#ultimately I feel like lmk is a show about people coping with the world in their own ways

[imminent-danger-came]

What do you think are some of LMKs most prevalent themes are? besides the power of friendship of course

I'll just throw 'em into a list!

Fate VS Freewill / Destiny (2x05, 2x10, 3x10, EYD, 4x07-4x10 ; characters love to run from destiny/the narrative in lmk)

Identity ("You are not the Monkey King" "You're right—I'm the Monkey Kid!" ; "This thing, whatever you are, embrace it. Embrace your destiny." ; etc.)

(Bonus post where I point out how Destiny and Identity get a little too closely linked for my comfort)

Self-worth/Self-Reflection [Kind of a subset of Identity] ("Just believe in yourself! Even a smidge makes all the difference")

Companionship as Salvation ("As long as we stand together, there will always be hope!" ; "You're the one always running off! [...] You're the one who wouldn't quit while we were ahead!")

Exchange ("You don't know, we'd risk it for sure! I won't abandon them when they need us." ; "I'd do anything for my friends! But at the cost of the world?" ; "This is Azure's utopia, and this barren wasteland is the price he paid to build it.")

Not knowing what to do and how to move forward with that.

Pain being inevitable ("Don't you realize you're hurting the people who care about you the most?" ; "All my lady ever desired was a world no longer plagued by pain" ; "No matter what I do, it’s going to lead to pain.")

Perfection being unachievable (1x05, "You can't judge things by their worst quality!" ; "A perfect world is what you make it. So as long as I have my friends by my side...this world, is, perfect!" ; "Look around brother! This is not the change we dreamt of.") But there also being beauty in imperfection. The imperfect being worth fighting for.

Heroism (Perception VS Reality) ("Sometimes the path of the hero may seem chaotic and directionless" ; Heroes "inevitably bring darkness to those they hold dear" rip. ; "But it took me far too long to learn what real heroes look like.")

Trust ("That Monkey is not to be trusted!" ; "We trusted you! All of us!" ; "He's a villain MK! We never should have trusted him.")

Power and the point of having it ("Now do you understand? From the start you never had what it took to defeat me. All your power could do was make me stronger." ; "I needed something so powerful even she wouldn't be able to win—a weapon." ; "Only we decide who we are and what we do with the power we have!" ; "But it wasn't in my power—it was in yours.")

Change ("Forever's a long time bud." ; "But we can't! Not after all we've seen—all we know and all we don't?" ; honestly just look at s1 vs s4)

Legacy (*gestures at pilgrims* ; "MK, from the moment you picked up the staff their stories became our stories—it's our responsibility to write the final chapter, no matter the outcome." ; "Why would our legacy be any different? Actually no no—the chaos and destruction we'll bring upon the world will make Wukong's past look like nothing.")

Leaving the world a little better than you found it (even and especially in spite of your mistakes and shortcomings)

and of course the Power of Friendship (plus the themes Tang literally lists in 3x14 "We're comforted by familiar tales of friendship, courage, redemption.").

[pinkpruneclodwolf]

AAAAAAAAAAAA THANK U SO MUCH FOR YOUR THOUGHTS!!!!! They're so mega brained (even bigger than mine) that I love it. Also yeah I agree with you about the thing with OB! Grim eating Yuu since well, the possibility of it is high because excluding the fact that Grim is in fact a monster (which people tend to forget that he is for some reason) Grim and Yuu are one-in-the-same. They are both considered one student.

Their purpose for being in TWST sort of coincides with the both of them being at the same place and time too which sort of implies that they were brought here for the same reason (*looks at crowley in suspicion*). Him eating Yuu just sort of cements that fact literally, which would parallel Idia and Ortho in some way as well (pls lmk if you want me elaborating more on that jkhsjdfsk also sidenote please elaborate on your thoughts about chapter 5--its alot better than chapter 2 to say the least but I do agree that Yana could have developed it better but I digress since we're getting off track.)

