#i feel like it's stunting some of these bc i just /cannot/ muster the Good Sentences that dont sound like the atla movie script
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@theladypirate @feynites
Okay so! Hereâs the Immediate wedding day stuff fic, though I did kinda leave some of it a bit vague so it could get spotlighted more later on if people wanted that for whatever reason and you know, keeping it from being Monstrous in length.Â
Finally finished this since I ended up avoiding as much dialogue as I could B) apparently me and dialogue are not friends rn hahahaah weEPS.Â
Inanallasâs older sisters, Imshi and EthâMenala, and Keeper Durgenara are the ones who see to their clothing, styling and dressing them for the wedding. Their sisters are both very good at sewing and had done the bulk of the work to make it themselves, making sure it was just so, making sure that no one would mistake where they came from. Among the clans, Clan Anurlal was unique, having settled the furthest south on the mountains above the dwarves where little magic or comfort was found, and down in the basin the mountains concealed. Their clothing spoke of hard climates and practically, usually involving fur and many layers. Even this, one of the most elaborate things theyâd ever seen was simple in structure but richly embroidered with patterns, symbols and pictures of important to the clan and that spoke distinctly to them and their achievements. The short overcoat was almost like a ornamental chainmailâ cloth with hundreds of metal medallions sewn into it that combined with the large necklace, silver bracers and headpiece was the most jewelry they had ever worn.
Durgenara braids their hair after their sisters are done manhandling them into their clothing like a child, somehow the old woman manages to get all their fly away ends to stay slick to their headâ secret ancient magic they assume, what else could managed that. When she is done and the veil has been placed on their head, covering said braid and rendering all that work pointless, they finally hazard a glance at themselves in a mirror.
Itâs an odd sight. The headpiece covers their forehead completely, itâs beaded threads cover the side of their face, masking much of their tattoos and in doing so makes them look much softer, which they suppose is good, they donât really want to look menacing. The surcoat is long but still short enough to hint at the other skirt and pants underneath and show their leather boots, also embroidered. The overall lookâŠâŠ.. Somehow makes them look more mature and like a baby at the same time, though maybe thatâs just them. They certainly feel like a child right now, with everyone doing everything for them as they get ready for something someone else is making them do.
The spirit of Dignity who had been so kind as to agree to handle the brunt of this debacle however is very pleased, and thinks they both look very fine and appropriate for the occasion. So thereâs that.
The wedding itself is a mix of Elvhenan and Free Elf customs, mainly their own since it is their wedding. But overall there is not too much difference between all parties when it comes to weddings, at least structurally, once you got to everything that surrounded the spells and such things varied intensely. It does help in the planning of it all at least, that they can get the most important parts agreed upon fairly painlessly then stress over all the more decorative elements instead.
They let Dignity take the wheel with increasing frequency as they get closer to the wedding. By the time theyâre finally relevant in the whole event itself Dignity is in complete control while Inan only has about a foot inside themself, the rest of them looking for just about anywhere else to focus than whatâs going on around their physical body.
They canât help but peek though, to see who on earth theyâre actually marrying. They know they are marrying two people instead of just one, which was even more horrible in their opinion even if it was something clever politically. Â They knew the basics about them but had never actually looked into them because it was just too terrifying a prospect. Now, they were filled with a sort of morbid curiosity, like if they looked at them theyâd die instantly but hey you know, thatâs life.
The first one they see when they turn their gaze back to reality is the red one, drawn in by Dignityâs noting that while armor was not incorrect fashion for such an event it was also not the most mood appropriate choice. It is at least, very fine, ornate armor so that placates the spirit on that front. The person in the armor is not too much taller than Inanallas herself which is oddly comforting for no logical reason. Their face is very striking, very sharp âlike a hawk turned into a person, or a knife in disguiseâ and marked with Andruilâs symbol in intense red. So this is Uthvir then. They donât see it so much as feel it, like an anxious ball of vibration in their solar plexus that keys them to the fact theyâre not the only one who has a spirit inside them, though they get the sense that the hunterâs is more permanent. Fear, they think, or something similar from the feel of it. Not their first choice of a roommate but itâs not any of their business. Â
Theyâre not so badâ ominous, scary looking hunters Inanallas could deal with, old hat really. Theyâd met tons of people in spiky armor who stabbed things. Even if this time theyâd be marrying them and not fighting or arguing with them. It was totally fine, really. That meant by process of elimination the other one was Thenvunin. Dignity seemed infinitely more enamored with him, having already turned its attention there, so Inanallas followed Dignityâs lead and â
Oh.
OH.
OH NO.
Instantly they panic from their little bolthole blessedly tucked dimensionally or some such away from this dark carnival of endless misery.
Thenvunin is just as gorgeous as Uthvir only in a different, more refined way. Tall with perfect flowing blonde hair done perfectly and what looked like a body so close to the ideal it was comical under a stunningly gorgeous gown. It would be a tyrannical slaving empire that would have the resources to make an outfit so impossibly perfect, but the extravagance that would normally rankle them they can forgive when itâs on him. He seems made for opulence, and not in a vain, terrible way like greedy little egotist, but because he was someone who was regal looking and had fine tastes, âor something like that.
He did, sincerely look like the perfect example of a shining prince all dressed in glimmering silver accented by blue and green, like something out of a very high end dream. Almost surreal for how flawless he was.
In other words Inanallasâs worst nightmare.
If she thought she could handle Uthvir without at least looking like a complete fuck up she was already dead in the water with Thenvunin. He was clearly nothing like them and there was definitely nothing in common between them. They hadnât even actually met yet and Inanallas felt tongue-tied, wrong footed and small comparatively. And they were getting married, so that was for the rest of their life. Doomed to an eternity of being married to someone they could talk about exclusively hunting with if they were lucky and another who made them want to go and live with the Children of the Stone never to return just on sight and also just die here instantly to escape. And that was the best case, that wasnât even going in to the possible ways they could be terrible, terrible people or how this was all a loveless sham marriage for politics.
They essentially black out then for a while, actively shutting off much of their exposure to their senses as they try to beat down the hysterics now wracking them. When Dignity pulls at them for the vows and binding spells she comes back just enough to make sure itâs Inanallas whoâs bound and not poor Dignity before retreating again for a while to marshal themselves again.
Inanallas is officially back and at least sharing the load with Dignity once the revelry and feasting start up. Theyâre seated between Thenvunin and Uthvir which is harrowing but theyâve moved so far past terror theyâre almost fine and just fucking rolling with it, like a burn victim whoâs nerves are just completely dead so they canât feel the pain anymore. The first course thatâs served is some of the food the clans eat done up as appetizers, which makes sense to them as they look over the array of fruits âdried and fresh, dried and pickled meats and vegetables, spreads of all kinds, crackers, breads, and whatnot.
