures must be what he thinks it would be like to pick up a motorcycle one-handed and then bitchslap someone with it. It’s a little bit too casual of a gesture to be convincing about it, though.

“Bernard, my love, my life, my reason for getting up in the morning,” Tim says, pinning his wrists so he can't open his browser back up again, “I have never been more serious about anything. You need to rethink this once you’ve slept.” The words grate, coming out of his mouth, and he’s not enjoying feeling sympathy for all the people who’ve said this to him, and probably he was still right and they were still wrong, but, like, he gets why they said it, now.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Bernard says, condescendingly patting Tim’s arm and giving him a rough kiss before turning back to the computer and typing rapidfire, in a way Tim’s pretty sure he’s never seen Bern do while completely awake. Some of those words are Portuguese, though. At least one sentence is in German. (It’s the one where the motorcycle finally appears.) “I think Batman can probably lift a motorcycle, if he gets a running start.”

Tim picks him up and carries him.

[naffeclipse]

I feel like I might have had the wrong reaction to “The Lost Episode” because the whole time, I was just like:

(But also my heart ripped out at the realization that y/n won’t ever see the sun again ;; at least they still have their Sun)

I owe you so many comments on your fics, and I’m so sorry for taking this long to get to them 😭 Maybe I should make my New Year’s resolution leaving comments on all the fics I haven’t gotten to. I promise I will get to loving on each of them eventually! 💜 It’ll give me a good excuse to binge read new fic and reread some other fics hehe

Also, I have a bit of a research question for SJ for reasons 👀 I might have missed it while reading the series, but is there a time estimate for how long it took Moon and Sun to join the police academy after they left the daycare and Eclipse began running around with gangs? And when would you say Eclipse rose to power and became a mob boss? Were Sun and Moon detectives by that point or still a lower rank?

Typing that out just made me curious about how Eclipse did become a mob boss and how he got a gang, and I’m restraining myself from sending you a bunch of lore questions. So I’ll just imagine him sending out fliers with his face printed on them and a caption that promises a competitive base salary. Just ignore the super fine small print that says there are no health benefits with this job

Hope you had a nice holiday as well, Naff! You’re a freaking powerhouse with all the writing you’ve been getting done, so I hope you’re taking care of yourself and resting too! Much love <3

PFFFT LUMI!!! Nah, I love all reactions, it fuels me and I'm glad you enjoyed hehe ♥

No, don't apologize!! I get it! I'm behind on reading/commenting on fics, too ;-; but ahhh, I do look forward to when you do comment!! You always leave such nice ones ♥

Oh ho! Research you, say? I am gazing directly at you, Lumi!

Okay, I'm really bad with timelines and dates so I'll try my best to keep this coherent and hopefully non-contradictory with the main storyline!

15 years after the boys left the daycare, Sun and Moon were finally able to join the police academy while Eclipse was digging deeper into gang activity. Now mind you, Sun and Moon were attempting to join the academy much earlier, but due to politics and human-animatronic relations still being tense despite animatronics being legally recognized as individuals with rights, they were discriminatorily barred from joining the program. It took Eclipse calling in favors, owing a favor or two himself, and offering a lot of bribes to those in charge of the program to get Sun and Moon in. At that current time, Eclipse was climbing the ranks. He was gaining a reputation and a name for himself, but he was still a thug working under someone else's command.

Eclipse didn't control his own gang until after Sun and Moon were detectives and after the Afton Family's fall, but by then, the brothers weren't in contact with each other. Learning that big brother was a crime lord was something the detectives discovered in their work. It was disappointing, but not surprising—just a lot to think about piled on top of everything else.

Fun fact! Eclipse killed his gang leader and took the man's gang for himself. It happened after he learned the crime lord was conspiring against him (funny enough, this was due to others looking towards and being loyal to Eclipse due to his ruthlessness and efficiency, which spooked the gang leader so he thought it would be wise to act preemptively, but ah, Eclipse was not amused to see his loyalty repaid with betrayal.) Eclipse had no qualms with reigning in control and very little resisted his takeover. Eclipse did take care of those who stay loyal to him, but he ran a tight ship. Great risk, great reward.

