Imagine You Are Akutagawa. You Wake Up A Blank Slate- Knowing Simply Your Name And Your Purpose: Protect

Dirty Laundry (Literally.)

So, as we know, Dreamworks put out the new screenshots for season 3 and I noticed something I hadn’t before and it’s something I noticed upon rewatching the trailer as well.

So, kids as we normally know them for a majority of the series:

Dirty, ratty, little teenagers who are fight for their lives, right? Well, now look at THIS. Specifically their clothes,:

They’re clean. SPOTLESS. Through season two, their clothes were dirty and so were they to an extent. The same thing in the trailer, there are scenes where they’re just CLEAN. Which has made my brain go brrr for a second, so stay with me here.

1) They could’ve found a facility with running water and were able to clean their clothes. Because those things are SPOTLESS and those are the only clothes they have as far as we know.

2) They were rescued and were able to get themselves and their clothes cleaned, and with this thought, it’ could explain why they were after the egg? Like, they got rescued and whoever it was wanted the egg possibly? Like a condition to their rescue or something? Not sure.

3) Now, it also raises the question of when this happens. If we take the raft scene I posted earlier, they’re dirty and ratty, right? So either that’s like I theorized in my Bumpy post and that’s the beginning of the season and they get clean later. OR, they get clean and just get dirty again, which is ALSO very much possible.

ALSO THIS LITERALLY JUST OCCURED TO ME AND I JUST NOTICED IT BUT IN THE HELICOPTER SHOT, BEN ISN’T THERE, BUT THEN THERE’S THIS SCENE:

BET, RIGHT NOW THAT THESE SCENES ARE CONSECUTIVE! The helicopter shot is first, where the fam is like being threatened or something, followed by Ben showing up to save them with Bumpy and a herd of Ankylos (which I’m betting they put her into when they planned to leave the island). The lighting and location is the same and it would make sense! BUT ONCE AGAIN NOTICE THE CLOTHES AND CONDITION. BEN IS STILL DIRTY WHEN IN THE KIDS IN THE HELICOPTER SHOT LOOK FAIRLY CLEAN STILL.

THIS IMPLIES THAT BEN DIDN’T GO WHEREVER THEY WENT TO, RIGHT? So, I think it’s possible that the Fam, minus Ben, was taken into some facility, by which I mean they were probably found and lowkey forced to go. Because if they have a helicopter, chances are they have soldiers and guns. I mean, it’s a dinosaur island, you’d obviously want those. So, those are already a bit of a red flag, plus after the whole thing with Mitch and Tiff, no way the kids are gonna trust that easily. So it’d make sense for them to have Ben stay behind in case something happened, which, clearly something did, so he comes in with the cavalry.

Once again, this is a terrible essay I’ve written for y’all. I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this and I hope you enjoyed it!

Yet Another Hollow Theory

Hi, yes, hello. I’m back on my dumbness today folks. ANOTHER HOLLOW THEORY BECAUSE SEASON 2 IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER AND I’M LOSING MY MARBLES!

SO, this is a theory I DID NOT come up with on my own, I had the help of the lovely @lunaria-gryfe​ to assist me with this. This theory is based on how they got back into the game this season.

Originally, we’d been thinking tournament style or it’s the “next level”, however, it’s referenced a few times in the trailer than something wasn’t right and that they felt they were  supposed to be there. So, this lead to a 6 hour long discussion (with some unplanned intermissions and tangents) about different theories. I started off with the idea that the code got to them and that they never actually woke up, that the ending was just the corrupted code messing with them. This was a maybe, so we explored how this was possible and discussed the way of how they entered the game.

They entered the game through those chairs or machines or whatever and it was making sense until Luna reminded me that Weirdy, whom we now call Chad because someone on Tumblr named him that and we loved it, didn’t use the chair thing. Which means, if he was getting in one way, they had to be getting in the same or a similar way. Which made my brain connect two things, the blue glowing screens that the kids look at, the ones they used to choose powers, and Chad’s (Weirdy’s) glasses. He never takes them off, which would make it easy for him to pop in and out of the game at his convenience. However, we didn’t think it was just the screens that was allowing them in, Luna and I thought, “Well, what about their memories and projecting their consciousness,” and some other things I can’t quite remember.

