#she got his name past the censor

[billiewena]

FOUR YEARS SINCE NOV 5TH, 2020, as summed up by Supernatural

past recaps: year one / year two / year three / year four

full context and sources below:

various explanations + resources/sources/extra reading on this year's recap:

balls deep: misha collins says the quiet part out loud at Cross Roads 8 Supernatural Convention, saying "if the CW wasn't so homophobic dean and cas would've been balls deep for sure" at a con (x) (x) (x)

garthbenny canon: supernatural actors DJ Qualls (who played hunter-turned-werewolf Garth Fitzgerald) and Ty Olsson (who played the vampire Benny Lafitte) reveal they're married, delighting crack shippers like myself everywhere (x)

spn spooky picture book: official supernatural children's picture book is released, retconning things like john winchester as a happy father figure and castiel being their cowardly childhood friend who sorta hangs around (x) (x)

boop button: tumblr introduces a feature people enjoy for once for april fool's day and halloween and allows users to boop each other, spn bloggers re-awake like sleeper agents to use it in full force (x) (x)

bedlund speaks on destiel: former spn writer ben edlund goes on a tweet fest replying to fans, talking about destiel multiple times including this profound tweet (x)

clear text, not subtext: jensen speaks out again on the confession at Purcon 8, this time taking a more open stance on how the relationship was textual, his take on dean's feelings about cas's feelings, and how the scene with cas deserved a resolution (x)

bury your gays: famed author chuck tingle (known for his plethora of highly specific and delightfully inclusive, if strange, indie erotica novels) publishes his second mainstream horror novel, inspired by TV network studios' infamous history of censoring LGBT relationships and openly killing off queer characters. In a non-subtle nod to supernatural fans, the main character is named misha. (sidenote: did end up reading this and this book is actually really good commentary on the industry in general and really good, 10/10 recommend) (x) also someone got the book signed by misha, to further break the fourth wall (x)

tracker: jensen ackles begins starring in a CBS show where he is basically csoplaying dean winchester, with the show featuring many non-subtle spn references (i.e. him pretending to almost get in an impala before going to his truck, characters wearing spn necklaces, etc.) (x) (x) (x) (special shout-out to clarice @youre-only-gay-once for expertly tracking the tracker show and these easter eggs, highly recommend their tag for their show)

cw's walker cancelled: fans rejoiced upon hearing the cancellation news for jared's post-supernatural show, walker, a remake of "walker texas ranger." in addition to generally being a copaganda show for the notoriously racist texas rangers, jared's inspiration for the show's direction caused much concern. the actor himself said the show was inspired by the US border crisis, not by the immigrant families affected by the separation and internment, but instead wanting exploring the POV of the law enforcement agents working at the border and the moral dilemmas they had to face (x)

pro-destiel Wonder Woman: Lynda Carter (aka the iconic and beloved original actress for Wonder Woman, not the z*onist one) says she could "go for some Destiel" when promoting #GeeksandNerdsforHarrisWalz and Misha's involvement (x) the rest of the spn cast and original Showrunner Kripke were also a big part of this event

chili's backfire: the chain restaurant chili's drags destiel while interacting with 9-1-1 bucktommy shippers on twitter, immediately gets backfire. notably, their stock takes a dip the next day. coincidence? maybe so, maybe not (x) (x)

samgirl voting fraud: "who is the gayest spn character" tumblr poll surprisingly gets heated, with a blogger straight-up admitting they used a bot on the "castiel vs. sam" poll to rig the poll in sam's favor, which they apparently also did for w*ncest in another poll in the past, and posting a guide on how anyone could do the same. luckily democracy wins in this one instance and castiel prevails anyways, leading to an also contested "castiel vs. charlie bradbury" round (x) (x)

pink pony jarpad: jared is spotted at lesbian pop star chappell roan's set at a festival, un-likely place for him to be (x) also may have been one of the "boring" people called out by chappell? (x)

pro-kamala castiel: in a last-ditch effort to get out the vote, misha uses the power of castiel photo ops to campaign for harris-walz and even shouts-out destiel. I feel depressed writing this sentence, if you've made it this long in your read and you're in the states I hope you're doing alright! maybe by the time I wake up things will be a little different though. (x)

[calcifermovesthecastle]

Sharing a Moment

Tooth Rotting Sanji Fluff. Hurt/Comfort. Whole Cake Island spoilers if you squint.

2460 ish words

Warnings: Panic attacks, mentions of past trauma, mentions of burns, mentions of Slavery.

This is actually an excerpt from my self insert one piece google doc, but I turned it into a reader insert. Character is afab, uses she/her pronouns, and is described with breasts. I do not shy away from "controversial" topics and do not censor any of my work. this does not mean that I condone or agree with the things that I write about.

This is what I do instead of therapy lmao.

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Sharp, uneven breaths pierce through the silence that surrounds you on the island. Your transponder snail sleeps peacefully on the ground, your hands trembling too violently to pick it up. 

Your head swims, and each new breath you take is shorter and sharper than the last. You squeeze your eyes shut tight, scrambling backwards on the forest floor. 

"I'm gonna find you, bitch!" The words aren't real, but they echo in your head nonetheless. You press your back up against the large tree you're under, clawing at the collar of your shirt around your neck. The night seems to close further in on you. 

You weren't lost. Not at first. You started out on the beach, picking through shrubs and bushes to resupply Chopper with some fresh herbs and plants. The rest of the crew's voices had faded away, dispersing in their own searches, leaving you alone in yours. The deeper you got into the woods, the darker it got, and the more anxious you felt. The more your mind began to race. 

Suddenly, you weren't a straw hat anymore. Suddenly, just like that, the shackles tightened around your neck and wrists, and your master calls after you, screaming all of the horrible things he'd do to you once you were found. 

Your transponder snail continues to snooze on the ground in front of you, a mocking reminder that you can call for help at any time, if you could just get out of your own head. 

"When I find you, I'm gonna gut you like an animal! You'll fucking wish you were dead when I'm done with you!" 

Oh, how you wish you would breathe quieter. Your head throbs and your vision swims, the lack of air and the blood pounding in your ears making you lightheaded. At this point, passing out seems like a blessing. 

"Do you want your hands set on fire again?! Or would you rather I stick them in boiling oil?" 

"No!" You manage to gasp out. You claw more at your shirt collar, ripping the fabric apart down past your breasts. A heavy, loud sob bursts past your lips, and all you can hear is your own rapid heart beat. 

Then, clear as a bell, you hear someone say your name. 

Your eyes fly open, chest heaving as you look around for the source, and stare up at Sanji, who's rounded the tree and is staring at you with eyes just as wide. Your voice gets caught in your throat, but your body almost buckles in relief. 

You cant seem to calm yourself down, though, and your throat constricts again, the ghost of that awful collar tightening around you. You pull your torn shirt even further away from you, your hands trembling so violently you have to grasp at it multiple times. 

Sanji crouches in front of you, shrugging his blazer off, not breaking eye contact once. 

"Sweetheart, would you like to go back to the ship?" 

You nod, bawling loudly. Sanji nods, never breaking his eye contact with you. He looks at you as if you'll run from him at any second.

"Okay, I'll take you home. I need you to calm down first, okay?" 

"I cant-" You choke out, taking another short, sharp breath in.

"Okay, I'll help you." 

Ever so gently, Sanji reaches out and pulls you close, resting his chin on top of your head. He takes your hands in his and squeezes, taking slow, steady breaths that you're supposed to mirror. It takes a few tries, but finally, your breathing returns to normal and your head stops swimming. Though you're still shaking, you're back to reality, and you know that you're okay. 

"Are you ready?" 

You had no idea Sanji's voice could sound so tender. Your lower lip trembles as you nod, and he gently pulls you to your feet, draping his blazer over your shoulders. 

When he pulls his hands away, you reach out to him, your voice breaking. 

"Don't go away." 

That's funny, you meant to say "Don't let go." Sanji's eyes widen briefly, but they soften just as quick, and he wraps his arm around your shoulders as soon as he's picked up your transponder snail and put it in the blazers pocket.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sweetheart," He says quietly. "I've got you." 

Slowly, he guides you through the woods back to the Sunny. You lean heavy on him, gripping the fabric of his blazer in your hands as tightly as you can to feel grounded. 

"Please don't tell the others," you whisper. Your eyes swim with more tears as shame blooms through your whole body. Sanji squeezes you firmly. 

"I wont. If they ask, I'll just say you got lost and called me to come get you." 

"Thank you," You rest your head against the side of his chest, listening to his heart beat. 

Another wave of relief floods your body when you finally land eyes on the Sunny. Sanji helps you up the first few rungs of the ladder, then starts climbing up after you. Once on board, you follow him to the kitchen, sitting at the table. 

He doesn't ask why, doesn't prod more information out of you, he just sets a warm mug of tea in front of you, ruffles your hair, and gets started on dinner. 

The warm lighting in the kitchen helps to soothe your frayed nerves, so you sip on the tea, mindfully taking slow, deep breaths. Sanji's company proves to be very grounding as well, so while he cooks, you slip your burn gloves off and stare at your hands.

Chopper has done a phenomenal job repairing some of the scarring. He's also helped you gain a ton of function back. But the flesh is still mangled badly, and the nerve damage is majorly irreparable. You can grasp and hold things, but your fine motor skills are gone. There's no getting that back. You open and close your fingers, grateful for the movement you have gained back. 

But the damage is still there. The pain of it is seared into the back of your mind forever. you frown, lost in thought. 

"Your tea is getting cold, d'you want me to heat it back up for you?" 

You jump, looking at Sanji with wide eyes. His eyes go from your face to your hands, and you can see his brow furrow behind his hair. He puffs on his cigarette and sits down next to you, reaching out and grasping them before you can pull away. 

Since they've been burned, nobody has touched your bare hands. You've always kept the gloves or bandages on, for fear that it would hurt too much otherwise, or trigger a bad reaction in you. 

But Sanji's hands don't do either. They feel cool, and the pressure is comforting. You stare wide eyed down at where your hands are, your heart stuttering in my chest. 

"You have beautiful hands," He says quietly. Your eyes fly to his face, but he doesn't look at you, he just studies your hands, turning them over in his own. 

"Don't lie," You whisper. It's barely audible, but he shakes his head. 

"I'm not lying. They really are beautiful." He says it with such conviction it makes your heart clench. 

"Look at you, you're fucking worthless, you pig bitch. You can't even serve me right with those fucked up hands of yours. Clean this fucking mess up and get the fuck out of my room so I dont have to look at how disgusting your hands look." 

"The scars on them don't mar the way they look," He continues. "They're quite striking." 

He sits and admires them for a few more minutes, and you stare at him, your eyes as wide as dinner plates, your face flushed red. 

You can feel butterflies in your stomach as he runs his thumb along one of the longer scars, humming. When he looks up at up at up at you, he smiles. 

"I guess I just never noticed." 

"Nobody," You whisper, for fear that your voice may break again. "Has ever said anything so kind about my hands." 

Sanji tilts his head, puffing on his cigarette. When he speaks again, his tone is tender. 

"Sweetheart, you should stop worrying so much. Nobody is ever going to hurt us again. Not like this." 

He squeezes your hands, ruffles your hair again, and gets up to check on dinner. 

Us?

Wait. Us?

"Sanji, what do you-" 

"Did you want me to reheat your tea?" He asks, as if he didn't hear you. You blink, glancing down at your cup. 

"Uh, sure. That would be really nice." 

Humming, he reheats your tea for you, then pulls some vegetables out. You put your gloves back on and pull his blazer tighter around your body. 

"Sanji?" 

"Hm? What is it?" 

"Could I have a cigarette?" 

He turns his head towards you, frowning. He sees how tense you are, how shaky your breath still is, and closes his eyes. 

"Just this once. These things are bad for you, you know." 

"I know," You smile slightly. He jerks his chin up once. 

"They're in the left pocket in my jacket. Just one, ya hear?" 

You heed his words, thanking him when he lights it for you. The first few puffs you take are followed by very harsh, loud coughs, but the next few burn less in your throat and lungs. It's a nice distraction. 

The rest of the crew still isn't back by the time you finish the cigarette, but you're not ready to be by yourself just yet, so you stay in the kitchen with Sanji. You finish your tea, and eat the food he puts in front of you, and when they're still not back after you've finished eating, you rest your chin in your hands and watch as Sanji continues to work in the warm yellow glow. By the time Luffy bursts in demanding dinner, you've fallen asleep at the table. 

"Hm? What's she doing here?" He asks, prodding at you gently. Sanji smacks his hand away, shooing him out of the room. 

"She got lost and called me to find her on the transponder snail. You get out and go sit in the lounge with everyone else for your dinner. She already ate." 

Luffy looks at you, frowning slightly, but concedes to letting you sleep for now. He bounds out of the room, yelling for everyone to go to the lounge so they can eat. 

You jerk awake sometime later, the shadow of a nightmare fading from your mind, leaving in its wake a sense of uneasiness and the deep seated need to not be alone. 

There is no light coming from the porthole, but the swaying of the ship tells you that we're back to sea. You stand up, steadying yourself with the table, and exit the kitchen. 

You hold Sanji's jacket tightly around you, climbing the ladder up to the crows nest. The smell of smoke tells you that that's where you'll find Sanji. 

Sure enough, he's standing with elbows resting on the ledge of the crow's nest as he stares out at open water, tapping his cigarette against the ashtray perched next to him. You walk straight over to him and wrap your arms around him from behind. 

He doesn't say anything, but turns slightly so he can wrap one of his arms around you. You press your ear against his chest, searching for his heartbeat. When you find it, you close your eyes and focus on it. 

For a while, the only noise is your breathing, his heartbeat, and the sounds the ocean makes. You're grateful for how expertly Sanji seems to handle you when you're at this low point, how he seems to know exactly what you need. How instead of fawning over you, he stays collected and steady and oh so kind and tender. You tighten your hold on him, closing your eyes. 

"I'm sorry," You murmur.