Your ideas on chapter 7 is just chef's kiss. Diasomnia having this weird gothic vibes just kinds gives the idea of mourning someone which coincides well with Yuu leaving (bc Yuu comes from another world which weirdly parallels to passing on to the afterlife but thats a different can of worms to spill for another time). The group (Adeuce + Ramshackle) possibly falling apart during the chapter (bc lets face it neither Ace or Deuce have a semblance of an idea of what it means to cope which would lead to them lashing out--their teenagers for a school of villain's so I cant necessarily say that mental and emotional health is a priority there *gestures vaguely to the OB boys*) This could lead to a rift between them when chapter 8 starts and the four of them being less together and more alone which would possible lead them to begin to re-evaluate their friendship and themselves as a result.

Ace and Deuce will possibly deal with this so much better than Yuu and Grim since they probably have a wider circle of friends and support when you think about it canonically speaking. Yuu could also be helped by Malleus and co since they've helped them during chapter 7 which leaves grim all by his lonesome to fester up negative feelings but hides it with his usual gremlin-ness (omph looks like someone's ability to hide their feelings rubbed on of him *glances at Yuu*) and would ultimately lead to an OB the moment Yuu has to leave.

If we're going by the Grim eating Yuu thing. There's a possibility that Yuu will be conscious inside of Grim but no one can hear them which would lead them to do what the boys do, without the boys--ultimately finishing their character development. Outside Adeuce rallying the cast to help them beat Grim is an amazing idea this is bc Adeuce knows Grim and how he moves and attack by heart so they'd both be able to do what Yuu did for them whenever a fight occurred--guide them to victory which would coincide w their character growth. I have an idea that both Grim and Yuu being/becoming one in the same might lead to some complications if the boys do beat Grim but lets not talk about that for now. Grim's character development happens after the fight where he learns to grow up. Depending on what Yana decides to do w Grim in the ending I can see two things happening:

1.) Grim goes with Yuu: If this one happens then Grim will have to give up his dream on becoming the greatest mage. While I feel like Grim would still find another overly ambitious thing to aim to if he does go with Yuu, him giving up his dream feels a lot like him growing up since we all know that Grim's one and only wish is to become the greatest mage or whatever so for him to give it up to follow Yuu feels a lot like him understanding what he'll actually lose if he does--something that kind of shows how mature he's become bc a lot of the times, people just tend to take others for granted and when they realize this, its usually too late for them to try to get them back. Also them being together in the end still fits in together nicely with their themes of partnership/relationships in the story of TWST (might elaborate on this some time...)

The other one would be-- 2.) Grim lets Yuu go: If this happens then grim will know what it actually means to lose and lost completely, but with him losing Yuu he grows to be more wiser--emotionally and mentally--he gains something from this loss and ultimately grows from it. Him letting Yuu go so that the two of them go their separate ways is a bittersweet sign of growing up tbh and I think it would also be a sign where they no longer have to be one-in-the-same but thats fine because Yuu is Yuu and Grim is Grim now, but thats okay since they were always different to begin with. But neither of them would be truly able to forget the other--and I think thats a valuable lesson that both characters have to learn.

ANYWAYS what do you think, holy shit this is long asf I'm so sorry if your head hurts trying to read this lmk if you find this annoying lmaoaoaooaoaooa anyways stay safe and drink lots of water bestie :heart:

Does your neck hurt carrying that big ass brain??? Do you need to seek financial compensation???

This is gonna be a super long post so bear with me if I go on a tangent:

First I'm gonna address my feelings on Chap 5 with the least amount of spoilers.

Chap 5 addresses the aftermath of Jamil's OB and how Kalim copes with finally knowing how he feels—with Jamil slowly but surely easing out of Kalim's shadow we see this upfront when Vil declares Jamil the lead dancer which leads to Kalim having a midlife crisis at night as he tries to work through the fact that bc of him he's basically been holding Jamil back from greatness.

I think Chap 5 really hammers home the effects of the OB by allowing the effects to drive the side characters.

Lets pan over to Vil—where my gripes begin.

This is more about how people reacted to Vil over the course of Chap 5 and how people treat feminine characters and those who fall under that code/umbrella.

