Yu-Gi-Oh! Epic Battles #5: Tom (User-Submitted Character) vs. "Bandit" Keith Howard

This was the first Epic Battle to involve a character submitted by another yugiohcardmaker.net user. His character is a kid named Tom who uses a Machine deck. There are multiple versions of this duel, but this is the official version that is canon to the Epic Battles timeline. This is also the first Epic Battle to acknowledge the planned storyline for the series.

This is the last duel to be posted on yugiohcardmaker.net, so unless I decide to post the alternate versions, this is the last Epic Battle for now.

Duel Five

An Unexpected Meeting

Yu-Gi-Oh! Epic Battles #4: Yuma Tsukumo vs. The Other Yugi Part Four (Final)

Yuma continues to throw everything he can at Yugi, but Yugi is Yugi, so I think we all know where this is going...

Duel Four

Yuma vs. Yugi

Yu-Gi-Oh! Epic Battles #4: Yuma Tsukumo vs. The Other Yugi Part Three

Let's be fair to Yuma here: he's been fighting the "combat form" Yugi without going into his combat form, the form achieved through the power of Zexal. But to be fair to Yugi, he has been fighting at a greater than usual disadvantage, since he started out not understanding the nature of Yuma's Number monsters. It is in this chapter that things finally begin to equalize.

Duel Four

Yuma vs. Yugi

Yu-Gi-Oh! Epic Battles #4: Yuma Tsukumo vs. The Other Yugi Part Two

The duel continues, and it soon becomes clear to pretty much everyone except Yuma just how in control Yugi is, even if he is having to learn the rules of Yuma's cards on the fly. Will Yuma even stand a chance once Yugi has had time to fully analyze how they work?

Duel Four

Yuma vs. Yugi

Yu-Gi-Oh! Epic Battles #4: Yuma Tsukumo vs. The Other Yugi Part One

In this four part Epic Battle, the most underrated Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist since Judai, Yuma, gets the chance to test his abilities against, not Yugi Muto, but the other Yugi, the Great Pharaoh Atem. Neither of them knows who the other is, and it is unclear if their meeting ever actually happened, but it is still an interesting duel, and I do plan for Yugi and Yuma to meet again over the course of this series. This gives us a preview of what that might be like.

Keep in mind that neither of them is at the point in their timeline when they are their strongest, so things might go differently if they were to duel again.

Duel Four

Yuma vs Yugi

Yu-Gi-Oh! Epic Battles #3: Judai Yuki vs. Judai Yuki Part Three (Final)

Things heat up even further, and it seems like, just maybe, these two are more equal footing than one might expect.

Duel Three

Judai Yuki (Season One)

vs.

Judai Yuki (Season Four)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Epic Battles #3: Judai Yuki vs. Judai Yuki Part Two

Things finally get going in this chapter. It is all action from here, plus what I think is some pretty good character analysis of Judai from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, who changed probably more than any other Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist over the course of his series.

Also, keep an eye out for an original card in this chapter. I designed and even illustrated it myself, along with a second original Judai card. I'll post them at the end of the chapter.

Duel Three

Judai Yuki (Season One)
vs.
Judai Yuki (Season Four)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Epic Battles #3: Judai Yuki vs. Judai Yuki Part One

Since I was stupid enough to lose my draft for DF7, while I am looking for it, I have decided to copy/paste some more of my Epic Battles from yugiohcardmaker.net. I will also be continuing the series here, up to the point that I had finished plotting it out. I don't know how often that'll be, but whatevs.

There's no action in this one, just set-up, so keep that in mind.

Duel Three

Judai Yuki (Season One)

vs.

Judai Yuki (Season Four)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Twenty

This chapter is a short one, but it didn't need to be anything more. We can see that, for the two detectives, things are changing, but for Reaper himself, things are exactly the same as they've always been. I'll allow anyone who actually reads this to determine for themselves exactly what this means. Regardless, Reaper is over, and I can finally continue with the latest story of the Duel Force. I think I'll need to take a few days, though.

Chapter Twenty

The Beginning

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Nineteen

I don't even want to talk about this one. It hurt me to write. Hopefully it will hurt you to read, because that's the point.

Chapter Nineteen

The Battle

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Eighteen

It's been a while since I've posted here, longer than I intended. I decided to shift a few details of this story around, and it took longer than I expected. Regardless, here is the next chapter of Reaper! It's a big one where a lot of important stuff happens, so I'm just going to get right to it and let you see for yourself.

Chapter Eighteen

The Killer

Digimon ND Special #3: A Threat from Our World - Chapter Four

And everything wraps up nicely, after a battle involving a pretty unique form of Digivolving that resembles Bio-Merge. The role of the Nokitas is revealed, and even Chief Thompson gets in on the action, thanks to some new friends.

The next story is Book Three, in which the Digidestined are forced by a powerful opponent to fight in a video-game-esque series of battles against her minions and her generals. She has changed the very nature of the Digital World to make this possible, and she has even stripped the Digidestined of a lot of their powers. Can they hope to win? Unfortunately it might be a while before you find out, as this story is still very much a work in progress.

Chapter Four

Destiny

Digimon ND Special #3: A Threat from Our World - Chapter Three

The battle resumes, and our heroes actually do okay despite the fact that the enemy human has powers of his own that make things difficult. Does this mean that the fight is over? Ha, yeah right, things are about to get waaay worse.

Chapter Three

The Face-Off

Digimon ND Special #3: A Threat from Our World - Chapter Two

An injured John is saved by a mysterious ally, who also has a Digimon partner. Unlike John, however, this young man doesn't have a hero complex. So what if he is the one destined to defeat the villain threatening the city? This whole Digimon thing has a lot to do with destiny after all, something that John knows better than anybody. Can he convince this young man to help in time?

Chapter Two

The Nokitas

Digimon ND Special #3: A Threat from Our World - Chapter One

The next special has begun, and it is about a threat that has actually originated in our world. It turns out there are others with Digimon, and not all of them are good people. Luckily John and Sarah and Chief Thompson (the alternate to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper character Detective Thompson) are around to deal with it. The threat that Jen faced was big, but this enemy is even more dangerous.

This special, like Special #1, uses characters created for me by some of my old readers on yugiohcardmaker.net, so shout out to them if they ever stop by here.