This lead to the theory of brain implants. Yes, I know I sound deranged and it makes no sense, but like, stick with me on this. If they’d gotten implants, it would make sense how the program was able to erase their memories and other things. Not to mention, that these implants most likely had some sort of access to their their nervous system, which would explain how they felt pain, heat, cold, and other sensations while being in a digital world, though these feelings were very much dulled down. Not to mention, the glitch in Vanessa’s eye could have been her implant. I guess you may be wondering, why’d it glitch? We’ll get to that in a moment.

The question is, how this comes into play with season two? A faulty implant. A broken one. Luna and I believe that something went wrong with one of the players implants and it affected everyone else while they were in the game. Which would be why Vanessa’s eye glitched. It was her implant becoming or being corrupted by the faulty one.

Whose implant, you may ask? Easy, it was Adams’. The reason I say this is Adam has definitely been a little more tired and unsteady than the other two. When he woke up, there was a high pitched sound and he seemed to have a headache. Nothing serious, right? Maybe, but the fact that the other two didn’t react the same way, just might say something about that. Luna then informed me of something I’d forgotten. During the Minotaur's labyrinth, Adam crashes into Mira and then struggles to get back up, dizzy and disoriented, but Mira’s just fine. Granted, this might be nothing, but it’s still something to consider.

Now, a big thing that’s been going around the fandom for a while now, a big question that’s been unanswered. Why was Dave so scared of Adam? His implant. Adam’s corrupted implant. Dave might have been able to sense it when he touched Adam or at least sense something was dreadfully wrong. Now, not to mention it was after that, that things started glitching out, after Dave touched Adam. Possibly that corrupted implant is was caused the code to go wacky and eat itself, because part of the game allowed the implant contact. Also, if it IS Adam’s implant that’s corrupted, that could possibly be another reason his reflection was reversed. Also, if his implant was corrupted, that might mean it wasn’t working correctly and which is why Adam put everything together so easily after seeing Dave glitch, because it was in the very back of his mind.That or he’s as smart as we think is, maybe both. This might also explain why Chad (Weirdy), was kicked out of the game and not the kids. Since he’s not always in the game or there as long as they were, the his implant might not have been affected, which is why he was forced out. 

Back to how this connects to season two. The kids are very confused and believe this isn’t supposed to be happening. They’re right, it isn’t. Adam’s implant most likely affected everyone else, causing them to become corrupted as well. Throughout the first season we see that the game has a pretty impressive AI, allowing the characters that were created have their own personalities and respond with ease, unlike an NPC. This means the game can almost run itself, meaning it could easily take over the implants in the players brains, causing them to go right back to The Hollow. This also explains the new worlds, the way Luna phrased is was, “Yeah and I think things keep breaking because of the implant. If it's only purpose is to react with The Hollow, then it would explain why things are happening. But it seems The Hollow has taken preventive measures in order to keep the game from crumbling. Instead it looks as if the game is creating more so it can't be destroyed” Now, my first thought was that was why the game chose to send them “home”, so they’d be comfortable and safe, however Luna made yet another wonderful point. “That's giving the game a lot of credit. If anything the programmers & artists make the settings and the game randomizes it.” This means that the game is just rolling along a course it’s planned, but now it’s trying to save itself at the same time. Also, if these kids did have implants, that would make the adults, especially their parents, not knowing about the Hollow even weirder. First off, the game took 5 hours, meaning the parents would have had to known where their children were for that whole time. However, we know that they’re all under the age of 18, meaning they’re all minors, which means that if they were to do this game and get these implants, they most likely needed parent permission. Which means, these parents had to have signed these forms for the kids to have participated, meaning they had to know about this.