Wow, sorry, I just went on a ramble there, but I hope that helps answer your questions! But you're absolutely right, there are no health benefits in Eclipse's gang. *Shrek voice* They don't even have dental.

Thank you, I hope you had a nice holiday as well! Ahhh, thank you so much! I've been taking breaks, don't worry, babe! ♥ Much love *smooch ya on the head*

[sleepyqinfei]

❥ summer selfship ask game

oh my gosh it’s just occurred to me that autumn is nearly upon us so um. let me vrie sneakily post my answers to this summer-themed selfship ask game while it is still summer !! u by no means have to read through all of this huhu but thank uuu so much @mlkbwunnies @chositooo @umeminyan @chaicomilk @femivi @tetsuskei for entertaining me and my little selfship + thank u roma for making this lovely ask game ♡

( i wasn’t able to form any coherent thoughts for heaven’s incarnate or honeydew so i have no answers for those sobs )

paradise 𖦹 where do you and your lover vacation to?

chenyu vale is our most frequented destination 🍵🤍 it’s such a beautiful place, not to mention that the tea is simply exquisite !! it doesn’t hurt that traveling there is rather convenient, too ! we also have a place on the outskirts of the court of fontaine that we stay at quite frequently, but we consider it more as our home on the surface than a getaway ૮꒰っ´༥'ς꒱ ❤︎

sunrise 𖦹 what does your morning routine look like?

wrio typically wakes up a bit earlier than i do, but he likes to stay in bed with me until i awaken :3 sometimes we’ll lounge in bed for a while, but it rllie depends on the day ! we’ll get up + brush our teeth + get dressed, and i’ll make him coffee while he makes me tea ☕🍵 when we’re at our place in the overworld, we might enjoy our drinks outside, where we can hear the birds chirping + the waves lapping against the shore, or we might just sit in our kitchen ( fun fact: he tends to opt for tea in the morning when we’re in the overworld hehe ) ♡

moonlight 𖦹 what does a summer’s night look like for the two of you?

cuddling up on the couch + reading, stargazing, walking along the beach + picking up pretty shells, dancing ﾉ swaying to the sweet melodies playing from the gramophone in wrio’s office, gazing at him with hearts in my eyes as he finishes up on some paperwork ... these are all things we love to do at night :3 stargazing + walking along the beach are the only two that are more or less exclusively summer activities bcos it otherwise is a bit chilly, but i hope this answer suffices for now huhu

bedsheets 𖦹 at what time do you and your lover go to bed? do you go to sleep immediately or bask in each other?

if we don’t have any plans or things we must take care of, we typically go to bed between ten and eleven pm ! we like to bask in each other’s presence for a bit, talk about everything + nothing, give each other soft kisses + nuzzle into each other, but we don’t stay awake for too long bcos we end up falling asleep in each other’s arms ପ꒰ ྀི◞ ◟ ꒱ ࣪ ˖ 𓂃ෆ

lemonade 𖦹 what’s your go to drink order? what’s theirs?

well .. our go tos are both water + tea, but since that is terribly boring i will add that i might opt for a lemonade if the heat is particularly fatiguing. wrio indulges in an orange juice frm time to time :3 ( i can’t legally drink here + i never have anw so no comments on alcoholic beverages oki :thumbsup: )

stardust 𖦹 do the two of you believe in making wishes to shooting stars? what do you wish for?

i do !! i wish for wrio’s happiness + health, for the wellbeing of the inhabitants of the underworld, for everyone to find peace and joy in their lives . . ♡ wrio doesn’t believe in wishing on shooting stars, but he adores me so he indulges in my whimsies + will point them out if he sees one (⸝⸝o̴̶̷᷄ o̴̶̷̥᷅⸝⸝ ྀི)

