#but this has taken a fire and poured gasoline on it

[mister-eames]

1/2 Recently you’ve gotten a few asks about Eames & the first time he sees Arthur doing [insert something salacious or ridiculously innocent] & i’ve been loving it! But let’s turn the tables on arthur now! What about the first time Arthur sees Eames after he’s had to bulk up for something, the first time Arthur gets a full view of Eames’ tattoos rather than just a peek, the first time he sees Eames in a fitted suit or with a beard?? (Think Tom in the drop. Soft bearded eames ftw!)

2/2 even better if all these instances happen pre-get together or prior to them becoming coworkers/friends with benefits. I think Eames has suffered enough in his pining and thirsting; it’s time for Arthur’s turn 😏

Okay so I took a hot second to answer this one because your ask really inspired me to make a gifset based off of this, but the last couple of days have been a bit of a shitshow so that is on the backburner for now.

Okay, okay - so, Arthur first seeing Eames all bulky and hirsute - like Arthur didn't even know that was a thing that he was into. He's always dated clean cut men and suddenly here comes Eames of all people, beefy and thick and hairy and looking as if he could pick Arthur up and throw him across the room. It's a regular Tuesday morning, Arthur is nursing a lukewarm coffee when he has, for the first time in his life, the sudden urge to be manhandled. He wants to tussle like a schoolboy. He wants to know how wide his knees would have to spread if he were to straddle Eames' waist, his thighs.

And Eames is just standing there, on the other side of the warehouse, stroking his (surprisingly ginger and very well-maintained) beard absent-mindedly, talking to Cobb. Somehow Eames looks incredibly soft and firm at the same time and it's doing things to Arthur. This is his first crisis of self.

Maybe it's the height of summer and Eames has taken to walking around in a muscle tee (thank u tom hardy) - maybe he unbuttons his shirt a bit and fans himself with Arthurs paperwork and has the audacity to be competent at his job while he's doing it (the worst part of it all!), meanwhile Arthur's entire world has been narrowed down to a few simple words like beard and soft, and i like bicep, and they rotate around in his brain like a rotisserie chicken while he's trying to do his damn job. Second crisis.

Does Eames cotton on that Arthur is having his entire world flipped upside down? Probably not. I think he's great at reading people but when it comes to Arthur Eames cannot look at him objectively, can't read him without his own wants, desires and hopes clouding his judgement. Is Arthur licking his lips more often? Yes, but it is summer and Arthur may be parched. If Arthur is attracted to him he's never said it, and Arthur never has a problem telling Eames what he thinks (right?).

[vyva-melinkolya]

we all agree that the push towards short form, vertical video (tiktok/reels/shorts) is ruining fucking everything right? Tiktok has been useful for the dissemination of political information (e.g Gaza) i’ll give it that, but that feels moreso a result of meta and twitters algorithms being just a little *more*’evil and censor happy. And i want to make it very clear that my hatred for tiktok has nothing to do with the fact that it was a product of a Chinese company, because i see a lot of critiques relying on some sort of sinophobic conspiracy. On the contrary, it’s what tiktok has become in the vacuum of western popular culture and marketing that makes me fearful.

I know that every generation faces a new, polarizing technology and inevitably, there are those among said generation who will critique it. That is the nature of things. However, there is also something to be said about how, with the acceleration of technology (running parallel to the acceleration of capitalism, acceleration towards collapse etc), each coming generation faces an increasingly more malevolent “advancement”. TLDR, i’m going to talk my shit.

I’m going to speak on the aspect that is most relavent to me, as a musician. I am petrified by what short form video is doing to music and to musicians. I think that tiktok provides the illusion of making music and being a musician more “accessible” while actually pouring gasoline on the fire that the pop music machine had already started. Standards for what popular culture “expects” from music are being doubled and tripled. Let’s talk about song length. Success and marketability favoring shorter songs is not something new, it has been the trend for decades. But with short form video, it goes even further. You’re not just hearing the same song over and over on the radio, you’re hearing the same 15-30 seconds of the same song over and over again. This in-turn, starts to influence the way people write music, persuading people to make songs that *could* have that 15 second appeal. There is an art to pop music, there is an art to writing a catchy hook—this is something else. We weren’t meant to hear or understand music like that. There are so many songs from reels that i found annoying, until i heard them in their full context. It’s insidious. It makes everything feel like a fucking commercial, even if nothing is being advertised.

I’m going to pull directly from someone else’s experiences, someone who’s music seems to be everywhere on short form videos. The ambient musician My Head Is Empty has a hundred million streams on the song “i was only temporary”. Despite that exposure, they experience “never ending copywrite issues” and have “received death threats” by people who refuse to credit them when using their song. Pulling a quote here, from a comment on their own post

“vyva_melinkolya unfortunately it just gets worse. i saw a bot content page that steals pod cast footage and spams dozens of videos with my song stolen, comment on a "motivation" spam content , who actually made a post telling people the name of my song, and the previous page i mentioned, the pod cast spam commented on that video saying "Bro stop don't give out the sauce. this audio helps me pull numbers brooo" - so people are actively INTENTIONALLY stealing it and telling people to not credit me. like. u can't make this stuff up”

Beyond this, My Head Is Empty feels frustrated that despite all this exposure, the rest of their work (nine albums) as a musician remains under appreciated, and i think that frustration is 100% valid. People cannot fully appreciate music, or even understand it as a work of art created by another human, when it’s taken so far out of its context. Again, the soul being sucked out of art by “the machine” isn’t anything new but, this is a whole other level. Being a musician is more expensive than ever, streaming earns you fractions of a cent etc, it all feeds into itself.

When a song or a musician i love deeply finds its way on to tiktok (let’s use Duster’s “Stars Will Fall”, one of my favorite songs ever as an example)I am not upset that i cant “gatekeep” it anymore. I’m not upset by the idea of something I love and hold dearly finding a larger audience. I AM upset in the manner in which it is being disseminated. I’m upset with art I hold dear to me being chopped up and used as “trending audio”. When I saw Duster in concert recently, lStars Will Fall” was the song I was most looking forward to hearing. It was the last song they played, and it was the song seemly everyone chose to talk loudly over. The audience was mostly people my age and younger. This complaint might come off as petty or pretentious or cliche, i frankly do not give a shit.

Let’s talk about how musicians are expected to promote music on tiktok/reels. This is a matter of opinion, at the risk of sounding very pretentious: the “POV we are x band from x” “My label says i need x followers before x” “posting this video until c musician notices me”. I understand that some of it is in jest but, what the fuck? When did this become the norm? I do not blame anyone for promoting their music like this, but we should want more for ourselves. I’ve always said being a musician is deeply embarassing, inherently. If being a musician is inherently embarassing then what is this? I dont have a solution for this, and the music industry has always been ugly and bloodthirsty and seldom fruitful— but i feel like the very small amount of dignity we had as artists is now lost and I cant fucking stand it. Artists seem to promote the same single with dozens of reels over the course of months, hoping that something sticks. I dont want to sound like i’m shaming or, again, sound like i can provide a solution. I’m just very fucking sorry that it seems like this is “the way”. And personally, i’m scared that if i dont “get with the program”, im going to fail.

Again, all of this speaks to larger trends in entertainment industry and even larger trends in capitalism. But i’m just airing specifics right now because frankly? I cant take it anymore.

[ginxyy]

The past

The past has a habit of coming back and in this case it’s from too many bottles of soju

Anger burns like a ravenous fire, consuming everything in its path, and that night, it roared through me like a tempest. The sky was a dark canvas spattered with stars, fading into a strong scent of sizzling meat and laughter. My friends and I were gathered around a crackling barbecue, with drinks flowing freely, the warmth of the flames contrasted with the warmth of camaraderie. I could feel the pulse of excitement in my chest, a mirage of happiness, but beneath it all lay an uneasy knot of anxiety. It simmered, waiting for the right moment to unleash itself, and it came crashing down like a wave that left destruction in its wake.

Mingyu and I had been dating for a year, every day a tapestry of passion and affection woven into the fabric of our lives. But that night, as the fire crackled and the laughter echoed, I felt a shadow looming over us. Minghao, usually the easy-going, charismatic one, had consumed more than his fair share of soju. His laughter turned raucous, punctuated by the occasional slurred word but still rooted in a confidence that bewildered me. I wanted to enjoy the night, to laugh along with the group and send up toasts to friendship and love. Instead, I found myself gripping the sides of my seat, anticipation mingling with dread.

As the night wore on, Minghao's powers of persuasion had transitioned from jovial drunkenness to something more insidious: gloating. The glances he threw my way, the sly smirks, were cloaked with the kind of heat that made me uncomfortable. He launched into a speech, a series of exaggerated stories about our past, tales from when we had been undeniably hot and heavy, a whirlwind of youthful passion. My heart twisted in my chest, needing to feel grounded as the words spilled out of his mouth, words that painted our relationship in such vivid colors it was like he was splashing paint on a canvas meant for someone else.

“Remember how we used to light up the room?” Minghao grinned, waving his glass like a magician revealing his trick. “Those late-night adventures, the heat of our… chemistry?” He leaned into the space between us, his intoxicated bravado betraying years of history. “And can we talk about how beautiful she is? I mean, come on, Mingyu, you hit the jackpot!”

Each passing word was a dagger aimed intentionally at Mingyu, and I could see the tension creeping into my boyfriend's jaw, the way his fists clenched involuntarily as he fought to maintain composure. My stomach twisted painfully, and I shot Minghao a furious glance, willing him to shut up. But the alcohol had taken command, and my pleas fell on deaf ears. His eyes sparkled with mischief, a reckless joy that poured gasoline on Mingyu's simmering anger.

“Yeah, that’s right. You may think you’re the lucky one, but let me tell you about the fire we had!” Minghao continued, fully unraveled, oblivious to the mounting tension that threatened to shatter our supposedly joyful gathering. "How could you not be jealous, Mingyu? We burned like a wildfire together.”

With every sentence, Mingyu rose from his seat, the veins in his temples pulsing with a fury that I’d never seen before. My heart raced as I felt the impending explosion of emotions sweeping through him. He finally shook his head, anger pinching his features. “Shut up, Hao,” he warned, voice low, but the crack in his composure was evident. This wasn’t a joke anymore.

“What's the matter? Jealous?” Minghao threw back gleefully, not grasping the magnitude of the chaos he was inciting. The whole group grew quiet; they could feel the tremor in the air, taste the bitter tension that simmered like hot coals. My palms were sweaty, overwhelmed by a helplessness that spiraled through me.

Mingyu’s face twisted in a rage that seemed foreign, as if at any moment he would burst, like an over-inflated balloon on the verge of popping. “You think this is funny? Just stop!” His voice was sharp as a knife, slicing through the night and drawing everyone’s attention. The laughter faded as people began to realize how serious this had become, fingers clutching bottles with a mix of fear and concern.

I wanted to intervene, to diffuse the situation, but my own anger bubbled angrily beneath the surface. My relationship with Minghao had been a glorious blaze a wild summer that we both carried with us like a scar, but that time had passed. I loved Mingyu. I had chosen him, buried my past under the weight of every moment we shared together. Yet, as I looked at the two men, one fueled by nostalgia and the other by a primal need for dominance, I felt the anger that had been strangling me permeate my thoughts.

Minghao chuckled, beckoning Mingyu with an outstretched hand as if inviting him deeper into the fiery memory. “Oh come on, don’t pretend like you haven’t thought about it! We were amazing together.” His tone was teasing, but it stung

“I said stop!” Mingyu bellowed, anger boiling over, and before I knew it, he was lunging toward Minghao, ready to settle this with fists instead of words. “You don’t get to talk about us like that! Not when we’re here!”

“Mingyu, no!” I shouted, practically throwing myself between them as the other members scrambled to hold him back. “Please, don’t do this! This is insane!”

I could feel Mingyu’s rage pulsating like a wild animal fighting against restraint, adrenaline rushing like fire through his veins. Minghao gawked in disbelief, clearly having crossed a line he never saw coming. It took Seungkwan's steady grip and the panicked look on the others' faces to stall Mingyu’s advance.

“You’re my boyfriend, Mingyu! I’m Not his!” I cried, desperately seeking to break through the storm of emotions swirling around us. “You chose me! Remember our love? Please don’t let this moment ruin everything we have fought for!”

The sight of him struggling against his friends, the way his chest heaved in frustration, broke something deep inside me as I realized the danger of my words. Would Minghao’s drunken bragging haunt us forever? Would it rip open the wounds of my past and poison the present I had with Mingyu? The gravity of the situation overwhelmed me, but in that chaos, I could see glimpses of the man I loved the patence, the kindnessthat urged me to trust in him.

As the group worked to pull Mingyu away, I stepped closer, grabbing his shoulders. “Please,” I begged, feeling my heart race. “Let’s talk about this together. It doesn’t have to end in violence.”

Slowly, he relaxed, the fire in his gaze flickering and dimming as he met my eyes. In that moment, the rage subsided, replaced by the hurt and betrayal of realizing just how easily Minghao had pried open an old wound. I could see anguish writhe behind Mingyu’s eyes, and suddenly, the boiling anger shifted. It morphed into a complicated mixture of frustration and sadness that threatened to swallow him whole.

This was supposed to be a night of celebration. A testament to our love and devotion to one another. Yet here we stood, the ashes of a fire that should have created warmth swirling chaotically around us, the laughter now a haunting echo of what could have been.

“Let’s just go,” Mingyu murmured, expressing weariness. There was a shaky breath as he stepped back, wrestling with emotions that were still raw and frayed. I felt a profound sadness wash over me—would our love withstand this blemish? Could we turn and walk away from the chaos?

“Just… come with me,” I urged, my heart aching for the love that had brought us both so

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x35 - The Fairy of Odaiba! Lilymon Blooms / Flower Power

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Vamdemon didn't even realize he had the ultimate Chosen Children Collector's Item in his possession until he'd already taken it out of the package. Amateur move. Can you really even call yourself a Chosen Children fandom nerd if you can't even name all eight Partner Digimon? What a scrub. Fake nerd vampire.

This is another episode that I've been eagerly waiting for! Now, at long last, it's time for the best evolved Digimon in the show to debut. Yes, even the Ultimates/Megas.

We open on the Rainbow Bridge. Traffic is congested due to Vamdemon's fog bank, slowing traffic both for drivers and for the public transit system.

Tachikawa Keisuke, Mimi's dad, is on his way back to Odaiba. He checks his watch and sighs. It's 9:02 PM.

