#beyond the phantasm cave

[jay-the-walker-36]

What do y’all bet that Wyldfyre saw Heatwave get the Wasting Sickness in her vision in the Phantasm Cave??

She literally starts to say it, even, and Riyu knew. He could probably sense her memories with the dragon sickness as well as immediately know what she was talking about when she didn’t even finish what she was saying; maybe if he was so familiar to it, that’s why we never have seen or even had mentions of his parents…?

On another note of who’s vision we didn’t see…

WHAT DID KAI SEE????

What would make Kai THAT solemn and downcast-??

AND THE WAY HE LOOKED AT HIS SIBLINGS- (His little sis and baby bro)

NINJAGO, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HE SAW- WILL WE EVER GET TO KNOW????

[icy-watch]

I feel like we're going to get a parallel scene to this in the future.

[parachutingkitten]

Okay, this has been bothering me, and I'm gonna go into it, cuz I feel like being mad that the fandom didn't get better is friggin valid, so imma get negative here at some serious missed potential, if that's not your jam, 100% get it, please scroll past.

We have a season with 20 episodes, each of which are 20 minutes long. That is an unprecedented amount of time for a ninjago season- I would argue maybe too much time, but that's not what we're getting into here. Even just the first half is the length of your standard ninjago season back in the day. There is no excuse for not taking your time with ideas that deserve time. You've got time. You've got too much time.

If you're gonna do a mystical mind prison that traps you in your worst fears, you gotta do it! You can't do this wimpy half commit thing you're doing here. What is this cop out that's like three minutes long? This is a top tier trope! Loads of stories do this- for a good reason, it's a great way to get lots of new insight into your characters, not to mention have fun with environments, hypotheticals, bend logic, and do some creative filmmaking. And here you are, inventing a whole weird fictional animal to facilitate your nightmare state, and it legitimately takes up so little screen time that it hurts! What? Did you not have enough to say about your characters to fill out a full subplot? You thinking that surface level about things? Or was the basketball tournament fake out with the dragons so important to the story that you couldn't cut it out for some character introspection?

It's so short and pointless, it doesn't functionally do anything except tell us very directly "Here's what this character fears, and will have to get past this season!" No looking into why or making some progress/losing progress on the issue in the dream state. We don't even get to see everyone's visions, let alone see any interconnectivity between them. It's just such a waste of a classically exciting set up. And why on earth would you place this concept at the beginning of the season? Put it at the turning point man! That's what this scenario is made for! Literalizing characters overcoming mental challenges so that it's interesting to watch! Using the nightmare dream sphere for exposition in the most boring possible version of the trope is just dumbfounding.

I mean seriously? The black void? That's all you've got? You gonna go the Cars 2 route and set our supposedly deep nightmare sequence in a black void? No symbolism to the void even? No distorting of visuals within the void? Nothing? Can you get any more basic? Did you really put that little creativity into this? Like, the whole point of the nightmare dreamscape is to get creative! So much symbolism and messaging that you can easily tie into things! the possibilities are literally endless! But yeah, I guess Arin running in place is pretty meaningful too, I'm sure it took you a while to come up with something so profound.

There's a reason this story beat usually makes up at least half the plot of any given episode it's in! There's so much room to explore. The potential for crosscutting between nightmares is so high, drawing parallels between characters. Maybe they're all interconnected, and the mentally strongest of the team breaks free to help the others in their nightmares. Maybe it's a revelation point for the rest of the team as they see a dark past of another character they didn't know about. Or maybe it's just the audience who gets new insight into a sheltered corner of a character's mind, or a way to reveal to them a dark secret someone is hiding. You can also have fun subverting expectations, maybe one of the nightmares is just objectively pretty funny. And, the best thing about any dream environment you're creating, you can have the characters get involved in insanely creative fights and action scenes where they literally beat up their mental roadblocks with cool looking and symbolically important powers or tools.

Like, I know the fandom is losing their mind over this scene because 'omg Nya's gonna be so sad cuz of the memory loss(that hasn't even been revealed in narrative yet, so the irony doesn't even really work)' but I just need you to understand that the full fledged angst, character growth, and introspection y'all are speculating could have theoretically happened in Kai's plot is what we could have had for everyone. For a full episode. Like it deserved to be. And it would have been really cool, and really satisfying, and beautifully and symbolically stunning, because countless other people have done it, it's honestly not too difficult. Stop freaking out like they did a good job with this- they didn't do a good job with this. They couldn't even bother to give everyone a vision, they just gave up on the concept halfway through.

Not to mention how accessible and valuable this type of storytelling is to kids! Literalizing some of the big abstract issues these characters are supposedly battling this season would be a great way to get kids to grasp these ideas, but instead it's literally like two and a half minutes of slightly ominous stuff to bate us before we move on.

Stop teasing us with interesting stuff and then not actually following through! This is not how you do storytelling!

[toastingpencils37]

Ok that's kind of disturbing

[vesivoro]

Yeah no shit its a shopping list

[dailyadventureprompts]

Deity: Tergrid, God of Fright

"Terror is the natural state of a child, they know they are small, vunrable, glass fragile. It is only once we grow that we delude ourselves into thinking we are safe, that we are strong, that we have control over the world we live in. Show a grown man how little control he really has, and you will see the child he always was: pissreeking, repentant, and pleading for his mother. " - Gerheart, village executioner

A goddess for those who hold close to the light dreading the unknown or those who wander gleefully into the dark seeking it, Tergrid is a deity of imagined horrors and terrible omens.

Depicted as a young woman always bearing a lantern, myths speak of Tergrid's shadow as a monstrous, murderous thing with a will of its own. Unable to kill the goddess due to the light she carries, it vents it's directionless wrath on those who linger beyond the lantern's glow. This duality, as both as the victim of fear and the source of it defines the brightmaiden's worship; as she is both threat and saviour to those who draw her attention.

Adventure Hooks:

The party arrive at a country roadhouse at dusk, only to find the inhabitants have nailed shut every door and shutter as if preparing for a siege. They say some horrid murderous things are lurking just off the road, and as the light wanes they refuse to let the heroes inside. The roadhouse's residents are terrified and are willing to fight to keep the party out, half convinced the party are themselves the things they should be afraid of... which isn't to say there ISN'T anything else waiting for that door to open. After negoitating their way inside (or forcing the issue) the heroes discover the roadhouse residents were warned of the danger by a mysterious woman who passed through earlier, though none can remember exactly what she looked like.

