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karahalloway · 7 months

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Devil May Care

Fandom: Heaven’s Secret (Book 1: Season 1)

Pairing: Lucifer x F!OC (Devon Hart)

Series: Oh, So Devilish

Chapter summary: Devon sneaks off to track down a lead on her death... But she's not alone.

Word count: 5,100

Warnings: M (swearing, angst, suicidal thoughts, aggro, toxic behaviour, references to death, physical violence)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: So. This is not what I was supposed to be working on. At all. Not only is this not Intentions, but it’s not even TRR… or Choices, for that matter. However, a couple of weeks ago, @angelasscribbles convinced me to take the plunge with a Romance Club choices game called Heaven’s Secret and I became instantly hooked… especially on Lucifer’s character. I have a type; can’t you tell? 😆

A/N2: This first part of what turned into a two-parter (it just got too long, so I had to split it) focuses on the events that take place at the end of HS S1E5 and the second part focuses on the start of S1E6. Because while I love the character of Lucifer, I felt like that his characterisation missed the mark a bit (especially considering that he is the literal Son of Satan) so, I decided to make… adjustments 😏

A/N3: I appreciate that this is not what most people on my tag list signed up to read, but I have tagged my Permas anyway, in case anyone wants to indulge me. However, in the (highly likely) event that I end up writing more for this fandom, moving forward, I will only tag people who specifically request to be tagged. So if you want in on Part 2, let your preferences be known, or forever hold your peace.

A/N4: By way of context for people who decide to read, but are not familiar with canon for this story, here is some background (which I have also tried to incorporate as much as possible into the fic itself): MC (default name, Vicky Walker, but for various reasons, I decided to create an OC instead) is killed in a car crash. However, instead of ‘simply’ dying, she is offered the choice to become an immortal and join the Angels & Demons Academy (located in Heaven) and train to become either an angel or a demon (your choices in the game actually affect your path — prior to choosing an eventual side, you are referred to as an ‘Unclaimed’). As part of her training, MC is sent down to Earth to complete assignments that require her to influence humans into making various choices… however, MC is also secretly trying to investigate the circumstances of her (highly suspicious) death. Also, for the purposes of this universe, Lucifer is the demon son of Satan and Lilith (not a fallen angel as per Biblical canon). Dino, Sammy and Fencio are true-born angels (don’t ask about the names), Mimi and Adi are true-born demons. Both angels and demons (and Unclaimed) are anthropomorphic and have wings; however, when they go down to Earth, they disguise themselves in human form. Hope that helps! 🤗

Devil May Care

“Ah, there you are…”

Jerking my gaze away from Dino, I spot Sammy’s human form standing a few feet away.

“Sorry,” I say, quickly wiping the remnants of the wetness from my face. “I… I just needed a minute.”

Sammy nods in understanding. “If it’s any consolation, the fact that you care is a good thing. It shows you still have your humanity. No death should be treated lightly, yet most demons… and a fair number of angels have lost sight of that. But it’s a strength. Don’t let Adi or Mimi tell you otherwise.”

“Thanks, Sammy…” I say with a sniffle, forcing myself to stand.

“Any time,” he acknowledges with a lop-sided smirk. “But we should get going.”

“Yes. It is time to return,” confirms Dino, coming to stand beside me.

As if on cue, the air begins to thicken around us, and a familiar crackle of energy raises the hairs on my arms. Glancing up, I see the very fabric of the night sky stretch and strain as an otherworldly wind whips the now-familiar bridge between the dimensions into shape.

Dino steps into the centre of the maelstrom first, lifting into the air as the vortex sucks him back to the ethereal realm.

“See you on the other side,” Sammy winks as he leaps after the other angel.

With a heavy exhale, I shove my hands into the pockets of my biker jacket, and force myself to move towards the epicentre of the storm.

Finding myself back on Earth in the wake of my death hadn’t been easy the first time, and it sure as hell hasn’t gotten any easier the second time either. Because even though everyone at the Academy keeps reminding me that my mortal life is well and truly over, and there is no going back, for whatever inexplicable reason I can’t seem to accept my new-found providence.

And coming back here — to the human realm — just feels like a massive kick in the gut each and every time… Like a kid being taunted with everything they can’t have from the other side of a toy store window. A cruel reminder of what that was wrenched away from me. My friends… My family… Even myself.

The undeniable force of the vortex tugs at my clothes, trying to lift me skywards, but I find myself fighting it.

Maybe because my death had been thrust upon me with such shocking suddenness… giving me no time to prepare, much less come to terms with it before I fell into the world of angels and demons. Maybe because the grief I saw etched into my father’s face has woven itself into the threads of my soul as well, reinforcing the harshness of the truth that we got cheated out of what could have been left of our precious, irretrievable time together. Or maybe it’s because I know that my killer is still out there, living it up despite the crime he committed against me, free from punishment, free from the scythe of justice.

The tip of my finger brushes against the folded letter buried in my pocket.

Since picking it up outside of my house a few days ago — though, to be fair, I have no idea how time converted between Earth and the angelic realm, so for all I know, it could’ve been years since my last visit – I’ve carried the piece of paper with me everywhere. In part because I don’t want anyone finding it and wondering how I managed to get my hands on it in the first place… As given that we aren’t supposed to interact with mortals outside of our given assignments, I am not particularly interested in the chewing out that is no doubt in store for me if someone decides to rat on me. But also, in part because I cannot let what happened to me go… and desperately crave answers.

Digging my heels in on the edge of the swirling whirlpool of energy, I pull the letter out…

…but as if by fate, the square of paper is ripped from my grasp by a particularly vicious gust of wind.

“No…!” I gasp, throwing myself heedlessly after my only lead.

The letter zooms around the circumference of the vortex — like a hapless butterfly riding the edge of a tornado — and begins to track upwards, ever further from my reach…

But just as it’s on the verge of vanishing into the void, it is suddenly snatched out of the air with inhuman speed and precision.

I stumble to stop, mouth agape and arm outstretched like some drunken ballerina as I lay eyes on the dark form on the other side of the vortex.

Crap…

Of all the possible ways this screw-up could’ve gone, this is — hands down — the worst.

As even in human skin… without the horned wings gathered around him like a dark halo, or the pulsing, ethereal tattoos that seem to constantly shift along the visible surface of his skin… there is no mistaking the raw power emanating from the being standing across from me.

Lucifer cocks a lazy brow in my direction as he holds the note up. “Lost something, have we?”

His eyes meets mine, and in spite of the distance separating us, I feel the full heat of the fire that burns in his demonic gaze scorch into me like the blade of a hot knife.

And despite drawing upon every ounce of my willpower to prevent it from happening, I feel an incriminating blush rise up my cheeks.

A slow smile curves at his lips. “I thought so…”

“Give it back!” I snap, my momentary embarrassment morphing instantly into anger… even though I know in the back of my mind this is exactly the reaction he is probably looking to goad me into.

Because I am angry. Angry at myself for being stupid enough to arm someone like Lucifer with such potent ammunition to use against me. Angry with him for the fact that he managed to sneak up on me like this in the first place.

But most of all, my heart is still bleeding for that little girl who died a senseless death mere minutes ago… and the knowledge that I had been complicit in it.

And I cannot keep a latch on the tidal wave of red rising over me. Nor do I really want to.

I have already cried a river on the bench with Dino — commiserating not just for the fate of the girl, but for the fucked up situation I now find myself in as well — and I have no tears left. Just raw, frothing rage at the inherent unjustness of the world, at the flippant and uncaring attitude of my fellow immortals who see humans as mere pawns on their eternal chess board, and my own powerlessness in the face of forces and rules that I don’t yet fully understand, but which I’m being steered to blindly conform to anyway.

And the arrogant demon standing in front of me is just as good a scapegoat for my ire as any.

“Or what?” he taunts, sliding his thumb slowly across the paper… taunting me shamelessly with the missive he now holds in his hand.

Something inside of me snaps and I launch myself at him with a wordless yell.

But the vortex has apparently had enough of being kept on hold by my indecision, and before I’ve made it two steps, I find myself being sucked up to go careening through time and space like a discombobulated pinball.

“Damn it!” I cuss as I’m tugged through the shimmering funnel against my will.

I had one chance to make some much-needed progress on figuring out who killed me and why, and I’ve managed to blow it.

And who knows when I’ll have the opportunity to try again? Or even if I’ll be able to try again…

As knowing Lucifer — the literal Spawn of Satan — he’ll end up throwing me under the bus the moment we get back to the Academy… just for perverse kicks.

“Asshole…” I gripe under my breath as I feel the speed of the vortex slow, indicating that my unplanned trip is about to come to an end.

But as my feet touch down once more, it is not back at the Academy where I find myself. Instead, I’m standing outside of a building that looks very much like a police station… in my hometown.

“Huh…”

Dino had mentioned previously that destinations in the vortex are set by one’s intentions.

Since I had been so focused on the letter — which my father had received from the lead detective assigned to my case — the vortex must’ve thought this is where I had wanted to go.

And I’m not about to look an unexpected gift horse in the mouth.

Knowing that I didn’t have a lot of time before my classmates — and Fencio! — notice my absence back in the angelic realm, I hurry across the street.

Taking the steps two at a time, I shove myself through the revolving door and step into the station. Luckily, I have the contents of the letter memorised, given that I no longer have it in my possession, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to blag my way through this with some semblance of grace.

The receptionist manning the counter looks up at my arrival. “Can I help you?”

“Erm… Yes,” I confirm, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear as I step forward. “I’m looking for DC Lawton. He was heading up the Hart case…?”

I cross my fingers behind my back, hoping against hope that it’s only been mere weeks and not decades since my death, and the police are still investigating.

The receptionist takes a moment to consult her computer. “Yes. He should still be in.”

A relieved breath bursts out of me. Another break!

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Not exactly…” I admit. “But… I do have some information relating to the case that he needs to hear.”

The woman behind the desk studies me for a long moment, no doubt wondering what a petite Korean girl wearing pink pigtails and spiked leather could possibly have to contribute to a homicide investigation… given that that is the mortal skin I am currently masquerading around in.

But she nevertheless seems to take me at my word. “Down the hall, second door on the left.”

“Thank you!” I blurt, already turning away.

Speedwalking past the desk and down the corridor, I locate the correct door and push down on the handle without knocking.

The lone man occupying the room barely glances up from his stack of papers at the sound of my arrival. “Yeah?”

“DC Lawton?” I ask, stepping into the room.

“That’s what it says on the name plaque,” he grunts, indicating the front of his desk.

“Great!” I exclaim, moving up to him. “I…”

I trail off, realising that I haven’t actually planned out what I was going to say when I got here. As I can’t exactly reveal that I am the dead victim from one of his case files, come to demand answers about the circumstances of the car crash that killed her.

The detective raises his head, waiting for a response..

I take a deep breath. “I hear you’re the lead investigator on the Hart case.”

He nods. “That’s right. And you are?”

“An interested party,” I admit. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

His brows furrow, no doubt in response to the same train of thought that chugged down the tracks of the receptionist’s mind earlier. “What kind of interested party?”

Shit…

I’m not sure exactly how I had expected this conversation to go, but it definitely wasn’t like this.

But then I remember that I’m not a mere human anymore…

And I’m not willing to leave empty-handed.

Ditching any rational approach, I scrunch my face up in pretend grief as I flop dramatically into the chair at the side of the detective’s desk. “I didn’t want to say anything before because I didn’t want anyone to know… especially my parents… but I can’t keep it in anymore and I need to tell someone!”

DC Lawton startles slightly at my unexpected and borderline theatrical flip of composure. “Keep what in anymore?”

I slap an aggrieved hand onto his. “That Devon and I were in a relationship!”

The detective’s eyes widen in shock, and I use his momentary surprise to lock my gaze with his, just like we practiced back at the Academy.

The physical contact, combined with the suddenly unrestricted access to the window of his soul, allows me to breach the energetic wall encasing his body, and dive right into the hidden recesses of his mind.

Yes! It worked!

But I force myself to curtail my celebration, knowing that I need to focus all my attention on maintaining the delicate connection with the man sitting in front of me.

“You must help me, Detective,” I urge, tightening my hold on his hand.

DC Lawton looks somewhat dazed — like he’s been whacked over the back of the head — but at the sound of my voice, his pupils dilate eagerly. “How can I help?”

“The girl in the Hart case that you’re investigating… she was run off the road. Do you know by who?”

“No,” he intones, his voice slightly groggy. “The vehicle was a rental. A black minivan. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the rental company yet…”

“Which rental company?” I press.

“Global Drive,” he says. “The license plate is NYK 357.”

“Can you write that all down for me?”

He lifts his pen up with a nod to scribble onto a Post-It. “Your hand is so warm…”

“Thanks,” I say, snatching the note from him and breaking off the contact in the process.

He blinks up at me rapidly. “Any time…?”

Jumping up from the chair, I turn to dash out of the room…

…and nearly trip over my own feet when I come face to face with the glowering form leaning against the door jamb.

“What th—?”

Lucifer’s lips curl back to reveal teeth. “I should have you racked in the Pits.”

An involuntary shiver runs down my spine at his words. Not because of the sinister nature of the threat — I’ve been to Hell, and it certainly is no picnic! — but because I can see from the tight set of his jaw that he is actively considering carrying it out.

I force myself to meet his burning gaze head-on. “Well, unfortunately for you, I didn’t end up in Hell when I died. So, you don’t get to make that call.”

“No,” he growls back. “But your flagrant disregard for the rules makes you a liability, and I refuse to take the fall for you.”

“Well, maybe you should’ve thought of that before you decided to follow me,” I hit back, bumping him with my shoulder as I shove past him on my way out of the room.

His hand shoots out to latch around my arm with a vice-like grip, and suddenly I find myself nose-to-nose with him.

“I didn’t follow you,” he hisses into my face, his coal-black irises alight with the very fires of Hell. “The vortex brought me here because you can’t keep hold of your own fucking trash.”

“It’s not trash!” I spit back. “It’s—“

“Was it worth it?”

The question — and the sudden change in his tone — catches me off guard.

I blink in confusion, wondering if I maybe misheard him. But while his piercing gaze is still locked onto me with the same degree of ferociousness as a moment ago, behind the raging inferno of irritation glimmers a genuine spark of curiosity.

“Maybe,” I concede tightly, trying to get a read on him.

As demons, I’ve learnt, are inherent wildcards. Unpredictable at the best of times, and downright diabolical at the worst. Which means their whims and whiles can change at the drop of a hat, and it is dangerous to get caught in a compromising position with them.

Which — unfortunately — is exactly where I have managed to find myself with Lucifer. Trapped in a corner, with him holding all the trumps. So, I don’t want to admit any more than I strictly have to.

He rakes his hot gaze over me one more time — as if trying to catch me out in a lie — before pulling back slightly.

“Hmm… Not a complete waste of wings then…”

I wrench my arm from his grasp. “Fuck you.”

I swear I hear a snort of amusement escape him as I stomp away… But I resist the urge to sucker punch him. He is not worth it, and I have better things to do with my limited time on Earth anyway.