Chapter One

An Unseen Menace

Digimon ND Special #2: Myotismon's Revenge - Chapter Four

And Special #2 comes to an end. This is all canon, of course, and this appearance of Samuraimon marks his last, at least as far as I have plotted the story going forward. There will be one more appearance of each Vipramon and Druidmon as well, and then I will likely retire those Digivolutions for good. Considering how strong they must be to do what they did in Book Two, having them is too much of an advantage for our heroes.

Of course Samuraimon's appearance here is, I think, a cool one. He is a warrior who relies on speed and skill as much as Skullsatamon does, making him a good foil for the Evil Digimon. I think I did a good job of staging their battle so that it is immediately apparent that they are fighting at a level of skill that we really haven't seen before.

Chapter Four

A Matter of Skill

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Seventeen

This chapter is an important one. It not only brings us right up to the doorstep of our big climax, which begins next chapter, but it also re-contextualizes the scene earlier in El's memories, filling in the blanks. It also gives us some character development for James, explaining why he seems so cold when interacting with people in dangerous situations, and setting him on the path toward growing past that habit.

With the posting of this chapter, there are only three more left. That means another two to three weeks of writing Reaper, of writing this story with these characters. I'm going to miss it, but in a way, I'm relieved. This story is heavier than my others, obviously, and, not to sound immodest, the ending of this one comes together really well. I'm really looking forward to sharing it.

Chapter Seventeen

The Search

Digimon ND Special #2: Myotismon's Revenge - Chapter Three

I'm never nice to the Metal Angels, am I? I build them up as something special, with some kind of tech-enhanced angelic power behind their attacks, and then I have the baddies kick their butts consistently. I'll have to give them something important to do in a later story to make up for that, won't I?

Either way, this chapter is clearly just round one. The hero always has to seem like they are losing as the start, or it just isn't any fun.

Also, how cool is CyberGarurumon? Seriously, the dude is a badass!

Chapter Three

War in the Woods

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Sixteen

There isn't much to say about this chapter. Thompson has his confrontation with the Captain (who I actually had to give a last name this time), but otherwise it just sets the stage for what's coming next.

Chapter Sixteen

Return

Digimon ND Special #2: Myotismon's Revenge - Chapter Two

The second chapter is here. The source of the portal is revealed as the same Myotismon that Jen defeated in Book One, in a new and more powerful form. He is out for revenge, and his revenge makes him strong. Now Jen must defeat this enemy for a second time, and she might have to get creative to do it, since she'll have to beat him without any of the other campers getting caught in the crossfire.

Chapter Two

The Growing Digiport

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Fifteen

This chapter is mostly more character stuff, but I also tried to build up the coming confrontation as much as I could. None of the mains really understand the enemy's abilities fully, or understand what exactly he is after, if it will really make him unstoppable. They just know that they can't take the chance. There are emotions involved here, and I focus on those emotions more than the events happening around our characters. I gloss over those events because each and every character involved in this portion of the journey is lost in their own head, looking ahead at what is to come.

Also, this leg of the journey is just kind of boring.

This chapter also gives us the first solo encounter between James and Max, which I've really been waiting to include. James really idolized Max early in the story, but I think it is safe to say that things are different now that he knows Max as a person, and he isn't handling it well.

Chapter Fifteen

Arrangements

Digimon ND Special #2: Myotismon's Revenge - Chapter One

So apparently these are going to go up right away. I'm surprised too, believe me. These two specials are something unique among my stories, as they involve two different groups of my heroes having completely separate adventures at the same time.

The first story focuses on Jen and Kris at summer camp. They are minding their own business when Digimon start appearing from the woods. Jen must take charge and lead her sister and their Digimon to stop these occurrences, especially when she learns that the Digimon that caused all of this did so to get to her.

These specials are written to emulate the style of the Digimon movies/OVA's. The chapters are shorter to quicken the pace, and the action is much more concise than normal. Just FYI. Ya know, so no one complains that I am not writing long enough chapters or something.

Chapter One

Strange Occurrences

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Fourteen

This chapter was harder than I expected to write. It is mainly a character-driven chapter, with a very important interaction between Thompson and Reaper. It is their first one-on-one interaction, and it furthers both of their characters greatly.

The scene between the two of them wasn't difficult. It turned out really well, and came really easily. I loved writing it. The difficult part was going from that scene to the necessary exposition, which finally reveals exactly what the killer is after. The details of his goal aren't as important as the gist of what he wants, so the exposition is short and sweet, but I can't help but feel that I handled it a little clunkily. I may end up going back and editing it later. I dunno. If anyone reads this, let me know if it works.

And yes, this chapter technically ends on a cliffhanger. This is intentional, as I wanted to end the chapter on a wham line. I like those.

Chapter Fourteen

Revelations

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Nineteen

And finally this book, and its characters' long battle with Tyranterramon, resolves. We get to see Protectormon in action, meet him, and learn from him a few things about the history of this world that we didn't before (well, I mean that you didn't before. I knew because I made them up). We learn why Tyranterramon was sealed away rather than killed all those centuries ago, and we learn about the origins of the giant baddie, and why he was the way he was. We also learn a little bit about what is next for the Digital World, and for our heroes. Overall a pretty good climax and resolution if I do say so myself. Repeatedly. To anyone willing to listen.

Next up are two more Specials, set in the real world, after all of this. They probably won't begin right away. I'm not sure when they will, really. At some point there will also be another book or two, provided that I ever finish them. So we'll see.

Chapter Nineteen

The Prophesy Fulfilled

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Thirteen

Finally, finally I've managed to get back to writing. I decided almost immediately to focus entirely on finishing up Reaper. I'll continue DF 7 once Reaper is concluded. That being said, this was not the easiest chapter to start back up with. So many plot elements converge on this chapter, and it had been so long since I'd done any work on it that I'd forgotten a lot of the details. I had to go back and do a lot of reading to make sure everything was fresh again before I could begin.

It took a while.

Either way, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Finally the four mains have converged and they reach something like an understanding. These are four smart, capable people, and the four of them pooling their resources can only serve to help things along. I'm really looking forward to writing more interactions between these people. It was a lot of fun writing them here. As for updates, they will come as I can complete them, though they will probably still average one update a week.

Chapter Thirteen

Aftermath

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Eighteen

Things are coming to a close. InfernoKnightmon is the only heroic Digimon still standing, he seems able to hold his own against Tyranterramon, even if one hit will take him out of the fight, and meanwhile the kids are getting the hang of their new abilities. I tried to make the build to the climax palpable, and I think I pulled it off fairly well. Oh, and TechAngemon and MechAngewomon finally get to do something useful! Hurray!

