#was just going through the dialogue as usual and noticed how in awe of this man they were
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proffbon · 6 months ago
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Find yourself someone who will look at you the same way the boys look at Gale.
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sitp-recs · 2 months ago
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top 10 drarry fics by the sheer force of the feels they gave you? not necessarily good feels! things you remember primarily because they hit hard in some way.
obviously, i'd also love to hear exactly how/why they hit hard if you're up for sharing that!
Oh that’s such a wonderful ask, thank you! I’m sorry for the late reply, the 10 fics came easily bc whenever I see those titles I get immediately transported back to where I was and what I felt reading them for the first time. But putting into words what exactly makes them heartkick-y for me was a bit more challengeging. It’s usually a “when you feel it you know it” kind of thing (and quite literally too, as sometimes it manifests as an actual physical reaction!) but more often than not the fic just clicks for me and there’s no rationale behind it. As Clarice Lispector said: “I suppose that understanding myself is not a question of intelligence but of feeling. It either touches you, or it doesn't."
Anyhoo, I tried my best to keep this short and sweet but since I’ve written individual recs for almost all these fics, I thought I’d include them too :) thanks again, this was super fun! And I’d love to read about your picks as well 👀
An Emerald In The Sky by corvuscrowned | my rec
it doesn’t get more romantic than star-crossed lovers doomed by time travel!!!! (see also: my thoughts on The Eighth Tale by lettered). this is my brand of melancholy, something about the constant yearning, the beauty of stolen moments in liminal space, the unfairness of it all… ugh
Far From the Tree by aideomai | my rec
fft has altered my brain chemistry and ruined me forever with its tender devastation, I had such a visceral reaction to it - to the point of feeling dizzy and feverish. a simple time travel concept (this is my kryptonite istg) but the epic storytelling! the gratification! the bittersweet ending! rereading it would kill me but what a way to go
Forgive Those Who Trespass by Lomonaaeren
easily one of the most haunting and terrifying fics I’ve ever read, one jumpscare after the other but so creative and well-written I was too busy collecting my jaw from the floor to talk myself out of it lol
Little Compton Street by writcraft | my rec
as a queer woman, this one feels extremely personal and is very dear to my heart. I’ll never forget the emotions I felt learning about queer history and finding a sense of peace and belonging. lcs feels like coming home 🏳️‍🌈
Little Red Courgette by blamebrampton
this was my first bb fic and their sense of humor just blew my mind. I was so impressed by the smooth world building, by their wit and clever political commentary. I just couldn’t stop laughing. the dialogue is so good it makes me wanna weep, I can’t explain how much joy and comfort this fic gave me
Merlin Works in Mysterious Ways by lordhellebore
full disclosure: my reading experience was shaped by the fact that I didn’t realize the tagged disability would be major and permanent 🤡 by the time I noticed I was so emotionally invested I couldn’t stop. one of the most painful reads I’ve ever endured, worth it tho
Running on Air by eleventy7 | my rec
introspective fics are my jam and this one was just what I needed while working through some shit at a turning point in my life. so I guess it was more about finding the right fic at the right time, and I’m hit by mixed feelings of catharsis and nostalgia every time I revisit roa.
Still Life (orphaned) | my rec
my definition of a perfect shortfic. gorgeous prose, flawless execution, the “nothing is happening but everything is changing” vibes I live for, one of the best Harry pov I’ve ever read and an ending that always makes me gasp in awe. few authors can write complex emotions so effortlessly as seefin, absolute masterclass
Super Rich Kids by trishjames | my rec
criminally underrated, this story broke my heart but also gave me such a THRILL. I usually avoid substance abuse in fic but something about Draco’s spiral journey felt so raw it kept me at the edge of my seat. devastating but also a surprisingly funny and exciting thriller. the range!!!
The Long Fall by tackytiger | my rec
as someone who’s never been into kid fic and family dynamics, this was a punch on the solar plexus and rearranged my whole view about this trope. I was deeply moved by Harry’s longing for a family of his own and despite not having or wanting kids, this still felt really cathartic and changed me in a way I can’t quite explain.
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lonely-cowboy · 11 months ago
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beautifully human
pairing: connor (rk800) x f!reader
summary: after noticing the way connor looks at other androids, you worry that you may never have a chance with him. but what you don't know is that he has only ever had eyes for you.
word count: 2.9k
warnings: insecure reader, mentions of death (they literally talk about dying in an elevator) (spoiler alert: it doesn't happen), probably ooc connor, west coast dialect went a little too hard in the dialogue, some very specific physical descriptions that i also tried to keep as general as possible? you'll see what i mean ig
author's note: glad to report that this account is lowkey helping me get over my writer's block, so that's amazing for me. anyway. as usual, feel free to leave any critiques on how i can improve my writing, characterization, etc.! :)
masterlist ⟡ requests
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You hated that your investigation brought you to the Eden Club. You didn’t necessarily hate the Eden Club or its workers, but you hated that you had to go with Connor and Hank. It would’ve been embarrassing enough to go with just Hank, but adding Connor to the mix made you want to collapse to the ground and never move again. But you were a professional, so if you had to go with Connor and Hank then you could suck it up for a night. Hopefully.
The moment you stepped inside the club, you were filled with unease. Your stomach churned and your shoulders scrunched up high as if you were trying to hide from the world. To handle your discomfort, you turned cold and distant, observing everything and everyone with an icy glare. You trailed behind Hank and Connor as you scanned your surroundings, doing your very best to look at everything but Connor.
You couldn’t look at Connor in this place without being filled with a displaced sense of anger. You couldn’t help but wonder if he looked at these androids with infatuation or desire. Did he find them beautiful? Did he want them in the same way you wanted him? You knew they were stupid thoughts, but you couldn’t control them. Somehow, Connor had weaseled his way into your heart and refused to leave no matter how hard you tried.
Distracted by your foggy mind, you almost bumped right into Connor when he stopped to admire a Traci, his soft gaze exploring her body through the glass barrier. You watched as the Traci smiled gently at him, her hand reaching forward to touch the glass like she was trying to caress his cheek. Connor didn’t move to reciprocate her action, but he still appeared to be in awe. It only made your scowl deepen.
You hated that you were consumed by jealousy because you knew– deep down– that it stemmed from insecurity. This Traci was made to be beautiful. She was made to be desired and worshipped. In her limited clothing, there wasn’t much left to the imagination. Her body was the epitome of perfect with its soft curves and smooth skin. She was a perfect balance of sweet and charismatic. She was everything that you assumed a man wanted, and androids were no exception. From the way Connor looked at her, you were sure she was everything he wanted too. 
You sighed in frustration before marching away as Hank called to Connor. You refused to let your jealousy– or anything you felt for Connor– get in the way of your investigation. But no matter how hard you tried, your mind was still drawn to him.
Maybe you had been too hopeful, but you really had thought that maybe– just maybe– Connor had felt something for you. Apparently, you were just far more delusional than you thought.
While Hank discussed the crime scene with Officer Miller, you stood to the side looking uncharacteristically cold. With your arms folded over your chest and a hard, almost bored look in your eye, it was clear that you weren’t particularly interested in talking to anyone. You assumed that would be obvious to everyone, androids included. And it seemed that it had been obvious, but that certainly didn’t stop Connor.
From the corner of your eye, you could see Connor watching you with a confused glint. His LED flashed yellow as he analyzed your body language, working to only make your blood boil. You knew there was no reason to be angry with him, so why did your anger persist? Why did you feel so unreasonably jealous? He was just a man, after all, nothing more.
Connor approached you with his hands clasped behind his back, standing beside you and following your cold gaze. He was silent for a moment, pleased to simply be in your presence even when you were acting so stony.
“You’re unusually quiet, Detective,” Connor observed. “This is not within your typical behavioral patterns. Are you feeling alright?”
“I’m fine,” you answered dismissively. “Don’t you have a body to analyze?”
Connor paused again, pursing his lips in a way that was so oddly human. In a gentle tone, he said, “Well… yes. But that’s usually something we do together.”
“Why?” you hissed, feeling suddenly riled now that Connor was talking to you. Why was he giving you this attention? Why was he acting like he cared about you? You knew he didn’t. At least, your clouded mind let you think he didn’t. “It’s not like you need my help. You can do everything on your own, I’m useless to you.”
Connor turned his body towards you fully, a deep crease settling between his brows. His LED continued to circle yellow as he studied you once again. That made you roll your eyes which seemed to be enough of a hint for Connor. With his LED still glowing yellow, he turned away without another word, allowing you to resume your wallowing in misery. 
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
You were still fuming as Hank drove you home. With Connor in the front seat, you were stuck in the back, glaring daggers into his back. How had such a clueless android managed to lure you in and make you jealous purely because he wasn’t interested in you?
As Connor jabbered on about something or other, you stared out the car window absentmindedly. You couldn’t help but imagine the Traci on the other side of the window, reaching out and smiling that perfect smile that made you never want to smile again.
You glanced at Connor as he fell silent. He turned to look out the window, making you cringe at the idea that he truly was thinking of the Traci. But you failed to notice his eyes transfixed on you through the side mirror, his gaze gentle and curious as he admired your stubborn look. He stared at you dreamily the rest of the car ride. 
When you finally reached your apartment building, Hank had barely stopped the car before you were clambering out and slamming the door behind you.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you grumbled, having enough decency to give Hank a small wave. 
As you trudged towards your apartment building, you froze at the sound of another car door opening and closing. You cursed under your breath, hesitant to turn for fear of whom you might find. As you glanced over your shoulder, you cursed again as your fear came true. Connor approached you with long strides, leaving behind a very confused-looking Hank.
“I’ll walk you to your apartment,” Connor offered innocently. 
You stared at him blankly and muttered, “Connor, my building is right here. I just need to go up a few floors. I know how to use an elevator, I’ll manage just fine on my own.”
You turned and continued towards your building, not surprised when you heard Connor follow.
“The chances of an elevator-related death are one in 10.5 million,” Connor continued in that matter-of-fact tone that you usually found so endearing. 
When Connor didn’t elaborate, you stopped and turned to him again with a raised brow. You waited for more, but it still didn’t come. Connor just stared at you pleasantly, drinking in your charmingly confused face.
“Okay…,” you said. “So like I said, I’ll be fine on my own.”
“But the chance of it happening is still possible, so it’s best if I escort you,” Connor continued. His grin widened as you rolled your eyes in acceptance. As an afterthought, he added, “Just in case.” 
In silence, the two of you made your way up the elevator (where you did not, in fact, die) and to your apartment. You stood outside the door and turned to Connor, ready to send him away in the hopes that if you couldn’t see him then you wouldn’t be overwhelmed by images of him and that Traci. But you knew that wasn’t the case because even when he was long gone you would still think about how you couldn’t be enough for him. You weren’t pretty enough for such an angelic being like him, not when other beautifully crafted androids existed.
