#so maybe the person is refering to that. if not and they're fighting children well i'm sorry for your depression but you're kinda a loser 🫥

[dtaegis]

firstly sorry mutuals for putting this on your dashes, it appeared on my fy and i'm just. impressed

secondly sorry op for this long ass rant ik these opinions aren't yours and you're just doing your job

thirdly i know the world is huuuge and there's a variety of opinions on a variety of subjects

with that being said: are people REALLY picking a fight with pucca? pucca??? out of all the medias you could be consuming and being a hater, you choose pucca???

the first 2 opinions. WHAT?? it just baffles me how these are written like we're talking about real people, or AT LEAST an adult or mature series. but no. we're talking about pucca. like GIRL if she wasn't obsessed with garu, there wouldn't be the cartoon??? like. that's the ENTIRE reason for its existence. it's even in the theme song (at least in brasil)!

it also baffles me how they suggest pucca should be his friend first. i'll treat it with as much seriousness this person talks about it: she's already his friend, it's shown in the cartoon. they share the same friend group. and they're all 10-12 years old. have you seen how little girls, who just learned what romance is, behave? the same for little boys? they're children! children behaving accordingly to their age group!

i'm just writing this whole post bc i'm surprised with how condescing the first 2 people were, especially the first one. how could talk like that about a cartoon for kids!! a cartoon that has been dead since idk 2009, got revived by netflix in 2018 with that 3D series, and then got removed! pucca is the least cartoon you should talking about in this condescing tone!

i know i'm biased. i love pucca and i don't mind if you dislike her, we all have different opinions. the third person is valid, bc they understand it was their biased 10yo opinion, but the first one? it just screams to me you're 14. and here i am picking a fight with a (mentally or literally) 14 years old!

sorry again for the long rant on a random poll blog and sorry for this unexpected notification op JFJDJDJDJD. lastly: fuck you first opinion person

Round 1

Propaganda why Elsa is insufferable:

"You can't have people portray what she did as heroic or healthy. She is not a good role model people. She needs therapy, not be any child's role model"

"I legit got into several fights with people who thought she was 'great depression representation!'. As someone who's been suicidal off and on through life, I hated this stupid cartoon princess. 'Let It Go is a self empowering anthem!' shut up it's a song about leaving all her responsibilities behind, not caring about the repercussions of her actions to the point she's putting everyone in horrible danger with a sudden, unending winter. There's a reason why she's the villain in the original version of the story, and even was the villain in this version until it was reworked later. Girl, go to therapy for your anxiety issues. The power of sisterhood can only do so much for you and that winter probably killed people"

"Name ONE personality trait of hers that isn't either (a) only conveyed through Let It Go, or (b) negative in some way (e.g. "independent" is actually a hurtful trait in context)

Also her design is bland and a massive downgrade from the early concept art"

"She should have been the villain like in the original vision. As a protagonist she sucks"

Propaganda why Pucca is insufferable:

"Please…he’s just not into you that way. Take no for an answer, and if you really want to spend time with him, try to be his friend first."

"Not cool how she forces herself onto the dude she likes in the cartoon"

"I haven't watched the cartoon since I was like 10 but I recall I hated her for being too powerful and annoying. I was probably wrong and biased but I'm submitting Pucca on my past self's behalf because I feel like it."

[keksalot404]

Uh oh! Some BOZO decided to play UNDERTALE and UNDERTALE YELLOW at the same time (Both games FUN value was 66) and now the timeline is F*CKED (By about one year; It wasn't that long till Frisk came along)

This is the Guide to UNDERTALE ROM LEAK, mostly a frame of reference for me and you regarding this AU born from a doodle and a dream. Those who just want to see the art with no context, feel free to click the top pic and swipe down or something.

A Tale of 2.5 Souls

Seems like whatever the reason Frisk went to the mountain, they ended up tailing Clover, where the game begins. Control between the 2 fallen children is split, meaning that both Frisk and Clover are free to express their quirks and personalities more.

Adding to that, NarraChara is also here, being visible to Frisk, Clover, AND the player due to more determination in the area. Frisk still has higher DT than Clover, so they're in charge of LOADing and SAVEing as well as playing leader.

Prepare For Trouble, Make It Double!

Now obviously the timeline can't really be UT or UTY if all major events need to be dealt with. The universe's solution? Now every Major Character (and perhaps minor ones) are paired up with their cross game counterparts. While encounters for each monster can be seperate, eventually they will cross paths with eachother and the fallen humans.

With each section of the Underground now longer with even paired area newly connected (More on how that works later), it'd feel like even 2 player characters can't make it easy. Fortunately for a certain route, you may get some help...

Kanako

To fill a void for a Certain Short Scientist, seems fate pulled a few strings, and brought a new friend back from near-death! If you don't kill any monsters during RUINS, Kanako will sense your pure hearts and join the party, acting as the Ralsei to this Diet Fun Gang.

With healing and shield magic, she'll make your journey a lot more manageble, at the cost of not being able to kill any monsters all the way until Asgore (She will still allow you to spare monsters by lowering health but if she senses a chance to kill she will block the attack and scold you for it.)

Being a much more attentive protector than the Skeleton, she'll accompany Frisk and Clover through the emotional highs and lows of their journey, and perhaps maybe...

You'll find out the true reason she's helping you.

Stronger Monsters

For the characters of the 2 timelines being destined to meet, it is also true that destiny will point into blocking your path. For the Major Battles at least, you'll have to fight both of them at the end of each paired areas. An example being meeting North Star in Wild East only for Starlo's betrayal being calling Undyne to hunt you during Waterfall.

Expect combo attacks, fused soul modes, and complex strategies when facing the duel bosses. Some might even compromise Kanako from assisting. No fight has the same solution as the UT and UTY fights (except maybe Papyrus and Martlet), so be prepared and stay determined!

So have fun while you can, won't you? It's not likely you will get these games together again. You wouldn't waste this once-in-a-while experience just to do something you'll regret.

You wouldn't waste it just to see what happens...

...right?...

...

[scoobydoodean]

Hi im a samgirl and i dont mind if others feel differently about this but if you are interested in a samgirl perspective, the short story to sam's allegorical queerness is that sam grew up feeling fundamentally different from his family. He felt that there was something dirty or unclean about himself which is how a lot of marginalized queer children feel growing up. It's not that queerness itself is monstrous but that society and the patriarchal family unit will cast queerness as the monstrous Other, which is why monstrosity is a pretty common queer allegory.

I keep getting asks about queer Sam and I'm not sure exactly why, other than people maybe assume I have a strong opinion about it. The simple truth is that I just don't find what's said about it compelling so it doesn't interest me. I have no issue with other people exploring it and don't have any desire to ruin anyone's fun. It's just that I don't personally see it when I dig deeper than the surface level of "he felt different" and examine why and exactly what Sam actually wanted and why he felt that way. I will get into that here to an extent I guess because I was asked in another piece of mail what my opinions were, but I don't intend it as an "argument" to start a fight or to dismantle anyone else's perception—just an explanation of my personal lack of interest in this particular type of meta.

First, I don't think "Sam grew up feeling fundamentally different from his family" works for me as a queer meta when the reason Sam felt "fundamentally different" was that—according to his own early framing—he was the normal one trapped in a family of freaks who wanted him to be a freak like them.

Sam says in 1.08 that he felt different from Dean and John, but when we read on to see why, he says it's because he wanted to play soccer instead of being a child soldier.

SAM Because I didn't wanna bowhunt or hustle pool - because I wanted to go to school and live my life, which, to our whacked-out family, made me the freak. DEAN Yeah, you were kind of like the blonde chick in The Munsters.

For people too young to get "the blonde chick in The Munsters", Dean is referring to Marilyn Munster, who was the one "normal" person in a family of monsters in a 1960s sitcom.

In childhood flashbacks in 4.13, Sam refuses to fight Dirk at first even though he could easily best him using the skills he learned from their father.

YOUNG DEAN That's right, you don't. You could have torn him apart. So why didn't you? YOUNG SAM Because I don't want to be the freak for once, Dean. I want to be normal.

In both situations, Sam views his family and what they do as freakish and wants to distinguish himself as the one normal one trapped in a family of monsters who is at threat of becoming like them by pure association and family pressure.

YOUNG SAM Yeah, my, aah -- my dad's a mechanic. So I have to be a mechanic, too. MR. WYATT Do you want to go in the family business, Sam? YOUNG SAM No one's ever asked me that before. MR. WYATT Well? YOUNG SAM More than anything, no.

In 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon, one of Sam's greatest childhood memories is getting to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner in a normal, upper middle class household instead of sitting around with "A bucket of extra-crispy and Dad passed out on the couch."

In 1.01, he says he wants to be nothing like his family. He says he is normal unlike them when Dean is telling him they're the same:

DEAN You can pretend all you want, Sammy. But sooner or later you're going to have to face up to who you really are. SAM And who's that? DEAN You're one of us. SAM No. I'm not like you. This is not going to be my life.

Sam sees the upbringing that he has in common with Dean as something almost... humiliating—to the point that he plans to lie to Jess forever about how he was raised and about his family (1.01).

All of this to say... when the queer allegory I'm being sold is that a guy is queer because he wants to go to college, get married, have 2.5 kids, go no contact with his brother (because Dean isn't normal like him?), and lie about his family to his friends because the idea of them knowing he didn't grow up normal is embarrassing... I don't feel like I'm reading a queer allegory. I'd be more likely to think that if anything, I'm reading a comedy from the POV of "the token straight" who initially functions (in the Pilot) as the "normal" character to introduce the "normal" audience to an "abnormal" world in a relatable, palatable way.

That said, when we embrace the fact that the Winchesters are a family of freaks, there is an easy counterpoint here which is that Sam's attitude in the beginning of the series represents being closeted and desperately trying to assimilate with normal society and be perceived as just like everybody else... and his freak family is in the way. In this case, Sam knows deep down that he is like his family (i.e. queer) but desperately wishes he wasn't so that he could fit in. Given that I'm a big believer in Sam being a hunter through and through despite his occasional denials, I find this much more compelling than the argument that Sam feeling othered in his family because he sees himself (at least at first) as the one normal one makes him queer.

*One of you shaking me back and forth*

"But PK—WHAT ABOUT THE DEMON BLOOD?!?!"

Yeah yeah yeah. While it doesn't start out that way, eventually, Sam does reflect on his childhood and see himself as Megamind instead of Marilyn Munster. This is retroactive though (in my opinion. I do not actually believe Sam could "sense" his dormant powers) after finding out that Azazel dropped blood into his mouth when he was a baby. Instead of feeling like the normal one in a family of freaks, Sam starts to feel like the biggest freak in the family, and Dean's "I'm a freak too" suddenly feels like platitudes. Dean—whose calls Sam didn't pick up for years—starts to seem like the normal one—the good one—between them. Dean is the hero character, the righteous man, the sword of heaven... and Sam thinks in his worst moments that he is someone Hero!Dean should be duty bound to kill (2.11). These are all feelings that (again—in my opinion) develop later. I talk about Sam's feelings of otherness and why he actually had those feelings and how I think the demon blood erroneously comes into play as an explanation for his insecurities here.

I think it probably also makes sense to mention here that the idea that Sam was treated as a monster by his family is very very overstated by portions of fandom. I'm not saying Sam never had reason to feel different or othered or unloved or neglected—he absolutely did (as did Dean). I am saying that people like to write about things that never actually happened when they talk about how Sam was treated growing up. Sam felt different from his family because John let Dean start hunting when he was younger than Sam, then he felt different because he wanted to play soccer and go to school while John wanted him to hunt, and because he thought Dean enjoyed being a parentified child and being raised like a soldier and Sam didn't. Retroactively, Sam feels different when he finds out he has powers. These do not develop until he is an adult, and it is never indicated to us that John knew about any of this when Sam was growing up—much less treated him differently growing up because of it. Retroactively, Sam believes Dean sees him as a freak for having visions even though Dean repeatedly treats his visions as no big deal and psychics are an accepted and trusted group within the hunter community (see: Missouri, Pam, Fred). Retroactively, Sam feels different because he was fed blood as a baby. He did not know this until he was an adult, and neither did Dean, as far as we know, neither did John. Sam never believes that Dean would act on John's last whispered command (that again—does not transpire until Sam is an adult) to the point that he repeatedly tries to guilt Dean into promises to follow through and carry out John's will. Retroactively, Sam feels like a freak in season 4 because Sam chooses to drink a completely different demon's blood of his own free will and develop a completely new power set and Dean doesn't think it's a good thing.

TL;DR Sam did not grow up being treated as the monstrous other by his dad and brother. He grew up as an understandably rebellious kid whose dad was a neglectful asshole and a drill sergeant, and he hated being dragged from place to place with no say. He felt different because he stood in contrast to a brother who tried his best to keep the peace because experience taught Dean that refusing to obey would get people killed (1.18), John would send Dean away if Dean gave him lip (14.12), and Dean felt he had to be there to take care of Sam and John (1.06).

More or less, these are the reasons I don't find the queer Sam metas I have stumbled across particularly compelling (along with—imo—Jared's lack of romantic chemistry with other men). At the same time, people seeing Sam as queer or not queer doesn't bother me. I am not trying to "take away" that interpretation from anyone else (as if I even could). I'm just not interested.

[eluxcastar]

As I opened my tumblr, just to check if there is new Arlecchino stuff to swallow... lo and behold, I saw your post with the Arlecchino simp tags. Shot me the moment I stepped into the door right there, hahaha! May I request an Arlecchino x reader, headcanon or anything you're comfortable coming up with. The reader is thousands of years old, who got disowned by the Tsaritsa because they declined their performance in greatness for someone else's benefit and saw no worth in her/them. Could be a sibling or a friend, the betrayal stung like a bee since she/they saw Tsaritsa as a mother figure or could literally be the mother (Got kunikuzushi'd in a way, minus the puppet part). So, here's the main part - How Arlecchino would handle that person, when they meet in hostile terms. An accidental encounter, had banters and fights and eventually found strange subtle solace from each other. Could be romantic, or just obsession on Arlecchino's part because we love deranged women pls step on me with your sharp heels - anyway, since Arlecchino is interpreted as someone who won't hesitant to betray the Fatui. On her own benefit, works with the reader to mess and interrupt Fatui operations. I won't include more or else you'd be dealing a whole thesis of it. Hahahah! Good day to you~!

One of Repetition

── ୨୧：arlecchino x reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: in a strange decision nobody quite understood but could not contest, you were dismissed from your position by the tsaritsa herself but allowed to live. you wander for some time, lost and confused, and most notably unable to escape the fatui even when you are no longer associated with them, which means an unwanted letter and an even more unwanted visit from the knave.

୨୧﹑genre :: kinda angsty

୨୧﹑content :: fem reader, reader has a pyro vision, arlecchino has a cryo delusion, reader uses a bow, capitano is not human this time, he's just a plot device too, their previous relationship is implied but ambiguous, implied age difference, reader is most often called by the title brighella, writing this spiralled me into insanity, possibly bad writing, not proofread 

୨୧﹑words :: 13.6k

hehe, I know that Arlecchino simps flock to me once they learn my requests are open. I have no idea why. maybe they're just especially desperate for food, but they linger, and I have a little collection of anons.

don't worry about how much it'll take me, I honestly enjoy writing longer works. anyway, I received a request similar to this some time ago (was it you? I have encountered that before) but haven't gotten around to completing it, so I'll be partly combining the two

here's the other request:

it's gonna provide some stuff for me to follow, and I remember exactly when I got it, so I wanted to include it for the dear anon who sent it

why brighella you may ask well that's because brighella has been described before as essentially Arlecchino's smarter and more vindictive brother and they compliment each other well. I think Arlecchino may also work for Brighella in some versions?? either way it felt right even though they're not really based off of the character brighella, they do share a few traits with him but not fully it's just a fun little parallel

I really did not expect this to be so long that it literally lagged the writing program I was using to save it and I have been staring at this for so long I literally have no gauge on the quality anymore just that it's variable because it took me so long someone send help

Her words left you exasperated, literally at a loss for words, and you struggled to comprehend the reason for it. There was nothing you could think of, no instance that struck you as prominent. Yet, somehow as one of the Tsaritsa's children, you had become what any parent might refer to simply as a disappointment, their failure—the problem child who never quite ironed out their issues. You had always been faithful to her, hopelessly devoted to the archon and her will. News such as this came out of nowhere and struck you like a hammer to the chest.

Two of her most mighty children were near and dear to her, and now the other had turned against you as he remains loyal to her. The Jester, who you once held in high regard, has turned against you. It is a bitter pill to swallow, for you must now sever ties with the one man you believed was truly deserving of serving the Tsaritsa. Your mother— your world— turns against you with him, before him, leading the way for him. 

In vain, you draw your bow to strike an arrow between his eyes, prove your strength and power as above your position, above him, but it means nothing. Your strike is blocked, and the Tsarita's Damselette Columbina moves to detain you. You believe she would not be strong enough, but you don't itch to fight ten other Harbingers. You understand that even you have a limit, and fighting what are supposed to be the strongest people in the country is not a part of that. Your honour is on the line, an honour which would tarnish not only Brighella's name but also have a ripple effect on your soldiers, men and women who fought for you and did not deserve a punishment that would result from their actions.

"Think carefully, Brighella." Columbina's warning is not lost on you, "You could remain as a hero or fight, and I will lure the creature you brought from the abyss and gut him before your eyes."

You do not want that. That creature is not yet loyal to the Tsaritsa but to you, and she will convince him he can save you. He will fall into her trap and die.

You bite your lip, trying to think of a way to escape and capture him so that you can run off somewhere. He does not deserve to die, but you can't think of anything. Not when you know how thorough these people are. There is not a will, really. There is only a has. He has fallen into her trap and is at the mercy of the Damselette. "What if I am to obey?" You finally ask the question you did not want to, surrendering in a way, though the bite has not left your words.

"I'll leave him be." Her answer is swift. She expected that you would eventually give in and only needed to wait for it to happen.

You shake your head, dissatisfied with only that as your compensation. "Not enough."

The smile on her face does not waver, thin and deceitful as ever, eyes hidden and closed, unseen behind the band of lace. "Mm. I can't bargain anything else." 

"Have him take my place." You lay your condition out firmly. There is only one to meet, and not a hard one at that. It would be easy to sway him into it, using whatever they plan to do to you as motivation. His loyalty and affection for you would make him accept it.

She ponders the situation and proposal momentarily, powerless to make the executive decision but undoubtedly keen on the thought of it all. "He believes that you are about to fall in battle to a foe and that he is going to save you."

You grit your teeth, knowing that this is her trap. Lure him to a place. It was not what you had expected, but it is no less the Damselette's style of acting. There is always a damsel, but perhaps she recognised that she would not suffice this time. She needed a better damsel for him to save; for that to work, it needed to be you. 

She needs your name, reputation, your relationship with your subordinate, melding together with her lies to make for a tale of tragedy with him as the hero.

The thought of him rushing to his death under the guise of saving you spikes your blood cold, chilling you. You're aware of her cruelty and always have been, but to experience it is different than hearing about it from her perspective. You are experiencing it from the perspective of the victim. 

His death was another factor to hold over your head, your penance, the anchor to force your compliance. Your blood boils with anger, but you cannot fight. Despite your feelings of anger and frustration, you know that lashing out will only cause further harm and pain.

There is only one thing you can do. You know you must. It's simply that you don't want to. 

But...you must. 

You must for him, that poor creature you tried to give a home to and who would never be in such a position if not for you and your ambition. 

"Then I will fall, and you will use the honour I built into him to persuade him." 

It was an honour meant to humanise him in a way, a being only able to imitate humanity. He had a mentor and something to fight for. Now you're imploring that it be used against him to burden him, but he will do well in your position.

Columbina smiles, that thin mocking smile like she knows the secrets of this world and more. "Would he really believe that?"

The helmet. You should use the helmet to your advantage. Your subordinate's first exposure to humanity, being you, a woman in a metal helmet, seemed to last. He used to think that was what humans looked like, and he admitted as much to you as he had asked you to remove it. Your impression left an indelible mark on him that he treasures to this day. Even if he was to see you in the aftermath, he would not uncover the lie.

"He has never seen my face. He would not recognise me."

Columbina accepts that readily, and her eyes open, pools of black and white visible through the cracks in the lace over her eyes. You've seen them before, inky black sclera and inhuman patterns decorating the borders of her irises, but you can't help the unsettled feeling that makes a home for itself in the pit of your stomach. 

-

By the evening, you are stripped of your honours, titles and coat and dumped to the curb like a bag of rubbish somebody left out. There is no more fight, no more bargaining, no more arguing. Everyone has the things they want, for the most part, so you are all satisfied enough to remain amicable with each other. Without a fight, you allow the Jester to remove the fur-lined overcoat despite the cold that rushes over you once it is gone and discarded in a heap of fur and fabric on the floor with none of its previous value. 

After that comes the slow, deliberate removal of every trinket that denoted you as you. From your delusion, several gifts to your very insignia, the only thing left of you is a lone pyro vision and the clothes on your back. You've never been more thankful to not wear a standard-issue uniform lest you be made to undress and hand that over too.

That was it. Your everything.

With each piece of regalia taken, a part of yourself disappeared until you were left an empty husk of a person, your entire reason for being for hundreds of years snatched out from under you and spat on.

The Harbingers were supposed to be the children of the Tsaritsa, and this was your grand disowning. A show of power and influence over her closest children and, by extension, the ability to bring pain to her less-- to her followers. It was foolish of you to ever think you were special in her eyes for having been by her side since before the Archon War. What did it matter when she left you amongst the rest of them? The years you spent since you had hobbled into her life so tiny and cute were now reduced to a few personal belongings and a set of words that shattered your world to sharp and dangerous pieces that would only hurt you in your haste to reassemble them and string your life back together.

