#back to the future arc

[teh-inggris]

pvp civ nation...... this aint much but pls take my contribution for this series bc im going insane i love hate this man so much get him out of my head

[labellerose-acheron]

presented by Clementine and Lauryl

featuring: Belle, Hades, Toulouse, their children (Opal, Aidan, Bellamy)

guest starring: Berlioz, Simba, Snow, Gem, Hera, Howl, Amity

please see below the cut for links to all paras associated with this plot and summaries of all paras...

[note that some paras have content warnings]

A Wrinkle in Time [Aidan and Bellamy] [September]

In which it is revealed that Aidan and Bellamy, from the future!, are here to get their parents back together...

The Direction of Time [Opal, Aidan, and Bellamy] [September]

In which Aidan and Bellamy go to Snow to seek help, but are thwarted by Opal, who they find out has also come back from the future...but to keep their parents apart.

The Chapter Three Reader's Club [Amity and Bellamy] [October]

In which Bellamy almost exposes himself accidentally to Amity and gets hired at Chapter Three...

Love's a Bitch [Simba, Hades, and Aidan] [October]

In which Aidan eavesdrops on a conversation between Simba and Hades about Tououse having broken up with Hades and Belle.

Slaughterhouse Five [Belle, Hades, Opal, Aidan, Bellamy, Snow, Gem] [October]

In which after Aidan going undercover working for Hades as an intern and Bellamy going undercover working for Chapter Three, they are discovered sleeping in the bookshoppe...and tell Belle and Hades who they are and that Opal is also in town. They take a family trip to the Hauntley Inn but Opal refuses to come home with them.

Slaughterhouse Five (Afterward) [Belle, Hades, Aidan, and Bellamy] [October]

In which the family gets home after the big reveal, Hades and Belle have a discussion about what to do next...and decide to go to Howl for advice.

World's Best Dad [Toulouse and Opal (briefly featuring Snow)] [October]

In which Opal tricks Lou into coming to the Hauntley Inn, just because she wants to talk to him, but he figures out who she is. He offers for her to come live with him and she happily accepts.

Custody Arrangements [Hades and Toulouse] [October]

In which Toulouse calls Hades to tell him that Opal is with him. They agree to keep in touch and work together to get the children back to their appropriate timeline.

An Echo in the Bone [Belle, Hades, Aidan, Bellamy, and Howl] [November]

In which Belle and Hades go to Howl for advice and they perform a spell that lets Belle and Hades see what their future holds...

Til Death Do Us Part [Belle, Hades, Toulouse, Opal, Aidan, Bellamy] [December 2023-December 2032]

In the future, Belle, Hades, and Toulouse's relationship falls apart. Toulouse leaves. Belle and Hades fall out of love. This breaks their bond and sends Hades to the Underworld, where he must remain, only able to come to the mortal world once a year at Christmas to see his children. Belle flounders under the pressure of taking care of the children by herself. The children grow up without their fathers and with Belle absent and distant. Opal takes this particularly hard.

A Very Merry Parent Trap [Belle, Hades, Toulouse, Opal, Aidan, Bellamy, Simba, and Berlioz] [December]

[note: *this thread is spread across Belle, Toulouse, and Simba's blogs -- just search /tagged/a-very-merry-parent-trap to find the posts...sorry.]

In which Simba, having learned the Tea about the Acheron drama from Berlioz, invites Belle, Hades, and Toulouse over for Christmas dinner without telling them that the other party is coming. Dinner devolves into a food fight. Belle leaves in tears. Hades and Toulouse have a tender moment where Hades entreats Lou to come home. Lou refuses, pointing to Belle's reaction as the reason.

On the Same Page [Belle, Hades, Aidan, Bellamy] [December]

In which, after a disastrous Christmas dinner, Hades tries to talk to Belle about reintroducing Toulouse into their lives. Belle refuses, due to the fact that Toulouse has not apologized and left without a word, breaking her trust. They fight. Belle leaves the bedroom to discover Aidan and Bellamy have been eavesdropping.