“May I come in?” Connor inquired before you could even open your mouth.
No.
You wanted to say no so desperately. You wanted him to leave. You wanted to bury yourself under your bed sheets and never see him again.
But he was still your friend, and you were still a decent enough person. It would be rude to reject him.
“Sure,” you replied softly, opening the door to allow the two of you in.
The moment you closed the door, Connor was already asking questions that you were not at all prepared for.
“You were upset today,” he noted. “Do you want to talk about how you feel?”
“I… what?” you stammered. “Since when are you a therapist android?”
“I’m not a therapist android, but as your companion, I care about your well-being,” Connor answered far too casually for your liking.
Companion? Well-being?
��Yeah, I doubt that,” you mumbled without thinking.
You were stupid to think Connor wouldn’t have heard you. With his sensitive hearing, he heard you loud and clear. Your comment made him tilt his head curiously and narrow his eyes.
“Why would I not care about you?” he asked, the genuine confusion in his voice making your resolve melt. 
“That’s not… it’s just…,” you blabbered, throwing your hands up in exasperation as you struggled to find the right words. “I wouldn’t expect you to care about me the same way–”
You stopped abruptly, eyes wide as your mind finally caught up to your yapping mouth. You could not finish that sentence.
Connor’s eyes narrowed further at your sudden pause. He took a cautious step forward, then another. You knew that he had already noticed the way your heartbeat accelerated, your breath suddenly caught in your throat. “The same way… what?” he repeated, urging you to finish your sentence.
“It’s nothing, it’s stupid,” you dismissed. 
Connor murmured your name as if he were scolding a child, raising a brow as a sign of encouragement to finish.
“Well… I wouldn’t expect you to care about me… the same way… the same way I care about you,” you said, the last part coming out far too hurried. 
Maybe if you had just finished your sentence the first time you wouldn’t be in this situation. That was a perfectly normal thing to say to a friend, wasn’t it? Absolutely. Absolutely… But the way you had paused only made you look more suspicious. You knew Connor was smart enough to understand the suggestion of romantic feelings.
“How is it you feel about me?” Connor questioned.
“It doesn’t matter, you wouldn’t feel the same anyway,” you muttered, pushing past him to be anywhere that wasn’t near him.
Before you could get too far, Connor’s iron grip wrapped around your wrist and held you in place. You looked at him with offense, but he knew you meant nothing by it.
“It does matter, Detective,” he whispered lowly. “It matters to me.”
There was no going back now. Connor already got the hint that you cared for him more than you probably should. You might as well say it outright. That was better than being embarrassed and pretending nothing happened. Right?
“I like you, Connor,” you admitted, the words sounding childish in your mouth. “God, this is so embarrassing…”
Connor was silent for a long moment, making you wonder if he actually had figured it out. If he hadn’t… God, you would be mortified. Did he really not know, and you just willingly outed yourself to him?
You risked a peek at Connor to find him already looking at you with a small smile. His hand was still holding your wrist tightly, his skin comfortingly warm against your burning skin. The glint in his eyes made your brows furrow as heat rose to your cheeks.
“Why would you think I don’t care about you?” Connor asked, the quirk of his lips telling you that he found all of this somewhat amusing.
“I mean… yeah, I would think that you care about me. On some level. I’d assume…,” you prattled. “But as a friend, obviously. Connor, I’m not sure you understand what I mean when I say I like–”
“I understand perfectly well, Detective,” Connor interrupted. “So I’ll pose the question once again: why would you think I don’t care about you?”
The confusion was clear on your face. Tilting your head to the side, you turned your body to face Connor slightly, giving him the opportunity to lightly pull your wrist until you were completely facing him. Even when he had you standing where he wanted, he still didn’t let go of your wrist, though he loosened his grasp and held you lightly. You could feel his thumb rubbing along your inner wrist soothingly. Your knees felt weak, and you were sure you were going to collapse against him at any second. His touch was so loving that you almost believed he could feel the same way.
You nearly forgot Connor had asked you a question until he gave your arm a light squeeze that snapped you back to attention. He arched both eyebrows, watching you with that humorous glint. 
“I just… Well…,” you faltered. You inhaled sharply, gathering your thoughts before you continued. “I just can’t understand how or why someone like you would be interested in someone like me when there are so many better options. Yeah, I guess… I guess that’s it. I don’t know…”
“Better options?” Connor repeated. The obvious confusion in his voice warmed your heart. It was as if he had never even considered that there could be better options.
“Well, yeah,” you shrugged. “I’m no android, Connor. I’m not… I’m not perfect. I’m not beautiful or stunning or gorgeous. I’m not like that girl you were looking at.”
There was another long pause as Connor struggled to process your words. His LED spiraled yellow as he questioned, “What girl?”
“The Traci,” you explained in exasperation, “at the Eden Club. It looked like you were practically in love with her, and I don’t blame you. She’s the definition of perfect. Not a single flaw in sight.”
“You think you’re flawed?” Connor asked immediately. That was his biggest takeaway?
“Yes, obviously, Connor! I am! And I just find it very hard to believe that someone as beautiful as you could be attracted to someone as… average as me,” you snapped, sounding harsher than you intended.
Connor released your wrist, and for a moment you worried that you scared him off. But then his warm hands were holding your cheeks, his thumbs now slowly running along your cheekbones. He stepped forward until his body was pressed against yours, leaning down until his forehead was nearly touching yours. His eyes latched onto yours, and for a moment, he just held your gaze in silence. He was reveling in the sight of you, so close to him that he could feel your sweet breath against his lips.
“It seems you don’t realize how beautiful you are,” he murmured. “Perhaps I’ll have to explain it to you.”
Connor paused again, searching your eyes for any effort to argue. But you were still so stunned by his sudden proximity that you had nothing to give. When he heard no contradiction, Connor smiled and continued on.
“Maybe you don’t think you’re perfect,” he started, “but I do. Everything you see as a flaw, I see as beautiful. It makes you you. It makes you so… human. And maybe you can’t understand because of it, but there’s something so pure about being human. Just being human makes you beautiful. But you… you’re different. You’re above them all.”
There was a strangely desperate look in Connor’s eyes like he was pleading with you to understand. Exhaling slowly, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against your own. He closed his eyes, his LED shifting from yellow to blue and back again as he tried to sift through the swarm of emotions.
“I don’t know why it’s you, but it is,” he whispered, his voice nearly too quiet for you to hear. “I just can’t help but notice everything about you. I love the wrinkles on your forehead when you’re confused to the point of frustration. I love when only one side of your hair is brushed because you’re too lazy to brush the other. I love when your lip bleeds because you’re biting it while you’re thinking and you don’t even notice. I love…”
Connor stopped and pulled back slightly, his hands still resting on your cheeks. His LED circled red once, the worry on his face far too obvious to your keen eyes. When you didn’t say anything, Connor tried to pull away, but you didn’t let him.
Your hands quickly moved to rest over top his, holding him in place. You looked up at him with eyes full of admiration and wonder as if an angel had come and graced the earth. Maybe that’s what he was, an angel. You would believe it. With that pretty face and those sweet words, you could easily be fooled.
As you eyed Connor’s face, the corners of your lips quirked into a smile. Maybe you could be enough for him. He seemed to think so. It was that thought alone that drove you to lean forward and press the faintest of kisses to Connor’s lips. It was barely a peck, and as you pulled away, Connor leaned forward to chase after your warmth. The gesture made you laugh as you whispered against his lips.
“I love how human you are.” 
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xoxochb · 23 days ago
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— mind over matter ꣑ৎ‧₊˚.
warnings: heart shattering angst with tooth rotting fluff/comfort in redemption, readers coffee is the same as how I take mine but you can imagine it however you’d like it to be, I just did it for sake of wording pairing: jason grace x fem! reader a/n: I had the shittiest day so I projected it on here to comfort myself but I hope anyone else dealing with awful days will enjoy this as much as I did <3
your day was going utterly awful. it started out fine, you woke up early and got ready for the day like usual, however it’s when you joined society when your day went to shit. it started when some of the popular aphrodite girls began making fun of you for no specific reason, then you’re only friends at camp left you out at lunch and you had to sit by yourself— totally embarrassing! and after that you slipped and fell, skinning both your knees. you ended up in the infirmary as will solace patched you up and scolded you for not watching your surroundings as you walked. you left quickly after that before the son of apollo was able to see your tear-veiled eyes. unfortunately that didn’t change a thing because a group of campers walked by as you chocked back a sob
but perhaps you were just being too over dramatic. there was surely someone out there having a day worse than you— but with your sensitivity you can’t help but feel like shit. finally, after this you found yourself in the kitchen fixing yourself a cup of coffee (it was needed after the hell of a day you had). almost happily, you take the pot and place it onto the counter as you now attempt to grab a mug from the cabinet… but you hear a slight noise from somewhere within the room, and in the midsts of your distraction you fail to realize the falling cup, only doing so as it smashes on the floor. you yelp and back away as to prevent yourself from getting cut by any class. as if on queue, like in a superman kind of way, your boyfriend worriedly enters the kitchen, taking notice of the broken mug shattered on the floor and additionally your scared self
without saying a word, noticing your vulnerability, jason walks over to your spot against the counter and wraps you tightly in his arms, running one comforting hand up and down your back while another runs gently through your hair. you don’t try, now, to hold back your tears, you allow yourself to cry into his chest, taking fistfuls of his shirt into your hands. shakily, you try to say something but a knot in your throat prevents anything from leaving your lips at the moment. but jason doesn’t seem to mind your lack of dialogue, lightly holding you, whispering sweet nothings into your ear until your weeping diminishes into only shaky breaths and sticky, wet, flushed pink cheeks
“do you want to talk about it?” asks jason in his forever gentle tone of voice. you don’t know in all honesty, truly only a shitty day
“my day- it’s… it was just- it was awful” you feel your eyes brimming with tears again, but this time, jason is ear to wipe them away with the pads of his thumbs before they fall
you continue now, “everything went wrong. and I wanted- I wanted coffee but I heard- a noise and the cup fell and everything is jut wrong!” your crying similarly continues
jason frowns over your unhappy mood. “hey, it’s okay. we all have bad days sometimes. how about I fix you a new cup of coffee and we go back to my cabin and lay down for a while? does that sound good?”
“I-” you hesitate “I have to clean up. the glass, it’s-”
“don’t worry about that, I’ll clean it up for you, okay? just stay here”
you nod but ultimately pout even more when his warmth leaves you. you watch as he begins picking up the small shards, then throws them into the trash to assure once they are collected nobody else will face the hurtful objects. once he finishes he takes a new mug from the cabinet— without dropping it— and pours the warm liquid into the cup
“milk and three sugars?”
“yes” you murmur. but internally your stomach does backflips at the knowledge that he has your coffee order memorized. after he fixes it up he walks back over to where you stand with the cup in his palms
“are you okay?”