Deciding to be a good hostâ and they suppose numbly, spouseâ they move quickly to make up little plates of some of the better choices for the other two to make this easier for them. Uthvir takes their with no complaint and actually eats a bit with vague interest and then the average amount youâd expect for food which, they think is good. Thenvunin looks as dubious as someone can while working to look regal (as if he has to) at first but upon seeing that Uthvir doesnât die or spit it out he tries it as well and seems to deem it tolerable at least, theyâre not sure but regardless itâs Something right?
As the feast goes on and they transition more to food from Elvhenan Thenvunin decides to take it upon himself to guide them through the courses like they had for him for which theyâre very grateful, thereâs a lot going on with some of these dishes and some of them are so ornate Inanallas isnât sure theyâre even meant to be eaten. However, itâs Uthvir who finally gets them out of the polite small talk realms.
âInanallas, I havenât had much of a chance to learn much about your people â my people now as well I suppose, which is a pity I think. Spouses should know at least that much about each other I think.â
Inan chokes a little on their wine. âWell, to start weâre one of the few more stationary clans, we settled in the far south in the mountains ââ
âThe mountains?!â Thenvunin gasps.
âIn them? Or at the base? I imagine that must be difficult with magic so thin.â Uthvir does not miss a beat.
âNo, in them. Empire people wouldnât be bothered by traveling or living around the bottom of them but no one wants to go up them except for the children of the stone and theyâre not exactly best friends with your people so even if we run into them itâs unlikely theyâd give us away.â
Uthvir smirked. âTrue. Was that why you chose to settle there?â
Inan shrugs. âMost likely it was a factor. Weâd had a campsite there or in the area so we already knew about the conditions and it was where the Keeper took the clan when we escaped an assault, but they died shortly after getting us there. Durgenara was their First so after that she decided we would stay thereâitâs defensible, remote and ignored so it was really the best choice.â
âDurgenara seems like a very wise woman.â
Inanallas barks out a short involuntary laugh they stifle quietly with a hand, tinging a little pink. âTerrifyingly so.â
âBut surely you could have found a less hostile environment to live in after the clan recuperated? Or continued moving as Iâve heard other clans did.â Thenvunin asked, fingering his glassâs stem nervously.
âTrue, but that has itâs own risks as well. You can get spotted and attacked while moving from camp to camp. Or have your sites discovered and find an ambush waiting for you. Even the clans who found work arounds to those problems like Malarenanâs clan still has to deal with all kinds of potential environmental disasters, her clan especially, since theyâre sea faring. At least in the mountains we have some consistency and a strong position in case of an attack.â
âI suppose that is practical, but it must be so coldââ
They canât help but smile a little. âIt is, but thatâs what spells and warm cloths are for.â
Thenvunin pouts a little, brows furrowing. âI suppose.â
She smiles at him, heâs handsome even when disapproving. They slip one of the little fancy cakes onto the pretty painted plate in front of him, one of the fanciest ones with all the decorations the baker could cram onto it.
âYouâre very sweet to be so concerned, you know. I do appreciate it.â
Thenvunin flushes very prettily, it makes him a bit less scary. They can see some of the fact that heâs just a man nowâ a very handsome, very proper, very fancy man but still.
Eventually they all have to dance together for everyone in attendance, itâs some kind of imperial thing and deeply terrifying, if it werenât for Dignity Inanallas would be locked in place and theyâd have to move them around like a board. But as it goes they manage to not embarrass themselves, Uthvir dances with both of them for as short an amount of time as they can manage without looking rude then quickly redirects them into dancing with each other which goes on for much longer. Partially as Inanallas uses it to cover for Uthvir âjust in case thatâs needed they have nooooo ideaâ and partially because Thenvunin seems to enjoy dancing and it seems like the spousely thing to do to dance more because your partner likes it.
The whole first day of the celebrations, with all the actually important bits, Â feels like it goes on for for-fucking-ever and is mostly just a series of obstacles in the shape of things thatâd be fun if there was less of it or less pressure to look like they were enjoying themselves. Eventually Inanallas decides to call it a night, thereâs only so much stress and cake they can take in one day and they can feel Uthvir flagging beside them, tiny hints of physical discomfort starting to show, while Thenvunin is tipsy working on drunkâ or just drunk, they have no idea how to gauge his drunkness yet. Theyâre worried about whatever might be wrong with Uthvir and if Thenvunin has anymore fun theyâre worried he might not be able to walk out of here under his own power.
So Inanallas begins the extraction process which is much more full of âwedding nightâ comments then theyâd ever wanted to even know of in their life and a lot of very unpleasant, creepy looks from Andruil that crawl over Uthvir and then get turned to them where they get all triumphant and smug, which are excellent for making them even more worried about whatever the fuck is going on there then they already had been. Theyâre about to act on a plan to all but manhandle their spouses out of there before Andruil gets a chance to keep over and seal the fucking deal on being a creepy fuck when they catch eyes with FĂ©wena who proceeds to sit down in the seat next to the huntress and be her blessedly implacable self.
Theyâd get her some good booze or knives or something for that.
Mythal has been kind enough to supply Inanallas and Uthvir quarters in her palace for this whole fiasco close to Thenvuninâs own, though thereâs an ominous assumption that theyâll all be in Inanallasâs tonight at least.
Yeah. No.
They all make it out of the worst of the crowd fine but Thenvunin begins to have real trouble walking as the alcohol and exhaustion begin to mix full force then they get to the quieter, more sedate living quarter levels, so Inanallas decides to just carry him the rest of the way to be safe. Heâs surprised at first and makes a very indignant sound while turning a bright red, Uthvir chuckles beside them.
âHow romantic,â They tease. âVery fitting to carry your husband to your wedding bed, I feel a bit left out.â
âWell then climb on. Iâll carry both of you up.â
Uthvir cackles at that. âNow thatâd be a sight!â
âNo! Donât!â Thenvunin hisses, clutching on to Inan. â If you do theyâll topple over! Iâm already heavy enough as it isâŠâ
His protest trails off into a murmur as he frowns, looking down at himself unhappily. Inanallas doesnât like it one bit, Thenvunin is very pretty and shouldnât feel bad about being made of bones and things that have physical mass. They give him a bit of a squeeze, holding him closer.
âNonsense, you weigh as much as an armful of roses.â
âNo I donâtâŠâ
âReally, Iâm carrying right now and I can tell, as light as flowers.â
âOur new spouse is right, Iâve never found you to be challenge to lift.â
âTh-that is because you are a horrible lecherous brute who gains strength from their libido!â Thenvunin sputters, shifting in their grasp and nearly elbowing them in the face. Sweet creators.
Uthvir has to really struggle to keep it together at that one.
