Tag Archives: narrative

Digimon Seekers Chapter 1-9: The Interview

I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you’ve been enjoying this project, make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.


The Sons of Chaos is an organization full of the strongest code cracking teams, but have come together with the worst intentions. Rumors has it that the Sons of Chaos are planning something big. Something that could shift the balance between the Digital World and humanity. Intelligence agencies and police units from all over are investigating the organization, but Ryusenji has no faith they’ll find anything. Instead of dealing with the tiresome channels of bureaucracy the selfishness of global politics, Ryusenji recruits Eiji to protect the Digital World, and the Digimon who inhabit it.

The job pays very well, but the passion that the professor fosters for the Digital world is what moves Eiji to action. If Tartarus and the Sons of Chaos are allowed to cause havoc in the Digital world, the international community will view Code Crackers and Digimon as dangerous.

“The lives of Digimon will be at stake. People are afraid of what they don’t understand, and if this gets out of hand, it could mean the end of everything. Digimon are alive and we can’t let such a group to be their extinction.” The professors words continue to ring in his head.

Eiji sits on the futon in his cramped apartment. “So I’m supposed to be a spy,” Eiji says to himself. He looks down and finds Loogamon asleep across from him. It rest comfortable on the bed with its belly exposed. Occasionally, the hologram will flicker, but it it emits a steady blue glue into the apartment. “We’ll be dealing with really bad dudes Loogamon,” Eiji says to the unresponsive pup. “They’re hardcore code crackers who are into some really scary stuff. My Tyrannomon don’t stand a chance against them, but you might be alright.”

Eiji stretches out his hand in a feeble attempt to pet the wolf. Loogamon lets out a low growl as it flashes its teeth viscously at the encroaching hand. “I thought you were asleep?”

An alarm goes off. Eiji raises his wrist to shut it off. “It’s time to go to work. Let’s go Loogamon.” Loogamon disappears into the Digimon Linker screen. Eiji puts on his headset. Leaning against the back wall, he scrolls through the different menus in a virtual terminal projected from the watch.

Character design/illustration illustrator: malo

Eiji logs into GriMM. Joining the Sons of Chaos isn’t a difficult. Once you obtain the invitation code from their recruitment page, you join the official channel and apply like any other job. Eiji had already submitted his application and was logging in for his first interview.

A heavily modified voice comes through his headset. “The Sons of Chaos deal with government agencies, corporations… important people with high-level security. We need highly skilled code crackers who aren’t afraid of anything. This is a risky job. It’s easy to apply, but it’s hard to get into the Sons of Chaos. Do you think you have what it takes, newbie?”

“It’s Fang”

“Code Cracker Fang, huh? Are you ready to earn that name?” Eiji looked at the hologram of a generic avatar staring back at him. His username reads “interviewer. His voice was gravelly and sweet, like a cartoonish old man’s.

“Will I get to meet Tartarus?” Eiji asks without wasting a minute on pleasantries.

“You’re interested in our leader?” the voice asks suspiciously.

“Who wouldn’t be?! He’s the legendary Code Cracker Tartarus! He’s my idol.” Eiji feigns excitement.

The interviewer laughs “How old are you kid?”

“That doesn’t matter. Will I meet him or not?”

The voice on the other end remains silent for a moment. “Tartarus is a mystery even to us. Most of us have never seen him. If you are as much of a genius as you say you are, one of the executives will reach out to you. If you get invited into one of their chats, you might be able to talk to Tartarus.”

Eiji smiles. He will take advantage of the organization’s meritocracy and climb up the organization. “So this job, is it a test?”

“That’s one way of looking at it. It’s a semi-A ranked mission…I’ve shared the details on GriMM. I’ve also opened a dedicated channel for the mission. Use it for future comunications.” Eiji begins to read over the mission details. “What do you want to call the mission?” the voice asks.

Eiji thinks for a moment. “How about, Operation Wolf?”

The interviewer goes silent as the name of the channel changes to Operation Wolf. “This isn’t going to be easy,” the interviewer explains. “A Ranked missions aren’t for noobs. You are going to lose some Digimon. We don’t insure Digimon or provide compensation for any losses. Is that understood?”

“I understand, just be ready for my welcome party.”

“Welcome party?”

“We’re celebrating the birth of the Sons of Chaos’ newest executive.” Eiji is confident that Loogamon and his raw ability as a Code Cracker were more than enough for anything the Sons of Chaos threw at him.

The interviewer laughs. “Please check the file for the mission details. Good luck, I’m praying for you.”

“Thanks!”

The interviewrer logs off, leaving Eiji alone in his small apartment. He lets out a sigh of release as he looks down at Loogamon. He remembers the Professor’s words. Digimon are alive!

Eiji scrolls through the watch’s menu. His finger hovers over the word “Minlink

Eiji stares at the word for a moment and takes a deep breath.

“Well then…” Eiji presses down on the screen.

Mindlink!

Digimon Seekers: Chapter 1-8: The Assignment

I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you’ve been enjoying this project, make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.


Code Crackers make up a community of anonymous individuals whose goals are to create a free Digital World, one not bound by the traditional social construct. Within this group exist multiple factions, each with unique beliefs of what a free Digital World should look like. Sometimes these beliefs clash, creating a healthy amount of infighting.

Code Crackers exist on the wrong side of the law, made up of misfits with nowhere to go. Whatever goal of dream they chase now, all crackers owe their roots to the original code cracking team.


