#so you go on and take the adventure that falls to you

[rawme-price]

You really thought price was safe from pup propoganda??? WRONG. GET PUPPED.

Anyways price, contrary to popular belief, is no stranger to the pup scene. He was an adventurous man in his youth, not at all helped by nik taking him to new kink clubs every other week.

So when u mention pup play to price, hes already thinking fondly of all the pups hes had the pleasure of playing with in the past, mentally picking out what collar you could wear. When u tell him you want him to be the pup? He flushes down to his chest, tomato red and unable to meet ur eyes.

No one really ever wanted him to pup, hes got such a strong aura of dominance that they usually assumed. After much stuttering he agrees, then proceeds to fall right back into speechless when u pull up a list of different gear for him to choose from lol. (He goes for a classic real leather collar and chain leash.)

You decide to go easy on him the first time. Simple commands "sit, stay" hes nestled between ur thighs, chin resting on rhe edge of the couch cushion. You pet his hair and his eyes flutter. "Good boy. Now cmon, just like I taught you, yeah?" And by God does he deliver, lapping at you and whining prettily. He drinks it all up, head fuzzy bc hes ur good boy.

Anyways hes already thinking abt the next time, blushing whenever u say "good boy" in any context now lol.

[killinkiwi]

You Deserve It

Part Two of My Little Soda Pop

Summary: You decide it is time to get your life back on track, starting with taking care of yourself first. What better way than going back to your favorite bathhouse? What could stress you out there?

Content Warning: Memories of Masturbation, Gwi Ma Being a Dick, Wanting Dick, Perpetual Horniness

Check Out Part 1: Here

May I also say, before we get into it - thank you all for the overwhelmingly positive feedback and support. It has been years since I wrote I was genuinely so anxious to post but I am thankful for everyone. Sincerely.

Now please, enjoy Part 2 of our Ab Adventures

-

The bathhouse was steamy, humid mist making it impossible for ladies to see one another - a blessing considering a lot of the older ahjummas were in tonight.

You let out a sigh as you sank further into the hot water. The heat immediately to loosen the knots in your muscles, the herbs in the water soothe and soften your skin. It had been quite awhile since you had visited a bathhouse and tonight just felt right – especially after your little masturbation and panic episode.

“What the fuck?” You muttered to yourself, dropping the shirt to the ground and looking around the room sporadically. You even poked your head into the closet and bathroom to check no hunk of a man was just casually hiding in there.

There was no one in the apartment other than you and Missus, you’re middle-aged maine coon who slept unbothered on her window hammock in the living room. There was no idol hiding under your bed or rushing out the door half-dressed. It was just your naked and frazzled self.

So how did you know his name?

Immediately you laughed at the thought and the situation.

“Obviously he isn’t here, like – come on Y/N,” You laughed at yourself. You must have seen the name somewhere at the plaza show on the merch or hell, you could have even used context clues to subconsciously to piece his name together. He wasn’t in your room whispering to you, it was just your little fantasy going wild and helping fill in gaps.

Yeah, that made sense.

You walked back into the bedroom and swiped the shirt off the floor once more, deciding to actually wear it this time. As you assumed, it was a bit baggy but you kind of liked it like that. It was soft material and landed just a little bit under your butt. You admired that it was signed by Abby for a moment, before getting embarrassed again at the situation.

You walked over and collected the light stick off your bed, cringing again at the semi-dry handle. “Shit, better go wipe it off. I can at least keep it as a collectible.”

As you walked to the bathroom, you popped open the battery compartment to remove them only to literally be empty-handed. You quickly flipped it upside--down to see there was indeed no batteries included with it. So how the hell did it glow red during…?

Damn. Your little imaginative illusion was strong.

Strong enough you must have bruised your own neck grabbing at it during your orgasm. You could see in the mirror what looked like two small bruises, barely indents really. You remember thinking he bit your neck, his long canines pressing into your skin, but obviously that didn’t happen so you must have done it with your nails.

That checks out. 100%.

After wiping the light stick handle with a damp rag, you couldn’t help studying yourself deeper in the mirror. It wasn’t wrong or rude to say you let yourself go; you did look a little rough. Past your post-orgasm frazzled hair, it was lifeless from lack of care. Your skin was dull, a few whiteheads popping up and dark spots more apparent from lack of consistent care. The delicate skin under your eyes was dark, telling the world you didn’t sleep. You weren’t eating very well, definitely not nutritious food either. You truly had let yourself fall apart, even before the relationship ended.

It was time to change that.

You made up your mind in a split second – it was not fair to yourself, to your mind and body, to keep treating it this way. It was time to take care of yourself and your environment. The apartment, despite lacking items now, was a jumbled mess. It was disgusting and it needed to change.

In just a shirt and a rather catchy song stuck in your head, you begin quickly tidying the apartment up. Old trash sitting in the can? The bag is tied and waiting by the door to be taken out. Old food sitting in the fridge? Tossed into a new trash bag, tied up, and left at the door. You stripped the bed of its sheets and threw them into the wash before grabbing a new set to redress the bed. You then grabbed an empty hamper and started collecting your clothes from the floor of the apartment, not realizing a particular cloth you used to clan yourself up earlier was missing…

“You��re my soda pop, my little soda pop!”

You finished organizing your alarming amount of dirty laundry into their respective darks, colors, and lights. Now all that was left was to clean yourself up.

You looked at Missus who was now lying on your made bed, looking like a little loaf. “You know what, I think it’s time I go to a bathhouse. I used to love them, and I deserve to go back, don’t I? Yes, yes, I do, Missus, yes I do,” you began cooing at her.

She looked unimpressed.

After a quick rinse off in the shower and throwing some comfy clothes on, you grabbed your purse and you were out the door to the bathhouse!

And then you went back to your apartment because you forgot the stupid trash.

And now you were here, relaxing deep into the herbal waters with their earthy scent. You closed your eyes and let your mind run blank. The sloshing sounds of water filled your ears, the sounds of ahjummas scrubbing someone in the distance, whispered chatters, and light humming accompanying it. It felt familiar and comfortable, but also just genuinely nice.

You needed this.

“But do you deserve it?”

Your eyes snapped open again and water sloshed around as you sat up. It was quick to see no one was around you, so no one was whispering in your ears.

You waited with bated breath to see if it would say something again, but after a few moments of silence you settled back into the water again, a little more tense. The voice was a mere whisper, nowhere near as loud as it usually was. Perhaps as you were bettering yourself it would disappear entirely.

Slowly you let yourself loosen under the water’s heat once more, still a little on edge. You wanted to enjoy the water’s warmth a little longer before having to go be scrubbed down so you did your best to ignore the haunted feeling that washed over you.

Twenty peaceful minutes flew by, your fingers showing shines of pruning and letting you know it was time.

Time for pain.

The scrubbing genuinely hurts, it is not pleasant, but it is extremely gratifying and enjoyable. The first few times are awkward too. It is uncomfortable to be splayed out in-front of an attendant nude as the day you were born, waiting for the exfoliating mitt to descend upon your body and rip off your upper layer of skin. Not to mention – They. Get. Everywhere.

But afterwards, you feel smooth and fresh. Off goes the old, tired skin, out comes the glowing, healthy layer.

This time was no different for you. Despite having many scrubs done in the past, it always felt embarrassing to be scrubbed and touched by the older lady. The worst spots are between the toes, between the legs near your bits, and the armpits with boob combination. Then she flips you like a pancake to get between your cheeks. Despicable.

Yet, like always, you walk away feeling the sting of refreshment and lost skin cells. You feel rejuvenated. Is this what snakes feel like when they shed?

You wear a loose towel as you sit in the sauna room, the final step of your bathhouse routine. The sweat pours down your face and chest, and your thighs are also uncomfortably slick with sweat against the wood panels. In here you sweat like crazy, but this is the final detox. The hot steam opens your pores, allowing the nasty shit in your system to pour out with the sweat.

And as always, you last about fifteen minutes before you physically cannot handle the scorching warmth.

“Phew, I feel great,” you moaned to yourself as you swapped your moist towel for a thin, dry robe. “Time for tea.”

You grabbed your little coin purse and walked out of the women’s private area to a secluded vending machine a little aways from the lobby main area. It was near the door that separated the women’s area from the men’s. No one ever uses the door but staff, guests remaining respectful to their counterparts.

You inserted the coins into the machine, humming Soda Pop once again as you choose a bottle of iced tea as a refresher for your parched soul. The sauna always makes you a thirsty bitch.

You retrieved your bottle, unscrewing the cap and taking an unattractive swig. “Deeeelicious,” you hummed satisfactorily as you turned to walk back to the locker room.

The next second was a chaotic blur.

The wooden door separating the bathhouses suddenly swung open as a group of pink blobs rushed through it. Your uncapped tea fell from your hands as you narrowly avoided the door, the cold beverage splashing on the floor and creating a puddle. As you threw yourself out of the door’s path your slippers betrayed you, your feet slipping one way and your body hurtling towards the wall.

You let out a wheezy “Oof!” as your midsection slammed into – wait that’s not the wall? What the fuck?

Looking away from the wall and down, you realized there was a rather strong arm wrapped around your waist, fingers digging into your lower hip and muscular chest against your back. Whoever slammed the door open was oh-so courteous to at least catch you.

You quickly righted your footing so you could stand on your own. You attempted to pull away, but the grip of this person was abnormally strong, to the point you barely budged. Sudden anger built within you. Wearing a stoney glare, you snap your head to the side to confront them.

“Could you fucking no-“ Your tongue immediately shriveled in your mouth.

Was this another illusion? Are you dreaming? Did you die in the sauna room?

Why was Abby, a member of the Saja Boys, standing in the women’s bathhouse?

Why was he still holding on to you?

Why was he running?

HOLY SHIT HE IS TOUCHING YOU!

“Careful now, wouldn’t want you getting hurt,” he chuckled, face still inches from yours.

You swallowed hard, your face flushed for a whole new reason. “I- you- women’s bathhouse why?”

You could die.

He laughed a little, his grip loosening and pulling away to your truthful displeasure, but it allowed you to whip around and full face him in his glory.

Abs was wearing a light pink button-up shirt that was borderline about to pop open. It was tight, displaying the upper portion of his pecs and short enough to see the bottom of his muscled stomach peeking. Ripped skinny jeans adorned his muscular legs and finished off with a pink pair of sneakers. Even better, he wasn’t wearing the beanie from earlier, so his fuchsia locks were styled yet fluffy, so pullable…

“Like what you see, babe?”

Fuck – he caught you ogling him.

You felt your face burn brighter as you attempted to scramble for dignity, missing his razor-sharp smirk at your reaction. “Sor- no! No, no, no, I was getting the drink and the door and suddenly I am going down and even more suddenly you’re here and- I’m not stalking you!”

He blinked as you finished your ramble before releasing a full, deep-belly laugh. This man was genuinely cackling at your flailing about whilst attempting to get a coherent statement out.

“Oh baby,” The pet name causing your heart to spike, “You make me laugh. I was just pulling your leg, I know I am easy to stare at, no shame there.”

There was not an ounce of teasing when he said that too, he genuinely meant it. Abby knew he was attractive and believed the world knew it – he wasn’t wrong.

“What are you even doing here?”

The words tumbled out of your mouth, the filter between your tongue and brain disintegrated apparently. The question came out a bit harsher than you intended but it was valid. Why was he in the women’s bathhouse?

He was quick to fire back, “I could ask you the same thing.”

“No, you can’t,” you spoke a little slower this time, pointing a finger at the wall where the name of the bathhouse was plastered. “This is the women’s bathhouse, for women. I am a woman. The men’s is that way, the way you came barreling from.” All of this was bluntly stated because, genuinely, you were losing your mind but desperately trying to keep your cool.

You were talking to Abby, a fucking idol. A sexy, hot, muscular, attractive, sinful idol.

“Right.” He had a hint, the lightest hint, of sheepishness on his face, almost indiscernible. “Right, we were in there trying to enjoy ourselves after the show when a few of our crazy fans appeared and started making a fuss. It was getting messy so we had to leave for our safety.”

It sounded logical enough.

“Oh right, the game show was tonight, huh?” You tried to ease the awkward energy you were mainly exuding.

That smirk was immediately back on his face. “What? You’re telling me you didn’t watch me play games tonight? You’re breaking my heart over here.”

You felt embarrassed, borderline scolded despite such playful words and tone. “Sorry, I was here-“

Abby interrupted, “But you couldn’t have stopped by first to come see us, see me?” He stepped closer, your face bursting into flames with his proximity, unable to fully hold eye contact. “I know I would have loved seeing you there, to see you standing out in the crowd. I can practically see using your little light stick, wearing my shirt, screaming my name…”

The sauna felt cold with how hot this air felt now.

Flashes of this afternoon played in your mind. The way the handle of the light stick filled you, the way you moaned and squirmed from pleasure. You can still feel his touch ghosting your stomach, his finger massaging your clit, his deep voice growling in your ear.

“Abby, babygirl, scream it while I make you cum.”

“You promise you’ll come to the next one though, won’t you? You will be there,” his voice dropping, letting you know it wasn’t a question but rather a command, one you could only nod your head to agree too. “Atta girl.”

“Atta girl, take it all in for me.”

You whimpered at his words and the memory of his illusion.

It was still playing in your mind, projecting in front of you. Abby’s eyes turned golden, lips pulling back into that seductive snarl that displayed his canines. You knew your mind was conjuring it, but it looked so real.

The moment was shattered when the wooden door swung open again, nearly colliding with your shoulder had Abby not yanked you forward. The door was attempting to bruise you at least once it seems.

As it closed, there stood the leader of the group, the one with black fluffy hair. He was also wearing pink and appeared to be breathing a bit heavy.

He looked straight as Abby, troubled face morphed with confusion. “Why are you still here? Why aren’t you with the others?”

Abby gave a lazy smile. “Fan service, Jinu, gotta stop to see my favorite lioness. She is part of the Pride after all.”

You gave a little wave.

The leader, Jinu, snapped his attention to you, his stern eyes smoothly transitioning to seductive appreciation and beautiful smile adorned his face. “Welcome to the Pride, we love such supportive fans such as yourself. We need you.”

“Um, hi, yeah,” you stuttered, not necessarily comfortable talking to attractive men at this point.

“Are our fans still in there?” Abby asked, emphasizing the wording slightly.

“They are being dealt with, they are quite the handful those three,” Jinu laughed before his smile dropped slightly.  “Abby Saja, when you’re done, hurry back so we can… rehearse, got those Idol Awards and I hope you can be there to support us,” Jinu looked back at you. “And remember, the Saja Boys love you!”

Jinu gave you a beaming smile, eyes closed as he gave you finger hearts and waves. With one last nod at Abby and a smile sent your way, he turned tail to continue towards the lobby, and you assumed to the exit doors. The women at the front desk must be having a feel day with such handsome idols passing through.

And again, you were alone with the pink-haired wet dream.

“Crazy fans in there, huh?” You chuckled dryly with a point of thumb at the men’s area, trying to fill the silence once more.

“You could say that,” he chuckled. “You could even say they’d kill to get to us.”

Yikes. What crazy ass sasaeng fans do these guys already have? They literally debuted today.

You literally masturbated to him today.

You cleared your throat. “Right, wow. You guys got to have great security then, right? Strong team?” Your words sounded weak even to yourself. It was clear you were trying to keep the conversation going despite having no idea what to say. It was making your anxiety skyrocket.

“You’re just desperate for attention, attention you don’t deserve, Y/N.”

Not now, please not right now. You tried to compose your face, try not to react, but it is hard when the voice whispers. A cold breeze blew along your spine, goosebumps raising as you felt a shadow descend upon your consciousness.

