#context of it in scene made me shake so intensely

[joskippy]

Tv glow has officially earned its way to the spot of movies that left me stuck with a overwhelming sense of dread so intense I felt sick hours after my viewing

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

cough hack wheeze who wants a teeny tiny fantasy au snippet with uhhhh laughingstock Tension. it's like... half a scene! unedited & out of context As Is Tradition

~

“Nothin’ much. I think I’ll poke around nearby towns, shake down some travelers - see what falls into my paws.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Barn,” Howdy says. He sweeps aggressively, spreading dirt more than gathering it into the usual neat piles. “Who knows if those ne'er-do-wells are still roaming around the woods - if you and Ed couldn’t take them, what makes you think you could alone? Or- or! What if you stumble across those cultists? I hate to think of you stuck in an ambush with no help coming, knowing fully well that-”

A large paw slips the broom out of his grip and sets it to the side, and Howdy stammers to a stop as Barnaby crowds him against the bar with a soft, “Howdy.”

Howdy swallows hard, bracketed on each side by strong blue arms. The look Barnaby fixes him with dries up his well of words and bristles his fuzz. Howdy’s heart hammers against his ribs. He can feel Barnaby’s body heat, and it’s lighting his blood on fire. 

“I’m not gonna be reckless, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Barnaby says. He barely needs to speak louder than a whisper for Howdy to hear him loud and clear. He smells like sweet smoke. “The other day was a one time deal, cross my heart. But, if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll take someone with me. I’m sure Jules is itchin’ to get outta town.”

“What would really make me feel better is if you stay,” Howdy blurts, just barely reining in the with me. He tenses, knowing that he’s toeing a dangerous line. One wrong word, and he’ll make the unspoken spoken - but the stress drains out of him as Barn’s eyes go soft. Perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad. Of course there’s no reason to worry, not about this, not with him. There never has been.

“You know I can’t do that,” Barnaby murmurs. “Not yet.”

Howdy doesn’t need to say that he knows. Not for the first time and with any luck, not for the last, it clicks in his mind that they’re on the same page - he doesn’t need to be a telepath to understand the thoughts behind Barnaby’s dark eyes. 

Barnaby says it anyway. “I gotta get him back. I can’t… there’s no room for anythin’ else right now.”

Howdy sighs through his nose and slumps against the counter digging into the small of his back. He nods and adjusts the lapels of Barnaby’s vest. His fingers ghost over soft blue, and Barnaby doesn’t flinch at the contact. If anything, he leans the barest millimeter into it. His gaze burns into Howdy’s, even if they aren’t meeting at the moment, but it isn’t a bad feeling. Quite the opposite, actually.

“Well,” Howdy says in a low voice, “if you find a good lead, send for the rest of us. I’ll be there as fast as my four legs can scamper.”

Barnaby smirks. “Even if you need to take a boat?”

“Even so, Barn.”

The smirk slides into something that isn’t a frown, but isn’t a smile. It’s too soft for a grimace, but too intense for simple recognition. Barnaby seems to sway forward, and Howdy is sorely tempted to meet him halfway.  

But Barnaby’s claw taps the counter, and he pulls away before anyone’s mind can be made up. Howdy’s hands slip from his lapels, brushing against fur as they fall and knuckles skimming over the smooth, fresh scar cutting across Barnaby’s belly. 

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Barnaby says, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He squeezes Howdy’s shoulder and then his back is turned, and he’s leaving. All Howdy can do is watch. 

And call out after him, “Your table will be open and waiting for you.”

Barnaby pauses in the doorway and looks over his shoulder at Howdy, and his grin is so full of affection that Howdy may just burst. 

“With a free pint?” he asks.

“Hey now, don’t push your luck pal.”

Barnaby bursts out laughing, and Howdy can hear it even after the door thuds closed.

[dead-boys-club]

†  on set : katsuki.

❥ scenario: watching kat die ❥ no triggers ❥ i don't have any beta readers - you get what you get. ❥ minor request - this goes with the qrp kat.

the studio was bussing with activity, the general chaos of a t.v set in full swing. crew members fluttered back and forth, adjusting the lighting, making sure cameras were set up correctly, and making sure everything was perfect in hopes of a flawless take. you were tucked away, trying not to get stepped on, watching everything unfold with excitement and nervous anticipation.

today was a big day - one of many emotionally intense scenes from the series. the scene where bakugo, played by your partner, faces shigaraki in a desperate battle, only to be struck down. you tried to distract yourself knowing even if it was fake, it was still heart wrenching. you thought back to your first time on set, snorting over the fact he shared the same first name of the character.

you knew it was all just acting and special effects. you knew that katsuki wasn't actually going to die, that it was all just a made up story. even so, the thought of watching him die.. even in a false context, made your heart ache.

katsuki had insisted you come along, wanting you to see the scene. 'it's going to be great,' he had said, a toothy grin on his face, 'you'll see, i'm gonna nail it.'

you knew he would, of course, which is what made you anxious. now, you sat watching as he prepared for the scene. he was in full costume, his usual brash attitude toned at the edges to focus. watching him get into character was always something that made you smile, he always made it obvious just how much he loved what he did. he bounced in place for a moment, shaking his hands and rolling his shoulders, intensity building in his eyes as he got ready.

when the director called for quiet on set, you took a deep breath and fell silent with everyone else. your eyes followed your partner, watching with bated breath as he put everything into the role, his usual passion in every movement, word and emotion held by the character. it was amazing to see, if you were being honest.

everything was going smoothly up until that moment - the devasting blow that sent katsukl crashing to the ground, body limp, eyes dull and unfocused. oh, you hated it. the acting was so good - too good. you hated the idea of seeing him such a state in real term.

you felt your heart ache, hands gripping the edge of your seat as you slid closer to it. you had to remind yourself it was just acting, he was fine. it was just a scene for a show. but the way katsuki played the part, the way he made it so real that you hadn't noticed the tears welling up until one spilled down your cheek.

your breath hitched as you reached up, quickly trying to brush the tears away. it felt so silly to be so upset over something that wasn't real, something that was make believe. that didn't stop the way you felt at the sigh of him lying there, motionless - it tugged at something deep inside you. you had to force yourself to look away.

the director called 'cut' and everything was back to it's loud, quick paced normality. the set burst into life, crew members rushing to set for the next take. katsuki was already sitting up, brushing himself off with a toothy, prideful grin. he knew he was good.

before you could manage to wipe away any evidence of your feelings, you heard a voice behind you. it was izuku, making his way over with a playful smile. 'aww, getting emotional, are we? didn't think you'd be so soft, seeing kat like that.'

your cheeks burned dark, a mixture of embarrassment and affection flooding through. 'leave me alone.. i know it's just acting but..' you huffed, brows furrowing a bit, 'he's just.. really good at it. it sucks.'

katsuki, who'd caught the exchanged as he walked up, raising a brow. 'caught you snifflin', huh? told you i'd nail it.'

you rolled your eyes but there was no way you could hide the warmth in your expression. 'you were amazing, blah blah,' you answered, bringing your hands up to rub your face, trying to hide the smile. 'don't start letting it go to your head, jerk.'

he chuckled, reaching out to ruffle your hair before leaning to kiss the top of your head. 'too late,' he chuckled before softening, nudging you, 'seriously, though. thanks for being here.'

you pursed your lips at the swell of emotions, knowing just how much it meant to him for you to be present, even if it meant making you cry. 'wouldn't miss it for the world,' you replied quietly.

izuku watched quietly, having stepped back from the conversation to give you a moment, shook his head. 'you two really are something else.. no idea how you two never ended up as a couple.'

katsuki snorted, offering you a smirk. 'nah.. we're just friends. right?' he asked, the playfulness evident in his tone but there was a sincerity to his gaze that reminded you exactly what you were to each other.

'yeah, just friends,' you smiled back, 'the best kind.'

and with that, the moment was gone, the set returning to it's chaotic state. you stood with katsuki while everything was being set up, leaning against him and discussing what you'd be getting for dinner while he played with your hair, occasionally yelling something to someone else. he'd always cover the ear on whatever side he was on, his other arm securely around your frame.

you stayed like that until he was called away, waving him off as you took a seat where you'd been before. you spent most of the takes on your phone or talking to other crew members and cast, the time passing pretty quickly. you didn't mind being there, content to be there for him - even if it made you cry once or twice more.

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

"Come on, Padsie..." James stuck his ear to the bathroom door "Talk to me, handsome"

James had a strong knot on his throat each time Sirius got like that. It was usually after his stupid biological family said something to him or did something to him.

James knew Sirius wasn't very chatty about his feelings. They talked only when they were in a good mood and in a joking context. But when there were real conversations, Sirius shut down.

James had been so worried over the summer after he had found Sirius all bruised, shaking from the cold and crying on the street. After that, Sirius never exactly told James what they had done to him. He could only guess.

Now a discussion with the little prick of his brother, made Sirius lock himself in the loo.

"Just leave me alone, James!" Sirius shouted. James could hear soft sobs coming from there as well. That made him feel like his heart was being squeezed hard.

James turned desperately towards his friends. They looked as pale and worried as James felt.

"What did that wanker say to him, Remus?" James asked. Remus had been there to witness their fight. James had only entered the scene to break the two brothers apart.

"I don't know well" Remus said, looking down "They mostly spoke in French"

"Don't be a whine, Padfoot" Peter sighed "We are just trying to help"

"Fuck off!!"

Peter shrugged "I tried"

James sighed, knocking the door again.

"Padsie? Can I come in?"

"Moony" Sirius said with a sniff "Moony can come in"

James knew Remus was special for Sirius. They were close. That gave the Gryffindor some sort of jealousy. Sometimes James feared Remus would replace him as Sirius’s best friend. But he knew that was stupid. They were The Marauders. They were all close. Although, James knew he loved Sirius differently, more intensely.

Remus looked at James with guilt. He knew his friend was probably hiding something from him. Maybe he heard more from the Black Brothers conversation. But if he knew, he didn't say anything.

Remus was silently asking James for permission. But James had no authority. He didn't own Sirius or anything. If he wanted Remus, then he wanted Remus. Maybe Sirius didn't trust him anymore.

James extended his hand, making Remus way to enter. He could do as he pleased anyway.

Remus approached unsure, knocking the door in front of him.

"Padfoot, It's Moony. Come on, let me in"

Sirius opened the door just wide enough to squeeze Remus in. Once the skinny boy was dragged inside, Sirius closed the door right on James's nose. Hearing the lock made him lose hope. There was a time when Sirius used to come into James's bed to tell him stuff. Perhaps that confidence ended between them.

James placed his ear against the door, only catching whispers between his friends. But nothing he could understand. Sirius had done the same back at home. He only confied in Euphemia then. Now it was Remus's turn. Not James's. Not James anymore.

James sighed, trying to hide his jealousy. He wouldn't be a good mate if he acted like a jealous dick. He walked towards Peter, putting an arm around him.

"Don't worry, Wormy" he said "Padfoot will be alright"

"Yeah" Peter answered unsure.

James hid his feelings of jealousy, disappointment and worry from The Marauders. He still didn't know what had happened between Sirius and his brother. Whatvever Remus told him inside the bathroom made Sirius feel better. He pretended that everything was fine or that he didn't care. Although James knew that wasn't the case, Sirius still didn't talk to him.

Lily noticed James was down. She mentioned something in the next prefects meeting after James was too distracted to pay attention to his girlfriend.

"Sorry, darling" James kissed her cheek "I'm a bit distracted"

"What is going on?" Lily asked. James shrugged. "You know you can trust me, James"

James didn't realize he was pouting until Lily touched his chin delicately with a smile.

James took a deep breath "I reckon I am losing my best friend, love. I am losing Sirius"

"What do you mean? You guys are inseparable"

That was what James thought anyway.

"It started this summer more like" James explained "You know how Sirius left his house and now is living with me, right?"

Lily nodded. She was comforting to talk to. She even stroked James's hand, making James feel little sparks now and then. It was beautiful how close they've gotten. Not only boyfriend and girlfriend but confidents.

"Well, I still don't know what happened for him to leave"

"I thought you said it was because his parents are abusive assholes and they hurt him"

"That's what I assume" James sighed "I mean, he was bloody bruised, Lils. It was horrible to see"

"How awful" Lily pouted, her eyes becoming watery. She was a true angel. Even after how bad Sirius treated her, she still cared for him.

"But he didn't tell me, Lils" James bit his lip "I still don't know why his father hit him"

"Maybe those things are delicate to talk about"

"He told Effie. And I think Remus knows more than me" James looked down, putting his glasses up "I am his best friend. But he doesn't trust me anymore. We've been drifting apart lately."

Lily touched his cheek in a comforting way.

"I know I am Head Boy now and I am dating you. But I can still have time for him if he needs me..." he sighed "Lily, I miss him. If I miss him it means we are not as close as we used to be"

"He is going through stuff, James" Lily bit her lip, probably guilty not knowing what else to do to help her boyfriend.

"He seems to be spending lots of time with Remus, though"

Lily twisted her mouth in a smile.

"Are you jealous?"

"What? No!" James exclaimed "Who said anything about jealousy, Lily! I didn't say anything!! Jealous, me? Ha!"

Lily giggled under her breath.

"Don't laugh, traitor!" James pouted as he turned around and laid his head on his girlfriend's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with his hair gently.

"I am sure what Sirius and Remus have is different, James"

James raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?"

Lily cleared her throat "I mean, people are allowed to have more than one friend"

"Friends? Tons!" James clarified "Best friend? Only one!"

