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Post by eyesinthedark on Jun 14, 2022 0:01:32 GMT
"That's true enough, power can inspire people to be more indulgent of their baser desires," Shouta agreed. "Then again, I wonder if that may in part be because the people most likely to seek power, and thus the ones most likely to have it, are already inclined to a certain degree of self-interest. Either way, I believe that a sufficiently moral and responsible individual is unlikely to change dramatically if they suddenly gain an increased amount of power and from what I've seen of Mandrake, he certainly seems to qualify as such," he added.
Hex seemed disappointed that neither Shouta nor LJ expected his flashlight to be of much use against Ravemon and stored it back within his body, making a note to find something more suitable. He had mainly picked up the flashlight in the first place as a mere trinket but now being told that it wouldn't work against Ravemon left him wanting something that would work.
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Post by ricochet7-LJ on Jun 14, 2022 0:45:42 GMT
"Which is why I want to try my best to not become engulfed in the worst of my baser desires and to also follow the morals my parents raised me with. Sure they didn't know how to handle raising me when they were first time parents but I think they did well enough. That and they seemed to have been improving as I've gotten more siblings." LJ said feeling perfectly calm now. Talking this out was the venting he needed to have done.
LJ looked at Hex seeing the Eyesmon's look of disappointment before he said "Hex, maybe you can have modifications made to the flashlight to make it more powerful so it can at the very least drive Ravemon away if such a thing becomes necessary. I wish I had some light technique of my own but it is what it is. The closest thing I have to such attacks are the fire and lightning abilities I have in my rookie form of Elecmon. Then again I might be able to master some new techniques over time that could also even help."
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Post by eyesinthedark on Jun 14, 2022 11:44:40 GMT
"Fair enough. So long as you're aware of your worse traits and are working to overcome them, that is the most important step to leading a responsible life," Shouta said agreeably. "Parenting can be tricky even in the best of circumstances but Mandrake and Lothar seem to have performed admirably. They both seemed to be caring and dedicated parents to Lilly when I met them and I assume their overall behavior was similar with you, even if they were less experienced," he guessed.
As LJ tried to suggest ways for Hex to improve his flashlight, Shouta tried to offer his own support. "Perhaps you will have a more suitable ability in one of your future forms? It seems like it would be unwise to challenge somebody like Ravemon at your current level regardless," he pointed out, only for Hex to shake his head.
"I doubt it," he said dismissively. "I may not know exactly what my future forms will be but digimon generally retain some common theme or trait as they grow and I'm pretty sure all of my forms will be connected to darkness. I might have forms that can use fire or electricity but I don't think I'll ever have any that can use light directly," he explained, somewhat irritated at that inevitable shortcoming. It only further reinforced his desire to find something to upgrade or replace his flashlight as a weapon if need be.
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Post by ricochet7-LJ on Jun 14, 2022 15:32:27 GMT
"I don't remember much of my early life but one thing I do remember is them doing their best to be attentive parents. Dad even lost most of his left arm one night while I was still a baby but I don't really remember that night too well. I just remember being scared even if I didn't see Dad losing his arm." LJ said feeling frustrated that memories of his life before reaching rookie was at best spotty and he still didn't get why his memory would have such massive gaps in it.
"Your words make a great deal of sense, Hex, even if your later forms aren't beings made of shadow." LJ said before he continued "Digivolution can take some unpredictable leaps sometimes so it is possible at least one form is bound to surprise either Shouta or yourself. Heck for all I know my mega and super mega forms might be something I don't remotely expect. Though I wouldn't be too surprised if my remaining two forms are beast like in nature."
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Post by eyesinthedark on Jun 14, 2022 23:19:55 GMT
"He lost most of an arm?" Shouta repeated in shock. He obviously hadn't noticed any sign of such an injury when he had met them but then it seemed likely that digimon could heal from greater injuries than humans could. Or perhaps the injury was just concealed by the holosuit. "I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been a terrible experience," he offered sympathetically.
"Maybe. If I get a second armor form, that might be different enough to have something like that," Hex admitted. "But other than that, while I guess I might have forms that aren't quite as shadow based as this one, I doubt I'll ever be too far removed. Maybe I might get a form with a fire affinity but that's about as close to a light-based form as I imagine I'll ever get," Hex said confidently. He was confident that with his data makeup being what it was, his forms would always tend towards darkness and decay. A light-based form would just be too far removed from his essential nature.