When you were young, your cuteness may have been your best asset: a small body with endearing quirks, the inability to walk long distances without tumbling. In this state, you required her for everything because you would only find danger in the harsh Snezhnayan winters. To even acquire your own food was unthinkable, so you were sheltered and provided with ample treats that you could nibble from the palm of her hand if that were what you wished. Anything to keep you happy and content.

Like a little trinket, she cradled you for as many years as it took you to grow, and once you were at an age you no longer needed to be cradled, she made you her loyal companion, or so you had believed. You thought her affection for you was unwavering. She was the only mother you had ever known; she is the only mother you will remember for all of eternity.

Although it may have been an exaggeration, watching the sun's gradual descent below the horizon, you could almost believe eternity would quickly prove to be a very real concept. You watch the sky darken in silence for a time. You roam aimlessly around the city, your presence still striking unease in the people from the threatening demeanour you learned to conduct yourself with as a Harbinger, even without your official attire. The only remnant of your former self is a helmet you consistently wore during every public appearance. 

You can't help your wandering mind. Did your imitation of the Tsaritsa's actions make you weak? Attempting to nurture someone in the same manner she nurtured you? You are not a god, only the former child of one. Maybe you cannot care for him and maintain your objectivity. It's possible that he has become your Achilles' heel, as you were forewarned when the Tsaritsa less than subtly suggested you eliminate him.

You cannot live like this.

No matter how many suns you watched set, you would never come to terms with it living like this. The world you once knew, which revolved around a singular governing entity and individual, has disappeared without a trace. Without a central axis to anchor it in place, your world spirals chaotically out of control, with each passing second feeling more frenzied than the last. Your head is too muddled, your brain too overwhelmed by your emotions to think objectively of the faults in your time as a Harbinger, years of your life spent that way, burying your thoughts beneath a heavy weight of despair.

You almost want to call them wasted, but that would be wrong. Without the Tsaritsa, you might've— no, would've died during the Archon War. Perhaps another god would take you in, but it is unlikely that they would have exhibited the same level of compassion and generosity as the Tsaritsa. They would not have coddled you into comfort the way she did. Then again, what if that had been your downfall? Did she ever genuinely want you to stay? Based on this...perhaps you took her kindness for granted and overstayed your welcome.

You had no right to make demands of her in your final moments as her child, acting like a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum. But can you be justified? Can the threat to your subordinate's life negate that? Surely a bit, but not entirely, not if her actions were in response to yours. 

Oh, even if you begged on your knees, she would not take you back now.

Why had you not done that before?

She must be disappointed that your attitude was born from her compassion, the epitome of her failures. You do not deserve to call her your mother. You took her generosity as a guarantee, thought yourself above her other children solely because you were her first, and believed you were her favourite for no reason besides your own arrogance.

You have failed the only being in Teyvat willing to show pity toward you.

-

The deepest heart of Snezhnayan forest welcomes you readily with open arms and the gnashing jaws of monsters starving for food. The forest seems to come alive with a vicious hunger for flesh. You have nothing but your vision and bow left to aid your defence. Your delusion is gone, and your subordinates are nowhere to be found to assist you. Despite this, marking your way with a trail of bodies is easy. It is just an inconvenience to have to always be on guard, but you are strangely used to it. 

The cold is numbing as the air hits your face, your fingers almost wholly without a sensation of touch and even a tingle in your toes.

You spent many missions that way, tensed and expecting violence at any moment, hardly allowing yourself to sleep, let alone relax. It feels like nothing has changed in that respect, but you know everything has. You cannot hear the large crackling bonfire or the pattering of footsteps in the snow as your subordinates come to join you, their laughter and chatter and their whispers to each other.

There is a stark silence that is deafening to your ears.

-

On the seventh night, you pass through a village on the outskirts of Snezhnaya, where you first catch wind of the news you had agreed on. The locals informed you that they had recently halted their work for half a day in your honour, believing that you had passed away. All of them are completely unaware that as they remark on the death of Brighella, they are speaking to the former Harbinger, who asks about the news under the guise of being a curious traveller. They also strongly advised you against venturing into the innermost heart of the nation. If anyone were to notice the helmet carefully secured around your waist, it might bring unwanted attention to your travels.

Though you were stripped of your insignia, you have your armour, which by some grace had been spared from confiscation. Though a seemingly trivial act of kindness, a sense of pride swelled within you as you gazed upon it. You are glad it is still yours. This armour had accompanied you through countless blood-soaked skirmishes, serving as a steadfast shield against all manner of danger. 

It is at that moment you decide to treat it as a trophy. Though there is no truth to it, you take responsibility for the Harbinger's slaying. Now, the armour which once protected you as a Harbinger will stand as a triumphant emblem of your hard-won victory over Brighella and the end of the Harbinger's tyrannical hold over the land. You know that you will keep it close, treasuring it always as a tangible reminder of the sacrifices you made to reach this pivotal moment. You slayed Brighella. You ended the Harbinger's tyranny.

If you didn't know better, you would think you were getting a little too far into it and starting to believe it yourself.

By the eleventh night, you find yourself situated in an inn, and the nights only carry on from there all the way up to the twenty-second night since your abrupt dismissal and, to the rest of the world, your supposed demise. Already, the whispers that once revolved around Brighella's defeat now shifted to speculations regarding her successor. The question was not necessarily who, but who could possibly? Her brutal reign as a Harbinger had instilled fear in the hearts of all who crossed her path and in the minds of the people, no one else could measure up to her sheer terror-inducing presence. Nobody knows what happened once they dared to fight Brighella until now. She was only the Fourth of the Tsaritsa's children, but she was the most combat-heavy, and no one wished to cross her, except for the rumoured contender for her throne, who was spoken of in hushed tones as nobody was eager to have their reverence for whoever was bold enough to reach the wrong ears.

Your achievements find their place amongst the rumours as people say that Brighella's killer stole her armour and wears it as her trophy.

Despite the slew of gossip that its patrons indulge in, you enjoy the quaintness of this bar made and run by travellers who use it like a pitstop to rest and recuperate. It is a home to them, along with adventurers and merchants who benefit from the atmosphere. The people are strangers, often reserved and eager to keep to themselves, but have immeasurable wealths of information that spill with a few drinks and a group of acquaintances who are, for only one night of pleasure and indulgence, their lifelong friends.

Among those friends buried in your own tankard of cheap ale, you laugh along with their jokes and entertain their questions like a test of your ability to lie and improvise in this tale you're making for yourself. If they have names, you don't know them. Brighella's death was a glorious battle but isolated to the hills where you were alone.

"Brighella was alone, and they were weakened by prior injury. I don't know what caused it." You mix a dash of the speculations in, downplaying your strength a tad as you're unwilling to expose too much of it. "I'm not one to miss an opportunity. When would it arise again?"

One of your new acquaintances scoffs, amused but no less aware of the dangers of doing such a thing. "And make an enemy of the Fatui?" He is a new graduate of the Sumeru Akademiya who's come to make his way through Snezhnaya for a job offer. Reminds you of someone else, minus the graduating.

"They will not miss her." You are quick to answer—too quick, arguably—as it draws a sliver of attention before dipping back under the radar as a product of your confidence. "Her 'head' makes too cute a decoration on my side to pass up stealing it."

"I wouldn't dare say such a thing. Fatuus comes here sometimes." They are the words of a Snezhnayan native raised to worship the Fatui, though he is somewhat disillusioned by their crimes and cruelty, as you've learned many are.

"Let them hear it!" Your laughter is boisterous and unabashed. "They'll see the armour anyway. They probably despise her like everyone else."

Another one of your new friends, a travelling merchant from Fontaine, interjects your ravings to add only a passing comment. It was as she had done all evening, her secrets locked up tight. "She did not make herself likeable."

"She was not meant to be likeable but a fearsome warrior." Again, the Snezhnayan man rebuttals the criticism against her as he had been doing all evening again.

"You don't have to get so far up her ass, Brighella's not gonna crawl out of her grave and thank you for it."

"You're so vulgar."

You plant your tankard firmly down on the table between the four of you, leaning over it to close the distance between you and the man. "I'm not meant to be likeable either."

Forget being only a little too into the role. You're revelling in the freedom of this new identity of yours.

Quick to disperse the tension, your graduate friend changes the topic without a hint of hesitance in his voice. "They left an underling people believe will take their place. It's a surprise to think Brighella had someone who followed them with such...devotion."

"It's strange, but not impossible." The merchant from Fontaine again, contributing nothing you weren't all already thinking.

"Could she have had a sentimental side?"

"Who cares if she had a sentimental side?"

"Upset the attention isn't on you anymore?"

Anger crosses your face, but you stifle it just as quickly as it appears. You wish their attention was off of you, really. The former you, maybe, but you nonetheless. You want to know about your subordinate. What happened to your second in command? You don't care to hear their speculation as to whether you were or were not particularly emotional with your underlings. You know the answers to all of those questions and more without their guessing games.

"Regardless of the reason, they say the underlying is much easier to swallow than she is, so maybe the position of Fourth Harbinger will change drastically if he takes it." 

"Would he really change its purpose if he was so loyal?"

"Unintentionally, perhaps."

God, these people are so dull. Just listening to them, you can tell they know nothing of the ways of the Fatui. Harbingers are not individual job positions with specific parameters. Each role is its own, and they are moulded by the person who assumes them like a character in a play, enchanting and unsettling in a horrific mix of theatrics and violence. It is what they stand for. One does not assume the role and become an actor with a script. They must improvise and act on a whim to the beat of the Tsaritsaʼs drum, their life no longer their own.

They are not whatever these ramblings and poor excuses for speculations make them out to be.

"Terribly misinformed, aren't they?" In your ear is the low voice of the Snezhnayan man holding in his laughter at the two as the scholar and the merchant go back and forth. 

You glance to your left, where he has leaned closer to you. "Repulsively," you respond curtly.

He has a faint glint of satisfaction in his eye as you seem to have confirmed something. "I thought you might've been from Snezhnaya." 

"So what if I am?"

"It was only an observation."

In the background, the main conversation continues, just as clumsy as it was before you had tuned it out in favour of drinking some more. "Does this mean he will also be named Brighella?"

Straightening back in his seat, the man swiftly interjected their back-and-forth responses to explain to them. "They receive a unique title upon their promotion, and nobody knows what it is until then." A simple enough concept to understand.

"In other words, anything but Brighella."

"It hasn't been long enough to know yet."

"It's strange. Nobody knows his name even now."

That would probably be because you never gave him one.

You considered it in the years you spent with him but couldn't find one you liked. His name was inhuman, not for your ears and not for your tongue, rendering it useless to you and every human who would hear it. The night you found him was spent crowded around a bonfire listing off every suggestion you and your subordinates could think of to no avail, as he only sat quietly by your side and said little about any of these choices, finding no familiarity in any of them. That's only natural, you suppose. 

You still haven't chosen a name for yourself that isn't Brighella, either. Your old one is well and truly forgotten, with the years eroding your memories. It had been centuries since you had been called anything else. Evidently, picking names is not your forte. 

"As far as I've heard, nobody knows what it is."

You find the mention of your subordinate has completely ruined your mood. You are grateful the creature is alive but worried the knowledge you're snooping around to find out when he will be promoted could land you in trouble. It's troubling enough to wonder if he has heard your tales through the grapevine about how you had supposedly 'killed' Brighella—his mistress and mentor—which he would not be happy about. Though you did not fear the creature before, now that you've personally trained him to understand human combat, you're not so sure you'd want to fight him. It would be a hassle. Unlike many, you do not fear the inhumanity of the Doctor or the stone wall that's called the Jester. Even the cunning Damselette struggles to do more than unsettle you, but you respect that creature's raw strength and understand that no matter what you do, it doesn't matter. You are confined to a human form, and he is not.

You lied when he said he wouldn't recognise you, however. You don't actually know if he would.

You don't know the extent to which his eyes can pick out the details in your appearance that aren't physical. Had he memorised your relative build? Your height? The way you carry yourself and your mannerisms? The thought unnerves you, but so does everything else about him.

"I'm turning in for the night." Without regard for the ongoing conversation, you declare your intentions and abruptly shut down whatever is being said at the time without much care for it. Whatever it is, it isn't important. Your unfinished drink is left behind as you make your way to your quarters.

In retrospect, you understand their eagerness to merely cover up the circumstances of your dismissal. For a Harbinger as feared as Brighella, it is easier to halt work for a mere half-day rather than attempt to contain the resulting fallout of admitting one of their own was inadequate while simultaneously preserving their tenuous hold on power.

-

Months pass before there is talk of the crowning of a new Harbinger, the people abuzz with the news and eager to know all they can, preferably before the aristocrats feel like sharing the night of the event. You considered attending the ceremony but ultimately decided against it. You may have the courage to do so, but you are certainly not stupid enough to wander into the waiting heart of the Fatui's clutches. You have waited patiently for this moment and can easily wait longer to hear the news.

No longer treating the inn like a home, you settled somewhere in the plains of another nation only a few weeks after you had first arrived there, sensing the barkeep was getting sick of you and the attention you were drawing to his otherwise obscure establishment. 

People settled there for a night, saw you were there, and word of mouth as they boasted of their encounters with you lured others who came to see you. While this influx of new customers certainly provided a boost to business, it also had the unintended consequence of driving away those who preferred to keep a low profile and valued its place as being for those 'in the know'. In other words, while you were great for a boom in business, you were bad for long-term business. 

The barkeep pushing the mora you tried to pay him to pay for another night was enough to send the message he wanted you gone, out by morning. The idea you were not to come back for quite some time was clear to you in the look he gave you.  

Liyue, on the other hand, is filled with mountains and teeming with visitors who have come to witness the highly anticipated Rite of Descension. Surprisingly, the influx of tourism only adds to the overall enjoyment of your experience. You would think that tourism would hinder your time there, but completely contrary it makes it better in a way. The locals are expecting an influx of outsiders to come to see the Geo Archon in person, and, as a result, they are not only willing to hire help for the time but also serve later at food stalls, and the place is livelier. 

People notice you less as you blend into a crowd of people who don't belong, and you slip under the radar.

You have no interest in the Rite of Descension nor the Geo Archon, and most of your time is spent outside the Harbour.

Wangshu Inn is still within Liyue but at a considerable distance from the Harbour, a mid-point between there and the border to Mondstadt. It is quieter, which is neither good nor bad, and home to some very understanding owners who ask so few questions it almost alarms you. Nonetheless, you crave respite from the chaos and theatrics you were revelling in as a reprieve from the stress you were under, wondering how you would live your life now. At one point, you relished being hailed as a hero by many, but it soon became overwhelming, and you found yourself trapped in the clutches of Brighella once again.

Whether by design or happenstance, your identity had begun to consume your life again, and if you wanted to have any hope of living outside of Brighella, then that had to stop. And so, you sought out a place to lay down your burdens and unwind, leading you to where you are now.

You arrive your old self, and despite clinging to it since your travels had begun, you remove every piece of your armour for what you intend to be a long time and leave it all neatly arranged for when you eventually return to it. You feel compelled to finally don the fresh outfit you acquired during your journey through Fontaine. Admittedly floor-length dresses and extravagance are not your style after years of being cooped up in a heavy suit of armour, but there's something alluring about trying out a new look, especially when it involves pants that don't weigh more than a third of your body weight. Besides, you always kind of liked them anyway, just...not yet. Now seems like a good time to dip your toes in.

You almost don't recognise yourself when you finally see yourself in the mirror. Perhaps you got too used to seeing a metal helmet staring back at you and a suit of armour for a body, but the fresh air against your skin and lighter clothes feels...good. 

For the first time in a while, you feel free.

The new outfit is making you giddy, too giddy for your taste. You don't recall having such an innate pep in your step, only one that felt deserved, but this different. While you typically associate a sense of satisfaction with having earned it through hard work or perseverance, this newfound exuberance seems to come from just existing in your new clothes. You are happy just because even if there is nothing to feel happy about. It's as if the simple act of wearing them has given you a boost, despite not having accomplished anything significant. It doesn't even seem like you made much progress toward becoming yourself when you lay it all out on paper. You bought clothes and wore them, that's it. 

Something about it feels so much like yourself. The freedom to stray from what you thought you were until now, something you hadn't dared to try before.

One thing you like about Wangshu Inn is how it serves even people who aren't staying there. The ground floor overlooking the water is designated as almost a kind of restaurant. People filter in and out to be served, stay for lunch, meet with friends, and take breaks from their missions. It is meant as a place for travelling merchants, but you find that is not all its patrons see in it.

You are not nearly as sociable as you were in the Snezhnayan bar you were at, but this seems more manageable anyway.

"If you've come looking for work, the Adventurer's Guild may have a place for you." A suggestion from a merchant who struck up an idle conversation with you for some reason sticks with you. You can't say why, but you imagine a product of boredom.

"They accept anyone?" Your surprise is evident in your tone, as you thought they might have tighter restrictions.

Just as in disbelief fact as you are, he shrugs, "As long as you've got enough power to back yourself, a friend of mine said they'll accept anyone."

That sounds far too good to be true, at least for your taste. "And it doesn't matter where you come from or where you go?"

"Adventurers are known to get restless in one place for too long."

"I see, and you can just go up a--"

"Excuse me, miss." You don't remember hearing that voice, but you recognise the attire when you turn your head just enough to be met with the sight of a cicin mage standing before you impatiently awaiting your attention. The top half of her face is concealed, as is customary, but there's no mistaking the unkind smile that tugs at the corners of her lips as you meet her gaze.

Has she come for retribution? 

Despite your fears of having to make a mess, the woman reveals a letter that is sealed with wax and extends it towards you, expecting you to receive it sooner rather than later as she waves it slightly as a form of incentive. "From the Damselette," she adds.

"What could the Damselette want with me?"

"Perhaps a warning." The words slip by, quiet but noticeable, immediately catching your attention. You raise an eyebrow at her. She's slowly unveiling her contempt at your presence; you're very aware of that fact. You are not familiar with her. It is unlikely that she ever worked under your command. However, it is possible that she might've held a certain level of regard, which has since turned to hostility as rumours of her arrogant killer run rampant. "I don't know. I'm not privy to those things."

Your eyes glance over her from head to toe in thought, scrutinising her for any indication of where her animosity came from. However, there is nothing that gives away her motives. You break your gaze away from her and glance down at the letter in your hand. "I suggest you get a better hold of your tongue. They don't like it when you're rude to their guests."

Her smile does not waver. "You are not a guest." She states that fact with glaringly false politeness.

"Everyone who recieves correspondence from a Harbinger is a guest."

You suppose you can't fault her disdain when all is said and done.

From somewhere tucked away in her clothing, she pulls what appears to be a knife from your peripheral vision and points it at you, but you look up to find it is only a blunt letter opener balanced in the palm of her hand, waiting to be picked up.

"I was ordered to stay until you had read the letter to deliver her your response."

Just as she believes you are a murderer, the letter addresses you as such. Your lies have reached her ears. Moreover, she is playing along with them.

You expected threats and unfair deals, but it is only an update on what is happening regarding your position, the reassurance that they have not violated the terms of the agreement made. A half-hearted apology and an excuse. Preparations set them back, supposedly.

While you imagine preparing not only a funeral but a ceremony to announce the next Harbinger does take time, it would not take this much time with how prepared they were to kill you off in the first place. It was a planned betrayal.

It just looks better if they don't appear so prepared.

For whatever reason, perhaps your consolation prize for enduring her shameless lies, she shares a secret with you. As you casually scan the letter with little care for its contents, your attention is immediately drawn to the heart of the matter. It's the very subject on everyone's minds and all that anyone speaks of. 

Il Capitano. His name is Il Capitano.

Personally, you would not have picked it, but that does not mean that you hate the name. Quite the opposite, in fact, as you have to admit that when you envision the name paired with his face, it suits him well. She ends the letter promising that she will 'take good care of him', though you know that your respective ideas of those words do not align or even coexist in the same universe. There is an unmistakable discrepancy between her intentions and your own, and you don't like it.

"Come back to us, Brighella. You can watch everything you wanted in person."

-

You won't go back. It's a trap.

Irritated, you find yourself back in the heart of the country where nobody lurks, haphazard in the way you fire your arrows at every creature that dares to disturb your sense of peace. It's hard to focus, and you don't bother trying. Liyue is not the same as Snezhnaya, with open plains broken up by rocky mountains. The creatures are mostly the same, and all die the same, hilichurls and geovishaps running rampant and shot down into piles of meat and rocks.

It doesn't matter how loudly you shout, as there's nobody around to hear it. You could scream, cry, and throw a tantrum all you want, and it won't matter. Even if you throw yourself at the ground and bang your head into the dirt, nobody will see it.

This is all pointless. You will never escape. It will never matter how far you roam or how fast you run.

Why did you think you could? Had your brain melted from your head?

There is no other side. There is no salvation. You are owned from the day you're brought in until the day you die, but why? Why did they want to bring you back to Snezhnaya? What was the point? You are out of the way now, hardly causing trouble for them. Despite this, everything seems to be running smoothly, even with the liberties you have taken in your new role. Was that it? The reason they wanted you to see?

It must be. There is no other reason to risk exposing the lie otherwise. Unless it was to tarnish the Fatui's reputation.

You refuse to believe it is something as innocent as wanting to see your request honoured. Nothing is innocent within the Fatui, not an action without hidden intentions or motives. Centuries of watching their misdeeds from the inside, which always go unpunished and unchallenged by anyone except the powerless commoners, have taught you that there is always an ulterior motive lurking behind their actions.

Not to mention it came from Columbina.

You must've spent three days out there before finally returning to Wangshu Inn, dirtied by the elements and craving something to eat, like a child's insatiable desire for sweets. The dead of night provides a cover for you to take a dip in the water beside the inn in an attempt to rinse the dirt and sweat off of you. It dawns on you that your new clothes would've been ruined if you hadn't had the foresight to change before venturing out again. In that moment, thoughts of the Fatui and the memories evoked by your armour flooded your mind, and you didn't want the same thing to happen to the clothes that had made you so happy from the moment you put them on.

