#I MEAN IT KINDA WORKS OUT WITH THE WAY DAISUKE AND DARK ARE BUILT TOO THOUGH LIKE

[dnangelic]

he almost laughs after dark shares every word with him , but something keeps his face stuck at bashful and troubled . humans can't even get caught in pokeballs --- of course , that was a simple fact . yet there were still plenty of other traps that humans could use to try to capture and subdue . ' there are still things like jails ... or ropes and handcuffs , and cages . not to mention , even if it has no effect , having a pokeball thrown at you still kind of --- um , hurts . '

would a wild pokemon have even known what a human jail or pair of handcuffs was , or what any of it was like ? for all he knew , thor might not have even known what a criminal was . human beings and their laws were always like that , and having to explain the way that he was not only aware of certain complicated , sometimes unnecessary human rules , but also a person that was readily outright breaking them --- felt like an awful , awkward confession to make .

' i'd also ... like to be your friend . if it's really okay --- is it really ... ? ' he couldn't have blamed anything or anyone for at least a little defensiveness , and likewise he would have understood if thor suddenly decided to change their mind and run away from him as well . his hand retracts from the space of the other's head to anxiously grip a fist above the space of his own heart , the niwa fretting already about the outcome of the sort of unpleasant self-description that would have no doubt alarmed if not disgusted a great , great majority .

' i'm ... a thief . ' then --- ' a phantom thief . i take things like arts , or treasure , or sometimes ... even pokemon from other people . ' a swallow , and he quickly continues . ' --- b-but it's not because i want to hurt them ! the ones that need help , or the ones that are being abandoned or mistreated , i just want to be able to do something for them ! there are these distortions , too --- where pokemon , all the time , are getting misplaced in completely different times or places , and i try to bring as many as i can back home , ' he winces a little , here .

' humans ... i'm breaking a lot of human rules , and they also --- think that those distortions are my ... dark's fault . i wouldn't --- i don't want to hurt anyone , but because of the way things are ... ' he hopes the other could somehow understand . ' ... it's dangerous . i'm --- ' a bad person , he can't help but briefly think to himself . ' ... sorry . i'm sorry . even if it should be okay if you don't have a trainer , and you live here where no humans are , i still don't want to bring you --- anyone here any trouble . i'd never try to capture you , but there are --- a lot , always a lot of people who always want to capture me . '

He couldn't help but startle a bit at the sudden change in his appearance. His eyes couldn't help but flicker in recognition as well. Had that what he meant by Dark? Because of the darker hair colors? So was Daisuke technically Dark now? Thor squints in confusion, even as Daisuke's? Dark's? Darsuke's (?) cooler palm plops on his head in the space between his ears.

["It is kinda weird… but not scary! It was surprising because you changed so quickly!"] Thor pauses, flicking his tail as a thought comes to him. ["Hmm, maybe I'd be more scared if we weren't already talking."] It would definitely be more strange to see a human you'd never met suddenly change without warning, but within the short amount of time they've spoken with one another, Daisuke doesn't seem all that scary.

Thor waits with bated breath for the other's response, body tensed and ready to flee at a moment's notice. There was also a very faint shift in the atmosphere, the air becoming the slightest bit pressurized--the smell of ozone faint but sharp. He even had his electricity on standby as he feared the worst, but then, he heard the boy's nervous response and that pressure immediately disappeared. Like it was never even there.

A heavy sigh is released from the rodent in relief as he goes back to relaxing his upper body on Daisuke's leg. ["Oh, alright… that's--that's good."] He is very happy to hear the reasoning behind the question, because if the response had been anything different... well they certainly wouldn't be chatting right now, that's for sure. ["Sorry for bein' defensive."]

He scootches his upper half up a bit more so he's practically laying across his lap. ["I just don't… have any interest in being captured, but I don't mind just being your friend, if that's alright. What's so dangerous about talking with you and why do you care about being caught?"] The idea of a human being captured made no sense to him. ["Humans can't even get caught in Pokéballs."]