"What for?" He responds, just as quiet. You breathe out, tears welling up in your eyes. 

"Being such a fucking mess." Your voice breaks, and a quiet whimper escapes your throat for what feels like the umpteenth time tonight. "Sanji, everything came flooding back. I'm not strong enough to pretend I'm okay, and I don't know how I'm going to hide it from everyone. I don't want to be a mess. I don't want my past to control me but it does. Just when I think I've got a good handle on it, something triggers it, and I don't know what to do to stop myself from shutting down. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." 

His hand reaches up to stroke your hair as you cry, and after a while he pulls away from you, squeezing an arm in each hand and crouching to your eye level. 

"Sweetheart, you cant change what happened to you. And it's still so recent for you that of course you're going to have days where it's harder for you to feel normal. You're going to have days where it feels like it's all a dream, and you're still stuck in those shackles. I saw you, that first day. Remember?" 

You nod, weeping openly. 

"You may not think so, but you are doing so much better than you were. He cant hurt you anymore. Say it." 

"H-he can't hurt me anymore." 

"Again." 

"H-he can't hurt me anymore." 

"That's right. He can't. But it's going to take time, right? You can know that there is nothing he can do to get to you. You can know that you're free. But it's going to take time for you to believe it. That's part of healing. So don't be sorry for your bad days. We understand, more than you could ever know."

Something distant clouds Sanji's eye, but it's gone before it takes form. Weakly, you reach your arms out to him, asking for a hug. He pulls you close, careful not to hold you too tight. 

"He can't hurt me anymore," You blubber. You feel him nod. 

"That's right." 

"I'm safe." 

"That's right." 

"I'm free." 

"You're free, love." Sanji tightens his grip on you for a moment, exhaling. "Would you like to lie down in bed?"

"Mhmm" You sniff. Truthfully, you'd rather stay awake with him as long as possible, but your body is so tired that you know there's no fighting the sleep that's coming. "But please don't leave me all alone up here." 

"I'm not going anywhere," Sanji says. A sharp wind blows by, causing both of you to tense. You shrug his jacket off, holding it out to him. 

"Since I'll be under the covers," You say hoarsely, "I suppose you could have your jacket back." 

He laughs, taking it and putting it back on. "I'm honored."

You smile back, getting cozy in bed. Sanji watches you, turning back around when your head finally hits the pillow. It's not long until you're out, your soft snores falling on his ears while he watches the night sky.

[c-monthecob]

Sanzu Headcanons🤺

⚝ Immediately disinfects his furniture after his guests leave

⚝ When he started wearing his hair down, Toman members had a debate on whether he was a girl or not. They would speak to him to hear his voice, but he'd only stare or give a small nod.

⚝ Constantly compares Mucho to Takeomi

⚝ Senju pranked him by making him eat The One Chip and he almost had to go to the emergency room.

⚝ Someone told him his hair was almost as good as Baji's and now he's got one-sided beef with him about it.

⚝ Got trapped in a one-sided convo with Shion, who went on and on about his time as the 9th generation leader of black dragons.

⚝ Gets banned on every social media platform constantly.

⚝ Senju has to censor him when she edits their videos.

⚝ When he ran away Takeomi didn't bother looking for him for a week because he'd run away multiple times before.

⚝ During brawls, people tend to go after him more because they think he's a girl.

⚝ Touched gum under a table once and it sent him into a mental spiral.

⚝ On a six-hour flight, he sat next to a stranger with a cough. He debated jumping out of the plane.

⚝ Refuses to get into public pools. When the Haitani brothers found out about this, Ran shoved him into the pool and Rindou grabbed onto his ankles to pull him back in.

⚝ He hates crowded subways. Just the thought of dirty strangers pushing up against him makes his skin crawl.

⚝ Holds his breath whenever Takemichi walks past.

⚝ Secretly attends yoga classes on Thursdays.

⚝ When he was wrapping up the hair for Mucho he picked a wrapping paper that was Mucho's favorite color. (When Mocho got mad at him for it, he thought it was because he picked the wrong color)

⚝ Saw Takeomi out in public once, venting to Wakasa and Benkei about his debts. It made him happy and he went out and bought a cheesecake to celebrate.

⚝He bites into his ice cream like a madman.

⚝ Did a parody of Colleen Ballinger's Toxic Gossip train video.

⚝ Would show his mother little creatures he could catch and he'd get confused whenever she'd start to scream her head off.

⚝ If someone stares at him, he'll stare right back and keep staring after they look away

⚝ In the final timeline, he can't figure out why he doesn't like Taiju. He just knows he shouldn't for some reason.

⚝ He LOVES Game Of Thrones and TWD

⚝ He adopted an Afghan hound so he could have someone to share a haircare routine with.

⚝ Senju made him dress up as Mabel and Dipper on Halloween

⚝ A concerning number of pictures of Mikey in his camera roll

⚝ Takeomi saw him out in public once and tried calling his name. He pretended not to hear him and speed walked away.

⚝ Girl dad. End of story.

[astroyongie]

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ Special March Podcast ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

➤ Note: Yesterday on my podcast we have covered quite a few things! To celebrate my birthday I decided to share a sum up of what was shared.

➤ All was done live through tarot. Take with a grain of salt. Names censored for obvious reasons.

➤ NCT 127: X has been known in the industry for being quite an opened person when it comes to relationships. Although he has done several age ranges (all legal ones), it seems like X now only go for people around the 20-24. At least, that's his preference of age.

➤ Red Velvet: X back in the day, was super close to another member's partner who was an idol all of you know about. However, despite X not having a crush on this idol or anything, there was some type of attraction here. X became way too close with that idol which made her member break up with the idol.  

➤ Stray Kids: Many people asked why did X finally gave in into a relationship after so long of not accepting one. That's maybe because the people who wanted a relationship with him never made him feel safe enough and probably overwhelmed him. He is dating an idol.

➤ Aespa: X feels like her idol image is unrealistic and she feels really sad and pity when people compliment her looks or when she hears fans telling her that they want to be like her. Because X knows that everything she shows isn't the reality and that her idol image is very different from who she is. Also there's a lot of jealousy and competition between her and the other members for spotlight and opportunities

➤ TXT: X keeps repeating the cycles. Back in 2021-2022 when he was dating that well known idol, she broke up with him because she thought he had cheated on her with her best friend. which wasn't the case. Recently, X went to a private airy with his partner and a few friends. During that party one girl friend got really drunk (passed out). He tried to be a good man, and take her to a private room so she could rest, but the scene might have looked very wrong when his partner got inside the room.

➤ Gidle: X had had such a hard life when it comes to men that it is really good to see her being happy with someone finally. She is making peace with her traumas and getting better

➤ Seventeen: X is married since 2024 (elope). He isn't the only idol who have small "marriages through paper signing". 

➤ Blackpink: X's relationship is a serving one, where she can get what she needs from her partner and he can get his fetishism. X also does not enjoy the fan contact (people bothering her in the street, asking for hugs or pics can often annoy her).

➤ BTS: X's dating rumor was at the beginning nothing but a marketing move. However the more it went the more it had severe consequences in his personal life

➤ Itzy: You can expect some great news for Itzy as a global (this summer from what I gathered). Either a solo (not Yeji's), a tour, a full comeback, a member leaving or a disband. X is also currently dating someone twice her age

➤ Ateez: X has been for the past months having a fling with a woman who wasn't married but she had a kid and was around the baby daddy (he seemed to be quite toxic and not present). This girl didn't wanted to be in a relationship with X for obvious reasons. But it seems that recently they got together, simply because X showed what it meant to be present, to provide and to love.

➤ IVE: X is currently in a. very discreet/secret relationship because she is seeing a political man (who seen to be older and married). Red party from what we gathered int he podcast.

➤ The Boyz: X has been having this fling with someone who was in a relationship. However X must have either been too much, too overwhelming or they might be too scary for this person as they decided to leave Seoul just to get away from X who might have been forcing them to be around.

➤ Le Sserafim: X has been the cause for a recent divorce and also she is currently in a relationship with brown hair male idol. his last performance he was dressed in full white 

➤ Enhypen: X is really conservative when it comes to his values, his morals and his way of leaving. despite being someone extremely loyal to his partners he also expect from the to be the typical traditional Korean house wife. He doesn't get in relationship with women who aren't "pure"

➤Twice: X might be planing either a marriage or moving out together with her idol partner

[thelocalfroggo]

RANDOM HEAD CANON TIMEE (forsaken btw!)

I alrdy forgot them but uh let’s see what I rmb

In his legacy milestones, (if they don’t get canceled, and maybe also the milestones we have now) John would become more conscious yet not be in control. So milestone 1 being the least conscious and milestone four being the most conscious. (I rmb having 2 but I think the second one was the voicelines John would have if he were to kill Jane in each milestone-)

If he were to meet Jane in any of these milestones while being in this head canon it would go like:

Milestone 1: No hesitation, not caring about the fact her face is the only one censored out on his screen despite the fact the other survivors’ faces are visible to him. No sense of familiarity, or guilt, would wash over him when meeting her.

Milestone 2: He would feel slightly confused as he noticed Jane’s face is the only one censored out, and feels slight… guilt. But these feelings aren’t enough to slow him down, he would still kill her without hesitation but a slight confusion in his actions would be kinda obvious. (Maybe his head just slightly tilting or something, you’d have to zoom in to see it though)

Milestone 3: This is where he begins to be more conscious, he would begin to notice his actions and how he’s not in control. He would still notice Jane’s face being censored and his confusion would be obvious. The guilt that slightly pangs at him would make him be more confused. But this time, he feels a sense of familiarity. This would be very obvious to the survivors whenever he kills Jane. He would be more gentle because he feels a familiarity, not the past enemy kind, but good kind. He would feel a connection to her, but what did it mean? He would still not know. He’s not fully conscious for now anyways.

Milestone 4: He would be fully aware of what he’s doing but he would not be in control. He would also remember everything! And he would recognize his beloved Jane despite not being able to see her face (I got inspired by that one artist uhm I forgot their name but if ur the artist that I talked to about how John would recognize Jane despite the passive yk who you are.) Despite the corruption raging at him to be aggressive and kill her, to ignore the familiarity he felt and get revenge for all who “hurt” him, (I headcanon the corruption would make him seek revenge by telling him lies about the survivors) he would try to be more gentle when killing Jane, maybe possibly not ripping her in half and just stabbing her in the chest or smt idk. (Or maybe in the least painful way he can, prolly by claws or smt)

Oh and extra:

I’m pretty sure by milestone 3 and 4 John would begin losing his sanity, since yk he is seeing himself kill these people and not being able to stop, so like idk maybe some of the killers would talk to him after rounds because like, they might hate each other or be homies, but like they are all in this killing thing together so they’d prolly talk to him and still interact with him (and maybe calm him down?) after rounds so he doesn’t go insane. I don’t ship 1xdoe BUTTT I feel like 1x1x1x1 and John Doe would probably be like the best friends who are rude to each other yet are still homies. Idk why though-

(some killers would prolly do it because they know the specter would try to get rid of John if he tried anything or wasn’t useful for it anymore. So the killers mighttttt (keyword; might) handle him and the others because they don’t want that outcome of what the specter could do happening to any of the killers?)

ANYWHO THANKS FOR READING MY RANT AND PLS TELL ME IF YALL LIKE THIS HEAD CANON(s) I MADE UP IN BED (or in the shower idk i forgot)

Edit (June 4): I REMEMBERED MY OTHER HEADCANON IT WASNT THE VOICELINES CHAT. It was actually how Jane’s hidden passive would wear off whenever John kills her when she’s LMS. Milestone 1 he would fall in love and in milestone 4 he would almost break down seeeing her lifeless face. Stop why’d I remember it while brushing my teeth T-T

[fandomfreakstudios]

JFC that concert was truly amazing! Transport and crossing the border was obviously a hassle, and we made it just in the nick of time, but otherwise it was AMAZING.

I got to meet him during the meet n greet which was obviously lovely, I didn’t make a total ass of myself shockingly enough. When he found out me and my girlfriend had the same name he laughed and said it would be easy to remember.

As for the QNA I was able to ask a question (context: he mentioned his hatred for Genius Lyrics during the previous question) and I asked him if there was any particular take on that website that he hated in particular, like if anything stood out or came to mind. And he went on this rant about people misinterpreting Vampire Reference in a Minor Key, which eventually turned to him expressing his pain over people misinterpreting his intent because ICIMI in general. The entire time he made such intense personal eye contact with me as if we were just two people having a conversation about his music it was amazing.

The concert itself was wonderful and so was the story told throughout, a beautiful personal look into Will Wood’s past. Will not say more so I don’t risk spoiling anyone else’s experience with this show. Jokes are phenomenal, singing was superb like his cover of Better Then the Alternative left me breathless. And the bit about him reading erotic fanfiction of himself literally had me in stitches.

After the show my girlfriend happened to catch him as he was leaving the bathroom. She thanked him for the show and said it was wonderful, and he said, I shit you not, “thank you [name]”. I think I said “he remembered our name” at least 15 times after that.

We thought that was it, and that that was all we would see of Will Wood until his next concert, but nope! As we were waiting outside for our uber and chatting with some fans who were doing the same, he comes out and starts looking around outside while also talking to some people and whatnot (I was in conversation with another fan atp and it would be rude to ditch them mid sentence but I digress). Apparently he got locked out of the venue so he was just standing around shooting the shit with some fans as he was waiting to be let in.

I was super nervous in every single interaction with him I had had with him up to this point, so I was just like… fuck it, be confident, and I just started talking to him as he talked to a few other fans. I made a joke about him being locked out here with an angry mob of fans to start, to kinda introduce myself into the conversation. After that someone asked if the flower in his pocket was real or fake and he said it was fake, so I said it looked impressively realistic and also found a way to compliment his whole outfit and how well all the shades of black matched (apparently he got his whole suit from amazon basics which I’m obsessed with). And then My girlfriend asked him a question about american paper money and asked if americans complained about how frail their money is, and i managed to slip in another joke about how we can accidentally wash our wallets and not be fucked.

