Call me the Silent Insomniac. TSI or Insomniac for short.

I'm an old, old man. Well... not literally! I'm old by FFN standards. Graduated from university on 2010, obviously in my early 20's... yeah that kinda stuff. HOWEVER! I've been an FFN lurker since high school. So I'm not exactly a noob to the whole fanfiction thing.

Tidbits about myself, right? I'm a bit more connected to real life than most. So that means I'm predominantly business-minded. Actually an aspiring financial analyst with dreams of becoming a money manager. Hehe, perhaps one day, I'll be famous enough to be one of those guys you see on the business news. A guy can dream, right? Of course, since this site is all about FFN, if you happen to have an interest in the stock market, your family or personal situation has financial trouble, please don't bombard me with too many questions. I like helping people and all, but fanfiction is one of the few guilty pleasures of my life, and I prefer to keep it that way. :)

When it comes to fandoms, I have an immense loyalty to the Digimon franchise (with an obsession for V-Mon! I want a life-size plushie XD JUST ONE shall be enough... too bad I'm pretty hard to please lolololz). If it wasn't for Digimon, I wouldn't be an avid (and closet) anime freak right now. It's an underrated series, but who the hell cares. Others I have grown to like/love are: Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece, Tsubasa Chronicles, The World God Only Knows, xXxHolicxXx, Fate/Stay Night (UBW Route) and Fate/Zero, Galaxy Angels, Psyren, D. Gray-man, and others. Non-anime fandoms I follow are How to Train Your Dragon, Mass Effect, Doctor Who, and How I Met Your Mother.

I'm also an avid PC Gamer. :D

Now, why did I go from lurker to writer?

Simple.

I've got plenty of plot bunnies. Some are dead. Some are still alive and kicking. Many are for original stories. Few are for the fandoms I'm raving on. Everything I write and upload here on FFN have been grilled thoroughly for the highest quality of writing and plot design, and I'm one of the few people in the FF community who isn't averse to the use of OC's and self-inserts -- I operate under different standards from what one normally sees in the Sue/Stu litmus tests, and I tend to focus more on the storyline, the writer's originality, and the writer's narration style.

That doesn't mean I have my pet peeves though. I despise flat-out Gary Stus to hell (because the writer starts focusing too much on one character! And everyone else gets left behind in the dust. Hmph.) and if there's something I hate more than badly-designed characters, it's a DEUS EX MACHINA event.

Now, I never flame. I criticize. But never flame. Unfortunately some people seem to think it's a personal attack...

I am drawn to stories that break the mold, especially if they are serious and descriptive, whose writer exerts immense effort in his/her work. There's plenty of opportunities to effectively innovate in certain fandoms (Digimon and Mass Effect come to mind), but scarce in some (How to Train Your Dragon). It's actually a lot like business, if you ask me.

THE MAIN STORY

Title: The Interloper

Full Synopsis:

Eight years after the Digital Monsters were revealed to all by a million points of light, rising fears and condescension has compelled humanity to strike first and instigate a war between the two races. It has been two years since then. On October of 2013, humanity is now on the brink of victory, their impending triumph guaranteed by technological innovations and the scattering of the Chosen Children. Guided by a global authority on all digital matters, Man has adapted well to the existence of digimon, turning them into commodities for personal, commercial, and military use.

The war between men and monsters, however, is far from over. Veemon, seemingly abandoned in the Digital World by his beloved friend and brother, Daisuke Motomiya, makes first contact with a secretive but powerful fugitive traversing various worlds, and hounded by tragedy. Their friendship will sow chaos into the chasm dividing humanity and digimon, escalating the war into unforeseen proportions. Will this partnership, a product of sheer circumstance, reunite Veemon with Daisuke? Will it resolve the war in the best way possible? Or will misfortune simply fall on the Chosen Children as a whole?

My vision for this fiction:

The Interloper is a deconstruction of the fairy tale epilogue in Zero Two,where the concept of digimon populating the Real World is played straight. There are seven story arcs planned for this fic alone and, if I finish it, I might just consider writing a direct sequel.

