#taiora meta

[seventeenlovesthree]

Character/Relationship Analysis: How Taichi's and Sora's arcs in the late Etemon/early Vamdemon arc are intertwined, how they (in)directly activate each other's Crests and how they're the most important plot drivers/leading figures at this point in the series.

One of my early theories regarding the character line-up in Adventure was how Sora could have potentially been the secondary main character besides Taichi (instead of Yamato). And I still believe that nothing makes that theory more apparent than taking a close look at how the "Crest activation period" frames these two as main plot drivers that are the reason why the group sticks together - and also why they all found their way back together after Taichi's disappearance. So let's break this down, shall we.

As pointed out in the analysis post above, when you just watch the opening of the series without any context, you might assume that Sora is the secondary/female main character anyway, because she (and Piyomon) are basically always coming after Taichi (and Agumon). And if you look at Sora's impact in the series, that isn't even too farfetched - especially when you consider that she is LITERALLY stepping up to be leader in the Etemon arc in the novels while Taichi is in a dark spot, whereas Yamato is later on declared to be "too emotional to be a leader".

That aside, let's dig into the set-up here: In the Etemon arc, Sora's Crest is the last to be found. We do not know a lot about the characters' singular arcs at this point, so watching her worrying about the situation doesn't strike the viewer as too weird yet. While it astonishes her that Taichi is so keen on finding her Crest for her sake (despite knowing how selfless he can be too), Taichi himself doesn't see any reason to falter and reassures her instead. This is important, because these two have known each other for quite a while already; they have been in the same class together since elementary school, are also partners in their football club - thus, Taichi's view on Sora is pretty settled. He is very vocal when it comes to "words of reassurance" towards people he cares about and so he repeatedly mentions how caring and selfless Sora is to him, how she always worries about others first and how she shouldn't doubt herself and her qualities - neither because of her own perception of herself nor because of the lies PicoDevimon had been feeding her. Because Sora's perception of herself is indeed slightly skewed, but we will get to that.

Taichi's road to (re)discovering his personal sense of courage is irrevocably linked to his wish to save Sora; initially, his recklessness had repeatedly caused trouble, not only by letting his own Digimon partner go through a dark evolution, but also because he let one of his longest and best friends get captured by the enemy. He initially promised that they would find her Crest for her - and now he is being humbled once more, threatened by an electrical fence right in front of him that could potentially kill him, punishing for losing his way once again. He is aware that something important was lost, referring to both his "brave heart" - and Sora.

Why is that so important?

Not only is Taichi fulfilling both of his promises in the end - saving Sora himself and personally giving her the Crest they've been looking for -, but this is (in)directly mirrored in Sora's arc as well.

Once Taichi disappears after defeating Etemon, the group starts to search for him - for two whole months, while some of them already start to lose hope and drift apart. Sora realizes that the group is torn on how to proceed, but can't stop herself from wishing to find Taichi. Because, once again, something important was lost, indirectly referring to both Taichi - and the sense of togetherness in the group. One might argue that her leaving the others behind may not look very sensible at first glance - but just like she was the one who enabled Taichi's Crest to glow, her disappearance indirectly has an impact on (almost) everybody else's arcs as well. (Additionally, they would not have learned the meanings of the Crests, if Sora hadn't overheard PicoDevimon talking about them to Vamdemon...)

As a complementary force to Sora, Taichi's return reunites the group bit by bit. It almost feels like they're acting as fairy godparents to everyone else, each in their own way - while Sora is hiding in the shadows, giving everyone advice (Agumon, Mimi) or physical aid (Jyou, Yamato) to protect and guide them in the right direction, Taichi directly tries to pull them out of their corrupted viewpoints (Takeru, Yamato, Mimi, Koushirou rather indirectly), whether through words or actions. It's absolutely no surprise that the scene where Yamato tells Taichi that he was the one who brought them all back together (episode 28) is basically a direct mirror of them all coming together to agree to save Sora (episode 20). Because these two are the glue that keeps it all together.

And so, of course it puzzles Taichi that Sora doesn't want to reveal herself to the group again. Of course it surprises him that the girl, whom they all came together for to rescue, who secretly protected all of them behind the scenes due to her kind heart and selflessness and who never gave up looking for him - once again, doubts herself like that. Not only that, she screams at him, tells him that he has no idea who she really is. That her "love" is a facade, that she has no idea what love even means - that she had lost (or never even possessed) her personal sense of love.

(To go on a small tangent here, their framing is just endlessly interesting to me, because the misunderstanding and miscommunication between them is a red thread that spins throughout the entirety of the series. And it is rather tragic, because throughout it all - they actually never really seem to be drifting apart, but due to their lack of means of communication, they cannot be close for some reason. Whether you think of them as platonic or romantic doesn't even matter, the general idea remains the same: They are on each other's minds, they are incredibly important to one another and never stop feeling that way, consciously or subconsciously. It's why Taichi encourages Sora to be with Yamato, but still goes observing the black spore kids together with her in 02, it's why Sora still feels comfortable being physically close to Taichi in DSB and Tri, it's why she gets upset that he ALWAYS gets her - somewhat - right despite not finding the CORRECT words in OWG and Tri, it's why the connections never vanishes in Kizuna... But they're also both awfully insecure about certain parts of themselves, especially when it comes down to decision-making towards their futures and selves. Since neither of them can be fully open up to each other about that, things kinda feel like they are on hold.)

In the end, Taichi (mirrored by Pyocomon's words below) had been correct to tell Sora not to believe in PicoDevimon's lies, not to give in to her own self-doubts - and eventually, she realizes that, just like her mother, she simply did not want anyone else to get hurt even more.

The way Taichi is framed here, smiling at her with absolute glee and satisfaction marks the end of this arc - while he wasn't directly triggering her Crest to be activated, he still believed in her best qualities just like her Digimon partner did, refusing to let her get corrupted more. And even if the infamous sentence "I want Sora's love too" is more of a light-hearted little throw-away line, it's intriguing to look at the potential implications overall here: Since Taichi's arc of Courage was fueled by his wish to save Sora, since Taichi was the one who eventually gave Sora the Crest of Love, since both their arcs were initially sparked by their wishes to find each other again as they took the others under their wings like proud parents... Let's say, after all this time since Taichi had successfully saved Sora, after all the searching leading up to finally being reunited (after several months in Sora's case), they both must have been incredibly relieved that it had all turned out nicely. To see each other again alive and well.

It started with his Crest - and ended with hers.

Long story short, the Adventure would have stopped rather early if it hadn't been for these two, their bond and loyalty toward each other - and also their sense of leadership.

Last note: Shout-out to the third most important character in this arc - if it hadn't been for Koushirou, Taichi would not have found Sora, may not even have found a way back to the Digital World and they also would not have been able to solve the card riddle to get back home.

[dutchforstrangers]

Taishiro x Troyella

For @taikouvember 2023 - Day 1: Canon vs. AU

A/N: I wasn't going to write anything for day 1 and only join later in the event. But as I was outlining for Taiora week later this month, I came up with this sort of meta-like drabble, jumping into a universe where Taichi is a simp for cheesy musical movies (declare it canon) and he and Koushiro are very much Troy and Gabriella. And Mimi opens the multiverse with her deliciously shameless questions. Lowkey inspired by this post here. Happy readings! And happy Taikouvember! <3

x X x

Start of something new?

Movie night. Theme was cheesy musicals. Taichi’s pick.

Obviously he went for the High School Musical trilogy.

“Really?” Mimi had asked, eyebrow raised in surprise. But before she got a response, he had already pressed play.

And now they were seated on the couch, Mimi sandwiched between the boys, at the start of something new the first song. On her left was Taichi, slouched away in his sports clothes. On her right she found Koushiro sitting decently straight, taking in as much detail from the movie as he could.

It was ridiculous to her how no one had yet pointed out the elephant in the room.

So Mimi sighed and decided to blatantly ask what no one apparently was ever going to do anyway.

“Do you have any idea how much you two are 'Troyella-coded'?”

“What?” Taichi asked, the obliviousness seeping through. It made Mimi roll her eyes.

“Mimi-san, could you elaborate on that?” Koushiro asked politely. However, she could hear his nervousness.

“No need,” she said as she pointed at the cheese unfolding itself on the television in front of them. She then mumbled to herself, but loud enough for them to hear; “Just kiss already and it will elaborate itself.”

To which Koushiro started to blush madly.

“If we’re really ‘Troyella-coded’ like that, you will have to wait till the end of movie two for us to kiss. It takes them that long.” Taichi nonchalantly fired back, though his light pink-colored cheeks gave his not-so-obliviousness away.

These two… The rest of the night, all Mimi could see was Taichi’s face glued on Troy’s and Koushiro’s on Gabriella’s. And how much she craved for a Troyella and Taishiro (very proud of the ship name she came up with for them) crossover AU.

[thatcatangelwriter]

Sora and PDA

Ok so this is just a thought i had that i first sent to @ahiddenpath as an ask but of course it broke so anyways they suggested i shared my thoughts and tbh i kinda wanted to so here we go.

I don't think Sora would be one to Pda. Now this might not shock many off you considering her personality. Sora has always been rather reserved she kept to herself and she wasn't one to show her emotions. Now that alone would be a good enough reason as to why pda wouldn't be her thing. But something hit me. Her life at home could explain it. Now you could argue her life at home is pretty much the reason why she has such a reserved side to her personnality which yeah makes sense. But that isn't what i am trying to show here.

Think about this for a second. It would be safe to say the first potrayal of a romantic relationship a child would see would be their parents. In fact the romantic relationship between parents seriously impacts how a child views/acts in romantic relationship no matter if it's in a positive or negative way.

Now who would this translate to Sora ?

Well from what we know this would mean she hasn't really seen what a loving relationship is between a married couple. Just think about it. Her father Haruhiko is rarely around in world and even in the eyes of the viewers ! He only appears in like three episodes two of which only briefly from i can recall and he isn't even shown interacting with Sora at all ! In fact the only glimpse of their dynamics would be in the Drama Cds.

And from what we can see in those Sora admires and wonders about her father a lot. She evens shows some trust in him as tells him about Piyomon and the digital world. Another interesting thing to note is has i have said before she wonders a lot about him and has a lot of questions for him about his work.It also said that he travels all around japan and even sometimes overseas and that he teaches in kyoto. So there would certainly be this distance between him and his family.

Also add the fact of Sora's relationship with her mother and the history behind it. Toshiko is said to be extremely devoted to flower arranging and passing the art onto Sora and her other students. She also is said to be harsh teacher.

So yeah while the relationship between Sora and her mother does improve such conflict does not just dissapear it will have some marks on their dynamic. Her mother is also said to be very busy in fact the reason Sora took upon flower arranging in the first place was to spend more time with her mom.

So yeah two parents who have a certain distance from their daughter. That will definetly have some impact on Sora as a person and how she deals with her own relationships.

Also counting the fact that their might be a distance between Haruhiko and Toshiko as well. As i stated before it is majorly implied that Haruhiko is rarely around no doubt that would affect their marriage to some degree also counting the fact that they have a daughter whith whom they both a very complex relationship with and that keeps her distance..yeah its a lot.

Now as i said earlier what a child sees in the romantic relationship of their parents affect how they view and act in a romantic relationship of their own.

So now would this have some major impact in the romantic relationship Sora would have ?

Personnally i'm not sure. I mean i am much more inclined to the outcome that it will but will it even be that much will it strain her relationships ? That i am not sure but this could also depend on who she is with.

If she is with Taichi he would definetly be one for Pda. However i doubt he would mind, he would notice that Sora is much more shy and awkward in their relationship but i doubt he would take it personally. I think he wouldn't want to push or make her uncomfortable so he justs goes slow and lets their relationship grow slowly into something they feel confident about showing if that makes sense so he might feel a bit miffed by it but i doubt it would be a serious issue.

Now if she were with Yamato, this wouldn't be a problem at all. She and Yamato are already extremely private people the same would be said for their relationship. Now i cam see Yamato being the one to insinuate the Pda more but seeing that would be like trying to swat a fly.

If she were with Mimi i feel like that would be the relationship were it would be brought up and be the most noticeable. It wouldn't be a disaster. I feel like Mimi would mostly tease her about it. I also see Mimi being the one to connect the dots ? Like one day a very emotionnal Sora just kinda vents about her family and the pressure she has on her shoulders and how she feels like there is a distance between her and her parents how her dad isn't around and Mimi as she listens it clicks and shes like "oh my god" and i feel like she would try to bring Sora out of her shell.

Well there we go that's my take it ended being longer than i expected it to be. But I said everything that was on my mind.

[tillythemagpie]

“The Moon has kissed you.”: An analysis into the relationship of Renamon and Impmon from Digimon Tamers, why it possibly has sound basis in the canon, and why they could possibly be one the most layered relationships in all of the Digimon franchise. ART 1]

PART 2 HERE

PART 3 HERE

Well, this project sounds ambitious, but I’m ready for it!

I’ve been a fan of Digimon for years, since I was small, if I’m allowed to speak with honesty, I’ve done it all. Seen the fandom, seen the ships, all good and well. However one couple has always intrigued me, and yet I’ve felt the fandom has either not appreciated them well enough or mischaracterized them. I’ve always been intrigued about their relationship, and I feel they have a little more in common than what sees the eye at first. I saw there wasn’t much written about them out there in the internet, but I’ve been part of the fandom, noticed our passion, and thought “why not? This pairing is ripe for a good analysis”.

So that’s the project: An essay series about the characters of Renamon and Impmon from Digimon Tamers, their relationship, and why I think they have the potential to possibly be one of the most iconic couples in the series. (Yes those are some big bold statements right there, and I’ve got the receipts for them)

Before we start, a disclaimer to make my points get across and for you all have more context where I’m coming from with this analysis: I’m only familiar with Digimon till Frontier, I haven’t watched later seasons (besides Tri and Kizuna, but again, that won’t add to my analysis), but I’m only taking the Tamers season canon into account, since the writing staff and production can vary so much from season to season (and it can even vary with movies; see the Taiora mixup between Hosoda and Kakudou from Our War Game). I know about the popular couples (Taiora, Takari) in the fandom and so, but I won’t comment on them save for a small preface as to how I see that romance is portrayed in the Digimon franchise. I won’t compare RenaImp to other couples in the series; but I will compare them to common imagery for couples in other media, since their relationship is quite unique in the world of the Digimon franchise. I’m basing my analysis and interpretation off the original Japanese dub, since the form of dialogue can also add a lot to characterization that can get lost in translation. I’m not Japanese, tho, and watched the series with subtitles so forgive me if some points of information or analysis I’ve got are incorrect. While I’m taking into consideration Konaka’s online notes and some trivia I’ve read of the series, I’ll mostly add to my analysis what is presented in the finished product, because production and initial thoughts can vary a lot when creating a piece of media. Lastly, I’m only taken for hints in the original series, since hints in further media might discourage or contradict what is played out in the original series, since outside influences or new writing teams might sway the writing into another direction. Also, when I mention the main characters / mons, I’ll mainly speak of the main 3, their Mons, Culumon, and Impmon; since they have the most parallels and character development in common for the analysis to work. And while I’ll mention some bits of analysis about some other characters here and there (Ruki, Juri, Guilmon, Ai and Makoto etc), since their storylines are so interconnected, I’ll mainly focus on Renamon and Impmon, or how the other characters parallel them, cause otherwise I’ll write a whole bible I feel.