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Post by ricochet7-LJ on Jun 15, 2022 0:00:07 GMT
LJ nodded gravely to Shouta's reasonable shocked tone before he said "Yeah. From what I was told a dangerous parasite got attached to his arm when I was a baby that was draining him at a fast rate. The parasite only got attached to his arm cause Dad was keeping it from eating me alive. Also according to what they said nothing they tried to remove the parasite was effective in its removal so since Dad appeared to be dying he came up with the plan to have his arm cut off to save his life. Pops volunteered to do so. Fortunately after Dad recovered Pops bought him a bionic arm as it appears most digimon's limbs don't regenerate without certain natural abilities. I guess it's yet another way we digimon are like humans."
When Hex mentioned he might get fire moves in a second armor form, LJ said "Maybe you will. Armor evolutions don't seem to follow the same logic as standard evolution. After all how else could you explain my Dad's armor champion form of Coelamon and his armor ultimate of Thunderbirdmon."
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Post by eyesinthedark on Jun 15, 2022 16:37:00 GMT
"That's terrible to hear, but it just goes to prove what I said about him being a good father. He prioritized his responsibility to his child over his own immediate wellbeing, as all parents should," Shouta said respectfully. The news that Mandrake had a bionic arm was surprising but made sense with what he had learned. Hopefully he would never have to find out if Hex could regenerate from such injuries, although his immaterial form suggested it would be hard to do permanent damage to him. The mention of Mandrake's armor forms then drew his attention away from that topic. "Coelamon? Thunderbirdmon?" he repeated questioningly.
"Coelamon is a species of fish digimon that walk on land and Thunderbirdmon are avian digimon with electric abilities," Hex informed him, though he could likely have guessed the latter. Comparing them to the relatively humanoid image he had seen of Mandrake's natural form, Shouta understood what LJ meant about them being unusual. Come to think of it, Raremon did seem an odd progression in Hex's development, as there seemed very little common ground between a living shadow and some kind of cybernetic, zombie whale. Hopefully that meant Hex's other future forms would steer away from the theme of rotting flesh.
"I see what you mean. Neither of those sounds like what I would have expected Mandrake's other forms to be like," he agreed.
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Post by ricochet7-LJ on Jun 15, 2022 23:24:54 GMT
"I suppose you have a point. While my parents are a farcry from perfect, like any parent, at least they did the best they could to ensure my survival and teach me how to be a respectful digimon. Though I did hit some snags in the early stages dealing with being an arrogant braggart shortly after digivolving to champion. After being made to realize how dumb and irritating I was being, I worked on changing my ways." LJ said. While Hex explained about Thunderbirdmon and Coelamon LJ nodded before he said "I believe in the Human World there is a living animal like that which survived multiple extinctions. I believe it was called the Coelacanth or something. Coelamon kinda looks like that animal."
"What I find more odd about Dad's armor forms is that they still have access to magic despite being species not known for such traits." LJ said before Shouta mentioned that neither Coelamon or Thunderbirdmon were forms he would expect from Mandrake. LJ chuckled before he said "I see what you mean given how Dad's armor forms are a bit odd given the rest of his forms. Heck they are even odd compared to mine as with Loweemon one can still feesibly see it as a non armor digivolution for my rookie form of Elecmon. My armor ultimate form of Karatenmon, on the other hand, is a bird man with twin swords so it is a bit of a stretch given me being Leomon X in this form."
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Post by eyesinthedark on Jun 16, 2022 17:28:12 GMT
"You're hardly the first person to go through a phase with an attitude problem. Much as I love all of my siblings, I can only hope that Ryuji eventually gets over his current rebellious phase. He's a good kid but he seems determined to argue every possible point just for the sake of arguing," Shouta sighed, pressing a finger to his temple as he recalled his preteen brother's stubborn behavior. All too often it seemed he had to spend more time telling Ryuji to do something than it would actually take for either one of them to do it. "I can only hope that he finds some other outlet for outbursts as he goes into his teenage years, else I can only dread how much worse they may become with the addition of typical teenage angst," he drawled sardonically.
"Karatenmon is still a sword-wielding humanoid digimon with animal traits, even if it is a completely different animal," Hex pointed out in response to LJ's comment on his own armor forms. "For me, Raremon seems pretty distinct from my regular form. I'm pretty sure I don't have any abilities relating to shadow in that form, but I guess Raremon is only semi-solid whereas I'm usually barely solid at all," he mused thoughtfully.
