#also no worries if you don't want to continue it

[jane-the-good]

SYLUS: hide and seek

WORD COUNT: 3.7K

SUMMARY: Sylus decides to help you learn how to understand and handle him ◡̈

NOTE: I love playful Sylus!!!!!! he deserves to playyyy

WARNINGS: 60% smut, 30% play, Sylus likes to give up his control and lord knows he craves that, oral sex, unsafe sex (please don’t be like them)

AO3 sylus masterlist

I’m also a bleach artist!! I made a hoodie for Sylus (obvi) and it’s my fave to paint!! It’s HERE if you want oneee!!!

love youuuuuu ♡

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You burst into the room, breath ragged, the echo of pursuing footsteps closing in. A distant door slams—loud, jarring. There’s no time to think. You lunge for cover, heart pounding, slipping behind Sylus’ chair as instinct takes over.

You crouch low, trying to make yourself smaller, pressing against the heavy fabric of the armchair. Your fingers curl into the edge of the rug for grounding. Every second could split open into violence. You can hear them—boots pounding, floorboards groaning, the occasional clatter of something knocked over in haste.

They’re getting closer.

But Sylus?

He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t tense. He only reaches lazily for a pen, twirling it between his fingers as if the room isn’t seconds from invasion. His attention flickers briefly, not to the sound outside—but to the disruption of your presence. A soft, amused breath escapes him. He lowers his pen, lets his glasses slide a little further down the bridge of his nose.

Then—without even turning his head—he speaks.

“Why are you hiding behind me?”

His voice is maddeningly calm, touched with dry amusement. You feel it rumble in the space as a slow-moving storm. You peek up at him from behind the chair—at the sharp lines of his shoulders, the way the lamplight throws shadows across the papers he’s annotating in precise, immaculate script.

“I—I had to,” you stammer. You can’t quite steady your voice. “They’re coming. I didn’t know where else to go.”

“You came here.” He tilts his head just slightly. “Of all the doors you could’ve thrown open, you chose mine.”

You open your mouth, but he raises a finger—almost absentmindedly—as if to hush a student mid-interruption.

“I’m not saying I mind,” he says smoothly. “It’s just interesting. People tend to seek me out when they’re desperate.”

He shifts in the chair, the worn leather creaking beneath him as he leans back. His legs cross slowly, elegantly, and he returns to his notes without a trace of concern. The silence outside is deceptive— the eye of a storm. Your heart drums too loud in your ears.

Then, quietly, you whisper: “You don’t see me.”

He pauses.

Just for a second.

The pen stills in his hand.

A knowing smile curls at the edge of his mouth.

“Oh, sweetheart…” His voice is a drawl now, velvety and dangerous. “I see you better than anyone ever has.”

You freeze.

He doesn't look up from his papers, and for a moment, you're unsure if he’s completely aware of the danger drawing near. But then you hear it—the faintest shift in the air, a barely perceptible tension.

"I’m surprised you’re afraid of them," Sylus continues, his tone casual, but with that unmistakable underlying smugness. “You’re losing your edge, kitten." He leans back in his chair, still not fully turned toward you, his voice dripping with mock casualness. "I suppose you’ll have to protect yourself, won’t you?"

You can't help but roll your eyes. The man is infuriating, always two moves ahead, always expecting everyone around him to follow suit. But... he does care. In his own twisted, strategic way, he does. And for all his arrogance, it's that caring, that soft spot for you, that keeps you close. He knows you can handle yourself, that you’re capable.

"You don't need to worry about me," you say, standing up slowly, ready to face whatever’s coming. You feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins, your instincts sharp and ready for anything. You trust yourself—and him, even when he's impossible.

"Of course I don’t," he replies, still not looking at you, but there's an unmistakable glint in his eyes now. "But do try to avoid getting yourself killed. I’d prefer not to clean up the mess."

The smug grin on his face never wavers, but there’s a dangerous edge behind it—one that speaks to his true nature. He’s ruthless, a man who never hesitates to go to any lengths for what he wants, even if it means taking lives. Yet, when it comes to you... there's something softer beneath it all.

You take a step forward, the confidence he’s instilled in you propelling you. You don’t need him to shield you. You don’t need anyone to do that. But you can feel his gaze on you now, watching, waiting. Encouraging. His words might be mocking, but his eyes say otherwise—he’s eager to see how far you’ll go.

And you’ll show him. You’ll show him that you don’t need protection. You’ll prove to him, and to yourself, that you’re not the one to hide anymore.

You step toward the door strategizing your next move, with haste. You will figure it out, you always do.

In a quick, desperate motion, you yank open the door.

“Sylus made me do it!”

Your voice cuts through the hallway, sharp and shaking. The twins—already mid-argument—freeze. They gasp in unison, wide-eyed, clutching each other as the weight of your words sinks in.

“Boss! No way!”
“He threatened you?!”

You nod gravely, committing to the drama with the weight of someone preparing for trial. “He said he’d take out Mephisto’s batteries if I didn’t comply. I had no choice. It was life or death.”

Gasps. Real gasps.

“Boss! That’s low!”
“You know Mephisto gets cranky without his charge!”

Behind you, Sylus doesn’t even look up. He exhales—barely—and flips a page in his notebook with the nonchalance of someone utterly bored by your slander.

“And what if I did do it?” he murmurs without inflection, he’s entertaining the idea just to see how far they’ll take it.

The twins freeze. Slowly turn to look at each other, the internal gears visibly turning as they try to figure out how serious he might be.

“Well…”
“I mean…”

Sylus tilts his head, finally looking up from his papers with a predator’s patience. “Would you… punish me?”

That shuts them both up fast.

“Boss! How could you say that!”
“Don’t make it weird!”

He sighs and turns back to his papers, completely unfazed.

“Apologies, Miss Hunter,” Luke and Kieran say together but not in unison.

“You did technically threaten my life,” you mutter, stepping back in and pulling the door shut, “but… it’s literally fine.”

“You’re super chill for someone whose life was just endangered,” one twin calls out.

“Thanks for being cool about it!” the other adds, sheepishly.

“Yeah, anywho, see you later!”

“Bye! Sorry again!”

You lean back against the door once it closes, exhaling all the nonsense in one long, exhausted breath.

Sylus doesn’t even pause his writing.

“What happened to not needing protection?” he drawls, bleeding smug ink into every watered down syllable.

“I panicked,” you admit, too tired to fake confidence. At least you’re honest.

He hums in amusement, tapping the end of his pen against his chin. “It seems your personal growth will just have to wait.”

“Sylus. It was serious.”

Now he glances up, finally meeting your eyes—brows raised, that half-smile toying with the edge of his mouth.

“You accused me of blackmail.”

“And they believed it!”

“That’s not the win you think it is.”

You cross your arms. “I saved Mephisto.”

“I see.” He says as he flips through Onychinus special top secret papers that could effect the lives of countless people in positive and negative ways all according to his choices.

“Sylus, I-“ you don’t even want to say it. “I caught their book on fire.”

“I wasn’t aware arson was something you enjoy.”

You drag your feet on the way back to his desk, each step heavier than the last, the guilt pulls at your ankles. When you finally reach him, you don’t sit—you just plant your hands on the front edge of his desk and lean all your weight into it, letting your head drop forward, collapsing under your shame.

Sylus doesn’t say anything right away. You can feel his eyes on you, hear the slow scratch of his pen as it comes to a halt.

“I lied to them,” you mutter, voice muffled by your own despair. “I threw you under the bus. A very large, twin-powered bus.”

Still, no response.

You sigh, lifting your head just enough to glare at the surface of his desk. “They have this book,” you say, finally unraveling, “like an actual book, handwritten and everything, with rules and tips and ‘how to handle Sylus without being emotionally mauled.’ It’s their pride. They treat it like scripture.”

That earns a faint twitch of his brow, but nothing more.

“And it’s not entirely my fault,” you continue, defensively now, straightening a little. “They lit a candle next to it. I told them that was a terrible idea, and they ignored me. And then I sneezed. And the pages caught. And I may have… panicked and flailed.”

Sylus raises a brow slowly. “You flailed?”

“I didn’t mean to! But once the corner was on fire, I was trying to smack it out and then it just… accelerated.”

He leans back in his chair, folding his hands in front of him with maddening calm. “So to be clear, you lied, framed me, and burned their holy text.”

You nod grimly. “In my defense, it was an accident. All of it.”

He stares at you in silence for a moment longer, then finally—finally—smirks. “You’re lucky they didn’t exile you.”

“I panicked!”

“And in the spirit of panic, you offered me up as the sacrificial lamb.”

You grimace. “Yes.”

He tilts his head, amused. “And how do you intend to make amends?”

You think for a moment, then sigh. “I was hoping you'd help me rewrite the book.”

Now he laughs—soft and low, but unmistakable. “This book about how to handle me?”

“yeah”

He finally stands up and with such ease walks around his desk and over to you.

“You know about this, because you’ve used it?” He is so confident

“it didn’t work.” you admit

“but you tried.” He crosses his arms.

“we’d just met, I didn’t understand you.”

“but now you know how to handle me.”

“no.”

“do you want me to tell you how?”

He actually wants to help?

“Is this something I can teach the twins? I feel like I owe them something.”

“No,” He stands infront of you making you lean back against his desk. “this is just for you.” He’s so close you have to look up to him.

“ok, teach me then.”

Sylus' smile is slow and full of wicked amusement, a storm forming just behind calm eyes. He doesn't speak at first—he just watches you, a soft hum rumbling in his chest warning an awaiting impact.

“Alright,” he says finally, his voice lower now, a little rougher. “Lesson one, kitten—concessions aren’t given. They’re earned.”

He leans in, his hands bracing on either side of you, caging you against the desk without touching you. The tension between you crackles, electric and thick, your breath catching in your throat as his gaze drags over your face in a slow, deliberate caress.

“You want to know how to make me concede?” His words are a whisper now, almost reverent. “You make me want to give in.”

Your heart pounds. You’re caught—by his voice, by his presence, by the way he makes something as dangerous as surrender feel like a privilege. You nod slowly, lips parted.

His hand lifts, fingertips tracing along your jaw, your neck, your collarbone, as though memorizing you for the hundredth time. “You're already doing it,” he murmurs. “But don’t think you can stop there.”

He leans in, brushing his lips just barely across yours. It’s not a kiss—it’s a threat of one, a promise, a game.

You rise up into it, eyes slipping closed as you press your mouth to his—soft, then deeper, until the kiss spirals into something breathless and consuming. Your fingers thread into his hair, tugging, pulling him closer. He groans against your mouth, the sound deep and low, and for a flicker of a moment, he loses control.

You feel him shift—no longer the teacher, the strategist, but just a man who wants you, who can’t stop himself.

You gasp between kisses, breathless, “I need you to help me—please, Sylus—”

That’s what does it. The moment you say it, soft and trembling against his lips, he breaks.

“Oh, kitten…” His voice is strained now, eyes dark as he pulls you up onto the desk with a strength and urgency that doesn’t startle you—it thrills you. “You’re a quick learner,” he breathes, mouth finding yours again. “I’m so proud of you.”

Every movement is deliberate, a worship in motion. He touches you as if you’re something sacred—the moment you reached for him, he stopped being a man and became something softer, something devoted. His hands aren’t rushed or greedy. They’re reverent. Slow. Exploring the outline of your waist, mapping a territory he’s dreamed of claiming.

His fingers brush beneath your shirt, tracing heat along your skin, and you shiver—in the way his touch asks, never demands. His lips follow, pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses to the curve of your neck, your shoulder, your chest—pausing to breathe you in, eyes fluttering closed in prayer.

And yet, as much as he gives, you take. You unbutton his shirt with a patience that drives him mad, fingertips dancing over each newly exposed inch of skin. You kiss the hollow of his throat, the center of his chest, the places no one sees but you. He’s undone by the way you look at him—not as the calculating strategist, not as the sharp-tongued manipulator—but as a man. Your man.

You whisper his name, kneeling at his waist, making his breath stutter.

The feel of him so hard in his pants sending shivers up your spine. You look up to him as you unbutton his pants, the tension thick as you reach for him. His breath hitches, eyes closing in the quiet surrender to the moment. You watch his jaw loose , eyes fluttering closed, the warmth pooling in his cheeks and the edges of his ears. You move slowly, savoring the intimacy, your own breath ragged, unsteady.

“Kitten,” he purrs as you lower yourself, your lips replacing your hand, flattening your tounge around the underside of his shaft. His fingers thread through your hair as you take him in, his grip tightening when you hollow your cheeks.

The way he moans your name turns you into his mirror, making your own skin flush. His voice is slow and warm with his truth. He is so honest and accepting of his actions and it’s contagious.

His eyes flutter shut, lashes kissing flushed cheeks, and you can feel how close he is to falling apart.
Every muscle in his body tightens, straining under the weight of restraint.
His hands grip the edge of the desk behind you, not to steady himself—but to keep from collapsing completely.

“Sweetie, please” his head tips back in a groan as your tounge swirls his tip.

You hum your approval and his hips jolt in response at the vibration. Slowing your pace, you let your lips linger as they trail back up his stomach, the heat of his skin beneath your mouth causing your chest to tighten with the growing desire.

You tug him back to you by the collar, and he follows without hesitation, lips finding yours again in a kiss that’s deeper, needier. It’s less polished now—less than worship, more than surrender.

Your hands slip into his hair, tugging lightly, and he groans into your mouth. That sound—raw and honest—ignites something in you. You guide him back with a push, your thighs parting around his hips, his weight settling against you. It feels right—the way your bodies puzzle piece into the places that were always meant to fit.

He kisses you, memorizing this—if the world were to burn, this is the memory he’d hold onto. And when you pull his shirt off fully, dragging your hands down his back, exhaling your name.

“You’re killing me,” he whispers into your skin, voice ragged, eyes dark. “And I’d let you.”

And still—you don’t stop.
You don’t rush.
You don’t need to, because every kiss, every breath, every press of your body against his is a quiet unraveling. He’s never been taken apart like this—by kindness, by softness.

He lets you strip him of his walls, of his pride, of every defense he’s ever built.
He lets you see him raw and human and yours.

Your fingers trail across his skin with reverence, brushing along the line of his jaw, down the curve of his chest, leaving goosebumps in your wake. He leans into your touch as a man starved—greedy for affection but never allotted the ability to ever ask.
But now, with you, there is no pride. Only need.

The way your lips find his again—slow, deep, devastating—makes his breath hitch.

He’s trembling beneath the softness of your touch, undone by the tenderness no enemy could ever touch him with.
No one’s ever made him feel this safe, this wanted—this unguarded.

But you don’t let him go just yet.
You hold him there.
Right on the edge.
Your mouth hovers above his skin, your breath brushing hot and slow, driving him further into the tension.
His fingers twitch at your waist, desperate, aching to pull you closer—but he doesn’t.
He won’t.
Not without your permission.

You whisper against his ear, “Is this the control you want me to have?”

He shudders. The breath he exhales is sharp, caught between a groan and a plea.
His voice is nearly broken. “You’re going to destroy me.”
There’s no venom in it—only awe. Only wonder.
Because even at the edge of his undoing, Sylus still can't believe you’re real.

He lets out the faintest laugh—breathless, breath-catching. It’s not amusement—it’s disbelief, reverence, the sound of someone on the verge of breaking open in the most beautiful way.

Then his forehead drops to your shoulder, lips brushing your skin as he exhales, shaky and hot. You feel the tension in his body—every muscle pulled tight, trembling from restraint and need.

He exhales sharply, almost a laugh, but there’s nothing light about it. It’s desperate, aching.
“Please,” he says—barely a whisper, it costs him something. “Let me… I need to be inside you.”
His voice breaks open, vulnerable in a way only you have ever witnessed. “Let me ride it out with you. Let me finish this with you.”

You run your fingers through his hair, cradle the back of his neck, and guide him to you with a soft, wordless nod. He lifts his head slowly, eyes burning into yours—dark with longing, glassy with emotion. You’re the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth.

And when you finally give in—when you guide him where he’s aching to be—his hands find your hips, but there’s no urgency in the way he touches you. Just awe. Just care.

His movements are slow but intentional— he’s savoring every second with you. You cling to him, pulling him even closer, keep him yours, to make this moment stretch.

He looks at you breaking him open—but not to hurt him.

To free him.

He’s never known softness could hold so much power. His lips find your throat, your jaw, your collarbone—not with hunger, but reverence. Kissing you is a prayer.

His forehead presses to yours, his breath fanning across your skin. “You know I’m yours,” his voice a rugged whisper. His belief wrapped in certainty. You hum in agreement, your body trembling against your will to keep the power he wants for you.

He grits his teeth, his fingers gripping your waist, trying not to lose himself too soon. “Kitten—” His voice is hoarse, tight with restraint. “You're going to ruin me.”
You smile softly,

“Maybe that’s what you need.”

His hand slides in your hair gently honoring you. The room is warm with the scent of sweat and his fireplace. You can feel a bead of moisture slide down your chin as he cages you in his arms. Each thrust sends you spiraling closer, your fingers clawing at his back as your body tightens around him. Each breath in your ear twinkling down your spine.

He doesn’t take.

He gives.

A groan of genuine pleasure slips from his lips, raw and true, the sound of relief. The way his chest rises and falls, the way his breath catches, it’s not just the culmination of desire, but the release of a weight that’s been pressure he has to hold.

Your breath catches as he moves—fluid, rhythmic, a quiet worship in motion. He groans against your skin when you clutch at him, and you feel it vibrate through your chest. Every sound he makes is yours, pulled from him by the way you hold him, the way you meet him with every pulse, every breath.

The pleasure builds, hot and all-consuming, and then—blinding, shattering—you break into millions of pieces and float through space. Sylus follows, his grip on you tightening almost desperately, the pressure of his hands grounding you as his body shudders with the force of his release.

No war. No danger.

you both finally let go—
falling together.


Only the sound of your bodies finding stillness in the after, wrapped in the quiet echo of peace.

You meet his eyes—dark, glassy, and sincere.
And you nod.
Because this isn’t about power.
It’s about surrender.

And tonight, the only battle worth fighting,
is the one you lose together.

When the storm has quieted and the desk is no longer a battlefield but a quiet place of afterglow and breathless laughter, he holds you in his lap, cheek resting on your shoulder.

“That,” he says, lips brushing your skin, “is how you make me concede.”

You hum—grateful to know, but aching all the same. His return to the Big Bad Boss was never yours to stop. Never his to escape.

“I think I want more lessons.”

He chuckles against your throat, wrapping his arms tighter around you. “Then you’ll have to stay close. This curriculum’s private.”

[heyimkana]

guildmaster!jinwoo and secretary!reader?????? omg kana you’re feeding us THANK YOUUUU😭😭😭🫶

being his secretary means coming along with him and the ahjin guild to the international guild conferences. imagine all the high ranking hunters around the world have their attention on him—his presence practically exudes power and immeasurable amounts of mana, it’s no surprise that he immediately draws all eyes in the room. but the hunters can’t help but notice “that pretty thing” walking alongside him, their eyes inevitably straying towards you for far longer than jinwoo would like. cue possessive!guildmaster!jinwoo 🫢

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD YES OKAY IMAGINE THIS

WC: 1,4K | Warnings: sex, swearing | Continuation from this

Let's say the international conference happened a week after they had sex for the first time.

So, they went to another country together, not getting the chance to talk much because people always surrounded him. That day when Jinwoo kissed and made love to you in his private office... As wonderful and passionate as it was, it only happened one time. He had been very busy with his schedules after that, so you had no chance to speak privately with him.

Through your eyes, with how he kept his demeanor nonchalant and reserved, you assumed he had no interest in taking the relationship to the next step. You had also been too afraid to ask him about your status since... Well, he was a national-level hunter, and you were nothing, not even a hunter. You were just a normal person—a nobody.

Surely, he wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone like me.

You didn't know that the real reason why Jinwoo never asked you out was because he didn't wish to make you a target for having a special relationship with him. He couldn't risk it, not after what happened with Jinho. He decided it was better if your relationship with him stayed strictly business, no matter how much he wanted to hold you, take care of you, and love you the way a lover would.

You could still feel his eyes on you every now and then, and sometimes he smiled a little softer than usual when he thanked you for your assistance, as if seeing you stand so close to him but could never be entirely his melted and broke his heart at the same time. You didn't think too much of it, though. You told yourself not to.

After the conference ended, you returned to the hotel you had reserved for the night. You escorted him back to his room, helping him carry over the documents. Jinwoo had been quiet for a while, though you weren't sure why. You wondered if he was exhausted. After all, he was never fond of long meetings, and that conference took the entire day. You were worried about him, but... There was nothing you could do. You were just his secretary, never his lover.

"Take your rest, Mr. Sung," you said, maintaining your perfect formality even when it was only the two of you then. "I'm sure you're exhausted. I will be in my room next door should you need me. Good night."

You pivoted on your heels, making your way outside, but the second you stepped into the hallway, his fingers caught your wrist, yanking you back into the room. He slammed the door shut and pinned you against the door, his torso pressed flushed against your back, his fingers splayed at the front of your throat as his mouth latched hotly on your neck.

His heart was pounding, fueled by desire and frustration, while yours beat in the exhilaration of finally having his hands on you again. After enduring a day of watching other hunters leer and ogle at you, Jinwoo couldn't hold back any longer. He needed you, and he needed you then. His large hand seized your hip, pulling you even closer, his grip firm and possessive. His control slipped away, his desire for you taking over.

"M-Mr. Sung, what—"

"Don't call me that," he said, almost in a low growl. His lips found your earlobe, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin as he spoke. "I want to hear my name on your lips. No 'Mr. Sung', no formalities."

You shivered, "J-Jinwoo..."

"Fuck." He angled your face to the side, kissing you so roughly, breathlessly, consuming enough to make your legs grow weak. He pressed you further against the wall, his bulge pressing hotly against your behind, his palm sliding underneath your blouse, tightly kneading your breast. "You don't know what you do to me, do you?"

"Jinwoo, what..." Your breathing started to tatter. "What are you doing?" You were confused. You thought he didn't want anything to do with you anymore.

His breath was hot against your ear, his voice gruff and filled with need. "What does it look like I'm doing, Sweetheart?" He placed a gentle yet passionate kiss on the junction between your neck and shoulder.

“You… I don’t know..." You chew on your lip to restrain your moans. "You seem... angry.”

"Damn right, I'm angry," he let out a low grumble, his grip on your hip tightening, nails digging into the skin. "Do you know how many men were staring at you during that conference? I could barely focus on the damn meeting."

He pushed up your skirt to your waist with one hand while the other applied pressure on the spot between your shoulder blades. You bent forward the way he commanded you to, clawing against the door as Jinwoo gripped your hip and guided your ass toward him, his zipper teasing your lingerie, his lip bitten at the sensation of his bulge grinding against your behind.

"Every time a man looked at you and smiled," he leaned forward, his teeth grazing your shoulder. "I wanted to wring his goddamn neck. You looked too fucking good, and they were all looking at you like you were some piece of meat. It took everything I had not to go over and punch someone in the face."

He meant his every word, and it sent quivers down your body. You'd never thought someone as composed as Sung Jinwoo could lose his composure like this—all because of you.

You needed him terribly, your body aching for him that you started pushing back, giving him the message for him to do as he pleased.

"Seeing them all looking at you... touching you..." He took off his belt with one hand, tossing it to the side. "God, I wanted to grab you and mark you as mine right then and there."

He pushed his pants low enough just for his hard, leaking cock to break free. "You're mine, aren't you, Angel?" He rubbed his tip against your entrance, his own breathing jagged. His hand slithered to your neck, framing your face as he took the shell of your ear between his teeth. "No one can have you but me, right?"

"Y-yes," you shut your eyes close, wanting him to be as close as possible, to be as deep as possible. "Jin, please—"

"Say that you're mine."

The dominance, the possessiveness in his tone nearly petrified you. "I'm yours—" You barely finished your line when he thrust inside, deep and hard, pushing all his length in one drive of his hips. It burned in all the right ways, your walls stretched and used, molded into his shape. You choked on your breath, your fingers clenching into fists as you tried to balance yourself.

"Again," he demanded, one hand pinning your wrist against the door while the other held you still by the hip. "Tell me who you belong to."