I'll give an example— Sakura Haruno.

Man,,,,,, the way in which the Naruto fandom tore into her forever fucks me up and they only did it bc she acted like any young girl to teen.

Goddd,,,,

Sakura is a perfect example of how people treat feminine characters who are outspoken and you see this compared to Hinata, Inc, and Tenten. Tsunade doesn't count on the basis that people (men) found her attractive therefore the pushback on her was less heavy.

Sakura on the other hand— because of her more flat chest and overall rectangular body shape men didn't find her appealing until she was grown (which is a good thing) but people treat those they think are attractive better this only added to the hate—

From the day Sakura was introduced western audiences found her annoying— even when she under went severe character development in order to get Sasuke back all mfs said was that she was too clingy/obsessed/shallow as if Naruto wasn't training with Jiraiya under the same pretense.

And oh man, when the infamous, "I think I've finally caught up.to them now." Dropped, I swear I was on the ropes.

Now, I'll admit, I didn't like Sakura but it was entirely because I was jealous she had a chance with Sasuke when I didn't— I actually like Sakura's design, short pink hair, striking green eyes, and strength that Naruto has to rely on Kurama to get.

Sakura also faced backlash for rejecting Naruto—and I will never understand why when Hinata was literally right there??? It was consistently hinted at from Hinata's introduction and how her character developed bc of Naruto—

I honest to God believe that it was more projection on the fans' part—where getting the unattainable girl was seen as a win on the male protags part.

I'm going on and on to say that the reason why Vil is seen as shallow even after Chap 5 and the personal stories he's featured in they still see him as vain and shallow.

And it fucks me up because we know what he went through as a child actor getting type casted into the role of the villain we see this in the way ppl talked about how his beauty as a young child and if you read between the lines you can see how inherently se**al that got.

Lets not even talk about how he was bullied because of type casting, yet, somehow????????

I like Epel, but the way this fandom cosigns his very toxic view on masculinity and femininity is exactly why he's favored while Vil isn't— Dont play in my face like we haven't seen scenarios/headcanons/fanfics about sneaking Epel out of Pomefiore balls and such.

Its why even with Epel being feminine coded bc of his mindset of wanting to be a "manly man" he's at least afforded the masculinity that comes from that—let's not even get into how being very traditional plays a part.

I like Epel bc of his development in Pomefiore and how he gets along with Savanaclaw, Leona even acknowledges him.

Vil doesn't just nitpick just to nitpick, Pomefiore is all about appearances (Crouching Beauty, Hidden Murderer), it was the first dorm founded on NRC and, as far as I've seen, is probably influential on beauty standards having someone consistently denounce that by calling the dorm "Full of Pan**es" does nothing.

Which is exactly why Chap 5's reception after revealing Vil as sympathetic was so quiet— people have gotten so used to damning Vil and feminine coded characters that seeing him in a different light left the fandom gagged.

And, yet the Vain!Vil trope still exists.

Rook receives no such reception— on one hand he's very mysterious and we're just now getting info that creates more questions than answers, but on the other—he has a bob, wears a hat with a plume, he even has a shorter robe compared to Vil's, with his reaching his thighs.

Wanna know why that is?

Because he's portrayed as strong(and scary) in the physical sense. He can pull back a bow and arrow that weighs more than Trey, he scares the second prince of Afterglow just by being in the same class, he's able to stalk people without detection. Its said in the twst annotations book that he's extremely muscular.

Bottom line is, because of Rook's portrayl in his personal stories and the events the general consensus is that he is not someone to be fucked with.

Yet, Vil is???

Epel literally states that he can crush an apple with one hand, Cater calls him a "gorilla", he can keep up with Jack Howl during their morning jogs—So where the hell is this "weak, frail, vain Vil" shit coming from????

I wanna know, I just wanna talk.

I digress on that topic, I already know what I'm gonna be writing about after this Rook analysis drops.

Onto the theories!!!

