#so you have to go along with the dialogue

[philosophicalparadox]

Also to add: sometimes questions don’t get addressed. Or other parts of a conversation just naturally turn away from where they started to the point it’s too awkward to bring it back up, or there’s just no need to respond to it.

This is especially true of what I call “mediocre” (in the archaic sense of “average quality” ) questions, I.e. “do you remember how you got here?” To a patient in a hospital. Does the answer have meaning? Yes, in the right scene. But not every scene needs to focus on that, though literally any nurse is going to ask if you are unconscious upon arrival, or even if you faint while there. They also don’t particularly care about the answer, as long as you’re not obviously in distress about it.

Similarly, “are you okay?” Asked to a person who is obviously hurt or struggling needs no answer, as such; I certainly don’t tend to answer that question conventionally when the answer is itself obvious. Can it be answered, with meaning? Yes. Does it NEED an answer to feel realistic? No.

“How are you feeling?” I think can fall into this category too.

However these are different from the “flock call” questions, as I call them — the “I’m human, are you human? Oh you are!” Game, which is all social script, I.e. “how are you?” -> “I’m fine”. “How was school?” -> “it was good” etc. these are dictated by social expectations, not legitimate answers, so I don’t even really consider them questions tbh. Nonetheless, it can feel dreadfully awkward to answer those in the expected way sometimes, and for ND people in particular, we tend to have our own little way of answering those. So as a character building aspect of dialogue, they’re valuable.

Also — that body language point!!!!!! Body language IS A LANGUAGE. Entire conversations can be had with no words spoken at all, especially between people who know each other well or in intense confrontations.

And that carries into dialogue as well — sometimes what’s being said with words is Not what’s being said with body language, and that can really make a scene feel both dynamic and real!

The number of times I’ve seen my fiancé, for example, having a “pleasant” conversation with his uncle or mom, and unless you knew how to read his body language, you’d never assume by dialogue alone that he was being closed off or defensive. But nearly every time they have any kind of long talk, regardless of topic, he always crosses his arms, and leans backward, and stands up if he can, if he’s not already, and will, if they follow suit, put something between himself and them. He is the veritable picture of “please don’t talk to me” , buuuuuuut we live in a house of people who can’t read into that to save themselves, except ironically for lil old autistic me, because I had to learn that body language unintuitively lol. However, it’s a great example of that subtextual information being presented in conjunction with dialogue; if you only heard them speak on tape, you’d think they got along and had a wonderful relationship. But by observing the body language, the entire tone of even the most “nice” conversations shifts dramatically into a more questionable light.

But anyways, those are just my contributions! :)

Things Real People Do in Dialogue (For Your Next Story)

Okay, let’s be real—dialogue can make or break a scene. You want your characters to sound natural, like actual humans talking, not robots reading a script. So, how do you write dialogue that feels real without it turning into a mess of awkward pauses and “ums”? Here’s a little cheat sheet of what real people actually do when they talk (and you can totally steal these for your next story):

1. People Interrupt Each Other All the Time In real conversations, nobody waits for the perfect moment to speak. We interrupt, cut each other off, and finish each other's sentences. Throw in some overlaps or interruptions in your dialogue to make it feel more dynamic and less like a rehearsed play.

2. They Don’t Always Say What They Mean Real people are masters of dodging. They’ll say one thing but mean something totally different (hello, passive-aggressive banter). Or they’ll just avoid the question entirely. Let your characters be vague, sarcastic, or just plain evasive sometimes—it makes their conversations feel more layered.

3. People Trail Off... We don’t always finish our sentences. Sometimes we just... stop talking because we assume the other person gets what we’re trying to say. Use that in your dialogue! Let a sentence trail off into nothing. It adds realism and shows the comfort (or awkwardness) between characters.

4. Repeating Words Is Normal In real life, people repeat words when they’re excited, nervous, or trying to make a point. It’s not a sign of bad writing—it’s how we talk. Let your characters get a little repetitive now and then. It adds a rhythm to their speech that feels more genuine.

5. Fillers Are Your Friends People say "um," "uh," "like," "you know," all the time. Not every character needs to sound polished or poetic. Sprinkle in some filler words where it makes sense, especially if the character is nervous or thinking on their feet.

6. Not Everyone Speaks in Complete Sentences Sometimes, people just throw out fragments instead of complete sentences, especially when emotions are high. Short, choppy dialogue can convey tension or excitement. Instead of saying “I really think we need to talk about this,” try “We need to talk. Now.”

7. Body Language Is Part of the Conversation Real people don’t just communicate with words; they use facial expressions, gestures, and body language. When your characters are talking, think about what they’re doing—are they fidgeting? Smiling? Crossing their arms? Those little actions can add a lot of subtext to the dialogue without needing extra words.

8. Awkward Silences Are Golden People don’t talk non-stop. Sometimes, they stop mid-conversation to think, or because things just got weird. Don’t be afraid to add a beat of awkward silence, a long pause, or a meaningful look between characters. It can say more than words.

9. People Talk Over Themselves When They're Nervous When we’re anxious, we tend to talk too fast, go back to rephrase what we just said, or add unnecessary details. If your character’s nervous, let them ramble a bit or correct themselves. It’s a great way to show their internal state through dialogue.

10. Inside Jokes and Shared History Real people have history. Sometimes they reference something that happened off-page, or they share an inside joke only they get. This makes your dialogue feel lived-in and shows that your characters have a life beyond the scene. Throw in a callback to something earlier, or a joke only two characters understand.

11. No One Explains Everything People leave stuff out. We assume the person we’re talking to knows what we’re talking about, so we skip over background details. Instead of having your character explain everything for the reader’s benefit, let some things go unsaid. It’ll feel more natural—and trust your reader to keep up!

12. Characters Have Different Voices Real people don’t all talk the same way. Your characters shouldn’t either! Pay attention to their unique quirks—does one character use slang? Does another speak more formally? Maybe someone’s always cutting people off while another is super polite. Give them different voices and patterns of speech so their dialogue feels authentic to them.

13. People Change the Subject In real life, conversations don’t always stay on track. People get sidetracked, jump to random topics, or avoid certain subjects altogether. If your characters are uncomfortable or trying to dodge a question, let them awkwardly change the subject or ramble to fill the space.

14. Reactions Aren’t Always Immediate People don’t always respond right away. They pause, they think, they hesitate. Sometimes they don’t know what to say, and that delay can speak volumes. Give your characters a moment to process before they respond—it’ll make the conversation feel more natural.

Important note: Please don’t use all of these tips in one dialogue at once.

[felassan]

Lucanis and Crows snippets, under a cut due to spoilers.

How would Viago and Teia react to a Crow Rook being romantically involved with Lucanis? "Teia is going to plan the wedding, and insist that Viago give Rook away at the ceremony. Viago will sigh dramatically, lecture Rook about it, and then spend a week picking out the right gloves to wear." [source]

If Illario wasn't locked away, how would he react? "Under any circumstances, Illario would be upset since it's a whole lot of attention that's STILL not on him. He would definitely get drunk at the reception and tell the same two most embarrassing stories about Lucanis over and over until Viago knocked him out and put him upstairs." [source]

With Rook romancing Lucanis, is it possible that Spite could become affection or benevolence? "Spite's basic aspect is defiance. He can be more or less difficult depending on influence (rebellion vs. vindictiveness, etc), but at his core he's always going to be a spirit of "NOPE"" [source]

Lucanis' mother was the heir apparent to House Dellamorte [source]

Does Spite have any kind of feeling about Rook? "Spite is fond of Rook in his own Spite-like way. He and Lucanis agree on the point of trusting Rook over and above other people or themselves. He does go to Rook for help with Lucanis, after all." [source]

For the Lion King reference in Murder of Crows, Mary Kirby went to the cinematic animators and described it as Illario's "Scar at Pride Rock" scene [source]

User: "I cut Lucanis' hair and shaved his beard and I almost feel like I should apologise to him" / Mary Kirby: "Now he can't tell himself from Illario, and you've given them both a complex." [source]

Teia and Viago were half-written by Mary Kirby and half-written by Luke Kristjanson [source]

Lucanis likes his coffee black [source]

Would he judge your coffee order? "As long as it's not boiled, or instant coffee, or whatever that stuff from a can is, he's fine with it. Or at least, he will only judge you silently for it." [source]

What kind of treats does Lucanis like? "Sweet, because it goes better with his coffee. Savory, if somehow he is NOT drinking coffee at that moment." [source]

Lucanis grew his beard and long hair while in the Ossuary. "He hasn't exactly had a haircut in a while." [source, two].

Would Lucanis make Powerpoint presentations about jobs or to talk? "No, he doesn't want to talk to anyone, let alone explain things and present them. That's 300% an Illario thing. That man has a powerpoint to introduce his powerpoint about why you should listen to his powerpoint." [source]

"Lucanis would never be on social media. He'd be on YouTube watching videos of people restoring rusty cutlery with no dialogue until four in the morning." [source] Could he tell when content is manufactured? "Yes. And he gets upset and finds Bellara or Neve (whichever is unluckier) to rant about it." [source]

Lucanis' favorite stove burner? Right front [source]

"Spite doesn't have any concept of physical appearances. It looks the way Lucanis sees himself. Lucanis is never relaxed, even in casual wear." [source]

Along with Lucanis Mary Kirby also wrote Spite [source]

Mary Kirby wrote Illario, Luke Kristjanson wrote the Crow faction quests [source]

Lucanis' perfect date night? "I'm gonna be honest: There is a non-zero chance it would involve assassinating somebody and getting coffee, and I'm not entirely certain which would come first." [source]

Lucanis "has so much [trauma] to sort through, and he could really use some help. Like, a Marie Kondo level of help with that." [source]

What sparks joy for Lucanis? "Coffee, paella, wyverns, knives, REDACTED, book club, REDACTED, revenge..." [source]

Lucanis is older than Illario by a few months [source]

[kinghijinx22]

Why Silent Hill 3 is my big favorite- a terrifying horror game about woman's experiences and the fears that come from existing as a woman in a patriarchal society

Silent Hill 3 is probably my favorite Silent Hill game and one of my favorite games of all time, and it has a story and themes that I've always really vibed with. It tells a remarkably progressive story for it's time that handles some intense themes that are still relevant even today, about experiences that a lot of woman go through and the fears that come from existing as a woman in a patriarchal society, what it's like having your own agency and bodily autonomy taken away from you, forced pregnancy and sexual assault, how harmful patriarchal societies are and this game really getting into the religious flavor of patriarchy in particular.

It's an incredibly scary game that uses a feminine sort of horror to great effect, with the design of the other world being as bloody as it is and the monster designs being representative of this. I mean there is a type of creature that are literally supposed to look like fetuses that start getting bigger throughout the game as the birth of God draws near and the giant worm boss for lack of a better way of putting, literally being a giant penis. I think the main complaint that I hear from people about this game is how slow the story is in the first half of the game, but I think the whole getting home late at night as a young woman contributes a lot to what this game is saying. And I absolutely love how this game ends with Heather literally aborting God and fighting it as the final boss, symbolizing her fully taking control of her life and rejecting all of the harmful expectations that were forced onto her. Main antagonist Claudia is such a tragic character though, someone who was so brainwashed by town's religion into think that someone HAS to give birth to God so hard that she did it herself and she suffered for it.

Also while not as intentional considering when it was written and they probably couldn't even write about this stuff if they wanted to, something that I think is worth noting is that I've heard from a lot of trans people who relate to this game as well and I can really see it. Considering it's about people who Heather knows from a past life, coming back to remind her of that past life and forcing it onto her, and Claudia referring to Heather as Alessa could be interpreted as deadnaming Heather. But yeah I've always really loved and connected with this game for how well it handles it's themes about woman's experiences and I think it's really cool how many trans people have been able to relate to it with those specific experiences as well.

Another of my favorite things about Silent Hill 3 is the main character Heather, because she really is one of the coolest characters that I've always really related to. Her struggles are incredibly relatable, but she's also inspiring in how she overcomes them and is always so confident. In fact I appreciate how her and her father subvert societal gender roles in opposite directions, with Heather being as confident and extroverted as she is, probably more then any other Silent Hill protagonist and willing to stand up to all of the men in the story like Douglas in the beginning, Vincent and Leonard, along with all of the monsters she has to fight. And Harry being a single parent who is as gentle and caring as he is, with his one track mind of looking as his daughter, he's kind of both a father and a mother in that way, and also being as physically weak as he is and the opposite of a action hero. She also easily has the most personality of any Silent Hill protagonist, like this girl is overflowing with charisma and is even a little jokey. In fact another detail that I like is how much personality comes through in her examine dialogue, where you actually get to hear her thoughts on everything instead of just basic observation "this is a thing" that the other games in the series do. Heather has opinions on everything, but how she's feeling throughout the game is also conveyed. The dialogue of her observations in the first half of the game has a much more playful and hopeful tone to it, but after Harry dies she becomes much more pessimistic, can only see the negatives in everything and just doesn't seem to care anymore.

Heather is an incredibly well written and nuanced character, and I'll be honest that this is the game I least want to see be remade because I know that they would find a way to fuck up the writing of her character and handling of the themes of this game. Even after the Silent Hill 2 remake being as good as it is, one of Blooperteams biggest flaws is being incapable of handling anything to do with woman's experiences or perspective. SH2 used to be my fav, but I came to realize that it was mostly just because it was the popular one and that I vibe a lot more with SH3 and 4. Especially because SH2 tells a story about misogyny but makes it all about the perpetrator rather then the victim, unlike Silent Hill 3 which does actually tell the story of someone on the receiving end of that type of violence and objectification. SH3 and 4 are my personal favorites, 3 because Heather is best protagonist and I really appreciate it's themes which are handled perfectly, and SH4 because it has a really cool narrative and horror concepts. I know opinions on SH4 are really split, and while I think there are some gameplay things that are jank, I love it's story and premise so much.

[delta-lethonomia]

ok depresso week is over, back to deliberate hyperfixation on bg3:

It is absolutely wild to me that people take Astarion to the foursome with the drow twins (romanced, spawn, post-cazador) and are shocked, shocked I tell you, that he has a bad time. But it leads me to think that there's an interesting conversation to be had here about morality applied to video games. I'm going to be using what's a bit of a strawman tbh, what I would consider an archetypical, "good person" gamer for this niche example.

(3k essay under the cut about irl morals vs video game behavior, my take on why Astarion agrees to the orgy, beating the dead horse of Astarion discourse now that the fandom has cooled off enough I might not get flogged for it, and all my election stress being translated into an increasingly bitchy narrative voice that I hope is at least mildly amusing.)

"Good Person Gamer" romances Astarion. They're probably female, which I am mentioning exclusively so I can turn that into "Good Girl Gamer" 😏, or G3. G3 picks nice dialogue options. G3 tries to support their companions, and finds diplomatic and moral solutions to problems. G3 saved the tieflings. G3 still romances Astarion because he's hot, and vulnerable, and it's not like he forces you to be evil - he just complains a bit when you save kittens stuck in trees, but you get that approval back anyway just by being nice to him. Talk him out of Ascension and you've proven to yourself he's got a good soul under all that attitude anyway. He'd healed! You banged on his grave! It's all good now!

The brothel is fun. The drow twins are hot. It's always fun when games lets you do spicy things like have threesomes and orgies! We're sex-positive! Look, the drow twins said they love their job! It's totally fine! G3, as most people, probably does not do these things in real life, but that's the fun in video games: you get to be someone you're not.

And then Astarion noticeably dissociates. He throws himself in the center and lavishes everyone with attention; he's a professional, you know. Even an unromanced Tav/Durge notices something's off, and Astarion replies something along the lines of "you don't have the right to look at me like that," presumably with worry, distress, or sympathy.

G3 is upset. They did everything right - they didn't want to hurt him, and Astarion himself said he wanted this. Why couldn't they stop midway through and remind him that he doesn't have to hurt himself? Why couldn't they talk about it afterwards, and clear the air? LARIAN WHY DO YOU HURT ME

Now, to all the G3's out there: if you were dating a person with extensive sexual trauma, having been raped literally thousands of times, would you suggest having a threesome/orgy? With prostitutes, if that's better or worse? Putting them on the spot before your mutual friends? Would you wait a few years to mention the idea, or would you do so only weeks/months into a relationship? Your first "I love you" might have only been yesterday.

And most people, I think, would say "No." Writing that scenario outside of the lens of a video game makes it sound insane - of course you wouldn't! I'm not saying that they should never have group sex or that it can't be done, but I think most people instinctively get how that would be a shitty thing to do in that context, especially without discussing it in depth beforehand and making sure you're both on the same page.

And this is the meat of the issue. Most gamers play good-aligned characters: there's a strong culture of wanting to play the hero and saving the day. But tied into that cultural monomyth, in society itself, is the idea that sex is a reward at the end. You get sex at the end of the romance arc. The date where you have sex is one of many milestones, and you're not really dating if you haven't done it yet. Some people don't have sex until their wedding night. Threesome scenes especially are a video game classic: old-school God of War, for instance, had a hidden room in every game with scantily-clad women just waiting for you to button-mash away, a little treat for the player's keen puzzle-solving abilities.

