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Everything Changes (Invite)
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Post by Jacob Faulkner & Pteromon on Feb 12, 2024 2:48:38 GMT
Today was not going how Jacob expected it would go at all. Then again, who expects being dragged into a mysterious alien world where you interact with child-sized birds who can not only talk, but also have super powers? It was in this strange land that Jacob had come across Pteromon, a green bird-dragon Digimon who had been petrified, but was revived thanks to some unforeseen magic force. As thanks for helping defeat some Goblimons, Jacob had offered to travel with Pteromon to help find some food, and perhaps even a way home. After all, Jacob definitely felt safer with Pteromon around, but Digimon are typically unable to fight on an empty stomach. "So you're a... hoo-mon, huh?" Pteromon asked as they walked through the Server Woods. "Never heard of hoomons before today."
"It's safe to say that there aren't very many in this world," Jacob responded. "And it's pronounced 'human,' by the way. You can call me Jacob, though."
"You have a name that's not what you are? That's kinda confusing. We Digimon just keep it simple. I'm Pteromon, and my friends are Pulsemon and Loogamon."
"Well, hopefully I'll meet them soon, if they're as nice as you are. How long were you trapped in that stone for, anyways?"
"I dunno. A week, maybe? You kinda just don't exist when you're turned to stone... Oh oh oh! Wanna hear the epic tale of how I ended up that way?"
"If I were ever freed from being petrified, I'd be content with forgetting that it ever happened. But if you want to share, then be my guest."
"Okay, so it all started when... when..." Pteromon lost his train of thought when he finally looked forward down the path. From there, a beautiful forest-like city could be seen, a city that looked as if it had blended in with nature itself. It was almost like what one would expect from a post apocalyptic scenario, except that all of the buildings were still in perfect condition. 
"Unbelievable... is that a city?" Jacob rhetorically asked, his mouth starting to form a grin. "This world just keeps getting better and better, I've never seen a city that big before!"
"It's not supposed to be here..." Pteromon muttered. "I was in this spot yesterday with my friends, this was all just a clearing before. Oh Yggdrasil, how long was I a statue for?" Pteromon was clearly confused, and also looking a bit worried. "Well, why don't we go check the city out? City's have restaurants, you know... those are buildings that provide food."
Pteromon's stomach growled, and drool started to fall from his yellow beak. He placed his wing-arms on his belly. "Well... alright, I trust ya, Jacob. I'm starving..."
So with that, the two of them made their way to the entry point of the city. What would they see? Who would they meet?
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Post by Hotaru Inoue on Feb 13, 2024 2:49:09 GMT
 Of all the cities they'd visited, Hotaru probably liked Rosewood the best. Terminus was a bit too crowded and kind of shady, and Whitewater was far too tropical for her liking. But Rosewood had that home-y vibe to it. Maybe it was that natural aesthetic, or the fact that the Digimon here tended to be younger and smaller than other places. Turns out not having giant cyborgs and dinosaurs roaming the streets as often could make a gal feel safe. Overall, it made for a comforting, relaxing spot to hang out in. She took in a breath of fresh air, then bit down on the watermelon slice in her hands.
Sitting on a bench besides Hotaru was a young lass with long, reddish brown hair tied into neat pigtails. Her large brown eyes glimmered in excitement as she ferociously tore into some watermelon of her own, swaying from side-to-side. Apparently, she spent the entire allowance Hotaru gave her on them from some shady vendor in a dark corner somewhere, seemingly disappearing after Matsuri had looked away. Hotaru had so many questions, but Matsuri had no answers. Regardless, the fruit tasted good, and it wasn't like they could find any in this time of year in the other world.
"Hotaru, check this out!" Matsuri's voice was muffled by the fact her cheeks were packed full of fruit. She lifted her head straight up into the air, then slapped her cheeks together, bursting out one after another! Four watermelon seeds flew straight up into the air, falling back down and landing right onto Matsuri's forehead, all neatly stacked on top of each other. "Pretty cool, right?"
Hotaru was left flabbergasted, both by the impressive display, and the fact that Matsuri had clearly worked hard in mastering a skill that was so useless. "Um... I guess?"
Matsuri had changed quite a bit ever since last Christmas. Her chronic bathing and housing circumstances that Matsuri had been lacking since they had first met had been alleviated... the only downside was that the bath and house in question were Hotaru's. And whether it was the fact that the little girl-turned-Agumon had become just a little less eccentric, or it was just due to sheer exposure, Hotaru had gotten used to Matsuri's presence to a degree. For as much as Matsuri annoyed Hotaru, they had become... friends.
That very thought alone caused a bit of bile to build up Hotaru's throat. She looked around for something, anything to distract her, and her eyes gazed upon a human-Digimon pair. The human looked bright-eyed and grinning, looking all around him and kinda giving off tourist-vibes. Probably a newbie, then! She looked around, only to realize there weren't any other humans nearby.
Hotaru debated whether she wanted to help this duo out or not, ultimately deciding that... it was probably too much of a hassle. A newbie to the Digital World would probably wanna ask a boatload of questions, and that seemed like it would get annoying. She eyed Matsuri, who also happened to notice the pair. The two exchanged a nod of understanding, and Hotaru began to turn away and roll out of here, while Matsuri...