Keisuke: I'm screwed.... Announcement: Please excuse this interruption in your travel plans, but the train must slow down due to heavy fog.

We find Vamdemon up on top of the Fuji Broadcasting Center or FCG, which overlooks Tokyo Bay across from Daiba Park. Vamdemon is performing an eerie incantation with his hands, conjuring up the fog bank.

Vamdemon: Soon this fog barrier will be complete. Then this land will turn into Hell. Hmhmhmhm Ah Ha Ha Ha Ha....

In the dub:

Keisuke: (checks watch) Oh boy.... Announcement: Due to the continuing heavy fog, we'll be experiencing some delays up ahead. Please bear with us. (Cut to FCG Building) Vamdemon: Ha! It's almost done. Huhuhuhahahahaha!!! Soon now, not in fire or ice but in fog, this world will be mine! Huhuhuhahahaha HUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Kinda feels like "this world will end" would be the natural follow-up to "not in fire or ice but", but maybe that's just me.

Out in the playground late at night, Mimi is feeding Palmon. Unlike the other Partner Digimon who can just eat leftovers from their Partner's dinner, Palmon has to plant her roots in the dirt.

She's not impressed.

Palmon: Tokyo's soil doesn't taste very good. Mimi: Guess what? This place used to be part of the sea. Palmon: ... Mimi: ^_^ Here, you can have this. Palmon: Thank you!

Mimi's little anecdote there is an attempt to explain why Palmon's not enjoying the soil. Odaiba is a man-made island constructed from transported soil, some shipped in and some drudged out of the water. Palmon's eating ocean dirt.

Though they do have a bunch of parks there, so maybe Palmon's being snobby.

Mimi pours bottled water onto Palmon's roots for sustenance. Palmon seems much happier about that, right up until Mimi suddenly throws a sheet over her in a panic. She hears footsteps.

Mimi: (wrestling with the sheet) Shh! Quiet!

Keisuke, walking home from the station, comes into view and spots her.

Keisuke: Huh? Mimi! Is that you, Mimi!? Mimi: PAPA!!! Keisuke: What are you doing out here so late? Mimi: Uhhhhhh nothing special. I'm here to pick you up.

See, this is why Mimi rarely lies. Because she is the worst at it.

In the dub:

Palmon: Yuck! This soil's polluted! Tastes like gasoline and old candy wrappers! Mimi: I've got this bottled water! Try it; It's fresh and pure as a winter morning in the Swiss Alps! At least, that's what it says on the bottle. Palmon: Okay! Pour it on my roots! (enjoying) Mmm, yummy. Yodelayheehoo! (BLANKET) Mimi: Hush!

American kids aren't going to understand Mimi's comment about Odaiba's history, so the dub team came up with a different explanation for Palmon's dissatisfaction. American kids do understand pollution. Especially 90's kids, who grew up in a time when messages about personal responsibility to clean up our planet were everywhere.

The rest of Mimi's dialogue space is used for a charming exchange about mass-produced mineral water.

Keisuke: Mimi? Is that you? Mimi, what are you doing out here? Mimi: Oh! Hi, dad. Keisuke: You should be inside. Mimi: Well, you see... Uh... I was just waiting for you!

To sell her panicked claims, Mimi plops her hat down on top of the giant lump of bedsheet in her arms. Absolutely nothing to see here! Just a sweet and trustworthy face that is definitely not up to anything.

Nothing suspicious here AT ALL.

Mimi: You're home late today. Keisuke: The train took its time because of the fog. Hey, I have to ask, what's in the blanket? Mimi: EHHHHHHH!?!?

Mimi practically screams with alarm at Keisuke's question, then grabs his arm and starts speed walking home, practically dragging him along.

Mimi: Let's hurry home, Papa! Mama must be worried! Keisuke: Uh....

THE BEST at lying. XD Look, don't go to the Crest of Purity if you want talented deceit.

Dub Mimi lies a little better.

Mimi: So Daaad... Why are you so late, anyway? Keisuke: It's this fog. It's got everything tied up in knots. Say, what's that you've got under your hat there? Mimi: Oh, it's just a, uh... (Mimi grabs Keisuke's arm and starts pulling him) Mimi: Brr, it's getting cold out here! We better hurry up and get home or Mom will be worried!

She does not scream in her father's face because of the question, though she's still clearly trying to change the subject. Consequently, the original version is funnier, though I like the dub's addition of "It's cold out here!' to Mimi's avoidance waffling.

Once they're safely tucked away in Mimi's room, she explains herself.

Wow, her room is small. Taichi and Hikari's room is a lot bigger. Though, to be fair, it has to fit two kids.

Mimi: I'm sorry. It'd be nice if you got away with pretending to be a stuffed animal, but I don't want them to think I have bad taste. Palmon: Bad taste? (wilts) You mean me? Mimi: Ehehe, don't read too much into that. Palmon: :( (Long, awkward pause) Mimi: Tehe!

That last line from Mimi is basically like a "Teehee!" She's trying to raise Palmon's spirits. But Palmon is so fucking offended by what Mimi said.

In the dub:

Mimi: Sorry, I could have pretended you were my doll or a stuffed animal, I suppose. But I have a reputation for good taste to maintain. Palmon: I'm in bad taste!? (wilts) Is that what you're saying!? Mimi: Oh ho ho, Palmon, I didn't mean it that way! Really! Palmon: :( (long, awkward pause) Mimi: Really!

The wording's a little different but the core idea still gets across. Mimi says some offensive shit to Palmon and then fails miserably when she tries to backpedal.

This builds off of what we saw in the first episode of the kids' return to Japan. Remember when Mimi completely bailed on Palmon because she saw her human friends? All Mimi ever wanted was to get home, to be safe again, and to stop having to do all this Chosen Child and Digimon conflict. She took being drafted as a child soldier harder than anybody.

She has never wanted to be a part of that world.

Meanwhile, out in their tiny apartment's dining room, Mimi's parents are fucking adorable.

Satoe: I made kimchi fried rice and topped it with whipped cream and strawberries! How is it? Keisuke: (nom) Mm, it's good! This tastes so great! Satoe: Yay! Eat as much as you want! Say, 'Ahh!' Keisuke: Ahh! Satoe: Ahh!

That last bit is delivered over a closeup of the kimchi so it's not clear if she took the spoon and is feeding him or what. Either way, they're adorable. At least somebody in this group has zero family drama.

The Tachikawas may be squeezed into a fucking closet but they love and cherish each other dearly.

In the dub:

Satoe: I made this dish up myself. I call it shrimp-fried rice with whipped cream and strawberries. Well? Keisuke: (nom) You've really outdone yourself this time, honey. Satoe: You mean it!? Oh, I'm so glad you like it! You mean it!? Keisuke: I mean it! Satoe: Really!? Keisuke: Really!

Yeah, they're just as cute over here.

Though I have to say, the size of Mimi's tiny-ass apartment is inadvertently hilarious in the dub after all that time spent playing her up like she's the heiress to the Bezos fortune.

Meanwhile, across town at Cram School, Jou's life is ruined.

Narrator: Around this time, Jou was in the city outside Odaiba. Jou: A 54. This is the worst grade I've ever gotten in my life.

Gomamon pokes out of Jou's duffel bag.

Gomamon: Cheer up! Life's full of ups and downs.

This meager encouragement works, bringing a smile to Jou's face.

Jou: I should call home and tell them I'm being kept after classes today. (Jou tries to call) Recording: The number you have dialed is not in service. Jou: That's weird. There's no reception.

The dub cuts the shot of Jou's graded test. At this point, we're pretty far past trying to conceal Japanese text from the audience; In fact, there's Japanese text on the windows of his cram school, which the dub keeps. So I imagine they cut it so they can lie about what it says.

Joe: I can't believe I got a C! There goes Med School. And my dad wanted me to call right away and tell him my grades! Gomamon: (pops up) A C? Forget about Myotismon; This is a real disaster! Joe: (smile) You're right. Clearly this grade is the result of all of the stress from the monster attacks. Gomamon: Well, if you can't get into medical school, I'd try politics.

First off, they undersell the severity of Joe's bad grade. 54 isn't a C. That's an F. The Japanese system is a little different from the American one but 59 and under is still an F. Jou is here to prepare for his entrance exams, which will determine the quality of middle school he's able to attend, and he fucking failed the test.

It's a good thing this was a practice! Jou is brutally unprepared to return to academia. Probably because he just spent the last four months or so on an alien planet foraging for berries and trying not to be killed by monsters. It's hard to study algebra under those conditions.

I do like that the dub makes a direct connection between Joe's bad grade and the Digimon battles, though they undersell that too.

They also removed Jou's attempt to call home, which sets up the signal problems that Vamdemon's fog bank is creating for Odaiba. He mentions he's gonna, but he never makes the call and finds out Odaiba no longer has phone service.

Jou isn't the only one having signal reception problems. In Yamato's single-dad apartment, even tinier than the Tachikawa home, the TV's gone to static. He attempts multiple esoteric poses with the TV remote to try and bring the signal back.

Yamato: No! Come on, work! (pose) C'mon! (pose) How (pose) about (pose) this!? (surrender) Ugh... It was just getting good!

In the dub:

Matt: Oh no! Gimme a break! Come on! (goes through all the poses without saying anything, then surrender) Aw, man! Right when it was about to get to the best part!

So, bad nights all around, it seems. Let's not forget that Taichi and Hikari are out there having the shittiest night too.

While Vamdemon's doing his fog ritual up on the roof of the FCG Building, his father Hiroaki is working late inside. We join him at a vending machine, retrieving his change to put into his wallet. His eyes linger on an old family photo from happier days.

Suddenly, one of his colleagues runs past.

Hiroaki: What's going on, Chioka? Chioka: Ah! Ishida-san! You're awake? We've got big trouble! None of our station's transmissions are working! Hiroaki: What!? Chioka: No one knows what's causing it! It could be a system crash or something faulty in the electronics. Both transmission and reception are down!

Nobody ever suspects Rooftop Vampire. But, up top, Vamdemon finishes casting his fog spell.

Vamdemon: No one will escape. That includes, of course, the Eighth Child. Hmhmhm HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!

The dub renames Chioka.

Hiroaki: Hey! What's going on, Charlie? Charlie: You're awake! I was just coming to get you! The whole system's gone down! Transmitters, satellite feed, the whole shebang! Hiroaki: What!? Charlie: If it's a system glitch, it's like the Godzilla of all systems glitches! But we can't even check it out because communications are down too! It's like the end of the world or something! (Meanwhile, on the roof) Myotismon: No one will escape! No one! Not even the Eighth Child! Hmhmhmwahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I really like Charlie referencing Godzilla, because that's a pop culture reference that someone in Tokyo might reasonably make.

Returning to wherever Jou's cram school is, we find him unable to return home.

Announcement: Due to heavy fog in Odaiba, we will not be able to provide train service to that area. It may be some time before service is restored. Jou: Even the public phone booths don't work. What a hassle.... Gomamon: (peeking out of duffel bag) This world has its problems too.

Over in the dub, the effects are even worse.

Announcement: Due to a systems failure, all trains will be delayed indefinitely. We apologize for the inconvenience. Joe: The pay phones don't work either! What's going on? Everything's falling apart! Gomamon: (peeking out) It could be worse. We could be stuck on the train!

All trains. The signal-scrambling fog in Odaiba is so bad that it's nuked the entire train network in the greater Tokyo area. Was that necessary, Myotismon? Little bit overboard there, bud.

Back at the FCG Building, Hiroaki confers with his team about what's happening. Well, with two of the three; Sakurada is listening to a tape cassette while Hiroaki chats with Chioka and Yuki.

Chioka: The broadcast system's been going haywire ever since the fog showed up. Hiroaki: So it happened while I was tossing out the papers.... Yuki: None of our phones are working either. (Hiroaki throws on his jacket and starts to walk away) Yuki: Where you going!? Hiroaki: Isn't it obvious? I'm going to investigate. That's our job. Yuki: Understood.

Yuki and Chioka move to follow Hiroaki. Without missing a beat, Yuki yanks the headphone cord out of the radio on the desk, disturbing Sakurada.

Yuki: Sakurada-kun, let's go. Sakurada: O-Okay!

With the headphones unplugged, we can hear that he's been listening to the chanting of sutras, like the one Jou used to weaken Bakemon way back when. Something to chase away the ghosts and demons that could be emerging from the fog.

In the dub:

Charlie: Everything started going wonky ever since that fog came in. Yuki: Even my cell phone isn't working. Of course, it wasn't working before but still... (Hiroaki throws on his jacket and starts to walk away) Yuki: Hey, where are you going? Hiroaki: To earn my pay! To investigate this thing. That's what I do, after all. Yuki: We'll come with you. (Yuki pulls out the headphone cord) Jeremiah: Huh? Radio: Believe in yourself. Say it. "I believe in me." Good.

Yuki's expositional line that all the phones are down is replaced by a laugh line. We're kinda losing track of the fact that the phones have been disrupted. This is two references to the phones that have been replaced, with the only remaining one being Joe's ambiguous statement that the pay phones in the train station don't work.

Yuki says nothing when she yanks out the headphone cord so now it looks like she was messing with Sakurada, now named Jeremiah as revealed later in the episode, for funsies.

As with the Bakemon episode, the religious chanting has been replaced by self-help affirmations. Next time I meet a possessed kid, I'm taking them to a TED Talk. Apparently that's the trick.

At the Yagami residence, a terrified Hikari peeks out at the night through the curtains.

Hikari: ...Tailmon....

Taichi sits up and leans out of the bottom bunk.

Taichi: (determined) Wait for tomorrow. I'll call everyone tomorrow morning, and then we can go save her. Agumon: Hikari-chan, Taichi is worried too, but you should get some sleep. Hikari: (closes curtains, defeated) Mm....

Hikari climbs up into the top bunk and pulls the blanket up.

Taichi: Can you sleep? Hikari: (covers her face with the covers) I'll try. Taichi: Good. Leave everything to me.

Hikari is distraught. Holy shit, her face in this scene is heartbreaking.

In the dub, Kari wakes Tai up on purpose.

Kari: Hey, Tai? Do you think Gatomon's okay? Tai: (empathetic) Sure she is, Kari. First thing tomorrow, we'll go find her. Agumon: Don't worry, I think we'd better go to bed. We'll need our rest to fight Myotismon. Don't want to fall asleep on the job, do ya? Kari: Okay.... (Kari climbs up into the top bunk) Tai: You scared, Kari? Kari: (covers her face with the covers) Not really. Tai: Attagirl. Leave everything to me.

