#sans can summon platforms

[afterartist]

Not many people utilise the fact that Sans can cannonicaly summon platforms,

But seeing as Helical lives in a desert, but can’t touch sunlight or he’ll die, he finds them a very handy portable shade (or seat if he’s tired lmao)

(Helical also doesn’t have Gaster Blasters so he uses the platforms a lot more when he fights then most other AUs)

Also full bodies still suck to draw-

How do other artists do it so easily- dvddhegvcdgvde

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x53 - The Final Dark Digimon / Now Apocalymon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Piemon put a lot of effort into collecting Digimon Adventure memorabilia but then Takeru mugged him and stole all of his shit.

Now the Chosen Children have been faced with a startling revelation: The Dark Masters were a symptom, not the cause. Who is the true enemy that they must face?

We open on the consumption of Spiral Mountain. What can only be described as the distortions of the Digital World finally made manifest and visible bleeds out over the wireframe of what had been Spiral Mountain, covering it all. At the top, the platform that had been the Dark Masters' home disintegrates into pixels.

The Chosen Children were up there so, y'know, they're fucked. They plunge together into the eldritch void where reality breaks. Their Digimon, still in their Perfect and Ultimate forms, fly in after them.

Garudamon: SORA!!! MetalGarurumon: YAMATO!!! AtlurKabuterimon: KOUSHIRO!!! Angewomon: HIKARI!!! Zudomon: JOU!!!

Nobody calls out for Taichi, Mimi, or Takeru. Rude.

One by one, the Children arrive at a space in the void where gravity stops pulling on them. They float, adrift in this space beyond reality.

In the dub, Tai narrates a bit for us.

Tai: Spiral Mountain is disintegrating! WATCH OUT!!! (The platform they're standing on disintegrates and the kids fall into the void) WarGreymon: TAI!!! Garudamon: SORA!!! MetalGarurumon: MATT!!! Lilimon: MIMI!!!

Tai yelling "Watch out!" as if the entire landmass you're standing on vaporizing as reality shatters around you is something you can dodge. XD He'd try, though. We all know he'd try.

They change up which Partners call out for their kid. Sora and Yamato/Matt get call-outs in both versions while both versions snub Takeru/T.K. That boy defeated Piemon and still gets no respect.

Together, the kids and their Partner Digimon come to realize their descent has ceased.

Jou: (relieved) We stopped.... WarGreymon: Taichi! Are you safe!? Taichi: Yeah.... Koushiro: What is this place?

As if on cue, Koushiro's laptop beeps to alert him to an incoming message. Not an email this time; Gennai transmits a live call, though the connection is fuzzy and starts breaking up immediately.

Gennai: This darkness probably goes on forever. Koushiro: Gennai-san! Taichi: Hey! What the hell is going on here!? Yamato: We already defeated the Dark Masters! Gennai: But the root cause of all this evil hasn't been defeated yet. Children: EHHHH!?!? Gennai: The source of darkness came from the Wall of Fire. Jou: Wall of Fire? Gennai: There was an inscription in the Ancient Dino Region. The inscription said this: Long ago in ancient times, something emerged from beyond the Wall of Fire. Just by existing, this creature warped the fabric of space-time, bringing the world to the brink of collapse. Gennai: The Digimon could not defeat it with their own power, so they called on Chosen Children from the real world to help them eradicate it. Taichi: Huh!? But that means.... Jou: There were Chosen Children before us! Sora: Then we were also called because something came through the Wall of Fire again! And that's the real enemy!

Well, that's an infodump and a half. This is what Gennai and Centarumon were talking about last episode. Something came through the Wall of Fire long ago and had to be defeated, and now it's back for more.

The revelation that there was another set of Chosen Children before the Hikarigaoka Eight raises all kinds of questions and it's unfortunate that Homeostasis is not around to answer them.

(Though it also kind of makes sense, since it hasn't been explained why Parrotmon and Hikari's Koromon "fell through a breach in reality", as Homeostasis explained. That was probably the first time the Wall of Fire creature was tearing down the fabric of reality. So Homeostasis summoned one set of Children then and there to face that one, then started preparing for the Hikarigaoka Eight to face it when it returned.)

Note: The five Chosen Children we see in the flashback here are... uh... not canon. Which is to say, what we're seeing here are silhouettes of Taichi, Takeru, Sora, Koushiro, and Yamato, along with their specific five Partner Digimon.

02 and Tri would later flesh out the Original Five more, including their own distinct set of Partner Digimon. But for the original anime, they reused five of the existing kids because the specifics of the Original Five don't really matter much to this story.

What I do find interesting, however, is that the O5 were summoned directly to Primary Village and received their Partners from some Digitama that happened to be lying around. It makes the O-5's summoning seem a bit more rushed than the careful processing of Partners, Digivices, and Crests in a lab that Homeostasis was trying to do for the H-8.

In the dub:

WarGreymon: Tai, are you alright!? Tai: Y-Yeah... Izzy: Uh, this may be a stupid question but how come we're not still falling? ...huh!?

As usual, details buried in sound effects get lost. There is no beeping sound to alert Izzy to Gennai's transmission; He suddenly has a psychic premonition and breaks out his laptop.

Gennai: Greetings. I hope nobody needed a barf bag on the way down. Izzy: It's Gennai! Tai: So you're the one who brought us down here! Matt: What do you want!? We already beat the Dark Masters. Gennai: It's true that the evil of the Dark Masters was destroyed, but the source that created that evil still exists. Children: HUH!?!? Gennai: And that source came from the Wall of Fire. Joe: What's that? Gennai: When I was searching through the Dino Ruins, I came across an ancient inscription. It told of a time long ago when a strange being appeared from behind the Wall of Fire and it was angry. You would be too if you lived with that kind of humidity. Gennai: The mere existence of this being caused a warp in space, and time was thrown completely out of whack. It threatened the collapse of the Digital World and, even worse than that, my new wristwatch stopped working. Gennai: The Digimon knew they didn't have the strength to defeat this being, so the original DigiDestined children were summoned from the real world and together they defeated the evil. Tai: What!? Then you mean...? Joe: That there were other kids just like us before we came along? Sora: And we were summoned because something else came out from behind that Wall of Fire, didn't it? Huh. And that's the real enemy.

Tai and Matt are so hostile to Gennai. XD Taichi and Yamato are frustrated too, but Tai outright accuses Gennai of kidnapping them into the darkness. Y'know, 'cause homebody Gennai who was too lazy to visit File Island in person despite having a wearable mech suit definitely conjured up the power to consume Spiral Mountain in darkness himself.

Speaking of which, I love how Gennai takes credit for all of Centarumon's research. "When I was searching through the ruins" no you weren't, you managerial shit. XD That he pronounces it "Deeno Ruins" is the icing on the cake. He doesn't even know the name of the place he's claiming to have personally done archaeology at. Management!

The dub again suggests that the creature from beyond the Wall of Fire created the Dark Masters, rather than them empowering themselves from its effects on the world. It also suggests that the thing that came through the Wall of Fire this time is something distinctly separate from the one that came through before.

I see where they're coming from. "Something came through the Wall of Fire again" could mean that the thing from beyond the Wall of Fire has returned or it could mean that a new thing has emerged. But I'm fairly certain we're meant to take both instances as the same creature. I think there's only one of him.

From here, Gennai continues.

Gennai: There was also a prophecy written in the inscription at the Ancient Dino Region. It said that, in time, a great darkness would once again emerge into this world from beyond the Wall of Fire. Yamato: A great darkness....

The children look around at the void of darkness they're in.

Jou: You mean this darkness? Taichi: Are you saying this darkness itself is our true enemy? Gennai: In a sense, I suppose. But I'm sure it has a body too. Fight with all your hearts, children!

The transmission goes fuzzy and Gennai fades away. Good luck! Gennai out!

Taichi: Wait! Don't go yet! (Transmission ends) Taichi: (angry) We're just grasping at clouds! How do we fight something we don't even understand!?

"Grasping a cloud" is a Japanese idiom about trying to do something that's flagrantly impossible.

Jou: (worried) What did he mean by that? Is it different from the enemy Digimon we've been fighting!? Koushiro: I think it means our enemy's fundamental nature is different. Yamato: We'll still win this. Because, back in the day, kids just like us defeated this same Digimon! Sora: You're right. There has to be a way.

Even Taichi seems shaken by the prospect of fighting this thing. But, at Yamato's words, Taichi nods and the rest of the team steels themselves for the battle to come.

In the dub:

Gennai: That's correct. But, unfortunately, that's just the good news. The bad news is, it also told of a great darkness that would blanket the entire Digital World. Matt: A great darkness... Huh.... Joe: Don't look now, but it's pretty dark. Tai: So is this the enemy? Gennai: In a way, yes. But I believe he has a form as well. He's, uhhh... (Static) Gennai: UH-OH, I'M OUT OF QUARTERS, GOTTA GO!!! Tai: WAIT!!! GENNAI, COME BACK!!!

Reliable as ever. XD The dub's handling of Gennai's disconnection is beautiful. Useless jiji strikes again. They put their first commercial break right here on this punchline and we return to Gennai disconnecting, take two.

Gennai: Next time I'll use a phone card, I promise! SEE YA!!! Tai: (despondent) GEEEEENNAAAAAAAAAAI!!! Oh great, how does he expect us to fight this thing if we don't even know what we're looking for!? Joe: Just my luck. The second I start enjoying my vacation, another monster tries to destroy the world. Izzy: Sorry, guys, but something tells me this isn't going to be like any other Digimon we've ever run into. Matt: Yeah? So what? The first DigiDestined kids were able to defeat something like this. Well then, so will we. Sora: Matt's right! We'll just have to find a way to do it.

"Something tells me". Was it Gennai's infodump, Izzy? Was that what told you?

Here we see the confusion over how many Wall of Fire creatures there are again. This one's less understandable. Yamato calls it, in no uncertain terms, 同じデジモン onaji Dejimon. "The same Digimon". Not another one; It is the same. Matt's description gets more wishy-washy, calling the O-5's enemy "something like this".

Suddenly, the children hear a strange groaning coming from every direction at once.

Hikari: (freaked) Whose voice is that...? Mimi: (whispers) It's creepy.... Angewomon: I can hear it coming from everywhere! Taichi: It's... It's saying something! Voice: That's right. Are our regrets to go unanswered? Sora: Regrets? Jou: Who's there!?

A giant dodecahedron appears to answer Jou's question.

Koushiro: Is this the Digimon that came through the Wall of Fire?

Yes. And no. This is about to get complicated.

As important sound effects go, the dub lands this one. They remember to include the groaning, though the kids aren't nearly as bugged by it.

Kari: What's that noise? Mimi: Sounds like a moose! Angewomon: Sounds to me like it's coming from every direction! Tai: Me too! But what does it mean!? Voice: I know who you are! You don't have the power to eliminate my sadness! Sora: Huh? Joe: Who's there!? (Dodecahedron appears) Izzy: I'll bet this has something to do with that Digimon Gennai was talking about! Tai: Either that or it's a giant cube puzzle!

I'm guessing it's a d12. The Wall of Fire creature is going to be our DM in a giant game of Dungeons and Dramons. Joke's on him, we have WarGreymon.

Already we're beginning to see the tonal difference between versions of this creature but more on that later. For now, the dodecahedron unfurls.

Aside from the top and bottom faces, all ten of the dodecahedron's other faces unfurl into podiums which release colossal metal claws. The bottom face unfurls into a spike, while the top unfurls into a podium with no claw. Instead, a cloaked figure emerges from there, revealing itself to be a humanoid creature organically connected to the rest of the structure - with blue and red pipes pumping into its gut and another black pipe pumping into its back.

Its chains are made from strands of DNA. So that gives an early hint as to where this is going.

Yamato: (stunned) What is that thing...?

The narrator chimes in to answer Yamato's question 'cause it's time for the rundown. That... is not any Digimon we've ever seen before.

Apocalymon is a Digimon in the sense that it began being included in V-Pets and Digimon games and stuff following the debut of this episode. Because of course it did.

But it's one of the few creatures in the franchise to exist beyond the Ultimate stage. As previously discussed, it didn't hatch out of a Digitama and grow up but instead entered the Digital World fully-formed from an unknown space beyond reality through an impassible barrier. Consequently, it doesn't have any evolutionary path to it. It's not from here.

Games it appears in usually give it things like "Jogress Piemon, Mugendramon, Pinocchimon, and MetalSeadramon together to create Apocalymon" or something like that. It's just there because it's the guy from the Adventure anime and it would be cool if you could have the guy from the Adventure anime.

It doesn't have a type, it doesn't have an attribute, and its level is listed as "Ultimate" purely for lack of a word to describe it.

Narrator: A mysterious Digimon whose true nature is shrouded in darkness. No, it can't even be determined if this creature is a Digimon. It can reduce all things to nothingness with its Darkness Zone.

It is to Digimon what Gozer the Gozerian is to ghosts. Even the narrator doesn't fucking know what this is, initially calling it a Digimon and then catching himself and backpedaling.

(Though an interesting detail about Apocalymon is that it has features reminiscent of some of the Nightmare Soldiers nonetheless. It's cloak gives Vamdemon vibes. Meanwhile, its coloration and overlong arms ending in sharp red claws are reminiscent of Devimon's arms and that one freakish claw that LadyDevimon has.

So it may be part of the Nightmare Soldiers lineage after all. Or, alternatively, drawing power from the reality distortions created by Apocalymon may have ironically caused Digimon to evolve in ways that resemble it. LadyDevimon in particular certainly doesn't look like that claw is supposed to be there.)

While it has no lines in this part of the original, the dub gives us more of its dub personality. As the camera lingers on the blue and red pipes coming out of its front, it quips:

Apocalymon: I am the ultimate evil, complete with hot and cold running water! Matt: What on Earth is that thing? Apocalymon: (rundown) I am Apocalymon, a mutant Digimon. My Darkness Zone attack transforms my enemy to nothingness. I have the power to turn everything I touch into total darkness.

A lot more verbose. Dub Apocalymon is just, like, a guy. A really evil guy. Completely stepping over the ambiguity of his true nature in the original, he comes right out and explains that he's a mutant Digimon. That's all. Nothing to see here. Just a big bad evil guy we need to punch.

Unfortunately, the final dissolution of reality that dumped the Chosen Children into this void isn't just happening on Spiral Mountain. In the human world, four sets of terrified parents, one single mother, and a brother all watch helplessly as the void appears in their sky.

Yuuko (Taichi's Mom): What... is that...?

Then, in the void, the eight Children appear with their Partners. All of the parents gasp in shock. In an easy to miss move, Yamato and Takeru's mom Natsuko suddenly grabs onto the arm of their dad Hiroaki for support. The other two couples clinging to each other had already been doing that before the kids showed up in the void.

Toshiko (Sora's Mom): (worried) Sora! Mimi's Parents: (worried) Mimi-chan!

In the dub, Apocalymon keeps talking, carrying on from his self-rundown about his Darkness Zone reducing all things to darkness. Which the parents, apparently, can hear?

Apocalymon: Perhaps I will start with Earth. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Susumu (Tai's Dad): I'd better get a new flashlight. But what about.... Yuuko: The... KIDS...! (The kids appear, as if on cue. Parents gasp.) Toshiko: (worried) Sora! Mimi's Parents: (worried) Our Mimi!

Susumu is having what we would call a himbo moment right now. Yuuko's line read gets messed up from having a line whose partition doesn't line up well with where the lip flaps need the break in the line to go.

Probably should have stuck with the original line for her, which divides very well at that spot in both Japanese and English. You can't go wrong with a half-whispered utterance of terrified uncertainty.

Back in the void, Apocalymon finally speaks directly to the Children.

Apocalymon: Hahahahaha... Do you find me ugly? It's true, isn't it? You all must have been thinking it. After all, we are the ones whose evolutionary course was blocked. Koushiro: The evolutionary process? Apocalymon: Digimon have continued to evolve again and again over the years. Did you know that some of them disappeared? Koushiro: It's inevitable that some species will disappear during the evolutionary process. If they aren't able to adapt to their environment-- Apocalymon: SILENCE!!! Children: (collective gasp) Apocalymon: (furious) "Inevitable". You think that one word can settle this matter!? Yamato: What do you mean by that? Apocalymon: (sarcastic) Does Your Highness deem us unworthy to survive? Koushiro: (backtracking) No, I wouldn't-- Apocalymon: Yes, we are the accumulated sorrow, bitterness, and regret from all those Digimon who vanished during the evolutionary process! Sora: You're the collection of all the dark hearts from the DIgimon who disappeared?

Some interesting linguistic notes. While they do use a couple of singular first-person pronouns, Apocalymon predominately refers to themselves by the plural first-person pronoun 我々 wareware. This is due to the true nature they reveal in this conversation: They are a gestalt entity formed of many beings.

They're also surprisingly emotional. They get suddenly triggered by Koushiro's use of the phrase 仕方がない Shikataganai, which means... It can't be helped. It's inevitable. This is just the way it is. Nothing we can do about it.

Poor socially awkward Koushiro was just answering the question academically without realizing he was verbally slapping Apocalymon right in their goddamn gestalt face.

Which is why Apocalymon responds aggressively with the second-person pronoun 貴様 kisama. This is on paper a very respectful term from samurai days of old used to address one's superior but has had its meaning corrupted through sarcastic and ironic usage. It's the equivalent of saying, "Oh, yes, your highness. Right away, your worshipfulness."

When Apocalymon uses it here, they're being salty and accusing Koushiro of looking down on them. They're, shall we say, a little bit bitter. Just a smidge. You might not have noticed!