Matsuri ran over to the pair, proudly standing in front of them, her blue, oversized jacket billowing behind her. Her arms were crossed like she was some kind of bigshot, her voice loud and proud.
"Welcome, brave travelers! You've come a long way on your journey for you two to have come this far!" Present:
- Hotaru Inoue
- Matsuri Usatora
(Holosuit)
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Post by Jacob Faulkner & Pteromon on Feb 18, 2024 3:41:15 GMT
Jacob couldn't believe his eyes. He was in a city unlike any he had ever seen before, not even in movies or TV. It was a city that seemed to co-exist perfectly with nature, and there were fantastical creatures everywhere. They ranged from dragons to birds to insects, and even some wacky things like plants or machines. And not only that, he actually saw some humans walking around as well. It gave him a bit of solace to know that he wasn't the only human on this planet like he thought he was.
"What the heck are all these things?" Pteromon asked. He looked even more in awe of the place than Jacob did. "These structures all over the place. They're not trees, they're not caves... did they just appear here?"
"That's not how cities work," Jacob replied. "These are buildings, and they were likely built over a pretty long period of time. Although they don't look anything like this where I come from."
"And what do these 'buildings' do?"
"Well, say that it's raining; you can run inside one of these buildings to stay dry and warm. Most buildings get used as homes, but some are used for everyone to use, like a store or a restaurant."
"What's a store?"
"Am I going to have to explain everything to you?"
"Probably, since all this stuff just appeared here by magic from my perspective! I don't know what any of this is, or why it's not just a clearing anymore."
"I think you also may be a bit cranky because you're hungry. There has to be a restaurant or a food cart somewhere here..." Jacob observed his general area, looking around for something that would signify a place to get food. Whatever text was there, Jacob was unable to read at the moment. It looked more like weird hieroglyphics than any language he was familiar with. And when he faced forward again, a young red-headed girl with pig tails was suddenly right in front of him, screaming loudly.
"WHUH-!" Jacob yelped, the girl's sudden appearance throwing him off guard and causing him to fall backwards onto the ground.
"Another one of you hoomon things," Pteromon stated, going up to the girl and poking her leg. "Where did you all come from? Yesterday I've never even heard of y'all and now you're all multiplying like Lopmons!"
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Post by Hotaru Inoue on Feb 18, 2024 6:43:58 GMT
Hotaru watched the young man take a tumble in surprise, and facepalmed as she watched Matsuri nod in approval.
"It's understandable that you'd fall for me the moment you first saw me," She gently assured Jacob, her face completely serious, brimming with unearned confidence. "But I'm not looking to be anything more than friends right now!"
"Matsuri, if you're joking, you should stop," Hotaru warned the little girl as she rolled on in. "And if you're completely serious, you should stop." Hotaru's partner playfully stuck her tongue out and made a "teehee~!" noise. Hotaru sighed and rolled next to Jacob, holding out her hand to help him up, for however little height she could offer him. "Sorry about my partner. I'd put a leash on her but she'd just end up dragging me away."
Meanwhile, Matsuri got distracted by the bird dragon poking her leg. "That tickles!" She giggled, involuntarily pulling away. She took note of Pteromon's question as she thought about it for a second. "Well, I came here because a mad scientist implanted my memories in an egg. But the original me came from mama because papa loved mama so much they got in bed together and started-"
"How about we explain that another day," Hotaru cut off her partner. She knew that Matsuri was a little bit older and she looked, but listening to Matsuri give her rendition of the birds and the bees too unsettling. "Or maybe never. Never works, too. I vote for never! Also, definitely not what the..." She held up her Xros Loader, taking the time to scan the green-feathered Digimon. "...the Pteromon was asking."
"Oh!" Matsuri placed her closed fist in her palm, an imaginary lightbulb appearing over her head. "We came from over there!" She pointed to a bench in a shade just a little ways away. "We had gotten a bunch of watermelons and were eating them when we noticed you guys! Hotaru wanted to help you because she's like, the nicest person ever!"
"...Sure," Hotaru answered, feeling rather guilty about wanting to initially ignore the duo. But since they were here... "I'm Hotaru, and this is my... Digimon-ish partner, Matsuri. It's complicated." She waved her hand to dismiss her last words and followed up to look over at Jacob, "I'm taking this is your first time in Rosewood? You were looking a little too starry-eyed to be a regular." Present:
Hotaru Inoue
Matsuri
(Holosuit)
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Post by Jacob Faulkner & Pteromon on Feb 19, 2024 2:03:41 GMT
"...what?"
Jacob just sat there, staring at this girl as his brain tried to process what she just said. She had to at least by five years younger than him, and why would she think he was at all interested after she startled him like that? Thankfully, the other girl she was with rolled up and apologized on her behalf, even offering a hand to help him up.
"Yeah, I can see how that wouldn't work out," Jacob said, accepting the girl's hand and getting himself back to his feet.
