#digimonsummermemory

I don’t think the genre I’m referring to has a solidified name in either Japanese (besides the phrase “one summer’s adventure” constantly cropping up) or English, but I think, if I describe it, you’ll probably recognize the kind of story I’m talking about: a secret adventure between kids, often having to be hidden from their parents, possibly involving a treasure map or some kind of hidden discovery or hideout, and usually during some fleeting time period like summer when everything has to be done before school starts again. There’s a strong association with it being a coming-of-age story for children, and, combined with the fleeting time period it takes place in, has a theme of cherishing your ability to have a free-range childhood adventure like this, free from the expectations of adults, while you still can. In Japan, the most popular standout example of this is Stand by Me, but other works with this concept include things like Bridge to Terabithia, The Goonies, Stranger Things, Gravity Falls (which amusingly involves a finale that’s suspected to be referencing Adventure’s), and Luca. On the Japanese end, works like Looking for Haru, Atelier Ryza, Goodbye, Don Glees!, and Drifting Home take obvious cues from the genre.

Given that, perhaps due to the Western taste of the movie taking place largely in America -- and not just America, but a journey to a rural village in Colorado -- and the premise of “a secret shared adventure that we engage in during the summer and hide from the adults”, there are certain ways in which Hurricane Touchdown arguably more greatly resembles those works than the original Adventure. The hitchhiking, the running around the countryside, Wallace sneaking around on his “journey to become an adult” and making shaky excuses to his mom. Even the memories that Wallace invokes of his childhood with Chocomon and Gumimon have a strong sense of a young boy sneaking out with his friends to go have secret adventures under his mom’s nose. And when you contextualize Hurricane Touchdown’s place in 02′s story, it’s a summertime side story that’s set smack in the middle of its narrative, a one-time encounter with a boy in America, a memorable incident and “adventure” they were able to have together with him without having to worry about school or the other daily real-life pressures that characterized most of 02′s real-world, yearlong narrative. It’s the one precious encounter they were able to have in their childhoods, detached from their other pressures -- and, in this case, detached from even their other ongoing issues with fighting the Kaiser. Despite how much 02 took place in the real world, the kids didn’t spend that much time doing rulebreaking or anything particularly under-the-table during the actual series itself, but this movie has Wallace sneaking onto trains and the kids constantly hitchhiking.

To some degree, you could even argue that there’s a sort of criticism of urbanization in here, because there is a strong association with these narratives and backwater, sleepy towns because of the higher range of freedom afforded, and all six kids in Hurricane Touchdown’s narrative are coming from heavily urbanized areas -- the Japanese kids from Tokyo, and Wallace from New York, clinging to his older childhood memories from having lived in the rural town of Summer Memory. One might even wonder if Wallace is so dead-set on wandering around in the countryside because the restrictive urban life of New York just doesn't agree with his free-spirited personality.

In fact, a lot of this movie looks like it came straight out of a movie a few decades older than it really should be, and part of it might be because of the fact they didn’t do actual location scouting and thus weren’t referencing real locations, but when you consider the theme of this movie heavily centering around nostalgia, and the rustic, acoustic-themed soundtrack, the movie’s backdrops seeming a bit outdated is kind of the point; a lot of this is about having nostalgia for a bygone era and being overly attached to it.

Interestingly, Wallace wants this to be his coming-of-age narrative; he outright claims that he’s on “a journey to become an adult” while on the phone with his mother, justifying it as to why he’s wandering around in Colorado, but Daisuke implicitly calls him out for being all talk for pointing out that for all Wallace is claiming to be an adult who does whatever he wants, he’s still dropping everything to call his mother (after all, weren’t these narratives about doing independent things detached from what adults expect of you?). And, when you really think about it, as much as Wallace wants to believe he’s on his own Stand by Me journey, in actuality, he’s basically running away and in denial. Instead of accepting that things have changed since his childhood and that Chocomon has already become something completely different, he convinces himself that ditching home and hauling himself all the way back to Summer Memory will somehow make everything better.

Note the name of the village, too -- the village of Summer Memory is fictional, but Wallace’s fixation on returning back to it represents his inability to move on from, indeed, his memories of summer back in the countryside. Even the moment he steps back into it, he ends up constantly getting distracted and lost in thought about those memories playing with Chocomon and Gumimon, with a sentiment that almost feels fully drenched in “when times were simpler”. Later, Wallace confesses to Daisuke that he was never able to stop thinking about Chocomon, not even after moving to New York; his entire life since his loss of Chocomon has involved hangups and thinking about things he can’t get back, and it’s also another presumable factor as to why his personality is so “warped”. Wallace’s supposed “journey to become an adult” is actually just him clinging even more childishly to the things he can’t let go of. In the end, he’s not that different from Chocomon himself, who will accept nothing less than Wallace at the exact age they parted at.