“I’m a bit hazy on the details. I got into code cracking when I was a young kid in high school. One of the seniors talked me into it. Told me there was decent money in it, and it was at first. It definitely is a good side hustle for a high school kid, but I wanted to do something more serious. I want to use my skills to make a living.”

“You can do whatever you want” the professor replies, “But code cracking isn’t a stable profession. You’re always going to be breaking the law because the government doesn’t understand the Digital World yet.”

“Yeah. The DigiPolice make things…difficult” The DigiPolice is a secret organization only known to code crackers. They’ll stop at nothing to catch all code crackers, regardless of their intentions.

“Are you also trying to forge a free Digital World?” asks the professor

Eiji shakes his head “Shallow of me right? I just want a job so I can eat, and a clean record”

“And where will that lead you? What are your goals Eiji?”

Eiji thinks for a moment. “I…I want to win” he responds sincerely.

Ryusenji is taken aback by the response “Win? What are you trying to win?”

“It’s hard to explain. I can’t really do it in real life, but online….I’d like to be something so big that it changes reality. I want to make money, evolve Digimon, and become the best Code Cracker ever. I want to have a team of my own and be a boss”

“Do you have to be a code cracker to do that?”

“Yes!” Eiji startles himself with his sudden outburst. He composes himself before continuing. “For me, the Digital World is the only place where I can make a difference” Eiji pauses for a moment as he looks over the professor. “I want to be on your level professor. I want to be able to experience the Digital World with all five senses, not just through a monitor. That’s what I want to do.”

Eiji’s words make Ryusenji smile. “The Digital World can change a person”

Eiji thinks about his life. He pictures his small cramped apartment and about his empty fridge. He’s a high school drop out without a steady job. Eiji has nothing, and as he looks onto the world’s wealthiest man, he wants more. Eiji makes up his mind. He has no intention of being a lowly code cracker anymore. He was going to learn everything he could from Professor Ryusenji, and finish training Loogamon no matter what.

Ryusenji murmurs something unintelligible.

“Professor?”

“You passed the test.”

“Again?”

The professor nods his head. “I needed to make sure you had the right intentions. If you were some run-of-the-mill code cracker kid drunk on freedom and ideology, I wouldn’t have offered you the job”

A familiar symbol flashes on the screen. It is of a gear wraps around a skull creating a radioactive halo. Under the symbol the words read “Sons of Chaos”

Illustration illustration: PLEX

Eiji lets out an involuntary sigh.

“Do you know them?” Ryusenji asks

“Of course I do. They’re a pretty infamous group of code crackers”

“What is your honest impression of them?”

Eiji takes a moment before responding “They’re on another level. They’re the best at what they do.” Eiji admired their skill, but the Sons of Chaos were right-wing extremists. They were almost militant in their organization. If you wanted to live a good and carefree life, you stayed away from them.

“They’re a group of code crackers known for using Digimon for crime,” Eiji continies. “They’ve made a name for themselves through extortion, theft, and terrorism. They’re bad news.”

The Sons of Chaos are run by the legendary Code Cracker Tartarus. No one knows Tartarus’ true identity, but he’s extremely popular on GriMM. Over the years, Tartarus has built a following of crackers who have adopted his ideology and created havoc in its name.

Ryusenji looks at Eiji “The Sons of Chaos are breaking the delicate balance between the Digital World and humanity. They are abusing Digimon and their ecosystem for personal gain and interfering with my research.” Ryusenji takes a moment to compose himself “It would be a shame if the Digital World and ours became isolated because of the misdeeds of a few punks. Wouldn’t you agree Eiji”

Eiji shrugs. “Can’t you just ask the government to help”

Rysenji shakes his head, “they don’t understand enough about Digimon yet. The Prime Minister only wants to use government resources to study them, and the police are too focused on stopping Code Crackers to care about one individual…There isn’t enough being done!” Ryusenji’s voice is filled with anger and frustration.

“Is that why you hired me?”

The professor calms down and nods his head. “You can say no. I know I’m asking for a lot”

“No, it’s not that at all. I’m here to help, whatever it takes!” The offer is too exciting to pass up. Eiji has been searching for meaning in his life. He knew he was meant for something more than simply collecting Digitama and training Digimon. This was his chance to do something real. To start winning.

“Good!” Ryusenji exclaims as he clasps his hands to gather loudly. “For this job, I want you to infiltrate the Sons of Chaos and find out what Tartaros is up to.” The professor walks over and gently places his hand on Eiji’s shoulder “This isn’t just another job Eiji off the message board. The stakes are real, and much bigger than both of us in this room. This is for the sake of all Digimon. This is for the sake of the Digital World”

Digimon Seekers: Chapter 1-7: Loogamon’s Data

‘ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you’ve been enjoying this project, make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.


Eiji barges into Ryusenji’s lab in a huff. “Professor! Professor Ryusenji”

The professor looks up from his work nonchalantly. People suddenly barging into his lab was no novelty. “Good morning, Eiji.” It was already afternoon, but the professor often loses all sense of time when he’s at work.

“Good morning” Eiji responds with a quick bow, remembering his manners. “What’s with this Digimon?!? It’s not moving.” Eiji rushes to the professor’s side to show him the small blue pixelated wolf on his Digimon Linker. Loogamon naps soundly.

