#your digimon reflects your potential

[izzyizumi]

{Since making this Playlist / F.S.T [Fan Sound-Track] in/around late Oct. 2017~ in the midst of Tri ending + "Bokura no Mirai" (and the 1st even before Kizuna+2020 happened), I've since also begun compiling a second one!}

Quite a few of these I've since made full-length A.M.V.s to!

A few of the songs were since removed from the first F.S.T but they're still technically included and may be replaced in the future.

Sharing since I've seen some talk of playlists and F.S.Ts in general going around again recently, because I worked hard to compile even these into posts and they both really mean A Lot to me on a personal level, and "Taishiro playlists" are extremely rare in this fandom if you're looking for such... (maybe you can find something here?!?) {Yes, Taishiro is still a rare-pair small fandom, but we're trying!}

Some of the songs can get pretty emotional and Deep, so please take caution to be in a good head-space before listening!

I didn't mention during the making of the first F.S.T, but to be honest it's probably my (very, very long-term) goal to make a full A.M.V. for every single song, with Lyrics or Not on these lists (that may / will likely have KouTai/Taishiro-implied relevancy) because if time spent following this series has taught me anything it's taught me Koushiro & {Kou/}Taishiro in general Does Not Nearly Have Enough A.M.V.s.

The second F.S.T however is still in "finishing touches needed" stage; I have to compile Accessible lyrics onto another post etc., so in the meantime Please simply refer to the above before I can do so!

(I also added my banners to the original post. Most of these were made not long after making the 1st F.S.T. Specifically because people were blatatly ignoring my blog rules & F.A.Q when Interacting on my things including my stuff made during this time-frame, even around me linking this F.S.T. Please. Acknowledge the banners before Interacting, Thank You.)

Because I spend a lot of time on these and it has a lot of personal meaning for me, too and I'd appreciate if that could be respected.

(Also, since the 2nd one was made post-Kizuna, Kizuna relevancy may parallel, though many I had planned to use / add into playlists before it or 2020 re-boot dropped; I can still use Kizuna or 2020 themeing / tie-ins for some of these if I make AMVs for them too though!... Yep)

READY?_ [a Taichi/Koushiro FST]

[ A mini Koushiro Izumi + Taichi/Koushiro (Taishiro/Taishirou) FST (fan soundtrack), interspersed between character songs and etc. + encompassing Digimon Adventure Tri’s Reboot and the potential beyond. -Or, in which Koushiro Izumi angsts way too much for his own good, but Taichi’s always there for him. ] [FULL FST CAN BE HEARD/WATCHED HERE!]

Keep reading

[beginningobserver]

Something that keeps coming back and forth in my mind is that, since the Advverse has this concept of the digimon representing their human partner's heart (or being their "other-self")... And this can also be applied to Rui and Ukkomon, in my honest opinion.

Especially when it comes to how the human psyche also affect the evolution of a digimon, which is why you get Taichi being reckless and (according to the novel) a prideful idiot resulting in SkullGreymon back in Adventure'99 (and also why Daisuke lacking any strong negative emotion during 02 never forced him to dark-evolve V-mon)

I'm not very good at meta-ing things like these, so please feel free to correct me if I'm missing something out!

To start this meta-post, i'd like to remember a few details from Rui's backstory:

His dad was extremely sick and on a deathbed status;

His mother was basically doing everything to keep everything in control, to keep his dad alive and to raise Rui at the same time, so she was constantly under stress;

Despite her being under stress all the time, she seemed to not understand Rui at all. She would just snap at a 4 year old (!!) when he didn't do things the way she expected him to do. She never had patience to explain stuff, and just wanted Rui to act like a grown up already;

In a very not-so-subtle scene, we see that Rui has a ton of bruises potentially implying she hit him countless times for not "obeying" her orders;

She also claimed that Rui "never kept his promises" and assumed things like "I made burger steaks, your favorite!" without even asking if Rui really liked those.

There's also a few hints that she never heard him at all, which escalated into Rui never being able to voice his own needs, the things he liked and hated, and to just accept anything offered to him without hesitation in order to not get hit by disagreeing;

Also, thanks to that he just seemed to be very obedient and did not even argued with the 02 group when Daisuke dragged him back and told "we're already involved here!" and then had to politely cooperate with them. The only good outcome from this was that he simply learned his own part of the problem and managed to solve it... even if later that year he was being quite paranoid about what happened and got dragged into the Dark Ocean.

You see, Rui had a very... troublesome backstory which contributed to a doomed relationship with Ukkomon and then assuming that everyone with a digimon is his fault and that now everyone was fated to an awful life of their digimon fighting til the death to protect them.

Ukkomon also reflects all of Rui's problems too, he has enough parallels with both Rui and Rui's mom (the latter at least in a scene), and Rui's whole narrative could've been affected by Rui's psyche and making him mix his grief and anger by reaching this part of his backstory again.

The thing is... Rui was basically continuing the abusive parenting he had been suffering before Ukkomon appeared. His whole version of the story tries to frame Ukkomon as the bad guy, someone who stepped in and deceived him this whole time. It's not different from Rui's mom accusing Rui to never keep his promises, and then hitting him for not doing what she asked in the exact way she expected him to do. (ma'am HE'S JUST FOUR YEARS OLD can you chill please!!?)

The 02 kids siding with Ukkomon does not mean they were invalidating Rui's feelings -- something that i saw people be quite uncomfortable with it previously, especially about Hikari's line re: Ukkomon -- none of them put the blame on him or did the same awful things his mom did, they all pointed out the flaws in his judgement and in a respectful way.

But back to Ukkomon... In the movie and Drama CD we realize a few traits he shared with Rui:

He also lacks social skills and talking with others, I suspect he never had contact with other digimon if he's directly linked to a "big entity" as he told Rui (and at the end of the movie this sole information is confirmed because whoever is linked to Ukkomon realized that the digivices were not needed anymore because humans and digimon can form strong bonds without those devices);

He has the tendency to take the blame and run away (Rui had been running away from his own problems as well);

Ukkomon being quite insensitive and lacking awareness of what's morally accepted in the human world is what led Rui to finally show a trait he had in common with his mom: He can be quite violent when triggered.

Yes, I used the right word: Rui gets really triggered when Ukkomon misinterpreted his desire of having friends and "people like me" and then says he wished for all of those. Rui is right there sitting watching a news report of the events from the movie "Revenge of Diablomon", which takes place in March 25-26, 2003 in the timeline.

By saying "It's what you wished for", Ukkomon immediately hit a very awful sore point in Rui, and resulted in their pettiest ugly spat. Note that in this scene, Rui definitely attacks Ukkomon at first, just like his mom would do every time he disobeyed her. But then, he stops and starts trying to break the digivice instead, since he either had no courage to kill Ukkomon, or he was still believing Ukkomon was some sort of "god-tier" like digimon.What i mean is that Rui really had the same destructive and violent behavior his mom had.

And this is also present in Ukkomon's final form.

His final form, BigUkkomon, connects to Rui's anger and sorrowful state (because, BigUkkomon's main attack is swinging its countless, supermassive tentacles, crushing and gouging targets over a vast range -- according to the Bandai/null lore profile.)

Another thing about Ukkomon himself is that the scene of him giving his eye to Rui in order to "fix" a mistake can be read as Ukkomon simply destroying himself (literally!) in order to keep Rui smiling and happy, which there's a few suspicion that Rui being all bubbly and smiling in the very first scene he, Ken and Daisuke witness by themselves in-movie meant that he wasn't exactly happy and just repressing a ton of frustration and sorrowful in order to not make his mom angry, and him never voicing his own needs was his own "self-destructive" manner to trying to keep her "happy" and perhaps not "worried".

But that's my own interpretation ok.

[digimonirl]

Out there concept, but... I'm a system, I have a dissociative disorder. And I hesitate to try to form a relationship with a digimon partner. I worry my unstable sense of identity may impact them, because I've been told that digimon are very changeable and their growth tends to reflect their human partner. What are your thoughts? Are we stressing for nothing?

Hey there friends, before we start, there's nothing out there about having a dissociative disorder. Y'all are in a pretty common situation and it's good that you're taking the health of your potential partner into account. That being said, I don't think you have much to worry about. There are plenty of partnerships in which multiple humans share a Digimon partner, so I don't think your situation would be any different. I'm sure if y'all explain your situation to any potential partner, they'll understand pretty quickly. They may even relate to your experiences! After all, being a system isn't too far removed from being a Digimon that's undergone Jogress.

[playstation7app]

Let's create a game for Anita Sirene, on the game she teaches you how to read tarot using standard 'DigimonCards' from the official Digimon trading card game

Card number The card number identifies the card's set, region, and place in the set. The number is formatted as "SET-RN999", where "SET" is the set prefix.

Color and level The color and level of your Digimon are shown on the card.

Digital power (DP) The DP is the Digimon's digital power. The Digimon with the highest DP wins a battle. If an effect reduces the DP to zero, the Digimon is deleted and moved to the trash.

Cost The cost associated with playing a card is indicated on the card. To pay the cost, you move the memory gauge. If you move the memory gauge past zero, your turn ends and your opponent's turn begins.

You can also play option cards and tamer cards during your main phase. To play an option card, you need to have at least one card on the field that is the same color as the option card. Tamer cards stay on the battlefield permanently. How would digimon tamers who are new to the game learn how to play from Anita Sirene and her assistant digimon Tamers 'Aya'(An afrodisiac afrocentric digimon tamers who is much like 'Thes black sailormoon') , New Tamers and card players should be able to get a general understanding of how to play the digimon card game TCG , and also can learn how to generate tarot readings from intuition and by reading the general information on the cards with ease . Generate tarot reading system for the "officialDigimon card game 'Celestial Link' Digimon Tarot " with your official Digimon digidestined hosts Anita Sirene tarot card master and extraordinar and her grandmaster assistant 'Astrodisiac CelestineIce Aya'

To create a Celestial Link Digimon Tarot system, hosted by Anita Sirene and her assistant Aya, we��ll integrate intuitive tarot reading with basic Digimon card game mechanics. This unique system allows new players to both learn the game and use the cards as tools for divination.

Digimon TCG Tarot Reading System: Celestial Link

Game Hosts

Anita Sirene: Tarot master with deep knowledge of psychic reading, guiding players in card interpretations.

Aya (Asteodisiac CelestineIce): An afrocentric, sailor-themed Digimon Tamer, bringing charisma and wisdom to the readings.

How It Works:

Understanding Card Basics Each card in the Digimon TCG holds both gameplay information and symbols that can serve for tarot interpretations:

Card Number: Indicates energy alignment in readings.

Color & Level: Represents elemental influences and the significance of the card in the spread.

Digital Power (DP): Serves as the strength or "impact" of the message.

Cost: Symbolizes the challenges or effort required in a given situation.

Card Types as Tarot Elements

Digimon Cards: Represent people, strengths, and opportunities in one’s life.

Option Cards: Suggest advice, challenges, or unseen influences.

Tamer Cards: Reflect guiding figures or mentors, grounding the querent (the one seeking answers).

Learning with Anita Sirene and Aya

Guided Card Interpretation: Anita Sirene explains card meanings through the game mechanics, teaching players to read the intuitive messages within each card.

Symbolism and Intuition Training: Aya helps players tune into the visuals, colors, and numbers on the cards to enhance their intuition.

Step-by-Step: Using Celestial Link as a Tarot Reading System

The Spread Setup Players draw three cards to create a basic spread:

Past (Left): This card represents past influences or events shaping the present.

Present (Center): This card shows the current energy or key focus.

Future (Right): This card suggests potential outcomes or influences on the horizon.

Interpreting Each Card

Card Number: Indicates the numeric or energetic influence; higher numbers may represent strong energies.

Color: Colors correspond to elements (e.g., Blue for Water/Emotions, Red for Fire/Passion).