"I have two" Lily shrugged "Mary and Marlene are both my best friends"

James rolled his eyes "It is different, babe. What I feel about Sirius..." he took a minute to think about it "I love him. I would die for him. He is more than a friend, more than a brother. He is very special to me"

"Should I be the one to get jealous here?" Lily teased with an innocent laugh. James smiled and raised his head to give Lily a peek on the lips.

"Oh give me another kiss" he said before kissing his girlfriend again. Once he was pleased, he laid down again.

"I know that what you and Sirius have is special" Lily said, now stroking his hair again "So whatever that is happening between you is going to get fixed. Just give Sirius time, love. Just let him know you are there if he needs you"

James made a pout once more. He knew Lily might be right. But there was also that fear of Sirius simply leaving him. What if James had given him reasons not to trust him? James was a tackless wanker sometimes. He used to joke a lot. He used to tease a lot. He used to be an asshole with others. Maybe Sirius didn't want to be friends with a biggot like James.

"And trust me" Lily added, when she saw James's expression "Remus and Sirius have a different type of relationship"

James raised his torso from Lily's embrace only to face her. He raised an eyebrow. Lily was biting her lip. She was so adorable and beautiful it hurt.

"What do you mean, Evans?" James asked "Do you know something?"

"No! What do you mean?" Lily was also terrible at lying and hiding things. "What I meant is that Remus is a very good listener. Is so good talking to him. Maybe Sirius appreciates that."

James smiled "I know". Remus had been the only one to stand all the pinning James had done over Lily. He was a good friend. James understood why Sirius trusted him. And sometimes he felf guilty for getting jealous of what he had with Sirius.

James touched Lily's cheek delicately.

"Everyone knows Sirius loves you, James. I am sure he is going to open up to you about what is happening in his brain"

James hoped. He wanted for things to go back to what it used to be before. Perhaps they were closer when they were loser kids pranking others. But they were maturing now. Sirius needed to understand that. They still had a lot of adventures and things to live together. If James lost Sirius one day, he was going to die for sure.

"Let's not talk about them, gorgeous" James smirked as he leaned in. "We barely have time alone anymore"

Contrary to what Sirius believed, James didn’t spend most of his time snogging Lily. He wished. Not but really, he had been very invested with the Head Boy job. He actually loved it. He got more involved with the school and other house mates. He loved spending time with younger students. They made him laugh. Plus, he had rugby practice. He was also the Captain of the Gryffindor Team. And he wanted his team to win. Also he had been pendant of Peter and his crush over Mary. And with Remus, making feel welcome because nothing had changed since he came out as gay. But mostly, James had been trying to be pendant on Sirius.

Lots of things to worry about. He appreciated to enjoy some time with his girl.

Lily smiled, her cheeks slightly pink everytime James flirted with her.

"What do you want to do with your time, Mr. Head Boy?" she said as he played with his tie.

"I have a few ideas..."

"Yeah?"

Before Lily could say anything else, James kissed her lips with fierce this time. Lily's soft lips and her strawberry lipstick were delicious to taste. James had imagined so many times what it would be like to kiss Lily. But actually doing it was ten times better. She was always delicate and shy, allowing James to take the lead.

Their snogging was getting intense and better when someone cleared their throat behind James. He waved his hand, dismissing whoever dared to interrupt. When he heard the authoritative voice of his head of house.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Potter. Miss Evans"

James and Lily unglued their faces with embarrassment. Lily was as red as her hair. She gasped.

"Yes, you interrupt" James murmured under his breath. It was comical how it had been always the same. Since James and Lily started dating they couldn't have some time alone. Just a little time. That's what James asked. He wanted to snog his girlfriend. Do other stuff perhaps.

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow.

"I said you don't interrupt!" James exclaimed with a snort "You never interrupt, professor"

"Sorry, professor" Lily got to her feet and adjusted her clothes. Her face red as a tomato "Did you need us?"

"Yes, I would like to discuss some things about the schedule with you" McGonagall said "Why don't we step into my office?"

"Yes" James got up reluctantly.

"Yes, Professor" Lily had more enthusiasm "We're right after you"

McGonagall gave them a firm glance. James answered with an innocent smile. When their professor turned. James sighed and followed with his girlfriend.

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x11 - The Dancing Ghosts! Bakemon / The Dancing Digimon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Mimi got harassed again and then thwarted Devimon's Black Gear by starving in its general direction. Meanwhile, Koushiro discovered the Dungeon Map. Since Mimi has the Compass, all they need now is the Boss Key.

Now two island shards and four kids are on their way back to the child murderer. That's not necessarily a good direction to be moving in but it is what we're doing.

(Warning: Very long. This one is intensively dialogue-heavy and the dub changes so much.)

We open on a long panning shot of Infinity Mountain, rising up to Devimon perched at the peak.

Devimon: Chosen Children... Curse the fates that have befallen you! Ahahahahaha!

My man, you do not have to worry about that. They curse the fate that's befallen them practically daily. Mimi just cursed her fate so hard, you have no idea.

That long sweeping shot means Dub Devimon has to vamp for a bit, so his dialogue is longer.

Devimon: I, Devimon, had completely separated those seven brats and their pesky Digimon! That is, until that Tai and Mimi caught up with Matt and Izzy! But I'll make sure they never find their other friends. Especially with the plans I have for Sora and Joe on that lovely day, the Bakemon Holiday! Ahahahahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Bakemon pronounced (Bah-keh-mon). Nobody tell Devimon that these island shard episodes are happening simultaneously to one another. Also, spoilers, geez. :P

(Can you imagine if they were happening sequentially? We start each one at night with the kids on their beds and then the sun comes up during their episode. That would mean Izzy and Mimi were on those beds for a full day, and Joe and Sora for two. ...poor T.K....)

Jou's bed did not have the luxury of landing on an island shard. Instead, he's been left adrift in the ocean. We find him cursing the fate that's befallen him.

Jou: This is why I didn't want to go to summer camp....

The dub changes out his despair for seasickness. That's not necessarily added; He does get seasick later in the scene. But it is a different source for his present turmoil.

Joe: There's one thing I've learned in Digi-World: Beds don't make good boats. Urghhhhh....

It's at that moment he realizes that while he's been in his fugue, Gomamon's finished off what's left of the emergency rations.

(I'm surprised there was anything left in that bag. The kids managed to stretch a three-day food supply for six children out to six days for fourteen. They've done an admirable job of only leaning on the emergency supply when absolutely necessary.)

Jou is absolutely livid.

Jou: THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO SUMMER CAMP!!! I have to study for entrance exams next year to get into a prestigious middle school! Gomamon: No point in telling me that. There's nothing I can do about it. Jou: (picks up Gomamon and shakes him) THEN WHO DO I TELL!? THERE'S NO ONE HERE BUT ME AND YOU, GOMAMON!!! Gomamon: That's true, but we should try floating with a bit more hope in our hearts. That way, we won't end up getting seasick-- Jou: (shakes Gomamon some more) WHAT DO HOPE AND SEASICKNESS HAVE WITH EACH OTHER!? (Suddenly, Jou's forced to release Gomamon and vomit over the side.) Gomamon: Are you okay? Jou: No, I'm not. Gomamon: (rubs his back) That's why I said to have more hope.

Once again, we see Jou cracking under the intense pressure that's been placed on him. This time, not for his responsibilities to the younger kids surviving with him, but for his entire situation and the societial obligations of his age.

Jou was under a lot of pressure before he even came to File Island, and this whole intensely stressful situation has only made it worse. That he's one of the kids whose personality grates against his Partner's rather than meshing with it (Sora, Koushiro, Jou) only serves to amplify his stress.

Similar to his despair, the dub cuts this context surrounding Joe's emotional state. They keep the argument locked on Gomamon eating the food.

Joe: DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO EAT ALL THE FOOD SINCE WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'LL FIND LAND!?!? I told you that we'd need to ration, which means to save food for later. As in much later! Gomamon: But it is later, Joe; You told me that twenty minutes ago. Joe: (picks up Gomamon and shakes him) TWENTY MINUTES IS NOT MUCH LATER!!! PLEASE TELL ME THAT THERE'S STILL SOME FOOD IN THE BAG!!! Gomamon: Well, no. Since you can't handle eating and floating on the ocean at the same time, I ate it all. Besides, I need food to Digivolve in case we run into bad Digimon. Joe: (shakes Gomamon some more) SO HAVE WE SEEN ANY BAD DIGIMON!?!? NO!!! IF I STARVE, WHO ARE YOU GOING TO PROTECT!?!? (Suddenly, Joe's forced to release Gomamon and vomit over the side.) Gomamon: That's enough about food. Joe: Urghhhhh.... Gomamon: (rubs his back) Things will get better soon. Hang in there, buddy!

Admittedly, it may have been difficult to localize the pressure of entrance exams to middle school. That's a facet of the Japanese education system that I'm not sure we have an equivalent to here in the U.S.

Nonetheless, the dub version of the scene is much weaker. The original is a characterization moment centered on the philosophical differences between Jou and Gomamon while fleshing out Jou's anxieties. We lose just about all of that in the dub, which replaces it with a comedic misunderstanding bit.

Suddenly, the boys see a massive crate floating their direction. This changes everything.

Gomamon: A box? Jou: Maybe it has food! Like bottles of fresh water and sterilized food packages! Gomamon: No way. Jou: (shakes Gomamon) YOU JUST TOLD ME TO HAVE MORE HOPE RIGHT NOW!!! Gomamon: Calm down.

Jou's expectations are fairly reasonable for what seems to be a drifting supply box floating in the ocean. Joe's imagination runs away with him.

Gomamon: That crate is gonna hit us! Joe: Maybe it's full of fruit, vegetables, bread, milk, cereal, hot dogs, cookies, candy, and soda! Gomamon: I wish. Joe: (shakes Gomamon) YOU WISH!? WE WOULDN'T NEED MORE FOOD IF YOU HADN'T EATEN OURS!!! Gomamon: You're strong when you're hungry. Joe: Starvation is a good motivator! Looks like we'll need a jackhammer to open this....

They don't use jackhammers to open crates, Joe. The word you're looking for is crowbar. "You're strong when you're hungry" as a response to Joe's third shaking got me, though. That was good. XD

Good news for Jou is that the box is self-opening!

And it has a toy surprise inside!

(I desperately want to be a fly on that wall when Ogremon was making this plan. I don't know what's more ridiculous: That he sealed himself in a box and trusted the currents to carry him to Jou, or that this worked.)

With Jou isolated and defenseless, Ogremon swings at him with his club, throwing a set of horizontal strikes. Jou and Gomamon jump, avoiding some swings of his club while bouncing the bed in the ocean and carrying them under others.

Frustrated, Ogremon opts for a vertical swing instead, cracking the bed in half.

Fortunately, the halves remain buoyant for Jou and Gomamon who are split between them.

Gomamon conjures up his Marching Fishes, erupting from the ocean and throwing themselves at Ogremon. As his colorful fishes harass Ogremon with their tiny tackles, he explains his plan to Jou.

Jou: The wicked Digimon Ogremon is being defeated by the likes of fish! Gomamon: Ogremon grew up in the Great Canyon mountains, so he should be weak against the smell of raw sea fish! Ogremon: HAOUKEN!!! (pulverizes the attacking fish with bursts of dark purple energy) Gomamon: ...or so I thought, but I guess not.

It was a good plan, Gomamon. I'm sorry you were defeated by Power Levels.

Dub Gomamon gets philosophical with this.

Joe: What powerful force could cause this evil Digimon to be driven back and outmuscled by a bunch of small fish!? Gomamon: When the small and meek join forces to fight for a good purpose, they can often bring about the downfall of the big and powerful. Ogremon: Rargh! Get off me! (pulverizes the attacking fish with bursts of dark purple energy) Gomamon: Then again, sometimes they haven't got a chance!

Sorry, Gomamon, but today is not the day for seizing the means of production. But some day! VIVE LA REVOLUCION!

Honestly, I like both of these versions. Both Tactical Gomamon and Philosophical Gomamon have their merits.

It's not enough, though. With his back against the wall, Gomamon vindicates the dub's earlier point about needing his strength to evolve, and turns into Ikkakumon. Pushing through Ogremon's rapid-fire Haoukens, Ikkakumon headbutts him backwards, then nails him with a point-blank Harpoon Vulcan, knocking him back into the box.

Then he takes his kid and swims away, leaving Ogremon adrift in the ocean.

Ogremon: Damn it! I can't follow because I can't swim!

Oh wow, this was a terrible plan. Have fun rowing back to shore, Ogremon. In the notoriously unpredictable waters of the goddamn ocean. Hope you know how to navigate by the stars.

Dub Ogremon also refuses to get out of the box, but doesn't state his reasoning.

Ogremon: COWARDS!!! Go ahead and run! See how far you'll get! 'Fraidy cats! Come back and fight! I dare ya! Come on!

But the implication is nonetheless there, as we still get to see his visceral panic reaction upon realizing he's about to step out into the waters.

As they swim away from Ogremon, Jou curses the fate that's befallen him one more time.

Jou: I knew it was a bad idea to come to camp....

While Joe curses his fate in a different way.

Joe: Oh man. I don't like adventure. I'm a 'stay at home and read' kind of guy.

Unfortunately, the fight with Ogremon took a lot out of Ikkakumon. Before long, he loses his evolution and turns back into Gomamon, helplessly plunging both him and Jou into the ocean.

(RIP Senpai. I can't say I'm surprised that you're the first to die but I can be sad for you all the same.)

Meanwhile, on a nearby island shard, Piyomon returns to Sora, hopping over to her. She finds Sora taking a much more proactive approach to the Starving Digimon problem than any of the kids have thus far.