Since this post is getting pretty long, I’ll try to make this last bit short and sweet. The last few things we need to tie up here and for this theory to possibly make sense. What about the two other teams? How come Chad (Weirdy) is in the game? What about the fears? Are you off your ROCKER, Space? The answers to these questions are ones Luna and I think make sense, but one we’re not so sure about.

The two other teams. My theory was that these kids either were playing a different game at the same time and somehow got corrupted too or played after the others and THEN got corrupted, Luna’s theory, which probably is better, is that these two new teams were about to play new game and our Season 1 buddies just got thrown in because of their implants. How is Weirdy in the game? Well, seeing as he most likely has an implant as well, that allows him to pop in and out of the game at will, he probably had it altered or hacked so not only could he get in, but use his powers to help the kids as much as he could. This would also explain his line at the end of the trailer. The fears also have two theories, but I’ll only use one because the others a stretch and this post is long enough. The main one we have is that the kids took a “survey” allowing the producers to know certain things so they could create task and challenges. The computer decided to use this in the game as a challenge or task. As for that last bit about me being crazy? Yes. I am and honestly, this post killed my last two braincells.

So, I’ll leave this post at that and I think I got all of our thoughts down. Feel free to leave your thoughts and criticisms for Luna and I! We’d love to see it, but try to keep it constructive, thanks!

Imagine you are Atsushi. You think you know a man. You think you see him for who he is- bleeding claws and all. You think that you are sure in his character and in his entirety. You think that after so many battles and so much death, there is nothing else for you to know.

You are wrong.

You think the two of you could not be more different or distant if you tried. You think that despite any change you may have brought, he is still someone you could never understand. You've come to terms with the idea that you both are simply two sides of the same coin.

You are wrong.

And it takes an unfeeling blade for you to finally learn how much so.

You learn that you only vaguely knew him- a shadow blurred across your vision. You learn his claws are not simply bloodied from pain caused but from pain given- from climbing a mountain insurmountable even to one as strong as him. You learn that you knew his surface but not his core- something no battle had ever taught you. There is so much you have yet to know.

So, you follow.

You learn the two of you are not so very different, the distance no more than a few steps. You learn that any change you brought in him was because, unknowingly, you were speaking a language that you didn't know he spoke right back. You learn that the hate that he held for you was born of a desire just as your own.

So, you follow.

And you learn that there was never a coin at all, just a mirror- a thing made of broken edges, bruised bones, and hateful words. And you learn there were never two sides, simply two caged and cornered animals staring back at the other- hearts bleeding and hands grasping.

Grasping for acknowledgment, for acceptance, for a reason, for permission, for someone to tell them they were finally enough.

You stare at the man in the mirror, a dark anger of a person- all sharp points and serrated defenses- and can see yourself in his eyes. Eyes that don't look at you the same way they used to.

You wonder: when he looks in this mirror, does he see the same?

You will simply have to ask him once you return.

Imagine you are Atsushi. You have seen the heart of a man. A man with whom you cannot accurately describe your relationship- no word seems precise enough nor powerful enough. You still don't fully understand him. He still confuses you, annoys you, and causes an itch you cannot seem to scratch.

But none of that matters because you have already decided he is worth sacrificing for. Because he is Ryuunosuke Akutagawa.

You have already made it to the door that- if done right -will guide you back to him, aided by the ghosts of his past and yours.

And so, you place your hands upon the entrance and push.

Poptart Thief

So, Nico Di Angelo’s fatal flaw is holding grudges and he WILL hold them till the end of time. So, like, imagine Will doing something so minor, but Nico won’t shut up about it because he’s bitter and petty.

Like, Will eats Nico’s Poptart and now this is their conversation:

Will: Hey, Nico?

Nico, reading a book: Yeah?

Will: Have you seen my shoes?

Nico, not looking up: I don’t know, have you seen my motherfucking Poptart?

Will: Are you actually-

Y’all know those Extra gum ads? Where that dude is flirting with the girl through gum wrappers? So in the spirit of Hawwoween, what if the guy was a creepy ass stalker? Like, he draws her sleeping in her room and shit.

