#i wish this moment wasn't offscreen

[kittenninja14]

Can we just take some time to appreciate this off-screen Dadsy moment in S3 finale?

like in S3 E10 we see MK wearing this outfit

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meanwhile Pigsy is wearing a jacket over his usual attire

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After the whole samadhi fire thing, MK's clothes get burned as we can see here

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Look at Pigsy's expression here

he just is a worried father <333

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anywyas in the S3 special we see MK wearing a new outfit

well would ya look at that!!

It's Pigsy's jacket!!! <33333

and the final proof taht it is Pigsy's jacket is that when we see Pigsy later on... he's not wearing his jacket ;3

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i just love this father-son duo <33

absolutely adorable <3333

Also MK you're slaying the look lol!! Your dad's jacket fits you perfectly <33

https://kittenninja14.tumblr.com/post/731916269075480576/hey-yall-i-just-found-this-incredible-video-and

[unnameablethings]

Dead Ringer

Word count: 4k Rating: M for Mature Category: M?/F

Content Notes/Tags: Offscreen/implied domestic violence, non-graphic sex, misogyny, gun violence, horror themes.

Summary: Gemma is the isolated and miserable housewife of a man who hunts monsters. She doesn't know much about her husband's work, but she knows enough about her husband that when he comes home warm and smiling and kind, she knows that whoever or whatever this is - it's not him. -

There were things of John's which Gemma kept well out of. The long road trips he would vanish off on for weeks at a time with no notice, the hush-hush phone calls he would take out in the backyard late at night, pacing along the fence line, gesturing, body contorting in tension. The dreams he would wake up screaming from. The liquor cabinet. The trunk of his car, full of rock salt and guns and iron.

Gemma had become accustomed to the art of incuriosity. John went out to kill the things that went bump in the night, and he was doing it all to keep her and the baby safe. He told her that, sometimes, when he'd made her cry. Said it like a threat, like a bite, like it was supposed to mean she wasn't allowed to cry. It wasn't her job to know what he did out there, only to be patient with him when he came back colder and meaner and drunker every time.

Gemma was washing up at the kitchen sink when she heard the car pull into the driveway. There had been a time in their marriage when she would have run to the door to greet him, to kiss him hello, to run her hands over his arms and his body to check that he was safe, he was whole, he was well. Today, her stomach clenched. I thought he would be gone longer, she thought.

But the baby was sleeping, and the dishes weren't done. She kept her head down and scrubbed stubborn fragments of baked cheese off the bottom of the casserole dish and practiced a welcoming face to greet him with when he came in the door, tried to figure out a way to tell him to keep quiet without him taking it wrong.

The keys rattled in the lock. The door opened. Not with a great burst of force, but something slower and wearier. Gemma turned to him and smiled, a practiced curve that she worked to make reach her eyes. When John came in, he had his bag slung over his shoulder in the same way he always did, but he paused in the doorway and looked at her for a moment in a way he hadn't since they got married. He smiled, warm and tired, and said, "I've really missed you, Gem."

It hurt her in a way she hadn't expected. She hadn't missed him at all - she was a horrible wife - he really did love her - she couldn't believe she'd ever thought I wish I knew how to leave him. (She had seen the guns in the trunk. She had heard the ragged desperation when he said he'd kill anything at all in the world that wanted to take her away from him. Her parents had been killed by the same vampire he'd saved her from, and then he'd taken her a thousand miles away to put her alone in a town where she didn't know anyone.)

"I missed you too, baby," she said, and her voice shook. The tears in her eyes must have been taken as tears of love or sincerity, because he came to her and cupped her cheek and leaned in. She braced for his mouth, rough and possessive on hers. The kiss landed warm and dry and gentle on the center of her forehead.

"God, I'm starving," John said, and turned to look in the fridge. Gemma's stomach clenched again, waiting. She'd made a big batch of baked ziti for her to eat all week, but that wasn't the sort of thing John liked when he came back from a trip. He wanted meat and potatoes, a real solid stick-to-your-bones sort of meal.

"There's nothing made up," Gemma said, quickly. "Just pasta - I'm so sorry, I thought you'd be gone another couple of days. I can make something for you real quick, here, let me just-"

"That's alright, sweetheart," John said, putting out a steadying hand. "I've got it." And he got out the eggs and the tail end of the cheese block and the spices and half an onion and made himself an omelet. Every movement was slow and careful, like he was having to think about where his hands would end up. He must be real tired. He seemed a lot better after he'd devoured the whole mess with a healthy dash of hot sauce, more animated, but the whole time quiet and civil. He smiled at her again when she took the dish to wash, and thanked her.

"I could sleep for a week," he said, and went upstairs and unpacked his own bag and showered and put himself to bed. Gemma stayed downstairs for a while, lingering over the dishes, wiping down the stove. When she opened the fridge, she stared at the line of cold bottles of beer she kept ready for him. None were missing.

This wasn't John.

Obviously.

Something had stolen his face and his voice and was living in her house where the baby was and sleeping in her bed and she was going to have to go upstairs and lie down next to it.

It didn't even know how to be John so it probably didn't even know she had noticed anything was wrong.

It ate an omelet, she thought, staring at the drying dishes. It's not going to eat the baby. If she just played along, she could probably keep herself and the baby safe until the real John got back, or - or until she could figure out what else to do.

She went upstairs and got ready for bed, quietly, trying not to wake up the sleeping impostor. Then, slowly, she got into bed beside it, and lay awake in silence, listening to it breathe. It didn't even snore like John had, just breathed, long and slow and even. Its body was relaxed next to hers, loose and warm.

At some point she must have fallen asleep, because she woke up to John missing from beside her, and the sound of the baby crying. The room was dark, disorienting. Her heart jumped hard in her chest, adrenaline jolting her out of bed before she remembered that it wasn't even John. She went for the baby's room without a plan or a thought, just the terror-fueled desire to stop it from doing whatever it was planning to do.

The door to the nursery was open. The impostor stood inside it over the crib, holding the baby. It spoke low and quiet in John's voice. "Shhh, Danny-boy, I know you're hungry," it said. "Hush now, don't wake your mama, she didn't sleep well. Let's go see if we can rustle up a bottle, alright, baby?"

"John, give me Danny," Gemma said. Her voice shook. Danny twisted in the impostor's arms when he heard her, crying, his arms outstretched.

The impostor handed him over. His smile was apologetic. "I thought I'd let you sleep in a bit. Poor little guy won't settle for anything but his mama."

The statement made her cold, for a moment, but there was no rage behind it, no bitterness. It wasn't John. "He loves his daddy, he just knows who can give him his breakfast," Gemma said, taking Danny into her arms. Danny's crying redoubled as soon as he was safe in her arms, his little wet face turned to press into her shirt and ooze on her, mouth gumming at her ravenously. She turned away from the impostor before she pulled her shirt up to let Danny latch onto her breast. This wasn't her husband, and it was not for him to see. "You can go back to bed."

"You sure?" the impostor asked. "There any bottles made up for if he needs em, later?"

Gemma shook her head. "Really, it's alright, you had a long drive," she said, keeping her head down.

"Alright," the impostor said, after a moment, and pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck that made all the skin on her back crawl.

As soon as the door shut behind the impostor, she took an enormous, shaky breath. She did not cry. She knew a lot of ways not to cry, now. She stared dry-eyed at the floor as Danny nursed. He was safe. She would keep him safe. "It's okay, baby," she whispered to Danny, over and over. "I've got you. You're going to be okay."

Somehow she got through the day, and the next day, and the next. She kissed back when the impostor kissed her good morning, and was horribly grateful he never pushed it beyond that. The kiss was bad enough. It felt like cheating on John at the same time as it was John. He'd be furious when he got back.

If he ever did come back. The longer the days went on, the less it felt like there was anyone coming to save her.

And with every day that went by, the impostor kept being… not particularly dangerous. It spoke calmly and kindly to her and to Danny, always. It went out and mowed the lawn. It took out the trash. It played with Danny. It did the laundry. It went to the grocery store for her, and when it came back from that it had stopped somewhere along the way and gotten her sunflowers.

When it handed her the sunflowers, she touched the petals with bewilderment. "These are my favorite," she said, and couldn't help but let her voice rise in a question at the end. John had gotten her roses before, when he had really fucked up and didn't know how to apologize. Roses and roses and roses, but never sunflowers.

"I know," said the impostor. "You wear that apron with the sunflower on the pocket all the time." Then, his voice changing, half concerned, half laughing, "Oh, honey, are you crying? Come here," and somehow she found herself collapsed into the impostor's arms, sobbing inconsolably. He didn't even smell like John. The impostor smelled like leather and laundry detergent and a little like sweat, but nothing at all like rust and stress and whiskey.

"I love them," she sobbed, and the impostor kissed the top of her head and murmured "I love you," into her hair. She didn't ask him where he had gotten the money. She'd never asked John about the money, either. It came from somewhere, and that was all that mattered.

The sunflowers went in a vase on the table, and she cooked impostor-John dinner that night from the groceries he'd bought. He liked protein - meat and eggs and cheese - the same way John had. Impostor-John also liked spicy food, though, and more salt than John had liked, and bitter-flavored things like brussels sprouts and asparagus which John wouldn't have even touched. Danny got a mushed-up brussels sprout to try at the table, and impostor-John laughed with real humor as Danny screwed up his little face at it and announced his immense displeasure and then hurled it onto the ground.

"You'll grow into it, kiddo," impostor-John reassured him, and bent down and wiped up the mess with a paper towel before Gemma could even get up.

By the time the sunflowers wilted, Gemma knew John was never coming back. The day she realized it, she took a long shower and used the sound of the water to cover up her crying. When the hot water ran out, she felt hollowed-out and worn through, but clean. Like her lungs had been full of tar for years and she'd only just remembered what it was like to breathe air. It wasn't John, and nothing would ever be the same, but she would survive this, the same way she'd survived everything else. And she and Danny would be alright. Maybe even safe.

When she came out, her husband was sitting on the bed with the lamp on. He wasn't even pretending to read a book, just waiting up for her. His expression was tired and gentle. Concerned, like maybe he'd heard her cry. The look shifted to surprise as Gemma let her towel drop and crawled into his lap.

"Oh, hello, gorgeous," he said, his hands coming to rest on her hips. There was the barest hesitation, an uncertainty. "You're sure?"

"The baby's asleep, we have time," she said, deliberately misunderstanding, and straddled him. The sharp intake of his breath relieved her of any worry that he didn't want her. This was for the best, then. This was good, this was right, this was how she could keep herself and the baby safe, and keep her husband close at hand and loving her.

It turned out that her husband was better at that than John had been too. Attentive and gentle. He touched the stretch marks on her belly and thighs and breasts with a tangible sense of awe, took clear joy in coaxing her to come. He closed his teeth harmlessly around the curve of her neck and shoulder as he made love to her, and she thought she could feel the points of them a little sharper than they should be.

She started calling the impostor Johnny after that, and her husband never asked why, just kissed her and answered with a ready "Yes, ma'am," whenever she started a sentence with "Johnny, will you please."

When he moved too quickly and she flinched, or when she apologized to him too much, or when he said something a little too like John might, he was careful with her. Apologetic, gentle. She always told him it was alright. They never talked about it. He wasn't John, and John was never coming home, and as long as they never talked about it then everything would be alright, and they could live in this sunlit honeymoon forever.

Nothing good had ever lasted for Gemma, and everything broke eventually. She wished she felt surprised when this broke too. A big rusty pickup truck came roaring up to the house one night. Gemma stared at it through the window, and thought nothing. Only perfect blankness, a deer in too-bright headlights, the engine sound deafening. Loud enough that Johnny came running from the other room.

"Fuck," he said, when he saw the truck through the window. She'd rarely heard him swear, since he came to them. He did even that differently than John did. Crisp, even-toned. Almost matter-of-fact, though she could hear strain under it.

"It's Bill," Gemma said, distantly, in case Johnny didn't know. "Your friend you used to go on all those hunts with. You remember."

Johnny looked at her, and she looked back, and all of the things they didn't talk about stood between them, every prickly edge of them pressing, ready to draw blood. He said, heavily, "I remember."

Outside, the truck parked. The engine shut off, and the headlights. Gemma could see the silhouette of Bill coming up the driveway.

Gemma wiped sweating hands on her skirt and said, "I think you'd better go check on Danny. I'll get the door."

"I think you'd better go check on Danny," Johnny said, gently and firmly. "And don't come back out until I tell you."

Bill knocked. Gemma went numbly to answer it.

Johnny said, very quietly, "Baby, you don't want to see this."

Gemma ignored him and unlocked the door and opened it.

"Bill?" she asked, and the confusion was real. It was alright he could tell she was scared of him. She'd always been scared of him. "John didn't say you were coming!"

"Is he here?" Bill demanded, incredulously, and then his eyes rose and he saw Johnny standing behind her. "Boy, why the hell haven't you been answering my calls?" he demanded, and shouldered his way past Gemma as Gemma melted out of the way. "I thought you were dead."

"After the shit you fucking pulled on me?" Johnny said, and it was John's voice, thick with rage and ugly violence. Gemma's blood froze in her veins, her heart hammering. "You just ditched me with that fucking thing. You wouldn't have thought I was dead if you'd fuckin' stuck around to help me finish the job. The drive home was hell after."

"Oh, so you decided to be a petty little bitch about it?" Bill snarled right back, and came crowding right up into Johnny's space.

Bill reeked like John always had, cigarettes and booze and rust. It was too familiar, too close. Bill and John had duked it out in the living room before, loud and ugly and terrifying. Come to blows, staggered off both bleeding and swearing up a blue streak, and then she would catch them later, talking like the closest of old friends, shoulders pressed together, not looking at each other.

"I decided to spend a few months getting my fuckin' head on straight," Johnny said, and shoved Bill back, hard. "I've got a wife and a fucking baby now, I can't be running off with you all the time to take potshots at ghosts. I'm done. I'm not fucking doing this anymore."