Loyal to the Adventure continuity, the storyline is designed to pass for canon. It is meant to be intricate, highly realistic, and touching on several themes. Being a deconstruction of the epilogue, you can obviously expect this bad boy to be dark and cynical, as is often the case when you try to haul in the gears of real life into something as innocent as a kid's series.

The writing style is serious and immersive. It is meant to emulate a real novel and is thus written according to the standards governing professional literature, not to the substandard criteria of quality you would normally expect with fanfiction. In fact, if you're reading other fandoms, then this writing style will be similar to those found in the likes of: Hitchups (How to Train your Dragon), Blind Spot (How to Train your Dragon), Anthem of our Dying Day (Sonic the Hedgehog), Sonic Concepts (Sonic the Hedgehog), Power Enriched by the Heart (Sonic the Hedgehog), A Different Road Traveled (Sonic the Hedgehog), The Pokonomist (Pokemon), Language of Life (Pokemon), Darkest Dusk (Pokemon), Unknown Dungeons (Pokemon), ker-plop's and Individual Will's rewrites of Zero Two (Digimon), Digimon Continuity: Aftermath of 02 (Digimon), and Against Destiny (Digimon).

All of them are excellent projects of varying reader feedback (some with less than 1 review a chapter; others with a huge following!). Each of them stand out as a testimony that one does not need to be governed by subpar writing standards when writing something as mundane and unproductive as fanfiction.

Now that I've gone on and said it, lighthearted scenes in my fic are as detailed as the rest. However, such scenes are not common and are meant to be a lull in the seriousness at hand and allows for readers to take a breather. Combat is elaborate and fast-paced. Readers will be pitted to imagine modern-day firearms and technology being used against monsters of mass destruction. Humanity's talent for innovation and creativity is a key aspect being driven at here; for example, I am pretty sure that if Digimon existed in real life and our wonderful politicians and governments have found a way to tap into it, eventually, they would've come up with something that would endow humans with powers initially available to Digimon (see Chapter 1).

The Interloper sets itself apart from most digimon stories by restricting digital evolution. This doesn't mean that the protagonists are handicapped, but rather, it just means that evolution will not occur as often as expected from something in the fandom. This aims to emphasize the fighting abilities of the monsters as they normally are, and highlights the role human combatants play here. Yes, DIGIMON WILL BE FIGHTING PEOPLE. The Chosen Children themselves will also participate in battle, brandishing guns and armor (revealed in Chapter 11), and the reason for this lies in the higher stakes and increased danger posed to the human partners.

When evolution does occur, you won't get something like "Agumon evolves to... GREYMON!" or "Veemon evolves to... FLADRAMON!" HELL NO. I am aiming for realism here, and while the incantations for evolution are still there (e.g. Armor Evolution's "Digimental Up!"), the evolving creatures themselves don't do something that would only work or look cool in anime or games. Digimon do not always call out their moves by name, and they are capable of performing feats that are doable in real life despite never been seen in canon (e.g. Veemon using guns to offset his lack of ranged attacks).

Genre: Deconstruction, Action, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Main themes:

True Friendship, Coping with Loss, the Dark Side of Man, Hope (as defined by Gabriel Marcel: "positive non-acceptance"), Happiness or Eudamonia (as defined by Aristotle), the Butterfly Effect

Main protagonists:

1. Veemon - Digimon partner to Daisuke Motomiya, the Chosen Child of Miracles. Three years before the First Contact, Daisuke left Veemon alone in the Digital World out of concern and the desire to protect, promising a hearty reunion after the war. Since then, Veemon lived on, fighting for this promise, adhering to Daisuke's beliefs until it became one with his own code of justice. Never faltering, never wavering, enduring the signs of the cold, hard truth exploding around him. But as time passed, the separation between the two, the echoes of a distant promise, and a human invasion into the Digital World brought Veemon to the brink of losing his faith in humanity, of conceding to the notion held by every non-Chosen digimon: Daisuke had abandoned him, never to return. Only when he encountered Christopher Van Numen and befriended him did his old, cheerful self manifest again.