Level: Higher-level cards in the spread hold more weight in guiding the reading.

Tarot Abilities and Effects

Celestial Insight: Anita and Aya explain that each card’s DP indicates the “strength” or intensity of its message. Higher DP cards in certain positions hold more influence over the reading.

Divine Link: Option cards can be placed over Digimon cards to modify their meanings, symbolizing external challenges or supports.

Cost Reflection: The cost of each card hints at potential sacrifices or lessons the querent needs to learn.

Special Tarot Moves in Celestial Link

Miracle Spread: If players draw two or more cards with matching levels or colors, it creates a “Miracle Spread,” amplifying the energy of the reading.

Ancestral Guidance: Tamer cards can be drawn to represent ancestral spirits or mentors guiding the querent, which Aya interprets through her celestial lens.

Example Reading Suppose a player draws the following:

Left (Past): A Rookie-level Digimon with high DP and red color, indicating past challenges and passion.

Center (Present): An Option card, suggesting an external influence or advice the querent needs to consider.

Right (Future): A Tamer card, symbolizing future guidance or mentorship.

Using CelestialLink as a Training Mode In this mode, new Tamers can go through sample readings, learning the meanings with feedback from Anita Sirene. Aya will offer intuitive insights, helping players develop their personal connection to the cards.

Additional Features for New Players:

Memory Gauge as Psychic Flow: Moving the memory gauge simulates the ebb and flow of psychic energy, helping players understand pacing in tarot readings.

Tarot Training Deck: A specific set of cards meant to enhance psychic reading skills, carefully selected by Anita and Aya to assist in developing intuitive insights.

This combination of gameplay mechanics and tarot symbolism offers a fun and enlightening way for new players to dive into both the Digimon TCG and the world of tarot reading. Let me know if you’d like to expand on any part of this system!

an official Digimon card featuring Miramon, Here’s a breakdown for the card details, formatted in the Digimon TCG style:

Card Details for Miramon (Example)

Name: Miramon

Stage: Rookie

Type: Celestial-Psychic

Attribute: Light

Family: Mythic Beasts, Holy Celestials

Color Level: Gold and Silver (Celestial Aura Theme)

Digital Power (DP): 3000

Cost to Play: 5

Evolution Requirements: Digivolves from a baby Digimon with Holy or Mythic attributes

Attack 1 - Miracle Gleam: Emit a soothing, radiant glow that shields allies and clears their minds. [Effect: Adds +500 DP to allies for the turn.]

Attack 2 - Starshine Pulse: Releases a burst of starlight energy. [Effect: Deals 1000 DP of light damage to opponent.]

Attack 3 - Claircognizant Gaze: Gazes deeply, revealing insights and weaknesses. [Effect: Reduces the opponent’s DP by 500 for two turns.]

Instructions for Use (Tarot Reading Style):

For new Tamers learning the game with Anita Sirene and her assistant Asteodisiac CelestineIce Aya, the Celestial Link Tarot game mechanic can also teach tarot reading intuitively. Here’s how it would work with Miramon’s card:

Basic Reading Setup: Each Celestial Link Digimon Card doubles as a tarot card. By interpreting the colors, symbols, and attributes on the card, players can derive intuitive readings. For example, Miramon’s Celestial-Psychic type represents spiritual insight, ideal for guiding players to ask questions about intuition and inner wisdom.

Memory Gauge & Tarot Spread Integration: Use the memory gauge as a focus area, with each level on the gauge representing different stages in a tarot spread (past, present, future).

Interactive Tarot Mode: Miramon can represent the Star tarot archetype, symbolizing hope, guidance, and the power of light. When Miramon is played, players can draw three additional cards as a "Guidance Spread" to intuitively answer personal questions or reveal insights.

This system integrates gameplay with intuitive, tarot-like mechanics, making the Digimon card game an accessible learning tool for tarot and intuitive readings with guidance from Anita Sirene and Aya. Let me know if you'd like more details or further customization for Miramon's card!

The Anita Sirene Digimon Tamer Card is designed to harmonize with her Digimon partner, Miramon, enhancing the synergy between Tamer and Digimon in the game. Here’s a breakdown of how her card functions and interacts with Miramon:

Tamer Card: Anita Sirene

Rank: High-tier Tamer, specializing in mystical and analytical abilities.

Attribute: Psychic / Analytical

Special Abilities:

Crest of Miracles Activation: When Anita Sirene's card is in play, she can unlock the Crest of Miracles on Miramon's Digivolution path. This activation boosts Miramon's stats, enabling access to unique abilities or Digivolutions exclusive to Tamer-Digimon pairs with the Crest of Miracles.

Psychic Link: Establishes a direct link between Anita and Miramon, allowing her to anticipate attacks or hazards one turn in advance. This foresight grants Miramon a defensive advantage, reducing incoming damage by 10-20% or allowing a dodge.

Data Analytics: Anita Sirene's keen analytical abilities enable her to analyze her opponent's cards during each turn. This ability lets her adjust Miramon’s attack strategy in real time, providing a potential counterattack bonus based on her opponent’s last move.

Card Mechanics with Miramon

Synchronize Ability:

When both Anita Sirene and Miramon’s cards are on the field, Miramon receives a power boost to HP and attack stats. This ability represents the bond between Tamer and Digimon, increasing Miramon's chances of withstanding higher-level attacks and executing more potent strikes.

Synchronize also allows shared abilities. For example, if Miramon has a shield-based defense, Anita’s Psychic Link can enhance the shield duration or effectiveness.

Sentiment Analysis Bonus:

Miramon’s Sentiment Analysis Bonus is activated by Anita's "Data Analytics" ability. This feature allows Anita to analyze opponent sentiments (strategy patterns or frequent moves), and if patterns are detected, Miramon gains a situational boost.

Miramon may get enhanced critical hit chances against identified patterns or gain temporary resistance against repeated attacks.

Tarot Shield:

Anita Sirene's special skill, Tarot Shield, forms a temporary barrier around Miramon, inspired by her psychic and tarot-themed abilities. This shield has limited durability but absorbs damage for one round or redirects specific attack types (e.g., elemental or data-based) back to the opponent.

Miracle Evolution:

Using the Crest of Miracles, Anita enables Miramon’s Miracle Evolution, a rare evolution path accessible only through the Tamer-Digimon connection. This temporary form boosts Miramon’s attacks with amplified psychic power and unlocks abilities like Celestial Pulse—a powerful AOE (area of effect) attack that impacts all opponent Digimon on the field.

Additional Game Play Strategy

The pairing of Anita Sirene and Miramon is designed to thrive on anticipating opponent moves and adapting dynamically. Players can utilize Anita's Data Analytics to adjust their tactics based on the opponent’s strategy, while Psychic Link provides added defense. The Crest of Miracles boosts Miramon’s evolution options, making them a versatile and resilient duo capable of adapting to various challenges in the Digimon TCG.

Together, Anita Sirene and Miramon create a balanced strategy with a mix of offense, defense, and adaptability, tailored for players who enjoy prediction and strategic counterplay.

[izzyizumi]

I really wanted to finish this, but it may have to wait for a few more weeks still, so sharing the un-finished version here now anyway.

It's one of my favorite (sung by) 'Miku Hatsune' songs, but it feels more like an original song to me, since it doesn't relate to Vocaloid or Miku's 'character' herself very much (a lot of Vocaloid-created songs in recent years don't and read a lot more as 'original' songs).

The lyrics are kind of deep and may seem a bit depressing, but to me there's a slight "positive" leaning involved tone by the middle-end (they've also used this song 'officially' in "Magical Mirai" Miku concerts, having Miku "perform" it) that seems to inspire, "moving on" with a renewed view of life (and the singer recognizing a bit of their own self-worth).

Naturally this made me think a lot of Tri and Kizuna. There's some Tri!Koushiro-involved spoilers from "Kokuhaku" / "Confession" (Movie 3), which heavily features Koushiro along with a "significant" Plot point by the middle; (if you Know it, You Know) and "Bokura no Mirai" (Movie 6), Koushiro-involved scenes only at least. Taichi-involved scenes from beginning to middle of "Saikai" / "Reunion" (Movie 1) are also used (Meiko spoilers outside of the "Kokuhaku" mid-scenes not involved).

"Digimon Adventure:" (2020 re-boot series) also appears during the instrumental interlude towards the end, with 2020!Koushiro and Tentomon involvement; though it's meant to connect and relate back to how Adventure!Koushiro's personality presents all throughout the series as well, despite them being different involved "timeline"s. It's (the AMV)'s basically a character study of Koushiro's "base" character / personality and relationships & bonds developed, including with Koushiro's partner (Tentomon) and canon (positive!! / supportive!!) dynamic with Taichi{s}.

Taishiro / KouTai (Koushiro x Taichi) is the main 'ship' involved, but I also have head-canons and A.U. spin-offs for others (including poly-ships) involving them, so Yes. Koushiro & Tentomon friendship is highly significant in this one too as a background theme (along with Izumi family relevance).

Basically, (for all my support of this series) if Toei refuses to elaborate on how Koushiro would feel at the possibility of Kizuna ending-relevant spoilers (in relation to Koushiro) and how Koushiro's relationships and sense of "Self" may be affected as a result, I WILL SHOW IT.

(And also because I just really love this song and it makes me emotional and feel for Favs that it reminds me of.)

{You might want to view the lyrics first before watching!}

Time Spent: About 2~ hours total on edits so far, the full amount of time of which basically was an entire full 'work' day's worth of work / attention recently (and this isn't even my job!) {I Just really Love Koushiro}

[Note: Tags/replies that are Positive/respectful are OK!] (Seriously, I work really hard on these, so please acknowledge the banners.)

DigiAdvs A.M.V. - "GLOW" (by: KEENO) ~ Pre-view / Un-finished / W.I.P + Duo/Ship/O.T.P: Koushiro{u} Izumi x Taichi Yagami {KouTai} + Friendships: Koushiro & Tentomon line; Koushiro & Izumis; Koushiro & Chosen (briefly)

DigiAdvs Series © T0ei Animati0n / Akiyoshi Hongo

Disclaimer: I do not own DigiAdvs. This is FAN-MADE. No $$$ is being made off this work

Preview:

"Before I knew it, I became an adult."

My Commentary: -I apologize in advance if you cry. -Contains scenes from Tri, {Kokuhaku, Bokura no Mirai not long pre-final moments} + Kizuna ending SIGNIFICANT Moment, & 2020 Ep. 59 - More Notes will be added when full ver. is completed. - Scenes may change slightly by the final version, for the most part, everything here is working; I may splice in some quick edits where I can fit them - This Isn't the End of it yet!!! - It is meant as overall POSITIVE.

{DO NOT re-post} {DO NOT remove Caption} {DO NOT Copy}

{Additional note: this post is mainly intended AS SHIPs/PERSONAL PREFERENCE. please remember + RESPECT this when interacting please tag with the ship name[s] and DO NOT tag as only “brotp” or the like only*, thank you!} (*It is ok if you tag as “friendship” or the like along WITH the ship!!) {Failure to acknowledge interacting rules WILL result in a block}

[Note: This is a 'no rb' post but 'Likes' are ok!] (Please AGREE TO BANNERS BEFORE interacting) (Note: click on the banners to enlarge!)

[mintaffy]

digimon survive week: day 4 - moral wrathful harmony

@surviveweek

Decided Minoru for today !! I think he’s a super fun character :D tbh with the ideas that your partner reflects your true self it’s nice to see that Minoru has the potential to be exactly who he wants to be and that he’s actually working towards it. He has some insecurities and at the start of the game and down the line sometimes, he has trouble looking at himself from a view below the surface. But I liketo think eventually he’ll break through that idea of himself that he can’t be like falcomon when really the fact falcomon is even like that is because he has that potential. Sidenote it makes me so very. ☹️ whenever takuma calls him his hero that’s so sweet.