Meanwhile, when asked where she came from, the excitable girl gave some wacky story about how some mad scientist had put false memories in some kind of egg. Pteromon nodded with a confident smirk on his face, looking as if he had conquered the secret of humans here and now. Jacob, however, was left dumbfounded by this crazy story. The girl then went on to explain how humans were actually created, and it was thanks to the more level-headed girl's intervention that Jacob didn't have to do it himself.
"As if today couldn't get any weirder," Jacob muttered. And quite frankly, the rambunctious girl's next answer didn't quite answer Pteromon's earlier question, either.
Pteromon, meanwhile, was fascinated by the device that the girl on the chair with wheels was using. "What the heck is that thing that tells you what my name is?" Pteromon asked, jumping up onto the top rail of the wheel chair to get a better look at it, regarding very little for personal space. "Jacobmon here has a metal thingy too, but it looked kinda different."
"Jacobmon? No, it's Jacob," Jacob said. He pulled out his new smartphone-turned-whatever-the-heck-it-is-now. "And I don't know what this is, aside from the fact that my phone turned into this thing right before you were de-petrified." He turned his attention back to Hotaru. "So that's what this city is called? Rosewood? All I know about where I am is that this world is called... crap, what did that one purple bird call it? The Digital World? And that it's filled with creatures who can kick some serious ass. And also that I'm more than likely dreaming."
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Post by Hotaru Inoue on Feb 19, 2024 16:10:00 GMT
It was a little irritating to have the random bird get all up close like that, but considering Hotaru's crowd, half of which being excitable children, she felt that she wasn't as annoyed as she thought she'd be. Instead she just let the Pteromon gawk at the black and silver Xros Loader in her hand. Pteromon and Jacob mentioned the recent smartphone re-design, and Hotaru nodded. "They're different models, but these are all called Digivices," She explained, pointing towards the phone in Jacob's hand. "They're meant to help your Digimon become stronger, but they can do a lot more than that, like scan other Digimon, and keep yourself safe from the crazier environments out there," For emphasis, she pressed a button on her device that created a small barrier of light to gently push Pteromon away. Then Jacob began trying to fill in the blanks, to which Hotaru managed to keep herself from groaning or sighing. This was the reason she wanted to avoid this in the first place. Stupid friendly Matsuri, misinterpreting her intentions. "Rosewood's one of the safer cities in the Digital World, and there's a few more towns and cities out there. The Digimon who live there tend to be calm and friendly enough, though some can be pretty xenophobic when humans are involved. It's the spaces between the towns and cities that you need to be careful of, though. The Digimon there can territorial to outright feral, and most aren't as soft and cuddly as Pteromon or Matsuri here."Jacob mentioned that this was likely all a dream, and Hotaru supposed she could just roll over his foot or something. That'd basically be like pinching his cheek or something, right? But Matsuri had another idea, as she ran up to Hotaru and whispered in her ear. Hotaru shrugged and went along, seeing as she could explain things a little bit easier if she did so. "Alright! Pay real close attention!" Matsuri declared, grabbing her jacket and stylishly removing it from herself in one smooth, most-definitely-practiced motion. At the same time she focused on deactivating the holosuit, revealing her blue, lizardy form. "This is what I look like when I'm a Digimon!" Hotaru held up her Digivice, its screen shining a bright light that enveloped her transformed partner. Her form expanded in size, and she transformed into a much more darker, imposing dinosaur body. "And this what I look like when I enter my tigersaurus rex form!" Despite her larger size, her voice remained unchanged, save for a slight gruffness to it that was probably just Matsuri trying to sound tougher. "You've seen those shows where some random high school dork gets transported to a fantasy world, gets super overpowered, and all the girls fall in love with him for no reason, right? This is basically that, except all the cool powers go to your monster friend, and also your monster friend is more likely to find romance than you. The only perks we get is access to the tools and toys of this world. Oh, and a new roommate that you might need to hide from your friends and family. That can also turn in to a scary dinosaur." And to show how scarier she was, Matsuri went "Rawr! I'm scary!" Present:
Hotaru Inoue
Matsuri
(Digivolves to Greymon)
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Post by Jacob Faulkner & Pteromon on Feb 20, 2024 5:08:47 GMT
"Digivices, huh?" Jacob unlocked the screen on his "digivice" and started looking around. There were the same apps that were previously on his phone, but now he had some new ones like the Scanner. And not only that, this new phone was very responsive, almost like magic. It made his old iPhone seem like it was running through molasses. Jacob only looked up from his digivice when he heard Pteromon make an "oof" sound after Hotaru did something with her Digivice.
"Magic box machines..." Pteromon muttered.
Hotaru explained more about how Rosewood was one of the safer cities, with many cities and towns plotted around the Digital World... although some were very xenophobic towards humans. Jacob was disappointed to hear that, but he should've figured that hate and racism would find its way into every world sooner or later. Hotaru also explained that the wilds of the Digital World were dangerous, filled with wild Digimon that were either territorial or downright feral.
"Tell me about it," Jacob said, crossing his arms. "When I got here, one of the first things that happens is that I get mugged by a trio of goblins."