Gemma watched that hurt Bill. Saw the way it cut him open, like maybe he would have preferred if John was dead. "Bullshit," Bill spat. "Bullshit! You fucking love hunting. You've been married years, and what, it's suddenly a fucking problem for you? You can get cunt fucking anywhere. You'd rather stay home and play house with fucking Gemma than come out and save lives?"

Johnny punched him in the mouth. It sent Bill staggering back, blood on his lips, and Gemma shrieked, startled. "Don't you ever," he said, and his voice was low and furious. "Don't you fucking dare talk about my wife like that. I'll put a bullet through your fucking head. Keep her name out of your filthy fucking mouth, you worthless son of a bitch. We're done, you hear me? I don't ever want to see you around here again."

Bill touched his mouth, looked at the blood on his fingers. Then he reached inside his coat and Gemma saw the flash of metal as he pulled out a knife. She gasped, and Johnny said, dangerously, "The hell you planning to do with that, Bill?"

"It's silver, John," Bill said. "You're not acting like yourself. And I'll forgive you for it - I'll fucking leave you and your wife alone," His voice came out wrong, strained and cracking. "But do me a favor and prove to me you really are him."

Gemma's stomach dropped. Johnny stood very still, looking at Bill and at the knife. The air was thick and airless.

"I would have noticed if he wasn't my husband," Gemma said, voice wavering. "You're being ridiculous, Bill."

"Yeah, well, you don't know him like I know him," Bill said. His voice had some awful, heavy triumph in it. "That's an awful lot of hesitation, John."

Johnny sighed, a long, low, rattling breath. "Give me the fucking knife," he said, and held his hand out for it. Time seemed to slow. Gemma didn't know what happened to the sort of thing that Johnny was when he touched silver, but Bill would know, and then he would kill Johnny right here in the living room, and there would never be sunflowers in that vase on the table again.

Gemma turned and hurried out of the room. Behind her, she heard voices rise again, heard the gasp of pain, heard a great crash. Gemma ignored it the best she could as she keyed in the code to the gun safe and got out the shotgun. John had taught her how to shoot, back before they were married, so she could keep herself and Danny safe while he was gone. She checked to make sure the gun was loaded. It was.

There was a sheet of glass between her and the world. Somewhere underneath it all there was sick terror, but her hands were steady on the gun grip.

It was the way she'd felt when her parents died, when John had pressed an iron cross into her hands and told her not to let it go no matter what he or anyone else told her. He'd had to pry it from her hands at the end of the night while she screamed. Tried to fight him. Lost. Cried about it, even when he told her he'd killed them all.

John wasn't here anymore. She cocked the shotgun and went back into the living room.

The coffee table was lying on its side. Blood was splattered across the ground. Bill was sitting upright, straddling Johnny's body. He had the knife in both hands, and Johnny's hands were locked around his wrists, preventing him from stabbing down. His arms were shaking. Bill's shirt was soaked in blood, torn where a knife must have gone through.

Beneath Bill, Gemma's husband didn't look much like John at all anymore. Didn't look much like a person at all. He was bleeding too, his hands around Bill's wrists blistered and burning. Her gorge rose. She couldn't stop staring at him, at Bill, at the blood.

Bill's eyes darted sideways, the whites of them showing, a panicked animal. "Fuck, girl, what are you waiting for, shoot it," he said.

Gemma raised the shotgun and fired.

The noise felt like the house coming down. Armageddon. It made her ears ring, made the startled outburst of the baby's crying from upstairs sound muffled in comparison. The force of it, unexpected, knocked her off balance, sent her stumbling back to collapse. She couldn't even scream as she saw what the blast had done at point blank range. It just came out as panicked, stuttering wheezing. She dropped the gun and pressed both her palms over her eyes and shook with adrenaline.

There was movement, then. The dragging, heavy sound of someone hauling himself to his feet, staggering over to her. Strong arms came around her to hold her, and her mouth opened and she wailed like Danny was wailing. "We're alright, baby girl, we're alright," Johnny said, tired and heavy. She could feel blood soaking through her shirt where he was holding her.

"I killed him," Gemma sobbed.

"You did," Johnny said, after a moment.

"You killed him," Gemma said, and meant someone else entirely.

The pause that time was longer, heavier. "I did," Johnny said.

"Why?" She meant why'd you kill him, though she could guess. She meant why be my husband, and couldn't guess at all.

Maybe being the thing that Johnny was meant he understood people better than John had. Johnny held her tighter and kissed the top of her head and said, "Didn't like how he treated his wife." It was enough.

Gemma laughed, horrible and wet and shocking herself. Maybe someday she'd ask out loud. Maybe someday he'd tell her. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be alright," Johnny said. "I don't go down easy. You go upstairs and shower and see to the baby, I'll clean up down here. Alright?"

"Alright," Gemma said, and meant it. In a moment she would go upstairs and clean herself up and soothe the frightened baby, and in a while maybe Johnny would come upstairs and shower himself and bandage up his wounds and then crawl into bed next to her. All of the nastiness down here would be gone, because Johnny would have cleaned it up for her. They'd maybe end up having to replace the carpet, but then they would just be living here happily in the house that John had bought for her.

"We should move," she said.

If it caught Johnny off guard, he didn't say so. "We'll move, then," he said. "I love you."

"I know," Gemma said, and turned and kissed him. "I love you too," she said, and went upstairs. (Resurrecting my ANCIENT fucking pinglist. from SIX YEARS AGO. I GUESS. I don't know if any of you even still exist but hey if you're alive and liked me SIX YEARS AGO. maybe you will like this. @trishaloach @toastyhat @acefruitloop @skye07 @m1sosazai @yoyoendlessstring @blue-tomatoes @catsfeminismandatla @lady-redshield-writes @alhena09 @emanonnosrep @je11yfish-queen @gingerly-writing @dramaticvoiceover @writingmyselfintoanearlygrave @authorisada @reciclingbin-blog @lushprocrastinatrix @timeenoughforamasterpiece @tedrakitty @haphazardlyparked @kiwisoap

@silver56 @pacifiedperoxide @kooncat @severe-fangirl-syndrome @startledserpent @dhawandyke @50-shaeds-of-fae @stritt @dorianelle @linariuswrites, @somber-fae)

[class1akids]

Your posts made me appreciate Shoto again because it seems like he's the only kid who went in with a solid plan about how he wanted to deal with his brother without killing him and made an entire special move to help with that plan and even talked about wanting to know his favorite food. Ochako and Deku really did seem to be just winging it, and Deku was even worse because he only cared about the crying child inside Shigaraki. It's like if Shoto only ever cared about his brothers 12 year old self and not the adult burn victim in front of him.

Thanks! I'm really glad if I can manage to spread some Shouto-appreciation. I think he's way underrated both in-verse and in-fandom for how committed he was to saving Touya.

Maybe because they didn't "talk" so much in the sense like Ochako and Toga did, but their fight was framed in the context of ultimate moves and specifically flashfire being the horrible, violent language they were both were trained in.

Shouto took that "language" that Endeavor imposed on them and quite literally reinvented his quirk based on his heart to be able to stop Touya's fire in the right way. And he did work on that move before the battle, going into the fight with the conviction that "he is me" and clearly worried about Dabi wrecking his own body.

And the way Shouto reinterpreted flashfire was the exact opposite as what Endeavor wanted them to do / to be, the way he was there when Endeavor wasn't, the way he prioritized Touya when Endeavor once again didn't - I think it's the type of "actions speak louder" way of communication that fits Shouto so well.

And since Touya copied Phosphor, I think at least on some level he must have understood what Shouto chose to do there and why and it connects to how he was capable of perceiving Shouto in the end not as some kind of masterpiece monster born to dethrone him but as a part of the family, a brother.

And I also appreciate that Shouto never made his saving conditional on whether he was facing Dabi or Touya. His priority was to try to stop him from burning himself and others up - because in Shouto's mind everyone can change, even the worst monsters.

I find it incredibly sad that because Endeavor was kept alive, Shouto wasn't enough for Touya - they needed a second resolution with Endeavor. I wish we could have seen the original ending - the one planned when Endeavor was set to die in the PLF War Arc.

I won't be happy if the Todoroki family plot ends with Touya dying offscreen or if he doesn't have at least a moment of more direct connection with Shouto. But I also don't trust Horikoshi that he won't make this into all a trophy / reward for Endeavor. In my mind, he really overplays the redemption arcs and overcompensates the characters for their change.

Anyways, while Shouto's endgame is far from perfect, I do appreciate that Phosphor was a really solid move for him, narratively bringing things together and he never strayed into that preachy, hypocrite territory Deku did.

But with Horikoshi ruining or ignoring so much of his own set-up, I'm really worried if he'll just assassinate Shouto's character too now in the last few chapters.

[fisheito]

Crimson Phantom: the one that gfkion got me

Flashback to my old yakutier list: in the top tier, you'll notice that one of these is not like the others:

SO WHAT IS IT DOING THERE????????

Perhaps the reason Crimson Phantom R5 ranks so high is cuz of the PERSONAL HISTORY i got with it. The straw that broke the fish's back? the last drop of water that makes the cup run over and spill onto my socks MOST iRRITATINGLY?Hm. Maybe. Prepare yourself for the longest post yet:

Let me give you a timeline...

May 2022: start playing nuca during Mystical Banquet. First SSR is Endless Banquet Garu. I am intrigued by his musculature and adorable puppy eyes. July 2022: Idol Fest. I only care about Olivine. Captain Oli is the one SSR i get, and i am exceedingly happy. October 2022: Eerie Escapade. I pull for Garu, but get 3 Yakumos. I am bitter and ignore him entirely. November 2022: I don't have many SSRs, so I consider building my 2-star vampire yaku. This would involve unlocking his rooms for the stat boost. I ask Friend A, who also plays nuca, what his rooms are like. Friend A says "it was roleplay cringe but free' I respond, "i expected as much" and do not build up vampire yaku. December 2022: I get Friend B to start playing nuca. Since we live together, it is very easy to spark impromptu , impassioned nuca discussions in the middle of the kitchen. February 2023: Friend B discovers the main menu- Past Events and Galleria, most notably. Their eyes sparkle as they look thru the events they missed. "When did you start playing?" they ask. "Since THIS event." i say, pointing to the Mystical Banquet banner. "Can I see who you have?" I give them my phone. They express mild awe as they scroll. We continue life as usual. March 2023: Friend B gets Spring Chaos Edmond and i am JEALOUS. I say so- regularly and loudly. During one such griping session, this occurs:

Me: you JUST started playing . you cannoT be destroying me in the rolls like this!!! i'm getting NOTHING!! Friend: but you have so many units that I don't! That I didn't even have a chance to get!!! Me: none of them are Beautiful Bride Edmond??!!! Friend: BUT YOU HAVE VAMPIRE YAKUMO Me: ?????????? so??? Friend: GOD HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL AND I'M SO SAD I MISSED HIM Me: you can have him. he's not doing anything over here. i wanted garu!! Friend: YOU HAVEN'T EVEN UNLOCKED HIS ROOMS? THAT'S NOT FAIR. GIVE HIM TO ME. I'LL TREAT HIM RIGHT Me: i wish i could dude i wish i could

Please imagine the utmost confusion on my face the moment my friend equated Bride Edmond's beauty to Vampire Yakumo's.

Because,, from the moment I started nuca, I had zero interest in yakumo's general aesthetic. I was long soured off the vibes due to an extensive history of dating sims shoving a Certain Guy into my face:

"Certain Guy AKA 1st potential love interest is imperious red/black guy who's also kinda the True Ending so we're only giving you the illusion of free will and you will be disappointed by the lack of care we give to other routes compared to this guy. You wanted a character that wasn't him? HAHAHA nah that nobody dies in a ditch offscreen. You were SUPPOSED to fall in love with the 1st guy we showed you and find his attitude problems attractive for the rest of your blissfully coupled life." (The freshest wound at the time was Nobunaga from that Specific branch of the ike series)

Butbutbut!! Yakumo is not imperious??? He's nothing like what you're describing??

Yes, dear reader, your assessment is fair. UNfORtUNATeLY, I'm a shallow ho and just the LOOK of his redblack skeleton embroidery was enough to repel me. The only thing that kept Yakumo in the Neutral zone was that his story self was Wibbly.

Looking at VAMPIRE yakumo, however... This was not wibbly. Here, with his hair slicked back and his torso seemingly widened and his generic bishonen-vampire-halloween-cosplay ...... it irked me. I did not like it. This look was everything I hated about those redblack domineering types haunting my past. The one interesting thing about yakumo (his wibble. his personality subversion of the aggro trope) and they GOT RID OF IT? Nah. I'm not into it. I refuse it out of principle.

I was steadfast in my dismissal of vampyaku for months.. But that was because I played alone- without outside influence.

Then that March conversation with Friend B happened.

SUDDENLY, SOMEONE introduces the POSSIBILITY that YAKUMO in THIS form can be attractive? Huh? Seriously? People think that?Legitimately never occurred to me. Unfortunately, my friend's words are in my head now.

During that convo (a convo which, unbeknownst to me, caused the first cracks in the healthy moderation i held for this game), i jokingly offered to unlock vampire yaku's rooms so my friend could watch them. A peace offering. "PLEASE!!!!!", they yelled,, with effusive sincerity.

Ah... well now I had to commit...

Determined to give my friend a Nice Thing, I threw excess knives at yakumo in my spare time. "I might as well unlock these rooms, and see how bland they are, and maybe sorta achieve vindication when I show them to my friend and they find out how Not Worth It vampire yakumo is compared to bride edmond" (I am fueled by spite and pettiness.)

thus, with time... ROOM 1 UNLOCKED!

Yakumo is wallowing again. Nothing new. He's handling the new cooking duties well, though. Good for him! Eiden is perceptive and wonderful, as usual... ah, eiden, beloved eiden.....i adore him and all the Sense he brings to these traumatised clan members ☺ Oop, there they go! initiating the cliche roleplay! Biting. Blood. Yep. Guess we're doing this.

