#eidolonlathi writes

[eidolonlathi]

A Look at the Dynamics between the Sanguinarch and Lettou

I’ll never get over the irony how a Vampire who detests non-Sarkaz and is so obsessed with the purity of Sarkaz bIood is shown to have the most stable bond throughout the Londinium arc with a Liberi, excuse me, with an outbIood.

They’re witnessing from afar how Allerdale’s manor is burning down, it’s the first scene they share together, and it’s already setting the tone for all of their future interactions. Lettou makes a tentative attempt to talk to the Sanguinarch – about what we’ll never know – just to immediately get ordered to stop talking because the Sanguinarch wants to enjoy the view in silence. He is picking up though that Lettou isn’t agreeing fully with methods having become more drastic and does two things: First he suggests (orders) that Lettou stops worrying and learns to enjoy the destruction in front of him while calling Lettou his friend. And second he offers him the slightest bit of justification of his own actions by claiming that witnessing the evaporation of the traitor bIood in front of them is the Sanguinarch’s responsibility, implying that he is driven by more than pure bIoodIust in this moment. Lettou can’t do much more in this moment than to agree that they share a common goal, but at the same time he does a bit more than that: He states that cooperating with the Sanguinarch’s methods is his duty, hence repeating the sentiment that both of their actions are driven by circumstances that go beyond personal motivation.

Those two finding this point of agreement is no coincidence. At their core they both are people who have no higher priority than fulfilling the things they view as their duty. With Lettou no one notices because he immediately gets dismissed as a traitor, and with the Sanguinarch one doesn’t because he’s so cruel and abrasive that it’s hard to notice any nuance beyond that.

You keep reading and see that the state in Londinium has now declined to a degree that now even the nobility who was kept safe in their bubble have become targets. The artillery canons Manfred uses spread terror from afar, the destruction the Sanguinarch and Lettou cause tends to be one committed from up close. We see the Sanguinarch relying on Lettou’s help when disposing of a noble who has become a nuisance and like in the scene with Allerdale’s manor getting destroyed carnage and enjoyment blur together. Once the noble is dealt with, the Sanguinarch suggests (orders) that he and Lettou follow the invitation of the now disposed of noble to sample his private wine reserve. As much as the Sanguinarch claims to despise outbloods, Lettou’s presence clearly doesn’t ruin his appetite, interesting.

You’ll continue reading and see that a destruction that is already spreading is one difficult to contain and control. Lettou tentatively implies to the Sagnuinarch that it might have been a measure too drastic that he has fed a nobleman’s wife and child to his Vampires. Or at least he tries to address the point. The Sanguinarch doesn’t even let him finish his sentence and uses his bIood arts to cut off Lettou’s ability to breathe. Lettou orders his men to stand back when they are about to defend him in this moment – thus ensuring they won’t end up as a guaranteed collateral damage against a Vampire they have no chance against – rather accepting to face his end alone. But that never arrives. The Sanguinarch lets him live.

The moment makes you question why the Sanguinarch is still keeping Lettou around at this point, and he just answers that himself. He calls Lettou his pet Falcon and claims that when other people wonder why he’s keeping around and spoiling a pet that occasionally pecks his finger, that he’s doing it because the personality and intelligence of his pet bird makes the effort still worth it.

At this point it really becomes striking how fear and control have become a constant element of their interactions. But at the same time this appears to be driven more by purpose than mere malice. The Sanguinarch will physically hurt Lettou and compare him to a pet bird when feeling disappointed with him, but in the same moment he will admit that he keeps him around because he values his personality and intelligence. If you continue to look at their interactions you'll notice how there is an ongoing theme how the Sanguinarch won’t hesitate to be crueI to Lettou – usually to ‘teach’ him to do better – but at the same time it is Lettou who is the one person he cares to keep around himself. Keeping a non-Sarkaz close apparently doesn’t count as long as he calls him his pet. Endlessly fascinated by the cope he puts in place here.

Because, you know, the Falcon thing goes both ways. On the first look it just looks like yet another way to humiliate Lettou. On closer look, the Sanguinarch just implied that he had been confronted with people who were wondering why he keeps that outblood this close. Making a point how he only keeps him around as a ‘pet’ sort of solves his problem and also protects Lettou from other Sarkaz assuming that the Sanguinarch cares. And with the tense and distrustful atmosphere around the Sarkaz Royal Court you can see how that would be a point he would like to make.