"I suppose that's true. Raremon did also bear a very slight resemblance around the eyes and mouth, I think," Shouta pointed out. It was a stretch but both forms had prominent red eyes and mouths filled with sharp teeth, albeit Raremon's were much larger and more jagged than Eyesmon's intimidating but admittedly rather neat rows of needle-like fangs.
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Post by ricochet7-LJ on Jun 16, 2022 23:18:29 GMT
"I suppose you have a good point. At least my "rebellious phase" has been pretty mild with only a handful of major hiccups so far." LJ said with a chuckle before he said "Compared to other kids I'm pretty laid back with my biggest issues is my temper and lack of motivation sometimes with studying." Then a random thought came to mind as LJ giggled before he said "Though I can only imagine what would happen when and if Dad and Pops spawn a teenage rebel for a child. I doubt all of us will have mild temperaments."
"Good point, Hex. It's just wild for me to wrap around the fact I can become a bird like Dad can. Then again now that I think about it, maybe it's not so strange. I guess I'm more like Dad than most think." LJ said. "At least Hex still resembles his current form somewhat as Raremon which is not always the case for armor forms."
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Post by eyesinthedark on Jun 17, 2022 13:46:19 GMT
"Every child is different, with their own particular issues. Some may be more directly problematic than others but if Mandrake and Lothar have already raised three children, they are likely prepared for most issues that might arise with Circe or Melody, or any other future children for that matter," Shouta said. "I imagine it helps that digimon seem to mature more quickly than humans, to the point that they are capable of surviving on their own. Being able to focus the bulk of their attention on one child at a time likely makes things far easier than having to watch over multiple small children simultaneously," he pointed out, all too aware of how difficult it was to split one's attention between multiple children.
"Maybe Raremon looks similar to this form but it still feels different. Not being able to fly is weird," Hex complained, performing a loop in mid-air to prove his point. "My whole body when I'm Raremon just feels heavier than when I'm Eyesmon. It feels stronger but having a physical form makes everything feel a little different," he explained, though he didn't sound unhappy about it. If anything, the drastically different sensations in his two forms were a source of intrigue for him.
"I suppose I can see how that would be a drastic shift," Shouta admitted thoughtfully, before glancing at LJ. "Do you ever experience anything similar when digivolving? I imagine that Karatenmon is capable of flight if it has an avian form but I'm not sure if that would be quite the same as the change Hex is talking about, unless the physical changes are more drastic than I am imagining."
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Post by ricochet7-LJ on Jun 17, 2022 22:19:28 GMT
"Yes all children are different with their own quirks and personalities. I know Kshin faced and still likely deals with the trauma of loosing his birth family. Makes me more curious of how Melody will be when she is eventually born. Other than being a Pulsemon with heterochromia and wielding a ukulele, I don't know all that much." LJ said. "As for digimon maturing more quickly than humans I suppose it is easier since digimon tend to be rookie by at least a few Human World months old at latest."
Then the subject of how drastically different various forms in a digivolution line could be, LJ said "Yeah, I did. When I first armor digivolved into Karatenmon it was weird as the body not only felt lighter in weight compared to this form but for me flying without magical means seemed totally weird. Fortunately I adapted well enough to that body. I had far more trouble with the change from Elecmon to this form of Leomon X simply because my once mostly dormant magic became all too present and tricky to control. One day I'll fully have a handle on it but at least I'm not spontaneously floating off anymore cause of my magic."
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Post by eyesinthedark on Jun 17, 2022 23:19:44 GMT
"I suppose having met Melody before gives you the chance to anticipate her birth. Every time one of my siblings was born, I had no idea what they would look like or what sort of people they would grow up to be. My mother chose not to find out what genders they would be prior to the birth, so even that was a surprise," Shouta mentioned. "There is something somewhat disconcerting about having such a strong familial bond with somebody you effectively know nothing about. Your situation means that you have at least a vague idea of what kind of person she will one day grow to be, even if she was necessarily secretive about the details," he pointed out.
LJ's comments on the difficulties of adjusting to his champion form drew a quiet chuckle from Shouta. "Indeed, such changes seem to put human growing pains to shame. Though I suppose it has the advantage that digivoluton, as drastic a change as it may be, happens all at once rather than being stretched over years," he said. At this, Hex flew closer, hovering just over Shouta's shoulder. Shouta almost chided Hex for the invasion of his personal space but cut himself off as he realized that in that position, Hex was casting a shade over his face. It wasn't much protection from the sun's heat but it was a great deal better than nothing.