But if you've seen Stand by Me, while the journey may have started just as a way to check out a dead body, what really led to the growth in the coming-of-age story was the fact that the boys ended up bonding and spilling their emotional problems out to each other, becoming such good friends that even after their adult lives went in different directions, their relationship became unforgettable. After having spurned the others’ help for a fashion, it’s eventually through Daisuke going out of his way to reach out to Wallace that he’s finally able to accept what he needs to move forward and on with his life. All of this is an acknowledgment of the real meaning behind of this: Wallace admits that he’s been acting like a spoiled child, and because of that, after having accused Wallace of having been clingy with his parents earlier, Daisuke acknowledges that Wallace’s journey all the way down to Colorado actually did have meaning -- even though, in the end, he’s still “just a kid”.

Q. So what is the focus for this event?

A. Any aspect of the Adventure franchise that relates to either Hurricane Touchdown (and/or the last third of Digimon: The Movie) or Wallace(/Willis). Want to explore Davis, Yolei, and Cody meeting Yolei's uncles as they travel across the USA? Go for it! Want to detail the aftermath of the older Chosen Children being kidnapped and de-aged? Go for it! What about a scene of Chocomon’s digiegg hatching again? Or Wallace visiting the 02 kids in Japan? Or Last Evolution Kizuna from his or his digimons' point of view? GO FOR IT!!

Q. What if I don’t like the movie, but like Wallace (or vice versa)?

A. It’s ok if you don’t LOVE either of them, but since this is meant to be a celebration event, please refrain from tagging posts engaging in excessive criticism or “bashing” towards a character/piece of media (even if if it’s not one of the characters/pieces of media being celebrated!) as part of this event. AUs and reinterpretations of canon events are ABSOLUTELY allowed (and would be excellent uses of the “alternate” prompt!), but posts that are overly negative will not be reblogged.

Q. If I'm participating, do I have to create something for all three days?

A. Nope! One, two, or three days, any number is fine. The goal is to just create and have fun, no matter what that looks like to you!

Q. Can I repurpose old published fic/art/headcanons as part of this event?

A. If you really don’t have the time or desire to create something new and the original work is your own, then sure (just remember: late entries are fine!).

Q. What does "Choose Your Own" mean in regard to prompts?

A. It means there are no set prompts for each day, and you get to choose which prompts to fulfill, in any order! When reblogged, posts will be tagged with the prompt name, so please indicate in your post(s) which prompt you are fulfilling!

Q. Can I only use "Free Choice" as a prompt once, or can I use it multiple times?

A. You can use any of the prompts as many times as you want!

Q. Can I send event entries to this blog as a submission?

A. Yes!

Q. Is shipping content allowed?

A. Yes!

Q. Are “mature theme” entries (blood, death, violence, body horror, sexually explicit scenes, etc.) allowed?

A. This content is allowed, but not guaranteed to be reblogged. If creating mature-themed content, please 1) use your best judgement, 2) make sure it is properly tagged with warnings in either the body of the post or the tags, and 3) ensure that the mature portion(s) of the work are either a) underneath a “Read More” cut in Tumblr, or b) linked from another site (such as AO3). In other words, design your post so people can choose to “opt in” to it by clicking to view anything questionable. Even when posts follow these guidelines, the mod still reserves the right not to reblog the work. This determination will be made on an individual basis, using the mod's best judgement, in order to provide a safe space for participants. Thank you for understanding!

Q. I have another question that is not answered here!

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.

A/N: I honestly need to rewatch Kizuna and finish the novel, so I might end up revisiting this to make minor word adjustments or larger changes if I find I accidentally contradicted canon :P

"Dr. Bellucci, are you trying to seduce me?" Wallace asked, raising an eyebrow in equal amounts of intrigue and amusement at the older woman sitting across the table from him.

"I'd prefer it if you just called me Menoa," she said. "And what if I were?" Her tone was as casual as if she had just commented on the weather, but her eyes were gleaming, even mirthful, he noted, and fixed steadily on his. "What would you do about it?"

Wallace considered this for a moment. It had been a strange couple of days already: a phone handed to him by the concierge, an appointment made, a morning spent in the name of digimon research with a gorgeous college professor and her stone-faced colleague, followed by an afternoon of casual conversation and a late lunch at the beachfront restaurant that had now nearly taken them into the evening. Menoa Bellucci was like no academic he had ever met: smart, of course, but also young, passionate, witty—and most of all, interested in him. The two of them had a surprising number of things in common... not to mention, he'd always had a thing for redheads.

"If I'm being honest," he said, keeping his tone light and trying to match the glint in her eyes with one of his own, "I'd let you. Being seduced by a beautiful woman is not something I mind in the slightest."

Menoa took a long draw of the sunset-colored drink in front of her, her lips wrapped around the brightly-colored straw. Wallace's hand tightened unconsciously around his own virgin cocktail, the condensation on the glass already saturating the flimsy cardboard coaster beneath it.

