#lmk crack motif

[imminent-danger-came]

Lofty crack 'theory‘ (?) idk, it‘s more along the lines of the

'I connected the dots!'

'You didn‘t connect shit' Meme

Everytime MK barely touches something and it falls apart? That's the good ol‘ Harbinger of chaos touch. Destruction is just woven into his very being and marks his every action.

(Like how he barely touched the pinball machine and it fell apart. And how the crate containing the weird vegetable babies opened up despite the fact that it shouldn’t have been possible with how heavily secured it was)

Also the way he accidentally alters the world around him ('summoning a scary monster forest through stress'- still one of my favorite things he‘s done tbh. He‘s just such a funny guy. My favorite little disaster.)

Of course- very possible that that this is just cartoon logic. But I think it‘s just a funny concept. XD

It's so hard because LMK is teetering on the edge of being SO tight. We just have to acknowledge a couple things from s1/s2 (the key, the 1x01 seal, LBD ''undoing the memories of the world) and then the show has a potential to go from a 9 in my book to an 11.

And like, here's what I mean.

So with 1x03 and the pinball machine you mentioned:

Sandy: "Uh, maybe a little more tape?"

Azure Lion: "All you had to do was wait. After this was over I was going to release Sun Wukong, help him see reason! That is now impossible! Not after what you've done!" Pigsy: "But...we can get him back right? Sandy: "We can fix it! Maybe we can find some magic tape!"

MK: "No no—I broke it. Part of being a hero is owning up to your mistakes."

MK: "Monkey King's a hero he wouldn't just-" Azure Lion: "You saw it with your own eyes! His betrayal his brutality—he took the only friends I had from me!"

Sandy: "There ain't nothing a bit of tape can't fix!" (And this is said in an episode titled "A Lifetime of Mistakes")

MK: "We can't fix everything. We just need to leave it a little better than we found it. As long as we stay true to that? We can deal with whatever comes next."

-

SO. LISTING ALL OF THAT TO SAY:

Destruction being woven into his being from s1 is just so plausible. But it's also like, I'm still not a 100% sure about it—but ALSO, the fucking "No no—I broke it. Part of being a hero is owning up to your mistakes." line is insane. Especially since it's after MK had just broken an object of value in half. Like, look:

SO I JUST DON'T KNOW MAN. Cartoon logic or narrative foreshadowing. I never know with this damn lego show

[guns-blazing]

the "did martlet use DT to become zenith?" masterpost

tl;dr: yes. this isn't even up for debate, i don't get why people doubt this, she used DT.

if i missed anything you find relevant lmk. i Will add it and Can credit you.

1. if she didn't use DT, it would either have to be integrity extract, which it can't be...

the integrity extract instantly cracked kanako's soul + kanako's soul is much stronger than martlet's = martlet would not have been standing after that injection. also "immediately going into a coma" and "becoming a superpowered beast able to withstand loads of blasts sourced straight from a human soul before melting" are two entirely different reactions to the serum, this doesn't make any sense.

not to mention, that's... not how the extract is (meant to) work (it doesn't work). ceroba was supposed to inject it into a boss monster, and then extract stuff from the boss monster, then inject said stuff into a regular monster to make them like a boss monster. so, was it the finished serum? no.

2. ...or it would have to be chujin's serum, which it can't be.

that serum doesn't exist. we know that serum doesn't exist because the person who making it is ceroba. and ceroba is trying to make it exist because it doesn't exist right now. this was the plot of the pacifist final boss. it isn't chujin's serum.

3. minor inconsistencies with the two DT-fueled monsters we see in undertale aren't enough to disprove she used DT, and aren't really that inconsistent

"it contradicts undertale's DT" is the main (and only...) evidence i see people bring up against martlet using DT. but it doesn't hold.

alphys injects fallen down monsters with DT. this strengthens them so much they come back from the brink of death, start walking around for a while, and then start melting. on the brink of death, undyne pulls herself together in a superpowered form, fueled only by determination, to stop you from wiping out everyone in the world. she starts melting to death when you bring her down to 0 hp.