( i don’t ﾉ rllie ﾉ believe that wishes made on shooting stars will come true, but i adore the magical sentiment, even if it is a bit childish. after all, wriothesley deserves to experience the magical wonderment of childhood again + i will do my utmost to make that come to fruition )

( he wishes for me to let him stay by my side until the end of time )

angel by the sea 𖦹 what pet names do they use for you? what pet names do you use for them?

wrio likes to use many sweet names for me .z. some of his favourites are ‘ sweetheart ’ + ‘ darling ’ and the other pet names he uses are likewise prettie common ♡ saying pet names aloud makes me vrie vrie flustered and as a result i typically just call him ‘ wrio ’, but if i do opt for one, ‘ baby ’ is the most common ( i’ll also call him ‘ my love ’ as per this post ૮꒰ྀི⊃⸝ ⸝ ⸝⊂꒱ྀིა )

bikini 𖦹 how do they react to seeing you in a bikini or swimsuit or swim trunks?

wrio will give me a soft smile + walk over to place his hands on my waist, relishing the sight of me in a bikini or swimsuit .. he likes to slide his hands down a bit so he can rub circles above my hip bones + he’ll lean down to give me a kiss + murmur something nice into my ear . . . which usually results in me giggling + playfully slapping him on the chest lul ໒꒰ྀི ៸៸៸៸ ก꒱ྀི১ he knows i feel a lot more vulnerable when i’m just in a bikini or swimsuit, so he won’t tease me much for getting flustered and will just try to make sure i feel comfortable in my own skin 🥺

[aquaquadrant]

okay. OKAY. I haven’t been able to catch up on HTP until literally tonight and it is legit 4 in the morning but I have Thoughts™️

the way that. Patho half goes along with and half teases Dbubs when he’s lying is genuinely the most hilarious thing to me— it’s like when a little kid is trying to tell you she climbed Mount Everest last week and you’re like “oh yeah? how was that?”

I love I LOVE that the Pathbubs dynamic is almost exactly the same as the Ethdubs one. I noticed that because the Timmy/ Bravo one is way different, the bX/ Alisker one is way different, just like the characters are too different. I know that the POINT of Hels is that it brings out the worst/ negative-adjacent in Overworld players, but it just kind of accentuates Bdubs’ and Etho’s entire personalities? so their dynamic stays the same. it’s not like that with other players and I love it

(this isn’t making SENSE which is IRRITATING because I have COHERENT THOUGHTS IN MY HEAD MY FINGERS JUST AREN’T TRANSLATING THEM)

okay and then WHAT happened to Hels Grian (I forgot his name😭😭) because I feel like it’s gonna be plot relevant/ have something to do with Gri’s Watcher status. eyes went purple and he randomly was possessed to fly away? sketchy man idk it gives Watcher

lastly if you have any ideas as to why Beef’s cloning machine summoned HelsKnight that would be sick— was it a freak accident? did Beef accidentally crack the algorithm without a Hels code? who knows tbh

as an author I strive to be able to pace my writing as well as yours someday🫠 LOVE this au!!

HHHHH THANK U VERY MUCH. it still amazes me how many ppl got into this silly little block men au of mine, the response has just been incredible.

i fuckin love writing pathbubs. i wish i had time to do more of it rn. etho and bdubs are prob two of my favorite hermits and i love their dynamic, which made it easy to carry over to patho and dbubs- at least on the surface level. their relationship is actually a bit fucked up the deeper u go into it, but sadly most relationships are in hels.

as for hels!grian, or scáil, i’m afraid he isn’t gonna play much of a role in the main storyline. his disappearance does, however, have to do with grian’s encounter w the watchers, i talk briefly abt it here.

i talk abt the helsknight situation more in depth here but the short answer is that it was, simply, a freak accident. helsknight happened to die in hels at the exact same moment the clone was created, so he respawned in the clone’s body. total accidental glitch.

