#she wants us to be able to work tomorrow but she knows we probably won't be able to
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Got a winter storm arriving here tomorrow morning lasting into the night and my job is already trying to threaten us to come in to work no matter what lmaoooo. My administrator was like "not coming to work tomorrow is NOT an option" bitch wanna bet!!!
#the roads to my home are all winding with hill and totally untreated before all this sleet freezing rain and snow#I'm not risking my life for this shitty job especially since it's just one day#thankfully my supervisor is more understanding than the administrator#she wants us to be able to work tomorrow but she knows we probably won't be able to#administrator put something feom corporate on my workspace basically saying we could be fired for not coming in due to inclement weather#I simply do not care I'll go get a better job if that happens
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Did I Forget to Mention?
Klaus Mikaelson x Reader
Masterlist - Join My Taglist!
Written for Fictober 2024!
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries/The Originals
Day Twelve Prompt: "Did you hear that?"
Summary: Nik's SO *might* have forgotten to tell their Mystic Falls friends about their relationship with a certain hybrid. But it's not going to stay secret for much longer.
Word Count: 2,381
Category: Fluff, little bit of Angst
Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.
"Okay, I'm calling it! Semesters suck, I'd give anything to be on a quarter system if it meant not having homework on spring break."
My friends laughed, even as I groaned and collapsed back into the couch. I got one week to take a break from school, and a small window to reunite with my friends back in Mystic Falls who'd all gone to Whitmore. We were supposed to spend the whole week having fun starting tomorrow morning, but they'd surprised me by showing up at my house tonight to get the party started early. Unfortunately, a few of my classes had given me homework, and I couldn't give in to spring break until I took care of it.
"I have a feeling you're gonna be singing a different tune in May when you're out of class and we've all still got another month left," said Bonnie with a smile.
"You're just lucky we want to enjoy the break with you," Elena added. "Otherwise we'd be getting payback for you showing up to campus during finals week to 'relax and tan'."
"Hey! I also showed up as moral support, thank you very much!"
"How was that morally supportive?" asked Caroline.
"I brought you coffees! And I was exemplifying the light at the end of the tunnel for you guys, when you finished your tests and could join me in summer fun!"
"Oh! Okay, of course," said Caroline in a tone that I knew should make me concerned. "I forgot, you're right. We'll go make some drinks and leave you to finish this, maybe play some music, so we can model that spring break fun, light at the end of the tunnel for you."
"No," I whined, flopping back onto the couch again. "Point taken, and I'm sorry. Just please don't leave me to this homework alone."
"We won't," Elena reassured me, reaching out to rest her hand on my arm. "But... the three of us might make drinks anyway."
I groaned, grabbing a pillow and burying my face in it. Finally, I sighed, sitting upright again.
"Fine. You know where all the stuff is. Just... try not to get so buzzed you tell me to edit a bunch of ridiculous stuff into my paper, okay?"
"No promises!" chirped Caroline as my three friends all stood. I sighed, but before they could get any further out of the room, a loud thud came from the direction of the kitchen.
All three of us froze in our tracks. We'd spent way too much time dealing with supernatural headaches not to go on high alert after something like that.
"Did you hear that?" hissed Caroline. We all nodded, so I gestured for the four of us to head towards the kichen and check it out.
If it was a vampire, it had to be one who'd already been invited in. If it was a different kind of supernatural creature, between the four of us, we should probably be able to handle it. Still, it never hurt to be cautious. Surprises happened all the time, and they could be deadly.
We took up positions just outside the kitchen, then Caroline counted us down with her fingers. When she dropped the last one, all four of us whirled around the corner, ready for action.
I stopped dead at the sight of Klaus Mikaelson hovering by my kitchen island, my heart dropping in my chest. Caroline and Elena both looked ready for a fight, but Bonnie beat them both to it. She raised her hand, and Nik dropped to the ground, holding his head.
"Stop!" I cried, rushing forward and yanking Bonnie's hand down. She stared at me, shocked, outraged, and confused, but to my relief I saw Nik stand up out of the corner of my eye.
Silence settled over the kitchen. Every single person was looking at me, my friends all with incredulous looks and scowls, Nik with a faint smile. For my part, I actually found myself wishing I could go back to my classwork. Just as long as I could be anywhere but here.
Unfortunately, I didn't get my wish. Nik took a deep breath in, and I knew if I didn't speak quickly, he'd take over the explanations for me. As bad as this situation was, I knew that would only make it worse.
I'd been invovled in the Mikaelson drama with the rest of my friends while they'd been living in Mystic Falls, but once they left, I hadn't really given them much more thought.
That is, until I ended up going to college in New Orleans. Klaus and I had run into each other at an art exhibit, and it functioned as a kind of neutral territory. We were both pretty opinionated, and we'd ended up spending the most of the day together, first talking about the exhibit but quickly moving on to other topics, too. We'd had a strange kind of reconnection, although we hadn't really been connected in the first place, and within a few weeks he'd asked me on a date and I'd said yes. We'd been dating since that freshman fall, and recently, I'd caught myself thinking the word love more than once. But I'd been serioiusly, seriously putting off telling my friends back home.
I'd managed to dodge telling them for two whole school breaks now. But apparently, with spring break, my luck was finally running out.
"Alright," I started, holding up my hands before Nik could jump in. "So... Nik and I have been... together... for a while now. We ran into each other again in New Orleans and just kind of hit it off. I didn't want to tell you guys becuase, well... I didn't think you'd take it well."
No one said anything for a moment, like my words were on a slight time delay. Then, all three of my friends started shouting at once.
"Are you kidding me?"
"What were you thinking?"
"Out of every single person in New Orleans, in the world, why the hell did you pick him?"
Nik stepped up beside me as all three of my friends had their reactions. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. It was a justified reaction, especially after how seriously they'd been blindsided. Nik didn't seem the least bit phased as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
"I'm sorry, love," he muttered into my ear. "I didn't realize your little friends were over."
I just sighed. "It's not your fault, Nik. I should've told them a long time ago. Don't worry, they'll be fine."
As one, our attention returned to my friends, who were now glaring at the two of us. I grimaced, but Nik seemed to enjoy the negative attention. He grinned and pulled me in closer to his side.
Bonnie looked on the verge of using magic again, and Caroline seemed about two seconds away from charging Nik to start a fist fight, so I gave his shoulder a squeeze and gently stepped away from him.
"Guys... I'm sorry. I should've told you a long time ago, and I shouldn't have put you in a situation to find out like this."
"Or, how about you shouldn't be dating the guy who tried to kill us all in the first place!" Caroline shouted, unable to contain herself anymore. I grimaced, but didn't step any further away from Nik.
"That's... a fair reaction. But seriously, I'm happy. Happier than I've ever been. And it's not like he's trying to kill any of us anymore-"
"At least not right now," chorused Nik and Bonnie in sync, with two very different tones to their words. Bonnie fixed him with a fierce glare, and I winced.
"Okay, maybe we should all sit down and talk," I said. "Or the four of us can talk, and I can ask Nik to come back later-"
"No way," said Caroline, raising her hands and taking a few steps back as she shook her head. "If he's staying, I'm not."
"Caroline-"
"I need a walk."
With that, she turned and vamp sped out of the house. With a look at me, Elena followed her. Bonnie started drifting in that direction, too, but she paused first, with a scowl at Nik before giving me a slightly less hostile look.
"I'm glad you're happy. Really, I am. But you might want to consider the cost that happiness is coming with."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. I sighed the minute she was out of sight, slouching against the corner and sighing. That could've gone much, much better.
"They took that better than expected," mused Nik from beside me. I groaned, and I heard him huff a laugh.
When I straightened up and met his eyes, however, I noticed the slightly guarded expression behind his eyes. It had taken a lot of work to get good at reading Nik, and I still couldn't do it with 100% accuracy. But even so, I knew he wasn't nearly as calm and unaffected as he looked right now.
I sighed. My friends weren't the only people I needed to have a serious conversation with.
"Nik..." I started, taking his hand and settling into one of the stools at the kitchen counter. I pulled him onto the one next to mine, scooting closer until our knees were pressed together and I could keep him close for this conversation. "I'm sorry. I should've told them a long, long time ago. And I want you to know... I didn't tell them because I didn't want to deal with the reaction I knew they'd have. Not because of anything to do with you."
Nik's eyes flickered, scanning my face. I gave his hand a squeeze, but I could tell we weren't out of the woods yet.
"Isn't their reaction everything to do with me?" he asked, his voice low and serious. I recognized the edged glint in his eye as something that usually spelled trouble. I sighed.
"Their reaction is because they don't like you, yes. But my decision not to tell them had nothing to do with you. I would've been just as hesitant to tell them I was dating a guy they didn't like in our class at Mystic Falls. But with you... I should've told them earlier."
"And why's that? You wish they hadn't found me in your kitchen? Wish you could've told them while I was a few states away, so no one would have to face the reality of the two of us being together?"
"No, Nik. I mean, yes, I wish they'd found out differently than this. But I should've told them earlier because... because I have serious feelings for you. And they're serious enough that I don't want to hide them or you. Ever."
Nik raised his eyebrows, the corner of his mouth lifting up in the faintest hint of a smile. I smiled too, recognizing the shift in his mood.
"And what, exactly, might these 'serious feelings' be?"
His tone was mostly teasing, but I decided to take it seriously. I took his other hand, then pulled both into my lap, holding them tight. I met his eyes, making sure he understood just how much I meant my words.
"I love you, Nik. I've been feeling that way for a while now. I'm honestly happier than I've ever been, and you're a big part of that. I love my friends, and I know they'll come around eventually, but until they do? That's their problem. You mean the world to me, and... I mean, yeah, like I said. I love you."
A smile had been growing on Nik's face, and by the time I finished, it was a full-on grin that I only got to see from him every once in a while. He pulled me closer, off of my stool until I stood between his legs, chest to chest with him.
"You love me, do you?"
"Yeah." I nodded, my heart beating out of my chest in my rib cage. I felt pretty confident that Nik returned my feelings, but that didn't take away any of the nerves. "Can't you tell? You're supposed to be able to hear heart rates, aren't you?"
Nik chuckled, pulling me even closer to him for a kiss. I melted against him, happy to feel him smiling against my mouth as his arms wound around my waist. After a few breathless moments, Nik pulled back just enough to speak.
"I love you too," he said, his voice low and his breath fanning against my lips. "Don't worry for a moment that I don't. I would do anything for you. And it's a bit ridiculous how much I mean that."
I smiled, closing the distance between us again as I kissed him.
"I'm glad you came to visit me," I whispered when we paused just long enough to take a breath. "I'm glad my friends know. I'm glad you're here with me. I'm glad you know I love you."
"I agree with all of the above," Nik said with a smirk. "And I'm glad your friends are gone, and that we have the house to ourselves."
Nik leaned forward to deepen the kiss, but I leaned back. I put one hand on his chest and grimaced. He raised an eyebrow.
"Is there a problem, love?"
"...I may or may not have a paper to finish. Tonight."
"Are you sure it has to be done tonight?" asked Nik, his voice low and silky smooth as he ran a hand over my hip. I just sighed.
"Yeah, babe, I'm sure. But... if you can help me get it done, then I'm all yours for the rest of the night."
Nik pulled back quickly, looking at me with one eyebrow raised and an eager expression on his face. I put a hand to my mouth to stifle a smile at his 180 degree mood shift.
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get that paper finished, love. I've got quite a few ideas for tonight."
I just laughed as I followed Nik into the living room. I had a feeling we were in for a rough ride the rest of this spring break dealing with my friends. But I really did love Nik. I was happy with him, and if we could find a way to stay together in our own little bubble of bliss despite the crazy supernatural shenanigans in New Orleans, I knew we'd be able to figure it out in Mystic Falls, too.
****************
Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen
TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21
#fictober24#the vampire diaries#klaus mikaelson#klaus mikaelson x reader#the originals#the vampire diaries x reader#the vampire diaries fanfiction#the vampire diaries oneshot#the vampire diaries imagine#the originals fanfiction#the originals x reader#the originals oneshot#the originals imagine#klaus mikaelson fanfiction#klaus mikaelson oneshot#klaus mikaelson imagine#bonnie bennett#caroline forbes#elena gilbert#mystic falls
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We're a couple of idiots, aren't we? (Charles Leclerc)
You had always been there to see Charles race and you wouldn't let your fight interfere with that
Note: english is not my first language. I'm not the best at writing angst pieces, but I hope this one is decent enough!
Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!
my masterlist
Tw: family issues (alludes to the caregiver necessities), couple fight
Tag list: @myloverjk-blog
It all began when you came home later than expected, the tiredness evident in your eyes as you paced your bag down on the sofa and allowed yourself to rest for a little, "Hey, amour", Charles whispered, testing to see if you were awake as he walked inside the living room, "hey", you said, patting the seat next to you.
Kissing your forehead, Charles sat next to you, "how was your day?", he asked, rubbing your thigh, "exhausting", you sighed, "and the next few are going to be even worse. I probably won't be home for dinner tomorrow anyway".
Charles felt uneasy, squirming around in his seat. You had been working a lot, your family also needed you on their side since your grandparents needed more assistance these days, so you and Charles haven't been able to spend that much time together. And wether it was the fact that you're used to being around eachother or the fact that the season was not going as expected, Charles felt like he hadn't spent enough time with the person he considered his safe and happy place.
"You have been very busy, I feel like I've hardly spent time with you", Charles noted, and maybe it was a seemingly honest comment that wasn't intended to be taken as harmful as you did.
"I know I've not been home, Charles, you think I don't feel that too? I know we haven't spent much time together just the two of us, but it's not been easy! Everyone needs me here, there and everywhere at the same time, and I also need time for me!", you let out.
Unexpectedly, your words also impacted Charles in a way you didn't think they would, "I know you've been busy, but we also need to spend time together, no? Or is our relationship not something we should invest time on? In a relationship, we both need eachother", he gulped. A weird and new feeling sat in his chest, like he was pressuring you and that he was burdening you.
"We do, but we also need to let eachother have some time, too!", you said, feeling anger, sadness, and overall tiredness from your recent days, "I'm going to bed", you mumbled, getting up and heading for your shared bedroom.
The energy you had left in your body was only enough to allow you to wash your face, noticing the dull and dark tone as you quickly rubbed some moisturiser on, grabbing your pyjamas to out them on and lay in bed, taking a painkiller for the growing headache.
When Charles finally go to the bedroom, he noticed you were already asleep on your side of the bed, carefully walking along the side so he could kiss your forehead before he too got ready for bed.
.
By the time the next morning arrived, Charles had ready left, and when you grabbed your phone, notifications from various WhatsApp groups popped up.
Mum + Dad
Can you go by grandma's house today? She was complaining of some pain and we can't remember if her meds box is sorted out or not.
Ferrari GP Weekend
Okay, just to make sure I'm not leaving anyone out: Y/N, you're not coming this weekend, right?
Since your family had been needing you to spend more time with them and at home, you had already said that you weren't sure you'd be joining them for that Grand Prix, and last night's fight settled the subject.
Texting both of the groups, you got up and got ready for the day, already knowing it was going to be a tough one.
You and Charles didn't fight a lot, at least not like this. Usually, you always found a way to talk about things and sort them out. So even this was new territory, not having talked about the subject and finding a common ground, because the situation you both left it at the night before was not the one to have.
Throughout the day, you hopefully texted Charles saying that you'd try to be home so you could talk to eachother before he left later on the evening, and while you intended to keep it, you had to text him again
To Charles
I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be home until nighttime. My grandma needs me and it's going to take a while.
Have a safe flight. Can you text me when you land, please? Love you ✨️
True to your word, you sat in your bedroom with the moon already shinning through the windows and showcasing perfectly Charles' bedside table with none of his rings, watch and bracelets where he usually put them when he was at the house.
.
"Why did I arrive to the paddock today only to find out that you are not joining me this weekend?", Francisca said over the phone, apparently not even bothering to wish you a good morning, even though it clearly wasn't one.
"Because I've been the busiest bee ever under the sun, and I also had a fight with Charles, and I need to sleep for three days straight to recover", you replied back, noticing the change in Pierre's girlfriend's tone.
"Oh", she added, "I'm sorry, it's just that you're always here and I haven't been able to talk to him properly yet, maybe it's a good thing I haven't yet", she admitted.
One thing you liked about her, was how honest she was with you, and you needed it right now, "do you think I should go? We left the subject hanging and it's not something light we can just solve over the phone. And besides, I've always been there for these races, and he deserves as much support as he can get", you asked, chewing on your bottom lip as you waited for her answer.
"I have no idea why you fought, nor do I want to know unless you feel comfortable in telling me, but I do know that you're made for eachother, so if your heart tells you to come to the race, you should", she advised and you could hear the smile on her voice, "besides, I love your company, so it's a win win".
.
From all the times you had previously travelled with Charles, you had become acquainted and a pro a listing what you needed for the race weekends, so packing was easy and quick: two changes of clothes for both colder and warmer weather, basic toiletries bag in a backpack with entertainment and snacks for the flight.
The early hours allowed you to get to the airport without any traffic and make it to the gate with enough time to spare so you could grab a coffee to go.
Francisca knew you were coming, and after having a conversation with your family, you explained to them how the whole situation was putting pressure not only on you but also on your relationship with Charles. As you expected, they were not aware of how the situation was on your side and sat down with you so you could find a better arrangement.
Arriving at the airport of destination, you quickly found the transport line that would be taking you to the closest stop near the paddock, gradually seeing fans get inside as the stops approached the track site.
You followed them in, wanting to go as unnoticed as possible as you walked along them.
"I just saw on Instagram that Charles had left his hotel a while ago, so he should be here any minute now", a young woman around your age commented with her friends, stopping by the benches you were sitting in. Turns out you were waiting for the same person after all.
"Is it okay if we sit here?", one of them asked kindly, "Oh, you're Y/N", one of the girls said.
Nodding, you pushed your backpack to rest near your legs, "of course you can sit", you smiled, still not used to the fact that fans often recognised your face.
"Thanks!", she scurried nervously, urging her friends to sit, seeing their surprised faces as they looked at you, "Also, I'm sorry, I'm sure this is weird for you, that I know your name and you don't know mine, I- we didn't expect to find you here", she apoligised, finally sitting down.
"It's okay, unless you're going to turn out to be come crazy stalker fan, I think we will be fine", you smiled, hoping they would catch the joke and relax a little.
"No no no!", they all said, smiling when you smiled back, "but, may I ask what you're doing here? I mean, don't you have an all access pass?", one of them wondered as she sat next to you.
"I'm surprising Charles, actually", you added, feeling like saying anything else would not only be violating yours and Charles' privacy, but also allowing the creation of rumours you wouldn't want, "I wasn't originally coming to see him race, but some things cleared up on my calendar so I thought I'd surprise him", you finished, seeing them smile, "do you come to watch races regularly?", you asked, changing the subject hopefully subtly enough that they wouldn't notice too much.
Conversation was flowing easily, really, they seemed like really nice girls and it never felt invasive, so the time you had to wait went by quickly, hearing people call your boyfriend's name.
You could notice his presence anywhere, that was a given. Wether it was his well trained torso that made spotting him even from his back, or his handsome face, it wasn't hard yo miss him even surrounded by fans who were wearing the same t-shirt as him.
"Let me stand around you so he won't notice me", you said, "with how enamoured he is of you, I'm sure it won't be long", one of the girls, named Lyla, you learned, spoke, wanting to see the scene unfold as he approached you.
"Hi!", Charles greeted, posing for the pictures while he signed the caps they had, not noticing your hand holding one of his own caps was in the mix.
"Charles! Can you sign this, please?", you asked, hoping you were loud enough, "I was not coming to see you race today, but I'm very happy I did", you almost yelled, thanking the fact that the other girls had helped you by keeping quiet until he realised you were there.
It was enough for Charles to recognise the voice. After all, he had been longing to hear it for the past couple of days.
"Y/N, you're here!", he called, handing Lyla the permanent marker before he hugged you, "I missed you so much, I'm sorry", he whispered on your ear before pulling back a little so he could look you in the eye, "you don't have a pass, do you?", he wondered, seeing you shake your head, "I'll see what I can do, but you're coming with me", he smiled, holding your hand in his and bidding goodbye to the group of girls after you all took a group picture.
The rush until you arrived in his driver's room didn't allow you to talk until you sat on the sofa after greeting everyone and thanking one of the team members for getting you a pass on such short notice.
"Do you think we can talk about it? I don't want to ruin the race by distracting you from it, but I don't think we should be here and not discuss it either", you brought the subject, looking up to see Charles push a chair and sit in front of you, "I want to apologise first", you said, "I never should have said what I said, especially the way I said it, I'm sorry", you apologised, "I never intended it in a way that would hurt you".
Charles grabbed your hands, lacing them in his and looking into your eyes, "I'm sorry, too. I think we should talk about it, too. I want this to be solved, I want us to be well", he admitted.
"My grandparents have been needing a bit more help, and my parents counted on me for it. And I feel like I haven't spent that much time with you, and I'm so sorry for it, but sometimes it just got too much. And I didn't want to burden you, you have your own things to worry about and this would be another thing. They're better now and this was probably a bad phase, but still", you explained.
Charles chuckled before he saw the confusion on your face, "no, I'm joking about this, amour. I'm glad they're better", he reasoned, "but I thought I was being a burden because I felt like I was clingy, like I needed you more than usual and that you had had enough. I didn't want to put more on your plate", he sighed.
Smiling at him, you moved your hand to caress his cheek, "you could never be too much, Charles. Sometimes I just need to deal with things on my own for a bit, even if there is help from someone else", you blushed.
"I know you need me to give you the space you need, that's why I didn't want to push you to talk about things, because as much as I want to craddle you in my arms forever and shield you away from the world's evil, I know you like to do things on your own, at least at first", he noted, earning your silent agreement, "but I'm here for you, always. I'm glad we worked that out", he smiled, pulling your face to his and kissing you deeply, only stopping when someone knocked on the door.
"I heard my favourite girl is back in the paddock, so I suggest you come out because I'm not feeling like I want to see whatever is going on there", your recognised Francisca's voice, getting up and opening the door to see Pierre by her side, "I told her she shouldn't interrupt you two, but she was very excited to know how the surprise went", he smiled.
"A very good surprise indeed, the best one ever", Charles said, pulling you in for one last kiss before he ventured out to the garage, a new feeling of confidence knowing you were there to watch him race.
#charles leclerc imagine#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc fanfic#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#f1 fanfic
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Sydney won't take Shapiro up on his offer
We all know that Sydney has the technical skill, the people smarts and the good business sense to find work outside of The Bear if she so chose. By the end of season 3, she's being pursued by one chef in particular (Adam Shapiro of Ever) to join him as he opens his own restaurant.
While she could leave The Bear - serving Carmy right for his treatment of Syd this past season - I don't think she's going to be jumping ship to Shapiro anytime soon. This is based on the conversation that Syd had with Shapiro in 3x07 Legacy. That convo had some call backs and call forwards that speak to a misalignment of values when it comes to running a restaurant together. Lets get into it.
Joy, collaboration and control
First, Shapiro tells Sydney that he wants to run his new restaurant but he doesn't want to cook all the time:
This contrasts to Carmy and Syd's discussion in 2x09:
Carmy: You still love to cook, right?
Sydney: Yeah.
Carmy: Yeah?
Which is followed by their cheeky chat about omelettes with boursin, chives and ridged potato chips (oooh fuck).
So we know Sydney loves to cook.
Carmy does too, even though we know he may not think its fun. Recall his convo with Richie in 2x01 Beef:
Carmy: This shit's not fun for me. (I swear he's saying this and not what the subtitles are saying lol)
Richie: Yeah, but you love it.
Carmy: That doesn't make it fun.