“I… don’t know” you fiddle with your fingers nervously. jason puts the mug down on the counter behind you and takes your hands into his
“that’s okay. I’ll be here for you, the whole time, whenever you need me”
“will you?”
“I will”
and that’s less of a statement and more of a sacred oath, one he vows to keep for eternity
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tobiasdrake · 13 days ago
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
27 notes · View notes
leighsartworks216 · 1 month ago
Text
How the LADS men would react to some of my favorite games
All x Reader (separately, and it's not the main focus)
Picking out games for them all was kinda difficult, bc I have so many favorites and I wasn't sure what they'd react to or how they'd react. But I'm pretty happy with these
Based on this post
Warnings: crackfic (kinda?), one horror game, slight angst with Zayne, swearing
Word Count: 1,123 (oh hell yeah)
Main Masterlist
Love and Deepspace Masterlist
AO3
Tag List Form (Psst fill this out to be tagged in future fics! - Updated to include Xavier)
Xavier:
I think Xavier would love The Outer Worlds
I mean,, it’s a game that takes place entirely in another solar system where you crash land in an escape pod on a strange planet and gotta figure out how people here work without letting them know you’re “not from here”
They literally call the player “The Stranger”
I think he’d love looking up at the sky in game
Every one of the sky boxes is gorgeous but Emerald Vale especially
I think he’d find a safe area in game and put it on just to stare up at the sky (and fall asleep too)
Tries to choose the best outcome for every situation
Which means fucking over the government and not feeling an ounce of guilt for it
But fucking over the underdogs even for a minute feels awful
Has to ask you which choice is better or how to get the best outcome
Scarily good at fighting with melee weapons
Esp considering the heavy reliance on guns
Accidentally min-maxes the characters
He’d also love Coffee Talk
The music is so calming he usually ends up falling asleep to it
Spends a lot of time and consideration into every drink
Draws a little bunny in the lattes every single time
Probably accidentally clocks the plot twist of the game on the very first run
Tries making you the drinks irl and uhhhh he shouldn’t
-
Zayne:
Of the games I’ve played, I think The Silent Age would be very interesting for him
Helps solve the puzzles (even if you’ve played it before)
Says he finds the art style to be “charming”
Sits through every piece of dialogue no matter how long and doesn’t go forward until he comprehends it
Gets so concerned when Joe starts coughing
Generally doesn’t like seeing the bodies
It makes him unsettled and has him thinking about those he’s lost to such gruesome deaths
The twist at the end absolutely fascinates him so much
And the SECOND twist pulls him out of it
Was lowkey hoping it would be something more… fantastical
But does have to admit that horror in the now-mundane is interesting too
I also would LOVE to watch him play Ace Attorney
Could you IMAGINE???
“This is illegal.” “I know, but so is murder.” “They don’t cancel out, you know.”
“If somebody on the witness stand is overreacting that much to one small detail, I think the judge should be a little more concerned about it.”
He’d kinda love Miles Edgeworth ngl
Understands exactly what he means with the entire “unnecessary feelings” business
Wishes the autopsy reports were more in depth, for his own amusement
Accidentally says “objection” when you’re trying to lie to him about not taking care of yourself
Can’t live it down for the next week, at LEAST
-
Sylus:
Little Nightmares, straight up
He finds the concept absolutely fascinating
Doesn’t play, but enjoys watching you play
“Careful, kitten. His long arms almost grabbed you.” “YES, THANK YOU, I NOTICED.”
Loves to see you so panicked and freaked out
Laughs if something small makes you jump out of your skin
But he does try to comfort you after chase sequences when it feels like you’re having a heart attack
Pulls you into his lap and promises to protect you
Will not complain if you choose to stay there for the rest of the game
Helps you solve puzzles if you’re struggling with them for too long
But he always asks to know if you want the answer
He doesn’t need you pouting and upset just because you couldn’t figure out how to do something relatively simple
Warns the twins not to scare you for a while
For their own safety tbh
You have a gun and you WILL use it
He’d also like watching you play Animal Crossing
You can and will bully him into joining
Will catch the scary or difficult bugs for you if you’re struggling
Doesn’t need to look up any guides to find the real artworks
The very second he can get his hands on the cat cap, it’s going to you
Might ask what color you want, but he’s more likely to pick it for you so its a surprise
Wraps it up too
“Sweetie, I got you a gift.” “Awe, really?.... Really, Sylus?” “Put it on, kitten.”
Luke and Kieran have their own town
It’s extremely flushed out and scary how impressive it is
Runs turnips with them so you have nearly a billion Bells to spend on anything you want
He lets you design his house, even if you make it silly
-
Rafayel:
Tell me why my first thought was Pokemon Art Academy
He would love it tho
Sitting on the couch together, watching over your shoulder as you follow the tutorials to draw the Pokemon
They turn out like shit but he claims to love them
Passing it over to him is a bad idea, but he won’t stop whining until you do
Creates an entire masterpiece
That creature is in a damn candid shot, shaded and everything
You should have known it was a terrible idea to show him the game
When he doesn’t feel like painting or just needs a break for his mind, he’ll play it
Honestly I see him at one of his own exhibitions, standing in the corner and playing it
Thomas complains to you about it all the time
Rafayel texts you about how much the Pokemon miss you and want you to come over :’(((
Beats the game
Somehow
Not just the lessons either, literally every single drawing they give you to do, he does it
When you look at the gallery, you can see when you stopped playing and when he took over
He’d also love Little Inferno
Sings the jingle all the time until you’re threatening him to shut up
Doesn’t honestly understand the appeal at first
He can literally make and control fire, why can’t you just give him some stuff to burn and he’ll do it for you
But he slowly gets the appeal
Especially when the batteries explode
Hates the pooping cat plushie with a passion
“If that thing ever shows up in a claw machine, we are NOT getting it.”
He either fully completes the game, combos and all, or he gets to the second catalog and gets bored, no in between
Will happily watch you play tho
Loves the way you focus on trying to decipher the clues for the combos
No shame, WILL be looking up the combinations and WILL spoil them for you just to bug you
May plan a date around throwing shit into a fireplace and watching it burn in real life
There’s a fire extinguisher nearby, just in case
---
Tag List:
@the-golden-jhope @huen1ngk41 @armycaratlover @sylusfluffymeow @cheesemachine44
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autisticlancemcclain · 1 year ago
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fic rec friday 34
welcome to the thirty-fourth fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics. 
1. Red Poppies by @icypantherwrites
Hanahaki (with a twist) AU — Lance has never experienced a case of Hanahaki this bad. He wishes he could say it’s just the amount of flowers he’s coughing up and desperately trying to hide from the team, just as he’s trying to hide the fact that he technically died at Omega Shield from them, but it’s not just that. It’s the fact he keeps choking out red poppies. And red poppies...
They symbolize death.
the most interesting take on hanahaki ive ever seen tbh. i know icy panther is known for her edgier storytelling, but this is one of my faves of hers! i like the originality of it, and of course i adore the addressing of the omega shield disaster
2. Voltron: Last Dialogue by @uncouth-peasant [IMPLIED CHARACTER DEATH]
After the events of Omega Shield, the Astral Plane has a visitor.
okay look i know everyone freaks about major character death but im asking u to read this anyway. for one its only IMPLIED, technically lance could still be alive, and also it’s just a really well-written fic. lance and shiro have so so so much potential with how similar their characters and arcs are, so i loved how this one explored that in its heartbreak
3. The Poison of Deceit by @icypantherwrites
This diplomatic mission is not going the way Lance had hoped. The diplomacy part on behalf of Voltron is going fantastic and Lance doesn’t think he’d be remiss in saying he had a large hand in that. But the whole impress Shiro bit is an epic fail as Shiro doesn’t seem to notice his efforts at all and it’s only worse with Keith showing him up at nearly every turn. The aliens they’re working on the alliance though have noticed his efforts. But as Lance stands here now, Shiro and Keith’s lives along with a vial of poison in his hands, he isn’t so certain that was a good thing.
the fuckin ‘i drank poison to save your life’ trope will NEVER get old idc idc. the heart dropping moment when the team realises that by doubting lance they may have cost him his life...insanity fr. like i eat this shit up every time
4. blind spots by @adelfie
Lance knows something’s wrong.
Keith turns his gaze on him, dark eyes latching onto him like an anchor.
Normally this is when Lance can think of something stupid to say to make Keith smile. Bonus points if he can get a laugh. Usually it isn’t hard — smiles come easy when it’s them. But something is wrong, and Lance knows that Keith’s smile will be the farthest thing from him if he says it.
-- Lance gets hurt during a mission with Keith and the Blades.
blade pining down bad keith in startled awe of bamf lance...it eats every single time like lets be honest my friends. bamf lance in every flavour is delectable but through keith’s view????? oh god it’s something special
5. Isn’t There A White Knight by @bosstoaster-writing
Kink Meme FIll: "In the first episode, Lance says that Shiro is his hero. But Shiro is still just a guy in his mid twenties, and we've seen him join in on silly stuff ("Blam blam blam!").
So what I want is five times Lance sees Shiro do dorky, ridiculous things, and one time he realizes he'd still follow this dork to Hell and back."
C'mon, as if I could pass that up.
five plus one? check. lance learning to know his idol as a human? check. gentle and careful and clumsy relationships? check. and dorky loser goober shiro, my love and light? CHECK CHECK CHECK. this fic is so so fun. shiro should get the right to be a dorky goober at all times and anyone who writes that is my hero
that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!
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oneinathousand · 8 months ago
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I recently found a pdf of an alleged Blood Meridian movie script written by a guy named William Monahan for Ridley Scott's attempt to make the movie, and let me tell ya, it is truly something else. At first, I refused to believe that it could be real because of some atrocious dialogue and truly baffling changes from the novel. I thought that it MUST have either been written as a prank or it was an amateur trying to pass it off as real, but on Twitter I talked to the guy who leaked the script online in the first place and now I'm more inclined to think that, unfortunately, it was legitimate.
Below are screenshots of some of the worst parts. You'll notice that a lot of the text is in red, but I think it must have been somebody on the Cormac McCarthy forums, where this comes from, highlighting some of the differences from the book, but this was the only pdf I could find so whatever. I also put in a few handwritten notes to express my frustration haha.
If you want to look at the full thing yourself, you can find it here, but I should warn you in advance that on top of the usual Blood Meridian type of violence that you would expect, the screenwriter also put in a sprinkle of random homophobia and underage sex which was NOT in the book and I will be showing those screenshots last with another warning so you know where they are in the script and can avoid it if you want to.
