#but just ignore that okay? suspension of disbelief

[rewrittenwrongs]

Finally realised I haven’t actually posted this here… @thebibliosphere @justanotherhomelessromantic @theelitistpirate your post is a masterpiece and awakened the muses. I wrote this in one sitting and didn’t beta read so if you see any typos no you didn’t

Read on Ao3 here

Gotham is a cesspit of chaos. It’s full to the brim with criminals, covered in rapists and murderers, almost controlled by mobs and mafia, practically ran by the drug trade, and home to more masks than any other place in the world. In this case, the term ‘Mask’ includes one founding member of the Justice League, almost a dozen of his children, and more than a dozen villains.

Among these lawless people is one Amaury Guichon: the Chocolate Guy.

(It is notable that ‘chocolate guy’ is not the name he intended to go by, but that’s what people started calling him, and the name simply stuck.)

Contrary to what his name might suggest, he is not a cheerful chef that goes around handing treats to young children. He is a chef, and he can be cheerful, and he does occasionally give chocolate bars to people, but his intentions are far more sinister than spreading cheer and cavities.

Case in point: he is currently in an abandoned confectionary factory, preparing a vat of melted chocolate while his group of kidnapped socialites watch helplessly.

“What is this?” one of the socialites demands, struggling against the ropes tying her to a chair. She’s an older woman, with gray hair and a shimmering dress, and doesn’t actually seem all that scared. Years of living in Gotham as a member of the upper class must make her accustomed to being kidnapped.

“Ah, mon petit chou pourri, isn't it obvious?” Chocolate Guy lifts the comically large spatula he is using to stir the chocolate, letting the sickeningly sweet liquid drip down in ribbons. “It’s death by chocolate!”

“How, exactly, do you plan to kill us with chocolate?” another kidnappee, Bruce Wayne, asks dryly. He seemed utterly unconcerned, unimpressed even, by his imminent death. “Do you plan do drown us in it? That would be rather messy, and take a while. Heat it up and burn us? No, the chocolate would burn, and that wouldn’t kill us—“

“The circumstance of your death is no matter to you!” Chocolate Guy shrieked. “Je vais te tuer! Peu importe comment!”

“Is that why you haven’t mentioned the bombs yet?” Sam Reich asked, appearing out of nowhere with a gleeful grin.

Chocolate Guy reared back. “Where did you come from!?”

“You fight Batman and you’re asking me?” Sam chuckles. “I’ve been here the whole time. And I have a more important question: HOW DID YOU MAKE BOMBS OUT OF CHOCOLATE!?”

Chocolate Guy raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “They’re bombe au chocolats, what else would they be made out of?”

“But how?”

“Honestly, no wonder half of Gotham thinks you’re a Meta,” Bruce Wayne piped up. “With the things you can do with chocolate, you could work at any confectionary you want, any restaurant, you’d win awards—“

“Shut your mouth!” The Chocolate Guy lunges forward and smears a mess of chocolate against Bruce’s mouth. It cools down quickly, hardening against his chin and trapping his lips shut. The look Bruce sends him is impressively annoyed. “I don’t want to win awards, I want to wreak havoc!” Chocolate Guy snarled. “People must appreciate the true destructive potential of chocolate!”

“Hence the bombs,” Sam added, nodding.

A slow clap sounded from the ceiling.

All heads turn to the rafters, where Nightwing crouched, slowly clapping his gloved hands together. “I gotta say, Amaury, this scheme of yours is pretty impressive. Lure us over here with your kidnapping, distract us from your henchmen so they can plant the bombs unnoticed.“

He drops down from the ceiling, landing in a crouch. He removes his escrima sticks and activates the electricity. “Honestly, you might’ve gotten away with it.”

Some upperclassman cries out in surprise as Spoiler, having appeared out of nowhere, neatly cuts his ropes. The group of rich people had been arranged in a circle tied by the same length of rope, so the rest of their restraints slackened as well.

Spoiler held up the cut portion of rope. For some reason, she sniffs it. “Is this made of sugar?”

“Dragons beard candy!” Chocolate Guy cried, brandishing his reinforced chocolate nunchucks. “Some of my finest work!”

The following battle is one that would be told by bards across the world for the rest of time, if bards still existed. Nightwing is impressively skilled with his escrima sticks, not to mention very strong and incredibly flexible, but Amaury Guichon is a force to be reckoned with using those nunchucks, and it isn’t long before he captures one of the escrima and sends it flying. Nightwing uses the tiny opening the motion made and swipes at Amaury, but he dances to the side and slams one end of the nunchucks into his back, forcing Nightwing to use his momentum to roll.

Spoiler leads the formerly kidnapped socialites to safety while Nightwing is occupied, keeping a wary eye on Sam Reich, who is watching the battle with a concerning amount of glee.

It thankfully isn’t long before Nightwing gets the upper hand, forcing Chocolate Guy back until he trips over an abandoned conveyor belt. The vigilante makes swift work of him after that, tying him up with his own candy ropes—and zip ties, to be safe—and leaving him for the police to detain. He also leaves them the vat of chocolate. No way is he dealing with that.

He heads outside after collecting his escrima, but finds only upper class civilians. He taps his comm, “Spoiler?”

“Spoiler’s signal is jammed,” Oracle tells him. “So is Robin’s and Red Robin’s. They been off the map for two minutes, Spoiler for one.”

Nightwing frowned and began a closer examination of the surroundings. “You can’t track them?”

“I think an EMP went off, none of their tech is online.”

“That’d do it,” he muttered. “Who’s disabling the bombs? Have we found all of them?

“Signal’s taking care of one in East End, Red Hood has one in Crime Alley, Orphan has the one by the Wayne Enterprise building, and Batwoman is en route to the Wilson Memorial Bridge. There’s still two, one of them’s by the cell tower in the Bowery.”

Nightwing worked on his sweep of the factory, ignoring Chocolate Guy screaming French in the background. “B won’t be able to reach a suit for a few minutes. Call Bluebird?”

“Already on it,” Oracle replies. “She’ll be suiting up any second now. She’s closer to the cell tower, you look around for the last bomb and keep an ear out for our missing birds.”

Nightwing nodded redundantly and swung off into the night.

He searched East End first, since it was closest, but found no trace of chocolate bombs nor of wayward birds. He swung through Crime Alley with no luck, stopping to help Red Hood disable his bomb. They searched the Narrows and the Bowery together, during which Signal, Bluebird and Orphan finished with their bombs, and were heading towards Bristol when a figure landed beside them.

Red Robin waved. “Hey guys!”

Red Hood startled. “What the fu—“

“Where have you been!?” Nightwing demanded.

“With Sam Reich,” Red Robin said like it was obvious. “He kidnapped me, Robin and Spoiler to play a weird game of Simon Says.”

“What?” Red Hood hissed.

Nightwing landed on a roof and waited until the others landed beside him. “Did he hurt any of you?”

“No. Robin did get some friction burns from struggling against the ropes, but we’re all fine.”

“I hate Reich,” Red Hood muttered. “He’s weird.”

Red Robin shrugged. “Eh, Sam’s okay. Ra’s think he might take over the League of Assassins if he gets bored enough.”

Nightwing stared at his brother. “Okay, ignoring the fact that you’re apparently on a first name basis with one of our rogues—“

“Two, me and Eddie play fifth dimensional chess on Tuesdays—“

“Ignoring that, for now, we will be addressing that later—why does Ra’s think he could take over the League and why do you know he thinks that?”

“Ra’s keeps sending me passive aggressive letters about how the League’s doing. Well, that’s what he’s been doing recently, before that he was putting belladonna in my food for steali—“

“Where the fuck have you been?” Oracle demanded over comms. Red Robin winced.

“With Sam. He told us that the last bomb is by the docks.”

Nightwing opened his mouth, then closed it again. “We are bringing this back up later,” he eventually hissed, before turning and jumping off the roof.

“Why’s Ra’s trying to kill you?” Red Hood asked.

Red Robin watched Nightwing grapple away. “He isn’t, he needs me alive to have my children.”

“What?”

Red Robin copied his brother and jumped off the roof, grapple gun poised.

The three vigilantes reconvened at the docks, where they met Spoiler, Robin and the Riddler. The villain of the group was hunched over a complex chocolate structure, with Spoiler leaning over his shoulder and yelling about bombs and chocolate and defying physics, and Robin was several metres away with his katana at the ready. There was a somehow functional chocolate timer next to the bomb, which said they only had thirty seconds before the bomb went off.

Batwoman had disarmed her bomb during the ride over, so this was the last one they had to disable.

“Eddie? What are you doing here?”

That’s right, for some reason Red Robin was friends with the Riddler. Of course.

“Disabling the bomb,” Riddler replied, haggard.

“Do you even know how to do that?” Nightwing snapped.

“Just throw it in the bay,” Red Hood said.

“Oh yes, because a huge splash of hot steam is so much better.”

“Chocolate doesn’t float, it’ll sink to the bottom.”

“That’ll kill everything near it and—“

“You think things can live in Gotham water?”

“—it might explode the caves, you and I both know there are aquatic cave systems here.”

Red Robin, having previously disappeared during the conversation, reappeared when there was ten seconds left, holding a half empty bottle of vodka. He shoved back Riddler and began dumping the alcohol over the chocolate monstrosity. The others took many large steps back when he pulled out a box of matches.

He set alight the match and dropped it on the alcohol soaked, half deconstructed chocolate abomination, which immediately caught fire.

They all watched as the chocolate melted.

“Smart,” Spoiler observed.

“There’s really no hardwire in there?” Nightwing asked, wary and confused. “It’s just chocolate. How.”

“Does it really matter?” Red Robin asked, taking another step back. “They’ve all been dealt with.”

“What about Reich?” Robin demanded. “He’s who-knows-where and has proven skilled enough to capture vigilantes. We can’t leave him alone.”

“Oh, that?” Riddler said dismissively. “Don’t worry, I know a guy.”

Somewhere else in the world, Brennan Lee Mulligan accepts a phone call.

[sskk-manifesto]

Atsushi's back in the game!!! ۶( ˆ o ˆ )

[dukeofthomas]

I can't find it now but there's a post about suspension of disbelief and how it's broken when the story starts trying to excuse it. "character gets knocked unconscious for hours but there's no further issues from this" okay 👍 "and actually this makes perfect sense because of this and that" um no it doesn't why are you lying to me. like i am willing to ignore the holes and the discrepancies!! all you need to do is let me and not bring unnecessary attention to it!!!

and all that is my issue with the whole robin child soldier argument. like i am willing to ignore it i am willing to engage with the fantasy literally all you need to do is NOT try to convince me that Actually It's Fine Because They Want To Do It or whatever. like literally just shut up about it and i can engage with the fantasy!!

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Hello!!

