so... i was doodlin' the Daisuke Kaiser again today and thought... DO you think the others told Wallace about it? (possibly V-mon by accident in some random subject about cosplay or villains maybe)
Ashdgdfghfghh I HOPE so. Wallace would probably be extra-confused, since he didn’t meet the original Kaiser, but he ain’t gonna pass up a chance to annoy and embarrass Daisuke, so he keeps bringing it up every time he meets the group for quite some time afterward. Asking perfectly innocent questions like:
“Subjugate anyone since the last time I saw you, Daisuke? ~💛”
“When are you gonna show me your supervillain lair, Daisuke? ~💛”
“In the market for a henchman, Daisuke? I’m available! ~💛”
It works: Daisuke is annoyed. Everyone else is trying (and failing) to hold in their laughter in the background X3
meanwhile, Ken is sitting there thinking that he is EXCEPTIONALLY glad Wallace never met the original Kaiser, hehe
Can you IMAGINE the sheer amount of chaos and disaster bisexual energy Wallace would bring if he were tagging along with the 02 kids during Kizuna?? Well I did, and it was terrifying. Maybe it's for the best he was relegated to cameos, even though I do want this version of events to exist very badly sorry Ken, I still love you XD
I also figured Wallace works a bunch of odd jobs in whatever cities he's passing through to pay for his wandering lifestyle (college? What's college??). Courier/bike messenger is my favorite, but maybe he DOES work for Daisuke as a delivery boy somewhere down the line :DDDDDD
Happy Friday, and happy Summer Memory Weekend! I wanted to go big on the first day, so I made a fanmix... my FIRST fanmix, as it turns out! I tried to choose songs to compliment the journey of Hurricane Touchdown itself, centered around Daisuke and Wallace. NGL, there's a light shipping element to it too, but that aspect didn’t end up being particularly overt (in my opinion), so it's really just there if you want to hear it.
Listen here: YouTube | Spotify
(Please note that track 3 is incomplete on YouTube! The Spotify version is complete.)
The songs are intended to alternate between Wallace and Daisuke's POV, starting with Wallace.
Track list and additional notes beneath the cut!
Track list (total playtime: 54 minutes)
1. Lift Me Up (Leave Me Here) - Brent Cowles* | 2. All Star (cover) - Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! | 3. Russell - Honeytree Whiskey* | 4. I Told You So - Almost, Maine* | 5. Hurricane - One Flew West* | 6. Catching Yellow - Stacked Like Pancakes | 7. Blue Sky Happiness - Single File* | 8. Golden Summer - Songs of Water | 9. Same Old House - Compass & Cavern* | 10. Don't Stop Movin' - Pandas & People* | 11. Destiny - Fortune in Fallacy* | 12. Love Takes a Wrecking Ball - A Silent Film | 13. Down to Fate - Rob Drabkin* | 14. Golden - Maggie Eckford | 15. Nobody Knows - The Lumineers*
I highlighted some choice lyrics and tried to explain how I see each song relating to Hurricane Touchdown here, if you would like to read my ramblings.
One more thing: Because it’s something I have passing knowledge and an interest in, I set myself the extra goal of primarily featuring musicians from the state of Colorado, where Summer Memory is supposed to be located. These artists are marked with an asterisk in the list above. You’ll notice I managed it for all of Wallace’s songs, and even a few of Daisuke’s! To my knowledge, most of them have not "made it" outside of local radio station play, so if this mix helps you discover a song or group you happen to love, please consider supporting them.
Sorry to keep posting Random Digi-Things to Buy on the Internet, but I thought these were really clever pieces of fan-merch. They’re dice holders in the shape of digimentals! They appear to be 3D printed, and have magnetic lids. The seller is MazAndAttero on Etsy.