In the current story arc (Priorities), Veemon went to the Real World with Christopher, expecting to find Daisuke in the Digidestined's network of tunnels beneath Mt. Fuji. His expectations could only set him up for disappointment, for there he learned his beloved human half had vanished a month before the war in circumstances so sudden and enigmatic Daisuke had long been presumed dead. As if that was not enough, while he was still recovering from the shock of his partner's mysterious disappearance, Christopher betrayed Veemon and dissolved their friendship, disclosing how he took advantage of his kindness and naivety for the sake of his own objectives.

Addendum: my portrayal of Veemon here reflects Noda Junko's V-Mon instead of Derek Prince's Veemon since I grew up with that. I'm not used to Derek's interpretation at all. Sorry, dub fans!)

2. Christopher Van Numen (OC) - A fugitive from beyond the Real and Digital Worlds. Hailing from another universe, Christopher arrived at the Spire of Courage seriously wounded, his battered, grief-stricken thoughts focused on self-preservation. Encountering Veemon at the end of the first chapter, he befriended the blue dragon and received much-needed medical treatment through his authority as a Chosen.

He is an enigma. A force to be reckoned with. Possessing phenomenal abilities, he has proven himself capable of defeating Adult (Champion) digimon with little effort, even in a critical state. Many had come to fear him, his ruthless demeanor, and his equipment, none of which had ever been glimpsed in the 21st century. The blond constantly refuses to divulge anything about himself, maintaining a veil of secrecy. He has expressed his hatred of destiny again and again, relentlessly and obsessively swearing to "alter his fate". None of these deter Veemon's childish and insatiable curiosity, piqued by Christopher's ambiguous background and unnatural abilities, along with the fact he was the first human in three years to approach him with friendship rather than outright hostility.

In the current story arc (Priorities), Chris has entered the Real World to seek the Digidestined, a radical, political group opposing the Digital Suppression Initiative. Recognizing the budding relationship between them, he allowed Veemon to accompany him in spite of their conflicting interests. Haunted by the tragedies of his recent past and determined to prevent his curse from claiming the life of his only friend in this universe, the blond separated from Veemon in a manner so disastrous it permanently dissolved the friendship. Though the two have since parted ways, Christopher's decision had taken its toll and turned the man into a machine of purpose. Cold and indifferent, always rationalizing away his conscience.

3. Hikari Yagami - the Chosen Child of Light, younger sister to Taichi and one of the leadership figures of the Digidestined. Hikari has lived in refuge since the war had begun. The ten years spanning the death of BelialVamdemon, the Golden Age of the Digital Revelation, and Veemon's First Contactregressed whatever personal development she might have had. Humanity's rising hostility to the Digimon, combined with tragedies befalling the Twelve -- particularly those involving Takeru and Daisuke -- had long overwhelmed Hikari, making her increasingly reliant and dependent on her own brother.

Introduced as a central character in the second story arc (Priorities), Hikari has been suffering from ominous dreams, three scenes of which were so pervasive it was burned into living memory. Since the night of Operation: Pyramid, Hikari plunged into the nadir of despair, only to receive a light of hope in Veemon's arrival and the news he brought from the Digital World. A light diluted by Christopher Van Numen, a man she recognized from her nightmares and thus, a prelude to a future catastrophe.

In the recent chapters, Hikari discovers her brother survived the conclusion of Operation: Pyramid and is currently held captive within the DSI's global headquarters in Shinjuku. The Child of Light has embarked on a suicide mission aiming to liberate her brother, armed with nothing but a non-lethal pistol and accompanied by Tailmon and Veemon.

4. Taichi Yagami - the Chosen Child of Courage. Older brother to Hikari Yagami, Taichi is the general commander of the Digidestined, having adopted the mantle of leadership in the light of Daisuke's, Takeru's, and Ken's absences, a great misfortune arising from the circumstances of the times. Resting on his shoulders is the responsibility to maintain and keep alive the flames of courage in the Digidestinedas he leads them through the fight against the Digital Suppression Initiative. For security reasons, Taichi's signature bushy hair has been cut short.

Introduced as a central character in the second story arc (Priorities), Taichi Yagami, sick and tired of the life led by the Digidestined, of watching the Child of Light descend into insanity, resorted to a desperate, midnight atack on the DSI's headquarters. This last resort, Operation: Pyramid, ultimately failed due to multiple, behind-the-scenes interventions by Felicia Portal, one of Christopher's many enemies. Although the JNN reported his death, in reality the Child of Courage is alive, incarcerated by the DSI. He has recently been released from his prison, an unwilling pawn in a puppeteer's schemes.