It feels childish how you cling to these things.

A part of you just can't help it, torn between holding onto the memories that define who you believe yourself to be and starting anew with a clean slate. Neither can win. One is stuck on the past and what little you have of it, and the other wants to abandon all of that and start completely fresh.

The half-compromise you are trying desperately to make work by accepting that what's gone is gone while keeping your armour close to your heart is obviously not working. The thought of discarding it pains you too much to actually do it, plagued by the urge to melt it down to scrap metal while also being overwhelmed by the knowledge you will regret doing that as soon as you see the mess that would be left of it.

Your new clothes make you happy, so you need more new things to make you even happier, right? If new means you glean happiness, then more new is what will help you move past all of this deliberation in your head.

Clothes were a given, and...maybe a haircut? Yeah. You should try cutting your hair and decide on a name for yourself that isn't Brighella. Something you want, a name you like, that you can look at yourself and see that person reflected in a mirror. The person you think you are supposed to be when you look past the expectation that has been instilled in you.

That merchant you spoke to mentioned the Adventurer's Guild might have a place for you. What if you should be helping people instead of hurting them? What if you only did that to please the Tsaritsa?

In the background of your thoughts, you walk yourself back to your room at the Wangshu Inn and collapse onto your bed, thinking. Though you are exhausted, you cannot bring yourself to sleep for one reason or another. You make excuses for yourself just to ignore the glaring root of the problem you know is there but refuse to acknowledge. The problem isn't really how hot or cold the room is or the texture of your blankets and how much you dislike the humidity in the air. Something else entirely is keeping you from rest.

Your hair isn't the problem either, or your clothes. Even your lack of a proper name really doesn't bother you. They're only the illusion of change you're using to cover up how truly lost you have become now that you have to think for yourself.

How long have you been alive now? Centuries at least. You can't even live independently after that long? No. No, you can't.

You are so lonely, you are lost, you are confused. You need company, you need guidance, and you need purpose. How are you supposed to live? Where is the person who will tell you what to do every day? 

You have to make that choice yourself? You can't do that. You've never done that. 

The thought of even something so basic scaring you so severely brings you to a weakness you never realised you even possessed. Fear surges through the very depths of your being, an unfamiliar sensation that you find unsettling. You don't like it, but it's an impossible feeling to push down and ignore. Over the years, you had quietly collected your shortcomings into a neat little jar and pushed it aside, out of sight, away from your conscious thought, as if pretending you were invincible. 

What would you have done if you had gotten to Capitano? Make him decide?

He can't. He's not human. He doesn't know enough to decide. You've only made him just like you, a fearsome man until he's abandoned and vulnerable like you have become, and then he'll be pathetic and helpless too.

Nothing came out of any of your efforts, did it? It couldn't have possibly. Even with every attempt you made, it was always doomed to fail.

-

It turns out that the Adventurer's Guild was more than happy to take you in, in a way. They put you right to work. It helps to take your mind off of things if nothing else. It's mindless work, able to tune out everything in your brain and run on auto-pilot. You take to this life so well it scares you, completing your tasks with so little trouble you wonder how this isn't more popular, even if some are arguably unnecessary. If only you were good at proper cooking, you might get rich from the tens of requests for certain dishes. 

You're irresistibly drawn to the combat, right back to the heat of battle where you feel truly alive. In all you've had to question, your love for the thrill of fighting has never been up for debate. You're unsure whether it's the adrenaline or something else, but you don't care to know, either. You don't concern yourself with such questions. It's not important to you why, so long as you find comfort in it. It's the one thing you cannot be robbed of. 

A hard day's work is always rewarding.

"Make sure you be careful today." A fellow adventurer is quick to catch you before you can wander off for your next quest, smiling and unbothered despite his words. You've never met him, but he speaks as if you have.

Something about the bond of adventurers is so reminiscent of the Fatui.

You turn back to place your full attention on him rather than the grilled tiger fish you had acquired out of curiosity about the taste. "Why's that?" You're not too bothered, expecting him to tell you that it's dangerous out there, the Abyss Order existing and all.

"The Fatui are restless."

His words catch you off-guard, light in tone as they are. In outward appearances, he's mostly unbothered, while the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

You try to grasp your bearings just enough to speak. "They don't do that for fun." Something about it is just as shaky as you expected, unable to fully mask it, but you figure he'll blame it on nerves.

"Harbinger, apparently." He doesn't draw attention to your demeanour, so neither do you.

"Which one?"

"Dunno."

It's probably Columbina. Maybe you pissed her off when you shot the messenger. Yeah, she probably wouldn't appreciate that. When you did it in a fit of anger, you expected her to find it funny after coming to your senses.

"Hey. Something wrong?"

You startle as you realise he had been speaking that whole time, and you just weren't listening.

"Sorry?"

"I said it's weird that they'd be up and about so soon after the newest was officially promoted."

You deadpan a little, realising it wasn't something of actual value, just a misconception that the greatest powers that be in Snezhnaya aren't spiteful enough to hate each other just as much as they hate everyone else. "Not really. They're not particularly sentimental."

"They don't even care to go out drinking for their own?"

"They hardly know how to tolerate each other." You realise your slip of the tongue too late, seeming too familiar. That's a problem. He barely draws attention to it, only making a strange face.

"Well, whatever the reason, work doesn't stop for them."

In silence, you agree and continue your day as if you really believe that.

-

As you wrap up your work for the day, you feel a sense of pleasant exhaustion wash over you. It struck you as strange that nobody was out in the wild, even the usual fatuus you avoid. Something about it was uniquely eerie. It dawns on you why he came to the conclusion that the Fatui were 'restless'. They must have retreated into the city to prepare for the impending arrival of the Harbinger destined to disrupt the small peace you had found. The sudden influx of fatuus in Liyue would make it seem like they are increasing in numbers nationwide when in reality, they are just moving.

You're not going to let it bother you for now.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you have promised yourself that repeatedly and have found it to be a lie, but you mean it this time. You're familiar enough with the workings of the Fatui to know that they don't like to leave sectors alone for too long, and Liyue had spent a fair time before your dismissal unchecked. 

Even at night, you remain unbothered when you wander Liyue for a time, looking for something to do and notice what he was talking about.

Many of them are fussing more than usual, meaning that chances are it's too late to inhibit the process of this Harbinger arriving. You could turn tail and run, scurry off to the other side of Teyvat and settle in Fontaine or even Natlan, but you like it here.

You sit in the heart of Liyue, listening to a speaker tell his stories. You know you shouldn't linger, but you tell yourself you can for just a little while longer. It reminds you of the past, filled with Liyue legends you remember hearing about as news at the time they took place. The fact these tales are now old enough to be suitable for a speaker's recitation as 'legends' is a grim reminder that maybe you're older than you realised. Your early life is now from the time of legends. You can push that feeling aside to focus on the nostalgia of hearing these stories.

Beside you, you hear the chair move but don't budge from looking to see who it is, assuming that all other chairs are taken or that it's an adventurer who got curious, possibly even the man you had spoken to earlier about all of the Fatui--

“Reminiscing, Brighella?”

You recognise both that voice and that name and go stiff, eyes finding her before your head can even turn in her direction.

In front of you—or rather, across from you—the Knave sits upon the other chair at your table as if she was always supposed to be there, seemingly at ease, but you know better than to assume her guard is down. Arlecchino has always had an icy composure, though she can be hot-headed at times and can lose her temper when provoked. It's not surprising that she was able to track you down, even without knowing what your face looks like.

She turns to you leisurely, unhurried. "I came to look for you since you missed the ceremony." It sounds like a greeting the way she speaks those words. You suppose it is one, really.

Ah, maybe you should've been worried after all.

You try to play off your emotions as if you're completely unfazed by her presence. It's the only way to maintain some semblance of control. "Did Columbina not like my gift?"

"Oh, she rather enjoyed it." Arlecchino maintains a similar composure, knowing approaching you in public means employing subtlety as much as it means she's less likely to be attacked. "She felt it was just the kind of gift you would give."

"I try my best not to disappoint." Your response is less enthusiastic than you might like, a hint of nervousness infesting your brain and refusing to budge.

Despite this, she doesn't notice, not outwardly. Really, that means nothing, as you are very aware of how good her poker face is. "Il Capitano hasn't stopped speaking about how much he'd like to kill you. You don't want to disappoint, do you?" When you were waiting for her to speak, those weren't the words you expected to hear, but somehow you're not fully surprised either.

"I see, so my lies reached even his ears." 

You thought as much.

"I think you'll be quite surprised when you see him." Her reply is so cocky that you almost scoff at her.

"Who said I would be seeing him?" You try to match the audacity she had to make such a remark.

She turns to you rather casually for the words she speaks, an odd tone you can't quite place, lacing her words half like mockery. "You miss him, don't you?"

It's that question that makes you snort and turn away as you realise that her negotiation and persuasion skills are abysmal for such a cunning and intelligent woman. "Not enough to become foolish enough to trust someone whose title denotes them as dishonest and untrustworthy." You always wondered about that, really. "A name like 'the Knave' really isn't subtle."

"Funny." She doesn't laugh or even smile. "I believe yours was something close to 'bother'."

You lean back in your chair, testing it slightly as you push the front legs off the floor as a means of entertaining yourself through this frankly dull conversation. "Then I suppose we're both living up to our names."

She remains silent for several seconds, pondering her next words. You can see her fingers rub against the wood of the chair as a distraction. 

"The others told me it was pointless to try to bring you back."

"They were right."

"You won't come back for any reason?"

"I know a trap when I see one."

"Of course."

Silence, again. You don't care to break it, either. You came to hear the stories, and you really would like to continue that rather than listening to her voice, but she's not making it easy.

"Is that all now?" Your voice shows your impatience more than you might like, but you realise it may work in your favour if she senses she's annoying you.

For the first time in a while, she smiles faintly to herself. "For now. Your answer is abundantly clear." She appears to concede, if only for a little while

You let the chair land back on all of its legs and lean your elbow on the table. 

"Are you going to get out of that chair?"

"No."

"And why is that?"

"It's comfortable."

The urge to roll your eyes brims in your mind, but you stop yourself. You don't want to give the Knave the satisfaction of knowing something she is already well aware of. Besides that, you don't want her to know that you really don't want her here in any capacity. Arlecchino's presence is never a good thing.

You let out a tentative breath as you consider your next words quite carefully. The wrong thing might have Arlecchino never leaving you, and the right one might drive her back to Snezhnaya if you're lucky. You shift your whole body to face her. "You just arrived from Snezhnaya, I take it. What do you want to eat?"

She eyes you suspiciously, scrutinising you for any sign of trying to fool her into consuming poison or making herself sick. "You're feeding me now?"

You pretend you don't notice her intensity. "Well, you're not leaving. It would look strange for me to order food for myself."

Again she smiles to herself, a light mockery that's cautious and testing, easing herself into accepting your offer. "I wasn't aware you cared so much."

"You could starve if you'd prefer." You turn away as you speak and don't look back, shifting yourself back in your seat to be front-facing.

There's a quietness between the two of you, both waiting for the answer to your proposal. You have an inkling Arlecchino will accept, but you don't know with her. She never seemed especially pleased by the times the Jester would convene you all over meals and such, ending up in fights and bickering. She never fought with you, however, so perhaps it's different. 

"Order whatever you like."

You find yourself looking intently at a list of the options on the menu. It's quite a lengthy list. "Mm..." Even though it's just a false invitation and you're doing it to be courteous, you can't say you aren't enjoying the thought of picking out a meal and sharing it with her. Despite your removal from the Fatui's affairs for some time, you'd be lying if you thought you weren't at least a little curious. "Jade Parcels...and maybe Jade Fruit Soup? But Dragon Beard Noodles sound good too..."

Becoming slightly irritated by your indecision, Arlecchino looks across the table to where you are sitting deep in thought. "Is it that complicated of a decision?"

You spare her only a glance before returning to looking for something she would enjoy. "I have to pick something you'll like, don't I?"

Soup is more challenging to share than noodles are.

With that, your decision is made, and you settle. Despite yourself, you are somewhat restless in thought. Arlecchino's lack of contribution is slightly frustrating, but it sounds like she'd be content with anything. You're not sure if your choice is the correct one, but you believe you picked something to the best of your abilities that is easy, even to a foreign tongue. As far as you know, Arlecchino is from Fontaine. You've never eaten like this with Arlecchino to know her tastes or dietary restrictions.

"Jade Parcels and Dragon Beard Noodles. Sound good?"

"It'll do."

"Good. I'll go order it, then."

Arlecchino must be surprised that you returned, as she doesn't seem too thrilled. She never really does, but there was a disappointed glint in her eye right up until you walked in front of her to get to your chair. 

It continues until you get the food, and Arlecchino finally stares at it with an overwhelming sense of dread, left with an intense feeling of apprehension regarding whether. You appear not to hesitate, though this arrangement isn't quite what she had expected. Arlecchino had thought you would order enough dishes that you wouldn't have to share, but you seemed to understand it in a way that meant you would be eating from the same bowl.

You notice her hesitation almost immediately, yet your vexation with her arrival makes you unwilling to acknowledge that you know the reason, a deliberate miscommunication on your part. "Mm. I didn't think this through." Your words seem to make her perk up as if you will free her from her awkwardness by asking for another bowl. "You probably aren't used to using chopsticks, are you? Not many dishes that need those back home."

She knows you're toying with her, that sweet smile from across the table hardly hiding your true intentions. Arlecchino waits, watching to see what you will do next, as she looks back at you with a scowl. 

Her eyes do not leave you as you wordlessly collect a Jade Parcel and present it to her like you are patronising her with this action. Your feigned kindness, this supposed benevolence of you offering to feed her like a child, no doubt hoping she'll back down and excuse herself completely. 

She won't let you do that and have the satisfaction of seeing her back down. She won't allow you to break her facade of acceptance.

Though you circle the food in front of her slowly, only a motion with your fingers trying to convince her or make her as uncomfortable as possible, Arlecchino continues to stare for several more moments. Eventually, she musters the courage to relinquish some of her pride.

Arlecchino leans in slightly, just enough to open her mouth and take a bite from the food you hold out for her. Despite the circumstances that led to this moment, she can't help but acknowledge your good taste. Arlecchino couldn't possibly eat another bite that way, though. Not being fed by the woman who is now her adversary just to avoid her 'winning' in the situation, but admitting she is willing to let you get under her skin is not an option either.

She must treat this situation differently, as if you are merely feeding her out of obligation to her rather than because you have your own motives.

It hardly stops her from enjoying her portion of the meal from the chopsticks you share with her. At some point, it finally occurs to her that you only hold one pair, leaving her set untouched despite feeding her. You had been feeding her with the same set you ate with the entire time, and while you were well aware of that, it hardly seemed to alarm you as much as it alarmed her.

Your biggest disappointment was being unable to get rid of her that whole time, watching her readily accept whatever you tried to use against her. Watching a Harbinger practically bow their head and obey you, however, fuels your consciousness. It's like eye candy to think back and realise you did that.

It's another one of your quiet defiances against the Tsaritsa. You wonder how far you can take it.

As you stand from your seat, you stretch your arms above your head until you hear a faint pop as all the tension in your back relaxes. "I don't imagine you'll be leaving anytime soon."

"No. I have plenty of business outside of you." It's not a lie. She's got a lot to do in Liyue even without your presence, but you're a priority. 

You lean back over your chair, a mischievous little look on your face. "Do tell."

"You know that I can't do that." She's not amused by the attempt, either.

You straighten back to your usual height and brush it off in moments. "Unfun. I thought your loyalty to the Tsaritsa could be won over easily." 

She scowls. "Not by you."

"I see. You have standards after all."

She chooses to ignore your comment. Up until now, you have had quick-fire conversations, sometimes interrupted by a silence that drags on. This is no exception.

"Capitano truly believes you are dead." Arlecchino realises when she has caught your attention, and that time is now. She notices how your head tilts towards her ever so slightly, and your head raises. "For a time, he grieved, but it didn't last long. He has become fixated on the idea of revenge ever since he heard that Brighella's killer was running around boasting about their achievements with the authentic armour to support their claims."

Suddenly it makes some small amount of sense in your mind why they would want you to come back exactly. Capitano won't stay put forever. If he's stuck on vengeance, he won't rest until he exacts it. You weren't thinking about how much your stories would piss him off at the time.

When you spend an extended period of time silent and seemingly disinclined to answer, Arlecchino continues. "I want to show you to him."

You have subjected him to human emotions he's not equipped to deal with. Rightfully, you feel horrible like more of your failures are being wrenched from your corner and dumped out into the open for all to see. It doesn't matter that you're in Liyue, where nobody knows the two of you. You don't want them to see either. 

"He wouldn't want to see me." You don't think she really wanted to hear those words when you finally speak. Her expression gives it away. "He should enjoy his position without my interference. I've ruined his life enough."

"You've given him power and status, he should be grateful for that--"

"No. He shouldn't." You don't even wait for her to finish. She hasn't even realised it yet. Not the way you've been forced to. That power is a detriment, not a blessing. Why should he want that? "I thought that way as well, but now I…I don't think my choice was the correct one."

Arlecchino was not expecting to evoke your vulnerability, shallow as it may be for now. "What choice?"

"To bring him back from the abyss." 

From a purely objective perspective, taking in Capitano was the cause of everything. Arlecchino presumably thinks of it in the way you don't want her to, that you regret taking him in because he ultimately ruined everything for you, causing your world to fall apart. You don't. You wish you hadn't dragged him down with you.

Now Capitano still dealing with the consequences of your choices. He was perfectly satisfied where he was and would've remained that way had he not been caught up in your plans. It was your arrogance that made you think Capitano would prefer to come with you. At no point in your first interaction had he indicated he was displeased in his circumstances, only hostile because humans were so close to him. It is an understandable thing, considering that humans were a foreign concept to him and potentially posed a threat.

"Because he overtook you?" 

There it is.

Despite her words, she appears to have dropped her irritated expression and the impatience in her words and actions. You are finally speaking, and she won't lose that opportunity to an avoidable break in her temper.

"No. No, nothing like that." You try to find the words to explain it, even knowing she likely wouldn't understand it in her current position. You doubt she could ever comprehend it with how she treats her loyalty. "It's more like… Off the record, though I was cherished for many years, even I eventually became disposable. I have left Capitano in the hands of the person who caused that, and now I have damned him to the same fate."

Arlecchino is silent in thought, mulling over your words with great care. The tone of the conversation shifted right under your noses, and with it, so did her demeanour. She became relaxed in a way, though you imagine no less guarded than she always is. "I fail to see how your performance declined. In fact, you are more necessary now than you have ever been."

"I see." In your head, that means she's on your side to a degree. "So you believe that my termination was a mistake?"

"A grave error at best." Her words only confirm the way you thought of it. "Even if you had declined in performance, the people have begun to question more than ever, which sabotages the political landscape of Snezhnaya for those who care about it, the same people who stood idly by while you were ousted. Those who oppose the Fatui are pushing the notion that we must be weaker than we appear, because if even Brighella could die, then what does that say for the rest of us."

Though you wish you could say that concept was inconceivable, the idea that those fighting for reform would seize upon your demise as a means to spur change. It's not shocking that everyone else has been called into question, either. Though it is easy to push the role of frontrunner onto the Director, his duty is mainly administrative, as is the case with many high-ranking positions. His wrath is quick and brutal, and sparse. Dottore is too busy with his disgusting hobbies, and Columbina must remain in the light as a figure they can cling to. That leaves the position of Fourth as the one who is publicly the most violent and ruthless, which used to fall to you.

"I see. Is that why they want me to come back?" You don't expect an honest answer as you ask that question, half anticipating another play at your heartstrings.

"No." 

Frustratingly, she doesn't elaborate.

"I'll only agree to return if Capitano is free to do as he wishes."

She scoffs, somewhat returning to her brash attitude. "Even if I could make that decision, we're well past the point where that's a possibility."

You know that she's correct in that.

Still, you can't stop the sight you let out. You knew the request was wonderful in theory but inconceivable in practice, but asking never hurt anyone. "Then what do you want from me? I take it that though I'm only a stagehand, my part in the theatre is not yet over."

"Is that how you see it?"

"Answer my question."

"Execution."

You pause at her answer.

"Execution?"

You're not even sure you heard her correctly. The execution of who? Brighella has already been put to death, and Capitano has barely warmed his seat among the Harbingers. Nobody left in this is worth killing, given the precarious nature of the Fatui's support in the aftermath of Brighella's murder. It was already unstable, and now things are just worse, with no better word to describe.

You doubt they made the decision lightly.

"Execution. Your execution for the murder of Brighella and crimes against the state."

Your nerves instantly spike again, and your guard is higher than ever. At any moment, you could need to draw your bow and fight her because even though you're unsure of how to treat this life, you're not ready to give it up. No foe has scared you before, and neither will the prospect of rebuilding from square one.

"I see, so you've come to extradite me."

"You read my intentions horribly. I'm impressed you managed to make it so far like that."

You furrow your brows in annoyance. "Then what?"

"The values of the Fatui no longer align with mine." The assertion draws your attention more than anything else. You have always been aware that she is unconcerned with the ideas of loyalty and honour, which you can't fault her for. Abiding by the code of honour the Tsaritsa instilled in you left you here.

You may be completely wrong, but she was so vague and doesn't seem to be waiting to say anything else. "Is this your way of telling me you're deserting the Fatui?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"You so happen to be someone I like." 

You're startled by that as well. As far as you were aware, the decision to do nothing in the face of your dismissal was unanimous. You thought Capitano was your only remaining ally. Even if she's the lowest ranking, that is not indicative of power in an objective sense but of authority. In a sense, she is the new 'you' of the Harbingers, as she always was to a degree. 

Blame for the disorder is shifting in your absence to her.

"Because I cleaned the messes you now manage?"