martlet, doing quite fine, injects herself with DT, which strengthens herself into a superpowered form. this effect starts wearing off and she starts melting as you wear down her HP, and then her melting is rapidly accelerated at 0 HP until she turns to dust.

it isn't a perfect match for either but it's still pretty damn close. especially because we haven't actually seen a living monster get directly injected with pure DT; the amalgamates were injected while fallen down and undyne probably never got an injection. Probably.

i find zenith totally feasible with what we know of DT even if it doesn't perfectly match the two canon cases we've seen... it feels like a combination of those two.

this makes me feel like missed something, because this is the only point i've seen argued against her using DT, maybe i just dont get it? but i looked into it and can't find any reason this is contradictory. lets consider hypothetically, though. even if it is contradictory and the serum effects are a bit off compared to DT's effects... the serum being from chujin contradicts everything we know about his work and ceroba's work and a huge chunk of the ketsukane plot. comparing these two i'd pick DT any day

that was all the rebuttal evidence. now for the actual "why is this DT"

4. she uses a substance in a syringe to change her form, becomes super powerful, then starts melting

we know this stuff but LOOK. she started melting. she MELTED. i cannot stress ENOUGH how big of a sign that is for DT. absolutely nothing about the ketsukanes' work said anything about melting. you know what does? DT.

5. battle against a true hero is in retribution

probably the weakest evidence on this list, because i guess you could claim it's because they both melt to death at the end. but i find this doubles as pretty good evidence martlet used determination because her song uses a motif from undyne the undying's song who we know fought with determination.

her unused vengeance theme, final stand, also has a motif directly from "determination" which cant be used as real evidence because it's unused but 1. its a little interesting they used determination and 2. honestly im just including this so more people hear final stand

but throw the rest of this post away. because, most importantly...

6. what was the point of this cutscene

seriously explain why a cutscene showing martlet breaking into the true lab where the DT experiments are was important enough to interrupt her fight with if she didn't use DT. literally this cutscene is meant to prove she used DT. it makes zero sense for this not to be about the DT. why else would this be here. what else would she do there. she. stole. determination.

edit 7. can't believe i forgot this

Yeah um i dont actually know whats up with this. shes very clearly fine and not fallen down in this. "fallen down" means in a coma, and shes not in a coma now, and at the end of the fight she isnt in a coma either (she melts (again, something that we've only ever seen with DT)), but her flavor text and check text both say fallen down, so clearly that's extra significant here.

it could be... alphys injected DT into fallen down monsters, so this is like... paralleling... or maybe she's on deaths door... I DONT KNOW. but we've seen what happened when kanako fell down- she fell unconscious and wouldn't wake up. this isn't at all what happens to martlet. and this doesn't happen to her because she didnt get injected with integrity serum.

[the-blind-assassin-12]

WIP ask game: (I picked random numbers, so lmk if I need to specify something)

Numbers 2, 8 and 17. 😊

Hi! I hope you’re having a great weekend! Thanks so much for playing along!!

I went with Recall for these.

2: Post a line from your WIP with no context.

His voice cracked on the word, and you watched the daggers he’d been shooting from his eyes clatter to the ground as he shifted his focus to you.

8: What is your biggest challenge?

With this story? I think so far it’s been execution. I’ve had a very clear idea of what happens from start to finish in this story since I started writing it. And to some degree, I think it’s holding me back because I’m trying to write everything exactly as it is in my head and somewhere along the way I’m running into a wall. But I think I’m about to bust through it, so fingers crossed. 🤞🏻

17: Does your WIP have any themes or motifs?

It does! I would say the themes are memory, and the way that emotions become fused with memories, as well as love as a motivator. And the motifs are aster flowers, Reader’s necklace, and that photo in Jack’s file.