Glancing down at the Post-It in my hand, I can see that DC Lawton has been kind enough to scrawl down the address of the rental centre… and that it is only a few blocks away.

Which is a blessing, given that I don’t have any money on me with which to hail a cab or jump on a bus, and our lessons at the Academy have yet to cover how to magically hotwire a car.

So, walking it is. At least the physical exertion will give me a chance to blow off some steam.

Shoving the note into my pocket, I push through the revolving doors of the station, and back out onto the street. Pausing for a second to get my bearings – it’s been a while since I last frequented this part of town, having spent the preceding four years of my mortal life off at college – I quickly rake through my mental map of the neighbourhood before setting off to the right.

Except, I don’t even make it to the end of the block before I feel a tell-tale prick in the back of my neck. Glancing over my shoulder, my stomach drops as I catch sight of Lucifer a few yards behind me.

Gritting my teeth, I pick up my pace, hoping that it’s merely an unfortunate coincidence that he happens to be going in the same direction as me.

But it seems that I am in no such luck, as he’s still tailing me two blocks later, like an annoying black fly that I cannot seem to shake, no matter how hard I try.

With the result that by the time I get to the next crosswalk, my cool has evaporated completely, and instead of crossing the road in front of me, I end up rounding on him like a rabid pitbull.

“You’re such a fucking hypocrite!”

My outburst seems to catch him off-guard. But whatever jump I may have managed to get on him is fleeting at best, and in the next instant, he’s up in my face again, teeth bared and hackles raised. “Watch your tongue, Unclaimed. Before I rip it out of your mouth.”

“Oh, the truth hurts, does it?” I snip up at him.

“You don’t know the meaning of pain,” he grits, his hand snapping around the base of my throat.

My eyes narrow. “I know more than you think.”

“No. You don’t.” The flames in his eyes lick over me contemptuously. “And your arrogance will get you killed. Permanently.”

“Bet you’d love to be the one to do it, too,” I goad with a humourless smile.

I know I’m playing with hellfire. But I don’t care. I didn’t ask for this life, and I’m still not convinced I want it. So, if Lucifer is willing to put me out of my misery, then so be it. Being who he is, I’m sure he has the means… and I’ve just handed him the opportunity on a silver platter.

The Prince of Darkness stares at me for what feels like an age, his hand wrapped around my throat, face a mere breath from mine, his gaze simmering as if trying to read my very soul.

“Unlike you, angel, I’m not that stupid,” he murmurs, his voice barely a whisper. His hand drops from my neck as he steps abruptly past me.

“Then why are you still here?” I demand, whirling around after him.

He stops a few feet away, shoulders tense. But when he looks back at me, rather than anger or annoyance, it’s that devilish grin playing at his lips again. “Maybe I’m just enjoying the show.”

“Eugh!” I grit, throwing my hands up in the air as I plow past him.

Conceited, egotistical, patronising bastard! Why can’t he fall back into the Seventh Circle of Hell, where he fucking—

I’m so incessed that I end up storming right by the rental centre… and have to retrace my steps from the other end of the block to correct my mistake.

So, by the time I arrive back at the correct entranceway, my mood is even more foul than when I left the police station.

“Save it,” I spit as I reach the still-smirking form of Lucifer, leaning against the metal fence post of the lot.

His brow arches. “Did you hear me—?”

I flip him off in no uncertain terms as I stride past without a backwards glance.

He wants to stick around? Fine. But that doesn’t mean I need to be nice to him. Hell will have to freeze over first.

Arriving at the first row of parked cars, I pull the Post-It out from my pocket and begin scanning the plates, looking for the black van.

“Good afternoon, miss. Can I help you find anything in particular?”

Looking up, I see a suited man with a combover and a name tag looking at me expectantly. The rental rep, by the looks of him.

“Yes, actually,” I affirm. “I’m looking for a black minivan.”

“You have come to the right place,” he tells me with an eager smile as he starts to lead me to the other side of the lot. “Global Drive stocks the largest selection of rental vans available for hire in the area, and we’re happy to accommodate both long- and short-term requirements. Are you moving, by any chance?”

“Huh?” I’d been too busy trying to match the van plates to the number on the Post-It that I totally missed the question.

The rep’s smile falters slightly. “Since your interest is in a minivan, am I correct to assume that y—?”

“No.”

Both mine and the rep’s gaze snap around to land on the hulking presence of Lucifer, who has managed to slither up behind us without either of us noticing.

“We’re not planning on renting it,” he adds, with what I can only deduce is his interpretation of an angelic smile.

My stomach drops. Oh, no…

The rep frowns. “Then why—?”

“Because this lovely young lady is of the belief that she may have left a rather intimate item in one of your vans following a recent excursion of ours. And she’s desperate to retrieve it.”

“Oh, well of course!" agrees the rep. “We pride ourselves on—"

“It’s lacy… And expensive…” Lucifer clarifies with a sly look. “And probably lodged between the—”

“The point is!” I interject loudly, my cheeks burning with mortification despite the fact that the entire story is a shameless lie. “We would like to take a look in the van. The plate number was NYK 357.”

The demeanour of the rep suddenly shifts. “Umm… Are you certain?”

“Yes,” I say, laying a hand on his arm to try and sway him like I did the detective. “Very—”

The rep snatches his arm away. “I’m going to need to see some ID. I cannot allow access to the vehicles without verifying that—”

I reach towards him again. “Surely that’s not necessary… We just want to take a quick peek, and—”

“He’s going to bolt…” breathes Lucifer in my ear.

I flick my head away irately. “Shut—”

But the rep has already turned tail and fled.

“Damn it!” I grit.

“Told you,” Lucifer smirks down at me.

I give him an annoyed shove. “He only did that because of you! If you hadn’t stuck your nose in it, I would’ve—”

“I did nothing,” he counters tersely, the coals of his eyes flaring in warning. “Your attempt to influence him was doomed from the start. But you were too obstinate to notice.”

“Obstinate!” I cry. “You were breathing in my ear!”

“And did you like it?” he purrs, suddenly all up in my space again as he flips the tables on me with diabolical speed.

“No,” I snort, turning pointedly away.

Asshole…

He deliberately sabotaged my attempt to establish a connection with the rental rep. Whether for his own perverse enjoyment — like the Devil temping Eve in the Garden — or whether for some more sinister reason, it doesn’t matter. The end result is the same. And I have no clue how I’m going to be able to salvage this rapidly snowballing clusterfuck, given that I am already working on borrowed time.

But I know I have to try. I’ve somehow managed to make it this far, in spite of the successive obstacles Lucifer’s thrown in my way, and I refuse to give that bastard the satisfaction of believing that I’m going to let him win whatever one-sided game he’s playing.

“He is gay.”

I stumble to a stop. “Say what?”

Lucifer is standing in front of me, blocking the way to the door of the rental centre. “The rental rep. He is gay. That is why your feeble attempts to influence him didn’t work.”

“Yeah… Right…” I snap, trying to push past him. I’m not falling for whatever kind of trick this is supposed to be.

He grabs my arm. “Check that attitude before I check it for you, Unclaimed. Because you’re not going to like my methods…”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” I hit back. “Because based on what I’ve seen of your ‘methods’, they are mediocre at best.”

His eyes flash in fury. “You’ve seen nothing, angel…”

“I’m not an angel,” I deride, wrenching my arm from his grasp.

He scoffs. “Well, you’re certainly no demon. The way you’re floundering around like—”

I catch sight of something through the window. “Oh, no…”

Lucifer jerks his gaze over his shoulder…

…and before I can blink, he’s vanished into the rental centre, the glass door flapping wildly in his wake.

Catching the handle on the out-swing, I dash after him as fast as my stiletto boots can carry me… and an involuntary gasp escapes me as I lay eyes on the scene in front of me.

The rental rep is pressed up against the wall, his feet dangling a good foot off the ground as Lucifer holds him suspended with the hand locked around his neck. The phone that I’d spotted the rep frantically trying to dial a moment ago lies shattered on the floor.

“Please…” begs the man, clawing desperately at the fingers that are squashing his trachea. “I—“

“Shut up,” growls Lucifer, shoving the rep higher. “You have exactly two seconds to tell us everything we need to know before I rip your throat out. And if you even think about lying… Well, you don’t even want to go there…”

The rep blanches visibly. “Anything! I’ll… I’ll tell you anything! Please, just—“

“Ask him,” Lucifer barks without even a glance in my direction.

I take a shaky step forward. “We… We’re looking for the driver who rented the black van. License plate—”

“I… I know…” croaks the rep, his face starting to redden from the lack of oxygen. “I worked the shift and… and remember him. He never bought the van back…”

My throat tightens painfully. Because he rammed me off the road…

“Who was he?” demands Lucifer.

“Not… local,” the man rasps, struggling for breath. “Gave a hotel as an address… Hotel… Hotel Aphrodite. And his name… His name sounded strange… almost French. But he didn’t speak—”

“To Hell with all that,” comes the short-tempered command. “Give us the fucking name.”

“Am-Amidi Laurent!”

Lucifer drops the rep like a sack of trash. “You got that?”

“Yeah…” I confirm tightly, watching the man wheeze on the floor.

“Good,” he grits. “Let’s go.”

Without giving me a say in the matter, he grabs my wrist to haul me out the door.

I stumble after him like a witless marionette, trying to process what I just witnessed.

Lucifer… Willing to kill… For me…?

The concept simply does not compute.

“Happy now?”

The sound of Lucifer’s voice wrenches me from the whirlpool of my thoughts…

…and looking up, I find that we’re back out on the street, just around the corner from the rental centre.

“I…” I glance back in the direction of Global Drive with a lump in my throat. “Why did you do that?”

“To save time,” he replies dispassionately. “And get the truth out of him.”

“Yeah… But…” A shiver courses through me at the ease with which he’d immobilised the rep… The ease with which he’d threatened him. “Why?”

Lucifer lets out an exasperated exhale. “Hell’s bells, you Unclaimed are dense sometimes… Because that’s what you wanted.”

I gape at him, stupefied. This must be some kind of fever dream…

“Don’t I get a thank you?”

The simplicity of his question knocks me off kilter completely.

My eyes lift to his almost on their own volition, and I find him gazing down at me silently, intently… like a cat waiting to see in which direction the mouse will jump.

Except there is no malice or mockery in his gaze. Just plain old curiosity once again.

And because my tongue has become stuck in my throat, and after everything that’s just happened, my mind is a non-functioning mess, I do the stupidest thing imaginable…

…and reach up to kiss him on the cheek.

He stiffens — probably just as shocked by what’s happening as I would be if I could think coherently right now. But for whatever reason, he doesn’t laugh or pull away. He simply stands, still as a statue, hardly even drawing breath.

I have no idea how long we stay there, frozen in time with my lips pressed against his jaw — the heat of his skin burning me even through the dampener of his mortal guise — before we finally break apart.

I turn quickly away, face flushed and heart hammering, not being able to bring myself to look him in the eye for fear of what I might find there.

Oh, Christ… What the hell did I just do?

The story continues in Devil You Know

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choco-pudding · 23 days

Text

Space Channel 5 Part 2: Sugoku Sugoi Guide Book p. 200-209 (Translation by @lavoszero and myself. Edits and typesetting by myself)

Third part of the character profiles.

Imgur link to all of the Sugoku Sugoi Guide Book translations we’ve done thus far.

Plain text below

p. 200

052: Rescue Police (leader) Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Approaching A Profile: The strong, dependable leader of the Rescue Police and former professional swimmer. He faces danger and disaster on a daily basis to protect the lives of people across the galaxy. His morning routine consists of 300 sit ups before breakfast. A friend of Ulala's (as a result of seeing each other on the same site so often). Note, Secret Inputs: Information for five secret inputs in Report 4 (see 114).

053: Rescue Police (troop) Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Approaching A Profile: Members of the organization that serves as both Fire and Police dept. for the entire galaxy. Thanks to the force's recent restructuring, they're far more reputable and at least 40% more dependable. Note: Pine is the organization's top Police Unit and Head Special investigator. Note, Item Received: Gives you the Big Mug item if you check his profile after clearing Report 4.

054: Space Cheerleading Captain Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Cheerleader Corridor A Profile: The envy of every Space Junior and High School student. An idol in her own right. Her element moves and staccato voice that makes even the ladies blush sets her apart from other the cheerleaders. Her high kicks give her black-belt potential, so keep your distance if you value your jawbone. Note, Secret Inputs: Information for several secret inputs (24 if you rescue everyone, 16 if not) in Report 4 (see 114).

Perfect! 195 Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Honda Honda Honda

p. 201

055: Space Cheerleader 1: Hitomi Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Cheerleader Corridor A Profile: She exploded in popular after becoming the assistant for Channel 5’s hit morning show “Go! Go! Channel 5!” However, much to her annoyance, this new role is all smiles and no cheer. Note, Secret Input: Information for a secret input in Report 4 (see 114).

056: Space Cheerleader 2: Futaba Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Cheerleader Corridor A Profile: It’s a cheerleader’s job to wear a cheerful smile all the time, no matter the situation. To the untrained eye, all cheerleader smiles look alike, but subtle differences can create dozens of smiley variations. Futaba’s signature "Smile of the Sun" routine reinvigorates viewers like magic. Even the most downtrodden of fathers will want to get up and go, go! Note:

057: Space Cheerleader 3: Mimi Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Cheerleader Corridor A Profile: She spends most days contemplating methods to get her legs to kick higher and her hips to swing more swiftly. She performs most of her daily practice sessions in costume. Maybe that’s why she has so many fanatics. Note:

Perfect! 196 Honda Honda Honda Honda Toyota Toyota Down

p. 202

058: Space Cheerleader 4: Yoshiko Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Cheerleader Corridor A Profile:A diligent worker with high hopes that her appearance on "Go! Go! Channel 5!" will lead to a debut as an actress. She also has a bit of an attitude problem, which some fans frankly don’t care for. If you look closely, you’ll notice that her pom-poming needs some work, too. But maybe that’s part of her charm. Note, Secret Inputs: Information for a secret input in Report 4 (see 114).

059: Space Cheerleader 5: Satsuki Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Cheerleader Corridor A Profile:A bright girl with excellent announcer skills. She brings smiles to all those around her, and has fans young and old. Rumor has it that she’s received offers to become a cheerleading comedienne through her agency. Note:

060: Space Cheerleader 6: Moonie Recording Location: Report 4: Channel 5 HQ · Cheerleader Corridor A Profile: Only appears on Thursday editions of “Go! Go! Channel 5!” She claims to be very busy, but in reality, she keeps her TV appearances to a min. due to an extreme case of stage fright. She adores squishy things, always fiddling with a water balloon in her hand behind the dressing room door. Note, Game Hints: Open OPTIONS and select KEY ASSIGNMENT, and assign CHU, HEY, and UP all to the same button. It'll make the game a bit easier!