"Y-you—ah—" One sudden thrust made you fall forward, your body pressed flat against the door with his cock sliding in and out. He was fucking his anger and frustration into you, every pound of his hips was a testament to the control he had over you. It felt so good, so raw, so feral, and you found yourself sobbing out his name in pleasure.

"I think I've changed my mind," Jinwoo said breathlessly, one hand hooked around your thigh, lifting your leg to give him more access, to bury himself deeper inside. "I'm going to let everyone know that you're mine. I'll take the risk. I'll keep you with me at all times. I'll protect you no matter what it takes, even if it means putting my life on the line. I'll show the whole fucking world that you belong to me."

The thrill of being owned by a man who could have anything—anyone—in the universe, sent you to the edge. "Jinwoo, I'm—I'm close—"

He held you tight against him, his hips rocking erratically against yours. "Come for me, Angel." And as you let yourself go, your body weak in his arms, your mind reeling in the afterglow, Jinwoo kissed your cheek, his touch soothing compared to how he used you just a second ago.

"I'll never let you go," he whispered, embracing you close. "You're mine to protect, mine to claim, mine to possess. Don't ever forget that."

His fingers tightened around your throat, far from hurting but enough to assert his power over you. And through gritted teeth, he said—

[aceecee]

Insatiable - Chapter Six

TW for this chapter: some angst, reader displaying destructive behaviour just like with her ex-girlfriend, death, grieving or lack of it, themes of obsession and possessiveness

Don't worry, it's packed with a lot of fluff as well

AN: I will not apologise for my favouritism of Zayne.

WC: 6.2K

Masterlist

When the days are rough, he finds himself staring at the photo of the young girl. His eyes trained on her smile. The smile he failed to cherish too late.

The smile he’ll never see again. 

~~~

He doesn’t really care much for birthdays. 

But his family does. Many find it funny how such a stoic kid can belong to outgoing and extroverted parents. He wonders the same. 

The party is in their backyard, his parents wanted something extravagant but his wishes won in the end. It was easy to pull the ‘it’s my birthday’ card, he doesn’t ask for much often so he gets what he wants on the rare occasions he does.

Banners are strung up everywhere. His mother’s work. She’s also put balloons everywhere and decorated everything. Despite his wishes she had gotten a bouncy castle. He felt he was too old for it but his classmates seemed to enjoy it. He wasn’t close with the people in his year level, he didn’t know how to be friends with them and they saw him as cold. 

He doesn’t have to be a genius - though he is - to see that none of them want to be here. They give him strained smiles while their parents stand behind them, the reason as to why his classmates have been forced to attend. He almost feels bad for them.

They all disperse into their own groups after telling him a half-assed ‘Happy birthday’ and thrusting their gifts into his hand. He tosses the gifts to the pile, not interested in the contents. He’s more than happy to stay at the side, book in hand. It’s on the reading list for an upcoming subject and he likes to be prepared.

Besides, the actual people he wanted couldn’t make it. Caleb had a school trip and Mara was down with food poisoning. She had called him in tears, letting him know she couldn’t make it this morning with promises to make it up to him. Though a little disappointed, he wished her a well recovery and told her not to worry. That just left-

“Happy birthday, zayniee.” 

You. 

It left you.

You’re wearing a cute jumper, blue ombre in colour. He remembers when you had started knitting it. You’ve paired it with a black skirt and black tights. You’re wearing earrings in the shape of blue ribbons. You look cute. You’re smiling at him softly and there’s a rectangle box in your hands. It’s wrapped in brown paper with an ice blue ribbon and a card on the box. He’s intrigued. 

You hand him the box and he takes it. Instead of tossing it like the rest, he keeps it on his lap. 

You take the seat next to him, your legs don’t reach the floor so you settle for swinging them. “I’m sorry the others couldn’t make it. They felt bad.” He can’t imagine Caleb feeling sad for missing his birthday. He has no idea why the rascal didn’t like him. “It’s fine. It can’t be helped.” You just give another soft smile.

The two of you sit in comfortable silence as he continues reading his book.

“Oh, is that Monomania?”

He glances at you. “You’ve read it?”

“Yeah, I got bored one day. I liked it, the author did well balancing the themes of obsession and going too far but it also fell flat in many areas.”

He hums, an invitation to continue. “You want a small spoiler about the ending?” you ask. He turns to you and contemplates for a second before agreeing. 

“You won’t like it.”

“Like what?”

“The ending.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s more of a fairytale ending than the one even I anticipated.” 

“Is that what you think of me? Cold?”

“Not at all. But even you can’t deny that you can be a little…logical.”

“Hmm.” 

Of course you end up being right when he finishes the book the next day, a happy ending was not needed for a book like this. It ruined his morning a little. His parents didn’t notice the subtle pout on his face.

His mother calls everyone over to cut the cake. It’s ice-themed. He doesn’t like it. He feels you lean in towards him, touching each other’s shoulders. “At least it’s not a carrot cake,” you comfort him. 

At least it’s not a carrot cake, he repeats in his head. It’s weird how you always seemed to know the right thing to say. You seem to understand him a lot. He doesn’t know how to feel about it.

The both of you enjoy the cake together. Your love for sweets was the biggest thing you had in common.

After, it’s time to unwrap the gifts. He doesn’t mean to be unappreciative but it's clear his classmates don’t know him all too well. He’s left with unimaginative gifts like socks or simple clothing. He’ll just donate them.

A familiar brown wrapped box sits in front of him. He unconsciously saved it for last. He’s careful with unwrapping it, you’re watching him with anticipation and the last thing needed is for him to disappoint you with his reaction. The card on the box doesn’t say the stereotypical ‘Happy Birthday Zayne’ like the rest had. 

You’ve given him a coupon instead. ‘Ask [Name] to make you whatever sweet you desire’ is on it. Towards the bottom are five punch holes. He’ll have to be careful with his decisions. Your sweets are on a whole other world on their own, he’ll have to savour them. 

He removes the wrapping, it’s a vintage record player still in mint condition. You beam at the awed look in his eyes. There’s two vinyl records underneath. “They work, don’t worry. I wasn’t sure about your music taste so I picked at random. The shop I found had many more, I’ll take you there.” 

He flashes you a small smile. “Thank you,” he says softly. He’s never mentioned liking music around you or even talked about record players but the gift screams him in a shocking way.

You stare at him frozen for a second. He doesn’t realise you’re flustered when you avoid eye contact.

Maybe birthdays aren’t so bad. 

~~~

“I’m surprised [Name] isn’t with you. The two of you are always attached at the hip.” When leaving for the new cafe that had opened up, the last thing he expected to happen was meeting his childhood friend again. 

Mara was taller now. A hunter, he thinks feeling annoyed. She has a heart condition and chose one of the most extraneous jobs. It’s just like her. He remembers how [Name] had supported her in this endeavor. Zayne had missed you all these years. To everyone’s surprise, the two of you had become fast friends. He doesn’t understand how a warm person like you sought friendship in him but he’s glad you did. He regrets not keeping in touch.

He’s taken aback at the tears that gather in Mara’s dark brown eyes at his question. She’s grown to be a beautiful woman but his heart remains unaffected. He tries to imagine what you look like now.

Did they fight? He brushes the thought off. There’s no way the two of you would end up not friends. No the only reason he can come with for a separation is-

His eyes widened. 

No. No. No. 

“She’s dead.”

Mara had shown him where your grave was, right next to your parents. She’s waiting in the car while he visits you.

In his mind you had achieved your dream of being a bakery owner and were happy. It’s what you deserved.

He’s disgusted in himself. He’d run away like a coward in his childhood. He missed the extra years with you the others got. While he was busy with med school and then becoming a doctor, you were dead. You’d been dead this whole time and he had no idea.

He’ll spend the next few years just thinking. Thinking of you, of everything about you he can commit to memory. The only place you exist is in the minds of those you’ve left behind. He’ll think of missed chances and regrets. Sometimes he allows himself to fall into the what ifs, imagining a future with you that would never come to pass. These moments were rare, he only indulged in them at his weakest.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers to your grave.

It’s all he can say.

~~~

You had decided it would be best to keep your wishes to disappear to yourself. The twins would never break their allegiance to Sylus, not that you ever wanted them to. No, in the N109 zone, the only person you can fully trust is you. 

You had stayed up that night and came up with a mental checklist for escape. 

1. Find your own place. Not in the N109 zone. 

“No,” Sylus tells you. You’re standing before him in his office. He’s not even looking at you, too busy with the paperwork in front of him. His words bring a pout to your face.

[Why not?] 

“Because I said so. You’re not getting your own place. You have everything you need right here. You’re not leaving.” You glare at him and a hint of amusement flickers in his eyes. You hate that he never takes you seriously. “End of discussion.”

Taking in a deep breath - to calm the need to strangle him, it doesn’t work - you reluctantly relent. Instead you ask for something else. 

[Can I go visit my brother?]

It bruises your ego to ask for permission to do anything. You’re not a child, you’re nearly the age you were when you died the first time. But the N109 zone isn’t one you can just enter and leave when you want, unless you’re someone like Sylus. 

Your words stop him, he pushes away from the work on his desk. His attention is now fixed on you, his gaze leaves you on edge. Nearly two years have been spent with him and you still have no idea how to read him. It's frustrating, being able to read people has always been your strong suit, it helped with the constant manipulation you would pull. You had been happy to do his bidding without question before and now you regret the amount of control he has on you. 

“Why would I do that?” he crosses his arms. 

[Because it’s my brother…?]

He narrows his eyes at you.

“Why would I do that?” he repeats. 

[Because I just found out he’s alive and I want to see him. Not to meet him, I’ll watch from a distance. I just have to see him with my own eyes.] You give him a pleading look. He sighs and looks away, taking a few seconds to agree before looking at you again.

“Fine,” he reluctantly agrees. “But you know the ordeal by now. Do something for me in return.”

Ugh everything is always a business deal with him. 

“Sit,” he commands, gesturing at the chairs in front of him. You do.

He takes the glasses off his face. A shame. He looked very sophisticated in them. “That doctor you mentioned, there’s still nothing on her,” every month the two of you would meet and he’d relay the information he had found out and in the last year, not even a sentence could be written down. It left the both of you frustrated.

[Do you think..]

“That we have a traitor amongst us? Yes I’m sure of it now,” he finishes the thought for you. There’s a tick in his jaw. You don’t blame him, moles are annoying to deal with normally. But here in the N109 zone finding one is like finding a needle in a haystack. Everyone is a mole here. Finding the right one will be hard.

“Don’t worry, I already have a trap settled for our little rat. We’ll find them.”

His words don’t comfort you. They meant he’d known about the mole for a while, at least long enough to come up with a plan. Before your mind can go on a tirade at your developing distaste for your boss, he interrupts you. 

“Moving on, I’m sending you on your first mission.” You keep his stare. “After you come back from seeing your brother. Make sure to have no contact with anyone. No one can know you’re alive. Also remember to take your phone this time. Got it?”

Ah right. The phone he’d given you was rarely used. There was no point, all the people you communicated with lived under one roof and you all used Meph as a phone anyways. 

You nod. 

[Cross my heart and hope to die.]

He glares at you, not impressed.

~~~

That’s how you find yourself, staring at the mirror in your bathroom. 

Sylus had given you three days to visit Ei.

The weather in Linkon will be cold so you make sure to dress up in a nice wool coat. You have a small bag with you, there’s a few outfits in there and way too many pairs of undergarments. You’re not taking any chances. There’s a key to the hotel room Sylus had booked for you in there. The problem is the very large and very visible scar across your throat. You lift your head up a little to check it out. It’s still bright red. Your finger’s trail over it. The scar doesn’t feel as thick as it used to be but it’ll draw attention. You decide to take a scarf with you. 

You still haven’t decided on how to feel about it. On one hand, it’s frustrating not being able to talk. It gets in the way of your everyday life. Even if you can sign now, many people don’t understand it so you have to carry a tablet around. Your torturers/killers had taken so much from you that it doesn’t hurt emotionally that they’ve taken your ability to talk as well. On the other hand, you’ve gotten used to not speaking. No longer do you remember what you sound like.

Ah, well. No point dwelling on it.

Sylus will show you how to leave the N109 zone. The way he does. 

~~~

You feel like an imposter being back.

You had once built a life here but that’s been gone for a long time. You no longer have a place here.

First order of business is to visit the library, after you check into your hotel of course. The looks you receive all go ignored. You’re not humble about them, you’re aware of your beauty. 

You peruse the selection of books but none of them interest you. Sylus already had a vast collection and you weren’t interested to add to them. You weren’t here for the books either. No, you were here for the computers. 

You walk over to one and set your bag on the table. Sitting down, you turn it on. A book and a pen are retrieved from the bag. The purpose of your visit is to look for places available. A simple one bed will do. Hell, you’ll even take - you shudder at the thought - a studio. You browse through all the available properties, noting their addresses down.

Maybe if Sylus hadn’t proven time and time again he can’t be trusted then you would have accepted his ‘no’ without fighting. But, you have to look after yourself first. Besides, the small act of rebellion soothes you, you had grown a bit too complacent. He’ll find out, Sylus has too many ways of tracking you. The very phone he had given you which was currently in your bag for one. Mephisto for another, the city was loud and filled with people, everything is noisy so you have to really concentrate to hear the bird. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be following you. 

Second order of business is the graveyard, flagging down a taxi, you show the driver the address written on your book.

You walk by your own gravestone and you try your best not to register your parents’. You’re not ready. You stand before the gravestone you’re here for.

Caleb Xia.

He really died. 

You hadn’t been there.

He was dead.

And you weren’t there. 

Some friend you were. Your mind remains oddly blank as you stand in front of him. It’s not like you can even say anything to him. Not even the lies that easily roll off your tongue. You turn to leave.

Third order of business.

Akso Hospital. 

~~~

Zayne doesn’t believe in ghosts.

Not when his coworkers tell each other stories of those that took their last breath in the hospital, now doomed to forever roam the grounds. Not when Mara would tell him “spooky” stories to try and freak him out (it never works, he has no idea why she hasn’t given up). 

So then, why is there a ghost standing in front of him? 

The woman standing before him looks just like you - a grown up version of you. The rational part of him tries to answer, it’s just a coincidence that they look similar. It’s just a coincidence that the lady is standing right in front of the hospital room where your brother currently resides.

Just a coincidence. 

There’s no way you’re alive. There’s no way its you wearing that long black winter coat with the black scarf around your neck. The coat practically swallows the woman up, nothing about her body can be seen. It’s not you because you hated keeping your hair long. It’s not you because you'd never sport that dead emotionless look on your eyes. It’s not you because you loved sleeping and you would never have eye bags that huge.

It can’t be you.

As a doctor, he’s treated a variety of people, especially those who have experienced trauma. But his mind (heart) can’t accept the way you look. He never thought he would see you so broken. Just what have you gone through all these years?

The doctor in him is screaming. Yelling to stop standing there and fix you. 

He watches silently, frozen, as you contemplate entering the room. Your hand remains on the door handle, the window in it showing you the view of your brother inside. Eiden hasn’t noticed you, he’s fast asleep. The image of his rest calms you down. It’s a good thing he can still sleep peacefully. 

The ghost looks painfully human as she steps away from the door. You still haven’t made a single sound, even your steps are quiet. He sees you close your eyes for a few seconds, your hands come up to rub your arms, an effort to ground or comfort yourself. When they reopen you look more focused. You’ve made up your mind on something when you sharply turn and end up looking right at him.

He sees your eyes widen in shock. In realisation. He can no longer convince himself you’re a ghost or another woman, there’s no denying it. It’s you. 

The two of you remain frozen where you stand. Neither party makes a move. Neither of you speak either.

You break the moment by running away.

He watches as you leave him again. 

~~~

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Zayne wasn’t supposed to be working but when is a doctor’s schedule reliable? You saw him listed as Eiden’s doctor and you weren’t even surprised. No matter how hard you try to stay away from the main cast, your fate seems to be thread right through theirs. Fuck. You should’ve made a plan just in case. When has anything in this horrible world gone right for you???

You try to look for a taxi. Hell you’ll even break into a car if you have to. Anything to get out of here.

Your mind is unreliable in moments of panic. Every thought is dramatised and the actions you end up taking go too far. You’ll come up with a simpler solution later but by then the damage will often be done leaving you with regrets.

Oh my god, I should just kill myself. Yup, that’ll fix it.

The last thing you wanted was to see Zayne again. He’ll tell everyone, you can’t have that.

I should just kill him then! 

Before you can enact terrible crimes, your psychotic thoughts are thankfully halted at the hand on your shoulder.

You shove your shoulder away, stepping back until there’s a good distance between you. Zayne sees the fear in your eyes and his movements stop. 

“It’s you,” he finally says in awe.

You can’t look him in the eyes, there’s too many things in there for you to decipher. 

“[Name],” he calls out again. That gets your attention. It’s been so long since you’ve heard another say your name. Even after Sylus found out your real identity, he never acknowledged the name. As far as the world knows, [Name] is dead. 

He tries to take a step towards you but your eyes are trained on him, when he notices the dread on your face, he stays in place.

“Please…just don’t leave,” he begs. It’s so uncharacteristic of him but you’ve always been weak to a pretty man begging.

“Just wait,” he checks his watch, “for thirty minutes. I get off work and we can talk. That’s it. I only want to talk.” The desperation in his voice freezes any hesitation in your mind. Memories rush in your head, the two of you had been so close once. He’d never done you wrong.

[Only if you promise you won’t tell anyone.] It’s a gamble whenever you sign, fifty percent in your favour, either the person knows the language or they don’t. But if there’s one person you’d think did know, it would be Zayne. Besides, your hands are far too shaky to write.

As expected he looks surprised at the movement of your hands. “Why are you…” he notices the ‘don’t ask’ expression on your face. “Fine. I won’t tell anyone if you wait,” he clears his throat and gathers himself. His voice is clearer when he speaks again. “There’s a cafe down the street, wait for me there. It’s going to rain soon,” he hands you his credit card. His eyes show relief when you take it. His phone beeps and when he checks it you know he’s needed. You won’t let him choose between his responsibilities and you so you relent.

[I’ll be waiting.]

He gives you a small smile, there’s a thousand questions on his face that he doesn’t ask.

~~~

Zayne watches you through the glass of the cafe. 

You’re sitting at a two-person table. There’s an empty coffee cup in front of you, its warmth long gone. You haven’t ordered any food which worries him. He’d never known you to give up free food.

All his previous attempts of envisioning you grown up fall spectacularly against the real deal. The lashes on your eyes that he wants to count individually. The blemishes on your face have him wanting to know how they got there. The long nails you have that seem almost inhuman have him intrigued. Every part of you tells a story he desperately wants to know but it’s a tale you’re not ready to divulge. 

Maybe you’d rather have Mara around. Zayne isn’t the type of person people go to for comfort. He understands that. He can’t give you what you need.

But, fuck, he’s going to try. For you.

You take notice of him when he enters the cafe. Instead of going straight to you, he walks over to the counter. You watch him confused at the action until he returns with two plates. One has a strawberry shortcake and the other is a chocolate cherry tart. Your eyes lit up at the sweets and he suppressed the laugh bubbling in his throat. He notices your focus on the shortcake and places it in front of you.

None of you say anything, simply picking up your spoons and digging in. Then, like it's second nature, you pick your plate up and Zayne does the same, you put the shortcake in front of him and he gives you the tart. Neither of you can help the wide grins you bear when you realise what you both have done. An old memory resurfaces in your mind.

The five of you are currently on your way to the park, walking through the town. It’s a nice sunny day and none of you had anything going on so why not enjoy each other’s company? 

Calen, Mara and Eiden are at the front, talking animatedly with each other. You and Zayne are walking behind silent. 

“What do you think [Na-” Mara cuts her own words off when she looks back to you and realises that neither you or Zayne are there. The three of them retrace their steps and find the both of you by the bakery, your faces nearly pressed up against the glass.

“They’re at it again,” Caleb says, annoyed. “Why were we even surprised,” Eiden comments. Mara can’t help but watch on in jealousy. You were her friend, it’s her you should be doing stuff like this with.

“Those weren’t there last week,” you let Zayne know, two pairs of eyes trained at the batch of desserts displayed through the glass. “You’re right.” The two of you waste no time entering.

“C’mon,” Caleb grabs the wrists of the two people by his side, leading them away. “We’ll come back for them, they’re in their own world now.” At least he won’t have to share Mara with you today.

Zayne and you have developed a ritual of sorts. Since you’re both just children, you can’t buy all the sweets you’d like to. Each of you only carries enough money for a singular sweet on your person. So, you each order a different one and share. You order a sachertorte while he gets the mille-feuille. 

The both of you sit down and only take two bites. The first to taste the desert and the second to confirm if it is actually good. You groan at the thick chocolate and moisture of the cake, “It’s really good.” Zayne has to be careful with his, it’s made of puff pastry and can easily crack. “The custard in this is perfect,” he lets you know. You swap your plates around and try the second one.

The lecture you’ll end up getting from your parents about having too many sweets is worth it.

The smiles don’t wear off as you reminisce. 

There’s the smile he looked for in each passing person.

The both of you just stare into each other’s eyes, the words of the others in the shop blur out. The comfortable silence you often shared with him in your childhood returns, two pairs of eyes do all the talking. You break the contact by blinking and that breaks him out of his stupor. 

“I..” his words trail off as he overthinks what he’s going to say. You try to give him a comforting smile.

“I won’t ask about what happened. I won’t ask about why you’re not speaking either just…” your breath hitches at the look he gives you, mixed with desperation and yearning. “Let me examine you. Then I’ll be at ease.” 

Your gaze falls over the empty coffee cup as you consider his words. [I don’t do well with hospitals…or doctors really.] 

“That’s fine. We can go to my place,” he negotiates.

You should say no. You should walk out of here and never come back to him, your mind screams at you.

But it’s Zayne. The same Zayne who had left when he hurt the girl he cared about, Mara, not able to deal causing pain to someone he loved. The same Zayne who became a cardiologist to try and make it up to her. 

At your discomfort, a smile adorns his face. “I’m glad to see at least something hasn’t changed,” he muses.

You shoot him a confused look. He pauses, a look of contemplation in his eyes, wondering if he should continue his thought. He does.

“When we were kids you hated being taken care of, even by your family. Almost like you didn’t believe you deserved it,” he explained. “It didn’t stop you from caring for everyone else though.”

You didn’t think anyone noticed your guilt.

There’s a gentle flick to your forehead, snapping you out of your thoughts. You look up at him in awe. “Many are not fortunate to have those who cherish them, so stop running,” his voice is in a whisper, soothing as always.

Ironically, he speaks nearly the same words you had to Caleb. You were always the biggest hypocrite you’ve met.