[heartgold]

assigning pokemon teams to characters is fun but I always feel like assigning digimon partners feels more meaningful and personal... assigning them a monster best friend who is a reflection of their heart, even the parts they hide from the world and the parts they themselves cannot accept, the other half of their soul linked by fate... you can even customize the evolution line to make it reflect their character development or narrative arc because digimon can evolve into anything and some canon settings do this intentionally... basically it has so much potential as legitimate character analysis while assigning your favs cute monster friends and you can go full on mentally ill about the symbolism it's great

[natik-lore]

With Odaiba Day around the corner have you ever thought about what your Natik characters might be if they were in the Digimon universe? Be it humans with digimon partners or as digimon themselves?

Di-di-di-DIGIMON?

I LOVE this question, and I've been spending a ton of time contemplating my answers. I don't have one for everybody yet, but I'll probably keep adding on to this because I'm OBSESSED.

* * *

Amto's partner: Junkmon

"A Puppet Digimon with a habit of tossing junk parts into the cannon on its back. It creates a comfortable environment by dismantling structures in its surroundings. If a well-known factory disappears before you know it, then a large number of Junkmon may be responsible."

A big trait for Amto is resourcefulness; she's good at solving problems in unconventional ways and making use of what she has. Part of her character arc involves using her problem solving and creativity to help create a better life for herself and her companions. Depictions of Junkmon seem to hint at it being a gregarious, team-oriented species, and I feel this also fits Amto's character arc: she struggles early on finding a sense of belonging and purpose, and Junkmon could help her see her potential as a problem solver and a leader.

Kitki's partner: Wormmon

"A Larva Digimon with a timid, cowardly personality. Just like V-mon and the others, it's a descendant of an ancient species, so it is able to perform special Armor evolutions, but since Wormmon is powerless when by itself, it can't possibly match up to larger Digimon. However, by Armor evolving with the power of the Digimentals, it is able to manifest unbelievable power. Also, it is said that in order for the fragile larva to grow into a powerful imago, Wormmon will one day evolve into an Adult overflowing with power. It can definitely be said that it is a Digimon who has hidden potential for the future."

At first I wanted to give Kitki a patamon since she is a little bit like TK, but thematically wormmon fits her character better. Kitki is someone who is often waved off and underestimated, partly because she's a child, and partly because she's very sensitive and gentle- jaded adults find it naïve. With encouragement and understanding from her closest sibling, Kitki is able to find confidence in who she is and can realize her potential. Wormmon fits perfectly with this, because it too is underestimated and waved off as "weak." Kitki has the right personality to nurture a wormmon into becoming its best self, and Wormmon would reflect her journey of growth and potential with its metamorphosis motif. Also Wormmon is green, which is Kitki's color motif.

***

Digimon AU human designs COMING SOON 👀

[kaiju-emperor]

Writing Commissions Open

So I finally decided to start opening writing commissions now that I have my bank account and paypal set up. I have not been able to find regular work and probably won’t for a bit yet. So, I need a way to get some cash, especially cause things around my household have been a bit rough as of late.

Going prices

Minimum payment of 20$ dollars which will get you 1500 words. Any less than that and its not worth my time. 

After the initial 20$ its another 1$ for every 100 words. I will charge an extra 5 dollars for anything past 5000 words in addition to my 1$ per 100 words.

Once we have determined a word count and price I will ask for at least half of the cost up front and the other half upon completion. 

I will write fanfic or anything with your OCs. I will also write NSFW/smut material as long as it doesn't involve incest, underage characters, rape, and the like. Here’s a short list of fandoms I have written for, or will write for without much problem. 

Digimon

Sonic The Hedgehog

Fate

Owl House

Amphibia

Duckverse stuff

One Piece

Dungeons And Dragons

Pokemon

Godzilla

She-Ra

Power Rangers

If a fandom isn’t listed just ask, and if I’m familiar with it we might be able to work something out. If you want to discuss a commission, here are some writing examples to see if I’m right for you or if you like my style. If you are interested send me an ask or pm me.

Examples

Katsuya averted his gaze as the initial flash exploded outward. He took a moment to blink, and looked ahead, staring at the large hole now formed in the stone wall. Beyond the gaping opening, was a strange crystalline structure. The structure's surface was like black glass, cracks all along its surface. The arcs of energy and light spilled forth from the massive cracks, like lava glowing beneath the hard cooled volcanic rock and ash. Much of the initial explosion of energy seemed to have dissipated, though the occasional arc of multicolored light crackled out from the cracks of the crystal structure.

The young man stared, wide eyed at the alien sight, eyes reflecting the shimmering of prismatic colors, like the flickering of a flame. As he watched with wide eyed wonder he realized he knew the sensation, or something similar at the very least. It was like watching a storm rumble in the distance, the air filled with energy, thunder and lighting rumbling across the sky. And yet there was also another sensation there, like the still air at the center of a storm. The energy before him held both the storm itself, and potential of the storm. Actions that are, and actions that could be. The precipice of possibility. Before he could ponder the implications any longer there was a loud crack of the whip.

*****

“Ouroboros!”

Dozens of chains suddenly shot from her arms. The ground before her then began to warp, as a swirling portal of dark energy appeared. The chains launched into the black portal, sinking deep within. With a loud clink, the chains went taut, as they latched onto something. Irkallamon then gave a quick motion of her claws, and began to reel the chains back. 

As the chains were drawn out of the portal, they brought something with it. A giant black head, soon rose from within the dark portal. It was reptilian, with no visible eyes. Its gaping mouth split open, like some sort of demonic flower, to reveal several rows of teeth. As it began to rise higher, its serpentine body was revealed. Thick armored plates, and large metal spikes. ran along its whole body. The giant wurm let loose a hiss like roar, as it rose fully from the pit. A sickly green slime dripped from his maw, melting anything it touched

*****

A blanket of snow covered nearly every surface. Carpeting the streets,sidewalks,the eaves of buildings,and tops of parked cars. The snow white crystals drifted lazily from the grey sky above. Occasionally tossed,and jostled by an errant wind. Despite the bitter cold,the city seemed just as busy as when Blaze had arrived. Taxis,and cars going by,with loud honks. Pedestrians,garbed in thick winter coats going about their daily business. The city felt alive.

Blaze at first considered taking a cab,but decided against it. Instead,choosing to walk down to a nearby shopping district she heard about in passing. After walking several blocks,she came to a line of stores,and shops. She made a move toward one of three clothing outlets, but stopped when an old neon sign caught her eye. 

The light was slightly faded,and glowed a deep red. It displayed an open book,with a turning page. The sign beside it reading ‘The Book Attic’. 

Her interest piqued,Blaze stepped inside. 

Nsfw Examples under the cut

“Mmmm. You taste sweet.” he rumbles. “We’re going to enjoy eating you up.”

“O-oh god, yes.”

His tongue continues to taste your skin, running all the way up to your cheek. Soon it slides over your lips, prodding for access. You open your mouth wide, allowing the organ entrance. A throaty moan escapes you as it slides deep inside, tickling the back of your throat. His tongue continues to slide deeper, and deeper inside. You feel your throat bulge outward as it travels. You savor the taste of it, his thick drool mixing with your own.

Suddenly you feel one of his giant hands grab onto you. His claws dig into the fabric of your shirt. Then with a single swipe, the fabric is torn to shreds, exposing your bare skin to the air. You feel his hand grab onto one of your nipples, squeezing it between his fingers.

You squirm, and writhe as he teases you. Heavy pants escape your nostrils. Your mouth, and throat still filled to the brim with his tongue. His other hand quickly tosses the covers aside, revealing your underwear, and bare legs. 

*****

“It seems we’re all alone now~” Robin cooed. “It’s been ever so long since we’ve had some playtime.”

Robin’s other hand slid along Nami’s bare stomach and side, making the woman gasp. With a burst of flowers, another hand appeared on Nami’s back, reaching down to grope her ass. Nami leaned into the touch, her soft cheeks squeezed lovingly between Robin’s fingers. A fourth hand then made its appearance on Nami’s stomach, sliding down to tease at her crotch.

“Isn’t that right? Pet~”

Nami glanced back at Robin, panting hotly. “Y-yes mistress. It’s been far too long~”

Robin dismissed her extra limbs, and spun Nami around to face her. Gently, the taller woman ran a finger under her chin. Nami froze, goosebumps crawling across her skin. Even the smallest touch from her mistress was enough to make weak at the knees.

“Tell me pet, do you still have your collar?~”

“Of course mistress, I would never lose it.”

Robin smiled. “Good. I’ll be waiting for you in my room. Dress up nice for me~”

*****

Thirva chuckled throatily. “Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean little one. Your interest in my kind is not purely academic, is it?” 

Holli jumped at the question, but did not reply. Thirva rose back up to her full height, and leaned down next to Holli’s ear.

“Your interest in me, is much more perverse.” Thirva whispered. “You’re a submissive thing. You want nothing more then to be dominated by a terrifying being like myself. To be bound in my web, and made into a perfect little pet.” Thirva leaned even closer, and smiled. “Am I right? Little pet?”

Holli shuddered, her breath becoming ragged pants. The goblin’s face, and ears were completely flushed. She squirmed in her seat, and managed to reply with a small whimper. 

Thirva moved to face her, cupping a hand to her ear. “What was that? I didn’t quite catch it.”

Holli met Thirva’s gaze, her entire body shaking. The drider could practically see the desire in her eyes. 

“Y-es. I-I want that more than anything.” she panted.

Thirva grinned. “What’s the magic word?”

“P-please.”

“Please, what?”

“Please, Mistress!” Holli exclaimed, dropping to her knees.

Thirva held a hand over her mouth. “My, oh my, such an eager little pet. Before we get started, though, the safe word is ‘Neverwinter’. You will always refer to me as Mistress, or Mistress Thirva. Understand?”

[mandiips]

There are so many rewrites of Frontier it's almost funny. And I think it’d be a fun exercise, so y’know why not? (Granted an exercise I’ve poorly attempted back when I was a pre-teen, but since I’ve a little more experience under my small-ass belt, let's try again.)

If you want a really fucking fantastic, modernized Reboot of Frontier, I beg you to read this fic right here. As for me in this almost traditional exercise, I just want to spice up what we’ve got with some personal experiences and good-ol’ wiki info. Give this show a good retrospective.

I feel like when reviewing Frontier, you've gotta look at the series as a whole, not just the dub. Don't get me wrong, the dub for Frontier is one of the best out of the entire franchise- gives the characters that bit of spice that the sub lacks,  but it also does the conventional thing all dubs do- make the characters excessively rude and not shut them the hell up when it needs to. That takes away little hints and subtexts of who these characters really are, which is necessary because we don't have the digimon partners to reflect their character growth- no, in frontier we have to look underneath the underneath to really appreciate the lessons and facts of life these characters tell as a whole.

Frontiers’ entire shtick is about how much of a bitch you are. It's about the separation of naivety and innocence, black and white, you and the world around you. It's not your conventional story about good v evil, at least not at the beginning, where the show is strongest in writing and execution. It's about learning about and opening up to your faults, about how you perceive the world, and how that perception affects your mental state. Frontier says cry and bitch about your social situation all you want, because there's no magical fairy that's going to suddenly fix all your problems. You only have the power to change yourself, so why not be the one to take the first step in solving the problem? All of this because you can't objectify the people around you- you can't run away from the things you're afraid of when they catch up to you.

 And that is just such an underrated and beautiful message; stay innocent- don't dirty your hands- but drop the naivety you whiny brat, go make some friends. Fucking love it.

