#WE CAN MAKE OURSELVES FORGET SHIT. BUT WE CAN'T MAKE OURSELVES REMEMBER IF WE DON'T REMEMBER WE FORGOT

[fuckingshutup]

...WE SHOULD. REALLY TRY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR DOGSHIT MEMORY PROBLEMS

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

Me: don't make Charlie's habit of twirling / spinning Vaggie into a THiNG it can just be CUTE with no other headcanons behind it-

also me: what if Vaggie always loved dancing but took being an exorcist very seriously bc of the whole "learned to trust people on the battlefield" thing so the only time she felt she had an excuse for dancing with a partner was when she called it "training" or "unarmed sparing" and goaded Lute into doing it with her (Lute being Adam's second and Vaggie one of his best girls) (what, is Lute scared of not being able to keep up with her-?)

Lute: "This, is stupid."

Vaggie: "It's just like sparring."

Lute: "Then why can't I use a sword."

Vaggie: "The point is learning to read your opponent's body and move with it. A weapon only gets in the way."

Lute: "Or maybe you know which on of us would win in a real fight."

Vaggie: "OR maybe it's nice to practice WITHOUT someone losing feathers over it."

Lute: "Only losers lose feathers. If they don't like it they should start WINNING."

Vaggie: "Just put your fucking hand on my waist and do a box step."

Lute: "A what? Put my hand- where!?"

Vaggie: "Forget it. We'll dance like we're in a damn period piece ballroom scene. You can at least survive spinning me, right?"

Lute: "SPIN you?"

Vaggie: "Just hold up your hand and-"

Lute: "We look dumb enough as is! I'm not making myself look SILLY just so you can do a stupid spin."

Vaggie: "Fine."

Lute: "You need to watch yourself. Exorcist are heaven's first line of defense- we are the divine blades guarding the pearly gates. We need to keep ourselves sharp, focused- If you slip even once-"

Vaggie: "I said fine! I get it! Alright? God let's just, let's just get this over with..."

And then she's in hell, a year or so after Lute grabbed her wrist and pulled her eye-first onto a sword instead of a dance,

and it turns out the princess of hell is an eager and willing dancer, even if she's maybe not the most graceful or easy to follow- but it's the kind of challenge Vaggie loves-

(and not the only thing Vaggie loves)

-especially when Charlie's the one who cleared out a space, put on a playlist, and waved her into the middle of the room so they could laugh and bow / curtsy before making tracks across the carpet-

all of this, even though Charlie's still rusty at dancing, never was into it other much other than as another way to flail around to a beat, and here she is now, seriously trying to remember or learn all the different steps Vaggie shows her

this time it's a waltz

Vaggie's been avoiding waltzes. And sure enough she finds herself spacing out in the middle of it, coming back to the excited sound of Charlie's voice

Charlie: "I think we're doing it!"

Vaggie: "...hm?"

Charlie: "The waltz! It's been ages but, this is about right, right?"

Vaggie: "Oh uh, yeah. You've got it. Told you you would."

Charlie: (laughing) "And I told YOU if we made it through this it'd be because you're so good at making ME look like a good dancer! Even when my hooves keep snagging on the carpet... Even when you're a million miles away."

Vaggie: "Shit. Sorry."

Charlie: "No it's fine! Good practice for me leading!" (leading them onto a new patch of floor) "So! A lot on your mind?"

Vaggie: "Just remembered something, is all."

Charlie: "Waltz related?"

Vaggie: "I wouldn't compare this with that."

Charlie: "Aww, shoot." (pouts) "Well give me a few months and I'll get there."

Vaggie: (chuckling) "Charlie, you're already WAY past the last dance partner I had."

Charlie: "Wow. That bad huh?"

Vaggie: "What'd I just say about you and dancing?"

Charlie: "That at least I'm not totally the absolute worst ever?"

Vaggie: "Yeah no. Try again."

Charlie: (grinning) "I'm better than they were."

Vaggie: "You sure are. Actually trying counts for a lot, honestly."

Charlie: "You make trying things a lot easier." (hoof catches) (stumbles) (vaggie steadies her) "Case in point!"

Vaggie: "We really gotta remember to roll up the carpet next time."

Charlie: "Orrrr you'll just have to go on catching me!"

Vaggie: "I'll do that with or without the carpet."

Charlie: "Right!" (face hot) "Er so, were they clumsy too? Lacking in the whole smooth moves department?" (blushes MORE)

Vaggie: "The moves were fine, the ego got in the way a bit."

Charlie: "Ego?"

Vaggie: (sighs) (rolls eye) "Apparently twirling me would've looked too silly."

Charlie: "Wh- Twirling you?"

Vaggie: "Spinning. Whatever. They cared about that a lot and- I know I know- it's a dumb thing to still be hung up on."

Charlie: "Well I'd be honored to look silly with you!"

Vaggie: (laughing) "Okay?"

Charlie: "Can I spin you?"

Vaggie: "You really don't have to."

Charlie: "So we can do it on three? One. Two-"

Vaggie: "Really it's- watch out, table at 3 O'clock-"

Charlie: "-Wheeeeee~!"

Vaggie: "WHOA- that-" (breathless) "Now THAT was a spin."

Charlie: "Eheheh. Whoops?"

Vaggie: "Oh no, no whoopsing your way out of this one, I'm gonna need to inflict some payback spinning of my own." (grins)

Charlie: "Uh I'm kinda tall for-"

Vaggie: "You ever been lifted?"

Charlie: "I mean when I was a kid sure, but I'm like a foot taller than-"

Vaggie: "On three. One."

Charlie: "-Vaggie you come up to maybe my shoulder-"

Vaggie: "Two."

Charlie: "-not that you can't do anything you set your mind to, obviously! I'm just not sure how-"

Vaggie: "Three."

Charlie: "Hwha- OH!" (gleeful) (laughing) "Ohhh my gosh-!"

Vaggie: (smug) "There's more than one way to twirl a girl across the floor."

Charlie: "Spinning WHILE lifting!?"

Vaggie: "Fun right?"

Charlie: "SO MUCH FUN! Can we do it again!?"

Vaggie: "Sure-"

Charlie: "Ooh ohh can I do it to you too? Can we take turns??"

Vaggie: "Not worried about looking silly, huh?"

Charlie: "No! Why would-" (stops)

Charlie: (stops their dance)

Charlie: "Vaggie, I.... I really don't know why anyone wouldn't want to be silly with you. Or how it could ever be more important than seeing you happy like this."

Vaggie: "...Not everyone's like you, sweetie."

Charlie: "Or maybe everyone just needs to actually see you for once."

Vaggie: "I'd rather just stick to you for now. If, that's okay?"

Charlie: "Always."

(dance resumes, much slower, much closer)

Charlie: "It's, it's okay to miss people too, you know. I know, I mean. How much that sucks. If you, want to talk about...?"

Vaggie: "No. Thanks."

Charlie: "You're missing them though, huh?"

Vaggie: "It's not that. It's just, weird how much things change."

Charlie: "Like dance partners."

Vaggie: "Like your reasons for dancing with them."

Charlie: "....Oh."

(do they kiss???) (i have no idea) (maybe Vaggie just relaxes and rests her head over Charlie's heart) (maybe Charlie tries her best not to think about how hard it's beating)

(maybe somewhere up in heaven, an exorcist with a sword does a box step while training, slips, and slices her target in half in fury when she realizes it)

maybe Vaggie always loved dancing but had to end up in hell before finally getting to dance the way she always wanted to

or maybe

it feels like Vaggie never danced at all, until she had Charlie to share it with

[starnightlover]

7 DAY MIRACLE MAKER CHALLENGE

Hello loves, this is a challenge where we get our shit! Please join me in this challenge if you want to manifest your desires in 7 days or less!!! This is a challenge for my affirming girlies! This is something I have been doing for two weeks and have been seeing manifestations fly in! So c'mon I'll show you what to do and we will do this 7 day challenge together!!!

I Decide what you want to manifest and create an affirmation

For example, I want to have long black hair, my affirmation will be something like "I have long black hair"

II Set an alarm for every 45 minutes to remind yourself to affirm

Doesn't matter what app you use to set reminders, you can use any app with an alarm! Just label it so you know it is for your affirming session

III Affirm 40x

Each time your reminder goes off, repeat that affs 40x {out loud or in your head} Say the affs as natural as you can so they feel like you are just talking but if you can't robotic affs also work! Persisting is key here!!

IV That is really it, but here's some advise

Don't give up as soon as it gets repetitive, seriously this is a challenge about repeating affs a lot! I promise you it will be worth it when you wake up with your dream life, enter the void, or get that sp or anything else you are using this for!! This is a judgement free zone go bat shit crazy and get the most illogical desires you want! You can manifest anything, so seriously if you manifest a fucking feathers sprouting out of your ass with this challenge I will be so happy for you!

Don't forget that we are saying these affirmations to remind ourselves of what we already have and to saturate our minds!

Have fun with it! Vaunt with your affirmations if needed, write them down if you need, or hell seriously scream at the top of your lungs if needed!!! Make it fun and enjoy the process!!

I don't want to hear any excuses, no circumstances, or any limiting beliefs, you got this, be determined and fully dive into this!!! Persist and remember you already got you shit loves!!!!

[noirsfantasy]

𝕽𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖋 𝕯𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖗𝖊 | 𝖕𝖙. 2

𝔭𝔞𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤 ➛ Jonathan Majors as Dame Anderson x Black!Plus-sized Reader

𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 ➛ Smut

𝔣𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔪 ➛ Creed

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱 ➛4.2k

𝔰𝔶𝔫𝔬𝔭𝔰𝔦𝔰 ➛After not hearing from Adonis for a week, you realize that, maybe it really was just a fling. So, you decide to get your mind off of him. And the one who just so happens to be there is Dame…

𝔞/𝔫 ➛Y'all thought the first one was wild? Well, get ready for this next one, hehe.

𝔱𝔞𝔤𝔰 ➛ @cardi-bre91

I'm out with my girls on a Saturday night, turning up in a club. I was thrown ass on my girl, Ari, and my other girl, Liyah, is recording and hyping us up. We're all tipsy, enjoying ourselves as the music bumps loudly in the background. I don't usually go clubbing, but when I do, it's to get my mind off of something. And tonight I wanted to forget about my disappointment with men.

See, I'd recently been hooking up with this guy, Adonis Creed. He's a famous boxer, but that wasn't why I was interested in him. I truly enjoyed being around him. He gave me a touch of passion that made my body quiver. But all good things come to an end, don't they?

Enough about that. Tonight is all about getting drunk and forgetting about all my troubles. As I sway my hips against my friend, giggling as we dance the night away, I feel eyes on me. Men are staring, their gazes burning with desire. I smirk and ignore them, but I do enjoy feeling wanted. Under the glow of the neon lights, I dance the night away, as Liyah and Ari cheer me on.

Taking a break, we make our way back to our table, giggling and carefree.

"I can't believe you can move like that in that dress, girl." Liyah chuckles as she slides into the booth. I laugh as I slide in after Ari, laying my head on the table.

"Girl, ion even know, but that shit was movin'!" I reply.

"You shoulda seen all the guys you had drooling over you." Ari adds and I shake my head.

"Hey, I'm tryna get my mind off of guys tonight, remember?" I remind them and Liyah rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, we know." She takes the bottle from our table and downs the rest of it.

"Liyah, seriously?" Ari asks disapprovingly.

"What, girl? There was barely any left." Liyah raises her hands in defense. I giggle and stand up, a bit tipsy but still able to function.

"Chill out, I'll go get us some more drinks." I say, sliding out of the booth. "Be back before you know it."

"How 'bout I get you ladies another round?" I hear a deep, sexy voice rumble from behind me. As I turn around to see who it is, I come face to face with a tall, handsome man looking down at me with interest. I recognize him as the current heavyweight champion, Dame Anderson. I know he and Donnie had a bit of a falling out and that they were preparing for a title fight. I'd only ever heard about him through media, but we've never actually met. So I have no idea what he's doing here, talking to me.

"Holy shit, is that Damian Anderson?" Ari slurs in surprise and he smirks at her.

"The one and only, but y'all beautiful ladies can call me Dame." He winks at them and then his eyes shifts back to me. I have to stop myself from biting my lip at the sight of him. He's a total stud— ruggedly handsome with an intense gaze and a muscular frame. My friends look at me with anticipation, sensing the attraction between us.

"That's very kind of you, Dame," I purr, looking up into his eyes daringly. "But we can't have you paying for our drinks all night. We might end up owing you in return." Damian cracks a lopsided grin.

"That' doesn't sound all that bad to me." he says, leaning in a little closer, talking over the music. The scent of his cologne wafts over me as he continues to speak. "I'm pretty sure there are plenty of ways you could pay me back." He says, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh yeah? How?" I ask with a bit of challenge, stepping closer to him. My friends giggle girlishly as they watch. A confident, yet sly grin spreads across Dame's face as he leans in to whisper a low, suggestive response in my ear.

"How 'bout a dance?" As he pulls back, his eyes linger on me for a moment longer before he glances at my friends and looks back at me. "Whaddaya say, sweetheart?"

"Sure, why not." I respond, not having to give it much thought as I move past him, towards the bar. "And it's Y/n, by the way." I correct him, looking him up and down. A flicker of surprise crosses his eyes as he bites his lip, turning to follow me.

"Y/n," He repeats, testing out the sound of my name on his tongue. Although, something about the look in his eyes says that he already knew what my name was. After we stop by the bar and order a round for my table, we head out to the dance floor, the bass from the speakers vibrating through the room.

As we get to the dancefloor, Dame pulls me close to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. Mine instinctively wrap around his neck and our bodies move in sync to the music. Our bodies mold together perfectly, his hard planes against my soft curves. As we dance, he whispers in my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck.

"You know, you really caught my eye earlier, Y/n."

"Is that so?" I ask, gazing up at him as I grind my hips against his, causing a low groan to escape from him.

"Yeah, you did." Damian replies as his arms tighten around me for a moment before relaxing again. "I know you was fuckin' with Donnie. you've been on my radar." He smirks, leaning in a bit closer. I raise an eyebrow at him, somehow not surprised he's known about me.

"So what? You just been stalking me?" I inquire, causing Dame to chuckle at my response.

"Nah, just keeping an eye on who's eyeing my rival." He says, his eyes not leaving mine. "I had to know for myself what the fuss was about." I roll my eyes and turn away from him, feeling him press against my back as his hands migrate to my hips.

"It ain't like I'm his girl or anything," I say as I grind my body against his, feeling his grip on my hips tighten. His eyes follow the movement of my body, appreciating the way my curves fit against him.

"Good. Cuz I ain't really the sharing type" Damian smirks down at me.

"So, you only want me cuz he had me at some point?" I turn in his arms and he pulls me in closer.

"Oh, there's plenty of reasons why I'd want you, sweetheart." His eyes trail over my body for a moment before meeting mine again. "And if it happens to piss off my rival, that's just the icing on the cake."

His words send a spark of excitement through my body. Damian wants me and he isn't afraid to show it. This man, with his intense gaze and powerful presence, is hungry for me, and it makes my desire for him grow stronger. I can't help but bite my lip as his gaze pierces through me.

A part of me wants to at least be offended by him basically using me for his games. Although, the other part of me, the part that likes to live on the edge, doesn't give a fuck. I do what I want and who I want. And who I want right now is Dame. I smirk as I place my hands on his chest, pulling him close enough for me to whisper in his ear.

"You're gonna get me in trouble." A sly grin spreads across his face as I speak.

"Oh, I think you can handle it." He responds, his hands running up my sides, lightly touching my soft skin through my dress. "In fact, I bet part of you likes a little bit of trouble."

"Mm, you think you know me?" I ask teasingly as I lean in close to his face, looking at him through my lashes. He leans his face even closer, our lips nearly touching.

"I know enough." He admits with a smirk, his hands gliding over my hips. "And I know you like that I want you, even if it's to get under Baby Creed's skin." He chuckles softly. "But that doesn't mean I don't actually want you." His eyes lock on mine, a mixture of desire and challenge burning in his gaze. The world seems to slow around us as our bodies sway to the music.

"What exactly is it you're proposing?" Dame slides one hand around to the small of my back, using the other to gently tilt her chin toward me. Our faces are inches apart, and his eyes hold a mix of hunger and playfulness. A cocky smirk crosses his face as he answers my question with a low, gravelly voice.

"How 'bout you come find out, sweetheart?" He challenges. I decide not to waste any more time on words and I pull him towards me, crashing my lips into his. As our lips meet, it's as if a spark ignites between us. Dame responds to the kiss with a fierce intensity, our mouths moving against each other hungrily.

His large hands roam over my body, pulling me closer as he devours my lips. The sounds and lights of the club fade away as I lose myself in the moment, the taste and feel of him fueling my desire. My breath hitches as he bites my bottom lip, demanding more.

