#honestly i was really nervous that it was a glitch or something

[claire-starsword]

finally got to the point where i had to check a guide to proceed, this room is a crime against humanity

[voxslays]

Dinner Parties Vox x Reader

Feauturing >>> Vox x Reader; In which, Vox and Reader are both head over heels for eachother, but are too scared of ruining their friendship, until they go out for dinner at Ozzie’s…

You and Vox have been good friends since you both fell into hell, having fallen around the same time. The two of you created a good connection, and you quickly became rising overlords. Over time the two of you became closer and closer, until one day, Vox decided it was time to confess his feelings. He had asked you to meet him at a five star restaurant—Ozzie’s—In the lust ring.

“Hey, are you ready to go yet? We needed to leave like 30 minutes ag-“ He cuts himself off as he stands there looking at you up and down. “Are you- just making sure you’re ummm okay” He buffers. “I’m fine. Are you okay?” You ask, as his TV head glitches. “Yeah I just- got a little distracted, that’s all, are you ready to leave?” He says, looking down at your body again, with a nervous kinda smile. You were wearing a gorgeous navy blue suit/dress, with black gloves, a pearl necklace, and your hair in a nice updo.

“Yeah, let's go.” You say, your eyes glimmering with anticipation. Vox grabs his keys and leads you outside, into his garage and to a Ferrari. He opens the car door for you, smiling “After you.” He closes the door and gets into the driver’s seat. “So um, how was your day today?” He says as he backs out of the parking spot. Vox smirks, his face glitching again. "Missed me? Aww, really?" He says mockingly. “Just a little bit. Don’t get too cocky now.” You smirk at him. 

He laughs "Oh I won't. I promise.” He continues driving, smirking at you, his blue eyes glistening in hell’s moonlight. He glances at you, his smirk now a genuine smile. “You know I missed you too, right?" Vox says without his usual cocky demeanor or mocking undertones. "You’re so smart with those witty little comments of yours" He laughs a little bit, his TV face now blushing. He continues to drive, eventually arriving at Ozzie’s. He parks the limo and gets out, quickly walking to the other side of the car, and opening your door for you, he grabs your hand, smiling at you.

"Did I ever tell you how stunning you are?" He smiles, still holding onto your hand. “All the time.” You laugh softly. "Good, because it's true" He says, smiling, still holding onto your hand as he leads you inside. Once inside, you and Vox sit at a reserved table and he orders you both a drink. He sits across from you, smiling.

"So-" He leans forward, now smirking. "I wanted to ask you something.” His ego was through the roof. “Oh and what could you possibly want to ask me, Mr. Voxtek CEO?” You ask jokingly. He laughs a little bit "Well, I was, um..." He says awkwardly. Vox scratches the back of his Monitor, smiling like he's a bit nervous. "I was wondering...well, uh...okay you're gonna hate me for this one-" You cut him off. “I could never hate you. Whatever you have to tell me, I promise I won’t be angry.” You say gently, your tone as sweet as candy. 

"No no no, you will definitely be mad," He pauses, looking up at you, still with that nervous smile "I wanted to ask if you were seeing anyone" He asks, his voice almost a whisper. “I haven’t found anyone yet.” You say, semi-disappointed. Vox smiles again. "Really? I'm kinda surprised honestly. I mean," He gestures to you. "You're smart, witty, absolutely beautiful, what guy wouldn't fall head over heels for you?" He laughs. Vox looks at you, his TV face still blushing. He laughs a bit before continuing. "But, I guess I should be grateful you're not seeing anyone"

"Actually, while we're on the subject of the whole, um, relationship thingy, can I tell you something?" You smile, “Sure.” He bites his lip briefly before continuing. "I'll let you in on a little secret," Vox grins, smiling widely. "I've had feelings for someone for a while now" He pauses to take a sip of his drink "I mean, honestly, it's been driving me crazy, having to hold it in for so long-" He looks up at you, his face still has his signature grin, but his face is a dark blue. 

He stares at you for a bit, his heart racing. His stomach twists in knots as he waits for your response. “So who’s the lucky girl?” You ask, your heart feeling like it's being torn apart. He laughs a bit, feeling a tiny bit of relief that you're not mad- at least not yet- before speaking 

"You. I have feelings for you" He sighs, relieved to have gotten it off his chest. You feel your cheeks turn red. "I-I just couldn't hold it in any longer.. I've felt this way for a while, but I didn't wanna screw up our friendship, or make things awkward between us, I mean-" He stares at you, TV face somehow blushing brighter. “I feel the same way.” You say. 

You feel as though you've just caught your breath. Vox is absolutely stunned, he didn't expect that at all "You- you do?" He says, in a bit of a whisper. “I do.” Vox just looks at you for a bit, silently processing this information. He's in complete shock, he never imagined in a million years that you'd like him back. He stares at you, his eyes wide. "Are- are you serious?" The blush gets brighter on his face. “Yes.” You gently kiss him. He's completely dumbfounded at the sudden kiss, but not complaining at all. He kisses you back, his brain and heart going a million miles a minute. He puts his arms around your waist, pulling you closer, blushing heavily as he kisses you. The two of you exploring eachother the rest of the evening.

[xan-izme]

Across the Spidervers x Venom!femReader {Bad ending}

(Reader is Māori)

Summary: Reader was one of the Spidey's that helped Miles save his city from disaster. She returns home, a little while later, Gwen comes to recruit Reader. But this don't go very well.

TW: character death, mental health, trust issues, betrayal, cursing, held captive, traps, mentions of killing

—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—––—–—–

You were Spider woman. Yes, you knew that. Your uncle knew that and your friends from other dimensions knew that too! Friends who you missed dearly.

The life as Spider-woman would be tiring at times, but the felling of knowing that the city where your family and many other families live are safe; Was something you needed to know an able to sleep.

But you felt so alone. Missing your friends, missing swinging through a city with them and defeat evil. Joking around and the small meal breaks. You haven't been able to connect with others that much after becoming Spider-woman, it seemed like crime happened everywhere every day.

One day, when you were going against another villain, who was actually a very new one to you.

"So uh, what are you supposed to be? --" You swung up in the air, dodging the attack.

"Some, Super . . .goo?" You watched as dark gooey liquid drip off from it's deformed body.

'Ew'

"You . . . die!" The monster shouted. The thing picked up a large bolder from the wrek and threw it twards you.

You shot your webs at the bolder and jumped up, throwing it right back at it.

"That's not a really nice thing to say man." You continue with your witty comments when trying your best to take down the monster. Then suddenly, the thing begins to glitch. This gave you a little heart attack, knowing the feeling all too well.

"I see, you're from another dimension." You mumbled as the monster's glitching was a little long.

Suddenly, the gooey thing shot itself at you. Luckily you got out the way. But the goo stuck onto you, making your foot and hand stick to the ground and wall.

"Mother--nature!" You shout in frustration.

"Spider-Woman!" You hear a familiar voice shout. You quickly turn your head to see your father, captain of the Brooklyn police force. You clear your voice before speaking in a deep voice.

"uh- Stand back! no need for assistance Captain l/n!" You shout back at your dad who had other officers behind him, ready to engage. You used all of your strength to get your foot out of the goo that had harden instantly. After breaking your foot free. You kicked at whatever the gooey monster threw at you.

Suddenly, some portal opened up. Thats when a figure quickly shot out of it. It didn't take you long to realize who it was.

"Gwen!" right when you and Gwen were away from the civilians, you couldn't help your excitement to hug the living hell out of the blond. Gwen laughed.

"It's nice to see you too." Gwen laughed out as she hugged you back. Gwen began to tell you about the Spider Society and how she wanted to recruit you. She told you the higher up wanted to meet with you about a serious situation that was to happen in your universe.

You got concerned for a moment. You cared about your city and everyone in it. So, if your wold is in trouble, then you would of course get involved.

Gwen gave you a day pass bracelet so you wouldn't glitch like crazy. Before entering the portal, you looked back, wondering what your other family members were doing at the moment. Hoping they would be safe.

The Spider society was honestly amazing. You met and had some fun with people who were like you. You felt so happy, smiling non-stop. Gwen laughed as you acted like a child in a candy store.

Then you both stopped big doors. "Miguel said he wanted to meet with you alone. Y-you alright with that?"

You smiled, a little nervous to meet the big boss of this whole thing. But you reassured her and walked in alone. Before the doors closed, your turned around and gave her a thumbs up and said, "Wish me luck."

The doors closed. It was a little dim, but you were able to see good enough. You breathed in and calmed yourself down, pulling your mask down and walking to where you see more light coming from a specific spot in the big room.

"Uh- H-hello? Mr. O'Hara?" You see a man in a dark blue and red suite. The aura around the man made you nervous, his built just added on to your little fears. You cleared your throat and straightened up.

"I'm Y/n L/n. I was told you wanted to see me . . . sir?" Miguel got closer to you with a stoic look on his face.

"We know who you are kid." Miguel spoke. You frown at the word 'we' and search the room and see a woman who was. . . pregnant. You were a little confused, and worried.

"Um. . . don't y'all get like, paternity leave or something?" You pointed out at the woman. Miguel ignored your comment.

"Where's Gwen?" His words sounded like a question, but not at the same time. "She said you wanted to see me alone. Hey, I kind of need to be back soon. No disrespect sir, but I got school and stuff. . . " You cringed at how dumb you sounded.

Miguel and the woman in the room gave each other a look.

Miguel began to explain the problem.

Apparently, ever since your time in earth 1016, your experience there had changed your mindset on a lot of things, including certain things that were a part of your 'canon' as Miguel called it.

"What . . . what's wrong with that?" You were generally confused, what part of your canon did you accidentally prevented.

Lyla then showed multiple canon events, all the same, all that had happened in different universes.

"Every Spidey loses someone, most of them fall in love and most of them lose that lover. For you, your canon involves family members."

"What?"

"Now we don't know which of your family members would die--"

"The hell, if that supposed to make me feel better!?" You were getting upset, rightfully so.

"Look kid, we know this is hard for you to take in." The woman known as Jessica spoke up. ''But you are your own anomaly, the more you stay with your family the way you are doing at the moment, the more damage you'll inflect on your world."

"Wha- . . . You can't just tell me one of my family members are going to die and tell me not to fucking interfere. My mother is pregnant! my siblings are literally toddlers, my dad- he just got his new position as captain." Your mind was going into a panic, you can't lose any of them. Your family was your whole world, you already lost someone you can't afford to lose again. You know deep inside if you lose anyone else, you'll brake.

And there is nothing you are more afraid of then braking.

Miguel sighed. "I'm sorry kid, but let's be honest. If it weren't for Miles Morals, you wouldn.t be in this situation." Miguel spoke as multiple other Spider people surrounded you. You frown and look around to see all of them.

"What . . . what's going on? . . . Where's Gwen!" Suddenly a gadget was tossed to your feet. And before you could react, a forcefield was put up around you.

And that, that is when you freaked out.

"Once this timer goes off, that is when we set you free. Just a few days kiddo."

Your eyes shifted to the timer. 2 days.

You shouted, banged on the forcefield, used as much strength as you could to try and get out.

"LET ME OUT! GWEN! GWEN HELP ME!" You shouted for your friend. You shouted for help. But alas, no aid came to you.

"Please Y/n. The more you struggle the harder it will be for us." You hear someone say, but you ignore and keep slamming your body against the transparent walls.

Then suddenly your Spidey senses tingled. You look around the room, then you noticed a familiar white and black suit. "Gwen! Gwen help me! Please help!"

Gwen walked up to you. She stared you in the eyes, your face expression dropped when you noticed the look of pain in her eyes. Gwen held herself and turned away from you. "Gwen . . .?"

"You did good Gwen." Jessica began to pat Gwen on the back. Your eyes widen in utter disbelief. "Gwen? Gwen!" You began to bang on the forcefield, tears already threatening to fall. Your face was covered by your mask, but everyone can hear your voice cracks.

Betrayal was all you felt as you continued to try and claw out of the forcefield, for a moment you were almost successful. Then Miguel was able to put on hologram like chains to chain you on the ground to prevent you from clawing at the barrier.

The timer went off. You watched the multiple zeros blinking. Your body felt limp, weak as the forcefield and chains disappeared. Miguel had opened a portal. You ignored him and Jessica as you chanted the names of each family member, slowly going through the portal.

The moment you stepped through, it was chaos. Your families' names repeating in your head praying to all the Gods you knew of to please spare your family.

Finally, you found a familiar body, laying limp under some ruble. Swinging down quickly, you used your strength to get the man free.

Taking your mask off, you lifted the upper half of your father's body.

"Papa" You whisper out. Moving away his hair that was in the way of his face. His eyes slowly opened to see you, his beautiful strong daughter.

"Y/n . . . ko Koe." His voice was small, but firm. You smiled through your tears.

"Yes, it's me." Your vision would get blurry here and there, but the tears would immediately fall the moment you blinked.

"You are in trouble. You were late for dinner." Your father reached up to cup your face. Just for him to pinch your cheek. Even when close to death, he still scolds you.

It didn't take long for him to lose consciousness. You cried and held his body close. Rocking back and forth as you prayed and prayed. Begging for any god to help you.

You didn't notice Gwen slowly approaching you. She mends down and watches as you cradled your father's body in your arms. Gwen reached her arm out and held your shoulder.

"We have to go, before the police get here--"

"Tuku- Tukua--"

"We need to go Y/n--"

"Tukua ahau!" You smacked her hand away and stood up. Hot tears running down your face.

"I whakarerea ahau e koe!" You began to shout in your native tongue. Frustrated, hurt, betrayed.

And the feeling of dishonor you had brought onto yourself was the worse feeling overpowering everything else.

"You are no friend of mine.''

Those words shattered Gwen.

"Leave. GO! Never return." Gwen stumbled back as you returned back to your father. Holding him back in your arms, half expecting him to hold you back.

Overtaken by grief and betrayal, you refused to let the Spider society to help with the anomalies, only you deal with them and send them in a portal back to HQ.

You gained a new power, discarding your tittle as 'Spider-woman', and taking on the tittle 'Venom'.

Venom was, well-- Venom was a handful at first. But Venom helped you become stronger. Helped you defend your city and your family.

Your family took a big hit by the loss of your father.

Sighing as you sat down on the clock tower. Looking over the city, wondering how Miles was doing. Hoping the boy didn't get caught up with Gwen and Peter B.

Miles was probably the only one you still saw as a friend.

'Hungry'

You groan "We already ate Venom."

'You call that food? That was nothing but a maar snack. I want something more! something fresh~"

"Okay one, ew. Two, I'm on a diet."