In the dub:

Apocalymon: Hahahahahaha! Are you repulsed by my appearance? Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings; They're already hurt! Hahahaha... You see, I was created from all that was lost during the Digivolving process. Izzy: What do you mean by 'lost'? Apocalymon: Digimon have been Digivolving for many years now, over and over again. But there were some who weren't up to the challenge and simply disappeared. Izzy: That makes sense. Even on Earth, some species became extinct during the process of evolution. In fact, the Tasmanian tiger wolf was one of those-- Apocalymon: SILENCE!!! Children: (collective gasp) Apocalymon: Who's the one telling this story, anyway? Me or you? Matt: (snide) Alright, go ahead. Apocalymon: First, I have a question to ask. Do you believe that I am worthy of coexisting with you? Izzy: Uhh, well... Yeah, sure! Apocalymon: Oh, really? Even though I was forged from the pain and misery of all the ill-fated Digimon who vanished while attempting to Digivolve? Sora: You're entirely made up of grief and sorrow? How sad for you. Apocalymon: Sure, rub it in.

There's no verbal misstep in this version; Apocalymon just cuts Izzy off before he can start infodumping.

He also sticks with first-person singular pronouns here. In general, he's much more composed than his Japanese counterpart. Rather than throwing out bitter accusations, he randomly asks, "Am I worthy to exist?" That Izzy struggles to answer the question reflects poorly on him, but we already know he's a dick.

The language here is a bit... confusing.

The language is already a bit confusing because Apocalymon seems to be talking about species lost to the evolutionary process, not Digimon randomly dying during a level-to-level evolution. At least, that's the impression I get. They and Koushiro reference 進化の過程 shinka no katei, the evolutionary process, rather than saying that Digimon suddenly drop dead during 進化 shinka.

This makes Izzy's reference to the Tasmanian tiger wolf rather apt. Which, by the way, is also known as the thylacine, and is colloquially known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf. So far as I know, nobody calls it a "tiger wolf" but I might be wrong. Either Izzy's mouthing off again or he's actually got the better of me on this one.

The dub's been swapping out "evolve" for "Digivolve" for so long that they forge right ahead here and say "Digivolving process", the unique fantasy mechanism by which Greymon becomes MetalGreymon.

So while there's some uncertainty as to what they're talking about in the original, the dub clearly asserts that sometimes Digimon spontaneously drop dead while Digivolving. Those individuals' resentment, rather than the resentment of entire species lost to history, is what makes up Apocalymon.

Which... might also be how it's meant to be taken in the original too. It's a little confusing. To my knowledge, individual Digimon spontaneously ceasing to exist during an evolution isn't a thing that can happen but... IDK.

Now that their identity is explained, Apocalymon continues.

Apocalymon: The Chosen Children and their Digimon... We've been looking forward to meeting all of you. WarGreymon: (quietly) What...? MetalGarurumon: What do you mean by that!? Apocalymon: Listen! While we lay buried in a cold and sorrowful darkness, you were on the other side enjoying yourselves and laughing happily in the warm light. WHY!?!?

Furious, Apocalymon attacks. A burst of electricity fires out from their dodecahedron, which hits all eight children and their Digimon.

Once the shocks have passed, Taichi calls out to the team.

Taichi: Is everyone okay!? Yamato: Yeah, I'm managing. Koushiro: Yes. Sora: We're okay, Taichi.

I'm beginning to get the impression that Apocalymon is not emotionally stable.

An interesting note is that we generally don't get an explanation for why light is good and darkness is bad in media that use those things. It's considered self-evident. But in this speech, Apocalymon actually explains why the forces of darkness are forces of darkness.

Because the forces of darkness are drawing their power from them, Apocalymon, whose component entities are species banished from the light of existence, whose spirits live on only in this void.

In the dub:

Apocalymon: And now, DigiDestined and Digimon, I have been waiting an eternity for this encounter. WarGreymon: What!? MetalGarurumon: What do you mean!? Apocalymon: As I sat alone in the cold, miserable darkness of my world, I watched all of you on the other side laughing and having fun in the light! Well, now it's my turn... TO SHINE!!! (Apocalymon hits them all with a sudden electric burst) Tai: Is everybody okay? Matt: I think so. Izzy: Yeah. Sora: I'm okay, Tai. Apocalymon: Not for long.

Basically the same, but Apocalymon again doesn't sound as aggrieved as his Japanese counterpart, who is basically frothing at the mouth with jealous fury.

Speaking of which, shit's about to get gross.

Apocalymon: WHAT DID WE DO WRONG!?!?

Apocalymon proceeds to self-harm, digging their own claws into their shoulders and wrenching open their flesh. The blood and underlying gore is painted green to reduce the ick factor but. Uh. Ick.

Apocalymon: Why should you get to laugh when we have to cry!? Mimi: (shrieks and covers her eyes) NO!!! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS!!! Apocalymon: Even those such as us have tears and emotions!

They suddenly wrench their claws back out of their shoulders.

Apocalymon: WHAT RIGHT DID THEY HAVE TO TAKE AWAY OUR LIVES AND BANISH US FROM THIS WORLD!?!?

I think Mimi's face says it all. Jesus.

This section, which is so gruesome that a 10-year-old in-universe screams "I don't want to see this," gets one big NOPE stamp from Fox Kids.

Apocalymon continues.

Apocalymon: We wanted to live. To survive and talk about friendship, justice, and love!

Apocalymon curls into themself and stabs their claws back into their shoulder wounds, with a spurt of green blood from both sides. Reaction shots of the children show that Sora, too, is averting her gaze from the gruesome sight while Jou, Takeru, and Hikari watch in horror.

Apocalymon: We wanted this body to be useful to the world! Are you saying this world has no need for us? That we're meaningless!?

(Apocalymon is the voice of my entire generation and I was not prepared for that. The kids better do something quick 'cause I'm starting to root for the Failure Amalgam.)

A close-up of Apocalymon's bleeding shoulders (I guess they pulled their claws out again) shows the bloody wounds closing themselves back up and disappearing from their body.

Koushiro: They have the ability to self-regenerate! Apocalymon: We will take control of this world. We'll establish a place for ourselves here. Anything that gets in our way will disappear! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! A CURSE ON EVERY PLACE THE LIGHT TOUCHES!!!

The dub continues scrubbing shots with all this ick in them. They do, however, use one shot of Apocalymon with the visible claw marks in his shoulders. What those are goes unexplained.

Apocalymon: Do you think it's fair that I should have to live with all this agony!? Why should you get to laugh when I am forced to cry?

The reaction shots from the kids, including Sora averting her gaze, are kept in. Though it's not clear what Sora's so freaked out and unwilling to look at.

Apocalymon: Why do you get to taste the best life has to offer while all I do is choke on its leftovers!? Answer me this! WHY DO ALL OF YOU GET THE PIZZA!?!? WHY DO I GET THE CRUST!?!?

Then we finally get Mimi's reaction.

Mimi: (shrieks and covers her eyes) Oh, I can't take all these metaphors!

Before finally rejoining the original scene order with Izzy, who is no longer commenting on the regeneration because all shots of the gore were cut out.

Izzy: Boy, this guy really holds a grudge. Apocalymon: I will rule the world and plunge it into darkness so that I don't have to be alone anymore in my misery! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Wait a minute, what am I laughing at? I'm supposed to be depressed!

It's been the case multiple times throughout the series that the dub is written as if they were doing an Abridged Parody for YouTube, and Apocalymon tops that chart.

"Why do you get the pizza and I get the crust?" is pretty out-there. They are absolutely making fun of the original through this script. Literally a bit that happens between TFS Goku and TFS Frieza.

Nonetheless, "I will plunge the world into darkness so I don't have to be alone in my misery" hits the nail on the head. That is what Apocalymon wants. They aren't trying to build themselves up. They don't want to come out into the light. This isn't an act of hope.

It's despair. They're mad at the other species who outcompeted them evolutionarily, and they want everyone to have to suffer the way they've suffered. They want to punish the world for leaving them behind, rather than to improve their own circumstances by being accepted into it.

If this were a consequence of man-made forces, Apocalymon would be a complicated and sympathetic figure. If Captain Planet started dropping billionaires from skyscrapers to thwart the impending climate apocalypse, I think a lot of us would be okay with that. It'd be a conversation, at the very least.

However, "Should we let Revenge of the Mastodon tear the fabric of reality in half out of spite?" is a bit more cut-and-dry. Dude literally just said he wants to curse everything the light touches. There is no nuance to be had here. I'm sorry your species couldn't handle the Ice Age or whatever but you don't get to take it out on the ones that did.

Once again, worked up into a frenzy, Apocalymon attacks.

Apocalymon: ULTIMATE STREAM!!!

One of Apocalymon's DNA claws morphs into the head of MetalSeadramon, then fires Ultimate Stream from his emitter straight at Hikari.

Taichi: HIKARI!!!

Angewomon throws herself at Hikari, wrapping the girl up in her arms while taking Ultimate Stream straight to the back.

Angewomon: AUGH!!! Hikari: ANGEWOMON!!! Apocalymon: Kindhearted children, that was a sign of our friendship. The next is LOVE!!! BLOODY STREAM!!!

A DNA claw morphs into Vamdemon, swinging his Bloody Stream whip at Mimi. It's Lilimon's turn to block, taking Vamdemon's lash.

Lilimon: MIMI--AHHHHHHH!!! Apocalymon: JUSTICE!!! MUGEN CANNON!!!

Mugendramon's Mugen Cannon is going for Sora. Garudamon claps her hands around Sora and takes that one to the back.

Garudamon: Sora! AUGH!!!

Kinda sexist that you're only shooting at the girls, my composite dude/tte.

In the dub:

Apocalymon: RIVER OF POWER!!! (Apocalymon shoots at Kari) Tai: KARI!!! Kari: AHHHH!!! Angewomon: (takes the hit for her) AUGH!!! Kari: AHHHH ANGEWOMON NO!!! Apocalymon: That was MetalSeadramon with his classic River of Power. And now here's Myotismon with his #1 hit, CRIMSON LIGHTNING!!! (Apocalymon shoots at Mimi) Mimi: AHHHHH!!! Lilimon: (takes the hit for her) AHHHH!!! Apocalymon: Next, Machinedramon! GIGA CANNON!!! (Apocalymon shoots at Sora) Sora: WHAAA!!! Garudamon: SORA!!! (takes the hit for her) AUGH!!!

The only point of note is Dub Apocalymon DJing the attacks he's firing.

So, yeah, that's a hell of a thing. Koushiro assesses what's happening here.

Koushiro: Could it be... Are they able to use all of the techniques from every Digimon up to this point? Jou: Then... isn't this like fighting every single one of those Digimon at once? Sora: So does that mean there's no chance of winning? Taichi: Guys! Don't let them freak you out. Get back in positions! Takeru: We just need to stay together! Hikaru: (nods) Mhm! Yamato: That's right! There's no going back from here.

This Final Fantasy-style final boss fight against a primordial concept that's been secretly powering all the villains we've faced to this point is shaping up to be a hell of a thing. But the children steel themselves for it nonetheless. There's nothing else they can do.

In the dub:

Izzy: Inconceivable! He's using all the attacks of the evil Digimon we've defeated in the past! Joe: You mean we have to fight them all over again? This is the worst recurring nightmare I've ever been awake for! Sora: Hey, we were able to beat them once! Tai: Sora's right! We did beat them! And we can do it again! T.K.: We just have to fight together as a team! Kari: (nods) Mhm! Matt: I agree. We've sacrificed too much to give up now.

Izzy deduces only that Apocalymon has the attacks of the "evil Digimon we defeated", and not every Digimon. In his defense, that is just as valid of a conclusion to draw from the evidence shown.

Joe still freaks out, but the lowered challenge level does seem to make Sora a lot more confident than her Japanese counterpart is about facing this threat.

I appreciate Matt bringing up the sacrifices they've made. The road to this point is paved in corpses, both friend and enemy alike.

Unfortunately, as the children prepare themselves to fight, Apocalymon takes it as an invitation to ramp it up.

Apocalymon: You haven't even seen how terrifying I can truly be. DEATH EVOLUTION!!!

Rare singular pronoun from Apocalymon there.

At once, Apocalymon sends all of their claws forward, snatching each and every one of the Partner Digimon. This goes uneventfully for most, though Lilimon does have to shove Mimi away so she doesn't get caught in the claw too.

Mimi: LILIMON!!!

Once all of the Digimon are in Apocalymon's grasp, they address the crowd once more.

Apocalymon: I'll make you understand how we felt, as we vanished from the evolutionary process.

Within the grip of Apocalymon's claws, the eight Partner Digimon glow brightly. Then their light fades and the claws retract, leaving the eight of them reduced to their base stages.

(Oh, so that's where the power behind Etemon's Love Serenade came from.)

Yamato: No way.... Takeru: Everyone changed back...? Patamon: Takeru, I'm sorry. Takeru: There's nothing to apologize for, Patamon. Hikari: But we can't win like this! Tailmon: Don't give up! Gabumon: It's fine. We can still fight like this! Tentomon: All we have to do is evolve again. Jou: That's right! Evolve again, everyone! Gomamon: We're on it! Palmon: I am a little hungry, though.... Agumon: That's fine. Just get fired up! Gabumon: (to the children) We're counting on all of you!

We have a plan of attack. Having the team's evolutions stripped away sucks, but there's nothing stopping them from re-evolving and getting back to business.

In the dub:

Apocalymon: You fools! You haven't even seen my true power yet! REVERSE DIGIVOLVE!!! (Claws grab everyone. Lillymon shoves Mimi away.) Mimi: LILLYMON!!! Apocalymon: I'll make you understand how it feels to be one step closer to extinction! (Apocalymon regresses all of the Digimon) Matt: They're Rookies! T.K.: He changed them back so easily! Patamon: I'm sorry, T.K.! T.K.: It's not your fault, Patamon; It's him! Kari: Great. This time, we're finished. Gatomon: You'd better leave that 'tude, Kari! Gabumon: Just because we're at the Rookie level doesn't mean we still can't fight. Tentomon: We'd Digivolve if we had the energy. Joe: That's it! Start from scratch! You can Digivolve again! Gomamon: We'd have to eat something. Palmon: Come to think of it, I am kinda hungry. Agumon: Forget food! We have the power within us! Gabumon: (to the children) But we need your help!

Palmon and Agumon's cute little exchange is turned into a full-blown problem that all of the Rookie Digimon need to overcome. But nonetheless resolved as easily, with some gumption and can-do spirit.

"I'll make you understand how it feels to be one step away from extinction" is a raw line. I love it.

The children go for their Digivices--

Apocalymon: DEATH CLAW!!!

One of Apocalymon's claws morphs into four pairs of Devimon hands. They extend, snatching the children's Crests away from them. Within the grip of Apocalymon's Death Claws, the Crests and their Tags shatter into dust.

The Chosen Children watch helplessly as their Crests are destroyed utterly.

Taichi: THE CRESTS!!! Takeru: They broke! Sora: Now we can't make them evolve! Apocalymon: I see you're beginning to realize the despair we felt from being unable to evolve! Jou: Oh my god, they broke the Crests! Mimi: If we can't evolve then how are we supposed to win this fight!?

Mimi's question is left hanging in the air as we go to our commercial break.

In the dub, Tai queues us up for what's about to happen.

Tai: Everybody, get your Crests ready! Apocalymon: DEATH CLAW!!! (Apocalymon destroys the Crests and Tags) Tai: Ah! Our Crests and Tags! T.K.: He broke them all! Sora: They won't be able to Digivolve without them! Apocalymon: I hope you learned your lesson: Always save your receipts! The warranty was probably still good on those things. Joe: Isn't this usually the time when one of us comes up with a brilliant idea? Mimi: I don't think anything can save us this time, Joe! I'm afraid we're done for!

The dub forgot that they renamed Death Claw to Touch of Evil. ...wait, why was this "death" okay but Death Evolution wasn't? Is it because it had the world "evolution" in it? Was that the naughty word?

In any case, the dub agrees that this is a good spot for the second commercial.

Following the commercial, we return to the Chosen Children freaking the fuck out. The conversation picks right up where it left off, replaying Mimi's line.

Mimi: If we can't evolve then how are we supposed to win this fight!? Koushiro: It's impossible! No matter how hard they try, Child-stage Digimon cannot defeat an enemy with the combined power of all the strongest Digimon we've ever faced! Taichi: I won't accept that! There must still be a way to win this! Yamato: How did the previous Chosen Children defeat this enemy!?

Koushiro's done the math and hahahaHAHA no, these circumstances are not winnable. Not by a long shot. We are up shit creek without a paddle here. Though Yamato raises a good counterpoint.

In the dub:

Mimi: How can we fight Apocalymon without Digivolving!? Izzy: There's no way! All the Rookie Digimon combined couldn't beat an enemy who has the power of all the evil Digimon from the past! Tai: How can you be so sure!? There's got to be a way somehow! Matt: How did the original DigiDestined kids defeat this enemy?

Basically, the same, except Mimi addresses Apocalymon by name.

In the original, they're just calling Apocalymon "the enemy". Possibly because they might not even know that the enemy is called Apocalymon. That rundown was for our eyes only; Apocalymon might not even be in the in-universe Digimon Analyzer, and even if they are, Koushiro hasn't analyzed them.

Fortunately for the dub kids, Apocalymon's rundown there was diegetic so he's formally introduced himself. Mimi can use his name. No problems there.

Sadly, we are out of time for figuring out how to fight. Apocalymon's ready to end this.

Apocalymon: (chanting) Runani tade wa chita-emao! Runani tade wa chita-emao!

ルナーニタデーハチタエマーオー

By themselves, these noises are gibberish. However, that's because they're doing a backwards-talk spell incantation.

if you spell their words backwards (and with hiragana and kanji, which mean things), you get "お前たちはデータになる Omae-tachi wa deta ninaru." Or, "You all become data. You all become data."

Jou is the first to realize what's happening and start screaming. This grabs Sora's attention, who whips around to see Jou pixelizing before realizing it's happening to her too.

The bodies of all eight children are being broken down, reduced to data as the spell suggested.

Yamato: (alarmed) This is-- Koushiro: It's really bad! Our bodies are being broken down into digital data! Taichi: What did you say!?

The Digimon, too, are breaking down.

Piyomon: Then we.... Gabumon: ...we.... Agumon: ...WHAT'S HAPPENING TO US!?!?