"Goblimon!" Pteromon interrupted. "Real nasty types. They only fight when they're in packs. Catch one all by itself and they become total cowards."
"Yeah, thanks for that, Pteromon. The only reason that I still have my things and my bones aren't all broken is because of Pteromon here. Whatever... magic gave me this Digivice, it also reversed whatever had turned him into stone." This next part, he'd whisper so that only Hotaru could hear -- he didn't trust Matsuri. "And I'm getting a feeling that he's the Digimon equivalent of a caveman. He claims this city was nothing but a clearing yesterday."
Speaking of Matsuri, both Jacob and Pteromon got a real shock when she revealed that not only was she a blue Agumon in disguise, but also that she could evolve into a giant dinosaur at will. Jacob backed up, a terrified look on his face, while Pteromon was starry-eyed at seeing a Digimon Digivolve with his very own eyes.
"Wait a minute, so if Digimon have ways of looking human then oh my god, how many people have I met that were monsters in disguise how does our own government not know about this yet and why haven't we been invaded by monsters Godzilla style what is reality anymore?"
"Whooooooa! You Digivolved! You really Digivolved! I always wanted to Digivolve! I always told my friends Loogamon and Pulsemon that I would be the first one of us to Digivolve... I just never really figured out how to do that, though."
"This is all too much... I gotta sit down, man."
Hotaru mentioned that this whole situation was comparable to those "going to another world" anime, except here it was the monster companion that got the overpowered abilities, and the humans were stuck only using the tools and toys of this world. And it also included a roommate that he would need to hide from his friends and family.
"Pteromon, going back to Shibuya with me? I don't think that's a very good idea, Hotaru. Even if I could get him to look human like Matsuri here, he doesn't even seem like he gets this world at all. Bringing him back to Earth at this point would be... well, a very crappy idea, to put it lightly. And I still don't understand a lot of what's going on."
"Jacob, you said there would be food here," Pteromon complained, holding onto his stomach with both his arms.
Jacob sighed. He looked back to Hotaru and Matsuri. "Any good food recommendations in this city?"
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Post by Hotaru Inoue on Feb 23, 2024 4:33:12 GMT
Hotaru listened intently as Matsuri, who had basically just Digivolved to flex, reverted back to her preferred human form. She nodded along to Pteromon's comment referring to her brief evolution.
"All it takes is guts!" She told the Pteromon as if she were some kind of expert. "You just gotta imagine getting stronger, and then trust Hotaru! She's pretty grumpy most of the time but she can do anything when she's in a good mood!"
"If that were true, then I'd never be grumpy," Hotaru interrupted her partner's praise by reaching up and roughly rubbing the top of the girl's head. Matsuri should know better than to give Hotaru compliments in front of other people. Talk about awkward.
Hotaru took the time to process everything that Jacob and Pteromon had talked about. The Goblimon fiasco was certainly something, and Pteromon being released from stone was a certainly a new one. If Jacob's Digivice un-petrified the bird dragon, then it was pretty much a done deal that the two were partners, though that much seemed pretty obvious from the beginning. Matsuri wanted to speak up about not being included in the conversation but Hotaru just put her hand in the girl's face and pushed her away. Matsuri was good people underneath... everything she said and did, but she was a bit much for strangers.
She didn't really know what to say about Jacob's existential crisis, though. "Well, I imagine the government probably knows about them, but there are a lot of people out there that try to keep Digimon a secret, mainly so 40 million more people in the metropolitan area aren't freaking out just like you. I try and stay out of that kind of business, though. Well, it's an understandable reaction, though..." She would reach across in order to give Jacob an assuring pat, if allowed.
And as far as Pteromon in the Big City went, Hotaru shrugged. "Either he's a stranger in another realm, or he's a stranger in another time," She noted. "Either way, your partner's fate is probably gonna fall on your hands. But it's a decision you two should be making when you're better informed."
Then came the most important matter of all! Hotaru pulled out a small cube that opened up and expanded. Inside, there were several small-ish watermelons. "We've got a spare melon if you need something to snack on," Hotaru gestured towards the fruit. "Matsuri can cut it open if you don't have a way to do it cleanly. But as far as food recommendations, I suppose we could find a pizza place or something, unless you just wanna look around and find a place you might like."
It was at this point Matsuri tugged on Jacob's shirt, her trembling voice softly whispering "Whatever you do, don't let Hotaru order pizza for you," There was a distant look in her eyes, as if she was revisiting a recent trauma. Present:
Hotaru Inoue
Matsuri
(Holosuit)
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Post by Jacob Faulkner & Pteromon on Feb 25, 2024 5:42:15 GMT
As Matsuri reverted back to her "human" form, she told Pteromon that all it took to evolve like she did was guts, imagining yourself getting stronger, and trusting Hotaru. "Hm, well, I do have guts of my own, and I imagine myself getting stronger every day. But I dunno about that last one. Hotaru seems pretty untrustworthy to me."