[Okay.]

~~~

The ride to his place is silent.

True to his word, it starts to pour heavily. You worry for Mara when you can hear thunder. Is she still afraid of it? Your gaze is out the window, committing each image to memory. Fauna and flora were scarce in the N109 zone but they flourish here in Linkon city. It’s nice to see. Linkon city looks so alive compared to what you’ve become used to.

Zayne opens the door for you as you get out of the car. His house is just what one would expect of him. White and black are the primary colours. Everything is placed neatly and organised in a fitting manner. It still feels like a home, you can tell the place is cherished. 

“Come to my office,” he leads you into a room. He gestures for you to sit at the chair by his desk and you do. 

His hand reaches for your scarf. “I’m going to take this off now. Is that okay?” You nod and wait with bated breath as he works on removing it, gently pulling out any hair tangled in it. His gaze is like steel when he sees the scar. You stop breathing all together when his fingers trace over it before removing them completely, his hand clenched into a ball by his side. Even his anger is silent. 

[It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt at all. I’ll speak again, don’t worry.] You don’t like seeing him like that. His eyes soften at your words. Only you would try and comfort him about your injury. He kneels before you, hands reaching your left one. He looks over the injury he had caused. He doesn’t have to speak for you to hear his thoughts. You pull your hand out of his.

[Not your fault.]

“How did you stop me that day?”

When you don’t make a move to sign, he sighs. Another secret…

“Neverm-”

[If I knew I would tell you. Truth is my body moved on its own that day. I haven’t done it since then.]

“Ah.” 

You can’t help the giddiness as you look over the boy you used to know. He’s become a man now, he’s become the Zayne you used to squeal over. Part of you misses the chubbiness he had in his face but the other part appreciated the sharp look he has now. He’s grown even more taller, and his clothes do a bad job of hiding the muscles underneath. And - oh wow- his eyes are so beautiful. You could look at them all day and never be bored.

Due to his stoicism, many like to paint him as a cold and indifferent person. You yourself thought he’d be like that with you, that his kindness was only reserved for the MC. You had been proven wrong every step of the way. You know better now.

That unlike his evol, Zayne is warm. Not in the way of body temperature or even his outward personality. He was warm in the way he adores animals. In the unique way he shows his care. In his touch. In the way he’d always been careful to never hurt your feelings growing up. You could go on about him all day. None of these things were noticeable at a first meeting with him, maybe even the second but you’re glad he let you in so you could learn them.

You have no doubt that he’s an amazing doctor. His patients must feel so lucky knowing that their physician will advocate for them and has their back. There are only four people that restore your faith in humanity and he’s one of them.

Without thinking, your hand reaches out and cradles his face. He lets out a gasp at the contact before engulfing your hand with his and leaning his face into your hand further. His eyes close and the peaceful expression on his face does not help the erratic beating of your heart.  

“I’ll make some tea. Would you like that?” He’s staring at you so earnestly as he kneels, your hands still touching. You lick your suddenly dry lips, all too aware of how his eyes follow the muscle. You nod. This was getting too intimate. He lets go of your hand and stands up. “I’ll be back,” he says.

You decide to survey his office while you wait. The chair you’re sitting on is comfortable. What catches your attention is the bookshelf mounted on the wall. You stand up and walk over to it. Your fingers trace over the spines.The books on it are mostly medical journals and none of them interest you. You stop before an item, one very familiar to you.

A record player.

You remember how frantically you had gone into every shop you came across, looking for a fitting gift. To your luck, you came across a shop with vintage goods. There had been many, in various colours but you thought Zayne would appreciate the dark wood one. The record player was small enough to carry in one’s arms. You picked out two music tracks to go with it. To your utter relief he had loved the gift. 

The shop had become a regular place to go with Zayne. It had a variety of vinyl records as well but they were expensive. The two of you would save up for them one by one. You helped him amass quite a collection. 

“You noticed it,” his words don’t surprise you. His steps in the kitchen and the noises of him preparing the tea were all clear to you, so was him making his way back. He’s holding a tray with two steaming cups on it. He sets it down on the desk and walks towards you.

[I can’t believe you still have it.] He shoots you an incredulous look. “Of course I did. I make sure to keep it in good condition as well.” He goes over to his desk, pulling out a drawer. The record in his hands is one you know very well. All the artists on these records were unknown to you and this record is no exception. Except for the fact that you ended up becoming a huge fan of the artist. It’s a classical melody. The notes are simple but are so hauntingly beautiful. It’s engraved into your heart.

[It’s our song.]

“Yes it is.”

He places the record onto the player. Familiar music begins playing. You close your eyes to take it in, your head bopping to the tune. Zayne watches as you do the same notion you had when he first played the record. It’s soothing that some old parts of you still remain.

When your eyes open, you stare in shock at his outstretched hand. His cheeks glow with a red hue.

“Indulge me.”

Please. 

You stare at his palm.

What are you thinking, Zayne? She’s not ready for something like-

You place your hand in his. 

He stares in awe at the flustered look you have. It’s him that’ll need a heart transplant if you keep this up.

Your fingers lace together and he uses the momentum to gently pull you closer. His other hand goes on your lower back while you keep yours on his upper arm. You push your face into his chest as you sway together, you can’t handle looking into his eyes. You dance for a while completely unaware of the turmoil in his mind.

You feel his face move closer to your head. He places a tender kiss to the side of your head. Everything you’ve been holding in seems to break. He holds you tighter when he feels you shake, the wet of your tears decorate his neck. His hand caresses your head over and over again. It’s comfort at its best.

“I’m here,” he whispers against your head. “Let it all out.” It kills him inside how much you seem to need this. How he can’t even hear your cries. It’s fine, he’ll take whatever you give him.

Later, Zayne carries you to his bed. You had cried in his arms for nearly an hour until you passed out from the exhaustion. He lowers you onto the bed, making sure to take the coat off. Pulling the duvet over you, he sits down by your side and examines your face. Your eyes were puffy from the tears but it looked like you really needed this.

As much as he doesn’t want to, he gets up to leave. His movement is stopped by a hand on his wrist. ‘Stay,’ you mouth at him. You push yourself to the other side of the bed, patting the spot you were previously on. He gets on and settles in. You give him a sleepy smile and doze off.

He doesn’t sleep.

Watching you is enough.

You should’ve left. You should’ve gotten into a car and drove off. You should not have stayed. Because you’ve given a very desperate man a taste of you and he’s not letting you go now.

Tag List: @serenity-loves-red @crimsonmarabou @reni502

[peterparkouryo]

impossible to ignore you | ‹𝟹

‹𝟹

prompt; The boy from the train asks you out on a date.

warnings: disgusting amount of fluff and slight angst in beginning bcuz reader is delusional.

word count: 1k

a/n: twitter is my new addiction pls follow @/arvinsfav i'm tryna reach 1,000 followers ilyyy. also i am so so sorry this is so bad, i barely read fanfics now so my inspo of words and storytelling is kinda horrible bcuz of the writers block :( forgive me i promise to do better next time.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ taglist

-

You found that school has always been a drag. No matter how many social events Midtown tried to throw at the student body, nothing could ever make you enjoy an eight hour torture of sitting through classes (lunch excluded). 

However, there was one good thing that made just a little bit of appreciation in you getting an education slightly important. 

Peter Parker.

After properly meeting him on the train a few weeks prior, you found yourself seeking him out, wanting to know whatever you could about him without making it stalkerish, or overall weird.

A couple of your friends mutual to the boy had told you how insanely sweet he was, and even though he has his disappearing moments, he still finds a way to be there when needed. To you, that's a certain admiration you revel in with anyone.

Sure the two of you talked here and there, but given your growing infatuation to the boy, its a more so awkward exchange than genuine chemistry. There were even times you had to ask yourself if you were the problem or if he's just not as people person as you thought he was.

For instance, today in Spanish Class, you were stuck on the Spanish word for 'Phenomenal', so naturally you ask the smartest person in the room for help, and since you were in a sort of acquaintance relationship with Peter, you turned and shot your question to him.

Peter's reaction to your question however was far from how he interacted with you the weeks before, and you felt something stir in your gut, a bad feeling almost. Not only did he half answer, but he lacked eye contact.

You read somewhere that during conversations, eye contact is a super important thing to have and it shows that a person enjoys talking to you, and they're hearing what you're saying by maintaining such an aspect.

Maybe the little overlydramatic side of you could be reaching and he might just be really shy, but it also made no sense, because Peter did seem like he liked your company, at least for a little while.

As your thoughts of what if's invade your mind, you walk down the hall after asking your math teacher if you may use the washroom (he made a dumb math joke before you left), you notice a familiar set of brown curls exit the boys' washroom, and you stop in your tracks just as he did.

You look him over in his blue Midtown sweatshirt, which he probably got from school spirit week, holding a hall pass from the detention classroom. 

"Hi." Peter says.

"Hi." You say back.

The strained silence set an unwanted tension between you both and Peter quietly fiddles with the makeshift pass in his hands before clearing his throat.

"You look nice today." He softly smiled at you and you blink in genuine confusion as the butterflies in your stomach flutter at his compliment.

"Thank you." You respond and awkwardly place your hands behind your back.

A few more seconds of quietness go by.

"I hope you know I'm not ignoring you on purpose, or—I don't want you to think I hate you or something." Peter explains, to your relief.

Being under the impression the boy hated you, or just fizzled out interest overtook your mind more than you'd like to admit.

All you could do is nod in response, thankful but still a little worried.

"It's just...I don't really know how to talk to you." Peter admits and continues, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm not mad at you or anything." You reassure, smiling in hopes he believes you.

Peter looks around in deep thought and takes a deep breath. You could feel his nervousness practically oozing from him.

"Look, I'm just going to say it because my aunt told me I should be more confident and upfront, no matter the outcome—" He rambles and you furrow your eyebrows with a confused smile. "I really like you, I know its technically been a few weeks, but I don't know..." Peter shrugs.

Your heart drops to the bottom of your stomach listening to his words, hearing the boy you were so infatuated with and even asked around about openly admit to liking you. It was almost impossible to ignore the feeling of happiness rising in you.

"You like me?" You bite the bottom of your lip and grin.

"Well, yeah." Peter shows you a half smile.

"I like you too." You ultimately admit.

Peter's half smile turns into an even bigger one.

"You do? I mean—That's awesome, maybe..I could hopefully, successfully ask you on a date? If you want to go, not forcing you or anything." He watches and waits for your reaction.

You felt like you were in a dream and one simple pinch would wake you up from this fairytale.

"I would like that." You agree and you swear Peter's smile grows inhumanly larger.

"Okay, cool."

"Cool."

A more comfortable beat of silence goes by.

"I should probably get back to...dentition before the Coach think I skipped or something." Peter explains to which you nod in understanding.

"Right." You press your lips together as he starts to walk past you.

The boy stops in his tracks and turns to face you. "Is it okay if I take you to a science related museum for our date? Because I know some cool facts unless you think that's lame, then we could go to Delmar's or something, but if you don't like sandwiches either—" You stop him before he continues with his habit of rambling.

"Both is fine." You chuckle and Peter nods at your submission.

"Okay, both it is."

Peter turns around and unknowingly fails to notice you watch him just about skip his way back to detention and you smile at the adorable gesture.

Almost completely forgetting your bladder needed relief, the five minute conversation finally coming to an end, you make your way to the girl's washroom with a more confident pep in your step.

taglist:

@victoriousskylar @ietss @astrogirl0666 @hahehwjavaja @superlegend216 @b4tm4nn @imawhoreforu @sunsettee @myfangirlinessononeblog

[i02dollia]

PLEASE ANTON TOP X MALE READER hard in a car 🧎🧎

I don't even speak English but I BEG U

oh don’t worry about it! I think.. I’ll be able to write you up something pretty good <3 hard dom anton? mhhh.

18+ male x male, dom!anton, car sex, dirty talk, spitting, slapping, hair pulling, manhandling, anton is mean!! but also sweet? just ruins reader..

fingers tapping against the ripped jeans you wore in a nervous manner not knowing if turning to look over at anton was a good idea—not after what happened at taro’s party. taking you a few more seconds to muster up the courage, your head finally turned to face him and.. he was already looking at you. his large and veiny hand gripped the steering wheel even though the car had been in park—for how long now? god you weren’t paying attention to anything but the nerves that ate away at your poor overthinking mind. slowly blinking, anton undid the seatbelt so he could turn his body to face you and without a word he continued to stare at you causing your entire body to warm up. “w-what..?”

anton chuckled at how cute you were when so nervous. “hm, I’m not sure. maybe you’d like to go back to taro’s party so you can continue acting like such a whore with seunghan.” typical. turning your head to stare out the window a sigh left your lips—none of this would’ve happened if anton didn’t leave you on the couch for at least 20 minutes. something about wonbin was having a rough time and anton needed to comfort him as always. “just take me home anton.” usually it wasn’t this way—you being bold. that was something you weren’t good at but after hearing the shit he said it was harder than ever to control the small amount of anger that filled your body. “god you’re so cute.” his voice caught you off guard.. it was much deeper than usual, unlike his soft and sweet tone he always had with you. slowly turning to look at him—his hair was pushed back from the leftover sweat from the party and you assumed nerves or maybe anger. his plump lips glossed over from just licking over them and his eyes were dark. his sweet chocolate brown eyes you adored were long gone and this was a new anton. had you two been intimate before? sure. it wasn’t nothing too serious since the both of you were taking the new relationship slow. this look.. was not usual with him.

“do you love me baby, hm? when you look at me like that it just.. makes me feel some sort of way. makes me want to fuck that little ass open and force you to take my big cock whether you like it or not.” your eyes widened. he’s never spoke to you like this before but.. it felt so good. why? this is usually how couples were so why make it so weird with you two? your now sweaty hand gripped the jeans you wore, playing with the hole.

“bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you? I know you’ve been wanting my cock. don’t act so shy and oblivious now. not when I caught you staring at my bulge when we went swimming the other day.” fuck. he caught you and it was humiliating. “c-can we just g-go back to your place n-now? let’s just—” unable to finish your own sentence without the feeling of his warm and large hand gripping your jaw in an aggressive manner, anton forced you to look up at him even sitting in the car he was so big—so so big and strong. your eyes flicked down to his plump lips that were so damn kissable, curse him and those lips that you adored so much. anton only smirked and leaned forward to press a quick peck to your lips hoping to satisfy you with that but.. that wasn’t going to happen. not with just a peck.

“get in the backseat. now.” and you wasted no time getting into the backseat patiently waiting for him to join you, the bulge in his sweatpants only causing you to grow more nervous and excited for what’s to come. anton leaned back against the seat as much as he could before pulling you into his lap, aggressively rocking your hips against his own. a hiss left his lips as he stared up at you—watching how embarrassed you looked. “fuck. this is how you’d ride my cock, want too? bet you do. I know you do. seunghan would never be able to fuck you so good like I can. don’t you ever give him attention. you’re mine, understand that?” you eagerly nodded your head enjoying the way he spoke to you. this was all so new but.. so so good.

anton forced you to dry hump him for the next few minutes until your legs began to shake and your orgasm hit you like a ton of bricks, sweat trickling down the side of your face. “you just came in your pants, what a good little boy.” you whined, feeling more and more humiliated but that was cut short when anton gripped your hips and pushed you up against the door, head hitting the window. “ow—” “shut the fuck up.” you gasped at the sound of your jeans ripping.. anton had not only ripped a bigger hole but completely broke the button and zipper. “t-toni..” his large hands then found the hem of his sweatpants pulling them down swiftly and tossing them to the side. his cock was massive. how you could tell? he wasn’t wearing boxers! his cock hit his abdomen and a hiss left his lips, mouth watering from how pretty and pink his tip was.

“what baby, hm? cat got your tongue? so fucking cute I’m going to destroy you. fuck you so good you’ll never want to think about seunghan again.” all you could do was stare up at him for a moment not knowing what to say or do—drool dripping down from the corner of your mouth and once anton noticed he leaned down, licking up the mess you were making. his lips caught yours and he forced his tongue passed your lips—almost gagging you but that’s the way he liked it. nasty, messy, and rough. slowly but surely anton pulled your own boxers down and tossed them to the side—pulling away from your lips to spit on his two fingers, finding your tight hole and gently rubbing the sensitive area before sticking a finger in. you gasped not expecting it to feel so weird at first and anton leaned down once again to press a kiss to your lips, “relax baby, I got you.” and you knew he did so you nodded and kissed him right back wanting nothing more but his kisses.

“oh fuck. you’re so tight baby.. fuck, touch me.” your hand wrapped around his thick length jerking him off as he started to pump his long finger in and out of you, causing a whimper to leave your wet lips. it felt weird at first of course but the more and more you felt him.. the more you wanted and needed. “m-more.. want more.” and more is what anton gave you, pushing another finger in which made you spread your legs in hopes it would be a better position for the both of you. eyes rolling back from the pleasure you felt just from his fingers—his hand came across your face in a sudden slap. “want my cock, hm? beg for it. beg for my cock and tell me you’ll never talk to seunghan again.” he was always such a jealous mess but he was your mess.

“I-I want your cock so bad—please! I need it. a-and I’ll never talk to hannie again I promise!” you knew the sweet nickname would piss him off even more and that’s what you wanted. “fucking hell—” anton pulled his fingers out of you in a quick motion and licked them clean before he forced your legs more open, as open as you could allow them that was. he lined himself up with your tight hole and slowly pushed the tip in, your eyes squeezing shut from the foreign feeling of it all but the moment his lips were on yours again—it went away. all the worries and pain went away when he kissed you.

“you’re so fucking tight—oh my god.” anton said against your lips before gripping your jaw like before and forcing your mouth open—spitting inside. you knew what to do which was swallow and he groaned at the sight. his pace was slow at first wanting you to get use to the large cock in your ass and once he knew you were ready—his pace was brutal. fast, rough, and hard. “t-toni.. w-wait.” you hiccuped but anton didn’t care. all he cared about was ruining your sweet little ass. all he craved was pumping you full of his load and forcing you to enjoy it. he grabbed ahold of your own cock, jerking you off which only made things much worse but in the best way possible which was a weird way to put it. “oh my god!” anton’s cock was hitting the spot he needed to hit the most and you seen stars. loud and lewd whimpers, moans, gasps, and yelps left your lips as he continued to pound into your ass. his large hand gripping a fist full of your soft locks and pulling back so your head was against the warm glass of the window.

“take my cock. just like that you’re doing so good—oh fuck. fuck. I’m gonna cum. gonna cum in your ass and you’re going to love it, isn’t that right? oh god—yes.” anton came the moment you did all over your own stomach and he pushed his cock as deep as he could go, not wanting a single drop of his cum wasted. his arms wrapped around your waist and he pulled you onto of him, his cock still buried in your ass which only made you gasp out in pleasure and overstimulation. “shit—sorry baby.. want you to ride me, okay? I’ll give you a few minutes. god you’re so beautiful.” and with that you placed a soft kiss to his sweaty broad chest.

[777rare]

• SHORT VEDIC ASTROLOGY NOTES •

PART 3~

.

• Dear Virgo ascendants..Do you know who is the biggest obstacle in your life? You. Yes, you are. Whenever you want to take that leap of faith you discourage yourself so badly. You overthink every tiny detail when it comes to your success in any area of your life and that gets in the way of your wishes coming true.

You stop yourself from doing things that can actually light up your life for the better. When things are going great, you overthink it and then you ruin it for yourself. Don't let you put yourself down all the time. Stop comparing yourself to others first of all. You also think too much of the result than your progress.

So what if they know how to play the piano? So what if they give better comebacks than you? So what if they are earning more than you? So what if they are extremely creative? Why do you look at what others have? See what you've got and admire that a 100%.

.

• Mercury in the 12th house often struggle with communicating and are very often misunderstood by others in conversations and when the native tries to express themselves.

• Sun in the 12th house makes a native struggle a lot to get recognition for their hard work and put a LOT of effort in order to be seen and appreciated but they are not seen by others and are often underestimated too. These are the natives who have to fight for people's attention.

• Mercury in the 12th house makes a person overthink and worry even in their sleep.

.

• Rahu in the 12th house natives should stay completely away from alcohol, drugs and Meat because they are not at all good for the natives state of mind and can lead them to suffer more In their lives. These natives get addicted to anything very very very very quickly, especially harmful substances.

• Jupiter in the 2nd house natives often have huge appetites and never run out of groceries in their store room. A very good placement to have for continuous material supply for ones survival.

• Mars and Venus combination is very very bad to have in a chart because it makes a person very abuse, obsessive and sexually hyper causing them to harm their romantic partners. Mostly when this occurs in the 6th, 8th and 12th house.

This combination is mainly a worry to find in a man's chart because they can be physically and mentally abusive and very controlling towards their partners.

For example: An actor named, Salman Khan has had his exes share with media about how he has always been very abusive in many ways in his relationships. Salman Khan has Mars, Venus and Moon in his 12th house.

.

Thankyou for reading through this today, I hope you all have a wonderful day ahead! Take care!💓✨

[fandom-random-help]

Part 1 Part 2

Part 3 of Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Military!Reader

Simon stared at his phone in a bit of shock. He wasn't stupid, but now he was second-guessing that. He was putting pieces together in his mind while his phone buzzed over and over with calls from Price. How could his sweet little bird lie to him? Why would she even lie about this?

Things started to make sense now. The constant "business trips", you knowing how to shoot a gun (multiple in fact, but he didn't know that), and the slip of the tongue when you would respond to and/or understand military jargon. All of those things made Simon believe you were Grasshopper, and right now he needed to see you. He got dressed in his casual clothes, an army green shirt, black sweat pants, and a black surgical mask to match. He snuck out of his room and quietly walked as fast as he could to the infirmary. He couldn't believe you never told him about what you really do for work, but he also understood why you would keep it a secret. He knew it all too well. The worry, the agony of not knowing if you would come home alive at the very least, the thought of possibly putting those you love in danger. He knew those thoughts, hell he's had them ever since you two started dating. He needed to hear those words from you though.

You sat in your bed. You were glad to be in somewhat familiar territory and you didn't have to wear that stupid mask anymore. The infirmary was nice, but void of anything lively to say the least. Your recovery was going quite well. There were even discussions of you getting to go home in a couple days. With all of the good news surrounding your recovery you were drowning in the thought of having to confess to Simon about everything. You've talked yourself up, gaining confidence and finding the words you wanted to say for when you would see Simon again. Suddenly, a faint knock on your door pulled you out of your thoughts. A young nurse carefully walked in and closed the door. "Sergeant (Y/L/N) there's a Lieutenant Riley here to see you. Would you like for me to send him in?" The nurse asked almost in a whisper even though you were wide awake. You nodded your head, "Let him come in."