The crack post saga continues... =D

Warning: long, long post 😊😅

To be very honest though, for today's ep I will be getting serious more than usual, because it was quite significant in the flow of the plot, and also had moments of communication (this emotional constipation is what makes me yearn for Cherry Magic ah) that need to be studied a little closely.

HOWEVER, there will most definitely be crack because this group of friends is (unapologetically) batshit crazy and my brain refuses to not make comments at the most inappropriate times.

Peem: NO ONE SAW ME CUDDLING MY CRUSH TO SLEEP RIGHT?!

The sheer panic in his movements, oh my gods. It should not be as hilarious as it is 😭😂

To be very honest though, I would've panicked a bit in his place too, with friends like those, they'd never let him live it down

Peem is so cute 😭

Nothing to see here, just a guy getting shy over how his prince charming hom-ed him, and they kissed through his hand and cuddled all night hehe

Phum: here he comes again :) *eye twitch*

Peem's expression, how he's still holding his hands as if he has the cup, Kluen's disbelief, and Phum's smug af face-

I'm wheezing 😭🤣

Kluen, I'm kinda starting to like you, but no.

You don't stand half a chance against them and their situationship.

Hope you find another boyfriend to fall in love at first sight with (and leave my boys alone please, they don't need any more complications) <3

Oh, Fang knows too. Of course he does, that's his little brother right there

We all know how protective of his brother he is, there's no way he'd let anybody else take care of him... unless, he knew Phum liked that person

les voila

Poor Tan, his theerak just ignoring him T-T

*looks between them* yeah, pretty much the same pic 👀

And here it is. The root of all his fears.

See, in this camp, almost all of them are paired up in the sense that they usually stick to that person. Even Beer has MIck. But then comes wild card Kluen, who's hogging all of Peem's attention as much as he can and that leaves Phum. Alone.

I will be getting back to this running motif of Phum being alone and how it changes through the ep in later scenes as well

Also, after they went back, both Mick and Beer asked if he really was okay, which made me smile, because maybe, Phum isn't as alone as he thinks himself to be. There are people who care for him, who are concerned, who'll support him, and of course, he always has Fang, his beloved phi

My poor babie Tan 🥺🥺

Also, notice how the shot is taken in such a way that they're the only ones in the frame, and are also standing within one specific part of the wall? (Ignore Kluen's head and hands please). It reflects how they're in their own world with each other, especially Tan

The nosy peeps gang strikes again!

Jokes aside, the synchronised strides, the background music together set the perfect levels of suspense and comedy

Peem, smug: yes! that emotionally constipated dumbass is finally getting out of De Nile

Pun: wait... is my plan actually working? Ah, of course it is

Toey: head empty, no thoughts, but... DOES P'Q ACTUALLY LIKE ME OMG I'LL DIE

Oh gods, FINALLY. I wish them a happily ever after. Sadhu 😌🙏🏼

Pun forgetting all about being quiet when Toey finally confesses is so on character 😭👍🏼

Also... what's even the point of being quiet? Q and Chain have been friends with these idiots since high school, of course they know they're peeking

Toey: *shooketh*

Gays in thai bl and staring off into the distance 😭

This scene was so, so beautiful and also quite important for both Q and Toey

Q knew what was up, more or less, but his confusion stemmed from his knowledge of Toey

Would Toey really go to these lengths? For him?

"Why? Are you the only one who can tease me?" <- Q says this to tell Toey that he might have been angry, but now he understands that Toey didn't really have any bad intentions

Hugs always get bonus points from me, and this was pretty up there

Pun hiding behind Chain is so on point

His friends: you're an idiot so we had no choice but to intervene 😭😭

Matt's (JJ) comedic timing is >>>>>>

Toey and Matt's friendship is also given weight in the series, and I'm happier for it.

Also revenge is sweet ehehe *coughs*

Moving on.

If there's no live singing dedicated to your One True Love, is it even Thai BL??

We Are making generous use of MSP songs 😭👍🏼

This scene.

The apology. It is at this point that they're leaving all the past pain, grief and anger in the past

Q makes sure to tell Toey that yes, he may have loved Milk Frappe Boy, but now, in the present, all his love was for Toey, his lovable annoying mentee

This apology is not only to Toey, or Milk Frappe Boy, but to himself as well, because by causing pain to a person he loves twice, he'd caused himself pain too

The perfect sweet and romantic moment, but also with a teeny bit of teasing, because that's who they are

No joke, I gasped and nearly stopped breathing when he said this

Peem's reply, his soft but kind of hurt voice were just so painful to hear

But it's also this moment that Peem gives Phum a reality check – if he really didn't want to, he wouldn't be doing any of this, and Phum had no business trying to control his life

The conversation outside with Q was significant, but also a diluted reflection of Peem's earlier (in ep. 7) talk with Q

Even a few episodes earlier, Q would have gone ballistic on Phum for treating his bestie like this, but now, he asks Peem how he feels for Phum, tries to understand exactly what their relationship is

It was at this point that he knew, he fucked up

Beer is a godsent. I love him <3

I think Toey says "I asked hia Tan to blow it up for me."

Also, Tiw and his rubber duck floater from MSP anyone? 👀

And, we are back to square one where Phum is left alone again

As I'd said before, this a repeating motif throughout the series, but especially the last two episodes

This is how it has always been in Phum's life: he has been left behind. He does have Fang, but now even Fang has a boyfriend. And while this does not affect his brother's affection towards him in anyway, it does introduce a new strand of lonliness for Phum because 1. no matter what, he loves his brother a lot, and knows how much he loves Tan, so he definitely will try to stay out of their way at least sometimes and 2. he wants a boyfriend too. Further, he wants Peem, but there's a push and pull there, and after what he said, in his mind he had pretty much ruined his chances with his crush

This is the moment Phum starts to hope that maybe, just maybe, his feelings aren't as unrequited as he'd thought.

On the other hand, Peem is the one afraid here. What if the deal is all that's holding them together? What if without it, Phum will have no reason to be as close to him?

Peem, baby, for one, your groups are already merged, and secondly, this guy is head over heels for you, no way he'd stop following you like a lost puppy

(Apparently, it's not Peem's turn with the communal braincell this week 😭)

Here, Phum is technically alone, but he's surrounded with friends, and he's smiling

He isn't left behind here, for once, he's sitting there by choice (to shamelessly ogle his crush, but shh we don't talk about that) with the comforting knowledge that when/if he jumps in, he won't be left out, Kluen be damned

Once the floodgates of affection have been opened to Q, there's no going back <3

(Also, notice how Tan is already asleep on Fang's shoulder? 👀)

FINALLY

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT SINCE PEEM KICKED PHUM'S BALLS

Jokes apart, this moment is so, so beautiful. The kiss, the soft question "are you ready for my answer now?" (maybe Peem isn't, but hell if he denies this man his kissies).

Everything leading up to this point is also so very delightful

Phum helping them out in the cafe, despite probably having never worked a day in his life, discovering how Peem still kept the roses and finally, finally, the completed painting. This sight, above all, is what convinces Phum that Peem might have feelings for him after all; because which fool would lie about not having completed something that would free them from being a slave to someone? A fool in love, that's who

ALSO,

if they don't get together and have the fluffiest moments in the next ep, I swear to god, hands will be thrown *grumbles* they're already making me wait a whole damn week

Anyways, that's all for this week, see you next ep! (I cannot promise I won't be jumping around and screaming, but then again, this is supposed to be a crack post so-)

And if you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here, have a bubble tea and a sandwich 🧋🥪

[If you'd like, here are my previous posts: Ep 8 and Ep 9.]

[bogkeep]

some time ago i watched This Video about ergodic literature and got inspired to get the book S. by jj abrams & doug dorst. i've finally started reading it and i have Thoughts

the video i linked shows and explains the premise of the book, but here's the tl;dr - two students(ish) are writing annotations in the margins of a novel called 'ship of theseus' by mysterious author V M Straka while passing it back and forth. they are getting to know each other as well as trying to solve the mystery of Straka. it's a non-linear epistolary story told through a footnotes, scribbled comments, and inserts such as postcards et cetera.

there's a couple reason this book caught my eye in particular:

- i love "two people getting to know each other through letters/accidental text messages/notes" trope. it may just be the internet denizen in me but i'm a sucker for characters who get to know each other through text.

- immediately intruiged by the mystery author's name, Straka - it means magpie in czech, so i feel like i'm getting a head start on the mystery because i'm the specialest little boy in the world!!!!

- it looks cool as hell

(i purchased a used copy that was apparently a library copy so it feels extra Authentic hehe)

ANYWAY i'm still very early in, but i have many impressions to chew on already. first off, i really love the whole premise/medium, and it looks Really Good. there's a lot of really cool details that make it look authentic (if we ignore the COMICALLY LARGE MARGINS) - the book absolutely looks like something i could find in my grandparents' bookshelf. the comments being written in different colours of pen to signal when in the chronology they were written is very good. everything is pointing to a Very Fun and Immersive reading experience.

howeverrrrrrrrrr

while i Am having fun so far, there's also a lot of details that keep shaking my suspension of disbelief. like i am trying my best to hold on to it - im accepting the Comically Large Margins and the silly premise that these two people absolutely had to pass the book back and forth to communicate. like i am fully on board with that. it's just... i feel like this book is trying to Appear more clever than it actually is?

i think maybe the main problem for Me Specifically is that it's pretending to be a book written by a Probably European author and translated to english, but S. was so obviously written/created by americans and not intended to be read by someone who knows any of the languages they're dragging into this.

i was correct in assuming Straka is meant to be czech, as ship of theseus was originally written in czech - but it's weird to me that the narrative is completely uninterested in like... the original? there is a foreword by the translator, who goes on and on about the mysterious circumstances under which v m straka died, but the fact that the original language is czech is mentioned in a *footnote*. i would think a foreword by a translator would, realistically, say more about their credentials or their actual process of translating. or is that weird??? i took a class in classical literature in uni where that's kind of a big deal so maybe i'm biased???