Truly a remarkable and worthwhile experience! will definitely post the photo when I get it I’ll just censor my face (I can’t not post it)

[getvalentined]

To ship or not to ship: Vincent/Lucrecia? For something without Vincent, thoughts on Cloud/Tifa?

Reblogs disabled on this one for reasons that should be clear if you look under the cut.

Vin/Lu: I don't ship it

Why don’t you ship it?

The ship is canon-in-the-past, but it's over, and it was never going to work anyway.

Lucrecia was never actually in love with Vincent! She was in love with his father, and Vincent was a replacement goldfish. Also she married Hojo, regardless of what fandom claims, the kanji describing their relationship on the official relationship chart is 夫婦 which is extremely married. Likewise, Vincent wasn't actually in love with Lucrecia, he was in love with his own incorrect image of her, which was not accurate. Vincent's character arc, culminating in Dirge, is him learning that he never knew Lucrecia at all, and accepting that the person she was still did her best, but he needs to let her go.

They never would have worked out even without Project S. They happened and now they're over, and while Lucrecia is too far gone to say, Vincent is definitely better off.

What would have made you like it?

Honestly I don't dislike the ship per se, I just don't ship it. They're over. They've been over for thirty years. Canonically. Relationships end, it's okay.

I tend to avoid it in fandom because it's generally portrayed in a way that invalidates Vincent's entire character arc, and I'm not here for that. If there were less of that, I might be more into it, but as it is I give it a wide berth.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

The fact that this relationship failed for very human, realistic reasons is always very cool to me. They didn't actually fall apart because of Hojo, or Vincent's death, or the Jenova Project, or anything like that! In spite of the absolute madness going on all around them, Vincent and Lucrecia's relationship fell apart because they were human people with flaws who both did their best; it's not even that it wasn't enough, it's that they weren't compatible. They're both such solid characters, the relationship as it existed in-canon is honestly really beautiful and sad and I love that.

—

Cl0T1: I don't ship it

censored to keep it out of the search and to keep me from getting literal death threats because The Ship War people are very cool and normal. I'm not even going to use character names here. Pronouns only.

Why don’t you ship it?

To be clear, this ship is canon. Or it was. He liked her, she was into him, regardless of the reasons this is a thing that happened. However, Nomura has outright stated that they are not canonically in a romantic relationship post-OG. The novel literally features her thinking about how she feels more like a mom than anything else, and him being entirely unable to say whether or not he loves her. (Canonicity doesn't always matter to me, obviously, but claims that it's endgame eternal canon are the main arguments hardcore shippers use to tell off people like me, so it's important to mention.)

My real issue is is...these two are are bad for each other. Full stop. She's got her reasons, but she is a worse person when she's trying to keep him in her life—she lies and manipulates and pretends to be someone she's not with feelings she doesn't have, and then still doesn't actually ever seem to sympathize with him, viewing everything that happened to him as something she has to deal with. She is not like this with anyone else in the entire series. This is not who she is. This is who she is when she holds on too tight, and a romantic relationship with him does that to her.

Likewise, he's never going to be able to recover from what happened if she doesn't let him face things in his own way—she needs him to be her rock, and he is both psychologically incapable of filling that role and emotionally incapable of telling her so. He is not strong enough to give her what she needs, and too afraid to admit it.

They see each other as a representation of events and experiences, they're looking for absolution that neither of them need, and which the other absolutely could not give even if that weren't so. He's too afraid of losing what she means to him (proof that he can keep his word and help people) to explain anything, and she's too afraid of losing what he represents to her (the home she lost when Nibelheim burned) to let go.

I do believe they come to be very good friends postcanon; I have no doubt that after AC they finally learn to genuinely trust each other. But they are very bad for each other in a romantic context.

What would have made you like it?

There is nothing on earth or in heaven that would make me like this ship as it exists based on the characters' actual behavior. (This isn't even touching on The Ship War people harassing, stalking and threatening violence against literally everyone who doesn't accept their wildly-out-of-character and delusionally-heterosexual nonsense.)

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

Regardless of the rest of their behavior, I appreciate that The Ship War people continue to keep the public aware of the presence of a Nazi cult on the other side. At least there's that.

[ to ship or not to ship ask game ]

[spatialwave]

𝐝𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝. 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒.

"𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑”

pairing: angus tully x fem!reader | benny o’donnell x fem!reader word count: 4.9k summary: with the party in full swing, you find yourself trapped between an unstoppable force (angus) and an immovable object (benny). it’s a love triangle you’d never asked to happen, but when you lacked important decision making, you could only get away with so much. while drunk, high, and full of emotions, you’re hit with a question — who will you choose? warnings/tags: mdni! slight mostly censored smut, kissing/making out, sexual touching, angst, hurt/comfort, underage drinking and drug use, jealousy, love triangle, name-calling, emetophobia/reader v*mits. notes: only one more chapter!!! :')

<- chapter three. | chapter five. →

This was your first time at the moonlight tower, a large, slightly wooded area that was lit up by the floodlights fixated on the large structure. By the time you arrived, the alcohol and weed in your system had been diminished to minimal effects––you were not here to be sober, you knew that much. 

“Where’s the kegs?” You were the first to ask as the vehicle rolled to a stop amongst the sea of others, some still sitting in their seats, gossiping and toking. Sliding out of the back, you landed on the grass with a soft huff as you looked around. You had never seen this many people at a party since you moved here, your lips curved up into a smile as it reminded you of the wild nights back home in California. A bonfire on a beach with dozens of drunk teens, basking in the bright moonlight and fresh smell of the ocean… oh, how you wished you could show Kaye and Shavonne the beauty of it.

“I see one,” Kaye pointed ahead as you girls stayed together in a flock, your eyes drifting to the side as you walked past two boys smoking from a bong, one of them nearly coughing up a lung.

“I should've stolen beer from Teddy when I had a chance,” you murmured, “You think Wooderson got enough kegs for everyone here?”

“You’d be surprised at his ability to know exactly what he needs,” Shavonne grinned, showing her pearly whites as spun on her heels to walk backward toward the party, “I think you have a drinking problem, Missy.”

“Me?” You gawked, pointing your finger against your chest with a quizzical look plastered on your face.

“Either that, or you’re trying to get drunk so you can avoid dealing with the consequences of your actions,” she chewed on your bottom lip, grinning when you couldn’t formulate a response, “Bingo! I knew it.”

“You can’t lead them both on, you know,” Kaye spoke from your left, another cigarette already lit and resting between her fingers, “and this is coming from someone who doesn’t give a shit about men and their feelings, but Angus,” she murmured, brows furrowing together, “he’s a really nice guy. Nicer than Benny could ever be.”

Her words made your stomach coil uncomfortably, cringing at the mere idea of finding Benny and telling him it's over. It wouldn’t bother you so much, sure, you’d miss his touch and comfort that was a near-addiction… but it would be hopefully replaced. You weren’t certain that he would feel the same.

“No, no, no,” you shook your head, “No lecturing me tonight! I’m allowed to make dumb decisions, and my first dumb decision is pounding back as many beers as I can hold.”

“Oh, god,” Kaye grinned, “I’m not taking care of you at the end of the night.”

You could only hold two beers, both had settled nicely in your stomach, having chugged them within 5 minutes of each other, and you were delighted to feel that familiar buzzing in your system that kept a smile settled on your lips. Sabrina had wandered off somewhere, likely to find Tony, while Shavonne just finished excusing herself so she could spend some time with Elise and Darla––much to your dismay. You could already imagine the gossip that would spread.

Clutching your third drink now, you and Kaye had settled against a large tree, standing side by side and watching as people laughed together, some stumbling after drinking far too much too quickly. Normally, you’d be right in there, dancing to whatever song was playing and shooting back beers like there were no tomorrow, but even two beers couldn’t settle your racing mind.

“What if I piss off Benny?” You turned your head to look at your brunette friend, meeting her darkened gaze as she finished off her second beer, “I mean, maybe I’m overthinking it, but it feels like he’s into this way more than I am.”

Kaye inhaled as she crossed her arms over her chest, “Do you want my honest opinion?”

“Is it going to be harsh?” You asked, crinkling your nose as she nodded, “Go on.”

“You need to break it off as soon as possible because I may not know Benny on a personal level, hell, I don’t like him on a personal level, but he’s been starting to look at you with these eyes that scream ‘I am in love’. Or at least infatuation, I think love is too strong,” her words making your eyes widen, “you need to pull the brakes on it before you go starting something with Angus. Neither of those boys deserve that.”

“That’s not fair, Angus is still dating Elise,” you pouted, lifting a hand up to feel your cheeks that were beginning to feel uncomfortably hot, “Those are double standards.”

Kaye smiled, reaching a hand to your other cheek and giving it a few gentle pats, “Life sucks, doesn’t it? It’s a man’s world.”

“Is that supposed to be comforting?” You blinked a few times.

“Not at all.”

Both you and Kaye shared a good laugh as you both grew tipsier as the night went on, practically attached at the hip as you wandered around to find another keg. Four beers was a bit much, you knew this the moment that you got halfway into the red solo cup because you felt a pain in your stomach, and you did not want those cheese fries coming back up.

You weren’t drunk yet. Very buzzed? Absolutely.

“I’m going to go back to the car, I forgot my cigarettes,” Kaye said into your ear before disappearing into the sea of people. You stayed put for a few seconds, thinning your lips as you held your cup and looked over the partygoers, but you were on the brink of being downright drunk, so of course you couldn’t remain still.

Tossing your unfinished beer over your shoulder, you decided to venture around and see who you might run into. Confidence coursed through your veins as you stopped to talk to people here and there, mostly classmates, sometimes a few random people that seemed either too young or old to be seniors. 

You couldn’t help that you were a chatty drunk. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Benny’s voice was hot against your ear as you felt arms wrap around you from behind, lifting you up until your feet were off the ground.

“Benny!” You laughed giddily, kicking your legs until he placed you back on solid ground. You spun around quickly, looking up at him as his arms remained around you, hands settling on the curves of your hips, “You’re drunk,” you told him, lifting a hand to playfully tug at the ball cap he wore.

“You’re the drunk one,” he chuckled, taking a few steps back with you as he settled against the side of his truck, your body still completely wrapped by his strong arms. 

“Hardly drunk,” you murmured, chewing on your bottom lip as you stared up at the blue-eyed boy, the one you’d spent many nights with. The one who knew your body better than anyone else.

It was a nasty predicament to be caught in, though, it had a rather easy answer. It just so happened that you were too weak to say what needed to be done, even drunk. You couldn’t stand there in his arms and even begin to imagine the look of disappointment on his face when you tell him you need to end things, not tonight. Not on your first night of freedom after junior year.

Fuck, this really wasn’t fair, was it?

“Did you wanna’ come to my place later?” Benny asked, his hands migrating further down your back until they were low enough to grab at your ass, a cheeky smile on his lips.

You let out a shaky exhalation, lips twitching––just do it. 

“Maybe,” you smiled, ignoring the gnawing reality in the back of your head and displacing it until you were sober again, “What’re you going to do? Try steal me away from the party?”

You really did have a problem. Kaye was right, you fed off of male attention, and Benny just so happened to be the one showering you in it.

“Yeah, I’d steal you,” Benny winked.

Only a few minutes later, the two of you were in the cab of his truck, him sitting in the middle with you straddling his hips as you sat over his lap. You’d been in this position dozens of times, his hands on your hips as your lips moved together desperately, tasting beer, cigarettes and mint gum. Your arms were always snug around his neck, fingers brushing into his tight curls after knocking the hat from his head.

Neither of you seemed to care that anyone could watch if they wanted, hell, Melvin and a couple of girls were sitting in the truck bed laughing and drinking, completely unbothered by the horny teens that were seconds away from undressing each other.

“Fuck, Benny,” you whimpered against his lips, tilting your head back so he was forced to pepper kisses along your jaw and neck, sending shivers down your spine.

The world spun as you stared up at the ceiling of the truck’s cab, eyelashes fluttering as you felt him suck a mark just underneath your ear and too dazed to try to push him away or berate him for doing so. You just kept your hands in his curls and your chest pushed out as his lips trail down your collarbone and around the straps of the floral halter top you wore.

Both of you had no intention of stopping, the beers in your system removing any and all inhibitions. Gone were the thoughts of Angus, and Kaye’s advice––all you knew was that right now, you had someone willing and eager to give you the attention you desired. It wasn’t so bad to know what you wanted.

Benny’s hands trailed up your bare sides, fingers pressing underneath the tight fabric of the top that clung to your skin as his lips moved down your exposed cleavage. You could feel your body growing warm, your hips twitching over his lap as you parted your lips to let out a quiet sound.

“You’re so perfect,” you heard him say under his breath against your skin and somehow, those words managed to stir a sour feeling in your stomach. Back came Kaye’s voice about how Benny was infatuated with you, and only now did you understand what she meant.

The poor guy wanted you more than just nights like these, he worshipped the very ground you walked on. He wanted to call you his.

Your hands dropped from his hair and rested on his shoulders as a hand moved to the back of your neck, fingers teasing at the knot that kept your halter top covering your chest. As you swallowed a lump down your throat, you tilted your chin down to meet Benny’s gaze, seeing the way his blue eyes sparkled.

This was bad.

“Woah!” The sound of a voice startled you both, Benny’s hand quickly dropping as you both looked over and saw Mel standing at the driver’s door with the window rolled down, “Didn’t know you guys were putting on a show for us,” he grinned from ear to ear, wagging his eyebrows at you.

You felt like you were going to be sick as you slid off of Benny’s lap and settled into the passenger seat, looking out the front window as the boys chatted. You didn’t quite make out what they were saying, but something about a keg needing to be tapped.

“Hey,” Benny caught your attention, your eyes flickering to him as he put his hat back on, “I’ll be back in a bit. You’ll stay here?” Your mouth had gone dry and all you could do was smile and nod, feeling your heart tighten as a smile spread across his lips while he left.