When Simon walked in his eyes scanned your form. You looked so different in a hospital gown. So fragile that if you even attempted to get out of bed you'd break. He didn't say a word as he sat down beside your bed, his eyes still on you. After a brief moment of looking at each other in pure silence, you spoke up. "Simon, I'm sorry I never told you. I was worried about how you would take it. I wanted to have both my job and you. I didn't want you to worry about me or make me change my career because it didn't fit your perception of me." Before you could continue Simon cut you off with a chuckle. "Love, I don't want none of that. I get why you did it. I get why you kept it from me, but don't think I didn't worry. I do gotta say though, you had me fooled in the beginning." You looked at him in suprise. "Wait really? How? I felt like I had the most ridiculous mask covering my face. My jokes with the guys weren't funny. I was almost useless the entire time. I felt so out of place." You explained. Simon shook his head. "No love, you are an entirely different person at work than you are at home. You were bold, confident, you spoke your mind when need be, and let's not forget the stress ball. I didn't know you kept little things like that with you, but you did and it came in handy. You were incredible out there darlin'. So what, you took a bullet? You were lucky and quick enough on your feet that that's the only wound you suffered the entire time we were gone." You blushed at his words and then he leaned closer. "I'm lucky to call you my girlfriend. Wanna know why?" You smile and nod your head. "Because I have the most gorgeous and badass woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing." Your heart swelled at his words. Simon was never the affectionate type, and you didn't mind. But this? This was a whole different side of him you've never really seen all too often. "You wanna know something else?" He said. You giggled, "What baby?"

"Before I knew you were my girl under the mask. I fell for Grasshopper pretty hard. I gotta say she was pretty irresistable. Hard not to think of her bossing me around if she was rightfully mad." His confession had you a laughing mess. "So what are you saying? You liked Grasshopper more than me? Your precious little doll?" You chuckled. "No love, it just means I fell in love with a new side of you. To me, it felt like falling in love all over again with you." Simon whisperd.

The rest of the night was spent with you two telling each other about your military stories. The good, the bad, and the awesome stories were all laid bare to each other in the silence of your infirmary room. Simon even cuddled with you on the hard bed for the remainder of the evening. When the sun rose, you were greeted by a firm knock at the door as the doctor stepped in. Simon quickly got out of bed and sat back in the chair beside you, listening intently on what the doctor said about your recovery. You were going to need some time to rest at home. No strenuous activities or heavy lifting. The doctor handed you the discharge papers and you signed them eagerly. Simon waited for you outside of the room while you gathered all your things.

But then he noticed Price, Johnny, and Kyle at the front desk. He could only assume they were there to see you on your way out.

"Bloody hell." Simon cursed under his breath.

Part 4 coming soon!

Taglist!!!!! (I almost forgot)

@camcvpidd

@thatoneghostcosplayer

Love you guys!!!!!

[jessjad]

Time and Space

Summary: Dean knows that something's going on with Y/N. Something she's not ready talk about. And eventhough she's doesn't say anything, he can see that pain she's feeling. Will he break the wall she has build up?

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 1468

Warnings: Sadness, a little heartache, worries, but some fluff too.

A/N: Again, this happened because I was in a certain mood and I needed to express it. Life is kinda hard at the moment... anyway. All mistakes are mine! Enjoy!

My Masterlist

With his arms crossed and his brows furrowed, Dean stood in the hallway of the bunker in front of Y/N's door, brooding to himself. He felt a bit helpless, and that was something he didn't like at all. Dean was the 'fix it' man. He found a solution for everything. But when it came to Y/N, he was more often at a loss than he liked. His girlfriend constantly presented him with challenges. But this time was different.

It happened a week ago. At first, they were sitting comfortably in the kitchen, enjoying a late breakfast, and two hours later, Y/N's good mood had vanished. Dean had noticed immediately and asked if she was okay, if anything had happened. But she had brushed him off and told him not to worry. He had accepted it a bit reluctantly, but when he saw Y/N crying that evening, it had confirmed Dean's feeling. That same evening she had changed bedrooms and was sleeping alone ever since.

When Dean asked again, somewhat surprised, what was wrong, Y/N's reaction wasn't quite as relaxed as before. She made it clear that she wanted to be alone. That she needed some time for herself, and Dean was willing to give it to her. He wasn't mad at her either, because he sensed it was something more serious. Not just the usual mood swings she went through every time she got PMS. So Dean gave in, left Y/N alone, and watched her from a distance. He just couldn't take his eyes off her completely.

So he did little things. Y/N liked pancakes with fried eggs, so he made her that for breakfast. He had bought her the book she'd been holding the last time they'd gone shopping together. She loved sleeping in his dark blue Henley, so he washed it and left it on her bed. Dean kept trying to show her he was there with little things, even when Y/N wasn't talking to him.

It was driving him crazy. Dean wanted to help her, he wanted to get her out of the hole she was probably in, but he also didn't want to force himself on her. What was right? How should he behave? He didn't know. Because sometimes, just sometimes, Y/N would suddenly be standing behind him or near him and it looked like she wanted to say something. But she never did. It was like she just didn't have the strength for it. So now Dean had decided to be that strength for her.

"Dean?" he heared his brothers voice softly behind him and he turned around.

Sam nodded with his head toward the kitchen and with a sigh and a quick look back at Y/N's door he followed him. There was a worried expression on Sam's face as he waited for Dean to stop next to him.

"How can I help?" he asked, without having to explain what it was about.

Dean's eyes softened a bit. "I don't know." he answered truthfully. "Even I have no idea how to help her. I just know that things can't go on like this."

Now Dean let his shoulders slump a little and ran both hands over his face.

"And what are you planning?" Sam continued, putting his hands in his pockets. He was eager to help them both, no matter what.

"I'll talk to her. See if I can get through to her.. And then..." Dean thought aloud. "...I'll go on from there."

"You want me to leave the bunker? Give you guys some privacy?" Sam suggested, but Dean waved him off.

"No, no. Stay. It's fine. If I'm not successful, I need someone to have a drink with me." he tried to lighten the situation a bit, but Sam saw through him and Dean knew that.

Five minutes later, Dean was standing in front of the door Y/N had been hiding behind all day. So he took another deep breath and knocked softly on the dark wood. He didn't get an answer, but he opened the door anyway. He cautiously looked into the room and saw Y/N sitting on her bed, her phone in her hand, a few silent tears streaming down her cheeks. The sight almost broke Dean's heart, and he had to swallow a little bit.

"Hey sweatheart..." he said gently, but Y/N still did not look up.

Dean left the door slightly ajar and slowly walked over to her. On her phone screen, he saw a picture of one of her friends. He couldn't remember her name, but he knew she was very important to Y/N. They went through the trenches together and had always had their backs. It was important in this Hunter life to have people you could count on. Who were family.

He carefully knelt down in front of Y/N so that they were almost eye level. She looked at him briefly, but her gaze quickly wandered back to her phone. He had torn her from her thoughts and saw them disappear from her view. Now Dean tried to hold back his own tears and placed a hand lightly on her leg.

"I really don't want to pressure you, but... you're starting to scare me a little." Y/N's tears had dried up by now, and now she looked at him. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. I know that... that the life we ​​lead can be hard. It demands a lot from you, and sometimes the things we experience are almost unbearable. Trust me, I know."

Y/N closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. But suddenly, the distance between them didn't seem quite so big anymore.

"But Y/N... please don't shut me out." And then a tear ran down his cheek, and Y/N's eyes widened slightly. "I want to help you, be there for you. No matter what."

The silence that followed this statement was almost deafening. But Dean saw in Y/N's eyes that she was beginning to understand. And then she let him back in a little.

"I know," she whispered, looking down again. Her phone screen had gone black by now.

Dean gently stroked her cheek with his hand, and she leaned slightly into the touch.

"Do you still need time?"

After a moment's thought, Y/N nodded. "Yes."

Dean put his hand down again and nodded in understanding. "And space, too?"

Now she looked at him again, and new tears seemed to gather in her eyes. But then she shook her head, and Dean smiled slightly.

"Okay," he said, standing up again.

Y/N followed his movements with her eyes and saw him hold out his hand to her when he stood up again. The smile hadn't yet disappeared from his face and she still looked at him questioningly.

"Come on. I've prepared something."

So she placed her hand in his and got up from the bed. The warmth that radiated from Dean's hand permeated her body, bringing back the warmth she'd been missing. She let him lead her out of the bedroom and followed him to the Dean Cave. Once there, she looked around in surprise.

The lights were dim, and on the coffee table were all the snacks and drinks Y/N liked. The couch was pulled out and covered with pillows and blankets, so you could almost sink into it. On the TV, she saw one of her favorite movies ready to watch. Dean couldn't imagine how much all this meant to her. Everything he had done for her in the last week really.

Still holding Y/N's hand, he walked over to the couch. Only then did he let her go, lay down under the covers on the pillows, and opened his arms for her. He didn't have to wait long before Y/N lay down next to him. With her head on his chest, almost half on top of him, Dean tucked them both in. He reached for the remote and started the movie.

But Y/N hardly looked. She hugged Dean tightly and enjoyed bathing in his warmth. His scent enveloped her, and it felt as if it were breathing new life into her limbs. Dean, too, had his arms tightly around her and repeatedly kissed her forehead. He kept to himself that this was somehow healing him too.

"I love you." Y/N said suddenly, and Dean's heart filled with warmth again.

"I love you too." he replied, wrapping his arms even tighter around the woman who held his heart.

And he knew they were on the road to recovery. Even though Y/N ​​still wasn't ready to talk, and maybe she never would be about this, he could still support her. And he was sure everything would be okay. Step by step, day by day. And he would help her until she was herself again.

A/N: We all should have Dean body pillow... Thanks for everyone who was reading! 💜💜

@lyarr24 @k-slla @nk1023  @sherlockstrangewolf @hobby27

@applelovesposts @iloveeveryoneyoureamazing (lovely, I try to tag you all the time, but it does not seem to work. If you're seeing this, please check your settings maybe? 🤔)

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 02x19 - The Composite Beast, Chimeramon / An Old Enemy Returns

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Koushiro and Iori found the Digimon Kaiser's base, but it got up and ran away when they weren't looking. Miyako shouted "AHA" and ran facefirst into the brick wall of her own enthusiasm. However, on the other side of that brick wall was the base so it was a net victory all the same.

What sort of unimaginable horror has the Digimon Kaiser been working on all this time? Find out... right now if you read the title card. Though he did basically spell it out last episode.

The Narrator opens this episode by assuring us that the boys did make it back last night. Which is good 'cause it was kinda late when Miyako and Hikari spotted the base and there was no sign of them.

Narrator: After the Kaiser's fortress left, Daisuke's group linked back up with Hikari's group. Then, the following morning....

Miyako, Hikari, and Daisuke sleep in, with an implied division between the boys' and girls' sleeping bags; Miyako and Hikari's bags are put together while Daisuke's is separated from Hikari's by a few feet.

Hawkmon, Tailmon, and V-mon are all wide awake. They watch as Takeru and Pegasmon disappear into the sky, accompanied by Tentomon. The boys fly out along a river, joined by Iori and Submarimon down below.

Submarimon: Daisuke won't be happy about this-dagyaa. Iori: Probably not. Tentomon: Why didn't we ask Daisuke-han to come with us? Takeru: We couldn't just leave Hikari and the others by themselves, could we?

I mean. You didn't have a problem with it last episode. Weird thing to suddenly get sexist about. What happened last night? Did you have too much Daisuke exposure for one trip? Didn't realize what you were signing up for with this mission?

There is actually a valid reason for leaving Daisuke behind and it's that he'd be dead weight. Raidramon can't actually fly; Only run fast and leap far. It hasn't been an issue before, but Daisuke does not have an effective mode of transportation for combing the ocean.

But Takeru doesn't say that, so I don't know what's up here. They also don't discuss why Hikari and Miyako are being left behind again at all. Those two stayed behind for a reason earlier and they already took care of that.

Whatever the case, Takeru and Iori keep going, following a straight line of Dark Towers leading out into the ocean.

For the dub, the role of the narrator today is filled by the sound of Davis snoring.

Gatomon: Does Davis always snore like that? Veemon: Every night. Gatomon: How do you sleep!? Veemon: I don't.... (T.K. flies away on Pegasusmon) Veemon: Where are those guys going? (Down below, Submarimon and Cody joins them) Submarimon: I still think we should have told the others before we left. Tentomon: It may be none of my beeswax but why didn't you ask Davis to come with us? T.K.: I didn't want to leave Kari and Yolei alone anymore. Don't worry, he'll understand. Tentomon: I'm just glad I'm not going to be the one to tell him.

Dry as the narrator's exposition usually is, it bridges the gap between the end of the last scene and the beginning of this one and sets the stage for where we are now. As with some of the changes last episode, losing it makes this one feel more isolated.

But it's not much of a loss; The boys already made plans to come back after sunset if they didn't find the base. So if you're paying that much attention to the continuity between episodes, you can easily assume they did just that.

The only thing they have to replace it with, however, is yet more dunking on Davis. This opening is going to dunk on Daisuke though so unlike last episode, it's well-timed.

Meanwhile, they also tweak T.K.'s line to add the word "anymore". That way, he at least acknowledges that this decision contradicts him making that very choice and being fine with it yesterday.

Back at camp, the girls wake up. While Hawkmon munches on a rice ball, Hikari reads off an email Iori left them on her D-Terminal.

Hikari: They know where the Kaiser's fortress is headed. Miyako: (intrigued) Ooh, where!?

You might notice a terminology shift here. Last episode, we were calling it the Kaiser's 基地 kichi, which means a base. It can be a military base or an expedition base or what have you; All we know about it is that it is the base of operations for the Digimon Kaiser.

Now the girls have spotted the full base and not just what was sticking out of the ground earlier. Thus, the terminology has been updated to the Kaiser's 要塞 yosai, which means his stronghold or fortress.

We cut to the row of Dark Towers leading out to sea as if to answer Miyako's question, and then back to Daisuke whining to himself. Next to him, V-mon munches on a chicken drumstick.

Daisuke: (dismal) They really left me behind.... V-mon: (concerned) Don't let it get to you, Daisuke.

Meanwhile, inside his command center, the Kaiser inspects his new creation - though we can't see the screen very well so it's not easy to make out.

Wormmon: What about the final piece? Kaiser: Huhuhuhu... Relax. We'll have it soon enough.

With a smug grin, he takes a drink from a steaming cup of tea. We can't see if he's holding a saucer but I imagine he is for the added pretentiousness.

In the dub:

Kari: The email says they've figured out which way the Digimon Emperor is heading. Yolei: Let's see. (Shot of Control Spires going into ocean) Davis: WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY LEFT WITHOUT ME!?!? (Cut to Davis pouting) Davis: How come nobody wants to go anywhere with me? Veemon: Well, Davis, it could be your snoring. (Cut to Wormmon and Emperor) Wormmon: Is it finished yet, Master? Emperor: Not quite. I still have a few minor details. Should he have four arms or six? Decisions, decisions....

He then loudly slurps his tea like an absolute monster.

The Kaiser has a clear plan in place for his creation. We don't know all the details, but he said last episode that he's found the Dark Whirlpool and this episode Wormmon asks about the final piece. It has been conveyed that there is one last piece remaining and the Kaiser intends to retrieve it from this Dark Whirlpool place.

As with Kabuterimon last episode, the Kaiser needs to directly encounter a particular kind of Digimon so that his Digivice can record its data and he can use it for his creation. That's why the fortress is taking him out to sea.

The dub cut the mention of the Dark Whirlpool and now depicts the Emperor still making basic outline choices. No idea why we're going to the ocean, then.

Camping with Hiroaki, Taichi and Yamato gather around Koushiro's laptop to read Iori's email too. It's addressed to "Everyone" and reads simply, "We're pursuing the Kaiser's fortress."

"Everyone" is not a valid email address so that's probably an email group. Which probably means that Sora, Jou, and Mimi just got this email with zero context. Popping open their D-Terminals like, "Oh. Huh. Okay, good for them."

But while the boys are playing on the laptop, Hiroaki cleans the cookpot by himself.

Hiroaki: Oh, why me...?

He is not having a good time on this trip. Brought these boys all the way out here to play on the computer. There were computers back home! He knows! They just made him buy one!

Speaking of people who aren't having a good time, Jun's back in the city and has continued with her stalking mission.

Jun: If I knew yesterday they were going to Yamanakako, I could have followed them right then and there!

山中湖 Yamanakako is one of the Five Fuji Lakes. As the name implies, they're a set of lakes around the base of Mt. Fuji. They're popular outdoor destinations for hiking, camping, fishing, etc. due to the gorgeous view of the mountain they provide.

Yamanakako or, literally, "The Mountain Lake" has the distinction being both the largest of the five lakes and the highest in elevation. It's about 1-2 hours drive west-southwest of Tokyo.

Unfortunately for Jun, she cannot drive nor does she have a convenient adult in her life to whom she can explain her Very Good Reasons for going to Yamanakako. And the bus just left the station. Jun breaks into a sprint after it, shouting:

Jun: HEY, DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT ME!!!

That's okay, Jun. Your brother isn't any better off. Back in the Digital World, Hikari and Miyako follow the trail of Dark Towers out to sea on the backs of Nefertimon and Horusmon.

Daisuke, left behind for a second time, comes running to the water's edge on Raidramon's back much too late.

Daisuke: No way! Hikari-chan and the others too!?

Raidramon can't fly, so Daisuke's screwed. This is a bad time to be a Motomiya. Daisuke and Jun are both 2 for 2 on being left behind now.

As usual, the dub rewrites the email to be in English. In the process deleting the To: and From: and Subject: lines and then not bothering to replace them.

They also changed the sender. The message reads, "We know where the Digimon Emperor is headed. -Kari." So apparently the first email only went to the girls, and then Kari took a moment to pass it on to Tai and the others before leaving. This is equally plausible.

Izzy: I'm getting an update from Kari. Hiroaki: Do any of you know how to catch a fish? ...I wish I had a TV dinner. (Cut to Jun in Tokyo) Jun: Alright, all I have to do is take the bus to the campsite and Matt-- (Bus loudly honks and takes off) Jun: WAIT, DON'T GO, I WANT TO GET ON!!! (Cut to Hikari and Yolei following the Control Spire trail) Yolei: Should we tell Davis we're leaving? Kari: (apathetic) Nah. He'll understand. (Davis trails behind) Davis: Why's everyone leaving!? Is it my snoring!?

XD Okay the repeat of "Davis will understand" in a flat and uncaring monotone got me.

The dub continues the trend from the first anime of removing references to specific Japanese locations. Yamanakako is now simply "the campsite".

As an aside, if you're wondering why there's a trail of Dark Towers/Control Spires leading to the Kaiser/Emperor's base, remember that those things are just conduits for the Dark Digivice's power. The Dark Digivice is a single point of failure for his entire network.

Those Towers/Spires are probably functioning as power lines to keep his entire empire supplied with dark energy while he goes out on this jaunt. If he broke contact, he'd lose his whole empire in an afternoon. You'd be able to hear Evil Rings snapping off 'round the globe.

...you know, we should probably knock some down while we're here.

Up ahead, Takeru and Pegasmon fly with Tentomon over the ocean, but all they see is open water and some of those classic "Single Palm Tree" deserted islands.

Pegasmon: I can't see shadow nor shape of it. Takeru: Do you think Iori-kun found anything?

影も形も Kage mo katachi mo, literally "shadow or shape", is a Japanese idiom that means the same as our English "hide nor hair".

Down in the ocean, Iori and Submarimon search. Iori has his D-Terminal popped upon and resting against a raised bit of Submarimon's dashboard.

Submarimon: What is it-dagyaa? Iori: They say they can't see anything from up there.

No more luck down here; All that's in front of them is a huge stone wall.

Submarimon: Same here-dagyaa. Iori: Yeah, I'll let them know.

As they're talking, they notice a huge metal dome jutting out of the stone wall up ahead.

Iori: (gasp)

Submarimon does a quick 180 and backs off to get a better look at the structure. Sure enough, that "stone wall" actually was a massive structure all along. And one they've seen before.

Submarimon: It's the Kaiser's base-dagyaa! Iori: I must inform Takeru-san-- Huh?

At that moment, Iori spots a passageway leading into the structure near the bottom that doesn't have a big metal dome over it.

In the dub:

Pegasusmon: We've been flying for hours and haven't seen a thing. T.K.: I'll check with Cody and see if he's seen anything. (Down below) Submarimon: What did T.K. say? Cody: They haven't spotted anything from up above. Submarimon: Well, we haven't seen much of anything either except seaweed. Maybe we should turn back. (Dome comes into view) Cody: Huh? What... is that thing!? Submarimon: Let's dig a little further. (They back off to get a better look) Submarimon: This thing is enormous! It makes Texas look like Rhode Island! It has to be the Digimon Emperor's base! Cody: I'll let T.K. know that we found it--Huh?

Cody's "What... is that thing!?" bugs me a little bit because they specifically came down here to find a that-thing-shaped object. Iori and Submarimon were momentarily caught off-guard because they were too close and underestimated its size. They also expected it'd be moving in the distance, and instead it's just sitting here. Waiting for something.

Cody and Submarimon are reacting like they've never seen the base before at all.

Up above, Takeru receives Iori's message on his D-Terminal. We get to see that message too, but also he reads it word for word.

Takeru: It says "We found the base! We're going to sneak in through a cave." Tentomon: Are they going to be okay? Takeru: I'll tell them not to push themselves too hard.

While Takeru's typing, the water below begins to swirl.

Pegasmon: Takeru, look! Takeru: Huh?

Watching from their vantage above, the boys see a huge chunk of the ocean fall away into a massive whirlpool.

Takeru: A whirlpool?

Down in the Kaiser's control room, a swirl icon appears on a white grid on his screen.

Kaiser: Hmph. Seems like it's finally shown itself. Wormmon: (frightened) What is that, Ken-chan? Kaiser: You could call this the entrance to a source for the power of Darkness. There should be data on Darkness-type Digimon in there. Once I have that, my Original Digimon will be complete. Wormmon: ...

Wormmon, for the moment, is silent while the words of the Kaiser sink in.

We haven't really seen much in the way of Dark Digimon thus far. We've seen plenty of Viruses under the Kaiser's control, to be sure. We also have seen a Devidramon and we've seen some Bakemon, so they haven't been completely unrepresented.

But truly malevolent creatures like Devimon or Vamdemon have been absent from the Kaiser's collection of controlled Digimon. Darkness, the kind of Darkness that once sought to control the Digital World through Apocalymon's reality distortions, hasn't really collided with the Kaiser yet.

Note that when the Kaiser calls this place the 原 minamoto, the source... that's an ambiguous statement. He could mean it in the sense that this is the source, the origin point for all Dark Power, or that it's simply a source, a resource he can harvest for Dark Power.

A lot about the Dark Whirlpool is open to interpretation.

In the dub, Cody's email is rewritten to read, "Found base. Will sneak in through underwater cave. ~Cody." Basically the same but with shittier grammar, which mildly bugs me because I feel like Cody would type full sentences.

T.K.: It's from Cody. They found the base and are going to try and sneak in through an underwater cave. Tentomon: That sounds kind of dangerous! Maybe they should wait! (Whirlpool begins to swirl) Pegasusmon: T.K., look! T.K.: Huh? (Whirlpool appears) T.K.: A whirlpool...? Tentomon: Oh no! They'll get sucked right into it!

To give Tentomon space to deliver that line and make a cliffhanger out of this, the dub splices in a clearer shot of Takeru and Tentomon flying over the fully developed Dark Whirlpool from later in the episode. Then they take their first commercial break.

On return, we join the Emperor in his control room.

Emperor: Hmm, looks like it's finally here. Wormmon: What is that, Master? A new way to hypnotize your slaves? Emperor: No, you fool. You might call it a gateway to the source of the powers of Darkness. But for simplicity's sake, let's just call it the Dark Pool. I think it's caused by an evil Digimon, and if I can tap into its power then I'll have everything I need to complete my very own Digimon!

Ahh, the evil counterpart of Deadpool. I gotcha.

I don't know why they cut the "Whirl" out of it.

The Kaiser also adds the detail that an evil Digimon is creating "the source of the powers of Darkness". Which... may or may not be true. Again, heavily open to interpretation.

After hearing the Kaiser's plans, Wormmon hesitates for about three seconds. But then he can't bring himself to be silent anymore.

Wormmon: You have to stop, Ken-chan! Kaiser: What did you just say to me? Wormmon: I can feel it... I can't really put words to it very well. There's something terrifying inside that whirlpool. I'm scared!

As usual, the Kaiser doesn't give a shit about what Wormmon thinks. He gets up and walks away, dismissively uttering:

Kaiser: What a coward....

Wormmon desperately scurries after the Kaiser, screeching:

Wormmon: NO!!! YOU CAN'T GO, KEN-CHAN-- Kaiser: I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU!!!