BUT ALSO the fact that straka's identity is So very mysterious and very possibly a pseudonym... if you're like, genuinely trying to untangle this mystery, wouldn't you make a note about the meaning of the name??? like wouldn't you put a picture of a magpie on your conspiracy board about it?? Straka is absolutely a valid czech surname because most czech surnames are seemingly random nouns or adjectives, but if you think it's a pseudonym then someone made a very deliberate choice!!!! HELLO!!!!!!

then they listed the names of people who are thought to possibly be v m straka (of varying nationalities), and like okay maybe i'm nitpicking but i has to take a pen and fix some of them. they used SOME special letters for some of the names but very sporadically - they wrote vaclav instead of václav, and ekstrom instead of ekström... like at least be consistent if you're going to ignore special letters!

the worst language offender by far is this:

if you want "the monkey dances" it's "opice tancuje". you could also do "opičí tanec" for "the monkey's dance". this particular abomination is causing me physical pain.

one of the first inserts i ran into was a letter written in swedish + a direct translation:

GUESS WHAT I CAN READ SWEDISH TOO... i can't tell if the "original" letter is supposed to be the swedish or the english one - while the swedish seems to be grammatically correct (I THINK), it extremely reads as Something Written In English And Getting As Directly Translated To Swedish As Possible. it reads very stilted and oddly phrased. i get the impression i'm not actually supposed to be able to understand it, it's just here for Flavour, and that's fine! this one i can easily justify as the swedish being the in universe translation.

here's another very small thing that made me sigh very deeply

"at what point does this book stop being straka's alone & become *theirs*?" THE BOOK IS CALLED SHIP OF THESEUS. AREN'T YOU GUYS DOING LITERARY ANALYSIS OVER HERE??? IT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER AND YOU'RE JUST SPELLING OUT THE PREMISE TO ME TO THE POINT OF CONDESCENSION.

like. okay. maybe not everyone knows what the ship of theseus refers to (also i want to point out it feels like a very english language phrase to me. it Does exist in czech but it doesn't sound like a good or catchy title i think) - but i really do feel like two university students doing a deep dive into this book + author would 100% analyse the meaning of the title, that's like 101 level stuff!! this comment would be so easy to save - just have Mr Black Pen add a quippy comment about this being a bit on the nose, or pointing out the aptness or irony of the title, Anything. it would add so much to the believability for me.

like i didn't study literature at a higher education level so maybe i'm completely off base, but i DID study art history, and it seems almost absurd to me that these characters are doing so much digging and mystery solving about the author's mysterious past and rereading all of his books to find out more... and not engage with the basicest basics such as, the original text(s) pre-translation, possible cultural contexts, tHE TITLE... why are they drawing connections from choices made BY THE TRANSLATOR that absolutely would not be there in the original czech!! !!???!!!????!!

anyway my biggest actual problem so far is that i'm really struggling to read the actual ship of theseus. i have fun reading the annotations, but the actual book... i am Struggling. i've never been any good at reading ~*The Classics*~ so it might just not be my vibe, but i'm not sure if TOS is even a Good Book? like in this universe it's Allegedly a classic and very iconic or whatever. and obviously it's a challenge to write A Classic that makes its mark on history. and gods know there's discourse about whether or not The Classics are actually good books and that's way above my paygrade. but idk i couldn't get through chapter 1 without skimming through it because it kept boring me so bad.

i suspect i might just, keep reading the annotations storyline and not bother too much with the 'book' part of the book. i genuinely wanna see where the story goes!! despite my complaints i Am sold on the emotional core of it.

i think the premise rules so hard but i really feel like the authors are too monolingual and american and maybe haven't read that many books????? i can't speak on the latter but the former.............. maybe im the one who's too european

[sufferu]

Question, sorry if it’s been asked and answered before. How do you think the cast would react to pride if? Both the envy route and the pride route, what would be the alternative reactions to it? I can imagine the pride route characters after the viewing immediately deciding to go the imprisonment route of containing Subaru because killing him won’t work. And I’m not quite sure how the envy route would react to an alternate timeline of events, but definitely most likely horrified by this route. But you can ignore the envy route questions if you want, but the pride if is very interesting, especially if it’s the exact same cast as dog show. (Again sorry if this has been asked before, and apologies in advance for any follow up questions I might ask later)

Okay so, I feel like you’re asking me two different questions? By that I mean, with two different casts—

1) Original Dogshow Cast, beginning of Arc 5

Honestly I don’t think they’d even take it seriously. Like, maybe at first they’d be taking it seriously, as they watch those first three loops and maybe even those first few scenes of the Ayamatsu story (Rachins freaks at the idea of Subaru straight up murdering him in that alley but like. He DID kill Subaru first, so…) but then it’s like — sometime between Subaru getting a Gospel and Subaru becoming besties with Petelgeuse, everyone one by one completely loses the ability to actually go along with all this. It’s just too much: they KNOW Subaru, and the idea of Subaru going and doing all the bullshit he does in Ayamatsu is so ridiculous that it completely destroys their suspension of disbelief and now they’re all basically watching the corniest slasher movie fanfic they could have conceived of.

Reinhard is horrified at the burning of Lugunica, but that’s more at the idea that the version of himself onscreen can’t do anything about something so awful than it is about Subaru, specifically. Otto shivers at the idea of becoming a debt slave due to Subaru never stepping in to help him with that oil problem, but he puts it aside easily enough as things go on. At one point Ferris almost snaps out of it due to the horror of Crusch being erased, but then it’s followed up by “Subaru brainwashes Ferris into becoming his loyal servant” and now Ferris has decided that he will absolutely never let real!Subaru live down this bullshit parody version of himself, ever. The only person in that room who I think would be seriously traumatized by all that is Subaru himself, whose horrified reactions completely ease everyone else’s concerns about any of this EVER becoming a reality, because — look at him. Afterwards it’s like, “Okay, so — Ferris, stop laughing — those first three loops, did THEY actually happen?” “I’m so glad we got that cheesy-ass fanfic to ease some tension, god I needed that…”

But even that is just considering like — did they see those first three loops, or did they get catapulted into Ayamatsu with no context? Because if they got catapulted into Ayamatsu with no context then absolutely nobody is taking any of this seriously, from basically the moment Subaru kills Tonchinkan in the alley. (Except maybe Subaru, who at least recognizes that Return By Death is a thing that exists.)

2) Pre-Series Cast who never met Subaru before in their lives and is therefore at risk of entering the Ayamatsu route

This is the one time so far where the word “imprisonment” actually fits with what everyone is planning. Like okay — in regular Dogshow, the closest thing to that concept is “we need to put him on suicide watch,” and the one time that idea was developed past anything beyond throwing stuff at a wall and seeing what might stick as a half-decent idea, it was Crusch turning to Wilhelm and saying, “The Astrea Family has the resources to care for a suicide risk. How do you feel about a new grandson?” —But in THIS case, Subaru isn’t their friend: he’s a threat. As soon as he shows up, they’re gonna trap him and imprison him somewhere where he cannot die and keep him there until they figure out a way to neutralize the threat he represents for good.

If Subaru is right there with them and also pre-series, then they might be a little more assured simply because he’s just going “WHAT THE FUCK???” more and more as things go on. They manage to talk to him a bit before he disappears and kinda settle on “Alright, you would probably never do this, but we can’t take that chance — so in case you DO come here we’re just gonna prepare a room in the castle or something for you so that we can keep you secure just — for everyone’s sake.” “You guys have a castle???” The anticlimactic comedy skit of the ages. Subaru gets Isekai’d and immediately wanders over to the knight’s tower to wait for someone to come pick him up. “…You want some chips?” Most surreal series of events ever.

(They’re totally willing to just let him freeload indefinitely so long as he Stays Where They Can See Him, but eventually he convinced them to at least let him do SOMETHING to earn his keep, cause that’s the kind of guy he is. Subaru becomes the royal tailor. Nobody can answer the question of how he got the job, but at least he’s good at it, so whatever.)

[dollfaceksj]

Omggggggggg that was so good!! Pls tell me you’ll actually continue that drabble, you took that request and rannnn omg the suspense is definitely there

well now u make me wanna continue so here’s a ??? continuation????? (mind u im just freestyling/improvising as i go)

this is really lengthy my bad. i just cant stfu for the life of me

ps: this takes place about 2 weeks after the first drabble!

taste of a poison paradise | jjk (m) #2

masterlist

<- previous ; next ->

“who was that?” you ask your friend slash classmate, eunbi, with a nod to her phone

she had left the room to pick up a phone call which she usually doesn’t do?? so ofc ur intrigued.

not to mention the smile on her lips like she just won the lottery??

“hm?” she looks a bit out of it before she realizes what you just asked. “oh. no one.”

hm.

you don’t like that.

your curious nature doesn’t like that.

“oh, come on,” you whine as you nudge her hip with your foot from where you’re laying in her bed

it’s not any of your business but you want to know

life around here is boring okay.

“stoppp,” she giggles as she slaps your foot away before tucking her phone into her jeans

“oh, my god. are you seeing someone?” you sit up the moment you notice her cheeks reddening

she shakes her head. “nah.”

hm. what else could it be?

“ex?”

“hell no. she’s blocked on every thing.”

yeahh… her ex was a fucking weirdo.

“sneaky link?”

she doesn’t reply to that.

she doesn’t REPLY TO THAT.

sooo. it’s a sneaky link.

you reach for her wrists and tug her down onto the bed. “who is it?”

she lets you pull her down and she groans but she can’t help but smile

you know you’re being pushy but you need to know NEOW

“look at you being all giddy! you have to tell me now.” you just need a bit of juice and gossip tbh

it’s been too long since something interesting has happened in your life

about a month ago your own sneaky link cried on top of you while he was balls deep in you because he missed his ex

what a fucking bitch 😭

she finally says, “you don’t know him, he’s not even in our year.”

not in our year?

but you’re seniors in uni.

that could only mean that..

that he’s younger.

“not in our year? okay, cougar.”

“stop! this is why i didn’t wanna say anything,” she huffs as she pushes you off but you pull her right back

“i’m just messing with you, sorry, now tell me!!”

she sighs and sits up straight, tucking a lock of her short black hair behind her ear

“his name is jeon jungkook and he’s a junior, but he…”

the rest of what she says doesn’t even reach your brains anymore

there’s no fucking way

there’s absolutely no fucking way???

you cut her off mid-ramble. “jeon jungkook?”

she glances at you and her smile slowly fades. “you know him?”

you blink at her in disbelief for a few moments.

“are you…?”

huh?

oh god.

is she

is she implying you’re also having sex with jeon jungkook?

“what? no! gross.” you shake your head. “he’s my friend’s friend.”

she frowns as she listens to you but then you watch the realization set on her face. “oh, that’s right, you’re good friends with taehyung.”

you slowly nod but you can’t seem to ignore how dry your mouth has gotten

what are the fucking odds…

“i didn’t know he was fuckin’ like that.”

“that’s because he tells all the girls he fucks to keep it to themselves.” she says it so nonchalantly that it’s got you a bit confused. “so don’t tell anyone!”

ALL THE GIRLS HE FUCKS?

there’s gotta be some kind of camera in the corner, recording you getting pranked

besides this being about jungkook, it still doesn’t make a lot of sense

“why would he do that? don’t guys get off on flaunting how many girls theyve fucked?”

she shakes her head and kisses her teeth loudly

“not him. you wanna know why?” she looks around the room as if anyone’s eavesdropping

you automatically lean in closer

you can’t help it, the curiosity gets the better of you

not that you’re interested in him!!!!

you’re just… down for some juice and gossip

“he doesn’t fuck girls for the validation of other men.” she smirks as she leans back on her palms. “he fucks girls because he loves fucking them.”