AND NOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT ROOM 2

I was so self-satisfied when i unlocked R2. I mean, i wasn't going to show my friend until i unlocked EVERYTHING, but so far? From what I saw? this ain't it. this is SAD. this is... so very unsexy.

the only thing anchoring me to the present while watching this room was eiden's cheeky self. As Friend A remarked long ago, this was indeed cringe roleplay (but eiden is free).

I'm not very adept at voice reading/recognition, but i still felt something was up with yaku's voice. Meaning, it was different. he was REALLY laying it on heavy... It being the Role? Where was his tremulous soft voice? Naaaaaah, here in R2 we got yaku DROPPING octaves like they're on fire and affecting a drawl that...i think... is supposed to add to the seductive dangerous mood? i think? i'm really not good at parsing the horny from the Not fjkdrhgdu

with every extended vowel leaking thru yaku's fangs MY ANTI-NOBUNGA DEFENSES ARE BRISTLING yaku is REALLY playing it [Count Drakumo] up and he is NOT himself and, wait, he's spiralling? ooohhhhhh ok this is not good this is not fun he is not having fun

yes ok we've been over this my boner is dead killed by sadness that's just me not everybody is like me and i should let ppl like what they like MOVING ON

ROOM 3: OOOh Girl How they gonna react after THAT disastrous scene Woah!

Yakumo, angry???? Standoffish???? REfusing to be near Eiden? Interesting.... I mean. No! Not interesting! There's nothing interesting about vampire yakumo! Cliche as hell!!! Conventionally decent-lookin whatever-man is growling and hiding his face in a shadowy corner while saying things like "oh i'm a horrible monster .who could truly love me?!" and "stay away!! i'll only hurt you!!!"

Eiden: starts spouting truths about how the perception of "bad" and "undesirable" traits don't negate an entire person's positive traits and that someone's value can't be determined by such rigid thinking

Me: dammit eiden. stop making sense. i'm trying to hold a grudge here .............i'm starting to get hungry...

ROOM 4: OOPS I LOVE EIDEN AGAIN

I LOVE YOU EIDEN AND READING THIS ROOM MADE ME LOVE YOU EVEN MORE yakumo is, once again, spiralling in his self-hatred. i, on the other side of the screen, am getting weary. tbh, if you asked me to react to yakumo in real time, i would not know how to behave appropriately. i probably would have dismissed his concerns in some way (empty reassurances or bored ignoring).

but eiden??? ebeatutiiful emotionally UNconstipated FULL OF EMPATHY FIBRE eiden? candid... communicative... accepting yet not encouraging the dark thought patterns. . a self-aware king...

so when eiden gets in front of that mirror to demonstrate the self-talk "training":

I AM SO ENDEARED AND IM LO IBVE UHJIJM....

When Eiden gives yaku a chance to try, poor snakey doesn't know what to say. So Eiden whispers all these nice words and affirmations while standing behind yaku, expecting him to repeat them outloud THEN OF COURSE THE SILLY GUY ESCALATES TO HORNY AND I HAVE TO 🤣🤣🤣

ok, i'll begrudgingly admit... pretty cute interaction... and funny... if there's one way to win me over it's The Funny... how dare. how dare this room make me smile. I'm having a little giggle. Over a Yakumo room. THANKS eiden. For injecting humour into anything and making everything seem more tolerable...

After the practice run, Yaku ends up spilling his actual fears about his dual natures... but eiden insists that he can handle both.

yaku: if i think these dark thoughts does that make me a bad person eiden: well we all have layers n stuff so go wild yaku: if. if i. wanna lock u away all for myself and gnaw on your bones forever and keep u attached to my skin like an anglerfish absorbs mates into their flesh. will u hate me??? eiden: girl let your freak flag fly. i can take u ;););)

OKAY. SO MAYBE I CAN SORT OF SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR *NOT-AS-SAD* HORNY. THIS IS QUITE NICE (i comment mildly, gesturing to the emotional catharsis and deepening your understanding of another person). Now that yaku is emboldened in uh, being himself? all versions of himself? let's see how boinking is gonna go. hopefully it will be quite the departure from R2's struggle hours...

FUFIOKIN. ROOM 5: BANE OF MY EXISTENCE

The FIRST thing that strikes me when the room starts is

EIDEN YOU ARE SO HOT WHAT TH BRWOIJAOIEWFSKAESFKJLFEA?

INIPPL?

EIDEN'S HANDS? I'M BITING THEM? LET ME BITE THEM??? Yeah so i'm just staring at eiden displayed proudly in the mirror and a bird could probably land in my mouth with how it was hanging open, thinking, "yall know how to lewd your protagonist, nuca.... respect....." i'm distracted, but i need to move the room along so

.? ⚠! (ALERT NOISE) (ping!) the only yakumo room i've unlocked at this point is the OG SSR/Story H. i may have seen idol r2, too. so my current image of yakumo at this point is: -wet -crying -subby little baby

therefore, him saying he's GOING TO TEASE EIDEN causes my brow to upturn. 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨 really? really, yakumo? YOU? are you even capable of doing that? can you do more than one thing [be wet baby]? i doubt it. these games always choose one niche for a character and stick to it... you caNNOT drift into switchery. try it i dare u (<- famously lesser-known last words)

eiden, in line with "i can take all of you", responds that he likes both. and btw, this ain't one-sided. he warns that he's about to weaponise bottoming again. if yakumo thinks he can just lead eiden around, lolollololo l good luck. my boy's gonna squeeze him dry (seriously. i have zero faith in yakumo's ability to stay in control of any situation)

OK! so! they're fukin *mundane hand gesture. rollin it along*

yakumo slows his roll and is all, actually, part of the fun is looking at you confused and needy :3 so he's going at a super lax pace and adjusting his dick angle and some other tactical penis feint that's edging eiden into horny frustration

as if i'm cheering on my fave racehorse, i start YELLING when eiden ~~snatches back the reins~~~~

WEAPONISE! 👏THAT!! 👏BOTTOM!!!!!!!👏🏭🎬ATTABOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!📣📣📣🔊📢🔊🎖🥳📣🔊📢

wait what ........HOW HAS HE NOT LOST IT? if eiden went off on me like that, uhhhhhhhhhhh hahahaha rest in pesis i'm losing immediately but... crybaby.... is holding it together? in fact, he somehow TAKES CONTROL AGAIN??????? THET F ????

idk guess i'm shocked with processing another side of yakumo that i didn't expect,, i avoided yakumo because his look served potential for "2000s toxic seme" energy. but i tolerated him because his ACTUAL personality was NOT That. yet... now he's showing that exact domineery junk and i'm ..ok with it? Is it specifically because i've only seen him be pathetic in every other room?!

i'm just gonna...a. take a moment here to... maybe sort of understand the predicament i'm in along with my growing . something. admiration? for yakumo. uhhh.... hmmmm..........

yeah ok whatever people can be freaks about nipples i guess

SHIT I FORGOT HE HAS COLD HANDS . SHIT. I FORGOT I LIKE COLD HANDS SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M INTO THAT?

NOT THE NECK BITING AGAIN AHAHAHAHAAHHAHHA FOR REAL?????? VAMPIRE COSPLAY SERIOUS????? (<- my voice has gone an octave higher as i start panic laughing)

i don't know why i didn't expect that here. do i just not think ahead? it's stupid count drakumo. of course he's gonna suck blood. at least twice. maybe the rest of you saw it coming, and rolle dyour eyes. ahahaha, how very trite. how very standard.

did the active shattering of my preconceived yakumo.png weaken me THAT much? was i sudddenly swept up into the revelation thata game was Finally going beyond the yaoi dichotomy? to make someone subby AND dommy? Was i SO swept up that the "cringe vampire roleplay" bypassed my eyerolling sensor?!?!?!

i've got a single nervous bead of sweat making its way down my back and it's cuz of the very simple combo of hole/temperature/neck

so while i'm taking another impromptu wary pause , stewing at how DEVASTATED i may or may not be idk whatever it's not a big deal that the neck bite isn't shown on screen

LOGIC: that makes sense. animating and drawing that separate pose in this setup would be way too much work for 2 sentences. HORNY: TEAR INTO HIM. SUCK HIM DRY. LET ME

SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

yeah for real. I'M feeling attacked right now. eiden trying his best not to splort from the three-pronged feel-up (struggling like an amorous salmon up a waterfall) when suDNDEnly

......?

*RECORD SCRATCH* ?!?!?!?!?!??!?????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!???!!!!!??????????????????????? ?????!?!?!?!?????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????E?!?FKFOO>>>>?VFF??A""????":??"??????!?!!??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

👆

WHAT WAS THAT?

*runs into the adjacent room like it's a reality tv privacy booth* *slams the door and stares incredulously at the camcorder* *points toward the room i just left*

IS THAT ALLOWED?

Is Yakumo legally allowed to say "fuck"?????

*falls into a hushed and baffled whisper* i don't have enough Japanese comprehension to parse exactly what yakumo said oh god i wish i had the comprehension is this a translator liberty? is it real? because if the original speech was actually more reserved but the translators were like "bro that ain't sexy. just write FUCK"?? i guess that wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility? but if yakumo legitimately said "fuck" ...... AND dropped the honorific from eiden's name?! .......... huh! ohhhhhhhh *ruffles my hair out of confusion* did he really say that? i mean ok he's a grown ass snan i shouldnt ' be scandalised like i hear d an infant say FUCK as its first word , 11 months out of the womb ....... *deep breath* ok. don't dwell on it. gotta return to the task at hand. *steadfastly turns the doorknob and returns to my previous location*

so eiden looks like what i feel right now (in the key of: !?!?!?) thankfully the surprise doesn't last long in the face of his shamelessness (blessed be eito), so he tries to repeat after yakumo but yakumo's drilling him so hard that brain mysgh muysh can't really... speak..prororperly

SUHUT THE FUCCK UP YAKUMO I'VE NEVER BEEN SO OFFENDED BY SUCH A SHORT SENTENCE GO AWAY WITH YOUR THIRTY SHADES OF COUNT DOMKUMO PARADING IN HERE THINKIN YOU CAN DISH OUT ORDERS LIKE THSI WHEN YOU'R E NORMALLY A SOBBING MESS BY NOW=====----

*pinches in between my brows* uueugh...... eiden doesn't get to finish his task but they go at it until the screen goes white with that powerful SPLOOSH we all know and love

and yakumo FINALLY breaks character getting juiced released a bit of his control i guess we hear an "uhu" at last. he uses his pathetic wibble to ask eiden for more because he's still hard. of course he is...... mans is never done.......dick ouroboros with the way he never ends.......

BUT THEN EIDEN PULLS A FACE THAT GRABS MY ENTIRE BRAIN AND FLOODS ME WITH SO MUCH AFFECTION

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY JUST LOOK AT HIM SLUTTY BLEP i was having an out-of-body experience i was suddenly going over every BL i've ever played and how none of the protags were ever this unabashedly INTO IT (of course we are only here because we build upon the foundations of our gay ancestors THANK YOU GAYASS SPIRITS OF YORE , ) BUT! i'm experiencing a grand realisation of how far we've come and how eiden being a slutty versatile dweeb enriches my life to untold measures and his stupid cute little ;P thirsty look is going to sustain me for years and also i love it so much i'm going to screenshot it and keep it in my gallery just so i can look at it whenever i think about homophobia existing ever . i love u eiden get that dick and hole forever💖

now that yakumo is all vulnerable and Himself and freed from his edgy persona , he's just pounding into eiden liek 🥺 i'm just a normal snokai right? 🥺😥 so it's ok to act the way i truly want to❓ you'll accept all of me? 😖 i'm not a horrible irredeemable monster ?? 😧💦 you still want me? here?? with you???🥺🥺🥺 i'm allowed to make you feel good??😢?😭?😥 of course eiden affirms all this with a big moany yes (in surprisingly eloquent words despite the state of his anus)

and to top it all off, the room provides a full circle of plot by letting eiden complete his failed "repeat after me" task from before..- with a horny addendum about how he can't get enough of yakumo's dirty expressions, because of course our boy has to get the last word.

ahhh,,, like an epic movie,, it all comes together. loose ends tied and fucklines affirmed. tasks fulfilled; pervert's journey complete;; we, the audience, can go home with satisfied closure.

after-credits sceNe: when the post-nut clarity hits yakuei, i am brick'd with overwhelming concern about eiden's leg. how has it NOT cramped this entire time, being held up like that.? what was that? at least 15 minutes?! of lifting up one leg and spreading it so wide? damn, boy, is ya potassium that powerful? no calf cramps? nothing? eiden your sexual athleticism is unrivalled. i am in awe.

Note!

When i first watched these rooms, I didn't have headphones. Months later, i finally got to watch the scenes WITH SOUND. and i was so very pleased to hear that yakumo's voice in R5 was a nice middle ground between his suuuuper drawly heavy cosplay mode R2 angstvoice,, and his regular uhuu soft voice. it's definitely more himself, but with the added confidence of roleplaying ehuehue so it's just nice!! to hear him being more secure in himself!! and enjoying the situation!! but also teasing eiden and enjoying the power plays?? yay! near the end he returns almost fully to his regular voice due to , you know, whiny pleady 🥺 feels-too-good things afoot and that just .... upped the affection for me.... ugh... so he CAN do both......

in future watches, i eventually take the time to look at yakumo's face instead of eiden's. . .

and i do NOT like where my subsequent thoughts go

oh no he's hot.......................

WE RETURN TO REALITY. IT IS SOME TIME BETWEEN MARCH AND MAY (2023). I HAVE AT LAST UNLOCKED ALL OF CP YAKUMO'S ROOMS. I AM IN MY ROOM AND I AM SHOOKETHED. Shortly, I seek out Friend B, the catalyst for this train of horror and realisation. I tell them the task is done. Eventually, i give them my phone so they can watch their beloved vampire yakumo rooms. I couldn't even hand it over with the derisive scoff I THOUGHT I would show. the look of absolute dismissal that used to appear whenever someone mentioned crimson phantom yakumo. No, i handed it over with thinly concealed amusement . perhaps even excitement, that someone would soon share in something that so pleasantly surprised me. A part of me wished for them to return my phone with a disappointed "tch". to tell me that, oh, that wasn't very good after all. you were right. i could have missed out on vampire yakumo and lost nothing. Unfortunately, they returned my phone later that evening . their eyes glittered with the glee of someone whose hopes were beautifully fulfilled. "OH MY FUCKING GOD I KNEW it was gonna be amazing!", they bubbled. "Yeah." is all i could say... . I spend the following weeks slowly falling victim to yakumo's charms. By June, I am putting up posters of him all over my room while talking about how much i hate him.