Also, I’ll be using their Japanese terms/names, to further avoid confusion.

Also, my favorite seasons are Adventure / Tamers (like most basics lol), and my favorite characters are Renamon, Impmon (naturally), Jyou, Koushiro, Ken, Daisuke, Sora, Takato, Jen, Gomamon, Guilmon, Terriermon and Tailmon. While I find some other ships cute, RenaImp is the one I’m fully and totally dedicated to.

With all that said, on with the show!

·      Basic ideas about the two of them / Introduction

So if you’re reading about this meta I assume you’re familiar with Digimon Tamers (and if not…then darling this meta ain’t for you hehe), the third season of the Digimon franchise that’s beloved by the community at large for taking bold chances by experimenting with the writing. Characters dying, an introspection into trauma and family issues, the conception of the Digimon, can artificiality grow a human conscience, yes yes. We all know the show, we all praised the show, we’ve all done metas about the show. On with our main players, whom I feel have a lot of untapped potential to write meta about.

Renamon and Impmon are Digital Monsters that are part of the main cast of Digimon Tamers. They are distinguished from the rest by being the two Digimon that go through character development the most this season, something unusual by the standards of the franchise, where the character development is usually reserved for the human characters. While all the main Digimon are given a personality, only Renamon and Impmon are given arcs; so to say, to give them conflict and showcase them to display a complex world and a complex viewpoint of their relationships and of the world.

Renamon is the partner Digimon to Ruki, the only girl of the main cast (Juri’s importance comes along much later). Reading behind the scenes, the writers were asked by the producers to design a different type of female character, since sales pointed out that the “girlier” previous female leads of Digimon didn’t sell so well (I know, it’s not good, but that’s how it went, and I cannot ignore history), so the writers attempted to change the model in a way that would seem more appealing to “stereotypical” boys watching the series. Ruki was based on Trinity from the Matrix, and given a more assertive and cold personality as well, to contrast against the motherly Sora or the perky Mimi of Adventure fame. Similarly, Renamon is also contrasted greatly against the other female-coded Digimon. Whereas most female Digimon beforehand were written to be very affectionate and feminine-coded, Renamon is much more aloof and…agender, so to say (Konaka wrote that idea in his character notes, and she notes it in dialogue as well in the series- Still, the characters use she/her pronouns in the show to refer to her, so I’ll do that here to make the writing easier). At first glance you wouldn’t tell her gender, unlike the previous Digimon, who were written with certain characteristics that would make it easier for audiences to know/assume their intended gender: the very pink Piyomon or Palmon, who carries a flower in her head (flowers often associated with femininity).

Renamon at first is presented as this great warrior, cold and intimidating, utterly devoted to fighting and nothing else. Follows Ruki’s commands without hesitation, even despite the fact that initially, both of them form their comradery based on purely selfish interests. Add to the fact that she barely talks, and she’s rather bizarre when compared to almost all other main partner Digimon we’re used to; who are much chipper, friendlier and cuter. For first-time audiences, she seems rather scary.

However she is not just a destructive killer machine; she’s shown she cares, even before developing into a softer figure. In the third episode, before attacking Guilmon, she hesitates once Takato gets near the newborn creature. If she was just wild and bloodthirsty she wouldn’t hesitate about collateral victims. Just at the end of the episode, she does the same once Terriermon interrupts the fight with Guilmon, urging for him to get out of the way.

While cold and stoic; it’s shown even at the beginning that Renamon has a soft, empathetic side, even if it doesn’t show at first. For one, she’s fiercely devoted to Ruki from the start, even when their relationship is far from ideal. Once Ruki accepts to see her as an equal, she starts blooming into more of the “big sister” role in the group: the cool, mature one to Terriermon’s jokester and Guilmon’s newborn. Even so, she still manages to often be by herself most of the time, not fully ever integrating herself properly into the group. When you finish watching the show, you get the sense that Renamon, aside from fighting, is rather an introverted figure, to the point that even making friendships seems a little hard for her. The narrative implies she’s programmed to have a “servant”-like role originally with Ruki, and even though they mended their bond, there are still parts where it feels like she doesn’t feel an equal to her partner- see in the final episodes, how she eats by herself while Guilmon and Terriermon happily bond over food with the Tamers’ parents.

Incidentally, a lot of her more empathetic moments are displayed when she shows concerns over Impmon’s wellbeing, and manages to listen to his advice, more often than not. Aside from Ruki, he’s the one character she shows the most concern over the course of the series. She gets along fine with Guilmon and Terriermon, eventually, but there isn’t this level of awkward intrigue and fascination like the script implies with Impmon.

Amidst the formidable warrior lies a caring soul, hence why she evolves into Sakuyamon, a Digimon that focuses more on Defense than Attack. Some people think it’s a character regression for Ruki; but seeing how Renamon was also developed in this arc, I think her evolution further showcases her character as well. The elegance and grace and caring nature she always withheld has finally evolved into a comfortable goddess role, where she can defeat the monsters and defend her beloveds as much as her heart desires. It’s a very nice contrast, when she initially started the show in a “subservient” role, to end up basically embodying a Queen/Goddess (Perhaps a subtle nod that her Tamer is the “Digimon Queen”…Heh). Hard and soft power in the same hand; for a queen must know when to fight, and when to care for her people. She cares, she always cared, even if she might struggle to show it at first. That does not mean she must lose her agency, or anything of the like. She still participates in the many battles and defeats the villains alongside her friends.

Now, on to Impmon.

Impmon, Impmon, Impmon. The rogue Digimon. The wild card. The prankster turned hero turned reborn hero. Definitely the break-out star of the series, and the riskiest character as well in my opinion. A Digimon without a tamer, with his own character development? A Digimon that turns basically into one of the main villains at one point in the series? A lot of the series’ success depended on if Impmon ended up being an engaging character for audiences, because otherwise I feel he would’ve come off as too bratty or monstrous for us to root for. Remember, he has his own arc, he doesn’t depend on Ai and Makoto for his character to work. He’s not an “accessory” Digimon, so to say. Audiences wouldn’t have cared too much for him if there wasn’t a human partner for him to bounce off from. For the writing to depend entirely on his shoulders, without relying too much on his partners (they appear pretty much only 3-4 times in the whole series), the writers had to be confident in the character they were writing, knew he had to be engaging on his own. And it worked! How?

Well Impmon goes through an archetypical redemption arc, where he’s conscious of the decisions he makes and tries to make amends for it. But he’s not cruel, or viscous; unlike a lot of typical villains. The best way to explain Impmon’s character arc is seeing it through the eyes of a child learning what true power and responsibility is like, and turning into a man due to it. He’s more selfish and irresponsible than a true villain, which is what makes him stand out against another villain in a similar situation to him. It’s interesting to point out in Tamers that outside of the D-Reaper, none of the villains are evil for evil’s sake; they’re acting for their own preservation and self-benefit. Selfish, yes, but it’s understandable, and the Tamers get to understand Yamaki’s and the Deva’s position once they start openly talking with them.

In episode 8, we have a microcosm of one of Impmon’s main flaw: he can bite more than he can chew. He doesn’t understand that power needs responsibility to work well; otherwise it’s a hose without control. He’s proud and doesn’t admit neither his flaws, nor his true strengths. He picks and teases Devidramon until the Digimon is freed upon the city and unleashes chaos. It’s like a micro of what his actions as Beelzebumon basically amount to in episode 34 onwards. Same thing in episode 19, as well, where not wanting to accept an unfavorable aspect of himself (his weakness) almost has him die by Indiramon’s hand. Only that when he teased Devidramon he ran away, and Indiramon as well. Part of his development is well, accepting his strengths and limits, and working from that point on. Instead of running away or hiding behind pride, he finally accepts how things are, how he is, and works from the ground up. That’s part of his development, accepting what true power is, like an adult would, and using it responsibly.

Of course, tho, one thing to note is that he envies power, he craves power, he admires power. That was his goal at the start, his initial “wants”. Hence why he awed at Devidramon plummeting Guilmon in episode 8, and initially why he was drawn to Renamon first, I believe - she was at the start of the show the most powerful of the main Digimon; no wonder he felt an initial admiration towards her. But it’s a very shallow reading of power- the way a child would admire power, basically. Less about using it to help others and more for the self-benefit. Part of his arc is trying to understand what the true power is and where it lies on (he shares this arc with Renamon, basically; whereas she amended her relationship with Ruki, he got worse to the point that he almost lost himself to the Devil-figure of the show).

So, we know get a good idea of our two characters. Let’s see what their hidden meaning is.

·      Preface: Love in the Digimon franchise

This entry will be short, but I’ll try to explain about how love and romance are often portrayed in the Digimon franchise for us to get a better understanding of how the possible development between Renamon and Impmon could work. I know in the Disclaimer I said I wouldn’t touch upon this, but it’s important to keep in mind to understand the analysis.

(I’m also basing this on the amazing Sorato analysis @jippy-kandi​ does. Seriously, go check them out, their stuff is great)

Usually, in children’s anime, unless the genre is a romance or the show is explicit in its context, the couples usually portrayed in it will have hints, symbolism and elements of foreshadowing, rather than the typical Westernized form of “open interactions and development”. Of course, some anime couples do, as well, but often times, if the romance isn’t a strong focus of the series, it’ll just have little hints and that would be enough to leave viewers pondering.

Case in point? The “main” Digimon couples, in Adventure and 02, follow this structure. Sure, we have many scenes of the couples interacting, but most of their development comes from imagery, hints, symbolism, pictures where they’re standing, etc.

Look at Yamato and Sora, for example. True, they do not share many scenes together, but you look at imagery surrounding them, and you see a connected pattern. Takeru considers Sora “family”; after Jyou, they’re the most caring towards the group, taking on a parental role towards the others; both tend to care for the others to the extent that they end up ignoring their personal needs; and in real life, often the feelings of Love and Friendship are interconnected.

Then, there’s Takeru and Hikari, who are not canon but they are hotly debated about to this day, and even if so, I do find their parallels noteworthy. They are connected not only due to shared interactions, but because of the imagery that surrounds them; their Digimon are the only Holy Beasts of the groups, Hope and Light are often associated in religious texts, Pegasus and Sphinxes are mythological creatures that originated from the same culture (Greek; though Sphinxes also have Egyptian roots), In their 02 outfits they both share yellow in their designs…

We see this as well with Takato and Juri, who are explicitly stated to have a crush on one another. Juri is the first of Takato’s friends who accepts Guilmon as he is and adores him (ea, accepting Takato’s true self), they share a Psychic Link, a Mental Connection, which in the Tamers universe, it’s only seen to exist between a Digimon and their Tamers (and later on, with another example); and later on as the story develops Takato plays the role of Gallant Knight to Juri’s Princess in the Tower-inspired arc.

There’s even a lot of suggestive imagery with other couples who are not as canon. Take Koushiro and Mimi, for instance. Before Digimon Adventure Tri, not many thought to link them together (yet they were very popular in Japanese fanzones), but the imagery of bugs and flowers is strong with them. Even Tailmon, who had little time with Wizarmon, manages to have a symbolic image associated with him; as she mourns the anniversary of his death, in 02, we see her carrying a bouquet of red roses while she’s tearfully remembering him. Red roses are often associated with love, so add to that plus her grieving = she mourns the loss of her best friend / possible first love. (This is rather incidental, but the imagery is quite strong. Plus the association Tailmon and Wizarmon have with wizards and their cat familiars was certainly done on purpose, I think…)

And well, then we see little things like characters holding on to each other and posters and the like. It’s small, but it says a lot.

So, how does this work with Renamon and Impmon? Easy. If the other characters had limited scenes but a lot of imagery, symbolism and foreshadowing, and that eventually lead to them turning into a couple/having romantic imagery, it could be easily applied to Renamon and Impmon’s relationship as well, since they also carry a lot of interactions with a lot of imagery on the side.

·      Interactions

Here is where we point out both the scenes they share together and what they could mean on a larger scale.

I think it’s fascinating to point out that early on, the Renamon focused episodes also tended to feature Impmon prominently as well. It’s something that’s more prominent in the first twelve episodes, but it’s still noticeable that in each Renamon-focused episode of the first arc, Impmon also had a prominent scene in it. Of course, he did appear in other episodes with the other Digimon, but it is interesting how he serves as a sort of “guide” for Renamon early on, where she’s doubting of her strength and her relationship with Ruki.

Their first scene where they meet is in Impmon’s introductory episode, episode 6, which is also the first Renamon-focused episode. What is interesting to note is that while Impmon appears early on in the episode, to the first Digimon he introduces himself to properly is to Renamon, precisely. And instead of being teasing or cruel towards her, like he’d be with Terriermon or Guilmon; at first he seems to try to attempt to start a conversation with her. It’s almost unlike him…At first. But you start to see what he’s trying to do here- he’s attempting to make her understand his world-view; the narrative later on suggests that just recently he ran away from Ai and Makoto, so he’s probably experiencing first time relief in a long while, and he doesn’t want to get rid of this sensation. So he sees her, doubting, and would try to reason with her about why he made the best choice. In a way, it’s misguided compassion, but it’s not outright malice at first. He sees her in in similar doubts and pain, and was probably counseling based on what he thought was the best choice.

At the end of the episode it’s also implied he was witness to her evolution into Kyuubimon, which, while he sees with initial sneer, it can be read as disappointment that she followed Ruki instead of his advice. Maybe also a little hidden envy, since she achieved evolution before he did? Who knows.