There is one more chapter after this, consisting of the climax and the resolution. I don't like ending on an odd number like Nineteen, but with merging some chapters together it just ended up that way. Yuck.

Chapter Eighteen

DNA Digivolution Revisited;
InfernoKnightmon’s Power Grows

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Seventeen

 John and Jeremy are both really stubborn guys. When the Bio-Merge Ultimates fail, Jeremy leads an attack against Tyranterramon to give John, Jen and Sarah and their Digimon a chance to escape, and when Jeremy's attack inevitably fails, John stubbornly keeps the fight going. At this rate Tyranterramon is going to start finding the heroes charming. He certainly doesn't see them as a threat anymore, if he ever really did. As stubborn as John is, Tyranterramon is equally arrogant.

Chapter Seventeen

Bio-Merge Defeated

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Sixteen

This chapter is very heavy on exposition, but I think I do a good job balancing it with action and emotional impact. The deaths of the Five Regions' Guardians is brutal, and the heroes feel the impact of these losses as much as they can in the heat of battle. John feels them the most, since it was his advice to Machinedramon which set them on the path that led here.

But there is still hope, and that's really the only thing that keeps the heroes going at this point: the hope that they still feel. The hope that they can still bring Protectormon back and end the threat of Tyranterramon for good. 

Chapter Sixteen

Birth of a New Power

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Fifteen

So yeah, that just happened. Unfortunately. The last line of the chapter isn't the end of it, either. I go into detail regarding how it happened in the next chapter.

Chapter Fifteen

Battle at Digital River;
The Five Regions’ Guardians vs. Tyranterramon

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Fourteen

 Finally the Five Regions' Guardians are reunited. Obviously the kids and their Digimon will have more to do than sit back and watch their allies kill the big bad, so the fight isn't over, but I think it is pretty cool to see these six Digimon in action after hearing about them for so long.

Chapter Fourteen

The Five Regions’ Guardians Reunited

Blog Update

Not that anyone ever comes here (which I'm okay with, I write this stuff first and foremost for me), but in case there is someone who comes here and reads my stuff and, like, never comments, I wanted to say sorry for being so far behind in my Wednesday updates. I've been insanely busy, and where the Sunday updates have been pre-scheduled for weeks, my Wednesday updates are typed up and posted on a week by week basis. I just haven't had the time lately. I will catch them up, though. I'll have the time soon.

Update mode: deactivate.

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Thirteen

This is another chapter that I made from what was once two too-short chapters, which is odd because I actually remember this being one chapter once and then splitting it up. I guess my standards have changed a bit since then. I think it had something to do with, at the time, thinking that number of chapters was more important than telling more cohesive stories. To be fair, when I posted this the first time, I was a lot younger, and somehow even more of an admittedly awesome fool. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. The heroes actually start to make progress in this one.

Chapter Thirteen

The Desert Guardian Reborn

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Twelve

Fun fact: In the original version of this, posted on yugiohcardmaker.net, this was two chapters, both of which didn't even break three pages. So I streamlined them a bit, added some refined and improved details, and combined them together. We learn a lot in these two chapters, including the most likely meaning of the so-called Prophesy of Protectormon, and the fact that the Crests seem to hold secrets that the Digidestined still don't know about.

It is also my birthday today, so, ya know, happy birthday me! 

Chapter Twelve

Birth of the Courageous Soldier

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Eleven

Just like with Manipulamon Reigns, everything in this book culminates at the Machine Citadel, and everything changes once it does. The final battle doesn't happen at the Citadel like in the last book, but the forces who face Tyranterramon in that battle originate here. From here on out the final battle is on. I'm condensing a few of these chapters down, so I don't know for sure how many there will be overall, but it will be something like eight or nine chapters of nothing but the final battle with Tyranterramon as he pushes toward the final Core. It was really ambitious for me at the time to write such a drawn out battle, and this shows a bit, but it holds up okay. I think readers will enjoy it.

Chapter Eleven

The Final Core; Machinedramon’s Underground Complex

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Ten

Once again, the kids and the Digimon fight Tyranterramon, this time with the help of a reborn Five Regions' Guardian, who is not as de-powered as Jiji and Baba. This book is only about half over, so they don't beat him yet. They do gain new allies, though, and this chapter sets up an important detail for the climax of the book: the existence and nature of Legacy Codes, which are fractal codes (like the ones introduced in Digimon Frontier) which contain the lingering powers and memories of a Digimon who is about to reconfigure and wants to preserve something of who they are. When the characters refer to the power to control fire given from Phoenixmon to SkullMeramon, they are discussing the transfer of Phoenixmon's Legacy Code to SkullMeramon.

Chapter Ten

The Legacy of Phoenixmon

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Twenty-One

The Card Professors have two insect users, one who is pushy and direct and confident, and one who is insecure, and relies more on tricks than brute force. The Duel Force has Duelists who use Fire and Ice. I couldn't help but make these two duos tag duel against each other. It also allowed me to connect what would have been two single-chapter duels together into one, and expand that one into two parts. Not to mention that we get to see something of Tucker and Frost's dynamic, and get a look at how well they work together.

Only one of either of these Card Professor characters' original cards were ever released in the actual card game, and that is Mendo Cino's ace monster (which doesn't show up until next chapter). It was heavily watered down from its manga version and ended up just not being a good monster. Needless to say I will be including something closer to the manga version of that monster in this duel.

No card of the day today, as not a whole lot of standout cards have been played so far. Maybe I'll do a double card of the day next time...

Chapter Twenty-One

Tucker and Frost vs. Number Seven and Number Eleven

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Nine

Today the Digidestined learn the story behind Elder Gekomon's statement in the last chapter. All at once we learn that Tyranterramon was able to bypass the protection of the Azulong Crystal, put in place by the Protector himself, and that the Gekomon and Otamamon are refugees now, and not all of them survived. The group has one last hope. Babamon and Jijimon know of a potential ally who might be able to give them an edge against even this form of Tyranterramon, if the stories of his power are true, but it will again necessitate fighting near a Digital Core. I don't know what could possibly go wrong.

Also, hurray for cliffhanger chapter endings! 