[notesofarichlycolorednight]

it’s taken me a while but here we are!! listened to bloodwater ballad [TUMBLR | SOUNDCLOUD] by @gerrydelano so I’m gonna dive (ha, dive, get it?) into some analysis even tho I haven’t taken a proper English class since AP English Lit in high school and the god complex it gave me has never left (RIP to everyone else, but I’m different). But I do have a degree in Psychology and am a Researcher, so I know how to dissect things (this is probably why the god complex never left lmao)

disclaimer: I have only listened to TMA through one (1), read it ONE time, so if you read something that seems wrong it probably is because my memory is not The Best (the seasons are 40 eps long and 30 mins each, Jonny why) and I’m probably straight-up not remembering or misremembering some aspect or detail about either a character and/or their relationship

(and before you say it, i absolutely CANNOT just go relisten to an ep out of order. my nd brain Will Not Let Me until i have listened thru all 4 seasons, In Order, several times)

ALSO: i speak very definitively here, but it doesn’t mean i’m right abt my analysis

bold and italics are lyrics, regular font is analysis. if there’s a more accessible way to format this, lmk!

analysis under cut

honesty that's what she gave to me mary didn’t hide who she was; eric knew exactly what he was getting himself into

into the water i bleed into the sea sea motif/metaphor to describe how eric viewed his relationship with mary

truthfully even when she lied through her teeth it only meant she trusted me to lay at her feet rationalization from eric: he knows she’s lying, and she probably knows he knows. but she also knows that he won’t do anything about it

oh, heave-ho it's over the edge i sink more of the sea metaphor in pieces in ribbons in tatters i'm thrown into the dark of the drink ribbons and tatters: reminiscent/hint of mary needing a piece of his skint to keep his ghost in the leitner

oh, heave-ho it's over the edge i go blow the man down, he's a jewel for your crown (blow me down) and no one will ever know ”jewel for your crown”: suggestive of how mary used eric like an object. jewel and crown suggests that he was useful to her in an important way, tho, still an object ”no one will ever know”: suggestive that no one else, looking in on their relationship, would even see it for what it truly was, nor would they ever expect mary to throw him away so casually like she did

war, you see is somewhere you go just to bleed the end of a book you can’t read (books you cannot read) a legacy’s greed “book you can’t read”: suggestive of mary’s relationship with leitners ”a legacy’s greed”: commentary of leitner; bc this is eric telling his story tho, this could also be about how mary pulled eric into her plots regarding leitners, and then gerry

distantly, familiar hope came to me that even with blood in our teeth my son stayed asleep ”even with blood in our teeth”: eric knows what role he had to play in all this and is not absolving himself of blame ”my son stayed asleep”: often sleeping can be used as a metaphor for ignorance. in this case, eric is hoping that, despite what gerry’s mother is and what eric has been complicit in, will not affect his son i think it’s interesting to note here that the backup voices cut out for “my son stayed asleep” (put a pin in it)

oh, heave-ho the ship is my body, i gave to my wife as the captain, the whip, and the brine, the shark lurking under the waves more of the sea metaphor; also a metaphor for how complicit eric was to mary’s will i think it’s super interesting that she’s the captain, whip, brine, and shark in this metaphor. all things that can hurt eric, as the ship. suggests that mary is in complete control of eric (as the captain). also adds to the notion that eric knew exactly who mary was and still loved her anyway (”i gave”).

oh, heave-ho the ship is my body, she cracks the mast of my spine, spills my blood as her wine (lightning strikes and) i really like this line bc it makes me think of the marriage lines in corpse bride: “your cup will never empty, for i will be your wine.” and i love that it’s turned on its head here. cuts a flag from the skin off my back (takes all the skin off my back) a direct callback to the fact that mary has to take strips of eric’s skin to keep his ghost in the leitner book, while also staying with the metaphor that eric is a ship out at sea

way, ay, i wanted to say though blinded i still saw the light at the end of the hall, in a crib with his eyes almost grayer than mine in the night direct callback to eric blinding himself, twice! also represents how much he loves his son: “light of my life” is a common saying and gerry was that for eric

i gave up the sight of his face for his life and i would have lost more for the same i'd cut out my heart to save his from her bite and i almost don't know who to blame again, direct callback to him blinding himself so he could escape the institute a demonstration of how much love he holds for his son, willing to give up more and more of himself if it meant keeping his son safe heart motif! both for eric and gerry i really like the last line here bc he’s saying he doesn’t know who to blame for his blindness (aka cutting out his heart): himself or mary. bc, as i’ve stated before, eric knows who mary is. and he still loves her. still had a child with her. i also think it’s foreshadowing. and the reason i say this is bc, in the end, eric was unable to save gerry from mary. this song is representative of his statement to gertrude, so at this point, he’s a ghost. tho he may not know exactly what mary has done, he knows who she is enough to know that after he died, mary would raise gerry in her likeness, with her ideals