You hear Venom scoffed. 'Your diet is ew' Venom spoke in a mocking tone. Causing you to roll your eyes.

Out of nowhere, a portal opened up. You were fast on your feet. The portal was a little different from the others, making you stay on guard even more. That's when Multiple Spider people came out.

One specifically that came out angered you in multiple ways. You stayed in place, staying silent.

"Y/n! we need your help!" Gwen came running to you. You silenced out her words and focused on the panic and desperation on her face.

You wonder, if you could just reject her, shun her out and watch the look of despair take over her. That sounded very satisfying.

"Please, say something. Anything! I know what I did was unforgivable, but--" You stayed silent as Gwen was practically begging.

You look up to see some old friends, and new people. You stared at Peni for a moment.

You passed Gwen and walked towards the young teen who was in a new model of her robot.

". . .Nice ride."

Peni's eyes widen at the familiar words that brought back a nice memory. Peni chuckled "Thanks. . . nice suit."

The two of you shared a few seconds of silence. Peni jumped out of the robot and hugged you. You were quick to hold her tight.

You're not blind, it's clear all of you have suffered one way or another.

You set Peni down.

You turned your head to Gwen.

"I have told you to never return." You spoke, your back still faced to the blond. "I know! But Miles-" Gwen was cut off by your hand that rose up to silence her.

"I know of Miles and his situation. But I have my universe to protect. A family I need to keep alive." You walked further away from the group. Venom forming in and taking over at the last word.

"My answer will be the same answer you gave me when I begged you for help."

You will not forgive the ones who hurt you, betray you or your family. Right now, you don't care about anyone else but the ones you have now. You refuse to risk it. Refuse to gamble the lives of your siblings and mother.

And never, will you ever risk your honor, and the honor of your father.

Okay, before ya'll bash me about the Māori part, I know adding on a culture is a little off for many. I just wanted to add on a Māori reader because I don't see many representations of them. So, if any of my Māori readers dislike this, I will gladly change it.

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x21 - Koromon's Great Tokyo Battle! / Home Away from Home

Previously on Digimon Adventure: The Dark Network got sick of waiting on these kids and decided to do everything itself. It killed Nanomon, killed Etemon, and then gave Taichi a ride home. Honestly, way more useful than Gennai.

We open right where we left off. Taichi and Koromon have returned to the human world.

Koromon: (nervous) There are humans everywhere.... Taichi: It can't be.... It can't be.... We've returned to our world? Did we win!? This isn't a dream, is it!?

Taichi didn't get to watch the last minute or so of the previous episode, so he doesn't realize this is a cosmic glitch. He thinks everyone made it back. He slew Etemon, saved Digimon World, and sent everybody home. It's over. We're done.

The dub and its hatred of quiet moments has a lot of silence to fill. There's a lot of shots of the park just moving around Taichi and of various buildings, demonstrating Taichi's in a city. So to keep the anime from being silent for an extended period of time, Tai has a lot more dialogue.

Tai: No way! Koromon: What happened!? Tai: We must have been pulled through some sort of dimensional opening between Digi-World and this one, wherever this one is. I bet that opening's the same way I got to Digi-World. But where are we now? They look like human beings. This looks like Earth. But is it really? Koromon: I don't know. I've never been here before. Tai: This can't be. This looks like a park I played in as a kid! I think we're in my home town! Koromon: NO WAY!!! Tai: Yeah! That's the toy factory! And that's City Hall over there! Koromon: Tai, I don't mean to cut the sightseeing tour short but have you noticed that I'm not MetalGreymon anymore!? I'm back to Koromon! Tai: Unbelievable! This can't be real!

There is a lot going on here. Tai's much less confused about things than Taichi is. He's just like, "Oh, we fell through a rift and returned home. Easy peasy," while Taichi's struggling with feelings of unreality.

When buildings come up on the screen, Tai invents purposes for what those structures are even though they look nothing like what he's describing. This actually feels a little gross when you know that the show draws its human world geography from real places and structures in Japan.

It's like putting the Empire State Building onscreen and having a character declare, "Look, it's the local fish market!"

To pad for runtime, Tai also speculates that this might be a fake Earth populated by fake humans, while Koromon reacts with shock and confusion about the fact that he regressed from his evolved state as if this were the first time that happened.

Taichi's train of thought is violently interrupted by a little girl playing with a ball.

Koromon was in this world for one minute before being set upon by the horrifying predators that populate its landscape. This little girl and her ball are his Kuwagamon.

True to his name, Koromon is sent korokoro tumbling by the impact. Taichi pays him zero shits and instead focuses on the girl.

Koromon: Taichi--BYAKK!!! Taichi: Ah! Hey! Where am I? Japan? Or still in the world with the Digimon? Girl: Uh.... Koromon: Where's Etemon!? And everyone else!? Taichi: Hey! Answer me, please!

Koromon's still raring to fight, it seems. Being attacked will do that to you.

In the dub, Tai wants the girl to clarify whether or not she's fake.

Koromon: It feels real to-- OOGH! Tai: Huh? Hey! Tell me something: Where are we? Is this world for real or am I imagining it? Girl: Wha--? Koromon: We just want to know if you're a real human being! Tai: Please tell us! Are you a real girl or a digital girl?

Dub's still a little confused but it's starting to get the spirit of Tai's crisis.

Something about being yelled at by a hacky-sack sends the girl crying for her mom, thwarting Taichi's attempt at figuring out where he is.

Good job, team. We have successfully vanquished our Kuwagamon. Now if we can just have one battle go well against theirs....

Koromon: Taichi, you shouldn't have made her cry like that. Taichi: Idiot! She's crying because she saw you! Koromon: EEP!!! ME!? Crowd: (murmuring unintelligibly in a confused and scared tone) Koromon: Am I scary? Hey, am I scary!? Taichi: Shhh! (claps a hand over Koromon's mouth) Don't talk. You'll stand out. Koromon: But am I scary!? Am I!? AM I AM I AM I AM I AM I!?!?!?

The dub cuts both the funny "Taichi you made her cry!" bit and Koromon's "Am I scary!?" freakout. It replaces them with Tai bringing the cops into this.

Koromon: What'd I do? Did I say something wrong to her? Tai: You scared her! Now she's going to tell the park police! Koromon: AHH!!! THE POLICE!?!? WILL THEY ARREST ME FOR MAKING HER CRY!?!? SAVE ME, TAI!!! THEY'RE GOING TO GET ME!!! Tai: Quiet! (claps a hand over Koromon's mouth) Listen, just pretend you're a soccer ball. Now let's get out of here so I can chill and figure out what's going on!

Less funny overall but "Will they arrest me for making her cry" got me. XD

Ugliest soccer ball I've ever seen. No offense to Koromon, I'm just not comfortable kicking something with teeth.

Taichi picks up Koromon and flees into the woods while the distraught Digimon refuses to quiet down. Leaving a bunch of people with the weirdest fucking story to tell at dinner tonight.

Finding answers for himself, Taichi finds his way to Odaiba Seaside Park Station.

Taichi: Odaiba? There's no doubt about it now! This is near where I live! Koromon: Taichi's home? Taichi: I'm back in Japan! (hugs Koromon excitedly) I'm back! Ahahahaha!!! It must be because we got pulled into that rift! That's probably why you're back to Koromon too! We did it! Koromon: That's great, Taichi! Taichi: WE DID IT!!! WE DID IT!!!

Having had a moment to actually stop and think about this, Taichi has caught up to Tai and clued in on the actual cause of his return trip across realities.

The dub cuts out a closeup on the station marker so we can't see the Japanese writing up close, even though it's nonetheless visible in the wider shots. They also have Tai and Koromon talk over a transition sequence leading in, because we got silence to fill.

Tai: This all looks so familiar, Koromon. This has to be my home. Koromon: Well, for your sake, I hope so. But how can you be certain that you're not just imagining it in the Digi-World, Tai? Tai: Well, I guess we'll find out when we go to my house and see. Hey, did you hear what I just said? "Until we go to my house"! Oh wow, Koromon! (hugs Koromon excitedly) This has gotta be the happiest day of my life! I'm home, I'm home, I'm home!

Koromon, why would you think Tai's dreaming? That's a weird thing for you to be proposing. Do you doubt your own existence? In any case, the dub cuts to a commercial midway through this scene, then comes back to Tai hugging Koromon some more.

Tai: It's true! I'm home! This is so cool! I'm finally home! I can't wait to see my family and when they get a look at you, they'll know I'm telling the truth about Digi-World! Then we'll see if the others got home too and hook up with them. Koromon: Mm! I hope you're right! Let's go! Tai: It's a good thing I still had some of my camp money left! The subway's a lot nicer than walking home.

From Odaiba Station, Taichi's able to navigate his way home. Dub Tai takes a moment to drop some epic foreshadowing tee em.

Tai: (looking at the outside of a random store) Wow! Everything looks exactly the way it did on the day I left for camp!

I guess Tai's super familiar with that one local store's inventory. Otherwise this is a bonkers statement to make when walking around an urban exterior.

Then he makes it home. He stands outside the apartment complex first, letting Koromon see the whole building.

Taichi: Take a look, Koromon. This is where I live! Koromon: Are you serious!? It's HUUUUUUUUGE!!!

Then he takes Koromon up to his family's apartment. Standing outside the door, basking in the familiar sight.

Taichi: I wonder if Mom and Dad are doing well? I've been missing, so they must be really worried about me. Koromon: Taichi, hurry up and go say hi to them! Taichi: Yeah, you're right.

He opens the door only a crack before he hesitates.

Taichi: But... Actually... How long was I in the other world? A month? A year? Or even.... What if Mom and Dad have already forgotten me? What will I do if I open the door and a stranger comes out, asking who I am? Koromon: Taichi, are you okay? Taichi: ...yeah.

For the record, It was 12 days when we arrived at Server. The kids haven't discussed time since then so we don't know how many nights they spent in Etemon's desert but I'd be surprised if it's been more than a month since that fateful day at camp.

This question is setting up the reveal, of course. The passage of time is an important point to this episode's revelations. But Taichi is terrible at tracking time if he thinks it's been a year.

Nonetheless, as a neurodivergent person, I can sympathize with that. So.

In the dub, Tai corrects Koromon about his assumption.

Tai: That's where I live, Koromon! Pretty neat, don't you think? Koromon: All those rooms!? Your family's BIG! Tai: It's an apartment building; Lots of families live there. (They go up to the apartment) Tai: I don't know what to expect. Everything's been so weird. Being in Digi-World, I've lost track of time. I wonder if they're even going to recognize me? Koromon: We won't know unless we go in. Tai: Right. Well, here goes. (Tai opens the door a crack and hesitates) Tai: It's unlocked! They must be home!

Needing to fill yet more silence in another quiet scene, Tai then just starts commentating about whatever the camera is dramatically panning over.

Tai: I remember when my mom planted those flowers. I remember buzzing my friends up on that intercom to come over and play video games and watch TV! Oh, and the time when my dad put our family nameplate on this door! But those memories won't mean a thing, Koromon, if we came out of that dimension rift at the wrong time! What if I no longer exist!? Koromon: Tai, can I make a little suggestion? Tai: Huh? Koromon: Open the door. Tai: ...Here we go.

Tai's still trying to figure out what his emotional crisis this episode is supposed to be.

Notably, the thing that Tai calls "flowers" is a bamboo box hanging from the intercom containing decidedly not-flower leafy plants.

Also, due to what I understand to be an error in translation, Taichi's last name has been changed. It's supposed to be 八神 Ya-gami but was translated 神八 Kami-ya. Too late to fix it now; They're committed. So when this episode shows a nameplate on the door reading in English "YAGAMI", they had to edit the footage to read "KAMIYA".

Entering the house, Dub Tai adds on to the "It's unlocked; They must be home," when the camera shows the shoes currently at the door.

Tai: Look, their shoes are here! Mom? Dad?

Tai misunderstands what it means to find his parents' casual sandals by the door while their serious adulting shoes are missing. He has painted a strong argument for them being home, which is a weird thing for the dub to do when. Like. They're not.

Taichi finds everything as he left it.

Taichi: This is my home-- I mean, of course it is, haha! Koromon: It's a lot smaller than it loo-- Taichi: SHUT UP!!!

Taichi bragged a little too well. Koromon thought the whole complex belonged to him.

Since the dub already ruined that joke, they instead use this time to reverse-course on Tai's parents.

Koromon: No one's answering. Maybe they're out. Tai: I wonder where they've gone? Koromon: Maybe they went to Digi-World! Tai: THAT'S NOT FUNNY!!!

Dub Tai's parents are now mysteriously missing instead of. Like. Just. Not being home.

First thing Taichi does is go straight to the fridge and drink a nice, cold Coca-Cola. Somewhere, Mimi is intensely jealous and doesn't know why.

Koromon: Does that taste good? Does it? Taichi: Ahhhh delicious! It's been so long since I had Cola. Koromon: AHHH GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME (continues in background) Taichi: I really am back in my world... Koromon: GIMME GIMME GIMME GIIIIIIMMEEEE EE EEEEE... (droning off into a sad whine)

Cut to Koromon happily chugging the Coke. Not his best moment but, in his defense, Baby-stage. Nonetheless, happy that Taichi shared.

In the dub, Tai skips the somber reflection and trolls Koromon instead.

Koromon: Hey, Tai! Over here! I'm thirsty! Tai: Sorry, it's the last one. You should have asked for some before I finished drinking it. Koromon: I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D BE SO STINGY!!! Tai: I was just joking, Crybaby. Koromon: Really? Tai: I left you half of it.

While Koromon's enjoying his half of the Coke, Taichi makes a startling discovery.

Taichi: But what day is it today? It seems to still be summer.... (Taichi closes the fridge door and notices the calendar) Taichi: Huh!? Koromon: (spits out the Coke can) What's wrong, Taichi!? Taichi: It's August... Today is still August 1st, 1999! Koromon: What does that mean? Taichi: August 1st, 1999 was the day we all went to camp! What's going on? We should have been in the other world for days, even months.... We walked for so many days... We fought with so many Digimon.... Why is it still August 1st!? Why is it still the afternoon of that day!? Did I become so homesick that I'm dreaming I'm here? Or maybe the time I spent in the other world was just a dream and I really collapsed in that park?

Taichi's mind is blown by this cosmic gaslighting. He's so messed up by this discovery, he starts frantically theorizing that his brain made up DIgimon World even while Koromon is sitting right there on the counter.

