#like again One Thing to let him live but it also just so happens to play into that eternal guilt/utter powerlessness so well

[harrysfolklore]

matchmaker - op81

summary: oscar finds a puppy wandering around the streets of monaco that leads him to meet his lucky charm

folkie radio: AN OSCAR FIC FINALLY OMG!!!! i have to say thank you to @cambrayficsrecs for sending this idea !! i LOVED IT and i hope you like this

MASTERLIST | MY PATREON

liked by alexandrasaintmleux, yourbff and 209 others

yourinstagram meet the newest monaco resident: arlo 🤍 swipe to see the goodest boy helping me settle in my new home 🐾

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yourbff HE'S PERFECT!! miss you already but so happy for you 😭

username1 the cutest addition to monaco!!

username2 remember when you said you'd never get a dog? 😂

alexandrasaintmleux my new favorite neighbor!!! can't wait for our puppy playdates 🤍

↳ yourinstagram arlo and leo are going to be bffs 🥹🥹

username3 told you moving to monaco was the best decision

username4 i'm visiting asap just to meet this angel

yourbff2 can't believe my best friend lives in monaco now

username5 you're living the dream with the goodest boy!

username6 look at that face!! when can i visit?

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texts between alex and yn

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liked by landonorris, charles_leclerc and 583,827 others

oscarpiastri Enjoyed being a temporary dog dad today 🐾 glad this good boy made it back home safe! might have to get one of my own now...

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username1 MY HEARTTT

username2 OSCAR YOU CAN’T DO THIS

maxverstappen1 Don't let lando see this

↳ landonorris too late. getting a dog.

mclaren Best teammate and dog sitter 🧡

username3 OSCAR WITH A PUPPY THIS IS NOT A DRILL

username4 the wholesome content we needed today

alexandrasaintmleux arlo already misses his rescuer! thanks again oscar 🤍

username5 get this man a dog asap

username6 the way he took care of a stranger's dog 🥺

username7 okay but imagine oscar with his own puppy

username8 JUST GET A DOG

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yourinstagram has added to their stories

replies:

yourbff ARLO OMG 🥺🥺 what happened to him?

↳ yourinstagram sneaky little minx disappeared from the balcony.. he’s safe tho

username1 omg poor you! good thing you found him

username2 is this knight in shinning armor who saved arlo cute?

↳ yourinstagram STOP 😭

username3 i need to visit so i can meet arlo

alexandrasaintmleux I could give you his insta… or his number 👀

↳ yourinstagram STOP IT ALEX

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texts between alex and yn

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liked by alexandrasaintmleux, oscarpiastri and 28,724 others

yourinstagram turns out the nice guy who found arlo last week also happens to be pretty good at driving cars 🏎️ congrats on p2! @/oscarpiastri

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username1 GIRL WHAT IS YOUR LIFE RN

username2 you move to monaco and suddenly you're in f1 garages???

alexandrasaintmleux told you you'd love f1 🤍

↳ yourinstagram love you !

username3 OMG OSCAR

username4 SHES THE OWNER OF THE DOG

username5 this plot twist though 👀

mclaren 🧡

username6 the way this all started because arlo escaped

charles_leclerc I won you know? 🤔

↳ yourinstagram congrats charles !

username7 YOUR LIFE IS A MOVIE

username8 the best meet cute ever??

oscarpiastri Couldn't have done it without my good luck charm 🐾

↳ yourinstagram arlo says you’re welcome!

username9 IS THIS THE OWNER??

username10 the cutest storyline of the season

username11 THE WAY HE COMMENTED

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oscarpiastri sent you a direct message

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liked by username1, username2 and 14,826 others

f1gossip Oscar Piastri spotted having coffee with the owner of the now-famous beagle puppy in Monaco this morning 👀

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username1 THE WAY THIS STORY KEEPS GETTING BETTER

username2 from rescuing her dog to coffee dates we love this journey

username3 this is better than drive to survive

username4 THEY’RE SO CLOSE HELLO

username5 this is the cutest thing ever help

username6 the fact that the dog is there too 😭

username7 someone check on lando he's losing his bachelor buddy

username8 the good luck charm strikes again

username9 living a wattpad story fr

username10 HE LOOKS SO HAPPY

liked by oscarpiastri, alexandrasaintmleux and 47,935 others

yourinstagram turns out there's more to monaco than just fancy cars 🤍

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username1 THE WAY YOU MOVED TO MONACO AND IMMEDIATELY LIVING A ROMCOM

username2 OSCAR?????

username3 arlo the ultimate wingman

username4 this storyline keeps getting better

username5 OMFG WHAT IS THIS I NEED THE CONTEXT

alexandrasaintmleux told you he was cute 😌

↳ username1 OMFG ALEX

↳ username2 i love her

↳ charles_leclerc 😂😂😂

username6 need full story time asap

username7 the way this all started because she lost her dog 😭

username8 living for this plot development

oscarpiastri arlo approved ✅

↳ username1 OSCAR STOPPPPP

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texts between oscar and yn

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liked by yourinstagram, landonorris and 986,033

oscarpiastri Great weekend with the team 🧡 Ready to head back home to Monaco though... missing my favorite good luck charm 🐾"

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username1 OSCCCC

username2 is he talking about the dog? 😭

landonorris which one? 👀

↳ oscarpiastri 🤫

↳ username1 HELLO???

↳ username3 DECODE THIS

alexandrasaintmleux someone's eager to get back 😌

↳ charles_leclerc Your matchmaking services working well

↳ username1 LET ME INNNN

georgerussell63 The power of puppy love

username3 WE ALL KNOW WHICH GOOD LUCK CHARM

username4 the way he said "home" to monaco 🥺

username5 did anyone else catch him waving to someone on facetime after the race??

username6 some of this comments saying “the dog” his name is ARLO and he’s an icon

username7 i’m going to call it right now oscar is dating the dog owner

username8 OSC 😩

yourinstagram 🤍

liked by username1, username2 and 8,739 others

f1gossipinsider Straight from Barcelona to dinner in Monaco... Oscar Piastri spotted at Le Grill with a certain someone 👀

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username1 THE WAY HE DIDN'T EVEN GO HOME FIRST

username2 man flew straight from barcelona to take her to dinner i'm crying

username3 not me zooming in to confirm it's her

username4 THATS DEFINITELY YN AND ARLO UNDER THE TABLE

username5 fastest post-race exit we've ever seen

username6 Le Grill?? Man's not playing around

username7 our favorite story continues...

username8 this man SPRINTED from the circuit

username9 the commitment >>>

username10 our boy's got his priorities straight

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texts between oscar and yn

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liked by lilymhe, oscarpiastri and 45,099 others

yourinstagram turns out watching someone drive in circles for 2 hours isn't so bad after all 🏎️ proud of you @/oscarpiastri 🧡

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username1 OMGGGG

username2 look at little arloooo

francisca.cgomes So lovely meeting you! Welcome to the family ❤️

yourbff we have soooo much catching up to do

carmenmmundt You're a natural! Can't wait for Hungary

alexandrasaintmleux look who's becoming an f1 expert

↳ charles_leclerc Stop taking credit for this

↳ alexandrasaintmleux never 😌

↳ username1 HELLO??

username3 the WAGs adopting her immediately >>

username4 ARE THEY DATING??

username5 oh what a plot twist

username6 THIS IS GIVING ME LIFE

username7 so the key go getting an f1 driver to date you is getting a dog i see

username8 ARLO IS SO CUTE

oscarpiastri Best good luck charms ever 🤍

↳ username1 OSCAR STOP

↳ username2 i simply cannot do this

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liked by carlossainz55, yourinstagram and 1,099,832 others

oscarpiastri First Grand Prix Win. Incredible 🧡 Thank you to the two lucky charms who changed everything

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username1 IM CRYING

username2 HELLO TWO LUCKY CHARMS ??

landonorris GET IN THERE MATE!! Proud of you 🧡

alex_albon THATS MY BOY

username3 IS HE TALKING ABOUT ARLO AND YN??

username4 im actually sobbing

username5 man won his first race and chose to be THIS cute about it

username6 SOMEONE SAID HE KEPT SHOWING HER THE TROPHY

georgerussell63 CONGRATS OSCO 🙌🙌

username7 from monaco meet cute to whatever this is im crying

username8 THIS IS ADORABLE OSCAR HELLO

username9 not to be parasocial but he's so in love

username10 THE WAY ARLO WAS THERE FOR HIS WIN

yourinstagram we're incredibly proud of you 🤍

liked by username1, username2 and 10,877 others

f1gossip From first F1 win to celebration dinner - Oscar Piastri living his best life in Budapest tonight! Sources say he couldn't stop smiling and kept calling her "my girlfriend" to everyone 👀

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username1 OH MY LORD

username2 is this oscar "i don't like pda" piastri??

username3 I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES

username4 the way this all started bc she lost her dog...

username5 I NEED THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME

username6 this is how we find out oscar is not single anymore

username7 EVERYBODY SAY THANK YOU ARLO

username8 lord i've seen what you've done for others

username9 the best meet cute in history

username10 THAT SHOULD BE ME

liked by alexandrasaintmleux, oscarpiastri and 60,826 others

yourinstagram home sweet home with my favorite race winner (and his trophy that he definitely didn't make me pack extra carefully) 🏆✨ still pinching myself about this weekend 🧡

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username1 CRYING

username2 the way we all watched this love story unfold

username3 most precious f1 couple no debate

landonorris Mans giving away his caps now?? love's changed him

lilymhe cutest neighbors ever! dinner tomorrow? 🤍

↳ yourinstagram count on it!

username4 LOOK AT ARLOOO I CANT

username5 i can’t believe oscar has a gf now

francisca.cgomes you two are goals honestly

mclaren Our lucky charm is back home! 🧡

username6 remember when she didn't know what DRS was 😭

username7 she's literally living the dream

username8 how to go from dog mom to f1 wag: a novel

alexandrasaintmleux my biggest masterpiece 🥹

↳ charles_leclerc STOP TAKING CREDIT

↳ alexandrasaintmleux NEVER

↳ yourinstagram arlo was the real matchmaker

username9 HOW DO I GET THIS LIFE

username10 they’re so in love i can’t

oscarpiastri My two favorite things in monaco ❤️

↳ yourinstagram three* don't forget the trophy

↳ oscarpiastri Trophy’s just a bonus 😘

liked by yourinstagram, landonorris and 1,549,022 others

oscarpiastri To the best wingman and matchmaker in F1 - thanks for running away that day in Monaco. Changed my whole life 🐾❤️ (YN says I need to stop spoiling him but look at that face)

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username1 IM FULL PN SOBBING NOW

username2 ARLOOOOO🥹🥹🥹

alex_albon most successful matchmaker in monaco

mclaren Our honorary team member 🧡

username3 i love one fairytale love story

alexandrasaintmleux YOU’RE ALL WELCOME

↳ username1 alex 😭😭

↳ charles_leclerc you're still not getting credit for this

↳ oscarpiastri It was all Arlo

username4 HE CALLED HIM HIS WINGMAN 😭

username5 from runaway dog to f1 power couple

username6 netflix writing this down rn

username7 cupid who? we only know arlo

nicolepiastri ❤️

username8 most iconic f1 meet cute ever

username9 the real mvp of the season

username10 OSCAR DOG DAD

yourinstagram our matchmaker 🤍

[luveline]

Hey lovely !! <3 could we see Spencer’s bombshell! Reader going into labour at the BAU but trying to downplay it like Pam did on the office !! (So sorry if you’ve already done a request like this) <333 have a lovely day ☺️

thank you <3 pregnant!reader, 1.3k

“Spencer?” 

Spencer groans into his pillow. 

Your hand slips onto his stomach. “Spencer, can you wake up?” 

“No,” he mumbles, lifting his head off of one of the many pillows of your bed. He thought his bed at his apartment was comfortable, but Spencer has never slept so well as he does in your new bed, in your new home, with you warming the sheets beside him. What a miracle to live with you, the rush to get everything done before your due date complete. 

You make a strange noise, hard to see in the dark as he opens his eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asks. 

You struggle into a sitting position. Angel, he thinks sympathetically, you’re fit to burst, your baby bump as big as it’s going to get and awfully heavy. He sits up with you, putting his hand behind your back. “Baby?” he prompts. 

“I think,” —you sound meek, not yourself, each word said reluctantly— “that I’m having real contractions.” 

Spencer’s head isn’t working. He takes a few seconds to hear you, and then another few to realise what you’ve said. “Are you sure?” 

“They’re really painful.” 

Braxton Hicks (which you’ve had, and not enjoyed) aren’t usually really painful. They’re also irregular. “How many have you had? Has it been long?” he asks. 

“Maybe five. They’re like…” You take his hand. “They’re like, they go on for ages. I’ve never felt anything like it.” 

“So you’re in labour,” he says, grasping your hand back. “Definitely. Let me get my watch, I need to time your contractions. Are you okay?” 

“Oh, no,” you say, shaking your head. “I’m not in labour. I’m going in to labour.”  

“It’s the same thing,” he says. He has boxes and boxes of mental knowledge explaining the difference, but he’s too excited to catch your strange tone. “I’ll be right back.” 

He races from the bed to the bathroom where he’d left his watch. You should be having contractions far apart at this point, around fifteen to twenty minute gaps, but it could be much further or far sooner, and Spencer doesn’t know when you had your last. He needs to time them properly so he knows when to take you to the hospital. 

“Good thing we packed your bag yesterday morning, huh?” he asks, sliding back into bed with a huge smile on his face. “And you showered last night, you’re ready to go. I have all our things in the trunk, but Morgan’s gonna have to come and do the car seat, I forgot all about it.” 

You shake your head again. 

He worries it’s from pain. “Is it starting?” 

“No, no, I’m not having any. I think it’s just cramps, actually.” 

“What?” He puts his hand on your bump. “That’s what they feel like, honey, it’s cramps, it’s your cervix contracting, it feels just like a cramp.” 

“No, I don’t think so.” 

Spencer cups your cheek, his fingertips sliding softly to the corner of your eye, his thumb by your nose. You look younger without any makeup on, younger still with your creeping frown. “Hey,” he says, his voice half breath, hoping you’ll look him in the eye, “hey, what’s going on?” 

Your eyebrows start to pinch down. “It’s not labour.” 

“Is something wrong?” 

“I’m not having her.” 

“She had to come out some time,” he says, attempting to be funny and lighten the mood. 

“I really think it’s fine. I’m just having those Braxton Hicks again, it’s too far from my due date–”

“Angel, it’s a week away. We knew it could happen now.” He strokes your cheek again. “We don’t have to go yet. Let me time a couple of your contractions and see what we’re working with.” 

“It’s not…” You duck your head. The catch of pain gets you, and Spencer checks his watch. Four minutes past four in the morning, the longest hand at five seconds. Then he looks for your hand again to hold in his, his own panic backseated by your denial. “They’re not that bad,” you say stiffly. 

“That’s good, honey, but they’re going to get worse. Remember what we said, huh? The pain will get really bad, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. We have a plan.” 

“It’s not real.” 

“Baby,” he says, tugging your hand imploringly to his chest, his voice having descended to a place it so rarely goes, “what are you scared of?” 

“That I can’t do it,” you say. 

“Is your contraction over?” he asks, noticing the laxening of your fingers. 

“Yeah.”

He’s silent for a few seconds. 

“Is there anything in the entire world that you can’t do?” 

You sniff. 

“Seriously. I can’t name a single thing you can’t do. This isn’t different. It’s going to be scary and painful, and it’s not something I want for you, not really, but you’re about to have a baby.” He rubs your thumb, ducking his head in the hopes that the movement will make you raise your own. “Our baby. We’ve waited such a long time.” 

“Nine months.” 

“Thirty nine weeks and two days. That's two hundred and seventy five days waiting. This is a good thing,” he says, meeting your eyes the moment you raise your head. “The waiting is over. This is the fun part.”

“‘Cos our girl is coming,” you say. 

He grins. “Exactly! I know you’re scared, but thinking you can’t do it? Of course you can. And I’m gonna be with you the whole time.” 

“You promise?”

“Of course I do.” 

You wipe your eyes with the backs of your hands. Spencer lets his palm fall onto your thigh. It really is going to hurt. It’s gonna be pain like you’ve never felt before, and he’s terrified of everything that could go wrong, but what’s important now is making sure you know you’re going to be alright. 

“You’re going to be a beautiful mom,” he says, rubbing your thigh, softer from time spent resting. “I’m so excited I can’t describe it. This time, the day after tomorrow, we could be here with her. We’ll be putting her down to sleep in the nursery in her newborn onesie we picked out, the–”

“Little rabbits,” you say, the hint of a smile on your lips. 

“I can’t wait to see her face.” 

“Her little fingers.” 

“Her nose, her eyes–”

“You said babies have their moms hands.” 

He smiles. “I have my mom’s. Can you imagine? And we get to find out today.” 

You let him touch your stomach. “I know what you’re doing.”

“You always do.” 

“I’m so scared.” 

“Sweetheart, let me be the scared one.” 

“You’re not gonna dilate ten centimetres!” 

“You’ve probably already done one,” he says. “Just nine more to go.” 

His joke doesn’t land. To his horror, you end up sniffling and locked up with panic. He rubs your back in long sweeps, feeling younger than ever kneeling in bed at your side, minutes droning on. He’s pulling your head into his neck thinking he’s completely out of your depth when you say, “It’s starting again, Spence.” 

He checks his watch. “That’s eleven minutes.” 

Your contractions will get worse soon, and closer together. You probably don’t have long until it starts, and labour might go on for hours. To do this, you're going to have to believe That you can. 

Spencer takes your face into his hands and looks you right in the eyes. “You can do this. I know you can.” He pecks you gently. “Angel, if anyone in the world can do this, it’s you.” 

You take a deep breath. He watches your nerves turn to determination, turn to love. “I know.” 

“Is there anything you need me to do before we start getting ready to leave?” 

You give a soft smile. “Kiss for luck?” 

He’s gonna need it. 

[kurthummeldeservesbetter]

So if a Mel and Caitlyn pair up defeats a dictator and wins a war (at least the first part), a Vi and Jayce team up only ever kills kids or fucks up a mission, and l then what does a Jinx and Viktor pair do? What do the other options make?

Here are my ideas, ranking from best outcome to worst or what actually gets done.

Genuinely think a Viktor Mel pair (depending on if they both have some sort of magic) save the world. Both incredibly intelligent. Both caring but can’t be manipulated by emotions easily (influenced is a different story but damn when you’ve got a terminal illness or a dictator mom it’s hard being normal). However I think the arcane writers knew the team up would be too powerful. Also incredibly sexy. If they just had tea together once I think there would be no arcane story to tell.

Cait and Viktor. Not a lot getting done but if we’re thinking season 1 then it’s gonna be so nice and calm. They’re having tea. They’re planning our improvements for Zaun. A harp sings in the distance. They talk about Jayce. Caitlyn asks questions and listens to the answers and vice versa. World peace maybe not achieved but close.

Technically Jayce helped Cait free Vi and helped cover it up, as well as help her when Caitlyn tried explaining what was going on with Silco. Very even results. Nothing major changing here but typical for people who literally just bring out nothing in each other besides…friendship? Siblings? Idk.

Vi and Viktor would probably get along in the sense of they knew an older Zaun. (At least in comparison to Jinx.) Vi can be pretty gentle and Viktor definitely cares. Battle wise he ain’t gonna do much (the only time he really fought was when it wasn’t a good thing for anyone) but he’s bring the smarts to Vi’s streets. They’re gonna win the battle but it will be tough. Some lives may be lost but it ain’t theirs.

Mel and Vi….Vi does not like politicians. Vi does not like people from Piltover beyond Caitlyn (and maybe Jayce?) They argue the whole time. Nothing bad happens but nothing gets done. It’s mostly Vi’s fault but Mel can’t let it go. It’s been three days and they haven’t left the council room. It ends with the mutual agreement to never meet again.

Technically a Cait/Jinx pair saved Vi (after the commune) and also the conversation they had in the jail was actually civil. Don’t think a whole lot is getting done but a good battle buddies I think. There’s gonna be tension though. Lots of arguing and glares. Caitlyn’s hair is now orange and Jinx lost another finger. Lots more damage than necessary.

Mel and Jinx. Someone is dying. It might not be one of them but it’s definitely someone who shouldn’t be dead. Mel’s level-headedness barely works on Vi and it definitely won’t work on Jinx. She’s never had a younger sister. Jinx knows what buttons to push. The building is on fire.