You were silent for a minute, blinking a few times as you looked ahead at the tree Benny had parked toward. 

“Nope, no,” you breathed to yourself, turning to the door and quickly opening the handle, “I’m not staying. Fuck this. This is stupid,” you slurred. 

Without looking back, you slammed the truck door shut and walked as far away from Benny’s truck as you could, eyes staring straight ahead while putting one foot in front of the other and focusing on not tumbling to the ground. The now four beers inside your stomach had settled fine, but left you teetering on the edge of being downright drunk, and it was too early to be plastered just yet.

Your breath quickened as panic coursed through your veins, leaving you on the brink of hyperventilation with thoughts swirling through your mind angrily. Kaye’s voice ringing in your ears, the look of love on Benny’s face… Angus’ smile. You curved your path around a tree in hopes you would find a place to collapse and cry, but you ran right into someone’s chest.

“Fuck, sorry,” you groaned, reaching forward to grab onto the fabric of their clothing so you didn’t fall back. As your eyes flickered up, you were greeted with a small smile from Angus Tully.

Maybe things really did work out for a reason.

“Don’t apologize,” he smiled, eyes a bit reddened, and you could tell that he had been indulging in smoking with Slater, “Was hoping that I’d run into you sooner than later.”

His words made your stomach twist again and all you wanted was to find your friends, maybe find a quiet place to empty the contents of your stomach and end the night with cold water and more greasy food to put you to sleep. You had only been at the party for less than an hour, and you were content with going home.

Being wrapped up in drama wasn’t your cup of tea, but you let yourself dig deep into this one.

“You okay?” His voice vibrated through your spinning head as you stared up at him with heavy eyes. You could make out the sincere concern he had, it made your cheeks warm to think he was worried about you.

“I’m fine,” you replied, forcing a smile on your lips as you took a step back, “Just lost Shavonne and Kaye, so I’ve been wandering around looking for something to do.” 

Lies.

“Why don’t you come climb the moon tower, man?” Slater’s voice had startled you, “... Maybe not, you seem jumpy, man.”

“I’m not jumpy,” you cleared your throat, smiling shyly as you looked over to the long-haired stoner who shoved his hands into his pockets and made way for the tower beyond the trees. Pickford was following closely behind.

“Come on,” Angus stepped forward and nudged you playfully, “It’s not like you have anything better to do.”

You watched with curious eyes as he stepped past you and toward the tower, leaving you in your spot, feeling small and hopeless. It took a few seconds to calm yourself before you made the executive decision to force your brain to stop thinking and just start saying ‘yes’ to whatever came your way. 

All goddamn day you waited so patiently for a night of partying and here you were wishing you could just sit down and cry. Not tonight. This was your night.

“Why do they call it the moon tower?” You asked once you’d reached the large structure, watching closely as Slater and Pickford had started climbing up the ladder situated in the middle of the metal bars. Both of them had moved to the sides to clear the way of the ladder, hanging onto the various poles and looking out toward the sea of teens, then down at you as you followed Angus.

“Uh,” Angus breathed out, glancing down at you for a moment to watch you start climbing up the ladder before he continued going up, past the two stoners, “I guess they put it up here whenever they were building the power plant. It’s actually a good idea, you got a full moon out here every day of the year, you know?”

You crinkled your eyebrows together as you adjusted your hands each time you stepped up the ladder, feeling hot underneath the bright lights and trying your best not to think about how high you were with each passing second. Angus moved up the ladder and right past the two boys hanging around with ease like a pair of monkeys in a tree, grinning from ear to ear as their eyes watched your meticulous movements.

“Yeah, but nothing’s ever been repaired, so this whole place could fall down at any time,” Pickford spoke, eyes full of mischief, “So you better watch your step.”

Rolling your eyes, you moved closer to them—gasping when Pickford fell back, pretending of course and leaving your stomach churning. You muttered an insult at him as you inhaled a sharp breath, reaching the same height as them both as Angus continued his trek to the top.

“This place used to be off-limits, man,” Slater said to you, hugging onto the pole with heavy, red eyes watching your every movement, “‘cause some drunk freshman fell off. He went right down the middle, smackin’ his head on every beam, man.”

Your face crinkled in disgust, pausing your movements when you came eye-to-eye with Slater, “Nice try, asshole, I’m not easily persuaded by urban legends.”

The long-hair teen chuckled as Pickford began scaling the moon tower from the outside, “I’m being serious, man, you think I’d lie to you?” He asked, fighting back more laughter, “The autopsy said he had one beer, how many did you have?”

“Four, and I’m doing just fine,” you rolled your eyes, smirking as you pulled yourself past him, closing in on Angus who had paused to wait for you. Your eyes connected in an intense stare and a blush coated your cheeks, the sound of Slater’s voice warning you muffled and inaudible.

“Shut up, Slater,” Angus grinned, shooting you a confident wink before continuing his trek. God, he really knew how to work you.

By the time you’d reached the top, you were finally feeling so tipsy that your fear of heights had completely vanished. You looked in awe at the horizon of lights that came from the small town—it was peaceful up here, away from everyone else. It felt like this came straight out of a movie scene.

“You show this tower to all your girls?” You asked Angus, sitting on the platform with him and letting your legs dangle off the edge while resting against the metal that fenced you in. 

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “so, get in line. I have a waitlist.”

“Jerk,” you giggled, shoving his side with your elbow as you two sat side-by-side. 

A joint had been passed around again, coming to you three times before you were pleasantly high and staring off into the void of the night sky. It was a new moon, so the moon tower was the only light—it was beautiful.

Slater had started up a conversation about how many people were fucking then and there, pointing at the lights from town. You just sat there and listened in to the banter between him and Pickford, finding the boys comforting after a moment of panic.

“You sure you’re okay?” Angus whispered to you, his big brown eyes settling on you and surrounding you with comfort, “you seem… off.”

“Off?” You questioned, acting oblivious, “I’m fine. Just… tipsy. Stomach hurts a little, I guess.”

He didn’t believe you because you hadn’t been able to look him in the eyes as you spoke, chewing on your bottom lip to force back any lingering emotion. It’s not like you were going to sit here and talk to him like Kaye, spilling your guts about your insecurities with the situation you had going with both him and Benny. That was a can of worms you wanted to keep shut.

The two of you sat in silence, your chin resting against the metal bar in front of you that kept you steady and from falling off the tower.

“You’re a bad liar,” Angus huffed, your eyes drifting back to him to see his jaw clenching. Was he upset?

“Not lying.”

“Then why is your face all red?” He questioned, and you grew defensive.

“Why are you being so nosy? It’s none of your business.” You spat back, anger filling your body. This was not where things needed to go.

“Is it about Benny?” He tilted his head with a raised eyebrow, eyes piercing into yours. You felt judged by him for the first time ever, “I don’t know what you get out of sleeping with him, like his own personal little… plaything.”

“Can you stop?” You snapped loudly, pulling your eyes away and feeling tears form. The four beers really were too much, three would’ve been just fine, “I don’t need your fucking judgment, Angus, that’s a new low.”

The double standards were there again.

“Not judging,” he mumbled, “just think you can do better, is all.”

“And what? What’s better for me? Tell me. Are you better? A boy who just insinuated I’m some… slut!” You shifted in your spot, sitting sideways so you could look at him with fire burning in your eyes. You hadn’t even noticed that Slater and Pickford were descending the moon tower and giving you both space.

Angus stared at you dumbfounded at your question as he dealt with the consequences of his poor wording, lips slightly parted, but he wouldn’t say it. You wished he would, confirming the feelings out loud that you two had been dancing around for weeks.

The silence was thick and nauseating. 

“That’s what I thought,” your voice cracked, “you’re a fucking asshole, Angus. I hope you know that and live with it for the rest of your miserable life.”

Without allowing him the space to say anything, you scrambled to your feet and got the hell out of there. You could hear him calling down for you as you carefully made way down the ladder, shoving past Slater and Pickford, who had been waiting at the bottom. Tears stung your eyes and dripped down your cheeks as you felt the world’s weight on your shoulders.

Kaye was right. This was a man’s world and there was nothing you could do to change that, the cards were never in your favour.

“Fuck,” you whimpered as you walked through the wooded area in hopes to find your friends, or maybe a bottle of water at the very least. A familiar feeling hit the back of your throat as your mouth pooled with spit—shit.

You made it to a bush just in time, bending over and letting nature run its course as you emptied your stomach with a few heavy gags. If it weren’t for that damned Top Notch trip before heading to the Emporium, you’d be fine.

The night was ruined. You eventually found water from a very generous sophomore who took pity on you, nearly guzzling the entire water back and swishing it around your mouth until you couldn’t taste the acid on your tongue anymore. With embarrassment filling you, you decided that it would best if you just took a break from everything going on.

The world hadn’t felt like it was spinning anymore, but you weren’t very coordinated with your movements. The second the music and laughter sounded distant enough, you fell back onto the grass and looked up at the night sky. The moon tower's distant light made it hard to see the stars.

You weren’t sure how long you’d been laying there, ten minutes or an hour? You just stayed there, fingers splayed in the grass and inhaling the scent of nature. Maybe you’d just close your eyes and sleep there, it’s not like there were any wild animals around… that you knew of.

“Jesus Christ,” a voice interrupted your isolation. Angus’s voice. He sounded worried.

You pouted, throwing both hands over your face, “what do you want?”

“I thought you left, or something happened to you,” his voice was full of disappointment, “you can’t just run off like that when you’re drunk.”

You listened as his footsteps closed the distance between you both, a quiet grunt coming from him as he sat in the grass next to you and laid back.

“I can do what I want,” you mumbled, keeping your eyes covered, as if it would somehow make him leave.

A heavy sigh left his lips, “I’m sorry.”

“Is that all?”

“Look, you can stay mad at me, I get it. I was a total fucking dick and took it too far,” he admitted casually, eyes looking up at the void above you both, “...I’m jealous of Benny.”

That was new. 

Slowly, you dropped your hands from your face, head turning to the right so you could look at Angus. His face was just visible, the moon tower’s light barely reaching beyond the trees that covered you both.

“Really?” Your voice was soft, just barely above a whisper.

Angus looked at you, too, his eyes so soft and sincere. It was impossible not to fall in love with him.

“Please don’t make me say it again,” his lips cracked into a smile that was contagious.

You bit the inside of your cheeks as your stomach swirled furiously with a complicated mess of feelings. Love, anger, sadness—arousal.

“It still sucked,” you reminded him, shifting onto your side with your arms bent and acting as a pillow. You weren’t sure you’d ever get that line out of your head, Angus referring to you as nothing but a toy for Benny. Sure, the alcohol and weed hadn’t helped his filter, but that was a deep wound and would need some time to heal.

“I’m really fucking sorry,” Angus whispered, meeting you halfway and rolling to face you, “Seriously. I fucked up.”

“Yeah you did,” you thinned your lips, “but I think I could learn to forgive you.”

That caused a smile to spread on the boy’s lips, “I’ll work really hard. Like, overtime hard.”

“You’re stupid,” you laughed, the air between you lighter and digestible.

“I’m going to break up with Elise.”

Seriously, what the fuck?

“I…” you stuttered, blinking a few times, “really?”

“Yeah,” he murmured, his hand reaching forward and resting on your red cheek, “I like someone else.”

His touch made your heart flutter, having been waiting for this intimacy for weeks. Dreaming about it each night as you manifested—praying to god that it would work. You were so desperately in love with Angus Tully that it was laughable.

“Who?” You asked coyly, smiling small and sheepish.

“The prettiest girl at this party,” he smiled, “just so happens to be laying in the grass somewhere with a real troublesome boy. I heard he’s a dick.”

“Oh, yeah,” you smiled, “I know who you’re talking about. He is a real dick. The worst, actually.”

Both of you shared a small laugh, smiles reaching your eyes as the world finally felt calm, and you could simply bask in each other’s presence. It wasn’t enough, of course.

“Can I kiss you?” Angus whispered, almost like his voice would disrupt this moment.

“I just, like… threw up,” you crinkled your nose.

“I don’t care.”

Within a matter of seconds, you had been pulled until you were atop him, knees on either sides of his hips and straddling. Lips met in a furious, long-awaited kiss, and you saw stars.

Large hands gripped your hips and held you steady, a tongue flicking against your lips until you got the message and invited him in. It was sloppy, messy and wet, but neither of you cared if it wasn’t perfect. It was like years of pent-up stress and pining finally released, and neither of you would be coming out of this unscathed.

“Angus,” you whined into his mouth, hands pressed against his bare chest where the buttons of his top had undone. Nails scratched the surface of his skin, leaving red marks in their wake, as your body was heavy atop his.

He fed off your mewls of pleasure, lapping up your sounds with his tongue as you both moaned filthy, warm breath into each other’s mouths. You were both desperate for each other’s touch, hands wild as they travelled each other’s bodies.

Your hands lifted to his curls, his unbuttoning your jeans until he could sneak a hand inside.

Cries of pleasure fell from your lips as his fingers pushed into your underwear, leaving you a shaking, shuddering mess that could barely stay upright.

“Angus. I need you,” you whimpered into his ear, lips and hot breath brushing against the shell of his ear. You could feel the bulge in his pants, blocked only by your clothes and the fingers that he’d slipped inside you to coax out your beautiful sounds.

It was raw, passionate and heady. The two of you attacking each other with quick hands until your clothes were either pulled off completely or barely hanging onto your body.

Moans spilled from your lips as you rolled your hips together in slow, sensual movements—crying out into the void as you whimpered his name over and over until you were both met with a pleasant release.

Angus Tully would be the death of you.