- Perfect! 197

Up Right Left Down Toyota Toyota Toyota

p. 203

061: Space Dog 1 Recording Location: World 2, Report 2: Space Park · Fountain Square B Profile: A super robot dog called Funny who hates walks. When his Angry gauge is maxed out, he refuses to walk, spending the rest of the trip on his belly being dragged around. Prefers monkeys to dogs. Note:

062: Space Dog 2 Recording Location: World 2, Report 2: Space Park · Fountain Square B Profile: Temjin is so snarly that you’d think he came from a bad-attitude parallel universe to spread his evil rudeness across our reality. Won't budge his tail for anyone except his sweetie, Alumi. When he's dancing with her, it's wagging a mile a minute. Note:

063: Space Dog 3 Recording Location: World 2, Report 2: Space Park · Fountain Square B Profile: Before being adopted by goth girl Mihoko, Rug was a stray fighting dog. Now, Rug and her owner fight together in search of the true meaning of happiness! She was planning to take on the Rhythm Rogues but was tricked into dancing instead. Note:

- Perfect! 198

Up Right Left Down Toyota Toyota

p. 204

064: Space Dog 4 Recording Location: World 2, Report 2: Space Park · Fountain Square B Profile: Tabi, an old dog whose walking pace has slowed down in recent times. He’s terribly frightened by dog-house-shaking storms, begs to be let inside during them. On the flip side, he loves afternoon naps and generous snack-givers (so long as said snack meet his standards). Note:

065: Space Dog 5 Recording Location: World 2, Report 2: Space Park · Fountain Square B Profile: Alumi, the dangerously carefree dog. Dances with the expectation that her efforts will be rewarded with some jerky. She’s so upset about the rumor that she’s in love with Space Dog 2 that she bites the next-door neighbors. Note:

066: Couple (man) Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: Newly married and already under his wife’s thumb. But that’s just the kind of guy he is; he thinks being obsequious is cute. His dream is to have his wife increase his monthly pocket money to 48 Space Dollars. Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 018 if a mistake is made during set 017.

- Perfect! 199

Up Right Left Down Toyota Toyota

p. 205

067: Couple (woman) Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: Newly married woman. For her, every weekend is a shopping spree and a chance to be on the verge of bankruptcy. She feigns guilt like clockwork, telling her hubby, "Sorry, I didn't think I'd spend so much again today." Don’t worry though, according to other women in their neighborhood, he loves it. Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 019 if mistakes are made during sets 017 and 018.

068: Green Circle Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: A nice young man who looks outstanding in the ancient garment "Kimono." His parents are the headmasters of the honorable Venus School of Space Tea Ceremony. He ran away from home to escape taking over said family business. Too much pressure for his nervous heart. Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 018 if a mistake is made during set 017.

069: Black Square Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: Former Space Civil Servant leading a comfortable life thanks to his hefty savings. He enjoys nothing better than a good space muffin along with some galactic tea at the Open Café. He's very soft-spoken. Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 019 if mistakes are made during sets 017 and 018.

- Perfect! 200 Up Right Left Down Up Right Left Down Up Right Left Down Honda

p. 206

070: Spaceship Lounge Girl Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: The subtle care she gives customers makes her the favorite waitress on the Space Symphony. She currently devotes her nights and days to the perfection of her space manners. That said, she also holds the record for the highest amount of broken glass cups in one day at 485 glass cups (apparently she crashed into the party table). Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 021 if at least one mistake is made during sets 017 through 020.

071: Space Tour Conductor Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: A tour conductor for Super Galactic Travel Agency. Single. After she was captured by the Rhythm Rogues and met their leader, she often daydreams about falling into a romantic relationship with him. She'd like to keep her current job, even after getting married. Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 022 if at least one mistake is made during sets 017 through 020, and if a mistake is made during set 021.

072: White & Yellow Woman Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: A world-class neatness freak that always carries a portable disinfectant on her person. Refuses to hold her boyfriend’s hand until it is sterilized. Frustrates her to no end that she can't disinfect his personal mess. "Oh, if only I could clean your heart too." Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 019 if a mistake is made during set 017 or 018.

Think all the hard work is over? Think again, moro!

p. 207

073: Woman in Black Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: Space Fashion Designer. Said to have icy eyes with an astute aesthetic sense and devil’s fingers with a heightened sense of touch. Performs hands-on examinations of passersby’s clothing whenever the opportunity arises. Why? Because she’s always on the hunt for new fabrics. If you spot her, watch out for those eyes and fingers! Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 022 if at least one mistake is made during sets 017 through 020, in addition to making a mistake on set 021.

074: Woman in White Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: A newlywed housewife who loves her dear hubby. Hobbies include shopping and cooking. She’s taken up a Space Yoga diet to lose the weight gained from her baked sweets addiction. Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 019 if a mistake is made during set 017 or 018.

075: Woman in Yellow Recording Location: World 2, Report 1: Space Symphony · Lounge B Profile: Leader of Team Pheromone and owner of the space bar "Honey Pod." Her bar is the lead source of the galaxy’s pheromones. Her contrasting personas as leader and owner have created a mystifying beauty whispered to be the best in the galaxy. She has many fans that can be seen as her followers. Note: Only appears during the Space Symphony · Lounge B segment in World 2, Report 1 on set 022 if at least one mistake is made during sets 017 through 018, in addition to making no mistakes on set 021.

Ulala's Dance fever never stops, moro.

p. 208

076: Reporter: Mr. 88 Recording Location: Report 2: After clearing the report Profile: A robot reporter for Channel 88. He’s equipped with the latest advanced AI technology. With his steel alloy body, he can report anywhere. He may be mechanical, but he still understands intense emotions (apparently)! He even had an upgrade to his emotional regulation processor recently. Note, Secret Inputs: Information for a secret input in Report 3 (see 113).

077: Cameraman (Channel 88) Recording Location: Report 2: After clearing the report Profile: A super cameraman whose aim is to use his lens to capture the truth. He never misses his mark, no matter the environment, thanks his adaptive, agile body. Zero-gravity, hyper speed, underwater, if you can think it he can handle it. Presently lives with Space Dog Temjin. Note, Secret Inputs: Information for two secret inputs in Report 2 (see 112).

078: Reporter: Tachibana Recording Location: Report 2: After clearing the report Profile: Works for Channel 01. Full name: Tachibana Shinichiro. He's a veteran reporter with both excellent common and keen senses. Previously hosted "Space Children News," which Ulala used to watch when she was little. Note:

p. 209

First, put the Morolian Suit, then let's play! Go for it, moro!

079: Cameraman (Channel 01) Recording Location: Report 2: After clearing the report Profile: Has known Reporter Tachibana for two decades, and they're known as the most dependable team in the station. His preferred mode of transporting equipment is his large Starbike; it lets him rush onto the field faster than any other reporter. He’s an 8th degree archer. Note, Secret Inputs: Information for two secret inputs in Report 2 (see 112).

080: Space Park Staff Worker Recording Location: Report 2: Space Park · Fountain Square B Profile: The gardeners who take care of the greenery in Space Park. They're second to none in their use of the shovel and watering can. They’re often heard shouting, "It’s time to photosynthesize!" Note:

081: Pudding Bodyguards Recording Location: Report 2: After clearing the report Profile: Boys who have devoted their lives to the Channel 42 reporter, Pudding (who they’ve been fans of ever since her idol days). Treated as official employees of the station, if Pudding is reporting, then they’ll be always there to act as her back-up dancers. Unfortunately, membership has been on the down-turn (sobs). Note, Secret Inputs: Information for a secret input in Report 2 (see 112).

You can get lots of costumes from clearing stages in "Ulala's Dance", moro.

#space channel 5 #translations #Sugoku Sugoi Guide Book #space channel 5 part 2 #//Soooo sorry about the 5 month gap

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tobiasdrake · 3 months

Text

Digimon Adventure 01x19 - Nanomon of the Labyrinth / The Prisoner of the Pyramid

Previously on Digimon Adventure: The enigmatic Piccolomon sent Taichi on a mystical quest to remember how to ride a bike. He made everyone clean his house in payment.

Now we're back on the trail with only two Crests left to find!

We open on our kids messing around with Etemon's Dark Network. An idea they now have to deliberate while Koushiro is already doing it.

Taichi: This? Koushiro: Yes. This is undoubtedly the network Etemon uses to track our location. Jou: Then he probably knows we're here! Mimi: EHHH!?!? Let's make a run for it! Palmon: Let's run! Let's run! Sora: Now, now. Calm down. Yamato: Even if we run from here, he'll sniff us out again sooner or later.

Valid arguments being made on both sides. :P On the one hand, this is an opportunity. On the other hand WTF GTFO. You can tell from context that the offscreen events leading up to this moment were basically just Koushiro going "Oh, hey, check that out!" and running over to it without telling anyone what he's doing.

Jou and Mimi are instantly not about it the second Koushiro explains what this is, while Sora and Yamato want to see where he's going with this.

In the dub:

Tai: What is it, Izzy? Some kind of power generator? Izzy: Even better. Etemon has hard-wired the entire desert, creating an extensive computer network. My guess: This is one of his remote data-access terminals. Tai: Great! Let's crash it! Sora: It could be a booby trap. Matt: If it is Etemon's, I say we cross the wires and mess it up good!

Something that's been interesting to take note of through the Etemon arc is the way the show anticipates kids coming in and out of it, or not remembering what's going on.

The original expects you to have followed along enough that Koushiro can just say "This is the network he tracks us with" right at the start. Over here, Izzy takes the time to explain what the Dark Network is, in case the kids watching don't remember or haven't seen previous episodes.

This means cutting into Mimi and Jou's lines, which have been cut - And, in turn, cutting those lines is another small influence on the show's tone. It gives the kids a unified front as a heroic team instead of squabbling like frightened survivors. The only voices heard are of support for Izzy messing with their nemesis - with one note of caution from Sora.

Koushiro unplugs a cable from Etemon's device, plugging it into his laptop.

Tentomon: What are you doing? Koushiro: Like I thought. (An array of data representing the cables and their hubs appears on Koushiro's screen.) Koushiro: This is Etemon's network information. I might be able to find something in here! Takeru: What's that mark?

A notification has appeared in the upper left corner of Koushiro's screen, indicating that he's received email. That wasn't there when he first looked at the network, which means it came in seconds ago.

(For a kid who lamented back in the File Island sewers that he misses sending emails with his friends, Koushiro doesn't seem to get a lot of emails. He's been here for over two weeks and this is the first he's had?)

Koushiro: Email? But from who? Jou: Could it be from the enemy!? Taichi: Open it, Koushiro. Koushiro: ...oh, okay!

Koushiro pops open the email, which opens with "HELP ME!" in oversized font.

Sora: "Help Me"!? Koushiro: "If you help me, I can tell you where the Crests are hidden." Yamato: The Crests!? Taichi: Who is this guy!?

Just like that, we have a new angle of investigation to pursue. As a clever bit of subtle foreshadowing, the email is from the address, "[email protected]". Nanomon @ NanomonNetworkInternetAccess.Master.com, huh?

In the dub, the appearance of the network isn't acknowledged directly, with Izzy simply talking in roundabout terms about how he's trying to access Etemon's data.

Tentomon: What are you going to do with that? Izzy: I wonder... (An array of data representing the cables and their hubs appears on Koushiro's screen.) Izzy: It's entirely possible that our computers have compatible systems. And if they do, I can tap into Etemon's network. T.K.: Hey, you have mail. Izzy: Oh? That was quick. Who even knows I've logged on? Joe: Oh no, it's Etemon. Tai: Open it! It's probably just spam. Izzy: Right.

It's a little janky that Izzy keeps talking about how he might be able to tap into Etemon's systems while a clear visual representation of Etemon's accessed systems is shown to us. If you know what you're looking at, you can take it as him back-explaining his logic for how he already got to this point. But it could just as easily look like Random Computer Junk.

From here, the dub had to do some finagling. As part of the localization process, they've been trying to write around the fact that things are written in Japanese. They earlier redrew a message from Joe to be in English and had Patamon dismiss a Japanese note as "written in Digi-code".

For the mystery email, they replace the letter entirely with scripting language. Instead, opening the email inexplicably causes an audio file to play and exposit the message for the kids instead.

Computerized Voice: Help me! SOS! Mayday! I'm being held prisoner! Help me escape and I'll guide you to the Crests you seek! Group: Whoa! Sora: Do you think he's for real? I mean, who could it be?

They also changed the email address to www.as#4dfja9z$.com, which isn't even an email address. That's just a URL made up of random letters, numbers, and symbols. You had one job.

Meanwhile, in his trailer, Etemon is furious over having technical difficulties yet again.

(Felt. The Network just came back online last episode and now he's lost the kids again. I'd be mad too.)

Etemon: What the hell is going on here!? Where are the Chosen Children!? Gazimon 1: It's no use, Etemon-sama! I don't see any malfunction on our end! Gazimon 2: But there is an abnormality occurring in the pyramid's host computer. Etemon: Nanomon.... Let's go pay him a visit. Both Gazimon: Yes, sir!

Etemon's trailer takes off towards Nanomon. We cut back to our kids searching the desert, following instructions from their mysterious email contact.

Though Jou's still against this plan, Mimi's come around on it.

Jou: What are we supposed to do if this turns out to be a trap? Mimi: But he might turn out to be on our side, like Gennai-san. Tai: We can't ignore him if he needs help! Koushiro: (walking while carrying his laptop open in one hand and typing with the other) It should be somewhere around here....

As a small thing, I appreciate that Mimi calls him "Gennai-san", the most generic and neutral honorific in Japanese language. Gennai might see himself as a wise old sage shepherding these kids but you fucking earn that -sama and then we'll talk. Right now, we are equals.

In the dub, Jou's reluctance is played up into a full-blown panic attack and Mimi's response is completely different.

Joe: Ohhhh I don't like this. I don't like it one little bit. I don't like the look of it, I don't like the smell of it, I don't like the-- Mimi: Don't have a brain cramp, Joe! You're turning green around the edges. Tai: Yeah! Somebody asked for our help; We gotta at least check it out, right? Izzy: (walking while carrying his laptop open in one hand and typing with the other) According to my laptop, we should be getting close....

For once, it's Mimi having a line added or rewritten to be mean to another character. Naturally, it's Joe, the other butt of the dub's jokes.

As they walk, Sora and Takeru hold their Tags out in their hands like a radar, waiting for the telltale glowing pulse that signals a Crest nearby. Takeru suddenly gets a response.

A nearby cave wall emblazoned with Takeru's Crest calls out to his Tag. The kids approach it and, as usual, the wall vanishes and forms into a Crest that slots into Takeru's Tag. Leaving behind the entrance to a cave.

Takeru: I have my Crest! Tokomon: That's great, Takeru! Yamato: I guess this wasn't a trap after all. Koushiro: He said he'll tell us where the last Crest is after we help him. Taichi: Awesome! Then let's go do that right away!

Their mystery contact is using the old "Half up front, half upon completion" standby. You know this is a good idea when you're getting paid using organized crime methods.

Since Joe hasn't suggested (twice) that this is a trap, Matt doesn't have that setup to retort to. He quips instead.

