#mention of soren

[firedragon1321]

Big rant about my Capsule Zaurus stuff below. Mostly about fanworks, copyright, concept art, and how I use copyrighted material in my stuff.

Before I start the rant- I want to mention that I put a lot of links in here. A few go to my artwork. But most provide extra info and clarification. Some of it is because Capsule Zaurus is a pretty overlooked prototype to Digimon, so not all Digi-fans know what it is. Some of it is because I have been in fandom a long time and I lost track of when people stopped using squick and I don't know what the kids use these days. Feel free to click a link if you're confused about anything.

I want to return to my Capsule Zaurus project because Tomoya (the character in the header) is doing that "character wants attention and occupies your thoughts" thing. I really don't want to focus on fanfic right now (mostly because I'm drowning in WIPs). But I don't know if the project counts as original fic, or to what extent.

For the uninitiated, here is a brief timeline of Capsule Zaurus from conception to today.

Bandai draws concept art for a virtual pet game for boys in 1997

Doesn't use it because it's too similar to Pokemon

Puts it in a drawer

Does NOTHING until 2013

Puts it in an artbook

NEVER mentions it again

Fandom posts translations and then sleeps (you can read all the info in the first two links)

I learn about it almost a year ago at an anime con and get inspired

I draw all this stuff- including some redesigns, but also original Zaurus and human characters

I come up with this batshit insane plot and world to go with the concept art

I find myself in a tangle of mostly original ideas, with vestigial but clear connections to Bandai's work

I'm not sure if it should just go to Ao3 or if I should rework my elements and characters into something else

Bandai's Capsule Zaurus isn't a finalized work. It is concept art. I'm a raccoon digging through the trash and taking things Bandai doesn't even want. But chances are they still hold the copyright for it. Not to mention the name likely comes from Pocket Zaurus, which is published and certainly copyrighted.

Putting the work on Ao3 would be extremely tricky, too. It would have to be tagged as Capsule Zaurus- which is not a fandom at the moment- plus Digimon, plus Original Work. This obtuse collection of fandom tags would likely be confusing, and I doubt anyone would read it.

It doesn't help that the story is T at mildest and M at highest. I don't write E-rated content. But that's what people want over there. I've noticed some authors who write both get a lot more hits on their sexy stuff over their tame or gen work, and good gen writers often go ignored.

So if I don't want my story to rot on Ao3, I'd probably have to remove the Zaurus characters entirely and make it original. This seems counterproductive. But it's the more likely route I'd go to preserve my original stuff. I don't want to do that, since I love Digimon and I like the "what could have been" nature of the concept art. But I really hate filing the serial numbers off of shit without acknowledging it as parody/mentioning the creators which...this isn't.

Below are two examples of me acknowledging parody and playing with copyright. Keep in mind I cut my teeth on 2007-era fanfiction, so people were constantly writing "I do not own this" on their shit.

For my Toon-iverse Saga, I have a Character Who's a Lot Like Tai (Soren, actually- it's more obvious in his backstory). But the back of the book credits Bandai/Toei/everyone I can possibly think of. The books are made of characters like this, and calls back to the source material while doing something unique. You don't need to know the original material to understand the plot, though doing so helps if you're looking for Easter Eggs.

Then, there's Zunru, which is a love letter to and critique of Pokemon. You don't need an in-depth knowledge of Pokemon to understand it (though as with the Toon-iverse Saga, it helps with Easter Egg hunting). The first few chapters even seem like "we live in harmony with these wonderful creatures!". But then the charade falls away, and the story reveals itself to be its own animal. At the end of each of these books, there is a credit to "Satoshi Tajiri, GameFreak, and Associated Parties", indicating that this is parody, I acknowledge the original but this is my own thing, etc., etc. Which is more than Temtem/Palworld did, but that's another story.