Other Information regarding Characters:

First, I have imported two villains from other seasons of Digimon due to their high compatibility with the conflict and themes running my story. These were revealed to be Mitsuo Yamaki (Tamers)and Akihiro Kurata (Savers). However, because they came from foreign continuities, I took the liberty of reconstructing their backgrounds and abilities in order to acclimatize them to The Interloper canon.

Second, other than the four protagonists above, all other characters with significant roles in the story are relegated to the supporting cast. You will not be seeing me switch POV's between multiple Chosen at a time. You will not see me switch settings abruptly. The Interloper's impact would be dulled through this 3rd person omniscient approach, and I would prefer the "unreliable narrator" device and other limiting factors to control expectations and maximize immersion.

Third, I employ "disposable OC's" or import multiple cameos from the other seasons, and a few other anime series as well. Expect many of these to be from Tamers, since it's my favorite aside from Zero Two. Don't be surprised if you see characters from Savers or even Xros Wars, as the innovations they brought to the franchise earned my respect for them. Note that such cameos or OC's may end up being promoted to the supporting cast. Rika Nonaka is one example of this.

Status:

The "exposition fix" is finally over. I am stopping it at the middle of the original chapter two (now called "A Strange Friend") because I want to start updating the main story again.

As always, real life and my professional career will prevent me from updating The Interloper as fast as I'd want to, but at least now I can begin working on God Moder, the next chapter.

What to expect on the next few chapters:

The next chapters are devoted to the second major battle of The Interloper (or third if you count Taichi's Operation: Pyramid), during the DSI HQ Infiltration by Veemon, Hikari and Tailmon, and Christopher Van Numen. This series of chapters represents the climax and denouement of the Priorities story arc, although from what I am currently going through, it looks like the DSI Infiltration can be a story arc in its own right.

At any rate, this series will cover exhaustive and thrilling (I hope) combat between the Chosen Children (rather than the Digidestined) and the Digital Suppression Initiative. A sense of urgency is intended to flow throughout a majority of the whole mission, as to emphasize what exactly is at stake here -- reprieve from loneliness, salvation of a brother, emotional development, selfish aspirations and unprecedented complications, and most importantly, the fate of the entire war between men and monsters.

At the same time, multiple elements crucial to the long-term progress of this intended epic's storyline will appear in the mission, building up on what has been set in place since First Contact onward. Every single one a milestone of advancement. An addition to the mystery surrounding the dark and realistic world envisioned by The Interloper. Charged by the congregation of betrayal, shock, rage, distrust, and protectiveness, the DSI Infiltration is just the beginning of the cascading chain of events to come.

To tickle one's expectations for the story, here are the story arcs I intend to write: First Contact (complete, CH1 - CH9), Priorities (in progress, CH10 - CH36), Full Circle, Fighting Destiny, Revelations, Powerless, and Confluence. The Interloper has been estimated to run for at least 70 chapters (of 10k words minimum), but ever since I started planning in-depth, it looks like this estimate is starting to look inadequate...

Personal comments on the fiction as a whole:

I love the show, especially season 2 for the nostalgia factor, as it grew on me during my late elementary school days. It's a bit childish of me to watch its episodes from time to time (English Subs or Filipino-English Dub, which is far better than the US Dub imo, but maybe that's just because it's the closest English dub there is to the original :D), actually. But, to be honest, this show's the reason why I became an anime addict in the first place ahahaha!

Still, after watching the ending of Zero Two for the second time in my life, after I-don't-know-how-many-years, I was pissed. Seriously. The ending wasn't realistic. It was too ideological, and optimistic, placing too much faith on humanity's good side as if the evils we did never exist. Humans are discriminatory and prejudicial by nature, and are also quite fearful of the unknown and terrifying. How many times have we been driven mad with fear, looking straight at recent natural disasters and terrorist acts? How traumatizing is it really to be attacked by a fellow human being, especially if it's for a shallow reason like racial/gender discrimination, or just being plain drunk? Humans aren't so trusting, either; the world is ordered such that it becomes difficult to place one's trust in another, out of fear for that person to just shatter it in an instant.