is it a murder if i made my bed by her side when i knew what she was? and here we have eric, most nearly explicitly, stating that he knew mary’s true colors. and loved her anyway. perhaps i'm complicit; i fell asleep first in the bloodcutting comfort of jaws this also solidifies his stance that he should shoulder some of the blame for allowing himself to love her when he knew what a truly terrible and deadly (literally) person she was ”bloodcutting comfort of jaws” is also really nice alliteration

forgive me, forgive me, i did try to swim with my hands and feet bound to my heart heart motif! okay so this one has so many layers for me: so, for all intents and purposes here, eric has effectively cut out his heart, which his hands and feet are bound to, and is now in the jaws of a shark (mary), who is dragging him down to kill him. he tried to save his son by getting away from the institute by blinding himself but it didn’t work weighted and anchored with love for my son who by birthright deserves more than scars legit, this confused me for a bit bc i always saw “with my hands and feet bound to my heart” as the anchor that pulled him down, as you’d weigh someone down with big rocks if you wanted them to drown. however, in the context of tma, i realized anchor could also mean the way martin is jon’s anchor. eric’s love for gerry was his reason--the person who he kept fighting for as best he could

additional note: these 4 verses are all sung without backup voices. i think it’s interesting that the lyrics/verses that revolve around wanting to save his son, and that are about his son, are sung with his singular voice. i wish i could articulate more what that means, but despite my best efforts, i’m not musically inclined even tho i’ll kinda be talking abt music composition for firesorrow girl lmao. link at the end

my eulogy the carpet red under my feet like standing on top of the sea (standing on the sea) the frenzy beneath don’t ask me why but i really like how this last part of the song starts with “my eulogy” bc you can tell the song is coming to a close now by that lyric. what’s really nice is i can “picture” eric closing his statement with gertrude with the request that she finds his son more sea and shark metaphors

infamy how do you remember me? that fool just so desperate to leave that he couldn't see? i also really loved these lines bc eric most likely knows how gertrude thought of him, and can probably sense how she feels of him now, after his story then i love how “couldn’t see” has a double-meaning here: 1) of course, he blinded himself but, 2) that he was also metaphorically blind to what kind of consequences his actions had, both on him and his son

oh, heave-ho a dead man has only one tale listen,,, i know i keep saying this, but i love how ron turns turn-of-phrases on their heads. bc “dead men tell no tales” right? eric has one tale, tho: his statement bc he’s a ghost who’s been bound this book and kept, for all intents and purpose, alive i knew she had hunger for blood in the water and that means it was no betrayal again, confirmation that eric knows that he has to shoulder some of the blame for the consequences of knowing who mary was (this bloodthirsty shark) and still loving her anyway

oh, heave-ho though, i have one request of you now if my son can be found and his own hands unbound (find my son) cut the rope - don't you dare let him drown (don’t you dare be the reason he drowns) so a throwback to “hands and feet bound to my heart” tho perhaps gerry’s heart isn’t what’s dragging him down, necessarily bc he was raised by mary, he didn’t have a choice. the moment he was born, he was tied to her. and the moment mary killed eric, there was no chance he could get away and then, of course, the gut-puncher: “don’t you dare let him drown”/“don’t your dare be the reason he drowns” are especially poignant, given gertrude uses gerry much in the same way mary did. gerry becomes bound to a different entity and is used for gertrude’s gain. so he drowns anyway.

--

alkjdlf i hope this is semi-coherent. i tried to do it more “professionally”--i even thought abt breaking it up and putting it back together, out of order, to address all the themes and motifs all in one spot--but then decided what would be best for my brain, was to listen to the song and just add my thoughts in as they came, stream of consciousness style *finger guns*

firesorrow girl analysis | meme i made for these analyses bc it’s funny and i wanted to share

[imminent-danger-came]

Turning Around Motif

(1x00 A Hero is born)

-

(2x05 Minor Scale)

-

(2x10 This is the End!)