A knight renowned for his fearless deeds wanders the street in a waking nightmare, seeing threats everywhere and lashing out at phantoms and passersby. Even after being subdued it’s clear he won’t awake, and many suspect interference from jealous rivals in the upcoming tourney. The knight’s meek squire asks the party to help investigate the causes and possible cures of her master’s madness, never suspecting that her suppressed resentment at his recklessness might’ve manifested as a curse.

In desperate need of answers, the party consults an oracle dedicated to Tergrid who has them undergo trials of fear and phantasm so that they might know the truth. Chiefest among these is battling in a dark cave full of shadow monsters, while flickering visions of the future are cast on the wall by the guttering lantern light. The longer they can endure, the more they will know, but that isn't likely to be long unless they fight harder than they ever have before.

Inspiration: Tergrid is a shameless lift from Magic the Gathering's Kaldheim setting, which I've never played but apparently keep returning to as a consistent well of inspiration.

Fear both as a mechanic and motif is something I think is underutilized in D&D which is odd considering it's a game about venturing out into the unknown to face potentially deadly challenges. Fear and risk are what our heroes must endure to experience the wonder and rewards on the other side of their journey. As such it makes sense for a goddess of fear to play a role in the thematic weave of the stories we end up telling.

Speaking in less lofty terms, I also think using the lantern as a symbol for being frightened fucks hard. It's a tiny, fragile, and temporary respite from an ocean of darkness and the threats it contains.

Worshippers: The lost and abandoned, Unseele Fey, Shadowcasters and other denizens of the shadowfell. There is also heavy overlap with the worship of the night goddess Nyx.

Signs: Nightmares, unnatural or living shadows,

Symbols: A Lantern, often surrounded by a circle of darkness.

Artsource

[nyaskitten]

While "Beyond the Phantasm Cave" is not quite a top 10 episode for me, I truly love the scene where Lloyd and Nya discuss his fears of failing the younger ninja and we see Sora tinkering happily and successfully with the hooks, whereas Arin can barely even do his Object Spinjitzu.

I think this episode offers a really great look at how their stories from s1 have been completely flipped, Arin the great Spinjitzu prodigy who has potential to be better than all of the ninja still cannot effectively perform his Object Spinjitzu, nor can he construct a regular tornado. Sora, meanwhile, has gone from doubting she's capable of using her powers to understanding they're her powers, she's worthy of them, and also she has come extremely far.

Whereas we see Arin struggle with his abilities in this episode, we see Sora prove her own mastery over her powers. Be it from the hooks she was working on all the way at the beginning, or the way she constructed a whole mech for Kai, Sora has come so far and developed in ways Arin aspires and fails so miserably to achieve.

[llannasvsp]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Episode 3: Beyond the Phantasm Cave

We are baaaack!! Honestly, I like spreading out my rewatch because I binged all 10 in one sitting. Spreading out my rewatch makes the excitement last longer. Not that I'm running out of excitement. I will never get over this season and it's not even done AGH. ANYWAY. On to the episode!

So, Cinder is Link from Zelda?

You feel the gong what?

Jordana and Cinder beef so real.

Awh, Kai. Glad they didn't forget his anger issues.

Arin is definitely not okay.

LLOYD MEDITATED ALL DAY AGHHH POOR GUY.

Lloyd has every right to be upset and frustrated right now.

Little source dragons!

OH MY GOSH the Netflix subtitles tell us which source dragon symbols correspond with the element!???!?

LIFE SYMBNOL CLAIMS LLOYD EVEROYNE. LIFE SYMBOL. DID ANYONE KNOW THIS?!?! YHHELLO. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME LEARNING OF THIS SO THIS IS A GENUIINE REACTION OH. MYGOSH.

Soooo Strength is a hater.

"He is no ordinary mortal". Okayyy so are we going to talk about him literally having Dragon heritage???

LEVITATING LLOYD CLIP!

Once again, Sam is literally serving. He portrays anxiety so well.

KAI + WYLDFYRE CLIP!

I am literally obsessed with this moment between them. Wyldfyre doesn't want to be left out. Kai wants her to stay safe and be okay. He's so kind and gentle with her. I love them.

I gotta admit, I'm an elemental mech hater.

"Would Master Wu take us on a mission based off of half understood dreams?" Oh he absolutely would.

KAI ASKING FROHICKY TO WATCH OVER WYLDFYRE RAGH.

I don't know how I feel about the Cloud Kingdom having a motor buuuut okay.

They really decided that this was the episode to upload clips from.

I love this moment because it addresses that Lloyd is doubting himself, it acknowledges that Lloyd and Nya have been through way too much stuff, and it shows us that Lloyd does not want to put Arin and Sora through something horrific. He doesn't want them to experience "the horrors" too young like he did.

Kai being mad that Wyldfyre stowed away but not in like an angry way but in a "I don't want you getting hurt" way is just sooooo.

Sora is so right to be concerned. I would be too if I were her.

I get what Sora was trying to do with the grappling hooks, but I also feel like this isn't going to bode well for Arin. She made his thing something "cooler" because their elemental powers are involved.

EWWW TENTACLES.

AGHH Arin and Sora complete each other my hearrrt.

Okayyy so visions.

Arin: Fear of letting his parents down. Guilt that he "replaced" them with the ninja.

Sora: Something to do with Imperium?? I don't really understand hers I'm gonna be so honest.

Lloyd: Being an inadequate teacher. Leading everyone to their destruction. "You will never be good enough." Dang.

Nya: Jay not remembering her.

Wyldfyre: The wasting thing that's talked about later.

KAI: WE DON'T FREAKING GET TO SEE IT. LET US SEE IT.

I feel like we just need to remember all of their fears because it's absolutely going to be important to all of them later.

"I know the real Jay could never forget me." Oh, honey. Don't say that.

Egalt is ugly.

GRRR THIS EPISODE IS AMAZING.