In the dub:

Tai: I sure wish I knew where my family was. And how long I've been gone. (Tai closes the fridge door and notices the calendar) Tai: Huh? AHA!!! Koromon: (spits out the Coke can) ACK! Don't scare me like that! Tai: It's been right in front of me! Today's August 1st, the same day we landed in Digi-World! Koromon: We've gone back in time? Tai: Yeah! This is the day that the Digivices dropped into our hands and this whole crazy adventure began! Which reminds me that this is also the day that my Mom and Dad were planning to visit my Grandmother who lives just outside of the city! See, my Mom marked the date on this calendar so she wouldn't forget. They must have taken my little sister Kari with them! That's why nobody's home now! Cool, then let's just kick back and wait for them to come home!

But then why were their shoes at the door and the door unlocked, Tai? You introduced these things to the conversation as evidence that they're home. You can't just turn around and go, "Oh yeah, they were scheduled to be out, that makes sense," without addressing that.

Also, once again Tai's eagerness to show off how much of the episode he's already watched ends up undercutting a later moment. Just walking all over the interesting character beat of the Grandma reveal.

After this, we have yet more silence to destroy, so Tai and Koromon start bantering some more.

Koromon: Speaking of time, it's time to eat! Tai: Hold your Digi-Horses! I just learned I'm reliving a day I've already lived! Koromon: Sorry, Tai. Tai: No, I'm sorry, Koromon. I didn't mean to yell but this same hour, minute, and second have already occurred! Except I'm home this time. Does that mean that I have a twin living in some parallel world?

Ironically, that does fit well with Izzy's "We exist simultaneously to the other version of ourselves" theory. But no.

While Taichi's struggling to make sense of all this, Koromon tries to get his attention. Escalating in volume until he finally manages to snap Taichi out of it. There's a pressing issue he needs to know about.

Taichi: Hikari? Hikari: Onii-chan, you're back home.... Taichi: Y-Yeah.... Koromon: Onii-chan? Is this Taichi's little sister? Taichi: (tries to clap his hand over Koromon's mouth, hissing) I told you not to talk! (to Hikari) Hikari, it's not what you think! This is-- Hikari: Koromon is with you? Taichi: Ehh? Hikari: Koromon came with you? Taichi: You... You're not scared of him? Hikari: Why should I be? Taichi: How do you even know his name!? Hikari: Because... Koromon is Koromon.

The camera closes in on the whistle hanging around Hikari's neck for good measure, just in case you've forgotten.

For those who never saw the original Adventure OVA, the first Koromon these two ever met was basically Hikari's Tamagotchi, not Taichi's. About four or five years ago, Hikari hatched a Botamon from his Digitama and raised him from Botamon into Koromon while Taichi hung around making snide comments.

That wasn't this Koromon. He died. Though Tri later confuses this issue by claiming that they are the same; That's because Tri is a Mystery Box show barely held together by throwing "Wouldn't It Be Cool If?" sticky notes at a wall. It constantly shifts topics without ever resolving or explaining anything. Tri doesn't even know what Tri is about, let alone what happened in Adventure 01.

The camera fixes on her whistle because, in a highly questionable parenting decision, this whistle was her primary means of communication at age 3 or 4. She could talk, but she mostly communicated by tweeting the whistle to express an emotional state. The Yagami household constantly echoes with the sounds of "TWEET TWEET. Tweeeeeet. Tweet. TWEET! TWEET-TWEET-TWEET-TWEEEEEEET!!!"

Their mother has the patience of a saint.

Hikari's Koromon eventually went on a rampage as Agumon, before brawling with an invading Parrotmon in the form of Greymon in the middle of Hikarigaoka. Taichi (and most of the Hikarigaoka battle's witnesses) forgot these events because he was never invested to begin with. It was just a weird day for most witnesses, and Taichi only started caring at the last possible second. But Hikari's never forgotten. She mourned her Koromon.

These events inform a lot of what's to come in Adventure. That's awkward if, like me, you were in the U.S. The OVA came out one day before the first episode of Adventure 01 broadcast in Japan, and months after the final episode in the U.S.

So, without that vital context, the dub has to... figure things out for themselves.

Kari: Hi, Tai! Tai: Kari? You're here? Mom and Dad left you here at home all alone? Kari: I'm a big girl. Hi, Koromon. Tai: Kari, how did you know his name? Koromon: Maybe she knows my name because your sister's a lot smarter than you. Tai: (tries to clap his hand over Koromon's mouth) Cut it out, Koromon; I'm serious! (to Kari) Now, how did you know his name was Koromon!? Kari: I don't know. I just knew it. Tai: I don't get it. Kari: It's like I've met him before. That's why I'm not afraid. Tai: But that's impossible! This is the first time he's ever been out of Digi-World! Kari: Well, maybe that's where we met. Tai: But you've never been to Digi-World, have you? Kari: I don't know. I think so; It's near your camp.

Holy shit, what? Kari has, at some point, gone up to the campgrounds and stepped through a Digi-World portal to go meet Koromon, then came right back lickety-split.

There is something fucking eerie about Kari in the dub, as a result of the unexplained questions that the missing OVA leave on her shoulders. In the original, she's just the girl from the OVA a few years older. But here, she's an enigma in space and time.

So Hikari remembers Koromon. Or at least, a Koromon. But neither Taichi nor Koromon know how that's possible. Hikari plays paddy-cake with Koromon while Taichi tries to make sense of this.

Taichi: Hikari, you've been home all this time? Hikari: I have a cold. Taichi: You didn't go to the other world or something like we did, did you? Hikari: The other world? Taichi: Oh, uh... Never mind. Where are Mom and Dad? Hikari: They went to visit Grandma. They told us this morning, remember? Taichi: Oh... Yeah, they did.... Hikari: But Onii-chan, why are you home? Taichi: Because... I was worried about you. Has your fever gone down?

I like that Taichi just forgot that their parents were going to be out today. Sure, they told him this morning, but that was like three weeks ago. It's a nice little character moment.

Tai is even more confused than Taichi due to the bonkers writing that Kari's suffering from.

Tai: (thinking) Maybe Kari has been to Digi-World. She did have on that camp whistle! Maybe she goes to my camp in the future and is sucked into Digi-World like I was but comes back before me! Oh, I don't know. This moving back and forth from one time dimension to another is mega whack! No one's ever sure if they're here and now or there and then!? Sometimes I feel like I'm where and when rather than here or there or... What did I just say!? I'm confusing myself! I know, maybe Kari and I have a fever and we're both delirious!

Kari does, in fact, have a fever. You might know that if you'd read the script instead of spending this entire scene rambling incoherently about time travel.

Also, the line, "She did have on that camp whistle," makes me want to throw things. But I remind myself that they hadn't done the OVA yet so they had no idea why the camera suddenly focused in on a closeup of Kari's whistle. They had to improvise.

To try and sell his lie, Taichi takes Hikari's temperature. She isn't buying it.

Hikari: Onii-chan. Taichi: What? Hikari: Where did you really go? Taichi: Huh!? Hikari: By "the other world", you mean the world that Koromon is from, right? You weren't in camp like everyone else, were you? Taichi: Well... (remembering) That's right... Yamato and the others might have made it back here.

Taichi doesn't answer Hikari's question. Rather, her mention of "everyone else" causes him to remember that he doesn't know if they're safe or not.

In the dub:

Kari: What's wrong, Tai? Tai: Nothing. Kari: Then why do you think I have a fever? Tai: Huh? Kari: I'm not sick. And I've been to Digi-World. Tai: No way. Kari: Well, I think you have. Where else could you find a Koromon? Tai: The toy store? Kari: Oh, please! Tai: You do know. I'd better call everyone else's house to see if they got home too!

Bit of a random segue there. To be fair, it's an abrupt topic shift in the original too.

Also, Kari, you'd damn well better be sick because you missing out on going to camp due to your cold is going to be a plot point down the road.

Taichi goes to the phone, calling Koushiro, then Sora, and then Yamato. He gets the same message from all three families: Their kid went to camp this morning. The realization that no one else came home with him joins with the gaslighting date and sends him into an existential crisis, contemplating the Digivice in his hand.

Taichi: No one's back. Is everyone still in the other world? Or maybe I'm the only one who's dreaming. Which is real? Are both of them a dream? Are both real?

Dub says nope to all that existential questioning.

Tai: It looks like I'm the only one who got pulled through that rift. Everyone else is still stuck in Digi-World. I wish Izzy was here. He could get this Digivice to work. Then I could go back to Digi-World and rescue the others! There's just gotta be a way to fix this time dimension thing!

Suddenly, Hikari disrupts Taichi's train of thought by offering him her obento, a popular form of meal preparation in Japan in which a single portion of food is prepared and portioned out inside a rectangular lunchbox, to eat at a later time. Presumably Hikari's mom prepared obentos for everyone before going to Grandma's.

Hikari: Would you like to eat this? I only have my share, but we can split it. Koromon: WAAAAAAUGH FOOD!!! Taichi: Huh? Thank you... Oh, wait a minute!

In the dub, her obento is a "leftover piece of pie".

Taichi appreciates Hikari's offer but he has a better idea.

Taichi goes to the kitchen and whips up a popular Japanese breakfast: Omurice, a type of omelette made from fried rice and fried scrambled eggs topped with ketchup. He makes three; One for each of them, which they eat together with the obento.

Taichi and Koromon quickly declare "Itadakimasu!" before ravenously devouring their omurice. Hikari takes a more hesitant bite, as if uncertain about the item presented in front of her.

Hikari: Delicious... Were you always this good at cooking? Taichi: Yamato taught me in the other world! I can always do something with eggs!

This is probably a callback to the egg feast from File Island that sent Jou into a despair crisis over Japan's future. Taichi learned a lot about cooking eggs that day. Not sure where they would have gotten rice and ketchup for the feast though. Maybe Yamato improvised.

Hikari doesn't eat much, giving most of her omurice to Koromon to finish. Unfortunately, the feast ends badly when Koromon is implied to poop on the table - Itself a callback to OVA Koromon, who comically pooped on the floor a couple times.

They get Koromon to the bathroom, where he and Hikari have an apologetic conversation.

Koromon: I'm sorry, Taichi. I'm sorry, Hikari. I'm helpless when it comes to holding it. Hikari: I know that. Koromon: Oh. Hikari: I used to wet the bed a lot, but my brother would always help me. He'd wash my underwear for me in the middle of the night and, later, he'd pretend he was the one who wet the bed. He's very nice. Koromon: Yeah.

As usual, this discussion of bodily functions wasn't going to fly with American censors, so Koromon's pooping is changed to him suddenly having an anxiety attack.

Koromon: I'd better go rest! Kari: Don't hide in the bathroom! Koromon: How embarrassing? Why do you want to hang out with someone who's such a pig? Kari: 'Cause you're cute. Koromon: Really? Kari: Yeah. You wanna hear what happened to me at school? We took a farm field trip and I slipped and fell in a pigpen. The kids were laughing at me until Tai jumped in. Know what he did? He played in the mud with me like I'd really done it on purpose. Koromon: Wow! Kari: Tai does bug me sometimes but he is the coolest big brother in the world. Koromon: Yeah.

Honestly, both of these anecdotes are plausible and convey the same general idea of Tai: That he's willing to humiliate himself out of love for his sister.

Taichi, meanwhile, relaxes in the living room and enjoys the comforts he hasn't had in Digimon World.

He turns on the AC and the TV and just vibes.

Taichi: A nice, cool breeze... Home is great... How long has it been...? No, it feels weird saying that. Today is still August 1st. I don't even care which is real and which is the dream anymore.

Since Tai doesn't have those anxieties, he does some more line-of-sight commentary on whatever the camera's panning over again.

Tai: I'm really back. Ahh, I used to hate that wind chime. Now I love it. And I really miss sitting around watching TV with my friends. I miss Mom scolding Dad for not hanging up his shirts. (yawn) Boy, it's good to be home.

Sadly, Taichi's not going to get as much time to chill as he thought. A long-forgotten plot point suddenly re-emerges, from the very first minutes of the show.

Reporter: This is the afternoon news for August 1st. Our main story is about the abnormal weather we've been experiencing lately. In southeast Asia, the paddy fields have dried up from drought. This has become a major problem to the citizens.

Though the reporter doesn't seem to notice, Taichi can clearly see a Meramon kneeling amidst the ruined paddy fields.

Taichi: Meramon! Reporter: Heavy rains are savagely flooding the Middle East. (Footage shows Seadramon unleashing a torrentious flood) Reporter: In North America, snow is falling even though it's the middle of summer. (Footage shows Yukidarumon amidst a vast blizzard) Taichi: Seadramon. Yukidarumon. This isn't because of abnormal weather at all! The rift from the Digimon's world is affecting ours! Hikari: You can see them now too? Taichi: You can see them!? Hikari: For a long time now. But if I told anyone about it, no one would believe me. Taichi: Hikari....

Hikari's never lost the ability to see these spectral half-in half-out Digimon because she's never forgotten Koromon. She never lost the knowledge and understanding of Digimon that Taichi's now regained.

This scene plays out mostly the same in the dub until after Tai's seen all the Digimon.

Tai: Could somebody please tell me what's going on here? The Digimon are clearly on the TV screen but the reporter hasn't mentioned them. Kari: Finally! Somebody else can see them! Tai: Huh!? Are you saying that you can see the monsters too? Kari: For a long time now. Mom and Dad don't believe me; They just think that I watch too many scary movies. Tai: Kari....

I like Kari's altered last line. Indicating that she's tried telling someone about the monsters, rather than taking for granted that she wouldn't be believed. She wouldn't, but it makes sense that an 8-year-old would be naive enough to try.

But no time to think about that now because suddenly all the electronics fritz out. However, Taichi's Digivice is glowing blue and vibrating, clearly reacting to something. The computer turns itself on, bringing with it a scrambled communication from another place.

The image is static and cuts in and out, but Koushiro is clearly on the other end calling out for Taichi-san.

Taichi-races to the computer.

Taichi: Koushiro! It's me! It's Taichi! Koushiro: Taichi-san... Where are you right now? Taichi: I'm at home! Back in the real world! Koromon is with me. Koushiro: I see-- --then over here-- Taichi: Hey! Koushiro! I can't hear you! Koushiro: --not come back-- --please-- Taichi: Koushiro! KOUSHIRO!!!

Throughout the conversation, Koushiro is eerily quiet and listless. He never moves and he speaks in a dead monotone, adding a certain Uncanny Valley feeling to his warning that Taichi should not return.

This effect does not carry to the dub, where Izzy's voice is filled with emotional shouting.