We break the kiss after what feels like both seconds and an eternity. I look into his eyes and they're dark with desire and a bit of challenge. Damian leans in close to my ear and whispers with a chuckle, "Let's get out of here. I want you all to myself."

I don't need any more convincing. Taking his hand, we make our way out of the club, waving to my girls as my heart pounds with anticipation. The night air is cool on our skin as we walk, the city lights illuminating our path. During the ride to his place, he keeps a firm, possessive grip on my thigh that sends tingles to my core. As we arrive at his luxury apartment building, Dame guides me inside, our bodies feeling electrified with desire.

As we step into the elevator and the doors close behind us, he gets a ravenous look in his eye. He presses me against the wall, my back coming in contact with the cold metal as his large frame presses against me. His mouth crashes into mine in a hungry kiss, his hands traveling to grasp either side of my ass. I ball my hands into the fabric of his shirt, moaning into the fiery kiss.

A low groan escapes Damian's lips as I pull him deeper into the kiss, our tongues tangling in a dance of desire. My body is on fire, the tension between us palpable. As the elevator reaches his floor, he reluctantly breaks the kiss, leading me into his penthouse apartment.

Our lips aren't parted for long as he lifts me up by my thighs, wrapping my legs around his waist, claiming my lips in another heated kiss. The feeling of being manhandled by this ruggedly handsome man sent sparks of excitement through my body. My heart races as he walks slowly towards the living room, his lips never leaving mine. He lays me down on the plush rug in front of the fireplace, the dancing flames casting an erotic glow over the room.

Dame gazes down at me, chest heaving. "Damn, baby. You feel even better than I imagined." He growls, his fingers tracing my curves. His eyes are dark with lust as he takes in the sight of me sprawled out beneath him.

I run my hands up his muscular arms, biting my lip coyly. "Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet." I purr, rolling my hips against him. A low groan rumbles in his chest as he dips his head, his lips trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses down my neck. His large hands slide up my thighs, bunching my dress up as he goes.

"I plan on seein' and feelin' a whole lot more." He murmurs against my skin, teeth grazing my sensitive neck. I shiver with anticipation, my hands moving to grip his shoulders as he continues his sensual assault.

Damian's fingers hook into the delicate fabric of my panties, his intent clear. I arch my back, silently begging him to take what he wants. This is what I came here for - to be devoured by this confident, powerful man. And I have a feeling he's more than ready to oblige.

His eyes darken with pure lust as he hooks his fingers into the waistband of my panties, slowly dragging them down my legs. "That's it, baby. Let me see all of you." He growls, voice thick with desire. His gaze rakes over my exposed skin hungrily, drinking in every inch.

With one swift motion, he tugs my panties all the way off, tossing them aside. His calloused palms glide up the silky smooth skin of my thighs, parting them slightly. "Fuck, you're gorgeous." He murmurs, pure want radiating from him. Lowering his head, his stubble-lined jaw grazes the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, eliciting a sharp gasp from me.

"Dame..." I breathe, fingers threading into his short hair. He pauses, eyes flicking up to meet mine.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm gonna take real good care of you." He promises in a low, raspy tone before burying his face between my legs. I gasp with pleasure, my back arching a bit as the feeling is more intense than anticipated.

Damian's expert tongue swirls and licks, sending electric shocks of pleasure through my body. I let out a desperate moan, my fingers tightening in his hair as I arch into his mouth.

"Oh fuck, Dame..." I gasp against his talented ministrations. He hums in approval, the vibrations sending tingles through my core. One of his large hands grips my thigh, keeping me spread open for his voracious appetite.

Just when I think I might come undone, he pulls back slightly, gazing up at me with lust-filled eyes. I whine as I gaze down at him.

"You taste so goddamn good, baby girl." He growls, voice rough with desire. Before I can respond, his mouth is on me again, creating a suction of pleasure around my clit.

My toes curl and my back arches as the coil of pleasure tightens within me. Dame's skilled tongue and lips push me higher and higher, the world fading away until all I can focus on is the mind-numbing sensations he's drawing from my body.

"Holy shit, holy shit!" I exclaim as I come undone faster than I intended, squirting forcefully into his mouth. I had expected to make a huge mess all over the carpet, but Dame laps up every last drop eagerly, savoring my sweet taste. His eyes flutter shut as he drinks me in, relishing the sounds of cries of ecstasy.

When I've finally ridden out the last waves of my climax, he pulls back slightly, gazing up at me through hooded eyes. His lips and beard glisten with my arousal, and he licks them slowly, not letting a single drop go to waste.

"You taste so fucking good, baby." He growls, his voice raspy. His large hands caress my trembling thighs as he repositions himself, settling between my legs. "And I'm just getting started."

With that, he leans back down, his face disappearing between my thighs once more. His tongue delves deep, stroking with a single-minded focus on my pleasure. One of his hands moves to my sensitive bundle of nerves, rubbing in firm, sensual circles.

I squirm and squeal under his touch as he holds me in place, keeping me from fleeing. "You can't run, sweetheart. I'm gonna make you come again and again and again." His words only serve to fan the flames of my desire and I know I'm in for a long night.

I can't make an intelligible response as I'm overstimulated, my hips bucking and my nails digging into his harms, drawing blood.

"Damian-" I gasp, my mind clouded. "It's- It's too much!" I manage to say, my body no longer under my control. Dame pauses, his intense gaze shifting to one of mischief.

"Too much, huh?" He murmurs, his strong hands stilling my shaking thighs. A devilish smirk spreads across his lips. "Don't worry, babe. I know just how to take care of you." With that, he shifts his position, strong arms wrapping around my waist as he pulls me up onto his lap. Our bodies are pressed flush together, his clothed length evident against my sensitive flesh. One hand tangles into my hair, tugging my hair back gently.

"I'm gonna make you feel so good, baby," he whispers, his warm breath fanning across my neck. "Just let me take control." His lips find mine in a searing, consuming kiss, swallowing any protests I was about to make.

As the kiss deepens, his other hand caresses my body, igniting sparks of sensation. A guttural groan rembles ing Dame's chest as he feels my arousal soaking through the fabric of his pants. He breaks the fiery kiss, dark eyes smoldering with desire as he drinks in the sight of me flushed and panting in his arms.

"Mmm, you're so fucking wet for me." He husks, one hand trailing down my side to grip my hip possessively. "I bet you're lacking to feel me inside you, aren't you?" His hips roll up, pressing his hardness against my slick heat.

Unable to form a coherent response, I whimper and nod desperately, my body betraying just how badly you crave his touch. Damian lets out a low, satisfied chuckle.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm gonna give you exactly what you need." With that, he pulls his shirt off, exposing his large, defined muscles. I don't get much time to take him in as he quickly unbuckles his pants and lifts me effortlessly, positioning me over his throbbing length. Slowly, torturously, he lowers me down, stretching and filling me in one smooth motion.

The feeling is indescribable, a perfect blend of pleasure and sweet, delicious pain. I let out a strangled moan, my nails sinking into his broad shoulders as I savor the sensation of being so completely and utterly full.

"Shitttt~ Take me just like that, baby. You're doing so good." Damian praises, his voice strained with restraint. His hands grip my hips, guiding my movements as I start to ride him with desperate, rhythmic motions. I whine with desire as I stretch around him. This feels different than with Adonis. Donnie could barely push all the way into me with how long his cock was. Although, Damian could fill me just right. Not only that, his girth was thicker. I look down, watching myself slide down onto his length as I let out a high pitched moan.

"Please, please, please~" I beg with desperation as I pull his chest against mine, my brows knit together in ecstasy. Dame groans, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of my hips.

"Fuck, you feel so good wrapped around me, baby." He growls, his hips snapping up to meet my motions. I yelp as he fills me, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the air. I can feel the coil of pleasure tightening once more, only spurring me on further. "Ride me like that, baby. I wanna feel you come undone on my cock." He whispers.

I press down and grind against him, his cock straining against my walls. Damian's eyes darken with pure lust as he works his cock deeper inside me, thrusting his hips up with more force. His hands slide down to where we're joined, his calloused fingers finding my sensitive bundle of nerves. He rubs firm, sensual circles, eliciting a strangled cry of pleasure from my lips.

"Dame~" I Whimper, my walls fluttering around his impressive girth. "I'm so close..." He let's out a feral groan, his tempo increasing as he chases both of our releases.

"Come for me, baby." He demands, his teeth grazing my neck as his arms tighten around me. I wrap my arms around his neck, leaning my head back as I bounce on his dick, my tits finally falling free of my tight dress. Damian's mouth latches onto one pert nipple, sucking on it with an insatiable hunger.

I let out a strangled gry of pleasure, my nails raking down his back as the sensations threaten to overwhelm me. Dame's cock stretches and fills me perfectly, each movement sending electric shocks of bliss ricocheting through my body.

"I- I'm gonna~" I don't finish my sentence as I gasp loudly, my movements becoming frantic and erratic. He matches me, his thrusts becoming more deep and punishing as his mouth crashes into mine. My vision whites out as the most intense orgasm rips through me, my body convulsing in Dame's arms. He swallows my cries of ecstasy as he continues to move within me, drawing out every last aftershock of my release.

"That's my girl," he praises, his voice strained with his own impending climax. He continues to rub relentlessly at my clit and I can do nothing but become putty in his hands.

"Dame!" I squeal, biting my lip hard as I try to take it.

"That's right, baby. Say my name," He says lowly, his thrust becoming harder and random. He pulls me flush against him with each punishing thrust until the tension within him finally snaps. With a guttural groan, he spills himself deep inside me. His hips stutter and jerk as he rides out his climax, his grip on me bordering on bruising.

As I feel his warmth fill me, I can't help but sigh heavily, laying my head on his shoulder. Damian lets out a deep, contented sigh as I lay my head on his shoulder, our bodies still intimately joined. As I pant heavily, he gently brushes a stray lock of hair from my face.

"That's right, sweetheart. Just relax." He mumbles, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. HIs arms wrap around me, holding me close as the last tremors of our shared release subside.

"You did so good." Dame breathes with a note of awe in his voice. "I mean, I knew you'd feel incredible, but you've just... You're a goddess." He says as if he's just realizing now that he's met an angel in disquise.

"That was…" I start, unable to find the words. He chuckles warmly, pulling me close against his chest as his fingers trace soothing patterns along my spine. He softens inside me, pulling out slowly as he lays me down on the couch. Standing up, he goes leaves the livingroom briefly. My body relaxes as I lay on the couch, waiting for him to come back.

Damian returns with a warm, damp washcloth and gently cleans me up, his touch tender and caring - a stark contrast to his earlier intensity. As he wipes away the evidence of our shared intimacy, something stirs inside him.

He'd only known about me, because I was seen with Adonis. And, honestly, he only went after me to get back at him and throw Donnie off of his game. But seeing me like this, all he wants to do is take care of me and treat me right.

There was something so wrong about this. He'd slept with many women before and he had plenty of women still lined up that wanted him badly. After all, he's the champ. But as he gazes over me, my beautiful form on the edge of sleep, he can't help but feel something. He doesn't know what it is, but it's definitely not something he's felt with anyone else.

His hand comes up and brushes against the soft skin on my face. He pauses slightly as he wrestles with the unfamiliar emotions swirling within him. Something about me has reached past his carefully constructed walls, and Dame finds himself wanting - no, needing - more than a simple one night stand.

But he pushes those thoughts aside for now, focusing instead on savoring the moment. Once he's finished cleaning up our mess, he tosses the cloth aside and gathers me into his arms, cradling me against his broad chest. His fingertips trace feather-light patterns along my bare skin, sending pleasurable shivers through my body.

"I could hold you like this all night," he murmurs, dropping a soft kiss to the top of my head. "But I'm sure you're exhausted after that." I nod, my cheek pressed against his chest as I melt into him. The corner of his mouth turns up as he caresses my curves.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up and into a nice hot shower, hm? Then we can go to bed." He suggests, a loving look in his eye.

"Can we do that?" I ask, looking up at him wearily as my voice is barely above a whisper. His gaze softens as he looks down at me.

"Of course, baby." He scoops me up effortlessly, carrying me towards the bathroom as my head rests against his chest. The care and tenderness in his actions makes my heart flutter, and I can't help but wonder, where this is going to go. But I push that thought to the back of my mind as I just want to enjoy the moment.

[billthedrake]

FISHING TRIP

(mmmmh)

(hmph) Can't sleep either, buddy?

[quietly] No sir.

Guess this bed is kind of hard.

It's not that Dad. I'm... well, I'm kind of horny.

When are you ever not... oh jeez, yeah you're rock hard all right. I thought I took care of this bad boy pretty well.

You did, Dad. Only, I was thinking how we have the place all to ourselves. Not having to hide this.

We have all week, Will.

It gets me hard hearing you say that, Dad.

(growls in bedroom voice) Well, we have all fucking week, son.

I like hearing you cuss.

Yeah?

It's a strange thing I guess, but growing up you never did around us. Even if you got real mad.

(Breathes excitedly) I'm fucking you, Will. So you'll probably be hearing a lot of inappropriate things from my mouth.

Fuck!

God that dick's so hard... pressing into me. Come on, son, feel me up.

Love it Dad.

Scoot closer... there, that's it. Feel your old man's cock.

It made me sir.

Damn straight. Made you and took your cherry.

Best night of my life Dad.

(Kisses)

Fuck... you're pretty hard, too, sir.

Listen to who's talking like a sailor now.

(Laughs) I remember you grounded my ass the first time I dropped the f-bomb.

You were testing our authority. Cocky little shit.

I was just craving some attention, Dad.

(More kisses)

Damn, boy. You kiss your cheerleader girlfriends like that?

Unf, fuck.... I usually have to go softer with them, Dad. More like this... (soft, slow kissing) See...?

You can feel it, right, Will?

Oh yeah. That made you even harder. Jesus, that cock is like steel now, Dad.

Can't believe I can get up again already, actually. I'm 48 and not a teen.

You're a stud, Dad. A real fucking stud.

Damn... those fingers feel nice, son. OK if we just take our time? Just feel each other like this before getting to the main event?

(chuckles) What's the main event, Dad?

You know damn well, you little tease.

(More kissing, longer this time)

You like that, sir.

Goddamn, buddy. That cheerleader kiss of yours drives me wild.

Is that what is, Dad? The "cheerleader kiss"?

I'll say. French kissing your father like we're on a first date.

Oh fuck!

Guess that's your magic button, buddy. I can feel that steel rod in my fist twitch like crazy.

One of my buttons, sir. You keep showing me more.

It's just day one of our fishing trip.

Almost day two. What time is it even?

I dunno. Three? Four in the morning? We've not even been here twelve hours and we've already had sex twice.

Gonna make it three times, sir?

Grr... fuck, yeah. (kisses) You know, your mother and I never have sex three times in a night.

Real honeymoon sex, right, Dad?

You got it, buddy.

(more kissing)

Nice, Dad... I think you're getting the cheerleader kiss down, yourself.

(chuckles) I got some more experience in the sack than you, remember?

I can't forget. You got a thirty year head start on me, sir.

Hmm... damn you have an incredible bod, buddy. Just leave feeling ya up.

Feel away sir. Won't ever get sick of it. Promise.

(Kissing)

I'm leaking now.

Yessir. So wet.

Hm, why don't you climb on, buddy? Or are you too sore?

A little sore. But a good sore, you know?

I do.

(Surprised) Dad... you ever... you know, get fucked?

It's been a while, buddy. But there have been a couple of men who've done me like that. Years ago.

Maybe I can... if you'd let me.

It's probably gonna happen, son. This week. But right now, I really need inside ya.

Yessir.

Inside my baby boy.

Not a baby anymore, Dad.

That you're not, kiddo. Big stud jock.

God, you're so hard... and wet.

My lacrosse jock son.

(chuckles) You like being a lacrosse dad?

In more ways than one. I love being there for ya, Will.

I love having you there, Dad. At the games. And after.

Fuck. You're so tight. Even still.

I'm glad. Want this to be good for you, Dad.

You have no fucking idea, baby boy.

Three times in one night, Dad. I have a pretty good idea.

I'm gonna have a hard time keeping up with you, stud.

We'll see Dad. You can hold your own... fuck, you feel big.

I'm not too big, son.

You try sitting on one this size. Shit.

We don't gotta, kiddo.

Like hell we don't. Just let me go slow.

You got this, Will.

Unngh.

That hole is real fucking wet.

You made it like that, Dad.

What did you call it? Honeymoon sex.

Fuck!

Oh yeah, you're opening up for me buddy. Yeah... just like that.

Fuck me, Dad.

And we got a whole week of this.

A whole fucking week, sir.

If I can get it up after a day of this.

We'll probably need some sleep too, Dad.

