#the first of a number of Izzy 'deaths'

[spillsnchills]

s2e1 - Impossible Birds

[stardust-ti]

CAN THIS FUCKING VIRUS PLEASE GET OUT OF ME?

I would like my own personal Izzy Hands assistant to call it a twat.

[girlbossblackbeard]

THOUGHTS AND LAYERS

i spent literally an hour analyzing this trailer at 0.5 speed. this post is long af and these thoughts are in no particular order and are poorly organized:

-there's a big storm (which I think was already confirmed), and ed gets swept overboard by a bucket on a rope:

he then crawls up out of the water onto the beach

then goes into the forest, creates a hut, has a journey of healing and self-discovery, meets hornigold (or his ghost??)

and kills him thus killing the part of himself that he hated the most (his violence) as a parallel to stede finally getting rid of nigel's ghost by accepting and believing in himself

-in the stede/ed split screen, the stede shot is from the first ep of s2 right after stede finds the marooned crew at the end of ep 10 in s1 (you can tell bc his hair and clothes are still clean, there's no gay bandana around his neck, and that's his lil dinghy buttons is rowing)

-they go to shore and wind up at the merchants shop where "susan" overhears they're tracking down blackbeard

and she invites stede's crew onto her ship, cue the outfit change in the BTS photos:

-the way stede makes that little swishy turn in the red coat -

makes me think this may be first time he's been in fine clothes since his "death" and i hope we get a moment of him reflecting on how he gave up everything for ed only to have him hate him :( but then obviously realizing that ed is worth it and he'd do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant getting a chance at spending the rest of his life with him

-izzy and stede team up, and izzy is clearly training either himself or stede on the revenge (?)

soooooo many questions: what caused him to leave ed and join stede's crew? is he fighting with ed and is training to take him out or is he just done having his love be unrequited so he leaves and just so happens to stumble into stede? is izzy thinking that if he can't cut out the longing he has for ed he has to kill him instead so the pain will go away? what, pray tell, the fuck is going on in here on this day

-wee john in the mermaid costume (and olu in a bunny or donkey costume?):

a fuckery? or just a weird acid trip? OR IS IT THE TALENT SHOW THEY NEVER GOT TO HAVE??

-ed really does force everyone on his crew to wear war paint

-all the tally marks scratched into the walls - is that the number of days since stede bonnet broke ed's heart?

-ed in the forest in PEARL NECKLACE HELLOW????????

-the tear in ed's eye as he moves the cake toppers closer together which he also painted to make the lady look more like him he literlaly is in love wiht stede so bad wht the FUCJ

-ed's crew is murdering SO MANY PEOPLE at the wedding wtf (pic not included bc scary)

-delusional moment but i hope anne bonny on stede's lap is looking at calico jack off screen

-stede and ed are running towards each other on the black sand beach (thank you @sluterastede for pointing this out to me wtf!!!!!!)

which evolves my theory that ed in the forest goes through his healing journey and realizes he wants to openly love stede again but then the navy attack and stede just so happens to have found ed at the same time and they're fighting to get to each other and taking out everyone in their way (what if that was okracoke lmao)

-the swede and spanish jackie hooking up in the trailer

makes me think the bts shot of ed and jackie is them looking at stede and the swede, and ed being SO in love with stede obvi but jackie is watching the swede do some weirdly hot shit so she's gotta have him (what if they got married and he became her umpteenth husband in a drunken vegas-like shotgun wedding where she wakes up the next day to realize what has happened lmao)

-also this pic is DEF from the reunited/make up era bc ed's half-up hair, no makeup, soft eyes, and buttons' clothing. i am weeping

-stede in pain - is it an injury or a tattoo? or torture as @sluterastede posits?? he looks down at his lower body before screaming so maybe he knows what's about to happen to him??

-ed in the forest wearing the pearl necklace (see above), ed saying "fuck you stede bonnet" wearing the pearl necklace (see below)

does he pick it up at the wedding??? (theory credit to @sluterastede!!!! can u tell we watched the trailer together 400 times) i can't tell if he's wearing it in the one wide shot of him in that scene:

but regardless of when he acquires it, does he take it bc he remembers stede said he wears fine things well???? and he starts to believe he may deserve them??

-side note about a LACK of something: ed isn't wearing the cravat at all in the trailer near as i can tell, and he's not wearing the pearl necklace when throwing knives at the wall (at least from what I can see, which is not much) which leads me to believe that scene is in the earlier part of the season

-lastly, the most important song lyrics from the trailer (the beautiful ones by prince):

and that's my dissertation on the ofmd season 2 teaser trailer thank you

[suffersinfandom]

Controversial opinion (?): the Kraken Era wasn’t all that dark.

There’s a lot of meta and fic out there that portray Ed as a bloodthirsty, hyperviolent monster, and when that portrayal is challenged, the rebuttal is usually along the lines of, “I’m just doing what canon did. Did you even watch the show? It's racist, not me!”

I did watch the show, and honestly? I went in expecting far worse based on meta and fic I read during the hiatus. When I see people say they didn’t think Ed did enough to redeem himself or that he went past the point of no return, I just don’t understand.

I already went into this in my way-too-long meta about Ed and abuse, but I do think it bears repeating (in a shorter post) because it seems like Ed’s actions -- more than the actions of any other character -- are scrutinized and discussed outside of the context of a comedy about pirates. There’s tons of casual violence in Our Flag Means Death. Sometimes the violence is even funny! 

So what does Ed actually do in the first episodes of season two?

We see Ed directly harm someone twice in the first two episodes: first on the wedding boat, and then when he shoots Izzy in the leg. Kind of unimpressive numbers, yeah? I'd expect more out of a heartbroken Blackbeard.

The first instance involves Ed shooting a man during a raid. That man has a sword through his chest before Ed fires, leading me to believe that Ed’s still following his season one pattern of keeping himself a step removed from murder (technically, the sword killed that guy). We also don’t see the murder happen; the man tumbles offscreen before Ed shoots. This makes the action less brutal. If the writers wanted us to be appalled by Ed’s violence, we would’ve gotten a graphic kill or several.

And the second instance is Izzy. Ed shoots Izzy in the leg after he suggests that the shitty atmosphere is because of Ed’s feelings for Stede. Hot take, maybe, but I don’t think that was entirely out of line. Ed’s feelings for Stede are not the only problem; a significant chunk of the problem is Izzy. Izzy called in the navy and led to their capture. Izzy threatened Ed back into the Blackbeard persona the last time Ed tried to talk things through, and that was without an audience of potential mutineers.

We’re also told that Ed has taken more of Izzy’s toes between seasons. This isn’t cool -- bosses definitely shouldn’t be asking for their employees’ toes -- but there is a precedent for it. In season one, Ed told Stede that he used to feed people their toes for a laugh (yuck). For a laugh. This, to me, implies that it’s not a huge deal. It’s certainly not completely unexpected pirate behavior, and it seems more lenient than a keelhauling or a whipping. I think both of those things would've felt far more gruesome and dark.

As far as violent actions go, that’s not a lot. Like, numerically.

Things get darker in S2E2 when Ed becomes increasingly desperate for someone, anyone, to send him to doggy heaven. He’s unhinged and working his way up to a murder-suicide before he’s stopped. He hacks the wheel right off of the ship and threatens to shoot the mast. He orders Archie and Jim to fight to the death. He ignores anonymous crewmembers as they’re swept overboard in the storm. This is bad! It’s self-destructive and selfish! But it's also tragic and human and understandable.

In my opinion, the worst thing Ed does in these episodes is force his crew to do violence for him -- not because it’s violence (again, they’re pirates), but because the violence hurts them. THIS is what traumatizes them. Their trauma flashbacks are scenes of them hurting others, not of Ed hurting them directly. Ed didn’t physically torture his crew (with the exception of Izzy, and that’s complicated). His crime was driving them to do one violent raid after another, killing and plundering without any joy or theatrics. Ed feels trapped in the role of Blackbeard -- the role that he’s been desperate to escape -- and, in his heartbreak, he opts to trap his crew with him. 

Yes, Ed is messed up in the first two episodes of season two. I don’t blame the crew for almost killing him; it’s what needed to be done. I think that Jim, Archie, Frenchie, and Fang had every right to want Ed gone after Stede’s return. 

But I don’t think that Ed was a super violent monster who tortured his crew and murdered his way through his breakup. He engages in very little onscreen violence, and the person that most of his violence is focused on -- Izzy -- is the same person who told him to be violent. I think that anyone who says that Ed’s actions in the first part of season two are extremely dark is either looking at them out of context, misremembering what actually happened and just recalling the dark tone, or working with some kind of motive.

In conclusion: Ed is a man who, at his very darkest, was still operating pretty firmly within the bounds of "stuff pirates do" (but not stuff Ed has historically done, presumably).

Also look at him. Thank you.

GIF by unearthlydust

EDIT: Read the reblogs for some amazing and more nuanced additions!

[jennaimmortal]

Musings on OFMD Season 2

I’m feeling a bit sad today for the OFMD writers. After rewatching S1 & 2 a couple times, it’s become blatantly clear to me that Izzy’s arc this season was a very obvious love letter to both Izzy fans & the great Con O’Neil. Izzy was very clearly written to be an obstacle to Ed’s healing & personal growth, a snare that Ed needed to be freed from, albeit with plenty of nuance hiding under the surface. It would have been much easier for them to kill Izzy off while he was still the toxic, abusive, sadomasochistic terror of S1E10.

Instead of taking the easy route, though, the writers flipped the trope on its head! They utilized every bit of the potential buried beneath Izzy’s super fucked up shell. This season Izzy got

• a fully fleshed out redemption complete with terrible consequences of his 1x10 actions

• a realization of the possibility of another way of thinking & existing that he’d spent all of S1 running from & trying to destroy,

• genuine love & support from his crew mates which he was actually able to accept,

• exploration of the long abandoned softer side of his nature,

• an apology from Ed w/o first offering one of his own,

• a powerful, devastatingly poignant speech that mentally demolished a new nemesis, and finally

• a beautiful, meaningful death in the arms of the man he���d dedicated so much of his life to, known that he was truly loved by him & completely accepting of the fact that Ed’s love was not in the form he’d always hoped for.

It was so much more than we could have hoped for, and was very obviously done in service to the MANY fans that had fallen in love with Izzy even after S1, as well as to give Con a storyline worthy of his immense talent. Considering the face that Izzy was never going to end up becoming the show’s third protagonist, it was more than we could have hoped for!

OFMD has two protagonists, Stede & Ed. All the secondary character narratives that haven’t directly involved Ed and/or Stede have been icing on the cake, but the cake has always been the Gentlebeard love story. I feel like some people forget this, expecting them to treat the secondary characters as if it were an ensemble show instead of a show with leads.

Izzy’s arc really was an amazing gift! The writers gave us this incredible journey for Izzy this season, and what did a disgraceful number of people do? They attacked David directly, insulted the entire show, the writers, & other characters, even wishing actual harm & misery to other characters or even to David himself!

While I know that comparatively speaking, the percentage of show fans who reacted this way was relatively small, it was still an astounding amount of hatred & vitriol thrown at the people who had obviously worked very hard to give Izzy fans something beautiful to hold on to after his inevitable death. Much of the discourse honestly shocked me, considering the fact that OFMD isn’t even an adaptation of another work.

When fans get angry at shows written as adaptations of books, it’s a bit more understandable for them to have extreme reactions. They’ve had certain ideas and headcanons about characters they’ve felt very strongly about for a long time. It can be really jarring & painful when expectations like that aren’t met, the characters or plots are taken in totally different directions, or even excluded entirely.

OFMD, however, is an original creation. This is David Jenkins’s story. These are David Jenkins’s characters. He knows his story, his plotlines, his characters far better than anyone else does because they came from HIS brain! So while we as fans can have our own interpretations & head canons, they are always going to be at risk of being proven totally wrong by the ACTUAL canon.

One of the worst aspects of fandoms, in my opinion, is the way people become so proprietary over the story & characters, insisting that their own interpretations & theories are the only correct ones, which is exactly what happened with Izzy. Fans’ individual & collective interpretations, theories, hopes, & other head canons became concrete & true in their minds. So much so that when the actual story didn’t meet those expectations, so many of them lashed out in some truly unpleasant, sometimes hateful ways.

My only hope is that the rest of the fandom’s love, appreciation, constructive criticism, heartbreak, pain, joy, & excitement has been enough to drown out the deluge of vitriolic comments directed at David & the other writers.

If you stuck with me through this unintentionally long diatribe, thank you! Maybe take a moment to give the writers some comments or replies on social media, showing your love! I know I will!

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

pt II our flag means death but I've never watched it

HELLO OFMD FANDOM! It's the Good Omens Mascot and Resident Dumbass, back again for part II. First, let's clear the air of all controversy!

Some of you lovely maggots were kind enough to warn me about certain discourse about a salad spoon and also about a certain gentleman named Izzy. I was warned not to make assumptions and not to take sides, and I hear some members had to leave the fandom for a while because it got toxic. Maggots. All the rest of you. Worry not about me. I'm here to unite the OFMD fandom! How, you ask? By being so undeniably stupid in my own opinions that you all will have to unite to disagree with me. You underestimate the power of my dumbassery. Well, let's not dilly dally and dawdle, here's the updated summary:

I have been informed there is cannibalism on this ship but it is not real. Someone pretends to eat someone and then their wife helps them fake their death while they run away from the ship though their lover wanted them to run to China.

There are BDSM lesbians, which is honestly such a slay, Pinterest has let me down by not informing me of that when I made Part I. I will no longer be using Pinterest a reliable source in future academic essays.

Mermaid Stede performs necromancy while a song called Kate Bush plays (I don't know who this is, a politician? Idk whether of US or UK).

Gravy Basket is a destination and Buttons is a sea witch and there is educational stabbing. Buttons is then a bird because of the BDSM lesbians.

There is a lady who is extremely beautiful and intimidating and powerful and she has twenty husbands and I assumed incorrectly that you were all talking about a Jack Russel terrier.

Let's start with the controversy! Izzy. Secondary protagonist or antagonist? Good or bad? Kindly father figure or homoerotically charged friend? Necessary death or not? No no no. Behold:

I present a new question, a hot take sizzling from the pan: Did Izzy really exist?

Personally, I firmly believe that no, he did not. I believe that the rum on the ship was spiked with hallucinogens.

Izzy was simply the manifestation of Ed's Freudian subconscious, taking the shape of a human being, vaguely resembling a humanoid potato Ed was forced to boil as a kid. I was a psychology student with a final grade of 99% and I accept only destructive criticism on my posts thank you. Feel free to discuss whether he boiled the potato in a fit of rage or whether he was forced to.

There are assorted Ned's, Mary's and an uncertain number of Jeff's on ship.

One of the Jeff's is an accountant, and there is a nonbinary talking sword named Jim. Actually I'm not sure if they talk.

Love you all, rooting for the show to be renewed.

REMINDERS. Be polite to each other in the reblogs, on tumblr reblogs spread posts and not likes (which don't do anything for visibility) unlike other social media sites, but MOST IMPORTANTLY.

I ACCEPT ONLY DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, THIS BLOG IS A GODLESS, LAWLESS LAND, AND ALL RAGE AT EACH OTHER MUST BE REDIRECTED AT ME. UNDERSTOOD? YAY.

[bakasara]

Trying to parse my thoughts on Izzy's death and why I had a different reaction to it than I thought I would. To summarize: I thought I wouldn't like it, but also that they wouldn't do it; the opposite happened– they did it but I'm ok with it.

I'm also feeling like talking through some mourning for an amazing character, so follow along if that's you, too 😌

(I should probably clarify the following thoughts are coming from someone who deeply enjoyed this season.)

I first wondered what would be of Izzy around the end of season 1. I expected him to have a heel-face turn – which I object to calling a redemption arc and I'll get into why, because the distinction ties into his death imo. A lot of antagonistic characters' changes of heart end directly in death, but I thought they'd subvert that trope. And they... did, actually, despite Izzy dying. Not an option I had imagined.

What the show avoided is the logic, the set of tropes attached to the deaths of this kind of character. These deaths usually come as a consequence of the character's changed ethics or "redemption". My being against that scenario came from the diverging natures of traditional redemption arcs and OFMD's rhetoric.

A traditional redemption arc functions by a kind of catholic logic, if you will: the villain can become one of the good guys by balancing out his "sins"/bad deeds with enough good deeds to tip a moral scale. This often involves a purifying suffering, which acts as an agent to expiate one's faults. To the viewer, this suffering can serve to activate our empathy and make the character more sympathetic. It can also legitimize his quest: our trust in the character's good intentions comes from seeing that the character is ready to make sacrifices to become better and he isn't deterred by the hardships of doing the right thing.

The death occurring at the end of a traditional redemption arc acts as the ultimate sacrifice and/or purification. A number of ideas might be at play behind it, depending on each story: only in death can the soul become fully pure, or a final sacrifice is "needed" to demonstrate the change once and for all, or change was only possible up to a point after which there is no viable/acceptable future – the character deserves moral points for changing, but not so many that he also deserves a full life, or past crimes make him more expendable, etc.

But these are all ideas that aren't evoked in any of the crew's journey in OFMD. For starters, the show isn't interested in "catholic" redemption; its focus is on reintegration/rehabilitation into the community. Rather than appealing to the more traditional (in Western media) and more christian principle of "purification of the soul through mortification of the body", it plays with notions of restorative justice.

We see it especially this season with Ed and Izzy. Ed's arc is a whole little lab for it. We have the community being made to decide whether he can stay or should leave; catbell!Ed is made to apologize to the people affected – which he initially does abysmally, with what fandom has dubbed his "CEO's/YouTube apology". Later, he's given the opportunity to have a more honest and genuine conversation with Fang where he learns about how he hurt him. He's made to repair some of the material damage his behavior caused. Some members feel repaid by the idea that they did to him the same he did to them (Fang) while others don't (Lucius), and the show touches on what this means for each/legitimizes both feelings. Arguably, Ed using his treasure to throw Calypso's birthday party – a much needed refrain and moment of social (re-)connection within the community – is an additional form of reparation. While Stede's belief in Ed has a clear role in helping Ed change for the better, Izzy's s2 journey focuses even more intensely on the role of social support within an individual's constructive (re-)integration into their community. The show is condensed by choice of format, but the beats are all there.