-

(3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

-

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

(4x06 Show Me the Monster)

-

(4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

-

[imminent-danger-came]

2x03 and 4x03

Mei: “If I know the Monkie King, which I don’t, his lesson isn’t going to be as simple as just hearing, it’s some sort of twist. Maaaayybbee, it’s about listening good! You know?”

MK: “Isn’t that the same thing?”

(2x03 Pig Pong Panic)

-

Azure Lion: “If your bonds of friendship are as strong as you say, then you will always find your way back to one another.”

MK: “Alright! Find our friends, beat the curse, and get back to the good old fashioned story of the week!”

MK: “But where to start...”

Mei: “You’re a big brained boy when it comes to the legend stuff, got any idea of what chapter the JourNeY to the WeeSt we’re in?”

MK: “Uhhh I kinda just skip to the parts with Monkie King in them, but it’s fine, everything will be fine!”

Guard: “Did ya hear?”

(4x03 The Great Tang Man)

-

Not gonna lie gamers. I don’t exactly know what this one is trying to say. Like, it has to do with MK’s lovely ‘smartie kid’ arc (which tbh starts all the way in 1x10, I need to write a meta for it some time), BUT LISTENING?? HEARING??? AN “IF” STATEMENT??? MK’s “hand out” position and “finger on chin” position are swapped chronologically, not to mention they’re mirrored, and we all know how I feel about that.

I’ll put the scene (and lowkey a mini-meta) under a readmore, but during Pigsy and MK’s climatic ping pong fight this happens:

Mei: “You have to truly learn to listen”

Tang: “His hunger for the win! It’s insatiable.”

Pigsy: “I won’t stop.

“I can’t stop.”

“I’ll NEVER STOP!”

MK: *Gasp!*

“That’s what Monkie King meant!

MK: “Not just super hearing, but actually listening to what people are saying! I have to listen!”

LIKE. WHY SHOW THOSE SCENES.

Originally, I had assumed that this scene was for the shonen anime joke—this ping pong game is already so over the top, and having the hero make a climatic realization during it works super well. I think it’s hilarious every time I watch 2x03.

However, referencing 2x03 in 4x03 has made me totally reconsider the validity of this scene for like, character progression.

MK is of course terrible at listening. He assumes double meanings and doesn’t truly “listen” to what people say, just what he chooses to hear. I think 3x03 “Smartie Kid” has a great example of this:

MK: “Meeiiii, Monkie King needs to recharge after his fight with Ne Zha! He’s in no state to waste his time on mere mortals—especially now that I don’t have my powers.”

Pigsy: “Woah. He told you that?”

Obviously, Sun Wukong didn’t actually tell MK that. MK has seriously low self-esteem, and that seeps into how he interacts with others.

So, when MK hears “If your bonds of friendship are as strong as you say, then you will always find your way back to one another”, he assumes that means getting back to his “monster of the week” adventures, but it doesn’t. He’s permanently changed (4x07 hahahahahaha), and as we all know, part of the Hero’s Journey is the hero never returning home (*cough cough* 4x01 “But maybe this is the point in our hero’s journey where things get a little bit, darker. *cough cough*).

It’s definitely all tied together, but I’m not sure I grasp it entirely yet.

And then there’s the scenes from 1x09 and 1x10, which sure do imply...something. Currently I’m thinking the line “Ah, ya did it bud, you remembered what I told you” has everything to do with it, and everyone’s little speech about being MK’s team. They’re both scenes where MK truly listened to the people around him, which is a rarity around these parts.

And, you know what was another instance where MK truly listened?

[angstandhappiness]

Interesting to consider ...

Unhinged Anon again, and thank you for the meme! I love that you went through the extra effort to add Macaque's jacked-up eye lol.  

But also, your response has me straying ever closer to the brink of insanity, because now I can’t stop thinking about how MK and Macaque in S2E7 kind of parallel Azure and MK in S4E13-14.

