good backstory and raumon's feelings of his forms

I like Natalie because she is just like a normal person and different from the other digidestined leaders that accept all with grand courage and will, she just acting because she is stuck on this and can't leave.

So this story has now gotten some backstory and revealed some important answers and questions. This tale has become quite surprisingly entertaining.

Just like I said Meg benefited from last chapter, I'm glad you focused on Nat this chapter as it definitely helped flesh her out in my eyes. While the introduction chapters provided good characterization for all the characters, the guys' personalities shown through more than the girls due to their more obvious traits. Obvious is this case does not mean bad of course, merely that the guys personalities were a bit louder than the girls at first glance (Sam's sarcasm or Xander's constant annoyed state as two examples). Meg and Nat seemed a bit more even tempered in personality at first so it took further interactions and different scenarios to get to the core of their characters. Both routes are acceptable and I appreciate the mix of characterization.

Natalie got a wider range of scenarios this chapter with the two extremes being the first scenes and the last encounter. Seeing her both with friends and with someone who really pisses her off showed her range and provided a more complete picture of her. It's interesting comparing her to the "gogglehead"/leader type characters, be it Simon or any of the canonical leads. Nat seems to be the "leader" in that she is definitely a driving force for progress and cohesion in the group, though unlike any other leader she isn't hotheaded, overly energetic, completely optimistic or the like. I always enjoy seeing the typical Digimon/Five man band roles being played with so I appreciate what you are doing with her character.

Natalie went up in my character rankings a lot after this chapter and for one reason in particular: I find her the most relatable. While I love all your characters it was in this chapter that I saw a lot of similarities in personality with myself and Natalie. What sold this idea to me was the first few scenes of the group hanging out and how she acted in those scenes. I think you nailed the sense of a bunch of slightly anti-social/introverted twenty-somethings hanging out and capture those kind of nights perfectly (probably helps that I have spent many a nights playing Cards Against Humanity and having similar conversations with friends). Seriously though, great work making your characters feel natural and relatable in your writing, you definitely excel at characterization (particularly in dialogue) and capturing moods and experiences.

Speaking of the opening scenes, I think it was definitely a smart idea to have time jumps between chapters. It lets the story flow a lot quicker without having to deal with every monster of the week and slow advancement in group dynamics. While this can be tricky in the sense that you could make the character relationships develop off screen, I think you have found a good balance in how we got to see the various members interact in chapters before this (Peter and Sam, Meg and Natalie/Xander, etc.) and using characters personalities to serve a role in keeping the group together (it seriously seems like the guys would all be off doing their own thing if they didn’t have the girls keeping them together), as well as providing natural justification for these strangers to bond in both the life-threatening aspect and how they all bond over keeping this secret for 15 years. Seeing everyone get along in this semi-calm has me excited for seeing them all losing it at each other when shit inevitably hits the fan.

As for the actual meat of the chapter, I knew there was going to be a rival group to the gang but you still have me excited. I’ve always loved the idea of a group of antagonists who grow at the same rate as the protagonists over the course of the story rather than just having antagonists who the protags have to build to or arc villains. While the other team is clearly not going to be made of screaming psychopaths, edgelords, or other stock anime villains, or really be “villains” at all, the fact that they are clear opposed to the main gang means this idea is still very much in play and I’m glad to see some shades of gray in this conflict.

(Quick sidebar, I’m torn between who had best line for this chapter: Raumon with “crown prince of douchebaggery or Xander’s goddamn power ranger squad comment. Either way I got a good laugh out of Raumon’s face in the screenshot.)

Shitomon’s a cool design. I dig the angel vibes as well as being somewhere between a full humanoid Angemon-esque line and a Cherubimon-style beast angel. Personality-wise she seems fun, and having her play off her somewhat opposite in Raumon worked well. The angel design also fits well into the main group having a dark aesthetic while their opponents have a brighter aesthetic .

Ryan is perfectly characterized for how you seem to be using him so far. You made him very easy to get annoyed at and hate which is good as an antagonist. What works is that it’s not because he’s a puppy-kicking monster or the like but is just standard twenty-something douchebag : not the worst thing in the world but so grating to be around. If you were going for friendly at first glance but full of himself and kind of a prick, I’d say you’d nail it. His interactions with Natalie led to a lot of great moments on her end and I’m excited to see him interact with the other cast members, especially since Natalie is one of the most personable and she can’t stand him (Xander and Sam meeting him will probably lead to blows.) That said as much as he was an annoying douche and made it easy to sympathize with Nat, I think your writing of him made it so that him changing/showing a better side to himself later is still more than possible. Good job there.

