#Not sorry about this being rambly I already wrote a well-thought and curated meta

[digisurvive]

Obsessed with how Survive utilized Plutomon bc... There's usually the assumption of maleness onto digimon, specially dark armored ultimates/megas like Plutomon, who's even based on Pluto/Hades and thusly governs over the realm of the dead (more Hades than Pluto, give the penchant for Violence and Cruelty embedded into the lore).

Usually, for a digimon to be read as feminine there's the curves and boobs and skimpy outfits—think of LadyDevimon, Angewomon, Lilithmon, the sistermon, etc. So, It's Just So Fun when certain portrayals within the franchise expand outside of those rigids standards of gender presentation.

Not only Aoi biomerges with Labramon to become Plutomon and effectively embodies the tyrannical and cruel aspects of Plutomon, there's a distinctive Aoi feel to how those traits are portrayed: her speech is still proper and polite and she still talks with a certain maternal flavor in her Savior-complex rants: she promises to look after them, guide them toward proper behavior and harmony, and to protect them. She doesn't yell when admonishing them, despite the obvious passive-aggression and underlying threats to her words, but rather her speech still aims to make them understand what their best option here is (in this case, to zip it and not cause her any trouble).

She essentially seeks to usurp the master as caretaker of the kemonogami realm as well as extending that forced guardianship onto the human world as well. All this behavior isn't far off of the maternal character she's recognized as having by her peers before her turn of heel, but as Plutomon, she highlights a darker aspect to the position of a mother: Plutomon isn't afraid of flaunting and exerting the power she knows she has and her plans assert she will continue to force her authority over the beings that will be under her care, overriding their agency to imposing her judgment and decisions as the only correct ones.

This negative growth enriches her struggles through the game: she's always been caught between repressing all her misgivings both due trouble asserting herself and because being lenient and extending grace to others is helpful to smooth out the dynamics within the group. Labramon, from start, is very vocal about her anger, sometimes even being too harsh, but she still represents Aoi's desire for aggression. In Cerberumon's cutscene she wishes to be able to have that level of self-assertion and proactiveness to be able to move on from passively supporting and protecting the group to be able to overpower what threatens them. This desire for proactiveness reflects in her stepping up to be their leader, but also comes out corrupted in Plutomon.

The idea of balance is central to her development. Repressing everything only causes her explode later on and to become isolated and mistrustful of others. But not extending grace to others and focusing on mediating the dynamics in the group causes them to become divided, which is counter-productive to their goals and contrary to her values. Labramon nudges to accept her desire for power, aggression, proactiveness and authority, but it has the ambiguity over whether she can retain a firm and just heart not to end up hurting others. It's all about the balance between the needs and desires Labramon represents and nuzzles her toward and her care and desire for Harmony. Aoi feared the monstrous shape Labramons power took because she understood her desire to assert herself boldy could become brazen, her wielding authority over others came with the possibility of hurting them and it was a serious responsibility to take on. She knows that humility and a discerning judgment are key to wielding the power she desires responsibly, but during the Cerberumon evo, it still remains to be seen if she can remain a just and fair leader. And we see the influence of that side of her soul embodied by Labramon taking a turn for the worse when they biomerge and only the bitterness, regrets and anger remain after their agony.