Jayce and Jinx. Mostly everyone is dead except for Vi and Viktor somehow, or the exact reverse. They haven’t stopped arguing since they met. They just keep slapping each other like cats. Jayce keeps trying to hit her with the hammer but she’s elusive and it’s like a game of wack-a-mole. He kills a kid each time instead. Jinx won’t stop making fun of him. Someone lost a limb at some point.

Jinx and Viktor. Everyone is dead. I would say they are too but no, they’re stuck at the end of the universe with each other. It’s equally both their faults. Viktor deadnames her every time she insults him. She never stops and neither does he. They each have a shrine to their respective loved one and it’s the only places they don’t bother each other. She bleached half his hair. He poured out her nail polish. They fight till the end of time itself. Sometimes they have movie nights where their respective hallucinations (Silco, Sky) join.

[warblogs17282]

Satan, the courts and classism against imps.

My mind is going through 50 different thoughts right now, so I thought I'd make a post on the classism seen within the courts.

Short answer: Satan and the people within the courts are quite classist, with there only being a few examples of people not being classist within the court sequences.

Long Answer:

Let's start with the first instance of classism we see within the courts, Loona gets treated differently because she's a hellhound. Sure while they share a few rough similarities with dogs, and people do put muzzles over dogs to prevent them from biting, that really isn't needed here in the slightest, it just really feels like Loona is getting degraded here, being treated worse than the imps, with Loona having more restraints than the imps purely because she's a hellhound and nothing else.

Blitz objects to what Andrealphus is saying, and he's almost instantly told to shut up, having a magical gag or whatever that this placed over his mouth, not letting Blitz make his own arguments, with the courts instead letting the higher-up Goetia speak his mind without allowing Blitz to object to any of it.

Same thing happens again with Moxxie, Moxxie objects to what Andrealphus has to say, and he also pretty much instantly gets told to shut up as well, by Satan himself.

Even further unnecessary restraints on Blitz, because he's naturally objecting to what Andrealphus is saying, further showing that he doesn't really get a voice in the trial, not being allowed to speak his mind and object to what Andrealphus is saying.

A bit of corruption as well, what this shows is that deals like this can be made with witnesses to give testimony, which just opens up a whole can of worms of corruption, considering Andrealphus knows that the witness is lying here, he's basically told Striker to go against Blitz in exchange for immunity, when they both know Stella hired him.

So, while I do admit only Striker and Andrealphus were the ones that knew Striker was told to commit perjury, it still proves the system is inherently exploitable for the people of higher-class, screwing over the people at the bottom in most cases. The court system is rigged for the upper-class. Hell, everything I've mentioned so far shows that the system is rigged against the lower-class, and I'm getting back to this point later in the post.

This scene is the only example of anyone who actually speaks up in favor of Blitz, the only one, and it's incredibly short-lived as Mammon very quickly interrupts the two to make a classist statement.

Mammon instantly proceeds to interrupt them by saying they 'enjoy slumming it with the lower class plebs.', and calls Vortex a 'mutt', purely because he's a hellhound, more casual classism in the court, although they both do fire back at Mammon because well, Mammon is being a cunt here.

Satan calls Blitz an 'Imp bastard' and instantly proceeds to ignore any possible due course that should come with court proceedings, aka, the 'hours of testimony' purely because he's hungry and wants to eat lunch. Instead being completely willing to execute an 'imp bastard' with zero due course because again, he's hungry and wants to eat his lunch. Only Bee, Asmodeus, Moxxie, Millie, Loona and I presume Vassago as well actually want the due course to happen, with literally every other demon in the room (with most of them being Goetia members) voting to prematurely execute Blitz, an 'imp bastard' as Satan puts it. (Yet another example of how the court system is rigged against imps and the lower-class)

'You should've remained in the place that is expected of a low-class imp.' is basically what this scene amounts to. 'When lesser demons try to step out of line.'

And we having people literally celebrating the execution of a few imps and a hellhound, which really gives me the vibes that they're being incredibly classist here as well.

'To remind all imp-kind why you should never challenge the people above you in the hierarchy, why you should never challenge the more powerful people to you, why you should never challenge our authority.'

This screams of authoritarian behavior (is that the right word in this context?), to attempt to scare the imp-kind into being little obedient creatures to them, to scare the imp-kind into staying in their expected place in hell's society, which is obviously very much classist.

Even if Satan is completely lying about this claim, it is still incredibly fucked up and classist that he says he created them to be obedient, just straight up admitting that he expects and demands obedience from imps, not being afraid of using his powers to do so as well.

Outside of Satan just straight up saying he doesn't give a shit about Blitz's final words, Blitz drops a mention of the hierarchy, the hierarchy enforced by the Goetia and above, the hierarchy that forces imps and such into the place that the Goetia and above want them to be in, and that Blitz was trying to rise above that place that them all forced him into.

This alongside Satan admitting that he doesn't care about Blitz's final words, just further shows us how little Satan, and by extension, how little the court system cares about what the lower-class have to say, with that being something I've shown multiple times throughout the post already.

Stolas does lean into the inherent classism the Goetia has during the song, although he's not being classist here to be a dick, it's all an act to save Blitz from execution, but it does to add the general classist vibes of the court, and you clearly see Blitz getting quite pissed off during this part of the act as well.

And Satan quite literally just says that he's the judge, jury and executioner in the courts, leaning further into the authoritarian behavior that I mentioned earlier, because he literally says that Satan himself is the law, which is obviously quite authoritarian.

'You are demon royalty, sooooooooooo... your life has actual worth.', which quite heavily implies that Stolas' life only has actual worth because of the fact he's royalty, a prince. Which also implies that anyone below demon royalty, such as imps and hellhounds for example, their lives don't have any actual worth as Satan calls it. Plus, Blitz gets executed for the same crime Stolas took the blame for, and Stolas' punishment is lesser, only losing his powers, title and such for 100 years instead, and while you can't apply Stolas' punishment to Blitz, the fact the punishment is different for the two of them shows a clear double standard, all because Stolas' life has actual worth, while Blitz's does not to Satan.

Finally, we have the news article Blitz pulls up on his phone, "making them the first hellborn to ever survive after being sentenced to death by a deadly sin.", Blitz is a historical exception, a true one-of-a-kind here, but the fact Blitz is the first, purely because Stolas took responsibly for it still speaks volumes to the lack of care and lack of due process within the courts, and further speaks to Satan's ruthlessness and classism as well. With this further backing up my point that the system is generally rigged against lower-class demons, like imps.

In conclusion: I have shown in multiple ways how Satan, and most of the people within the courtroom contain very classist views, making the court system extremely classist as a result, and I also believe I've shown pretty well that the court system is generally rigged against against lower-class demons, and generally rigged in favor of higher-class demons, like demon royalty for example, with me showing exactly how Andrealphus' and Striker's deal inherently makes the court systems exploitable and corrupt, again, generally in favor of the higher-class demons.

Yikes, even Phoenix Wright couldn't save this kangaroo court, and that's saying something if you've fully played through Spirit of Justice.

[riririnnnn]

I have this foreboding feeling that while we are prepared for Sae's and Shidou's backstory, Nagi's backstory is going to sneak from behind and punch us in the gut.

No, I don't think it's going to be straight up depression like Kaiser's, but I do think that it'll hit close to home.

You see, Nagi got Laissez-faire parents which means they never really interfered with his life. Like, these type of parents—as I have read on some websites—will basically set their child free and let them do whatever they want with no or very few rules/restrictions. They will not tell you, "Oh! You should do this!" or "Oh! You shouldn't do this!" They will simply let you figure out your life all by yourself.

I'm not an expert on this and I'm not calling this type of parenting bad in any way. Every child is different with different needs, and I'm sure there are many who grew up in this kinda family and liked this parenting method. However, I do think that Nagi didn't like it that much, and I got two reasons to think this way:

1. "That's nice."

When Reo said that his family constantly meddles in his life, Nagi's immediate reaction was, "That's nice" instead of being surprised or disgruntled. If Nagi really liked his parents NOT meddling in his life, then he should've said something like, "Really!? Sucks to be you, Reo. I can't imagine living a life like that!"

You getting me?

Also, we all know how Nagi is—he definitely feels that telling someone to do or not to do something is a hassle, so he, probably, feels that if someone is doing all this for you, then you are important for them.

And before any one says, no, I don't think Nagi was tying up his tongue thinking, "They are his parents. They wouldn't want anything bad for their own child, right? I shouldn't say anything against them and should say good things about them just to be safe." I don't think he has this kind of filter in him.

2. "Don't die ."

So, why would you not want someone to die? Of course, because you care for them and want them to be with you.

"Want"

That's really what I'm tryna highlight.

It's a pretty common knowledge that some children are just naturally more independent while others are a bit more dependent and seek guidance from the elders. Considering Nagi's first reaction to knowing about Reo's parents' meddling, I think that Kiddo!Nagi falls into the latter category—someone who likes to be guided and helped by the adults. Now, place Kiddo!Nagi with his Laissez-faire parents... You are getting where I'm going with this one?

That's why I think that Kiddo!Nagi, probably, thought that his parents didn't love him/care for him. And what happens if someone doesn't love you or care for you? Yeah, they don't care if you die which, somewhat, explains why Older!Nagi was happy to hear, "Don't die [before us (probably)]" from his parents.

I have already talked about his potential backstory before too, so it was actually when I heard he had longer bangs as a child that made my head turn to him again—something felt odd.

I understand that having long bangs is not a big deal—Niko's bangs literally cover his eyes, but having it as a kid is way different, y'know. Once you are like 12-13, you somewhat become capable of doing your own hair and clothes by yourself, so you can manage whatever aesthetics you prefer. However, for a kid younger than that, it's the parents' responsibility to look after his/her hair and clothes, and we all know that long bangs are quite bothersome���blocks our vision, sometimes stabs the eyes, and even irritatingly itches the nose.

All in all, till his backstory drops, I'd firmly believe that he was, though unintentionally, a neglected kid—at least, emotionally.

Now I can't get this image out of my head where Kiddo!Nagi is longingly staring at other kids in a park where everyone is learning things like riding a bicycle or maybe playing baseball and stuff with their parents while he is just.. there, probably, all alone.

[fairystarstorm]

Thinking about what's going wrong with Arcane s2

I have not finished s2 yet (still need to finish act 3 but basically got all the major spoilers). I feel like a big problem with this season and why the Z vs P conflict fizzled out is that so many characters are simply not in the that narrative anymore. Especially since they all had interesting stories to explore in regards to it. And if they are apart of the plot line, the things that would make things more interesting are simply ignored.

Taken from the narrative

Heimdinger: the founder of the city realising that the society he built ain't shit and that he failed Zaun by not helping to uplift and protect them (instead of just picking out a pupil from Zaun and calling it a day). All that Talk about how destructive magic could be in the wrong hands while realising he build a society filled with those exact wrong hands because of his inaction. Him actually putting in the work to change and dismantle those structures and belief systems that he allowed to grow in the first place

Jace: He goes against his own morals once again to build weapons for Caitlyn and her team. But we get none of the introspection or the regret that should have gone with it. Why because he is off in an alternative reality fighting for his life. He finds out that Hextech is poisoning Ekko's tree and there's nothing more to that conversation?? If something had gone wrong with the core it could have destroyed Zaun? Something could have happened that could have disabled or killed many others like it did with Viktor. But let's gloss over it. Him reconciling with his actions as a councilor??? That kid really was just a blip in his life i guess.

Viktor: a big problem I feel with Viktor's character is that he can feel very removed from Zaun at times. Like we never got to see his horror about Hextech being used against his people. We never got to know about any family or how he actually felt about being resurrected. What his plan was for Zaun beyond making a little commune. A huge part of that is also because they barely let this man have meaningful interactions with anyone in s2 besides ghost Sky and Jace. Vi, Jinx, Vander and Isha going to his commune could have been a possibility for that. Because even though I do believe that Vander and him did not know each other personally, I don't think he would not have known of him. Also we barely hear him talk meaningfully about his identity as a Zaunite in Piltover

Ekko (and the firelights in general): In my opinion the biggest snub. The others character arcs were mostly about other things in s1 (piltover politics, hextech etc.) but Ekko's whole motivation was to protect his ppl from both the enforcers and Silco. However we didn't get to see him deal with the rise of enforcers in the undercity or Sevika being the one to try and unite Zaun. We didn't get to see him grapple with the fact that Vi became an enforcer or that he was wrong to place his trust in Caitlyn. And even though I love how ep7 is highlighting his good qualities I wish they were explored in his timeline. Him being there would have also allowed for more spotlights for the firelights and Zaunites in general. None of the other people in the cast (Except for Vander) are as involved with regular people in Zaun then he was. It makes Zaun feel less complex and lived in beyond the visuals.

Mel: Considering that they are setting up her mother as the true big bad (which flattened the Z vs P conflict + general bad writing surrounding ambessa which i won't discuss now), it would have been nice to have her be able to react. Like in the beginning of the season we get it a little bit with Mel using spies to figure out her mother's plans. We could have had her realise that Piltover is not fundamentally different from Noxus because of how easy it was for her mother to take over. Only that the violence they dish out is different between the 2 cities. We could have had her sit that in both cases she is part of the oppressive class and that she was only acting out of self interest rather than actually caring about these issues. Instead of her being Kidnapped to get powers, let her finish the story arch that had been set up for her in s1.

Underexplored

Sevika (And Jinx): her involvement with Silco and how that is seen by Zaunites that are not chembarons. Ppl being unwilling to trust or listen to Sevika pleading for united Zaun when she was apart of Silco's operations make sense. Silco brought shimmer into Zaun. Ekko says that a lot of the firelights joined because of how it ruined their lives. Sevika having to struggle with her role in it and how it ultimately makes it harder for the to reach her goal would have been satisfying! Also her showing up after episode 4 would have been nice in general. Also same with ekko, she was the only one who was reaching out and communicating with different groups of Zaun. She and Ekko were windows into Zaun society that they just kept closed for some reason.

Vi: Just everything man.... her trauma, her choosing to be an enforcer, her alcoholism... her relationship with Jinx/powder, her guilt, her role as protector who seems to be failing no matter what she does. All kinda of flushed through the drains for caitvi to be able to exist (yes i dislike caitvi, no i also don''t really care for jayvik or timebomb and i am also a lesbian).

Jinx: I thinks she has been done quite well so far but I have heard for how her arch ends and it is just bad..... also wished they explored Isha more and what Vander coming back would mean for Jinx

Caitlyn: wish they would actually put the responsibility of her actions onto her instead of Ambessa/Jinx killing her mom. Also the fact it was never addressed that even in s1 she was microagressive as fuck towards Zaunites. Yes she eventually saw the need for independence (after talking to Ekko mind you) but does that mean anything if when she was in power due was actively making things worse for Zaun. She could have started working kn redeeming herself but the fact that the narrative/the writers don't want to put the full blame on her just makes that idea seem laughable

Tbh a lot of it has to do with the fact that the writers didn't let characters interact with each other for long periods of time or deal with the consequences of their actions but hey at least the coplesbians fucked and the scientists had their madoka magica moment

[softpascalito]

I To Dig a Grave I Chapter 6 I

Summary: Twenty-one years after the outbreak, you come to Wyoming looking for something and end up in Jackson after a stranger saves your life.

But he doesn't stay a stranger.

Turns out Joel Miller is looking for something too. It feels like a fresh start. But when bad luck seems to follow you, Joel is the only one to turn to, forcing both of you to confront your feelings about your pasts- and each other.

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader Rating: Explicit / MDNI Word count: 25k+ Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Age Difference, Smut, Explicit Content, Grief/Mourning, Mental Health Issues, Canon-Typical Violence, Chose not to use Archive Warnings, Tags to be added

AO3 LINK // Series Masterlist // Playlist

notes: hello! it's been a second but i promise tdag is still my favorite child so this is continuing slowly but surely (i'm currently just distracted by pedro pascal as slutty gladiator).

this fic will deal with heavy topics. please note that it doesn't use archive warnings and tags will be added as we go in order to avoid spoilers. each chapter will have detailed warnings in the end notes on ao3.

Chapter 6 – The Ceremony Part 1

‘I didn't exactly miss it or want to live there again- I just wondered where it had gone.’

— Alice Munro, Dear Life

What the fuck does he think he’s doing?

If there is one person in Jackson who is least equipped to handle a grieving person who’s just lost someone to suicide, it’s him. Joel is sure of that. He should just tell you that he can’t do this, hand you over to Tommy or Maria or anyone else who doesn’t mess up whatever or whoever they touch.

It would be better for you, to have someone who actually knows how to work through grief. Not someone who sneaks out of bed before dawn to get a glass of whiskey and sit in their dark living room to ponder over things years and years past. The way he currently is.

But Joel is also sure that he can’t let you go. He can’t recall how or why but he does understand that you have found a way to get under his skin, one no one else has quite figured out, carved a path that only you may tread, that causes something to tug at his heart every time he sees you curled up in his bed or smells the soap that sits on his bathroom shelf. Somewhere along the road, he has started to care.

Not that anything good ever happens to the people he cares about.

A small groan leaves his throat as he leans back into the cushions, his free hand reaching over to produce a small notebook from below the couch table. He stares down at it for a few moments, weighing it in his hand. Then, he downs his whiskey in one go, sets the glass down onto the table and begins flipping through the small pages, seemingly endless notes, many of them jotted down rather hurriedly, a few written with much more care.

A thud upstairs makes his head jerk up. He freezes, listening intently. And then, he hears the unmistakable sound of someone running over the wooden floor upstairs. He’s up in an instant, cursing under his breath as he moves through the dimly lit room, using his foot to nudge a box aside that’s still sitting in the hallway, blocking his path towards the sound of bare feet thundering down the stairs.

***

For a split moment, you think it’s morning. The warmth beside you is gone. Maybe Joel has gotten another early start, doing whatever he does in the mornings while he lets you sleep.

And then, while you’re still floating in the comfortable state between dreaming and reality, you think you hear a door close somewhere downstairs.

Your body moves before your brain has a chance to catch up. Your legs, still tangled in the sheets, get caught in them and send you flying off the bed and onto the hard floor with a thud. It doesn’t slow you down. You force your trembling legs to push your body back onto your feet and rush through the bedroom door, taking the stairs three steps at a time. You have half a mind that you should shout, alert someone to what is happening, but your throat feels like it’s closed up.

Someone needs to stop him. To keep him from going out into the woods, to some hidden cabin. He always has the revolver on him. At that thought, you jump down the last few steps.

For the second time, your run towards the front door is interrupted and you collide with something solid just as you reach the corner that turns toward the front door. Again, it sends you stumbling and you prepare yourself for another hard fall. But it never comes. Instead, two strong arms catch you and Joel’s face above you finally comes into focus.

“You—” Again, your throat fails you. You simply press yourself into Joel’s chest, seemingly the only place that will swallow your sobs these days.

“Hey, it’s okay. Calm down, I’m right here,” Joel coos above you, his chest vibrating as he hums and brings one hand up to the back of your head, stroking your still slightly damp hair.

It takes him a solid five minutes to get you over onto the couch and calm you enough for him to let go for a moment. “I’ll be right here, hold on. Give me one second.”

He steps back into the hallway, shuffling something around. And as your panic recedes, the tide sinking, you glance around. A single glass sits on the coffee table in front of you, holding a few leftover drops of what you’re quite sure is whiskey. Beside it is a small notebook, the pages already slightly rippled.

You suddenly realize you’re not the only one in the old house who seems to have trouble sleeping.

Eventually, Joel returns with a woolen blanket that he drapes over your form, nodding to himself. “There we are.”

He doesn’t sit down, instead stepping over to the window and casting a glance outside. As if there is anything worth seeing on a street that never changes, one that hasn’t had cars passing on it in over twenty years.

“I’m sorry, I just—I panicked,” you whisper, keeping your head just low enough that you can still see Joel’s outline against the dim light of the street lamp outside. His shoulders seem to hang a tad lower than usual, still broad but not as intimidating as they once seemed, especially with him dressed in his usual pajamas consisting of soft plaid pants and a worn shirt.

“Don’t apologize. You’re bound to have some triggers after everything. It’s good if we figure them out as early as possible.” He pauses for a moment, turning around to study your face. “Was it being by yourself?”

You gently shake your head. “No. Not really. It was more—I thought I heard a door close. Like you were leaving.”

You can see the exact moment he understands what you are implying and his face falls slightly. “Oh, darlin’, you know I wouldn’t—I wouldn’t leave you. You know that, right?” 

