#Seresu

[completeoveranalysis]

Hi Nick. If you don't mind, can you share a summary of what you think Ashura's overall goals were? I'm still sincerely confused. And we now have the "reasoning itself crumbling" thing. He saw and saved this child cursed by FWR... or foresaw. He always planned for Fai to kill him. Was the whole point really to break Fai's curse out of care/love? Or to prove he could? He clearly didn't consider Fai's empathy or emotions. It start out with good intent but then his reasoning crumbled? thank you

Hello Anon! I don't mind at all! I absolutely love talking about these topics more, so thank you for asking!

The Ashura Problem is such a fascinating scenario because I'm pretty sure CLAMP deliberately wrote it to be both misleading and illogical. If it doesn't make sense then CLAMP absolutely achieved their goal, but that doesn't make it any easier to puzzle out.

So! The options!

(With content warning for everything that happens in Seresu oh my goodness)

Option A) That Ashura was a terrible person.

This is the interpretation that most closely matches Fai's lived experience, especially during the Seresu arc.

This explanation focuses on the fact that Ashura manipulated and twisted Fai's entire life and psyche until he was a broken person who would not have survived his own storyline. Ashura used all of Fai's tragic circumstances to mould him into doing exactly what Ashura wanted; he used Fai's dead brother against him, he trapped Fai into making promises he could use against him, he used Fai's emotional wounds to manipulate him, he limited Fai's magic for his own ends and deleted his memories of it, he committed mass murder, he tried to hypnotise Fai directly, he tried to get Fai to kill Kurogane, and then he tried to kill the entire Tsubasa family - all to get Fai to kill Ashura. It's worth noting that all of these actions echo the narrative impact Evil Wolverine has on Fai as well, and we can clearly see how broken Fai is over all of these revelations, even aside from the fact that we are told that Fai would have killed himself if he had succeeded in granting Ashura's wish. It all points to a very solid verdict, and one that pretty much the entire story supports from the very beginning.

The only thing missing is his actual goal. Why is he trying to get Fai to kill him? Is it out of boredom? Is he immortal and can't die without external influence, and so wanted to manipulate events until he got what he wanted? Is he just doing it all for the hell out it, and sees a dramatic death as just another fun thing to aim for? Or...

Option B) Ashura did it all to save Fai

This is the interpretation that mostly comes to the fore when Ashura dies, having failed in his long game to get Fai to kill him by his own hand.

This option revolves around Ashura's otherwise missing motive. The strongest motive potential motive we have for his actions is that he was trying to break both of Fai's curses at once; to become stronger than Fai so that Fai would be forced to kill him, and in the process wouldn't trigger the second secret curse and save Fai's life in the process.

The thing that muddies this interpretation is how badly he treats Fai to make it happen. Over the course of his entire life he breaks Fai. All his actions are hurtful and twisted, and he is willing to murder as many people as needed to make this goal happen, including literally everyone else Fai values in his life. Nothing about the Fai that's left behind is left unmarred by tragedy and self loathing - but he would be alive! And that seems to be what Ashura was aiming for, in this line of reasoning.

This neat thing about this option is that it really plays into the darker characterisation that CLAMP like to work with. Ashura has his own set of morals, inhuman and unknowable, and so he's willing to cross lines that seem to defy all the rules of empathy that you'd think would apply here. DID Ashura think this was still an acceptable result? Did he commit to this goal with the willingness to break and murder literally anything he needed to in order to make it happen? It seems so! But can he really say he loved Fai if he was willing to do this to him? He could see the future, so how could he not see that his actions would kill Fai just as surely as the curse would?

So it's either that, or

Option C: A bit of both!

This is the option that Tomoyo presents in Nihon, after the fact.

Tomoyo posits that both options are true at the same time, and the reason why this doesn't make sense is because of Fei Wang's influence on the universe. Logic itself is breaking down, so Ashura's actions have lost any logical integrity somewhere along the way.

This option allows for the paradoxes to exist as a deliberate example of the wider affect the overall plot is having on the multiverse. Tomoyo says that yes, Ashura did love Fai and was trying to save him, and also yes, his actions don't reflect that and would have killed Fai through his abuse in the misguided attempt to save him.