These are both instance of fair use, with possibly too much butt-covering spurred on by my fanfiction dot net heritage. They aren't like, say, writing a Twilight fanfiction, changing only the names, publishing it, and deleting the evidence. Which I feel trying to publish Capsule Zaurus as it is right now is pretty close to.

I just don't know what to do for Capsule Zaurus. I don't want to focus on fanfiction right now. But Tomoya is screaming against my skull and banging pots and pans. I'm sure I'll find the solution. It might be as simple as changing a few designs a bit more to make them more unique and not using the word "Zaurus". But that's still filing off the serial numbers.

Dammit, Tomoya.

[stuck-in-jelly]

Corvus knowing

[stealingyourteeth]

TikTok hate comments i think camp here and there characters would use

yvonne - ts pmo 🥀

jedidiah - im employed what does this mean

joshua - put the fries in the bag bro 😭🙏

also jedidiah - flying cars they said

sydney - on MY cellular device

elijah - nurse he’s awake 🩷 (he doesn’t really know what tiktok is so he’s talking to himself and trying his best)

soren - keys

up and adam - hope this helps!

yvonne and joshua would also say “my ranked teammates” but every time they’re referring to each other as the teammate

[youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal]

Thinking about Soren nuzzling into Corvus’s neck in Love, War, and Mushrooms

[obsessivejelbear22]

"It matters a lot... to me."

"Me too."

Its been a year since the battle against the blood thirsty Startouch titan named Aravos. Everything has changed for the better and Evrkynd has been growing day after day, but there's still a long way to go.

Soren and Corvus, after working all day long, decide to take a break at the newly built ramparts, taking in the new gorgeous view Evrkynd has to offer.

"Alright..." Says Corvus.

"...I'll have to admit, this view is extraordinary"

"Yeah..." Says Soren as he leans against the stone wall, gazing at Corvus.

"it is"

Corvus looks back at him and smiles. He notices the glint in his ocean blue eyes, he stares at them for a awhile, their expression seems... genuine.

"You're clearly enjoying the view" Corvus, finally breaking the silence.

"Huh? Oh... I uh- I" Soren blurts out, his face turning a bit red as he rubs the back of his neck, barely holding it together.

Corvus laughs a little.

"Still, as beautiful as this view is, I'll miss the old one"

Corvus look back onto the horizon, the sun is almost setting, it perfectly lights up the trees in the distance, all the tree colors combined makes it look surreal and magical. Its unlike anything he's ever seen. its beautiful, just like the man next to him.

"Yeah.." Soren looks at the breathtaking view, then at Corvus once again, he can't quite grasp how beautiful a person can be, he's in awe.

Soren clears his throat.

"Uh Corvus?"

"Yeah?" Corvus looks up at him.

"I think...." He once again doesn't have the words, perhaps this isn't the right time.

Corvus stands up straight and fully faces him, awaiting his next words.

"I think... we're due for an outfit change, no?"

Corvus expression is a bit surprised, perhaps it wasn't what he expected to hear.

"You think so?"

"I mean, yeah! They are pretty worn out"

Corvus thinks for a bit.

"Alright then, shall we?"

Soren's expression lights up. They start walking together, discussing ideas for their new outfits.

[adashulaz]

Corvus is a constellation

Do yall know what this means? It means I will now have Soren call Corvus "my constellation" because Soren knows this due to the amount of books Kpp'Ar has in his house and one of the books was about constellations.

[eroguron0nsense]