…

?

oh

ha.

haha

😂😂😂 okay

that singlehandedly knocked the air out of your lungs

HUH???

but eunbi is not finished

no, she keeps talking

“like.. he’s obsessed with eating pussy. and he’s so fucking good at it.”

alright. that’s enough

“okay, i get it, jesus.” you hold your hand up, motioning for her to stop talking

she laughs loudly. “i thought you wanted to know?”

your karma for being a nosy bitch.

“are you sure you’re not pranking me?” you ask her, still unable to process half the things she just told you

“why would i be lying?”

you fight the urge to stare at her with a blank expression and say Girl.

“eunbi, he looks like he naruto ran in his school hallways until 10th grade.”

she chuckles and shakes her head at your assumptions about him.

“you’d be surprised, y/n. i’m pretty sure he’s fucked most girls in our year.”

WHAT?

there’s no fucking way

what the hell

so he really doesn’t want people to know?

is it a reputation thing?

maybe he’s conservative.

in theory at least?

cause how else would that work

and now you’re intrigued.

that intrigue dies about an hour later when you’re bored out of your mind and decide to go bother tae

“there’s my fav girl!” he yells into the corridor as he swings the door open

you slap your hand right on top of his mouth. “your neighbors, you idiot!”

“oh, right right.”

he’s so dumb seriously

he lets you in and you go to sit on his bed, it’s more comfortable than his couch

“are you expecting anyone else?” you ask, plugging your phone in his charger. you haven’t seen joon in a while.

he thinks about it for a moment. “jungkook’s coming over in like 5 minutes.”

ah

lol

alright

well

perfect opportunity to see if the rumors are true, no??

he’ll break like a dam under pressure

he can’t even look you in the eyes. it’ll be a piece of cake

and then you get an idea to get tae OUT.

“ughhh, i’m really in the mood for some doritos.” you hope he’ll offer to go to the store so you can have a few minutes alone with so-called pussy king jeon jungkook

he shoots up from his couch. “i got some in the kitchen.”

fuck

new plan

you kiss your teeth with a loud smack. “do you have ice cream?”

he thinks about it. “i have a ben & jerry’s tub in the freezer.”

“what kind?”

“strawberry cheesecake.”

bingo

“ughhh, i was really craving some chocolate chip cookie dough.” you add a whine to your tone in hopes you can sell the act

“i’m pretty sure you can order some on uber eats.”

for fuck’s sake

how annoying

“it’s so much more expensive, though.” you try to reason with him

he frowns at you. “so, what do you want me to do?”

you flutter your eyes innocently at him. “will you go to the nightshop?”

he groans

loudly

“you want me to go there for a tub of ice cream?”

“i’m starting my period soon, tae. pleaseeee.”

your period actually just ended but he doesn’t need to know that

a loud sigh leaves his mouth. “alright.”

you blow him a kiss as he leaves through the front door, keys, wallet and phone in hand

not long after tae leaves, the doorbell rings

heart drops straight into your ASS

why are you nervous YOU WANTED THIS

why are you nervous IT’S JUST JUNGKOOK

you swing the door open and well..

there he is

jungkook is a bit startled

he definitely did not expect to see you here

“oh.”

you tilt your head to the side as the surprised sound leaves his lips

his pretty pink lips

the wide cupid’s bow and the double lip rings in the bottom right corner of his mouth

wait

what the FUCK are you doing

SAY SOMETHING DUMB BITCH!!!

“hi.”

… bitch.

hi. REALLY?

“hey,” he chuckles, big black eyes softly squinting at you as his lips stretch in a smile

if you knew him better you’d say that was … mockery.

but wow. that uhhhh was pretty hot

STOP THINKING

“is he here?” he asks, peeking into the seemingly empty apartment

“he’s picking up some snacks from the store. do you want anything?” you step aside to let him in

he walks in and kicks off his shoes

the moment he walks past you to go sit on the couch drives you up the fucking wall

cause he smells

so

fucking

good

“no, thank you.”

you shut the door behind him, wondering why now all of a sudden your heart is beating a mile a minute

he reaches for a controller but comes to an abrupt halt. “d’you mind if i play till hyung gets here?”

hyung

HYUNG

constant reminder that he’s younger than you. GRRRR

you chuckle and wave your hand at him in dismissal. “it’s not like you guys do anything different anyway.”

he glances at you for a moment before deciding not to comment and starting up the console, switching the channel to one of the hdmi slots

another stupid idea

you slowly approach the couch and sit next to him

his eyes slowly shift a few centimeters in your direction but they never reach your figure

he must find it weird cause you ALWAYS claim the bed

ALWAYS!!!

nonetheless, he starts up his video game

“what game is that?” you find yourself asking him something you’ve never given a shit about in your entire fucking life

why would you do that you dumb bitch😭

he slowly glances at you, eyes lingering on your face.

his eyes drop to your lips for a split second before he returns his gaze to the tv. “it’s an rpg.”

hm.

right!

you don’t know what the fuck that is

“what does rpg mean?”

to that, he frowns. this is the most you’ve ever talked to him and you wanna talk about final fantasy?

he answers anyway. “role-playing game.”

ha.

lol.

don’t do it

don’t you fucking do it

“ah. you into role-play, jungkook?”

FOR FUCKS SAKE

oh and the way you said his name YOU NEED TO BE SEDATED

he fully turns his head to you, a blank expression on his face. you can’t tell what he’s thinking at all

just as he looks like he’s about to answer, the front door swings open and it makes him scoot away from you.

….you didn’t even fucking notice he’d gotten closer

FUCK

taehyung appears in the doorframe with a plastic bag in his hand and his usual chirpy expression. “what did i miss?”

to..be…..continued???

<- previous ; next ->

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[sunlightnmoonshine]

The way haein's illness was just used poorly as a plot device to create tension between hyunwoo and haein and have haein's family have redeeming moments is really just awful. Suspension of disbelief can only go so far and it's really important that when doing that the audience doesn't feel insulted lol and so making up an illness is a starting point but then showing such serious symptoms, repeatedly suggesting the character is going to die and then providing a miracle surgery situation is so contrived. And hey I wanted haein to live and so I can deal with the surgery, but the way it was used to set up such a poor display of amnesia with no suggestion of any other recovery issues is just so weird and you know what I might have ignored this had I not spent an entire ep watching such nonsense (that too the saving grace was a notebook that didn't burn although it was thrown into fire - and okay fine I can deal with that too), only to have the main lead go through such shit the whole ep and then get thrown across the road?????? Why was this necessary????

This writer needs to watch flower of evil, so that she can understand how to deal with amnesia better.

[calamityjimao3]

Problematic Fave

Okay, so I am barely on here and don't know how to use Tumblr cause I am old. I have no regrets. But I have decided to treat it a bit like a blog and am gonna dump here. I have an author I follow (not on ao3) and I like their old stuff. I love their old stuff. They really inspired me as an author and I learned a lot about pacing and dialogue from them. However... As we both grow older they get worse. This isn't nostalgia or my tastes outgrowing them. They've gotten lazy. They don't do research. The most obvious example of this is they made the RCMP an elite military branch in one of their fics. If you google RCMP you will discover it stands for royal Canadian mounted POLICE. They are cops. A little more googling will tell you the closest the US has are sheriffs. They are not fancy. As an author this frustrates me. I get not researching everything. Anyone who has ever written knows the risk of googling cat breeds leading to something like outer space exploration. Rabbit holes are out there. But there are basics you need to know. It is partly a matter of respecting other people, it is also maintaining willing suspension of disbelief. If you tell me snowy owls are pink and can't back it up I'm not gonna trust anything else you say. I know in this case it is a lack of respect. Their latest fic they went on about how they were ignoring the geography of a universe where the author had drawn a map because they could. The fandom is large enough that it isn't hard to find someone else who has fleshed that map out. I don't understand writing fanfiction and not loving the source material, even if it is a 'I must fix' way. The other thing that really frustrates me is they don't accept negative feedback. Criticism sucks. I get it. I write. But it is also important. I know I have made mistakes in my stories and I discuss those mistakes. I learn from those mistakes. Unless you show up just to fight I am willing to listen to criticism because it helps me grow. And I can see them getting worse. Their characterization is gone. They have started telling instead of showing. Their conflicts are fluffed most of the time because their characters are all rich white super geniuses. And they won't let anyone point this out. I appreciate a lot of what they did for me. I learned so much and I know I have to attribute my success as a writer to many lessons I learned through reading their fics. Unfortunately, I feel like I have started reading them to see what not to do these days and that breaks my heart.

[i0veless]

GUITAR STRING HEART 3 :: KYLIAN MBAPPE

𖥻 SUMMARY ー [ sometimes they're an unexpected chapter in the story ] 𖥻 PAIRING ー [ kylian mbappe x fem! guitarist and singer! reader ] 𖥻 GENRE ー [ social media au, band au, ex's to ???, angst, fluff ] 𖥻 WORD COUNT ー [ 4.7k ] 𖥻 WARNINGS ー [ poorly translated spanish, portugues italian and french, sexual jokes, tension, drinking, smoking, jealousy, alcohol and partying as a coping mechanism, break up over text, mention of depression and lack of eating, a lot of crying, slight love triangle, mbappe is kinda a dick, halland is an angel - let me know if I missed anything ] 𖥻 AUTHORS NOTE ー [ I'm so sorry that this is late. I had some personal issues, but everything is okay now, and I'll be back to posting as normal. obviously, this is the last part of the three-part series, which makes me sad as I really do love this series - I may do an epilogue if I feel like it. But otherwise, I will be writing some of the other ideas I have planned. Also, sorry if there are a lot of mistakes, I'll try and edit it later, but I just wanted to post it so you guys wouldn't have to wait any longer. ]

➛ previous | taglist | masterlist | next

"So, are we just going to ignore the tension between the two of you?" meanwhile, on the opposite side of Paris, PSG's first team sat in Marco Verratti's apartment as planned the previous day. They would hang out before heading to the concert. But as the boys indulged in the rare day off and looked forward to their activities later that night, some players couldn't help but bring up the noticeable tension between Kylian and the Singer/Guitarist of their favourite band.

"Thank god I thought I was the only one." Sergio Ramos said, happy that Pembélé had brought this up. As all eyes were now on Mbappe, he wished for the ground to swallow him whole. He quickly tried to dismiss the topic; he suggested they play FIFA in a last-ditch attempt to distract his teammates from the obvious suspense between the former lovers. It didn't work. But at least he tried.