Next time, in episode 10, they meet in a Shinto temple (foreshadowing to Sakuyamon, I might add), and he seems excited to meet her at first. But then it turns into nothing once Impmon starts urging Renamon to fight with Terriermon. It leads to nothing, of course, except for Impmon to think to get a reaction out of Terriermon, but it does suggest that he looks forward to seeing her again.

Again, their next scene together is in a Renamon focus episode, ep. 12, again; where we’re also subject to Impmon’s past for the first time. She’s absolutely curious about his point of view regarding evolution and strength, since, again, she’s at odds with Ruki. And while we’re witness to his past, she isn’t, since it’s shown in a flashback, but I think she’s perceptive enough to have linked his shuddering with the crying children in the window below. Still, she follows him, not to judge or criticize, but to further gets answers; Impmon seems the most knowledgeable about the subject matter, so maybe he can give her answers.

A subtle one occurs in the episode where the Snake deva attacks in the subway (ep. 15). Beforehand, Renamon finds Impmon staring with jealousy at Guilmon playing with the kids in the park, and although he shows disdain, Renamon carefully points out that he seems too “heavily involved” to just despise them. He got mad, of course, but that’s typical of him, he tries too hard to deny and his true feelings, of how jealous and envious he is of the other Digimon just getting along with the kids so well…But at this moment he’s too proud to ever admit he probably committed a mistake by running, or even admit help from the other Digimon.

And of course, I must remember that this episode, a hint was shown coming from him (often it’s Renamon who displays a lot of their most affectionate actions); when Kyuubimon and Galgomon are beaten hard by the Deva in the subway, Impmon notices and immediately goes to alert Takato and Guilmon, who were completely unaware by having fun in the park. He might try to act like he doesn’t care or is too cool, but again, if he was truly wicked or cruel he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to alert the others to come save the day, I think. Actions speak louder than words.

Of course a big source of their interactions comes in ep. 19, where it’s the first time Impmon gets a fully character-focused episode. In it we see him endangering himself in front of Indramon and later on with the police, and it’s up to Renamon to save him (this is a recurring pattern; she’s always saving him when he does something reckless or stupid); in it Renamon gets the closest of all the characters to understand his psyche properly, to get there’s more to him than just the pathetic Imp harassing the playground. That yes, all the prankster bully persona is an act, and he’s very vulnerable and pitiful without a partner and without the means to evolve. Yet even as she knows it’s desperate to fight Indramon, he pleads her to let him fight; without any scorn or mockery in his voice. Renamon, unused to that side, respected his wishes that time, even if she knew it was suicidal. Yet it still that at this episode, Renamon has gotten to understand Impmon’s character much much more than the rest of the cast, and like I stated before; she’s an observant person; I reckon she probably already how initially she felt hunting for data with Ruki and can see parallels with Impmon- he’s obsessed with power but due to his circumstances he’s pathetically weak. I think she sees a side of herself in him, hence why she wants to help him so much.

Later on, in episode 20, amidst the chaos of the Deva, the kids also try to look around for Impmon. Even Renamon searches for him on her own in the abandoned place she took him in ep. 19; it’s a small scene but it says leagues about them, that she can find him and connect with him without getting the rest of the kids into their dilemma. Shows she’s mature enough to understand he would prefer having his own space, too.

After their incursion in the Digital World they don’t have many prominent scenes together for a long while…Until they meet again in ep. 30. This is important, since while they do not interact for a while, their characters follow similar scenes and patterns later on (and I’ll discuss this later on).

And I do love how in ep. 30, their scenes are followed by one another. Just after a Renamon scene ends, Beelzebumon’s first true scene is immediately showcased. And fascinatingly, in the same episode where it’s established Cyberdramon has need for fighting and gaining power to control, it’s also the episode where we have a first display of Beelzebumon’s power, completely unleashed and unrestrained. Yes, he’s happier than he’s ever been, but we know that power comes with red strings.

Aaand and and…Kyuubimon is the one that recognizes Beelzebumon, not the others. She doesn’t even need to be lead on by a witty remark, she senses his presence enough (either that, or the bandana was a clue), but again, this is recalled later on, where two times later, she can hear him or notice him when nobody else can.

Later on, here comes the big one; ep. 34. Impmon has absolutely fully engulfed himself into his power and completely believed the Devas’ crap about killing the children, so he goes as planned. It’s fascinating because he’s not even acting out like how when he previously killed other Digimon, in a careless manner, again, similar to a child playing with a dangerous objetc. He’s clearly seething and throwing his bile at the Tamers here, all the hurt, all the resentment, the feeling of “betrayal” since he never properly bonded with them (they tried to be friendly but heee…uuh…he’s also not good at making friends) and how he felt humiliated after Indramon beat him (but again, he forgets that the others were ready to save him, too). And of course, it’s interesting to point out how he’s insisting on killing Kyuubimon first, once the whole gang is reunited. He beats the crap out of Rapidmon and Growlmon when they jump at him, but he even points out he’ll “guard them for later”. No, it’s Kyuubimon whom he’s interested in killing first, even though she’s injured and unwilling at the moment to fight back. And frankly, even Kyuubimon is willing to talk first, even when Rapidmon and Growlmon have already given up. She pleads for him, in all dubs, to open his eyes, even while she’s bleeding on the floor. Why is this? Maybe he felt if he killed her first it’d be easier, since he would never kill her if she was kept for last, or maybe just his conscience just asking him to retain a little bit- remember, he’s at his Ultimate/Mega level, and a very powerful form at that; and he could easily kill all of them without pause. However, the fact that Growlmon and Kyuubimon keep him at bay a little while makes me think that he’s still subconsciously holding back (babe, no, you’ve started caring, no, babe, leave your friends alone, hahahah…)

It’s only in the next episode, ep. 35, after he’s killed Leomon that Kyuubimon accepts, resigned, admitting that he’s turned into a demon. It kinda really shows that she still held back, still believed in his inherent, internal goodness and potential (and as I mentioned in ep. 15, he had it there), but after how brutal he murdered Leomon and beat the others, she has come to accept that her odd friend has basically turned into the monster they must defeat. (The show LOOOVes the whole “give in to the monster” narrative so I’ll talk about it later)

And episode 40! Once again, it’s Renamon who notes Beelzebumon’s in distress, she hears his cry from afar, and she’s the one willing to give him a chance once again, even after all the horrible things he’s done, when the rest of the gang has given up on him. And they’re running out of time, they know it, if they miss the Arc they can’t go back home, and anyone less forgiving would be in favor of leaving him behind (Hirokazu even points out to Ruki how it’s crazy to bring him “after all the evil he’s done”)…But she can’t. Again, her gentle nature resurfaces. And considering this is the episode after Renamon evolved into Sakuyamon, I think the Mega is starting to influence her. (“A good Queen puts her people first”). 

Also…Ruki and Renamon find Impmon, abandoned and worn in the desert…it’s the first time he calls her by her name instead of a demeaning nickname or “you”…And this is IN ALL THE DUBS. Japanese, German, Engl, Both Spanish, etc etc etc. And Renamon always always always, no matter the dub, sounds very concerned when she reaches for him and asks him if he can stand. There’s only 3 times she ever sounds super worried throughout the whole series, and two times concerned Impmon/Beelzebumon’s being. She was worried, y’all.

I just noticed how the pattern kinda breaks mid show but then forms a new pattern; while in the first Renamon focused episodes impmon played a prominent part, once we get to Taomon’s and Sakuyamon’s evolutions he doesn’t feature in at all…YEEEET the episodes afterwards do feature him prominently, and Renamon worried for his well-being. Probably just a coincidence, but again, to me it shows how the two of them really are interconnected and really, their influence has rubbed on each other.

Ep. 41, nothing really big happens, but Renamon carries him in the Ark on the way back home while he’s sleeping. Again, nothing really big, but it’s a cute moment (even Jen smiles at it ;)) -It’s even stated by dialogue (from Jen, no less) that it was Renamon’s wish through and through to see him safe, while the other kids are going on about Ruki’s crazy fantasies instead- Jen was always the “big brother” of the group, and he has bonded with Rena earlier, so I like to imagine he can sorta infer there’s something bigger there, without having Rena or Ruki openly telling him it.  And uff, she’s the one that sees him vanish amidst the crowd once they return to the real world…! Ruki manages to raise her eyes to see him but Renamon, Renamon never left her sight from Impmon…!

Ep. 43 is a big one for Impmon, for he reconciles with his Tamers and starts aiding the older Kids with defeating the D-Reaper. Note how initially, the only one who doesn’t reject him is Taomon; she’s surprised at his sight, while Rapidmon and Wargrowlmon are just skeptical. And once his attacks makes an effect on the Reaper, SHE is the one who supports his attack, making the others follow suit. (Incidentally, it’s also the episode where he admits he feels Blast Mode is his true form after all…JP language only, but it seems to suggest that really, being Beelze feels more true to Impmon than being stuck in his Child form).

In ep. 48, it’s Renamon who recognizes his figure, tied inside the Reaper. It’s also interesting cause it’s the climax of Impmon’s whole character development, where he has accepted the crimes he has committed, and instead of asking forgiveness, he will just right the wrongs, even if it costs him his life.

And episode 49! Goodness it has so many moments. After Beelzemon falls, Sakuyamon is the first to rush to his rescue (see? She’s always saving him); and gosh darn she sounds desperate, this is nuts to hear because Renamon/her evos, no matter the dub, always keeps her cool, so to again; hear her voice just scream and tremble urging him to fly and get up… And then once Grani saves Impmon, he lends Impmon for Sakuyamon to carry. Rather it’s the most practical choice, since she’s the only one who can carry him, since SaintGalgomon is too big and Dukemon is kept busy with his shield and lance, but still…She sounds so relieved when she urges to rest in her arms, as they keep battling the Reaper…

And of course, like almost every other plot point, their relationship is also resolved in ep. 51. When the whole team is relaxing at the park, relieved after they defeated the D-Reaper, Impmon appears, and once again, who notices him first? That’s right, our favorite fox. And again, her usual monotone breaks just to show relief to see him safe and sound. Even he, before he addresses Juri, seems to reassure her over the rest. I like how it’s a little moment, but I love that in the last episode, the writers managed to give a wink to their little relationship that carried on throughout the whole show. The writers knew they had to tell their story (his story), and they knew how important it was to see it to a satisfying conclusion.

·      Similarities / opposites

Ok, so we’ve gone over why their scenes together matter. Big deal, what else is there?

Well, it’s not only the fact that they share many scenes together, is the fact that their characters are written to be eerily similar in many aspects.

They both initially look up to power, believe in the ideal that Digimon are only made for fighting. Later on we discover that is pretty much the law in the Digital World, but for us, the audience, they’re the two that bring up this idea the most when we first start seeing properly the series.

She’s stated at first to be the strongest Digimon in the main cast, while he’s the weakest. That’s a parallel, keep that up in mind.

They’re also the two Digimon to have a proper arc and character development, something that the others really don’t. And incidentally, they carry a similar arc- both initially are mistreated by their Tamers which makes their relationship and views of humanspoor; but while Renamon manages to get better with Ruki, and therefore stronger; Impmon just denies himself and goes on a self-destructive path.

Also, his proper introduction in the series is in the same first episode where Renamon gets focus. I know I said it before, but it bears repeating. And he presents himself to her first of the whole group! It’s also implied he witnessed the whole battle and Renamon’s first evolution into Kyuubimon, too… I tell you, it’s there. These stories aren’t written by bots, it’s a bunch of people that decide what element is added here and there to make certain things work.

When the series called Impmon a child…They were not far-off, for, as I wrote before, he’s written to act similar to a teenage kid- bratty, irresponsible, selfish…But not cruel, not truly, just undisciplined. Funny enough, it contrasts nicely with Renamon, for as “mature” as she seems, she lacks a lot of knowledge in things, but due to her nature, she’s not to go around asking as much. (See, in comparison, Guilmon and Terriermon, who are much more confident in their placement in the world and their relationship with their Tamers; and Guilmon is written to be seen as a baby /little dog for most of the series). If she was as “grown-up” as we imagined, she wouldn’t have initial hang-ups and doubts about her placement as Ruki’s partner.

The episode with Vajramon is also fascinating to consider because, much Like Impmon, he first appears to Renamon with a similar vocabulary: to abandon the humans to create their own destiny. Vajramon’s crush on Renamon is much more openly displayed, and yet he seems to try to impress her with the same talking points as Impmon did earlier. Remember that Impmon only tried to suggest Renamon to join his side, yet with Terriermon and Guilmon he was just tricky and antagonistic. Also remember the Devas at this point are just cruel and menacing to the Digimon, but Vajramon…Well, he takes a liking to Renamon, and it’s pretty obvious (calling her “beautiful” many times and such).- We’ll get to Vajramon’s crush later, but I wanna pinpoint this as a parallel to Impmon’s development with Rena.

Vajramon: We weren’t meant to serve humans. Come with us, to serve our god, and you’ll discover your true purpose! (paraphrasing but that’s what his dialogue basically amounts to)

So, if the villain who openly crushes on Renamon has the same talking points as Impmon, then...

Similarly, episode 24 is the one where both allude to their deaths. It’s the episode where the children decide to go to the Digital World to find Culumon, and each of them prepare in their own way to say their goodbyes. Ruki is about to tell her grandmother as she discovers It by her own by finding Renamon, and isn’t surprised at all at the giant furry fox. She even confides in Ruki that she thought Renamon was a spirit sent to protect her granddaughter.

(Sidenote, but that makes Renamon’s design make so much sense, since I have this theory that each Digimon/their evo were chosen to reflect the development of their Trainer; hear me out. Takato was originally written to be a self-insert for kids in the audience, so he gets the Digimon that evolves into stereotypically things that little boys like: dinosaurs, robots and superheroic figures (Dukemon has a red cape probably as an allusion to Superman). Jen is the most tech-savy of the three and his father aided in the creation of the Digimon in this verse, so it makes sense for Terriermon to mechanize more and more with each evolution. Finally, Ruki is Japanese ethnically, of course, yet her behavior and style of dress seems more…uhm, Western, so to say; until you see what type of house she lives – a fancy old Japanese style mansion; in comparison to Takato and Jen who live in humbler flats. Considering that Ruki’s arc was meant to discourage her loneliness and bring her closer to friends and family, it makes sense that Renamon -her humanity, her heart, her character development- is the Digimon with most Japanese callbacks in her design: she’s linking Ruki back to her family.  Something similar happens in Adventure; Piyomon is pink to call back to Sora’s love, motherly nature, and connection to her mother).