That's why Frontier is deeper than Tamers. No doubt that Tamers handles heavy topics, but Frontier is all show- don't tell. You need to ask questions and delve into the characters to find the message- the really. really fucking good message. The reason why you don't like Frontier is the execution, not the lack of anything. After the Seraphimon episodes, it almost seems like entirely different people are writing the show. Characters lose their flavor, all development goes to Kouji, and the physical story we see contradicts what is being said (takuya's problematic ass) Yet I'm still surprised that so many people dislike it, because despite some of the characters losing or getting off track of their flavor- it's still good. Not great- but solid. I have a few critiques with the world-building, but the lore makes up for that. (The fucking lore. There is so much goddamn lore that frontier itself should be a spinoff series with multiple seasons- like hot damn i swear.) 

It’s not about why the character’s are justified, it’s about why justification is a means of running away.( AND THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT TAKUYA’S CHARACTER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, YOU GET IT FROM HIS CHARACTER SONG- ALL OF WHICH ARE LIKE CHEAT CODES FOR IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRUE MESSAGE BEHIND THE CHARACTERS AND LIKE FUCK THIS IS WHY HE’S MY FAVORITE, THIS IS FUCKING WHY. YOU AND IZUMI DESERVE A BETTER SHOW) 

The second major problem beyond execution is the reluctance to break away from the formula. Now yes, obviously there's the break in the partner and power system motifs- but the characters' potential is being taken away because of the cookie cutter standard that they've found themselves in. (takuya's problematic ass again) Kouji is clearly the writer's favorite, which is more than fine because of how well written and solid his character is, but the problem is that they can't execute that character correctly when he's in the wrong role. Had they just made him the lead, it would've given them the room they wanted to tell the twin's story and then properly develop and fill the gaps with the supporting cast. (who they then would have time to y'know- develop! Seriously! Izumi has suffered enough!) Takuya's untapped potential as a morally grey side-character who balances out the black and white of Kouji and Kouichi is URGH, good shit. Kouji being the lead would also solidify that this is a different season so you need to look at it differently- show don't tell theme, right in the marketing. Bam! Genius.

Overall, treat Frontier like a first draft. A gem that needs polishing. Fire concept, questionable execution. Oh and don't talk to me about the Royal Knights, I won't remember their existence unless necessary.

[shihalyfie]

You talk a lot about how the Digimon are born from the kids own souls, would you be interested into describing how the digimon partners reflect their humans' personalities?

Oh man, I love this topic! (You’ll have to forgive me in that my desire to do justice for it is why it ended up taking me this long to answer it.)

The part about the Digimon literally being part of the kids’ souls comes directly from official (it’s been mentioned several times, not only in what I just linked). This was never stated outright in the original Adventure or 02, and it took until Kizuna to really shove the link between the partner and the human’s inner self in your face and make it a huge part of the actual story, but fans had been catching onto it long before that, and even without reading what the staff had said. Kizuna throws a bit of a nail in this because it’s said to be a bit lore-noncompliant, but considering how much of the background lore it still goes out of its way to adhere to, and the fact it still does match the fundamental concept of “human heart = Digimon partner” regardless of detailed minutiae, we can still apply and analyze this concept with no problem, especially since Adventure and 02 always walked the line between sci-fi and fantasy, and there is undoubtedly a spiritual element to them no matter how you look at it.

(My personal comfort zone in analyzing Adventure and 02 comes moreso from a human behavior and mentality perspective, which is also why my meta on this blog tends to focus more on the human drama aspects of Adventure and 02 and especially the latter’s story being so heavily about human relationships, but if you’re interested in said spiritual elements, I heavily recommend @analyzingadventure‘s very comprehensive meta on Adventure background lore and themes, which also covers similar territory in detail. We’re different people, so our takes on it probably differ in some respects, but that’s the beauty of having different perspectives, after all.)

In any case, back to your question. I think it would be best to break this down piece-by-piece with the Adventure and 02 kids in detail, so more is under the cut!

...Well, okay, before we continue, I do want to touch on something briefly, and it’s regarding the fact that “evolution” in this series is generally a metaphor for human growth. That counts for when everyone gets their evolutions, but it also counts as a metaphor overall -- after all, Adventure is about self-assertion and pushing oneself as far as possible (the major evolution gimmick being tied to Crests), whereas 02 is about cultivating differing aspects of yourself and applying it to how you form relationships with others (the major evolution gimmick being tied to Digimentals and ultimately Jogress). The human self is quite a flexible thing, and the Digimon themselves quite often change personalities as they evolve. (I touched on this briefly in my discussion of honorfiics and first-person pronouns earlier, but in Japanese, the Digimon will often even change personalities and speech patterns as they evolve.) This also leads to a few other potential observations (not really corroborated by official, just my personal view of it):

Speaking from a meta perspective, the fact that only the “front protagonists” end up getting the highest level forms is pretty obviously so they don’t have to spend toy budget on allocating it to everyone, but from an in-story perspective, Adventure episode 50 adds an implication that not reaching as high of a form may also have to do with how inherently attuned one is to combat (Jou says that he believes that Gomamon will never reach Ultimate because he doesn’t have the sort of strength Taichi and Yamato do, and it contributes to his conclusion that his skills are more meaningfully applied as a healer instead of as a fighter). Of course, none of the Adventure or 02 cast is necessarily the belligerent type that inherently likes fighting in itself, but of course certain ones are less emotionally drained or more attuned to it, so you might be able to see a rough pattern there. (Again, I’m not going to sugarcoat how this still has a lot of dismaying issues on the meta level, but the difference between “how much this sucks on a meta level” and “whether this at least tracks in-story” is a common theme on this blog.) In a franchise sense, Digimon were of course conceptualized as fighting monsters, but within the narrative of Adventure, it probably stands to reason that having a manifested part of your soul or inner self shouldn’t necessarily mean they have to be fighting things all of the time unless it’s necessary.

It’s very often been pointed out that the 02 cast is at a sort of “combat disadvantage” compared to their seniors (well, and Takeru and Hikari, anyway) because their highest forms require two people/Digimon to be in play, so their overall combat power is rather low. My impression is that this is by design (and it’s a subversion of the usual expectation of shounen anime sequels where the sequel will often power creep everything to make the new guard outdo the first). That the 02 team is inherently dependent on each other for support, and to a degree far more than their seniors, is rather baked into its narrative, and moreover, from an in-story perspective, the 02 group doesn’t seem like the type to really care about being outflanked by their seniors (on the contrary, they’d probably take that as more proof that their seniors are amazing). Moreover, the forms you see their Digimon in most of the time tend towards the smaller Baby-level forms instead of the Child-level ones, and while this is partially due to plot logistics about being in the real world (and, admittedly, kind of inconsistently applied), it gives you a much stronger impression of the 02 kids and their partners in general being people who aren’t that individually imposing or strong and get more mileage out of flexibility and variety (see: the Digimentals and the huge number of lower-level forms the kids have access to).

With this kind of metaphor, I caution against taking it too literally as a 1:1 thing (especially since official has been generally quiet about it and there isn’t much in the series text itself to corroborate this), but I do think there is certainly some kind of relevance that’s worth thinking about.

Many people, including the official notes I just linked, refer to there being some Digimon partners that are "like-minded” with their partner, and some that are “opposite” in personality. This is roughly true, but I find this to be a very simplified description of the concept; it’s more like all Digimon partners are a reflection of the less easily exposed part of their human partner (and, most pertinently, the part that would allow them to express themselves in ways they wouldn’t normally), it’s just that the kids with more straightforward or less extreme personalities don’t have as much to hide or cover up in the first place, and so their partners come off as more “like-minded”. Even Urawa Megumi, voice of Iori and Armadimon (arguably one of the pairs of partners that seem “opposing” in personality), stated that she didn’t personally feel like the two characters are all that different, since humans have different sides to them, and Armadimon is functionally an expression of the side of Iori that isn’t apparent.

Because the Adventure narrative has the Digimon partners be linked to human mentality, this leads to the side effect that you won’t have a Digimon partner who ever truly denies the human partner (barring external factors like Evil Ring-induced brainwashing), which is something producer Seki Hiromi was quite insistent about. That said, this is a very Adventure and 02-specific thing, since other series go more into different angles about how one would approach partnership when this factor is not in play; half of Tamers’s drama regarding partners comes from the fact they are not necessarily mentally linked all of the time, and need to find a way to build a relationship by bridging that gap, and so non-Adventure universe entries are more freely able to explore the concepts of a Digimon partner more consciously entering conflict with their human partner. Well, that’s the beauty of having a multi-entry franchise, after all.

Taichi and Agumon

Taichi and Agumon immediately jump to mind as the first among the “like-minded” pairs, especially since the series shows them so often in sync and chilling together. Taichi himself is a straightforward person, so it stands to reason that his straightforward personality would also lend to Agumon coming off as being rather much like him.

However, there is one slight difference between the two, and it’s that Agumon has a somewhat stronger sense of “easygoing chill” than Taichi does, right down to using the more polite boku first-person pronoun in contrast to Taichi’s more assertive ore. He also lacks Taichi’s penchant for mild insensitivity -- in fact, very unlike Taichi, he has an incredible amount of emotional insight (02 spends quite a bit of time in 02 episodes 32 and 46 to showing off Agumon as someone who makes up for all of his lack of intellectual understanding with emotional and borderline poetic insight). And, really, while Taichi is a bit surface-insensitive, and while he seems to be impulsive, he actually is a conscientious person and is trying his best in his own way, and he isn’t the kind of person who cares about societal things like seniority, and he demonstrates multiple times that he’s easygoing and chill, and so you can say that’s a part of Taichi as well. Remembering that a Digimon partner’s presence helps their own human partner grow, Agumon being so openly friendly helps Taichi maintain good relations with others without running afoul of them.

One of Agumon’s most famous traits is that he likes food, which is not actually something that was in the original Adventure or 02 all that much but has been somewhat exaggerated since. That said, back in Adventure, while it was established that all Digimon regularly need food in order to maintain their evolutions, Agumon would usually be the first to complain “I’m hungry,” and whenever they did get food, Agumon would be one of the most prominently enjoying it. Food is, after all, one of the simplest and most universal of pleasures, and there’s a lot of visual framing of Taichi chowing down just as ravenously as Agumon is -- so, honestly, he probably got it from him.

Taichi also speaks a bit about his pain of being separated from Agumon in the space between Adventure and 02, and he directly refers to Agumon as “the other me”. The word “partner” was not actually used very much in the original Adventure or 02, and Taichi is not able to fully elucidate the sentiment of Agumon’s connection to his own self, but he still understands this much and why the loss cuts him so deeply, and by the time we get to Kizuna, it’s presumably why he uses similar language in his thesis proposal to refer to him. (I already covered the circumstances of Agumon’s relationship to Taichi’s existential crisis in Kizuna and how it led to their separation earlier, so I will omit it here for the sake of avoiding redundancy.)

Yamato and Gabumon

This might surprise some people to hear, but I would also pin this as one of the more ostensibly “like-minded” pairs. Gabumon is shy on the surface, but turns out to be quite passionate -- he uses the same assertive ore as Yamato, in contrast to Agumon’s boku, and he demonstrates his capacity for passion and action in that he’s arguably one of the most assertive in the cast. Note his taking initiative against Yamato’s frostbite in Adventure episode 9, or declaring his intent to stay with Yamato even if it means going against the others in Adventure episode 44, or singlehandedly dragging Yamato out of the hole of darkness in Adventure episode 51.

And, of course, Yamato himself is someone who initially seems a little awkward or detached around everyone, but is actually very passionate, so that’s all the same. And because Gabumon himself is so open about communicating with the otherwise closed-in Yamato, Yamato is able to express himself better over the course of Adventure.

Funny thing about that “shyness”, too -- the idea of Gabumon being particularly shy isn’t present in 02 much at all (we don’t get to see him very much, so it’s hard to say whether it’s completely gone, but it’s at least gone enough for the duration of his appearances). Which is funny, considering: guess who else stopped being shy and became naturally outgoing in 02? Yeah, so, as much as you might hear people (even official!) claim that the Digimon are static while their partners change, that’s not completely true -- the Digimon themselves develop in personality in the same way their human partners do. It’s just more subtle and less drastic, since they’re representing an abstract single part of their personality rather than being an exact match.