With that kind of rhetoric set up, I'd never be able to accept Izzy dying in a way that feels like a punishment for his past crimes, nor in a way that should "confirm" his positive change/"purify" him for good. And he doesn't! By the time he dies, we know full well he's deeply changed, it's already established to completion. How it happens has nothing to do with proving himself – he's randomly shot in battle. It's never questioned that the time he got to live surrounded by affection mattered. The speech he gives Ed is only possible because he's changed, accessing a completely different perspective on piracy/life than before, like we see when he talks to Ricky earlier. The reason the whole crew is paying respect and crying is because he became "the new unicorn", a treasured member with a defined role. But his death itself is the show going back to the initial symbolism of Izzy as ultimate pirate. The narrative function of his death is underscoring that the age of piracy has come to an end. It's nothing to do with his change. It's posited as the "natural conclusion" (again, by symbolic function) of a character that represented piracy through-and-through, not the "natural conclusion" of a process of becoming better.

And for me, that difference changes everything. I can see and accept the logic behind it, even as I mourn Izzy as a character. It makes the grief feel like a catharsis I experience within the context of the story I'm watching, rather than a grief I feel from a show "betraying" me.

It's also a difference that completely changes how Izzy's death relates to his queerness. Izzy's change is intertwined with being able to express queer affection openly. Becoming "a unicorn" is this extremely queer imagery already – a magical rainbow creature. His role becomes akin to a mother to the crew (the mother hen!Izzy many headcanoned last season, tapping into his potential), a position that isn't extraneous to older queens, including our honored real-life mean-old-queer men. Last season he threatened another queer man for showing too much delicacy, effeminacy, vulnerability. Now, his change is a process that culminates in him singing a tender love song among the crew in drag. He's given the privilege of playing the soundtrack to our protagonists making love for the first time, which ties him symbolically to the event in a way it does no other crew member. Suffice it to say that insinuating his process of change should end in death would have been disastrous, as far as I'm concerned. Antithetical to the show's supporting ideology.

But that's not how it went. Grief occupies a big role in the queer community, but it's so rare that we get to experience it cathartically. In real life, we often have to contend with the ways queerphobia causes us trauma or even shortens our lives, or the lives of our friends. In fictional narratives, a lot of characters that get to express queerness unabashedly still die for the transgression. They're still usually the only queer character with relevant screen time or at all, at best one of two that formed a tragic couple.

We almost never have the opportunity to just mourn some motherfucker who died because they meant something else as well that was central to their character. To mourn and know we're mourning someone who wasn't ever punished for being queer-as-in-fuck-you and going all out. To mourn and not feel like it's another message of queer doom, because for once the character is surrounded by an entire crew of other queer characters that go on to live and be happy. To know the story is saying something about life, not about being queer. To know this kind of crafting was deliberate, too, because the creator has talked about working to avoid those tropes. I struggle to remember another time I had the opportunity to grieve for a queer character like they're a human being, without the implication that it's queerness itself that's a death sentence.

And honestly? It feels good. It feels like a form of catharsis I do not dislike. That I'm maybe kinda glad for. OFMD is and stays a magical world. Beyond that, in a show full of queers, one of them dies after getting some extraordinarily meaningful happiness, and it's peaceful, and I get to just be sad for the fucker without the gutting of being reminded that if you're gay, better not shoot too high. It feels like a completely different emotion that no other show, for now, would give me, but OFMD. To me, it's yet another thing it's pulled off.

As it's been known to do.

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

How ‘Our Flag Means Death’ Became the Funniest Show on TV

Creator and showrunner David Jenkins breaks down the new season of TV’s most adorable star-crossed pirates.

Our Flag Means Death debuted in March 2022 to respectable viewership numbers that grew. And grew. And grew some more. With each week of its 10-episode run, viewership increased, eventually tripling its original audience. The little gay pirate workplace and romantic comedy-cum-historical fantasy that could is back for a second season on Max, and fans will be glad to know that piracy power couple Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Ed Teach, aka Blackbeard (Academy Award winner Taika Waititi) won’t be parted for long.

The first season of Our Flag Means Death introduced viewers to fictional versions of the real historical figures Stede Bonnet (aka The Gentleman Pirate) and Blackbeard, as well as their respective crews. The two captains instantly forged an unlikely connection. Stede, who decided to exorcize his midlife crisis by abandoning his family and taking to the seas, despite being at best a piracy novice, hero-worships Blackbeard and is thrilled to make his acquaintance. The fearsome Blackbeard, who among friends goes by his real first name, Ed, is taken with Stede’s commitment to enjoying the finer and frillier things in life, marveling at his new friend’s on-ship library and massive, beautiful wardrobe.

While the two captains are an odd couple, each of their crews regards the other as an entirely different species. Aboard the Revenge, Stede reads bedtime stories to his crew and encourages them to use their words when conflicts emerge, while on Blackbeard’s ship, Ed’s first mate Izzy Hands (a deliciously scowling, jealous Con O’Neill) rants that his captain is now a shell of the terrifying legend he used to be. Over time, Blackbeard’s crew begin to appreciate the healthier work-life culture on the Revenge, where there’s room for romantic and collegial dyads to form and pair off.

Of course, the path of true love never runs smooth even for a couple as invested in each other as Stede and Ed. At the end of the first season, the crews are split between ships and land, and Ed believes Stede has permanently abandoned their relationship for his original family, causing a heartbroken Ed to revert to his fearsome Kraken persona. As the second season opens, Stede is frantically trying to get back to Ed and explain that he’s all in on their relationship. Ed’s behavior has been swinging erratically from depressed to murderous, even toward Izzy, and when the two captains and crews meet again, there’s an extra twist: Stede and company have been co-opted by the far more capable and successful Chinese Pirate Queen, Zheng Yi Sao (Ruibo Qian).

On the eve of the second season’s three-episode premiere, creator and showrunner David Jenkins reflected on the series’ approach to workplace dynamics, male friendships and romance, and the character arcs he’s most excited for fans to see.

The first three episodes of the season premiere feature a bunch of breakups and reshuffling of romantic and work relationships—not just Stede and Ed. Were you chasing anything in particular, narratively, by splitting up so many dyads?

Definitely. To watch the effects of Stede and Blackbeard’s relationship reverberate through everybody's lives is so interesting. Their separation doesn’t just happen to the two of them, it’s happening to all of them, because they’re a family. Just as the breakup reverberated throughout both crews, getting back together is going to do the same thing.

That makes sense.

The goal was just being true to the character beats and finding ways to make them ring true. Oluwande (Samson Kayo) and Jim (Vico Ortiz, they/them) are friends who got romantic. It rang true to me that they’d watch each others’ lives move forward, and then come back together to find that they still care about each other, and each of them is also happy for the other person. I've seen that happen in real life a bunch of times, but I don't see that dramatized a lot. I think there should be a lot of different flavors of relationships in this show. And there's so many different pairings that you get a lot of chances to be like, “Oh, how are these two different from Stede and Ed?”

How does that relate to your interest in exploring tenderness and vulnerability in male characters? In previous interviews, you’ve referred to Our Flag Means Death as examining the burlesque of masculinity. What does it bring to your work to be exploring it over the course of many hours of storytelling?

That’s an area where Taika’s and my interests overlap a lot. There’s something so understated about his sensibility—I think some of it derives from his New Zealand accent, actually—that suits asking questions about masculinity. And it's fun to look at pirate stories, to play against that genre’s whitewashed, heteronormative conventions. Growing up as a guy, you get a lot of pressure to be just one type of a guy, the guy who refuses to feel things. Men are in terrible trouble in that way. We’re getting better about talking about feelings, but there’s so much more to cover—body dysmorphia, vulnerability, not just talking about feelings, but understanding them and having this whole range of emotions—those are always the things I want to watch.

Do you have favorites among on-screen stories that make room for a broader emotional palette?

Heat and Midnight Run are two really lovely Robert De Niro movies where characters have these very big emotional lives. It’s a similar thing with Robert Redford and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I like extending that. We can push it further, because there's so many different ways to be a man! Not everything has to be a shoot ’em up action thing where people don’t have feelings. A lot of men feel like they need permission to just be their weird selves, to be funny, to dress differently. Try some different things! Maybe wear a color! Put some product in your hair! Don't worry about it, it's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine.

Our Flag Means Death is not a casual show. It’s very funny and playful! But there is not one single frame of the show that plays it cool. As an artist, what’s the significance of qualities like sincerity and earnestness?

I hate coolness, it’s so ungenerous. And I like that you said that it’s not casual. I’m not a casual guy. This is a deeply uncool show. There’s something so special about seeing comedic actors like Rhys or Taika, who are so used to coming into a scene, being incredibly funny and destroying, and then leaving, having to use their earnestness, and not using their weapon of immediately diffusing it by going for a laugh. When I see that, it makes my heart leap. There’s something particularly special about seeing a comedic actor do it.

It’s really fun to watch comedic actors dispel the notion that dramatic acting is 180 degrees away from comedic acting.

Characters that call for that type of performance are a lot of what I love about Robert Altman, Christopher Guest, and Harold Ashby movies. They’re comedies, but those characters really grow and they experience pain, and the pain they feel is real. And then the funny shit that they do is even funnier because of it. Those are the things that bring me the most joy.

Tell me about Zheng Yi Sao, the Pirate Queen. She’s such a good foil for Ed and Stede—her ambition, competence, and leadership style are all so distinct from theirs.

Zheng Yi Sao is the most competent pirate captain on our show, and was the most successful pirate captain in history. She lived about 100 years apart from these fellas, and she was so successful that China had to cut her in and do a treaty with her so she would move on to some other field. She wound up making another fortune in gambling!

One thing that jumped out at me in these first three episodes of the season is how much therapy-literate dialogue is used—where did that come from?

I just think it's funny. The thing about a workplace is that they all see everything that’s going on with others, because they're all on top of each other all the time. I don't want to go l too far with it, but it’s fun that some of these characters can see that one of their friends is in a weird relationship with his boss, and then say “hey, you might want to look at that.”

Where do you think that comes from for the characters themselves?

There’s a level of care on that ship that Stede almost infected them with in the first season, and now those ideas are more alive because of how Stede built the Revenge’s culture. You can see that that spirit is still kind of alive when Jim tells the story of the wooden boy to Bang to calm him down. That’s a little bit of Stede’s kindness being alive in the world still, and of Jim needing and being able to call on it now that everything’s so dark. For them to go from an “every person for themselves” ethos to thinking “there was a time when life meant something on this ship, it doesn’t have to be this way” is interesting growth for the character, and is true to Vico as a person. There's a real kindness to how they carry themselves—they’re one of those people that just makes everybody feel safe. It’s nice to see some of those character traits bleed through to Jim.

Without getting too spoilery, what’s coming up over the rest of this season that you can’t wait for viewers to see?

I’m really excited for Izzy’s journey. Con O’Neill did such beautiful work, and getting to see where that character goes and how he grows, I think is one of the most exciting things of the season. To see where Ed and Stede’s relationship goes is gratifying—to see how they navigate each other and find, hopefully, a more mature way of being together.

Jim's relationships with Archie (Madeleine Sami) and Olu develop, too, and more broadly, the crew coming together as a new kind of family, now that Mom and Dad are getting back together. I also like that Lucius (Nathan Foad) is back, and has an angry young man thing going on that he has to process. For Lucius to go through something really harrowing and have to grow up with it is so interesting, because he had all the answers in the first season.

We can’t not talk about the mermaid sequence at the end of the second episode. How did that come about?

We really have to pick our shots on the show, so that was very storyboarded out. I knew I wanted Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” for the scene, so that was incorporated in it. Unfortunately, Rhys had had a really bad near-drowning experience shooting in a tank before, but I didn’t know that until we were working on the stunts! But when Rhys saw the gorgeous tail, and it looked so cool and beautiful, he decided to go for it. He knew the scene was going to look awesome. So he navigated that costume, which is basically a big flipper that he needed to move his entire core to make it work, and Taika’s there with all this glue to keep his wig on underwater all day. When it’s humming and all the departments are working, everyone feels safe. It gives everyone a feeling of “let’s do it—let’s jump in!”

Speaking of jumping in, what degree of pressure did you all feel coming into the second season, knowing how high the expectations were from the show’s incredibly passionate fan base?

I don’t feel pressure from the fans, I just feel unconditional love and acceptance, and I think that the writers room feels that too. We all want it to be good, and we want the storylines to be cool. But it’s less pressure, and more just the level of freedom that it gave us, knowing somebody’s watching. It makes doing all the hard work a joy, because you know it’s going to be appreciated. Some people will have critiques, and that’s fine.

I just know that this—the fan reaction to this show—will be the honor of my career. The fan community is so kind and nice and talented—it's just a good vibe, and it’s been safe and affirming for everyone.

We’re all basking in the glow of the adoration of the show from our fanbase. It’s infectious—when we all get together, it saturates every element of the show, and it's a very special thing for all of us.

Source: The Daily Beast

[stareiiez]

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 --- three.

simon ( ghost ) riley x female reader.

content : dark?? ghost. fingering. orgasming. voyeurism. modern settings. mentions of stalking. obsession. drinking. sex. female genitals. unhealthy attachments. violence. blood. implied death. blood. smut in later chapters. dark topics. this is just my version of haunting adeline but for ghost. adult cis female reader. MDNI. 3.9k words.

note: FINALLY we get to the beginning of the juicy bits. Rip Graves. I never liked him anyways :o. reblogs and notes are always loved and appreciated!

The number of times you were right, was very slim to none. You were right about hot tea being nothing but assaulting to your tastebuds the few times you tried to give the drink a chance. You were right about how stupid politics, and the government were just how they chanted about making your country amazing and equal again. You were right about how hot cocoa and hot chocolate were two different drinks. One was hot milk and cocoa powder, while the latter involved actual chocolate being involved in the process of making the delicious beverage. You were lastly right about seeing Graves again. Manifestation and crossing your fingers had nothing on your ability to predict that you'd manage to get the man into your home and sitting across from you.

A cooling mug of bitter coffee sat in the curve of his palm while he laughed over the details again about the night he first saw you at the club. Thanks to the help of a flirty intoxicated Izzy, she left yours as well as her and Veronica's numbers written on a liquor-damp piece of receipt paper for Graves' boys to fight over who could have whom for late-night hookups if they so wanted. Graves had called you during your lunch break at work, somehow he had known in the universe that you were thinking about him to take the time to call. You never answered unknown numbers, but this time you had. Your cheeks flushed when you heard his drawl over the phone's speaker. His tone sends your heart to flutter in its trapped cage of your ribs. Your coworkers must have thought you were weird for smiling and giggling like a schoolgirl who was talking to their quarterback crush over the phone for the first time.

You two had chatted about the hour break you had during lunch. Your three-day-old takeout leftovers were left untouched in favor of flirting with the man and trying to work out a day and time to have him come over for a cup of coffee as an excuse to catch up on the missing details of the rest of the night. The sound of idle laughter filled your home's warm living room/kitchen area. You covered your giggles with your coffee mug while Graves went into detail about how he found his friends' clothes missing after Izzy and Veronica had convinced them to skinny dip in the pool of the Air B&B the boys were staying in for however long. Their clothes were hidden among the crooks and crannies of the house while the boys played drunk Marco Polo in the pool temp water.

Veronica and Izzy had soon left them after that, miraculously striding out of the home just as Graves had been dropped off by his Uber. He graciously bought them both a ride home, none the wiser to the panicked voices of his friends outside in their rented pool. "I've never seen anything quite as pale as the White Sands in New Mexico than Ox's bare ass streaking through the place trying to find his clothes. " Graves laughed over your small giggles the image had brought both of you.

Comfortable silence lingered between you two as you both sipped from differing tastes of coffee. His eyes never left you, nor did they hide the way they watched your throat move as you swallowed a mouth full of overly sweet coffee and cream.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I never asked my guest." Graves' eyebrows rose when you set your mug down, a change in your expression caught his attention. You were now standing. Coffee mug drained to bitter grounds and sugar granules. The stain of your lipstick imprinting on deep green ceramic. "If he wanted a tour of my home, you've been here for an hour but your story was so funny I didn't want to interrupt. "

Pretty blues swept over your small place. A lofted house isn't much to get lost in, but there was more to just a chic-looking home in the middle of nowhere. What's he got to lose? A pretty woman taking him on adventures that would give him excuses to have his hands on you so you don't stray away. Count him in. "Alright, darlin'. " The harsh push of his velvet-lined barstool squeaked against the floorboards when he stood to rise as well. An arm extended in such a gentleman-like way, offering it out to you. As if he wasn't charming enough for someone you've known for a night and one day.

His muscles were strong against your smooth skin when you wrapped your arm around him. Ignoring the flush threatening to surface on your cheeks from the smell of his cologne teasing your nose, you guided him to the backdoors of your home. French doors opened to greet you with the interior of your large greenhouse. Your aunt sure had a green thumb in her youth, and nothing was more convenient than having nature practically share doors with her. In honor and overwhelming gratitude you had for her giving this house to you, you decided to take up the art of gardening and plant caring. You weren't the best at it. Then again you just moved in and you only started with little seedlings of seasonal flowers and already potted house plants. Veggies and fruits were another challenge you'll learn after you can manage to not overwater or uproot your aloe vera plants for the third time in a month.

Outdoor paper lanterns cascaded in swoops over both of your heads. It cast a warm, soothing glow that contrasted your evening's dark, rainy gloom. Rain splashed down on the thick glass of the greenhouse; only achieving a cozier feel to your little slice of nurtured nature. Plush loveseats of dark and white colors decorated the corners of the space and openly invited you two to sit down and chat more with one another. Thankfully, Graves had better ideas and had plopped himself down into the dark green loveseat. He practically sunk into rich velvet, as he dragged you by the arm you linked with his, downwards. You didn't have the chance to protest or even outright gasp when your back collided with the strong contours of his chest.

"It's lovely. " Graves' hummed into the curve of your ear. His blue eyes fell from the stoic gold lanterns above you, to now the curve of your neck. He couldn't help the temptation of leaning in to place his lips against sweet-smelling skin. "But. I have something lovelier." His voice husks out, words muffling into whispers against the back of your neck.

Ample kisses, slow and steady cause rows of pinks and reds to bloom along the thin skin. His large hands settle on their rightful place on your hips. Just like those nights ago, they decide to squeeze and paint beautiful bruises under the fabric of your short skirt. He's a multi-tasking pro for letting his mouth ravage the curves and bends of your neck with his hot tongue and lips; while his hands decide to paw and knead the more tender flesh of your inner thighs. His large palms cover your thighs so nicely enough, that they ward away the chill of the falling rain outside solid glass windows.