SUMMARY: like nuca itself, it started as a joke and now the quences have conned. i'm suffering the cussions, reperfully. eiden did NOT help. he was beautiful and amazing from every angle and that added to the positive associations with these rooms,, and by extension, yakumo. and now? now i hate this snakeboy for what's he's done to me. i'm p sure he's actively moving the goalposts on my preferences as i type. i'm scared. he has too much power . that this mushy noodle would subvert tropes by following the old kabedon-seme script then DO IT AGAIN by hitting me with the SUBVERT REVERSE BEAM #2 and now i dream about railing him under the moonlight.

it was all downhill from that accursed roleplay. eiden's a gayteway drug. he fkoin got me. and now yakumo's got me too

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Fujitsumon

Debut: Digimon Pendulum 2.0 Deep Savers (kind of. It's a little complicated. But don't worry about that)

Fujitsumon is a darling little eyes-in-a-void barnacle! With their brown exteriors, they really do bring to mind Jawas, world-renowned eyes-in-a-void creature. This is a rare design choice for a barnacle, and a barnacle is a rare creature inspiration choice! Too rare! They are such incredible and fascinating animals, and should absolutely be represented as such, and not just background decorations!

Fujitsumon is essentially a Digimon by technicality, an accessory of a creature, and I'm fine with that. They're acknowledged as creatures, and that's enough for me! They're almost always seen attached to the surface of another creature, and that sure is barnacle of them!

This is their host, Octomon! Or Octmon, if you don't like the dub name, but I think Octomon sounds better. Octomon wears a clay pot on its head, and Fujitsumon live on top of that! This is a smart setup. If I lived underwater I would love to wear a hat that some barnacle friends of mine could live on! Fujitsumon and Octomon have a mutualistic relationship going on, where the barnacles will sense danger, and warn the octopus of it, getting the whole group out of danger!

The reason I wasn't so sure about Fujitsumon's debut is that in Deep Savers, Octomon's sprite looks like this, not nearly detailed enough to even depict some barnacles! However, it does seem like the official art was made around this time, so I might as well consider this Fujitsumon's debut too.

There isn't much to Fujitsumon, but I love it! It's cute, it's a barnacle, and it's almost a "secret" creature, and that makes it, dare I say, even more fun than if it was a standalone obtainable Digimon! A charming little oddity in the digital world.

That's what I thought until I found out this little barnacle has a whole dedicated ANIME EPISODE! YEEHAW! This is the best barnacle-related cartoon episode I've ever seen! Better than SpongeBob SquarePants episode 164a Barnacle Face! Why, even better than Benny the Barnacle (2022)! Can you believe it? Better than Benny the Barnacle? I can.

In this episode of Digimon Ghost Game, the human protagonist is tormented by premonitions of disasters occurring to everyone around him, revealed to be caused by a Fujitsumon settled on his head. A land mammal is no place for a barnacle! Wouldn't it be crazy if you could go to the beach and leave with a barnacle settled on your fingernail? What would you even do? I would probably feel obligated to dip my finger into the ocean regularly to let it filter-feed. If only we had air plankton!

This Fujitsumon, as well as others that are affecting other humans, come from one particular Octomon, who got so angry at his barnacles that they Left. These are no real-life, cemented-in-place-for-the-rest-of-their-lives barnacles! They can just get up and leave if they're bothered. I bet real barnacles wish they could do that! It would be so embarrassing to end up settled right next to a turtle's... hehe... I shan't say...!

Octomon's petty outburst was over his magic brain barnacles not using their clairvoyance to help him win at a mobile game. Now, because of his Gamer Moment, there are Fujitsumon stuck directly to peoples' heads, which can cause these heads to explode. Maybe he should have just played a good mobile game, like Pico Pets Puzzle! *high fives someone offscreen*

Don't worry! Everything's ok in the end, like it always is with invertebrate friends! Octomon apologizes, the lead Fujitsumon gathers the whole crusty crew, and everything is fine except for the physical damage that has already been done, but don't worry! The virtual invertebrates are all friends again! Squishy or chitinous, none of us have spines, and that's what matters!

If you know of any obscure barnacles in media, please let me know in the notes! And until the next high tide, remember to close your armored plates to prevent dessication!

[oshinohoshi]

Oshi no Ko Ch 164 Thoughts

I don't know what the return policy is on manga chapters but I'd like to return this chapter and ask for a new ending

I have reasons beyond "I hate this because it depresses me" but honestly I fucking hate it because it depresses me

Aqua died smiling. Great. He also died horribly in graphic detail. It's impactful, sure, but it also felt gratuitous. Maybe I'm just sensitive but it was awful to read

This arc is called "Toward the Stars and Dreams." I guess Akasaka was being clever and he meant nightmares

Akasaka said in a conversation with Mengo that he wanted to portray despair:

A: I guess the emotions I want to show are the pain of living and despair. M: Aka-sensei, are you in despair? A: I live with hope! M: But... What you want to depict in the manga is despair? A: Hope and hopelessness are two sides of the same coin, and that's what I want to show. M: So, what you're trying to depict is a form of hope? A: To make a star shine you have to put them in a dark place.

But I never viewed OnK as a story primarily about despair. If hope and hopelessness are flip sides to a coin, Ai's death portrayed that a lot better

Aqua's is a poor imitation. Deciding your life's worth is to die needlessly for your loved one is not the same as experiencing deep regret mixed with the relief of learning in your final moments that you loved like you always longed to

Aside from Ai and Hikaru, the characters generally got happy endings even if they had to go through hell first

I thought the story was moving towards a slightly bittersweet ending where Aqua finally took a step towards healing and living for himself. I didn't think Ai would have said, "I love you" to her kids if this whole thing was gonna end horribly

Boy do I feel like a clown

Maybe it would be more palatable if Aqua had died for revenge. I'd still have issues with it in terms of expectations, but at least the murder-suicide of a victimized individual wouldn't be framed as self-sacrifice

Can we all just agree that Aqua was NOT born to protect Ruby?

And if we had to go this route, couldn't the loose plot threads have at least been resolved first?

It really sucks that Ai's wishes for her kids to be happy and for Hikaru came to naught. It all seems so pointless now

I guess if there's one thing I can say that isn't bitterly complaining, it's that this chapter made me depressed for nearly a week since the leaks came out. If OnK wasn't something special to me I wouldn't care so much, you know?

Aside from the Aqua panels, I don't know which are the most psychologically damaging. I think it's a tie between Akane collapsed on the shore dressed to the nines, Ruby smiling while signing something for a little girl in a bow, and Miyako's face

The below panels hurt like hell now:

Although there's no way we'll have time to properly touch on the guilt Miyako is likely to feel so just throw it in the bin with every other offscreen moment from the last couple arcs

Everyone gets to be miserable but only for 2 chapters so they better be quick about it

Next chapter: Ruby won't kill herself unless Akasaka has committed to the worst possible ending in which case I'll have to declare him a genius with a vision that was simply too advanced for my puny mind to comprehend.

Instead, we'll time skip to Ruby taking her son, Aqua Ai Hoshino-Narushima, to the Hoshino family grave to pay respect to his namesakes. Then Hikaru, who managed to secure a nearby plot, will rise from the dead, do a fancy coat flip, and moonwalk away.

Man, I really am depressed about this ending though.

[hestzhyen]

Kagurabachi Chapter 42 Nonsense Takes-

Holy shit. Dear internet void, I'm on the edge of my seat. This CHAPTER man! Several key moments from Ch. 20 are paying off here in a satisfying way.

This time, Hiyuki is the one who wavers when her convictions are contested:

Caught between duty, desire, and her own limitations... not a great feeling is it? She's in the same position now that Chihiro was facing off against her in Ch. 20. I feel like Chihiro's heroics will push her forward much like Hakuri's words did for him. Can't wait to see more of her after this arc and how she reconciles her noble beliefs with the selfish pragmatism of the Kamunabi. Not to mention how she'll manage her pride while reconsidering her rather dismal evaluation of Chihiro from earlier in the chapter.

Speaking of the Kamunabi, though... the older guys who have experienced the horrors of the Seitei war try to be realistic about the situation:

[Shaking Shiba like a maraca] WHAT'S YOUR BACKSTORY MR. OFFSCREEN SORCERER?

They very understandably want to cut their losses and reduce the risk of death for their younger allies. With terrifying artifacts like Magatsumi being necessary, the Seitei War really must have been hell on earth. Better to save what you can than risk losing everything on a bet and all that. I think this will be the meaty, scrumptious crux of the conflict between Chihiro and the Kamunabi whenever he ends up clashing with them in the open. All for the greater good vs. the greatest good for all, pragmatism vs. idealism- I am hype!

And yet the idealistic duo of Chihiro and Hakuri are going to stake their lives on making a miracle. Across the hall, without being able to speak to each other or hear what's being said over the chaos, they still understand what the other is thinking and wants to do. I love these two so much.

Hakuri recalling the conversation with Chihiro during the elevator ride in Ch. 20 when they first met. He knows his samurai's heart.

(Ch. 20 vs 42) Liar, liar, pants on fire. Fakest IDGAFer ever ready to risk his life to save a bunch of strangers, just like he said he wasn't interested in doing.

These. Guys! ARE! THE! BEST!

But there's certainly going to be a price paid for this- the toothpick bidding guy said as much. Chihiro can't win it all, no matter how strongly he feels about having his cake and eating it too. So what's going to get fucked up? Well, pick your poison(s) on how Chihiro's idealism will be tempered:

Chihiro and Hakuri fail to save all the hostages

Hakuri overexerts himself and is incapacitated/dies

The Rakuzaichi isn't ended for good

Magatsumi falls into the wrong hands

Chihiro/Hakuri is/are captured by an enemy

Failure to Save Innocents This scenario is somewhat likely, I think. We're doing Ch. 20 callbacks so may as well go all-in here. It's also been the biggest sticking point this chapter. "We (YOU) can't save everyone." Be pragmatic when weighing good actions vs. the cost of doing them. Understand your limits, work hard, and be ready to cut your losses. Be willing to accept that someone could die. Chihiro struggles with this for obvious reasons. He's a heroic badass, but also a traumatized kid. A human. He's got limits and he's got to acknowledge them at some point. Even if Ms. Inazuma is saved, he might not be able to tag all the captives before Hakuri has to pull him out. This would be absolutely devastating to him as a brutal but very needed wake-up call before he overestimates himself in a situation with higher stakes. And, man... if Chihiro has to come back to Mr. Inazuma and tell the poor kid that he couldn't save his sister... god, that would be awful for everyone. Idealism alone can't save lives, nor wishing for it, nor trying your best. Sometimes you can't save everyone and end up losing everything. I think this is a bit too downer but it's not completely out of the question.

Hakuri Fucking Dies One of the two outcomes here is almost definitely going to happen. I went on a few several thousand-word screeds about Hakuri's significance and how much I love this slightly insane little goober. There's plenty of good reasons to think he'll stay a permanent member of the cast, and if I'm being honest, I think it's a little early for Chihiro to lose an ally. We need a little more time to get attached and invested in the core crew he assembles before one of them is offed. And yet... While I think Shiba's "you'll both die!" line is just to amp up the tension, this...

I will kill everyone at the Rakuzaichi and then myself if anything happens to this kid.

... isn't looking good. At all. Knowing that Hakuri's basically had a full arc at this point means I can't just handwave away the chance he'll be the price Chihiro pays for his naive optimism. Because that's exactly why they're both doing this: Chihiro's expectations for himself are too high and unrealistic. And he's Hakuri's guiding light. Whatever Chihiro wants to accomplish, Hakuri will back him up with everything he has. He's pushing himself too far for Chihiro's sake and we'll all cry if that means he pays the ultimate price.

I think it's most likely that Hakuri will come out of this severely injured, though. Not dead, but close to it and unable to act for a while. It would teach the same lesson without breaking my heart so please, please let this be the variant chosen if Hakuri must be offered up. Protect his smile and give him the chance to learn that he deserves to be loved as he is.

The Rakuzaichi Yet Proceeds So this one would be interesting as hell IMO. There's a case for this due to the fact that, despite reappearing on the stage in the real world, neither Chihiro nor Hiyuki actually touch it. Only Kyoura does.

God I love the perspective shots

A big point was made in Ch. 33 about how inviolable this wooden platform is:

Lotta prestige tied to keeping people off a glorified wooden pallet, but hey what do I know. I'm not a human trafficker or abusive parent brainwashed into serving a merchant cult family.

So even when the whole thing seems poised to come crashing down, Kyoura alone remains worthy to stand on it. And if we don't see any non-Sazanami clan members step on it by the end of the arc, I think that's a signal that things aren't quite done with them yet. Or at the very least, their legacy will live on untarnished despite the head of the family falling in combat. They could become legends in the underworld for maintaining the sanctity of the Rakuzaichi until the very end. Not very wholesome for Team Goldfish, but hey, it's a comparatively small price to pay. I've got a lot of thoughts about what various scenarios would mean, but I'll wait until we actually see what happens before speculating too much. I will, however, do some Hakuri agendaposting while I'm here though!

I would find it incredibly tasty if Hakuri managed to stand on the stage at the very end somehow. Just for one last hearty "fuck you" to his sperm donor, you know? And to satisfy the part of my monkey brain that loves total vindication. The "worthless" kid who was instrumental in bringing down his family standing in the sacred zone he was supposed to protect, but was deemed unworthy of... that he rejects wholeheartedly while being the first since the progenitor to inherit both signature sorceries... yesssss. Especially considering this:

RIP Tenri, gone too soon

I go feral for stuff like this. Hakuri is the Special Boy. He deserves the moment, if he can figure out a way to get there before he collapses after helping Chihiro.