“Do you really think he’d be interested in you? He isn’t, he won’t be. You don’t deserve his att-“

The whispers were cut off, utterly muted by Abby wrapping his arms around you and smothering your face into his muscular chest.

Was he actually hugging you? Why? Could he see the distress clouding your eyes? Was he comforting you?

A deep, almost guttural hum came from his chest. It sounded akin to a growl you could argue. His pecs vibrated with the sounds, making you hyperaware of how your body was pressed against his. Your arms were frozen at your side, your brain unable to comprehend how he was holding you let alone tell your limbs how to react.

First, your face was buried into his chest, his cologne invading your senses entirely, intoxicating. It was somewhere between a musky and oriental cologne. The smell is not too overpowering but enough to cause you to go animalistic, a scent you would remember at night when you sought self-pleasure. It was sinful to smell so good.

And second, you were painfully aware of how thin the bathhouse robe was by how every inch of you molded into every inch of him. Your breasts were squeezed to his upper abs, nipples peaked against his muscles. Your stomach held a similar fate, but also rested against his groin and it made you wonder if his jeans were rolled a little wonky-

Or was he just that well-endowed?

And don’t even start on his hand placement! He had a firm yet gentle grip on the back of your neck fingers gently entwined with the hair at the nape of your neck. His other arm was slung across your waist, but his hand firmly dug into the meat of your hip – akin to his hold earlier – but the way his fingers dug in made your pelvic floor squeeze a little.

Images of him holding your neck while he made you ride him flashed through your mind. The way he would gently squeeze your neck as he pushed himself back into you, making you take him fully. The way he his grip would bruise your hips as he pounded into you from behind, his fingerprints embedded into the tender flesh. It would bruise so perfectly.

Whilst you frothed over being molded against him, you remained blissfully unaware of what was truly happening.

Oblivious from the soaking water demon that arose from the spilled tea puddle behind you, ready to feast on your soul Gwi Ma had effortlessly wormed into. The demon’s eyes werfe soul focused on you, wet hair sticking to sickly blue skin. It extended its’ hand towards your energy, ready to open its’ jaws and consume your life in the name of the demon lord.

Only to halt at the sight of the lion-like demon who held you in its vice grip.

Eyes molten gold, slitted so sharply, full of rage and possessiveness. Deep purple patterns formed across his tanned skin, crawling down his face and into his neck. His lips curled back, exposing sharp canines as he released a low growl. A black energy oozed off his frame, chilling the lesser demon to the core.

No words were spoken, but the threat was clear.

“She is mine.”

The water demon quickly began to dissipate back into the tea puddle. As it sank it kept its head bowed, refusing to look at either one of you now. This was clearly a special circumstance if one of Gwi Ma’s personal stars was here for her.

You felt is grip suddenly loosen, and despite wishing to remain against him, you pulled yourself away. However, his gaze was trained behind you, looking rather stoic. His brown eyes held a tinge of annoyance, and anger?

You peeked behind yourself, seeing only the wall and the rippling puddle of tea from your spilled bottle. Shit, you would have to get something to clean that up.

When you turned back around, Abby’s eyes were soft and seductive again, no trace of the previous emotions you had thought you saw a second ago. He gave you a lopsided smirk. “That robe is a little thin, don’t you think?”

Flames crept up your neck and face as you realized while you felt every inch of him, he felt every inch of you too. You quickly crossed your arms over your hardened nipples, wishing the floor would open and eat you alive. “Well, it gets hot in the sauna, and you walk out sweaty, an-and it feels nicer to not wear something thick. Plus! Who goes around huggi- why did you hug me?” You rambled once again, trying to hurtle over the embarrassment.

“I like you like this,” Abby cut-off.

You shifted on your feet, mumbling, “Like what?”

He leaned down, invading your space once more.

“I like when you get all bothered for me,” he looked down at your heaving chest, the robe gradually loosening to expose more of it. “You get so flustered, it’s addicting to watch.”

Your breath was rapid, yet it felt like no oxygen was getting to your brain.

Standing upright again, he gave you another crooked smile. “I should get going, I have to go rehearse after all.” He began to back away, eyes never straying from yours. “Go enjoy a cold shower, I hear it feels great after a steamy session in the sauna.”

Your throat was locked, vocal cords frozen and mouth completely dry.

“I will see you again soon, Y/N, and keep pampering yourself,” he ordered as he finally turned around, ready to walk out towards the lobby exit.

However, he didn’t leave before locking eyes again with you.

“You deserve it.”

With that, he was gone, leaving you confused and breathless in the corridor. So many feelings ran through your body – the top three being horny, anxious, and bewildered.

Because how the fuck did he know YOUR name?

-

[pb-dot]

Ask and ye shall recieve. As fate would have it, I released the last chapter of book one of Thereafter, The City After The End, not too long ago. The whole thing is released as a serial novel and can be read on the archive page of my buttondown newsletter (link below)

Thereafter is a story that wears a number of hats. It's a commentary on Portal Fantasy that probably falls somewhere in the Deconstruction/Reconstruction zone, but frankly I'm having too much fun with the base question, "How much therapy would you need after going to Narnia," to pinpoint eactly where. It's a story about being an adult and how that can both be empowering and utterly soul-draining, it's about relationships belonging and loneliness. It's a post-apocalyptic tale, it's about politics, about the complexities of managing human survival, and about what being a hero even means in a complicated and often shitty world.

The story follows four former child heroes, approximately 20 years after they saved their respective fantasy worlds. Some of them are doing better than others, but none of them are ready for what comes as the call to adventure reaches them again. In short, the world ended, well there were multiple worlds, and they were all destroyed over a frighteningly short span of time. Now what few survivors there are live in Thereafter, a refugee city built out of the pieces of the worlds that were. Seeing as "saving the world" just became an obsolete skill, our heroes are little more than propaganda fixtures, lending their by now mythic reputations to the bedraggeled administration of the desperate city. Our heroes, however, will not take this kind of thing laying down, and quickly rebells against it. Be it for good, or for ill, these heroes will shape the future of Thereafter, and the lives of every soul in it.

As for characters, I feel I could yap for hours. The basic idea of them is that all the main characters already have a very typical Hero With A Thousand Faces-type adventure story in their past that has shaped them as people. Michael has become somewhat of a recluse after saving the molekin from the slaver Lightlord, the righteous anger that helped Alicia defeat the Dragon Thane is more of a complicating factor in her job as a fitness influencer, and so on. I get into it quite a lot in this lengthy primer post, but the short version is that doing world-changing things in a fantasy world may have an effect on your daily life, and things in the aftermath may seem a mite disappointing.

I am genuinely wanting to read some works from other writers. This is your opportunity to shamelessly plug your WIP or completed work :)))

Bonus points: you yap to me about your story and characters. I am desperate need of a good literary yap session

[idllytarott]

PAC: SUMMER FOR YOU. (1989's version)

What can you expect this summer for you? Pick a picture or a number for your reading! (consider this a timeless summer reading)

This is an INTUITIVE READING. So take everything with a grain of salt.

Pick one of four pictures below, think wisely!

My Catalog.

PILE 1

Hello pile one! Let’s start with the energy you will have this summer; I see you being more adventurous, specifically on terms of love, either you’re meeting new people or you’re advancing to the  next level in your relationship, you will want to be more passionate and romantic, it’s something you feel like has been lacking a lot of this year. But I also see you busy, having a lot of responsibilities, too many things to do and wanting to escape, read a romance book or watch romcoms, while the way you present yourself is more stern, a “I’m busy” kind of energy, on the inside you are wanting something exciting to happen to you, you’ll want to experience… something more. I see you’re usually a person who is busy or has many goals in life, and you decide to not waste time, but this summer can be different for you, because you’ll be feeling different. You’ll want something else, a change from old routine, someone to come and make you feel something more, or to experiment more on what life has to offer, what love has to offer.

Now, how will your summer be? Busy, ha! You’ll be patiently waiting for someone to sweep you off your feet, or for something to happen, but is that same state of waiting, of expecting, that will stop you from actually finding something fun to do, you are advised to go after the things you want to happen in your life. Don’t wait around for it to fall in your lap, make it happen. This month, this summer, can go very unexpectedly for you, either in a good way or in a bad way, but things will change very suddenly, people come, people go, your mindset around relationships in general, but especially in love, will change a lot. You will have to learn some tough lessons in terms of love, more so how you interact with it, how you let it ruminate on your life, you are feeling bored, but you’re also waiting around. This month can also be very reflective for you, accepting that some things and people cannot be changed, that you do have the power to move on but also of creating something new. As I said, you need to go after these things, let yourself be seen, don’t spend too much time in the house this summer, say yes to unexpected plans or an invitation, move around town and around the city, you’ll be surprised of how many people you will meet through this.

Song for you:

PILE 2

Hello pile two! Let’s start with the energy you will have this summer; I see you rather closed-off, you will be focusing a lot on yourself, on your own growth, probably on projects or studies or issues you have going on in your family, you are looking a lot into your closest circle, and not expecting much of this summer. You’ll be deciding on a lot of things independently, something that maybe, up until now, wasn’t possible for you. The need for starting over will be constant for you, things will happen too slow and you’ll decide on starting one thing after the other, without really pondering on your decisions too much, sufficient to say, there will be two or three things you’ll regret doing out of impulse, it’s important to control yourself, if you want a new life, a new beginning, start with something that you really wanted to try for a while, or something you know you will like.

Now, how will your summer be? It will be filled with challenges, you will bounce from one thing to the next and it will be  very exhausting by the end of it. Don’t drop everything you’re doing just because, thinking through things,  maybe responsibility or wanting to be more independent, to not always be in the same situation time and again, will make you make brash decisions that you will regret instantly. This month is to step into something new with the knowledge that you might not like that new thing, but that you can change it, but you are a person of habit and changing is very difficult for you. Think very well about your next steps, you will have the intrinsicate need to leave, to move away, to travel, to drop everything, to disconnect from people you know, and to embark into something completely new, out of frustration. Which, do it! But don’t just do it out of anger, or sadness, plan it, pick a date and save up, if you have been thinking of traveling alone for a while, this is the perfect moment, you will be the main character throughout this next month, no other parties, no other family members or unwelcoming exes, you. But you have to think twice before dipping.

Song for you:

PILE 3

Hello pile three! Let’s start with the energy you will have this summer; You will feel very attune with the energy, like you are finally making sense of what it is you want in life or probably a lot of pressure will be freed. If you have been in a situation where you didn't feel like it's a place where you want to be at, that you are just conforming to what you have, it's more likely that this mindset will change. You'll want more than what is being offered to you, and not only in job or money, it talks about relationships and the self, you will feel more free to just be disliked? I see that you won't have this urge to control the situation, control what people feel or think about you, and that will be very liberating, for a person who tries hard to please everybody else, this time is important that you learn to be independent, don’t let external things or people influence your mood, you are very sensitive to other’s words and presence, and you know this, t’ll be good for you to detach from this, and it’s something you will learn throughout the month, you will be more relaxed, be relaxed. There is nothing you can do but that.

Now, how will your summer be? I see a lot of socializing. Honestly, you will just be talking to people and making new friendships, new connections, it will be a quite crowded month, but it will also come with new experiences delivered in the form of new people. As i said,  you will not be focusing much in what is people think of you or are going to focus a lot more on the experience and not on making something last, focused on not forcing things, and that in turn, is going to make people want to get to know you, hang out with you, or befriend you, even romantically. This feels like for you, detachment and letting go of wanting to control how people see you, will make them see you exactly how you’ve wanted them to, it’s weird, i know, but it’s the truth. Many friendships will be forming this time, they might not last forever, but they will be very important in your internal and external growth.

Song for you:

PILE 4

Hello pile four! Let’s start with the energy you will have this summer; Very tranquil, I have the feeling that you are taking time off of something, but I don’t know what exactly, maybe exams or work or something that you have recently been through, like a loss of a relationship, there is something that is gone that gives you peace of mind. And this summer can feel like that to you, getting rid of something very tumultuous for you, and you will be very in your comfort zone, wanting to heal from something or let time pass slower, you have no real big plans for this next month, there is a lot of inner work and debating with your own head whether to do something or not, you’ll decide if you are willing to compromise your time and space in something other than peace and quiet. This can be a very moving time, you will find out many things about yourself that you did not know, because you’re giving yourself the time to heal and move on. Whatever that happened to you, is not your fault.

Now, how will your summer be? As I said, it will be quiet and peaceful, maybe it's what you want, maybe it isn't. But this is a time of reflection, being around people this time is not something that you are ready for or want to do, I'm going to be honest here, it seems like something bad happened to you, something that was not fair and that it shouldn't had happened, or you made a bad mistake, and you can't stop thinking about it, I see a lot of sadness or numbness, depression or lack of care for the external world. I'd advise you not to let this grow until it's too late to deal with, if you want to be in solitude, that's okay, but this month is important to work into connection to something, anything, don't get used to being numb, or alone, don't let bad days overextend, if there is something you feel like you need to talk about, do it, your health, especially your mental health, is something you will be focusing on a lot, and you'll find that hobbies can save your life in this time, if it's writing or drawing or painting or anything at all, it's something you will grow very fond of. Whatever you're going through, is something you will get over, sooner than you'd think.

Song for you:

[rooks-dagger]

Ship Sleep Dynamics

Saw this tag done by @mythals-whore (here) and @flowersforthemachines (here) and thought it looked cute! This was such a fun way to explore these characters, and it gave me yet another opportunity to yap about Neverook 😊

No-pressure tagging @dudewheresmynug @dancing--lights @themildmahariel @in-the-drowning-deep @master-of-the-elements @curiouswisp @litchigaming @hedwigoprah @antivan-sprig @casa-dei-corvei @fenrelmercar @amellderiva @jouskaroo @etherealancientmusings @caughtnyact @griffongrey @thatgaymerguyb if you'd like to play! 💜

can we also take a moment to appreciate how jacked ember is? 🙂‍↕️ thank you.

Ember "Rook" Mercar + Neve Gallus ⚔️❄️

How often do they sleep together?

Every few days at least, every night if they can manage it. It’s highly dependent on their wild ass schedules, but that gets easier after the events of Veilguard when they’re both living in Dock Town.

But early on at the Lighthouse? These two were lucky if they could even nap for a few hours together.

Where do they sleep?

It takes some time for them to start sleeping in the same space together. Their options are really just the barebones cot in Neve’s study or the horrible green chaise in the meditation room. Neither are made for two people, and both are decidedly uncomfortable. But misery loves company, right? So they’ll cuddle up. Out of necessity (mmhmm riiight)

This usually means Ember will practically drag Neve down to rest on top of her or that the two of them will be spooned up tight to keep from falling off (“Rook, I swear, if you push me off this couch, I’m going to take you down with me.”) Honestly, the forced proximity of these shitty beds worked in their favor. Or at least, neither one is complaining about the end result.

Once they’re back in Dock Town after the game, they immediately get an ACTUAL bed for their apartment. Thank the Maker. Their backs were killing them.

How do they prepare to sleep?

Ember winds down with some stretches, brushes her teeth, and she might deign to comb her hair. Then she does a quick sweep around whatever space they’re staying in to lock up for the night (It’s an old habit. She doesn’t care if it’s paranoid. Her little patrols have stopped at least one cook-plate fire, foiled the plans of two assassins, and kept a demon-possessed rat out of the kitchen.)