[ae0nx]

SUPERPOST: DIGIMON ADVENTURE: LAST EVOLUTION (KIZUNA) RECAP/REVIEW SPOILERSSSSSS

SPOILER ALERT I WILL BE GOING INTO DETAIL. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER.

I’m not gonna do a blacktober/drawtober today, but I willlll rant about Digimon, because nothing ever really changes. Ok, I’m tipsy and I feel like everyone and their mum has watched Kizuna now so I wanna finally express my feelfeels on it. Let’s goooo

-------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so I love how this movie opens especially as an old school fan.

It’s perfect. I love the solid feeling of ‘finality’ to the series that we never got to see in Tri... (I’ll try not talk shit about Tri in this recap but it’s gonna be difficult, I’m sorry)

- We got that call back to the original soundtrack! The only time in life I will tear up at hearing Bolero.

- I adoreee the animation and designs in this movie. It feels so much more diverse (in terms of facial features) than Tri did without even trying really. The facial expressions are so much characteristic and there’s less awkward spacey moments. It’s nice! (Ooops, mentioned Tri: Count 2 haha)

- While I was a bit disappointed with the digidestined outfits when they were first released as still images, they do look a lot better in action and they fit in well with the world that is built. But Taichi swapping sneakers for sandals? Seems false lol

Taichi’s anxiety about the destruction. Nice to see continuation and character development. We love him~~~

- The Parrotmon vs Greymon + Angemon + Angewomon fight looked dope and was a nice call back/development. The electricity and fire looked amazing and honestly had me hyped. A lot of fight scenes in this movie did.

Haha, of course Yamato had to come in looking unnecessarily cool on his fancy new bike only to talk shit about Taichi. We love him too, goddammit lol

- It totally makes sense that the two pairs of siblings and Koushirou would be the most actively involved out of all of the digidestined tbh

The movie opening theme being set to the original ‘Butterfly’ was great, and in a weird way reminded me a little of the Cowboy Bebop Movie opening theme - except very much in the style and world of Digimon Adventure

- The digidestined are public superheroes now? Makes sense, I don’t hate it~~~

- I love the montage of Taichi and Yamato going about their lives as people in their early 20s. Taichi mostly dealing with the pressures of adulthood. Yamato feeling nostalgic about the things he left behind in childhood (playing harmonica, being in a band)

Ahhh, they can drink now! So weird, yet so fun haha

- It’s also really nice for my shipper heart to see Taichi and Yamato sit down and have a meal together without totally biting each other’s heads off. Shows how much they’ve matured!

- Yolei straight up was like ‘I don’t have time for this shit, Koushirou you deal with it’ 😂Mimi has taught you well, young padawan

I was really hoping these two would be a better addition than Maki and Daigo (RIP) and they were! It’s almost like the writers saw Tri and was like... let’s do better. (Ooops mentioned Tri: Count 3)

- I reallyyyyy really sadistically like the concept of the Digimon and Digidestined’s connection to each other dying slowly the older they get and with the less necessary the Digimon become in the human partner’s life. Yeahhhhh, it doesn’t match up with the 02 ending but I’m personally not too attached to that ending so I don’t mind. A) it’s actually a plot point that makes me give a shit and B) it’s very much a reflection of life which Digimon Adventure has always been and C) it makes sense of the reason as to why Digimon gravitate to children

DAISUKE! We stan a kinggg, with his dope sunglasses. I’m so happy the 02 kids are involved in this, even if it is kinda minimal.

- I love that they included the fact that the digital gates are basically like a free airplane ticket to anywhere in the world with a computer. It’s such a useful and cool concept

- ‘Burger Queen’ ahaha

AHHHHHHHHH HAHAAHHAHA I can’t. It feel so wrong yet so... correct? Hahaha

I’m sorry, my love for Gennai died with Tri. If it was old Gennai from Adventure maybe I would’ve felt a bit more nostalgic and loving. (Oops mentioned Tri: Count 4)

- I love the 02 kids basically being a smaller detective team that Chief Detective Yamato sent forth to do some investigating. It makes so much sense and we shoulda got this in triiiiii (I just wish we got this movie instead of Tri, I’m sorry Oops mentioned Tri: Count 5)

Spy movie? I don’t hate it~~~~

OK, DETECTIVE ISHIDA! (enter theme music which is most likely very dark and edgy and gothic with a hint of pop punk)

- Sora staying at home when Mimi is in the hospital seems... off... very off... but ok... ... ... I hate how they sidelined Sora in this movie. Why does every Digimon writer since Adventure hate Sora?!?!