Looking to his friends for support, Hakimi spoke up. "Brother, just tell them." before looking towards Neymar and Messi for a second and third opinion, he let out a deep sigh in response to their nods. "I guess it all started…" within the next 15 minutes, the number seven told them everything - well, almost everything as the group were left dumbfounded and confused about how Kylian had managed to keep it low profile with a person of Y/N stature.

"So, wait, the rumours are true?" Marquinhos asked in disbelief, and wide eyes, another nod from the young star, left the team perplexed again. "Santo Cielo!" Ramos cursed in Spanish as he took another swing of his drink. While his teammates were baffled by this new information, Kylian hung his head in shame. Noticing his friend's dishearted spirit, Hakimi told the boys to quiet down not to make him feel any worse.

As the racket finally died, the squad tried to comfort the young player. But that had little effect on the boy's broken heart, but he appreciated the kind remarks. As a pregnant silence developed in the following moments, the boys all looked at each other. "Why don't you get back together? I mean, the two of you are clearly in love." Verratti said in an appeal as. They weren't over each other. "We didn't end on the best of terms."

His answer was enough for his teammates to imagine the multiple scenarios that could have gone down between the two. "I was the one who called off the relationship" the striker's statement confounded his fellow players more - why would he break up with someone he was blindly in love with? "I was stupid." the declaration was followed by faux coughs from Neymar. "Yah think?" he muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Wait, you knew about this?" Ramos said wide-eyed as he looked between his two teammates. "Hakimi and Messi, too, but trust me, we found our by accident, parceiro", Neymar confessed. "But on a real note Ky, the two of you gotta patch things up" the Brazilian player was right, as much as he hated to admit it. "She's not going to forgive me, Neymar. Trust me. I know," the French player said in defeat, much to his friend's annoyance. "Have you talked to her?" Messi asked, wondering where he got that stupid idea from.

"No", facepalm, "Then how do you know that she's not gonna forgive you" the Argentina player questioned again, getting ready to prove him wrong. Regardless of whatever stupid point next came out of his mouth. "Look…" trailing off slightly, Kylian swirled his drink in his hand before taking a sip, cringing at the taste of the bitter alcohol. Vodka - Y/N's favourite. "She's not the type to forgive and forget."

"But for you, she would be" the comment helped slightly clear any doubts regarding her ex's love for him, but the singer wasn't just going to forgive him. Fucking hell, she wrote a whole album about how he ripped her heart in two. Safe to say, if he wanted her back, he would have to work for it. "look, I get it, ky. Heck, your right. She has the right to be angry, but that doesn't mean you should give up. Because this may be your last chance to get her back, so don't do something that you won't regret,"

Mbappe listened to Ramos with intent knowing that he was speaking from experience. "But how am I even going to get her to talk to me…" looking at his friends in concern, "you just leave that to us." With this bit of newfound confidence and a lot of encouragement from his teammates, he felt his spirits lift, optimistic that things may work out for them. He looked towards his teammates as they anticipated his answer - Okay, what's the plan." with that project, guitar string was ago.

onyxisarock

liked by sab.rina lewishamiltion and 40,921,456 others ➻ tagged yourinstagram sab.rina axeman

onyxisarock dinner before disaster

comments have been limited

yourinstagram wow actually using good pic - who dis ⤷ onyxisarock you mf ⤷ yourinstagram good to know

sab.rina ready for tonight ⤷ onyxisastone born ready

axeman where was i when these photos where taken ⤷ yourinstagram bathroom ⤷ sab.rina toilet ⤷ onyxisastone restroom ⤷ yourinstagram powder room ⤷ sab.rina lavatory ⤷ onyxisastone washroom ⤷ axeman okay you have made your point

maneskin can't wait ⤷ bloodyvalentine 🙏🙏🙏

bloodyvalentine . 4hr ago

seen by k.mbappe kendalljenner and 20,464,412 others

bloodyvalentine . 4hr ago

seen by ykaaar vicdeangelis and 20,464,412 others

HALLAND good luck today, sweetheart

Y/N thank you :)

Nerves were running high, not just because it was the last show of their tour. But because a lot was going on. They had been teasing the highly anticipated Bloody Valentines x Maneskin collaboration since the two bands met after Maneskin won the Euro vision song concert. But there was also drama behind the sense. The fact that two people Y/N wished were on the other side of the world rather would be in touching distance of her. Kylian and Earling.

Kylian, for obvious reasons, was her ex, so for blatant reasons, she wanted him at a ten-hundred-meter distance. But since that was impossible, she would have to power through and act unbothered. But what made this situation ten times more uncomfortable was the fact that her latest hook-up was there. Now don't get her wrong, she had nothing against the Norwegian. But it was slightly awkward that she unintentionally hooked up with her ex's rival. Now, usually, she wouldn't care. But the two were going to be in the same room. And the last thing Y/N wanted was for this to turn into a shit show.

As the two groups sat backstage, tuning their instruments - mentally preparing for the performance that awaited them. They stood behind the thin fabric separating them from the screaming fans who had decided to entertain themselves by singing Queen songs. But Y/N was nervous. Not because of the crowd, she had been stressing all morning, and it showed. "Baby, sit down your pacing is giving me a headache." Victoria, Maneskin's bassist, groaned as she rubbed her temples. Patting the seat beside her, Y/N plopped herself down next to Victoria.

"Why are you worried, la mia futura moglie" The Italian woman asked, looking at her friend concerned. "This isn't about who you were with last night, Y/N - is it?" Sabrina's question made her go quiet. Dame, her girl, was good.

"Wait, wait aspetta un secondo. Who did you spend the night with, mi cara? That wasn't me." The guitarist from Maneskin, Thomas Raggi interveined. The two guitarists had a curious relationship.

They had hooked up multiple times, but there was no feeling there. They were friends before causal sex partners and after the duo bonded over heartache. They vowed to comfort each other emotionally and physically until either was in a relationship, and they have stayed true to that promise till the present day. "Someone", the Bloody Valentine's singer's response naturally intrigued the Italians. They were very open about their hook-ups and one-night stands, so what could be wrong with this one?

"Darling, I doubt it's that bad", Damiano, the lead singer of Maneskin, said, still invested in what his friend had to say but highly doubting it was that bad. "I slept with my ex's rival" The sound of glass breaking made them all look toward Onyx, who was white as a ghost. "You slept with Erling-!?" Before the drummer could finish his sentence, a hand over his mouth (courtesy of Axel) shut him up as the group all looked at him pointedly. Quieting down the drummer, they turned their attention back to the singer.

"Okay, how did that happen?" Axel asked, unsure if he wanted to know how she got with the Norwegian star. "I mean, if you were doing it out of spite, fair play, but if not, why?" The male vocalist asked his bandmate as they eagerly waited for a reply. "I just wanna know how you two met" Onyx was a whore for Halland, and it wasn't surprising that he cut Y/N off from answering so he could ask about Halland. "We met in the bathroom…After the match."

The puzzle pieces were starting to fit together as her bandmates looked shocked, and maneskin just looked confused. "Am I the only one who's lost?" Ethan, the luscious locked drummer of the Italian band, said, "We didn't do anything, we talked and exchanged numbers, and he did a favour for me, so I returned it" when she attempted to explain the situation, it only made it sound worse. "So you slept with him out of a favour," Axel said. Now angry that Halland may have coerced his friend into something.

"No! He was helping me with Onyx's Christmas present - he was getting me a signed jersey, and I got him and his team concert tickets in return. He didn't coerce me into anything, and we slept together after my argument with you. Everything that happened was consensual." Quickly correcting the wording of her previous statement, she was met with less angry faces as her mutuals let out a sigh of relief that nothing had happened to their friend. "And I'm worried because He and Kylian will be in the same section." Ah, that was a reasonably significant problem, but there was no time to discuss solutions as it was time for the show to begin.

trending . music

user omg that's just the intro

Angelic. That was one way to describe how Y/N was playing. She poured her heart and soul into her performance as the colourful light and pyrotechnics lit up the stage painting her skin in shades of pastel red, making her look ethereal yet dangerous. The air felt full of static as the final pluck of strings echoed around the arena before the boisterous applause roared loud enough for the entirety of Paris to hear. Safe to say, both teams were in awe of the band - and they were only four minutes into the set. It was almost enough to distract from the unmistakable tension between the two teams, all seated in the private VIP section. They were the only ones there, which was good because if a fight broke out, there would be no one else to witness it.

As the applause dipped slightly, Y/N finally spoke. "Paris, are you ready!" the screams of excitement made her smile. "Good to hear. We got a lot of surprises for you tonight. So remember, have fun and…" Axel continued the small introduction before allowing the fans to finish the iconic intro. "And fuck it up!" the crowd roared back, transitioning into the first song. As the lights and pyro changed accordingly to the music. Played in perfect harmony, the audience sang the lyrics word for word as the four performers sang with them.

Safe to say that Kylian was also singing the words. How couldn't he? Her songs were ingrained in his head like a tattoo, as players from both teams took videos/pictures and sang/danced to the music. Everything was going great until Halland happened. It was no great surprise to anyone that the two were sizing each other up, but what Mbappe didn't expect was to see out of the corner of his eye a picture of him and Y/N set as his wallpaper. He tried to rationalise the situation. Maybe it was from a while ago. Perhaps he edited it, but his heart still hurt no matter how he put it.

As he tried to ignore the claws of doubt scraping against his heart, were the two of you together? She wouldn't do that, Would she? Date someone who had made it his mission to put himself above him in every aspect. Surely she didn't hate him that much that she felt the need to spite him in a way that left such a brutal scar - on his ego and heart.

Still in shock, it took all the strength not to beat the bastard up. His sadness and confusion were now souring into rage and hatred while not being sure who it was focused towards, Halland or Y/N. Maybe both, but mainly Halland, as he didn't want to believe that the girl of his dreams could do something so heartless. He was self-aware enough to acknowledge that he deserved to feel like shit for what he did to her - but this was too far.

As the climax to the current song began, he unintentionally focused on the lyrics. "You were my everything, and all you did was make me fucking sad cuz second chance romance doesn't leave enough time for one last dance." It was second chance romance - his song. As he watched her from afar, he felt his heartbeat like a drum. Glancing between Y/N and Erling, he realised something, on stage, the two of them were nothing to her. All that mattered was her and the music. Just like in his current situation, all that mattered was having Y/N back in his arms, so God help him. This was one prize that he would not allow Halland to have. Ever. Take the trophies in football, but the singer's heart was his and his alone, and he would prove it to everyone tonight.

k.mbappe . 2hr ago

seen by thegossip celebritytheories and 25,244,442 others

bloodyvalentines

liked by yourinstagram k.mbappe 99,235,543 others

bloodyvalentines thank you, paris yall really showed up and showed out what a way to end our tour - can't wait to see you guys again

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yourinstagram . 2hr ago

seen by erling.halland k.mbappe and 100,994,992 others

The after-party was in full swing at the french nightclub 'tigre blanc.', as the smell of sex, drugs, and alcohol lay thick as the mob people celebrated on the first floor. The upstairs floor was reserved for the celebrities and other elite to enjoy the after-party without worrying about being swamped with fans. But unfortunately, Maneskin couldn't make it as they needed to fly back to the US. As the PSG squad sat in a booth enjoying the expensive alcohol, they all watched in concern as their teammate looked like he was about to break his glass.