Probably.

(bed rocks)

God, yeah, Dad. Pump into me.

Ride me, son. Ride your daddy.

I love holding onto you, sir. All of you.

I'm not a lean young jock like you.

You're perfect, Dad. All of you.

(bed rocks harder, springs squeaking)

God fucking damn.

Ung! You got some real power behind that beef. Fuck!

(grins)

(lets go of his cock)

Too much?

Don't wanna cum yet. At least not before you.

It's gonna take me a little longer this round. Sorry, kiddo.

Take as long as you want, Dad. You're in me, and that's all I care about.

Fuck, that ass is incredible. Wet and silky.

Better than mom?

You should ask me that, kiddo.

I know. Just like getting you worked up.

(bed squeaking)

Holy... fucking... shit... son!

UGGGH

(bed sounds slow down, then stop)

Whoo... let’s take a break.

Yeah.

(soft kissing)

Gonna roll us over buddy.

Yep. You're more a missionary guy, Dad?

At least to finish off. I like doing the driving, you know.

Yeah, I know.... UNNGH... fuck yeah, Dad. Nail my ass.

You... got it... kiddo. Daddy needs a fuck.

Not been four hours since our last.... oh shit.

That your spot, kiddo? Daddy gonna punch your spot?

(incoherent moans)

Let it out, baby boy. Just us up here in this cabin....

Oh Dad! Oh fuck.

Father and son... fucking like bunnies. Like newlyweds.

I'm gonna...

Let it all out, son.

Oh fuck, OH FUCK!

Your dad's cumming too, Will. Cumming up your sweet hole.. GODDAMN!

(heavy breathing, then kissing)

That was incredible, Dad.

You got that right, son. Jesus.

No... don't pull out yet.... I like having you on top of me.

I'm not too heavy?

A little, Dad. But I like it.

Oh fuck... shit. I can feel your cum between us.

Ha. I can smell it too.

(kissing)

You getting sleepy, buddy?

Not really. I guess we have an early morning ahead. What time we gotta get up for fishing.

There's probably not much fishing gonna get done this week, is there, buddy?

No sir. Just fucking and sleeping.

Six more days of it.

You're getting soft, Dad.

I told ya, buddy. I'm 48. And that was round number three.

No, I like it. For real. Like feeling you slip out of me.

You're something else, kiddo.

Can I ask a favor of you, Dad?

(settles back down onto the mattress) Sure, Will.

This week, sometime... I want you to share a secret with me.

You mean something other than the fact I'm fucking my own son?

(chuckles) Besides that.

I'll think it over. Think of something.

Tired?

Fraid so. You drained it out of your old man.

Just tell me if I'm being a pest at any point.

You're not being a pest, Will.

(softly) You asleep, Dad?

(groggy, deep voiced) Not yet. Not far off.

Can I feel your cock one more time?

Um hm.

Nice. I like feeling it soft too. My dad's cock.

Hmmm.

Love ya, Dad.

Love you, too, son.

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

What To Get A 19 Year Old Boy For His Birthday...

Pairing: Platonic! Peter Parker & Reader; Reader x Bucky (but that's not really plot relevant)

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: none as usual, you yell at Strange lol

Genre: super fluff

Summary: You happen to be the only person who still remembers Peter Parker exists and you are not about to hang him out to dry. So what happens when you take Peter in and basically become his guardian? Well- nothing is simple where super-teens are involved, but you and Peter can certainly handle whatever comes your way. Right?

***

You from to yourself, feeling like you're forgetting something even though you're just watching TV with Bucky. There's nothing to forget that you can-

"Oh shit-" You gasp sitting up suddenly. Bucky grabs the remote and turns the volume down.

"What?" He frowns shifting to look at you.

"I just realized Peter's birthday's next week and I haven't even thought of what to get him or what to do or-"

"Take a breath y/n. You still have a week." Bucky reminds you with a hand on your shoulder.

"What do I get a nineteen year old boy for his birthday?" You turn to him.

"Why are you asking me?" He blinks.

"You're a guy!"

"I'm a hundred and seven?! I haven't been nineteen in like eighty years, do you really think I would have any idea what a modern teen would want? I can guarantee my interests at nineteen were far different." He scoffs.

"Well what did you want at nineteen?" You ask.

"To avoid another world war?" He shrugs and your mouth drops open.

"I can't fucking stand you." You laugh shoving him lightly.

"Oh come on, how could I resist?!"

"You're so irritating! Be serious." You say fighting giggles.

"Alright, alright, what's the kid interested in?"

"I dunno, comic books, video games, nerdy stuff?" You shrug.

"I've never seen him play video games before." Bucky frowns.

"He plays them on his computer."

"He doesn't have a gaming system of some sort?"

"No?"

"Do you own one?"

"No."

"So get him one of those and a couple of games." Bucky shrugs.

"That's a great idea! And you said you wouldn't know what to get him." You smile.

"I'm sure you could've figured that out."

"You'll come shopping with me won't you? I have no idea what games to get for him honestly."

"How about you take care of the system and I'll worry about the games. Split the cost of this birthday thing."

"What do you mean you're going to worry about the games?" You frown.

"Just trust me. How much is the system anyway?"

"Probably three, maybe four hundred dollars. Depends."

"Sheesh. That's- pricier than I expected honestly." He hums.

"Yeah they can get pretty up there." You shrug.

"Alright then if you buy the system I'll take the kid out and get him an equivalent in games."

"You really wanna spend $600 on his birthday?" You blink.

"I mean he's lost his entire family and he never goes anywhere or talks of friends, we're probably the only people he's going to get gifts from. We can take some of the money from the Stark account." Bucky says. When Tony died there were a couple of accounts set up in your name to take over Avengers related expenses. One to be used for the team's avenging related tasks and one to help the team with personal affects- mostly Thor since he'll likely never have a job here but he's not here that much these days anyway.

"I don't want to get into the habit of using that money, in case of an emergency." You say.

"Baby, you're a witch and I'm a super soldier I can't imagine there will be many emergencies where that money is our only solution. Stark died and we ended up with enough money to change our tax bracket. Six hundred dollars would hardly make a dent and if ever we're in a situation where we do have to use that money for an emergency and we find ourselves $600 short I'm sure neither of us will look back and say 'if only we hadn't given that kid we're responsible for a great birthday gift he loved'." Bucky says.

"Very well, we'll use the Stark account and do it big for him." You say.

"There- now you can stop panicking about his birthday." Bucky pulls you back into his side and turns the volume back up on the TV. You don't point out to Bucky how it seems he's bonded with Peter a bit. At least to some degree since he's suddenly advocating for a big birthday gift for him. You know he'll deny it if you bring it up so you simply smile to yourself at the thought and settle back into his chest. You'll head to the store tomorrow to pick up a console and some birthday supplies.

*~*~*

"Bucky can you grab the candles from the bedroom please baby? They should be in the bag on my desk." You shout while carefully removing the plastic covering from Peter's birthday cake.

"On it!" Bucky calls back from the living room. Moments later, he hands you the opened candles.

"Thank you for opening them." You kiss his cheek and carefully stick the 1 and 9 on the cake without disturbing the Happy Birthday Peter written in blue frosting.

"How long do you think it'll take him to come back?" Bucky asks.

"I only asked him to get some salt, he should be opening the door any minute now." You shrug. "Do you think he suspects anything?"

"Nah, I'll bet when you didn't wish him happy birthday this morning or make anything special for breakfast that he assumed we didn't know or weren't going to make a big deal about it."

"Oh- I hope he's not moping through the streets thinking we forgot." You frown.

"I mean I don't-" Bucky stops suddenly. "He's coming down the hall, light the candles." He tells you. You grab the lighter and quickly light the candles, lifting the cake just as the handle turns.

"Hey. Got the salt you asked for-"

"Happy Birthday Peter!!" You shout when he enters the kitchen.

"Happy birthday kid." Bucky nods.

"You remembered my birthday?"

"Of course I did sweetie! Make a wish." You walk the cake over to him and hold it out for him to blow out the candles. He looks between you and Bucky a couple of times before closing his eyes and blowing out the candles quickly.

"Yay!" You say setting the cake on the counter.

"Thanks guys- I- I kinda thought you'd miss it."

"Nonsense! How could I? Oh and before I forget, your gift." You float the prettily wrapped box from behind the island, into the Peter's hands.

"What is it?"

"You know the point of wrapping a gift is for you to unwrap it in order to find out what's in it." Bucky tells him.

"I know- but I thought maybe you'd tell me anyway." Peter shrugs.

"No way! That ruins the surprise! Open it." You clap excitedly.

"Alright alright." Peter says. He quickly tears off the wrapping paper and his mouth drops open when he fully reveals the box. "You got me an Xbox?" His voice is full of disbelief but you can't say for sure if that's good or not.

"Do you like it?" You ask.

"A-are you kidding?! This is like the best gift I've ever gotten!" Peter says throwing his arms around you. You hug him back relieved that the gift was a success.

"I'm glad! Bucky and I had no idea what to get you." You chuckle.

"You did great." He says.

"This is only the first half of the gift technically. A console needs games, so I'm taking you out to buy some." Bucky adds.

"No way- you don't have to this is already plenty I-I mean these things aren't cheap I don't wanna take advantage of-"

"It's not a question kid, we're going. After lunch." Bucky cuts him off.

"Really? Today?" Peter blinks at him.

"You wanna be able to set that thing up or not?"

"We'll go after lunch." Peter nods. "Are you coming with us y/n?"

"I can't hon I've got some errands to run." You say.

"I hoped we'd all be together for my birthday."

"Don't worry, we'll all be back for dinner together."

"Oh, okay, that's fine then."

He's probably nervous about spending extended time alone with Bucky but you think it'll be good for them to find common ground that's not contingent on you. Obviously, they're capable of coordinating if your anniversary is any indicator. You want to give them the chance to build on that.

In the meanwhile, you have something of equal importance to take care of. You push open the heavy doors to Stephen Strange's lair. He doesn't call it that, and he rather hates it when you do, but that's basically what it is.

"Strange!" You shout.

"Y/n! Hello, to what do I owe this visit?" He asks floating down to meet you. You walk up to him and smack your palm against his forehead. "I guess this isn't a friendly visit then." He hisses rubbing his forehead.

"Not quite." You roll your eyes. A quick succession of hand gestures completes the spell that unlocks Stephen's memories of Peter. He takes a sharp breath as his memories return.

"You know- there are less painful ways do that spell." He says after a moment.

"There are also more painful ways to do that spell be glad I just tapped your forehead." You say.

"Tapped is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?"

"I wanted to beat your ass. Count your blessings I didn't come in here and do that."

"I assume this is about Peter, then?" Stephen sighs.

"Help me with the math here, a 17-year-old comes to you and says 'I want to alter reality' and you don't consider- not doing that?"

"Well hang on I definitely warned him it was a bad idea but he was insistent that it was ruining his life."

"Dude he was 17. A 17 year old will think the world is ending because his best friend moves away before senior year of high school. Granted he's dealt with some pretty intense adult troubles but he's still just a kid and you're like pushing 50 he isn't the responsible party in that situation." You say.

"Watch it, pushing 50 is an exaggeration." Stephen points.

"Not. The point. You altered the very fabric of time and space not once, but twice at the behest of a child."

"It wouldn't have been twice if he hadn't totally screwed up the first one."

"You're the sorcerer not him. It was your spell. Your responsibility." You say.

"Hey he kept adding caveats in the middle of my casting and magic is tricky enough as is without that."

"I know how tricky magic is, which is why I wouldn't have an untrained teenager be part of casting a spell of that magnitude in the first place! It was a bad decision on your part and in the end you got to walk away as if it never even happened. And that might be even more egregious, you completely abandoned the kid after all that chaos."

"Well not completely, I knew the probability of you being unaffected by the spell and thus stepping in was almost 100%."

"Almost 100 isn't 100 and that's still abandoning. The moment you decided to do that spell for him you took on a responsibility." You say.

"So what was I supposed to do? Simply take him in?" He scoffs.

"Well when you take away his entire support system with a spell that is the least you can do Strange."

"He knew the consequences, and it all worked out fine. He's got you now." He shrugs.

"I wonder if you just don't hear yourself speak or if you truly struggle with emotional intelligence so severely." You take a moment to really look at him as if the answer will come to you if you stare at him for long enough. "Whatever, I didn't come here just to yell at you."

"Really? I couldn't have guessed that."

"Today is Peter's birthday. I came to fix your memories so you could send him a birthday card." You say.

"Why would I do that?" He frowns.

"Because your botched spell resulted in the death of his only remaining living relative? We're all he's got."

"Hey I fixed that situation to the best of my ability."

"And it didn't bring his aunt back. It also cost him every relationship he's ever developed. Send him a damn card. Today." You spin around and walk back towards the door. "Be glad I won't drop him on your doorstep. He doesn't deserve that punishment." You scoff, waving the doors open and heading back towards your own apartment to get started on dinner. 

"So how did game shopping go?" You ask Bucky and Peter once you're all sat eating dinner.

"Oh we got way more than I would've expected. Mr. Bucky was overly generous I just hope it's clear how greatful I am."

"You've thanked me at least 10 times in the last hour. You've been more than clear kid. It's your birthday so you can stop now."

"I'm glad you had a nice time." You chuckle.

"What did you get up to while we were out baby?" Bucky asks.

"Just some errands nothing interesting." You shrug.

"Nothing interesting?" He raises an eyebrow.

"A little of this a little of that. My to-do list never ends really. Some shopping, I hit the bank, made some visits. You know how it goes."

"I dunno about you but that sounds rather suspicious to me Peter." Bucky turns to him.

"Definitely." Peter nods.

"I clearly made a mistake letting you two spend the afternoon together." You roll your eyes grabbing yours and Peter's now empty plates.

"We will discover your secrets y/n." Bucky warns.

"Good luck with that." You chuckle kissing Bucky's temple before walking the dishes over to the sink.

"Oh no you don't, you cooked, I'll do the dishes." Bucky wraps his hands around your waist and moves you from in front of the sink.

"Fine fine, Petey you want help setting up your Xbox then?" You ask.

"Sure! Is it okay to set it up in my room?"

"Of course it is. It's your thing. Plus if you end up playing all day long I don't want you taking over my living room." You tap his shoulder.

"Cool." He chuckles.

It doesn't take you long to set up the system in his room, it's just a matter of plugging in it and then the rest is for him to do on his own, make an account and such. You're just about to leave his room when a small portal appears in front of him.

"Peter. Happy birthday." Strange says reaching through with a card. You hold back a smile as Peter takes the card with obvious shock on his face.

"T-thanks Mr. Strange." Peter says. Stephen nods and closes the portal without another word.

"I didn't think he remembered me." Peter blinks at you.

"The world works in mysterious was huh." You ruffle Peter's hair. "I'll leave you to get used to your new toy." You add before exiting his room and joining Buckyin the living room.

"Okay, so where did you go today? Really?"

"Honestly I had to go yell at Strange for some magic related things." You say.

"What did he do?"

"It's complicated. Let's just say it'll be a while before I leave our timeline in his hands if ever again." You muse.

"Ah is that why you didn't bring it up at dinner? So the kid doesn't ask about Strange?"

"Yeah basically." You shrug. You're sure Bucky means in terms of Peter not knowing that you're an Avenger or whatever but seeing as you can't explain the real reason you didn't want to talk about it at dinner you see no reason to correct him at the moment. Eventually you'll give him all the details, but today has been good for all of you, you'd like to end on a high.

***

Tagged Users: @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @buchi91

[sasha199]

Gale/ Wyll drama pt. 5

Y’all…this game hits different when your Tav is a stand in for yourself.

My sister and I are playing a multiplayer as ourselves, as sisters. I was romancing/flirting with both Gale and Wyll. I made a move on Lae’zel too but THAT ended in tears. Sister is pulling both Astarion and Shadowheart.

(I’m Sasha, sister is Marlie.)

"Are your lips swollen?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me, what have you been doing?"

I look around, there's no one nearby but I lower my voice anyway, "Making out with Gale."

"WHAT? With Gale!?"

"Shhhhhhh!" 

Marlie looks genuinely shocked, but she does lower her voice, "I thought you and daddy’s boy were a thing now?"

"Well, we were...for a moment. But then Gale KISSED me. Like really kissed me, put his whole groin into it kissed me, and I've changed my mind."

"Ew. That's all it takes for you to switch sides?"

I roll my eyes at my sister, "Don't you judge me Miss Been-Getting-Laid-This-Whole-Time. Some of us have been on the struggle bus for a minute. Plus, it's not just about sex."

"Really, what's it about then?"

"Nothing, forget it." I'm already over this whole conversation and it's not making anything I know I need to do easier. Wyll had called me his sun just a couple hours ago and I was going to have to break his heart. 