Ember will then review Veilguard missives in bed, make note about key things she has to do the next day, etc. This has the side benefit of acting as a buddy system/forcing function to encourage Neve to at least start making her way to bed with her case notes if she’s not in full deep work mode. The two of them will also chat about a case or their day or just banter about, their conversations becoming sillier and their sentences tapering off as they start to fall asleep. Ember almost always falls asleep first (there are some nights when she’s convinced Neve is playing a twisted game of sleep-chicken.)

Meanwhile, I just know that Neve has terrible sleep hygiene and barely any routine to speak of. I’d be shocked if she even takes time to remove her makeup most nights tbh (my darling disaster girl). But she definitely reviews her case notes in bed, and she keeps a notebook on her nightstand for when she needs to jot down any stray thoughts. Ember also keeps a notebook and pen on her nightstand for when Neve inevitably misplaces hers under a mountain of papers. She’s become a pro at blindly handing it over (still half-asleep) to Neve in the middle of the night.

Neve probably has some small ritual to take care of her prosthetic / leg, too (e.g., a moisturizer or massage for her leg, a quick scan of her prosthetic to make sure it wasn’t damaged from the day’s adventures, etc.) and this becomes more consistent once they’ve moved back to Dock Town post-game.

What do they wear to sleep?

Ember: boxers/sweats and a tank top/t-shirt/sports bra. Similar to the in-game underwear. Basic, functional, the type of thing you'd find in a value pack at a big-box store lol.

Neve: an oversized shirt (watch it be the equivalent of a Cida Ciconia band t-shirt lol) and her underwear. She doesn’t seem like someone who’d bother with actual PJs. She’s been known to just strip and collapse into bed (at the apartment) or fall asleep in whatever she wore that day (at the lighthouse or office)

Do they cuddle?

Yes!

As mentioned earlier, this started because their bed options at the lighthouse were not made for two people. So, unless they wanted to part ways and sleep separately, or one person was willing to take the floor, they had to share. Not that they minded. It actually worked in their favor to have a set “reason” for being that close that didn’t require them to openly admit they wanted to cuddle (lol these idiots.)

I also just see Neve and Ember as being very physically affectionate with their loved ones. Sure, Neve will keep some distance in public to at least try and keep a target off Ember’s back, but in private (or among trusted friends) it’s all fair game. Meanwhile, Ember positively beams at their proximity no matter what. Dork.

What are their preferred sleep positions?

Ember will usually sleep on her back or her side, and always with the door in her sightline (yet another reason she hated that green chaise). She particularly enjoys having Neve resting on her chest while Ember holds her close. And she loves loves loves being the big spoon.

Also, Little Spoon!Neve supremacy. I will die on this hill 😤 Neve also likes resting her head on Ember’s chest because she finds her heartbeat soothing. Or she’ll curl up against Ember, tangling their legs together. I suspect Neve breaks away a few times in the night as she tosses and turns, but even so she tries to keep some physical contact with Ember.

How easy do they fall asleep?

It depends.

Ember can usually fall asleep quickly, anytime and anywhere. She’s got that military technique to be out like a light within minutes of closing her eyes down to a science (much to Neve’s disbelief. She tested just how asleep Ember was the first few times to see if she was faking it. Ember did not appreciate these experiments lol.) But Ember starts to have trouble sleeping once Solas is in her head during the events of the game. Plus, ya know, all the stress of leading the team in an apocalypse. It gets better post-game, but it’s never quite as easy as it had been. Could be a lingering effect of the blood magic idk (Ember shrugs it off, but Neve is determined to find an actual answer.)

Neve does not fall asleep quickly or easily. Her mind continues to chew on whatever case she’s working on. But sometimes she will push herself to the point of exhaustion and just collapse onto the bed and conk out. She and Ember continue to debate on whether that counts as “falling asleep” or “passing out.” 🙄

However, Neve does find it much easier to fall and stay asleep with Ember nearby. No, she will not elaborate. Unless you’re Bellara. And Bellara has sworn the sacred girl’s-night secrecy pact. Her oath to Neve is so strong even Ember can’t weasel anything out of her (and trust me, she’s tried.)

Do they toss and turn a lot?

Ember can, if she’s having a nightmare. These flare up after the final battle and will have her thrashing around until she jolts awake or Neve wakes her up. Luckily these nightmares become less frequent over time, only popping up during times of stress. Otherwise, she doesn’t move much in her sleep beyond readjusting her position around Neve if her arm starts going numb or something. 

Neve tosses and turns every night. She’s a fitful sleeper to begin with, even at the best of times. She’ll settle down a bit if she’s the little spoon, but it rarely lasts the whole night. Sometimes she’ll grow so agitated at not being able to fall asleep (whether it’s due to her racing mind, a bad dream, or pain in her leg) that she’ll just get up and go back to work.

Do they snore?

Neve has a very soft snore when she’s deep in sleep, which Ember thinks is adorable. Neve denies this slander outright. She absolutely does NOT snore, thank you very much.

Rana can back Ember up here. Neve snores and has done so since they were kids.

Who hogs the blankets?

NEVE. To be fair, she’s not used to sharing a bed with someone. And all her tossing and turning drags the blankets along with her. But if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she will notice and try to redistribute the blankets more fairly. Though there’s hardly any need since Ember is usually cuddled up close to her anyways.

What do they dream about?

Ember doesn’t remember most of her dreams. Sometimes they’re just silly things thrown together ("Lucanis and that cat Ferdinand had a cook off to see who Hal's assistant should be... but Ferdinand lost because kept eating the fish. Too bad. I think his recipe would have won 😔”) But more often it’s nightmares about being trapped in the Regret Prison, some of her more harrowing gladiator fights, etc.

Neve doesn’t usually dream but sometimes her cases blur together nonsensically in her mind, which she finds more annoying than anything. Or they’ll start mixing with current day anxieties - usually ending with bad things happening to people she cares about. Needless to say, she’d rather just go to sleep and wake up without having to deal with dreams or the Fade at all.

How easily do they wake up?

Ember wakes up easily and quickly. Years of being woken unexpectedly for a fight, an arena match, or some emergency forced her to become a light sleeper. She’s also naturally an early riser, but Neve can persuade her to stay in bed a while longer without much difficulty.

Neve CAN wake up quickly if she has a breakthrough in a case that she has to write down, or if she hears anything “off” (i.e., dangerous) in the usual Minrathous lullaby, but it’s a jarring transition and she will be grumpy after she’s dealt with the situation. She does not appreciate being woken up for anything short of an actual emergency otherwise.

How awake are they afterwards?

Ember is up and at ‘em once her eyes open, alert and ready to start the day. She'll attempt to make her half of the bed (she’s long given up on getting Neve to pick up that habit lol) and then go off to brush her teeth, make coffee, etc. She might even fit in a run or some training exercises in the morning.

Neve is… less enthused lol. She takes her time to gain her bearings and get out of bed. And she will want her coffee asap. She’s still trying to crack the case of how Ember is so damn chipper in the morning. “It’s called having an actual sleep routine, Neve,” Ember laughs. Neve pointedly ignores her.

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 02x31 - Sylphimon, the Storm of Love / Opposites Attract

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Team Rocket created Mewtwo and unleashed him upon us. Iori was hostile to Ken until he agreed to leave but then Miyako fixed the problem by hitting Ken until he agreed to come back. Nothing was accomplished and no one was helped.

We open in the Digital World, deep in the woods. Digimon are out and about enjoying their lives. A bunch of Numemon are hiding in bushes. Elecmon is out taking care of the babies. There's even a Unimon.

But then, suddenly, they hear it. Heavy armored footfalls approaching. The Digimon scatter. The Numemon pull down their eyestalks to conceal themselves. Elecmon shepherds the babies away. Unimon gallops off. No one wants to be here for what's coming.

As BlackWarGreymon cuts down a pair of trees in his path and steps into the area, the only sound is a strange chattering noise. He looks up to see a frightened Kuwagamon clinging to a tree, trying their hardest not to be noticed and faillng miserably due to their teeth chattering.

But this Kuwagamon is unworthy of BlackWarGreymon's attention, so he presses on.

This is an incredibly quiet and tense scene in the original. The dub gives it a larger soundscape. There's scary bad times BGM playing, the Digimon gasp audibly, and there's effects for both the slicing and the falling of trees. Kuwagamon gets dialogue.

Kuwagamon: Ooogh, I'm invisible! I'm not here! You don't see me! Owohwohwohwohwohwohwohwohwohwohwohwohwoh....

This is in lieu of the fact that Kuwagamon does not speak in the original and, in fact, is not a species of Digimon that talks at all.

Now that we're up to speed with him, what's up with our deadly duo?

Arachnemon and Mummymon are in the car tracking BlackWarGreymon's movement in the Digital World.

Mummymon: Wherever he goes, he leaves a phase distortion in his wake. If we follow that, we'll find him. Arachnemon: Where the hell is he trying to go!? Mummymon: Well, if we knew that, there wouldn't be a problem. Arachnemon: Why are you so calm about this!? Speed up! Mummymon: (sigh) ...yes, ma'am.

At Arachnemon's command, Mummymon picks up the pace.

In the dub:

Mummymon: We should be able to track BlackWarGreymon by following the spatial disruption. He won't elude you, my sweet! Arukenimon: You had better be right, Mummymon. And don't call me that! Mummymon: I am your eternal slave, my dear. Whatever you wish. Arukenimon: You're pathetic. Speed up! I'm growing weary of you! Mummymon: Yes, Pumpkin!

The dub's having fun with Mummymon's unrequited feelings. It still hits the key point about them tracking the distortion, but it's a little awkward. It's the presentation.

The original says that BWG is creating some sort of distortion in his wake and they're tracking that. The dub says we're tracking him by following the spatial disruption as if we're already supposed to know what that means.

This is a minor point and it's a confusing piece of technobabble either way, but the original phrasing is less likely too leave you stopping and going, "Wait, what spatial disruption? What's a spatial disruption?"

In the human world, another day of elementary school comes to a close. The Chosen Children gather in computer club to discuss the royal shitstomp they definitely all died from but then fortunately got to pop 1-Ups between episodes.

Takeru: BlackWarGreymon.... Daisuke: Even Paildramon couldn't defeat him.... Tailmon: We were up against an Ultimate Digimon. There's nothing we could do. Even if I could reach Perfect, we'd still be no match for him. Takeru: If we just had two-- No, even one more Jogress Evolution we could pull off, then we might stand more of a chance against him. Chibimon: You guys need to hurry up and Jogress already. Daisuke: You need to drop the attitude. Chibimon: Nah. Ahahahahaha! Patamon: But who are our partners? Poromon: If we knew that, we could at least practice. Upamon: That's right-dagyaa! Tailmon: It would have to be someone here.... Poromon: Here...? Patamon: Someone....

It's a good question. Are we going girl-girl and boy-boy with Hikari/Miyako and Takeru/Iori? Or are we going bestie-bestie with Miyako/Iori and Hikari/Takeru? Both of these are entirely conceivable. Though it might be a little awkward if we end up going Miyako/Takeru and Hikari/Iori.

Again, I want the franchise to stop being lazy and give us alternative Jogress forms already. >.< I don't care if they aren't canon! Neither is Ponchomon but we still have that!

In the dub:

T.K.: We needed this like a hole in the head. Davis: I think that's exactly BlackWarGreymon's plan. Gatomon: If he even looks at Kari the wrong way, I'll put a hole in his head! I don't care if he is a Mega!

The dub seems unaware that we already fought BlackWarGreymon and got our teeth kicked in.

T.K.: Very courageous but crazy. Even if you could evolve to Ultimate which, let me remind you, you can't, he's TOO POWERFUL!!! DemiVeemon: If the rest of you could DNA Digivolve, he'd be toast! Davis: Think you could have more of an attitude, little guy? DemiVeemon: Nuh-uh! Hahahahaha! Patamon: How rude, but he's right. We're useless. Poromon: Maybe we could practice but who with? Upamon: Yeah, who's my partner? Gatomon: Hmm, good question... You're all so young and inexperienced. Poromon: But we'll learn quick.... Patamon: You'll have to.

We're all inexperienced when it comes to DNA Digivolving, Gatomon. It's a brand new concept.

In the original, Takeru is the one holding onto hope and saying that we might have a chance if the rest of the team can Jogress. The dub makes him a party pooper criticizing Gatomon for thinking she could ever compete with BWG, then has DemiVeemon overconfidently be the one to assert that more DNA Digivolutions are the answer - albeit in a flippant way that's more of a dig against them.

Overall, the tone is a lot more negative. The dub kids don't feel like they're confidently trying to work through the problem the way the original kids are.

While the Digimon are thinking about Jogress, the conversation moves on to BlackWarGreymon himself.

Miyako: That being said, he's even blowing off that spider woman's group. Iori: That just proves he's not an opponent we can go after with a piece of rope. Hikari: Where could he be going? All by himself, no less....

Real quick, rope is a simple and useful tool that can be applied to all kinds of situations to make an easy and effective solution. To that end, the phrase "一筋縄では行かない Hitosujinawa de wa ikanai" or "I can't go at it with a piece of rope" came to describe abnormally complex and difficult tasks with no easy answer.

Anyways, Hikari suddenly speaks up from offscreen, where she's been all this time. While we've been chatting about Jogress, Hikari's been staring out the window in a depressed funk. But now that she's sharing what's on her mind, everyone shuts up and pays her all of their attention.

Hikari: BlackWarGreymon... A Digimon who seems to have been born only to fight. Team: ... Miyako: Hikari-chan... are you worried about BlackWarGreymon? Hikari: It's not quite like that.... Daisuke: Hikari-chan is kind, unlike you, Miyako. Miyako: Hey! What's that supposed to mean!? Daisuke: What's what mean!? Takeru: (breaking it up) Okay, okay. In any case, let's get to the Digital World. We can't let them create another Digimon like that again. Daisuke: Yeah! We'll smash those Dark Towers before they know what hit 'em! Right, Hikari-chan? Hikari: Sure....

Hikari answers positively but her heart isn't in it. Daisuke accepts it and Chibimon hops up onto his arm with excitement.

Chibimon: Let's go, Daisuke! Daisuke: Yeah!

But Miyako sees through it. As we transition to the Digital World, Miyako thinks to herself about Hikari while creepily staring at her.

Miyako: (thinking) Yeah, I'm nothing like Hikari-chan. She carries so many things inside her heart. So much that, sometimes, I have no way of knowing what's going through her head.

Right now, what's going through her head is, "Uhhhh, why is she staring at me so intensely? She's been doing that for half an hour. She knows I can tell she's doing it, right? Is she trying to intimidate me? Am I her latest crush? What is this? Okay, just ignore it and maybe it will go away."

Miyako, you really need to master the art of the "You can move your eyes, just don't turn your head" maneuver.

In the dub:

Yolei: I can't believe BlackWarGreymon dissed Arukenimon like that. Not that I blame him. Cody: I think she was as surprised as we were. BlackWarGreymon's a loose cannon. Kari: Where do you think he's going? I kinda feel sorry for him. Team: HUH!?!?

The difference in Kari's voices is like night and day right here. Hikari delivers her lines in a sad and distant tone, like she's not really in the room talking to us. She's squirreled away inside the vault within her heart.

Kari just chats normally like this is an everyday conversation.