I want to mention an awesomely horrific tid bit about Twisted Wonderland magic system:

It's based off of Imagination— Disney made a profit off of taking horrible stories like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty by turning them into child friendly fairytale that shape peoples' childhoods to this day.

What I mean by this is, if the entire student body actually believes that Grim and Yuu are one in the same (they usually aren't seen apart unless Grim is starting some shit) its only a matter of who has the dominant personality that can consume them both and make them "whole".

As we've seen, Grim has the most dominant personality—he's the loudest, the one with magic, and innate sense of twst that Yuu doesn't—Grim's haughty personality could lead to some complications during the "consumption" process that essentially keeps their minds separated.

I also noticed that the most overt signs of Grim's OB form all have something to do with control— Grim's tails are snakes, symbolic to Jamil's snakes and how his snake charmer motif— the mane of OB!Grim is both a mix of Azul's tentacles—him being able to snatch people's power, and Leona's mane—him wanting to breakdown (Leona's UM chant starts with: I am your hunger, I am your thirst, pretty damning)

We also see wings which is from Malleus' OB I'm not even gonna say possibly, Hornton is a dragon we been knew this— i think the wings stem from Malleus' constant want to escape from how people perceive him, but wings can also mean refuge and support in that Yuu gave Grim refuge in Ramshackle during the prologue and Yuu gave refuge to Malleus by being his first true friend.

The blue fire could also represent Idia's OB as well, blue flames are often associated with the power of intent (him intentionally experi****ing on the OB boys) however Japanese mythology usually represent the coldness of death (Ortho I'm looking at you)

There was a theory that OB!Grim has hints of Riddle's OB however i can't see it but I'll do an analysis anyway— Riddle's want to be right and in control the way his mother was, this could mean that Grim knows that they're minds haven't truly become one and wants to be able to control it (harkening back to Jamil's motifs).

Adeuce having the most experience with these OBs allows them room to take Yuu's place in the leadership role, symbolizing that even with Yuu "gone" they rise to the occasion and keep their memory alive through actions.

Honestly, I believe that Grim letting Yuu go and Adeuce caring for Grim would be a healthier alternative if this theory is correct—allowing Yuu to leave allows room for Grim to grow.

Thats the "reset" for me.

But thats just a theory

A Twst Theory.

[muwur]

could i request an -oikawa-kuroo-suga- headcanons for a partner with autism/adhd? (autism and adhd in girls can be like, real hard to write if you dont have it or know someone who does so its 100% okay to say no wididnejfufhejrr) especially with like, being embarrassed about stimming in front of them or dealing with rejection sensitive dysphoria as a symptom 😗👉👈 thank yooooooooooou i owe u my liyef

haikyuu + s/o with autism/adhd headcanons

✧ hc’s ✧ for oikawa, kuroo, suga & tendou

❧ gn reader

✎ 1.3k words

a/n: i got u b! this is wut im here for, to help u feel a lil represented 😌 also ik u a special fren of mine so hehe here u go (happy birthday soon btw c; ily i hope you enjoy pls feel free to lmk if there’s smth youd like me to change ♡)! aLsO pLEASePLEAseplEASe anyone let me know if there is something I wrote in this that doesn’t sit well with you. as someone who does not have autism/adhd or has had much experience around people who do, i cannot portray it accurately. i do not intend to misrepresent anyone’s experiences. i love and care for you all; the last thing i want to do is hurt or offend anyone. thankfully anon + the internet were great sources for me to try to understand things better. tho that is not to say i can fully comprehend these conditions (cuz i never can unless i experience it myself)

n e ways, u r all loveli n i hope ur having an amazing day <3

just wanna preface that these bois would love anyone for who they are, and would do their best to support you in whatever ways possible <3

oikawa

✧ oikawa had been replying consistently to your messages before suddenly disappearing with no explanation,,,

✧ at first it seemed like nothing, but after several hours and follow up texts from yourself, you couldn’t help but think that maybe he just didn’t want to reply to you

✧ maybe he didn’t even like you anymore

✧ fear that every moment you shared together meant nothing settled in the pit of your stomach

✧ a while later you received a phone call from a very apologetic oikawa, who was explaining that he dropped his phone in the bowl of ramen he was eating and had to go to the store and wait for hours before finally getting a new one and--

✧ “a-are you crying? hey, what’s wrong? i’m sorry i was gone for so long. i’m here now.”