The Future of Us [Aidan, Bellamy, and Hera] [January]

In which Aidan and Bellamy go to someone who they know is an authority on love: Hera. She gives them a potion that will charm their parents to actually communicate what is is they're feeling.

Love from the Other Side [Belle, Hades, Toulouse, Opal, Aidan, and Bellamy] [February]

[note: *this thread is spread across Belle, and Toulouse's blogs -- just search /tagged/love-from-the-other-side to find the posts...sorry.]

In which it is the Opals birthday and the family gets together for the first time since Christmas to celebrate. The boys spike everyone's drinks and they are all forced to sing their feelings to one another. Toulouse admits he misses Hades and Belle but doesn't know how to come back to them. Opal steals the show by accusing all of her parents of leaving her alone and runs off in tears.

Long Blue Shadows Falling [Toulouse and Opal] [February]

[tw mention of suicide]

In which Toulouse goes to comfort Opal after the disastrous singing affair, but it turns out she's the most upset with him. He asks why she is angry with him and Opal reveals the shocking truth that in her timeline, Lou has died by suicide. Toulouse apologizes to her and promises her that he isn't going anywhere.

A Family of Ghosts [Belle, Toulouse, Opal, Aidan, Bellamy] [January 2026 to May 2032]

[tw heavily features themes and discussion of suicide]

[NOTE: This is not a canon piece that any Acherons see like Til Death Do Us Part. It was written to provide more context for the Acheron Children's past.]

In which, after Hades has been sent to the Underworld, Belle and Toulouse lean on each other and try to pick up the pieces. However, Belle eventually removes Toulouse from the children's lives due to his inability to be reliable. Opal blames her mother for Lou's lack of presence in her life and their relationship deteriorates. Toulouse and Opal maintain a close relationship afterwards, until Lou's death.

Who Decides the Rules for Lovers? [Belle and Toulouse] [February]

After learning about the truth and thinking about his past actions, Toulouse comes to Belle to apologize to her for everything he's done to hurt her and entreat her to take him back.

Til We See All the Stars [Belle and Hades] [February]

In which Belle tells Hades that Toulouse came to see her and apologize. They discuss it and come to the conclusion that they want to invite him back into their lives.

Let Me Hold it Lightly [Belle, Hades, and Toulouse] [March]

[note: *this thread is spread across Belle and Toulouse's blogs -- just search /tagged/let-me-hold-it-lightly to find the posts...sorry.]

In which Belle, Hades, and Toulouse get back together and decide to get married to make things official. :)

Family Meeting [Belle, Hades, Toulouse, Opal, Aidan, and Bellamy] [March]

[note: *this thread is spread across Belle and Toulouse's blogs -- just search /tagged/family meeting to find the posts...sorry.]

In which Belle, Hades, and Toulouse sit down with Opal to try and reconcile, as she is still reluctant to accept them as a family. Eventually, they do reconcile and the family is finally all back on the same page.

Everything's Growing in the Garden [Toulouse, Opal, Aidan, and Bellamy] [June]

On Father's Day, the Acheron present Toulouse with parental responsibility papers, which will make him an equal parent in the eyes of the law.

Happily Ever After [Belle, Hades, Toulouse, Opal, Aidan, and Bellamy (featuring Berlioz briefly)] [June]

In which Belle, Hades, and Toulouse get married. The union creates a portal and the Acheron children realize it is time to go back home...

[lou-bonfightme]

Happily Ever After || [Loud Bell]

In which Toulouse, Belle, and Hades get married...[takes place: June 21, 2023]

@trip-downtheriverstyx, @labellerose-acheron, @ber-bonfamille-lyons

[tw -- brief non-descript mentions of suicidal thoughts in the first bit (skip to Hades first reply if you don't want to come across that part)]

|| || ||

[link here]

[epiphainie]

i'd put these on bucktommy screenshots if i wasn't lazy but jsyk this is established bucktommy-core to me

[scribz-ag24]

I've recently seen again a post talking about the Sableye and Dusknoir's relationship so i'd like to put my two cents in the discussion, for I love screaming into the void about PMD. (this isnt meant to discourage any other interpretations btw this is just my take on theirs and Dusknoir's relationship, bc I think they're very fun characters and I am very glad the game actually gives these minions a bit of relevance in se5).