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Okay, this part gave me a chuckle. Maybe it's not the best time for a joke from the Judge, though:
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These next two come from the ending, which, if you were already aware of this script's existence, you probably heard about because it's the most infamous part. For those who don't know, the screenwriter decides to put in a bizarrely happy ending where the Kid slays the Judge in the jakes and adopts Randall, the brother of the boy that the Kid killed in self-defense (and there's no significant time skip in this version, so the Kid is in his late teens at most probably):
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This random fucking nugget of homophobia is on page 32 of the script. I have no idea what this was in here for since it never comes up again and the script leaves out most of the children going missing or being found dead along the way:
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And here's the Kid having sex because the screenwriter in their infinite wisdom decided that was missing from the Blood Meridian experience, it's on page 70:
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So yeah, good thing this particular adaptation never got made. I just picked the screenshots that were the most obviously awful, but the biggest problems with the script are a very rushed opening act that compresses a bunch of story elements and character introductions to the point of confusion plus the cringy saccharine happy ending that was part of the reason why I thought the script was a joke at first. When the script adheres closer to the book, mostly in the middle, it's not the worst thing in the world. It has a few clever bits of streamlining the book and most of the characters sound like themselves, though the biggest problem there is that the Judge feels like a different character.
Someday I hope to read other scripts trying to adapt the movie from Steve Tesich, James Franco, and Tommy Lee Jones to see how each of them tackled the book, though to my knowledge none are publicly available online, but do let me know they are somewhere and you can lead me to it. This particular effort has set the bar very low.
Most of all I want to know if Cormac McCarthy wrote a complete draft of his attempt before he died. If this latest attempt to make the movie falls through, I hope that the script, if it exists, is released to the public so we can see what would certainly be one of the last things he wrote.
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vegitoswife · 2 months ago
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So I have a Vegito x Reader collection on my quotev account. This part has lived as a half written draft for the last 2ish years; I decided to just resume it and complete it without re-writing what I already established. Choosing to post it here too because why not. I will state my style of doing X Readers isn't really like this anymore (I prefer not giving the Reader character written dialogue and I don't do the "Y/N" thing - though Y/N doesn't appear in this part's text).
Feeling physically terrible was never a fun experience. 
You started feeling under the weather yesterday, after you and Vegito returned home from an outing. He took you to an old lake on Mount Paozu that the Son family had used plenty of times for swimming throughout the years, after convincing you that it would be a fun, relaxing time for you both. 
You weren’t too sure about the relaxing part, especially after he picked you up and playfully tossed you into the lake. He did hop in right after you, laughing at your irritated expression. It was fun though; the lake was clear and clean enough to where you could easily see for some meters underwater. You and Vegito stayed out there well into the evening, before he got hungry and you both had to piece together dinner plans. Sitting down to eat at the kitchen table a while later, you noticed the discontentment within your stomach. It curbed your appetite a great deal, making you only eat a couple of bites off your plate until you pushed it to the side.
Vegito questioned you, but after you said you weren’t feeling that hungry, he let it go and happily ate your share as well. 
You did wake up in the middle of the night, nestled against Vegito’s back, feeling awful. You felt hot, clammy, you had a headache, and your stomach was hurting. You tried to go back to sleep, see if your sudden illness was temporary, but it had only gotten worse when you awakened again around dawn. 
Vegito was just getting up himself, preparing to go out for his daily training, but the Saiyan did pause and turn to face you. Underneath the bangs of his messy bedhead, his brow was furrowed, and you could hear him sniffing the air. 
“Hon? Are you sick?” 
“…I feel sick.” 
Your voice was a hoarse croak, and the small amount of energy you burned to respond was apparently more than your body could spare at the moment. Weakness flowed through you, causing you to sink deeper into your pillow. Vegito’s tail flicked behind him as he frowned, and silently stepped around the bed to stand by your side. He laid a hand on your forehead, and waited a few seconds. 
“You definitely have a fever.” His frown grew. “What else is bothering you?” 
“H-Headache. Stomach hurts too.” Speaking more only made you feel more exhausted. Vegito likely sensed this, since he pulled his hand away with an expression you’ve rarely seen on him. 
Concern. 
“Do you…need anything?” 
You frankly would like to get knocked unconscious, but you knew you couldn’t make a request like that to Vegito. If it wasn’t during sparring – or what sparring you could do with him and the level he’s on – he would never attack you like that. 
“Water’d be fine.” You shuddered, experiencing chills. It was almost surreal, feeling searingly hot and freezing cold at the same time. 
“…Don’t worry about me. Go train.” 
You really didn’t want to get in the way, knowing how important fine-tuning his fighting prowess and exercising his body was to him. Vegito’s lips twisted as he stared down at you with uncertainty, but he didn’t object. 
“Alright. I’ll grab you a water bottle.” 
You curled into a ball while Vegito went into the kitchen and returned with a bottle, putting it on the nightstand next to you. He resumed his morning routine, fixing himself up in the bathroom and getting dressed in his usual training attire of a plain t-shirt and athletic shorts. Some minutes later, he briefly returned to your side. With the lovely shape and form of his muscled legs so close to you, you would have definitely taken time to admire them like you tended to do, but the fatigue was too overwhelming. 
“I’ll be back soon, ok?” 
The outline of your head underneath the large comforter moved as you nodded, burying your face into your pillow and listening as Vegito left your shared room and the house altogether. Silence stretched on, and within the next 15 minutes, you found yourself missing him already. 
You weren’t the clingy type, but you had a habit of unconsciously seeking the Saiyan’s company out whenever you were feeling unwell in some way. Ever since the two of you first formed a friendship, you swiftly found comfort in his presence, especially after things turned romantic later down the line. Somehow. You had developed a crush on him before too long, but Vegito didn’t quite make his own feelings on you clear until he had a slip of the tongue one day. His resulting blush and flustered state was adorable, but with your gentle coaxing, you helped him express his own feelings. For you. 
That was how the more sentimental aspects of your dynamic went. Vegito wasn’t an expert or anything at saying exactly what you needed to hear, and it usually took some prompting from you for he to nestle you into his side or in his arms, but you honestly preferred it being like that. It made the times when he expressed his genuine love for you in his own way more sweet. 
Thinking about your boyfriend did help to distract you from your current misery, but it only did so much. You did take a moment to sit up and sip water from the bottle Vegito left you, though it caused the sick feeling in your stomach to grow stronger. You could bear it and hope it didn’t intensify into full-blown nausea; you really didn’t need dehydration to get stacked onto all the other symptoms. A visit to the hospital would become necessary then, and that would be a total nightmare. 
Minutes turned to hours, as the sun rose to brighten the room. You laid in bed meanwhile, constantly falling in and out of slumber. Your condition didn’t get any better, but at least it didn’t seem to be worsening. Your frustration steadily strengthened regardless, with you lying on your back and staring up at the ceiling with a deep frown. 
Pondering the possibilities as to how you gotten ill, your memories of the previous day surged forth, and you figured there must have been some kind of harmful bacteria in the lake that your body failed to repel. You didn’t wonder why Vegito also didn’t get sick, as he’s told you in the past that Saiyans were incredibly resilient and virtually immune to various illnesses common on Earth. Pureblooded Saiyans hardly became sick, as through millennia of evolution, their genes were set up in a way for them to be able to fight at their greatest in almost any circumstance. 
You were frankly envious of that. 
It was around noon when you sensed a displacement of the air in your room. You removed the pillow from your face to see Vegito suddenly standing in front of the bed with two fingers pressed against his forehead, a sign he had used Instant Transmission. 
“I’m back.” The softened edge of his voice was comforting. Your fingers involuntarily twitched at him, deep down you craved his company, but you felt so weak still. 
“Feeling any better?” He walked up to rest his hand on your forehead again. 
“N-No...not...really...” 
“Hm.” His brow furrowed. “Your ki hasn’t gotten much weaker. I guess this is something that’ll pass on its own eventually.” 
It was a relief to know this illness wasn’t killing you, at least. Vegito removed his hand. 
“I remember you didn’t have much for dinner last night. You should eat something.” 
So, he did actually take note of that – despite his joviality at having more tasty food to eat. He always surprised you by how much attention he actually gave you. 
“Eh...” The thought of eating made your nausea spike. Your throat clenched. “I don't know if...that’s wise.” 
“Malnourishment will only make you feel worse though.” His tail flicked behind him, a hint at the unease he was suppressing on the surface. You still weren’t convinced, and your weariness delayed whatever response you would’ve said. Vegito reached down to gently grab one of your hands with his own. 
“Try? For me?” 
How could you turn his suggestion down now? You’d do anything for him. 
“...Ok. Could...” You cringed from a more aggressive throb of your headache. “Could you...heat up some soup broth or something? We should have some cans. And, I could...use some ibuprofen. This headache is the worst...” 
Soup broth would be easier on your stomach than something heartier, and ibuprofen would help with your headache and fever. Vegito nodded, and exited the bedroom. He returned momentarily to give you a container of the requested drug. He left once more, as you took the recommended dosage and swallowed small amounts of water with it. 
You heard distant rummaging in the kitchen, cabinets and drawers being opened, utensils clinking. After a while, a rather tantalizing aroma wafted into the room. It heralded Vegito’s re-entry, toting a bowl emitting steam. You weren’t paying much attention, sitting up and reaching out with half-lidded, bleary eyes at he offering the bowl to you. 
The sudden, sharp pain in your fingers from how hot it was made you instantly react, ripping your hands away with a yelp. Vegito blinked in confusion, before recognition widened his eyes. 
“Uh- my bad! Hold on...” He hustled out of the bedroom with a reddened face. Your shock went away, replaced with amusement at how your boyfriend tried to unintentionally burn you. Vegito could hold scorching hot things with his bare hands no problem, hell the ki attacks he created were as hot as that and even greater, but you were not built the same way. It was cute how he sometimes forgot that. 
He came back with protective pot holders. You fully took the bowl this time, thanking him with a small smile and giggle at his sheepish look. Vegito again reminding you how much of a silly goober he could be, despite his serious capabilities as a warrior, provided levity you appreciated. You picked up the handle of the spoon he also provided, blowing on the broth before putting some in your mouth. The flavors were very tasty; whatever he picked was a good choice. 
“You ok for now? I should go bathe.” Vegito’s head tilted. Remembering he did train for hours, you nodded. He grabbed a fresh pair of boxers from a dresser and promptly slipped into your shared bathroom, leaving the door ajar. The subsequent sound of the shower turning on, and water splashing served as background noise for the next 10 minutes as you continued eating. The broth really was a good decision on your part; your stomach wasn’t throwing a fit and you were getting some kind of nutrition. 
When finished, you put the empty bowl on the nightstand with the pot holders and lied back down. The anti-inflammatory drug had kicked in and your suppressed hunger was quelled somewhat, leaving you feeling more relaxed than before. You were still exhausted, but you resisted the call of sleep until Vegito exited the bathroom. He was clothed in just the pair of boxers he grabbed before. Even with your delirium, you still took the time to admire his appearance. 
Like he loved to brag about, his body surely was in peak physical condition. He must’ve washed his hair and his tail fur as well, both looked much more fluffy. 
“How was the broth?” He questioned, while he went to grab his deodorant off of the dresser to apply. 