[slightlyaboveaverageiq]

The Whisperer: Part 15 (Wally Clark Fic)

A/N: This is going to be all smut since it’s the weekend so Mo doesn’t have to be at school the next part will be too and then there won’t really be too much.

What the hell was tickling my leg? I groaned and kicked in the general direction that the annoying feeling was coming from and it stopped for a minute but started back up. Irritated that whatever was crawling on my skin had interrupted my sleep I kicked harder this time. “Aw, fuck Mo.” I cracked one eye open and there was Wally with some kind of tickling thing on my leg.

“Wally….what the hell are you doing?” He smirked and climbed on top of me kissing me before kissing his way down my neck. He stopped and lightly lapped at a mark that he had left the night before and I couldn’t stop the moan that came from my mouth.

“We’re going to work on that fact that you can’t follow simple directions today.” He pulled away and I pouted at the fact he was no longer laying on me. “Spread your legs for me sweetheart.” I swear it was like yesterday didn’t happen because I instantly blushed and looked anywhere but at Wally. He put his hand under my chin making me look at him. “I said…spread your legs.” And just like I was hypnotized they fell open for him. He smiled and pulled me closed by the hips before gently lapping at my clit.

“Oh fuck.” He was far too good at that, or I was just easy for him to get off. Either way I wasn’t able to form a coherent thought let alone sentence when he did that. I opened my eyes and looked down to see him staring right back at me, face buried in my pussy, very much enjoying what he was doing. I started rocking my hips up into his face and he groaned holding me closer to him by my hips. I bit my lip and throwing caution to the wind very gently pushed on his chest until he was laying down. At first he was confused but when he saw I was coming to straddle his face he smiled.

“That’s my good girl, sit on my face” I didn’t even have time to sit down before he basically pulled me down on top of him and at me like he was a starving man. “Cum on my face sweetheart I love hearing the noises you make when you do.” Jesus he was probably going to kill me by orgasm if this was how he was planning on waking me up every day.

“Oh fuck Wally it feels so good.” I bit my lip and moved my hips quicker on his face until I could feel the pressure about to blow. “Oh fuck Wally please” I didn’t even have to say anymore his tongue started thrusting in and out and that was just what I needed to climb over. I fell forward shaking but Wally didn’t falter in his movements very quickly flipping us over so he was between my legs and I was on my back as he was very quickly eating me to a second orgasm, the second one crashed over me and he -just like the first one- held me in place and continued to lick through wave after wave of pleasure. It was almost to the point of too sensitive and I moved to squirms away from him but his hands held me in place. “Wally.” I half cried half bitched him out because while I felt amazing and i loved that he wanted to make me feel good but how many more did he think I was going to have?

“Shh, lay down sweetheart. You’re doing so good.” His tongue slowed down to where he was lazily lapping at the mess I had made all down my legs, giving me time to catch my breath. “So beautiful when you cum sweetheart.” I looked down at him and raked my fingers through his hair and his closed his eyes letting out a low growl as he continued licking at me. “You taste so good, I could stay down here all day just tasting you and listening to you scream my name.”

“Wally, fuck I don’t know if I can cum anymore.” He smirked and continued his assault on my clit while running his fingertips lightly up and down my thighs. My leg started shaking as I felt a third one approaching, i was less sensitive compared to my second one but that didn’t mean that I didn’t scream his name as my third orgasm washed over me. “Wally, too sensitive.” I gently pushed his head away and this time he kissed his way up my body instead of continuing his assault on my pussy.

“Such a good girl Mo, I love watching you fall apart, hearing you moan and scream my name as you do.” I moaned and reached up pulling him down so I could kiss him and just wrap my body around him. “I love how you shiver when I touch you or you hear my voice.” He placed a kiss on my shoulder leading up to my neck after each word. “I could spend the rest of my afterlife drowning in you and I wouldn’t mind.” I’ve convinced myself that Wally just has a fetish for my ear because he consistently kisses and sucks on them.