[jittyjames]

so kinda want to talk about something that happened in the past few days and an ongoing issue within the ham community atm. i know y'all have seen all of the stuff going around, people hiding behind anonymity to tear each other down, name dropping accounts to get them harassed etc.. the blog was fun at first, and i even enjoyed putting in harmless opinions on women's representation and aaron burr being my favorite character, but it quickly devolved into something concerning. but hey! you can't censor people by deleting or ignoring posts on a confession blog right? that would defeat the purpose. so of course all of this discord will be allowed.

except the moderator had no problem taking down my anonymous post that called out the undermining of harmful slurs being used by the community.

i blurred the person's name i was referring to because although it was all over the confessions blog and they have no problem with airing this minor's name after she's already gotten death threats, i don't want to spread it outside of there for people not involved. so here's the following conversation that took place.

(context for anyone who's had the great fortune of not running into this blog: someone had said a homophobic slur in a derogatory way and there was a question if they could reclaim it or not.) (rebuttal is also not the right word, but my mind was racin and that's what we got. i meant response.)

at first, i thought there was a misunderstanding. that someone had asked them to take something down and they mistook my post for it since they made a post saying they did in fact take down a post by someone's request. but i had a feeling it was something more. clearly, the moderator values someone who doesn't want people speaking out about an issue of homophobia being down played's opinion over an actual member of the lgbtq+ community. it's 2024 and we're still having to have the conversation about if slurs are bad or not, and it's frankly exhausting.

i might have adjusted my original post a bit more in the actual tumblr inbox, but this was the gist of what it said bc i always write down what i want to say first outside of the app (social anxiety says hi 🤪). as you can see it lines up with the conversation at hand— the conversation that was allowed and was still up, i might add— and i was polite about everything— unlike the actual hate mongering on the account. i really don't know where this attitude came from or why my specific post about queerness was targeted out of so many, but as you can see, they did so clear as day. to my knowledge, no other post has been taken down despite there being multiple continued conversations that are vague enough to not specifically be about fandom (like the morality of long distance incest, arguing over which hamilton artist they don't like, and people complaining about the drama going on across the blog.) those were allowed to be up, and i believe they should be if those are the conversations that people want to have about the fandom space. so why the detestation in these responses? it's not even veiled disdain. you would think i was the one bullying random minors just because i didn't like their art style or the one sending death threats. when a marginalized person expresses concern over something happening under your watch, why is the first line of action to be hateful and flippant while making excuses that don't even make sense and referring to rules that aren't even followed. despite all of this, it's my opinion it didn't even break said rules. the conversation at hand was about slur usage in the fandom. why did the posts claiming people were basically dumb for finding an issue with it stay, and mine get deleted?

why has the biggest crime on that blog—by the moderator's standards, the post so horrible they had to step in and delete and tell the person to leave the page—a gentle reminder that some people find the use of homophobic slurs a disrespectful practice when the word is in the wrong mouth. even if someone disagreed with my post, which is their right, why was it erased completely?

but that blog was taken down. and we thought it was over. but strangely enough last night, my anon box was filled with so many hate comments i had to turn off anon, and i have no plans of turning them back on. and it appears the blog was remade with rules but only one specific rule.

now here’s the issue. whore can’t really be compared to homophobic slurs or racial slurs due to the way it’s evolved in culture. and let’s say whore is a slur. let’s go with that. just because you listen to music or consume content that has people reclaiming slurs, it does not give you the right to reclaim them and say them for yourself. that is ignorance. you can't silence a community by saying they can't take issue over SLURS with this excuse used over and over again when it's not even an appropriate once. something that will always stand is people should not be saying slurs they can't reclaim.

you all can keep playing around with that blog if you want. just remember while you're arguing and cursing each other over fictional queer ships, actual queer issues are being censored by the person hosting y'all for no apparent reason other than some unnamed person asking for it's removal and the moderator's apparent disdain for queer people asking people not to use harmful slurs. which makes no sense to anyone if you think about it for more than two seconds.

i'm just a blip in this fandom, and there's so many of you i haven't gotten the fortune of talking to, but you need to sit down and ask why you guys are doing this to yourselves in the first place. why are you continuously feeding in to a bullying platform when you know how it's effecting people? when you know the moderator's intentions have been made clear in just want hatred bred throughout the fandom? why are we so dead set on being mean to each other? maybe you think i'm trying to stir up trouble or be self-important by butting my nose into people's business, and that's your right to think that. but this account has split the fandom in two and made it's fun diminish for everyone involved. you can say that every fandom is like this, but i've been in the fandom since the beginning and active on this account for almost three years and i've never seen anything like this. if you want to see change and for the fandom to go back to normal, stop torturing yourselves and calling it entertainment. the drama was silly and fun in the beginning, but now with specific attacks on minors and disparaging an entire community by telling us to take our "queer concern" elsewhere and saying we can't speak out against people using slurs, it's gotten worrying.

obviously, i'm not going to tell anyone what to do or fault them if they continue to play the intoxicating game of ganging up on someone because they don't know who you are and you know you won't face any repercussions. but just realize it could be you or a close friend being endlessly harassed and silenced. i used to think there was no place in this community for things like this, but there's always something that weasels it's way in.

it's basic and you've heard it from every single adult in your life, but think before you post. think about what the intentions are. think about why you find all of this fun. think about why this person behaves the way they do.

[maritteknewtheenemy]

sejanus wasn’t more self aware than lenore dove whatsoever though, he ran into the arena & when he got punished for it by becoming a peacekeeper, he went to work with the rebels. one could argue that spraying graffiti on a wall and comforting a grieving mother is nowhere near the same level as working with the rebels. if sejanus didn’t have the family he had and somehow found his way into that arena, when they got out he & his family would’ve been killed instantly. he wasn’t “protecting” his family they just had plot armor, just like lenore dove had plot armor in the reaping scene for the sake of it. and comparing her to teenager snow is still a mischaracterization in my eyes, especially when the poor girl did absolutely nothing that was aiming to hurt anyone else or for her own benefit whatsoever😭 all her actions had impulsively got HER into trouble not the ones around her (if we ignore the reaping scene, which one could also argue that haymitch didn’t HAVE to get up to go to her, and neither did she ask him to do so)

i appreciate you willing to have a conversation about this though, and i’m glad you can see both sides (even if we disagree) but could you, please, start censoring her name when you talk badly about her 🥲 i know we’ll never agree on her character, but she happens to be a character i love and i don’t reallyyyyy enjoy seeing slander on her when i want to search on her tag. (also this is not me trying to be mean whatsoever, i just hope you understand) maybe tagging it antilenoredove would be better instead? thank you!

I appreciate you also being able to have a conversation and not resorting to personal attacks, it’s more than I’ve come to expect from a lot of the fandom, and this sort of dialogue is actually fun for me. I do so enjoy a debate!

You do make some really good points about Sejanus, and maybe he did have plot armour, but at least when he was working with the rebels he only told his supposed best friend he trusted implicitly instead of directly telling the whole district. It’s about the ability to be subtle for me, y’know?

Again we really don’t have any proof that none of Lenore’s actions had no malicious intent, we really don’t, and yeah she lucked out in that Haymitch ended up the only collateral damage but that in itself was a small miracle. At some point willful ignorance and carelessness and a refusal to learn from past mistakes does become malicious, and Lenore Dove in canon seems to be at that level.

I suppose I could tag my posts anti Lenore Dove, but my viewpoint is this. I already have my posts tagged with anti sunrise on the reaping. Anybody who doesn’t have any interest in seeing anything remotely negative about the book should have that tag blocked, and thus, my posts shouldn’t be an issue. But the character I’m talking about in my posts IS Lenore Dove. Yeah, it’s sucks to see criticism of a liked character but I’m also not attacking anyone who likes her. Stumbling across one of my posts, clicking on my blog and seeing I routinely post critical analysis of sotr should be enough for people to filter out the anti fandom tag and never see my posts again if they don’t want to. But the way I see it, my posts still belong in the Lenore Dove tag, because im talking about her as a character. Character tags are pretty broad, I’m not out here contributing to ship wars, and all my critiques have textual basis. I really am just sharing my interpretation of the character as written. So I do think my posts belongs in the Lenore Dove tag.

Out of respect for you anon, and the conversation we’ve had, I will make an effort to tag anti Lenore Dove going forward. That said, ask yourself why- in an absolute sea of positivity about her- any criticism of her is enough to send you to a strangers inbox asking them to tag their own posts differently, when you could block the anti sotr tag and avoid any criticism about the book you don’t want to see. Why is it up to me to censor my posts beyond the reasonable generally publicly agreed upon way that involves tagging the anti fandom tag?

[calicomarie11]

Secret Santa Fic Part 2

The laptop was open on the kitchen table, Safari drowning in a sea of tabs for homes in El Paso and the blank application for the EPFD. Eddie minimized the browser and opened up FaceTime, swiping at his hair and reflexively passing his finger over his upper lip even though the mustache was gone.

He clicked on Chris’ name and waited. It had been a few weeks since they had talked like this, face to face if even through a screen and he couldn’t help squeezing his thighs under the table from nerves. 

When the call connected and Chris’ face appeared on the screen, Eddie let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Hey buddy, good to see your face.”

Chris squinted at him and tilted his head. “Did you finally shave that cry for help off your face?”

And god his kid had become savage. He remembered when Chris was a literal ray of sunshine, when the teasing was good natured and silly. He wasn’t sure if this new edge was due to the events of the past year, Chris becoming a teenager and realizing that his parents were people too, or if it had always been there and he just stopped censoring himself. 

Eddie chuckled weakly and smoothed over his top lip again. “Yeah, a few weeks ago actually.” 

“Hmm. Did you do it because Buck broke up with Tommy?” Chris asked, a sly look on his face.

And what the hell was Eddie supposed to do with that? 

“NO, it had nothing to do with Buck. How do you even know about that?” Eddie spluttered.

“Buck kept sending me pictures of baked goods so I asked him what was going on and he told me.”

“Oh, that’s good. That you’re talking.  That’s partly why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Yeah, what’s with all the secrecy? Secrets don’t make friends.”

Eddie sighed. “We did the Secret Santa drawing at the station today and I drew Buck’s name this year.”

“So you need my help to get him a present?”

“Well, yes. He usually helps me pick out gifts because I suck at presents.”

Chris cocked his head. “So last year when I got a retro game handheld and the adaptive surfboard….”

Eddie nodded. “All Buck.”

“God, dad, when are you going to wife him up, already?” Chris groaned. 

And Eddie froze. Because what the fuck? Why would Chris think that was even a possibility? Yes, Buck had just gotten out of a relationship with a man, but that doesn’t mean that he likes all men, that he would like Eddie that way. Surely, Buck would have said something before this if he was interested.

And Eddie, well, he’d always dated women. Usually nice Latina women that his family would approve of and that he didn’t really think about when they weren’t right in front of him. And Shannon. He’d loved Shannon. She was his best friend, mother of his child, of course he’d loved her.

Eddie knew he’d been silent too long, but he cleared his throat and said as neutrally as possible, “Where is this coming from?” 

“7 years of watching you two dance around each other. Plus you like Buck way more than you ever liked the women you dated.” 

“That’s different, he’s my best friend,” Eddie defended himself.

“Well Denny’s my best friend you don’t see me hating all his girlfriends and spiraling when we can’t talk everyday.” Chris retorted. 

“It’s not like that.”

Chris shrugged, “When I was little, I thought you were dating and just didn’t tell me because you’re all repressed and shit. But then you kept bringing women around and I figured out you just suck at knowing your own feelings. And then Buck started dating Tommy and you went off the deep end, so I thought you finally figured it out. Are you telling me you’re still pretending that you’re straight?”

Eddie flushed a deep red, “Look, we can talk more about this later” (like when hell freezes over, Eddie thought)  “I just need this Christmas to be special for Buck since it’s the last one we’ll get to spend together.”

Eyes narrowed suspiciously, Chris said “I thought you said Buck was fine?” His mouth dropped open in shock. “Is he dying? Why wouldn’t you tell me that? I’ll start looking up flights…”

“Whoa, whoa,” Eddie interrupted. “He’s not dying I swear.” He dragged his hand down his face, wondering how he was capable of screwing this up so badly. 

“I was trying to keep it a surprise, but uh, I’m moving,” Eddie continued. 

“What,” Chris screeched. “Where the hell are you moving to?”

“El Paso,” Eddie said and made jazz hands, like the incredible dork that he was. “Surprise!?”

Chris groaned and flopped forward to bang his head on his desk dramatically. 

After a minute he sat back up and glared at Eddie. “No, Dad, you are not moving to El Paso. You are going to figure your shit out, ask Buck on a date, and I’m coming home to make sure you don’t screw this up.”

Eddie sat stunned at Chris’ words and he latched onto the last part. “You want to come home?”

“Well it’s clear you can’t be left without supervision. Does Buck know you’re moving?”

“Yeah. He’s been helping me look for houses.” Eddie responded.

Under his breath Eddie could faintly make out Chris saying “Self-sacrificing idiots, the both of them.” 

Then louder “Okay, we need a plan to romance the shit out of Buck, so I’m going to need you to take notes.”

Eddie nodded and grabbed the notepad he’d set next to the laptop on the table. As Chris talked, he diligently scribbled down instructions, a grin barely suppressed as he listened to his son. 

His son was coming home. 

Part 1

[slightly-warmer-hibiscus-tea]

CW: OC talk + Rambling / Blood / Gore / Censored Nudity (character sheet) / Mentions of Drugging

(idk why these warnings are so intense, but I swear it's all just silly OC talk T^T)

I’m kinda sorta working on more (comprehensible) TS OC stuff in between studying right now… I wanna hurry and talk about them but without info dumping (if given the opportunity I will without hesitation 😔…) because in terms of the best stories I have conjured up for OCs in general Naudedel and Noble are surprisingly good and I’m very excited to share how deranged they are together…

Right now it’s just about making Naudy readable and working on extra fun stuff… like monsters!

I’m trying to work out his “monster” form…. The concept is there, but the execution is just not ticking the right boxes for me right now… also, the line art at the end is old and probably will go unused, but thought it was something to add here because like hehe look at my deranged son :)

When it comes to the writing I'm going to split it into two chapters. The first half will be a summary+ of his upbringing, and the second on how he fucked up his arm and why. Just enough info to get a read on what his deal is pretty much. I just need to edit the first chapter and rewrite some parts then it's ready to annoy the world!