Kari: He must be very confused and lonely. She created him to be a fighting machine! That just seems really sad to me. Yolei: I must be going crazy. It sounds to me like you're worrying about a cold-blooded monster! Kari: Not really. I just care about him. Davis: That's the difference between you and Kari. She cares about other people. Yolei: What's that supposed to mean!? Davis: Just what it sounds like! T.K.: Hey hey! Do I have to separate you two!? It's stupid to fight each other! Let's go to the Digital World and finish what we started. Davis: Yeah! If we knock down the Control Spires, old White Hair is out of business! Kari, you're with me, aren't you? Kari: (reluctantly) ...yyyyeah...? DemiVeemon: I'm with you, Davis! Davis: Yeah! Yolei: (thinking) I hate to admit it but Davis might be right about Kari and me. She never puts her foot in her mouth like I do. I never know what she's thinking. It kinda makes me nervous. (transition to Digital World) Veemon: So anyway, then the guy says, "Knock Knock". Davis: Veemon, I told you, no more knock knock jokes. Veemon: This isn't a knock knock joke! It's a joke about a guy who tells knock knock jokes! Davis: No more! Veemon: You're no fun.

The dub doesn't bring up the possibility of Arukenimon making another BlackWarGreymon or something like him by combining another set of 100 Dark Towers. Which is a very serious threat that we should be concerned about.

Miyako can't tell what Hikari's thinking because of how much she carries inside her heart. Hikari is closed off. Emotionally reclusive. She doesn't share what's on her mind very often.

Kari is sassy and loud about her feelings so they obviously can't say that. Instead, Yolei can't tell what's on Kari's mind because she "doesn't put her foot in her mouth" like Yolei.

This rephrasing of the idea shifts the Neutral Zone. Miyako presents herself as the Neutral Zone and describes Hikari as comparatively reserved and withdrawn. Yolei presents Kari as the Neutral Zone and attacks herself for being comparatively brash and tactless. It's really weird that Yolei criticizes herself in this fashion rather than saying anything substantive about Kari.

The dub also doesn't carry Yolei's internal monologue through the scene transition. She gets everything she needs to say out before leaving the human world, and her time in the Digital World is taken up by Veemon's knock-knock joke.

Lastly, and this is mainly for the shippers, but: Davis expresses Daisuke's insult to Miyako/Yolei well but doesn't use the word.

According to Daisuke, what Hikari has and Miyako doesn't is 優しい yasashii, "kindness" or "gentleness". As in Ken's Crest virtue, by name. It doesn't really mean anything but the shippers might have fun with the fact that Daisuke admires Hikari for 優しい yasashii, specifically.

As the team trudges through the woods, Tailmon suddenly stops and looks around. They keep walking until Hikari suddenly realizes she's fallen behind and stops too.

Hikari: Tailmon? Tailmon: This is it! This is where I lost my Holy Ring! Hikari: Your Holy Ring is here!? Tailmon: I'm certain of it.

It's been thirty episodes, so Tailmon helpfully goes into flashback so we can watch a Unimon controlled by an Evil Ring take her Holy Ring from her.

Tailmon: At the time, I couldn't stop and look for it because the Digimon Kaiser was on a rampage. (End Flashback) Tailmon: With the Holy Ring, I might be able to reclaim my original strength.

Fingers crossed! We are well past the point where Tailmon being Adult-strength in base form would be a significant edge in combat so we might as well let her have her Holy Ring back. This nerf is no longer required.

In the dub:

Gatomon: This is weird.... Kari: What is it, Gatomon? Gatomon: This is it! I thought it looked familiar! It's where I lost my Tail Ring! Kari: Really!? Are you sure!? Gatomon: Positively! It was awful. (Flashback) Gatomon: Ken wasn't so sweet back then and even good Digimon like Unimon were forced to do his dirty work. (End Flashback) Gatomon: I couldn't look for my ring back then but if I had it now, I'd be one tough Digi-Kitty!

This is solid. The only thing that really stands out about it is Gatomon's generally more playful personality that she always has.

Once that's settled, one person in particular is hyped to get looking.

Daisuke: YES!!! Let's all start looking for it! Hikari: (pleased) Daisuke-kun!

Hikari's pleased, but Miyako and Iori both give smug, knowing looks to Daisuke.

Iori: Trying to score points with Hikari-san? Miyako: So predictable, Daisuke. Daisuke: (blushing) THAT'S NOT A BAD THING!!!

V-mon nudges Daisuke in the leg, grinning.

V-mon: You're not beaten yet, Daisuke! Daisuke: V-MOOOOON!!!

Tears streaming down his face, Daisuke picks V-mon up and shakes him. V-mon touched a nerve by calling out the fact that, at this point in the triangle he's formed with Takeru and Hikari, there is no mistake that he's the odd man out. There honestly never was but even Daisuke can't deny it anymore.

In the dub:

Davis: That's it then! We'll just have to go find it, whatever it is. Kari: You're the greatest! Cody: Trying to win points with Kari? Looks like it actually worked this time. Yolei: Not even Davis can strike out every time. Davis: (blushing) OH YES I CAN!!! Veemon: (nudge nudge) I don't think that's what you meant to say. Davis: Yes, it is!

The shot of Daisuke throttling Veemon is cut.

Davis is correct. The punchline of this bit in the original is that Daisuke has thoroughly been vanquished at this point in the competition for Hikari's affection and everyone's making fun of him for still trying.

Ironically, given the way they've treated him in the past, the dub plays up what a win this moment is for him to give him more dignity. But this is dignity he then defensively sacrifices as an alternative punchline to the throttling.

Daisuke's throttling of V-mon gets a laugh out of Hikari and we move on.

Takeru: In any case, Daisuke-kun is right. Let's try and find it. Patamon: Yeah! Hawkmon: Always hasten to do good. Armadimon: We're sure to find it-dagyaa! Tailmon: Thank you... all of you.

Hawkmon is quoting Japanese proverbs again. This one is "善は急げ Zen wa Isoge". 善 Zen means good. Good deeds, good things, good virtues. It is the act of doing good. 急げ Isoge means to hurry and do something in a rush. So the idea is that when you know that something is good, you know that it's the right thing to do, then you should get out and do it now without hesitation.

Daisuke: So, Hikari-chan-- Hikari: I'll search with Miyako-san.

Before Daisuke can even say it, Hikari walks right past him and wraps her arm around Miyako's. Miyako is as lost as Daisuke.

Miyako: Whuh...? Hikari: Let's start looking in that direction.

Without another word, Hikari and a very confused Miyako disappear into the woods. The cogs in Daisuke's head slowly turn until the clockwork strikes Rejection o'Clock, and he slumps over in defeat. Just then, V-mon nudges him in the leg.

V-mon: You're not beaten yet, Daisuke! Daisuke: V-MOOOOON!!!

Tears streaming down his face, Daisuke picks V-mon up and shakes him. V-mon touched a nerve by calling out the fact that, at this point in the triangle he's formed with Takeru and Hikari, there is no mistake that he's the odd man out. There honestly never was but even Daisuke can't deny it anymore.

Yeah, they fucking did it again. XD

In the dub:

T.K.: Whatever! He may be confused but he happens to be right! Patamon: Mhm! Hawkmon: That's one point for Davis. Armadillomon: Two points and a cookie if you find it. Gatomon: Now you're talking! Thanks a lot. Davis: Let's get going, Kari-- Kari: I think this clearing we passed is the best bet, Yolei. What do you think? Should we start there? (Kari and Yolei leave; Davis slumps) Davis: Dyaaaaaugh.... (Veemon nudges Davis) Davis: What!? Veemon: Back to usual, huh, buddy?

As before, Daisuke throttling V-mon is cut.

Kari's rejection of Davis comes off a bit more passive-aggressive here. Instead of announcing her searching partner before he can ask, she pointedly ignores him entirely. But the effect is the same in both versions; She doesn't directly shoot him down but she does very strongly imply rejection in both her body language and her words.

The dialogue from the Digimon is changed to tease Davis instead of expressing their eagerness to start searching.

As to the censorship, they had a pretty decent idea for a gag to make use of Veemon's nudging last time. But here, for the follow-up throttling, they've got nothing.

Nearby, Ken happens to be in these same woods.

Wormmon: Something about this place makes my skin crawl.

The last time Wormmon said that, Ken ignored him and did what he wanted to do anyway. It did not go well. This time, Ken stops and takes a careful look around the woods.

Then he sees it. Just ahead of him, the forest melts away, revealing the black ocean of Dagomon.

For a moment, Ken flashes back on the moment he dipped his Digivice into the water and it became the Dark Digivice. Then he screams.

Ken: UWAAAAAAUGH!!! Wormmon: Ken-chan, what's wrong!?

Nearby, Hikari and Miyako are searching the woods for Tailmon's Holy Ring.

Hawkmon: Nothing here. Tailmon: I think it was around here.... Ken: UWAAAAAAUGH!!! Hikari: Ichijouji-kun!

Without another word to the rest of the team, Hikari runs off into the woods, following Ken's voice.

Miyako: Hikari-chan? Tailmon: Hikari!?

Nothing else for the others to do but follow after.

In the dub, Ken and Wormmon have a bit of extra dialogue when Ken starts looking around.

Wormmon: This place just doesn't feel right. Let's go home, Ken. (Ken starts looking around) Wormmon: Ken? What's wrong? Ken: I'm not sure.... (Ken sees the black ocean and flashes back) Ken: UWAAAAAAUGH!!! Wormmon: Oh no, Ken! HELP!!! (Kari's team searches the woods) Hawkmon: This is exceedingly tedious. Gatomon: And you're the one with the bird's eye view! Ken: UWAAAAAAUGH!!! Kari: That's Ken! He's in trouble! (Kari runs off) Gatomon: (bitterly) I hate it when she does that.

It should be noted that in both versions, Hikari/Kari is the only person who hears Ken. This will be elucidated next scene, but it informs on the reactions the others give her. To Miyako/Yolei and Tailmon/Gatomon, we were searching the woods in relative silence apart from our own comments until Hikari/Kari suddenly ran off.

So, in the original, Hikari shouts "Ichijouji-kun" and then bolts into the woods while providing no further context. Miyako and Tailmon repeating her name is the verbal equivalent of them blinking at each other in confusion.

The dub has Kari say, "He's in trouble" before bolting into the woods. Now there's context, which makes Gatomon's flippant remark come off really harsh. You... hate it when she tries to help people in trouble? She has explained herself. You're being an asshole right now.

Ken's not doing so hot right now.

He's down on his knees, gripping his head in agony.

Wormmon: Ken-chan! Ken-chan!

Hikari comes running through the woods, tailed by the rest of her group. Miyako, Tailmon, and Hawkmon slowly gain on her.

Tailmon: Hikari! Miyako: Hikari-chan! Where are you going!? Hikari: Didn't you hear it!? That was Ichijouji-kun's voice! Miyako: Ken-kun's...?

Sure enough, the girls come upon Ken and Wormmon, still in that position. Hikari approaches him and crouches down to get on his level.

Hikari: What's wrong, Ichijouji-kun? Miyako: Did you run into something? Like BlackWarGreymon!? Ken: The ocean.... Miyako: What. Ken: I saw the ocean... The dark ocean.... Hikari: O_O The dark ocean...? Miyako: O_o The dark ocean, you said? I guess it's pretty dark here, sure, but.... Ken: It's over. I'm fine now.

Ken proves how fine he is by standing up and wobbling, nearly toppling right back over. Hikari gets up and grabs him, supporting him while they walk.

Miyako: You call that stumbling "fine"!? Honestly... An ocean in the middle of a forest....

While Miyako dismisses that idea as absurd, reality crackles around the three of them. The color slowly dulls into grays and a black wormhole appears around them. Ignorant of what's happening to reality, Hikari, Ken, and Miyako continue on into the wormhole, fading out of existence and leaving this area of the forest as empty as they found it.

In the dub:

Wormmon: Oh, Ken.... (Kari comes running, tailed by the others) Gatomon: Wait for me! Yolei: Where are you going!? Kari: Didn't you hear him scream just now!? It's Ken! Something's wrong with him! Yolei: Ken!? (They reach Ken) Kari: Don't worry, Ken. We're here now. It'll be okay. Yolei: What happened? Were you attacked? I don't see anything. Ken: The ocean.... Yolei: He's finally cracked! Ken: It was the dark ocean! It's horrible! Kari: O_O Huh!? The dark ocean!? Could it be...? Yolei: O_o Maybe it's contagious! I can't see a thing. How about you, Hawkmon? Ken: It's nothing... I'm fine. (Ken weakly gets up; Kari supports him) Yolei: No, you're not. You're clearly seeing things. "Dark Ocean"! Ha! Kari: I think I know how you're feeling. Yolei: Maybe we should just play along, Hawkmon. Hawkmon: Do you think he fell on his head? I did that once and thought I was a fruit bat.

This is perfect. A+. Yolei and Hawkmon's added banter fills the space where the dark portal is taking them, and the sheer irony of their skeptical remarks juxtaposed against them actively vanishing as they speak beautifully captures the intent of the moment.

And then the dub takes its first commercial break right on the fruit bat remark, as they are taken by the void. Chef's kiss.

Elsewhere in the woods, Daisuke, Takeru, and Iori are having no luck turning up the Holy Ring.

Iori: It isn't here. Takeru: Should we look somewhere else? Daisuke: (sigh) Let's do that.

Daisuke takes out his D-3, checking the radar.

Daisuke: Where's Hikari-chan's team right now?

On the radar, the lights of three Digivices are moving away from them at a fast clip.

Daisuke: What the hell?

At that remark, Takeru takes out his own D-3 and sees the same thing on his radar.

Takeru: Something happened to Hikari-chan's team!

Takeru breaks into a sprint, chasing after them without another word.

Daisuke: HEY!!! TAKERU!!!

Takeru isn't listening. He keeps right on running.

In the dub:

Armadillomon: This is hopeless. T.K.: We can't just give up! Davis: No way! Kari's counting on me to find this thing for her.

In the original, we're not talking about giving up. We're talking about searching a different area. Daisuke checks his D-3 to make sure we don't overlap onto Hikari's team.

The new dialogue gives him no reason to check his D-3. Instead, the D-3 itself suddenly starts beeping at him, as if trying to warn him.

Davis: Where'd she and Yolei go!? (Davis checks D-3) Davis: That doesn't make sense.... T.K.: What!?

Then T.K.'s D-3 suddenly beeps at him. So whatever Emergency Broadcast they're receiving, it's taking its sweet time crossing the woods from Davis to T.K.

T.K.: There are three of them!? But who's that with them!? (T.K. runs off) Group: Huh!? Davis: Three of them!?

Davis somehow didn't notice the third blip even though he looked at the radar too. But he's dumb and probably can't count.

The answer to who that is with them is Ken, of course. That's Ken's blip. We all know who Ken is. It's surprising that he's joined them but it's not, like, "DROP EVERYTHING, EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY" that Ken joined the girls.

What T.K. should be noticing is that the blips are shooting through the woods at a fast clip, as if they're running from something or being taken away by something. That's why they're in danger. Not because a mysterious sixth D-3 no one has ever heard of (except literally everyone) is suddenly among them.

Returning to Hikari's team, we find them now wander heavily desaturated woods.

Hikari: Doesn't it feel like we passed through this same area a moment ago? Tailmon: We might have gotten lost in these dense woods. Miyako: You can't be serious! H-Hang on a minute, are we going to waste away until nothing's left but our bones-- Oh?

Miyako spots Daisuke walking through the forest.

Miyako: Daisuke! Hawkmon: V-mon!

Miyako and Hawkmon wave frantically and call out to the pair.

Miyako: DAISUKEEEEEE!!! Hawkmon: V-MOOOOOON!!!

Daisuke stops and turns towards them. They run towards each other, but then Daisuke unexpectedly passes through Miyako and keeps going.

Hawkmon: V-mon!

The same thing happens to Hawkmon. V-mon runs right through him and keeps going.

Hawkmon: Eh!? What the....

Daisuke comes to a stop surrounded by Hikari's team.