Soren and Rajaion

I think sometimes about how Soren's entire identity and all of his insecurities stem from being abandoned and unwanted, and while that's generally associated with his subaltern branded status and the violent oppression that comes along with it/need for secrecy and consequent self hatred, there's also a lot to be said about how he fixates on the constant cruelty and denial of his childhood; in his B support, he expresses some envy over Ike having had loving parents, and repeatedly mentions how the people who raised him either resented having him or kept him around solely because of the false impression he was a spirit charmer rather than any kind of actual affection. His entire life up until he meets Ike is one of rejection and lovelessness, and he preemptively pushes anyone else away and keeps himself distant from anyone else at LEAST until the end of RD. We see him healing through his and Ike's friendship/love, him trying to come to terms with himself and opening up to people to some extent, and quite possibly trying to confront the violent internalized racism and rejection his life has been defined by, but he's still in many ways figuring himself as someone fundamentally unacceptable in his society and who's only able to trust a tiny number or arguably one single person with that identity, which is–unfortunately–true. There are a great many people in PoR/RD who would find him fundamentally unloveable and unacceptable if they clocked him and his very existence opens him up to anything from severe marginalization/exclusion to straight-up "honour killings". Ike isn't just the first friend and (arguably) the only friend Soren's ever had, he's the first person who hasn't immediately considered Soren unloveable and who continues to love him while affirming that the identity he's most ashamed of isn't going to put him in danger of yet another violent rejection

This makes it all the more heartbreaking when we realize that Soren was loved–deeply, in fact–by a family member, who willingly sacrificed his life and personhood in an uncertain bargain with Ashnard to save his infant nephew. Soren's life, which up until this point is regarded as entirely loveless, was regarded as precious enough by Rajaion so that he was willing not only to die for, but to subject himself to unspeakable torture and degradation, and his continued existence was only possible at all due to love and sacrifice that Soren himself will never know about, or realize that people found him worthy of

[venice-1987]

Soren deserves to have a little breakdown in season 7. As a treat.

[frugalkubal]

The two wolves met in the Mystical House 😂

"Y-you're a Wilder?!" Idk why but that plus Faramor inviting Shakir for a tea really cracked me up. 😂

I really hope they'd also add Mishka (from afkA), so that she could have a similar interaction with Soren; though, I think Mishka's more energetic (or less tranquil) than Soren. lol

Also, Soren doesn't look dominantly animalistic or bear-like, so Mishka's probably the one who'd be shocked/confused that he's not a Wilder like her. (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

Another scenario I could think of would be when Soren sees Mishka transform into her full bear form while she pummels her opponents, Soren would be like, "Are you sure you're not a Mauler?!" Σ(°ロ°)

[sp3c-t3r]

I saw someone mention this and thought I’d make it

So I give you Corvus in a wedding dress

[themintman]

N e ways here's Jack's actual design for the au I posted about the other day lmao

Love this sorrowful lizard.

[sofieartz]

[ AFK Journey ]

Can't you already guess that I'm doing this for all the Chosen ones?

Because I am.

Btw, I love Soren and Alsa so much they're my children now.

[climbdraws]

finished the dragon prince and man the last episode stardust hit so hard aaravos I get it now

[youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal]

Something about Soren not being able to initially believe that Terry is complimenting him breaks me.

We don’t see him get compliments too often in the show. Especially in Arc 1, he’s belittled by Viren more often than not. Yes, he acts cocky and confident. He knows he’s super strong and great at most tasks associated with being a Crownguard (whether he thinks he’s actually a good Crownguard is a whole other mini essay, but I digress). But that’s all more like a task, something easily measured objectively. And it’s something totally different to be told that you’re good at those things by the people around you, or to be complimented on other things about yourself.

The biggest instances I can think of include:

Corvus calling Soren the mastermind of the plan to get Ezran out of Katolis. Soren immediately makes a joke out of it.

Ezran: you’re the best Crownguard a king could ask for. *hugs him* Soren: *cue shocked silence, followed by literally running away from the situation*

Everybody laughing at his comedy routine (not exactly a direct compliment, but similar in nature in my opinion). He actually accepts this pretty well, but it’s also something he’s been rehearsing and is proud of and is expecting a good reaction to. He even says thank you to the crowd.

“Well, if your sword is as sharp as your wit, then the young king is in good hands.” “Wow, but, thank you. Uh, dragons are SO nice.” He gets super sheepish about this and then in turn compliments dragons. One of the few times he’s okay at accepting a compliment, yet he still turns it around to make it about others.