"Your, um… boyfriend. He doesn't mind, though?" he asked.

She laughed at this, a melodic, ringing sound that somehow reminded him of a windchime. "Kyotaro? He's my assistant, nothing more. I'm sure he's locked up in his room already, processing the data we collected on your partners. I wouldn't worry about him."

"Just making sure." He chanced a look down at the beach, where he knew Chocomon and Gummymon were napping peacefully beneath the arching palm trees, still worn out from the morning's interview and subsequent data collection.

"You're sure you're comfortable leaving them out there?" Menoa asked, as if she could tell what he was thinking.

He waved away her concern, grinning as if he wasn't starting to become unnerved by the increasing intensity of her stare. "It's fine. The hotel staff all know me, and the guests never seem to notice things like digimon dozing in beach chairs. They've all seen a dozen stranger things before breakfast. That's the great thing about Florida, no one ever bats an eye."

"I see." She removed the butterfly-shaped tie from her braid and shook out her hair, letting it cascade down her shoulders and back, a firey, flaming red against the navy blue of her swimsuit. In one smooth movement she stood, clasped his hand in hers, and pulled him to his feet.

"You have very pretty hair, Menoa," he said. He knew it sounded childish, but he couldn’t help himself—not around her, it seemed.

She considered him for a moment. “Not the most original line I've ever heard,” she said with a smirk. “But I can see how it would be effective. I’ll bet you’ve used it on everyone you’ve been interested in since you were eleven.”

He chuckled, still impressed by her no-nonsense honesty. "Maybe."

***

The edge of the sun was still visible over the horizon, turning the sea to indigo and painting the sky in broad strokes of orange and yellow. Wallace and Menoa walked side-by-side on the beach, his hand hovering near the small of her back, following wherever she might lead. He was oblivious to where she might be taking him, but as the crowds of beachgoers became more and more sparse it became obvious she was looking for someplace a little more private. His heart began to flutter like a butterfly in his chest.

"Aspens," she murmured suddenly.

"Pardon?"

Her head was turned away from him out to sea, the halo of her hair illuminated in brilliant gold. "Sorry. Don't ask me why, but seeing the ocean always makes me miss the mountains. The aspens in particular." She turned, and now he could see her face in profile, her jawline set in a harder line he'd seen at any other point during the day. "Did you know that a stand of aspen trees are considered a single organism? Each tree is the offshoot of a rhiziomatic root structure, essentially a clone of those around it."

"I... guess I didn't know that," he shrugged. "I just thought they were pretty."

"That's why aspen forests all change color together... why they often die together. All of them are the children of that single shared root, linked together underground. They share the exact same strengths, and the exact same weaknesses." She turned to face him then, her tone still serious. "You're sure you don't have any more contact information for human-digimon pairs you've met over the years? Anyone from childhood you've kept in touch with?"

He shook his head, puzzled at the sudden change in her demeanor. "I'm... sorry, I already told you everything I know. You already had the information on Mimi and Daisuke. I don't keep in touch with many people, much less people with digimon."

Her shoulders twitched in a sort of shrug and she gave him an enigmatic half-smile, but she seemed to return to herself after that. "It really is a pity." He could feel her fingers trace up the fabric of his shirt, her arms envelop his shoulders, her hands caress the nape of his neck through his hair as she leaned in ever closer. His eyes were drawn inexorably to her lips, until they eclipsed even the fading light of the sun. She tasted like sea spray, peaches, and vodka, mixed with something odd and sharply metallic.

"Wallace," he heard her whisper close to his ear, "Would you say I'm beautiful?"

"Of course."

"Would you say I'm a goddess?"

"Absolutely."

He felt her lips carve a smile in the hollow of his cheek. "Good." He heard the percussive snap of her fingers, and suddenly everything became blurred by a howl of rushing wind. He hadn't even had time to cry out before his knees hit the sand. The last thing he remembered was what had sounded like the crinkling of a thousand sheets of paper-thin metal, and a child's laugh echoing in his mind, as sharp and thin as a razor cutting through glass.

Menoa brushed a few grains of sand from her arms and readjusted the sarong around her waist. It hadn't been the ideal extraction, but at least it had been amusing in its way, while it lasted. Boys like this one really did all think alike, and now there were three more errant lambs saved, getting a new lease on life as members of her flock. She glanced around to make sure the noise hadn't attracted any undue attention, smiling in spite of herself. Despite the lack of any new leads she had been able to glean from him, she had accomplished everything she had set out to do today. Someone would find his consciousness-robbed body in the morning, at which point she and Kyotaro would already be on their way to Tokyo, Kyotaro none the wiser. And in the meantime, she would make her way back to the hotel, maybe treat herself to a bath or late-night swim.

At least her target had been right about one thing.

That's the great thing about Florida, no one ever bats an eye.