Team Amiya targets the command tower of the Defense Forces and this multilayered dynamic only extends itself. By this point Lettou has lost almost all sense of self-preservation and doesn’t bother to dodge the attacks directed at him. Partially he refuses to leave the tower because he can’t bring it over himself to abandon his men who are still fighting, partially he feels an end by the hands of the Sarkaz has become unavoidable, so why resist? Given this insight it’s a sad irony that the very first the Sanguinarch does when arriving on the tower is to put a shield of bIood between Lettou and Ascalon, protecting him from her attack. He immediately reprimands Lettou for being foolish enough to not dodge an opponent he knows to be stronger than him and puts his ‘blessing’ on the soldiers Lettou feels responsible for, disposing of the one thing that prevented Lettou to think of his own wellbeing first. But you know… For all the tantrum the Sanguinarch is throwing and for all the threats he is making towards Lettou, it’s again one of those odd situations where the words spoken don’t quite reflect the actions that were taken. Like, buddy, if Lettou is really that disposable in your eyes then why go through the effort of shielding him from Team Amiya at all? Why instead not instantly go for the crown you’re so set on destroying when surprise still would have been on your side, hmm? I guess danger forcing one to make quick decisions reveals some of one’s priorities after all.

Episode twelve shows little of those two interacting but the one instance that does is the more interesting because the scene involves Damazti. He treats it as complete routine to tell Lettou that he’d better hurry back to the Sanguinarch because "he had just opened a new bottle of wine, waiting for you, and we have already grown tired of his stories of yesteryear. You are a much better listener than we are". Stranger domestic habits have developed, I guess. It’s sort of telling though how Damazti views Lettou as his instant ticket out of having to participate in a conversation he finds boring, viewing the Sanguinarch and Lettou as some sort of item.

If Damazti noticed this you can be certain that Theresis did as well. I always found the timing a bit too convenient that the Defense Forces got disarmed around the same time Theresis was about to send the Sanguinarch to perform the ritual at Brentwood. One has to ask if Theresis had kept the defense at Brentwood this suspiciously low because he had hoped to get rid of the Sanguinarch. It looks as if from Theresis view it was most convenient to get rid of both annoyances at the same time. I wonder if he had counted on the Sanguinarch disposing of Lettou earlier and got caught by surprise when that never happened.

With the Defense Forces disarmed at the end of Episode 13, Lettou sees little hope for anything. It gets implied that he never really believed Theresis would hand back the Gaulish platforms and only hoped that his actions would create an opening for his compatriots in the Gaulish restoration to act. Witnessing the escalating violence in Londinim, he decides to kiII the old Vieux Vanguard he had been looking after before any of the Sarkaz can get him into their hands. And then he goes to see the Sanguinarch one last time, kiIIing himself right before his eyes.

With what we witnessed so far it comes as little surprise to see the kind of breaking point Lettou has reached, but interestingly amongst his desperation there are still elements of determination. On his way to see the Vieux Vanguard Clovisia approaches Lettou, offering him to join her side and safe himself through it. Not only does he decline, he basically calls Clovisia a ruthless opportunist who is using the chaos for her own goals. It's clear he neither trusts her nor holds any respect for her. But also, given what will happen later… in rejecting her offer he’s staying loyal to the Sanguinarch even when he has already decided that he wants to leave him on his own terms. Lettou kiIIing himself in front of the Sanguinarch while calling him names was an act of spite and desperation, sure, but also one ingrained with a twisted sense of loyalty. Even when acknowledging the dismal conditions he had been in and when checking out on his own conditions, Lettou did so in a way that wouldn't inconvenience the Sanguinarch.

Clovisia’s offer had no chance to shake his decision. Lettou moved in the confinements he was in at the time, sure, but he did so while holding on to the last shred of principles and dignity he had. It was also an act that left the Sanguinarch baffled. He could imagine that Lettou would try and hurt him in the state he was in, but he hadn’t seen the possibility that Lettou would hurt himself. The Sanguinarch gets taken by surprise but can’t even admit that to himself. Instead he tells himself like ten times that Lettou was an insignificant existence and that there’s no reason to care that he died.