Miyako: BUT WHY THOUGH!?!? Daisuke: That's so weird. I could have sworn I heard a voice. Hikari: Daisuke-kun...? V-mon: I thought so too. Ken: Motomiya-kun!

Finding nothing, Daisuke keeps going in search of the girls.

Daisuke: HIKARI-CHAN!!! MIYAKO!!! Hikari: It looks like we've ended up in a very strange place. Miyako: (whining) Nooo!

Sorry, Miyako. But you're in the weird shit with Hikari and Ken now. Hope you enjoy your stay.

In the dub:

Kari: These trees are all beginning to look the same; Tall and really, really dark. Gatomon: Do you think we've been chasing our tail this whole time? Yolei: You mean we're going in circles!? You think we're lost!? Is that it!? Forever and ever until we die-- Hm? (Yolei spots Davis and Veemon) Yolei: It's Davis! Hawkmon: We're saved! Yolei: OVER HERE!!! Hawkmon: VEEMON!!! EXCELLENT TIMING!!! Kari: DAVIS!!! T.K.!!! (Yolei and Davis run through each other) Yolei: Uhh... huh? Hawkmon: Veemon! (Veemon runs through Hawkmon) Hawkmon: Oogh, I feel faint.... Yolei: I'm confused.... Davis: I was sure I heard a voice over here. Do you think maybe they're ghosts, Veemon? Kari: Davis, we're right here! Veemon: Nah. I don't believe in 'em. Ken: Where are you going!? (Davis and Veemon run off into the woods) Davis: KARI!!! Veemon: KARI!!! Davis: YOLEI!!! Veemon: YOLEI!!! Kari: That's strange. If we can see him, why can't he see us? It doesn't make any sense. Yolei: What now!?

Kari calls out to T.K. for some reason even though he's not present in this scene.

Kari mentions that the trees are "starting to look the same". In the original, Hikari is doing the "I swear we've passed that exact rock four times" spooky maze bit.

The censors let Yolei say "die". Possibly because it's still not as vivid as her describing becoming 白骨 hakkotsu, skeletal remains.

Failing to find Hikari's team, the boys regroup in the woods.

Daisuke: Did you find Hikari-chan's team? Iori: They're nowhere to be found. Patamon: We've looked everywhere! Armadimon: Where could they have disappeared to-dagyaa? Takeru: Patamon, evolve and then we can search from the air. Patamon: Okay. Daisuke: V-mon, we're going to evolve too. V-mon: Yeah! Iori: Armadimon! Armadimon: Got it-dagyaa.

Takeru and Daisuke, I get, but I'm not sure what Ankylomon is going to contribute to this search that we aren't already doing. If anything, I'd be worried about accidentally trampling the girls by kaiju stomping blindly around the forest.

In the dub:

Davis: Cody! T.J.! Did you find Kari? Cody: They seem to have just disappeared! It's not logical! They can't have gone that far! Armadillomon: Well, they have. Patamon: Even I couldn't find them! Not one trace. T.K.: I'll go up with Patamon. We just have to try harder. Patamon: Okay! Davis: They're around here somewhere. We'll find 'em! Veemon: Yes, sir! Cody: You're ready, Armadillomon? Armadillomon: You can count on me!

Davis chooses an incredibly inappropriate time to bring back the "getting T.K.'s name wrong on purpose out of spite" bit.

Nobody mentions Digivolving; The most that's said is T.K. ambiguously saying he'll "go up with Patamon". So now the shots of each character psyching up their Partner for evolution are just them expressing that they're gonna be even more searchtastic than the searching they've done, and it's really awkward.

What exactly are we going to do to "try harder"? There is an answer but it's one the dub fails to express.

While they're doing that, Kari's team continues to explore the dark woods.

Ken: The fog is getting thicker....

No one has anything to say to that. They keep walking on in silence until Miyako suddenly has an idea.

Miyako: Hey, let's sing a song. Hikari & Ken: ... Miyako: Then how about we play shiritori? Shiritori sound good? Hikari & Ken: ... Miyako: Mrr... Oh, that's it! We can play cards! Let's play-- Ah! But I didn't bring any cards! Whoops, silly me. Ahahahahaha... heh.... Hikari & Ken: ...

She's trying so hard to lighten the mood but those two are drowning in plot.

しりとり Shiritori is a Japanese word game where you try and say a word that begins with the last syllable of the word the previous player said. It's to help children learn and develop their vocabulary.

Ken: We don't seem to be going anywhere. And we might not be able to go back either. Hikari: It's okay. As long as we want to go back and there's someone out there who wants us back, there will always be a way out of this world. Miyako: (sharply) Hikari-chan! Hikari: Eh? Miyako: You're mocking me, aren't you? Hikari: Of course not! Miyako: You're mocking me! Hikari: I'm not mocking you! Miyako: Of course you are!

Miyako furiously storms past Hikari and Ken and stomps off into the woods alone.

Hikari: Miyako-san.... Ken: Uh....

Poor Ken. You know he's gonna mentally jot that down as another bullet point of proof in the "My presence disrupts your team dynamic" category.

Miyako's sudden freakout is a little confusing but I think what happened here is that Ken and Hikari were talking quietly, and she was a ways back. So she didn't hear what they said. She just saw them whispering to each other after ignoring her.

As the only one here who has no idea what the dark ocean is, Miyako doesn't really grasp the severity of the situation or why Hikari and Ken are so haunted by this place. As far as she knows, a weird Digital World forest is doing some weird Digital World bullshit.

In the dub:

Ken: I don't like the way this fog keeps getting thicker. Kari & Ken: ... Yolei: Hey, I know! Let's sing a song! Kari & Ken: ... Yolei: Okay, so you don't like that plan. Why don't we play a game? Kari & Ken: ... Yolei: How about this? We can play my favorite game, Telephone! ...oh, I forgot, there are only three of us. I guess that would be pretty boring. Ehehe! Kari & Ken: ... Ken: How are we going to find our way home if we don't even know where we are? It's hopeless. Kari: Nothing is ever hopeless, Ken. You of all people should know that. There are too may people who want us back and we want to go back too much to be stuck here forever. Yolei: WHY WON'T YOU TALK TO ME!?!? Kari: What!? Yolei: Do you two want to be alone or something!? You could just say so instead of ignoring me like this! Kari: We're not ignoring you. Yolei: Yes, you are! (Yolei storms past them) Kari: Come back, Yolei! Yolei: Hmph! Ken: Um, Yolei...?

What 12/13-year-old has Telephone as their favorite game? Miyako also suggests playing a childish game but she's not out here doing ad reads for it. It's just, y'know, a thing you can do that doesn't require paraphernalia.

(Incidentally, this episode of Revisiting Digimon Adventure was brought to you by Red Rover.)

Do children still play Telephone? I don't know if children still play Telephone in this modern age of The YooToobs and The Influencers. In case it needs explaining, Telephone is a game where you whisper something into one person's ear, then they whisper it into another person's ear as best they heard/remember it. You go around the room until it gets back to the original speaker.

Like しりとり shiritori, it's not really a game so much as a learning exercise. It's a practical demonstration of the way information changes through second-hand retellings, as the statement or phrase you get back at the end is usually wildly different from what you originally said.

In any case, what Kari says to Ken is similar to the original, but they both water down the context. Hikari is expressing a personal lesson she's learned from her own time in the Dark Ocean. She wanted out and Takeru wanted her out, and together they forged a path.

Kari expresses the same idea but in the abstract. We have to get out because of the people who want us back, rather than those people being the way out. This makes her and Ken's discussion sound more generic and universal to any perilous situation, while Ken and Hikari are talking about their experience with the dark ocean specifically.

They also changed the nature of Yolei's freakout... sort of? Miyako accuses Hikari of バカにして bakanishite, which means to ridicule or look down on someone. It's not super clear where she's drawing this conclusion; Is she misinterpreting their whispering together as them mocking her? Or does she think they're ignoring her on purpose, looking down their noses at her antics? Unclear. Maybe both.

Yolei's freakout is clean and unambiguous, while still playing to the same idea. They're ignoring her and whispering to each other, and she feels hurt and dejected by it.

After storming off from the group, Miyako doesn't get very far before her rage deflates and regret sets in.

Miyako: Ugh... I did it again. I said that right to her face at a time like this.... Hawkmon: You did go a little overboard.

Miyako and Hawkmon come to the edge of a massive ravine.

Miyako: Oh look, instant karma. It's a dead end. Wait, what's....

Miyako describes the cliff as バチが当たった bachi ga atatta, divine retribution from the gods as punishment for one's transgressions.

But then, looking down into the ravine, she sees something twinkling in the darkness.

Miyako: HEY!!! That's the Holy Ring, isn't it?

Hikari and Ken come quick, joining Miyako at the ravine's edge.

Hikari: The Holy Ring!?

Standing at the edge and peering down into it, they can't quite make it out beyond the glinting.

Hikari: What do you think, Tailmon? Tailmon: I don't know.... Ken: Holy Ring...?

Ken flashes back on Tailmon's Holy Ring deflecting an Evil Ring in the first episode.

Ken: (thinking) I've seen it somewhere before. I feel like I've held it in my hands. When was that? There are holes in my memory....

He should probably share that. Because we're looking around these woods under the assumption that the Holy Ring was left lying here after Tailmon lost it. But if Ken's held it in his hands then that means his forces recovered it. It could be anywhere, and is probably not glinting at us from that ravine.

In the dub:

Yolei: Ugh... I did it again, didn't I? Oh, Hawkmon... What ever was I thinking? Hawkmon: Thinking is precisely what you didn't do. Yolei: Ken probably hates me after I made a fool of myself. Hawkmon: I doubt that.

Fuck Kari, I guess. Yolei only regrets doing that in front of the cute boy. This is particularly notable because Miyako and Hikari's relationship is supposed to be what this episode is about.

Yolei: Uh oh! Now what!? (Yolei spots glinting object in ravine) Yolei: KARI!!! GATOMON!!! I THINK WE FOUND IT!!! (The others come running) Gatomon: My Tail Ring!? Kari: Really!? Yolei: See? Right down there. Kari: What do you think, Gatomon? Gatomon: I can't tell from here. Ken: (thinking) I know I've seen this before, but where? (Flashback to Gatomon's Tail Ring deflecting Dark Ring) Ken: (thinking) There are too many gaps in my memory. Why can I only remember the awful things and not the things that would help someone? It almost feels like it's on purpose. Wormmon: (thinking) He has that look again....

Those two things are not mutually exclusive, Ken. If you took the Tail Ring, that's an awful thing that would help someone now.

Well, only one thing to do now. Much like that time Miyako wildly speculated that Ken's flying fortress flew off into the sky, she's going in before anyone can even discuss what to do.

Miyako: Well, I'm going down to take a look. Hawkmon: I feel like we've been here before. Have we been here before? Hawkmon: Miyako-san, I should really be the one to go. Miyako: Nah, it's fine. Hikari: Don't push yourself, Miyako-san. Miyako: It's fine, I'm fiIIIIYAAAH!!!

In the middle of delivering the dismissive blowoff phrase 平気平気 heiki heiki a second time, the ledge beneath Miyako's foot gives out and she falls. See, that's why Hawkmon should have been the one to go. He wasn't being patronizing. He has wings. Wings are good for combatting gravity.

Hikari catches her by the wrist before she can plummet too far.

Hawkmon: Oh my Digi-God, this is happening again. Miyako: (relieved) Thank you, Hikari-chan.... Hikari: Are you okay, Miyako-san!?

Ken comes over to help too. But then they both see it. Out of nowhere, familiar-looking waves crash into the wall at the bottom of the ravine.

Ken grabs his head and screams while Hikari loses her footing. Hikari and Miyako plunge into the abyss together.

Ken: UWAAAAAAGH!!! Hikari & Miyako: AHHHHHHH!!!! Hawkmon: Miyako-san! Tailmon: Hikari! Wormmon: Ken-chan!

Without hesitation, Hawkmon and Tailmon leap down into the ravine to chase their Partners. Wormmon tries to get through to Ken but he's lost, screaming bloody murder into the sky.

...and that brings us to our commercial break! Hey kids, do you like Hot Wheels? You should buy some Hot Wheels! (This commercial was brought to you by our sponsor Red Rover. Red Rover, Red Rover, send customers on over.)

In the dub:

Yolei: There's only one way to find out! Hawkmon: Oh, Yolei! I beg of you, don't! Yolei: You worry too much. Kari: Of course he's worried. It's too risky. Yolei: It's the least I can do after--WHOA!!! (Yolei loses footing; Kari catches her) Hawkmon: I wish you wouldn't do this sort of thing! Yolei: Uh... At this exact moment, so do I. Kari: Don't worry! I have you! (Crashing waves; Kari and Yolei fall in) Ken: UWAAAAAAUGH!!! Kari & Yolei: AHHHHHHH!!! (Hawkmon and Gatomon go in after) Hawkmon: YOLEI!!! Gatomon: KARI!!! Wormmon: Uh, Ken...?

The dub goes along with this spot being the second commercial break.

Hawkmon here tells Yolei not to go into the ravine but doesn't propose the obviously sensible alternative.

Returning from commercial, Hikari rouses Miyako from unconsciousness.

Hikari: Miyako-san!

Miyako slowly opens her eyes. She's lying on a small ridge jutting out from the cliff.

Hikari: (relieved) Miyako-san! Miyako: Hikari-chan! Hikari: Whew. Are you hurt? Miyako: I'm okay. Where are we

Miyako looks around at the dark ravine around her as it starts to come back to her.

Miyako: That's right... I was trying to reach the Holy Ring.... Hawkmon: (gently) It was awfully reckless of you.

Especially considering that we've done this exact thing before. Do we need to put Miyako in a safety harness to keep her from throwing herself into chasms?

Tailmon holds out a broken piece of an Evil Ring to show Miyako.

Tailmon: Apparently, this was actually what you saw. Miyako: An Evil Ring!? (pouts) It wasn't even the Holy Ring.... Tailmon: Still, I appreciate your concern. Thank you. Miyako: Tailmon.... Hikari: Now let's hurry and get out of here. Miyako: Right.

I'm glad Tailmon's touched by Miyako's exuberance. Helps to smooth over the argument we just had. But she did still throw herself and Hikari down a cliff for nothing so that's awkward. XD

One of these days. One of these days Miyako will recklessly throw herself off a cliff and it will actually be helpful! Surely!

In the dub, Kari doesn't say anything until after Yolei opens her eyes.

Kari: Yolei, wake up. Yolei: Whuuuuuh... (attentive) Kari, where are we? Kari: Thank goodness. I was worried. Yolei: About me!? Why? ...oh, yeah. I remember seeing something shining down here but then what happened? Hawkmon: The usual. You did something absurd. (Gatomon holds out Dark Ring fragment) Gatomon: But we did find this. Yolei: It's just a Dark Ring... (pouts) I was trying so hard not to be selfish for once. Gatomon: But you weren't. You thought it was the real thing. Thank you, Yolei. Yolei: You're just saying that.... Kari: No, really. It was very thoughtful. Yolei: (touched) It was?

This is pretty good. Hits all the important notes and doesn't even get tripped up by 引っかかる hikkakaru. Good job.

Now that we're up to speed, it's time to get out of this ravine.

Miyako: Hawkmon, evolve! Hawkmon: Yes, ma'am!

With "Show Me Your Brave Heart" playing behind him, Hawkmon gets as far as "HAWKMON SHINKAAAAAA" before the sharp tone of a bell kills the music and brings us right back to the cliffside. Hawkmon's evolution goes absolutely nowhere.

Miyako: ...what are you doing? Hawkmon: Huh? That's strange... I can't evolve.