The only response you can manage is a shaky nod.

Joel sighs as he sits down next to you, rubbing his thumb over the small bald spot in his beard. To both your surprise, it’s you who starts the conversation back up.

“What about you?”

A frown appears between Joel's brows at the question and he turns towards you, studying your face as if the answers to whatever questions he has are written there. “What about me?”

“You were up too, weren’t you?” you ask quietly, turning your body towards him and leaning into the couch, the plush cushions and the blanket comfortable against your skin.

“Yeah but I was just—I wanted to get some things done for tomorrow—”

“Joel,” you stop him, raising your brow a tiny bit. It’s not meant to be hurtful, you’re sure of that. But if he believes you will swallow such a blatantly obvious lie, he may not be as good at this as you thought he was. “It’s not fair if you’re not honest with me.”

You can see his facade crumble as his expression falters and he nods quietly. “Yeah, I reckon you’re right about that.” Still, he seems to consider his words very carefully. “I don’t sleep well, sometimes. So I figured I may as well do some work. Didn’t wanna wake you with my tossing ‘n turning.”

Your heart aches at how casually he mentions this. It makes sense that he’d have nightmares. And you’re sure you barely know half of what they’re about. Joel cares so much when it comes to you that it genuinely baffles you how easily he brushes it off when he is the one suffering.

And then, a very quiet voice reminds you that this may be, like so many things, your fault. That you are so messed up that even big bad Joel Miller begins to struggle if he keeps you around for too long.

“Was it about—” You pause for a moment, trying to find the right words. It suddenly appears to you how difficult that is and you silently vow to thank Joel for having found them all throughout the last few days. “Was it about what we were talking about earlier?”

You have to be a horrible person. Because you know that deep inside, you want him to say yes. To assure you that this is about the things from his past that still haunt him and not about Lane—or about you. You don’t want to be the cause for his sleepless nights.

He doesn’t respond, but you have a feeling he doesn’t need to. It’s written all over him. The way he holds his body, the eyes that won’t meet yours. You don’t know what to do. You want to help. Maybe the same way he wants to help you. Cooking dinner, making coffee, getting an extra blanket. Because this is something he can’t fix. Only mend.

7 months earlier

“There is absolutely no way I’m going in there,” you proclaimed, dipping your toe into the water below you. “That is freezing!”

“It’s better once you’re in there. We can’t have hiked all this way for nothing,” a voice mused next to you. “Besides, it was your idea to come up here.”

“Well, I haven’t been before and I sure as hell wouldn’t have if I'd known it would involve freezing to death,” you groaned, lifting your foot back to the safety of solid ground below you and taking a few steps along the water of Flat Creek Lake.

It was crystal clear, allowing you to see the small rocks littering the bottom of the lake and the little fish zooming back and forth between them. It was still enough that you could see the reflection of the sky, blue with a few clouds scattered in between. The first warm day of the year.

You took in the scenery for a few more moments, letting your gaze wander further over the water and the trees on the other side of the lake and the mountains behind them, before turning back towards Lane—only to find that she’d thrown her clothes over a nearby trunk and was sporting a striped bathing suit. A small whistle escaped your throat.

“Haven’t seen that one before,” you commented off-handedly, causing a faint blush to appear on her cheeks. “That’s ‘cause it’s not mine.”

You raised a brow as you watched her wade into the water, sending small rippling waves out into the lake. “Wait, you’re not saying—”

A tiny smirk had appeared on Lane’s face. “Cat was nice enough to lend it to me when I told her we were gonna hike up here.”

“I see how it is.” You grinned, pushing your shirt over your head and throwing it next to Lane's pile of clothes. Unlike her, you opted for some of your more covered up underwear. Swimsuits weren’t exactly a clothing priority and you hadn’t found yourself in need of any until now. “I’m not enough for you anymore,” you said dramatically, throwing a hand towards your temple. “How will I ever get over you leaving me?”

“Oh shut up. Besides, if you are allowed to have your boyfriend over for dinner every other month, I am definitely good to borrow a bathing suit.”

“How many times do I have to tell you?” You groaned exasperatedly. “Joel is not my boyfriend. He’s just–” You raised a hand and waved it through the air, trying to find the right word. It wouldn’t come.

“I don’t know. We’re just friends.” You weakly kicked at a small rock below you before stepping into the water for the second time that day, getting your feet used to the temperature of the mountain lake.

“Even Tommy says Joel doesn’t have friends,” Lane pointed out with a lopsided grin.

You shrugged. You yourself weren’t sure what to call your relationship with Joel, and even though you’d tried not to think on it too hard, the question had forced itself to the forefront of your mind more than once. And with every passing month, it seemed to become more persistent and difficult to push away.

“Are you gonna get over here or think about that old man all day?”

Lane paid for her comment (and, you silently vowed, for daring to call Joel old) by receiving a big splash of cold water aimed directly at her. She squealed, jumping the few steps over to you and pulling you further into the lake. It didn’t seem quite as cold as you splashed around in it together, only coming back out when you saw that Lane’s lips began to match the shade of her hair and pointed out that her freezing to death would really ruin the early summer day.

You headed over to one of the log cabins at the foot of the small lake, a place so far from civilization that it had barely been touched since the outbreak. It had taken you close to six hours to make the hike up the dirt road into the mountains. But, upon seeing the view in front of you, you both had agreed that getting up early had been worth it.

“Who told you about this again?” Lane asked, her mouth slightly open as she stared around the cabin that seemed almost completely intact. Bits and pieces were missing but the furniture was still properly arranged, mugs and plates were lined up neatly on a shelf over the sink and even a few items of clothing were still dangling from some hooks near the door.

“Joel did,” you admitted quietly. She just wiggled her eyebrows at you before heading further into the cabin, peeking into the small bathroom and the adjacent bedroom.

“Hey, there’s some towels here,” she called over her shoulder and came back a few moments later holding some cream-colored towels that had probably once been white. Even in the more remote areas around Jackson, finding housing that was this intact was rather rare.

“Maybe we should take a look around,” you offered, your mind already wandering to which treasures could be hidden in the cabin. Anything from practical items like medicine to more recreational ones—possibly a nice bottle of whiskey, stored away just for you to find. As if she could read your thoughts, Lane pursed her lips a little, one hand smoothing over the towels in her hands.

You stared at her. “What?”

“I don’t think we should take anything;” she said softly. “At least not back to Jackson.”

You felt a small frown appear on your forehead as you mulled her words over in your mind. “What do you mean? It’s not like anyone’ll come back for this.” You gently tapped the wood of the cupboard next to you. “Judging by the amount of dust these have not been touched in at least a decade.”

She shrugged, stepping back towards the front door. “I just mean, if it’s been very peaceful here for so long… We shouldn’t be the ones to make it less so.”

You stared after Lane as she stepped outside, watching her descend down the few wooden steps that led up to the cabin and the way the sun hit her blue hair, the ends still dripping slightly.

It took you a moment to gather your thoughts and follow her back to the lake, carefully closing the cabin door behind you. You both had secured a towel each from the cabin and were drying off when Lane caught you off-guard for the second time that day.

“Do you remember any of it? Before, I mean?”

You sighed softly. The question that had become as recurring as ‘and what do you do for a living?’ had once been. In hindsight, you were surprised you hadn’t discussed it earlier–at least not in detail.

“I do. Not much, not anything–I don’t remember how the world was. Just how it seemed to me as a kid,” you answered truthfully.

You could see Lane nod out of the corner of your eye as she leaned back and wrung out her hair.

“I miss it sometimes.” A few seconds of quiet passed. “It’s silly, really. You can’t miss something you don’t remember.”

“I think you can,” you said softly, turning your head towards her. She had paused in her movements and was gazing out onto the lake, though her eyes seemed much more distant than usual.

Your own stayed trained on her as she spoke, her tone a tad lower. “Do you ever think about leaving?”

If it had been anyone else with you, you probably would’ve lied, claimed that of course your heart never wavered, that you knew you were exactly where you needed to be. But this was Lane. Lane was safe.

“Sometimes,” you answered, your voice equally quiet even though you were sure there was no one around to listen except the small fish and possibly a fawn hiding in the undergrowth. “But then, I suppose it wouldn’t make much of a difference. We’d suffer through the day anywhere. But here, we at least have something to come home to when the suffering is done.”

It wasn’t exactly as positive as you may have wanted to sound. You’d always felt a tad protective over Lane, with her being a few years younger and less experienced. You knew she looked up to you and you wanted to set a good example, more than anything.

But that included being honest.

“When I came—When I headed to Wyoming, I was looking for something better than a QZ or Fedra,” you said softly. “I think I could’ve ended up in a lot of places much worse than Jackson.”

“But Jackson isn’t what you were looking for.”

You shook your head. “No. I suppose it’s not. But it’s what I found.”

You gave a bittersweet smile and she returned it, even though hers still seemed slightly broader than yours. It was an odd moment that passed between you, almost an unspoken agreement not to dwell on the topic too long. To not speak of the loss.

“What about you?” you asked, shifting the conversation away from yourself. “Do you remember anything from before?”

Lane gave a small snort at that. “Yeah, now that you ask, I remember pooping my pants.” She shook her head weakly, leaning back and staring out at the water again. “I was a baby.” A sigh escaped her lips as her body faltered slightly, her shoulders dropping a tiny bit. “Sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve been like if I’d been born ten years earlier. If it had been—I don’t know. Better.”

“Well, for the record, I’m glad you ended up in Jackson at the same time I did,” you said softly, nudging her shoulder.

She nodded and smiled, returning the small gesture. It doesn’t dawn on you until much later that she talks about her life in past tense.

“Okay, a tiny bit to the left,” Lane waved her hand as if she could position you like a puppet. “My left or yours?”

“Yours—Yeah, like that.”

A few seconds passed where you showed the lens your best smile and saw Lane fumbling with the buttons before the noise of the camera shutter announced that she’d found a frame she was content with. The giggle that followed, however, took you by surprise. “What?” You asked, looking past the lens and trying to catch a glimpse of her face. “What's so funny?!”

“Oh, I just thought about whether or not to slip this into the slideshow at the town hall next week. Maybe that would finally get Joel to ask you out.”

“You, Eleanor, are a pervert,” you commented drily, letting yourself fall back onto your comfortable towel and reaching for your book, trying to ignore the small wave of heat that had suddenly spread through your body at the thought of Joel seeing you like this.

“You know, I do think you two would fit together pretty well,” Lane hummed with her eyes closed half an hour later when both of you had stretched out on your towels and were bathing in the sun, waiting for the warmth to dry you. Content to ignore the world around you for just another hour.

You put your book down for a moment, squinting as you glanced over at her. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you but nothing is happening between Joel and me. Not ever.”

***

His knock on the bathroom door is tentative, two gentle raps that travel through the wood towards you.

“Are you almost done?”

You stare at your reflection. A woman in black stares back. You know she is about to attend a funeral, the dark outfit and the sadness hiding behind concealer that doesn’t quite match her skin tone giving away what awaits her just as much as what’s behind.

You long to wish her something, to give her hope. But you don’t have any left to give.

You wish you could stay in the comforting bathroom forever, retire the black clothes, bundle them up and hide them at the very back of the cupboard below the sink, next to long expired cleaning supplies and a broken hairdryer. Close the door on all of them and run a hot bath to curl up in, one that never runs cold and that you never have to leave.

“Are you alright in there?”

Joel’s tone has turned slightly worried, no doubt owing to the fact that you are too busy keeping yourself from having a panic attack to respond properly.

“I’m done,” you call out, your voice trembling a little but at least it’s loud enough for him to hear. You can practically see him nod outside the door, even before you’ve moved over to it and turned the knob. Facing Joel Miller is the easy part. Facing the rest of the world is the hard one.

His gaze flies over you very briefly, taking in the clothes he retrieved from your house for the occasion, but you barely notice. What you do notice is that Joel has shaved while you were getting ready, his beard a little more neat than usual, even if still streaked with the small hints of gray that make your eyes linger. What makes your breath hitch in your throat however are his clothes.

He’s dressed accordingly, in a black suit that’s been patched up in a few places and is half a size too small on his broad frame. You’re alarmingly aware you have never seen him in a suit before—you’re certain you'd remember if you did if this is what he looks like.

It doesn’t quite fit the Joel who’s been following you around the house like an anxious guard dog, the man who wears plaid shirts and jeans so much that you remember being surprised when you first found out he does not, in fact, sleep in them. He always looks comfortable, in his worn shirts and slightly stained clothes, like he’s been wearing them for years, like he’ll never change. Like he’ll never leave. A constant that nothing could take from you, like the peaks of the mountains you can see from Jackson on a clear day.

But now he looks—there is no other way to put it—sexy. The suit, tight in all the right places, momentarily manages to take your mind off the why and you very briefly allow yourself to just stare at him.

“Hey, you’re not gonna pass out on me, are you?” Joel muses, bringing a hand to your shoulder to steady you. He looks worried, the crease on his forehead that never seems to leave it these days a little deeper than usual. Of course he’d think that your behavior can be attributed to your distress. Which it can, technically, just a completely different kind of distress.

“Sorry, no, I'm fine,” you reassure him, pushing your way further into the bedroom and taking a deep breath. He doesn’t move quite in time, causing your side to brush over his and you can actually feel the smooth fabric of his blazer against the skin of your hand where they meet. You catch a whiff of his aftershave—or whatever the hell makes him smell so good—just as you step past him into the bedroom and towards the door, completely missing that the slight scowl on Joel's face has changed ever so slightly.

“Come on, Texas. I don’t wanna be late,” you mumble, trying to lighten the mood—or at least distract from the fact that your brain is ready to head down a wildly inappropriate path. It must be the shock causing it to go haywire, or at least that is what you silently vow to believe.

Still, you’re careful to not turn around far enough to actually see him, keeping him safely out of sight.

Because you really must be the worst person in the world to stand here, about to attend you best friends funeral, and leer over some fucking man.

Just that it's Lane's funeral and a small voice in the back of your head that sounds oddly like her pipes up to say that he does look good and that, if nothing else, this may be the one good thing to come out of today. Joel Miller in a fucking suit.

notes: thank you for reading! i have a few more chapters done but opening this fic is somehow both my therapy and mentally very taxing so bear with me please <3

[thevoicefromanotherworld]

"I KNOW IT'S YOU BABY"

The idea of this story belongs to @robo-writing

@kittyhowlett @alastorssimp @mynamesstevenwithav

I hope you like it, bubs!

The professor had called the X-Men into the common room to explain the mission they were to carry out that day.

It was hard for you to get out of your boyfriend's bed, as every time you tried to get up he would pull you back and whisper things in your ear like, "Do we really have to go, can't we just stay here a little longer?"

Gathering an enormous amount of willpower, you separated from him and after giving him a soft kiss on the lips you told him that you had to be there, since everyone else would be there.

He let out a groan and reluctantly got out of bed, while going into the bathroom.

You made yourself presentable and walked to the common room. Ororo was already there, as were Jean and Scott. The Professor nodded to them, welcoming them.

"You've arrived," he observed. "Please sit down, we're going to start." They sat facing each other on the chairs in the room.

The professor began to talk about the mission, but after a few seconds, without you being able to avoid it, your mind began to recall the memories of the previous night.

You tried not to let your thoughts be too intense so that neither Charles nor Jean could hear them.

You looked away at Logan, with his hair perfectly combed imitating those cat ears that you liked so much. He felt you looking at him and tilted his head towards you, connecting his lively green eyes with yours. He sketched an amused smile before looking back at the professor.

It was then that you decided to torture him a little. The previous night he had not let you cum, so that moment was the ideal one to take your revenge.

You used your ghostly power to slide your hands over his abs. You saw how he gave a surprised jump in his chair, but he still continued to listen to the professor's explanation. You moved the spectral copy of your hands to his neck, exerting a little pressure on it. A low growl escaped Logan’s lips, and you smiled.

You knew you would get revenge for what had happened last night, but you didn’t expect it to be right then. That same night was the same night you discovered that Logan likes you to choke him while you fuck.

He loves the feel of your fingers around his throat, the knowledge that if you want you can cut off his air supply at any time, it’s something that turns him on.

Your mutation also includes telepathy, which is why you hear Logan’s words in your mind as clear as if he were saying them out loud.

“I know it’s you baby,” he whispered in your mind, “you have to stop.” Ignoring him, you lowered your hands to his thighs and slowly parted his legs. He pretended it wasn’t affecting him, when in reality he was burning up inside.

He desperately needed to sink inside you. That game was turning him on too much, proof of that was the tent he had set up in his pants.

“Princess” he said, holding on tightly to the arms of the chair. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

“Who says I can’t finish it?” you thought as you smiled half-heartedly at him.

Logan then felt the cold touch of your lips on the inside of his thighs, getting closer and closer to his cock. You looked at his face, his expression going from a hidden gesture of pleasure to a delicious tension. Before you could touch it, you pulled away, breaking the connection.

Logan’s eyes widened as he realized how fast the action was. One second you were about to kiss his cock, and the next you weren’t there anymore.

You smiled triumphantly at having gotten the revenge you longed for. You then focused on the teacher again, but before you could hear a single sentence of what he said, Logan's voice filled your mind with a strong thought.

“You're a very bad girl, ghostie,” he whispered, his voice had dropped two octaves. “Provoking me like that in front of all our friends,” he whispered. “I should punish you for what you've done.”

“Please, Logan,” you sighed in your mind. He smiled, clearly seeing how much his words affected you.

“Calm down, sweetheart,” he smiled. “You're always so eager for me,” he growled, making you cross your legs trying to relieve the pressure that had settled between them. He smelled the excitement that emanated from you in waves. His gaze darkened as his smile grew wider. “Don't worry,” he whispered. “I'll make sure to give you what you need.”

[admirationandromantics]

Going overboard, 1: Memento Mori

Okay, so first the prologue, and now the first chapter. As I've said before, not all chapters include a Josh-interactions because of accuracy to the game, so you'll just have to live with it. If you haven't read the Prologue, go to my profile, then the masterlist, Josh Washington. You'll find it there. Get ready for tomorrow!

❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀

Chapter 1: Memento Mori

After what happened up on the mountain last year, Josh didn’t stay in touch. At first we all tried to talk to him, help him, but we gave up one after another. He talked with Sam a lot. I think she did the most she could until he cut contact. I didn’t want to put too much on him, and we all were in grief as well, so it probably was the best solution. 

Sam and I had regular coffees. It helped us both. We shared stories about them, and she told me about everything which happened that night. The prank wasn’t about me, nor Josh. Not even Beth, but she still had to suffer the consequences. Poor Beth, and poor Hannah. We all knew she had a thing for Mike, but setting her up like that was not okay. I now despised them all, Jessica, Emily, Mike, Matt, Ashley. Matt was such a sweet guy, I couldn’t imagine him standing there with a camera, recording everything. For me though, Ashley hurt the most. I loved her, I truly did, but I cut contact quickly after I got to know about the evening. She sent me a bunch of texts, begging me to talk to her. She was sorry, she was drunk, caught up in the moment, and everyone was doing it so she felt like she had to. She never knew that the aftermath would be as bloody as it did. I still didn’t text her back. 

A month before the anniversary of their disappearance, Sam got a video message from Josh. He invited her up to the cabin again, stating that this would be a way to honour their memory, and relive the experience, but with a good ending. There would be booze, partying and just making new memories. Based on the video, it seemed like he asked everyone in the old group. Everyone except me. I felt hurt. Betrayed in a way. I was one of the few he talked to, cried to. Our relationship didn’t evolve after the event, but I was still there for him, trying to comfort him. Sam told me that I should come with her, but I declined. If he didn’t want me there, it was okay. She couldn’t understand why, but she kept being insistent, urging me to give it a chance. I didn’t have to be there the whole time, and if I wanted to, I could leave the very next day since the bus went through the area once every day. 

It would be good to talk to Josh, maybe even if he didn’t want to. I was selfish, I knew that, but I had to see him. I wanted to see how he was doing, how he was feeling. This also made me think of Chris. He would probably be there, and I hadn’t kept in touch with him either. I felt bad, but at the same time, we weren’t that close. I knew that he still hung out with Ashley sometimes, and maybe that made me a bit afraid. Maybe she would try to contact me through him? Maybe I wasn’t just selfish. Ashley also needed to talk. Talk to me, clear the air. I would let her. I finally agreed to come with Sam up to the cabin. 