Not all romances in BG3 have sex or end with sex, (some even start with sex), but that is because BG3's character writing tries to ground itself in reality despite being a medium people utilize for fantasy. Role-playing a "good" character is mostly easy: you typically know which dialogue choice is the ethical choice, can chide Astarion for being racist, can save the numerous children with moral ease - and BG3 rewards this: a good playthrough is more fleshed out, because you haven't killed off half the cast. You get better gear. You have more allies, better allies. You know what to do.

Or, well, mostly. BG3 is kind of special imo because even the good choices have a lot of nuance, where two people can make different choices but still feel like they both picked the most ethical one. Take Shadowheart's parents, for example: they beg for her to let them go so they can die and save their daughter. Saving them leaves Shadowheart in Shar's clutches - she will experience pain for the rest of her life, but regains her parents, and with luck, Selûne will claim her soul when she dies. Kill them, and Shadowheart is free - truly free, to live her life on her own terms, free from Shar and Selûne both. Both can be the ethical choice, depending on your morals.

"But if Astarion didn't want to have the threesome, the game should have let me stop midway through/made it clearer that this would happen. He said no before Cazador - why couldn't he say no again? Why would Larian put me in this position and make me feel bad when I thought everything was alright? I wanted to be good and have fun, not feel like I pressured my boyfriend." - Strawman G3.

Because BG3 treats it's characters like people. Multiple companions make choices outside of what the player character decides for them - Shadowheart's decision to save or kill her parents, kill or save the Nightsong, or Gale, to go for the crown or not depend on what events they are there to witness personally, or can be informed by conversations you have in camp about unrelated issues. You can fully let them make their own decisions and be surprised each time as they develop into different people with each successive playthrough. A lot of people are surprised when Gale goes for the Crown of Karsus without their input. In my last multiplayer playthrough, we could not prevent Shadowheart from wanting to kill the Nightsong, and so we were forced to kill her.

Astarion is not like that. The way he talks about Ascension changes depending on your relationship. If you're merely friends, he acknowledges it's probably a bad idea, even, in direct contrast to the somewhat obsessive and frightening way he pursues it in a romantic relationship. But Astarion can't decide what to do at the end: he has no hidden point system, no hidden flags - he will always pursue Ascension even if he knows it's a bad idea, because Astarion does not trust himself, has no experience trusting himself, and needs help. As counter-intuitive as it may sound, he needs support to make his own decisions, because in that moment, he cannot be objective.

(If Astarion is ever objective is another story....)

So much of Astarion's reactions and opinions are instinctive and unthinking. "Don't let the pixie out of the lantern, are you an idiot?" -> "A pixie! And honest-to-goodness pixie! *giggles*"

"We don't need a urchin hanging around." -> Astarion approves if you help Yenna

etc. etc. etc. There's so many times he says one thing, the cruel thing, the "fuck everyone else, I've got mine"-thing, and then approves when you do the good thing. Astarion does not live in line with his values (besides pursuing a growing need for freedom) and he frankly does not really know what his values even are.

Astarion doesn't react with glee to finding all the people he seduced - who inadvertently raped him, though they didn't know, some lowlifes and scoundrels and people having a bad day and even some sweet, naive virgins like Sebastian, who took that smoking hot Elf on his word and followed him home, probably in disbelief someone so gorgeous would pay them any attention at all - tortured and locked in a dungeon underground. He's crushed by guilt. He's in pain. Astarion delights in you causing others pain (the torture scene) because it aligns with his worldview, the joy of seeing someone else suffer for once. But he's not a cold-hearted murderer. (And yes, I am differentiating between "adventurer kills a bandit" murder and "deliberately killing someone you know for reasons/no reason" murder.) He doesn't hurt anyone in camp - Shadowheart and Lae'zel are far more dangerous than him. You never have to stop him from drinking anyone else to death. Even if you never feed him again, never use his bite attack, he never bites anyone in camp. Despite being a vampire, Astarion is, effectively, harmless. (Bite night was about checking whether or not Cazador's old command's still worked. It's his first real attempt at freedom, proving to himself that he's free from compulsion. Hence why the roll to get him to stop is a 5, giving you a 75% likelihood of succeeding. He doesn't actually want to kill you. And you get two chances!!!)

Astarion doesn't enjoy death for the sake of death. He's terrified if you side with the goblins and kill the tieflings despite goading you into doing it. I don't doubt that he could hurt others (god knows he's got enough feelings to work out that way), but there's a significant difference between a little knife play and condemning thousands of people to be tortured in the Hells for all eternity. Sacrificing his siblings is different, because they, like him, are guilty, and deserve their deaths. He agrees to sacrifice his fellow spawn as an act of self hatred, of self harm. But all those other people stupid enough to want to sleep with him? Given a day to think about it, I think Astarion would agree that that's not right - and that's why he thanks you for preventing his Ascension. That much murder isn't him. He can be thoughtless, cruel, and unkind, but Astarion isn't a psychopath.

Take him to the brothel, and slipping back into that role, the seductive rake, it as easy as breathing. I don't think Astarion has ever thought about if he's the type of person to enjoy group sex, or even if he wants it. I don't doubt that Astarion enjoys sex, that he wants to have sex (he is, after all that, still shockingly horny), but he's just discovered the idea of having sex with someone he loves. He's riding that high. Of course he says yes: not only is he a different man now (he's free!), it's something he's done a thousand times already - maybe it'll be different this time, maybe something has changed - or maybe, an orgy was on offer, so of course Astarion is there. It's his purpose. He's been doing it for 200 years. Where else would he be?

What I'm saying is that Astarion didn't think about what sleeping with the drow twins meant for your relationship, or how he would feel about it at all. He just went for it. He had a bad time. You then don't discuss it because that would mean admitting that he finally made a choice by himself and it backfired. He didn't think, or maybe he did, and it turns out he just doesn't know himself. Why discuss it? A relationship with G3 apparently means group sex. They probably asked twice. They backtracked all the way to Wyrm's Crossing post-Cazador. Will they ask again? How many times can he say no?

In reality, in the real world, the act of asking can be the problem in and of itself. If your significant other/spouse/lover asks you to do something you don't want to do, be it a threesome, anal, opening the relationship etc, these actions have consequences. The act of asking doesn't happen in a vacuum like it does in video games: there is a cost associated with it, a gamble, and while it may pay off, it may not. Some people get worn down and agree to things they don't want to do. Sometimes you break up because the act of asking is so inherently disrespectful you can't reconcile your differing wants and needs. If you're dating someone who has experienced the gut-wrenching pain of being cheated on, you don't ask 2 months into a new relationship if you can fuck other people. This should not come as a surprise to you, to G3, to anyone. It's common sense.

BG3 giving you the opportunity for a foursome with Astarion not only to give the player their hot'n'spicy sex scene (then playfully bops you on the nose by making it a fade-to-black, you naughty little perverts, you), but also to continue its theme of treating the player like a mature adult, who is dealing with other mature adults, and who can and should live with the consequences of their own actions. Subsequent patches have watered this down, I admit, but I do believe that that was the ethos guiding their work from the beginning. BG3 wants you to interact with the characters like people. If you roll over and tell them what they want to hear, you will Ascend Astarion, and he'll enslave you in turn. If you agree with Gale on everything, he will kill himself and you - or, he'll become a god, becoming the exact sort of god he used to rail against. Agree with Karlach, and she will rather die than go back to the Hells. You get my point.

"But Larian could have let me check in on Astarion midway through. Maybe it was a mistake to ask, but they should have let me check on him and stop it all if he wanted. I was trying to trust him to make his own decisions." - Strawman G3

Ok. We add a dialogue option. "Astarion, love, are you alright? We can stop at any time if you want."

Astarion disapproves (-5)

He's not backing out. Thank you for asking, darling, but fuck off. (I don't think he'd actually say fuck off but the implicit message would be there. I can't see Astarion stopping midway through, nor appreciating you doubting him. Nothing changes.)

"But I still feel bad." - Strawman G3

And I completely understand that. It's a video game. Don't worry! Of course you should get your sex scene - it's a reward! You got their approval high enough! You have enough charisma points! In DA:O, you can also have an orgy, unlocked by giving your companions enough gifts! It's a game! You have enough points, you get the thing!!! You killed Cazador - you win! Have your cake and eat it too! Congrats, you unlocked your hot slutty vampire elf who's basically a trained courtesan, who needs you to be his moral compass, who will never leave you so long as you don't actively rape him - enjoy all the fun orgies in your future!

Your actual choice - the choice the game gives you - is to realize that taking what's essentially a human trafficking victim to a brothel is a dumb idea, but they didn't want to punish you for it.

"Well, Astarion should have said something then. He said no before, he can say no again." - Strawman G3

If you go through life pushing peoples boundaries and expect them to verbally tell you what you're doing wrong, you're gonna be friendless and have a bad time. This ties back to both Astarion having difficulty knowing and defending his own values, BG3 trying to let you make your own decisions without setting out a clear "good or bad" path on occasion, and the hope that you'd use your own morals to make decisions. G3 would never behave in this way irl, and that's where the shock comes from, the guilt from committing an action they thought was without consequence in a risk-free fantasy scenario, and then feeling unpleasantly surprised when called out.

But it's a video game, and you didn't get the little zap, the little sting of an Astarion disapproves in the corner that told you you made the wrong choice. In fact, because he doesn't disapprove, it's not actually the wrong choice!

It really was mean how the Narrator made G3 feel bad, wasn't it. They didn't mean to hurt him. Astarion doesn't mention it, so it's probably fine.

... have you talked to Halsin yet? Surely he had a good time. Right?

CONCLUSION

People think they're good and moral and will typically behave "heroically" in video games. Games support this and reward players for doing so. The "good path" is expected to be clear. However, video games are not real life no matter how much they play at immersion, and multiple games have trained players in a linear "do x, receive y" type fashion. Sex is a reward in games, and is treated that way in real life as well, so players expect the Sharess' orgy scene to be a reward, and are then shocked when Astarion/Gale/Halsin etc reveal during or afterwards that they had a bad time. This is because Larian wants you to treat BG3 like a role playing game and interact with it seriously, and isn't afraid to boop you for your actions in ways that mimic real life relationships. This ethical dissonance makes people uncomfortable especially when they play games to role-play as someone better than themselves, and are surprised when they aren't herded down predetermined "good" paths via instantaneous approval/disapproval mechanics or unlockable "ideal" dialogue.

It is absolutely possible that someday Astarion might be into meaningless group sex with prostitutes for fun and pleasure. However, that is the sort of thing you'd probably either wait for him to bring up by himself organically, or discuss in a long-term trusting relationship after he's had potentially years to process the idea of not immediately hopping into bed with someone, as well as disentangling his instinctive "beaten-in" sexually available behavior from his actual desires. People much more emotionally mature and undamaged than Astarion have destroyed their own relationships by inadvertently pushing a partner (or themselves) into various forms of group sex or other sexual acts. It's not something you do on a random Tuesday on a whim.

Or maybe it is, and I'm just chronically boring and surrounded by boring people lmao

TO THE POSTER THAT INSPIRED THIS: I'm so so sorry if you ever see this, not trying to call you out at all hence no linking, I just wanted to pick apart why I think you felt that way. The thoughts just finally bubbled over after a year+ lol

[ghousttm]

no because i created in my head like a whole interaction between the two in a void

let me try to remember what i imagined

(spoilers on PvP civilization and Parkour Civilization btw)

ok so i dont give half enough of a fuck to make this into proper dialogue but

it went along the lines of

pvp evbo admiring how many people believe in and rely on pk evbo, and how good he is at parkour

and how in pvp civ nobody even believes in him, and maybe he could've done better in pk civ, he could've lived better - he could totally pull off a good Parkour and get himself a mansion to live in the rest of his life

but pk evbo is like. But in pk civ you're not actually free.. no matter whay rank you're in and how good your Parkour skills are. Heck - he had to become god to have some peace of mine

"so I guess I'll never have a peaceful life then-.." pvp evbo sighed as he hugged his knees, in a more annoyed tone than anything - but also unmeasurably tired.. for such a small body, to be so exhausted, it's almost pitiful

"hey.. cheer up man" pk evbo placed a hand on his shoulder, a small smile on his face "your series, and your journey, isn't even over yet! You'll get that ending eventually. I'm sure."

"hah- thanks, but.. I'm not even good pvp. It feels like I've still got such a long way to go- but I'm already falling behind compared to.. well- nobody. But if I dont get good enough soon enough, my friends will get hurt! and I'll never escape--"

"-woah woah! hey! calm down. breathe.."

"..seems.. like you've gone through a lot,"

"I dunno, dying like a gazillion times isn't that much."

"oh wow- I've only died like. Twice."

pvp evbo shrugs "You get used to it.. sorta... "

"... wether you're ready for it or not.. you're probably gonna find yourself having to improvise and keep going, if not for the sake of others, for yourseld.. I've had two second chances, and you seem to have an unlimited supply of chances - still, dont let it all go to waste."

....

maybe smth smth

pvp evbo telling pk evbo "you're able to live your own life in relative comfort - you shouldn't have let that 'master' tell you what to do! 'Saving the world' isn't your problem.."

i dunno

i think they both should be put in the same room and given building blocks to play with

The two Evbos meet. (Silly little sketch)

I always saw parkour!Evbo to be early to mid 20s-ish, while PvP!Evbo to be around mid to late teens (15+). The differences between the two is so big for me. Pkciv!Evbo is very confident and becomes god while pvp!Evbo is literally a child who is used as a tool of sacrifice. Evbo is good at making these characters different but still distinctly himself.

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x54 - A New World / The Fate of Two Worlds

Previously on Digimon Adventure: The true horror disrupting the Digital World was revealed. An eldritch thing of madness, beyond comprehension. Well, initial comprehension. The kids were having a hard time, so Apocalymon put them in the time-out corner until they could get their heads on straight.

Now they're back and ready to do this. This time's for real.

This episode's off to a bit of a different start. Instead of the typical recap followed by title card, we open straight into a fast-forward of the evolution sequences from the end of the previous. Along with Show Me Your Brave Heart kicking us off right from the get-go.

From there, Taichi and the others reconstitute themselves and we pick right up.

Apocalymon: What!? Taichi: WE WON'T LET YOU HAVE YOUR WAY!!! Apocalymon: That's impossible! You can't evolve without your Crests! Yamato: Don't underestimate the Chosen Children! Taichi: You got that right! Come on! Let's go, team! Team: YEAH!!!

Taichi raises his fist, and the other seven raise their fists in unison. The time for the final battle has come.

An interesting note is that Apocalymon sincerely believed the kids needed their Crests to evolve their Digimon. They did not understand the lore behind how the Crests work. Which sort of implies that the Original Five did not screw up as hard as our team did. XD

In the dub:

Izzy: We're back! Apocalymon: What!? Tai: You're dealing with the new and improved DigiDestined! Apocalymon: That's impossible! How did you Digivolve without your Crests!? Matt: Nothing's impossible. At least not when you've got your friends helping you! Tai: You said it, Matt! Now! Time to fight! Team: YEAH!!!

Minor differences with Matt's line but nothing noteworthy.

From here, it's go time. The Children are done discussing Apocalymon's background lore. They're ready to kill this thing. The Chosen Children ride their Partner Digimon into battle.

Which results in some... unintended hilarity.

Most of them fly through the void, but for some reason MetalGarurumon decides to run despite being flight-capable. It's not clear what his heavy tromping footsteps are running on, nor how he is casting a shadow on it, but there he is.

WarGreymon, AtlurKabuterimon, Lilimon, and the angel pair all fly.

Zudomon offers no indication of how he is moving. He remains entirely stationary and rockets forward through the void, squatting his way through space.

Meanwhile, for their part, Apocalymon remains motionless and lets the children come at them. The only movement comes from their cape flapping in the wind. ...kinda drafty in the void, I guess.

The dub adds no dialogue here and lets the silence do all the talking. The only difference is that, as usual, they didn't notice the sound effects so MetalGarurumon's footsteps and Apocalymon's flapping cape make no noise. No real loss there. Those things are confusing anyway.

Once the children get close enough, Apocalymon attacks.

Apocalymon: DIE!!!

Apocalymon thrusts one of their DNA chain claws forward to attack, but before they can do anything, Zudomon blows it off with Hammer Spark.

Jou: We'll handle the tentacles! Mimi: Let's join in, Lilimon! Lilimon: Sure!

Mimi hasn't quite realized the logistics of how their handholding flight is going to work in combat, but Lilimon has. Without warning, she grabs Mimi's wrist with both hands and flings her past the tentacle, to free up her arms for Flower Cannon.

Mimi: Huh, what are--UAAAAAGH!!!

She catches Mimi after she's destroyed the tentacle, but her Partner Child is not impressed.

Mimi: (whining) AWWW YOU'RE AWFUL!!! Lilimon: (smugly) Well, I am your Digimon, Mimi. Mimi: (grumbling) And just what is that supposed to mean?

And so this adventure concludes the way it began: In ways that are extremely upsetting for Mimi-chan. XD

Obviously, Apocalymon does not tell the children to die in the dub. In fact, he mutters to himself rather than addressing them.

Apocalymon: They're doomed.

This is the dub's segue to the first commercial break. Upon return, he calls an attack.

Apocalymon: So you wanna fight!? DEATH CLAW!!!

He can't tell them to die but he can still use the name Death Claw. Weird.