"Because you aren't cowardly and fixated on politics but inhibited by them. You are a model of what is right." You can't say you follow what she's saying but allow her to continue. "Pulcinella and even Pierro refuse to travel abroad, always making excuses to shirk their jobs when faced with danger in order to comfortably remain in luxury. From the day I joined, you stood out to me in that way."

You raise an eyebrow at her, unimpressed by whatever she's trying to do right now. "Are you trying to flatter me into coming back?"

"I was telling the truth." She doesn't look impressed, either.

You feel a little embarrassed by that, suddenly feeling as though you really had responded quite rudely to an innocent statement. "Hearing a person idolise me is strange," you admit.

"It's not idolising." Her correction is sharp.

"Sounded close enough."

Silence again, as with the pauses scattered around the rest of your conversation. You aren't catapulting the topic into something of great interest or progressing, and neither is Arlecchino. Her lips press into a thin line trying to hide any cracks and stifle any emotion that slips through.

"I admire you."

You did not realise such a thing was possible, really.

"I thought you may have remembered the times we shared and think fondly of it, but perhaps not. We fought once- maybe twice- before. We drank together. Nothing else."

To end that statement with 'nothing else' as if to reduce every conversation, interaction, hour and experience to ashes is thoughtless at best. You didn't remember either instance in which Arlecchino believes you fought and still don't, though you try to now that you have come to find it apparently happened. If it did, the chances of you actually remembering is slim to none with how your memory is. It's not that you forget things quickly, but that minor events slip through the cracks in your frankly chock-full memory.

"I don't remember them, I'm sorry."

"I didn't expect you to."

Despite her words, there is a faint bittersweetness to it, the realisation you are insignificant to the person you aspire toward being like. Somewhere, even if she is aware it was always not only a possibility but highly likely, it still feels like a letdown, the fragile hope you might remember her strength. You only remember her drunken and all too enamoured by you to think properly. It is foolish of her to feel that way because you have battled many foes, and expecting you to remember all of them, let alone your underling, is unreasonable.

"You still haven't answered my question." Changing the topic, you take the opportunity to try to direct her back to what you asked in the first place. "Why are you really here?"

"The Jester gave me permission to pursue you, believing I would attempt to convince you to return to Snezhnaya after Columbina failed." As Arlecchino begins to explain, it slowly begins to make sense as the pieces fall neatly into place. "However, I have no interest in appeasing the wants of dignitaries who care only for their comfort."

You don't want that either. It's just a repeat of Capitano. "Do you understand how dangerous what you're doing is?" It's an attempt to remind her, but Arlecchino's unwavering expression tells you that reminders are unnecessary and unwanted.

"Yes, you were removed for less." She only confirms it for you. "Dottore is of the opinion that you will be forgotten, as are several others-" you imagine singling him out has something to do with them fighting all the time- "but that is simply impossible."

"Times change. You would be surprised how many things we thought would never be forgotten that humans have completely lost all knowledge of."

To her, that concept may be harder to swallow. Arlecchino has never seen the centuries roll by as you have and isn't as familiar with what does and does not remain. Even the greatest gods fell in the Archon War, and most humans cannot name any but the seven Archons. It is natural to forget and progress. The past is meant to become speculation and theory.

"I won't allow that." Abruptly she stops, though her sudden words startle you somewhat with how intense they are. That kind of illogical thought process is natural, maybe. You can't really say. "They could remember."

You shake your head in response, a firm denial before she's even begun to try and sell you on the idea. "There's no need for them to remember."

"There is every need."

"People don't glean the same admiration you do for someone they see as a tyrant."

"Then evoke fear!"

"Enough." You did not expect to have to put your foot down so harshly but do not hesitate to. "I won't entertain this."

Arlecchino grits her teeth at how easily you let go. Even though you are obviously not acclimated to civilian life, you refuse her offer that would allow you to return to Snezhnaya in a potential position of power. It is yet another failed step in the many she expected to have to take to convince you.

"Then let me hide you until some time passes."

"I'm not a precious treasure." She ignores how you roll your eyes at her, completely withdrawing how emotionally available you had managed to be. She can't let her anger take control of her again. "I can handle myself thank you very much." 

You sense she will not be giving up easily.

Even if you could convince her to leave you to your devices and that you would be fine, you doubt she would accept that. However, you have a feeling she knows you intend to disappear after this conversation. You have no idea why else she would pour her heart out in an attempt to make you easier to keep hold of. If you leave, you hold the advantage.

"I cannot continue to defend your honour while you stand by and allow them to do as they please with your name."

That doesn't worry you too much when you've been contributing to it since leaving. "Then give up. Let my name be tarnished."

Arlecchno's anger finally begins to boil over despite her efforts to contain it, rage spilling from the cracks in her composure. "You cannot have forgotten everything we did together."

"Of course I have not forgotten that." Your words are more fuel than suffocation to the growing fire.

"Then accept my help and stop being so stubborn."

"There's no need to."

She grabs you by your arm before you can step away, and you can feel a chill in her hand seep into your skin, likely a byproduct of her delusion. It doesn't hurt, but it doesn't match well with how warm you are most of the time. "You would be willing to pretend you don't wish for normalcy to avoid confronting the Tsaritsa?"

"If I return to Snezhnaya, I will die." You lay it out as directly as possible, without an if, but or and. There's no room to debate this because the outcome will not change. Even if the two of you decide you're best friends, nobody else will see things that way, so it's pointless to pretend you don't see it as it has to be.

Arlecchino finally appears to consider your words more carefully, remaining silent again, but you do not interrupt her this time. You shift your focus to the icy hand still touching you and begin to channel what little you can of your vision without drawing your bow to warm her. You hope she doesn't notice it, not wanting her to find an ulterior motive in it.

"Then it is unavoidable."

You don't quite understand what she is saying until she removes her hand from you to place something on the table you shared.

Suspiciously, you eye the item as you wonder about the significance of abandoning it beyond the obvious, but you don't want to acknowledge that option. "You'll need your insignia if you wish to return." You needn't remind her of that, but it is a prompting statement.

Arlecchino shocks you with her next words.

"I'm remaining with you."

You stand in stunned silence for several seconds, replaying them over in your head. Remaining with you. She doesn't mean that, does she? This is another of her persuasion tactics, right? She cannot actually go through with this. "You're what?"

"I'm not going back to Snezhnaya."

That only confirms your fear, the chill of it rushing to the core of your being and lighting your nerves up with an icy cold. Maybe that's just the hand touching your cheek.

"You can't. You shouldn't. You should stay there."

She makes an odd face at you, half understanding of your plight and the other confused about why you care so much about what she does with her job. "In that place you curse yourself for leaving Capitano?"

"It's a comfortable position." You try to reason that way with her, pointing out the inarguable benefit.

"I don't care for comfort."

You scramble to find another reason, something else to make her give in and pick it back up. You have not gotten anything you attempted to get this night. Arlecchino didn't leave and is, in fact, intent on leaving the Fatui to continue that.

"I don't care to waste my time pandering to people who do not value what I provide for them, all the while relying on it."

That's not a reason you wish to say, but it is. It is a very real reason. You can see it in how the Fatui regards your circumstances that they have never found enough value in the mountain of work you took on. If they had, you wouldn't be having this conversation. She's right, you realise, she realised what you could not.

"Even if you do not allow it, I would be able to follow you." It's a strange thing to say, but maybe she was trying to convince you. Her arm falls back to her side.

You shake your head. "Humans tire."

"I won't be too slow."

It's different for her. Arlecchino doesn't hulk around a bulky suit of armour and a helmet to conceal her face. It is open and well-known. There will be places she can't ever travel to again. Her life will be this and nothing else, while yours will eventually become something else, as it was always supposed to. Even if you don't want to now, you will move on and find a new sense of self. She may never.

"There are grave consequences."

"I know."

"You may never know peace."

"I can live with that."

"You--" 

--will question everything you have ever known. That was what you were about to say. You again come to a realisation that clears things for you. It's different. Arlecchino has not spent her whole life dedicated to serving the Tsaritsa, only a few years at best. You spent centuries. It is no wonder that she could give it all up so easily. Arlecchino only had one foot in the door in the first place.

The realisation dawning on you this way is daunting.

"...Fine. I will accept that." Though you thought you would struggle more, you also understand that it is useless to do so.

"A good choice."

The act of conceding can bring about a sense of relief and comfort. Conceding feels nice, in a way. It is a respite from constantly controlling everything to be exactly as you wish. It allows you the freedom of simply acknowledging the reality of a situation and accept that it may not align with your ideals, even if you don't necessarily like it.

You don't want Arlecchino to accompany you for her sake, but accepting that she will not share your fate of being humiliated can bring about a sense of peace. She will live however she pleases, and that means she may not want for the same future you received. Having a free will allows her to leave.

Slowly, you try to recover from the shock of the situation. As you take in a deep, quivering breath, you begin to steady yourself and attemt to process all that is unfolding.

A single question comes to your mind, a relatively simple one but significant enough to matter greatly.

"What is your name?"

CROSSPOSTED ON AO3

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 02x04 - King of Darkness, Digimon Kaiser / Iron Vegiemon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Channeling the ancient powers of great mythical forces like Horus, Pegasus, Queen Nefertiti, fire-breathing dragons, and the digging of holes, the Chosen Children are finally all together and ready to stop the Digimon Kaiser from kicking any more puppies.

Starting with a loose end the last episode left hanging.

We open inside the Digimon Kaiser's gladiator pit from the previous episode. Daisuke, Iori, Takeru, and Hikari are there, along with Taichi.

Agumon: BABY FLAME!!! V-Mon: V-MON HEAD!!!

A shot of Agumon's Baby Flame blows open one of the cells. V-mon's signature headbutt breaks open what's left of the wrecked bars. As he crashes inside, he creates an opening large enough for the Gotsumon inside to escape through.

V-Mon: Everyone, run! Daisuke: Hurry! This way, everyone!

Daisuke leads the escape with six rescued Gotsumon. They keep running until they're safely out of the arena. The Gotsumon collapse, exhausted, into the grass of a nearby field while the children stop to catch their breath.

Taichi: Mission complete! Agumon: Great work, guys.

No idea what's become of those two Elecmon.

This connects to the three Gotsumon we saw outside the gladiator pit last episode. Back there, they mentioned that the Kaiser had taken their nakama. The dub made the assumption that they were talking about the captured Elecmon, but here we see there were four other Gotsumon imprisoned here. Or three, if the Kaiser caught that one that got away since then and now.

In the dub:

Agumon: PEPPER BREATH!!! Veemon: VEE HEADBUTT!!! (Agumon and Veemon break two of the Gotsumon out) Veemon: C'mon, let's rock! Davis: (out of breath) That... was... easy.... (They escape to the field) Agumon: You guys are officially fugitives!

A little shallow; I don't like that Davis is gloating instead of participating but it's not a big enough deal to make a thing out of.

Once they catch their breath, the children have a moment to unpack.

Daisuke: I'd love to see the look on that Digimon Kaiser asshole's face when he finds out about this.

Man, they are pissed about last episode. Up until now, the Kaiser has been referred to as yatsu, which is a generally rude and disrespectful way of saying "that person". But now he's been downgraded to yarou, which is "that person" spit out as a profanity.

He was a jerkwad, a prick, a douche, but now he's a fuckstain, a piece of shit, a motherfucker.

Takeru: It's weird, though. Patamon: What is? Takeru: There was barely any security here, and he wasn't here either. Maybe he had business somewhere else and had to go there? Daisuke: What!? He just got scared and ran away. Isn't that right, Hikari-chan? Hikari: Mm... I agree with Takeru-kun. Daisuke: -_- Hikari: But what could he possibly be doing? Taichi: Hmm... In any case, let's head back to school. Koushiro and Miyako-chan must be worried about us.

As the children leave, Tailmon stops. She turns to look at the ominous black obelisk in the distance.

Once again, Daisuke tries to be macho and expects Hikari to back him up but, like Takeru, Hikari knows better.

Takeru mentions that the security was poor, but that implies that there was some security. Maybe that's what became of the two Elecmon?

In the dub:

Davis: If that's the kind of puny defense that the Digimon Emperor's gonna put up, then this fight will be over in the first round! T.K.: Something was weird. Patamon: What was? T.K.: Well, the fact that it was so easy for us to break out of that prison. There wasn't a single guard anywhere around! It's like he wanted us to do it. I think he's up to something. Davis: You're crazy! He took one look at our awesome skills and he hit the road! Isn't that right, Kari? Kari: Um... Actually, Davis, I'm gonna have to agree with T.K. Davis: -_- Awww.... Kari: This guy is not gonna let us get away that easy without some kind of reasoning. Tai: We'll worry about it later. Let's get back to the real world. I'm starving! I can practically smell the cafeteria from here! Davis: That's my peanut butter and jelly bean sandwich I've had in my pocket since last week. Kari: Yuck! (Gatomon stops to look at the obelisk) Gatomon: What's that tower?

I... don't know why Tai thinks an elementary a middle school cafeteria would be open at like 6 PM.

The dub got the part where it's weird that this was so easy, but didn't quite grasp the part of why it's weird. The question here is, "What is the Kaiser doing that's so important, it takes him and his forces away from defending his territories?"

The dub seems to imply that the Emperor let us take the Gotsumon on purpose as part of some sinister machination he has in play.

Let's find out. Time to check in with the Digimon Kaiser, inside his command center with only Wormmon for company.

The Kaiser's attention is focused on a grid of white and black squares. Suddenly, one of the white squares clicks over to black.

Kaiser: Another one just became mine.

At a hillside town for Digimon, a black obelisk now stands atop the hill. The Kaiser lays down the new law to an assembly of Gazimon and one familiar Gabumon, backed up by five black-ringed Veggiemon.

Kaiser: Do you see that black tower? That is a Dark Tower. Wherever it stands becomes my territory. And you are all my servants. Do you understand? Gabumon: (thinking) They're all being controlled by those Rings....

I don't think Gabumon's on the same page as the Kaiser here. Call it a hunch.

In the dub:

Emperor: The next one should be in place right about now.... There!

The dub has no audio cue when the grid square turns black. The Emperor himself is the audio cue.

Emperor: Now to let everyone know who's the boss. (Cut to the hillside town) Emperor: This Control Spire is the most dominating object in the Digi-World! Wherever I build one, that area will be under my control and all those around it will be my slaves! It's useless to try and escape! Those who do will have to answer to my soldiers! Gabumon: (thinking) How do I get myself into these things?

Dub Gabumon does seem to be on the same page, and is regretting it.

Love the name Control Spire, by the way. Dub Team went hard on that one. It's a lot more creative than Dark XYZ.

While the Kaiser lays down the law, we return to elementary school to give the kids who stayed behind a startle.

Koushiro & Miyako: EHHHHHHHHHH!?!?!

Koushiro: Why did you bring the Gotsumon here!? Taichi: What else could we do? We have no idea when the Digimon Kaiser might return. Right? Hikari: Yeah.

That agreement might be more convincing if it wasn't coming from your baby sister. Let's see what Daisuke-- no, he's your kouhai. Anyone else want to weigh in?

Miyako: How am I supposed to explain this to Fujjiyama-sensei if he finds out? Iori: It will be fine. We've prepared something just for that. Now, pose!

The six Gotsumon each take their own pose and hold it.

Iori: See? Don't they look like sculptures? Miyako: -_-

Okay. Follow-up question, why are you doing sculpting projects in computer club?

Koushiro: Miyako-kun, can I borrow your Digivice? Miyako: Eh? Why? Koushiro: The power from your Digivices must be what's opening the Gate, right? Taichi: Ahhh. Yeah, ours can't do it. We can have Daisuke and the others open the Gate and follow them through it, but.... Koushiro: I'd just like to examine it for a bit. Would that be okay?

Saying nothing, Miyako smiles and hands over her Digivice to Koushiro.

(You know, seeing them onscreen together, I suddenly realize that Koushiro is only Miyako's senior by one year. As the oldest of the new kids, she's 12-13 while Koushiro and Mimi are 13-14.)

In addition to finally exploring what those black obelisks are, we're also moving towards explaining why the unreliable Gate conveniently always happens to be open whenever one of the new kids is around.

In the dub:

Izzy: ARE YOU CRAZY, BRINGING THE GOTSUMON BACK FROM THE DIGITAL WORLD!?!? Tai: But we didn't have a choice! We couldn't just leave them for the Digimon Emperor to make into slaves, right? Kari: Yup. Yolei: But how are we gonna explain it if Mr. Fujiyama happens to come in here!? Cody: Don't worry, I'll tell him I'm taking a sculpting class and these are some of my early masterpieces. Hit it, boys! (The Gotsumon pose) Yolei: Yeesh. Early rejects might be a better phrase. -_- Izzy: Yolei, I've got a big favor to ask. Would it be alright with you if I borrowed your Digivice? Yolei: But what for? Izzy: Well, it's obvious the power from your Digivices opens the Gate to the Digital World. Our own Digivices don't seem to work. Tai: Izzy's right! I've tried using mine, but no luck. The only way we can get into the Digital World is if one of you opens the Gate for us. Izzy: So I wanted to try an experiment with the new Digivices, if that's okay with you. Yolei: Mhm. (hands over her Digivice)

This is good. They play up the Gotsumon posing a bit, but the joke is already that Miyako is unimpressed so having Yolei outright shit-talk the plan fits in pretty well.

Also, I guess the dub team also had questions about why they'd be doing sculpting in computer club because Cody offers a reasonable explanation for where the "sculptures" came from.

Back in the Digital World, the Kaiser has already erected a prison to house the Gazimon and Gabumon.

He cracks his whip at a pair of Veggiemon workers, startling them so badly they jump and leave poops behind.

Kaiser: C'mon, to the next area! Move it!

The Kaiser takes his seat on a litter, which eight Veggiemon are forced to carry. They move slowly enough that it'd probably be faster to get out and walk, but he seems satisfied with himself.

Gabumon watches through the barred window of a cell, which he shares with five Gazimon.

Gabumon: Yes, he's leaving! Now it's time to escape. PETIT FIRE!!!

Gabumon's Petit Fire blows the door off its hinges, crushing a Veggiemon guard on the other side. He and the Gazimon make a break for it, only for the spiked club tendril of a RedVeggiemon to smack Gabumon in the face and knock him off his feet.

Gabumon: AUGH!!! RedVeggiemon: Did you guys think you could escape!? That's impossible. Gabumon: You're.... RedVeggiemon: The fearsome, ripe vegetable REDVEGGIEMON!!!

Y'all remember RedVeggiemon. Pinocchimon led an army of them against the Chosen Children in his final battle. Cutting one down when they wanted to flee with him was his final mistake that got him killed by Yamato.

RedVeggiemon is an Adult-stage Plant-type Virus Digimon. They're Veggiemon, but stronger because they're an RPG palette-swap. The "Goblin Elite" to Veggiemon's "Goblin Soldier".

Narrator: RedVeggiemon. A sly and cunning Adult-stage Digimon. His special attack is a gust of intensely bad breath called Hazard Breath.

The original rundown specifically mentioned that RedVeggiemon is bigger and meaner than a regular Veggiemon. I suppose that much is already implied by this one's status as the big scary boss to beat, amid all the Veggiemon grunts.

RedV isn't appearing as part of a grunt swarm this time, so the show's letting their actions speak for themselves.

(Their name is still RedVagimon according to the official romanization. I'm so, so sorry. At least someone has it worse than Holsmon.)

In the dub:

Emperor: Let's move out! I've got an early tee time in the morning.

Not sure if he said "tea time" or "tee time" as both are things, but "tee time" makes more sense contextually to me. Tee time is what they call when you're scheduled to "tee off", beginning a round of golf.

Golf is commonly known as the Rich Asshole Sport, so that's more likely to be the reference here than "tea time", which would be a snooty British reference.

Gabumon: We're bustin' out tonight, boys. Ahhh, why wait? Everyone, stay to the back of the cell! BLUE BLASTER!!!

To soften the blow of Gabumon being punched in the face, they add the sound effect of a bowling bawl colliding with pins. Additionally, a white flash obscures the point of impact.

RedVegiemon is voiced as a noticeable celebrity impersonation of Jack Nicholson, best known for playing batshit unhinged characters like the Joker from the "first" Batman film and Jack Torrance in The Shining.

RedVegiemon: Apparently you don't listen to INSTRUCTIONS. Gabumon: Who are you!? RedVegiemon: I'm the Digi-World's biggest salad bar REDVEGIEMON!!! RedVegiemon: (rundown) I am the biggest and the ripest of all Vegiemon. My Stink Jet attack destroys my enemies with NOXIOUS FUMES!!!

"Noxious fumes" is one way to describe it, to be sure.

Unsurprisingly, "RedVagimon" does not make it onto the screen in the dub. They censored that right out and replaced it with "RedVegiemon".

Gabumon faces down RedVeggiemon.

Gabumon: What are you going to do? RedVegiemon: Trying to escape is a serious offense. The penalty is 100 lashes!

RedVegiemon strikes Gabumon to the ground and proceeds to carry out his whipping, counting each lash. The Gazimon shield their eyes, unable to watch Gabumon's gruesome punishment.

They don't make it to 100, though. The 73rd lash comes out more as a jab, which knocks the prone and battered Gabumon off a nearby cliff. Gabumon, barely conscious, falls into a raging river.

RedVegiemon: We only made it to 73? That's fine, he's probably dead by now.

God, imagine dubbing this for Fox Kids. "Oh, that last series got pretty dark but now they just have to fight another kid so how bad could--"

ONSCREEN WHIPPING OF RUNAWAY SLAVES. And to a character we know and love.

I mean, it's not the .44 magnum episode but still. Have fun, Dub Team!

Gabumon: Try to stop us, Stinky! RedVegiemon: For trying to escape, you get to smell my roots! AND I HAVE ROOT ROT!!!