Drawing inspiration from what I learned in Philosophy, Political Science, and History, from what I read in the local newspapers (the Philippines is one hell of a shithole, BTW), from movies like the Matrix trilogy, I, Robot, and even District 9 (though this story's been in my head way before said movie even came out, so it only encouraged me to write), I came up with The Interloper. This story.

Instead of the happy future the main characters of Digimon Adventure (Zero Two) envisioned 25 years after the anime's ending, I envisioned a future wherein humans grew to distrust the digimon and eventually start an outright war, for the digimon's eradication or submission, whichever comes first. And why not? The Digimon act out of their own volition, their own free will. They are fully capable of reason, like Man. But Man is discriminatory, prejudicing, and paranoid. Man is also thought to be inclined towards violence (read Stephen King's Cell) Imagine scenarios where poor humans and their monster partners commit crimes side by side, directly attacking others, using the former's emotive power to empower the latter. Imagine humans looking down on digimon completely simply because they are simply Self-Conscious Artificial Intelligences (SCAIs) made from computer data, which humans created. These situations are incredibly realistic, and reveal much of humanity's dark side, which most of us try to ignore with futility.

The purpose of this story is to show how we are capable of overcoming our differences with those who are so starkly different from us. For this sake, I will not use the formula for the story and instead throw in an OC. The OC himself breaks from the mold of being some other kid/person who is just inserted into the story via plot devices: he is a fugitive running across multiple worlds. That's right: worlds. It may remind you of Tsubasa Chronicles, but said franchise hasn't come out yet when I began conceiving the roots of this OC's biography. What makes him different from other OCs is that he's LITERALLY inserted into the whole mess happening in the Adventure universe. He's a complete outsider, an interloper! (Hence, the title.) He isn't involved in some ancient prophecy foretold way before the Digital Gods were born. He's not some exchange student who flew in from America/EU/wherever. He's not a classmate of the Adventure Digidestined. The way I made him, this OC won't even make major contributions to the success of the Chosen Children! He has his own story, his own villains, his own battles, and if I daresay, his own prophecy (which was fulfilled way before he even set foot in the Adventure universe, FYI). He works under the principle of "noninterference" and places his mission above the needs of almost all those he meets (or at the very least, he tries to). Isn't it obvious that this OC will just screw up everything in the Adventure universe just by BEING THERE?

Aaaannnnd, that's the whole point.

I only hope you will enjoy this story.

Now, why use V-Mon? Why not couple the OC with another monster? I could've just used anyone else, right? The simplest answer to that is: I'm actually a huge V-Mon fan. As in, seriously. To the point of near-obsession (well, I don't cosplay and I don't collect merchandise so I'm still safe :D). I don't give a damn about the romantic pairings (I'm Takari actually heehee). Chock it to personal bias! Hahahaha! :P

Curious facts I just discovered:

Chris scores 16 on the Original Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test. Lucille Diaz (main OC villain) scores 14. The only other OC villain in the story scored 26, but that's because there was nothing on the test that addressed villains specifically. A villain sue test on Quizilla gave her a 22.22% score (3-dimensional villain). XD

POSSIBLE COMPANION STORIES TO THE MAIN PROJECT

Although The Interloper will delve into areas like the ten-year gap between Zero Two and the events in the storyline or even a little bit about Christopher's background (since he is a main character), the long-term nature of the project limits any real leaps into these areas and focuses on what's going on in the war. Yes, the main story will touch on several points but is not expected to dwell on them.

After reading When Pandora's Box is Open, an endgame Detective Conan fic with pretty much its own take and combines elements from Magic Kaito and Detective Conan almost seamlessly, I noted that the author has also written a "companion fic" to explain things that aren't really going to be fleshed out - but summarized in the main story. Likewise, because short stories aren't good enough, I intend on doing the same at one point... well, if real life lets me. I'm an adult, so I have my own responsibilities and dreams to fulfill.

So what are these potential side projects?