Tbh I don't buy that Dusknoir treats the Sableye nicely, at least not out of kindness. I don't think he's a tyrant or inexplicably mean, of course, and I think his minions ADORE him, but i also believe that doesn't mean he's nice to them, sth that i consider meaningful for their character arcs.

Throughout the entire game he's exclusively giving them orders, in se5 he concocts a plan that involves thrashing them MULTIPLE times (he's lucky Grovyle isn't one to try and kill enemies in battle ig), and the cherry on top is that the first time we see him being fully genuine he does this:

(yes, he is in turmoil in here, but there's not a single thing implying that 1. this is an unusual response towards the sablye, 2. dusknoir feels bad for it at some point or is surprised at himself, 3. this has any impact in the sableye at all. You can argue these reactions happen off screen and we don't see them, they don't happen bc they have pressing matters to attend to or they happen after they return to life, and that's perfectly valid, but i'm sticking with what the game shows us, here.)

I must say, though, the fact that the Sableye, despite having been almost mindless pokémon up to now, STAND UP TO AND ATTACK Primal Dialga for their boss and even try to look after him despite him ordering them to check on Grovyle and Celebi first is SO important to me. they are goons to the bone and they love that scheming ghost so much.

My own view is that Dusknoir is generally polite to them (you wouldn't randomly break your own revolver or weapon without any reason, would you?), but is quicker to get mean with them than with people he doesn't know or he is seeking to manipulate. He doesn't care about their behaviour as long as they get the job done, which is why I think the anime thing of the Sableye climbing onto his shoulder isn't that remarkable, rather it's a very cute moment, one that is showing how they've been working together for long and how their size difference affects their interactions, but it is not necessarily conveying an affectionate bond (this is a bit random, but it reminds me of Disney's Jafar with Iago lmao. throw your pet sableye at your enemies so they mock them and then return to your shoulder). Additionally, Dusknoir letting the Sableye onto his shoulder is probably as close as we are gonna get to a villain turning around in his chair while petting a cat in PMD lol.

[this isn't meant to be a one-to-one comparison, it's just a detail i find cute and shows that this gesture can have multiple interpretations, with none being the only right one]

Leaving that aside, I hesitate to claim Dusknoir trusts his Sableye as allies, as Grovyle makes a point in the main story of how the Sableye (your Sableye, he says, as if objectifying them; not friends, but tools, weapons at Dusknoir's disposal) are lacking compared to the way hero/partner/grovyle support one another (power of friendship and hidden information babyyyy). The Sableye are used to Dusknoir's way of doing things, though, I'm sure. They know what happens when he's displeased, after all.

I think, most of all, the Sableye are meant to look disposable: they are 6 identical pokémon that almost act like a hivemind, and we are not supposed to think at all about how we may hurt them in battle any more than we do with the angry Manectric pack or random dungeon pokémon. This, I believe, is why the game has them stand up against Dialga and gives them unique dialogue at the end of se5. They're meant to show their inner shine, just as Dusknoir managed to do. They suddenly gain an individuality they had never shown while they were working to maintain the dark future.

Where they abandoned Dusknoir in the Old Ruins, now Grovyle has motivated them to look for their dignity and fight for a better world, and that starts with protecting their leader from Primal Dialga's rampage, and supporting his new objective and allies in their quest to save the future. In their own small way, they've also grown as characters throughout SE5.