Magatsumi Goes MIA Once More I think this is the most likely price to be paid. Chihiro's heroics will cause him to miss out on recovering the Super Evil Sword, which could end up just about anywhere at this point. Recovered by the Kamunabi, the Hishaku clan swooping in to take it, the wielder using Kyoura's body to abscond with it to parts unknown... anything's possible! But probably not Team Goldfish escaping into the night with it. Saving people at the cost of missing his big chance to recover his father's "masterpiece" seems like an appropriate setback for Chihiro right now. It'll throw his plans into disarray and really force him to look at his priorities and strategies thus far. Team Goldfish are mighty but they can't take on two massive orgs like the Kamunabi and Sazanamis at once, especially if the Hishaku are meddling. He'll get his reality check and prepare to make hard choices in the future. Save everyone, every time, and chase the blades forever? Or entertain a slightly less idealistic mindset to better the chances of success? Very tantalizing potential here, yes yes. It also ties in nicely with the main talking point of this chapter- much better than losing an ally would, at any rate.

Capturiffic Times I think this is the least likely given the circumstances, but may as well mention it just in case. Both Chihiro and Hakuri are worn down to their last dregs and aren't in a position to fend off anyone that could come at them. Maybe Hiyuki decides to capture Chihiro to take him to the Kamunabi instead of killing him, while Shiba retreats with Hakuri? Or Hakuri is captured by the Kamunabi/remaining Sazanamis while Shiba prioritizes escaping with Chihiro? Shiba gives himself up to let Chihiro and Hakuri run? Again, seriously doubt this scenario. They might not get out in one piece or with everything they hoped for, but I'm pretty sure that Team Goldfish will be able to flee to fight another day.

Anyway. Yapped too much again. Thank you void for letting me ramble into your uncaring ear once more. See you next week, probably.

[sir-adamus]

So for curiosity, how do you feel about how Cait and Vi's reconciliation was handled? Is there anything you wish they'd had more time for or do you think it was handled as close to perfect as they could?

i didn't have a problem with it, i thought it was fine

i feel like - and i have to speak about this season in general, you can feel the constraints holding things back through this season. my overall enjoyment isn't affected but it's clear that they had to sacrifice a lot of stuff to fit in the limited runtime

season 1 is primarily centered around like 6 or 7 characters with only 2 or 3 narrative through-lines because until Jinx fires Jawbones in the finale, the story is contained primarily to those characters, but with the looming threat that it was going to spill out onto a wider scale. so season 1 ends with the event that's going to cause things to start rapidly escalating which season 2 had to deal with pretty much hitting the ground running

and the problem with the story no longer being contained to this small cast of characters but to an escalating conflict spanning both cities with outside actors also making their play is that a lot of scenes that would have helped convey internal character conflicts and fleshed things out as they progress either didn't happen or were instead inferred through the means of a music video as a bit of a narrative cheat to get a point across because there's only so much runtime that can be dedicated to it

because if you look at the soundtrack of this season compared to season 1, there's twice as many songs, and a lot of those were used for precisely that - because unlike with season 1 we didn't have enough runtime to get all the meat out of it because there's so many more moving parts (this is why episode 7 is one of the best ones because it's contained to three characters and completely removed from the main conflict - and even then, Heimerdinger's character arc feels inconclusive), and i think the final two episodes are where this is most noticeable because Jinx is at her lowest point, then Ekko shows up to talk her down and next we see her she's leading the Zaunites alongside him with a new look and seemingly in a better place (as her attempted sacrifice wasn't something she planned)

but the problem is you have to infer a lot about how we got from point A to point C because point B happened entirely offscreen to the point that it felt like they were really struggling to pack everything in and because you can make those inferences it was one of the easier things to cut, when those scenes would've done a lot to show that turning point for Jinx, and using her position as Zaun's symbol (could even use a music video sequence there to show Ekko sharing his experiences in the other timeline to set up a potential future reconciliation of Piltover and Zaun cos now he knows it's possible, as well as show Jinx and Sevika commiserating over Isha), and set up her choice to get the airship and leave without letting anyone know she's alive (again, inference, Caitlyn is holding the head of the same monkey bomb that Jinx used in her final scene, so you can conclude that when they got down there to try and recover her body they didn't find her or Warwick, and Cait's trying to figure out how she might've survived)

this season would've really benefited just from having an extra episode in each act to pace things out more and let us sit in those moments that had to be montaged past - like overall i had a good time, this is going to be a show i come back to over and over, it's the kinda show where it being bittersweet and open-ended makes sense, but i can see the holes that had they been filled would have elevated it from good to great, and that like a lot of good shows, it's an ending ultimately held back by the limitations of the run time, the structure (three episodes per act across three acts), and possibly budget limitations too

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x06 - Palmon's Angry Evolution! / Togemon in Toy Town

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Deep inside the Factory of Redundancy Factory, our new zapping bug pal bug-zapped the bugs out of Robocop. Also we may not be on Earth anymore, something the American team already knew but they don't get to be smug because they spent twenty minutes panicking about being in an unlocked room.

Now Andromon's guided us into the sewers, which he insists will help us but I'm half-convinced it's just a more civil way of flushing the intruders away like waste.

The kids pass the time in the sewers by playing a singing game I'm not quite familiar with. They're divided into two teams: One team of children and the other team of Digimon. They sing a couple verses then pass to the other team, who has to start their verses on the same sound that the previous team left off on.

Agumon briefly stumps Team Kids by ending on an 'e' sound, though Mimi chimes in with a curious little tune.

Jou: What is that? Mimi: It's Enka! My Dad sang this in karaoke a lot.

But since nobody knows the tune, they can't follow her. Koushiro's able to find one they know, and soon they're back to marching and singing.

The dub doesn't preserve the game, but it keeps the singing. The kids are singing a song Agumon wrote for them. Then Agumon singles out Mimi and asks her to do a solo performance. She sings a verse of Home on the Range off-key.

Mimi: ~Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam! Joe: ~Avoiding your drone! Mimi: Hey, come on! I had singing lessons for three years! T.K.: Oh, you did? Did it help? Izzy: Mimi, you should get a refund, that's what I think. Sora: Then let's sing as a group.

Dub Sora defuses yet another round of Dunking On Mimi by bringing us back to the group song, and the kids march on.

Suddenly, Sora lets out a shriek.

Water dripping on her from the ceiling freaked out her. Another drop lands on her shirt. The dub puts a fruit squish sound effect jere, like you'd hear when a tomato or watermelon or something gets crushed, which doesn't seem like the right sound.

The grossness of the moment sends the kids spiraling, starting with Sora lamenting that she wants to do laundry. This opens up the rest to fantasizing about what they wish they could be doing right now.

Sora: I want to do laundry. Taichi: I want to relax in the bath. Takeru: I.... (pantomimes playing video games) Yamato: Takeru, this isn't the time to be thinking about video games, Ahahaha!

Yamato laughs at Takeru for that, but concerned looks from the rest of the group bring out the sincerity in him.

Yamato: I guess I can't laugh at him. What I want right now is sizzling barbecue. I want to eat until I'm stuffed! Jou: Don't laugh, but I miss studying. I want to do loads of homework! Mimi: That's weird. I want to drink ice-cold Cola! Takeru: Mimi-san, that sounds great! I want that too! Koushiro: I want to send emails back and forth with my friends.

Each of their wishes comes with a fantasy sequence, where we get to see what the kids want most visualized onscreen.

In the dub, Sora skips over wanting to do laundry because of gross sewer water on her clothes and ties the singing into her homesickness instead.

Sora: I used to sing at home. I used to sing to myself all the time when I would do my chores. Especially when I'd hang clothes to dry outside, I'd sing really loud 'cause nobody could hear me then. Agumon: (offscreen) It's okay to miss your home, Sora. What do you miss, Tai?

Which then sets the dub kids down Reminiscence Alley.

Tai: I miss playing sports and then taking a nice hot bath. T.K.: Games. My games. I wasn't far from beating Matt on my video games! Matt: Beating me, T.K.? I don't think so. Maybe in your dreams, kiddo!

This is what Matt laughs about in the dub. Unlike the original, where silent stares from the rest of the group make him feel self-conscious, the conversation just continues on from there.

Agumon: (offscreen) So you don't miss anything from home, Matt? Matt: Well, actually, now that you mention it... I've been dreaming about Sunday, when Mom grilled us steaks! Mmm, makes my mouth water! Joe: I miss doing my homework. If I fall too far behind, I might have to go to a junior college! Mimi: I don't miss school, but I do miss going on vacation! Nothing beats having a cool drink on a summer day at the beach! I just love the ocean air! T.K.: Wowee, that sounds like fun, Mimi! Mimi: It is! Izzy: *angrily* Get a grip! *calmly* I miss accessing satellites to look at the stars and planets.

It's mostly the same, with some added detail to fill dialogue space during the fantasy sequences. Except for Izzy, whose internet activities are questionable and who also snaps at Mimi for no reason. Because being mean to Mimi is everyone's favorite pastime in the dub.

Suddenly, the kids hear a sound. A scuffling sound in the sewer tunnels that sets the Digimon on edge. Gabumon ID's the sound as Numemon.

The Digimon explain that Numemon are weak, disgusting creatures who enjoy dark, slimy places. They're the most loathed Digimon in "Digimon Kai", or the Digimon World - A terminology we have officially begun to use as of this episode, since Koushiro made that discovery back at the factory.

At the Digimon's behest, the kids run for it. Taichi doesn't understand why they're running from weak Digimon, but he gets his answer shortly.

The narrator chimes in to explain. Numemon are Adult-stage Data-type mollusk Digimon who attack with their own droppings. His typically stoic voice falters and he sounds incredibly distressed to have to explain that they throw poop.

Mimi takes over narration for this one in the dub, explaining that they throw "Nume Sludge" and have bad breath. "Nume Sludge" is probably the dub's attempt at plausible deniability. It's not poop if it's Nume Sludge! Even though it's clearly poop and uses stock cartoon poop sound effects.

Running for their sanitary wellbeing, the kids take a side passage and emerge from the sewers.

The Numemon stop following as soon as they see daylight, instead retreating back into the sewers. Agumon explains that Numemon can't stand sunlight, just in case that wasn't clear.

Which it wasn't; Like, they could have been freaking out because we crossed into some really dangerous Digimon's territory or something. So I appreciate the clarification.

Back above ground, the kids get to walking again. In time, they come upon another strange anomaly of the Digimon World.

You know, there are worse things we've run into out here than a metric fuckton of vending machines. Maybe this is where vending machines go to reproduce or something, IDK.

You know what that means, though. You know what they have in vending machines? You know who specifically wanted what they have in vending machines?

Wish granted!

Of course, since the dub changed Mimi's lamentation to wanting to go on vacation rather than wanting an ice-cold Cola, this doesn't connect as well. They're forced to generalize it with a bit of extra dialogue.

Mimi: I bet there's enough snacks to last us a lifetime, at least. Tai: Mimi, they probably don't work. Don't you remember the phone booths? Palmon: Hey, that could be. I bet it's a trick, Mimi! Mimi: I won't accept that!

They don't have to write too far out of their way to make it work, but it's nonetheless a solution to a problem created by earlier writing choices removing points of characterization that later scenes were going to do something with.

As Mimi races to the vending machines, I want to call special attention to this exchange.

Taichi: Mataku... (general expression of annoyance) Sora: It can't be helped. She's still just a kid.

And its English counterpart.

Tai: Mimi! Sora: You can't stop her. She's so stubborn!

Mm.

Mimi descends into the nesting grounds of vending machines and picks out one she licks. Then she inserts a coin. Rather than dispensing cola, however, the front of the machine falls off and nearly crushes her.

Oh, I suddenly regret not being crushed to death. Can I have a do-over?

The Numemon immediately hits on Mimi, but she aggressively shoots him down and calls him a lowlife. Dub Mimi goes even farther, calling him a "short, slimy, sewer-sliding sludge-slinger!"

(Probably a good time to remind everyone that Mimi is 10 years old. So. Y'know. Fuck this guy.)

Mimi's response is so blunt, in fact, that Palmon worries about Mimi upsetting him. However, Mimi points out that the bright sunlight means he can't do shit to th--

Oh. Well.

Fuck.

Numemon Chase, Round Two begins as not only that Numemon attacks, but all of the vending machines open up and pour Numemon out into the plains, who descend upon the kids slinging even more poop.

(A fairly accurate metaphor for being hit on in public. "Why can't women just say no directly?" Because this is what happens when they do.)

Yamato suggests splitting up, and the kids break off individually with their Digimon Partners.

(Surprisingly, Yamato does not try to stay with Takeru; Instead, they go completely opposite directions.)

Palmon tries to fight off the Numemon with her signature move, Poison Ivy. But before she can even attack, the Numemon freak out and flee for their lives. Mimi initially credits this to how cool Palmon is, but the true source of their terror quickly becomes apparent.

The narrator introduces us to Monzaemon, a Perfect-stage Vaccine-type Digimon.

Narrator: Although he looks like a stuffed animal, he's actually a Perfect-stage Digimon. His special attack, Lovely Attack, even makes his enemies happy!

For her part, Dub Mimi's narrative has this to say.

Mimi (V.O.): Monzaemon looked like a cute big ol' teddy bear, but he wasn't very cuddly!

But this is only for our benefit. For her part, Palmon has to explain Monzaemon to Mimi too. He's the Mayor of Toy Town and a lot stronger than he looks. She assures Mimi that he is a good Digimon.

Monzaemon immediately opens fire with eye lasers while rambling out salutations.

Monzaemon: We've been waiting for you, Miss. *fires* Enjoy yourselves! *fires* It's an honor to meet you!

Like Meramon, he just sounds like he's spitting out words senselessly. Dub Monzaemon comes off just slightly more coherent.

Monzaemon: I must say, so pleased to make your acquaintance! *fires* Please, come spend a fun night at Toy Town with me! *fires* Why are you running? Did I startle you? Sorry!