- The act of Taichi literally shunning his future by switching off his phone to once again reach for his old goggles and old digivice is... poetic cinema

Saw the switch coming but whoa 😳

- You know the whole concept of her creating an eternal Digital world was a cool concept until she called it Neverland

- While I really like Menoa and her being the villain, this isn’t exactly a new motivation. How many times have we seen human partners turn into villains after losing their Digimon, man?!?! Just more motivation into making me think this film is just fixing the mistakes of Tri (Oops mentioned Tri: Count 6)

I really like this design! It might make my top 3 Digimon designs.

- You know... only in the Digimon fandom would a goddamn whistle make us all emotional 😭😂

This movie is so pretty!!!!

- Wait... did Biyomon vanish and that’s why Sora wasn’t involved? 😢

Wow. WOW. That goodbye... between Taichi and Agumon... and Yamato and Gabumon... was... ALL I WANTED/DIDN’T WANT. Seriously. As I said before, I really like the fact that this movie feels... final. Honestly, I don’t want grown up adventures with the Digimon - regardless of how mean that sounds. What’s unique about Digimon is how childlike it is and the separation between the Digimon’s childlike nature and the Digidestined was growing the older the humans got and it wouldn’t make full sense for the relationship between the two to go from friends and almost equals to parent and child. 

I guess I would’ve been more accepting of the Digimon staying a constant in the Digidestined lives if the writers touched on the theme of the Digimon being adult or baby whenever they like (or whenever they eat) and relating it to humans still looking after their inner child of curiosity and creativity as they get older. But that’s a pretty difficult concept, I’m still working my head around that haha

Also, Digimon has always specifically been a metaphor/real example for the joys and hardships of childhood. While it’s super sad, I’m glad we got such a nice send off!

[luanna801]

Obviously 001 for SatoDai~

YESSSS, let’s do this. :-)

(Also I hope you guys are prepared for a lot of rambling, because. Uh. This got super long.)

when I started shipping it if I did: Haha, okay, so. I first started reading D.N.Angel like a decade ago, when I was 15, so bear with me that my memory is slightly fuzzy here. But the two moments that stick out in my mind as when I started having shippy feelings were the scene when Satoshi dives into the pool to save Daisuke (technically Wiz!Daisuke, in the manga), and this scene:

I’ve talked a bit in the past about how bb!me, as a general rule, did not have slash ships. With the kind of religious upbringing I had (I was, and still am, Orthodox Jewish) I was just really unlikely to see a character as gay (or bi, or pan, etc.) unless it was outright stated in the story. But these two managed to be an exception to that because… well, it was just that obvious.

Then I kinda forgot about them, and for the most part about D.N.Angel, until I started watching the anime and re-reading the manga last year. And was reminded all over again how much I love these characters - honestly, in certain ways I think I feel much more strongly about them than I did back then, because I think I relate to the story in a more complex way now. And I’m also happily in a place where I’ve evolved a lot in terms of my religion and how I view LGBQTA issues, which does also affect the way I am as a shipper. So all in all I’m in a place now where I ship them even more strongly than I did as a teenager, which is really nice.