Your head falls back onto the curve of his right shoulder. The angle is a little uncomfortable and hard to get used to, but it's so worth it when he licks a wet stripe down the slope of your exposed throat. Your breath hitches. Cheeks flush a cherry red when you feel his lips curve against your wet skin from your reaction. Sure, thinking about picking up where you last left off wasn't in your mind when you decided to invite him over. You couldn't even begin to predict how a simple chat over coffee, would lead to those rough hands pushing your skirt up enough to let the smooth planes of your panty-covered mound. Both the forest's and Graves' hungry eyes soaked in the black satin underwear you wore. Thank god for doing laundry before he came over, or else he would have seen the crustiest pieces of fabric that were held together with two pieces of thread and a wish. The storm outside had taken the chance to have thunder drown out the deep bellow of a groan from Graves' throat at the sight. All for him. Only for him in this moment, and by God was he glad he didn't decide to go fuck some other chick than follow through with your plans today. He was so lucky.

So lucky in fact that his luck happened to attract another lucky individual to this show you and him were putting on together. You really should consider where you were and who could be potentially watching you getting your panties ripped off of your thighs and tossed in some random direction.

The fold of Simon's hood shrouded his face in black shadows, but it didn't obscure the sight of those thighs parting at the large palm that encompassed your clothed cunt. Hidden lips curved into an amused smirk when he watched you start to hump the stranger's hand. His fingers tingled at how your pretty spine curved upwards, lips parted in silent moans that he would burn down cities just to hear on repeat. Such a pretty thing you are, letting yourself be touched in ways that only looked like soft-core porn compared to what images were running through his fucked mind right now.

The grass squished under his boots, imprints of his soles pressing the greenery into perfect evidence that he was watching. It wasn't hard to find you if you were to find these footsteps later when you're doing your yoga outside in the afternoons on sunnier days. It's not hard to run through every single female owner of your type of branded red car. He found the name and credit card information that you used to buy your vehicle too pleasantly quickly. Child's play as Alejandro liked to say with bright white teeth and brown eyes winking in mischief. He knew your age, your blood type, your eye color, home address, date of birth, fuck even what size of bras you like to wear. It's especially easier to have someone hack streetlight cameras, and every building that owns security cameras, to watch your car drive through empty city streets to get home. Fewer cameras, and less technology surrounding your dusty roads home. He's a man with connections, thank the stars for the 141 and Alejandro's buddies. He'd kiss the man on the mouth with ruddy tongue and all if it meant getting to watch you get off for his eyes every single night.

The humidity in your greenhouse seemed to kick up a notch when your cunt made the filthiest noises against the grooves of Graves' palm. Your breaths were storm clouds of lust and babble of pleas that rained down over your heads. Your moans were thunderous claps of straight energy that made your ears ring and muscles string taut with arousal that pooled warmly in your stomach. Graves' touch was the strike of lightning hitting dry trees in your barren forest. His fingers were electricity that curled through sopping folds to press against your G-spot and alight you with hot flames that crackled and popped under your skin. It was everything that led to a disastrous wildfire that overtook your body and made your legs snap wider when you burned hotter and hotter in his hands. Your body danced and wriggled under his strong grip. Graves was the idiotic man that made this wildfire of yours worse, he was the one to pour gasoline on your inferno when his thumb rubbed hurried circles to your clit and watch you fall apart in crackling embers of charred wood and soot when your body couldn't handle its heat any longer.

The evidence of Graves' arousal rubbed against the swell of your bare ass. Rough denim chaffing silky skin a blushed pink. He wasn't giving you much of a break to let your thoughts become coherent. The sight of his slick-covered index and middle finger scooping up your sweet essence and shoving them in his mouth only encouraged the aching thrum in your belly to begin all over again. You could taste yourself on his tongue when greedy hands wrapped around the back of his neck, and you forced his head to bend down to sloppily kiss you over your shoulder. Tongues swapped spit and remaining salty tangy slick that stained Graves' tastebuds happily. It wasn't even qualified as what your kisses were at this point. It was heavy petting of flicking tongues and hungry moans into the hot caverns of your mouths'.

Between the heavy petting and Graves' shameless rutting against your ass. One of your hands crept behind and between your writhing bodies to fumble blindly with his zipper. His moving hips aided in his zipper pulling down. The release of pressure made Graves groan out in relief, his head falling back with a sigh; allowing your spit-covered lips to press wet kisses along the column of his throat as best as you could at this angle.

Just as your hips had lifted to allow yourself to finally spin around and pull Graves' jeans off his legs; a loud bang echoed over your lustful activities and the thunderstorm outside. It sounded like someone or something had made an impact with the curved glass of your greenhouse. Whatever it was, it was heavy and had enough force to send both of your gazes to the direction of where the noise came from. Graves stood up from his loveseat, eyes still shiny with desire. Jeans threatening to fall around his ankles comically. "Probably a stupid deer. Things run into your damn headlights if you drive fast enough." His voice drawled out to the back of your head. Too nonchalant compared to you. You would jump at any loud noise or shadow if it was too scary-looking.

Blame it on the realistic horror movies that get put out nowadays for your fear and paranoia. "You sure? It doesn't sound like it was a deer. We'd hear it scream or cry in pain." Your head whipped around to look up at him. Shoulders taut once more like they had been when you were alone in your car and found that flower in your passenger seat.

A snort left the man. A shit-eating grin threatening to overtake kiss bruised lips. He found this hilarious. Much to your annoyance, he was going to patronize you like you were some kid afraid that there were monsters in your closet and under your bed. You could tell the next words he'd utter would turn your mood sour in an instant.

"Awh, lil darlin' afraid of a big bad buck?" You were right. "You want me to check it out, sweetheart?" Yes. No. Yes. Maybe? You've got to be overreacting, right?

Your round eyes and shallow breathing were much of an answer to him than if your pretty mouth had opened and half begged half whispered for him to go see if some brain-dead animal had rammed its thick cranium into your glass window and killed itself willingly. A shake of his head and a small breathy chuckle left his lungs. He fixed his pants with an amused sigh. "Suit yourself, darlin'. Wait right here. Won't be long."

His steps thudded out of your greenhouse, and back into your home. You could hear your front door opening and closing. You could hear the muffled stamping of his boots walking down the couple steps of your front porch. It was so quiet if you had the will and ability to, you could hear the crunch of dirt and gravel crunching under Graves' soles. Instead, you were deafened by the trickling of rain and the occasional clap of soft thunder that rumbled in the distance. You stood there, waiting and listening. Two minutes went by. Then another minute passed. Then another; and another; and another. Five minutes, you stood there. Skirtless, with your slick cool in your goosebump-flecked skin. Graves wouldn't take that long to walk around your property, right? He's not an idiot to go wandering into your forest at night and lose himself in the thick canopy of branches and pine needles. He was just going to go around the side of your home and check out the perimeter of your greenhouse. It doesn't take five minutes to do that. You would know, you've done that a couple of times in the past to embrace the outdoors on your yoga mat.

Hastily you bent over to collect your discarded panties and skirt. Heart skipping a beat here and there while you got dressed. The uncomfortable stick of your panties to your lower lips made you shiver in more than just fear for your sanity. You were becoming too aware of how alone you were and how long Graves had been gone. You swallowed, fists clenching at your sides. Damp palms being creased in half-moons from your fingernails while you turned your head to gaze outside to the dreary moonlight night. Your mouth opened, nerves steeling for your voice to call out to Graves.

What didn't come out of your parted lips wasn't Graves' name in a questioning manner, however; but a scream that was ripped from your shaking lungs when lightning ripped seams through the sky and illuminated the very large handprint spotted with watery crimson that stained your glass wall temporarily. The quick flash of bright light had you screaming for something far different than what you wanted to be screaming for that night. Awash tiny rivers of red and the imprint of a stranger's bare hand had been more than a sign to ditch waiting around for Graves to show up. Your heart had leaped into your constricted throat as you bolted into your living room. The door separating your home and the greenhouse was slammed behind your body. It was hard enough to rattle the frame and the wall of your house.

Sweaty fingers fumbled blindly in the dark of your home to turn the lock on the door. Your breaths were harsh and coming out faster and faster. In some fucked sense, you wanted to scream out in the open that you were right once again. You were always right. You were scared out of your god damned mind, on the verge of having a panic attack but you were right. Graves was out there. Maybe that was his handprint on your glass and some animal had decided to hurt him for making fun of it. Maybe it wasn't an animal.

Your mind screamed logic and facts. It couldn't have been an animal. Animals that were killed were noisy to some degree. They would snarl or cry out before attacking their prey. It would have made Graves scream in pain if he got bit or ripped apart in the jaws of some bobcat or wolf if they even have those where you live. If the forest surrounding your home was even home to such dangerous creatures that stalked around your home every night. It had to be something human. Someone was out there. A homeless man crazed on drugs and was able to hurt some innocent person for the money in their wallet just to score a new high. Maybe a serial killer who got off on killing vulnerable people who were out in the dredges between night and evening; just waiting to bury their blade into their victim's throat and hack away till they were lifeless and bloody on the ground.

You spun around on your heel, pressing your spine against the sturdy wood of the door. Something to help you ground your senses and coax the terrified screams that were clogged in your esophagus. The back of your head thunked back, your eyes squeezed shut. Just breathe. You can focus on trying to breathe even if there was some knife-wielding maniac perusing around your estate just waiting for you to be dumb enough to go after Graves in hopes of finding him. You weren't stupid, sure a little dumb at times, but not stupid enough to die like every annoying side character in a slasher movie.

Inhale. Exhale. Tick tick tick goes the clock hanging above your head.

Inhale. Exhale. Ba-dump Ba-dump Ba-dump goes your heartbeat that slows microscopically. Good, progress.

Inhale. Exhale. Open your eyes and look around to find the cellphone you left on the counter next to your coffee cup so the cops can come and save you.

Inhale. Exhale. Feel your entire face go white and mouth open in silent screams when you find a lone red peony placed right on top of your phone screen. Your stomach twisted in knots over and over again till everything in your gut curdled. Next thing you knew, you were vomiting in your kitchen sink from adrenaline and fear. A slurry of coffee and lunch and breakfast painted the sterling silver tub.

This isn't happening. There's no way that this could be happening to you. Some sick freak that not only broke into your car but now your house and could have hurt Graves just to leave behind flowers for you isn't possible. Yet the chill of the now-becoming night air only confirms your delusions into a sick reality. Your head turns over your shoulder, not bothering to rinse your mouth out. The whites of your eyes threaten to pop out of your skull when you see the front door is wide open. Blooming constellations and the expanse of your dirt road greet your bulging eyes. Again, does your heart race ever faster, the color and feeling in your entire body threatening to drain at a rapid state that leaves you uncoordinated.

With legs equivalent to jelly, you cross the expanse of your small home. Eyes trained on the young night sky that taunts you with its ever-calm presence. Even if your world is starting to crumble and fall into ruin, the sky and gentle breeze in the air remain ever the same as always. You told yourself you wouldn't be the dumb blonde that wanders out and gets killed by the crazy slasher in movies, but yet you find yourself standing in the open doorway. Your eyes can't focus on staring in one place for long. Always flicking in every direction at the smallest of noises that nature makes. Your ears strain for the crunch of footsteps that are somewhat human. Your fluctuating pupils fought to try and find the silhouette of a man out in the growing shadows between the thick bark of the trees. Still, you could find nothing of the sort, no crazy killer. No dead body of Graves strung up in a taunting manner there to haunt your dreams for the rest of your life.

However, what you did find when your head had tilted down just enough, was a crudely carved ' S ' in the painted black steps of your front porch. The ragged edges and points of the single letter tarnished your quickly dissolving sanity, your home, and your plans for the rest of the night. The single letter stared up at you for just a second later. That was until you turned tail and retreated into your home, the front door slamming shut behind you, so you could finally call the cops.

[total-drama-brainrot]

psycho!noah au, what do the aftermath cast think? conversely if they dont know/dont see the show (isnt it implied to be canon in wt that they watch the show or atleast can?), how do they react to newly eliminated cast members telling them?

and then, at whatever point he gets eliminated or just whenever the cast sees him again, how do they react with that new info?

The justification I have for Noah remaining stealthed under his "stoic cynic" persona pre-reveal in this AU is a little convoluted, but I do have one. Vaguely. Which I'll try to outline here for continuities' sake.

So, to clarify; Noah only competes in Island and World Tour, just like in canon. Most things happen just like canon, with the exception of Noah lasting a little longer in Island so he and Izzy have more time to be menaces (I have no idea how I'll shift the elimination order to justify keeping him around, though). Noah's still eliminated fairly early and ends up on the Playa, where the other elimination fodder welcome him with open arms, because in Island they're only given access to the raw camera footage instead of the final cut!

I imagine it'd be pretty hard for a Brand New Show to have the manpower of a full professional editing team that can plan and prosecute the final cut of a whole ~20 minute episode in only three days (in-universe), so to keep the losers as in the know as possible in real time, they're given access to the same live camera footage Chris and Chef have, just without the confessionals.

Since the confessionals are, uh. Toilets. And no one wants to have 24/7 access to toilet stall footage.

Noah only ever really drops his ruse in the confessional, or around Izzy, so none of the losers have gotten the opportunity to see the real him in action; even when he is visible on camera, it's only during the stolen moments he shares with Izzy outside of challenges, wherein the two plot and scheme together like Pinky and the Brain. Given that the majority of them don't even bother to watch the live footage unless there's a challenge actively happening (or something else otherwise noteworthy), his true nature goes undetected amongst them as well.

And then, in Action, the show's budget and workforce increases. Suddenly, the editing team is thrice the size of Island's, and they are capable of providing a final cut of each episode within the span of 24~72 hours, allowing the show to air quicker. Which has the added bonus of allowing everyone in the peanut gallery access to the yet-to-be-aired episodes (instead of the live footage), keeping them up to date with the competition whilst also giving them the same perspective as the audience itself. Including people's confessions.

It's a good thing Noah didn't compete in Action, then. His mask of indifference lives on.

Then there's a year-long break between seasons, wherein Noah works under Chris as his personal assistant. Yada yada yada, World Tour happens. He knows that the losers are going to see his confessions. So now Noah has to choose between maintaining his persona at the sake of losing out on toying with the greater audience, or carrying on as he did in Island at the cost of revealing his 'true colours' (which, in this case, still isn't the real Noah so much as an exaggeration of his more deranged tendencies, since Noah's still essentially performing for the cameras; just with a different role).

Of course he goes with option two. He's primarily motivated by his own amusement- that was the reason for his whole charade in the first place.

(Alright, clarification over, time to actually answer the question.)

So the peanut gallery and steadily increasing number of World Tour Rejects are horrified when, in Noah's scattering of confessions- as he doesn't confess very often, so when he does it's a treat to himself and the audience- he mostly waxes poetic about how exciting each near-death experience the cast go through is, and all of the different ways he so wanted to cause the others harm (either in general, or themed around the challenges), being so much more expressive than anyone's ever seen him (concerningly so, to the point of it breaching the uncanny valley) and giddy over the prospect of performing Acts Of Incredible Violence against his castmates.

They're living in that same fearful anticipation the wider audience experienced through his tenure in Island; waiting for Noah to Drop The Act and fulfil his promises of brutal sabotage, if only to finally put an end to the constant looming threat of his self control snapping. They're horrified bystanders of a car crash waiting to happen (at least, they think they are. Noah's not actually gonna do any of the things he's suggesting, probably, but keeping the audience on their toes is one of his favourite games!) and each episode he features in is a test of both their patience and their own sanity.

Because, could you imagine watching your friends interact and be friendly with someone who (you think) is out for their blood, entirely unaware of the danger? that's literally what they're experiencing.

And Noah, because he's a little shit who thinks he's funny (he is), sometimes goes so far as to fake-out the audience by rearing up attacks against his castmates during challenges, only to shoot the nearest camera a wry wink and a sly smile as he carries on with the actual task at hand, the others none-the-wiser.

It becomes so concerning, in fact, that every new arrival is immediately checked over for any signs of injuries or Noah's Influence and hastily given the rundown on The Situation. Which is, more often than not, met with the same incredulity as Sierra's claims- until they're shown various clips of Noah's confessions, or the fake-outs and otherwise unhinged looks he teases the cameras with.

-

For the second question; I have no idea. I'm still workshopping how people will react to Noah, and how Noah in turn will react to them. Post-reveal p!Noah will, eventually, disclose the fact that he's not as bloodthirsty as he portrays himself as, but until then it's anyone's guess as to how far he'll take the bit- and who could/will get hurt in the process.

[exuberantocean]

I want to talk about responsibility in Our Flag Means Death. And I want to talk about it specifically after watching Stede blame himself for Ed's actions and I want to talk about it after watching a number of people in fandom blaming Izzy for Ed's actions.

Because they were Ed's actions. Ed absolutely did those things. No one forced him to attempt to kill Lucius. No one forced him to strand half the crew or torture Izzy or drive the boat into that storm. These are things Ed did of his own free will.

I hope, I really hope that people understand that ultimately the one responsible for Ed's actions is, well, Ed. Because he was the one to do them. Was his mental health good at the time? Ha, God no. But while that certainly makes it easier to understand his actions, it doesn't excuse them and it doesn't make them right. They are still his actions, his responsibility.

Did Stede's failure to show up at the end of season 1 cause Ed's mental state? Look, it was crushing (for both of them in different ways really). But look, Ed could have assumed something happened to Stede (which really, something did happen to Stede) rather than leap to the conclusion that Stede rejected him. And even given that, most people who break up with or are rejected by a loved one don't do *vague handwave at the first 3 episodes of season 2* ...all that.

There's nothing wrong with Ed feeling rejected and sad. There's a hell of a lot wrong with his actions.

Did Izzy's words and actions cause Ed's mental state? Well, obviously they didn't help. If I recall correctly, Izzy's made some sort of comment to Stede about ruining Blackbeard which surely contibuted to Stede's mental state and his actions at the end of s1 but, you know, Stede's a grown man and his actions are his own. Similarly, Izzy's taunts to Ed at the end of s1 come from a place where Izzy had a specific idea of how Ed was that was, well, perhaps not as wrong as some fans would like to think, but certainly incomplete, lacking, perhaps even misunderstood.

Perhaps misunderstood works best. Izzy knows the confidence that Blackbeard has always seemed to hold, the command, the compacity for violence, but he lacks the understanding of who Ed is. It's understandable that Izzy would want that back (I mean, I hate to break it to you, but they're pirates, the violence thing is part of all that). But, you know, I don't think Izzy's ever been a character motivated by just a desire to fuck things up. He's no Iago. Izzy clearly loves Blackbeard and that's perhaps his greatest flaw. He loves Blackbeard so much, but doesn't understand Ed at all.* ** Regardless of Izzy's motivations, he does play a significant role in escalating the situation. He words contribute to both Stede and Ed's turmoil. I'm not saying he has zero accountability here.

But.

Ed always had a choice one what to do, how to react. His actions remain his own. He could have ignored him, or tried to get over Stede or had Izzy tossed off the ship or any number of things. Instead, Ed chose to do what he did.