***

The bus is empty, except for Sam and I of course. She didn’t pack much, and I didn’t either. I figured that I wouldn’t stay long. I just needed to talk to people, get some weights off my shoulders. The radio is playing, and no surprise, it’s about Beth and Hannah. I hold my composure, trying not to cry. The trip is long, and I end up sleeping on her shoulder for a good amount of it. Sam is watching something on her phone, but I don’t peek. I simply look out the window. There is an eerie feeling to these mountains. I felt the same last year, but this time it feels stronger. The black trees are covered in snow, untouched by animals. 

Finally we reach our stop. The sign says “Blackwood Pines” and hadn’t it been for last year's events, I would still love the name. Being here for the first time felt magical, straight out of Narnia, joining a winter wonderland of mystery. Now, I feel nervous. The air isn’t as fresh, the ground not as hard and the snow was too white. Instead of smelling winter, I smell something musk, like a dead animal or rotten meat. I look over at Sam, and I think she notices too. 

We start walking in silence, through the gate and up the trail. As we walk, she stops. 

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” I whisper, getting anxious. Maybe it’s a wild animal, a wolf or a bear. 

“Hello!?” Sam shouts, and my eyes widen. Why would she do that, what if the animal looks at us as a threat now. I look around, expecting something to pop out, but it’s silent. 

“Sorry, I probably just thought I heard something,” she says, continuing walking. She notices my tenseness. 

“Are you okay?”

“No, absolutely not” I state, looking around again. 

“Hey I get it, this is weird, but we’re doing this for Josh right,” she starts, taking my hand, stopping me. 

“I hate to say it, but you need to relax. Nothing bad is going to happen, and people are just being friendly”

“I know, I know. I just can’t shake off this feeling that there’s something here”

“It’s because of last year. We’re all still thinking about it, so we know how you’re feeling”

I look up at her. She’s right, I’m not alone in this, and we’ve both been there for each other the whole year. 

“Yeah, thanks for the talk. It’s just… well, weird”

“It is, but I think this is good for you. This trip could be a way for you to let go, get some closure. They both would’ve wanted that for you” she says, before pulling me into a hug. I breathe, and some of the tension lifts. Thank God I still have Sam. When we pull away she looks at me, smiling. I smile back, before looking behind her. My mouth opens, eyes widen and my breath hitches. I grab her hand, holding hard. 

“S-Sam, c-c-careful. Stand s-s-till,” I whisper. She holds her breath while searching my face for answers. 

“Boo!” I shout, punching her with both my hands. She screeches, jumps and I feel her pulse in her hand. 

“Got you” I laugh, while she’s still trying to compose herself. 

“Fucking asshole” she says. I can’t stop laughing. 

“You know, you’re going to ‘wolf wolf’ me.”

“I can live with that” I continue laughing, before starting to walk again, her following after. 

“I’m joking, that was out of line, sorry” I say after a while. 

“At least you got to see my ‘frozen’ face”

“Yeah that’s why I laughed” 

We reach the gate, and a piece of paper is pinned on the lock. 

“The gate’s busted, climb over -Chris” 

“I guess we have to climb,” I state, looking at the gate. There are big spikes on the top of the gate, so I look over at the side. It’s a stone wall. 

“Right up my alley” Sam says enthusiastically. Of course it is. 

“I’ll give you a lift first if you take my bag” she says, already taking off her bag. 

“Fine, just don’t throw me over with those strong climber-arms of yours” I reply, taking her bag and making my way to the wall. She puts out her hands and I grab somewhere safe on the wall. She helps me get up, and I jump down the other side, looking up, waiting for her. 

“Gosh, the stones are cold” she complains, finally getting to the top. 

“Should’ve worn gloves” I smile, showing off my red-covered hands in a theatrical manner. She laughs before hopping down. I give her backpack back, and we continue up. 

When we finally arrive at the cable car station, the place seems empty. I see a couple of cars in the parking lot, but don’t want to check who they belong to. One of them must be Josh’s. I walk up to the bench, noticing a backpack and a ringing phone. My curiosity is immense, but I don’t touch it. Sam notices who’s bag it is. 

“Hey Chris!” she yells, looking around for him. 

“Hey guys” he answers, and we both turn around. He seems older, more harsh than the year before, but I don’t comment on it. 

“How are you ladies?”

“Well, as you can expect” Sam answers, still smiling. I smile as well, keeping the mood light. I don’t notice how much I’ve missed him before seeing him now. Something in me breaks a little. 

“Oh, so, I found something kind of amazing”

“What?”

“I’m not gonna tell you got to see for yourself” he smiles, grabbing his backpack and leading us around the house. We get to the other side where we’re met with a shooting range. Barrels and bottles stacked for hitting, as well as bags hanging from the trees. 

“Ta-da! Pretty rad right?” Chris exclaims, loving this a bit too much. Sam forces a smile, guns are not a source of happiness for a pacifist. 

“A gun range on the bottom of a ski lodge” I comment. “How… nordic?”

Chris picks up a gun before looking at me. 

“Well, have you met Josh’s dad?”

“Yeah”

“Then we shouldn’t be surprised” he says before turning and aiming the gun. I hold my breath, not comfortable with this funny clumsy guy holding a death-weapon. He shoots the bags and one of the cans. I’m kind of impressed. 

“Nice shootin Tex” Sam teases, not impressed. I guess it would take something better than shooting to impress her. She fakes an annoyed look before turning my way. 

“Wanna try?”

“You know what, sure. It’s been a while” I say before taking the gun from him, taking off my backpack and laying it beside me. 

“You’ve done this before?”

“Josh has taken me shooting several times, not hunting though, luckily” I smile, remembering how close we felt the first time he showed me how to use it. 

“I bet that’s not the only thing you two have done” he comments, a smirk on his lips. 

“Haha, funny guy” I tease back. Sam holds her laughter. I shoot a couple of bags, stopping when a squirrel jumps on one of the barrels. 

“I guess that’s our sign to start going to the lodge,” I say, leaving the gun and grabbing my bag. 

“Jeez, I wish Josh would take me shooting,” Chris says, and I smile. 

The cable car is coming, and Sam makes her way over there. I use the opportunity to grab ahold of him. 

“Hey Chris, about this year-” I start, but he holds a finger up, signalling for me to stop. 

“I get it, if I were in your shoes I would’ve done the same”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s weird being back, but I’ve been wanting to clear up everything. We should keep in contact, even though you don’t want to talk to Ashley, I understand”

“When did you become such an understanding gentleman,” I tease, punching his arm and start walking. He lifts his arms in the air. 

“Haven’t I always been?” And I laugh at him. 

We all get in the cable car, and it starts moving up. Chris starts talking about how he and Josh met, and I pay close attention. I’ve only heard this story from Josh, and I love getting the different story-perspectives. 

***

We arrive at the top, I stand and try to open the door. It will not open. 

“Uh, guys, I can’t get the door open.” Chris tries, but can’t manage either. His response is to smack the window. 

“Ahh, what the hell!” I hear someone say. Jessica. I compose myself. 

“Jess! Over here, open the door!” Chris shouts. I see her through the window, and I bite my lips from having to look put together. Don’t look like a bitch, don’t look like a bitch, don’t look like you have anything against this piece of scum. I keep chanting in my head. 

She opens the door, and we all thank her. As we walk out, Chris starts whining. 

“Oh my god. I thought we were goners. Another ten minutes in there and I would’ve chewed off my own leg.”

“Aw, sick Chris,” Sam comments. 

“Look, I’ve got a lot of meat on my bones. This is all muscle down there.”

Sam rolls her eyes. “Yeah riiiiiight”

“Keep telling yourself that Chris,” I add, clapping him on the shoulder as I walk past him. He lowers his voice to a whisper. 

“Well, we all know who’s bone you want to jump…”

I turn around, mouth agape and eyes threatening. He immediately puts his hands up in defence, walking backwards two paces. 

“Just jokes, just jokes” says, voice cracking. 

“Dickhead”

“Notice how I’m not going to make another joke about that,” he answers. I quickly make a snowball and throw it at him, hitting his chest. Sam places herself between us, arms tense as if waiting for someone to attack. 

Chris uses this opportunity to snatch whatever Jess is holding. 

“Well, well, well… What do we have here?”

“Chris” Sam starts. He opens it, a surprised look on his face. 

“My goodness! Seems like someone has a crush on our good friend and dear class president Michael Munroe.” Shit. That’s not good. 

“Chris,” I threaten. 

“And what kind of sizzling erotica might our Jessica be capable of imagining, I wonder…”

Before he’s able to see more, Jess quickly snatches the item back. 

“If you must know-” she starts.

“Mike and I are together now.” We all look at each other. 

“Drama,” Chris answers. 

“No, pretty cut clean actually. Em’s out, I’m in,” she explains. I look over at Sam. She doesn’t know what to say. Luckily, Chris breaks the awkwardness. 

“Well, we should keep going” 

“You go, I’ll be waiting here for a bit”

“Waiting for Mike?”

“Just go”

We oblige, walking further and leaving her behind. The trail is quite big and visible. It’s comfortable to walk on. As we turn a corner, I see the cabin. The cabin where Josh is, where Ashley is probably waiting. The cabin which was the last place two of our best friends were seen alive one year ago.

[thatoneneuvichiliauthor]

Hurt/Comfort Jayvik Drabble

(can also be read on Ao3)

Spoilers for Season 2 Act 3

His stay in the derelict Piltover has left its mark on Jayce. Both his mind and body have suffered from it, although some injuries are less evident than others. To Viktor, the damage inflicted on his soul is the one that stands out the most. They might be watered down, but the Zaunite has retained some of his peculiar abilities, even now that the Hexcore has been destroyed. They make him more attuned to Jayce’s feelings, especially violent, undesired ones.

This unique connection alerts him when his partner is having a bad nightmare long before he even starts stirring in his sleep. It lets him know when a particular sound or smell brings Jayce back to that horrible cave, to the soul-wrenching dread of being trapped and hurt and alone.

Viktor senses it all: When guilt and self-hatred start weighing on Jayce’s chest, when his mind spirals with what-ifs, when suicidal thoughts attempt to resurface from the pit they’ve been rightfully thrown into. And those crucial insights help him be there for Jayce, just like Jayce is always there for him.

Still, only he can detect wounds of the mind with such keen acuity. To regular people, it is the leg brace that stands out. Viktor can tell. He has been on the receiving end of enough rude or pitying comments and stares to recognize when Jayce is subjected to the same treatment. It never fails to make his blood boil, and he has no qualms about unleashing all of his snark and spite on such inconsiderate individuals to shield his partner from their nosy remarks and questions.

Jayce’s shattered legbone is only the tip of the iceberg, though. So many other things have changed about him; his hair, his beard, the creases on his skin, his eyes, which do not shine as bright as they once did…

Linked together, all these little details weave a tale of what happened to Jayce. They speak of his resilience and strength of character, of how hard he fought to survive.

However, yet another thread is missing from this complex canvas. One only Viktor is privy to.

The red, ugly slash that divides Jayce’s back in two.

This one, he received during the Memorial Ceremony. Before he touched the Arcane. So, associating the injury with his hellish experience might appear farfetched.

Except the wound was still fresh, when Jayce fell into the pit. As for the bandage that covered it, his partner found himself with no choice but to relocate it to his broken leg instead. Leaving the chainsaw-inflicted gash on his back raw, exposed.

And, given the disastrous conditions his partner lived in for months, it healed badly.

Really badly.

Due to the infection and Hexcore corruption Jayce had to battle off, the scar spreads much farther than it should have. Viktor has made rubbing repairing ointments onto it at night a habit. It helps soothe Jayce’s pain, although it will take months, if not years, for it to disappear completely, if it ever does.

In the meantime, Jayce winces when he puts on his clothes, and sleeps either on his stomach or side, but never on his back. Most nights, he sleeps with his head resting on Viktor’s stomach, because for as much he’d love to be the little spoon, to be held in a warm embrace, his suffering body won’t let him. And when they hug, Viktor doesn’t dare wrap his arms too tight around Jayce, for fear he might hurt him.

Not that it stops Viktor from offering him plenty of love and comfort. To make up for all the embraces they cannot share, he peppers kisses across Jayce’s cheeks, whispers the sweetest words in his ear, holds hands with him as they fall asleep… The list goes on and on. Whatever affectionate gesture Jayce might long for, Jayce gets. Simple as that.

Until the pain in Jayce’s back fades. Until he can be held tight again. Until Viktor can be the one resting on his chest instead.

Until wounds of the mind and body alike heal, or at very least, turn less severe.

It's a slow process, but they will get there.

Together.

[luv-y0urself]

18 headcanons for woon's 18th !

day 1 : living with woon . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

established relationship!au | roommate!woon x fem!reader ♫．genre : slice of life, so much fluff... | wc : 789 | warnings : second person pov ! woon is implied to be a student ⏤ in college or high school is up to you to decide. as always, there is some mild bickering too :') 𖤐．first post of the series ! happy birthday once again, woon <3 make sure to let me know which one you guys like the most for the full fic on the seventh day ! more details on the masterlist linked below ↓

ᵔᴗᵔ﹕masterlist | the next day . . . [posted] !

living together-

there would never be a dull day if woonhak was living with you… literally. there’s always one thing or another happening around you guys, and you guys always make the most of it. 

like, there was one time when woonhak insisted that you teach him some of the yoga/pilates things you’ve been doing in your freetime, saying something like “it can’t be that hard…”

oh boy. poor guy was shaking just using a foam roller and doing a couple of exercises with it while you were nearly crying from laughter. 

“you won’t even be able to use a reformer!!”

“sh-shut up!! yes i can!!”

but even when you guys bicker with each other like that, woonhak is still someone that you can rely on for anything.

sometimes there are just days where you don’t want to do anything and just want to stay home, but he forces you to get up and do something, even if that’s going on a short little walk with him outside for some fresh air or just being next to his warmth while he’s doing homework for some of his classes, listening to his voice talking about random things to make you feel better.

he always has food prepared for you on those days – not processed, delivered food, but actual homemade food that he made, freshly prepared for you to eat.

“... thanks, woon.”

“you have to do the dishes.”

“are you kidding me???”

throwing tantrums-

cue the hundreds of videos of woon on the floor throwing a tantrum…

if something doesn’t go his way… this is definitely the type of move he would pull out of his pocket.

FOR EXAMPLE. if something goes wrong w the game he’s playing, he would lay on the floor and start doing this, causing you to run out of the kitchen, not even caring about the flour from your apron leaving a trail behind you as you stare at his flailing body.

of course. just when you're making your favorite cookies to eat during the weekend...

“... woon…?”

“oh my GOD i literally cannot beat this level this is absolutely horrible i’m so bad at this game–”

“woon– oh my god–” you run over and reach out to him to grab his hand holding the flailing controller, putting it down and grabbing both his wrists, successfully putting them above his head as you stare down at him. he finally stops and sighs, looking into your eyes.

“you know, sometimes i wonder if i’m babysitting a child or if i’m living with my boyfriend.”

woon scoffs, all thoughts about the game forgotten as he swiftly switches your positions so that he was on top of you now.

“well, obviously your boyfriend, right?” he gives you a mischievous smile before he starts tickling your sides, getting flour all over his clothing and face before you’re finally able to make him stop.

yes, throwing a tantrum means you have to go and calm him down… which also means this happens every single time too. you still haven’t quite figured out a way to get out of the situation, which wasn't good because woon was getting better day by day at finding your weak spots.

"woon – oh my god – let go of me! my cookies are going to burn!"

"not until you say that i'm the bestest boyfriend in the world."

"jesus christ–"

coparenting a pet-

now, although you insisted that you have enough on your hands with woon in the house, he always wanted to get a pet – a pet dog, specifically. you’ve always said no because that would be too much of a commitment for you guys. but… for his birthday, you finally decided to give in – all the while doing a small prank.

see, you packaged a couple of cute dog toys and gave it to him on the morning of his birthday. he opened them up, happy to see the plushies but a little confused. 

“aren’t these for… dogs…?”

you couldn’t help but smile. “check outside.”

his eyes light up immediately and he zooms out of the room, and you follow him with your phone recording, watching as he picks up the dog from the box that you bought him in and had left outside just a couple minutes ago, the small brown furball nearly disappearing in his arms.

his eyes look at yours with a look of wonder and joy, and he smiles so wide, making your heart warm just by looking at the two of them together. he puts down the dog softly on the floor and immediately pulls you into his embrace, his large hand covering the back of your head and burying himself into your scent by snuggling into the crevice of your shoulder.

“thank you so much, love.”

© luv-y0urself / 2024 | taglist : @onedoornet @blankjournal

[low-senka]

I'm obsessed with Arcane so here some headcanons:

HAVE SPOILERS PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WATCH YET

Jinx->

Jinx is sensive and a little afraid of touch, the ones who can touch her without worry are Ekko and Violet

Still don't like Caitlyn, but feel bad for it because she don't want to fight with the woman her sister love

Her hearing ability is getting lower because of her explosives and she's afraid of turn deaf

Is the best hairdresser of all Zaun, but almost no one trust in her with a scissor

Never feelt romantic feelings before Ekko

Is demi-romantic and also bissexual

Sees Sevika like a badass auntie but never will admit it bc she's shy of it

Is a door with people, don't even can notice if a smile is real or nervous if she don't know the person REALLY well

Have nightmares with loosing everyone again

Want's really bad being in a relationship with Ekko, but know that she can't stuck him with her

Starts to taking notes of future projects instead of try to remember all

Still using Firelights and friends simbols in her clothes

Her passive active when she sneeze.

Caitlyn->

She spends time doing maps of the air pipes and planning to do more for help Zaun

Receive a hard scold from Ekko after they talk about what happen

Don't like to sleep with blankets because her body is always too hot

Barely eat in her normal days, but really don't eat when she is working and Vi needs to bring her food

Ironically is alergic of flowers except violets

Total cat person

Keep and care of Jinx little monkey head, but don't let Vi or Ekko see it

Become a close friend of Ekko and most part of the Firelights

Always take care of Vi after a battle or just a bad day

Go sleep so late that sometimes the sun is rising, some days Vi literally takes her at the room in her shoulders

Still being a shooter even having just one eye because she refuses to rest and change her ocupation

She makes draws with a Moongose, a Oil thing and a Raccon. Guess why?

Violet->

Still crying about Jinx dead, but never in front Caitlyn because she's tired of the conversations

See Ekko like a little brother and accidentally calls him Powder a couple of times

Thinks of get out of Piltover and go look for Jinx, but she can't leave her unique garantee family behind

Visits Vander's secret local when she needs space and never talk about it with Caitlyn

Have dreams where Jinx and her can live a normal and happy life

Have chronic pain in both hands for carrying a lot of weight and fight

Have anger problems, but it just reflects on her

Don't really like kids, but they love her for some reason

Have a bad relationship with Caitlyn's dad

Start to learn how to use a gun, Cait thinks it's because of her, but it's to remember her sister

I THINK I will keep this tomorrow or in this week, welp good night! Have a good sleep!

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 02x01 - The Inheritor of Courage / Enter Flamedramon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Three years ago, eight children were kidnapped and trafficked into the weirdest summer vacation of their lives. An adventure filled with war, death, friendship, and a lot more poop than you might reasonably have expected.

Then they had to go home and just pick their lives back up like none of that happened.

We open on the photo that the children took on their last day in the Digital World. Takeru kicks us off with a very brief recap.

Takeru: It was a summer I'll never forget. Three years have passed since then....

Brief slides show us where they all are now. Three years means we're looking at an age range of 13 for Mimi and Koushiro, 14 for Taichi, Yamato, and Sora, and 15 for Jou. The three of them have entered middle school, with Jou once again in his final year and needing to start thinking about high school.

Taichi's slide just shows him in his school uniform, ready to go. Yamato's reveals that his musical interest with his harmonica has evolved into forming a band, which is already giving concerts. He's up on center stage as lead singer and guitarist.

While the original lets the slides speak for themselves, the dub has T.K. narrate them.

T.K.: We've sure grown up a lot since that summer in the Digital World! (Tai shot) T.K.: Tai's in high school. (Matt shot) T.K.: My brother Matt's trying to be a rock star!

I didn't have a lot to say about Taichi's shot and neither did the dub. He's there. He is. Also present. It's Taichi. You know Taichi. He's being Taichi.

You may notice that T.K. said Tai's in high school. So we need to talk about that for a moment.

There's a cultural difference here. American high school lasts four years, with students from ages 14 to 18 in attendance. It's also compulsory.