Chapter Nine

The Mountain Core

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Twenty

 I love writing for Jenna. She's probably my first truly original character (in that she isn't really based on anyone I know), and she truly has her own style, in and out of game. That's why her deck feels so random: she just kind of threw all of her favorite cards together. And yet it somehow works! Obviously her deck has a few original cards in it, but even without them, for a casual game, this deck isn't actually too bad.

Jenna is also tied to a few of my other characters. She knows most of the Duel Force members pretty well, is John's student, is probably Sarah's best friend at this point, and is just overall the closest thing I have to a second generation Duel Force member. It makes the team feel more like a living, changing thing. We'll get more of this in the next book, and in the upcoming sequel series.

Chapter Twenty

Jenna vs. Number Four

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Eight

Finally we have a longer chapter. This chapter is a turning point for the group. They lose one chance to defeat Tyranterramon, but gain access to a knowledge resource which might help them get ahead of him, in the form of Babamon and Jijimon. They also technically have the power of Bio-Merge, though, as we learn today, that power isn't something to fall back on often.

 It is also a turning point because of the implications of the wham line at the very end of the chapter. It solidifies the truth that the rules have changed as of Tyranterramon's appearance, and the resources that the kids took for granted in Book One aren't going to do them any good anymore.

Chapter Eight

Unity Found, Unity Lost

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Twelve

This chapter is actually one of my shortest this book, but I hope it isn't noticeable. Sooo much happens this chapter. We finally find out why Thompson has checked out of his life, we finally get a confrontation between Max and El, and Thompson and James, and finally, finally, the heroes confront the mysterious killer. A new weakness is exposed in one of our heroes (to be expanded upon next chapter), and another of our heroes confronts the killer directly, and is soundly defeated.

Also notice that, near the end of this chapter, I quote, almost word for word, a passage from Chapter Two explaining the absolute truths regarding Max's powers, the things that he knows with absolute certainty are true. It also reiterates one of Max's key, defining beliefs. This is to remind readers of these things and make sure that the wham line spoken by the killer has the intended impact.

This is the final turning point for this book. Everything from this point forward is a straight shot toward the climax. Having seen magic first hand now, along with some pretty solid evidence that Max isn't the killer that they are after, will James and Thompson join forces with our heroes and help them bring this mystery man down, or will they rededicate themselves to bringing Max in, continuing to act as an obstacle? Find out next time, along with a bunch of other stuff, because next time is going to be a pretty exposition-heavy one. 

Chapter Twelve

Confrontation, Part Three

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Seven

In this chapter the Digidestined keep fighting old people. It's kinda the whole wise old master thing, with the elderly Babamon and Jijimon passing on their knowledge to the young heroes, and it does help, though obviously Tyranterramon doesn't die anytime soon, since the book isn't even half over yet. Still, even though the powers that the heroes obtain here don't win them the day, the lessons that they learn eventually contribute to the climax.

Oh, and fun fact, it is canon that Babamon is the elderly form of Rosemon, as mentioned below, but Oberomon is my own creation. Internets to whoever gets the reference.

Chapter Seven

Trial of the Forest

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Nineteen

 Now we begin a few of the less important duels, in that they don't involve a "main" character (mains being John, Karen, Sarah, and people like that), or an important story revelation or character building event. You could say that these duels are filler, and you'd be kind of right, but I don't think that it hurts to check up on all of the characters from time to time. And besides, Kris is really fun to write for.

Next duel, Jenna vs. Kirk Dixon, will also be only one chapter long, and then we'll get another big one. Before either of those, though, we have a chapter of Reaper where there is finally some action again! Yay!

Chapter Nineteen

Kris vs. Number Twelve

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Six

In this chapter John get's beaten up by an old man. For plot!

Chapter Six

Flee to the Forest

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Eighteen

And here we have the conclusion of Sarah's duel with the defensive Deschutes Lew. Anyone who has read Yu-Gi-Oh! R will recognize Deschutes' signature 'Castle Gate' card here. This card allows the Card Professor to really push Sarah into a corner, as her 'Tornado Wall' is useless against its cannon attack special ability.

But the duel itself isn't the most important aspect of this chapter. What matters is the end, where we get an idea of another aspect of the Mystery Man's plan. He has truly stacked the deck in his favor, and further ensured that John won't have any choice but to face him in whatever type of duel he wants.

Chapter Eighteen

Sarah vs. the Impenetrable Gate

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Five

Now we get some more action. The Digidestined and their allies don't get to the Desert Core fast enough to do anything with it before Tyranterramon shows up, and they have to fight this immense force of nature even though they have no real chance. Then something happens which tips the scales enough that they actually manage to survive and make a retreat. This is a recurring pattern for a while.

Chapter Five

Miracle of the Desert Core; 

Legacy of Pharaohmon

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Eleven

Finally, finally, the two duos meet! Granted, I'm making you wait until the next Reaper update to find out what happens. That isn't the confrontation referred to in the chapter title, however. That confrontation is between James and Thompson, where we see just how far Thompson will go to keep from having to discuss his past, and giving us a pretty good look at his exposed berserk button. We'll hear more about this very soon, I promise. Oh, and there will also be an action scene. We're really overdue for one.

Chapter Eleven

Confrontation, Part Two

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Four

This chapter, contrary to what I've said about this book so far, is light on action, but it does give the reader the opportunity to hear more of the legend which drives this story. An alternate version of the story that Mechmon briefly touched on. After the Digidestined meet up with their old friends, Dokugumon, Birdramon and Tuskmon, Dokugumon is able to recount the legend. She remembers it even though she really doesn't, as if her memories of the legend come from another source. This is a clue to something, but honestly there are, like, no other clues, so I don't expect anyone to get it.

Chapter Four

Reunited with Old Friends

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Seventeen

In Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Deschutes Lew is one of the nicer Card Professors, which is, of course, why I pitted him against Sarah, who is emotional and rude. Okay, so maybe that wasn't too fitting. What was fitting, however, was making this the first duel we see of the Duel Force versus the Card Professors (I'm not counting John v Reiko, since she's kinda defected by this point), since the first Card Professor who Yugi fought was (drum roll, please!) Deschutes Lew!

Yeah, that's really all the reason I have for pairing these two up. As Sarah is a leader now, I could have had her fight Richie, the old leader of the Card Professors, but really Karen just has to fight him, ya know. I could have had her fight Depre, but I really wanted to write John fighting aliens. So Sarah is left with the opening duel of the conflict, with all of the exposition and stuff. Granted she does get some good exposition. Of course, that's mostly just in part two, in two weeks.