More importantly, by denying or ignoring Ed's own capability for his own actions, I feel like it overlooks what I see as the most powerful potential storyline in the show (obviously, I have no clue if they'll actually go this way, but I hope they do).

Ed, the man who feels unlovable has done horrible things. And, just maybe, he can still be loved. (Oh let's face it, we know he will be - he is already by Stede.) I don't even mean just by Stede (I mean, let's face it, Stede's likely to continue blaming himself for this), but by the crew he so badly treated. It will be interesting to see how things move forward. Regardless, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Who hasn't done horrible things? I mean, hopefully not at Ed levels of horrible. But God, what a lesson to be learned, to be loved even after your worst. One of the reason I think we humans are so compelled to create and follow stories is that we learn so well through them. How many of us out there feel unlovable, unloved, as deeply as Ed? How many of us are drowning in our misery, pulled down by weight of our own trauma, or our wrongdoings or perceived wrongdoings?

And how many of us are just as wrong as Ed was? Not because we aren't capable of bad-because new alert-we all are, but because we aren't defined by that and because we aren't destined to be defined by our darkest moments. And because humanity is even more defined by it's compacity to love and forgive than it is for our compacity to hurt and destroy.

Because I want to watch both that boat and it's co-captain rebuilt together.

*This is, perhaps, why Ed could never love Izzy. Because all Izzy saw was Blackbeard and Ed needed someone to love Ed - someone he could be Ed with and that be okay. Perhaps things will shift between Ed and Izzy after this...I mean, things must shift between the two after this, but perhaps Izzy will finally start seeing Ed? Who knows.

I also think Izzy's work at protecting the crew and his attempt to fix the situation (woefully too late) is worth something).

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x38 - Resurrected! Demon King VenomVamdemon! / Prophecy

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Tailmon's support group came together to help her finally get away from Vamdemon. They all turned up and together they jumped her abuser and beat him to death. A happy ending for everyone; Don't look at the episode title.

Vamdemon disappeared in a flash of light, which isn't quite what a Digimon's death is supposed to look like, but surely he's gone, right? Well, the fog barrier sure seems to disagree....

We open at the wreckage of the Fuji Broadcasting Center, which I still cannot believe the show blew up on-air as a serious plot point and got away with it. XD

Taichi: DAMN IT!!!

Irreverent as ever, Taichi angrily kicks Vamdemon's discarded mask for stress relief. It doesn't go very far, but it does make a metallic sound when it clatters around on the ground so apparently it's made of, like, iron or something. Didn't expect that.

(Blissfully unaware that the mask, like all Digimon clothing articles, is technically part of Vamdemon's digital body so its continued existence is a huge red flag. A Digimon does not leave their pants behind when they die.)

While Taichi's working out his frustrations, the others confer about the lingering fog.

Yamato: Defeating Vamdemon wasn't enough! Mimi: Oh no! Does this mean we'll be trapped here forever?

An alert tone from Koushiro's laptop interrupts the conversation. He pops open the laptop to find an email notification waiting for him. Everyone gathers around, including Yamato's dad Ishida Hiroaki who unceremoniously extricated himself from the ruined TV station and joined us at some point.

Dude was dodging Bakemon for like an hour or two inside Fuji earlier. He's sneaky like that.

Koushiro: It's from Gennai-san. Chibi Gennai: Good news, children! I've found a clue to help you defeat Vamdemon.

Attached is an image of text inscribed in a stone wall.

Chibi Gennai: This is a prophecy I found in the ancient ruins. "First, the sky will be covered by a flock of bats." Then it says, "The people will chant the name of the Undead Digimon King. When the clock strikes the number of the Beast, the Undead Digimon King will reveal his true form as the Beast. When angels fire arrows of hope and light at the loved ones of those they protect, a miracle will occur."

Well, that all sounds like a lovely time. We're about to get Book of Revelations up in here. Tonight we're gonna party like it's 999.

In the dub, Tai of course does not yell obscenities at Myotismon's mask.

Tai: Gimme a break! (kick) Matt: That lousy fog barrier's still up. Mimi: So beating Myotismon didn't solve anything! (Email) Izzy: Hang on! We've got mail Gennai! Chibi Gennai: Wonderful news, my friends! I may have found the way to defeat him once and for all. Although this looks like a Graham Cracker, it's actually an ancient text which I've translated! "The sky will be darkened by the wings of many bats. The fallen people will invoke the name of the Undead Digimon King and when the clock strikes the Hour of the Beast, the Undead King will reveal himself in his true form as the Beast. Then angels will shoot arrows of hope and light at the loved ones of those they've been sent to protect, and a miracle will happen. Please always recycle." That last part seems weird but good luck!

With the exception of the "Please always recycle" bit, they adapt the prophecy very faithfully. Even to the point of keeping in the religious references to the Beast and the word "miracle".

Also, Dub Gennai quips that the wall looks like a Graham Cracker which... Fuck, now I can't unsee it. He is not wrong. I want to eat that prophecy.

The kids have no idea what to do with this prophecy.

Sora: Hey, does he say anything about making the fog go away? Koushiro: Uh, well.... Hikari: Onii-san, we should hurry up and go find Mom and Dad. Taichi: Yeah, you're right. Jou: I also want to see how my home is doing. Mimi: I'd like to change soon.... Taichi: Alright, we should get going.

Poor Mimi. Can you imagine having to show up to the final boss fight in your PJs? She is the only one in the party who didn't get to dress for the occasion.

And, yeah, we should be courteous of Jou as well. He was out of Odaiba when all this started. He slept at a bus station and has not seen his family since yesterday. Granted, by this point, all of these kids are used to sleeping in unconventional places, but still.

Dub Sora's a bit more interested in the prophecy itself than her Japanese counterpart was.

Sora: Well, that was about as clear as mud. Can you make heads or tails of it? Izzy: Uh, well.... Kari: Listen, Tai, maybe we should try to find Mom and Dad. Tai: You're right. Joe: I wouldn't mind checking out my place either. Mimi: And I'd like to change my pajamas. Or at least get a matching robe. Tai: Yeah, let's go. No reason to stay here.

I can't say for certain that Mimi flubs her line, but I feel like she flubs her line because she should be saying she'd like to change out of her pajamas. The line she delivers suggests she wants to change into a different set of pajamas.

It could be a flub. We know they didn't do second takes of anything. But it also could have been a pragmatic edit to make her dialogue fit her lip flaps, resulting in a line that doesn't really make sense but you still get what she means from context.

The first stop is the Odaiba Mansion.

Well, first stop for most of them. Mimi breaks away from the group to go get dressed, and the crowd doesn't go with her for that. Because that would be weird.

Koushiro retrieves his parents, who've been safe and sound within the Digital Barrier this whole time. Masami has questions, but fortunately we now have an adult in the party who can explain things on his level.

Masami: What is going on here? Hiroaki: Here, let me explain.

I'm not sure how much he knows beyond "Remember when our kids went to summer camp? Well, they came back with monsters." But I'm sure Masami will appreciate having a grown-ass man to talk about it with.

While the grown-ups are talking, Mimi runs across the street to join the group. She does not live at Odaiba Mansion. In fact, she was in such a hurry to get dressed that she's still fixing her hat to her head when she arrives.

Mimi: Thanks for waiting! Huh? Jou-senpai isn't here yet? Sora: No, not yet. He lives up there.

Sora directs Mimi's attention to one of the windows above them in Odaiba Mansion.

In the dub, Masami comes off a little more frustrated. Just a bit.

Masami: Alright, can't someone explain what's going on? Hiroaki: It's a pretty long story, but I'll try. (Mimi arrives) Mimi: Hey, everybody! Wait for me! Sorry I'm late! Huh? Aren't we missing somebody? Sora: We're waiting for Joe. He's still upstairs.

Mimi's line here is weird. She makes it sound like we scheduled to meet up here. But we aren't meeting up; We came to Odaiba Mansion as a group so that Izzy and Joe could check on their families.

In the original, Mimi calls out Jou-senpai by name because he's the only other person besides Mimi and Koushiro who would be missing.

This isn't a bad line, it's just... contextually awkward.

Upstairs, Jou has a look around his apartment, but it's no less ransacked than everyone else's.

Jou: DAD!!! MOM!!! ...my brothers aren't here either. Pukamon: They must have been taken with the others. Let's head back. Jou: Yeah....

While Jou's back is turned, the closet door behind him slowly opens - complete with rising horror chords. Something is here. A hand slowly emerges from the blackness, gripping Jou by the shoulder.

Jou: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! Pukamon: BAKEMON!?!? Boy: That's rude. Don't go around calling people bakemono.

As a reminder, Bakemon gets their name from the word bakemono, which are ghostly shapeshifters who impersonate humans, animals, and other objects in order to manipulate and deceive.

Jou: Sh-Shin-niisan! You're safe! Shin: Safe? What do you mean by that? (Shin climbs down out of the closet) Shin: (suddenly alert) WHERE THE HELL DID THIS MESS COME FROM!?!? Pukamon: The Bakemon did it! Shin: ...W-Who's this guy? Jou: Uh... I'll explain everything later...

Shin has a whole matting in there with a pillow; He slept through this entire thing. The Bakemon just... missed him when they ransacked the apartment because he was asleep in the closet.

Jou: By the way, why were you sleeping in the closet? Shin: I've always slept in here, ever since we moved to Odaiba. Did you not know that? Jou: (clueless nod) Mhm! Shin: ...But we've lived together this whole time....

Jou's having a real Koushiro moment right now. From there, he and Shin head downstairs and regroup with the others outside.

Hiroaki: So, you'll go to Big Sight and check things out. We'll look for a way to break through this fog. Takeru: Right!

He's not super clear who "you" and "we" are here, but he's looking at Jou when he says "you" and he has Yamato and Takeru with him when he says "we". We're splitting the party but the specifics aren't super evident.

In the dub, Shin is called Jim, presumably because it closely matches the mouth movement.

Joe: There's no sign of anyone! Bukamon: Do you think they've been captured with all the rest!? That would be sad! (Jim's hand spooks Joe) Joe: WAAAAAAUGH!!! Bukamon: DON'T DO THAT!!! Jim: Relax, it's only your brother who's totally freaked. Joe: JIM!?!? What are you doing hiding in there!? Jim: Well, I'm not playing hide and seek! Those creepy things tore the place apart. Bukamon: They are creepy, aren't they? Jim: Frankly, I wouldn't talk if I were you. Joe: Hey, don't worry about this little guy, Jim. He's a friend of mine. And I've got more good news! Myotismon's been destroyed! Jim: Just who is Myotismon? For once in your life, Joe, you actually sound like you know what you're talking about! Joe: (nod) Mhm! Jim: ...There's a first time for everything.

Yeah, so, this sucks. They threw out everything. I understand losing the bakemono gag because it doesn't translate, but they also rewrote the scene so that Jim's fully aware of the shenanigans going on. And threw out the bit about Jou's ignorance of his own brother's bed.

This is a really funny scene with an interesting piece of characterization for Jou. They carved it down into dry exposition about how cool it is that we beat up the bad guy.

There are still a couple of jokes at the end, but they're very basic jokes whose punchlines are "Bukamon looks funny" and "Joe's an idiot." The latter of which was also the punchline of the original gag, but rather than demonstrating Joe being alarmingly unobservant about his own living space, Jim just says he's dumb and that's the whole joke.

Hiroaki's directions outside are translated faithfully, however.

Hiroaki: Find out what's happening at the convention center, and we'll try to find a way through the fog barrier. Right, T.K.?

Once plans are made, Jou and Shin take Shin's scooter to Big Sight. Shin wears a helmet but does not provide one for Jou, and I have concerns about that.

Shin: Jou, are you really planning to become a doctor like me? Pukamon: Huh!? Onii-san, you're a doctor!? Shin: I'm still in med school. Pukamon: Wow, you must be really smart! Jou: (defeated) Dad told me I should be one.... Shin: That's impossible for you. Jou: (defeated) Yeah.... Pukamon: (furious) HEY!!! ONII-SAN OR NOT, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO MAKE FUN OF JOU!!! Shin: (chuckling) Fierce, aren't you? But I'm not making fun of him! I just don't think it's a suitable profession for him because he faints at the sight of blood. Pukamon: Oh. Then you're right about that. Shin: In any case, we can talk about this later. The others are here.

Cut to Taichi, Mimi, and Sora sprinting up on foot with their Digimon partners. Jou and Shin took a scooter but we made them run a mile and a half to Big Sight. XD Sora and Taichi, I can understand, but poor Mimi. Somehow being back in Odaiba is just as bad as the Digital World.

(She's doing a surprisingly good job of keeping pace with the two soccer stars. But let's be real; They're probably keeping pace with her so she doesn't fall behind and feel bad.)

Pukamon calls Shin onii-san and I love it. He's integrating into the family already!

In the dub:

Jim: So tell me, Joe: Are you still planning on being a doctor? Bukamon: Joe is smart! He can be a doctor! Jim: There's a lot more to it than that. Bukamon: Joe can be whatever he wants! Joe: (defeated) It's what my dad wants me to be. Jim: Poor dad; He doesn't know. Joe: (defeated) No. Bukamon: Are you implying Joe's not smart enough for something!? Listen, I don't care if you are his brother, you've got no right-- Jim: (chuckling) Now, calm down! I'm not saying he's not smart enough; I'm just saying it'll be kind of hard for him to be a doctor when he passes out at the sight of blood! Bukamon: Yep, that's my pal Joe! Jim: Look, I think your friends are coming. We'll talk about this later, Joe.

The main points about Joe are still made in this version: He's studying to be a doctor but only because his dad wants him to, but also he can't stand the sight of blood so that's an unreasonable goal to have forced on him by their parents.

Jim, however, continues to have all of his characterization sanded off. That Jim himself is in med school on the career path their father is trying to put Jou on as well goes unmentioned.

The dialogue is also janky in parts. "Poor dad; He doesn't know," is an awkward replacement for "That's impossible for you." Uh, if he doesn't know, then tell him? Jim implies that their dad is pressuring Jou purely out of ignorance and even sympathizes with him.

That's not really the vibe we're going for here. Jou's parents are so disconnected from his life that they're the only set of Chosen Children parents to remain unnamed to this day. And his dad is clearly trying to mass-produce prosperity through his children without regard to what would actually be good for his kids.

Inside Big Sight, the Partner Digimon besiege the remaining guard Bakemon and slaughter them. Pyokomon, Tanemon, Pukamon, and Mochimon all evolves into their Child forms Piyomon, Palmon, Gomamon, and Tentomon for the onslaught.

Who actually came to Big Sight is kind of an awkward question. Initially, we see Jou, Taichi, Mimi, and Sora. But Koushiro and Hikari's Digimon are here too. Subsequent scenes show Hikari, Koushiro, and Koushiro's parents are at Big Sight as well; They just didn't arrive with the others, even though their Digimon did. I guess maybe Koushiro's parents gave Hikari a ride?

Taichi: Thanks, everyone!

After massacring seven Bakemon, the kids make their way to where PicoDevimon's unexplained hypno-eyes conked all the adults out. They split up, each kid going off to find their parents in the sea of comatose adults.

Taichi: Mom, wake up! Hikari: You too, Dad! Sora: Mom! Mimi: Papa! Mama!

Jou and Shin are off checking on what can be assumed to be their parents, but Shin takes this opportunity to continue their conversation from before.

Jou: I thought it was only the fog that hadn't changed.... Shin: His pulse is normal. Jou: Dad.... Shin: Jou, listen. You don't have to live your life the way our parents want you to. Jou: Eh? Shin: Truth is, I'm not going to, either. After I take the national exam, I'm thinking of working on a remote island. Dad will object, of course. Jou: I didn't know.... Shin: (standing up) Well. In any case, caring for these people comes first. If only we could get help from the outside....

Shin isn't just doing what he's told; He's made a life plan for himself. Not to seize prosperity, but to do work that he feels will truly help people. He intends to live a meaningful life, and not to follow their father's uniform roadmap for his children. He encourages Jou to do the same.

In the dub:

Tai: Excellent! Good work, you guys! (Kids find the adults) Tai: Mom, wake up! Mimi: Daddy? What's happened to them!? Joe: They're all so totally still.... Are they-- Jim: No, their pulses are normal. Joe: That's good. Jim: Joe, listen to me: It's your life. You've gotta live it your way, not Dad's way. Joe: I guess.... Jim: After I become a doctor, I'm going to South America. Africa. Some place I can really be of help. Dad's already told me he doesn't approve. Joe: I can imagine. Jim: Anyway, right now, we've got to see to all these people. Joe: What can we do? Jim: If only we could get help from the outside....

The person they're checking isn't explicitly their dad in this version, so the segue into "Don't let him control your life" is a little more jarring. You can probably make the inference, though.

Again, the general vibe of getting out from under their oppressive father's thumb doesn't come through here. Jim's already talked about his plans with their dad and Mr. Kido's voiced his dissent but Jim's plan still continues as normal anyway. He is at liberty to undermine Mr. Kido openly while still living under Mr. Kido's roof, unlike Shin who has to make his life plans in secret.

This is a heartfelt and emotional moment between brothers in the original, but Dub Joe honestly feels like he's just nodding along and waiting for Jim to get back on-topic.

Meanwhile, Team Fog heads out in a life raft to see if they can pierce the barrier and reach Tokyo beyond. They've reached the point where the fog becomes a wall.

Hiroaki: It's impossible to get through this fog. Patamon: HEY!!! TAKERU'S MAMA, CAN YOU HEAR ME!?!? Gabumon: Let me try. TAKERU'S MAMA!!! Patamon: Hey, you should do it too, Takeru! Takeru: ...but....

Takeru glances over at Yamato and Hiroaki, who both look deeply uncomfortable about this attempt to contact Hiroaki's ex.

Takeru: ...she can't hear us from here anyway. Patamon: Are you sure?

In the dub:

Hiroaki: There's no way to get through this fog. Patamon: HELLO, ANYBODY!!! COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!!! Gabumon: No, like this: IF YOU SAVE US, WE'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT, INCLUDING CANDY!!! (beat) T.K.: Nice try.... (T.K. looks over at the uncomfortable Matt and Hiroaki) T.K.: This just isn't working. Maybe we should go back to shore.

Family drama: Deleted. Hiroaki and Matt are just sad because the fog is impassible. Natsuko/Nancy doesn't come up at all.

Back at the convention center, Hikari's spiraling again.

Hikari: It's my fault they're like this. Tailmon: It's my fault too. Sora: Don't worry! They're just sleeping. They'll wake up soon enough. (Hikari and Tailmon nod) Sora: (suddenly sad, looks down at her mother) ...isn't that right, Mom?