Kylian felt like decapitating halland as he watched from afar, throwing himself all over Y/N. He was not enjoying himself as he revelled in jealousy and seemingly ingested more alcohol than humanly possible. Safe to say, this was a recipe for disaster. Wanting to do nothing more than walk up to them and break Halland's fucking face in, but he didn't. Knowing full well, the singer would hate him even more.

As another hour flew by, it was clear to his teammates that Kylian was drunk on equal parts jealousy and alcohol. So finally having enough of Mbappe's sour demeanour, they put their plan into motion. "Who up for a game of never have I ever?" Neymar yelled loudly, receiving scattered applause as everyone quickly formed a circle. "Hey, love birds, get over here!"

Onyx yelled to his bandmate and the Norwegian star as he watched the two stumble over (clearly drunk), taking a seat next to each other - truthfully, if they had sat any closer, the girl would have been in the blond's lap. With one arm secured around her waist, her head resting on his shoulder, and their hands intertwined, safe to say that Hallnad was complacent. As the circle consisted of PSG, man city and band associates, safe to say everyone could feel the tension brewing.

"Okay, let's begin. If any of you are unfamiliar with the game, take a shot. If you have done what the question is asking, I'll go first. Never have I ever kissed a friend's sibling," Neymar said, starting the game quickly to defuse the escalating situation. As multiple people began downing their shots, Sabrina looked towards her bandmates. "Ya'll better not fucking take a shot cuz if I find out any of yall have kissed my brother, I'm gonna kill you." the bassist said as she took her shot.

"Wait, who?" Axel said in surprise. "Jackson Mays, older brother." the mention of the asshole from high school made Y/N gag in disguise. "Didn't he get arrested for selling drugs or something?" the rest of the group watched a mixture of amusement and shock at the interesting people that the four knew.

"Oo, I have a good one. Never have I ever sent a dirty text to the wrong person." Phil Foden spoke, taking his shot a second later. "Was meant for the Mrs, went to jack instead, which made everyone laugh at the stupid confession. "At least now I know he's not lying about how big he is." The group of drunk people found that report very amusing as Foden turned a bright shade of red. But what caught people off guard was when Y/N tipped her shot into her mouth, hoping no one would notice.

"Who was it?" Neymar asked, knowing full well the answer, "An old flame" was all she could muster as her grip on Hallands hand tightened, and a sickening feeling swelled in her stomach. Truthfully the answer was Kylian. He knew it was Kylian - heck. It was how they met each other in the first place. Sabrina got a new number, and they joked about sending each other dirty/flirty text, but Y/N's messages when to the wrong number, which happened to be a famous footballer. An awkward conversation between a musician and a baller turned into a whirlwind romance.

As the tension builds again, Y/N tries to deflect from the obvious by continuing the game, "Okay, never have I ever faked an orgasm?" As all of the women in the circle (Y/N included) down their shot, the men look at them in horror. "Are men really that bad?" Ramos asked in shock at the revelation that most men are dreadful at making their partners orgasm. "You have no idea," Sabrina said, shooting a little look towards Kylian as if to say something without opening her mouth.

Now she knew that Kylian always made his partners cum. How did she know this? Y/N told her she knew he was good sexually, but that wasn't why she commented. It wasn't to bruise his ego but to see if he was genuine about her friend. Sabrina knew that Mbappe wanted the singer back. Heck, a blind man could tell you that. But she wanted to see how far he was willing to go because he would have to walk a mile over fucking glass after the shit he pulled.

"Never have I ever dumped someone over text." Halland's contribution to the game made Y/N look up to him, see she confided in him and told him a couple of things that she probably shouldn't have, but she never said to him that - educated guess, maybe. Y/N knew she should stop, but right now, being sober would only make things worse. At least if she were drunk, she would have some reason to excuse her behaviour. One gulp and the shot was gone, "No way, how could someone break up with you over text" Kevin De Brunier asked in shock.

"A fucking idiot", Halland responded for her as she felt herself growing more upset by the minute. The remainder of the way that she had her heart broken. Over a fucking text message. Many months of love and vigour, countless hours spilling her darkest secrets, lust and passion mixed with sweet nothings meant nothing more than a single line of text to him. 'We aren't going to work. I'm sorry, but we need to break up.' In his words, not her's.

And she just accepted it. She didn't resist or fight for the love that she cared for so dearly. Instead, she mourned the loss of someone she thought would be her forever. She coped in the only way she knew how. Drinking, partying and smoking as she fell into a deep depression. As she hardly slept or ate anything, it took Y/N a long time to finally feel like herself again. But now she was back at square one.

But the singer wasn't the only one going through the motions as Kylian felt the rage of a thousand suns burn inside him, and in a moment of heated outrage, he said something he would regret. "Never have I ever wanted to get back with my ex." as tension reached new heights, "I'm gonna go smoke." with that, Y/N walked away from the situation, unable to face him. As she tried to hold back her tears, she walked up the stairs that led to the club's roof. She was utterly unaware of her surroundings. As the night's cold air welcomed her, she walked towards the roof's edge.

She sat with her leg dangling over the edge as she lit a cigarette. Letting out a deep sigh as the rush of s nicotine hit, "You know those things are gonna kill you." Halland joined the girl on edge as Y/N took another deep puff before exhaling in euphoria. "It's a form of coping. I'm just so stressed," the singer finally spoke, her eyes full of tears. "You know it's okay to cry", and with those words, Y/N began to cry so violently that her whole body began to shake. As Erling placed her head into the nook of his shoulder, he let the girl of his affection release her pent-up emotions.

After her heavy tears reduced to sniffles and sobs, the football player asked her a question that made her want to cry again. "You are still in love with him, aren't you" with that, more tears streamed down her face as she cried her heart out. she had ruined her make-up. "I do, and I fucking hate it. Why can't I stop? Please make it stop." the girl's voice cracked mid-sentence making her sound even more pitiful than she already did. The Norwegian hugged the girl as tightly as he could. He placed a kiss on the top of her head.

As much as Halland wanted Y/N for himself, he couldn't take advantage of her. He had already done it once. When they hooked up, it was clear that it only happened because they were intoxicated and emotional. But that didn't mean that he didn't love her, no. He would give anything to see her happy. That is why he was going to let her run back to Mbappe. Even if it hurt his pride, he was happy as long as he made her happy. But if he messed up again, he would treat the singer like the queen she was.

As they stayed in each other's embrace, they were unaware of the third party watching from the door. Clearing his throat, Kylian made his presence known. As Y/N went frigid with fear, she looked towards Halland for help, but all he did was nod slightly as if to say, 'talk to him. Please, for all our sakes', to which she agreed. "If you need me, I'll be with the others, okay."

And with that, the Norwegian left, but not before he and his rival had a short stare-down. The PSG player slowly walked towards his ex-lover as if she was a scared animal, worried she would run off at a moment's notice. They fell into a heavy silence as he kept his distance beside her. "What happened to us, mon amore?" the player asked, looking at the girl. "We ended, Kylian, that's what happened. You ripped my heart in two, and you left." the bitter tone was enough to tell mbappe how she felt about the split.

"That was a mistake, ange de mon coeur" God, she missed the sound of him speaking french, but Y/N refused to cave in - she couldn't. Getting up, she began to walk towards the door. This conversation was over. Kylian walked behind her, quickly grabbing her wrist and gently making her stop dead in her tracks. "Let go of me, please", refusing to look in his direction. Her heart begged her to embrace him. But if she did, there was a chance that this would end in disaster. She would be left like a broken china doll again, leaving her to put herself together again. It was not going to happen.

"Let's talk about this, please" Kylian sounded just as desperate, if not more, as he refused to let go of her hand as he intertwined their fingers. "No, Kylian, we shouldn't talk about it." in a fable attempt to deny him any comfort, she removed her hand from his. "Why not" now he was on the brink of crying, "bébé, please look at me." he knew how to tug on her heartstrings as she turned to look into his deep eyes. She said, inches apart and breath fanning each other's faces.

"Kylian, don't" as this point, she didn't know what she was saying no to, but frankly, she didn't care. "Don't call me that" it sounded like more of a plea than a demand. "But you love it when I speak french." he knew what he was doing, and in his defence, it was working. "that is exactly the problem, Kylian. We can't keep doing this" Y/N was frustrated and angry, and the alcohol was not helping. "Doing what?" now playing oblivious, they looked into eyes of each other, both telling two different stories.

"We aren't good for each other" the whisper did not sound very convincing. "Did Halland tell you that?" the question was a mixture of anger and dread. What could the Norwegian have said to her before his arrival? "No" a slight sight of relief didn't mean he was out of the woods yet. "Then why" his voice was small and breathy, as if he was unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"You hurt me, Kylian. I thought you were my one, and you destroyed me." The silence was deafening as they stood face to face for the first time in a year. "I told you things I had never told anyone. I let you into my world. I showed you my dreams and fears, and you disregarded them. I put my heart in your hand, and you threw it away like it was nothing, Ky it hurt. Did I not even deserve to be broken up face to face? Did I mean that little to you?" As he stood there and listened, he felt his throat dry as his words got stuck.

"No, ma reine", he protested. How could Y/N say that? she meant everything to him - did she not know that? "Then why did you hurt me?" tears again fell from her eyes for the nth time. "I don't know" the singer appreciated his honesty, but it still hurt. "But it was the biggest regret I have ever had."

"That doesn't fix things. Kylian"

"I know"

As the two stood closer than ever, they felt the tension hit the stratosphere. "But it's a start." with that, two sets of lips collided in a feverish kiss, tongue and teeth, swirl and bite. Hands all over each other as they momentarily forgot their problems. Breaking apart with heavy breathing and noses still touching, "If we do this promise me one thing", Y/N said, short of breath, "Anything, ma princess." giving him a small peck on the lips before speaking ", please don't leave me again."

"let get out of here"

"my place?"

"sure"

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yourinstagram it was always you 1/2

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k.mbappe my love ⤷ yourinstagram 🤍

k.mbappe

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yourinstagram 🤍 ⤷ k.mbappe mon amour

[breakandbuildfiction]

Logical Through Lines

I know that there is an expectation of suspension of disbelief when it comes to stories, and fanfiction especially, but I feel like there should still be an expectation of logic in how some things operate even if we ignore the impossibility or at the very least improbability of those things existing in the first place.