Still, there's the joy - the fun - we know that Carmy and Sydney have when they menu plan and cook together:
We also know from season 3 that both Carmy and Sydney are head down in the kitchen at The Bear. They're both overseeing the cooks, plating and running expo.
Contrast this with Shapiro who wants to run things but doesn’t want to cook every day. I’d go so far as to say he may not love cooking enough to want to keep doing it. Ultimately, Shapiro wants the control that comes with restaurant ownership but doesn’t want to take part in the creation - in the collaborative process - required to build his restaurant’s vibe (recall him telling Sydney it could be whatever she wants it to be in 3x07 Legacy):
Like @freedelusionshere has said repeatedly: Sydney craves collaboration. She did it all on her own with Sheridan Road. She's does not want to be running things on her own again at The Bear. She's reticent about relying on Carmy because as an only child and someone who ran her own business, she's used to being self-sufficient. Post 2x02-season-2 Carmy who bailed on the restaurant to numb himself with Claire and season 3 Carmy who's gone full Michelin-mode, icing her out of so much of the planning is probably giving Sydney even less reason to let herself be vulnerable enough with Carmy to fully rely on him. She indicates to Marcus in 3x05 Children that the idea of relying on someone is scary for her.
Given what we're shown in episodes 3x02 through to 3x04 prior to the above admission from Sydney, its almost certain that the "someone" she is talking about is Carmy.
Still, Sydney knows what she and Carmy can do together based on their frankness with one another in season 1 and their collaboration in season 2. She knows what Carmy promised her in 2x09 Omelette: that he wouldn't let her fail and in 3x01 Tomorrow: that he would never leave her to do it all by herself again. (OK we know he's gone in the entirely wrong direction on this in season 3 by fully taking the reigns himself…but the man is able to course-correct (remember how he made things right with both Marcus and Sydney in 1x08 Braciole?) and I hope he does this early on in season 4).
Above: Carmy reassuring Sydney in 2x09 Omelette that he won't let her fail and that she's not alone this time. Below: Carmy's vow to never leave Sydney to live a life apart from him run the restaurant alone again in 3x01 Tomorrow.
But Shapiro is not offering her any of that. He's letting her take the reigns - and consequently, the fall if anything goes wrong with his new venture - and I'm pretty sure that reality: that the buck for an entire restaurant with a full suite of staff is going to stop with Syd, is even more terrifying and misaligned for Sydney than what is happening at The Bear.
What Sydney doesn't know (but may suspect from Shapiro's offer to give her full control of the restaurant with precious little reason to - how did this man even get her phone number to begin with?) is that Shapiro may have a history of throwing other people under the bus to take the fall for his mistakes. Recall that the first time we are introduced to Shapiro in 2x07 Forks, he is yelling at the crew at Ever about a smudged plate:
After time-costing the effect of the smudge (47 seconds!), Shapiro insists that whoever caused the smudge own up to it. When no one does, he yells across the table at Richie's guardian angel, Garrett:
Shapiro: Fuck you, Garrett!
Garrett: Yes, chef. Fuck me.
Later in 3x10 Forever. we learn that its actually Shapiro who's known for smudging plates (initially from a guest at the dinner who makes a crack about smudges after Shapiro introduces the first dish of the night, and then from Luca in Ever's kitchen):
What's notable is that Sydney is present for both of the above smudge gibes. So while she may not know that Shapiro has a habit of blaming his staff for what are likely his own mistakes (RIP Garrett), she is made aware in 3x10 that the dude is sloppy and notoriously so.
Does it matter if Shapiro is a mess in the kitchen? Honestly, I wouldn't give a shit (lol) BUT I'm not the one pursuing a career in the restaurant industry. Sydney is in this business because she loves cooking AND because she wants to be inspired. This is the same woman who sought Carmy out at his family's old sandwich shop after trying one of his meals. She wants to be the best and she knows that in order to do that, she needs to learn and work under the best. Or the most excellent. Same diff.
Does Shapiro meet the standard that Sydney has for a mentor or collaborator? I don't think so.
Inheritances
Cutting back to 3x07 Legacy: earlier in their convo, Shapiro tells Sydney that he wants to start clean and he doesn't want to inherit anything (presumably from his current job with Chef Terry at Ever):
This is meant to be Shapiro addressing Sydney's concerns from 3x04 Violet when he catches her as she's leaving the train station:
Sydney: It's been a long month [at The Bear].
Chef Adam: Ah. That bad?
Sydney: No, just-- Restaurants.
Chef Adam: Yeah. Right? Why do we do this to ourselves?
Sydney: 'Cause we're crazy.
Chef Adam: Yeah. What was this month's crazy?
Sydney: Um. The kind that's inherited.
Chef Adam: *Nods emphatically* Understood.
The trouble is, as Carmy clearly lays out for us later in 3x07 Legacy, restaurants are built on inheritances. They're ancestral, like a family tree:
Carmy: Like, um, something would start somewhere, and then, uh, people would take that thing and then they would take it somewhere else. So, all these parts of an original restaurant, they would end up at a new restaurant and that kind of thing. That would happen over and over again. And then all these parts of all these restaurants, they would sort of-- You know, they would find each other. And then new people would take those parts and they would put 'em into their restaurant. And the whole thing, it would, um-- It would start to happen all over again.
Marcus: So, like a family tree or something?
Carmy: [looks to Syd who has her back to him, closing her locker] Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
In the context of family, we inherit things from our ancestors whether we want to or not. These things can be genetic (like skin colour, hair texture or the shape of an eye), psychic (intergenerational trauma, you old dog), economic (inherited wealth? I don’t know her), religious or cultural (like a well-loved dish passed down in families).
Some of these things are obviously strengths, even gifts of a kind. Others are challenges that we need to meet. None of them can be ignored. To do so - to start "clean" without trying to work through and integrate our inheritances, good and bad - is done at our own peril. In season 3, this is what Carmy has been doing: he gives little time to the good lessons he's learned from mentors and collaborators like Thomas Keller, Andrea Terry, Daniel Boulud, Mikey and Natalie Berzatto, Michelle Berzatto, Pete, Richie Jerimovic, Gary Sweeps, Ebraheim, Manny, Angel, Marcus Brooks, Tina Marrero and Sydney Adamu, and latches onto the toxic behaviours and practices of David Fields and his mother, Donna Berzatto. To his credit, Richie rightly pulls Carmy up on this in 3x03 Doors (You're not fully integrated!).
When Shapiro says he wants to start clean and doesn't want to inherit anything, he posits a future where no lessons are learned and where no joy or pride is passed down. This is a future without memory. And to quote A.S. Sivanandan (and my tumblr username-sake):
When memory dies, a people die.
Or to put it another way: living a life without memory, without history, is no life at all. Its living in a decontextualised void or vacuum. And neither voids or vacuums hold the requisite components for supporting life.
Shapiro's wish for no inheritances also reminds me of this promo still for The Bear which @thoughtfulchaos773 posted about recently:
This is a shot of Carmy in the kitchen in Empire. The writing on the wall next to him reads:
Its only after we've lost everything we're free to do anything.
This quote was likely written by Chef David Fields who made a living out of terrorising his staff, getting them to subtract everything from their lives until their world revolved around his kitchen. Recall him telling Carmen in 3x10 Forever:
Chef David: So you got rid of all the bullshit, and you concentrated, and you got focused, and you got great. You got excellent.
The "bullshit" here being Carmen's entire existence outside of work. Fields allowed no inheritances from any of the staff in his space. The result? A team likely suffering the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and god knows what else.
Sydney is not about voids or vacuums. She is not about living a life without context. She has shown us time and time again that she listens to history and does her best to integrate it. My favourite example of this is her building an entire fucking kitchen in The Beef's parking lot when the restaurant loses power and gas.
Despite her own trauma from the world of catering, she remembered the lessons she learned there (particularly around innovation and resourcefulness) and she saved the day - and The Beef - from ruin.
Now while Carmy is struggling to integrate in season 3, he has never shied away from inheritances in his work. The most salient example of this is the sandwich window at The Bear which still serves up the Italian beef sandwiches that his family is known for. Something tells me that if it had been Shapiro in Carmy's shoes, he would have nixed that idea completely.
The devil is a snake
And finally, unrelated to any life lessons inferred from the show is the allegorical warning about Adam that we are given in 3x01 Tomorrow.
Recall this scene in the third season premiere where Carmy, Luca and Shapiro are shucking peas at Ever.
Its clear Carmy is working at a speed that Luca and Shapiro find it hard to match. Shapiro is seen looking over at Carmy's tub of peas and whispering fuck in surprise/jealousy:
The camera then dips to Shapiro's tub of peas, which we can see is running low compared to Carmy's.
There are also what appear to be three apple slices on Shapiro's cutting board. They only appear at his work station. Carmy and Luca do not have anything other than peas in front of them.
We know that almost everything we see and hear on screen in The Bear is intentional and I reckon these apple slices are no different. So what could they mean?
The Bear utilises a lot of Biblical imagery and narrative and I think these apple slices continue in that vein. In the Old Testament of the Bible, there is the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Eve is seduced into eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil by a serpent. In Western retellings of the story, the forbidden fruit is often described as an apple. As a result of this deception by the snake, Adam and Eve are booted from Eden.
Back at The Bear, we have three slices of apple on Chef Shapiro's cutting board. I think these represent three attempts by Shapiro to tempt Sydney to join his new restaurant (i.e. get her to eat the forbidden fruit that will result in her getting booted from The Bear and the life she's built there)
In season 3, Shapiro puts his offer to Sydney twice: once in 3x07 Legacy and again in 3x10 Forever:
I suspect that Shapiro is going to try one last time to get Sydney on side in season 4, but she'll turn him down. Eve might have trusted a snake but Sydney's got better instincts lol.
Now whether she will stay at The Bear is another story and one entirely dependent on Carmy getting his shit together in season 4. But the way I see it, Sydney certainly won't be leaving her found family in order to join Shapiro. I mean who has time for disloyalty, smudges and snakes when you have people to feed and make happy?
#the bear#the bear fx#the bear hulu#sydcarmy#sydney adamu#carmen berzatto#the bear meta#chef adam shapiro
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Ex-husband Negan Part 1
Warnings: Negan is a total asshole, but hot!
When I first saw Negan, almost exactly 29 years ago, I had no idea what important role he would play in my life. I was just a naive girl, instantly infatuated with this rebellious, outspoken, handsome motorcyclist who didn't follow any rules and did his own thing. Just a few days after that first meeting, he became my first serious boyfriend.
Love is blind, they say, and that certainly applied to me. I put up with all his mistakes, lies, and escapades for three whole years until I finally had enough and ended things. The pain and disappointment overshadowed my life for a long time. But if you think you learn from your mistakes, then you don't know me. When I was in my late twenties, this guy had drawn me back in and even convinced me to marry him.
Had he changed? Not at all! Despite his constant assurances. But maybe he simply can't help it. Negan remains Negan. In the cursed seventh year, I couldn't take it anymore and filed for divorce. Not because I didn't love him anymore, in fact quite the opposite, but the disappointments were just too much to bear.
Despite everything, he had given me the most precious and wonderful gift in my - our life. Our two babies. Gracie and Lizzie. And that fact alone will probably never truly separate us.
The two of them are no longer little, though, but 11 and 17 years old. And my ex-husband is the best father i could imagine. It seems like he wants to make up for all the mistakes he made with me through them.
They love their father more than anything, and that alone makes me incredibly happy. That's why I can't hate him, even though I have pretty good reasons to.
Just now, the three of them spent the last weeks of summer vacation in a cabin in the mountains. The fact that my media-crazed girls wanted to spend their free time fishing, swimming, and hiking, all without cell phone reception, fascinated me immensely. They probably would have thought I was crazy if I had made that suggestion to them.
It was strange not having my daughters in the house, but I also enjoyed the peace a little. It had been quiet around me for a long time.
My new partner, an architect from the office where I work, and I had been arguing more and more in recent months. Last week, it even escalated to the point where he moved into a hotel. Fortunately, Gracie and Lizzie weren't home.
I wanted this relationship to work so badly, but apparently it was doomed to fail. Steve is the complete opposite of Negan - calm, down-to-earth, perhaps even a bit boring, but I thought that after everything I had been through, that's exactly what I needed.
Ironically, what I constantly accuse Negan of, that he can never maintain a long-term relationship, unfortunately seems to apply to me as well.
But today, I tried to push my worries aside because my daughters were returning from their vacation, and I was looking forward to being able to hold them in my arms again after two weeks.
I was just about to put their favorite casserole in the oven when my phone rang.
"Gracie, my darling!" I almost shouted into the receiver.
"Hello Mom, we're on our way back now!" she replied.
"When will you be here? ... Dinner won't be ready for another hour.."
"Dad, how much longer do we have to drive?" I heard her ask.
When I heard Negan's response faintly in the background, my expression hardened and I looked at the clock in shock.
"Another 5 hours???" I asked incredulously.
It was almost 6 PM and school started tomorrow. Negan had promised me that they would be back in time for dinner.
"Sweetheart, can you please give me your father on the phone..." I spoke as calmly as I could into the receiver, and Gracie immediately handed the phone over.
"Hello, my beautiful..." he said with his unmistakable, deep voice that still gave me goosebumps after all these years.
At his words, I couldn't help but smile, even though I wasn't really in the mood for it.
"Negan, damn it, you promised to be back for dinner, the kids have to go back to school early tomorrow morning.." I said seriously.
I heard an irritated grunt from him, then he replied, "I didn't know that you bourgeois have dinner promptly at 6, but now seriously... our girls wanted to see a waterfall, and you know I can't deny them any wishes. I'll bring them home safely, I promise."
"I know..." I whispered into the receiver and then emphasized louder, "...but that's not the point!"
After the call, I turned off the oven in exasperation and sat down in front of the TV with a glass of red wine, trying to distract myself with some silly soap opera to prevent my anger from escalating even further, but it wasn't really working.
"It's okay, nothing happened, they're just coming home a bit later," I tried to reassure myself, cursing Negan inwardly. He broke every promise he made to me with such ease.
The hands of the clock seemed to stand still, or at least that's how it felt to me. Time passed agonizingly slowly. I started preparing everything for Lizzie's school day tomorrow. She would be so tired in the morning, and I already felt sorry for her.
By 10 PM, I was standing by the window, staring out into the dark night, while the table was set and dinner was ready. After what felt like an eternity, the car finally pulled up with my family.
My two girls jumped out of the car beaming with joy, and that dashed any hope I had that they might have slept a little during the drive.
I immediately opened the front door, and Lizzie ran into my arms.
"Mama, I caught the biggest fish of all..." she shouted from a distance.
"That's amazing, did you have a lot of fun?" I asked her, holding her tightly in my arms, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair.
"It was the coolest vacation ever!!!" she said convincingly and then rushed into the house. My eldest approached me more slowly, but she too had a big grin on her face. Gracie had inherited her father's smile and knew exactly how to get away with everything with me. She had to use it quite often, considering she also inherited Negan's temper. I pulled her into my arms as well and was once again taken aback by how grown she had become. There wasn't much left of my little girl; she already seemed so mature.
"It was really cool, Mom," she said coolly.
Then my gaze fell on Negan. Damn, after all these years, just seeing him made my heart beat faster. With my arms crossed, I tried to glare at him as menacingly as possible, but he just smiled and planted a way too long kiss on my cheek.
The smell of his aftershave and the feeling of his lips on my skin took my breath away for a few seconds. I quickly composed myself and swallowed hard.
As he tried to enter the house as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I stood provocatively in his way.
"Thanks, Negan! Have a good night, get home safely..." I said.
Lizzie came running back immediately. You could hear her running on the parquet floor from a distance.
"Can't Dad eat with us?" she asked, completely excited.
"It's already late, my dear..." I replied firmly, ruffling her hair, but not breaking eye contact with Negan.
"Is Stevieboy projecting his jealousy again, or why can't I even take a damn step into my family's house?" he asked, slightly amused.
Shocked, I looked at him. I was used to his remarks, but claiming something like that in front of our youngest daughter shocked even me.
"My husband isn't here... he's on a business trip!" I lied.
"Husband? If anything, he's more like your friend, or rather your companion for this phase of life..." Negan corrected me provocatively, underlining his statement with another grin.
Gracie returned to the door as well. "Dad drove forever, can't we eat together at least? We can show you some really cool pictures. Dad bought us a really awesome DSLR camera..."
I bit my tongue to stop myself from commenting on his unnecessary expenses. How many times had we argued about his inability to handle money in the past? But unlike him, I didn't want to say such things in front of our children. So, I reluctantly stepped aside and gestured for him to come into the house.
During dinner, everyone was talking at once, sharing the wildest stories from their trip. Both my daughters definitely inherited their tendency to exaggerate their stories from their father. But just like him, they always made me laugh with their tales. So, I even shed a few tears of joy as they recounted every detail to me. I felt Negan watching me the whole time, when he wasn't putting on his black-rimmed glasses to find the right picture to match the current anecdote on his camera.
Mid-conversation, Gracie suddenly jumped up as her phone vibrated, "It's David finally...." She ran out of the room with a big smile on her face.
"We won't be seeing her tonight..." I stated, wiping a few tears from the corner of my eye that I had shed while laughing.
"Oh, David... that guy doesn't sit well with me at all..." Negan observed seriously, looking at me somewhat perplexed.
"May I remind you that our daughter hasn't been a little girl for a long time... she's 17!" I chuckled at the fact that it seemed to genuinely bother him.
"David is her boyfriend..." Lizzie chimed into the conversation.
"Sweets, promise me that at least you won't bring a boyfriend home, okay?" Negan addressed our youngest.
"That's nonsense, your mom was 16 when she met your dad... even a year younger than your sister now..." I explained to her.
"That's exactly why this whole thing worries me so much..." Negan cut me off, and as I looked at him, I couldn't help but think back to the night I lost my innocence to this guy. Everything was so perfect back then. I know not many women can say that about their first time. But even though we were both so young, Negan was so tender and considerate with me, yet so confident that he dispelled all my insecurities. And that night was just the beginning of many more, even better... Lost in thought, I bit my lip until Lizzie's words snapped me out of my reverie.
"Can Daddy tuck me in, pleeease...?" she asked.
Smiling, I kissed her forehead. "Yes, of course..."
After everyone had gone upstairs, I started clearing the table, taking my time. I slowly washed the large casserole dish and then loaded the rest into the dishwasher.
"Is anyone checking out this perfect ass?!"
Negan's voice made me jump. I hadn't heard him approach, and as I turned to face him, he was pouring two glasses of red wine as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I had to process the shock for a moment, then I made a dismissive gesture with my hands as he approached me.
"You should leave, it's late... way too late..." I said as convincingly as I could.
The tall man stopped right in front of me and wordlessly handed me one of the glasses. I knew the sparkle in his hazel eyes all too well, and it made my knees weak.
For a while, he just looked into my eyes, then he gently caressed my bare upper arm with his fingertips. Goosebumps formed where he touched me tenderly.
"You were thinking about our first time earlier, weren't you? I could see it in your beautiful eyes..." he whispered softly, while his gaze roamed unabashedly over my body.
I swallowed hard and then looked at him feigning surprise. "No, I don't know what you're talking about..." Why could he still read me like an open book after all this time?
Instead of protesting, he smiled knowingly.
I needed to get away! Away from this situation that always led to the same thing. Determined, I took a big sip of wine and went straight to the small table in the other corner of the kitchen. I needed to create as much space between us as possible to be able to think a bit clearer.
I had left my cigarettes there earlier when I smoked one on the terrace while waiting. Now I took one out of the pack and lit it, leaning against one of the stools.
Steve had strictly forbidden smoking in the house, he didn't like it at all when I did, so I usually smoked secretly behind the shed in the garden. But right now, I didn't care. Steve wasn't here, only Negan, trying to ensnare me in his web once again, as he had done hundreds of times before.
"What's all this about, Negan? Do you need that reassurance to be able to get me into bed?" I asked directly.
Surprised, he looked at me, "Who's talking about me trying to get you into bed? You have quite the wild imagination, that's what I've always loved about you. ... That you were thinking about back then earlier was just an observation, my dear..."
Once again, he came directly towards me. I felt like prey caught in a trap. When he stood in front of me, I automatically spread my legs slightly so he could squeeze between them. I looked up at him, and without breaking eye contact, he took the cigarette from my hand, took a deep drag, and then tossed the rest into the last gulp of his red wine, causing a brief sizzling sound. Only a moment later did he exhale the smoke.
"Damn, you just keep getting more beautiful," he whispered, taking my chin between his fingers.
As often before, I just let it happen. Then he gently stroked my lips with his thumbs, and I tasted his slightly rough skin. It sent little jolts directly to my core, making me nervously shift back and forth on my stool.
"Do you often think about how it feels when I touch you, my sweet? What it's like when my lips explore this perfect body..." he asked in a deep voice, and I could only nod slightly. But then I tried to gather myself again. Gently, but firmly, I pushed his hand away from me and then said, "But it won't happen again, Negan. I can't make the same mistake over and over again..."
#jeffrey dean morgan#negan#jdmorgan#negan smut#negan smith#negan fanfic#negan fic#negan x reader#the walking dead#jdm fic#jdm#jdm smut#jeffreydeanmorgan#twd negan#twd smut#twd fanfic#twd fanfiction#twd fic#twd
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Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 117 (A Genius Idea)
Ash and Pearl arrived downstairs to find their parents. "Mommy, the lights went out and the TV, too!" he cried.
Heather nodded. "Pearl's mom checked the electrical box out back and it's totally fried."
Dylan, an electrical engineer, spoke with Heather and Anjali. "I can't keep trying to patch around the same problem. That box is done, but the city says they won't be able to get someone out to replace it until tomorrow morning."
Anjali frowned. "That doesn't help us get tonight's meal on the table."
"I have an idea, but I need some beakers and some bubble gum," Ash said. The adults looked confused. "We can make a heating system with candles and metal trays!"
"What's the bubble gum for, buddy?" wondered Conrad.
"To hold them together! Bubble gum won't burn if we use it to secure the trays on the outside, and I can make it harden faster if there's a science table here!"
The adults were all impressed by his idea, and they set to work prepping a makeshift heating station to continue cooking the food. It would take longer this way, but at least everyone would eat a hot meal tonight.
Ash worked away at a rickety old science station donated by the local middle school, while Pearl glanced around the cavernous, dark shelter. "Hurry, Ash, it's getting dark outside!"
"It's only nighttime. It's not that scary."
"My mom says nights in the Spice District can be dangerous."
Ash tried to work a little faster. "It's okay, Pearl. Our parents won't let anything happen to us. Why did you take your coat off? It's cold in here."
"I run hot! My dad says it's genetic."
Once the food was in the makeshift ovens, everyone took a break outside, purchasing coffee and pastries from the cafe to enjoy in The Soup Kitchen's eclectic courtyard.
Chatting together at a long table, Heather's mouth dropped open when she spotted a face she hadn't seen in years. "Marcus Flex! Is it really you?"
Heather's first vet tech turned at the sound of her voice, breaking into a wide smile when he recognized her. "Doc Nesbitt! No way! What are you doing in the city?"
"Volunteering here with my fiance and my son."
"Man oh man, Ash must be so big now."
"I am!" he said, speaking up across the table. "Who are you?"
"I used to work for your mother, but I've lived here since I left town."
Heather nodded. "Are you and Thomasine doing well?"
"Things with us couldn't be better. I know I was a bit non-committal and flighty back when I lived in the Bay, but Thomasine changed me. I can't imagine spending my days with anyone else but her."
Heather smiled. "That's great Marcus. Are you working? I've been worried about you since you both left town."
He nodded proudly. "I'm in marketing now and she's a mental health nurse. We lived in a real dump of a place for a while, but then one day this woman knocked on our door and offered us a bigger suite in the building for the same rent. She just wanted to trade for a smaller place, and we thought she might be out of her mind, but she showed us her ID and she's never missed paying the landlord the rest of our rent."