I believe that, overall, Dusknoir saw the Sableye as tools, but thanks to their growth and clear care for him, there's a possibility he might start to see them (and by extension other pokémon) in a more genuine, less pragmatic / objectifying way in the future. Now that Dusknoir has the chance to live a fulfilling life, he may learn to care for others without surrounding himself by so many walls. If anything, I think their future is quite bright. Not that the Sableye would mind if he still thrashed them around, though lol, they're clearly not bothered much by it (special episode 0 had a great depiction of the sableye imo, you can check that romhack if you haven't yet).

In conclusion, look at these little guys who adore their can-get-mean-but-is-mostly-polite boss and probably have a body count but now are good, they're so cute:

[b4kuch1n]

polymer broadcast signal hijack

[miss-musings]

Send her on a shuttle off-world.

It's for her own good.

And yours.

Living among fugitives...

...where she's in constant danger?

You want to protect the kid?

Then let her go.

Stop pretending to be something you're not, Hunter.

We're not like the regs.

We never have been.

We're superior.

The Empire can't protect the galaxy without strength.

This is what we were made for.

Think of all we could do...

...together.

We were brothers once.

We can be again.

[vulcanmourns]

Is it just me or does Pact seem kinda solitary? Like on average Blake interacts with maybe one or two other characters that aren’t Rose per chapter. Like bro has NO friends and next to NO allies. Everyone he talks to istg is out to get him one way or another.

Can bro just be chill with someone for five seconds istg 💔

[veveisveryuncool]

remembering that one q&a with maddie blaustien aka early meowth.. she has the most correct opinions ever actually

i'm sure this has been done before but au where meowth gets custody of togepi in s1 ep52

[zoetalksalot]

🕯️🕯️the timeless children thematic resonance🕯️🕯️

[phoenixwithapencil]

ok ok so- in finally at least watching the ep gladio cutscenes I finally got the damn plot (and I have my thoughts and opinions about that, but that's for a different post)... I want to focus though on the fact that Gladio's ultimate triumph is that he's no longer afraid of if or not he will be able to succeed as noct's shield. And then Gilgamesh says this: "Now, hasten forth— with mind unclouded by doubt and will unmoved by fear. The Last King of Lucis is ill fit to fight without his Shield."

Gladio really doesn't react to this line despite the fact that he totally absolutely should. Because the verbiage is not just 'king' nor even 'chosen king', but 'last king'

Gilgamesh knows something about the future and Noct's fate- that Noctis is going to die. Okay, sure. it's not necessarily that he'll die. there's wiggle room in there. But at the same time, Gilgamesh is all but a demigod, who's using 'last king' the same way everyone else in on the prophecy shenanigans use 'chosen king'. it's doubtful Gladio would take that as a sign that Noct and Luna are fated to dismantle the monarchy. He'd take it as 'noct is fated to die.'

Gladio doesn't get the context of a vision the way Ignis will during his dlc. He doesn't get to know how the man he swore to protect will die.

Gladio's job is to make sure Noct Does Not Die and Gilgamesh is looking him in the eye and saying 'glad you got over your fear that you will fail... but for the record, you will never be good enough. you are destined to fail.'

And then gladio doesn't react at all to gilgamesh's words or the massive implications. because im convinced that the writers room hated this man personally.

[nyctoheart]

I can't die yet bc I need to see modern! Young Xehanort in quadratum

[fullscoreshenanigans]

*Yes, but only because they're young and they don't want to go through with the potentially painful process of having them removed until they're older. **This is very much a case-by-case matter, but I don't have strong opinions or headcanons for specific characters about it. ***This is very much a case-by-case matter, and I do have strong opinions or headcanons for one or a few specific characters regarding this subject.

Further discussed in this post.