Ryusenji pulls Eiji’s arm close and examines the sleeping Digimon. A smile forms on the professor’s face. “He’s just having a little nap. You’re doing a great job Eiji, he’s a healthy happy boy. I can’t wait to see what he evolves into. If you can get him to his ultimate form, we’ll give you a nice… incentive.”

“An incentive? Like more money?”

Ryusenji nods his head. “You’ll get a very generous payout. I’m curious to see the type of Digimon Loogamon turns into. You guys will probably look super cool together!” The professor can’t hide his excitement as he starts theorizing about all the possibilities.

“I’ll do my best” Eiji replies. He was beginning to warm up to the eccentric old man. “Oh. Did you see yesterday’s training report? I sent it to your email.”

“Oh?!” the professor responds as he opens up his email client. “I get hundreds of emails a day. I hardly ever open them. I don’t have the time to look through every single…here it is in your own little folder. I keep all your emails separate so they don’t get lost”

Eiji hugs himself and gives the professor a warm smile. “That makes me feel important”

“You’re a very important business partner of mine, Eiji”

The professor sounded sincere, and Eiji was slowly learning to trust him. Eiji felt strange having someone so important put so much worth onto him, but he was determined to make him proud. Here in this lab, Eiji wasn’t just another Code Cracker punk, he was a partner of the world renowned scientist, Professor Ryusenji. This made Eiji feel good.

Ryusenji plays that video from Eiji’s report.

Loogamon, child, dark beast, virus type

Loogamon sits in front of four bowls of food, but eats from one of them. Three Tyrannomon wait patiently across from the small wolf as it devours the food. Ryusenji’s face inches towards the monitor as he observes the behavior.

“Loogamon is already stronger than three Tyrannomon.” Eiji explains to an unmoving professor.

“Interesting…” Ryusenji’s eyes remain glued to the screen. “Loogamon seems to have become the alpha. See how the Tyrannomon are behaving? It’s like they respect him as their leader. This is truly fascinating. Putting them in the same cage has created this…dynamic…”His voice trails as he continues his observations. His face is full of excitement.

“That must be why they don’t bother him, even when he eats their food. He even tried eating this guy,” Eiji says, pointing to one of the Tyrannomon.

“Oh?! That’s interesting”

“Loogamon eats so much food though.” Eiji begins to complain.

“That’s normal.”

Eiji pulls up another report. “Here’s the data for a benchmark I conducted. Loogamon is showing an above-average growth score”

“Interesting.” the professor strokes his chin as he reads over the data.

“Oh!” Eiji blurts out suddenly. He points to the jeweled mask on its forehead “What’s this thing on Loogamon’s forehead?” Eiji pauses the video and zooms in so that the face plate is fully visible. “That jewel even glows sometimes.”

Ryusenji moves closely so that his forehead is almost touching the screen “I am not sure, but that’s very perceptive of you Eiji.” The professor then turns to Eiji “How do you like Loogamon? Have you been using it for anything exciting?”

“I’ve been having trouble evaluating its performance as an AI tool”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not that the command tools don’t work, it’s more like Loogamon won’t do what I tell it. It won’t work or walk either. It is a very stubborn dog”

“So you don’t think you can raise it?” Ryusenji asks

Eiji panics. “No! I mean yes. I didn’t mean it like that. Raising it is my job and I take all my jobs seriously. I was just pointing out how…different it is from other Digimon I’ve raised.”

Ryusnji smiles back at the frantic Eiji “Try summoning Loogamon’s hologram.”

Eiji scrolls through his Digimon Linker before choosing the command. Loogamon appears in the room, sound asleep. It is about the size of an adult husky with soft-looking grey-blue fur. As it wakes, he blinks indifferent red eyes at the two men looking down at it. It wakes slowly, throwing slow indifferent blinks at the two men who now crowd him. It lets out a loud yawn.

“Fascinating!” Rysenji suddenly shouts as he continues looking over the data “Look at these numbers!” The professor points excitedly at the evaluation report on the screen.

Eiji attempts to understand the information. “DS value…? I’m not sure what that means,” Eiji admits reluctantly.

“It’s an indicator I designed to calculate the compatibility between a Digimon and its partner. In other words, you and Loogamon are extremely compatible!” Rysenji doesn’t hide his excitement.

“Seriously?!” Eiji looks down at Loogamon who has since gone back to napping on the floor.

“I knew I chose the right person for the job,” the professor claps.

“So…Does that mean that Loogamon can evolve right away?”

“I can’t say for sure”

“Why not?”

“The DS value doesn’t measure potential, only the user’s compatibility with a Digimon.”

“So it is possible to train,” Eiji whispers to himself. He had only ever used Tyrannomon, and a few other Digimon common in the code cracker circles. The more common the Digimon, the easier it was to train. Loogamon was unique, and would require more work to train.

“Where have you been getting your Digimon up until now? GriMM?”

“Yeah. Since it’s illegal in Japan, I have to get them from other countries. There are no borders in the Digital World.”

Ryusenji almost chuckles, “Do you know who you’re quoting?”

Eiji shakes his head no. It was a meme everyone repeated. “Do you?”

Ryusenji shrugs his shoulder as an involuntary smile escapes him. “What do you do again Eiji,” the professor asks, changing the subject.

“I’m a Code Cracker”

“Then you are familiar with the famous code cracking team?”


Illustration illustration: PLEX

Final Space Ends Announcement

If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do, please consider buying me a coffee

Today I got some fantastic news about one of my favorite animated series. I can’t express how overjoyed I am to know that Final Space is finally getting a proper ending. The series follows a quirky and delightful astronaut as he and his friends try to save the universe. If you haven’t seen the series, you need to. It is an epic story full of humor, friendship, and heroism. Make sure you check out my full review of the series.