Oh, yeah, sorry again for another cliffhanger. Except not. You know the drill.

 

Chapter Seventeen

Sarah vs. Number Thirteen

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Three

I hope that by now anyone reading this can see why I'm okay with the chapters in this story being a little short. For as short as they are, a lot happens. In this chapter, for example, we get the kind of revelation that it took us the entirety of Book One to come to previously. The Digidestined make some huge leaps in logic, but heck, even if the scenario that they come up with here isn't Tyranterramon's endgame, the possibility that it is is incentive for them to keep going and continue the fight. And it really says a lot about how far all of them have come that they are all so willing to go into such extreme danger, even given the possible stakes. Well, except in the case of Kris. She isn't as all there as the others, so the implications of all of this might not have hit her yet.

Also hurray for bullshit technobabble, because I know practically zero real quantum physics. You'll see what I mean. At least it sounds like science. Kind of.

Chapter Three

Tyranterramon’s Plan

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Sixteen

Well, that escalated quickly, didn't it? One second Sarah is making fun of Nate, and everyone is being badass, and the next second the mystery man has them in a vice. On the bright side, we do finally get to see the mystery man again, and even though we don't learn any more about his motivations, we get a bit more about his personality. Like John, he projects an air of being sure of himself, and he clearly prefers a position of control. Unlike John, however, he's obviously selfish, and cares nothing for anyone other than himself. And this villain is a human being, not a demon, or the repressed dark aspects of a person's psyche given form. This reflects the fact that human beings have the capacity for the worst evil.

The confrontation clearly begins here, but the actual duels will begin next week when Sarah battles Deschutes Lew, a Duelist who attacks safely from behind unbreakable walls, bypassing all conventional defenses. Sarah is also skilled with combined defensive and offensive tactics, but is she adaptable enough to defeat a Card Professor? I guess we'll find out!

Chapter Sixteen

The Dark Factory

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Two

I wrote Manipulamon Reins a lot like an adventure story. I wrote this book very much like a Shonen series, with "moar powuh!" moments and overcoming enemies with determination, and learning the new technique, and the long fight that lasts the entire narrative, and all of those familiar tropes. In a Shonen story there is always that moment when a new threat arrives and the heroes hit him/them with the thing that beat the last guy and utterly fail. That's what this chapter is. Maybe it's a spoiler, but in this chapter InfernoKnightmon, the guy who tanked a hit capable of burning through an impenetrable wall, and then killed a living extinction level threat with a single attack, is barely a match for Tyranterramon, who isn't at full strength yet. This is the chapter where the heroes realize that they will have to reach a new level of power to defeat their foe. They just have no idea yet what that is, since their previous "next level" doesn't do the job.

Chapter Two

Tyranterramon vs. InfernoKnightmon

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Art Special Update!

I recently recovered the data off of an old hard drive of mine where I had all of the art and the pages from my short-lived Yu-Gi-Oh! DF comic, as well as the associated character test art (what little there was). I figured that, since the only art that I've posted on this site of the characters comes in the form of the little cover images at the beginning of some of the chapters, I might as well post what I have. I've included one image before the jump just to give a little taste of what's to come, but I promise, there is a lot more inside.

An image of John at about the time of Book 5 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Ten

Finally I actually got one of these up on time again! I'm very proud of myself. This chapter, titled confrontation, features one confrontation that I know I've been looking forward to writing, and I hope you've been looking forward to reading. It was a confrontation that had to happen, as it is very important to the development of Max's character. This chapter also foreshadows a lot of stuff to come next chapter, and in future chapters. Next chapter, also titled Confrontation, is the big one, featuring the confrontations that have more direct impact on the story as a whole, and set in motion the final direction of the story.

Chapter Ten

Confrontation, Part One

Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter One

I'm not going to lie, this book is very straightforward. There is a lot of running, and fighting, and running, and fighting again, but amongst all of that there are bits and pieces of the history of the world I created hidden. Jigsaw pieces that make a big picture which is revealed as the story approaches its climax. It is really just one long fight, but there is more to it than that to be spotted by the careful observer.

Also, what I really enjoyed about this book is that we get to see the Digidestined use every skill that they learned in Book One to fight this new threat. They use their tech, their Digivolution experience, and even use the knowledge of their Crest traits to unlock new powers. More than anything, though, they have to become hardened fighters, and no two characters go about it the same way as the story progresses. I show this through John and Jeremy, so keep an eye on them.

Basically I make this a war story with Digimon in it. And no real opposing army, just the massively powerful Tyranterramon. You could say that I made him to be an analogy for how monstrous war can be, but really I just thought fighting an indestructible skyscraper-tall barbarian would be really cool.

This chapter picks up literally where Book One left off, and has practically zero recap, so if you haven't read Book One, you might find yourself a little lost. Fair warning.

Chapter One

Return to the Digital World

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Fifteen

Yay, buildup. And exposition! Two ingredients which make up the greatest of stories. No, but in all serious, it has been literally years since some of these characters have seen each other for an extended period of time, and even longer since they have come together to fight some group of villains bent on hurting them or worse. This reunion is a big deal. Plus, there are, like, three mysterious badass figure reveals in this chapter, and I personally love that particular cliche, so I had a blast writing it.

Next week, of course, is Reaper. Then we start with the big event: The Duel Force confronting The Card Professors. These duels will take some time, so expect a lot of action chapters to come, followed by a kickass final battle, and a few twists that I hope will be genuinly intriguing. So stay tuned! Or whatever people say when talking about written stuff...

Chapter Fifteen

Coming Together

Digimon ND Special #1: The First Digidestined - Chapter Four

And Special #1 ends. It is about as relevant to the overall plot of its series as the first Yu-Gi-Oh! DF special was, but I had a lot of fun writing it regardless. There really isn't much to say about this chapter. It is the action climax and the resolution. Pretty standard stuff. We do get some cool character stuff for Fredrik and Glary, though, at least, and since I do hope to revisit these characters at some point, any amount of development helps.

Chapter Four

End

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Fourteen

In this chapter, Karen continues to be all BAMF-y as she duels Pegasus with a deck of random cards. Despite the odds, she more than holds her own. It's clear pretty early on that she even has a decent chance of winning. Also, as the duel comes to a close, she comes to a realization about herself, one which will change the course of her life from this point on, and spell trouble for any enemy who dares to challenge her going forward.