Dub Monzaemon seems at least to some degree cognizant of what's happening around him, but the vibe is about the same.

Forming an unlikely alliance, a Numemon offers Mimi and Palmon shelter from Monzaemon.

As soon as he's passed, Palmon wonders aloud if something's happened to Toy Town. Numemon presses his luck by asking Mimi to go on a date with him at Toy Town. She rejects him immediately, and then she and Palmon crawl out of the trench to go check out what's going on in Toy Town without him.

No sooner do they arrive than they find the rest of the group that split up earlier. The other kids are here in Toy Town, being played with by the toys. Forced to run around and pretend they're having fun. Emotionlessly regurgitating sentiments like "This is fun" or "Banzai" or "I'm so happy", but visibly exhausted.

Their Partner Digimon, on the other hand, are nowhere to be found. Though a bit of poking around quickly reveals what's become of them.

Oh, they're locked in a chest. That was easy. Entering the warehouse, Palmon confirms with Agumon that the rest are in there with him. Agumon then recaps the story of how they got here.

It's exactly what you'd expect. Monzaemon came after each of them, and they were powerless to defend themselves against him.

The bubbly hearts from his Lovely Attack - or Hearts Attack in the dub - scooped up each of the kids and their Digimon, then whisked them away to Toy Town. The Digimon were imprisoned in the chest, and we've seen what became of the kids.

An interesting note: When the kids split up, Yamato and Sora departed off the left side of the screen while Jou, Koushiro, and Takeru left from the right side. Taichi and Mimi went straight down, though they clearly got separated from each other.

However, when Monzaemon attacks, he takes Taichi alone, Sora alone, and then takes Yamato, Jou, Koushiro, and Takeru together. This implies that Yamato realized he fucked up and doubled back for Takeru.

Once he's collected his prizes, he issues his decrees for the fates of his prisoners.

Monzaemon: The Digimon will go in the Toy Box. The children will have their emotions erased and serve as toys for the toys!

Dub Monzaemon has... a bit more confusing of instructions.

Monzaemon: So all of you will now serve us! You're all going into our community Toy Box! Our Toy Box is only filled with children!

...no, the Digimon are in the Toy Box. Also, what do you mean, "Our Toy Box is only filled with children!" That implies that you regularly put children in the Toy Box, but there are no humans in the Digital World outside of our Isekai'd kids.

Absolutely butchered that set of lines.

The Digimon don't know how Mimi and Palmon can get them out of the Toy Box, but they don't want them worrying about it; The other kids being played with to exhaustion are the priority right now. In order to save them, Palmon and Mimi will have to do the impossible and defeat the Perfect-stage Monzaemon.

Leaving the warehouse, Mimi and Palmon talk shop. Palmon doesn't understand what's happening; Lovely Attack is supposed to be a happy move, not to do all of this.

Then the toys find them. A monkey with cymbals starts clapping his cymbals together in Mimi's direction, as if trying to make her play. Mimi stomps on the toy instead.

Just then, Monzaemon arrives, stomping around the corner to greet Mimi.

Mimi lets him have it.

Mimi: Be quiet! I don't know what happened to you but you can't just take away my friends' feelings! Give them back!

His answer is eye lasers.

(On the one hand, it's not fair that everyone else gets Lovely Attack but Mimi keeps getting eye lasers. Man, even both versions of Corrupted Monzaemon are mean to Mimi! But on the other hand, given what we've seen Lovely Attack do to people, it's probably for the best.)

Suddenly, the Numemon swarm appear to fight Monzaemon and defend Mimi.

It does not go well. He stomps and swipes his way through the swarm. Mimi is genuinely touched by the sight of the Numemon.

Mimi: The Numemon are fighting for me... Even though they can't to anything but throw poop....

Dub Mimi doesn't quite convey the same emotional sincerity.

Mimi: Well, Palmon, what can I say? When you've got it, you've got it! ...oh no, I don't think the Nume Sludge is working!

Yeah, not really capturing the touching emotional moment there.

Palmon joins in the fight, attempting to entangle Monzaemon with her signature move, Poison Ivy.

But he's too strong and easily throws her off.

Finally, Monzaemon goes for his Lovely Attack. However, the Numemon form a wall, blocking his hearts from reaching Mimi and Palmon, and getting captured themselves in her place.

Palmon: They're useless and cowardly, but the Numemon are desperately trying to protect Mimi!

Again, the emotional sincerity of this moment gets lost in the dub, where Palmon just shouts a battle cry.

Palmon: Time to take it to the next level! I may be a lady, but I am not a pushover!

The sight of the Numemon sacrificing themselves provides Mimi and Palmon's trigger for evolution. Palmon SHINKAAAAAA!!!

Palmon's evolved form is Togemon, an Adult-stage Data-type Digimon. "Toge" or 棘 is the Japanese word for "thorn"; She's Thornmon. An appropriate name, given both her prickly exterior and her signature move Chiku-Chiku Bang Bang, which the dub calls Needle Spray.

Despite Monzaemon being Perfect-stage, Togemon's able to overpower him in this fight. Showering him in needles, she hits him hard enough to send him hurtling to the ground, and to dislodge the Black Gear from him.

(It helps that she has Type Advantage, as a Data-type against a Vaccine-type.)

With Monzaemon defeated, he unpacks what was going through his head with the kids.

Monzaemon: When people get tired of their toys, they break them readily, without a single thought. I couldn't forgive that. That's why, as Mayor of Toy Town, I wanted to raise the social status of the toys. Mimi: "The social status of the toys"? Jou: I think he means making us realize the importance of toys. Monzaemon: That's right. Toys shouldn't be toyed with, but played with. Taichi: So that's why you made us play with the toys! Monzaemon: I'm sorry. I got carried away with myself.

As the kids watch the Black Gear disintegrate, the sight of it fills in the rest of the explanation for Monzaemon's behavior. They're familiar with this concept by now. Dub Tai remarks, "Y'know, I'm beginning to take this whole Black Gear thing a little personally!" which is a line I really like.

Once he's finished apologizing, Monzaemon offers up his ultimate apology: A true and proper Lovely Attack, bathing the kids in pure concentrated happiness.

Briefly interrupted by one more person, ready and eager to receive his reward.

It was nice of the Numemon to put up a defensive wall against Monzaemon and stuff but, like, nobody asked them to do that. We close on a straight-up riff on romantic entitlement.

(Ten. Years. Old.)

Assessment: As with the other kids, this episode serves as our proper introduction to Mimi's distinctive qualities. Mimi is open, honest, and direct. She wears her heart on her sleeve, speaks her mind, and doesn't think about the consequences of her actions. She knows what she wants and she reaches for it without hesitation. There are both positives and negatives to that way of being, but that's who she is.

Mimi is closely associated with a childlike innocence, which is why hers was the episode that featured something as juvenile as Toy Town. As Sora said, Mimi's still just a kid - even compared to the rest of the group, who are still kids themselves.

So far as the dub goes, some questionable decisions were certainly made. They make extra work for themselves in the sewers when they remove Mimi's desire for Cola, and they butcher a few parts of the third act in Toy Town. Also, of course, a Mimi-centric episode is a perfect time for the dub to bully Mimi some more.

But there's some parts I really liked. Mimi's extended version of her insult to the Numemon is great, and the actress's delivery when she realizes the sun isn't protecting her anymore is perfect. Tai taking personal offense to the Black Gears is also funny, especially given where this arc is going with that.

This episode probably isn't the best of the character introduction episodes. But it is Mimi's episode, and she was my relatable character from when I was her age, so that automatically makes it the best by default. Sorry, I don't make the rules. Take it up with the Fandom Parliament.

[devotioncrater]

not ted melancholy about leaving, sitting in the press room alone. not trent happening to find him there, "of all the press rooms." (it's funny because there's only one, but they're sad when they're laughing.) not them getting an actual one-on-one fucking conversation this season

Also, while ted's future's up in the air. I'm begging ted to also ask about trent's future. because trent's also on the precipice of leaving, with a big who knows the fuck what waiting for him (other than, like ted, his child). they've both found community at richmond, and they're both at a point where they might feel like they have to leave it all behind. just someone (ted) ask trent what he's doing after this book. and please let there be a good answer to that

all of this!! let them confide in and comfort each other. because they're both at this crossroads of What Is Next, sort of like that robert frost poem ted referenced in ep 7.

"Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

and i 100% agree, they need to have a one-on-one conversation again onscreen. an actual heart-to-heart, because we haven't been privy to that since episode 2.

of course we see them onscreen having these types of private conversations such as here:

and yet we the viewer are never invited in on them.

which is bonkers to me because these two are constantly implied & shown to have grown close to each other throughout the season.

ted letting trent sit-in on the parent-teacher conference.

"hello, ted" "hello, trent" with nothing for roy or beard

ted and trent participating together at girl talk with rebecca.

trent introducing himself to ted's mom

ted actively engaging & being endeared with trent's enthusiastic dork side

ted instinctively filling trent's mug with liquor first, trent instinctively holding his mug to ted. familiar-like, routine-like

we can see trent's crush on ted from space. he's practically singing about it. but on the quieter side, there are all these little heart eye moments ted has for trent, too. they add up. all of ted's gay praises on men & men's physiques (robert redford, oscar wilde, hair, facial hair, clothes, etc) can be read as a subconscious link to trent. it's subtle. it's all blink-and-you-miss-it.

which makes me wonder — since Ted Lasso is in ted's character viewpoint for his scenes — is the reason we haven't seen any of the one-on-one conversations he has with trent (which DO happen offscreen) a reflection on ted? what i mean by that is, are we not fully seeing trent, and the nature of ted's relationship with trent, because ted himself isn't ready to share? to come out? or to even allow himself to recognize what he could potentially be feeling? out of sight (offscreen), out of mind?

we see this storytelling technique be used with colin. how we don't see him come out to the team because that is not what he wanted as a character. his main concern wasn't "i'm gay" it was "how will the team react?". and so to honor his wishes, the team's reaction is what was shown onscreen. the show gave colin's character agency and it gave him privacy, too.

so maybe, hopefully, we will get another one-on-one scene with ted and trent. and this time ted will be ready to share, and this time we get to see their dynamic at full scope instead of these glimpses throughout the season

[capseycartwright]

My last ask wasn't intended to be rude or queerbait-y. It was a discussion with friends about how it could come about and the idea that we just find out they're together was suggested. No big moment, no coming out. Just them them being happy and together without the need for some grand Coming Out moment. I didn't mean to come across any other way. For what it's worth, I've become more invested in the possibility because of your posts and dedication to the outcome. But still, I'm sorry for any upset.

hey listen i don’t want to start an argument here but it’s not a hypothetical or discussion i think any of us should entertain, frankly.

in real life, i don’t feel there’s any obligation to come out - i’ll always stand by that one. but queer representation in media still feels so new - when i was a teenager, you could really truly count on one hand the lgbt characters you saw on screen and they were rarely main characters, and i don’t think i am that old. am only 29. i wouldn’t want nor encourage any sort of buddie getting together storyline that doesn’t show every single part of it because in so many ways, queer people in media are still groundbreaking. i wouldn’t ever want a queer storyline relegated to offscreen in the name of ~ privacy ~ because that just gives bigots what they want: a boring, sanitised queer relationship that happened near entirely off screen and so they only have to see them hold hands every once in a while and never have to be confronted with a story about queer people actively falling in love.

911 doesn’t exist in a vacuum - although it’s had plenty of queer rep since the beginning, lots of shows still don’t. two main characters having a grand conclusion to a slow burn is still a wee bit groundbreaking. i wish it wasn’t. but it is. and until we live in a world where we see just as many queer love stories as we do straight ones, i don’t want a single one of them to happen offscreen. privacy is a poor excuse and just lets people who don’t want to see happy queer people fall in love be exempt from seeing it forever.

i don’t want to pontificate. but we need to see queer love stories unfold on screen. not offscreen. that’s why it’s not a hypothetical i think anyone should indulge - for buddie, or any other queer relationship. the world might feel a wee bit better to be queer in these days for some of us, but it still isn’t for so many people and queer love on a network tv show means that people who’ve never been given the space to see happy queer people will. and that’s more important than anything else we could sit here arguing about.

[bloodyshadow1]

my detailed thoughts on the first season of Percy jackson.

Cons:

The pacing, I know everyone says this, but really the pacing of this season was all over the place. having 8 episodes while probably the only option for the writing team really hurt the series overall. Adding an additional episode would helped keep things better I think and would allow a better flow. Not to mention it would help keep things structured in a 3 act system with a beginning, middle, and end that a lot of stories, are told in which would have just fit and flowed better. I would prefer 12 eps, for each act having 4 eps, but that is greedy since they're probably going to be stuck with 8 for the rest of the series too

Lightning, the series was just too dark in a lot of scenes, I didn't have much of a problem because I watched on my smarttv, but I know a lot of people who watched on computers or phones had trouble

The beginning, there should have been more episodes in Camp Half-Blood, at least 1 more. I get that the meat of the story is in the journey, but by not establishing camp half-blood as the first place Percy felt like home it makes it feel emptier. I do like how they including flashbacks of luke training percy in the finale but I would have liked more in camp half blood before the start

There's a less wonder and magic in the series than there was in the books. I don't really know how to describe it, but the books made it feel like there were two worlds hiding within each other and there is magic everywhere. Just small things like Ares turning his lost shield into a bullet proof vest because that's the more modern take.

I'm not with a vocal part of the fandom that bitch and moan over the kids not falling into every trap, I like that Percy is smarter, but instead of just making him smarter, I think they should have just had him ask more questions, like if he was a 12 year old with ADHD who had his eyes open to a world. By making him ask questions, it would help let them explain the world more by having people answer Percy, instead of him knowing everything. Certain things I think could have been done better, like the Kronos reveal and the Luke reveal, it could be done as a reveal instead of Percy figuring it out and I think it would have worked better. like have Percy realize it when talking through the prophecy with Luke because Luke mentions the bolt and the helm, something Percy wouldn't have told him or anyone at camp.