Kari: Huh? What's wrong with the computer, Tai? ...There's a face! Izzy: Can you hear me!? We-- --danger! Tai: Izzy!? Izzy: Safe-- --no-- --it isn't-- Tai, wherever you may be, don't come back here! Tai: I can't just leave you guys there, Izzy! I have to come back! I could be your only chance! Izzy: DIGI-MONSTERS!!! TOTAL CHAOS!!! Tai: Wait, Izzy! I need help with the Digivice! Izzy: You're better off where you are! Don't come back! Tai: Izzy! IZZY!!!

In this moment, Taichi finds the answer he desperately did not want.

Koromon: Taichi.... Taichi: What's going on? Both this place and that place... Neither is a dream. Both of them are real. Both are real. I'm over here. They're over there. (Distraught, Taichi slowly turns to look at Koromon) Taichi: Hey, Koromon? Is it okay for only me to be here? Koromon: Taichi... But.... Taichi: You're right. We don't even know how to go back. (hangs his head, visibly unhappy with this answer) Hikari: Onii-chan.... (long pause) Hikari: ...want to eat watermelon?

Hikari doesn't even know what to say. She's eight. She has no answers for how to cope with Survivor's Guilt and the moral dilemma of whether it's okay to be safe when others are not.

But again, Tai's skipping out on being gaslit by reality so he focuses on the heroic implications.

Tai: While we're here safe at home, my friends are in trouble. Koromon: What now? Tai: I don't know, Koromon. I just don't know. Two worlds are in danger and I can't do a thing about it. I feel totally useless. I know this Digivice is powerful enough to do something but I don't have a clue on how to make it work! (Distraught, Tai slowly turns to look at Koromon) Tai: Oh man, I guess I should just quit while I'm ahead. Koromon: But Tai... You can't.... Tai: Why can't I!? What am I going to do? Throw the Digivice at the monsters and hope they get scared and run away!? Koromon: Ohh.... Kari: Come on, Tai. Just relax. Eat some watermelon.

Historically, we've had a lot of success with throwing Digivices at the monsters and making them get scared and run away. Tai, you were the one who strolled cockily up to Corrupted Leomon and then blasted him with sacred energy to purify all of his Black Gears.

All this dub talk of "I have to go save the others I have to" makes this turn come straight out of left field. He comes off almost cowardly here, especially with "We don't even know how to get back" replaced with that line discussed above.

Taichi takes his watermelon to his room and lies down, leaving it untouched.

After lying there for a while, he glances at the melon on the plate and tries to reaffirm himself.

Taichi: Worrying about them won't do any good....

He's starting to let go of the other Chosen Children and accept a reality in which he, alone, made it out safely.

In the dub, he's still trying to figure things out.

Tai: Kari's right, I do need to relax and chill out. Maybe an idea of what to do will come to me. I hope.

Out in the kitchen, Hikari stays with Koromon. He dives into his watermelon while Hikari's lack of appetite crops up again.

Koromon: Hikari! Hikari: Hm? Koromon: This watermelon thing is delicious! Hikari: Koromon. Koromon: What? Hikari: You can have all of it. Koromon: EH!? REALLY!?!? WAAAHAHA!!! (dives in) Hikari: Koromon. Koromon: What? Hikari: Onii-chan doesn't have to go back, does he? Koromon: Eee!? Hikari: You can stay here with us, Koromon. Both of you should stay here.

The ever-ravenous Koromon drops the watermelon the instant she asks about going back. His face darkening with each subsequent word from her mouth. Koromon doesn't answer Hikari's question. He just looks sad and turns away.

Dub Kari continues to control this conversation with her eerie certainty.

Koromon: Boy oh boy, if there's one thing I duly love, I duly love this watermelon! Kari: It's sweet, huh? You can eat all you want, Koromon. Koromon: Wow! I need another slice! This world is great! (dives in) Kari: I'm glad you like it here on Earth because you may be staying here for a while. Koromon: Huh!? Kari: You may not be returning to Digi-World any time soon, if at all. But you are more than welcome to live with us forever. Koromon: (thinking) Hmm... It didn't hit me until just now. I may never get back to my home!

Making explicit what the original made implicit, with regard to what's eating Koromon.

Man, Kari is just... so spooky. "You will never go home; I have spoken. Enjoy this watermelon." It doesn't help that all of her lines are delivered in this matter-of-fact stoicism.

Taichi wakes up suddenly to the sound of the phone ringing in the hall.

Taichi: Is that Yamato!? (rushes out into the hall) Hikari: (on the phone) Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. (Taichi snatches the receiver away from Hikari) Their Mom, Yuuko: Be sure to take your medicine. We're alright over here. Grandma and Grandpa are fine, but they're worried about you. When you feel better, they want you to come and visit. With Taichi, of course. Taichi: (stunned gasp upon hearing his name) Yuuko: Hello? Hikari, are you listening? Taichi: Mom.... Yuuko: EH!? Taichi, is that-- Taichi: (hangs up abruptly)

Why Yamato specifically, Taichi? XD Screw everyone else, I guess.

Very minor differences in the dub. Kari's medicine doesn't get mentioned because they cut her illness. Tai doesn't surge to the hope of hearing Matt's voice specifically.

Taichi stares at the phone in silence for several seconds. Then he makes a decision.

Taichi: Hey, Koromon? Koromon: Yeah? Taichi: You can stay here forever. Koromon: Taichi.... Taichi: If you stay here, you won't have to fight anymore. You can eat food and candy whenever you want. You can sleep in a bed every night and you can take a bath every day! Mom might get angry sometimes but whatever happens, I'll protect you. Even Dad....

Taichi doesn't finish that sentiment. We don't see a lot of Taichi's father Susumu. The OVA depicted him coming home wasted late one night, long after bedtime, and yelling in a drunken stupor for his children before bickering with Yuuko. He was being exuberant and rowdy, not angry and abusive, but still it doesn't sound like things are great between Susumu and his family. That unfinished pause is unnerving.

Despite giving Tai that moment of cowardice earlier, the dub draws the line here and puts him back on Hero Duty.

Tai: Now I understand. Earth is in just as much danger as the Digi-World. Koromon: How? Tai: Digi-World's troubles are slipping through the dimension. Koromon: What can we do? Tai: There's nothing we can do. Until I figure out how to use the Digivice so we can return to Digi-World and fight the Bad Digimon. But we'll be okay for now, Koromon. This will be a nice break! Here we have all kinds of food and-and candy and stuff. And we get to sleep in a soft bed! We'll be living large! Koromon: Right.

Rather than talk about his dad, Taichi resumes his sales pitch. He gets more and more heated about the idea of being free from Digimon World.

Taichi: It's summer vacation! We're on summer vacation right now! We haven't gone to the ocean yet. And there's the fireworks festival! I have to do my homework too! (Taichi turns his attention to the Digivice in his hand) Taichi: (angrily) I was sent to the other world because of this thing. Who cares if it's a holy device or whatever!? This thing can...!

Taichi raises his Digivice, preparing to angrily throw it down at the ground.

The dub continues carving away Taichi's drama here by erasing his resentment over being summoned, replacing it with frustration at his own inability to save everyone. He also line-of-sight commentates some more in place of the summer vacation talk.

Tai: Sorry, Digi-Bud. Look, there's lots of things to do out there! That satellite dish is more in touch with the world than we are! We could go to the beach, the movies, take Kari shopping.... Koromon: (crying) Yeah.... Tai: What am I talking about? My friends are in danger because I can't make this piece of techno-junko work and I can't do a thing about it!

Of note: The satellite dish he refers to while line-of-sight commentating is clearly a Ferris Wheel.

Just then, the ringing of the wind chimes alerts Taichi and Hikari to the winds picking up outside. Something's happening.

As the OVA's music begins to pick up, an oddly monochrome Tyrannomon emerges from the bay, just like the eerie Digimon of the other "weather" events. Voicelessly, he opens fire on the city with his Fire Breath.

Telling Hikari to stay behind, Taichi grabs up Koromon and races out the door.

Taichi: SHIT!!! (begins putting shoes on) Hikari: Wait! Taichi: Huh? ...Hikari.... You stay here!

He's leaving to go confront Tyrannomon, but the dub goes bigger in objective.

Tai: NO!!! (begins putting shoes on) Koromon: What are you doing!? What about me and Kari!? Tai: She stays here! Kari, don't leave for any reason; Koromon and I have to find that dimensional rift! We've gotta find a way back to Digi-World! Kari: No!

The Tyrannomon fades out of existence before he gets there. But suddenly a Drimogemon rips up through the ground nearby. Taichi goes for that one, but Drimogemon too fades away.

Suddenly, a news report comes on over a nearby TV.

Reporter: We interrupt this program to bring you information on the earthquake here in Hodo Center. The epicenter was Odaiba in the Minato district. Taichi: It wasn't an earthquake. Normal people can't see the Digimon! This is only going to get worse.... Koromon: Taichi... I'm going back to where the others are.

Koromon hops out of Taichi's grasp before he realizes what's happening, bounding to the ground and taking a couple hops away.

Koromon: Digimon shouldn't be in this world. I'm a Digimon too, so I can't stay here. Taichi: Koromon, how can you say that!? Don't say you're going back!

The dub opens this bit by inexplicably revealing that there are actually other people in Japan seeing the Digimon too.

Reporter: Apparently, some of our viewers have called into our station claiming to have seen monsters on our newscast screen. Authorities believe this is merely a bit of hysteria among a few individuals. If you think you see these monsters, you should seek medical attention immediately. Tai: The Digimon are drifting back and forth between both worlds through that dimensional rift! We have to find it and get through it before those monsters destroy Earth AND Digi-World! It will take all of us working together to stop them! We've got to get back! Koromon: (hops out of Tai's arms) Even if we did, I can't help you. In spite of all I've eaten, I can't seem to Digivolve so I can't fight. I'd just get in the way. Tai: I need you, Koromon. We can't win unless we fight as a team. Don't you give up now!

The stuff about Digimon not belonging in this world? Gone, replaced by Koromon being sad that he isn't Agumon and Tai pepping him up.

Suddenly Hikari runs up, wearing a coat and sandals. Exerting herself despite her illness.

Hikari: Onii-chan! Taichi: Hikari!? I told you not to come out! Hikari: But-- Taichi: Go home! Hurry! Hurry! Hikari: But Onii-chan....

Kari's motives here are changed in the dub to wanting to join the adventure.

Kari: Tai! Koromon! Wait for me; I want to go with you! Tai: Kari! I told you not to leave home! You can't go with us; It's too dangerous. Kari: Please, Tai! Oh, please! Pleeeeease!

Joke's on him.

Koromon turns away sadly, but then suddenly sees something across the street.

It's an Ogremon. Comically waiting at a crosswalk for the signal to turn.

Koromon: Huh? That's... TAICHI!!! LOOK!!! Taichi: Huh? O-Ogremon!? Wh-What do we do!? Ogremon is in the city. If I don't do something, he'll endanger everyone!

Before Taichi can think of something, time runs out. The red light changes to green, giving Ogremon the go-ahead to legally blitz across the street and try to crush Koromon with his club.

A joke that Dub Tai ruins by explaining it.

Tai: What's he doing!? He's just standing there waiting for the light to change! ...maybe if we wait, he'll disappear like all the others!

No dice. He's attacking.

The OVA's music kicks up again as Taichi's Koromon now finds himself in the exact situation that led Hikari's Koromon to his death. It's time to fight a maddened Digimon from a higher level in the middle of the city.

Koromon leads Ogremon up above a nearby building, away from people. Koromon spits bubbles for all he's worth, but Ogremon pushes through effortlessly, keeping Koromon on the back foot and dodging his destructive club strikes.

Still gripping his Digivice, Taichi calls out to Koromon.

Taichi: Koromon! Koromon: Taichi, get away from here! Taichi: Don't do this on your own! We've always fought together! Koromon: (touched) ...Taichi.... Hikari: Koromon, look out!

This momentary distraction nearly costs Koromon dearly, as Ogremon catches up and bashes the balcony he's come to rest on. Koromon doesn't get away so cleanly this time, and is thrown by the impact.

This goes down differently in the dub, since they've repeatedly established that Tai's Digivice stopped working.

Tai: Koromon, Digivolve! Koromon: I can't do it unless you use the Digivice! Tai: I don't know what's wrong but the Digivice isn't working! You'll have to Digivolve without it! Koromon: I just can't! Kari: You can do it, Koromon!

This gets no payoff since Taichi's about to use his Digivice to evolve Koromon, so Tai just kinda gets lucky and it starts working.

Taichi's fear and determination to help Koromon activate his Digivice, summoning the holy light. The sacred energy not only evolves Koromon into Agumon; It also tears open the rift between worlds above them.

At the same time, as Koromon evolves into Agumon, the unsettlingly upbeat tootling of the OVA music is replaced by Show Me Your Brave Heart. This isn't going to end the same way as Parrotmon; With the holy device in hand, things are different now.

Agumon drops low, taking a tactical position on a street lamp far below where they'd been fighting. As Ogremon takes the bait and lunges for him, Agumon lets off a Baby Flame, using the force of the impact to hurl Ogremon up into the sky portal.

Once Ogremon's taken care of, Agumon goes slack and lets the updraft carry him back towards Digimon World as well.

Taichi: AGUMON!!! Agumon: Taichi... Hikari... Bye-bye.... (fades out of existence) Taichi: AGUMON, WAIT!!! I'M COMING TOO!!!

Taichi tries to take a step forward, only to find something pulling him back. It's Hikari, clinging to his wrist with all her strength and refusing to let go.

Taichi: Hikari... I... I'll come back. Hikari: (soft gasp) Taichi: If I don't go with him....

Taichi leaves that thought unfinished.

(Boy, it sure would suck if a Partner Digimon was left to fend for themselves in this world of dark powers without their Chosen Child, huh? I wonder if that's going to come up at some point....)

Having reclaimed Ogremon and Agumon, the portal then begins to take Taichi's Digivice. Taichi hangs onto it, letting the Digivice carry him back across realities. Hikari clings to his other arm, unwilling to let him go. But despite her best efforts, his hand slips from her grasp.