The Sanguinarch has been shown to have the most stable bond throughout the Londinium arc with a non-Sarkaz he called his pet, but he tells himself that he doesn’t care the Liberi just cut his own throat, even though not even five minutes ago he told Lettou he should feel honored that the Sanguinarch let him close in ways he doesn’t even with his fellow Vampires. He reminds himself that the insignificant man he wasted the last couple of years with was but a pathetic existence, so insignificant even that he will not waste a single thought more to think about this annoying person who didn’t matter. The Sanguinarch is going to stop thinking about Lettou for sure. Soon. Any moment now. Dude goes and claims he doesn’t care even though we have seen by now that this is not entirely true. Dude goes and claims he doesn’t care and sounds like the person he has to convince the most is he himself.

[zombie-honeymoon]

Last Line Tag Rules: Write the latest line from your WIP and tag as many  people as there are words in the line. Make a new post, don’t reblog!

Tagged by- @chalabrun a while ago but was going through my drafts this morning and saw this. Since I was working on my Clown Motel fic, I thought I'd do this.

The waiting cars horn honked again, and Kankuro shouted as he walked over, dragging his suitcase, “Alright already! I’m coming! Give it a rest! No wonder mom left you!”

Tagging: @justanotherblonde, @hellotheremaryrose, @foriamproud, @eidolonlathi, @jashinist-femme, @thatshipcat @heyitswrenn, @anon-omatopoeia

[kakuhidaweek]

Thank you everyone who participated in this year’s KakuHida week! While turnout was not as large as previous years, we still enjoyed each and every piece, and hope our followers did as well!

Special thanks to @frozs, @hidan-chan-my-foot, @jashinist-feminist, @lilac-bramble, @thevsn, @writing-escapes, plus @eidolonlathi, for being confident enough to share their works with other shippers—

Thank you also all fans that liked and reblogged their work, sharing it with others—

—all of you are the true MVPs!!!

(We gift you flowers from Kakuzu UwU)

Additionally, because the week was announced late this year, mods are accepting late submissions up through December 31st, 2019! (Hurray!)

So long as your entry follows all the rules and guidelines, we will reblog entries up until then.

Thank you, again, for celebrating this week with us!

Best,

~~ Mods Kitty and Ghost 🐱 👻

[eidolonlathi]

The Parallels between the Sanguinarch and Lettou

It is an ironic thematic parallel that both the Sanguinarch and Lettou are the two people during the Victoria arc whose motives are almost solely driven by the catastrophic defeat their respective people suffered, and yet they are two of the most isolated characters during the arc and only really have each other. And it’s interesting how chapter thirteen makes a point to show this.

During the entire Victoria arc we can see that the relations of the Vampire court with the rest of the Military Commission is rather bad, up to a point that it comes as little surprise when it is implied that Theresis set the Sanguinarch up for failure at Brentwood to get rid of him entirely. But it is interesting that Babel clarified that these tensions were nothing new and the relations of the Vampire court with the rest of the Sarkaz had been terrible for at least centuries. These tensions make you wonder why the Sanguinarch agreed to go along with Theresis plan in Victoria to begin with. At least you do until his fight with team Amiya on the Command Tower where there is so much old and pent up bitterness coming out of him. He blames the Ancients and Elders for driving the Sarkaz into a corner He has not forgiven Kal’tsit for mobilizing entire armies on Kazdel during a time the Sarkaz were just trying to mind their own business. And it is interesting the people he seems to despise the most are the Sarkaz denying their heritage by trying to make peace with just those outbloods: The Sanguinarch made it quite clear he found Theresa’s ideals and those of the Sarkaz siding with her ridiculous.

It is a mindset similar of what’s going on with Lettou, really. It’s maybe just not that obvious because from the first moment we see him Lettou has been lying and keeps lying. He has to. Given his situation he has to hide the depth of his sympathies towards Gaul. Otherwise he would endanger the power his position in the military is giving him and the trust he established among Victoria’s nobles. Those are the tools he needs to drive his revenge against Victoria for making Gaul fall, and this is what still makes him useful to the Military Commission. Because just like the Sanguinarch it is mostly revenge that is driving him: He lied to Theresis when getting asked if he wanted to win back the Gaulish platforms, admitting much later to Clovisia he never had any hope of this succeeding. He lied towards Catherine about feeling remorse the Sarkaz were taking over Victorian factories, even though he very much did not mind the humiliation the destroyer of his fatherland suffered in that moment. And he lied to Golding about having lost all former goals and aiming for nothing but his own survival. – Since the moment her deep ties to the Self-Salvation Corps became apparent he deliberately and intentionally drove her into a corner. Even though she was a former acquaintance, even though she too had Gaulish roots, from the moment on she had sided with the country that had destroyed Gaul she had to die.