There's nothing anyone can do but scream until they no longer have mouths to scream with. Then they're gone. All sixteen.

Now, in the U.S., we kinda had a big hubbub in the late 20th century about "Satan is sending messages to your children through backwards-talk on records!". So that's not happening. Apocalymon instead intones a rhyme to cast his spell.

Apocalymon: I'll take these children and use their fear / to make them digital and disappear! Ahahahahahaha! (The kids notice they're disintegrating) Matt: What's this!? Izzy: Fascinating. Our bodies are being broken down into little bits of digital information. Tai: FASCINATING!?!? Biyomon: Let's stay calm, everyone! Don't fall to pieces. Agumon: (jokey) Too late!

Tai and Matt are the only ones appropriately horrified by this. The Digimon are quipping and Izzy's downright intrigued.

The "fascinating" gag is pretty funny, though. That got me. XD

We find the children in a white void that is probably a hyperbolic visual representation of what's happening to them? IDK.

They fade in and out of existence whenever they speak. Except, briefly, Koushiro who has more to say. Naturally, the children begin to panic.

Taichi: Where are we!? Koushiro: The world of data. We've all been broken down into data. Mimi: Broken down!? Can't we go back to normal!? Koushiro: I don't know. Jou: What will happen to us if we can't turn back!? Hikari: Is this the end? Sora: I don't know! This is the first time this has ever happened to me. What do we do!? Taichi: ...did we lose? Yamato: Is it all over?

Sora, I'm pretty sure this is a universal first for, like, humanity. XD

Felt, though.

In the dub:

Tai: Ah! Where are we!? Izzy: We're information now. This is where all information gathers. It's the world of data! Mimi: Data!? I'm too young to be dating! Izzy: It's not the same. Joe: Sometimes too much information's a bad thing. Kari: Can we get back? Sora: I don't know, Kari. Nothing like this has ever happened to us before. I don't know what to do. Tai: Is this it? Have we lost? Matt: I'd say that's a pretty good conclusion.

About the same, but with less panic and more quipping.

But despite everything, the Digimon refuse to give up and let this be the end.

Agumon: Don't lose your nerve now! Taichi: Agumon? Gabumon: I'll fight to the bitter end. So don't give up hope! Piyomon: That's right! There were many times up to now when I thought it was over, but we always fought through it together! Sora: Sure, but we've been broken down into data! We don't even know if we'll be able to return to human form, let alone defeat our enemy! Jou: Even if we could make it back, they can't evolve without our Crests! Koushiro: This has never happened before. How is anyone supposed to handle being broken down into data!? NOBODY KNOWS!!! Tentomon: Tell me, Koushiro-han, In all the battles you've fought up to this point, did you always know how you were going to win? Koushiro: Eh? Gabumon: Right! There's a lot of 'firsts' on an adventure!

The Digimon have a point. This entire adventure has involved setting foot where no human has only five other humans have ever tread. Remember that time we made a cave into a wormhole between Etemon's pyramid and a random patch of desert miles away? Good times.

In the dub:

Agumon: Come on, you guys! Don't quit now! Tai: (resigned) Why not? Gabumon: Look, we can't stop fighting now just because of a little setback! Biyomon: So what if we're bits of information, we have no Tags and Crests, we can't Digivolve, and we're facing the most powerful enemy of all time. I don't see what the problem is. Sora: Listen, Biyomon. You guys have a great attitude about this whole thing, but all the positive thinking in the world can't guarantee that we'll find a way to get back to our original forms. Joe: I tried positive thinking once and I was positive about one thing: I positively hated it! Izzy: (excited) Speaking scientifically, we're the first humans to be digitally processed! Technically, we're pioneers! Like Marco Polo! Tentomon: Oh, I know what he's famous for! Marco! Agumon: Polo! Tentomon: Marco! Gatomon: Polo! Tentomon: Marco! Biyomon: Polo! Izzy: ...huh? Gabumon: In every battle, you're bound to face a number of unknowns.

Up until Gabumon's last line, the vibe on the Digimon talk is totally different here. Rather than inspirational and unyielding, the Digimon are presented as dim-witted rubes, utterly failing to grasp the severity of the situation.

Though the kids don't seem to grasp it either, as they're still delivering laugh lines. Izzy is downright thrilled to have been wiped from existence, and also queues up Tentomon for a wacky skit.

Finally, the Digimon break through. Jou-senpai is the first to come around.

Gomamon: We never knew what to do in situations like this! Jou: Jou're right! All those times....

Jou flashes back on meeting Pukamon for the first time, way back when they arrived on File Island and being attacked by Kuwagamon.

Jou: I didn't know anything about this Digimon World. It was just one thing after another that nearly made my heart stop! Gomamon: But because of you and your nakama, we were able to push through together. Jou: Yeah.... At first, I just wanted to escape this place as soon as possible....

A gentle, somber remix of the series OP Butterfly picks up.

Jou's memories turn to the Tokyo Bay, fishing Takeru out and saving him from nearly drowning when they were attacked by MegaSeadramon. Very nearly sacrificing his own life for Takeru's, and activating his Crest of Sincerity/Responsibility.

Jou: But it's because of all this that I could have experiences I never would have learned about from studying for my entrance exams. Mimi: There was a lot of gross stuff and things that made me cry. Palmon: But are you glad we became friends? Mimi: Yeah. I think meeting all of you has made me stronger.

Mimi, for her part, flashes back on the battle at Big Sight convention center when her Crest activated. She has nothing further to say as the memory plays out, with only Butterfly playing in the background.

In the dub:

Gomamon: Yeah, you didn't know how those other fights would turn out but you fought them anyway, didn't you? Joe: Yeah, that's right. We did fight! (File Island flashback) Joe: When I first got to the Digital World, I was afraid of any little thing that moved! We faced all kinds of new monsters. Gomamon: But no matter who they threw at us, we always found the strength to beat the enemy! Regardless of how big it was. Didn't we, Joe? Joe: That's right! We did! We worked together as a team. (Flashback to Joe's Crest activation) Joe: Even that time when we almost lost T.K. because he couldn't swim. Of course... (sheepishly) I forgot that I couldn't swim either... Mimi: I remember times when all I wanted to do was break down and cry. Palmon: But instead, you fought on with your new friends! Mimi: Mhm! I feel like I've become a stronger person since I met all of you! (Flashback to Mimi's Crest activation) Mimi: Like that time at the convention center when all those Bakemon were attacking. I didn't cry a single drop! ...alright, maybe just one drop.

And so we draw near the conclusion of this series the way we began it: rewriting the characters to strip out their emotional sincerity and emphasize how fierce and raring to fight they are.

Mimi's speech is pretty close to the original, but Joe's sucks. Joe's speech completely sucks. The heart has been completely torn out of it, replaced with "Yeah we kicked so much ass my dude" and a laugh line that turns Joe's sacrifice into a "Whoops, my bad!"

Moving right along, Takeru is next.

Patamon: Before I met Takeru, I thought I didn't need to evolve. But....

Nope, sorry, Patamon first.

Patamon flashes back on his first evolution into Angemon, way back when. The battle with Devimon on File Island.

In the process finally and unambiguously confirming that Patamon does, in fact, retain memories from his past life. The dub staked that position as early as the Pagumon village so that's a cookie for them that's been a long time coming.

Even if you assume the Devimon flashback is Takeru's, Patamon even being able to reference a time "before I met Takeru" is itself proof that he remembers his past life.

For his turn, Takeru takes HolyAngemon's evolution in the battle against Piemon.

Takeru: Me too. Because I met you, Patamon, I feel like I've learned how important it is to fight.

Sora's turn.

Piyomon: Sora, you were always so thoughtful. Sora: (smiling) Piyomon.... Piyomon: That's why everybody adores you so much!

Sora's flashback is the debut of Garudamon, when she let Piyomon fight Vamdemon despite fearing for her safety.

In the dub, they continue talking over the flashbacks and making jokes.

Patamon: Before I met you, T.K., I didn't think it mattered if I ever DIgivolved or not. (Flashback) Patamon: But when Devimon went to grab you and got me, I knew it was my time to shine! I became Angemon for the first time and I've been flying high ever since! T.K.: I learned something from you too, Patamon. (Flashback) T.K.: I learned that sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in! Biyomon: I want you to know that you've changed my life in many ways too, Sora. Sora: Really? Biyomon: Of course you have! After all, I've never had a best friend before! (Flashback) Biyomon: I would do anything for you! Like that time I took Myotismon's Crimson Lightning attack right in the chest! Talk about heartburn!

Patamon's recollection of events is leaving out some, uh, significant things that happened to him between then and now.

T.K.'s bit is pretty much verbatim.

Awkward joke aside, the main difference between versions for Biyomon is that she keeps it narrowly focused on herself and Sora. Piyomon said that everyone loves Sora while Biyomon focuses on her own personal feelings for Sora.

Next up: Koushiro.

Tentomon: Koushiro-han. I learned a lot by being with you. Though it did upset me sometimes when you couldn't look past your computer. Koushiro: Tentomon.... Tentomon: But that's just another part of you that I like.

Koushiro's Crest flashback is a little different, as we don't get to see his Crest shine. We only see Vademon pummeling Kabuterimon with asteroids and Koushiro looking concerned, and then the opening bit of AtlurKabuterimon's stock animation for his evolution sequence.

Gabumon: Yamato.... Yamato: You don't have to say anything. I already know.

Yamato's like, "My dude, we did not spend a whole episode in that cave just to have beef now."

He's ahead of the curve. He already had his ultimate self-actualization into his final form. It's all-a y'all motherfuckers that need to catch up.

His flashback is, of course, Digitamamon's diner.

In the dub:

Tentomon: You know, Izzy, when I first met you, I thought you were just one of those computer geeks. But after I got to know you, I realized you are one of those computer geeks! And I'm glad you are! Because where would the rest of us be without you? Izzy: Thanks, pal. Tentomon: (sniff) I promised myself I wouldn't cry! (Flashback) Tentomon: Although I wanted to cry when I felt that asteroid belt tightening around my waist but you and I took care of Vademon together! Gabumon: As for you, Matt. Matt: You don't have to say anything. I know. (Flashback) Gabumon: There was that time when-- Matt: Yeah, that's right. I remember. Gabumon: And then you and I-- Matt: (annoyed) I know. Gabumon: Remember when we-- Matt: Didn't you hear me!? I said you don't have to say anything!

Poor Gabumon. Matt's trying to have his cool guy moment from the original but unfortunately Gabumon is contractually obligated to fill the silence of the flashback, so no dice.

Tentomon's speech here isn't great, but it's not awful either. Kinda mid. Though I will say that "I felt that asteroid belt tightening around my waist" is fantastic wordplay. Well punned.

There's only two children left. Onward to the Yagami siblings.

Agumon: Hey, Taichi! When we're together, we're invincible, right? Taichi: You know it!

Yeah, okay, those two have been on the same wavelength since day one. They may be reckless idiots at times, but they've always been reckless idiots together.

Taichi's flashback is split, since his was the first Crest sequence and didn't happen as suddenly as the others. We first see his Crest activating when he braved the firewall in Etemon's pyramid, after having to come to terms with the reality that he can die for real here.

Then the other part: Rushing Etemon in the desert with his shining Crest held aloft, having learned from the Skull/MetalGreymon arc the true meaning of courage.

Tailmon: We can't let ourselves fall here. If we do, then what was my long search for Hikari even for? Hikari: Tailmon.... Tailmon: I waited so long for the day when I would meet you and protect you.

For her part, Hikari gets the death of Wizarmon and tearful activation of her Crest.

In the dub:

Agumon: You and I knew from the beginning that together we'd be an invincible team. Right, Tai? Tai: You got that right! (Flashback) Tai: Of course, I probably could have taken care of Etemon without you. But it was nice having you around. It did get me out of a few jams. Gatomon: We can't give up now! 'Cause if we do, what was the whole point of searching for Kari in the first place? Kari: Hehe, Gatomon! Gatomon: I've waited my whole life to meet you and find my purpose, and that is to protect you no matter what the cost. (Flashback) Gatomon: Whether that meant facing Myotismon's Grisly Wing attack or facing the reality of losing Wizardmon... You know that we'll always be there for you.

Gatomon and Kari's segment is pretty solid.

Tai seems allergic to emotional sincerity. However, his "I could have taken Etemon myself but YOU HELPED I GUESS" bit is pretty clearly just him ribbing his pal, and not an honestly held belief. So, in its own way, it's still an expression of the bond they share. Just, in a more macho American way.

The eight children bring it in together.

Hikari: If I'd never met Tailmon.... Jou: If I hadn't come to the Digimon World.... Mimi: If I hadn't taken this journey with all of you.... Koushiro: We wouldn't have become who we are now. Yamato: That's right! It's because our Digimon were always with us.... Takeru: Because our nakama was always with us.... Sora: Because we learned the importance of helping each other.... Taichi: We could be ourselves!

In the dub:

Kari: Boy, if I had never met you, Gatomon.... Joe: And if I had never come to the Digital World.... Mimi: And if none of us became friends in the first place.... Izzy: Then we wouldn't have become the people that we are today. Matt: You're right! We never would have won all those battles without each other. T.K.: I feel like I've grown up a lot! Sora: I think we've all grown up in a lot of ways. Tai: I've grown up too! I'm a much better fighter now!

They stay on script up through Izzy and then lose the plot. Matt and Tai talk about how cool fighting is. T.K. and Sora just say "We grew up a lot" rather than talking about the specific ways this journey has shaped them and their group.

The dub ends this bit on "I'm a much better fighter now," which. Like. Okay. Sure. That's it. That's what this journey was about. It was about Tai learning how to punch things good.

From here, we return to the human world and the frightened parents who watched their children dissolve into nothingness.

BECAUSE BY THE WAY THEY WERE WATCHING THAT. THERAPY. THERAPY FOR YEARS. THERAPY FOR THE KIDS. THERAPY FOR THE PARENTS. THERAPY.

The parents, too, refuse to give up hope.

Hiroaki (Yamato's Dad): Ganbare. (Keep going and persevere.) Shin (Jou's Brother): For the Earth. Toshiko (Sora's Mom): All of you are our pride. Masami (Koushiro's Dad): Ganbare.

From there, we move around the world to see this same distortion in the sky everywhere. People in the United States, in Italy, and in Russia gather without truly understanding what is happening to see the fate of reality decided.

In the dub:

Hiroaki: You can do it! Jim: Come on! For Earth! Toshiko: We're so proud of you, no matter what happens! Masami: Give it your all!

Solid. Hiroaki and Masami both say ganbare in the original but the dub translates them differently to avoid repetition.

After this short break to remind us what the stakes are, we return to data.

Taichi: That's right! We can't let it end like this! Sora: We can't let our adventure go to waste! Yamato: For the Digimon we've met and our nakama and our friendship! Koushiro: And for everyone else we love, waiting for us on Earth! Mimi: We.... Yamato: We.... Takeru: All of us.... Jou: ...will never look back again! Hikari: We won't allow the light in our hearts to fade out!

With that declaration, the symbols from their Crests shine from their chests as if they were still wearing the things.

(They're divided along gender lines left to right but Koushiro's an honorary girl 'cause they don't have enough to make it four and four. XD)

Dry exposition can be difficult to absorb when you aren't poring over two different sets of it for differences, which is why I don't blame the children for being surprised here. However, it's worth noting that Homeostasis explained this to them already.

It's implicitly how Hikari's unexplained Glowy Form worked in the Mugendramon sub-arc. The Digivices and Crests are just tools to help manifest and control the light that's already within the children themselves.

In the dub:

Tai: I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to quit yet! Sora: I'm with you, Tai! I won't let this whole experience be for nothing! Matt: Me neither! There's no way I'm about to let my friends down. Izzy: And besides, there's still a lot of people counting on us down on Earth! Mimi: Let's find a way! Matt: Let's fight! T.K.: We're ready! Joe: We've reached the point where there's no turning back! Kari: Crests of no Crests, we're going to win!

Tai and Sora are on-script and Matt's pretty close. Things start veering off-course at Izzy with the subtle shift from "This is for the people we love" to "Lots of people are counting on us". That's not a super big deal, though.

It's Kari's line that's the major divergence. "The light in our hearts" is... kind of an important concept for understanding why their Crest lights suddenly start shining out of their chests. But Kari just gives a "Ra-ra Let's get 'em!"

However, the dub places their final commercial break here. They come back to another take on that last bit.

Mimi: Are we together? Matt: We are! T.K.: Then let's fight! Joe: It's gonna be pretty tough without our Crests. Kari: Crests!? We don't need no stinking Crests!

It's basically the same as the first take. No explanation is given for why Kari suddenly, confidently thinks they can beat Apocalymon without their Crests.

From here, it's time to unpack what these shining symbols mean.

Agumon: The Crests! The symbols engraved on the Crests were actually your hearts! Team: (collective gasp) Taichi: Our... hearts...? Koushiro: Like the knowledge inside me and the sincerity inside Jou-san. As long as we carry these characteristics in our hearts, we don't need the Crests. Yamato: No, you're wrong. Koushiro: Eh!? Yamato: It isn't the friendship inside of me that's shining. All of your friendship is gathered inside me, and that's what made my Crest of Friendship glow! Taichi: One Crest for everyone and all Crests for one! Hikari: Then the light inside of me is for all of us!

Again, Homeostasis explained all this but I can't blame the children for not paying attention to twenty minutes of a history lecture. Homeostasis is not a very good teacher. Needs to work on improving their methods of engaging children in learning.

(Also, this is definitely what Piccolomon was talking about when he said they needed something more than just to make their Crests glow and be physically together.)

The dub takes its second crack at explaining. They fumbled the setup but at least they land the exposition.

Agumon: It's your Crests. You don't need to carry them anymore because their power has been inside of you this whole time! Tai: You mean, like... in our hearts!? Izzy: Prodigious! That makes perfect sense. It's like my knowledge and Joe's sense of responsibility. If your special traits are within you, then you don't need your Crest because your power will be within you as well! Matt: You're wrong! Izzy: Huh!? Matt: It wasn't the friendship inside me that made my Crest glow, Izzy. It was the friendship I felt from all of you gathered inside my heart and that brought the power of my Crest to life. Tai: So each person's Crest isn't powered by themselves. It's powered by the faith we have in each other! Kari: Then the light inside of me is for everyone!

