#Shinonome Kaito

[cypreus-and-willow]

Happy Anniversary to Digimon Survive

I had something else planned for today but I left my tablet at home and will be away for a while. So I had to borrow my little sisters tablet again for this one.

[kingskyless]

digimon survive: HARMONIOUS

speedpaints: (x)

[viridian-sky]

siblinghood

a redraw of a past fanart from last year. fun fact: I watched a local musical the other day and felt inspired by the lighting direction.

[justcypreus]

Clearing up my phone and found these. Something something about the ability to show kindness to everyone but ourselves.

Time stamp on this says 2022 - it's when Kaito was feeling like he was a bad older brother.

And then 2024, I replayed the game for like an hour just to find this line bc I know Shuuji says it to Takuma as well.

Bro can't read the room but the first thing he does is try to reassure them.

One of my favourite things in media is when a character describes another character. And a few times in the game Takuma (and I think Aoi??) describes him as kind, patient, etc can't remember the exact words.

Obv that kindness rapidly dwindles during the game but IT'S STILL THERE all tattered and in pieces.

And then when Takuma post part 5 looks at him being soft and making GOOD DECISIONS and effectively says "that's the Shuuji I remember" I'm crying on my knees

TLDR; I was actively looking for moments like these bc I was like 'the soft spoken boy we met earlier in the game is disappearing' and then he'd say stuff like this.

[lanlllan]

the club(?

[trashyvanillabean]

Behind some little girls (Miu) is an overprotective big brother (Kaito).

Behind some overprotective big brothers is a more easygoing but easily more savage brother figure (Takuma) armed with a baseball bat, a bamboo stick, pepper spray and a fire-breathing baby dinosaur (Agumon) that can potentially become a giant fire-breathing undead dinosaur skeleton (SkullGreymon) if you piss off both of them.

[fearowkenya]

Ocean Wave, Part 2: A Winding Current

“I was curious.” Dracmon fidgets idly with the little golden loop near the spike on his right wing. “Somethin’ about you drew me in… and I couldn’t walk away. When we fought together, it felt right. More right than anything I’ve ever, ever felt. And now… I just want to be with you.” Dracmon wasn't always by Kaito's side. Which begs the question: part 1 - footprints in the sand Who was he, before the arrival of his other half? part 2 - a winding current And what was he doing, on that fateful day?

Part 2 covers the moment that Dracmon and Kaito met for the first time. once again, tumblr dot shit hides posts with external links in tags, so the ao3 link is in the source.

EDIT: fixed formatting on ao3 - indentation on mobile should look better now. extended authors notes under cut!

SO there was a TON of ideas that went into part 2, mostly stemming from, as i've mentioned, me being mad that kaito and dracmon were the only ones not to get a fancy champion evo sequence on-screen. i said in my authors note on ao3 that as i was playing, i just assumed it happened off-screen, but then i asked myself "what if it didnt?" and the answer i came up with was "maybe dracmon could already innately reach champion" and then i worked backwards from there.

next - aesthetic changes to dracmon. i am a HUGE sucker for digimon being matchies with their partner. before dracmon met kaito, i think all of his eyes were red, both the ones on his face and the ones on his hands, and the ones that are green only became that way after meeting kaito and devolving from sangloupmon. it's kind of like in tamers when beelzemon's eyes change colour after he makes amends with his partners. i also made changes to the accessory situation - after meeting kaito, instead of the little chain with the green gem in the middle, dracmon would have piercings on his wingtips that are the same shape and on the same side as kaito's. i have like... a written list of all aesthetic changes across all stages for all the partner digimon at this point (except for renamon and gabumon - still thinking about those ones) so i will accept any invitation to blabber about them! i LOVE that shit, i cannot emphasize that enough!!

formatting this time was a little less intense - i only had one table i needed to work with, and tbh, most of my formatting issues were about indentation. im actually not really a fan of the standard ao3 formatting patterns, where there's double spacing after each paragraph and no indentation. i much much prefer how it is in most novels, where there's no double spacing and every paragraph is indented. i know people tend to be fussy about formatting in fics, and most of the ones ive seen use the double-spacing no-indenting situation. it's understandable, formatting is something i'm fussy about as well, so im trying to strike a balance between the way i like it and the way i've noticed that most others like it.

i like indenting. i use it to like... give a sense of flow to conversations and/or differentiate/shift between spoken word and narration. the vibe im trying to give when i increase indentation from line to line is that the conversation speed is picking up. im not sure how well that was conveyed, but i think it works all right.