For the most part, I like how they did the gods, with the exception with Zeus and Athena. Zeus is such a larger than life figure, as much as I love Lance Riddick's performance, he played him too epic. The Zeus from the books feels more like a powerful blowhard while the series makes him feel too cool to me. As for Athena, I'll admit I'm bias because she's my favorite god but I don't like her being made the villain in Annabeth's story especially offscreen. I get that they're playing up the gods being shit more than the books and since they made Poseidon more sympathetic, making Athena more antagonistic is a choice to make. I just don't think it fits her cold and logical, but still cares about her kids in her way that she was portrayed in the books.

Grover. I honestly like a lot of the things they added to his character, but I wish they didn't take away from his canon character moments. Not many, but I liked him being a different species than Percy and Annabeth, he isn't human, he's part goat and instead of the books stuff, he's more just a kid with different legs and short horns than another creature. Also by taking away his reed pipes and not showing him being able to do magic, it limits the character.

While people complain about the show... showing not telling, I feel like there was a lack of exposition in the show that wasn't there in the books. It kind of goes with Percy being smarter in the show than the books, but there's a lot of stuff left out of the show that is good world building. small example, no one mentions that monsters don't die for good, which is a very important plot point in heroes of olympus, even if they don't make it, it's a good thing to tell a new demi-gods. Or other plot points, like Annabeth wanting to see her father after all these years, despite how badly things broke before, which just kind of resolves offscreen.

Honestly though, it was only the fandom that ever really bothered me. Too many people focusing on uncharitable changes about the series that had to be made since there is a difference between a first person perspective book series and a tv series that they had to make. That they couldn't fit everything into an 8 ep series that's in a whole book

Pros:

Honestly, one of the best adaptions I've seen despite all the cons.

The acting in the show is awesome, the actors for the kids are young but perfect for the roles they were assigned. they might not look like the books, but I genuinely think it doesn't matter if they're going to be this good. Walker, Leah, and Aryan stand out as the stars of this show and for good reason

I really like the way they portrayed Luke in the tv series, I get the twist in the books, but by bringing up stuff with him earlier I think it makes him more sympathetic. I also think by not including the scorpion to kill Percy, and instead make it clear Luke doesn't want to kill Percy makes him feel more like a kid making a dumb decision instead of someone willing to murder a 12 year old.

I like how they portrayed Sally in the show even if some people disagree. I like that she shows more flaws and character than just being the sweetest saddest woman that she was in the books. As much as Sally loves Percy, him not only being a demi-god, but a neurodivergent kid, it wears on any parent's patience, especially a single mother. Having her get angry and lose her temper, having us as the viewers know what she's been through makes her feel more real and fits better for a tv show.

I like most of the effects, I think it fits in the show and looks better than a lot of blockbuster movies. Lightning aside. I think the monsters looked good and so did the magic even if I think the latter could be better

Honestly, I think the fight scenes were great for a disney show where the main character is supposed to be 12. I know people are annoyed with how short they are, but that's how they were in the books. I think they were adapted fine.

I like that since we're not in Percy's head, we get more of Annabeth and Grover. It feels like a real proper adventuring trio than the books where it felt like it was so Percy focused with Annabeth being the secondary main and grover being a main, but kind of sidekick character. Letting Grover and Annabeth be characters, to have scenes without Percy and changing things from the books, like having Annabeth seeing the fates cut the thread, makes more sense when you're not doing a first person books

Overall I think they changed things in a very fair and pragmatic sense. There were a lot, but there were less egergious than the movie that changed the whole plot.

[kaibacorpintern]

one thing i've been thinking about lately is the end of DSOD from atem's perspective - quite a lot of ink has been spilled about what this moment means for Kaiba, but from atem's POV the thrust of their relationship over the series goes like this...

kaiba is my enemy and i want to punish him (early manga/death-T)

i believe in the strength of kaiba's spirit and he's an honorable opponent/true duelist (DK)

kaiba is kind of annoying and weird but he always believes i can surpass myself and he hates to see me fail (early BC)

kaiba is a key piece of the puzzle of my true identity (later BC)

kaiba is my rival and my ally and my friend ("a friend... a rival... where is the line?") and i wish him the best on his journey to the future (end of BC)

... a trajectory that is constructed out of very few moments together, comparatively speaking - as readers, we see pretty much every single moment they interact from start to finish. there are almost no unseen, "offscreen" moments between atem and kaiba, with perhaps the lone exception of wandering around battle city together looking for jounouchi, while there is clearly a lot of time spent together "offscreen" for atem & yuugi, atem & jounouchi, atem & anzu, etc.

kaiba IS open about how atem makes him feel - "i tremble with desire / dueling you makes my heart beat faster" - but he's not great at communicating anything and he's really stubborn about accepting (or simply unable to accept) the idea that their sometimes combative, sometimes supportive relationship could mean more than just rivalry and antagonism (or defeating the memory of his stepfather via unwilling understudy.)

in other words, despite the incredibly strong emotions they provoke/inspire in each other every time they meet, they don't really know each other that well - they've never shared a meal or gone to the movies together or spent meaningful time together outside of duels ("duels ARE meaningful time together!!" kaiba yells), and kaiba resists a friendship in the mode of all of atem's other friendships. atem accepts this, but still wants kaiba to admit they're friends.

the manga implies kaiba knew about the Ceremonial Duel, if only based on that one panel where he's standing outside in the sand with Mokuba - perhaps he showed up too late, or was too nervous/scared to go in (credit @rainstormcolors for this incredible idea.) regardless, from atem's POV: kaiba did not show up for this, the final good-bye... maybe this friendship wasn't that important to him, after all?

this is what's informing my current thoughts on Atem at the end of DSOD: you are dead. you have some knowledge of what's going on in the world of the living. probably, because you are dead, you have no expectations for visitors or guests or, perhaps, ever seeing certain people again, due to the finality of death and the nebulous rules around who is allowed into the ancient egyptian afterlife (20th-21st century Japanese teenagers, question mark?)

and then your most stubborn and unhinged friend, who really only just accepted that you're friends and you don't know him all that well outside of the fun and blistering melodramatics of your favorite card game, storms through the door tracking sand because he wants to play your favorite card game with you, he crossed dimensions because your relationship is that important to him, this guy who constantly blurted out weird dramatic things but otherwise kept you at arm's length this whole time, and a dozen things that weren't clear before suddenly become clear to you, and a dozen things that seemed immutable and unchangeable are suddenly uncertain and unstable. and you realize he was listening to you the whole time, and you greet him with a smile.

[pleasantspark]

Forever & Ever - Chapter Three (You Can't Always Get What You Want) Frieza x Fem! Frieza Race OC Genre: Horror/Romance(?) Tropes: Yandere Part of The F&E Series Warnings: Possessiveness, Frieza (Because he's a whole ass warning in of itself), Sexism, Forced Gender Roles, Misogyny, Internalized Misogyny, Stalking, Implied Offscreen Death, Death, Yandere Behavior, Canon Divergent, Impossible Logic, DBZ Logic, Pregnancy, Abusive Relationships, Gaslighting, Toxicity, Manipulation, Animal Death/Animal Cruelty (Mentioned, One Time Thing), Suicide (Mentioned) AUs Utilized: Frieza Redemption Arc AU (Separate Arc, a COMPLETE different whatif) Frieza Race Overhaul Doc Used! Please check for it here: x A/N: Y'all really fucking wanted it, so here it is! Haha!

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Frieza never heard of those words, he never was denied what he wants. He always got it. He never heard the words no. A spoiled child often is used to the idea of getting what they want that anything else they hear were in and out the other ear.

Frieza was that spoiled child, call him whatever you want but he won't sing and prance about how he gets everything because singing was nothing more than pathetic.

Something he finds as weakness.

Speaking of weakness...

Frieza found himself glancing towards the prison sector often more than he has to, he's spent most of the past few months isolating Orion to break her down and wear her down in order for her to give in. But he couldn't stop himself when he wanted to go and visit her.

Some part of him knew he probably deep down has... Well, feelings for her and has affection for her. But he never felt this before.

I always get what I want, and that's a fact.

Cooler spent most of his days on his ship walking through the various halls, past the portraits of his family. There was multiple portraits of him and his family, none of which were him smiling in them, after his mother passed.

It wasn't a secret that King Cold never loved his eldest. He was often the overlooked and forgotten Cold family member in favor for the youngest member.

Growing up whenever he would complain to his Dad about the unfairness his Dad would always say.

"Frieza was born prematurely."

Or.

"Frieza is special."

He sort of accepted that Frieza was the new norm and that whatever he said would never change his father's mind. But as Cooler grew up, he began to realize how...

Off Frieza was.

While he was born premature, and given the constant attention and support his father has given to Frieza, it had never made Frieza humble. It had turned him into a monster.

An irredeemable monster.

King Cold wasn't a great father, he would barely discipline Frieza. If anything King Cold's reluctance to do so, lies in his love for his youngest.

Cooler never had birthday's after his mothers death. Frieza would throw his usual fits that would garner sympathy and allow King Cold to give in, several birthdays were stolen because of Frieza's temper tantrums.

He wished his mother was still around, he knew she would not stand for these things.

It was... Even worse.

Cooler was given a pet. One year for his birthday. King Cold finally went out and bought Cooler a present. He's been asking for this pet from another planet for years but never wanted to tell him if Frieza's around so one day, King Cold surprised him with the pet he wanted.

Frieza was not happy.

The moment he was aware of it, he threw one of his infamous temper tantrums. And this time, King Cold finally put his foot down and refused to entertain this, and Frieza was shocked.

He never heard those words.

Cooler fully expected Frieza to fight back, but he just surprisingly got up, and walked to his room. For the next few weeks it was silent, Frieza didn't try his usual tatics to get what he wants, he just was quiet. For awhile Cooler thought his family was back to normal.

Oh how he was wrong.

One day, King Cold had to go off planet and Cooler had went out with friends. He left behind Frigid, the pet he named after his Mom in his room, and went to his friends house.

When he arrived home, King Cold was currently at the table, he greeted his father, and headed back to his room. He was hoping to see Frigid greet him, but she never did. He felt uneasy. What's going on? Immediately entering in the room, his eyes laid upon...

Well, to be frank, it was a gruesome sight, Cooler screamed. And attracted the attention of King Cold and Frieza.

King Cold noticed the carcass of the pet he gifted Cooler, and he looked back at Cooler. Both didn't have to say anything. They knew Frieza was behind it.

When his mother was still around, Frieza was thoroughly disciplined. She wouldn't have been a doormat like their father and allowed herself to be stepped all over like that.

Frieza was terrified of their mother, when he acted out and tried to strike him once, she grabbed his arm tightly, and squeezed it. It was a warning squeeze. "You do that shit again, and I will take you out this world, I brought you into this world and I can take you right the fuck out." Cooler found her statement to Frieza to be very badass, and just that alone scared Frieza into behaving.

Their father stopped the spoiling and they remained a normal family... Until, you know. Her death.

Some say it was an accident, he said it was Frieza.

After his pets death, Cooler moved out, he had enough of his father's refusal to punish Frieza accordingly and the alarm bells were ringing, as he didn't want to end up a skinsuit, so he packed what little things he had. (Some were family heirlooms and memories of his mother.) and moved out.

He formed the Cooler Armed Squadron as an attempt to escape his life. And he did, he severed ties with his family as he didn't want to know anything about them.

Then, he got word of his fathers death. Frieza called him saying that their adoptive mother, Berryblue had informed him of their fathers passing saying that a Saiyan Warrior killed him, Cooler didn't have much to say, other than a simple, "Okay."

I mean, what much did he have to say towards his Golden Child Brother, who lived life with no consequences? It's been nearly a decade since they interacted, and he had nothing to say whatsoever to the monster who ruined his life.

Okay, that's a bit harsh but Cooler knew that Frieza was the worse. A Monster even.

Not even a moment after Frieza called to inform him of their fathers death, he received a handwritten letter from Salza, which was written by King Cold moments after his death.

Opening the contents, it was clear from the get go, that this... Was no ordinary death note.

This was a suicide note.

In the entirety of the written prose, King Cold disclosed his apologies and explanations for his reasoning behind enabling Frieza's piss poor behavior, all of which amounted to pity and feeling bad for Frieza's circumstance. While he was apologetic for the death of the pet he got Cooler, he was aware that nothing he say can make up for what he has done.

Cooler read the entirety of the letter, feeling nothing but resentment for his sperm donor. King Cold spent more time making excuses for the golden child, rather than admitting fault and getting it over with and clenching his teeth admitting fault.

He even had the audacity to mention his mother as a scapegoat for everything, labeling her as the mediator and even claimed she was a better parent than I was.

It shouldn't take her to threaten him with divorce and full custody of them for him to get his head on straight, and yet, instead of rectifying his poor decisions decided to bow out in a less than fortunate way?

Fuck no.

He will never forgive him. Salza watched as Cooler burnt the letter. And that day marked the day he stopped feeling sorry for himself. As Cooler placed the portrait back on the wall, He had heard the saying "People weren't born evil, they were simply made evil." which is what he believed to be the case for Frieza, but he always wondered. Was his brother doomed to have became the way he did even if he had an equal upbringing? His thoughts are interrupted when he heard the footsteps of Salza approach, he turned slightly to face him.

"My Lord," Salza said with a bow. "Your brother, Frieza has requested an audience with you."

An Audience?

They haven't spoke in years following their fathers death, and now he wants to speak?

"What for?" Cooler asked.

"He said, it was of great importance." Salza said.

"What could POSSIBLY be important enough for him to request my appearance?" Cooler asked, annoyed.

"M'lord, I am aware you have... issues regarding your brother, but... He said he has... Found a partner and wants you to meet your soon to be sister in law."

<Last Chapter >Next Chapter

[dabiensworld]

Baby Lock the door

May 29th: Say the Quiet Parts Out Loud A conversation you don't think they'll ever have but wish they would. | What are some offscreen moments you wish you could see?

@kastleexchange

A day late because I was busy with work.