They have the Digimentals of Love, Kindness, Light, Sincerity, Knowledge, Miracles, and Destiny in their shop right now. Kindness looks REALLY cool, and I love that Destiny is represented! Though as much as I am here for Wallace, I would be the most tempted to get Miracles for myself, just for the fun of attributing subsequent TTRPG critical successes to this digimental and its ability to make impossible things happen XD
I don’t have enough dice to make owning one worthwhile, but it seems like a REALLY well-executed and unique idea that I absolutely love the concept of!
The world doesn't have enough of Best Boys Wallace and Daisuke interacting, so may I request just that? Maybe Wallace visiting Japan for a change? <3 thank you for doing this, I hope this is something you'll enjoy drawing!
K. K!!!! (can I call you K?) THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PROMPTS I’VE EVER RECEIVED I’M SCREAMING I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS THANK YOU!!!! You bet I enjoyed it T^T
TFW you’re so concerned with keeping your obnoxiously charming American friend from flirting with all the girls in your life you don’t realize he might actually be flirting with you????
Some notes because I put way too much thought into this AAAA:
[1] Background picture is from my own trip to Japan a few years ago, which puts them in Kyoto (I should really watch that 02 episode again!)
[2] Wallace got matcha-flavored ice cream and somehow convinced Daisuke to pay for it
[3] I don’t actually recall seeing any souvenir t-shirts during my trip, but I borrowed the design of this one from Vol. 1 of the “Laid-Back Camp” manga. The original said “Mt. Fuji sukiiiiii” which seems to be a pun on “like” and “skiing.” I added a “dai” on there because the temptation to hint at the similarity between “daisuki” and “Daisuke” was too great to resist, even if it almost certainly makes less sense to put on a shirt orz
[4] I’m not saying I would actually WRITE a fic based on this for a multitude of reasons, but I remain SORELY TEMPTED TO where else would they go and what else would they do on a sightseeing trip together? XDDDDDD
BONUS! Door Into Summer audio drama closure for Gumimon:
Want me to draw your Best Digi-Boys, whoever they might be? From now (3/25/21) into the foreseeable future I’m taking sketch requests--drop a suggestion in my inbox!
Favorite Character Besides the 12 Kids and their Partners
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: MINOR CHARACTERS IN DIGIMON ARE AWESOME. Man, I should really talk about them more. But I DID make a promise, so here it is, folks—finally. It’s Wallace Time.
In the past, I have had a hard time articulating exactly why I like this kid. Insert Marge Simpson “I just think they’re neat” image here. Also, I realized after finishing my post last night that more than any other Digimon movie, I get the English and Japanese versions of Hurricane Touchdown mixed up (turns out the Japanese version is quite long and my subtitled version of it is really terrible! I’m not sure I’ve actually seen a good translation of it, but it’s something I want to track down in the future). But based on the sources I DO have (and spoiler alert, the English dub did Willis SO right), I’ve still been able to come to a few conclusions about why I think Wallace(/Willis) is neat.
#1: He’s a cheeky little bastard.
And how! I mean, he flirts with anything that moves. This kid gets away with stuff that he shouldn’t be able to, but he does it with a wink and a smile like he KNOWS he shouldn’t—and somehow, that makes it OK. He plays jump rope with the line of acceptable behavior but never quite crosses it, and manages to come out on the other side as a charming, harmless goofball (YMMV). Daisuke only wishes he were that smooth. Out of all the Adventure/02 DigiDestined, he will forever be my Trash Son.
Take out “cakes” and substitute “kisses,” and this is exactly the kind of energy this kid brings to the table.
#2: A layered personality, including ANGST under a cheerful facade.
I mean, Wallace has had to deal with some heavy stuff, and he did so for YEARS by shouldering the burden almost completely by himself. Also, being responsible for both Diaboromon and Cocomon’s virus in the English version is COMPELLING. The kid was smart and bored, so he started messing around with stuff he shouldn’t have until it grew outside of his control and then REGRETTED IT HARD? Ultimately he’s a good person who just wants to repent for his(/his partner’s) mistakes— he just happens to hide it under a confident, playboy persona that is (at least in part) a coping mechanism.