This creates some ambiguity for the previous episode's renaming of Touch of Evil to its original name Death Claw. Zudomon destroys his claw before it can do anything so... Are they indicating he was going to conjure Devimon to use Death Claw like he did last episode?

Or did the dub team forget about Touch of Evil, and think that "Death Claw" is a unique Apocalymon signature move, signifying attacking with his DNA chain claws?

Or is it like Clown Trick and Trump Sword where they call the one name for a bunch of different attacks, many of which have nothing to do with the original move?

IDK.

(Zudomon destroys the claw with Vulcan's Hammer) Joe: Alright! Your hammer nailed it! Mimi: We can help out too, right, Lillymon? Lillymon: Hang on! Mimi: Hang on for wha--AHHHHHHHHH!!! (Lillymon throws Mimi and destroys a claw with Flower Cannon, then catches Mimi) Mimi: Next time, Lillymon, can you use someone else as a boomerang!? Lillymon: Sorry, but I wanted to make sure you came back to me.

The dub plays this as surprisingly heartwarming rather than funny. One whole D'awww! Very different, but valid.

While Mimi and Lilimon are having it out, Zudomon destroys another chain-claw.

Jou: The rest of you, use this opening to attack the main body! Taichi: Got it--AH!!!

Apocalymon's had enough of this shit. While Jou and Mimi's backs are turned to the enemy so they can address the group, Apocalymon capitalizes by sending a claw straight for them.

Sora: JOU-SENPAI, MIMI-CHAN, LOOK OUT!!!

Jou and Mimi whip around, but it's too late.

Jou & Mimi: AHHHHH!!!

HolyAngemon opens Heaven's Gate all of a sudden. Then Angewomon destroys the claw with Holy Arrow. It is not clear what, if anything, Heaven's Gate contributed to this.

Takeru: Hikari-chan and I will protect you! Hikari: Could you please destroy the other tentacles? Mimi: Thank you! Jou: You saved us!

(Hikari wrenches one of Apocalymon's goddamn limbs off and then turns around and is the most polite and adorable thing ever to be born. The duality of Yagami Hikari. XD)

In the dub:

Joe: Tai! Now's your chance to go for his body! Tai: Alright! Huh!? (Apocalymon attacks Joe and Mimi from behind) Sora: Joe! Mimi! Look out behind you! Joe & Mimi: HUH!?!? (MangaAngemon unhelpfully creates Gate of Destiny) (Angewomon destroys the claw) T.K.: Don't worry about it, guys! We're here to protect you! Kari: We'll go for the other claws too! Mimi: Thanks, Kari! Joe: We owe you one!

A bit different. Joe only tells Tai to attack the main body while Jou instructs the rest of the team to do it. Similarly, Mimi (arguably correctly) only thanks Kari.

Kari's line is totally different. The plan is that Jou and Mimi will attack the claws while Takeru and Hikari watch their backs. T.K. gets this right, but then Kari suggests that T.K. and Kari will be attacking claws side-by-side with Joe and Mimi instead.

As agreed, Taichi and Yamato charge Apocalymon.

Taichi: Alright, Yamato! Full speed ahead! Yamato: Yeah! Taichi: CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!!!

WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon go straight down the center. In the process, we sort of get a glimpse of what MetalGarurumon's running on? A "floor" made out of waves of darkness seems to be emanating from Apocalymon. This raises further questions.

Apocalymon sends a claw their way to fend them off. However, an offscreen Flower Cannon obliterates it. Mimi and Jou are doing their jobs.

(Poor Mimi probably got tossed again.)

Sora and Koushiro join the charge on Garudamon and AtlurKabuterimon.

Sora: Koushiro-kun and I will assist Taichi and Yamato! Koushiro: Please, the two of you just focus on attacking the enemy! Yamato: Got it! Apocalymon: YOU LITTLE-- PLUG BOMB!!!

Furiously changing tactics, Apocalymon fires off Nanomon's signature Plug Bomb, machine-gunning the tiny explosives in every direction at once.

(I think that answers the question of whether Apocalymon has the moves of every Digimon or just the Big Bad Evil Guy Digimon.)

Garudamon: AtlurKabuterimon! Take Sora, please! AtlurKabuterimon: Right!

Garudamon has the same problem Lilimon has. Her Shadow Wing starts by engulfing her entire body in phoenix fire. Can't exactly do that with a rider. XD There was a critical flaw in this "Let's ride our Digimon into the fight" plan.

Garudamon deposits Sora on AtlurKabuterimon, then fires. Her phoenix-shaped projectile flies ahead of them, obliterating the Plug Bombs in their path. Once the path is clear, Sora returns to Garudamon's shoulder.

Sora: Thank you, Garudamon!

In the dub, Tai and Matt seem to be having fun with this.

Tai: Matt, this is better than any video game! Matt: I'll say! Apocalymon: DEATH CLAW!!! Lillymon: (offscreen) FLOWER CANNON!!! (Lillymon destroys the claw)

...okay, yes, I think we can confidently say that the dub does think Death Claw is an Apocalymon signature move.

Sora: Hey, why should you guys have all the fun? Save some for me and Izzy! Izzy: We'll distract Apocalymon while Matt and Tai concentrate on attacking. Matt: Watch our backs! Apocalymon: Let's end this. VIRUS GRENADES!!!

Cannot say with certainty whether they caught that "Virus Grenades" is supposed to be Nanomon's move or not. They never gave Plug Bomb a name way back when. So. Maybe they remember and are finally naming it or maybe they think this is an Apocalymon move too.

Garudamon: MegaKabuterimon, protect Sora! MegaKabuterimon: Got it. Garudamon: WING BLADE!!! (Garudamon destroys the bombs) Sora: Thanks, guys!

Most of this is pretty close to the original. The one point of contention is that Izzy volunteers to "distract" Apocalymon. That is. Not what they're doing. You don't distract the enemy by charging in right alongside the main attack force.

But we're used to Izzy being wrong about stuff. Matt gets it right when he tells them to "Watch our backs". Sora and Izzy are providing cover for Tai and Matt, just like T.K. and Kari are doing for Joe and Mimi.

As Taichi and Yamato close in, Apocalymon fires off one last shot.

Morphing one of their claws into Mugendramon and letting off Mugen Cannon.

AtlurKabuterimon: Now it's my turn! HORN BUSTER!!!

AtlurKabuterimon's there to provide covering fire and destroys it with Horn Buster.

Taichi: LET'S FINISH IT!!! Yamato: TAKE THIS!!!

Once the boys get into attack range, they unload. Cocytus Breath and Gaia Forge plunge together into Apocalymon, oblitering them. The main body of Apocalymon disintegrates into pixel dust, and it seems to be over. Most of their outer shell goes with them, leaving behind only the featureless dodecahedron that Apocalymon originally emerged as.

Apocalymon: HUAAAAAAAAAGH!!! Yamato: We did it! Jou: We disposed of the tentacles, too! Taichi: How do you like that!? Give up! Apocalymon: Hehe, you think you've won? Yamato: There's no point in acting tough! Apocalymon: Isn't there? We will perish. But we won't just perish. You smug little shits and this world will all be caught up in it too! Taichi: What!? Apocalymon: Just watch. Our ultimate special attack!

Oh, this is it! Remember, the rundown warned us of this. Apocalymon does have a signature move all their own: Darkness Zone, which reduces all things to nothingne--

Apocalymon: GRAND DEATH BIG BOMB!!!

...or that. I guess it could be that.

Apocalymon's dodecahedron collapses into a single point. This is followed by a sudden flash of light. Then an explosion, expanding outwards in every direction. An effect that looks remarkably and alarmingly like a supernova going off.

In the dub:

MegaKabuterimon: Now it's my turn! HORN BUSTER!!! (MegaKabuterimon destroys the final defense) Tai: ATTACK!!! Matt: NOW!!! (The boys destroy Apocalymon's main body) Matt: We did it! Joe: We destroyed all of his claws! Tai: Still think you're so tough!? Apocalymon: Ehehehe... Is that your best shot? Matt: You know you're beaten! Face it like a 'mon! Apocalymon: You think so, huh? Well, I may be beaten but I won't go down that easily. I'll take you and both worlds with me! Tai: What!? Apocalymon: You still haven't seen my ultimate attack: TOTAL ANNIHILATION!!!

An interesting note is that in the original, Apocalymon doesn't threaten the human world. He only says this will destroy 貴様 kisama, which is a rude way of saying "you" with the implicit meaning that the person you're speaking to thinks they're better than you, and この世界 kono sekai, which is "this world".

This is the second time Apocalymon has angrily dropped a 貴様 kisama into conversation. It's almost as if they're insecure about something. I wonder what.

So, Apocalymon only threatens to collapse the Digital World. However, it has long been established that the collapse of the Digital World would have catastrophic knock-on effects for the human world. There is, right at this moment, a tear in the fabric of reality in the sky of the human world above all places at once, where people are seeing this happen.

So even if Apocalymon doesn't directly threaten to destroy the human world, their actions will do that if allowed.

The dub cuts out the implied threat and instead makes Apocalymon fully aware of both worlds, and actively trying to destroy them both. This meshes with the previous episode, when they added dialogue of him threatening to "start [reducing all things to nothingness] with Earth".

Original Apocalymon wants to destroy the Digital World, which will consequently destroy the human world, while dub Apocalymon wants to destroy them both. No idea what his beef is with the humans. We've never successfully Digivolved either.

Well, not in Adventure continuity, anyway. I see you over there, Biomerge Digivolutions.

Anyway, where were we at? Oh, yeah. Being killed by a supernova.

As the supernova approaches, we flash from child to child, hearing their thoughts while their Crest symbols float over them.

Yamato: They self-destructed! Jou: Is this the end for us!? Mimi: IT CAN'T BE!!! Takeru: It's not the end! Koushiro: This can't be the end. Yamato: I won't let this be the end. Taichi: Like hell this is the end! Jou: NEVER!!! Sora: Because.... Hikari: We all have.... Team: TOMORROW WAITING FOR US!!!

As the children refuse to relent, their Digivices activate. Each taking a different point around the supernova, they form the eight points of a cube, made from the children's holy light. The cube suppresses and contains the supernova, until it detonates harmlessly in the void. The final trace of Apocalymon's wrath is gone.

In the dub:

Matt: He's gonna destroy everything! Joe: I should have made out my will! Mimi: I'm too good-looking to go! T.K.: I want my mommy! Izzy: There must be a solution! Matt: We won't give up! Tai: We're stronger than he is! Joe: We're a team! Sora: It's destiny! Kari: After all! Team: WE'RE THE DIGIDESTINED!!!

A bit different. Mostly lateral changes, but I don't like that they stopped T.K. from being the first one to retain hope and made it Izzy instead. Refusing to lay down and die in the face of the unwinnable is literally his Crest virtue but the dub's only ever seen "littlest kid" in him.

As the blast dissipates, the children unpack. They aren't quite sure what just happened there.

WarGreymon: What.... MetalGarurumon: ...was that? Takeru: What happened to the explosion? Koushiro: It must have been contained through the power of our Digivices. Taichi: So, does that mean we won? Yamato: Seems like. Jou: Then the destruction of the world.... Sora: It means we stopped it! Hikari: Yeah! Ogremon: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!

Ogremon runs on into the void, waving his club. He's followed by Andromon, who is carrying Elecmon.

Ogremon: You did it? HolyAngemon: Yeah, we did! Ogremon: You punks are really something else! Mimi: (pleased) Is that so? Andromon: Thank you very much. Koushiro: (embarrassed) Uh, there's no need to thank us!

Meanwhile, in the human world, those weird otherworldly Digimon that had been silently rampaging freeze up and disintegrate. The void vanishes from the sky, and the people of Earth look up at a bright beautiful sky.

Shin (Jou's Brother): You all did so well (ganbatte).

Now, at the very end of the final battle, the title card for "A New World" appears.

In the dub:

WarGreymon: What was that!? MetalGarurumon: I'm not sure! T.K.: What happened to the explosion!? Izzy: It was completely contained by the power of our Digivices! Tai: Then it's over! We actually won! Matt: Looks that way! Joe: Excuse me while I throw up. Sora: I guess we saved the world. Kari: Mhm! Ogremon: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!! Elecmon: You did it! Ogremon: You're amazing! Remind me to call you the next time I have trouble with my landlord. Mimi: It was nothing! Andromon: Thanks for everything! Izzy: Well, I did have some help, you know. (Meanwhile the human world returns to normal) Jim: Great, bro! I'm proud of you.

Ogremon suggests unleashing unrelenting violence upon landlords and I approve this message.

Once the title card is past us, there are more visitors to Apocalymon's void.

Gennai and Centarumon show up.

Gennai: It looks like your world has been saved too. Kids: Yes! Takeru: What will happen to the Digimon World? Centarumon: Look carefully under your feet.

The children look below them and see the darkness peel away, revealing File Island in the distance.

Takeru: An island? Garudamon: It's File Island! Centarumon: The prophecy in the ancient ruins concluded with these words: "The first to return to life will be the island. From the island will come new skies, seas, and land. Mimi: So, what does that mean? Centarumon: It means the Digital World is being created anew.

A linguistic note: When Centarumon says the Digital World is created, he uses the word 天地創造 tenchisouzou. This is a composite of 創造 souzou which means to create something and 天地 tenchi or heaven. Heavenly creation.

He's saying that the Digital World is being "created" anew in a Biblical sense.

Then the kids notice black and white pixels fluttering around File Island.

Taichi: What's that down there? Gennai: The Digimon may also be reborn right alongside this world. Kids: REALLY!?!? Taichi: Let's go, guys! Kids: YEAH!!!

So, it seems the Digital World was destroyed utterly once Apocalymon's void emerged. That's probably why we all suddenly fell into the void. When the void erupted and spread down across the wireframe of Spiral Mountain, I guess it didn't stop there.

But with Apocalymon's destruction, the void is giving way for a new Digital World to take its place. And, of course, the Village of Beginnings lives again.

In the dub:

Gennai: Sorry I'm late. Forgot to set my alarm. Is it over? Kids: Yeah! T.K.: So what's gonna happen to the Digital World now? Centarumon: See for yourselves. Look down. Kids: Huh!? (The kids see File Island emerge) Tai: It's File Island! Centarumon: The ancient prophecy said that after the great darkness is over, the first thing to be reborn will be the island. And from that island will come the land and the seas. Mimi: Yeah, but what does that mean? Centarumon: It means that the Digi-World will start over from the beginning. Izzy: What's happening down there? Gennai: The Digi-World is being reborn as are all the Digimon from the past. We're gonna need a lot of diapers! Kids: Huh!? Tai: Alright! Let's go! Kids: Right!

Pretty much the same. "The Digi-World will start over from the beginning" is a pretty solid pragmatic translation of "The Digimon World is undergoing heavenly creation again."

The children and their cohort return to Primary Village, where Elecmon's ecstatic to see it alive and vibrant again.

Elecmon: The village is back to normal!

A shower of Digitama from all the Digimon who died since Spiral Mountain was erected rain down across the village.

Takeru: IT'S FULL OF DIGITAMA!!! Patamon: YAY!!!

Takeru and Patamon race into the village, eager to start rubbing some eggs.

Elecmon: HEY, WAIT FOR ME!!!

The three set to work, rubbing the shit out of those eggs. Hikari, a bit lost about what's happening here, approaches them.

All Three: (singsong) Rub-rub! Rub-rub! Hikari: What are you guys doing? Patamon: We're hatching the Digitama. (A Digitama rolls to Hikari's foot. She picks it up.) Hikari: Are you going to hatch all of them? Elecmon: That's right! A lot of Digimon will be born from these Digitama. The future of the Digimon World begins right here!

Hikari looks up to the sky and sees the Digitama continuing to rain into the village. She smiles brightly, now understanding.

Takeru: You should join us, Hikari-chan. Hikari: Okay! (rubs and sings) Rub-Rub! Group: Rub-rub!

In the dub, Sora kicks us off with a reminder of what this place is.

Sora: It's the Primary Village! Elecmon: And everything's back to normal. Joe: Looks like it's starting to rain. T.K.: (excited) Whoa! A Digi-Egg storm! (T.K. and Patamon race into the village) Elecmon: Wait, those eggs are my responsibility! (The boys start rubbing eggs) T.K.: Are you gonna count them all? Elecmon: Are you crazy? You never count your Digi-Eggs before they hatch. Kari: What are you doing? Patamon: Helping these Digi-Eggs hatch. (A Digi-Egg rolls to Kari's feet. She picks it up.) Kari: Are you going to hatch them all? Elecmon: What do you suggest? We make an omelet? Of course we're going to hatch them all! The future of the Digi-World depends on it! Kari: Yay! Patamon: You can help! Just rub them gently.... (Kari starts rubbing Digi-Eggs) Kari: This is fun! Elecmon: We should be done in about sixty years.

Some decent laugh lines added but otherwise pretty similar. The omelet crack and "sixty years" got me. XD

Though the tonal difference between "The future of the Digimon World begins here" and "The future of the Digi-World depends on this!" is a bit eyerolling. Americans gotta have everything fierce.

The rest of the group watches, unhelpfully opting not to join in the hatching spree.