"No offense, but that sounds a little suspicious," said Conrad. "Paying your rent and hers to live in a crappier apartment. Only a criminal would do that."
"Rafaella keeps to herself. If she's into anything, it's never affected us."
"What did you say her name was?" Heather said.
"Rafaella Santos, according to her ID."
Heather and Conrad exchanged tense looks. "What's the address of your old apartment?"
"910 Medina Studios. Back in the Arts Quarter. Thomasine works in the Spice District on weekends and I like to stop by to give her an afternoon coffee. I'm usually there by now, but she'll totally understand when I tell her I ran into you, Doc! I really am sorry I just took off all those years ago."
Heather shook her head, trying to keep her sudden mix of emotions from showing in front of Ash and Pearl. That was Conrad's old apartment, and this Rafaella Santos was probably using an assumed name. She noticed Conrad down the table - the same wild thoughts were running through his mind.
"It's alright, Marcus. It sounds like everything worked out for the best. And if you can let me know how to get the money to you, I can finally send your share of the proceeds from the VetConnect extension you helped me come up with."
"That's kind of you, Doc, especially after I left without a word. It's been great catching up with you. Thomasine's just about ready to speak to her father again - she thinks - so we might be back in Brindleton Bay for a visit sooner than later."
"It would be great to see you, Marcus."
They got up then to head back to work, but before Marcus had left with his cafe order to go, Conrad approached him. "This Rafaella Santos - can you tell me what she looks like?"
"She changed her hair colour recently, but she was blonde before. You could tell it was straight from a bottle, though. You really think she's a criminal?"
"I think she might be a drug smuggler. I don't suppose I could convince you to wear a wire?"
"She doesn't say much. I've tried to be friendly."
"If it's who I think it is, she's not friendly."
"Thomasine wouldn't want me getting involved if she's dangerous. I'd love to help you and the doc, but we've been talking about maybe trying for a kid."
Conrad nodded. "I get it. You've given us enough to take it from here. There might be some officers scoping out the building over the next little while, until we know it's her, so if you're serious about taking a trip to Brindleton Bay to see your wife's family, maybe now's a good time. Just stay out of 'Rafaella's' way. Don't let her think someone might be on to her, and don't tell her you saw us. Oh, and, be prepared to take over the full rent in the larger apartment soon. If we get her, those contracts will void."
"I'll talk to Thomasine, but I'm glad I could help. Thanks for the heads up, Lieutenant Gordon."
As Marcus turned to leave, Conrad's heart started racing. If his instincts were correct, Ximena had been hiding out in the last place he'd lived in San Myshuno all along.
Now Conrad felt just days away from finally catching her. ->
<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary
Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary
NOTE: Pay no mind to Ash's reindeer hat in the "genius idea" pop up. I sent them on the rabbit hole family volunteering event immediately after staging their Christmas Day photos. Didn't even think about changing their clothes since it was a rabbit hole. But then this pop up ended up dictating storyline so that's why he's wearing it in the inset but not at the lot.
Also the goal was empathy, but with Ash's genius trait and the pop up we got, he had the choice to solve the problem himself or call for help. Since his phone's been confiscated due to creepy pranks, there was really only one choice. His empathy bar didn't budge but his responsibility and mental increased. So his empathy is in low green territory at the moment (better than red!) and I'm hopeful he won't roll a douche trait. Since he's still got a ways to go until teenhood, I've got more time to play around!
NOTE 2: Second-save Marcus and Heather instantly became the best of friends while they reconnected, which is clearly because they're finally certain Ximena's within reach, all thanks to him!
#sims 4#sims 4 gameplay#sims 4 screenshots#sims 4 legacy#sims in bloom#ts4#ts4 gameplay#ts4 legacy#ts4 screenshots#sims 4 story#ts4 story#legacy challenge#sims legacy#ts4 legacy challenge#gen 2#san myshuno#marcus flex
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Digimon Adventure 02x07 - Memories of Hikari / Guardian Angel
Previously on Digimon Adventure: Mimi went on a picnic with the new kids where she drank way too many sodas, ate a rice ball so good it filled her with national pride, and got harassed by Digimon again.
We open on a montage of righteous devastation. The Chosen Children are beating the Digimon Kaiser's ass at playing Risk. The new team's Digimon converge fire on a Dark Tower, toppling it.
Narrator: The Chosen Children continued their advance, liberating areas controlled by the Digimon Kaiser one after another.
On the map of territories, several black squares blink over to white. Then several more. Bit by bit, the Kaiser's forces are being driven back. Koushiro, sitting at the Gate computer in Computer Club, calls out the group's movements.
Koushiro: Send Birdramon to this area. Next, move Greymon to that area. And Garurumon to this area.
More and more towers come down, toppled by the Digimon he named.
Finally, we cut back to everyone reconvening in Computer Club. All the elementary kids plus Taichi, Sora, Yamato, and Koushiro. With Takeru's hand in shippy places.
Koushiro: I won't be able to come in tomorrow. Yamato: Yeah, I have band practice too. Taichi: Well, we'll be fine with just Hikari, Daisuke, and the others. Daisuke: Yeah, we can handle it!
This will be the elementary kids' first time having to handle things without an experienced veteran to guide them. Except it won't because Takeru and Hikari are experienced veterans, so they'll probably be fine.
In the dub:
(The elementary kids bring down a Control Spire) Cody: Yeah! Izzy: Alright! That's twelve more Control Spires destroyed! (Birdramon brings down a Spire) Sora: Yeah! Izzy: According to the map, Greymon is finished in this area and is moving on to the next. Garurumon's doing the same thing!
Izzy is not calling any shots in the dub, and is instead passively narrating what the teams are independently doing to nobody in particular.
Izzy: There's still one more Control Spire to destroy today. Matt: Maybe Greymon could get that one too. Tai: I don't think he can. It looks like he's too far from that area. Izzy: Tai's right. Davis: In that case, we'll do it ourselves!
They give Tai this line as he turns away from Izzy and is visibly addressing Davis and the others. Also, the computer screen has the Gate on it, not the map, so I don't know how Tai's reading Greymon's location.
In fact, the map can't even be used to read Digimon locations. It just shows controlled and uncontrolled territories. I don't know what part of Davis's face is giving Tai geographic coordinates for Greymon relative to the Control Spire in question.
This isn't a huge deal but if this was the direction they wanted to go with this scene, it might have worked better to have Tai simply say that he left Greymon too far away. The way the line's written makes it sound like he's drawing conclusions based on data he's analyzing but his animation doesn't give him anything to be drawing it off of.
In any case, we see here a stark change from the original. In the original, the impending mission is going to be tomorrow's activities, which the older kids won't be able to chaperone. The dub has the younger kids going back in to finish up today's workload due to poor strategic planning leaving the older kids' Digimon too far away.
We're cutting straight from this scene to the kids' mission, which creates a bit of a plot hole as to why Izzy isn't hanging out to do mission control for this one last Control Spire. He's offered no explanation for bailing.
Cut to a domed city inside the Digital World. An alarm blares throughout the city. Guardromon units roll out with Evil Rings around the valves on their chests.
Guardromon: INTRUDER. INTRUDER.
A squad of Guardromon flood into the city, opening fire on an unseen trespasser.
Guardromon is an Adult-stage Virus-attribute Machine Digimon, though the first anime listed them as Data-attribute. It's unclear if they still are Data-attribute because 02 removed Attributes from the Digimon Analyzer entirely. No idea why.
(Maybe they just didn't want to have to explain Free-attribute after making a point to have Gennai teach Koushiro about Virus, Vaccine, and Data in the first series. So they quietly buried attributes and hoped no one would notice?)
In any case, we know Guardromon from Mugendramon's Metal Empire on Spiral Mountain. Alongside Mekanorimon, Guardromon were Mugendramon's foot soldiers.
Narrator: Guardromon! An Adult Digimon that boasts ironclad defenses. Their special attack is Destruction Grenade!
This is almost word-for-word Guardromon's rundown from the first show. The only difference is that they tell us Guardromon's level instead of their Machine typing.
Once the rundown's over, we see what they're shooting at.
Digmon: GOLD RUSH!!! Pegasmon: SHOOTING STAR!!! Fladramon: KNUCKLE FIRE!!!
The Armor team has gotten good at this. Each of their shots is precisely aimed to break the Evil Rings off their targets' valves. Digmon frees four Guardromon, Pegasmon frees another four, and then Fladramon gets two.
But despite their best efforts, more Guardromon emerge to replace the liberated ones, which simply stop moving and go to standby on the spot where they were freed.
Guardromon: INTRUDER. INTRUDER.
The dub misses the part about the blaring alarm, of course, but still captures the vibe.
Guardromon: INTRUDER. INTRUDER. Guardromon: (rundown) I am Guardromon. Whoever tries to enter the premises shall become victims of my Grenade Destroyer attack. Digmon: GOLD RUSH!!! Pegasusmon: STAR SHOWER!!! Flamedramon: FIRE ROCKET!!! (Their attacks release ten Guardromon but more swarm in) Guardromon: INTRUDER. INTRUDER.
Why would you rename Destruction Grenade to Grenade Destroyer? It's one of those small changes that are so minor that it raises the question of why you even bothered. Is it because the little bullet guy doesn't look at all like a grenade? Or are the censors just happier if we imply the little bullet guy is neutralizing enemy grenades?
Reinforcement Guardromon roll out and the team is beginning to tire.
Daisuke: What the hell is with these guys!? Miyako: They just keep coming, over and over! There's no end to it! Iori: It would be unwise for us to continue this battle of attrition. We should withdraw immediately. Miyako: I think so too! We're outnumbered. We should retreat. Daisuke: Retreat!? Why are you acting like cowards!? The Dark Tower is right there!
First junior mission is not going well. Daisuke disagrees with withdrawing, but the decision is quickly made for him.
Fladramon: G...Getting hungry.... Digmon: ...me too....
As the endless wave of Guardromon continues to advance, Fladramon and Digmon can't sustain their Armor forms any longer and degenerate into their Child stages. Like it or not, we have to leave.
Takeru: Daisuke-kun, we need to go back. We can reconsider our plan of attack with Koushiro-san. Hikari: Tentomon might be able to provide us with new intel. Daisuke: ...we don't have a choice. Retreat!
Reluctantly, Daisuke agrees with the withdrawal and the Chosen Children flee from the advancing Guardromon army.
In the dub:
Davis: There must be a hundred of 'em! Yolei: Wow, you counted that high without even taking off your shoes and socks! T.K.: I think now is a good time to go back to our world. We can come up with a new plan. Yolei: T.K.'s right. We can talk to Izzy! Guardromon: INTRUDER. INTRUDER. Davis: Are you guys out of your minds!? Quit now!? I've never been a quitter! Flamedramon: I agree. Davis, let's regroup! (Digmon and Flamedramon degenerate to Rookie forms) T.K.: Davis, don't be so stubborn! There are far too many of them! We have to get out of here while we can! Kari: I agree! We have to hurry! Davis: Urggggh... Alright, head for the Gate!
Cody doesn't get to offer any input in this version. He silently goes along with whatever the group decides.
This dialogue covers the broad strokes: There's too many enemies, so we have to run for it. But we lose some of the tactical considerations.
That the team's been steadily fighting this onslaught for some time and is exhausted beyond the point of being able to keep going gets skipped over. No mention is made of this as a "battle of attrition" or that "they just keep coming", and Flamedramon deliberately degenerates because he wants to retreat.
T.K. does suggest regrouping with Izzy. But Kari makes no mention of Tentomon possibly having more intel for them; She passively agrees with T.K.
And Yolei manages to slip in a barb at Davis for no reason.
The team withdraws to the Gate television. Miyako opens it up, and one by one, they escape across realities.
Well, four of them do, anyway.
Miyako: What the--!? Did something just explode!? Patamon: I saw it! A Guardromon attacked! Daisuke: Huh? Where's Hikari-chan? Iori: Oh no. Is she still in the Digital World?
She is indeed. Hikari and Tailmon take cover around a corner while Hikari emails the others on her D-Terminal.
Hikari: And sent. Tailmon: Hikari, if anything happens, I'll Armor Evolve. I can still fight. Hikari: Mhm! Thank you, Tailmon.
In the dub, Yolei remembers to say the thing while they're approaching the Gate.
Yolei: DIGI-PORT OPEN!!! (Everyone but Kari makes it through) Guardromon: GRENADE DESTROYER!!! Kari: Wait for me! (TV explodes and everyone but Kari escapes) Yolei: Ouch! Say, shouldn't we put pillows here if we're going to keep doing this? Patamon: Guys! I saw that the TV was blown up as we came through so we can't go back. Davis: Wait a second! Where did Kari go? Cody: She's trapped! In the Digital World!
Yolei makes a valid point.
Somehow Patamon managed to see the TV explode? In the original, they heard the explosion while they were transiting between worlds and Patamon saw the Guardromon fire just before he and Takeru went in, but here Patamon somehow managed to witness the entire thing.
The dub takes its first commercial break here, on the proclamation that Kari's trapped in the other world. We come straight back to Kari on the other side.
Kari: I'll send the others a message saying that we're okay. (typing noises) ...I don't think this has spell check. Gatomon: Kari, if we find ourselves in any kind of jam, I can always Armor Digivolve. Kari: Well, let's save that for a special occasion.
The key points are covered. She's sending a message and Gatomon can Armor Digivolve if they run into trouble.
That said, I don't know why they had Kari disagree with the plan. Next time we see Gatomon, she'll be in her Armor form. They aren't saving it for anything.
Back in the human world, Miyako tries but the Gate simply won't open to that region anymore. Because it's gone.
Miyako: No good. It looks like the Gate we used can't open anymore. Daisuke: Takeru, wasn't HIkari-chan right behind you!? Takeru: Mhm. Daisuke: What were you doing!? Why didn't you make sure she came through with you!? Iori: Daisuke-san, this wasn't Takeru-san's fault. Daisuke: Keep out of it, you noisy brat! Iori: (sternly) Please do not speak to me like that. Daisuke: (gently) S-Sorry, I was out of line. Takeru: No. Daisuke's right. It was my fault. I should have been paying more attention. Daisuke: No, when you put it like that... None of us even noticed. Not even me.
Iori successfully defuses this situation by accidentally provoking Daisuke into crossing a line that Daisuke immediately realizes he shouldn't have crossed, causing his rage to break.
Despite his general hostility to Takeru, Daisuke ultimately agrees that it's not Takeru's fault that Hikari got left behind. They didn't carry out on orderly retreat; They routed, with every child for themselves. The fault is on everyone.
In the dub:
Yolei: The Gate to that area is closed! We can't get to her! Davis: T.K., wasn't Kari right behind you when you went into the Gate from the Digital World!? T.K.: Mhm. Davis: Then it's all your fault! Why didn't you let her go first!? Cody: Stop! It was no one's fault! It just happened! Davis: What do you know!? You're a little kid! Cody: Yeah, but I still know when someone's being a jerk! Davis: (gently) Ugh... I guess that's me.... T.K.: The truth is, Davis is right. Davis & Cody: Huh!? T.K.: It really was my fault. I should have been watching out for her all along. Davis: Well... I guess I could have too. Cody: So could I. That's what I mean! There's no one to blame.
Pretty solid.
A sudden indicator from the computer alerts Miyako to a new email.
Miyako: Huh? Ah! An e-mail from Hikari-chan! "I'm safe. Don't worry. Takeru: Miyako-san, switch with me for a second.
Takeru suddenly gets an idea and takes over the computer. He scans through the map of the Digital World until he finds what he's looking for.
Takeru: Even if we can't go back to that area, we can enter the area next to it and cross over.
Takeru finds what he's looking for somehow, and I cannot make heads or tails of the map. He settles on a black square surrounded by gray squares which... I kinda thought gray squares were, like, the ocean or something and white squares were free territory, so I am lost.
But apparently this makes sense, so I'll go with it. Takeru finds his destination and holds his Digivice up to the screen.
Takeru: I'm going! Patamon: Wait, Takeru!
He's in such a hurry, he almost leaves Patamon behind. Fortunately, Patamon's able to flap over to him quickly enough to be caught up in the transition.
Miyako: Takeru-kun! Daisuke: Tch! I'm just supposed to let him take care of it!? Let's go, Chibimon! Chibimon: Yeah!
Daisuke, too, crosses over with Chibimon.
Miyako: Ah! Poromon, we should-- Iori: Please wait! It's almost dinner time. If Hikari-san and the others don't make it home, their families will worry and make a fuss about it. We should notify Taichi-san and the others first. Miyako: You're right... I'm the oldest here, so I should try to think more clearly. Upamon: If that's what we're doing, then hurry up! Poromon: Let's go! (Upamon and Poromon flee the room) Iori: AH!!! Don't go out on your own!
Iori and Miyako chase their excitable Partners from Computer Club, leaving Daisuke and Takeru to carry out this rescue mission by themselves.
In the dub, there is no email alert noise. There is, however, this ongoing AOL dial-up noise that starts playing and continues through the scene. Which is kind of like an email alert, I guess.
Yolei: Huh!? Hey, guys! It's an email from Kari! Davis: Huh!?
In addition to Yolei reading it out, the text onscreen is rewritten in English.
Yolei: It says, "Don't worry, I'm alright. And I'm sorry if any words are misspelled. Sincerely, Kari."
No words are misspelled so I didn't really get that joke.
T.K.: Yolei, I've got an idea! If I can find an area close to the one she's in, then I can reach her! (T.K. finds his destination) T.K.: Got it! I'll be back soon. Patamon: I'm going too! (T.K. and Patamon cross over) Yolei: What should we do? Davis: If he thinks I'm gonna stand by and let him be the hero, he can forget it! (Davis crosses over) Yolei: Haha what!? Then I'm going-- Cody: Yolei, wait a minute! Listen, it's almost dinner time right now. Somewhere between the green salad and the green gelatin, their families are going to wonder where they are! We have to tell Tai and the others! I think that's the best thing you and I can do to help Davis and T.K. right now. Yolei: Cody, I know you're just a kid but sometimes you have the wisdom of an old man of twenty! Upamon: Alright! What are we waiting for! Poromon: Let's go! (Upamon and Poromon go on their own) Cody: But wait! You can't just go out in public!
They had way too many lip flaps for what they needed Cody to say. XD
T.K. is a lot more reserved and in control of himself in this version. Takeru is clearly rushing off recklessly on an emotional impulse. He is, ironically, being the Courage boy right now.
The other side of the Gate opens into a vast stretch of desert. The boys make their way back to the machine city where they left Hikari.
Daisuke: (calmly) Hey, Takeru. Takeru: Yes? Daisuke: The sun's going down. You should head home. Takeru: I'm fine. My mom will be out late today. But won't your parents worry if you don't make it home, Daisuke-kun? Daisuke: It doesn't matter.
That's an ambiguous statement. It's not clear if Daisuke means his parents won't care that he's gone, or that he himself doesn't care if they worry. Given the earlier "Jun always badmouths me" incident, either Daisuke's family kinda sucks or Daisuke's a little shit. Either is honestly plausible.
Daisuke fishes a coin out of his pocket.
Daisuke: So, who's going to go rescue Hikari-chan. We'll decide with a coin toss.
Daisuke tosses the coin and claps his hand over it.
Daisuke: Tails, you go home. Heads, I go home. (Daisuke reveals Tails) Daisuke: Tails! (gloating) Looks like I'll be the one to save Hikari-chan--
With a shit-eating grin, Takeru snatches the coin from Daisuke's hand and inspects it himself. He clearly knows exactly what he's going to find.
Takeru: Both sides of this coin are Tails, right? They sell these at Kadoetsu. Daisuke: (embarrassed) Y-You knew...? Takeru: (smiling) Let's go together. Daisuke: ...okay.
Takeru once outsmarted literal bullets. You're gonna have to get up a lot earlier in the morning to pull a fast one on him.
As the boys make their way into the city, their Partners briefly unpack what just happened.
Patamon: Why not do that from the start? This was stupid. V-mon: Don't say that. He was just trying to look cool....
Daisuke still feels like he has a lot to prove.
In the dub:
Davis: (bickering) This was a great idea! Crossing the desert without any water! T.K.: (bickering) Look, I didn't ask for your help! Davis: There's the city! T.K.: Looks like one of those things you shake and it starts snowing! Davis: I'll go get Kari! You wait here. T.K.: No, I'll get Kari. You wait here. (Davis fishes a coin out of his pocket) Davis: Alright, I'll tell you what. We'll flip for it. Winner goes, loser stays here. Since it's my coin, I get to call it. Tails! (Davis flips) Davis: Okay, if it's Tails, I rescue Kari. If it's Heads, you get to go. (Davis reveals Tails) Davis: Tails! (gloating) I'll tell her that you were worried about her and that you-- (T.K. snatches the coin and inspects it) Davis: WAUGH!!! T.K.: Huh. A coin that has Tails on both sides. That's how I used to beat Matt. Davis: H-How about that.... T.K.: Let's both go. Davis: ...okay, T.M. Did you really use one of those coins on Matt? T.K.: Yeah, that's how I got all my baseball cards and his old guitar. Patamon: T.K. and Davis sure argue a lot. How come? Veemon: Something about Kari. Human girls make human boys act sorta weird.
Let's start with the good. Takeru recognizes the trick coin from seeing it in a store, but T.K. has a more personal anecdote about it that adds a bit of depth to his relationship with his brother. This is good, especially with the way Davis and T.K. use added dialogue to bond over it.
Now for what I don't like. I don't like that they're playing Daisuke's one-sided rivalry with Takeru as a more traditional Love Triangle, with both boys aggressively locking horns with each other. The first anime dub papered over a lot of Takeru's growth, strength, and developing maturity and this scene continues that trend.
This is a strong moment for Takeru. It's the first time he's been alone with Daisuke. He wastes little time cutting through Daisuke's childish obstinance and jealousy, and bringing him around on-task. Takeru takes Daisuke by the shoulder and lifts him up to Takeru's level, while the dub drags T.K. down to Davis's level.
Meanwhile, in the city, things are already going south for Hikari.
Guardromon: INTRUDER. INTRUDER.
Hikari flies through the sky on Nefertimon's back, fleeing enemy Guardromon. One Guardromon pops out ahead of her, firing Destruction Grenades her way.
Nefertimon: NILE JEWELRY!!!
Nefertimon returns fire, blasting the enemy projectiles out of the air and giving her cover to sweep past.
Nefertimon: Where the hell is that TV!? Hikari: There really aren't any left in this area. We have to find a way out of here!
In the dub:
Guardromon: INTRUDER. INTRUDER. (Guardromon up ahead fires) Nefertimon: ROSETTA STONE!!! (Nefertimon parries the attack and sweeps past) Nefertimon: Kari, there aren't any TVs left in this area. Kari: We'll have to go to another area to find one. Nefertimon: But we don't even know which direction to travel.
I mean. If the destination is "somewhere else" then any direction is good, really.
As with Takeru's more neutral decision to return, the words are the same but the emotion is lost. Kari and Nefertimon don't sound pressured as heavily by their situation; Instead, they calmly explain their predicament to each other for the audience's benefit.
Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear why Hikari can't lose her tail: From his control room, the Digimon Kaiser has eyes on her. In fact, he has a frankly ludicrous number of monitors dedicated to differently angled closeups of her face. That's weird. You're weird, Digimon Kaiser.
Kaiser: Huhuhu.... Wormmon: Ken-chan, shouldn't you be getting home?
More and more, Wormmon's starting to get a response from the Kaiser. He turns his head away from the screens to glare at Wormmon for a second before responding.
Kaiser: HAVEN'T I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!?!? Wormmon: (cowers) ACK!!! I'M SORRY!!!