Chapter Fourteen

A Draft Deck vs. The Master of Toons?
Karen vs. Maximillion Pegasus Part Two

Digimon ND Special #1: The First Digidestined - Chapter Three

Another really short chapter. Actually this is really only its own chapter because I wanted a cliffhanger. Either way, we get Glary's past from his first-hand perspective, and a little action, and because this is a special I can justify the length, since this is more for fun than anything else. If there are chapters this short in Book Two, I'll have to lengthen them...

As for the chapter, I really only have one thing to say: annnggst!!! 

Chapter Three

Alliance

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Nine

Wow, I simply could not get into the mood to write this chapter. This is where, for the first time, the darker side of the vigilante lifestyle has to be addressed. Max may be of the Batman mindset, that killing criminals should be avoided, and El might only be interested in killing one man, but their lives still come with steeper consequences than most. The end of the chapter is leaning toward hopeful, but the rest of the chapter is anything but, and while I think it came out okay, and is interesting, writing it was a drag. I don't like stripping the happiness from my characters, I really don't.

Chapter Nine

Consequences

Digimon ND Special #1: The First Digidestined - Chapter Two

One of the things that I really enjoyed about writing this special was that, due to the framing device of Mechmon telling the story to his friends, I could rely a lot more on straight up narration to set the stage. It sounds less like a story recalled first hand, and more like a legend or fable, and that's exactly what I was going for.

Chapter Two

Fredrik Caryston

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Thirteen

This chapter is really only dialogue, as Karen goes off on her own, seeking answers from Pegasus. Speaking of Pegasus, he's all somber, serious Pegasus in this chapter, which isn't really any fun to write compared to childish Pegasus, or confident gamer Pegasus (which we see next chapter, hurray for cliffhangers again!). Still, this was an interesting chapter to write, as I really tried to get into Pegasus' head and decide how he would feel about his past actions in hindsight. I think I did okay.

Also, Karen is so BAMF-y in this chapter! I love it! 

Chapter Thirteen

Teacher vs. Student;

Karen vs. Maximillion Pegasus

Digimon Reading Order

Now that there is at least one complete volume of one of my Digimon ND stories on the site I decided that it would be a good idea to post the reading order of said stories as I have with my Yu-Gi-Oh! ones, so that new readers won't have to go by the dates on the posts. Each title is a link to the first chapter of the specified book or story.

Digimon ND Special #1: The First Digidestined - Chapter One

As a bit of an interlude, here we have Digimon ND Special #1. It is only, like, four chapters long, kinda like one of the Digimon special OVA's that were like movie-length episodes. The chapters are kind of short, too. In fact, the chapters of my Digimon stories actually start getting shorter from here on out, at least for a while. They just don't need as many words to say what I need them to say, and have a lot more action pieces than character pieces for a while. In fact developing minor characters and world-building gets more of my attention going forward than developing my main characters does. They are already developed, save for Kris, who really isn't very complicated.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Book two isn't coming for another month. Right now we're focusing on this story, which tells the tale of how the Digimon Sovereigns came up with the idea to use humans to enhance the powers of Digimon. Unlike the rest of my stories, which take place in the "back-up file" Digital World, this one takes place in the original, the same Digital World of the original Digimon Adventure series. 

Chapter One

Glary

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Twelve

And thus Lawrence's storyline concludes. Finally, after so much time humiliating this character, I give him a story where he grows as a character and accomplishes something. I hope I made this duel exciting. I certainly feel like it is. I love how this duel ends. I got to use a few original card ideas I've had for a while, and I got to show off what Lawrence can do when he actually puts his mind to it, and feels that he has a reason to do well. I also set up for a huge transformation to Lawrence's character at this point. He will, from now on, try to distance himself not just from Kaiba, but from Kaiba's attitude and influence. At the end of this chapter he leaves something important to him behind (well, three somethings), and that's permanent. Next time we see Lawrence duel after this, we'll see the affects of that decision.

The next chapter is Karen going to meet up with Pegasus and get clarification regarding some of the shocking things that she recently learned about him and is, peripherally, tied to the main plot. Then, surprisingly, the two of them play a card game where I feature the anime version of a card that I really wish was like the anime version IRL, as well as a slew of new Toon monsters that I made. It's the original master of Toons versus the master of field control! I mean, there is a chapter of Reaper in there again before the duel even starts, but hey, that's just how I troll.

Chapter Twelve

A Clash of Titans

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Twenty-Five

And finally, the first book in the Digimon ND series comes to a close in a chapter with lots and action (and lots of Digivolution padding, just like the show!), This chapter introduces us, briefly, to the next villain of the series. More importantly, though, it reveals the identity of the last Digidestined. Because this is the intro of this character, and technically not the villain, I don't dwell much on him here, and it's hard to get a feel for his personality. Let me put it this way for anyone who is curious about this character: where Manipulamon was smart, subtle and calculating, thinking things through, this guy is the exact opposite. He knows how powerful he is, he makes no secret of his desire to be even more powerful, and he will punch to death anyone who gets in his way. 

This chapter also introduces us to an alternate of another of my Yu-Gi-Oh! characters. Yes, that Chief Thompson is the alternate version of Detective Thompson from Reaper. At some point in Reaper (I can't remember if I've written this part yet or not, so maybe spoilers) we learn that Thompson was offered a transfer to Ohio, but he turned it down. From this story, we learn that if he'd taken it, he'd have been made a Police Chief, the stress of the job would have lessened, and he probably would have hung onto his relationship with his wife and kids. Even this mostly upbeat adventure story can serve to make Reaper even more depressing. Go figure.

We will not be going right into Book Two. First I'll be taking a break from the main story and posting a special story, akin to the specials that I've posted for Yu-Gi-Oh! DF. This special will feature characters created by some of my friends from yugiohcardmaker.net. At the time they went by frohawk and finalflash30. I don't know what they go by now, or even if they are still on the site. This story itself is an interesting one: a legend of the "Lost Digidestined" of my version of the Digital World, told as a campfire story by Mechmon.

Oh and, uh, sorry for the cliffhanger. Except not really. 