(And yet Koushiro gets the reputation as the smart one.)

Unfortunately, she has to make do with what she has on-hand.

Piyomon: Fishing? Sora: I thought I should try to get some food. Piyomon: You're so smart! I'm starving.... Sora: The bait is just a twig, though. It'd be great if some fish out there thought it was a worm... (glancing back at the island) How'd things look in there? Piyomon: I can't see anything because of the fog. I think this might be an island.... (Suddenly, Sora's twig bobber goes underwater) Piyomon: AHH! You caught something! Sora: (struggling with the rod, excited) There is a big fish stupid enough to fall for the twig!

SUCCESS!!! Piyomon braces Sora and helps her pull, struggling to bring in their unbelievably heavy catch! But, to their surprise but not the audience's, their big stupid fish is Jou-senpai.

Meanwhile, in the dub, Biyomon already knew Sora was fishing.

Biyomon: Catch anything? Sora: Not yet. Give me time; I'm hoping to catch something big. Biyomon: I've even be happy if you caught me a little sardine. Sora: Please, I know how hungry you can get. If I caught a huge 'any kind of fish', you'd be right there eating it with me, right? Biyomon: Well, since you put it that way.... Do you really think you can make a big catch? (Suddenly, Sora's twig bobber goes underwater) Biyomon: Oh, look! Maybe there's one now! Sora: Oh boy, it feels like a whale! This is a whopper for sure!

Like Jou's argument with Gomamon, this is a worse scene all around. We lose the brief exposition that Piyomon's been off trying to scout the island, and they removed the funny joke about Jou being a stupid fish in a localization that's actively trying to make things more light-hearted and funny.

While Jou recovers by the fire, Gomamon explains what happened. He woke up underwater, spotted Jou, and tried to carry him to surface. Then he saw Sora's twig bait and hook nearby. He grabbed it, wrapped it around Jou, and let Sora pull them both to surface.

Jou survived his plunge in the murky waters, but Gomamon has other concerns now.

Gomamon: Can I ask for a favor? Piyomon: What is it? Gomamon: It's about Jou. Sora: Is there something wrong with him? Gomamon: He's becoming more timid by the moment. Sora: Well, he never had a strong heart to begin with. Gomamon: We don't know what's going to happen from here on. If he stays like this, we can't have a proper adventure! Piyomon: So what should we do? Gomamon: Let's make him our leader so he can gain confidence.

Gomamon's concerns for Jou are valid, but we also see a bit of Gomamon's flaws creep up when he talks about wanting to have a "proper adventure". This is one of the traits that causes his personality to grate against Jou's; Gomamon's an impulsive thrill-seeker.

Dub Gomamon broaches this subject differently.

Gomamon: I'm worried about Joe. Biyomon: You are? Sora: Joe's going to be just fine, Gomamon. Gomamon: Well, yes. Physically. But I'm worried about his confidence. Fighting Ogremon back there really knocked him out. He needs to rebuild his self-confidence. Biyomon: How can we help him? Gomamon: Very simple: We just make him our leader.

The dub cuts Sora's observation that Jou's always had a weak stomach. That's something we saw for ourselves back in the Unimon episode, when he had his first pressure-induced meltdown. (Over eggs!) Instead, Dub Gomamon blames Ogremon's ambush for Joe being like this.

Which. Uh. Is a choice, to be sure.

"Let's make him our leader" also kinda comes out of nowhere without the context that Jou is the oldest and meant to be responsible for us to begin with. Gomamon's asking Sora to step back and let Jou-senpai take charge like he's been trying to do since episode 1.

Once Jou wakes up, the others put the plan in motion. Jou is initially reluctant once the topic is broached with him.

Jou: Where's everyone else? Sora: We don't know. We just got here ourselves. That's why you should be our leader, Jou-senpai! Gomamon: Agreed! Piyomon: Agreed! Jou: W-W-Wait a minute! Sora: You're the only one who can do it! Gomamon & Piyomon: Right, right! (Jou considers their words. Slowly, the trepidation on his face transforms into determination, and he stands up.) Jou: Fine then! I'll be the leader! (In the distance, a bell rings suddenly) Jou: Huh? ...is that bell ringing to celebrate me being the leader? Sora: Seems unlikely. Piyomon: (gasp) The fog is lifting! (Everyone turns and watches the fog fade away, revealing a church at the top of a hill)

Over in the dub, Joe wakes up rambling about Ogremon, following through on Gomamon's statement that the ambush messed him up.

Joe: Where's Ogremon!? Biyomon: He's gone. Sora: But we've got a bigger problem. We can't find the others. What should we do? We're stuck on this deserted island with no leader so I guess you're going to have to lead us, Joe! Gomamon: I'm for him! Biyomon: And me! Joe: Not me! I am not a leader! Sora: You have to! You're the strongest one here! Biyomon: Not to mention the bravest! Gomamon: Come on, Joe! Remember how you fought the Unimon? (Joe considers their words. Slowly, the trepidation on his face transforms into determination, and he stands up.) Joe: I am brave! You're right! I am the bravest one here! Sora: Well, let's not get too carried away. Joe: Oh. But if I fail, who will save save you or me? Sora: My fish line? (In the distance, a bell rings suddenly. Everyone turns and watches the fog fade away, revealing a church at the top of a hill)

This exchange has some good bits in it. I like Sora playing up their crisis with "We're stranded on a deserted island, help us!" That bit would go great with original Jou's particular anxieties. I also like Gomamon bringing up Unimon, though in the dub he says "the Unimon" for some reason. Might be a line flub.

What i don't like is that, again, they cut out a funny joke in this lighter and goofier rendition. "Do you think the bell's ringing to celebrate me being the leader?" is a great bit. They actually moved the ringing of the bell to get it out of the way for Sora's less funny "My fish line will save us?" bit.

Localizers, why are you removing jokes? Someone didn't understand the assignment.

The ringing of the bell seems to becoming from that church. Where do we go from here, Jou-senpai? Of course, anyone who's been paying attention to Jou knows exactly where his mind's about to go.

Gomamon: It's a church! Jou: There might be humans there this time! Sora: (skeptically) ...you think so? Piyomon: LET'S FIND OUT!!! (starts to fly towards the church) Sora: Wait! Jou is our leader! (turns to Jou) Leader! What do we do? Jou: Huh!? Um uh you see.... (looking absolutely terrified) E-EVERYONE, LET'S GO!!!

For once, Jou's interest in finding humans makes its way into the dub, but only in passing.

Biyomon: What do you suppose it is? Sora: Looks kinda like a church. Joe: Wherever there's a church, there's usually people! Maybe even our friends! Sora: Someone should check it out. Biyomon: I'll go! (starts to fly towards the church) Sora: Wait, Biyomon! Joe's our leader now! (turns to Joe) Well? Lead us! Joe: W-What if we see a bad Digimon? I, uh.... (looking absolutely terrified) I need a moment! ...okay!

From there, they begin their march up the hill. Jou mercifully lets them climb in silence while Joe insists on chanting an army marching cadence. Poor Dub Sora.

At the top, they take in their surroundings and get an understanding of their shard.

Jou: Just like we thought, this place really was a part of File Island before it broke up.

A fairly simple assessment that the dub makes much more complicated, filling dialogue into the scenes of the kids looking around.

Joe: Notice anything? Sora: It all looks sorta familiar to me. As if this were a place I've dreamed about or deja vu. You know, like we've been here before. Joe: You're right. This definitely looks like the part of the island that broke away.

So, in the dub, Sora and Joe are pretty sure they've been to this part of File Island before, even though they have not. Further, I had to listen to this several times to make sure I was hearing it correctly: Joe says "the part of the island that broke away" as if there were only one. I'm hoping that's also a line flub.

Lot of inappropriate the's going around the dub today.

From there, Jou gets into it once more.

Jou: Okay! Now we can finally find humans besides us at that church! Sora: Do you still believe that? Jou: YES! They must be there this time! Sora: But you don't have any proof.... Jou: I AM THE LEADER!!! Sora: Yes, but-- Jou: LET'S GO!!! (races off)

Of note: Every time they say "leader", they're using the English word as a loanword. When Jou comically cuts off the argument with "LET'S GO!!!" and bolts, that's English too.

Again, Joe actually brings up Jou's hangup on finding other people, but in passing once again.

Joe: So, we should find everyone else or at least some other people taking shelter in that church! Sora: You're assuming quite a bit there. Joe: FINE! That's my opinion. Sora: I'm just giving you another view.... Joe: I'M THE LEADER HERE!!! Sora: Okay! Excuse me. Joe: LET'S MOVE OUT!!! (races off)

Without Jou's long history of "I bet there's humans!" followed swiftly by disappointment, it's trickier for the dub to make this brief squabble work. They made more work for themselves by carving out that part of Jou's character earlier.

This isn't a mistake or bad choice on the part of the dub but rather an unfortunate reality of the changing language: Sadly, "LET'S MOVE OUT!!!" doesn't hit as comically as Jou interrupting Sora by screaming "LET'S GO!!!" in English and running off.

As they watch Jou run towards the church, the others hang back to discuss his behavior.

Sora: Why is he getting so worked up? Gomamon: (proudly) He's turning into a leader! Sora: (laughs) Hahaha what.

Dub Gomamon's not so impressed with Joe.

Sora: We've created a monster. Gomamon: Hey, do you think a Black Gear got him? Sora: (laughs) Hahaha Gomamon!

There we go, lighter and goofier dub. That one got me. XD Though the original's good too. Sora refusing to even dignify Gomamon's remark with a response; Instead, she just barks out "Sou ka!" while laughing in his face.

As they approach the church, the team spurs Jou to action.

Piyomon: What's that? Sora: Go take a look, Leader! Jou: HUUUH!? Piyomon: Go look! Sora: LEADER!!! Jou: ... Gomamon: Want me to go? Jou: There's no need for you to do that! I'm the leader, so I'll go! (storms off)

As Jou marches off to investigate the church, the trio exchange self-pleased grins. Meanwhile, in the dub:

Biyomon: Who's going in? Sora: What are you waiting for!? Joe: Uhhh huhhhhhh... Biyomon: What's wrong? Sora: Well, boss? Joe: ... Gomamon: Joe, you're the leader! (annoyed) Do you want me to take a peek? Joe: No, I don't want you taking a peek! I can't wait to go in there! (storms off) Gomamon: I think it worked.

Lateral difference here; They're mostly the same, but I do like how the Japanese version manages to do more with fewer words. At one point, Sora's literally just chanting the English word "LEADER!!!" at Jou.

Making his way inside, Jou finds a most unexpected sight.

Man, I sure am glad nobody spoiled the intrigue and suspense of this moment by calling it the Bakemon Holiday right at the start of the episode! No, I kid; That was probably necessary in order to preserve the tension to come.

Creeping around the church, Jou discovers a group of humans in human-faced masks dancing together. He races frantically back to the others and delivers the news: There's people in the church.

Jou: There really are humans here! Lots of them!

Joe delivers the same news but he's judgmental about it.

Joe: There are people in the church! Dancing! Badly, I might add.

Rude. XD

Jou brings the others back to his peeping spot to see what he found.

As the group observes the dancing people, they don't notice a man in a mask coming up behind them.

Jou: Why are they dancing? Sora: Is it a festival? Masked Man: This is a carnival where we give offerings to Bakemon-sama.

Horror scare chords play as he speaks, and the kids scream in panic. To be expected; He said they give offerings to "Bakemon-sama", which is sure to set off alarm bells in any Japanese person's head.

Bakemon is named for the word "bakemono". It's an umbrella category of shapeshifting yokai known for taking on the form of a variety of things, including impersonating humans. To my understanding, it's also a general term for "spooker" in common parlance.

Either way, "Bakemon-sama" is a red flag to be sure. He might as well have said, "Here, we give offerings to Lord Slender Man." This is probably why the episode had to spoil the "Bakemon Festival" earlier, so American kids could have their skin crawl too.

In the dub, we get this exchange.

Sora: There are people. They're dancing and they're wearing masks like it's Halloween. Masked Man: Hallow-what?

Bit of a weak line, but it still works within the context of the scene. When the kids scream and panic, it's in reaction to the man's presence moreso than what he said.

The masked man brings the kids inside the church, where six other masked people are gathered around an altar. As they enter, Gomamon has something bothering him.

Gomamon: I'd like to ask something. Masked Man: ...go on. Gomamon: You mentioned a Bakemon-sama. Masked Man: Yes. Gomamon: The Bakemon I know is a ghost Digimon who lives in the Overdell Graveyard. I don't think he's worthy of being given offerings and having '-sama' added to his name. Piyomon: Me neither. Masked Man: (leans in close to the Digimon) God does not forgive those who speak rudely of Bakemon-sama! Gomamon: Sorry! Piyomon: Sorry! Sora: Where's your offering? I don't see it anywhere. Masked Man: It's here. Jou: Huh? Where? Masked Man: Our offering to Bakemon-sama is YOU!!!

Over in the dub, the Masked Man is much more verbose as he brings the kids into the church.

Masked Man: They're celebrating the Bakemon Holiday. Joe: It reminds me of Halloween! Masked Man: We'd love to have you join us. We don't have a lot of young people around, and no holiday is complete without them! You arrived just in time for some... fun.... Joe: Like trick-or-treat? You do that for Bakemon? Masked Man: Yes. Gomamon: Wait, Bakemon? As in Lord Bakemon? Masked Man: Yes? Gomamon: But the only Bakemon I know of is a horrible Digimon who lives among ghosts as their ruler. Why would you honor and celebrate someone like that? In the words of our friends, he's like a loser! Biyomon: You got that right! Masked Man: (leans in close to the Digimon) Don't you dare come in here telling us who to honor or not! Gomamon: Now, now! Biyomon: Back off! Sora: You're a little touchy. We just wanna know when the trick-or-treating starts. Masked Man: You're not afraid? Whole Kid Group: Nuh-uh! Masked Man: Well, you should be. Because it's a TRICK!!! AND YOU'RE THE TREAT!!!