Japanese high school lasts three years, with students from ages 15 to 18 in attendance. However, it's optional. Compulsory education ends with 9th grade, which is the final year of middle school instead of the first year of high school. It's not unreasonable that a 14-year-old would be in 9th grade, as 14-15 is the age range for that grade. Therefore, middle school in Japan, high school in the U.S.

He is in Japan, so he should still be in middle school even so, but. Y'know. Localizing so American kids will understand.

The more glaring issue is that Tai is in 8th grade right now, not 9th. Taichi was in 5th grade three years ago. So this is just wrong? Tai being in high school is just factually wrong with no cultural context affecting it.

We haven't even hit the opening credits. We're six seconds in, and we're already off to a start, aren't we? T.K. had only one thing he could even think of to say about that shot of Tai and it was wrong. XD

Sora's still athletic, but it seems she's changed from soccer to tennis.

The reason for that shift is, to my understanding, only explained in a Drama CD for the series. It's kind of a compromise. Toshiko actually has a history with tennis, so it's an athletic activity that they can play together as mother and daughter.

Koushiro is in 7th grade right now, so he's entering middle school for the first time. That's why his shot shows him trying on his new school uniform for the very first time, while his parents look on with pride and joy in their eyes.

Mimi, I guess, had so much fun in Hawaii that she's taken up piracy on the high seas.

I don't. Actually. Know why she's reintroduced like this. That is not going to be the character design for her when she appears in the show proper.

In the dub:

(Sora shot) T.K.: Sora's become quite a tennis player. (Izzy shot) T.K.: Izzy's in high school too! (Mimi shot) T.K.: Mimi and her folks moved to New York!

SPOILERS, T.K.!!! FUCK!!!

Also, Izzy's in high school too!? I mean, I guess that's fair. If anybody skipped a few grades, it'd be Joe. But if a second person did it, Izzy's a solid bet.

Jou remains hard at work as ever. He's going to have a whole new set of entrance exams next spring to prepare for. Assuming he decides he wants to go to high school once compulsory education ends.

Which he will. Obviously. It's actually super rare for kids to skip out on high school. It's allowed, but rare. But even if it wasn't, Jou's in this for the long haul. He's aiming to become a doctor.

Hikari, I guess needing a new neck dangly to replace the whistle she gave Tailmon, has taken up photography.

Takeru doesn't get a "Where are they now?" slide. It's fine. We'll be seeing him in a moment. Instead, we move into the new OP, which is every bit as spoilery as the ones from the previous series. Not only are all of the Partner Digimon for the new protagonists we haven't even met yet shown, but so is all of their forms in the new evolution type that's going to be introduced.

The new main villain also appears, both masked and unmasked. So that's fun.

In the dub:

(Joe slide) T.K.: And Joe's still studying to be a doctor. (Kari slide) T.K.: But for Kari and I, it's just the beginning....

So that's where our kids are at right now! In other news, slavery.

Gazimon: RUN!!! IT'S THE DIGIMON KAISER!!!

The Digimon Kaiser, a child dressed in bad guy shades and a cape, stands in front of a huge blast obelisk. Cracking his whip, he sends out black rings levitating across the landscape, reminiscent of the Black Gears that Devimon used to distribute.

These rings blanket the region, seizing every Digimon they can find. We see various and Gazimon and Gotsumon taken by the Kaiser, as well as one Unimon.

One ring goes for Tailmon, who is also among the group. The Holy Ring on her tail glows, deflecting the ring and saving her. But before she has time to breathe, Unimon emerges from the bushes, now under the Kaiser's control, and fires a Holy Shot from their mouth.

In the dub:

Gazimon: Run for your lives! It's the evil Digimon Emperor!

Like many of the proper nouns, "Kaiser" is the actual word in the original and not a translation of a Japanese word. The word is borrowed from German, and means "emperor".

The dub opted to translate it to Digimon Emperor, which sounds more natural to say in English.

Gatomon gets an extra line here when her Holy Ring deflects the black ring.

Gatomon: That was close!

I'm sure she's fine. Meanwhile, in the human world, we find Takeru finishing breakfast in the kitchen of his mom's apartment.

Takeru: Gochisousama [Thank you for the delicious meal.]!

In Japan, it's customary to say いただきます Itadakimasu at the start of a meal and ごちそうさま Gochisousama at the end of a meal. If you've been listening to undubbed anime, you're probably more familiar with the former than the latter. It's much more common to write scenes with meals beginning than ending.

Once he's finished up, Takeru takes his dishes to the kitchen. Cutting to Natsuko's office where she's hard at work, we can hear the clink of him setting his dishes in the sink.

Natsuko: I'm sorry I can't go with you on your first day of school, but I have to get this manuscript turned in by the end of the day. Takeru: (walks by doorway) That's okay. I can go by myself. (Takeru steps out the front) Takeru: Ittekimasu [I am leaving but will return]!

Another customary phrase, said when leaving a place you spend time in regularly. Basically means "I am leaving this place but with intent to return again."

Takeru makes for the elevator, which opens to reveal two children from a higher floor also making their way down. A girl with purple hair and glasses and a short boy with brown hair. They were smiling a moment ago, but when the door suddenly opens, they both look surprised and confused.

Purple: Huh? Takeru: Good morning! Purple: (uncertain) ...good morning. Takeru: I just moved into these apartments. My name is Takaishi Takeru, fifth grade. It's nice to meet you!

An interesting note about these apartments: Takeru describes them as マンション manshon as opposed to アパート apaato. Both of these mean "apartments", but a manshon is much more upscale and high-quality than an apaato. For a single mother, Natsuko seems to be doing pretty well for herself.

Once Takeru introduces himself, the hesitancy subsides and the purple girl happily returns the gesture.

Purple: I'm Inoue Miyako, sixth grade. It's written like the "Kyo" from Kyoto but read "Miyako". This is Iori. Iori: I'm Hida Iori, third grade. I am very honored to meet you.

Iori bows politely to Takeru. It seems we have another little Koushiro here.

Takeru: Same to you.

Takeru joins them on the elevator, and together the three children set out for school.

Real quick, what Miyako's talking about: Because there are three different written languages in Japanese, knowing how someone spells their name can be just as important as what their name literally is. Miyako specifies how her name is spelled because it uses an uncommon reading of a particular kanji.

Her name is 井ノ上 Inoue 京 Miyako. The "spelled like Kyoto" is referencing the fact that 京都 Kyoto uses the same kanji, but pronounces it differently. Because... kanji have multiple readings and pronunciations. That's just how it is. Japanese is really hard.

In the dub, it's Nancy who kicks off T.K.'s departure.

Nancy: (offscreen) You're gonna be late for school, T.K.! Hurry up and finish your breakfast! T.K.: New school, new apartment... but the same old lumpy oatmeal. (calls out) I'm done, Mom! I'm leaving! Nancy: Sorry I can't drive you to school on your first day but I have to write this article before the deadline. It's all about the historical significance of toilet paper. Hmmm.... T.K.: It's okay. I'll walk. (T.K. steps out the front) T.K.: See you later! (T.K. runs into the other two on the elevator) Purple: Huh? T.K.: How's it going? Purple: Fine, thank you. T.K.: Great! My name's T.K. and my mom and I just moved into this building. I'm in seventh grade, class A. Nice to meet you! Purple: Oh, hi! My name is Yolei. Would you like to walk to school with us? It takes exactly 12.3 minutes and that's if there's no wind. It will be fun! Oh, and this is Cody. Cody: Welcome to the building, T.K. Come on! We don't want to be late on our first day. (Cody bows politely) T.K.: Let's do it!

No idea why Cody's bowing. Nothing he said warrants a bow.

So, we have our new character names. Miyako is Yolei, which is a pretty obscure Hebrew name. I've only ever heard it in connection with this show. Terri-Lei O'Malley, one of the key people who worked on the dub, wanted Miyako to have "lei" in her name like she does and so I guess they went looking for something that would fit that criteria.

O'Malley is the same person who named Salamon after her pet cat and was then disappointed that Salamon inexplicably turned out to be a puppy.

I'm guessing they picked "Cody" because the lip flaps for it are close enough to "Iori" to make sense.

With T.K. being in seventh grade all of a sudden, it seems the plan is to quietly add an extra two years to the timeskip and hope nobody notices. That explains "high school" for Tai and Izzy.

Takeru heads to school with his new friends.

Iori: Hey, Miyako-san? Could you please come over after school to fix our computer? Miyako: Sure. For your mom's ohagi. Iori: Okay! I'll email her later. Miyako: Ehehe, bingo!

Get used to hearing "Bingo!" from Miyako. It's her favorite word.

Ohagi is a Japanese dessert. They're sweet rice balls covered in a bean paste.

As the kids approach their elementary school, Takeru suddenly spots Taichi on the soccer field? What?

Takeru: Taichi-san?

But his eyes are playing tricks on him, as it's a different boy with spiky hair and goggles. The boy goes for the ball but just winds up eating dirt, leaving the ball sailing towards Takeru. Takeru snatches it out of the air easily enough.

Soccer Boy: Sorry, sorry. Takeru: ... Soccer Boy: Hm?

Takeru tosses him the ball.

Takeru: Cool goggles! Soccer Boy: ...eh...? Other Player: (offscreen) Hey, Daisuke! What are you doing!?

That seems to snap him out of it. Daisuke turns and kicks the ball, rejoining the soccer game.

Takeru: Daisuke, huh? Right, Taichi-san's in middle school now.

And interesting note about Daisuke's name is that Takeru was half-right. Daisuke's name is written 大輔 Daisuke. It means "Great Savior", foreshadowing his role in the series. But its first letter is also very close to that of 太一 Taichi, which means "Exceptional one". That or "Thick one".

Daisuke is also close in pronunciation to 大好き daisuki, who is how you tell someone that you have very strong feelings of affection for them. It basically means "I like you a lot", but in a way that can be used either romantically or platonically. Which... is also foreshadowing some things.

Motomiya Daisuke was very well named. Name-wise, he is to the 02 cast what "Light of the Eight Gods" Yagami Hikari was to the original cast.

In the dub:

Cody: Hey Yolei, can you come over after school and fix my computer again? Yolei: Only if your mom makes those brownies I love. Cody: I'll send an email and ask if she'll make a batch right away. Yolei: It's a deal. Perfecto! T.K.: Huh? (T.K. thinks he sees Tai) T.K.: Tai? ...I'm seeing things. Player: Here you go, Davis! (The ball goes T.K.'s way, which he catches) Players: (various shouting) Come on, man! / What are you doing!? Davis: Thanks! Great catch. T.K.: ... Davis: Huh? (T.K. suddenly tosses him the ball) T.K.: You look familiar! Must be the goggles. Davis: Whuh? Player: Hey, Davis! You're holding up the game! Davis: Huh!? (Davis kicks the ball and returns to the game) T.K.: What am I thinking!? That can't be Tai! He's a much better soccer player than that kid!

T.K. decides to end on a burn rather than reaffirming what grade Tai's in.

Changing ohagi to brownies is a pretty solid localization choice.

Moving right along, it's time to get to class. We find Daisuke entering classroom 5-A, where Hikari's unpacking her things.

Daisuke: Ehehe, I'm in the same class as Hikari-chan again! Hikari: It's good to see you again. Daisuke: Just now, some guy said my goggles looked cool. I have no idea who he was. Hikari: Hmm?

It's a quick snippet of dialogue to establish that Daisuke and Hikari have been classmates for a while.

Before that can continue, we quickly cut to the Digital World, which is still being menaced by those black rings. Agumon falls hard on the ground, crying out.

Agumon: Taichi! TAICHIIIIIIIIIII!!!

His cry seems to get through. A brief shot of Taichi in his school uniform shows his Digivice activating, sending out a distress message in red print.

Back in Hikari's class, the teacher has an announcement to make.

Teacher: Let me introduce you to a new classmate (nakama) for this semester. Come in. (Takeru enters; Davis looks up, surprised) Teacher: This is Takaishi Takeru-kun. Takeru: I'm Takaishi Takeru. Nice to meet you. Daisuke: Him...? Teacher: There's a seat next to Yagami.

Takeru obliges, sitting beside Hikari. They instantly hit it off for reasons that are obvious to the audience but perplexing for Daisuke.

Takeru: Long time, no see. Hikari: Heh. You sure grew up! Daisuke: (watching them chat, thinking) What's with this guy!? How can he just hit it off with Hikari-chan like that!? Takeru: (unintelligible due to Daisuke narrating over him) Hikari: (cracks up laughing)

Daisuke has no idea what these two have been through together.

In the dub:

Davis: Alright, what luck! You're in my class again, Kari! Kari: I wouldn't call that luck. Davis: Hey, the weirdest thing just happened. This new kid said I reminded him of someone. Probably thinks I'm a movie star. Kari: Hmm? (Meanwhile, in the DIgital World) Agumon: (falls) Tai, help! TAIIIIIIIIIIII!!! (Human world) Tai: Huh? (Back to Class 5-A) Teacher: I'm Mr. Hamasaki. I'll be your teacher and I'd like you all to welcome a new student. (T.K. enters. Davis looks up, surprised) Davis: Hm? Whoa! T.K.: It's nice to meet you. I'm T.K. Davis: It's that kid! Hamasaki: Please take a seat next to the girl with the... camera around her neck. (T.K. sits by Kari) T.K.: Together again! Kari: Just like old times! Davis: (watching them chat, thinking) That kid's trying to make a move on my girl! T.K.: Our teacher looks like Ogremon! Kari: (cracks up laughing)

A few things here. Davis's final line is a lot more possessive than Daisuke's. Daisuke is bewildered that this random boy can walk into the room and suddenly be best buddies with Hikari the instant he sits down. There's a hint of jealousy but he never goes beyond "What the hell am I watching?" Davis is going full jealous stalker, claiming ownership of Kari as if they were a couple.

It's not clear what Kari means by "I wouldn't call that luck" but it sounds like a passive-aggressive jab at Davis's expense. Which, given the creepy possessiveness he demonstrates in his final line, makes a lot of sense. Hikari is nothing but pleasant and happy to see Daisuke again.

I don't know why Mr. Hamasaki pauses suddenly before saying the word "camera".

I'm not sure that the dub lines really convey that T.K. and Kari haven't seen each other in years.

Back in the Digital World, Tentomon, Piyomon, and Patamon all flee from an attacking Snimon.

The Snimon has one of those black rings around their waist, so we know who they're working for. Also, New Series Who Dis.

Narrator: Snimon. A cruel and terrifying Adult-stage Digimon who resembles a praying mantis. Their special attack Shadow Sickle can slice anything to pieces with incredible speed.

Objectively better rundown than the one we got in the original series. It's the same, except the original rundown only said Snimon's attack was Shadow Sickle, without explaining anything about what the move does. So this is the same but more.

As soon as the narrator finishes explaining, Snimon's Shadow Sickle projectiles slash Piyomon and Tentomon out of the sky. Patamon takes cover on the branch of a tree, trying to hide.

Patamon: Piyomon! Tentomon!

They could really use their Partners about now.

In the dub, Tentomon takes up his usual role giving the diegetic rundown.

Tentomon: (rundown) Hurry! Don't let Snimon catch us! This praying mantis Digimon can cut through anything with his Twin Sickles attack! (Snimon slashes Biyomon and Tentomon out of the air) Patamon: Oh no! Biyomon! Tentomon!

Tentomon doesn't mention that Snimon is cruel and vicious, but that hardly matters when they're under control of one of those rings anyway.

He does a much better job with the diegetic rundown than Phantomon did way back when; That guy just made a punny quip about how the children will be the praying mantis's "prey".

Good news, their Partners are here! Well, one of them.

Taichi: Agumon!

Taichi sprints to Agumon's side, trying to help him.

Agumon: Taichi! Taichi: Evolve, Agumon!

Taichi holds out his Digivice. However, the device doesn't react.

Agumon: I can't... I can't evolve, Taichi. Taichi: Why!? Why can't you evolve!?

Watching from his control room, the Digimon Kaiser chuckles to himself.

Kaiser: Muhuhuhu... It's useless. That area is already mine. You will never be able to evolve.

In his hand, he's holding something that looks similar to a Digivice, yet is distinctly different.

With no other option, Taichi joins Patamon and Agumon in fleeing from Snimon. Tailmon emerges in their path.

Tailmon: This way!

Tailmon leads them to a cave. Once they're tucked inside, Taichi takes out another device we've never seen before, this one somewhat resembling a Nintendo DS, and uses it to send a message.

Taichi: Please, anyone, come and help us.

Already we're seeing how much has changed in the last three years. Not only is Taichi able to come and go from the Digital World, but the children also have portable devices of unclear origin that they can use to communicate with each other.

In the dub:

Tai: Agumon! Agumon: Tai! You're here! Tai: You've got to Digivolve! (Digivice won't react) Agumon: That's why I need your help, Tai. I can't Digivolve! Tai: Did you forget how!? It's just like riding a bicycle! Now start pedaling and Digivolve! (Cut to Emperor's control room) Emperor: Hmhmhmhmhmhm... It's no use. As long as I have the Black Digivice, there's no way they can Digivolve. Ahahahahahaha! (Tai joins the others in fleeing Snimon) Gatomon: Move your tails! (Everyone hides in a cave) Tai: (sending message) We're gonna need more help. I'd better contact the others.

Tai ignores the fact that his Digivice isn't activating and blames Agumon instead.

The Digimon Emperor name-drops the Black Digivice. The Kaiser just shows it to us. Also, it's Dark Digivice, not Black Digivice. They'll call it Dark Digivice at other points in the episode, so this is just a consistency error.

Back in the human world, Miyako's in the computer clubroom when an alert sounds on the PC.

Miyako: Oh no, an email for Izumi-senpai! But he's already graduated...

The message is from Yagami Taichi, addressed to "Everyone", with the subject line "Emergency!". The text reads, "Everyone come to the Digital World. Something is happening."

Miyako has no idea what to do with this.

Miyako: What is this? I'm pretty sure there's a Yagami in 5th grade....

Out front, Takeru is retrieving his outdoor shoes from the getabako while catching up with Hikari. These are special cupboards at the entrances to schools where you can swap between your outdoor shoes and your indoor shoes.

Hikari: Have you finished unpacking your luggage? Takeru: Well, yeah... Mostly.... Daisuke: (runs up) Hey, you! Hikari: It's not "Hey, you". It's "Takeru-kun". Daisuke: You, Takeru! What sort of relationship do you have with Hikari-chan!? Takeru: Huh? What's this all of a sudden? Ahaha! You're funny, Daisuke! Daisuke: (angrier) I'm not funny at all!

Daisuke is being very rude with his language. Not only does he blow off the honorific that Hikari tells him to use, but he keeps saying addressing Takeru as お前 omae.

It's not the worst second-person pronoun. It's pretty standard. But you should always use second-person pronouns with care, because in a lot of situations, they can come across rude or inappropriate. The verbal equivalent of pointing your finger at someone.

Daisuke wants to come off rude and inappropriate, so he's doing a lot of verbal finger-pointing on purpose right now.

Of course, for Takeru, Daisuke's outrage is water off a duck's back.

Before this can go any further, Miyako arrives.

Miyako: Ah, there! Takeru: Oh, Miyako-san!

She approaches Hikari with a printout of the questionable email.

Miyako: You're Yagami Hikari-san, right? Hikari: Yes, that's right. Miyako: (shows her the printout) Do you know a Yagami Taichi? Hikari: (reads; gasps) Onii-chan!

With Daisuke in two, Takeru and Hikari follow Miyako back to the computer club. On their way, they run into Koushiro coming up the stairs; An unexpected sight, seeing as he graduated last year.

Miyako: Ah! Izumi-senpai! Koushiro: Miyako-kun, may I please use the computer in the clubroom? Miyako: (ecstatic) Of course! Of course! I'm so glad you're visiting us, even after you graduated! Takeru: Koushiro-san! Hikari: We got an email from Onii-chan. Koushiro: (surprised) Takeru-kun! Hikari-san!

Strongly implied that Miyako looks up to Izumi-senpai because he was in charge of the computer club until his graduation. Also, on that note, gonna have to get used to the words "Izumi-senpai". My, how the kids have grown.

In the dub:

Yolei: Huh? "Come to the Digital World right away; The Digimon need our help!" Must be a link to an online game. Let's see who sent it. "Tai Kamiya". Hey! There's a girl in the seventh grade with the same last name! This email's probably hers.

The original specifically mentions that the email was sent to Koushiro. But apparently Tai's email had no intended recipient?