I think we didn't see Kai's vision because they're going to bring it back later. I know some people are saying that it was of a corrupted version of himself, and honestly, I'd say that's a very likely assumption, given his history. He used to have a lust for power, and maybe he still does, it's just more subdued. If anything were to happen to him (pretend we haven't seen ep10 yet), he could likely succumb to that temptation for power.

ALSO I'm such a Lloyd "life" truther, so learning that it was the LIFE DRAGON who claimed him?!??!? Yes. I'm so excited to expand more on that.

[agenericplaceholdername]

Dragons Rising E6-10 Thoughts

Here’s some thoughts on each episode in the latter half of Dragons Rising, Season 1 Part 1:

Return to Imperium:

The color grading of this opening seems off – almost as if it’s a flashback (it’s not, ofc)

JORDANA SPOTTED

The conveyor belts directing people where to go is so on the nose for an authoritarian society

“It's the perfect companion for anyone that might... be lonely” :(

“Unconventional? Perhaps you can forgive her” man this is seriously dystopian but also pretty funny

Sora in her S1 outfit without headphones is kinda cursed

“Ever since the Merge it’s been you and me” I AGREE ARIN. LET’S KEEP IT THAT WAY

Kai’s Wu impression is great

The Advanced Science Lab? Isn’t it the Advanced Systems Lab?

I HATE SORA’S PARENTS I HATE SORA’S PARENTS

The sewer smash cut is perfect. Beyond the Phantasm Cave implies that Sora actually traveled through the sewers before so at least she had a reason to assume there was no security

The public shaming platform? At least it’s not a two hour YouTube video essay documenting your every misdeed (which I will then watch)

This episode sold me on Sora’s character and is essential for her arc this season

Mindless Beasts:

Like the Rapton ad

The Arin chase scene is fun

I certainly hope nothing bad happens to the new shoulder pad store

The Imperium Teenage Protection Force all have shorter legs, meaning they’re probably slightly younger than Arin (or just short)

Every Wyldfyre line is gold: “If I was your enemy, why would I let you out of your cell?” “If you don’t know, how should I?”

Sora says her family was poisoned against her by LaRow— meaning she believes that her parents would have accepted her if not for LaRow. Ofc, we know later that once they see the truth, they don’t change their mind, so her rejection of them means even more

For a scientist, LaRow isn’t very smart (or lab skills =/= street skills)

“I’ve got a master teaching me all the things I’m doing wrong” Arin no he’s trying to help you

Percival talking about him is the first time Lord Ras is identified in front of Arin — before, he was just the “tiger guy”

Rapton has the perfect combination of incredible arrogance and thin skin

Dorama just wants to show off

Ras has such a deeper voice than in S2

The Hunted soundtrack!

LaRow just can’t stop gloating lol. Not sure how a Photac can capture a source dragon 

This episode is pretty important for Arin and Sora, and introduces Wyldfyre… but also isn’t super interesting

I Will Be the Danger:

Wyldfyre opening! Not what I was expecting when I originally watched but super cool. Not sure where she came from tho

The caregiver-bot helping Wyldfyre train is sweet. I wish she came back later (I know she does in a canon(?) novel and there was a deleted scene, but I wish it had been in the show)

Wyldfyre not knowing certain words is a clever detail that isn’t used often

Percival is so not convincing as an antagonist

JORDANA NAMED??

Considering the other empty holes in the portal gate room—are they supposed to link to other monasteries? Since the one Kai goes through links to the Imperium Monastary?

You probably are famous among ghosts Kai, considering the whole Morro thing

Poor Riyu

Thank you Sora, she really is weird— oh shoot Dorama! forgot about him

“I DON’T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS ‘SHUT UP’!” and then the one take after are pure Wyldfyre gold

The “ninja think Sora betrayed them” plot line could have gone somewhere but didn’t, and honestly I hate bad miscommunication plots so all good

Weird way to end

This episode peaks with the opening scene, and is generally fine outside

The Calm Inside:

Green eyes child Lloyd voiced by Sam Vincent is off putting. I get why they do this but whatever. The lighting/texturing in this scene (maybe bc of the rain) also makes Lloyd and Wu look super plasticy

Good lesson tho, and I’m glad it keeps coming up

Arin and Sora are a great duo

Melvin, remember, always do the bare minimum that gets you paid

And so the Empress joins the main plot

Super cool protective Lloyd is great, leaping down to pull Wyldfyre back from the Photac

What’s his “big plan” Beatrix? Why does Ras want Riyu? “You can’t [drain him] yet. My plan for—” no wait he was about to say it!

Ras is so mad at Beatrix omg

Kai and Nya have interacted more now than in any season post Hands of Time right?

So how did Arin trip? Tbf he punched himself in the face so makes sense

Ok the show just made the same joke after I wrote it, I guess I forgot

This sweat thing reminds me of the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie (the blood scene)

Lloyd being surrounded by chaos is overshadowed by the very strange design of imaginary Wu, but the scene leading up to Wu is so great. The music, the action, the direction— really stellar. Someone needs to let this guy take a break

Not Rapton’s unicorn figurines!

Excellent rhetorical comeback Lloyd

Ras is so cool -- singlehandedly fighting multiple dragons

Zane! But how did he end up in that pod?

Jordana! Sora is just totally lost lol

Do you think Kai, Nya, and Zane were planning on jumping out or was it spontaneous?

Lot of questions in this episode, and it would probably be better if they saved Lloyd hitting the targets for a flashback later in the episode (that is, end the first flashback before Wu gives Lloyd the lesson)

That being said it’s the best one since E6 and a good setup for the finale

The Battle of the Second Monastery:

Jordana getting insulted by LaRow (albeit indirectly) :(

This is probably very overwhelming for Zane

Everything seems particularly saturated in this scene 

The Jordana reveal is very good. Funny, but also kinda heartbreaking since Sora was just using her technology to give herself a friend

Lord Ras is not very nice (although he’s right how do you lose to two mostly-untrained teenagers who are in handcuffs)

Arin and Sora use Jordana swinging her sword to free themselves, just like Lloyd did in E2. Shows how far they’ve come (much better than when they fight Ras, which just diminishes him as an antagonist)

Ouch Lloyd, always look before you leap

“As opposed to those really strong gnats” I’d spend some more time workshopping those comebacks Arin

The Source Dragon scene is SO cool!