I'm trying to think of a good design for his original mother... I'm thinking dark hair and milf (¬‿¬)･ﾟ✧ ... honestly I need to start drawing out the designs for all the other TS OCs I've accumulated over the year (?) here's a fun list-

Hickery (bloodhound OC... dilf oc...I've already been made fun of for his name, but it stuck to me so I'm keeping it!)

Maya (another bloodhound OC)

Cove (Hound's ex-husband)

Cetcher's gf + informant, who still needs a good name...

and that one guy! (doesn't have a name yet... but is important in Hound's part of the story... she bashed some of his guys in the back of head with a hammer... it was a whole thing... Leander got involved... gang war stuff, don't worry about it...)

There are technically more OCs, like that Hightown lady Noble befriended during their first few weeks in town. However, I'm not sure if I'm including her in the final plot meeting. But yeah, anyway I'm rambling so on to Noble news!

For Noble, everything is plotted out in advance surprisingly…character playlist and all... just need to find the words to explain their story other than “parasite with a weird God complex feels guilty” I do have some old memes and art of them though!

Noble curse stuff...

Childhood cult stuff...

Current reality...

Poor person masquerade dress censored for tumblr...

Noble folks!

I actually wrote out a whole little thing for the black dress in a what-if scenario of...

"Oh! ,,,What if there is a masquerade in Hightown and Noble sneaks in to get some information on a certain individual who might know a thing or two about curses, but turns out the whole event if devious and their all eating babies or some fucked up shit,,,, and what if while sneaking around they see Leander and are like 'what's he doing here?' and they lock eyes but he ignores them as he ducks into a closed off area with some important looking people,,, once he comes out he walks past them and they lock eyes again as he leaves,,, Noble chases after him and once they catch up they get to see his cold and detached side right before he hides them from the other guest,,, after they talk for a bit, or more like Leander talking over them and their worries as he slowly wipes their memories while they protest that it's not fair only to wake up the next day back in their room,,, thankfully their curse is good for more then just silly bouts of insanity so they have a hunch on what happened, everyone around them who knew where they went the night before were obviously worried and the general consensus is that they might have been drugged and should go check in with Kuras just in case (wow this is getting long...) but on their way to the clinic they run into Leander and of course discusses their current problem with him ,,, words are exchanged,,, a kabedon may occur,,, as he whispers in their ear,,, all fun till he erases their memories again, or at least tires before receiving a little gift that makes him look at this whole curse thing from a different angle." DEEP BREATH! ...Anyways... yeah.

But it was taking so long to write out that I ended up losing motivation so yeah... like everything else we will pray the motivation comes back so I can finish that... plus who knows, I might make an x reader version of it if I can. (don't hold your breath... I'm extremely slow)

Anyway, I'm gonna to shut up now because I've yapped enough. I'mma make some hibiscus tea (ironic) and head to bed... Night night, if you made it this far, thank you for listening to my craziness <3

[the-s1lly-corner]

tadc cast(any of them is fine) reacting to s/o that uses singing to cope with their daily stress? like theres a karaoke room for it bonus if they sing death metal or real dark stuff that arent very child friendly so theres a lot of censors love your work!

Gangle, Kinger, and Caine x a reader who sings to cope!

Since you specified any characters I went ahead and chose characters i think would pair well with this !! Hope that's alright!

Typing this up on mobile, cant sleep so may as well write !!

This reminds me of that one

Show

I forgot the name of it

The one with the red panda gal who does karaoke stuff to decompress

Need to finish watch that, never got past season one!!

CAINE:

Ive said this so many times for caine but he is your number one fan, even in your times of sreess and need, hes going to put his entire being into supporting you! Even if... some of the songs you sing go against the child friendly part of the circus... though it you need alone time to sing your feelings out, I think he would respect it!

I think he would push you to keep doing it if it helps you relieve feelings

KINGER:

Honestly they are all very chill and normal about it, with a world like this you need to find any way you can to cope in order to not abstract

Sure I think the shift in demeanor from your sweet personality to you swearing up a storm while nearly screaming into the mic throws him off the first time, who is he to judge you ?

I think he would try to help you find a different means of coping since this way rips your digital vocal cords up real bad

GANGLE:

I think if she were to accidentally walk into the karaoke room caine recently installed, and caught you going absolutely ham on the mic I think she would just

Quickly apologize for walking in on your private time... though I think it would be funny for gangle to also sing her feelings out... oooo stress duet... sounds nice but also tiring since you're both popping off with your entire beings

She joins you and you guys de-stress together

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x10 - Kentarumon, the Defender / A Clue from the Digi Past

Previously on Digimon Adventure: It was so cold. So unbearably cold. Unbelievably cold. Facing down hypothermia and impossibly low temperatures, Taichi and Yamato were able to solve their problems through judicious application of more snow.

Now we turn our attention to another pair of kids, separated from the others by the fracturing of File Island.

Today's episode opens with Mimi and Koushiro's beds descending into the fractured island shards. In the dub, Izzy offers us some narration to coax us through shots of the beds descending.

Izzy: Tentomon, I would say we're traveling at a very high speed, plummeting toward an unidentified island! And, uh... crash landing is imminent! Tentomon: Try to think of it as if we're just hitting the beach!

XD That one got me. Inappropriate time for dark puns, Tentomon.

Upon landing in the midst of a tropical jungle, Mimi and Palmon discuss where to go from here.

Mimi: Where are we? Palmon: Since we were blown away so suddenly, I can't be sure. But I think this is a jungle. Mimi: Well, even I know that. What will happen to us now? Palmon: I don't know, but we should try looking for someone in the meantime. Mimi: Yeah, you're right! There has to be someone close by.

It's a pretty basic dialogue exchange. We don't know where we are and we're separated from the others; Let's go looking.

A perfect time for the dub to spice things up with some goofs.

Mimi: Oh no, humidity! Palmon: Yeah, some kind of tropical rainforest but not one I'm familiar with. It all happened so fast. Where are we? Mimi: Have you any idea what humidity does to my hair!? It goes all poodle-ey. Not a pretty sight. Palmon: Uhhh, perhaps we ought to look around and see if we can find any of the others. Mimi: Yeah! Let's go! Maybe we can at least find some air conditioning or something.

Unfortunately, per usual, that means playing Mimi off as lacking perspective and not understanding the situation she's in. I like Mimi complaining about the humidity; It's the last line, where she's expressly more concerned with fixing her hair than finding safety or her friends, that bugs me.

Meanwhile, Koushiro finds his way to an interesting ruin. Tentomon notices Koushiro's interest and tries to urge him to move along; Finding their friends should be the priority. But Koushiro tells him no; He thinks if he studies these ruins, he may learn information that could be useful later on. As Koushiro enters the ruins, Tentomon reluctantly follows his Partner.

Meanwhile, Mimi finds a bunch of bananas hanging from a tree! Excited, she asks Palmon to retrieve them - though Palmon struggles with the unfamiliar word "banana", which should probably be Mimi's first warning that this isn't about to go well.

Overjoyed, Mimi exclaims:

Mimi: I haven't had food that actually looks like food in a long time!

That's depressing. We're on Day 6 of File Island and the emergency rations were only going to last 1-2 days after they started feeding the Digimon too, so that checks out.

Dub Mimi has her own plans for the bananas.

Mimi: I was really starved! Now we can pretend we're having banana splits!

I don't think Palmon knows what that is but good on you for keeping positive!

Tragically, when Mimi goes to open the banana, she discovers that there's nothing inside the peel. The whole bunch is nothing but empty peels. Palmon bites one of the peels in half and reports that it's surprisingly good, but Mimi isn't having it. She yells out in frustration and then sulks next to the poop that fell off the tree.

Wait, what?

"Is that hair mousse?" ~Dub Mimi trying very hard to censor the obvious poop on the ground.

The poop, it seems, came from these two lunkheads. Palmon IDs them as Scumon (the yellow one) and Chuumon (the mouse). The dub refers to the former as Sukamon, based on a different romanization of the kanji that forms his name. But you can clearly it pronounced "Scum-mon".

From there, the narrator gives us the rundown on Scumon, but not Tyuumon. He's an Adult-stage Virus-type Digimon. His name, of course, derives from the word "scum".

Narrator: Scumon. He's shaped like a sparkling golden poop. Because he has no talents of his own, the smaller Chuumon acts as his brain.

For her rundown, Dub Palmon avoids the poop conversation but otherwise conveys the same idea.

Palmon: Sukamon and his mouse buddy are always together because they share the same teeny-tiny brain.

She also IDs Sukamon and Chuumon as "Sukamon and Chuumon, also known as the Digi-Losers", so apparently in the dub they have a reputation for being pathetic. Meanwhile, Dub Mimi calls Sukamon a "talking dessert", which is probably the grossest possible way to disguise him being a poop.

Scumon attacks, hopping across tree branches and hurling poops down at Mimi and Palmon. Mimi flees at first, but then she loses her temper and whips around to confront the pair.

Mimi demands to know what this is about, and Scumon explains that she's being robbed. He orders her to turn over all of her belongings. Naturally, Mimi refuses, so the assault renews.

Fleeing from the disgusting onslaught, Mimi tries to take cover behind a tree. The dub adds this line:

Mimi: That's it, I give up! I want to see the camp therapist!

Which is gold. Absolutely. Therapy for Mimi. Therapy for all of these children.

It's there that Scumon seizes his moment, sliding quietly down a tree to sneak up on her.

Scumon grabs the strap of Mimi's purse to take it from her, but his hand touches her Digivice in the process. Light erupts from the Digivice, blanketing Scumon and Chuumon.

The light seems to have done something to Scumon and Chuumon,

Scumon: My heart somehow feels refreshed! Chuumon: Very refreshed! Mimi: Well, we're not refreshed at all! Scumon: I feel like I've turned into a good poop! Chuumon: Good one! Good one! Mimi: (skeptically) I wonder if that's true. Palmon: Let me ask: Have you seen any humans around here? Scumon: Humans? Mimi: (gestures to Mimi) Something that looks like her. Scumon: (considers) Oh! Yes! Mimi: You saw them!? Scumon: It was far off so I can't be sure but I saw something like you and a Tentomon fall in the Ancient Dino Region. Mimi: Really!? If Tentomon was there, that must mean Koushiro-kun is there too! Palmon: But have you really become good Digimon now? Scumon: (dismissive) Yeah right, ahahaha! Palmon: You don't deny it!? Chuumon: At the very least, we feel like being good right now! Palmon: Then take us to the Ancient Dino Region.

Virus-types gonna Virus-type but at least they're feeling helpful. They're going to take us to Tentomon and Koushiro!

Meanwhile, in the dub:

Chuumon: That's better than chewing tin foil! Sukamon: I feel all tingly and refreshed, like a whole new person! Chuumon: Yeah! We're a whole new person! Mimi: Is this one as much of a pain as the last one!? Sukamon: No, really! We'll be nice from now on! Really! Mimi: So you'll leave us alone? Palmon: Wait! First, tell us if you've seen any other humans around here. Sukamon: Any what? Palmon: (gestures to Mimi) Creatures that look like this one! Sukamon: Uhh.... Chuumon: Well, as a matter of fact! Sukamon: Oh, yeah! I forgot! Mimi: Tell me! Sukamon: Well, it wasn't nearly as pretty as you are, of course. But we saw something fall into the old ruins with a Tentomon! Mimi: So when were you planning on telling us!? Next week!? They must have seen Izzy too, Palmon! Palmon: Listen, you two: Can you take us there? It's important that we find him. Sukamon: Sure! Okey-dokey! Palmon: No funny business! Sukamon: Cross our heart. Chuumon: And hope to die! Palmon: Well, of all the absolutely ridiculous things to say.

The bit about being a good poop is removed, of course. But in its place, we have the "chewing tin foil" line and an assertion that Koushiro cannot rival Mimi in prettiness.

Though, between the two endings to this conversation, Scumon and Chuumon responding to "Are you really good Digimon?" with "LOL NO but we're cool right now!" is my favorite.

Scumon and Chuumon lead the way to the Ancient Dino Region. There's. Uh. There's one small problem.

It's on a different shard.

While Mimi and Palmon contemplate how to solve this problem, Scumon and Chuumon reveal their true motives for being so helpful.

Mimi: Do we have to jump to get over there? Palmon: That's really scary. Chuumon: Hey, are you happy we helped you? Mimi: Yeah.... Scumon: Then, as thanks for helping, let's go on a date! (blows kiss) Mimi: YOU MUST BE JOKING!!! Palmon: (Poison Ivy's the other side) LET'S GO!!! GRAB ON!!! (Palmon swings them across to the other shard) Scumon: ...she left. Mimi: (cries) This keeps happening. I hate it. Scumon: (calling across) Let's meet again some time! Mimi: NO WAY!!! (akanbe)

For real, this does keep happening.

The dub version plays it this way:

Mimi: How are we supposed to get over there? Chuumon: You're the one with the big hat; You think of something! A gorgeous girl like you must have a big brain! Mimi: (sarcastic) Thanks a lot. Really. Sukamon: Before you go, maybe you'd give us a big Thank You kiss, huh? (blows kiss) Mimi: OH, PLEASE TELL ME THEY'RE KIDDING!!! Palmon: (Poison Ivy's the other side) CLIMB ABOARD QUICKLY!!! (Palmon swings them across to the other shard) Scumon: (sigh) Maybe we jumped the gun. Mimi: Ugh. Blegh. Just the thought of that kiss is making me queasy. Scumon: (calling across) That's okay! We'll wait 'til you come back! Mimi: Don't hold your breath! (akanbe)

The dub version doesn't hit quite the same intensity, but it still works. Losing the setup of Palmon being afraid to jump across costs it a bit, as we don't have that contrast for the "CLIMB ON LET'S GTFO" punchline. Palmon didn't want to make that jump, but she found her courage fast once this turned gross.