Yeah, that about covers it. Good job, everyone.

Hikari's light erupts from her chest and Super-Evolves Angewomon. The other children quickly follow suit. The next like two straight minutes are the children reciting their Crests and playing their respective stock animations, which is fun to watch especially with Show Me Your Brave Heart blaring behind it but boring to talk about.

Takeru: And everyone's hope is my hope! (HolyAngemon) Koushiro: Knowledge. (AtlurKabuterimon) Mimi: Purity. (Lilimon) Jou: Sincerity. (Zudomon) Sora: Love. (Garudamon) Yamato: Friendship. (MetalGarurumon) Taichi: Courage. (WarGreymon)

I'm not typing that again. It's exactly the same in the dub except Mimi and Joe call out different Crest virtues.

With the light of their hearts, the children are able to re-establish themselves and recompile their data back into reality, in Apocalymon's void.

Apocalymon: What!? Taichi: WE WON'T LET YOU HAVE YOUR WAY!!!

We end here, with the Children powered up and ready for round 2 with Apocalymon. Some of whom, I'm sorry, look absolutely adorable in their Get Fierce poses. XD Jou, Mimi, Koushiro, and the two eight-year-olds really can't pull off the Let's Throw Down look.

In the dub, Izzy offers some narration in case what just happened was unclear.

Izzy: We did it! We reassembled ourselves! Apocalymon: What!? Tai: You're dealing with the new and improved DigiDestined! Narrator: You won't want to miss the final battle that decides the fate of two worlds. Tune in to the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.

Because the narrator pauses the animation to talk, we get to really linger on the combination Fierce Looks and Attempted Fierce Looks. XD

Assessment: So here we are. The true threat behind the veil of reality itself that's been creating the distortions in the Digital World. The Actually Truly Seriously For Realsies final boss. Until sequels happens.

With regard to the "Did Apocalymon create the villains or did they just draw power from Apocalymon?" question, it's not super clear. Gennai said only that Apocalymon is the root cause of their evil and that they drew power from the distortions Apocalymon made in reality.

But Apocalymon's ability to conjure up images of the villains and use their attacks makes the matter murky. It was said that Apocalymon can use the powers of every Digimon they've faced up to this point. But Apocalymon only uses the villains, so it's ambiguous whether that means "Every Digimon" or "All the villains we had to fight".

The dub stakes out "Apocalymon created them" pretty unambiguously. I can't say with certainty that they're wrong or right. I can say that if they were all in league with one another, they didn't act like it. Devimon and Etemon, in particular, seemed to be doing their own thing and had no sense of alliance with the other villains.

There's no indication that any of them even knew Apocalymon existed. Which doesn't necessarily mean Apocalymon couldn't have created them, but if they did, then the villains didn't seem to know that they did. IDK

In any case, whether it's reality or the children's journey, everything comes to an end next episode.

[drcharadreemurr]

Determination

Sans didn't say anything for a moment. "not sure that is something to really brag about kid."

"Oh yeah, well, I am proud of that. I finally for the first time did something for me. And now, I'm the bad guy because of that?"

"you're the bad guy for killing innocent people."

"Innocent? Right, because they totally didn't attack me first? Give me a break Sans, preach your shit to someone who cares."

Sans uses gravity magic to slam Frisk into one of the nearby pills, dazing them. Sans then summons bones beneath them again, which they can't dodge in time due to the slam.

Even though you can feel every death that Frisk suffers, you don't really care anymore. Seeing them suffer is enough bliss to numb whatever pain you may feel.

Frisk respawns again with the same crazed look they had when they fought Undyne. Them and their damn determination to win.

"hmm, that expression you're wearing, well, i wont grace it with a description."

You don't blame him, that look of theirs gives you the creeps. How could anyone wear a smile like that?

The battle begins once again and Frisk is getting better and better at dodging Sans's attacks, only taking a few hits here and there. You wish they didn't improve so quickly.

Another new attack, platforms and bones and blasters, what a nasty combination. Though, Frisk managed to scrape by with only a bit of health remaining. They eat the legendary hero and regain HP, only for Sans to slam them into the wall again. This time, however, Frisk manages to not get dazed, and dodges the bone attack.

"hey kid, let me ask you something. was it fun killing them? was it fun hunting them down the way you did?"

Frisk lets out a laugh, "Oh yeah, it was fun, seeing them cower as I approached. Watch their eyes glaze over as they turned to dust. The feeling of LV rising within me. I loved every moment of it, especially, when I killed your brother."

What the hell was wrong with them? Why are they just taunting Sans like this? Why are they so talkative with this battle, why not any others? It didn't make any sense to you.

Sans doesn't say anything, and just prepares his next attack.

"What's the matter Sans, cat got your tongue? What can't handle me talking about your dead brother?"

Multiple blasters appear randomly around Frisk. They dodge one but take a hit from another, until they ultimately succumb.

That makes six, you think to yourself.

[thecreaturecrossroads]

Character Headcanon Generator

Done for Cairi, Puck, Keeva(Caoimhe), and Val Tagged by: @nykrose

Tagging: @distoretion @jiaolong-rp @bastard-basket

Link to Generator

Cairi 1.) Cairi was dropped out of a window as a child. (lol No.) 2.) Cairi watches My Little Pony. (Nope. Didn't and doesn't have a TV) 3.) Cairi crashed a riding lawn mower into their fence. (No! Her Chickens are her lawnmower) 4.) Cairi is a switch. (Yes she is) 5.) Cairi would buy clothes from the soup store. (I'm laughing but she's to tired sometimes she totally would XD) 6.) Cairi is an introvert. (Nope. Ambivert) 7.) Cairi has not showered in two and a half weeks. (Eww, gross, no! She takes regular baths) 8.) Cairi is a simp. (For her garden, animals, and if she has a lover? Yes) 9.) Cairi is very good at walking in platform heels. (They don't make heels for her hoofs.) 10.) Cairi is very willing to eat inedible things. (No.) Puck 1.) Puck instinctively cleans messes in their own house as well as other peoples. (I could see this of him) 2.) Puck desperately needs a hug but doesn't know it and refuses to ask for one. (Sometimes yes) 3.) Puck has an incredible short-term memory but an awful long-term memory. (WRONG! SO WRONG) 4.) Puck hacks their stats in every video game they play. (hE WOULD NEVER!) 5.) Puck is a theatre kid. (I mean, he has a whole ass PLAY written about him and his Fae Family XD) 6.) Puck listens to 80s music. (Yes he does.) 7.) Puck voted sans in the tumblr sexyman poll. (I don't think he would have a Tumblr xD) 8.) Puck likes being alone. (Only when he's angry as hell) 9.) Puck chews their nails when nervous. (Nope! He might tap out a beat to an old song though.) 10.) Puck does intricate and expensive cosplays. (Cosplays no, but sometimes he is expected to dress up for Fae Court appearances) Keeva 1.) Keeva wakes up on November 1st and starts decorating for Christmas. (Winter Solstice? OH SHE'S HECKING ALL OVER IT. But she doesn't sleep from the start of fall till roughly sometime in spring.) 2.) Keeva can't spell restaurant. (Yes she can!) 3.) Keeva has an incredible spice tolerance. (She has Descent spice tolerance.) 4.) Keeva has an incredible long-term memory but an awful short-term memory. (She has great BOTH) 5.) Keeva has been canceled on Twitter. (She doesn't have a Twitter) 6.) Keeva hates being alone. (Yes) 7.) Keeva is bisexual. (Pan) 8.) Keeva is the gay cousin. (XD MAYBE) 9.) Keeva cringes at their middle school yearbook photos. (Middle school didn't exist when she was that age) 10.) Keeva is a simp. (For her Lovers? Yeah she is! She thinks it's stupid NOT to be) Val 1.) Val believes in ghosts and insists on trying to summon one at every sleepover. (HELL NO!! Why would she incur Hade's and Thanatos' wrath?) 2.) Val crashed a riding lawn mower into their fence. (No, her goats, Horses, and chickens are her lawn mowers) 3.) Val enjoys doing taxes. (No. Who would?) 4.) Val knocks people over by hugging them. (She can! But she usually doesn't.) 5.) Val cries while watching Disney movies. (Yes. She would deffs do this) 6.) Val likes to eat straight coffee beans. (No. Coffee anf caffine are actually rough on her heart.) 7.) Val has a mary sue oc. (No.) 8.) Val has a roblox account. (She doesn't even know what that is.) 9.) Val is not good with social cues. (Modern ones? Sometimes!) 10.) Val will go feral. Watch out. (HAHAHAHAHA LOL No, not really)

[glitchedspace]

I don't know much about Blueberror other than he was a Swap Sans that was taken from his AU and Error kinda forgor Blue was in the Anti-void, causing Blue to become like Error. At least, that's how I think it went down.

I've seen fanart that shows him fine with who he is and on friendly terms with Error and some where he resents and hates Error.

Had fun taking these pics. There is a button thing you can click in the Anti-void that changes everything from white to the background in the picture for how bright it is.

Blueberror is such a goofy little guy. He has different clothing toggles like taking on and off his scarf, pauldrons, armor, boots and gloves. You can also change the armor to his original colors. He also comes with a chocolate bar and a bone weapon in his either his left, right, or both hands. He has emotion toggles, which can give him...... a very cracked out look if combined with his hand gestures. He can summon two star abilities, one which floats in his hands and the other he can use to fly on (PC allows for actual flying, while Quest users have to use Gogoloco). You can turn on the floating Errors and he has Gogoloco.

The world is a really good hangout/roleplay world. It has Ink's Doodlesphere, Error's Anti-void, and the Fell brother's house in the new Xtale AU (best way I can describe it). The Doodlesphere has a mirror, pens, props, and a platform you can teleport up to. The Anti-void has a toggle for the background lighting, a mirror, camera system, props, and a hammock (that I dunno how to get to by normal means). The Fell brother's house has a mirror and props.

I tried getting a shot of Blueberror peeking through the portal leading from the Doodlesphere to the Anti-void, but my camera didn't want to cooperate.

The Blueberror-V2 avatar was made by @dragonfire1000

The Underverse world is made by Sunniedaze

[cottakit]

Starstruck's Magic And Attacks!

Starstruck, as a monster, has magic and attacks like any other! They will all be explained in this info dump! :D The information will be under the cut!

Check out other Starstruck posts: Meet Starstruck! Starstruck's Design 1.0! Starstruck Fear Info Dump!

Starstruck uses three colours of magic: Blue Orange Green All of these magic colours exist in the original Undertale game! But, just in case you didn't know of them, I will be explaining them below.

Blue: Blue magic is the most well-known of all the magic colours in Undertale! It causes the player's soul to be bound to the ground, turning the bullet hell into a platformer. Another way Blue magic is used is with the attacks! When an attack is made of Blue magic, the soul has to stay still when passing through it. Blue magic attacks are often in the form of moving bones, Asgore's attacks or Gaster Blasters!

Orange: Orange magic is still a big part of the Undertale battle system. Ingame, it does not have a soul version, but the community has made multiple fanfights including an Orange soul. The gimmick is that the player has to keep moving when their soul is Orange, or else they take damage. The original use of Orange magic is with Asgore's attacks, where you have to move through them or else you take damage. It is the same here!

Green: One of the lesser-used magic colours, exclusive [from what I've learnt playing the game] to Undyne. Starstruck did not originally have this magic colour, but growing up in Waterfall, they had become friends with Undyne and was taught by her. Green magic turns the soul Green, forcing it to stay in one spot with shields as its only defence.

A cool fact about Starstruck's magic is that they can summon fireflies when it is dark. They form from their halo, which also glows in the dark by itself. The halo is made from pure pent-up magic, as they have a small body in comparison to their magic wield. [They are 3'8, based off of Ink's height! ^w^]

If we're talking about their regular magic that forms their soul and appearance, it is a Yellow colour. It does not have the effects that Undertale's Yellow does but is simply the colour that makes up their ecto, eyes and other external magic. All of their bone attacks, including their weapons and Blasters, are an off-white Yellow due to the magic.

Moving onto Starstruck's weapons of choice, they own two dagger-like bones. They do not use them often, as they are a more peaceful-minded monster and do not wish to engage in combat, but they are still fond of the weapons. A more common use of their weapons is during hikes up mountains in AUs that have them, or to add markers to know where they came from! The glowing magic at the end of the dagger-like bones can create a glow that stays for hours at a time, so digging them into the ground to create a path is reasonable.

Last but not least, their Blasters! They can use all three magic colours that Starstruck owns, turning the soul affected by the blast into whichever colour was used! They can summon up to ten at a time. Their Blasters are massive, much bigger than they are, double their height when laid beside them!

That's all about Starstruck's magic! There are other guessable types such as simple bone attacks, but they're the same as Undertale's Papyrus and Sans, so I didn't feel the need to go into detail. Thank you to everybody who read up to this point! :D

~Cottakit

[landgraabbed]

it's been a while since i last shared a game i've been playing. april was spent with stardew valley and i've taken a break from it recently, which i've been spending with the incredible loop hero (dev. four quarters). i believe it's available on all platforms except playstation; it also came out on mobile in the last couple of days. i've been splitting my game time between pc and the steam deck and it plays really well on both. all pictures are completely unedited, my thoughts are below

loop hero is the bastard child of roguelite, deck builder, dungeon crawler, and class-based numbers machine elements. it is set in a post apocalyptic world transformed into a void by sans undertale a lich. all that is left is the loop, which the protagonist wanders endlessly until death or retreat. the loop starts and ends at the campsite, after which the creature and loot level will increase. the protagonist has vague memories of the world, which he imposes through the form of cards. each card is a tile with different properties, both positive and negative to the player. some come with enemy spawns which the protagonist battles automatically. the core gameplay mechanic hinges on knowing what cards to put, and where and when to do so. in a way, the player is the dm in this campaign. more cards can unwittingly bring more dangers, but it is through defeating enemies that one can get more cards and better loot to combat the increasing difficulty that comes with each loot. cards can also interact with others in ways that aren't predictable at first, but can give benefits down the line. there is a meter that indicates when enough cards have been placed in order to summon the chapter boss. during runs, resources can be gathered to improve the base camp, which makes this game lean roguelite, as it allows for progression between runs. some amount of resources is always brought back, but it depends on whether the player has died, retreated outside the camp tile, or retreated in the camp tile (the best outcome for resource gathering). certain base camp updates may also unlock different classes.

i found the writing to be really good so far. it is simple. no character is named and details are vague in a way i find murakami-esque. i think it's lovely that the hero is so strongly motivated to restore the world for, even if that means bringing dangerous people and creatures back. each time a new verbal enemy type is spawned and fought, there is a dialogue in which the protagonist tries to reason with them. i found it to be a nice humanizing touch. there is also a strong element of community as the base camp is expanded to accommodate new characters (who are all hot smh) who all provide support based on their building/profession. they're great. i have just defeated the first boss and don't know what comes next, but it seems that there is more to the initial premise than it first appears.

visually i find the game gorgeous, the devs did an amazing work with the pixel art, which is one of the most gorgeous i've seen in gaming. there are options to toggle a crt shader (which i have enabled in these pictures) and different font options for readability. i found the most stylized default font to be very readable for me, but the game features a simple sans-serif font and a sans-serif dyslexia-friendly font in addition. the soundtrack also leans heavy into the 8bit era of gaming aesthetics. it also has bangers such as this song that plays once the first boss appears.

[demonicsaintess]

Rimuru x Guy // Your First Time… Again?

Rimuru has been summoned back to the Octagon table; or rather, Guy’s castle; or to be more pointedly, his bedroom. Not to do anything but business of course— I mean, unless being alone with him and being forced to hear him whisper every lie I’ve ever wanted to hear, isn’t business. Then, I suppose it’d be a more personal visit…

Link to the fic on Ao3 here

Warnings: sexual content, swearing

Please Note:

*obviously I don’t own anything and this is just for fun. Also, remember Satou/Rimuru are virgins lol.

** also I used the word boy here. Rimuru is of age but due to his small stature it just flowed better for being the bottom, okay? Okay.

*** also, of course the vagina is more complex than the way Gii explained it; I just wanted him to “mansplain” it for added flavor 😂 since Gii is technically genderless as well

*Setting the Scene*

Rimuru shook his head as he walked through the cave. Plip Plip… sounds of water dripping from the stalactites could be heard echoing throughout the cave as Rimuru ceased his steps. Before him laid a large sone platform, inlaid with the intricate carvings for it to be usable as a transportation portal.

This dull headache seems to be present more often than not these days, he thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes I wish I could freely stop time and space… So many people were wheedling his time away, blathering on and on about regulations, and rules and such. It’s nice being The Ruler of Monsters, but… goddammit just forget about it—

Running his hand through his loose iridescent blue locks, he stepped onto the platform. Drawing a hand up to form the magick circle, he let out a thin stream of magicules envelop him, and pull his body. Just as it felt like he would actually move, he appeared, in a sparkle of light, at the center of a dark room.

*Gii’s POV*

“G-Gii-san…?” The small figure trembled in front of me, slowly unfastening his buttoned up white shirt, shyly glancing up between thick white lashes. “Gii… Gii-san!… GII-SAN!!”

My eyes shot open to see the same blue boy straddling my waist. But instead of unbuttoning his shirt, he was beating me with a pillow… and instead of being shy and cute, he was swearing at me for a number of things. Oh well, nagging can be cute too, “Good morning to you too, Rimuru-chan~”

I sat up with a yawn, pretending not to notice the vein threatening to burst on his pale face. “Relax, relax Rimuru-chan! You‘re far too beautiful to be angry at such an early hour, it’s awful for your skin you know!”