So, we were where Ruki is planning to say goodbye to her family, like the other kids, since they’re determined to go to the Digital World to rescue Culumon. Grandma seems untroubled, and finds Renamon charming as well (even says she’s “beautiful”); but just asks our foxy to protect her grandchild.

Renamon declares that she’ll protect Ruki no matter what, even if it comes to her death. Ruki is seen openly touched at hearing that.

Meanwhile, Impmon has pretty much given up at this point. Defeated and humiliated by Indramon, he’s hidden in the sewers and expects nothing to come at this point. He feels hurt, betrayed, lost, without anyone at his side (but that’s mostly due to his actions; since he left his kids on his own accord, and the Tamers were ready to welcome him with open arms, as long as he behaved, yet he just didn’t know how to make a stable friendship with them) The Digital World calls to him, but he reacts less like an adventure, and more like a release. He sees no point in going forward, in going back…He’s given up on everything. And once Catsuramon calls to him, in the little portal to the Digital World, he goes there less because of adventure, and more because well…What else is there?

So while the other Digimon look forward to the Digital World as an adventure, Renamon and Impmon are the only ones that allude to it in a deadly manner…

And there’s also the matter of which when they both evolve to Mega…Which I’ll further address in other points in the meta, but I’ll comment that they’re dark parallels / opposites between them. While he evolves to Mega for selfish gains, for purely his self-interests, even if means he’ll have to kill innocent children for it; Renamon obtains her Mega after sacrificing herself to the D-Reaper, saving Culumon and giving time for the other kids to flee. Selfish desire vs selfless action. It’s at the apex of their character: his darkest hour vs her brightest time. While he goes to the point of no return, this is the climax of her character development.

The two of them tend to be loners by nature, and while they both do crave friends, they’re kinda awkward about gaining friends. Impmon initially doesn’t know how to make friendships outside of pranking and teasing; and the last episodes, while the whole team is together, Renamon maintains her distance from the others more often than not. Even if she’s at her most compassionate self, she still feels a little off, never fully a part of them. No wonder they connected, tbh, if even at a subconscious level.

Before I forget, it’s good I talk about the Psychic Link, because otherwise I would’ve forgotten about it. In the Digimon canon, it’s often established that Digimon have really strong bonds with their humans, so it’s natural for them in a way to share their minds and thoughts together. Ruki and Renamon at times early on had psychic conversations together. So, nothing wrong with that, of course, makes sense for the canon of the series and strengthens the bond between human and tamer.

So, it’s interesting to consider that Renamon and Impmon also have a slight connection; so to say. Renamon recognizes him before anyone else does, Renamon hears Beelzebumon’s cries of despair from afar; and she’s always aware of wherever  he is or whether he’s in trouble.

You could say it’s a simple connection between the Digimon, since in Tamers it’s established the Digimon can sense each other by instinct, since the Tamer Mons can notice whenever a rogue Digimon is nearby by scent or instinct…Yet neither Guilmon nor Terriermon show this attitude when it comes to Impmon.

And of course, note, nobody else in the series has this connection, aside from the tamers and their respective mons...It would be an anomaly, maybe just a Digimon thing…BUT…A couple also does:

Takato and Juri, who are the main “couple” in the series. From the first episodes it’s stated Takato has a crush on Juri, which seems to be reciprocated from her side. And in the final episodes, as the whole team attempts to save Juri from the Reaper’s center; Juri is able to hear Takato’s voice, even when the others technically couldn’t since he’s fused into Dukemon (clarification for the Eng Dub only viewers: in the original JP and other dubs, the Mega Digimon have their own voices instead of the “Two-voice” thing the Eng. Dub attempted. So we hear Dukemon/Guilmon, SaintGalgomon/Terriermon, Renamon/Sakuyamon speaking when they’re talking in public (ea their usual voices, except Dukemon who got a different voice actor, since Guilmon’s childish voice wouldn’t fit the heroic knight character Dukemon represents). We only hear Takato, Jen and Ruki when we’re privy to their insides (inside the Digimonn basically)- so ea, Hirokazu or Kenta can’t hear Takato if they’re talking to Dukemon directly.

Yet Juri can listen to him, even if the others can’t, even if they’re far away. So, to reiterate- the humans and their Digimons’ bond is so strong that they can feel each other’s thoughts and pain. This is what allows them to fuse in the first place, and it’s something special that no other characters have. Except for the main romantic couple of the series, Takato and Juri…And Renamon and Impmon, naturally. Which...Means a lot more than one thinks.

More on Part 2! Then stuff gets juicy...

[noctisfishing]

Digidestined Karaoke Song List

As written in my Mimato fic “The Girl Who Stands Out” - Chapter 04. (Read it here before reading this post!)

Minor ships: Taiora, Takari

This is the list of songs that the characters sang in my karaoke chapter! I drew much inspiration from @earlgreymon‘s Digidestined FM playlists and also some of my own. It’s part of my #Noctislistening series on my other Tumblr which you can find here! 

Some meta ramblings and YouTube links under the cut!

Songs straight from Digidestined FM:

Takeru: “Boy” by Charlie Puth

Taichi: “Wasted Nights” by One OK Rock

Inspired by the artists of Digidestined FM

Sora: “King of Anything” by Sara Bareilles - I think, whether Taiora is a couple or are friends, much of these lyrics could be sung by Sora to Taichi.

Mimi: “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift

BTW, this doesn’t really offer any true canon evidence but just still contributes to my story element that Sora can sing:

Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Sora’s English dub VA) singing her rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

THIS POST/HEADCANON

Mimi & Takeru: “Lover” - Taylor Swift ft. Shawn Mendes

**more of this headcanon will show up in my story FYI <3

From me. 

I am unashamedly a fan of anime and some songs and artists from the opening and ending songs just stick.

Takeru & Hikari: “Two As One” Crystal Kay x Chemistry - not from any anime, but I became a fan of Crystal Kay based on her song “Motherland”, one of the ending songs from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Mimi & Sora: “Harmonia” - Rhythem - an ending from Naruto. I have to admit, the very first time I heard this and saw the ending I imagined a Mimi/Sora duet. To think it would actually show up in fic form after all these years xP

[ashxketchum]

hello, can you please recommend blogs that post/reblog digimon conten regularly? Thank you :)

Hi anon! Thanks for the ask! Here’s the list ⬇️

For GIFS/EDITS/GENERAL STUFF: 

1. @digi-egg - They’re a must follow for ANY digimon related content, not just adventure, they post all seasons/series and are very regular with their posting. 

2. @digimentals - similar to the first one, they reblog all kind of digimon content and are equally active. 

3. @reliablejoukido - they post a lot of nice Advenutre-02-tri original content and reblog other good digimon content as well. 

4. @faeriemon - lots of beautiful Digimon gifs/edits (all seasons). 

5. @holyhikari - gifs and lots of beautiful edits and generally a nice person to interact with. 

6. @unboundwings - only recently started following them, but their edits are to die for! 

7. @ydotome - not purely digimon related content, but they make very nice gifs so worth a follow. 

For discussing and interacting about Digimon, I’d recommend @keep-on-trying , they’re very open to all ideas and generally enjoy interacting with other Digimon fans and all my discussions with them so far have been so much fun. 

FOR FAN-ART: 

@maro05 @well-mon @meruz @beelzebum0n @eisa-corner (TaiYama)  @azukaruby (Mimato/Taiora/Takari/Kenyako) @pan-kuzu (Michi/Mimato) @gioiaercoli @zeekaydigital

For my OTPs and general shipping content : @taiyamalover @keepon-mimato @mimatosstuff @mimato-forever

But if you have different ships you support, then you can ignore this bit! 

Lastly, one of my top favourite Digimon art/meta blog is not really active in the fandom anymore but you can still find some of their beautiful art on the blog @rayanaworks. 

Hope this is helpful ❤️ 

[renchan7]

⭐ but for "I Will Always Find You" 😊

Hi, @sorasfishing !

I have a secret I've been dying to reveal about "I Will Always Find You". Ready?

I was Chicanemon.

😱

"I Will Always Find You" was revealed to have meta at the end, which, btw, I had so much fun diving into 🙃 As a side meta for myself, I decided at the end to use Chicanemon to speak for me to the Digidestined.

I was a secret self-insert tool, which still tied into the ending meta theme, and enjoyed every second of it. *Insert evil laugh here*

I'll even throw in a second reveal:

Sometimes when someone is able to figure out how to hack a code that's needed to run a software, they create their own software called a Keygen.

When downloaded, this keygen will generate a code and the software will recognize the code as authentic.

Sometimes music will play when a code is generated. The music is to indicate "victory" for the keygen creator, because he cracked the code.

With all that said, remember that crystal that the group was trying to find to stop Chicanemon? Remember, also, that twinkling music it was softly playing?

Crystal = keygen

And seeing that this is the Digital World, well, you get where I'm going with this 😎

-*-*-*-

For those of you that are interested in reading "I Will Always Find You", take a look HERE! Action/Romance with Taiora as the main ship.

And feel free to join this ask game! Here is the link to refer to before asking. Come on and ask! I know you're dying too 😁

[astralsunset]

Can I have my favorite Digidestined, Ken and Taichi, for the character ask meme?

Taichi:

Why I like them: Taichi’s been my favorite since I was a little kid! I’ve always admired his courage, for one, but also his ability to be vulnerable and not only own up to his mistakes but to learn from them. That takes a lot of bravery, in its own way. Also the fact that he is so goofy and fun and canonically so accepting of everyone. He’s also good at getting shit done when it comes down to it.

Why I don’t: at least in fanon the interpretation of Taichi as kind of a borderline fuckboy really gets on my nerves, ngl. In canon… hm. While I get that it’s a compartmentalization thing and that he usually stops this behavior when he’s called out on it, the fact that “consideration of his team’s emotional state” is basically the first thing to go out the window when he’s sufficiently stressed out would drive me nuts in an actual person. 

Favorite episode (scene if movie): The 20-21 combo (the MetalGreymon episode and the one where he gets to go home for a few hours) goes kind of without saying, but I love the scene at the card gate in episode 28 where he’s officially nominated as group leader. He’s so struck by everyone’s faith in him, and his first act as leader is to transfer all that faith straight to Koushiro because he’s smart enough to know he’s the only one who can solve the puzzle. :’)

Favorite season/movie: ADV/Our War Game, though what we saw of him in 02 I largely liked and for the most part I like what Tri is doing with his character. 

Favorite line: “HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A GREEN CARD!” - dub line that makes me lose it laughing every time and i don’t even know why, he’s just so offended i’m 

Favorite outfit: his Adventure outfit tbh. When his outfit near the tail end of Kokuhaku looked a lot like it I may have shouted “THAT’S NOT FAIR” out loud.

OTP: It’s kind of a four-way tie between Taishiro-Taiora-Taito/Taiyama-Taiorato, but as of late I think it might actually be Taishiro.

BroTP: Taichi and Mimi! I imagine they’d get along a lot like siblings and tease each other relentlessly but they’ve also got enough in common that they’d have a lot of fun together.

Headcanon: Taichi has never truly recovered from the shame that was Sora’s eleventh birthday present and the hairclip incident and now EXCLUSIVELY gives her gag gifts so he has a defense to fall back on if she tries to yell at him for not giving her good presents. Sora returns fire, and it pretty quickly becomes tradition for the two of them to give each other the cheapest, shittiest gift they can find.

Unpopular opinion: This is maybe a bit odd, but the common response to the SkullGreymon episode of “Taichi brought SkullGreymon forth because of his arrogance!” really doesn’t click with me? I don’t think arrogance is the right word, exactly. I think it’s more of a case of him cracking under the pressure of being the only one with a Crest (aka the potentially only one at that point keeping Etemon from killing them all) and more desperation than actual arrogance. It’s actually really easy to put myself in his shoes there. I’d still be judging him for forgetting to consider the feelings of Agumon and his friends - a recurring trait of his when under stress - but I don’t think arrogance is one of Taichi’s flaws, or at very least not to the extent I’ve seen attributed to him. (I actually think @fizzingwizard did a solid meta about this a while ago but I can’t find it, alas.)

A wish: I really hope tri follows through on his character development and has him turn his doubts about how the Chosen handle real-world threats and all into meaningful action. Give me a Taichi that’s on the way to becoming the ambadassador we know he is in the future!

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen: this is more of a Toei thing than a Taichi thing but pleeeease - and this is coming from someone who really does like Taichi/Sora - do not make Taichi like Sora in canon. No shitty love triangles for the sake of cheap drama here, thanks. It’s not fair to any of the three of them.

5 words to best describe them: charismatic, motivating, brave, accepting, dynamic

My nickname for them: sunshine boy

And Ken is under the readmore just so this doesn’t get excessively long, haha.

Why I like them: There’s a lot there to like! A lot of Ken’s arc is him owning up to the less pretty parts of who he is as a person - the Spore/Seed amplified them a lot when he was the Kaiser, but they did come from somewhere - which is an arc that speaks to a lot of people. He gets a good amount of nuance and is very aware, post-Kaiser, that his actions have consequences. He’s a sweet kid, but there’s a lot more going on with him than that.

Why I don’t: Not so much a complaint about him but I didn’t like how his character arc eclipsed a lot of the other 02 kids’ arcs.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): I thiiiink 02 episode 45, when he opens the Dark Gate. The whole part with him in the truck before is sort of included in this, but opening the Gate took a lot of guts, and seeing all the other kids fall in around him was really sweet.

Favorite season/movie: Revenge of Diaboromon/whatever it’s called in the japanese lmao i’m a dual sub/dub person

Favorite line: “You can’t take the ball from me like that.” - to Daisuke in the fourth movie. I’d argue that this is Ken when he’s most like himself, recovered enough to be teasing his friend and being a little manipulative but for a good cause.

Favorite outfit: his winter 02 outfit, solely because it’s not the grey one.

OTP: Daiken! Like… y’all. Y’all. 

BroTP: Aside from Daiken again, Ken and Iori! I feel like they’d get along really well and philosophically have a lot in common if they really sat down and talked to each other. 

Headcanon: I just dumped a bunch here a few days ago!

Unpopular opinion: I mean, I see him characterized as a lot more… I dunno, fragile and Dark Magical Girl-y in fanfic and so on than I think he is. I’m not really sure what the popular opinions for Ken are. :’D Also tbh I’m not as interested in the Kaiser part of him as I’d think other people are but again, not sure what most people’s stances are here.