Sora and Piyomon

Sora and Piyomon have an interesting relationship in that they’re the only one where their relationship started off on a note of conflict -- mainly in that Sora was very put off by Piyomon at first and even looked down condescendingly on her (well, only for the duration of a single episode). In fact, Sora’s own surface behavior is very different from the kind and caring Sora we know -- Sora dislikes associating with the clingy and affectionate Piyomon for being “mushy”, and even declares that she doesn’t want to “take responsibility” for lugging her around.

Of course, Sora’s character arc later revolves around the fact that she has abysmally bad self-awareness and doesn’t even realize that she has a compulsive sense of responsibility to others. So Sora is affectionate and loving -- she just puts up a front of trying to act a little above that (well, at least, during this part of the series) and doesn’t even see herself as someone capable of being like that (again, purely during this part of the series).

Piyomon is also interesting in that she has one of the most dramatic personality shifts even as early as Child to Adult, where she suddenly switches from the casual atashi to watashi (sometimes even kono watashi, which is super regal), and becomes incredibly dignified and regal even as Birdramon, and you can certainly see why Sora immediately started taking her seriously thereafter. It also begs a lot to think about, considering Sora’s very convoluted character and the many layers of herself that even she isn’t consciously aware of.

The way Piyomon helped Sora shift her own mentality is pretty directly handed to you on a plate in Adventure episode 26 -- because Piyomon played the role of Sora in the metaphor of Sora’s behavior towards Piyomon correlated to Toshiko’s behavior towards Sora, Sora was able to re-adjust her position relative to her family and consider her both someone capable of love, and someone who is loved.

Koushirou and Tentomon

Koushirou and Tentomon are another pair that initially seem like they’re opposing types, with Koushirou being constantly curious and Tentomon being comparatively simple-minded, but the first key to figuring out where the similarity is ends up being a bit deceptive -- Tentomon says in Adventure episode 5 that he’s not particularly interested in himself. And, certainly, Koushirou is interested in Tentomon, but he, too, is not interested in himself -- in fact, he considers himself to be a topic he’d rather avoid instead of looking into everything else.

As far as language goes, while Tentomon does also use the stereotypically easygoing Kansai dialect, he also specifically uses the polite form, mirroring Koushirou’s own perpetual use of polite language. But unlike Koushirou, who uses it to keep distance from others, Tentomon is in fact very sociable, and is even portrayed as a Digimon who’s conscientious of others and “takes care” of them. And because Tentomon is so openly friendly, he manages to coax Koushirou out of his shell and allow him to think about more complicated things related to his own position in the world that he’d been avoiding.

As Koushirou’s character arc proceeds, we learn that he’s polite not only out of distance but also because he really is a very kind person, and moreover that he does eventually want to open up to others. And the payoff for this eventually comes in 02...

...when he ends up becoming one of the most visible members of the older Adventure cast to appear in the series, checking in on the younger kids and developing into someone capable of organizing and managing people. Hmm, seems familiar.

Mimi and Palmon

This one’s an easy one. Mimi is possibly the most straightforward person in the original Adventure cast -- well, that’s the point of her Crest after all -- and so Palmon is almost exactly like her, being a cheerful type who loves being cute. Any contrast between them is only really apparent in the very early episodes of the series, and that’s not even a contrast in theory as much as it’s just something that might intrigue audiences at first when Mimi spent a lot of those episodes complaining, but that’s also mostly because she was heavily under stress, and otherwise Mimi has always been kind and cheerful and indulgent in being cute.

Perhaps the only real difference is that Palmon, being a plant, is more willing to get involved with dirt and other things that Mimi ostensibly would rather not, but as the series progresses, Mimi manages to gain a higher sense of tolerance and get past her initial sense of materialism (which is something she’d had the capacity for the whole time).

Jou and Gomamon

Of the Adventure pairs, this one is probably the one that seems like the biggest contrast on its face, with the overly high-strung and constantly stressed Jou, and the more playful and relaxed Gomamon.

In the end, Jou is someone who’s defined by his desire to support others, and even admits at the end of the series that he’s better suited for a support role than for fighting, and that there’s nothing wrong with that as long as he continues to channel his desire to help people in a way he’s most comfortable with. So, in the end, he’s not actually an inherently aggressive type. And, meanwhile, Gomamon is the kind who’s constantly looking out for Jou, to the point of knowing (such as in Adventure episode 7) when he’s about to do something phenomenally stupid and minding him so that nothing bad happens to him, and so, this is probably why they’re ultimately able to settle down and end the series eye-to-eye (or perhaps hand-to-hand).

And, again, recall that Digimon partners generally reflect a part that’s vital to their own human partner’s growth; considering that Jou is most certainly one of the more extreme personalities in this cast, you get the feeling that he probably needs someone this chill to keep his massive stress tendencies in check.

Takeru and Patamon

Takeru and Patamon are an interesting case largely due to the two of them being so present for a whole two series. In Adventure, both of them seem to be largely like-minded, being playful, innocent, and childish -- although Patamon is more open about expressing the childishness that Takeru keeps trying to cover up. Patamon being roughly on the same playing field (no pun intended) as Takeru means that Takeru has someone he’s willing to be open with and let himself loose a little (such as in Adventure episode 12), because for the first half of the series, he’s almost entirely in the presence of elders and stifling himself for the sake of being “well-behaved”, and it starts his long journey of being able to understand his position and his actual sense of emotions over the course of Adventure and 02.

Patamon also has a striking personality change upon evolving, becoming the regal and dignified Angemon, and, interestingly, his appearances have a very “knight templar” vibe where he takes a no-compromise stance against dark forces and states that he’ll condemn all of them to oblivion. This is a stance that’s unnervingly similar to Takeru’s own no-compromise stance against the darkness in 02, and it’s interesting in that Takeru himself had been advocating for pacifism in Adventure episode 12, but this incident traumatized him enough to start taking a position that more resembled Angemon’s.

As we go into 02, Takeru’s contrast with Patamon initially seems like an increased mismatch, since Patamon is still ostensibly childish and playful while Takeru is ostensibly more mature. But for one, Takeru’s character arc is about the fact that he’s still pretending he’s more in control of his emotions than he actually is, and in some way you can also glean that there’s a sort of naivete present in his character that he keeps covering up with confident smiles. Patamon, for his part, does actually seem to have adopted a bit of a mentor role to the other Digimon, and we also learn that he’s capable of deliberately trolling people instead of just being generically playful -- much like Takeru himself, who’s a bit evasive and not entirely honest.

We do actually see Patamon reach HolyAngemon in 02 episode 34, but it doesn’t work out well, and while this is partially for plot mechanic reasons, it also says a lot that the “knight templar” stance that both Takeru and HolyAngemon have, with the full depth of no-compromise, isn’t going anywhere, and in the end, something more effective is only possible when Shakkoumon appears in 02 episodes 36-37 -- that is, Takeru is only able to better move on with Iori’s support.

Hikari and Tailmon

Hikari is the only of the Tokyo Chosen Children to have a Digimon who “defaults” to Adult instead of Child or lower, and it means that Tailmon herself comes with a certain amount of maturity -- on top of having been become a bit hardened due to her experiences being isolated. This is an ostensible contrast to the more pure-hearted and innocent Hikari, but note that Hikari’s own will can be pretty assertive when it comes down to it. On top of that, as much as Tailmon is a bit standoffish, Hikari is also “emotionally isolated” -- she has trouble vocalizing her negative feelings, and it’s difficult for anyone in Adventure or the first half of 02 to truly connect with her internal thoughts. Recalling that the Digimon partner reflects a side of the human partner that’s less easily exposed and allows the human partner to grow in ways they wouldn’t before, Tailmon’s sheer presence gives Hikari a route to action in ways she probably wouldn’t have beforehand.

In 02, Hikari becomes a little more mischievous and playful, and Tailmon also becomes a bit more willing to indulge (she even switches first-person pronouns in sync with Hikari, going from the more polite watashi to the more casual atashi). Both of them are now more able to enjoy themselves more openly. That said, Tailmon still has a certain degree of stuffy personal pride (she snarks at everyone quite easily for fussing over snacks in 02 episode 3), and Hikari herself remains emotionally elusive and repressive at the start of this series.

Tailmon evolves temporarily to Angewomon in 02 episode 13, which is the first time anyone (in this case, Takeru) makes some degree of headway to reaching out to her and allowing her to open up a bit more, but it’s not until 02 episode 31 when Hikari is fully reached out to via Miyako, which marks the first appearance of Silphymon.

Daisuke and V-mon

Now here’s a very like-minded pair, even more so than Taichi and Agumon -- and, after all, Daisuke is simple-minded, so painfully simple-minded that he’s practically incapable of hiding anything, and so V-mon is almost exactly like him, down to using the same ore pronoun and being feisty and mischievous (a point is also made that he plays soccer with Daisuke, something that Agumon didn’t necessarily do with Taichi), and, heck, in a rare show of Digimon-Digimon crushes, has a crush on Tailmon in the exact same way Daisuke has on Hikari. (By the time we get to Kizuna and its higher animation budget, a lot of attention is paid to having even their body language mirror each other.)

There is only one real functional difference between the two in disposition, and it’s that V-mon is very straightforward, friendly, and kind, without being prone to getting angry or spiteful at anyone, and in the end, it’s indicative of the fact that Daisuke’s tendency to lash out defensively at everyone is just a front -- at his core, he’s friendly, supportive, and kind. Daisuke’s experiences and banter with V-mon contribute to him getting the sort of validation he needed without having to worry about being on edge or lash out defensively, and because of that, he was able to form a healthier and more supportive relationship with the rest of the group.

Miyako and Hawkmon

This one seems to be a contrast right off the bat -- Miyako is bubbly, over-the-top, and rather messy and lacking in restraint, whereas Hawkmon is formal, graceful, and polite. But Hawkmon’s most prominent trait is his absolute loyalty and devotion to Miyako -- he’s very often referred to by both official staff and fans as her “knight” -- and is constantly minding her to protect her and make sure she doesn’t go over her head (most prominently, 02 episode 18). And as far as Miyako’s relationship to others goes -- she’s also devotedly loyal to everyone she loves and is constantly going out of her way to help others, and her character arc in itself is about the fact she wants to do her best to reach out to people and help emotionally support them in the best way she can, and Hawkmon managing to channel that to its utmost extent to Miyako in turn (in a very “who watches the watchman?” sense) allows her to regain her bearings and have better control over herself in the aftermath of 02 episode 18.

On top of that, as the series proceeds, it turns out that Hawkmon also shares Miyako’s penchant for dramatic theatrics and being a bit over his head -- even if he seemingly has himself more together than Miyako does, he’s not completely above it all...

Miyako is also the franchise’s first example of a female character with a masculine Digimon partner, and while Miyako herself openly identifies with and indulges in all things hyper-feminine, she also has zero issue engaging in more masculine-associated things as they suit her -- most prominently her Digital World outfit, and the fact she often displays a rather aggressive go-getter and hot-blooded/in-your-face personality that would not be out of place on a male shounen hero in a more conventional show. (Although, as much as these have generally been on the thread of “less visible aspects”, it’s not like this was that less visible of an aspect of her to begin with...)

Iori and Armadimon

Iori and Armadimon hold the honor of being the only pair in the Tokyo Chosen Children to be voiced by the same voice actress (Urawa Megumi), driving the parallel down even further. And while their surface temperaments seem different, with Iori being rather uptight and strict on himself while Armadimon is laid-back, carefree, and even somewhat assertive, they’re not that different -- Armadimon is basically the curious, impressionable, somewhat childish spirit that Iori would be if he weren’t constantly holding himself back. (There’s a lot to be said about Submarimon going out of his way to take Iori for a ride in 02 episode 16 so that Iori can finally properly enjoy himself for once.)