Tai and Kari talk about Gatomon like she just ran away from home. Agumon goes too far the other direction. Uh, no, Agumon; Kari does not need her rest to fight Myotismon. The plan is still that she goes nowhere near him.

I do like the way the dub uses Kari's last line. Juxtaposing her dialogue against the animation of her hiding her face under the blanket, to convey that she's not as tough as she's trying to act. Her voice even quivers a little. That bit is perfect.

Mimi peeks out of her room to say goodnight to her parents.

Mimi: Have a good night!

Then she realizes Palmon popped out with her and has to stuff her back into the room, while still awkwardly smiling to her parents.

Parents: Good night!

Meanwhile, at Yamato's place, he's written a letter to his father.

Letter: To Dad: There's boiled mackarel in the fridge. Underwear in the laundry. Yamato: He's working overtime again.

Yamato tries the TV again, but still only gets static.

Yamato: This is so weird.

In the dub:

Mimi: I'm dying my clothes pink again! (Mimi stuffs Palmon back into the room) Satoe: Okay!

At 11 PM!? Why!? Weird-ass line change!

The dub cuts Yamato's letter but keeps the dialogue.

Matt: Looks like Dad's working late again. (Matt tries the TV again) Matt: Something weird's going on!

No boiled mackarel for Dub Hiroaki, it seems. Gabumon probably ate it all.

Hiroaki and his team continue working to bring the FCG Building back up. They've taken a van out to go scout the mystery fog and figure out how far it extends.

Hiroaki: And so, this is what the fog encompasses. Chioka: It only covers Odaiba. Yuki: It's like someone is controlling the fog. Like a wizard or something! Sakurada: ...maybe we should go back to the station.

Superstitious Sakurada is not pleased about being out in the Ominous Wizard Fog. He's immediately proven correct when the ground shakes suddenly, rocking the van. A colossal monster stomps through the night, passing in plain sight near their van.

Sakurada: K-k-k-k-- Chioka: (claps a hand over Sakurada's mouth) Quiet! Yuki: You saw that too, right!? Both: Mhm!

The Fuji team pile out of the van for unclear reasons.

Hiroaki: Perhaps the fog has something to do with these kaiju....

Yamato's dad is on the right track. These things are, indeed, related.

Over in the dub:

Hiroaki: The fog's disrupting our entire area! Charlie: Why isn't any other part of town seeing fog? Yuki: It's like some alien power's controlling the fog bank with magic or something. Jeremiah: Magic? Stop trying to scare me! (Giant Digimon stomps past) Jeremiah: What's that!? Charlie: (claps a hand over Jeremiah's mouth) Keep it down. Yuki: You both saw it!? Both: Mhm! (Everyone exits the van) Yuki: Good! At least I know I'm not the only one going crazy! Hiroaki: What's the connection? Somehow, the fog's tied in with all these monsters we keep seeing.

Pretty straight adaptation. It's phrased very differently but all the key points are hit. Yuki also gets a silence-breaker as they're exiting the van so she can punchline the "You saw it too!?" moment.

Suddenly, getting out of the van is proven for the bad idea that it was.

A swarm of Digimon attack the crew from all directions. Yuki screams while the narrator goes into the rundown.

Gizamon is a Child-stage Virus-type Aquatic Mammal Digimon. The name comes from the onomatopoeia for a sawing motion. Gizagiza. They're the sibling evolution to Gazimon, evolved from a Pagumon that didn't get hugged enough. Their evolutions that have appeared thus far are Devidramon, Flymon, and Raremon.

Narrator: Gizamon. Though they prefer to live underwater, these ferocious Child-stage Digimon can jump like frogs on land. Hiroaki: Careful, everyone!

The swarm descends upon the Fuji team.

In the dub, the Gizamon do their own rundown.

Gizamon: Let the human scream! It doesn't bother us Gizamon! We travel in packs, creating terror! Whether on land or underwater! Hiroaki: Everyone, get in the car!

Good advice! I don't know why we got out of it!

We leave our Fuji crew there, under Gizamon assault. Time passes, and we come to the following morning, when news crews outside the city have discovered what's become of Odaiba.

Takeru and his mother Natsuko are watching the news, where a helicopter pilot reports on the fog bank.

Reporter: It's fog! This fog has completely covered Odaiba! We cannot contact anyone inside! The safety of Odaiba's residents remains unknown.

Takeru dramatically drops his spoon in his cereal bowl and stands up.

Takeru: (determined) I have to go. Natsuko: Takeru! Takeru: (more firmly) I have to go! Onii-chan and Papa are in there!

Staring at the fog bank on the screen, Natsuko's mind drifts to images of Yamato and Hiroaki superimposed against the fog. Then Takeru snaps her out of it.

Takeru: Let me go! Natsuko: ...okay, we'll go together.

They're going to have a hard time getting into Odaiba, but Natsuko agrees to go look for Yamato and Hiroaki.

In the dub, they use Takeru's point about Yamato and Hiroaki as a silence-breaker, in place of Natsuko thinking about them herself after he says it.

Reporter: An impenetrable fog has sealed off the main district of the city. Incoming reports also verify that all communication systems appear to have been rendered useless. T.K.: (drops breakfast and stands up) I'm coming, Matt. Nancy: T.K.! T.K.: I have to go! You don't understand; Whatever happens, they'll need me there. Nancy: Mm-mm. T.K.: Aww, mom! (superimposed images) Matt is there! And so is Dad! We can't just leave them! Nancy: Oh... Alright, then. We'll go together. Get your coat, son. T.K.: Yeah!

I feel like, as a parent, she should be scrutinizing the line "Whatever happens, they'll need me there," a bit. That's a weird thing for her kid to say about a mysterious weather phenomenon.

Takeru can come off like a scared kid who's just determined to help his brother and dad, but T.K. said a weird thing and Nancy should be questioning it.

Meanwhile, Hiroaki bursts into Yamato's room. His clothes are ripped and ragged and he's shoveling food into his mouth from a bowl while using his foot to nudge his son awake.

Hiroaki: Yamato! Wake up! Yamato: D-Dad? What happened to you!? Hiroaki: I'll tell you later! Hurry up and get dressed!

No change in the dub.

We next move to Shimbashi Station, pinpointing Jou's location. The sun has set and come back up, and still Jou hasn't made it home.

Jou knocks back an energy drink before getting up and starting to walk.

Gomamon: Jooooou... Where are we going!? Jou: Hinode Pier. Maybe the boats are still working.

That's a good idea. For reference on the map, the Red Marker is Shimbashi Station, where Jou is now. The green circle is his destination, Hinode. It's not too far; About a mile's walk. The black circle, as usual is Daiba Park, with Odaiba to the south and east of it.

The dub cuts Jou's energy drink. Poor Joe; He has to deal with fatigue the old-fashioned way. It also takes off the specific location reference, but keeps the main point.

Gomamon: Joe, where are you going? Joe: Down to the pier. Maybe we can get in by boat.

Meanwhile, in Odaiba, Yagami Susumu (Taichi's dad) is at the train station trying to commute to work. A clock shows the time as 6:02.

Announcement: Due to an unknown incident, train service has been suspended. Susumu: What the...?

Before he can even think about that, the station is filled with the sound of screams. Phantomon enters, flanked by four Bakemon.

Phantomon is a Perfect-stage Virus-type Ghost DIgimon. You might think they're the evolved form of Bakemon. That'd be the natural conclusion to make. Weirdly, no. Though Phantomon is a Nightmare Soldier, they do not evolve naturally from any Digimon and exclusively require Jogress, like Pumpmon.

Bakemon's natural evolution is Vamdemon.

Susumu: W-WHAT ARE THOSE!?!? Narrator: Phantomon. A Perfect-Stage Ghost Digimon whose giant scythe with chains is his trademark. His special attack is-- Phantomon: SOUL CHOPPER!!!

Before the narrator can even finish the rundown, Phantomon cuts him off to attack the ceiling display. Presumably to get everyone's attention.

Phantomon: By order of Vamdemon-sama, you are all coming with us!

Yeah, this quiet conflict has been getting steadily less quiet with each "mysterious kaiju battle" but now it's gone loud. With the revelation that the Eighth Child has been found and not by him, Vamdemon is not playing anymore. This is an invasion. You are all under attack.

The dub seems to get a little confused here.

Announcement: An announcement will be made when service has been restored. We apologize for any inconvenience. Susumu: Poor kids... (Screams and ghostly wailing) Susumu: Huh? WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT THING!?!? Phantomon: (rundown) I'm Phantomon. You don't want to be near me or my frightening little friends when I start to swing my... Phantomon: SHADOW SCYTHE!!! (Phantomon cuts down the display) Phantomon: Myotismon requests your presence and he won't take no for an answer.

Susumu's line, "Poor kids...." seems disconnected from anything that's happening. The only explanation I can come up with is that maybe they think he's in Shimbashi Station, watching Joe leave dejected?

I can see why they might think that. We cut from outside a train station to inside a train station so logic follows that it's the same train station. That is such an easy mistake to make, if that's what happened here.

But it's not; Susumu is in Odaiba trying to go to work. Vamdemon's forces are not rounding people up on the outside of the fog bank.

Morning comes to the Takenouchi residence. Piyomon seems to have recovered from her Pyokomon cooldown.

Piyomon: Where are you going so early in the morning? Sora: Soccer club's morning practice. I'd like to talk to Taichi about what we should do, as well. I'll be back by breakfast, so keep quiet, okay?

On her way out, Sora says farewell to her mother, who's chopping vegetables in the kitchen.

Sora: I'm off! Toshiko: (unenthused) So long. (thinking) Again with soccer....

Toshiko's still not about Sora's hobby.

In the dub:

Biyomon: Are you really going to soccer practice today? Sora: Tai will be there, and I really need to talk to him about our plan of attack. Besides, I could use the practice. (Sora heads out) Sora: MOOOOM!!! I'm going to soccer! Toshiko: ... Sora: Mom? Toshiko: ... Sora: Well, I'll see you in a little bit. Toshiko: ...

Toshiko gives Sora the complete cold shoulder. Fucking harsh. Continuing the trend of dub Toshiko being meaner than original, who at least gave Sora a courtesy goodbye.

A minor note, but Toshiko's activity changes between versions. She's chopping vegetables in the original but washing dishes in the dub. We see her doing something at a kitchen counter, and the sound effects fill in the blanks.

At this point, I'm fairly convinced that they would give the editors a silent copy of the animation and everybody's voice recordings, and the editors just had to cut it together with whatever sounds looked right for the scene. There's a lot of these little effects changes or outright missed sound effects throughout the series.

Meanwhile, at the Yagami home, Taichi and Hikari are trying to call around like promised. Unbeknownst to them, an army of bakemono, of wicked spirits impersonating a human guise, have invaded Odaiba and are moving from home to home.

Taichi: (at the phone with Hikari) This is weird.... Yuuko: Taichi, don't you have morning practice? Taichi: This isn't the time for that! Yuuko: Oh, is that so...?

At once, in synchronized motions, the bakemono ring many doorbells.

Yuuko: (teasing) Look, your teammates came looking for you.

Yuuko prances off to go get the door, leaving Taichi and Hikari with the malfunctioning phone.

Yuuko: Yes, yes, hello there-- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

The clearly inhuman bakemono pushes Yuuko down, then drops its guise and reveals itself to be a swarm of Bakemon. Three Bakemon swarm into the house. Agumon throws open the bedroom door, firing back at them with a Baby Flame to protect Taichi and Hikari.

Taichi & Hikari: (relieved) AGUMON!!! Yuuko: TAICHI!!! HIKARI!!! AHHHHHHHH!!! Taichi & Hikari: MOM!!!!

Three Bakemon carry Yuuko away while more flood into the apartment.

In the dub:

Tai: Oh, great. The phone's still out. Yuuko: Oh, your poor father. I hope he's not stuck in the subway. Tai: We're not watching that video again! Yuuko: The TV's still out, sweetie.

This is a little confusing but the "video" Tai's referring to are grainy shots of the bakemono moving into position and ringing the doorbells. The dub implies that the Kamiya family are watching this happen as a movie while it is also happening in real life?

I think the grainy horror movie effects on the bakemono shots might have thrown the dub team.

(Doorbell) Yuuko: I wonder who'd be dropping by unannounced? (Yuuko gets up to go answer) Yuuko: Coming! Hello? ... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! (Bakemon attack; Agumon fends them off) Tai & Kari: AGUMON!!! Yuuko: TAI!!! KARI!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!

The original version of this scene flows better, because Yuuko riffing Taichi about skipping soccer practice connects directly with Sora's preceding scene. Though the dub version does try to connect to a previous scene as well, through Yuuko fretting over Susumu.

After commercial, we go to a few more homes under bakemono assault.

Keeping Palmon under a blanket, Mimi and her parents find refuge in an elevator.

Keisuke: It's okay now. Satoe: What were those things!? Mimi: Mama, I can explain--

Before Mimi can explain, the elevator arrives at its destination and opens to about a million Bakemon. The Tachikawa family screams in unison and we cut away.

In the dub, Keisuke takes charge with a silence-breaker.

Keisuke: Run! This way! Hurry! (Family enters the elevator) Keisuke: Alright, we're all safe now. Satoe: Yeah, but honey, what are they!? Mimi: It's a long story, Mom! (Ground floor, Bakemon central)

Mimi doesn't even try to bring them up to speed this time.

Cut to the Takenouchi home. We arrive in time to see several Bakemon blasted out the door by a beam of Magical Fire. Toshiko is about having a heart attack.

Toshiko: Y-You... You're not a stuffed toy!? Piyomon: (fiercely) Where does soccer club hold their morning practice? Toshiko: (shaking with terror) In the elementary school's schoolyard.... Piyomon: I have to hurry. Sora's in danger!

When Piyomon says that, Toshiko suddenly stops shaking. All of her fear evaporates in an instant.

In the dub:

Toshiko: You just talked! I saw you! I thought you were a stuffed animal! Biyomon: Well, life's full of surprises! Where's the soccer field? Toshiko: It's down at the school! Why do you ask? Biyomon: All you need to know is: Sora's in trouble! I've got to find her!

She did a little more than talk, Toshiko. She blew a bunch of ghosts away with a spiraling death beam. XD

The Bakemon gather the people of Odaiba together at the Big Sight convention center. Vamdemon instructs PicoDevimon on where to go from here.