Wormmon tenses up as if bracing to be struck. But when no strike comes, he opens his eyes and looks back up at the Kaiser. The Kaiser's focus is back on the screen, and he summons his holographic control panel.
Kaiser: Here's a fun idea. Let's test out this one.
He presses a key, causing Digital World coding to appear on the monitor.
Wormmon: (gasp) That code is... Perfect stage!? Kaiser: Huhuhuhuhuhu....
We've never seen the Kaiser control a Perfect Digimon before. We don't know if he can do it. He might not know either, given that he describes this as a test.
In the dub:
Emperor: Hahahahahahaha! Wormmon: It's almost your dinner time. Shouldn't you be going home soon, Ken? Emperor: .... (beat) Emperor: NEVER CALL ME ANYTHING BUT MASTER!!! Wormmon: (wordlessly cowers) Nrrrrrrgh.... Emperor: Since she's ~all alone~, she deserves someone ~special.
The Emperor manages to make that sound even creepier than the many closeup monitors already were. On purpose, I'm sure. He knows what he's doing.
(Kaiser activates the new minion) Wormmon: Oh no, you can't! Anyone but him! Emperor: Huhuhuhuhu....
Wormmon addressing the Emperor as Ken seems out-of-place here. Depending on how you look at it, this can either be better or worse for the dub.
On the one hand, we lose the consistent character trait of Wormmon calling him Ken-chan since day one, which the Kaiser finally reacts to. It's never come up before because Wormmon, until recently, has been beneath the Kaiser's notice.
Dub Wormmon accidentally slipping up here and provoking this reaction retroactively justifies the decision to avoid using Ken-chan for the past six episodes. For him, the Emperor has been "Ken" to him all this time. However, as a learned behavior, he knew better than to say it out loud.
Both of these interpretations of his character work really well for Wormmon's relationship to the Kaiser/Emperor and to Ken.
What we lose here is the specific threat that, for the first time, a Perfect-stage Digimon is about to go Hikari Hunting. We don't know how the Armor Digimon will measure up to that! This could be really bad!
Instead we just get... "him". Not "him"! How will Kari ever be able to defend herself against "him"!
Back in the human world, Iori uses a pay phone outside of the Inoue family convenience store. Giving us a good shot of the store's name, too.
The store is called アイマート Aimaato or "I-Mart", presumably for the family name Inoue. The banner underneath reads 愛と純真のお店 Ai to Junshin no Omise or "The Shop of Love and Purity".
Well, now we know how Miyako's Digimentals were assigned. Somebody was shopping around Odaiba for new Chosen Children, saw that banner, and. Like. Who could possibly pass up the chance to do something really funny with that?
Iori: Ah, is this Yagami-san? Good evening, this is Hida Iori.
Inside, Miyako's loading up a grocery bag while her unnamed father works the counter.
Dad: Miyako, when one of your siblings gets back, can you ask them to watch the counter? Miyako: Okay, got it.
Cut to the Yagami home. Iori's explaining everything to Taichi over the phone.
Iori: So that's what's happening. Taichi: I see... Hikari is.... No, you don't have to apologize, Iori. I got it. Bye.
As he hangs up, his mother Yuuko turns around from the kitchen to find out what that was about.
Taichi: (big fake smile) Apparently Hikari's hanging out a friend's house. I'll go pick her up.
I'm a bit more forgiving of Taichi lying to his mom here than I was in Our War Game. That unnecessary lie concerned a global catastrophe that nearly resulted in Odaiba getting nuked, so there was a clear and obvious reason why Taichi and Koushiro needed to be doing Digimon Shit. They were the only people who could stop Diablomon from eating the entire global infrastructure.
She might be less understanding of "Yeah, Hikari went back to the Digital World to get shot at with robot bullets because some guy's causing trouble to some people far away, in a way that doesn't affect us at all." This is not an end-of-the-world crisis and so I think for most parents, it would easily set off their "Okay but not my children" reflex.
To a concerned parent, Digimon Kaiser sure does sound like the Digimon's problem. You have school in the morning, young lady, and I don't want you attending that school with your face exploded.
In the dub:
Cody: Hello? Can I speak to Tai, please? ...no, I'm not selling anything!
Yeah, that's about right. The only reason this American stock gag has aged poorly is that in the modern day, Tai's mom wouldn't have answered for an unknown caller at all.
Yolei's Dad: (sternly) You know, Yolei. With all the snacks and drinks you take to give your friends, it's a wonder this store shows any profit at all! Yolei: Put it on my tab, Daddy!
Yolei's dad nags at her about the financial impact she's having on their business. This seems unreasonable since it was previously established that she works off everything she takes.
It's Miyako who's the primary cause of the store's shrinkage. Yolei's family is just... aggressively capitalist. They employ a 12-year-old child laborer and pay her in merchandise, then complain that she takes too much compensation.
They better not cut her pay. Yolei's learning about the power of collective action against fascism in her extracurriculars at school right now. She might transfer some of that and unionize her siblings.
Cody: So that's where Kari is now, Tai. Tai: Okay, Cody. Thanks for letting me know. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything. (Tai hangs up) Tai: Kari's at a friend's house doing a science project on gravity and they need to see how long I can stand on my head. See ya!
Tai opts for the "excuse so bewildering that he'll be out the door before his mom's finished processing how little sense that makes" approach. XD
Once out the door, Taichi and Yamato meet up outside.
Yamato: Taichi, did you hear from Iori? Taichi: Yeah. We need to get down there fast. But first, we should tell Daisuke's parents something. Yamato: Got it. Let me take care of that. You hurry up and go find Hikari-chan. Taichi: Got it! I'll leave this to you, then!
Taichi turns and sprints off for Odaiba Elementary, leaving Yamato to figure out what he's going to--
Yamato: (startled) I was supposed to make dinner for Dad today! (casually) Eh, oh well.
Fuck Hiroaki, I guess. XD He can starve.
Back at I-Mart, Miyako takes her grocery bag of loot and meets back up with Iori outside.
Iori: I called home and said I'd be a little late. What about you, Miyako-san? Miyako: Well, I think my dad asked me to do something but who cares. Let's go!
So much parental respect happening tonight. XD Kids.
In the dub:
Matt: (casually) Hey Tai, I heard what happened. So, are you going to go? Tai: Yeah, in a few minutes. But first, I have to make a stop by Davis's apartment. I have to make up a story to tell his family that he's going to be a little late tonight. Matt: Ehhhh, don't worry about that. I can take care of it! You go on and get to Kari. Tai: Right! Thanks, Matt! (Tai runs off) Matt: (startled) Oh, I forgot! I left Mimi on hold when she called from New York! HER PHONE BILL!!!
...Matt broaches this subject like the rumor mill's been talking about Kari, and clearly indicates that he's not coming and is just wasting Tai's time for small talk.
The only reason Yamato isn't coming too is because they needed to split tasks and it makes more sense for Taichi to go rescue his little sister.
Matt further indicates that he had no intention of coming and was just stepping out to talk to Tai by indicating that he's actually in the middle of a phone call with Mimi right now. Fortunately, Dub Mimi is fabulously wealthy so I think her phone bill will be fine.
Cody: I told my mom we were working on a rescue project. She said she's glad we're helping stray cats in the neighborhood. Yolei: Yeah, my dad was just glad that I left without filling up another bag!
And the censors are probably glad that Matt and Yolei aren't encouraging children to talk back to their parents. I bet that's what's going on here.
Back in the Digital World, Takeru and Daisuke take cover atop a dune to scout the front entrance to the machine city.
Takeru: That seems like the entrance, but....
A single Guardromon is keeping watch outside the door.
Daisuke: We'll have to defeat that one if we want to break in. Takeru: We need to finish it in the first shot; This will get a lot harder if they call for backup. V-mon: Alright, Daisuke! Daisuke: Yeah! Patamon: Wait! Takeru, this area doesn't have a Dark Tower, right? Takeru: Yeah, there's just the one inside that dome. Patamon: Then that means.... Takeru: You're right! We don't need Armor Evolution! Daisuke & V-mon: Huh? Takeru: Let's try it! Patamon: Yeah!
Daisuke has no idea what Takeru means but he's about to see some shit.
In the dub:
Davis: There's just one guard at the door! T.K.: We're gonna have to take him out in the first attack. Otherwise, he'll call for reinforcements. Davis: Not a problem. Veemon and I can handle that metalhead. Veemon, are you ready? Veemon: Yeah, let's do it! Davis: DIGI-ARMOR-- Patamon: Wait a minute! I'll do it. There aren't any Control Spires in this area, right? T.K.: Well, just the one inside the dome. Patamon: But we're outside. T.K.: Yeah! That's right! That means you can Digivolve! Davis & Veemon: Huh? T.K.: Then go for it. Patamon: Alright!
Solid. I like that they have Davis get partway through the Armor incantation when Patamon interrupts him. That's neat.
Foregoing his Digimentals, Takeru and Patamon do this old-school. Patamon SHINKAAAAAA!!!
To the sound of Show Me Your Brave Heart, Angemon appears in a humongous pillar of holy light that definitely should have given their position away and put the machine city on alert. But I guess the Kaiser is too busy ogling Hikari from many angles.
Takeru: YES!!! You can use your normal evolution!
Daisuke's jaw practically hits the sand at the sight of Takeru's Adult Partner.
Daisuke: Eh... Angemon...!?
Takeru and Angemon reply only with mirrored satisfied smiles.
In the dub:
T.K.: Angemon! I haven't seen you in a while! Davis: Ehhhh!? An... Angemon...!? Veemon: ...hi there, big guy....
They have T.K. call out Angemon by name so it flows better when Davis says it. Daisuke probably just heard Angemon say his name during the transformation sequence but it's never really clear how diegetic those are supposed to be.
It's go time. Angemon takes off across the sand, sailing for the Guardromon.
Guardromon: Suspicious person approaching--
Angemon tosses his Holy Rod, nailing Guardromon right in the Evil Ring around their valve and breaking it off.
Angemon: Now! Hurry!
Daisuke, Takeru, and V-mon sprint across the sand to join Angemon at the front door. Angemon punches through the latch, opening the door and letting them inside. However, once they enter, the power of the Dark Tower regresses Angemon back into Patamon.
Patamon: Takeru, it doesn't work after all. I'm back to normal. Takeru: It was worth a try.
I'm honestly not sure why it doesn't work. It's been well-established that the Dark Towers suppress evolving but evolved Digimon retain their form when they enter the Tower's domain. We saw Birdramon, Greymon, and Garurumon taking down Dark Towers as recently as the opening minutes of this episode.
Between this and Jou's episode, the mechanics of the Dark Towers seem wildly inconsistent.
In the dub:
(Angemon flies towards Guardromon) Guardromon: INTRUDER. Angemon: ANGEL ROD!!! Guardromon: INTRU-- (struck) --DERRRRRRrrrrrrrr... (shuts down) Angemon: I nailed it. (The team breaks in, but Patamon regresses) Patamon: You know, those Control Spires really ruin my day. T.K.: You did great, Patamon.
Angemon calls his rod throw as an attack.
Again, this is really good. I love the effect on the Guardromon getting hit halfway through speaking and verbally breaking down.
Once inside, Daisuke has questions. Serious questions.
Daisuke: Just now, Angemon... Patamon can also evolve like Agumon? Takeru: Of course, as long as there isn't a Dark Tower around. Daisuke: Then that means... Hikari-chan's Tailmon also.... Patamon: She becomes Angewomon! Daisuke: Eh!? Angemon and Angewomon!? Patamon: Yeah! We're a perfect match, right, Takeru? Takeru: (noncommittal) Ehehehe....
Predictably, that remark from Patamon triggers Daisuke, who whirls around on V-mon.
Daisuke: V-MON!!! V-mon: Wha!? Daisuke: Then you need to become UltraAngemon! V-mon: Ehhhhhhhh!?
Daisuke picks up V-mon and shakes him.
Daisuke: Do it! You have to do it! DO IT WITH ALL OF YOUR WILL!!! V-mon: Y-You're out of your mind!
Watching Daisuke melt down like this, Takeru admonishes Patamon for what he said.
Takeru: (to Patamon) Don't tease him like that! Patamon: (shit-eating grin) Ehehehehehe!
Patamon regrets nothing. Poor Takeru. This is not productive.
Though it's certainly clear by this moment that it isn't just Hikari; Takeru and Patamon have also picked up on the source of Daisuke's hostility towards Takeru. Daisuke is extremely obvious about his unrequited crush and everybody knows.
In the dub:
Davis: So, besides Armor Digivolving, Patamon can Digivolve to Angemon? What about Gatomon? T.K.: Well, she can Digivolve to Angewomon. Davis: You're kidding me! Angemon and Angewomon!? Patamon: That's right! We make a great team. Davis: One question: Is there an AngeBabymon too? Patamon: (to T.K.) Sometimes he says the weirdest things. T.K.: Ahahahaha. Davis: RRRRRRRGH!!! VEEMON!!! Veemon: Huh? Davis: Tell me right now if you can Digivolve into AngeSomething too! Veemon: Uhhhhhhhh... (Davis picks up Veemon and shakes him) Davis: AngeDinosaurmon! AngeSoccerPlayermon! Veemon: I just don't have it in me! T.K.: (to Patamon) He's still got a lot to learn. Patamon: Ahaha!
So here we have the opposite problem from the desert scene earlier, when T.K. was being dragged through Davis's muck. They speed through the Gatomon part early so they can skip right to having fun at Davis's expense. In the process, they also remove the part where Patamon deliberately provokes him and sets him off.
Davis loses it of his own accord while T.K. and Patamon privately chitchat about how weird and childish he is.
At the Motomiya home, Jun answers the door for Yamato.
Yamato: So you see, Daisuke-kun is still playing over at my little brother's place. Jun: ^_^ Ehehehehe.... Yamato: What? Jun: You're lying, huh? Yamato: O_O Jun: Your lies are painted on your face, Yamato-kun. Yamato: O_O (frozen) Jun: It's fine, I'll relay your message. And in exchange, you'll take me on a date, okay? (Jun goes back inside) Yamato: D...date...!?
Dub's over there dunking on Davis but I need to point out that this is way worse than anything Daisuke's ever done. Jun is extorting Yamato into going out.
We made a terrible mistake. Should have sent Taichi. He bullshits seamlessly and he's undesirable so this would have gone much smoother.
In the dub:
Matt: So anyway, Davis is over at my brother's house and so he probably won't be home until a little later on. Jun: ^_^ Ehehehehe.... Matt: What? Jun: You're lying. Matt: O_O Jun: I can tell when people are lying 'cause they usually start blinking a lot. Matt: O_O Wha--but--ahaha-- Jun: I promise not to tell my parents you were lying if you promise to go out on a date with me. Okay? See you Friday at eight. (Jun goes back inside) Matt: ...how did that happen!?
Dub Jun's more proactive than her Japanese counterpart and sets an exact time for Matt to pick her up, while the original leaves it up to him to figure out the details.
Over at the school, Miyako's holding down the fort with Upamon and Poromon. She and the Digimon are munching on the snacks she brought from I-Mart.
Poromon's sucking down some ChuChu Jelly, but he's still unhappy about last episode.
Poromon: This is not kanpyoumaki! Miyako: Don't be picky.
Poor Poromon.
Iori returns, having gone to meet Taichi outside and smuggle him in.
Iori: Yagami-san is here. Taichi: Sorry to keep you waiting.
Cut to the Digimon Kaiser's Control Room, where an awfully familiar silhouette appears onscreen. The Perfect Digimon he's taking for a test drive.
Andromon: Did you call for me, Digimon Kaiser-sama?
And that is an ominous spot to take a commercial break!
In the dub:
Poromon: How come he gets more candy than I do!? Yolei: Stop complaining; There's plenty more. (Cody arrives with Tai) Cody: I brought some reinforcements! Tai: Let's get to work! (Meanwhile, in the Emperor's command center) Andromon: You summoned me, Your Highness? Wormmon: Please hold for the Digimon Emperor. Line 1 for you, sir.
I'm not sure why they didn't let Poromon still be upset about his sushi. That did happen last episode. Maybe they figured kids wouldn't remember well enough to get the reference.
The dub also takes its second commercial break here. It's a good spot for it.
We come straight back from commercial to a dual Armor Evolution sequence.
Daisuke & Takeru: DIGIMENTAL UP!!!
Fladramon: KNUCKLE FIRE!!!
While Takeru and Pegasmon soar above the Guardromon units with ease, Fladramon is forced to blaze open a path for Daisuke on foot. His Fire Knuckle neutralizes the Evil Rings on two Guardromon units, who he clears with a leap.
Fladramon: DAISUKE, HURRY!!! Daisuke: (panting) Easy for you to say!
Come on, Daisuke! Put those soccer legs to work! You know how much long-distance sprinting we had to do back on Server Continent? BACK IN MAH DAY--
For his part, Takeru uses his Digivice to track Hikari's.
Takeru: She's close!
In the dub:
Flamedramon: FIRE ROCKET!!! (Flamedramon takes out two Guardromon and hurdles them) Flamedramon: DAVIS, OVER HERE!!! Davis: I can't jump as high as you can! (T.K. follows his Digivice) T.K.: I'm getting Kari's signal! We're close!
Solid.
This whole city sprint thing isn't workout out for Daisuke and Fladramon, so they decide to try something new.
Fladramon picks up Daisuke with his left arm.
Fladramon: Hang on tight. Daisuke: Yeah!
With Daisuke very loosely secured, Fladramon bounds to the roof of a building, then hops through the city.
Daisuke: (quietly) Ahhhhhhhh! ...huh?
At the height of Fladramon's jump, Daisuke briefly spots Nefertimon flying through a nearby street.
Daisuke: There! It's Hikari-chan!
And not a moment too soon. A glancing shot from a Destruction Grenade knocks Nefertimon out of the air, sending her and Hikari tumbling into the street below. They land hard, throwing Hikari from the force of impact before Tailmon's stamina well bottoms out and she loses her form.
In the dub:
Flamedramon: You ready to jump a little higher? Davis: (reluctant) Well.... (Flamedramon jumps) Davis: --WAUGH!!! (Flamedramon bounds above the city) Davis: AHHHHHHHHHHH--huh? (Davis spots Nefertimon) Kari: Boy, am I glad to see you! Guardromon: GRENADE DESTROYER!!! (Guardromon shoot Kari down. Gatomon loses form) Guardromon: INTRUDER. DESTROY. Gatomon: (hiss)
XD Davis having second thoughts got me.
For some reason, they have Kari notice Davis too, despite facing the opposite direction far below him. This doesn't affect anything, though. It's a harmless change. Just odd.
Despite their crash landing, Hikari and Tailmon still manage to pick themselves up as best they can with what little strength they have. They grit their teeth and face down the enemy's advance.
Pegasmon: SILVER BLAZE!!! Fladramon: KNUCKLE FIRE!!!
That's a new one from Pegasmon. Silver Blaze is a triangular beam he fires from a triangle mark on his helmet. Fladramon's using an oldie but a goodie, but he goes far enough to punch his Knuckle Fire directly into Guardromon's Evil Ring himself.
Hikari: Daisuke-kun! Takeru-kun! You came back for me! Daisuke: Hehe, did you hear that, Takeru? She said 'Daisuke-kun' first! Takeru: ^_^;; Good for you.
Takeru's line here is a little ambiguous. His face is all smiles but his delivery is strained and quiet. Is Takeru a little exasperated by Daisuke's Daisuke-ness that's been on full display all episode, or is he actually jealous about that? You decide.
While Daisuke hurries on ahead, Takeru spots a flanking Guardromon coming down a side alley. He peels off to take care of that.
Pegasmon: NEEDLE RAIN!!!
While Takeru and Pegasmon are dealing with that, Daisuke and Fladramon get Hikari on her feet.
Daisuke: Come on, Hikari-chan! Hurry!
In the dub:
Pegasusmon: EQUUS BEAM!!! Flamedramon: FIRE ROCKET!!! (Pegasusmon and Flamedramon neutralize the enemy) Kari: Hey, Davis! T.K.! You guys are my heroes! Davis: Actually, it was mostly my idea but I decided to bring T.K. along for the ride! T.K.: Whatever! ...huh!? (T.K. peels off to deal with that flanking Guardromon) Pegasusmon: STAR SHOWER!!! (Pegasusmon takes out the enemy while Davis gets Kari on her feet) Davis: Come on, Kari, we'd better get going!
I don't think we're meant to take Davis's line here as him literally trying to take all the credit. Since the animation has him looking up at T.K. as he says it, it comes off more as a playful ribbing to T.K., conveying that they may be getting along better.
Ironically, as the lyrics to Break Up end on "It's time to go!", Daisuke and Hikari find their path blocked. Andromon steps out into the road ahead of them. An Evil Ring is fixed around his neck, though it blends in pretty well with his color palette.
Daisuke: It's a different one this time! Hikari: (excited) Andromon!
For his third rundown in two series, Andromon is a Perfect-stage Vaccine-attribute Cyborg Digimon. The Chosen Children minus Hikari first met him on File Island, in ironically similar situations to where they are now. Then, he was in charge of a machine factory but he was under the control of Devimon's Black Gear.
They met him again, with Hikari, on Spiral Mountain. Andromon was leading a solo resistance against the Metal Empire. He ended up signing on with Taichi's team to see things through to the end.
And now here he is, fixed with an Evil Ring around his neck. It seems that it's Andromon's curse to always be wherever evil seeks to dominate the machines of the Digital World.
Narrator: Andromon! An experimental Perfect-stage cyborg Digimon. They use their arms to fire their special attack, Spiral Sword!
Pretty sparse rundown. I guess the narrator's getting bored of having to go back and talk about this guy again.
As the rundown ends, Hikari's excitement evaporates. She sees the Evil Ring around Andromon's neck.
Hikari: (gasp) ...Andromon.... Andromon: On order of the Kaiser-sama: The Chosen Children must be eliminated. Hikari: STOP IT, ANDROMON!!! Don't you recognize us!? Daisuke: What are you talking about, Hikari-chan!? Fladramon, clear the path! Fladramon: On it. FIRE ROCKET!!!
We don't know how Armor Digimon measure up to Perfect but we are about to find out. Fladramon takes to the air, using the actual Fire Rocket that the dub's been misusing the name of. Wreathing his body in flames, he shoots down towards Andromon.
Andromon: SPIRAL SWORD!!!
Fladramon goes down in one shot. Spiral Sword breaks through Fire Rocket and slams into Fladramon's face with so much force that it breaks his Armor form. The Digimental of Courage returns to Daisuke while V-mon plummets helplessly into the street below, landing on the back of his head.
Daisuke: V-MON!!! (Daisuke runs to V-mon) Daisuke: Hey, hang in there! V-mon: (pained) I've never seen such a powerful attack before....
Indeed, he has not.
In the dub:
Davis: Why can't these guys ever be small!? Kari: (excited gasp) ANDROMON!!! Andromon: (rundown) I am Andromon! I have one mission: Seek out my enemy and destroy him with my Lightning Blade. Kari: Huh!? He's got a Dark Ring! Andromon...? Andromon: I am programmed to destroy the enemy. You are the enemy. I will destroy you. Kari: Andromon, don't you remember us? We're your friends! Davis: Kari, you're hanging around with the wrong people. Flamedramon, you'll have to use all your power! Flamedramon: You got it! FLAMING FIST!!! Andromon: LIGHTNING BLADE!!! (Andromon knocks Veemon out of form) Davis: Whah!? (Davis runs to Veemon) Davis: Veemon, speak to me! Veemon: (pained) You're kneeling on my tail....
Knuckle Fire is Fire Rocket while Fire Rocket is Flaming Fist. That makes sense.
I like that Kari's transition from exuberance to dismay seems to have been prompted by Andromon's diegetic rundown. Like hearing him say that was her first clue that something's wrong. Since characters are explaining the rundowns in-universe, it's fun when other characters react to them.