The biggest loss in the dub version is the callback to the Numemon earlier. Mimi has been on File Island for six days and been harassed twice now; She deserves to vent about it.

Meanwhile, Koushiro explores the ruin and discovers one of Devimon's Black Gears moving their shard. He speculates that he can make the shard stop moving if he can disable the Gear.

Koushiro: If I can stop this, I'm sure the island will stop moving. Tentomon: Even if that's the case, we aren't enough to stop this large thing. Let's leave it and go look for the others.

Continuing his efforts to convince Koushiro that finding their friends is more important, Tentomon tries to get clever with it. Playing on logistics to try and weasel Koushiro out of this ruin.

Dub Tentomon, on the other hand, sees no value in passive-aggression when aggressive-aggression is right there.

Izzy: You know what I think? If we keep this gear from turning, we'll completely jam that creep up! Tentomon: Or even better, we could not do that! Wouldn't that be fun? And then we can go look for the others like we should have done in the first place!

"Jam that creep up"? Izzy, what does that even mean?

Sadly for Tentomon, Koushiro next gets invested in the data code printed on the walls. It's the same characters as the code from the factory.

Koushiro: I inputted all that data I found then on my computer... If I could just find a power source.... Tentomon: You won't find something convenient like that here! Let's hurry up and go look for everyone.

Tentomon takes another swing. This too misses but at least he tried.

Meanwhile, his Dub Counterpart is at his wit's end.

Izzy: All that data is stored on my hard drive. If only there was a power source here.... Tentomon: Get a power source! Stop the Gear! Is "find our friends" on that list!?

Either way, no dice. Koushiro observes that the ruin has electric lighting, then follows that train of logic until he finds exactly what he needs.

(Sure, an electrical outlet sticking out of a tree root is weird, but at this point, Koushiro doesn't even question it. It's File Island. Shit's like that here.)

To Tentomon's supreme dismay, Koushiro is able to turn on his laptop. He sits down to start deciphering these symbols.

Fortunately, even if they can't go looking for their friends, their friends can come to them.

Mimi also tries to convince Koushiro that searching for the rest of their group is imperative, but he refuses. He thinks that making sense of this data will be the key to understanding File Island and its mysteries.

With nothing else to do, Mimi's left to sit with Tentomon and wait impatiently for him to finish his computer stuff. It's not clear how much time passes, but a transitory wipe tells us that this is some time later.

Mimi: How long are you going to keep doing this? Koushiro: ... Mimi: Will something good happen if you find out what that is? Koushiro: ... Tentomon: Koushiro-han, Mimi-han is talking to you. Mimi: Hey, do we get to go home if you find out what that is? Koushiro: ...well-- Ah! I see! This goes here.... (Mimi stands up impatiently) Tentomon: (panicking) Koushiro-han! Mimi: Are you listening!? When are you going to be done!? Koushiro: ... (Mimi begins to pop a vein from fury) Koushiro: Ah! This is.... (The data on his screen turns into a map of the labyrinth) The ruins are a maze! Mimi: KOUSHIRO, YOU IDIOT!!!

It's at this moment that Mimi breaks down and starts bawling. Full-on ugly crying. Palmon watches Mimi for a moment, then joins in and starts crying too.

In the dub, we have:

Mimi: Izzy, any idea how long this is going to take? I mean, can we go sometime before winter sets in!? Izzy! Tentomon: Izzy, your friend is asking you a question. Mimi: Yeah, and her rear end's getting cold sitting on this stone floor doing nothing! Izzy: Hmm? Oh! Wait... Wait! Yeah, yeah! That might work! (Mimi stands up impatiently) Tentomon: Uh-oh. Izzy! Mimi: Are you ignoring me, you computer geek pipsqueak!? Izzy: (muttering to himself) Okay, so if I make the variable constant and search for file patterns... (Mimi begins to pop a vein from fury) Izzy: HEY! Here's something! (The data on his screen turns into a map of the labyrinth) Prodigious! These ruins are a gigantic maze! Mimi: I'M LEAVING!!! RIGHT NOW!!!

Similar to Taichi and Yamato's fistfight from last episode, both Mimi and Koushiro are sympathetic here and yet we can see how their characteristics are hurting each other.

The start of this exchange flows better in Japanese; There are pauses inserted between Mimi's questions to give Koushiro space to ignore her. In English, she never stops talking so we don't get to see for ourselves that her words are falling on deaf ears.

Nonetheless, there's good bits in both versions. I like the Japanese "Do we get to go home if you find out what that is?" and the English "[My] rear end's getting cold sitting on this stone floor doing nothing!"

Both of these remarks do a good job of conveying Mimi's problem with Koushiro's behavior; Like Taichi and the other side of the ocean, we're in the most dire crisis situation we've been in yet, and he's more interested in satisfying his curiosity than in the wellbeing of his fellow survivors. He doesn't even know what he expects to find here; Just. Something. Anything. Whatever the wall has to offer, honestly; He's not picky.

In conclusion, Koushiro made my kid cry so he needs to die the death of a thousand knives I AM A FAIR AND IMPARTIAL--

At the same time, maybe this is the key to cracking that Black Gear. We'll never know until we find out, right? As easy as it is to sympathize with Tentomon and with Mimi, it's as easy to sympathize with Koushiro. He's trying to concentrate on deciphering a computer code that has already demonstrated its influence over reality in the past, and we're making that harder.

They may not get into a knock-down brawl, but Mimi and Koushiro hurt each other. They struggle to see each other's point of view until it hits a breaking point.

Well, this escalated. Tentomon puts in his best effort to try and calm things down.

Tentomon: P-please don't cry! (turning to Koushiro) Koushiro-han! Koushiro: Y-your crying is bothersome. Tentomon: Koushiro-han, do something! Koushiro: Do what? Mimi: I'm hungry! I'm thirsty! I want to see everyone again! I don't want to stay in here any longer! Palmon: Me neither! Why are you ignoring us, Koushiro? Koushiro: I'm not ignoring you. Palmon: Then why aren't you listening to us? Koushiro: What's important right now is analyzing this data. You might not understand now but ultimately this will be very useful to Mimi-san and-- Mimi: No more! I hate you, Koushiro-kun! Palmon: You're not doing this for Mimi! You just like working with machines more, don't you! Koushiro: No, that's not true. Palmon: It's true, it has to be!

In total meltdown mode, Mimi flees from the room, but the door she exits from leads deeper into the ruin rather than outside. Tentomon flies after her to try and calm her down, leaving Palmon with Koushiro.

The dub seems a little more sympathetic to all sides of this altercation. Well, except Palmon.

Tentomon: Oh, don't cry, Mimi! (Palmon starts crying) Oh no, not you too! (turns to Izzy) Izzy, do something! Izzy: Do what!? My laptop can't do everything! Tentomon: I don't know! Tell her you're sorry! Izzy: Sorry for what!? Mimi: I can't take it anymore! I haven't had anything to eat and my feet are killing me and a giant lemon custard tried to kiss me and all I want to do is get out of here! Palmon: We just want to leave; Is that so wrong!? Honestly, Izzy, how can you be so insensitive!? Izzy: Insensitive!? What do you mean!? Palmon: You ignore us while you poke away at your computer. Izzy: I'm not ignoring you! I'm doing something ultra-important like maybe saving this world! If I can just decipher these hieroglyphs then maybe we could-- Mimi: Just keep your stupid hieroglyphics! Palmon: You just like playing on your computer, that's all! Izzy: You think I'm just playing around here!? Palmon: I almost think you like computers more than people!

Mimi, Izzy, and Tentomon all walk away from this dub with something extra. For Mimi, they rope in the context of her Sukamon encounter earlier leaving her high-strung and stressed out, to make her blow-up feel more understandable.

Tentomon offers more helpful suggestions than "Do something!", specifically encouraging Izzy to apologize to Mimi.

For Izzy, they cut out the line where he expressly calls Mimi bothersome and have him heroically claim that this research is meant to save Digi-World. In the original, all he's said on the matter of his motives is that he wants to understand this world's mysteries.

Everyone comes off a little rosier for these changes except for Palmon; Her new dialogue is a lateral shift.

Fleeing blindly into the labyrinth, Mimi trips over a tree root and falls flat on her face. Tentomon flies in after her, trying to help. But she is inconsolable, screaming that she wants to go home and running deeper inside.

Outside the ruins, Palmon and Koushiro search for them. Realizing they aren't out here, the only alternative is deeper inside. That's a problem, given what Koushiro learned earlier: These ruins are a huge maze. If Mimi and Tentomon went deeper in, they might never come back out.

Mimi calms down offscreen, and she and Tentomon begin to find their way together. The sight of a familiar marking on the wall, however, reveals that they're going in circles.

Back out front, Palmon wants to go in after Mimi, but Koushiro talks her out of it. She'd get lost too.

Though it's a bit more dangerous in the original version.

Koushiro: It looks like there are many traps set up inside this maze. Unless I finish this data analysis, we'll both get lost with them.

Whereas in the dub, he has this to say:

Izzy: We won't [leave them] but this is one super-complicated maze. I've gotta try to get a handle on it! Then maybe I can help get them out.

No mention of the traps; Only that it's complicated.

I like that the original expressly mentions finishing his data analysis, as that directly connects back to what he was saying about this research helping Mimi-san. The story's conspired to put Palmon in a situation where the way to save Mimi is by letting Koushiro complete his work.

Meanwhile, in the maze, a rock falls on Mimi's head because today doesn't suck enough yet.

This provokes her to vent about Koushiro.

Mimi: Owww.... Tentomon: Are you okay, Mimi-han? Mimi: That, and all of this, is Koushiro-kun's fault! Really! The way he ignores people makes me so mad! Tentomon: Well, it's true that Koushiro-han lacks charm, but he's not a bad boy! Mimi: But it's true that in his eyes, I'm not a consideration! Tentomon: When he gets caught up in something, he just doesn't notice anything else! I think he's a really good guy.

Tentomon, I don't think roundabout agreeing with her is the way to convince her that Koushiro's better than she thinks.

The dub keeps the falling rock but uses the vagueness of where it landed on her hat to spare her the impact.

Mimi: Great! Tentomon: Oh, dear! Are you hurt? Mimi: No, I'm fine. I'm getting used to it by now! (angrily muttering) If I'd just gone to cheerleading camp, none of this would have happened! Tentomon: Let's try a systematic approach to this. Maybe if we just keep turning to the left.... Mimi: Why should I listen to you? It's your friend Izzy that got me into this mess in the first place! Tentomon: Wait, don't be too hard on him! Yes, he gets a little wrapped up on his work and doesn't always interact well with others but he's a good boy!

...cheerleading camp for fourth-graders? Is that a thing? I'm not going to google that.

Tentomon's flailing to find a way to defend Koushiro in both versions. His arguments boil down to, "Yes, Koushiro sucks in the ways you describe, but I like him anyway!" I'm glad Koushiro isn't here to hear himself defended this poorly. XD

It's hard for Tentomon because he isn't equipped to win this argument. He agrees with Mimi, so what defenses can be made of Koushiro's choices aren't arguments Tentomon can make. He was saying the same things to Koushiro before Mimi arrived. But he wants to defend Koushiro anyway because that's his Partner. They have an emotional bond.

Speaking of which....

Koushiro finishes his analysis, activating new functionality on his map. Now he has a glowing dot revealing Mimi's precise location within the labyrinth, which he can click on to hear her and Tentomon.

Reasoning that an audio channel should work both ways, he takes out a headset and plugs it in. Calling out to Mimi, Koushiro offers to guide her through the maze. Palmon backs him up, assuring Mimi that he can handle this. Mimi accepts Koushiro's guidance.

As Koushiro guides her through, suddenly a yellow blinking dot appears, slowly approaching Mimi's red dot. Uncertain of what that could be, Koushiro tells Mimi to run.

It takes no time at all for the yellow dot to reveal himself to Mimi.

Kentarumon, an Adult-stage Data-type Digimon. His name is derived from the word "centaur", obviously. The narrator gives us his rundown.

Narrator: Kentarumon. A proud Digimon who is half-man, half-beast. With high pressure air spurting from his back, he can move at the speed of sound.

Kentarumon himself is another voiceless Digimon given dialogue in the dub, which also pronounces his name with a soft C sound instead of a hard K.

Centarumon: Tentomon? It's been such a long time! Tentomon: Oh no! Centarumon! Half-man, half-horse! You really don't want to get on either of his bad sides!

This dub exchange implies a bit of a history; Centarumon recognizes Tentomon on sight, but Tentomon reacts to Centarumon with fear and trepidation before even knowing about his Black Gear.

Fleeing from Kentarumon, Koushiro directs them into a dead end. They don't understand, but when they try to ask him about it, he's gone. We cut back to his laptop and mic lying on the ground, abandoned by Koushiro and Palmon.

Kentarumon approaches, converting his arm into a cyberpunk pulse cannon. He can't call it because he doesn't speak, but this is his signature move: Hunting Cannon.

(Seems like overkill for hunting but, then again, I've seen the wildlife on this island so maybe not.)

Kentarumon misses his first shot, breaking open a chunk of the wall and letting light spill in. Mimi desperately asks Tentomon to evolve, but he can't; Not without Koushiro.

Fortunately, he won't be without Koushiro for long. Leaving the computer behind and taking action, Koushiro and Palmon break down the weak outer wall in the room he sent Mimi too.

And now it's a fight. Palmon evolves into Togemon to protect Mimi from Kentarumon. Tentomon also evolves, but this decision is... questionable.

Room ain't big enough for Kabuterimon. His size increase also ends up pushing Togemon over, nearly killing Koushiro.

Bad choices were made. Fortunately, Kentarumon fixes it by blasting everyone through the wall and sending them outside. Once they're free to move, this fight is over in an instant.

A combination Chiku Chiku Bang-Bang and Mega Blaster hit Kentarumon hard enough to destroy his Black Gear. Easy as pie.