âHm. Possibly, but it could also be because youâre a pleasure to hold.â
âWh-why you! Thatâsâ I mean of course I am!â but not for you to hold! You savage! Iâm sure you love this! Now that you have me trapped in your clutches!â
Uthvirâs resolve shatters and they canât help but laugh as Thenvunin seems to forget to consider the poor elf keeping him up as he tries to turn to face Uthvir properly in their straining arms. Inanallas gives them a long suffering look thatâs lost as their face is crushed into Thenvuninâs side. Uthvir almost feels bad for them. Almost.
âI will admit, it was pleasant to hear that you would be one of my future spouses.â
âSo you admit it! You admit your devious schemes to claim me as your own!â
â I admit I find you very attractive and exceedingly interesting and am not distraught to be wedded to you.â
âOf course you do! I am very handsome and charming and a wonderful husband!â
âNaturally. Perhaps even the most handsome and charming, and certainly the best husband Iâd ever had. â
Thenvunin seems a bit lost on how to make a good comeback to that at the moment and instead harrumphs and settles back into Inanallasâs arms. Heâs somehow even redder, every inch of him blushing from Uthvirâs teasing.
âWell⊠Good.â
Inanallasâs face finally reappears looking highly amused and confused, they give Uthvir a look, âis he always like this?â. They return with a smirk and a cocked brow, âpretty muchâ.
They all make it to their rooms and Uthvir helps Inanallas bring Thenvunin into his, which theyâre incredibly thankful for once it becomes clear Thenvunin thinks theyâre actually going to do some of the things in the âwedding nightâ comments. Even if he werenât drunk Inanallas would jump out of her skin at the idea, itâs about a thousand years too soon for that shit.
Uthvir also seems to not really be in the mood and has clearly interacted enough with Thenvunin in situations like this to distract him from trying to seduce them or whatever and keep his feathers from getting ruffled or feelings hurt. While Uthvir keeps Thenvunin on task, Inan sets to finding something for him to sleep in (which is Shockingly difficult, what even counts as what in here???), divesting him of all his jewelry and letting down his hair which greatly helps to keep things from getting awkward as once they start massaging, carding and piecing his hair for braiding Thenvunin gets significantly sleepier and more pliant.
Between the two of them they easily maneuver the drowsy elf out of his lovely gown, revealing some equally lovely lingerie in the process (âŠsomething to keep in mind for Later, hopefullyâŠ), and get him nicely in his sleepwear, then all tucked up in his bed safe as can be. It only take a little more soothing talk before heâs out like a light. Bless.
Inanallas sighs heavily, resting their hands on their hips and turns to look at Uthvir who gives them about the same look back.
âWelp, Good night.â
The hunter nods slightly. âGood night.â
They both head for their own rooms, happy to be done with it all, for today at least. But once inside Inanallas starts to worry, will Thenvunin feel bad waking up alone from his wedding night? They got the sense Uthvir was about as eager as them to get some rest but maybe Thenvunin wanted some kind of magical, romanticy wedding nightâ they certainly wouldnât blame him for wanting one or hoping he might still manage one even with all the fuckery of this marriage. Itâs the kind of thing marriages are supposed to have. He should want it. Will he feel unwanted if he wakes up and neither of them is even there?
Itâs a deeply worrying thought that eats that them as they work at removing the veil and headpiece in front of the mirror. They couldnât stay dressed like this even if they did stay with him, it would all get ruined and be very uncomfortable. First things first is to change into something comfortable, then decide on what to do.
At first, they resolve to be there when he wakes in the morning with a lovely breakfast in bed just for him. But what if he wakes up in the middle of the night, realizes heâs all alone on his wedding night and stays up crying? What if heâs heartbroken over it for days? Weeks? Years? What if it sets the course for him being miserable for the entirety of their marriage. Inanallasâs heart sinks and explodes in panic at the thought. No. Itâs just too horrible, they canât do that to him. They leave their room and head quietly back into his, dithering just past the threshold of his bedroom, not sure of what to do.
They donât want to get into âor even onâ his bed without his permission. Â It just feels awkward and wrong, but they do want to be somewhere where he can see them when he gets up so they canât sleep out in the sitting room. Thereâs a settee with a pretty blanket or shawl or scarf or something elegantly draped on it to the side that looks like they could curl up on just fine. Quietly they slip over to it, remove the fancy cloth and cover themself with it as they lay down to sleep.
They wake up to the feel of cold metal claws gently carding through their hair. Blearily they look up to see Uthvir, standing over them carrying a tray of  breakfast looking over at Thenvunin. Feeling Inan stir they look back down at them, smirking a little. Which might be their regular expression, they drowsily muse.
âDid you sleep there the whole night?â
Inanallas sits up, their potentially makeshift blanketâand another actual blanket?â falling down. Huh.
âYup.â
Thereâs something in Uthvirâs expression they canât quite parse. They smirk wider, showing rows of sharp teeth.
âHow dutiful a spouse you are, better than a hound I dare say, you didnât even get mud on the covers.â
Inan sniggers. âI always make sure to clean my paws before I get on fancy things. But really, I worried about how heâd react to waking up alone soâŠâ
They shrug as Uthvir hums knowingly. âI had a similar thought, thatâs why I came with this.â They lift the tray slightly.
Inanallas gets up and stretches a little before snagging little chunk of fruit from the spread.
âTruly you are wise and mighty.â
Uthvir grins boardly.
#my writing#arranged tanzanite au#tanzanite trio#uthvir#thenvunin#inanallas#god idk why but dialogue is just such a nightmare for me rn it's Hell#i feel like it's stunting some of these bc i just /cannot/ muster the Good Sentences that dont sound like the atla movie script#so Fuck It Yolo whatever that's what reworking shit later is for#tAKE IT AND ENJOY#TAKE IT FROM THESE LANDS SO I MIGHT BE FREE ONCE MORE
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tell us about your braudrey wasteland baby analysis
this ended up being long and angsty i am sorry . if u want i can analyze songs from his other album in a happier way to even it out lol
ânfwmbâ:Â
âwhen i first saw you / the end was soonâ - audrey and bruce met on the helicarrier and i think when they fought in new york they both knew they might not come out of it. audrey was inexperienced and way out of her depth, bruce was really against turning back into the hulk again. Â
âGive your heart and soul to charity / âCause the rest of you, the best of you / Honey, belongs to meâ - they both give parts of themselves away for the greater good and feel most human with each other
âNothing fucks with my baby / Nothing can get a look in on my baby / Nothing fucks with my baby / Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothingâ - when hozier wrote this song everyone thought it was about how nothing fucks with his baby because he protects her but he said actually nobody fucks with her because sheâs extraordinarily powerful and scary. i think both of these apply to braudreyânobody fucks with bruce because audrey protects him, and nobody fucks with the hulk because heâs giant and terrifyingÂ
âmomentâs silence (common tongue)âÂ
âWhen stunted hand earns place with man by mere monstrosity / Alarms are struck and shore is shook by sheer atrocity / A cure I know that soothes the soul, does so impossiblyâ - this is related to an upcoming ~chapter~ lol but basically audrey and bruce go on a retreat upstate thatâs supposed to give him the opportunity to hulk out and like scare some squirrels in the woods but while theyâre there, audrey and the hulk become good friends ? and so thatâs why sheâs able to reason with bruce when he turns
âalmost (sweet music)âÂ
i would place this one as post aou when audrey thinks bruce is dead. Â
âiâm almost me again, sheâs almost youâ - after a bit, she starts dating again but sheâs still very much grieving and hung up on himÂ
âi wouldnât know where to start / sweet music playinâ in the dark / be still my foolish heart / donât ruin this on meâ - audrey becomes good friends with wanda and pietro after age of ultron and they havenât been around long but they ask her to talk about it because she sits in her room playing the same song every day and crying and theyâre like ⊠?