What I find really interesting as I think about him in 2020 is he has a lot of the same personality traits as tri!Takeru before tri!Takeru even existed. See Takeru’s constant teasing of Yamato and the rest of his behavior in Kokuhaku. Maybe Wallace was always just Takeru dialed up to 11 and I never noticed before. I can believe it, though. From 02’s perspective, Wallace (and Takeru) fills the role of Daisuke’s rival/friend, but the key difference to me is that Wallace is much more willing to flirt openly with Daisuke tease him mercilessly to his face. Again, I may be mixing up subs with dubs a little, but englishDub!Takeru always seemed pretty Done when Daisuke was being particularly obnoxious, where as Willis’ first impulse was to lean in and double down. Regardless of the version and interpretation, Wallace is not as straightforward as he seems.
Another similarity to Takeru: HAT.
#3: He’s a key player in some seriously underrated Digimon media.
To me, he will always be the 13th DigiDestined (making Meiko #14, I guess— sorry girl!). I talked about my irrational love for Hurricane Touchdown yesterday and it’s hard to separate my love of that movie from Wallace himself—but Door into Summer is great too! It’s a Digimon audio drama interspersed with musical interludes. It’s one big Robert Heinlein reference (but less creepy than the book it got its name from). It also has a great new character concept, some character development for Daisuke, and my favorite Daisuke image song. Wallace sings as well! Plus it’s another surreal adventure with some gorgeous imagery. It’s so random and cool that it exists, and I’m so glad that Wallace was the blonde American Chosen they brought back to be a part of it (nothing against Michael but... c’mon, he’s no Wallace!).
#4: His relationship with Terriermon.
Terriermon is also saddled with quite a heavy burden—not only does he have to be his human partner’s protector and emotional anchor, but he has to live with the knowledge that their primary aggressor is his own brother. But he handles it, and even manages to put on a smile along the way. Wallace may chide him, or treat him gingerly because he’s afraid of losing him too, but their shared grief and desire to stick together no matter what makes their bond so incredibly palpable. Terriermon would do anything for Wallace. He will always come back because of how much he’s needed. He is the optimistic ray of hope that keeps Chocomon’s fate from being too dark. Because at least when it’s over, he and Wallace will still have each other.
#5: His relationship with Daisuke.
This kid excels at getting under Daisuke’s skin. And yet when it really mattered, Daisuke was nothing but supportive! The movie forgot to make the fight about rescuing Original Chosen because it was more interested in focusing on Wallace and Daisuke’s feelings and teaming up to do something painful yet necessary. Them having simultaneous rival/romantic interest energy is some POWERFUL stuff, but their relationship so often overlooked in light of other (admittedly great) Daisuke ships. It’s just a terrific rarepair, and will always be my secret weakness (and hey, if you ever want to summon, distract, or incapacitate me for any reason? JUST SHOW ME WALLSUKE).
THEM!!! *incomprehensible shrieking*
#6: Shared roots?
I mean... yeah. He’s a Colorado boy transplanted to the East Coast. I can’t pretend that I don’t identify with that just a LITTLE bit, given my current lifestyle choices XD I love thinking about him growing up on the Front Range (er, maybe the plains?), scrambling over rocks like a mountain goat, buying fireworks across the Wyoming border, and/or shooting coffee cans off fence posts with a BB gun because that’s just how you do sometimes. I also love that the English movie weaves Willis into the plot of OWG, just because of additional tidbits like “he’s a child genius taking classes at Colorado State.” HECK YEAH he IS! GO RAMS!!!! Wallace lets me live in a world where my life intersects with my favorite show of all time just a teensy little bit. Just let me have this T^T
#7: Random miscellaney.
It’s the little things that count. Like the fact that the contents of his backpack are rendered in loving detail on one of his model sheets. Guys, it’s AMAZING. He carries around a Rubik’s cube, a SNORKEL(!!), and a Pillsbury Doughboy tote bag. Bless this stupid kid.