Chapter Twenty-Five

Tyranterramon

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Eight

This one was a lot harder to write than I thought. The characters have to run through a lot of emotions in a very short time. I thought that that would make things easier, since they would go from emotion to emotion more quickly, but I could not have been more wrong. Especially the big scene between Max and El near the end was hard to work through. I found my head wanting to switch gears every two seconds, every time I hit a creative snag. I think it turned out okay, especially since I spent a ton of extra time on it, even pushing the next chapter of DF Book 7 back a day to do so. I don't know, though. Read it and let me know. Either way, this one is a milestone for this story in more ways than one, and this chapter and the next one set the rest of the story into motion.

Chapter Eight

Arlen Cord

A Quick Update

I have an awful cold, so unless I catch some kind of second wind later today or something, I will be putting the new chapter of Reaper off until tomorrow, or this weekend at the very latest. Don't worry though, it's still incoming.

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Twenty-Four

This chapter is a little shorter than most, but that's because this is a chapter of transition, from the first storyline to the second, and more so, as this is the last chapter where there will be only five humans on the team. There is no action in this chapter, just character stuff and world-building, so I tried to make it humorous. Before you leave an angry comment that this chapter wasn't funny, note that I said "tried".

Chapter Twenty-Four

A New Enemy is Foreseen

Card of the Day

I have decided, because I'm an insomniac hopped up on Mt. Dew, to go back and add Card of the Day sections to all applicable DF and DF spinoff chapters. That is all. This probably didn't need to be a post...

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Eleven

I think the added seriousness of Lawrence's quest over Monty's is apparent right away at the very start of the chapter. Kaiba is aware that Lawrence is looking for him, and he is as over the top paranoid and theatrical as ever. He even reveals details about Lawrence's past that even Lawrence didn't know. As for the duel, it takes Kaiba back to his roots, so fans of his should have a good time. It's very informative, and exciting!

I know I give Lawrence a lot of crap in my writing. The truth is, he was never really interesting, and I never originally intended him to be. He was a powerful villain. A wall for Jen and Tucker to breach in the first book. He was also there to round out a trio. Monty was clever, Karen was in control, and Lawrence was strong. When I decided to migrate Karen to the main cast, it didn't take long for me to decide to bring Monty over as well, and by then bringing Lawrence over too made sense.

But I never knew what to do with him, and he became something of the Worf of my group, getting his ass kicked to show how tough the bad guy was. His deck barely ever changed over the course of the story, either. I eventually decided to give him development, and by then I was able to use that as a source of his development. I made it so he realized his deficiencies and made a conscious decision to overcome them. That's how this storyline was born. Not to mention that I always liked the early jerkish version of Kaiba and wanted an excuse to write him with a similar attitude into my story in some manner.

I've added another new section to these chapters. If I include original cards, to remove the temptation of making the card of the day one of them every time, regardless of if they are deserving, all original cards will be displayed beneath the card of the day. 

Chapter Eleven

At Kaiba Corporation

The Last Dragonborn - The Journal of Johan Abbot Update

This is a sad day for me that I must post that Johan Abbot, my take on the character of the Dragonborn, from Skyrim, named for my old DnD character, will not get a chance to finish his story. I had been getting a lot of crashes on his save files, and even after cleaning the saves and reinstalling my game, the problems persist. I may be able to muddle through at some point in the future and finish the playthough, especially if new and better performance-improving mods are released in the future, but for now I am moving on.

I have more journal entries to post, so the story isn't over yet, but I also have something new planned. I will be doing a Let's Play of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion featuring a character named Meline Belerd, a would-be instructor of Battle Magic for one of the Breton factions in the land of High Rock. She has been sent on sabbatical to learn more of her craft, a task which her government considers very important, as the instruction of Battle Mages is important to the civil war efforts in High Rock, but Meline is a scatterbrained girl and rather than ending up in the Summerset Isles where she was aiming to go, she ends up in Cyrodiil, where she loses track of her purpose and ends up on a grand adventure. Perhaps this is fate? Perhaps this silly girl has some purpose in this place.

I plan to make an episode at some point today, and the first journal entry, which will be in video form, will be up after that, maybe a day or so after, so look forward to it. To see the Let's Play, head to AJ22 Plays on YouTube. I think it will be a lot of fun. Until then, though, have a good one.

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Twenty-Three

Hurray! Manipulamon is defeated and the story is over! Wait, what's this about there being more to this thing? I'm the author and I didn't even expect this!

 Chapter Twenty-Three

A Losing Battle;

The Digivolution Miracle!

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Ten

 And with that, Monty's journey is over, for this book at least. We get a pretty good duel, and an appearance by Little Yugi, who I portray as being something between the slightly meek Little Yugi of the canon series who is only really confident around his friends, and Atemu, who was confident around everyone about everything. I figure this is something like fifteen years after the canon series now, Yugi will have grown as a person, and since Atemu always seemed like a more mature, more confident version of Little Yugi, I always figured that as he got older Little Yugi would develop Atemu-like traits.

Next up next week is Lawrence's story, which happens at the same time as this in a different part of the world. Lawrence's situation is similar to Monty's, but a lot more serious, with higher stakes, and will be a lot more exciting, I think. Check in next week to see which dragon master will win, because Kaiba isn't Yugi. My characters are allowed to beat him.

Chapter Ten

Master Versus Apprentice

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Twenty-Two

There isn't much to say about this chapter. I wanted to illustrate that battling an Ultimate (Mega) Level version of Manipulamon would be a fight on an entirely different scale from any previous fight, so I wrote an entire chapter dedicated only to establishing that. End of story. 

Chapter Twenty-Two

ViralManipulamon

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Seven

A lot later than I intended it to go up, here, finally, is chapter seven of Reaper! I tell you, sometimes the things that you have the most definitive ideas about can be the hardest to put to words, as the visuals and events in this chapter were. I wanted this all to look and feel a certain way, and it didn't translate well to paper. I think I did alright, but more than any before it, expect this chapter to receive edits down the line. Otherwise there isn't much to say. This chapter, hopefully, speaks for itself.  

Chapter Seven

Memories

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Twenty-One

Here is another double chapter, because this is the chapter where, finally, after so long, Manipulamon reappears. In fact, this is the first time that our heroes actually meet him in the flesh, and yet I never felt the need to involve him more in the story. His shadow has been cast over everything. There has literally not been a single chapter, as far as I can remember, where his name hasn't been spoken, save the first. We have gotten to know Manipulamon's character through his mechanations, and his influence over others. While I could have written more encounters between Manipulamon and the Digidestined, I didn't really have to, and so such encounters would only have served as padding. So this, Manipulamon's technically first appearance, is also going to be his last.