Unfortunately, the series got canceled before it could end because TBS wanted to write it off for tax reasons. The creator, Olan Rogers, was rightfully devastated because he didn’t own the rights to finish a series he created. For two years, Rogers has continued his fight to finish his story. Five days ago, Rogers announced that Final Space will end in a self-published graphic novel. This makes me incredibly happy because Rogers deserves this. The announcement is up on his official YouTube channel. I recommend you watch it so that you can appreciate the passion and love this man has for his story. 

You can pre-order the graphic novel on the Final Space Ends official website. Over 16,000 copies of the graphic novel have sold since the announcement, and the number continues to climb. Keep checking the site if it sells out. I got my copy before it sold out, but more have been available since. The book is $125 plus shipping and is expected to release sometime in 2024. Make sure you follow Olen Rogers on YouTube to stay on top of future announcements. 

I know this seems like a lot, but the book is going to be huge and epic. I have faith that this final chapter is going to be the epic conclusion we have all been waiting for. 

I wanted to share this announcement because I believe it deserves attention, but also because of the timing. I have been feeling a bit of burnout lately and have debated quitting WordPress. This morning I was on the verge of deleting my blog until I saw this announcement. I was happy that my favorite show was getting its ending, but Roger’s perseverance and passion inspired me to keep going. In his video, he tells his viewers not to give up on their passions, even when things seem hopeless.

“You have to dare to dare to fail”

You don’t understand how badly I needed to hear those words when I did. I know that the algorithm played a huge part in showing me the announcement, but I am superstitious enough to believe in fate. I’ve been consistently on YouTube since it was published, but it was only recommended when I needed it most. As silly as it sounds, too many events in my life have lined up so perfectly that I have to believe that fate exists. I am taking his words to heart and will continue pursuing my passions. 

With that, I’ll sign off. I have a backlog of games I’ve sent to review, the Digimon Seekers project I need to finish, and some movie reviews to sprinkle in between. Until then, go watch Final Space, go pre-order the graphic novel, and if you are still reading, thank you for your support. Love you all!

Art by Daz Tibbles @daztibbles

Digimon Seekers Chapter 1-4: The Job Offer

I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!


“Digimon are alive!” The words linger in dead air.

Eiji breaks the silence with an involuntary chuckle “It be cool if Digimon were alive. Lots of people have Digimon. Some folks keep them as pets and others collect them. Digimon are pretty useful tools.” Eiji thinks of his Tyrannomon. Tyrannomon are popular with code crackers because they were common and easily caught. Most Digimon exists as code traded, bought, and sold between people on GriMM.

“Hmm,” Ryusenjji responds, somewhat lost in thought.

“So, when will Digimon Land be ready? Where are you going to build it?”

Ryusenji snaps out of his thought as a look of disappointment fills his face. He begins to shake his head “We had to stop development on Digimon Land…Permanently”

“Seriously?”

“The park presented many challenges, some of which were…. impossible to overcome. There’s a reason why the digital world has to be kept a secret. People aren’t ready.”

Eiji thinks about the plane crash. He can still hear the screams and the terrible sound of the plane slicing through the air as it fell

“There are bad people out there Eiji. People who will misuse Digimon. Digimon Crimes started small. A game server would crash or a website would get overloaded, but they were brushed off as pranks. Soon, the news started trickling in about identity theft and random acts of terrorism. You saw what happened to that plane. There are already people committing Digimon crime at a concerning scale, but the world leaders and international organizations are covering it up!”

Ryusenji takes a moment to compose himself. His hands shake from the anger but slowly still. “Can you imagine what would happen if a criminal used one of the park’s mascots for an act of cyber-terrorism? Can you imagine the scandal? Publicizing the Digital world means publicizing Digimon Crimes, and the world just isn’t ready. Imagine the panic that would cause.”

Eiji nods his head as he listens.

“I can hear the news outlets fear-mongering headlines,” the professor continues. “Digimon are coming for your freedom, more on this at 11,” Ryunsenji looks flustered as his rant grows angry. “It is shortsighted to assume all Digimon are evil…People just aren’t ready to understand.” The professor’s words trail off, turning into an incoherent rant.

“Professor?” Eiji asks, attempting to bring him back.

The professor wakes from his trance and remembers where he is. “There is another world beyond the network where Digimon are alive. The real world and the digital world both coexist. Do you want to see it?”

“Yes of course” Eiji replies with a hint of skepticism clinging to his words. He’d only known the digital world through the black and white screen of the palm-sized device he made from salvaged parts.

“Do you know why what I am telling you is top secret?”

“Because its real?”

Ryusenji smiles as he nods, “Yes. That was real footage from the digital world.”

Eiji looks at the Modoki Betamon on the screen. It’s alive! He thinks of the Tyrannomon he’s been using. They’re alive too. They’re all alive.

“That is why I have devoted my life to studying Digimon. To D4.” The transfer of Modoki Betamon is complete. The professor unhooks Eiji’s handmade device and looks over it once more.

Eiji moves forward with his arm extended “Thank yo..”

SNAP

Ryusenji tosses Eiji’s Digimon dock to a nearby bin.

Eiji moves quickly and catches the dock before crashing into the trash can and stumbling to the floor. Eiji spent a lot of time building it. Even though it was made from mostly junked parts, it cost him a lot of money. “What are you doing?” His face still recovering from the sting.