Vamdemon: Separate the adults from the children and have each of the children meet Tailmon. We'll go through them all in sequence. PicoDevimon: Why overcomplicate it? Killing them all would be much quicker. Vamdemon: That doesn't suit my aesthetic. But.... (Tailmon is raised by a crane behind him) Vamdemon: You understand, of course? If you play dumb, they will all die for it.

Vamdemon doesn't have a good answer for PicoDevimon but honestly, Vamdemon's right. If you kill all of the kids without ever confirming that the Eighth Child is among them, then how can you really know for sure that you got them? What if they weren't here after all? What if they got away?

If you didn't get them, then you won't even know that this isn't over.

And even if you did, you won't have the certainty of it.

Set the haystack on fire without finding the needle and you'll never really know. You'll never have peace of mind again.

All this talk of mass slaughter's a bit too dark for the dub, of course.

Myotismon: We'll start by separating the children from their parents. Ah, how they'll scream and weep! Delicious!

The next two lines between DemiDevimon and Myotismon while they fly in are cut, replaced by various Bakemon going "Gyarkle snargle blark". Miscellaneous monster noises in place of tactical discussion.

Then, as Gatomon's being raised on the crane, she addresses Myotismon.

Gatomon: I guess you're not as powerful here in the real world as you thought you were! Myotismon: Power isn't anything I'd concern myself with if I were you, especially since you don't have any! You little traitor!

She's awfully uppity for someone who's hanging limp from a crane while Myotismon is holding all the cards and there's no sign of impending rescue. I don't know what about this situation could possibly make her think this is an appropriate context for an "Aha, see how weak you are!?" type Gotcha.

Cut to Yamato, Gabumon and Hiroaki hiding out on a scaffolding. Evidently Hiroaki's "GET THE FUCK UP AND COME WITH ME" moment earlier was him successfully getting his son clear of the impending bakemono assault. Good for him.

We've also skipped the recap on Yamato's part, it seems.

Yamato: Tell me what's happening! Hiroaki: I don't know either! But in the meantime, both of you stay safe here. Yamato: What about you, Dad?

Through the construction beams of this little hidey-hole they're in, the FCG Building can be seen right across the way.

Hiraoki: I'm going to the station. I need to contact the outside world and tell them what's happening here. Gabumon-kun, is it? Protect Yamato for me. (Hiroaki starts walking away) Gabumon: Yes, sir. Yamato: Be careful! Hiroaki: Yup. (Hiroaki leaves) Gabumon: Are we sure about this, Yamato? Yamato: We have to trust my dad.

Gabumon's iffy about letting Hiraoki go out there alone, but Yamato has faith in the man.

(I don't. What happened to the rest of his crew? Did they get eaten by Gizamon?)

In the dub:

Matt: Now, will you tell me what happened, Dad? Hiroaki: I hardly know, myself. But I want you to stay here out of sight. Matt: Where are you going? Hiroaki: The station. To try to find some way to communicate with the outside world! Smoke signals! Anything! You'll be safe here; Stay with Gabumon. (Hiroaki starts walking away) Gabumon: How do you know about me!? Matt: But Dad... HOW!? Hiroaki: Never mind how! Just be safe! (Hiroaki leaves) Gabumon: You know, I think he likes me.

According to the dub, Matt has said nothing to Hiroaki about the Digimon and just dragged Gabumon's limp, heavy frame over here. Nonetheless, Hiroaki is so well-informed that he actually knows all about Gabumon already. Uh. Somehow.

In the dub's defense, we did skip Yamato recapping things for Hiroaki and that is a little confusing. The giveaway that Hiroaki has very recently learned about Gabumon for the first time is when he addresses him as "Gabumon-kun ka."

Using か ka to end a sentence recontextualizes the preceding sentence as a question. It's basically the Japanese question mark. Hiroaki is saying Gabumon's name as a question, as if he's unsure about it.

This is implicitly something they already had to talk about on the way here, and Hiroaki only kind of gets it. But it's still pretty vague and rushed-through, and as a result the dub winds up making a grand mystery out of it. We're never going to find out why Hiroaki has known about Digimon all this time, because he hasn't.

Meanwhile, at the Yagami family's apartment complex, Taichi has a plan to save Yuuko.

It is exactly what you'd expect of a Taichi plan, and it does not go well.

Yuuko panics when she sees Greymon explode out of the apartment complex. Presumably the neighbors' bad days also just got worse because that did a lot more damage than just taking out one apartment.

In fact, the Yagami apartment is about two or three floors down from the top of a thirteen-story complex. They made sure to go down to first or second floor before doing this. So none of the apartments they just cratered are theirs. XD

In any case, Yuuko quite reasonably flips the fuck out when Godzilla joins today's festivities.

Yuuko: A DINOSAUR!?!? NO!!!

As Greymon turns, Taichi and Hikari are on his left shoulder.

Taichi: This isn't what it looks like, Mom! Greymon, save Mom! Yuuko: NO!!! MY CHILDREN!!!

Greymon stomps over towards Yuuko, but he's suddenly cut down by a sharp slash to his arm, spraying black blood everywhere. His assailant, Phantomon, leaves it at that.

Phantomon: It's useless to resist. (thrusts his scythe to indicate direction) Now! Take them all to Vamdemon-sama!

The Bakemon force-march their captives in the direction Phantomon indicated. Yuuko desperately tries to push through the crowd

Yuuko: TAICHI!!! HIKARI!!! Greymon: MEGA FLAME!!!

Greymon suddenly lobs a sucker punch at Phantomon from his spot on the ground. Phantomon teleports before it can hit him, causing Greymon's shot to "harmlessly" blow off another chunk of the complex. But it buys them a second to act.

Greymon: I'm sorry, Taichi. I promise to save your Mom later! Right now, we have to run!

Given that it's been less than twelve hours since we tried MetalGreymon and only got one shot out of him, Greymon's probably right. We aren't in good shape to throw down with Phantomon. Greymon bails, leaving poor Yuuko down there not understanding a thing she's seeing.

Taichi & Hikari: MOM!!! Yuuko: SOMEBODY HELP!!! MY CHILDREN!!!

Right now is a bad time to be a parent in Odaiba.

In the dub:

(Greymon explodes from the building) Yuuko: Oh no! Another monster! Tai: Don't worry! This monster's on our side! Get my Mom, Greymon. Hurry! Phantomon: SHADOW SCYTHE!!! (Greymon falls to the ground, bleeding) Phantomon: Well, Greymon, it looks like your time is up. (thrusts his scythe to indicate direction) Get the rest of the crowd! Yuuko: NO!!! STOP!!! Greymon: NOVA BLAST!!! (Greymon chases off Phantomon with a sneak attack) Greymon: Sorry, Tai, I'm losing it... We'll get your Mom later... Right now, we've got to get out of here! (Greymon books it) Kari: MOMMY!!! Tai: MOM, WE'LL BE BACK!!! Yuuko: KARI!!! TAI!!!

Gotta say, I love Phantomon's dub voice. In the original, he's a high-pitched fast-talking goober. The dub plays him for ~woo spoo~ooky ghost but with a hint of menace and edge in it that really works.

Very minor quibbles: "A DINOSAUR!?!?" was a funnier reaction than "Oh no, another monster!" Also, Phantomon doesn't call his attack in the original; Greymon suddenly stopping and spewing blood comes as a total unexpected shock.

Over at the soccer field Taichi was supposed to be at, Piyomon and Toshiko have a great plan foiled by a timing.

Pulling back the hoods on their makeshift Bakemon disguises, Piyomon and Toshiko look across an empty soccer field already pilfered by bakemono assailants.

Piyomon: We were too late.... Toshiko: (fearful) Sora....

The dub seems to think there's a trail here.

Toshiko: We'll follow them and find out where they've taken her! Biyomon: But will it work? Toshiko: ...we'll see....

It's not clear who they intend to follow, since the Bakemon are already long gone and they're standing alone in an open field. Maybe they plan on finding some other Bakemon at work elsewhere in Odaiba and following those ones.

In any case, they will be at Big Sight next we see them, so this dialogue serves as a gap-bridging purpose to explain how they get there.

Following their train of thought, we find Sora among the crowd at Big Sight. Mimi creeps up on her from behind.

Mimi: (grabbing Sora's shoulders) Sora-san! Sora: Ah! (Mimi sits next to Sora) Sora: They caught you too, Mimi-chan? Palmon: (peeks out from under the blanket) Want me to evolve?

Sora takes a quick look around the shopping center.

Sora: The enemy is all around us. Let's lay low for right now. Palmon: Got it.

The girls have an ace up their sleeve. They just need to pick their moment.

In the dub:

Mimi: (grabbing Sora's shoulders) Sora? It's you! (Mimi sits next to Sora) Sora: Oh no, Mimi! They got you too? Palmon: (peeks out from under the blanket) Psst! I can Digivolve any time. Just say the word! Sora: (looking around as she speaks) There's too many people and too many of them. (finishes) Let's see how this plays out. You'll be our trump card for later. Palmon: Got it.

Differently phrased but same ideas.

Sora takes a look around the station and finds Yuuko with Susumu. Yuuko is weeping inconsolably.

Yuuko: The children... THE CHILDREN.... Susumu: Calm down! Yuuko: I CAN'T!!! That orange dinosaur must have eaten them by now....

Sora approaches Yuuko to offer what she knows.

Sora: Please don't worry. Yuuko: Sora-chan? Sora: The dinosaur is with us. He's going to come here with the other good Digimon and save us.

I'm glad someone was here to explain this to Yuuko. Can you imagine?

In the dub:

Yuuko: I can't stand it! I can't stand not knowing! Susumu: Calm down, dear.... Yuuko: How can I calm down!? For all we know, that monster's devoured the children by now! (Sora approaches) Sora: Don't worry; He's one of ours. Susumu & Yuuko: Huh!? Sora: There's a lot more where he came from. We've got some powerful friends. Besides, we've got truth and justice and all that good stuff on our side!

Susumu comes off as a dick in both versions. Japanese Susumu tries to get Yuuko to stop crying by barking it at her as an order. Kinda harkens back to his drunken "WHERE MY CHILDREN AT!?!?" midnight antics from the OVA. Susumu's in that grey area where he's not abusive but he still kinda sucks.

Meanwhile, dub Susumu has this whiny sound to his voice like "Ugggggh I can't believe she's doing this right now...." He's passive-aggressive instead of aggro-aggressive but still comes off as unsupportive.

Hey, Susumu? Your children have been eaten by Godzilla. You could stand to care a little about that.

Without the context of what she's talking about, Sora sounds a little deranged in both versions. But original Sora is concise and to the point about her wild rambling, while Dub Sora wanders wildly off-topic and starts ranting about superhero themes.

In her defense, she's 11. Static Shock took a lot of cues from Batman comics early in his career, before he was retconned into the DC Animated Universe proper and met Actual Batman.

The actual problem with the dub version is that Yuuko provides zero contextual information that Sora could possibly use to realize she's talking about Greymon. Sora has to conclusion-jump to her role in this scene based solely on the description, "that monster".

Dressed in their Bakemon disguises Toshiko and Piyomon arrive at Big Sight.

(You know, there's something deliciously ironic about a human masquerading as a fake bakemono. Turnabout is fair play, assholes.)

Toshiko: Where could Sora be? Piyomon: Let's have a look inside. Toshiko: Yeah. ...um, Piyo-san, this might be a strange question but has Sora ever said that she hated me? Piyomon: Never! In fact, what she said was this.

Piyomon flashes back on Garudamon's debut episode, just after they escaped Vamdemon.

Sora: I was acting just like my Mom. Pyokomon: Sora.... Sora: That's when I realized my Mom loved me all along. Pyokomon: Ehehe! I felt it too! I felt your love! Sora: Hehe, I'm sorry about that. (Return to Present) Toshiko: (taking off her hood so we can see her smiling fondly) That girl....

Aww, now Toshiko's up to speed on Sora's character development.

In the dub:

Biyomon: Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Toshiko: Now let's go inside and find Sora! Biyomon: Right! Toshiko: Wait. This may be a strange question but, did Sora ever say... Did she tell you... Does Sora hate me? Biyomon: What!? Oh boy, do you have it wrong! (Flashback) Sora: Then I realized I was worried about you just the way my mother worries about me, and now I know for sure. My mom loved me all along. Yokomon: And it was your love that helped me Digivolve, Sora! Sora: I'm glad! (Return to Present) Toshiko: (taking off her hood so we can see her smiling fondly) Sora....

The start of this version flows awkwardly. They have Toshiko be the one to say we should go look inside, and then Toshiko interrupts Toshiko's plan to ask her question.

Also, I don't think Biyomon knows what that phrase means. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" would have been a great line the first time we saw the Bakemon disguises. However, for the second scene that they're disguised in, it comes out of nowhere.

Inside Big Sight, the parents and two Chosen Children make plans. By which I mean, Susumu is trying to get himself killed in a fit of machismo.

In addition to the Yagami and Tachikawa parents, Hiroaki's crew have joined the party.

Susumu: Understood? The men will take down the guards. While we're keeping them busy, you take the women and children and you run. Yuki: Understood!

Susumu's plan of attack is "We'll get 'em with our masculinity!" This is why women live longer. That said, I see where Taichi gets it.

Suddenly, a big green mascot pats Yuki on the shoulder.

Chioka: Eh? Susumu: Do you want to help too? Mascots: (silently nod) Satoe: (standing up) Excuse me.... Susumu: What is it? Satoe: Please don't make my husband participate in such a dangerous plan! Keisuke: Huh? Hey, now-- Satoe: (to Keisuke) Not now, Sweetheart. (to the group) There are plenty of men here, so my husband doesn't have to join in, right? Susumu: Uh, ma'am, that-- Satoe: (bawling) HE'LL DIE!!! IF MY HUSBAND DIES, I'LL FOLLOW HIM IN DEATH!!! Susumu: Uhhhhh okay, okay, I understand! Well then, Tachikawa-san, you escort the women outside. Satoe: (stops crying INSTANTLY and embraces Keisuke) Isn't that great, Sweetheart!?

I also see where Mimi gets it. Tachikawa Satoe is Life Goals. She just made Yagami Susumu back the fuck off. This woman is pink as fuck and stone cold.

The dub cuts out Susumu and Yuki's initial lines, opening this scene on the mascots joining the conversation. It also gives them dialogue.