A wish: for him to show up in tri already

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen: I’d rather him not do a Kaiser 2.0 thing in canon. I think someone could pull it off if they were very careful - the Kaiser persona was kind of a coping mechanism and all and I could see how that could come back - but I think he’s had enough of that and also would have learned from the last time.

5 words to best describe them: introspective, sensitive, clever, soft-spoken… ugh i need a fifth one. penitent???

My nickname for them: whispers kenneth

[seventeenlovesthree]

Your resident Taikoura president took over two decades to realize that these two scenes are actually parallels to one another.

Probably because they're not playing out in the exact same way and don't have the same weight in the grand scheme of things; one moment is framing a B plot, the other is sprinkled into the A plot, but more in the back. But in the end, they have, indeed, several things in common:

Taichi Yagami may need a while to get over his own stubbornness, but once it hits him, once he's realized that he was in the wrong, he will take the step to apologize.

Note that in both scenes, he is not being 100% straightforward - in Sora's case, he is sending a mail, in Koushirou's, he can't look him in the eyes. There is a sense of shame, of guilt; it took him a while in both cases (days in the former, minutes in the latter) to realize his wrongs after all, that he may have been insensitive to some degree, so it takes a bit of courage to get out the correct words...

On the other hand, one may want to argue that the "reasons" for their fights seem rather "insignificant" at first glance - but that is the exact point, let's not forget we're talking about 11- and 12-year-olds here. Without going too much into analysis mode here, both scenes are intertwined in their respective arcs: Sora may have gotten mad at Taichi because she is not at peace with herself and struggles with her identity at that point ("Should I dress more feminine or not, should I change my appearance, am I not appreciated and liked for how I always was?"). Koushirou historically struggles with reading the room when he is in hyperfocus mode and him reading e-mails in a tone that may have hit a nerve in Taichi was inevitable - Taichi was on edge already anyway and getting unintentionally "criticized" may have been the tip of the iceberg for him to snap.

Despite both instances being stretched out over several scenes, the most important part is: both Sora and Koushirou are forgiving Taichi eventually. There is no malice, no bad blood, no "break" in their bond, no matter what happens.

And in a very deep, meta, "reading way too much into everything" kind of way, Taichi's bond with Sora and Koushirou is also being mirrored with his bond with Agumon/WarGreymon. Because Taichi was reckless, WarGreymon could not have kept on fighting and got hurt. Hence why Taichi "indirectly" apologizes for that too - because in the end, they will only succeed when they overcome their struggles together.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Taichi Yagami | Yamato Ishida | Sora Takenouchi | Koushirou Izumi | Mimi Tachikawa | Jyou Kidou | Takeru Takaishi | Hikari Yagami | Daisuke Motomiya | Miyako Inoue | Iori Hida | Ken Ichijouji

Whether canon provides input on them or not.

Boy, do I love to refer back to "Butterfly" and how it basically framed Taichi as the male main character and Sora as the female main character throughout. One might argue that this is a combination that has been occurring in quite a lot of anime - particularly kids and Shounen related - back in the 90s and early 2000s, so... Asking whether or not canon provides input on them is like asking if water is wet. They've known each other since elementary school, have been in the same class ever since (and will continue to be classmates until graduation) and even attended the same football club for a while. They start the series as "almost telepathically connected" football club duo (basically a novel quote right here), adventurous and hands-on plot drivers, the courageous leader and the tomboyish but caring voice of reason right by his side. You instantly get the impression that they are familiar and close with each other and it's a theme that continues throughout the entire first season; not only because they consistently jump into action and call out, care for and protect each other, but because they, their bond, their loyalty and development are basically responsible for the fact that the kids get through everything alive in the end.

Trying to describe the extent and depth of their relationship would probably end with me writing a whole novel, so I will try to keep this brief, because... You know them. Similarly to Taito, Koumi and Takari, Taiora has been a staple in the shipping scene ever since the conception of Digimon Adventure back in 1999 - and for good reason. As mentioned, there used to be - and still is - a trope to pair up the main boy and main girl with one another and this case is no exception, considering how well they play off of each other, supporting and saving each other time and time again. Digimon Adventure is a special series though - a series whose creators intended to break through tropes and stereotypes, turning those on the head whenever possible. So while Taichi's and Sora's bond may be so significant that the idea of them ending up together seems inherently plausible - this is not how their story ends.

The tomboy, who struggles with her sense of femininity and identity, cannot deal with her best friend gifting her a hairclip - and while they seem thoroughly devoted to and on each other's minds, they develop in different directions. There is a theme of miscommunication between them as they grow older, little quarrels here and there - but at the same time, there is still an incredible sense of mutual fondness and protectiveness that, despite a growing physical distance, never completely vanishes. "If you love someone, let them go", is a quote that may come to mind when you take a look at the screenshot above and are aware of its context. Whether that kind of love was romantic or platonic at this point? We may never know.

This is the story of two close long-term friends, who were not meant to be together - wrong time, wrong place.

... Which doesn't mean that there isn't a potential "right time", right...?

Whether I think why and how they’d work.

What I mentioned above seems to be somewhat cryptic and what I'm about to outline may or may not break canon to a certain degree, but HEAR ME OUT.

While this headcanon is, for now, nothing more than a headcanon, but I am a big supporter of @dutchforstrangers' interpretation of the epilogue, leading to the idea that Yamato and Sora might not remain together/married. This post is not meant to be Sorato slander in any way and I will not go into detail here as to why I think this is a valid headcanon - just know that there are a few subtext aspects in regards to their behavioural patterns and body languages that leave room for speculation. And that's all there is to it: SPECULATION!

The point I am trying to make here is, once again, that Taichi and Sora may not have been ready to be in a relationship early in life - because they first had to come to terms with themselves, their real dreams, aspirations and needs. They had to become comfortable with themselves (particularly after the loss of their Digimon partners) to bridge the (physical and emotional) distance that had festered between them through the years. Because if you think about it, due to their underlying insecurities, they both chose the same approach in their early twenties: Isolating themselves from the rest of their friend group. And I feel like they both have to come to the conclusion first that this is a state that could never bring them long-lasting happiness. They're both social beings that shrivel when they're left alone for too long. (They may also need the encouragement of their friends - particularly Mimi, Koushirou and Hikari - to get there though.)

So it may take a while, weeks, months, maybe even years, to reconcile, step by step. Rekindling their bond, making up their minds about their true passions and career paths, rediscovering old and finding new hobbies and similarities along the way; whether it's about their shared love for their friends, football, adventurous and sporty activities, probably therapy???, whatever it may be... Until they'd reunite with their partners and, with a gleeful but weary smile on their faces, realize that they just had to grow up to this point to eventually find each other as well.

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship.

In case the way I've been talking about them hasn't made it obvious yet - I do love Taiora a lot. While I hadn't started actively shipping Digimon characters until I started watching Tamers, I always had an incredible soft spot for them and up to this day, Taichi and Sora are my second favourite choice for each other. You could say that, in every possible universe in which Taich doesn't end up with Koushirou, he WOULD end up with Sora if I had anything to say. It's also no secret that Taikoura is my absolute favourite OT3 and I really think they COULD work out beautifully together. In the end, both romantic and platonic Taiora is absolutely beautiful to me - especially because it brought some very special, wonderful people into my life. Long story short: As long as their closeness persists in any way, shape or form, I'll be happy.

I also still maintain that the reboot timeline could potentially go there, but I will not get my hopes up... Yet.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Fandom Shipping Polls - Taichi Yagami Shipping Analysis (Poll I + Poll II)

As pointed out in the main post, every single Chosen Child will get their individual analysis post to check on the status of the current popularity of their ships. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at Taichi, shall we!

The overall results / spreadsheet

Disclaimer: As the “Someone from 01/02″ and “Others” options from poll 1 and the “Someone from 01/02″ option from poll 2 have been excluded from the final analysis due to redundancy reasons and all results were culminated in another “final count”, the results will not be 1:1 to what the polls look like:

Overall votes: 164 (approx. 131 in sum after the exclusion), the main poll got 107 votes, the secondary poll got 57 votes.

The “Others” choice in the main poll received 6% (approx. 6 votes) and 7% (approx. 4 votes) in the secondary poll. The comments/tags did not specify any preferences here (aside from characters that were already part of the main choices).

Ship Analysis

1st place: This was actually a clutch one - and we may assign Koushiro’s victory (27%) here to the fact that Taichi’s poll was reblogged by Taishiro centric blogs as well. Initially, Yamato was leading the poll for the majority of the voting time and only got surpassed by Koushiro in the last few days (by round about 7 votes). Taishiro is still a well liked ship overall, presenting a “breaking your typical brawns/brains trope with a lot of mutual loyalty and devotion” bond that is still appealing to many, with them being all ride or die for each other. With several blogs even having picked it up in recent months, it should not be too surprising that they did get a lot of votes in comparison - however, a lot of big fandom names have moved on to different fandoms and it has become rather quiet outside of the Japanese spheres. Taiyama/Taito on the other hand has always been going strong and is a very popular choice for both parties.

2nd place: As mentioned above, Yamato (21%) was leading the poll for the majority of the time. And for good reason, as Taiyama is, not only in fandom but also in canon, a relationship that is highly focused on in terms of how they clash, but also complement, support and make each other better - which is also why there are tons of official promotional art that could have been used for the graphic! Taichi is Yamato’s (development) foil for a reason and the way their dynamics are being presented make them an appealing choice for one another. If the poll had been shared in Taiyama spaces, the results may have looked differently.

3rd place: Sora (16%) has been in the race for Top 3 the entire time, there wasn’t really any competition coming even close to them - however, she wasn’t surpassing Yamato at any moment of the voting. She did share second/third place with Koushiro quite a few times though. The poll was also making rounds in Taiora centric spaces, and even if there have been less enjoyable times in the past, tumblr itself is still having a dedicated  group of fans committed to making content, as Taiora has always been a viable ship for Taichi, just like the other two. Since Sora has been presented as main heroine in Adventure 01, being ride or die next to Taichi and foiling his development to the point of even indirectly activating his Crest of Courage, it is not surprising that their bond is still as popular as it is.

Honorary mentions: Daisuke is the only other character who surpassed the 10% mark for his senpai, but only picked up speed in the last few days. Mimi and Meiko were the only other ones who got past the 5% hurdle, which is interesting considering that other internet spaces (such as Facebook or Pinterest) are a lot more active in the Michi department.

“The 1 vote squad”: As Taichi’s polls were the ones to get as (comparably) many votes as they did, there actually are no “just 1 vote” answers - every other character in the Adventure verse (except one) got 2-3 votes, making those quite the niche options.This includes not only the main characters (Jou, Takeru, Ken and Miyako), but also the minor side characters (such as Menoa and Catherine).

“0 votes go to...”: Iori is the only character who didn’t get a single vote (which can probably be assigned to the lack of screentime/interaction as well as the age gap).

Annotations: Hikari was automatically excluded as a choice up front. Taikari does not seem to be a wide-spread choice in English speaking fandoms, even if a look at Japanese centric spaces may suggest that it’s fairly popular there.

What did the other polls say?

Interestingly, the other polls mirrored the results above and thus, Taichi won Yamato’s (37%), Sora’s (32%) and Koushiro’s (55%) polls as well, making him the character to win most polls overall.

He was also coming in second in Meiko’s (22%) poll and ranked third for each Mimi (13%) and Takeru (6%).

In Jou’s (2%) and Daisuke’s (3%) polls, he was quite a niche choice overall. 

He received 0 votes in the polls for Ken, Miyako and Iori.

Notable additions / comments / thoughts

As mentioned above, Taichi’s polls were the ones to receive the most votes overall, hence the numbers might be a little bit more accurate in comparison to other polls. He’s our main character after all, so he is likely to have interaction points and dynamics with a huge chunk of the cast. And thus, it’s no surprise to see people having different and also varying preferences for him - even if the results were pretty clear on who exactly was favoured most. However, the biases are still to be taken into account here. Thus, I really hope to reach a wider audience if I choose to repeat the polls.

Nevertheless, on a very personal note, I am both relieved and also not really surprised to see Yamato, Koushiro and Sora being represented as  the most popular choices for Taichi, as canon does frame them to be the most viable options, trope wise and screentime wise at least (rival/foil/opposite, right hand, female childhood friend). 

Seeing people slightly fancying characters like Meiko and Takeru is interesting, presumably due to his protective attitude towards them - a huge focus on Tri had been his and Meiko’s arcs being intertwined, making them contemplate whether and how to make very difficult choices, thus relating to each other. Takeru may look up to Taichi in a more brotherly way, that could also turn into more as they get older. Mimi is also represented for similar reasons, as the fandom sees a lot of potential in Michi, even though their anime interactions are more rare. Jou’s and Daisuke’s minor appearances suggest a niche interest in their dynamics after all; with Jou and Taichi gaining understanding and respect for each other through the series and Daisuke looking up to Taichi has his senpai, maybe even putting him on a pedestal there.

The comments in the tags have also only mentioned the three winners overall, so the “Others” option did not reveal any other potentially preferred suitors. This leaves room for speculation, but usually, the option is reserved for OC ships or for when people prefer to not ship a character at all (which will definitely be a future option to include as well!)

Other Analysis Posts 

Yamato Ishida Shipping Analysis

Sora Takenouchi Shipping Analysis

Koushiro Izumi Shipping Analysis

Mimi Tachikawa Shipping Analysis

Jou Kido Shipping Analysis

Takeru Takaishi Shipping Analysis

Hikari Yagami Shipping Analysis

Daisuke Motomiya Shipping Analysis

Ken Ichijouji Shipping Analysis

Miyako Inoue Shipping Analysis

Iori Hida Shipping Analysis

Meiko Mochizuki Shipping Analysis

[seventeenlovesthree]

I have found this amazing headcanon-analysis of the the potential poly-relationship between Takeru, Hikari and Meiko by @uniarycode (please give it a read, it’s great!!!) and I realized something. Back in mid-2021, I had started one HUGE compilation of my headcanons for the relationship between Taichi, Sora and Koushirou to play out... And never finished that one. 

Since I had quite a few epiphanies in recent months, I finally wanted to sit down and write down all my headcanons for them – and how they’d actually manage to become a polyamorous relationship based on things that may have happened that way or similarly in canon (slightly tilted to the left, maybe more in an AU kind of way). 

LONG POST AHEAD.

Platonic / Friendship

Taichi and Sora have gotten to know each other even before their families moved from Hikarigaoka to Odaiba, so I’d say they probably already became friends in 1st grade (at the age of approximately 6), so calling them actual childhood friends isn’t too farfetched.