Kari: So, T.K., how does your mom like the new apartment? T.K.: She hasn't seen it yet. She's been on the computer the whole time! Davis: (runs up) Hey, buddy! Kari: His name is not "buddy". It's "T.K." Davis: Alright T.J. or J.V. or whatever it is! How do you know Kari!? T.K.: Huh? How do I know her? Ahahahaha! I get it, you're jealous of me! Davis: (angrier) I'm not jealous of anybody!

It's unclear in the original whether T.K. is actually oblivious to Daisuke's jealousy or is intentionally playing it off. Takeru, meanwhile, directly antagonizes Davis.

The "T.J. or J.V. or whatever" seems to be an attempt to capture the rudeness of Daisuke's verbal finger-pointing. Davis's unwillingness to say T.K.'s name properly will continue to be a thing.

Love the "Nancy hasn't actually seen the new apartment yet" crack. XD That got me.

Yolei: Hey! T.K.: Oh, hi, Yolei! (Yolei approaches Kari) Yolei: You're Kari Kamiya, aren't you? Kari: Yeah, that's right. Why do you ask? Yolei: (shows her the printout) Well, are you related to Tai? He sent this email. Kari: (reads it) My brother needs us! (They race to the computer club and run into Izzy) Yolei: Izzy! Izzy: Hey, Yolei. I'm glad I found you. I need to use the computer room right away. Yolei: (gasp) You mean the legendary former computer club president is actually looking for me!? I'm honored! T.K.: What's up, Izzy? Kari: Tai sent us an urgent email. Izzy: Yeah, I know! I got one too!

It's weird that Yolei acts like they're meeting each other for the first time. Was she not in computer club before this year?

The English dialogue also scrubs out both mentions of Koushiro having graduated.

The younger kids join Koushiro in the computer clubroom.

Takeru, Hikari, and Miyako are all neutral about Koushiro being here but Daisuke in the back is slack-jawed. He has no idea what's going on right now.

Koushiro: I got the email too, but when I tried to reply, my battery died. This place is closer to my middle school than going home would be.

A shot of Koushiro's bag shows a similar email device to the one Taichi was using. From the computer, Koushiro sends Taichi a return email:

"Message received. I'll find a Gate and head over there as soon as possible. Takeru-kun and Hikari-san are with me as well."

Taichi: A reply! It's Koushiro! Hikari and Takeru are there too! Agumon: (from offscreen) TAICHI!!! GET OVER HERE, TAICHI!!!

While Taichi goes to find out what that's all about, we return to computer club.

Miyako: Hey, so where is the Digital World? Is that a new theme park? Takeru & Hikari: .... Daisuke: I think I heard Taichi-senpai talking about some... Digimon thing? Takeru: You know Taichi-san? Hikari: They were senpai and kouhai in soccer club.

I think most of us understand what a senpai is. It's a senior mentor figure that you look up to and learn from. Kouhai is the opposite side of that coin; The junior who respects and learns from the senpai.

Also, the words "Taichi-senpai" are hitting me even harder than "Koushiro-senpai". Dear sweet Digital Jesusmon, Taichi has a kouhai.

In seriousness, there's some interesting subtleties about how well Daisuke and Hikari know each other. They've been classmates for at least one other school year before this one, clearly on friendly terms, and also Daisuke is her brother's kouhai. He's clearly working himself up to formally asking her out, and you can see why he'd already feel like this was a sure thing before Takeru suddenly and confusingly entered the picture.

Koushiro remains hard at work at the computer. As Hikari explains about soccer club, we can hear something activate at the computer. But then an alert siren starts playing in the background as the conversation continues.

Miyako: So what is it? What's a Digimon? Iori: Miyako-saaaaan! (appears in doorway) Are you going to fix my computer? Miyako: Oh, that's right.

Suddenly, the computer makes a more pleasant chime and the alert goes away.

Koushiro: Thought so. The Gate is open.

In the dub:

Izzy: I was just about to send Tai an answer when the battery ran out on my computer! I knew I should have recharged it after I played trigonometry trivia on the internet last night but boy, talk about fun! (Izzy sends email) Tai: It's from Izzy! He's got Kari and T.K. with him! Agumon: (from offscreen) TAI!!! COME QUICK!!! (Back to computer club) Yolei: What's the Digital World? Is that a new amusement park? I bet they have some great rides! Davis: I heard about it from Tai once. He said there were a lot of "Digimon" there. Whatever they are.... T.K.: You know Tai? Kari: They play on the same soccer team. Yolei: Hey, guys! I've got an idea! Let's all go to the Digital World! Cody: Yolei, weren't you coming over? (appears in doorway) Remember, you were gonna fix my computer. Yolei: Oh, sorry, I forgot. Izzy: If Tai's there, the Gate to the Digital World's open.

As usual, details buried in sound effects do not carry over to the dub. The alert siren doesn't sound in this version, nor do we hear the sudden chime of it activating.

Kari's kind of screwed with her explanation of Davis and Tai's relationship because Americans don't have an equivalent to the clear-cut social roles of senpai and kouhai. We're a much more informal society. She tries her best, but accidentally makes it sound like they're still playing soccer together.

Back in the cave, Taichi finds what Agumon was so startled about.

A mysterious egg-shaped object is sitting in the cave with a blade sticking out of it, as well as a familiar-looking symbol.

Taichi: This is.... Agumon: Is that the Crest of Courage? Tailmon: It seems like it's been here for a long time....

Taichi approaches the mystery object.

Taichi: That's definitely the Crest of Courage, but....

Taichi tries to pick up the object, causing it to suddenly glow with a bright orange light that fills the room. Then the glow recedes and three smaller orange lights levitate into the air in front of him.

Taichi: What the...!?

The orange lights offer no explanation. They simply fly off through a hole in the cave ceiling and vanish.

In the dub:

Agumon: Look at that! Tai: That's weird. It's got the Crest of Courage on it. Is it an egg? Agumon: I never saw an egg with a spike in it. Gatomon: It must have been rough on the chicken that laid that thing. Tai: Let's have a closer look at this thing. (Tai activates the egg and conjures the three lights) Tai: They look like fireflies! (The lights shoot off into the sky) Tai: Really fast ones!

The mystique's a bit lost in all this quipping. That said, goddammit, Gatomon. XD That got me.

Back in the human world, Miyako leaves computer club with Iori.

Miyako: (mutters) I'm still curious, though....

Back in computer club, Takeru, Hikari, and Koushiro have their Digivices out and are ready to jump across realities. Daisuke, however, is making a fuss over being left behind.

Daisuke: Let me come with you! Taichi-senpai's in a pinch, right? Takeru: That won't be possible. It's not an easy place for just anyone to go to.

Daisuke glowers at the Digivice in Takeru's hand.

Daisuke: Even if it's impossible, I'm going anyway! So--

Before he can finish, the three lights erupt from the computer screen. Though they're not longer all orange. One red light, one blue light, and one yellow light emerge. The blue one shoots into Daisuke's hands while the red and yellow travel down the hall, finding their way to Miyako and Iori.

Daisuke holds out the device that's appeared in his hands. It's similar to the one the Digimon Kaiser has, but blue instead of black.

Daisuke: W-What is this!? Takeru: A Digivice!? Hikari: (looks down at her Digivice) But it's different from ours....

That's because it's the latest model, COMING SOON TO A TOY STORE NEAR YOU!!! Sorry, kids, but Homeostasis is trying to run a business here. Wait 'til you find out about the planned obsolescence.

In the dub:

Cody: You did promise. Yolei: I know.... (Back in the clubroom) Izzy: We're going back to the Digital World! Prodigious! Davis: I'm going with you! T.K.: That's impossible. Not just anybody can go, you know. You need a Digivice. Davis: Rrrrgh... Listen, T.C., if you can go, so can I! (Digivices shoot out to Davis, Yolei, and Cody) Davis: What's this!? T.K.: A Digivice! Kari: It's a different model than the ones we have.

A subtle note for Davis. In the original, Daisuke exclaims that he's going to the Digital World even if it's impossible. This demonstrates how he's inherited Taichi's pigheaded stubbornness and determination.

Taichi needs help and Daisuke is chomping at the bit to come to his rescue. He's going to do this, even if the arbitrary metaphysical rules of Chosen Children and Digimon Partnerships say he can't.

It's exactly the sort of thing Taichi would say in his position. It's also. Kind of. What 02 is about, thematically. Like, this is setting the stage for 02's entire thesis.

Davis's line in the dub is just him again expressing his jealousy of T.K. He's mad that T.K. gets to go and he doesn't, and refuses to accept the implication that this means he's inferior to T.K.

So, Daisuke's new Digivice is weird. Koushiro returns his attention to the Gate on the computer screen.

Koushiro: The Gate opened on this monitor.... Takeru: Then let's get to the Digital World right away! Hikari: We need to hurry and help Onii-chan! Daisuke: (holds out Digivice) I'm going too. I can go with this? Koushiro: That should be right... That is, if that really is a Digivice.

Daisuke stares at his device, uncertain. Then, out of nowhere, Hikari thrusts her Digivice at the computer screen.

Hikari: I'm going!

The screen glows with light, pulling Hikari through the Gate.

Takeru: Me too!

Takeru does the same, vanishing through the computer to cross realities. Daisuke is left dumbstruck with Koushiro in the computer clubroom.

Koushiro: What are you going to do, Daisuke-kun? Daisuke: ... (Daisuke shakes off the shock) Daisuke: I can go too!

Daisuke repeats Takeru and Hikari's motions, thrusting his Digivice towards the computer screen. As before, it glows with light and absorbs him into the Digital World.

In the dub:

Izzy: Huh... We'd better go now while the Gate to the Digital World is still open. T.K.: Yeah, but how long will it stay open for? Izzy: Hm.... Kari: I don't care! I'm going to help my brother! Davis: (holds out Digivice) Hey, can I get Donkey Madness on this thing? Izzy: It's not a game! If the Digital World sent you a Digivice, then there's a reason and you should take it seriously! Kari: I'm not waiting any longer! (Kari crosses over) T.K.: I'm with you! (T.K. crosses over) Davis: (dumbstruck) ... Izzy: It's your turn. Unless you're scared. Davis: ... (Davis shakes off the shock) Davis: I'm there! (Davis crosses over)

And we need to talk about Daisuke again. Once again, he's made more... dipshit. He's made into more of a dipshit. For Daisuke, this scene sees him once again assert his determination and self-motivation to visit this new world and help Taichi. But in the dub, Izzy bullies him into enlistment.

"That Digivice means you're one of us now! Get the fuck in there, you coward!"

There are. Reasons. Why nobody likes Davis, but Daisuke doesn't get nearly as much flak.

But before Koushiro can make the jump, Miyako comes screeching to a stop in front of the door.

Miyako: IZUMI-SENPAI!!! Koushiro: (frantically hides his Digivice) Ehehehe.... Miyako: WHAT WAS THE LIGHT JUST NOW!?!? Koushiro: Oh, what ever could that have been, ahahaha....

Koushiro is no better at lying now than he was three years ago.

Without Koushiro, the three kids cross over. They land in a forest of the Digital World.

Daisuke: This is the Digital World?

He touches his arm, only to be startled when he feels the fabric of his jacket. It is not what he was wearing when he crossed over.

Daisuke: Ehh!? My clothes changed!?

Yep. A new feature of this Totally Not A Magical Girl show is that the new henshin artifacts cause magical costume changes. I guess Homeostasis was feeling spicy when designing them.

Oddly, neither Hikari nor Takeru comment on this. Takeru opens his mouth as if to say something, but he does not.

While the three kids begin their journey, the Digimon Kaiser watches them from his control room.

Kaiser: Coming into my garden without permission... These people don't have any manners, do they?

And cut to commercial. The Digimon Kaiser knows we're here, but we don't know he's even a thing that exists.

In the dub:

Yolei: WHOA!!! (Yolei screeches to a halt) Yolei: What's going on in here!? Izzy: (frantically hides his Digivice) Uhhhh, nothing! Yolei: Hey Izzy, what was that light!? Izzy: Uh, the computer must need a new screensaver, ehehe....

As utterly nonsensical as that retort is, it's still better than Koushiro's "Oh yeah, weird, huh?"

Davis: Whoa! My first time being downloaded... Pretty cool.... So, this is the Digital World, huh? (Davis discovers his new outfit) Davis: Whoa! This place comes with a new wardrobe! (Meanwhile, the Digimon Emperor is watching) Emperor: (menacing) Hmph! Looks like we have some visitors in my garden. And they weren't even on the guest list....

A little more bantery but basically the same.

Setting out into the Digital World, Hikari uses her Digivice's radar function to track Taichi's Digivice. She and Takeru lead the way, while Daisuke lags behind gawking at this strange new environment.

Daisuke: So this is the Digital World, huh? It's not that different from our wor-- Oh?

Daisuke stops in his tracks, staring at the bizarre sight of a vending machine sitting out in the woods in the middle of nowhere.

Daisuke: What is this doing he-- WAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!

Following in Mimi's footsteps, Daisuke approaches the vending machine only for Numemon to suddenly spill out of it and swarm him.

Takeru: Ahahahaha!!! Hikari: Ehehehe.... Daisuke: IT'S NOT FUNNY!!!

Fortunately for Daisuke, these Numemon seem to just be in a goofy mood and do not drown him in a poop flurry. They go on their merry way and leave him relatively unharassed.

Once Daisuke's back on his feet, the trio gets back on the trail.

Daisuke: So those things were Digimon? Hikari: There are all kinds. Some are cuter! Takeru: And some are scarier!

The way these two dingdongs are bouncing off of each other with wordplay doesn't translate perfectly. The Japanese words for cute and scary are 可愛い kawaii and 怖い kowai respectively. So their lines, Romanized, are:

Hikari: Motto kawaii no mo! Takeru: Motto kowai no mo ne!

Which is fun.

In the dub:

Kari: It's over this way. Davis: This place doesn't seem so scary. The way Tai put it, there were monsters everywhere. ...huh!? (Vending machine) Davis: Hey guys, check it out. There's a vending machine. I am a little thirsty. Huh. (Davis falls for the Numemon trap) Davis: AAAAAAAAAUGH!!! T.K.: Ahahahaha! Kari: Hehehe... Davis: (sarcastic) Ha ha. Very funny! (The Numemon depart) Davis: So were those things Digimon? Kari: Yep. There's tons of other ones too. A lot cuter than those. T.K.: And a lot scarier ones too! Davis: ...do they all come out of vending machines?

The dub adds quite a bit to Davis's lines but it's good stuff. I like the idea that Tai talks openly about his experiences in the Digital World. Like. Why wouldn't he? We all saw the other world appear in the sky and then a rift tear open in time and space, right? There are not enough Men in Black in the world to Flashy Thing that away.

Similarly, Davis's closing line is a valid question for someone with his limited experience to ask.

While the younger kids are tracking Taichi, Taichi is tracking them with Agumon, Patamon, and Tailmon in tow. The two groups meet in the middle.

Taichi: We're close-- Patamon: Ah! TAKERU!!! Takeru: Patamon!

Leaving Taichi behind, Patamon flies straight into Takeru's arms. Daisuke has a minor panic attack behind him, but Takeru and Hikari are thrilled to see their Digimon again.

Takeru: Long time no see! Hahahaha! Taichi: Guys! You came to help! Daisuke: Taichi-senpai! You're safe! Taichi: (stunned) Eh!? ...W...Why is Daisuke here!?

One of these people wasn't on the guest list. Though this did happen because Taichi fucked with that artifact so he really has no one to blame but himself.

Tailmon's turn! She leaps into Hikari's arms.

Tailmon: Hikari! Hikari: Tailmon!

Hugging her Partner, Hikari suddenly realizes that Tailmon's Holy Ring is now missing from her tail.

Hikari: What happened?

Flashing back to the start of the episode, Unimon's shot hits Tailmon dead-on and slams her against a tree. Unimon approaches, rearing up on their hind legs to stomp on her. Tailmon rolls away to safety, but her tail doesn't make it in time. The ring stops Unimon from crushing her tail and allows her to escape, but she loses the ring in the process.

When we return, we're now in the cave with the mysterious Courage artifact, where Tailmon finishes her story.

Tailmon: Somehow, I was able to escape. That human who calls himself Digimon Kaiser is brainwashing the Digimon.

In the dub:

Tai: They're real close by... There! Patamon: T.K.!!! T.K.: Patamon! (Patamon flies into T.K.'s arms) T.K.: Boy, am I glad to see you! Hahahaha!

Minor note: In the original, Taichi's looking down at his Digivice when Patamon suddenly senses Takeru nearby and flies off. Taichi then sprints off and follows Patamon to the others.

In the dub, Tai seems to be the first to spot them. This is despite the fact that he's looking down at his Digivice, and that he has to turn a corner in order to reach them in his next shot.

Tai: Hi, guys! I'm glad you all made it! Davis: Tai! I told those guys you'd be alright! Tai: Uh... Davis? What are you doing here!?

As with the departure scene, we really don't get the sense of how sincerely worried Daisuke was for Taichi-senpai from Davis's flippant dialogue.

Gatomon: KARI!!! Kari: Hahahaha! Gatomon! (Kari notices the missing accessory) Kari: Huh!? Your tail ring.... Tell me what happened.

The flashback proceeds with no dialogue, as in the original. Except for Unimon calling Horn Blaster when firing his shots.

Gatomon: One day, this bossy human appeared and began making Digimon into his slaves. He said, "I am the Digimon Emperor!" I heard we're all gonna have to punch a timeclock too.

Oh, shit. Quick, Gatomon! Unionize! It's your only hope now!

Gatomon neglects to mention that the Digimon being enslaved are under mind control. But we've seen the effects of those black rings for ourselves so we can make the connection.

As Tailmon finishes her story, the others have questions.

Takeru: A human? There's other humans here besides us? Tailmon: Yeah. He had a different kind of Digivice than the one Hikari has. Takeru: Is that....

Takeru and Hikari both look at Daisuke. It takes him a moment realize what they're waiting for, but then he fishes his alternate model of Digivice out of his pocket.

Daisuke: Like this? Tailmon: That's it! It was just like that! Daisuke: But this just flew out of the computer a couple minutes ago!

Daisuke, kinda panicking, backs up a few steps from the rest of the group. Implicitly, he seems to be worried that he just self-incriminated as the Digimon Kaiser.

Taichi, however, begins putting the pieces together.

Taichi: (thinking) That was one of the three lights that flew out of here. Daisuke has it... Does that mean... Daisuke is a new Chosen Child?

Meanwhile, back in the human world, Koushiro has to face the wrath of a Miyako who is not convinced by his poor lies.

Miyako: Where did everyone go? Koushiro: T-They all went home! Miyako: Liar! You're definitely hiding something, Izumi-senpai! What is the Digital World!? What is a Digimon!? Koushiro: Well, it's just-- Miyako: What is this!?

Miyako holds out her Digivice for Koushiro to see.

Koushiro: Why do you have this? Miyako: Iori has one too. Iori: (in the hall, on the phone) Yes, there's been a small change of plans. No, I'll come get the ohagi you worked so hard on.

So that makes four new Digivices that are now in play, but only three came out of the artifact. The Digimon Kaiser's came from somewhere else.

In the dub:

T.K.: Another human!? You mean that someone else comes here besides us!? There goes the neighborhood... Gatomon: Yeah. And he's got this strange new Dark Digivice that makes us unable to Digivolve. T.K.: (to Davis) Show her yours. Davis: Huh!? (Davis fishes his Digivice out of his pocket) Davis: Like this one? Gatomon: That's it! You work for the Digimon Emperor! Davis: WHAT!?!? I don't work for anybody! Besides, mine's not dark! I just got this thing when it came out of the computer! Tai: (thinking) So that's what came out of the egg when I picked it up: Three new Digivices! But why did Davis get one? What's his purpose in the Digital World? And more importantly, who got the other two Digivices?

Tailmon says nothing about a Dark Digivice or the Digivice making them unable to evolve. (Yet.) Only that there's a human menacing them with the same Digivice that Daisuke has.

The mention of the Dark Digivice makes it hard to buy that Davis could be the guy. He even points out that his Digivice is the wrong one, and the others seem to agree given that Gatomon only accuses him of "working for" the Emperor. The implied accusation is that Davis is him.

As a result, Gatomon's accusation comes out of left field. We already agree that Davis's Digivice is not the one that the Emperor has. So. What are we doing here, then?