Sora beats Ras mostly though luck but the real question is why was he running so slowly

And so we finish the S1P1 aspect of Sora’s arc, although her conclusion of “having a responsibility to use her powers” is very similar to the end of E5

Sad Arin :( already made a post relating this scene to what happens in S2 but it takes on a whole new meaning knowing what happens after

Beatrix imprisoning Ras actually makes a ton of sense and I might make a whole post talking about why (and her character generally)

The Ras fight isn’t great - I get why it happens and Arin and Sora don’t really beat him physically, but it does undermine him as a threat. The rest of the episode is really good tho, especially the vision

Next up, the first half of S1P2!

[nicolloyd]

just finished the season WOW that was intense!!! 😭 i collected my thoughts as i was watching it too heres all of it: (spoilers ahead ofc!!! btw this is really long you were warned)

episode 1 (the blood moon):

• lloyd saying uncle is sooo crazy

• WU IS DEAD I SWEAR ON MY LIFE ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY NO MORE 😭

• can these ninja get pyjamas. please.... they had those in ns1 now they just sleep in armour 😭

• bro cinder sounds like.. macaque??? is that weird.

• lloyd gets to have funny quips 🔥🔥

• HAHAHAH I LOVE THE SMOKE EFFECT AND IT JUST CUTS TO THEM LYING FLAT ON THE GROUND 😭😭

• THE BLOOD MOON IS COMING 🗣🗣🗣

episode 2 (shattered dreams):

• YOOOO its the uh i forgot what place its called but yes 🔥🔥

• drs2 spouting out words like panic attack and nental health gee wowzers

• also this is the second time lloyd has been forced to eat strange food first it was dareths pocket gyoza

• deffff arin and sora getting in a fight

• LLOYD U ARE SUCH A SHOWOFF STOP FLIPPING AROUND

• rule number 1 never trust a snake hehahehaha

• really encouraging the lloyd nya sibling dynamic i love it

• callback to torunament of elements im not ok.

• ommggg i actually hate the way ras' beard thing jiggles around its unsettling

episode 3 (beyond the phantasm cave):

• so the dragon released was the lightning

• life symbol???? thats mad lloyd is fr life and not energy

• i feel sooo bad for arin bro if i had like 10 friends with powers and i didnt i wld be pissed too

• this is literally that swamp episode from avatar

• HELPPP is this the memory loss thing pr is it actually like. real

• it would be the funniest troll tho

• oh nya you beautiful genius

• jay the loml 😭😭 toooo cute omgee

• def foreshadowing

• my other family thats sooo funny

• is this the magic man.

• yoo arent those the water villagers

• OMG IT IS THE MAGIC MAN I ACTUALKY HATR HIM BRO

• HAHAHA PROFESSIONAL ACTOR

• yesss cole was never the performer

episode 4 (force from the east):

• geooo omg their actually in love shut up

• i thimk this is ice dragon??

• NINJA BASKETBALL 🔥🔥

• SECRET THIRD WAY!!!!!!!!!

• YO ITS COLE

• also bonzle is important somehow

• aww theyre at the monastery

episode 5 (the spell at the waterfall):

• MASTER WU 😭

• garmadon :**(((( IT MAKES ME SO SAD SPINJITZU BROTHERS UUURGGHH

• hehe i love these siblings

• how are they literally husbands bro what the flip this is so noooottt censorship

• old days :,,)))) soooooi sad bro onfdhsbs

• SACRIFICE???

episode 6 (to mysterium)

• lowkey wtf is egalt yapping about

• omg this is literally beyblade.

• cole in a hood is cray cray

• also zane will not give up thag detective outfit.

episode 7 (fugitive from madness):

• blood moon more like sozins comet aha aha aha aha i miss atla

• bro the music is so good do they get an orchestra for these or what

• lircherally wjats going on

• ADMIMISTRATION!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSS

• ZANE IS SO PROUD OF THE 9% 😭😭😭 I LOVE HIM.

• crazy how theyre training again tho. good ol days

• nya and kai :'((( not having to worry about saving the world oh my poor sweet kai

• FLASHBACK. NO FRWAKING WAY

• STOPPPP THIA IS GONNA MAKE ME CRY OMG TJA WAS SO SWEET 😭 KAI AND NYA U HAVE MY HEART

• as mean as it sounds im so glad it was kai first and not lloyd it makes sense

• THE BLOOD MOON IS NO LONGER COMING ❌️❌️❌️ ITS HERE

• ohh thats why they turn to stone??

• ZANE IS A PERSON 🤬🤬🤬🤬 stopp hes always so willing to sacrifice himself

• SHUT UP THATS LITERALLY JAY OHHH MYYYY GOLLY GEE.

• i need a good 1 minute break to process everytime jay appears like actually

• ohh myyyyy goooodddd its jay pls stop stop stop stop STOP

episode 8 (secrets of the wyldness):

• forbidden five is lwk scary

• hehe i love their stupid quips and someone else saying "really???"

• oh jay oh jay oh jay oh jay oh jay oh jay he actually lost his memory im soooooo oooooohhhhhh nooooooo

• hes sooooo jay.

• so he knows he can lightning????

• zane. buddy. you cant keep doing this like actually would it kill you to stop dying

• now we're safe 😃 x4 (they were not safe)

• werent tbey in this situation before???? the tipping ship or am i just tripping

• ohhh my god the bounty died again

episode 9 (the forest of the spirits):

• THEY SACRIFICED EUPHRASIA??????

• NO DONT DO IT NO DONT WEAR THE MASK 😭😭

• resting my leg actually healed it is maadddnnnessss

• OHHH MY GOD ZANE IS MINIFIG SIZED HAGAHAHAHAHHAA THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER

• IM ALWAYS ADORABLE 😭😭😭 COLE U ARE

episode 10 (rising ninja):

• NOOOOO I SAID DONT DO ITT NOOOOOOO BUT YES BECAUSE EVIL KAI AGAIN SOUNDS AMAZING 😭

• yo. this fight is cool asl

• NO DONT KAI PLEASE MY MOUTH IS AGAPE

• omg they are both dragons rising rn

• what is going awn rn

• jordana is going freaky!!!