Something about our present circumstances is suppressing Hawkmon's evolution.

In the dub:

Yolei: Alright, let's get out of here! Hawkmon: My pleasure!

They don't have the bell chime that serves effectively the same purpose as a record scratch, but they do have the evolution noises comically fizzle out for a similar effect.

Yolei: Uhh, what are you doing? Hawkmon: It seems... I just can't do it.

Consequently, this part is perfect.

Despite the fact that Digimentals are a thing, Hawkmon's inability to evolve sends Miyako spiraling. It's the straw that broke the camel's back.

Miyako: EHHHHH!?!? WHY CAN'T YOU EVOLVE!?!? HOW ELSE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF HERE!?!? ARE WE GOING TO BE STUCK HERE FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!?!? Hawkmon: Miyako-san.... Miyako: AND EVEN IF WE COULD GET OUT OF HERE, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE EVEN ARE!!! Tailmon: Miyako.... Miyako: (half-crying) DAISUKE EVEN WALKED RIGHT THROUGH ME!!! Hikari: Miyako-san.... Miyako: AAAAAAGH NO MORE!!! WE'RE FINISHED!!! OUR LIVES ARE GOING TO END RIGHT HERE--

Suddenly, Hikari slaps Miyako right in the face, bringing a stark silence to her understandable but unhelpful panic attack.

Hikari: ...Sorry. Miyako: Yeah... Me too.

Still, it's good that she got that all out of her system. It can't have been helpful to keep it bottled up.

In the dub:

Yolei: What do you mean? This is no time for jokes, Hawkmon! Stop fooling around and Digivolve! How can you pick on me like this!? I just fell from a cliff, you know! Hawkmon: There she goes again.... Yolei: If you can't Digivolve, we'll never get out of this canyon! And even if we do, where will we go!? Gatomon: We'll be fine. Yolei: NO, WE WON'T!!! HOW CAN WE BE FINE!?!? DAVIS RAN RIGHT THROUGH ME!!! Kari: We'll think of something. Yolei: NO, WE WON'T!!! MY LIFE IS OVER!!! I'LL NEVER GET MARRIED, HAVE CHILDREN, MAKE MILLIONS IN THE STOCK MARKET, I HATE THIS--

Unlike most instances of kid-on-kid violence, Kari's slap is allowed to occur completely uncensored.

Hawkmon: Gyooogh... Yolei: ...huh. Kari: Oh, what have I done!? Yolei: I'm sorry... I guess I needed that. Hawkmon: Brutal! But effective!

In the original, all of Miyako's panic points are observations about the dire circumstances they're in. The dub has her rope in a baseless accusation that Hawkmon's picking on her and also complain that she won't get married, have children, or make millions in the stock market. The latter of which is fairly founded in the original sentiment that they're going to die here.

The dub also positions the other three characters as trying to argue with and/or be snippy about her meltdown. In the original, they just express concern up until the sudden slap. The dub version does flow really well, however, as it builds momentum and shows the others trying to reason with her before resorting to the slap.

I'm just a little snippy about how dismissive Hawkmon is of her.

Once Miyako's calmed herself, Tailmon and Hawkmon quickly excuse themselves from the scene.

Hawkmon: We'll go look for something we can use as a rope. Tailmon: Wait here.

Hawkmon and Tailmon ascend the canyon by wing and claw, leaving Hikari and Miyako alone on the ledge. They sit in silence for a moment. But eventually, with nothing else to do, Hikari breaks the silence.

Hikari: Miyako-san, you can be a handful sometimes. Miyako: (sadly) I knew that's what you thought of me.... Hikari: But... I've always envied that about you. Miyako: Huh? Hikari: I can't just scream or admit when I'm scared the way you do, Miyako-san. Miyako: Hikari-chan.... Hikari: Maybe that's why I'm being taken by the Dark World.... Miyako: The Dark World...? Hikari: I don't want to go... But I can't stop it....

Miyako looks at Hikari with absolutely zero context for the shit that just came out of her mouth. But before they can discuss it any further, Hawkmon and Tailmon lower a vine.

Hawkmon: MIYAKO-SAN!!! Tailmon: HIKARI!!!

With their help, the girls are saved from the dark chasm.

Hikari's admission is interesting particularly in how it connects with her conversation with Takeru in the Dagomon episode. Hikari is not an individually strong person; Her strength comes from the people who support her. She inspires others to care for and support her, and their power in turn becomes her power. It's something Takeru had a hard time appreciating, given his own struggle for respect and independence with his brother Yamato.

Here, in this context, Hikari harkens back to that aspect of her and admits her admiration for Miyako's forthrightness. Hikari could never just stand up and go, "I'M GOING DOWN THAT CLIFF" and then hurl herself off the ledge without a care in the world. For better or worse, Miyako is bold and assertive in ways Hikari can't be, and Hikari envies that.

She's just... never really expressed that because Hikari keeps her feelings close to her chest. That's the kind of person she is. She's stoic and hard to read.

In the dub:

Hawkmon: Now, let's see if we can find our way out of this mess. Gatomon: I'm with you. (Hawkmon and Gatomon leave) Kari: ... Yolei: ... Kari: Yolei, I'm really sorry for slapping you like that. It's just not like me. You seem to bring out the worst in me! Maybe because we're so different. Yolei: No, it's me. Kari: I have to be honest, Yolei. The truth is, I envy you. Yolei: Huh? Kari: I wish I could say what I'm feeling like you do. I keep everything inside so no one gets hurt but me. Yolei: I had no idea. Kari: Maybe that's why I was drawn into the World of Darkness just like Ken. Yolei: Ken!? You're not like Ken! Kari: We keep too much inside, making us vulnerable. (Vine lowers) Hawkmon: Hello hello! Rescue is at hand! Gatomon: Going up?

It would be easier to buy that Kari has this problem if she wasn't so sassy and assertive all the time. The dub's alternative take on the character has kinda come back to bite them.

Kari brings Ken into this conversation and asserts that bottling his feelings too much was the reason he was taken by the Dark World too. Kari, you have no idea what Ken's relationship with the dark ocean is. Don't try and speak to it.

Therapy for Ken. And Hikari/Kari, for that matter. Really, therapy for everyone.

With Hawkmon and Tailmon's help, the girls are soon back up topside. With Ken. Remember Ken? He's still here.

Miyako: (relieved) Finally, we're out of there! Ken: Um.... Miyako: Huh? Ken: I'm so sorry I couldn't come and help. Miyako: Nah, you're no good in dark places, Ken-kun. If you had fallen in with us, it'd be terrible with all that screaming you'd do! Ken: ... Miyako: Ah! But you were acting as the Digimon Kaiser at one point, so you do have some guts, right? Hikari: Miyako-san! Miyako: Huh? (sheepish) ...ohhhh, did I just remind you of something you didn't want to think about? (excited) Oh, that's right! That thing I spotted was an Evil Ring, not a Holy Ring! What a ripoff, huh? An Evil Ring, of all things! Oh! But don't worry, I'm not blaming you for that. Ken: ...uh....

Hikari, who has been visibly growing increasingly despondent as Miyako continued to talk, suddenly can't help herself and starts laughing.

Miyako: It's not funny, Hikari-chan! Hikari: Ahahahahahaha b-but hahahahahahaha Miyako: I guess it is pretty funny. Both: Hahahahahahahaha!

Ken remains standing there with the trauma Miyako slapped him in the face with while the two girls laugh at how insensitive she is. And it is pretty funny. Both Miyako's thoughtlessness and the general irony of the Digimon Kaiser waiting helplessly around for us while we went on an Evil Ring misadventure.

In the dub:

Yolei: I'm glad that's over. Ken: Um.... Yolei: Ken? Ken: I'm sorry, Yolei. I wasn't able to help you. Yolei: That's okay, Ken. I know you were afraid, and it would have been silly for you to fall down with us. You were so freaked out, you probably wouldn't have done any good anyway. Ken: Nyeeeeuurgh.... Yolei: Oh, right! I forgot! You were the Digimon Emperor. You were brave back then! What happened? Ken: Hey, Yolei! Stop! Yolei: (sheepish) Oops, I'm sorry. I guess you don't really want to be reminded of that. I wouldn't! (excited) Hey, guess what we found down there! You'll think this was funny. It wasn't Gatomon's Tail Ring at all! It was one of your Dark Rings! Kari: (gasp) Yolei: Okay, that's not funny but I didn't mean "Funny Ha-Ha", I meant "Funny Ironic" funny. Don't get me wrong. Even though you made them, I'm not blaming you. (Kari starts laughing despite herself) Yolei: What are you laughing at, Kari!? This is serious! Kari: Hahahahaha.... Yolei: I'm just making it worse, huh?

Yolei does not join in the laughing, and instead Kari's laughter comes to a stop of its own accord. In the original, they keep laughing until an abrupt stop that's about to come.

The dub does an amazing job with Yolei's thoughtlessness. "You were brave back then! What happened?" got me. XD I also like that she species that it was one of "your" Dark Rings. There's not really any other Dark Ring it could be but the pointedness is great. 10/10

Hikari and Miyako keep laughing until Hikari suddenly gasps. The tone drops immediately.

Miyako: Hikari-chan? What's wrong? Hikari: I hear it... The sound of the waves!

Hikari stands up and runs into the woods.

Miyako: Hikari-chan!

If she hears Miyako, she shows no sign of it. She keeps going. Keeps running until she comes to another cliff at the edge of the forest. A cliff overlooking a vast black ocean.

Hikari: I knew it. I knew this was the ocean. To this place again... (Flashback to dark ocean shoreline in Dagomon episode) Hikari: ...I've been called!

Hikari's last line is one of those instances where the Japanese script is really hard to make fit perfectly into English. The line is "またここに... 呼ばれた Mata koko ni... yobareta!" This line is punctuated in a way that works specifically within Japanese sentence structure.

The phrase またここに Mata koko ni establishes context. また Mata means "Again" and ここ koko is "Here". Hikari hesitates, fearful, and there's a very quick flashback to the Dagomon episode with Hikari looking out at the dark ocean, with that ominous lighthouse in the distance. Then we're back to the present and she dramatically throws down the verb 呼ばれた yobareta which is to call out to or invite someone to join you. "To this place again... (flashback) ...I've been called!"

The fansubs translate it as "They called me here... (flashback) ...again!" Which is correct English sentence structure but puts the emphasis on the wrong part of the sentence. Hikari's not freaking out about a rerun; She's freaking out because she's been taken by the dark ocean.

But I'm not sure there really is a way to word this that keeps the emphasis on the verb and sounds organic and natural in English sentence structure. This is a case where you have to pick and choose what matters; Some part of this delivery is doomed to be lost in translation.

In the dub, Kari's laughter has fizzled out when she suddenly gasps, so there isn't that sharp juxtaposition.

Gatomon: Kari? What's wrong? Kari: The waves... I can hear the waves.... Yolei: Kari? Gatomon: Oh no.... (Kari runs into the woods until she reaches the ocean) Kari: Oh, I knew it! Is this darkness inside of me? Inside of Ken? Is that why we can't get away from it? I wish I were stronger.... (Flashback) Kari: ...or knew what it wanted.

The dub's solution is to just go completely off-script. Kari speculates that it's the darkness in her and Ken's hearts that the ocean wants, again drawing comparison between the two characters.

Before long, the rest of Hikari's team arrives.

Tailmon: Hikari! Miyako: Hikari-chan!

As Miyako, Ken, and their Digimon approach the edge of the cliff, they look out at the vast expanse before them.

Ken: It's true. It is the ocean. Miyako: Ocean? Where's the ocean? I don't see it. There's just land stretching out in every direction. Hawkmon: That's right.

Seeing the cliff's edge from Miyako's perspective, she and Hawkmon see an endless patch of forest ahead of her. The ocean isn't here for them.

Tailmon: Why does this ocean keep calling out for Hikari!? What the hell is out there!? Ken: Hikari-san's been to this ocean too? You mean it wasn't just me...? Miyako: Both Hikari-chan and Ken-kun...? WHY CAN'T I SEE IT!?!?

Miyako protests her exclusion so furiously and so loudly that the eldritch forces of unknowable darkness deep beneath the waves acquiesce to her sheer force of personality and the forest disappears. The dark ocean appears for Miyako too. VICTORY FOR THE REALITY-BREAKING POWER OF BEST VIRTUE PURITY.

Just like Mimi's cross-dimensional scream. These are the same.

Miyako: There really is an ocean! Ken: Something's wrong. It's like the world is misaligned somehow. Miyako: Is it because the power that protects the Digital World is weakening? Ken: Huh? Miyako: Izumi-senpai told us about it the other day. Ken: A power that protects the Digital World....

Ken has no idea what we're talking about but Miyako's probably hit it right on the money. It occurs to me that what we're standing in right now would have been a killer plot point to have in the first anime. This would have been a good way to show the "distortions in the Digital World" that were such a major plot point.

In the dub:

Gatomon: Don't scare me like that, Kari! Ken: It really is the dark ocean. Yolei: Ocean? What are you talking about? All I see are a bunch of trees! Hawkmon: It is indeed an ocean of trees but I don't think that's what they mean. Gatomon: I almost lost Kari once before to this stupid ocean. I wish I knew what it wants with her. Ken: Kari, you've been here? Seen this before? I didn't know anyone but me had ever been here. Yolei: Kari sees it and now Ken too. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!!! (Yolei can see it now) Yolei: Whoa.... Hawkmon: (worried) Yolei, what have you done...? Ken: Something doesn't feel right here. It's as if the world has slipped out of place. Yolei: I wonder if it's because the powers guarding the Digital World are losing their grip. Ken: Huh? Yolei: I was just thinking about something that Izzy told us once. Ken: This could be important. What powers was he talking about?

No one knows! He was incredibly vague about it. XD But we'll surely find out.

This is all pretty good. I really like the phrasing on "the world has slipped out of place". That's a really good way of capturing the imagery of the original line. Ken's expressing that we're in some sort of reality collision or tear, where the dark ocean and the Digital World are overlapping each other in the same physical space.

Nearby, Arachnemon and Mummymon are driving down a road lined with Dark Towers. Arachnemon notices Hikari, Miyako, and Ken up on that cliff fizzling with static, drifting between realities. She finds it very amusing.

Arachnemon: Is that...? Those kids are such amateurs! They blundered straight into a distortion in the world. This would be a good opportunity to dispose of them.

Mummymon glances down uncertainly at the radar they're following, still tracking the "phase distortion" that BlackWarGreymon's leaving in his wake.

Mummymon: ...but we're already pursuing BlackWarGreymon. Arachnemon: Oh, I know.

Plucking out several strands of hair, she lets them fly into the Dark Towers they're passing. As usual, her hair embeds itself within the Towers and a new Digimon is created.

Arachnemon: Leaving it to you!

With those marching orders, Mummymon keeps on driving and the pair wash their hands of this.

In the dub:

Arukenimon: Look at that, Mummymon! Isn't this delightful? Those foolish little children have stumbled into a phase warp. They have no idea how vulnerable they are! Mummymon: It's such a shame we have to keep following BlackWarGreymon. Arukenimon: You underestimate me. (Arukenimon plucks several hairs) Arukenimon: This little operation isn't worthy of my personal attention. SPIRIT NEEDLE!!! (New Digimon is created) Arukenimon: Enjoy your lunch, my darling! Digimon: Grahahahaha!

Solid.

Back at the ocean, Hikari falls to her knees, holding her head.

Hikari: I don't want to be here.... Tailmon: Hikari! Pull yourself toge-- Hikari: I want to go home! Miyako: It's okay. I'm sure we'll get home.