For example, there are officially published stories where only one biological sex or one ethnic group have superpowers or magic. And yet the world progressed up to the modern day almost exactly the same way as it did in our world. The same jobs, the same nations, the same governments, alliances, culture, curses, insults, fashion, everything. And if it was a very recent thing I could accept that, but when you then say it has been the case for hundreds or even thousands of years? No. That isn't how things work.

There has to be some kind of consequence to these drastic changes to the world and history.

You can't just say 'Oh they were scared of the evil white man with their flintlock rifles to risk showing that they had pyrokinesis and could teleport' and leave it at that. That's just lazy, uninspired, and really just straight-up insulting to whatever sex or ethnic group you are giving superpowers to.

For a less daunting example I'm going to point to the Nartuo fandom. A common trope to pull when wanting to give Naruto Uzumaki a harem is to say he is being given permission via the 'Clan Restoration Act'. Which, in itself, is a logical thing given setting and power systems of the Naruto universe. Some families, some bloodlines, have special superpowers tied to their genetics and as such it can be seen as very important to keep those families as plentiful as possible. Heck, we even see several powerful clans that have been reduced to very small numbers in the canon story, so it makes sense that at some point the powers that be would make a law like the CRA.

But then the authors will just have things play out so Naruto goes around dating more than one girl and nothing else.

If someone's bloodline is going to be considered important enough to bypass local laws, customs, and religious doctrine to ensure it lives on, why the Hell would the powers that be just say 'Okay, go and find as many girls willing to share you as possible and knock them up on your own time'? That doesn't make any sense. If the government decided 'we need more people with this bloodline to exploit the shit out of their superpower later down the line' they would not stop at just encouraging polyamory. They would demand a series of girls that they deem somehow 'strong' or 'fit' enough to maximize the potential of the bloodline holder's offspring-- or if they were being 'nice' they could pick out a handful of their female prisoners-- and force them to either get screwed the guy or be subjected to artificial insemination. Or they would arrange marriages based on the best genetic and political potential they could and demand the last member of the clan with the bloodline NOT GO ON ANY DEADLY MISSIONS until they had some kids.

Heartless? Yes. Historically accurate? Also yes. Does it make logical sense? You bet it does!

I don't care if there are nonsensical things in stories. Part of making a story is being imaginative and it being different to what is reality. But I do care when people ignore the obvious consequences of the things they put into their stories and the reactions others would have if presented to these changes to their established cultures and reality.

Just something to keep in mind next time any of you all decide to write something. Please.

[kafkaoftherubble]

把死人给带回来？ 难道...?！

// If They Are Bringing Back the Dead...

This post contains spoilers for Chapter 184.1 of To Your Eternity.

It also contains speculations galore. This is NOT a meta essay.

Shoutout to my homie branetheory in Discord!

Thanks to them, I was reminded of what Parts of My Brain had wanted to talk about:

Bruh. I can't believe ToFu made me so high last night that I forgot to talk about this.

Honestly I regret nothing Okay, memory water.

A little Kafka Aside: I'm gonna have to consciously ignore how... not-there the scientific backing for this is. Honestly, this Memory Water thing reminded me of the New Age/Pseudoscientific idea of "water memory" or Masaru Emoto's "water consciousness" thing or DNA teleportation. However, this is a story where weirder shits have happened, so suspension of disbelief willingly and gleefully granted. I just need to get this out of my head first.

To reiterate, Kaibara's experimental procedure involves

Extracting cells from a person's body

"Turn" it into water (how?)

Make a "clone" drink it (who?)

-----------------------------------------------------

Who could these clones be?

The only clones we know so far are the Mizuha clones. Their existence seems to imply a similar purpose to Hayase's descendants—they are supposed to inherit Hayase's Will, which is 95% "get injected with a tumor we call the Left Hand Nokker."

But Nokkers have long become invisible and fully integrated into this ecosystem. In the Future Era, they are embedded in tag chips, and they grant the bodies they possess all sorts of abilities and augmentations.

What would an inheritance of Hayase's Will even look like here? At first, I thought it would be similar: a tag chip with the Left Hand in it. Mizuha's, uh, possession (for the lack of a better word) manifested through the same mechanism other Nokkers used, after all.

However, the story gradually told us that the clones had all been massacred via an unknown operation for yet-untold reasons. Why would they do that?

Were these clones failures?

If they were failures, then it would make sense why Kaibara treated them as disposable; after all, in the past, the Guardians always exalted Hayase's Descendant(s) no matter how incompetent they were at their mission. Failure to secure Fushi's seeds I mean love never made them disposable enough to be killed, right?

So, as branetheory (crediting my homie even though they might not see this ahahhahah) also thought—

Could it be that Hayase herself has been successfully reincarnated in the body of one of these clones? (8)

I assigned this hypothesis an 8, or "80% confidence level."

Is she who you're gonna see, Bon?

Why would Kaibara need so many Mizuha clones in the first place? They only need one Descendant. They only have one Left-Hand Nokker...

Unless these clones were made specifically for bringing back Hayase. They were all experiments. Few experiments ever go right at the first trial. But this? Experiments this challenging and important as "recreating our legendary progenitor, Hayase?"

It will definitely require a lot of trial and error. So these clones were made to be expendables.

Honestly, who would name their offspring with numbers if they weren't meant to be seen as expendables?

----

There is an interesting point to note: Memory Water only works if one has a Nokker implanted in them. Remember how Abel can't drink it and instantly know the answers to their stupid-ass questions?

So do all clones have Nokkers implanted in them? They all own a tag chip, after all. But there is only one Left Hand Nokker, and that bitch seems deadset on possessing only Hayase's appointed heir (or in this case, Hayase herself).

Does that mean

all the clones have their own Nokkers, but none of it is the Left Hand, until the Experiment? (3) OR

all the clones have empty tag chips until the Experiment, in which the Left Hand Nokker is then implanted inside before the subject drinks the Memory Water? (6) OR

other hypotheses I could not think of at the moment? (1)

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Doro and Her Sisters: Were They Trying To Stage a Rebellion Against Kaibara's Highest Echelon? (7)

Assigned (7); "70% confidence level"

Could this scene actually depict a failed experimental result, where #32/Doro was the subject? After all, she didn't look like she died in a massacre. She looked like she died alone, leaving her sisters behind..

Doro liaisoned with Fushi in secret. So secretly, Tonari didn't know it happened.

Why would she do that? Way back then, me and the Discord gang had speculated some sort of clash between Doro and the rest of Kaibara. At that time, I think our speculation was that it had to do with the Wish-granting Orb specifically.

But now, with this new information in mind...

Could it be that the liaison was part of the clones' planned rebellion? (6)

Assigned 6; "60% confidence level."

It could be that, in addition to passing vital information about Kaibara to Fushi (who is still not exactly forthcoming about what they know so far), Doro was also trying to ensure that the Wish-granting Orb will never fall into the Highest Echelon's hands.

Was her conviction formed out of concerns about what Kaibara might do with the orb?

Or was her reasoning more pragmatic—she didn't want Kaibara to have the power to crush her rebellion?

----

Back to the number-as-naming convention. What if these weren't names, but the assigned turn of each clone for the ultimate experiment (6)? If that's the case, then Doro is the 32nd experiment that failed.

That's a lot. And the fact that she failed would mean the experiment will keep going. The clones will keep being bred to be used for these experiments. It's a conflict ripe for seeds of rebellion, right?

And so, there are extra hypotheses as to why the clones were massacred in the first place:

Hayase has been successfully reincarnated (8)

The clones' rebellion plan has been found out (7)

Hayase has been successfully reincarnated AND the clones' rebellion plan has been found out (5.6; 8/10×7/10)

----------------------------------------

Dolly's Purpose(s)

While Doll's original purpose might have been for amusement and fun—Doro rescued it from some trash heap and just engineered it to be a playmate—I had always found its ability to dish out powerful punches suspicious. Why would a playmate be good at granting people concussions in the first place?!

And it was good enough to take out mercenaries, right?

I'm quite confident that Doll's punch is a defensive ability to guard whatever's stored in its memory (9).

I should review what Previous Me had speculated:

Doll holds Doro's brainwaves or consciousness

Doll holds the Left Hand Nokker within it

Doll is a combination of Doro's consciousness/brainwaves and its original AI

There is also the speculation that Doll is the Wish-granting Orb itself, but I think the confidence level for that hypothesis has gone pretty low... at least to me, personally. It sits at less than 10%.

Now, I want to add new hypotheses and rearrange them from most confident to least:

Doll's memories include Kaibara's top secret: key infrastructures, their real master(s), their experiments, whatever information they have gained about the Wish-granting Orb, their master plan to counter Fushi, and the like. Things that could give rebelling clones an edge. (8)

Doll holds Doro's brainwaves/consciousness integrated within its original AI (7)

Doll holds Doro's brainwaves/consciousness AND it is Doro's consciousness/memories that possess knowledge of Kaibara's top secret (5.6; 8/10×7/10)

Doll holds the Left Hand Nokker (less than 2)

The first (and by extension, the third) hypothesis can be supplemented by the fact that Kaibara really wants the Doll. Why, if not because the Doll holds vital information regarding the entire company?

They could go after it for Doro's consciousness, sure, but the priority would drop a lot more, wouldn't it? ...Unless the third hypothesis is true!

The second hypothesis can be partially supplemented by Abel's dedication to possessing the Doll; he really cherished Doro, and to him, the Doll could lead him to her again. He also claimed that Doro "is still alive," though when pressed, he gave no evidence.

Was it wistful thinking, or could he have been privy to Doro's experiment to transfer her consciousness into Doll? Did he really know nothing about Doro's death?

There is also the "Now I am human" line Doro uttered while blindfolded. Given we now know what the clones are used for, Doro might see her existence to be inhuman/subhuman because of her real purpose. Maybe, to her, she could feel more human by being a doll than in her human body.

Hell, who knows? Doro might secretly envy Abel's humanness—a guy who was likely born from normal copulation and couldn't fit in with the rest of the Tagged society, yet all the more a genuine human being than the rest of them.

-----------------------------------

What is the nature of Doll's Brainwaves?

Could it have been a digital transfer, or could it have used a similar mechanism to the Memory Water?

----------------------------------

Miscellaneous Implications of Memory Water Bringing Back the Dead

Bruh I swear if they reincarnated the Nameless Boy to torment Fushi I will fucking sever my friendship with Left Hand Nokker and nuke their Paradise. Oh hi Left Hand, nothing over here.

----------------------------------

And that concludes my hypotheses round-up, updated to only Chapter 184.1. Remember! Y'all are always welcome to reblog and add your own thoughts to it!

Fuck, I will be so honored if y'all Fushi-fied my writing by adding absolutely anything.