I think "You'll have to use all your power" is supposed to explain why Veemon lost his Armor form after being his attack was deflected. In the original, Andromon just hit him that hard. Fladramon ran face-first into the brick wall of Evolutionary Power Levels.
This is the File Island factory all over again, with Andromon manhandling Greymon and Garurumon simultaneously while the Children watch with WTF printed on their faces.
Like before, when they were dialed back the exhaustion factor, the dub uses that line to tone down how hard Veemon was hit here. They also scrub Veemon's line explaining how powerful Andromon's attack was, swapping it for a laugh line with alternative explanation for why Veemon is in physical pain.
Startled by what just happened, Pegasmon drops off Takeru. Takeru breaks for Daisuke and V-mon while Pegasmon engages the enemy.
Pegasmon: SHOOTING STAR!!!
Pegasmon's wings open to unveil the cosmos, and he launches a set of star-shaped projectiles from them. Very cool, but also kind of a spray-and-pray. Only one star actually reaches Andromon, who effortlessly blocks it with one arm.
Andromon: SPIRAL SWORD!!!
Pegasmon won't be defeated so easily as Fladramon. He flits down and to the side, evading Andromon's attack and--
Pegasmon: GACK!!!
The arcing blade curves around in midair and strikes him in the back. Pegasmon is defeated as easily as Fladramon. We don't see the moment of impact, but the Digimental of Hope returns to Takeru's pocket while Patamon falls helplessly into Takeru's arms.
Patamon: (defeated) I knew Perfect-stage would be too strong.... Daisuke: Perfect-stage!? The hell is that!?
Daisuke doesn't get an answer because Hikari chooses now to roll a Charisma check instead.
Hikari: Andromon, have you forgotten that we fought together? Takeru: Hikari-chan, we don't even know if this is the same Andromon from back then! Hikari: I know they are. Takeru: Even so, they're being controlled by that Ring. Your voice won't reach them. Hikari: You're wrong!
Hikari's pinning a lot of trust on an avenue that has, up to this point, shown no sign that it could work and every sign that it would not. But she wouldn't be queen of the Numemon or have found her Tailmon partner if she made cynical choices.
In the dub:
Pegasusmon: STAR SHOWER!!! (Andromon blocks) Andromon: LIGHTNING BLADE!!! (Lightning Blade KOs Pegasmon) Patamon: (delirious) I'll have two cheeseburgers and a large order of fries.... Davis: That didn't work, so what now!? Kari: Andromon, don't you remember how we fought together? Side by side? T.K.: Kari, we have to get out of here! We don't even know if it's the same Andromon! Kari: I'm sure that it's him! T.K.: Yeah, but even if it is, he's under the control of the Digimon Emperor. He can't even hear your voice! Kari: You don't know that!
Patamon gets the opposite treatment as Veemon, being knocked loopy in cartoon fashion. If they could edit little flying pigs circling his head, they probably would.
This, for the third time, serves to scrub out all mention of "HIM" being in a different weight class from all the Digimon we've seen so far in 02. The dub seems determined to avoid that topic, leaving it unclear why he's tearing through our boys so effortlessly.
Before Takeru and Hikari can argue any further, Daisuke gets in the middle of it.
Daisuke: What are you doing!? We have to run!
As he approaches, Andromon's scanner notices the goggles on Daisuke's head. His database pulls up an image of Taichi to compare. It concludes "SAME ITEM". Andromon suddenly stops, hesitating to go any further.
Tailmon: NOW!!!
Patamon, Veemon, and Tailmon lunge for Andromon together. He makes no attempt to defend himself. The moment before they reach him, a red beam from the sky strikes him in the chest, knocking him off his feet. The other Digimon pile on top of him, helping gravity to bring him down.
Veemon & Patamon: WE GOT HIM!!! Tailmon: That beam just now....
Only Tailmon was paying attention. She looks to the sky to find the source of that shot: Horusmon flying in to the rescue.
Horusmon: FLAPPING LOVE, HORUSMON!!! Digmon: TADAAAAAAA!!!
Digmon erupts from the earth nearby.
Digmon: With full belly and full power, it's Digmon-sama dagyaa! Here we go! GOLD RUSH!!!
Full of arrogance, Digmon fires off all drills. While Andromon stands up, Digmon's drills bounce so harmlessly off Andromon's metal hide that he doesn't even flinch.
Digmon: Gyehhhh... No effect at all!
Andromon's power ruined Digmon's cool entrance. XD This is karma for the kanpyoumaki.
In the dub:
Davis: As much as I like you two arguing, he's heading right for us! (Andromon notices Davis's goggles and hesitates) Gatomon: LET'S GO!!! (Halsemon's shot and the Digimon's tackle knocks Andromon off his feet) Veemon & Patamon: Yeah! Gatomon: Here comes help now! Halsemon: (soaring in) I'm glad we're not too late. Digmon: Hi, guys! I thought since I was here, I'd build this city a subway system! Hold still, you pile of scrap metal! GOLD RUSH!!! (No effect) Digmon: Hey, that comment about scrap metal was just a joke!
Digmon is too busy quipping for the tragic showmanship of his Japanese counterpart.
Taichi and Iori come running up the street.
Taichi: HIKARI!!! ARE YOU OKAY!?!? Hikari: Onii-chan, it's Andromon!
On Taichi's approach, Andromon begins scanning him too.
Taichi: Andromon, it's me! It's Taichi! Andromon: (hesitant) ...Taichi....
His scanner pulls Taichi's image out of his databank once more and compares, before concluding "SAME HUMAN".
Suddenly, the Evil Ring around Andromon's neck activate blips. The sigils carved in it pulse red for a second, with an audible beeping sound, and the Ring crackles with electricity. Andromon cries out in pain and marches forward, swinging his arms.
Taichi scurries away from the attacking Andromon but Hikari stands her ground. He stops when he reaches her, staring her down, and Hikari stares him down right back.
Hikari: ... Andromon: ...
For the next ten seconds, Hikari and Andromon remain in a silent deadlock.
In the dub:
Tai: Kari! Are you okay! Kari: Yeah! But Tai, it's Andromon! (Andromon scans Tai) Tai: Andromon! Slow down! It's me, Tai! Andromon: Tai who? (Scanner matches Tai) Andromon: Oh, Tai! (Dark Ring activates and makes Andromon attack) Davis: KARI, LOOK OUT!!!
Thanks, Davis. Tai/chi rolled a 1 on his Onii-chan Save when he scurried away and left Hi/Kari right in the path of violence. But at least his kouhai Davis was watching out for her. From a safe distance.
The Crest of Courage!
(In seriousness, it's kind of amazing how we have three separate people ready and willing to throw themselves recklessly into danger to protect Hikari on-hand right at this moment. And yet, not one of them even tries to physically move her away from Andromon for this entire scene, with Taichi even leaving her behind when he flees Andromon's attack.
Hikari's putting off an impenetrable aura of "MY GODDAMN SCENE, ASSHOLES" that even Courage must yield to.)
Though they give Davis that one extra line, the dub lets those tense ten seconds of silence pass uninterrupted.
Andromon finally breaks the stalemate, grabbing Hikari by her shoulders and lifting her up.
Taichi: HIKARI!!! Tailmon: WAIT!!!
The second Hikari's feet leave the ground, everyone tries to jump in. Taichi, Daisuke, Takeru, and even Iori all move at once, surging towards Andromon. But Tailmon's warning cuts them off. She wants to let this play out.
With the gentle tones of the original OVA theme playing out, Hikari keeps staring into Andromon's eyes.
Hikari: Andromon? Andromon: ...Hikari...?
Andromon's scanner finds her image too.
Hikari: (teary-eyed) We took a picture together, didn't we?
A tear falls from Hikari's eye, landing on Andromon's face. In that moment, the rest of the image he's been drawing up appears around Taichi and Hikari. Though blurry and pixelized, it's unmistakably the vague impression of that photo they took on the Children's last day in the Digital World.
Andromon: A picture....
In the dub:
Boys: Huh!? Gatomon: Hey, you put her down now! Kari: Do you remember me? Andromon: I am... trying.... (Scanner matches Kari) Andromon: Yes! Kari: (teary-eyed) We all took a picture together Andromon: ...a picture....
The dub has Gatomon yell at Andromon instead of stopping the boys. This change disrupts the action of the scene. We see them rush for Andromon and then... nothing comes of it and we move right along to Kari's emotional moment.
What happened to the boys? Why aren't they trying to intervene, when we saw them doing that a second ago?
Andromon's close to breaking free, but he needs one more push. Hikari's Digivice falls from her pocket. Glowing with holy light, it hits his shoulder as it falls and breaks the dam.
Andromon: That's right... We all... took a commemorative photo....
Piece by piece, the photo in his memory fills in. Despite the Evil Ring, Andromon remembers.
Andromon: ...I've been under the control of this thing.
Now fully in control of his faculties again, Andromon reaches up and breaks off his own Evil Ring.
Hikari: (happy) Andromon! Andromon: (nods)
In the dub:
Andromon: Faces... long ago... DigiDestined... I love jigsaw puzzles... Now I see the complete picture! (Andromon returns to normal) Andromon: Kari! I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused. (Andromon breaks off his own Dark Ring) Kari: (happy) Andromon! Andromon: (nods) Mhm!
Every time I feel like there isn't enough dialogue for a section, we get a line like "I love jigsaw puzzles". Abridged Parody-ass line awkwardly undercutting the emotional moment with quipping.
Andromon is free, but the city isn't. He turns his fury on the Kaiser's obelisk.
Andromon: Dark Tower... How dare you do this to us!? GATLING MISSILE!!!
Once more demonstrating the difference between Perfect strength and our own, Andromon's Gatling Missile rips the Tower apart in a single shot. His missiles impact the center, not only snapping off the upper portion but knocking over the lower section from the force of impact. The Tower crumbles beneath Andromon's power as easily as Fladramon and Pegasmon did.
With the signal to their Evil Rings lost, all Guardromon units in the city shut down.
Hikari: Hey... Are the Guardromon going to stay broken like this? Isn't there a way to return them to normal? Andromon: They're fine. We just need to restore the programming that the Evil Ring altered. Then they'll revert to normal.
Andromon demonstrates, first punching off the now useless Evil Ring from a Guardromon, then reaching his cables inside to reconfigure the unit.
Andromon: And then we will never allow the Kaiser to have his way here again. We will protect this city.
Andromon finishes with this unit. The Guardromon springs back to consciousness, raising their fists in jubilation at being free.
In the dub:
Andromon: That Control Spire is responsible for all this. Well, no more! GATLING ATTACK!!! (Andromon easily annihilates the Dark Tower) Kari: Andromon, are all of these Guardromon going to stay broken forever? Andromon: No. Their programs were rewritten by the Digimon Emperor. They just need to be reprogrammed. Watch. (Andromon punches off a Dark Ring and reprograms a Guardromon) Andromon: Actually, once I reprogram the Guardromon, I'll stay here to protect them in case the Digimon Emperor returns. (Andromon finishes) Guardromon: I feel fresh as a daisy!
The dub takes its third commercial break here, with that proclamation.
Dub Andromon doesn't seem quite as outraged as his counterpart, but this is nonetheless pretty close to original.
The Chosen Children return to Computer Club, only to find an angry Koushiro waiting for them.
Miyako: Izumi-senpai!? What are you doing here!? Koushiro: Shh! be quiet!
Koushiro and Taichi escort the junior team out of the building. When they reach the gate, Taichi checks to make sure it's clear before they all emerge into the night.
Koushiro: (increasingly angry) Yamato-san told me what was happening. I checked the Gate Sensor on my computer, where I saw that the Gate was, in fact, still open! And if a teacher came in and shut off the power, WHAT WOULD ANY OF YOU HAVE DONE THEN!?!?
Been screwed. They would have been screwed. None of them have an answer, and they all look sheepish as they follow. Except Hikari, who is offscreen during this scolding because she didn't make the reckless choice send the full team in and hold no one back.
Taichi: Heeeeey, I think that's enough. Really, you just wanted to go too, huh? Koushiro: TAICHI-SAN!!!
That isn't technically a no, but no, I think Taichi missed the mark. I think Koushiro is mad for exactly the reason he's explaining here. This poor neurodivergent boy had to trespass in a dark computer room after-hours and babysit the computer for what might have been up to an hour or two. I'd be furious too.
In the dub:
Davis: Come on, guys! Let's go home! (Reality-crossing stock animation) Tai: Izzy, were you waiting this whole time!? (long pause) Izzy: Shh. Let's go.
There's an awkward silence where Miyako's supposed to speak, but one that makes sense. They forgot to animate lip flaps for Miyako during her line. I guess the dub decided not to have anyone speak when everyone's mouths are onscreen and nobody's lips are moving so that it doesn't look like an obvious mistake.
Instead, they move the line and have it spoken during the preceding shot, which is a closeup of Koushiro's angry face, freeing up other characters for dialogue.
This leaves a couple seconds of dead air where Miyako's line is supposed to go, in which nobody moves or says anything at all. Which is awkward but entirely the fault of the original scene for not animating Miyako's lip flaps.
Why they gave her line to Tai, however, I have no answer for.
Izzy: Matt just called and told me what had happened with Kari. And I'm really upset that you guys have left me out of the loop! Cody called Tai for help and Tai called Matt, but no one ever calls me until the adventure is all over with! Tai: Come on, Izzy. Don't be like that. There was just no time to call you. You know you're a big part of the team. Izzy: THAT'S RIGHT!!!
The dub takes Taichi's alternate explanation and runs with it. Izzy is furiously jealous to such an irrational extreme that he self-defeats his own argument.
Like. We have to briefly mention the fact that Tai did not call Matt. It's not clear how Matt found out but his conversation with Tai established two things: That Matt just sorta heard about this through the grapevine somehow but was under no expectation of participating, and that he did not hear it from Tai.
But setting that aside, Izzy makes three statements here:
1 - Matt called and told me. 2 - I've been excluded from the group. 3 - Because Cody called Tai and Tai called Matt but no one called me.
Um. Izzy, what the fuck are you on about? Sounds like you were the next person in the chain. If anyone's derelict in their communication duty, it's you for not passing it along to... Sora or Joe, I guess.
Incidentally, this alternate version of Izzy's anger makes the shot of the junior team looking embarrassed and ashamed super confusing. What are they ashamed of? They did nothing wrong here. Tai and Izzy are just... having a spat, I guess.
Suddenly, Koushiro remembers he had something else to talk to the team about.
[Pic]
Koushiro: Right. Earlier, I got an email from a friend of mine in America. I'd asked them to analyze the data from Miyako-kun's Digivice. The results are in. Taichi: A friend in America? Koushiro: They've helped me a lot in the past. Taichi: Ahh, I remember!
IT'S WILLIS
This feels like it's supposed to be a callback to Our War Game but, ironically, the only time an American friend was pivotal to the plot was in the dub. So far as I know, this American friend that Taichi also knows is never extrapolated on.
It can probably be assumed that they're part of Koushiro's hacking nakama from that OVA.
Koushiro: So, about Miyako-kun and the others' Digivices. (Each of them takes out their Digivices to look at them) Koushiro: It said, "Digital", "Detect", and "Discover". These words were found inscribed within the data. Because all three of them begin with the letter "D", we'll refer to them as D-3 going forward. We've also found some other interesting things, such as-- Chibimon: (stomach gurgle) I'm hungry, Daisuke! Daisuke: (stomach gurgle) Ah! (sheepish) Me too.... Taichi: Koushiro, we can talk about this tomorrow. We all desperately need to get home soon. It's way past dinner time! Group: AHHHHHHH!!!
The group disperses and runs for it. Every child for themselves!
In the dub, Izzy's still ranting about being excluded.
Izzy: And as a team member, I expect to be treated with the same respect I give to all of you! I may not be as strong as you or Matt, but I've gotten us out of just as many jams with my particular skills! Tai: (resigned) I'm sorry I didn't call you. Izzy: Now that's what I call respect. Okay, I forgive you. Tai: Wow, that was easy!
This fills the space where the discussion of Koushiro's mysterious American friend goes. Kind of a shame because we're about a month out from the release of Digimon: The Movie so this would have been a golden opportunity to shill Willis and whet the audience's appetite. XD
Izzy: Oh, I almost forgot the reason I came here. I examined the new Digivices-- (Everyone takes out their Digivice) Izzy: --and determined that they have three different settings: Digital, Detect, and Discover. Maybe we should call them D-3s from now on. Prodigious little devices, aren't they? I had a lot of help with the research from my friend Willis in America. Maybe you guys will meet him some day.
NEVER MIND, THERE IT IS
Good job, Dub Team. No marketer worth their salt would ever let a golden opportunity like this pass them up.
Izzy: Anyway, I think the D-3s might have sent a message to Andromon's memory banks which then made him--AUGH!!! DemiVeemon: Please finish talking after we eat! Davis: HUH!? Ugh, we forgot about dinner! Tai: That's right! Our parents are waiting for us! The food's probably cold and soggy by now. Of course, for my mom, that's an improvement. Let's go!
The curse of the missing sound effects strikes again. Nobody's stomachs rumble, which leaves Izzy suddenly reacting to nothing in particular. DemiVeemon's line at least flows into Davis's without the gurgle. There is a sound for him, but it's a wacky spring sound to signal his distressing realization.
Fortunately, they still managed to make Izzy shut up about whatever he's wrong about now. XD No, Izzy, the D-3s did not "send a message to Andromon's memory banks".
Meanwhile, poor Yamato is already home and desperately trying to finish that dinner he promised.
Hiroaki: You're awfully late today, Yamato. If I'd known, I could have gotten something while I was out. Yamato: It's fine. I'll get it made.
The nagging won't get it cooked any faster, Hiroaki. I'm starting to understand why you're divorced.
Hiroaki: Oh, did something happen? Yamato: (fuming, thinking) I have to go on a date! Daisuke, you owe me big for this one. (Smoke begins to rise from the pan while Yamato's not paying attention) Hiroaki: Hey, Yamato! Something's burning.... Yamato: (snaps out of it) Huh!? Oh, crap!
Never mind, Hiroaki. Nag away. You lose the high ground when you set the apartment on fire.
Across town, Ken's mother wheels Ken's dinner to his room on a fucking cart.
Mother: Ken-chan? I'm leaving your dinner here.
As if this is simply routine, she leaves the cart outside Ken's door and leaves.
Inside Ken's room, he's already returned from the Digital World. He sits in the dark, illuminated only by the glow of his monitor, and stews.
Ken: So then, to control them at Perfect-stage... Does this mean the Evil Ring is insufficient?
We leave the episode here, with Ken pondering the results of this recent trial run. I'm sure good things will come of this.
In the dub:
Hiroaki: Some girl named Jun called today, Matt, and she said you had a date with her on Friday. She wanted me to tell you that she made dinner reservations for you two at Morealis (???). Matt: Morealis? What's that? Hiroaki: The most expensive restaurant in town. Matt: (fuming, thinking) This is all Davis's fault. I can't believe I have to take his sister out on a date! Hiroaki: Hey Matt, something smells great! I'm getting hungry? Matt: (snaps out of it) Huh!? Uagh... dinner's ready!?
Dub Jun is incredibly proactive. Holy shit, she is milking this for all it's worth.
The dub leaves the audience to infer the state of dinner, based both on the massive amounts of smoke and Matt's horrified reaction. XD
Ken's Mother: Supper time! Ken, dear! You're busy. I'll leave it outside your door! (Ken's mom leaves the cart; Cut to interior) Ken: Blast, those Digivices are becoming a nuisance to me! I've gotta get them away from those kids! Narrator: What is the Digimon Emperor's plot against the DigiDestined? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!
And we close the dub with one last scrubbing of all mention of Perfect-stage Digimon.
Implicitly agreeing with Izzy that the D-3 was responsible for the Andromon incident, Dub Ken schemes to strip the DigiDestined of their Digivices. That's not what's driving the plot forward though so we'll see if that gets followed up on or not.
Also, his mom is much more upbeat and positive about the cart thing. In contrast to Japanese Mama, she makes it sound like she's actually expecting Ken to come out at first.
Assessment: Okay. So. I need to go off about this.
The fun thing about the triangle dynamic between Daisuke, Takeru, and Hikari is that Takeru and Hikari have a close friendship but not one that is necessarily romantic. Though one that absolutely could be romantic, and the creators are not shy about teasing them as a ship. See above, re: Takeru's hand in shippy places in the back of that one shot.
But while certain other pairings absolutely do close off into canon coupling, Takeru and Hikari remain ambiguous, and that makes the dynamic with Daisuke so much more interesting. Daisuke is jealous of the close bond Takeru and Hikari have right from the start, but misdiagnoses it as Takeru and Hikari coupling up.
While we, the audience, know exactly what it is. Whether or not there are romantic feelings involved is irrelevant. What Daisuke's jealous of is Takeru and Hikari's bond of shared experiences that no one their age could possibly understand or relate to. They went to war together. They dangled from that rope over Piemon's observatory together.
Hikari is not interested in Daisuke romantically. But that disinterest is unrelated to whatever feelings she may or may not have for Takeru. Whether she does or doesn't, she doesn't need to have feelings for Takeru to not want to go out with Daisuke.
Daisuke declared Takeru to be his love rival on day 1, to Takeru's eternal confusion. Daisuke thinks this is a love triangle. But what's really going on here is that Daisuke is shadow-boxing Hikari and Takeru's fire-forged bond of mutual trauma. And losing.
This episode really emphasizes how much of a rookie Daisuke is. Both in terms of his understanding of Digimon metaphysics and also with the core dynamics of the Chosen Children nakama. He is very much The New Guy, a position he chafes at.
Nonetheless, despite spending a decent chunk of it on Takeru and Daisuke, this episode is about neither of them. It's about Hikari and, specifically, how much she means to the people in her life due to her strength of will and force of personality.
It's a combination of factors that make the Evil Ring break down.
Perfect-stage Digimon are too powerful to reliably be controlled.
Hikari weaponizing her relationship with Andromon to compel him to resist.
Hikari's intrinsic holy light, channeled through her Digivice, doing what it used to do to Black Gears.
All three of these factors together resulted in Andromon's unprecedented moment of willfully breaking free from the Kaiser's control device.
This was only possible because Andromon is Perfect, but this was Hikari's victory.
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Enhypen - the glory (part 5)
summary; after rejecting one of the most popular boys at your new school, you soon realised that you'd done the gravest mistake of your life; these weren't ordinary boys, and now they were set on making your life a living hell - heavily based on the kdrama with the same name
warnings; yandere, bullying, swearing, alcohol, hospital scene, mentions of murder & suicide, affair
genre; yandere
wc; 4.8k
pairing; enha x f.m reader
note; this is more of a chill chapter, we get someone's backstory :D but yeah u won't be as stressed after as the last chapter lmao, also I've changed the narrating a little based on this poll I did, if everyone hates it I will change it lol, but I felt it added a little more flavour ??? to the characters.
masterlist
The sound of the phone hitting the floor echoed in the empty hallway. You backed away, slowly while never taking your eyes off of it; as if it had a camera inside and whoever texted was watching with a grin on their face.
It started ringing, vibrating violently on the floor. You ran up and picked it up, only because you were afraid they were still in the building and could hear it. But when looking down at the screen, you breathed out in relief. It was the number that Soobin had texted with.
‘’ Hello? ‘’
You waited in silence, not wanting to risk revealing anything in case that number wasn’t him either.
‘’ Y/n? ‘’
It was his voice, thankfully.
‘’ Soobin! I think they have my number. I got a text from someone else and I thought it was you. ‘’ you said in a hushed voice, starting to walk towards the entrance while hunched over.