Imagine you are Akutagawa. You have just watched the person you most consider your equal die. The only one who has ever stood up against you, the only one to truly stand beside you, and someone you would let stand behind you.

And he is gone. Turned to light and dust in the air. And you could not save him for all your power and strength.

And only now do you see everything.

The hate.

The anger.

The respect.

The love.

Only now do you see and feel and remember all that Atsushi Nakajima was to you. And it doesn't even matter because he is gone. He is gone, gone, gone. And he is gone because he wanted for you to stay.

Just as you wanted him to stay.

And you don't know how to feel because he is gone but he did it because he believed you, of all the mutts and monsters and strays, deserved to live.

Of all of the unwanted creatures in the world, you met the one you needed. Someone who you saw and who saw you. Who you would save and who would save you in turn. Because, now that your eyes are clear and unclouded and full of light- his light -you can see that you were wanted.

Both of you were.

Because were either of you truly unwanted, why would you die for him and he for you?

And it burns and it aches and it hurts because despite both of you wanting and wishing- you, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, are alone.

Because one stupid, foolish weretiger asked for you to live.

Because one idiotic, stubborn, wandering stray dog wanted for you to stay.

Imagine you are Akutagawa. You wake up a blank slate- knowing simply your name and your purpose: protect the princess. Protect the commoners. Those are your only thoughts. Your only duty.

And so you do.

You must slay the evil that threatens the princess. Slaughter it so that it never darkens her doorstep again. Destroy it so that no commoner must fear again. But what you find is not simply the evil, but someone else. He seems to recognize you, but you cannot. He calls to you, afraid- you don't listen. Who is he?

No matter. He is a commoner, which means he must be protected. That is all there is to it. All that matters is destroying the evil in front of you. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is your duty as a knight.

You clash with the evil, a blur of blades and power and sparks. You fight to protect and to serve and to succeed.

And then you fall. You don't quite know how, but you fall nonetheless. You are prone and bleeding and hurt. You are lifted into the air, pain and anger and the voices: Protect the Princess. Protect the commoners. Protect the Princess. Protect the commoners. But you cannot move. You cannot fight. You accept your fate as a knight should. That is all you can do.

A weight crashes into you, heavy and deliberate. You feel yourself fall again, but this time it's different. Because you see him. Arms outstretched. Arm. Arm outstretched. He saved you- protected you. He let himself hurt for you. Die for you. Why? Why would he do this? Who is he? What is he? Why?

Why?

Why?

"Consider us even. Away with you..." he smiles at you, turning to light. "...you fool."

And you remember.

And you remember.

And you scream because that is your partner, your other half, your fool. The man you found enough to hurt for. To die for. To protect because he is Atsushi Nakajima and that was reason enough.

And you remember.

And you scream.

Camp Half-Blood, but  with D&D

Okay, so I know I post way too much Nico content on here, but I had an incredible thought.

Nico pretty much plays the Riordon verse version of Magic: The Gathering, so I will now be under the impression that not only does Nico play Dungeons & Dragons, but he’s dragged most of the seven and others into it as well. I don’t know if Nico would DM or play, but if he did play he’d either be a edgy, murdering rogue or the complete opposite, a bard. He definitely makes Will play though.

Avatar, but LANGUAGES

     So, uh, this most likely, probably, definitely been brought up and discussed before. However, I don’t care and I’m bored, so, here we go anyways and I hope you can stay with me until the end.

     I was just vibing and had a thought pertaining to Avatar:The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra. Specifically the idea that because the show is always in one language, in my case English, we don’t seem to consider the fact that from a cultural and global stand point, all of the nations would have different native languages. Of course, I brought this up with my good friend, @lunaria-gryfe​ in Discord because I assumed they’d indulge my strange train of thought.

     Upon receiving the message, Luna responded with the fact that not only would there be different native languages, there would be several different dialects as well. Here is a small snippet from this conversation, please pardon any spelling errors I induced by having large thumbs while typing on my phone.