“There was an error in the memory”

“Seriously?!” Eiji couldn’t believe it. The memory had never been an issue.

Ryusenji was a Digimon Collector, and like most collectors, he was precocious about his collection. “My research requires Digimon data to be perfect, or else its worthless. That Modoko Betamon data was nearly destroyed.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to throw it away. It may be worthless to you, but this stuff is expensive. I don’t have the funding of a huge corporation or access to expensive equipment” Eiji snaps as he looks over his device for signs of damage.

Ryusenji ignores Eiji’s outburst. He seems preoccupied on a new thought.

“…Hello?” Eiji waves, trying to regain his attention. The man may be a genius, but he had no right.

“Sorry about that,” the professor replies suddenly. “You just gave me an idea. Let me see you left arm”

“My..arm?” Eiji studies the professor suspiciously. Ryusenji stands over him, flashing an eager smile. Eiji offers his arm up cautiously. Rysenji attaches something to Eiji’s wrist.

Eiji looks down and finds a stylish smart watch wrapped around his wrist. The sight of the gift makes him tear up. It’s been a while since he’s gotten a present. He fights back the tears. He wants to be professional.

“It’s Abadin Electronics’ latest Digimon Dock. Make sure you take care of it Eiji”

Eiji studies his gift. AE products were top of the line and highly sought after by Code Cracker. Eiji could only dream of owning AE parts, but here he stands with the latest model strapped to his wrist.

Character design/illustration illustrator: malo

“Now this is just a prototype I’ve been working on so there might be some bugs.”

Eiji manages to rip his gaze from the watch. “This is amazing professor, thank you!”

The watch starts cycles through the startup process. “It has a biometric vital sonsor. Only you will be able to use it,” the professor explains.

“Just for me?!?!” Eiji can’t hide his excitement.

The professor nods “It can record your pulse, blood pressure, and other medical data. Most importantly, it supports Digimon hololization. Digimon hololization is only allowed in at the DDL and a few other facilities, but this…is a special exception”

Eiji is too excited to hear the explanation. He continues to turn over the watch to appreciate it from every angle.

“But here’s the thing” the professor begins. Eiji’s heart sinks. Of course there’s a catch. He knew better than to think there wouldn’t be a catch, but he also wasn’t ready to depart with his new watch. “I want to see what the famous Cracker Fang can do with it the next time I ask him for a favor”

“You got it chief!”

“That was fast. Good. I like that about you.” Ryusenji takes Eiji’s arm and presses the switch on the side of the Digimon Linker. The screen begins to glow a faint green. A mysterious flame flickers across the screen before vanishing into black. Words scroll past the watch reading: Loogamon, child, dark beast, virus type

Eiji looks at the strange Digimon occupying his screen. A small blue…

“It’s a..Dog?” Eiji asks stary-eyed.


Eiji passes through the security gate alone. The professor’s words echo in his head. Digimon are alive. The digital world is real.

Eiji passes the reception desk.

“Oh, good evening!” This time Hatsune speaks to him first.

Eiji turns away from his watch “Do I return the pass here?”

“Yes please. Put it here. Thank you very much.” She says, pointing at a small basket in front of her.

As Eiji returns the bass, he notices Hatsune eyeing his watch curiously. “The professor gave it to me. It’s a Digimon Dock.”

Eiji shows off his watch. Hatsune scurries around the desk. She grabs his hand to get a closer look and whispers “Isn’t that the newest model? I thought those were top secret?”

Eiji is surprised by how well-informed Hatsune is. “It’s just a prototype. The professor asked me to test it for him.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.” Hatsune says, reexamining Eiji. “The professor must really trust you.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutly” Hatsune lowers her voice “The professor is so…strange. He wouldn’t give this to just anyone.”

“He is peculiar isn’t he?” Eiji blurts out. Eiji is surprised by Hatsune’s sudden change in attitude. She is a lot nicer towards him now. “I’ll see you later?”

“Sure Nagasumi.”

“You can call me Eiji”

“Likewise…eh..you can call me Hatsune or whatever. Oh, this is your admission record. I noticed you left your occupation blank. If you don’t mind, what should I put down?”

“My occupation?” Eiji thinks for a bit before declaring proudly “I’m a Code Cracker!”

Game Review: Strayed Lights

If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do, please consider buying me a coffee

I was sent Strayed Lights as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will be sure to keep my review honest.

Strayed Lights is the most beautiful adventure game you can play on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC via Steam, GoG, and Epic Games.

You play as a being of light and darkness as they go on an adventure of self-discovery and personal growth. You must travel across a dream-like landscape and face off against deadly monsters. Do you have what it takes to complete this journey?

This game is by far the prettiest game I have played by far. I spent too long admiring the wildlife, enjoying the colors, and appreciating the composition. And the music? This game has a soundtrack that will be winning awards. I cannot express how perfectly this soundtrack was composed to elevate this already stunning game to the experience that should be mandatory for all gamers. I see the word atmospheric thrown around a lot to describe games, but Strayed Lights has finally given the word its proper definition.

1 / 7

Exploration in this game is fantastic because the world is beautiful, but the combat is what makes this game fun. Battles are fast-paced and engaging. You have your traditional attack and dodge action, but the parry sets this system apart. Your character can swap between two colors, but monsters can swap between three. Matching your color with the monster’s while you complete a successful parry heals your character and fills your energy bar. Combat becomes this elegant dance as you learn when to attack, dodge, change color, and parry till you meet the win condition. This system kept combat feeling fresh, even when I learned a monster’s attack patterns. 