The pale blue boy glared at me while delivering a swift punch to my abdomen. Ah! that punch was definitely pulled, “I’m a slime! I always have good skin! And I told you I’m an adult, enough with the brotherly endearment! It’s also 11 at night?!”

I stifled a laugh watching him flare up. He called himself an adult, and I’d even accidentally seen a few of his past memories within his mind of what he looked like as a human man, when we had the last summit meeting. So why was it every time he was around me, the little slime “adult,” turned into a hopeless, whining, mess?

I finally gave up in holding back my laughter, clutching him within my grasp as I threw us backwards on the bed.

Bracing myself on top of his small frame, I took in the innocent golden eyes, that shone brightly with confusion. I inadvertently shivered, and grabbed his thin hand bringing it to my lower half. I gazed at him between half-lidded eyes, and growled at him, “Now, now Riumuru-chan~ play nicely, you started it now. If not,” I hitched one of his thin legs up, wrapping it firmly around my waist.

“Besides, why did you transport here of all places Rimuru-chan~ you wanted to see me, right? Hey, tell me,” I leaned in, grinding my knee against that spot feeling much less than what Rimuru preferred to be there. I knew it.

“Rimuru-chan~ you’ve become quiet, what’s wrong?~” Glancing up, I met those amber eyes that now reflected a much deeper desire. Here it comes~

*Rimuru’s POV*

Shit! He’s got me again.

I’ve retreated within myself momentarily to bring me a few minutes respite before I had to reason with this fool. I flinched as I felt myself pulled forward onto the bed. My hand was brought up to his pants, letting me feel the warm hardness emanating within the silk folds of his stupid, soft robe.

What does he think he’s doing?! Like hell I’m interested in this! I don’t even… like…him~ That’s.. odd, why… is it painful to think about that….

*Gii’s POV*

I watched the small form wiggling beneath me.

His breath started to become little gasps as I clutched him into my body. His leg still wrapped around my waist, I brought my knee up further, making him push his hips forward eagerly to reach me.

He’s in a female form…?

I suppressed a groan as I buried my head in his shoulder. Nipping lightly at his ear, he started to whimper as I took his lobe between my teeth. A few seconds later, violent shiver rocked his body as I felt him start to dampen the place he was grinding into on my leg.

He’s losing it,

I pulled him closer, shifting my knee up and down to further stimulate his budding desire. “Rimuru…” I breathed into his ear. He responded with a small groan, wrapping his arms around my neck.

“Gii-san…” he whimpered, “I can’t take it anymore… please…” I peered into those golden eyes, half lidded, eyelashes fluttering with desire. “T-Take me…” he begged, tears softly forming in his expressive eyes. I took a deep breath to calm myself. “You know I won’t stop when I start… are you sure?” I softly stroked his head, causing him to nuzzle into my hand.

“It’s okay… since it’s Gii-san… since it’s Gii-san, it’s good.”

Gulp.

I swallowed hard as those amber eyes gazed at me with anticipation. I rubbed my thumb across his soft lips, before eagerly taking them into my mouth. He cautiously parted his lips, allowing me full control. Darting my tongue in, I tangled it with his, earning a series of small whimpers as I drank him in without abandon.

Pulling apart, a silvery thread remained.

Then, as my eyes bore into his, he unconsciously licked his lips, making him look look like a cat enjoying it’s treat.

An act that he probably doesn’t even realize he did.

*Rimuru’s POV*

It’s happening AGAIN. I don’t know why my body keeps responding this way with this man! Also, why do I have female genitalia?? I don’t even remember actually seeing if this one was useable! So why is it here!

I lost my chance to think further about it, when my leg was pulled and wrapped around Gii’s hard, lean waist. I gasped when he ground his thigh into me.

Why.. why does this feel so GOOD? Ah~

Feeling the growing heat in my stomach start to tense, I looked up at Gii-san to find his eyes boring into me.

However, instead of the bright red that normally showed, they were dark, and filled with lascivious inclination.

I felt my cheeks heat as he looked at me like that.

He really wants me…

“Gii-san…” I managed to gasp through the deep kiss he had me locked into. “I can’t take it Gii-san, please.” I whimpered as I gripped his strong shoulders. “I know you can feel it,” I pushed my hips forward to meet his thigh again. “Take me…” I whispered as I bit his ear lightly.

Gii-san stared at me intensely, lust mixed with monopolizing greed. He buried his head into my shoulder, breathing in sharply as he clutched his nails into my shoulders, and he held me tightly. I whispered into his ear as he laid me down gently on the pillow, “Be gentle with me Gii-san…” I whispered as he gripped my hand and brought it to his mouth.

*Gii’s POV*

“Hold onto me Rimuru,” I wrapped his arms around my neck as I pulled him over towards the middle of the bed.

With one hand I caught both thin wrists and held them above his head. I used my free hand to rub his lips again, as I left a trail of small love bites along his jaw. I saw him open his mouth, small puffs of air coming from him as I brought my teeth further up his neck.

Fucking beautiful… Is all I could think of as I gazed at him.

His eyes were shut tightly, a small crease between his brows. His diamond shaped mouth was letting out soft moans, giving me more access to explore him more.

“Rimuru-chan~ you’re so sensitive~~” I softly teased him, enjoying the bits of frustration that peeked out between the shades of lust.

Seeing that he needed more, I moved my free hand to his shirt. I slowly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, lightly teasing his pale throat with my finger tips.

I earned goosebumps from him, while he moaned when I caressed his soft skin. I slowly removed the shirt from his body. Sucking in my breath raggedly, my gaze darkened upon the pale boy between my arms.

Flesh of jade and bones of ice…

The couplet appeared in my mind, as I took in the shimmering body beneath me.

His face was flushed as deep breaths came from his mouth, his lips still red and swollen from the kiss.

I slowly traced his waistline, slipping my finger tips into his shorts. I felt him start to tremble again. I looked at him cautiously, planting a firm kiss on his forehead. I kissed both his cheeks, making my way down his slender body. The loud moan that escaped his mouth was an affirmation of why he was here.

This man, who thought of himself as an adult, was the same slime who ruled an entire country. He’s quite revered throughout the land, as a frank and fair ruler; and right now, here he was, begging for mercy, as if he was in heat.

I slowed down teasing him, I could see it in his eyes that I had him where I wanted him to be. I looked into his eyes and his face flushed when he realized what was happening.

“W-wait!!! Gii-san…” I looked up at him from between his legs. I could see fear flashing across his face. Remembering that his first time was only a couple days ago, made me snap out of the lust filled trance I was in.

I reached my hand out to stroke his hair that sprawled around his body on the bed. Taking a lock of the pale silvery blue hair into my grasp, I brought it to my mouth, laying a small and delicate kiss upon it. Looking into his eyes, I nodded.

After confirming with him that he was alright, I finished removing his pants. His pale skin seemed to glow, even in the dark room. Laying one last reassuring kiss upon his shoulders, I then took his other leg, and wrapped it around my waist, so his growing patch of wetness, was pressing against me. “Rimuru-chan~ do you like it when I tease you? Do you feel good? Do you need me to stop?” I whispered into his ear. Soon I heard a small voice reply between labored breaths: “No… Gii-san.. don’t… don’t stop…”

*Rimuru’s POV*

I can barely think straight. It feels like I’m drunk… but I shouldn’t be able to get drunk…

Another moan ripped out of me as Gii increased his gyration against me. Riding his momentum, I couldn’t help myself from pushing up into him. I felt the heat building in my stomach, while my most sensitive place was being rubbed upon. I felt it grow increasingly slick, as Gii continued to stimulate me.

It feels so good…

My movement against my body jolted me back to the present. I looked down, Gii’s fingers were pulling down my pants.

“Gii-san…” I whimpered, looking up at him in trepidation. He slowed, gathering a bit of my hair into his grasp. He brought it up to his lips, an act that told me he’d be careful. He didn’t want to hurt me; and he wouldn’t hurt me.

He whispered how much he cared for me into my ear, as he ever so slowly pressed a finger onto the small bud of my slit.

Tremors rocked my body as I stiffened. The electric feeling that coursed through me was confusing, but… I wanted more!

What WAS that?!

I desperately searched my mind for the knowledge I had about sex, and all I could come to the conclusion of was, it was the vagina. Something on it caused that. I’m almost 100% sure.

*Gii’s POV*

All I could do was grunt in extreme satisfaction, feeling the pleasure ride through his body as I first touched him. The shivering he was doing after that let me know that he has no idea how a vagina works!

I chuckled softly as I laid him back onto the bed. Leaning over him I kissed him softly.

He’s so eager, I thought, as I peeked at him with one eye.

His softly arched eyebrows, were slightly furrowed, as his tongue danced with mine.

He was trying to sit up to get closer, when I pushed him away, so he was flat against the bed. I started sucking on the one spot by his jaw that he loves; the spot just near the small mole on his neck, the spot only I knew about.

I made my way down, pausing to nibble along his collar bone, tracing lightly with my tongue down his sternum. I caught one small nub into my teeth, as I teased his soaking wet entrance with my fingertips.

Just a few seconds of rubbing it and he’s this close, smirked inwardly as I continue to fondle his chest.

His cheeks were growing more and more flushed as he started to twitch beneath me.

I bit down harder on his nipple, and he let out a deep moan, arching his back against the bed, shaking violently as I increased pressure from my other hand.

Fuck, I groaned as I slid one finger up his wetness and across his clitoris.

Rimuru rode out his orgasm, while he laid a soaking mess beneath me.

I gripped him tightly, until he slackened in my arms and began to timidly sniffle bringing his small hands up to cover his face.

“Rimuru… Rimu-chan, are you crying?” I sat up immediately and gathered the shaking boy into my arms. “Rimu-chan what’s wrong? Tell me, it’s okay I’m sorry Rimu. Did it scare you?”

Rimuru looked up at me, his clear gold eyes glowing in the darkness. He nodded slowly, and buried his head back into my shoulder.

“Oh…? Ohhh… Rimuru. That was your complete first time with THAT… wasn’t it…?”

Again the boy nodded; this time without raising his head.

This poor, poor thing. What am I supposed to do with you when you’re this naive?

I willed my heart to steady as I took a deep breath. Bringing him out from my arms, I stood up. Tightening the sash on my robe, I gathered his clothes, and quickly used magicules to clean them. I laid them neatly on the chair across the room, and then I turned to my small blue slime. I grabbed the thick blanket I keep at the end of the bed, and wrapped him up swiftly so nothing but his head was exposed. Then, I sat down across from him and smiled.

Look at that hair. A “Ruler of Monsters” he says, but still acts like a child.

I looked into his eyes, “Rimuru, do you know what you made?” I asked gently. “N-No.. well I mean, yes technically, but I’ve never seen one, like, in real life. Let alone use it…” His voice came out as a small whisper as he buried his crimson face into the blanket.

“Okay that’ll help. Listen to me explain, alright?” I smiled gently to encourage him.

Why do I feel like a father giving their child the sex talk?

I quickly dismissed the thought, pulling my full attention back to Rimuru. “Ok, Rimuru, what you made was female genitalia. Specifically the kind for human women. I’m assuming because of your memories as Shizue-san. It functions differently from… what males have. The last time you were here, we performed anal… because you… were in a male form.”

Jesus I can’t believe he’s making me do this. Where is Raphael??

I continued on with my explanation. “When you use female genitalia for sex, it’s different.. There’s two places you can stimulate a human woman to make them climax... One, is their clitoris. Which is that little spot on the top near your labia. Oh, and labia are the lips that enclose the vagina.” I held my hands out and twisted my fingers, trying to diagram it crudely.

“Anyways! What happened to you was a female orgasm, from having your clitoris stimulated. I’m sure it was quite a shock for the first time.”

I softly laughed and laid back on the bed. I felt him squirm from within his blanket burrito, and instead, burrow into my arms, pulling the blanket over both of us. I squeezed him softly as I felt his breathing start to steady. Soft puffs of air came from him, indicating he bad fallen asleep, as I continued to hold him.

“Ruler of Monsters, eh? Indeed, he has a way of charming monsters…”

*Rimuru’s POV*

I shot up from the bed, just as the first sign of light was beginning to shine through the curtains of Gii’s room.

Looking to my right, I see Gii fast asleep, breathing deeply, his finely chiseled chest slowly rising and falling.

He’s so beautful… when he’s not talking…

I laughed softly to myself, running my hand through his soft and fiery hair. He groaned and opened one eye. “Oh it’s morning already? Good morning Rimuru-chan~” I narrowed my eyes at the moniker. But I decided to let it slide.

All of a sudden I was falling, when Gii scooped me into his arms and wrapped his arms around me. “Hey~ Rimuru-chan~ it’s morning, isn’t it?” He asked, burying his head into the crook of my neck.

“…Yes… it is indeed morning…” I cautiously asked, turning around to face him. I cocked an eyebrow and looked into those fiery red eyes.

Uh oh… why are—

I felt Gii grip one of my palms into his. He brought it forward to rest on his abdomen.

Wait… those aren’t his.. it’s… what’s this lo—

I stiffened as the realization dawned upon me.

This evil demon! This perverted old goat!

I glared up into his eyes, but I was curious. Now that I could make one… what if the vagina was used… Gii wouldn’t let me get hurt. He’d be gentle, and he obviously knows what he’s doing…

I shifted my gaze into one of curiosity, as I made a small nod. Gii’s eyes darkened as a smirk began to form on his lips.

Oh dear…

-HolyVillainess

[animeking114]

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun 2 (Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Season 2) reveals new cast, staff & release date

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun/ Jibaku Shōnen Hanako-kun is one of the successful manga series of this decade with more than 10 million copies. The manga was adapted into an anime in 2020 and the sequel has been confirmed with the new staff. Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun anime season 2 is under production and it will air in Winter 2025. The supernatural series has been one of the best anime of the last 2 years. - More News on Animeking - Romelia Senki Anime Release Date, Cast & More The Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun anime is directed by Yōhei Fukui and Mayuka Itou remains as the show's character designer. Crunchyroll confirmed season 2 of Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun will be streamed on their platform. Masayoshi Oishi has performed the opening theme song for the sequel which is titled as "L'oN" and the ending theme song "With a Wish" is performed by Akari Kitou. The official story description for season 2 by Crunchyroll is here, "There’s a rumor going around about the Seven Wonders of Kamome Academy. Nene Yashiro and her classmate, Kou Minamoto, work with Hanako-san to expose a traitor among the ranks of the Seven Wonders. After breaking No. 2, the Misaki Stairs, and No. 5, the 4 O'clock Library, only five remain. Can they uncover the perpetrator before it’s too late?"

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun Anime - Release Date

The second season of Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun anime will premiere on January 12, 2025. A special advance screening was held at Tokyo's Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro theater where the team also confirmed the premiere date and staff.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun Anime - Cast & Crew

Toilet-Bound Hanako's second season features new characters. Hōchū Ohtsuka joins the cast as Kako who plays one of the Three Clock Keepers who governs the past. Rie Kugimiya is another addition and she plays the role of Mirai who is one among Three Clock Keepers. Mirai has the ability to control the future and her main goal is to protect the clock tower of Kamome Academy. Here is the official crew of season 2, - Director - Yōhei Fukui - Writer - Yasuhiro Nakanishi - Production - Lerche Studio - Music - Hiroshi Takaki - Color Designer - Saki Tada - Character Designer - Mayuka Itou - Art Director - Hiromasa Ogura

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun Storyline

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun is a supernatural fantasy adventure. The story is all about the Kamome Academy students who have different goals. Hanako and Nene Yashiro play the main characters in the show. Here is the official story description of the series, "At Kamome Academy, rumors abound about the school's Seven Mysteries, one of which is Hanako-san. Said to occupy the third stall of the third floor girls' bathroom in the old school building, Hanako-san grants any wish when summoned. Nene Yashiro, an occult-loving high school girl who dreams of romance, ventures into this haunted bathroom…but the Hanako-san she meets there is nothing like she imagined! Kamome Academy's Hanako-san…is a boy.

FAQ

How to watch the Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun anime? The Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun anime series is available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation. Season 2 of the series is available on JNN. How many episodes will the Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun anime season 2 have? The Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun anime season 2 will have 12 seasons. Read the full article

[theautomatedparkingcompany]

Hello. Hope you're having a great day. When we evaluated which type of fully automated parking system we wanted to provide, we were especially interested in systems that are reliable, provide redundancy, and fast retrieval times.

If you look at what is available in the marketplace, the two main types of fully automated systems are what's called AGV, or autonomous guided vehicle and rack and rail, of which there are a couple different flavors.

When we took this all into consideration, we selected the AGV system. Here's why. Rack and rail systems have a lot of moving parts, and there is typically one traversing shuttle per level. If this shuttle goes down, there's no ability to retrieve vehicles on that level until restored. Because there is only one shuttle per level retrieving vehicles, they tend to achieve slower retrieval times.

With the AGV system, there are only eight moving parts on each robot, four wheels and four actuators picking up and setting down the vehicles on the platforms. Hence, they're very reliable. We typically design these with multiple AGV robots on each level. If something happens to a robot, the other robots can pick up the slack and they can also be summoned from different levels if available.

With multiple robots on each level, they can be parking and retrieving multiple vehicles simultaneously as well. If you need faster retrieval times, all we have to do is program an additional AGV robot off site and add it to your garage. Additionally, with the AGV system, we have the ability to provide computer simulations for your specific property to ensure we can meet your peak hour demands.

We partner with volley automation out of San Francisco and can tour you in an installation if you're interested. Look forward to providing you with creative parking solutions.

https://TheAutomatedParkingCompany.com

#agvparking #puzzleparking #roboticparking

[glapplebloom]

Not everything From the Research Bin will be specifically for Death Battle.

Before Death Battle, I enjoyed reading through things like Wikipedia or TVTropes to learn more about a subject. I was even helping out Factpile (an old Debate Website) before becoming a Researcher for Death Battle. Not to mention I had ideas as articles about who would win in a fight against who. So looking through my Google Docs I found an old one.