T.K.: Awesome! My own Crest! Tokomon: Congratulations! Matt: Now, T.K., don't think this means you get to stay up any later. Izzy: Sora's Crest is the only one left to find. Maybe if we rescue this guy, he can lead us to it. Tai: Well, what are we waiting for? To the rescue!

Matt is rigorously enforcing bedtime under Lord of the Flies conditions? XD I mean, honestly, that fits. I can absolutely believe that of him. Must've gotten really good at measuring time by the sun in these last two weeks, though.

While everyone's celebrating, Mimi notices the cave behind them. Its walls are inscribed with more of that Digimon World source code.

Koushiro confirms that this is the programming language he's been learning.

Koushiro: There's no mistake! These are the same characters I've seen before in Andromon's city and Kentarumon's ruins! The only difference is this symbol....

Koushiro brushes out a character from the code with his hand, causing the cave to suddenly be illuminated with no clear light source.

(I love how this directly follows up on his experiment in Andromon's factory, turning the power on and off.)

Koushiro: Just as I thought. In here, energy is produced based on a program. Mimi: What do you mean? Koushiro: For instance, by rewriting the program written on this wall here, I can turn the light on or off. I think if I do this....

Koushiro messes with the coding a little more, causing a visible map to suddenly appear suspended in the air as if it were a projected hologram.

Koushiro: That is a map of our surrounding area. Jou: That can't be.... How can you do stuff like that just by using a program written on a wall? It's not like we're in a computer. Koushiro: (gravely serious) You don't know that. Group: Eh!? Koushiro: I've been thinking that this place, this entire world could be a place where data and programs take physical form. Yamato: I remember you talking about that earlier. Sora: If this is a data world, does that mean us too? Koushiro: Yes. We exist as data, without any real substance. Taichi: No real substance? Like, we don't have flesh and blood? Mimi: Something like yurei (ghosts)? Koushiro: S-Something like that. Yamato: Where are our real selves? Koushiro: Maybe... Back at the campgrounds. The Digimon are "Digital Monsters" in the truest sense. They're lifeforms shaped out of data. Takeru: Then are we inside something like a video game? Koushiro: It's not that simple. Yamato: Could the person who sent the email be made of data too? Koushiro: I don't know....

This is a massive revelation that Koushiro's laying out for everyone. They all missed out on his factory experiment and only Mimi was with him at the ruins, but now he's able to lay out everything he's learned and theorized since he started playing around with the Digimon World's source code.

I've chosen to leave yurei up there because this is our third encounter with spookers and our third word choice, and I wanted that distinction clear. Bakemono, obake, and yurei are all translatable to "ghost" but have different meanings and usages. I called out the previous uses of bakemono and obake; Here, Mimi says yurei which is actually the common idea of a spirit lingering beyond the grave.

The dub makes it seem like Izzy's just figuring this all out for the first time, which is an odd choice.

Izzy: See these hieroglyphs? Look familiar? This is definitely the same writing we've come across before. ...wait a second, this is a new one. (Izzy rubs out the symbol, making the light turn on) Izzy: Prodigious! This is amazing! Do you know what I'm thinking...? Mimi: I've got a feeling you're going to tell us. Izzy: Well, you see, it's quite possible that these hieroglyphs are not a form of writing at all! But rather a code; Computer code! If you change a piece of the code, then you change the program. (Izzy brings up the map) Izzy: Like that, for example! Joe: Wait. Back up. Are you telling us that this whole place is some kind of giant computer game and that none of it is really real!? Izzy: Ohhh, it's real alright! Joe: Huh!? Izzy: Y'know, I'm thinking that everything we see and everybody we meet in this place are actually pieces of data or programming given physical form. Matt: Now, wait a second. If you're right and this whole thing is one big computer, then how did we get here? Did we squeeze in through the floppy drive? Izzy: (chuckle) No, we're just kilobytes of data too. I mean, the versions of us that are in here. Tai: If I'm just data, why do I still feel like I'm flesh and blood? Mimi: And I still have to go to the little girls' room. Izzy: You don't really. You just think you have to. Mimi: Oh. Well, I hope you're right 'cause-- Matt: Where's the real us? Our flesh and blood bodies? Izzy: I dunno. I suppose we're back at the campgrounds still. Yeah, we're alive back there! We exist simultaneously with our other selves. We're in a parallel digital universe like the Digimon. T.K.: Does that mean I don't have to worry about brushing my teeth anymore? Izzy: We've got bigger things to worry about now, T.K. Matt: Although do us all a favor and don't stop brushing. Izzy: Yeah, please!

The line "Oh, it's real, alright!" doesn't go half as hard as Koushiro's stone-faced "Wakari masen yo." This makes me sad but doesn't really hurt the scene.

They took out Mimi's question about ghosts and Izzy's noncommital and kinda spooked answer, replacing it with Izzy telling everyone to stop pooping. A choice, to be sure.

Instead of explaining that the Digimon are living beings made of code, Izzy suggests that the kids' physical bodies are actually consciously living separate lives independently from our version of them. As existentially terrifying as it is wildly off-base. In his defense, it's only a theory, and it's a reasonable assumption based on the theorizing he's done.

I desperately want to know what T.K.'s using to brush his teeth, though. Matt. Matt, I have questions. I have serious questions, Matt.

Suddenly, Koushiro notices something significant.

Koushiro: EH!? Taichi: What's wrong? Koushiro: P-Please wait a minute! I'll make this easier for you guys to understand.

Typing at his computer, Koushiro writes some code of his own to alter the shape of the displayed map. It slowly morphs into a levitating projection of a globe, still displaying the Digimon World.

Koushiro: I've adjusted it so that you can see the entire globe. This includes the program I saw in Andromon's city. If I combine that with the map Gennai-san sent me.... Yamato: It's a big world. It looks about the size of Earth. Koushiro: Actually, it's exactly the same. Yamato: Huh? Koushiro: (pulls up the email) Look at this email address. The computer that sent this email is located.... (A blinking dot appears on the globe map) Koushiro: Right there. It's the same place as an internet homepage I used to visit often! Taichi: What does that mean? Sora: Are you saying that the email came from our world? Koushiro: Not only that.

Koushiro pulls up a second projection, showing the Earth. Both globes are then covered in lines.

Koushiro: Over on the right is the Earth that we know. If you put our computer network system on top of this world.... (The two globes merge into each other and fade away, leaving only the network lines perfectly matched to each other) Sora: The shape of the networks is exactly the same! Mimi: Ehh? What does this all mean? Koushiro: This is a world made only of data. The same as you'd find in a video game or computer. But that doesn't mean we're in a place far away from Earth. We're inside the computer network itself! In other words, Digimon World is the same place as our world! You could even call it the Earth's shadow! Jou: This... This was Earth!?!?

Even more massive revelations laid out by Koushiro. We didn't Isekai to a far off fantasy world, but to the internet itself. A reflection of the world born of the data flowing through every system on Earth.

In the dub:

Izzy: Hey! Wait a second, I've got an idea. Let me see, if I can just crack this program.... Mimi: Uh-oh. He's in computer dork mode. This could take a while. (Izzy forms the map into a globe) Izzy: I've called up a holographic map of the Digi-World. You can see how physically similar it is to the planet Earth. In fact, there are a lot of parallels with our world Matt: (sarcastic) That's terrific, Izzy. Great time for a geography lesson. Izzy: Pay attention and you might learn something. Matt: Yeah? Izzy: (pulls up the email) If I enter the email address of the person who contacted us, I can find his location in the Digi-World here. (A blinking dot appears on the globe map) Izzy: Now look: That email address is from a web domain in our world. I've logged onto it a thousand times. Tai: Is there a point to this somewhere!? Sora: Is the person who sent the message in our world or the Digi-World? Izzy: That's just the thing: He's in both. (Izzy pulls up the two globe projections) Izzy: Look. The Digi-World's on the left. The world we know is on the right. And if I overlay them like so.... (The two globes merge into each other and fade away, leaving only the unexplained lattice lines perfectly matched to each other) Sora: The white lines match up perfectly! What does it mean? Mimi: (crying) Reminds me of the balls of yarn my kitty used to play with! Izzy: That's the world's digital network. Through those lines, every computer on Earth is connected to every other computer. The Digi-World is the physical embodiment of the data passing through them! Guys, we're seeing something nobody else has ever seen, that nobody even knows about: The digital shadow world that exists alongside our own. And they're not just parallel, they're physically linked so that anything we do here will have effects on the other. Joe: For real? Intense.

Everyone's weirdly hostile to Izzy's exposition in the dub. He's laying down intense revelations about the nature of the world they've been trapped in, and they're like, "Ugh, here he goes ranting about nothing again, CAN WE MOVE ON YET!?"

Also, I think Mimi's cat is dead. Absolutely nobody is interested in engaging that out-of-the-blue conversation topic.

That aside, this section of exposition goes really well. We lose Koushiro signaling to continuity by referencing Gennai's map and Andromon, but we gain Mimi signaling to continuity by referencing Kentarumon's ruins so there's that. However, Izzy's infodump itself, his explanation of what Digi-World is and what it means to be here, is solid.

So now we know the true nature of the world we're in. Question is, where do we go from here?

Takeru: So, can we go home soon, then? Yamato: No. It isn't like that. We're close, but we're not on Earth itself. Jou: (distraught) Now I'm more confused than ever on what to do. Gomamon: What do you mean by that? You've got me! Piyomon: Sora, I didn't understand most of that but does this mean you're leaving? Sora: No, it looks like we still have stuff to do so we can't leave until that's done. Taichi: Yeah! Anyways, we should save the guy who sent that email first. Where do we go from here, Koushiro? Koushiro: Well, if I run this program that was attached to the email.... Agumon: The wall! Gabumon: I can see outside!

The projection of the world vanishes. The wall behind it vanishes with it, creating an opening to the outside.

In the dub:

Izzy: And here's the coolest part: Wherever this person is in the Digi-World, I think I can take us there just by entering his email address and clicking on it. Like accessing a web page! T.K.: Hey! All this techno-talk is making my head spinny! Matt: Computer guys can never just do something, T.K. They gotta spend all day telling you how they'll do it! Joe: This is depressing. Even when I'm computer data, I have allergies! Gomamon: Look on the bright side, Joe! If you weren't here, you never would have met me! Biyomon: Sora! Does this mean that we don't exist? That we're really not friends? Sora: Of course not! This may be a make-believe world but that doesn't mean our friendship isn't real. Truthfully, I don't get it, but it sounds right! Tai: Oh well. Wherever we are, we're here, so let's figure out what we're gonna do next. Come on, Brainiac, what are you waiting for!? Izzy: Okay, okay! All I have to do is click on the guy's email address and then bingo. Mimi: I hate bingo! It's so confusing with all those different letters and numbers and--Hey, look! A door!

Entirely different. The main plot shift here is that Izzy devises a plan to use the Digital World's nature to shortcut the team to their destination, rather than using a program their contact sent them.

Both versions have their advantages; The former plays into Izzy's brilliance and allows him to turn all this information he's uncovered into tangible results, while the latter reveals that our mystery contact is as knowledgeable about all this as Koushiro, capable of manipulating the environment through code. The dub version is a good hype moment for Izzy, while the original is a stepping stone in developing the plot.

But the rest of the dialogue is just more dunking on The Nerd and one-off gags from Mimi and Joe. This riffing lets them talk over the part where the kids express the anxieties of being alone and lost in this hostile world and its expectations of them.

Taichi: What just happened!? Koushiro: The sender should be outside here. Sora: Eh!? He was that close to us!? Koushiro: No. Apparently, that program serves to warp and connect airspace.

The kids emerge in another part of the desert, bearing no resemblance to the craggy valley they came from. Per Koushiro, they've effectively created a shortcut between two spaces in the Digimon World.

(It's basically the same thing as what happened in the cave Taichi got his Crest from, when they escaped Etemon by slipping through a back wall to a new geographical region far away from the Koromon Village he was attacking.)

In the dub:

Tai: Alright! Last one through's a rotten egg! Izzy: Our electronic pen pal is right out there! Sora: Or it could be a trap! Izzy: No way! We're just bits of data so I uploaded us as file attachments a-- Sora: (annoyed) Okay, I believe you!

Apparently this can't be a trap anymore because we're all file attachments. I have no idea what that's even supposed to mean.

We also don't get the explanation that the two caves are now linked in space, tying back to the Crest cave, because that's not what happened in the dub. Izzy just Fast Travelled us.

Outside the cave, the kids get a glimpse of their destination.

This is where their mystery contact sent the email from. Oh, and look! We've seen that thing in the distance before, haven't we? Taichi whips out his mini telescope to confirm: It's Etemon's trailer. He's here too.

Etemon emerges from the trailer and furiously marches into the pyramid, uttering:

Etemon: I'm here to punish you, Nanomon.

Looks like we know who our contact is. (If that brief scene of Etemon earlier didn't already make it apparent.)

In the dub:

Etemon: That's it! It's the dumpster for you, Datamon, you old pile of junk! Joe: Uhh, I think I left the water running back in the Sphinx.

In the dub, Nanomon is called Datamon. Not quite sure why they changed it; Probably assumed American kids wouldn't understand what nanotech is to get the reference.

With both their mystery contact and Etemon here, the kids do the only responsible thing!

They fucking leave, of course. Giving Etemon a wide berth for whatever the hell he's doing and making camp back in the valley side of their space wormhole. Plan is to infiltrate the pyramid tomorrow morning, bright and early.

We join Taichi that night as his shift ends and Sora comes to relieve him. It's not clear when exactly they stopped being chauvinistic about the nightwatch shifts but it's a solid improvement.

Sora: Taichi.... Piyomon: It's time to change shifts. Agumon: Thank goodness! I was starting to get tired. Good night! (Agumon heads inside) Taichi: Me too. I should get some sleep to prepare for tomorrow. Sora: I'm sorry, Taichi. Taichi: Huh? Sora: Ultimately, you're going to all this trouble just for my Crest and to help the sender of that email, right? Taichi: That's how it turned out. Anyway, I'm not the sort of guy who turns his back on someone in trouble! Sora: ... Taichi: You're not acting like yourself, Sora. Sora: Eh? Taichi: If it was your Crest we found first, would you be as bothered by this as you are now? Sora: ...I doubt I even would have thought about it. Taichi: See? Besides, we're just data now. No point in thinking too seriously about all this! Sora: If we return to our world, do you think we'll remember our experiences and the Digimon we met in this world? Taichi: Who knows?

Sora's having "Am I a burden?" anxieties right now. By her own admission, she would storm that pyramid without a second's thought if it was for someone else's Crest, but the fact that it's hers gives her pause.

Taichi, meanwhile, expresses an alarming takeaway from Koushiro's infodump.