They really play that Halloween thing for all its worth. That's fair; "It's a trick and you're the treat" is a payoff that goes hard. Credit where it's due, that is fantastic wordplay for a guy hearing about trick-or-treat for the first time in this conversation. Mad improv skills.

Though they're forced to stretch for the Bakemon-sama bit. Gomamon himself has to ID him as "Lord Bakemon" so he can then go off on how inappropriate the honorific is. Probably should have let the Masked Man refer to "Lord Bakemon" for that; It's awkward as is.

The man's mask cracks in front of the kids' eyes. Then it breaks and the bakemono reveals its true form.

Specifically, Bakemon himself, an Adult-stage Virus-type Ghost Digimon.

Narrator: Bakemon. A ghost Digimon that wears a white sheet. No one knows what its true form looks like underneath.

Gomamon handles the rundown for the dub.

Gomamon: The Masked Man was the evil Digimon Lord Bakemon in disguise! No one had ever seen him in his true form!

Once again, the original manages to be funnier than the dub. Bakemon is an actual ghost doing the "spooky white sheet to look like a ghost" bit. XD This is such a goofy episode.

The other worshippers turn towards the kids, shedding their human guises and revealing themselves to be Bakemon as well. In the dub, they shout "Trick!" "Or!" "Treat!" as they do, committing to the bit.

The kids panic and flee outside, only to find themselves in Overdell Graveyard. The dancing humans were also Bakemon this whole time.

Then, at last, the church itself changes, revealing it to be decayed and decrepit.

No option left but to fight. Piyomon lets off a Magical Fire to scatter the Bakemon while Gomamon tries to evolve; However, he used up what strength he had earlier, so no dice.

Gomamon: I can't evolve now because I used it up earlier!

The dub uses this to pay off the food argument from the start of the episode.

Gomamon: I need food! You were right, I should have saved some earlier.

If he'd saved it earlier, Ogremon probably would have killed them both. But they're trying to give this episode some semblance of a story arc after erasing the key points of it.

Piyomon tries to evolve as well, but she's too hungry. Defenseless and surrounded by Bakemon, the kids are completely outmatched. The Bakemon swarm and overwhelm them easily.

"Ow! No! I'm allergic! I'm allergic to pain!" ~Dub Joe, relieving the tension with a pretty good gag. XD

Gomamon and Piyomon are thrown in a dungeon cell. The Bakemon tie up Jou and Sora on their altar, gathering around it and beginning their ritual. They aren't saying anything in specific in the original, but in the dub they chant, "It's a trick! You're the treat!"

Jou: Are we going to be offered to Bakemon-sama? Sora: Looks like. Jou: (bawling) I knew I should have stayed at home studying instead of coming to camp! (A pair of Bakemon approach with salt and pepper shakers. They season the kids, causing Jou to sneeze.) Sora: I-I think you should go light on the salt, don't you? Bakemon: You're right. They say eating too many salty things is bad for your health. Jou: I knew it! Bakemon-sama is planning to eat us! Sora: Just who is this Bakemon-sama!?!?

Glad to see Sora looking out for Bakemon-sama's health. His worshippers were about to give him high blood pressure. XD

Over in the dub, Joe's still trying to take charge and be the leader.

Joe: Okay, don't panic. I'm still in control and feeling strong. Sora: Okay. Joe: (bawling) I don't wanna be somebody's appetizer! I'm supposed to go to Med School! (A pair of Bakemon approach with salt and pepper shakers. They season the kids, causing Joe to sneeze.) Sora: Salt and pepper? You're not really going to eat us, are you? Bakemon: You're a little on the scrawny side, but you'd be surprised what the right seasonings can do! Joe: You think we can finagle him into dining on someone a bit bigger? Sora: What kind of fiend is this guy!? We're just kids!

Here, the dub finally nails the "Why did I go to camp" bit with Joe's exclamation about Med School. Additionally, Joe trying to weasel out of this by convincing Bakemon to eat someone else is fun. Meanwhile, the original has the funny salt exchange. So both versions of this scene are pretty good.

Down in their cells, Gomamon and Piyomon plot what to do. They need to escape somehow but they're starving.

Gomamon: The walls are too thick to break down. Piyomon: We have to get out somehow. Bakemon: (snores) Gomamon: Let's trick that Bakemon into getting us out. He looks stupid enough. Piyomon: What makes you think he's gullible? Gomamon: Digimon who sleep with a mucus bubble coming out of their noses are easy to fool. Piyomon: Is it really a good idea to judge based on that? Gomamon: Yep! Piyomon: So how do we do it?

It's true. Sleeping with a snot bubble while on guard duty is a universal indicator of being a hapless rube.

Over in the dub, the roles are reversed.

Biyomon: There must be a way out of here. Gomamon: Maybe we've been looking in all the wrong places. Biyomon: There's not much room to look in this place. Bakemon: (snores) Biyomon: Hey! We may be able to trick the guard and escape? Gomamon: We may be able to trick him? I think that's a given; He doesn't look too smart. Biyomon: Right. So first we have to try and wake him up. Gomamon: And how are we gonna do that? Look at him. For a ghost, he sleeps like a log! Biyomon: We just have to get his attention or we'll never escape! But I'm all out of ideas! Gomamon: I think I have just the thing.

Again with carving the funny bits. Why did you remove the mucus bubble call-out?

To get Bakemon's attention, Gomamon picks up a rock and pops his mucus bubble with it, waking him up. Then we get the most amazing exchange in the entire episode.

Gomamon: Bakemon! Bakemon: Are you talking to me? Gomamon: I am. Bakemon: What do you want? Gomamon: Try to torture us. Bakemon: What. Piyomon: We want to be tortured! Bakemon: You two are weird Digimon. Gomamon: We're hungry. You should eat something in front of us to torture us. Bakemon: Huh!? Gomamon: Could it be that this graveyard is so poor, you don't even have any food? Bakemon: What!? No! We have tons of food! Piyomon: Then torture us with it! Bakemon: Okay....

This poor Virus is so baffled right now, it's amazing. XD

Obviously, the dub was never going to let these characters start shrieking, "Torture me, Virus-sama!" No way in hell that makes it to broadcast on FOX Kids. But they still try their best to make this scene their own.

Bakemon: Hey! What's the idea!? Gomamon: So, when do you start? Bakemon: Start what? Gomamon: Start taunting us, you floating bag of wind! Bakemon: Wha--? Biyomon: You give bad Digimon a bad name! Bakemon: But I haven't learned how to taunt anyone yet.... Biyomon: It's easy! You just find out what we want, then don't let us have it. Bakemon: Huh? Gomamon: Here's how you taunt. We're starving and want to eat. So you show us food but don't give it to us, got it? Bakemon: I think I gotcha! You know, I've got a bunch of bananas.... Biyomon: Then taunt us with them! Come on! Bakemon: Okay!

This is pretty clever. Playing off their Bakemon being dim-witted, Gomamon and Biyomon trick him into letting them teach him how to be cruel. It's not nearly as funny, but it captures the spirit of Torture Me, Senpai in a way that would be acceptable to American censors.

Bakemon goes and retrieves a bunch of purple bananas. Real bananas, not like those imposter bananas Mimi found. He tries simply peeling one and eating it, but they explain that they can't see. They're too hungry to see or smell the bananas; He needs to come closer.

Once he's close enough to the bars, Gomamon and Piyomon grab him, yanking him forward and knocking him out. With bananas in hand, Gomamon and Piyomon satiate their hunger.

Up in the church, the Bakemon prepare their ritual.

Jou: My soul tastes awful! Sora: What? Are you saying mine tastes better!? Jou: Yes! It probably tastes better than mine! Sora: JOU-SENPAI!!! And you call yourself a leader!?

Jou is now actively trying to throw Sora under the bus to save himself. That's not very senpai of you, Jou.

The dub edits this to remove Jou's supreme moment of cowardice.

Joe: You don't want to eat me; I'm mostly gristle anyway. Sora: What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying they should eat me first!? Joe: Oh, can't you see it's curtains for both of us!? Sora: Oh, go have your pity party somewhere else!

A much softer interpretation that cuts out Jou explicitly saying they should eat Sora instead of him.

The Bakemon perform the ritual, swirling together above the kids to merge together into a single huge Bakemon. With visible claws.

The process of merging into Bakemon-sama is silent in the original, but the dub has the lesser Bakemon perform a chant.

Bakemon: We're scary ghosts! / We like to boo! / Now it's time / to boo on you!

Once formed, Bakemon-sama descends upon the children, preparing to devour them. However, right at that moment, something bursts up through the floor behind the altar.

Don't know about you but I wouldn't want to be under that sheet right now.

Sora and Jou come untied... somehow, it's not super clear which titanic Digimon carefully snipped their ropes. They race out into the graveyard to take cover behind graves while the explosive battle takes place.

Bakemon uses his signature Hell's Hand to deflect Ikkakumon's Harpoon Vulcan and Birdramon's Meteor Wing. We're throwing everything we have at him, but he's taking it all.

Suddenly, Jou has a revelation.

Sora: Bakemon-sama is much stronger than I thought! Jou: Well, he's a ghost! (lightbulb) To fight against ghosts, you need to chant a sutra praying for God's good grace! Sora: Chant what!? Jou: By chanting the sutra, Bakemon-sama's power will weaken! Sora: Can you do that? Jou: Yes! Sora: Do you know any sutras? Jou: My rural grandmother taught me one so I could pray to do better on my exams. Sora: ...will that work against Bakemon-sama? Jou: It's a sutra. It has to work! Sora: What's with this sudden confidence? You're scaring me!

For fuck's sake. You can feel the localizers crying with every scene of this episode. Okay. Now we have to scrub the religious references from Jou praying to God for holy power to weaken Bakemon.

Hahaha. Ahahahaha. Ahahahahahaha. Okay, Joe. Let's see what you've got.

They start by chopping up the footage. The shot for Sora's first line is cut and Joe's first line is trimmed down. They reframe his lightbulb realization as him watching the fight and exclaiming, "WHOA!" and only use that shot for the duration of the reaction.

To fill back in the runtime for the shots they cut, they replay Bakemon parrying Harpoon Torpedo and Meteor Wing. But they put a commercial break between the original attacks and the replays so it's not as noticeable.

This way, Joe is confident and self-assured right from the get-go. We don't see his transformation from terrified to suddenly realizing he knows what to do. He's just got this on lock.

Sora: Lord Bakemon is tough! Joe: His power comes from evil. But I know that good can beat him in time. Sora: Ohh, what if it's too late!? Joe: It's never too late to fight evil! But we have to weaken Lord Bakemon to help our friends prevail! Sora: We!? You're the leader, not me! Joe: Don't be a quitter! Sora: So what makes you think that we can beat him? Joe: I once saw a show about this Roman physicist. He believed that repeating a phrase helped you focus mind over matter. Sora: Let's focus on running! Joe: No. We focus on making Bakemon lose his power! Sora: ...okay, you're in charge. Start focusing.

Wow, it's funny that the dub cut the line about eating Sora instead because they nonetheless threw her on the fire to make Joe look good here. She goes from being uncertain about Jou's plan and probing for details to full-on cowardly so that Joe can encourage her.

Using Sora's hat as a ritual drum, Jou performs his sutra to weaken Bakemon-sama. Meanwhile, Joe performs his definitely not a prayer mind-over-matter affirmation, intoning "Bakemon lose your power" again and again. They can't say he needs a ritual drum, so Sora instead simply suggests that we "use [her] lucky hat".

The sutra works, gradually diminishing Bakemon in size and power. Once he's weakend, Jou leaps up and gives the order to open fire on him.

Birdramon and Ikkakumon's shots hit home, causing Bakemon to explode in a shower of fabric confetti.

Sora: I have no idea what just happened but that was so cool!

I guess this makes up for trying to get Bakemon to eat Sora instead of him earlier.

Once again, the dub cuts out this great line and replaces it with something much more generic.

Sora: Way to go, guys! You got Bakemon!

Why. Why do you keep removing the funny.

Bakemon's... defeat? Death? Unclear. Whatever happened to Bakemon ruptures a seam in the ground, revealing the Black Gears.

We don't even need to touch them. They stop moving suddenly, then fall apart. Rather than going into reverse, they break entirely. So this shard's not going back to Infinity Mountain like the previous two are.

That's okay, though. We have transportation.

Reasoning that the rest of the group will be over there, Jou and Sora leave their shard behind and set sail for Infinity Mountain. We close on the pair riding off to an uncertain fate.

Assessment: In contrast to the previous two episodes, this one doesn't give Sora much of a character study. It's Jou's episode from start to finish. Sora agrees to Gomamon's plan, following Jou around to puff up his confidence. She questions and scrutinizes him repeatedly but remains firmly in that area.

They squabble repeatedly, but it never feels like it's pitting them against one another, the way the previous episodes did for Taichi & Yamato and for Mimi & Koushiro. Instead, the focus is on pushing Jou to his lowest, then raising him to his highest.

By the end of the episode, he feels like he's genuinely become the reliable upperclassmen that he's been trying to be. His plan against Bakemon relies on not just leadership, but drawing from knowledge that Sora hasn't yet had a chance to learn.