âI got some colour back, she thinks so, too / I laugh like me again, she laughs like youâ - i think this is just audrey letting herself be close to people again. itâs not the same but itâs not so lonely
âmovementâ
âI still watch you when you're groovinââ so this song i think is about like someone dancing and being really seductive and sexy but this reminds me of bruce watching audrey dancing really terribly w tony at every avengers function. audrey literally cannot dance for shit and itâs endearing to bruceÂ
âWhen you move / I can recall somethin' that's gone from me / When you move / Honey, I'm put in awe of somethin' so flawed and freeâ - i think bruce gets kind of fixated on watching audrey spar and fight; like partially because itâs hot but also because he sees her as very powerful and finds it magnetizingÂ
âno planâÂ
iâm gonna go ahead and place this as ragnarok/infinity warÂ
âfor starts / what a waste to say the heart could feel apart / or feel complete, babyâ - audrey and bruce reunite on sakaar and itâs a very emotional scene; itâs a waste to say the heart could feel apart because she knows sheâs not less without him but thereâs this understanding, this thing thatâs been off thatâs finally righted when theyâre back together
âMy heart is thrilled by the still of your hand / That's how I know now that you understandâ - this applies to a very specific moment in ragnarok before they go to fight hela where audrey puts her hand over bruceâs and he looks at her and sheâs unable to tell him that if they die right now she loves him but he knows anyway
âThere's no plan / There's no race to be run / The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun / There's no plan / There's no kingdom to come / Iâll be your man if you got love to get done / Sit in and watch the sunlight fade / Honey, enjoy, it's gettin' late / There's no plan / There's no hand on the rein / As Mack explained, there will be darkness againâ - so this is all very apocalyptic and not to flex but i was at a concert and hozier talked about this line and how the whole song was written about the doomsday clock and a time when it was closer to zero than ever; itâs a song about throwing caution into the wind at the end of the world and i think thatâs fitting. thereâs a period where audrey realizes that theyâre not gonna beat thanos, and that the snap is gonna happen, and she takes a breath and notices everything around her and just thinks about how sheâs lucky to have had it at all. Â
ânobodyâ
âYou know when it's twelve o'clock in Soho, baby / It's gin o'clock where I'll wake up, I don't know / And I think about you though everywhere I go / And I've done everything and I've been everywhere, you knowâ - this just reminds me of when audrey is away on missions and bruce is still at the base; sheâs been everywhere in the world because sheâs been alive for so long and sheâs been around for a lot; the one thing sheâs most grateful for her lifetime to have coincided with though is bruceÂ
 âiâve had no love like your love / from nobodyâ - this is just them lol they understand each other on another level
âI'd be appalled if I saw you ever try to be a saint / I wouldn't fall for someone I thought couldn't misbehaveâ - this is audrey 2 bruce ⊠she would be appalled if he ever tried to get rid of the hulk for good; i think that itâs such a significant part of how they see and understand each otherÂ
âIf I had the choice between hearing either noise: The excitement of a thousand or the soothing of your voice / At first chance, I'd take the bed warmed by the bodyâ - they just choose each other. they choose to be with each other. this reminds me of the âgive your heart and soul to charityâ line in nfwmb because itâs like if they had to be heroes without each other they wouldnât be happyÂ
âas it wasâÂ
thereâs a conversation bruce and audrey have at the safehouse in age of ultron where bruce is saying he doesnât feel the same since wanda fucked with his head bc of the vision he had, and heâs worried abt whether or not audrey can continue to care for him when the chaos the hulk created wasnât for any good or if sheâs changed her mind and she has to assure him that she hasnât; there are a lot of lines from this song that remind me of that
-âwhateverâs here thatâs left of me / is yours just as it wasâ
-âJust as it was, baby / Before the otherness came / And I knew its name / The drug, the dark, / The light, the flameâÂ
-âits holds had the fight of my baby / and the lights were s bright as my baby / but your love was unmovedâ
-âthe sights were as stark as my baby / and the cold cut as sharp as my baby / and the nights were as dark as my baby / half as beautiful, tooâ (unrelated sidenote but this line gives me chills always)
then the second verse of this reminds me of audrey and bruce in ragnarok:Â
âTell me if somehow Some of it remains How long you would wait for me How long I've been away The shape that I'm in now Your shape in the doorway Make your good love known to me Or just tell me about your dayâ
âshrikeâÂ
so audrey has a really really hard time saying i love you after bruce leaves at the end of aou, to anyoneâshe says it to steve maybe once, but she canât say it besides that one time, and itâs part of why sheâs so torn up about peggy dying because she didnât tell her she loved her enough in the months leading up to her death. Â
but also, when bruce comes back, audrey still canât muster up the ability to say them out loud, and so at the end of infinity war, sheâs left without telling any of the people she loves that she loves them. when she comes back in endgame, sheâs able to overcome that to tell them. this song reminds me of thatÂ
âI couldn't utter my love when it counted / Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it nowâ - this is when she comes back
âThe words hung above / But never would form / Like a cry at the final breath that is drawn / Remember me love when I'm reborn / As the shrike to your sharp / And glorious thornâ - this is both; she couldnât say it, but sheâs ârebornâ during endgame and she realizes that the worst has already happened countless times; thereâs nothing else to be afraid of that she hasnât survived