Ogremon: Now Leomon will be born again. Mimi: Really!? Does that mean Piccolomon, Whamon, and the others will be too? Gennai: Uhhh, eventually.

Gennai, your tone of voice is really bringing the mood down. Do not shit in our pancakes right now. We earned these pancakes.

Andromon: What do you think, everyone? Should we take a photo to commemorate the occasion? Taichi: A photo!? Let's do it! Sora: Good idea! Yamato: I'm in! Koushiro: I'll grab Takeru-kun and the others. (Koushiro exits) Gennai: A photo, huh? (excited) Yehhhhh!

Gennai fusses with what passes for his hair, and we cut to everyone lined up for the picture. Hikari even brings over the little yellow Digitama she's been rubbing. The gang's all here, except Andromon because he's taking the photo.

Taichi: Alright, go ahead! Andromon: Hai, chizu! Digitama: (wiggle wiggle) Hikari: Huh? Takeru: What's wrong?

It's falling a bit out of style since smartphones have replaced cameras and the entire culture of picture-taking is different. But the phrase "Hai, chizu!" has a long history with Japanese photography.

It translates to "Okay, cheese!" So it's similar to the western custom of saying cheese, but it has a different purpose. In the west, it's the people having their photos taken are supposed to say cheese because the mouth movement to enunciate the word stretches their mouths into a wide smile. But in Japan, it's the picture-taker who says cheese.

The phrase "Hai, chizu" is spoken at a rhythmic cadence, with the understanding that the photo will be snapped on the syllable "zu". So Japan uses this sing-songy phrase as a metronomic countdown. It's so everyone's on the same page, holding still, and looking their best when the picture-taker hits zu.

Youth culture has changed a lot in the twenty years since this show came out and I don't think this is in style anymore. But it was when the show was made.

So Andromon counts down and snaps the picture. However, right as we hit zu, the Digitama in Hikari's hands suddenly hatches. The resulting photo captures the shocked and startled reactions from the group around her.

(It's a Botamon like how Hikari's first Digitama was a Botamon! Ending where we began!)

Absolutely nobody cares about the picture anymore; All eyes are on the newborn Botamon in Hikari's hands.

Tailmon: What happened!? Elecmon: It hatched! Patamon: So cute!

In the dub:

Ogremon: This means Leomon will be reborn. Mimi: That's right! And Piximon, Whamon, and Wizardmon too! Gennai: Yes, someday. Andromon: We should take a picture to commemorate this special occasion! Tai: A picture! Good idea. Sora: Sure, let's do it. Matt: Yeah, I'm in. Izzy: Great, I'll go get T.K. and Kari then. Gennai: Gotta shine my head! (Gennai fusses with his hair and everyone gathers) Tai: Alright, we're ready! Andromon: Say "cheese"! Digi-Egg: (wiggle wiggle) Kari: Huh? T.K.: What's wrong? (Digi-Egg hatches right as picture is taken) Gatomon: What is it? Elecmon: Look, it hatched! Patamon: It's so cute!

This is almost exactly word-for-word. In fact, it skews so close to original script that they don't even westernize the photo-taking. Not one of the kids says "cheese" after Andromon tells them to.

There is one subtle difference that stands out to me, though. Mimi. Uh. Mimi shouldn't hold her breath for Wizardmon.

...

(˙ ◠ ˙)

...

Welp, time to hit the ol' Digi-Trail. Ogremon, pulling a sandogasa and cloak straight out of his asshole, says his farewells.

Ogremon: Well then.... Kids: Huh? Mimi: (confused) What are you wearing? Ogremon: I'm not hanging around here anymore. I'm going traveling! Palmon: Why!? Stay with us! Ogremon: Not happening! A proud Virus-type like my glorious self doesn't hang out with Data and Vaccines like you punks! Ha! Later!

After once again very pretentiously referring to himself as ore-sama using a super-respectful honorific meant for venerating respected superiors and elders, Ogremon overdramatically vanishes into the distance.

To answer Mimi's question, the traveling cloak and straw hat are stereotypical Japanese wanderer attire, popularized by people who lived their lives on the road during medieval Japanese history. A common look for ronin or masterless samurai types, but also worn by merchants and other kinds of travelers.

Piyomon: He left. Gomamon: He just can't be honest with himself about his feelings. Tentomon: I just can't get my head around those Virus-type jerks. Gennai: Now, don't say that. When Agumon became SkullGreymon through Dark Evolution, I said that it was the wrong evolution. However, what I meant was that it was wrong for your purposes. There is no right or wrong way to evolve. Agumon: (unconvinced) Hmm. Maybe next time, I'll evolve into a Virus-type then. Other Partner Digimon: NO ANYTHING BUT THAT!!!

This is a joke about the fact that MetalGreymon, prior to the anime retconning the species and changing their color scheme from blue to red, was a Virus Digimon. MetalGreymon (Blue) still exists as a separate species but doesn't come up in games and stuff nearly as much.

In the dub:

Ogremon: I'm outta here! Kids: Huh!? Mimi: What do you mean, you're leaving? Ogremon: It's time to hit the road. Take a hike. Make like a tree and leaf. Palmon: But Ogremon, why not stay here with us? Ogremon: Look, I'm a Virus-type Digimon. You guys are Data and Vaccine types. If I hang around here too long, I'll get sick to my stomach! Catch you later! (Ogremon teleports away) Biyomon: He vanished!

Presumably for purposes of animation budget, as Ogremon leaves, his animation cel just sort fades, becoming increasingly transparent until he disappears completely. Easy shorthand for him disappearing into the distance.

For some reason, the dub decides to take this super literally. They add a warping sound effect to him fading away, which Biyomon then reacts to. Canonizing for their continuity that Ogremon's been sitting on the ability to teleport this entire time.

(What a dick! Really would have come in handy when we needed to transport Mimi's army up to the Dark Masters' base.)

Gomamon: He just can't face the fact that he likes us. Tentomon: Hmph, I've never heard of a Virus giving someone a cold shoulder! Gennai: Don't say that! Do you remember the day that Agumon first Digivolved into SkullGreymon? At the time, I said it was the wrong thing to do but the truth is, when it comes to Digivolving, there's no right or wrong. A Digimon's destiny cannot be changed. That day was a real eye-opener for me! Of course, I haven't been able to open them since. Agumon: Well! If that's the case then next time I'll just Digivolve myself into the next Dark Master! Other Partner Digimon: OH NO!!! / DON'T!!! / WHATEVER YOU DO, NO!!!

In the original, Gennai clarifies his original statement about SkullGreymon to mean that this evolutionary path wouldn't work for the Chosen Children's purposes, not that it was inherently wrong for a Greymon to evolve that way. What he said was true; He just realizes now that perhaps he didn't communicate his meaning clearly.

In the dub, Gennai corrects himself and renounces his original statement. He's changed his mind since then and decided that SkullGreymon's Dark Evolution was fine, actually. Then he ends on a joke about his character design.

From here, the children leave the Village of Beginnings. They return to Seadramon's lake, with that out-of-place trolley still sitting on its own little island a short distance out.

Sora: Isn't this nostalgic? This is where we spent our first night in this world. Koushiro: That's right. Gabumon evolved into Garurumon and fought Seadramon here. Jou: Well! It all ended on a happy note, anyways. We can return to our world with our heads held high! Maybe they'll treat us like heroes! They'll make us do tons of interviews. What do you guys think? Gomamon: ...Jou....

It's only at that moment that Jou takes a vibe check and realizes this is not a triumphant moment for the rest of the group. The other children seem dour, as do their Partners. Takeru may even be crying.

Jou: Oh no, I may have misspoken. Hey, even after we go home, we can always come back! Gomamon: (more forceful) Jou.... Jou: (mutters) Right, that won't work out even if we do come back. The flow of time is different between this world and our world, so we don't even know if we'll live to see each other again. (to the others) I'm sorry.

Well, there he is. Jou's all caught up to where everyone else is. After these many months in the Digital World growing into a proud nakama, the time has come to finally part ways. Time to send the children back to their own world while the Digimon remain in this one.

In the dub:

Sora: This sure brings back memories! This is the exact spot where we spent our first night here in the Digi-World. Izzy: That's right! This is where Gabumon first Digivolved into Garurumon and fought Seadramon! Joe: Yeah! And this is the place where I fainted for the first time! Well, the first time in the Digi-World, anyway. Boy, it sure is great strolling down memory lane, isn't it? Hey, do you think when we all get back, we'll be some kind of heroes? Haha, And-and win a whole bunch of awards like an Emmy or something. Gomamon: (despondent) Joe.... Joe: Sorry! Old dopey me. Open mouth, insert foot. I mean, we can always come back, right, guys? ...right? Gomamon: ...Joe.... Joe: Oh. Heh. I forgot. Faux pas. Time passes differently here than in our world. You guys will probably be long gone! Whoops... there goes the other foot.

They play this for comedy, but still in a really sad way. Like, it almost feels like Joe's rambling incoherently to stave off a panic attack, which works pretty well for the vibe of the scene.

Suddenly, Yamato has an idea.

Yamato: Hey! Sora: What? Yamato: We still have a lot of time left in summer vacation, right? I'm thinking of staying in this world until the holiday's over. Jou: Ah! That's a great idea! Takeru: If Onii-chan is staying then I am too! Hikari: So am I! Is that okay, Onii-chan? Taichi: Yeah! Koushiro: Maybe I should too. Mimi: Me too! Sora: And me too! We have plenty of time! Koushiro: That's right. If we consider one day in this world to be the equivalent of one minute in our world and we have four weeks of vacation.... Jou: Let me do the mental math.

The sound of a cash register ringing up items plays while Jou's calculating in his head. His eyelids flicker in tune to it.

Jou: Let's see... 40,320 days... (ka-ching) That's 110 years! Mimi: Really!? Yamato: Great! Let's go on a brand new adventure! Taichi: SWEET!!! LET'S GO!!! TO A NEW ADVENTURE!!! Kids: LET'S GO!!!

(These children are gone a few days and then their parents finally get them back and they're ninety.)

In the dub:

Matt: Hey! You know, we've still got a lot of summer left. I was thinking maybe we could stay here until our vacation's over. Joe: Yeah! That's a great idea! T.K.: If Matt's staying, I'm staying too! Kari: Me too! Is that okay, Tai? Tai: Sure! Mimi: I'm staying too! Sora: Me too! Izzy: We might as well. We've got plenty of time. Since an entire day in the Digital World is equal to just one minute in the real world and we've still got four weeks left of summer vacation.... Joe: Then we can stay here in the Digital World for up to... let's see... carry the four, divide by three... a really, really long time. Izzy: To be precise, it's 40,320 days. That's about 110 years! Tai: ALRIGHT, WE'RE STAYING!!! Kids: YAY!!!

I guess the dub didn't like Jou scooping Koushiro on the Smart Boy moment. They also didn't catch the cash register visual gag, as is usual with sound effects.

It made perfect sense to me. Koushiro has a lot of practical knowledge because he's a very curious boy. However, Jou is two grades higher than him and attends classes at a private cram school to prepare him for entry into a highly-accredited middle school.

So I do buy that Jou, rather than Koushiro, is the one who can suddenly pop off mathematic calculations off the top of his head. Koushiro is smart in an "I read the entire Wikipedia front to back because I wanted to know why frogs are that color" sort of way, but Jou-senpai is the most formally educated.

Unfortunately, as much as the kids may want to stay, it's not going to be that simple. Agumon notices a shadow passing over the sun.

Agumon: Huh?

The kids all look up to see the shadow. While they're doing that, Gennai and Centarumon slip into their midst with sick ninja skills. Very impressive, especially considering Centarumon has hooves.

Koushiro: That's a solar eclipse, isn't it? Gennai: Children, I have something I must tell you. Mimi: Something to tell us? Is it good news or bad news? Gennai: It's probably... bad news.... Kids: (collective groan)

And he'll be right here to deliver the new new dire news about their predicament RIGHT AFTER THESE MESSAGES.

(Apocalymon's big sister EvenMoreApocalymon just showed up and is trying to eat the sun! She's Hyper-Evolved to a stage beyond even Ultimate Evolution! In these next fourteen episodes we will--)

In the dub:

Agumon: Hey, look! (Everyone looks at the eclipse) Izzy: It's an eclipse! Gennai: Yes, it is. And there's something very important you should know about it, children. Mimi: I know! You're not supposed to look directly into it! Gennai: True! But that's not all. This eclipse could cost you your lives....

Gennai plays this even scarier than the original does.

I love his reaction to Mimi trying to guess about his impending topic. She isn't right but she's not wrong, and he validates her for that.

The dub also takes their second commercial break here. Then we return from commercial to unpack this new development.

Koushiro: Isn't this just an eclipse? Centarumon: That part that's in shadow is the gate that connects us to your world. The eclipse will end in two hours. Yamato: So what? We'll just wait for the next time a gate opens. Mimi: That's right! We still have 110 years of summer vacation left. Gennai: Actually, the arrival of Apocalymon has caused the flow of time between your world and the Digital World to align. Taichi: WHAT!?!? Yamato: B-But what would happen if we stayed anyway!? Jou: (wincing) Yamato.... Gennai: This world may recognize your data as a foreign contamination and delete it. Yamato: Then... Gennai: I'm sorry.

THAT'S BEEN A THING THAT COULD HAPPEN THIS WHOLE TIME AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO MENTION IT!?!? JIJI!!! I don't think we're gonna be able to Warp Evolve our way out of this one, guys.

Not super clear from Gennai's phrasing if the reason time aligned is because Apocalymon was causing the time distortion and died, or if the alignment of time is one last distortion from the road.

Gennai says it was caused by Apocalymon arriving, not Apocalymon's defeat. Sure enough, people back in the human world did seem to be watching the Apocalymon battle take place in real-time instead of ultra fast-forward.

The subs here say it brought the flow of time "back into alignment". But the line he delivers is that Apocalymon's appearance made "時間の流れが同じになったのじゃ Jikan no nagare ga onaji ni natta no ja" between the two worlds. Which translates to "the flow of time became the same." No indication that this is how it was originally.

So I think the Digital World moving much more quickly through time than the human world was how it was originally, and this was one last distortion caused by the final battle with the reality-breaking Apocalymon.

In the dub:

Izzy: You mean it's not an ordinary eclipse? Centarumon: That shadow is the gate that connects your world to the Digital World. I'm afraid the eclipse will only last for two more hours. Matt: That's not a problem. We'll just wait until it opens up again. Mimi: Yeah! After all, we still have over a hundred years of summer vacation left! Gennai: Actually, when Apocalymon appeared, the flow of time here and in your world became synchronized. Mimi: So then we still have four weeks left, right? Matt: That's plenty of time to have fun! Gennai: Well. Actually, you only have the two hours because once the portal is closed, it's closed forever. Matt: But.... Gennai: Sorry. It's time to say goodbye.

The dub merely says the flow of time "became synchronized", which lines up with the original Japanese line.

Gennai having to reassert the two hour time limit when Mimi still refuses to accept the urgency is a good bit. XD

Though, notably, the dub only threatens that they'll be trapped in this world forever. Gennai leaves out the scary part where the Digital World will fucking delete them for being invalid data.

Homeostasis may have brought them here but they aren't welcome. The Digital World considers Homeostasis's whole "We should do an isekai" thing to be that "That's just, like, your opinion, man" meme. These kids were kidnapped, smuggled here in the back of a truck, and then made to work but now the job's done so they can get the fuck out.

It's honestly pretty rude. For a reality created by human data they have some problematic societal structures. Humans would never treat people this way!

...

...

>.< Fuck me, they learned it from watching us, didn't they?

Now on a time limit, it really is time to say goodbye.

Piyomon: When you get back to your world, say hi to your mom for me. Sora: Mhm... I want to thank you for that, Piyomon. There's always been a misunderstanding between me and my mom. But you stepped in and fixed it. I think my mom and I will get along fine from now on. Piyomon: Really. Sora: Hehe, really. Piyomon: If that's true, then I'm really glad! I thought you always spoiled me because I was constantly bothering you.

With tears in her eyes, Sora hugs Piyomon.

Sora: That's not true. It was never true, Piyomon. Piyomon: (crying) Sora! Sora: (crying) Piyomon!

I mean, it was kinda true for like one episode, but Sora was still really freaked out about every single part of being plunged into an unfamiliar wilderness to fend for herself.

In the dub:

Biyomon: I'm sure gonna miss you, Sora. Say hi to your mom for me when you get back. Sora: Sure. ...I want to thank you, Biyomon. Before I met you, I didn't get along with my mom very well. We argued. She would never let me do anything! But thanks to you, I understand her a lot better! You showed me how much my mom really loves me. Biyomon: You mean it? Sora: Hehe, of course! Biyomon: That makes me so happy to hear you say that! Sometimes I thought I was just bothering you and getting in your way all the time. (Sora hugs Biyomon and cries) Sora: Don't be silly! You weren't a bother! You're my best friend! Oh, Biyomon, I'm gonna miss you so much! (sobs)

Some minor changes but the dub hits the key points: Sora never considered Biyomon to be a nuisance and Sora's grateful to Biyomon for helping her appreciate her mother more.

Jou's turn next.

We find Jou sitting with Gomamon on the edge of Seadramon's lake, throwing rocks into the water.