At the same time, this is the funniest episode the show's had thus far. Overflowing with absurdity.

On the other hand, the previous episode with Mimi and Koushiro was the best dubbed episode we've had yet. This one was the worst. They carved out so much and only sometimes had something as good to replace it with. A lot of it they had to carve out but there's also plenty that they didn't. Multiple places where they made a choice to be less funny or less interesting.

[erii-ya]

‘If it’s you….’ Part 2

Killer x FemReader

Part 1

Content Warning: Violence, mentions of blood, bloodshed, death, void of emotions, killing

WC: 1,149

A/N: One Piece is the beautiful creation of the genius Eiichiro Oda-sensei. It has heavy *spoilers* for the Wano Arc since the context revolves around Udon Prison. Please remember that the flow of the story is just a fantasy in my head, and English is not my mother tongue.

🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

Hitokiri Kamazo, a criminal who worked under Orochi, assassinates people the Shogun deems punishable. His wanted posters were everywhere, especially at the Flower Capital. People were made aware to take extra caution at night when he’s lurking around any corner—a ruthless killer who finds joy in bloodshed. At least, that’s what the rumors said. Little did you know that the criminal would turn out to be someone you know. A person dear to you. Your thing of obsession.

Killer wails while laughing hysterically. He didn’t answer Kid, but tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. You’re even sure you saw him peek in your direction, but it happened too fast you couldn’t catch his gaze.

“What?! He’s the guy with the mask that was always with Jaggy?!” Luffy exclaimed. Oh yeah, you’re with your captain. You got so invested in what’s happening that you forgot your current situation.

Old man Hyogoro moved closer to you and Luffy, “You know him?” he asked no one in particular. Without skipping a beat, you said, “Yeah.” glancing over to the old man. “As you may already know, the redhead is also a captain of another pirate crew like Luffy, and the blonde guy…” musing back to Killer, “is his vice-captain.” You choked a bit on the last part. It felt like your throat ran dry. To be honest, a looming headache grows by the minute the longer you watch. You’re too confused, in rage, and keeping these intense emotions at bay is torturing you. It makes you wonder how you can still stay calm and collected when all the fibers in your body are screaming murder.

“Jaggy possibly tried to save him and their crew,” Luffy concluded. ‘Well, obviously.’

Eustass Kid may be known as a vicious pirate, but he’s a compassionate captain to his crew. Not that you’ll see it in public, but you’re one of those people who knew, if not the only one. Kid will do anything to protect his people, especially since his crew was with him in his highs and lows.

Hyogoro shakes his head sympathetically. “How cruel.” he started. “He was forced to eat the SMILE fruit that takes away one’s emotions. Only to be given a mask of laughter that can never be taken off.”

After hearing that, you swiftly turn towards him. “…the hell do you mean?! What – What Smile fruit?! What is this ‘being devoid of emotion’ thing about?! Explain!!” With an intent look in your eyes, you literally growled at the old man.

A sudden silence filled the air, and you weren’t even aware. Everyone in the area who heard your outburst is now looking in your direction. Your reaction made the old man so taken aback that he was speechless. Probably because he wasn’t expecting you to react that way. You grab onto his shoulder, practically shaking him too hard while you insist he answer you. Even Eustass Kid and Killer, who made a scene a while ago, focused their eyes on your direction.

Standing tall in front of your group, Queen decided to intervene and answer you instead. “Let me do the honors for you, boy.” smiling devilishly. “SMILEs are artificially made devil fruits. It intends to grant the consumer the power of animal transformation, much like a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.”

‘Artificially made devil fruit? That was possible?’ you thought.

Still, he continued, “However, the success rate of achieving the desired outcome of gaining animal powers after consuming SMILE is only 10%, thus considering those who successfully did as ‘Gifters.’ The other 90% who ate a dud…” Queen points at Killer as though to make his point.

“I mean, it’s not that bad, yeah? He may not gain any powers, but he gained an everlasting HAPPINESS!” as if to add salt to injury, roaring with mocking laughter.

All the other beast pirates guffawed at the remark.

You remembered what you saw on the light-scroll snail earlier about the citizens who laughed at the person who was executed. “So you mean to say those people laughing at the dead earlier was…” you spoke, waiting for him to say the obvious.

“Uh-huh, they ate a dud, too. Orochi probably did it; how he did it is beyond me, as if I care.” It wasn’t apparent before, so you thought poorly about the citizens, who also turned out to be victims.

Now it’s all clear...

....and that was your last straw.

Forcing people to eat a defective devil fruit, voiding them with emotions but constant joy, and capturing innocent people for them to do hard labor in this prison. You thought you already saw the unthinkable.

In Punk Hazard~

In Dressrosa~

But it seems evil exists in any other country. Not only is it constant, but the level of evil only escalates from one country to another. The longer you and your crew journeyed, the more you realized how revolting the world is.

You had your share of a dark past, and your soul may be frying up good in hell, but at least you don’t pretend to be good.

The emotions you struggled to constrain are now raging more than ever.

Hands shaking, you clenched your fists.

Resisting is futile, and you know that.

Now, all you see is red, and you’re already raring to go.

You took a deep breath, exhaled sharply, and then snorted, followed by a boisterous laugh. You laughed so hard you’re tearing while clenching your tummy. Queen and his men were stunned at your action.

On the other hand, Luffy…

“No good. No good. No good.” He hurriedly reached out to grab you, "Y/N!!" but it was too late.

Your right fist jabbed Queen’s stomach, sending him flying to the other end of the arena, dragging some of his men who were caught on impact. The next thing happened after another, and most of the beast pirates went down one by one.

Blood splattered all over the place as you go on a rampage. Blinded by rage, you walk the path of destruction. With everything you’ve learned and heard, you let your emotions get the best of you.

Luckily, Luffy quickly evacuated the prisoners. He was wary that this might happen after you discover Kamazo's true identity and what had happened to him.

In fact, he felt the same way as you, though not as intense to the point of killing. But that was a part of who you are that Luffy accepted with open arms. Your captain is not one to judge people; he also knows how deeply you care about Killer.

In reality, it’s not only because you care about him but because your deep affection towards the man becomes an obsession.

No one messes with your Milý and gets away with it.

Alive.

You swear, in the name of all things holy and on your damned soul, you’ll make sure to sweep this place clean.

Colored in red.

Continued in Part 3...

[moonyinpisces]

🥃 alternate reunion | post s2 good omens snippet

to celebrate finishing act 1 of my s3 fic how do we turn on the light? , here's the original snippet for aziraphale and crowley reuniting after s2. i had began writing this before chapter 1 was even posted, and if you've read hdwtotl, you can see how different the plot ended up along with a few key similarities. the tone of this scene for the story i was writing felt way off so i did away with 99% of it in the actual chapter, but i feel bad about it existing all lonely in my snippets doc, so. enjoy!

1.7k words. context: aziraphale has been supreme archangel for 3 years, and has received instructions from the metatron to meet with the grand duke of hell to negotiate sanctions for the second coming. aziraphale assumes that crowley's been asleep this entire time. he was wrong.

He approaches Marguerite’s, the ivy climbing the walls having died from the winter chill. He glimpses the outdoor seating, feels a flash of something—a memory of—

‘Smitten, I believe. You’re being silly—‘

Aziraphale shakes it away, blinks in rapid succession until the image fades. The interior is more or less as he remembers it, lightly Tuscan and dimly-lit enough that it made every conversation somewhat intimate. The server is unfamiliar, and Aziraphale is grateful that he’s not meant to have small-talk with someone who recognizes him. Someone that he may or may not end up recognizing back, all this time later. He requests the table up against the window at the far corner. 

He purposefully doesn’t look at his bookshop through the window, can remember—the last time he was there, when—when Crowley—Snap out of it, he thinks desperately. His memories are becoming too much to contain, fragmented as they are, and it’s enough to make him wary, intensely disoriented. Perhaps it can simply be attributed to his return to Earth, but, no, there’s a feeling in the air, something unfamiliarly evil but familiarly miserable. Almost as if there’s a… badness about London, now, something miserable seeping into the concrete, cloying the smoggy air. Either that means the end times somehow already began in his absence, or—

Crowley’s awake. 

The thought makes Aziraphale's unnecessary heartbeat falter, makes his hand flutter to his puff-tie and dig into the fabric. There’s no guarantee, of course, and three years is on the shorter side for the handful of times he’s slept a period of time away, but—

Through the window, Aziraphale can just see the building next door. Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death. There’s a woman—Nina, her name is Nina—wiping down the outdoor seating, stacking up the dishware following the lunch rush. He watches a familiar figure come out from inside, donned in an apron and a sunny dress, immediately reaching her arms forward to help Nina with the load. Maggie, he remembers with a rush of warmth. Nina says something to her with a crooked smile, and Maggie laughs, then tips forward to press their lips together over the stack of dirty plates between them. The gaping, dormant thing in Aziraphale’s chest lets out a slow, mournful whine. A flash of red and black passes his vision. 

It all happens rather quickly after that. 

First, something sharp and jagged slides between his ribs, buries into his organs, the celestial ones. He jolts, gasps, immediately pressing a hand low to his chest, grabbing at—nothing. He looks down and frowns, seeing no blood, golden or otherwise. A voice pulls him back up. 

“Are you ready to order?” The waitress asks him. 

“I—“ he starts, then smells it. Staticky, slight, but deep still, like—like the ocean before a storm, or the smoke after the incense has already burned off, like bourbon and he feels—he experiences it all again, every moment together in the past 6000 years, the things he poured futilely into ink and pressure to suppress, and—

When Crowley slides into the seat across from him, something fractures and mends at the same time, like re-breaking a bone. It’s all he can do to stare. 

Crowley’s looking at him evenly. Crowley’s there, he’s perched in front of him like a—a materialization. It feels impossible, Crowley being here on his own volition. And now he’s raising an expectant brow, and when nothing is forthcoming he looks to the waitress, then back to Aziraphale. “Erm,” he says awkwardly. “I’ll have a double Macallan, neat. He’ll take—“ Another look. “A dry vermouth, maybe. The sweetest one you’ve got.” 

His voice. Aziraphale’s fingers clench into the seat of his chair so tightly that the wood splinters. 

The waitress departs. Crowley crosses a leg over his knee, leans back casually in his chair like he’s going to fall right out of it. He’s wearing a black turtleneck and a thick, dark-gray blazer. A fine maroon scarf drapes untied around his neck. His hair is identical to how it was three years ago, only—wavier. Disheveled, maybe. It’s not the worst bedhead he’s been afflicted with, in comparison to all the others. There’s dark circles just visible beneath the bottom curve of his sunglasses. He’s tilting his head imperceptibly up and down, and it takes Aziraphale a moment to understand that he’s being scrutinized right back; if Crowley has an opinion over Aziraphale’s own change of wardrobe, though, he doesn’t voice it. 

“Hello,” Crowley says finally, almost politely. He has his hands folded at the curve of his knee, pulling his arms taut, and he says in a too-delighted tone of voice, “Been too long, hasn’t it?” 

Aziraphale blinks. That’s the only possible movement he could make. “I—“ 

“—Of course, maybe it wasn’t long enough, to you,” he acquiesces with a tilt of his head, as if Aziraphale had voiced anything of the sort. His ankle is bouncing in midair. “We’ve certainly gone longer, though, haven’t we, Oh Supreme Archangel of Heaven.” He announces each part of the title distinct from each other, lips curled into a frown that looks more like a barely-schooled smile. “Who would have thought it, truly? Not me. Especially not me. You could have given me thousands of years, and I’d never have guessed this is where we’d end up.” He leans over his crossed leg dangerously. “Do I need to call you some sort of—I dunno, special biblical thing? Bow my head? Bend the knee?” 

Breath rushes back into Aziraphale’s chest, and he dislodges his grip from the chair. He tries to look away from Crowley, back out the window unseeingly, but it’s as though his body can’t physically bear the absence, and his eyes snap back forward. He tries to form words that don’t exist. 

The waitress returns with their drinks. Crowley barks out what sounds to be a genuine laugh, takes his whiskey and throws it back like a shot. His throat ripples beneath his turtleneck. He drops his hand back to the table with a thud, but keeps his long neck tipped back. “Fuck,” he sighs, long and slow. “Been a long time since I’ve imbibed, to tell you the truth.” 

“You’re a demon,” are unfortunately the first words Aziraphale can find. They come out automatically, well-practiced. “You never tell the truth.” 

Crowley drops his head back down and grins. It’s entirely teeth. He gestures towards Aziraphale with his empty glass, and says conspiratorially, “Is that what you’ve been telling yourself, then?” 

Blinking rapidly, Aziraphale finally musters the ability to pull himself from his reverie. He looks down to the dry vermouth. Perfect guess, of course, though—he’s not sure he could swallow it without it coming back up. It’s been a while since he’s ingested anything. “What are you…” His voice softens. “What are you doing here, Crowley?” 

It’s a hard moment, the way Crowley looks at him. His eyes are only glints behind his glasses, somehow both dulled and intensely alive. Then he sniffs, clenches his jaw and snaps to refill his drink. “What do you think?” He says tiredly, as if he’s exhausted himself of whatever charade he was trying to put on, just now. “Where else would I be? You’re here. I’m waiting for you to tell me why, by the way, though I—hah, I have a sneaking suspicion I know what it is already.” 

“This isn’t—“ Aziraphale can’t look at him directly anymore, needs a moment to acclimate. “This isn’t a social call, Crowley. I’ve returned to Earth to—“ 

“—Make a deal with the devil?” asks Crowley, quirking a brow again. 