Yeah, they're. Not. Doing the whipping. They cut the shots of Gabumon being lashed, but keep abstract shots of RedVegiemon's tentacle being swung, which they recontextualize. They also keep the Gazimon averting their eyes and a wider shot of the region.

RedVegiemon: (swing) Smell this! (swing) Smell it again! Gabumon: That's disgusting! No more, please! RedVegiemon: You kidding!? I'm just warming up!

Freeze-frame of Gabumon lying prone on the ground without any of the lashing animations.

RedVegiemon: Hey, if you can't stand the smell, get out of the kitchen! YAAAAAGH!!!

And then the one hit they can't avoid: The 73rd lash that knocks Gabumon off the cliff.

Gabumon: (sinking into river) My fur is dry clean only! RedVegiemon: Let that be a lesson to all of you: Don't try to defy the power of the DIGIMON EMPEROR!!!

And we close with an ominous warning but also a quip to keep things light and silly.

Despite what RedVeggiemon thinks, Gabumon's alive. He pulls himself out of the river, too weak to even stand but within fifty feet or so of one of those Gate access televisions.

Gabumon: (weakly) I can't die here... I have to spread the word....

With what little strength he has left, Gabumon crawls towards the Gate.

Gabumon: Everyone... Yamato....

He doesn't make it. Gabumon collapses in front of the TV.

Meanwhile, in the other reality, Yamato's band is in the middle of a concert. He's playing his guitar onstage to a crowd of screaming fangirls waving glowsticks.

In a bit of fourth-wall breaking fun, Yamato is singing "Walk on the Edge". The song was released on a music and drama CD around the time the Pinocchimon arc started, and here it's contextualized as a song he wrote for his band about his experiences in the Digital World.

Specifically, it seems to be about the fight he had with Taichi, and where his headspace was at during that time. The full lyrics are:

We're not ready yet; Just look at us! If I'm right and they break us, then what was even the point? If this is what you want, then I won't stop you. But just because you're passionate, it doesn't mean you're right. Cool off. Keep a level head. No matter what the game is, there's always a chance to win. I'm just fine on my own! I'll walk the edge of the knife. I'm not trying to act tough. But the weaker I get, the less bratty I become. Still, I can't find the data. But you'll see me become myself. I'll be cool. Won't give in to myself. No matter what the rules are, I'll break through them. Possible. Impossible. But we, the Chosen Children, can do it. I have a passionate heart too, but I can't use it as a shield. I'm just fine on my own! I'll walk the edge of the knife. I'll walk the edge of the knife!

I love the implication that Yamato's musical career came out of him unpacking the events of Digimon Adventure. It's such a natural extension of him pouring his feelings into his harmonica.

And also, out of everything he says in this song, "I have a passionate heart too but I can't use it as a shield" is the sickest burn he delivers to Taichi. That lyric is, without question, about Taichi's retaliatory "We'll fuck 'em up and get revenge and then I won't have to feel this way!" trauma response.

And now he's playing it to a giant crowd so that every girl their age in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area knows how much Taichi sucks. Yamato truly did get the last laugh. Though we only come in at "I can't use it as a shield" and the closing chorus.

In the dub:

Gabumon: (straining) I've got to... tell the others... They need to be warned.... (Gabumon crawls towards the TV) Gabumon: I have to find Matt.... (Gabumon collapses) Gabumon: Man, I stink....

Again, closing with a laugh line to try and ease off the darkness here.

Dub Team also has an original song for Matt and his band to sing. It's called "I Turn Around" and was recorded exclusively for the show. The lyrics are:

You've got a boy, you've got a girl, sitting' underneath a tree. They sit there everyday and even though, you may think this is the way the things should be, it may not always be that way. You can't take nothing for granted! You've gotta live life today! I turn around and I can see what's behind me. I turn back around and I can see what's ahead. And if you don't believe I'll be here all along, just turn around. Just turn around You wanna get, you gotta give. There is no other way to be. So give it a try. If what I say is really so, you got to let somebody see. You can't just keep it inside. You can't take nothing for granted! You've gotta live life today! I turn around and I can see what's behind me. I turn back around and I can see what's ahead. And if you don't believe I'll be here all along, just turn around. Just turn around You can't take nothing for granted! You've gotta live life today! I turn around and I can see what's behind me. I turn back around and I can see what's ahead. And if you don't believe I'll be here all along, just turn around. Just turn around I turn around and I can see what's behind me. I turn back around and I can see what's ahead. And if you don't believe I'll be here all along, just turn around. Just turn around

It's a bit more Generic Pop Song but still has something to say about life's unpredictability. Which makes sense for something a kid that was Isekai'd suddenly one summer might feel about life, but isn't referencing any specific moment of Matt's journey.

Once Yamato's concert finishes, he meets with Takeru out in the hall.

Yamato: So then, the immediate problem is that we need a place to hide the Gotsumon? Takeru: Onii-chan, do you know of any good places? Yamato: I don't know....

Nipping that conversation in the bud, one of the girls from the crowd runs up to Yamato with a marker.

Girl: Hey, can I get an autograph? Yamato: Sure.

Yamato takes the marker. The girl turns around so he can write it on the back of her white shirt.

Yamato: And your name is...? Girl: Motomiya. Motomiya Jun. Takeru: Eh!? Motomiya Jun!? You wouldn't happen to be Daisuke-kun's older sister, would you? Jun: That's right, but... who are you? Yamato: He's my little brother Takeru. Takeru: It's nice to meet you. Daisuke-kun and I are classmates. Jun: Is that right? Well, aren't you cute? You sign too!

Having collected Yamato's signature, Jun hands the marker over to Takeru and presents her back for his autograph.

Takeru: Eh!? Jun: Daisuke isn't cute at all. I wish my little brother was more like you guys.

Takeru's startled by the request, but he goes ahead and signs Jun's shirt. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Daisuke sees that signature.

The dub kicks us off with a tortured pun.

Matt: Listen, T.K., just because I have a rock band, it doesn't mean I can hide a band of rocks that happen to be Digimon! T.K.: Well, think about it. Maybe they can be your backup singers. Matt: They sound too gravelly.

Goddammit, it was a bait and switch! The bad pun lulled me into a false sense of security only for Matt to follow up with a killer dad joke. XD

Girl: OHHHH!!! Can I have your autograph!? Matt: Sure. What's your name? Girl: Just make it to Jun Motomiya. T.K.: Did you say Motomiya? You wouldn't happen to be Davis's sister, would you? Jun: Yeah, that's right. Who are you? Matt: His name's T.K. He's my little brother. T.K.: It's nice to meet you, Jun. Your younger brother Davis and I are in the same class together. Jun: Will you sign my shirt too? I get all the cute boys to sign it. (Jun gives T.K. the marker) Jun: You may not know it, but I haven't washed this shirt in two years! T.K.: There's not a lot of room. Jun: I know. I think all boys are cute!

In the original, Jun's fangirling out over teenage rock icon Yamato and wants signatures from him and his cutie-patootie little brother.

Dub Jun, I guess, is a boy-crazy shirt fiend committing crimes against laundry, who roams the land with her marker looking for anyone male-shaped to sign her shirt. She isn't here for Yamato in particular.

Additionally, the "All the boys sign my shirt" thing replaces Jun shit-talking Daisuke, which will have ramifications for the plot down the road.

As fun as Jun is, beeping from Yamato's Digivice interrupts this conversation. He pulls it out, seeing the same flashing red symbols on his Digivice as Taichi got back in episode 1.

A moment later, Takeru's pocket computer goes off.

Takeru: Ah! My D-Terminal too!

Finally have a name for those little devices.

Takeru isn't getting the same message as Yamato, however. Instead, his is an email from Miyako.

Takeru: "SOS Signal Received. Come to Clubroom. Miyako." Onii-chan! Yamato: Is it Gabumon!?

The boys race off as fast as they can, leaving a confused Jun behind.

Once they're all gathered in the clubroom, nobody minces words. With a fierce look in her eyes, Miyako opens the Gate.

Miyako: Chosen Children... Roll out!

Here we have the start of a Miyako catchphrase. Pretty much everyone who's ever watched the subs knows Miyako for repeated phrases like "Bingo!" and "Chosen Children, let's roll!"

While she does say the English word "Bingo!", you have the subbers to thank for "Let's roll".

The phrase is "選ばれし子供たち出動! Erabareshi Kodomo-tachi, shutsudou!

The first part is, of course, Chosen Children. 出動 Shutsudou is a military-style order to dispatch into the field. Chosen children, deploy! Roll out! Engage! March!

I went back and forth about whether or not to change "Let's roll" because it's pretty iconic. But I ultimately settled on changing it for one reason, which we'll get to in a second. I went with "Roll out" so that it retains some semblance of "Let's roll", but there is a critical flaw in having her say "Let's roll" here.

In the dub:

Matt: There's some kind of trouble in the Digital World. T.K.: I just got an email. It's from Yolei. It says "Emergency! Hurry back to school!" Emergency? Matt: I hope Gabumon's okay. (Matt and T.K. return to T.K.'s school) Yolei: Back off, Davis! You're making me nervous! Davis: Can't you go any faster!? Yolei: Alright, the Gate's open. Shall we go?

Gotta add a bit of dialogue because we haven't made Davis out to be a dick in a while.

Minor nitpick: Yolei asks "Shall we go?" but she's not coming with us. She's staying behind, so it's weird for her to include herself in the group of people who will be going.

This, incidentally, is also the problem with translating 出動 shutsudou as "Let's roll" in this instance. We are not rolling anywhere. You are deploying but I am not.

Daisuke, Iori, Takeru, Hikari, and Yamato all cross over into the Digital World. They arrive right in front of Gabumon's prone body.

Yamato: Gabumon! Gabumon: (slowly picks himself up) Ugh... Yamato...? Yamato: Hang in there, Gabumon!

Yamato quickly moves to Gabumon's side. However, his presence seems to rejuvenate Gabumon, who leaps to his feet with excitement.

Gabumon: Ahhhh! I've missed you! Yamato: What's wrong? What happened? Gabumon: Uh, you see--

Before Gabumon can get into it, the TV screen changes to show Miyako over in the human world.

Miyako: Everyone, I'm going over to Izumi-senpai's place to get my Digivice back. Poromon: In the meantime, I'll be serving as your contact. Daisuke: Got it.

Once that's settled, the TV shuts off. Tailmon offers some dry exposition.

Tailmon: This TV sends the SOS Signal to the other world. Agumon said the TV was how he contacted Taichi. Hikari: Is that right?

So as long as you're near one of these TVs, you can send one of those flashing red SOS messages to your Partner's Digivice. And not necessarily just your Partner, as Miyako picked up Gabumon's SOS as well.

In the dub:

Matt: Gabumon! Gabumon: ...oh, Matt.... Matt: Gabumon, are you okay? Gabumon: Let's just say... I'll never look at steamed vegetables the same way. Matt: Okay, I want you to tell me everything that happened. Gabumon: Good! We never talk anymore....

Gabumon sounds delirious. The smell must still be getting to him.

Yolei: Hey, everybody! I'm going over to Izzy's to get my Digivice back and then I'll meet up with you there. Poromon: (speaking rhythmically, as if reciting a poem) Have no fear while Yolei's gone / This place shall be guarded by Poromon! Davis: Stay in touch! Gatomon: Why do they call those things on top of the TV rabbit ears? Why don't they call them cat ears? After all, when was the last time you saw a rabbit sleeping on top of a TV? Kari: This is what you think of?

Miyako says nothing about joining them later. She will, though, so it's fair for Yolei to say that.

I don't know why Poromon is rhyming but I dig it.

They cut out Gatomon's dry exposition, replacing it with rambling. So we don't get to find out how the SOS Signal works in this version, but you can still glean it from context. It was pretty obvious that Gabumon was trying to reach the TV to send the signal out.

While Daisuke and Hikari were over at the TV, Yamato and Takeru have been debriefing Gabumon.

Patamon: Guys, we know our destination.

Gabumon leads them through the woods until the hillside town comes into view.

Gabumon: That is the city of Santa Geria. It used to be a beautiful city until the Digimon Kaiser came and imprisoned all of the city's Digimon. Tailmon: That tower! There was one at the place with the Gotsumon too! Gabumon: That's called a Dark Tower. The Digimon Kaiser built it. Daisuke: Alright, let's go-- Yamato: Wait!

Before Daisuke can get ahead of himself, Yamato stops him.

Yamato: Let me remind you that our goal is to free the captured Digimon. Daisuke: (dismissive) I know that! Armor Evolution will get it done in no time-- Takeru: That won't work. Daisuke: Huh? Takeru: If we do that, they might use the hostage Digimon as shields. Hikari: He's right. We're here to rescue the hostages. You're putting the cart before the horse. Daisuke: Gehhh!?!?

Everybody is trying to nip a Taichi Incident in the bud right now.

In the dub:

Patamon: Okay, break's over! Let's get back to work. (Gabumon shows them to the city) Gabumon: It's a small village called Santa Caria. Davis: Cool! Sounds like it's in California! Gabumon: It was always a quiet place. Everyone minded their own business. And then the Digimon Emperor came along. Gatomon: Look! There's one of those things that scared the Gotsumon! Gabumon: The Emperor calls them Control Spires.

...that scared the Gotsumon? The only person who reacted in any way to the Control Spire at the previous location was Gatomon.

Davis: Let's go-- Matt: Wait! Davis: Huh? Matt: We can't just rush in there. For all you know, he's in there waiting for us and this whole thing is just some kind of ambush! Davis: All we have to do is Armor Digivolve and blow them apart-- T.K.: It's not that simple! Davis: Huh? T.K.: He might be using some of the Digimon hostages as a shield to protect himself. Kari: T.K.'s right. We have to find a way to rescue the hostages and make sure that none of them get hurt. Davis: Gahhhhh....

Yamato, Takeru, and Hikari are all very clear in the original that this is a rescue mission and they can't have Daisuke compromising that mission because he's itching for a fight.

In the dub, T.K. and Kari still bring up the possibility of hostage Digimon used as shields, but Matt's main concern is that this is a trap.

It's not. The Digimon Kaiser is not out there claiming territories to trick them.

With Daisuke's passion now tempered, the strategy talk continues.

Patamon: The Guards are Veggiemon, right? They throw poop at you. Yamato: What do you know about RedVeggiemon? Patamon: Well....

While the veterans discuss shop, Daisuke gripes to Iori.

Daisuke: Tch! They're leaving us out of the loop. Iori, let's just go do it. Iori: No, I want to hear the plan. (Iori leaves Daisuke to join the others) Daisuke: TCH!!!

Iori joins the rest of the team as they start walking. It's time to move out.

Yamato: Alright, we'll infiltrate the prison-- Daisuke: H-Hang on a second! We're bringing Hikari-chan with us!? I'm against that! What with the poop enemies and all.... Hikari: It's fine. Takeru: You already saw the poop attacks in our last adventure, right? Hikari: Yep.

SHE WAS QUEEN OF THE FUCKING NUMEMON

Daisuke: Fuck you, Takeru! Don't you have even a bit of Telepathy!? Takeru: Telepathy? Iori: He meant to say Delicacy.

Specifically, he was trying to say the English word "delicacy" and landed on the English "telepathy". This joke will not translate into the dub. Nonetheless, Takeru, Hikari, and Iori all have a good laugh at the expense of Daisuke's poor grasp on English.

Iori humbly recognizes that he's new here and should defer to the wisdom and guidance of the veterans. But Daisuke is chomping at the bit, and is becoming increasingly a problem as his pride gets more and more wounded.

In the dub:

Patamon: They're being guarded by the Vegiemon. Watch out for the Digi-Sludge! Matt: Patamon, tell us everything you know about RedVegiemon. Patamon: Okay! Davis: (griping) Well, it looks like we're not needed around here. Let's go off and do things our own way! Cody: I think we should all stick together. Davis: UGH!!! Matt: Alright, I've got a plan to sneak into the prison. Davis: Wait a minute! It's too dangerous. We can't take the chance that any of us, especially Kari, might be attacked with that Digi-Sludge. Kari: No big deal. T.K.: Yeah, we've been attacked by a lot worse things than Digi-Sludge. Right, Kari? Kari: Yeah! Davis: GAH!!! I can't even believe you're not worried about Kari's wellbeing, T.A. T.K.: T.A.? Cody: He forgot how to spell T.K.!

Yeah, doesn't translate so they fit the running "Davis either can't or won't say T.K.'s name right" gag in. Though it doesn't quite fit; Davis has been doing this since episode 1 but they react like this is new.

But there's the added problem that they need to censor out poop. Davis refusing to let Kari encounter "Digi-Sludge" isn't something that makes a lot of sense. With poop, you kinda get what he's objecting to.

So they rewrote his objection to just... patronizingly feeling like this situation is too dangerous for Kari.

Which comes right out of left field as opposed to the poop thing, but still gets across the core point of this moment: That he's patronizingly talking down someone who's already walked these roads before.

Daisuke still sees Hikari as just this cool girl he has a crush on, and not the experienced Digimon veteran that she is. He only knows her as Taichi's little sister, and not as the Light of the Eight Gods. Which comes across just fine in Davis's dialogue.

The words themselves are a little awkward, but the spirit of the scene is captured pretty well.

Time to put the plan into action. The Chosen Children approach the front gate of Santa Geria, where five Vegiemon stand guard.

Veggiemon: HALT!!! Who are you supposed to be? Tailmon: We've captured the escaped Digimon and his nakama.

Per Yamato's plan, they've created counterfeit black Rings. Tailmon wears one over her right glove. Patamon and Armadimon have theirs around their waists. Then V-mon has his on his left forearm.

All are easily visible to the Veggiemon, as proof that they too serve the Digimon Kaiser. Meanwhile, the five children and Gabumon are tied together and forced to march.

Patamon: We'll throw them in prison! Armadimon: Come on! Double time it dagyaa!

The "minions" march the children into the city at a jogging pace, while the Veggiemon guards throw poop at them for funsies and laugh mockingly.

Once they're in the city and no longer in sight of the guard, they stop.

Patamon: They didn't even notice the fake Rings. Tailmon: That may be, but don't let your guard down. We're in the middle of enemy territory.

Seems like a solid time to go to commercial!

In the dub:

Vegiemon: STOP RIGHT THERE!!! Identify yourselves! Gatomon: It's okay. We're one of you. We just captured a Digimon and their friends. Patamon: Where are you taking us!? Armadillomon: Pipe down! You're all going to jail where you belong! (They march the children past the guards) Armadillomon: Move it, move it, move it! Patamon: Those guys didn't even notice these Rings are plastic. Gatomon: Don't start feeling too frisky yet. The first set of guards were just flunkies. We haven't even faced the pick of the litter, and even if we get past them, we still have to find a way to destroy the Control Spire!

Man, it's amazing that they didn't get caught given that Patamon blows his fucking lines. He's supposed to be one of the escorting troops but he talks like he's one of the captives. It's a good thing Armadillomon rolls with it so well.

Also, we are not trying to destroy the Control Spire. The dub is making the same mistake as Daisuke. It thinks we're here to kick ass and make the Digimon Emperor's forces eat dirt.

Coming back from commercial, a Veggiemon hurls the "prisoners" into a cell with the Gazimon.

Veggiemon: Quit wasting time and get in there! You'll each be punished with 100 lashes tomorrow! NYEHEHEHEHE GREAT JOB EVERYONE--eh?

While the Veggiemon is busy gloating, the other Digimon remove their fake Rings.

Tailmon: Great job to you too. NEKO PUNCH!!!

Tailmon's hit sends the Veggiemon back against the bars, knocking them out. V-mon and Armadimon jump the other three Veggiemon, with Armadimon pinning two while V-mon pummels the third.

(V-mon, your opponent is totally helpless. Punch the Ring, you dipshit.)

In the dub:

Vegiemon: Thanks for bringing the prisoners in. The Emperor will be pleased. We could have gotten 'em ourselves, you know. But I guess you beat us to the punch--DAH!!! (The team removes their fake Dark Rings) Gatomon: By the way, speaking of punch: LIGHTNING PAW!!!

I mean. They weren't about to have Veggiemon threaten the whipping, so instead they set up an ironic pun.

Jailbreak successful; Now we just need to get these Gazimon out of the city. Patamon scouts ahead and guides the team through Santa Geria's streets.

Rounding a corner, he does a sudden 180 and turns on the others.

Patamon: ACK STOP!!!

There are five Vegiemon down the stairs.

V-mon: This place is crawling with guards all of a sudden. Daisuke: (pulls out Digivice) Looks like we're up.

Daisuke takes a step to round the corner and confront the Vegiemon, but Yamato grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him back.

Yamato: Wait. After all the trouble we went to to rescue these Digimon, you're going to drag them into this? Daisuke: ...geh....

Daisuke isn't happy about it but he relents.

Gabumon: Let's go back up. We can head for the black tower on the hill. Patamon: Sounds good to me!

Patamon flies over Gabumon and the Gazimon's head, taking up a new scouting position for their new direction. The team moves out, except Daisuke and V-mon who hesitate in the back for a moment.

Daisuke stomps the ground in frustration.

Daisuke: WHY!?!? WHY!?!? V-mon: (concerned) Daisuke....

He's losing it.

In the dub::

Patamon: Quiet, there are more guards! Vegiemon: (faint) I got a straight, GYAHAHAHA!!! Veemon: The exit is blocked! We'll never get out now! Davis: (pulls out his Digivice) I'm tired of hiding anyway. Let's fight! (Davis tries to go out there but Matt stops him) Matt: Easy there, junior. You have to learn that fighting's not the only answer. It should only be your last resort. Davis: Mrrr.... Gabumon: Let's go back this way. We'll come out on top near the Control Spire! Patamon: Good idea! (Everyone heads that way) Davis: NNNNNNNGH WHY WON'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME!?!? Veemon: What'd you say?

I love that the Vegiemon are playing poker. The original offers no explanation for why five of them are clustered together in this one random corner of the city.