In the dub:

Sora: Okay, Tai. You're relieved. Biyomon: It's our turn to stand watch! Agumon: Finally! It's not much fun watching a bunch of rocks. (yawn) Good night! (Agumon heads inside) Taichi: I thought being in a computer cartoon adventure would be more fun than this! Sora: A-About tomorrow.... Tai: What? Sora: I'm worried. That Etemon is bad news. Is it really worth it just to find my crest? Tai: Sure! Don't worry, Sora! Piece of cake! I'm looking forward to spinning that ugly monkey around by his tail! Sora: ... Tai: Hey, come on! Snap out of it! Sora: Huh? Tai: Look, if it was my Crest or T.K.'s or anyone else's we were going after, you know you wouldn't hesitate for a second. Sora: Oh... Maybe you're right. It's just, after what Izzy said-- Tai: What? You mean all that stuff about us being nothing but little kilobytes in the great computer program of life? Sora: It just makes us seem so small and insignificant. Like nothing we do really matters. Tai: Of course it matters. We can't take the chance that it doesn't.

Sora's anxieties here are presented straight, but everything else around it is changed. The aside about Taichi wanting to save the email sender is changed to Tai wanting to kick Etemon's ass and show how cool he is. This is probably meant to convey Tai's overconfidence, since they also cut Taichi's alarming "Why take it seriously if we're just data" bit.

That part and Sora worrying about losing memory of the Digimon are removed. In their place, we get an out-of-place existentialist debate about purpose and destiny in a nihilistic universe, that seems entirely unrelated to anything Izzy said back there.

The next morning, we find Sora clarifying details with Koushiro hours after Taichi's gone to bed.

Koushiro: Even though I said we're digitized, our data is bulky and elaborate. Considering the large amount of data that's been shifted into this world, it would probably cause feedback when we return to our own world. Sora: So, in other words, we should still treat ourselves as if we have real bodies, right? Koushiro: It's best to think that way. Sora: Right. Just as I thought, we shouldn't act irresponsibly just because we're data now. Taichi: (from the passage) HEY!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THERE!?!? HURRY UP!!! Sora: Coming!

This is a critical contrast of the idea Taichi expressed earlier. He suggested we're just data so nothing matters, and now Koushiro is saying NO NO NO EVERYTHING MATTERS. Unfortunately, Taichi isn't the one hearing it.

In the dub:

Izzy: Remember, there's one thing that's important to keep in mind: This is more than a parallel universe. It's a shadow world physically linked to our own. Anything that happens here in the Digi-World can have a direct effect on things in the other. Sora: Then... the same thing goes for us, right? We're shadow versions of our other selves! Izzy: Right! Exact computer copies. Sora: So whatever happens, we have to be just as careful as if we were still our physical selves. Tai: HEY!!! Sometime this year! Man, you guys talk more than my mom's book club! CAN WE GO!?!? Sora: Alright!

The important context gets across: Do not behave recklessly because what happens to us here in Digi-World has real consequences. Both versions, however, are vastly different in how they lay it out.

Honestly, I think the dub's explanation is a lot more digestible. "Physically linked; What happens to one happens to the other" is a pretty common concept in virtual-world storytelling. If you cut off my arm in the simulation then my arm somehow falls off in the real world. Got it.

But in the original it's like. Okay. So. My arm isn't here, it's in the real world. I just have the idea of having an arm transformed into data and then made physical here. So if you cut off my arm... like, my real arm isn't here, so it should be fine. What happens then when it feeds back into my brain? My physical arm is still there. Do I lose the ability to move my arm or something because the data of Having Arms had the data of Severance coded into it?

As a stake, "There would be feedback because of the size of our data packets" is a lot harder to wrap my head around than "What happens in the video game HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE."

But either way, the point is made: The stakes are real so do not be stupid and reckless. Now let's go watch Taichi be stupid and reckless.

Bright and early in the mouth of the sphinx, the kids plan their rescue mission.

Koushiro: There's a hidden passageway in the pyramid that's normally not visible. Jou: Our first and foremost priority is to save the sender and get Sora-kun's Crest. DO NOT get caught up in any unnecessary fighting! Taichi: Yeah, yeah, I know.... Takeru: I wanted to go too.... Yamato: Don't be selfish, Takeru. Mimi: Be careful, everyone. Palmon: Keep steady. Gomamon: I'll be fine, no worries! Taichi: Yeah! Back soon! (leaps from the sphinx's mouth)

The team splits up from here. Taichi, Sora, Jou, and Koushiro leave on the field mission while Yamato hangs back with Mimi and Takeru.

(This is a well-reasoned division of duties. Jou-senpai and the two athletes are going into the intensely perilous infiltration, while Big Brother Yamato hangs back to watch over the younger kids.

With exception of Koushiro, who's on the field team because his laptop is critical to this operation and we don't have a means of communicating long-range. Though Koushiro is also an athlete, which is easy to forget. This is literally Senpai and the Soccer Team infiltrating the pyramid. Either way, it shows the kids are starting to think tactically.)

In the dub:

Izzy: I got into the program and found the most direct route to the center of the pyramid. Joe: Okay now, let's get this straight: We're only going in there to find this guy and get Sora her Crest, right? Tai: (dismissive) Right, right.... Joe: That means no fights or adventures or dangerous stuff! Tai: You whimper more than my puppy! Matt, Mimi, T.K., stay here and stand guard. Let's go in! Mimi: If you really don't think you need me.... Palmon: I miss you guys already! Gomamon: We'll be back in time to eat! Tai: Or get eaten!

The dub reframes the whole conversation to put Tai in the leadership role instead of Joe. This is tragic for Joe, since stepping up and taking charge of the op here is a great moment for Jou-senpai.

It also seems that they did not plan this in advance, as Dub Leader Tai makes the decision to separate Matt, T.K., and Mimi out from the group right here in the spur of the moment.

It does, however, do a great job of conveying Tai's problematic cockiness. He is appropriately insufferable in this scene.

The forward team makes their way to the pyramid, following Koushiro's instructions. Once they arrive, however, he needs a moment to locate their secret entrance.

Koushiro: The hidden passage should be up ahead on this side of the pyramid.

Taichi scouts around the corner and spots Etemon emerging from the main entrance. Etemon yawns and stretches, having seemingly just woken up.

Taichi: (near-silent gasp, hides around corner) Agumon: (whisper) What's wrong, Taichi? Taichi: (whisper) It's Etemon! Jou: GEH!!!

Jou claps his hands over his mouth but it's too late. Etemon heard that. He turns, approaching the corner.

Etemon: Who's there?

The kids stand flat against the side of the pyramid, maximizing how long they have until he spots them. But it's only a matter of time.

Piyomon: What do we do, Sora!? Sora: Don't talk!

Finally, Etemon rounds the corner to... absolutely nothing.

Etemon: Am I hearing things?

Taichi then makes mocking gestures at Etemon through the secret entrance Koushiro found. Because he once again thinks he's invincible right now. It's SkullGreymon all over again.

Etemon: Huh? I don't know why, but I feel like someone was mocking me. That's so irritating! I'll go sing a song or something to amuse myself.

Etemon storms off to go jam out his feelings while Taichi has a good chuckle to himself.

In the dub, as they make their way to the team, Tai's given a fairly basic command line to reinforce his leadership in this version.

Tai: Okay! Keep together!

Then the group approaches the pyramid.

Izzy: There's a hidden backdoor to the program you can use to get in. (The kids approach the pyramid) Izzy: That's funny. It should be right here. Etemon: Where's my friend banana sandwich!? (Taichi scouts around the corner) Etemon: You know I like to eat after my nap! Tai: WAUGH!!! (hides around corner) Joe: (whispers) Tai, what is it? Tai: (whispers) It's Etemon! Joe: WAUGH!!! Etemon: (noticing) Eh? Who's there? Biyomon: What do we do now? Sora: Quiet, Biyomon.

Here, the dub uses Etemon's line to alert Tai to check around the corner, rather than him just scouting out to watch the team's back. That's a lateral change, I think. Both versions work.

(Also, I love Izzy describing the hidden entrance as "a backdoor to the program". That's clever.)

Joe's still the one who reflexively shrieks and gives the game away, but I don't know how Etemon didn't hear Tai's equally loud yelp a moment before.

Then, during Tai's teasing, he calls out to Etemon too.

Etemon: (rounds corner) BOO!!! (nobody's there) Great, now I'm hearing things. Tai: YOO-HOO!!! Etemon: Huh? (no one's there) Y'know, I'm gonna have to have this place completely exterminated! Because something's startin' to bug me!

Not the best quip they've written. Etemon's forced to set up a non-sequitur just so he can then make a pun out of it. But the line it replaces wasn't exactly super critical or comedy gold either so, again, lateral change.

As soon as Taichi's back inside the passage, Sora lays into him for that.

Taichi: He's gone. We're fine now. Sora: Don't act stupid! What if he caught us!? Taichi: It's fine, we're fine!

Meanwhile, Senpai has his eye on the ball and is ready to move ahead.

Jou: So this is the hidden passageway. Koushiro: It looks like data from the outside, but really there's nothing in it. Agumon: Let me see! (slaps the wall, hurting his hand) Koushiro: Everything besides the passage is comprised of data, so please be careful.

Agumon fundamentally misunderstood what Izzy was saying.

In the dub:

Joe: Well, now that we're in, what do we do? Izzy: I guess next we try to find a way through these walls. The trick is finding the weak points! Agumon: Hey, I found one! (slaps the wall, hurting his hand) Izzy: As I was saying, Agumon, the trick is finding the weak points. Let's use heads, not hands.

That's not even remotely what Koushiro said but it does connect to what they're doing. As they explore the passage, they find other fake walls leading to other parts of the pyramid. Those are the "weak points" that Izzy's referring to.

Taichi: We can see outside from here. Koushiro: Yes. But no one can see us from the other side. Agumon: Ah! Gazimon!

A pair of Gazimon pass by in front of the "wall", noticing nothing and continuing about their business.

Sora: Keep quiet....

Taichi does not keep quiet. Emerging from the fake wall, he kicks a Gazimon in the back and then ducks back inside.

Gazimon 1: HEY!!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?!? Gazimon 2: What? Gazimon 1: DON'T PLAY DUMB!!! YOU JUST KICKED ME!!! Gazimon 2: No, I didn't. Gazimon 1: LIAR!!!

This erupts into a fistfight, as the kicked Gazimon lunges for the other in retaliation. All while Taichi laughs quietly behind the hidden door.

In the dub, for reasons that can only imply some sort of problem with actor availability and redubbing or something, Wendee Lee (Takeru) suddenly voices Tai for exactly one line. It's incredibly noticeable.

Takeru: (possessing Taichi's body and speaking through his lips) Hey, check it out! You can see right through this wall! Izzy: Yeah, here it is. It's another breach in the system's security. Agumon: LOOK!!! GAZIMON!!! (Gazimon pass by) Sora: Be still.... (Tai runs out and kicks one) Gazimon 1: HEY!!! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!?!? Gazimon 2: What do you mean? Gazimon 1: Don't give me that! Just 'cause the boss likes ME! Gazimon 2: Have you gone nuts!? Gazimon 1: NUTS TO YOU!!!

For the good, I'm still enjoying the hidden passage being a "breach in system security". Also, the fight Tai provokes inadvertently revealing bad blood and workplace drama between the Gazimon got me. XD Fantastic addition.

For the bad... whatever the hell is going on with Tai's voice, of course. Did they forget to dub a line and need to make due? What's happening here? But also, Sora's line change from "Be quiet" to "Be still" doesn't make sense. They can't see us. We're not hiding from a Jurassic Park T-Rex, we're trying not to be overheard.

Sora, of course, is livid after that stunt.

(Reasonably so. By now, Taichi would definitely have been vote-kicked out of the party if that was an option. He is going to get us killed.)

Sora: WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?!? WHAT IF THEY FOUND OUT THAT WAS YOU!?!? Jou: Sora-kun, keep your voice down. Taichi: You worry too much, Sora. We're just data, y'know. Sora: TAICHI, YOU-- Jou: Sora-kun! Shhhh! Shhhhhh!!!

I really feel for Sora here. I get where Jou's coming from. See above, re: we're invisible, not inaudible. Screams echoing down the halls can easily give us away.

But so can these stunts Taichi keeps pulling. It's unfair for Jou to only be criticizing her and not Taichi. Rolled a 4 on his Senpai Check here.

In the dub:

Sora: You could have gotten us all captured back there, Tai! YOU'RE SO IMMATURE!!! Joe: Could you yell a little quieter, huh? Tai: Geeze, Sora. Relax, kid. Get a grip. Who elected you the Queen of the Fun Police? Sora: Yes, this is tons of fun. And getting caught will be a blast! Joe: Couldn't you just pass notes? It's much quieter.

As before, Joe comes off weaker in this scene because he's not team leader, and can only whine helplessly instead of shutting Sora down. His second line of whining, however, is hilarious. XD

The biggest shift here is Tai's line, which makes him look even more immature. They also cut his rationale for his behavior, but only to move it to the next scene. It's still here and still motivating him.

The kids next come upon a deadly electric fence barring the path forward.

Tentomon: Is there electricity running through this, or is it juts me? Koushiro: The section that acts as a hidden entryway should only have harmless data in it. Jou: So that means everything else really is electrified? Gomamon: (teasing) You look scared, Jou. Jou: Of course I am! Taichi: You're too timid, Jou. So, where's the entrance? Koushiro: It's... There. (points) Taichi: Okay.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Taichi walks straight through the spot Koushiro pointed out on the deadly barrier, passing through harmlessly while everyone gasps in surprise. After a moment, he peeks back out and urges the rest to hurry up. One by one, they follow after while Sora visibly remains steaming.

Sora says nothing in this entire scene. She is biting her tongue because Senpai reprimanded her. But her fury is plain on her face every time she's in the shot.

In the dub:

Tentomon: This looks nasty! We don't have to go through here, do we? Izzy: This firewall is the system's last line of defense, but htere appears to be only one safe way through it. Joe: And if we pick the wrong way, they'll scoop us up with a spatula! Gomamon: (teasing) You're not scared, are you, Joe? Joe: Maybe I am, a little! Tai: Relax, it's not like we're human or anything. We're just bunches of kilobytes, remember? Izzy: The waypoint should be... Here. (points) Tai: Cool!

Here's where Tai's "No consequences because we're data" rationale comes in for the dub. We also have Izzy referring to the barrier as a firewall. Which is the implication in the original but I still like hearing him refer to everything here by computer terminology.

No indication is made in the dub for why Sora is suddenly silent but fuming. She just. Is.

The kids emerge at their destination: A chamber deep inside the pyramid with a glass cage containing their target.

Koushiro: Here's our destination. Taichi: Here? Tentomon: That's... I'm pretty sure that's Nanomon. He's a very smart Digimon.

The dub takes this as an opportunity for some quipping.

Izzy: This is the host computer. Tai: Yowza. Do you think it comes with a CD-ROM drive or is that optional? Sora: And what do you suppose that thing is? Tentomon: I've heard of him. His name's Datamon.

They also add Sora's voice to this scene, but that's fine. She hadn't come out of the wall yet last we saw but she'll be there after the rundown, and talking again now that we're here. It's just Taichi's shittiness that she's being silent about.

From here, the narrator delivers his rundown. Nanomon is a Perfect-stage Virus-type Machine Digimon, so we'd better be sure we know what we're doing before we let him out.