• ras master giving bird box icl

• AWW LLOYD COLE HUG 😭

• im assuming kai got out!

• HELLO ARE WE NOT GONNA GRIEVE KAI FOR A MINUTE???? im sure theyre all numb to death by now

• wowww 10 episodes gone just like that

• kai did not get out ❌️

[lanaindublin]

This post is probably going to be too nsfw...

2/2/2025

But fuck it, here´s as good a place as any to have a dream journal, and it was a damn intense one too, so, yea I´m just going to post it, nearly had it all written out a week ago, but as per my previous post, tumblr drafts fuckin blended the whole thing when i was two thirds done. Anyway, I´ll put a warning and a cut for when it REALLY gets NSFW, but for most of it its fine enough to read, and pretty interesting in its own right, so yea Ill just get into it.

The dream takes place in an abandoned, open-air storage warehouse/shed (photo for reference), the roof caving in in places, vegetation growing through the holes in the paved concrete, and only a few stacks of rotting wooden palettes left lying around. The warehouse is surrounded by a short stretch of grass, and a dense, wild treeline beyond that. An old gravel road leads from the warehouse to the treeline, I know not where it goes. And I have no desire to, as this place is my home, it is quiet and secluded. But in the dream, I am not myself, at least not at first, rather I am someone I used to be. A young, boyish adolescent with wild unkempt hair, and an otherworldly ability. By repeating the phrase “ignore me, ignore me” in my mind, I can make myself invisible. This is fortunate, as sometimes I am not alone. Ghostly apparitions of every shape and colour sometimes appear around the area. They approach me, reach out and try to touch me with their spectral limbs, though not an existential threat, their touch can curse me with painful emotions, shame, grief, fury, despair, or sometimes their touch will result in far more benign, merely annoying curses, depends on the spirit. But using my mantra, willing them to ignore me, I can pass by unnoticed, or escape a pursuing spirit.

Some time passes, I have changed somewhat, a certain awakening has transpired, my hair has grown longer, my gait now more feminine, and I have become more limber too, taking to climbing the stacks of palettes and the criss-crossed steel of the warehouse's walls. But on this day, something has wandered in, from beyond the treeline. A beast of ferocious nature, with analytical eyes and a thirst for blood, a tiger with golden fur. It eyes me as it approaches, unsure what I'm looking at I stand my ground, and having encountered prey that did not immediately flee the tiger pauses, sizing me up. It begins to circle me, and I circle too in response, I don't know what it is but I've seen it's teeth before, on those most vicious red spirits, the ones that cause physical pains, and I can see that these teeth are not at all phantasmal, and may well rend my vulnerable, physical flesh.  The tiger pounces with a swipe of its claw, I dive to the side thinking "ignore me, you cannot see me", I disappear. Holding the invisibility is difficult, repeating the mantra is repetitive and irritating on the mind, it drains my strength, especially as I hold my breath, lest the beast here my breathing. The tiger peers about, bewildered in the inexplicable absence of it's prey. I jump onto the bars of the wall as I reappear, the beast turns to look at me and begins pacing back and forth, ready to intercept my escape. I take a deep breath, and leap towards the beast. In my mind I utter “you cannot see me, you cannot hurt me”. As the beast rises to meet my trajectory with claw and fang, I disappear, and its swipe passes clean through me. I tumble on my landing, still invisible, and unscathed, by willing it to be not only do I become unseen, but immaterial, untouchable. It feels easier to hold the mantra now, less taxing on the mind, and I can breathe easier, feeling light as the very air.

////OKAY HERES YOUR WARNING THE DREAM DEVOLVES INTO PURE SMUT BELOW THE CUT, it also devolves into low key warhammer 40k fiction to I guess? Anyway, you've been warned////

More time passes, the spirits rarely trouble me now, for it is a fruitless endeavour with how strong I've grown. The tiger still prowls the derelict warehouse, but doesnt bother to come close, it is biding its time, but never tries to act. I now appear in the dream most like how I am writing this now, a young woman with wavy flowing hair, and more nimble than ever, I clamber across the walls and swing through the rafters of the ceiling with ease, and life is good. But on this day, the most curious thing occurs. A tear in reality rips apart the air in the warehouse, the floors and walls turned to smooth black stone, the ceiling now composed of an amalgam of countless statues, and held up by buttresses featuring the carvings of strange figures. From the rift in space time steps a group of Drukhari, the dark elves who delight in torture and slavery, and all around the warehouse smaller rifts open, birthing strange and terrifying creatures of pink skin, purple chitin and beady black eyes, demons of Slaanesh, one of the four chaos deities. Before any of them could see me, I began my mantra and moved silently to a nearby pile of rubble to observe the curious congregation, one of the drukhari shifting their gaze to the spot where I had vanished from.

As I spied on the drukhari, no longer holding my invisibility, they took their seats, on chairs of dark wood that had appeared, with red satin cushions. A tall, imposing demon approached the congregation, there was business to be discussed. Before I could make out any of what was being said, a flash of blue eyes and claws lunged at me, the tiger had snuck up on me while I was distracted, but I was faster, as it's jaws fell towards me, my mind rushed into my mantra “you cannot hurt me you cannot see me”. I faded from sight just as it's claws pushed me to the ground, and it's fangs closed in on the soft flesh of my neck, all of it's weight phasing through me as I walked away. The commotion alerted the drukhari, their leader nodded her head, sending an Incubi, her dedicated bodyguard to investigate. Demons from around the warehouse closed in on my hiding spot also, the tiger scampered back into the shadows, and I rushed to climb the nearest pillar, heading for the now statue-filled rafters. I swung across the ceiling, gazing down at the congregation, focusing my mantra on them: “ignore me, you cannot see me”. Desperate to make distance I rushed and strained across the ceiling swinging between statuettes and gargoyles, until I tried grasping around the breadth of the stone coils of a giant snake. Exhausted, and beginning to lose my grip on the stonework I swore in my mind between the lines of my mantra “no no NO, stupid fat snake!” as I fell away from the roof. I landed soundlessly on the floor, far enough away from the dark elves.