Yamato offers a clear and concise reason for why Daisuke shouldn't go start a fight: It would endanger the Gazimon we came here to save, who are with us right now.

Matt only offers anti-violence platitudes.

The team makes its way up the hill towards the Dark Tower. Patamon seems to have given up scouting and flies near the back with Takeru. Yamato leads the way while Daisuke takes up the rear, pouting with his hands in his pockets.

Takeru: Oh, by the way, Daisuke-kun! I met your big sister today. Daisuke: Yeah, so what? Takeru: So what? Daisuke: My sister was talking trash about me. Takeru: That's not quite-- Daisuke: No, she was.

Yeah, she was. She called him uncute and said she wishes she had a brother like Takeru instead. It's pretty mild, but she was trash-talking him.

Incidentally, Daisuke refers to his sister with the slang term 姉貴 aneki instead of the more respectful お姉さん onee-san or お姉ちゃん onee-chan. This doesn't convey anything about their relationship; Just that, like Taichi, Daisuke's the kind of boy to use slang language.

Daisuke: My sister always has to badmouth me to every single person she meets. She hates me. Well, I hate that scary girl too, so that's fine. Yamato: HEY!!!

Overhearing this conversation pisses off Yamato, who comes running to yell at Daisuke.

Yamato: What the hell is wrong with you!? Daisuke: What!? Yamato: If you were my little brother, I wouldn't let that slide. I'd knock you on your ass! Daisuke: That's funny. Go on and hit me then! HIT ME!!!

Takeru grabs Yamato from behind, holding him back.

Takeru: Stop it! You aren't going to hit him, Onii-chan. You wouldn't do it, would you? Yamato: (puts down his fists) I won't. (to Daisuke) But watch your mouth!

With that, Yamato and Takeru turn back towards the front of the group and leave Daisuke in the back.

Daisuke's been pretty much a shit for this whole episode so far, but I feel for him with this one. Everybody's family situation is different. Daisuke isn't the good guy here, but he isn't the bad guy either. It's clear that his relationship with Jun is strained, but we don't know enough to know why.

By contrast, Yamato's behavior here is way out-of-line. He is, by his own admission, projecting himself and Takeru onto Jun and Daisuke's relationship. We don't know enough to know if Daisuke's being a brat and neither does he. Depending on context, Daisuke's statements may warrant correction, but "Shut the fuck up or I'll shut you up" isn't helping.

In the dub:

T.K.: Hey Davis, I almost forgot. I saw your sister today. Davis: Yeah? So what? T.K.: So nothing. Davis: She probably had a lot of bad things to say about me, didn't she? T.K.: Well, actually-- Davis: I know! She said that I bite my toenails and spit them on the floor and I used to suck my thumb until about a month ago! That I wet the bed every other Thursday; It was laundry day so it was alright. Well, she talked too much so when I see her, I'll teach her a lesson! Matt: Thanks for sharing but she didn't mention any of that! (Matt angrily runs to the back of the group) Davis: Say what? Matt: Your sister didn't say anything bad about you! In fact, she didn't even mention you! YOU'RE the one with the big mouth! Davis: If you've got a problem with me, why don't we settle it right now!? Matt: Hmph! (raises fists) (T.K. grabs Matt from behind) T.K.: Come on, Matt! Don't fight! He's younger than you are! He doesn't know any better. Matt: (puts down his fists) I don't care how young he is. He'd better learn some respect.

Here we see why they jettisoned Jun badmouthing Daisuke. It's so that they could rewrite this conversation as Davis being, just, the worst little shit who ever lived. Making wild, unreasonable accusations about his sister and then threatening violence against her to retaliate for the things she never said.

Absolutely wild to have Matt saying "Your sister never said anything bad about you!" and then it's true but only because they rewrote the scene where she did.

Now Jun is completely innocent of the accusation. At the same time, Davis is so much more nasty and aggressive and violent that it implies he might be abusing her.

Additionally, they cut out Yamato snapping and threatening to hit Daisuke. Instead, it's Davis who nearly provokes Matt into fighting because he's such a piece of shit.

What especially sucks is that the laundry day bit is a pretty solid joke. "It's laundry day so it's okay to wet the bed every other Thursday" implies that this is premeditated. That he plans to wet the bed at the time of least inconvenience. That's... absolutely hilarious, but it's ruined by the context it's in.

Once Takeru and Yamato are gone, Daisuke grumbles about how attacked he feels.

Daisuke: Asshole should stay the hell out of it! I can say whatever I want about that stupid girl. Hikari: Stop it, Daisuke-kun! Daisuke: Eh? Hikari: I hate anyone who'd badmouth his own big sister! Daisuke: Hate...?

Daisuke flinches as if struck. In his mind, he envisions a rose, with Hikari plucking petals as he imagines her speaking.

Hikari: (pluck) Hate. Hikari: (pluck) Hate. Hikari: (the entire rose disintegrates) Hate. Hikari: I HATE DAISUKE!!!

Apparently that was the end of the conversation, because Hikari returned to the group while Daisuke was spiraling into despair. As the team and their rescued Gazimon truck onwards, Daisuke remains behind, paralyzed.

V-mon: Daisuke.... Daisuke: She doesn't like me... Hikari-chan doesn't like me.... V-mon: (thinking) I've never seen Daisuke so depressed before. I have to cheer him up. V-mon: Daisuke!

Whatever V-mon intends to do, we cut away from it so we don't overhear.

In the dub:

Davis: Who does he think he is!? It's my sister and if I wanna call her names, that's what I'm gonna do! After all, that's what brothers are here for! Kari: That's enough, Davis! Davis: Huh!? Kari: I can't stand anyone who talks bad about their brother or sister! Davis: Me!?

Hikari specifies お姉さん onee-san, meaning older sister. She can't stand someone who'd badmouth their own older sister. She's clearly singling out Daisuke specifically.

Kari doesn't like hearing badmouthing of any sort of sibling.

In Davis's hallucination, he talks as if he's the one plucking petals even though it's clearly Hikari's hand.

Davis: (Kari plucks) She loves me. Davis: (Kari plucks) She hates me. Davis: (Rose disintegrates) She loves me. Davis: SHE HATES MEEEEEEEEE!!!

It's not well-timed to the animation. He almost gets all the way through "She hates me" before Kari's second pluck.

Veemon: Davis! What's the matter? Davis: It's Kari. She hates me. She thinks I'm a disgusting, worthless piece of dirt. Veemon: (thinking) I've never seen Davis so depressed. I've gotta cheer him up. (gasp) I know! Veemon: Knock knock!

That'll do it. Thanks, Veemon.

Once at the top of the hill, the group runs into a problem: There isn't a way down. The other side is an overhang above a vast chasm.

Takeru: We're going down from here? Hikari: It's too high! We won't make it!

(Hikari getting Piemon's observatory flashbacks. If anyone sees a basket with a rope in it, you leave that the fuck alone.)

Yamato: We'll need a rope or something.... Gabumon: I'll double back and try to find one. Gazimon: Wait for us!

Two of the Gazimon approach Gabumon.

Gazimon: To repay you for freeing us, we'll go. Gabumon: Thank you. In that case, let's go together.

Gabumon and the Gazimon head back the way they came. But as they pass Daisuke and V-mon, they're taken out by a poop barrage. The Gazimon in front both take poops to the face and fall back, knocking over Gabumon.

Gabumon: Euuuuugh....

While Gabumon whines, poops nail him in the face and shoulder.

The Veggiemon horde has found them. And, at their head, is RedVeggiemon.

RedVeggiemon: We won't allow that!

Okay, Daisuke. I think it's finally fight time.

In the dub:

T.K.: How do we get down from here!? Kari: There's no way to do it! It's too steep! Matt: If we only had a rope or something, we could climb down. Gabumon: No problem! I'll go look for one. Gazimon: Wait! We'll be the rope. We'll just hang onto each other and you can climb down the bunny slope. Our way of saying thanks! Gabumon: That would be great! Okay, let's go! (Gabumon and Gazimon descend past Davis and get hit by Digi-Sludge) Gabumon: Eugh.... RedVegiemon: Ha! No one's going anywhere!

Okay, first off, there are five of them. That isn't nearly enough Gazimon to form a monkey-chain all the way down this huge drop. Especially when they're like two feet tall apiece.

Second, this bizarre plan makes the following choreography confusing. There is now no explanation for why, after agreeing to this plan, Gabumon and the two Gazimon leave the cliffside and descend past Davis and Veemon on the way back to town.

Alright, we're boned and the stealthy approach is dead. Now is finally Daisuke's time.

V-mon: Yes, I'm in! Check this out, Daisuke. Daisuke: Eh? V-mon: They might be red, but they're still part of the Veggiemon nakama, right? They can't be that strong. I'll show you how cool I am, and that'll cheer you up!

V-mon charges into battle without another word.

Daisuke: Cheer me up--HEY, V-MON!!! Gabumon: V-MON, WAIT!!!

V-mon charges straight into RedVeggiemon's spiked club of a tendril. The hit knocks him back and causes him to briefly stumble, but he manages to keep his footing.

V-mon: Tch! RedVeggiemon: If this hits, it'll really hurt. RED HOT MACHINE GUN!!!

RedVeggiemon opens their mouth and fires a barrage of chili peppers. The attack completely blindsides V-mon, with multiple pepper bullets striking him in the face and knocking him on his back.

V-mon: WAUGH!!! Daisuke: Everyone, Armor Evolve! Iori: Right!

It's too late, though. The Veggiemon jump Daisuke and Iori, binding them with their tendrils so they can't activate their Digimentals.

Veggiemon: We won't let you!

With Takeru and Hikari also bound, Patamon makes a Hail Mary charge straight for RedVeggiemon. Their Red Hot Machine Gun shoots him out of the sky.

RedVeggiemon: HAZARD BREATH!!!

For the rest, RedVeggiemon lets out his noxious fumes, incapacitating them from the foul stench. Yamato, Gabumon, Tailmon, Armadimon, and the Gazimon are helpless against the foul odor.

Gabumon: Ugh, it smells like a bathroom.... Tailmon: It's killing my nose! Armadimon: I can't move!

The Veggiemon quickly descend upon them as well.

In the dub:

Veemon: Alright, Davis, it's time for action! Davis: Huh? Veemon: I'm gonna take that overgrown tomato and turn him into vegetable soup! RedVegiemon: Hehehehehe.... Veemon: I'm gonna make vegetarians around the world proud! That ought to cheer you up! Davis: But-- Veemon: VEE HEADBUTT!!!

Veemon calls his attack here rather than simply charging in blind. Still gets popped in the face for his trouble though - With a white flash to obscure the impact.

RedVegiemon: And now for side dish: CHILI PEPPER PUMMEL!!! (Chili Pepper Pummel takes out Veemon) Davis: VEEMON!!! ARMOR-DIGIVOLVE!!! Cody: YEAH-- (Vegiemon take out Davis and Cody. More chili peppers drop Patamon.) RedVegiemon: STINK JET!!! Digimon: (miscellaneous noises while being gassed)

They took out a few lines of fight banter. Davis directs his instruction to Armor Digivolve to Veemon, whereas Daisuke was calling out to the whole team.

With the Chosen Children soundly defeated, RedVeggiemon triumphantly hoists V-mon aloft, wrapped up in both tendrils.

V-mon: I-I'm sorry, guys.... RedVeggiemon: An apology won't save you now!

RedVeggiemon slams V-mon down hard on the ground and releases him.

Daisuke: V-MON!!! V-mon: (pained) Daisuke.... RedVeggiemon: Now, it's time for this guy to take his 100 lashes! Watch closely!

Calling out his lashes, RedVeggiemon strikes V-mon first in the face, then the second and third go to his gut. V-mon stands back up, defiantly facing down his torturer.

RedVeggiemon: You've got some guts, don't you? But how long can you hold out?

Lashes four, five, and six are all shots to the face, trying to knock V-mon back to the ground. To his credit, he manages to stay standing through four and five, despite offering no resistance to speak of.

Gabumon: I can't watch! Yamato: There's nothing we can do! Daisuke: L-Let go.... V-mon!

Despite having three separate Veggiemon holding him back, Daisuke manages to take a couple steps forward. It's a futile gesture, however, as they wrestle him to the ground.

V-mon, back on the ground, tries to crawl to Daisuke.

V-mon: Daisuke--AUGH!!!

A hard lash to his back puts a stop to that. As the beating continues and V-mon screams and yelps offscreen, we pan over the rest of the team. Everybody's averting their eyes from V-mon's torture.

In the dub:

Veemon: Put me down or I'll toss you like a salad! RedVegiemon: In case you've forgotten, I have the upper hand here! (RedVegiemon slams Veemon) Davis: Urgh... VEEMON!!! Veemon: ... RedVegiemon: The key to good cooking is to always tenderize thoroughly like so!

Yeah, no getting away with "smell my stinky roots" this time. It's hard to disguise Veemon's beating.

They do, however, obscure the first three hits. They use a white flash to obscure the impact from the first, though you can still see it pretty well. Then they cut away before the second hit, going to a wider shot from a distance that keeps the pair in silhouette for a second, third, and fourth lashes.

(I think they played the footage of the third lash in reverse and then let it play forward again, because this shot was originally for one hit. It showed him moving from second to third, but they managed to get three hits out of it. Pretty clever, honestly.)

Veemon: (standing up) Is that your best shot!? RedVegiemon: Are you kidding? We're just getting started! How do you feel about flying!?

They cut lashes four and five, keeping only the sixth that seems to knock him off his feet. They also add an "object sailing through the air" sound to go with RedVegiemon's comment, even though the distance between them isn't going to grow any.

Gabumon: I can't watch this! Matt: Veemon doesn't stand a chance against him! Davis: VEEMON!!! I'M COMING!!! (Vegiemon wrestle Davis to the ground)

The scene of V-mon crawling on the ground and taking a hit to the back gets cut.

Lot of slicing and dicing needs to happen to get this scene to broadcast without the censors having a conniption, and we're not even done beating V-mon half to death yet.

The brutality continues, with V-mon grunting and yelping in pain with each count.

RedVeggiemon: 69! 70! 71! 72! 73! 74! 75! 76! 77! 78!

For the 69 through 72, they replay the footage from 4, 5, 6, and 7 but make it transparent, transposing it over a slowly zooming shot into the Dark Tower atop the hill.

73 through 76 appear as triangles showing V-mon's face contorted in pain, appearing once after another as RedVeggiemon calls the hits.

77 just shows Daisuke looking away with his eyes closed.

Then, at 78, we return to V-mon right after the hit has landed. RedVeggiemon lifts their tendril off V-mon's back, and V-mon picks himself up onto his hands and knees. Slowly, he climbs back to his feet.

V-mon: I can't give in... If I do, It'll make Daisuke's depression even worse!

Though RedVeggiemon doesn't call it, 79 hits V-mon right in the gut, knocking him back a couple steps towards the Dark Tower behind him.

Daisuke hears that, looking up suddenly.

Daisuke: (thinking) This is my fault. It's because I was feeling so dejected. He's trying to help me through it.

Despite the three Veggiemon holding him down, Daisuke finds the strength to stand up again.

Daisuke: HEY!!! CUT IT OUT!!! BEAT ME UP INSTEAD OF HIM!!! V-mon: DAISUKE!?!?

Daisuke's outburst distracts V-mon right before the next hit lands. The shot glances across his face and keeps going, hitting the Dark Tower behind him and cracking it. Still, it's enough to knock V-mon off his feet.

In the dub, we're getting some more editing.

RedVegiemon: Combine all your ingredients into a bowl. Next: STIR!!! BLEND!!! MIX!!! FRAPPE!!! And VOILA!!! The first course!

The transposed shots of V-mon getting hit are kept as made into non-animated still-frames of him recoiling in pain. Each one timed to RedVegiemon's cooking instructions. The four triangle slices of pain are presented together instead of one-at-a-time for the final hit.

The brutality here is implied, but still unmistakable.

RedVegiemon: Now, the entree! Veemon: (standing) No matter what you do, I'll never give up! I have to do my best to cheer Davis up, whatever the cost! Davis: (thinking) This whole thing is my fault! Veemon is doing this just for me!

A couple more hits are cut, replaced by a frozen still-image of Veemon looking defiant before the beating starts anew.

Davis: VEEMON, YOU CAN STOP NOW!!! I'M HAPPY!!! I'M HAPPY!!! I'M HAPPY!!! Veemon: You are!?

A white flash obscures the point of impact with the hit that breaks part of the Control Spire.

Davis still tries to intervene, but stops short of volunteering to take Veemon's lashes for him. It's a little awkward that he's pleading with Veemon to stop being beaten instead of pleading with RedVegiemon to stop beating Veemon.

Davis might not realize that, from Veemon's perspective, the alternative to sticking it out for him is giving up and dying.

Daisuke: I'm begging you, let V-mon go! Don't do this! RedVeggiemon: Isn't this a beautiful friendship? Don't worry, once he's done, it will be your turn next. Daisuke: STOP IT!!!

RedVeggiemon cracks their tendril down on V-mon's back while he's trying to crawl to safety.

As he explained at the outset, RedVeggiemon intends to administer the 100 lash penalty for every single person here. There is no 'instead'.

Yamato has managed to fetch his Digivice from his pocket but with the suppression from the Dark Digivice in effect, it's doing nothing.

Gabumon: If I could evolve.... Yamato: It's not responding! Gabumon: It's hopeless.... RedVeggiemon: 99!

The 99th hit lands in V-mon's gut. It shoves him back against the Dark Tower, cracking it further. I guess the Kaiser did not program his Rings to instill respect for his property. Seems like a pretty major oversight for a programming super-genius.

Daisuke: V-MON!!! RedVeggiemon: You've held up pretty well! This next one will be the last. I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL!!!

Saying the quiet part out loud, RedVeggiemon confirms that you're not supposed to survive the 100-lash penalty. It's a form of execution.

For the final lash, RedVeggiemon raises both tendrils and shoots them forward.

Daisuke: V-MOOO-- Daisuke & Yamato: --OOOOOOO-- Daisuke, Yamato, & Gabumon: --OOOOON!!!

As the fatal shot hurtles towards V-mon, Daisuke, Yamato, and Gabumon all appear one by one, crying out for him in chorus.

V-mon ducks away from the attack, darting to safety while RedVeggiemon's tendrils slam hard into the Dark Tower.

Energy surges through the Dark Tower. It crackles, malfunctioning from the damage inflicted to it by Ken's shitty programming.

In the dub, Davis finally starts talking to RedVegiemon.

Davis: Leave him alone now, you hear me? He's had enough! RedVegiemon: I don't doubt he's getting a little full, but he must have saved room for dessert and I've cooked up a sweet SURPRISE!!!

The lash to V-mon's back while he crawls away is cut.

Gabumon: If only I could Digivolve! Matt: There must be a way! Gabumon: But how...?

Matt and Gabumon are feeling a lot better about their chances of getting in this fight than their Japanese counterparts.

The gutshot that slams V-mon into the Dark Tower is kept, with a white flash to obscure the hit.

Davis: Veemon! RedVegiemon: And now here's the surprise I promised you: A double helping of SPIKE PUNCH!!! Davis: VEEMON!!! Matt: DUCK!!! Gabumon: NOW!!!

Matt and Gabumon might just be offering tactical advice. However, with the "There must be a way to Digivolve", there's a kinda-sorta implication that they might have planned to disable the Control Spire? Gatomon also mentioned earlier that destroying the Control Spire is part of their agenda here.

In the original, the team never intended to destroy the Dark Tower and have no idea what it does. RedVeggiemon breaking it with their reckless brutality is a happy accident. It's this moment when everyone finds out what, exactly, it does.

Suddenly Yamato's Digivice lights up. Gabumon wastes no time shaking off the Veggiemon holding him. Gabumon SHINKAAAAAA!!!!

With the old familiar sound of Show Me Your Brave Heart firing up, Gabumon evolves into Garurumon.

RedVeggiemon: W-WHAT!?!? Patamon: Gabumon.... Yamato: He was able to evolve....

With RedVeggiemon too busy olive oiling themselves to intervene, Garurumon turns on the Vegiemon. The horde releases the children and flees for their lives, to no avail.

Garurumon: FOX FIRE!!!

As Garurumon's flames wash over the retreating Veggiemon, we'll... Uh... We'll hope for the best, that the attack only destroyed their Rings.

In the dub:

Matt: Gabumon! How did you Digivolve!? (Garurumon scares the Vegiemon into retreat, then attacks) Garurumon: HOWLING BLASTER!!!

RedVegiemon doesn't get to react with more than just his face, sadly.

With the children no longer restrained, the tide has turned. Daisuke whips out his Digivice to join the fray.

Daisuke: DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

Leaving punishment mode behind, RedVegiemon goes back into attack mode with another volley of Red Hot Machine Gun. Their chili peppers ricochet harmlessly off of Fladramon's right palm.

Fladramon's left punch, on the other hand, sends RedVegiemon cathartically tumbling across the hillside.

Daisuke: V-mon, you endured the enemy's whipping and managed to evolve! Now it's your turn! Fight with everything you have and finish this! GANBARRE, FLADRAMON!!! Fladramon: RIGHT!!!

V-mon has persevered through great adversity, and now it's time for him to push through to the end and overcome.

In the dub, Flamedramon calls his left punch as an attack.

Flamedramon: FLAME FIST!!! Davis: Boy, am I glad to see you, Flamedramon! It's time for a little payback! I think we should give this overgrown houseplant a real cooking lesson! Flamedramon, get 'em! Flamedramon: HIYAH!!!

Davis's triumphant energy doesn't quite match Daisuke's ganbarre speech but he's giving it his all nonetheless.

Ganbarre, Fladramon.

RedVeggiemon: What the hell!?