But first we get a huge fight where I make a bunch of robots fight a bunch of bugs. This story is super serious, you guys. 

Chapter Twenty-One

Manipulamon’s Final Strike;

Battle GranKuwagamon!

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Nine

So finally, as promised, Yugi shows up in this book. Monty's duel with him will make up this chapter and the next. It is mostly just Yugi and Monty paling around, even though they honestly didn't know each other for very long, and Monty was much younger than Yugi at the time. Still, Yugi makes friends with, like, every one of his enemies on a regular basis, and Monty is friends with Lawrence, so to say that they make friends easily would be an understatement. It makes sense that they would still see each other as friends after so long.

This chapter also finally lets Yugi in on the actions of the Duel Force through his pre-duel talks with Monty. He knew something was up, but didn't know exactly what until now. Whether or not this ever impacts anything is up in the air, but the details are there now for me to use them if I ever want to.

Next week is Reaper, so sorry for the cliffhanger, but not really. Muahahaha! 

Chapter Nine

At Kame Game

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Twenty

I could have made this chapter a huge, action-packed battle between good and evil with a clearly malicious villain and no gray areas, where the good guys beat the bad human and saved the day, having to make hard choices regarding how far they would go to stop him, and deciding that the right thing to do would be to let him live, even if it meant that they would have to face him again some day, but I don't. I take all of that and throw it out the window, and I go in a completely different direction, showing how far Manipulamon will go to gain an advantage, and showing that there is good in (mostly) everyone, no matter how bad they seem.

Including Pyro Tucker, an alternate to my Yu-Gi-Oh! DF character Paul Tucker, in this book, I intended to explore how the character could be different, and I think I did that pretty well. In this story, no version of John ever met and helped Tucker become a better person, so when he was put into a situation where he had the choice between good and evil, even though, at the time, he didn't realize the reality of the situation, he chose the evil side so that he could take his years of anger out on those weaker than him without consequences. However, once he realizes the truth of things...well, you'll see. Let's just say that deep down this Tucker is no more "evil" than the other one, and it took his time in the Digital World to show him that. 

Chapter Twenty

The Last Human Appears;

John Versus Pyro Tucker!

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Eight

After so much time with John and Karen, and with Sarah and her group, we break away to see what Monty and Lawrence have been up to for the last couple of years. Because, at this point, I've finally gotten tired of torturing these characters, they finally get their due. They have had their off-screen training montage and surpassed their previous limits. Lawrence even feels that he's reached the level of Seto Kaiba. Their magic has gotten stronger. They even get new forms of a sort. I also think this is the fest time that I mention Monty's interest in real life trick magic, a fact which was always supposed to be part of his character, but never came up. Yeah, I'm giving legitimate character growth to Monty and Lawrence. I'm a little surprised too.

And yes, there is a subtext to this chapter. You get cookies and cake if you pick up on it and figure out what it means. Well, that's not true. The cake is a lie.

Aaand my outdated meme quota for the day is officially met.

Chapter Eight

Other Quests

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Nineteen

This chapter is a long one. In fact it is almost twice as long as one of my normal chapters. When I was first writing and posting this story, this was designed to be a double-length chapter, as it introduces the final location and begins the final act of the entire book. It also introduces the Machine Empire, and their leader, the honorable Machinedramon, who are important allies to the Digidestined going forward.

Machinedramon exists in this story for two reasons. One I can't mention, as it is an important plot point in book two, but the other is because, ever since he was in Digimon Adventure as a villain, I loved his design. I wanted to include a Machinedramon in my story. One who would stick around for a while and kick some butt (Machinedramon in the anime went down super easy to a single attack). 

Chapter Nineteen

Machine Citadel;

The Digidestined Go On the Attack!

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper - Chapter Six

Finally, another chapter of Reaper! There is nothing special about this one. It's just setting up for the next chapter. Sorry I basically Rick-rolled you. Still there is some interesting character stuff in this one, especially for James. Oh, and Reaper tells Ellie his name. That's important too. I guess stuff does actually happen. Go figure.

Chapter Six

Sharing Stories

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Eighteen

This chapter is a whopper. It's a little longer than my usual chapters, because it features the final fight with Jeremy, and the first clear description of the "other human", the one who was at Drimogemon Village, and who almost seems to be following behind our heroes, watching them.

This chapter also sets up the plot for the rest of the book. Things are going to change from here on out. The battles will get bigger, and the stakes will get higher. Manipulamon's endgame is beginning, and the kids decide that they need to play too.

The final line of this chapter may seem a little less dramatic that it's intended to be. I'll admit that, even though I tried to give it added weight through Jeremy's dialogue, it is really meant for the people who have read my Yu-Gi-Oh! DF series. 

Chapter Eighteen

In The Nick of Time!

We'll Battle Jeremy As One!

Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Seven: Their Most Dangerous Enemy - Chapter Seven

Like the last one, this one is mostly setup, but at least this chapter we get some answers. We learn the structure of the game that the mystery man wants to play with the Duel Force, and we learn how he plans to bait John into playing. I meant this to be a big reveal, and I'm a little worried that it is overshadowed by all of the reveals regarding Karen's past. Because we got those too. We know some of Karen's past now, aside from what we learned back in DF2.

Karen also learned some things about Pegasus that she didn't previously know, and before she can continue, she's going to have to confront him. This sets up the subplot of this book: Karen, Monty and Lawrence must all confront their teachers in order to move forward with their lives. Monty's confrontation with Yugi Muto is mostly just for fun, but Karen's confrontation with Pegasus, and Lawrence's confrontation with Kaiba end up being pretty important. These "Other Quests" will be the focus of the next few chapters, and then the main plot will resume. That's why the next two weeks will be Reaper updates.

No duel today, so no card of the day, but can we all agree right here and now that, cards or no cards, Jen is badass? And that it's hilarious that no one is surprised anymore that all of the villains want to kill John?  

Chapter Seven

The Card Professors

Digimon Adventure ND Book One: Manipulamon Reigns - Chapter Seventeen

So yeah, you may have thought that the whole Jen and Amanda leaving thing was part of John's character arch, and maybe the beginning of a character arch for Jen, but you're wrong. I mean yeah, it's part of John's character arch, but it's also actually a part of Amanda's character arch. Yep, she has one of those. Believe me, I'm surprised too!

Chapter Seventeen

Amanda Grows Up