my thoughts: MY PRECIOUS CHILDREN, I WILL PROTECT THEM FROM EVERYONE WHO TRIES TO HURT THEM OR CONTROL THEM OR PREVENT THEM FROM BEING HAPPY IN ANY WAY. *laughs* No, seriously, I love them a lot. I think their relationship is a really good one for both of them (amazingly so, considering how they started out), and they help each other grow in a lot of really important ways. I say this all the time, but: I love that they were supposed to be Predestined Mortal Enemies and yet they’re so absolutely terrible at it. I love that at the beginning of the story, you have Satoshi talking about how they have to be enemies Because Destiny, and yet he still runs in there to save Daisuke over and over. (Not just in a “Okay, you’re my enemy, but I can’t actually let you die” kinda way either - he literally runs over to catch Daisuke when he’s falling down the stairs??? Just because??? Apparently he can’t stand the thought of seeing his Mortal Enemy TM fall and hurt himself? A+, amazing enemy-ing, Satoshi.) I love that you have everyone - Emiko, Daiki, Dark, Satoshi himself at times - telling Daisuke that the two of them can’t be friends, that they have to be enemies, and Daisuke absolutely does not care. He just keeps trusting his instinct that Satoshi is a good person and reaching out in friendship no matter what, and that ends up making all the difference.

It’s especially amazing because - I’m gonna talk a bit more about this below - one of Daisuke’s major character flaws is that he has a really hard time standing up to people and putting his foot down about the things he thinks and wants. And yet when it comes to his friendship with Satoshi, that boy does not let anyone tell him what to do. He stands up to his family and Dark about it over and over, he even freakin’ yells at Emiko over it at one point. And the beautiful thing is that speaking up about that leads to him letting out more of his frustrations with how the Niwa family does things in general (that argument I mention leads to Daisuke blurting out that, shockingly enough, he’s really not comfortable with all this stealing, ‘family tradition’ or no), and that’s something incredibly healthy and important for him as a character.

I think the lovely thing about their friendship is that it leads to some hugely important and positive growth for both of them. Satoshi starts being able to open up more and actually trust someone and have someone he openly calls a friend (probably for the first time in his life). Daisuke learns to trust his own instincts and stand up for what he thinks and the relationships he wants in his life, even if it’s different from how his family’s traditionally done things and he’s facing opposition from almost everyone. Their relationship leads to both of them growing into stronger and healthier people, and I think that says a lot about them.

What makes me happy about them: At their core, I think their story is one about love being stronger than hate. The Niwas and Hikaris have been at odds for centuries, and ultimately it’s brought both sides nothing but a lot of needless misery. And it takes these two kids coming along and saying “Hey, everyone says we have to be enemies, but maybe we don’t actually have to be” for things to start changing, and you see how much stronger they are together and how beautifully they work as a team once that happens. Ultimately, I think if the manga did end up being finished we’d see that play a big role in ending the curse, because I think their friendship is hugely significant not just for them as individuals, but for what it means that a Niwa and a Hikari are working together as friends after all this time.

But I also think on a personal level, their friendship is just so good for both of them, and really different from anything they’ve had with anyone else. (Well obviously, Satoshi’s pretty clearly never had a real friend before, but I think even for Daisuke their friendship is something pretty unique.) I mean, I talked above about how it leads to some really important character growth for both of them, but I also just really love how mutually supportive they are (I even made a whole photoset about it!) and the way you see them open up to each other about things you really never see them confide in anyone else about. Can we talk about how we see Daisuke struggling with his insecurity issues over feeling like he isn’t good enough on his own and he can’t do anything without Dark for almost the entire story, and yet it isn’t until he and Satoshi start becoming closer friends that we finally see him openly talk about it to someone? Like??? I see people talk a fair bit about how Daisuke helps Satoshi open up (which is true!), but I think people ignore what a big deal it is for Daisuke to have a friendship like this, too. He has other relationships which are important in other ways, but we see him opening up with Satoshi in ways that you honestly don’t see with anyone else.

I think the biggest thing I love about them is how much they trust each other, because it’s a trust that exists in spite of so, so much. It’s a trust that exists in spite of the fact that Satoshi has huge (understandable) trust issues and is incredibly disinclined to trust anyone, let alone the kid he was raised to see as his mortal enemy. It’s a trust that exists in spite of Daisuke being told by almost everyone (including, again, at times Satoshi himself) that he shouldn’t trust Satoshi. It’s a trust you see them both struggle with at times, but ultimately they do choose to trust each other, over and over - as allies, as friends, as confidantes. That’s a hugely powerful thing. 