"You can't just say that about people to their faces," Jacob said to Pteromon, quietly adding that last part so that hopefully no one else heard it. He didn't quite feel comfortable around either of the two girls. Hotaru had a resting bitch face that seemed to match her personality, and Matsuri seemed pretty airheadish and very likely to do something really, really stupid. For now, Jacob was keeping his distance.
Meanwhile, Jacob was still having an internal crisis about learning that there were Digimon who disguised themselves as humans and lived among them. Hotaru suggested that the government probably does know about them, and that a lot of people try to keep Digimon a secret to keep forty million people from reacting the same way Jacob was. While Jacob would step away to avoid letting Hotaru touch him, what she said did make some sense.
"Yeah, it'd probably be a big damn mess if we all learned about it at the same time, but I'd still like to have known sooner that there were aliens living among us." Actually, now that he thought about it, he'd be a lot more freaked out if he learned about Digimon sooner thanks to his uneasiness with the supernatural.
Pteromon... either a stranger in another realm, or a stranger in another time. Would Pteromon's fate really be in Jacob's hands? Jacob just met the little guy, he wasn't sure if he was ready for that kind of responsibility. "Look... Hotaru, was it? I'm just a college student, and one who hates the idea of fate to begin with. I don't even know if I want to be a part of this crazy world yet."
And then came the topic of food. Hotaru pulled out a small cube that had opened up and expanded like some kind of Box of Holding, which amazed both Jacob and Pteromon. Inside the cube were some small-ish watermelons, which Hotaru offered Matsuri's help in cutting them... right before Pteromon took one out, tossed it into the air, and used his wind powers to surround the watermelon. Once the wind dissipated, the watermelon's skin had been completely shredded off, leaving a pink fruit ball to fall right onto Pteromon's arm-wing.
"Wow..." Jacob muttered.
"I know, I know, I'm amazing," Pteromon said before taking a bite of the watermelon. His face lit up afterwards, signalling that he did indeed find it delicious. As for other food options, Hotaru mentioned finding a pizza place around here, or looking around for other options.
"This place has pizza?" Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What is a pizza?" Pteromon also asked, taking another bite of his watermelon.
Then Matsuri seemed to warn Jacob about not letting Hotaru order the pizza herself. The look in her face seemed to suggest a big traumatic moment that came from the last time that happened, and Jacob was afraid to ask. "So, uh... what else does Rosewood have then? You guys explored the city before we came, right?"
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Post by Hotaru Inoue on Mar 8, 2024 8:33:07 GMT
Matsuri gave Pteromon a look as if he had just stated that the sky was purple instead of blue, and that adorable girls whose favorite color is blue is a big dumb idiot. "No way! Hotaru's the best! I get to live at her place instead of being homeless and eat all the food I want! And she even gives me her allowance sometimes! And she always listens to me and everyone else and our problems and helps us even though she looks really grumpy all the time! I guess she forces me to take a bath every day, but other than that she's-"
Matsuri was cut off as her general reached up and put her hand atop Matsuri's head. "That'll do," Hotaru said in a soothing tone.
"But he said that-"
"They've literally known us for like, five whole minutes, if that," Hotaru assured her. "Any opinions we have of one another are probably wrong, so there's no point in getting mad about it. Besides..." She started rubbing the top of her head a little forcefully as she added, "Since you keep going on and on about how I'm always grumpy, it doesn't make me look very good, does it?" Matsuri squirmed in place as Hotaru finished up her playful punishment and turned her attention back towards the others.
She just nodded along with his comment, adding, "Most Digimon in the human world are harmless, though. They'll play by our world's rules. Though there are still the ones that never bothered to learn the rules or just plain want mischief. I imagine a lot of ghost stories have spread because a Digimon was messing around. Though the actually harmful ones tend to get dealt with pretty quickly."
She nodded along with his concerns, too, just shrugging her shoulders. "Fate or no, it's your call to make. But it's not like I'm some great hero, or wicked witch, or anything special. I'm just your normal high school girl that had an above average jump shot... and below average luck crossing the street."
Hotaru took a deep breath before continuing. "But this world made a difference. Here, there's no one to tell me what I can and can't do. And I can live my life without anyone else deciding things for me."
"Plus she has an super-adorable, dinosaur best friend!" Matsuri interjected, standing proudly besides her partner with her arms crossed.
Hotaru remained silent for a moment, a faint smile upon her lips as she put her hand back onto Matsuri's head. "And all of that is well worth the cost of having her as a best friend."
"That's so mean!" Matsuri pouted, nonetheless her face had a goofy grin.
Then came Pteromon's watermelon-skinning performance, one which both Hotaru and Matsuri unironically gave polite applause.
But when pizza was involved... Hotaru leaned in closer to Pteromon to properly explain, her tone perfectly calm, yet dead serious. "Pizza is a celestial circle of culinary delight, the ultimate form of self-expression," She began. "First you begin with the crust, its foundation. It can be thin or crispy, or soft and pillowy, stuffed with cheese or dusted with herbs and spices. Then you have the sauce, providing the baseline flavor. Whether it's spicy, sweet, tangy, savory, there's all kinds of potential. Then there's the cheese, binding the symphony of flavors all together. And finally... the toppings. There are more potential toppings than there are stars in the sky, all culminating into a canvas of infinite possibilities!"