Narrator: Nanomon. No matter what kind of computer system he's up against, he can rebuild it. A Perfect-Stage Machine Digimon.

Apparently he can't rebuild his way out of this cage, though.

In the dub, Tentomon does the honors.

Tentomon: A super-intelligent robotic Digimon. He disappeared without a trace some time ago. Nobody ever knew what happened to him.

It's weird that Tentomon would know that when he's never left File Island, but it was also weird in the original when he recognized Nanomon to begin with. Tentomon knows about Nanomon/Datamon somehow. It is what it is.

I think we've pretty much obsoleted "I don't know anything outside File Island" as a plot point.

From here, Nanomon makes contact.

Sora: Could that Digimon be the one who sent the email? Nanomon: (appears on Koushiro's computer screen) That's exactly right, Chosen Children!

Koushiro glances over at Nanomon's physical body and sees that his right eye, the one that's an LED light, has a red light blinking in it.

Koushiro: I see. He's sending data directly through my IR port! Nanomon: I once fought Etemon long ago and was crushed. My broken body was sealed away here. On top of having my ability to formulate stolen, I was tasked with supervising Etemon's network system. One day, I recovered my memories and began to slowly repair my body in a way Etemon wouldn't notice. Soon I learned about everything happening outside, and I was able to meddle with that information. However, I need a considerable amount of outside help to release me from confinement. Sora: Do you really know where my Crest is? Nanomon: Of course! I know many things that Etemon himself has not even heard of. Jou: Can we really trust him? Nanomon: You and I share a common enemy in Etemon. You can trust me. Taichi: Okay then, what should we do? Nanomon: Follow my instructions.

This is Nanomon's critical importance to the story: He is the mainframe through which the Dark Network runs. In a sense, he is the Network.

Nanomon transmits directions for the kids to follow. Taichi pulls down a lever to open an access panel while Koushiro inputs the combination. All that's left to do is for Taichi to release the leaver; However, suddenly they hear a voice calling out.

Etemon: Hold it! Taichi: Etemon! Etemon: Of course we'd catch you after everything you've done. We have surveillance cameras here, y'know!

The two Gazimon enter the room, both with bandaged faces.

Gazimon 1: How dare you-- Gazimon 2: --do that to us! Taichi: Whoops, they found out! Jou: BECAUSE OF YOU, TAICHI!!!

Correction: Taichi isn't going to get us killed. Taichi has already gotten us killed. My mistake. At least Jou finally berates Taichi for the shit he's been pulling instead of staying quiet. Vindication for Sora-kun.

Etemon then turns to momentarily adress Nanomon.

Etemon: My network's been acting funny ever since the children landed on this continent. That was you, wasn't it? Nanomon: I finished my maintenance just before the arrived.

Remember that weird glitch, where Etemon's data didn't update and sent him to some beach while they disembarked on a cliffside instead? Remember how SkullGreymon trashing the Coliseum somehow brought down the entire network all across the desert? All Nanomon. He's been sabotaging Etemon from the get-go.

In the dub:

Etemon: Hold it! Tai: Etemon! Etemon: I've been watchin' you on surveillance cameras and you're an annoying little brat, y'know that? (The Gazimon enter) Gazimon 1: Punk kid! Gazimon 2: Troublemaker! Tai: Hey, it's been my pleasure! Joe: Great, why don't you just call him ugly too. Etemon: And all this time, I thought it was those snot-nosed kids that were causing my network to go on the fritz! But it was you, wasn't it, you digital dumpster!? Datamon: Well, in a word: Yes.

Again, Joe is forced to whine instead of snap at Tai because he's not in the position of authority here.

I like Etemon calling Datamon a "digital dumpster", however. Rolls off the tongue nicely, especially in his Elvis voice.

After confirming this one point with Nanomon, the moment we've all been desperately trying to stave off finally arrives. Letting out a hideous battle cry, Etemon suddenly roars across the room to tear these children in half.

We are absolutely no match for the Strongest in Konoyo. Self-proclaimed or not.

The kids keep nothing in reserve here. Greymon, Kabuterimon, Birdramon, and Ikkakumon all power up at once to hold back Etemon. They achieve nothing. Etemon lays Greymon out with a single punch. He grabs Ikkakumon by the horn, flinging him into Kabuterimon to take them both out.

Realizing they're going to die in seconds, Taichi yanks that lever up to finish opening Nanomon's prison. Nanomon goes straight to action, seizing control of the prison mechanism. The triangular panes of glass that had formed his prison now under his control, he sends them all at Etemon at once.

Nanomon: See for yourself how strong you've made this prison!!!

Two panes strike the Gazimon, crushing them against the wall. One hits Birdramon, crushing her so severely she loses her form and reverts to Piyomon. And one goes for Etemon, which breaks easily against his unstoppable fist.

(I don't think Etemon is impressed by how strong he made that prison, Nanomon. What else you got?)

Taichi whirls on Nanomon for his friendly fire incident.

Taichi: What are you doing!? Nanomon: You are of no further use! Etemon: Hehehehehe.... That's the kind of guy Nanomon is. Nanomon: Enough blabber, PLUG BOMB!!!

The dub hits the same points but it's worth noting that Datamon's attitude is different.

Tai: HEY!!! We set you free! Datamon: And I do appreciate that, you chumps! Etemon: Dumb kids. Hehehehe, you'd think by now they'd learn to trust no one! Datamon: Trust me: This will hurt!

Datamon has the attitude of a maniacal fiend who feels he has the upper hand, while Nanomon is just screaming blood fury. Nanomon hit Birdramon because he's attacking indiscriminately. She was caught in crossfire. Nanomon will kill as many people as he has to as long as Etemon is one of them. While Datamon... may have done that on purpose? Unclear.

Nanomon unloads his signature attack Plug Bomb, opening his fingers into separate guns to fire little red bullet bees. Etemon counters with Dark Spirits, a fireball made of concentrated darkness energy.

The dub doesn't give Datamon's attack a name. Etemon confusingly calls his "Dark Network!" even though that's. Not. What. That means. Okay.

Dark Spirits and Plug Bomb explode on impact, creating a blast that tears up through the desert sands outside. We cut briefly to Gabumon watching for the others' return from the sphinx's mouth.

Gabumon: YAMATO, LOOK!!! (Yamato and Mimi peek around Gabumon) Yamato: Huh? THEY'RE FIGHTING!!! Mimi: EH!?!?

It's at this point in the dub that we have the most baffling flub I have seen in the show yet. The lines are basically the same, but Mimi's reaction is cut and Matt's more sarcastic.

Gabumon: Uh-oh! Matt! Matt: Huh? Well, so much for no fighting!

However, overlaid on top of this dialogue are the voices of two random actual children, not any performer in the show. speaking at the same time as Gabumon and Matt in louder voices that drown them out.

Random Child 1: Biyomon, over here! Random Child 2: I'm coming!

What the actual fuck. At least now we have confirmation that they didn't bother doing second takes of anything. They weren't even giving the show a once-over before sending it to publication. Anybody would have caught this.

Was this localization done on a budget of $5? That's not a sarcastic question. It was an anime dub for a FOX cartoon show in the 90's. It's a very strong possibility that the project wasn't given much attention or funding. I'm not trying to be mean here. But. Wow. I had to google the Random Child Voices to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

Back inside the pyramid, we find Sora at Piyomon's side trying to rouse her. Piyomon is unconscious and unmoving on the floor.

Suddenly Nanomon slams into the wall overhead and crumples to the floor, tossed by Etemon.

Etemon: I win again. Nanomon: The only thing you're good at is fighting, you monkey!

Thinking quickly, Nanomon suddenly grabs Sora and Piyomon.

Nanomon: Once I use their true power, your defeat is certain!

Nanomon vanishes through an open door, dragging Sora and Piyomon with him. Etemon tries to pursue, but Greymon, Ikkakumon, and Kabuterimon form a barrier in front of him.

The kids slip through the door to chase down Nanomon while Etemon's busy ripping through their Digimon. The dub cuts a shot, just after they leave, of Greymon getting bodied again. Guess they wanted it to look more hopeful.

The kids find the firewall standing in their way.

Sora: (echoing voice) TAICHI!!! Koushiro: He escaped through the hidden passageway! Taichi: I'm sure... That spot is where her voice came from.

Taichi starts to approach where he thinks the passage is, but Koushiro calls after him.

Koushiro: Wait! I have to verify the location first! Taichi: We're just data, remember? If I make a mistake, I'll just start over. Koushiro: PLEASE STOP!!! Jou: Got him!

Jou grabs Taichi suddenly from behind, restraining him from touching the firewall.

Taichi: Hey! Let go! Sora is-- Koushiro: Taichi-san, do you think that, just because you're data, you're free to act like a video game character!? Taichi: (stops resisting) ...am I wrong? Koushiro: COMPLETELY!!! It's exactly the same as if we were living and breathing here. If you die here, you'll really die. Taichi: ...what? That... that can't be....

Taichi turns and looks at the firewall once more, and now the peril becomes real for him.

Taichi: It can't be.... I didn't think I'd really die.... Jou: (releases him) Taichi.... Koushiro: The hidden passage is one meter to the right.

Not only can Taichi die. But if Jou hadn't grabbed him, he would have died. His guess was wrong.

Now understanding the danger of the firewall, Taichi freezes up. He can't bring himself to move.

Taichi: What... What's wrong with me? Sora's in danger!

No matter how he tries to motivate himself, his body simply won't move.

The dub plays all of this drama straight. The only gag they add is Jou's line when he grabs Taichi.

Joe: Pain still hurts, Tai!

They also move Izzy's reveal of the gap's location to an earlier shot with his back turned, when Tai's realizing the lethality of the fence. This is so they can extend Tai's reluctance and make it a group activity.

Izzy: The weak point is one meter to your right. Tai: No way... Just one false move and it's over.... Joe: (releases him) Hey, Tai.... Izzy: It's safe, Tai. We came through it alright on the way in. Tai: Yeah, but then I didn't know that.... Izzy: Go on! It's okay. Joe: Come on, Tai, we're wasting time! Sora needs us. What's wrong with you? Izzy: Tai?

Joe's last line is delivered so casually, it's like they're just talking about moving Sora's couch. What do you think is wrong with him, Joe? You can get these things from context!

As Taichi remains paralyzed with terror, time runs out.

Etemon breaks down the wall using the three Partner Digimon that were fighting him in order to get inside the hidden passage.

Agumon: No good... Taichi... He's too strong for us.... Etemon: (turning towards the kids) Now that it's come to this, I'll start with you.

He doesn't get a chance. Garurumon and Togemon come through the ceiling, unloading Chiku Chiku Bang-Bang and Fox Fire before he knows what hit him. He easily shields himself from Garurumon's blue flames while Togemon's needles don't even faze him.

But it buys the kids a moment to escape, with Yamato physically grabbing the catatonic Taichi to force him to move.

Etemon: What!? This isn't enough to take me down-- Huh? Where did they go?

Etemon is left comically clueless. In the dub, he outright whines.

Etemon: No! Not again! They didn't get away again! Aww, I'm havin' an extremely bad day, bay-beh!

Poor Monkey Elvis. XD He should go sing a song to amuse himself.

It's not super clear which way they went but the camera fixes on the ceiling hole, so probably not the firewall.

The kids regroup on the far side of the shortcut passage, in the craggy valley where they made camp.

While Yamato, Mimi, and Takeru are informed of what became of Sora, we close on this shot of Taichi weeping.

Yamato: I see. Sora and Piyomon were taken.... Taichi: Damn it... Damn it....

The dub's final exchange is a lot more verbose, with Matt shifted to being accusatory.

Matt: I don't get it. When the creep grabbed Sora and Biyomon, why didn't you go through the firewall after them!? Tai: I couldn't... I couldn't move.... Joe: It's not your fault. We're all in this together, Tai. We'll find a way to get them back. Tai: It's all my fault! Sora! It's all my fault!

But credit to the dub team for ending on a downer and not undercutting it in any way. This is a pleasant surprise after Mimi's Crest episode.

Assessment: As a fallible character who makes mistakes and has to learn from them, I love Taichi. But I am starting to see why Sora fell for Yamato instead, though that's still a few years off. Even if this was a video game, Taichi's behavior would be incredibly obnoxious to the rest of his party.

In his defense, he's 11. He can be forgiven for acting childish when he's literally a child. But he does have a lot of growing up to do. Which is, of course, what this two-parter is about. This is the setup for Taichi's payoff next episode. He has to fall before he can rise.

But it's also wearing kinda thin because we just did this. This is SkullGreymon again. Taichi acting like a reckless hotshot and making awful choices out of insecure overconfidence only to be brutally and horrifically humbled is something we already did only a few episodes ago. The reasons have changed but the behavior and story trajectory are the same.

But, repetitive Taichi aside, I love the way Etemon's Dark Network ultimately proves to be the centerpiece of this story. This makes it distinct from the way Devimon's Black Gears were used, always in a subordinate capacity. The reveal that Etemon's Dark Network has been purposely working against him all along is brilliant and pays off all of the episodes leading up to it.

Don't fuck with the IT guy.

Meanwhile, the dub of this one... has... random children dubbed over the characters. Like. There is nothing I can say that would possibly lay out the flaws in this one moreso than that. I don't actually give letter grades to these episodes except as a punchline, but even so this one gets an F.

It does have parts that I like, and I especially love the way Izzy describes moving through the pyramid as a hacking effort into a system. But it also has random children dubbed over the characters. Oh my god, watch your show one time before releasing it to publication.

#digimon #digimon adventure #revisiting digimon #revisiting digimon adventure

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wthelvetica21 · 6 months

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Mystery Skulls Animated Headcanons (Part 2)

🏵 Cast

Lewis

His birthday is October 27th (Ghost MV’s release date). Allegedly he was born somewhere near Calcasieu River in Louisiana but he doesn’t know for sure.

He’s creole with his former surname being Dubec. While he tried to dig deeper Lewis has found very vague leads so while alive he just quit because to him his adoptive family is more important to him.

He not only is a skilled and self-taught vocalist and violinist but also knows plenty about other instruments.

When alive he barely if ever cursed at all unless for stressful situations. But as a ghost he loses that filter entirely and can’t go one moment without saying some variation of ‘fuck’.

Also as a ghost Lewis is alot more sardonic and quick tempered compared to when he was alive.

His deadbeats are paradoxically both an extension of Lewis’ subconscious and their own entities who form a symbiotic relationship with him as their ‘boss’ of sorts.

Arthur

His birthday is April 16th (Freaking Out MV’s release date) in Tempo. He barely knew his mom aside from her name ; Gwendolyn. And has a very astranged relationship with his father Pen.

Arthur’s full name is Arthur Pendragon Kingsmen XIII. He wholeheartedly believes that alone makes him prone to bad luck.

While he isn’t aware of it, Arthur has some level of clairvoyance. He didn’t like investigations because he was skeptical of any paranormal activity. He thought there was going to be a time when something really bad would happen.