I was getting to my feet when I heard a voice passing through the strata of my consciousness, “What did you just say?” The fall did not hurt, but it dazed me a little. I searched for the source of the voice, while I did not hear it with my ears, I could feel a certain proximity to the source. And then I saw it, in the gloom as my eyes adjusted, a giant serpent's winding tail, coils of scarlet scales that twisted through the darkness all around, and at the tip of these coils, a humanoid body towering 9 feet tall, with four arms ending in scaly sharp claws. The red scales faded around where the serpent tail met the pelvis of this entity, giving way to smooth purple skin, which seemed to flicker like a mirage between firm bulging musculature, and tender soft flesh. Its face was pristine, with white locks of hair, floating as if suspended underwater. Its upper lip was full and bright, undercut only by two sets of fangs jutting out from under it, its jawline was hard and angular, chin tipped with sharp bards, cheeks speckled with red scales, framing its face in perfect symmetry. But it's eyes, despite the being's terrifying physical form, it's eyes were not black voids like the other demons, they were the most human part of the being, bright green irises, speckled with flecks of gold. It was these eyes which beheld me now, as it spoke once more. “Who are you, such a lowly soul, to criticise my divine form?” its words echoed in my skull, it was then that I realised, it was the very same demon as the statue on the ceiling which I had cursed when I lost my grip. And not just any demon, but a demon prince of Slaanesh, a being of power second only to the chaos gods themselves.

My mantra faded and my body trembled as my invisibility flickered away, there was no use trying to hide from a being of such power. I could tell, under its menacing gaze, that if I were to run from or to fight this being I would surely perish. So I dropped to my knees and spoke: “Forgive me, I would never intend to disrespect a being of such power. I would only ever wish to serve, and bathe in your divine light.” The words came easy to me, they appeared in my mind just as the demon wanted them, but it was out of fear for my life that I uttered them, and perhaps something else… The demon prince's expression shifted, it seemed amused by my display. It reclined its body into the mass of coils, splaying out three of its arms, but running the claw of its fourth across its breast. It traced a line from the shifting form of its chest, down its navel and onto its serpentine half, where its clawed fingers alighted on a subtle slit in its scarlet scales. The claw splayed and spread its slit open to reveal a smooth, violet vulva. “Then serve.” Wracked by nerves, I got to my feet and moved towards its massive serpentine body, it eyed me with delight as I approached. Pressing my hands against its smooth red scales, I lowered my face into the slit, and began to slowly run my tongue along its deep purple folds. The demon prince let out a sigh that felt like a cool breeze running straight through my frontal lobe. I moved my lips upward, and wrapped them around its engorged throbbing clitoris, gently sucking as my tongue caressed its sensitive underside. At this the demon let out a moan that I felt with every synapse of my brain, as it laid its scaly clawed hand on the back of my head, pushing my face deep into its demonic mons. The scent of its silk-smooth lips was mild, yet heavy, humid, and intoxicating. I could feel the coils of its serpent body beginning to writhe around me, another arm reaching down to stroke my head as I probed and lapped at every corner of its sensitive nook. I continued for what felt like hours, all the while the demon prince would let out coos and sighs which caressed the recesses of my mind like a lover's touch.

I do not know if I passed out from exhaustion, or perhaps entered a cunnilingus induced sopor, from the intoxicating scents and mind-addling sounds. Regardless, I awoke shortly after, lying against the demon prince’s coiled body. Across the room, I saw its top half conversing with the drukhari, while countless demon's lurked in the shadows nearby. One of the dark elves turned to look at me and I heard the demon prince speak “Not that one, I have already claimed her as my own.” With a wave of its hand, the demons and drukhari faded into the shadows, and the demon prince slithered towards me. My mind still felt foggy as the demon's words pierced it “You have proven yourself an adequate servant, come now, drink of my nectar, and be complete.” The slit which I had busied myself with before, no longer bore a flower of slick violet petals, but instead protruded an inhuman phallus. Animalistic in features but unlike any one beast that exists in the material plane, unlike the consistent deep purple of the vulva before the demons cock shifted colours along its length, from dark purple at the base to light blue along its shaft, the start of its glans faded to pink, with a pointed tip of vibrant yellow. I might tell myself what compelled me was merely measured self preservation, but that would be a lie, I was obsessed. As I drew close to the beastly member, it began to dribble an unsightly mustard yellow liquid. Hesitant to imbibe the excretions, but eager to taste the smooth member I pressed my lips to the taught, light blue skin of its shaft. I sloppily kissed along its length, much to the demon's pleasure, as the stiff flesh of its cock twitched and swelled beneath my touch. Reaching the pinnacle of the vibrant phallus I let its tip enter my mouth, my lips spreading open as they descended its length. Suddenly, a large spurt of the strange ichor was shot into the back of my throat, the expulsion caught me by surprise, causing my eyes to widen and gagging on the peculiar load, half of it spilled out the sides of my mouth, running down my cheeks. But just as I was about to pull back to clear my mouth I stopped, the bizarre excretion wasn't unpleasant to taste, it felt oily on my tongue, tasted much like nothing, and from wherever it touched spread a pleasing numbness. My face relaxed, much like the rest of my form, as I took the demon's member even deeper into my mouth, feeling it brushing my uvula causing my eyes to roll back, trying hard not to gag again. This elicited another torrent of the strange nectar, this time pouring straight down my throat, the numbness spread up through my head and down my neck and into my belly, and from there it spread to the rest of me. As my mind began to go blank, the demon's clawed hand held the back of my head once more, forcing the full length of its cock past my lips and down my throat, even as it swelled thicker and greater in length.