Ken turns and aggressively kicks Wormmon across the room. Wormmon bounces once on his head, then hits the ground on his belly and slides to a stop.

In the dub, the Emperor's dialogue is longer so Wormmon doesn't have any time to hesitate before responding.

Wormmon: Please, Master, don't do it. Emperor: What are you talking about? Of course I'll do it. Wormmon: But it feels like evil itself is coming from that Dark Pool. You can't feel it because you're not a Digimon. Emperor: Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to stop my master plan because of a silly feeling of yours! Wormmon: But on an evil scale of 1 to 10, that Dark Pool is really evil. Emperor: Ehe! Fine. Then you stay away from it. In the meantime, I've got things to do. (Emperor gets up and walks away) Wormmon: Please don't ignore me. Emperor: Oh, I'm sorry. HOW'S THIS!?!?

We don't see the Kaiser's foot make contact; We just see him twist his body, hear the impact, and see Wormmon sent flying. So the dub doesn't have to censor it for the Emperor, though they do use a comical bonk sound to try and lighten it.

The Kaiser is, as usual, above the opinions of his Partner while the Emperor actually bothers to stop and argue.

The original does not specify that only Digimon can feel what's in there, and both versions will in fact contradict that later. Though it does strongly suggest that Digimon are more sensitive to it, so they're half-right here.

The dub is, again, really hyping up what's down there. "Evil itself" is waiting for us. An evil Digimon creating the source of all Dark Power, who is "really evil on a scale of 1 to 10". Again, in the original, all that's been said is that it's the source of Dark Power, it is fucking scary, and the Kaiser hopes to harvest some Dark Digimon data from it.

Up topside, we catch up with Hikari and Miyako.

Nefertimon: A giant whirlpool!? If that's the case, we need to tell Armadimon and Iori since they're infiltrating the base! Hikari: That's right!

I agree too. I also think it's weird that Takeru thought the girls needed to know and not Iori. We don't see the message Hikari sends back, but it was clearly "WTF Takeru".

Takeru: I know that, but I lost contact with them a while ago. Tentomon: In any case, we need to do something fast! Pegasmon: Yeah. This is going to get ugly. Takeru: Yeah... On that note, what has you guys spooked all of a sudden? Tentomon: Of course we're freaking out! Just look at that whirlpool.... Pegasmon: Takeru, can you not feel that?

Takeru stares down into the whirlpool for a moment. Deep down in its depths, he can sense a dark, unearthly high-pitched wailing as the water melds into a grotesque, eldritch gray backdrop.

Takeru: I-I feel it! What is that!?

Darkness, Takeru. That's Darkness, is what that is.

In the dub:

Nefertimon: A huge whirlpool? And Cody and Submarimon are inside the base? We've got to warn them. Kari: Try to contact them with the D-3. (Cut to T.K.) T.K.: Don't you think I've tried that already!? Something seems to be blocking the transmission.... Tentomon: We can't just hover here! We've got to do something! Pegasusmon: Tentomon's right! We're running out of time! T.K.: Yeah... Are you guys feeling okay? Tentomon: Well, I think I might be getting a bug but other than that, I'm fine! Pegasusmon: I am feeling a little strange. How about you, T.K.? T.K.: I'm not really sure.... (T.K. senses something deep below) T.K.: I... I feel... kinda weird....

The D-3 cannot be used to contact people. Only to track the signal from their own D-3 or Digivice. The D-Terminal is what is used to contact people.

A moment ago, the dub established independent of the original script that only Digimon can sense what's in the Whirlpool. Now, one scene later, T.K. is the one who senses it while Tentomon has no idea what he's talking about.

Down in the base, Iori and Armadimon climb a very long flight of metal stairs. They come to a window looking into a pinkish reddish chamber.

Inside the chamber is a massive reactor looking like something out of Star Wars with four walkways leading to it from each direction.

Iori: This might be the power room. Armadimon: Let's smash it-dagyaa! Iori: Hang on, we should look around more first. Armadimon: Understood-dagyaa. By the way, Iori, aren't you cold-dagyaa? Iori: No? Armadimon: That's weird. I've been getting chills for a while now....

Putting Wormmon, Tentomon, Pegasmon, and Armadimon's reactions together, we can see that the Digimon are all very sensitive to the power in the Dark Whirlpool. The humans aren't, but they can feel it if they make the effort like Takeru did.

Cut to the front of the fortress. A panel lowers, revealing an observation deck embedded in the stone exterior. Inside, Wormmon is still pleading with the Kaiser to turn back.

Wormmon: I'm begging you to stop! Just this once! Or else we won't be able to turn back! KEN-CHAN!!! Kaiser: ... Wormmon: ... Kaiser: Take us in.

At the Kaiser's command, the fortress begins moving once more. It forges ahead through the water towards the Dark Whirlpool.

Watching from above, Takeru's group can see the massive structure beneath the waves.

Tentomon: Ack! It's started moving! Pegasmon: And it's heading for the whirlpool! Takeru: ...Iori....

The Kaiser is marching straight into harm's way and unknowingly taking Iori with him.

In the dub, Armadillomon gets an extra line to complain while they're climbing the stairs.

Armadillomon: I'm tired. Don't they have an escalator in this place?

Valid complaint. This staircase was clearly built for an athlete.

(Cody finds the power room) Cody: Whoa! Armadillomon: My thoughts exactly. Cody: This has to be the engine room. Armadillomon: I say we destroy this place once and for all. Cody: We will, but let's take a look around first. Armadillomon: Alright, if you say so. Hey, you think it's kinda cold in here? Cody: Not especially. Armadillomon: That's weird. 'Cause I just can't seem to warm myself up. The chill of evil's in the air.... Cody: Don't be so dramatic.

I love that "chill of evil" line. 10/10, understood the assignment.

They also give the Emperor an early quip just before the panel opens.

Emperor: You know what this place needs? More window space. (Panel opens) Emperor: There! Wormmon: Master, I know you hardly ever listen to me. Okay, you never listen to me. But please, just this once, do what I ask. Don't do it. Emperor: Hmm... I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. Did you say something? (Fortress begins moving forward) Tentomon: Look! It's on the move! Pegasusmon: And heading for the whirlpool! T.K.: Cody!

Wormmon's last desperate plea for reason falling on deaf ears is played as a laugh line.

Back inside the base, Iori and Armadimon have found their way into a dungeon lined with barred cells.

Armadimon: We've started moving! Iori: This place....

Iori's more interested in the cells than the motion. Lot of familiar faces behind those bars. One cell has an Elecmon and a Delumon in it. The next contains a Floramon and a Mushmon. All Child Digimon except for the Perfect Delumon.

Iori: These are all Digimon that the Kaiser's captured. Armadimon: What should we do-dagyaa? Iori: This has to come before the power room. Armor Evolve and break them out of these cells. Armadimon: Makes sense to me-dagyaa. Iori: Alright. DIGIMENTAL--huh?

Suddenly, Iori notices a... screen in the ceiling of a cell showing an aerial view of the Dark Whirlpool. I have no idea what that is or why it would be there.

Iori: What... is that...?

Armadimon doesn't have an answer, but he continues rubbing his arms from the eerie chills he's getting.

Back on the observation deck, the Kaiser watches as the Dark Whirlpool draws nearer.

Kaiser: Now... Enter the Whirlpool.

The base keeps on going, getting closer and closer to the worst mistake of the Kaiser's life.

In the dub:

Armadillomon: Hey, we're moving.... Cody: Armadillomon, look! This place is like a prison. It must be where the Digimon Emperor keeps all of his captured slaves. I guess you guys didn't have a very good lawyer! Armadillomon: So what are we gonna do about it? Cody: This is more important than the engine room. You'd better Armor Digivolve and break the bars open. Armadillomon: Now that's a good idea. Cody: DIGI-ARMOR--Huh? (Dark Whirlpool screen on the ceiling for some reason) Cody: What is that thing!? Armadillomon: ... (silently rubs arms from chills) Cody: My thoughts precisely. (Cut to observation deck) Emperor: Huhuhuhu... Now, enter the Dark Whirlpool! Huhuhuhu AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh, it's not that funny.

Cody fucking makes a flippant joke to the faces of imprisoned slaves. Thanks, I hate it.

What I do like is the way Armadillomon getting chills serves, in and of itself, as the answer to Cody's question. Harkening back to that "chill of evil in the air" moment.

The dub suddenly starts referring to it as Dark Whirlpool here despite renaming it Dark Pool previously.

Cut to Jun standing in the middle of a busy street. She demonstrates her own particular hitchhiking style by being a public menace recklessly endangering herself.

Jun: WHY WON'T YOU STOP!?!?

I need to gush about what a beautiful segue this is. The Kaiser gives the command to enter the Whirlpool, then a shot of Wormmon's silent but concerned face, and then the fortress moves forward while Jun screams "WHY WON'T YOU STOP!?!?" as if speaking directly from Wormmon's anguished heart.

While, in her context, a blue car whips past uncaring of her hitchhiking only to get stopped by traffic a short ways ahead. An ugly metaphor for what's about to come for the Kaiser? Perhaps.

A red sports car pulls up shortly after, honking for Jun to get in.

Jun: Hooray!

Jun hops in the backseat and lets an elderly couple, Mary and Kenny, take her away. Yes, those are their names in the Japanese version.

Mary: She's going camping, Kenny! Oh, it must be nice to be young. Kenny: Mary, you and I were young too once.

They are not, however, young anymore. They're passed on the highway by several cars whipping by much faster than them and one moped. Jun lets out a sigh, resting her head on her hand and settling in for a long drive.

The dub ruins the meaningful juxtaposition of "WHY WON'T YOU STOP". In addition to tying the preceding bit up with the Emperor being goofy instead of silent drama, they cut the opening to this scene to avoid showing Jun hitchhiking. We go straight to her in the back of Mary and Kenny's car.

They also rearrange the shots to have the cars and moped passing the sports car first, then the interior shot of the vehicle.

Jun: Thanks for the lift, Grandpa. I can't believe they left without taking me. Grandma: So, you're going camping? That's nice. We used to do lots of camping, didn't we, dear? Grandpa: Yeah. Until that time I used poison ivy instead of toilet paper! Jun: Huh? (sigh)

Also to avoid letting the characters hitchhike, Mary and Kenny have been rewritten to be Jun's grandparents who she called for a ride.

As Jun settles in for a long car ride, we transition over to Daisuke centered in the same spot and pose as her. This episode's really playing up the parallel between the Motomiya siblings.

Daisuke's at the edge of the landmass, contemplating a palm tree.

V-mon: What are you thinking, Daisuke? Daisuke: What if we knock down this tree and carve it into a dugout? V-mon: Aha! That's a great idea! Daisuke: As long as we're on the same page!

A dugout is a type of canoe made from hollowing out the trunk of a single tree.

Since V-mon agrees, Daisuke moves forward with his plan. He steps forward and presses on the tree trunk, trying to shove it over by brute strength alone. Shockingly, it works. The trunk shifts forward with no effort at all, like a lever being thrown. Daisuke stumbles back in shock.

Daisuke: DAH!!!

Steered by the palm tree, the patch of land they're standing on drives forth out onto the water, departing from the greater continent.

V-mon: What's going on here? Daisuke: What the heck...?

The boys take a moment to adjust to the realization that all these single-palm-tree deserted islands are, in fact, boats. But they are. So that means....

Daisuke: Oh well! We can catch up to the others now. V-mon: YAHOO!!!

A startling discovery but not an unwelcome one. Sometimes, in a dire situation, the fucking weirdness of the Digital World delivers!

The dub maintains the mirror shots of Jun and Davis through the transition.

Davis: Hmm.... Veemon: Davis, what are you doing? Davis: I'm thinking about how we can make a canoe out of this tree. Veemon: Great! How are we gonna do it? Davis: First, we push this tree down! (Davis pushes the tree and it moves like a lever) Davis: AGH!!! (Island starts moving) Veemon: A little too hard. Davis: Beats a canoe! Ahh... Smell that salt air! Veemon: Hey, Davis? How come we're on land and I'm getting seasick?

Valid question and an actually good place for a laugh line.

Back at the Dark Whirlpool, the Kaiser's fortress breaches through the side of the whirlpool and enters its eye. From above, Takeru's team lays eyes on it for the first time.

Tentomon: WHOA, THAT THING'S HUGE!!! Takeru: There should be a cave somewhere on it that Iori-kun went in through. We'll infiltrate from there as well. Pegasmon: Understood.

Together, the three of them descend towards the structure. As they enter the whirlpool, ghastly spirits swirl in the waters behind them.

Takeru: What are these? Ghosts? They're giving me chills.... Pegasmon: What's giving me chills is that pitch-black space in the open maw down below.

Takeru turns his attention to the darkness at the bottom of the whirlpool. His eyes are drawn down the darkening waters to the place unseeable at the very--

Pegasmon: Don't look at it! Takeru: Ah!

Takeru suddenly blinks, like he's snapping out of a daze.

Tentomon: You have to be careful or it will devour you.

Finding the cave, the boys head inside the Kaiser's fortress and away from... whatever that is down below.

In the dub:

Tentomon: That's the biggest mobile home I've ever seen! It must be impossible to find parking. T.K.: Come on, guys! We gotta find the cave that Cody and Armadillomon used to get inside! Hurry up, they might be in trouble! (The boys descend into the whirlpool and pass the ghosts) T.K.: This place feels... evil. What are those things!? Pegasusmon: Don't pay any attention to them. They're just trying to scare you. They live in the Dark Whirlpool and feed off fear. (T.K. looks down at the bottom) Pegasusmon: Don't look at it! T.K.: Ah! Tentomon: (freaked out) Ooogh, can I sit up here with you guys? Pegasusmon: Look! T.K.: This has to be the cave!

The dub explains the ghosts as lifeforms that dwell inside the Dark Whirlpool and feed on fear. Harmless Monsters Inc. critters trying to give T.K. a good spook. It does not address the bottom of the whirlpool except to say "Don't look at it".

This sudden context jump makes it a bit confusing as to what T.K. isn't supposed to look at. Is it the spookers? Was he looking at the spookers?

Inside the observation deck, guess which dipshit is staring straight down into the black maw.

Kaiser: ... Wormmon: Ken-chan? Kaiser: Ah!

Like Takeru, the Kaiser seems to suddenly snap out of some sort of daze.

Wormmon: Are you okay? Kaiser: (rattled) It's nothing. (commanding) COMMENCE THE COLLECTION!!!

Beneath the observation deck, a hangar opens. Three Mekanorimon descend into the whirlpool. As they descend, the ghastly spirits leave the waters, drifting through the air now around them.

Suddenly, something seizes the lowest Mekanorimon. The Digimon lets out a scream as it's suddenly wrenched around in the air, and then pulled down below.

Kaiser: What happened!?

He doesn't get an answer, as the other two Mekanorimon follow soon after. They plunge screaming into the swirling abyss, dragged down by an unseen force.

Kaiser: ANSWER ME!!! WHAT IS GOING ON!?!?

Still no answer. They're gone.

Kaiser: (disturbed) What the hell is happening...? Wormmon: I knew this wouldn't be possible to collect. Let's stop here, Ken-chan.

Brushing Wormmon off, the Kaiser turns and walks away from the glass.

Wormmon: Where are you going? Kaiser: If that's how it's going to be, then I'll go collect it myself.

On that ominous very good idea note, the original takes its commercial break here.

In the dub:

Emperor: Hmm.... Wormmon: Master? Emperor: Hm? Wormmon: Are you alright? Emperor: Never been better! INITIATE THE ATTACK!!! (Mekanorimon descend; First Mekanorimon plunges screaming into abyss) Emperor: What's going on!? (Second and third follow) Emperor: (furious) They're gone! HOW'D THAT HAPPEN!?!? (No answer) Emperor: Sector A, report! Sector B, come in! Sector C! Where is everybody!? Wormmon: They were never very good at spelling. Emperor: RRGH!!! (Emperor storms off) Wormmon: Where are you going? Emperor: If you want something done right, do it yourself!

The dub foregoes commercial here. The original's about a minute and a half early on their commercial, so kicking it out a ways makes sense.

The Kaiser shows a couple chinks in his armor here. Like Takeru, he briefly gets mesmerized by the thing at the bottom. And a couple times in this scene, he honestly seems scared. Brief moments where his arrogance cracks and, just for a second, a voice of reason in the back of his head starts asking if this is really a good idea.

In addition to Wormmon who has bluntly been asking that question since they got here.

The Emperor just loses his temper. No inkling of caution or reason from him.

Also, I don't know why the Mekanorimon are named Sector A, B, and C. That's a weird terminology choice. Those are names for areas, not units.

Returning from commercial, we find Digmon hard at work meticulously drilling off the bars from each cell.

As the latest set of bars falls, the Floramon and Mushmon inside the cell happily emerge into freedom.

Takeru, Patamon, and Tentomon approach from behind.

Takeru: Iori-kun! Iori: Ah, Takeru-san! We're releasing all the captured Digimon. Tentomon: Gotcha! I'll lend a hand. PETIT THUNDER!!!

While Digmon drills, Tentomon zaps the spot he's drilling with electricity. How exactly this helps is unclear. Iori supervises them, but Takeru notices the inexplicable screen in the ceiling of a cell showing an exterior shot of the Dark Whirlpool.

Takeru: (contemplative) That Kaiser... What is he up to?

I don't know what information he thinks he's going to glean from this feed.

A note about the animation: When Digmon drills the bars, there's a delay between when Digmon stops drilling and when they actually fall off. The dub riffs on that.

Digmon: This one's stuck! (Bars fall off) Digmon: Whoops. T.K.: Cody! Cody: Hi, guys! I'm glad you're here. We were just setting these captive Digimon free. Tentomon: Oh, why didn't you say so? That's my specialty! SUPER SHOCKER!!! (Everyone works on the bars while T.K. notices the screen) T.K.: I can just tell... There's something out there....

At this point, everyone knows there's something out there, T.K. Except Cody. We still have not informed Cody.

Takeru ponders what the Kaiser is planning and as he does, we cut to the Kaiser to see his bad idea to fruition.

Piloting a Mekanorimon himself, the Kaiser descends into the whirlpool's depths.

Wormmon: (radio) Ken-chan, you don't have to do this. Kaiser: Quiet!

Suddenly, he spots something! The upper body of a half-finished Devimon. This is what he was looking for.

The inexplicable jail cell screen now displays the feed from the Kaiser's descent as well.

Takeru: Devimon!?

The Kaiser extends some kind of suction device which begins siphoning away Devimon's data. The half-finished Dark Digimon begins to disintegrate into pixels, sucked into the device.

Kaiser: With this, my Original Digimon will be complete! Voice: (skeptical) Are you truly so capable of mastering the power of Darkness? Kaiser: (startled) W-Who's there!? Voice: (amused) You underestimate the power of Darkness. Huhuhuhu.... Kaiser: ...am I just hearing things?

The Kaiser tries to reassert his confidence. But it's clear that he's scared. He's sweating pretty hard for someone who's allegedly in control of the situation.

Kaiser: Hmph! Either way, it's speaking nonsense. As the king of the Digital World, is there anything I can't do? Huhuhu... HAHAHAHA!!!

This is where the whirlpool being open to interpretation really comes into focus. What is this? What is happening here? Is that the Devimon? The one from File Island? Is Devimon the thing at the bottom of the Whirlpool, or is this half-complete Digimon just a manifestation of the Darkness's power?

In the dub:

Wormmon: (radio) Master, please come back. You don't know what's out there. Emperor: Quiet! (Emperor finds Devimon) T.K.: Devimon!? Devimon: Huhuhuhuhu....

Here, the dub takes its second commercial break. Upon return, they replay T.K. watching Devimon be discovered but this time Devimon doesn't laugh.

T.K.: Impossible.... (Emperor extracts Devimon data) Emperor: I'll take what I need from this Digimon, then my Digimon will be completed! Voice: Are you sure? Emperor: Huh? Voice: Do you really believe you can control the powers of Darkness? Emperor: Alright, who are you!? Voice: I am here to warn you. Beware the Darkness! Huhuhuhu.... Emperor: Beware the Darkness? ...ha! I'm the Digimon Emperor. I rule this world and some voice comes out of nowhere and tells me to beware the Darkness!? Who does he think he's kidding!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

The dub stakes its position pretty unambiguously. This is the Devimon from File Island, and the Dark Whirlpool is the manifestation of his power.

Episode title "An Old Enemy Returns"

"An evil Digimon at the bottom of the whirlpool is responsible for creating the Source of Dark Power."

Devimon laughs going into the commercial break, indicating that this is a conscious and living Digimon and not just an assembly of data.

The source of the Dark Whirlpool is our old nemesis Devimon, and he's the one directly talking to and mocking the Emperor. Which... may or may not also be what's happening in the original.

...it's super odd that the voice says "I'm here to warn you to beware the Darkness". No, it's not. It's here to ridicule him. Why would Devimon himself be warning him away from Devimon?

In any case, Ken included, the new generation haven't had to deal with the kind of traumatic shit that the veterans went through. They get to experience a Digital World created by the veterans' triumph over things like Devimon. Ken's been playing on Easy Mode, doesn't realize it, and is about to unleash a true nightmare.

However, there is one person who does recognize the mistake that the Kaiser is mistaking. In the dungeon, Takeru watches the Kaiser collect Devimon's data through the screen.

Narrator: Takeru still remembered that moment. Three years ago, Angemon gave his own life to seal away Devimon's dark power.

Flashback to Angemon's sacrifice on that day. A young Takeru watches helplessly while his Partner pulls the Holy Light of all seven Digivices into himself, overloading himself to channel the power he needs to strike Devimon down.

Takeru (V.O.): Back then, I desperately wished that I could turn back time. But time only flows one way. Even when we don't want to, we have to face our reality. Drowning in endless despair, I cursed my fate.

The truth of the Dark Whirlpool's power has triggered something in Takeru.

An interesting translation note here is that the Narrator describes Devimon's dark power as 封じた fuujita, which means "sealed away" or "blocked off". This is news to me; I was of the understanding that Angemon had just killed him.

Like I said, this is all wildly subject to interpretation. But my best understanding is that the Devimon inside the Dark Whirlpool is the sealed away power that Angemon carved away from Devimon. He killed Devimon but all that Darkness had to go somewhere and so it was sank into the bottom of the ocean.

All those Black Gears that Devimon took inside himself to become insanely super ultra powerful, all that Dark Power he absorbed to ascend to his kaiju form, is the roiling mass of Darkness now at the bottom of the Dark Whirlpool.

That's the source that the Kaiser is harvesting now, imprinted with Devimon's image and persona which is what was then taunting the Kaiser. Ken is ignorantly taking all that Darkness for himself, assured that he can control it, it's fine.

That is what I think is happening here. But it's equally plausible that the half-finished Devimon is merely a small sample of the greater Dark power at the bottom of the Whirlpool, and something else is speaking to him.

In any case, we return from Takeru's PTSD flashback on a hardened pair of eyes quivering with moisture. He pulls the hat from the top of his head.

Takeru: He doesn't know anything. He doesn't understand anything. He's OUT OF HIS GODDAMN MIND!!!

Takeru crushes his hat and furiously throws it to the ground.

Iori: Ah? Takeru-san?

Takeru drops his backpack too.

Takeru: No more. I'm not doing this with him anymore. I'M SETTLING THIS!!!

Takeru storms away to go kick the shit out of the Digimon Kaiser.

Iori: Ah! Where are you going!? Patamon: Takeru, wait!

Patamon flies after Takeru, but doesn't stop him. Iori remains with Digmon and Tentomon.

Digmon: What was that about-dagyaa?

Iori takes a step to follow after Takeru, but stops when he hears Tentomon calling after him.

Tentomon: Let Patamon look after Takeru while we work on freeing the prisoners. Iori: Oh... Yeah.

Honestly, Iori can probably go after Takeru. It's fine. He's not really contributing anything to the bar-cutting.

In the dub:

T.K.: Of all the Digimon that are out there, why did it have to be Devimon!? (Flashback) T.K. (V.O.): I'll never forget our battle four years ago. Angemon faced Devimon one-on-one! It was our last chance to defeat Devimon once and for all! T.K.: Angemon! Angemon: I'll get him. T.K. (V.O.): Angemon knew what he had to do. T.K.: Be careful! Devimon: COME HERE, PRETTY BOY!!! T.K. (V.O.) The only way to completely destroy Devimon's evil powers was for Angemon to sacrifice himself. I begged him not to do it but we both knew there was no choice. I always felt that it was my fault. That maybe I could have done something! But it was too late.

The dub describes Angemon's sacrifice as "completely destroying" Devimon's powers, which was what seemed to have happened before. But. Uh. If that's the case then what the hell is happening here?

Is this just an unrelated half-Devimon in a non-specific pit of evil? That is also possible.

T.K.: I was too young back then to know how to handle it. Too young to understand. Well, that was then. (T.K. throws hat) T.K.: AND THIS IS NOW!!! Cody: Huh? You okay, T.K.? T.K.: Cody, I've got some unfinished business to take care of. Time to get to work. (T.K. storms off) Cody: T.K., wait a minute! Patamon: T.K.!!! (Patamon flies after him) Digmon: Where's he off to? Maybe we should follow him. (Cody goes to follow) Cody: Mmm.... Tentomon: Don't worry! Patamon will take care of T.K. We need to keep working to free these Digimon. Cody: You're right.

Takeru is completely and utterly melting down. He's erupting with rage and it's all gunning straight for the Kaiser. This is personal now. The Kaiser (probably) just reawakened the thing that traumatized him so badly before.

Now Takeru, demonstrating what he learned from Taichi, wants to punch his trauma away. He wants to hit the Kaiser until it doesn't hurt anymore.

The Kaiser has no idea what he's awakened in Devimon. But he also has no idea what he's awakened in Takeru.

T.K. also gets mad and storms off, but he's more focused and heroic about it. He wants to prove to himself that he's become strong enough to prevent another tragedy like what befell Angemon from ever occurring again.

The Kaiser returns triumphant to his fortress. Entering his control room, he notices an alarm going off and a red dot blinking on a map of the base.

Kaiser: They're invading the base? Right under my nose? ...whatever, I don't have time for that right now.

Sitting down at the controls, the Kaiser raises his fortress from the Dark Whirlpool and departs. Then he turns his attention to his design. A pair of Devimon arms appear on the creature's shoulders.

Kaiser: A perfect fit! My Original Digimon is finally complete!

But while the Kaiser's celebrating, we cut briefly to Wormmon with trembling, frightened eyes. This is going to get bad.

In the dub, the Emperor's still fuming over that encounter.

Emperor: How could he not know who I am? I've told everybody.