In the dub:

Tai: AGUMON, COME BAAAAAACK!!! Agumon: I'm needed... in Digi-World... I'll never forget you my friends! Thanks for your help! Tai: Wait, take me with you! You still need my help! Agumo-- (Kari holds him back) Kari: Tai, stay with me! Tai: (angrily) No! Go wait for Mom and Dad! Kari: I'm so sorry. Tai: Why? Kari: You were right. I know you have to leave. Tai: I really do. Okay? Kari: Okay. Tai: Agumon can't Digivolve without me. This is my fight too! (Tai moves his lips for about two seconds but no words come out because they had him finish his line before the shot where his mouth is moving.) Kari: Please be careful. (Kari clings desperately to Tai's hand only to tragically lose her grip as he rises into the air and away from her) Tai: Goodbye, Kari! Kari: Bye-bye Tai! Don't forget about me!

Kari seamlessly transitioned from wanting to go to Digi-World with Tai (even though she can already apparently go to and from Digi-World as she pleases?) to wanting to keep him from going back like Hikari did. But then got over that real quick.

As Hikari watches her brother go, the narrator cuts in to talk about her because I guess he's salty that he didn't get to do a rundown in this episode.

Narrator: Hikari was left behind on her own. However, before long, she too will enter the Digital World.

Again, the narrator calls it Digital World even though the characters have yet to acquire that terminology.

Tai delivers this narration in the dub.

Tai: It was really hard to watch Kari as I floated away but there was no way I could have taken her with me! I knew it was way too risky. Besides, Mom would have been really mad at me if I had! But what I didn't know is that Kari would soon find her own way to Digi-World!

She will not. That does not happen. She will soon enter Digi-World but not by "finding her own way" there. In fact, the dub has established that she has her own way there already.

As he speaks, the camera cuts from Hikari standing all alone on that street corner to something else, sitting on the table back in the Yagami household.

A new Digivice has appeared.

Meanwhile, in Digimon World, we close on Taichi and Agumon in Etemon's desert once more, discussing Taichi's fateful choice.

Agumon: We're back. Taichi: Yeah. Agumon: Was this really for the best? Taichi: We'll get home some day. After we've done what we're meant to do.

A bittersweet note in the original. And a triumphant return in the dub.

Tai: Agumon, we're back in business! Now we just gotta decide what our first move is! Agumon: Well, we have to find our friends. Then we have to make sure you and the others get home safely. Tai: Not until we conquer all the evil Digimon! Otherwise, neither one of our worlds will ever be safe!

Assessment: This is a fairly quiet episode, doing a lot of emotional work for Taichi. We get to see a lot of facets to his character laid under a microscope here, and in a way that manages to be interesting again despite having spent so many episodes on him already in recent history.

Something that's interesting to note is that it's not the plight of his friends that brings him back to Digimon World. Though he wrestles with the decision, he does more or less make peace with giving up on them. Rather, it's the threat that the rift between worlds is posing. It's the Digimon attacks and his bond with Agumon; These are the things that bring him back into the fray.

As usual, Taichi is thinking with his yuuki. He is many things, but one thing's for sure: He is a consistent character.

The dub, meanwhile... holy shit, this is the most unlike the original episode that a dub episode has been yet. It honestly feels like they threw out the script and just wrote whatever they thought suited the imagery onscreen.

I mean, Kari was always going to be doomed because they didn't have the OVA to provide vital context for her character and Koromon. But they basically tore out every single aspect of Tai's journey through the episode as well. This is practically a different story entirely.

[thejesterstears]

I am gonna ramble here a bit, partially meta and partially headcanon so...? Bear with me lol.

So I had seen someone share that according to the series' pitch doc, Pomni is described as a "rational and level-headed" person (I have not seen the doc myself as it was only shared via Glitch Inn, but if anyone else has it available I would love to see the whole thing). And I think the show has already done a wonderful job of portraying this part of her, in episode 2 alone. I know some people were preemptively worried that "nervous" was going to be her one defining trait, basing it on her behavior in the pilot alone, so it was great to see that there's so much more to her. And while honestly I do hope that her anxiety plays at least a partial role in the series--specifically her learning to overcome it while relying on her new friends in this digital hellscape she now calls home--I really love the direction her character has taken so far. She's proven already to be a thoughtful, logical, level-headed person able to help others and is well-articulated in expressing as much.

On that note, I do still think she very likely struggles with anxiety. This is all theorizing that could very well get thrown right out the window as more episodes come out and we learn more about her, but just hear me out. I fully believe that the reason she was able to sympathize so closely with Gummigoo's fears and feeling of nothingness is because she has personally experienced those feelings herself even before her life in the circus (evidenced by her stating that it's something she is familiar with "where she's from," in her old life). She understands how painful it is to endure and doesn't like to watch others suffer the way she has, and wants to be able to provide what comfort she can and grasps better what might help ease some of his sorrow because she knows what has helped/would have helped her to hear. As someone with anxiety who also has a tendency to reach out to others due to empathizing heavily with them, I really related to this scene and her actions a lot.

I'd also like to touch upon the fact that it's apparent how Pomni is also the type who responds better to talking out her emotions, to feeling like she is being listened to and understood, rather than blindly told that everything will be okay and attempting to be cheered up (hence, why she was so turned off by Ragatha's "toxic positivity" and felt that she was being talked down to, despite Ragatha's good intentions). She recognized that Gummigoo was in a bad place, one that she related to deeply, and rather than try to cheer him up she heard him out and validated his feelings--the way that she needed to be heard and validated in her struggles. I think this would be part of her "rational" mind at work, needing to actually sort out her emotions and talk about them with someone who really understands where she's coming from in order to process and feel better about the situation rather than be pacified about her feelings (because it really sucks to simply be told everything will be fine and to not worry about it when you have anxiety and are already upset about the situation). Gummigoo inadvertently helped her as much as she helped him, by giving her sort of a vehicle for airing out those feelings and sympathizing with someone on how miserable it is.

This next note might not be much on its own but I felt like it was worth bringing up because it was something that had been on my mind since first watching the pilot--while she is more than capable of being level-headed and a practical problem solver, it seems that under severe stress she's more likely to make bad decisions. I honestly hesitate to say she was being selfish in abandoning Ragatha twice in the pilot, because she was reacting on fight-or-flight impulses in a situation that was extremely unfamiliar and terrifying to her while also still trying to convince herself that this was only a dream rather than actually trying to desert her. She did make an effort to help before her desperation for an escape took over. But it seems clear that in certain situations she lets her panic cloud her judgement. We also see that she easily dissociates entirely when under extreme stress, needing to be snapped back to attention, and she also expresses very self-protective body language (keeping her arms close in front of her, keeping her shoulders hunched, she also tends to hold her own arm at times as if self-comforting the same way Ragatha tends to do).

So. Those are just some observations from what we have seen of her so far, of her anxious tendencies but also her ability to be a source of emotional support to others likely based on her own experiences.

This kind of leads me into what I would love to see in the series, going forward. Now that we've seen that Pomni is beginning to accept her fate and realize she's not alone in her predicament, I'd love to see how she might end up really learning to rely on the others to help keep her tethered to her sense of self in her new life, help her cope with her anxieties as they arise. But I'd equally love to see her helping her new "family" here, as well, in along the same vein as she helped Gummigoo. Just an example, but I would love to see her actually confront Ragatha on her endlessly sunny disposition when she clearly sees how forced it is sometimes, and let her know it's okay to just not be okay and to allow herself to be vulnerable and sad and angry about their situation sometimes...because I feel like if anyone is going to be able to get Ragatha to open up, it would be Pomni. A fresh face in the circus who understands how hard it can be to not feel heard and to struggle alone, who doesn't want anyone to feel as if they are nothing the way she very likely has in the past (and, as evidenced by her fears of being quickly forgotten in her own nightmares, still likely struggles with).

I hope my rambling here makes sense but TL;DR--I adore Pomni so much, how she's a multi-faceted character who has a lot to offer in the circus whether or not she realizes it yet, who has her own fears and anxieties but can also use her own experiences to help others and offer the kind of hope and empathy that she would also want to receive. She's anxious but she's also smart and reasonable and capable of being emotionally sensitive with others. I'm so excited to see even more of her character development and how she learns to cope with her new life, and how she might help others cope as well.

(End disclaimer: please bear in mind that all of this comes from someone who struggles greatly with anxiety and also sees a lot of myself in Pomni so recognizes certain patterns that make me conclude that she very likely has anxiety as well)

[multiselves]

I had an idea what about like a cluster of selves based on the days of the week and each one is named after a different day and could only present on those days. What do you think?

- 🍭🌿

Okay, I finally finished this! Sorry it took so long, thank you for your patience. I tried to base them on things beings associate with different weekdays, and hopefully that'll come through. Though I really couldn't think of anything for Wednesday and Thursday, I'm still pretty satisfied with how they came out. Btw I never specified which ids are trans, because I really have no way of knowing your cisds? *cartoon gulp* Anyway I hope that's all workable for you :3 Without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

Monday

The basic concept was a very tired businessman, because everyone hates Mondays, right? He's chronically burnt out and just generally tired. He tries to be diligent but honestly he's in no state to be doing favours for other people

Pronouns: he/him and POSSIBLY black/grey/smoke as well if you want, but you cannot tell me a 30 something chronically offline office worker would be using neopronouns

Genders: male, masc, boy+, exhazic, tiredgender, dazegender, humanthing, cigsmokic, lonelygender, blackcoffic

Species: depressingly human

Age: 30 coded, 30-40coded, 30-40 agecluster, demiage

Race/nationality: indian

Xenoidentities: none. this guy has no identity. he exists for the grind

Body: his hands shake a lot, especially when he's nervous. He has eyebags and generally looks visibly tired at all times

Mind: somewhat apathetic, nervous, socially withdraws, "lets get it over with" mentality

Tuesday

I was inspired a lot by the "random Tuesday" meme. You know, that one joke where the most absurd things happen on Tuesdays? I wanted this self to embody a similar destructive chaos

Pronouns: she/he/they/it/that/shi/mew/meow/glitch/eye/spark/holo/rainbow/bark/bite/pink/decora/star/chain/burn/cut/bone/blood/fang/zomb/scream/weird/paint/neon/👾/👽/🦷/🎈/✨/🎉/🎭/🎨/👑/💎/🧩/🧸/🧪/💉/🩹/💊/⛓️‍💥/⛓️/🔪/🚬/🪦/🧮/📸/🪀/✂️/📌/🍕/🍔/🍟/🍖/🥩/🍧/🧁/🍭/🍉/🌷/🧷/⭐/🌠/🌈/⚡/❌/☢️/☣️/🗯️

Genders: girlboy, girl, boy, genderfluid, pangender, genderthing, bitegender, cautionthing, dangerthing, radioactivitan, hazardgender, candygorebodic, nonhumanlexic, glitchgender, electrigender, neonrainbowgender, xenoabominataion, rainbowtoxic, batteracdic, eyestraingender, acidgender, hazardcute, catgender

Species: panspecies but particularly ghost, catboy/girl, god, and eldritch horror. Pinks also nonhuman in a general "i could never be one of them" way

Age: agefluid, their age tends to change based on whatever is most convenient for them? For example if they need to get into an 18+ space

Race/nationaity: panrace/nationality, including xenic ids, though they're presentation fluid

Xenoidentities: decora kei/kidcore/scene inspired fashion. Chains, rainbows, glitchcore, speedcore, horror movies, candygore

Body: height/weightfluid, covered in scars of every type, probably has dyed body hair, rainbow heterochromia, rainbow hair, fangs, star and heart shaped pupils, claws for nails, abnormally strong

Mind: emotionally unstable but kind of just for fun? extra super duper autism (major symptoms are being socially unaware, blunt, extremely sensory seeking, obsessive, and having a disregard for social norms + rules), pantrauma, panharmful (but especially a noncon cannibal)

Other: they have the most insane lore. Genuinely the most insane backstory ever. Sharknado levels of insanity

Wednesday

Wednesday was one of those days that I just couldn't think of anything for, so in the end I decided to do something more unrelated

Pronouns: he (when masc) + she (when fem)/it/that/thing/rot/gut/blood/grime/🦴/🍖/🦷/🥩/🩸

Genders: genderfluid, genderloser, genderlame, genderweirdo, pathetigender, alonegender. Rot tends to present female even when masc, and it considers 🩸self a femboy.

Species: demihuman due to trauma, occasionally a cat kemonomimi depending on that things mood

Age: deathstuck 15

Race/nationality: transjapanese. Or if the primary body is already Japanese, disjapanese (primary race -> white -> Japanese)

Xenoidentities: meatcore, animecore, break/speedcore

Body: very skinny and pale, eye bags, big dark eyes and dark hair, terrible posture

Mind: autistic, self conscious, generally kind of a loser, addicted to the internet, overtly pessimistic. Grime has a very dry, and potentially edgy sense of humour

Other: this mf has NO FRIENDS

Thursday

Thursday is just another one of those days that doesn't have anything associated with it. Thursday is just.. Thursday (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Pronouns: she/luv/heart/joy/kiss/cake/paw/bun/sweet/soft/cute/heart/cherry/hope/♡/🦑/🪼/🎉/🎀/🍥/🍦/🍧/🍰/🍪/🧁/🍬/🍭/🍡/🍮/🍒/🍓/🌸/🌺/🌷/⭐/🌈/🩷/💗/💖/💌/💫

Genders: fem, paragirl, nonbinary girl, xenogirl, cutegirl, angelgirl, pinkgirl, g♡rl, lacefem, dessertic, strawberric, strawberrycakegender, flanpuddinggender, strawberryheartcakegender, cakegender, chocolatestrawberric, cheesecakegender, creampuffgender, whippedcreamreix, sweetcloudic, pinkbandaidgender, idolfem, purelovic, strawberrybowic, strawberrymilkshakic, sweetiegender, sugargender, sugarcookiegender, genderfluff, fluffycloudgender, cutepastelic, cuteskirtic, lovelettercoric, lovergender, pinkcandygender, poromation, lovebodiment, cupidgender, pinkflux, magicalgirlgender, magicattic, maginurse, idolgender, angelidolic, hopegender, peacecuric, joygender, sprinklesgender, nursejoycharic, cakefrilled, sweetfrilled, sweetmaiden, ribbonfrilled, femfrill, pinkcloudic, cutefrilled, bowgender, cupcakecatgender, cutemelodic, heartcookiegender, pinkgender, pinkribbon, sweetgender

Species: angel aligned human

Age: 19

Race/nationality: white, race apathetic

Xenoidentities: magical cure loveshot, cats, book shops (she finds them cosy), idols, magical girls

Body: very fem cutesy mannerisms, always very energetic, smiles a lot, tends to always be slightly too quiet or slightly too loud, blushes easily, small and light

Mind: 🍡's super kind and sugary sweet, but surprisingly transharmful in the sense that 🍒's pro recovery. ⭐'s not malicious like most pro recovery beings, she's just very misguided

Friday

Friday is the day of the week everyone looks forward to. It's the party day, it's the going out to eat day, it's generally the day where good things start happening. I was really inspired by Aliyah's Interlude, especially her song IT GIRL because of it's confident, sparkly energy

Pronouns: she/zi/her/star/pink/glitz/charm/coral/citrus/lemon/orange/pineapple/cherry/sun/teal/aqua/🐬/🐠/🪸/🦩/✨/🎉/🎵/🍥/🍧/🍣/🍹/🍸/🥂/🥝/🥥/🍇/🍉/🍊/🍋/🍋‍🟩/🍌/🍍/🥭/🍑/🌸/🌺/⭐/🌟/🌈/🌀/🌊/💫 (primarily she because she is "HER".)