"Calm down then, I know what it's about. Just cuz you can't say it. I know you're in LOVE with the magic man."

"Stop it."

"Well, you are. Aren't you?"

I say nothing. 

I've been thinking it for so long, but I have been so determined to never let those words cross my lips when it comes to Gale. I feel kind of frozen. I'm still a bit blindsided by the kiss, the intensity of it. When I remember the way Gale's hands felt on my body, they way our mouths moved in sync...I feel heat gathering in...places. 

"Incoming." Marlie whispers suddenly.

"Well met."

I snap my head around, "Oh, hey Wyll. Marlie and I were just-" but she's gone. I sigh, rouge shit. 

"If she was here I believe you, that's just her way. Have you given further thought to our plan of attack for Moonrise? If my father is there, he'll be held in the lower dungeons, perhaps away from the Tiefling prisoners. Did Minthara giver her consent to stay in camp?"

"Wha- Minthara? Oh, I haven't asked her yet. Regardless we'll probably go back to Last Light first. Re-stock and all that, um and Marlie wants to bring Astarion for some mysterious reason." I knew why she wanted to bring him, but it wasn't my place to tell anyone about his scars or the person who could potentially decode them for us. 

Wyll let out a chuckle, "Rouges. Those two are enigmas to me, but they do seem to make each other happy."

"Yeah." They're relationship was complicated, it had taken me a while to warm up to Astarion, but a recent conversation about his siblings, and the realities of what they must be facing with him missing had done a lot in regards to my empathy for him. "Anyway, I think I'm going to take Minthara to Last Light, she needs to get properly geared up but I can come back for you before we head to Moonrise."

"Very well." He takes my hand in his, he squeezes it tenderly, "Whatever you think is best."

"We'll get your father back."

"We will." He smiles at me and leans in to kiss my cheek. I let him and squeeze his hand back before he walks away from me. 

"I am literally the worst person, ever." I mutter to myself. 

Minthara is meditating at her tent as I approach. It was my decision to leave her alive at the goblin camp, and likewise I helmed the rescue mission for her. I wasn't the smoothest talker but Marlie definitely did not trust the drow woman, which I understood, so she left the responsibility of Minthara to me. It had never felt right leaving her in the Absolute's clutches, even though I knew that if roles were reversed Minthara wouldn't waste time or resources to rescue us. But she'd thanked me for saving her and seemed determined to do her part to win against Ketheric Thorm, which was enough for me.  She opens her eyes as I approach, they're bright red, almost the same color as Astarion's. "You wish to consult me?" she says matter of factly. 

"Yeah, Minthara hey. We're going to Last Light to get some gear. You need a sword and armor and stuff."

She quirks a white eyebrow at me, " 'And stuff,' by that I hope you mean a useful weapon to bring down the Cult of the Absolute."

"I do."

"Very well then."

I hesitate before turning away, "Hey, you have pretty good insight right? Can I ask you about your thoughts on our companions?" 

She considers for a moment, "A disparate collection of vagabonds and strays." Her tone is direct and no-nonsense. "Anyone particular in mind?" 

"Um...have you spent much time with, uh, Gale?" Wow her gaze is intense, maybe it's the red eyes or that unyeilding stare but I'm having a hard time maintaining prolonged direct eye contact with her. 

"The wizard? No."

There's a silence that stretches after. 

"Don't you like wizards?" Why does my voice sound so small and high pitched?

"They're mastery of the Weave is commendable, but they are awful conversationalists."

"Really? Spoken with a lot of wizards, have you."

"No."

More silence, then I think she picks up the hint that I'm expecting her to elaborate so she continues, "In my experience, they do not usually live long enough to make the effort of befriending them worth-while."

I close my mouth, how long has it been open?

"Either the enemy recognizes they are a threat, and kills them swiftly, or their curiosity leads them to combust while experimenting with the limits of magic." 

I begin to say something, think better of it and shrug. Where's the lie?

"Our wizard is already in a state of suspended combustion thanks to that orb between his ribs."

I raise my eyes to the sky, to the shadows that hover there blocking out the sun. 

Fuck that fucking orb. Fuck Mystra, and Elminster, and Gale. Sweet, depressing, romantic Gale. Who's kisses make my toes curl, who's smile melts my heart, who begged me so sweetly to choose him.  

I look back to Minthara, there's a small look of concern around her eyes. "You're more right than you know." I say.

"I suspect it's only a matter of time before he goes up in smoke."

I sigh. "Not while I'm around." I'm impressed at how confident I sound. 

"In any case," she adds "I will reserve my social graces for those who might live long enough to appreciate them."

"Like me." I give her a sarcastic smile. 

"That remains to be seen," she slings what gear she has over her shoulder, "but I owe you my life and my freedom. Without you I would still be a slave to the Absolute. I know your sister had no such qualms about leaving me to my fate."

"Yeah, she thinks I'm too nice." I walk with her towards the camp exit.

"I would have called it weakness, or written you off as pathetic."

"Minthara..."

"But as I said I am here because of you, so much remains to be seen."

I look at her out of the corner of my eye as we make our way to Last Light, I like this woman. People could say what they wanted about how soft I was, but sometimes I was right. 

Marlie and Astarion rise up from the shadows and fall to either side of us. 

Rouge shit. 

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x41 - The Raging Sea King! MetalSeadramon / Sea-Sick and Tired

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Piemon invited the Chosen Children to see the show he's been rehearsing. But when they weren't very impressed, he started stabbing people instead. Fucking auteurs, man. Some people can't handle a little criticism.

I would love to tell you where that leaves us, but before we can begin, the dub needs to finish the previous episode first.

We open on Piximon giving the kids' barrier bubble a hard bop again.

Piximon: You're as ready as you'll ever be! Go get 'em! (Piximon bops the bubble and sends them away) Izzy: I think that was meant to be encouraging. Kari: (flatly) He has an awful lot of confidence in us. (Piximon turns and faces the Dark Masters) Piedmon: You may have fooled those silly children with this brave act, but we know better, don't we? Piximon: What makes you think it's just an act!? (Slow pan out from the coliseum) Kari: Oh, it doesn't seem right just leaving him there-- OHH!? (bright flash) Tai: (matter of factly) Remember, he wanted it this way.

Izzy shits on Piximon's last words. Kari's like "Maybe we should go back OH GOD HE DIED." It's hilarious the way the explosion signifying his death suddenly spooks her like that during her line, and I genuinely don't know if it was meant to be. Then Tai's like "Eh, it was his call. Moving on." XD Wow, guys.

Today's episode begins with the Children at their destination. Lost in a thick fog, they can't make heads or tails of where Piccolomon's final barrier brought them to.

Taichi: Where are we? Sora: There's sand under our feet. Yamato: We could be in a desert. Koushiro: Uh, I smell salt.... Mimi: Are those waves? Jou: It's the ocean!

There's something funny about Yamato speculating that we might be in a desert while we clearly see the ocean in front of them. Dramatic irony isn't just for drama.

The fog gradually lifts, giving the kids a better view of their surroundings.

Takeru: I'm starting to see things more clearly. Hikari: The fog is disappearing.

Once the kids can see more clearly, Taichi and Yamato check on the others.

Taichi: Are you all okay? Sora: No, we aren't okay. Everyone's exhausted. Yamato: In any case, do we know where we are?

Being bounced like ping-pong balls between the Dark Masters hasn't left the children in the best of states. Poor Mimi had to watch an old friend sacrifice his life for her, and also Chuumon. This was not the victory lap that the kids, high on success and new Ultimate evolutions, were anticipating.

The dub uses the clearing of the fog as a bit of an awkward transition line. Tai speaks up to announce that it's clearing while we're still fading from Piximon's death explosion to the foggy beach in the first place.

Tai: Look, the fog is finally clearing! Joe: Great. Now we can clearly see that we're lost! Izzy: It's more productive to think of ourselves as on our way, Joe. Matt: (sarcastically) Tch, yeah. I feel better already. T.K.: All I know is that I'm getting pretty hungry! Kari: And I'm getting cold! Tai: But everybody's okay, right? Besides being hungry and cold and lost.... Sora: Don't forget frightened, tired, and upset about PIximon. Matt: Otherwise, we're fine.

They start by taking out the geographic guessing game banter and exchange it for bickering. Honestly, though, I do like the bickering here and the subsequent conversation about the group's feelings. It conveys the impression that these kids are high-strung and are psychologically hanging on by a thread right now. What happened has utterly shattered their confidence plus, as Sora points out, they're all grieving on top of it.

The kids look around to try and get their bearings. They quickly find an incredibly helpful landmark.

Koushiro: I feel like I've been here before... Ah!

As soon as Koushiro gasps, everyone whips around to see what he's looking at. Probably a good reflex for them to have developed in this place.

There, on the beach, are the destroyed remains of a series of phone booths.

Koushiro: Broken telephone booths....

Taichi, Yamato, and their Digimon all stare in wide-eyed shock, gasping. Flashback to the phone booths before they were destroyed.

Yamato: Ah! It's those telephone booths! Taichi: You're right. This is the beach on File Island where we met our Digimon for the first time and set off on our journey.

Taichi's remark is a little dry, but it's been thirty-nine episodes since we saw these phone booths. It's probably a good idea to explain the context for kids who hopped in somewhere in the middle.

In the dub:

Izzy: I have a feeling we've been here before. Wait a minute, look! (Everyone looks at the phone booths) Izzy: Those smashed-up phone booths! Sora: You don't think that they could be the same ones, do you? Tai: Of course! I can't believe it. This whole time, we thought we were making all this progress but now it looks like we've just been traveling in one big circle!

Tai, what the fuck are you talking about?

We did not "travel in one big circle" and end up here. That's not.

We did not get here by traveling. Our goal wasn't traveling in the first place. There was... A lot of plot has....

What?

I am genuinely baffled by the words that the dub team chose to put in Tai's mouth. It still captures the idea that we have returned to a place we were once at but his outrage over "traveling in a circle" and unmaking our progress is contextually bizarre.

Meanwhile, the Dark Masters have retreated to the top of Spiral Mountain, where Piemon has scouted the children's location with his giant-ass telescope.

Piemon: I've spotted the Chosen Children and their Digimon. MetalSeadramon: As the king of the seas, the coast belongs to me. The lives of the Chosen Children and their Digimon are mine to take. Now, who should I use from my Deep Savers Ankoku Gundan?

MetalSeadramon's army is called "Deep Savers Ankoku Gundan", mixing English and Japanese while directly referencing the name of the V-Pet release that he's from. Fans of mech anime might recognize that last word; gundan is the Japanese word for military armed forces.

Ankoku, meanwhile, means "darkness" - not quite "evil" as the subtitle up there suggests. Though darkness and evil are often related ideas, it's best here to not be poetic with it and leave it at darkness due to the association with MetalSeadramon's faction. Fitting that a Dark Master would have an ankoku gundan.

(From an American perspective, calling them an army also seems weird because. Like. They aren't ground troops. They'd be more like Marines over here. But different cultures have different standards for armed forces terminology.)

If you were to try to localize this for Americans, something like the "Deep Savers Dark Forces" would make sense to me. The dub has its own solution: Not mentioning that MetalSeadramon has an army at his disposal at all.

Piedmon: How small they look from here. Like ants! Strange that such little creatures could cause SO MUCH TROUBLE!!! MetalSeadramon: They won't for long! They're standing on the edge of my territory now: The sea! I'll be the one to finish these DigiDestined once and for all! Piedmon: Hmm, bold words! But you're not the first to make such a boast, MetalSeadramon! MetalSeadramon: But I will be the last! They'll be shark bait before the day is through!

...okay, now it's Piedmon's turn in the "What the fuck are you on about?" chair. He's so mad and. Like. The kids haven't fucking done anything yet. XD

Piedmon is coming at this from the angle of Rita Repulsa plotting her 87th scheme to destroy the Power Rangers but. Like. At this point, the Dark Masters have had one altercation with the Chosen Children that they handily won. Why is he so mad?

Piedmon is so mad that MetalSeadramon doesn't even get to bring up his Deep Savers Ankoku Gundan.

Why is everybody so mad? XD

While MetalSeadramon is picking out his forces, the Children try and figure out next steps.

Koushiro: Since we're back on File Island.... Yamato: Is there a meaning to it? Sora: We must have been sent to File Island for a reason, right? Taichi: But what are we supposed to do here-- Voice: HELP ME!!!

The kids look and see some poor 'mon flailing and screaming out in the ocean.

Takeru: Someone's drowning! Hikari: We have to help them! Takeru: But our Digimon are tired.... Hikari: Then we help them ourselves! Takeru: Oh!

Hikari sprints for the shoreline, ready to dive into the water and swim out there herself - with Takeru trailing behind her. Fortunately, Taichi and Yamato's Big Brother Alarms start blaring in their brains and they jump in, physically stopping their younger siblings.

Yamato: TAKERU!!! Taichi: Hikari, wait! Let's all go help them. Yamato: We can use that canoe over there.

Leaving their Digimon Partners on the shore, the eight children pile into the convenient nearby canoe. This definitely is not a trap.

In the dub, the kids are still inexplicably whining that returning to File Island again somehow means they've accomplished nothing.

Matt: So we've just gone in one big circle, huh? Makes the whole thing seem kinda pointless, doesn't it? Sora: Hold on, maybe that's it! Maybe the pointlessness of it is the whole point! Agumon: Say what? Tai: (sarcastic) Thanks for the philosophy; That's a big help. Voice: HEEEELP SAVE ME!!! Mimi: Look! Out there! Someone's drowning! Kari: Somebody's gotta do something! T.K.: They're too tired; They'll be drowned themselves. Kari: Okay, then in that case, we'll have to go! (Tai and Matt intervene) Tai: Kari! Matt: Yo, wait up, T.K. Tai: Maybe someone bigger should go. Matt: We can use that outrigger. T.K.: I'm coming too! Kari: ME TOO!!! Tai: Okay, okay. Sora: Wait up! I'm coming too! Mimi: I can help!

I want to make a "The real xyz was the friends we made along the way" joke but I genuinely do not know what the kids think they have failed to achieve by returning here.

Matt's totally casual, "Yo, wait up" made me laugh. What a weird vibe. XD

I do like that Sora and Mimi volunteer themselves to help, rather than Taichi speaking for the group that they'll all go do this.

Making the worst decision imaginable, the children set out by themselves to go help the drowning 'mon.

Voice: HELP ME!!! HELP ME!!!

As the children approach, their target starts to come into view. A single horn sticking up from the water, with an inflatable tube around it.

Mimi: ...huh? How can they be drowning when they have an inflatable tube?

Suddenly, Shellmon explodes up from the water, with the rinky-dink tube dangling from one of their shell spikes.

Shellmon: SHELLLLLLLLLMOOOOOOOOON!!! Taichi: HUH!?!? Hikari: Do you know them, Onii-chan? Taichi: We fought them once before! We can't win this! RUN FOR IT!

Gotta appreciate Shellmon screaming their name like a Pokemon in case there's any confusion about which Digimon this is. XD Togemon does this too sometimes and I am just. I'm a sucker for any time a fighter shouts their own name as a battle cry and lunges into combat.

In the dub:

Voice: HELP ME!!! HEEEELP!!! Tai & Matt: Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Voice: (deep voice) Hohoho hahahaha! Mimi: Did his voice get lower or what? (Shellmon ambush) Shellmon: RAAARGH!!!

The dub puts a commercial break here, as Shellmon reveals himself. Good spot to use for that commercial cliffhanger. Then we come back to Shellmon revealing himself again.

Shellmon: RAAARGH!!! Tai: Whoa! Kari: Guys! A sea monster! Tai: You can say that again! That's Shellmon, and he's not here to play water polo! PADDLE LIKE CRAZY!!!

So, the bad is that we lose Mimi pointing out the WTF of Shellmon's inflatable tube. The dub goes out of its way to give her something else to comment on instead, leaving the tube as an unremarked upon weird visual. Sometimes it feels like they make different choices just for the sake of being different.

The good is that "Paddle like crazy!" is a fantastically flavorful way to translate "Nigero!" pronounced nee-geh-roh, the Japanese verb for fleeing from something. A+

The children paddle for shore as fast as they can, but Shellmon gives chase.

Shellmon: (chasing) LET ME DROWN YOU ALL!!! Agumon: FASTER, HUMANS!!!

The humans do not acquiesce to Shellmon's request, forcing them to swim after them.

Mimi: AHHH!!! THEY'RE CLOSING IN!!!

Shellmon gets close enough to try and bite down on the canoe, but the kids manage to paddle away too quickly for their jaw to hit its mark. Sinking under the water, Shellmon instead picks up speed and smashes through the 'iako connecting the main body of the canoe to its ama.