Arthur has known Lewis a bit longer than he’s known Vivi. He’s known him since kindergarten while the two of them met Vivi early in middle school. When they started dating he didn’t know how to feel about it since he wanted to confess to him about how he felt but didn't work up the nerve to say it.

He has night terrors of that incident with the cave. Sometimes they end with a feral Mystery looming over him while others is an obscure silhouette of Reverb taunting him.

Vivi

She was born on October 13th (on a Friday no less and Hellbent’s Release Date) in Odessa to a stern and perfectionist anesthesiologist Dr. Aoi Yukino and yoga instructor Mimi Thomson Yukino. They moved to Tempo for work related reasons.

Vivi‘s been one of the best batters in Tempo High School’s softball team.

Her apartment has a room fashioned as a personal archive which consists of boxes of photographs, tape recordings and artifacts from prior investigations.

She runs a supernatural blog that used to be called ‘The Yukino Yuurei Archives’ before forming and rebranding the Mystery Skulls after getting Lewis and Arthur on board.

The reason she isn't as scared by paranormal activity is because it’s a special interest to her. One of her most prized possessions she has is a book on yokai given to her by Grandma Yukino as a birthday gift.

Mystery

He’s a kit between two kitsunes from rival clans ; Hikari and Kage. Both of them didn’t accept him into their fold. As a result, he mostly wandered and did as he pleased.

After his fight against Mushi and Shiromori’s sudden betrayal he formed a contract with the Yukino clan. For what reason I’m going to go into my fanon section in Part 3.

While Vivi’s memories where altered by Lewis's inexperienced and unconscious use of magic after his spectral spark was ignited, Arthur’s were mostly suppressed by Mystery who had more experience.

Mystery did have a humanoid form but has been out of practice with his invite shapeshifting abilities since his tails were cut.

He can telepathically talk but simply choses not to so he wouldn’t blow his cover.

While his spectral spark does not have a particular elemental affinity it’s very potent to the point it can have the potential to create new life (I.e. Shiromori.) What that is something I’ll cover in my fanon next post.

#mystery skulls animated #msa lewis #msa arthur #msa vivi #msa mystery #headcanon #fanon

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seventeenlovesthree · 1 year

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Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 13 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Whether canon provides input on them or not:

When looking at Meiko's interaction partners in Tri, Koushirou is proooobably not the first person who comes to mind; after Jyou, he may share the least amount of screen time with her. And at pure face value, the interactions he does have with her are mostly indirect - and at first glance, not painted in the best light either. They have that kind of dynamic you definitely have to speculate about more to get to the bottom of it - and interestingly enough, once you do, you may discover that they actually have a few things in common. But we'll get to that.

First things first - as mentioned, they mostly are not seen talking to each other, but rather have a third party person to talk through: Mimi. From a shipping perspective, that is both, an interesting parallel and, at the same time, incredibly complicated. Why? On one hand, because you can see/interpret both Koushirou and Meiko as potential love interests for Mimi (with one of them canonically crushing on her and the other OBVIOUSLY opening up through her encouragement, care and emotional/physical affection). On the other hand... Things do not really get very far in text.

Their main interaction point throughout the first few movies consists of Koushirou trying to figure out what causes the distortions corrupting the Digimon - and by doing so, he ends up interrogating Meiko in a very uncomfortable and unfortunate moment, that causes Mimi to snap at him. She says that he's being insensitive, he says they don't have time to focus on "trivial things", completely overlooking her emotional distress in order to fix things as quickly as possible. As mentioned, not the best foundation for any kind of relationship, as Meiko is completely overwhelmed with her partner being corrupted - while Koushirou is desperately trying to stop the cause from spreading even further. And she is aware of his good intentions there - because Taichi explains to her that Koushirou means to investigate the whole thing "with his entire heart" and that that's "all he can do", indirectly asking her to not be mad at him for being "like that". This even leads to her contemplating to apologize to him. Mimi insists that she doesn't have to - and we actually never see the end of that conflict, just the glimpse of hope that Sora's words, "He'll figure it out", will eventually lead to good things...

The next notable interaction is by the very end of Tri - as seen above -, where he entrusts her with his beloved laptop to find out the key to locked-away data, a password only she is capable of knowing, to eventually and actually fix everything in the end.

So what does that tell the viewer? They may not have a lot of significant interpersonal interaction - but subtext indicates that Koushirou strongly believes in Meiko being able to be the key, to find the answers to their problems. He did so by interrogating her, he did so by handing her his laptop - and that is a very familiar pattern.

Not trying to go too much into detail here, but one of my personal favourite headcanons is that, Meiko is what Koushirou COULD have become if he hadn't been as lucky as he was; to be raised by loving parents and getting validated by them upon reconciling; to befriend seven (and eventual eleven) kids and their personal soulmates to figure himself out, friends that ALSO believed in him and his strengths; to be enabled by his best friend to come to Summer camp and come out of his shell in the first place - and to solve a card riddle that would solve a very significant issue. Meiko is incredibly insecure, she had been on her own for a very long time, her low self-esteem goes so far as to have her ask why she was even there in the first place - she visibly needs someone loud and vocal like Mimi to show her how capable she is, just like Koushirou needed Taichi and Tentomon in the same manner. And this may be a huge stretch, because other characters (such as Taichi, Mimi, Sora, Hikari and Takeru) have been WAY more direct and vocal about encouraging her verbally - but Koushirou (who absolutely CAN suffer from severe self-esteem issues as well once he doesn't consider himself "useful") may have passed his own personal torch here in a more subtle, non-verbal way.

Long story short - there is not exactly nothing, but y'all have a lot of guessing work and subtext interpretation to do here.

Whether I think why and how they’d work:

As mentioned above, there are some very subtle similarities that may or may not help them to bond with each other. First of all, it shall not be underestimated that they both have a significant connection with each Mimi and Taichi - and especially the former case may be very enthusiastic to MAKE them spend more time with each other. (Abridged!Mimi may even go so far as to say "I'll make my two nerds have a good time, ha!") I really do believe that Mimi herself could be a great starting point AND topic for them to bond over. "She really is like that, isn't she?", in a gentle, lighthearted way. Because they may have issues opening up fully for some time, due to their bad experiences with interpersonal interaction - but I would argue that they're both also the type that just has to get over that point with each other ONCE and then don't have any issues afterwards anymore. They just need a "starting point". Taichi may actually be a good starting point as well, because both of them may have anecdotes (and their mentioned similarities) to share with each other fondly. Again, there are a lot of self-worth issues they need to overcome first, but once they do, I could imagine them being very soft (and potentially rambly).

(I also have the headcanon that Koushirou likes cats - not only should he have grown up interacting with Hikari and Miko a lot, but his own partner, supposedly a ladybug, has very cat-like tendencies and THAT absolutely should be a bonding topic too!)

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship:

I may argue that, romantically, they MIGHT actually both be not straight-forward enough to get anywhere for a long time and due to the lack of canon interactions, I can only work off the formerly mentioned headcanons... So it may take Mimi and an OT3 setting for things to work out properly. Because hey, with Mimi being the driving force connecting and intertwining them, things could escalate very quickly (because, as mentioned, they're both enchanted by her and have panicked over her being physical with them, they share that fondness for her, so why not channel that energy into a mutual bond as well? And again, the same could apply to Taichi too, because he brought BOTH of them out of their shell to some degree and was VERY protective of them at some point, but I digress). Without that driving force, I'd rather see them as platonic. They're both very supportive (and nerdy) people in their own ways, but nothing too deep on the romantic end.

#my two cents #meta #meiko mochizuki #koushirou izumi #koushiro izumi #izzy izumi #digimon adventure tri #koumeiko #koumei #meikou #digimon shipping game #shipping analysis #relationship analysis #digimon #long post

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m0e-ru · 1 year

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one million thousand spoilers not complete nor comprehensive 1am au diagram from yours truly !!!! i will um. try to put more context below for the love of gods im so tired now

Why Nami?: Like an official name. Mimi was always my own nickname for them!

Izy (Izanami-no-Mikoto): technically an oc. My interpretation of who and what Marie and Nami were before they split from the same whole. "Izy" is a nickname i have for her lol

Kagutsuchi (Izanami-no-Okami); Why's he labeled like this? What suicidal tendencies?: Also interpretation of mine of his origin and how I try to make it more cohesive for this AU. Nami had already separated themself from their past personality (Izy) and was now wondering who or what they were at that point. As they struggled to define their godly and mortal identities, a new entity was subsequently being split from a godly whole once again. Nami managed to truly separate a godly self and their true self from each other, and now independent, it called itself Izanami-no-Okami. With "Myriad Truths," Izanami-no-Okami was defeated. Yet, the remnant not expunged by truths and now powered by the desire of solitude came to be "Hi-no-Kagutsushi."

mim also had a Marie moment where they thought if they destroyed themself everything in Inaba would be fine again, because they think theyre the problem (and one thousand other things). Kagu was also a continuation of this desire from them and promised to end their ass (yknow. like the myth). FURTHER. extending this. mim is also pretty selfless and when theres an option to sacrifice themself as an individual for the good of many they'll run towards that direction as fast as possible. making them awfully selfish in a way because others do want their ass alive.

Izy and Sho and Minazuki?: Kind of like a baby animal imprinting on the first thing they see. They met her after waking up from their coma, and with her maternal nature, she took them under her care. When she "split," to which essentially was her death, Sho bore a grudge towards her offspring, that employee thing and the punk girl walking around, after being able to recognize her scent. While Minazuki himself understands that this shouldnt be tunnel visioned, he assists Sho in finding a way to "put her back together," which leads them to make a deal with Kagutsuchi.

Kirijo related; Kurogamis: From the light novel spinoff Persona X Detective Naoto. During the events of PXDN, Nami gives errands to Sho and Kagu to simultaneously investigate Yagokoro about the "Midnight Site" and watch over Naoto Shirogane. They report back about the lack of a deity nor an unstable collective unconscious, yet they mention a secret Kirijo model android who, along with Naoto, can summon the power of Persona within the human world itself. Nami is particularly happy to hear how Naoto has matured with their new Persona they have awakened to.

Deity Rehabilitation Initiative (DRI) (IM WORKING ON A TITLE OKAY): After Nami's personal experience of godhood and wanting to protect mortals before they give birth to an otherworldly power they may not be able to control in the coming days after its birth, they begin their own initiative to travel around the world (Japan, at least) and meet deities fallen from power to help them see the beauty of life itself, hopefully letting them continue to exist and occupy their biological collective's unconscious before these gods die and newborn heartless entities come to existence.

Mira (Mikuratana-no-Kami): The second helped by the DRI (first was kagu lol i think). Was picked up after the defeat by the Kizuna Dancers. Is now back as a guardian for the city it was born from, also working as costume designer and prodigy talent among Takura Productions, and is close with the girls of Kanamin Kitchen.

Yaldabaoth: Was recovered in the middle of the False Reality, later made to apologize to Lavenza within the Velvet Room and is now under Kurusu's care (i havent decided which name i want for pego actually). Acts as some sort of guardian as he shapeshifts into different mechanical instruments for Akira to be able to pocket.

Azathoth: Parasitic deity assumed to be born mostly out of Takuto Maruki's individual will. The most problematic out of the bunch. Many have formed grudges around it (and Maruki) from its actions taken during the False Reality epidemic: trespassing collective unconscious borders and trying to influence them forcefully, putting many guardian deties at risk of possession, sickness, or even death.

Ema (EMMA, Demiurge): God born from avid users of the AI EMMA, as instructed by Kuon Ichinose. After being defeated by the Phantom Thieves, she was saved to go live a life to help humans. She would be able to meet her sister again and share her own definition of what it means to help humans, finally free of resorting to the "optimal solution." She is made to stay in Inaba, a collective that lacked influence from herself when she was once an AI. Often confused for being related to Sho.

Zen (Chronos formerly): Once a good friend to Izanami-no-Mikoto. She herself did not remember much about him, but he remembered a lot of what she taught him. He guides Marie to her memories, cautioning her still, yet providing the help he can. He is not able to reunite with Nami, but they are well aware he has moved on happily.

Nagi (Enlil): The most cooperative of those assisted by the DRI. She is able to share experiences and sentiments with Nami and other deities. She has her own wishes to find Hikari and be able to see her in the eye. She is now a real movie theatre curator based in Japan during the 20XX timeline and shows Hikari's and many other independent works. She feels rather unsatisfied with the relationship she has with Nami, as they see her as their late mother (AWKWARD)

#ask to tag #persona 4 spoilers #persona 4 arena spoilers #persona 4 dancing spoilers #persona 5 royal spoilers #persona 5 strikers spoilers #persona q spoilers #persona q2 spoilers #sulululat #gsa sl au #ゲッー #// DONE WRITING GOOD NIGHT TO THIS FOREVER #// 'the hell is there so much of this' ive been thinking for three years

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lifewithaview · 10 months

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Aidan Gillen in Project Blue Book (2019) Foo Fighters

S1E5

Generals Harding and Valentine make a personal visit to the Hyneks in Columbus upon learning that the person who had been following Mimi and invaded their home was Lieutenant Fuller. Fuller was able to escape and was last seen by authorities climbing a radio tower in Terre Haute before again escaping. Upon learning that Fuller had spewed off a series of numbers as being able to save the people, Allen, not fully trusting his military masters and thus not telling them that he has some idea as to the meaning of those numbers, investigates on his own. What he discovers leads him and Quinn to Randall Kavanagh, an ex-war pilot who was dishonorably discharged, and who was the first military pilot to report strange sightings in the air while in battle during the war, those strange lights he spotted which were listed as Foo Fighters. In tracking down who ends up being an angry Kavanagh, Allen and Quinn will discover a greater community of like minded people who are looking for the answers to what happened to them. Part of the official visit to Columbus has Quinn questioning Susie as the person who "saved" Mimi from Fuller. This official visit does not sit well with Susie's mysterious associate.

*During World War II, Allied airmen called the phenomena "Foo Fighters" and thought that the Germans created them and the German pilots thought the Americans created them as the glowing balls of light followed planes randomly.

#Project Blue Book #2019 #tv series #Foo Fighters #S1E5 #drama #mystery #scifi #thriller #ufo #pilots #encounters #glowing balls #Aidan Gillen #50s #just watched

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pi-mimi-for-hire · 2 years

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where - leaky’s dorm room when - november 7th who - @leakywright

Mimi eagerly knocked on the door to Leaky’s room. Her investigation into the weirdness surrounding the the haunted house was yielding no leads so far. Her mind immediately went to Leaky. His fear regarding the haunted house may be useful, perhaps he saw something off at the house, or she was just using this as an excuse to see the football player. Mimi wears a bright smile when he opens the door. “Hi Leaky, good to see you.” She glanced around the room, as she steps in. “Sorry about that weird text, but it’s about the haunted house. I’m investigating.” It was common knowledge what she was and she saw no reason to hide her motive from Leaky.