I flipped us over so he was underneath me and I was straddling his hips. I bit my lip and let my hands lightly wonder across his chest and arms, groaning lowly in my throat as they made their way across the ripples in his muscles. Wally raised an eyebrow at me but didn’t say anything and let me continue on my quest. I smiled and dipped my head placing a wet kiss in the dip between his neck and shoulder. Aside from the way his breath caught and the pressure increasing in his grip oh my hips there was no outward sign that I had fazed him. I trailed my lips lower working them along his chest and down to his waistband. I glanced up, his brown eyes once again almost black as he watched me move lower and lower. I bit my lip nervously and pulled them down and almost wished I had x ray vision that way I could have been slightly prepared. I knew he was by no means small based on the stretch I was still feeling from yesterday but it’s not like I had studied and taken notes while he was eating me out.

“Mo.” His hips moved every so slightly and that was all I needed before plunging head first -quite literally- wrapping my lips around his cock all the way down to his balls. “FUCK MO.” I smiled inwardly to myself, he wasn’t the only one that could get a reaction now. I took my time running my tongue along the underside before slowly bringing my mouth up almost off his cock completely before going back down tortuously slow. He threaded his fingers through my hair and tried ever so sneakily to jut his hips forward but I borrowed a move he had played in me countless times and put a hand on his hips stopping him in his tracks. “Mo, come on Mo, please.” Well would you look at who’s begging now. I pulled away from him entirely smirking at him and he threw his head back with a groan. I did feel a little bit sorry for him though he had given me orgasm after orgasm while not really thinking about himself. I lowered my mouth back down around his cock and worked it steadily lapping at the underside and moaning both from the taste of Wally and the feeling of him filling up my throat. I didn’t get it past friends had made it sound like sucking theirs boyfriends cock was a chore but I would gladly suck Wally’s as often and as long as he would allow me to. I felt a shift in his leg muscles and heard his breathing pick up.

“Cum for me Wally.” I murmured before quickly replacing my mouth in him and no sooner had I done that was he holding my head in place as he filled my mouth while I swallowed. Again I don’t understand it wasn’t a bad taste why make it seem like you were drinking fucking bleach or something? I pulled my head away and licked my lips staring at him while I did so. Fuck was I just gonna be horny for the rest of my life if Wally as in it because as soon as my gaze locked on his I felt wetness drip onto his legs. “Fuck Wally.” He smiled and pulled me down to him.

“So beautiful Mo, look at you all flustered and bright eyed, breathless.” Her and his thumb along my lower lip and my tongue quickly darted out licking it. “You know fully well what you’re doing to me don’t you Mori?” His tone huskier as his eyes darkened. “Such a good girl for me.” His mouth covered mine but this was different it wasn’t a rushed kiss like before it was a slower, more hungry he gently raised me and maneuvered me over his cock before pulling away just enough so he could look me in the eyes. “Sit down my sweet girl.” He gently lowered me down and I couldn’t help the gasp that fell from my mouth as he did.

“Oh fuck.” He shhed me before pulling my upper half flush with his is he gently moved up and down inside of me this was a change of pace but it felt just as good as when he had me bent like a pretzel last night. I felt my core tightening and I tried to move myself faster on his cock but he firmly held me in place and continued at his original pace. “Wally, fuck you feel so good in me.” He groaned low in his throat but didn’t say anything in response. I laid my head on his shoulder and placed lazy kisses as he continued to thrust up inside of me pace faltering as I felt him getting closer to his orgasm, “That’s it Wally, cum for me.” He made a strangled choking noise thing as he filled me over and over before his body relaxing.

“I could do that all day with you Mo, but you are still alive and alive humans tend to get hungry throughout the day.” As if right on cue my stomach let out a long loud growl and I felt my face redden in embarrassment. “Come in sweet girl let’s go get your belly full so I can continue what we started.”