(S1 Episode 1 | S2 Episode 8 | Chapter 56 | Chapter 69)

(There is Nothing You Can Do About it, Now by @bblueraven-and-fandoms14)

And spoilers for khgnh's Fragments focusing on the topic under the cut:

[laauranenn]

in wbk fandom you can't have conversation about the writing, development and complexity, this fandom is overprotective about nii's mid writing, Any comments about his flaw in writing characters or this plot will be shut down , fandom only cares about shipping and yaoi

the side characters especially umemiya are well fleshed out with detailed backstories , everything in the plot literally revolve around umemiya , the antagonists like choji and chika revolved around their obsession with ume , tsubakino and sugishita backstories included ume too ,nii is focusing on exploring umemiya and his past more than his mc Sakura

Nii can't make Sakura the center of the plot, the plot always revolves around the side cast and their issues ,while the problem Sakura has with trusting people has been addressed and nearly settled, the root cause is still left in the wind. It feels like the issue was addressed, but Sakura himself specifically never got his past elaborated on, but there is prime opportunity for angst and character moments, as well as just humanizing Sakura.

Thank you so much for responding!!

When I said I want to have a conversation, I meant it!! I agree that when you've got a fandom for something, the fans tend to be protective of the media and its author, and that shipping is something that is very prominent in fandom spaces.

But for the sake of this conversation, I'm going to do my best to ignore shipping that isn't confirmed or implied in the manga, and I'm going to acknowledge flaws in the writing if the points you bring up are convincing!

(If it becomes relevant, I'll only bring up things such as Endo and Takiishi's relationship and Tsubaki's affection for Umemiya, but I don't think they'll be something I need to really get into. )

I disagree with all the plot revolving solely around Umemiya, despite how relevant he is to most arcs in the manga.

The reason that Umemiya is so relevant, and is so present in the story, is because Sakura is going to take his spot someday. Sakura comes to Furin intending to take the top spot, a position that is currently filled by Umemiya.

For Sakura to make it to the top and it mean something, we need to understand what the position truly entails, and how it came to be. Which is what all the information we get on Umemiya is for. We're learning of his journey to the top and how he has shaped the world and its inhabitants.

For Choji and the Shishitoren arc, I'd like to argue that his obsession with Umemiya is about his position, and not about Umemiya himself. Choji and Umemiya are essentially in the same position, just in different teams. Which is why Choji focuses on Umemiya the way he does.

Choji and Togame share the same notion of power being a means to freedom. Choji latches onto this and decides that he wants to be the strongest, and therefore the freest. But when he reaches his goal of being the strongest, it turns out to not be like how he imagined, and the team takes a turn for the worst because of this.

Umemiya, however, is the strongest of his team. Yet he isn't experiencing the same boredom and despair as Choji is, despite being at the top. This is what Choji is so focused on. It's less about Umemiya as a person and is instead about the position he's in.

Sakura does also play an important role in the Shishitoren arc. The whole conflict likely wouldn't have started, or wouldn't have gone the way it did if it weren't for Sakura being there. Without him, the conflict likely would've been resolved differently.

Sakura and Togame's fight is important for both characters. For Sakura, he has a fight with someone where they both respect each other, likely for the first time. And for Togame, Sakura opens his eyes to the ways he's been acting, the ways he's gone against his own beliefs in order to salvage what is left of Shishitoren.

As for Tsubakino and Sugishita, they've both known him for years and he's played an important part in their lives.

For Tsubakino, Umemiya has been his friend since their first year in junior high. He learns that Tsubakino just wants to be himself and love the things he loves, which Umemiya praises him for, and tells him he's going to help back him up if someone tries to hurt him again. And they've been close friends all the way to where we currently are in the manga! Umemiya shows up in Tsubakino's story because he's relevant. It'd also be a little strange for Tsubakino to be one of the four kings without Umemiya showing up somehow, don't you think?

And with Sugishita, Umemiya also plays a similar role. Sugishita gets himself stuck in a spiral of meaningless fights he doesn't even want to be a part of, which Umemiya then saves him from. Umemiya saves him and brings him the peace he wants. This then manifests into his loyalty to Umemiya, as well as his friendship with the four kings.

With Sugishita, this also gives us insight into why he seems to hate Sakura so much. From the start we've known the main reason for it, which is Sakura aiming for Umemiya's spot in the school. But with the most recent chapters, we see why exactly he is so offended by this idea. Umemiya brought Sugishita peace, something that Sakura is actively disrupting. How could someone like Sakura, who's constantly snapping at people, and running into fights possibly measure up to Umemiya and what he's done for Sugishita?