“Good.” You cleared your throat. 
“You need anything else?” 
“No.” The warmth within you spiked, but it was of a far more pleasant vibe. Now was the perfect time to ask, and you went for it. 
“Can you...lay down, with me...?” 
“Heh. I was planning on it.” His smile was genuine, sending butterflies swarming through your gut. 
Vegito went over to slip into his side of the bed. You immediately huddled closer to your Saiyan, resting your head on his shoulder as he pulled you in further with the arm pressed against your back. You were content to virtually cling to his chiseled torso like a koala, using your free arm. You’ve been wanting this all day so far, and now that you’ve gotten it, you felt calm enough to let fatigue dull your senses. 
Last your consciousness registered before you drifted off was a pair of lips pressing against your temple, and something soft snaking itself around your lower legs. 
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osarina · 5 months ago
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hi carina !! havent been in ur inbox for a while, hru :)) i hope ur well >^< !!
i'm mainly here to ask if u have any writing tips/advice bc ur lit one of my fave bsd writers ever i adore all ur works sm and recently i've hated everything im writing ajkrnjekncvej SO IM WONDERING IF U HAVE ANY ADVICE CEJFCNJ (hopefully this isnt strange eabfihri)
you dont hafta answer this is u dont wanna btw !!! have a great day mwah <333
REDDDDDD MY SWEET LOVE BUG i've been doing okay!! work hasn't been as awful as i expected it to be, i rlly got lucky with my boss HAHAH - how are you doing?? you had exams right?? i hope they all went well!! sorry it took me so long to answer this one, but i wanted to actually be able to give u a good response so it had to wait until i had time i fear
IT'S NOT STRANGE, ur so sweet im giving u the softest forehead smooch. i'm sorry to hear you've been feeling that way about your writing though - i get it, trust me i do LOL, i go through days and weeks where i literally am revulsed by every word i put down in a doc. actually, i just went thru it like 2 days ago while writing the first chapter of civilian dazai so it's all fresh in the head LOL
honestly, i think the most important tip i have is really basic but u should never force yourself to write just for the sake of getting something out. like, i've done it before and whenever i do, i'm soooo unhappy with the results that it usually makes me go through a huge writing slump -> this happened with uu6 actually, i was so busy but i was trying to force the chapter out on time that i ended up rewriting it like 3 times because i hated it so much. finally i decided to move on to write some pmzai drabbles to clear my head & then came back to uu6 when i started feeling it again and behold, it came with ease. sometimes when i want to write but none of my wips are doing it for me, i'll literally conjure up a huge list of tropes and just read through it until one pops out to me LOL and then ill work on that
another i think basic piece of advice is reading. whether its fanfics, or novels, or whatever. whenever i have trouble liking what i write, i find something to read. reading is actually how i taught myself to write HAHAH my go tos are fantasy/scifi- tolkein, martin, herbert, rf kuang, i've been meaning to read sanderson but haven't had the time yet. honestly, in general, if i have free time and i'm not writing something, 9/10 i'm reading something.
i think plotting is also really important!! even for like one-shots, sometimes i get so lost in the writing that i lose focus of what the fic was originally supposed to be about and that frustrates me into deleting everything i've written. so something i do is i list out all of the scenes i want to see in a chapter or a one-shot before i start writing it so that i don't lose focus.
dialogue is a huge hurdle for me - sometimes i struggle to figure out whether or not my dialogue is realistic, so LOL sometimes i just sit there and speak it out loud, acting out a conversation with myself to see if it flows properly and then adjust accordingly. sometimes i do it for like descriptions/narration too if i think the narration isn't flowing or is too clunky. reading things out loud is a go-to way for me to figure out what's wrong with my writing.
and then lastly, this is more of a mental thing than anything else, but i've just slowly had to teach myself not to be too hard on myself. like i'll get so mad if something doesn't come out exactly how i envisioned it, and it used to genuinely make me so disappointed that i couldn't bring myself to write for days. so i've just slowly been working myself into a mentality telling myself that it doesn't have to be perfect to be great, yknow. and ten times out ten, you're seeing faults in your writing that no one else will take notice of.
so the whole tldr:
only write what you WANT to write, dont force urself to finish/write something
read when you can, whether its fanfic or novels or whatever u can get ur hands on
plot things out so you don't get lost
read things out loud that aren't making sense
work on not being so hard on yourself
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trashyswitch · 2 years ago
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Luigi's Secret
Chapter 7: Hashtag Tickle Fic
Luigi was ready to unwind after a long day. He pulls out his phone, ready to read some tickle fics. But Mario's brotherly antics end up revealing a huge secret Luigi had managed to keep for so long...How will Mario react?!
Here it is...the moment you've all been waiting for...😉
After a long day of work and the occasional tease from his brother, Luigi was ready to just flop into bed and read for a while. He just…didn’t feel like dealing with anymore distractions today. Plus, he had noticed that his favorite writer had uploaded another fanfiction right as his shift had ended, and he was just aching to read it. And now was finally that time. 
Luigi jumped into bed and pulled out his phone, opening up Tumblr and seeing the new fanfiction that was uploaded 4 hours ago. 
[A Predictable Friendship by TrashySwitch]
But…then he remembered that he forgot to read the other previous fanfic uploaded by her. So, he opened up AO3, and clicked the fanfic name underneath the friendship fanfic: 
[Go Home, Will! by TrashySwitch]
Luigi read the hashtags one by one, and bit his lip as he hesitated to click the title. He was nervous that the fanfiction was just going to bring his lee mood right back to where it was earlier this morning… Because unfortunately (or fortunately) for him, these fanfics always seemed to do that to him. Everytime Luigi would read a fanfiction, he would end up in those awful lee moods…and they could only be solved by either reading fanfictions while daydreaming, or by actually being tickled. And the latter option was something that could only happen if he worked up the courage to ask. So…Luigi made due with the former option. 
Luigi finally clicked the title and let the phone load up the fanfic. When it was loaded up, Luigi scrolled down and started to read the summary: 
[William is refusing to go home from work, due to being slammed with so much paperwork. But Henry is having none of it. So he pulls an inconvenient prank on his buddy in an attempt to get him away from the work desk. And it works! Well...kinda.]
Luigi chuckled to himself with a big smile on his face as he read through the beginning of the fanfic. The chances of this fanfic writer actually writing about something realistic that he completely understands…is incredible. Everybody who works a day job would know what it’s like to have that one employee that stays a few minutes past punch out! And…if he were to be honest, the word ‘inconvenient’ was a huge understatement. It gets really annoying…especially when you really wanna go home, but can’t yet because of someone else. 
Luigi kept reading through the fanfic, rather enjoying the playful banter these two characters had. And then one of the employees stealing the phone cord?! That’s so evil! That’s the equivalent of stealing a painter’s paintbrushes! Or a plumbers’ pliers! How does one do their work without that?!
And then the chase scene that resulted from the prank…He knew where this fanfic was going ever since reading the dialogue “COME AND GET IT, LOSER!”. These fanfics usually went the same way, but had different ways of getting there, which always ended up surprising Luigi. 
[William widened his eyes in horror. “aAAAH-” He yelled before squeezing them shut. “OHNO-” William blurted out, hissing as he brought his arms against his sides to cover up his armpits.
“How long can Willy the crybaby handle being tickled?” Henry asked confidently.
“H-HENRYHYHY-” William’s wobbly smile grew wider as he quickly lost control of himself. “DAHAHA! DAMMIHIHIHIT!” William laughed, finally dropping to his knees. “WAHAIT- *snort* HEHEHEHENRYYYY!” William laughed, even letting out a snor-] 
“You and those stories, I tell ya.” Someone said in front of him, taking his phone right out of his hands. 
Luigi widened his eyes and reached up to grab his phone. “NO! I’m just getting to the best part!” Luigi yelled, growing anxious. 
OH NOOO! NOT NOW! WHAT DID HE DO TO DESERVE THIS?!
Mario moved the phone away from his brother’s hands. “What’s it about this time?” Mario asked, scrolling down slightly. 
OH GOD. 
“NOTHINGJUSTGIVEIT-” Luigi shouted, attempting to tackle his brother down and get his damn phone back. 
“Haha! I’d like to see you try.” Mario teased as he scrolled down a slight bit more. 
Luigi tried to prevent himself from screeching as he started to sweat from how anxious he was. No nO NOO! The last time Mario stole his phone, he had been at the beginning of the fanfic, where it looked like a normal story! And that was already too close to the reveal! But THIS TIME?! He was RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TICKLE SCENE! IF MARIO READS HIS PHONE EVEN A SMALL BIT, THEN-THEN…
“Geez- Why are you being so dramatic?!” Mario yelled. 
“JUSTPLEASE-” Luigi begged helplessly. 
“Please what? Please read it to you?” Mario asked. 
Luigi gasped in horror. “NO!” Luigi shouted. 
“Ooooh! Okay! I’d love to read it to you!” Mario teased with a smirk before scrolling up slightly. “Now what word did you last end on?” Mario asked. 
Luigi was practically praying he could just melt into a puddle on the spot and sink into the floor. This CANNOT BE HAPPENING. HE HAD TO DO SOMETHING!
“Da da da- William dropped the shoe and-” 
Luigi quickly started skittering his fingers in Mario’s armpit, hoping and praying this would get the man to drop his phone. Mario guffawed and doubled over, attempting to trap his hand in his armpit. “HEHEhehey! Yohou think that’s reheheally gonna stohohop mehehe?” Mario asked, a small wobbly smile developing on his face. 
Luigi started blushing right away. God, even seeing Mario being tickled could quickly put him into a lee mood. It’s SO NOT FAIR! 
Mario took this little moment of a pause, to start reading the fanfic out loud. “William dropped the shoe and…Uh…” Mario’s face started to change. His words trailed off as he attempted to read the fanfiction on his own. 
[“Come here, you!” William pulled his foot underneath Will’s armpit and trapped the ankle in his armpit almost like a chokehold. Then, he started skittering his fingers on Henry’s vulnerable arch.
“eeEEEHEHEHEHAHAhahahaha! WAHAHAhahahahait nohoHOHOHOhoho!” Henry yelled-] 
“Hee…he he- How do you even-” Mario attempted to read it outloud, but was really struggling.
“OHgodno-” Luigi reacted behind him, his voice wobbling and cracking. 
“How do you even read this?!” Mario asked, letting out a laugh before continuing to read it to himself. 
[“Lehehet me gohohohohoho!” He begged-] 
“What…” Mario turned around to look at Luigi. “Is…this William guy supposed to be tickling Henry?” Mario asked. 
Luigi squeaked as he felt his face go more red from both hearing the word, AND hearing the tiny explanation of the fanfiction. 
Mario couldn’t help the small smile that was on his face. “And just to clarify, this is supposed to be laughter?” Mario asked, pointing to the dialogue he had just read. 