Finally, I need to mention the game’s story. Strayed Lights has a fantastic story. You get to watch your character grow as it makes its way through the world helping others from the darkness. There is no dialogue, but it isn’t necessary. I am blown away by how much narrative exists without the use of words. You aren’t killing monsters, but rather helping other beings of light get rid of their darkness. I loved watching the different ways the main character heals the monsters. Each time you heal a monster, the character will grow from the experience. You will see the main character complete a full life cycle, and how that growth manifests into the world is something you need to see to appreciate.

I can’t stress how much you need to play this game. It is a beautiful and unique adventure game that deserves your attention, even if you aren’t a fan of the genre. It has a great story, beautiful art, fantastic music, and fun gameplay. Strayed Lights is $24.99, which is a great price for what you are getting. You can pick up Strayed Lights on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC via Steam, GoG, and Epic Games.

Unveiling Dragonbane: A Swedish RPG Gem with Stunning Art

If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do, please consider buying me a coffee

I’ve been playing  Dungeons and Dragons for a couple of years as a player and a DM and have enjoyed every minute. I have made some great new friends, and I look forward to hanging out with them every week. That said, there have been times in my D&D career when burnout has gotten to me. This burnout has made me curious about other systems. Sometimes just I want to live in a new system for a session or three to keep things fresh. Over the years, I’ve researched a few systems to sprinkle into our sessions. This time, my search brought me to the classic Swedish RPG Dragonbane

What first drew me to this system was the beautiful art style. If nothing else, you need to look up this system to appreciate the artwork. The system looks simple enough to pick up quickly, and it has an interesting parry/dodge mechanic that could make combat more interesting.

2 / 7

If you want to play Dragonbanethere is a free QuickStart guide you can download with the basic rules and even a short adventure you can run. You will not have to enter any payment information if you order it through the site, but the delivery does take a couple of minutes to get to you. I suggest you get a copy directly from Drivethrough RPG instead.

You can preorder the core set from the official site for $53.93. For this price, you’ll receive a copy of the rule book, an adventure book with 11 adventures, a set of dice, five pre-generated character sheets, five blank character sheets, a double-sided map, custom treasure cards, and cardboard standees for characters and monsters. People who preorder will also get immediate access to the PDF of the rulebook, so you can start playing immediately. The core set has everything you need to get you hooked for a very reasonable price. You can convert the pricing on the store page to your local currency but not the cart. A quick Google search should remedy this. They do ship to the US, but I am not sure about anywhere else. The shipping cost was reasonable if I did the conversion correctly.

Dragonbane looks to be a solid system if you are looking to get into a new TTRPG. I will be trying to get my players to join me on this adventure, will you be doing the same?

Make sure you follow the socials to stay on top of all the news: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

Digimon Seekers Chapter 1-3: Digimon are Alive

I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you enjoy this project, please make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!


Eiji finds himself in a domed room, staring at a massive hologram of networks swimming around his head. He stood surrounded by game servers, social networks, and cat photos, all presented to him in almost tangible clumps of code and data. The professor smiles as Eiji is left speechless by the impressive display.

Before them, a hologram produces a map of a strange yet familiar looking world. While not the best rendering, it was beautiful nonetheless. It was a world separated by distinct biomes. A world with islands and continents. Mountains and oceans.

“Welcome to the Digital World,” a warm mechanical voice begins. “A world that exists outside the sea of networks. A world inhabited by digital monsters known as Digimon.” Suddenly a new hologram begins to materialize before Eiji. At first glance, the monster looks like a frog or rather a tadpole on the verge of becoming a frog. The creature is green with black stripes that make it resemble a watermelon. A dorsal fin runs down its back. A single sharp claw stems from its arms and legs, and its tail rests lazily behind it. Sharp exaggerated fangs spill out of its mouth and its red eyes stare down at Eiji.

Below the Digimon, words apear reading “Betamon, child, amphibian, virus type.

“Digimon are living AI” the recording continues.

Living AI? Eiji thinks, Is that really possible?

“Digimon can resemble living, mythical and theological beings. They can take the form of mammals, plants, insects, machines, and even gods” The hologram cycles through visual representations to aid its explanation. “Digimon can evolve. Throughout its life, a Digimon will exist in one of five stages. Baby, child, adult, perfect, and ultimate form.”

“Digimon are our way of interacting with the digital world,” Professor Ryusenji chimes in over the recording. “This new world suddenly appeared on our network, and it has since helped prop up humanity. Digimon have played an important part in revolutionizing society. The application of Digimon as AI tools has lead to remarkable discoveries in different fields like software development, cryptographic security, and even medicine.” the professor is unable to hide his passion. 

“However” he says in a sudden change in tone. “There is a lot we don’t know about Digimon or the Digital World. Most people don’t even know it exists”

The dome begins to vibrate as an electric buzz begins to fill the room. The images in front of them disappear.

“Even if they did” the professor continues “they wouldn’t understand. Most people aren’t ready to understand.”

The dome continues to shift around them. Suddenly, the pair find themselves inside the cabin of a passenger plane. The flight is full. The engine roars as it carries the plane over clumps of clouds.

“There are two sides to this new world. While Digimon have been instrumental in important scientific advancements, there are people who will misuse them as weapons…” the professor’s voice trails off.