Aziraphale frowns. He knows Hell talks, just as Heaven does, but he’s under the impression—well, Crowley had said he’d given it all up, before. An independent agent, if an agent at all. A proper human. Aziraphale eyes him from the peripheral. “How do you know that?”

Crowley freezes. His glass is suspended halfway to his mouth. “You…” His expression does something complicated. “You don’t know?” 

Though he doesn’t know what Crowley’s referring to, these past three years has told Aziraphale that the answer to that question is usually ‘no’. Spending time aimlessly in Heaven has convinced him more than ever how little he truly knows. So he just shakes his head. Crowley watches him do it, eyes tracking the movement like he’s simultaneously a predator and an animal of prey. 

“They didn’t tell you?” A dramatic juxtaposition to the feigned pleasantries earlier, Crowley’s expression tightens into something hard and angry, a rarely-seen darkness slithering just beneath the surface, causing his nose to twitch, his jaw to tense impossible more. He slams the glass back to the table, whiskey splashing up and over his fingers. It sizzles at the contact. His skin flashes imperceptibly, makes dark clouds roll rapidly in outside, causes the light directly above them flicker—Aziraphale has only seen him like this a handful of times before, and usually he’s nearly discorporated in what comes next, so he leans back in his chair cautiously. 

But Crowley takes a deep breath. The light steadies, the sky clears. He looks away, out to the bookshop across the street, and laughs something humorlessly. There’s no clarification. 

Aziraphale starts carefully, “I was told—The Metatron told me that I’m to meet with the—the…” Crowley doesn’t move. Aziraphale trails off, and that feeling returns, the one that’s fear, but comes before it still, like—like—

Oh. Oh, no. 

Crowley’s still staring out of the window, tonguing at the inside of his bottom lip. His other lip is curled up, baring his bright, bright teeth. His crossed leg is now entirely flexing and unflexing with a rapid, inconsistent rhythm. And then something in his expression shutters, flattens, and he looks back to Aziraphale with his mouth pressed tightly together in a ghastly interpretation of a smile. 

“Oh yes,” he says slowly, sardonically, tipping his head up like he’s basking in the realization. He holds his hand out over the table, long fingers twitching, perhaps wanting to curl into a fist instead. “Grand Duke of Hell, at Lucifer’s service. Can we begin?” 

Dread, Aziraphale remembers weakly. The feeling is dread.

[suffersinfandom]

gifset by seraph-novak

So there’s a critique of this scene (and Ed in season two as a whole) that I haven’t been able to shake. The post went into how the whole mermaid sequence was ruined by the rest of the season -- about how this beautiful scene was, put in the context of Ed’s behavior in the rest of season two, an ominous rebirth of a villain. The writer couldn’t see Ed as a protagonist finding the will to live; they saw a monster getting another chance to terrorize his victims.

I really hate that. I’ve already typed way too much about how I don’t think that Ed is abusive or that the Kraken Era was all that bad, so of course I disagree with any take that characterizes Ed as a monster. But do you know why this post stuck with me?

It made me unreasonably sad.

There’s a danger in over-identifying with characters (and I do think that a lot of the tension in OFMD fandom comes from over-identification), but it’s so easy for me to understand what Ed’s going through in the first three episodes of season two. I’ve been there. Judging by this post, many of us have been where Ed is. 

We’ve struggled to live while we’re drowning. We’ve been trapped and hopeless and desperate for a reason to keep going -- for someone to give us hope that things can be better. 

And we’ve also hurt people in our despair. 

When I was in my Kraken Era, I was a sick college student who’d been fighting depression since middle school. I’d just escaped a “friendship” with someone who (I can admit in retrospect) abused me mentally and emotionally, and I had no other friends because that person had effectively isolated me. I was alone and I was convinced that I was a fundamentally unlovable person who had no right to exist. 

I pushed the few people I had around me away. I isolated myself from my mother as much as I could while living in her house. I cut off communication with my online acquaintances (who would later become good friends) and didn’t speak to anyone at school. For a while, I was so focused on my pain and self hatred that I barely thought about other people. It was an intensely selfish and self-centered existence, and I hurt my mom and everyone who could’ve been a friend. When you're in that desperately hopeless, depressed mindset, you don't care about hurting people because your own pain is so all-consuming. If anything, you want to hurt others so they'll give up on you in the same way you've given up on yourself.

It’s different from what Ed did, of course, because he’s not me and I wasn’t a pirate captain with the lives of a crew in my hands. The harm I could cause was severely limited by my lack of power, but I still caused it. I was still trying to isolate and cut ties and push away anyone who could’ve helped me even when I desperately wanted help. I wasn’t a good person.

Watching Ed go through a self-destructive arc that’s immediately identifiable, deeply personal, and so well done was incredible, and seeing the show support him instead of demonizing his behavior? I have no words for the way I felt during season two’s run. 

OFMD makes Ed a sympathetic character who’s worth loving even when he’s at his lowest. It gives us a lead who fucks up when he’s in the depths of his despair and it doesn’t pity him or wave away his problems or make a monster out of him. It doesn’t even have his romantic interest save him! Instead, it lets Ed save himself when he realizes that there’s still hope and love out there. 

This show reminded me that we’re not monsters even if we’ve hurt people. It told me that recovery is possible, and so is forgiveness. It asked me to keep loving Ed through his entire arc, and in doing that, it forced me to love the parts of me that I’m still working on as well.

So I know that I shouldn’t be bothered by people who see season two Ed as an irredeemable monster who gets an undeserved second shot at life, y’know? But even though I’m a decade and a half out of my own Kraken Era, I’m still in a perpetual state of recovery. There’s always a persistent doubt -- a suspicion that there’s a fundamental flaw in me that no amount of therapy will fix -- and that doubt latched onto some random person’s conviction that Ed is a monster. It says, If Ed will always be a monster, what about you?

And I know that voice is wrong because it’s always been a liar. I know that it doesn’t matter that some portion of the fanbase turned on Ed in season two because that man isn’t real and he’s not me. I know that, for people who haven’t experienced something that was reflected in Ed’s arc, it might be difficult to sympathize with him (and with real life people who blow their lives up in their despair). 

There will always be people who don’t understand or can’t empathize with that kind of desperate hopelessness, but there are also many, many people who get it… and some of those people were clearly in season two's writer’s room. Some of those people are in this fandom.

I guess what I’m getting at is this: I hope that, if you saw yourself in Ed’s early season two story, you know that you’re not a monster and you’re not a villain in someone else’s story, no matter what anyone else says. I hope you know that you’re worthy of love. 

I hope you know you’re not alone.

[fioras-resolve]

hey, let's talk about this blog post from 2014. this is an open letter from the creators of number-merging mobile game Threes, in response to various imitators like 2048. it's a fascinating case study in the midst of recent discussions of plagiarism.

so, look. Threes and 2048 are both mobile games that you can play right now, for free. i highly encourage that you play both of them before reading further. i want you to see how different these games feel to play.

okay, so. this blog post from Asher Vollmer and Greg Wohlwend is interesting to look back on, but it's worth remembering the context it was made in. the mobile gaming scene is absolutely awash with copycats and imitators, and has been for over a decade. mobile games like this are typically pretty simple and thus incredibly easy to copy. if you have a good idea for a mobile game, you are almost immediately going to get people looking to cash in on your idea. this has been cited by former free-to-play dev Caryl Shaw as one of the reasons she left that industry. it's important to keep in mind that cheap imitators and cash-ins are absolutely an issue endemic to the platform.

that said, 2048 is not the same game as Threes. Vollmer complains that people tell him they like 2048 more, but it's not hard to see why they do. it's faster-paced, easier to understand, and more immediately gratifying. Threes takes a bit of practice to really understand what it's doing. its advantages over 2048, e.g. granular control, more predictable rng, more depth long-term, are more relevant to mid- or high-level play. also, this might seem minor, but 2048 actually comes with an objective, it's right there in the title. it means that players have a goal to reach for beyond just a high score. even if you think 2048 is a worse game that Threes, they're clearly different games, and it's not hard to see why 2048 became memetic in a way that Threes didn't.

the letter acknowledges this. it doesn't call 2048 a knock-off, but instead a rip-off, and points out rightly that Threes didn't get the time to grow an audience or the credit for doing it first. i am intensely sympathetic to this, and you should be too. as an indie gamedev even outside of mobile, i worry that my good ideas might be stolen for a profit. even though i'm confident in my abilities as a developer, i'm less confident in my ability to predict the market, and the fear of plagiarism doesn't help.

but i'm not gonna lie, Vollmer and Wohlwend's letter here comes off as salty and antagonistic toward a fellow game developer. it simply wasn't enough to say that it's bad that they didn't get the credit they deserve, they also had to call 2048 a "broken game." to be clear! it has been almost a decade since both games came out! and i still go back to 2048! i decided to go back to Threes recently and give it a proper shot, and while yeah, it's better than i remember it, 2048 is not that much worse of an experience! it's like Minesweeper for me, one of those games i go back to when i need something to do. and like Minesweeper, it's fairly barebones as a game, but that doesn't really stop me from loving it.

but what really sticks out to me about the letter is actually this line that i haven't been able to get out of my head:

We know Threes is a better game, we spent over a year on it.

this has bothered me for a while. not just because it's a wrongheaded way of thinking about quality, (plenty of AAA games that took more than a year suck) but because it's a common one. it's a kind of romanticization of work that treats the process as more important than the result. i understand this mindset, it's one that a lot of creators adopt, including me, because we love the work that we do. but it just doesn't always shake out that way. sometimes the work you do doesn't coalesce, and sometimes a great idea can be developed over a weekend. my current gamedev project which you can help playtest on my discord is a less ambitious project than ones i've taken on in the past, but also one i'm more confident i can pull off. it's often less important how much time you spend, than how you spend it and why.

*sigh*

Asher, Greg. if you are for some reason reading this, i do respect y'all as gamedevs. i think you did great on Threes, and also Puzzlejuice, and a lot of other games you've worked on separately. you called out an important issue in mobile gamedev, and one that's still with us today. you made an good, important game on a platform that is now dominated by predatory monetization and junk food entertainment. Threes represented a better world for mobile, and your post pushed back against what mobile had become.

but 2048 is fine.

[dema-heart]

Not you...please not her

Hobie x starlet (fem! Reader)

I made a whole Spotify Playlist based on this pair's love but can't bring myself to work on the story beside random shorts and very small add ons🤦🏾‍♀️. Anyways,let me know if you want to listen to it!

Bit of context at the bottom. There's a short drabble on my page called dream boy that's also about these two. I just like making it to where it's x reader so others can enjoy!

Warnings:

Swearing

Falling

Pov changes

If something doesn't make sense let me know! I'm trying to change up my writing but I don't usually write intense,I guess, scenes like this pacing was hard for me!

Hobie and Peter from Earth 862 were wrapping up after fighting and catching an anomaly. They looked over the edge of the roof,checking the damage and preparing to head down to make sure everyone was okay when their spidey senses went off. Confused, they looked around preparing for a fight but seeing nothing.

"You felt that too right, mate?" Hobie asked, turning to Peter ,who had nodded.

Lyla glitches onto their watches before attempting to warn them "the....the..r.e....por...al....M...J....pe..te..er...862....cat..ch." she fades away, leaving both boys more confused than before.

Their spidey sense went off again stronger this time as the purple sunset colored portal opened right above the edge of the roof. They watched in slow motion as Earth 862 MJ fell through, still sleeping peacefully.

Both boys raised their wrist to shoot out a web but it was too late. They watched as she fell past them, almost clipping the edge of the roof.

Hobie dived after her not wasting a second the same time Peter yelled out "MJ" in a panic. Peter looked back to the anomaly he was currently holding down ,it was a goblin variant. Goblin cackled as he'd taken the distraction as a chance to slip out one of his pumpkin bombs.

"Bye bye spiderman" Pete's spidey sense went off again as he quickly grabbed the goblin and jumped to escape the blast.

Hobie was currently diving for you. The wind whipped past him as he reached out to you. You were just out of web distance and hadn't woken up yet, body limp in its relaxed state making the reach harder.

"SHIT!" He swore trying his best to reach you but just couldn't, frustration and fear growing. The fear that this could be one of your Peter's cannon events. The fear that this was another of his cannon events. He snapped out of it shaking the thought from his head. This wasn't a cannon event lyla would have said. Should have said but fuck if he would let anything happen to you.

"STARLET OPEN YOUR EYES! PLEASE. PLEASE GOD DAMN IT! NOT YOU FOR FUCKS SAKE NOT LIKE THIS!" Hobie screamed. The sound of the explosion caused him to look back only to see debris from the roof bomb falling towards you both.

"Shit!" You were right there right fucking there but he turned spidey sense going haywire as he webbed the falling debris knowing if he didn't it'd crush you and the people possibly below.

Growling, he turned back, going back into a dive to get to you again. He watched as your eyes opened slowly. The peaceful look on your face quickly changed to one of panic as the feeling of falling set in.

You could feel the wind whipping around you. The weightlessness that came with free falling but the heavy dread in your gut feeling like it was pulling you toward the ground faster.

You looked up at the masked man in front of you. He was reaching for you, hands out stretched. You couldn't quit hear what he was saying, but you knew he was calling your name. How he knew it was beyond you. Reaching your hands out, a small whimper left your lips when your fingertips touched but couldn't get a good enough grip. You looked up at him with teary, fear filled eyes after you chanced a look below.

"Shit. Shit please come on please, " hobie muttered to himself as he watched your eyes water. He grunted, shooting out a web to grab on to the building, watching your eyes widen as the distance grew again. Before he pushed off the building, hard enough to leave a crater.