[chungledown-bimothy]

LoL Worlds 2023 Finals Reaction Post

instead of a million text posts, i'm gonna just make this one extremely long one.

oh my god t1's first draft. they are not here to fuck around. but also if they don't get a solid early game advantage then uh. fear.

if that was damn near any midlaner other than xiaohu, that would have been first blood for sure. but SO well counterplayed by weibo wow

if i have to watch t1 lose worlds finals to jayce again i'm going to delete that goddamn champion from the entire game.

weiwei is doing WORK keeping weibo in this.

t1's neutral objective control my god

eyyyy atlus ty for the cloud soul

weiwei didn't die???? just maokai things jfc

what does this literally perfect neutral objective control mean if you can't fuckin win a skirmish though

XIAOHU DIDN'T DIE????

yeah okay lost the dragon and the stacking delay isn't great but the won fight is big. both gold wise and mentally

bengi isn't here D:

keria. the love of my life. guma looked dead to rights, but keria simply will not allow that.

i was so afraid zeus wouldn't be able to stand up to theshy. that really was my biggest fear for this series, and it is so reassuring that he absolutely is

god it's only 28 minutes into game 1 and i'm already struggling to stay awake

zeus fucking melted that dragon holy shit

hell yeah boys, 2 more games of that <3 <3 <3

DRAVEN!

yeah okay there's the yone ban lol

nocturne? oooh oner is feeling himself today

this is such a fun draft omg. still very scared about top lane, but the big picture t1's put together is fantastic. looove watching t1 play that clean, clean macro.

hmm don't love that start for the bot lane. not idea.

holy shit theshy (impressed) holy shit theshy (my dude you're throwing)

THE EXECUTE zeus is the only god i worship actually

wow i've got way fewer thoughts this game. the time is catching up to me and i'm too eepy for that much thought lol

lmao guma just looked at crisp and he exploded. and oner's ults have been so, so good this whole game

i know it's hope that kills you. and it's been very, very rough to watch t1's finals appearances these last few years, so i've not really let myself hope. but i can't help it at this point

zeus series mvp, but oner deserves it too

MATCH POINT LET'S FUCKING GOOOO

i really hope they stay together if they win. i don't want to have to divide my loyalties.

...oh god what if they win and then faker retires.

BENGI'S NOT THERE OH NO i'd forgored D:

xayah rakan ^_^ ^_^ ^_^

brad is fun but like. weird choice so early on imo

akali! lee sin! you fucking love to see it

lmao imagine picking kennen into zeus. the aatrox is a ballsy choice, but he's absolutely earned that at this point

oner and zeus own this series.

awww man that grand entrance was so good it's tragic it wasn't quite enough

i have so many more thoughts about this game than i have the energy to make coherent let alone type oop

damn that herald just isn't gonna die good for them

FAKER TRIPLE KILL and he's so focused it doesn't even register on his face

and he just. keeps. going. then zeus cleans up with the double kill.

fuck i have to pee so bad but i can't miss a second of this live

that should have been a pick onto keria. but no, 2 kills for t1. jfc

this is it. they've done it. oh my fucking god.

we've hit hitting them with their wallets territory. idk maybe there's some miracle somewhere but not really. not with t1 playing like this. not with their lead.

HOW DID ZEUS NOT DIE

oh my god they did it they're so cute i cannot see what i'm typing through the tears

the first professional league i ever watched was the last time t1 won worlds.