At this point in the narrative I think it's option C that CLAMP are set on. It does seem like they deliberately wrote the scenario so that Options A and B don't internally make sense on their own on purpose, so that C can rise out of the ruins and cast a shadow on the rest of the narrative right before things really start to kick off in the main plotline.

I hope this helps! This is my ultimate understanding of Ashura's plotline as it stands, but if anything isn't clear feel free to let me know and I can talk even more.

[silvergreyrain]

First order of business is to have those boys hug and hold each other.

[penguinsayswhat]

You know, one thing that doesn't really get talked about much because uhh...everything else in Fai's backstory reveal is that he's a prince. Not just of his home world, but arguably in Seresu as well.

So whenever he's out there acting like this to Sakura, the other royal member of the party, there's definitely even more weight to his words than anyone is aware

[master-duncan]

Did anyone else know they changed her name???

[greyredroy]

hm.. snowing again?..   PS I like how the last art here was also Ashura and almost the same angle... seems I’m not so original haha I am always too embarrassed to look at my old pictures  but at least I tried to draw more complex render here so I hope my art style has improved a little bit.. PPS hope you like black crown ashura... it was cian originally and I just wanted to try to make it dark, only as an experiment, and I guess it's my headcanon since then xd 

[psychewritesbs]

Ah... so the thing is that I just can’t get over how in tune Kurogane is with Fai when he is not hiding behind a mask.

But more importantly, I love that Kurogane will, literally, not let Fai go.

To me, this little moment from chapter 146 speaks volumes about how their dynamic has evolved. 

BDSM Infinity Arc

This gesture from Kurogane obviously took Fai by surprise. Especially considering everything that had happened up until that point and how closed up Fai had become to Kurogane. 

“Good morning, Kurogane.”

I am not 100% sure why Kurogane reached for Fai’s arm but there is something in the way Kurogane looks back at Fai that feels very much like Kurogane meant to “ground” and reassure Fai. 

Perhaps Kurogane noticed that Fai was feeling down.

I’ve noticed that CLAMP is big on body language. And with a character as perceptive as Kurogane, how could he ignore Fai looking down, fists closed, shoulders hunched upwards?

It almost feels to me as though Kurogane noticed something was pestering Fai’s mind, and in holding him, Kurogane meant to help Fai feel safe.

Aside from why Kurogane reached for Fai, its also important to point out that he literally did not let go of Fai until he was forced to let go.

And even then, after Fai stabbed Sakura, Kurogane reached for Fai once again.

This time Kurogane holds him with the intention to keep him from hurting himself or others.

And just like before, once again, Kurogane does not let go of Fai right away.

To me, this goes back to how well Kurogane can see right through Fai’s charming persona. 

And isn’t this look on Fai’s face one of his realest expressions? A callback to the kid who reached a deep level of madness and despair after being stuck in a tower for who knows how long.

Despite not knowing about Fai’s curse, Kurogane could see how having hurt Sakura hurt Fai. At the same time, I can’t imagine how incredibly confusing it must have been for Kurogane to see Fai kill Sakura and then break down because of it. 

And yet I like to think that Kurogane took to heart Fai’s words from chapter 112.

I’ll probably expand on this in another post in the future but I really get the sense that Kurogane learned to accept those traits he didn’t like about himself because Fai was everything he hated about himself.

Where Fai had immense power he did not ask for and that brought him nothing but despair ultimately rendering him weak, Kurogane sought power for the sake of power and forsook his weakness in his pursuit for power.

Today I learned the past tense of forsake is forsook. Not sure how I feel about the spelling of the word.

Despite that, Kurogane keeps reminding Fai to leave his past where it belongs--the past.

And like honestly, I feel like I’m only scratching the surface of everything that’s happening between these two.

Because... it doesn’t end there with this idea of Kurogane not being willing to let go of Fai so that he doesn’t sink into despair.

Seresu Arc

Just like in the BDSM Infinity Arc when Kurogane holds Fai’s arm and surprises Fai in doing that, Kurogane and Fai look back at each other and hold each other’s eyes sharing what is perhaps a moment of mutual understanding. 

The difference between the two stares is that the story being told is a different one. 