Sora played for the girls’ football team until the end of 3rd grade and then joined the boys’ team when she and Taichi are in 4th grade and that’s where they become an unstoppable attacking force. Since they’re already friends, they’re reading each other’s movements easily, understanding each other blindly and giving each other advantages and spotlight. Football is also the main thing they bond over after school and they regularly meet to gush over recent local league results, arguing about who are the best players, etc.

Koushirou joins their club when he’s in 4th grade, approx. half a year before they all go together to Summer camp – and as it was clearly stated in the novels, he wouldn’t have gone if Taichi hadn’t invited him. Taichi and Sora are immediately taking him under their wing, as they can both tell he’s not the most athletic and has a hard time keeping up with the pace of their other teammates, so their natural instinct to take care of younger ones takes over easily. Taichi is also the one who first asks Koushirou whether he wants to hang out with them outside of the club – to which Koushirou reacts with complete and utter confusion. He turns him down the first few times, as he is 100% sure that Taichi won’t even enjoy his company, as they do not seem to have a lot in common at first – but Taichi doesn’t give up. He’s not pushy about it, which Koushirou is very grateful for, since spending time with people is still pretty exhausting to him at this point in time. But he quickly discovers how kind Taichi actually is, always praising his passes with a loud “Nice shot!” all across the pitch and doesn’t shy away from telling him that he should be proud of his ability to read their opponents’ positioning, calling him “the best offside trap of all times”. Sora is naturally protective of Koushirou as she senses that he’s reserved and not very comfortable around others and thus gently nudges him, asking what he would like to do after school. They end up playing video games at the Yagami residence, either all three of them, just Taichi and him (or them getting joined by Hikari every once in a while). In the following months, it rather becomes a thing for Taichi and Koushirou to hang out and Taichi quickly notices that the kid he first perceived as rather shy has quite a bold and forward nature when it comes to solving riddles and stuff (mainly through them doing homework together). He liked Koushirou before that, but seeing him get excited and outgoing over things makes it even easier for Taichi to bond with him.

After their adventures in the Digital World, both Sora (6th grade) and Koushirou (5th grade) leave the football club to pursue other interests – Sora joins the tennis club as Koushirou regularly visits (and eventually captains) the computer club. Taichi often (jokingly) mopes about them “leaving him behind” – at the beginning, he was indeed disappointed, but deep down, he is happy that they’re doing things they’re more interested in, as they’ve all grown more confident in recent months.

In terms of “hanging out”, Sora and Koushirou live in the same building and before entering middle school, they tend to go home together a lot – and also end up doing homework together at times. He helps her with English and several Science related subjects (she’s decent at Math and Biology, but can’t stand Physics and Chemistry) and she helps him with Social Studies and Arts. Taichi tags along at times, but doesn’t get as invested in their conversations about the subjects, even if they try their best to make him take his tasks seriously. Koushirou also helps Sora in doing research about flower arrangement, as she struggles with it a lot.

All three of them aren’t particularly good at talking about feelings, but the longer they know each other, the more they pick up on each other’s interests, backgrounds and families. Koushirou already knows a lot about the Yagami family due to hanging out there frequently, he knew about Taichi’s and Hikari’s past already and Yuuko has basically accepted him as second son anyway, so she tells him a lot about her kids’ childhood. When he is at Sora’s place, he learns that her father works as university professor in Kyoto – as we all know, he’ll work with him one day in his research of Digital World affairs and whenever Sora is back home, she’d meet up with her father and Koushirou for lunch or dinner. Plus, he is getting along very well with her mother, who cherishes him for his calmer attitude – in comparison to Taichi, whose charisma she still finds charming, even if she is aware that him and her daughter have had their moments because of that.

Taichi is the one who first learns about Sora’s interest in fashion – and about her crush on Yamato. He discovers both of it unintentionally – the former not only because of the infamous hair clip disaster, but because even he, whose own fashion sense revolves around mainly sports gear, notices that her sporty wardrobe changed over time. As she spends a lot of time with tennis practice and preparations for tournaments, they don’t have many opportunities to meet during middle school and he does wonder when exactly she started to wear skirts that much whenever they meet. He’s observant enough that he notices her getting a lot more flustered around Yamato and at first, she’s even acting apologetic (even offensive) towards him when he points it out towards her. Even if it bugs him that they don’t spend a lot of time together anymore, he’s the one who pushes her to confess to Yamato – it’s a phase in which they butt heads a lot, especially because his well-meaning attempts to encourage her to “not wear skirts if you don’t want to, it’s not that hard” aren’t always appropriately phrased. However, they’re still there for each other whenever it’s needed and Taichi really, REALLY wants Sora to be happy after all.

Koushirou doesn’t purposely intervene when they’re having quarrels, but he’s also naturally the one Taichi turns to in order to talk about her and her distant behaviour (since they’re friends after all and even if “emotional stuff” isn’t their subject of expertise, the conversation just naturally goes there, because they’re both nuts that care a lot). It also happens frequently that Sora and Koushirou bond over Taichi being “like that”, they both know how he can be at times and as much as they both cherish him, it’s something Koushirou often cannot help but side with her over.

It takes until high school before Taichi and Sora really start to get along with less teenage hormones arguments again and it starts with small gestures and attempts – like her attending Taichi’s football matches again occasionally and him giving her a book on design and colour coordination for Christmas. Around that time, she does return to a more Sora-like clothing style, but it takes time for her to figure out what exactly that means.

During their transition period between middle- and highschool, their schedules are extremely off – Taichi still often finds himself visiting Koushirou by his window after football practice, since the Izumis live on the ground floor. When they know that Sora is around, they text her to join them there as well. Koushirou himself doesn’t attend any clubs in middle school anymore, as he wholly committed to doing research (and mentor work) for the new Chosen Children, so he either ends up at home early or spends a lot of time at the computer rooms in school. Sometimes, Taichi picks him up from there, even if he has to go out of his way for that. (He also did that at times when he was in middle school and Koushirou still in his computer club in elementary school whenever football practice was cancelled, so the other club members often wondered why that – kinda popular – upperclassman was around that often. There were rumours… Lots of them.)

When Koushirou learns about Sora’s affinity for fashion – he notices the kimonos she made for the culture festival in school –, he is very keen on helping her with research here as well. Not only does it inspire him to create his infamous clothing app, but she also kindly nudges him towards figuring out his own preferred style (because it’s still easier for her to see that for others than for herself). His gear is either formal or reminiscent of what he always wore (Button downs and wide pants) and her suggestions lead him to wear more comfortable things, especially when he’s spending hours upon hours on his laptop. 

When Koushirou enters highschool, they actually pick up the habit of chatting and calling each other over the phone a lot more. They did that in middle school through the digiterminal, but only for the sake of Digital World missions, not because of private things. You know – they still learn how to communicate. Taichi still isn’t very good at dealing with technology and Sora isn’t too used to texting either (and usually prefers to call), but Koushirou eventually convinces them that electronic communication isn’t too bad to stay in touch better (as he already demonstrates by texting a lot with Mimi in America and Sora actually starts doing this with her as well).

Falling for each other / going into romance

Each of them coming to terms with their feelings being more than just platonically based – takes time, to say the least. A LOT of time.

For Sora, the period of alienating herself from the group in her early twenties to find her purpose, is also the time when she has to contemplate whether or not she is even ready to be in a committed long-term relationship at all. With Yamato being focused on figuring out his own career and her figuring out if design is really the thing she intends to ditch the iemoto-family-inheritance over – they may actually come to the conclusion to stop seeing each other, but remaining on friendly terms.

It’s after her and Taichi had to say good-bye to their Digimon partners (for the time being at least) that they actually decide to meet each other in private again. They’re both still going to different universities and since they’ve both had a tendency to distance themselves from everything and everyone else for quite some time, it’s hard for either of them to make the first step towards one another. Thankfully, Koushirou has always been adamant on the “please just use the phone, you don’t have to write a wall of text, just send a simple message” part of their communication process – especially now that he is making his own phones at his own company, he, being the office shut-in he occasionally is, has to make sure they MAKE that move towards each other. To ask each other to have lunch or dinner, meeting after university/study hours – or to actually visit Koushirou at his office to have said dinner together (and silently apologizing to him for being so stubborn, even if they would never really admit that).

Koushirou himself is perfectly ready to just let the other two do their thing – despite him having had a crush on Mimi in highschool and (dreadfully) knowing exactly what these “suddenly changing” feelings mean, he doesn’t approach the situation in an initiative way. Taichi was always the person he had been closest with, physically and emotionally, he never took his own attachment to and adoration for him in a non-platonic way – until it finally hits him one day and no matter how much and how often Tentomon tries to encourage him to face that kind of revelation, he refuses to do that at first. It doesn’t help that he has always seen Sora as that wonderfully supportive friend who is also pretty gorgeous but, unlike Mimi, never had caused butterflies in his stomach, but more of a very warm, very affectionate glimmer, now that he thinks about it... But he decides not to get in the way, not with both of them finally getting closer to one another – because he comes to the conclusion that, objectively speaking, they would obviously be more drawn to each other than to him; doesn’t matter that he himself feels attracted to both of them, that could be “an anomaly” after all, he could not imagine someone like Sora – who apparently fell for the likes of Yamato AND Taichi – to fall for someone like him, just for example. And neither would Taichi… Right? Speaking of anomaly, he thinks to himself, what does that even mean in this case? So his curiosity gets the better of him and he does research, lots and lots of research on unconventional, non-heteronormative relationship dynamics, the phenomenon of being attracted to several genders and only after a certain level of closeness, etc., and oh boy, does he get lost in that…

Taichi is still hesitant when it comes to facing his feelings as well – of course he has somewhat recognized by now that he is definitely attracted to redheads (if the porn he hides beneath his bed gives you any indication towards that), but going for one of his closest friend’s ex-girlfriend who is also one of his own best friends while simultaneously coming to the conclusion that his other best friend ALSO has some impact on him despite being a guy is… Quite conflicting, to put it lightly. He wants to do SOMETHING, he wants to work towards the unification of the Digital and the real world, strengthening the relationships – but how does one deal with all of that, your own mental health after having lost your literal soulmate, AND the idea that you may have fallen for two people at once? He’s HAPPY that he and Sora (awkwardly) try to reconcile after all this time, seeing her slowly but steadily thriving in figuring out that creating fashion designs is exactly what she had always wanted, it BUGS him that Koushirou is so committed to finding a way to restore his and Agumon’s partnership while totally overworking himself, he wants to shake him, tell him that it’s fine, tell Sora that he’ll always be supporting her with everything he can, but… He doesn’t really know how to do all of that (yet).

Sora feels that change in her as well, but it confuses her even more. Going for fashion design after having concealed her true desires for such a long time, breaking through expectations and family traditions, is one thing – but going for two men at once after having broken up with someone out of their shared friend group feels like it should be absolutely out of question.

And thus, no progress was made for a long time – until the others begin to feel the change as well. Mimi noticing that Sora had suddenly become weirdly talkative on the phone (or in texting) swooning over Koushirou improving the design apps he had been working on for her for years, encouraging and supporting her through his gadgets. Mimi feels like something in her universe has shifted a little, because usually, SHE was one who praised Koushirou in front of Sora, so her getting so open about these things feels off. Not to mention that she hasn’t even mentioned getting into any disagreements or arguments with Taichi – on the contrary, she looks genuinely serene, almost bubbly when even mentioning his name.

That’s it, Mimi thinks to herself, and contacts “the squad”, namely Miyako (and in extension Hikari) as well as Takeru as “spies” to gather information. Takeru gently nudges Yamato, trying to figure out how his current state with Sora is, leaving Yamato just as confused, because he hasn’t noticed much of a change after having broken up with her, with them just ”texting normally”. He does mention that Taichi felt a bit less depressed than he was just a few months ago. Hikari confirms the same thing in regards to Taichi, but also claims to have the impression that he seems rather “confused” and “spaced out”, leaving behind things at the Yagami residence, forgetting meetings in general, etc, but she blamed that on him being too focused on his thesis, even after having handed it in a while ago. And Takeru can only agree with Mimi that, for some reason, Koushirou appears to be strangely hyper as well – despite knowing that he hasn’t made any progress in getting Agumon and the others back yet. Miyako is the one who makes the dramatic deduction that something as scandalous as a “love triangle” might be going on here; she was half joking, but Hikari starts to beam slightly, sensing that something else must be going on.

And so Mimi and Takeru try to dig at Koushirou first – because they both KNOW what an emotional mess he CAN be if approached from the right side. To their surprise, he is actually more grounded in his own deduction of the situation, having come to the conclusion that, yes, his feelings may fall under the category of polyamory, but he still has no intention of moving towards that… Until they both start to push him in that direction LOUDLY, trying their best to invalidate his rational approach (“Who cares if you can’t get married with two people at once, what is the Digital World for then, do they even have a law system specifying ANYTHING in terms of romantic relationships? Ha, didn’t think so!”).

Miyako is the one who tries to dig deeper at Sora – and Hikari does the same with Taichi. They’re both feeling easily dragged into a corner, not directly admitting what it is that moves them at the moment, but both Miyako and Hikari are addressing the whole “But didn’t you say you finally wanted to become happy again?” issue they’ve been dealing with for quite a while now, leaving both of them in thought.

It still takes some time of contemplation for either of them – but seeing how Taichi and Sora are even more reluctant to face their feelings, Koushirou is the one who eventually approaches them in a more… Matter-of-factly “That’s the way it is, at least how I see it, what do you propose we shall do about this?” kind of of way that baffles the other two even more. Initially, Taichi and Sora had decided to drag Koushirou out of his office to take a break from overworking –  so they did not expect him to throw that bomb on them in return.

A night of very confusing conversations trying to give the whole dilemma a name (usually followed by long moments of silence) later – they decide to actually give it a try. It’s weird and surreal and, again, neither of them is really able to fully process what HAS been happening between them, but… They know they care for each other. Deeply. And being in each other’s lives makes them better, feel better, wanting to be better, much better than they did when they were dealing with everything by themselves. They’re aware it will not be easy, on the contrary, figuring this out will take its time, its toll, and emotional breakdowns, probably changing the dynamics they’ve been developing ever since they were kids forever. But… They decide it’s worth trying.

 The relationship / dating

Once their partnerships with their Digimon are restored (thanks to them finally finding their own personal happiness), they all start to seriously work towards their future – this time, together.