‘’ What? Did you say anything? ‘’
‘’ Not anything that would make them think I was talking to you. But who do I say I thought it was? They will probably ask tomorrow. ‘’
Soobin quietened for a moment.
‘’ Maybe it’s best you don’t come to the academy tomorrow. ‘’
‘’ No, that’s a terrible idea! It will make me look really suspicious. ‘’
‘’ Will you really be able to lie to their faces if you see them though? ‘’
‘’ I have to try at least. But if I don’t succeed, a backup plan? ‘’
You heard him hum on the other side of the line.
‘’ We can use Yeonjun then. ‘’
Your face scrunched up, doubt written all over your face. You were pretty sure he’d reject it, rather rudely, based on him telling you to stay away from his brother the last time the two of you talked.
‘’ Or…Yena. ‘’ you suggested.
‘’ Yena? Who is that? ‘’
‘’ Jungwon’s sister. I’ve met her and she gave the impression of almost hating him. It’s a long shot bu- ‘’
Soobin sassily agreed, ‘’ It definitely is. ‘’
‘’ Backup plans don’t have to be super solid. I’m just gonna bet everything on plan A working out. ‘’
You didn’t have many choices after all. Yena was risky and uncertain, Yeonjun was almost certainly a no and you weren’t sure about Sunoo yet. With no other friends that could be undercover right under the noses of your bullies, all that was left to do was to believe in yourself and be confident; which was definitely a first.
‘’ What do I do if they text again? ‘’
‘’ Pretend like you knew it was them from the beginning. If they question it, say you were…drunk? ‘’
Your loud laugh echoed. ‘’ Soobin, your suggestions suck. ‘’
‘’ Sorry…’’ he mumbled back.
‘’ I might have to resort to that though, if it all goes to shit. ‘’
‘’ I still don't think you should go. ‘’
‘’ My parents want me to get good grades. I can’t lose my scholarship at this prestigious school. ‘’
‘’ But you already went today. Just use an excuse so you don’t have to see them. We can hang out instead, if you want? ‘’
Your phone vibrated again in your hand.
‘’ Hold on, I’m getting another call. I’ll let you know though. ‘’
‘’ Okay, bye! ‘’
You pressed answer on the incoming call after having hung up on Soobin. It was an unknown number again, so mentally you prepared yourself before putting the phone to your ear.
‘’ Hello? ‘’
‘’ Did you guess right? ‘’
The voice sounded familiar, but admittedly it was one of the last people you expected.
‘’ Sunghoon? ‘’
‘’ Well done! ‘’
‘’ How do you have my number? ‘’
‘’ Took your phone while Ni-ki was busy with you in the gym. ‘’
Ah, of course. It would’ve been almost impossible to divide your attention between all seven of them to catch them in the act if they went through your stuff. You were thankful for having changed your settings so you actually had a password now, making sure they couldn’t go through your phone and see Soobin there.
‘’ Do the others have it too? ‘’
‘’ Not yet. ‘’
You weren’t sure what to say next, letting the silence settle. You felt like there was something else, but he was taking his time saying it.
‘’ Oh, right! I forgot about that. ‘’ he shouted out abruptly as if talking to himself.
‘’ Forgot about what? ‘’
‘’ You texted me back, almost like you were waiting for someone to text you. ‘’
You panicked and was forced to come up with a lie on the spot in just a few seconds. Luckily, since he couldn’t see you, it was much easier to lie. Your face didn’t heat up and you didn’t have to maintain eye-contact with basically one of the living lie detectors out of the group.
You were incredibly lucky today. If you were face to face, he’d be able to figure out you were lying very fast.
‘’ Yeah…my cousin just got a phone and said she’d text me today. ‘’
He went quiet for a moment, scaring you. Was he trying to assess your voice because he wasn’t sure if he believed you?
‘’ Are you lying to me, sweetheart? ‘’
You froze but managed to press out an answer through clenched teeth, ‘’ No. ‘’
‘’ Are you sure? I can easily check up on your family, you know that. ‘’
But you had already made up your mind, it would be cruel and very stupid to throw Soobin under the bus now. The only option was doubling-down and lying until your nose turned red.
‘’ Yes. I’m sure. ‘’ you tried to put a little irritation to your tone to make it more believable.
After some time, he ticked his tongue and reluctantly answered,
‘’ Okay. ‘’
You waited with bated breath, for what he’d say next.
‘’ You’re coming tonight, right? ‘’
‘’ Tonight? What’s tonight? ‘’
‘’ Just hanging out. Jungwon’s house. Come over. ‘’
‘’ But- ‘’
Your protest was rudely cut off by the sound of the call ending. Looking down at the phone, a scowl formed on your face and you huffed. Another party? What was wrong with them?
You stood in the corridor, feeling completely dumbfounded. Could you even run away now, no- you glanced down at your arms, remembering what happened last time you did and cursing them for giving you such a permanent reminder.
Taking a deep breath you cautiously made your way to the entrance. Despite him not mentioning anything about the hospital, it was still pretty smart to be on your guard on the way out. Who knew if that girl had texted them as soon as you and Soobin left her room, and they rushed there to ambush you.
But it was fairly quiet when you reached the front desk. If they were hiding, they probably would’ve come out a long time ago, since you were just meters away from the entrance now.
You shrugged off the random burst of paranoia and sprinted to hail a taxi outside. Maybe they would let you go home quite early just like last time. There wasn't much you could bring to the table anyway.
You fished your phone out and texted Soobin, telling him that Sunghoon had called and told you to come to Jungwon's house. It felt a bit unusual. You’d never hung out with them after school up until the day before, when Jay dragged you to the party.
‘’ Miss, we’re here. ‘’
‘’ Thank you. ‘’
You got out and hurried inside as it was still snowing, albeit a lot less than earlier. They were standing in the entrance, all eyes on you when the taxi drove away. The gate stood wide open this time, and the front door was open which gave them a perfect view of the driveway.
‘’ Hey. ‘’ Sunoo smiled at you.
You groaned mentally, whole body screaming for you to turn back around and go home. They didn’t even give you a chance though. As soon as you had put your stuff down, you were dragged by the waist to the living room, where all those people had been last time.
However, this time the couches were empty except for when they started sitting down in them one by one. You shifted uncomfortably, being the only one still standing.
It was obvious that there was no party. No music and no other people, only the alcohol in the red cups was the recurring theme from the day before. Why did they make you come there all alone? You felt anxiety start to brew at the pit of your stomach.
‘’ I-uh…can I use the bathroom? ‘’
It was the oldest trick in the book, but hopefully they had already had so much to drink before you showed up that they wouldn’t think twice about it.
Jake was the only one who answered, with an uninterested grunt. You went right away, in case they would change their minds. Locking yourself into the bathroom you texted soobin.
6:00 pm
You: Soobin? They’ve dragged me to Jungwon’s house.
The phone pinged almost immediately, you panicked and turned off the sound, looking around in the silence to see if they might’ve noticed. Nothing moved around outside and no noises or footsteps got closer.
Next you had to suppress a laugh as you noticed you named him cousin so the others wouldn’t notice anything. Naming him ‘’ baby ‘’ would’ve made all hell break loose if they had just spotted it once.
Cousin: What? Like a party?
You: Not really, I’m the only one here.
Cousin: Can you get away?
You sucked on your lip while thinking. There wasn’t really a way out of this unless you wanted to have more wounds on your body. The whole thing felt like a very annoying headache.
Cousin: Y/n? Hello? Do you need help?
You: No! We have a plan, remember?
Cousin: Sorry :(
You: I’ll text you later
Cousin: I live close by, just run over
You: Will you drive me home? :)
Cousin: ofc!
‘’ Princess? ‘’
You jumped and almost dropped your phone clumsily in the process of getting up from the toilet seat. The phone slipped into your pocket again. You unlocked the door and stepped out, coming face to face with Heeseung.
He only looked at you briefly, then pushed past you to get to the bathroom. You went back to join the others. Sunoo and Ni-ki occupied the only couch that wasn’t full so you went to them.
Sunoo lit up when seeing you and Ni-ki only said something under his breath before moving so you could sit next to him. Sunoo handed you a cup and you poured alcohol in it, downing it almost immediately in a poor attempt to fix your uneasiness.
‘’ Not drinking? ‘’
‘’ Not a fan. ‘’
Ni-ki sounded moody, resting his elbows on his legs so his whole form was slumped over. His head didn’t raise when he talked, indicating he wanted to be left alone. You looked at Sunoo for answers but he just shrugged, mouthing ‘ bad day ‘.
‘’ Do you still box? ‘’
He finally raised his head to give you a very vehement look. ‘’ Yeah. ‘’
Sunoo tried to avoid it when his eyes averted to him, knowing he was looking at him in disbelief over what he had blurted out when he was alone with you. Whistling innocently he looked away and pretended like he was interested in the intense and lively conversation Jake and Jay were having next to him.
Now that Sunoo was turned away from you two, you leaned in a bit closer to Ni-ki, asking what you’d been wondering for a long time.
‘’ Do you even like me? ‘’
He frowned and then looked a bit caught off guard, pulling his hood further up to cover more of his face. ‘’ Yeah? I…think so. ‘’
‘’ But like, as much as the others or…’’ you trailed off.
He glared at you through his bangs which made you close your mouth again, regretting saying anything at all.
‘’ Y/n? ‘’
Sunghoon called you over, patting on the empty seat next to him where presumably Heeseung sat in before. Reluctantly you sat down, glancing at Jake and hoping you wouldn’t catch his attention any time soon, since he was extra bad when intoxicated.
Sunghoon must’ve noticed, his long fingers came up to your jaw, turning your head towards him. You stared into his bleary eyes. He looked very drunk, long gone with his pupils struggling to focus on you. But there was still some tenderness in them.
Sunghoon was slightly anxious. He’d never been alone with you before, and not this close in such an innocent way too; they all acted as a group and stuck together as one, agreeing to not be alone with you for too long.
While leaning his head back on the couch the two of you were sitting on, he turned his head to look at you. It was embarrassing how nervous you made him, as if you were some crush he had in middle school. Just looking at you made his throat close up.
‘’ Do you like this house? ‘’ he randomly blurted out, through slurred speech.
You laughed lightly which made Sunghoon smile widely.
‘’ Yeah, it’s nice. ‘’
He wanted to say more, maybe the way to your heart was to make you laugh. But he didn't get the chance to before Jungwon plopped down on the other side of the couch, next to you.
He didn’t seem at all interested in flirting with you, instead going straight into a rather serious-toned conversation, a dead-pan look on his face.
‘’ Do you know why he invited you here? ‘’
‘’ No. Not really. ‘’ you tilted your head.
‘’ From now on, we want to see you outside of school too. ‘’
You turned to him. ‘’ Why? ‘’
His lips were licked as annoyance flashed across his face, his cold eyes piercing through you. ‘’ Because we said so. ‘’
The alcohol had started to rush to your head already, making your speech a bit slower, vision blurrier but also lips bolder.
‘’ Why are you always so blunt with me? You’re kind of mean. ‘’
He grimaced at your whiny tone and got eye-contact with Sunghoon, who probably knew what his friend was thinking. But he could never really stop Jungwon, since he was the leader after all.
‘’ Because, you’re a brat. ‘’ he calmly said, although his eyes were anything but.
‘’ A brat? ‘’
You stood up and almost stumbled into his lap when the dizziness hit you. Tauntingly, you looked down at him while swinging your cup in one hand.
‘’ You’re the ones who fucking bully me, you piece of shit! ‘’
‘’ Y/n. ‘’ Sunghoon warned, seeing Jungwon’s eyes narow.
‘’ Don’t talk to me like that. ‘’
You groaned and almost ripped your hair out in frustration. His calm exterior always made you feel crazy; it made you look hysteric in comparison, and wrong when you had all the reasons to be acting like that.
‘’ Shut the fuck up! ‘’ you yelled.
He snapped. Standing up so fast you flinched and lost balance, he was there to jerk you towards him with a harsh grip around your wrist. You lost your chance to talk as he hurried to drag you upstairs, Sunghoon running behind.
You get pushed into a bedroom and Sunghoon got the door slammed in his face just as he was a few seconds away from it.
The tension in the room is high. Even though your back was turned to Jungwon, you could almost feel how he seethed of anger, but it was controlled and calculated, he was in control not you.
‘’ Face me. ‘’
You shuddered at his low voice, taking as much time as possible to turn around. The door was locked, who knew what he was going to do to you, away from the eyes of others?
‘’ I’m sorry. ‘’
You finally turned, and immediately your eyes unwillingly welled up with tears. It was the last thing you wanted to happen, but you became that girl in the gym again. Just one look at him and you wanted to cower away, beg for mercy or cry like a helpless child.
You felt like a different person outside of the school. Because when the day was over, so was the torture. Seeing him look like he wanted to tear you apart in a different environment than the bleak walls of the gym reminded you of your grim future; they would torture you in your safe haven now too. It wouldn’t be over as soon as you passed the gates. They demanded you meet them at their houses and text them. What would happen if you answered just one second too late?
Jungwon stared at you wordlessly. He felt his chest swell with pride due to the sadistic nature of the situation. He liked that you were so afraid of him and that he, more than the others could elicit such a strong reaction from you - only a puppeteer could know his toy that well, know exactly what strings to pull for what; and what is that if not love?
You saw his face unmoved by your sniffling, so as a last resort you pathetically went down on your knees, hands clasping together while incoherent pleas left your mouth.
‘’ Please…please- don’t hurt me. ‘’
He crouched and was careful not to show any emotions. ‘’ Say you’re sorry again. ‘’
You looked up at him and he almost became entranced by the look of your teary eyes, glimmering while looking up at him, only him.
‘’ I’m sorry. ‘’
‘’ Good. ‘’ His lips twitched. ‘’ Stand up. ‘’
They tugged upwards momentarily when you obeyed. You kept your head down, scared to provoke him, even by doing the slightest of things.
‘’ I’m gonna give you my number. When I text, answer. When I call, answer. ‘’
He turned his back on you to dig his phone out from a bag thrown on the floor. You got the sudden urge to attack him and then make a run for it, but that wouldn’t lead to anything but short satisfaction.
You recollected yourself in time for him turning back and handing you his phone. When you’re done and he took it back impatiently, he stared at the screen for a while. Then he pressed the number and your phone vibrated.
‘’ Save it. ‘’
You gave a fake smile and nodded. However, seeing as it didn’t seem to satisfy him, you quickly did what he asked on the spot.
‘’ You can go now. ‘’
‘’ Already? I haven’t really talked to the others, and they don’t even have my number except for Sung- ‘’ you pressed your lips shut.
Although it was slowly starting to wear off, the alcohol had made you ramble again and by the look of dissatisfaction on his face, you could tell he wanted you to shut up.
‘’ You don’t need those yet. Am I not doing you a favor? ‘’ he stepped closer, making you automatically back away.
There were only a few meters until you’d back into the wall. You prayed to God that he wouldn’t force you to back into it entirely, so he could creep over you.
‘’ Do you want to be here? ‘’
Your mouth fell open at the horrible accusation. Why would you want to be at the house of one of your bullies, where they all hung around you, taking turns to poke their sticks into your skin to get a reaction?
‘’ No. I’m leaving. ‘’
He didn’t stop you, but you heard the arrogant scoff and saw the smirk when passing by him anyway. Your angry stomping down the stairs caught the attention of the other guys.
‘’ You’re leaving already? ‘’ Jake shouted, hurrying to get up so he could follow you.
Ni-ki and Sunoo watched you curiously, not saying anything.
‘’ You basically just got here. ‘’
He tried to pull you into a hug, which you quickly slipped out of, seeing Jungwon standing at the top of the stairs.
‘’ I said she could go. ‘’
His stern voice made Jake freeze and he moved away from you, giving you a small smile which made you raise your eyebrows awkwardly.
‘’ Bye. ‘’ you mumbled, closing the door behind you.
Well that was…weird?
*******
‘’ I’m here! ‘’
Soobin ran over to greet you, a big grin plastered on his face.
Footsteps approached the hallway and rounding the corner, the owner of them, Yeonjun popped his head out. His smile dropped when seeing you.
‘’ Y/n. ‘’ he said, rather formally.
‘’ Yeonjun. ‘’
Soobin chuckled. ‘’ No need to be so awkward. You’ve met before. ‘’
You took off your shoes and he strolled off in front of you, making you hurry to follow as you didn’t want to be alone with his grumpy older brother.
‘’ Are you okay? ‘’
‘’ Yeah, it wasn’t too bad. ‘’
He looked relieved and started walking further into the house, waving at Yeonjun to come with and ultimately stopping in the living room.
‘’ Maybe we can watch a movie. ‘’
‘’ I’m fine with anything. ‘’ you smiled.
‘’ Is this the part where I leave? ‘’
‘’ Yeonjun! ‘’ Soobin gasped.
His cute attempt at trying to look stern made you snort.
Meanwhile, his older brother threw his head back and groaned in discontent, plopping down on the couch and crossing his arms in protest.
‘’ For how long? ‘’
‘’ I don’t know yet. Don’t be rude. ‘’
Soobin pressed on the control and the large flat TV screen lit up. You almost ticked your tongue and shook your head. Of course he was a Disney nerd.
He turned around, looking childishly excited, and came over to sit down next to you. The movie quite quickly became forgotten, serving as background noise while you and Soobin passionately fought over the snacks.
‘’ I’ll go make you kids some food. ‘’ Yeonjun said, rolling his eyes at the two of you, and leaving you and Soobin alone in the living room.
Soobin craned his neck to check that his older brother had really left before turning to you. There was something he had wanted to tell you for a long time.
‘’ Does he not like me? ‘’
He smiled knowingly and shook his head. ‘’ It’s not that, I promise. ‘’
‘’ Then…did he have a rough childhood or something? ‘’ you sarcastically joked as you didn’t like when people used that as an excuse to be rude.
‘’ Something like that. ‘’
You caught the way his tone sounded borderline uncomfortable so you cleared your throat awkwardly. ‘’ Sorry, I was just joking.
‘’ His friend got bullied when he was in middle school. I’m sure he just feels a bit- well, vulnerable around you. ‘’
You weren’t sure how to respond so you just hummed, it was your turn to feel uncomfortable as Soobin was determined to continue no matter what.
‘’ He really struggled to see him like that. There wasn’t much he could do. When he went to the principal he was shut down, told that it was just ‘ friends playing around ‘. Later he found out their parents were pretty rich though, and at least one of them was a part of the anti-bullying committee. ‘’ Soobin shook his head, sighing while a sour expression overtook his face.
‘’ If he confronted them, they wouldn’t beat him. No, they were different, almost psychos despite being kids. They would bully his friend harder instead, knowing it would push Yeonjun away from him because he wanted to protect his friend. In the end, he was lonely. Everyone he loved watched from a distance, knowing that if they intervened it would get even worse. ‘’
‘’ What happened after they graduated then? Did he never get his justice or revenge? ‘’
Soobin looked away from you, his heart felt heavy.
‘’ No. He never did. ‘’
Silence filled up the living room. Hearing that both made you feel incredibly sorry for Yeonjun and also anxious for your fate. Would it be the same as that boy? Would Soobin have to suffer the same way - by the sidelines watching helplessly just like his brother?
You raised your head, noticing he wasn’t completely finished with his heartbreaking story. He had to hurry because the rummaging in the kitchen had stopped, indicating Yeonjun was on his way back.
‘’ It had a very unhappy ending. Remember when I said I recognized the look in your eyes when you were walking to the rooftop? ‘’
Your heart sunk. ‘’ Yeah…’’
Did you even really want to hear the next part?
‘’ He saw that one night. While walking home from school. So just like I did, he followed his friend to a rooftop. ‘’
‘’ He wasn’t as lucky as you were? ‘’ you filled in when he got quiet again.
He nodded, a somber look on his face.
‘’ But, he didn’t jump though. ‘’
You frowned.
‘’ What? What do you mean? ‘’
‘’ He was pushed. ‘’
This time the silence was deadly, stretching on for several minutes. On the other side of the wall, Yeonjun was leaning against it, a single tear rolling down his cheek.
‘’ Did he get justice?
‘’ No. Of course not. The rich and powerful always get away with it. Yeonjun went to the police station but when they arrived, a bunch of black cars were already there. Took about ten minutes of inspecting before they concluded it was a suicide. ‘’
You felt nauseous.
‘’ Did he…did he see who pushed him? ‘’
‘’ Yeah, it was them of course. The worst out of them all did it, and while they all freaked out, he barely flinched. As a solution, they were transferred to different schools in Seoul and it was swept under the rug. Even if Yeonjun wanted to get revenge, it would be almost impossible to find them. ‘’
‘’ Fuck, that’s heavy. ‘’ you leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling, taking in everything that had been said.
‘’ I think the worst part is that nobody believed him. ‘’ you turned and saw that he was crying now, his knuckles were rubbed due to the rage he felt on the inside.
Breathlessly you watched him. You hadn’t seen Soobin like this yet.
‘’ What do you mean? ‘’ you softly whispered and tried to reach out for him.
He let you take his hand, and you rubbed his knuckles instead, but in a more calming and loving manner.
‘’ Since those fuckers cleaned it up neatly, his parents fought a lot about it. When he told them, crying out and looking for support, his mom didn’t believe him, but his dad did. So they got divorced. Then, his dad met my mom. ‘’
He ruffled his hair and scoffed. ‘’ Turns out his dad didn’t really believe him either after all. One night he got drunk and confessed he had an affair and just wanted a reason for divorce. ‘’
Your other hand wrapped around his shoulder.
‘’ But you believed him. ‘’
Soobin nodded. The endless tears had started to stain his shirt.
‘’ Of course I did. He’s my brother. ‘’ he mumbled, pain coloring his voice.
‘’ Is that…why you were so quick to help me? ‘’
‘’ I thought that if I couldn’t help him then, well…’’
Struggling to find the words, you filled in for him. ‘’ Then you could help others, to prevent it from happening again? ‘’
He grimaced. ‘’ I haven’t been successful so far. People don’t really believe in me. ‘’
You felt his words sting. It hit a little too close to home and you found yourself feeling guilty for doubting him like everyone else had.
‘’ I’m sorry. ‘’
Soobin let out an airy laugh, knowing what you were thinking of.
‘’ Don’t apologize, you let me in the end, didn’t you? ‘’
You smiled shyly. ‘’ Yeah. I guess so. ‘’
He smiled too, warmth spreading all over his face. But it faded quite suddenly as he had to look away. Why was his heart beating so fast?
-
-
I can't tag some of u and idk why tumblr is being a bitch??? does anyone know how I can fix this??)
taglist; @peaceout97, @ayadikreino, @beoms-sugar, @keikeu, @sunghoonnsupremacy, @lilyalone, @roses-and-blue-perennial-salvia, @eunchaesmileyface, @nunugget, @seunns, @nshmrarki, @huening-ly
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TLC (2)
previous
Mishka: I'm sorry.
Nikolai: For what? You haven't done anything wrong.
Mishka: I was trying so hard.
Nikolai: To do what?
Mishka: To... to be brave. To be strong for you and Sasha, and to take care of everything around here while you're working. I don't want to be clingy and needy and... and a whole mess that you have to deal with.
Nikolai: You know I don't see you that way.
Mishka: It's how I feel.
Nikolai: I love you, Mikhail. No matter what, I will never see you as a burden or a mess that I have to deal with. I need you to understand that, okay? When I promised in front of all our family and friends that I'd take care of you, I meant that. In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, remember?
Mishka: Yeah.
Nikolai: You don't need to hide stuff to try and prove how brave and strong you are. It doesn't matter if we're talking about your mental illness or just a summer cold, or anything. If you're not feeling good for whatever reason, I want to know so I can help you.
Mishka: Okay.
Nikolai: So, do you think you can tell me what you need?
Mishka: *tearful* I just... I need you to not be mad. Please.