At this point in the story, Kurogane has just seen Fai’s past with his own eyes. He has seen the heavy burden of shame and guilt Fai had been carrying and hiding from his companions. More importantly, Kurogane has seen the circumstances behind that guilt and that shame.

Did he find he could relate to Fai’s inability to protect his beloved brother?

And here we go again. Once again Kurogane reaches for Fai and does not let go.

Kurogane just won’t let go...

Nope. Won’t let go...

Not letting go I am telling you.

After Fai’s magic failed to get him and Kurogane out along with Syaoran, Mokona and Sakura’s body, Mokona opens a path for them to exit with its earring. 

This is when Kurogane learns that Fai can’t leave and yet like hell that Kurogane is letting go of Fai as he continues to tug on his arm.

But going back to body language, more than anything, Fai's limp arm and overall body language screams “I’ve given up, this is it for me.”

Like hell Kurogane is going to let him give up on himself, however. 

In fact, Kurogane’s been struggling to keep Fai alive when Fai gave up on himself a long time ago. 

I head canon that Fai drinking Kurogane’s blood is what helped him change. But that’s a brainrot for another day...

The thing is that as Yoko told Kurogane, just because he wants Fai to live, it does not mean that Fai wants to live.

Even so, Kurogane just won’t let go of Fai. 

I’m starting to realize just how poignant it is to think about how much physical pain Kurogane puts himself through for Fai’s sake. In the end, in true CLAMP fashion, Fai’s pain is the opposite of Kurogane’s--emotional pain.

To me it’s almost like the message behind Kurogane’s sacrifices is “let me carry a share of that burden you carry, let me make that load lighter for you” because that is how much he loves Fai.

And so just as the world is about to close in on Fai and it looks like this is the end and he’ll have to let go of Fai if he wants to keep his arm...

Even Fai, who has up until that point believed he’s only brought misfortune to others, encourages Kurogane to leave him behind.

It is then that everybody’s favorite Lesbian reveals to Kurogane how to bring Fai with him.

In that moment, at last, Kurogane lets go of Fai.

In response Fai looks both satisfied that Kurogane has let him go and like he’s thinking “I am glad I met you but this is good bye”. There is a mixture of both longing and sadness in Fai’s face as he thinks that Kurogane has finally chosen himself and given up on him.

To me it also looks as though Fai thought for a second that he would only bring misery to Kurogane anyways, and this is a proper end for one who is as cursed as he is.

Talk about being stuck in a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Except that... boom.

“You dumb pirate vampire blond magician twink, you’re coming with me!”

Or basically, Kurogane reveals just how far he will go for Fai. 

Doesn’t even think about it, no. Just cuts off his arm with one swift motion and then uses his intact arm to grab hold of Fai once again because like hell he’s letting go of Fai.

Oh and I bet you anything that not only did he not let go of Fai until he lost consciousness, Kurogane probably used every last bit of strength he had left to stay awake long enough to make sure he did not let go of Fai.

And for one who felt like he was cursed, to see Kurogane prove him wrong, to learn that Kurogane was willing to sacrifice everything once again so that he could live--it must have finally hit home that he needed to rethink his own relationship to his will to live.

Ah CLAMP, why you gotta do me like that?

In conclusion: I am a dork and I just spent 2 hours overthinking this tiny detail.

[kobat0s]

my university library has like every volume of tsubasa reservoir chronicle for some reason, also most of xxxholic

hm. what to do. i checked out volumes 18 and 19 bc those had the infinity arc but nnnng i kinda have the urge to start at vol one now...

i cant borrow 27 volumes of manga at once though, my backpack doesnt have enough space to carry that much manga home

[noa-ciharu]

Seresu arc in TRC is just RG Veda's dream happy ending for Fai's "dad" and Mr. White hair, but the "dad's" living his life now, sadly. Prove me wrong.

Need me an TRC AU where everything is same except Ashura didn't cannibalize Taishakuten Ashura and Taishakuten raise Fai together. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong.