Jou: You and I might not have been a good pairing, but I had a lot of fun. Gomamon: (somber) I did too. (suddenly cheerful) A-Anyways, when you get back to your world, work hard (ganbare) on your studies! Jou: Yeah....

Jou holds out his hand to Gomamon.

Gomamon: What? Jou: Let's shake hands. Gomamon: Huh? Okay.

Gomamon places his flipper in Jou's hand.

Jou: Huh? Gomamon: What? Jou: That was a hand after all!

With tears forming in their eyes, the boys laugh and gently shake hands; In the process, paying off their long-running gag about Gomamon's "hands".

In the dub:

Joe: I know it's gonna be hard to find a friend as great as I am, Gomamon, but you'll have to try. Gomamon: Not a problem. I took an ad out in the personals. I've got five interviews lined up for next week. Joe: (unconvinced) Hmm. Gomamon: What!? Joe: At least let's shake hands. Gomamon: Okay. For luck. (Gomamon puts his flipper in Joe's hand) Joe: Wow! Gomamon: What? Joe: For someone without a hand, you've got a pretty strong grip.

The hand joke is different but it's fairly close to original. However, the brief heart-to-heart talk at the start is replaced by more gags.

Next up, it's Koushiro's turn. Koushiro is with Gennai and his Mekanorimon suit at the trolley, working on something. We see Gennai welding something on the undercarriage, while Koushiro and Tentomon are in the driver's compartment.

Koushiro: Tentomon. Tentomon: (already half-crying) Koushiro-han.... Koushiro: Really... You're....

Socially awkward as ever, Koushiro trips over his own words. Finally, he falls back on old habits and gives Tentomon a polite bow.

Koushiro: Thank you very much for taking care of me.

It's a memorized gesture he's falling back on because he can't find the words to say. お世話になりました osewa ni narimashita is one of those stock Japanese phrases for being polite. Its purpose is to show gratitude for someone letting you stay at their house overnight or putting you up while you're in town or somesuch.

He's doing what he always does with people and reciting memorized politeness because he doesn't know how to express himself.

Tentomon's so startled by Koushiro's reaction that he stumbles back and falls over himself. Panicking, Koushiro jumps to his feet and rushes over to Tentomon. He's so concerned for Tentomon, he doesn't even notice he accidentally smacked his laptop off the dashboard.

All this commotion causes the windshield wipers to turn on, which silently squeegee the windshield in the foreground through the rest of the scene.

Koushiro picks up Tentomon off the floor, holding him in his hands.

Tentomon: Even right up to the very end, you still speak so formally to me. Koushiro: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But what would be the right thing to say at a time like this? Tentomon: Hmm... That's a hard question. I don't think you need to force yourself to find the right words. Maybe it's okay to stick with formalities. Some day, your words will flow more naturally. Koushiro: You think so? I'd like that too.

Abandoning words, Koushiro pulls Tentomon in for a hug, and the boys cry quietly together.

The dub has the unfortunate task of needing to make this scene work with an Izzy they have not been writing as endlessly formal, polite, and socially awkward. Their plan is to drown the scene out in ob

Izzy: Tentomon. Tentomon: Yes, Izzy? Izzy: There's something I need to tell you before we part ways. Okay? (Izzy bows politely) Izzy: I love you. (Tentomon freaks out and falls over; Izzy rushes to pick him up)

When Izzy picks up Tentomon, the dub gives the windshield wipers a loud, obnoxious squeegeeing sound that's a little louder than the dialogue and very annoying.

Izzy: TENTOMON!!! Are you okay? Tentomon: Yes, I'm fine. But I was a little taken aback by your sudden display of emotion. Izzy: You're right. Sorry about that. I don't usually get emotional but this was a unique occasion. Tentomon: I understand. You don't have to say it. I know how much our friendship has meant to us and, in the name of our friendship, I need to ask you one last favor. Izzy: Yeah, what is it? Tentomon: WOULD YOU PLEASE TURN OFF THOSE WINDSHIELD WIPERS!?!? Izzy: Sure thing, pal. Anything for you. Give me a hug. (Izzy pulls Tentomon in for a hug) Tentomon: ACK! ACK! YOU'RE CHOKING ME!!!

The wipers continue loudly squeegeeing while Izzy hugs Tentomon.

So, for the dub's version, Izzy's just... suddenly overcome with a huge surge of affection and emotion he's rarely shown before. To be fair, this is a super emotional situation to be in.

Next up, Takeru. Takeru and Patamon are standing side-by-side bawling their eyes out in a field of flowers.

Patamon: (bawling) Takeru, don't cry! Takeru: (bawling) But... But... We're never gonna see each other again! Patamon: (bawling) You're wrong! The flow of time between your world and my world is the same now, so I'm sure we'll meet again someday!

Takeru's tears dry up and he looks down at Patamon with renewed hope.

Takeru: Really? Patamon: We met again after Devimon, didn't we? Takeru: Yeah... Because, at the time, I believed we would meet again. Patamon: Then believe that now! Takeru: Okay. Then let's meet again! Promise? Patamon: Promise!

Takeru shakes Patamon's little paw as the two boys put their faith in what the future holds for them. A faith that will be rewarded through the power of franchise expansion, woo!

In the dub:

Patamon: (bawling) T.K., please stop crying because you're making me cry! T.K.: (bawling) I was just crying 'cause you were crying! Patamon: (bawling) Well if you're crying because I'm crying and I'm crying because you're crying then neither one of us needs to be crying, do we? (T.K. stops crying) T.K.: Oh. Oh, yeah. Patamon: Besides, I'm sure we're gonna see each other again one day. T.K.: Yeah! Just like we saw each other again after that thing with Devimon. Patamon: That's right! We did! T.K.: Let's make a pact. We'll see each other again! Promise? Patamon: Promise!

T.K. is a lot easier to pacify than Takeru is. He's even the one who brings up Patamon's death and reincarnation in the Devimon fight, rather than Patamon having to remind him of it.

Next on the list is Yamato. (Wait, really? I figured Yamato and Taichi would go last. Huh.) Yamato sits in the grass with Gabumon at the top of a hill.

For a moment, neither of them say anything. They sit there in silence, eyes watering. Gabumon is the first to speak.

Gabumon: Hey... Yamato.... Yamato: Hm? Gabumon: Could I hear it again? Your harmonica? Yamato: (smiling, faintly) Yeah....

Yamato takes out his harmonica and plays.

The dub lets the quiet moment sit.

Gabumon: ...that says it all. Matt: Hm? Gabumon: I wouldn't mind hearing you play your harmonica one last time. Matt: Glad to.

This is perfect. The "one last time" in particular adds a heartbreaking touch.

We move from there to Taichi. Taichi can hear Yamato's harmonica playing, and the tears well in his eyes.

Taichi: Ugh. Yamato, you jerk.... Agumon: What's wrong? Taichi: (frantically wipes his eyes) Nothing! Agumon: (unconvinced) Mm.

Moving along, Agumon calls Taichi's attention to the area behind him. They're on the little island with the trolley.

Agumon: Taichi, this is it, right? This is where I torched the firewood with my Baby Flame. Taichi: Yeah, that's right. Then the flames from our bonfire burned Seadramon's tail and made him mad. Agumon: (realizing) Whuh? ...that was my fault!? Taichi: Huh? Nah. I'm the one who stuck his tail in the bonfire. Hahahaha! Agumon: TAICHI!!!

It doesn't take Agumon long for Taichi's jubilation to become infectious, and soon he's laughing too.

AT LONG LAST, EXONERATION FOR SEADRAMON. Y'all have been painting that poor sea serpent with the "evil Digimon" brush for SO LONG.

(I did not realize they were actually going to talk about this. But I've been banging this gong for so long that I'm pleased to see it come full circle.)

In the dub:

Tai: Stupid Matt and his harmonica. Agumon: What's the matter? Tai: Nothing. Agumon: (unconvinced) Yeah. Sure. (Agumon draws attention to the area) Agumon: Hey, come over here and look at this! This is the spot where I first made my Pepper Breath, remember? Tai: Remember? How could I ever forget. That's where you burned Seadramon's tail and he attacked us. And your aim hasn't gotten much better since then either! Agumon: Hey! You don't really believe that, do you? Tai: Mmmm... Well, look at the bright side. Your aim hasn't gotten any worse! Hahahahahaha! Agumon: (disappointed) Come on, Tai....

Agumon does not join Tai in laughing at his expense. This is absolutely terrible. Tai's final words to Agumon are to mock him for being a poor shot, so that already sucks.

But also, they reminisce like in the original but they do it so badly. According to the dub, Agumon used Pepper Breath for the very first time in episode 3, when he fired off a shot that hit Seadramon's tail by accident. What was he supposed to be shooting at? No idea.

This is wildly incorrect for multiple reasons. Dub team. Dub team, you dubbed that episode already. Be better.

In the woods, Hikari takes off her whistle. The whistle she's had since she was a baby, that was such a huge part of her character in the OVA.

Tailmon: For me? Hikari: Yeah.

Hikari puts the lanyard around Tailmon's neck.

Tailmon: Thank you. Hikari: It looks good on you. Tailmon: Does it? Well... Take care of yourself, Hikari. Hikari: Yeah. Until next time. Tailmon: Next time? Hikari: Yeah! Next time! Tailmon: (blink blink)

Tailmon blinks, surprised by Hikari's words, but she does not elaborate.

Very little is directly said here, and yet this brief exchange carries so much weight. Hikari encourages Tailmon to believe they'll meet again the same way Patamon encouraged Takeru. So there's a symmetry there.

But moreover, Tailmon spent years of her life alone and abandoned. So Hikari gives her something really important to her. A physical memento she can keep close to her chest and always remember Hikari by.

In the dub:

Gatomon: For me? Kari: Uh-huh! Here, let me put it on you. It doubles as a flea collar! (Kari puts the lanyard around Gatomon's neck) Gatomon: Thanks, Kari. Kari: It looks good on you! Gatomon: Gee, thanks! Oh, wow... I guess this is... goodbye.... Kari: Yeah. 'Til next time. Gatomon: Next time? Kari: Yup! That's right! Gatomon: Huh...?

It doubles as a flea collar? I have questions for Yuuko and Susumu.

This one's perfect. No notes.

Well, that's everyone. It's time to head out-- Wait, what do you mean there's one left? Who hasn't said goodbye yet?

Mimi: (distraught) PALMON!!! PALMON!!!

Mimi wanders through the woods, frantically calling out for her Partner. Some of the Gekomon notice her.

Gekomon: Huh? Mimi, what are you doing geko? Mimi: Palmon isn't here. Have you seen her? Gekomon: We haven't seen her geko. Mimi: Oh. Where could Palmon have gone? There's so little time left. (Mimi resumes her search) Mimi: PALMON!!! PALMON!!!

As Mimi disappears into the woods, Palmon pops out from the underbrush with tears in her eyes.

Palmon: Mimi....

She isn't lost. She just... can't face this moment with Mimi.

In the dub:

Mimi: PALMON!!! WHERE YOU ARE!? I WANT TO SAY GOODBYE!!! Gekomon: Huh!? Princess Mimi, what are you doing? Mimi: Palmon's disappeared. Have you seen her? Gekomon: Not recently. Sorry. Mimi: I don't understand how she could leave at a time like this. There's only a few minutes left. (Mimi resumes her search) Mimi: PALMON!!! WHERE ARE YOU!?!? I'M LEAVING SOON!!! (Palmon watches Mimi go) Palmon: Mimi....

The dub is still calling her Princess Mimi.

Soon, the time has come. The children return to the trolley, where Gennai and Koushiro are waiting for them.

Gennai: Have you all said your goodbyes? We've finished preparing for your departure. Once you get on this trolley, it will take you back to your world.

Well, the kids aren't entirely ready to go. The kids look at Mimi, who's leaning on Sora and crying her eyes out.

Taichi: You see.... Sora: Can we have a little more time? Just a little bit? Gennai: You can't just stick around. The Gate won't wait for you. Sora: But- Gennai: What's wrong? Agumon: Palmon's gone. Mimi: (bawling) STUPID, STUPID, STUPID PALMON!!!

T_T Mimi.... Palmon no baka indeed.

In the dub:

Gennai: Have you all finished saying your goodbyes? You can take this cable car home on one condition: You have to promise to bring it back to San Francisco where I borrowed it from. Tai: Well... um.... Sora: Can't we just have a little more time? Please, Gennai, do something. Gennai: I'm sorry, Sora. The gate won't wait any longer. What's the problem? Agumon: Palmon seems to have disappeared. Mimi: (bawling) Why would she run away!? Why!?

"You have to promise to bring it back to San Francisco where I borrowed it from." XD Goddammit, that was good. Raises so many logistical questions that can never and will never be answered.

I accept your premise that Gennai is probably wanted in the U.S. for grand theft auto, and that the only explanation anyone will ever receive from him is "You don't know my life."

While Mimi cries her eyes out, we cut to Palmon sitting by herself in the woods. The two Gekomon Mimi spoke with earlier find her there.

Palmon: (crying) Mimi.... Gekomon 1: Oh, here you are geko. Gekomon 2: Mimi was searching for you geko. Palmon: I know... But I don't want to see her.... Gekomon 1: Why geko? Palmon: Because it hurts too much to say goodbye. So it's better if I don't see her.... Gekomon 1: Are you okay with that geko? Gekomon 2: Are you sure you're okay with that geko? Gekomon 1: Will you regret it geko? Palmon: ...Mimi....

The Gekomon recognize how important this is, and pressure Palmon not to make a mistake that will haunt both her and Mimi for the rest of their lives next three years or so.

In the dub:

Palmon: (crying wordlessly) Gekomon 1: Palmon! So that's where you're hiding. Gekomon 2: Mimi's been looking for you! Palmon: Yes, I know. But I don't want to see her. Gekomon 1: I don't understand. Palmon: It's simple. If I don't see her, then she can never say goodbye to me. Gekomon 1: Is that what you really want? Gekomon 2: I'm afraid you'll regret it one day. Palmon: It's too painful to say goodbye....

Pretty solid. Covers everything.

When we return to the trolley, the kids are gathered outside of it while Gennai watches the sun. Which sort of implies that they did manage to convince him to give them a couple extra minutes.

Gennai: It's time. Mimi: (cries louder) Gennai: Everyone, board the trolley. Taichi: Okay....

The children sadly board the train, leaving their Partner Digimon behind on the island outside. They open the windows so they can see their Partners one last time.

Taichi: Well, guys... Take care of yourselves. Agumon: You too.

In the dub, it's Sora who kicks this off.

Sora: I'm sorry, Mimi. We can't wait for Palmon any longer. Gennai: It's time. Get on the cable car, everyone. Tai: Come on. Let's go. (Everyone boards the trolley) Tai: Well, guys, this is it. What can I say? Agumon: (gently) Try "goodbye".

Sora's line makes the implication that they got their extra time a bit more explicit.

But now, it's time to go.

A sign on the front of the trolley changes to reflect their destination. Starting with 竜の目の湖 Ryuu no Me no Mizuumi or Dragon's Eye Lake, it changes to 光が丘 Hikarigaoka and then over to お台場 Odaiba. A neat reference to the fact that Hikarigaoka is where the first rift between realities was torn.

Tailmon blows the whistle Hikari gave her, and the nearby power poles surge electricity into the trolley through invisible cables. The trolley comes to life, floating into the air and moving away along a nonexistent track.

Digimon: BYE-BYE!!! Children: GOODBYE!!!

The children hang out the windows, waving their final farewell to the Partners they have to leave behind.

The dub cuts the footage of the changing trolley sign. I guess that's fine; American kids aren't going to be able to spot the Hikarigaoka reference anyway.

Digimon: Bye everyone! / Take care! / Goodbye! Joe: Bye everyone! Tai: Don't let anyone push you around! Sora: Make sure you dress warm! Izzy: Take it easy! Matt: Bye!

I think T.K. and Kari say something as well but it's hard to make out in the cacophony of voices.

Inside the trolley, however, Mimi is still crying.

Suddenly, Mimi looks up at the faint sound of Palmon's footsteps. That. She can somehow hear over the trolley moving and everyone shouting.

Sora: Mimi-chan! Mimi: (nods, excitement noises)

Palmon runs along the shore, waving her arms frantically.

Palmon: MIMI!!! MIMI!!! Mimi: (leans out window) PALMON!!! Palmon: MIMI!!! I'M SORRY!!! Mimi: IT'S OKAY!!! IT'S OKAY, PALMON!!! GOODBYE!!! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!! Palmon: GOODBYE MIMI--AUGH!!!

Palmon trips suddenly. The shock of which somehow causes Mimi's iconic pink cowboy hat to go flying off her head and sets off one last reprise of the series opening theme Butterfly.

In the dub, they add Palmon calling out to Mimi to better explain how she heard her approach from here.

Palmon: (faintly) MIMI!!! Mimi: (gasp) Sora: Mimi, look! Mimi: (nods, silently smiling) (Palmon runs along the shore) Palmon: MIMI!!! MIMI!!! Mimi: PALMON!!! Palmon: MIMI!!! I'M SORRY!!! Mimi: IT'S OKAY!!! DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!!! GOODBYE PALMON!!! AND THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!! I LOVE YOU!!! Palmon: GOODBYE MIMI--WHOA!!!