Iori takes a lot of very stubborn, no-compromise positions over the course of 02, but Armadimon asking just the right kinds of questions allows him to “snap out of it” and be a little more receptive to considering alternatives, or at least taking into account more emotionally-oriented issues he’s dealing with. You can say that Armadimon (especially as Upamon) softening Iori up a bit -- since Iori will never be cold or unforgiving towards his partner, no matter what -- serves as a precursor to Iori starting to question the limitations of his black-and-white view of morality, which allows him to successfully break through to Takeru and fill out the rest of his character arc.

Ken and Wormmon

Considering how much of the plot revolved around this one, this one almost goes entirely without saying! During Ken’s stint as the Kaiser, Wormmon represents the heart that Ken’s not entirely willing to leave behind -- and, also, the affection that he’s still craving from his family. The Kaiser going practically out of his way to deny Wormmon yet paradoxically keeping him around is basically his attitude towards his own “weak” and naturally kindhearted self. Notably, recall that the principle of “a Digimon will never deny their partner” applies here -- Wormmon’s “betrayal” of the Kaiser isn’t really any kind of denial, since he was doing it mainly for Ken’s own sake, and, more symbolically, it’s Ken reaching his own limit and coming to realize that this path isn’t what he really wants.

Wormmon is unusually clingy to his own partner over the course of 02, and it’s vital to Ken needing to learn to love himself and also getting important validation that he needs, especially during the critical point in time during 02 episodes 23-30 when he’s still not sure how to approach the rest of the group -- Wormmon gives him someone to talk to honestly and openly, giving him a proper springboard to sort out his complicated feelings about the others and himself. You can say also that as Ken becomes more open and straightforward over the course of the latter half of 02, he, in turn, becomes much more shameless about showing affection and opening his own heart.

Wallace, Gumimon, and Chocomon

Bonus round!

While it’s hard to fully apply Hurricane Touchdown to this theory (by official admission, it wasn’t properly cross-referenced with the original Adventure/02 series lore, and trying to correlate all of the evolutions in this movie to something metaphorical will give you a headache), Wallace’s two partners still fit very neatly into this overall theory of Digimon partners as a part of the self. Wallace is a character with very sharp duality, trying to be a flirt who asserts himself as a vagrant who’s about to “become an adult”, yet still feels an obligation to keep calling his mom and is engaging in increasingly self-destructive behavior.

Most pertinently, Gumimon and Chocomon represent the two stances Wallace is torn between: wanting to “return to the past” (Chocomon) because he’s still hung up on having lost Chocomon and is convinced that he can make everything just like it was before, and “being able to productively move on” (Gumimon). For most of the early parts of the movie, Wallace is stuck on Chocomon’s mentality of fixating on the past, and Gumimon isn’t even remotely subtle when he draws an explicit parallel between the two (saying that Chocomon didn’t like the heat, followed by offering to give Wallace shade as a hat). But once the conflict escalates and Wallace realizes just how deep in denial Chocomon is, to the point of being destructive to himself and others, Wallace comes to embrace Gumimon’s stance of practicality and moving on. In the end, the ultimate conclusion is reached, and Wallace is forced to fully accept that latter stance when Chocomon dies, but the movie’s ending (and Kizuna) provide an extra option: allowing the past to come back, but in a new form and treading new territory instead of trying to make it “the way it was before”.

[talesofsonicasura]

Emmet and Digimon Reader: Name

Next part to this! It'll be at least another one or two headcanons before we get into Hisui territory. Enough time for one of our favorite trainmen to get to learn about his Omnimon Zwart Defeat companion. Can be read gender neutral or preferred gender.

Getting Emmet and his two companions out of your personal void isn't difficult. Only place that little hell could keep you from is the Digital World, what used to be home.

Before any plans could be set on rescuing the man's brother, there were somethings the human needed to do. Pack the essentials he needs, set up a perfectly good reason for his absence, and find someone who could manage the station while gone.

You had taken residency in an abandon train yard as attention wouldn't be good for anyone. Being mistaken as a Pokemon is high and getting attacked would be even higher. Mercy isn't an item you practice much, not even for a long time.

Of course the station had been abandoned by humans but not Pokemon. Hundreds of tiny yellow spiders, a group of little moles with sharp shovel like claws and some dark blue rocks bearing a yellow core. Joltik, Drilbur and Roggenrola as Emmet called them. All curious but completely harmless.

A good chunk of Joltik clung to you, borrowing your energy. The human explained they usually do that to help grow plus they've been given your consent. Had way too energy much for them to even put a damp in alongside being too powerful that drain didn't hurt.

It took some time for Emmet to come back to the abandoned train station. The human appear to be more lively than when you first met. Probably from the 'high' of finding his lost sibling.

He also brought a lot of food from what you can see. "I am Emmet! I figured you might be hungry since you been stuck in that void for who knows how long." Huh.

Most of the time you didn't really need to eat, absorbing data to keep yourself functional. However there is no telling where or when Ingo disappeared to, possibly of no data to feed is high. Guess this will be something you need to get used to as well.

You heard about human food being quite good before you were sealed away. A statement that held true from how hard it was to not chow down like an animal. Personal favorite being an ice cream cone or 'Castelia Cone' that Emmet managed to snag.

Speaking of the train conductor, he seem quite amused at your veiled enthusiasm over the food. Then the human spoke up. "I am Emmet and I realize you were really don't have proper nickname."

That had gotten your attention. "Calling you 'Omnimon Zwart Defeat' is very very strange and honestly sounds quite insulting. Especially for a survivor such as yourself. Is it okay if I call you by a different title?"

First part of his explanation did make sense but the second part... When was the last time someone showed you any sort of positive emotion? Fear or caution being the only thing you knew.

An sword aimed at any threat to the Digital World. However, that isn't the case anymore. You look the human straight in the eyes, all that reflected being nothing but honesty and respect. "Very well. Grant me a new title."

It seemed Emmet thought it out while he was busy getting prepared for the journey ahead. "I am Emmet and you shall be known as Eir. This name stems from EIR-21, one of the oldest but still working train to this day. A name that embraces thriving through the tragedy of life's hardships."

Eir... Something you mulled over a bit in your head before coming to a decision. "You may call me EIR." It gotten a roar of excitement from the other Pokemon while Emmet seem very proud of himself.

Maybe there's something more to gain than just helping this human after all. Whatever it is, you will greet it head on. Fear isn't something that can stop even a fell Royal Knight.

Omnimon Zwart Defeat has been given the nickname Eir! It took quite some time looking up any nicknames that would only fit our Digimon reader but also suit Emmet's potential nickname style.

There were many other locomotives like the Puffing Billy to Fairy Queen but EIR-21 wormed its way into my heart. When it comes to my stories and headcanons, I put a lot of work into research so more life can added.

Until next time folks, I'll see you at the train station between worlds.

[harushinkai-daily]

Haru Shinkai: Personal data, associations, and other random tidbits

Because I don’t think I’ve seen it anywhere else, I thought I’d do a light astrology / blood type / whatever else analysis on Haru, because a) it’s rare that we have enough information to do stuff like this with characters from Digimon, b) anime staff tends to be aware of and/or intentionally include this type of symbology when sharing this type of character information, and c) (I think) it’s fun to try to dissect what the Appmon writers might have been thinking when they assigned these details to Haru as they were developing his character and the overall themes of the show. This is all just my interpretation of what we’re given, and it’s all in the name of silly, harmless fun. Also, there are SPOILERS for the end of the series beneath the cut, so proceed at your own risk!

With all that said, let’s dive in!

Screenshot from Episode 4. To my knowledge, the most personal data on a single character we’ve ever had in a Digimon anime. Thanks, Leviathan!

Name Meaning

Like most Digimon characters, Haru’s given name is written in katakana, so it doesn’t really “mean” anything. Like many characters in Appmon though, his name is a reference to a real or fictional artificial intelligence, in this case the infamous Hal 9000 from the movie (and book) 2001: A Space Odyssey. But despite the namesake, we can be pretty sure that Hal 9000 was more of an inspiration for Leviathan and YJ-14 than our dear tomato lad!

According to the Digimon Wiki, the kanji for Shinkai (新海) means “new ocean”, and may be a reference to the Net Ocean [1], which is certainly a rather different way to represent the Digital World at this point in the franchise’s history. It is a rather unfortunate name considering Haru’s initial hesitancy around water, but as we’ll soon see, “water” is a reoccurring and seemingly inescapable theme for Haru! 

Birthday

Haru’s birthday is July 1 (today!) making him a Cancer in the Western Zodiac.

Cancer is a water sign (sorry kiddo!), largely associated with emotions and intuition. Cancers are said to be cautious, self-reflective, empathetic, and loyal, willing to go above and beyond to protect those they love. They are ruled by the Moon (the closest celestial body to Earth… more on why the Earth is important later), and are one of the four cardinal signs, which are “leaders” of the four classical Western elements spread among the twelve zodiac signs [2].

Additionally, if you assume that Appmon took place concurrently with when it aired (i.e. 2016-2017), it also means that Haru (and presumably also Ai, Eri, and Rei) were born in 2003, which was the Year of the Sheep(/Goat) according to the Eastern Zodiac. According to the 60-year animal/element cycle, 2003 was actually the year of the Water Sheep— yet another unfortunate association with water for Haru! Sheep are said to be peaceful, caring, considerate, passionate about what they believe in, and love to learn new things. Those born in water years are also cautious, patient, and flexible, which all seem to describe the leader of this season’s Chosen Children to a T [3]!

Diving down an even deeper rabbit hole, birth months can also be assigned a gemstone, flower, etc, though I’m not sure if this is standardized or even common throughout the world. In the version I’m familiar with though, July is associated with rubies (appropriate then, considering Haru’s character color/AppDrive is red?), larkspurs, and water lilies. These flowers have a variety of meanings depending on color, and whether you are talking about the English flower language or Japanese hanakotoba and I did not research them thoroughly, so I will leave any and all potential insights from flower symbology as an exercise for the reader!

As for July 1 specifically, I have to wonder if the Appmon staff selected this date due to its perceived luck. 7 is most definitely a lucky number in Japanese numerology, as is 7+1 = 8. The date could also serve as a possible allusion to the original Adventure, where seven Chosen Children were eventually joined with another to become eight. In regards to July 1 being historically significant, nothing really stood out to me in my research... EXCEPT that it was the date of the first international telephone call in 1881 [4], an important first step to creating a world connected by the Internet and smartphones, for sure! And while that was almost certainly unintentional, it does seem like a pretty happy coincidence. Given all of the above, you could argue that July 1 is an appropriate and maybe even auspicious day for any Digimon protagonist’s date of birth, so why not Haru?

(One more numerology sidenote: 7+1+2+0+0+3 = 13, and 1+3 = 4. So if we look at his entire birthdate, perhaps it is actually quite unlucky! Is this a subtle clue from the writers that Leviathan had been targeting the grandson of Denemon Shinkai since birth? You be the judge!)

Blood Type

Haru’s blood type is O. According to Japanese blood type theory, Os are optimistic, strong-willed, generous, and confident, all of which Haru exhibits or grows into by the end of the series. Maybe it’s just me, but this seems like the typical “leader/main character” blood type for anime and manga, though my sample size is definitely too small to be useful. The most famous “O” from another series that comes to my mind is Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon—whose birthday, coincidentally, is June 30.

Similar personalities?

Handedness

There is a whole essay I haven’t written on the symbolic importance of hands in Appmon (thesis statement: hands are very important). But this post is about Haru, and he, as it is stated, is right-handed.