In the original, we don't hear the alarm beeping until the Kaiser approaches his console but it's just beeping in sequence. The implication is that it's been beeping for a while now, but he hasn't been up here to notice. The dub has the effect of a screen suddenly turning on, indicating that the alarm is only now starting to go off.

Emperor: Huh? Well, what do you know. I have visitors and it's those kids. I don't have time to deal with those annoying brats right now! Wormmon: You sure have changed, Master. You used to love trying to destroy the DigiDestined. It was your favorite thing to do, next to putting coal in children's Christmas stockings. Emperor: Bah! Humbug! (Emperor adds the Devimon arms to his creation) Emperor: Now for the final touch. There! My masterpiece is finally completed! Nothing can stop me now!

Weird Christmas aside there. The dub came out in mid-November so it was sort of "Christmas lasts for fucking ever" Christmassy but wasn't really "Now is the time for airing Christmas specials" Christmassy.

A brief cut to Jun shows her asleep in the car, slowly making its way along the highway. A wider shot of the car on the highway shows Mt. Fuji in the background, so they're getting there.

Daisuke and V-mon are still making their way out to sea by palm tree island boat.

V-mon: Looks like they went really far. Daisuke: Yeah, and we need to hurry up and get there too. But we're... GODDAMMIT!!!

They are at the mercy of a vehicle with only one speed.

And so, a world apart, the Motomiyas ever so slowly trudge onward to rejoin parties that left them behind.

The dub adds Jun loudly snoring and her grandparents commenting on it, similar to Davis's snoring from the start of the episode.

Grandma: She sure can snore! Grandpa: No louder than you.... (Meanwhile in the Digital World) Veemon: Gee, Davis, the rest of the guys must be way ahead of us. Davis: Yeah! We're just gonna have to go faster! Agh, I still can't believe Kari did this to me!

Loud snoring is apparently a Motomiya family trait.

Hikari and Miyako are still in flight to the Dark Whirlpool.

Hikari: Hey, do you think Daisuke-kun is mad at us? Miyako: There was nothing we could do. Huh!? Look!

Miyako turns to answer Hikari's question, but when she looks ahead again, she spots the Kaiser's fortress coming the opposite direction.

Horusmon: It's coming right for us! Nefertimon: Careful, everyone!

Too late for caution. In his control room, the Kaiser's already spotted the girls and has them up on his screen.

Kaiser: What a perfect opportunity to test out my Original Digimon. GO... Chimeramon!

A hatch opens in the roof of the base. A lift raises Chimeramon up into the fresh air. Silently, they take flight and set out on their mission.

Somehow, the Kaiser has completely forgotten about the fact that there is an active insurgency taking place inside his lair.

In the dub:

Kari: Yolei, do you think Davis is really mad at us? Yolei: Nah, he's a pretty good sport. HEY!!! LOOK AT THAT!!! (Emperor's base coming back their way) Halsemon: It's headed right for us! Nefertimon: Alright, everyone, get ready. (Control room) Emperor: If I had known I was having visiting guests, I would have catered. Ooh! I can still give them a party favor. Go get 'em. (Fortress releases Chimeramon)

The Emperor has completely forgotten too but also he isn't salivating over the chance to use the Digimon he put all this work into the way the Kaiser is. He talks like this is any old deployment of an enslaved Digimon to fight.

Miyako: Something's coming this way.

Miyako adjusts her glasses to see better. We finally get a good look at the Kaiser's creation. And so does she.

Miyako: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?!?

Chimeramon is a Perfect-stage Data-attribute Composite Digimon. They originally debuted in the Wonderswan V-Pet before going on to feature kind of prominently in the Tamers video games released during the airing of the Adventure shows.

These games followed protagonist Ryo Akiyama as he's thrust again and against into conflict with Millenniummon which, to my understanding, is a Jogress between a Chimeramon and a Mugendramon. He also runs into the Chosen Children of the anime sometimes? IDK.

The games are considered canon, with Ryo even making a cameo appearance in Our War Game. The second game, Tag Tamers, was released at around the same time as this Kaiser arc finale was airing and serves as a prequel. Ken and Ryo team up to take down Millenniummon with their respective Partners Wormmon and V-mon. It explores who Ichijouji Ken was before he was the Kaiser and how he came to be like that. Which the anime will also talk about in time.

But exactly what connection, if any, Ken's Chimeramon has with Millenniummon is a question for people who've actually played the games. The show is pretty explicit that Chimeramon is Ken's Original Creation Do Not Steal and has never, ever existed before now. So it's kind of hard for there to also be another Chimeramon that became Millenniummon before 02 ever began? It's weird.

Narrator: Chimeramon! A Composite Digimon created by the Digimon Kaiser by combining parts from various Digimon. They have a ferocious fighting instinct and immense destructive power. Their special attack is a deadly heat ray called Heat Viper.

They should be able to use special attacks from all of their component parts, but that's just me.

Through the inexplicable ceiling screen, Iori's group watches Chimeramon's deployment too.

Digmon: I've never seen nor heard of a Digimon like that before-dagyaa! Tentomon: We need to go fast! While Nefertimon and Horusmon are keeping that thing busy, we can free the rest of the prisoners! Iori: Got it!

Iori's team double-times it to finish up.

In the dub:

Yolei: Do you see what I see? (It's Kimeramon!) Yolei: What is that thing!? Emperor: (rundown) Hahaha! Kimeramon is my ultimate creation! I combined the most powerful parts of other Digimon to form this unstoppable fighting creature! His Heat Viper attack will melt my enemies into oblivion! (Cody and the others watch from the dungeon) Digmon: I've never heard of a Digimon like that before, and I get all the news from the underground! Tentomon: Listen, Cody. While those guys do battle with him, we can free the prisoners! Cody: Let's go!

Yeah, the official English spelling is "Kimeramon". I suspect this is another Horusmon/Halsemon case where they didn't know what that word meant. The Japanese spelling of chimera is キメラ kimera, because you can't use チ chi to make that hard 'k' sound, and the dub translated that straight across.

The girls fly into battle with Chimeramon.

Horusmon: RED SUN!!!

Horusmon takes the first shot, but his eye beams glance harmlessly off of Chimeramon's horn.

Kaiser: That won't work against Kabuterimon's metallic head. Nefertimon: CURSE OF QUEEN!!!

Chimeramon backs off, dodging Nefertimon's shots. Chimeramon then swoops around behind the girls, catching them off-guard with superior aerial maneuverability.

Kaiser: With Angemon's and Airdramon's wings, they're swift in the air.

Kaiser: Now it's my turn.

As Chimeramon descends from behind, Horusmon and Nefertimon split up. Chimeramon turns to follow Nefertimon, but smacks Horusmon out of the air with their tail.

Kaiser: Garurumon's legs and Monochromon's tail!

Chimeramon swipes at Hikari. Nefertimon dodges the Kuwagamon arm and then the SkullGreymon arm, but one of the two Devimon arms catches her from behind and smacks her down.

Kaiser: Arms from Kuwagamon, SkullGreymon, and Devimon! The body of Greymon and the hair of MetalGreymon! Well? Isn't the Digimon I created amazing?

Before he and Miyako can hit the water, Horusmon recovers. He rights himself and soars above the water's surface.

Miyako: What the hell is that thing!?

The hair.

The hair of MetalGreymon.

...okay but why though? Kaiser really had to stretch to try and fit a third Agumon form into his Fanfic Digimon. Notice me, Taichi-senpai.

In the dub:

Halsemon: TEMPEST WING!!! (No effect) Emperor: That's why I picked Kabuterimon's head. They don't come any more hard-headed. Nefertimon: CAT'S EYE BEAM!!! (Kimeramon dodges, then swoops around) Emperor: And he's fast with Airdramon and Angemon's wings! Playtime's over. Now it's my turn!

A white flash censors the point of impact when Kimeramon tail smacks Halsemon.

Emperor: Throw in Garurumon's legs as well as Monochromon's tail.

Another white flash censors the point of impact when Kimeramon swats Nefertimon.

Emperor: I added Kuwagamon's, SkullGreymon's, and Devimon's arms. His body is Greymon's and I topped him off with MetalGreymon's hair. He's perfect! Hahahahaha!

The dub takes its third commercial break here, which is surprisingly early for it. But also it makes sense because there is some shit about to come.

However, we come back right into the next scene, so Horusmon recovering from his fall and Miyako's final line end up cut. I guess they hit the water in this version.

Back in his control room, the Kaiser gloats about his creation.

Kaiser: Huhuhuhu...HAHAHAHAHA!!! This is exactly what I was expecting! Perfectly suited in every way to be my Partner Digimon.

Suddenly he turns and glares at poor little Wormmon. The Kaiser's eyes burn with contempt.

Kaiser: Unlike you.

There was an implication in the Agumon arc that the Kaiser was trying to replace Wormmon entirely and take Taichi's Agumon for his Partner Digimon. Now that he's made a new Agumon with extra bells and whistles, the Kaiser says the quiet part out loud. Chimeramon is to be his Partner going forward, not Wormmon.

While he's hyperfocused on that, the insurgency he ignored has reached its completion. The jailbroken Digimon descend a rope from the hidden cave onto one of those mobile islands while Iori, Digmon, and Tentomon supervise from the tunnel.

Nine Elecmon, four Mushmon, four Floramon, and four Delumon in total. Four very slappable Delumon because these birds are Perfect level and allowed themselves to be caged anyway.

Tentomon: That's the last one. Now it's our turn to get out of here. Iori: But what about Takeru-san? Tentomon: He can take care of himself. Come on, let's go!

Digmon picks up Iori with his scoopy hands and bounds down to the island. Only Takeru and Patamon remain within the fortress.

In the dub:

Emperor: Hahahahahaha! Where's my VCR? Ooh, I wish I was taping this! Take a good look at him, Wormmon. Now that's what a Partner should look like! (Emperor turns and scowls at Wormmon) Wormmon: Hmph! Not a scrawny runt like you. (Meanwhile, Cody frees the remaining prisoners) Tentomon: Okay, that's the last one! Come on! It's time we got out of here too! Cody: We can't leave without T.K. Tentomon: He'll be fine. We've got to get these Digimon to safety! Let's go!

The Emperor horribly dates this episode by knowing what a VCR is. XD If this were today, "Digimon Emperor DESTROYS Fake Nerd Girls" would already be up on YouTube and Tiktok.

In any case, this bit is pretty much perfect. No notes.

Still inside the Kaiser's base, Takeru storms down the hall while Patamon pleads with him to withdraw.

Patamon: Takeru! Can't we settle this later? We have bigger priorities right now.

Takeru doesn't even answer him. He keeps right on marching until a shadow emerges from a doorway up ahead, followed by the Digimon Kaiser. Who I guess has finally remembered about the intruders.

Kaiser: (playful) You have some nerve.... Sneaking inside the fortress of the Digimon Kaiser, who commands the power of Darkness! Huhuhu....

Takeru tries to keep a straight face. But after stifling his laughter for a moment, he loses the struggle and lets it out. That reaction catches the Kaiser offguard.

Takeru: Tehe! Kaiser: W-What!?

Takeru recovers and, with a confident smirk on his face, fixes a cold, hard gaze on the Kaiser.

Takeru: Ichijouji-san. How long have you been pretending to conquer the world? Are you having fun? Ken: ... Takeru: And now you're talking about the power of Darkness. But do you even know what that means? Ken: ... Takeru: You have no idea, do you? You won't get away with a simple injury. Isn't it time for you to grow up?

Takeru's words cut Ken down to his bone. This is not Daisuke. Takeru is not his bitter archnemesis, here to face the Kaiser in another exciting round of Heroes and Villains. He isn't speaking to the Digimon Kaiser at all. He's speaking to Ken-chan.

Ken is a petulant child playing with forces he cannot comprehend, and Takeru has no intention of giving him any more dignity than that.

In the dub:

Patamon: T.K., can't you do this later? We gotta get out of here while we can. Don't be so stubborn! T.K.: ...hm? (Emperor emerges) Emperor: I don't remember sending you an invitation. I must admit, you have a lot of nerve... Sneaking into the base of the most powerful being in the Digital World! Huhuhuhuhu.... (T.K. tries to keep a straight face and fails) T.K.: Ahahaha! Emperor: What's so funny!? T.K.: Let me ask you something, Ichijouji. Don't you think it's time that you gave up on this little charade? It's getting old. Ken: ... T.K.: You say you're the most powerful being in the Digital World and yet you have no idea about the powers that are here! Ken: ... T.K.: You're a pretender. You're like that story, "The Emperor's New Clothes".

This is pretty close. The original hits harder, though. It's the attitude. T.K. is angry and accusatory in his delivery, while Takeru is aloof and condescending. "It's getting old!" vs. "Are you having fun?"

This is what cuts Ken so deeply in the original. He doesn't just tell Ken to eat shit. He talks as if all of this Digimon Kaiser nonsense is beneath him.

Because compared to what he and his team went through three years ago? It is.

Ken takes a moment, struggling to even come up with a retort. But in the end, the only thing he can spew from his mouth is frothing anger.

Ken: You worm! YOU WORM!!! WORM, WORM, WORM!!! Takeru: Is that all you have to say? Ken: SH-SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

Before he knows what he's doing, Ken lashes Takeru with his whip. He lands a direct hit to the left side of Takeru's face. Takeru doesn't even flinch as the whip strikes him, then falls ineffectually to the ground. Even Ken seems surprised by what he just did.

Ken: ...oogh.... Patamon: (gasp)

Takeru calmly reaches up, feeling the bloody wound on the side of his face. Then he pulls his hand away and inspects it for blood.

Takeru: You can't get your way with words, so you resort to violence, huh? Ken: (stunned) N-No.... Takeru: Hm? Am I wrong? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Are you finished? Ken: ... Takeru: Guess so. Now it's my turn.

Ken has just enough time to let out a gasp before Takeru crosses the hall and decks him. A right haymaker takes Ken off his feet, laying him out on the hallway floor. He drops his whip as he goes down; It falls to the floor where he'd been standing.

In the dub:

Ken: YOU'RE NOBODY!!! NOT LIKE ME!!! You will bow down before me! T.K.: Sorry, the floor's kind of dirty. Ken: YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!!!

They censor the moment of impact for the whiplash with a white flash but, to my surprise, they do leave it in there.

Ken: Agh! Patamon: (gasp)

They also leave in the bloody wound T.K. gets from it.

T.K.: Hm... When you can't think of anything to say, do you always resort to fighting? Ken: ...I guess? T.K.: That's your problem. You don't know when to talk and when to fight. Now's a good time to talk. Ken: ... T.K.: On the other hand, IT'S ALSO A GOOD TIME TO FIGHT!!!

T.K. punching Ken in the face is also retained, with a white flash obscuring the moment of impact. They seem to have judged this fistfight too important to mess with, and they are correct.

Again, the dub covers the material pretty well but you can feel the tonal difference. Takeru's condescending behavior has Ken completely on the backfoot. Even Ken's shocked when he cracks the whip; It just kind of happens out of pure desperation to make Takeru stop talking down to him.

(Takeruing down to him?)

By contrast, T.K. and Ken seem like they're on the same level. Dub Ken hasn't utterly lost control of this conversation the way his original counterpart has, and T.K.'s dialogue comes off as more reasonable pre-fight banter.

Outside, the battle with Chimeramon remains ongoing.

Tentomon dodges and swerves to avoid rays of what I assume are Heat Viper. One shot kicks up a massive explosion of water.

Nefertimon and Horusmon drop off Hikari and Miyako on Iori's island, then return to the fray. The girls call after them.

Hikari: Be careful out there, Nefertimon! Horusmon!

Chimeramon emerges from the water spray and charges up another shot in their mouth. They fire on Tentomon once again. Tentomon nimbly flips upwards in the air to avoid the shot, which continues on and strikes the Kaiser's fortress.

In the dub:

Kari: Nefertimon! Halsemon! You guys be careful, okay? Kimeramon: HEAT VIPER!!!

The only difference is that Kimeramon calls their attack.

Inside the base, Takeru is on top of Ken and pummeling him in the face.

The sudden impact jostles Takeru just enough that Ken's able to push him off. Ken scrambles for his whip, snatching it from the floor and lashing it at Takeru.

Takeru catches the goddamn whip out of the air.

Ken: WHAT!?!?

Takeru throws it to the floor and lunges, tackling the Kaiser and taking him back off his feet.

Outside, Horusmon spins up his tornado attack.

Horusmon: TEMPEST WING!!! Nefertimon: ROSETTA STONE!!!

Both attacks slam uselessly into Chimeramon, who doesn't even seem to notice. Worse, Tempest Wing brings Horusmon straight into melee distance.

Horusmon: What can we do!?

Horusmon tries to back off, but one of the Devimon hands smacks him out of the air. He lands hard on his shoulder, skidding across the fortress's roof. Chimeramon closes in to capitalize on his momentary vulnerability.

In the dub:

(T.K. catches the whip) Ken: HEY!!! (T.K. tackles him; Meanwhile, outside) Halsemon: TEMPEST WING!!! Nefertimon: ROSETTA STONE!!! (No effect) Halsemon: They had no effect! (Chimeramon smacks him down)

Solid.

Seeing how badly Ken's being beaten, Wormmon tries to intervene.

Wormmon: NEBANEBA NET!!!

ネバネバ Nebaneba means sticky or gooey. This is another rare attack to be named at least partly in Japanese, rather than using English.

The attack is a conical web that Wormmon sprays from his mouth. Patamon's quick to counter it.

Patamon: AIR SHOT!!!

Patamon's Air Shot goes straight down the cone and beans Wormmon in the face, knocking him across the floor. Patamon flies in close to challenge him.

Patamon: You wanna fight? Wormmon: You're hurting Ken-chan!

Wormmon's spirit is willing, but Patamon's going to dribble him like a basketball. Just like PicoDevimon.

In the dub:

Wormmon: Oh no. STICKY NET!!! Patamon: BOOM BUBBLE!!! (Patamon knocks Wormmon around) Patamon: Wanna fight!? Wormmon: Actually, I'd prefer a staring contest.

The scene ends with closeups of Patamon and Wormmon staring each other down, building anticipation for their battle. Which the dub riffs on with that last line from Wormmon.

Topside, Nefertimon flies in at the last second to save Horusmon.

Nefertimon: HORUSMON!!!

She pushes him off the roof just before Chimeramon fires off another shot of Heat Viper. The beam blows straight through the base, ripping through the walls above where Takeru is....

At this point, it's not even a fight anymore. Ken's on his back and not even trying to defend himself anymore. He is thoroughly and utterly whipped.

But when that shot blows through, Takeru stops and looks up.

Takeru: Ah! What the--!?

Through the gaping hole in the wall, he finally lays eyes on Chimeramon outside.

Ken: That's Chimeramon, the Digimon I created. Isn't it incredible? Even if you all fight together, you still won't be a match for them.

Takeru has Ken in the palm of his hands. But now he has a decision to make.

In the dub:

Nefertimon: HALSEMON, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!! (Nefertimon saves Halsemon; Kimeramon silently fires) T.K.: What's that thing!? (T.K. sees Kimeramon through the hole in the wall) Ken: Didn't I tell you? I have a new pet. Kimeramon! My secret weapon that's not a secret anymore. Don't worry if you didn't get a good look; You'll see him up close and personal real soon!

Takeru reacts to the sudden energy beam exploding through the wall, while T.K. reacts to Kimeramon himself before laying eyes on him.

Dub Ken rambles a bit. "My secret weapon that's not a secret anymore" is a Mojo Jojo-ass line. He also refers to Kimeramon as "my new pet" which again understates the relationship Ken thinks he has with this particular Digimon.

Chimeramon isn't just some mind-controlled minion; They're Ken's new Partner Digimon, the replacement for Wormmon. Dub Ken doesn't seem to have any particular reverence for Kimeramon whatsoever; Just another Digimon to add to the collection. Nothing special or meaningful in any way.

Outside, the fight is over. Chimeramon's got Nefertimon in their SkullGreymon hand and Horusmon in their Kuwagamon hand, and is crushing the life from both of them.

Patamon: Takeru! Takeru: Yeah. DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

Priorities. Without hesitation, Takeru gets up off of Ken and Armor Evolves Patamon to go join the fight.

Takeru: Ichijouji! Next time, we finish this!

With Takeru gone, Wormmon approaches Ken.

Wormmon: Ken-chan?

Battered and wincing in pain, Ken slowly sits up.

Ken: (weakly) Don't look at me.... Wormmon: Ken-chan....

Ken stands up and slowly withdraws into the depths of his base.

Outside, Pegasmon joins the fight. Between now and the last time we saw them, Horusmon and Nefertimon have been moved to Chimeramon's Devimon hands. Unclear if this is a consistency error or intentional decision on Chimeramon's part.

Pegasmon: SILVER BLAZE!!!

Pegasmon fires off two shots, hitting each of Chimeramon's wrists and forcing them to release Nefertimon and Horusmon. The pair join him in the air.

Nefertimon: Thank you, Takeru! Pegasmon! Takeru: Chimeramon isn't moving! Now's our chance to retreat!

At that, the team withdraws from the Kaiser's fortress.

In the dub:

Patamon: T.K.? T.K.: Mhm. DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!! (Pegasusmon evolves) T.K.: Hey, Ken! Remind me where we left off the next time I'm pummeling you into oblivion! Wormmon: Master? (Ken weakly sits up) Ken: ...I guess I'm not as cool as I think I am. Wormmon: Off day. Ken: Time for me to regroup and come back stronger than ever. (Up top, Pegasusmon frees Nefertimon and Halsemon) Pegasusmon: EQUUS BEAM!!! (The two join Pegasusmon in the air) Halsemon: Thanks, Pegasusmon. Pegasusmon: It was just a little... horseplay. T.K.: Kimeramon stopped moving! Let's take this opportunity to get out of here!

As usual, Dub Ken's a lot more willing to open up and engage with Wormmon. He even admits weakness to Wormmon. Original Ken basically tells Wormmon to fuck off and withdraws both physically and emotionally into the depths of his lair. He doesn't want to be seen in this state, battered and bruised after horribly losing a fight.

The team withdraws to the mobile island with the rescued prisoners. Which has, at some point, been joined by Daisuke's mobile island. Driving the islands back to land, they regroup.

Iori hands Takeru back his hat, which Iori apparently picked up off the ground after Takeru stormed off.

Iori: Here you go, Takeru-san. Takeru: Oh! Thank you. Daisuke: After all that... Dammit! V-mon: If only I could fly.... Daisuke: Don't say that! You and I have our own way to fight. V-mon: Yeah!

Took Yamato a whole character arc to come around to "Maybe you have your own unique strengths and don't have to be good at what someone else does" but Daisuke effortlessly cuts right through to it.

Daisuke: In any case, we'll rest for now and then we go after the Kaiser! Group: YEAH!!!

This isn't over yet.

And speaking of things that aren't over, Jun finally makes it to the lake! So... why does she seem so unhappy about it?

Jun: Uh... This place.... Mary: It's Hamanako! Jun: But I said Yamanakako! YAMATO-KUUUUUUN!!!

Hamanako is a lagoon about 3-4 hours' drive southwest of Odaiba. It didn't just take all day because of how slow Kenny drives, but also because they left her intended destination behind halfway down the highway.

In the dub:

Cody: Here's your hat back, T.K. I didn't want anyone to step on it. T.K.: That's okay, Cody. I have six others just like it. One for each day of the week! Davis: I'm ready to fight and all the action's over with! I wish we'd gotten here sooner! Veemon: The other Digimon can fly. Why can't I? Davis: Come on... You've got your own fighting skills. Like, that head of yours is as hard as mine! Veemon: Right! Davis: Anyway, let's hear it for T.S.! He really let Ken have it! Group: YEAH!!! T.K.: Uh, that's T.K.....

Lot of gags to lighten the mood after that brawl just now. Daisuke's promise that we aren't done here and are going to hit the Kaiser again tomorrow doesn't make it in. I feel like these episodes are trying really hard to make each piece seem like an isolated adventure rather than a multi-parter. This episode and the previous one cut a lot of cross-episode continuity.

Jun: Are we at the right campsite? Grandma: Guess they told you the wrong place. Jun: Why wouldn't Matt give me the right information? Could it be that he doesn't want me around? Grandpa: Ah, she's just as sharp as Davis. Narrator: What is the next step in the battle for control over the Digi-World? Tune in to the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!

Matt didn't give her any information. We saw their conversation and at no point, in either version, did he provide her with details of his destination. Jun had to find out either by forcing it out of Daisuke/Davis offscreen or exercising stalker fu.

Probably stalker fu.

In any case, they can't make the Hamanako/Yamanakako bit work here so someone lying to Jun and providing her incorrect details makes sense as a replacement gag. It just can't really be Matt directly.

Assessment: Takeru beating the shit out of Ken is one of the moments I've been eagerly anticipating, and it did not disappoint. Ken activated Takeru's Child Soldier mode and had regrets. He pushed the trauma button and then paid for it in teeth.

It's not just the physical beating, but the devastating verbal evisceration of the "Digimon Kaiser" as a concept. Ken's been thwarted and defeated and vanquished in battles before. But here, he was just beaten in a way he's never been beaten before.

A fitting way to herald the beginning of the end for the Digimon Kaiser.

And Wormmon. God, Wormmon. Ken-chan told him to his face that he's obsolete and he still tries with what meager strength he has to protect Ken from Takeru. Wormmon's loyalty and devotion even in the face of so much physical and emotional abuse is downright tragic.

Also, gotta give a shout out to Iori. Not just for prioritizing saving Digimon over blowing up the base, but also the hat. Despite the dub's flippancy about it, Iori picking up Takeru's hat and holding onto it for him is a small gesture that speaks to how considerate and thoughtful he is. Takeru throws his hat down in a fit of rage and Iori's reaction is, "He doesn't mean it. He's gonna want this back."

[midnight--sadness]

I want to add something to my "Inho punishes Gihun after his failed rebellion"-Headcanon:

After Jung-bae dies right in front of Gihun's eyes and he has an emotional breakdown, the pink soldiers take him to what seems like an infirmary. There, they tend to the gunshot wound on his arm. Gihun puts up a serious fight, so they have to restrain him and inject him with something to calm him down.

(Meanwhile, the Frontman tortures and kills the soldier who accidentally shot Gihun in his arm—after all, he had specifically ordered not to harm him.)

The soldiers then take Gihun to the Frontman’s quarters. They lock him in a dark room with a large king-sized bed covered in black sheets. The Frontman enters, and Gihun immediately attacks him.

But just think of the scene in which Inho fights Thanos and the other guy—of course, Inho easily fights Gihun with just two swift moves. He’s much stronger than Gihun, who hasn’t eaten properly since the games began. (Also Gihun has no shirt anymore because of his arm bandage)

Gihun kneels before him, and Inho reveals his true face beneath the mask.

"Young-il? I thought you were dead?! …You traitor!"

Inho stays completely calm.