With regards to the big plot revelation, I can’t say it hasn’t got me excited at the possibilities. It seems like we may be reaching a point of the story where things start to ramp up, and I already have my theories about the group’s past and about the mysterious 6th/9th character. I’m definitey digging the slow unraveling mystery here.

Great chapter as usual, and particularly excellent characterization this time around. I already love this cast and am so excited to see what you put them through and whether my theories are confirmed. Can’t wait for the next one-X

P.S. The benefit of me taking my sweet-ass time writing this review is the new chapter should be out tomorrow for me to enjoy (and probably take a while to write another gushing review for.)

The benefit of the story being set entirely on Earth so far is moments like this chapter. Seeing each characters doing mundane things like working or getting coffee together provides excellent characterization, in that we see what the leads are doing and how they act when they aren't fighting or dealing with direct plot advancement.

I already loved Xander and Desmon and this chapter only helped to solidify that, especially with regards to how Xander acts about something he enjoys doing as opposed to being dragged into monster shenanigans. The abrasive bastard is a joy to read and I liked seeing him not being entirely abrasive to some of the gang. Not to mention the music provided was definitely up my alley.

Meg also grew a lot on me this chapter. She definitely seems to be the heart of this team, especially considering she seems to be able to handle Xander. The band related scenes worked for both characters, since we got to see Xander in his element but also provided more on Meg and her interests. The coffee shop scene definitely helped with her characterization as well as that of Natalie. It's nice seeing some of the gang trying to be friends and like these people they keep risking their lives with, and the budding friendship between those two felt natural with what was established with the characters. I'm looking forward to seeing it develop, especially since the rest of the crew doesn't seem like the touchy feely type.

Action scene was pretty standard digimon fare, though still dramatic and providing good character moments ( the musical accompaniment of Jinx Removing probably helped). More interesting was the last two scenes since they provided greater plot advancement. I was spoiled on their being another group from your deviantart a few years ago, though it does't exactly seem to be some massive twist yet. I'm excited to see how they come into the picture and how they play off the main gang. And Ratamon's words have got the gears going in my head.

All in all, another stellar chapter with excellent characterization, and I can't wait for more-X

P.S. I think I am going to need that extension for the contest deadline after all, if that's still possible.

Lemony Snicket: a phrase here meaning great writing

I'm not sure if you remember me from the re:genesis days but I'm excited to see this story continue. The past few years (amazed that it's been three years since I was reviewing re:gen) I have been even less active on the site than I used to be, for the most part checking the site only out of habit without really reading any new stories. When I saw the update I'm sure I had a stupid grin on my face at seeing another story from you updating again. Re:genesis was an amazing read for me, as evidenced by the many, many gushing reviews I gave and I can already tell Re:connect will be the same.

Last time I reviewed I mainly compared it to re:genesis, which would be difficult now as my memory isn't as fresh since it has been a few years (though I know have the impulse to reread it). From what I got from checking my old reviews for both stories, I can definitely see the improvement in the writing style. The snarky, tongue-in-cheek narration is both funny and wonderful to read, as it definitely gives the story its own unique flavor. Your descriptions are solid, not overloading with details at any time so as to make it boring but enough detail to paint a picture for the reader. I do have to give praise as the description is fine to read despite being in a fairly normal setting as compared to the fantastic nature of the digital world.

I'm definitely digging the plot so far. I remember you compared it to Tamers to re:Genesis' Adventure/Frontier, which is clear from the mostly Earth setting, everyone being confused and not forming a team immediately, and definitely a bit more of an edge. The characters not being thrown into another environment means that the plot is slightly slower paced which lets us get a better idea of the characters on their own. The hints from the mons of the week have already got me theorizing, and I'm eagerly waiting to see what you do with it.

More than anything else as always I have to praise your characters. Each of the five pairs got to shine in their introduction chapters, and since they aren't altogether all the time as the re:gen kids were, the partners stand out, as do their interactions with one another. As with your last work, the humans and partners are each unique and their personalities really shine through in your writing. The fact that they are older than the Re:gen kids is something I appreciate, as their age is closer to mine so that they seem like peers, as I definitely myself and people I know in them. Being grumpy adults rather than middle-schoolers makes them snarkier, have more obvious issues, and less likely to play well with one another. Between Xander, Peter, and Sam (and Gelermon), I've already seen a lot of great character moments and dynamics, and I expect many more between now and when they actually form a real team.