AND THEY'RE IN KOREA FUCKING HELL

holy shit they did it. fuck i'm so fucking proud of them

faker was so casual about the win, too. that boy i swear to god i have never wanted to suck a dick so bad in my life

[one-abuse-survivor]

first i want to say, i know you won’t be able to remember or find it because i didn’t sign it or anything, but a long time ago i vented to you about the abuse and trauma i was enduring, and i wanted to let you know that i’m in a much better state of mind now, and i’ve learned a lot of coping skills that have helped me emotionally regulate to the point i can function. thank you for listening to me during that time and being so supportive, it really helped a lot.

now comes a content warning: [mentions of abuse, physical assault, violence, rape]. i’d like to ask your thoughts on something new. i’m a young adult now, been one for years, i’m working on building my own life and everything, have a healthy romantic relationship now and all that. not everything is perfect, but things are pretty good compared to how it used to be. recently, i started having frequent vivid nightmares. it’s not just general scary stuff. i had a dream that a boy i’ve only talked to a few times raped me. he’s never done that in real life. the dream still felt real. i’ve had multiple nightmares about my dad physically and emotionally abusing me and my family. there’s lots of hitting. last night, i dreamt that he was physically assaulting us, and he even choked me out. i thought he was going to try to kill me. the dreams about my dad have relevance to real life, as he has abused us in real life, though not to the level of violence that my dreams have. i thought the nightmares might be part of trying to finally start to recover from long-term trauma. but some of the dreams don’t have anything to do with trauma i’ve endured. they’re always traumatic, but not trauma i’ve had in real life. i really don’t know what to think or to do. i’ve never had nightmares this bad before, not even in the midst of my real-life trauma. it makes it hard to sleep. i even feel afraid to sleep sometimes, like if one wakes me up in the middle of the night, i might try to stay awake because i’m afraid of what else i might experience when i fall back asleep. on one hand i want to know why i’m having so many so often, so that maybe i can use that information to help relieve myself of them. on the other, i want to know how to cope with them. i know they aren’t real, logically speaking, but i am having real, painful emotional and cognitive experiences, so the knowledge that it “isn’t real” doesn’t really help me. i wanted to ask your thoughts on this. thank you again for listening :) i hope you have a great day ♥️

Hi, nonnie! I might not know what your previous ask was, but I'm really glad to hear from you again and to hear you're doing well. I'm really glad to have been of help ❤️

The nightmares you've been having sound horrific, and I'm really sorry you're going through this :(

I can tell you that it's not uncommon to develop new symptoms of (C-)PTSD years after the traumatic events have stopped. So yes, the nightmares only recently starting up can be a PTSD symptom, even if they never happened during the time you went through the trauma. But I'm not a professional, and I can't really tell you why you're having them so often. I can theorise, and say that maybe as you've progressed in your recovery and have started to feel safe in your real life, your subconscious is feeding you horrible traumatic scenarios in an attempt to keep you prepared in case anything bad happens again, like it doesn't want to let its guard fully down yet. But that's just one possible reason this could be happening.

Also, although I've never had a phase of frequent nightmares as severe as yours, I have had many trauma nightmares over the years, and I've also dreamt about my mother doing things she never actually did in real life. So, you're not the only one! And I personally think it makes sense. Dreams aren't coherent or rational, and they naturally tend to mix reality with fiction, at least for me. So I personally don't worry too much about my trauma nightmares being an accurate reflection of the abuse I endured.

As for ways to cope with the nightmares, I'm afraid I also can't be of much help. I can tell you that certain habits can make us more prone to vividly experiencing/remembering our dreams. For example, if you consistently don't get enough sleep, your brain might sink directly into the deep sleep phase when you go to bed, and that can make you more aware of what you're dreaming. On a different note, one thing that used to help me years ago (not with nightmares, but with insomnia) was to fall asleep while reading the most boring books I could find, and not stop reading until I fell asleep. Maybe this could work as a distraction for you, to keep your mind away from replaying your previous nightmares in your mind as you fall asleep.

Is therapy an option for you currently? It sounds like a good therapist could give you some guidance on how to cope with the nightmares, and could also dig deeper into why this is happening and maybe give you some outlets or exercises to work through what's causing them.

I hope things get better soon. Sending all my support your way ❤️