A Tribute to the FDD World
In 1999 a new animated television show hit the airwaves called Digimon. This blog-entry is not about Digimon, rather about a community which spawned out of Digimon on the internet. The FDD community, FDD stands for Fictional DigiDestined.
As soon as I got internet access (late 1999/early 2000 at my grandfather's house and early 2001 at my own house) the topic which topped my search list was Digimon. I was introduced to official sites, information sites and tribute sites. Then I discovered a new type of website - one which allowed the user to emerge into the Digital world through role play and imagination. Immediately, I was sold.
It wasn't hard for me to fit in. For over a year I had been designing Digimon, creating scenarios in my head and came up with my own digital identity with all the perks of being a 'digidestined'. I soon discovered that this was bigger than just a website or two honoring Digimon. This was truly a community of several websites. One could even 'adopt' Digimon. FDDs all over the world participated in creating scenario's through fanfiction. People created Digimon - either through their imagination or through their artistic abilities. If one had both, then they would just get to it. However, for those who just had one of the two, we would team up with other FDDs to bring our visions and talents to life.
I began participating and making friends in the FDD world but I longed for more. I longed to start my own website. At 11 years old, however, I didn't know where I could get hosting, nor how to code a website. So I began studying. I got HTML information from various websites, notably Neopets and worked hard to get a decent grip on it. Of course, there were some thing I would only learn through practice - like putting up pictures for example.
I can honestly say that learning HTML online was my first internet venture. It was the beginning of a process which would eventually lead me to become the researcher I am today. Be it politics, religion, current events, fixing things...all the things I am capable of doing today came from my determination to own a website and learn HTML. A determination I later applied to other topics.
Then one day, I discovered a common aspect of many of these websites. Geocities. Furthermore, I found out I could get free hosting! My first dream was coming true. I registered as dgdg241 (Dgdg was my first online nickname. Dgdg241 was my second.) and on that day, August 18 2003, at the age of 13 the first few pages of my website - Digimon Entrance were created. Why Digimon Entrance? It took me a while to decide on a name...I knew it had to have Digimon, but Entrance allowed me to use the concept of a portal. Something that would be explored in the second series of Digimon launched in the year 2000 (Back then, it honestly seemed like several years later...but before I discovered the internet I spent all my hours watching television so that could be the reason).
I remember the day the second season began airing in Malta. And now that I think about it...it actually could have been years before Fox Kids (today Jetix) began airing the English episodes. I remember being home that day. I can't recall whether I was sick...or whether I was allowed to stay home because I was so excited. Either way...I was there when Veemon became Flamedramon for the first time. I won't go into how I discovered Digimon here...this post is for the FDD world and I've already gone off topic.
So there I was. Here, is the first ever site update :
I would post as myself and eight other people (though everybody knew it was just me as I would use different colours as if the digidestined were speaking). This was a concept used by various other FDDs. If I told you that we were an instant hit, I'd be lying. If I told you that we eventually became a top site to visit, I'd be lying. But I can say that to the few people who did visit, it was a decent site. 'Decent' eventually became 'GREAT' and I think the reason for that, is mainly due to our longevity. More on this later.
I was now a FULL member of the FDD club. The great thing about it was that it was an informal community...never actually formed, but always there. No rules, no obligations...just passing by you wouldn't know it existed. But we enjoyed it. It seemed like it could go on forever. We could create anything. In the beginning I tried to create a DigiDestined war, but I never found enough interest - nor did I have enough visitors to make it work. Other, more popular FDDs would have been more successful organising it. I didn't mind though...I would have liked to have had more visitors and sought them out vigorously, but the main thing for me was that I owned a website...and that I participated in this marvellous community. Several websites made reference to the same things in different ways. We communicated through guestbooks, tagboards, forums...anything.
I tried hard to get a working forum. The first one was inefficient. The second, hosted by invisionfree was perfect...except for a lack of visitors. Even in these early times we could sense the FDD community getting smaller. I had a guestbook, a tagboard (which later malfunctioned and had to be taken off), a counter (same as before) and a regular poll which was removed due to abuse.
Soon enough, it was August 18th 2004 (actually, the 20th - I was unavailable on the 18th). I was 14 years old and the site celebrated it first birthday. The main pages benefitted from a complete make-over and I committed myself to releasing various chapters of fanfiction, the related fan art and shrinking the 'Coming Soon' page as part of the celebrations. Today, both the 'Coming Soon' page and the fanfic waiting list have projects which never took off and one fanfic was never completed.