Yuki: How could it be worse? Mascot: You could work for minimum-wage in a foam rubber suit with kids kicking you all the time. Right guys? Mascots: (nod) Right! Satoe: (standing up) Ahem. Mimi: What is it, Mom? Satoe: I just can't stay in this place one second longer! Keisuke: Well, you've been wanting to get away; Look at this as a vacation. Satoe: (to Keisuke) WHO ASKED YOU TO TALK!?!? (to the group) I'm sorry, children, I didn't mean to yell. It's just that I'm not used to being held captive by creatures from another world. Chioka: Don't worry, lady; You'll get used to it. Satoe: (bawling) But I don't wanna get used to it! I wanna go home and sleep in my own bed! I wanna live life to the fullest! I wanna clean lint out of my dryer! I wanna pick up after my doggy! I wanna know what's happening on my soap operas! Wahhhhhh! Satoe: (stops crying INSTANTLY and embraces Keisuke) I'm so glad I got that off my chest.

This whole exchange sucks. They cut Susumu's entire ill-conceived plan of attack and replaced it with the mascots whining about their jobs. Uh. Nice filler dialogue but we were talking about something important.

This also means that Satoe sticking it to Susumu to defend her husband's safety gets cut. Instead, she just whines for ten seconds straight then abruptly stops for no reason. Where the original was a nice "Like mother, like daughter" moment, here we see "Like daughter, like mother"; the dub screws Mimi like this a lot too.

Keisuke and Chioka's lines are pretty bullshit too. "Think of being kidnapped by Thriller like it's a vacation?" "You'll get used to being abducted by monsters?" What the hell are these men on about?

Before the attack begins, Sora notices that Sakurada has been hugging his radio and listening to a tape through this entire conversation.

Sora: What is he listening to? Yuki: Sakurada-kun? When he gets stressed out, he listens to sutras. Sora: Sutras?

Sora flashes back on what she learned from her Jou-senpai back on File Island.

Jou: To counter ghosts, you have to chant a sutra and pray for God's grace! Sora: Chant what!? Jou: By chanting the sutra, Bakemon-sama will lose his power!

Back in the present, Susumu is raring to go.

Yuuko: Honey.... Susumu: It'll be fine. Now, let's go, everyone!

The men suddenly attack the Bakemon crowd. Susumu, Chioka, Sakurada, and the mascots all grab metal bars and start swinging at any ghosts they see.

(Credit where it's due, getting them with raw masculinity seems to be working.)

Yuki: EVERYONE, STAY WITH ME!!!

Unfortunately, all of Susumu's ghost-punching doesn't amount to shit once the crowd is past him. More Bakemon descend on the fleeing Odaiba citizens from the front.

Sora: Listen to this!

Sora turns on Sakurada's stereo at full volume, blasting the Bakemon with Buddhist sutras. They fall helpless to the ground.

Sora: Now! Hurry! Hurry!

The crowd of hostages escapes Big Sight into the daylight! Well, what daylight can pass through the fog bank, anyway.

In the dub, since we didn't use the planning scene to plan, Sora abruptly decides we should come up with a plan.

Sora: Enough of this! We need a plan! Yuki: Yeah, Jeremiah! Why don't you help us instead of listening to those mind-over-matter tapes all the time? Sora: What'd you say? (flashback) Joe: The only way to weaken Bakemon is with mind over matter. Sora: Huh!? Mind over what!? Joe: It's an old Roman technique. You repeat a phrase over and over again and it helps you focus your mind. (Return to Present) Sora: That's it! We need some of you to attack the Bakemon, creating a diversion while the rest of us come up with a Mind Over Matter chant! Yuuko: What's that mean? Susumu: Just do what she says, alright?

Having to remove the religious elements of the Bakemon episode now has a knock-on effect that makes this scene absolutely ridiculous. Sora's plan is rooted in absolutely nothing but a bunch of nonsense Joe said to her one time that inexplicably worked.

Made even funnier because of the way they butchered the previous scene. Like. All of these adults were ready to sit here and wait to die until Sora said we should give the Bakemon a self-help seminar. And now they're like, "FUCK YES. I pledge my sword to the inane ramblings of this preteen." XD

So the assault begins.

Susumu: Half of you come with me! LET'S GET 'EM!!! (Charge!) Yuki: Women and children, follow me! (Bakemon attack the crowd) Sora: PUMP UP THE VOLUME!!! (Sora holds up the radio) Crowd: BAKEMON LOSE YOUR POWER!!! BAKEMON LOSE YOUR POWER!!! (The Bakemon fall to the ground and the crowd escapes)

The curse of the Mind Over Matter chant continues to plague this scene. Sora said we need to come up with something but then they just reuse Joe's. I guess they got impatient.

More glaringly, the plan is for the crowd to chant something. When Sora holds up the radio, nothing comes out of it. They have no recording saying "Bakemon lose your power". How would they? It's the crowd that all chants the words at once.

So. Like. Why did she take Jeremiah's radio away from him and then brandish it at the Bakemon if it has no bearing on this fight?

Escaping into the foggy daylight, Satoe cheers.

Satoe: Yay! We made it outside!

Whoops, too early for jubilation. We have a third new Digimon to analyze this episode.

DarkTyranomon is an Adult-stage Virus-type Dinosaur Digimon. They're from the Pagumon evolution tree like Gizamon, but are not available for Gizamon to evolve into. They're basically peak evolution for their tree's Adult-stage; A well cared for Pagumon will become Gazimon, and a Gazimon that's well cared for and supremely well trained will become DarkTyranomon.

Satoe: There's another one! Narrator: DarkTyranomon. A ferocious Digimon whose heart and body were infected by a computer virus. His special attack is Fire Blast.

While everyone panics, Keisuke gently pushes Satoe off of him with a fierce look on his face. He runs off into the crowd.

Satoe: Where are you going!?

Jumping into a nearby motor scooter, he scoots into action to avenge his earlier emasculation.

Keisuke: I am... A MAAAAAAAAAAN--

DarkTyranmon's gigantic claw slaps the scooter and sends Keisuke flying ineffectually through the air to his doom. This is why women live longer.

In the dub:

Satoe: We made it! We're safe at last! DarkTyranomon: (exists) Satoe: Oops, spoke too soon. Palmon: (rundown) It's DarkTyranomon! He was actually a nice guy once until he was taken over by an evil computer virus and his personality did a 180. (Keisuke suddenly separates from Satoe and runs into the crowd) Satoe: Huh? Where are you going? Keisuke: (scooter) YOU COULDN'T BE IN SAFER HAAAAAAANDS-- (Swipe)

A lot of the comedy of this scene didn't make it through. Satoe's reaction to DarkTyranomon is too reserved. Since we lost Keisuke's emasculation in the earlier butchered scene, we also lose the punchline to it here; He suddenly makes shockingly bad choices for no reason and it's not half as funny.

That said, Palmon's diegetic rundown covers all the pertinent information and is good.

Watching Keisuke fly through the air, Mimi has feelings. That she punches DarkTyranomon in the face with.

Mimi: PAPAAAAAAAAA!!!

Palmon rushes through one of the fastest evolution stock animations we've ever had to preserve the momentum, then uppercuts DarkTyranomon to the ground. Our ace in the hole has now officially been launched.

While Togemon's keeping DarkTyranomon busy, the Tachikawa women hurry to Keisuke's side.

Satoe: Are you okay, Honey? Keisuke: I am, but I made a fool of myself. Satoe: No, that's not true. You were very cool out there! Keisuke: Really? Satoe: Really! (hugs Keisuke) Keisuke: REALLY!? Satoe: REALLY!!!

While Gomez and Morticia are enjoying each other's company, Togemon and DarkTyranomon are still having it out. DarkTyranomon has hoisted Togemon up into his claws, giving her a great vantage from which to juggle punches into his face.

Mimi: Hey, this isn't the time for that! Keisuke: Once in a while doesn't hurt. Satoe: Yeah! Mimi: But you're always like this!

Mimi's parents wear their hearts on their sleeves. Again, it's easy to see where she gets it from.

In the dub, Togemon gets to quip as she comes out.

Mimi: DAAAAAAAD!!! (Palmon evolves and Togemon uppercuts DarkTyranomon) Togemon: Back to the Stone Age with you! Mimi: Dad! Daaaad! (The Tachikawa women run to Keisuke) Satoe: Honeybunch, are you okay? Keisuke: Ugh... I guess I made a fool of myself, huh? Satoe: Mm-mm. Don't be ridiculous. That was the bravest thing I ever saw! Keisuke: Really? Satoe: Really. (hugs Keisuke) Keisuke: You mean it!? Satoe: I mean it! Keisuke: Oh, honey.... (Fight raging) Mimi: Uh, Mom? Dad? I hate to ruin this love fest but maybe we should run for cover or something!

Dub Mimi is a lot more supportive of her parents' mushy PDAs, which means we lose a funny gag and a fun bit of characterization.

Unfortunately, the fight takes a turn while the Tachikawa parents are having their moment.

DarkTyranomon throws Togemon down on her back, then follows up with their Fire Blast.

Mimi: Ganbatte, Togemon! Togemon: (pained) ...I'm trying to ganbatte....

As a reminder, ganbatte is the Japanese cultural construct of perseverance in the face of tremendous hardship, using hard work and dedication to pull through and overcome the impossible.

While Togemon's struggling, the Bakemon regroup. They chase the crowd back inside the convention center. Sora runs around blasting the sutra with Sakurada's radio, but there's only so much she can do.

Mimi: Why? Why!? Why are they doing this to us!?

We see Susumu's group inside, still fighting it out with the Bakemon. Back out here, the regrouped Bakemon swarm towards Mimi's parents.

Mimi: (tears in her eyes) I can't let this... I WON'T LET ALL OF THESE DIGIMON DO THIS!!!

The dub puts a commercial break on Togemon getting Fire Blasted, which is a pretty good pick for a commercial cliffhanger. Then we return on Mimi inexplicably telling Togemon to abandon everyone.

Mimi: It's no use! Save yourself! Togemon: (pained) I got it under control, no problem.... (Bakemon regroup) Mimi: Oh, this is the end. It's over. Myotismon will rule the world. (Bakemon swarm towards Mimi's parents) Mimi: (tears in her eyes) This is terrible! Now my family's going to suffer and so are my friends! There's got to be something I can do!

The dub doesn't play Mimi's meltdown half as hard as original Mimi's. Mimi has never wanted to be a part of that world, and now all the hardship and trauma has followed her home. She's never understood why this has to be her life.

Here, it's basically a tantrum that actualizes her power. Not unlike the one from that destroyed Devimon's Black Gear. Not unlike the one her mother just used to vanquish Susumu. The Tachikawa women channel incredible power when they let their feelings run wild.

Mimi doesn't want to have to fight these Digimon conflicts. She just wants it to stop. So her feelings erupt and she claims the power that will make it stop. Mimi fights so that she won't have to fight again.

Dub Mimi falls into despair because the bad guys are winning. Then she quietly decides to try and help, and somehow that's sufficient to light her Crest. It lacks both the emotional power and the resonance with her storyline to this point.

Mimi's overwhelming feelings cause her Crest to ignite. Togemon CHOU-SHINKAAAAAA!!!

Let's have a warm round of applause for the best evolved form of an Adventure 01 Digimon, Lilimon!

Mimi: Togemon evolved? Lilimon: FLOWER CANNON!!!

Lilimon announces herself by pelting DarkTyranomon in the chest with her Flower Cannon, and we go into her rundown.

Lilimon is a Perfect-stage Data-type Fairy Digimon. She would not release as a V-Pet until several months after this episode aired, when she became part of the 0.5 rerelease for Wind Guardians - Replacing Blossomon as Togemon's Perfect evolution.

Mimi: Lilimon? Lilimon: Hi! Mimi! Narrator: A Perfect-stage Fairy Digimon who flies through the sky using the four wings on her back. That is Lilimon! Her special attack is Flower Cannon.

Between letting Phantomon cut him off and now changing up the typical rundown format so he can respond directly to Mimi, the narrator's rundowns have been pretty fun this episode.

Lilimon: (teasing) Am I in bad taste? Mimi: Not at all. You're so pretty! And cute! Lilimon: Thank you!

Once the rundown's finished, Lilimon immediately pays off the "bad taste" bit from earlier and makes Mimi eat her words. As she should because Lilimon Best Evolution.

The dub calls her "Lillymon", not only changing out the second I for a Y to shore it up into English but then promptly misspelling the word "lily" with a second L. Um.

Mimi: Where'd she come from!? Lillymon: FLOWER CANNON!!! (Lillymon blasts DarkTyranomon) Mimi: Whoa! Who are you!? Lillymon: It's just li'l ol' me! Lillymon: (rundown) Or should I say "little old us"? I'm Palmon and Togemon too! This is just my fully Digivolved form. You can call me Lillymon! Lillymon: Am I in bad taste? Mimi: No way. I'm sorry I ever said that. Lillymon: No biggie!

Dub Mimi apologizes for the objectionable comment, while original Mimi gushes over how cool Lilimon is. Both are valid ways to play this scene. It does make Dub Mimi come across as a little more mature than Original Mimi, but it wouldn't be the first time.

Though I'm not a fan of how 2/3 of the dub exchange including the rundown have to be spent explaining how Digivolution works to Mimi. Really? We're how many episodes into this?

DarkTyranomon tries to take a swipe at Lilimon from behind, but she's too nimble and easily dodges it.

Lilimon: Ehehe! Try and catch me if you can! Mimi: Be careful! Lilimon: Hey, Mimi! Your tears of purity helped me evolve. I want to cherish that heart of yours. That's why.... Mimi: What are you going to do? Lilimon: Watch this! HANA NO KUBIKAZARI!!!

Though her Flower Cannon is spoken in English, her second attack Hana no Kubikazari is in Japanese. It translates to "Flower Necklace". Lilimon zips around DarkTyranomon's neck, creating a ring of flowers that pacifies them.

Lilimon: I've removed the evil virus from them using my flower power. They're not our enemy anymore. (pets DarkTyranomon) Good boy. Mimi: SO COOL!!!

Lilimon can produce flowers that unfuck viruses. There is so much we could do with that!

In the dub:

Lillymon: Whoopsy! You'll have to be quicker than that! Mimi: Be careful! Lillymon: Your wish to save your family and friends brought me into existence. Mimi, you're a very special girl even though your wardrobe sometimes clashes. Mimi: What do you mean? Lillymon: Later! Right now, I have a dinosaur to tame! (Lillymon creates the Flower Necklace but doesn't call the attack) Lillymon: My flower wreath counteracted the evil computer virus, so he ought to be as gentle as a lamb from now on. (pets DarkTyrannomon) Nice Tyrannomon. Thattaboy.