Sora is trying so hard to be brave for the youngest among us.

Hikari has done nothing wrong but carries the weight of guilt on her heart because she's a kind, empathetic person. Tailmon seems like she's more at fault on the surface but actually she's an abuse victim picked up out of the wilderness and beaten into obedience. So, no, she's innocent of wrongdoing here too.

...I mean she probably could have stood to let PicoDevimon die way back at Vamdemon's castle but that's a tactical error, not a moral failing.

In the dub:

Kari: This is all our fault, Gatomon! Gatomon: Mhm. Sora: Don't worry. This spell or whatever it is will wear off and then everyone will just wake up again. Kari & Gatomon: Mhm? Sora: Yeah! (suddenly sad, looks down at her mother) Isn't that right, Mom?

I like that Sora calls the sedative effect a "spell or whatever". That's a fair description. They aren't just all taking a community nap or something.

Meanwhile, Team Fog is chased from the water by that Gizamon swarm that attacked Hiroaki's team last night; That's still a thing. Gabumon and Patamon try to hold the line with their Petit Fire and Air Shot attacks, but they're picking off singletons out of a crowd.

Hiroaki: There's too many of them! Let's get out of here! Takeru: (to the Digimon) HURRY!!!

Patamon and Gabumon fall back as dozens of Gizamon emerge from the bay. The humans and Digimon climb into Hiroaki's van, but they're too late. The Gizamon pile on top of the vehicle, eventually tipping it over from their weight.

Takeru: OH NO!!!

Pan over to a nearby tree, where a flock of Vamdemon's Night Raid bats are sleeping through the day. The commotion rouses them. The bats descend upon the Gizamon, ravenously devouring every last one of them before flying off into the sky.

Once the Gizamon are gone, the humans open up the car doors and emerge.

Yamato: What just happened? Takeru: LOOK AT THAT!!!

Takeru draws their attention to the Night Raid bats, which are on their way to what remains of the Fuji station.

Hiroaki: "First, the sky will be covered by a flock of bats."

Back at the site of Vamdemon's "death", PicoDevimon overlooks the bats' arrival. They swarm to Vamdemon's mask.

PicoDevimon: Hehehehehe! The real terror is just beginning!

In the dub:

Hiroaki: WE WERE BETTER OFF LOST IN THE FOG!!! T.K.: Let's go! Gabumon: (no lip flaps) If you insist! (Everyone retreats to the van; The Gizamon tip it over, but then the Grisly Wing bats eat the Gizamon) Matt: Huh? (Everyone climbs out the doors) Hiroaki: Come on, guys. Matt: Hey, what happened to them? T.K.: OVER THERE!!! (Bats) Hiroaki: "The sky will be darkened by the wings of many bats." (Back at the site, DemiDevimon watches.) DemiDevimon: Nyah ha! Nahahahaha! Now things start to get interesting!

We finally get to check in on Koushiro; He's not checking on the adults because his parents are fine. They came to Big Sight with him. But, since they don't have anything to do here, they find a nice, empty conference hall to have a private conversation with their son.

Koushiro: What did you want to talk to me about? Masami: While we were hiding back at the house, we had a conversation and we've decided it's finally time to tell you something. The truth is, we're not your real parents. Koushiro: (quietly) ...I already knew that. Parents: ... Koushiro: I tried to pretend I hadn't heard anything. I thought that if I acted normal, things would stay the same. But I couldn't do it. The more I tried to pretend nothing had changed, the weirder it felt. In the end, I withdrew into my computer, where I wouldn't have to show my true self. Masami: There is nothing wrong with liking computers! Koushiro: Dad!? Masami: That trait of yours is part of what makes you who you are. You're just like your real father. Koushiro: My real father? Masami: He was a distant relative of mine and a genius mathematician. He was a lecturer for a university. Twelve years ago, he married your real mother. Then they had you. He was with her when they had a terrible car accident. Neither of them made it.

Hey. Hey, guess what the Japanese word for "lecturer" is? It's koushi. Koushiro carries his birth father with him, buried in his name, and never knew it.

Kae: We had a child of our own once. A little boy. But he died while he was still a baby. When we were asked if we could take you in... Well.... Koushiro: So that's how it happened.... Masami: We were planning to tell you everything when you were older. We didn't expect you to have already figured it out. This must have been so hard to deal with on your own. I'm sorry. Koushiro: No, I'm actually glad you told me the truth. Thank you. ...I-I mean, thanks.... Masami: You don't have to change yourself for us. Kae: That's right. All we want is for you to be happy.

Koushiro, who has largely resisted letting himself get emotional in the show up to this point, suddenly breaks down into tears. He finally opens up and lets himself feel. He throws himself into his mother's embrace, and Masami embraces them both.

Tentomon: (watching from a distance, also crying) Koushiro-han... Cry your heart out! Let yourself be cared for!

Something I really appreciate about this exchange is that while withdrawing into his computer has been a problem for Koushiro since we met him (Kentarumon episode really put a spotlight on it), Masami makes a point here to say that it's not the computer's fault. The computer didn't make him emotionally reclusive.

He likes computers because that's just who he is. It's the behavior, not the activity, that is the problem. And more than that, it's the motivating cause for the behavior.

The problem is the emotional scar he's carrying on his heart. The solution for which is clear, open, and honest communication that his parents have been denying him, well-meaning though they were.

In the dub:

Izzy: You wanted to talk to me? Masami: Yes, son. (sigh) When you went off and left us there in hiding, your mother and I thought we might never see you again. So we talked and decided the time had come to tell you that we're not your real parents, Izzy. Izzy: ...I already know. I heard you talking once. I pretended to myself I hadn't heard anything. Then I made believe I had misunderstood. Then I tried to wipe it from my mind and just act like everything was the same as before. But it wasn't. And I didn't mean to, but I just started drifting away from you a little more each day. Masami: That's why you buried yourself in that computer! Izzy: That's right. Masami: It's not surprising. It's who you are. You see, in so many ways, you're the living image of your real father. Izzy: What was my real father like? Masami: He was a fine man and a brilliant mathematician. In fact, he was a lecturer at the university! He and I were distant cousins. I was his only living relative. And your mother had no family of her own so, when it happened.... Late one night, there was a terrible car accident. Neither of them survived. Kae: We had lost a little boy of our own, you see. Just before. So when we were asked if we might want to take care of you, well... It seemed like, I don't know, some kind of sign. We said yes. Izzy: So you made me your son. Masami: We always planned to tell you the truth. We were just waiting for you to grow up a little bit more. But now, you seem to have found out on your own. We waited too long. I'm sorry, son. Izzy: No. No, Dad! There's no need for you to be sorry! It couldn't have been easy for you to tell me all this! And I'm... Um... Glad you did.... Masami: We just want you to know we love you, Izzy. Kae: You see, as far as we're concerned, you are our real son. Nothing can ever change that. Izzy: (breaks into tears) Mom! (family hug) Tentomon: Gee, it's times like this I wish I had a Digi-Mommy!

Yeah, this version tries but it's not as reassuring. The bit where Masami tells Koushiro his interest in computers is fine has been taken out. Here he's just like, "Ohhhh THAT'S where your obsession came from!"

Pretty much all reference to Koushiro's eerie formality, his attempts at behaving like a proper son, were cut from the dub version. As well as his parents' assurances that he doesn't actually need to change his speaking mannerisms and the like if he doesn't want to; That he doesn't need to start acting like other kids and that they just want him to behave in whatever way feels right to him.

This is the emotional climax of Koushiro's character arc, and the character arc is missing.

Still, despite these flaws, it still hits pretty hard nonetheless. It's derelict in its service to the greater narrative, but the emotional beats still resonate all the same. It's still a powerful and satisfying reconciliation between Izzy and his parents.

While Koushiro and his parents are having this moment... It begins.

Takenouchi Toshiko is the first to awaken. She sits up, raising her arms like a zombie, and starts to chant.

Piyomon: SORA!!! YOUR MOM!!! Sora: (whips around to see) EH!?!? Toshiko: Vamdemon-sama. Vamdemon-sama. Sora: Mom, what's wrong with you? MOM!!!

Cut to the FCG Building, where a dark and vaguely humanoid shadow has emerged around Vamdemon's mask. In a bestial growl, it utters:

Vamdemon Shadow: More data.... PicoDevimon: Vamdemon-sama! Vamdemon Shadow: More POWER.... PicoDevimon: Yes, sir!

Tuskmon and Snimon are still lying there unconscious in front of the Fuji building. The Night Raid bats move in on them, devouring the two Digimon to add their data and power to whatever Vamdemon is becoming.

Weirdly, there are only two unconscious Digimon for the bats to devour but when we cut to a wide shot, there are three large clusters of bats that rise up and feed data into Vamdemon's shadow. No idea who the third Digimon they ate was supposed to be.

Though it'd be darkly hilarious if Wizarmon was even still alive after all this time until right now.

PicoDevimon: Just a little longer until Vamdemon's resurrection is complete! Ehehehehehe!

In the dub... This is one of those scenes where we have a plot-centric honorific. That Toshiko is saying Vamdemon-sama adds to the ominous vibe. That's what his minions call him. It's a title of respect for one's societal superiors. The dub doesn't want to lose that eeriness, so they use the old dub standby for translating -sama.

Biyomon: SORA!!! YOUR MOM'S AWAKE!!! Sora: (whips around to see) WHUH!?!? Toshiko: Lord Myotismon. Lord and Master. Sora: Mom, what is it!? Are you alright? Mom!?

Bit more of a mouthful than Vamdemon-sama but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Myotismon Shadow: MOOOOOOOORE.... DemiDevimon: Hey there, Master! Good to see you back on your feet! Myotismon Shadow: More energy! I need more! DemiDevimon: You got it! (Bats eat Snimon, Tuskmon, and a Secret Third Thing, conferring their data to Myotismon) DemiDevimon: Won't be long now! The boss is gonna be bigger and badder than ever! Hahahaha!

Weirdly, Myotismon doesn't ask for data or power, but more generically "energy". What sort of energy he's getting from cannibalizing other DIgimon is unclear.

We go to a commercial break and, in the time it takes to pitch a new flavor of Ramune and some Hot Wheels, the rest of the adults gathered in Big Sight wake up.

People: Vamdemon-sama. Vamdemon-sama. (continuing) Taichi: Stop it, Dad! Sora: MOM!!! Mimi: PAPA!!! MAMA!!!

Fog Team arrives, walking in on this bizarre sight.

Hiroaki: What the...? Shin: Physically, they're all still asleep. So, this would be considered sleep talk.

While Shin and Hiroaki talk, the Chosen Children have their own meeting about this.

Koushiro: Uh, you know... There's something bothering me about this.... Yamato: The prophecy, right? "The people will chant the name of the Undead Digimon King." Koushiro: Right. Gabumon: The part about the bats came true too. Taichi: What was that!? Sora: What was the third line? Koushiro: "When the clock strikes the number of the Beast, the Undead Digimon King will reveal his true form as the Beast." Taichi: What is the "number of the Beast"? Hiroaki: (joining the conversation) 666. It's the number that appears in the Book of Revelations. Taichi: 666 must mean 6:06:06 PM.

Oh boy, taking all bets on whether the dub will name-drop the Book of Revelations! They've been surprisingly willing to go along with the religious references so far.

People: Myotismon, Lord and Master. (continuing) Tai: Stop it, Dad! Snap out of it! Mimi: Mom, it's me! (Team Fog walk in) Hiroaki: What's going on!? Jim: Very odd. Physically, they're still asleep. It's like they're all having the same dream. Izzy: Hey, wait a minute! Do you guys remember that prophecy!? Matt: Yeah, it fits. It says, "The fallen people will invoke the name of the Undead King." Gabumon: Well, the first part about the bats came true! Tai: Huh!? When was that!? Sora: What did the third part of the prophecy say? Izzy: Before the recycle part, it was, "When the clock strikes the Hour of the Beast, the Undead King will reveal himself in his true form." Tai: Terrific, but what's the Hour of the Beast? Hiroaki: 666. Six seconds and six minutes past six o'clock. Tai: Sounds like Triple Six is our unlucky number.

Nope. The "Hour of the Beast" is instead its own thing, which Hiroaki happens to be familiar with despite no origin for its meaning being provided.

Weird that it's called the "Hour of the Beast" but it's specific to minute and second. But if my bar sets Happy Hour to the precise minute of 5:34 PM, people get uppity. Fucking aristocrats get to play by different rules.

Still, as far as censoring things out goes, this is very "Let's kick some ass...PHALT!" They don't spell out the reference but if you know, you know. I don't think anyone back in the day had any confusion about where "The Hour of the Beast, 666" came from.

Taichi checks the time on his Digivice, watching it turn over to 6:00:00. We started paying attention to this prophecy way too late to do anything about it.

Taichi: There's not much time! Hiroaki: Get in the car!

Throwing Taichi and Yamato in the van, Hiroaki speeds back towards the FCG Building. But that's a seven-minute drive from Big Sight. Taichi never takes his eyes off his Digivice, watching the time tick away. at 6:05:59, he exclaims:

Taichi: We aren't going to make it!

At 6:06:06, the grim work is complete. By which I mean the complete and utter annihilation of the Fuji TV broadcasting station, which explodes into rubble from the force of Vamdemon's revival.

The only difference in the dub is that, when the clock strikes 6:06:06, Tai shouts:

Tai: SHOWTIME!!!

Well, I'm glad he's having fun with it.

From the wreckage of the FCG Building, the Beast rises.

Hiroaki pulls over on the highway so they can see him from a distance. Vamdemon's new form towers over the city.

Taichi: Is that... Vamdemon? Yamato: He's gigantic! Hiroaki: He truly is a beast. Agumon: Let's go, Gabumon! Gabumon: Right!

Agumon and Gabumon evolve to Greymon and Garurumon, who seem quaint in the shadow of this titanic colossus. Vamdemon nearly blows them away by the sheer force created when he turns around.

In the dub:

Tai: Is that Myotismon!? Matt: He's been taking steroids! Hiroaki: It's his true form: The Beast. Agumon: Hey, come on! Gabumon: Right!

I like Matt's quip here. XD

PicoDevimon flutters over in front of Vamdemon's crotch to taunt the children.

PicoDevimon: VenomVamdemon-sama's power has been released! Taichi: VenomVamdemon!? PicoDevimon: Being undead basically makes him immortal! VenomVamdemon: POWER!!! I NEED MORE POWER!!! PicoDevimon: Your meal is waiting for you at Big Sight! Adult Crowd: (still lying there at Big Sight) ...Vamdemon-sama.... PicoDevimon: Come on! I'll show you the way. VenomVamdemon: Let's start with you.

VenomVamdemon's voice is bestial and monstrous now. Nothing like the dignified villain we knew before.

He inhales sharply, drawing PicoDevimon towards his mouth.

PicoDevimon: W-What are you doing!? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!

With a shrill, high-pitched shriek, PicoDevimon disappears down VenomVamdemon's gullet and is finally gone. Disassembled into data to fuel the Beast's power.

(I don't know about y'all but I definitely get a Dante's Inferno Satan vibe from VenomVamdemon's character design.)

In the dub, DemiDevimon spends his final moments of life laughing it up about as much as his Japanese counterpart.

DemiDevimon: Where are my manners!? Allow me to introduce you to the new and improved VenomMyotismon! Tai: VenomMyotismon!? DemiDevimon: That's right! The king of the undead! He's the 'un' and you're the 'dead'! VenomMyotismon: MORE ENERGY!!! I'M HUNGRY!!! DemiDevimon: No problem, boss! There's all those people just layin' there waitin' for ya! Adult Crowd: (still lying there at the convention center) ...Myotismon, Lord and Master.... DemiDevimon: Remember to start your day with a good breakfast! VenomMyotismon: I'll begin with a little snack! (VenomMyotismon inhales to eat DemiDevimon) DemiDevimon: HEY, HANG ON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!

DemiDevimon and VenomMyotismon's quip exchange at the end there is cute. XD

DemiDevimon doesn't explain why VenomMyotismon is able to resurrect like this. He does mention Myotismon's undeath but doesn't explain that it equates to immortality. To be fair, "Vamdemon is immortal because he's undead" doesn't really make sense in the original either. We've had no problem killing undead Digimon like Bakemon or Phantomon.

But it's still an explanation for what happened here. Angewomon killed Vamdemon but undeath allowed him to linger on as a sort of data wraith, devouring other Digimon to reconstitute himself. Building on the earlier point raised when he was drinking human blood to store up power.

Soon, VenomVamdemon is on the move.

Hiroaki: He's headed towards the people at Big Sight! Taichi: We won't let that happen! Yamato: GARURUMON!!! Garurumon: On it, Yamato! Greymon: Let's go!

Greymon and Garurumon Super-Evolve to face VenomVamdemon at their full strength.

In the dub:

Hiroaki: He's going after everyone at the convention center! Tai: PUMP IT UP, YOU GUYS!!! Matt: DIGIVOLVE!!! Garurumon: You heard them, let's do it! Greymon: Yo!

It's the 90's. I don't know what you want from me.

Once they're in their Perfect forms, WereGarurumon has a plan of attack. I know this seems hopeless, but VenomVamdemon is still just a wireframe body around a processing core covered in a character model skin. His colossal size doesn't necessarily translate to a huge increase in power.

VenomVamdemon also has a huge increase in power. But not because he's big!

WereGarurumon: Use your Giga Destroyer, MetalGreymon! MetalGreymon: Will do! GIGA DESTROYER!!!

When MetalGreymon fires his Giga Destroyer, WereGarurumon leaps and lands on top of one of the missiles. He lets them carry him to VenomVamdemon, then jumps off moments before impact. The missiles collide with VenomVamdemon's crotch, while WereGarurumon follows up with Kaiser Nail directly to his chest.

VenomVamdemon doesn't even flinch.

Taichi: That didn't hurt him at all!

In the dub:

WereGarurumon: Shall we flip a coin to see who goes first? MetalGreymon: Allow me! GIGA BLASTER!!!

They don't plan the combo attack; WereGarurumon does it on the spur of the moment. Still ineffectual, though.

Matt: It didn't even phase him!

Still motivated to bring this guy down, WereGarurumon scales his chest and leaps into the air in front of his face, cleaving open VenomVamdemon's forehead.

It does not go well. Gorey pink tentacles emerge from VenomVamdemon's wound, snatching WereGarurumon out of the air. Hahahaha fuck this guy so much.

The original name for WereGarurumon's kick is Engetsu Geri or Crescent Moon Kick, named for the projectile resembling a crescent moon. The dub opts for Garuru Kick.