Title: Coexistence

Synopsis: A prequel taking place during the ten-year gap, the story is told through the eyes of Professor Samuel Oak, a renowned American biologist entrusted by the US Government to go to Japan and work with a science team composed of computer engineers, programmers, and biologists all led by the best man Japan has to offer: Dr. Akihiro Kurata, PhD. They are tasked to research the digimon and uncover the many secrets hidden within these sentient creatures. While Professor Oak believes they are doing this to further understand the monsters and coexist with them, his naivete clouds his mind from seeing the truth: their research will play significant roles in domesticating the digital monsters.

Status: Zero.

Notes: the story will be told in a first person POV, akin to a person writing entries in a journal/diary. Being a bit of a pokemon fan myself (but not enough to write fanfics about it), I was thinking of calling his journal Latias. XD That'll be funny. LOL.

Title: Degeneration

Synopsis: A prequel to "The Interloper". Though the main story will obviously, at an appropriate time, provide the events that took place during the 10 years between BelialVamdemon's death (last episode of Zero Two) and V-Mon's first contact with Chris at the Spire of Courage (chap. 1), Degeneration takes this a notch higher and focuses completely on the past. The beginning will probably look similar to the Digimon Continuity series as its author and I appear to look at realistic reactions to the Digimon Phenomenon in the Adventure universe. :P

Status: Zero. Duh. I'll write it when I feel like it. MAIN STORY FIRST!!

Title: The Visionary

Synopsis: A prequel to The Interloper, set during both Adventure and Zero Two canon as they were occurring. Yukio Oikawa was not the only one who escaped capture by Vamdemon's forces and watched the Chosen Children slay the vampire and ascend the sky to another world. Kurata Akihiro not only evaded capture, but also retained his memories of this landmark event. The Visionary explores Kurata Akihiro's experiences and thoughts during the Odaiba Invasion and Ginzo Hostage Crisis, leading up to the day Professor Oak is flown in from the United States.

Status: Under consideration.

Synchronicity

Synopsis: A sequel to "The Interloper". The storyline picks up two weeks after the ending of the original story, and is envisioned to tie up any loose ends. Planning for it is extremely difficult. I already have the beginning and ending finalized, but the path from Point A to Point B is pretty fuzzy. I might work on Coexistence before Synchronicity for that matter.

Status: Obviously, zero. Writing will only begin once I finish The Interloper. Makes me wonder how long that'll take. LOL.

Exploring the Middle East

My synopsis:

Dora the Explorer is exploring the Middle East, unknowingly employed by the US Marine Corps. Nobody knows why they drafted a little girl into the Marines, but they did. And now, she has to explore the Middle East and stop the war, aided by friends who seemingly appear from nowhere. Comedy.

Status: zero.

Any other notes: Will begin once I can think of a good plot rather than sticking to nonsense adventures in the Middle East.

That Airplane Ride (one-shot)

Fandom: Digimon

Synopsis: Remember that CD Drama Natsu e no Tobira (Eng: Door to Summer)? Why did Daisuke decide to go to New York - of all the places - after being rejected by Hikari? HOW did he go on that long, 12-hour plane ride when he was still a minor? HOW THE EFFING HELL DID CHIBIMON GET PAST SECURITY AND ALL THOSE NASTY AIR TRAVEL PROTOCOLS? In fact, what was Chibimon's first experience of riding a plane like? This oneshot gives us the answers to all these questions and serves as a prequel to said CD Drama.

Main characters: Daisuke and V-Mon (as Chibimon)

Genre: Friendship, Comedy

Status: Planning Phase. I need to make it sound convincing so I'm looking into TSA regulations and other internationally-accepted standards for lone air travel by minors. Luckily, I've traveled abroad alone as a minor before, so I have a good idea of how Daisuke would experience his first flight alone. Don't know about Chibimon, but he's probably going to be classified as a pet. Since this takes place 2 years fresh of 9/11, I'm probably guessing the TSA would also be paranoid to the level of ridiculousness at this point still.

Other notes: this will be set in the Adventure universe as interpreted in my main story, The Interloper. Hence I would assume this oneshot (and the Door to Summer CD Drama) takes place in the summer of 2003, pushing back the Armagemon attack (the 3rd movie) by a few months.

http:///gadgetlab/2011/02/water-powered-jet-pack-runs-for-two-hours-on-a-single-tank/