Lillymon's too busy quipping to queue up her decision to use the Flower Necklace, despite the fact that explaining said decision is the point of her heartfelt monologue. She chooses mercy for DarkTyranomon to reflect Mimi's disdain for all this violence and desire for a peaceful life.

Mimi fights so that she won't have to fight anymore. Respecting her values, Lilimon uses her powers to end this without having to fight.

Unfortunately. And very symbolically. Mimi cannot have the peace she desires.

Vamdemon: Are we having a tea ceremony? BLOODY STREAM!!!

Mocking the hyper-femininity of this sweet moment we're having, Vamdemon cuts in and executes DarkTyranomon. One lash of his attack is all it takes to make DarkTyranomon disintegrate into pixels. The only thing left behind is the Flower Necklace, which hangs in the air for just a moment before falling hopelessly to the ground.

Vamdemon has seen Mimi and Lilimon's mercy, and answered that there will be violence. There will be blood. Mercy is not an option so long as he's driving this war.

Lilimon: How could you do that!? Vamdemon: Hmph. All I did was rid myself of unnecessary rubbish. You're next. BLOODY STREAM!!!

Vamdemon lashes at Lilimon with his whip. She darts away, dancing around his attack and returning fire with Flower Cannon. The fight is back on.

From here, the dub starts putting scenes out-of-order again. This is the last scene in their version, so we're gonna come back to this when the dub gets here. For the original, we leave Mimi here for the episode to go check in on how everyone else is doing.

Jou has finally made it to Hinode, only to discover that the boats are shut down too. He's so distraught, he starts complaining about the education system.

Jou: The boats won't work either... How do I get through that fog? Gomamon: Jou, don't they teach you that in cram school? Jou: Of course not! Stuff like how to make a fire or how to wash dishes? You never learn that in a cram school! Gomamon: Then what do they teach you? Jou: Who cares about that? What matters right now is that fog.

In the dub:

Joe: I should have known. What made me think the boats would be running when nothing else is? Gomamon: It could be worse. We could be stuck in some crazy-- Joe: Please stop saying it could be worse. I have news for you, pal: It is worse! The whole world is stuck in turmoil and we're waiting for a ride into town! Gomamon: We might as well just give up right now. Joe: Well, I wouldn't go that far. After all, it could be worse. Myotismon: Ahahahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Joe: Huh!?

Jou's dissatisfaction with the education system is replaced by a funny exchange about the phrase "it could be worse". Which is then inexplicably interrupted by Myotismon laughing so hard he can be heard three miles away at Hinode Pier. DemiDevimon must have just told a hell of a good joke.

I think they just couldn't come up with a valid reason for Joe to suddenly look at the fog when Jou says "What matters right now is that fog."

Takeru and Natsuko are on a train heading in; They're still far enough out that they haven't been stopped yet.

Hiroaki is sneaking around the FCG Building, avoiding a patrolling Bakemon.

Hiroaki: (thinking) Maybe if I try the satellite broadcast... That might work.

In the dub:

Hiroaki: Maybe if I can just get to that satellite dish....

Taichi and Hikari run past the scaffolding where Yamato's hiding out with Gabumon. Taichi is carrying the exhausted Agumon on his back. He's also holding Hikari's hand so she doesn't fall behind.

Taichi: Are you okay? Agumon: Eh, sort of.... Yamato: TAICHI!!! Taichi: Huh? Yamato: Over here! Taichi: Yamato!?

Taichi joins Yamato inside the partially constructed building. The boys go talk things through while Hikari tends to Agumon's injured arm.

Hikari: Does it still hurt? Agumon: It's gotten a lot better. Yamato: WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!? Taichi: It's true! Hikari is the Eighth Child!

So now three of the eight Chosen Children know the truth about Hikari.

In the dub:

In the dub:

Tai: You okay, Agumon? Agumon: I've felt better. Matt: TAI!!! Tai: Huh!? Matt: UP HERE!!! Tai: Matt!? Is that you!? Hey, we gotta talk! (Cut to interior) Kari: You feel any better? Agumon: A lot better; Thanks, Kari. Matt: What!? You're kidding me! Tai: No, it's true! Kari is the Eighth Child!

I really like Tai's "We gotta talk!" here. Delivered with all the urgency of someone who has news that will blow Matt's mind. And he does!

Meanwhile, back inside Big Sight, Sora's plan has run its course. This little rebellion is over.

Phantomon destroys Sakurada's radio, disarming Sora of her only weapon.

Phantomon: Try chanting the Buddha's name this time so you can die a peaceful death!

Phantomon is referencing a Buddhist belief that dying with the Buddha on your mind will positively affect your dharma and allow you to reincarnate into a better form than you would otherwise. You don't have to do the chanting yourself; Others can chant it for you. The important thing is that the Buddha is the last thought on your mind when you pass.

Two eerily grounded Bakemon approach Sora, grabbing her by the arms.

Phantomon: Your life is mine! Bakemon?: Not so fast! Phantomon: What.

Toshiko and Piyomon shed their garments, with Piyomon evolving instantly. Birdramon rushes Phantomon and the Bakemon horde, buying Toshiko and Sora a moment to reunite.

Toshiko: (embracing Sora) Sora... (After a moment, they stand up) Sora: Mom... Toshiko: You have to escape, Sora. Sora: You come too!

More Bakemon reinforcements close in on them. Toshiko stands out in front of her daughter, barking at her.

Toshiko: HURRY UP AND GO!!! Sora: MOOOOOOM!!!

Toshiko and Sora may not be able to connect over their interests, but if there was ever any doubt that Toshiko loves her....

The original episode ends here on Sora's scream.

Over in the dub, Phantomon has the unenviable task of having to try and make a deadly threat out of a self-help mantra that wasn't even coming out of the radio to begin with.

Phantomon: Enough! That new-age psychobabble won't help you where you're going, my pretty little miss!

He almost succeeds but then he gets super weird in the last four words. He also then clarifies that this wasn't a veiled threat; He really is dialing the violence down and just intends to put Sora in captivity.

Phantomon: Seize her! Take her away! Bakemon?: Boo! Phantomon: ...what? (Biyomon Digivolves) Phantomon: Oh, it's just a bird. A large bird, I grant you. (Birdramon rushes them) Phantomon: A LARGE ANGRY BIRD AUUUUGH!!!

Though the "Boo!" line is weak, the silence-breakers added to Birdramon's attack are amazing. Gold star. XD

Toshiko: (embraces Sora) Sora.... Sora: Oh, Mom. I'm so.... Toshiko: There's no time now, Honey. You've got to get out of here! Hurry! Sora: But what about you? (Bakemon reinforcements arrive) Toshiko: GET MOVING!!! I'LL BE FINE!!! Sora: NO!!! MOTHER!!!

This lands almost as hard except for one confusing point. Was Sora about to apologize to Toshiko for this morning's drama? Apologize for what? Going to soccer practice?

Maybe she meant to apologize for being unfair to Toshiko over the knee injury way back when. There was blame to go around there. But in recent memory Sora hasn't done anything wrong.

I don't know. It's not bad or contradictory for Sora to have apologetic feelings towards her mom given their relationship as a whole. Just a little awkward that she's trying to apologize right now for something that has barely been touched on in this episode, in a scene she wasn't part of.

Finally, while the original ends here with Toshiko's sacrifice, the dub loops back around to end with Mimi and Lillymon facing off against Myotismon.

Mimi: We woooooooon! Myotismon: We'll see about that. Back to the Digital World with you! (DarkTyranomon dies returns to the Digital World safe and sound) Lillymon: You are such a bad sport! Myotismon: You meddlesome little flower child! It's time I plucked your petals! CRIMSON LIGHTNING!!!

They then cut the footage of Lilimon dodging Vamdemon's attack and returning fire with her Flower Cannon, leaving her fate more ambiguous and desperate than seeing her give as good as she gets against Myotismon might have otherwise.

Narrator: Will Lillymon withstand Myotismon's Crimson Lightning or will Mimi lose her best friend? Next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

XD None of the above; She dodged it, asshole. Fuck out of here with your patriarchal false dichotomies!

Assessment: Lilimon is the best and her debut episode sees the plot ramping up, as Vamdemon abandons all pretense of a stealthy infiltration now that he's narrowed down the Eighth Child's location to a single district. We aren't sneaking around doing Animorphs shit anymore; We are going loud and doing last five or so Animorphs volumes shit.

The parents are now in on it, to varying degrees, and it's great to see them stepping up for their kids. Mimi's parents are adorable and hilarious, Sora's mom is trying to reconcile, Yamato's dad is a badass, and Taichi's dad beat up ghosts with a metal bar.

I said it before, but you really can see the traits that trickled down into the Chosen Children embedded in their parents. Where they inherited their best qualities, and also their worst.

The dub is fantastic for about 2/3 of the episode but then shits the bed once we hit Big Sight and never fully recovers. It does slowly recover, but never fully.

[ridiasfangirlings]

Was discussing with someone about how Saruhiko would act being high and they mentioned silly things like "what if he becomes too honest and clingy", he could probably act like that when he's sober lol.

But I take these as a dark turn because I think he'd have a real bad trip, I think he'd probably hallucinate even more severely to the point of disconnecting to reality. I'd feel really bad for him... just a hc tho.

I could absolutely see Fushimi having a really bad trip in the worst way, his luck is like that. I feel like Fushimi wouldn’t be the type to take drugs thinking they’ll make things better for him anyway, like if anyone tells him ‘this will make you feel good’ he just scoffs because feeling good is for losers. Maybe he does take some one day though, possibly even on accident — like imagine when he’s in Homra say he gets dragged to a party by Yata and some of the Homra guys have like weed brownies or edibles lying around. Yata’s told in no uncertain terms not to touch them and he gets all indignant while everyone’s laughing because imagine Yata running around high. They don’t really think to say anything to Fushimi, who’s already wandered off to find himself a corner where he can sulk until everyone forgets he’s there and then he can slip out before anyone notices (probably glumly thinking that Yata won’t notice anyway). The Homra guys all think Yata will tell Fushimi and anyway Fushimi doesn’t usually eat much at parties. As such no one really notices that Fushimi’s hunched by the buffet all night, eating because it keeps him from having to talk.

At some point he’s starting to feel unwell and hazy, kinda detached from everything going on. As he’s wondering if he should find Yata he overhears someone talking about the drugged food and Fushimi’s face twists in disgust, like why would you even have that out to serve to people, idiots. He doesn’t want to tell Yata that he’s taken all these drugs though, feeling like an idiot for sitting here eating and anyway it’s not like Misaki would care. Fushimi decides he can get home on his own and quietly leaves the party, thinking if he can just get back to the apartment he’ll sleep it off. As he steps out into the night air he feels someone whisper in his ear ‘Are you sure you’re all right, little monkey~’. Fushimi immediately whirls, throwing a knife without even hesitating, and the knife just clatters uselessly against a wall because no one’s there. Fushimi's breathing hard now and he tells himself it’s just the stupid drugs, no one is there, that man is dead and he’s just hallucinating because he’s high.

He continues trying to walk home and the whole way he keeps hearing Niki’s laugh, jumping at every movement and thinking he sees things lurking in the shadows. It’s late so there aren’t many people on the street and imagine they all avoid him because he’s clearly messed up, jumping like he’s been hit when anyone so much as brushes his shoulder. The whole time Fushimi’s tattoo feels like it’s on fire too, he keeps scratching at it mindlessly and wondering if it’s going to burn him alive from inside out, that maybe the power finally figured out he isn’t suited for it and now it’s going to burn him the way it should have all along. It starts to rain and he has this feeling like he’s in a glass cage and someone’s pouring gasoline on him, and if he doesn’t run home fast enough he’ll be set on fire. He finally reaches the apartment and collapses on the floor because it seems like all the furniture is gone, because Misaki left and he’s all by himself now.

Yata finds him lying on the floor a few hours later and possibly there’s some vomit involved. When Yata tries to talk to him Fushimi is incoherent, acting like Yata’s a ghost attacking him. Yata does eventually manage to understand that Fushimi had something at the party and he’s like shit this is bad. I imagine he calls Kusanagi in something of a panic and ends up spending all night watching over Fushimi to be sure he’s okay while the drugs work their way through his system (they would like to take him to the hospital but Kusanagi figures that will lead to questions that they don’t want to answer, and whatever Homra guy took them to the party is getting such a lecture). Afterward when he’s finally back to himself Fushimi claims he just felt sick and complains about idiots leaving drugs where anyone can get them. Some of the Homra guys wonder if Fushimi was just tripping out but Yata’s like no I think he just didn’t feel well, and Fushimi sits there in silence scratching at his tattoo.

[every-name-is-taken-but-this]

okay, I'm done

4000+ words later and i can't look at this anymore or second guess, so sorry if there are glaringly obvious errors, i just needed to be done lol

For those of you who were waiting to read it, i give you, the prologue I've rewritten idk how many times now, but am mostly finally satisfied with

Abram gives himself two minutes, to breathe, to calm down, to remind himself what needs to be done, and then he climbs out of the car. At first, he tries to pull the body out of the passenger's side, he still needs a car after all, but the noise- almost like velcro tearing apart, almost, but meaty too- makes him stop, makes him gag, it's too much to listen to it, and also a good indication that this is the wrong way to continue. It's not really getting rid of the evidence if chunks of the body are still glued to the seat, better to get rid of the car too and find a replacement.

He leaves the body where it is, goes to grab their duffel bags instead, he empties hers out, quickly moving things over to his own bag. A bottle of vodka they'd been using as disinfectant, another roll of bandages, scissors, the money she'd kept in her bag in case they were separated, and lastly, her lighter and cigarettes. He tells himself the lighter is useful (and it is) and the cigarettes explain why he'd have it, making them a useful cover (also true), but underneath that is the knowledge this is the closest thing to a memento he can have.

There's no reason for him to have a woman's clothes, there's no jewelry to even think of keeping (and if there was, she’d have expected that he pawn it off, would have demanded him to, that was the only reason she'd taken her ring when they left after all), no perfume or soap to remember her scent (they'd used whatever was available wherever they went, nothing was consistent on the run, not even the flavor of toothpaste they got), the best that he has is the cigarettes, because taking her gun is pure practicality, any weapon you can have up your sleeve is a necessity when running from the type of people chasing them- chasing him.

He finds her phone in her bag as well, he takes it out and looks at it for a moment next to his own, and realizes there's no point in keeping either. He removes the SIMs cards from both, snapping them in half and tossing them into the sand, before hurling the phones into the ocean. He doesn't let himself think about it any further than “it's what she'd have wanted him to do” and forces himself to get back on task.