Nikolai: Sweetheart, don't cry. I'm not mad. It's not your fault, and I'm not upset about it. Things like this happen.
Mishka: But it's happening at the worst time.
Nikolai: No, it isn't. It's not like I'm getting the kids ready for a competition or I need to travel or something. I'm here, and I'll take care of you. Everything'll be fine, I promise.
Mishka: What about the ice show? You have to get ready for that.
Nikolai: I think they can get along without me for one day so I can stay home with my husband. We'll have a nice quiet day, just the two of us, and if you're not feeling better after tomorrow, we'll figure out a new plan.
Mishka: Do we really have to send Sasha to stay with your parents?
Nikolai: We don't have to, but I think that'd be best, don't you? If you are coming down with a cold or the flu, we don't want him to catch it.
Mishka: He's never been away from us overnight before. What if he gets scared? What if... what if he thinks we're leaving him there forever and he'll never see us again?
Nikolai: Look at me for a second. Do you really believe Sasha is going to be worried about that, or is it something you'd worry about?
Mishka: *weeping* I'm sorry.
Nikolai: Shh... It's all right. I've got you.
Mishka: I don't want to leave him. I remember how scary that was for me, and how I'd scream when Mama left the house because I thought she was never coming back, like my biological mother did. I... I remember I couldn't stop crying, and I'd always feel sick after.
Nikolai: How far back can you remember that happening?
Mishka: I don't know. Forever. All I know is that I can't do that to Sasha. Please, Kolya? Can't we just keep him here with us? I know I won't be able to cuddle him and kiss him like I usually do, but I want him to know I'm still with him because... because... *crying*
Nikolai: *softly* Deep breaths, sweetheart.
Mishka: *gasping*
Nikolai: Slowly, Mishka. Breathe slowly. You can do it. Just like we practiced. We’re not going to panic. We’re going to…
Mishka: Find our inner calm.
Nikolai: Good. You’re doing good. Keep breathing like that.
Mishka: Don’t let go.
Nikolai: I won't. Not until you tell me you're ready.
Nikolai: Better?
Mishka: A little. You probably think I'm ridiculous.
Nikolai: No, I don't. I think you're scared, and knowing what I know about you, that seems like a pretty logical reaction. But, you know what else I know?
Mishka: What?
Nikolai: I know that despite what you think, you are brave and strong. You've been through a lot, and you've survived all of it, and you never let it take away the best parts of who you are. You should be proud of that.
Mishka: I'm trying, but it's hard.
Nikolai: You'll get there. Some day, you'll see yourself the way I see you. You'll trust yourself and you won't be as scared any more.
Mishka: What am I supposed to do until then?
Nikolai: Take baby steps. Make one little bit of progress at a time, just like you've been doing all along.
Mishka: But, how?
Nikolai: You know how. Push your boundaries a tiny bit at a time. I've seen you do that so many times already, so I know you can.
Mishka: This feels bigger than a baby step.
Nikolai: Maybe, but it's okay to take a bigger step once in a while. What do I always tell you?
Mishka: Taking risks is one of the ways we succeed?
Nikolai: Right. You know, you've taken some super huge steps this year. I don't think you even realize how much progress you've made.
Mishka: Do you think so?
Nikolai: This time last year, you wouldn't even leave the house without me. Now you're going grocery shopping by yourself, and going to your English class and volunteering and taking Sasha to his baby socialization group. You're trying new things and making friends. That's a lot.
Mishka: But I'm still scared. I still worry about... everything.
Nikolai: That's not stopping you from doing things now, though, is it?
Mishka: Not all the time, but... I don't know. I feel like it might stop me from being away from Sasha. I trust your parents, but it's still terrifying, wondering whether he'll understand that it's just for tonight and tomorrow.
Nikolai: Tell me something. When I leave the house, do you ever think I'm not coming back?
Mishka: No.
Nikolai: Why not?
Mishka: Because I know you love me and you'd never leave me, and I trust you.
Nikolai: Do you think Sasha knows you love him?
Mishka: Yes. I tell him every day.
Nikolai: And do you think he trusts you?
Mishka: *nodding*
Nikolai: Then, don't you think he knows you'd never leave him? He can be with his grandma and grandpa without you, just like you're here at home during the day without me, and he'll be waiting for you to come back just like you wait for me.
Mishka: Do you really think he'd be better off with your parents overnight?
Nikolai: I do, but I'll leave the decision up to you. I want you to have a chance to rest and to let me take care of you without either of us having to be concerned about how we're going to manage looking after the baby too, but if you'd rather keep him here, then I'm willing to do my best for both of you.
Mishka: If we let your mother take him, do you think she'd mind if I called her on FaceTime a few times? You know... just so I could see him.
Nikolai: You can ask her, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind that at all. If you're feeling up to it, you could even talk to him and sing the song you always sing to him when you put him down for his naps.
Mishka: She'd know everything she's supposed to do for him, right?
Nikolai: Well, if Natascha and I making it past our childhood is any indication, I'd say yes.
Mishka: All right. I think... I think I'm okay with him going there.
Nikolai: Okay, if you're sure.
Mishka: Call her before I change my mind, please, and can you get me a pencil and some paper so I can make her a list of things to do? Just in case.
Nikolai: I can do that. I'm going to get you a bottle of water and some fever reducers too. You're really hot, and not in a good way.
Mishka: Can you open a window?
Nikolai: It's raining, but I think that'll still be fine.
Mishka: Thanks.
Nikolai: Try to rest. I'm going to call my mother, and then I'll be right back.
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3.185 Serendipity
Sophia made a great suggestion as I prepared breakfast. She said we should take Desi to the splash park while it's still warm enough to enjoy it. I'm pretty sure her time in the pool yesterday planted the idea. I've never known anyone who loves the water as much as she does. She takes every opportunity to be submersed in it and even bathes more than she showers. I've been enjoying all this family time we've had lately, so of course I was down for it. I thought about calling up Dub and Maia to bring Tami but quickly decided against it because I want my girls all to myself even though I thoroughly enjoyed our families hanging out together. We definitely need to do that more, but not today.
Sophia asked about the milk I added to the oatmeal. One thing led to another, and before you know it, we're laughing and joking about bubble guts. It was the most bizarre and inappropriate conversation, but it reminded me of how we were in the beginning, before I started wearing robes, before I had so many worries, and before I knew exactly how much I adore this woman. Life is different now—in a good way—but I hope, in time, we'll be able to find our way back to that silly, carefree couple.
Evening came, and that meant the sun would take the warmth with it, so we dried ourselves and bid the splash park goodnight. But the night was very young, if you could even call it night, so we walked around the lake. Desiree isn't old enough to appreciate the beauty that is Gibbs Gardens, but I wanted to share it with her, anyway. One never knows what these young children pick up and remember.
I had walked this same path many times and thought I knew it well. But that night, I noticed a house I'd never seen before. It's probably been there this entire time, but I felt like it had just popped up seconds before I saw it. I likely overlooked it because I'd never been interested in a duplex before, but it's precisely what I'm looking for.
I stopped and stared at the house with my mouth gaped.
"Sophia-"
"I know!"
She felt it too. How perfect would it be to live right across the street from all of our favorite attractions in this city?
"If this house is for sale, buy it," she said. "I don't care what it looks like inside.
Ha! She was dead-set against moving at first, and now she's telling me to buy this house sight unseen. The Watcher works in mysterious ways.
As soon as we got home, I grabbed my laptop and searched for the house. Both of us were too excited to get the address, so I had to do a few searches to find the right house. Oddly enough, Dub's house kept popping up. I'll have to ask him if he finally got rid of those pesky tenants. Actually, that reminds me I should put Dad's house up for rent since Less doesn't seem interested in doing anything with it. I make a mental note to go there tomorrow and switch it up a little bit.
Back to the search, we finally get the right combinations of search terms and find our house. Yes, we're claiming it! Both units have three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The kitchen and dining areas are pretty large, and there's a nice space upstairs too, so even though I'd lose the office, it probably won't be that big of a deal, not that I use it much, anyway. The bedrooms are really tiny, but that's nothing we haven't dealt with before. Each house has its own fenced-in yard, but there's land behind the houses we can use as a common area. One thing I looked forward to in this house was building the treehouse with Dad. I won't get to do it with him, but maybe Desi can still get her treehouse. The best thing about the house is...it's for sale! We're moving to Gibbs Gardens!
#ISBI challenge#sims 4 story#sims 4 gameplay#adolting#adolting gen 3#luca winston murillo#sophia aguilar#desiree amari murillo#rosie#kooper
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Sunset Died - Wolff Household
End of an uncertain journey (Final, Part 1)
Later that evening at the Wolff home. Like everyone else, it was a big surprise for Morgana and her little new family that help would come so quickly. Most of them were expecting it to be many months before they received help.
“It's really not necessary for you to clean up after us, Xander…"/ ”I know… Actually, we might as well leave everything dirty when we're gone anyway. I've just gotten too used to being a househusband“/”hnhn, I'm sure Pauline likes that. How is she at the moment?”.
“Well, she's a bit scared about the flight. And she sleeps a lot…"/ ”I can understand her fear. The other pregnant women here are also a bit skeptical about the whole thing. But I checked with Jack, these transport helicopters are very safe. And it's normal that she sleeps a lot"/ ”hm…”
“and what if… if all the pregnant women go into labor at the same time because of the stress and the water breaks up there?"/ ‘You're really imagining the worst-case scenario, hnhn…’/ ‘aah, I just mean…’/ ‘ it's not possible for all of them that happen it at the same time, each of them is in a different week of pregnancy’.
“There will also be a doctor in each of the transporters. As far as I understood Jack correctly, there will be three giant helicopters that will pick us up one by one group then…"/ ‘And if I imagine the scenario even further, how should I behave if it does go off?’/ ”hn, above all calmly”
Morgana offered Xander the chance to stay for dinner. As they sat at the table together, it was a strange atmosphere. Sam sat motionless in his chair for a moment as he watched Morgana eat. “Then this is our last dinner now"/ ‘well, not the last, but in this house, yes… Are you excited, Sam? ’
Sam shook his head. “No, I'm not, just a bit sad because we won't be able to visit Grandma anymore. “/“Yes, I regret that too, my little….”/“Maybe I'll come here again one day when I grow up”/“but then there is'nt anyone here anymore…”/“Yes, me and the ghosts”/“hn, right”.
Xander listened to the whole thing calmly, but then couldn't hold back his words. “You've never seen a ghost, boy.” Sam paused for a moment, holding the spoon just in front of his mouth. “Have you, Uncle Xander?”. He glanced at the little boy out of the corner of his eye. “tz… no… I don't believe in that either"/ ‘that's okay’.
Shortly after the meal, Morgana received an e-mail from Jack on her phone. “hh… O.k…."/ ‘What is it?’/ ”Jack says that the first Heli will probably arrive around noon. The others will be about two hours apart"/ ‘and where are you going?’.
“Well, we thought about it for a long time, Thornton and I. I also wanted to make it a bit dependent on where the Landgraabs want to go"/ ‘what do they have to do with your decision?’/ ”Malcolm… He and Sam are getting on so incredibly well at the moment. I don't want to tear this budding friendship apart .“.
“And where do they want to go?"/ ”Evansdale County. I've already asked around, there's a good clinic there where I could work. Only Thornton wasn't exactly thrilled when he heard that the Altos wanted to go there"/ ”I see. Pauline wants to go to Anne Arbor, she was thinking of the children, the other families want to go there.too.."/ ‘And what do you want?’/
Xander rolled his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “uh, you know, I don't care in the end, as long as I can see my kid grow up"/ ‘are you still happy about the outcome?’/ ”I'm looking forward to this kid more every day, so yes. Thanks for the food, I'll go home again"/ ‘o.k., and be on time tomorrow’.
After Xander had left, Morgana tidied up the living room a little. She felt melancholy as she thought of Yumi. After all, they had spent a lot of time together here. Then she went upstairs to the bedroom. “Are you all right?"/ ”I don't know, it's all still so surreal. We've been hoping for help all this time… Now it's here and it's still kind of… Strange”.
Thornton looked at his wife with a slight smile. “I understand what you mean. And you're torn, and you think about whether you're doing the right thing. Yes, we do, Morgana. For us and for the children. What else is going to keep us here?"/ ”mhm, right, for the children. I'm going to miss Jamie a lot though, she wanted to go with the others."
Thornton rolled his eyes with a laugh and walked towards the bed. “Oh, you women. There are cameras, messengers, emails, lots of ways to keep in touch"/ ”but it's not the same as popping over for a cup of coffee or just a hug. Hhh…"/ ”hnhn. Come to bed, I think tomorrow is going to be a really long day”….
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@greenplumbboblover ⭐
#sims3#ts3#ts3 screenshots#ts3 story#ts3 gameplay#ts3 simblr#sunset died#sims3 story#post apocalyptic#morgana wolff#thornton wolff#xander clavell#sam sekemoto
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Give me Fallen Angel AU too.... both of these were definitely not from pookas... definitely not...
For this ask game!!
From pookas?? No, definitely not... pookas isn't completely and entirely obsessed with the idea of Fallen Angel!Regina or anything...
Fallen Angel!Regina AU, but a little darker this time...
It's been almost a decade since Regina was kicked out of heaven, but she still hasn't been able to shake that unwavering desire to beat the fuck out of disgusting men do good. She may not have the supernatural gifts she did as an angel, but her heavenly beauty and her stubbornness remain, and those are just as useful.
Also useful are the muscles Regina's developed here on earth. After she gave up on regaining her status as an angel, she decided to make a difference here, in this filthy place with these filthy creatures. Lifting weights and working out like a professional athlete have aided her in her pursuit.
The first time Regina sees Cady is on the street. It's late, and Cady is so small and unaware that Regina wants to grab her and shake her until she understands how much danger she's in. Instead, Regina follows her home, just to make sure she gets there safely. Regina keeps up this routine for a couple of weeks before she starts to feel creepy. She swears tonight is the last night until she notices that someone else is following Cady too. He only manages to wrapsone hand around Cady's arm and tug before Regina is there, bringing him to his knees with a carefully-placed kick. Cady's shellshocked from the whole thing, so Regina walks her home. It doesn't occur to Cady that it's probably not safe to bring a stranger into her apartment until Regina is on her couch, holding her while she cries. Cady tells Regina as much, and Regina agrees to leave right away. Cady pleads with her not to, knowing that as soon as her "guardian angel" (disguised as a blonde bombshell, duh) leaves, she won't ever feel safe again. Not even here, in her own home. Cady drifts off to sleep on the couch, in Regina's arms. To Cady's indescribable relief, Regina is still there when she wakes up.
Regina walks Cady home from her job every night. Cady always asks Regina to come up, and Regina always says no. She tells Cady to get some sleep, and that she'll see her tomorrow. One night, Cady gets tired of her words failing her and just kisses Regina. (Regina accepts her invitation to come up this time.)
It takes a while before Cady gathers the courage to ask about the scars on Regina's back, identical, brutal markings on each shoulder blade. "Is this why you saved me? Because someone hurt you?" Cady asks, perched in Regina's lap, her legs wrapped around her girlfriend's waist and her chin resting on Regina's shoulder, her fingers tracing featherlight patterns over Regina's never-fully-healed wounds. Regina flinches at the touch, still so vividly and immediately recalling the searing pain of her wings being torn off by a supposedly merciful god, the deep gouges in her back left blue and bleeding. Cady's touches are soft, though, and so tender, that Regina thinks, with enough time and enough of Cady's touches, she may be able to forget the brutality done to her. A wry almost-smile finds her lips as she says, "I guess you could say I had an abusive father."
Okay we got a little dark and twisty, but here we are. Thanks so much for the ask!!💖
#cadina#cadina au#fallen angel!regina au#pookas this was a little dark but i hope you enjoyed#asked and answered#ask game#syd answers
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Cao Guangyan’s Monthly Report Letter for Pu Yiyong
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Yiyong, it’s me your number one friend and here’s your monthly report.
Your Ma's doing well, she's a strong woman. But of course sometimes she seems sad, we often tell her "it'll be alright" even though those words are pointless. I'm trying my best to be there for her, so don't you worry. She's not alone, my Ba & Chuying jie are her drinking buddies now.
Talking about Chuying jie, she’s getting busier. She's working on new cases, ‘real’ human cases fortunately. We still meet often, talk about our daily lives and you. We always talk about you.
My Ba's drinking bar is really popular now. Grandma next door is still his frequent costumer. She's way older than us and healthier than you. Boo you suck Pu Yiyong.
Enough talking about others! I just started working as an intern at the hospital this year. I'm busy, so maybe when you wake up we won't be able to see each other as often as before. But I'll always spare my time for you and you'll always find a way to annoy me right?
I'm not gonna lie though, working is killing me. No one is waiting for me at the bus stop anymore. Well sometimes Chuying jie picks me up but that's different. She's not you. I want you to pick me up, after all you have a lot of free time.
Anyway, I'm having trouble falling asleep. I can still feel your blood on my hands and I have to physically force myself to leave my bed every day.
During boring hours of my internship, memories of our meaningless fight and the thoughts of seeing you when I get home are what keeping me afloat. Also It's silly, when I'm on my break I sometimes visit your manhua web page, hoping that a new chapter will magically appear.
Walking home, my body keep dragging me to yours. I hate opening your bedroom door and seeing you lying there.
Your house no longer feels warm. Maybe because you aren't awake to fill the house with your stupid actions. Strangely, I still spend my time in your room. I've read almost all of your comics, they're great but I still like your work the most. I sometimes fall asleep on the floor of your room, too lazy to go home and my bed feels cold without you curled up next to me.
I know your Ma's sick of seeing me in your room. Believe me, I'm sick of it too. When is it your turn to curl up in my room? FYI, my window is open in case you want to sneak in like you used to.
Ah shit, it's getting late. I have to wake up early tomorrow.
You'll probably get bored reading all this huh? Anyway, the point of this letter is, when will you wake up??
Chuying jie is getting bored of dealing with humans, there are so many ghosts we have to help. Oh and, Director Fang wants his cup back.
Ma's also having a hard time cutting your hair with you lying in bed.
And I miss seeing your name pop up on my phone. I miss being surprised to see you suddenly appear in my room.
A-yi, I’ll buy you delicious foods, so promise me you'll wake up soon okay?
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From ‘Oh No! Here Comes Trouble’ universe
-Nuwa 180424-
#oh no! here comes trouble#pu yiyong#tseng jing hua#cao guangyan#peng cian you#chen chuying#vivian sung#tw drama#taiwan drama#不良執念清除師#im late but heres my contribution#this drama is killing me#nuwa writes
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You need some down time (Pierre Gasly)
You thought you had been able to adjust your routine to Pierre's calendar, but your body showed otherwise
Note: english is not my first language. This can also work as an alert for you (and for me too tbh) to take care of yourself and listen to your body. You should work on your dreams but also rest whenever you need ✨️ also, I feel like I can finally write about remote work without having flashbacks from my dissertation
Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!
my masterlist
Tw: reader's excessive tiredness (mentions some symptoms and taking pills for headaches)
"Then we are meeting Esteban there, we'll have to present a talk to the group of sponsors and then we have dinner", Pierre explained.
"And you're sure I can get there on time and not bother? I don't want to make a big entrance where everyone looks at me", you chuckled, "no, it's fine. They're waiting for you already, so you won't be a stranger", he smiled, "I'll just send you the ticket so you have it on your phone", your boyfriend added, hearing you fumble with a plastic medicine wrapper, "is everything alright?", he asked looking up from his phone to see you taking what looked like a paracetamol, "just a little headache, probably have been staring too long at the computer", you reasoned back, drinking some water from your bottle, "is that the bottle you filled this morning? If it is, you're not drinking much water either, and that's not good for you, mon ange", Pierre said pulling you gently so you could lay your head on his chest, "you know I've always been terrible at drinking water".
Like Pierre told you, the guy at the front of the event scanned your ticket, immediately seeing on the computer where he should be escorting you, already seeing a few familiar faces as you made your way to the high tables, seeing your boyfriend and his new teammate along with some of the members of the Alpine PR Team, "Hi everyone! So sorry I was late. The meeting went long and then the traffic here from the hotel was not easy either", you noted, standing next to Pierre, "you look lovely, Y/N, I'm glad you could join us at last", Esteban complimented.
"Thanks, Yuki!", you said, and to anyone else, they thought it was automatic, "sorry, Esteban", you apologised, laughing when the French driver laughed too.
The dinner turned out to be a nice and calm setting, contrasting with the excitement and buzz of the previous event, "do you want some dessert to share? I'm fancying something sweet but I don't think I can eat all of it", you mentioned to Pierre, looking around the menu and deciding on what you wanted to order.
Leaving the restaurant, you latched yourself to Pierre's arm, supporting yourself on him as you walked to the car he had driven there, "are you busy tomorrow?", he asked, "yes, the usual. But I think I'm going to clock in later, I think, a meeting has been pushed", you mumbled, yelping when you felt yourself stumble in your heels even though you know how to walk in them just fine, "nearly fell there, are you good?", your boyfriend asked, "it seems, yes. But I'm good".
.
The ring of your phone brought your attention from your laptop to the smaller device, seeing Pierre's mother contact appear for a video call.
"Hi, Pascale, how are you?", you asked, saving the changes you made to the document on your laptop before paying her you full attention, "I'm great, chérie. How have you been doing? I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time!", she nudged, "no, it's fine. Perks of working remotely, I don't need to worry about my boss breathing down my neck since I just need to meet the day's goals", you joked, looking at your planner, "and I'm nearly done for the day", you smiled.
Without your control, your hands trembled a little and you were unable to grasp your phone properly, leaving it to fall on the carpeted floor, "Y/N, is everything okay?", you heard Pascale say, "sorry, Pascale, my phone just slipped from my hands", you explained as you grabbed it, checking for any scratches and seeing none, "butter fingers, hm?", she giggled, bringing a small smile to your face, "more like sweaty fingers, I guess".
When Pierre arrived back from his event, he found you just the moment you shut the lid of your laptop, "Only finishing now, amour?", he asked, kissing the top of your head, "yes. Your mother also called me so I had a good break between my tasks", you noted, getting up and grabbing the remote control for the AC to turn it off since the room had cooled off enough, "now, what do we have for tonight?", you asked, "for a change, I don't have anything. Do you want to go explore the city or just sit here?", he wondered, "can we stay in, please? My head hurts a little, probably from being at the laptop all day", you mumbled, "room service and dim lighting it is then".
.
Finally, you were going home. It had been an intense couple of weeks and you were oozing forwards to spend some time with Pierre and his family without a tight schedule filled with events.
Arriving at the airport, Pierre was quick to get everything ready and you were waiting in line with the time perspective you had expected, greeting the crew and making your way inside the aircraft.
"Here, my love, you can hold my hand", you nudged, knowing that Pierre wasn't the biggest fan of flying, feeing him squeeze your palm.
"Hi, I'm so sorry to inform, but the flight will leave with a delay. The estimate is around forty five minutes", one of the flight attendants apologised, carrying on to inform the rest of the passengers.
"For Goodness sake", you mumbled, groaning slightly ad you felt Pierre squeeze your hand again, "I'll just text my dad that we'll arrive later", he mentioned, grabbing his phone and doing so. "Sorry, I know it's not the end of the world", you mumbled, letting your head rest on his shoulder and closing your eyes for a bit, "it's okay, hopefully soon they'll have some informations", Pierre offered, holding your hand in his and kissing the side of your head.
When you finally landed, you grabbed your bags and walked to the hall where you'd be meeting Jean, "I've never been so happy so see your father, I swear", you mumbled, walking up to the older Gasly man and allowing him to greet you and carry your bags to the car.