Thank you for reading my ramble. Rest assured, I have prepared just the right image for the moment I clown myself by having most of my hypotheses come out spectacularly falsified:

(Hi everyone this is Kei from Ajin)

[sunfloo-wers]

Puppet Link? nahh dude!

okay okay okay okay guys guys guys I have been struck with a horrifyingly delicious thought

So, eow puppet Link yes? our little guy puppet Link, cool dude, you agree? despite my use of it here, I was not aware of the use of the phrase "Puppet Link" until a few moments ago and it got me thinking (or more so got me staring at it for a while then thinking but that's besides the point): what if "Puppet Link" isn't quite the right phrase, what if this is just Link. Just Link, not puppeteer-ed or coerced or anything of the sort. Just. Link.

Now, I am very much an enjoyer of EOW Hero of Legend Link, but this doesn't have to do with that, suspension of disbelief and enjoying alternate realities with the fictional characters, okay?

And yes I know there are a lot of plot holes but give me a minute,

"But Lamp," You call over my fence, "The eyes! His eye in the first trailer were black/brown/specifically not red but now they are! that must mean magic kerfuffery! And, he was fighting Gannon there too!" Yes, I will admit that this is the main hole in my idea, but... character development? at least for the second point, they might have had a pleasant picnic (ignoring the fact that this is beast Gannon/downfall timeline Gannon and therefore can't talk), and they sorted out their differences! Now, the eyes are a bit of a problem, but I don't know dude, contacts? they got smoothies who's to say they don't have contacts and Link wanted to show off his new vibe

"Okay, say I believe you, but the Spirit of the Hero!" You say, worried for my quickly depleting sanity, "Hylia wouldn't let her hero fall to the dark side!" Now, I won't claim to know everything about Zelda lore and all that jazz, but in my mind the Spirit of the Hero isn't tied to Link. It's tied to the Triforce of Courage. I know that that is a nitpick-ey distinction to make, because the Triforce of Courage is intrinsically tied to Link, but I am making it nonetheless. Also, simply having a piece the Triforce certainly doesn't stop you from being evil. Gannon has and always has had the Triforce of Power, the Triforce is simply a piece of magical essence that plants itself on a mortal being, and has nothing to do with if they are "good" or "bad". And yes, there's the argument of the Triforce of Courage wouldn't have chosen Link if he was going to be evil, but think back to that first trailer again, what was the one thing Link did? He shot arrows at the gem holding Zelda, our unequivocal hero, shattering it, and freeing her. Thus allowing the hero of this story the chance to do said hero-ing. (I am in no way shape or form saying that Link is more heroic than Zelda in eow, or that Zelda's efforts should be diminished, just that Link did technically get the ball rolling, no more than Impa does in most of the Zelda titles). With this established we can all agree that Link did need to be there for the world to be saved, and the all knowing Dorito probably knows this, too so it makes sense in world for Link to still have the Triforce.

"BUT," I hear you say, "what about Hylia? The Golden Goddess still wouldn't let her hero fall!" And I give you Zelda, the only person(people?) in known Hylian history to have the blood of the Goddess, one of which was the Goddess reborn. Zelda, who is on the path to saving Link. Who is without a doubt more of a servant of Hylia than Link ever was. And we all know the Goddess(es) play with Hylians like pieces on a chessboard, do you really think they care about how to get from point A to point B as long as it gets done? Do you really think Hylia "Hylia loves her child soldiers" the Goddess, really cares about if her knight is bad for just a little while? If it all ends up fine in the end?

"But it's a choob/toon graphic game, it can't be that dark!" Did you really just say that? (you didn't, I did, but again, suspension of disbelief) DID YOU REALLY JUST SAY THAT! (I have actually seen this, I think it might have been a joke, but it was "bla bla Link and Zelda seeing they have detailed physical manifestations: we're not getting a happy ending this time, are we") IS LINK'S AWAKENING A JOKE TO YOU?????? that one has one of the most fucked up plots, and it's remake's graphics are very clearly a huge inspiration for EOW's.

(that is a side tangent for another day, the fact that tons of the LA sprites are used makes me so so so happy, but also so scared because that game is so emotionally hitting you with an iron mallet to the face)

I swear there was another point I wanted to dispute, but I can't think of it soooooooooo

But yeah! I love puppet Link, but we've also had so much puppet already (TP and TotK Zeldas, there might be others too), and I think it would be kinda cool if it wasn't puppet Link, and he was just straight up evil :P

You've heard of "what if the bad guys were good?" get ready for "what if the good guys were bad?", a totally never done before thing.

Anyways, yeah, having playable Zelda isn't a new thing for the Zelda franchise, but I'm pretty sure having only playable Zelda is. Like, a game specifically centered around Zelda, and nobody else. So, new things aren't entirely out of the picture.

Do I really think that this is the way the game will go? No, not really, but it was fun to think about, and I hope it gave anyone who reads through this the same amount of whimsey, thank you for coming to my ted talk. goodbye!

[dukeofthomas]

On the Robin/Child Sidekick Child Soldier thing. The main argument (Doylist) is that it's a Child power fantasy. And no offense but Batman treats the Robins like shit and is respected by the community and faces little consequences for it. He rarely even properly apologizes. How is that a 'power fantasy for children'? That's a power fantasy for adults harming children. (Ergo why people are often less bothered by other child heroes who either have better treatment from their mentors or more independence)

So many plots about how Child Heroes might be bad. Old Justice, Jericho, ect. And also actually killing Sidekicks like Jason Todd and having them be traumatized by their experiences and unsupported. If Jason Todd was a 'child power fantasy' what the fuck was having him betrayed by his mother, brutally murdered and victim blamed by almost everyone who knew him?

Jason Robin does not work as a power fantasy because a lot of writers who wrote him or about him did not like him and/or child sidekicks. Therefore Jason Todd is not a child power fantasy but a child soldier with an epitaph to prove it. (he works a bit as a revenge power fantasy pre-boot post-resurrection though)

Plenty of child heroes work as power fantasies in comics I've read but not Robin. Not in a lot of comics.

Yesss!

When Robin appears in other media, like lego batman or teen titans or other cartoons and such, i see no issue with it. Because, when i was a child not that long ago, child heroes FUCKED. People my age, who were acknowledge to be smart and strong and independent and could be relied upon to do awesome shit? Hell yeah!! Once you graduate from thinking like that to "omg who let the children take care of everything and be in danger etc etc.", congratulations! You've grown out of that kind of show and should probably go watch something made for adults!

Except uh. Then you do go read something more mature, in this case the comics, and... Robin is still there! And you're like, oh okay this is one of them genre Conventions, i still gotta keep ignoring it, just like many other things in fiction. Except he's being treated horribly by Batman! Straight up abused in many cases, actually! And it's no longer as easy to put on those nice lil suspension of disbelief-coloured glasses here bc yeah; Robin is a power fantasy meant for children, but once you put him in something more mature and also have him being horribly mistreated and abused, it... no longer works.

Anyway. Hope that made sense bc i literally woke up 10 minutes ago 👍

[enemywasp]

Hey, what's your opinion on taboo topics being depicted on popular/mainstream media? For example, teacher/student relationships in movies and TV shows that aren't depicted in a negative light? I haven't really made up my mind on that topic because that scenario is so different from fanfiction.

Don't feel pressured to answer this, it's just something to think about ig

I think it's already extremely common and usually ignored by even antis despite their hatred of the same things in fanfics. If its a relationship you're meant to root for I think it tends to fall under the suspension of disbelief that comes with watching anything.

(In fact I'm fairly sure lots of antis only have issues with fanfics as they see it as something inherintly sexual that people get off to)

Most the time I see these relationships (as someone who admittedly doesn't watch much romance) is in a very lighthearted and comedic sort of light that doesn't really get taken seriously. So it's hard to imagine anyone would see that and take it as a sign it's okay irl.

I think the only thing that I'd say I don't approve of I guess is casual rape jokes or anything akin to that in media that you otherwise wouldn't expect to have that. Like 90s sitcom humour kinda vibes.

Personally, there's a ton of things I wouldn't watch. Hell, the film Call me by your Name makes me uncomfortable personally and that's really popular and loved.

But as long as its not directed at young kids, I see no issue with it. A piece of fiction alone isn't going to convince someone to throw out their morals.

[wuxiaphoenix]

On Writing: Keep Your Disbelief Suspended

I’d read somewhere that Captain Proton’s outfit (see the ST:Voyager ep Bride of Chaotica) was based off an old black and white serial called King of the Rocketmen. Being a curious writer sort I tracked it down. It’s on YouTube, the eps are about 12 minutes long. I watched... about 2 and 1/3 of them.

Shadowy evil mad-scientist type villain using remote controls to set off explosives and steer cars over cliffs, in 1949? Eh, okay.

Same guy apparently has a kind of remote viewer that can grab real-time footage as he likes, that today we’d need multiple video cameras set up in advance and/or a drone to grab? Whatever.

Good guy has a flying rocket suit powered by a sonic engine? World of mad science, fine.

...And then we got this gem, as a plan for finding some bad guys who stole a photographic negative with a mini-picture on it. “For them to blow up that negative they’ll need one specific kind of film. I’ll call the manufacturing company and tell them to stop producing it!”

Suspension of disbelief: Spang.

Plotbunnies: Oh yeah? You and what army, pal? This is the United States of America! Free market economy! You think any company’s going to stop making a lucrative specialty market product based on one phone call?

Not to mention this shows an absolute ignorance of retail and supply chains. Even if you order a product halted right now, and every factory can be brought to a screeching halt, that doesn’t do anything about product already on the trucks and in transit. And it definitely doesn’t change the fact that if this is film meant to be purchased and currently in use, it will already be on store shelves. Seriously, read up on FDA recalls when they know a food or medicine is tainted. It’s a nightmare trying to find it all, and you have to depend a lot on informed people practicing voluntary compliance. Specialty photographic film? You’d have to not only drag it off store shelves - who would strenuously and legally object to losing a product that has nothing wrong with it - but also yank it out of every stray darkroom that had a canister Just In Case.

This is a stupid plan.

More, it’s a plan that shows the writer didn’t know how life works for someone in manufacturing, and didn’t care enough to find out.

I will believe in sonic engines and aliens from space before I’ll believe a scientific researcher - even a rich and well-connected one! - can get a product off store shelves with one phone call. And do it so effectively bad guys who want that product will be forced to find it at a time and place of his choosing.

There were other problems in the plot as well. Just one example, you tell someone to dive out of a car doing 50+ toward a cliff edge, when the car has a removable cloth roof and you’re wearing a rocket suit? Sigh.

But it’s the “I’ll just tell a company to stop making it!” that made me Nope out of there. It just isn’t plausible.

Think about what impossibilities you ask your readers to believe. Then think about what implausibilities you ask of them. Impossible they can wave off, but the second will sink your story faster than an iceberg to the Titanic!