RedVeggiemon sends both spiked tendrils forward. Fladramon catches them, gripping them between his armored claws, and yanks RedVeggiemon forward onto their face. Then, using the tendrils for leverage, he hoists RedVeggiemon into the air and slams him down onto the ground again and again for some cathartic retribution.

RedVeggiemon: Is that all you've got!? Fladramon: KNUCKLE FIRE!!!

RedVeggiemon immediately regrets asking that, as Fladramon's fireballs tear into them and set them ablaze. They scream in pain until the fire relents, then fall flat on their back.

RedVeggiemon: I give up.... Daisuke: We won!

In the dub:

RedVegiemon: You want a piece of me!? (Flamedramon slams RedVegiemon over and over) RedVegiemon: That hurt.... Flamedramon: FIRE ROCKET!!! RedVegiemon: (on fire) Augh! I've heard of grilled vegetables, but this is ridiculous! (The fire recedes and RedVegiemon collapses) RedVegiemon: Ugh.... Davis: You did it!

Unsurprisingly, the dub covers up RedVegiemon's agonized screeching by giving him a quip.

Miyako: GUYS!!!

Only now, with the fight already finished, does the cavalry arrive.

Miyako arrives with reinforcements. She's brought Taichi and Koushiro as well as Hawkmon, Agumon, and the Gotsumon. They're all excited to see Garurumon in his Adult stage.

Taichi & Koushiro: GARURUMON!!! Agumon: How did you evolve!? Garurumon: Ah, I'm not sure either. Patamon: You were able to evolve after that tower cracked, right? Miyako: Eh? Then, if we destroyed the tower...? Armadimon: Got it! That's right up my alley. I'd be best for this dagyaa. Iori: DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

In the dub:

Yolei: DAVIS!!! (Reinforcements arrive too late) Tai: Garurumon! Agumon: How were you able to Digivolve!? Garurumon: I'm not quite sure. Patamon: You know what I think? When RedVegiemon's punch cracked the Control Spire, we were free from its power. Hawkmon: They're certainly going to need a lot of glue. Armadillomon: We should destroy the Spire once and for all, and who better to do the job than Digmon? Cody: Yeah! DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!!

Yolei calls out directly to Davis instead of the whole team, and Hawkmon and Armadillomon rob her of her line. Rude.

Armadimon Armor Evolves into Digmon so he can take the entire obelisk with his Big Crack.

Digmon: BIG CRACK!!!

Once the Dark Tower falls, RedVeggiemon pulls off their Ring.

RedVeggiemon: Huh? What have I been doing all this time?

The other Veggiemon slide their Rings off as well.

Iori: Ah! The Evil Rings have lost their power! Miyako: So that's how it works. That makes sense. Hawkmon: What makes sense? Miyako: The tower isn't just for decoration. It's like a radio tower, channeling the Digimon Kaiser's power and spreading it across a wide area. Isn't that right, Izumi-senpai. Koushiro: Yes, I believe your theory is correct.

We officially have a name for the control devices beyond just calling them "the Rings". They are now Evil Rings, in English. I think Iori came up with that on the spot.

In the dub, Big Crack is no longer Gold Rush.

Digmon: ROCK CRACKIN'!!! (Digmon brings down the Control Spire) Digmon: Sorry, I forgot to yell timber! RedVegiemon: Whoa, did I get married while I was asleep? (The Vegiemon all remove their Dark Rings) Yolei: Oh, now I see how it works. Hawkmon: May I inquire as to what you're talking about? Yolei: The Spire. It acted like an electricity rod. The Digimon Emperor set it up to send out power to the Dark Rings, making it possible for him to control all of the Digimon throughout the area. Isn't that right, Izzy? Izzy: Yeah, I'm quite impressed with your theory, Yolei.

I'm not. She specifies that the Control Spire powers the Dark Rings, which is an incomplete explanation. It's also suppressing evolution. It's providing the signal for all of the Digimon Emperor effects in the region, not just the Dark Rings.

With this new discovery in mind, it's time to talk shop.

Taichi: The Chosen Children's objective is clear! Yamato: Yeah! To visit each area controlled by the Digimon Kaiser and destroy the towers he's built there. Takeru: We'll help with that (ganbaru), Onii-chan. Daisuke: So will I! Agumon: Plus, if we destroy the towers, we'll be able to evolve! Tailmon: It'll be easy! Taichi: Yes! Agumon, let's get to the Gotsumon's area! Hikari: Yeah! We'll come too!

Taichi and Hikari leave with their Partners and the Gotsumon. Yamato climbs up on Garurumon's back.

Yamato: We'll take responsibility for defending this area. Gazimon: (together) THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

In the dub:

Tai: I wonder how many more Control Spires there are scattered around the Digital World? Matt: Well, whatever the number is, one thing we know for sure is they all have to be destroyed. Quite a tough mission for the new DigiDestined, don't you think? T.K.: Leave it to us! We can handle it! Davis: You said it! Agumon: I guess someone should take the Gotsumon back to their homes now. Gatomon: I'm all over it! Tai: Come on! I'll lead the way! Kari: I'm right behind you, big brother! (Tai and Kari leave with their Partners and the Gotsumon) Matt: Garurumon will stay here and protect you guys from the Emperor. Gazimon: GARURUMON!!!

Matt is eager to wash his hands and be done with all this. He singles out the new kids as solely responsible for destroying the Control Spires. Then he hands Garurumon over to the Gazimon and excludes himself from responsibility for their protection.

In the original, destroying the Dark Towers is now the responsibility of the Chosen Children as a whole, and the Gazimon will be defended by 俺達 ore-tachi, the pluralized first-person pronoun.

Leaving Taichi, Hikari, and Yamato to finish up in the Digital World, the rest of the team returns to Computer Club.

(Taking Hikari was a good idea. She's gonna be the boys' ticket home since their Digivices can't open the Gate.)

Daisuke: I know it was all my fault. You were worried about me. I'm sorry, V-mon. Chibimon: Daisuke, you've grown up a bit! Daisuke: Eh!?

Daisuke has learned a valuable lesson from all this. We're just not sure what it is.

No, I kid. Daisuke's learned that his attitude and behavior has a knock-on effect on the people around him. His foul attitude led directly to V-mon going off half-cocked to try and impress him, and getting his teeth kicked in from a fight they would rightly have won if they'd approached it more cautiously from the beginning.

V-mon made reckless mistakes trying to impress Daisuke because Daisuke was mad that no one liked his reckless ideas. He let his bad attitude compromise the mission and get his Partner hurt, and he's taking responsibility for that.

Once Daisuke's done apologizing to Chibimon while using the wrong name, Koushiro grabs their attention at the computer.

Koushiro: Everyone, please have a look at this. Miyako: What's this? Koushiro: While I was examining the Digivice I borrowed from Miyako-kun, I found this.

Koushiro pulls up the same grid of black and white squares that we saw in the Kaiser's control room earlier.

Koushiro: It looks like a Digital Map.

Koushiro taps a white square in the middle of a field of black squares with a pen.

Koushiro: This used to be black, but now it's white. Therefore, that must be the region where we brought down the tower. Iori: But the black areas of the Digital World are spread out so wide! Daisuke: (determined) Then that means we're just getting started.

Yeah, we're on episode 4. This ain't wrapping up that quickly. :P

The dub takes a commercial break before we return to the human world.

Yolei: I'm glad the Gotsumon aren't staying with us anymore. Every time they touched my CDs, they scratched them! Cody: And they clogged the sink when they brushed their teeth! Davis: They were kinda cool, though.

Davis's apology wouldn't hit nearly as hard when he didn't try and take Veemon's punishment for him. It especially doesn't hit as hard when the dub doesn't even bother. It spends that time having Yolei and Cody whine about the inconvenience of sheltering refugees for one day.

Izzy: Hey, everyone, I really think you should take a look at this. Yolei: Wow, what is that? Izzy: I found it when I was examining your Digivice, Yolei. It seems to be a map of the Digital World. (Izzy taps the white square with a pen) Izzy: Do you see this white square? Well, it used to be black until we destroyed the Control Spire. Unfortunately, there are a lot of black squares left and they all have Spires. Cody: Gee, Izzy, it's going to take a long time to turn all of those black squares into white ones. Davis: And how do we know he won't build new Spires?

Daisuke's gung-ho moment is turned into Davis asking what is honestly a valid question. We'll never be rid of the Spires as long as the Kaiser's still out there erecting more. We're basically playing Risk.

Meanwhile, back in the Digital World.

Greymon brings the Dark Tower back in the Gotsumon region crashing to the ground.

Taichi: (thumbs up) Agumon can evolve into Greymon too!

In his control room, the Digimon Kaiser seems to have noticed the second black square in his territory suddenly turning white.

Kaiser: Oh? That must have been their handiwork. Well, no matter. That area isn't tactically important.

It's just the gladiator pit where he makes slaves fight for funsies. He can always build another one.

Kaiser: At this pace, I'll have conquered the entire world in less than a year. (Digimon Kaiser stands up dramatically) Kaiser: Every last Digimon will bow before me, serve me, and worship me! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

While the Kaiser laughs maniacally, the camera slowly zooms on Wormmon's concerned face, watching silently as Ken-chan loses it.

In the dub:

Greymon: They don't make Control Spires like they used to. Tai: Ha! Way to go, Greymon! You're a one-mon wrecking crew!

Yeah, the Emperor's been skimping on the materials to save money lately. The new ones they're building now are basically papier-mache over a wooden frame. Turns out a child's allowance only extends so far.

The cut to the Digimon Kaiser begins with his Dark Digivice and then cuts to a wider shot of him in his control room. The dub has his Digivice beep to alert him that a region's been lost.

Emperor: What!? A Spire was destroyed!? Must be those meddling kids! Oh well. Doesn't really matter. That area was pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Within a year, I'll have every area under my full control. (Digimon Emperor stands up dramatically) Emperor: And then finally, every living thing in the Digital World will become my slave forever! And that includes those kids too! Hahahahahahahaha!!! Narrator: What is the Digimon Emperor's master plan? More pieces to the puzzle revealed on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.

...

This.

His master plan is this. He's going to build Control Spires all across the Digital World and enslave everyone.

He just. Told you.

Were you in the bathroom getting high all episode, Narrator?

Assessment: Surprised, after all the Yamato vs Daisuke build-up, that the episode never resolved that. V-mon's impulsive mistake to try and help Daisuke succeeded in pivoting the plot away from the growing tension between Daisuke and Yamato.

Daisuke learned a valuable lesson that relates to where he was at all episode emotionally, but he and Yamato never had the chance to bury the hatchet or have it out or what have you.

Yamato was definitely out-of-line when he threatened to hit Daisuke for trash-talking his sister. There is clearly hostility in Daisuke and Jun's relationship that we have insufficient information to assess, and it will be interesting to learn more down the road because this isn't the last we're seeing of Jun.

[linkspooky]

it's been rotting in my brain sm on there's so much similarities actually between geto and utahime. I know it seems hard to claim that but from their character designs, birthdays, and some of their values(they value teamwork and deeply care about others)..Also there's their butting heads dynamic with gojo who he has different ideas with like for geto, what being sorcerers is and for utahime, what being a teacher is. Idk why but regarding with gojo's history with geto who provoked change to gojo, it makes me think that maybe there's more in stall for utahime's role esp now she's in the biggest fight of the series and her "parallels" with geto ig (if im using the the right word for it??)

Don't ever feel bad about ranting in my inbox, because I do think you're onto something there's a connection between Geto and Utahime there despite the fact we never see them interacting onscreen. The biggest way they foil each other is essentially how they interact with Gojo. I said this before in a different post, but I do think the story is building up a relationship between Gojo and Utahime even if it's not necessarily a romantic one.

The biggest contrast between Gojo and Utahime is how they connect with other people around them, especially in regards to how they connect to children. Utahime is basically the only adult besides Nanami to ever show concern that one of her kids may have gotten hurt.

Utahime immediately takes action when there's a threat to one of her kids, whereas Gojo is famous for sending his class to get beat up by Geto in Jujutsu Kaisen Zero, in order to provoke Yuta. Their differences in how they treat people is also shown in how their students interact, the Tokyo Kids are all individualists, the Kyoto kids fight together as a group and have excellent team coordination.

Utahime is someone who treats the people in her life like, well people really, and makes an effort to connect with them. This is what parallels with Geto too, because the entire point of Geto's character is that he not only cares enough about his fellow sorcerers that he was the only one to forge a connection with Gojo, but he also was driven to his breaking point because he witnessed the pointless death of his companions.

Geto however, even past his breaking point continues to connect with the people around him. Gojo has coworkers, whereas Geto refers to his terrorist group as his family. Gojo doesn't treat Megumi as a child and acts like Megumi owes him for paying for his rent and making sure he doesn't end up homeless or with the Zen'in. Geto goes out of his way to adopt two traumatized children and act like a father to them. He's papa Geto.

Gojo avoids connection to the people around him, while Geto makes the effort to connect Gojo even says that he knew Geto would not unnecessarily hurt young sorcerers if he didn't need to which is why he had the confidence to send Inumaki and Panda his way.

Getos' response to this is to say "unlike you, I'm a kind person" and that's not entirely a joke, Geto does make an effort to be kind to the people in his life and be considerate to them whereas Gojo is defined by his distance to other people.

So Utahime acts like an actual teacher to her students, and her students get along as friends. Geto acts like a father to Nanako and Mimiko, and his allies consider each other a family. They're both sincere in their feelings in regards to others whereas Gojo is avoidant and usually hiding behind a mask.

The biggest difference between them however, is how they connect to Gojo. As I said, Utahime has the strong potential for connection to Gojo because she's the kind of teacher he should be. Utahime is even a much more positive influence on Shoko, who unlike GOjo and Geto they were able to manitain their friendship well past high school. They don't connect because Gojo doesn't respect her.

Utahime even says so "respect your elders." Gojo says his reason for bullying her is because she's weak, he doesn't do the same to Mei Mei because who the heck would pick on someone strong. In fact, he respects Mei Mei a lot more who blatantly abuses her brother and treats children poorly, than someone like Utahime who treats children well b/c Gojo only respects strong people. As if being strong is a virtue in and of itself.

Gojo and Utahime could have some sort of friendship or relatioship, but Gojo doesn't allow that to happen because he thinks the only person he could have connected with was someone as equally strong as him like Geto.

It's not just Utahime though, he also ignored Shoko despite the fact she's stuck by his side for more than ten years, even if they don't enjoy the kind of close friendship that he and Geto did.

In regards to their foiling, Utahime is like Geto someone who values not only her connections to other people, but also the children around her. However, because Gojo believes only someone as equally strong as him could understand him, they'll never be as close and Geto and Gojo were. Which is why Utahime's technique is kind of genius, she's not strong on her own but she enhances the strength of others. Just like her personality as someone who is naturally good at supporting others.

Gojo is someone desperately in need of that support, but he won't really allow anyone to help him or form a close friendship with him because of his insistence of always doing everything alone. Which is also something that happened in his friendship with Geto. Their friendship started to fall apart due to lack of communication when Gojo became the strongest and therefore started always taking missions on his own because he didn't need Geto's support anymore.

The biggest way they foil is that they both have the potential to connect with Gojo and naturally work well with him, because they cover his weak points (he's bad at cooperating with people, and does everything alone to a fault) but Gojo doesn't let them.

[huh-1260]

So the LU gundam AU continues and

Wind and Twilight the only non clone children of the Chain! Bow I've shared some details from the LU Whumpever server, so I shall make a separate post for those details, BTW I just realized I forgot to mention Four on the server.

But, back to Wind and Twilight. Wind is a regular person (for now) but he's a space pirate. At first I was going for something like Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam, but my ass is so unfamiliar with it, so I'm leaning more into the Gundam Astray story. So for Time's finally fight with the government, before he goes into the Fierce Deity equivalent of a Gundam (maybe I'll draw it later) to fight Skull kid/Majora (spoilers: Skull kid dies). With Legend's creation, which only happen because they found the arm of Time's original Gundam. So for Wind, he found the rest of the mobile suit. And because of certain details, aka the Time travel ability of the Ocarina of Time, the time ability goes to Wind to be the Phantom Sword (Lol I might call Wind's Gundam the Phantom Gundam). But for Wind's windwaker, that's where Wild comes in. Now it was very easy for me to say Wild and his team/Champions were abandoned to die but bot the state of the mobile suits. Now the Champions are dead, because it was a suicide mission. And for Wind's replacement arm for the Phantom Gundam, is Revali's mobile suites arm because fuck yeah Gundam Astray Gold frame with the Blitz arm. And with Wind basically not repainting the suit for some time that's how the Governemnt knew Time was alive and just deserted the army, so Time is considered a traitor to the government.

Which leads me to Twilight. Twilight is Time and Malon's son. (uh I forgot the two people that are Twilight's adopted parents in some people's fics so they're babysitters/godparents for Twilight because I feel bad for leaving them out) The Fierce Deity mobile suit was repurposed for Twilight's mobile suit, much to Time's argument against mobile suits because killing Skull kid and reading his older brother figure file of him dying in mobile suits still haunts him. (Hehehe Warriors isn't actually dead but hehhehhehe that makes the reunion more angsty along with the HADES system, ill probably rename it to SPIRIT or FOCUS if i figure out a way to make the system based off the HADES with those letters.) Twilight is a rebellious kid. Gotta keep the Gundam tradition alive by having children in Mobile suits fighting in a war they have no idea about. Also I'm going to have more than just Witch from Mercury reference be stuck to Time, I'm going to let baby Twilight sneak out and bond with the Gundam. And have Twilight get his markings from the suit too. But I'm going to let the suit transform into a wolf so I can have wolfie without any potential animal deaths in the future in case I want more angst. So because Time is a deserter, Twilight had to move around a lot and staying in Ordon for the longest time was his norm until, he meets Midna. A mobile suit designer, (well I can make her like the daughter of a mobile suit company which I guess can consider her a princess in some way) Midna helps with the Wolf Gundam (because it's no longer the Fierce Deity) and when she has to leave, their location is pretty much compromised. Which eventually leads to Twilight and Time going to space and meeting the rest of the chain, aka Twilight's uncles and Wind.

BTW designs are not final!

[thatruerealmwalker]

So... I have a question for you. Do You draw a reference sheet for a character before drawing them... or do you do what I did for William and draw without making a reference image and then draw one afterwards? Cause that's what I did!

Of course there is also an alt version with some information as well!

I also have some more facts about William to share! If your interested in knowing what else I've shared about William, check out the other post here!

The Clothes shown aren't what he would usually wear. I wanted to give him some style for the image to match the critters being dripped out, but this would be to attention grabbing for Williams needs. He would stay with plain clothes and nothing that makes him pop out. (You can consider this what William may want to wear if he didn't need to keep a low profile.)

William's eyes are not actually Red. They're a teal, bluish color. The Red is a stylization choice for showing if William is... not a good place... which is usually all the time. I thought it would be a cool touch to include.

William is about 14... and I think he would be in Playcare for about... maybe a year and a half around... whenever now is? I don't have any solid dates.

I slightly mentioned it earlier, but if William wasn't in this whole situation, his favorite Critter would be Bubba... who is now one of the ones William is most terrified of.

William considers Bobby to be the least dangerous to him due to her nature... yet what he doesn't realize is that Bobby, more then anyone else, would be able to tell that something isn't right about William, see that the face he puts up is a mask. (Her whole thing is Emotions after all!)

William isolates himself from any of the other kids when he can. He'll interact if it means keeping the act up, but he hates when he is forced to do that. These children are all like him, all able to be selected at a moments notice to be killed and have their corpse warped, mutilated, and turned into a monster. He won't open himself up to that heartache, when he would have to look at what they did- what they would put inside of his friend's body... even if it only aids in driving him mad.

If William would to ever be friends with anyone (which would be a miracle with how he would treat them at the beginning)... it would have to be something the other person actively tries to form despite him constantly pushing them away. Even then, he would only be okay with it if 1, the kid for some reason wasn't at risk of being killed or Toyed, and 2, NEVER even think of bringing a Toy near him. If they interact with the Toys anymore then needed, or god forbid have a friendship with one, he will avoid that person just like he does everyone else. (even if it hurts him... even if he wants Someone to care about in this place. He will not spend an extra second more near those THINGS.)

William knows what the Toys are... yet he does not see them as human. He sees them as monsters who inhabit the twisted remains of dead children. Catnap is not Theodore, Mommy is not Marie, no matter what they may claim. (It's partly a way for him to dehumanize them... but William truly does believe the Toys not to be the the person that was used to make them. If a Toy would dare to use the name of the one who was mutilated to make them... William may just snap right then and there.)

Many plans William has made to fight or evade a Toy should he need to revolves around both being seen as weak and quick few step plans. He is a child, and no matter what will never overpower a Toy. He hates it, but acts around that fact. When it comes to a fight, either he kills the Toy without mercy or they get him, there is no other way(?).

I think it would never happen, but I think there is a Small chance that William would be able to be okay with being near a Toy... maybe even calling one a friend... but they would have to take notice of William and pursue that... which is why the chance would be so small... but I think it could happen... given time and care... and maybe a bit of manipulation of Williams desire to not be alone anymore... that would surely go over well.

Oh and hi @realizinau, hope pinging ya again here is alright! (if not sorry!!!!!!)

[hupla222]

Some Predictions: Episode 65

Before I get started I just want to mention something I forgot in my massive post about episode 64 yesterday (I guess check it out if you want). And that's that with Amethio saying Spinel's name, Chalce and Sidian are now the only admins the crew doesn't know the name of, which is kind of neat. It also makes it extra funny that Roy hesitated saying his name. Doesn't know his real name and can barely remember his fake one lol.

On to the actual point of this post, more of my silly little predictions. Which means to say I want to figure out if my main theory still stands with all this new information. I certainly think it can. But let me know what you think!