With a little dedication for @cassofnowhere and @theshipdiaries

6 months before Lady Macbeth's blood

The scream stuck in her throat and she couldn't catch her breath. For a long moment she thought she was dying. 

Karen had had nightmares for as long as she could remember. Many traumatic events in her life replayed in her dreams, from school, to the death of her mother and Kevin, to being accused of murder, to Wesley, Ben, Fisk, Blacksmith, Lewis, Bullseye. Today she dreamed about Wesley again. The way he kidnapped her and drugged her. In her sleep, she felt him grab her from behind, preventing any movement. When her breathing calmed down a bit, she reached for the bedside lamp and realized that she was not alone in the apartment. Frank was standing next to her bed in the dark. Blood was dripping from his nose onto his dark gray shirt. 

“Frank?” She asked. She was surprised by his presence. She hadn't seen him for over two weeks when, after a drunken night, he left in the morning without saying a word. This was typical of him, she was used to it. 

“What are you doing here?” She noticed that more and more blood was appearing on his face, so she got up from the bed and gestured for him to go with her to the kitchen. She took the first aid kit from the cabinet and placed gauze on his nose. It was definitely broken, but probably not for the first time in his life. 

“Keep your head down.” She ordered and looked in the freezer. She didn't have any ice, so a bag of frozen vegetables would have to do. The gauze was completely soaked with blood, so she changed it to a clean one and placed frozen vegetables on his forehead to reduce the swelling and constrict the blood vessels. He submitted to her medical procedures without complaint. 

“Who were you fighting?” She asked. 

“You'll laugh when I tell you.” He tried to joke, but she didn't find it funny. 

“Was it Matt?” She was a little scared that the answer to that question would be yes. She suspected their paths would cross sooner or later since Frank had returned to town permanently a few months ago. Both with the same goal, but so different views and methods. New York barely survived their previous clash. And Karen had her reasons for keeping these two worlds separate.

“What? No. Why would you think it was Red?” She breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, if only for a moment. Frank had recently assured her that he had hung up his Punisher vest and that he wanted to try to live a somewhat normal life. He even found a construction job under a false name, and Karen thought it was a cause for celebration. They first opened one bottle of rose wine, then drank the second and third in bed, cooling their heated bodies after moments of passion. That night, Karen hoped that everything would finally work out for Frank, that he would have his after, exactly what she wanted for him. That's why it hurt her heart that he only stuck to his decision for two weeks. Or maybe even shorter.

“No reason.” she said and she gently examined his nose with her fingers, the break was probably not that serious, the bleeding had stopped, but his face was turning into a bruise. She could count on one hand the number of times she had seen his face intact. 

“It was you.” he replied quietly.

"What?"

"You hit me with your elbow. You started screaming in your sleep and when I tried to wake you up, you punched me in the face." She was shocked.

"I did this to you?"

"I must admit, you can pack a punch. Who taught you?" Frank wasn't the type to be easily surprised or impressed, and she had done that twice already. She hadn't felt so special in a long time.

“You learn a thing or two when you have a younger brother, who tries to pull your ponytails. I had to learn to give back to him, otherwise I would be bald by the time I was 12.” Nothing caused her more pain than the memory of her brother. Although at that moment she did it unconsciously. She didn't want Frank to see her face, so she turned to put the coffee machine on, even though it was three in the morning.

“You never mentioned you have a brother.” Frank noticed. 

She didn't want to broach the subject now. She handed him a cup of coffee. "How did you come here anyway?"

"I already told you, you were screaming in your sleep."

"And you heard it from the street?" Frank wasn't really Matt, he didn't have supernatural hearing.

"I wrote you a message, but you didn't reply. I was worried about you, so I came to check if everything was okay." his voice cracked slightly, she believed what he was saying was true. "I went to bed earlier, I had menstrual cramps, I didn't hear the phone."

"The door was open. You shouldn't have left it open. You don't live in a very safe neighborhood."

"I must have forgotten about them." She couldn't tell him that she had been leaving the door open every day for 3 months when she was at home, hoping that he would come to her that day and take the hint that she was waiting for him. She usually closes them before going to sleep, but today she simply forgot about it.

"You should change the lock to a self-latching one, you won't have to remember about it. I can change it for you." he offered.

“There is no need.” She said and she sat on the couch. Frank hesitated for a few seconds, but eventually did the same. He put the bag of vegetables on the table, which was already leaking water. The swelling on his face was getting bigger by the minute.

"I feel terrible. You just started a new job and now you'll have to show up at it with a broken face." she touched his nose, but her touch hurt him.

“Someone always shows up with a scar on their face. Such a company” Frank wasn’t mad at her. 

“What will you tell them? If they ask?”

"That I defended a lady's honor in a bar or that a girl punched me in the face in her sleep. That's nothing to be ashamed of." he laughed shyly. She liked his smile. She regretted that he did it so rarely.

“Are you okay? You seemed very scared by this dream. Do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't answer. She didn't want him to pursue the topic, but Frank obviously had other plans.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, just..."

"Just what?" She interrupted him.

"I feel like I know very little about you, especially about your past or childhood. I don't even know where you came from to New York. I keep telling you about my family, about myself. And only now I find out that you have a brother." Frank tended to be a little vague about his needs, but Karen assumed he wanted to get to know her better.

“Had a brother.” After a moment's thought, she decided she didn't mind. Of all the people she knew, Frank was the one who never judged her, and she knew she could trust him. If she had let him into her bed three months ago, she could have let him into her past, even though she wasn't sure if he would want to make himself there.

“His name was Kevin, he was 3 years younger than me. We both grew up in a boarded-up hole in northern Vermont - Fagan Corners. He was my best friend, even though he could be a pain in the ass." she smiled, even though she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"That's what brothers are for." Frank said and tucked her hair behind her ear so he could see her face better.

“I was always taking care of him, like a big sister I was. Although I didn't realize how much he cared for me until..." Her voice trailed off, but Frank was patient. He didn't push, he waited for her to open up on her own.

"After my mother died, when I was 17, our whole life fell apart. My dad couldn't cope, too much fell on me. We had a restaurant that was making only losses, so I had to find another way to support us. I was unlucky to come across someone who knew how to take advantage of the fact that I was desperate."

"Were you dealing?" Several thoughts went through his head, he chose the least evil.

"And I did too. It started with painkillers, I started taking cocaine pretty quickly. I quickly became addicted because there was nothing to stop me. Reality sucked, whether I was high or sober, because I was stuck at the end of the world with no chance for a normal future. Because my life was inextricably linked with my father and brother. I couldn't leave, no matter how much I wanted to. Even when I got into college. After the second postponement, I accepted the fact that I would stay there forever." She was afraid to look up because she didn't want Frank to look at her like the broken person she undoubtedly was. When she came to New York, she liked the fact that she was incognito, people didn't assume she had a dark past. Rather, they assumed she was an ordinary middle-class girl with no skeletons in the closet, sometimes they thought she was stupid, but the disguise suited her, but because of it, she was unable to form any honest relationship. She would have to lie too much and the truth would be too hard to accept.

"Kevin cared about us as much as I did, even though he was only 16. He worked in a restaurant so that we wouldn't have to waste money on someone to help, often at the expense of his free time that he could spend with friends. He wanted me to go to college and did the paperwork for me, he wanted me to get out of Fagan Corners because he knew this place was killing me inside. He meant well and I got mad at him that night. I got drunk and high. Meanwhile, Kevin set fire to his trailer. He thought it would keep him away from me. But Todd got mad and started hitting him with a wheel wrench. I was afraid he would kill him, he was unpredictable and I had to protect my brother. I grabbed the gun and fired." More than 10 years had passed, these memories hurt her as much as the day she experienced them.

"Did you kill your boyfriend?" She heard Frank's voice, but it was as if behind some kind of curtain, and she forgot about his presence for a moment.

"No, although I shot to kill, I was too drunk and didn't aim. I just wanted him to stay away from us. I took Kevin to the car and drove away. I screamed at him and he said he did it because he didn't want to lose me the way he lost our mother. I was too drunk and high and shouldn't have driven. We crashed a few miles from home, I survived but Kevin..." her hands were shaking and tears were flowing from her eyes. She didn't have to finish, Frank knew the answer. He gently took her hand.

"You know, at this point most people say it was just an accident. That it wasn't my fault." She reached under the coffee table and took out some tissues, wiping her nose and eyes.

"Do you believe them?"

"No." She probably never gave a more honest answer in her life.

"Me neither."

He moved closer to her and touched her chin with his index finger to make her look at him.

"Most people don't understand that this feeling of guilt eats into you so much that it becomes a part of you. That no amount of reassurance can erase it. Every morning you wake up and feel this weight on your shoulders, and it never goes away. It doesn't get lighter. It just is." Frank understood it like no one else, especially when it came to blaming himself for the death of loved ones, even though his burden was three times greater.

"Do you see Kevin in your dreams every night?" He asked.

"Sometimes. But today I dreamed of someone else." She decided to tell him the whole truth.

“Do you remember our conversation in the restaurant?"

"How could I forget? We talked about Matt, about my wife, about Blacksmith."

"And about what happened earlier? You asked if when I was pointing a gun at you in my apartment, if that was my first rodeo. It wasn't even my second." 

Frank subconsciously knew what Karen wanted to tell him.

"I killed someone. He was the one I dreamed about today. He was Fisk's friend and employee. James Wesley. I was looking for hooks on him and that's how I found his mother and learned his secrets. That he killed his father. When Wesley found out about it, he decided to silence me. He kidnapped me from outside my house, drugged me and dragged me to an abandoned warehouse. He threatened that all my relatives and friends would die for what I had done and I would be responsible for their deaths. I took advantage of his moment of inattention and stuffed the entire clip into him." 

Frank remained silent, but that didn't intimidate Karen. He didn't look judgmental at her, he was supportive and she adored him for that.

"The worst thing is that I felt no remorse, I didn't regret taking his life. I was more afraid that the truth would one day come out, that my life would fall apart again, than that I took someone else's life."

Frank put his arm around her and she buried her face in his neck, taking in his scent. They stayed like that for several minutes.

"I'm glad you told me." he whispered.

"And I'm glad you listened to me."

He pulled her away and took her face in his hands. Wiped away the tears that were falling from her left eye with his thumb. He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her gently, careful not to disturb his nose. The kiss was sweet and salty at the same time, from her tears and his blood. At that moment, she needed nothing more than closeness and tenderness from another human being, and she was happy that it was Frank who offered it to her.

"Let's go to sleep. It's almost four o'clock." He proposed. Without a word, she got up from the couch and walked towards the bedroom, with Frank following her. Karen started to take off his shirt.

"Karen, I don't think we should..." he protested. Sex wasn't what either of them needed at that moment.

"I don't want to fuck you, not today. But you won't sleep in bloody clothes." They both smiled.

He finished undressing and climbed into bed next to her in his underwear.

"Maybe you should be the big spoon." He proposed.

She snuggled against his bare back and slipped her hand under his arm. She fell asleep when he laced their fingers together.

[lazzarella]

Me: I'm going to start posting reviews of BLs as I watch/re-watch them!

Also me: forgets after posting a grand total of one

Anyway, here's one that was in my drafts since I re-watched Cupid's Last Wish, despite having only first watched it a couple of months before XD While it's easily the weakest of EarthMix's series for me, I enjoyed the heck out of it both times regardless! Shout out to the hair and costume departments btw

The cons first: The weakest part is probably the subplot with Win's aunt and uncle, which fizzles out into nothing and feels like it was only there to pad out time, and I may have skipped some of it this time around. It also felt a little sexist with how they kept making a point of how weak Lin's body is and so on. I think it's meant to show how she's more of a princess/mama's girl, but it felt more like women are inherently weaker at times. But it wasn't as egregious as the sexism in some things I've seen and I'm a sucker for both road trips and body swap and this did both of those really well imho. Plus, I loved the romance! (We’re onto the pros now) Before watching, I saw a few comments saying body swap is overdone (though I can't seem to find many other BLs with body swap?? Maybe it's just dramas in general?), but I'll never get enough body swap and, like I said, I think it was particularly well done here. Mix and Jan did an incredible job of portraying the same character and I thought the transitions between showing Mix and Jan as Win were very smooth and edited nicely.

I liked that for all the tender moments between Win and Korn we see Mix, and that, while it's clear that Korn only ever 'sees' Win, too, it's fairly believable that Win would think Korn was being sweet because he's in Lin's body. 

Of course, he's also a little bit of an idiot because we see in all the flashbacks it's clearly Win he has feelings for, but I don't entirely blame Win. Plus, it makes for all the things I love: misunderstandings, miscommunication and angst! (Sidenote: some days, I feel like I'm the only person who still loves misunderstandings and miscommunication. Ah well!)

Korn is the biggest sweetheart. Like, he is just so lovely! The scene where he's trying to distract Win when he has cramps is the cutest.

Win is also largely a fun character (and his constant need to be eating is a mood). Of course, he IS a major dickhead at the start, and borderline (or just plain old) abusive with his sister, which is another sour point—I think they could've set him up as impetuous and stubborn without that, or I would have preferred it, anyway. So, I can definitely understand why it was a deal breaker for a lot of people! But I pushed through and I'm glad I did, because it had so many things I loved

And the chemistry between Earth and Mix is as palpable as always: they really have something special onscreen (and, as I've said before, I love their offscreen interactions, too) and there are so many gorgeous moments in this show!

The hand holding while falling asleep, Korn trying to distract and cheer Win up, covering his eyes because he's afraid of ghosts (and then covering the hole in the tent in that one flashback), the confession, the kissing... The romance is really lovely and that's what I'm here for.

Oh, and the cowboy hats don’t hurt either lol (they sadly only made a brief appearance)

So, yeah, just some more rambling thoughts from a relative BL newbie XD I gave this an 8.5 on MDL, which didn't change after re-watching. I can easily see myself returning to this again too

(Oh and I also enjoyed the little follow up Zero Supporter, which was basically an extended ad for that iced tea! It was really fun seeing Earth and Mix play each other’s roles, particularly Earth.)