Your eyes were closed again as you tried to steady your breathing, confused and scared, but you knew this was a dream it had to be. You'd wake up before you hit the ground and laugh it off with peter when you woke up frazzled. Yeah, that's what would happen... another whimper left your trembling lips as you held in tears.

You gasped as a body collided with yours, opening your eyes, you see the spiked spiderman from earlier. His arms wrapped around you as he shot out a web to try to save you both from hitting the ground.

"Shit..." You could hear the panic in his voice as the web gave a weak attempt at sticking to the building. He tried again, getting the same result he sweared aggressively as he looked down at your worried tear stained face. His web shooters had given their last good web to get him to you after the fight with goblin and the debris.

He whispers words if comfort into your hair as he turns you. His back toward the fast approaching ground, and you cradled into his front. You peaked over his shoulder once before he tucked your head down into his chest. He made promise after promise that everything would be alright. You nodded believing him even as you felt his racing heart under you.

"Close your eyes ,starlet. It's gonna be okay you'll see" He murmured into your eye. You shivered, closing your eyes as you thought about what you'd tell Peter when you woke up. How this dream had to almost be as scary as your in counter with Doc Ock.

Suddenly, the wind wasn't whipping anymore, and your stomach wasn't in your chest anymore. You kept your eyes closed just in case not wanting to open them and start the dream over.

"Starlet...hey..you can open your eyes now" the soothing velvety voice rumbled from the man below you. Still you waited not sure if you trusted it.

"MJ! Are you okay? Talk to me!" The sound of Peter's voice had you cracking your eyes open. You looked around to see a giant web holding you and the spiked spiderman above the ground. Peter was next to you in a spiderman suit, the mask in his hands.

You giggled at that, finding it funny that your subconscious would put your best friend you call spidey in a Spiderman suit. Your laughter shook your core before slowly dying into a soft sob, and both spider boys looked at you in concern.

"Im okay..." You sit up looking above you, then back down at the spiderman under you. "We're okay?.." You hesitate to ask, not sure about anything at the moment. He nods slowly, and you look over at peter and launch yourself at him. Hugging him tight as sobs shake your body. He holds you tight doing his best to soothe you as you rambled about how scary this dream was, just like you said you would.

Hobie lays there watching helplessly as your peter comforts you. He knows you don't remember him but everytime he hopes that just maybe you would. Sighing he gets off the web going to walk past you two. Your hand on his leg stops him and he looks down.

"Thanks pretty boy...I.." You shake your head not sure why that's what you had decided to call him but it felt...right. The eyes of his mask widened as he looked down at you. "I'm sorry I..I don't..." shaking your head as a dull ache starts you let him go leaning against Peter you close your eyes the stress and tears pulling you into a light sleep.

Peter looks up at the stunned hobie with a small smile. He stands, just as back up arrives to help with clean up and relocation of the goblin he'd webbed to the ground not too far away. "Looks like she's starting to remember at least a bit." He pats hobie on the back before cradling you as he opens a portal to earth 862, you guys apartment visible in the flickering opening.

"Tell Miguel I took this one home...and feel free to stop by maybe not inside the house but I can introduce you as a friend of gwen's... She's obviously fond of you. And..." He looks back at hobie as he goes to step through the portal, holding you in a secure grip. "I know you like her. Don't deny it! Maybe interacting with you in her "awake" time would help her remember."

"We'll see, bruv." Hobie slides his hand into his pockets, going for nonchalance, but his eyes quickly shift to you when you stir in Peter's arms. Peter chuckles, shaking his head as he disappears through the portal.

Hobie sighs opening his own back to Hq. Thoughts of M.J heavy on his mind. Pav and Gwen's teasing about mutiversal love coming to the forefront before he shakes his head a small smile under his mask at Peter's idea of seeing you and knowing you'd remember him.

"Pretty boy huh. Couldn't even see my face but you remember that lil calling you picked, starlet"

This is once again based on a story I was working on but haven't finished (it was gonna be long ;^; and it was just for me, so i slacked). Basically, I came up with the whole idea of being a different worlds "M.J." (the characters name starts with a J, and in the story, everyone calls her M.J. aka Ms. Jay as she's a nurse at her old high school). She's best friends/roomates with her worlds Peter Parker (doesn't know he's spider man but jokingly calls him spidey cause hes always acting all heroic and getting himself hurt even tho he's a clumsy nerd *nudge nudge* ). He recently saved her from doc ock but something went wrong during the rescue and she's been mutiverse jumping in her sleep but doesn't know it and always ends up in the spider society beacuse that's where her Peter,the person she feels safest with (for now) aka her anchor is. There's no love between Peter and M.j. because they're basically family, and he has Gwen,that they're both also best friends with.

[lilyliveredlittlerichboy]

Harrow brainrot time

I did the thing I wanted to do so now, it is time to start my read through and liveblog of Harrow The Ninth.

But first! It's been a few days since I finished Gideon, so I just wanna round up my main feelings and take-aways from Gideon The Ninth, before I go delving into the sequel.

--

First up, oh my god, what an adorable goof Gideon is. I love her cluelessness. I love her horniness. I love how strong and skilled she is. I love her irreverence, her quips, her emotive narration. I hate and also love how easily she sacrifices herself for Harrow. I loved their relationship sooooooo, so much, so early on. Such interesting characters. So much trauma. My god. Hold me.

The whole "come to the first with your cavalier and become lyctor" thing seemed disconcerting at first, then kind of nice, then suddenly became almost hunger games-type horror. Upon rereading the very first bit, it seems even in the letter, the first summons, it said "Lyctors joined with their cavaliers"; that type of subtle foreshadowing is bound to hit me hard once I actually reread the whole thing, for real, which I will do, probably after I finish Harrow.

(Let me know if you want a liveblog of my reread as well... I'm hoping to find paper copies of the books before starting the reread, also because apparently there are little tidbits and short stories in the paper versions that I haven't found in the archive dot org pdf.)

Ah, what can I say. I really liked the whole book! I loved Dulcinea and her reveal came as a big shock! Ianthe's coldblooded ascension to Lyctorhood didn't come as a massive surprise (hers was a name I'd seen passed around fandom before I even started - so I always suspected there was more behind the bloodless facade in Coronabeth's shadow). I loved Palamedes and Camilla, I hope we learn what happened to Camilla as she was still alive when we last saw her.

As far as the Harrow brainrot is concerned.... ohhhhh my god Harrow. Like, I liked her from the start, as a character (if not really, at first, as a person) - what an interesting foil to set Gideon up with! But then it was revealed what huge trauma she's been carrying around with her since, basically she was born. The pool scene made me go absolutely feral. Oh my godddddd. HARROWWWWWWWW

Needless to say, I can't wait to spend a whole book with her, narratively. It might be too much to hope for, but I really hope she doesn't fare too terribly. The ending just tore me to shreds. Oh Harrow. Oh Gideon. Oh Gideon you stupid little idiot!! You lovable goof!! Why did you have to sacrifice yourself like that!! I mean, I understand why but also WHYYYYYYYYY. you get me, I'm sure.

I'm gonna attach my little ficlet that I wrote, in pain, right after finishing Gideon the Ninth; without any context whatsoever from the sequels. It's a massive projection. This is how I would be, in Harrow's situation, if I were Harrow. Take it with a pinch of salt. I just wrote this to get the hurt out.

Enjoy, and I will commence my reading of Harrow the Ninth very shortly!!

Alternative Epilogue

"No," she said.

The emperor looked at her, unmoving.

"No," Harrowhark said again. "I will not do as you please. I will not return to the Ninth. I will not be your Lyctor or your Saint. I will not. I refuse."

The emperor was still just staring at her, unflinching. “You realise,” he said, “that you have little choice now. You are a Lyctor, whether you like it or not.”

“NO!” she screamed, feeling as though the walls should have shaken with the intensity of emotions she suddenly felt. More than she’d ever felt, she thought, in her entire life.

She didn’t realise she was crying until she was crumpled to the floor like a wet tissue. Crying like she never had before, sobs shaking her morbid little body mercilessly.

“I refuse,” she bit, shaking. “No. No, I will not.”

There was no response.

An eternity seemed to pass where Harrowhark felt nothing but agony. Her body was perfectly healthy, moreso than it should have been, given the trials she’d endured. No, it was her heart, it felt shattered in a million pieces.

And she knew there was only one thing she wanted.

“Give her back,” she sobbed, hands clenching into her dissatisfactory gown. “Give her back, she’s all I have. She’s all I’ve ever had.”

“No power in the universe can return Gideon the Ninth to you now,” the emperor crooned, unaffected. Uncaring.

“You are God,” she spat. “You have all the power in the universe. You’re lying. You’re lying.”

Once again, he just watched her impassively.

“You’re lying,” Harrow said hopelessly, once again succumbing to sobs. “You’re lying. Please. Please give her back. Give her back to me, she’s all I have. Give her back. Give her back.”

She collapsed, if that were even possible, further onto the floor. Rocked by sobs, she curled in on herself, mumbling the same words again and again and again. She couldn’t even feel the gentle pressure of Gideon Nav inside her own mind. She couldn’t feel anything but herself. It was agony.

“Give her back.”

It was impossibly bright and all Harrowhark wanted to do was to hide. She hid, as much as possible, inside her own body. Eyes squeezed shut, head tucked into her armpit. Curled up on the floor in an extremely un-Harrowlike fashion.

But then again, she’d never quite lost everything before. Not like this. Not ever.

“She’s all I have,” Harrow sobbed into her own skin, “give her back.”

It seemed it was hours later that she realised she was alone.

[iggyalfi2319]

More than a toy (MAWS G/T AUs)

A/N: a little bit of context, it's a scene imagined in a mix of two MAWS g/t AUs: Borrower!Lois and Toy!Clark, where Clark is an action figure like toy (a bit like Buzz Lightyear) who never got sold and got brought to life thanks to a piece of meteorite inside of his chest.

I have yet to determine how Borrower!Lois, Toy!Clark and Human!Jimmy met up, but this scene take place at the very beginning of their adventures. I was thinking Clark could be a bit like Zeta/Zee, discovering about humanity and stuff (he knows the basics, but not the subtilities)

TW: use of deshumanizing(?) it/its, temporary character "death", injuries/damages, angst, chat/script format, English not my native language

NOTE: I'm aware I probably made the characters OOC here, hence the AU tag. If you don't like it, you may leave this post. You've been warned, read at your own risk.

========

Somewhere nearby a warehouse:

Clark: I don't think we should go, I have a bad feeling about this -

Lois: *scoffs, walking past him* you're just a toy, what would you know about feelings?

Clark: . . . *overshadowed face, glasses glaring*

Jimmy: Dude, harsh much?...

Lois: *it*'s just a puppet made of plastic who miraculously "powered up" thanks to a piece of meteorite or so *it* said -

*a growling hound suddenly stood before them*

Jimmy: huuuuuh, nice doggy?...

Dog: *growls even more before pouncing*

Lois: *close her eyes and braces herself*-

***CRUNCH***

Jimmy: *horrified gasp*

Lois: *opens her eyes*

*Clark had one of his arms caught in the beast's maw while he held it off with all his strength*

Clark: Leave my friends alone! *aims his laser eyes straight into the animal's ocular globe*

*The dog yowls and growls, shaking it's head but its maw solidly shut on Clark, who refuses to let go either*

Lois, shaking: 💭 Friends?... a-after all the things I said?... 💭

Jimmy: we have to help him!

Lois: *shakes out of her stupor* Throw me on its back!

Jimmy: Are you crazy?!

Lois: Not my first rodeo! Come on!

*insert intense fighting scene*

*The dog was finally gone, thanks for Jimmy scaring it off with his camera's flash*

Lois: C...Clark?...

Clark: *lies lifelessly, his arm in a bad state and the hatch on his chest open...and empty. He definitely looked a lot more like a toy in this state...*

Lois: Clark, come on... wake up...

Jimmy: Lois...

Lois: Why isn't he waking up!

Jimmy: 💭 she called him "he" ...💭 ... Lois, Clark must have lost his power source during the fight...

Lois: Power source?...

Jimmy: The piece of meteorite... he showed it to me the first time we met...

Lois: W-We have to find it!

*They looked around, before Lois spots a soft blinking blue light. She went to it, finding the meteorite there... who was ironically shaped like a heart.*

*what a very bad joke...*

Lois: I found it!

*she rushes to Clark and Jimmy, who was trying to fix his arm the best he could*

Lois: *shoves the heart inside of Clark's chest and slams down the hatch* C'mon, Clark...wake up... please...

Jimmy: Lois...

Lois: Shut up! He...He can't die!

Jimmy: You were the one who said he was just a toy...

Lois: And I regret it, okay?! I-I didn't mean to... He's...*sniffles* He's our friend... my friend...

*Suddenly, Clark's eyes lit up before his whole body started to glow and fixed itself.*

Lois: C-Clark?...

*The glow fades, as Clark's toy like look changed back to his more human looking one.*

Clark: urgh... what happened?...

Jimmy: Dude! You're alive!

Clark: What- oof!

Lois: *tackles him in a hug* YOU IDIOT!

Clark: L-Lois?...

Lois: N-Never scare us like that again...

Clark: I'm sorry?...

Lois: and here you are again apologizing for something that isn't your fault *bonks him*

Clark: O-Ow!

Lois, hugging him: *mumbles* I'm sorry, for what I said...

Clark: ... *hugs her back* It's fine, really...