For the dub, it's... sigh... "Hey Digimon" that kicks up here. They do their own version of the dramatic musical reprise but their song sucks.

The other Digimon join Palmon in racing across the shore, waving goodbye to the trolley as it disappears.

Digimon: GOODBYE!!!

An interesting creative choice is that as the trolley goes, we, the audience, remain in the Digital World. The trolley fades into the distance, rising at the very end and slipping through the gateway back to the human world just before it closes.

Then it's gone. The children are finally home, and that's the last we see of it.

The final shot is of the enigmatic train crossing that Takeru came upon when he was separated from the others, before reaching the Village of Beginnings. The one that came on but had no train that crossed. Once the trolley leaves, the crossing stops ringing and opens its gate.

Narrator: The eight children's summer vacation adventure is over. However, that does not mean the gate will remain closed. That's because this is neither the beginning nor the end of the Chosen Children's adventures. The Gate to the Digimon World will surely open again as long as we never forget the Digimon.

Mimi's cowboy hat tumbles on the wind, rolling across the sky.

Narrator: So long as you wish for it, then in your heart... no... maybe....

He was about to say that we'll carry our friends in our hearts. But then it's as if the narrator suddenly realizes that his words mean something else. As the screen goes to black, we hear the faint sound of a Digivice activating. Then the final credits roll.

All of which is a very flowery and poetic way, but also incredibly dry way of saying SEE YOU ALL IN SEASON TWO MOTHERFUCKERS!!!

In the dub, Tai takes over for the closing narration.

Digimon: GOODBYE!!! (The Children depart and we stay behind) Tai: Our adventure in the Digital World might be over for now, but that gate won't stay closed forever! I have a feeling that this won't be the last time we see our pals the Digimon! You wait and see. One day that portal will open up again and we'll return to the Digital World! (Mimi's hat tumbles by) Tai: I wonder if Agumon will remember me? I know I'll never forget him. Or the rest of the Digimon! None of us will!

As usual, there is no Digivice activation sound effect following Tai's statement. Which makes sense because his final line doesn't dramatically queue it up.

Tai puts a lot more heart into this and his parting words click right up through "We'll return to the Digital World". But after that it just sounds like he's vamping, and can't end as strongly as the beeping Digivice.

Assessment: Holy shit, we made it. The very last episode of the very first series of Digimon Adventure, and yes the departure did make me cry again. Apocalymon ate shit and died, the distortion of the Digital World was finally eradicated, and the now battle-hardened but still fun-loving children are finally going home to their terrified parents.

One thing I learned going through this is how much I did not remember or remembered incorrectly about the original series. There were a lot of surprises to be had here, even right up to the end.

Like. I could have sworn Apocalymon was, like, the resentment of species in the real world that had gone extinct. But that is never suggested in either version. In fact, Apocalymon seems blissfully unaware that the human world even exists. Their beef is solely with the Digimon.

Man, what a trip. Now I have to figure out how I'm going to tackle Our War Game before we can move on to 02.

Probably going to take it the way I did the Dragon Ball movies when I was covering that series for another site and cut it into however many chunks I need to fit episode-lengths into. Should only be two or three.

Looking forward to seeing the 02 kids again. See all-a-y'all next series.

[ryttu3k]

Largely for reference, the conversations Jaheira's kids have with each other. Rion talks to Fig and Tate, Jord talks to Jhessem (and the plants); there's four bits of dialogue each.

Rion and Fig

"Poor dummy. Look at its arms - it just wants a hug."

"That's why it keeps losing. Dummy."

-

"Am I supposed to pretend that sword you're swinging wasn't stolen from my room?"

"Wrong. It's completely different."

"Funny. Because it looks just like the one I stole from mum when I was your age."

-

"Good. But you'll need to learn more than just the Harper forms."

"Is that why they threw you out? Because you didn't like their forms?"

"They didn't throw me out. I left. There was just… more to be learned elsewhere."

"Like the Flaming Fist?"

"No, now they threw me out."

-

"When can I move on to a real sword?"

"Oh, stop sulking. I had to teach myself in secret when I started. Mum didn't want to 'force me into the same life'."

"When did she change her mind?"

"About the third time I knocked her on her arse."

-

Rion and Tate

"Hey. You alright up here?"

"Yeah. I'll come down soon. Sorry."

"Don't need you to be sorry. Just checking that you're all right."

-

"You going to eat with us today?"

"I'm not… I'm not hungry. Really."

"Ah. Well, I could use a hand with the washing up - last time I let Fig do it, she blunted my best knife slaying 'soap-mephits'."

"Heh. All right."

-

"Would you like a book? I can have Jhessem drop one up. Maybe she'll even read it with you."

"Jhess…? Eh, no. That's all right. I'm all right."

"What if I tell her not to do the goblin voice?"

"I guess… that would be okay."

-

"You don't need to watch the door, you know. No one's getting in that we don't want to."

"They don't need to get past the door. They could just b-board it up and burn the place."

"True, I suppose. But you have something out there that you didn't, in your last house."

"…Fig."

"Fig."

Jord and Jhessem

"Bootprints on the tabletop. You haven't been poking around the top shelves again - have you, Jhessem?"

"Of course not. Her diaries are off-limits."

"And written in code too, I'm afraid."

"I know. It's not a very good code."

-

"Well, what are we reading now? More Alaundo?"

"No. I'm looking for any histories about this Absolute."

"I wouldn't bother. It's a new god - unknowable and mysterious."

"It's just another cult. And cults are common as muck."

"Huh. So sayeth the wise Jhessem."

-

"Try that hand-bill on fungal poultices. We might be tending the injured here before long."

"Perhaps you should brush up on the herb-lore yourself, Jord. Mother's vines are looking a little weedy."

"Why are the quiet ones always the cruellest?"

-

"That reminds me. I'm working on our family tree - I've already placed Rion. You're next."

"Hah. Well, I'm afraid you won't find us dangling from any of the same branches, sproutling."

"So we'll graft on another. A druid should know how to do that, shouldn't he?"

"I… suppose he should, at that."

Jord to plants

"You three have been just guzzling the water recently. Save some for the others, all right?"

"Coming along nicely there, Floki. Good, strong roots."

"Those leaves are a little darker than I'd like, Felicis. Bad soil? Hm. Don't tell mother…"

"Oh, come on, Ferdinand, I just trimmed you."

-

Rion and Jord are definitely trying their best to be big siblings! Rion is very gentle with Tate (who, from that last dialogue, seems to have experienced some trauma before being adopted by Jaheira - there's a letter that suggests his biological parents were amongst the first taken by the cult), Jhessem is a character, Jord and his plants are adorable, and Rion and Fig are very much cut from the same cloth.

[nightmanatee]

reasons why it might be safi all along (i mean why not).

disclaimer! i don't THINK i'm going to be right but i have been thinking about this game and all it's characters for so long that i won't stop until the next game is out i guess. do take this with a grain of salt just in case..

so. yeah. in a perfect circumstances the next game is going to be about max again. and safi. again. and many other things that i'll explain below but i also have tl;dr at the bottom bc there's a lot to talk about.

before we start i want to establish a few things about safi: she can turn into anybody she's met irl. she can leave parts of herself in people when she turns into them. these parts act as things that "change" people making them more like safi (something poetic about her losing parts of herself and being more like others she turns into and others becoming more and more like her). and she can potentially manipulate people.

part 1: all the things that happened before.

there are some weird things that are mentioned even before lis:de timeline. max has a part in her journal about how yasmin "was just some hot older lady who seemed to really want to be my friend" and safi CAN become her mother if she wants to. and even if it's actually yasmin it might be safi's part in her that wants max here. max is also promised an apartment where she "could bring friends over if she had any" and then the first day at uni safi comes in and says hi "like we've been friends for years"??? FOR YEARS??

"did you snoop into my wallet??" seriously how come we moved on from this THIS FAST???? like i get it safi getting into max's house in ep3 to see what max is up to but ep1? why would she want to get to learn about max this way?

i've checked their sms and there's one interesting thing when safi is being like "not to sound like a creeper but are you still at turtle?" or something and it IS interesting how she knows it (max being all alone at thanksgiving at turtle).

what could this all mean? well, 2 things. either safi is really interested in max's life and wants to know her and she doesn't care about consent, personal space and privacy (something max does if she romances amanda btw). or she needs to know not who max is but what, but more on that later.

part 2: max as a character.

although i do think that it's possible for max to be who she is in de given 10 years of growth but also given all the previous things i've said it might be safi's part in her making her act like this. max's freakiness totally comes from safi (remember ep4 dialogue between them), her confidence comes from her too (is it about her having more confidence or max having a lot of confidence through the years before (enough for her to win a few competitions)).

also! remember that max has taken out safi's parts out of moses, gwen and herself? and still safi can turn into her (vinh, yasmin and amanda). i also do wonder if it means that safi doesn't have "influence" on these people she can just turn into them? but then also -

part 2.5: "why isn't it hurting me?"

- also consider this: could it be so that safi lied to max and some part of her is still here. might as well explain why she hasn't replied to chloe's message anyways. or does it mean that safi has "been inside her" for so long that max doesn't even notice it yet.

it is rather interesting how there are a lot of moments specifially with safi that get brushed off and not mentioned again: the wallet thing, safi being too cruel in ep4 confession, her explanation for max not being hurt by her. could there be something more to it?

part 3: the reasoning.

ok. but really like why? why would she need to get max here in the first place? could this be just an accident with the universe being so kind to plot something like this? or could it be safi wanting more talented (like actually talented wink wink lucas) people here and she's noticed max and her work and decided to bring her here?

yeah it can be just it.

it can also be that safi just lied.

part ???: the one where i think safi lies.

ok but also let's imagine for a second that safi just. lied about many things. she did know about arcadia bay (weird how she's ready to snoop into max's wallet but can't google one thing about her? is it really THAT hard to either google who she is and to learn that she's from oregon or to go through her friends online see victoria chase and see that victoria probably posted about arcadia bay. like c'mon guys it can't be THAT hard). she did know that max has powers (just not what kind). she knew about chloe and met her personally.

if you go into the theory of safi becoming "others" who she shapeshifts as then her saying "partner in grime", doing the finger pistols, even her eagerness to "sacrifice herself for a greater good" - might all be from chloe.

she might've lied about not knowing anything to learn just how much max is weak for these things (something she's done for lucas).

part 5: the nightmare sequence.

it starts off pretty realistically with max encountering moses copying safi (one thing she talks about and it being potentially implied that she leaves a part of herself in people and they will act more like safi) but then something weird happens: the nightmare becomes personal. suddenly it's safi being in "chloe"'s position, it's blackwell's bathroom (max told safi about this) max having a weird unexplainable memory of her breaking up with chloe over safi's "coolness" (something she would've never said herself could it just be max). there are memories of her in the darkroom (mentioned in the diary), motels (something safi could've never known). it is kinda weird to focus on these things while the whole "nightmare" is more about helping safi becoming herself again. there's too much chloe for something that shouldn't include her in the first place (bc safi hasn't met her, has she?🤨🤫)

"she was in my head back there, and she didn't think of me at all" and "you know i was in love with her, or i thought i was" are two very interesting quotes from vinh that could mean that safi CAN make someone feel certain things she wants them to feel.

could she also make max feel like she needs to move on from chloe? given how eager she was to make max a move on amanda?

so yeah i do kinda feel like max hasn't finished her job fully and that something's got fixed but not all.

bonus part: aren't they merging already??? wait WHAT.

this thing is written at the very end of the game after safi, after nightmares after EVERYTHING. "something has been restored" and i wonder what, considering that it's not about safi or other peoples' memories. could it be that more that these two timelines merged? i mean it could also mean just max herself being "restored" by being able to save the day with everyone this time around but we'll see.

ok, wait! part 6: bay over bae.

almost forgot it. but yeah how can bay thing be somewhere here? well for once chloe is still important to max in this timeline the only problem is safi not being able to meet her "irl". i mean unless!! she evolves her powers enough to be able to "mimic" not only a person but their power/s as well. and given how she knows both of max's powers she can either timetravel to meet chloe or just travel to a parallel timeline to meet her future self (and to hurt max even more) or both. and now this will be the worst.

tl;dr? kinda?

what could that all mean? it could mean that safi has plotted max getting into caledon (to get what kind of powers max has/to exploit her talent to boost university's fame) and her only way to achieve that would be if max and chloe broke up (given how chloe didn't want to settle in with max yet. or if max wouldn't want to come "home" yet.

OR

it could mean that safi knows max's WEAKEST spot now and might, y'know, use it given a chance and a reason. and oh boy does she has a reason to (esp if you don't side with her). she can turn very fast against someone (did this to gwen and max), one wrong thing and she will want to hurt max in the worst way (remember how she's told all these awful things to robbie despite personally knowing him??? and it's all bc of his dad's actions?).

but only time will tell.

[artist-issues]

Hi, not to sound like a creep but I was trying to find this one reply to ask about the Chosen series because I remembered something and I wanted to see if you're the one who said it. But then I couldn't find it. Stumbled into this one post where you said your least favorite medium is anime and I'm quite curious about that now. I don't generally have an issue when people say they don't like anime, as a whole, but I try to understand why. Of course even if you just said "I just don't like it" then I could respect that too, since I can not push it.

I think it's like a language I don't speak. Even the English-dubbed versions. In anime, it's not made by people in my culture, for my culture. So, I don't understand it very well. I don't understand why everyone's screaming. I absolutely don't understand the character designs. I don't understand the use of blushing. I don't understand the humor or the drama. I don't understand why one interaction can take several "episodes," and the dialogue is unrealistic the entire time. People don't talk like that. And it would be one thing if people talked in an unrelatable cadence once, as part of the "style" of a film or show, but it's across the board for every anime I've seen.

There's nothing wrong with that, per se. Like I said, it's just made for a different culture, one I'm not in. And that's fine. Could I learn it? Could I engross myself in it until I feel what the media is trying to make me feel and get what they're trying to say?

Yeah. I could.

But most often, it doesn't feel worth it. It doesn't feel like the anime I've seen is really trying to point to a significant truth or remind people of goodness and beauty, so much as it is pointless entertainment.

Otherwise, why is there so much gratuitous cleavage? Whats with the emphasis on violence violence violence? Plus cursing? Why are all of the "attractive" characters a little-girl stereotype or a sexy femme fatale stereotype? And what's with the feminine looking dude characters? Why does one fight take six episodes? Why does one "romance" last an entire show but consist of nothing except gasps and blushes?

Not a fan.

I have seen one or two anime that clearly have a point. They're Studio Ghibli, though.

And again, I'm not saying anime's have no point in general. I'm saying I'd have to understand the culture to get the point, but the culture itself seems to be based around values that I don't find valuable. And a lot of those "values" if I'm reading them right are the ones our Western culture is starting to push down throats more and more, and I don't like those, either, so there you go.

I also find it odd that so many young Western men are drawn to anime. I don't think it's an awesome thing. All the anime I've ever seen: Demonslayer, Naruto, etc. doesn't have anything particularly good for them in it. There's a ton of violence, of egos getting slung around, yelling, and terribly long gratuitous brain-numbing pacing, along with sensual gasping and drama-for-drama's sake. And I know my young male friends are no more Japanese or understanding of Japanese culture than I am. So what are they getting out of it? They can't ever tell me.

Maybe you can?

[psychic-refugee]

I loved MOA, I’ve watched it twice and it’s definitely a great rewatch. Probably going into my list of comfort films to watch again and again.

It definitely deserves its #1 Spot on Amazon Video.

I’m going to wait to give a full on review so people have more time to watch it and it’s less spoilery.  

I do want to address one thing that I don’t think is a fair criticism, at all.

I’ve seen several posts where they’re unhappy that the main character isn’t a lesbian. Someone even went as far to call it “lesbian erasure” and others are calling Megan Park/the movie lesphobic.

On one hand, I understand that there aren’t enough good representation movies for lesbians or the LGBTQ+ community, and it can be frustrating when something looks promising or if you had certain hopes, but it turns out a different way.

On the other hand, come on, BFFR and fuck off.

No one ever said it was a lesbian rom com. It’s a rom com with a character who is very young and in her limited experience had thought she was a lesbian, and then finds someone who makes her question that specific title.

Chad has ALWAYS been part of the synopsis and cast list. He was always framed as the romantic interest.

Other people's sexuality is not dependent upon your hopes and wishes, both real and fictional.

I think people are so chronically online and obsessed with labels that they forget that no one has met everyone they’re ever going to meet, ESPECIALLY NOT AT 18. Elliott had only ever been attracted to women up until she meets Chad. She’s also from a very small town, is itching to live in the big city of Toronto, and is about to attend the University of Toronto.

There is a chance she still would have figured out she was also attracted to men when the dating pool got much larger for her.

Is it “heterosexual erasure” if the opposite happens and someone goes off to Uni to discover they are attracted to the same sex? Or is it just part of some people’s journey?

I, personally, think it’s a great message that you’re a) not stuck with a title or specific sexuality and b) it doesn’t have to be this traumatic, existential crisis. I loved how she talked it out with her friend, Ro, and it was like, “oh shit (surprised)…tell me more (intrigued and supportive).”

Please notice how Ro and Ruthie (Maddie Zeigler) don’t question Elliott’s sexuality or try to make her feel bad about it, they just accept her as friends should.