Hotaru was so in-depth with her explanation that she didn't even hear Jacob's next question. Thankfully, Matsuri knew to step away from Hotaru lest she be sucked into this infinite pizza void. She perked up when Jacob asked what else there was in Rosewood, and proceeded to shockingly enough, be helpful in her response, potentially giving Jacob some interesting prospects.
Unfortunately, this is one of those moments where the character's knowledge of the setting surpasses the author's, as the character's writer knows very little of Rosewood's specifics, so feel free to have Jacob hear something that catches his interest.
Present:
Hotaru Inoue
Matsuri Usatora
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Post by Jacob Faulkner & Pteromon on Mar 11, 2024 2:40:06 GMT
"Actually, I thought she said some pretty nice things about ya," Pteromon said to Hotaru after she stopped Matsuri's rambling. "Which kinda confuses me a bit more. Usually if something looks bad, it is bad, or worse. Take Goblimons, for example. They look ugly, rude, and mean, and they're some of the worst Digimon I've ever encountered. A group of 'em even tried to shake this hoomon down!"
"I try not to judge based off of appearance," Jacob said, crossing his arms. "Even though it's super hard not to do that right now." Every single thing about Digimon was slightly freaking Jacob out right now. He couldn't tell if any of these monsters were going to just suddenly jump at him or not.
Hotaru explained to Jacob that most Digimon in the human world tended to play by human world rules and not go all Godzilla in the middle of the city, and those that try get dealt with before anything happens. "I guess that explains why us normal people never heard about it until now," Jacob said. "The Digital World... I'm guessing that means this entire world is like virtual reality. It's just so weird... it looks so much like Earth."
Jacob wasn't on board with being forced into this... Chosen role. He didn't understand it, and the more he heard about it, the further from the life he wanted it sounded. But then Hotaru mentioned how here, in the Digital World, she could live her life without anyone deciding things for her. No one to forcefully guide her down any one path, and all it costed her was having a best friend who was a monster. Hearing that struck a chord with Jacob. He looked down at his new phone turned Digivice and smiled.
"You know... that's exactly what I want, too. To chart my own destiny. I'm done letting someone tell me how to live my life."
Pteromon then asked what a pizza was. What he got was Hotaru explaining to him, in great detail, exactly what a pizza was. Jacob joined Matsuri in backing away while Pteromon looked more and more concerned. This pizza thing should sound amazing to him, but the way Hotaru was sounding so scary about it made him want to run away and want to never hear the word "pizza" again!
Pteromon would just stand there for a moment after Hotaru finished explaining. His stomach growled in response, the watermelon ball not being enough to sate his appetite. "Does it at least taste good?"
Meanwhile, Matsuri would tell Jacob about the different aspects of Rosewood. Most of what she said had sounded like standard stuff for a city to have, with some things that would fit more with a city from a different world. Apparently there was a school not too far away for young Digimon to learn things like fighting or history. Unfortunately, the author knows just as much about the setting as the other author, so this made things awkward.
"Hotaru must love pizza, hm?" Jacob asked Matsuri with a smirk. "My older sister Jenny would explain things in depth like that as well, and it always went over mine and my little sister Janice's heads."
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Post by Hotaru Inoue on Mar 17, 2024 3:27:04 GMT
"You shouldn't say things like that!" Matsuri protested in response to Pteromon's anti-Goblimon statement. "Though it's true that I've never met a Goblimon that didn't need a butt-kicking..." Matsuri let out a gasp as she turned back towards her partner and ran towards her. "Hotaru! I think I might be a racist now!"
"Is that right?" Hotaru responded with casual disinterest, as if this were an everyday occurrence.
"What should I do? I don't wanna be on the wrong side of history!" Matsuri gripped Hotaru's arm in desperation, and Hotaru looked back over.
"I'm sure you'll be fine. Though I'd like it if you backed away. I don't wanna be cancelled on the tamernet by associating with you."
Matsuri slumped to her knees in defeat, staring up at the sky with glazed eyes as she muttered...
"Bigotry laid bare
I guess I'll start a podcast
And command the air...waves"
"You almost had it," Hotaru said in comfort to the girl and her failed haiku, then immediately went dismissive of her as she looked to Jacob and Pteromon. "Don't mind her and her weirdness. She'll recover in little bit."
Hotaru nodded along to Jacob, grunting before stating, "Umm... 'virtual reality' is probably a bad choice of words. It's more like an alien planet or something. But it and anyone here is just as real and alive as anyone from our world. Just... weirder."
And for whatever reason, Jacob and Hotaru managed to vibe just a bit on the whole "deciding destiny" thing. "All I can really say is this world is pretty convenient. Time passes differently between worlds, so you can spend a month here and only be gone a few days at most back in our world. It's awesome when you need some extra time to study, or need to catch up on some sleep, and the towns and cities are safe enough for it. I mean, there's still the occasional life-threatening experience, but this world has a way of, well... bringing out the best part of yourself, I guess. Corny, I know..." Hotaru gave a weirdly bashful look as she glanced over towards Matsuri and let out a sigh of relief as she was still in her dazed state.