And again, that trust isn’t always a simple thing (how could it be, with their situation being as complicated as it is). But I think ultimately it’s solid because it’s built on something very real. It’s built on them consistently being there for each other and saving each other’s lives over and over. It’s built on them choosing to be honest with each other (it says so much that Satoshi is more than once the one filling Daisuke in about things his family should have explained long ago) and confide in each other. It’s built on them having the courage to call each other a friend and admit how much they mean to each other, even when it’s hard.

Also I just??? Love the more lighthearted aspects of their dynamic??? I love that Satoshi, who is so serious and so restrained and so emotionally repressed in almost every way, is such an effing flirt with Daisuke. I love how much he clearly loves teasing Daisuke, and the way Daisuke gets so incredibly flustered and is constantly blushing and stammering around him. I love when Daisuke is being such a huge dork (a la the Great Glasses Freakout of 2kWhatever) and Satoshi is just so incredibly Done with him, but you still see the affection underneath it.

I really need to make myself shut up already before I just ramble endlessly, but uh. I love them a whole darn lot, basically. I love that Satoshi canonically says that his relationship with Daisuke is the only thing that’s ever really brought him joy. (It also makes me sad because, y’know, I wish he’d had more happiness in his life. But I’m glad he has this, at least, and I think it’s a first step towards him moving forward in important ways.) I love that they generally just seem to make each other so happy, and the way Daisuke beams around Satoshi even more than usual? I love how good they are for each other and how hard they’re both willing to fight for their relationship. 

What makes me sad about them: It messes me up that Satoshi’s feelings for Daisuke have to come with so much heavy, complicated baggage. That he has to worry that those feelings could literally get Daisuke killed if he isn’t careful. That as much as his relationship with Daisuke is something positive and good in his life, those feelings are also responsible for letting a monster take control of him. That in many ways the best relationship in his life and the worst relationship (if you can call it a ‘relationship’) are inextricably tied together. Can you imagine the way that must mess with his head? The way it must make him hate his own feelings, and feel like those feelings are something he needs to feel guilty about and protect Daisuke from?

You know that scene where he’s like “I will, one day, unquestionably destroy you” after Daisuke says they’re friends and he’s worried about him? That breaks my heart because… he doesn’t say “Krad will destroy you”. He says “I will”. Because I think Satoshi very much blames himself for anything Krad does (he should have been strong enough to stop him, etc., etc.), but also because I think Satoshi sees his own love as an inherently destructive thing, Krad or no Krad. He talks several times in the manga about how he tries not to hold anything dear to him because he believes you only end up losing everything you care about in the end, and it just… breaks my heart that he’s so young and yet he’s so constantly terrified that letting himself love anyone will just mean hurting both himself and anyone he might love.

In general, I think these two have a lot of really deep insecurities and self-worth issues (Satoshi more obviously than Daisuke, but honestly Daisuke has some major ones too) and it really saddens me. I think Daisuke has a really hard time believing that he’d good enough just for being who he is, not because he’s Dark’s Tamer or the Phantom Thief his family expects him to be, and I think he has a hard time really believing that his own opinions and wants are legitimate. One of his big struggles in the manga is learning to stand up for himself more and believe he’s good enough on his own, and I think his relationship with Satoshi definitely plays into that in a very positive way. But it’s gonna be a long road for him to fully get over those insecurities, and I hate that he has to deal with that.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: CONSENT ISSUES, OH MY GOSH. I think manga/anime fandoms from that era tend to have a lot of consent issues in general (for whatever reason), but it particularly bugs me with these two I think because consent and choice are major themes for both of them, and their relationship is one of the rare places where you see them choosing something simply because it feels right to both of them, not because they were forced or pressured into it. So it bugs me when fanfic portrays one of them as violating the other’s consent (which is ridiculously OOC, in my opinion) or them somehow being forced into doing something they don’t want to. I mean, I’m never gonna be there for that kind of thing regardless… but it seems to be particularly prevalent in this fandom, and it particularly bugs me because it’s so very against what these two are about.