Genders: girl, stargirl, coconutgender, tropicalgender, hibiscusgender, candylipbalmgender, hellokittysunscreenic, tropicalcoregender, tropicalfruitemojic, fizzygender, lycheemarblesodic, pinkgender, cherryblossgender, gummysharkic

Species: human

Age: "i became a vampire to suck blood and fuck forever" type energy. Hot forever type energy. 🍋‍🟩 absolutely hoards xenoages

Race/nationality: racefluid between black and white :3 I could not decide between making 🍣 a nice regina george, or going full in with that Aliyah energy

Xenoidentities: IT GIRL, gyaru fashion (she takes a lot of inspo from it), the beach, fruity drinks, over accessorising, cute stuff :3 but in a bold pink bubble writing kind of cute

Body: tanned and tall. Charm has a few tattoos, but nothing big (just cute little stars, dolphins, peace signs etc) hidden away in places you're not likely to see away from the pool

Mind: confident :3

Other: she has a valley girl accent sometimes, and uses a load of slang when talking

Saturday

Saturday is the best day of the week in my opinion. You get to relax a little due to the lesser responsibilities, you get to actually have fun. I definitely associate feelings of leisure with my childhood

Pronouns: he/woof/bark/pup/wag/bone/🐶/🐾‍/🦴

Genders: boy, videogamegender, pikachugender

Species: shapeshifterkin

Age: 8

Race/nationality: aracial

Body: 🦴 has a lot of bruises from running around like a hooligan

Mind: very bookish and thoughtful, but unafraid to go do stupid things like climb a really tall tree, or go on a walk barefooted. Hey, both things can be true at once :3 🐶 has some pretty great problem solving skills

Other: If you prefer he can also be a tomboyish girl, or even flipflop between the two. I'm not totally decided on woofs gender

Sunday

The main things I drew on for Sunday were feelings of comfort, rest, and an almost reverence considering how Sunday is meant to be the day of rest. It was really hard to find good pictures for Sunday unfortunately, Pinterest tends to only have stuff related to younger beings :/

Pronouns: she/they/pie/love/cake/☕/🍪/🥛/🍫

Genders: girl, berrygender, warmgender, comfygender, autumncat, genderautumna, pastromic, browntabbycattic, hotchocoic, teagender, buttertoastic, chocopastry, cookiebuntoastic, pastrygender

Species: human

Age: late 50's-early 60's

Race/nationality: white, southern american

Xenoidentities: n/a

Body: nothing of note, really. But their faceclaim looks slightly older than what I intended. She does give good hugs though

Mind: a very motherly type for sure. She's a good cook, especially when it comes to pastries of any sort. ☕'s got a very calming, comforting aura

Other: christian, has a bit of a southern twang

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

So I saw this really cute NND fanart by @etincelleart, which inspired me to write this fic where Ruby and Penny go for boba in Vacuo.

honestly it's the closest I've engaged with canon in my writing in a long while and it was really fun

don't ask where the atla joke reference came from bc I'm still not entirely sure how it found its way in

.

Taste Buds

Since her transformation Penny’s life has been full of new experiences. Most of them, good (hugs, the warmth of the sun on her skin, meeting and petting that stray cat, hugs), but she still has just a little bit of apprehension about trying new things. Flipping too quickly through the pages of a book she couldn’t automatically download into her mind (due to her excitement over that being an experience she can have now) leading to her First Ever Paper Cut had taught her that it was perhaps best to take some things slowly.

There’s still no one else quite like her. Ambrosius hadn’t made her a new body. They’d been very careful with their wording there. She just sort of has one now? The person she’d always been manifested as she envisioned herself? Penny is most definitely real, so it checks out. It’s just…the part of her that still finds comfort in hard data and scientific fact struggles with the whole thing, sometimes, when it’s quiet, and she has nothing else really to focus on.

Food has been a particularly exciting (if also a little worrying) topic. Hunger is not something Penny enjoys. Being able to taste definitely is. Even if she hasn’t had the chance to try out too many flavors yet, Penny loves all of them, especially sweets. Though that may be due to it being Ruby (and Ruby’s own giant sweet tooth) that introduced her to many of the foods she’s tried so far, leading to something of a bias in the data sample.

The worrying part about food is the eating. According to the medical doctor she’d gone to with Ruby, Penny is a perfectly healthy, normal girl. The doctor had also reassured Penny her lack of medical records was okay, expected even, it was a common situation amongst a lot of the Atlesian refugees. Informing her that Penny’s organic body was a relatively new development had led to a bit of awkwardness, but they’d moved passed it.

The point being, all the necessary parts for a digestive system (and also every other functionality a person has) are there. How exactly they got there may be a mystery Penny will live with for the rest of her life, but they’re still there, and they all do their jobs properly.

Penny had been nervous at first, to eat. Before, she’d always had to be incredibly careful because a crumb or droplet of liquid in the wrong place could lead to system-wide errors and glitching for days. But, eating was part of her life now. Normal now. Expected even.

And honestly, once she got past that initial, momentary hesitation, the excitement had taken over. It’s a whole new—

“Eep!”

Ruby tugs Penny into a flurry of rose petals. Penny reflexively relaxes into the sensation. They land, breathlessly, on the opposite side of the street from the (cabbage? Penny is fairly sure those are cabbages, but, without instant access to databases, she’s still learning to differentiate vegetables on her own, and all the green ones are particularly difficult) vendor, whose cart Ruby almost knocked over.

The probably-cabbage vendor shakes his fist at them, but doesn’t chase them across the street. He picks up the handles of his cart and, grumbling, goes on his way.

Ruby looks to Penny. Penny looks back. Ruby’s laugh fills her cheeks before bursting out of her. Penny can’t help but join in.

It takes a few minutes for their giggles to subside.

“Okay, okay.” Ruby takes a breath to settle herself. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

They continue weaving their way through the streets of Vacuo, though not going quite as fast as the almost jog Ruby had led Penny on to begin with. Soon they reach the shop with the large sign reading, Bubba Bubba Boba, above it.

The boba shop is slowly becoming something of a favorite of their group. It is, first and foremost, Ruby and Yang’s spot, a cherished reminder of their pre-Beacon life. One they’re slowly sharing with everyone. There’d been talk of visiting as a whole group, but differing assignment schedules made that difficult. So far, to Penny’s knowledge, only Yang has taken Blake there, at the end of their first Official Date As A Couple, where they’d meandered through the shopping district together.

Until, that is, less than an hour ago, when Ruby rushed into Penny and her father’s small quarters and declared Penny absolutely has to go there with her.

Penny isn’t exactly sure of the timeline between Yang surprising Ruby with boba to Yang and Blake’s date ending with them getting boba to now, but she is a little concerned about Weiss’s absence from the series of events. Wouldn’t it have made sense for Team RWBY to go together first?

(Unbeknownst to her, there had been an intermediary moment where Ruby, after hearing about Yang and Blake’s date, got her idea to take Penny for boba, and talked to Weiss about it. Weiss had encouraged (to put it in the most mild terms possible) Ruby to just ask Penny out already, which Ruby had, of course, interpreted as ‘taking my friend Penny, who is my friend and totally not anything else, out for boba’.

(Semi-relatedly, there is an entire chapter of the memoir living rent free in Weiss’s head titled; My Teammates And Their Obliviousness To Their Own Romances: How To Deal With The Unending Frustration.)

Penny and Ruby walk into the boba shop. It’s sparsely decorated, most of what’s there an eclectic assortment of basic furniture easily found. Packing up, leaving in a hurry, and restarting a business in a new kingdom hadn’t been easy for the shop owners, but they seem to be doing their best.

Penny trails after Ruby to the counter. She looks up at the colorful options cheerfully displayed on the menu. There’s a lot of them. Some flavors she recognizes, like strawberry or mango. Others she doesn’t. Staring at the words ‘matcha�� and ‘taro’ doesn’t suddenly reveal anything about what they are to Penny.

“Hey, Penny?” Ruby is looking back at her, mild concern written across her face. “You good?”

“Yes, I…” Penny bites her lower lip. “I don’t know what to choose.” Any of the options could be good. They probably all are. But this will be her first boba. Her first boba with Ruby.

It suddenly feels just a bit daunting.

“Well, let’s see.” Ruby comes to stand beside her. She automatically reaches for Penny’s hand, and Penny doesn’t hesitate in allowing her to take hold of it. With her other, free hand, Ruby taps her finger against her lips. “You’ve had a bunch of types of fruit before, right? Maybe we could go with one of those flavors, since they’re already kind of familiar?”

“I suppose.” Penny glances again at the flavors on the menu she doesn’t know. It would probably be most logical to not travel too far away from the known on her first taste, no matter how much her curiosity is telling her otherwise.

Ruby catches sight of Penny’s expression. She frowns. Then her eyes light up with an idea. “Or, we could get one of each, something you’re familiar with and something you’re not, and share!”

Penny can’t help but grin. “I like that idea much better.”

At the counter, Ruby orders one strawberry and one matcha. Then, with drinks in hand, she leads Penny to one of the shop’s outdoor tables. They sit.

“Here.” Ruby passes the strawberry over to Penny first. Their fingers accidentally brush against each other.

Penny’s heart skips a beat. She tells it, not for the first time, it really must stop doing that when these sorts of minor accidents happen when she’s around Ruby. They’re very comfortable with physical contact with each other. Why should the unintended ones be any different?

“Try it! Try it!” Seemingly unaware of where Penny’s mind is at, Ruby eagerly gestures at the boba cup in front of Penny.

Putting such thoughts aside for later, Penny picks up the strawberry one, and guides the straw to her lips. Then nearly jumps as the first boba makes it to her mouth. She was not expecting that specific texture! Penny rolls the boba around with her tongue, adjusting to how it feels, and tastes.

“Soooo?” Ruby leans forward over the table. “How is it?”

Penny doesn’t have to think about her answer.

“Perfectly sensational!”

“Yay!” Ruby swings back in her chair. Too far. It leans back. Its front two legs leave the ground. The chair tips and unceremoniously drops Ruby. She instinctively calls upon her semblance to catch herself, but flies too far, going into the street.

A second later Ruby finds herself in an amongst the fallen cabbages of the cart she crashed into.

The vendor, the same one from earlier, has his hands on his head.

“MY CABBAGES!”

Over his shoulder, Ruby meets Penny’s gaze. Penny grabs their bobas. They go running.

(Later, they’ll go back and make things right with the cabbage vendor.)

For now, Ruby and Penny hide out in an alley and swap boba flavors.

[ethan-acfan]

I saw a post in one of those au's where desmonds ancestors can hear desmond and know desmond is controlling them, and one of the head canons was that haythem couldn't hear desmond and he immediately desynchronized twice because of how weird it was so I wanna do something with that😀

I sighed. "Here we go again." And with that, I passed out.

I opened my eyes, rubbing the blur out of them. I looked around, I was back in the animus. The large expansive void surrounded me.

A voice cut through the silence. "Desmond?" Rebecca called out.

"Do you hear us?" Bill asked

I groaned, trying to ignore the pain in my head. "Yeah, what happened?"

"The temple triggered a bleeding effect. You collapsed and entered into a fugue state." Bill explained.

"So naturally, you dropped me in the animus instead of... I don't know, making sure I was okay?"

Bill sighed, "You weren't in any real danger. Besides, the temple seemed to be communicating with you, I didn't want to sever the connection. At least not until we knew what it wanted."

Well, he wasn't wrong. Juno clearly wanted me to find a key, but still, throwing me into the animus right after I got out of my coma was a dick move.

"Right, of course." I stated clearly agitated.

"Son, I..." He trailed off.

"No, it's fine, I get it. And I know what I'M looking for, by the way. It's a key. Just no idea where it is, though... Guess that's why she triggered the bleeding effect."

"She?" Bill asked.

"Juno, dad. She's... talking to me."

He stayed silent.

My surroundings faded. Once my vision cleared, I was in some kind of obstacle course. Rebecca's voice cut through again.

"Okay, Desmond, while you were, uh, visiting Constantinople, we picked up a new software update for the animus. I'd like to run a couple of quick tests to make sure there are no issues."

I sighed. I decided that while I do the course, I could prepare myself for meeting a new ancestor. I wasn't sure whether to be nervous or excited.

Rebecca gave me instructions, but I tuned them out, I already knew what to do.

From what I saw from the bleeding effect, maybe they were from England, from what I saw it was farther ahead in time them Ezio, maybe in the 1700s.

I guess I wouldn't know till I met him, I just had to hope he wouldn't freak out.

I jumped down from the rooftop. The animus glitched a few times as it loaded.

The world began to build itself. I sighed, preparing myself.

I felt my body shift. I looked down to see that I was in a different body. I grasped the hilt of my sword. I looked around, based on the building and the way people were dressed I was pretty sure I was right about this being the 1700s.

I began to walk forward. As I did, I called out in my mind. "Hey, who are you?"

Silence.

I blinked with Altair he freaked out and thought I was a ghost, Ezio thought I was some kind of other worldly being, but now... silence.

"Hello, anyone here?" I got no response.

Can he not hear me? I felt the world around me begin to glitch again, I tried to calm myself, but I soon felt a twinge of pain as I desynchronized.

I was now back at the beginning of the stone path. Could this guy really not hear me? Now that I thought about it, I did feel more... disconnected from him than I did with Ezio and Altair.

It felt more like I was watching in 3rd person and less like I was sharing their body.

"Sir? Are you alright." A man asked me.

"Yes, I'm fine, just preoccupied is all."

This honestly felt so weird. I wanted to ask who that man was, but I knew I wouldn't get a response. Was this a new update to the animus.

And with that, I felt the familiar spike of pain jolt through my body, desynchronization.

"Desmond, are you alright?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just... being in the animus again is... strange." It was half of the truth.