once again, like in alligators, i left some deliberate loose ends. the most obvious one is "if that first tether pulling dracmon toward the ocean wasn't kaito, then what was it?" and listen. dont even worry about it (:

as im replaying the game, im noticing some really interesting stuff about the state of the digital world. in like...part 7, i think, there's an optional free time event where you can recruit a tentomon, and it mentions that a lot of other digimon have been behaving aggressively lately. paired with the fog, i think that what's happening is that the shrinking digital world is causing a lot of digimon to have to live in close quarters, and that a lot of them are "young" in the sense that they're still feral and incapable of speech or reason. that, plus the continuous spread of the fog, would make for a really hostile environment for the remaining areas of the world. im quite happy with the theory i've got that digimon might sometimes lose a bit of memory every time they regenerate. if you subscribe to that idea, the unusual aggression among the wild digimon makes a lot of sense - they're all young, they all keep getting exploded and forgetting what's going on, theres this terrifying fucking fog EVERYWHERE, which just feeds back into wild digimon being more on-edge, and therefore more aggressive. thats why tsumemon is a little unsure of hanging out with koromon at first in part 1 - it's a dangerous world for little guys!

this is kinda connected to why i have the digimon half of the cast crossing paths with one another. tsumemon and koromon have met, yeah, (even though they don't remember anymore) but also i think a few of the other characters have met too. i didn't linger on it, but kunemon was in part one of ocean wave , albeit very briefly, trying to warn dracmon about seadramon lol. Now Why Would He Do That? again. don't worry about it (:

and at last - what's next? i mentioned in another text post a few days ago that ideally id like to go back to some shuuji and lopmon stuff. ocean wave set up some context about a couple of things i want to explore about shuuji and lopmon's relationship, as well as some . hmm. alternate events. and what effect those alternate events have on the two of them. "what do you mean" dont worry (: mostly it is just me self-indulgently fixing a few gripes i had with truthful route's part 6. i'd also at some point like to post some doodles of aesthetic changes. i have a few sketched out but they're very messy lol

anyway wow this was a big ol comment post. thanks for reading this far !!

[digisurvive]

I was gonna send this ask days earlier (but then I forgot) but actually the Kaito scene I was referring to was the one in the factory. I just think it's a nice insight into Kaito, he knows he's fucking up and he's trying Really Hard Not To but it's not easy.

I really appreciate what they did with Kaito I think they could of made both of him into just...horrible irredeemable pieces of shit and not make him part of the main cast (or kill him off). But he isn't, and I like that the game doesn't write them like that.

Maybe I just care a lot about siblings in fiction but I really like Kaito because of how much he fucks up! Because he really does try, the game does Not let you brush him off as just a terrible brother.

Kaito is Hard to Talk To and is a Jerk but he's genuinely trying his best and carrying loads of baggage. You could brush him off but that won't actually...solve anything, Kaito will still be stuck where he is which is bad for both him and Miu.

Though, what I've seen Kaito is a more lukewarm character, not hated in the same way a certain glasses boy is but definitely not as liked as the rest and it's probably because 90% of the time he's Violence Protect Miu Violence ohmaybeIdocareaboutthesepeople Violence.

Though...Kaito is kinda in a situation where it's hard to write him outside of his relationship with Miu, because he as a character is just so centered around Miu and, again he is horrible at expressing his emotions which makes him seem less complex than he actually is.

Honestly like most people I wish they killed Kaito in Harmony instead of Miu. I can imagine him swooping in to protect Miu at the last second and getting dragged off, so he still gets killed by his goal to protect Miu while we get to see how Miu really really feels about his brother and, in a roundabout way, more insight into Kaito.

(I'm now also vaguely reminded of this one VN that had a character who's main flaw was not trusting anyone so they couldn't write him getting into any close moments with the other members of the cast so using ghosts (whole thing) they change the POV character in his route to him so they could keep that trait while still letting you get insights into his character.)

Oh I rambled a lot...very sorry! I Just...Kaito....ough...

Ah, I know what scene you're talking about now!! My bad for getting confused, I had recently replayed act 9 and I was like akdkdkkdkg *foaming at the mouth about the slap in the gym :[*

But I see where you're coming from, particularly in this franchise with a lot of protective older brothers, we tend to see them in right for wanting to protect them little siblings and Kaito is just.... So wrong even when you understand where he is coming from.