Flying up into the fray, MetalGreymon's extendable claw severs the tentacles binding WereGarurumon. He unloads Giga Destroyer straight into VenomVamdemon's eyes. The colossal titan feels that one, falling back and crushing a skyscraper to rubble behind him.

(Good thing everyone in Odaiba has conveniently been gathered to one location while this city-wrecking carnage unfolds! The writers prepared for this bloodless devastation well.)

Taichi: Did they get him!? VenomVamdemon: (sits back up) My Food! MY FOOD!!! Yamato: Th-that's unbelievable....

While VenomVamdemon recovers, WereGarurumon and MetalGreymon return to the humans.

MetalGreymon: TAICHI!!! WereGarurumon: Go warn everyone at Big Sight about this! The two of us will figure out a way to stop him. Yamato: Right! We're counting on you! Hiroaki: Let's go!

The humans climb in the van and speed away from the towering VenomVamdemon, who's back on his feet and hungering for more.

VenomVamdemon: Food! FOOD!!!

The dub again names MetalGreymon's extendo-claw Mega Claw. It goes unnamed in the original.

Tai: Did it work!? VenomMyotismon: RARGH MORE ENERGY!!! I MUST FEED!!! Matt: That answer your question? (MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon return to the humans) WereGarurumon: Matt! Tai! Go to the convention center and warn the others! Don't worry about us; We'll take care of this clown! Matt: Alright, but just watch yourself! Hiroaki: Let's go! MetalGreymon: PIECE OF CAKE!!! VenomMyotismon: I AM HUNGRY!!! GRAAAARGH!!! HUNGRY!!!

MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon sound way more confident about their chances in this version.

The boys return to Big Sight. Taichi races inside to tell everyone.

Crowd: ...Vamdemon-sama.... Taichi: TROUBLE!!!

The entire group goes outside. They can see VenomVamdemon in the distance, stomping his way to Big Sight.

Taichi: Can't we move everyone to some other place? Shin: We won't make it. There's too many people. Tailmon: We have no other choice but to defeat VenomVamdemon. Patamon: I'll help too! Palmon & Piyomon: So will we! Tentomon: And me! Gomamon: Alright, I'm in too! Tailmon: (shakes her head) The rest of you stay here. Only Patamon should come with me. Gomamon: Eh!? Tailmon: You should store up energy for your next evolution. Piyomon: I hate to admit it, but Tailmon's right. We should listen to her.

Mimi takes this opportunity to ask a pretty good question.

Mimi: Why is it that when everyone evolved into Perfect, you turned back into Adult form while Palmon and the others became Baby stages? Tailmon: I have a different level of discipline from the rest of you. Let's go, Patamon. Patamon: Okay! Taichi: Alright, we're coming too!

Taichi and Yamato run off with Hikari and Takeru, along with their Digimon. Koushiro's parents turn to him.

Masami: Koushiro, let's go with them. Koushiro: Okay!

The dub overlooks the fact that the adults are supposed to still be chanting. Big Sight is silent but for Tai's voice when he enters.

Tai: CLEAR EVERYONE OUT NOW!!! (Everyone goes outside) Tai: I don't know how long they can hold them off! Jim: Even if we had time, we couldn't move all these people. Gatomon: You don't understand. You can never outrun him. We have to destroy him. Patamon: You can count on me! Palmon & Biyomon: Yeah, and us too! Tentomon: Me three! Gomamon: Hey, make that four! Gatomon: (shakes head) Mm-mm. Patamon's the only Digimon I need to come with me; The rest of you stay here. Gomamon: Huh!? Gatomon: Nothing personal; I just want all of you to save up your strength. If my plan doesn't work, you'll all be needed. Biyomon: Let's do what she says! She knows these bad Digimon better than anyone! Mimi: Excuse me, I don't mean to be a downer or anything but how can any of us hope to stand up against that guy!? He's bigger than most buildings! Gatomon: I've got a plan, like I said! Come on, Patamon, let's fly! Patamon: Mhm! Tai: We're right behind you, Gatomon! (The attack team runs off) Masami: Let's go, son! We're in this together, right? Izzy: Right!

A few notes. First, the idea of moving everyone out of the convention center is never seriously discussed. Jim volunteers that he thinks it's a doomed idea without anyone ever suggesting it, and then Gatomon changes topics to a sort of doomed fatalism.

Like, you can see how Tai, Jim, and Gatomon's lines are all supposed to connect to the topic of moving the adults, but without the context of the other version, Jim's the only one actually talking about it.

That's not a big deal, though. What irked me more was Mimi's line being changed from a valid clarifying question about Digimon metaphysics to panicking and saying we're doomed. Thanks, I hate it.

The kids pile into the van, while Patamon and Gatomon evolve into Angemon and Angewomon, flying outside the vehicle.

From the backseat, Koushiro's parents are trying to understand.

Kae: Those ones transformed into real angels! Tentomon: It's not transformation, it's evolution.

Koushiro pulls the pair of angels up on his Digimon Analyzer, giving us official rundowns for the both of them.

Angemon is an Adult-stage Vaccine-type Angel Digimon. Originally conceived as an evolution for Gabumon who could go on to evolve into SkullGreymon. Obviously a lot has changed since then, but it's kind of sweet that Takeru's Digimon evolves into an abandoned Gabumon evolution.

Yeah, originally Patamon and Angemon weren't even in the same evolutionary tree. In fact, the other Child-stage Digimon that evolves into Angemon was Patamon's brief rival Elecmon back on File Island!

Narrator: Angemon. An Adult-stage Angel Digimon. His special attack. Heaven's Knuckle, shines like gold when unleashed from his holy fist.

Angewomon, meanwhile, is a Perfect-stage Vaccine-type Angel Digimon. She and Tailmon debuted in the .5 release for Nature Spirits, though she could only be achieved through Jogress. The natural Vaccine Perfect for her branch was AtlurKabuterimon.

Narrator: Angewomon. A Perfect-stage Angel Digimon. Her special attack, Holy Arrow, releases tremendously powerful electricity. Masami: What is all this Adult-stage, Perfect-stage stuff? Koushiro: They indicate the evolution level of the Digimon. The lowest stage is Baby, and from there they level up sequentially.

In the dub, Kae's more confused than curious.

Kae: A-angels!? What's going on!? Tentomon: It's kinda complicated. Izzy: (rundown for Angemon) They Digivolved, Mom. Angemon is the fully evolved version of Patamon.... Izzy: (rundown for Angewomon) ...and Angewomon is the same for Gatomon. You see? Well, trust me on this, huh? Masami: It's nice to have outside interests but I hope your schoolwork hasn't suffered. Izzy: Dad, this is the fate of the planet we're dealing with! The survival of the human race! Don't worry, I can take a makeup test for anything I missed!

Wow, this exchange is terrible. Okay, first, Izzy continues speaking with absolute confidence about things he is completely wrong about. I don't even mean the "fully evolved" thing; I mean saying that Angemon is a "fully evolved" equivalent to Angewomon. He says out loud with words from his mouth that they're both the "fully evolved" forms for Patamon and Gatomon.

Kae and Tentomon's exchange contributes nothing to this conversation.

Masami and Izzy's final bit also contributes nothing. Masami nags at Izzy about the effect this is having on his schoolwork when, uh, we're on summer break. Nobody is going to school. Except Jou, because he's attending cram school to prepare for entrance exams.

Both Kae and Masami's bits are here to set up talk about evolutionary levels, since we're in for a shocking reveal about VenomVamdemon. The dub slides that setup into place over Angemon and Angewomon's rundowns, and then replaces it with empty banter and a very poorly-conceived joke recycled from a hundred other cartoons - Both of which erase an important point of characterization, which is Kae and Masami taking an active interest in what their son is doing. D-!

Meanwhile, the apocalypse rages on in Odaiba.

VenomVamdemon shoots rainbow lasers out of his crotch. Anything struck by them instantly disintegrates into pixels as if it were a dying Digimon. He is laying waste to Odaiba with this attack. Though WereGarurumon and MetalGreymon are keeping on their feet and avoiding his shots.

Hiroaki: S-So much destruction!

In the dub, this is a quip.

Hiroaki: I sure wish I brought the camcorder!

You know, the fact that nobody's filming this and the fog barrier is keeping the outside world from seeing it means they're going to have a hell of a time explaining what the fuck happened to Odaiba. This does not get Reset Buttoned away; This is the MCU Battle of New York for Digimon Adventure. The world will never be the same after today.

At least there's witnesses to the vampire and bakemono abductions.

Then, just like that, the fight is over.

WereGarurumon: MetalGreymon!

VenomVamdemon punches MetalGreymon, hitting him so hard into WereGarurumon that it expends both of their remaining staminas. Both Perfects revert back into Agumon and Gabumon.

Taichi: What happened!? Koushiro: They must have run out of energy.

In the dub:

WereGarurumon: Looks like trouble! (VenomVamdemon punches MetalGreymon into WereGarurumon, KOing them both) Tai: What happened to 'em!? Izzy: He must have drained them of their energy!

Izzy kinda makes it sound like he did Love Serenade or something here. His statement is accurate; VenomVamdemon hit them so hard their HP meters went to 0. But the way he says it may be a little confusing?

With Agumon and Gabumon defenseless, VenomVamdemon moves in for the kill. He isn't even going to give them the dignity of devouring their data.

VenomVamdemon: DIE!!!

Suddenly, the angels join the fight. Holy Arrow and Heaven's Knuckle hit VenomVamdemon harder than anything thus far, sending him stumbling backwards.

Angemon: The wicked power of a devil! Angewomon: We will destroy you once more! VenomVamdemon: Nye-heh... You think that you can defeat the king? KEH!!!

Meanwhile, Hiroaki pulls up in his van. Taichi and Yamato leap from the vehicle and run to their barely-conscious Partners.

Gabumon: I'm sorry. This was too much for us. Agumon: He's too powerful....

In the dub, Angemon gets told off for his unhelpful line.

VenomMyotismon: GOODBYE, SMALL FRY!!! (The angels attack VenomMyotismon, driving him back) Angemon: This won't be easy! Angewomon: Nobody ever said it would be, Angemon! VenomMyotismon: Huhahahahaha! I shall enjoy devouring you; Angel food is one of my favorites! HAHA!!! Gabumon: I'm so sorry, Matt... We tried.... Agumon: He was too much for us....

That angel food crack got me. XD Well played. 10/10 quipping.

Masami: Is that monster also Perfect-stage? Koushiro: I'll look it up.

Of note: The word Masami uses here, kaibutsu, is distinct from some of the other words translated as "monster" throughout the series. We've mostly seen kaiju and bakemono throughout the show thus far. Kaibutsu is the most "Just say 'monster'" of the lot. It's a pretty generic umbrella term for bizarre supernatural beasties, with no key distinctions that we would want to preserve here.

Koushiro pulls up VenomVamdemon's page on his Digimon Analyzer. VenomVamdemon is an Ultimate-stage Virus-type Undead Digimon. He debuted as an enemy boss battle in an anime tie-in V-Pet released on the same day this episode aired.

The "venom" of his name comes from his signature attack, Venom Infuse. The "venom" is a computer virus he can implant into an opponent that "destroys their configuration data and terminates their functions," according to the reference guide. So. Y'know. Don't get hit with that.

Narrator: VenomVamdemon. The Ultimate-stage evolution of Vamdemon. He has lost his intelligence and his sense of reason. Koushiro: ULTIMATE-STAGE!?!? Yamato: There's an evolution level beyond Perfect!?

While the kids are making this horrifying discovery, VenomVamdemon mocks Angemon and Angewomon.

VenomVamdemon: YOUR ATTACKS DON'T WORK AGAINST ME!!!

In the dub, Masami can't ask about the stages because he already screwed his opportunity to learn about that. So he has to ask a different question.

Masami: Why is that monster so much bigger than the other Digimon? Izzy: Search me!

Fortunately, Izzy still opens his laptop and pulls up VenomMyotismon's profile anyway. Even though it's not going to contain any explanation of size disparities; That shit just happens. Why is MetalGreymon so much bigger than WereGarurumon?

Izzy: (rundown) Hmm, I thought he was fully evolved but he found some way of Digivolving into an even higher level. Izzy: Some kind of Mega Ultimate Level! Matt: Hey, that's not fair! It's like changing the rules in the middle of a game! VenomMyotismon: (shrugs off attacks) STOP IT, YOU'RE TICKLING ME!!! NOW IT'S MY TURN!!!

This is where the dub finally has to reckon with all that "fully Digivolved" stuff. The existence of Ultimate-stage does come as a shock to the original kids, but not because it's been withheld from them in some way. This falls into the category of "You never asked". It simply hasn't come up before because Ultimate-stage Digimon are so rare. File Island has two Perfects but not even one of these guys.

In the hierarchy of Digimon, Perfects are like super exceptional individuals. They're village chiefs and top scientists and war heroes. They're the rare and select few who succeed above and beyond, becoming cornerstones of society.

While Ultimates are more like gods and myths. Socrates would be a Perfect; Herakles would be an Ultimate.

The dub tries to play the existence of what they call Mega-stage hard because they've said "fully Digivolved" so many times that they now have to answer for it. Though it's held back by the matter-of-fact way Izzy delivers the rundown. If anything, he should be more shocked than Koushiro.

Takeru: YOU CAN DO IT, ANGEMON!!! Hikari: ANGEWOMON!!! Hiroaki: That's it! What does the prophecy say next? Koushiro: (type type)

Nobody reads it aloud, but the final passage briefly pops up onscreen. "When angels fire arrows of hope and light at the loved ones of those they protect, a miracle will occur."

Kae: Angels... By "angels", does it mean...?

VenomVamdemon fires off two crotch shots at Angemon and Angewomon. They manage to block the attacks, deflecting them into Odaiba's gigantic ferris wheel. The ferris wheel disintegrates on impact. (YOU MONSTERS.)

Koushiro: Angemon and Angewomon. They must be the angels. Masami: Then who are the people they protect? Takeru: GANBATTE, ANGEMON!!! Hikari: YOU TOO, ANGEWOMON!!! Koushiro: Takeru-kun and Hikari-san. But who are their loved ones?

There's our old friend ganbaru, the Japanese cultural value of hard work and perseverance to overcome tremendous hardship.

Once again demonstrating how divorced he is from human connections, Koushiro has to stop and ask what "loved ones" means. Fortunately, Tentomon's a lot more worldly and can cover this.

Tentomon: Let's use me as an example. If I were the angel, the person I protect would be Koushiro-han. Koushiro: And the people I love most would be my Mom and Dad! Tentomon: Right! So the people Hikari-han and Takeru-han love most would be-- Masami: Their family! Their parents and siblings!

The camera pans over from Takeru and Hikari to Yamato and Taichi.

Koushiro: But why would they shoot arrows at the people they love? Kae: Angels... They're angels, so... In Roman mythology, Cupid shot arrows at people to fill them with love. Koushiro: Arrows that fill people with love? Tentomon: That's it, Koushiro-han! (turning to Taichi and Yamato) Angemon and Angewomon must shoot arrows of love at the two of you! Koushiro: Hey, we still haven't figured this all out yet!

Sorry, Koushiro. The idea has been delivered to Taichi, and you know how he is about careful consideration of his actions.

But that's fine because now is a time for bold action! We've done the Koushiro thing and now it's time to do the Mimi thing.

In the dub:

T.K.: YOU CAN DO IT, ANGEMON!!! Kari: GO, ANGEWOMON!!! Hiroaki: Wait a minute, the prophecy! That's it! Quick, Izzy, what did it say in there about angels? Izzy: (type type)

The dub puts a commercial break here. Then we come back to repeat footage of VenomMyotismon shrugging off the angels' attacks a moment ago. This replaces the brief glimpse of the prophecy wall, which goes by too fast to read it anyway even if they rewrote it in English.

Though the fact that VenomMyotismon stood there and let them attack him again sure makes his earlier declaration of "NOW IT'S MY TURN" pretty fucking silly.

VenomMyotismon: I'M BEGINNING TO GROW BORED OF YOU!!! Kae: What does the prophecy say? Izzy: "Angels will shoot arrows of hope and light at the loved ones of those they have been sent to protect and a miracle will happen." Okay, if Angemon and Angewomon are the angels in the prophecy.... Masami: So then who are the ones they've been sent to protect? T.K.: GO FOR IT, ANGEMON!! Kari: YEAH, KNOCK HIS BLOCK OFF!!! Izzy: That must mean T.K. and Kari. The angels will shoot arrows at their loved ones! Tentomon: It's simple. Allow me to explain. Say I'm kind of like a guardian angel. Whose guardian angel am I? Yours. And who do you love the most? Izzy: I was getting to that! My Mom and Dad, obviously. Tentomon: Exactly! But T.K. and Kari not only have moms and dads, they have something else too. Masami: They have brothers! Tentomon: In a word, BINGO!

Izzy is not confused by the concept of loved ones in this version. Tentomon whole-ass mansplains how parents work for no reason. Thanks, Tentomon.

Kari shouting "Knock his block off" gave me life. XD

Izzy: Why would you want 'em shooting arrows at your loved ones? Sounds dangerous to me. Kae: They're angels, Izzy. Maybe they're like Cupid. He was sort of an angel. When he shot arrows, they were arrows of love. Izzy: Mom, isn't that a little corny!? Tentomon: It may be corny but I buy it! All we've got to do is get Angemon and Angewomon to hit you guys with their arrows of loooo~ove! Izzy: Hey, let's not be too hasty here!

Izzy's adaptational jerkish-ness rears its head here. Izzy, my dude, I have kind of a rule: You're not allowed to call something corny or cringe when you're watching a children's show. Yeah, it's going to throw around concepts like the Power of Love conquering all evils from time to time. It's made for nine-year-olds. If you don't like it, get out of the sandbox and go watch adult TV.

Tentomon knows what I'm talking about. High five, ladybug man!

We have a plan of action. But there are two other people, besides Koushiro, who have concerns about it.

Yamato: What do you think? Taichi: That has to be it! Hikari! Yamato: Takeru! Takeru: Onii-chan.... Taichi: Angewomon's arrow of light! Yamato: Angemon's arrow of hope! Taichi: Get them to fire those arrows at us! Hikari: But if they do that...! Takeru: Both of you might die! Yamato: We won't. Right? Taichi: Right. Hikari: Okay. (holds up her Crest) My light! Takeru: (holds up his Crest) My hope!

The Crests begin to glow, sending their power up to Angemon and Angewomon. Though not Super-Evolving Angemon because he's gonna be a real dick about his Perfect evolution.