My other big pet peeve would have to be ridiculously OOC takes on Krad and his dynamic with Satoshi, which is… sadly really common in D.N.Angel fanfic. (Also like… a solid half of all the Daisuke/Satoshi stories are also Dark/Krad stories, which I am Not Here For. Just… I could probably do an entirely separate post on ways Krad gets handled in fanfic that bug me, but that’s not the point of this post so I shall move on.)

Also, any story about these two which tries devaluing Daisuke’s relationship with Riku, writing Riku as a jerk or in other OOC ways, or having Daisuke (ugh) cheat on Riku is an absolute no-no in my book. 

things I look for in fanfic: Honestly like… if it’s in-character and well-written and doesn’t also contain pairings I dislike, I’m probably already on board. (This rules out a lot of the fanfic out there, sadly.) Also like… letting them be innocent teenagers and not ridiculously oversexualizing things? In general I like fluff, and cuteness, and angst that exists for a purpose but is ultimately resolved. I like the two of them healing and supporting each other through things. I wish there was more established relationship fluff tbh. There’s almost none I’ve found, and I’d really love to read more with them.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I’m cool with Daisuke/Riku being endgame! I assume that’s probably how the story would end if Sugisaki ever actually finished it (ha), and honestly that’s fine with me. I think they’d have a tough time rebuilding the trust between them after how he lied to her, but assuming that was dealt with properly (I think it would have to take time), I think they’re a cute couple and would be happy together. They’re not my OTP in the way Satoshi and Daisuke are, but I have no issue with them.

Satoshi is a tougher case. I know a lot of people ship him with Risa, but (apologies to any Satoshi/Risa shippers out there), I really can’t see their relationship that way. (I love the idea of them becoming friends, though!) So I suppose in a scenario where Daisuke ends up with Riku, I’m rooting for Satoshi and Nice Future Boyfriend Who Makes Satoshi Happy. :-P

My happily ever after for them: They break the curse and Dark is able to get his own body somehow. Krad is gone forever. Daisuke learns to set boundaries with his family and live his life on his own terms. Satoshi is finally free of all the people who abused him and is able to heal from everything he’s been through and find the things that make him happy. Daisuke and Dark stay close while also living happily separate lives as independent people. Satoshi and Dark learn to tolerate each other for Daisuke’s sake. They’re close friends with Riku and Risa (there’s some awkwardness after Daisuke and Riku have first broken up, naturally, but after a while they’re able to move beyond it). Satoshi’s dad dies or goes to jail and is out of their lives forever. They move in together after finishing high school (which seems really young, I know, but they’ve been dating a couple years by that point and Satoshi already has his own apartment, so… ) Daisuke goes to art school and ends up having a career in animation or as an art teacher or something like that. Satoshi ends up becoming a doctor. They get married and adopt a little girl together eventually. Everyone is happy.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Satoshi’s usually the big spoon by virtue of being taller (which I headcanon he is when they’re adults), but sometimes he has really bad nightmares and then Daisuke holds him until he relaxes/falls back asleep.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: I see them as a quite low-key couple. I think they spend a lot of time quietly at home, sometimes Satoshi watching Daisuke while he draws and offering little bits of advice from time to time. Sometimes that makes Daisuke self-conscious, though, so then he’ll sit and read a book while Daisuke does his art. Sometimes they’ll cuddle together and he’ll read to Daisuke. I think they like going for walks together, and going to art museums. Also I think Daisuke is very determined to get Satoshi caught up on all the Normal Childhood Experiences TM he missed growing up, from games to junk food to movies and TV. So they have a lot of fun experiencing those things together, and Daisuke’s always really excited when he can tell Satoshi is really having fun. (Lord knows that boy hasn’t had nearly enough fun in his life.) I also think when they’re older they’d like exploring the world together - visiting new places, trying new foods, seeing new things. But really, they’re just happy as long as they’re together.