[rosietrace]

Dimitri Despoina

" Listen Buddy, How about you just quietly leave before I pull some shit on you "

Full Name: Dimitri Ceres Despoina

Japanese Name: ディミトリ セレス デスポイナ

Romaji: Dimitori Seresu Desupoina

Twisted: Demeter/Ceres

V/A: Kensho Ono(小野 賢章)

Age: 21

Birthday: March 21

Horoscope: Aries ♈

Species: Nymph(Unspecified)

Height: 183 cm

Hair Color: Wheat Gold

Eye Color: Pomegranate Red

_________________________________________

Homeland: Land of Legends

Dormitory: TBA(If RSA dorms are revealed)

School Year: 4th Year

Class: 4-A(Seat No. 4)

Sexuality: Pansexual

Dominant Hand: Right

{ Family:

Unnamed Father

Biological Father(Deceased)

Unnamed Stepmother

Azrail Despoina(Stepbrother) }

Best Class(es): Herbology and Ancient History

Worst Class(es): Astrology and Alchemy

Club: None

Like(s): Gardening, The calming sound of wind, makeup, researching history, his brother being happy, his enemies misery, romance novels, fanfiction, classic films/music

Dislike(s): Toxic positivity, Toxic masculinity, romanticizing toxic relationships, the feeling of being alone, winter, dead plants, eye strain, heavy metal music

Hobby: Gardening, writing fanfiction, researching history, perfecting his abilities, reading in the school gardens, watching old movies, listening to classical music

Talent(s): Herbology, Horticulture, Magic, Research, Creative writing, Dancing, Flexibility, Agility

Flaw(s): Overprotective, Violent, Aggressive, Ignorant

_________________________________________

Personality:

As one of the most popular students in RSA, Dimitri had earned the title of a "charismatic dreamboat" for a number of reasons.

His interest in herbology and all sorts of horticulture, his easily likable personality, and especially his appearance. All of that bundled up together and you essentially get the charismatic dreamboat that makes people swoon.

Being the stepbrother of Azrail, their relationship was quite strained and incredibly awkward. And oftentimes they'd disagree with each other.

Azrail was a pessimist. But Dimitri was an optimistic pessimist. He knows of the cruel realities of the world, but chooses to see the positives and sometimes even disregards the negatives.

As time went on, Dimitri eventually managed to have a good relationship with Azrail. Even though Azrail has commented on his overall overprotective nature, he still finds his stepbrother rather endearing and enjoyable to be around.

Now, as much as one would like to be around Dimitri. Many in RSA agree that he isn't the best person to provoke.

Hell at this point, he and Zenith have a pretty fearsome reputation for being ridiculously violent.

However, unlike Zenith, Dimitri has more patience. He's willing to let thought-provoking words go over his head because he doesn't intend to make every single person like him.

But even if that's the case, that wouldn't exactly stop Dimitri from throwing several punches at people for disrespecting him.

_________________________________________

Unique Magic: { Stolen harvest } (盗まれた収穫)

_________________________________________

Song: Spring and Summer(Vivaldi)

In similarity to how Demeter stole the chances of harvest in the disappearance of her daughter, Persephone, Dimitri shares a somewhat similar ability.

But unlike Demeter, Dimitri's…. Mostly less protective of Azrail.

And though he doesn't use his gift that much, he appreciates that it allows him to be petty as hell.

To gather the magical energy of anyone around him requires someone with an unfathomable amount of magical energy themselves.

And it's comforting knowing that Dimitri is strong enough to handle such power.

It's at its strongest during spring and summer, but slowly gets weaker in terms of effectiveness by the time autumn hits. Which is the opposite of Azrail's ability.

Name Meaning

Dimitri: Meaning "Follower of Demeter" , and is an extension of the Greek name "Demetrius"

Ceres: The Roman equivalent of Demeter

Despoina: Supposedly a variant of Persephone. The name itself means "Lady" or "Mistress" in Greek

Trivia

Dimitri spends most of his time in the RSA gardens, or near the campus fountain when people aren't around

Though his relationship with Azrail started off a bit strained and awkward due to the remarriage of their parents, they did manage to grow closer over time

Somewhat wished he and Azrail weren't in rival schools, but finds the rivalry hilariously entertaining

Plays around with other people's magical energy, but is generous enough to float it back to their bodies

Has read the same fanfiction over and over again, and still cries over it even if he knows what happens