My mind was a fog, lost in the feeling of the massive member gently probing my throat, the demon's soft sighs and whispers penetrating my brain, all the while the soothing numbness spread to every edge of my being. Then, the demon let out a mind-shattering melodious shout as I felt the entire length of its cock tense from my lips to the depths of my throat as it climaxed and I felt a deluge of the godly nectar flood into my body, but it did not feel like it was filling my belly, rather it was seeping out across my entire body, the numbness quickly dissipated giving way to an overwhelming warmth through every fibre of my being, I felt my nerves light up like a million shining filaments. My eyes watered at the pure ecstacy I was experiencing, and then, I felt tingling starting in my scalp before spreading across my entire body, and a wondrous swelling in my breasts, the demon's golden ichor was physically changing my body, and I loved every second of it. As the demon's climax subsided, the overwhelming full-body sensation faded and it released my head from its grasp. I must not have been aware, but I had taken its cock right to the base of its serpentine slit. As I fell away I felt the entire length of its phallus sliding up and out of my throat, I fell to the ground coughing and desperate for air. Gazing back at the demon's softening cock, I realised the extent to which it had grown, when I took it to its base it must have indeed been reaching all the way down to my stomach. I looked down at my now-tender form, I was now completely naked, though I did not recall disrobing, my body seemed much the same as it was before, but as I stroked the skin on my arms and body, it had an otherworldly smoothness to it, my breasts had indeed grown at least three cup sizes, and my hair had grown down past my waist and was an ethereal silvery white. I heard the demon prince softly laugh as I puzzled over my new body, “I see you like the blessings I have bestowed upon you.” At this I felt suddenly embarrassed and flustered, tucking my knees to my chest and wrapping my silvery hair around to conceal my form, my cheeks reddening profusely. “You have been given gifts of body and mind, and are now pledged to my service. I know you will continue to serve me well” uttered the demon with a fang-filled grin. But in my mind I felt something new, where my mantra would grind and drone; it felt as if sat a pure black pearl. I willed myself to be unseen, and my body felt lighter than air, as I began to float off the ground, ethereal and unseen, even to the immaterial eyes of the demons abound. I heard the demon prince's voice once more “You may go, with this you will be safe, and I will call on you when I desire your service once more.” And at that, I floated away from the warehouse, away from the ghosts and the beasts, my new form shining and beautiful, into the infinite wonder of the universe.

[lanctiflora]

@diivineray || pei ming starter

──── ☁ ────

In foreign waters, a tiny clam shivered, struggling against a powerful current. It was a late, gloomy summer that hid its golden hour underneath looming willow shadows. The gentle branches swayed back and forth near a hissing waterfall cascading over the polished rock of a carved mountain. Beyond the crystalline veil, in a quiet cave lit by lanterns, a silhouette settled in a trance. A man surrounded by white rabbits with his head slightly tilted to the side uttered something gentle and opened his hand, offering berries to the tamed animals. Clad in layers of white, the man resembled a bloomed lotus hidden away from the river it was supposed to inhabit. Here, away from the nosy heavenly intervention, Lan Wangji meditated while accepting prayers through a private communication array. His followers experienced loss in many ways but always followed one route to reach the silent martial god. When he ascended, Lan Wangji held no notion of how he earned such a sought-after honor. He recalled touching the scorched walls of his former home, and calling out his brother's name while limping on a shattered leg. He fell multiple times into piles of ashes that used to be paneled doors and manuscripts. His robes were torn, the cloud patterns dirtied, and his eyes full of agony. It terrified him when he crawled closer to a puddle and observed himself in a shuddering reflection. He cupped what water remained and drank, parched from the annihilation of the Cloud Recess. He was the sole survivor, or rather he was the only Lan cultivator who returned to the scene of a crime like some lost dog seeking its owner. And just then, as he swallowed, something danced on his tongue. He gently plucked it from his mouth and stared upon a single pearl, white as snow with wisps of blue akin clouds wrapped around its circumference. And then he ascended with a token of his loyalty.

Or so goes the story of the  IN SILENCE MOURNING PEARL.

Lan Wangji did not care for the poetic representations of something he did not recall himself. It was early spring when the waterfall melted, losing layers of thick ice by the magic of first blooms. He left the cave through the rushing curtain, standing underneath its heavy pour with barren shoulders. The chilly water curved over his neck, crawling down like a ghost over ridges of old scars littering Lan Wangji's back. They resembled slashes from the talons of a great beast or a whip drenched in his blood. He committed a crime of being human and so he was punished by becoming a god. His golden eyes reflected in the brief mirrored silhouette meandering in the waterfall while he dressed himself. He wore a simple traveling robe bearing the symbol of his origin, a pearly headband, and a spiritual weapon hidden in his sleeve. His eyes ran over the fine calligraphy of a rather urgent message, carrying news of a terrifying presence of evil qi bundles in the corner of a ruined kingdom. Why Lan Zhan was requested to travel so far away from his seclusion wasn't a mystery. He supposed this phantasmic anomaly had to do with the pent-up spirits who hadn't quite processed their departure. The god's guqin was often used for tuning, although Lan Wangji preferred to play at night and away from his confinement. However, what puzzled him was this unuttered doubt of his ability to handle the problem in solitude. His cultivation had not failed him even in his ascension and Bichen was right as the rain that fed the waterfall. Assigned to walk side by side with a warlord, as Lan Wangji categorized it, was unnecessary. Perhaps, it wasn't even an assignment but a mere accident that General Ming Guang manifested on a horizon like a second sun. Lan Wangji invited the other god to meet him here, at the foot of the mountain that served as his home for a hundred years now.

He was preoccupied with getting ready to bid the waterfall his farewell as the light began to fade from the horizon. A snow-white rabbit hopped from his gentle cradle and he straightened his robes before indulging Pei Ming with a mere glance over his shoulder. Thereafter, Lan Wangji introduced himself by turning around and offering a formal nod. His lips finally peeled apart to utter: "We depart now" before pressing into a thin line again. He assumed the deities were debriefed on the obvious miasma gnawing at the stone ruins of history. Lan Wangji's expression remained rather distant if not bitter but it wasn't a reflection of his opinion. He stayed away from the Heavenly Capital, and preferred mountains for his dwelling, so he hadn't had the time to meet the older martial gods in person, although his knowledge of them was bountiful as a sign of respect.

[icy-watch]

Of course Nya would be the first to realize

[gabbieranting]

My Silly Application Piece for Screen Rant

Why Only Terry McGinnis Should Succeed Bruce Wayne as the Next Batman 

The cowl has been passed throughout the Bat Family with reverence, and possibly, with too much frequency for something which has been identified by the Lasso of Truth as a singular person’s true identity. Bruce Wayne, as Superman says in Superman/Batman #76, is the disguise. The true identity is the one that formed in the dark, and much of Bruce Wayne died in Crime Alley with his parents. However, one of the many Paul Dini creations to make it from cartoon to comic, Terry McGinnis, is the most appropriate successor to the title Batman, for several reasons. 