And of course, how could she not follow up on discussing pizza? "You can make pizza taste like whatever you want, so it's as delicious as your imagination allows. Though, I recommend just picking things at random and discovering what kind of combination of flavors you get. An adventurous spirit is what's necessary to truly enjoy pizza."
And Matsuri managed to snap out of... whatever it was she went through just in time to overhear Hotaru talking about pizza again, and turned to Jacob for escape. "She... she really does... but... uh... w-what kind of stuff do you like as much as Hotaru likes pizza? For me, I like being the leader of Hotaru's army! Oh, I'm really a co-leader, but I'm so much better than some dumb, pink, scaredy-dragon that thinks she's cool just because she knows a bit of kung-fu! So if you ever meet someone like that, she'll start criticizing everything you a whole bunch and nag at you! And sneak-attacks don't work, so the only thing you can do is call her dumb and run away!"
Matsuri stared up at Jacob with a resolute gaze, as if her rant was supposed to make perfect sense to him, and despite her unsolicited tangent she awaited to know what kind of stuff he liked.
Present:
Hotaru Inoue
Matsuri (HS)
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Post by Jacob Faulkner & Pteromon on Mar 21, 2024 3:54:18 GMT
Pteromon shrugged at Matsuri's statement and Hotaru's reaction to Matsuri's freak out. "That's just how Goblimons are. They're all bullies and they're all crude. I don't know what a Tamernet is or how you get 'cancelled' on it, but I doubt it's that big of a deal." As Pteromon said this, Jacob couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the green bird. It was as if he didn't know how wrong that statement sounded.
Oh, so the Digital World wasn't like virtual reality, it was more of a full on alien planet that's similar to Earth in some ways, but very weird in others. "I noticed the weirdness part. These two Digimon showed up and tried to free Pteromon themselves, and one of them turned themselves into a floating pillow."
"Wait, they tried to free me?" Pteromon asked, his eyes lighting up. "What kind of Digimon were they?!"
"Two bird Digimon. One had black and red feathers with a purple vest thing, and the other was entirely pink. The pink one was the one that turned into a pillow, by the way."
"Oh..." Pteromon said. His tail drooped down, his arm-wings fell to his sides. "I was hoping that they were my friends, but I've never met any Digimon that looked like that before. I guess it was nice that they wanted to save me, though."
What Hotaru said next surprised Jacob. Time moved faster in the Digital World, so doing stuff here would give you more time than back at home Jacob smiled at this, as he was clearly intrigued. "Wow, then I guess I can just do my homework and college projects here then if I need to. You're right, Hotaru, this world is pretty convenient."
Man, this whole Chosen thing is sounding better by the minute... although the Digimon are still kinda freaky.
This "pizza" dish was sounding pretty dang good to Pteromon, especially when Hotaru mentioned how it was completely customizable and suggested experimenting with it. The green bird ran right back to Jacob, looking excited. "Jacob! Hotaru just told me you can put whatever you want on this pizza thing! What do you like on yours?"
"Oh, that's easy; pepperoni and mushrooms. Can't beat the classics."
"What's a pepperoni? And what kind of mushrooms?"
"I can explain later. For now, just trust me when I say it tastes good."
"I want a pizza! Let's go get one!"
Yeah, Jacob did not understand a word of Matsuri's rant. Something about her being the co-leader of an army and being better than some dumb pink dragon, and something about sneak attacks. Jacob just smiled and nodded. "Riiiight... well, as for things I like? I like a lot of things, honestly. It's hard for me to name something I don't like. Sports are my main thing, since I was on the basketball team and the baseball team at school for years. I'm gonna be trying out for the college baseball club, assuming they're okay with foreigners like me."
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Post by Hotaru Inoue on May 16, 2024 18:53:11 GMT
Hotaru nodded along and pretended to fully understand the concept of spellcasting birbs and pillowfication magic, and Pteromon's unusual situation. That all sounded really rough, but them's the breaks, and all. Hotaru wondered if there was a gift card in the Digital World for "Sorry you got displaced in time via petrification, but cheer up, buddy! You don't gotta do laundry by hand anymore!"
But, Hotaru just kinda shrugged that one off. She was sure the only way Pteromon's problems could be resolved was by just... going out and doing stuff. Focusing on the present and the future, though he'd likely need a certain someone to play ball for that to happen, but it looked like that certain someone was getting more and more intrigued.
"Well, it's all a lot to take in, but it's okay to just dip your toes in for a while, see how you like this world. It can get pretty crazy at times, but most Digimon are pretty decent folk if you can get used to their... eccentricities," She gave Matsuri a cursory glance, who retorted by giving Hotaru a thumbs-up back. Hotaru didn't want to try and think about what was going on in her near-empty head.