"I told you to stay out of it. Instead, you start a rebellion. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You could have been seriously hurt. I had to kill my own men because of you!"

"Who the hell are you, you bastard?!" Gihun whispers—his voice nearly gone from all the screaming after Jung-bae’s death.

Inho grabs him and pushes him onto the bed (without seriously hurting him, of course). Gihun can barely move anymore because of the drug in his body. Inho leans over his frail body and stares at him intensely.

Of course Gihun thinks Inho will kill him know.

But instead of killing him, Inho suddenly takes Gihun’s left nipple into his mouth and starts sucking it hard.

Gihun has no idea what the hell is happening, but his nipples are the most sensitive part of his body—and Inho won’t stop. He keeps sucking more intensely, and Gihun can’t help but start moaning and whimpering.

“What the hell are you doing? S-stop...”

Inho lifts his head and looks him straight in the eyes.

“I knew you were horny as fuck. I’ve never met a man with nipples this sensitive. I already wanted to suck them in the limousine.”

Somehow Gihun is turned on by these words.

Now Inho starts sucking Gihun’s right nipple, and Gihun keeps whimpering and whining. Then Inho takes off his Frontman coat, revealing his muscular chest, and continues sucking on Gihun’s tits.

Gihun wants to stop him—but he realizes he’s about to cum.

“Oh no, what am I even doing?!” he thinks, while his nipples burn. He cums in his pants with a loud moan, without even touching himself.

Of course, Inho notices right away.

“What the hell? Did you seriously cum just from your sworn enemy sucking on your gorgeous tits? How pathetic. I can’t imagine how you ever managed to fuck your wife properly.”

Even though Inho humiliates the overstimulated Gihun, deep down he finds what just happened incredibly hot. He should have known that Gihun is so easy to please.

“You bastard...” Gihun whimpers, clearly embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, Gihun. From now on, I’ll do all the work. Just relax, and I’ll take care of you.”

Even though Inho would’ve loved to have Gihun ride him reverse cowgirl style—because Gihun’s big ass had been driving him crazy for three years—he lets him stay on his back.

But in the end, he fucks him hard (because this is still punishment for the rebellion). Gihun is a moaning, cuming mess.

He cums three times during the hate sex and receives a huge load deep inside his tight hole. He scratches Inho’s back in the process—but Inho loves that.

When they finished, Inho kisses Gihun’s neck and starts sucking on it again, making Gihun moan once more.

---

- If you don't like this, please just ignore me! Also i know the english is not the best!

anon, never apologize for your english!! it's perfectly understandable, so don't worry! i'm not a native english speaker so i geuinely don't care if people make mistakes or not.

THIS ASK IS PERFECTION FROM THE TOP (INHO) TO THE BOTTOM (GIHUN)

our brains are so connected because i also think inho would kill the guard who shot gihun 😌 and the gasp i gusped when inho start sucking on gihun's tits, omg that man has no shame (i'd do the same)

inho "punishing" gihun by making him have three orgasms is so funny to me, like yeah babe make your archnemesis feel the worst pain possible! 🤧 and gihun would be crying bc of the overstimulation but inho doesnt stop

[arsonsara]

[The phone rings four times, and just before it can ring for a fifth, the phone is answered.] "Hellosie posies, you've reached the home of one Arso-" "...ahem." "This is Vivian speaking, can I help you?" [Silence.] "...H-hello?…" [Silence.] "...O-oh...oh my stars. Is...is that you? Goodness gracious, it has to be! I mean I don't remember anyone else who wasn't as...talkative. And nobody ever really called me like this except…" "You..." "Hahah...oh god, how long has it been since we last talked? Years now? It feels like only yesterday I got that call from you and just...let my gourd pop open! Hehe! I had a lot on my mind back then. To be honest I uh...still do." "Things are...better than they were. At least in a lot of the places that count but, the world keeps spinnin' y'know! It's enough to make you dizzy sometimes, hehe! And sometimes I get...pretty dizzy." "...I'm really glad you called. I've been really dizzy lately, a lot of memories are coming back to me that are a bit...rough to organize. Like a jigsaw puzzle and the pieces just sorta...change shape every-time you try to place a piece. Heck I don't know what i'm even building at this point! I don't think any of us are! Hahaha! Ahahaha!…" "But...i'm worried. About...someone I care about. They're a friend of mine that means a lot to me and...from what I could gather she's not doing as great as I thought she was. I mean i've...never met her. Is it weird to consider someone a friend if you've never met? I mean one of her friends has been trying to talk to me lately...does that count?" [Silence.] "...Are you here to lend an ear, stranger? That friend of a friend i'm referring to he's...talking about stuff like that lately. Lending an ear. Are you trying to do the same for me again?…" "...Thank you…" "...I guess I should...just get started."

On July 3rd, 2023, posted exactly at 5:44 PM Eastern Standard time, I wrote my personal review of my thoughts regarding the Anti-Fiction ARG Story Project, Welcome Home. I don't quite remember specifically when I came across the Welcome Home Website, but it was during its earliest incarnation, and I've been around since its inception on the internet. And ever since, it has captivated me and only continues to grow and reach towards loftier, dreamier heights and crawl into darker, isolating caverns. I don't wear my fandom seniority as a badge of pride, but can't help but fawn over it the same way someone does a hand-made gift. That's what Welcome Home is to me, in a lot of ways: A gift. It's a beautiful and haunting story, a complex and enrapturing puzzle, and a stunning, awe-inspiring work of art and despite how small the present box it came in was it just keeps getting bigger. There is a lot I could say about Welcome Home now that we're further into its story. When I wrote my review of it back in 2023 it was practically just getting started, and there are a lot of discussions I could have regarding all we've seen from the two Halloween Updates and the absolutely insane knockout that was The Homewarming Update… But i'm not here to talk about that. At least not now, because I want to zoom in on not just a particular update, but a particular character within Welcome Home's cast. The one that caught my attention the most, stole my heart, and as of the recent update, spoke more to me than anyone else on the cast. And I can't think of a better way to start than here:

For context, I always love playing into a scene or story even if it's just in small ways. When I wrote this signature in the Guestbook I thought it'd be fun to play in the space of Welcome Home being a real piece of lost media, whilst also sharing my love for the character that made my heart flutter like a butterfly and couldn't help but make me giggle. At this point in time, when I wrote that message, we didn't know a lot about Julie Joyful. We didn't have as much media surrounding Welcome Home aside from the biography pages that gave us descriptions for everyone in the cast. We didn't even have proper voices for the characters yet! And somehow Julie Joyful was the one out of everyone in the cast where I picker her out from the crowd and said: She was my favorite. Not just that she was my favorite, but that I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, without even a smidgen of hesitation: If Welcome Home was in fact a real show that I grew up with as a child, that Julie Joyful would be the one I loved the most out of everyone. And as days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to a year, year to years, and as Welcome Home has grown and flourished we've only come to learn more and more about this delightful as a daffodil Rainbow Monster. Can you tell that she's even rubbed off on me? This most recent update, April 12th's 2025 Springtime Salutations update, gave us a lot to learn about Julie Joyful. Not only did we see her at her brightest, her peppiest, her singingest, her skip-hop-and-jumpiest...but we also saw her at her darkest. Julie has quickly become one of my favorite characters in media ever. The more we saw of her the more my heart was captivated, and now that we've reached such a primal boiling point for her character, I felt like now was the time for me to give her the proper celebration she deserved. Like a hand-written letter in a pink envelope, covered with stickers, full to bursting with confetti and game pieces and little knick-knacks and doo-dads...and in the card i've written a deeply earnest and sympathetic thank you. Because out of a lot of the characters i've grown attached to, there are few like Julie who equally embody the person I want to be, remind me of the person I am, and make me feel truly seen. I think that's enough pre-amble ramblin'. Let's get started, shall we?

---

One of the big things that captivated me about Julie Joyful, once more updates began to roll on and we got to see more of the scamperingly sweet Rainbow Monster in action was just how utterly, reverently silly she was. She speaks in such a squeaky, chipper, bouncy lilting voice and is constantly talking a mile a minute, throwing out mounds for pounds of alliteration, spoonerisms, rhymes and a gargantuan greenhouse worth of flower names and funny games. Out of everyone in the cast, she's the one who is the most childlike in demeanor, and it seems no matter the reason or the season she finds some way to make a simple occasion into an all out affair! At least, when it comes to her appearance on screen. Within Welcome Home, there is something of a divide between the cast: How they appear in media made for the Welcome Home TV Show, through merchandise and other second-hand findings, and how they appear when the cameras are "off" so to speak. Throughout the website's history there have been hidden videos and audio logs where we seemingly see the neighbors of Home interacting with each-other on a far more casual, day to day basis. Almost as if the world of Welcome Home is real, that that little clearing in the forest with cutesy houses surrounded by a phantasmagorical cornucopia of brightly colored trees is somewhere out in our real world, and the merchandise surrounding the show is only a representation of the real thing. Almost like learning about someone through a game of telephone. Welcome Home has already played with a lot of themes regarding the restrictions of television for the time period of when Welcome Home supposedly aired, and art created for the sake of a corporate end-goal. Think about it, all of the things we learn about Welcome Home aren't from the show itself, we as an audience have never even seen an episode, let alone a clip or screenshot from the actual puppet show.

All of it is secondhand merchandise or advertisements, at least with regards to the physical remnants we have of the Welcome Home TV Show. And as the story continues, we keep seeing characters drift away from their television personas and show us more of who they really are, and the more that time passes things start to weigh on their minds more and more, become heavier and heavier, and the seams at the edges of their existences, their realities, start to fray… But it started out very subtle, and gives us a lot to think about regarding how the cast actually feels about eachother outside of the "show". One of the differences from her Show Persona and how she truly interacted with the rest of the cast, didn't have anything to do with her character herself, but rather how another person reacted to her. In "The Show", Frank Frankly is constantly seen as a grumpy grump and a sourpuss when it comes to dealing with Julie's constant shenanigans. Crossing his arms, rolling his eyes, saying thinks like "Not again" and "Julie, we've talked about this." This isn't to say Frank's Show Persona dislikes Julie, even in spite of his apparent frustration with her allyoop antics, where Julie is Frank is never far behind and there's always something of a begrudging fondness for her. A very "Yup, this is my circus, and that is most certainly my monkey." kind of attitude.

Yet when the cameras are off, it's almost the complete opposite. In one of the hidden-videos from the first big update, we hear Frank bringing Julie to his freshly grown tomatoes so he can get advice on how to deal with the beetles that have been eating them. It's odd to think about isn't it, Frankly coming to Julie for advice? By this point we knew a little bit about Julie regarding her affinity for plants and flowers, but it's still a bit odd isn't it? And before we know it, Julie breaks out into her usual serendipitous self, with her absitovely posituley silly observations and suggestions, but instead of the usual exasperation we're used to from Frank Frankly, he reacts far more warmly. Even joining in on Julie's little games and bursting with laughter when she says his nose looks like a Banana! It feels like it's almost a completely different dynamic, the two sharing in a very small, sweet, domestic moment of silliness, and both of them feeling like true best friends. Not only that but in another one of these secret videos, we see Julie trying to convince Barnaby that she's capable of telling a good joke, only for the big blue dog to heckle her to no end! And for the first time we see Julie actually get frustrated at being belittled, trying her best to be seen as funny only for Barnaby to keep pulling at her leg and steaming her. We get to see a little more regarding Julie's thoughts on Barnaby in this most recent update, so we'll put a pin in it for later. For now, let's dig into the fertile discussion regarding Julie's siblings, Franny, Jonsie and Bea. The Springtime Salutations update gave us a LOT regarding Julie's family, lore about Rainbow Monsters, and us actually getting to see The Joyful Family interacting with other members of the cast, and their sister! While we don't know the precise age of anyone in the cast, it's safe to say just based off of interactions that Julie is the youngest of the Joyful's, as there's a certain level of fraternal responsibility the three have over Julie, or at least they behave as such. Afterall, the story is functionally about Julie going to her siblings for help, only for everyone to eventually realize Julie's made a mistake and accidentally having made a mountain out of a molehill. And during the family talk amongst each other in "A Darling Broadcast", the Joyfuls ask why it is that Julie hasn't joined their band, and that they want their "Dynamite Drummer." But...Julie doesn't play the drums. At least we've never seen that! She sings, talks and kisses the flowers and that's what makes them bloom, as we learn in the storybooklet "What Makes The Flowers Bloom." Not only that but in Julie's biography and implied elsewhere on the site, she moved out of her home with her siblings in the cave so she could move to the neighborhood of home! But...why? From what we know about Rainbow Monsters and their culture, they seem to all be cohesive family units! And when Julie is asked about when she'll join the band, she avoids the question by pretending that the connection is breaking and hangs up. And even afterwards, we hear Bea talk about how she hopes that one day Julie will join the band. But for as much as she seems to love her siblings, she doesn't seem to want to be in the band with them. Maybe their constant insistence on her joining the band, of her being a drummer was what made her move away? A feeling of being constrained by the views of her peers? Not only that but we don't get to hear any interaction with Julie and her family when the cameras are "off". As time goes on the line between the show, the world of the show, and our world continue to blend, but we haven't seen any interactions from the Joyfuls that would explain what exactly happened between them…

This next part is going to get into heavy spoiler territory regarding a lot of the secrets in this most recent update, so if you don't want to be spoiled, I recommend finding them on your own and coming back afterwards. But later we learn something very important: Julie is terrified of the idea of being a "bad" rainbow monster, and being unable to live up to the example of her siblings. Over the course of the secret videos in this update, we see Julie; who is sometimes accompanied by Frank, attempting to get a black tulip made of felt, with an odd looking eye in the center of its bud that looks similar to the Marlo Logo, Marlo being a corporation tied with the creation of Welcome Home. It seems that out of all the flowers in the neighborhood, Julie can't get this single flower to blossom, and what once starts as apprehension soon grows into outright terror at the idea of failure. She starts to fear whether or not this is "just the start", that she'll loose her ability to make plants grow and blossom and that Home will be full of nothing but wilting flowers and dead fields. She agonizes over the idea of if her siblings found out, that she can't let them find out, that nobody can know.

Now, up to this point we've seen another Welcome Home resident behave in a similar manner: Eddie Dear. In the Homewarming Update, we see him start to grow stressed over not being able to do his job of delivering presents for Homewarming to everyone in the neighborhood, cooped up in his post-office and growing frustrated that he can't do anything, even saying "Who’s ever heard of folks gettin’ recognition for nothin'? No one, that’s who!" Eventually, he goes outside to learn that the Neighbors have already done all the delivering for him, and that he doesn't need to do his job, he can simply enjoy the festivities!… But when he tries, he starts seeing things nobody else can. Things that feel like aren't meant to be seen. Things he doesn't want to see.

It seems that the "Roles" of the characters within Welcome Home almost act as an anchoring point for them. That if they aren't able to be who they are, they start to slip, they start to see things, and the world around them begins to twist and shift. Julie herself, the more stressed she gets, starts to speak differently. Her voice is lower, her tone is more quiet, reserved, far more human and less cartoony. Almost like she's becoming a completely different person. But unlike Eddie, whose anxieties seem to stem from recognition or the knowledge that he's doing a public service for the people he cares about, Julie's seem to come from a deep seeded fear of failure. Earlier in the videos we hear her talk about how sometimes she worries about what Barnaby and Howdy think of her, that she thinks she isn't funny, and she tries brushing it off as friendly ribbing, but the tone in her voice clearly lets us know that ribbing or not that it still hurts her sometimes. Not only that but we already have the expectations she feels she has from her siblings. Were these fears she imparted unto herself for feeling like the odd one out of her family, or was there some form of long-form confrontation within the Joyful family from a young age that left her feeling like she not only lived in their shadow, but needed to live up to their example. There are a lot of things we can speculate about Julie's relationship and feelings towards her family and her friends, but one thing is certain: Julie believes that she can't let anyone see her slip. They can't see her when she's unhappy, and they most certainly can never, ever, ever know that she did something wrong. It almost puts her kind of playtime into perspective: You don't need to worry about loosing if the rules to a game are so loosey goosey, or even if loosing is the fun part, as we see in the video where Eddie and Julie play pretend as corporate business workers. Hell, maybe Julie's exaggerated break down of Everything Inc. going "Out of Business" was foreshadowing for Julie's actual fears of failure. But the point is, it doesn't matter if you loose if the rules are made up to be nonsense and a winner can simply be picked at random, or if the purpose of the game is simply to have fun and have no proper goal. But once there are rules? There are stakes. And there's a punishment if you loose.

Now here's a question that seems to be floating around the fan communities of Welcome Home: Is Julie's pollyanna attitude genuine, or a front? When we see her break down in front of the Black Tulip, is this us finally seeing her true colors, mask off? I think the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no, but what I do believe is that Julie's demeanor comes from a genuine place. We've seen her behave all serendipitous and silly when "the cameras are off" and I don't think she's secretly a constant bundle of anxiety on the inside. I think her being so joyful is what she does to quell her anxiety. It is what makes her happy, it's what makes life worth living, but it is a coping mechanism and up until this point, a pretty effective one! Not only that, but Welcome Home is always constantly playing with our perception of where the boundaries lie between our world and that of Welcome Home's.

I'm not the only one to have come to this conclusion, but I believe when we hear Julie's voice break we're hearing what her original voice-actress sounded like when she was out-of-character, and potentially Julie's fears are mirroring that of the original actress. So, are we seeing Julie, or her actress? I think it's both. I think we're getting both an in-depth read on Julie's character and starting to see behind the curtain of what the production crew was dealing with, to a certain extent. To what extent, we don't know, but with how often Welcome Home blends the lines of reality, I think we're witnessing a co-existing truth and not something that contradicts itself. There is another thing I am absolutely certain of regarding Julie's reaction to the Black Tulip not blooming: This is a trauma response. Julie isn't just being traumatized in the moment from the Black Tulip not blooming, something had to have happened to her in the past to make her react in such a way.

It gets to the point that, for the first time in the series, we hear one of the characters swear! JULIE SAYS "SHIT!" And by the end of it all we start to hear her threatening the Black Tulip, saying that by Homewarming when Winter comes that they'll never be seen again, that nobody will know it's there! She's threatening the Black Tulip, and in the same breadth convincing herself that this is something she can bury and that no one will know of her shame... ...Say… Remember when Julie was the one who played the main character in Sally's rendition of The Telltale Heart? Almost like it was foreshadowing this very moment, and that Julie feels the same amount of guilt and shame over not being able to bloom a flower as much as the main-character in The Telltale Heart feels about killing another person? Safe to say, these emotions can't be coming from nowhere. Something happened to Julie Joyful. And if that isn't enough, the last secret page we find for the update is Frank, seemingly exploring the Forests of the Outskirts of Home, the sun is starting to set, and he's looking with a thousand yard stare at something we can't see. And the image's name is called "uhoh."

Remember in the Halloween Update, when Sally told the story of why you don't leave your home after dark? Did Julie stay in that forest, berating the Black Tulip until the sun came down, and Frank has found the aftermath? Or is this before the sun goes down, and Frank is seeing something else… Either way, from what we can tell, it can't be good. And I am dreading the next update. I hope above anything else that Julie will be okay. But at this point, it's hard to say. --- Julie has always been an important character to me, ever since Welcome Home started. I was recently transitioning, voice training, and when I finally got to see Julie in action proper, the first thought I had is that I wanted to be just like her. Exuberant, goofy, caring, silly, reverent, colorful, joyful, she was the embodiment of everything I so deeply, deeply wanted to be. And in this update, I wasn't just thinking about how much I wanted to be like her. Julie reminded me of myself. Of fears i've had, of struggles i've gone through, of the terror that grips your heart when you think you are on the verge of a failure you can't come back from, a failure that will make you worthless. I don't say this to garner sympathy, and whilst we all go through our own struggles, i'm happy to say that i'm in a better place than I was when Welcome Home came out, and that the future looks even brighter. But i've never had a character both embody the sort of person I wanted to be, and the sort of struggles that gripped my heart. In a weird way, it made me feel more like Julie than I ever did before, over something I never thought the two of us would share. There's a lot more I could talk about regarding Julie, and as deep as I go I feel like I am only ever going to scratch the surface. There's the discussion of the queer theming in Welcome Home regarding the Show seemingly forcing Julie and Frank into a relationship, and the potential romance between Frank Frankly and Eddie Dear. I could talk about what is essentially the "Beta" of Welcome Home before all of its details were canonized, where Julie looked far more wonky and had the name Julie B and the seperate story that tells. (which I personally believe is referenced when Jonesy calls her by the affectionate nickname of Julie Bean.) I could talk about how before we even met The Joyful Family, I made a Self-Insert OC of a Rainbow Monster named Vivi Vacilate, how she'd interact with the rest of her cast, wrote up her own theoretical "It's-For-You Talking Telephone" script and even what-if scenarios of how she'd be incorporated into the ARG itself, playing with themes of fan-creations for works like this and the strange nature of how things manifest through Welcome Home as a show, with there being a question of whether or not Vivi was an actual character or a fan-creation that somehow manifested itself alongside the show. I can talk about what I think the future holds for her character, for the story as a whole, and what it'll mean. And I more than likely will, in the future, whether between friends or in errant posts or maybe even another analysis like this. Only time will tell what form it takes, but there's one thing I do know for certain: I love Julie Joyful. Never has there been a character that has brought me such happiness into my life and made me feel so known. Never has there been a character that represents everything I want to be in life, how far i've come, and the lengths i've yet to go. I don't know how Welcome Home will end, whether it'll be happy, sad, scary, or all if it at once. But no matter what happens, Julie Joyful will always have a very, very special place in my heart. I commend Clown for planting this little seed, all of the artists and writers for giving it some good soil and watering it with their love, and to Cyberscraps for letting its voice bloom into something beautiful and inspiring. And i'll always cherish it. ...Oh, no wait, there is one second thing I know for certain. ...I really want that Julie Plushie... ---

"Thank you again for listening to me again, Stranger. I needed that more than I thought I did. Sometimes you have thoughts that just keep bubbling up inside you until it POPS like an overstuffed grape and just gets messy and all over the place but...now I feel better...at least a little…" "...I guess all there is left to do is wait. I mean i'm used to that now and i'm a patient girl but...it's...really all I can do right now, isn't it?" [Silence] "At least I can say I did all I could! I had some help of course, I don't know if I could'a done it all by my lonesome! So here's hoping that when things happen again that maybe...they'll be better?…" [Silence] "...Is it silly of me to think that way?…" [Silence] "...I guess so. But...maybe that's not all that bad. Stranger, I feel like it's my time to go, and i'm sure you have places to be but...can you do me a favor? If you can?" [Slience.] "...If you..."

"Happen to come across her…" "Can you let me know if she's okay?" "That I hope she's okay?" [Silence.] "...Well...it's worth a shot." "...Goodbye and uh...g-goodness what is that thing he says…" "...Don't forget to wave up high." [Vivian hangs up the phone.]