*Lois's overshadowed face was a hint that she didn't quite believe it but she just smiled*

💭 Definitely more than a just a toy 💭

-----

Thank you for reading QwQ

Maybe there will be more to come or inspirational for others ^^

-

♥️ Like

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[proxylynn]

Hi! I hope everything’s going good :) Just wanted to ask if you could do a headcannon about Jack trying to get some work down in his office but he keeps getting distracted by the reader? Like she’s not even doing it on purpose just little things like cleaning the factory or baking pies….

[Ah, good day to you. Things are okay. I hope all is well on your end. Funny you should mention this, such a scene is how I'm opening chapter 5 but with the context of the previous events of course and it being more angry. But I digress...Jack getting distracted by the reader who isn't purposely trying to do so...Let me think...I hope this comes out okay.]

It didn't seem like the day was any different than the last. You only started working in the factory for about a month now and you seemed to have gotten the hang of the "norm". Or as normal as you're willing to call it as a member of the cleaning staff employed by Big Jack Horner. The bakers paid you no mind. The guards made you feel uneased. And the man himself, Jack Horner, he always managed to leave you with a massive nervous lump in the pit of your gut. The man was imposing in every way. His stare could freeze hell with an icy glare.

You weren't sure why, but you tended to notice his stare linger on you sometimes. Sure, that might have been due to being in his office and him making sure you're not stupid enough to steal from him. That was what you logically thought anyway. So why? Why can't you shake the feeling of his eyes as they try to drill a hole into your back with just intensity alone? What are you to do in such a moment? You're just some cleaner in the office of your boss with your boss in the room with you, your boss that just happens to be a ruthless and remorseless guy that is known for being the cause of many to go missing. So what really are you to do? Do you stop your work to flee or do you grow a spine and tell him he's making you uncomfortable? Too slow, you don't get to make that choice.

Big Jack Horner: How long does it take you to dust a simple shelf? I swear, you've been going at it for over twenty minutes now.

You're quick to apologize, saying your mind was elsewhere.

Big Jack Horner: Get your head out of your ass. I pay you to clean, not zone out. Honestly, how do you expect to finish if you just stand there?

Again, you apologize.

Big Jack Horner: Bah, forget it. Move on to something else.

You give an obedient nod and start to clean the floor. Yet once more you feel his eyes on you. Something about it this time makes you respond without thinking. You ask if there's something the matter.

Big Jack Horner: Yeah. You're not doing it right. You'll never get this place spotless at this rate. Really put your back into it. Scrub like the dirt owes you money.

A strange suggestion but one that works. You're tackling things like you want to strangle someone, being rather noisy about it too. The grunts and huffs you make are quite amusing. The feel of his stare is on you again. Though something is different. There's no other sounds. So the only noise is you. You try to hold it in. But doing so results in you making garbled straining sounds like you're drowning a squeak toy. A new sound accompanies this after a while. Chuckling.

Big Jack Horner: Heheheh...The hell are you doing? Trying to clean or forcing yourself into constipation?

You weren't expecting a jape like that. But giving it thought, you did sound pretty ridiculous, so you couldn't blame him there. You join in on the mirth of it all when the tone shifts. The moment ends with you daring to enjoy this and him seeing that as a moment of weakness.

Big Jack Horner: Do I need to have you removed? Because there's gotta be someone here that can clean this room without me needing to watch them like a damn hawk! At this rate, I'm going to have to stay in late to fix your crap. Now what are you going to do?

Without a word, you resume your duties. Trying harder to not only get the job done, but to remain composed all while he keeps his eyes on you and only you.

[septembersghost]

"Last week, Taylor Swift unveiled the music video for “Anti-Hero”, one of the songs on her new album Midnights. She said in an Instagram post that the video, which she wrote and directed, involves her “nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts [playing] out in real time.” In that sense, it matches the song’s personal, self-reflective lyrics, which include lines such as “Midnights become my afternoons/When my depression works the graveyard shift”, and of course the ear-wormy chorus “It’s me/Hi/I’m the problem, it’s me.”

About two minutes into the video, Swift is seen stepping on a scale. The camera switches to focus on the display, where a needle settles not on a number, but on the word “fat”. Swift is then seen in full length again, turning to the mean alter-ego who has been after her since the beginning of the video and is now shaking her head.

The sequence is a clear reference to Swift’s past struggles with an eating disorder. She first discussed it in the 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana, explaining she had sometimes been driven to “just starve a little bit – just stop eating” after seeing photos of herself in which she deemed her body to be inadequate. She elaborated in an interview with Variety, in which she linked her eating disorder to the intense scrutiny she has been subjected to from a young age.

“I remember how, when I was 18, that was the first time I was on the cover of a magazine,” she told the publication. “And the headline was like ‘Pregnant at 18?’ And it was because I had worn something that made my lower stomach look not flat. So I just registered that as a punishment.”

In the same interview, Swift said that on the other hand, when she received praise for fitting into sample sizes during fittings before photo shoots, she took that as “a pat on the head”. “You register that enough times, and you just start to accommodate everything towards praise and punishment, including your own body,” she said.

But the scale sequence in Swift’s “Anti-Hero” video has led to some backlash, including allegations of fatphobia. Some see the part of the video where Swift looks down and sees “fat” written on the scale as a reinforcement of the stigma faced by fat people. Indeed, the Taylor Swift on the scale is clearly distressed when the word appears. I understand that this might not the best look – a thin, white woman looking at the word “fat” like it’s the worst judgment she might ever face. But context matters here.

“Anti-Hero”, by Swift’s own admission, is about her mental health struggles. With this sequence, she’s clearly illustrating the warped workings of her brain back when she was in the throes of an eating disorder. She’s calling out the thoughts she held in that moment, when weight gain felt like the most dangerous outcome and she wanted to avoid it at all costs, even if it involved “[starving] – just a little bit.” Or, as Twitter user @mrbeardofficial put it: “The message Taylor is very clearly promoting is that society teaches girls and women to fear being fat, and that this is something that has been very harmful to her mental health, and it’s also harmful to the fat people who are stigmatized in the process.”

There is real violence, and real trauma, at the core of an eating disorder. If you did to someone else what a person with anorexia does to themselves, you might end up in a courtroom – or at least subject to an HR investigation. Swift has made it clear that her eating disorder was at least in part the result of other people’s comments on her body, an experience that will likely sound familiar to thousands of her fans. Online, listeners have welcomed her increasing openness about disordered eating and mental health issues.

I have tried to think of other imagery Swift could have used to symbolize her eating disorder. She could have used a different word. She could have ditched the scale altogether. But doing so would have been emotionally dishonest when conveying her own experience — and also less accurate in terms of a depiction of the world as it is. Thankfully, she did avoid a significant misstep in not featuring a specific number, which would have been infinitely more harmful, and triggering for a lot of people.

Anti-fat bias harms people in a myriad of ways (including in potentially life-changing settings, such as in healthcare). But what Swift is doing in the video for “Anti-Hero” is quite obviously not an example of fatphobia. It is an expression of something that is both painful and personal to her, and relatable to millions of people around the world. If we are generous enough to receive her work in good faith, that much should be evident."

[laufire]

☕️ the spn finale

I've mentioned (some of?) this before, I think. I see what the finale was trying to do. I even respect the intent behind it. I don't think it was THE WORST EPISODE OF TV EVER, ON A PURELY TECHNICAL LEVEL, but I see why people who quitted the show loooong before it and returned just to see the end think that: it's just that Dabb's era sucks balls on a technical level, so I was acclimated to it, so to speak xDD

My problem with it is that, with some blink-and-you-miss-it exceptions, the finale (and the two episodes before it, for that matter) left no emotional impact on me. I might as well have watched a forty minutes long car commercial for the effect it had on me.

A character I have an intense love-hate "relationship" with died and I. felt. nothing. That's bad. Like BAD bad. I put a lot of the blame on Jensen Ackles and his insistence that Dean should die standing instead of in Sam's arms. Male ego so fucking fragile smh. But a good director should've told him off and made him do his damn job, so there's blame for everybody.

That last "cast and crew looking into the camera and speaking directly to me like they're being held hostage" scene did not help. At all.

For anyone curious, the one (1) thing that made me feel Something in the finale was Dean's fond half smile/ducked head when he finds out Castiel escaped the empty and is in Heaven now. Anyone who reads me semi-regularly knows I have ambivalent (but rarely lukewarm lol) feelings regarding Destiel, and in Dabb's era that ambivalence takes a turn for the worse, but at that moment I was like oh! A Feeling! A Feeling on my screen!! What a wonder!!!

I do find it (and 15x18-15x19) interesting to analyse and build upon from a creative perspective, but I like it best when my shows both do that AND emotionally shake me to my core. Supernatural's ending failed at the later. And it's particularly sad in context of how much I enjoyed myself with season 15 before that! It certainly wasn't perfect, the execution left a lot to be desired, a lot of dropped plot threads irked me... but it has a strong concept I could discuss endlessly AND it moved me emotionally (maybe not AS much as other storylines, but it did it, and it did it well). Not to mention it could be fun and entertaining as well.

And then the finish line approaches and *deflating balloon sound effect*

[world-cinema-research]

Final Essay By Michael Bump

Michael Bump 

THE 112 

06/30/2023 

Final Essay: Carrie (1976), The Terminator (1984), Hard Boiled (1992), Reservoir Dogs (1992) 

Movies have gone through an amazing transformation since the 1960s. There have been many lives altering historical events that have changed the way people think about and see the world. Cinema has adapted and changed throughout the times. Technology has also opened so many doors for industry as well. The 1960s films were good for their time. The years and technology brought more entertaining films. Carrie was a graphic horror film that left me shaking in my seat. The special effects in that film were gruesome. John Woo used gunfire, explosions, and martial arts to produce an intense action film. James Cameron, who is one of the best in the industry, released The Terminator which is a generational type of film. From 1960 to 1984 when The Terminator was released the change in Hollywood is unmistakable. Another change that is noticeable is the use of profanity and graphic images. The films in the 1960s and prior were conservative and did not have much swearing or nudity. The film industry does a better job of representing cultures from all around the world in today's films. Using Tumblr to write and examine the films helps put context to the time the film was released. Seeing what went on historically puts into perspective what went on while the film was being made. It gives a glimpse of how society was at the time.  

Carrie was released in 1976 and was based on the novel by Stephen King. This was a film that was very disturbing. I also liked it very much. I love horror films and especially Stephen King. I was familiar with the remake of Carrie but had never seen the original film. The music from that film is what scared me the most. It stuck with me for a while, and I could not get it out of my head. I thought the acting was superb and for an older horror movie, it was quite terrifying. Carrie displays universalism versus particularism because as Carrie is trying to live by the universal rules of society, she is troubled by powers that were given to her. She does not live life like the other kids at her High School and it alienates her. The uncertainty avoidance index relates to Carrie because high school kids such as the ones in Carrie's school, live life like every regular American teenager. Carrie becomes aware of her powers and becomes frightened of how uncertain the strength of her powers was. 

James Cameron’s The Terminator was surprising for me because I had never seen the first film. I was not aware Cameron was the director of the film before taking this class. This was one of my favorite films this quarter because I liked the suspense that Cameron portrays with the intense music playing in the background. I also like the way Arnold plays the robot. He is exceptionally good at not showing emotions just like a robot would. The Terminator shows universalism versus particularism in the way that machines are very particular and calculated about how they act in situations. Human beings have a more emotional aspect to how they behave. The uncertainty avoidance index relates to The Terminator because Sara Connor is working a regular job and is just trying to make it by. Once she figures out a "serial killer" is killing people with her name, the uncertainty begins to settle in. The Terminator also plays into how technology can be dangerous if society is not careful.  

Hard Boiled directed by John Wu was one of my favorite movies this quarter because it was the one that surprised me the most. I really enjoyed the storyline and the excessive action scenes. I especially like how John Wu used Martial Arts and guns to make for an awesome action scene. The film resembled many of the action films in Hollywood today and I am sure some of the American Action movie directors are inspired by Wu. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this film and its plot. I am very hesitant to watch films with subtitles because I feel like I cannot pay attention to the entire film. This film was great and exceeded my expectations. The cultural dimension that relates to Hard Boiled is Trompenaars's Universalism versus Particularism because this film exemplifies the action movie genre. The film although is foreign, seems like something that was shot in the United States. This tells me that people around the world, especially in the movie industry know what interests' people and they use that in their films. It also relates to the Particularism side of the things because people such as police officers and gang members have different views about their lives. They belong to their own separate groups with their own rules. The second cultural dimension for Hard Boiled is Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance index. In Hard Boiled There are cops that deal with uncertainty daily and gang members that live a life of chaos and enjoy the uncertainty. 

Reservoir Dogs was chosen as one of my favorite films because I am a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s films. This was his debut feature film which made me more interested when watching it. I liked the storyline and the exceptional acting from the star-studded cast. I like how Tarantino pushes the boundaries with violence and he does in all his films, especially Reservoir Dogs. I enjoyed dissecting the history of the film and how it became a cult classic. It is funny how my father would not allow me to watch this film because of swearing and the violence, and I ended up having to watch it for school. It is interesting how life comes back around full circle. Reservoir dogs relate to Universalism and Particularism for similar reasons as Hard Boiled. The film follows a cast of thieves who live by their own rules. They make their money by taking from others and do not follow many of the Universal rules of normal people. Reservoir Dogs relates to the uncertainty avoidance index because criminals must deal with the uncertainty of what happens during their heists. The cast of criminals have different personalities which causes things to go badly. 

Carrie (1976) - Prom Scene [HD] 

Reservoir Dogs - Mr. Blonde cop torture scene 

Hard Boiled - Teahouse Shootout 

The Terminator 1984   Car Chase Scene HD Clip 13 23