I don't know about how the fandom feels about him despite the fact I do check the tag (in general, I don't think there's that much fan engagement for this VN </3), so I'll only talk about my thoughts about him. I tend to go through periods where I really like him and periods where he really gets on my nerves because of the stuff you wrote in the ask. He can be difficult in the sense you wish Takuma would confront him directly (but in true Takuma fashion, he's very mindful not to overstep his boundaries most of the time), but I think the fact one of the more consisten ways to raise his affinity is to leave him alone speaks volumes about how he's used to getting by, trying to solve everything on his own and not being used to be relied on by other ppl nor relying on others. He's also a kid who's really been neglected and has had to shoulder a lot of responsibility so it makes sense for him to be more than a little neurotic 😂 I think it's a feat for the writing to still be able to portray his proclivity for violence in a way that feels unsavory when this franchise is all action and fights (Thats one thing I did wish Survive had been able to pull off better. To give you feasible alternatives that aren't fighting for some of the plot beats, but that's for another post).

He does have his nuances, like how he's aware that he can be a pain in the ass and difficult to deal with. And wrong, most importantly. I think a lot about that Wrathful dialogue he has with Aoi where she's lamenting her final defeat as Plutomon bc... She was supposed to finally have the power and agency not to make mistakes anymore! And Kaito tells her there's no such a thing as someone who doesn't make mistakes and he himself has had to rely a lot on the others to tell him he's wrong 💔 (which really reminds you of how hard Takuma works to get him to go with the group to the amusement park in pt4, how he has to very timidly set the example for him in act 6 and etc...) I honestly like him a lot in Wrathful, I think it's where you get to see a new side of him even if in a really bittersweet way.

Speaking of how he knows he's in the wrong, I do like a lot that moment in Truthful where to raise affinity with him, you have to tell him to give Miu some space while they're looking for the Northern shrine. I think it speaks volumes about how his friendship with Takuma has evolved that he's at a point where he won't see it as a stranger sticking his nose where he shouldn't. He's just such a family little man, In a US vs the world mentality, it's interesting to see him grow to consider Dracmon family too and slowly reconsider who's important to him beyond that narrow social circle.

Switching Kaito's and Miu's places would indeed be interesting (and I Def Get where People are coming from with this angle for a myriad of reasons), yeah, but I also Love Aoi and Kaito as foils so I still like what we got 😂😂

ANYWAY. thanks for the ask, I love talking about digisurvive w/ u, so ur welcome to ramble anytime

[dats-hq]

Getting Older All The Time (Miu’s Birthday Drabble)

@surviveweek Day 5, Relationships

Ao3 link

"Wasn't yesterday your birthday?"

Miu glared at her insolent subject with a devilish smirk. "I am your queen! Every day is my birthday! Now bring me more candy before I turn you to stone!"

"Ah!" Palmon yelped, bowing her head in reverence. "Right away, your highness!"

As the peasant scurried away to retrieve the royal breakfast, Lady Syakomon looked to her partner. "So that makes you 13 now, right?"

"Ew, no! Teenagers are gross!" Miu spat with a pout, crossing her arms. "Although, at this rate, I'll be older than Kaito soon. Then he'll have to listen to me!"

[skyarly]

ena5

[cypreus-and-willow]

Digimon Survive Week 2024

Day 2: Cooperation

Dracmon looks up at him from the floor, big eyes full of sorrow. "You can't just be angry anymore Kaito. Look where your anger leads you." The defeat stings worse than the bruises on his knuckles. Losing over and over and over even when he wins the fight. "I don't know what else I can be." 

or - things have gone horribly wrong and in typical Shinonome sibling fashion, Kaito and Miu are beating themselves up over it

@surviveweek

I am once again writing about this one particular scene. I've posted the first part for Survive Week last year. These are meant to be excerpts from my longer fic but I can’t help it.

[soapyakships]

i'm collapsing with my one secret

[justcypreus]

Miu and Shuuji Parallels

Originally posted to Twitter - I guess this is the extended edition.

Well… I told myself I cant write think pieces but if I'm gonna think this much, I might as well put it on tumblr 🤣

In short:

Oldest & youngest of main cast

Younger siblings to older brothers

Leaves home to prove they can make it on their own

And then there's:

Self blame

Loss of identity

Anger in place of grief

But mostly when Shuuji defends his brother, Miu is the only one who GETS IT.