âThen when I met you, my virtues uncounted / All of my goodness is going with you nowâ - this is just audrey when bruce leaves
âtalkâÂ
ok this entire song is just both audrey and bruce when they like each other but donât wanna say anything about it. Â
I'd be the voice that urged Orpheus When her body was found Hey yeah I'd be the choiceless hope in grief That drove him underground Hey yeah I'd be the dreadful need in the devotee That made him turn around Hey yeah And I'd be the immediate forgiveness In Eurydice Imagine being loved by me
I won't deny I've got in my mind now (Hey, yeah) All the things I would do So I try to talk refined For fear that you find out (Hey, yeah) How I'm imagining you
I'd be the last shred of truth In the lost myth of true love Hey yeah I'd be the sweet feeling of release Mankind now dreams of Hey yeah That's found in the last witness before the wave hits Marvelling at God Hey yeah Before he feels alone one final time And marries the sea Imagine being loved by me
âdinner & diatribesâÂ
i thinkâŠ..this doesnât match up exactly but the new yearâs eve chapterâŠ..Yeah
âLet there be damage ensued and tabloid news / And that kind of love / That's the kinda love / Iâve been dreaming ofâ
âwould that iâÂ
okay buckle up this one is a lot
âTrue that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me / That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree / Must be felled for to fight the cold / I fretted fire but that was long agoâ ok this i think is bruceâs perspective; love in withdrawal was the weeping of me = the isolation he put himself in following becoming the hulk was a very bad spot for him even though it was safest. the sound of the saw must be known by the tree = gotta risk it for the biscuit! must be felled for to fight the cold / i fretted fire but that was long ago = i used to be afraid but now iâm not; itâs worth the riskÂ
âOh, but you're good to me / Oh, you're good to me / Oh, but you're good to me, babyâ bruce is just continually confused and surprised by the fact that audrey isnât scared of himÂ
âWith each love I cut loose I was never the same / Watching still living roots be consumed by the flame / I was fixed on your hand of gold / Laying waste to my loving long agoâÂ
-with each love i cut loose i was never the same = bruce has cut off everyone heâs been close to since the hulk happened and heâs not the same when heâs alone; he thinks he can make it by himself and he probably can but he doesnât have to
-i was fixed on your hand of gold / laying waste to my loving long ago = this is actually nice bc the gold imagery specifically matches up with what audreyâs powers are, and so thereâs that connection to be madeÂ
âAnd it's not tonight / Where I'm set alight / And I blink in sight / Your blinding lightâ this also just matches up really nicely w audreyâs powers lol
âsunlightâÂ
âI had been lost to you, sunlight / And flew like a moth to you, sunlight / Oh your love is sunlightâ i think this would be bruce after age of ultron ? heâs been lost to audrey, but when he sees her he gravitates back toward her immediately; he sees her love as sunlight
âthe tale is the same / told before and told again /Â soul that's born in cold and rain / knows sunlight, sunlight, sunlightâ - bruce is the soul thatâs born in cold and rain and audrey is sunlight
âEach day you rise with me / Know that I would gladly be / The Icarus to your certaintyâ - i think heâs just devoted to herÂ
âwasteland, babyâÂ
okay going line by line for this one lol buckle up!
âAll the fear and fire of the end of the world / Happens each time a boy falls in love with a girlâ - when theyâre fighting thanos audrey is actually reminded of bruce; how losing him felt like the world ending, now itâs for real
âHappens great, happens sweet / Happily, I'm unfazed here, tooâ - when audrey goes at the end of infinity war, she goes smilingÂ
âWasteland, baby / Iâm in love, I'm in love with youâ - they just love each other
âAll the things yet to come are the things that have passed / Like the holding of hands, like the breaking of glass / Like the bonfire that burns / That all words in the fight fell toâ - everything that has happened has led them to this moment; loki, ultron, hydra, etc. without that they wouldnât have each other, but they also probably wouldnât be dealing with this mess. itâs not good or bad, itâs just the way things went. Â
âWasteland, baby / Iâm in love, I'm in love with youâ
âAnd I love too, that love soon might end / Be known in its aching / Shown in the shaking / Lately of my wasteland, babyâ - they know itâs over before itâs over; they can tell whatâs going to happen before it happens, and theyâre just paralyzed in that momentÂ
âBe still, my indelible friend, you are unbreaking / Though quaking, though crazy / That's just wasteland, babyâ - when audrey goes bruce pleads with her to stay
âAnd that day that we'll watch the death of the sun / To the cloud and the cold and those jeans you have on / And you'll gaze unafraid as they sob from the city roofsâ - in the years after the snap, bruce has the most vivid dream almost every night where audreyâs . like . ghost comes to him and takes him to the top of a hill and they watch the world end around them. itâs terrible and every time he wakes up he misses it. Â
âWhen the stench of the sea and the absence of greenâ - ok lol this just reminds me of how the hulk wouldnât come fight at the end of infinity warÂ
âAre the death of all things that are seen and unseen / Are an end but the start of all things that are left to doâ - the world ends; half of everything is dead; but theyâre still left. bruce and steve and everyone have to go on living still. Â
âWasteland, baby / I'm in love, I'm in love with you / (That's it)â - this abruptness just reminds me a lot of the snap; thatâs it. thereâs no going back. Â
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Overall thoughts of Arc V
posted on NAC, figured i might as well share it here too. Itâs a long one.