Yolei: Where did everyone disappear to, Izzy!? Izzy: I-I told you already, Yolei! They went home! Yolei: I'm not letting you off the hook that easy! I know you're hiding something from me, Izzy! Now what is the Digital World and what exactly are Digimon!? Izzy: I-I don't know what you're talking about! Yolei: (holds up Digivice) Then what do you call this!? Izzy: (gasp) Where'd you get that? Yolei: Cody's got one as well. Cody: (in the hall, on the phone) No, Yolei's not coming over. We have to stay after school for computer club. But since you made the brownies, I'll come home and pick them up first.

Solid.

Back in the Digital World, discussion of the Kaiser continues.

Tailmon: That Digivice seems to be the reason that we can't evolve! Taichi: So that's what it is. Agumon: If only I could evolve, I'd mess him up!

Unbeknownst to the group, one of those black rings floats through the cave, making its way inside with them.

Tailmon: Because I lost my Holy Ring, my power's been cut in half. Patamon: And we got separated from Piyomon, Tentomon, and the others. Hikari: (furious) A human who's hunting Digimon!? Becoming king of Digimon!? That's ridiculous!

Tailmon losing half of her power is the in-universe justification for why she, a Digimon who is naturally Adult-stage, is now on the same level as Patamon, Agumon, and the rest. For story balance reasons, this is a nerf.

In the dub:

Gatomon: The Dark Digivice is draining our power and making us all as weak as newborn kittens! Tai: That's why you couldn't Digivolve! Agumon: Yeah! If I could Digivolve, he wouldn't stand a chance! Gatomon: The Digimon Emperor uses these powerful Dark Rings to control the Digimon. Patamon: Yeah, that's right! And once the ring captures you, you're enslaved for life! Gatomon: These collars do everything but get rid of fleas. Kari: (furious) Digimon Emperor! I'm gonna slap a Dark Ring on him!

They stay on-script until Gatomon's second line, then deviate to exposit about the Dark Rings. Fortunately, Izzy wasn't able to make the trip so the dub-exclusive exposition is, at least, fairly accurate.

Meanwhile, in his control room, the Digimon Kaiser is watching all of this unfold.

Kaiser: Hmhmhmhm! So you say. But this is just a game, and I can't stand rude trash who don't even know how to have fun.

He would get along well with Pinocchimon. The Digimon Kaiser is an antagonist who has aged very well, in this modern day of toxic gamers dunking on each other out of spite.

The Kaiser raises his finger and a set of buttons appears in the air in front of him.

Kaiser: I'll delete you.

He presses a button, pulling up an image of Monochromon.

Kaiser: Go, Monochromon!

Elsewhere in his base, he has a variety of captured Digimon crammed inside of tiny cells. A light shines inside Monochromon's cell and the ceiling opens. A platform raises Monochromon up into the world above, to carry out the Kaiser's wishes.

Every time I see the Digimon Kaiser's operation, I can't help but think he's a deliberate Shots Fired at monster-taming games like Pokemon, Dragon Warrior Monsters, or some of Digimon's own games. Our Chosen Children have raised their Virtual Pets with love and care, while this guy's out here playing Gotta Catch 'em All.

He wants to be the very best, like no one ever was.

In the dub, the Emperor responds to Kari saying she'll slap a Dark Ring on him.

Emperor: Hmhmhmhmhmhm... Oh, you think so, do you? Well, this is just a game to me. And I'm afraid that if you can't play by my rules, I'm just going to have to disqualify you. (Emperor brings up the console) Emperor: Hmm, who will destroy you. Eenie meenie miney mon! (beep) Attack, Monochromon!

This is an example of why foreknowledge of the series is useful during translation. When the Emperor says "This is all just a game to me," that's how the dub team interpreted the line "This is just a game". They're playing it for aloof condescension. Which, in a vacuum, is a reasonable interpretation. It sounds like evil banter. That is something a villain might say.

But no, he means that literally. The Kaiser thinks he's playing an immersive video game. He's not being dismissive of the situation; He's watching the kids talk about how mad they are at him and going, "What a bunch of salty tryhards! They're mad that I'm winning."

Back in the cave, the kids study the Courage artifact again.

Takeru: That... Isn't it the Crest of Courage? Taichi: Yeah, and it's really heavy.

Not taking Taichi's word for it, the others decide to try their luck picking it up. Takeru makes the first attempt but, despite his best efforts, he can't lift it.

Takeru: It's true! Hikari: Even though it's so small? (Hikari tries and fails as well.) Hikari: What is going on!? It doesn't even budge! Daisuke: I can handle a little thing like that!

Daisuke steps up to take his turn. He steels himself, squares his stance, and squats down to grip the artifact. Preparing himself for the ordeal, he musters his strength. Then he lifts.

It comes up so easily that he knocks himself over and falls on his ass.

Daisuke: WAUGH!!! Atatatat... Ugh, what the hell!? It's practically weightless! Taichi: (stunned) ...Daisuke....

Okay but Hikari loosened it up for him.

The dub slips a commercial break in here between the release of Monochromon and return to the cave. We return on quips.

T.K.: Looks like a deflated beach ball! No wonder; It's got a spike through it! Tai: Yeah. Plus, it's heavier than my mom's meatloaf! (T.K. tries to lift it and fails) T.K.: It won't budge! Kari: Move aside; This is a woman's job. (Kari tries and fails as well.) Kari: Urrrrrgh.... T.K.: Too bad we don't have a woman here to help! Davis: Guys, I pump iron all the time! Let me do it! (Davis pops it off, no problem, and falls on his ass) Davis: Whoa! ...what did I tell ya? Light as a feather. You guys need to work out a little more. Tai: There's a problem!

Dub T.K. in here delivering a "Sora will remember that"-worthy dig at Kari. Rude. Also, given that he has the same spindly little limbs as the rest of the cast, I find Davis's claims suspect.

I don't like that the dub cut the funny bit where Daisuke falling on his ass both hurt and pissed him off. I do, however, like the flippancy with which he dismisses the others' strength, blissfully unaware that this is a Thor's Hammer situation.

Taichi marveling at Daisuke's accomplishment is changed out to Tai noticing our next development.

Beneath where the artifact had been sitting is a hole in the ground. Orange light pours out of the hole and a figure slowly takes shape inside of it.

The figure is a Digimon, who throws himself at Daisuke with a familiar enthusiasm.

Digimon: Hooray! You did it! You did it! You moved the Digimental! I'm V-mon! What do they call you? Daisuke: D... Daisuke....

So already we see some differences between V-mon and a traditional Partner Digimon. He wasn't... programmed or what have you with Daisuke's personal metadata like the Partners were, and consequently isn't able to recognize Daisuke on sight.

Going into his rundown, V-mon is a Child-stage Free-attribute Small Dragon Digimon. The Free attribute means this Digimon does not fit into the Vaccine/Data/Virus triangle. It's something from outside that standard. Babies are typically Free attribute, but it's unusual for an older Digimon to be, and further hints that something's off about this Partnership.

V-mon debuted right here in the anime, but this isn't the first we've heard of such a creature. Nature Guardians featured the Adult Digimon V-dramon and Perfect evolution AeroV-dramon as Vaccine evolutionary paths for Piyomon, alongside Birdramon and Garudamon.

V-mon is clearly meant to be associated with those forms - Though, surprisingly, they will not be his evolutions in the series.

Narrator: V-mon! A naughty and mischievous Small Dragon-type Digimon, but with a strong sense of justice. He defeats his enemies with his special attack, a powerful headbutt called V-mon Head.

Really scraping the bottom of the barrel for things to name attacks.

V-mon: It's great to meet you, Daisuke! I've been waiting for you for a long time! Daisuke: Eh? Waiting for me? V-mon: Yeah! I've been waiting for the child who could move the Digimental of Courage! Taichi: (thinking) Digimental of Courage? If Daisuke moved it, then that means--

Taichi doesn't get to complete that thought, because suddenly the cave shakes. The Kaiser's fury has arrived.

Like most proper nouns, the word Digimental comes straight out of the Katakana デジメンタル Dejimentaru and is not a translation of anything. It's a composite of the brand's "Digi" with "elemental".

In the games and V-Pets they feature in, a Digimental can be used to imbue a Digimon with the power from the associated Crest. In theory, any Digimon that can use a Digimental could have a Courage form and a Purity form and a Hope form etc. etc. using one of these.

But the show character-locks them like the Crests which kinda defeats the purpose, and modern games have more or less done away with Digimental evolutions that don't feature in the show. Unfortunate, because they're one of the coolest ideas in the franchise.

The franchise didn't commit to them so now they're just a gimmick, adding extra steps to unlock a handful of Digimon that won't be very useful in late-game stuff anyway.

In the dub:

Digimon: Yahoo! Free at last! Free at last! You moved the Digi-Egg. My name is Veemon, but you can just call me Veemon! Davis: ...hi, I'm Davis.... Agumon: (rundown) I've heard of Veemon! Supposedly, he's a fun-loving adventure-seeking little Digimon that brings you good luck! But I thought he was just a legend! Veemon: Nope, I'm real, alright! And I've been waiting a very long time to meetcha, Davis! Davis: Uh, I think you've got the wrong guy. Veemon: Nope, you're the one alright! Because you're the only one who was able to move the Digi-Egg of Courage. Tai: (thinking) That's right! Even though I have the Crest of Courage, I couldn't move the Digi-Egg. But Davis could....

Hard to do a diegetic rundown for a Digimon that no one's ever met before, but Agumon throwing in "I thought he was a legend!" helps cover that. Though his explanation of V-mon being a mischievous prankster but with a strong moral fiber leaves much to be desired.

"Brings you good luck"? Agumon, what the fuck? In his defense, he's just reciting legends so maybe some details have shifted over eons of Telephone Game. XD

The more glaring issue is that they refer to Digimentals as Digi-Eggs. This is despite the fact that Digitama are already Digi-Eggs. Using the same terminology for both conflates things in a way that was very confusing to my childhood brain.

Uh-oh, out of time! The cave shakes violently.

Taichi: W-WAUGH!!! Daisuke: What the-- An earthquake!? Takeru: No! Up there!

Takeru points up through the little hole in the ceiling, where the Kaiser's Monochromon has arrived. It forces its way through, breaking the hole open further to grant it passage.

Monochromon: RRRRAAAAAAAAGH!!! Daisuke: WAHHHHHHHH!!! IT'S A MONSTER!!! Hikari: That's a Digimon too. Takeru: It's Monochromon!

As in the first series, Monochromon is an Adult-stage Data-attribute Ankylosaur Digimon. Fun fact, the Japanese word for ankylosaur is 鎧竜 gairyuu which translates literally to "Armored Dragon".

Narrator: Monochromon. An Adult-stage Digimon whose horn and shell are as hard as diamonds. Their special attack is an intensely hot fireball called Volcano Strike.

The original rundown mentioned that Monochromon is docile, but attacks relentlessly until their enemy is defeated if angered. This one foregoes that information in favor of explaining that they shoot fireballs.

Makes sense. Under the effects of the black ring, Monochromon's behavioral patterns aren't as important as they were on File Island. The fireball is more situationally relevant right now.

In the dub:

Tai: AUGH!!! Davis: What's that, an earthquake!? T.K.: No! Look up there! (Monochromon breaks through) Monochromon: RRRRAAAAAAAAGH!!! Davis: IT'S A MONSTEEEEEEEER!!! Kari: No, that's a Digimon! T.K.: Monochromon! T.K.: (rundown) Monochromon! His shell is harder than diamonds! His attack, Volcanic Strike, sends out millions of fireballs!

It does not. T.K. is embellishing to freak out Davis and that's very rude of him.

I do like using the veteran kids to deliver the diegetic rundowns, but I don't know why you would have him say this. We're going to see Monochromon use Volcanic Strike five seconds from now.

The Digimon give their best attempts at resisting Monochromon.

And by best attempt, I mean Patamon and Agumon fire off shots that glance harmlessly off Monochromon's diamond hide. Monochromon closes their eyes, braces themself, and tanks their shots without flinching. Meanwhile, Tailmon hangs back and provides moral support.

After weathering their attacks, Monochromon opens their mouth and prepares its Volcano Strike. Which would, y'know, be really bad in a confined space like this.

Takeru: That won't work! Run for it! (flees) Hikari: (flees) Taichi: DAISUKE!!! (flees)

Taichi's voice shakes Daisuke out of his shocked Freeze reaction and he joins the others in Flight. As the kids make it into the tunnel, Monochromon lets off Volcano Strike. The fire explodes at the entrance to the room, but the kids are already on their way down the tunnel.

V-mon: Daisuke, what are you doing!? Quick, you have to find your Courage! Daisuke: What are you on about!?

Monochromon races down the tunnel, nearly catching Daisuke and V-mon, but they emerge from the tunnel into daylight ahead.

As usual, the dub has Monochromon call Volcanic Strike as he shoots, even though this is a non-verbal Digimon.

Monochromon: VOLCANIC STRIKE!!! T.K.: Come on, let's go! (flees) Kari: Ah!!! (flees) Tai: Davis! (flees) (Davis shakes out of it and runs too) Veemon: Davis, hurry up and open the Digi-Egg! Davis: I don't know what you're talking about!

Neither of V-mon/Veemon's comments are super helpful.

Daisuke exits the cave, reaching the top of a hill, but Monochromon doesn't follow him out.

Daisuke: Huh? What happened? Taichi: (at the bottom) Daisuke! Over here!

Taichi tries to warn Daisuke to keep going, but only winds up distracting him. From inside the cave, Monochromon fires off another Volcano Strike.

V-mon: DAISUKE!!!

V-mon tackles Daisuke, shoving him down the hill as the fireball shoots past. Somehow, it then descends the hill so it can keep going at the lower ground level, and nearly hits Hikari too.

Daisuke survives the fall, just a bit roughed up, but his goggles shatter when he lands.

V-mon: Are you okay, Daisuke!? Daisuke: Yeah... Thanks.... V-mon: Daisuke, if you'd just find your courage... if you'd just say "Digimental Up"....

Yeah, the Not Magical Girls now have henshin phrases to go with their activation tools. It's definitely not Magical Girls though!

Taichi runs over to Daisuke.

Taichi: Daisuke! Are you okay? Daisuke: Y-Yes.... V-mon: Say "Digimental Up" and I'll be able to evolve! Taichi: What did you say!?

"Digimental Up" is English. Well, as English as the made-up nonsense word "Digimental" can be. But the "Up" is the English word.

Agumon emerges from the woods, along with Takeru and Patamon.

Agumon: TAICHIIIIII!!! Takeru: Hikari-chan's leg!

A short distance away, Hikari's seated on the ground, rubbing her ankle.

Tailmon: Hikari.... Hikari: It's just a little twisted.

Ah, the twisted ankle. A classic debilitating injury for female characters specifically in order to justify while they'll be helpless and vulnerable for a while. We see a lot of that one in media.

Suddenly, Monochromon lunges. Bounding off the cliff, they hurdle the boys and go straight for Hikari. Fortunately, I guess they leap straight into a time vortex left behind by Apocalymon 'cause it's gonna take them a full minute to land that jump.

Hikari: (terrified gasp) V-mon: Hurry! Taichi: Daisuke! Daisuke: Hikari-chan...!

Daisuke stands up, whips the broken goggles off his head, and throws them to the ground.

Daisuke: I'll try it. Taichi: ... Daisuke: DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

In the dub:

Davis: That was close! Tai: Davis! Get down here! (Fireball. Veemon says nothing and pushes Davis down the hill) Veemon: Davis, tell me: What hurts? Davis: Everything but my earlobes. Veemon: You control the Digi-Egg of Courage! You've got to use your courage to open it up! (Tai emerges from the woods) Tai: Davis, get up! It's not safe! Davis: Uggggh... Okay.... Veemon: I can Digivolve if you open the egg, but you have to have courage to do it! Tai: It's worth a try! (T.K., Agumon, and Patamon emerge from the woods) Agumon: TAIIIIIIII!!! T.K.: We've gotta get out of here! (Cut to Kari) Gatomon: Kari? Kari: I can't move my ankle! Tai: We're sitting ducks here! (Monochromon lunges) Kari: (gasp) Veemon: Davis! Tai: Have courage! Davis: Kari's in trouble! (Davis stands up and discards his goggles) Davis: You want courage!? I'll show you courage! Digi-Armor Energize!

"Digi-Armor Energize" is the dub's version of "Digimental Up", but it's a little awkward because nobody told Davis how to do this. All he's been told is to open the egg with his courage, with no practical instruction on the procedure.

V-mon, ARMOR SHINKAAAAAA!!!

Typically, a Digimon evolution only has them give their name at the finish, but Armor Evolutions get titles. This one is Blazing Courage Fladramon. Fladramon's evolution also gives us our first listen of "Break Up", the new "Show Me Your Brave Heart".

Fladramon introduces himself by bringing Monochromon down with a headbutt.

Taichi: He evolved!? Takeru: ... Hikari: ... Daisuke: Amazing!

Fladramon is an Armor-stage Free-attribute Dragon Man Digimon. The Armor stage exists outside the typical level-up hierarchy. Armor Digimon are typically treated as being on the same level as Adult Digimon, though some are far beyond.

Narrator: Fladramon. An Armor-stage Digimon who evolved from V-mon with the Digimental of Courage. Its special attack is Fire Rocket, which wraps its body in flames to pulverize its enemy. Kaiser: (control room) Armor Evolution, huh? The power from my Dark Digivice should have prevented him from evolving. Hm... They're pretty good, aren't they?

Demonstrating exactly how good they are, Fladramon stops Monochromon's charge and then hoists the colossal creature into a suplex.

The dub calls him Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage.

Tai: Armor Digivolve!? T.K.: ... Kari: Huh!? Davis: Whoa! What's that!? Flamedramon: (rundown) I am Flamedramon. As Veemon, I used the Digi-Egg of Courage to Armor Digivolve. My Fire Rocket attack will charbroil the enemy like a well-done steak. Emperor: Armor Digivolve, huh? Against the power of my Dark Digivice, they shouldn't be able to Digivolve at all. Hmm... They're more resourceful than I thought....

As Monochromon charges, the dub starts up Run Around, the replacement song for Hey Digimon which is honestly much better than Hey Digimon. Kind of a banger. They got the sound right for Badass Fuck 'em Up Song this time.

Monochromon may be down, but they're not defenseless.

As Fladramon tries to close distance, Monochromon lets off consecutive shots of Volcano Strike to keep him at bay. Fladramon stays on approach, punching the attacks out of his way.

Monochromon rises and charges, slamming their head into Fladramon and flipping him up into the air. Fladramon recovers in the air, powering up Fire Rocket and engulfing himself in flames.

Tailmon: Aim for that black ring!

As requested, Fladramon slams a blazing headbutt into the ring. It shatters, releasing Monochromon.

With the enemy defeated, Fladramon reverts. The energy from his armor goes into Daisuke's Digivice, then shoots over into a portable communication device in his pocket similar to the ones that Taichi and Koushiro have. Raising further questions about where these devices came from.

Daisuke takes it out of his pocket and flips it open, seeing the egg-shaped Digimental now stored on his screen. Meanwhile, V-mon returns to his base form and Hikari pets the previously rampaging Monochromon.

Hikari: You're okay now.

Now that the peril is over, her Convenient Damselizing Injury has recovered just fine.

In the dub:

Gatomon: Barbecue that Dark Ring, Flamedramon! (Flamedramon frees Monochromon and reverts, giving Davis his new gear) Kari: (petpet, cooing) That's a good Monochromon.

Small change: Tailmon directing Fladramon where to attack is now Gatomon cheering on the attack Flamedramon was already lining up. Remember that V-mon just got here and has zero context for why this Monochromon is attacking them. So far as he knows, this is just a brawl with some asshole who wants to fight.

Returning to the Digimon Kaiser's control room, a small caterpillar Digimon crawls in unnoticed.

Kaiser: It looks like I'll have to play seriously against you guys. Digimon: Ken-chan....

Takeru and Hikari see Monochromon off on their way. Hikari waves goodbye.

Takeru: To turn such a docile Digimon into a ferocious minion....

V-mon shakes hands with Daisuke.

V-mon: One more time, it's nice to meet you, Daisuke. Daisuke: Yeah! Taichi: (approaches) That was amazing! Armor Evolution! Agumon: We can't evolve, but your power could defeat the Digimon Kaiser! V-mon: Yeah! Leave it to me!

The dub puts its final commercial break here, and then we return to the Emperor's control room.

Digimon: You summoned me, oh evil emperor? Emperor: I believe that we've found ourselves a worthy foe at last. Digimon: Great! Just one question... What's a foe?