Shellmon: (exploding up from the water again) THERE'S NO ESCAPE!!! Agumon: We have to push down our fatigue and go save them! Pyokomon: WAIT!!! Mochimon: Let us take care of this.

Mochimon, Pyokomon, Tanemon, and Pukamon volunteer to step in so that Agumon, Gabumon, Tailmon, and Patamon can rest.

The dub, of course, cuts Shellmon directly saying he wants to drown the children.

Shellmon: There's no escaping! You're in my element now! Agumon: Come on, guys! Move it! Tai: (panicked) Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! (Shellmon closes in) Mimi: He's right on top of us! Izzy: Watch out! (Shellmon misses his bite) Mimi: Eugh, that breath. EVER HEAR OF FLOSSING!?!? Tai: (panicked) Stroke! Stroke! Hey, are you guys paddling or am I just talking to myself!? (Shellmon breaks the 'iako and re-emerges) Shellmon: RAAARGH!!! Agumon: We may be exhausted, but we can't just sit here! We've gotta help! Motimon: No! Leave it to us; You save your Digi-strength!

A lot more dialogue in the dub version of this chase, including two separate laugh lines: a Mimi Quip violently stabbed into Shellmon's face and Tai pissing himself while trying to be leaderly. Both of these are great. XD

The four Babies evolve into Tentomon, Piyomon, Palmon, and Gomamon, then throw themselves into the fight. Gomamon swims out towards Shellmon with Piyomon and Tentomon flanking him in the air. Palmon remains on the shore.

Palmon snags Shellmon with her Poison Ivy, jerking his attention away from the humans. Once he stops and focuses on the attackers, she lets go. Piyomon and Tentomon move in, strafing Shellmon from above with alternating shots of Petit Thunder and Magical Fire.

For his part, Gomamon's Marching Fishes surround the canoe. Gomamon takes the back of the canoe, swimming with his fishes and ushering the humans safely away from the battleground.

Peppered by enemy fire, Shellmon withdraws into his shell screaming for help.

Shellmon: For real, HELP ME!!!

Shellmon flees beneath the ocean waves, retreating from the fight and leaving behind the inflatable tube. A bit too overenthusiastic, Piyomon and Tentomon try to chase after him, plunging into the ocean and ending up having to use Shellmon's tube to save themselves.

The dub adds a silence-breaker to the kids' Marching Fishes escape.

Tai: Whoa! That's more like it! This is the way to travel!

Then when Shellmon has to retreat, his line is:

Shellmon: Oh, forget this!

Which isn't nearly as funny as his original line.

With Shellmon defeated, the children and their Digimon partners regroup at the beach.

Taichi: I know everyone's tired, but I do think our Digimon are definitely getting stronger! Hikari: Onii-chan, how do you know that? Taichi: When we fought Shellmon before, we could only win after Agumon evolved into Greymon.

Taichi flashes back on Agumon's first evolution.

I'd be remiss not to point out that this isn't a fair comparison. Agumon was the only one capable of fighting back then because the rest of the team was starving. If Agumon had to solo Shellmon now, he'd probably still have a hard time.

But, to Taichi's point, the Digimon were all recently pummeled by the Dark Masters so it's not like they're in pristine condition now. They still managed to pull it together and chase off Shellmon as a team despite it all.

Taichi: This time, we didn't need Agumon to evolve. Agumon: That's because we worked together as a team! Taichi: But Greymon's power alone should still be greater than everyone's powers put together! Hikari: Maybe Shellmon got weaker? Taichi: No. I'm certain that this means each of our Digimon are getting stronger. Honestly, I've been wondering up to this point what Piccolomon meant earlier....

Flashback to their escape from the Dark Masters.

Taichi: Piccolomon, we made it this way believing that as long as the eight of us were together, we could save both worlds. But-- Piccolomon: It's true that the eight of you are together pi but that alone isn't enough to win pi.

Back in the present, Taichi presents his conclusion.

Taichi: I think he was trying to say that we have to get stronger.

In the dub:

Tai: I know they're all dead tired and they may not feel like it at the moment, but I think today proved that our Digimon are getting stronger and stronger. Kari: That would be great, but what makes you think so? Tai: I remember the last time we took on Shellmon. Agumon had to Digivolve into Greymon before we could finally beat him. And even then, it was close! (Flashback to Greymon absolutely working over Shellmon) Tai: But this time, they beat him easily without Greymon! Agumon: Yeah, but don't forget, Tai: They ganged up on him. It was four of them against one. Tai: But they didn't have to Digivolve as far to do it. I still say it means you're stronger than you were. Kari: Or maybe Shellmon's just weaker than he was. Tai: How come everyone's being such a downer all of a sudden!? I'm trying to be positive here! Besides, I still can't get out of my mind something that Piximon said to me back there. (Flashback to Piximon) Tai: But you said it was possible to save the planet if the eight of us were all together! How come it's not happening, huh? What's up, Piximon!? Piximon: The truth is, being together is not enough. There's something else that you need to do to beat 'em. (Back to present) Tai: I think he meant we had to get stronger! And that's just what's happening!

In light of Taichi's suggestion, the rest of the group discuss with their Partners.

Sora: I think so too! Piyomon: You do? Yamato: You've grown up well. Gabumon: When you put it like that, I feel it too. Tentomon: Koushiro-han, do you think that way about me? Koushiro: Well, bit by bit, maybe. Tentomon: (faceplant) Yaghyagh.... Patamon: Have I matured too? Takeru: Yeah! Of course you have! Tailmon: What about me? Hikari: We only joined the Chosen Children recently, so I think it's too early to tell. Tailmon: (droops) Oh. That's disappointing. Agumon: Don't worry! All of us will get stronger! Tailmon: Yeah, you're right!

Poor Tailmon. But, I mean, to be fair... This is like her third day with Hikari. The others have been with their partners for months.

Don't worry, Tailmon. If it helps, remember that you're a stage above them all so you're technically the strongest one here.

In the dub:

Sora: Yeah, maybe Tai's right. Biyomon: I feel stronger! Matt: Come to think of it, you are looking kind of buff. Gabumon: Thanks very much. That's a compliment, right? Tentomon: Do I look stronger to you, Izzy? Izzy: I don't know, make a muscle. Tentomon: (faceplant) I WAS!!! Patamon: Do I look different, T.K.? T.K.: Yeah, you look buffed out to the max! Gatomon: Kari? Kari: Well, to be honest, you don't look any different to me. But give it time, Gatomon; You'll catch up with the rest. Gatomon: (droops) If you say so.... Agumon: Come to think of it, your coat's looking glossier. Gatomon: Really? You think?

Dub passed up a prime opportunity to have Izzy be a dick in a way that's 100% consistent to the original, but the replacement gag is pretty good too.

I don't like Kari's line. Hikari made the salient point that they're both newcomers so they haven't had time for Tailmon to grow from where she was when Hikari met her. She makes no comparison to the others, but points out that she can't congratulate Tailmon for "growth" when they've barely known each other for long.

Kari, on the other hand, directly compares Gatomon to the rest of the team and calls her abilities inferior. Rather than saying that Gatomon hasn't improved much since they met, she says that Gatomon's fallen behind her peers; That is a completely different sentiment, and one not really supported by what we know of her.

Suddenly, the kids notice the sun shining a little brighter, as the heat begins to distort distant things around them.

Taichi: Huh!? Is that a mirage!?

In the distance, the kids notice a strange hut on the beach, distorted by the heat.

Yamato: There's a beach house! Takeru: Did there used to be a beach house on the coast of File Island? Koushiro: That's not a beach house on the coast of File Island. That's a mirage of a beach house on the coast of File Island. Tentomon: No! That's a real beach house on the coast of File Island!

This is a bit repetitive but it flows better in Japanese. Basically, they're all having fun saying the words "File-tou no kaigan ni" at the start of each sentence, which comes through with a nice rhythmic flow.

Metal Gear Solid alert noise but as a flash mob.

An interesting cultural note about this obvious second trap: In Japanese folklore, mirages are created by the breath of clams. I'm not 100% but to my understanding, mirages bubble up from the sea as images of the great city beneath the ocean, from which the dragon god who rules the sea presides. No one who chases these images ever returns.

We've heard a little about the mythical sea dragon god before. Back at the "Pagumon village", Mimi misremembered a folktale about her favorite character Otohime, daughter of said dragon god. Obviously, here in the Digital World, the sea dragon god is MetalSeadramon.

So. Y'know. Don't trust fucking mirages when you're at war with Otohime's papa. Where this building came from doesn't get explained, but there's a cultural implication that MetalSeadramon manifested it via the mirage.

The dub kicks us off with a silence-breaking quip.

Matt: (sarcastic) Did it get brighter all of a sudden, or is it just Tai's sunny disposition? Tai: ...maybe it's like a mirage.... Matt: Huh!? Was that shack there before? T.K.: Maybe somebody moved in while we were gone? Mimi: Mmm, something smells suspiciously like food! Izzy: Let's take it easy, everyone. Remember, we're in the Digi-World where not everything is what it appears to be. Tentomon: Looks may be deceiving, but smells? That's something else, and I definitely smell grilling hambugers! See? It's a snack bar! Burgers, sodas, ice cream, pizza!

Genuinely surprised that Tai didn't use his line to clap back at Matt.

The File-tou no kaigan ni bit isn't going to translate, so they replace it with discussion of a delicious smell flowing out of the mirage.

Ravenous with hunger and gullible as ever, the children fantasize about all the delicious food that might be in the beach house.

I love the little American flag poking out of the cheeseburger. XD

The mob swarms towards the building.

Taichi: Ramen! Agumon: Curried rice! Takeru: Ice cream! Tentomon: Yakisoba noodles!

They're all in such a hurry that Jou accidentally clips the back of of Mimi's foot, pinning down her boot and forcing her to trip and fall out of it. Mimi faceplants into the beach sand.

Jou picks up Mimi's boot, handing it back to her.

Jou: Ah, I'm sorry! Mimi: Mrrgh.... Gomamon: Oh, come on.... What the heck are you guys doing!? Mimi: They others are going to get all the food if we don't catch up! Jou & Mimi: EHHHH!?!?

Absolutely nobody has stopped for them. The other kids eagerly rush inside the hut.

In the dub:

Tai: Mirage or not, I'll take my chances! GANGWAY!!! Group: (Miscellaneous cheering and hooting) (Joe trips Mimi. He stops to return her boot.) Joe: Sorry, Mimi. Mimi: Oh, thanks. Gomamon: Come on, what are you two waiting for!? Palmon: Yeah, they're going to eat everything without us! Joe: Huh? Mimi: UGH!!!

They cut out the kids yelling out specific food items they want to eat, probably because they already had Tentomon run down the list of American Food Things a moment ago. Otherwise, pretty faithful.

Once (six out of eight) Chosen Children are inside, the trap is sprung. The shack is completely empty, and a sudden sandstorm kicks up and seals the door in sand. Then their assailant reveals himself.

Anomalocarimon: (rising from the sands) ANOMALOCARIMON!!!

Anomalocarimon is a Perfect-stage Data-type Ancient Crustacean Digimon. Their name and design both stem from the ancient anomalocaris. They're the other Data Perfect for the Deep Savers line; Cousin to MegaSeadramon and capable of evolving into MetalSeadramon. Clearly a member of the Deep Savers Ankoku Gundan.

Narrator: Anomalocarimon. An Ancient Crustacean Digimon. By crossing their forelimbs together, they unleash their special attack Stinger Surprise! Anomalocarimon: This isn't your average beach house! This is a death house that will drain away all your energy! Yamato: What!? Anomalocarimon: SUNA SHOWER!!!

Anomalocarimon's Stinger Surprise is entirely in English, but Suna (Sand) Shower mixes English and Japanese.

I'm a little sad that Anomalocarimon didn't say "This isn't some beach house on the coast of File Island! This is a death house on the coast of File Island!"

The death house glows with a bright light that begins draining the kids and their Digimon. Anomalocarimon's Sand shower sprays sand from his mouth, forcing the kids to the ground. Taichi takes Takeru and Hikari in his arms, trying to protect them both as the sand shower forces everyone down.

In the dub, Sora speaks up when they notice the door sealing behind them. Also, the dub refers to this Digimon as Scorpiomon, attempting to pass them off as a scorpion.

Sora: What's that!? It's a trap! (Scorpiomon reveals themselves) Scorpiomon: Whuh-hahaha! Snack time! Patamon: (rundown) It's Scorpiomon! One of MetalSeadramon's flunkies. Between his pinches and his tail, it's hard to know which end of him is worse! Scorpiomon: Sorry, but the only munchies around here are you! Now, say goodnight! It's bedtime! Matt: (challenging) Yeah!? Scorpiomon: Yeah! SCORPION STORM!!! (Scorpiomon sprays down everyone with sand) Sora: ...can't...breathe...can't...eugh....

How would Patamon know who MetalSeadramon's flunkies are? We met him like an hour ago.

The dub misses the exposition that the mirage house drains energy, sort of like what Etemon's Love Serenade would do to them. So they just sort of give up without a fight in that version.

Fortunately, thanks to an overeager mistake, only six of the eight children were caught in this trap. The other two remain outside.

Mimi: Those voices! Jou: Did something happen to the others? Gomamon: Let's go see! Palmon: Yeah!

Mimi and Jou hurry to the beach house with their Partners, where they find the doorway blocked up with sand.

Jou: (gasp) This is-- Gomamon: Shh!

Realizing they're standing on the outer fringe of a trap, the group falls quiet. They sneak around to the side of the house and peek in through the blinds, where they see the rest of their nakama unconscious and covered in sand within.

Comically, all four shriek in horror, then clap hands over each other's mouths and shush each other. Great job, team. Way to flex that one shared brain cell. XD

In the dub:

Mimi: (gasp) Joe: Those sounds never mean anything good! Gomamon: Let's go! (The quartet sprints to the beach house) Mimi: (disappointed) Oh, no! Something tells me this means no chili dogs. (Everyone gasps, then creeps up and spies through the window) Mimi: Oh, wow! What's happened to them? Are they... Could they be.... (Everyone gasps in shock then shushes each other)

Mimi gets two silence-breaker lines added. The first one is an inappropriately-timed Mimi Quip but a pretty fair one, I think. Mimi once got so hangry that it thwarted Devimon's schemes. I can believe that being her kneejerk reaction.

The second one is... Is Mimi implying that she thinks the rest of the team is dead? It feels like that's the implication she left hanging there. Which is super dark yet tonally appropriate. They're alive, but not for lack of trying!

I like these extra lines. ^_^

While Mimi and Jou remain hidden around the side of the house, MetalSeadramon's laughter suddenly cuts through the air. He congratulates his soldier on a job well done.

Jou and Mimi eavesdrop on MetalSeadramon's meeting with Anomalocarimon.

MetalSeadramon: Ahahaha! Great work, Anomalocarimon! I expect no less from a member of my Deep Savers Ankoku Gundan. Here is your payment.

MetalSeadramon rewards Anomalocarimon with a shower of tasty clams to eat.

Are these the same clams whose breath created the beach house mirage? Or different ones? No idea. But it's a boon that Anomalocarimon is thrilled to receive.

Anomalocarimon: YIPPEE!!! ANOMALOCARIMOOOOON!!!

Anomalocarimon digs into the clams, eating one after another and tossing the shells. One shell bops Gomamon on the head.

Gomamon: Augh! Palmon: Shhh! MetalSeadramon: Huh?

The towering sea dragon turns his head to the tree line, following that unexpected sound. Palmon grabs Gomamon and presses herself against a tree, while Jou and Mimi lay flat against the ground. After a moment MetalSeadramon stops caring and leaves for the beach house.

MetalSeadramon: Mm. Time for annihilation.

In the dub:

MetalSeadramon: Hehehe haha.... Well done, Scorpiomon. These DigiDestined are not so difficult to handle after all! Here's your reward. (Clam shower) Scorpiomon: OOOOH, CLAMS!!! Thank you! Thank you, boss! I just love clams! I just can't get enough of them! (A discarded clamshell bops Gomamon) Gomamon: Ow... Palmon: Shhh! MetalSeadramon: WHAT WAS THAT!?!? Scorpiomon: What is it, boss? You want some? MetalSeadramon: QUIET!!! I thought I heard something. (The DigiDestined pass their stealth check) Scorpiomon: I didn't hear anything. MetalSeadramon: Hmph. (heads out) Well, now to finish them off.

More silence-breakers added to break up the tense moment where MetalSeadramon nearly catches them. This one's a mixed bag; We lose that tension and suspense, but gain a fun little exchange between dipshit minion and his superior.

As MetalSeadramon approaches the beach house, he finds the door blocked off and realizes he'll need a clever way of getting inside-- No, I'm kidding, he moves through it like butter.

MetalSeadramon looks over the captured children for a moment, then withdraws his head from the shack.