In the dub:

Matt: What do you think? Tai: It's worth a shot! Kari! Matt: T.K.! T.K.: You sure you wanna? Tai: Let's see these arrows of hope and light! Matt: You two have got to get them to shoot at us! Tai: They'll only do it if you tell them to! Kari: You really want them to shoot you!? T.K.: What if you get, like, dead or something? Matt: Never happen! Right? Tai: Right. Kari: Okay. (holds up her Crest) Angewomon! T.K.: (holds up her Crest) Angemon, listen up!

I think the kids enthusiastically manifesting their virtues into power was a little too much for the dub team. :P I mean, they already said via Izzy that this was getting too corny for them. They drew the line at "MY HOPE!!!" "MY LIGHT!!!"

I do like the dub's addition of "They'll only shoot us if you tell them to," however. He's right. This stage of the prophecy won't just happen; We have to manifest it. It was secretly an instruction manual all along.

Also, "What if you get, like, dead or something!" is now my favorite way of dodging the word "kill". Is that really better? Is it? XD

The energy from Takeru and Hikari's Crests produces two arrows and, uh, one bow.

Takeru: SHOOT THOSE ARROWS AT OUR BROTHERS!!! BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!!! Angemon: Let's believe.... Angewomon: ...in miracles! Gabumon: YAMATO, STOP THIS!!! Agumon: TAICHI, DON'T BE SO RECKLESS!!! Taichi: I'm always reckless, remember? Yamato: We'll handle this. (Yamato turns to Taichi) Yamato: Are you scared? Taichi: Not scared at all! Well, that's a lie.... Yamato: Honestly, so am I.

Yamato reaches over, taking Taichi's hand with his own.

Yamato: Hold on tight, so I don't run away. Taichi: You do the same for me.

Both of their Crests begin to glow brightly, before the arrows are even launched. Because this moment is a huge manifestation of both Courage and Friendship intermingling into a tightly-woven knot empowering and enhancing each other and holy shit, this is just such a good moment.

Angewomon draws back her arrow of light. Angemon has no bow so he has to fucking lob his arrow of hope, which is hysterically funny in a way that's potentially tension-breaking. Why no bow for Angemon, Takeru? Angewomon isn't using her Holy Arrow bow; She got a completely new one for this. Why no bow for Angemon? XD

In the dub, of course, "Believe in miracles" wasn't making it across.

T.K.: I KNOW THIS MAY SOUND CRAZY BUT SHOOT MATT AND TAI WITH YOUR ARROWS!!! Kari: YOU TOO, ANGEWOMON!!! Angemon: He's right! Angewomon: Sounds crazy! But.... Gabumon: WAIT, YOU SURE ABOUT THIS!?!? Agumon: What if that prophecy's all wrong!? Tai: You guys want a miracle to happen or not!? Matt: Yeah, miracles require a little faith!

OH NEVER MIND They just moved it over to Tai and Matt instead of the angels.

The fact that we lose Taichi's "I'm always reckless" mic drop of a line makes me want to throw things.

Matt: Scared, Tai? Tai: No, not at all! ...how about you, Matt? Matt: 'Course not! Piece of cake! (Matt grabs Tai's hand) Matt: But maybe I'll just... hang onto you to make sure you don't chicken out or anything. Tai: Yeah. Right. I'll do the same for you, buddy.

For the emotionally stonewalled kool dudez of the dub, this is a pretty sweet moment that at least captures the idea of the original scene. It's clear that they're both petrified but are too macho to admit it.

But it absolutely pales in comparison to the emotional sincerity of Taichi and Yamato's moment, as they face the perilous unknown together with only a few strands of hope and faith to grasp onto.

The angels let their arrows fly.

Angemon: AWAKEN-- Angewomon: --A MIRACLE!!

The arrows pierce Yamato and Taichi, creating an explosion of energy.

VenomVamdemon: What...?

In the dub:

Angemon: One miracle... Angewomon: ...coming up! (Arrows fly and hit Tai and Matt) VenomMyotismon: Huh!?

As the arrows strike their targets, a new kind of evolution is introduced. Not Evolution or Super-Evolution, but Warp-Evolution. This is a convenient way to reach Ultimate-stage without having to do three consecutive evolution stock animations oh my god it would be so much.

Agumon and Gabumon WAAPU-SHINKAAAAAA!!!

The rest of the episode is spent on the debut of the first (and only) Ultimate-stage Partner Digimon we're going to see in 01: WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. We close on the pair of them silently facing off against VenomVamdemon, preparing for the incredible battle to follow next episode.

The dub deprives us of that final shot, however, and ends on an edited splitscreen of their flashy CGI animations next to each other. I guess they thought that looked cooler. (They aren't wrong.) They also add in a silence-breaker in the form of the most undersold reaction lines I've ever heard.

Matt: Whoa. Tai: Cool. Narrator: Will the DigiDestined win the battle for Earth and defeat VenomMyotismon? Don't miss the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.

Neat.

Assessment: The prophecy is cool and all but it does sort of amount to, "Oh no, a plot suddenly happened because I said so; Here, solve this riddle to make the plot go away."

This big plot-important episode has the framework of a filler episode. Gennai contacts them out of nowhere and sends them a new storyline in the mail, so they have to crack it out by episode's end. That's not too unusual; The show's always been episodic but with an overarching continuity. But the Tokyo plotline's been so much more serialized that this feels like it comes out of nowhere.

Nonetheless, while the framework's kinda janky, the emotional beats and the ominous religious vibes are so good. It nails the tone it's going for. Mostly. (Why is Angemon throwing his arrow by hand? XD)

The dub handles this with surprising care, too. Despite some of the usual fumbles, it goes all-in on the religious undertones of the plot and presents as much as it can up-front. Another pretty good but not perfect turn-in from the dub team.

[fantomette22]

Okay but what do you think about each of 'main seven' SoTE NPCs? (Leda, Freyja, Hornsent, Ansbach, Moore, Thiollier and Dane)? Which one is your favourite?

I'm glad you ask! But again I can't have ONE FAVORITE I'm bad at choosing one above all. ALL THE TIME!!!! 😂

Ok anyway I think each of those characters are very well done! Both individually and as a group!

They are all unique and quite interesting and I love their designs! And it is just so rare to have a big group like that of 7 SEVEN WHOLE PEOPLE who clearly have connections and interactions in a fromsoftware title like Hello?!?! (not just implied or in the lore).

Usually we have just a couple of like 2-3 characters per quest who really interact with each others. (and not just acknowledge/know the persons. Like Gideon & co or Sellen/Jerren quest or even Eileen/Henryk/Bloody Crow quest. It's usually a very limited number of npc per quests. Even for Ranni's quest there's not that much characters. As for Oedon Chapel all the characters don't really interact for each other besides Arianna/Adella and it's not positive XD

I found amazing they finally made a group of npcs we can really picture and see for our own eye!

Even if it's just in a cinematic of all of them together once lol or a battle to death. Just look at this...

I mean, in Bloodborne, many people do agree that, for exemple many important lore characters actually knew each others or even were hunters together at the same time (because it's up to interpretations, simpler and really fun & create cool& crazy stories!) but we can never be fully sure. For exemple did Laurence, Micolash, Rom, Caryll actually went at Byrgenwerth around the same time? If not years/decades apart? Same for old hunters like Maria, Ludwig, Izzy Gratia & co etc did they really hunt side by side and nit years apart?

On the contrary we are sure that Ornstein, Artorias, Ciaran & Gough fought together, same for Gwen & co but we don't really see it in game with our character.

I mean idk how to explain but it feel very impactful and unique to have all this unique characters work together/have links and made us the player, and our characters do quests with all of them! I'm glad Fromsoftaware did that at least!

And can we talk about this masterpiece of a fight and music?!!? they went so hard! omg it was incredible and so emotional! 10/10

Now what do I think of each of them? Oh boy

Well first they are seven of them. Like the seven guardians of light of kingdom hearts and many other thing. Like the number of runes we got on the main bosses 👀

This is a joke yes

-Ok let's go with Leda now

Since that artwork pop out I'm absolutely in love with the aesthetic ❤️ absolutely beautiful! Was very intrigued for sure. A dear a loyal follower of Miquella, what many people wanted to see or be! What an occasion. I appreciated her quickly for helping us!

But the more I advanced in the dlc the more I grew concerned, worried, scarred and even a bit terrified of her! I think no one expected it but she's capable of coldly doing the worst & killed past allies and that's terrifying. We know her sword literally have the blood of the past other needle knights too 😰 Still, I want to give a bit of nuance because it's up to interpretations but perhaps they did killed each others one by one and Leda just didn't kill her old squad all alone scary that things repeat itself... man must have been a big mess I really wonder what went down... probably a big tragedy too.

-Freyja : I really enjoyed her the antic/grec armor! That's so cool. It's so funny but when I met Freyja it went like this :

*Arrived in front of the npc* Hello sir! *talk to the npc*

*Freyja start to speak*

Me : Oh hello Ma'am?! 👀

I think many had assumptions with just the trailer! 😂 Likewise for Thiollier, on first trailer impression I would have assume a woman.

And I'm just so so happy that actually basic trope are swap! It just even more cool I love them so much!! <3

I really like her link with other characters and her quest in the storehouse. Girl is really the strong friend that need help in maths XD also her backstory with Radahn & Miquella is very interesting

-Speaking of Thiollier, I really like the guy too! <3 poor baby just wanted a hug from Trina... same fr I pity him a bit during that but after he calm down I know he's a true homies that will stand with me! I'm very intrigued by his backstory too... fell sad.

-Moore : aww look at this little guy 🥺 who like to collect stuff. So much autistic vibe jckfbh. Anyway he deserved better 😭

-Dane: really mysterious and interesting character for sure. I beat him first or 2nd try I thinK? Not that hard but he don't have weapons and is very strong respect! I like that he leave us message/ stuff around waterfall too

-Hornsent : very intriguing too 🤔 Also I screw up his quest kinda 💀 forgot to help him against Leda before Messmer dcnfnvnjfv also his link with Grandam (scorpion stew etc) and potentially Romina are very interesting! Why Romina? Well when I couldn't beat the final boss I discovered bro invade us just before Romina somehow?! I have no idea how did I missed him ?! So yes he try to block the way to the tower but more directly Romina. And he's a hornsent. So idk maybe there's a connection ?😅

-Ansbach : ah the goat! Of course I like the grandpa with a scythe and a helmet like the cainhurst one! 😂 What can I say I really like this character, he's wise and very kind towards us and looks so cool! He help us a lot. he have crazy ass revelation too O_O the only thing I can reproach him is that he used to work for Mohg and when he was younger probably did some very wild if not awful thing... he really don't feel that now hm? Anyway really like him too!

[jennaimmortal]

Hey OFMD friends! There’s a few little things (and one big thing) I’d like to try to clear up based on a number of discussions I’ve seen in various places.

1. Stede understands sex & sex references. When he responds with “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” or something similar, that’s a posh people thing. They pretend they’ve never heard of sex whenever it’s brought up in public or with strangers. Just weird aristocrat things! But Stede knows. He’d definitely had plenty of (likely not very pleasant) sex with his wife, and he’d very likely had other sexual experiences as well. More importantly, though, he’s a voracious reader! The man likely had a whole stash of filthy, bawdy novels & books of poetry. There was PLENTY of it, even back then!

2. Ed & Stede’s inn is NOT on the same island as the Republic of Pirates. They’d never settle on an island currently occupied by British military. They sailed away from the Republic of Pirates & went to a totally different island.

3. Frenchie is the new Captain because he was already First Mate, so there was no reason for them to take a vote. Yes, the crew chose Olu in 1x9, but that was when they were mutinying against Izzy & there was no official First Mate in place. The crew don’t seem to have any qualms about Frenchie’s abilities (so far anyway!) It will be a lot of fun to explore that dynamic in S3.

4. Zheng’s very likely only going to be with The Revenge until she finds one of her remaining ships that weren’t in the Republic of Lirates harbor when Ricky attacked.

I’m hoping, though, that we, the audience, will get lucky enough to keep Zheng with them for a while before she does find one of her own ships. I definitely want to see some shenanigans with The Crew, Zheng, & Auntie, including at least one raid. Fingers crossed!

The one BIG thing:

There are MANY disabled characters on the show. Wee John has mobility issues & chronic pain. Lucius is an artist & scribe w an amputated finger & also has chronic back pain. Swede has scurvy. Jackie’s right hand is a prosthetic.

It’s extremely important to understand that all disabilities are relevant no matter how visible they are. There has been some very harmful discourse about disability representation surrounding Izzy’s death & it really needs to stop. A HUGE percentage of disabilities are invisible. Those of us (yep, myself included) with invisible disabilities have had to fight tooth & nail for basic recognition & acknowledgement, let alone benefits & proper medical treatment. We’re still fighting & it’s a major uphill battle!

Let’s not give more ammunition to those fighting against us by claiming that Izzy’s disability was the only important one.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk! 💞

[letsdeerintheheadlightsuniverse]

<<Previous Chapter <<

**Masterlist**

>>Next Chapter>>

Pairing: Izzy Hands x gn!reader

Synopsis: And there was only one bed...

A/N: It's me, hi. You know, this chapter was both interesting and difficult to write. I found myself doubting my storytelling abilities, so I genuinely hope that it lives up to the standard of the previous instalments. Please, when you're liking and reblogging these chapters, feel free to comment. It's nice to see people interacting and reacting to my work. It also helps me to know what people are enjoying, so I can tailor my writing, if necessary. Okay, bye now.

Content Warning: Knives, mention of injuries, trauma, hallucinations, mention of drowning and death. I think that's everything. This series is 18+, so minors dni. Go away (politely).

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, REPUBLISH, OR TRANSLATE MY WORK ANYWHERE WITHOUT MY EXPLICIT PERMISSION. I DO NOT OWN OFMD OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

=============================

Sleep was for the weak, and let's just say, you were indeed weak, but as luck may have it, good fortune was not on your side. Despite yours and Izzy's argument about who would take up residence in his bed for the night, the conversation had been for nought, as the suggestion to just share the damn space died upon your tongue, when the first call to attention echoed down the timber halls of the Revenge.

"We're taking water!" you heard Fang's distinctive cry.

"Shit." the silver-haired pirate hissed in annoyance beside you, already making a move to grab his discarded waistcoat and boot.

"That's bad, right?" you asked, nerves rising. You had not experienced a storm of this severity whilst at sea. You certainly had not been on a ship that was taking water. The prospect of the Revenge sinking, twisted your gut into anxious knots. Sure, you could swim but for how long? Even if you did manage to keep a float until the storm passed, how long could you keep your head above water before another ship passed and picked you up? No, correction, if they picked you up.

"'Bad' is a fucking understatement." Izzy all but laughed humourlessly. Not meaning to sound so mocking. Of course you were scared, what normal person would not be fearful of their poor odds of survival? After living a majority of his life at sea, Izzy had grown numb to the liklihood of drowning. He accepted that as a pirate, your days were numbered. Lower even than those who dwelled on land but that was the profession fate had chosen for him. Why fight the inevitable? Despite his grim acceptance, he wanted to pause and comfort you.  To lie and say it would be okay. Maybe even pull you into a fleeting kiss, since it seemed unlikely you would all live to see another sunrise. He would have nothing to lose, with the only gain being finally learning just how sweet you tasted.

"Told you Poseiden hates us." your attempt at humour was admirable but the evident shake in your voice caused the delivery to fall flat.

Gods, he adored you. Even when terrified, there was something so disarmingly charming about your personality. "Stay here." Izzy commanded, knowing you were likely to follow him to the deck. As much as your skills would undoubtedly be an asset to the team members already battling against the elements, the mere thought that something horrendous could happen to you, had the First Mate devising a plan to keep you in the hold.

"What, no!" you protested, confused as to why the pirate would want you to stay away from the main deck. Sure, you might not have been as seasoned a pirate as Ed or Fang but you still knew enough to be of use. "You're going to need all competent hands on deck. You said so yourself earlier."

"That's why I need you down here." that's why I need you out of harms way, he thought internally. "Edward's gonna be out on the deck with Bonnet."

"Yeah, so?" you frowned, not quite understanding the trajectory of his point. Where else were the captains going to be, sequestered away in their cabin while everyone risked their life to keep the Revenge sailing? A unlikely story.

"Some of the crew aren't going handle that too well." hell, he was not handling it well but someone had to take charge and consider the wellbeing of the misfit crew. While he himself could not provide them with any actual support, you- oh goodness- you could tame ever the wildest of beasts into submission with your freely given smiles and affections. You had unlocked something long dormant within the silver-haired pirate. Something he assumed he had lost forever in exchange for his reputation and legend.

"Why wouldn't..." then it clicked. You faltered in your questioning, as your mind connected the sickening dots. "Shit, the storm."

"And with Edward at the wheel, it'll be too much for them." For them, he thought bitterly, as if his own mind was not trying to coax him into a state of remembrance. Fuck it, any unwanted flashbacks to that tragic night, all those many moons ago, would just have to haunt him in whatever realm lay beyond this mortal life. Izzy did not have time to focus on his own pain. When did he ever? That being said, each boom of thunder was starting to sound eerily like the shot of a gun.

"What about you?" you implored, knowing that Izzy rarely focused on his own thoughts and feelings. While such a practice made him a ruthless pirate, there was no denying that such strength took a heavy toll on his mental and physical wellbeing.

At the sound of your question and the saddened look upon your features, the First Mate yearned to lie in your arms and have you comfort him in that tender way of yours, that made his knees weak. He had observed time and time again, you whispering sweet nothing to a trembling Frenchie or carefully hold Archie's hand when things got a little too overwhelming. Izzy knew what you were capable of and he wanted to experience it too.

"Fuck off worrying about me. I'm First Mate, my feelings come second to the survival of everyone on this fucking ship, got that?" and there it was, the titular reason you had fallen completely head over heels for one Israel Hands. Too stubborn for his own good. Despite his 'I don't give a fuck' attitude, it was painfully obvious that he did care. He cared so fucking much, to the point it hurt. Figuratively and literally. Whether it was taking a blade on someone's behalf or protecting the crew in the middle of a storm- Izzy's would do anything to keep the crew safe.

Upon recognising this, you realised you would do anything for that man. If he asked you to jump, you would say, 'how high?' His loyalty to others ran deep but yours for him, well, it burned brighter than the hottested of fires. Once a spark, was now a full on flame- all consuming and enveloping every fibre of your very being. You were not just devoted to Izzy, you were a fucking acolyte, ready to fall to your knees and give him whatever he wished to take. "What do you need from me?"

"To stay down here." where I know you'll be safe. Safer. He corrected himself. There was no real 'safe' when it came to a storm of this severity. "Help anyone who needs it. Keep 'em calm and keep 'em below deck. Understood?"