Sora, becoming a professional designer of Japanese clothing with her own twist on it, is responsible for providing not only her two partners but also their Digimon with appropriate attire for their respective fields of working; mainly suits (for the official conferences and ambassador meetings), but also more utility/occasion related clothing (such as the laboratory clothing Koushirou wears).

Koushirou on the other hand also provides them all with gadgets for their work fields, with Sora not only getting improved versions of his fashion apps, but also multi-function glasses for her exhibitions, based on the distortion tracking goggles he keeps providing Taichi with. Him and Taichi also work together compiling the data the latter needs for his speeches.

Taichi is the one being away the most due to diplomat duty in the future and it took a while to get there too, with various internships, travels to the Digital World – thus, electronic communication becomes more important than ever. Whenever he’s home, him and Sora cook together, as she has taught him more complicated dishes outside of the more simplified ones he was capable of (Omurice…) and he brings home lots of recipes from countries all over the world for them to try out together. Koushirou, being among the least picky eaters out there, enjoys watching them like that.

When the situation allows it, they also use the Digital World as gateway-space to have dates – either in the explorative kind or just finding a quiet space to relax.

Since their dynamics and energy levels are so different, each combination would also have their own little dates without the third partner. Taichi cannot really deal with fashion talk like the other two do, Sora can’t keep track on the other two getting into their own nerd rambles and Koushirou, as mentioned, is not in on the cooking passion of the other two and also not as invested in sports anymore either – just for example. In regards to the latter, Taichi and Sora would definitely encourage Koushirou to work out more though – and he agrees if THEY agree to get more acquainted with the technology he provides for them, making sure they don’t break anything unintentionally and getting hurt in the process.

Spending time together may not happen as regularly as either of them would like to, but they enjoy it each and every time and make use of it to the fullest. They’d also have movie nights and very rambly calls on whatever was going on at the moment. They’d also have a group chat (and usually, it’d be two of them rambling with the third one going “What the heck, WHERE HAVE I BEEN???”).

Taichi is the most physical from the very beginning on, as his way of reconciling with Agumon also pathed the way for him to do as Hikari said – going for his own happiness. He also gets super (over-)protective of them, especially when they get sick. Whereas Koushirou rarely initiates, but does have his moments of allowing himself one – or two – shoulders to lean on. He was never good at asking for help – but having two very persistent partners who basically force him to face his own vulnerability as overwhelming forces of nature isn’t something he feels like protesting against too much. Plus, his love language has always been “acts of service”, so doing something for them in return, surprising them with his own personal declarations of love (like initiating the relationship in the first place) is definitely getting to them. As mentioned, the theme between them is still learning to communicate – and that goes specifically for their needs. Sora takes a while, but once she does get a grip on her own wants, needs and expectations, she does become more vocal (and physical) about wanting/needing affection, not only giving it, as that is her most natural approach. Comforting the other two is something that comes naturally to her – but them teaming up to make HER open up is something she is not used to at first, and has always been struggling with.

Their families had been mainly supportive from the very beginning; the Yagamis would basically see it as an extension of their son’s life generally being more “out of the norm” than anything they’d EVER witnessed and take it with a ton of humour; the Izumis probably would have accepted any lifestyle their son was going for as long as he felt comfortable with it and are extra happy to see him form a family on his own after he had been in doubt about his own whereabouts for so long; the Takenouchis had been the most difficult to deal with in comparison, but Sora’s father actually just wishes for Sora to never doubt the connections she shares with her partners, even with periods of long distance taking place here and there. Whereas her mother DID need time to accept the unconventional nature of their relationship at first, which is just what Sora was scared of. However, in the end, she cherishes both Taichi and Koushirou despite their intensely varying dynamics with her daughter and, just like with her career, eventually gives Sora her blessings.

As for their friends, most of them had been surprised at the outcome at first (with the likes of Iori and Jyou being most baffled at the possibility of such a thing even being possible), but all got used to it, with varying degrees of time passing. The “squad” had already been supportive from the start, Daisuke had nothing but adoration for his “senpais” and Yamato needed a while to really process what had been happening (actually feeling somewhat bad about not having been able to at least talk to Taichi or Sora up front), but was just as welcoming in the end as the rest.

Despite Taichi being the cheesiest in the relationship, getting all romantic and mushy, Sora having the tendency to mother the others to at least SOME degree and either of them usually being the ones initiating physicality and acts of affection – Koushirou would actually end up being the one to propose to the others first; just like at the beginning of their relationship, by actually using the argument Mimi was using to convince him back then, claiming that they could easily get married in the Digital World.

tbc

[seventeenlovesthree]

Fandom Shipping Polls - Sora Takenouchi Shipping Analysis (Poll I + Poll II)

As pointed out in the main post, every single Chosen Child will get their individual analysis post to check on the status of the current popularity of their ships. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at Sora, shall we!  

The overall results / spreadsheet

Disclaimer: As the “Someone from 01/02″ and “Others” options from poll 1 and the “Someone from 01/02″ option from poll 2 have been excluded from the final analysis due to redundancy reasons and all results were culminated in another “final count”, the results will not be 1:1 to what the polls look like:

Overall votes: 107 (approx. 84 in sum after the exclusion), the main poll got 78 votes, the secondary poll got 29 votes.

The “Others” choice in the main poll received 5% (approx. 4 votes) and 7% (approx. 2 votes) in the secondary poll. The comments/tags did not specify any preferences here (aside from characters that were already part of the main choices).

Ship Analysis

1st place: This is the interesting part - as it also includes a tiny bit of bias overall. While the numbers suggest that Taichi (32%) won the poll over Yamato (31%) by the tiniest bit of advantages (and also led the main poll for the majority of the time), tumblr STILL displays both Taichi and Yamato as winners (see graphic below). And while the overall numbers even everything out in favour of Taichi once again, please excuse my non-scientific, childish excitement over this outcome by quoting one of the comments in the poll: “Sora has two hands.” So we shall go for this result for now and pick the OT3 - as both Taiora and Sorato, obviously, have very valid reasons to be here, which are highly supported by canon in one way or another. Taichi is the “childhood football friend”, one complementary soul that went through thick and thin with Sora throughout their adventure, fueling each other’s development. Yamato is the other complementary soul, mirroring and understanding Sora’s struggles, enabling her to make her own choices for once (in more than one way). And even if canon let her choose one over the other in the end - it’s no surprise that after all this time, both are considered to be the most viable options in their respective fandom corners. Canon itself tried to play it neutral for quite some time now (see the graphic above), even hinting at possibilities of other potential futures (which may or may not be taken with a big grain of salt). Long story short, it would feel wrong not include both of them.

2nd place: After the two top options, there has been quite a gap - but Mimi (18%) proudly claims the honorary second spot now (which, technically would be third place). And it is no surprise that she’s considered viable - both Sora and Mimi went through quite a development together, with Sora starting off as the steady rock to protect Mimi at first, just for Mimi to grow up to become a steady rock to encourage and support Sora herself, with a looooot of physical closeness and gentle affirmation on both sides.

3rd place: Again, under normal circumstances, Jou (7%) would be part of the “Honorary mentions” squad, as he appears to be more of a niche choice - but one that is still held dearly by its respective supporters. Jyoura are widely considered to be “The Dad and The Mom” of the group and both of them also struggle with their senses of obligation and making choices, which may be the reason they’re considered compatible.

Honorary mentions: As the choices mentioned above already take away most of the votes, the only niche options worth mentioning here are Meiko (6%) and Daisuke (3%).

“The 1 vote squad”: Probably the most niche choices in fandom overall are being represented by Koushiro (1%) and Takeru (1%).

“0 votes go to...”: Hikari, Ken, Miyako and Iori did not receive a single vote in her poll.

Annotations: Sora is among the characters who don’t have any viable “other” choices outside of the main (+ movie) characters. Additionally, she was the character who received the second least votes overall (after Iori), which doesn’t give a lot of variety to her results.

What did the other polls say?

Sora is one of the characters who hasn’t won any other poll - but did come in second for Yamato (28%) and third for Taichi (16%) and Mimi (13%, tying with Taichi), thus mirroring her own results at least to some degree. Her shipping choices are not as consistent as Taichi’s and Yamato’s, but still indicate certain preferences, despite the low sample sizes.

In Jou’s poll, she was more of a niche choice and came in fifth (5%, tying there with Koushiro).

Thus, for the majority of the rest, she was merely a niche choice, such as Takeru (2%), Daisuke (2%), Iori (2%), Koushiro (1%) and Miyako (1%). 

She received 0 votes in the polls for only Ken - and Hikari, so neither of them received a mutual vote, meaning nobody picked Sokari as viable option.

Notable additions / comments / thoughts

Sora’s polls have been quite a matter of extremes - on one hand, she received a comparably low number of votes in general, somewhat mirroring the results of the “Most popular Chosen Children of Adventure” poll. But that, on the other hand, caused very clear results to happen. It’s not much of a surprise to see her two most popular and most visible choices compete for first place - and actually kinda succeeding in that in the end. Especially, since the Taiora vs. Sorato debate has been going on for decades already. Thus, Taiorato overshadowed basically every other choice besides Somi and Joumi (and the latter was already comparably niche), resulting in even the less obvious ships not getting much attention at all. Daiora and Someiko can be named as honorable mentions indeed, as the former is having its own little niche in fandom and the latter absolutely had a development basis in Tri. Thus, I really hope to reach a wider audience if I choose to repeat the polls once the fandom is not as quiet as it is right now.

On a interpretative level, Sora’s status as being “the mom/big sister” of the group (as well as a general absence in some pieces of media) may have contributed to her not being as visible in the votes. She may take care of the others in a loving way and is very persistent in doing so, but that may be taken more on a platonic level.

The comments in the tags have only referred to the already mentioned choices (yet the “Sora has two hands” comment deserves special mention once again!). So the “Others” option did not reveal any other potentially preferred suitors. This leaves room for speculation, but usually, the option is reserved for OC ships or for when people prefer to not ship a character at all (which will definitely be a future option to include as well!)

Other Analysis Posts 

Taichi Yagami Shipping Analysis

Yamato Ishida Shipping Analysis

Koushiro Izumi Shipping Analysis

Mimi Tachikawa Shipping Analysis

Jou Kido Shipping Analysis

Takeru Takaishi Shipping Analysis

Hikari Yagami Shipping Analysis

Daisuke Motomiya Shipping Analysis

Ken Ichijouji Shipping Analysis

Miyako Inoue Shipping Analysis

Iori Hida Shipping Analysis

Meiko Mochizuki Shipping Analysis

[dutchforstrangers]

A post with the moments Taichi and Sora were soft for/to/with each other in DA:2020 + Agumon and Piyomon being their mirrors

DIGIMON ADVENTURE:2020 SPOILERS!!!!

Hi and welcome to my 'Vote Taiora soulmates 2k21' series. This post is basically part 3 of that. I'm a mess, I know...

Part 1: Taiora being starstruck babies | Part 2: The platonic!Taiora connection in Kizuna

PERSONAL NOTE: Once again me here saying that yes this is Taiora and no that doesn't mean I'm trying to sell romantic!Taiora like it's some kind of truth. I just highly believe they are soulmates and soulmates don't have to be romantic AT ALL. Even better, your soulmate can be your platonic best friend while you're in a romantic relationship with someone completely else. Just saying.

And yes, I am a Taiora shipper and I do see and adore the romantic potential of these two. But that doesn't mean everyone has to see it. Platonic!Taiora is beautiful and precious and that's something I vouch for!

There has been floating so much negativity on the internet regarding the Digimon Adventure reboot and even though I'm not loving it either, there are some things I enjoy. I already once pointed out I really like the soundtrack, hell, I even made this little choreography on the theme song for @digiweek 2021 day 3 (prompt music). But that aside, in this post I want to spread some love for the Taiora portrayal in the series, because let's face it, they are super soft (and pretty much ride or die) for each other!

I could ramble and talk about things... OR I could just bomb you guys with the screencaps I gathered! I mean, those reboot 2020 kids don't talk and bicker as much as their original 1999 counterparts do, so why should I?

And you know what 2020!Taichi and 2020!Sora are really good at? Having the same (s o f t) facial expressions to each other, radiating the same energy, touching and physically supporting each other because they are soulmates~. See it for yourself :D

It starts with Taichi looking at his bestie Sora to check if she's safe on the DIY raft while listening to the sweet conversation about fighting together she just had with her newfound Digimon partner in episode 4.

Look at that proud bestie grin. Such a cutie.

Then fast forward to how they are supportingly touchy together..! Two times, in episode 32 and 36. I mean, what's up with that??! Go hug each other already like true childhood bffs do nowadays.

I sense proud mom and dad vibes, what about you? (Also note Piyomon and Agumon in the left one, such cuties <3)

Next up, in episode 37, is Sora being SUPER ride or die for Taichi literally jumping into the water true superhero style to safe the day.! And safe Taichi and Agumon from their stupidity (which is like super low key stupidity compared to OG!Taichi)

This is my personal favorite, episode 40, Sora talking all fast and excited about the passion they share, football/soccer (<- this depends on where you live, I prefer to say football because you play that ball with your damn foot!!!), and how she just LOVES playing it with HIM.

And Taichi is all like "Hell yeah girl, of course I can tell! Preach"

Then in the same episode we find these two pearls (among many other pearls, just go watch that episode yourself already)! Sora looking all soft and concerningly happy to have found her berry-fied bestie. And Sora being glinstering-eyes-happy (like, is she crying??) to see that said bestie back to his human self again!

Okay. There is episode 50, the one with the music I liked and where Taichi resurrects/just resurrected for the big fight and the kiddos trapped in the black ball in the mouth of Milleniummon all scream his name for Taichi to resurrect ONCE AGAIN talking about suffering from portagonist-trope-disease huh?. There are three people Taichi hears screaming his name seperated from the rest and it's rival lover Yamato, baby sis Hikari and CHILDHOOD BESTIE SORA. And let me tell you, when I'd heard her screaming his name in the agonizing way she did, yes, I would have resurrected too if I were Taichi.

Then we of course have that whole Hououmon 'safety first' episode 52. See me ranting and screaming about it in my 'part 1' of this series.

And THEN it's time for the most recent episode, episode 62, where Taichi and Sora reunite and Sora gives Taichi THIS SOFT FACE after she says "The Chosen Ones aren't just here to fight, you know?"

Sora, my baby!!! You can drag me away now, I'm done with this big ride or die softie <333

And you know what's the best part? After the fight with Shakkoumon, which isn't really a fight with Sora following her own words and instead of fighting the Mon talking herself into the heart of the Mon, Taichi REPEATS Sora's words by saying "The role of the Chosen Ones isn't just to fight, huh..." followed by Taichi giving Sora HIS SOFT FACE!!