MetalSeadramon: ...there are eight Chosen Children. Two of them aren't here.

Another carelessly discarded clamshell strikes MetalSeadramon on the snout, bouncing harmlessly off his invulnerable plating.

MetalSeadramon: And you're just stuffing your face!? Anomalocarimon: (nervous) Ehh...? MetalSeadramon: Hurry up and go find the remaining Chosen Children! Anomalocarimon: A-a-a-a-ANOMALOCARIMOOOON!!! (scurries off)

Realizing he's after them, Jou and Mimi shriek one last time, this time giving their positions away. Abandoning stealth, they flee across the beach.

Anomalocarimon: (aggressive) ANOMALOCARIMON!!!

The dub has some more extra dialogue for MetalSeadramon.

MetalSeadramon: (breaking through the house) Hehehehe! Eight little gnats and their Digimon accomplices. ...hmm.... (MetalSeadramon withdraws his head) MetalSeadramon: What's this!? There's supposed to be eight of them! Two of them are missing! (Clamshell bop) MetalSeadramon: YOU CHUCKLE-HEADED COCKLESHELL!!! Stop eating and find the other two NOW!!! Scorpiomon: Oh, you got it! Right away! I'm on it! (scurries off) (Scorpiomon chases down Jou and Mimi) Scorpiomon: Come back here! (wheeze wheeze) Oh, I hate it when they do this. Hey! Slow down! (gets closer) Aha! I gotcha now!

MetalSeadramon calls Scorpiomon a "cockleshell" with all the energy of telling someone in elementary school to "Kiss my ass-phalt". XD

Neither Jou nor Mimi being especially athletic, Anomalocarimon gains ground quickly. We go to commercial break and come back to Jou and Mimi's legs giving out. They fall into the sand, gasping for breath.

This would be opportune for Anomalocarimon, but they too run out of strength and collapse into the sand, gasping for breath.

Anomalocarimon: ...they're so fast....

Something about this situation motives the kids to get their second wind more quickly than their pursuer, and they get back up and bolt. Anomalocarimon forces themself to resume the chase, ultimately thwarted when the kids take cover behind a rock.

Look, anomalocaris was an aquatic predator. Their biology is not suited to running. You might as well ask a dolphin to chase down a chimpanzee in a land race.

The dub makes this even more pathetic for Scorpiomon.

Scorpiomon: (collapses) ...too many clams for lunch.... (Joe and Mimi get up and run) Scorpiomon: Oh no! Not again! Come on! COME ON!!! ...I'm not built for this. Gomamon: This way! THIS WAY!!!

XD Oh man, I am loving the dub's take on Scorpiomon. He's such a weenie. I adore the line "I'm not built for this" because in addition a weenie whine, it's factually correct. He's actually not!

What the hell is MetalSeadramon doing? Is he kicking back and watching Anomalocarimon flail? Taking notes for Anomalocarimon's next performance review? Dark Master MetalSeadramon coiled up in the sand watching both groups faint into the sand and sit there for however long, going, "...really?"

Meanwhile, six vulnerable Chosen Children are going unannihilated because MetalSeadramon is letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. If he can't kill all eight then he's not going to touch a single one!

Finally giving up on the foot chase, Anomalocarimon decides on a new approach. While the children take cover behind the rock, Anomalocarimon burrows into the ground.

Mimi, Jou, and their Partners catch their breath behind the safety of the rock.

Palmon: No more.... Jou: We have to fight.... Gomamon: You're right....

While Mimi and Palmon remain behind the rock, Jou and Gomamon emerge to confront Anomalocarimon. All they find is the hole left in the ground where they burrowed.

Mimi: What's wrong? Jou: Anomalocarimon is... gone.... Gomamon: They ran away! Mimi: (emerges) They could be hiding.... Palmon: If only we could evolve.... Gomamon: Yeah, but we're tired and starving so-- Oh! We can just scrounge for something!

The Digimon have gotten used to the human world, where food comes out of the refrigerator. That's only occasionally true on File Island.

Gomamon quickly digs up a pair of clams, while Palmon pulls some seaweed out of the ocean.

Gomamon: Looks tasty! Palmon: Found this!

Gomamon and Palmon eagerly fill their stomachs and restore their stamina.

In the dub, Scorpiomon remains hilariously pitiful.

Scorpiomon: Oh, forget it! (burrows) Joe: I can't... run anymore... we'll just have to... stand and fight.... Gomamon: Right! (Joe and Gomamon emerge) Gomamon: Huh? We may not have to.... Mimi: What happened? Joe: I don't know, but he's gone! Gomamon: Haha! What a lucky break! Mimi: Lucky for us, he doesn't work out. Palmon: Ugh, I'm getting my exercise right now. My roots are exhausted. Gomamon: And I am so hungry I could just about eat seaweed. Hey, wait! Lookit! (Gomamon and Palmon scrounge up food)

The lines at Scorpiomon's expense are great. Good casual dialogue.

The dub's take on the food search doesn't click, though. This is kind of an important moment, as we see the Digimon reacquaint themselves with scavenging the Digital World for food after being in the human world for a while.

The problem is posed: We can't evolve because we're hungry. Then the Digimon remember how to solve that problem their way, rather than being led astray by easy answers like the illusory beach house, which have so often been too good to be true.

This doesn't come across in the dub, where the vibe is simply, "Oh I'm hungry; Let's eat." We don't get to see the transformation of their way of thinking from human world comfort back to Digital World survivalism.

Down beneath the waves, Anomalocarimon notices one of Gomamon's carelessly discarded clamshells sinking beneath the water. Surprised, they poke their head back up to see what's up.

The other clamshell bops Anomalocarimon right in the joystick antennae thing that is not their eye but can easily be mistaken for it.

Anomalocarimon: Ow! ANOMALOCARIMON!!!

Anomalocarimon surges out of the ocean to attack Jou and Mimi. Evolving to protect them, Togemon and Ikkakumon counterattack, but to little effect. Anomalocarimon's stingers block Togemon's Chiku-Chiku Bang-Bang. Ikkakumon lands three direct hits of Harpoon Vulcan, but Anomalocarimon tanks all three missiles and remains unscathed.

In the dub, Scorpiomon mistakes Gomamon's meal for the clams he was paid earlier.

Gomamon: Not bad! Scorpiomon: Huh? GET YOUR MITTS OFF MY CLAMS!!!

While Togemon and Ikkakumon fight Anomalocarimon, Jou and Mimi put Taichi's earlier theory to the test.

It does not go well.

Jou: Since Togemon and Ikkakumon have grown, they shouldn't lose this.... Mimi: And since it's two against one, we should have up the upper hand!

Anomalocarimon proceeds to beat their Digimon like a drum. They swipe Ikkakumon away with their tail, then pick up Togemon and squeeze her between their two stingers, crushing her.

Togemon: IT HURTS!!! HELP ME!!!

Then they slam Togemon down on top of Ikkakumon for good measure.

Jou: (disappointed) ...they're losing. Mimi: It's too dangerous to keep this up! We'll be killed! Jou: Maybe they'd win if they evolve again!

Probably, yes. But it nonetheless makes for a solid counterargument against Taichi's theory.

In the dub:

Joe: If the Digimon really are getting stronger, they should be able to handle Scorpiomon, no problem! Mimi: I hope so, but it doesn't really look like they're doing too well! (Scorpiomon swats Ikakkumon, then picks up Togemon) Togemon: HEY, PUT ME DOWN YOU OVERGROWN CRAWDADDY BEFORE I GET REALLY ANGRY!!! (Scorpiomon smacks Ikkakumon with Togemon) Joe: Oh, boy. Mimi: WHY DON'T YOU COME OUT FROM BEHIND YOUR SHELL AND FIGHT LIKE A CLAM!?!? Joe: Uh, Mimi? Cool it! I don't think he thought that was very funny!

Mimi challenges Scorpiomon to a fistfight.

Bad. Ass.

And also tremendously inconsistent to both versions of her character. Mimi knows better. Her father doesn't know better, but Mimi knows better.

But badass.

Anomalocarimon tries to spray Mimi and Jou down with their Suna Shower, but the kids take cover behind the rocks again.

Anomalocarimon moves to follow. Ikkakumon and Togemon sprint up behind them.

Ikkakumon: HANG ON!!! We're the ones you're fighting!

Anomalocarimon responds with their signature Stinger Surprise. Ikkakumon and Togemon clear out before the shot hits. The explosion tears open the sand, revealing a treasure trove of tasty clams.

The dub gives Ikkakumon's line over to Togemon.

Togemon: Hey, squid breath! We're the ones you want!

They also change Scorpiomon's attack to Tail Blade, despite not involving his tail in any way.

Anomalocarimon is immediately distracted by all those tasty, tasty clams.

Anomalocarimon: Hey, this looks delicious! Jou: NOW, IKKAKUMON!!! Mimi: SUPER-EVOLVE, TOGEMON!!!

Their Digimon super-evolve into Zudomon and Lilimon. Followed by a hilariously dopey shot where a still image of Lilimon slowly flies in front of Jou and Mimi for no apparent reason.

In the dub:

Scorpiomon: Ooh! I just love clams! Joe: Hurry up! Now's your chance! Mimi: Get moving! Digivolve, Togemon!

Once they've Digivolved again, the dub gives Dopey Shot Lillymon a silence-breaker to at least lend some purpose to that moment.

Lillymon: Okay, Zudomon, let's GOOOOOOO!!!

And go, they do.

Zudomon pulls aggro, drawing Anomalocarimon's fire. Tucking down into a defensive position, Zudomon's hard shell tanks Anomalocarimon's Stinger Surprise.

While the enemy is distracted, Lilimon blindsides them with Flower Cannon. The shot seems to do little damage but pulls Anomalocarimon's attention away from Zudomon; A fatal mistake. Zudomon closes distance, calling Hammer Spark and slamming his Thor Hammer down directly between Anomalocarimon's antennae.

With a pitiful whimper, Anomalocarimon falls over on their back, defeated.

Inside the beach house, the children and their Digimon are starting to stir. MetalSeadramon's window of opportunity is closing.

Taichi: Hikari....

Outside, MetalSeadramon looms over the beach house, complaining about his tardy soldier.

MetalSeadramon: They're late. Anomalocarimon is late! What could they possibly be doing?

Meanwhile, Mimi and Jou ride Zudomon back towards the beach house. Lilimon flies nearby, while Zudomon drags Anomalocarimon's unconscious body along with them.

Jou: Faster, Zudomon! We have to hurry and save everyone!

In the dub:

Tai: Ugh... Kari.... (Outside) MetalSeadramon: Where is that fool with those other children!? I'm tired of waiting! (Zudomon on his way) Joe: Hurry! Faster! We gotta move, now! Did you really have to bring along a souvenir!?

Joe eases the tension by throwing down one of the funniest laugh lines in the dub thus far. Holy shit, that got me. XD

It hasn't been established what Zudomon intends to do with the unconscious Anomalocarimon, so Joe calling him out for that ambiguity lands hard. But it's also a joke that meshes and integrates with the tone, rather than disrupting it. A+

At the beach house, MetalSeadramon's decided that he's done waiting.

MetalSeadramon: I don't care about the other two Chosen Children anymore.

MetalSeadramon breathes fire into the air, intending to set the whole beach house ablaze. Jou, Mimi, and their Partners take cover behind the tree line.

Mimi: MetalSeadramon is planning to burn down the beach house with everyone inside! Lilimon: Come on! Hurry!

Lilimon, Mimi, and Jou race inside the beach house through a... somewhat unexplained hole in the beach house wall. Is that supposed to be the hole MetalSeadramon smashed earlier? Did he nervously pace around to the other side of the beach house afterwards? It sure looks a lot bigger than his head.

Lilimon goes for Taichi, while Mimi makes a beeline for Sora.

Lilimon: Taichi, pull yourself together. Taichi: Lilimon? Mimi: SORA-SAN!!! Jou: Yamato! Koushiro! Lilimon: (flies over the Digimon) Quickly, everyone! Tentomon: Huh, what's going on?

Out front, MetalSeadramon's finished testing his firebreath. He turns his gaze down on the house.

MetalSeadramon: FIRE!!!

He lets it rip, his flames engulfing the house in seconds.

In the dub:

MetalSeadramon: That does it! I'll worry about the other two children later. Mimi: Yikes! And I thought Shellmon's breath was gnarly! He'll toast them like marshmallows! Lillymon: This way! Hurry! Joe: HEY GUYS!!! NAPTIME'S OVER!!!

Joe yells at the top of his lungs while they're passing directly under MetalSeadramon's nose. Somehow, this doesn't give the game away.

Mimi's quip here is a little tonally inappropriate, but I do like the callback to her earlier barb at Shellmon. Mimi's getting a lot of fun lines in this episode.

Lillymon: Tai, you've gotta get out of here! Tai: Huh...? Mimi: Sora, get up! Joe: Matt! Izzy! Move or you're gonna be toast! I mean literally! Lillymon: (flies over the Digimon) Everybody on your feet! Hurry! Tentomon: W-What's going on!? (Outside, MetalSeadramon takes aim) MetalSeadramon: RRRRYAAAAAGH!!! (fires)

MetalSeadramon does not shout "Fire" when he shoots his fire. 0/10 Go to pun jail. For, uh, insufficient punning. For once.

As the beach house goes up in flames, the kids vacate through the big maybe-unexplained hole.

Taichi again takes responsibility for Takeru and Hikari, ushering them out of the building.

Taichi: Hikari! Takeru! Are you okay!? Hikari: Yeah....

Zudomon replaces the children with the unconscious Anomalocarimon. While the kids evacuate, he stands nearby. His shoulders vibrate to indicate that he is silently laughing hysterically to himself. Epic prank, bro.

MetalSeadramon: SIX OF THE CHOSEN CHILDREN AND THEIR DIGIMON ARE DEAD!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Anomalocarimon: (inside, wakes up on fire) EEEYAAAGH ATATAT!!! MetalSeadramon: ...uh?

Anomalocarimon explodes through the sand blocking the door, scurrying across the stand in flames. MetalSeadramon watches them go by in confused silence.

Anomalocarimon: HOT HOT HOT ANOMALOCARIMOOOOON!!!

Finally, when they reach the coastline, Anomalocarimon throws themself into the ocean to douse the flames.

In the dub:

Tai: Whoa! Hang on and keep moving; We're almost there! Mimi: Hurry up and let's get out of here! (Outside) MetalSeadramon: Ha! Farewell, DigiDestined! It was a rare pleasure knowing you! MEDIUM RARE!!! GYAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Scorpiomon: (inside, wakes up on fire) WHAAAAUGH HOT HOT HOT!!! MetalSeadramon: ...huh? (Scorpiomon explodes through the sand barrier and scurries for dear life) Scorpiomon: OW!!! Who's the hot-tempered foul-mouth who--Oh, it was you, boss. Okay. No problem.

MetalSeadramon's "medium rare" quip is great. XD This episode is bringing all the best laugh lines.

I do prefer the original version of Scorpiomon's fiery exit. The dub's sycophantic joke is pretty good too. Both versions put comedic focus in different places, with Scorpiomon's bit emphasizing what a tool he is.

The original, meanwhile, emphasizes MetalSeadramon. He's positioned in center frame so we can watch his head turn and follow Anomalocarimon. The emphasis is on his stunned WTF reaction. Reality is gaslighting him and he is at a loss for words.

Both work on their own, but I like the original better.

Once Anomalocarimon is doused in the ocean, MetalSeadramon finally finds the presence of mind to make sense of what's happened.

MetalSeadramon: The six Chosen Children and their Digimon are gone! Anomalocarimon, what is the meaning of this!? Anomalocarimon: MetalSeadramon-sama, uh... You see....

Unfortunately for him, Anomalocarimon has no better idea of what happened than MetalSeadramon does. They were unconscious the whole time.

MetalSeadramon furiously wraps his tail around Anomalocarimon, hoisting them high up into the air.

MetalSeadramon: SILENCE!!!

MetalSeadramon drops them from a great height, finishing them off. We don't see Anomalocarimon disintegrate into pixels, but they crash into the earth and kick up a huge sandstorm on impact, then are gone afterward - Leaving behind only a large imprint in the sand where they fell. The implication is fairly clear.

RIP Anomalocarimon. Recipient of a prank so epic it got them killed.

In the dub:

MetalSeadramon: Huh? No! NO!!! THEY'RE GONE!!! ALL OF THEM GONE!!! SCORPIOMOOOOOON!!! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?!? Scorpiomon: Uh, w-well, you see... That's a fair question... You see, it happens-- MetalSeadramon: SILENCE!!! (grapples Scorpiomon into the sky) You failed me and I will not forgive FAILURE!!! Scorpiomon: No, I didn't think that you w-OOOOULD!!! (dropped)

Scorpiomon remains a weenie to the end. XD

You know, I kind of expected them to add a line or two indicating that Scorpiomon survived that drop but I guess we're over that. A guy got stabbed in the chest last episode; This is going to be a hard arc to try and hand-wring about character death.