"Growing pains? Do humans change forms as well?" he asked curiously? While his knowledge of humans and their world was fairly limited, he was relatively certain that digivolution was exclusive to digimon.
"Well, in a manner of speaking," Shouta began, adapting a lecturing tone. "We don't go through any kind of metamorphosis like you do but we do go through a gradual process of growth during the early stages of our life. You've seen my siblings and know that they are all smaller than me to varying degrees. As years pass, they will grow bigger and taller until they are full sized adults," he explained. "It generally takes in the area of two decades for a human to reach their full adult height. The process is slow enough to be invisible on a day to day basis, though it does tend to speed up a touch during the teenage years." As he finished speaking, he once again withdrew his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow. He noted with distaste that the handkerchief was now disconcertingly damp, as well as a little sandy. "I certainly hope there is somewhere I can try to get cleaned up in Rustport," he said longingly.
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Post by ricochet7-LJ on Jun 17, 2022 23:41:34 GMT
"Yeah and judging by the fact she had a musical instrument makes me also wonder how many of my future siblings will be musically gifted since neither I or my other siblings seem to be musically inclined. Don't know if my parents are musically inclined as I have never heard them so much as sing. Though maybe one or both of them are hiding such a beautiful talent." LJ said. "As for digimon, while we are in our eggs genders are difficult to determine by most digimon but since Dad is a telepath he tends to become mentally aware of even those within digieggs so he figured out mine and Lilly's gender pretty quick even if they didn't have any names really planned. It seems they picked mine and Lilly's names on the fly. I was named after Pops and Lilly got her name due to her finding a love of lilies shortly after hatching. Not sure about Circe but maybe next time they should consider making a list of names before the future eggs hatch."
LJ chuckled at digivolution being compared to growing pains and after Shouta spoke, he said "I haven't seen many small children since I've mostly interacted with mostly grown teenagers but it seems, much like digimon, human babies are squishy and helpless. Moreso than digimon as they can't really move all that much on their own when newly born so their parents or guardians have to transport them around using various methods."
LJ wiped the sweat from his brow once again as he adjusted his grip on the cape that was providing him some shade before he said "I hear that. I'm starting to smell and sand gets everywhere."
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Post by eyesinthedark on Jun 18, 2022 16:59:45 GMT
"I can't say I have much in the way of musical talent myself, or that it seems to be a hobby that any of my siblings have picked up. With eight of us in one house, including small children, hobbies that produce much noise are not particularly practical," he admitted. Now that the youngest had passed beyond the toddler stage, it was a little easier to find a moment's peace but true quiet was still a rarity. "It's not uncommon for parents to choose not to put too much thought into names and other details of their children until they are born. In truth I don't fully understand the custom, as I would certainly rather have as many details as far in advance as I could, but it is ultimately a choice each set of parents must make for themselves," he pointed out.
On the topic of human babies, Shouta had more than his fair share of experience. "Indeed, human babies are essentially helpless and rely on their guardians for just about every aspect of their needs. Of course, they arguably become even more dependent on their guardians once they develop the ability to move about on their own, as they lack any understanding of the world and its dangers. Toddlers require constant supervision to ensure they don't do anything to injure themselves and while my youngest siblings are just beyond that phase, they still require great deals of assistance and attention," he explained for both Hex's and LJ's benefit.
"So humans can't do anything for themselves when they're born? And they don't know anything either?" Hex asked, somewhat incredulously. Digimon were typically possessed of at least very basic instincts and knowledge of how to function even in their fresh stages. The level of helplessness Shouta was describing seemed somewhat implausible to him. "Then how do they get to the stage you're at?" he asked.
"As with their physical growth, it is a long, slow process. A child's guardians teach them to walk, to speak and a hundred other essential day to day skills. The child eventually internalizes this basic knowledge to the point that it becomes instinctual," he explained. Turning his attention back to LJ, he grimaced slightly at the mention of the sand. "Indeed. I tend to dislike any sort of dirt or mess and sand is particularly irritating in its ability to cling to every possible surface," he agreed. Unfortunately, he knew it was impractical in the extreme to try and get cleaned off while still in the middle of the desert, as he would only find himself covered in more sand the first time so much as a gentle breeze came along.
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