The Gotham that Terry lives in is different from, but similar to, the Gotham which Bruce aged protecting. A technological arms race with Batman and his team has led to street gangs armed with hovercrafts, drones, and explosives. Criminals have taken up the themes and adapted the costumes of classic Gotham villains. Wayne Enterprises has been merged with Powers Industries to form Wayne-Powers, and its leader, Derek Powers, murders Terry’s father to hide the development of a mutagenic nerve gas. Early in his career, Terry creates his own first nemesis, exposing Powers to the toxic chemicals that will turn him into the villain Blight. In the same manner as his mentor, Terry creates a slowly escalating chain reaction among the Gotham underworld. 

Terry’s personality is also the most similar to Bruce’s. Of all Bruce’s proteges, Terry’s brooding is the most familiar. Dick is unique in his ability to heal emotionally from trauma, Jason in his inability to do so. Damian is, in a way, loved and raised by both of his parents, as is the Helena Wayne who is the daughter of Bruce and Selena (in Tom King’s Batman/Catwoman.) Each of these Batmen wear the cowl in situations where they are mourning Bruce Wayne, their surrogate father. When Bruce is off-world or when he is dead, a Robin picks up the mantle. But Terry is trained not as Robin, but as Batman, by Batman. Terry is a direct answer to the Gotham he serves, and has solid reason to avenge himself upon the city. The loss of his father to a brutal crime, the creation of his own nemesis, his refusal to fully join the Justice League, and his perpetual exhaustion from living two lives leads Terry to be a mirror of Bruce in his misery. 

Thanks to Amanda Waller, another Terry is an appropriate successor to Bruce’s city is because he is Bruce’s biological offspring. Waller, fearing a world without a Batman, found a psychological match to Thomas and Martha Wayne in Mary and Warren McGinnis, and used nanotech and a sample of Batman’s blood to replace Warren’s DNA in his reproductive cells with Bruce’s. Terry, and his brother Matt, therefore, are biologically Bruce’s. Waller’s original intent was to have Andrea Beaumont - the Phantasm - murder Mary and Warren in front of Terry as a child, to spur him into a crusade against crime.

Phantasm backed out at the last minute out of respect for Bruce, and Waller agreed, canceling the project; but her actions unintentionally spurred on the McGinnis’s divorce when Warren found out his sons weren’t his and suspected an affair. Terry coming to grips with his origin in Project Batman Beyond further aligns him with the struggle of the original Batman. 

Finally, out of all of Batman’s potential heirs, only Terry has the luxury of never having worked alongside Bruce as Robin. Terry and all his rogues are a clean slate, a new chaos, and unlike any of the others,, Terry has never been a sidekick. In Batman Beyond, Bruce the role fulfills is Oracle’s; manning the computers from the cave and feeding intel into the comms.

For Terry, Bruce isn’t Batman; the batsuit isn’t Bruce’s skin, his identity, and taking on the name Batman isn’t the burden of wearing your father’s shoes for Terry in the way it would be for any of the former Robins. Terry has the ability and distance to become his own Batman, and not a temporary replacement for the real thing.

[toastingpencils37]

"Hold on Arin I'm coming in hot! Or not."

Ha that rhymes

[bestmayatours]

Tulum's Hidden Wonders: Dive into the Enchanting Cenotes

Embark on an extraordinary subterranean odyssey as we delve into the captivating domain of Tulum's cenotes, uncovering a world unlike any other beneath the surface. These natural sinkholes, strewn across the Yucatan Peninsula, invite intrepid souls to partake in the enchantment of snorkeling within a subterranean aquatic haven.

Cenote Mystique: Nature's Concealed Jewels Forged over millennia, Tulum's cenotes emerge from collapsed cave systems, revealing pristine freshwater pools. Each cenote exudes a distinct allure, whether cradled amidst luxuriant jungle foliage or encircled by age-old limestone formations. The mystique enshrouding these natural marvels sets the stage for an indelible snorkeling escapade.

Translucent Waters: A Portal to Another Dimension Plunge into the limpid depths of Tulum's cenotes, where visibility extends to infinity. The crystalline clarity of these cenotes bestows an unhindered gaze upon the subaquatic wonders that unfold beneath—from intricate rock formations to concealed caverns awaiting exploration.

Aquatic Life Extravaganza: A Kaleidoscope of Hues Submerge yourself and encounter a lively spectrum of marine life that inhabits the cenotes. Troops of tropical fish, freshwater turtles, and the occasional catfish orchestrate a symphony of colors as you navigate the underwater landscapes. The cenotes provide a distinctive vantage point, where the jungle above converges with the aquatic paradise below.

Cenote Dos Ojos: Twin-Eyed Marvel Among Tulum's myriad cenotes, Cenote Dos Ojos stands as a requisite destination for snorkeling aficionados. Dubbed the "Two Eyes," this cenote system intertwines through an extensive underwater cave network. Explore the mesmerizing formations resembling the eyes of an otherworldly creature and glide through the crystalline waters connecting these dual natural wonders.

Cavern Snorkeling: A Phantasmal Sojourn For the audacious, Tulum's cenotes extend beyond conventional snorkeling. Immerse yourself in the realm of cavern snorkeling, navigating through partially submerged cave systems adorned with stalactites and stalagmites. It's a surreal expedition that melds the thrill of exploration with the serenity of the cenote environment.

Conclusion:

Snorkeling in Tulum's cenotes transcends aquatic activity; it evolves into an immersive odyssey through a realm of innate beauty and marvels. From the limpid waters unveiling the mysteries of the submerged realm to the diverse marine life populating these cenotes, each moment invites a connection with the enchantment of nature. Brace yourself for the Tulum Cenote Underworld Private Tour—an expedition where personalized adventures, crystalline waters, and the alluring enigmas of nature converge, crafting an unforgettable exploration of one of Mexico's most captivating subterranean wonders.