This is completely wrong. The Kaiser doesn't acknowledge the caterpillar's presence, and he certainly isn't going out of his way to interact with him. At the same time, the Digimon demonstrates a close connection by addressing the Kaiser by his real name, while in the dub he simply banters with the Emperor as an evil minion to an evil overlord.

Dub team has completely misjudged the relationship here.

Kari: Goodbye, Monochromon! Don't forget to write! T.K.: I can't believe the Digimon Emperor can turn such a nice Digimon into such a nasty creature!

This part's solid.

Veemon: Nice workin' with ya, Davis! Let's do it again sometime. Davis: Great! Tai: Hey guys! That Armor Digivolving was pretty cool! Agumon: Even though the rest of us can't Digivolve, I know that you new guys will be able to defeat the Digimon Emperor with no problem! Veemon: Yeah, leave it to me.

Also solid.

It's at this point that Taichi comes to a fateful decision.

Taichi: Daisuke, you really are a new Chosen Child. From now on, you will protect the Digital World.

He takes off his goggles and hands them over to Daisuke.

Taichi: Here. These are my goggles. Use them.

I mean, the mini telescope would probably be a lot more useful but sure. Thanks. Daisuke dons the goggles, accepting his role as Taichi's successor.

Hikari: They suit you, don't they? Daisuke: Eh? (smiling) You think so?

Once that's settled, they notice that the sun's going down.

Patamon: We should be safe now. Takeru: Eh? Why's that? Tailmon: The Digimon Kaiser doesn't come out at night.

It's almost like he has a bedtime schedule or something.

In the dub:

Tai: Davis, I think you were really brave back there in that battle but I noticed that you broke your goggles. And, as we all know, the leader of the DigiDestined just wouldn't look right without them. So here, I want you to have mine. (Davis puts on Tai's goggles) Davis: Wow... Kari: They look real cute! Davis: (embarrassed) Haha....

"The leader of the DigiDestined"? It's his first day, Tai. What the fuck.

In the original, he's just being inducted as "one of us now" but the dub goes full-on "Meet the new boss, everybody!"

Kari's line changes from a meta commentary on how Daisuke fits the role of the Taichi character to just. Flirting. I guess.

Patamon: Good! The sun's going down! Now we can relax. T.K.: Why's that? Gatomon: The Digimon Emperor never appears at night.

Straight translation.

Well, if it's getting late, we should probably get going too.

Agumon: Hey, Taichi, don't you have to be heading home soon? Taichi: Oh, that's right. I hope the Gate hasn't closed yet. (to Daisuke and the others) Where did you guys come from?

The kids lead the way back to their access point. Along the way, they can hear Iori and Miyako with Koushiro on the other side of the Gate.

Miyako: Aww... You're so late, Iori.... Iori: I couldn't help it. I had to go get the ohagi. Koushiro: This ohagi is delicious!

As the kids approach, we finally see what the Gate looks like on this side: It's a little TV displaying the human world from the connected monitor.

The trio back in the human world are taking their sweet time, enjoying their sugary confections from what appear to be takeout boxes.

Miyako: Ahhh, that was so good! So, should we get going? Koushiro: Eh? To where? Miyako: (points at the screen) Isn't that obvious? The Digital Wor--EUGH!?!?

Glancing at the screen, Miyako realizes that Daisuke, Takeru, Hikari, and Taichi are all visible in the Gate's little viewing window.

Daisuke: Hey! It's me! It's Daisuke!

The Gate activates. The children turn into light and are absorbed by the TV in the Digital World, making the return trip back to the human world. They explode out of the computer monitor, landing in a heap on top of Koushiro, Miyako, and Iori.

Agumon: @_@ It just sucked them in....

From here, we close out on the Digimon Kaiser, alone in his command center.

Narrator: And so Daisuke and the others returned to the real world. But who is this Digimon Kaiser who appeared all of a sudden? Now, a new adventure was about to begin.

Lot of unanswered questions hanging in the wake of these events.

In the dub:

Agumon: Excuse me, Tai, but it is getting late! Don't you guys need to go home soon? Tai: We sure do, but I'm not even sure if we can get home. (to Davis and the others) Be careful. Never stay too long. (They head back to the Gate) Yolei: Hey Izzy, Cody's back. Can we go to the Digital World now? Izzy: The Gate might close. It's not safe. Cody: But at least I got the brownies! Izzy: Mmmm, this is the best thing I've ever tasted! Yolei: Hey, what does it mean when the light on that thing goes on? Izzy: What thing? Yolei: That thing on the computer. I just saw the light go on--WAHHHHH!!!! (Yolei sees the others inside and freaks) Davis: HEY!!! Guys, let me in! It's Davis! (Davis and the others warp through the Gate) Agumon: ...you don't see that every day.... (dogpile in the human world) Izzy: GET OFF!!! YOU'RE CRUSHING MY BROWNIES!!! (Digimon Emperor) Emperor: Mhmhmhmhm.... Narrator: While Davis and the others have returned to the real world, the Digimon Emperor was planning his next attack. Can the DigiDestined stop him? A new adventure has just begun on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

Dub seems more interested in fighting the Emperor than figuring out his identity but this is pretty solid. Though Yolei gets an actual "No" from Izzy about going to the Digital World; It's funnier in the original, where Iori's ohagi errand has eaten up their entire window of opportunity and now it's just too late.

Assessment: We are off on a new adventure and you can already feel how different things are going to be this time around. We get to go home at night! We can just pop into the Digital World for a plot and then fuck right off.

Just from that alone, there's some "I had to fight Digimon uphill in the snow both ways! Kids these days!"

This episode is mainly an introduction to the new status quo. New villain, new circumstances, new protagonists. We'll be getting to know Miyako and Iori better in episodes to come, but Daisuke gets a lot of focus for this one.

[hyog-blog]

Fangs of Fortune (ep. 13 - ep. 17)

I had to binge quite a few episodes, otherwise I'd be dreaming of demons and lots of beautiful people crying in the snow (which, I probably will anyway D:)

We went from a relatively happy family outing slightly tainted with betrayal and misunderstandings to the depths of psychological hell and eternal self-loathing. The level of inner and outer torment has reached critical levels and I'm guessing it will only peak in the upcoming episodes, now that the secret is out and everyone knows why exactly Zhu Yan was and still is so intent on dying from Zhuo Yichen's hands (well, and dying in general). What kind of sins he had unwillingly committed.

This is ingenious, really. Ethically complex. Psychologically distorted. Heavily PTSD'ed on all sides. It seems the recipe for making everyone suffer unimaginable sufferings is to put the Big Bad Murderous Darkness into the most caring, attentive, gorgeous demon being, let him lose control over the aforementioned Murderous Darkness once in a while, then make him fall into the abyss of self-blaming and self-loathing, and then make him try to end his life by the hands of the people he has wronged and cares about. I mean wow-wow-wow, just writing it down conceptually is heavy, the way everyone played their roles was BEYOND, just beyond. Totally and fully believable.

It's like the worst case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but on a grander metaphysical scale. And it can't be solved just by one Great Demon dying - because such is the order of things that another being like that will be born, to bear the same fate. It's an interesting concept to put as one of the main motifs of the whole drama - the evil of the world and all the people that just exists by itself as a force, and one single person/vessel that has to curb it and sometimes channel it, without having any choice whatsoever. Or maybe there is? Now I'm wondering if Zhu Yan's idea about stopping the cycle of such vessels being born again and again is doable at all. In that kind of world where fate rules everything and everyone, and the options are quite limited, actually.

But I love how it's also always about the choice. It was Qing Geng's choice to stay with Fei willingly and get sealed together. And then, later, it was once again her free choice to stay in a dream and never leave the place. A-Heng didn't have a choice but to kill when he became a puppet, and Pei Sijing seemingly didn't have a choice when she killed him (but that still WAS her choice). Zhu Yan didn't have a choice when he lost control over the malicious energy, but he did have it afterward - what to do, how to live, or not live. How to punish himself severely inside out. So much of it is fate, destiny, guilt, unimaginable suffering. But even Zhuo Yichen makes his choice - despite his own pain and loss, he chooses not to kill Zhu Yan because that won't really solve anything or make anyone happy (while alive he could still do some good for the people who suffered because of him). I love how the show explores this topic of free will despite everything happening around the characters that's out of their control.

We still don't know what those Chongwu guys want, but Li Lun seems to be bearing quite a grudge towards his ex former bff. I mean, he was so emo before Zhu Yan took him out to see the mortal world and didn't want anything to do with it at first. I wonder what happened between the two of them. Well, he later wanted to get free (which is understandable), but merging the mortal and demon worlds is never a good idea, nope, so I see why the Goddess would imprison him.

I'm wondering how Zhao Yuanzhou is functioning at all with that level of grief he's carrying around. Like getting up, walking, talking, even smiling sometimes. Those must be some hardcore demonic superpowers, because someone else would have been crushed completely and totally by the amount of pain (but then again, he approached Zhuo Yichen and the rest of them only to make his deathwish come true, so that could have been his fuel before).

And after everything, the show managed to joke about cutting sleeves XD nearly making Yinglei quite literally cut his sleeve for baby Bai Jiu. That the show would even go there is risky enough, but this - my jaw slightly dropped))) And between two sweetest brotherly brothers, ahah)))

It's been quite a trip, I will need to digest this whole sequence of events. I still can't get over the scenes and dialogues when Zhu Yan was prepping Zhuo Yichen to kill or subdue him. And what about that ability to be immune to his demonic word spells? I wonder how it works and what he had to do for it to work. Also, the scene with the scars on Zhu Yan's back... Heartbreak all over, everyone is crying, hating but not fully totally, probably loving as well, but not forgiving. It's COMPLEX, uh.

[ninjastormhawkkat]

Evangeline could sense this hero was being genuine, but she couldn’t go with him. Not now. Evangeline shook her head. “I can’t go with you. See this place, this is where the others have been trapped like I was. I need to free them now before Drake and Myra do something horrible to them.” Tristan raised an eyebrow in confusion and surprise. “Myra? Drake? Are you referring to Matthew’s mother and uncle? I’m afraid what you have said is impossible. Myra is likely dead now and so is Drake. I know since Matthew admitted he killed Drake.” Tristan explained. Evangeline looked shocked. “Drake..is dead?” She spoke with a stunned voice. Tristan nodded. Evangeline looked down as she tried to process what Tristan said. It was clear to her that he knew Matthew as well, but what he said, it shouldn’t be accurate. “That’s…that’s impossible.” Evangeline uttered. “Drake and Myra can’t be killed! Matthew shouldn’t have been able to kill Drake..unless.” A strange, hopeful expression appeared on Evangeline’s face which further confused Tristan. ‘What is she talking about? Why does she think Drake and Myra couldn’t be killed?’ Evangeline looked at Wordman with a hopeful expression. “Listen, I was originally planning on storming this place and save as many lives as I can. But what you just said is true, then that means Matthew is the key to freeing all those hostages left. I didn’t want to drag him into this mess, but he may be the only one who can help. I need you to take me to him, please.” Evangeline pleaded. Tristan frowned. “I do plan on taking you to a place where we can talk, but I agreed that Matthew would not have to be near you, nor his family. I am aware of what you have done under Drake’s command.” Tristan growled. Evangeline frowned, looking guilty and ashamed. “I know. I can’t begin to make up for the horrible things that happened to him. Matthew didn’t deserve the torment he went through. Still, if I’m right about what Matthew might be, then he could be a threat to Myra and her allies. It would also explain why Myra and Drake kicked him out after Sebastian was killed. Please. You have to trust me.” Gene wasn’t sure what to expect when the door to his home opened. He hoped Tristan returned safely once again. He didn’t expect to see Hugh carrying Patricia who was missing a leg. He definitely didn’t expect Archie to carry what looked like a zombie dog who was holding Patricia’s leg. Matthew let out a fearful yelp and hugged Carl tightly when he saw the decaying dog. “Why is there a zombie dog here?” Matthew exclaimed fearfully. “It’s not a zombie dog. He’s a Church Grimm. The reason why he’s here is because he won’t let go of my leg.” Patricia exclaimed in a slightly frustrated tone. Gene blinked as he tried to process what he was seeing and hearing. The dog was still holding Patricia’s leg and seemed to be growling at the woman. “Um…why did the Church Grimm steal your leg?” Gene asked hesitantly. “Hey, this little guy was just doing his job. A very good job I must admit. You see, Church Grimms are the dead spirits of animals buried in graveyards. Their job is to protect the souls and bodies buried in cemeteries. I believe he’s upset because I’m technically undead and not laid to rest. He’s trying to drag me back to whatever grave I’m supposed to be buried in.” Patricia turned to the dog. “I’m sorry boy, I’m still alive also.” The woman cooed. The decaying dog ruffed at her, not looking happy. Patricia then frowned. “Though I am confused as to why a Church Grimm is in America. His species are found in Northern Europe mainly.” @dualnaturedscientist

"Hold on a minute, some weird guy is staring at me. Probably some bum trying to get change off of me." Comments like that had ensured he would absolutely be relieved of guilt for what was to happen next. A smile spreads across the figure's facial features, revealing inhumanly sharp teeth glinting in the street lights. A hand quickly shot out, taking a hold of the rather obnoxious man. "What the hell are you doing-" A scream soon pierced the quietness of the night. It quickly became a horrendous gurgling noise. The cellphone in the man's hand had fallen in the process. Leaving the person on the other end to become worried and confused about what was happening to the man. It didn't take very long for the man to become completely still. The figure allows him to finally fall to the cement below, licking at his blood stained lips in satisfaction. "The night, it is still so young. I don't think I shall waste another minute on you." Like a ghost in the night, he had vanished. As if he were never there. Leaving only the grotesque mess he had made for others to find. Unknown to him, there was a witness to this who had seen the whole thing. Watching in complete and utter fear. The figure grinned, it was as if he were seeing the world through different eyes. The opportunities that awaited him. It sent a shiver of excitement up his spine. His thirst might have satiated but he wasn't satisfied with only that. Oh no. There was so much more he had in mind for this city. Just wait till morning until they discover his little surprise for all to see. It wasn't until hours later did he finally return to the house. Feeling pleased with himself. Carl shot up in bed, heart racing so fast within his chest. Calming down once realizing he was in bed with Matthew. It took the retired scientist to recognize his surroundings. "That's right.. we're at Gene's place." The dream he had woken up from was already fading from his memory. It was rather absurd, recalling what he could. He could've sworn the dream was incredibly vivid and felt so real. But the little bits of the dream that he did remember became fuzzy and distant in his mind. Carl wasn't as quiet as he thought. Matthew had woken up. "Love, are you okay?" His voice had brought Carl from his thoughts. "Matthew, dearest. I hadn't meant to wake you up." He frowned, feeling guilty as he wanted his husband to get as much rest as needed. "It's alright, I needed to get up early anyway. Don't feel bad, my darling. I'm worried about you, though.” He gave Matthew a smile. “It was just a dream. I was just startled from a dream. I don't even remember what happened in it anymore. I'll be fine.” Matthew pulled the other into his arms, holding him in such a comforting manner. Placing a loving kiss to Carl's forehead. “Even so, I've still got you.” The former scientist blushed. Matthew still had such an effect on him even after all this time. “Thank you, my love.” They had stayed like that for a good while. It wasn't until Carl noticed the time that he forced Matthew to get out of bed and to get ready for his community service. Though there was something that had been bothering Carl since waking up. He had not remembered going back to bed after his conversation with Gene last night. No matter how much he tried to, it just kept coming up blank to him. Carl sighed, he must've been that tired that he didn't remember. He was getting up there in age. “I could stay back. Margaret won't be very happy about it but I don't want to leave you if you're not okay.” Carl smiled once more. “I'm not going to be responsible for what she'd do if you tried. You're also expecting a new face there, aren't you?” Matthew looked surprised at that. He had completely forgotten about that. And Carl did make a point. Wincing at the thought of what Margaret might do if he actually did skip out on it. Though for Carl, it would've been absolutely worth it. Whatever punishment she'd dole out, he'd endure for his dearest husband. “Go get dressed now.” Matthew chuckled at that before doing as he said. Leaving Carl to this thoughts.

Carl still felt unsettled by the dream, it was like he was walking through a mist. Yet at the same time it was like someone or something was controlling his body and actions. The dream was scary, but also ludicrous. At one point Carl thought he saw someone who looked like his old narcissus ex boyfriend who he never thought about again until now. Carl just let out a sigh and shook his head. 'It was just a nightmare.' Carl reassured himself. He remembered how reading how the mind and senses can trick the body into thinking something is real when it isn't. His strange dream was just one of those cases. Carl decided to get out of bed and go downstairs. He was going to try and help his son and other son-in-law deal with this strange and frightening case of kidnapping. Carl pushed away the issue of the nightmare and headed downstairs, ignoring the feeling of dread in the back of his mind. Carl also did not pay attention to that fact that his mouth was no longer dry and that there was no glass cup on the nightstand when he got up that morning. Atomic Steele surveyed the area with caution and an intense gaze. He was going over the area looking for something out of the ordinary. Something that had bothered his friend and teammate Electric Blur. Something in this seemingly abandoned area affected Blur's powers. "I wasn't sure what just happened. It felt like I was suddenly communicating emotionally with a strange energy wave that was being transmitted from there. I felt uneasy and scared...but also sad for some reason." That is what Blur told Atomic when she came back to their hideout looking shaken and worried. She told him she never felt anything like that before, not even from the fallen B.E.A.W labs. Atomic Steele offered to check it out for her as the young heroine wasn't keen on returning to the spot. While Electric Blur was being comforted by her other teammates, Atomic followed the directions the heroine had given him to the location where she felt the strange and unsettling energy. What Atomic Steele found when he got there was a large but abandoned warehouse surrounded by an empty field. The area was surrounded by a rusted, wired fence. The place looked like it hadn't been used for years. Still, the normally brave yet brash young hero couldn't help but feel a child go up his spine. His gut and instincts telling him there is something dangerous here, something evil. Atomic Steele walked up to the doors of the warehouse. He grabbed at a rusted handle and tried opening it. To the hero's surprise and growing caution, the door easily unlocked. Atomic Steele took a deep breath and steadied his nerves. He then proceeded inside the warehouse in a slow pace, ready to discover what laid inside. "Oh hello there Matthew. Cutting it a bit close are we." Miss Dewey lightly teased the former villain as he just came into the library to start his community service. "Sorry about that Miss Dewey. I had some problems this morning but I'm here now." Matthew replied, feeling a bit embarrassed about cutting things close. He really didn't want to leave Carl and Gene alone during the family crisis that was happening but at the same time he really didn't want to test the limits of his second chance at freedom from prison. Miss Dewey gave the man a look of sympathy and concern. "You know, if there is a serious problem going on at home, I wouldn't mind helping you fill out some forms to request a temporary leave from your community service." The librarian offered. Matthew smiled in appreciation at her kind gesture. "Thank you Miss Dewey but I'll be alright." Matthew responded. "So has the new service worker arrived yet?", the former villain asked. Miss Dewey smiled and nodded. "Yes he is here. Matthew, allow me to introduce you to Frank Leigh." Matthew glanced over to the man Miss Dewey introduced. He looked to be a few years older than Victor but still younger than Matthew and Carl. He had dark hair and light, blueish gray eyes. The man gave a friendly wave to Matthew. "Hi nice to meet you." Frank spoke in a kind tone. @dualnaturedscientist

[dykedvonte]

I think the most baffling thing about the Tulpar as a vessel to me is the fact that the ship really did only have a one way communication system.

I know it was cheap but even the most basic of vessels regarding major transport would have some way, shape or form for outside communication. Not only that but there was absolutely no form of innate emergency signal to show they may have been offline or in trouble despite clearly having a system to dock credits if they went off course. It's another factor that really shows that bad situations are made to get worse by design. One person who is required to relay all information to the crew and make all the choices without feedback. No way to update or call for help in case of a dire situation. No way to inform of inner personal conflicts and acquire procedures accordingly.

It really is like they are all in some sort of fucked up solitary confinement. They have their own world with strict roles that are meaningless in the end, as long as the cargo makes it, it doesn't matter what happens on that ship to the company. They don't want to hear anything and will come to conclusions on what happened based on how much pay they can withhold from the workers. Even what they do send is short, sterile and corporate to the extent it was likely written and sent out with a command by some random unmanned computer in an office.

There's something to be said about how unfair it is to force absolute power and control onto one person when you as an entity could do so much more to offload it but I've said it many times before so I won't again.