✧ will definitely come over immediately to give you reassuring cuddles

✧ “you mean the world to me. i never want to hurt you, and i never want to leave you, either.”

✧ makes sure to communicate very clearly with you to reassure you what he really means

✧ always reminding you how much he cares about you to reinforce in your head that he’s always going to be there for you

✧ does self-care days with you to destress because life is tough (*cue selfies with face masks and laying in bed for hours with each other’s comforting presence*)

✧ very quick to defend and protect you from people who hurt you. will ask, “excuse me, can i help you?” with a piercing glare that’ll get anyone to back down

✧ gives you constant reassurance about your stimming

✧ helps you interpret social cues and situations, gives you tips on how to handle your interactions with others and in under circumstances (as well as how to remain calm in your own mind)

✧ practices positive self-talk with you because he wants to help you see how great you are

✧ anyone who doesn’t see it is at a loss and is irrelevant, they don’t exist in oikawa’s book 💅

kuroo

✧ always educating himself so he knows how to be helpful

✧ unintentionally embarrassed you once by asking what you were doing when he caught you stimming once (which was when he found out about it)

✧ he was genuinely curious and meant no harm, and he apologized for bringing it up how he did

✧ however, he was glad he asked you so that he could be informed and reassure you that stimming is okay. he understands the importance of it and he’d prefer you have something to help you self-soothe. no judgment here, this is a safe space

✧ takes mental notes on all your favorite stims (verbal, visual, tactile, oral, proprioception, etc)

✧ even discovers new stims for you to try and buys you things to help with them (“here, this is a fidget spinner, y/n” or “you know they make CHEWABLE JEWLERY? they call it CHEWELRY. that’s genius. *typing on phone* what colors do you like, babe?” )

✧ encourages you to talk about your feelings and find additional coping strategies (“let’s try this neat breathing technique i learned about today!”)

✧ saves you from overwhelming situations (ie. pulling you out of a crowd, shutting down really noisy things, giving you space to clear your head and breathe)

✧ ruffles your hair as a sign of affection and calls you cute nicknames

✧ helps you study, make plans, and stay organized. tries to keep things interesting and interactive so you don’t lose interest/find it boring

✧ when you’re having an especially hard time focusing, he’ll pull you aside for a relaxing break like talking a small walk, watching an episode of y’alls favorite show, sharing a snack, playing a game, looking at memes or tik tok, chatting, etc

✧ makes sure to validate your feelings first and acknowledge your concerns before giving you his thoughts

✧ helps you view situations from a different perspective so you don’t assume rejection from others. when there is some form of rejection, he’s there to help you cope with the emotions 

✧ gives you a lot of hugs when you’re feeling dejected and lonely, reminding you he’ll never leave your side 

sugawara

✧ he’s quite perceptive, so when he noticed your unease, he asked you about it

✧ embarrassed but not wanting to lie, especially to suga, you admitted to being afraid of stimming around him and that you had been trying to hold back from it (even if it was hard)

✧ his eyes immediately soften as he tells you that there’s no reason to be embarrassed about it

✧ he just wants you to be yourself and feel comfortable

✧ learns about all of your stims. totally supports and normalizes them (however, if they’re ever self-injurous, he’ll do research and consult expert help to redirect the behavior)

✧ will absolutely take good care of you, he’s not sugamama for no reason

✧ a great listener! always hearing you out when you talk about your passions and interests

✧ wants you to express yourself however you can because he understands communication may not always be easy (reminder that communication and expression aren’t always verbal!)