Younger siblings to older brothers

They’re both youngest siblings that don't always get along with their older brother. But the difference is in how they clash. First time we meet Kaito, his description of her is already so far off from the Miu we see at the start. Small, timid and scared is how he sees her. Already, there is a clash of ideals on who she is and who she wants to be vs how Kaito sees her and how he's projecting that image onto her. This leads to some pretty explosive fights between the two, as Miu refuses to mold herself according to how Kaito wants her to behave. Even if it's for her own protection. Whereas Shuuji tries to mold himself into whatever his dad wants him to be. Even to his own detriment.

With the brothers, we never meet the older Kayama but Shuuji first mentions him at the amusement park in line with how we reunite the in-game siblings. In the conversation, he tries to reassure Kaito that not being able to know what Miu is thinking at all times does not mean he is lacking as an older brother. He's speaking from the perspective of the younger who holds his brother in high regard despite telling us they don't get along.

It's no secret that Miu is bothered by Kaito’s behaviour and is not afraid to call him out on it. Kaito of course is openly upset to which Shuuji says he's jealous that Miu and Kaito have this kind of relationship. We learn that he and his brother don't even fight since his brother doesn't 'stoop that low'. Where the Shinonome siblings clash, for the brothers there is simply nothing there (in terms of airing out and fixing your problems).

Living in a household where siblinghood is treated like a competition rather than a source of support, there is a distance caused by that 'competition'. Like he says to Agumon, it's not as simple as liking or disliking your sibling.

(Can I just say, I love Agumon's innocent yet intrusive questions. Takuma too, but he's a bit more passive and sometimes beats around the bush. Probably a learned human behaviour lol)

I don't know how to put it but that scene where he's telling Miu and Kaito to stop fighting and get along, and he gets told that is how they get along kinda made me sad. He's never had a proper fight with his older brother so they've never had their problems laid out in the open. By now, the game hints at a sibling rivalry fueled by the feelings he holds for his dad which in game calls a 'complicated relationship'. Any visible fighting is probably stopped because it's bothersome. No one else seems bothered by the Shinonome sibling rivalry and Shuuji's genuine confusion at how this is allowed, and deemed ok shows that being silenced is the norm in the Kayama household, and not talking about your problems is 'getting along'.

Leaves home to prove they can make it on their own

Kaito tries to protect Miu by threatening anything that might hurt her with physical violence. Telling her to 'get behind me' a couple times in the game. Shuuji's brother takes on the tasks their dad demands of Shuuji (whether or not this is to protect him or shut him up, I don't know. It feels like both). They might be well meaning, but this leaves Miu and Shuuji are incapable and can't be trusted to do anything on their own. That they're weak and lacking.

For Miu, it causes her to avoid her brother. To get away from his ‘helicopter parenting’. We first see her I'm the prologue having run away from home. A straw doll taking her place in bed. Clearly she's been planning this for a while.

Side Note: I want to point out that Kaito is dealing with their parent’s perceived betrayal. I don’t remember if they talk much about their life before the incident but it could be that they had a relatively normal life - one their parents are willing to put on a facade to keep that image of a normal happy family. (I don’t know if it’s intentional but even their family make up is father, mother, son, daughter - dynamics usually depicted as ‘normal families’ in children’s media). Whatever idyllic family life they might have had is shattered by an incident beyond their daughter's control. And what do they do? They move to a place where nobody knows what happened, where they can pretend it never even happened.

From Kaito’s perspective, this is not good enough (he's right) and he has had to step up. Is he being overprotective or just compensating for his parent’s lack of action? Anyway, he's trying to be a parent without knowing how to be a parent is what I'm saying.

For Shuuji, it's a bit more clear-cut as he does make mention of trying to prove himself a few times. In his prologue story, we get to see his motivations for joining the campers. He's there to prove himself capable.

Saki mentions that it's stifling to be so coddled and I'm sure she either says this to Kaito or about Kaito.

They attempt to gain independence from their brothers. Both want to be 'stronger', to prove that they can do things on their own w/o being coddled by their brothers.

This is technically part 1 as there's a next section that's a bit harder for me to post... I've written it, but since they're sensitive topics I find myself self-censoring a lot. And I cant post it as it is.

[xulips]

happy pride month everyone

[hey-its-puddlesock]

i haven't been able to find a good comprehensive project sekai height chart, so i made my own. used screenshots of the 3DMV models since a lot of the official renders are in weird positions for measuring

[mizuribbons]