Slowly, I began updating less and less. Many were already alienated by the time Season 3 arrived but Season 4 repelled all original fans - even though it did not air on, what was now, Jetix. As the series ended the FDD world was faced with a problem. No new fans were coming in to replace those who were leaving. As webmasters all over the FDD world found less enthusiasm coming their way, updates became less frequent. The FDDs who began as early- to mid-teenagers were now late in their teen years and even young adults. In fact, today, the vast majority of FDDs are probably over 18. Even though, most of us have not kept in touch with each other. I, for one, have not spoken to anyone in years.
In 2006 I made just two 'updates'. One in January and another in July. It was time to move on. In July I announced that the website would go under an 'indefinite hiatus'. I was reluctant to use the word 'closed'...I didn't want to rule out coming back.
All the major FDD sites had moved on...so had the minor ones. I was probably the last (or one of the last) still standing. I take pride in that. But it was time to move on. That co-incided with the launch of Darryl's Random Rants...this very blog.
Yesterday I looked through the website once again. Its virtual head still held high. So high, in fact, that cobwebs were formed from its chin to its neck. Today, for the first time in two years, I updated the site. Just the main page - with a message to all who visit that the site IS indeed closed and will be kept up as a museum to the FDD. The front page, or portal, was transformed into a new portal for all my works - both on Geocities and around the rest of the web.
Indeed, no matter how great an adventure, inevitable we are pushed to move on and when we cannot resist any longer, we give in. But we never forget what we've been through. We learn from it and keep moving forward. The past, however, is not forgotten - it becomes a museum for the future...and a tribute to the present. I don't know what FDDs like EsSe and Legend are up to today (they were two prominent FDDs and friends). I don't know what any of the FDDs are up to...and I can't list all the ones I've ever encountered because I'll never finish and without a doubt I'll leave some people out. What is certain, however, is that one part of all of us will always remember the FDD world.
At least, I know I will.
In memory of Digimon Entrance. 2003 - 2006 Darryl's Portal.
Just this time, this is Dgdg, from Malta - Online.
As soon as I got internet access (late 1999/early 2000 at my grandfather's house and early 2001 at my own house) the topic which topped my search list was Digimon. I was introduced to official sites, information sites and tribute sites. Then I discovered a new type of website - one which allowed the user to emerge into the Digital world through role play and imagination. Immediately, I was sold.
It wasn't hard for me to fit in. For over a year I had been designing Digimon, creating scenarios in my head and came up with my own digital identity with all the perks of being a 'digidestined'. I soon discovered that this was bigger than just a website or two honoring Digimon. This was truly a community of several websites. One could even 'adopt' Digimon. FDDs all over the world participated in creating scenario's through fanfiction. People created Digimon - either through their imagination or through their artistic abilities. If one had both, then they would just get to it. However, for those who just had one of the two, we would team up with other FDDs to bring our visions and talents to life.
I began participating and making friends in the FDD world but I longed for more. I longed to start my own website. At 11 years old, however, I didn't know where I could get hosting, nor how to code a website. So I began studying. I got HTML information from various websites, notably Neopets and worked hard to get a decent grip on it. Of course, there were some thing I would only learn through practice - like putting up pictures for example.
I can honestly say that learning HTML online was my first internet venture. It was the beginning of a process which would eventually lead me to become the researcher I am today. Be it politics, religion, current events, fixing things...all the things I am capable of doing today came from my determination to own a website and learn HTML. A determination I later applied to other topics.
Then one day, I discovered a common aspect of many of these websites. Geocities. Furthermore, I found out I could get free hosting! My first dream was coming true. I registered as dgdg241 (Dgdg was my first online nickname. Dgdg241 was my second.) and on that day, August 18 2003, at the age of 13 the first few pages of my website - Digimon Entrance were created. Why Digimon Entrance? It took me a while to decide on a name...I knew it had to have Digimon, but Entrance allowed me to use the concept of a portal. Something that would be explored in the second series of Digimon launched in the year 2000 (Back then, it honestly seemed like several years later...but before I discovered the internet I spent all my hours watching television so that could be the reason).