Setting Maiami City is great. The first we see of it is a modern and post-contemporary design to the city, there's a lot of commercialism on display taking iconic imagery of YGO and plastering it as billboards. You Show and Yuya's house are shown to be pretty unique in their architecture, but still very grounded in reality. It's a world that's probably not more than ten years ahead of us; it's a mayor city but with a very nice housing region. As the first season goes on, we see more of it, we see how important and varied the schools are, we see the not-so-pretty parts of the city. There's just enough depth to Maiami to feel more alive than even Neo Domino did. Then we leave it. The City is up next, and it's just a more surface level approach to Neo Domino. There's the shit part of the city and floating shit that's fancy. Before we can really dig into the latter, we're stuck in the former, then a prison and the rest of the season is the same hotel, racetrack stadium and a bit of the Duel Lanes before going back to the same shit parts. Oh and the trash mines. While 5D's included early on how the trash stuff works and how it's an insane way to fight your way to the nice part of the city, AV's just has this stark contrast that doesn't feel truly connected. If you walk long enough in a direction, you'll reach a nice part of town apparently. The mines and the prison exist, but you can't really pin their location or anything. They're stark contrasts that do not feel connected beyond lore. Heartland... is just some bits of ZX's heartland, but in ruins. There isn't much to the setting at all. Fusion has that sorta venice place we see for a couple of eps and then we go to Academia, which is just a series of corridors with 4 rooms. It doesn't feel real, there's a courtyard but I have no idea how you reach it beyond "go to a corridor and eventually it'll connect" Yuya going Odd Eyes Raeg happens in a room that I cannot fathom where it is compared to Leo's place because it's so hightech it should either be right next to it or buried underground, but the show just has it nebulously inside of academia.It's disappointing. We start with a strong location, a strong setting, and then we ditch it for the next and the next and the next and each is shallower than the last one. Duels You know me. Y'all know my shallow ass don't really care for the yugiohs. Hand me a Yuma vs Gauche once or twice a cour and i'm good. I'll meme that YGO was better when it was about zombire and paint mazes. Arc V promised me something that made me want to care even in my shallow level: Dynamic Duels. The premise of 5D's bought me over when I saw the first riding duel moving all over the streets into an abandoned factory and maneuvering crazy locations a bike shouldn't be able to do. Arc-V then promised me that mobility would be even more important because it's not rigid bikes, it's fluid monsters, able to chance the monster you're riding on the fly and interact with them. All for a goal that is a buff during the duel. You bet your ass I got hype when Yuya got on a pink hippo in that first PV. ACTION FIELD MAGIC CROSS OVER. FUCK. Dynamic places became less common during the first season, but they were still a thing! There were at least entirely different fields in every duel. Then came in Riding Duels and my god. MY GOD. Yugo suddenly makes me nostalgia hard for 5D's, he goes so many places, the scenery changes so much, the time of day the state of the city, it's so beautiful. Cross Over. Duel on the stadium. crossover accel. cross over cross over cross over. fuck. The duels lose intensity as it goes on, they often become duels of two duelists standing in places as if it was DMGXZX and every now and then Yuya will jump and run to get a card. Cross Over Accel usually involves picking up a card from the floor and every other duel will have a sick bike stunt. But yeah, for the most part, the concept's just burnt and interesting navigation is pretty much gone. Yuya is so tied to this. The ultimate thing of the show, is that entertainment is the greatest power, but Yuya can't muster the confidence to use it. Therefore, his duels are directly tied to his state of mind. Is he egaoing? then maybe there'll be some dynamic movements or, if we're lucky and it's a blue moon, Yuya will setup a big set piece act where the game straight up changes to let a big fun and dynamic moment happen. But if Egao is what solves everything, then your main character can't be holding that power, ergo, Yuya's duels have to be gimped most of the time, so stand over there like it's Gx, Yuya, but with less varied fields.It was just so promising, that duels would be a spectacle. But gameplay wise that deteriorated rather fast, with spectacle it got nearly dropped after year 1 and it's ultimately tied to Yuya believing in himself, which is the thing he struggles with the most. Themes and Message I love egao. The idea that smiles make the world better is great. If you are positive and you can pass that positiveness to others then you are improving the world. To look at all the issues around you and decide you can tackle them while also keeping a smile is a noble thing, I love heroes that can stay positive through adversity. A lot of people take issue with Yuya "forcing this down people's throats", but to me the problem is that Yuya needs it fored down his own throat. He's got some doubts here and there in Standard, then in Synchro it is offered that, much like Kattobing with Yuma early on, Yuya doesn't actually know what it means to bring smiles to people: he's parroting his dad and acting as he did. This breaks Yuya hard and he goes back and forth during the rest of the season until he gets a rematch with Jack and shows his answer... is that he believes in his dad, but will also throw in the dimension dragons. uh. Before that point there's stuff like Kachidoki shaking his resolve, and after that there's stuff like Yuto taking over so he cannot use smiles. There's stuff like getting so pissed he can't even think of using it against BB until JACK points it out. There's the fight against the mind control bugs and facing Yuri. And then the final act is him trusting himself all over again. Yuya Sakaki is smiles. If he is not believing at 100% then that's that. There are only, like, four other characters that implement that mentality into their duels. It sucks because it is explicitly shown time and time again to be the answer to the show's conflicts. A whole city is turned, Kachidoki gets happy and stops punching dicks, Yuya becomes more capable, Heartland is brave and starts dueling again. But it's so strong, Yuya cannot be allowed to use it or else show ends too soon. Other characters can't use it or the show ends too soon. To duel for smiles is to have a golden gun. It becomes more and more insane an OP until it reaches a climax: You Cannot Use Smiles On Zarc Because That Would End The Show Too Early. The dragon king is defeated, but not really because the blatant message wasn't used on him. Individualism beat him, but egao will Really beat him. Egao OP pls nerf so it can be a presence in the show. Then there's individuals vs groups. I also dig this a lot, and we see it far more consistently. Yuya gets laughed at by society itself bc daddy. His first foe is an opinion leader. His dad is looked upon fondly not for being a pro duelist, but for being a pioneer.  A big, strong corporation is trying to take over You Show, the smaller school run by a single guy. Yuzu realizes her dad, a teacher, is not enough for her to learn what she needs so she seeks out a tutor who is shown to be a bit of a rebel. Yuya duels wacky schools. After Yuto becomes egao.wav, Yuya's first foe is a guy who got messed up by the institution he's at. Obelisk Force are goons running the same deck, trained to be little more than soldiers with their individuality stripped away. Yuya's pushed forward to continue being a pioneer even when pendulums become normalized. Synchro Year is all about big capitalistic society fucking over the poor. Prison, the defense force and the government are all evil and abuse their powers. Roger is shown to have power but overestimates his own intelligence. Serena, in this time, gets pointed out that her dueling is too by the books and Yugo's unique style can trample her so she needs to adapt and be herself. Reira gets a donut by Shinji, so she doesn't want to blast him, she's starting to not become a child soldier. Jack's entire thing is that he himself crawled out of his hell life. Academia is up next, and, yeah, more of what you'd expect: school's evil, society supports it, individuals have to escape it and form their own place to survive. BB, much like Kachidoki, is ruined by his own school. Doktor creates parasites