#➳not all tears are evil ➳#thread 3: leaky wright #leakywright #amateur sleuth

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lifewiththelulus · 11 months

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Mason was a young orphan living at an orphanage where he's bullied for being mixed even by some of the staff. He wears baggy clothes along to sandbags to avoid spilling sand everywhere and getting the ire of everyone. He decided to run away one day and in a tearful fit, runs out into the road and is almost hit by a certain motorcycle

Hazel tries to get to the bottom of what's wrong but he clamps up not trusting any adults. She accepts some kids are shy and gives him a ride back. Since he won't say where he came from she says she'll take him down to the police station which freaks him out so he's confesses he lives at the orphanage, tugging at her heart. She notices that he's trying to hide enjoying the bike ride and she leans into it making jokes about them to get a giggle out of em.she even does a few tricks which have him in awe( if not mucking up his clothes)When they get to the orphanage the matron acts overjoyed until a tear in his clothing spill sand everywhere leading to annoyed microaggressions. He looks back at her with eyes that feel pleading and unsure.

Seeing how the kids react to him reminds her too much of how she was treated as a mixed element and she feels just awful for him.

She asks if she would be allowed to visit him and despite trying to dissuade her from doing so is given the paperwork. At this point in her mind adoption is not on the table but she figured she could at least stop by to make sure he's okay and impart a little wisdom about being mixed

She tells Mimi about it later and of course she gives her full support to take time off to visit. Mimi says she wishes she could have been there to see it, Hazel is usually so awkward with kids. So for a few weeks she visits on and off getting a clearer and clearer picture of how he's being treated and doing her best to help. Of all the irony he absolutely loves balloons, especially hot air balloons.

She can't help but love the way his face lights up whenever he talks about it so she's willing to put her fear aside to make him happy

She has a passing thought that mimi won't be able to pop the balloons on their walks like she usually does with Mason around. Then immediately mentally checks herself. He's not their kid why would she worry about that

It all comes to a head one day when the kids sabotage his chances to get adopted. He runs away again but this time he knows where he's going. Hazel gushed enough about her wife's shop for him to figure out where it was and just after closing Mimi hears a knock at the door. At first she ignores it because they're always rude customers trying to get in after closing but then she hears quiet sniffling and quickly investigates.

Shocked she quickly rushes him in, getting him a blanket and some food. Her store is one of those sort of apartment buildings where the house is connected to the main building. He doesn't say anything to her and considering she doesn't either that works out just fine. She tries to give him space until he talks. She knew right away this must have been the kid Hazel was visiting not many sand elements out there.

Hazel wouldn't be back for a little bit as she went out to finish a late night delivery. She so badly wished she was here. It was clear to her that he was hoping to see hazel through that door,not her

She brooches him by explaining she can talk to him through writing. He seems to be fascinated by it and writes back with pictures. At first she just jokes with him and asks about things he likes. But eventually he explains why he was here, that he doesn't feel like anyone cares about him, except her, even his own dad didn't want him. When his mother passed from complications his father just dumped him at the orphanage because he couldn't take the reminder or responsibility.

He starts to cry again begging in confusion to just stay with them. Mimi pulling him into her lap and letting him get it out. the flower on her ponytail could give off a calming aroma and eventually he settles to sleep. She isn't sure what to do, she cares about kids but she never really wanted children, she has no idea if Hazel wants them, everything could go wrong there are so many ifs her mind and stomach are swimming. Till she feels him tighten his grip on her apron,a small smile on his face and her heart does loops

He's used to people complaining about his sand but his grandmother makes it seem like a blessing. She always says he's just giving her free material to make art

Eventually Hazel comes back in halfway through a witty remark until mimi shushes her. Immediately confused and concerned to see Mason here she asks what's going on. Mimi points to all of his drawings on the table and Hazel knows they're both feeling the same thing. They can't just let him go back there.

They're both freaking out neither of them quite knowing how they want to move forward. There's a million things to account for their lives would change drastically. They agree to talk about it more in the morning, the orphanage would probably accept that they let him stay overnight during the storm as reasonable. As Hazel takes him to the couch for the night (with sunflower to watch over him of course) his eyes flutter open slightly and upon seeing the element he'd actually come here to find he tucks in closer to her chest and goes back to sleep.

They both end up laying awake that night. Looking at each other for a while.Mimi ends up being the one to speak up "I think I love him." Hazel starts to tear up nodding and taking her hand. She whispers incredulously"what are we gonna do love?". Mimi turns fully to face her with a look that said they both knew the answer, kissing her gently and tucking under her chin. "Right we'll talk about it tomorrow".

#lost in a haze~ 💜#plant princess 🌷#calm as a candle 🔥#sandy boy ⌛

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captainmaplesblog · 2 years

Text

Life of Lea Volume 2 Chapter 11: A Vendetta's Childhood

“So uh Sergean is there anything else that is known about Rosetta that I should know about?” Lea asked him.

“Hm well, I heard that she had a pretty rough childhood but only Clive and Oliver know all the details of it” Sergean replied.

“Anything else?” Lea asks.

“Hm…not that I can think of right now” Sergean replied.

“Oh alright,” Lea says.

“Yea…anyways we will be going to the part of Rainbow Fish Ocean” Sergean replied.

“Kay, hopefully, things don’t go south either,” Lea says bluntly.

“Yea-…Lea…no puns” Sergean replied.

“But…laughing is good for the heart,” Lea says with a pout.

“I know but right now we need to be serious “ Sergean replied as he pats her head.

“Yea…ok,” Lea says in defeat.

“Now let’s get to our spot of investigation” Sergean replied as he lead the way while looking at their map.

“Fine…” Lea says as she follows him.

On the way to their investigation spot, Sergean accidentally swims into a light pole.

“W-Who put that there!?” Sergean said in denial.

“The king and queen, Mr. Blind” Lea replied sarcastically.

“Shut it I am not blind I was just focused,” Sergean says in annoyance.

“Sure, let's go with that,” Lea replied.

“…whatever let’s keep on going” Sergean replied as he moved away from the light pole.

“Kay,” Lea replied as she continued to follow him.

“So why did you choose me to be your partner?” Lea asked him.

“Just felt like it” Sergean replied.

“Um alright,” Lea says as they eventually got to the south part of Rainbow Fish Ocean.

Sergean then puts the map in his bag.

“Alright let’s keep our eyes open for anything unusual” Sergean exclaims.

“Kay,” Lea replied.

While Lea and Sergean explored the southern part, Cloud and B.J. explored the northern part, Vanessa and Sugar explored the western part, Mimi and Nick explored the southwest part; Princess Charlie, Prince Bobby, and King Chuck explored the northeast part. Lea and Sergean looked around quietly as they kept their guard up. “Wait…they didn’t find out or were told which part of Rainbow Fish Ocean where they were spotted? Damn…” Lea thought to herself.

“So which part of Rainbow Ocean where the enemy last seen anyways?” Lea asks him.

“We’ll it was nighttime but they said it was near the southwest” Sergean replied.

“So we’ll have teamed up with whom?” Lea asks him.

“With Mimi and Nick but that is only if we run into the enemy and with your magic level I hope not” Sergean replied.

“Shut it! I’m doing better than when I started so at least give me some credit…” Lea says with a pout.

“I’ll think about it first” Sergean replied.

“That’s what you always say,” Lea says as she crosses her arms.

“I know that” Sergean replied.

“So, I’ll work hard the next time you give me a magic lesson,” Lea says.

“Good no complaints either” Sergean replied with a smirk.

“…Fine whatever, you win this time,” Lea says as they got to a vending machine.

“Soda? Want some?” Sergean replied.

“Sure, sounds good,” Lea says with a small grin.

“Which one do you want?” Sergean replied.

“Hm…that one” Lea says as she points to the red soda can.

“Poke soda it is and like usual I will pay for it,” Sergean replied as he put a gold coin into the vending machine.

“You don’t have to pay this time too…Not like I tell you to pay for things,” Lea says.

“Oh, so you have money on you?” Sergean replied sarcastically.

“Well fuck you too…” Lea says as she hands them their sodas.

“Whatever…” Sergean replied as he took his soda from her.

They then opened their sodas and then took a sip.

“So, are there any more parts of the Rainbow Fish Ocean that we need to explore?” Lea asks him.

“Yes, we do, it is called the Rainbow Fish Ocean for reason” Sergean replied.

“…Fair point,” Lea says with a bored pout.

“Mhm…let’s get going then” Sergean replied as he leads the way.

“Kay…” Lea says as she follows him.

After 3 hours of exploring the southern part of the Rainbow Fish Ocean. Lea and Sergean go to the meeting spot.

“I hope we are getting some food once everyone is here…” Lea says.

“It is 11:10 am already but yes food does sound proper to have right now” Sergean replied in agreement.

“Well hope, fully they’re on their way…I’m starving” Lea says as her stomach growls.

Meanwhile, at the southwest part of the Rainbow Fish Ocean, Mimi and Nick were on their way to the meeting spot.

“So, any word on how Max is recovering?” Nick asks her.

“His injuries are healing at a good rate but his memory of his time missing is still fuzzy according to Glendora when I had called her earlier” Mimi replied.

“Huh, so we still don’t have much on Rosetta’s recent activities…” Nick says a bit annoyed.

“Well yes but that doesn’t mean we can’t track down one of his lackeys” Mimi replied.

“That’s very true we should inform the others of this idea so we can decide which lackey to go after?” Nick asked her.

“Oliver, clearly,” Mimi replied.

“Fair point,” Nick says as he nods in agreement.

“The only thing that is known about him other than him being related to Rosetta is that they had to grow up fast and that is why Oliver likes playing with kids as well as playing pranks on Clive, if we knew more about how they grew it could give us hints on what her plan could be” Mimi replied.

“That’s maybe true but I still know when to be professional,” Oliver said from behind them.

Mimi and Nick flinch a bit when they hear him as they get into a fighting position. Oliver then swam over to them as he stopped lurking behind their surroundings.

“I have something to say to you, Miss. Mimi” Oliver says as he puts his arms up in a surrendering pose.

“I have nothing to say to you” Mimi replied as she snapped her finger as magic ropes quickly tied him down.

“I didn’t come here to fight,” Oliver says with a childish pout.

“Right…so were you sent on a recon mission or did you come out here on your own will?” Nick asks him.

“Both my big sister told me to beat you and bargain with the King and Queen to have Princess Charlie given to us as a prisoner exchange but I thought I’d use the verbal deal first” Oliver replied.

“So, you want to talk first before using brutal force? How gentlemen like you” Mimi says as she looks at him with suspicion.

“Well, how else was I supposed to multitask?” Oliver replied.

“So, what did you want to talk to us about?” Nick asks him.

“Well I wanted to thank you for taking my big sister’s book but I also would like to know if you could help me to save her from her ways,” he says as he got on his knees as he begged for help.

“That so? Fine we will do what you tell us about your childhood with your big sister first” Mimi said as she was suspicious about why he was acting weirdly. ‘Then again he is always giving everyone mixed signals… it's stupid’ Mimi thought to herself.

“Thank you…I’ll answer your question now…” Oliver replied.

“We need to know about your childhood with Rosetta so we know how crazy she is and we need to know what she is planning and if your mother is a connection to her plan or her next victim as well as your mom’s current location” Nick exclaims.

“When we were growing up, mom wasn’t always home because she was working hard to keep our house and keep us fed and clothed, we didn’t know who our dad was so Rosetta had to cook, clean, and look out for me…Rosetta didn’t get a lot of sleep either while listening to mom’s sobbing rants; school plus the nightmares she got from her impressively increasing magical skills, she barely had time to cry and when she did cry it was either out of frustration or stress when mom got angry at her it always got ugly until Rosetta finally got fed up and left at age 15, she didn’t come back until she was 18, she was a sobbing mess and scared silly it was then that I learned that she had 4 personalities…Penelope was full of rage, Annie was flirty, Coco is the brains of every plan, and Rosetta…her real personality…she comes out when she is sad or when the other personalities don’t want to do the dirty work” Oliver explains.

“So, she’s incredibly depressed and has the mind of 4 people…on top of that her other personalities only let her in control when they want something from her as a last resort…” Nick replied.

“ Yes but…she thinks that getting rid of magic will solve things and her problems will end. She is getting a solution in the wrong way but it doesn’t mean that she can’t be saved” Oliver exclaims.

“How do you know this?” Mimi replied.

“Rosetta told me she only comes out around me but other than that Coco is usually in charge like at the welcome back party for Princess Charlie…” Oliver exclaims.

“So what did she tell you?” Nick replied.

“ Rosetta told me that only mom can save her by saying that mom can save her by saying that she’ll always be there for her” Oliver exclaims.

“So she just wants to be held by her mom and be told that everything will be ok…where is your mom?” Mimi replied.

“She is-…” Oliver says before being cut off by Annie.

“Ollie that is enough don’t make a report to Penelope and Coco” Annie replied.

“………Sorry big sister…” Oliver says as he stiffens up.

“Good now Mr. Dragifilia and Miss. Lay can either take the prison exchange deal or you all can become my bitches” Annie exclaims with a sadistic smirk.

“There’s n-…”Nick replied before getting cut off by Mimi.

“I’ll go but only if we have a word and no back doors” Mimi exclaims.

Nick stares at Mimi in shock but he remains silent.

Annie smirks at her, “ Fine you have my word and there will be no back doors, I pinky swear and cross my heart” Annie replied as she put her hand out forward to shake.

Mimi looks at Nick with a warm smile before shaking her hand and then they all disappear into a black hole. Nick stood there quietly before swimming super fast towards the meeting spot to tell the others what just happened as his eyes were filled with tears.

“Mr. Dragifilia…… what happened?” King Chuck asks him.

“When Mimi and I were on our way here… Oliver confronted us and gave us some answers before one of the Bad apple members stopped him from revealing the location of Nami and then they asked for a prisoner exchange deal…they want Princess Charlie in exchange for Mimi…Mimi took the deal without hesitation so there wouldn’t be any bloodshed…” Nick replied.

Cloud hugs him with himself feeling sympathy and being a dog.

“…Well this just got a bit complicated…” King Chuck says.

“Indeed it has papa” Princess Mary replied as she gave Nick a tissue.

Nick sniffles a bit before blowing his nose.

“We will get her back but without giving Princess Charlie to them…so please let’s get back to the castle to make a plan,” King Chuck says.

“Right…” Nick replied softly.

“Before we go…Nick, why didn’t you call us when Oliver showed up?” Sergean asked him.

“Oliver was willing to answer our questions in exchange that we save Rosetta…” Nick replied.

“Save her…? Why does he think that she can be saved?” Prince Kevin asks him.

“He told us about their childhood; how Rosetta has 4 personalities which means she’s severely depressed, I am not sure he didn’t exactly know how or why they formed when she left their house for a while nor did he know what she did while she was gone…the last time she was in control she told him that only their mom could save her but my guess is her 3 controlling personalities know something about the mom” Nick replied.

“Hm…saving her may be a long shot…” King Chuck says skeptically as now as for the reason why The Rotten Red Apple had more than one name sense to everyone to some degree.

“True,” Lea says softly as she had a small flashback of when she was 15 and was experiencing depression, anxiety, and very dark thoughts for the first time.

#LifeofLea #original story #original characters

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