Matsuri on the other hand, nodded approvingly when Jacob smiled and nodded. Thankfully her warning didn't seem to go on deaf ears, since she was 100% certain that if Jacob or Pteromon ever met Sakura, they'd know to call her a stupid stupidhead. "Oh, basketball! Hotaru likes that one, and I've played before! I bit my tongue trying to dunk, and the rules are hard to remember, but I had fun playing! ...But the rule that says you can't kick other people should definitely be changed, 'cuz that would make things way more fun!" Matsuri leapt into the air and sent out a flying kick in the air in front of Jacob and Pteromon, landing neatly back on two feet with her arms crossed in a proud stance. She looked at the two of them expectantly. Maybe she wanted them to praise her, or something?
Regardless, Hotaru rolled forward, shrugging her shoulders. "Unless you're planning to rep Japan in the Olympics, it shouldn't be a problem if you're good enough," she assured Jacob. "Every team wants strong players, so if anyone has a problem with you, just shut 'em all up by being better than them." Hotaru gave Jacob a mischievous smirk. "If you take a xenophobic player's spot on the starting lineup, then you're technically making a more welcoming team, right? Sports are great because you can force people to respect you, no matter where you come from or who you are as a person."
"You should listen to Coach Hotaru!" Matsuri added. "With her help, she can take you as far as Koshien!"
"That's a high school thing. And I don't know a thing about baseball. And also don't call me 'Coach'."
Now... there seemed to be one growing plot point that needed to be addressed... pizza! Pointing deeper into the city, Hotaru would guide the group. "Well, we should get a move on. I know a pretty good pizza place nearby, my treat, though the owner's a little strange. But that's par for the course here." She led them to a modest-sized, unmarked straw hut sandwiched between two obscure buildings, in a part of town that mainly seemed desolate. A straw hut probably wasn't the safest material for a place that cooks food, but it hasn't seemed like the place had burned down yet.
Standing behind the counter was an Agumon dressed in a feudal Japanese wardrobe, complete with swords at the hip. There was a scar over his perpetually closed left eye, and upon noticing the group approaching and glaring at Hotaru in particular with his one good eye. "I see you've returned... Wicked Maiden without Steps. And you have brought others along as well," He put one clawed hand on the hilt of his sword. "For what purpose have you come here?"
Hotaru didn't say anything in response, rather she just let out an exasperated sigh before turning to Jacob and Pteromon. "Don't worry about anything he says, because it'll probably be something idiotic. Just tell him what you want, how you want it, and he'll make it happen."
Present:
Hotaru
Matsuri (HS)
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Post by Jacob Faulkner & Pteromon on May 17, 2024 4:01:18 GMT
"Yeah, you're right, this is definitely a lot," Jacob admitted to Hotaru, "but thank you for trying to help me otherwise. It's kind of reassuring to know that other humans went through this as well. If time really is different here, then I think I do want to explore this world a bit more. Or at least just this city... I'm not going out into the wilds for a long time."
"You don't gotta worry about wild Digimon while I'm here, Jacobmon," Pteromon said, hopping up and hanging onto Jacob's shoulder. "I won't let some nasty Goblimon extort you like before. I'll pummel 'em all into the ground!"
"Uh... thanks?" Jacob responded. Despite Pteromon's own eccentricities, he did admittedly feel safer with the green raptor bird by his side. He did see Pteromon take down three Goblimon all on his own, after all.
When basketball was mentioned, Matsuri mentioned how she liked that one even if the rules were a bit hard to remember. Jacob was smiling up until Matsuri mentioned how the no kicking people rule should be changed, in which his smile quickly turned into a disappointed frown. She did a flying air kick before landing and standing there in a triumphant pose, as if she were waiting for Jacob and Pteromon to respond. Pteromon clapped repeatedly while Jacob just kind of... stood there. Looking confused. Very confused.
The longer I talk to this girl, the more I feel bad for Hotaru.
Speaking of Hotaru, she gave some good advice to Jacob when it came to trying out for the baseball team: if anyone had a problem with him being a foreigner, just shut them up by proving that he's one of the better players. "I was one of the better players back in high school, so I won't have to worry about that. But I don't want to force people to respect me. Respect should come naturally, and it also shouldn't be demanded. That's how you end up with tyrants and arrogant snobs."
Pizza... pizza... Pteromon's stomach kept growling as the raptor bird kept picturing what that would look or taste like. It got to the point where Jacob was starting to get a little concerned for his new friend. So sure enough, they would follow Hotaru and Matsuri to a place where they knew to get good pizza in Rosewood. And this place just so happened to be a modest straw hut in the middle of the city... where they apparently cooked food...
"Um... considering this is an alien world with upside-down logic, is it stupid to ask how this place hasn't burned down yet?" Jacob asked Hotaru.
The group walked inside to find a yellow dinosaur-like Digimon in samurai attire behind the counter. He addressed Hotaru as the Wicked Maiden without Steps. Before either of them could question it, Hotaru just said to ignore what this Digimon says and tell him what they want.
"Pizza! Pizza pizza pizza pizza!" Pteromon excitedly chanted.
"Can you make a large sized stuffed crust pizza? With pepperonis on the whole thing, and mushrooms on one half of it." Hopefully that was specific enough...
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