But then they hear it. The low, bestial growling. An unseen force drawing closer, its hideous and monstrous gurgling growing louder, all coming from....

...not the ocean. Back the other way, actually. Arachnemon's Digimon slowly melds through reality, piercing the veil between worlds to reach the children at the dark ocean.

Hikari: Nyeugh! WHAT IS THAT!?!?

Glad you asked! Blossomon is a Perfect-stage Data-attribute Plant Digimon. They're from the Wind Guardians V-Pet, where they were initially the Perfect evolution for Togemon and Kiwimon before Lilimon replaced them in the .5 edition.

This is our first time doing a rundown for Blossomon, though we did see one of them among the Wind Guardians in the first anime. Takeru tricked Pinocchimon into murdering them with his .44 Magnum, and they were such a minor part of the show that I guess the narrator just didn't feel like doing a rundown back then.

Narrator: Blossomon! Perfect-stage. Plant Digimon. Their special attack is Spiral Flower.

He doesn't really feel like doing a rundown this time either. Fuck Blossomon, I guess.

In the dub:

Kari: (half-crying) Ohhhh I want to go home! Gatomon: You have to fight it, Kari! Don't give in. I need you. Yolei: Don't worry, Kari. We'll be home soon, remember? You said so yourself.

She did not. The closest thing Kari has said to "We'll be home soon" is when she said to Ken, "Nothing is ever hopeless... There are too may people who want us back and we want to go back too much to be stuck here forever." Which is a promise of escape but makes no guarantee of imminency.

That seems to be what the dub is going for, though. Might have been a good idea to just have Yolei quote Kari rather than paraphrasing her.

Digimon: (snarling noises) (Everyone turns to look as an eye appears in the air) Gatomon: I think Big Brother is watching us.... (The rest of Blossomon emerges) Hawkmon: Or at least his corsage! Ken: (rundown) That's Blossomon, an Ultimate Digimon. Her Spiral Flower attack is a good excuse for weedkiller and her children are worse than thorns!

I think the "children" are supposed to be Blossomon's four smaller buds. That's a weird line. Still, at least Ken gave her a rundown. He put more effort into this than the narrator did.

"At least his corsage" got me. XD

I don't think we use the terminology "Big Brother" in this context anymore. I haven't heard it in a long time. But back in the early 00's, "Big Brother" meant government surveillance. "Big Brother watching you" means the government is spying on what you're doing. It was a big deal back then, what with the PATRIOT act and all.

Today, we're all being spied on all the time by everybody. Fucking Walmart is spying on you. So it isn't really noteworthy anymore. The phrase became obsolete not by progress but by normalization.

Suddenly, Tailmon notices something: A tear in reality left in Blossomon's wake, through which color and light are pouring into the dark ocean.

Tailmon: AHH!!! I see the forest through that rift!

Colored light from the rift blankets the children, restoring their colors to vibrancy.

Hawkmon: Now! Miyako-san! Miyako: Yeah! You might be able to evolve now! Ken: Wormmon! Wormmon: On it!

Using their D-3s, Miyako and Ken evolve Hawkmon and Wormmon into their Adult forms. Tailmon wants to join the fight too and turns to Hikari.

Tailmon: Hikari!

With a shaky hand, Hikari holds up her D-3. But then Blossomon lets out a roar so hideous that it drowns out and kills Show Me Your Brave Heart, silencing all music. Hikari fractures once more. She drops her D-3 and falls to her knees screaming.

Hikari: NOOOOOO!!! Tailmon: Hikari! Miyako: Hikari-chan!

It's an interesting detail that the dark ocean itself suppresses evolution. The Dagomon episode didn't really go into that, but it's not a retcon either. There was a Dark Tower present for that episode, so the only natural evolution that occurred was Angewomon after it was destroyed. And, by that point, Hikari's light was piercing the dark ocean's reality.

Here, by this point, it's clear that we aren't about to run into a surprise Dark Tower around the corner. It's the dark ocean itself that suppressed Hawkmon from evolving. The power to suppress evolution comes from here. It's a product of this reality. And that makes sense, what with the dark ocean's corruption being what turned Ken's Digivice into the Dark Digivice that powered the Dark Towers. This is the source.

That might not seem to gel with the existence of Perfect Digimon in the dark ocean but remember that the Hangyomon and Dagomon we saw weren't really Digimon. They only assumed the form of Digimon.

In the dub:

Gatomon: Heyyyy! Behind her! There's a hole in space! I can see right through it! (Light restores color to everyone) Hawkmon: I believe that's my cue. Yolei: About time. You'll have no trouble Digivolving now. Ken: Are you ready? Wormmon: Lemme at her! (Aquilamon and Stingmon Digivolve) Gatomon: Is it okay? Kari: Mhm! (Blossomon lets out a hideous shriek) Kari: WAAAUGH!!! Gatomon: Kari? Yolei: This is not a good time!

Yolei returns the favor for how few fucks anyone gave when she was the one freaking out.

Kari gives a weirdly confident "Mhm!" when she raises her D-3 even though she's supposed to be (and visibly is) shaky and hesitant. Hikari is actively undergoing a steadily worsening panic attack and her animation doesn't really work with that vocalization.

There's no time left to get Hikari in on this. The battle begins.

Blossomon swings their tendrils at Aquilamon and Stingmon, but their aerial mobility proves surprisingly effective at keeping away from Blossomon's attacks.

Aquilamon: BLAST LASER!!!

Aquilamon takes a shot, hitting Blossomon square in the writhing vines that pass for their center mass. But when the dust settles, Blossomon seems unaffected and lets out another roar.

This second roar pushes Hikari deeper and deeper into the dark ocean's clutches. Even the reality of the dark ocean now fades, leaving Hikari adrift in the waters.

Hikari: No... Stop it.... Don't take me away!

Back at the ocean, Miyako and Tailmon both try to shake Hikari back to reality.

Miyako: Hikari-chan! Tailmon: Hikari!

But it's to no avail. We're losing her to the gremlins of her mind.

In the dub:

Aquilamon: BLAST RINGS!!! (Aquilamon blasts Blossomon; Blossomon roars again) Kari: Not again! DON'T TAKE MEEEEEEE!!! I just don't think I can stand it this time. (Yolei and Gatomon shake Kari) Yolei: Kari, snap out of it! Gatomon: You have to fight!

There's a weird tempo to Kari's protestations here where her level of panic and shrieking peaks at "Don't take me" and then she comes back down for her third delivery once she's fully immersed in the dark ocean. Like. Now she's in the water; Why does she sound calmer?

With Hikari disabled, Aquilamon and Stingmon go on a full offensive.

Stingmon: SPIKING FINISH!!!

Stingmon scores a direct hit with his attack, but it means nothing to Blossomon. Blossomon punches him with one of their buds, dropping him on his back.

Ken: STINGMON!!! Aquilamon: GLIDE HORN!!!

Aquilamon's attack goes as well as Stingmon's. Blossomon grabs him by the talon and slams him into the ground.

Miyako: AQUILAMON!!!

Having vanquished their foes, Blossomon lets out a triumphant roar.

In the dub:

Stingmon: SPIKING STRIKE!!! (No good; Blossomon punches Stingmon) Ken: STINGMON!!! Aquilamon: GRAND HORN!!! (No good; Blossomon slams Aquilamon)

The dub takes its third commercial break here.

Yolei doesn't react to Aquilamon going down. Which kinda makes sense since she's so focused on Kari right now. Miyako's multitasking.

With this third roar, Hikari continues trembling.

Miyako: Hikari-chan! Hang in there! Hikari: I hear the voice of darkness... The darkness is swallowing me... IT'S OVE--

Suddenly, Miyako deploys what she learned from Hikari: An armor-piercing and panic-shattering slap to the face.

Miyako: Get a hold of yourself! When you hear the voice of darkness, I'll just scream and drown it out! When you're being swallowed by darkness, I'll hold your hands and bring you back! SO DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME IT'S OVER!!! Hikari: Miyako-san... Thank you.

Of note: The music that plays during this sequence is the theme from the original Adventure OVA. This is the music Hikari came in with way back when.

While Blossomon fucks off for like two minutes to go get coffee, a column of pink light pierces the dark ocean's clouds just as it did in the Dagomon episode. It slowly descends and engulfs Miyako and Hikari, and also Tailmon who's nearby.

Hikari: Hikari (light)? Miyako: That's right. Because Hikari-chan is the hikari. Your hikari can shine through any darkness. Tailmon: Miyako is right, Hikari.

Hikari hesitates for just a moment as she processes Miyako's words. Then she embraces them.

Hikari: Yeah!

With that mouth noise pretending to be a real word, their bond is forged. Hikari and Miyako's D-3s begin to glow, illuminating their Partner Digimon.

Miyako: The D-3! Aquilamon: This is....

This is Jogress, fucker!

In the dub:

Yolei: Kari, you have to talk to me or I can't help! Kari: The darkness won't leave me alone! I'll never be strong enough! IT'S GOING TO WIN!!!

This time, they don't visually censor the slap but they do play a goofy horn honk over it alongside the flesh-smacking sound effect. They didn't do that when Kari slapped Yolei.

Yolei: That's enough of that nonsense. Of course you're strong enough! You're the strongest person I've ever known! And if you think I'm going to sit by and let you run on yourself like that, you can just think again! We'll fight it together, Kari. The darkness will never beat you! Do you hear me!? Kari: Yolei, thank you. Hehe, you're a true friend. (Pink light shines down on them) Kari: ...it's beautiful. Yolei: Just like you. I forgot yours is the Crest of Light. You have the power to light up the darkness! It doesn't have a chance! Gatomon: You're the worst enemy of darkness. (Kari hesitates, then processes) Kari: Yeah! (D-3s start glowing, as do Digimon) Yolei: What's happening? Aquilamon: Ohhhh....

They completely changed Yolei's speech to Kari, which now feels a lore more individualistic. It feels focused on hyping up Kari specifically, with Yolei offering some lip service to "And I'll help you do it!" It's about Yolei reinforcing the strength Kari already possesses instead of Yolei and Kari making each other stronger. They aren't letting Kari be vulnerable in her moment of vulnerability.

I was going to speculate that they might have done this to make it less shippy but then Yolei came out with that "Beautiful just like you" bit so nuts to that. It still underserves Yolei in what is supposed to be their moment of joint actualization.

In the original, the two slap scenes parallel each other. This is what Hikari and Miyako's Jogress bond is. This is the way the two fit together and complete each other. Hikari is able to temper Miyako's enthusiasm, to bring her back down when her feelings are running away with her. And, in turn, Miyako's tactless forthrightness and strength of personality lets her punch right through Hikari's barriers so that she can fight the demons clawing at the inside of Hikari's skull.

As usual, the dub is fucked with regard to the 光 hikari wordplay. They can't stick it, so they have to bring her Crest in and do their best to emulate "Oh yeah, you have darkness-cancelling powers," without that meaningful symbolism.

With Miyako and Hikari's bond forged, their light envelops their Partners. It's finally time. TAILMON AND AQUILAMON, JOGRESS SHINKAAAAAA!!!

Sylphimon is a Perfect-stage Free-attribute Beastman Digimon. As with all the new Partners, they were created for 02 so there isn't a lot to say.

Like Paildramon, they have clear inspiration in their design for which part came from Tailmon and which part from Aquilamon. Also they're wearing Boob Plate armor over a flat, masculine chest which I find hilarious and perfect for a nonbinary design.

Their name comes from the word "sylph" which is a kind of air spirit. It's spelled correctly in Japanese, シルフィーモン Shirufiimon but the vowels got transposed in the original's Romanization of the word as "Silphymon", which appears during the rundown. The dub then just rolled with that.

Hawkmon just keeps getting screwed on his evolution names. But at least it's not as bad as the butchery done to poor Arachnemon.

Narrator: Sylphimon! Aquilamon and Tailmon Jogress Evolved into this Beastman DIgimon. Their special attacks are Top Gun and Dual Sonic. Hikari: Tailmon... Miyako: Aquilamon... Ken: ...Jogress Evolved?

In their new form, Sylphimon steps forward to confront Blossomon. Like Paildramon, their two selves can talk to each other independently, though this is the first time they've been displayed onscreen instead of just voiced individually.

Sylphimon (Tailmon): This is a Dark Tower Digimon. I'm sure of it. Sylphimon (Aquilamon): Agreed. Let's punish it!

I've said it before but I really love this aspect of Jogress Evolutions. It's such a cool way to do fusion stuff.

In the dub, they unexpectedly let the narrator do the rundown again.

Narrator: (rundown) Silphymon is the DNA Digivolved form of Gatomon and Aquilamon. Silphymon's Static Force is the ultimate weapon against darkness and hate. Kari: It has Gatomon's grace. Yolei: And Aquilamon's strength. Ken: That overgrown daisy's history. Silphymon (Gatomon): Let's send this Control Spire Digimon back to the spider in a dustpan! Silphymon (Aquilamon): I like the way you think, Gatomon.

Unlike Paildramon, the dub actually does the separation of Silphymon's identities here. It'd be difficult not to with the two faces being displayed onscreen like that.

Resolved to vanquish Blossomon, Sylphimon charges up and fires his signature move.

That's not the GIF; It really is weirdly blurry like that. I have no idea why.

Sylphimon: TOP GUN!!!

Despite the weirdly blurry chargeup animation, the attack hits its mark. In one shot, it annihilates Blossomon in an explosion that rips upwards through the woods.

Flying around on the search for the missing girls, Daisuke and Takeru spot the column of explosions.

Daisuke: What's that? Takeru: Hikari-chan!

Down on the ground, Ankylomon also notices the explosion.

Ankylomon: That way!

The blast subsides while everyone moves to meet back up with Hikari and Miyako.

In the dub:

Silphymon: STATIC FORCE!!! (Blast rips upwards through woods) Davis: LOOK OVER THERE!!! T.K.: I'll bet it's them! Ankylomon: They started without us.

Ankylomon quips but nothing really substantive to talk about.

With Blossomon destroyed, Miyako and Hikari exchange a silent look of mutual appreciation and respect.

Before their eyes, Sylphimon's evolution breaks down into Plotmon and a Baby I form for Hawkmon.

Hikari: Plotmon! Pururumon: I'm Pururumon, Miyako-san.

Pururumon's name comes from ぷるぷる purupuru, the onomatopoeia for jiggling or bouncing.

Cut to a short time later, as the sun begins to set. The rest of the team has finally found Hikari and her crew with their devolved Digimon.

Iori: Sylphimon? Daisuke: I get it! Hikari-chan's Jogress Partner was Miyako! Ken: In any case, I'll be leaving now. Miyako: Um....

Miyako stands up as if she's about to say something to stop him, but she bites her tongue. Instead, she says something to herself.

Miyako: I think I understand Ken-kun a little better now. And Hikari-chan too.

Miyako turns her attention over to Hikari and we follow that gaze. Takeru approaches Hikari.

Takeru: I was worried you'd gone away to the other world again. Hikari: (shakes head) Mm-mm. I'm okay now. I'll never have to go back to that place again.

Hikari looks over at Miyako, shooting her a smile, then reiterates.

Hikari: Not ever.

And that is where we leave off today's episode. Is this truly the last we'll hear from the dark ocean? Uh, kinda. It does have one more major appearance to turn in but not in the same context as the ones it's had thus far.

In the dub, Kari and Yolei have some thoughts to share when exchanging glances.