“Soren, you’re amazing!” “Smort Longpocket is amazing.” Deflecting. Enough said.

“A good man with a big heart.” He gets so overwhelmed he can’t even verbally respond and just has to hug Corvus.

And now. The big/most complicated/messiest one. Viren in season 6. “Oh, you’ve grown so much. You’re so strong, so true to your heart. Your good heart. Somehow… you found the right path, in spite of everything I’ve done. I’m so proud of you.” “What are you trying to do?… Stop it! Just - just stop it! I know who you are. You’re dangerous. Everything you’re telling me is… is some kind of lie! And I’m not going to let you manipulate me again!” “It isn’t a lie, son, please.” There is so much to unpack here, but I want to focus on two big things: Viren compliments both his heart (aka Corvus’s compliment) and his strength (aka Terry’s future compliment). Soren’s gut instinct is to believe that Viren is lying. No deflecting, no avoiding the compliment. Straight up accusing him of more manipulation. Which is completely fair, when that’s all he’s ever known from Viren. So what does that mean for Corvus’s compliment, when it so closely echoes something Viren says? Was he lying, too? But it’s Corvus. He would never. So, of course, this would lead to some Big Feelings Time. (We Were Born the in the Valley/ Of the Dead and the Wicked on AO3 delves into this topic a bit and I think about it SO often. Of course, season 7 adds even more to the idea.)

*If there are other examples please remind me! I’d love to work them into my thoughts.*

Anyway, back to my point. He doesn’t seem to accept compliments very well and doesn’t know how to react to them a lot of the time. From resorting to physical affection, making a joke, or deflecting the compliment, Soren just does not seem to know how to handle people being nice to him. Because, ya know, childhood trauma and a father that was emotionally abusive. He’s used to lies and manipulation and any “compliments” having an ulterior motive.

So here comes Terry. Someone who has also been a bad guy. Who is trying to reform. Soren sees a lot of himself in him (peep the whole speech about abandoning Claudia).

And… he’s nice? And kind? And doesn’t seem evil? But of course, Soren is apprehensive and expects the worst, unsure if people can truly change.

“No, I don’t trust him. Nobody is this charming and, and nice. Nuh-uh.”

This is both an insult and a compliment, yet Terry just takes it in stride, not even hesitating:

“Thanks! You seem great too. Very strong and very, uh, loyal.”

A compliment for Soren? Echoing something Viren said? Oh, that must mean it’s manipulation.

“Ah-ah, I know this trick. You’re just buttering me up.”

I’m pretty sure the last time “buttering something up” was mentioned in canon was likely season 2 (if I’m wrong please somebody correct me), when Soren and Claudia are attempting to get Callum and Ezran back to Katolis. And it includes Soren straight up lying to them. “I know this trick” because he recognizes it, he was raised with it, he has used it before.

Now, we never see Soren’s eyes shift. But in the background he’s sure to see Corvus looking at him encouragingly. Corvus, who somehow has so much hope even in the darkest of times and believes in the best of everyone. Who knows people can change for the better because he’s seen it happen. With Soren. (@stuck-in-jelly made a GREAT post about Corvus and his optimism the other day. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and it inspired this bit of analysis.)

“But thank you. I kind of needed to hear that today.”

Soren relents. He accepts the compliment. He admits that he needs support, which we know is difficult for him. After he says thank you, the screen cuts to Corvus looking at Soren like he puts the stars in the sky every night.

I like to think that Corvus helped him talk through some of those thoughts and struggles he had after his conversations with Viren. We know they share a lot with each other.

Overall, throughout the series Soren has not been great at receiving compliments. But it seems like he’s got people around him trying to help him see how great he genuinely is. Hopefully in Arc 3 Soren gets ALL OF THE COMPLIMENTS and actually believes them, too.

[raayllum]

No matter where you are on the path, no matter what you've done before, every step forward is a choice.