It’s not a perfect parallel, of course, but… 

A character who really, really wants to be a hero and help others ends up isolating themself from the people who care about them most and hurting/endangering those dearest to them, as well as the world in general, as they pursue more power (MK in S2E6-7, Azure in S4E12-14). A ‘hero’ who doesn’t realize their slowly becoming someone that, if they were to look at themselves from the outside, they would never call a hero. 

Another character, who is technically their enemy but doesn't really want the ‘hero’ to go down a self-destructive path and sees their genuine desire to do good, throwing every ounce of flawed reasoning and self reassurance the ‘hero’ has ever tried to use right back in their face. Pointing out every hypocrisy, every step taken towards becoming something, everything, the ‘hero’ doesn’t want to be. 

A ‘hero’ getting a reality check in the form of an ass beating from someone significantly stronger than them while said stronger being points out the mistakes the ‘hero’ doesn't realize they’re making. And this ass beating happens while the ‘hero’ is completely separated from their friends, alone with nobody but their enemy. *slowly rotates “It’s scary being alone” around in my head*

“In the darkness, the Warrior was forgotten by the Hero''. All of the isolating MK does in S2E6-7, unintentionally leaving his friends alone and vulnerable to the kidnapping vs S4E13 Azure nearly hitting Yellowtusk with the scroll while attacking MK and SWK. Bonus points for the snack area MK goes to having much better lighting and being above the theater where he leaves his friends, and Azure being well lit from his place high in the sky while Yellowtusk is on the ground and shaded by the forest. Bonus bonus points for an ‘enemy’ being the one to save the ‘hero’s friends, not the ‘hero’ himself. Macaque’s the one that broke the lamp and Tang had to shield Yellowtusk from Azure’s barrage. 

And don't even get me started on how Wukong fits into all this.

Anyways, something something “The second the hero got real power, he couldn’t care less about his friends. That’s you bud” something something “Come on, Unkie Lion. You’re the big hero, right? Then prove it” something something the parallels between MK and Macaque are driving me insane, and I’m starting to realize that Shadow Play might be my favorite S2 episode. Anyways, hope you’re having a wonderful day! *waves from the precipice of madness*

DELICIOUS ANALYSIS THANK YOU UNHINGED ANON. Always a pleasure to see you here in my ask box!

So with Tang being the one to save Yellowtusk in 4x13 and Macaque being the one to save Mei, Pigsy, and Tang in 2x07, there's also the Lady Bone Demon being the one to save Macaque from death—rather than Wukong, whose whole motivation for power was to protect the people he cares about. The delicious irony.

We can even take this another step further and point to the Embrace Your Destiny special, where Wukong leaves MK and then gets possessed. Possessed Wukong then hurts MK and Macaque is the one who has to save him. Look at this parallel here for more fun!

[angstandhappiness]

Intriguing

2x03 and 4x03

Mei: “If I know the Monkie King, which I don’t, his lesson isn’t going to be as simple as just hearing, it’s some sort of twist. Maaaayybbee, it’s about listening good! You know?”

MK: “Isn’t that the same thing?”

(2x03 Pig Pong Panic)

-

Azure Lion: “If your bonds of friendship are as strong as you say, then you will always find your way back to one another.”

MK: “Alright! Find our friends, beat the curse, and get back to the good old fashioned story of the week!”

MK: “But where to start…”

Mei: “You’re a big brained boy when it comes to the legend stuff, got any idea of what chapter the JourNeY to the WeeSt we’re in?”

MK: “Uhhh I kinda just skip to the parts with Monkie King in them, but it’s fine, everything will be fine!”

Guard: “Did ya hear?”

(4x03 The Great Tang Man)

-

Not gonna lie gamers. I don’t exactly know what this one is trying to say. Like, it has to do with MK’s lovely ‘smartie kid’ arc (which tbh starts all the way in 1x10, I need to write a meta for it some time), BUT LISTENING?? HEARING??? AN “IF” STATEMENT??? MK’s “hand out” position and “finger on chin” position are swapped chronologically, not to mention they’re mirrored, and we all know how I feel about that.

I’ll put the scene (and lowkey a mini-meta) under a readmore, but during Pigsy and MK’s climatic ping pong fight this happens:

Keep reading