I’m pretty sure you don’t need me to tell you who Sans the Skeleton is. Undertale is a frikkin popular game. So popular that Sans and Megalovania got into Smash Fighters as a Costume. So of course he’s going to be a popular pick for Death Battle requests. The problem is, how do you present him? Undertale is a very vague game. Depending on the researcher, you got someone who can see him as being extremely weak and another thinking he’s universal in scale. So finding an opponent for him is difficult because of how Undertale works. Is it magic that makes attacks against monsters so strong or any strong emotion behind the swing?

Now what about Kid Radd and why did I put him against Sans? Well, Kid Radd is the star of an old Pixel Comic where a game character is forced to leave his game and try to live a seemingly normal life, only to once again save the day from an evil entity who wants terrible things to happen. The fun thing about it is he fights like he does in the original game: 4 hits before being killed while being able to maneuver around like your average platformer. So for this fight, I decided to not have it be feat based, but gameplay based.

Sans is a powerful opponent gameplay wise. Gaster Blasters that he can summon at any time and any place, bones that can hurt you when you’re standing still or even moving, and the ability to control your gravity by messing with your SOUL. Combining all of these throws you to a gauntlet of bones, platforms and lasers to avoid. And if you’re hit, Karmic Retribution can attack you even when you're Invulnerable. Even going through the menu is dangerous as he can attack you there as well. But he gets tired and after 24 shots (or 25, it was a long time ago when I wrote this and may not have added the dodge then attack that killed him) he is easy to take out. Not to mention being an RPG, he’s more prone to letting people take turns.

Kid Radd can only take 4 hits. Luckily for him every hit gives him a brief bit of immunity. With the Lucky Penny, he can take an additional hit beyond the 4 and with a code can access his Raddboard to grant him better maneuverability and flight. And like Mega Man, he fires small bits of energy called Radd Beams and charges it up for a Mega Radd. Now here’s the messed up part. Since the game programmers coded him to use the max bits available, his Mega Radd can be charged up to be even more powerful than the base game. It was even capable of destroying the internet. Problem is any hit, no matter how minor, does the same damage to him. So if his opponent is smart enough, they can attack him with no miss attacks and he can’t do anything about it.

Ultimately, I gave the win to Kid Radd. Platforming and recognizing patterns is his bag. That’s how he was able to beat his Rival Slash Brother Gnarl while avoiding armies going against him. I also suspect his Invulnerability is superior to Karmic Retribution since other games' abilities wouldn’t work on him when invulnerable, while KR is coded for specifically Undertale’s hit system. And even if it does work, his knowledge of platforming and his Raddboard can negate Sans’ ability to control the target’s gravity. And if anything, he can just continue to charge up the Mega Radd so much that Sans can’t avoid it, since after destroying the Computer Network he did the attack in (long story), he was still there.

Has things changed since 2016? Honestly, no. Deltarune is a mystery on how it's connected to Undertale, with Sans being there but not doing anything. While Kid Radd ended a long time ago, concluding its story. Maybe if a future Deltarune game showed how Sans connects them both this could change, but I would still back up Kid Radd when it comes to gameplay Vs gameplay. Though I definitely prefer Wreck it Ralph Vs Kid Radd. Did that for a Discord Community Death Battle.

[twstdaydreamer]

TWST OC: Natsume Dragneel

Natsume took the place of Yuu (MC) in the game for my Fairy Tail x Twisted Wonderland fanfic in AO3: Unlike Your Ordinary Fairytale. You can check out the link if you want to give it a try!

Picrew used can be found here and I edited her legs and feet to fit in the template. Special thanks for @pearlwhitecats for giving me permission to use it!

More of her information under the cut cause its a bit lengthy 😂

“I live solely to protect what matters the most! I don't care if you burn my body, tear my flesh apart, break my bones all you want, even if I have to crawl my way to protect everyone; as long as I have the will to fight for my family, I will do it!”

General Profile

Full Name: Natsume Dragneel

Romanji: Natsume Doraguniru

Katakana: ナツメ • ドラグニル

CV: Ami Koshimizu

Nicknames: Nat, Supremo, Natsu-san, Natsu-sama, Natsu (Deuce), Henchman (Grim), Pipsqueak/shorty/little squirt/witch (Ace), Natsu-chan (Cater), Child of Man (Malleus), Little One (Lilia), Human (Sebek), Koebi-chan (Floyd), Reine des Destruction (Rook), Potato (Vil)

Biographical Status

Specie: Human (?)

Gender: Female

Birthday: April 1

Star sign: Aries

Age: 16 (?)

Height: 155 cm

Hair color: Strawberry blonde

Eye color: Golden yellow

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Dominant Hand: Left

MBTI: ENFP

Homeland: Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore

Relatives: Lucy Dragneel (Mother), Natsu Dragneel (Father), Nashi, Layla, Jude, Ignus Dragneel (siblings), Gray Fullbuster (Godfather), Alistair (Foster father), Dire Crowley (Adoptive Uncle; only by disguise)

Personal Status

Likes/Hobbies: Playing with animals, dragons, children, cheering up her friends, cooking, gardening

Dislikes: People who purposely taking advantage of others, restriction of freedom, drawing, people who insults others and makes fun of them, transportation, moving vehicles

Talents: Singing, expert in melee combat

Professional Status

Occupation: Student, mage, part-time worker at Mostro Longue

Bases of Operation: Night Raven College, Fairy Tail Guild

Dorm: Ramshackle

School Year: First year, student no.7

Class: 1-A

Best Subject: PE

Worst Subject: Flying

Club: Light Music

Magic

“Celestial Dragon Slayer Magic” - Natsume can utilize this type of Caster type and Lost Magic and use it in different forms of combat. Like all dragon slayers, she can consume her respective elements that have something to do with heavenly bodies. Although in her case, she can absorb the light and power of the stars, comets, asteroids, moon, and others instead of directly eating it. Her teacher and mentor is the celestial dragon named Alistair.

“Celestial Spirit Magic” - Natsume is also adept in this Holder type magic. It is noted that she can summon two spirits at the same time, although its weakening after effects will render her almost immobile.

General Status

Appearance: Natsume is a young, petite girl with fair skin who was rather short for her age. Her waist-length strawberry blonde hair was tied to either a low twin braid (just when she wore the Ramshackle's dorm uniform) or just a French braid (during PE), but she let it down freely when wearing her school uniform and ceremonial robes. Bangs frames her face just above her eyelids with a long, singular cowlick sticking downward. Upon arriving at Twisted Wonderland, Natsume wore a white hakama. It has star patterns on the sleeves and on the hem. The white, loose pants were cut short to her knees, with a slit on either side of her leg up to her waist. Underneath it, she wore black stockings with intricate patterns. It was all paired with black platform shoes fit for martial arts training...or for comfortably kicking someone. Her Fairy Tail guild mark was stamped on her right shoulder, hidden in plain sight, in the color similar to her eyes, which were a pair of golden yellow. She doesn't like showing too much skin, and is not entirely confident in her body, a trait that was the opposite of her mother. Natsume carried herself a little more on the masculine side, which led people to assume that she's a boy with a delicate figure.

History

Personality: Like her father, Natsume was extremely reckless and hot-headed in nature. She would easily snapped at anyone who insults her (especially when it comes to her height) and the people she cares about. Because of her love for fighting, she always causes immense destruction in her wake. However, despite being so aggressive and violent, Natsume was fiercely loyal and protective once you earned her trust and respect. She considers and treats her friends as a part of her family and would do anything, even risking her own life, for their sake and safety, which always flustered everyone at her shameless remarks. Natsume was very optimistic and upbeat, clever when triggered right and is very mischievous. She obviously inherited her parents' stubbornness and refusal to give up, even if the odds are against her favor. Natsume doesn't like holding grudges either, and is very forgiving to those who wronged her. She never backs down on any fight that made her develop a rather strategic mind.

Coming soon as the story progressed.

Fun Facts

Natsume refers to herself as the masculine “ore” in Japanese instead of the feminine “watashi” that adds more to the confusion regarding her gender.

Natsume is honestly very fond of animals, but Jay (Gray and Juvia's son) always teased her when they were young about it so she developed the tendency to deny them.

Rook gave her the nickname 'Reine des Destruction' meaning Queen of Destruction because of her tendency to easily cause a ruckus wherever she went.

She's very proficient in hand-to-hand combat. And Natsume's favorite weapon is the fleuve d'etoiles, a whip given to her by Virgo which have the same properties as the one her mother uses.

Yukino Agria gave Natsume the remaining keys in her possession when she was 13 years old; Libra, Pisces, Ophiuchus, Deneb and Polaris.

She has the total of 12 gold keys, 1 black key, and 10 silver keys.

The celestial dragon, Alistair, once resides in the realms of her dreams when she was under comatose during which he trained Natsume to become a dragon slayer.

She prefers vegetable seedlings as a gift rather than girly stuff and flowers.

Natsume loves children, or being the older sister type to her friends, as she often took care of her younger siblings (Nashi, Layla, Jude and Ignus) when her parents were away.

Relationships

Ramshackle

Rui (Rui; Nat, child): Her best friend, partner, and the one who keeps her in line. He was very serious and strict with her, but wants her to be happy and free.

Grim (Grim, raccoon; Nat, henchmen): Often argues with her, but very attached to her. Would rather die than to tell her he really likes her.

Ghosts (Casper, Clyde, Boo; Supremo, Nat): Likes pranking the residents of Ramshackle, but they help her when cleaning is needed.

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts (Riddle-senpai; Supremo, Natsu-san): He was very protective of her, especially after his overblot. She treated him like a younger brother even though he's older than her.

Ace Trappola (Ginger nut; Pipsqueak, witch): Would always pissed each other off. They are constantly in a friendly fight but they do treat each other as best friends.

Deuce Spade (Deuce; Natsu): Would be the one to stop her when Natsume was thinking of causing trouble, but ends up getting caught with her anyway. One of her best friends, too!

Trey Clover (Trey-senpai; Natsu): Acts like a big brother and loves cooking with her. He would sometimes helped her tending her farm.

Cater Diamond (Cay-senpai; Natsu-chan): Would ask her selfies, which she would vehemently denied.

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar (Leona-senpai, lion king; herbivore): Plays chess with her when she visits the botanical garden. He grew fond of her after the Savanaclaw arc.

Ruggie Bucchi (Ruggie-senpai; Natsu-kun): Cooks with him! And helps with chores and stuff whenever he needs help.

Jack Howl (Jack-kun; Natsu): Treats him like a younger brother too despite...the big height difference.

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto (Azul-senpai, octodude; Natsume-san): People would hear them arguing or having debates with the most random of things. Although hostile at first, they grew a bit more friendly over time especially when she started working at the Mostro Longue.

Jade Leech (Jade-senpai; Natsume-san): Co-worker at Mostro Longue. A little suspicious of his smiles but learn to trust him over time (a bad decision, really).

Floyd Leech (Floyd-senpai; Koebi-chan): He would always hug her from behind, scaring the shit out of her. People would see them on a fist fight at times.

Scarabia

Kalim Al-Asim (Kalim-senpai; Natsu): Hangs out with her plenty, and would often join her during lunch. They were close friends, and same club members.

Jamil Viper (Jamil-senpai; Natsume-kun): Would often trade cooking tips and knowledge, they may be friends after his overblot. Hopefully.

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit (Vil-senpai, beauty queen; Natsume, potato): Admires his hardworking personality. Fusses over her whenever she forgot to take care of herself, or brush her hair.

Rook Hunt (Rook-senpai, Hunter boy, Aunt Juvia #2; Reine des Destruction): She doesn't mind his stalker-ish personality because she's used to having Aunt Juvia be like that, too. Instead, they become close friends, often sneaking up on others.

Epel Felmier (Epel; Natsu): Best friends! Would ask her to teach him more about combat fighting to be stronger in exchange for teaching her how to properly fly.

Ignihyde

Ortho Shroud (Ortho-chan; Natsu-nee): Yelped in surprise and was terrified of him when she first saw him, but VERY dramatically protective of him afterwards. He reminds her of Nashi a lot when her brother was younger.

Idia Shroud (Idia-senpai; Extrovert kid, Normie): Likes hiding when she's visiting Ignihyde, but she would instantly locate him with his scent so he would be forced to hang out with her. Not that he mind, but he would rather die than to admit that to an extrovert.

Diasomnia

Malleus Draconia (Tsunotarou, Tsuno onii-san; Child of Man): He's damn pining! Although Natsume was incredibly and painfully oblivious of his growing feelings for her, much to his dismay and frustration, they have a great friendship outside of romance. They hang out outside the dorm and would invite him to stargaze with her on the rooftop.

Lilia Vanrouge (Lilia-senpai, bat dad; Natsu, little one): He was the second person who knew something was ‘wrong’ with her. Although he's very fond of her, and reminds her of Silver when he was younger. He would treat her like a daughter and tolerates her pranks. They were club members and would tease her with his metal screamo, earning a painful scolding from her.

Silver (Princess; Natsu-san): When they talk, it's usually about Malleus or Lilia. Though they would take naps under the tree often and enjoy each other's company with the lovely animals.

Sebek (Suika; Human): Would have a shouting contest with him on who can shout the loudest--and that was just one of the most ridiculous competitions they always do.

Staff

Dire Crowley (Headmaster; child, Natsume-kun): His ‘beast tamer’ was actually a ‘troublemaker’ in disguise. Headmaster grew penniless, especially after he took her under his wing.

Divus Crewel (Professor Crewel; Natsume, Good girl): Would design her school clothes! Definitely. He praises her because of how fast she learns compared to the other puppies.

Mozus Trein (Professor Trein; Dragneel-san): Reminds her of Master Makarov at times, so she greatly respects him. She's surprisingly attentive to his classes.

Ashton Vargas (Professor Vargas; Natsume-kun): They once had an arm wrestling contest, Natsume won, and that earned his respect.

Sam (Sammy; Little demon): He was the third person who sensed that something's ‘wrong’ with her.

RSA

Alchemi Alchemivich Pinka (Chenya-chan; Sensei): Unknown yet.

Author's Notes:

Neige Leblance (Shirayuki-hime; Natsu-sama): Niege gained a huge crush on Natsume after she saved him from a stampede of his fans.

Natsume called Sebek ‘Suika’ which means watermelon in Japanese.

Shirayuki-hime means Snow White in Japanese.

To not give any more major spoilers for the fanfic, Natsume’s bio will continuously change as the story progressed.

damn Tumblr, the post won’t appear on tags ngl.

[seiin-translations]

2.43 S1 Epilogue 2 - To Connect

2. A KNIGHT & SLEEPING BEAUTY

Ibara’s back, baby~~

Also, Kanno’s such a simp

Previous || Index || Next

When he was about to board the train, he saw Kuroba jumping over the ticket gate, so he left half of his body on the platform side and waited. The doors, which were about to close, squeezed his enamel bag on his back and then opened again. Noticing that, Kuroba bowed to him and then went to the train car at the other end (there were only two cars, so they were both end cars). After seeing that, Kanno slipped into his car as well. He sat down in the seat by the doors on the other side.

Suemori-san, who was sitting in the seat by the door across from him, was looking at him, and he unconsciously flinched.

“Good morning.”

When Suemori-san said that to him with a neutral expression, Kanno mumbled, “G-Good morning.”

It’s not that I got onto the same car on purpose, it’s just that there’s a 50/50 chance we’ll end up in the same car, so it’s not creepy, he explained in his mind.

“Wanna sit?”

Suemori-san and put her enamel bag next to her down on the floor to make room for him. “Pardon me,” he said, abashed, and sat down next to her, also putting his bag at his feet. Since it was a two-person seat, they could only leave a space of one or two fists between them at most, and one side of his body felt strangely ticklish from nervousness.

Kuroba showed his face at the window of the door connecting the two cars. He looked like he was going to move over here, but as soon as he saw Suemori-san, he made an “Ah” face and withdrew, never to appear again.

“You have morning practice today? The boys never had morning practice before.”

“Ah, yes. Since we don’t have much time, we’re doing morning practice every day until the Spring Tournament starting today.”

Unlike the girls’ team, the boys’ team never practiced in the morning due to the policy of the old advisor. Everyone on the team thought that it was because he hated waking up early, despite being elderly… But it seemed that the strongest private schools didn’t have morning practice. An interview in a volleyball magazine said that they taught their players to get a good night’s sleep and to eat a proper breakfast.

Anyway, the situation was such that they couldn’t say that. Captain Oda lobbied for permission to hold morning practice for the Spring Tournament preliminaries.

“I really wondered what was going to happen for a time. But anyways, I’m glad.”

Suemori-san let out a rough sigh. When she asked about the club activities suspension punishment, she got indignant, as though she was one of the people concerned. He managed to calm her down, as she seemed to be on the verge of going to Kuroba’s house to yell at him. If she challenged the Kuroba family, Suemori-san’s family might not be able to live in Monshiro anymore.

“I’m sorry for causing you to worry so much…”

“I feel kind of stupid, being the angriest even though I’m an outsider. That’s what pisses me off the most. How can you be so calm?”

“It’s not that we weren’t angry…but, I guess it was because of Aoki-senpai. He was so angry that there was no way he wasn’t going to do something about it. We were convinced that for Oda-senpai, he was going to manage something before the Spring Tournament, using whatever means necessary.”

It was agreed between the second-years that they would keep their physical strength up and play with the ball everyday. They also took the opportunity to level up Okuma, as not much time had passed since he switched to volleyball. Aoki-senpai was definitely working behind the scenes. It wasn’t going to end like this. That was why their year was trying to make sure they could go full throttle as soon as the summons came.

Before he knew it, he realized that Suemori-san’s eyes were staring at him fixedly for some reason.

“Did, did I say…something weird?”

When he asked that, feeling her face tense and slightly pulled himself back, Suemori-san’s mouth tapered to a point.

“Not really. I just thought that you really are a member of the boys’ team. Only you guys could resolve yourselves so coolly, and even though it’s not like I don’t have attachments to the boys’ team since I helped you guys out at the ballgame tournament, they didn’t tell me anything about this. That’s what I thought.”