One final thing I have to praise is your designs. I've checked your deviantart and the website on and off so I've seen the evolution of the main digimon designs. Epidemon in re:genesis was a favorite design of mine, so the fact that the core digimon are decidedly darker/horror themed in design is just one more thing I love about this story. Your art style and designs for the cast are phenomenal, similar to the typical Digimon art with your own flair.

With all the gushing done I think it's safe to say that you have me hooked yet again. Re:genesis was incredible and yet Re:connect may be on track to surpassing it. You definitely have made a dedicated fan for this and any other potential FDD stories in the future. I do want to say that I have been reading on the site and appreciate the in-chapter art and osts, though I will most likely review on here out of habit.

All in all, fantastic work so far and it's good to have you back. Can't wait for the 1st-X

P.S. I am planning on submitting something for the re:contest, and even with my procrastination I should have it by the deadline.

Excellent introduction. Following.

more please!

Great chapter! By the way this is just a suggestion, after you done with this story you could make a sequel to re: GENESIS like how digimon adventure 02 was to digimon adventure 01. It has a lot of potential like the story I'm reading now.

Great chapter! I can't wait to read more.

So here we are at re:Connect at last. I would have reviewed sooner but December was a pretty busy month for me so I haven't really had a chance to review until now.

So far, I am really impressed by re:con. These first two chapters are a huge leap in quality for the first two chapters of re:Gen. The descriptions of the city and the various locals painted a vivid picture in my mind. Perhaps more importantly, all four of the (revealed) main characters have fleshed out personalities and natural interactions with each other. While I felt re:gen struggled in the beginning with showing the characters' personalities, your writing in re:con expresses the personalities of its leads with little difficulty.

Story-wise, this story is very much the Tamers to re:Gen's Adventure. This opening was far slower, especially with the tiered introductions of the leads and no one being quite sure of the plot yet, compared to Deekamon telling all the characters (sans Luke) what the situation. All of this works well, since it means we get a better chance to grow attached to the characters individually and gives way to more surprises in the plot.

While there hasn't been anything overly dark or mature yet, the focus on older protagonists gives Re:con an older, more mature feel. The older cast, who are not necessarily fighting for their lives on a daily basis like the Re:Gen kids, gives a lot of room for more developed characters and better interactions. The Re:gen kids got along pretty well and bonded quickly due to the high level of danger and all being strangers in a new place, Re:Con's protagonists leave a lot more room for conflict, and as chapter two showed, they are going to be all best buddies immediately, it will take work like in real life. Capitalizing on the conflict between characters would be a great route to take in this story.

I apologize if all the re:gen comparisons got old after a while. If it sounded like I was knocking re:gen, that wasn't my intention as I thoroughly enjoyed re:gen (as my many reviews showed haha). It was mainly to show how you have improved in your writing since early Re:gen and to say I am enjoying the different take Re:Con gives readers.

As always, I am eagerly waiting for the next chapter of your work, and can't wait for more-X

Okay. First reaction:
GYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, I cannot believe re:CONNECT is here! I have to say, Xander is pretty awesome. Natalie is cool, but I LOVE XANDER! He's just cool, in a punk rock sort of way. Natalie is more adorable than cool. Raumon is one, super-fly plague bird. I love his design and his character is just too funny. A little plague bird that likes to read. How cute? And I love how Desmon and Xander get along. Despite his "too-cool-for-school" attitude, he still shows his affection for his friend and I LOVE IT. Desmon goes really well with him, they're amazing partners.

Now. The story.

It's way different from re:GENESIS, which I really wasn't expecting. I guess real VS digital world would be very different. I didn't expect them to be able to drive and all that cool stuff, but I don't know why. I guess their ages kind of gives that away, but eh. Anywho, I'm really siked to figure out what Yasyamon was after and why Digimon like Saberdramon are in the city. I am so excited to meet your other characters. Knowing you, they're going to be FRICKIN awesome. XD I am so excited for the Digimon. Especially Hulimon. He looks so amazing.

Also, I saw on your deviant page your "My Eyes" picture. I really don't want Raumon to be sad... he's so cute. But shout out to "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog". :3

Although, I do admit. I miss Julian and Faris and Andrea and Tobi... especially Simon. I really miss Simon. And Luke. Luke was so cute. ...I really hate to say this, but I don't miss Emily. She never really stuck out to me, I guess. But ANYWAY. I miss re:GENESIS. :(

But I am content with re:CONNECT. I cannot wait for the story to progress. Have happy holidays, Deekamon. :D Keep writing!

-FFoaP

When I heard Reconnect was out, it felt like a new season of the show started. Keep up the good work!