[sourinartt]

no way a silly sex joke has you all this worked up omg

excuses to make people feel bad for shipping two fictional characters

according to these people, making gay jokes encourages the sexualization of children and encourages minors to do the same, and I think I'm listening to a conservative, lol.

they're fucking annoying and hypocritical. Most of these people just want to be anti-sns and hate those who ship them. why? Because they don't say anything in cases of nh and ss sexualizing to the characters, ss spends his time talking about how much sakura and sasuke fucked on a mission, they make sexual jokes, nh is obsessed with sex and about how nh had two children, and we're not just talking about two adult characters, we're talking about them also having an obsession with naruto fucking hnt in 16 year old stages

So why is there nothing when ss and nh talk about sex with their characters? Oh, I remember, because they're straight and when it's straight, it doesn't matter.

when you are heterosexual, the sexualization of children, fetishes, etc. does not matter.

(I used nh as an example, but we already know what ss fans are like)

ss talks all the time about sakura/sasuke fucking in a forest but that's not sexualizing the characters, nh was obsessed for a while when Naruto/hnt fell into the other dimension, they talked about how they would have sex and make another uzumaki, but they didn't say anything there either

I have given adult examples, but I repeat, these people still think it is wrong to talk about Naruto/Sasuke fucking even in their adult stage because it is "fetish and sexualization".

I keep wondering why they don't talk about the sexualization of children when nh and ss make sexual fanart and include the children of these couples?

the fact is, in the spanish naruto fandom these types of jokes are common, they don't seek to sexualize children, they find it funny how naruto/sasuke begged each other and then acted heterosexual

naruto and sasuke are 17 years old specifically, whether they like it or not, teenagers fuck, experiment with their sexuality and tastes at this age. It is normal for a 17-year-old teenager whose hormones are constantly changing to experience, and will continue like this until reaching adulthood where a definition is sought, they are not children looking for candy.

and if it bothers you so much, what the hell are you doing watching naruto? You're watching teenagers constantly beating each other up. In your opinion, this doesn't encourage children to beat each other up?

I will continue laughing at them and their hypocrisy. It bothers them when it's sns, but not with their much-adored heterosexual partners.

Dudebros also don't have the right to complain when the pedophile jokes Kishimoto himself made make them laugh.

aren't they all children here? LMAOO

these guys are only bothered if there is talk of narusasu/sasunaru having a sexual or romantic relationship, whether speaking in their adult stage or in the normal stage, he has a serious obsession with their age.

all of this will always remind me of when someone said that queer people aren't allowed to talk about sex because it's disgusting, while straight people can and they even do it in front of others and it's okay because it's heteronormativity

to be honest, I would be more worried if they paired adult or teenage naruto with child sasuke or vice versa, but since they don't, so let SNS fans continue to be "nasty" to annoy the antis 💋

[aceecee]

Insatiable - Author's note

Hey,

I was not expecting this series to get the love it has and your compliments have me combusting. Thank you all for the love and support you've shown.

I just wanted to let you know that the next few updates might be slow, I have to revisit the main storyline to get a better understanding on the characters. I also have to look online for videos on the boy's second myths because I only have Caleb's, I don't even have Xavier's first one (he won't come home!!). I have an idea to get reader involved in them but it might not end up happening. I also start classes again next week and I have a job too.

These are some things I wanted to explain:

Ever is not the organisation that took reader. the organisation has its own goal. I did this because the main story is so rarely updated and a lot of the lore isn't explained. also the game at the same time is packed with lore so remembering it all is difficult

expect things to take dark turns with the organisation, i haven't expanded much on them because the focus is on the cast right now. this is where the non-con warning takes place because of non-consensual acts. I'm clarifying that I don't mean rape in this case, I am never writing that. That being said, I apologise now if I don't end up handling these dark themes properly. I am still very much a novice writer, this is my first work. I'll put more detailed warnings when we get to it but it won't be for a while. Expect plot holes as well, I get carried away in my writing sometimes and write things that I never end up expanding on. I'm trying to fix that.

in case you haven't realised, people noticed that reader isn't meant to be a part of their world, it's also why the main cast feel such a pull towards her. It's also why I've given reader a nature evol, it felt fitting.

this your reminder that is a yandere series so there are already warnings for that put up - also a 18+ fic so if I don't see your age in your bio, I will block you. Despite it being a yandere fic, reader is very much into it - mostly because she's so desperate for love thanks to her first life that she takes their obsession as a compliment but the relationships will be like 50% healthy. Also the character's themselves are labelled as ooc before anyone comes for me.

speaking of reader, she's meant to be very flawed. She's egotistical while very insecure. Loving while a very hateful person. weak and strong etc there'll be moments you don't agree or relate to her and that's fine! I've put her through so much and I will continue to do so! also she's meant to be tall, it's for my tall girlies out there.

there's been hints of the cast not having issues sharing reader (MC and Caleb), this is a poly fic. If that's not your cup of tea, don't worry I plan to have seperate endings for each of the characters.

If anything in this story doesn't appeal to you, it's not my problem. I'm not going to entertain comments like 'ew I don't like poly' etc, thankfully I haven't gotten any yet (only love from my lovelies). The block button exists for a reason, use it and move on.

I'm appreciative of criticisms for example I received comments letting me know it was hard to dictate who was who in my writing so I've been making sure not to do that. It was so helpful so please give me advice, just be nice about it.

Let me know if you want to be on the taglist

[enjoythesilentworld]

writing tag game!

thank you for the tags @phneltwrites @iwouldnevergetintofanfic @saynomorefic <33

1.How many works do you have on AO3?

23

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

416,618 (though some of these are collabs)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

young royals <3

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

so loaded, eye low aka the Met Gala au <3 i don't even have thoughts on this i just cant believe its almost got 700 kudos like that's crazy. y'all like angsty angry sex huh

just if for a minute aka fake marriage au <33333333333 my Miami idiots

all our words were worth it aka my collection from Simon's month. so many one-shots here that deserved a solo work or continuation but alas i only have two hands

for the tree's sake aka tree boys au aka the fic that started it all.

we sure make things work aka Wille's month. i feel like you can see how much my writing has improved since these, even when you just compare it to Simon's month

5. Do you respond to comments?

i do my very very best to. i have gotten very behind on it but i do read every comment and my heart bursts out of my chest at every single one

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i usually try to give a happy or hopeful ending? maybe Only for Coffee because they're still technically broken up and we don't know what happens after? although I guess also Fright Fest! because they're both still actively bleeding out lmao

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

'just if for a minute' probably? spoilers i guess but they sort their shit out and are literally legally bound together. but like i said i try to give all my Wilmon a happy ending. (for now)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

so far so good! i've been put in jail quite a few times but i think that was all out of love/hate

9. Do you write smut?

haha. yes ✝️

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

no crossover yet :/

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i dont think so?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yes :) i have three separate collabs with some of the best people (and writers) i know, which is so cool and fun and i love fandom

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

anything i publish i have the intention of finishing. i promise i have not forgotten about call ur crush! 💀 i will give y'all ch5 if it kills me

15. What are your writing strengths?

oh lord. i dont know. i've gotten comments about my like, descriptions of the setting? and world building.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

i worry i am a bit repetitive, esp with like metaphors and shit. there's only so many ways I can describe tension, u know?

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

uh. fun? no harm no foul? i think in some fics it matches the vibes, but me personally i dont usually do more than pet names and the occasional 'tack' or 'snälla'. for funsies.

18. First fandom you wrote for?

i believe all my 1d and hp and other rpf has been wiped from existence (thank god) but young royals is the first i've actually posted on ao3 for

19. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Running with Wolves. so much love to all my other fics - special shoutout to ftts for being my first wilmon born - but this crime fic has taken over all my thoughts and i have had so much fun crafting ways to make these boys miserable and to make this world feel real and tangible and dangerous. it's one of my least popular and i literally don't care because.... little lamb.

i think lots of people have done this and or been tagged a million times so here's some more tags for u <3 @pagegirlintraining @willesredlights @hergrandplan @royalwilmon @skibasyndrome

[whisperwritingstuff]

wrong answers only trio is back on the menu! reverse beasts are here to reverse beasts it up

-----

Scar wakes up to the taste of his own honey lingering on his lips. And he can't even give Cub a heckling about it, since Cub is still asleep.

Tricksy, tricksy of Cub, to reflect part of his charm back. Scar ought know by now he can't trust Cub to be complacent, even when he's relaxed. Still, Scar can't complain too much, when Cub hadn't been able to dodge the snooze missile, only bring them down with him. Grian probably needed the sleep anyway.

Scar idly lips at the warm neck against his mouth. Grian's pulse, steady and slow, not even a breath away from his teeth. Scar indulges himself in imagining it for a little while, the sink of his teeth, Grian crying out, the hot flood of blood over his senses.

He wants it.

But not quite as much as he wants to continue cuddling, snugged warmly under that wing, in between those arms. By the thinnest of margins.

It's still so easy to simply slip into thinking of Grian as his Summoner. It shouldn't be. Not when he knows what having one feels like. But it is. Scar wonders privately, just for a moment, what it would be like to tap into that magic. He's seen the kinds of things Grian can do. He's felt the buzz in the air from Grian's temper. What would it be like to taste? To feel under his fingertips? Flowing through his voice?

Scar wants to see Cub fight.

…

Scar wants to fight Cub. As much fun as a sneak attack would be, Scar knows Cub hasn't been getting enough rest lately. So he'll wait. He can lay in wait. Yeah. That's totally fine.

Scar nuzzles down Grian's neck until he can gnaw at the sturdy shoulder there. A familiar taste. A pleasant taste.

A significantly less gritty taste. "Mouthy." Grian murmurs. But he doesn't pull away, instead tucking Cub and therefore also Scar closer.

"Mouthable." Scar counters. "Insufficient vitamin chew." He gnaws further.

Grian snorts his amusement. "I don't think I have to worry about that with you around."

"Just doing my part." Scar grins, stretched-wide expression pressed into Grian's skin. The silences stretches around them. Comfortable at first, Scar eventually realizes there's jiggle in Grian's leg. A thought trapped all the way down there, eating at Grian.

Scar doesn't want to think about any of the things that could be weighing on Grian. Mostly because lots of it is probably him. Or like, angry things, when Grian's just calmed down. Probably both.

Scar considers his options for topic changes. It's hard to change a topic when there isn't one to begin with, though.

"You're going to try to distract me again." Grian says, at least breaking the silence.

"No." Scar lies. He pulls his hand back from where it had been creeping wingward. "Is it that you don't like thinking about it, or that you don't like me thinking about it, I wonder?" Grian tips his head. Scar can feel Grian's gaze on him, heavier than mere eyes. Itchy. Itchy. Scar squirms in place, and gets a bite to his neck from Cub for it. Well, that does at least relax Scar, automatic and easy. Keys and doors and locks.

Grian tips his head in the other direction. "I never really noticed how well he handles you, before. Makes it look natural." Grian muses. "Feels natural." Scar murmurs in agreement. He knows, that there was a time that it wasn't, that it didn't feel that way. But that's well and truly gone now, his nature bent to Cub's whim just as much as Cub's is- was, bent to his. Grian runs a hand down Scar's neck, across Scar's collarbone. Warm touch, clever fingers mapping curves and contours. "So you'd pick him?" Grian asks.

Scar nods. "Yes. In every world that makes me pick, him." He's too relaxed to wonder if he should have lied there, Cub's teeth a comfort to his skin. "I don't want to have to choose." Grian's eyes look so delicious when they overflow with emotion like that. Scar is captivated, watching.

"We can." Grian starts, then pauses. Starts again. "We'll work something out. You don't. You won't have to do anything so-" Pause. "Desperate." Scar looks away. His now-clearer eyes trace the shape of his memories of the past day. The line from pure reflexive terror of Grian's magic, grasping him, through realization that he'd failed to bring Grian to heel, to the plan to get a Summoner he could shape and control without guilt. The way Grian had looked more monster than man, hunched on that windowsill, gone to war in his heart in a way Scar has never seen in the Games.

For him.

The himself in the moment, an uncomprehending beast, taken completely by his Summoner throwing an order into him so much sooner than Scar had been planning for.

Fitting, a clash between two beasts.

In retrospect? He can find it in himself to be a little bit glad Grian had won. He'd forgotten how diminishing the touch of an evoker is. People-summoners may be harder to escape, but at least they didn't feel like that. "Then what should we do?" Scar asks, worn out with plan after plan after plan he's had to come up with on his own. he can ask for just one, this time, right?

"Well. I suppose I still do have a gazebo to build." Grian says, tentative.

"I suppose we do have that to build." Scar nods, his choice of words a tacit offering. Grian's little smile makes his stomach flip.

Cub snorts from behind him.

"No time like the present to get working!" Scar cheers, now that he no longer has to worry about waking Cub. A direction has energy flowing back into Scar again, perking him right up.

He pushes himself up, tugging at Grian until Grian follows him off the bed, giggling little chirps. Scar pats himself down, turns around, pats himself down again. Wait, where's-

"Chest next to the bed." Cub says, watching Scar with his chin propped up on his palm, and an amused glint in his eyes.

"Thief!" Scar cries, swooning hard against the chest.

"Nah, none of it was worth stealing." Cub shrugs.

Scar rifles through the chest, only realizing when seeing it that his inventory is like. Empty-empty. Weird. Oh well. Scar stuffs it back full of his things. "Excuse you very much, I'll have you know these are simply the finest wares. Only an unsophisticated eye would choose to leave them by the wayside to be reclaimed."

"Hm, nope. Just junk."

Scar bounces the iron shulker in his hands before tucking it away in his inventory. "Heathen. Fool. Second bit worm tier assessment skills." Scar cheerfully says.

"Trash collector. Garbage vendor. Unconvincing hack." Cub slings back casually. "Astrologist." Scar grins.

Cub gasps, flopping down on the bed limp.

Scar just snickers, happily skipping over to-

One knee buckles, and Scar plummets, Grian only barely reaching him in time to keep Scar's head from smacking against anything. That's not nothing, at least. maybe it cancels out the concussion Grian gave him earlier.

"Dang it." Scar mumbles, taking the moment of Grian lowering him to sit on the ground to pat himself down, not finding what he's looking for. He checks again, and again, increasingly frantically. "I don't have. Oh no."

"What?" Grian tips his head.

"I must have- At the mansion, I must have left it." Scar flexes and curls his hands. Shape. The shape of it. Empty space. Cub perks up from the bed, looking over at him.

"I didn't- I wasn't thinking. I couldn't think about it."

Grian tips his head, gaze darting between Scar's hand, his knee, and his face. "…your cane."

Scar nods, morosely drooping.

"Are you sure?" Grian asks.

"Yes, I'm sure I don't have it!" Scar snaps, having to push down a dusting of pink behind his cheeks.

Grian leans back away from him. "I- Okay."

Scar presses a hand to half of his face, firm pressure. Like a mask. Breathe. Smile. "Sorry, my apologies. I'll be fine. I'll find something to use, and just- I can make another later."

Cub growls softly, lifting himself up off the bed and moving closer. On his way past he swats Scar on the back of the head, but he doesn't stop until he's directly in front of Grian. "Give it back." "Wha?" Grian blinks, eyes wide.

"Cub, he wouldn't-" Scar pauses, doubt suddenly creeping up on him. Grian wouldn't keep his cane from him, right?

"Give. His cane. Back." Cub speaks crystal clearly, deadly calm.

...right?

"I don't-" Grian's words are cut off by Cub's hand darting out.

Scar yelps, at first thinking that Cub had plunged his hand forcibly into Grian's chest. But there's no blood. No torn heart. Just the fizzing taste of magic on Scar's tongue. Just Grian frozen in place. "Heresy." Scar whispers, as his mind catches up to what's happening. Cub doesn't do this.

Cub pulls his hand back, drawing a sword out of Grian's inventory. An iron sword. Scar's sword. Cub tosses Scar's sword onto Scar's lap. "Then call me a heretic." He shrugs and moves back over to flop onto the bed.

Scar catches his sword, the blade rippling and transforming as it hits his hands, so that it's no longer a sharp-edged weapon by the time it rests upon his legs. Now it's his cane again, restored from his summoning reverting it to its original form.

Grian beeps in surprise, eyes locked on the cane in Scar's hands. "That was a sword." The words tumble out of Grian in blank shock. "Yes, indeed, very astute of you to notice. I've held on to it for all this time. Cub calls me sentimental, and perhaps he's right. But most days, what I need isn't a sword. So." Scar thumps the end of his cane against the ground. "Cane."

"…you couldn't have asked for your sword?" Grian tears his eyes away from it to look up at Scar.

"I did." Scar says, earnestly.

"You most certainly did not." Grian snips.

"You're not gonna win that one." Cub chimes in. "But I'm right!" Grian protests.

"He's never gonna see it that way. Never." Cub sighs the sigh of a man who has done this argument a hundred times already.

Good. Scar hums a happy little tune to himself. "But-" Grian starts again, and Scar decides coincidentally that this is a perfect time to lean in and steal a kiss from him. He's been reminded how good doing kissing crimes to Grian is, and now he wants more.

Scar drags the tips of his fangs over Grian's lip, but doesn't bite down. Days like these make him wish he had some sort of venom. Wouldn't that be pleasant?

Grian muffles a few further words Scar doesn't pay attention to into Scar's lips. Silly him. Scar can keep at this all day if he needs to. He doesn't need to, though, it only takes a few minutes before Grian's talking falters and the noises coming from him become much sweeter. There are much worse ways to spend a sitting break than having Grian move to straddle him while trying to devour every bit of Scar's breath.

Scar smooths his hands up Grian's sides, steadying and supporting Grian for bolder, deeper delving. Indulging his temptation, Scar flicks his thumbnail over Grian's nipple, savoring the shape of the yelp that gets him. Scar chuckles, pulling back from the kiss. Certainly, Grian tries to chase him, but with Scar's hands holding his torso steady, Grian can't get far.

Scar just wants to look Grian over, wants to memorize every bit of impact he has on Grian. The mussed hair, the neck dappled with flush, the dazed, craving expression, the fluttering breaths, the rustling of feathers. Every bit of Grian, clutched close, held in his hands, pinned with his gaze.

"I think you might have kissed my boo boo all better." Scar grins

"If this is you starting to get weird about this again-" Grian starts, voice high with breathlessness.

"No, no, perish the thought. Simply. Appreciating what I have. Living in the moment." Scar pulls Grian close again, pressing their foreheads together. "Being grateful for not losing you." This is Grian still, his Grian. Scar's sure of that now. Different, yes. But every life changes them, every turning of seasons, every game. Changed, but not gone. He can learn to care about this Grian, too. He will. Grian's hands settle on Scar's cheeks, eight points of contact. "You're the one we nearly lost, not me." Grian whispers.

Mm." Scar hums, not having the words to articulate the difference between a freshly birthed Summoner wearing Grian's face as a mask, versus Grian, who is a summoner. Just the feeling of it, rattling around his brain. "You know me. Silly. Just silly about it." "You don't have to dismiss it." Grian sighs.

"What am I supposed to say? That when you first lifted my chin out here, I looked into your eyes and you weren't there? That's way too much of a bummer. Too silly." Scar murmurs, half without meaning to. But how else is he supposed to prove that Grian doesn't want what he's asking for?

And he must not, with the stricken look on Grian's face, with the way his head-wings pin back.

"See, you're bummed already, I didn't want to ruin the moment. It was a nice moment. I was enjoying it." Scar babbles. Grian swipes his thumb over Scar's lips, pausing the tumble of words. "I'm here. I'm. Trying to be here." Grian replaces Scar's words with his own stop and go talking. "I'm trying to figure out what I want." "Me, I think." Scar's grin curves under Grian's fingers.

"Always." The word comes out both more genuine and more vehement than Grian had meant it to. "I can- I won't just take. I won't." Grian shakes his head, and Scar knows the tone of a man giving order to himself. A man for whom trust is such a fragile thing, especially toward himself.

"I know. You- You had me scared for a moment, not gonna lie." Understatement. "But I know. I believe you, Grian." He can give Grian this bit of faith, raw and fragile and bundled over unwisely as a gift.

"Why would you?" Grian chuckles damply.

"Because I want to believe in you, so I will." Scar says, earnest. He has so much to lose if he's wrong… But how can that compete with how much he has to gain if he's right? Cub snorts, and Scar can practically hear the eyerolls over his sentimentality, all of it suddenly reminding him that they have an audience. Not that he'd really care about keeping any of it from Cub. "We're burning daylight." Mm, burning things. Scar should get out his flint and steel-

The weight of Grian moves off of his lap, unfortunately. "We should at least get the framework down." "True." Scar agrees, levering himself up and dragging his cane with him. That is much better, once he's standing. He's pushing himself a bit, with the past few days, but Scar thinks this is worth it.

Grian's already up and heading for the door, not waiting for him. A tiny smile hooks the corner of Scars mouth at that.

"Catch you later." Scar waves to Cub, before shuffling his way out. Sunlight, fresh air, and building with a friend. What more could Scar ask for?

The work makes for a pleasant afternoon.

[stilljuststardust]

Usually i use a guided meditation like the queen Alunir but recently I've had better attempts using SILENCE. I can sleep ANYWHERE, ANY PLACE so idk why i only recently clocked on that sleep methods were maybe not the way to go (7) gimmie 10 mins with the motivation, trust i will be asleep hence I thought it was appropriate to do an awake method So i was laying on my bed like one would and i have these 3 main things i try to do while i attempt to shift:

Focus on the black behind my eyes for about 15-20 mins

Think of past memories from my dr and scenarios i want to happen

Start thinking about what i will do when i wake up in my dr

I would think about a dr memory and for about 5-10 seconds my breathing would go automatic and i would forget my body and the 3D. (Something almost all shifters say you need to do to shift) so you can see how this might have been a lil bit discouraging as I thought i was expected to forget about the 3D for AT LEAST 1 minute. I continued to have these small moments of forgetting about the 3D before my breathing would become manual again.

Everything was going sorta to shit UNTIL I just decided to screw the plan. I guess you can say i LET GO and trusted that i know what i need. From then on i started to think of scenarios i intended to happen in my dr (NOT IN THIS SHIFT BUT SOON) for example swimming and underwater training. The moment i started to feel myself get tired i repeated that " am in my dr" over and over again. I know what dr means to me so i wasn't worried or anything.

Guys when i tell you the next thing i saw when i became conscious again was beams of light shooting past me…or maybe i was shooting past them? It felt like i was zooming through air too. I felt wind and like a loud noise. IT SOUNDED LIKE A FLYING DRONE. I wasn't even confused either it was just like thats happening?? Idk. then i saw black again and felt my limbs swimming and floating?? But also contorting. i couldn't for the life of me ground myself. I couldn't even think because the place i intended to wake up was my dr bed so why did i feel like i was swimming on my back but also contorting?? I was overstimulated and decided to leave because WHAT 

it was only when i was talking to my shifter friend I realised the last thing I remember before i saw that light was me visualising doing underwater training as a future memory. So it makes sense i was so confused since a bed and a pool are two different things. Even so, i started to doubt myself and im still stuck on how to shift to somewhere I intentionally want to go to since it seems i cant visualise a past or future memory without shifting there on accident.

i guess since ive never heard anyone say they see beams of light before/during their shift ive kinda invalidated it😭 lord i need help

I absolutely have heard people talking about it! Many people see flashing lights. You are NOT stuck on how to shift, in fact it seems like you have it figured out. I think that often the attempt to "prevent" failure is what actually sabotaged us. You don't have to micro manage yourself and try and force your visualization into something it's not. Trust yourself, you clearly know what you're doing, do let yourself do it instead of trying to channel it into something else.