I remember the day the second season began airing in Malta. And now that I think about it...it actually could have been years before Fox Kids (today Jetix) began airing the English episodes. I remember being home that day. I can't recall whether I was sick...or whether I was allowed to stay home because I was so excited. Either way...I was there when Veemon became Flamedramon for the first time. I won't go into how I discovered Digimon here...this post is for the FDD world and I've already gone off topic.
So there I was. Here, is the first ever site update :
August 18th 2003:
Today Dgdg put up the site!He put up the Fanfiction section!We put up the section which keeps telling you special days!o-0And finally this section.We did a bit for the about us section.And Finally Dgdg put up some things that he might need from you to improve the site!
I would post as myself and eight other people (though everybody knew it was just me as I would use different colours as if the digidestined were speaking). This was a concept used by various other FDDs. If I told you that we were an instant hit, I'd be lying. If I told you that we eventually became a top site to visit, I'd be lying. But I can say that to the few people who did visit, it was a decent site. 'Decent' eventually became 'GREAT' and I think the reason for that, is mainly due to our longevity. More on this later.
I was now a FULL member of the FDD club. The great thing about it was that it was an informal community...never actually formed, but always there. No rules, no obligations...just passing by you wouldn't know it existed. But we enjoyed it. It seemed like it could go on forever. We could create anything. In the beginning I tried to create a DigiDestined war, but I never found enough interest - nor did I have enough visitors to make it work. Other, more popular FDDs would have been more successful organising it. I didn't mind though...I would have liked to have had more visitors and sought them out vigorously, but the main thing for me was that I owned a website...and that I participated in this marvellous community. Several websites made reference to the same things in different ways. We communicated through guestbooks, tagboards, forums...anything.
I tried hard to get a working forum. The first one was inefficient. The second, hosted by invisionfree was perfect...except for a lack of visitors. Even in these early times we could sense the FDD community getting smaller. I had a guestbook, a tagboard (which later malfunctioned and had to be taken off), a counter (same as before) and a regular poll which was removed due to abuse.
Soon enough, it was August 18th 2004 (actually, the 20th - I was unavailable on the 18th). I was 14 years old and the site celebrated it first birthday. The main pages benefitted from a complete make-over and I committed myself to releasing various chapters of fanfiction, the related fan art and shrinking the 'Coming Soon' page as part of the celebrations. Today, both the 'Coming Soon' page and the fanfic waiting list have projects which never took off and one fanfic was never completed.
Slowly, I began updating less and less. Many were already alienated by the time Season 3 arrived but Season 4 repelled all original fans - even though it did not air on, what was now, Jetix. As the series ended the FDD world was faced with a problem. No new fans were coming in to replace those who were leaving. As webmasters all over the FDD world found less enthusiasm coming their way, updates became less frequent. The FDDs who began as early- to mid-teenagers were now late in their teen years and even young adults. In fact, today, the vast majority of FDDs are probably over 18. Even though, most of us have not kept in touch with each other. I, for one, have not spoken to anyone in years.
In 2006 I made just two 'updates'. One in January and another in July. It was time to move on. In July I announced that the website would go under an 'indefinite hiatus'. I was reluctant to use the word 'closed'...I didn't want to rule out coming back.
All the major FDD sites had moved on...so had the minor ones. I was probably the last (or one of the last) still standing. I take pride in that. But it was time to move on. That co-incided with the launch of Darryl's Random Rants...this very blog.
Yesterday I looked through the website once again. Its virtual head still held high. So high, in fact, that cobwebs were formed from its chin to its neck. Today, for the first time in two years, I updated the site. Just the main page - with a message to all who visit that the site IS indeed closed and will be kept up as a museum to the FDD. The front page, or portal, was transformed into a new portal for all my works - both on Geocities and around the rest of the web.
Indeed, no matter how great an adventure, inevitable we are pushed to move on and when we cannot resist any longer, we give in. But we never forget what we've been through. We learn from it and keep moving forward. The past, however, is not forgotten - it becomes a museum for the future...and a tribute to the present. I don't know what FDDs like EsSe and Legend are up to today (they were two prominent FDDs and friends). I don't know what any of the FDDs are up to...and I can't list all the ones I've ever encountered because I'll never finish and without a doubt I'll leave some people out. What is certain, however, is that one part of all of us will always remember the FDD world.
At least, I know I will.
In memory of Digimon Entrance. 2003 - 2006 Darryl's Portal.
Just this time, this is Dgdg, from Malta - Online.
Labels: Digimon
posted by Darryl | 3:35 PM
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