Has been wishing to write a novel and has been given some assistance from his underclassman, Azure Ekoms

Adores old movies for legitimately no reason other than the nostalgia, he particularly finds enjoyment in silent films

His love for makeup stemmed from the habit of putting on his stepmother's makeup in order to play dress up with his father

Is surprisingly aggressive when he's dancing, especially in dance battles

Doesn't really approve much of Idia, but he'll tolerate him if he makes Azrail happy

Has given Azrail some personal insight when he's working on his herbology projects

Azrail admits that Dimitri is far more knowledgeable with horticulture than he ever will

Much like Azrail, Dimitri's soul is intertwined with a god through a blessing. His soul is intertwined with Demeter, the mother of Persephone

[completeoveranalysis]

I don’t remember who it was that came up with this theory or where I first saw it since it was bit back in the day; but it was discussed how we see Fai’s childhood through his own eyes, and how his own limited version of events didn’t show the whole truth. If we are going with the idea that Fai and Yuui’s parents are at least some version of Chii and Hideki, characters we know, it seems odd how things with their family played out. You yourself pointed out that someone cared enough to make the twins matching cloaks. And apparently Fai has enough residual fondness for his mother to make his magical feather person look like her. Notably the twins weren’t given their sentencing until AFTER both of their parents had passed. When anyone who could have stood up for them was conveniently out of the way. Everything about the situation screams “uncle murdered his brother and sister-in-law and framed it as illness and suicide and used an old superstition to his advantage to throw his nephews in prison so that he alone could have the throne”. Which means that the king didn’t have some slow descent into madness but was power hungry from the jump. The twins looked like they were just a few years out of toddlerhood when they were locked away, and would not notice or understand anything about politicking and potential behind the scenes intrigue, they’d only understand what the adults around them were saying: that their father died of illness, their mother killed themselves, their uncle-king is just, and they’re bad. It seems like there was some kind of Game of Thrones bullshit happening in Valyria that we never got to see.

Oh I love this! I don't think I've seen this take before but it lines up perfectly with how things are presented. We don't see anything that happens in their country before the Uncle-King exiles them, and the facts aren't even presented from Fai's point of view as such, but from a third person narrator with no discernable identity:

So we're essentially told this part of the backstory entirely through the hearsay that's going around the courts - it's all rumours and stories based on what people have heard, rather than any evidence to say what happened either way.

So, yes! I completely buy into the idea that their parents were manipulated out of the picture by the Uncle-King who was power hungry the entire time, but was so insecure about it that even when he HAD the political power he wanted he STILL drove the entire kingdom into ruin out of fear that he might somehow lose it all.

[jaintakuseresu-blog]

My symbols are weird cause I used a korean keyboard whoopsies~

[annebrontesrequiem]

I also think it’s really interesting how Kurogane sort of lets Fai continue on his self destructive tendencies basically until Tokyo and even then a bit after up until Seresu. I wish I had a more concrete thought about it but it’s 2:30 lol

[keyofthetwilight03]

Ugh! Leona is hhhhoooooot~! I love his voice. XD

I attempted to write my name. I hope it’s right. XD

Celeste

セレス

Seresu

Yeah. XP

Oh yeah! And it’s the mirror from Snow White! XD it looks really detailed.

I think I’m an anomaly by the chatter from the students after whatever he said. XP

This thing is super adorable, but a little shit at the same time. Lol!

Yay! I could almost read that! XD

Leona~!! My love~! ^^

[seres]

       “  this is quite an impressive display of replica-work.  at least,  i hope they’re replicas;  having who knows what interacting with these planets is quite dangerous...  ”     -----  awed praise is uttered  mindlessly  as he strolls past the countless celestial bodies that illuminate the garden.  he dares not touch any for fear of the worst,  especially  those that he recognizes and has passed through during their travels.  tokyo,  clow,  hanshin republic,  shara...  even less than welcome memories in  seresu  and  valeria’s  orbs.

    (  @overeternity​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​      ❤ ‘d     for a starter   !!  )

[shynerdycactus]

Once Upon a Time in Seresu

*Fei Wang comes into upper tower room*

Fei Wang: So, Fai, you can either leave with me and-

Fai: YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE *jumps out window*