"Alright, just tell us if you need a break, okay?"

"Okay." I stated.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. This was going to be a long animus session.

[sandandlightning]

My work with Belial

Some art I did of them as they appear to me. Getting better at phone scan color process

A lot of people cite Belial as very strict. I don't disagree, but for me what is more prominent is just… intenseness? It's a bit hard to describe. Then again, a lot of my personal problems are rooted in perfectionism and overextending myself, so even Belial is out here telling me to sit the fuck down, that strictness manifesting instead in Work Things glitching to force me to take a damn break and take care of myself.

I think they are a very strong essence of discipline. They are good for working with if you are trying to build habits. They will kick your ass, but they will also kick everyone's ass and their own ass. They will also tell you to do this.

They present to me as aggressively gender neutral, and prefer I use the title ‘Sovereign’ instead of anything like king/queen or lord/lady. Other Gender entities I work with are more fluid than agender, so I find this fascinating.

The form they take with me is an androgynous humanoid fallen angel with short, slick dark brown hair and black wings that sometimes manifest from the lower back rather than shoulder blades. Their eyes have appeared green, brown, and red. Their clothes tend to be very minimalist and nondescript. When wanting to be spooky or intimidating they appear as something similar to a traditional grim reaper depiction or very decay oriented litch.

In my practice Belial is a primary consort of Lucifer (in addition to other common ones like Lilith, not instead of. Though I have never felt close to Lilith, likely due to her ruling a lot of femmeness that can be unfitting for my brand of transness.) I don't have the source for this, it is enforced by recent upg and such, but I originally had Belial on a list of Lucifer concerts from demonology research way back in like 2007, so I really have no concept of how common this is or isn't but it is something I had outside sources for at some point, lost to the aether as they are now.

Whatever the case I find them to be extremely protective of Lucifer. There's kinda a sworn knight vibe. They are honestly more likely to request I do something to venerate Luci than themself. I suppose it is reflective of their ‘dont do anything by halves’ energy in general- they are just as aggressive about their dedication to Lucifer as they are anything else.

Initially I was admittedly more apprehensive about approaching them than any other entity on my list of ‘people to check in with bc in hindsight I am 90% sure they reached out to me before’. From afar they seemed big and scary and intimidating and radiated that take no shit energy. I suppose if they don't have an interest in working with someone they would have no problem being blunt and telling them to fuck off, or their bluntness in general just being off-putting. (Due to my personal trauma cocktail I actually find it oddly soothing.) Approaching them was almost anticlimactic in a way- not that I'm complaining. They were curt, but very welcoming. After making contact I almost immediately stopped feeling nervous. It's sort of the same feeling as trying to approach the Scary Goth Kid in school expecting them to snap or cuss you out and instead they're just like ‘Sup. Your backpack is sick AF.’

I originally anticipated something more distant, but they are one of the entities I feel closest to. They have done a lot to help me find grounding and structure, which I suppose is why they are associated with earth. The name ‘Belial’ is rooted in a Hebrew word meaning ‘without worth', and the entity as they are known now evolved from the use of that word being personified over various translations and iterations of different texts. For me, this lends itself to their role as a patron to outcasts. I have seen others attribute to them a role as a protector to those society finds ‘worthless’, including the disabled, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised we clicked.

Ave Belial!

[greenlikethesea]

Heyyyy, roasting anon here, hi.

So. I really just wanted to send you a very silly little barely even joke about a thing in your like, blog layout sort of (cause I keep noticing it and I associate it with you now! 💚) but in a (hopefully harmlessly) like, fun poking tone. So I WAS gonna go off anon, and so I got nervous, and I tried to reassure myself by asking you permission beforehand in the awkwardest absurdest way possible for some reason idk?

I was trying to stop myself overthinking things but I actually goofed up and like caused you stress, I'm very embarrassed and sorry 😬, that's very much not what I intended!!

So I promise you I'll try to like, think of the quencies? consider wtf it could be like to receive smg Like That? before giving in to any possible anon impulses from now on.

Also you really weren't being sensitive, you were perfectly reasonable, and tbh probably a lot nicer and and more gracious to me than I deserved 🥹

(And, what, IT WAS 7AM?????? wow time zones fail. Trying to send this at a hopefully less weird time for you?)

Anyway I think you're the best, sorry and thank you ✌🏼

ahhhhh, is it about the fact that my tags glitch and don't let you go to the next page? i think that's hilarious, personally. i have no idea how to fix it and i don't plan on doing so any time soon hahahah.

i really appreciate your apology and fully accept it! i figured you meant no harm -- i really do have the best followers and mutuals -- i just need to assert boundaries sometimes, you know? honestly, just going off anon is the best policy if you're gonna gently rib, because if you were, there's a chance we interact fairly regularly. i also have really bad anon experiences from a former fandom so it just gets me twitchy when something even vaguely potentially negative is anon. off anon is good too, because that way, i can also respond privately if you don't want the ask published and want to keep it btwn you and me.

and yeah, i think it can be tough to know how something's going to be received when it's being sent, and you took a chance! i can totally get the impulse to get the all clear though. it's nice to have that perspective to understand what was behind it.

as for 7am, you probably sent it at a reasonable hour and i received it when i woke up for work at 7am!

YOU'RE the best, anon! no harm no foul! keep on rockin'! <3

[pistachi0art]

Mini-Fic on a @hlvrai-twh character that won’t show up for awhile but I really want to talk about. >:))

Part 1 of 2: Just a dream?

======================================

“You need to get some sleep…” Tommy said softly to the stranger.

Said stranger, who now referred himself as “Null” used to be a friend of Tommy’s. But now, whatever part of him that was his friend, was gone. Just a hollow shell of the person he used to be.

Null glanced up, his fingers were intertwined with his hair again. His green eye met with Tommy’s golden ones, but he couldn’t see out of the other. The two were sitting on the ground of “Null’s Room”, which couldn’t be called a room at all as it was almost a huge cave-like structure floating in an endless void. Tommy had invited himself again. He honestly hated being alone, but he couldn’t admit it.

“I don’t like sleeping. It’s too dark and quiet…” he muttered, breaking eye contact with Tommy. He let go of his hair and lay flat on the floor.

“I don’t even dream about good things. And it’s always the same-“ he said and frowned. It was such a specific dream, always ending with a slow and painful death. More like a reoccurring nightmare, if anything.

“You look awful though… your eyes are darker. And you’ve been getting- angry. -A lot more than usual...” Tommy said sitting down.

“The hall was warped yesterday. Looked like someone had crushed it like a can…” he said. “And the tramcar was all bugged out. Your emotions directly effect the state of Black Mesa, y’know.”

He closed his eyes briefly, pretending not to care.

“I know- but you end up fixing it anyway so why should it matter…”

His hair coiled around himself again and he started singing to pass the time.

He turned and glanced back to Tommy, who was gone. Alone again. He moved upright.

That was fine. Tommy only hung out with him because he wanted to “help him”, whatever that meant.

Null recalled the day he met him. Tommy was the one who approached him and asked about “Gordon.”

He didn’t know who that was, and saying that had made Tommy’s nervous smile quickly turn into a concerned frown. The scientists standing behind him also looked disappointed in his answer. Ever since that day, they wouldn’t stop bothering him. What did he do wrong?

Null grabbed his arms, and began glitching out again. He really did need some sleep, but he really hated the dreaming part-

He was more scared of that dream if he was being completely honest. Something about it felt so real and horrible. And he was always on the receiving end, the guy screaming out. He squeezed his eyes shut as an awful feeling crawled through him. Why couldn’t he remember anything, but always dreamt of that?

“Mr.- Null? Are you okay?” Tommy’s voice piped. Null shot up, turning to him and the new figure behind him.

“Oh-I- you brought him.” He huffed standing up slowly. The figure was there when he first met Tommy. He was thin and tall, wearing a blue suit. He remembered that look of slight disappointment as well.

“I was told you were having issues with- your dreams.” He said, in that slow and breathy voice. Null’s hair writhed like a pit of snakes. A small voice was telling him that he couldn’t help him. He stood defensively.

Tommy stood inbetween the two, being the wall that would keep Null from suddenly attacking his dad. It was like a playing a game with a wild animal.

“You said that you couldn’t do anything for me before, why are you here now-?” He stared daggers into him, but got no reaction. Didn’t exactly remember when he said it but remembered his voice stating the matter.

“I didn’t say anything of the sorts...to you, at least…” He stated bluntly. Tommy rolled his eyes at his dad, Signaling that he needed to be careful with his words. He glanced back to Null, still without a change to his expression.

“I want to help you get a good nights rest… Tommy is worried about you.” He said, again slowly. “I’m providing you with a solution to your predicament. Unless you don’t want it- I suppose I could just leave…”

Tommy swerved his head back to Null, who’s look changed. He looked conflicted. He still didn’t trust him.

“I- want… I want help...” He stuttered. That was the first direct thing he’s said to him Tommy thought.

With this action, he took a step back, letting his dad approach Null. He balled his fists and raised his shoulders, trying to make himself big as possible next to the towering thin man.

He placed a hand on his shoulder. Null tensed up. He handed something that looked like a small square piece of paper. A photo.

“I will provide you this…as it’s all I can give.”

He teetered backwards. A name was scrawled on the back. Joshua..?

His stomach twisted, as he fell backwards.

[gnomeyflamingo]

✮ Show & Tell ✮

It’s Acco’s first day at Copperdale High and he’s nervous.

Acco: “Here goes, first day- Omw, everything's covered in Love day décor, is there an event I don’t know about?!”

Atreo: *sigh* “I have to talk to Asmara…”

Zehra: “Morning Atherstones! Just reminding you about our little date later Atreo, my love…” 

Acco: “You’re going on a date with Zehra?!” 

Atreo: “No! It’s not a date, there will never be a date! Zehra wants me to go to a random lot in Moonwood Mill-” 

Zehra: “Yes. Tonight!"

Teacher: “Er, where did all the love day décor come from-?"

Zehra: “Please don’t make me take it down Sir! It’s to help Atreo!” 

Atreo: “Uhm, how?!”

Teacher: “You vastly overestimate how much I care Miss Ito. I was hoping it was part of a glitch. Alas, the drudgery continues."”

Atreo: “Zehra is up to no good, I should probably skip school and go home.”

Acco: “That’s one way to avoid admitting that you cheated on your girlfriend…”

Atreo: “Fineeeee, I’ll do it, I’ll go find her and talk to her and emotionally devastate her, is that what you want?” 

Acco: “Not what I want, it just needs to happen.” 

Atreo: “Uggghhh! Enjoy your first day. Bit of brotherly advice, avoid Principal Summer."

Asmara: *singing to herself* “Painting at school before class like I always do, what a good day, surely nobody will walk in with news that will emotionally devastate meeee.” 

Atreo: “Asmara… Hi.”

Asmara: “Atreo! Bae! I haven’t heard from you in ages! 

I missed you!”

*big hugs* 

Atreo: “Yeah… Uhm…” 

Asmara: “The weirdest thing happened after prom, it just ended and we were all sent home. It must have been a glitch or something.”

Atreo: “About that… Asmara… I- I have to tell you something.”

 Asmara: “What’s up bae?” 

Atreo: “It’s really bad… Like, really, really bad-” 

Asmara: “Atreo, you’re making me worry.”

Atreo: “I- I messed up, it’s- oh Gnomes, I don’t-” 

Asmara: “Bae, it’s gonna be okay. I love you, you can tell me anything.” 

Atreo: *winces* That makes this so much worse.”

Atreo: *deep breath* “Okay. 

I- I cheated on you with Derya.” 

Asmara: “W-what?!” 

Atreo: “The Watcher made me do it. When prom ended suddenly, only Derya and I were left and the hall was filled with flirty décor-”

Atreo: “But honestly, I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t resist the flirty buffs and Derya and I, we kissed and then we messed around-” 

Asmara: “N-no…”

Atreo: *blubbers* “I’m s-so sorry. P-please don’t hate me, I- I love you so much-" 

Asmara: “I don’t hate you. I’m not even mad. I don’t know what to feel. I didn’t catch you cheating, so for me it’s like it never happened, even though you've just told me."

Atreo: “Huh, really?” 

Asmara: “My moodlets don’t lie bae.” 

Atreo: “So… There’s no consequences if I date other sims, as long as I betray you when you’re not around? That’s horrible!” 

Asmara: “I know but it might be a good thing, we’ll get to stay together…"

Atreo: “I can’t do that to you. You have the soulmate aspiration, you deserve so much better than me.” 

Asmara: “Atreo-” 

Atreo: *cheerily* “Let’s just be friends!” 

Asmara: “Okay!” 

Then they go their separate ways…

 (seriously why is 'ask to just be friends' a happy interaction?)