Again, personally, I’m glad to see a queer story that doesn’t have queer trauma.

I hope everyone’s sexual, or lack thereof, journey is as easy going.

I also feel like the people who are mad that she fell in love with a man when “the right one came along,” and are calling it lesbian erasure, completely stopped paying any real attention to the movie.

Elliott NEVER calls herself straight. She NEVER indicates she no longer is attracted to women because she found Chad.

Her attraction to Chad is in addition to her general attraction to women. It’s very clear through the dialogue that she is very much into women, and that never stops.

Spoiler but not relevant to furthering the plot and it’s towards the end of the movie:

…

Older Elliott references having a current girlfriend in the future. Timestamp: 1:13:30

She doesn’t mention any other male significant other.

It could very well be that Chad is a one off, but still very important, valid, and REAL love in Elliott's life.

At no point does Elliott’s attraction to Chad diminish her attraction to women.

Fine, be frustrated in the general lack of lesbian specific movies.

But don’t call Megan Park lesphobic for not making a character SHE CREATED lesbian when Elliott was never meant to be lesbian to begin with.

[pekoposting]

This is interesting! Particularly because it's a departure from the usual conclusions that hardcore Pekoyama fans usually make from this evidence. Which is...

Peko's biological parents are the Pekoyama clan

The typical interpretation goes something like this:

The Pekoyama clan is a band of renowned swordfighters. For whatever reason, they get in massive debt to the Kuzuryuu clan. The Kuzuryuu clan force them to repay these debts by taking their young heir, and training her to be a bodyguard for their own heir when he is born. We know the rest of the story.

The evidence for this is as follows (though keep in mind, I did not consider your interpretation when I was formulating this, so the evidence seemed more self-evident originally):

Pekoyama's name in the Japanese is spelt 辺古山 ペコ. Her family name, (辺古山) is spelt normally, in kanji. However, her first name is spelt in katakana, which as far as I can tell is the only of the three Japanese scripts not used to write Japanese names. Also it's literally just the first two phonetic sounds of her surname. Which gives the impression that her surname is real, and her first name is something carelessly made up on the fly because you have to call her something.

The fact that she has a family heirloom. Why would the Kuzuryuu clan know the family of an orphaned baby? As far as I know, people in Japan don't usually attach their family name when they're orphaning a child.

...Yeah, it was primarily based on the premise that out of the two contradictory pieces of information we get about Pekoyama's parents, the one at the end of Chapter 2 (that she was abandoned by them from birth) is the correct one.

Of course... there are still issues with this interpretation. Primarily, that Island Mode dialogue where she says she has memories of her parents being alive. The heirloom is a bit iffy, too. (Perhaps it's something the Kuzuryuu clan also took along with Pekoyama?)

The only excuse I can come up for the parents thing is that it is Pekoyama deliberately lying to make her childhood sound more normal. Because the closer she gets to telling the truth, the more questions Hinata will have, and she doesn't want that. That's not the point she's trying to convey anyways, so she goes with a simple lie to smooth it over so she can talk about her memories

There are issues with your interpretation too, namely that the Kuzuryuu clan risks giving Pekoyama an alternative motive through giving her actual parents, i.e. humanising her and possibly making her consider if there's other ways she can live. As we both know, Pekoyama's Island Mode ending implies that she is only so dedicated to her tool mindset because it's the only way she knows how to live.

Whilst I probably will come around to yours more as I let it sink into my brain, I'm going to be honest, I am still quite attached to the 'Pekoyama was stolen from the Pekoyama clan' interpretation, because I've spent a lot of time thinking about it, and because those hardcore Pekoyama fans have also written about it.

One of my absolute favourite implementations of it is at the end of thewildwilds' already incredible fic [absolute zero.] where it's mentioned that upon taking baby Pekoyama, her parents cursed the Kuzuryuu clan by swearing that their child would ultimately cause the destruction of the clan. That's SO DELICIOUS

As you know, I am very much a fic writer. So much so that my opinion on ships is often determined by easy/fun they are to write. And there is a lot of potential things to explore in this interpretation that I've barely ever seen anyone cover beyond 100 word drabbles.

For example... this means that Pekoyama is the only former RoD who could still have their parents alive. So... how would she cope with that? (I have some answers to that, but they're not precise, and this is getting long enough already.) NO ONE HAS EXPLORED HOW SHE'D INTERACT WITH HER BIO PARENTS AT ALL SOB. I may have to get over my natural reluctance to make OCs for this...

(This still could be explored under your interpretation, it's just that it's harder to pinpoint who her bio parents are, and those parents are less defined.)

In conclusion: what the hell even was this (MY POST NOT YOURS). There are several points I almost certainly forgot. Pekoytama.

Random tidbits about the Pekoyama Dojo

Peko was adopted by the Pekoyama Dojo

Peko reminiscence about her parents taking her to an old amusement park.

Because Peko was abandoned as a baby by her birth parents, it can be deduced all her memories regarding her parents is with her adoptive parents.

The only time she feels like smiling outside her Free Time Event, is when she is at an amusement park.

Because Peko was given the Pekoyama's family heirloom, and the obvious fact she bares the family name, you can infer that Peko's adoptive parents was from the Pekoyama Dojo on the Kuzuryus behalf.

Peko states that her dojo is not exactly a Kendo dojo. The fact that their family heirloom bears the symbol of the Kuzuryu clan mascot, the Pekoyamas were mostly likely a vassel family who served the Kuzuryus (I think the Japanese term is Kashin but don't quote me on that)

Peko's experiences at the Dojo

Just because it would be too much to screenshot, it's strongly implied that everything she did was a form of training. Peko can't take an activity at face value and see everything as a form of training. Examples include: Splitting watermelons, dropping coconuts, watching movies, going into haunted houses.

You could make the argument, because Peko was a 'tool', this was the justification to allow Peko to do normal activities.

Overall, Peko recalls only nice things about the dojo

As always, shout out to Peko's pet finch that probably hated her

Not canon in the slightest, but a moment from the manga

Mentions of Peko's childhood that may or may not be related to the dojo

[gnomeantics]

hate it when computers work normally and perfectly. its not right. girl where is your specific ritual which only the owner knows

[feroluce]

For reasons to be expanded upon at a later date (because I love the little bits about Boothill and possible paranoia/betrayal canon gives us so very dearly HNGH) I think Boothill like... He won't let himself fall into disrepair or anything of course, but he reeeeeeeeeeally does not like letting other people poke around at his body. It's a necessary evil to him. He does whatever maintenance and repairs he can himself. He started out with a massive knowledge deficit, simply because he didn't really have any exposure to that kind of technology until he left Aeragan-Epharshal, but he's taught himself a lot since then, he worked really hard at it!

Anyway, the point being, Boothill generally isn't super trusting of people.

But I think he would come to make an exception for Himeko, since he trusts Dan Heng a lot, and Himeko is one of Dan Heng's once-in-a-lifetime dearly beloved companions.

Himeko is so unflappable, I don't think she would even bat an eye about anything he throws at her, either. Like she enters the Parlor Car one morning (she's always the first one up) and Boothill is already there, waiting for her.

"Mornin', Madam Navigator."

"Good morning, Mr. Boothill."

And despite the fact that he blatantly broke into the Express (Pom-Pom is NOT happy about this JDKSAJDSKL), Boothill tips his hat, greets her politely, and is nothing but respectful when he says he has a favor to ask of her. Except it won't stay a favor long, of course- he has every intention of paying it back.

Himeko never agrees to things blindly, but she does bring up that all the knowledge Boothill contributed during the Charmony Festival was essential to preventing the universe from being pulled into Ena's Dream. And they were able to hold onto the Jade Abacus because Boothill used Tiernan's burial relic to summon the Galaxy Rangers instead. The Astral Express owes him a debt of gratitude, and besides, he's a friend of Dan Heng's. Of course she'll try to help him.

Boothill fidgets a bit, quickly brushes off the thanks, and tells Himeko he's having a problem with error codes. He keeps getting the same one, seemingly at random times, but the darn thing has no obvious cause. Dan Heng mentioned Himeko had been the one to rebuild the Astral Express. He knows it ain't the same, but it's not like he's askin' for any major repairs or nothin'. He was wonderin' if she could just take a look, maybe offer him some insight, since she seems to be somethin' of a mechanical wonder.

So Himeko walks him back to a another car, where she goes to tinker with machines without them crowding her bedroom. It's all neatly laid out and organized, and it only takes a second for Himeko to locate some specific device with a long cord. Instead of plugging it in herself, she holds the end of it out to him, like an offer rather than a demand, and Boothill visibly relaxes a bit. He still eyes it just a little warily for a second, but he accepts and plugs it into the port on his side.

Himeko pulls up the list of all recent errors, and they really are all the same. Boothill has had multiple temperature alarms over the past couple of weeks since the Charmony Festival, and they know it's not the environment, because Penacony is mostly dreamscape and kept mild year-round. The long-forgotten natural deserts are too far away.

Boothill is staring from the corner of his one good eye, so Himeko turns the hologram to let him see what she's doing easier. They don't appear to be false alarms. His internal temperature spikes and then slowly lowers again, high enough that if it lasted it would eventually cause damage.

One option is for her to start rooting through personal data, figuring out what he was doing at the time of each code, and tracing cause and correlation.

Instead, Himeko reads out the timestamps, and asks Boothill if he minds sharing what was happening around him when it occured.

Two weeks ago: He and Dan Heng went to explore Dreamflux Reef and found a bar- nice place, good atmosphere. Woman runnin’ it was a doll. Boothill left fer not even two minutes to get them drinks (Dan Heng knows like nothin’ about liquor, Madam Navigator, can you believe this guy) and when he came back, someone had already stolen his seat and was hittin’ on Dan Heng! Dan Heng didn't even care, just shooed ‘em off. Boothill laughed and said not to let him get in his way if he wanted to meet someone. Dan Heng looked at him like he'd grown a second head. Why would he want to leave with someone else, when he came here to be with Boothill?

Twelve days ago: While laying low- er, just rustlin’ up some grub- in the Moment of Blue, Boothill passed Dan Heng with March and Caelus playin’ on the beach, buildin’ sandcastles and the like. When he passed by again almost two hours later, they were still out there, with Dan Heng pullin’ March through the water on her inner tube and Caelus hangin’ off the back of it. He swam so fast! You'd think he was part water snake or somethin’. He looked happier ‘n a cat in a sunbeam… He has a nice smile, doesn't he?

Eleven days ago: Boothill was killin’ time in Dreamflux Reef when he turned the corner down a shady alley and saw Dan Heng, surrounded by three men demandin’ “protection money.” None of ‘em stood a chance, they were all on the ground before Boothill even blinked! So cool! Boothill wants to see that spear of his closeup- Anyway, Dan Heng stepped on one of ‘em on his way out, hahaha! Boothill stepped on the same guy a second time as he hurried to catch up.

Eight days ago: Here on the Express, actually. Boothill had mentioned bein’ curious about the archives, and Dan Heng personally invited him.

(“I remember that day, I saw you in the hall.” “Was there any problem with the heating that day?” “No, none. I don't think the temperature has anything to do with these error codes. I have a different theory, keep going.” “If ya say so.”)

Boothill was fascinated by an entry on aeons, and from a single question he asked about Lan, the two of ‘em ended up talkin’ fer hours. About aeons and Paths and Emanators, Acheron and Self-Annihilators, the Sea of Nihility, Tiernan, the Nameless and the Galaxy Rangers, their burial relics and their customs. Dan Heng finally just started writin’ and editin’ the entries in real time, with Boothill pointin’ things out and tellin’ him what to add in. They were at it so late that Boothill ended up sleepin' on a couch in one of the cars.

He'd figured there had to be something to make Dan Heng chatty- he'd caught just a glimpse of it that first night they met, sittin’ at the bar in the Reverie together. He'll have to ask about the archives more often, if it gets him all revved up like that.

One week ago: After that night of energetic discussion, Dan Heng was apparently hyped up, because after he'd downed some of Himeko's coffee (“You had some too, right? What did you think of it?” “It was great, even better'n chewin’ bullets!” "Thank you! That was my newest brew, I can't wait for everyone else to try it.") he actually asked Boothill to go hunting with him. Boothill asked who their target was, and was surprised when Dan Heng pulled out photos that looked like they were from March's camera, of all things, instead of a bounty or wanted poster.

And as he sat there, studying these pictures, Dan Heng explained that he wanted to hunt down these specific memory zone memes to record them into the archives. Planets with so much memoria are a rarity, especially with the Stellaron's activity thrown into the mix, which has surely affected the local “wildlife.” He might not get another opportunity like this for a long time. And Boothill had talked last night about his extensive expertise in tracking and hunting, so he should have plenty to offer here, Dan Heng would like to learn from his experience and see how he does things!

And oh, Madam Navigator, by the time Dan Heng was done speakin', his eyes were practically sparklin'! Just lit up like the sun! Boothill could scarcely believe it! The two of them couldn't even wait another day, they set out that very morning. It had been a long, long while since Boothill had tracked someone- er, somethin’- without the intent to capture or kill. It was…actually really nice. Nostalgic, but in a good way. It might even have been his favorite day on Penacony…so…far…

Boothill trails off as a couple of realizations crash into him. All the temperature alarms he's spoken about thus far- they've all happened in the company of Dan Heng. And now that he's thinking about it, he's pretty sure even the ones he hasn't yet talked about were with him, too. Dan Heng has been responsible for all of his error codes, every. single. one.

The screen in front of Himeko suddenly refreshes to the top of the list, displaying a new notification for the current time. Alert! Core temperature above normal range.

Himeko's knowing smile is sly as a snake.

Wwwwwelp, would ya look at the time, Boothill has some errands to meet, people to run, y’know how it is, he should really get goin'-

“Oh, Mr. Boothill? About that favor.” And Boothill jolts to a stop in the doorway because fudge, he can't just leave without hearing her out. He'd given his word. He has no problem running out on someone he thinks deserves it, but Himeko really had been kind to him to try and help him out. Her voice is just as knowing as her smile, Boothill can't turn around to look at her, or else he knows he won't be able to disguise the sound of his cooling fans kicking on.

“Don't make Dan Heng wait too long, ok~?”

“Y-Yes, ma'am.”

[lunarharp]

"Found out" set in kind of a made-up chapter where the girls are in trouble, or something.

[luvv4j4ybe11]

Your lovemaking is rough. Passionate. The perfect blend of ‘I love you, baby. Now fuck me like you don’t’

Gawddd, talie, I’ve missed your writing smmm 😩

Your fingers subconsciously trace along Jake’s forearm, the tips dragging a lazy back and forth pattern along the smooth skin. He fits behind you perfectly, muscular body curling around yours like it was built to fit against yours. You think maybe it was. Eywa may not have been his maker, the body he is in now was once human-made. But despite not being his maker, she is his Mother - and you know just as well as any other Na’vi how the Great Mother can perform miracles. 

OHHH THIS IS WHAT I MF YEARNNN FORRRR!!

The joking tone is there again. The humorous sarcasm. Jake likes you when you're sweet and pliant - it's a rarity that he likes to enjoy in the odd moments that it comes like this one. But he loves it when you're mean. 

I absolutely loveeee the way you write Jake bc you capture his character so well but you add a little extra depth to him that we didn’t get to see in the movies, whenever I read your Jake fics I’m never not giggling bc of how you write his dialogue

Jake’s voice is in your ear, gravely and deep as he groans about how he’s going to tie you to him, keep you locked on his cock and fill you up until your belly swells. 

OH IM ON THE FUCKIN FLOORRRR

“Maybe next time it will be us up there introducing our kid to the clan,” He grunts, nipping your ear with his sharp teeth. You moan, eyes fluttering as his thrusts speed up, the wet sounds of skin on skin and his voice filling your ear is all you can hear in the small hut. “Would you like that, baby?”

UGHHHH😩😩 I cannot do this rn im ovulating 💔

Jake’s arms cuddle around you, his head laying on top of yours as you both bask in the afterglow. The village is starting to come back to life around you, sounds of children playing and the usual hustle and bustle of clan life making its way through the entrance of your home. Soon, you’ll have to leave the safety and closeness of Jake’s loving hold.

DAWHH!!!🥹

What I good ending after all the hot and heavy goodtness, mm😩! You never fail to serve the WHOLEEE MF TABLE with your fics!!

but also

Soft Touches

⭒˚.⭒. 1K Follower Special .⭒.˚⭒

Pairing: Jake x Fem!Na'vi!Reader

Warnings: P in V, Fingering, Alien Genitalia, Soft Sex, Slight Tail Play, Creampie, Knotting, Finger sucking/Fingers in mouth, Slight Breeding Kink

Word Count: 4K

A/N: First fic in a while! Sorry its a little rusty.

A/N 2: For more about how I picture alien genitalia, see here.

Summary: You enjoy a nice lazy morning with your mate after a long night of celebration.

Translations:

Olo'eyktan - Clan Leader

Muntxate - Wife, female spouse

Ikran - Mountain banshee, dragon-like aerial predators

It’s mornings like these that remind you to take a breath.

The mornings when the village is mostly silent. When the normal hustle and bustle of early clan life is put on hold for just a moment, most others favoring the extra sleep and time alone with their loved ones after a long night of celebration before the reality of the day catches up to them and they need to re-enter the real world. 