✧ praises you and hypes you up all the time, going on about how there’s so much about you he loves

✧ has the most soothing voice ever. will whisper you sweet, reassuring words to calm and ease your mind

✧ will even just hum for you. lit rally anything. the suga juke box varies from lullabies to funky fresh songs

✧ very patient and will support you when you feel upset, frustrated, and/or have outbursts

✧ encourages you to talk about your feelings, but never pressures you. shares his own thoughts and feelings to help you open up, asks you thoughtful questions

✧ may be ultimate soft boi but gives anyone the look™ if they even just stare, and goes feral if someone’s ever rude to you in any way, calls them tf out and is #satisfied when he gets them to apologize

✧ also helps you study and be organized! good at creating schedules and encouraging you to stick with them

✧ constantly making sure you eat sufficient meals 😋 and get enough rest 😴 will nag you until you do

tendou

✧ MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE ALL THE STIMULATION YOU NEED, says it’s an opportunity to give each other mutual attention and bond

✧ but will also provide you an outlet for just relaxing and unwinding

✧ will talk to you for hours and hours about your favorite shows/movies/books

✧ BINGES THEM WITH YOU

✧ always treating you to your favorite snacks/flavors and discovering new things for you to try that will match your taste/texture preferences (only the best for u 😌)

✧ curious about how stims make you feel and asks you to describe those sensations to him  

✧ thinks it’s super cool when you can finish his sentences for him,,, cuz it’s like y’all on the same wavelength (you gellll)

✧ if anyone made you feel bad,,, o boy

✧ tendou would intimidate them to the point he would probably appear in their nightmares ffegjegk this is why you don’t fuck with this man or those who cares about 

✧ king of spontaneity and asks if you’re down to do the most random things

✧ “let’s buy a trampoline”

✧ *2 am* “you down for some fries and dip? and by dip i mean m i l k s h a k e s”

✧ of course he’ll never suggest things he knows you would be uncomfortable with. never puts you in a stressful situation and always makes sure you’re enjoying yourself

✧ invites you everywhere and makes sure you feel included. always by your side!

✧ squeezes your hand whenever he can tell you’re feeling anxious

✧ if you feel anxious about trying new things, he’s there to encourage you! recounts all the positive aspects 

✧ but if you’re really excited to try something, you bet he’ll match your excitement

✧ a very good listener. empathizes a lot with being misunderstood or seen as “different,” and is therefore a major source of comfort

✧ constantly showing you how to be yourself and that you shouldn’t feel ashamed about it, cuz that’s who he fell in love with

[lassieposting]

There has to be some sort of mental coping strategy for chronophobia. I feel this too even though people fucking tell me I look like a sixteen year old, if anything I think that actually makes it worse because if it was over then it would be over, but this way I feel like I still have a sliver of a chance to get on with my life that's shrinking every minute and that breeds complete fucking panic

Omg u get me

Listen anon, in all the times ive been forced into therapy throughout my life, the closest thing I've found to a coping mechanism for chronophobia is...like, when I was a kid, I watched the animated series of Watership Down, and there's this little mouse character thing that says at one point, "Next meal, that's far enough ahead for thinking!" And its? Just a little throwaway line from a kiddie tv show i havent seen since i was like 6 but lemme tell u, since the chronophobia developed I cling to that shit like a lifeline.

I have to keep my brain busy every second of the day so it has no time to think about the past or the future. I can only fall asleep by playing candy crush until I'm so exhausted I pass out, bc if i give my brain any breathing room i end up in a panic attack. I cant shower in silence or enjoy quiet time because the intrusive thoughts come creeping in and im left just whispering "next meal, no more, next meal, no more" to myself to try and make them stop. It feels like chronophobic people are the keepers of the worst secret of evolution: sentience was a mistake. We fucked up, go back, how can anyone live with this knowledge and not go mad???

People out here living like they have all the time in the world smh i blinked in 2002 and missed a quarter of my lifespan and nobody else is freaking out about it like am i just fucking insane or????

I just. Want to be a mushroom or something and not be aware of my own lost childhood and teen years or my wasted adulthood or my ultimate mortality. I don't want to be aware of any of it. I don't want self-awareness. Please just let me be a mushroom.

Anyway yeah. Coping mechanisms. If u find one lmk