that strip people from their free will. And finally, we are told via ham-hands that Zarc was made who he was because Society demanded more violence. oh my god. Oh and Ed and the others also escape the school's mentality. It's a neat message, the bit with Zarc is just. It's thematic, it doesn't substitute showing the character and explaining the escalation. But then in Synchro Year there's that bit where Yuya gets the egao gun and destroys the societal norms of Neo Domino 2 in one blast and now everything's better. Kachidoki is back and saved, but like, what does that mean? did he bail out of the physical abuse school his parents put him in?? The conflict is rich and interesting, and yet the payoff is so sudden, escalated beyond belief and never explored. Another bit is what the show actually tells us "take a step forward with courage" or something. Pioneering goes with that, Yusho and Yuya start something new and it can't end there, those two have to keep evolving and lead the way. That message then ties into the war conflict in a cool way, to keep moving forward and not wallow in the past. Academia may have destroyed Heartland, but Shun and Yuto are objectively in the wrong for trying to use violence to get revenge. Leo is later on shown to be bad, not because he committed war crimes (those are retroactively forgiven) but because he is doing all of this to get his daughter back, when that will only tarnish her efforts and legacy, thus bringing Zarc back. Yugo & Shun Vs The Molesting Bugs From Out Of Gx has Yugo staying in the past and only remembering the Rin he loved while Shun remembered Ruri but then pushed forward and claimed how he's changed since. Yuya keeping with his dad's style and not fighting with his own is also a way of this. Every member of the resistance is shown with this problem, every left-party member of Synchro is also basically mourning themselves instead of trying to push forward if you're viewing the show in right-wing eyes I guess. Yuya being sad for pasts mistakes is shown 100% to be bad and he should continue moving forward to solve the issues. It sometimes feels gross because the groups are evil, but only Roger gets comeuppance. Leo caused war crimes, but he's a tragic hero, Zarc is a demon but he's a tragic figure. Meanwhile Shun and the resistance lost it all, Shinji lives in an unfair world and they are presented much more palpably as in the wrong because they are fighting with violence. The makers of war are never punished.The messages are all very, very interesting... but they tie kinda badly to the plot. It basically turns smiles from a philosophy that empowers Yuya and saves people from spiraling into drones of society or revenge hunters, to a golden gun that kills society and sedates the lust for revenge. Villains Now here's Real Problems. The show mismanages its villain cast. You have Himika, basically leader of LDS and actively running a child soldier program and... eventually she's very sad for Reira and turns into a motherly figure. You have Kachidoki, who is the first to awaken the second level of Zarc in Yuya and... he leaves the story for almost two years, only to get a quick defeat so Yuya can have a win. LDS Trio, rival our main trio and have some deep personal beef with Shun, a new comrade to said trio... they never show up again. Shinji argues with Yuya for a bit and is gone forever. Roger is let to sit far and above everyone else, he gets his butt kicked by Reiji and is gone forever. Barret fleshes out Academia, could possibly be an anti-hero fighting for Serena and then he is gone forever before we knew him. Anyone else from Synchro just doesn't show up for the last third. We are introduced to Grace, Gloria, Ed and Kite and they all turn to Yuya's side at the same time in the one-cour half-arc. We finally reach Academia... there is BB, a one-and-done villain for five eps straight. There's bugs that have a loose thematic connection and are gone forever. There is Doktor who only did that bug shit before being banished. There's Yuri with the better killstreak and then there is Leo who is shown to have only been acting out of love, and has enough honor to remove Doktor's facehole. There are all these villains.. and their role is minimum or they are so far from the heroes they don't get to actually Do much before their upcoming defeats present them as weak-willed all along. Then we have fucking Zarc. Hitotsu Ni and all them memes. Basically He's a dragon dick. All along everything was his plan bwahaha except he couldn't see the individuality theme hitting so hard via Reira and Yuya teaming up with Ray. But who is Zarc? ... anyway, Zarc's duel is the biggest in the show (wait, is it? did it have more eps than BB?) but ho boy ho boy. His duel is shite. He just sits three 2v1s in a row without taking any form of damage, then slowly loses enough composure for an admittedly cool finisher, but, just. Eh. He encompasses the show's themes of individuality vs group via the group forcing him down a path of evil. He wallows in his past and his attempt to move forward via the creation of Pendulum and manipulation of his parts puts him in the same  shoes that society had back when he turned evil. Then he saw the value of true smiles while inside of a baby. The problem here is... we never saw the individual crumble. Zarc's biggest failure as a villain is, well, the duel actually, it's just terrible, but his other failure is that we don't see enough of him. He's a thematic concept, but a linchpin of it is him as an individual losing himself for the sake of entertainment. We never see who he was, which worked when he was in a rampage so we'd see him as a monster, but once Yuya is crying at hsi backstory, well, it just feels trite and lame. We cannot feel bad for Zarc, we never knew him, he might've been a huge asshole and that's why things escalated.A big problem with the show is its use of villains. There's just two types, the ones that get disposed of ridiculously quick and the ones that are master planners so far above the cast that they hardly actually interact (or even act) in the story, and whose defeats just end up as underwhelming. There's outliers here and there, but they're not interesting either and ultimately any payoff from the conflict they bring is either too small or not interesting enough. Zarc, the final villain, suffers from all those issues. Characters Reira is god-tier. She begins shy and meek, we instantly assume she is a Mokuba. She gets a few duels here and there but we don't see them, so she's a dueling Mokuba that's strong bc her bro's the strongest. There's something offputting of her, but we just don't see her enough. Then we enter Synchro and she's away from Reiji, she is panicking, stressed and quiet. Shinji gives her a donut and that seems okay, kids like sweets. Then comes Yuya thinking of defending her and the big stuff drops: a) she's not afraid of dueling, she's afraid of having to harm others with duels and thus doesn't want to decimate Shinji and put him in the apple factory. b) legit child soldier shit. JACK offers her advice because he sees his own sadness from when he was a child, Yuya also saw that in her, but ultimately Reiji is right: it's not pity what she needs, it's a drive to make her own choices. It's why not wanting to fight Shinji is so big. The show keeps going, and next she goes further and acts to Defend Serena, she helps her friends now via dueling, fighting her PTSD and it culminates in the last bit to her wanting to save everyone that she's willing to sacrifice herself to get Ray involved, even when her brother tells her that would not work. And she does, and at that point we get her maximum Individuality moment: she defied Reiji by bringing Ray, and she defies us by defining herself as a woman. "Fuck all of you, even the viewers, this is who I am" and she stands tall, she gives one last sacrifice because not even Ray is good enough and she seals Zarc away herself. Fucking badass. And her reward is just being a baby. It's interesting in that it means she will not have the traumatic past anymore, but it also seemingly means that Zarc will always be with her now and that the Reira we knew simply ceases to exist forever. For the character that I rooted on the most, that sucks, i want the characters I like to be happy and exist! Still, her journey is easily the best in the show. JACK ATLAS fits this show like a glove. "It doesn't matter how bad Arc V or 5D's get, JACK ATLAS will always be a good character." Him as King puts an interesting pressure, he pushes characters in interesting ways and is ultimately just an entertaining and good addition. Hiragi Yuzu, well, she was really good that first year! Her arc was great, how she knew more of Academia