Luigi only whined in response. He was hoping and praying this was just an awful nightmare he could wake up from…But he wasn’t waking up no matter how much he pinched his own leg. Mario knew…Mario had found out, and now he was going to NEVER let him live this down! 
Mario chuckled and scrolled up to the top of the story. “Go Home, Will!…by TrashySwitch…” Mario read. “What is a TrashySwitch?” Mario asked. “Is her switch console so broken that she had to name her profile after it?” Mario asked with a laugh.
Luigi whined and covered his face with his hands. This can’t be happening. This CAN’T BE HAPPENING! PLEEEASE LET THIS BE A STUPID DREAM! PLEEEEASE!
“Hashtag it’s the working life for me, hashtag childish Henry Emily, hashtag childish William Afton slash Dave Miller, hashtag bad parent William Afton slash Dave Miller, hashtag only a small bit tho- This is just fanfiction!” Mario reacted. 
Luigi whined and groaned, shifting his feet that were currently under the covers. 
Mario widened his eyes and looked at Luigi with shock, before bursting out laughing. “YOU READ FANFICTIONS?!” Mario shouted, laughing again. “I THOUGHT YOU READ SHORT STORIES?!” Mario reacted. 
Luigi let out a long, painful groan. He knew this was only the beginning of the end for himself. This was going to be the first of millions of teases specifically about this, that will leave Mario’s mouth. 
Mario raised an eyebrow as he looked back at the hashtags. “Hashtag pranks and practical jokes, hashtag…tickle…fic-” 
Mario heard yet another whine leave his brother’s mouth. Unfortunately, that whine would only confirm everything. Luigi was not only reading fanfiction…He was reading fanfiction specifically about tickling. “W-Wait…” Mario said, scrolling down a bit more and reading through bits of the story really quickly. 
[“WhahahahAHAHAHAT?!” Henry reacted, squealing as the tickling doubled for him.
“You heard me.” William replied. “Did you want to be tickled?” William asked as he moved his fingers up to the top sole of his foot. 
“WHOHOHO TOHOHOLD YOHOHOU THAHAT?!” Henry asked.]
Mario blinked. “Did…Did this Henry guy just admit to wanting to be tickled?” Mario asked. 
Luigi whined and mumbled something. 
Mario raised an eyebrow. “You’re gonna have to speak up, or remove your hands from your face. I can’t understand you at all right now.” Mario said, attempting to grab Luigi’s hand. But Luigi’s hands were so tight against his face at the moment. Mario tilted his head, filled with enough confusion to last a lifetime. He clicked the name of the writer, and watched as it opened up to the profile. He hoped that the profile would help fill in some dots. Mario took a moment to look at the profile picture, before looking at the dashboard. 
“Hi there! I’m TrashySwitch! You can call me T.S, or Pocket if you want to.” Mario started to read out loud.
WaiT- WHAT?! 
“NonononoNONO-” Luigi reacted, getting up and reaching out for his phone. “PLEASESTOP!” Luigi begged. 
Mario pulled the phone back, keeping it out of Luigi’s reach. “Nuh uh!” Mario started pushing Luigi down by his chest with his hand. “You can’t just take the phone and not fill in all the details.” Mario reacted. “So you can either let me read this, or fill in the details yourself.” Mario told him. Luigi stared at him with shock and fear. Those were his choices?! Either explain everything himself, or let Mario read it?! Luigi stuttered for a few moments, before reaching down and grabbing the comforter, covering himself with it as fast as he could. 
Mario chuckled at the overdramatic reaction before continuing to read the profile description. “I’m a touch starved switch who is 70% Ler, 30% Lee. And I spend my time entertaining the moods by doing one of my passions: Writing fan-fiction! I am an SFW (Straight Fuckin' Water! XD) writer who mostly writes fluff and the occasional angst/comfort.” Mario read outloud. 
Luigi let out another audible whine. No no no no no…Please stop…Pleeeease stop…
“Wait…‘mostly writes fluff’…” Mario looked at the blanket, and grew the biggest smile on his face when he heard a whine from Luigi. “Oh my god- these tickling fanfictions are actually the fluffy stories you’ve been reading.” Mario reacted. “These are the stories that make your face light up so much!” Mario reacted, laughing a bit. 
Luigi shuffled around under the blanket, and groaned. Great…Now he knows…HE FREAKING KNOWS NOW. ALL BECAUSE HE LET HIS GUARD DOWN ONE SINGLE TIME- 
“So Ticklefic…Tickle fanfiction?” Mario asked aloud. “Fanfictions specifically about tickling?”
Luigi squeaked and wiggled his socked feet helplessly. 
Mario smiled a slight bit. The man then put the phone down and attempted to pull the blanket off Luigi. “Okay, you have a lot of explaining to do.” Mario told him. 
Luigi squeaked and gripped the blanket harder, absolutely refusing to let Mario rip it off him. “NonononoNO!” Luigi yelled, terrified to show his disgraceful face to his brother. 
“What’s a lee? What’s a LER?! What is a SWITCH?!” Mario reacted. “Who is this ‘TrashySwitch’ person? And why is this person writing fanfictions with tickle fights as the theme?!” Mario asked. “Do you know them?!” 
Luigi groaned and attempted to kick Mario with his feet still under the covers. “Leheheave me ALONE!” Luigi yelled, pulling the cover off his own face so he could breathe cold air. 
Mario dropped his jaw as he saw how red his brother was. And this wasn’t the same embarrassed color of redness that occurred earlier today, or in the past week…this was double, almost triple the embarrassment! 
This was full-on humiliation! 
Luigi whined and covered himself with his blanket yet again, already feeling silently judged by his brother. He was both whining, and giggling all at the same time. It was…both hilarious, and…almost sad to see…
Mario began to feel really bad for pushing Luigi to the breaking point. But…
Mario gently placed the phone right near the comforter opening. Luigi reached his hand out, grabbed it, and pulled it in under the blanket. Mario couldn’t help the little laugh that left his own mouth just from seeing that. He looked like a vampire getting his blade, or Golem getting his precious ring. 
Mario then grabbed the comforter and went under the covers with Luigi. Luigi squeaked and covered his face shallowly with his hands so he didn’t have to look at Mario face-to-face. Mario only smiled and tried to think of how to continue this conversation. “So…” Mario started with a small smirk. 
Luigi shook his head. “Don’tsayit…pleasedon’t…” Luigi muttered. 
Mario raised an eyebrow. “Lee?” Mario said. 
Luigi squeaked, whining and giggling at the same time. 
“Ler?” Mario said next. 
Luigi whined amidst his giggles, now kicking his feet lightly. 
“TrashySwitch?” Mario asked. 
Luigi visibly tensed up as he waited for the inevitable to happen…
“...Tickle?” Mario asked. 
Luigi squeaked as his giggles went up another level, and turned himself around so his back was towards his evil brother. 
Mario’s smirk only widened as he finally got the reaction he was looking for. “...Tickle tickle.” Mario started to smile somewhat evilly. 
“MARIOSHUHUHUSH.” Luigi whined, turning back around to face Mario and pushing his shoulder. 
“Ohoh my gosh, I’ve never seen you this embarrassed before!” Mario reacted. “Just the word tickle can make you react like this?!” Mario asked. 
“N-No-” 
“Tickle tickle tickle~” Mario teased. 
Luigi shrieked and covered his face again, accidentally letting out a snort. 
“Holy merda…Is this what a lee mood is?!” Mario asked. 
Luigi snorted as he nodded his head. “Yeheheah.” 
“How long has this been going on?!” Mario asked. 
Luigi groaned and very slowly uncovered his face. “A year and a hahahalf…” Luigi admitted. 
Mario dropped his jaw. “A YEAR AND A-” “I KNOW, SHUTUP!” Luigi yelled, covering his face again. 
Mario bursted out laughing at him, absolutely loving this new fact. “This person has been writing tickle-themed fanfictions for a year and a half?!” Mario asked. 
Luigi widened his eyes and slowly opened his phone. On AO3, he looked at the join day. “...Shehehehe hahad been for 3 and a half years…” Luigi admitted. 
“HOLY-” Mario dropped his jaw. “HOW MANY ARE THERE?!” Mario asked. 
Luigi whined and giggled helplessly. “Uhuhuhhhh…” He looked at the ‘Works’ area. “377…” Luigi admitted.
“Three  hundred and seventy seven?!” Mario reacted. “That’s- THAT’S-” Mario attempted to do math in his head. There are 365 days in a year…730 days in two years…and 1095 days in 3 years.” Mario said. “So…Type this in the calculator.” Mario thought for a moment. “1095 divided by 377.” Mario said.
Luigi bit his lip and put it into the calculator on his phone. “She…uploaded a fanfic every 2.9 days.” Luigi told him. 
“THAT’S INSANE!” Mario shouted. 
“I KNOW!” Luigi yelled back, a small smile on his face. 
Mario chuckled awkwardly as he tried to wrap his head around this new thing. “So…People like tickling so much that they write stories about it?!” Mario reacted. “And…my brother of all people, has been reading these stories a couple feet away from me without a second thought, for a year and a half now?!” Mario added. 
Luigi looked at Mario, before looking down again. 
Mario began to remember the little area that he read from the story. 
[“You heard me.” William replied. “Did you want to be tickled?” William asked as he moved his fingers up to the top sole of his foot. 
“WHOHOHO TOHOHOLD YOHOHOU THAHAT?!” Henry asked.]
Mario started to think out loud. “If she’s writing tickling fanfictions because she enjoys it…and you’re reading it…” Mario suddenly gasped and widened his eyes, before looking at Luigi. “Then does this mean you enjoy being tickled too?” Mario asked, smirking. 
Luigi widened his eyes and groaned. 
“So you read these tickle fanfictions because…you want it to happen?” Mario asked.
Luigi whined a slight bit…before nodding his head.
Mario stared at Luigi for a moment…before quickly thinking back to what happened earlier that week. “So…when Peach was tickling me and she threatened to tickle you if you tried to save me…” Mario started to explain. 
Luigi looked down, smiling slightly as he scratched the back of his own head. “Uhhhhh…” 
“You weren’t actually scared of her threat, because…you like it? And wanted it to happen?” Mario clarified. 
Luigi groaned and started giggling in embarrassment all over again. “Mahahahaybeheheee…” Luigi mumbled. 
Mario raised his eyebrows, before going back to thinking. “Okay…and when you went from ‘confident tickle monster’ to not even being able to say the word…was that real?! Were you actually struggling to say the word?!” Mario asked. 
Luigi squealed and covered his mouth. 
“Oho my god!” Mario reacted.  “And…And when you used to annoy Dad so he would become the tickle monster…you actually enjoyed that?!” Mario asked. 
Luigi paused for a moment and began to think. He wasn’t really able to remember his own thought process when he was doing that. Truth was, he didn’t even remember doing such a thing. But…now it made sense that he would. 