With a nod, you agreed. A small smile played on your lips, as you responded with a familiar, "Yes, boss."

"Can you get to the rec room?"

"I'll manage."

And with a solemn nod, he moved to make his way down the hallway, proceeding as quickly as he could, given the violent swaying of the ship. The unmistakable lump in his throat made it difficult to breathe. Whatever conflicting emotions he was feeling, Izzy needed to push them down- deep down- into the recesses of his very being and focus on the predicament in hand. Though he was pessimistic about the outcome of the night, if there was even a sliver of hope that the crew would all live to witness another day, then he would do everything in his power to ensure you felt the sun grace you skin once more.

Hey, Izzy!" you call made him freeze in place. He had only moved a few few feet away. Had something awful already befelled you in the soace of 20 seconds? He turned with a frown painted on his face. There was still so much left unsaid between you both, that you wished to confess in that moment. Three little words dancing upon your tongue, as they clawed passed the barrier of your lips, demanding the silver-haired pirate's attention. "Please be careful."

"I promise." his vow still echoed in your thoughts for tens of minutes later, when you were finally alone.

It was now your turn to make yourself useful. With Izzy busy helping his captains, you needed to make sure you remained true to your word. Half the crew were still traumatised by their time sailing with the Kraken. Izzy was right about one thing, your friends were going to need all the compassion and support you had to offer, in order to survive this storm. Although an buoyant and intact ship would probably help matters greatly too.

You had often boasted that, you knew the Revenge like the back of your own hand. Even blindfolded, you were sure you could navigate the halls with ease and still find yourself exactly were you needed to be. But during a storm as unforgiving as this one? You were having difficulties staying upright, let alone actually arriving at your chosen destination. With no Izzy to hold on to, you were on your own and praying you did not accidentally smack your head against any of the available surfaces.

So, when you caught sight of your fellow crewmate, Frenchie, exiting one room and disappearing into the storage hold, you were quick- well, as quick as you could manage- to follow him into a slightly cramped space. "Frenchie!" you greeted him, thankful to be out of the hallway. At least in here, there were crates you could grab onto to keep your balance. "Hey, Frenchie. What are you...doing..." whatever you had planned to say next, died upon your lips, as you caught sight of the serrated silver blade he gripped tightly in his first. "Frenchie, what...what's going on?"

You were regarded with wild eyes, as the man before you, saw ghosts of trauma past flicker in and out of existence. "H-He's gonna kill us."

The world around him was not his own. He was reliving the events of a time gone by and all you could do, was try and coax him back to the present. "Who, French? Hey, hey!" you gently turned his head, so that he faced you once more. Tears of frustration spilled down his cheeks in a steady cascade, which you were quick to wipe away. "Look at me." only when he finally met your gaze, did your offer him a sympathetic smile. Your heart ached to see your friend so distraught. So lost. Goodness knows he deserved better. "Hey, what's going on, love?"

"Blackbeard. He's planning to sink the ship with all of us on it." Frenchie murmured, almost allowing himself to lean into your touch.

It was moments like these that got him through each day. Rare instances where he could show vulnerability, without the fearsome gaze of his Captain watching his every move, threatening punishment to any outward display of softness. Izzy had dared to call the environment 'poisoned'. Izzy had paid with his leg. Maybe eventually, his life. Or had he already died? It was so difficult to think straight and remember, there were too many conflicting thoughts spinning around in Frenchie's head. His whole world felt as if it were off kilter or perhaps that was just the storm rocking the ship?

"French-"

"I saw him, he's at the wheel right now!"

"Sweetheart, that's not what's-"

In an instant, his hand reached out to hold onto you, to keep you in place. To keep you near. Safe. Yes, safe, that was it. He...he was going to keep you out of harm's way. Out of the reach of Blackbeard's wrath. Ivan was dead. Izzy, too. Out of everyone else on the ship, you were the softest by far. Too soft for your own good. You needed protecting. "I'm gonna...I'm gonna stop him. You don't have to worry, (y/n)."

"French, Frenchie. Hey," "Hey, listen to me. I know w-what it might look like but it's different this time. Ed's not trying to hurt us. He's steering the ship away from the storm. Stede's up there helping him right now." "Hey French, sweetheart. Why...why don't you give me the knife."

You were losing him or maybe he was already lost. It was too difficult to tell if any of your reassurances would actually reach your crewmate in his time of anguish. You felt like a failure, having promised Izzy to make sure everyone was okay and yet, in Frenchie's time of need, you were clueless on how to bring him back from the brink of insanity. "Frenchie, it's not safe for you to be walking around with a knife. You could slip and hurt yourself." the silver shone in the low light- dangerous and ready to inflict pain. You held no fear for yourself, knowing Frenchie would never dream of hurting you. Hell, he was so hellbent on ensuring your safety, he was willing to kill Ed. "Please, love. Please, give me the-"

The rest of the sentence never fell from your lips, as the remaining lights flickered out in an instant and you felt yourself careen forwards, as the boat threatened to tip onto it's side. Sending you, Frenchie and the knife, tumbling into the surrounding darkness. I'm sorry, Iz. You thought with finality, as your consciousness was snuffed out like the flame of a candle.

"PEEEEEETE!" it was unclear who the scream came from but the sentiment was all shared amongst the crew.

It was not just 'bad', Izzy thought bitterly, as any shred of hope within him withered and died, it was downright fucked. This was it, this must have been how it ended.

"Oh god, oh god. Man overboard! Man overboard!" Stede cried out, alerting all those top deck of the situation. Much to the man's credit, though he could be a bit of a shit Captain, in that moment he at least called everyone to act. Shouting instructions left, right and centre. If there was one Stede Bonnet succeeded in, it was caring about the life and safety of his crew. Of course, he knew what to do if one of them fell over the side of the ship. "Fang, Roach, get the rescue boat ready! We need to get someone in the water to fetch him." upon noticing some of the other pirates still too close to edge for his liking, the blonde was quick to reprimand  them. "Everyone else, stay away from the railings! I can't risk having more men in the water."

Whilst Stede was one to preserve life, Ed was a little more reckless in his approach. Not one to sit around and wait for a rescue plan, he was already tying his hair from out of his face and unloading the knives and gun from upon his person. There was a chance he was going to need to swim and the extra weight of weapons would only cause him to sink. "I'm getting in the fishing boat."

"Like hell you are!" his partner reacted indignantly and with good reason. Moments like these called for strategy, not some whim-prone decision, made based purely on emotion rather than logic.

"Shockingly, I agree with Bonnet. Don't be a fucking hero, Edward!" Izzy could not tell if the nausea he was desperately trying to ignore was from the rocking of the ship or the fact he had a actually concured with Stede fucking Bonnet. Ed's reaction did not surprise the First Hand, he had played witness to his Captain's saviour complex on more than one occasion. Hell, him saving Bonnet after the twat had been stabbed, was definitely motivated by the same instinct, that drove him towards making such a rash decision now.

Of course, the two mens' protests fell upon deaf ears. Ed had made up his mind. This was not his first man overboard- probably would not be the last either- and he was co-captain, after all. Why should he not sacrifice himself for the life of his crew? "Buttons, take over from me!" he instructed, leaving his place at the wheel.

"Aye, aye, Captain, sir!"

Oh no, you don't, Stede cursed, refusing to let the great love of his life be so reckless. He could sense the guilt radiating off of Ed from a mile off. "Buttons, stay at your station." he barked, leaving no room for arguments from the mystic shipmate.

"Yes, Captain."

But why could Stede not see that he needed to do this? Ed thought, immediately picturing Lucius's face, when they told him the news that Pete was dead, that he had drowned because there were not enough hands on deck. The next question would be, where was everyone? And then, all eyes would immediately be directed towards Ed. It was his fault. It was always his fucking fault! If half the crew weren't so traumatised by his previous behaviour, then Pete..."No, Buttons-"

"I'll go."

And just like that, the bickering between the two lovers ceased in an instant. Thise two words echoed louder than any resounding crash of thunder. In that moment, Ed thought he felt his entire world shift off of it's axis. "Iz-"

While it was true that the two men had once shared a conplicated relationship that could not be conventionally defined, there was no denying that either had love for the other. It might not have been the same kind that Ed shared with Stede but it was present all the same. It was this exact love that fuelled Izzy's decision to go in place of his Captain. "Crew needs you, Edward. It's too risky."

Without Ed aboard the ship, the responsibility would fall upon Stede and Izzy's shoulders. With those kinds of odds, the crew of the Revenge would definitely be fucked. No one knew how to navigate a storm quite like Blackbeard and live to tell the tale.

Plus, as much as he hated to admit it, should anything happen to Ed, fucking Bonnet would be inconsolable. The twat had already experienced the stages of grief when Ed went to the gravy basket the first time around. No man should not have to go through that again so soon, even if it was the so called Gentleman Pirate.

Not that Izzy was doing this just for the benefit of his useless co-captain. With Ed still manning the ship, the crew would have a slightly higher chance of survival. You woukd have a chance of survival. If Izzy could not give you the kind of love and adoration you so deserved, then he would give you the opportunity to live and find that kind of companionship with someone worthy of your affections.

"Hello, is someone getting in the fecking boat or not, you've got a man drowning here, for fucks sake!" Wee John yelled, as the heaven's poured down upon them in a fit of unrestrained fury. It was getting increasingly more and more difficult to see the tumultuous waves below through the onslaught of rain.

"I am!" the First Mate returned the call, hellbent on remaining defiant until the end. "Say the order, Edward. Please. Don't fight me on this." he all but begged.

Oh, how Ed wanted to tell Izzy to 'fuck off', to curse the silver-haired pirate until his voice ran hoarse and even after that, curse him some more. How dare the First Mate be the voice of reason! How dare he...how dare he be right. "Go. Get on that fucking boat but you listen to me, First Mate Israel fucking Hands," if Izzy did not know better, he would have assumed Ed grabbing him by the lapels of his waistcoat, was a genuine threatening act but, that was just it, he did know better. He could see the fear reflected back at him in those terrified brown eyes. "I want you back on this boat in one piece, understood?" he hissed but there was no venom in his demands.

"Understood, Captain." he nodded before he was roughly pushed away.

The thudding sound of the door to the hold opening was completely lost amongst the cacophony of the surrounding chaos. It was only when Lucius called out to his Captain, that Stede noticed in horror, that the Scribe had abandoned his post. "Captain Bonnet!"

No, no, no! The blonde thought, abandoning Ed and Izzy's side, in favour of meeting the crewmate half way across the decking. The Scribe could not be up here! Not now! What if he were to notice Pete's missing presence or hear news about a man overboard, then what? Hysterics would ensue and that was the last thing the already struggling crew needed. Bless the young man's heart, he would be justified in his reaction but there was already so much going on, that needed everyone's full, uninterrupted attention. "Lucius, get back inside, now! It's too dangerous out here!"

"We need Roach, Captain! It's-"

With Stede dealing with the Scribe, the rest of the crew quickly got the fishing boat ready for it's latest voyage it the treacherous unknown. "Lower him down, lads!" the descent had begun. With one final nod of acknowledgement to his captain, Izzy readied himself of the recovery mission ahead. "Easy now!"

"Lucius, please. I need you to go back to the rec room. I can't risk..." but the unexpected sight of crimson perturbed the conscientious pirate, who was only wanting to protect Lucius's mental state in that moment. All thoughts of Pete beliw the waves, Izzy in that fragile fishing boat upon the turbulent waters, even the image of Ed willing to sacrifice his safety only moments ago, completely faded when Stede finally took in the Scribe's dishevelled state. The meaning behind the words finally fell into place. One of his crew was hurt. Badly enough that they needed the assistance of the cook/medic. "Who's blood is that?" the Captain's mind was already mentally ticking off names of those still below deck.

Jim, Archie, Oluwande, (y/n), Frenchie...

"There's been an accident in the storage area." was all that Lucius could managed to croak out. Fuck, there was so much blood and no matter what they did, it just kept spilling upon the wooden floors. The Scribe had slipped in it twice just trying to scramble towards the nearest exit. No doubt the quantity would have doubled by the time he actually managed to retrieve help.

There was no way the deck crew could spare a man, especially not with two already in the water. They needed all the help they could get, Stede rationalised. Roach woukd have to remain where he was, which coukd only have meant..."Ed!" the blonde called to his partner, not wishing to distract him for too long. The long-haired pirate momentarily tore his gaze away from the form of his First Mate, concerned that there was more trouble afoot upon the ship. Though his worry was well-placed, Stede did not want to add any more stress to the already life or death situation. "Stay up here with Buttons! There's something I need to check!" he instructed as vaguely as possible, hoping Ed would not question him too much.

Already, Blackbeard's suspiscions were heightened, glancing between the struggle taking place in the water and...wait, was that blood? He stood up in an instant, insticts screaming at him to not abandon his post and yet, how could he not? Someone else was hurt. He was no medic by any means but...but..."What's happened?!" he called back, booming voice nearly getting lost in another flare of thunder and lightning.

Who else was downstairs? He panicked, struggling to remember everyone's names. He was so much better with faces. Right, Archie, Lucius- no, Lucius was standing next to Stede. Swede? No, he was...where was he? Right, right repairing the mast rigging. Who did that leave?

As soon as Ed took that step forward, Stede knew he had to quickly intervene and implore his partner to remain at his post. The outside crew needed an adept leader, who knew how to deal with the sea's rage. Whatever was going on below deck, Stede was more than assured that he could handle it. Yes, he was no medic but he had been run through enough times to know how to perform a basic suture. "Just trust me, please?!"

And how could Ed disrgard sych a request, especially when Stede looked at him like that? That expression that begged him to implicitly trust the man he loved and ask questions later. "Always!"

And he did. He well and truly did. Ed would always trust Stede with every fibre of his being. Now and forever.

With the situation up top now being supervised by Ed, Stede returned his attention to the terrified young man. The Captain was sure the trembling was not just due to the icy wind and sheets of cool rain that pelted them from every direction. He was scared and that told Stede everything he needed to expect from the dilemma in the storage room. "Show me." he murmured, already leading Lucius towards the stairs.

=============================

A/N: Oh no! Someone below deck has been gravely injured, I wonder who it could be...I guess you'll just have to wait until Chapter 5 to find out. See you soon!

P.S. I know I said they were going to share a bed. I just didn't say when exactly that would happen. Maybe keep an eye out for Chapter 6.

[rdng1230]

10 things Easily fixable about That thing that happened: look, killing off Izzy Hands was always gonna hurt like a bitch. And it was a stupid decision, but what really made it worse was how many ways they could have made it better and specifically didn’t, so here’s a list in no particular order of general things that I think would’ve made things suck less, and a couple different story fix proposals. Maybe if I write it all out I can move on a little bit.

I know it was for budgetary reasons but it bothered me Ivan was killed off with one sentence and never mentioned again. I think what would have worked is if Ivan had been a little more fleshed out in s1, and then had him die on screen at the hands of a particularly dickish British naval officer in 2x01. Cut to episode 7 and said dickish Brit is Ricky’s number two. Izzy could have willingly and purposefully drawn the fire of officer asshole, as an acknowledgement of his failure to save Ivan and his past failures to be a proper protector of blackbeards crew, and to save the crew he’s now realized is his family that he is willing to die for. In addition I think that would’ve helped set up the British as being an actual formidable bad guy, because up to this point they were the most looney tunes ass villains on the high seas. Also it would’ve been an interesting symmetry to have the loyal pirate first mate vs. the loyal imperialist scumbag first mate. Think of the banter people.

I hate it when bad events in stories are predicated on having highly intelligent characters be complete idiots. You’re telling me Izzy fucking hands didn’t check noseless wonder for weapons? Fuck off. At least have a fellow soldier toss ricky a musket or something, or just have another soldier shoot him.

I think the main issue here is agency. Yes everyone consented to going into battle that way, but Izzy’s shooting was unceremonious, it wasn’t like he charged somebody or acted as bait, he just got hit by a stray bullet (It’s giving “your shirt” and I fucking hate it Iykyk)

Literally no one attempted medical intervention to help Izzy. Roach isn’t gonna stuff a rag in there? Jim isn’t gonna pass a knife to help rip Izzy’s clothes to visualize the wound? Fang and Frenchie aren’t gonna hold his hand? We’re not even gonna fucking try?!?!

if they had to center Ed’s issues with Izzy’s literal dying words, could we have at least have it be a big character moment for Ed to say “yes the crew is my family, but they’re yours too and I promise I’ll take care of them and make amends” like if DJ is so convinced of this father mentor thing (which seriously what the fuck is he even talking about) what’s more par for the course in this trope then the ole “you’re the man of the house now son you gotta take care of the family” routine

look, I know they got a short episode that they have to keep short. Cut a minute of time out of that breathtakingly awkward fishing sequence from the beginning and give Izzy’s death some breathing room. FFS the fallout from Karl’s and Lucius’s finger’s death had more reaction and more airtime than Izzy Hands (and more effect on the story)

Ricky fucking got away and no one talks about it. It would’ve been great if literally anyone had said “yeah we’re going after that guy” or “we may have won the battle but the British are always out there and one of these days we’ll meet again” just an acknowledgement that one guerilla battle at the republic of pirates was never gonna be the end of it.

this one hits close to home for me. I live on a boat, my mother is a licensed 100 ton ship captain. We’re seafarers goddamit and when we shake off this mortal coil we are buried (or cremated and scattered) at sea. Izzy Hands would not have wanted a land burial and he would’ve wanted to be buried at sea like the distinguished pirate he is, by the crew that became his family.

This segues into the burial at sea thing but maybe don’t bury him without his leg on, like just don’t do that. Don’t put his cravat and mothers ring where anybody could just come along and yank it off, Jesus.

I think frenchie being captain was a weird choice tbh. I love frenchie but he is a jester, a troubadour, a fae walking among us, the worlds handsomest grifter, but this dude does not want to be captain. However, if you had to make him captain I think it would’ve been nice to have had a scene post amputation where Izzy deliriously tells frenchie all these bits of advice about being first mate/captain and how Izzy had failed to be a good one in the past. I just loved the frenchie izzy bond in general and I would’ve loved another extra scene with them. This also would’ve lended itself well to frenchie being the one to outwardly grieve (the box opening up finally) during that minute of breathing room post death that I mentioned was needed earlier, maybe he would’ve reprised la vie en rose, or played a shanty/wake song that everyone could join in on.

I’m sure there are other things too that I’ve forgotten, but I think this covers most of it. Let me also say Izzy’s death was hardly the only issue I had with the finale, but that moment was the most egregiously and easily fixable (or at the very least mitigable) plot point. At the end of the day I think Izzy should’ve just not fucking died, but if they were gonna kill him, there were so many more respectful ways to do it.