The celebration was one of new beginnings. The new life born from the couple who had been trying for a long time - new parents who you had seen almost give up hope in ever conceiving after years of nothing finally receiving Eywa’s blessing in the form of a beautiful baby boy. The People cheered and prayed for their new clan member as Jake formally introduced him to the world, holding the baby high above his head and shouting his name with pride as if the baby were his own. 

You hope maybe one day soon, he’ll be able to do the same for your own child. 

As the ceremony turned into food and food turned into dance, the night passed by in a flurry of blood thumping music and happy memories. Your mate is a vision in his Olo’eyktan garb - muscular shoulders made even more broad by the layered feathers proudly displayed on him. His beautiful face somehow made even more beautiful framed by the ornate headpiece that lays distinguished on his forehead. The multitude of necklaces and armbands that adorn him, dressed with colorful beading, intricate knots, and bones. 

They’re symbols of respect. Symbols of honor. 

You can’t wait to tear them off his body when you get home.

And so you do - following every instinct you have as you rip the badges of honor from him in a fierce display that has your Olo’eyktan practically shaking in excitement and grinning that adorably goofy smile of his as he leans back against your shared woven mat, hands folded comfortably behind his head as he lets you ravage him to your heart’s delight. 

Your lovemaking is rough. Passionate. The perfect blend of ‘I love you, baby. Now fuck me like you don’t’. It’s the kind of intimacy that makes you feel alive. It’s exciting and fun, quick and intensely satisfying as you both greedily chase that pleasure that you know only the other can provide. 

“Fucked your brains out,” Jake jokes afterwards, and you resist the urge to smack him - too satisfied and gooey in the glow of the aftermath that you can’t even bring yourself to move to make the hit. 

You think he knows that, which is probably why he said it.

You don’t dream, and sometimes that’s better than even the best dreams. There’s nothing to keep your mind working, no other life to live in another world and nothing to bring your deepest fears or greatest dreams to life. It’s just silence. Pure rest and energy replenishment. You wake up feeling refreshed - calm and serene. 

Like the rest of the world is miles away and it’s just you and the love of your life together alone, away from all responsibility and the demands life brings.

Mornings like this are easy. 

Soft light just barely making it into the hut, just enough to light up everything around you, but not enough that you couldn’t easily fall back asleep if you wanted to. Jake’s arms are a warm blanket around you, keeping you close and safe and protected even in sleep. The consistent puffs of breath on your neck from where his face is pressed close to you is soothing in a way you can’t even begin to describe. You could lay here all day, wrapped up in the warmth of his body and the unassuming fuzziness of almost sleep blurring at the edges of your vision. 

There’s no worries right now, no concern or to-do’s or looming tasks that are faring for your attention. 

It’s just him and you. Even if for only right now. 

Your fingers subconsciously trace along Jake’s forearm, the tips dragging a lazy back and forth pattern along the smooth skin. He fits behind you perfectly, muscular body curling around yours like it was built to fit against yours. You think maybe it was. Eywa may not have been his maker, the body he is in now was once human-made. But despite not being his maker, she is his Mother - and you know just as well as any other Na’vi how the Great Mother can perform miracles. 

She made him for you somehow. Just for you.

Your fingers continue their featherlight touches on his arm and they’re more deliberate now as your tail curls around the back of Jake’s leg so the soft tuft of hair at the end can tickle along the back of his knee. The light touches are guaranteed to wake him up. He showers you in a strong gentleness, granting you the light and soft touches that you love so much exactly when you need them, but he prefers a firmer touch. The softer touches drive him insane after a while and he’ll often grab your hand and push it harder against his skin to starve off the sensation or even drag your nails across the spot to get rid of the itch. 

You’re a menace, purposefully teasing him with light touches just to see him react the way he does. Just because it's a soft and peaceful morning doesn’t mean you’ll show him reprieve. 

The tightness in your core says you want him, so he needs to wake up. Just the feel of his body pressing against yours and the rhythmic puffs of breath on the back of your neck is sending pleasant tingles down your spine. The warmth of his body heat turns into a different kind of warmth that swells in your stomach and settles between your thighs.

You can feel him start to stir behind you, the puffs of breath becoming harsher as his arm and leg twitch against your lovingly mean touches. Your body tenses in excitement when you feel the sharp teeth press against the nape of your neck and the low growl he lets out reverberates through your entire body.

“What have I said about the touching, baby?”

“Firm strokes,” You grin before adding on a smug, “Everywhere.”

Jake hums against you, teeth still a clear warning against the back of your neck and they dig in just a little harder at your cheeky answer. 

“That’s right,” He says against your skin. “So why is my mate being bad on this very nice morning?”

“Wanted you to wake up,” You breathe. 

Your tail flicks at the back of his knee again and you let out an excited laugh when he pulls his arm away from your tickling fingers to snatch your tail. He jerks it swiftly in reprimand, not hard enough to actually hurt but just enough for you to feel the sharp pull of it and the sensation shoots right down to your center.

“Wake up for what?” He asks, but you can hear the responding grin in his voice.

You arch your back, pressing your ass against his bare front just to drive the point home. His cock is still sheltered in its protective sheath, but the action is clear anyway. “You know for what,”

The move does its job and your Jake is significantly riled up in an instant. He presses his front harder against your back, rolling you slightly forward to better gain leverage against you. The muscular arm you’re using as a pillow shifts so that his hand can reach down and cup your breast, squeezing the soft flesh in his large hand. The other hand slides across your hip, the tip of your tail still caught in the loose ring of his thumb and pointer finger as he drags it with him between your thighs. 

He keeps it trapped there as his middle finger runs across your slick slit, sliding up and down the length of your pussy with the lightest of touches. The tuft of hair on your tail sticks together as Jake drags it with him and a part of you wants to yell at him, mortified at the idea of your own tail becoming dirtied by your own sticky mess. But the feeling of the soft hair sliding across your needy slit makes you even more desperate and the control that he shows he has over you as he uses your own hair tuft on your tail to help him tease you makes you whimper.

“Ma Jake,” You squirm. You tilt your hips trying to get him to touch you better - push a little harder, slide a finger inside, touch your clit, something. But he doesn’t budge. Just continues his teasing as he nips his sharp teeth at your ear.

“Hm, what’s wrong, babygirl?” He mocks. “I thought you liked soft touches.”

Since he moved, your hands had been clutching the wrist of the hand caressing your breast. Now, you pull one away from its resting place to grab the hand between your thighs trying to manipulate his fingers into moving to the places you want them to. The inside of your palm brushes against the sticky strands of hair as Jake makes it brush over your clit and your tail jerks in response as your body inadvertently tries to tug it away, but Jake keeps it hostage between his skilled fingers. The fine hairs leave silky lines of wetness against your palm. 

“Please,” You whine and your fingers press against his middle finger, forcing it to slip between your wet lips. “Be nice to your muntxate.”

“Yeah?” Jake grumbles. “After you were just so nice to me?”

A part of you wants him to continue to drag this out. You like the tease. The way the barely there touches are nowhere near enough to get you to where you want to be but the tortuous featherlight brush of fingers makes you wetter than direct and firm touches would. Jake knows how to play with you, knows how to work you up to near madness with barely even lifting a finger. He touches the right spots - gentle brushes against the length of your pussy, caressing along the sides and down the slit, dipping in enough just to be able to slide across your hole that clenches with need from every new ‘not touch’. Sometimes his fingers would nudge against your clit, just enough to make you jump as a shock of pleasure shoots into your belly at the place you most want him to touch finally getting some attention, even if for only one fleeting second. 

“I’m always nice to you,” You breathe. 

“Oh, yeah?” Jake laughs, knowing disbelief coloring the beautiful sound and you can’t help the cheeky grin that pulls at your lips in return. “You’re always nice to me, huh?

“Mhm,” You agree. You lean your head back so your cheek can rub against Jake’s. “The nicest and most perfect mate ever.”

“Hm,” Jake hums and your breathing hitches as when his fingers slide more purposefully towards your dripping hole. “Yeah, you’ve never been a pain in my ass for a single second, have you?”

Your tail lashes out behind you when Jake loosens his grip on it in favor of sinking his long fingers inside you. It smacks against Jake’s thigh a few times and distantly you hope that it leaves a wet spot there too as payback, but the thought is so removed from your brain right now that it hardly even registers at all. His fingers slide into you so perfectly, the size of two of them sinking into your cunt begins to stretch you out so well. Compared to the actual size of him, it's not enough to fully prepare you. But you can feel where his cock has come out to play behind you, already hard and wet from the slick of its protective sheath as it pokes at the curve of your ass. 

“You’ve just always been my good girl,”

His words are sweet, the urge to nod and agree that yes, yes you have always been his good girl is so strong as his fingers fill you up, but you know better than anyone how the edge of sarcasm in his words ring true. When you first met Jake, you had been hostile. Furious with your best friend when she had saved him in the forest and furious even more when she begged for your help to train him in the ways of The People when her father had instructed her to take on the task of babysitter. It makes you laugh now to think back on those months. Neytiri wasn’t nice by any means, but she had quickly developed a fond friendship with the dreamwalker despite her early aggression. And even though you hissed at him, smacked him instead of guiding him into place when learning to shoot a bow and arrow and use a knife, and called him every insult you knew straight to his face while fully taking advantage of the fact that he was still learning Na’vi - you had grown to be quite fond of him too.

The differences you had once held against him were now things to be cherished. The five fingers that once made you nervous, too associated with the demons that had come and killed people that you cared about and tried to destroy your home, were a symbol of his loyalty to you and The People. He chose you - chose to be with you and give his loyalty to you and Eywa and the rest of the clan over the species he was born as, and you take pride in seeing that fifth finger on his hand, playing with it lovingly between your own fingers, and knowing what it symbolizes to you. Made a human but created by the Great Mother: different, but still Na’vi. 

But you are a warrior - fierce and focused, courageous and determined. Maybe a little aggressive. Stubborn. So maybe you’re not always as nice as you could be. The fondness grown from spending the time of getting to know Jake and the unavoidable blessing of love that came after couldn’t have stopped the aspects of your personality and you’d be lying to yourself if you said you were always a patient, kind, and understanding bundle of joy. You argue and expect things, fierce in your opinions and beliefs just as fierce as you love. 

You would never have found a worthy match with someone else in the clan. No one else could have ever handled you the way Jake can. No one else would have ever loved you as much as Jake does. 

You’re a pain in his ass - on him from the start if he’s wrong about something, making a bad call or the wrong decision, and you push him to be better as a good mate should. Direct communication. No sugar-coating things. Jake can handle it and you hate it in the moment, but you’re grateful that you can say he returns the favor too. 

“My perfect mate,” Jake agrees and your tail shakes with excitement as he digs his fingers in deeper.

You’re so wet already, slick pooling between your thighs as you spread them more to give him a little more space for his hand. The hand on your breast clings to it, not letting go or loosening its grip for a second as he squeezes at your chest. His clever fingers form a cage around your nipple that pinches the hard bud between his third and fourth finger with each squeeze, and the sharp pang of pleasure that courses through your body from the stimulation drives you to grind down on the hand between your thighs even harder.

His fingers feel so good inside you, stretching you and thrusting as deep as they can go as you leak around them. He knows all your good spots, fingertips curling and rubbing against your slick walls as he torments the spots he can reach in his position and rakes the tips of his fangs on the back of your neck to make up for the ones he can’t. Your hand is still laying on top of his, moving with it as if it’s guiding its movements. Jake lets you keep it there. He knows you like to act like you’re in control sometimes. 

The thick head of his cock pokes at your ass, sliding against the curve of it and your hand finally leaves the top of his to reach behind you. Your hand curls around his length, stroking gently and feeling each textured bump and barb rub against your fingertips. His fingers are good, magical even. But even in the soft morning glow when things are quiet and you should be satisfied, it’s still not enough. 

“Ma Jake, please?”

He chuckles. “You’re so polite when you want something,” 

You grin. “Don’t make me be mean,”

Jake shifts his hips harder against your ass, somehow shoving his fingers deeper inside you as he rubs his cheek against yours, lips pressing just off to the side of your own in a quick kiss. “Yeah, wouldn’t want you to be mean, would we?”

The joking tone is there again. The humorous sarcasm. Jake likes you when you're sweet and pliant - it's a rarity that he likes to enjoy in the odd moments that it comes like this one. But he loves it when you're mean. 

He doesn’t let you respond, instead choosing to be nice and halting the sweet torment of his fingers in your cunt and replacing them with the blunt press of his cock at your entrance. Your body mourns the loss of his fingers when he pulls them from between your legs, but you do well to push the feeling down when he hooks his hand under your knee and bends your leg up, spreading you more to give him easier access to push his cock inside. 

Your eyes flutter shut in bliss as his length spears you open, stretching you and filling you up the way you know only he can. You can feel every delicious raised bump on his cock as he slides into you and you squeeze down on him, reveling in the way the texture scrapes against your slick walls. 

Sometimes you wonder what it would have been like to be like this with him in his human body. Wheelchair and paralyzing spinal injury aside - you still imagine him standing straight, as tall as he can be, and staring at you with that daring, cocky, fearless expression of his - smirking and ready to tame you just as he had tamed his ikran. 

He’d be so much smaller than you. Your hand easily encompassing the entire side of his head as you pulled him in for a kiss, and the agitation you might feel at having to wait even for the few seconds it takes for him to pull off his breathing mask. He’d be smaller down there too. The thought makes you giggle a little. It’s a shame really - because the idea of trying the human version of him, despite your pretenses, is very appealing. Smaller human Jake is still your Jake, no matter what body he is in.

How would it feel? There would be no barbs or added texture for stimulation, no extra slick other than a small amount of precum to make taking it any easier. No knot to lock you in and keep you close afterwards. 

How would it feel encased snugly inside your walls? It would be smooth, right? Save for maybe a vein here and there. He’s told you before that a human’s genitalia hangs outside the body, balls included. You think that’s rather interesting. Stupid - but interesting. A flawed design in a species that mostly considers itself perfect. But what would that feel like? You can picture what you think that would be like - Jake’s own swinging, unprotected, with each thrust. Would they slap against your ass as he fucks you? Could they hit your clit if you make him fuck you with you on all fours?

You’d never ask him. Your pride would never let you. But sometimes, you think about it and wonder. The desire to try something you know you never can and to do it with the only person you would ever want to try it with. 

The first retreat of him pulling back and then the slow and dragging slide of him pushing back into you makes sure to clear that lingering thought out of your mind. What could you possibly want that for when you have this right here? 

Perfect, passionate, intimate, and completely yours. 

His lips are at your ear, panting breath fanning at the curve of it as he murmurs to you about how tight you are and how good you feel around him. Like a perfect sleeve made just for my cock, he tells you, and groans when the words make you clench around him like a vice. 

Jake’s hand lets go of your knee to reach around your front again, fingers finding the sensitive bud between your thighs. Your clit throbs under his touch and there’s people around you in the nearby huts - families who can definitely hear you if you get too loud. And even though sex is not taboo among the Na’vi like you’ve learned it is among many humans, it's still early on a morning post celebration and people are sleeping. You don’t think Weim, Tsuakir, and their young daughter, Iski, would appreciate getting woken up by the pleasured mewling cries of their Olo’eyktan’s mate before it’s time for them to rise. 

You get out one loud moan before Jake is pulling his hand from your breast and shoving his fingers in your mouth. 

“Shhh, babygirl,” Jake whispers. “Can’t keep you all to myself if you wake up the whole damn village.”

A part of you wants to bite at the fingers in your mouth, the urge to rebel in any way you can against Jake’s slight increase in control over you, but they work too well - long digits pressing into the sides of your cheek and against your tongue just enough to keep you quiet. His other hand is drawing swirls around your clit, using the combined wetness of both of your slicks to make it nice and slippery.  

The knot on the base of his cock is swelling, pushing and pulling at the rim of your entrance with each rhythmic rock of his hips, and you suck eagerly at Jake’s fingers in your mouth as your body molds to each stretch and give. Jake’s voice is in your ear, gravely and deep as he groans about how he’s going to tie you to him, keep you locked on his cock and fill you up until your belly swells. 

“Maybe next time it will be us up there introducing our kid to the clan,” He grunts, nipping your ear with his sharp teeth. You moan, eyes fluttering as his thrusts speed up, the wet sounds of skin on skin and his voice filling your ear is all you can hear in the small hut. “Would you like that, baby?”

The swollen knot catches on your rim, pushing inside with a pointed snap of Jake’s hips, and you gasp when it slips inside you, stretching you to what you always feel are your limits but your body welcomes him willingly. The shock of his knot locking inside you and the insistent circles on your clit trigger your orgasm, and you cum to the warmth of Jake’s own release painting your insides as you clench around him, pleasure crashing through your body and leaving you feeling all the more fuzzy and weightless in the soft morning glow filling the hut than how you woke. 

Jake’s arms cuddle around you, his head laying on top of yours as you both bask in the afterglow. The village is starting to come back to life around you, sounds of children playing and the usual hustle and bustle of clan life making its way through the entrance of your home. Soon, you’ll have to leave the safety and closeness of Jake’s loving hold.

But not right now - you still have some time left. 

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[danielnelsen]

well that's just a lie