“Ihihi guehess sohohoho.” Luigi replied awkwardly. 
Mario widened his eyes. “Holy- That’s crazy!” Mario reacted. “So not only do you like it when people tickle you, you also love when people tease you!” Mario clarified.
Luigi whined a slight bit…before nodding his head. “But…only people I t-trust.” Luigi added. 
Mario quickly kicked the blanket off the two of them, scaring Luigi in the process. Mario then pulled Luigi into his arms. “Then what are we even waiting for?!” Mario declared, drilling into his hips. 
“eeEEEEEEEK!” Luigi screeched, grabbing Mario’s wrists as he howled with newfound laughter. He knew Mario was going to react. He knew it was going to either make or break his relationship with his brother. But…telling him actually rewarded him with tickles?! AND TICKLES TO THE HIPS OF ALL THINGS?! 
If that was the case, then WHY DIDN’T HE TELL MARIO SOONER?! This was FANTASTIC! TICKLE ME! TICKLE ME ALL YOU WANT, MARIO! DO IT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! 
“Oh!” Mario tweaked his sides occasionally in the middle of tickling his hips. “And don’t think that just because you’re being tickled, you’re done talking. This conversation is far from over.” Mario declared. 
……..Ohno…..
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ofstoriesandstardust · 2 years ago
Text
it's a good thing we're each other's kind of crazy (j.c.m.)
a/n: this was an inspired by an ask. this song is their anthem and i love them dearly gahhh
summary: Rebel and Coyote find themselves in Vegas. Chaos ensues (as it usually does with them).
title comes kelsea ballerini's "if you go down (i'm going down too)"
main masterlist | top gun: maverick masterlist | same mistakes-verse
warnings: Rooster's a little shit, Rebel's just along for the ride, dialogue heavy, this was just for shits and giggles
word count: 1.3k
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Your phone rings on the countertop, and you grab it as you flip the burner off. "Hello?"
"Do you want to go to Vegas?"
You frown, putting the phone between your ear and shoulder as you spoon the SpongeBob-shaped mac and cheese into a bowl. "I'm down. When?"
"Right now."
You're grateful you're only just pulling a fork out of the drawer to eat, otherwise you might've choked.
"Come again?"
"Do you want to go to Vegas with me? Like, right now. Like we would have to leave right now."
"Coyote, what the hell..." You mutter, glancing out the kitchen window. "What did you do?"
"Well, I was looking at ticket prices for Jake and I to go to Savannah and well... a few wrong clicks..."
"Coyote." You say firmly, as he notices your presence in the kitchen window from his car.
"I bought 38 dollar tickets to Vegas."
"Come inside."
"There's no time, we have to leave."
"Am I packing a bag for this?"
"No, we fly back in at 3 tomorrow."
"Did you book a hotel room?"
The silence on the other end clues you in.
"Machado, were you really just planning on buying these tickets, me saying yes, pulling an all-nighter in Vegas, and coming back tomorrow?"
"...Yes?" He sighs. "Are you gonna say no?"
A laugh escapes your mouth. "Oh hell no, I'm taking you to that restaurant in Caesar's Palace that only sells chocolate."
The grin can be heard through his tone. "You have five minutes."
-
You plop the giant bag of M&Ms on the end as Coyote groans, falling face-first into the bed. "This was fun." He says, words muffled into the comforter. "I'm proud of us for seeing everything Vegas has to offer that's not a casino."
"You brought me with you, what did you expect?"
He chuckles, pushing up from the bed. "What time is it?"
After traipsing around Vegas all day, going on the roller coaster at the New York New York, eating buffet food in the Paris hotel, going to the M&M Factory, spending at least three hours wandering around Caesar's Palace, going on gondola rides at The Venetian, seeing the water show at the Bellagio, and scoring last minute tickets to The Beatles Cirque de Soleil show at The Mirage, you were beat.
Thankfully, you knew better than Coyote in trying to pull an all-nighter in Vegas. After the show, you'd wandered down to the front-desk of The Mirage, where you'd sweet talked the girl working at the front-desk to lower the rate for a room and before you and Coyote knew it, you were unlocking the door to the suite with the singular king-sized bed.
You hum, cranning your eyes to the digital clock on the nightstand. "Just after two."
He pulls his phone out of his pocket, tossing it on the bed. "Can I charge my phone?"
You scoff, pulling the charger from your purse. You move toward the wall, plugging the device in before plopping down on the bed. "The phone charger gets to be used by the person who was smart enough to bring it. You almost forgot your wallet."
He huffs, tossing you a look. "Fine. I'm gonna shower."
"K. I want room service, do you want anything?"
His face lights up as his hands fall to his hips. You have to bite your lip to keep from laughing, realizing just how drunk he is.
He'd taken advantage of the drinks to your seats, that was for sure.
"Um, fries. Ooo, and nachos. And a hot dog."
You snort. "I'll see what they have."
He nods before slipping into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. The sound of the water running sounds as your phone lights up and you squint from the bright white. You turn away, picking up the phone to call for room service, knowing it'll be a minute before the phone loads.
As you order, you glance down, squinting at the different text messages.
Bradley 🐓
Hey, just checking in. Where are you?
Hey, Hangman can't get a hold of Coyote. Are you with him?
...What did you do? 🤨
There's quite a few from Hangman, along with some others from your team. All wondering where you are. Some are more nervous than others, and some (Amelia) are giving you play-by-plays of Hangman's mental spiral. You frown, standing up from the bed to knock on the bathroom door. "Hey Coyote?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you tell Hangman we were coming to Vegas?"
"No, why?"
You groan, shaking your head as you slide across the bed for your phone. You call Rooster first, knowing he's going to be the one you want to be in contact with.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hi honey." He says brightly, and in the background you can hear the chatter of your friends. "I assume your phone died?"
"Yeah, Coyote's too."
He hums and you can hear him open the fridge. "I figured. Hey, everyone's at the house, just so you know for when the two of you get back."
"Yeah, about that..." You sigh, rubbing your temple. "I'm in Vegas."
It's silent for a minute, and you cringe, afraid of what he might say before a laugh bubbles out from the other end. "What the fuck? How?"
"Coyote found 38 dollar tickets to Vegas. We fly back in tomorrow at 3. How could I say no?" You sigh again. ""M sorry I didn't give you a heads up. I totally spaced it in the chaos. We got off the plane and then never sat back down."
His laughter continues. "Oh honey, don't apologize. I figured your phone was just dead. Any lingering resentment will be forgiven in tacky souvenirs you bring me. You're in Vegas, I'm just glad you're having a good time."
You chuckle, hearing the shower turn off. "Is Dad worried?"
"Nah, he's out on that sailing trip with Penny for the long weekend, remember?"
"Oh yeah." You say with a nod, even though he can't see it.
"Bagman, on the other hand..."
"Shit, I should call Jake." You say, pulling the phone away from your ear to call the blond.
"No!" Rooster says immediately, causing you to pause. "I wanna have some fun with this."
You sigh. "Bradley..."
-
He walks out of the kitchen and back into the living room. Hangman looks back up at him, eyes wide. "Anything?"
He shakes his head.
"Bagman, he's with Rebel. He's in good hands." Payback tries to reason.
"That does not make me feel better!" Hangman nearly shouts.
"Maybe they ran away to Vegas and got married." He says, sitting back down in his seat. Jake grows paler, eyes like saucers.
"You think?" He hesitates, shaking his head. "No, they wouldn't. You- If they did, you'd be freaking out."
He shrugs, taking a sip of the beer he'd grabbed from the fridge. "Maybe I just made my peace with it."
Hangman huffs. "You're funny, Bradshaw, real funny."
"I'm not kidding."
Hangman frowns. "Did they really?"
He shrugs again, just watching the man, who gazes back uneasily. It's quiet in the room for a minute as he grows more concerned before Hangman's phone rings. The blond scrambles for it, eyes wide as he answers it.
"Rebel, are you okay? Where are you?"
Hangman has the phone on speaker, so he catches that it's not his girlfriend on the phone but rather Coyote. "Hey Jake."
"You. Where the hell have you been?"
"Oh, so she gets concern but I just get anger?"
"Did you fucking run away to Vegas to marry your best friend? Because honestly Javy, I thought more of you."
"Jake, what the are you talking about?" Your phone sounds from over the phone, shifting from the other side of the phone call. "I mean we are in Vegas, but I literally just made Javy go to like seven different restaurants with me. I told Bradley that."
Hangman gapes, mouth opening and closing like a fish before he settles on anger, turning on his heel, face stony.
"Bradshaw."
92 notes · View notes
tommyssupercoolblog · 8 months ago
Text
Writing Pattern Tag Game
@bootlegfrank tagged me and @septiccoffeefreak - who shares this post w me because we're writing partners >:3 (frank tagged us indirectly. and then directly because i responded saying i was gonna do it. so in-indirect-diretly(??))
Rules: list the first lines(s) of your last 10 fics and see if there's a pattern. I also said where each one is from in case u don't wanna scroll through our ao3 and do the math urself!!!
all these fics except one r RPF, sooo BE WARNED. i'm putting everything under da cut, and i'm also putting my reblog banner since fanfiction!!! is!!! art!!!
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Seán’s about ready to burn his entire calendar.
from "Scheduling Conflicts and How To Cope - A Guide For The Busy Homosexual"
Tommy hates LA with every fiber of his being.
from "City Of Angels"
it's cold, and it hurts.
from "The Part Where it Gets Better (Lads rescue AU)", and also THIS SOUNDS SO WEIRD OUT OF CONTEXT LIKE WHAT'S COLD??? it's water. the water is cold. this is the character based one btw. WE FOUND IT, THE NON-RPF!!!
Tommy inspects Seán’s behelit tattoo carefully, running his thumb over it a little, then kisses it.
I fucking would. kissing all his tattoos right now. mwah. this goddamn MOOD is from "There's No Place Like Home"
Ethan N3st0r was not expecting Seán to still be awake at three AM, even though with jet lag considered, he really fuckin should have.
I censored the name for search but it's not like that in the fic, that's just for tumblr. anyway, from "Three Drabbles In Which Tommy and Seán are bad at Keeping Secrets"
Ethan's the one to bring it up first, on Brain Leak, of all things.
OPENING WITH ETHAN AGAIN LMAOO. this is from "And Suddenly, It Makes Sense."
"So, who would have thought, huh? T0mmy1nn1t and Jacks3pt1c3y3, famous YouTubers, passed away in their sleep on the same night."
censored for tumblr again. from "Count your Soulmates- There's only one."
Seán and Tommy have sleepovers sometimes.
from "kissing practice". very original opening line /sar /lh (also tbh i feel awful about em being evil in this one :( I know its fanfic and i can do whatever I want but like. idk. i'm not accusing em of being mean IRL okay??? OKAY))
Seán spends about fifteen minutes pacing and staring at himself in the mirror, doing breathing exercises his therapist taught him and trying not to rub or scratch his wrists too much.
from "Puppy Love", the closest we've ever gotten to full misce posting on main
They were gluing ducks to a jeep the first time it happened.