The scene starts to play around them. One passenger films the cabin with his smartphone. In the seats next to him, his wife and daughter sleep soundly.

BOOOOH!!!!

The serenity of the cabin is suddenly interrupted by a deafening roar. Eiji is startled by the sudden outburst. The cabin erupts into chaos with a sudden flood of noise followed by an ominous silence.

ROOAAARRRRRR

The scene starts to go dark as the camera begins to shake violently. An alarm starts to sound as the oxygen masks come down. Panicked screams mix with the confusion and….

Eiji averts his eyes. He can’t watch anymore. Tears start to fall from his shut eyes as the scene continues to play around him. The airplane begins to lose altitude. It crashes through clouds and falls out of the sky.

Character design/illustration illustrator: malo

Eiji follows the professor to his lab. He tries to shake off the sadness of what he saw and get serious.

Inside, it looks like an ordinary university laboratory with tables filled with parts and unfinished gadgets. On the wall are shelves crammed with tools, materials, and cardboard boxes. One of the walls is made of glass, revealing an empty hallway. The two are alone except for the occasional whirling of machines.

Ryunsenji inspects the palm-sized gadget Eiji brought with him. A Digital Dock. “Wonderful,” the professor says as he inspects the device. He is visibly impressed by Eiji’s work.

Ryuesenji connects Eiji’s dock to the lab’s equipment. The Digimon Eiji captured appears in a hologram. It is a familiar tailed frog-like creature.

“A Modoki Betamon, just as I requested. Look at how beautiful and gentle it looks” Ryunsenji smiles widely as he continues to study the creature.

Eiji scoffs at the remark “It took four Tyrannomon to capture it!” Eiji sets his belongings on one of the tables.

Ryuensenji continues to study the Betamon “wow, sounds rough,” he says flatly.

Eiji remembers the fight. The cornered Betamon fighting back furiously, the shockwave emitted from the creature’s dorsal fin, and the Tyrranamon lost in the process.

“This Betamon is different from the others,” Eiji begins his appeal.

“How do you mean?” Ryusneji seems miffed. He looks at the Betamon “Oh. You don’t know the difference between Betamon and Modoki Betamon?”

Eiji shakes his head in embarrassment. He didn’t like disappointing his clients. “Umm, is it the color?”

“That’s it!” the professor exclaims “so you do know the difference. I’ll make sure you get a bit of a bonus with your reward”

“Thank you so much!” Eiji’s mouth begins to water at the thought of meat for dinner. It’s been a while since he could afford meat, or any food really.

The professor seemed satisfied. He begins to transfer the Modoki Betamon data into the strange device.

Ryusenji turns to Eiji and asks “I’ve been meaning to ask. What did you think of our little experience from earlier?”

“Earlier…” Eiji shakes himself from his meat bowl dream “Oh you mean the video in D4? It was amazing!”

“That was a promotional video for our planned Digimon Land. The idea was to sell Digimon as characters to the general public to help educate them on the Digital World.”

Eiji’s imagination begins to race with ideas for the Digimon AI “I especially liked the bit about Digimon being AI creatures. If I were a kid, I’d be hooked!”

Ryunsenji shakes his head as he turns his attention to Eiji. “You don’t understand,” his hand lands on Eiji’s shoulder “Digimon are alive.”

Digimon Seekers: Chapter 1-2: Abadin Electronics

I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!


Tokyo University of Electrical and Computer Engineering is a world leader in research and innovation. The school started as a government-funded program in an effort to promote the advancement of science and technology for the benefit of society. Despite being a newer institution, the universe has earned prestige through its advanced research in the field.

The campus is also home to the world-renowned Abadin Electronics Corp (AE). AE leads the industry in electronic terminals, network equipment, and fabless semiconductors. The site is also where you find the Abadin Electronics Lab (DDL), a world-famous research and development lab.

Character design/illustration illustrator: malo

Eiji walks into the DDL to find a bare room with only a reception desk and a small metal bench sitting across it. There are no visible logos or markings to suggest the building was connected to AE except for a large display mounted on the wall. The display loops peaceful videos of nature to serene music, occasionally ending in one of Abadin Electronic’s promotional videos.

“Abadin Electronics Corp, discovering the impossible” the video trails off. The line makes Eiji smirk as he continues to make his way toward the front desk. The cute girl behind the desk watches Eiji suspiciously. She is shorter than Eiji, with thick short hair tucked at the collar. She is dressed plainly in her receptionist’s uniform.

Before Eiji could say a word, the girl says and says, “This is a research facility, if you are looking for the school, it’s out those doors and to the left.” It was a speech she’s made too often.

Eiji is dressed in his usual casual attire and looks out of place amongst the well-dressed professionals that occasionally walk around him. He can’t help but feel out of place. He smiles warmly. “Hi there. I have an appointment. Do you want me to sign in?”

The receptionist studies Eiji for a moment before handing him a tablet. A camera stares down at Eiji as he picks up the tablet and begins to fill out the form. The receptionist looks confused and slightly annoyed by the information as it appears on her screen. “Your name is Fang?” she asks incredulously.

“It’s an alias. I use it for work”

” Are you in streamer?”

“No”

Fang is Eiji’s code name. Most code crackers use them on the job. It was to keep anonymity in a field that wasn’t always on the legal side.

“Please use your real name,” the receptionist replies flatly.