With her bag emptied and his repacked, he sets about the next step, soaking her clothes in their spare gasoline and pouring the rest on her body. He wedges the clothes into spots on the car that aren't particularly flammable, to help get the job done, before lighting a piece of driftwood on fire and chucking it onto her body, steps back as the whole thing erupts into flames and sparks and smoke, and waits.

He's not sure how long it takes, it feels like days, sitting in the sand, eyes stinging from the heat and smoke and salty breeze, but being too dry to well up. The sky, originally light gray, has grown dark, and the smoke from the fire blends in much better with the rest of the sky looking black now. A relief, since, until the job is completed, Abram sitting next to a burning car is very suspicious, even if no one else knows about the body.

Thankfully, no one approaches to investigate any light or smoke, or burning smell, and the fire eventually puts itself out, with nothing left to keep burning. Ideally, waiting another two or three hours would let the wreckage cool, before he has to get back into the car, but he's already been on this beach too long, he gives it one hour, and then opens the passenger door, the metal hurts his hands to touch, even through the layer of socks he put over them, but he still has to keep going.

Without anything holding her together, all the bones are piled together, her skull dropped into her ribcage, tiny finger bones resting in her pelvis, phalanges, metacarpals, and carpals all clustered together from where she'd been holding her side. Phalanges, metatarsals, and tarsals tucked up under femur, tibia, and fibula, where she'd had her legs curled up in the seat with her. Curled up in pain or in sleep, he'd never noticed a difference, had hardly registered that she was too quiet beside him, hoping she was resting and recovering from her injuries, unaware that she'd succumbed to them instead. How long had he sat beside her as she'd grown cold as ice, oblivious to her death completely? A question he'll never know the answer to, and so, one pointless to dwell on, he reminds himself, moving on. Always, always moving on, pushing forward.

Don't stop running, don't look back…

Piling the bones into her old duffle, and meticulously counting to make sure they were all there, is time consuming as well, but necessary, any trace of her here will lead someone one step closer to him. The duffel holds the bones surprisingly well, but she had always been on the small side, one of the few things they'd had in common. He'd had to ask, because she could see the colors, if he looked like her or his father, and had been bitterly disappointed to hear he was like a smaller copy, it had made being called “Junior” even worse.

Red hair and blue eyes, she'd told him, though the words themselves had held little meaning, since he'd never seen the colors properly himself. And asking her had always led to unsatisfying answers. According to her, Nathan's red hair was deep and dark, like blood, and the blue of his eyes cold like ice, and Mary should have turned away that first time their eyes met, but she'd been so overwhelmed with how vibrant and beautiful that the world suddenly looked, and, at the time, she'd felt like he was the most beautiful part of it.

She'd made sure Abram understood her mistake, Destiny didn't guarantee happiness, Fate didn't promise love or even kindness, just because someone was meant for you, didn't mean you weren't better off without them. That had been her youth, her foolishness, encouraging her to do the romantic thing and run off with the destined “love” of her life. As if such a thing could have been true. And now they knew better, Nathan was always going to be the “ender” of her life, that had been their Destiny.

Abram was quiet as he dug into the sand, as deep as he could without a proper shovel, and shoved her bag into the hole, confident he'd dug deep enough that no one casually playing in the sand would find her accidentally. He made quick work of covering her up, and then he walked into the tide, furiously scrubbing off sand and blood and the smell from the arson he committed, salt water stinging his cuts the whole time, and then he grabbed his bag and set off.

Once he got a new ID, once he dyed his hair a new color, once he got new colored contacts, everything about his last alias would be dead and gone, and he'd be someone else. He'd need a new backstory, a new answer for any questions anyone asked him, now he'd need a reason for why no one would met any family at all, so used to covers that involved moving with an aunt or his mother, perhaps this time both his parents have jobs that keep them far away from home and too busy to check in, if his new ID lists him as eighteen no one should care that his family has left him alone, he'd be an adult.

He knows he's near a coast in California, he'll have to find a map and possibly ask for directions to get a proper idea of where he is, if he asks for directions to Las Angeles he can get a good idea of how to get to Las Vegas instead without leaving behind a witness who knows where he's heading, from there he can hit up one of Mary's old contacts, get new papers and find somewhere new to go.

With a plan in mind, it's easy to set out, focusing solely on the goal in mind and ignoring the grief threatening to crest over him and drag him down.

Abram makes quick work of stopping into a shop for hair dye, all the shades look gray to him, so he goes for something darker than what he got last time to be sure it covers up the previous color, black should work. He tucks the dye into his bag and buys a bottle of water at the counter, before finding the nearest motel to stay in.

He trashes his contacts, better to be the original color for now, than to be the color it was when he was last found, and pulls a beanie over his hair, covering it completely before getting a room, as soon as he gets in he locks the door and makes quick work of dyeing his hair. As long as he wears the beanie on the way out, no one who saw him earlier will know anything has changed.

He digs out a protein bar and chokes it down too quickly to taste, the easiest way to eat on the run, and prepares to sleep, a quick rest, and then he'll buy that map and be out of this town before sundown tomorrow. In a week's time he'll be someone else in a new town, a new state, a new life. He'll be safe again, for a little while.

He curls up with his arm under his pillow, holding his gun, and pulls his blankets over himself, laying down and getting comfortable, before closing his eyes to sleep.

His eyes have slipped shut for what feels like only a second before he's jolting up, wide awake, heart racing, breathing hard, he wrestles the gun out from under his pillow and clutches it desperately. Wondering what set him off, a noise of some kind maybe? A scan of the window, the door, and the air vents tells him nothing is here, but the feeling of terror doesn't let up, not even slightly.

He presses back into the corner, relieved to feel two walls at his back, but it's not enough to relax or sleep, the walls mean nothing is behind him, but there's no guarantee nothing will come after him when he's sleeping, there's never been a guarantee, but at least with Mary…. There was someone watching his back, someone else to wake him and drag him away from danger, now, if something comes, he's all alone….

He pushes that thought away immediately, doesn't have time for it, Mary would have never let him dwell on it, on anything so pointless, instead he should refocus his thoughts and energy, if he can't sleep then he can plan.

He stays up all night working out where it would be best for him to go, after getting new papers in Nevada, he'll head through to Utah and pick up a cache they left there, then down to one in Texas, before looping back up into Arizona, the route should be nonsensical enough to throw off anyone tailing him. He'll steal a map of Arizona tomorrow too, so he can look into where exactly he wants to settle down for a few months, without leaving a witness here to know where he was looking to go.

Ideally, no one who's seen him here can see colors anyway, making their memories of seeing him even less reliable, and any pictures of him harder to identify. But, worst case scenario, if the only information they have is a kid buying a map of the state they're already in, and giving him directions to a place he's not even going, that should lead his pursuers in the wrong direction entirely, so hopefully he drops off their radars for a long time.

Before he leaves town, Abram stops at a diner for breakfast (although black coffee isn't really breakfast), and has to apologize to the waitress when he snaps at her about not wanting cream or sugar, tells her he's just tired, and she softens a little at the sincerity in his tone, and probably from catching sight of the bruises on his face. He rests his head on the table after she walks away, kicking himself for being more memorable than he should, but he is tired.

He'd been unable to sleep the last two nights before they'd fled Seattle, Mary had been restless and paranoid about the place, eager to leave it, pacing and planning all night and keeping him awake, then the day they'd been leaving they were ambushed, he'd had to drive them away, through the evening into the next morning, and then he'd spent hours on the beach leading into evening again, and been unable to sleep last night. This is only four days without sleep and he's making mistakes, Mary would kill him herself if she could.

He's alone now, he can't afford to fuck up like this. He needs sleep as soon as possible, before he falls apart. But first, his coffee, and getting to Las Vegas, he needs to find another car to steal… or maybe it's best to get public transportation for a bit, to blend into a crowd? Or maybe he should hitchhike? He's done that before, and in the worst-case scenario he's got his gun tucked into his waistband, if the driver tries anything crazy he can-

Although does he really want to deal with another corpse the day after the last one?

Maybe he should-

“What are you doing?” Mary hisses at him, and Abram looks up immediately, he knows better than to ignore her when she's angry, and there she is, sitting in the seat across from him. “Why are you still here? Get a car and go, you idiot, do you want to be found?”

Abram glances around, but no one else is looking at them, then he looks back at Mary, Mary, who is very dead, Mary, who should not be talking to him, Mary, whose bones he buried just the day before. Mary, who looks so alive she might just reach across the booth and hit him.

“Fuck I need to go to sleep…”

[news4dzhozhar]

Protester sets themself on fire outside Israel consulate in Atlanta, Georgia

To add insult to injury an Israeli spokesperson declared this an "act of hate". To play the victim card when someone else attempts suicide has got to be a new low. I don't think anyone would label the monk who did this same thing decades ago in protest of the war and killing in Vietnam an act of hate.

The victims name has not been released but they have said that it is a woman & she is in critical condition due to extensive burns. A security guard also suffered minor burns to his hands when he attempted to stop the woman as she poured gasoline on herself and set it alight. The guard then tried to help extinguish the flames

[sleekervae]

Okay, this might be long...

hi guys. so... obviously a lot has gone down in the past 48 hours. I didn't want to make opinions/assumptions at first because I wanted to see what more information would come up. As sad and disappointing as this whole drama with palaye is, let's please, please, please remember to be respectful of one another on the internet. Let's not bully one another about opinions and let's also not get too sucked into things that may or may not be our business.

I as a writer portray my subjects the way that I interpret them and their personalities to the best of my abilities, but I don't know any of the members of palaye or what they're like irl. From the people I've talked with who have met them, they've had really positive experiences so this does go both ways. I'll just reiterate again: let's not be mean to each other, please? I'm also not saying let's sweep this under the rug bc some of the behaviour being exposed is def not okay from a group that some people look up to. They're also human, and humans can be shitty. The point, however, is (hopefully) we learn from that behaviour and (again, hopefully) not repeat it. And in some cases, in order to not repeat it, people need to be called out.

As for Emerson, needless to say I'm disappointed and I'm also really sad for Shy. I'm of the belief (currently) that Emerson isn't a groomer; I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. What there's no doubt about is that cheating is cheating no matter how you slice it. We watched it happen publicly about three or four times this past year.

That being said -- and this is just me taking the high road -- but please don't share the nudes around on the internet. Just don't do it, it's gross. It certainly wasn't okay when it happened to Percy White, and it's still not okay. And yes, I know there's a difference between what's happening with Emerson and what happened with Percy, but still; there's a fine line to walk here.

The internet has a really interesting effect of pouring more and more gasoline on the fire, no matter whether the context is positive or negative. I don't agree with how the guys handled it at first with twitter (but I'm also of the opinion that twitter is just an on-fire garbage can that needs to be taken out) and they should've handled this privately. But again, let's be respectful to one another. Whether some of us like it or not, palaye are going to forge ahead. For the fan drama, I hope the guys get a wake up call to smarten up. As for Emerson's drama, it's shitty I know but cheating doesn't necessarily constitute getting thrown out of a band. It happened with the Arctic Monkeys and they're still forging ahead, too.

I'm going to be taking a little break from The Neighbour (I know it sounds dumb coming from me 'cause I take month long breaks in between chapters), but I'm not going away forever. Palaye Royale has still played a major part in my life the past four years and has gotten me through a lot of trauma. I'll still be posting other content, and if anyone every wants to reach out and chat you're more than welcome to!

If you made it through this whole thing, than you deserve a cookie! I'm not going to promise that everything is going to be okay, but please remember to be kind to yourselves and one another. :)

Edit-

Also to add; I've read a lot of people complaining about Palaye's merch being delayed, not delivered, no replies to emails, etc. I've experienced trouble with it too and I don't think that Austin guy they put in charge is very organized. Maybe he's great at setting up merch tables but running an online store and business is another can of worms. Either he gets his shit together or they should put somebody else in charge of the online stuff.

[dreaminterlude]

the plot to safir is so insane like i don't think i've seen anything where everything is so fucked

literally you have a couple that's in love and want to be together but they're dating in secret and there's also a major class difference where the girl's family works for the guy's family meanwhile the girl's stepsister is fucking crazy and in love with the guy but she doesn't know that his heart is already taken. boom somehow a murder in self defense happens and the youngest brother is fucking stupid and throws the body in the lake and it implicates him and the guy and somehow the stepmother is in on every interaction that loops her into the situation so she threatens the guy to get married to her daughter and he literally has no choice but to acquiesce. guy and girl get into a massive fight and breakup and she obviously doesn't know what the fuck is going on and somehow there's a gun involved (HE brings the gun) and the house goes in flames (SHE pours gasoline all over the garden) and she gets stuck in it? i think she wants to khs i haven't gotten that far yet this what i have gathered. meanwhile his hot oldest brother returns from america, has no idea that any of this is happening and has his abusive patriarch grandfather breathing on his neck and telling him to get married and has a girl in mind for him that hes not interested in partaking at all bc her family is evil, is not aware his brother is dating this other girl. he sees this fire, rescues the girl and takes her to the hospital. they both find out she is pregnant (he has no idea who the father is, it's his brother obviously) and he asks her to marry her to protect her/raise the child together. like

[fandomohana]

So part of my brain that isn't currently trying to set itself on fire and gnaw its arm out of a trap because the isolation is killing it, has figured something out. Body is prepping for that most beautiful time in a uterus owners life, where hormones pour gasoline on embers, and cause massive damage to brain town. Last month my body gave me a two weeker, that was so fun. 🙃 It tried again this month, but I've been willing it away with threats of telling the doctor about it, and all the scary that may entail. Next, I think I'm getting sick, super fun again, so brain town is currently absorbed in flames, and the small part that hasn't been taken over by rampant mental illness spurred on by hormones, is holed up in a small fireproof safe, waiting. On the upside, I met my deductible for insurance. I've never done that before, but a couple emergency room trips, an ambulance ride, and one medieval sleep apnea torture device later, and I'm 100% covered, so it's the best time to be sick. 🤣

Live footage of my brain below.

[heyharoldsboo]

Im sorry but about Katie.... if I had a bf, I would not really be ok with him going to the Golden Globes with his close female friend that so many people are already shipping him with and speculating about it because I know it would pour gasoline on the fire. Just saying because Jenna could have literally taken anyone to the GGs, she has like such a big family. But she went with Percy? like why?

But also her sister Aaliyah said during an insta live she had never spoken to Percy in her life and doesnt know him so yeah. If your sister is dating someone would you not know who they are or speak to them? She also unfollowed him after cuz she was getting messages t do so.