As with most corrupted Digimon, the act of being corrupted messed with Kentarumon's linguistics in the original. Once he wakes up, he's able to speak. He recognizes the Digivice on Mimi's bag and brings the kids back inside the ruins, officially introducing us to the device the kids have had on them for so long.

Kentarumon explains the Digivices to Koushiro and Mimi, though he doesn't have much information to offer beyond vague gesturing at goodness.

It's a holy device that "guides the world towards light while driving out the darkness". We've seen that in action a few times by this point, but it's good to have it finally put into words. These ruins are dedicated to the Digivice, with Kentarumon as their guardian.

He doesn't have time to say any more, because they have a visitor.

Kentarumon demands an explanation for the weird shit Leomon's saying. But Leomon goes straight to work, lunging for the kids and firing off his Juuouken. Kentarumon blocks his shot, refusing to let Leomon attack these children.

Kentarumon: These children hold the holy devices. After protecting these ruins for so long, it is now my duty to also protect these children!

Leomon breaks free from Kentarumon and fires off his Juuouken, but Kentarumon darts away from the shot and returns fire with Hunting Cannon. This exchange lets the dub officially name both of these attacks: Fist of the Beast King and Solar Ray.

Leomon tanks Kentarumon's Hunting Cannon, then returns fire with a point-blank Juuouken to the face. His shot puts Kentarumon down for the count.

Well, that's settled. Nothing left to do but kill the children.

Leomon advances on the kids. Mimi shrieks, raising her purse to hide behind. In the process, activating her Digivice attached to the purse strap and shining its purifying light on Leomon.

Seeing Leomon falter, Koushiro understands. He grabs his Digivice and encourages Mimi, and together they drive Leomon away.

"Bad kitty! Out! Go on, out!" ~Dub Mimi, in what may be the best line of the episode.

Leomon retreats, allowing the kids to regroup with Kentarumon.

Mimi: Did he run away? I guess we're saved. Koushiro: Is this the power of the holy device? Mimi: Who cares about that? I'm hungry.

Koushiro's awed by the power of the Digivice, but Mimi's still as hangry as she was when she entered the labyrinth.

Dub Mimi's more excited about all this.

Mimi: Well, that got rid of him! These things really are kind of amazing! Izzy: A preserver of light against the darkness.... Mimi: Can you order a pizza with it? I'm still starving.

How mad do you think these kids would be if it turned out their Digivices could summon pizza this entire time? I'd be furious.

With Leomon driven off, the kids turn their attention to the Black Gear out front.

Koushiro asks Kentarumon to stop the Black Gear, but he refuses. The evil power inside the Gear is too much for him. This leaves Koushiro with no choice but to return to his computer.

Mimi: Even after I said I was hungry, he's still doing this. Koushiro: As I thought, I'll have to analyze this data with the data from these other characters. I'm sure I'll find a hint in here. Mimi: Bah! We'll be waiting 10 billion and 10 thousand years for that to be deciphered! Koushiro: But-- Mimi: (storms over to the Gear) This Gear can't even fill my stomach!

We are right back where we started. Koushiro dives back into his computer, setting off Mimi again.

The irony is not lost on Dub Mimi.

Mimi: Are you still going on about that? We need to start looking for something to eat! Izzy: Guess I'll just have to keep deciphering and analyzing these two sets of hieroglyphs. I'm sure all the answers are in here somewhere. Mimi: Excuse me!? Isn't this where I came in!? You're not seriously starting all that again, not right now! Izzy: Just a nano! Mimi: (storms over to the Gear) This Black Gear! Who cares about that dumb old thing!? All I want is lunch!

Mimi's furious punt wins the day. While Koushiro had been approaching this analytically, Mimi lashing out and taking direct action does the trick. The Black Gear kicks into reverse, sending the shard back towards Infinity Mountain.

Mimi and Koushiro go outside to see the effects for themselves. There, the practical evidence convinces Koushiro of the wisdom in what the others have been expressing to him.

Koushiro: The island is moving backwards! I see! Just like you said, Mimi-san, there are many things I should try out physically! Mimi: I'M HUNGRY!!!

I wonder how different this episode would be if that banana bunch had actually contained any bananas in it.

I don't know if they did it on purpose or not but the dub's version of this sounds a little condescending.

Izzy: Look! The process has reversed itself. Excellent work, Mimi; It just goes to show you that sometimes the simplest solution is actually the best. Mimi: That's not much of a compliment.

It's not much of a concession either. Koushiro's vindication from their argument came when his data was useful in rescuing Mimi from the labyrinth. This moment is supposed to be Mimi's vindication, with Koushiro acknowledging the merit in getting up and doing things rather than simply analyzing.

But the way Izzy says it doesn't make it sound like he learned anything from this, but rather that he's simply acknowledging Mimi for a task completed. He's imparting the lesson on a non-specific "you" rather than claiming ownership of it.

With the two island shards now drifting apart, with close on one last attempt by Scumon, who's been waiting this whole time for Mimi to return. He calls out to her, asking one last time for a romantic date, and we clone on Mimi shooting him another akanbe.

Assessment: Like the previous episode did for Taichi's boldness and Yamato's selflessness, this episode shines a light on the darkness buried in Koushiro's curiosity and Mimi's sincerity. The two characters have diametrically opposed ways of experiencing and engaging with the world around them, and so their collision hurts them both.

But we also see those characteristics shine through in the end, as the episode builds them both up to a triumphant vindication. Ending on the implicit statement that neither Mimi nor Koushiro is wrong for how they are, but rather that they could stand to learn a few things from one another.

Mimi could stand to be more thoughtful in the choices that she makes, and Koushiro could stand to jump off a cliff because he made my kid cry be more active in his approach to problem-solving. The data he uncovered was vital in saving Mimi's life from the labyrinth but also the Black Gear he'd been contemplating was trivially easy to reverse as soon as anyone bothered to try.

For the dub, this is one of the stronger localizations. A lot of their jokes landed. While their take on these scenes was weaker in some places, they added a lot to others. It's not perfect; As with Tai last episode, they sand off some of Izzy and Mimi's rough edges. But I think it's the best dub we've gotten thus far.

[pumpkinsy0]

HAITIAN SHEPARDS HISTORY WOOOOO

TLDR: the shepards are immigrants from haiti who escaped from this dictatorship and found themselves in tulsa, tim made himself to be this intimidating guy because he wanted to protect his family, especially angela and curly, and that's also kinda how the shepard gang came to be

ALRIGHT SO QUICK CONTEXT, In the late 1950s, haiti was already facing political instability and economic challenges, so in the 1960s in haiti, this guy named papa doc came into power. He was ur average politician, when trying to get into office, he would cater to the needs of poor people and other marginalized groups, promising to address to their needs. Skipping past some electoral fraud, papa doc won through bribery, intimidation, and all around manipulation. When he was in power, he quickly made sure to try and keep that power and grow it, even creating this paramilitary force called the tonton macoutes. Anyone who opposed him were crushed,LITERALLY ANYONE who went against him were mostly jailed, tortured, or even killed, civilians, other haitian politicians, activist, ANYONE. And as you would guess, he would also censor the media, and made sure people were only glorifying his rule, and papa doc would essentially steal resources for himself, and ignore the needs of the haitian people.

NOW THE SHEPARDS IN HAITI, i would imagine that they of course had to flee, in fear for their lives however, of course it wasn't easy to do. Bc of papa doc, there were restrictions on immigration. Papa doc viewed immigration a threat to his power and would heavily surveil ppl who he saw as his enemies (aka people who went against what he wanted them to say). NOW i hc the shepards mother to have been this activist or AT LEAST someone who spoke out against what he was doing. Before she say him as this hope, but she quickly realized what was happening, tried to speak out against him, and got on his bad side, and was now not only heavily censored, but also bc now she wants to leave haiti, she's also being watched by papa doc's people. To make it clear, (NOT DOING MY MATH JUST GOING ON MY HEAD), tim is like AROUND a tween and angela and curly are like idk 9 or something, curly and angela dont really understand what's going on because their mom is changing, she's less outspoken and more depressed, but tim understands because he's been reading what his moms been saying and listening into her conversations with other activist. But back to what I was saying, their mother wants to leave haiti but papa doc's people is harassing not only her but her family, trying to stop them from leaving the country and spreading what's happening. At some point, their mom pulled tim aside and told him to protect angela and curly and that's just always been engraved in his mind. Now skipping over some other things that would really just deter me from what I want to do in this post, immigrating to the US was HARD, because of papa doc, but also bc the us is just SHITTY. It was literally just hard for haitians who wanted to move to get the legal documents the legal documents they needed to get to emigrate legally and even if they did, it would always jut be a very lengthy and complex journey, with NO guarantee of success

now up to this point, you can either see the shepards as legal immigrants or illegal immigrants, however because they get into a LOT of legal problems, im gonna say that they are legal immigrants cause they def would've been deported or somethin

NOW WHEN THEY GET TO THE US, haitians MOSTLy moved to states like florida or new york, and some other states I can't name off the top of my head rn, but I think they did have someone in the US who was willing to help them and that's how they got there, if i didn't just imagine this shit, the shepards canonically have a step father, and so I feel like that's how they got to america, maybe their mother married him for a green card or whatever, Im not fully fleshing this idea out, maybe ill do it later, but y'all get what i mean, someone helped the shepard immigrate out of haiti, and either their mom, their bio dad, or their step father got the job, and so they found themselves in tulsa

obviously theyre facing racial discrimination, its the 1960s in america, its like dead middle of the civil rights movement, noirisme in haiti is still popping off and goin strong, so while the shepards are in a VERY racist time, they themselves, dont feel down or bash themselves for being black, they are VERY MUCH comfortable being who they are and wouldn't change that, and because people stereotype that in black people as being "rude" and "aggressive" sometimes, that's exactly what happened to the shepards, ESPECIALLY because theyre dark skinned I wanna make that be known right now

Going deeper into how this impacted tim, curly, and angela now!!!

So obviously, they have thick haitian accents, how they pronounce their r's isn't really pronounced, they speak kinda slow bc they have to translate what theyre saying, and they get laughed at for that, and that's where tim like, wanted to prove himself and wanted to protect his family. Even before moving to the us, tim HAD to step up and take care of angela and curly because his mom was really caught up in other things, so when their in a COMPLETLEY NEW ENVIORMENT??? that ramped tf UP, tim tolerated absolutely no disrespect from ANYONE about his family, and like I said, because of those stereotypes about black people, ESPECIALLY dark skinned black people, he was basically villanized, ADDING ONTO THE FACT NOBPDY REALLY UNDERSTOOD HIM BECAUSE HES A HAITIAN IMMIGRANT AND COULDNT EXACTLY COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE THE WAY HE WANTED TO?????? yea he was villanized BAD, and this would happen with curly and angela too, dont think it didn't, and that's how the shepards started building this idea of being 'intimidating' and people you 'shouldnt mess with', they knew the area they were in was really dangerous, and so they used this system that was already against them to protect themselves and their family, but also because they can be really intimidating people and WILL beat a bitch up

And long story short since this post is ALREADY long as shit, but that's also how the shepard gang came to be!!! as they got more and more used to being in america, they made friends with the people they could trust and started out as this group of friends like the curtis gang, but then they saw how important it was to have a gang in these times, especially when it came to greasers vs socs, and became this scary gang

ANYWAYS YAP SESH OVER, i didn't really spell check or flesh out some ideas or anything like that cause im running off of my asthma medication rn and im very shakey but omggg if y'all have any questions about this do tell me this is very fun for me to do

[voidchildstar]

Yeah,it's gotten bad. So,it turns out ahhh,we are supporting the wrong side. We can hate rashtas actions but not her reasons because whoo boy,it's a lot. Navier becames unlikeable in season 2 and 3. Heinry,is a piece of crud,ergi is a toxic manipulative piece of crap,Kaufman is creepy same with sovieshu who is a whole ass idiotic and an idiot. It turns out : Heinly killing Duke Zimensia by torturing the man himself, without giving the duke any trial. Later massacred the whole dukedom including innocent people. And as usual he didn't face any consequences for it.

Lotteshu iterally lied to make Rashta look guilty. Besides I've better things to do, like what to do with this promissory note? In the past, Rashta gave it to Baron Lante to use it under her name. That backfired during her trial. It was such an unnecessary move from the charity board. The author had to make sure Rashta got slam dunked by every angle. Navier couldn't come forward with the allegation because of Kosair's attempted poisoning to Rashta's child and she covered for her baby killer brother. So author found a way to make Rashta's crime come to light through the director of the charity board. It's all fine and dandy when people who support MC, attempt to murder unborn children but it's bad when Rashta gave the money to charity under her name. She needed to be publicly shamed for it too, where kosair's sin never came to light. No wonder he got along well with the psycho named Heinley. Birds of same feathers flock together.

Also,if you're very supported Alan,please don't because Alan is disgusting and a slaver like his father. It turns out he's the one who literally entrapped rashta in this so called student x teacher marriage and the fact he was sympathize by a lot of those toxic happy readers because he's a good man. He is not a good man,he is a disgusting grapist. Turns out having sexual intercourse with a slave is basically grape(r*PE censored word). Also,if you wanna say rahsta is in the wrong,yeah she is but she's basically done those to survive. Not to mention,it's clearly normal for royal people to take in concubines,what sovieshu did wrong is always treating rashta like a child because he can't handle communication. Not to self,rashta is literally younger so take that as a word. Also,please note the claims she abandoned her child are wrong,she didn't know her son was still alive and she gave birth to him when she was very very young. Too young like maybe 13 or 18 at the time.

Wanna know the whole story,read this fic because it entails a lot of what's wrong with remarried empress:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47891629/chapters/121109887#workskin

OH

MY

GODDDD

Did they get a new writer or something cause AIN'T NO WAY- There's literally so much to unpack here i can't even- not Navier becoming unlikable- I literally hate those types of mcs- and I guess Rashta is a victim now??? Crazy-

Thanks for the warning- if I ever start reading it again (which I probably won't tbh) I'll do a rant post about it