I'mma repeat myself, but find yourself a guy that looks at you the way Taichi looks at Sora. SO SOFT. OH MY GOD, TAICHI MARRY ME PLEASE. (No please don't, that's weird x'D) I swear, they even tilt their head in the same freaking angle!! This could be cheap animation suffering from 'same face syndrom', but I like to believe that Taichi has watched her, seen the expression she gave him and literally M I R R O R E D I T. This was the whole episode for me, best thing ever.

Also, in that same episode we see THIS:

Even their digimon partners are super ride or die for each other..!! If I had to ship digimon with each other, it would definitely be Agumon and Piyomon (and Gomamon, I'll get to that in a bit). And yes, I know it's a big stretch to let Garudamon, a perfect level digimon, intercept the freaking attack from Wargreymon, an ultimate level digimon, that destroyed Milleniummon 12 episodes ago... It's a bit unbelievable, BUT a) Garudmon is a freaking badass, b) THAT'S WHAT BESTIES DO! And the fact Sora is pretty much ride or die for Taichi, means Piyomon/Garudamon is pretty much ride or die for Agumon/Wargreymon too, no matter the evolution level.

Also, let me point out this little scene under water in episode 35 where Piyomon teases Agumon. Really, I think that's so cute and vouches for the friendship they mirror from the friendship their human partners have!

Actually, isn't it funny that the humans in the reboot hardly tease each other and bicker compared to the original cast and it's the digimon who took over the teasing?

Last but not least, there's one picture left, the end of episode 43. Piyomon and Agumon asleep leaning into each other for support (and Gomamon being cute joining this weird-ass digimon-OT3 I just love!) while on the very right of the frame we see Taichi and Sora laughing/talking together in a super cute way, probably talking about their profound friendship and how they will be football buddies and besties for life :') Also important: they are the only humans in this scene (and then I'm talking about the others not present in this frame too) that are 'seperated' from and not focusing on their digimon, instead they are focusing on each other.

So there you have it. Okay, there might be more moments, but hey, I only get 10 pics per post. If you still don't believe in these two being soulmates in some kind of way... I have no idea how to convince you otherwise.

[dutchforstrangers]

How, in Kizuna, both Yamato and Taichi know what Sora is up to and even though Taichi and Sora grew apart, they still have a special connection that's here to stay forever and shouldn't be left unsaid

Before you read on, two warnings:

Kizuna spoilers!

LONG POST!

Also, a little note and disclaimer: I can see people percepting this post as a Taiora-shipper heavily vouching for romantic!Taiora and bashing Sorato. Interpret it however you like, but just know that's not how I approached this meta. It's Sorato-friendly and Sorato-appreciative. Sure, it gives reasons for romantic!Taiora to have potential in canon, but it's mostly directed on how I see the -platonic- connection between Taichi and Sora and how it's portrayed in the Kizuna movie.

That being said, I do not own Digimon and therefore this is my view on it. I also didn't read the Kizuna novel, so everything not compliant with the novel is due to that. Anyway, happy readings!

Who remembers the Digimon movie Diaboromon strikes back probably knows how Sora is not present during the fight because she's on the tennis club trip. Or actually on her way back. We learn about this, because Koushiro asks where Sora is and Yamato -being her boyfriend obviously- is the only one who knows the answer. Cute boyfriend, truly!

In the Kizuna movie we see a little call back to this particular scene when Yamato and Taichi are eating together and talk about what all the others are up to (and how they seem to be the only ones who have no clue about their future yet. I feel that, unlike Koushiro I didn't run a freaking tech company at 21??!!! Seriously, who does that?!). Taichi sums up all the 01 Chosen Children + Daisuke, except for two: Takeru and Sora. Of course Yamato knows what Takeru is up to, so Taichi leaves that for Yamato to tell.

As for Sora... I think that's a bit harder and I've been thinking about this since the first time I saw it. Especially after I saw this post floating around on my dash every once in a while (and yes the Taiora-shipper in me wants my Taiora-heart to be soothed BUT this is not the main reason, believe me) and I just think Yamato isn't the only one who knows. Now let me try to explain myself.

The first reaction Taichi gives after Yamato drops the insights on Sora's life is a kind of bored (maybe even a little frustrated?), almost sighing and slightly stretched "Eeehhh" which can be translated to "Yeah...". In the English dub Taichi's 'yeah' sounds even more frustrated and almost... disappointed? Also look at the face above! Taichi doesn't look pleased in my opinion, at all. See it for yourself.

Anyway, when we take all of the above in consideration, we could interpret Taichi's reaction in two different ways:

"Yeah. Ok. Cool. Not interested."

"Yeah. I know. It stings. Thanks for reminding me, dude."

And to be honest, I can't imagine Taichi not being interested in Sora (from a platonic perspective), so I'd go with the second option. Taichi knows that Sora's into Ikebana (and if we believe the one Christmas Tri interview, Taichi also knows about Sora's designer aspirations), but he doesn't include her in his enumeration, because why the heck would he talk about his friend's girlfriend??! Besides, talking about Sora seems a bit more painful to him than talking about the others. A reason for this for example could be that it's pretty painful to see and feel yourself slowly fading away from your oldest friend due to the difference in life paths. Yamato on the other hand starts talking about her, because it's his freaking girlfriend so OF COURSE he wants to talk about her.

This also brings me to the part that Yamato knows that Taichi knows what Sora is up to. After Taichi gives his sighing reaction, Yamato reacts by stating something very painful YAMA MY BOI WHY DO YOU BREAK TAICHI'S HEART LIKE THAT??!!! the obvious no one likes to admit.

"Things can't stay the same forever..."

Look at Taichi's sad and pained face!! The fact that Yamato says this seems to hit something in Taichi, especially after briefly talking about Sora; Taichi's oldest friend... It could even point in the direction of Yamato knowing Taichi and Sora grew apart, as if he wants to make clear to Taichi that it's okay to let go of old friendships as it's part of life (and not because Yamato is afraid to lose Sora to Taichi or whatsoever).

You know, that really pains me. Ugh, this movie will be my death one day... Carry on!

Throughout the rest of the movie, however, we see how Taichi and Sora still maintain some kind of 'connection'. For example how they were silently in pain, waiting for the inevitable, while the rain poured down (I know that's scenography, but it could even be a weird-ass nod to the Our War Game Taiora drama in the English dub...), their scenes following up each other. Also note how both Piyomon (+ Sora) and Agumon stare through the -left panel of the- window... Sad. ~See this edit~

How Yamato is stopped by Takeru, Jyou and Mimi (a.k.a. team Hope) and Taichi only by Hikari and Koushiro. Clearly there's someone missing in team Light and that someone must be Sora on Taichi's side.

And of course the whistle (I still don't get Yamato's dub-line "I used to hate that damn whistle," like, where did that even come from??!! It's stupid) blown by Taichi to which Sora reacts by literally calling out his name with the extra of a hand on the glass, reaching out to him, but unable to help because she's seperated (feels distanced...) from him. ~See this edit~

I even found this little thing you might miss with the blink of an eye. Or maybe I am just an idiot and I only spotted it now and everyone else is like: "Yeah, we already knew, old news." Gonna meta on it anyway

So anyway, in the 'staring to the pouring rain' scene, where Sora tells Piyomon she decided to not take part in the fight anymore (because SAD reasons obviously), we see Sora tracing two raindrops with her finger gliding down the window, becoming one raindrop.

Then, fast forward in the movie to the scene in Koushiro's office before Taichi and Yamato travel to the Digitial World to save the others and find Menoa. Yamato wonders how if they find Menoa and will have to fight her, the Digimon need to digivolve for that fight, which will probably speed up the vanishing of Gabumon and Agumon. Taichi is aware of that, going into some kind of brave sacrifice mode for the sake of the others, and Yamato asks if he's okay with that. And right before Taichi tells Yamato "No, I'm not. But someone's gotta do it!" we see this one raindrop... gliding down the window... seperating into two raindrops..!!! (To all the gif makers; please be my guest...!)

It HAS to mean something, because it's so obvious and it actually ties those two scenes together! It's an 'Aha!'-moment, a moment where the events turn and will probably mean something like 'Our paths cross and became one all those years ago and now is the time for our paths to seperate once again. In order to do so, we have to let go and start growing up'.

But we could also interpret it in a way it says something about the decisions they make and how they differ from each other. One (Sora) chooses for herself not to fight to stall the process of saying goodbye, the other (Taichi) chooses to fight for the sake of others and with that speed up the said process.

This shows us how Sora and Taichi differ from each other, maybe even have grown apart because of that for that matter. But it could also be a hint to their bond and how they still, unknowingly, learn from the other's actions, thoughts and insights in some way. That it's useless to try to avoid the inevitable when it's clearly approaching full force. Because it's fate. At the point the two raindrops come together, both of them don't want to see that fate yet, but when the raindrop splits again, they've come to the conclusion to just take things the way they are (it's the 'Aha!'-moment for all the Chosen really, but it's so typically staged as a Sora vs. Taichi thing, as a symbol for everyone. Take it from someone who works in the theater field and is schooled in theater practices and making choreography. This is exactly how I would like to show my audience their bond in a subtle way without words and how that contradiction symbolizes the decision everyone in the group has to make eventually).

And for all we know, (this is so painful to say...) that one moment that raindrop splits again as Taichi makes his decision... Sora finds her peace with her decision as well... and this could be the exact moment where she loses her partner and becomes the first of the group with that loss........ Of course that's just speculations. But wouldn't it be the best 'strings of fate' trope-story between these two clearly connected childhood best friends?

So yeah, fate will always bring Taichi and Sora together (in canon: platonic. In fanon: could be any kind of relationship you like). And please, don't be ignorant of that! Whether you ship Sorato, Taiora, Taiyama, Taiorato, other Taichi, Sora and/or Yamato ships or none of them at all. These two soccer buddies hold a special bond with each other one could almost call t e l e p a t h i c~... Here's a little Digimon novel reference to that:

Taichi and Sora may have grown apart for now and Yamato is aware of that. But I believe Aang can save the world these two old friends have a connection that will last a lifetime and they will grow closer again over time as they grow up into beautiful adults!

Actually, the Kizuna events will bring the whole group closer together again and that's a headcanon that lives rent free in my mind <3

That's all folks!

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digimon Adventure Relationship Analysis: How Taichi, Sora and Koushirou are already subtly framed to have known each other before Summer Camp (part I)

 Upon rewatching episode 1 of Digimon Adventure for, approximately, the 20th time in my life, and after being so graciously blessed by all the “Team Light” framing of the reboot, I kept remembering one of the many reasons why I loved the relationships between the kids in the OG so much. If you watch the episode, you kinda get a feeling that these characters already seem to somewhat know each other - but it’s neither blatantly stated, nor right in your face. For example, Taichi is able to introduce almost every other kid to the Digimon - except Takeru, whom he didn’t know, and Mimi, whom they all briefly forgot about. Koushirou remembered her (since they were in the same grade), Sora did remember that there was someone else and, in true Sora fashion, despite not really knowing Mimi, takes her under her wing twice once she joins the group - which already tells you a lot about Sora as a character. Even though one can assume that the majority of the group is not exactly “friends” yet, you’re already noticing little patterns and nudges about how their relationships are established and are likely to develop.

My favourite example, as obviously stated in the pictures above, is the relationship between Taichi and, respectively, Sora and Koushirou. If you’re familiar with the Digimon Adventure novels, you might have noticed that these three characters are handled with a lot of care when it comes to framing their relationship to each other - I won’t be spoiling anything major here, just know that it is implied that these three have been in football club together before their time at Summer camp. The anime doesn’t tell us this though, it doesn tell us that Taichi and Sora are the top duo of their football club (with a rumoured “telepathic connection”) or that Koushirou probably wouldn’t have joined camp if Taichi hadn’t invited him…

What the anime does tell us, however, through subtle interactions, is that these three care about each other. A lot.

First of all, while everyone else is out admiring the strange phenomenon of snow in August, Koushirou remains inside trying to figure out why his internet connection is still being difficult - until Taichi calls for him. And that’s already hinting at one of Taichi’s main qualities - he cares about others (younger kids in particular) and he takes care of them too. Later on, the two of them are the first to meet again in the Digital World - Koushirou confirms that he’s relieved to find Taichi there, worries about him (after falling from a tree) and also gets dragged away and into safety by him, perfectly displaying Taichi’s protective nature. And it does indicate a certain level of closeness already - because as much as Taichi is framed to be the hero, Koushirou also implies (in episode 3) that being with people (all the time) can be bothersome. Which at least doesn’t seem to be the case here.

When it comes to Sora, we can easily tell that her and Taichi are pretty comfortable and act quite casually towards each other - she’s telling both boys that it’s safe to come out of their hideout again, displaying quite a relaxed body language, whereas Taichi is smoothly playing down the whole situation towards her.

File Island Arc likes to frame Taichi as the “head through wall” character that hasn’t been confronted with situations to teach him humility as blatantly yet - and both Sora and Koushirou seem to be familiar with this attitude, because they pretty much tell him to calm down and stay careful instead. Which is, indeed, a theme for them throughout the entirety of the series - when Taichi intends to run towards a rampaging Greymon to make his own evolve by getting himself into danger, it’s Sora who tries to physically hold him back. When Taichi tries to go through an electrical fence or pushes himself towards exhaustion to find his little sister, it’s Koushirou who tells him off.

Koushirou and Sora are the ones who keep him in check - which is also the one thing that seems to connect them the most, from beginning to end of Adventure 01 (and beyond). Because while, at first glance, these two don’t even interact much with each other, there was one thing I couldn’t get out of my head. I really don’t like the usual “They’re standing next to each other all the time!” argument to indicate that two (or more) people are (potentially) close with each other, but when I rewatched this very first episode, I couldn’t help but notice brown and red hair next to each other in A LOT of frames. The anime may not have been as blatant in STATING that Taichi, Sora and Koushirou were close, but it surely liked to put them close to each other. The entire time. And interestingly enough - for someone who is supposed to be the tech specialist of their group, and, from a stereotypical point of view, wouldn’t be assumed to be sporty, Koushirou was definitely able to keep up with his football loving friends - indicating that football training (together) did pay off in the end. And I really hadn’t even noticed before how often he was framed physically close to Sora (or Taichi) in basically every shot he is in.

Long story short - I love to interpret framing and I love these three a lot.