leading into her interactions with Serena, which ultimately motivate Serena, are pretty great. Her time with Yugo's fun, her role in the tournament is great. It is gross that she was a flagpole for Yuya to reach and kept being yanked away over and over again. After that beautiful motorcycle parry, she just feels wasted, and before that her interactions with the cast were direly limited. Serena was interesting, she only really existed for One season, but her role and relationship with the Lancers was fun while it lasted. I really wish they'd explored her dueling more. Ruri and Rin were waifus. Welp. Rest of the cast, just likeable, not used well enough, Gongenzaka hilariously has an ED where he is one of 3 characters on screen and during that ED's run he shows up less than ten times to interact with Yuya. Sawatari is my man, but yup, not much for him. Shun has an alright arc, not much feeling for him. His end is bonkers. Kite, Ed and Asuka just feel tacked on. They don't offer stuff that only they could, in fact you can fancast many other characters to fit their roles better, I personally would go with Shark, Misawa and Tyranno (maybe Asuka over Tyranno). Ed's duel with Yuya was pretty amazing, tho and I love it, but again, just feeling like you coulda slapped other characters in to better fit the roles they play out in AV. Yuri, he's a fun villain. I went on about the use of villains and why his Pro MLG Killstreak is kinda bad, but he was fun during it. The structure deck stuff was great. His finality is... "we don't have time, or ideas, to make him turn to good. Uhh, shonen shonen shonen, thematic thematic and shonen tropes." He just happened. Yugo, one of my boys. Love his fun attitude, love his blatant crush, his gags are great, he's just overall fun but it didn't feel like they went deep enough for him, specially with how the bug stuff ended. Yuto. That kid is a mess. There's a fairly easy to follow line for his attitude, but he switches as hard as Yuya does from egao, but whenever he is Actually Showing Up, he instantly does a switch in alignment. He doesn't feel consistent. He's messed up and actively ignores all his relationships except the one time he told Shun to trust Yuya. I feel there's an interesting, cowardly, character in there that we just don't get to see because he's more of a crutch to guide Yuya's hips over how his alignment shoul be in the current part of the story. Sakaki Yuya. Wiat, no, there's others i can talk about. Leo's a dummy. I don't mind him too much, but he is a super dummy. I love seeing Reiji get owned. Uh uhhh. fuck. Okay, so, Yuya. Not a great hero. I tolerate heroes that doubt themselves, I do, but jfc the kid changes minds far too often. And like I said, when he egaos right, it feels like he holds a magic gun. He's OP in dueling, therefore he gets nerfed via self-confidence because that's directly tied to his magic gun. That means he needs the help of others to regain confidence, these others include: Yusho, Yoko, Yuzu, Reiji, Jack Atlas and Reira. All yelling at him into his ear that he should believe in himself. Two of these are basically rivals, who should be sources of conflict, but instead they are major supporters of Yuya. The harshest conflict Yuya gets is himself. That's not that interesting when it's hardly himself who overcomes it, it's his massive support network getting through his thick skull. Over and over again. I like Yuya when he is confident. I don't like him when he's not. I hate him when he is becoming confident all over again since that means it's someone else pushing him.Cast is great. Reira is my favorite for very good storytelling happening with her. A lot feel wasted. The Core Conflict Badly paced, basically. Synchro Year feels wasted in retrospect, 50 eps to tell what 2 cours could, and Yuya isn't allowed to keep his development at all times for it. Leo is built up too much, and Zarc too little. It just feels like not enough build up, too much buildup and the villains getting shafted in both ways. There's a lot of exciting series of fights when years end, but it just doesn't pay off nearly as good as it promises. The Finale Confusing. But not intentionally so. We're not left to wonder what the world is, we are told by Leo what happened and we simply don't get to see it. It's not clear what happened to Zarc besides he smiled. Sad. But not intentionally so. Reira smiled, that means everything's good for her while the audience is sad that she's stuck as a baby. The Yugirls and Yubois are gone forever, but Shun accepted that and anyone that might miss Serena and Rin just aren't there, the people who see them are just shocked but never knew them. Shun is happy. Us, the audience, being sad isn't something being played with here. If Barret looked at an empty dorm room, then this would be a bittersweet ending. If the orphans started reading books Rin had marked, that'd be bittersweet. If Shun Showed Any Emotion That He Should Have Then That'd Be A Sad Ending. But it's not. Everyone accepts what happened with an egao. Us being sad isn't intentional, it is the show misinterpreting how we would react to 6 people fucking dying. Duel was alright kinda. Gates are bad. I love Yuya comboing into summon methods, but the gates don't do that, they just activate, use a monster in the grave and extra deck and summon a hybrid. That's not XYZ, that's not Synchro, that's kinda Fusion I guess. That's just not a combo into summon method,t hat's a cheap way to get any monster out. The final action duel race is a very neat concept. The duelists don't interact for the most part, feels like a waste. The pacing in it is also not great, stops too much. Catapult monsters fireworks is fun, I like that it's a final ATK manipulation because BUT YOU'LL STILL TAKE THE DAMAGE. Already talked about the worlds combining and NAC killing Serena in cold blood. Reiji is a terrible final opponent. Yugi vs Atem: Atem is the best duelist ever and is testing Yugi in a test of skills as those two have never fought and we still don't fully know Yugi's skills. Judai vs Yugi/Atem: Judai still needs to get his fun back, he loves fighting strong people and Yugi is The Strongest. Yusei vs Jack: those two have a lonstanding rivalry and the fight has futures at stake Yuma vs Astral: those two have never fought and relied on each other the whole time. Astral puts everyone's future on the line. These are all great back-and-forths, the opponent has an edge, the characters have chemistry and only Yusei vs Jack features rivals that have faced each other. Yuya vs Reiji... is Reiji sitting on his opening hand and denying Yuya's combos until he gets a big enough one. There's no real back and forth, Reiji is basically a rock. Those two have fought a bit, we return to their first fight place... like how the start of the arc also reused duel fields. Feels lazier than it does bookendy. Atem's goal is to see if Yugi is strong enough, and he's ready to stay with his friend if not. Yugi's goal is to beat down Judai's asshole and have fun. Jack's goal is to shatter Yusei's asshole so everyone can follow their dreams. Astral's goal is to have the greatest fight with Yuma ever. Reiji's goal is for Yuya to make his sister smile. Reiji blatantly and explicitly set this whole thing up for Yuya to win. He's loved Yuya's antics since forever, he supports him and he knows only Yuya can save everyone. While everyone else is like a karate master goign "lets talk with our fists!!", Reiji is more like a dad playing baseball with his kid and hoping loudly that the kid will bat the ball he's about to throw. And in doing so, the kid gets to the major leagues immediately.The duel's just not that interesting in setup, the plays are not well executed, the animation doesn't make the final action duel setpiece any justice, the resolution of conflict is confusing and relies on telling rather than showing and hoping the audience loves the themes enough and the fate of the yugirls and yubois is a grossly miss-communicated message. The Pro Test feels like an early concept since the pun is so good. I legit feel that Reiji's laugh suits Sawatari better. Imagine if his almost-mayor dad actually went "That Yuya duel was amazing!", Sawatari then laughing would be such a good way to end his character arc by accepting all that Yuya is. All in all? Disappointed. I like a lot of things, but the execution is ass. There's good bits, but as a whole the show falls apart. BB and Yuri, and Sergei and Yugo and Yuzu and Masumi and duel schools and fight club class and splatoon. So many good bits, but they do not flow well. They don't link to each other. They do not build up. The show fails to use its 3 year runtime. Disappointed.
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