FROM "PETNAMES" AND ALSO THE BEST OPENING LINE EVER
INTERPRETATION TIME!!!!
soooo yeah!!! we like to jump right into action as well but I think it's safe to say our autistic ass habits of giving exposition for everything lead to the specific outcome of starting in the middle of a scene, WITH an explanation of the scene. like we're already in the middle of something going on but also sometimes it's exposition at the same time somehow?? or like right after these first lines. idk maybe that's just me????
the way it's usually less (character does this) and more (character does this BECAUSE ____ // character is doing this and FEELING ____) feels like it's trying to give context, to me. but again idk maybe just me
TIME FOR SEÁN'S READING:
@septiccoffeefreak - "What I'm noticing here is more along the lines of just, how we almost always seem to open with a person. Usually by their actual name(s) too and not just a pronoun. I understand what you mean, Tommy, but I don't personally get that vibe? You could totally be right, of course, I just don't pick up on that. I defenitely notice, though, just how many of these are sentences where the literal first word is a name. the two exceptions to that are the pronoun "they" (which is still a person- or two people actually), and then water.
I guess the dialogue could also be considered an exception, but I don't think it counts since it also directly references us as characters.
and that's not something you necessarily have to do. You could open describing scenery or objects, or with dialogue that DOESN'T have the names of the characters in it- you could open with wind through a blade of grass or a character cursing under their breath or someone's cellphone crashing to the pavement or something. So it's definitely an "us" thing, it's a quirk of our writing style and not just normal writing. I don't know if like, we ALWAYS do this, but I do know that in these ten fics you pulled we do. I wouldn't be surprised if we did it like literally all the time as well, but I'm not going to pretend to know every first line we've ever penned to paper. or...print?? I don't fucking know, here, I'm just analyzing sentences on the internet for a tagging project.
Sorry if this ramble is kind of long, I hope it's at least interesting though??? sort of interesting? kind of interesting, in it's own way, hopefully. at least mildly, like a video you didn't turn on but aren't really reaching for the mouse/remote on to change it. You know?? Yeah. Like that. Or more interesting then that, hopefully. Thanks for uh, reading or, whatever, listening if you have a screen reader i guess, I'm getting nervous and it's very obvious because i'm rambling so I'm gonna hand things back off to the birthday boy, Toms. wish Tommo a happy birthday or I swear to fucking god your liver will be missing in the morning and you'll find it at the bottom of your morning cup of coffee."
back to me:
LMAO
wow omg i love my babygirl,,,, that made me laugh >:p
ANYWAYS. i didn't notice that!! oh em gee,,,,, name moment.
YOU SHOULD DO THIS TOO AND SEE IF YOUUUU SEE ANYTHING!!!!!
I'M TAGGING @kalcifers-blog AND.... no one else because all my other mutuals who i know for a fact write have paused as far as i'm aware, bc they're into mcyt RPF like I am and the w1lbvr situation put them on hiatus. and i don't know if any of them are back to feeling up to writing stuff.
I don't write about w1bvr ever and didn't watch him so I wasn't that affected but a lot of people were even if they just watched so like... Kalcie ur alone on here i'm SO SORRIE. ALSO this is /nf so u don't have to if u dont want to :p :3 >:D :000 >:PPPP :000 >:00
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lhs3020b · 11 months ago
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Arrival - an analysis
As I was working through the DLCs for ME2 tonight, I got to thinking about the odd lack of drama that "Arrival" has.
A couple of thoughts below the cut, in no particular order...
I think the first problem with Arrival is the oddness of it. The lack of your usual squad is a bit strange - while it makes some sense in the context of infiltration, it still doesn't make very much sense. On re-playing the DLC I felt like there was a slightly not-quite-real feeling to it, like this was somehow not quite part of "Mass Effect proper", and I think the root of that was the lack of the squad.
Then there's the inconsistencies between how Aratoht is described in the Codex and what it looks like. The Codex describes an uninhabitable planet in the very early stages of terraforming; the visuals show a terrestrial world with an advanced ecology, normal atmosphere and weather. This incongruity, for me at least, added to the faint air of unreality.
The other issue with Arrival is perhaps a "structural" one. While re-playing it, I noticed that it lurches constantly between small-ish cutscenes, and these felt like they disrupted the flow of the action. Particularly later into the DLC, I actually felt a little irritated with some of them as it felt like they were obstructing doing things. The narrative felt oddly heavy-handed - there was a lot of Shepard talking to herself. Normally a lot of this would happen in more "organic" dialogue between Shepard, the squadmates and any NPCs, but aside from a few conversations with Kenson, Arrival has none of that.
Then there's the absence of any meaningful moral choice. You can't not fire up the engines on the asteroid. The closest you get to a choice is whether to warn the colony, and if you try, Kenson interrupts the broadcast, rendering it utterly moot. If you have no choice, then you have no agency, and if you have no agency, what reason do you have to care about the results?
(I am aware that very technically it is possible to run the clock down on Arrival and get a spectacularly non-standard game-over that way, so I suppose there is an element of choice there ... but how many Shepards are really going to stand there for half an hour on a random asteroid, doing nothing, while the clock ticks down to the Arrival?)
There's also the slightly-demotivating aspect of the denouement itself, which forces you to be personally-responsible for nearly a third of a million civilian deaths ... and then the game basically does nothing with it. You can express a bit of emotional frustration while talking to Hackett at the end, but that's basically it. "Hi, I'm a mass murderer and I'm supremely-unbothered by any of this." If the character is clearly feeling nothing, why should the player?
I think the last slightly-off element to Arrival is the brief conversation with Harbinger. The dark majesty that Sovereign had just isn't there. Harbinger rants at you for a bit, then pretty much throws a tantrum and rage-quits the comm-call. It's not awe-inspiring, it's not terrifying, it's not moving - rather, it's mildly-irritating. You're a giant aeons-old alien warship from outside the galaxy and the best burn you can manage is some wibbling about "dust on cosmic winds"? Really, Harbinger? Really?
I wasn't expecting an actual Reaper to - literally! - phone it in!
I think Arrival ends up presaging a problem that was rampant in ME3. The build-up to the conclusion was mostly-OK (with reservations) but the denouement was lacking. And that's a pattern that we saw regularly in ME3, all the way to the infamous endings.
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hello hello, just wanna start by saying how i love your work so much, ive yet to read any of your works that i just didnt absolutely love and enjoy.
this might be a different ask than you usually get, but i wanna start getting into writing fanfics as a side hobby for funsies but i dont know where to start. iv noticed your characterization/ character analysis is usually spot on, like i would be reading some of your fics and then id be like “that is lore accurate x character” or “x character would 100% do that” or atleast in my opinion. can i ask what proccess (if there is any) u go through in order to flesh out a character and understand them to be comfortable enough to write them in different scenarios or different AUs?
its alright if u dont accept these kind of requests, but i was super curious so i thought i might ask anyway. Learn from the best they say ;) , but anyways thanks alot in advance and ty for blessing us with those fics, reading them brings me lots of joy :D
Aw, Anon, thank you so much!! This genuinely made me smile! I'm really happy you enjoy my writing! Thank you so much for all your kind words! 🩷
I wish I had one specific process I went through, that I could simply suggest, but really, this is just something that came with a lot of practice, for me. I've been writing for years (long since before I even made earthquake - I have so many unposted works gathering dust, it's laughable!) and the longer I write, the more natural these things come to me.
This is specifically for dialogue, but here's what I still do sometimes. When I write a character I've never written before, I often study a lot what they sound like - rewatch quests their in, listen to all their voice lines. And when I start to write them, at least in the beginning, I try to hear every line of dialogue I write in their voice. And I ask myself "Does this line sound right in Tighnari's voice? Can I imagine this being spoken in Kazuha's soft tone? Would this work in Lyney's voice?" If I can easily hear the line I've written in that character's voice, then it means I'm doing it right. If it sounds out of place, I should probably tweak it. And of course the more you write a character, the more you start to get a feel for them and the more naturally their speech patterns and mannerisms come to you.
I know this doesn't nearly cover everything, but like I said, there isn't really a straightforward way to learn any of this. For me at least, the best way to learn was to jump in and start to write - even if my first few works were atrocious, haha!
I wish you luck on your writing journey, anon! May you have tons of fun with it! And thank you so much again for all your compliments and kind words 🩷
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the12thnightproject · 1 year ago
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15 Questions for 15 Mutuals
@msviolacea tagged me here (read the questions and answers, but it's a longer post, so am copying the questions).
Were you named after anyone?
Actually, I was named "in honor of" my great-grandmother, whose name turned out to be double alliterative with my surname, so my parents then chose a different first name. My middle name was in honor of my other great-grandmother (and again they modernized the name, although in that case, I wish they hadn't, because "Lena" would have been a much more interesting middle name than "Lynn" which is what they ended up with.
When was the last time you cried?
Within the last week.... family tsuris.
Do you have kids?
Nope.
Do you use sarcasm?
it is my factory default setting.
What’s the first thing you notice about people?
I have a terrible memory for faces, seriously awful, and I almost need to meet people three times before I can call their image to mind and match a name to it. Therefore, what I always do is try to find a unique feature that will help me remember them. So, it varies.
What’s your eye colour?
Brown.
Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings. Not a fan of scary.
Any special talents?
Writing, I guess. If you go with less than usual talents, I have a really good auditory memory (better than my reading memory), and am pretty good at identifying people by their voices (probably a compensation for the terrible face memory), songs by the first few notes, dialogue from movies.
Where were you born?
Somewhere in the continental U.S. is as much as I am prepared to reveal.
What are your hobbies?
Reading, photography, walking, writing, video games, movies, ice skating (though... it's been a while).
Have any pets?
Two cats and they hate each other.
What sports do/have you played?
My parents, being of the opinion that their kids should always be busy and have hobbies, signed me up for every recreational sport available in my town - that included softball, floor hockey, horseback riding, swimming, golf, and tennis. I was terrible at ALL of them. As an adult, I learned how to figure skate, and was oddly not terrible at it (granted, I wasn't good either, but I did pass up through ISI 4 freestyle, and could land all the single jumps except the axel).
How tall are you?
On the shorter end of average.
Favorite subject at school?
English and journalism ... I liked history a lot, but all of the history teachers were just the sports coaches marking time until practice after school, so my history education tended to be self-motivated.
Dream Job?
Working screenwriter or television writer.
Now for the 15 tags .... only if you want to, no pressure:
@mllorei @bestbryn @selenacosmic @lyds323 @fighting-and-drawing @tele86 @ikeromantic @arrthurpendragon @venulus @violettduchess @katriniac @iphigeniainaulis @scorchieart @queengiuliettafirstlady
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