It seems unlikely that there is any great significance here; something approximating 90% of the global population is right-handed, so I think the most you can say about Haru not being left-handed or ambidextrous points to him being “extremely average.” But the animation generally matches the statement here, so the animators get points for consistency! Haru does use his right hand for writing and high-fiving, and thus it appears in many shots/scenes that have tremendous thematic significance to the series (some of which will be explored in the aforementioned essay, if I can ever find the motivation to write it!).

God-Grade Appmon

There is also a whole essay I haven’t written about the God-Grade Appmon, why their names were specifically chosen for this series, and why they are (mostly) perfect manifestations of the final character evolutions of their human counterparts. But again, this post is about Haru, so I want to briefly talk about the name origin of Gaiamon, because (imo) it’s a choice that goes beyond being divine-sounding upgrade to Globemon (though it is certainly that too!).

Gaiamon’s namesake is, of course, Gaia, one of the oldest, most primordial goddesses in Greek mythology, the literal personification of the Earth. With time and cultural osmosis she began to be associated with her descendants Rhea and Demeter, as well as the more spiritual/environmental personifications of Mother Earth and Mother Nature. The concept of “Gaia” has evolved, then, from a deity who was said to have given birth to the geological features of the Earth (oceans, mountains, etc.) and the first generation of mythological life (the Titans and Giants), into a gentle and benevolent caretaker of nature and all living things on the planet. This is evident in the naming of the Gaia Hypothesis, a (not actually scientific) theory that supposes organic life and their inorganic surroundings form a symbiotic, self-regulating system that maintains and perpetuates the conditions for said life [5]. Given Appmon’s focus on artificial intelligence in relation to humanity, and the fact that Haru (organic/human) and Gatchmon (inorganic/AI) not only fought to protect organic life (humanity) from a very real physical and philosophical threat, but share the desire to build a future rooted in kindness and empathy, their relationship not only echoes the Gaia Hypothesis, but the modern view of Gaia/Mother Earth as well. In short, Haru and Gatchmon are the symbiotic, symbolic caretakers of life (humanity) and Earth within the scope of the series—and that is (the extremely abbreviated version of) why I think Gaiamon is so incredibly spot-on for the name for Haru’s God-Grade Buddy and Gatchmon’s final form. Figuratively they are the world, and the two of them lead the way in taking the first steps necessary for humans and AI to create a perfect world together as equals, walking into the future hand-in-hand.

Phew! The end.

So! That’s my take on the symbolic significance that could be gleaned from these little character details, and of course you’re more than welcome to agree, disagree, or think I’m reading way too much into this. Regardless, I’d love to hear your opinion if you felt like sharing! But of course, whatever else you do, don’t forget to raise a glass to one amazing, down-to-Earth gogglehead today. Happy Birthday, Haru!!!

Sources: 

[1] Digimon Wiki: https://digimon.fandom.com/wiki/Haru_Shinkai

[2] Western Zodiac: https://www.astrology.com/zodiac-signs/cancer

[3] Japanese Zodiac/Elements/Blood Type meanings: http://japanesezodiac.com  

[4] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_1

[5] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis

[digitalworldbound]

one step forward

Pairing: Ken x Miyako

Summary: “I can’t talk to cute people, okay? I don’t know how to flirt!” (#30 on the prompt list) Requested by @digichijouji02

Author’s Note: I’ve never written a “song-fic”, but I love Olivia Rodrigo’s album AND Kenyako, so this?? was the result. (this is unedited and kind of abrupt)

Called you on the phone today

Just to ask you how you were

All I did was speak normally

Somehow I still struck a nerve

Daisuke had given her Ken’s number as a preemptive measure. “Even if he isn’t apart of our team right now, I’m sure the others will come around soon.”

His oppressive optimism was almost worse than Takeru’s. Iori had made his stance clear on the situation, and Miyako could feel the guilt bubble up in her stomach as she punched the digits into her house phone. Nerves settled into her hands, her fingers desperately rearranging her hair in an effort to feel in control.

Three short rings later, the line picked up. His breath ghosted over the receiver. Miyako’s carefully planned greeting died on her lips. “Ah, is this Ken?” It was a stupid question – how else would she have his number if she didn’t know who he was? She pushed the phone closer to her ear, straining to discover any sound through the cloud of white static. Nothing.

Her heart pounded in her chest. In all of the reactions she prepared herself for, Miyako hadn’t expected silence. She wanted him to be angry; he had every right to be. She wanted him to yell at her or cry or scream. Screaming would be more bearable than the static he was giving her now.

“How have you been? You know, since…everything?” The sharp intake of breath short-circuited her brain. Ken had just watched his partner dissolve in front of his eyes, and she had the audacity to ask how he was holding up? A flush of shame crawled up her neck. She prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her.

The receiver clicked. Miyako hated the way the dial tone mocked her.

You got me messed up in the head, boy Never doubted myself so much Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy? I hate that I give you power over that kind of stuff

Winter air nipped at her exposed cheeks. It had taken her a while to find his apartment; her toes felt like ice in her boots. He hadn’t really spoken to her since the phone call, only acknowledging her when the situation called for it. Nevertheless, he had invited them all over for a Christmas party, and who was Miyako to say no?

His mother opened the door, the smell of freshly baked gingersnaps escaping into the night. “Come in, dear. You must be Miyako! My Ken has told me a lot about you.” The woman ushered Miyako towards a bedroom door before her shock could register. What is there to tell? The only time I’ve talked to him was to slap him in the face.

Ken’s mother knocked lightly on the door, announcing Miyako’s arrival. For some reason, she could feel her cheeks burn when Ken gestured her further into his bedroom. “You look nice, Miyako.” His voice was barely a whisper, the boisterous arguing of Takeru and Daisuke nearly drowning him out.

Self-consciously, she caught her reflection in the glass of a clock on the wall. It had been a harsh winter, the snow getting the best of any potential customers to her family’s convenience store. Her sister’s skirt was too short for Miyako’s long legs, so she layered her old ballet tights underneath. They did little to fend off the cold, but it preserved what little dignity she had around her friends. The attempts at curling her hair were futile. Snowflakes clung to the curls, the strands now hanging limply around her face. She grumbled a bit under her breath, racking her brain for the reasoning behind Ken’s blatant lie.

A card game was in full swing by the time Miyako wedged herself between Iori and Takeru. They both smiled at her before turning back to the issue at hand: Daisuke was cheating.

“Just because I have natural talent doesn’t mean that you can be jealous, Takeru.”

“I don’t think it takes natural talent to look at Hikari’s cards.” The blond deadpanned. Iori sighed and exchanged a look with Ken. They, unlike Takeru and Daisuke, seemed to have formed a companiable silence in the midst of the chaos.

Daisuke’s bickering rattled her brain. With Ken’s unsolicited compliment and the constant arguing, Miyako was already at her wit’s end. “Can you both just shut up and stop trying to mark your territory like untrained puppies?”

Her voice echoed off of Ken’s bare walls. Their Digimon temporarily stopped their feast to look at her curiously. Poromon bounced into her lap, snuggling into her chest. Five pairs of wide yes regarded her with surprise, and Miyako could feel herself grow uncomfortably warm. A giggle burst from Ken’s lips, his cheeks rosy. She had never heard him laugh before.

Soon, they were all laughing. Cards were strewn about as they rolled on the floor, laughing harder when they realized they couldn’t stop.

As the party wrapped up, Miyako was the last to leave. Poromon and Minomon snuggled together underneath a blanket while Ken talked. Her cheeks warmed under the attention, but Ken either didn’t notice or was too kind to mention it. The hands on the clock ticked forwards until his mother startled them with a knock. “Miyako, it’s getting late. I wouldn’t want your parents to worry.” Her eyes were soft and full of kindness; Ken had inherited her smile.

“Of course! I apologize for staying so late. Thank you for allowing me to come over.” She stood and bowed clumsily. Her family valued no such formalities, but if anyone deserved them, it was Ken’s mother.

Ken walked her to his threshold, a hand nervously resting on her back. Despite being underdressed, he stepped out into the chilly night air behind her. A smile played on his lips, causing a swarm of butterflies to erupt in Miyako’s stomach.

“I wasn’t joking, you know?” His eyes looked out onto the horizon. Miyako raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” The cold had already wormed its way through her tights; she was ready to get home.

His dark blue eyes met hers. “You do look nice tonight.” For someone so shy, so quiet, Ken said it with a conviction that made Miyako’s cheeks color.

Her hands were sweaty, her heart was so loud. Maybe I’m getting sick.

Ken’s eyes were so earnest, so full, waiting her response. The ball was in her court, and she was fumbling. “Ah, um, Ken, I don’t know what to say.” His shoulders drooped, eyes tearing away from hers before fixating on some imaginary point in the distance.

“You don’t have to say anything. Goodnight, Miyako.”

He didn’t have a chance to turn the doorknob before the older girl began to panic. She grabbed his wrist, pulling his backwards.

“No! Ken, that’s not what I meant! I mean, at first I had no idea, and then Daisuke was being all, well, Daisuke. But then the cards were all a mess and this isn’t even my skirt, and I had no-“

Ken’s lips twitched upwards, his eyes empty. “Miyako, you don’t have to make me feel better.” He glances at his watch, “It’s getting late, you should be on your way home.”

“No.” Her hand tightened around his wrist. Ken looked so small and confused that Miyako’s heart gave a painful lurch. Ken couldn’t leave until she said her piece.

The air burned her throat; she was sure that he could feel her fingers tremble against his skin. “I’m trying to say thank you. It’s just that I can’t talk to cute people, okay? I’ve never been in this situation before, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”

Silence, then “You think I’m cute?”

'Cause it's always one step forward and three steps back I'm the love of your life until I make you mad It's always one step forward and three steps back Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand No, I don't understand

It must have been something in the eggnog, she thought. That’s the only explanation. It was the fourth of January. Her D-Terminal had remained silent since the defeat MaloMyotismon, Ken ignoring her messages with a practiced ease. It was hard to not take it personal. She knew that they all needed the space and time to grieve, but Ken hated to be alone. Miyako had been so sure that they were finally getting somewhere, finally becoming friends. Her inbox was empty.

The shrine was also uncharacteristically empty, her family making up the majority of the crowd. Her family had also remained silent. Ultimately, they were glad she was safe. Her siblings were miffed that their little sister had been trapezing between worlds while they focused on their math homework but were incredibly proud of the way she handled herself. Her parents hadn’t looked in her eyes since.

She had tried to message her friends about it, but not even Iori would respond. Lost in thought, her brother shoved her forward when it was her turn to pray. Muscle memory was the only reason she was capable of tossing in her coins and clapping.

Prayer seemed superficial in the face of the battle they had fought. Prayer hadn’t saved the children from their Dark Seeds or made the fight any easier to win. Still, her head bowed in thanks. At least her friends had been spared.

She prayed for strength, to face whatever came next. She prayed for the wellbeing of her family, and her partner. She prayed for her friends; she prayed for Ken.

Her D-Terminal beeped.

[jippy-kandi]

Digimon Adventure: 2020 – Episode 28: The Children’s Fight For Survival (Review)

Thoughts on the twenty-eighth episode of the Digimon Adventure reboot series.

So Toei really did split up the kids again . . . Sigh.

Angemon’s voice is still so terrible. Who hired this person? Please fire them immediately.

When Angemon used Heaven’s Knuckle and displaced all the kids in various parts of the Digital World, their falling animation reminded me of when they originally got sucked into the Digital World in the OG. Could this be the “real” beginning of their adventure - and the series will actually focus on their characterisations now and get good? I hope so! :P

I don’t like that the kids are split up again - and so soon - but I’ll roll with it. Sora with the Flymon looks interesting . . . or I just want her to shine in her own damn storyline, lol.