     We discussed different nations and the dialects and such, stating that, as seen above, the Water Tribes would have different dialects as they are fairly far enough apart. Which prompted Luna to state that the Earth Kingdom, with many rings, would have several dialects and accents within each one. Such as the Lower Ring having more informal language compared to the Upper Ring having more formal language based on upbringings and access to education. The next thing I asked was what were their thoughts on the Air Nations language and dialects. Luna, being smarter than me, assumed that because they were nomads, the Air Nation’s language would be a bit of a conglomeration of the other three nations languages along with some things of their own.

     Now, this inevitably led to the crackhead zone. By which I mean, we started using this idea of languages and dialects in context with the show because I stated that if it had been a thing, it’d would have been much more amusing whenever they went to a new nation. We both agreed that when it came to languages, Katara was an absolute hot mess, while Sokka was literally the greatest linguist of all time and easily became the Gaangs makeshift translator. (I made up that last bit myself, but whatever.) Another thing we agreed on was that Aang uses slang words from 100 years ago, that mean something entirely different now.

     Something important to know about me is that I have dumb thoughts and I may or may not have a total of three brain cells. With this knowledge, my three brain cells came up with something that elicited a strange, yet amusing conversation.

     It went on for a little bit longer as we found this scenario quite funny and I don’t know why, exactly. After a moment, it translated into Legend of Korra where Korra now knows different slang terms in different dialects and languages that she shouldn’t know because they’re like over a 1000 years old. Also, Republic city has it’s own language, very closely tied to the Air Nomad language. Anyhow, the only reasons she knows these slang words is because of her past lives, so when she’s saying this shit, combined with current and more modern slang, no one has a clue of what’s happening whatsoever, not even Korra. Luna decided that this was how everyone was dealing with the situation.

After this, our conversation derailed into snakes and how dumb and cute they are, courtesy of Luna. Hope you enjoyed YET ANOTHER ESSAY FROM ME. I’M SO SORRY FOR THIS. 

hi hello uh

I have a friend who I talk with (i know you're reading this, hi) and sometimes, on occasion, we have ideas and sometimes they are neat. This happened like an hour ago and I thought I'd share it as the more talented than I will do better things with it lmao.

We were talking about Earthspark- we do that A LOT -and how it's a shame there weren't more seasons because they DEFINITELY didn't make two worse seasons. We were also talking about the Allspark situation- the show's Schrodingers Cat, if you will -, asking each other what we thought and whatnot and my brain had a thought.

It would've been a neat part of the show or season if Nightshade- after talking to some of the Cybertronians and such, likely about Cybertron and the Allspark -started tinkering around, as they do. Little bits in each episode of them working and making this thing- little hints as to what it is.

Until we get an episode where they finally show it and it's something that can somehow be used to check on Cybertron and Optimus, Megs, Bee and Co. have to had a serious conversation about do they want this? If they DON'T use it, they can continue to live a beautiful lie where they can believe Cybertron is okay and all is well. Or they can face a potentially painful truth by learning their planet has perished. In the end, they decide that they just... need to know. Face whatever comes.

So, they use whatever this thing is (look logic and science is hard and I am dumb) and hope for the best. There's nothing for a while, probably. Until there's something.

A signal from Cybertron.

It's just a stupid silly idea that I had that I was like 'Wow! That'd be neat to write!" until I remember I'm not a fic writer and DO NOT trust myself to write characters that aren't mine properly.

So, uh, do with this what you will. I'm going go take a dirt nap.

I forgot I made this, now I'm cackling at 3 AM. Send help.

Poptart Thief

So, Nico Di Angelo’s fatal flaw is holding grudges and he WILL hold them till the end of time. So, like, imagine Will doing something so minor, but Nico won’t shut up about it because he’s bitter and petty.

Like, Will eats Nico’s Poptart and now this is their conversation:

Will: Hey, Nico?

Nico, reading a book: Yeah?

Will: Have you seen my shoes?

Nico, not looking up: I don’t know, have you seen my motherfucking Poptart?

Will: Are you actually-