Walking up to the bedroom you'd be staying in, you managed to take your pyjamas out along with your toiletries bag, changing out of your clothes, washing your face and brushing your teeth before you met Pierre in bed, "I've been dreaming of this bed for the entire day", you groaned as you finally felt the fresh sheets on your legs, looking forward to cuddle Pierre for the night, "sleep tight, handsome, I love you", you offered, "Good night, mon ange, I love you too", he whispered before kissing your forehead one last time for the night.
Despite his usual routine and his sleep routine working like a clock, Pierre managed to sleep for a little bit longer than usual, opening his eyes to find you curled up on yourself and still facing him, making him brush some hairs away from your eyes and caress your cheek, admiring your features. Your skin was a little more faded than usual, and the circles under your eyes were darker, but hopefully this holiday would help you restore your energies. When you didn't wake up from his touches, he thought it was best to leave you to rest, getting up and tucking you further in, putting on a t-shirt and heading dowstairs to meet his family.
"Bonjour, dear, did you sleep well?", his mother greeted him, kissing his cheek as he poured himself a glass of water, "bonjour, yes, I did, and it seems Y/N is sleeping quite well, too. She's still in deep sleep", he noted, seeing his father arrive in the room.
"Bonjour everyone, I have fresh pastries and bread!", Jean announced, setting the paper bags on the table, "I have Y/N's favourites too, they were nearly running out but I managed to grab a few", he said, looking around for you, "she's still asleep. Although I'm not sure dreamland wins over these croissants", Pierre said, taking one straight from the bag and biting into it.
By now, Pierre started to get worried. Everytime he went upstairs to check on you, you were still sound asleep and not a sign that you'd wake up soon. "Is she coming down? I can warm up some of the croissants", Jean commented when his son came back, "thank you, but no need. She's still sleeping", Pierre murmured, sitting in the sofa next to his mother, "she must've been exhausted", she reasoned, "every time I called either of you, you were either about to fly somewhere or needing to be at some event, I even interrupted her a few times while she was working and you were off somewhere", she reasoned, "it wasn't easy on her, that's for sure".
The words resonated on Pierre's mind. It had been a couple of busy weeks, even he felt it. Travelling around so he could engage with the new team he was part of was as incredible as it was tiring, and having you there was the safe haven he needed whenever he felt a little lost. But had you been taking care of yourself for all of that time too? Was he the person you turned to when you needed to feel safe too?
About an hour and a half later, you woke up, cursing yourself as soon as you looked at the clock and scrambled out of bed so make yourself look presentable. Deciding that, for now, leggings and an oversized shirt would have to do, you made your way downstairs to greet everyone, "Good morning! I'm so sorry I overslept, I swear I didn't do it on purpose!", you apologised, seeing Pierre make his way to you so he could hug you a kiss your cheek, "hey, is everything alright?", he asked, holding your hand in his and pulling you to sit by the table, seeing his parents get started on what you figured was already lunch, "yes, I'm good. Let me help with that, please, Pascale. It's the least-", you attempted before being shushed by her.
"No need for that, chérie. But we do want to talk about how you are", she said softly, "you had us worried for a bit, I kept telling Pierre to check if you had a fever or something like that", she tried, knowing that you had already noticed where she was going.
Sighing, you placed your hands on top of the table fiddling wirh your fingers, "honestly? I feel a little rested, but not fully rested", you admitted, "it's been a lot these past couple of weeks. Work has been non stop, I have been covering some of my colleagues' vacation days, I feel like I'll need a few days to unwind even. The first thing I thought about when I woke up was that I was late for a meeting such is the habit to be in a squeeze of time", you gulped, "it has been a struggle, and I'm just grateful to finally have some down and off time", you finished, squeezing Pascale's hand that found yours on the cold surface.
"I know you don't need me to tell you this, but you need to take care of yourself, Y/N! You can't go around the day and sleep so little, we saw how busy you were!", she scolded still softly, meaning no harm and rather wanting to help you and make sure you took care of yourself and your well-being. "These days you're here, you're catching up on your sleep, eating good food, having some down time and taking care of yourself, I won't allow anything else under my roof!", Jean jokingly threatened, pointing his finger at you before smiling.
Pierre was looking like you expected him to. "Hey, no guilty frown, please!", you tapped your boyfriend's forehead, hoping to soften his expression, "you had your own things to worry about, and besides, it's also my doing because I didn't want to say anything", you admitted. "But still! I saw you were getting up earlier so you could meet me later, saw that you'd have quick lunches and how you felt more tired. I thought it was all jet lag and being busy, but it was more than that", he reasoned, tracing shapes on your hands, "it's all behind us now, okay?", you reassured, nuzzling your face in his neck when he pulled you into his embrace.
"Now, how about you two go enjoy some croissants outside? Despite the cold, it is a lovely sunny day outside. Just make sure you're warm enough, okay? I don't want anyone sick in this house!", Pascale announced, placing the food tray in the oven.
#pierre gasly imagine#pierre gasly × reader#pierre gasly fanfic#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#f1 fanfic#pierre gasly fluff
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2MIN x (fem) READER: Follow Our Body Rhythm PT1
“Get up, I don’t wanna fight your shadow”
TWS: mentioning of sex and mentions polyamorous relationships
PRONOUNS USED: She/Her
Word Count: 4168
Part: 1/5
Plot: After three long months of Minho avoiding you outside of sex, you are fed up and decide to make him realize just how badly he’s hurting you, and luckily Taemin who is unaware of your plan is right there to help you do it.
THIRD PERSON
As the morning sun peaks into the messy room you begin to stir in your sleep, you could smell Minho all around you, laced in his sheets and pillows his scent covering every inch of the bed and your body, it had been a while since you've gotten to wake up with him since he's been so busy lately, but after making time to see you he was adamant about you staying the night and eating breakfast with him, and you were happy to take the offer since it's been almost three whole months since the last time you stayed the night after sex. So as you smiled with your eyes still closed and started scooting backward, you expect to feel his body against yours, but as you continue to move back you only feel pillows. Immediately you open your eyes and look back.
"What the fuck..." You groan at the sight of a stack of pillows in the place of Minho's body with a note on top, realizing that once again he had left before you got the chance to see him and left only a note to explain what happened you slowly sit up and cover your naked body with the thin sheets, sighing as you snatch the note and reluctantly begin to read it.
"Sorry, had to step out for a few hours, a few friends asked me to see them and it's been a while."
You almost stop reading there as you become offended by his quick decision to leave you for his friends because it had 'been a while' You wanted to ball the note up, put on your clothes, and leave, but instead, you continue reading despite feeling that he doesn’t care.
"I know I promised that we'd have breakfast together but I really couldn't miss this, tomorrow morning I'll make sure we can have breakfast together."
You scoff and roll your eyes at this, he has been making that same promise for three months now, every time he would invite you over he'd ask you to stay the night so he could spoil you only to leave before you were able to wake up, he hasn't even had the courtesy to call or text, he just leaves a note and promises that next time he'll keep his promise. Instead of getting too upset to finish reading, you decide to read the very last part before leaving.
"I left my card for you, I was planning on taking you out today but unfortunately there was a change of plans, so feel free to spend till your heart's content, it's the least I can do after breaking my promise again, xoxo-CMH"
You exhale deeply and slouch back against the headboard, thinking about if you should just leave without taking his card, you consider that you could probably make him realize how much it hurt your feelings if you didn't even bother to eat and if you just went home and told him that you didn't want to see him tomorrow, but as you consider how careless he's been lately and recall the way he dodges even the slightest bit of affection, hardly texts back, and ignores your calls, you realize like that isn't enough. For a while you think about what would make him realize it, trying to figure out ways to make him see how even if you aren't dating, he can't just promise things and break them, nor should he prioritize something like meeting up with friends over keeping a promise. When you first started hooking up with Minho and learned about his lifestyle you thought that maybe he'd be putting going to the gym or work over you, but every time it's his friends and when it first started he said: "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel that way, I promise that it won't happen again." And you believed it.
But now as you sit naked on his bed with another handwritten note on your lap you think about if he ever really meant anything he's said, you start to think about how when you met his SHINee members and how they jokingly said that he'd probably be spending more time with his friends than you, and now you wonder if it was ever a joke. Your mind swarms with thoughts as your eyes begin to water, what had you been doing the past seven months? You can't tell if you stay because you enjoy the sex or if you stay because you enjoy the lifestyle. You love being able to have expensive things, being able to sleep with someone so caring and sweet, someone who cares about making you feel good, you love being around his SHINee members, meeting Jinki, Jonghyun, Kibum, and Taemin was amazing and getting close to them was even better, but now it seems like you spend more time talking to them than him. Whatever it makes you start questioning if it was worth it, of course, you don't plan to cut ties with Minho, you've found yourself way too attached to him to do something like that. But you still want to do something, anything that would make him value you more, like the way he used to when things first started.
"Maybe I should just drop it, what was I expecting anyways?" You say to yourself, you sluggishly get out of bed and cover your body with the sheet "I mean, it's only been seven months, we aren't dating or anything, it's just sex." Just as you say this your phone goes off, you expect it to be an update from Minho about what he was doing or maybe just a random notification from Instagram or TikTok, but instead, as you grab your phone from the nightstand you're surprised to see that it's a text from Taemin, this makes you laugh a little despite your teary eyes, between the five of them Taemin has been the one who keeps up with you the most, he texts you almost every day, sends you pictures, and will even let you tell him about your problems, surprisingly you’ve found yourself talking to Taemin more often than Minho.
‘You’re still at Minho’s right? I’ll pick you up if you are, just wait for me.'
You look at your phone confused as you wonder how Taemin would know that you were at Minho’s house since you never told him that you were going, nor did Minho to your knowledge, you also wonder why he would want to pick you up, you consider that he may want to hang out with you but it's only 9 am and Taemin is usually busy early in the morning, not only that but when you used to hang out with Minho and Taemin he was more likely to want to hang out around noon instead of in the morning, so you wonder if he had maybe originally planned for the three of you to hang out. It wouldn't be weird if that were the case anyway, the three of you have hung out together plenty of times and it’s never been weird or awkward, especially since he seems to take a strong liking to you, he even flirts with you and buys you things just because. But you can't imagine that Taemin would have made plans without letting you or Minho know beforehand, you know that’s not like him to do so it just doesn’t fit, so you text him back and ask.
‘How did you know I was here?'
Almost immediately he views your message and responds with: 'I just got off the phone with him, you don’t mind hanging out right?' That's when the perfect idea to make Minho realize that he should value you more hits you, luckily for you since Minho is completely aware of the attraction between the two of you it wouldn't shock him or hurt him to see you with Taemin, but it would make him question what made you change your mind when you denied his offer to allow you to do whatever you please with all of them, in your mind you felt that he'd maybe consider that he was doing something to upset you, so you decided to quickly get dressed and text Taemin saying: 'Of course not, it would make me feel a lot better to see you actually.'
Luckily for you even without you and Taemin ever having sex, he's quick to tell you yes and spoil you rotten, so you weren't at all surprised to see a text from him saying 'Im already on my way', instead you just continued to quickly dress and strip Minho's bed from its dirty sheets, as you wait you put his sheets in the washer and replace them with fresh ones, you've gotten so used to doing this for him so you didn't mind it.
TAEMIN'S POV
"Hyung, I thought you said that you were going to spend time with her this morning, what happened?" I ask as I lean back against the seat, it’s been months and Minho is still neglecting to be honest with Y/N, maybe I’m wrong for getting so upset about it but she seems so sad lately, and knowing that it’s over something that could be solved with a conversation frustrates me, he said that he wanted to spend all day with her today and that he missed her so much, saying that he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible today as he smiled and texted her about staying the night, but now he's not even there. "I got nervous, I realized that I can’t keep doing this after last night," Minho says, "It’s not just about sex anymore, I want to be with her, but it’s not that easy." As he says this I sigh, I saw this coming after that first month of them seeing each other, he started to see Y/N as more than just a person he has sex with, it only took four months for him to admit to actually liking her even though it was obvious from the start, but after admitting how he felt he suddenly stopped treating her the way he did before, and now at the drop of a dime he leaves her before she's even able to wake up and see him, he'll even take days to respond to her and leave her wondering what happened.
"Hyung, are you gonna start dating Y/N?" I ask, "She obviously like she likes you too, so what’s stopping you? If you keep waiting and putting space between the two of you and making her feel like it’s just sex then you’ll only make it harder for yourself." As I say this he sighs, I can hear his frustration as he does so, I don't blame him for being frustrated since it's not as easy as it seems to have a fling. "You still like her right?" He asks, "I mean, she likes us both, so if I started dating her then it would make things too complicated" He explains, "I tried to talk to her about it, but she says that she is worried that if she does start dating me that she'll still want you and she doesn't even know that you like her." I sigh myself, he's right, the complicated love triangle between the three of us makes it hard for all of us to decide what to do, even though I've never had sex with her we both still very obviously like each other, I flirt with her openly and she reciprocates openly, so it would be conflicting if they started dating.
"Then what are you going to do? You can't keep dodging her and spending less time with her because you're confused, you'll only hurt her more" I respond, "What if she gets so hurt that she doesn't even want to see you again?" Minho's silence tells me enough, I can tell that it's genuinely difficult for him to decide what to do and even what to say, we haven't felt like this over anything or anyone in years, but as soon as she came along it was like falling into a Venus trap, not only is she beautiful, but she's so kind and caring, she's honest, she's easy to talk to, and understanding. Of course, it's a minor issue that she's attracted to both me and Minho, but how could we blame her for that when we both tried to pursue her at the same time? If she's wrong then so are we. "You're on your way to see her right?" He asks, "Ask her how she feels about you and tell me how it goes, even though I already know the answer I think we should just make sure, so from there we can make a decision."
After saying this Minho ends the call leaving me with a mess of thoughts, I've never been the best at things like this so I don't know how exactly to even ask something like this, should I just outright ask and tell her that we're struggling to decide what to do? Should I admit that I know exactly why he's been so strange lately? Should I cut straight to the chase and ask her if she wants to date us both? What if she gets mad at me for not telling her sooner? What if she rejects the idea and stops seeing us both? I sigh and look out the window trying to clear my mind before we arrived, but as I do I see the outside of Minho's house.
THIRD PERSON
As your phone rings you smile seeing Taemins name flash across your screen, you pick up right away.
"Should I come up to get you? We're outside," He says, the smile you had on your face slowly fades as you notice from his tone that something is off, usually Taemin sounds excited to see you, usually it feels like you can hear the smile in his voice whenever he speaks but now it feels like something was wrong. "No, it's fine," You respond as you make your way downstairs, "I'm coming out now..." After saying this you hang up and make sure to lock up before stepping outside, the feeling of the fresh breeze against your legs makes you shiver despite its warmth, you hadn't even thought about how little you were wearing until now. Your short, low-cut dress hardly covered your thighs and breasts but it was what Minho said he wanted to see you in, and you hadn't left clothes at his house for a while now, so it was all you had.
As you open the door you smile a little seeing Taemin sitting there and his manager in the front seat driving, you expect him to smile back but instead, he just looks at you as you close the door behind yourself and put on your seatbelt.
"Good morning," You say hoping that it'll break the slightly awkward tension in the car, it's never felt so strange to be alone with Taemin, but now it feels like it's your first time meeting him all over again. "Good morning, how'd you sleep?" Taemin asks, you shrug and sigh as you cross your legs, you feel so exposed in front of him which is new, considering that he's seen you naked before it's weird that you feel exposed in front of him while fully dressed. "It could've been better," You respond, knowing that for your plan to work that you'll have to fight any awkwardness, you look at him with a soft smile and say: "I had a dream about you."
MINHO'S POV
After hanging up the phone with Taemin I sigh and lean back against Kibums couch while flipping through channels mindlessly, I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore, it's like every time I see her it gets worse and worse. I have the urge to call it off and tell her that I don't want to see her anymore, but it's only because I want to be with her so badly and the sex isn't enough to hold me off anymore, of course, it's amazing but I don't just want to have sex with her. I want to go on dates, I want to talk about our future, I want to meet her friends and be introduced as her boyfriend, not just a guy she's sleeping with. But I know that she likes Taemin too and I know that Taemin likes her, so I don't want to make things official and then risk one of us being hurt when it could easily be solved by just something as simple as both of us dating her or both of us stepping back.
"Hey! Could you stop doing that?! It's been an hour, either watch something or turn it off, you're driving me crazy," Kibum says as he comes out of his
kitchen with two bowls, "Why are you this upset anyways? I thought you said you were going to just ignore things and let fate decide." As he sits down next to me he hands me a bowl of fresh fruit and spinach, I almost forgot that I even told him I hadn't eaten yet when I got here, he even went outside to pick all of this for us and I was so wrapped up in my mind that I didn't even notice him doing any of this. "Thank you," I say as I sigh, it's been like this every day now, I'm always too distracted by the thought of her to even notice what's going on around me. "If it's bothering you that much why don't you talk to her?" Kibum asks, "I mean, don't you think it's ridiculous to run here every time you sleep with her so you avoid possibly falling in love?"
I shrug and take a bite of the salad, "You know how I am, I mean, I like her but what if things get weird between me and Taemin? She'd be fine since she'd get to have us both, but what if Taemin feels unhappy?" I ask, my concern for his view of a polyamorous relationship isn't just overthinking, Taemin has constantly said that he'd want a girlfriend who only looks at him, although he jokes with fans about getting jealous he does seriously prefer a person who's only going to think of him. "Well, if he's already aware that you like her and that she also likes you, but he's still deciding to see her today then he must not be too upset about it," Kibum explains, "You know Taemin wouldn't do anything like this if he wasn't sure, and he'd be quick to say that he was unhappy or upset if he changed his mind." I nod, he's right, Taemin would speak up if he felt negative about it... "But how do you feel about it? Do you want to try something like that with both of them?"
TAEMIN'S POV
As the shower water starts to run I sigh and sit down on the couch, before she went to shower I wanted to talk to her and ask how she felt but it didn't feel right, how am I even supposed to ask anyways? What should I ask specifically? I huff and pout my lips as I begin to scroll through Instagram again, maybe it's not too bad if I don't ask at all, I could always find out another way since I have a whole day alone with her, even though I don't exactly know what we'll do I can figure out how to find out without asking.
"What should we do anyways?" I ask myself aloud, I look up as I start to think of places that she might want to go, luckily from all of the time spent with her and Minho, I've learned her favorite foods, stores, and spots so it would be easy to just choose from those. But I feel like doing something different would help me get an answer a lot better than just doing things that I know she likes, if it goes well then not only would I have an answer but I would also learn more about her which would be helpful since I only know a select few things that she likes. I smile a little at the thought of finally getting time to figure out how she really feels and it going well, with newfound confidence I decided to start looking for places in the area she hasn’t been to so that everything will go smoothly.
THIRD PERSON
As you step out of the shower you wrap the soft white towel around your wet body you feel like you can hardly relax, and as you walk yourself through your plan to seduce Taemin without making things awkward you only tense up more. In your head it sounds simple to just walk out into the living room and drop your towel, you could easily tell him that you’ve wanted him for a while now, and sit on his then and there without having to put in any effort. But you want to be able to maintain your relationship with both Taemin and Minho and throwing yourself at Taemin right after sleeping with Minho, to you it will just come off as you using Taemin to feel better, which at all what you want to do. So instead you spent your time in the shower thinking of how you'll slowly lure him in, you don't want to make things too complicated but you want to make a point to Minho that if he's going to treat you like you're only here for sex then you'll treat him as if you feel the same way.
As you step onto the mat on the floor you look in the mirror, your reflection blurred by the fog as you sigh and try to calm your nerves while whispering to yourself: "Taemin is attracted to me...he wants to have sex with me, so at least it won't fail..." As you say this though you start to feel a slight sense of disappointment but with no exact reason as to why, you ignore it and try your best not to upset yourself and throw yourself off, so before you can start to overthink anymore you open the door to leave but stop seeing him standing right outside the door with your clothes.
"Sorry, I just wanted to give you your clothes," He says, as you look up at him you fail to keep your cool and become awkward again. Despite the confidence that you have in him wanting to have sex with you it's hard to ignore how intimidatingly attractive he is, not to mention that you have feelings for him, it would be easier to just pull him into the bathroom and sit him down so you could ride him if you didn't have feelings for him, then you wouldn't have to worry about being in the same position you are with Minho with Taemin too, but since you know that you have genuine feelings for him you don't want to make things worse for yourself so you just smile at him and take the clothes. "Thank you..." You say trying to hide the shyness that begins to creep up on you, "I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't decide what to do so we'll just go to a few different places if that’s okay with you." As he says this you smile even more, this is why you love spending time with Taemin, he always surprises you by being spontaneous with his planning but keeping it simple enough for it to be relaxing.
You wish that Minho could be here too since Minho always adds a flare that makes things feel so exciting, while Taemin is more spontaneous and will let fate decide where you go, Minho will plan out multiple different places, and you love both of those things but they are even better when paired together since Taemins spontaneous ideas work perfectly for the hour-long stops that Minho plans. If Minho planned to go bowling and Taemin notices a place to eat that you've never tried before then you get to do both, you love the way they work together and while they are both enough alone, you can't help but become saddened by the thought of Minho becoming less attracted to you which in your mind explains why he won't spend time with you outside of sex.
"That's fine," You respond with a half-hearted smile at the sudden thought, while it saddens you to think of you still want to make him realize how you feel, so instead you tell Taemin that you'll be out soon and close the door so you can get dressed.
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After her experience with God and just now with the illusion... Charlie came to the sudden epiphany that she was being a really shitty 'key' right about now. Heaven and Hell were no closer to actually uniting. Instead of rushing over to Heaven when those bells sounded... she just stayed at the hotel. Nobody left Hell.
They were still as divided as ever.
She saw that monster in Rosie's vision. She thought that trying to warn them was enough, but that wasn't... real allyship. That was just being a coward. Being scared of failing. Maybe that's what that illusion was trying to tell her. Even if it wasn't, then... well it gave her the last push she needed to stop letting everyone treat her like a fragile doll and a child and finally do what she could to take shit into her own hands. She wasn't going to let reality just die while she stood by.
After explaining to Alastor her plans, she headed to his radio tower for a broadcast. One she intended to play on loop. Right now she could only reach Hell, but it would have to do for now.
There was a moment's hesitation with her hand hovering over the controls. She wasn't ready. She didn't have any speech planned. What could she even say that would bring everyone together?
Fuck it.
"Citizens of Hell! This is Crown Princess of Hell Charlotte Morningstar. Look. I'm not going to mince words. Doomsday is upon us. All of Creation heard those bells toll but we are still here. Waiting for it to be our turn to get slaughtered after Heaven's had its fill. Are we really going to just let them get hurt just for a few more hours of peace on our end? Heaven and Hell have had millennia of fighting and arguing, but that all ends now.
We aren't just fighting for our own lives, but for our friends and family. For those of neighbors and strangers down the street. But not only the people we like, but for all of us. The greatest gift we were ever given was the chance to choose. Do you really want to use that gift to choose to just sit here waiting for fate to take you? Are you going to just let your very existence be left up to just Heaven's forces while you hide away?
I don't know what the world will look like tomorrow. But I do know there won't even be a tomorrow if we don't join up with Heaven now. I know that there are plenty of things to be upset with Heaven about. I have had many grievances with them myself. But that shouldn't condemn them to face this alone. Why should they help use if we don't help them?
I know that the portals to reach Heaven right now are probably closed because of that thing, but as soon as there is an opportunity, I'm going to do everything within my power to make sure that angels and demons are able to move freely between the realms. Sinners and Winners as well. The time for separation is over. This is our one chance to save our afterlife. We just need to put aside our differences long enough to see it through.
And... I know this is corny and may not really be related, but there's a song that has brought me comfort when I've needed it. I'll play it now to close out the broadcast to help separate the loops, but please. I know we can all manage this, but only if we work together.
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