I dont think Percy is dating either of them tbh but the stuttering of "my...my...my good friend Percy, he did the show with me" made em go kind of hmmm.

I dont think its a good idea to date your costars especially when a show is just starting (see Chad Michaem Murray and Sophia Bush) but now I kinda of wish they were, cuz it would be such a big FU to the haters

If him and Katie are a thing, she’s the most chill person in the world. Almost looks uninterested from how chill.

About her sister: she was being pressured by haters in the live. She could just be saving face, because Percy seems to know at least Jenna’s mom.

I honestly think Percy makes heart eyes at Jenna. Are they a thing? I have no idea. But the my my my good friend got me thinking it might not be a one sided interest.

[bopinion]

2022 / 52

Aperçu of the Week:

"Let he who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her."

(Jesus Christ according to John, chapter 8)

Bad News of the Week:

A remarkable shift to the right is currently taking place in Israel, of all places. And not in dim backyards, but in the political spotlight. The day before yesterday, the Knesset gave its blessing to Benjamin Netanyahu's government. An immortal reincarnation of political Israel, he became prime minister for the first time back in 1996 and is the subject of various criminal proceedings, including those for corruption and taking advantage of office.

Now, out of pure will to survive, he has formed a governing coalition that is so ultra-right that even Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog warns against its "extremism." And the opposition is sounding the alarm in view of the present coalition agreements: The new government is illiberal, homophobic and is undermining Israeli democracy with the planned judicial reform. Unfortunately, these accusations must be taken seriously.

Take religious fanaticism, for example: Government member Orit Strock of the right-wing "Religious Zionist Party" has declared that hotels should be allowed to refuse services to people on religious grounds. And even worse, doctors to treat patients if this is against their religious beliefs. This is supposed to be the most democratic state in the Middle East?

Speaking of states. Or rather, the two-state solution, for every normal-thinking person the only way to make peace possible between Israelis and Palestinians in the long term. That can now be safely stored, because gasoline is being poured on the fire with two personalities who both advocate the expansion of Israeli territory into the occupied West Bank. Itamar Ben-Gvir of the ultranationalist "Jewish Strenght" party, who has already been convicted of anti-Arab terrorism, will become security minister with responsibilities for the police. And Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the "Religious Zionist Party" and known, among other things, for his position "I am a proud homophobe." will be finance minister with control over "planning in the West Bank." He knows his stuff, after all his family lives outside the Kedumim settlement in the West Bank - in a house that was illegally built outside of state land and in breach of the settlement's master plan.

I find this more than just creepy. Do I, of all people, as a German, have to reproach a government of the State of Israel for denying human rights to a part of the population through extremism and discrimination? Yes, unfortunately I must.

Good News of the Week:

After a long run-up, the so-called Supply Chain Act is finally becoming mandatory in Germany. Initially applicable to large companies (with more than 3,000 employees, from 2024 it will apply to companies with more than 1,000), it is intended to significantly reduce abuses in foreign purchasing. The "Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains" obliges companies that procure intermediate goods or finished products abroad to take responsibility for production processes and working conditions at their suppliers, to trace abuses and to avoid or remedy them from the outset or as soon as they become aware of them.

This will be felt above all by the textile industry, which traditionally has its production carried out in low-wage countries with hardly any environmental requirements. And then washes its hands of this because the administrative staff in Germany is paid according to the collective wage agreement and there is a photovoltaic system on the warehouse. The law obliges every importer - including foreign companies that have a subsidiary or branch office in Germany - to ensure that defined standards are met throughout their supply chain. In future, anyone who tolerates child labor or environmental damage at their suppliers, for example, or simply looks the other way, will be asked to pay a hefty fine: Fines in the millions are envisaged. That's a good thing.

Personal happy moment of the week:

The day before yesterday was our first wedding anniversary. According to a widespread prejudice, only husbands forget this day. Not so with us. My wife had wondered before why I asked what we were going to do on this day. And although very happy about the flowers that were on the table in the morning, but still did not understand. Then around three o'clock in the afternoon the penny dropped. And I got it in writing, as she was just out for a walk: she says "Yes!" to us once again.

I couldn't care less...

...that Deutsche Post is discontinuing its "Telegram" service today. Why? Due to lack of demand, of course, because of the Internet. This means that some 170 years after the American E. P. Smith established the telegram in 1852, a form of communication long considered the fastest in the world is disappearing. The most recent price was at least 12.57 euros - for 160 characters. In the age of free messaging services, that no doubt explains the slump in demand. I even still have a telegram in one of my memory boxes in the basement: one of my French Canadian sisters had sent it to me from Italy in 1989 to coordinate my trip to see her - which I hitchhiked. Also such a dinosaur, which hardly exists anymore.

As I write this...

...2022 comes to an end. You can classify this year however you like - the adjective "normal" is certainly not one of them. And what people like to call "the new normal" (hot and cold wars, lack of action against climate change, threatened democracies, permanently higher energy and food prices, insecure human rights, etc.) is not something I feel like at all. In this respect, I find it hard to wish for more normality in the new year. Even if it is actually what I would like to have.

Post Scriptum

Serbia and Kosovo. The region in the Balkans, which even after the official end of the Yugoslav wars in 2001 is still not at peace. NATO peacekeepers are still stationed there today. The reason is still the same as it was from the beginning: minorities feel oppressed. In this case, in a double sense: Kosovo considers itself Albanian, its minority oppressed by Serbia, and has repeatedly declared its independence - now recognized by 115 of 193 UN members. But Serbia sees Kosovo as a breakaway province where a Serbian minority in the north is oppressed. The conflict flares up again and again; during the Christmas season, there were roadblocks in the Mitrovica area in response to Serb arrests by Albanian security forces.

Both countries see their future in the European Union. Serbia has been formally recognized as a candidate country since 2012, while Kosovo submitted its application only this December. And both can only move forward in this process together. In order to be admitted to the EU, the "Copenhagen criteria" must be met. These explicitly include respect for and protection of minorities. This is precisely the shortcoming that Serbia and Kosovo are accusing each other of. The European Union sees itself as a democratic entity that seeks to achieve peace and prosperity on the continent through cooperation and collaboration. Recognizing this would be a win-win for all parties.

[thistleanddown]

Everyone who has ever met Anna Vacarescu has collectively decided there is something incredibly uncanny about her.

Anna was born human, raised human, and has remained such well into her current year of 56. She does not look like it. Flowing within her is unbridled magic, thick as her blood. Stars race down her veins with every pulse of her heart, faster than it takes to blink. It trickles down her arms to her fingertips. Glimmering, you can only catch it in the corner of your eye. Only the corner. Her hair, a length beginning to rival that of Rapunzel, is an impossibly pure shade of white. It behaves of its own volition, pouring from her scalp in thick waves, like the curtain of a waterfall and shining even when there is no light to catch. Eyes the color of heliotropes that seem eternal in their depth, and it is rare to find someone who can meet them without falling dizzy. At certain angles, they don’t seem to belong to her. Sometimes they look as if she took those deft fingers of hers, plucked them straight from the skull of an archfey and placed them, still bloody, beneath her lashes.

In the buzzing fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor, she ripples, appearing as if she was a reflection taken from the surface of the water and set free upon the land. Even the inhuman staff members cannot believe Anna truly exists.

“She must be a changeling, or some other kind of faerie,”says Joaquin, the vampiric head of the pediatric ward, with unshakable certainty. This is despite the fact that the fair folk have denied several times over that she is theirs. Fearfully, his eyes dart over to the entrance of the cafeteria. “There’s no two ways about it.”

“No, no, no,”replies Kida, shaking her head fervently. Her voice is conspiratory. “She’s a wraith of some kind. That’s why she stays around the hospital, see, to feed on the life of dying patients.”

This is not the first time this conversation has been had about her. It will not be the last. All throughout, they do not say Anna’s name for fear of catching her attention. It does not matter that she is nowhere in the room, or that she isn’t even on shift today. Just as the Mycenaean Greeks called dread Persephone by Despoina and the ancient Greeks called her Kore for fear of invoking her, it is common knowledge to never say Anna’s name, for she will hear and she will know.

(Anna pretends she is not aware of this. After all, what fun is there in shattering the illusion that keeps so many of the rowdy postgraduate residents in line?)

Few are there that are not instinctively wary of Anna. Comfort radiates from her like heat from the hearth fire, but so does power. Magic hangs thick in the air about her. Lead-weighted, its tendrils reach out and out, white-hot and ice-cold, and there is an unspoken understanding of volatility. Within a fraction of a fraction of a second it can swallow all in its path whole with the same effort of striking a match and letting it fall into a puddle of gasoline. This is neither on purpose nor by accident, simply an unconscious operation. Just as the magpie does not force the blue and green iridescence of her feathers or the flesh thinks to rot from bone; they simply do. Her form shimmers and flickers, an inward and outward contradiction. Human and yet overflowing with magic.

One does not throw themself into magic and come out untouched. Every inch is torn apart and remade, stitched together again with chthonic grace and savage edges. Ethereality blossoms in the bones. Such is the creation of a witch.

Anna Vacarescu was certainly uncanny. She could not be anything else. She did not want to.

[20thcentutygeek]

The legend of the isolated Japanese village

When I was a kid there was an old, abandoned house on my estate. It had belonged to an elderly gentleman with no family and when he passed it took a long time to be purchased, so it stood empty and boarded up for several years. Of course, that wasn’t the story we told on the playground. To us, it had been the site of an unspeakable murder by a witch and was now incredibly haunted. We would dare each other to run up and knock on the front door or boarded-up windows. It became such a legend in the local area that when the house was purchased and fixed younger kids would still not go near it. A legend growing up around one house is typical, I’m sure that at least some of you reading this will smile, knowing a similar story from your childhood. But in a part of Japan, this type of legend grew up around a whole region.

The Inunaki region of Japan sits just outside Fukuoka, in the country's south. It is considered one of the most haunted areas in that part of Japan, and home to a violent isolated village that exists outside the Japanese constitution. However, much like the story we told in the playground, the place is creepy, but the story is a fabrication.

The centre of the story is a blocked-up tunnel. The original tunnel was opened in 1949 and stayed in service until 1975 when it was replaced by a newer tunnel through the mountains. While not open to traffic the tunnel was still open and people would use it to walk through, but over time it started to fall into disrepair and was considered dangerous.

The final straw came in December 1988, when a group of youths attempted a carjacking, which resulted in brutal murder. The victim, Umeyama Kouichi, was pulled from his vehicle, and beaten unconscious. Believing they had killed him the youths agreed to dispose of the body in the tunnel and set it on fire. However, when they started pouring the gasoline on Umeyama he reacted and started to panic. They quickly set him on fire and his screams filled the tunnels as he finally died.

The group of youths were arrested after boasting about what they had done. The story can now be told as each told what had happened, throwing each other under the bus. Following this, the tunnel was closed up by concrete blocks, but there are still reports of noises and screams coming from the closed tunnel.

This is enough of a story to make a legend of a place, but there is more. In 1999 a letter was sent to a TV station laying out a new legend of the area and suggesting they investigate it. The legend stated that, not far from the blocked tunnel there is an overgrown path that leads to a large metal gate, on which is a sign explaining “The Japanese constitution is not in effect past here.” Allegedly beyond this gate is a village that has been cut off from the rest of the country since the late 1800s, the end of the traditional Edo period. It is populated by vicious residents who will kill anyone who enters without being invited. To make this point the bodies of two people have been left just beyond the gate, for visitors to see.

This village has never been found, and plenty have gone looking by foot and using drones. It’s clear this is not a real place but makes for a great story. The likely source of this story is an actual Inunaki village in another part of the region, that was absorbed into another village in 1889, which coincided with the end of the Edo period. The location that was the Inunaki village has been developed over time and is now partially underwater.

Despite the violence of the true crime that occurred, the area has acquired additional notoriety in the way that most local legends grow. The truth has taken a back seat to a weirder story.

[the-firebird69]

El poder del arte

Here they have the Trump man and woman disguised and they're saying it's analogous to me and did they are trying to help me like that and they're not making it easier and the trumps say they're doing it and they're just ruining it you can see the movie The watchmen they're saying he's not a watchman and they're trying to test the watch to figure out the material and they told him don't go for the watch even if you leave it behind it's not true some people are going to kill him because of what he did and it's important to note that there's a window of opportunity they could have taken over the max project and Trump made it so they missed it by taking their stuff and now he's a dead man they say and his old clan wants him dead for what he did including Dave. One of Meghan markle's woman was killed and it was because of what she was talking about and Trump is the one who did it and he burned her because she was talking about him taking all their stuff and people are going to kill him for it and her cuz she's trying to hide it and they're blaming our son for all sorts of weird stuff and he has no opportunity to do and it's going to get them killed they don't have a concept of what they screwed up for some reason and it's been explained at this point in the show about caverns and bunkers and they don't understand it's only a portion of their plan they don't understand that big huge laser the cavern below and huge armies might not be able to stop them because I'm all economy is needed too and they're completely absolutely out to lunch regarding that and what they wanted to do is have us fight but it's sacrilege for a reason and it's because we do it correctly and you're not supposed to have us do it and that is what they're doing and they got George out of the way and others who are loyal to do this idiotic plan that our son doesn't have too much care about them doing because we're going to defeat them because they're doing it and yeah the guy playing this head detective is the killer and he lived them on fire out of the woods have to pouring gasoline on them and she knows where and they're going to kill a piece of s*** is what they said and they should he's got markings all over him from where people shot him but really he's a filthy piece of crap in a traitor and doesn't get it

Right now we are moving and we're going to take over several of these caverns and people will say so what we're going to use the ships and we'll prevent you from firing and so forth and we say we'll use it to get rid of you until they're none of you and you're losers for saying that stuff.

Saturn has gone around the bend we are doing the project and we are entering phase 1 and that is to prep it and to make safe and phase two will begin after that which is to remove and phase 3 and to replace any Disturbed areas back to original format and we will begin this process immediately and we do require a zigzag to be on site quite often and he is going to be there we are going to have meetings on the planet

Thor Freya

Now this guy is trying to accuse someone else for what he did and it looks like his son and that's who it is and he was involved and he knows it and he keeps saying you're an idiot what do you want from me you want me to put your head on a platter too you moron so he's telling him he doesn't know anything and to back off and the guy is stupid fix is costing works all the time costume we can't stand him anymore he's so dumb it's like watching a dog trying to do human work

..

Olympus

[impossiblemakerfire]

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