Once MetalSeadramon's gone, the kids emerge and discuss what Jou and Mimi learned.

Lilimon: MetalSeadramon seems to have left. Taichi: Everything's alright now. Mimi: Everything's not alright, actually. Taichi: Huh!? Jou: She's right. Taichi: What do you mean? What happened? Jou: Ikkakumon and Togemon weren't strong enough to defeat Anomalocarimon. They could only win after evolving into Zudomon and Lilimon. Our chances against MetalSeadramon still aren't very good right now. Taichi: So it's just like Piccolomon said. Even with the eight of us together, it's not enough to win. Could it be that the Digimon's evolutions still need improvement?

It was pretty foolish to assume we'd already done whatever Piccolomon thought we still needed to do. There's a long road ahead.

In the dub:

Sora: They're gone! Whew! That was a close one. Tai: But we came out of it okay. That's what counts. Mimi: I hate to tell you this: Everything's not okay! Tai: Huh!? Joe: Mimi's right. Tai: What are you guys talking about!? Did I miss something!? Joe: The Digimon still might not be strong enough. Both of ours had to Digivolve again before they could beat Scorpiomon and he was just a flunkie. Frankly, it's hard to see how they stand a chance against a fully Digivolved monster like MetalSeadramon. Tai: You could be right. Maybe Piximon meant something else when he said we were missing something. Whatever the secret is, we've got to find it if we ever hope to save the world.

Pretty faithful. We also see the return of the phrase "fully Digivolved" now in its new, more correct context. There are still technically Digimon beyond the Ultimate stage but those are basically one-off super-exceptions, not a whole category. When pressed, they often wind up classifying as... like... Ultimate but even more Ultimate-er.

It's pretty safe to call this stage "fully Digivolved".

Suddenly, Tentomon takes off into the air to get a better vantage.

Tentomon: What's that!?

Unfortunately, we will not get the moment to breathe that we thought we were getting. MetalSeadramon only fucked off to stage yet another ambush. Utterly relentless.

Taichi: METALSEADRAMON!!! Lilimon: I'll hold him here! The rest of you, escape on Zudomon's back! Mimi: LILIMON!?!?

Initially, MetalSeadramon takes the bait. Without another word, Lilimon flies out to meet him head-on, then flitters around him and takes off. MetalSeadramon gives chase while Zudomon ferries the children away.

It doesn't take him long to realize the ruse, however. MetalSeadramon abandons Lilimon when he notices Zudomon escaping.

MetalSeadramon: You're all idiots! You think you can escape from me BY SEA!?!?

MetalSeadramon pursues Zudomon, quickly closing distance.

Tentomon: WAUGH!!! METALSEADRAMON IS GAINING ON US!!! Taichi: Faster! Get us out of here, Zudomon! MetalSeadramon: NO CHANCE!!!

Lilimon follows behind MetalSeadramon. In one last desperate bid to pull his attention, she fires off her Flower Cannon. MetalSeadramon's Chrome Digizoid neck plating deflects her shot harmlessly.

MetalSeadramon turns, offering Lilimon only one more moment of his time. Lifting his tail out of the water behind her, he swats her out of the air for an instant KO.

Mimi: LILIMON!!!

Lilimon powers down into Palmon as she falls, tumbling into Mimi's arms.

Mimi: (catch) Palmon!

In the dub, Tentomon doesn't see anything; He reacts to Tai wanting to find the thing they're missing.

Tentomon: Yeah, so the sooner, the better! (MetalSeadramon emerges from the waves) Tai: It's MetalSeadramon again!

The dub puts a commercial break here. Good place for it. Solid cliffhanger. Then they add some extra dialogue to the chase sequence.

Lillymon: Alright, I'll draw him off! Zudomon, you get the others out of here. (Lillymon flies out to confront MetalSeadramon) Lillymon: Yoo-hoo, you big ugly--WHOA! (Lillymon swerves and changes course) Lillymon: Just my luck! He's fast too! (Zudomon tries to escape) Joe: Come on, Zudomon! Move it! Move it! (MetalSeadramon chases Lillymon, but then stops and notices Zudomon escaping) Mimi: Has he seen us? Tai: I don't know, and I don't want to find out! MetalSeadramon: Pathetic little fools! You think you can escape me BY SEA!?!? Tai: I think it's safe to say he's seen us! Tentomon: WAUGH!!! FASTER, ZUDOMON!!! WE NEED SPEED!!! Tai: Yeah, stop dog-paddling! MetalSeadramon: TONIGHT YOU SLEEP WITH THE FISHES!!!

Taichi's quip didn't land for me, but MetalSeadramon's did. Goddammit. XD

Glad they kept the "You think you can escape me by sea!?" bit.

Once Lilimon's out of the fight, MetalSeadramon turns his full attention to Zudomon. He sinks down beneath the waves, vanishing into the murky water.

The children are left in silent anticipation, watching the ocean waves to try and find where MetalSeadramon will emerge. Then, suddenly, his horn breaches the water.

Taichi: Here he comes! Jou: Zudomon!

MetalSeadramon charges at full speed, ramming Zudomon's side and sending the kids on his back tumbling into the ocean. While the kids flounder in the water, Zudomon turns and headbutts MetalSeadramon's serpentine body, knocking him back a bit.

MetalSeadramon follows up with Ultimate Stream, firing straight into the hard shell on Zudomon's back. Zudomon's shell offers no protection from MetalSeadramon's signature move. The shot obliterates what strength Zudomon had left, knocking him back and degenerating him into Gomamon.

Gomamon comically lands on Jou's face, pushing them both underwater.

Jou: AUGH GOMAMON Ablrblurbb.... MetalSeadramon: WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Even MetalSeadramon thought it was funny.

The dub, of course, gives the kids some dialogue while they wait for MetalSeadramon.

Tai: Uh-oh. Joe: Is he gone? Mimi: I don't think so! Sora: I can't stand this waiting! Matt: I bet he's right below us! Tai: Shh! Knock it off! (MetalSeadramon emerges on a collision course) Tai: WHOA!!! HE'S RAMMING US!!! Agumon: Hang on! (MetalSeadramon rams Zudomon. They fight; MetalSeadramon obliterates Zudomon.) MetalSeadramon: Never send a Rookie to do a Mega's work! Narrator: Stuck in the middle of the ocean, the DigiDestined are at MetalSeadramon's mercy. What will happen on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters?

Uh, you sent an Ultimate to do a Mega's work earlier, but I get the sentiment.

The dub ends the episode here, presumably to make up screentime they had to spend on the end of last episode. But there's one more scene to go. A great shadow passes beneath the Chosen Children.

MetalSeadramon: Huh? Taichi: WHAMON!!!

Whamon explodes from the water, throwing themself full-speed into MetalSeadramon and body slamming them into the ocean. Then, before MetalSeadramon, Whamon scoops the children up in their mouth.

Taichi: WE'RE SAVED!!! WHAMON WILL PROTECT US WITH HIS BODY!!!

MetalSeadramon recovers in time to catch Whamon's departure. Whamon swims deep into the ocean, escaping from the Dark Master.

MetalSeadramon: Chosen Children and your Digimon.... YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!!!

The Japanese version leaves off there, on a promise of pursuit by a furious and relentless sea dragon.

Assessment: MetalSeadramon is my favorite of the Dark Masters. There's something about a sinister sea dragon that's so unlike everything else they've fought before. The same can be said of Mugendramon and Pinochimon too, but MetalSeadramon also has that unique aquatic aesthetic going for him.

This episode serves as our proper introduction for the kind of villain MetalSeadramon is: A relentless pursuer hammering the children with an unyielding onslaught of attacks. He's basically doing what Etemon was trying to do, and it's working. He's had them on the backfoot for the entire episode, despite some setbacks.

When he screams "You won't escape" at them at the end, I believe it.

The dub made some questionable choices at the start of this one. Cohesive storytelling is, as usual, their weak point. But their quipping game was superb. Once the action started, the dub was nailing zingers left and right

And since a large chunk of this episode was action, the dub came home with a lot more W's than L's this time around despite its bizarre narrative choices.

[constellationcrowned]

Starter sentences from season 1 of The Stoker Society; the sequel to The Ever Pleasant Mr Bates belonging to the podcast series Dark Tides. Change pronouns and etc as necessary. Notable TWs: death, violence, gore, disassociation, anxiety, etc

"Firstly they don't believe me, secondly they're too scared that there is a predator or something out there."

"I....am the good memories of a bad man."

"We never saw eye to eye but we never really needed to."

"S/he really didn't fit in with the rest of us for the simple reason that the reason that drove him/her to what we were doing was love."

"Without him/her none of this would be happening now."

"It's a lovely story."

"I think it's something that a lot of people who love too much often do: they forget about themselves."

"If you were my apprentice I'd be very pleased."

"You're a fast judge of character, I'll tell you that."

"....Are you wearing my jeans?"

"Alright, you'll never see this again. It's mine now."

"I cannot guide you home, I can only show you the path."

"Carry on. Be wayward no more."

"We're in this difficult middle ground, we've got ourselves into trouble but we're not good enough to get ourselves out of trouble."

"You would do well to remember my words and commit them to memory."

"People were dying...not as themselves. They were dying as lesser things. They were dying as cowards."

"S/he died really badly but s/he died as himself/herself."

"It didn't make sense just to leave every last bit of everyone in the dust."

"If we stay true, if we hold fast, nothing will be denied us."

"I remember back, to that small town."

"Don't tell me to up my literature game when you haven't read a book in years!!"

"They didn't find most of the bodies---they were just....gone."

"No matter what must be left behind the road ahead shines."

"We can use all the lovely language that we want to get away from it but _____ was murdered and that will not go unforgiven."

"You never give me the answer that I want."

"I am the ward of the field/____ and I will protect those in my domain."

"The reason no one likes to admit that the _____ is alive is because then they would start to hate it."

"Whether you like it or not I do count you as part of my family, and that means I'm fighting for you too."

"S/he will come and s/he will destroy everything. S/he will remake all worlds exactly to his/her will."

"These have been the happiest years of my life....they were the absolute...happiest."

"You call me wild yet who stands before me?"

"You know nothing of what you speak, boy!!!"

"You call me a demon and you keep the very devil in your basement/_____!"

"If I can contain the devil, little ghost, imagine what I can do to you."

"My warning stays the same: Heed it or face the consequences of it."

"How long until you tell your master what's going on?"

"The old ways have passed on---let them die."

"I will protect those who come to me with an open heart, I don't have the strength to do more."

"There is a light, there's the sun, a place for all the shadowed ones. A place we belong."

"Well, I don't have a name so I can't tell you it, can I?"

"To nature we all deserve the same fate."

"______ served ______ in the only way a loving person can: with complete honor, respect, and vigor."

"I'm not ready to say goodbye yet."

"Hear me now, _____: the defenses must hold. All of them."

"Sometimes you have to discover things about yourself that you don't like, and sometimes when you discover those things that's when you discover who you really are."

"Shit, this is why I work in the field!!!!"

"Go on then, do your worst. All you can do is kill me."

"All's well that ends well, I suppose."

"There's no way to get ______ back without taking some very dangerous steps into dangerous territory."

"I will stretch out my hand and only darkness will follow."

"I won't run. I won't be silent."

"I don't care what _____ decides!! This is my house/______!!"

"_____? ______, look at me. Where are you? Look around, where are you? Look at me, it's alright."

"Everyone's still here, _____. We're not going anywhere."

"You might want to enlighten me because I am entirely clueless."

"You learn more as a teacher than you do as a student."

"Are you seeking paradise like all the rest?"

"I'm not a barbarian."

"Many have been....disappointed....when faced with the cost."

"Remember _____: Death is a mystery and something to fear."

"I don't know if it was nice meeting you ____, but it was interesting at the very least."

"Tell me _____, does it make you strong to stand against something weaker than yourself?"

"I'm as real as I want to be."

"What is it, what did you see?"

"____ and I spent a long time alone."

"There is nothing good that awaits you on your journey."

"Death awaits those with a great burden."

"Go home, little one. Leave that which burdens you behind."

"I can't go without you knowing....without showing you who I really am."

"I feel at peace for the first time in a very long time."

"I hope you know that we had everything and you broke me and left me with these pieces."

"I want you to hurt like you hurt me that day. I want you to lose as much as I lost."

"It's less his/her life running out him/her and more his/her will to live running out and pooling on the floor."

"This won't do. This won't do at all, ______. Not. One. Bit."

"Monsters will always be slain by those they prey upon."

[tanihanya]

You wanna know smth that worries me loads in media rn? The Overwhelming Pessimism (rant post, written at 12am lol)

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was watching some older shows with my dad earlier-- and while some were a couple dated, Some things, really, really stuck out to me. We were watching M*A*S*H, the episode where the Cardinal Visits. It touches on deep topics, while still keeping it's normal humour, and feels good at the end. However, It was more after watching it-- that I sorta noticed... M*A*S*H would never air today.

And, No- Not because people would be 'Too Sensitive' - But the opposite, It's not dark enough. It's not grimy. It gives war as it is without being constant, overwhelming angst, and brooding darkness, and pessimistic characters--- I tried to think, about shows that were hopeful and meaningful and light today-- Movies, Even-- and I just, Couldnt. And that's because... as far as I know, what optimistic shows exist? From Superhero movies to sci fi, we have gritty, dark stories about corruption and being doomed and hidden issues we don't think about, constantly weighing down all the time. Online, we only see shit and how awful the world is outside, and never- never once- Like M*A*S*H and TNG, some shows I really like, Ways to deal with it, or try to help and fix it-- Nothing good, as if the human condition is nothing but misery and regret. But it's not like that. The World Sucks, it really does-- But we fucken neglect the things that make it redeemable, too- We neglect that change can, and has, happened. We seem to design the future as this unstoppable force of evil, that none of us can stop. Where are my TNGs and MASHs to help? where are the shows that are meant to give me faith? Where are the people still dreaming of futures, even if unattainable, to try to achieve? Where is our future? If all we ever think of is darkness, how can we ever expect it to be light? When we phrase "Realism" as the same as pessimism, the world falls into the pessimistic ideas itself-

Is Pessimism realistic? or are we making it realistic by being so pessimist? When we make only awful and gross futures, what future do we expect to grow into?

We don't allow eachother to dream. That is the right we are taking away from ourselves-- Something no external force can do. People in the past have dreamt of tomorrow in the worst of situations, why do we only ever make these nightmares? I'm going to be honest, While it's true that the world always has, and likely will, always suck, the fact is that we live here anyway- We need to make these changes, or try to, or the world will never become any different.

Yes, It's hard to try to change things, but it's harder to live in a world where nobody tried.

Where are the happy stories? Where have they gone? Where are shows like M*A*S*H, which acknowledge and explore the shit while appreciating the good ?

Where is half of our Human Condition? Where have we hidden it? It's easy to consume doomsaying media, Everybody does it. I do it. It's addictive to feel doomed, it's easy to throw all out and say that our futures will only get worse but--- Who Benefits? How does it help? It is hard to be hopeful, and it always feels like it gets harder as time goes on-- But we have to be Hopeful anyway. We have to dream or at least believe that things Can Improve.

If we never do that, then we never allow things to improve at all. If we let the world take away our ability to dream, we're giving up something that it has no right or access to. We need to welcome change. Yes, Recognise that "It's not good enough" But still be able to celebrate that it happened at all, that today is better than yesterday. I can't remember who said this, But I'm gonna quote a line that I heard once: "Welcome to Earth, Your Mission is to leave a better place than the one at your birth."

Forget about changing the world, you can change things down on our level. the personal level. you can still try, you can still work hard to make yourself happy- you can still be kind, and appreciative to others. We can still work for those glorious, unachievable dreams instead of these vicious, equally unrealistic nightmares. I hope this made sense <3

[realjaysumlin]

America Sees the Truth | National Museum of African American History and Culture

"America Sees the Truth | National Museum of African American History and Culture" https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/america-sees-truth

Every time an act of racial violence it's always the people who calls themselves white did to Black Indigenous People worldwide and not the other way around.

Somehow this twisted narrative tells the world to fear the Black Indigenous People globally when the Black People never did anything to the people who calls themselves white. How can people become so blind to not see who's really the problem and who are the victims?

Somehow they even convinced the Indigenous Black People that we are the bad people and the shit white people are good. For you to believe that, you don't understand the difference between good and bad to believe in this narrative.

Good people don't do anything bad to people who have done nothing to you but to make demands of being treated equally as they treat you. But when your hate for Blackness no matter if they believe in your faith even though your white Christian church has done nothing but to cause Black Indigenous People harm globally and yet they still follow your beliefs.