Eiji updates his information on the tablet before setting it down. “Is that all you need from me…” Eiji reads over her nameplate “Hatsune?”

Hatsune turns to her computer and begins typing away. “Don’t be so casual.”

“Sure thing…Hatsune”

Hatsune’s temples give an involuntary twitch “If you are here on company business I need your company’s name”

“I don’t have a company yet.” Hatsune doesn’t seem to appreciate the response. Instead she continues to look annoyed as she waits for an answer. “I’m sort of a freelancer. I’m here to see…oh what’s his department” Eiji’s voice trails off as he pulls out his phone and begins scrolling through his messages “I’ll just wait for him over here..” his voice trails as he walks towards the bench.

Eiji clicks on the contact: Tomonori Ryusenji, professor. “I’m here” the message reads.

Eiji takes a seat. A few people wait with him. He begins to scroll through his phone as the serene lobby music plays around him.

“Fang!” a voice calls from behind the security gate.

Eiji turns to see Professor Ryunsenji waving at him. The professor was a chiseled man with graying hair. He must be in his sixties, but he looks younger. Everyone in the lobby is surprised by the professor’s sudden appearance.

“Hello Professor” Eiji says as he walks over to greet him.

Professor Ryunsenji is one of the founders of Abadin Electronics. He owns more than 20% of the company shares and is worth around $100 billion, making the professor one of the world’s richest people. Professor Ryunsenji’s work has been instrumental in making Aberdin Electronics a world-class company since its inception some 20 years ago.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Fang, but it feels like we’ve known each other well enough already” The professor shakes Eiji’s hand. The two had been talking over the phone for a while now, but this is the first time meeting in person.

Eiji fires back an untrusting smile “Eiji Nagasumi. It’s a pleasure.”

“Well Fang. ER. Eiji let’s get going. Sorry for all the trouble” He stops “Were you able to get your guest pass?” the professor looks over to Eiji. Before Eiji has a chance to answer, the professor continues, “I’ll get you one” as he walks over to the desk.

Hatsune is confused by the request. She looks over Eiji, then back at the professor before working on the guest pass.

“Oh and I’m going to D4, Eiji here is my guest”

“Excuse me, sir?”

“The board gave their approval this morning”

“Oh right, understood,” Hatsune taps away at the terminal.

Pass in hand, the two make their way towards the gate. The guards look at Eiji and nod as they walk through the metal detector. Eiji feels like a real professional as the pass hangs comfortably over his neck. They pass by employees and researchers who warmly greet the pair. Eiji does his best to keep up as he returns smiles and greetings. Eiji couldn’t help but enjoy the attention. It made him feel important.

“Why do they call you Professor instead of President or Chairman?”

“Because Professor describes me best.” Ryunsenji enjoyed research more than he enjoyed running a company. He had already left management to his formal subordinates so he could focus on his projects. “Before we go to the office, there is something I would like you to see. Follow me.”

Eiji agrees as he becomes filled with curiosity. They take an elevator to the next floor and cross another guarded gate. A large metal plate on top of the gate “D4”. It is a strange-looking building that seems to exist on its own.

“This is our secret department. It is where we keep our most important work” The Professor explains.

After a rigorous search, Eiji is forced to leave his phone and personal belongings at the gate. Eiji enters the room nervously and asks “What is it?”

The Professor smiles “It’s an experience”

Game Review: Lightracer Spark

If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do, please consider buying me a coffee

I was sent Lightracer Spark as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.

Lightracer Spark is a sci-fi visual novel with light RTS elements. You play as an amender from an advanced alien cavillation on a mission to save the universe from collapsing. To do so, you must travel to developing planets and help with their evolution. You manipulate governments, stabilize economies, or eliminate anything stunting the growth of a civilization. But be wary of your choices. A single mistake could be the difference between the birth of an advanced civilization and the destruction of another. Can you bring enough planets into the modern era before it is too late?

If you like sci-fi novels, Lightracer Spark has an interesting narrative that is worth looking into. Only the first chapter of the story is playable, but there are two more chapters planned as free DLC for future releases. This game has some fantastic flavor. I love the idea of playing this god-like creature with the power to control the flow of a civilization, but the story has a few grammatical issues that are hard to overlook. Not enough to ruin the experience, but they are noticeable. 

At each planet, you are given a set of issues you need to fix. It can be anything from bringing peace to a war-torn country to helping discover new technology. How you approach solutions to these problems are limited by resources gained or gather in the game. You can use your resources for things like raising armies or on buildings that grant bonuses. I felt this part of the game was a bit too slow. There is a way to speed things up, but I was never confident enough to mess with it. If you are good at RTS games, you will enjoy the pacing and gameplay a lot better.

As far as RTS games go, Lightracer Spark is fairly manageable. The tutorial does a fantastic job of slowly introducing players to the game’s mechanics without it feeling like a tutorial. The tutorial felt like an immersive conversation with an AI, and I appreciated the touch. My only complaint is that I felt like I was taught mechanics that never came up again, but that could be due to user error.

So is it worth it? Lightracer Spark is a niche game, but that isn’t a bad thing. If you like sci-fi and don’t mind the light RTS elements, you should at least look into it. The story is solid, and the flavor is well-designed. It isn’t a bad game, but you do need to enjoy this type of gameplay loop. It’s a lot of reading and waiting on timers. For those interested, you can grab your copy on Steam for 12.99. It’s not a bad price for what you get. 

Gaming News and Review

%%footer%%