It adds another layer to Sakura and Sugishita's rivalry, which I find incredibly interesting!

It's true that a lot of side characters are getting detailed backstories, while Sakura hasn't really had one yet. But in my opinion, this works out nicely with the way it's executed. It adds to the worldbuilding and makes the characters and the town feel more real, more solid.

I've really enjoyed learning about all the characters, as well as their relationships with each other. It makes Makochi and Furin feel like actual places with actual people, rather than just something that's there to only serve the main character.

As for Sakura's lack of backstory? I can see why you're itching for one, but I can't see it fitting into the story well if we got it right now. I also don't think that there even is a lot to it, not a lot to tell. We've already got a lot of info about Sakura and why he is the way he is, even without a proper backstory.

Even the first chapter makes Sakura's past very clear. He's a boy who's been mistreated for his looks for his entire life. It's brought up a couple times in the first few chapters even.

"How ya look doesn't matter in a fight, that's why I came to Furin"

"This is more like it. This is the right reaction. Everyone is always pushing me away, rejecting me, dismissing me-"

Sakura is someone who's been isolated growing up. This shines through in the way he interacts with others. Sakura is much more confident in a fight, he handles himself better in a fight. But when he interacts with others in a casual setting, he stumbles and gets flustered easily. A lot of the things that show just how alone he's been are subtle or might even be played as jokes, such as the only contact in his phone being a bot that gives you the weather forecast for the day. He also takes things literally. This could be just a trait of his, but it's likely a result of his lack of experience in social situations.

It's a lot of little things that add up. He's slow at texting because he's had nobody to text. He holds a spoon weirdly, likely because nobody corrected him growing up. Doesn't know how to open a Ramune bottle as he's never had one before. (This last one could also just be coincidence, but it all does still add up.)

I'm satisfied with how much we know about Sakura, but I'd love to hear what you'd like to get from a Sakura backstory!! Because it is true we haven't gotten a lot of info on where he was before Makochi.

The lack of backstory for him is because Wind Breaker isn't about his past, it's about him moving forward from it. It's about how Sakura makes a space for himself in Makochi. It's a story about him being accepted, about how a boy hated by all others becomes the hero of the town!

Please do respond again!! Share what you think of what I've said and give me your own observations! I'd love to keep the conversation going :)!!

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

sometimes I see David Tennant's face in Doctor Who as he monologues about time travel/immortality/the eternal loneliness and I go...that's him. that's my rotten lil guy. my wretched wreck of a dude. wreckage in humanoid form. the lonely divine corrupted by himself forgiven by himself made by himself made by his companions made by the universe. horrible and horrifying and far too human and not human enough. the worst thing to ever happen to so many (Martha, Adelaide, Astrid, everyone else who flashed through that whole montage thanks to Davros). a corrupter. a corruption. a cleansing. a man carved out of grief and love and pathos and hatred and grudges and forgiveness who can only make the worst decisions with the best, most selfish of intentions. a man who loved until he lost everything. a man, more than any other doctor, who should never be left alone, and yet he dies alone, with the shortest regeneration speech of any doctor. desperately lonely, desperately tragic, a disaster of a man who is too careless with everything and everyone around him.

And yet I care about him so much, because he is also the man who at the end of it all, after he lost everyone and everything he held dear, after he lost rose and donna and sarah jane and jack and martha and mickey left him and he was more alone than he's ever been, he does the right thing. the kind thing. he stops the time lords from descending on the earth. he once again gives up his people because he understands that the Time Lords Victorious cannot and should not ever be the way to go. he steps in and he saves wilfred mott. he lets himself become the doctor once again. he doesn't want to go, but instead of taking that one final step into godhood, he gives his next self a chance at being a better doctor than he ever could be.

[welcometogrouchland]

I miss them so bad (Dick and Damian)