Yamato to Taichi: “Watch over your sister.” Again, this is why Yamato Ishida should be your favourite character. :P

LOL at everyone in danger where they landed and Jou’s just chillin’ in the hot springs. Remember in the OG where he was super shy about being naked - and Taichi and Yamato took his bath towel? lol. He still has one here. XD;

Taichi reflects upon the fact that Hikari has always been creepy and just LOL. Why do I find this funny? Hikari is so creepy. XD; The scene was nice amongst endless fights, though - I’d like more scenes like this to flesh out the other kids as well!

Garurumon to Yamato: “Sounds like Takeru’s grown up.” Bro, he entered the Digital World as an Olympic gymnast stuck in a child’s body. He never “grew”. HE WAS ALWAYS THIS FEARLESS AND RIDICULOUS. (I know some people like Takeru’s “agency” but . . . I don’t. There is no growth - and that equals an unrealistic and boring character to me.)

Patamon trying to fly while completely exhausted was ridiculously cute. *SQUISH*

I do like the little snippets of the kids and their partners - I just wish we had these “fun” snippets with the kids all together . . .

Volcdramon was cool, but very obviously a fillermon to pad the episode. The ensuing fight was cool, too - but does there need to be a fight every single week? I don’t think so - someone please tell Toei.

MetalGreymon to Taichi and Hikari as he’s about to attack Volcdramon: “You two, don’t fall off!” LOL he says that now!? How about the other 78 times Taichi was at risk of falling off in previous episodes!?

I don’t think I like “spirit” WarGreymon appearing . . . I think it’s confusing for kids, too?

SkullKnightmon kidnaps Hikari, Taichi is clearly worried and screaming for her, and Hikari simply looks at Taichi and turns away from him without uttering a single word. LOL. Girl, you can at least be like, “I’m OK, don’t worry!” or something other than just turning your back on him. XD; Of course, this is just Toei making Hikari super mysterious, but still. It doesn’t matter whether you’re her enemy, her friend, or her blood brother - watch out, Hikari will just turn her back on you. XD; OK, seriously, I think Hikari went with SkullKnightmon because she “knows” he’ll take her to who has been calling her - I assume Tailmon. Neat. BUT THE SCENE STILL MAKES ME LAUGH. XD;

I hope the reason the kids have split is so that each of them can reach their full potential on their own - without needing the others to be handicapped - and get their Mega evolutions. That would be cool. And then please get them back together again ASAP and FREAKING KEEP THEM TOGETHER FOREVER.

The series is a thousand times more interesting when the kids are actually together and bonding and being friends. Most of them are still practically strangers at this point? And it’s almost half-way through the series? Damn. Toei, you have some serious work to do!

[analyzingadventure]

I’ve wanted to write about this for ages and Psi has kind of made relevant so

I always thought it was weird if we saw a Digimon die and then come back as the exact same species of Digimon.

(This isn’t specific to any series though I do use Adventure a lot in this discussion. May also contain spoilers for Psi)

Now admitedly there aren’t too many examples of this in the franchise (Patamon and Leomon being one of the few notable ones), but that is mainly because deaths are fairly rare, and even deaths we do see, it’s even rarer to see them come back (even when we know the mechanics of the world should make it totally possible)*. But nonetheless, it always felt weird to me when it did happen (or when us fans assume the Digimon would come back as the same species)

To properly explain why it feels weird to me, I first need to ramble about Digimon as “persons” and evolution as a whole

The thing that makes people who they are, are their memories. It’s their life experiences and their feelings of those experiences. It’s not where you’re born, the community you live in or the culture you’re raised in- of course these do affect who you are, but all they do is influence your life experiences and feelings about everything. They are incredbly imporant, and they play a factor in making you “you”, but those things aren’t “you”; “you” are your memories.    And an imporant note here, is that who you are changes as you grow older, as you gain more experiences, feelings and memories. That’s why the “10yo you” is different from the “20yo you” or "40yo you” (etc), and why you will continue to change, even if it was ever so slightly, as you get older. Hell, the “you” who started reading this essay minutes ago is already a different person from the “you” who is reading this sentence right now. “You” are everchanging, ever-evolving.

So what makes a Digimon “them”? Or, more specifically, what makes each Digimon the species they are?    Yes, this is a deeply related question for me, because we humans (I swear I’m not a robot) do express “who we are” outside, through our actions, our interests and how we appear to others, though not just what clothes we wear but also stuff like how we do our hair, tattoos, bodymods etc, not to mention things people don’t have control over from eye color, race, bodytype, height, all the way to disablities.

So if we as humans express so much (and so little) of “who we are” through how we appear, how would Digimon do it? How do Digimon express who they are?

It always just made sense to me if that was through evolution. That just as a Digimon experiences things, their evolutions will reflect the person they are, their feelings, memories, who they want to be.

Honestly this is one of the main reasons why I’ve always hated strict, Pokémon-like evolution lines (not even trees, just lines!!) in Digimon, the idea that these non-physical, A.I. data monsters can only appear a certain way through their lifespans based on whatever they were born as is just depressing to me. And while one might argue “it’s just how they are”, that rule only exists if you specifically go out of your way to write it in, otherwise there’s no reason for it to exist, but I’m getting super sidetracked ranting right now

Like just as an example of the kind of freedom I like to think Digimon could and should have, I want you to picture in your mind an Agumon.

Just a regular ol’ Agumon, living in the Digital World, minding their own business. This Agumon starts travelling for fun, enjoying seeing the world and whatever. During this time they realize they’re not really built for travelling and while their stamina increases as they go on and they get better at hiking, they still kind of wish they were more “built” for this type of activity so that they could enjoy their life more- And eventually they evolve into a Centarmon! Now they can move faster (etc) and enjoy their travelling life more, and they do just that! Life is great!     Until one day they come across the ocean, a beautiful, vast “world” of its own, but one... they can’t explore, at least not any longer than they can hold their breath. They still spend their time exploring what they can, near the beaches etc, until one day their wish to explore the ocean is fulfilled and they evolve into a MegaSeadramon! And now they have great access to the oceans!

Like this example is very extreme, but you get what I mean, with the idea that the evolutions reflect the type of person the Digimon is, what they enjoy and who they want to be. It’s the ever-evolving reflection of their heart that I love

**(Sidenote at the bottom)

And this is why I think it'd make sense if Digimon came back as a different species entirely.

Because while death may have reset their evolution stages back to zero, if the Digimon retains all their memories from their previous life, all their experiences, hopes, wishes and dreams, all of their feelings... Then why would all the growth the Digimon had gone through in their previous life be reset? Shouldn’t their new life continue their previous growth and take different forms to reflect any new paths the mon might take in this life?

Just to use the Agumon from above as an example, if this mon died after spending quite some time as a MegaSeadramon, loving being a sea serpent and living in the ocean, wouldn’t it make sense they came back as a Sangomon instead of an Agumon (and yeah I think the Baby forms could be different too, depending on what they were but I’m skipping these)? Now of course, if they were happy living in the ocean and just totally content there, it’d make total sense if they then evolved to Seadramon and finally back to MegaSeadramon, I’m not saying they can’t come back to where they started at. What I do think is that it’d be weird if this mon went through the same Agumon -> Centarmon -> MegaSeadramon lifespan all over again if they wanted to be a sea-dweller from the get-go.     And of course, as I alluded earlier; what if this Digimon, while living in the ocean as a Sangomon during their second life actually felt like they had seen what the ocean had to offer? What if they started hoping they could explore the skies? What if that wish helped them evolve to Airdramon instead, and they never go back to being a MegaSeadramon?    This is what I mean when I say the second life would be a continuation of their life and their growth, it shouldn’t reset those things.

Now of course, from a simple writing point of view, it’d be confusing if a Digimon we were previously familiar with died and came back as a totally different Digimon, and even more confusing for kids. It’s easier to keep it simple and leave the Digimon the same species as they were in their previous lives

Additionally, most of these characters that we’ve seen die have always been minor characters with limited to non-existant histories; characters like Leomon, Whamon, Scumon+Chuumon, Piccolomon etc, while they’re all really well characterized with distinct personalities, they don’t have histories, backstories, they’re not deep characters. And making this many minor characters with deep backstories for a kids show would be really hard to pull off when you have deadlines to meet and no budget. So showing “the growth” these Digimon have gone through is not really do-able, not with these characters at least.

The Digimon with the most potential here would be Orgamon (the best developed minor character in Adventure) but he never died, Nanomon for sure, and possibly Wizarmon (esp. since his data could be like mildly busted, due to not being a Digimon originally and then dying in the Human World; if anything I think it’d be fun if Wizarmon could “come back” but as a Bakemon or something)

And as far as Patamon goes in Adventure, I do think with him it’s fine he came back in the same Digimon forms.    Like my previous examples with “the Agumon”, this would be like natural evolution that happens over long, looong periods of time, years upon years no doubt, as the Digimon grows as a person. But the partner Digimon, they don’t really have the time to grow naturally, their evolutions aren’t really reflections of their growth. Rather, their evolutions are just powered up versions of who they are, with some reflection from their human partners. So with these partner Digimon (especially the Adventure-type “soul fragment” Digimon, less so with other series like especially Xros Wars), the evolutions being super linear does make sense and work just fine. And as an extention of that, these Digimon dying and coming back in the same species works out, like with Patamon in Adventure

Psi however, makes things a lot more interesting, because in Psi, the partner Digimon have backstories of their own.

Now for the most part, since the partners had lost their memories of their time fighting Mille as the Warriors, their growth being totally reset and them going through the same steps all over again does kinda make sense, it’s maybe a lil dull but that’s probably just my bias from being overly familiar with these characters.

But then there’s Patamon and Tailmon, two Digimon who retain their memories from their previous lives and the growth they’ve gone through. That growth, was own their own, from their own lives without any influence from any humans. But now, they have human partners, who influence them and their growth. And Psi has seemingly kind of spoiled the endgame for us, at least to some capacity?

We know in their previous lives Patamon and Tailmon were a Seraphimon and an Ofanimon, but based on the new key visual/poster, it seems Psi wants to use Goddramon and Holydramon as their final evolutions instead! And honestly, even if these evolutions didn’t come as a result of all the stuff I’ve rambled about in this post, it’ll still work for me for those reasons.

Additionally, while we know Patamon was only temporarily taking the form of Pegasmon because he lost his power and was literally unable to evolve to Angemon, for previously mentioned reasons if they had kept the Pegasmon evolution for the rest of the series it still would’ve worked for me, as it could’ve been seen as Pegasmon being a reflection of Takeru’s childlike innocence influencing Patamon’s evolutions

But yeah. I can’t remember if I had like a bottom line when I started writing this but it sure as hell is gone from my mind now, point is, I kinda wish Digimon’s evolution was seen slightly differently and written slightly differently, and explored more, especially through the Digimon who had previously died (who I would also like to see come back when the rules of the universe allow it instead of just ignoring the fact that they should be alive and well). And generally speaking I wish Digimon were written with more depth. Thank you for reading this incoherent mess

*Sidenote; arguably I think this could’ve applied to tri. as well, the Digimon who had their memories wiped completely could’ve totally evolved into different Digimon and maybe even should’ve

**Sidenote, this wouldn’t mean there’s NO limitations to what species a Digimon could evolve into; for example, just because you want to be a super powerful heroic Digimon like Omegamon it doesn’t mean you CAN evolve into Omegamon; if being valiant and heroic at heart were requirements to evolve to Omegamon, then unless you’re truly valiant and heroic at heart then you probably wouldn’t be able to evolve to Omegamon, if anything you might end up as Omekamon instead. Similarly if a certain species have other specific requirements, be it like Jogress requirements or Digimentals etc, then unless those requirements were met the evolution wouldn’t be possible     So what I’m getting at is that limitations/requirements could totally still exist (depending on the rules of the specific setting), but being “the right species” to go from A to B wouldn’t and shouldn’t be one, at least not in my heart, but I digress