Now you may be thinking, Hupla, doesn't Spinel referring to Amethio as Gibeon's grandson as the reason he hates him and wants to kill him shoot a hole in the theory considering he did nothing to Sidian? To that I say, not really. In the theory as I see it, Sidian is Gibeon's disowned grandson, as such he is no longer seen as a member of the family. So it's reasonable to say that either Spinel doesn't know the relation because Gibeon never indicates it might exists or he simply doesn't care about it because Gibeon never gave Sidian any special treatment and thus he isn't as devoted loyal as Amethio. Now you may also being thinking, that's great Hupla, but then why would Sidian be complicate helping Spinel kill his little brother. Well I don't personally believe that Sidian and Coral know the reason why they're fighting Roy and Dot, only that Spinel wants them defeated.

Which leads nicely to my predictions at long last. This would be the perfect opportunity to reveal the two of them to be brothers. Like, when all is discovered and everyone finds out about the cave in having Sidian rush away into the mountains to go find him, dragging a begrudging and confused Dot and Roy with him. Fifty fifty on whether Coral would follow them. And then we get to see this odd trio kinda sorta working together to free the trapped duo, only to split off immediately to find their respective partner when the blockade is down. Would be very amusing to see Amethio getting and earful from his older brother for being reckless. If Coral was there she'd be yucking it up since its not her on the chopping block for once. It would also be a good tipping point for Sidian and by extension Coral no longer listening to Spinel's orders.

As for Liko and Amethio, I don't care as much for that plot so the most I can say is they will probably mildly talk about themselves to each other. Maybe Thio mentions having an annoying older brother. Or maybe he just talks about Spinel the whole time, who knows. If all I've said does happen to some extent, it would be interesting to see the children learning which Explorers are truly evil and which could possibly see the light.

[enbysorcerer]

🖋 for Atticus pls?

I cannot draw so have a piccrew instead!

So this is Atticus. He's a feline shapeshifter and fire mage.

Backstory

He was born in France to happily married parents, Angela and Alex.

He was excited to gain a little sister and very confused when his maman didn't seem to like her as much (Angela had severe postpartum depression for reasons that I won't go into on Atticus' bio).

Moving to the US was exciting. He'd heard stories about New York and his great-grandfather from Alex, but getting to see it for himself was a new level of excitement. (The fact that it only happened because his parents were struggling was something he was oblivious to.)

Shortly after moving in, Atticus decided to do the thing he'd been expressly forbid from doing (playing with his fire magic) and ended up burning Alex's arms pretty severely. To this day, he still can't look at the scars without feeling guilty no matter how much Alex has tried to assure him it's fine and was just an accident.

Since Alex was forced to work in the US (he'd largely been a stay at home father in France but now they needed two incomes), he would often bring the children (Atticus and little sister Arianna) to work with him. It was there that he met the first of his future queerplatonic partners, Yashira.

(She was there due to being mute following the death of her parents and Atticus was the first person to really get her talking after their deaths).

I feel I should mention Alex is a psychiatrist before this gets misinterpreted.

Anyway, the two became fast friends and soon Alex was forced to encourage them to seek a different psychiatrist because he'd come to see Yashira as a second daughter.

(He still saw her unofficially but legally they were in a blurry zone that he didn't feel comfortable wtih)

Zane, the second queerplatonic partner, entered a few years later when their mum sent them to Mystic to learn how to control their magic.

He was twelve when he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and boy did he struggle with it. He stressed his poor parents to the extent that all four children (Atticus, Arianna, Yashira, and Zane) were convinced the adults were going to get divorced because "that's what happens when children get sick like this".

(Zane's parents being divorced were the only reference they had for divorced parents and that was not the best example since their divorce was... a lot more complicated than the children realized.)

At some point around here, Amara (Yashira's adoptive mother) started training the trio (Yashira, Zane, and Atticus) to hunt and fight monsters.

Their first solo hunt was when the trio was 18, and resulted in Zane being scarred. Atticus blames himself for that too since he witnessed it happen, and maybe sort of caused it. It's complicated.

Fun Facts

He hates his magic. He'll likely never admit it, but he wishes he'd inherited Alex's plant magic instead of Angela's fire.

He's polyamorous! Even without the two queerplatonic partners, he doesn't think he'd be happy in a monogamous relationship.

Despite this, he hopes to one day find a love like this parents where they're hopelessly devoted to each other. He just wants more than one of them.

This is why the triad with Zane and Yashira works so well. It's just not romantic in nature... at least not on Yashira's part (she's aro).

He's a chemistry teacher at Mystic Academy, the town's school for magical beings.

He was raised pagan and continues to practice as one to this day. He, like Alex, is particularly fond of Persephone.

He loves pokemon and has played every pokemon game there is to some degree. His favorite type is probably fire and he loves the original Ninetales.

He's a video game nerd in general tbh. Pokemon is just his favorite.

He's worn feminine clothes before as an experiment. Ultimately decided he was definitely a boy though, and the clothes were donated to a Mystic charity for people who've had to leave everything behind to run to the safe haven.

He did theater in high school. He tried band as well, but decided it wasn't for him after a few weeks and switched to choir for the remainder of the year.

He knows a fun fact for just about everything. Between Alex (an avid reader and Jeopardy enjoyer), his own love of reading, and being a liberal arts major for two years before switching to teaching, he knows a little about most things.

[fungus-fag]

I have no platform in regards to anything that would reach an audience but. I can't just let my words on the subject not at least be written somewhere.

I'm noticing a lot of people already mocking or cringing at fans of indie productions that blow up overnight. Primarily Welcome Home and The Amazing Digital Circus. And I just want to grab all you people and gently shake you and ask "Why???"

These are VERY WELL MADE indie productions that have been well received BECAUSE THEY'RE GOOD. People like the content and they should be encouraged to support it! I would want the same respect of my fans of my original works, too.

I'm seeing people upset with the following TADC already has, and even claiming that the designs and personalities of the characters are even "bait" to get tumblr and tiktok Fandoms to pop up overnight. Most hate I've seen also references whatever cringe happened over in the WH Fandom, claiming it's going to get the same treatment or the same group of people in its fanbase. People in V*vziep*p's H*lluva B*ss sphere of internet fandom are acting like children because TADC got more views than their precious franchise, acting like they're the only indie YouTube animation crew who can get numbers like that. (( Though my feelings on that fandom are kind of... a separate matter, lol. ))

Firstly, Fandom (or viewership) shouldn't be the main draw or method of judgment for ANY piece of media, especially indie productions, and secondly....... even if that claim about the designs and plot was true ... So what?

A SMALL team of REAL people worked REALLY HARD on TADC. 3D animation is NOT EASY. You can clearly tell the creators were passionate and spent countless hours working on this-- I can tell from the pilot alone the creators CARE. Even if the premise is (allegedly) a fame grab.... maybe that's just because people -- the creators included -- LIKE this kind of "dark but wacky" content? Is that really such a crime of cringe to just fall immediately in love with a new piece of media just because it meets the "Fandom boxes", which again shouldn't even be how you Primarily interact with the subject matter as a whole?

Also, are people forgetting that Welcome Home is a ONE PERSON PROJECT??? why are we hating on one person's passion project just because it got popular holy shit are you all ACTIVELY trying to keep indie creators from actually creating??

I'm speaking from a place outside of Fandom when I say these things. I do not engage with anything outside of the creative content that comes from fan works, and even then I'm only really looking at visual art that's created and nothing else. Frankly I don't really know or care about what even happened with the WH fans that gave it such a bad name that can be used to smite up and coming media like TADC, but regardless it's still not a good reason to hate on something that found success.

In summary... these kinds of comments and fights Really shouldn't be so widespread for content that is made by small creators (or in WH's case, one person) . We should be actively celebrating and engaging positively with the art that indie creators allow us to see, especially when that art that they've so passionately made is free to consumers. Even if you have a problem with how rapidly successful the series gets, there's no need to be hateful and bitter about it, and there's Especially no need to get involved in fandom antics and use that as your excuse to not engage in indie media.

[claudemblems]

Hi Kat! Congrats on 1k. I hope this makes it in time. I would like a romantic and platonic matchup. I my MBTI is INFJ-T and my enneagram is 2w3. I'm still the happy cheerful friend who never complains outwardly. I consider myself a good listener and a good shoulder to cry on if you need one. I enjoy listening to alt/indie music, playing video games, developing my ocs and sometimes singing or dancing when I'm by myself or around someone that I trust. I'm trying to pass my classes and graduate. From there, I don't really know for sure what I'm going to do with my life. I'm definitely going to take the last four classes that I need to become a child life specialist during the summer and fall semesters, and need volunteer hours. I might continue to social work or counseling grad school, but that's not what I want to do right now. If it matters, I'm interested in art history and will fangirl over paintings in museums. I'm introverted and need patience in a relationship and I tend to forget things often.

Regardless of whether or not this gets to you on time, thanks for doing matchups and congrats again for 1k!

Your romantic matchup is Kaeya!

From your cheerful personality to your dependability, Kaeya absolutely adores you. You're so delightful to be around. Somehow you always find a way to lift his spirits and convince him that there are still good things waiting for him in his future. However, he knows that sometimes your happiness is masking what you're really feeling underneath (trust me, he knows what this feels like). You may never voice your concerns, but he can read you like a book. He always makes sure that you're okay before he has to part ways with you. He'll never leave you if you really need his company. Work can wait--your well-being is more important.

Kaeya often asks you to sing something or dance for him, only if you feel comfortable in doing so. His eyes light up the moment your voice reaches his ears. It's so sweet and calming. Despite his cryo vision, he feels his body warm up from head to toe. He also offers to teach you a few dances he learned from his time living with his adoptive father. Guests were invited to the Winery more than once to attend parties, so Kaeya had become accustomed to the preferred ballroom dances of the nobility. He's more than glad to show you a few steps (he just wants an excuse to hold you close, but he's sure you've figured that out by now).

It's wonderful that you're so great with children considering the children of Monstadt (Klee especially) love to follow him wherever he goes. They all see him as their resident big brother, and he does his best to live up to his title. But when they're not crowding around him, they're fighting for your attention. It warms Kaeya's heart to see you talking and playing with them. The smiles and laughter you bring to everyone you meet are infectious, and, if he's honest, it gives Kaeya a mild case of baby fever. Maybe in the future he can have a family of his own, too...

Kaeya is also incredibly patient and never pressures you to do anything out of your comfort zone. This applies to anything from intimacy to social gatherings and even to dates. If you're not one for lavish dates, he's more that okay with just going to the museum with you. He knows how much you love to admire the artwork. While you're busy gazing at the art pieces, he's gazing lovingly at you. He thinks to himself just how lucky he is to have you in his life. He loves you so much that he can't even put it into words. But he'll tell you anyways, a thousand times over. He loves you, and that will never ever change.

Your platonic matchup is Lisa!

The two of you are referred to as the "Roses of Mondstadt" both for your beauty and your kindness. Your bubbly personalities make it easy for anyone to converse with you; it's no wonder the townsfolk are so fond of you! Lisa especially is always grateful to have your company. The two of you could talk for hours about your dreams and passions without ever getting tired. It just goes to show how close the two of you really are.

Lisa loves when you sing or dance for her. She wears such a proud smile on her face throughout your whole performance, and, of course, she showers you with compliments once you've finished. Your talent never ceases to amaze her. If you're open to the idea, she insists that you show off your skills in a public performance. She can get everything arranged for you without you ever having to lift a finger. But she understands if you're just too shy to do so. It makes your performances for her feel all the more special. She's happy to know you trust her so much.

On her days off, she accompanies you on tours to museums. It's during these trips that she'll recount stories of her time studying in Sumeru. If you bring up wanting to see the sights there someday, Lisa promises that the next time she decides to go, she'll bring you along with her. If you think the art from Mondstadt is gorgeous, just wait until you see the paintings made in Sumeru!

Whenever you're free, Lisa invites you to have tea with her in the Knights of Favonius' library. Getting to spend quality time with you is important to her. She sees you as one of her closest friends, a precious person that she wishes to protect. So long as she's your friend, she will make sure that danger never befalls you. And should you ever need anything from her, she'll be there to support you. Always.

[sushigal007]

I blame JK Rowling entirely for this. I'm bad at articulating, but basically, she's taken over Glinner as the UK's most prominent professional transphobe, but the public had far more love for Harry Potter than they ever did for Father Ted, and she did it a little more slowly and a little more vaguely, so even though she's now full mask off over on Twitter, having cosy dinners with people who hang out with Nazis and Proud Boys, and people who have the political power to make all her transphobic dreams a reality, the general public still keep digging their heels in and going "well what exactly did she say that's transphobic?" and refuse to accept anything less than "I hate trans people and want them to die" as proof. They think that because she wrote a book about a boy who defeated wizard Hitler, her real life views must be the same. So when she says the trans right movement are Death Eaters? Forget that it doesn't hold up to any scrutiny at all, beloved children's author JK Rowling shaped their entire belief system, so if she can shoehorn in a Harry Potter reference with her transphobia, it sticks. Because it's easier than facing up to the fact that maybe she's not a great person after all, which sours the nostalgic enjoyment of her franchise. An attack against Rowling is an attack against Harry Potter, which is an attack against them, personally. And they're not bad people. So she must not be a bad person either. I mean, she says she's a feminist! She just has concerns! Don't you care about the safety of women and girls???

And also because she sics her lawyers on anyone who tries calling her out, and, well, she's a billionaire, so those fights usually end with a quick delete and a public apology. It would be a very ugly fight if anyone with actual power tried standing up to her, and the political left just aren't willing to risk it, not when they're the closest they've been to power in 13 years. It's shit and I hate it.

guys why the fuck aren't we talking about what's happening in the uk right now

nobody outside the uk is talking about this. why is nobody talking about it

[nattosushi]

The underrated character of Candy from “Whistle down the wind”

The song ‘tire tracks and broken hearts’ has always been my favourite out of the whole musical, and because of this, I ended up being quite interested in the character of Candy, who is one of the two characters that sing this song. Due to recently rehearing the song and having a relisten of the soundtrack, I ended up thinking a bit about the character of Candy. I then feel that she actually has a very fascinating story, despite how little we see of her.

With the exception of ‘Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts’, her only other solo is ‘Off ramp exist to paradise’, which is very short. She does, however, make an appearance in both ‘A kiss is a terrible thing to waste’, where she sings a bit of ‘Tire tracks and broken hearts’, as well as in ‘Wrestle with the devil’.

Candy is African American and she seems to be one of the local rebels of the town. Since her father seem to be doing various odd works, she is most likely not from a socially well-off position. Candy’s boyfriend Amos is actually (for a lack of better word) white, and he is also seen as a local rebel. They are actually an interracial couple.

The musical was written in the late 90s and it seems to be set in that time. However, the town seems rather traditional. Even though there is no segregation, Candy’s father actually tells her that she is still not able to be with a white boy. He does say that it is not right, but it is the way it is. However, I think it is fair to say that this is a case where both Amos’ bad reputation and her gender (ie.the black person in the relationship is the female) helped them and gave them more leeway. Sad as it is, the idea of the female in the relationship being white is regarded as more severe due to sexism in the past.

In ‘Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts’, Candy describes herself as a bad girl: “Those good girl never know what they're missing, but us bad girl almost always do”. In addition to the song being about their desire to leave their small town, Candy also suggests her possessiveness towards Amos: “I want you by my side, and you will be all my own’.

This then bring us to the relationship of Candy and Amos. We actually meet Amos before Candy, and even though Candy is officially regarded as his girlfriend (at least by the children and teenagers of the town), he clearly like Swallow. However, when he appears with Candy, they do seem to be quite affectionate with each other, wanting to leave the town together.

Amos would go and say goodbye to Swallow and it is clear that he would have stayed if Swallow had asked him to. Perhaps if Swallow didn’t, then he would have left with Candy and perhaps the two of them would have parted ways eventually, or maybe they could have ended up growing up together. However, Amos just told Candy that he needs to go and save Swallow, and Candy would end up discovering about the big secret- the man hiding in the barn.

It is not impossible to think that Candy might have felt her relationship with Amos is doomed, because her other solo ‘off ramp exit to paradise’, which she sings while she waits for Amos to meet her so that they can leave the town together, actually has this line: “I’m getting out of this joint, I’ll be strong and alone”. In her final fight with Amos in ‘Wrestle with the devil’, she also sings this: “How many goddamn vows, have you taken up to now? Have you kept a single one?”. Earlier on, she did suggest that Amos has mentioned about leaving the town a lot of times, but actually never follow through.

But I feel that Candy does still cares a lot about Amos, because despite her anger at him: “Breaks a promise and breaks your heart, and that’s why love turns to hate”, she seems to offer him a final chance: “Are you gonna save me Amos? One more chance to save my life, show me that you care.” Initially, I was a bit confused, because Candy has already told the adults of the town about the man, but I then realised that she is probably referring to still being with Amos.

In the end, the sheriff will tell Candy to take the greyhound and leave town, and I like to think that she ended up making a new life for herself in a city, with the events of the musical only a strange incident from her childhood/teenage hood.  

I feel that Candy is a very interesting character because she is a character that is disadvantaged in many ways, yet she is not afraid to do what she wants, acting against social conviction many times.

[ask-the-diamond-kingdom]

Avery Sugimoto

(Art is by me)

Name: Avery Sugimoto

Age: 4 years old [Child]

Species: Pichu

Gender [Pronouns]: Nonbinary [They/It]

Type: Electric

Ability: Lightning Rod

Moves: Nasty Plot, Thunderbolt, Surf, Swift, Mimic and Disarming Voice

When you first meet Avery, the first thing you will notice is just how short-tempered and impulsive that they can be. Whenever they are given a chance to fight, they can be prone to making mistakes when they become agitated in battle. However, even then, this doesn't change her strong level of battle espesically when it comes to fighting anything that is much stronger than them. Despite their gruff attitude, they do care deeply for their loved ones and is shown to be fiercely loyal to their "pack" and has great pride being apart of it. Most often would call Avery a bit of a problem child, given how wild they can be. However, his adopted parents personally just sees a child that is just trying to adjust to the world after the loss of their biological parents. In terms of their dynamic with the "Little Shits" (a term [REDACTED] affectionately gives to the five children that would become childhood friends). Avery often regards themselves as being the leader of the "Little Shits" and gets offended when any of the others attempt to challenge them on that. It does occasionally lead the four (well maybe not so much Finn) getting into little scuffles that often has to broken up. As you can guess, yes…Avery does start those fights. However, Avery does cherish their bonds with the other members of the Little Shits and sees them as one of the few that he can be vulnerable around. They are the type who will get into fights with anyone that insult any of their friends even if they are often told that violence isn't always the answer.

Once you get to know them, you will find that Avery is a kind-hearted and brave mouse that isn't the type that get scared off easily. They are often very polite to others and considerate of their dads, wishing well for them and standing up for them when they need them. One of their dads (Yuuto) often refer to them as their emotional support child and occasionally use them as a little teddy bear whenever he needs to calm down. Avery is unbothered by this as it means getting free cuddles from their dad. Avery doesn't mind saying what they're thinking, whether it's a question they want the answer to, an opinion they holds firmly, or a frustration they can't let go of. Nothing is offlimits for Avery. If they want to know something, god damn they will get the answer that they feel they deserve by pestering you.

Other notes: 

Their electricity is shown to be bright blue in terms of its coloration.

Has the tendency to either hide in the scarf of Yuuto or the mane of Tanaka

Seems to have a bit of feral tendency

Toyhouse Link can be found here.

Stands at the height of 1'00"

[tired-fandom-ndn]

you got me in an acelu spiral with those last couple acelu posts lol!!! so pls if you have time, acelu for the shipcest game!

Finally! Someone is indulging my acelu obsession!

♡: They'd be really young, I think their relationship would probably start around when Ace starts puberty but it wouldn't become actually romantic/sexual (as opposed to the puppy love of kids) for a few years.

In terms of realizing the taboo. . . I don't know if they actually would? I can't think of any way they would find out on their own, being feral gremlin children living in the jungle, and I don't think there's any adults who are big enough parts of their lives to notice their relationship AND would say anything about it. Makino might realize it but she keeps her mouth shut. Maybe it's wrong to the rest of the world, but don't her boys deserve to be happy? Even if that happiness only lasts on this little island?

♤: Only Makino knows at on Dawn Island. The Strawhats find out when they meet Ace in Alabasta and they're confused but. . . Luffy is happy so they can get past their own hangups for him. In a semi-canon universe (you all know what the divergence is), the Whitebeards find out post-Marineford; my favorite AU is actually where Ace joins the Strawhats after that because he can't stand to leave Luffy again. The Whitebeard pirates are upset but. . . they understand.

◇: The Strawhats walk in on them SO OFTEN. Neither of them are used to having sex in places where they can be caught and they don't really have the shame to care anyway. Luffy is also VERY LOUD so everyone hears too. Beyond sex though, they've been caught cuddling so many times, especially with Luffy on Ace's lap, his brother's arms very securely wrapped around him :)

♧: Luffy just starts talking about his incredible big brother! Fire Fist Ace!! You've heard of him, right!!! The other person usually tries to clarify that they're asking about a romantic partner, and Luffy is just "yeah! :)" and the conversation is confusing and frustrating for everyone except him.

Ace LOVES to brag about Luffy but he tends to hesitate to refer to him as his romantic partner too. It's not shame or self-consciousness, he just worries about putting even more of a target on his precious baby brother's back. That hesitation disappears after Marineford and he proudly tells everyone about Luffy as his brother AND lover.

☆: I think they would still be drawn to each other and still fall in love tbh. They just click so well, but it would be more of a struggle because Ace wouldn't have had Luffy's brightness and joy and constant love giving him hope in a dark childhood. Luffy would definitely be fighting an uphill battle to convince Ace that Luffy genuinely loves him.

¤: It's not really a factor to them. There's no issues legally or anything, since Garp couldn't legally adopt Ace because it would leave a paper trail, and their brotherhood isn't a barrier to their relationship, it's just another example of how devoted they are to each other and how they'll always choose each other.