Even giving praise to your god on a day you were supposed to be doing the same, you kill innocent Black Indigenous Children who have done nothing to you. It's one thing for you to forget and I can understand why you would want people to forget about this atrocious act as soon as possible because it truly make you look bad and evil.

But when the victims forgets, it's something that is definitely wrong with that and you can't even find any logic behind this type of behavior, you have educate yourself about how the human brain functions, because there's nothing else that can truthfully help you to comprehend this.

I know if this had happened to children who calls themselves white, we would have had another civil war. I remember Black Indigenous People globally were killed for less reasons.

I'm a fair Black Indigenous man who truly believe in fairness and equality for all humans because we are all children of African linages no matter what we call ourselves.

I will never forget about your atrocious white history and will call you out every chance I get because you are nothing but evil cowards who have the world following your narratives, I am one person who do not and I am doing my best to get others to follow my leadership no matter if it costs me my life. Somethings are worth dying for.

[celestie0]

🪷 I have been summoned. ℑ 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔠𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲.

These guys will never give up on the horny agenda will they 😭 it's been months wallahi I still remember the last time you got asks like these and like..okay I get it everyone gets horny occasionally but there's several stories that will cater to your needs of the moment. Hell just search up the tags #(insert character) smut and you'll get that shit.

I don't think the anon meant it in a pushy way but seriously on your end I can't even imagine the pressure it must put on you. Like imagine tens of people sending you stuff like this, then on top of that the cunts who send hateful, catty asks over STORIES and HEADCANONS. I'm actually so sorry dude. Forget about touching grass these people need a shot of chlorophyll injected straight to their bloodstream.

I think so much of this brain rot is because as a reader the effort isn't that significant on our end. 15-20 mins of reading and maybe a like or comment if necessary and that's all. As the writer on the other hand? So many hours spent in just coming with ideas, even more hours trying to articulate said ideas and make it coherent and fun to read, even more hours editing that stuff. Whew bitch. I remember why I gave up on my blog now 😭 but back to the point it's a major imbalance of effort and time put into the work from the parties. And after a point these people start feeling like they are owed their own specific fantasies and needs and it's just..girl I get it it's a self insert y/n fic but dj your kitty and go back to sleep instead of pestering an already tired and anxious writer.

You're god's strongest soldier Elliebear we love you. You and all the writers who put so much love and effort into your work only to get stuff like this in return.

HIIIII lilypad anon omg hope you’re doing well <33 also every time i read one of your asks i’m always reminded of how fucking funny you are 😂 the chlorophyll line sent me to the moon bahhaha. tysm for always coming to my support n rescue 🥺💕

AAA yea ikk like the fuckin kickoff smut asks too like bruh. i understand that i get new followers periodically that haven’t seen my posts addressing my issue w these types of asks, but like?? is it not also just basic decency? lol. i’ve been reading fanfics since i was like 12 y/o and i’ve never sent an author a rude asf ask or pushy comment like that…i can’t always keep giving these ppl the benefit of the doubt.

yea i mean i felt really awful when i responded to that ask about an hour after all my anger subsided lolol, because i can acknowledge that it’s not just the anger towards that particular anon, but also just a combination of all the asks i’ve gotten that just want smut. like, i’m ALREADY self conscious about writing smut, and i’m ALREADY self conscious about the lack of smut in my fics. these asks just make those feelings of anxiety increase ten-fold, and then i become too paralyzed to write anything.

yes i 100% agree w you, there’s definitely an imbalance of effort and i think the way you put it is perfect lol i could never put that thought into words the way you did haha. although it’s ultimately my decision to write and i’d never pressure ppl to interact w my work, i think because there is inherently such an imbalance of effort, some entitled readers suddenly think that they are OWED my time and OWED their hyperspecific fantasies to be included in my fics.

idk i’m like kinda getting carried away here i’m also pms’ing so bad i think that’s why this whole situation is messing me up more than usual 😂 but anywho thanks so much for supporitng me lilypad bb :(( i’m so grateful to have you as a reader. and yes! i’ve seen similar situations w my writer moots as well, so all the love extends to them too. i think writers really need to stand up for ourselves more often so these ppl fuckin learn n don’t do the same shit w other authors or in other fandoms

much love <3 ellie 🐸

[zulufic]

ooh. any director's cut notes on je me souviens? i know that's an older one, so no pressure if you don't have much to say, but it's one of the very best in the fandom imo. thanks!

OMG I am so sorry I let this linger a zillion years! Thank you so much, it's one of my favourite stories as well.

It has been a long time so let me think…

I know at the time I was on a real fandom kick. The story came together nicely because structurally it's one of my favourite things: rewriting an episode to suit my pairing. I was doing that a lot at the time, I had an ambition once of rewriting each season 3 episode in a way that would divert the inevitable tragedy and fix things by making them Buffy/Faith: mostly, making them communicate. Ski Trip was this for Amends, and Gingersnap was this for Gingerbread; Walkabout and Smitten also come from this era.

Now amnesia has always been one of my favourite tropes for several reasons. First, because you can decide to what extent memory shapes character. How much of the characters we know is caused by their experiences, and how far can we 'rewind' them using amnesia; as opposed to, how much of them is formed at some deeper, unconscious level, below the surface of memory? I love exploring these things!

Plus of course add on the body switch. How much is action determined by physicality: by hormones, by muscle memory, by those lingering PTSD symptoms that are ingrained at the level of the body rather than the level of thought?

Now this very much sets the "conscious self" in opposition/binary to the "unconscious self" and I have no idea if any of that makes sense in "real life" or in terms of but at the level of *story*? Man I eat that shit up! So it's 'magical amnesia' in that sense: it follows the rules I decide on, for the purposes of ultimately bringing my ship together!

In this case, that means that Faith doesn't wake up and immediately want revenge. She's cautious, she's patient. And that thoroughly knocks Buffy off whatever high horse she generally prefers to ride. It forces communication because Faith literally does not know what happened. And that communication, by extension, forces Buffy to think about and acknowledge her role in the divide between them. So Buffy has to be responsible to her past self, and so does Faith, so the issue of *time* comes into it as well, and also *forgiveness*. Forgiveness of others and of ourselves...that requires memory. We can't forgive what we don't remember.

Anyway, plus the hotness of the bodyswitch, can't forget that. The description of looking at yourself and being turned on by yourself but also by...yourself...well, you see what I mean. I couldn't let that opportunity pass me by.

I don't really remember much of the writing *process* or what I was thinking because that was a while ago, but I remember that I was fully absorbed in the fandom and the characters at the time, writing in every spare minute--rather like these days with ALOTO. So I think that's a sort of hyperfixation that takes over sometimes, and I know by now to ride the wave as long as it lasts, and not to get too discouraged when it inevitably fades. A new fandom will come along.

[paradoxesofgalaxies]

Therapy recap

TW: abusive relationships, rape

We talked about a Bunch today so let's see how much I can remember

Going into therapy, I wasn't sure what to talk about bc we've been pretty shutoff internally

When asked who was here for therapy today, I explained that I'm one of the Rowens but we've been very ??? about who we've been lately (aside from when the Beans are around). So we explored that. I read a post another part had written earlier in the week about our pattern of a part(s) showing up and wanting to track things and dig into part stuff then we flip to parts who don't want to be noticed even to ourselves. When talking about why they don't want to be noticed, it came down to not wanting to make problems for the people around us which pinged an internal belief that most clearly vocalized by an ex when he broke up with us saying "I have enough of my own shit to deal with. I can't deal with you too"

So we dug into that belief and I realized that it hit so hard bc we were very much being treated as a problem to be dealt with by the adults around us at that point so his statement was just an explicit vocalization of how we were being treated by others.

This led into talking about our next relationship which lasted 3 years and ended after we read a poster in the dorm bathrooms with questions about your relationship and then ended with saying that if you answered yes to multiple questions your likely in an abusive relationship (and we had answered yes to most ����). We talked about the ways that relationship was damaging and the collateral damage (breaking up with him also led to a friendship ending fight with my best friend at the time which was more painful that the breakup with my ex). I don't remember the specifics, but I said something about how that relationship was bad but in retrospect feels less bad bc our next relationship was so much worse.

So of course we then went on to talk about that relationship and the two years of missing memories. What I know about that relationship is mostly what I've been told or later read about in old journals. But we broke up with him a year and a half in after realizing he'd been raping us but then got back together a week later and were together another six months before once again realizing he'd been raping us but thinking this was the first time we'd figured it out. So lots of DID stuff tied up in that experience.

This morphed into talking about our difficulties trusting our own perceptions and memories and knowing that pretty much anyone we interact with remembers more of our interactions than we do and how difficult it can be to have to trust others.

This led into talking about K and how we've had to become more confident in our own memories of things as her memory has gotten worse. She used to have a very good memory but has been a lot more forgetful since she got COVID last winter and now regularly forgets interactions we have so I have to be more confident in my own memories when I remember a conversation with her that she has forgotten. We talked about some other things wrt K but I'm gonna skip over that.

I had mentioned taking ADHD previously so we talked about that and that I've been wanting to pursue treatment for my ADHD again as I'm finding it hard to focus on things I want and/or need to do.

We ran over a bit today, but they said that next time they want to talk more about why so many parts don't want to be seen so our homework is to think on that.

[ishouldsleepbut]

Pt 2 of my kinnes + appreciation of Frances Janvier

*This contains spoilers for Radio Silence by Alice Oseman and it's also a long post sorry*

So I just finished Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (which is fucking amazing, pls go read it if you haven't), and ooh boy. I got myself another kin. This time the lucky one is Frances Janvier.

At first, Frances seems like you typical overachiever: head girl, A's on every test, almost no hobbies (unless you count studying) and she wants to go to a prestigious college (this time it's Cambridge). Secretly though, she's an artist who obsesses over and posts fanart about her favorite podcast, Universe City. Over the course of the story, we see Frances works her ass off trying to get into Cambridge for English Lit. She says when she's not doing homework, she feels like she's wasting time (I know that feeling). I'm gonna quote a line from the book that really hit me hard.

Context: Frances is on the train to Cambridge for her interviews. "Everything I'd ever done at school had come down to this... What else were you supposed to do when you got the best grades in the class, without fail, every single year? Why would I waste an opportunity like this?". Frances continuously reiterates that if she doesn't get into Cambridge, all of her hard work and studying a subject that she doesn't even LIKE will be for nothing.

And like, as a so-called "smart kid", that hit fucking hard. It genuinely feels like your whole personality is just getting good grades which is a problem because school doesn't last forever. No one in their twenties remembers what they got on their 7th-grade math finals. And so when gifted kids like me take a step back, they realize "Oh shit, I don't know who I am anymore". Because when so much of your life revolves around being perfect over and over again, taking every opportunity to get higher academic achievements, you forget that it's ok to be human. It's ok to not get everything right, it's ok to do other stuff instead of studying, and it's ok to fail. And that is such a hard lesson to learn because it has been ingrained in our brains by either ourselves or the people around us that failing is the worst thing you can do. Just… reading Frances break down when she found out she didn't get accepted to Cambridge… I cried. Like actually cried. (God this book is so good, seriously, go read it.)

I also want to talk about Frances' relationship with the podcast Universe City and fandom stuff in general. Frances is a huge fan of this podcast and she even regularly posts fanart of it on Tumblr. No one knows about this though, as Frances is scared of people finding out. She's afraid people will think she's just a fandom-obsessed weirdo. Frances even feels like there are two parts to her: School Frances and Real Frances. This ties back into the whole "being perfect" thing. I feel like a lot of gifted kids relate to this (read I relate to this) because you feel like you have to be correct and perfect all the time. You can't ever show your "weird" side because then people might not take you seriously (especially when you're a racial, ethnic, or gender minority) or they'll judge you for it. Like I'm in a lot of fandoms. I read fanfiction. I make edits and fanart. Hell, I've even watched those gatcha life "characters react to themselves" videos. And a lot of the stuff I've mentioned is so stigmatized that I feel like a lot of us have just taken to hiding it. I honestly don't tell a lot of my friends about the fanfics I read or what ships I like or my headcanons for specific characters. If I share those things with you, that means I really trust you (...or I don't know you and I'm posting it on Tumblr).

And honestly, that's why I love Tumblr because I can just talk about my silly headcanons for x character and gush over some cute fanart. If someone sees and likes my posts, great. I'm glad you liked it. But if not that's ok.

Well, congrats for making it to the end of this hella-long post. Thanks for listening to me ramble for a little bit about some personal stuffs. Pls read radio silence if you haven't, it's so good. It and Frances need more appreciation because they are both so awesome.

[mythundermeme]

Arcane starters

note: feel free to tweak details to fit the muses. do not add to this list. other meme blogs, please don’t reblog.

content/trigger warning: death, violence, swearing, vomiting

ACT 3

episode 07

"I knew it was a mistake trusting you."

"You've been a real picnic yourself."

"Hey, stop! Get your hands off of me."

"You shy? Or just ugly?"

"You look good for a dead girl."

"That was a long time ago. People change."

"You were following us? Why didn't you say something?"

"You still punch like a little boy."

"I remember when you wouldn't stand up to me."

"Perhaps the error resides not with your calculations, but with your subjects."

"Nature has made us intolerant to change. But fortunately, we have the capacity to change our nature."

"I know the look of a doomed man."

"If you take this path, they will despise you."

"Love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress."

"I tried taking it apart and it nearly killed me."

"Everything you said about him was true."

"My family cast me out and yet, part of me still loves them."

"He disappeared. He does that sometimes."

"It didn't sound like a request."

"Let's just say I didn't always see eye-to-eye with my old man."

"I didn't lose her. They took her!"

"Why would I remember her name?"

"They needed somewhere safe to start again."

"She's still in there. I can reach her."

"I order a blockade and my own partner violates it?"

"Have you forgotten where we came from?"

"Listen, let her go."

"I brought her here."

"It's me you want."

"I thought they were hurting you!"

"Don't move, silly. I might hurt you."

"Have you forgotten how she left you?"

"I am your family. Everyone else betrays us."

"Your people hunt us like animals."

"Your people aren't dying all around you."

"The peace is already broken."

"Shut up. It's just a goodbye hug."

"Oh, look who it is. The boy savior."

episode 08

"He wanted me to know death."

"Your brother thinks he can talk his way out of anything."

"I will give you the world, child, if you prove you can take it."

"Kill her now, and only one must die."

"You understand you've broken several laws?"

"Sometimes death is a mercy."

"You're a scary lady."

"War isn't our first and every recourse."

"Weapons can't be unmade, and they are always used."

"What happened to her, it's not your fault."

"I understand this must be painful. I'm afraif it will only get worse."

"I have to get home. It isn't safe for me here."

"We're no strangers to failure."

"They're still cleaning the blood off the bridge."

"I remember where your fancy damn door is."

"Go back to that big, shiny house of yours and just… forget me, okay?"

"Everything you do inspires me."

"You said you were tired of doing nothing."

"That's the only sensible thing that came out of anyone's mouth tonight."

"Of everyone up here, you're the one she trusted to do something."

"We got a deal, pretty boy?"

episode 09

"He knew what he was signing up for."

"Do you not understand? I am part of this now."

"You won't make it alone."

"You gonna do anything about that piece of shit who murdered my boy?"

"At least we have the solace of knowing he died fighting for our cause, instead of some petty personal dispute, as so often occurs here."

"You're one to talk about sacrificing for the cause."

"March back to your ship and get the hell out of my city."

"Get a hold of yourself. I taught you better."

"I wanted to protect the city from people like you."

"I would set the world ablaze to protect our family."

"At least you didn't throw up."

"Everything made sense then."

"What about your disease?"

"We lost ourselves. Lost our dream."

"In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good."

"You know what bore us through those times? Loyalty."

"Now I'm forced to share the air with parasites like you who leech off their legacies."

"I still believe in loyalty."

"Perfect place for an ambush."

"I was reminded recently of what brought us together in the first place."

"I give you credit for your stunt."

"They weren't her crimes, she was working for me."

"We both have our shitty parts to play."

"You'd be surprised what you can pull off when your life depends on it."

"It's not enough to give people what they need to survive, you have to give them what they need to live."

"And what do I lose but problems?"

"Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?"

"She still needs you. They all do."

"They're right not to trust us."

"With respect, I don't give a shit what any of you think of me anymore."

"Nothing ever stays dead."

"I always heard you. Shadows in the streets, prickles on the back of my neck."

"The only thing that kept me going was the thought of getting back to you."

"I paid your girlfriend a visit this morning."

"Make her go away, please."

"You wouldn't lie to me. Not again."

"You're my daughter. I'll never forsake you."

"I never would have given you to them. Not for anything."

"I thought maybe you could love me like you used to."