“I-I’m sorry. The girls are always practicing, and you seem to be busy with your own things…”

As soon as the June ballgame tournament was over, they had almost nothing to talk about, and Kanno was dejected. Even now, Okuma was still talking about how she should be the manager for the boys’ team if she wasn’t a regular for the girls. He thought that if Suemori-san was their manager, then that would be a dreamlike environment, of course, to have her shout encouragement to everyone during practice, and to be able to wear matching team jerseys on tournament days.

But after the ballgame tournament, Suemori-san seemed to be really busy for the girls’ team.

“You’re even taking on a lot of chores, right? There are a lot of first-year girls, so you don’t have to do them…”

He was impressed by the fact that she never stood still during club activities, but ran around shouting. Not only did she take the initiative to take care of the chores that the first-years and the managers had to do, but she also unfailingly cooperated with the practices that had the goal of strengthening the regular members.

“You’ve been watching me closely, huh...”

Suemori-san smiled wryly and turned her gaze to the window facing her. While squinting her eyes that were dazzled by the light, she began to speak in a slightly stiff voice, suppressing her emotions.

“I’m glad I was able to help the boys for the ballgame tournament. I realized how important it was to support a team behind the scenes, and how much work it is. I think there was a part of me that thought that only the people who were standing on the court were needed in the club… Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up on becoming a regular. I’m in the middle of gaining experience from scratch.”

Suemori-san clenched her white fist on top of her lap. Her legs, which were long for a girl and slender, were stepping firmly on the floor, straddling the enamel bag she had used for years since middle school.

“Once you let go of something, it might be much harder to get it back than at first. I might not make it in time before I graduate. But I learned…that no matter how many times I’m betrayed by it, it’s something I can never get rid of… In order to get the volleyball where everyone thinks of me as the coolest, I’m struggling uselessly, even though I’m not cool right now.”

“Y-You’re not uncool, not at all. That’s really cool.”

He unconsciously leaned towards her and said that. Suemori-san was so surprised that she pulled back a little and hit the back of her head on the railing with an “Ouch!” Kanno also returned to his senses with an “Ah…” and drew his head back, hitting the back of his head the moment he did that.

Suemori-san’s cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment.

“…Thanks.”

She said, smiling broadly. He had never seen such a relaxed expression on Suemori-san’s face before. The soft smile that drifted gently on her face, which had a tense impression without any sweetness, was more “beautiful” than “cool.” He thought at that moment, Ah, she’s a very beautiful person.

He didn’t feel like calling her “Ibara-chan” anymore. At this moment, “Suemori-san” became “Suemori-san” quite naturally in Kanno. It wasn’t the same as saying he distanced himself from her. It’s not that, I want to protect this beautiful and gallant person—When she was “Ibara-chan,” she was the knight who protected me, but now I’m going to be her faithful knight—that was what he thought.

“There was one more thing I let go of, though. If I started building that up from scratch as well, maybe I’ll get it in my hands one day. If I can be forgiven, can I try to get it back…?”

“Mmm. You’ll definitely get it, Suemori-san,” he nodded vigorously, and then blinked. “…Huh? Get what?” “Hmm, I wonder?” My supreme princess only tilted her head and giggled, but didn’t tell me. He had never seen such a playful expression on her face either until now, and he got flustered.

When the train arrived at Nanafu Station, they got up and shouldered their own bags.

“Well then.”

“Yeah…do your best, in everything.”

“You’re the one who has to do your best like crazy.”

“…Yes. I’ll do my best.”

Mmm, Suemori-san nodded and got off the train. After a moment of gazing admiringly at her figure from behind as she bravely cut into the platform filled with bright light, Kanno also pulled down the hood of his hoodie, tucked his hands into the long sleeves, and nimbly jumped down into the harsh world where the sunlight was beginning to shine strongly.

His body’s resistance to one condition was extremely weak. It seemed that the immunity of something in his blood didn’t work as well as it did in other people. There were many times he was stared at because of his appearance, but he didn’t feel self-conscious about it now.

He knew that he had something to contribute to his team. He took pride in the fact that he had a role he must fulfill. He was starting his engine in order to match the start of the two first-years anytime. He could feel the thin blood inside of him pumping up and flowing with vitality.

Previous || Index || Next

[evieonic]

Hi there, if you're comfortable writing about fairy tail, I have an idea about natsu getting tickled by lucy's celestial spirits (like loke, capricorn, etc) XD, it would mean a lot if you wanna write it! thanks!

Natsu's Cure for Boredom (Published:  10/21/2021)

Pairing: Natsu/Lucy/Loke/Virgo (Platonic)

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Trigger Warning: None.

Length: 1494 Words, 1 Chapter. Completed.

Platforms: Ao3 (Link in Title)

Summary: Natsu is bored to death due to the Guild having a lack of requests. So what better way to cure his boredom then by annoying Lucy? Lee! Natsu + Ler! Lucy, Ler! Loke, Ler! Virgo ORIGINAL POST: Heck yeah, I can write that. It's been a looong time since I've watched fairy tail tho, i really need to rewatch it but I can probably do that. XD It'll be a while before I'm able to complete though so when I post the story, I'll edit this post with the story and then post a separate post that has a referral link to this. I hope that makes sense. XD

Also do you want this to be romantic or platonic, I'm going to assume at the moment that you don't have a preference, but if you do or have something specific in mind, lemme know. UPDATED WITH STORY AS OF: 10/21/2021

“If you poke my leg one more time,” Lucy threatened without even glancing at the salamander, “I swear, you will regret it.”

She could practically feel the mischievous Natsu narrow his eyes at her suspiciously, obviously very, very, tempted to see what would happen if he kept going.

All Lucy wanted to do was at least finish this one chapter she was working on. She was almost done, just a few more paragraphs and her writing quota would be complete for the day and she could do whatever Natsu wanted her to do. Most likely to do something to just keep his bored mind from getting the best of him. And keep him from bullying Gray. Gray wouldn’t last long with the mage’s needy demands.

There had been a low supply of quests for the Guild to do for the past few months. There were in fact so few that you’d really have to flock the board to snag one. No one really knew why this was going on, but thanks to this, Natsu and the others hadn’t had anything to do for a looong time.

Natsu didn’t do well with having nothing to do.

Lucy continued to write away with her pen in hand, making great progress when she finally felt the sharp poke in her leg that she knew was coming. She let out a long sigh while Natsu laughed triumphantly. “Ha! Got you! Take that!” He said giddily, “now, what are ya gonna do? Kick me out?”

Lucy glared at his smug face. He knew damn well that she couldn’t kick him out, because if she did, Natsu would annoy Gray, and then the whole world would end.

She would need to do something that both punished him and kept his attention.

Thankfully, a genius idea came to her at that moment. She smirked, her evil grin sending off the warning bells in Natsu’s head.

“No-” he began, but it was too late. Lucy had pulled out her key for both Virgo and Leo and immediately summoned them. “Nooo!” He begged. Oh, he knew what was coming. Lucy had used this trick on him before to get him to calm down. It helped distract him from the never ending boredom that consumed his mind. And while he acted as if the trick was torturous to him…

They both knew he actually loved it.

The small little smile on his lips proved it.

The second the two of them appeared, Lucy set them to work. “Leo! Virgo! Fingers ready?”

“Lucy, please!” Natsu tried again, but she could see his eyes twinkle with excitement.

Leo cracked his knuckles, a playful smirk on his face, “Natsu annoying you again, Lucy?”

“Natsu-san, you really need to learn your lesson,” Virgo scolded, not quite understanding that Natsu actually loved their punishment. “You should know better by now.”

Natsu began to twiddle his fingers, slowly stepping away from them, “hey, listen, if Lucy started paying attention to me, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Well, I would if you gave me enough time to finish this!” Lucy glared, putting her hands on her hips. Natsu only stuck his tongue out at her.

Well, that’s it then! Time for him to get what he deserves.

“Get him!” Lucy ordered and as if an actual battle was commencing, Natsu was scrambling away from them as Leo and Virgo both broke into a run, attempting to chase him down. He shrieked, running around her dining room table, before running back to the right since Leo was coming his way. A giggle fluttered out of his lips as he watched Virgo trap him on the right side of the table, forcing him to turn around and attempt to go through the kitchen.

Unfortunately for him, Leo was already on him, forcing him to run back to the living room, hoping for a chance to get away but Leo pounced, tackling them both onto the couch.

“No, please!” he begged, struggling against Leo’s grasp as he was pinned to the couch, “I’ve done nothing wrong!”

“You know what you did, Natsu,” Virgo sighed like a disappointed mother, peering down at him as he glared at Leo, “Just accept your punishment.”

“I refuse!” Natsu turned his stare to her, trying once more to pull a strong face, but it immediately crumbled as Virgo pulled out a feather, lightly tickling it against his neck. Damn them for knowing his weak spot. “Stoahahap!” He giggled, snorting and trying to protect his neck from the feather, “dahahamn you, bohohoth!”

“You’re at fault for this,” Leo smirked, carefully letting go of Natsu’s wrists as his hands went to his ribs, gently counting the bones there in silent warning of what’s to come, “Virgo! Can you remember all of his spots?”

Virgo ceased her work, suddenly holding a clipboard in hand that Natsu had no idea where she got it from, “let’s see.... His neck is the worst, then his ribs, underneath his arms.”

“Lie-eeees!” Natsu shrieked at the end of his word, Leo suddenly scribbling his hands on the sensitive skin, his body squirming from the feeling as he laughed, his voice practically echoing off the walls.

“His sides and his feet,” Virgo continued, ignoring him completely. “And… that’s it, I think.”

“Wh-Wh- ahAHAHA!” Natsu broke down, trying so hard to speak, but Leo was giving him no chance. He tried again, “Wh-Where… ehehahaha- gehehet liiisst- ahahaha!”

“Secrets that only maids need to know,” Virgo answered, putting the clipboard away. “Now, shall we continue?”

Before Natsu could make any protest, Virgo’s delicate and cold fingers began tickling his neck, her fingers gently scribbling against the sensitive skin, making him squeal and giggle like a child. “NOHOHOHO!”

“Ah, you’ve lost your right to forfeit,” Leo smiled, though the threat was empty.

“Leeeooo- ahahahah!” Natsu whined, wiggling against his fingers, the attack trailing up to underneath his arms, his cackling getting worse. He dug into the sensitive flesh, making the salamander squirm and whine.

“PLEHEHEHESE!” He cackled, “I’LL… I’LL DO ANYTHIEHEHENG!”

“Ahh,” Virgo hummed, “he’s making the ‘anything’ offer.”

“I know,” Leo smirked, “I don’t think he realizes that we know he means he’ll do nothing.”

Natsu whined, kicking his feet, silently begging them to release him, but they all knew he actually loved the feeling of it all. It made him relax, it preoccupied his mind, it gave him a reason to smile… he didn’t want it to end despite his words.

And that’s what Lucy wanted him to admit.

“You know if you just told us you wanted us to do this, it’d be a lot easier,” she said, getting up from her chair and abandoning her work as she sat down on the floor at the couch, peering at Natsu’s red, smiling face. “Just admit you like this.”

“Nehehehever!” He declared, giggling as Virgo changed tactics, teasing his under arms, while Leo moved back to his sides, squeezing the soft flash hard and rapid, making the poor boy underneath him nearly choke on his giggles.

“So then what if I told them to stop?” She teased, holding up her hand, signaling for the spirits to cease. They did so almost immediately, giving Natsu a chance to breathe… and appear panicked.

“H-Huh?” He whined slightly, glancing around them, “we’re done?”

“Yep,” Lucy shrugged, “you don’t like the tickling so… might as well stop.”

Natsu’s eyes flickered from confusion to disappointment to panic. Now she had him where she wanted him.

“W-Well… probably shouldn’t call them back so soon because I’m just going to do it again,” he threatened, frowning as he folded his arms protectively over his chest.

“Eh, I think I’ll just kick you out,” she said, much to Natsu’s surprise. “Tickling isn’t working so kicking you out should.”

“Wha-?! But… But-!” Natsu stammered as the two ticklers suddenly left his side, “b-but wait!”

“Hmm?” Lucy smirked, “what is it?”

His mouth opened and closed for a bit, his eyes nervously flickering from the ground back to her eyes. He didn’t like admitting a weakness.

Lucy smiled encouragingly. He grumbled, playing with his thumbs before finally…

“W-What if I do like it?”

“Well, do you?” Lucy teased.

Natsu pouted, “w-well maybe I do!”

“That’s not an answer, Natsu.”

“Fine!” He huffed, “I like it, okAAYY- AHAHAHAH!” The second he admitted it, the spirits returned to his side, their hands returning to the previous spots, scribbling and squeezing, lighting his tingly nerves once again. “Wh-Wha-Whahahahat?!”

“You admitted that you liked it, so why should I deny you anymore?” Lucy smiled.

“You’re sohohhoho mean!” Natsu cackled, panting and wheezing with their attacks. Lucy smiled as she watched him crumble to the feeling, smiling more gleefully now that he was getting what he wanted.

If only he could actually confess his desires, he could get this a lot quicker and a lot easier than bothering Lucy.

Oh well…, at least in the end, he still gets his cure to boredom.

[worm-man-gaming]

My top 10 list for who I WANT as DLC in Smash

We’re reaching the end of an era. Smash Ultimate’s DLC is going to end eventually, with four more characters to be announced. They could release some kind of ‘Echo Pack’ in the future, which I would be hyped about (They didn’t really do much with the echo fighter mechanic), But I have a feeling that after this, there won’t be any more. So I wanted to post my list of who I, specifically, would like to see in the game.

This is not based off of likelihood, as some of these characters probably don’t even have a chance of making it in. I just think they would be neat.

Full list under the cut, counting up from #10

- Papyrus (UNDERTALE)

Okay, so hear me out.

We got the Sans mii skin, and that was by far one of the most popular mii skins since Geno, probably. People were more excited for the Sans mii skin than Terry Bogard and maybe even Banjo. They probably made a lot more money than expected from it. So why not try it again? 

And while Sans is the popular character, he definitely is not a fighter. He’s a lazy, laid back character that just wants to have fun, but he’s far too weak to go into an all-out battle without risking his own safety. 

HOWEVER!

Sans’s brother, Papyrus, is the polar opposite. He’s dedicated, hardworking, and can take quite a few hits. He’s got plenty of moveset opportunity. And it would be another indie rep, which is really really good for someone like me, who wants to go into game design. 

Another thing: When we got the Cuphead mii skin, we also got Cuphead Spirits. They could have easily done that with Undertale, there’s enough characters. So maybe they’re saving it for a DLC Spirit board? I don’t know, just a theory.

He would be primarily a ground-based fighter, with projectiles that could crawl across the stage like that one sparky item. He could also use his blue attack, which could be good for an easy spike on airborne characters. And, who knows, maybe for his final smash we could finally see his special attack.

I really enjoy Undertale, and seeing Sans as a mii skin made me super happy. Getting a whole fighter from the series would be even cooler. 

- Paper Mario (Super Paper Mario)

Nintendo, we’ve got three whole Links in this game, but only two Marios? Preposterous!

With that being said, Super Paper Mario was one of my favorite Wii games (Although I didn’t play it until very recently) And it’s a very popular series. He’s essentially his own character separate from Mario at this point. The games have so much lore put into them, and we already have a Paper Mario Stage in the game, so maybe we could get Dimentio’s dimension, or the Origami Palace or something.

He’s been in enough games and done enough crazy things to earn a pretty diverse kit for himself. He could use Pixils, the 1000-Fold arms, or even summon Paper Bowser, Peach and Luigi for some attacks. 

I think he would be super fun to play. I’m terrible at vanilla Mario, but I think Paper Mario would be a good fit for the game AND be a super good-feeling character. However, this comes from a G&W main, so take from that what you will.

- King Boo (Luigi’s Mansion)

I 👏 want 👏 more 👏 villains 👏 in 👏 Smash! 👏 

King Boo is a staple of the Luigi’s Mansion series as well as being an enemy for Mario in some games like Sunshine. He’s the Big Bad Evil Guy for Luigi. 

And I DEFINITELY want him in this game. 

It’s not so much the character himself, although King Boo is really good, I want him in for his kit. Think about it. A large character but with floaty jumps like Jigglypuff and an aerial based moveset AND a teleport? He’d be ruthless. And really fun. And that’s what I’m looking for in a character.

- BOTW Zelda (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)

Yes, I know. “But Worm, the Zelda we have now is annoying and awful, and you say you want ANOTHER one?!?!?” Well, you’re half right.

Yes, Zelda is known for her darkness-sealing powers in BOTW, BUT, in the recent Age of Calamity game, her moveset for almost have the game revolves around the Sheikah Slate. She uses it creatively, hopping around on ice and whirling metal slabs around with a magnet. And I think that would be a SUPER cool moveset for Smash Bros. 

And who knows, maybe they would call back to older games and allow her to switch to using her powers, like Zelda used to change into Sheik. 

She would be very technical, with her attacks being powerful but with some startup, almost similar to Snake of all characters. And for her final smash she could use a Weak Point Smash or they could bring back Bow of Light (Which was MUCH more fair than the current one, by the way). She’d be fun, and that’s what I want.

- Maxwell (Scribblenauts)

Maxwell is from Scribblenauts, a game where you have to solve puzzles by writing words in a notebook and those words coming to life. So he’s work in the same way in Smash, although much more randomized. 

For his neutral special, maybe he could write a random item and it shows up in his hand. That would be funny AND cool, and it’s possible (because Peach does the same thing with Turnips!). He could use projectiles but also have plenty of close range options, and for a Final Smash he could use the Meteor, which in the game clears the screen of living things. Brutal! He also uses Adjectives on both his creations AND himself, so maybe for some moves he could effect the other opponent with a poison or freeze effect.

Would he be banned in competitive play? Yes. Would he still be fun? Definitely!

- Jibanyan (Yo-Kai Watch)

I may be in the minority here, but I REALLY liked Yo-Kai Watch as a game. It may seem like a cheap Pokemon ripoff, but the gameplay is nothing like it at all. You’re given a map to explore and various objectives within the map, and the battle system is really creative and fun. It’s actually the inspiration for some of my own games. Yo-Kai watch deserved more credit than it got.