(for app) >> Next Page >> Previous Page

❧ Back to the Legacy Archive

[ch1bii]

took me until 4am to finish BUT I FUCKIN DID IT Y’ALL

okay but this gameplay was honestly wild like it was just all over the place 😭 so first i set up a schedule of frequently going shopping and answering his emails on the weekends and having a mix of hanging out with natsumi or doing handicraft club activities during the week. but then later on i realized being at :D with natsumi was going to affect my requirements for chiharu and worried that i’d eventually fulfill hers instead of his so then i just started ignoring her completely 💀 and i would also hang out with arisawa only to study for testing periods but even that made her go up to :D so i started ignoring her as well 😭 yea i was a pretty bitchy friend this gameplay only for the sole purpose to win at it; plus i’ve ended up with both of their endings more than once so it’s just 50/50 now 😒 anywho at one point i struggled with getting chiharu’s cg of him using his laptop at the park in autumn even when i followed the requirements of getting it 👹 but ig i must’ve missed something or just witnessed a slight misinfo. i’ve already gotten the cg in another gameplay anyways so it really wasn’t such a big deal 😦 also one time when i hanged out with arisawa on a sunday chiharu was in the background??? but it says he only does that when you fully fulfill his requirements to get his ending and at that time i was barely halfway through his emails 😭 but sadly when i tried saving it i instead load back to a previous slot 💀 so i’m not sure if it was a glitch or that maybe instead it has to do with him being at :) with you??? and if that’s also the case with the cg incident??? idk we can’t really check that so i’m still not sure 😭 anywho after all that i was already near 3rd year and had finished all of chiharu’s emails. so i was just left with trying to lower other ppls stats and dealing with hazuki being a little bitch for “ignoring” him when all he does is avoid me 👹 and so i was kinda feeling miserable cause i wasn’t sure if i was even going to be able to manage getting chiharu’s next cg on time and having to end up with wasting my time over nothing, leading to another long hiatus of avoiding and hating this game 💀

that was until i stepped upon a lil something…

more like someone 🤭

YUP THATS RIGHT. FUCKIN MORIMURA SAKUYA AKA MORI-RIN CAME AND SAVED THE GAME. And when I tell y’all that i didn’t even do this on purpose I MEAN IT. LIKE HE LITERALLY JUST APPEARED WITHOUT ANY KNOWING OF MY ACTIONS. to be fair i DID use the studying by urself command BUT IT WAS DURING THE END OF 2ND YEAR in which i assumed he’d only appear this way in 1ST year 😭😭😭 so yea i was just fuckin 🤭🤭🤭 the whole time, like any tear i felt like shedding before just completely evaporated i am dead serious. WITH HIM TSUKUSHI FINALLY GOT OFF MY ASS ABOUT ENDING UP AN OLD MAID AND ACTUALLY HAD SOMEONE I COULD SPEND NEW YEARS WITH 💀 no cause i swear bro is too underrated when he is literally the sweetest (and the best) guy in this game I SAID WHAT I SAID 🙄 anywho yea life was good i even started having more hope in getting what i want i was even near finishing 3rd year 🤭 so now i’m near new years where tons of stuff happens in like one week 😦 so first i get club master in handcraft club!!! and i even get this thing where mori-rin comes after the like award thing and congratulates me, even sharing how his mother did handicrafting and gets emotional 🙁 (such a nice add in) then later on in the week i get offered to work at my flower shop job full time??? and there was somthin else but i forgot 💀 anywho there i was nervous for january cause that’s supposedly when the important chiharu cg is. and just when i knew, THERE IT WAS 🤭 and i’m ngl that it’s honestly such a cute cg and probs one of my favs like agh what chiharu says is so meaningful… maybe i just have a weakness 💀 anywho right there and then i felt COMPLETE 🙏🙏🙏 i even FINALLY got chiharu’s emote in the saving section 👏👏👏 even tho it’s kinda disappointing (or i should say rather CREEPY 😨) by how it’s just him spying at ur character thru bushes 😦 istg they could’ve done anything but THAT like maybe ur character and him using their laptops side by side then they look at each other OR OR ur character using it’s laptop then chiharu somehow pops up in the back 😭 idk but ANYTHING could’ve worked better 💀 moving on WE’RE FINALLY OFF TO GRADUATION DAY!!! after taking the entrance exam in which i applied for a first rate university and here i am STILL hoping i don’t get absolutely played and that all goes well 😰 we get to the church, chiharu appears, says his lovely dovey stuff, share a kiss, then the rest is history 🤭 ngl like the cg the confession was pretty cute and genuine, although compared to others why was the mc completely DRY in replying like bro expresses his feelings and we’re just like “okay” or “…” 💀💀💀 but ig it’s understandable when in reality we kinda don’t know much about the guy and was ghosted by him for idk how long then he just comes and confesses💀 it’s why i kinda just like to imagine side emails we’re definitely a thing between em so that it wouldn’t be so bland in what we know abt each other but yea 🤷🏻‍♀️ to finish off this idk how long blog it was unexpectedly a satisfying gameplay and i had some fun with it even if i rushed thru most of it bc of how i just wanted to go to bed 💀 but it was worth it at the end 🤭

[thetimesewers]

Proof that the Professor is Possessed

Kicking things off not even a minute into the episode, the box now has chains. I have no idea what could be inside, but it’s clearly important to “the Professor”. He’s still very protective of it.

The Professor says that he got his master’s at Charles University in Prague, even though he states (very proudly) in a previous episode that he’s a PU alum. I don’t think this is majorly important, but it’s just something I picked out. I also wanna know what the master’s was actually in.

Also, he just agrees to Ryan’s slander when he calls him a douchebag. Not solid evidence of this not being the Professor, but the real Professor would never allow this insult.

The ‘example window’ is a new thing, and it’s probably just a one-off for the episode (since it’s about windows), but I definitely have a feeling someone’s gonna get yeeted out the window by the end of the season (hopefully the fake Professor). Also, I’m pretty sure whoever this is has definitely thrown someone out a window before.

“Not that I’ve, well, successfully murdered somebody.” Ryan… Also, the crickets after he says that 😂.

I love the shirts that the Hussites have. “HUSSITES FOR LIFE”, “WE ❤️ JAN”, and, my personal favourite, “RIP OUR CRISPY KING.” I really want one of those T-shirts.

He did the same thing that he did last week with the “not everything on this stage is as it seems”. “Thank goodness no one here has to beware of false prophets in sheep’s clothing, right? We’re all exactly as we seem.” He’s pretty much giving himself up, and I feel like it’s pretty obvious that Ryan’s gonna have to catch on at some point if he keeps doing this every week.

Drawing the attention back to the example window again, I feel like it’s gonna be important for some reason at some point. I just don’t know why or how.

I like how the sponsor was the horse’s wife. Also, the horse is now the first main puppet to have a name. I do find it strange how Dorothy is still alive, when, a) God said that she was (most likely) dead, and b) I thought all the puppets were supposed to be dead. I mean, I know she wasn’t at the party, but it’s just confusing to me. I’m probably looking way too much into this honestly.

I love the signs that all the people are holding up, and how there’s references to previous episodes. “It’s high time this stopped!” (the Black Death episode), “Someone should invent more comfortable shoes!” (I think that’s a reference to the Dancing Plague episode), “The Pope’s a Dope!” and, of course, “HUSSITES: STILL MAD.” Oh, plus “(EQUALLY ATTRACTIVE NON-CATHOLIC BELIEFS)

Love Ryan laughing at penal 😂. Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think it was a funny word too.

I like the detail they put into the example window, like making the tree move and everything. I think that’s amazing, and I appreciate the extra effort put into it.

He’s doing the B-boys bit again, but this time he’s added bees.

HE DIDN’T DO THE C DOGS BIT. Honestly, this on its own is enough proof that that isn’t the Professor. I remember having to pause the episode on my first watch because I was so shocked that he didn’t even notice.

The song is AMAZING. I definitely prefer it to last week’s 😂 a lot less disturbing. And obviously the Professor’s set up. Obviously I can’t make out everything on the desk, but I can see a Coveted Cup and a bottle of Puppet Lotion. Also I did not expect the algorithm to be an actual real thing, I thought it was just something the Professor made up. Which means he probably actually didn’t want Ryan to lose every time. The little glitch that he has when BDG is declared the winner. I do wish that they didn’t interrupt the song though, it was such a bop 😂. Also, Ryan knows the Professor is up to something, so I wonder what he’s gonna do.

Ryan lost the auction for the Genie lamp. I wonder what that means, and if he’s gonna have to find a way to get it back. The nervous laughter when he denies being in the studio means that that glowing-eyes plush was definitely him. His voice did the thing again as well when he shouted “RATS!” After rewatching some clips and episodes, I realised that it’s very similar to the Devil’s voice, which means he could be behind this whole thing.

The cinematography in this scene, with the Professor looking out the window, is so good. Plus, the Professor hatching out of the egg, confirms that this is most definitely not the Professor, which leaves the most probable conclusion to be that this is a hologram, and that the Devil (and maybe the Genie) is behind this.

That’s pretty much all I picked up, but one thing I also want to mention is the fact that at the end of the episode, you can hear the part from the Book’s song about the dinosaur (“or ‘bout how long it’d take a crusty old Tyrannosaur to digest your learned body whole”), which I thought was a pretty fun little detail.

I decided to include the tally in the same post this time (even though it’s not necessary because we literally see who won - or, who was supposed to win):

Ryan: II

Brian: III

[theashemarie]

for the fanfic ask meme: 6, 10, 13, 15!

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

Okay so generally my rule of thumb is to not read fic from fandoms I’m actively working in so I don’t get swept up in fanon interpretations, but I’ve broken that rule with Rise so here we go.

(Please note that I haven’t read MUCH. Anything longer than a few chapters takes me a long time to get through because I’m busy and rereading my own fic all the time lol Also I’m picky.)

warmly in the dark by bobtheacorn is probably my fav fic in the archive right now. the characterization is sublime and it’s infinitely rereadable. Dialogue is stupid good too.

Under Pressure by ParvumAutomaton is one I find myself constantly revisiting despite the fact that the conceit has a major flaw (there are no natural lakes, especially ones big enough for caves and cave diving, in Manhattan). I think it’s BECAUSE of this weird glitch that I find it so charming. The author clearly knows their stuff when it comes to cave diving, so much so that the lack of underwater caves in Manhattan missed their notice, and the knowledge of diving is so well rounded and interesting that I found myself willing to look past the obvious. Plus, the plot is super interesting and the last chapter or two really grabbed me in ways that make me think. I reread this one a LOT.

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Honestly, Very Thoughtful… I get super nervous every time I post a chapter of that fic and the response has been so so positive. The amount of comments and direct messages I get with people sharing their own experiences or letting me know how seen they feel is honestly super overwhelming. I never thought such a small fic would gain as much traction as it has.

Also I guess The Old College Try because it’s not exactly what most people come to fanfiction for. It’s a weird fic with a weird focus and a weird conceit, so the fact that people are reading it at all is pretty surprising to me!

13. How much planning do you do before writing?

Already answered this here!

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

For titles I usually wait until the very last minute (until I have everything else filled out on the publishing page on ao3 OTL). I don’t particularly LIKE titling things and I don’t think about it until I have to. Normally I bust down the door on Discord and yell at my friends like “I NEED A TITLE FOR THIS FIC HELP” and then we brainstorm. Sometimes Katie will just straight up go “Oh for xyz fic, you should call it ABC” and then I do.

For chapter titles, I like to come up with some kind of titling convention and I’ll just follow it. It makes it so much easier, though I do end up in the weeds sometimes when I can’t decide on something within the convention.

Basically I suck at titles lol. I hate using song lyrics too because they can be a bit obtuse and esoteric sometimes. Generally I just like using an important phrase or some nouns or something. idk.

[sunshineistyping]

Hello! I'm kinda new here, but I already love your style of writing!! Would you mind if I request some Glamrock Freddy x female animatronic reader? And she is just too shy to say something about how she feels? I hope it's okay with you, have a nice day!

Thanks so much! ♡ Of course I can write that for you!

Complicated

Pairing: Glamrock Freddy x Fem!Animatronic Reader

I never specify what animal the reader is

Au: None

Warnings: None

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There had to be something wrong with your programming, right? I mean you know it's not normal for you to be this aware of your place in this establishment. What was the word? Having autonomy? Perhaps the correct term is sentience? You understood you were made of metal, you understood you were created to entertain, but you had feelings. At first, it was simple things like being able to feel pain when someone hit you. That eventually evolved into emotional feelings like happiness, sadness, and anger. Then more complicated feelings came, distrust, grief, and jealousy. So now here you are battling the biggest emotion you've ever come across. Your love and attraction to Freddy.

It had started when he'd smiled and pat your head, using that same superstar line he always did. Yet something was different, you shied away from him at the action. Your insides were abuzz with too much energy at the simple happiness. What was he doing to you? At first, you thought nothing of it. That was until it became a massive problem. You performed as his backup vocals so you saw him constantly and that only made things worse. At some point, you’d even start to try and avoid him. The feeling of every single wire in your body lighting up like a Christmas tree made your head spin. I mean you don't even know if Freddy is capable of these feelings too! What if it's one-sided? What if you're confusing this feeling and it's not love? What if you're just overreacting and there's a glitch in your software? For those reasons alone you decided you'd never tell Freddy how you felt.

Though your avoidance of him didn't go unnoticed. He watched the way you shrunk when he stepped into a room, the way you seemed to step back if he got within a certain range of you. How your neck had developed a nervous twitch every time he looked you directly in the eye. Honestly, he thought you were mad at him, or possibly just uncomfortable. He couldn't understand why. He couldn't remember upsetting you?

“You're free now, are you not?” Your eyes widened as the massive bear looked down at you. Do you lie?

“I am, you know I don't do much after shows.” No, no you wouldn't lie to Freddy. You'd just play it cool.

“Good, may I speak to you outside?” He tilted his head towards the door leading away from the backstage.

“Sure.” You were nervous. I mean obviously, the one person you held any sort of intense feelings for had asked you to talk. What if he knew? Oh you might just blow a fuse. You followed him put into the hallway, standing to the side of him awkwardly for a moment as he thought of what to say.

“Have I upset you in anyway?”

“What?”

“Youve been avoiding me.” He turned his head to look down at you. He seemed genuinely upset, a small whine clinging to the back of his words. It sounded like a mix between a soft hiss and a whistle, that couldn't be good for his voice box. Not that you were any better as your voice hissed in return.

“I don't know what you mean-”

“Yes you do, you know you've been avoiding me. Your ears drooped when I said it.” Damn your ears! How they betray your thoughts and spill your feeling out!

“Look Freddy I'm not angry with you.”

“Then why have you been avoiding me?”

“Well, I don't know.”

“You don't like to look me in the eyes, you twitch and grow stiff when I enter a room, your ears stand at full attention when I speak. Do I frighten you?” You felt as though the world had stopped. Was he really that worried about you? He noticed all that?

“Of course not! You're not frightening in anyway.”

“Then why are you reacting as though you're scared?”

“It's not fear.” You said that and watched the way he began to process this new information, eyebrows knitting together. You waited until finally, his eyes glowed and he looked back down at you.

“You're not angry, you're not scared, yet you jump and turn away when I enter a room. It's not that there's anything wrong with me, it's another of your feelings. Isn't it.” You nod but make no mistake, you have thousands of words to say. Your insides feel as though they're overheating the longer you stay quiet and if it kept going you might damage something.

“What feeling is it?”

“I don't know,” your voice box let's out a hiss and sounds as though there's bubbles and water caught in your throat.

“Its love.” If you could jump out of your shell and run you would.

“W-What?”

“Its love, isn't it? That's why you won't look me in the eyes.” You can almost feel yourself melt into a puddle.

“Hey, Hey. You have to calm down. You'll send yourself into a frenzy. You don't want to be in maintenance all night, right superstar?” You nod as he cups your face and you don't turn away, allowing him to touch you for the first time in weeks. He was oddly, cold? Comforting? Comforting. He was comforting.

“Thank you.”

“Of course, I love you.”

“What? Do you- I mean- do either of us know what that means?”

“Well, no, but if I had to find out what it meant with anyone. I'd like for it to be you.” Okay so maybe you were indeed going to spend the night in maintenance. He can't just say that as if you won't overheat!

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