Kari: Wow! Yolei: Double wow! Kari: (thinking) You know, she's pretty cool. Yolei: (thinking) You know, she's pretty cool. Both: Huh? (Silphymon devolves into Pururumon and Salamon) Kari: Salamon! Pururumon: I'm Pururumon now, Yolei. (Cut to everyone catching up) Cody: Silphymon? Davis: (mocking) Rats! I guess that means Yolei is Kari's DNA Digivolve Partner! Too bad, T.O.! Ken: You're all together now. Time for me to go. Yolei: KEN!!! (Ken starts to walk away) Yolei: (thinking) There's a lot more to Ken than a pretty face. And Kari too! They fight enemies I never even see! (Yolei turns to Kari) Yolei: Ready to go? Yolei: (thinking) She won't fight them alone anymore. Not if I can help it. (T.K. approaches Kari) T.K.: I thought I'd really lost you this time. I was afraid you'd slipped into the other world for good. Kari: (shakes head) Don't worry, T.K. I have a feeling I won't be fighting it alone anymore. (Kari looks at Yolei) Yolei: Hm? Kari: Yolei won't let me. Narrator: Have Kari and Ken seen the last of the dark ocean? Will Kari's light defeat the approaching darkness? Find out on Digimon: Digital Monsters.

Ahaha, tricksy. Narrator did not promise "next time" so as long as those questions are decisively answered before the end of the show, we're in the clear.

The first time we went to the dark ocean, Dagomon ended the episode decisively in the original but was swearing revenge on Kari in the dub. Which nothing ever came of because that wasn't supposed to be a character we ever follow up on, at least not in a literal sense.

Here Kari again swaps out "I'll never have to go back there ever because of Miyako" for "Yolei will help me fight them from now on" which has a similar meaning but sounds more open-ended. As if she is once again promising more dark ocean shenanigans to come.

Davis is still being obnoxious about the love triangle, but in this case he's just making subtext into text. Daisuke does weirdly choose to look at Takeru when he says Hikari's partner is Miyako. The dub just drew out that expression into a full bit of teasing.

Assessment: This was something I was thinking about in episode 13 and I have to bring it up now because this episode really put a spotlight on it.

The dark ocean is mental illness. There were distinct shades of that in the Dagomon episode and in Ken's backstory episode, but this episode really shines a spotlight on it. I think Hikari is supposed to be schizophrenic. I think that's the intent of the metaphor.

The Dagomon episode even suggested it wasn't the first time this has happened to her and alluded to an incident with Taichi. Hikari is a chronic sufferer of lifelong visual and auditory hallucinations, and because of how she is, she just doesn't open up about it and keeps it to her own inner world. And because this is a fantasy adventure series, that gets interwoven and interconnected with her being the special girl who gets possessed and has special powers.

Takeru and now Miyako plunging into the dark ocean to help her is a metaphor for them supporting her through her condition even when it threatens to drown her. The things Miyako says to her in this episode? I'll scream louder than the voices, I'll grab your hands and pull you back. Those aren't techniques for vanquishing a great evil. They're grounding techniques to center Hikari's reality.

The dark ocean does have all kinds of rules and metaphysics and shit to it because it is a literal place within the fictional reality. But it's not... really a place. Except when it is. It is and it isn't. But it's primarily a frame of mind.

That's also why the dark ocean accepted Miyako. It's not a real place. It is a Lovecraftian-inspired realm of madness. It's not that it became real for her; It's that she stopped arguing with Hikari's hallucinations. She chose to see it so she could be there with and support Hikari on Hikari's level.

Ken, by contrast, has not been visited by the dark ocean all his life. It was the trauma of his brother's death that drove him to the dark ocean. Sometimes real-life tragedy can do that to a person. It can bring them to the dark ocean.

That's what happened to Ken in the Dark Whirlpool as well. It's why the Digimon warned Takeru not to look directly at what was below. I am now fully convinced that the Devimon entity Ken met down there is the same thing that was wearing the guise of Dagomon. Ken got what he wanted then, but he brought the madness of the dark ocean back out with him.

Is it good mental illness representation? Uh, probably not. I've been a caregiver for someone suffering from schizophrenia and I've never once considered slapping them in the face as a grounding technique. That is a terrible idea. The worst. But I do get the distinct impression that that's what this is supposed to represent.

I think this is why the dub version feels like it's struggling to find the topic. It gestures vaguely at "The ocean wants the darkness inside us" because I think it's taking the ocean a little too literally and trying to grasp at what this Metaphysical Evil Villain seeks to achieve. It's treating the dark ocean as Sauron when it's more like Pyramid Head.

[aeroblossom]

no i won't stop talking about don quixote's entire arc. deal with it.

finished lcb regular checkup today. spoiler warnings as necessary.

i love the dungeon design for canto 7. it's a downward spiral with the end obscured, until you reach the final part.

one of the first bosses is a peccatulum irae - wrath, the need to change things and defy the status quo; peccatula irae and superbia litter the dungeon in hordes, superbia - pride, the disregard for consequence, tunnel vision. much like the actions of sancho in don quixote's manager of la manchaland identity (even if pride skills are not a part of her kit; they are part of princess rodion's, and i find dulcinea to be just a tad more significant to sancho's story than curiambro or nicolina). the peccatula luxuriae are present for obvious reasons, but lust and bleed are very succinctly related to the bloodfiends.

lust can be thought of in many ways. it is desire of many kinds, and can also be obsession. the most commonly known definition of lust is sex, but i believe lust focuses more on the part of the act of intimation, of reaching out, of connecting, of infecting. the bleed status? bloodfiends are said to suffer from a disease; blood carries infection. contaminated blood can cause horrific autoimmune illnesses that very frequently result in a long, drawn out and tortured death. vampires were synonymous with tuberculosis in 19th century europe, the disease that makes you cough up blood. they were the image of the unclean, impure, parasitic, and tuberculosis is the most infectious disease in the world.

lust is the desire to share oneself with another, one's ideals and wishes, often with the intent of getting them on board, to influence. bloodfiends propagate and create families to share their collective burden. with all of the bloodfiends' thirst now crashing down upon don quixote alone, it erodes what she kicked and screamed to preserve - her identity. her sense of self. rocinante is a reminder to her of who she is, or rather, who she wants to be: not just an aimless husk of violence and despair, but a person. a person of her own. with wishes, desires, a dream. don quixote.

p corp's singularity and the phenomenon of la manchaland are in some ways an antithesis to lust; preservation, containment, isolation. to hide away from the world and live within the prison of your mind, the nightmare sancho endured for centuries and does still when the shoes come off. she became used to it, the misery her default state. only by breaking free and seeing the world, even if not of her own volition, did she come to see that there was something to live for. the adventures both with her father and limbus company showed her the world beyond her personal hell, implanting within her the curiosity and the wanderlust that would come to define her as don quixote.

canto 7's dungeon is also littered with abnormalities that are either fantastical in concept (rose hunter) or symbolic of childhood (hurting teddy bear), much like a child's imagination. i've talked about hurting teddy bear before, but it seems to be symbolic both of the bloodbags and lower bloodfiends sancho is burdened with, and also herself. miserable beings born into a miserable world, wanting to reach out but hurting those around them when they do. a tormented existence. don quixote of la manchaland, once he begins to panic, has a type of sanity mechanic known as 'burden of responsibility', of raising and taking care of the children, one that now falls on sancho. the sancho boss in lcb regular checkup has a passive 'my siblings call to me'.

but she wants to change.

she will be the one to end this never ending infection. she will be the one to break free, breaking the pattern, stopping the disease, everything. the kindest thing she can do for herself is to be freed of the ties that bind her. and blood is the strongest tie of them all, hence her inability to simply let go for so long. in a world where people have no choice but to simply surrender to misery, pain and their own base instincts, sancho - don quixote - makes the choice to be a better person, makes the choice to be happy, and makes the choice to dream freely.

[babyblankyerror]

OOOO THE IDEA THAT STAN DOES AGE IS COOL but like the show change like he's an actor in real life.

How terrifying would it be if your whole world just changes in a blink of an eye? The episode ends and suddenly you're jn a completely different world? The adventures you went on are never mentioned, nor are the monsters and suddenly you have to know how to ride a bike?

Heck- now you're running form gangs! You're rising to the top and when you finally get there, when you finally get to be the mafia boss, finally get to be the one on some sort of control and safety from the constant dangers of the drug world you just wake up in a messy room instead of your luxury one. You wake up and get scared and fall off the bed and someone laughs. A lot of people do. And you don't know who.

People laugh when you get hurt, people applaud when you walk into a room and some group whistles when you change clothes. You feel like youre being watched, you're always watched, but now that ot seems like....a regular life..it feels invasive.

Before natural human needs weren't needed, people wanted the danger and adventure not the everyday dumb problems and the same style of sitcom writing...but now...now it's everyday life and they're watching you. They're watching you when you need to shower and slip, when you go job searching and mess it up, when you pass by anything that resembles a number 6 they 'oooooh' and tease at a guest character youre not even sure will make it.

The static is such a good idea as well for dissociation. Stanley just seemkng like a shell of himself as he goes through the derealisation and deporsalization is top tier.

(I got carried away so I wrote a little thingy under this)

Imagine-

Ford is talking to him, his brows are furrowed and his mouth moves rapidly with the script Stanley has no idea what's about. He's used to it by now though, not having a script that is...But seeing the expression on his twin and the tone he takes is making it a bit difficult for him to focus- Ford is really good at acting (is he acting?) and Stanley is reminded of a yellow mustard suit rather than the knitted vest his brother is wearing.

Stanford's hands move a lot as he speaks and Stanley's eyes follow the movement (if this was the telanovela: 8-Ball Calles [Only aired from 20-22! Don't miss out on the grand FINALE!!] Stanley, or 8-Ball Andrew, would've been expecting an attack)

"Are you even listening?!" Stanley jums and looks to Stanford's eyes but the glasses are in the way and they reflect the light in a way that almost looks like two tiny screens. His brother's mouth moves rapidly [Now included: TTV! Where we play Tunes! In your TV! Get ready for the #GreatFreestyleRapBattle, featuring STANLEY PINES!!] but the words jumble together and Stanley thinks he hears something coming closer. Or is his brother going further away?

He is hypnotised by the tiny screens in front of him that flash white, a building pressure grows in his head and he feels his whole body relax involuntarily like someone finally set down his marionette controller and gave his body a rest [BUY NOW!! Stan-Vac! Only {$9.99!!} LIMITED time OFFER]. A nice buzz builds up like white noise that washes over him, leaving him in a sea of tranquility.

Stanley feels afraid. He feels nothing at all.

He feels like the black dots in the two white screens, flashing in and out of existence, here and there... He feels like the white noise, like the Ads no one wants to watch, like the last episode... the ends of his feet are itchy with ants and the tips of his fingers are numb and white.... Stanley is Static and Static is Stanley.

TV monster snatches stan.

Stanley is sittin' around in a (sketchy as hell) motel because he finally got the cash for one night on a bed, and he decides to turn on the really shitty, banged up (and frankly creepy) television in front of him because hey, its not like he has the opportunity to watch tv on the regular anymore. Might as well.

The Tv, just to his luck, is totally on the fritz, and he smacks it a few times to try and get the picture going. On the third smack, all the lights go out, and all he can see is the gray static hissing from the still-on screen. He lifts his hand, and that cuts out too, leaving the room in complete darkness.

There's the sound of breaking glass, crunching wood, and nails scraping against carpet. A shrill scream that is cut off.

The motel is quiet. The lights turn back on.

The Tv is still off, and in one piece. The room is still and undisturbed, save for a slight dent in the bedcover from being sat upon. It's also empty. Stan is gone.

So! Stan is in tv land. I think this monster puts its victims into their own little tv shows. It keeps them suspended, stuck in the form their "character" takes and molded to the rules of the show. They live and breathe only as they are shown, with no real power over their environment. They can try to move and act and speak out, but ultimately the Tv will cut the scene short, switch cameras, introduce plot twists, and have intervening side characters to keep the victim in check.

They arent even totally aware most of the time. They will have moments of clarity, of lucidity, of fourth wall breaking, but overall there is just a dim confusion and uncertainty in the world around them that plays into their silly little character profile.

Stanley would, if he was still a teen and early into his homelessness, be in a cartoon. An adventure type, with a zany cast and episodic trials that eventually lead to an overarching, more serious plot point that loses any real progress at the start of each new season. There isnt a moments rest, or any real explanation for any insane thing that happens. Everything is forgotten as quickly as its brought up, including all the extreme, life-threatening danger. The expectations are inhuman, and yet every accomplishment is rewarded by about a two minute celebration before its swept under the rug and it all starts over again. The stakes get higher and higher, and yet there are lengthy periods where they are simply not acknowledged for the sake of some petty side-story.

If he were older, it would be a horrible sitcom, where the same five problems keep occurring no matter how much development happens, and with every big change happening in an incredibly convoluted matter. Nothing is simple and yet everything is basic. Nobody takes anything seriously and yet acts as though every issue is the end of the world. Almost every joke involves a fairly fucked up circumstance that is played for just for laughs. Nothing is sacred, nothing is safe. Every little thing exists to be tampered with for entertainment, and yet the only real indicator most anything is funny is the intense laugh-track going off every five seconds.

Either way, its maddening.

For the sake of monstrousness, every time he breaches the surface level discontent for true panic and realization, it creates a horror point, where seriously dark and dangerous things show up and he is alone in recognizing and facing them. He barely gets away, and is thrust back mid episode, as though nothing ever happened, fog descended once more.

And, in true Tv format, it is able to suspend him like this for years, never really growing, reliving the same re-spliced scenarios over and over again with people that are caricatures, and really just puppets of the monster. Feeding on him, tormenting him, smothering his consciousness, but keeping him alive to be an indefinite food source.

AND! The Stan Show airs, though on low-publicity channels, as though it is a regular show. At least, it does on televisions in a place that might be susceptible to cryptic and anomalous happenings. A place like gravity falls, perhaps.

...

Does Stanford watch much Tv?

[holmesunenthusiast]

Something about the resolution of Holmess best cases always bringing people together (Sign of Four, Boscombe Valley, the Yellow Face, etc.) but for him they only ever drove people away.

[guinea-pig-enthusiast]

Stan and Ford both behaved selfishly. Stan and Ford both were proud to the point that it caused conflict. Stan and Ford both have tempers. Stan and Ford both made mistakes. Stan and Ford are both complicated and not inherently evil because of that complexity

[megamindsupremacy]

Do you think that Clark "Kent" (Pines) would mess with The Flash? You know, because of time baby? Because he's either heard about time baby from 1. His in Uncle Ford or 2. Dipper & Mabel.

oh INTERESTING. I think he would probably be at least a little :eyes emoji: at the flash after summer 2012, because he doesn't know about the time baby before that. actually i think the Time Baby would be part of the Flash's rogue gallery (or more likely, the Flash would be part of the Time Baby's rogue gallery, because the flash keeps fucking shit up). But honestly, time shit is very much Not Clark's Problem so he's pretty cool with the flash either way

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Gosh, do I love discovery writing. The freedom. The sense of play. The way you have to hold the material lightly and follow where it leads, never being afraid to scrap things that don't work or to rewrite to emphasize things that do. You have the fun of discovering the story you're writing rather than the frustration of being unable to capture the ideas in your head. This way might wind up taking ages, but it makes the writing process such a joy.

[hauntingblue]

making a collection

making another collection with a threatening aura

[covertleathers]

But where's the Smoke and Yao fanfiction

[quatregats]

This is probably Bush and also Pullings's native dialect (though I have many MANY doubts about what exactly the methodology being used here was)

[sunshineram]

what a stunning before and after lol (august 8th-29th)

my moms mother of thousands(that was outside‚ potted) got bad root rot, so i snipped it to try and save it! it obviously worked- i swear this is the same plant LMAO look at all those plantlets!!!