Jibanyan is the poster boy for the series (and also has the saddest backstory of any cat-based character ever), and mainly attacks with both his paws and fire attacks. He could have fire-based moves and would almost play similar to Pichu. His final smash could be Paws of Fury, his soultimate move, that would hit like Donkey Kong’s final smash as a flurry of blows. 

This series is really well made and thought out, and it deserves more than it got. So please put my boy in Smash, I’m begging you.

- Specter Knight (Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment)

Okay, yes. I know Shovel Knight is the main character of this series. But again, hear me out.

Specter Knight is either the first or second boss you encounter in the main Shovel Knight game, and he’s already got some moveset potential from that alone. However, he also had his own story mode, Specter of Torment, ad let me say, that is a phenomenal game. I’d go so far as to say it’s better than the main Shovel Knight game itself. His controls are quick and easy to pick up. And he has a whole bunch of special abilities you can get as the game progresses, such as a boomerang or even a shadow clone. 

His smash moveset would pull most of the specials from the unlockable items he can get, leaving room for an incredible spacing game as well as a good aerial defense, as Specter Knight can both float and do a Dash Slash through enemies for some extra air time. 

Shovel Knight is the main character, but Specter Knight obviously has the most soul put into him (Pun not intended). And, again, he’d be fun to control. 

- Master Hand / Fighter Hand (Super Smash Bros. Series)

This is mostly me just being mad at the game for giving us a playable Master Hand, but only once. We couldn’t have even gotten a Master Mode in extras, huh? 

Yes, yes, I know Master Hand is the staple boss character for Smash Bros. He’s been in every game, for crying out loud! I’m honestly surprised it took them this long to give us a playable Master Hand. But this leads into my idea:

A new hand, made specifically to fight in Smash Bros, called Fighter Hand.

Yes, it’s cheesy. Yes, it’s stupid. But hey, it would be fun.

He would have scaled-down versions of Master Hand’s moves, with mainly projectile-based specials and tilts. He would be floaty, although introducing a flying character would be interesting to see how they balance it. For a final smash, maybe they could bring back Master Core from Smash 4 for a Giga Bowser-esque punch.

- The Knight (Hollow Knight)

Hollow Knight is an Indie Game that I never finished (I’m working on it, okay?) that’s kind of like Metroid in the way it’s played. It's also a very popular game, and I like bugs, so they get the number two spot because I like him.

And the special Soul moves you unlock translate well into Specials. Platformers always translate well into Smash, so he would work very well in the game. I don’t know what their moveset would be (as I haven’t finished the game yet), but I know they would be a small, fast character that mainly uses their nail to attack like a sword.

And my most wanted character in Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate is...

- Beatrix LeBeau (Slime Rancher)

Okay, look. I’m aware this has zero chance of happening. Slime Rancher was never the most popular game, and Nintendo has never mentioned it ever. But it’s one of my favorite games, and I just think Beatrix would be an incredible character in Smash Bros. 

She would use her jetpack to recover, she would shoot plorts as projectiles, use he vacpac to suck up both fighters and projectiles, and maybe shoot a boom slime as an explosive and unpredictable bouncing hazard. Her smash attacks and aerials would use the various slimes you can vacuum up and feed in the game, like the Rad Slime and Rock Slimes. She would be really good offstage and onstage with her weakness being her speed. 

She could bring a LOT to this series, and it would be another inspirational indie rep. And, hey, Minecraft Steve got in. Who knows at this point.

Anyway, there’s my list. Feel free to argue with me or explain why Geno should be on my list (I will not care) in the comments or reblogs, this list is not changing unless I play some new game that I feel should be represented. 

[ryqoshay]

Happy Life: Cat Café

Primary Pairing: YohaRiko Words: ~2.7k Rating: G AU: Angelic? Time Frame: Early February of Riko’s 2nd year and Yoshiko’s 1st year of high school Story Arc: Stand Alone

----------

Author’s Note: 2020 was a bit of a blur for me, so I’m not sure why I decided to start writing this scene well after Valentine’s and after I had already posted a YohaRiko Vday scene earlier in the year. And yet, despite confirming on Sukutomo that the cards that inspired this scene were released in 2020, it feels like I’ve been writing this since 2019. Probably doesn’t help that 2019 was also a blur for me as well...

----------

“Welcome, Aqours!” The café owner greeted with arms open wide.

“Thank you for having us.” Dia replied with a bow.

“Th-Thank you…” Ruby also bowed next to her sister.

“Please take care of us.” You followed suit.

Chika, Kanan and Riko were about to offer greetings of their own when they were interrupted.

“Mirai, zura!” Hanamaru marveled, eyes wide as she took in the scene before her.

“<Shiny!>” Mari exclaimed, grabbing a themed cat toy with a sparkling pink heart near the end. Immediately, she began dangling it in front of a cat on a nearby platform.

“Ku ku ku” Yoshiko chuckled. “The fallen angel Yohane needs not such trinkets to attract a new familiar!” She pointed to a cat with leopard spots. “Tepēyōllōtl! Yohane summons thee to her side!”

For its part, the cat continued on its way past the group with nary a glance toward the blue-haired first-year.

“Cait Sidhe!” She tried again with a white bellied black cat. “Thou shall make a fine familiar for Yohane!”

To her credit, at least this time, the feline in question turned its head at the call but made no move to approach.

“Tepe-whatsit?” Hanamaru inquired. “Kite Shee? What kind of strange names are you trying to give them?”

“No stranger than Laelaps…” Riko murmured under her breath.

“Sorry for that.” Dia apologized to the owner.

“Don’t worry about it.” The owner chuckled at the continuing antics. “Many of the cats here actually don’t have names yet.” She explained. “If you girls can get them to respond to some you might come up with, we will certainly consider them.”

Several of the gathered school idols gave their affirmations.

“So, if you’ll follow me” the owner continued “we’ve set up a changing area in one of our private rooms. The photography company has already placed your outfits in each section.”

And yet another Valentine’s Day theme. Riko thought to herself as she followed her fellow second years to the mentioned room. There, she found her area as designated by a small handwritten sign. She pushed back the sheet to enter and found a pair of costumes.

So we’re doing idolized versions as well this time. She continued to muse to herself as she changed into the one that seemed more appropriate of a normal café employee, the one not decked out with lace and ribbons and extra accessories. Despite this not being for the idol magazine…

In fact, though they were utilizing the same publishing company to take the pictures and assist with costuming, this photoshoot was instead being sponsored by the café itself. The pictures were to be used for advertising and celebrating their grand opening. So, in that light, perhaps it wasn’t just another Valentine’s set. And the outfits were quite cute.

“Alright,” The head photographer said as the girls began to exit their changing booths “if I could have Kunikida-san, Kurosawa-san and Tsushima-san follow me to the kitchen.”

“You mean me, right?” Ruby asked, pointing to herself.

The woman checked her list. “Ah yes, that’s right, sorry for not being clear.”

“The kitchen?” Yoshiko inquired. “Are we not taking pictures with the kitties?” There was no mistaking the disappointment in her voice.

“We want to get a few pictures of everyone performing duties of the café as well.” The photographer explained.

“Yoshiko-chan just wants to play with the cats.” Hanamaru teased.

“Of course!” Yoshiko rebuked as she reluctantly followed the others. “They’re all so adorable and deserve all of the attention and affection we can give them. And I intend to do my fair share.”

“Probably more than your fair share.”

Whatever Yoshiko said in reply was cut off by the door closing behind the group heading to the kitchen.

Riko felt a small smile turn her lips as she realized that the younger girl cared far more about the animals than the photoshoot. Not that this came as any surprise to her, based on the behavior she had observed with Anko, but she couldn’t deny that she saw an endearing quality to it all.

----------

The grey cat sniffed the collar in Riko’s hand once before stepping closer. Gently, Riko slid the faux leather band around the cat’s neck and secured it. She then leaned back to admire the accessory and decided she’d made the right choice. Pink worked well with grey.

Riko smiled as the cat climbed up into her lap then giggled as she continued to climb and stretch up to lick her cheek.

“Perfect.” The photographer spoke up. “I think that might be the shot.” Though saying as much, he continued to snap more pictures in case an even better one presented itself.

Suddenly the cat’s ears perked up and her head snapped around to the side. Riko followed her gaze and after a moment was barely able to pick up a tiny, plaintive mewl.

“Sorry, sorry, Bastet!” Yoshiko’s voice followed. “I didn’t mean to sca-kyaa!”

Riko flinched as a thump sounded and the whole structure of a nearby tower bumped up, disturbing the half dozen cats perched upon it. Due to the commotion caused by the younger girl, Riko barely noticed that the grey cat had leaped out of her lap and made a beeline for where Yoshiko was now backing out from under the structure.

“I’ll leave this here for you for when you decide to come out, alright?” Yoshiko said gently before pulling herself out completely. “Hear that, Kankyo, Nunogire?” She directed her attention to the two cats who had not fled the tower. “That treat is for Bastet. But you can have… oh, hey there.” Her gaze shifted once again, this time to the grey cat who had arrived at her side and seemed to be staring daggers at her.

“Seems you met the shiest of our new arrivals.” A nearby staff member commented. “And earned the ire of another.”

“Who, her?” Yoshiko questioned as she let the grey cat sniff her finger before petting her. “Seems Anhur is just a little protective of the little baby, nothing to wrong with that.”

Anhur? Riko’s knowledge of the Egyptian pantheon was not the greatest, but she was fairly certain Anhur was the brother of Bastet, not her sister.

“They’re both quite protective of her.”

“Both?” Yoshiko asked.

The young woman glanced around for a moment before saying, “Oh, here he comes.” Sure enough, a golden chinchilla cat came trotting around the corner. “We took all three in at the same time and they bonded almost immediately.”

“Such a good big brother, Horus.” Yoshiko grinned as she reached over to introduce herself to the newly arrived cat. “Sorry I scared your little Bastet, I was actually just trying to follow Kankyo.”

“You’re still trying to give them names?” Riko inquired, moving over to the grey cat she had been working with earlier.

“They’re all too cute to not have equally cute names to refer to them with.” Yoshiko replied in a tone similar to the one Riko remembered her using when fawning over Nocturne. “Isn’t that right, Anhur?” She scratched under the grey cat’s chin before giggling as the golden cat refused to be left out and began petting himself on her free hand.

Did naming cats after Egyptian gods count as cute? Well, Bastet made sense as she was feline in nature, but the others…

“Cute collar, by the way.” Yoshiko commented, offering a treat to the grey cat… Anhur, apparently.

“I thought it would look good on her.”

“You have good taste.”

Riko was about to thank the other girl for the praise when she noticed something. “Say, those don’t look like the treats we were given, where did you get them?”

“Oh…” Yoshiko chuckled a bit abashedly. “Yeah, I ran out a while ago, and even went through a second bag they gave me… so I bought more.”

“You’re on your third bag already?”

“I can’t help it!” Yoshiko admitted. “They’re all such good kitties! And even Tepe and Sidhe wouldn’t ignore me when there were tasty treats to be had. And head pats, of course. And lots of scratchies and belly rubs.” She seemed rather proud of the last part.

Riko smiled. The younger girl certainly was enjoying herself. And was displaying a rather rare side of her personality; her grandiose entrance and continued use of strange names notwithstanding, Yoshiko seemed to have all but forgotten her fallen angel persona. She hadn’t even used her strange nickname for Riko, despite Riko deciding to allow it just the other day, for the time being, at least. Yoshiko may have still used Hanamaru’s nickname though, at some point.

“Well, if you run through that bag, I’ll let you use some of mine.” Riko offered after a moment.

“Thanks, but those are yours.” Yoshiko shook her head. “Far be it for me to deprive you of your own bonding experience with these adorable purr boxes.”

“You seem to be bonding quite well with them.”

“The treats help.”

I believe it’s more than just the food. Riko thought to herself as the other girl turned to offer a few niblets to another cat.

Riko looked up to see some of the other girls heading back to the changing room. “I think it’s time for the second round.” She said to Yoshiko.

“Alright,” Yoshiko nodded as she inspected her stash of treats. “I’ll join you guys in a minute.” She upended the bag into her palm and started distributing the remaining pieces among the cats gathered around her.

----------

“We should probably get a few shots of your iconic poses.” The photographer said. “Your fans always comment on them when we put them to print.”

“Very well.” Yoshiko nodded. “If that is what my little demons demand, Yohane shall accommodate.”

Riko glanced over from where she was posing for her own shots. Was that the first time Yoshiko had mentioned her fallen angel name since the group had arrived? And she hadn’t even dropped her voice to do so? Strange.

“Good, that will… oh?” Despite expressing her surprise, the woman’s fingers did not stop pressing the shutter button and continued to capture the scene in front of her.

“Eh?” Yoshiko glanced down. “Bastet?”

So that was the kitten Yoshiko had been so intent on befriending earlier. Riko watched with amusement as the small cat jumped and batted at the large ribbon streaming from the back of Yoshiko’s outfit. Of course Yoshiko would pursue a black cat.

“I think that’s the best one yet.” The photographer commented, checking the screen on her device. “I’ll let you two be.” She added before turning away.

Yoshiko laughed merrily and pulled at the ribbon to move it more for the cat playing with it. “But of course!” She replied, not seeming to notice the photographer was already leaving. “Any shot with a kitty as cute as Bastet in it is going to be the best.” She knelt to pet the cat who rolled onto her back to paw at the hand rubbing her belly.

“I must say, I’m impressed.” A staff member said as he paused to watch. “I’ve never seen that one out of hiding, especially without the other two nearby.”

“She just wanted to play.” Yoshiko barely looked up at the young man. “Although, you’re right.” She glanced around for a moment. “Ne, Bastet, shall we go find Anhur and Horus?”

As if understanding the question, Bastet jumped up towards her. Yoshiko didn’t appear to have been ready, but managed to catch the cat anyway, throwing herself off balance in the process. She quickly righted herself and laughed while cradling the kitten in her arms.

“Sakurauchi-san, if you could pose something like this?” The young woman working with Riko held her arms up with hands mimicking cat paws.

“Eh?” Riko turned her attention back to her own photo session. “Sorry, urhm…” that pose is kind of embarrassing… “will this do?”

“Perfect.”

----------

“Oh, is that the time?” You asked, looking at her phone. “Geez, I really need to head out.”

“I’ll go with you, You-chan.” Chika said. “You coming too, Riko-chan?”

“Uhm, one moment.” The redhead surveyed those around her. “Do we have everyone?”

The photoshoot had come to an end and the crew had already packed up and left. The girls had changed back into their street clothes before accepting an invitation to stay for a light snack provided by the café. But now things were winding down and everyone was looking to head home for dinner or to study or whatever other plans they had for the evening.

“We’re missing Yoshiko-chan.” Ruby pointed out.

“I don’t think she left our table.” Hanamaru chimed in.

Sure enough, as Riko scanned the area they had left a few minutes ago, there remained a blue-haired girl still lounging on the booth bench. Riko sighed and made her way back.

“We’re all heading out, Yoshiko-chan.” She said as she approached.

“This place is surely heaven on earth.” Yoshiko sighed contently as she closed her eyes and leaned back.

Wait for it… … What? That was it? Nothing about angels or demons or…?

Yoshiko’s smile grew as Bastet wrapped her front paws around her arm and nuzzled into the crook of her elbow. Anhur, Horus, Sidhe, Tepe, Kankyo, Nunogire and several others Riko couldn’t remember, but likely had received strange names, surrounded Yoshiko; on her lap, at her side and even across the top of the bench behind her head. Their combined purring could be heard from halfway across the room.

“I think this place broke Yoshiko-chan…” Hanamaru mused as she caught up.

Or fixed her, Riko thought to herself, this is the most at ease I’ve ever seen her. And she looks pretty cute sitting there, surrounded by cats and apparently about to fall asleep. She may very well have found her heaven here on Earth.

“I think…” Riko started “I might stay for a little while longer as well.”

“You sure?” Chika asked. “We could just wake her up.”

Riko shook her head. “I think we should let her rest. She had a busy afternoon.”

“Yoshiko-chan did have the most fun today, I think.” Ruby pointed out.

“Anyway,” Riko continued “I don’t want her to wake up and think we all abandoned her. And I don’t have anything in particular planned tonight anyway.”

“Oh, alright.” Chika shrugged. “You-chan, wait up!” She scurried away to chase the departing ash-haired girl.

As the rest of the girls said their goodbyes, Riko took a seat on the bench next to Yoshiko. Or, at least as next to her as allowed by the gathered cats.

“Care to order anything while you wait for your friend to wake up?” A menu entered Riko’s field of vision. “You girls worked hard today, so feel free to pick out whatever you want.”

Riko looked up to see the smiling face of the café owner. “Thank you, but you already gave us a snack a little while ago.”

“True, but I have a feeling you two might be here a little while.” The woman nodded her chin towards Yoshiko.

“Right, uhm… do you mind if I get something for Yoshiko-chan as well?”

“Of course, if you see something she might like.”

Riko scanned the menu, easily settling on a sandwich that looked good. And something for… her eyes found chocolate covered strawberries. Perfect. She placed her order.

“Just a dessert for her?” The owner inquired.

“She can have half of my sandwich if she wants, in exchange for some of her strawberries.”

“Very well, we’ll bring that right out.”

“Thank you.”

Riko smiled as she glanced over at the sleeping girl beside her, surrounded by a purring mass of fur. There was no denying this side of Yoshiko was incredibly adorable.

Riko pulled her tablet out of her bag, set it up on the table and continued her work on the new song on which she and Chika were working. A few minutes later, a server came by to drop off the food she had ordered. Riko swapped half of each item onto the other plate and slid one closer to Yoshiko’s side.

Though the official holiday was still a little ways off, Riko couldn’t help saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Yoshiko-chan.” before returning to her work.

----------

Author’s Note Continued in Followup Post