Lettou being so callous for the sake of Gaul is making even more sense now that Doc’s operator record of all people provided us with much needed context of how Victoria is treating its Gaulish inhabitant. Doc’s Operator Record is about him giving medical care to a village of Gaulish descendant in Victoria and it is quite depressing. They live in dire circumstances, have problems growing food and their attempts to improve their situation by paying for their own infrastructure etc. go nowhere because for some ‘mysterious’ reason the caravans don’t want to go to that village and do business with it. The reader also learns it is a widespread practice that people of Gaulish origin under the suspicion of still feeling ties towards their home country are forced to spit on a portrait of Corsica to prove that their loyalty is now with Victoria. If you read Golding’s lines in the main story how all people born in Victoria are the same, you would think Victoria would make no difference in how they treat their citizens. But Doc’s OpRec makes it very clear that the opposite is the case: The Victorian bureaucrats actively sabotage every attempt the villagers in Doc’s story make to try and improve their lives. No surprise the main story never showed that, I guess that would have made Lettou’s motivations too sympathetic. Circumstances of Gaulish survivors in Victoria so dire, they had to put its details into the operator's record of a true limited five star barely anyone will bother to E2, sad.

With these details giving much needed clarification, it’s impossible but to not see this as yet another parallel the writing established between Lettou and the Sanguinarch. It is made clear how thoroughly the Sanguinarch detests non-Sarkaz, but he feels repelled by the Sarkaz who try to find peace with them and subjugate themselves to them even more. He won’t take someone like Siege seriously, while mere mentions of his brother during the wrong time will make him lose his calm. On a similar note, it is interesting to see how most of the time Lettou will appear emotionally aloof, but will show instances where he clearly does feel a lot for the people who are by definition his enemy. He is betraying his soldiers in a long term way but loses it when he sees how they are getting slaughtered on the Command Tower. He is more than ready to kiII people who are part of the Self-Salvation Corps, but feels conflicted when seeing the wife and children of some noble are getting slaughtered. Both times it almost ended as a disaster for him that he felt pity for these Victorians during the wrong moment. In contrast he felt no regret but only exhaustion over Golding’s death. He might wish there could have been an outcome where kiIIing her wouldn’t have been necessary, but from his conversation with Clovisia where he impatiently rejected the ‘atonement’ she offered him, we can see that given the choice he’d do it all over again

I find it interesting how the writing made both Lettou and the Sanguinarch kiII people they had used to be close with to illustrate how they put the legacy of their home country above all else. Golding had sided with the Self-Salvation Corps, so Lettou drove her to her end. The Sanguinarch was convinced that his brother was putting the interests of the non-Sarkaz above the wellbeing of the Sarkaz, so he kiIIed him. Even the way Golding and the Toppled Blood Prince are characterized resemble each other. Throughout the Victoria arc we learn that Golding yearns for peace. That’s the reason she joins the Self-Salvation Corps, that’s why she sets up a stage play with her students that is supposed to teach them noble values, that’s why she keeps debating with Lettou about her ideas of peace and civilization, even though by this point in the story she long since feels repulsed and disappointed with him. Her ideals eventually crumble when confronted with the fact an undercover Damazti posing as Molly used her to gather intel used against the Self-Salvation Corps, and maybe worse, she realizes that her attempts to shield her students from the reality of war always had been futile.

Characterizing the Toppled Blood Prince is a bit harder, as we can only do it indirectly. The bits we know about the Sanguinarch’s brother are not really there to deepen his own character, but to show how evil the Sanguinarch was for rejecting a ‘peaceful’ future as a doctor and for kiIIing what chapter thirteen basically portrays as a proto-Theresa. It’s interesting though that whatever feelings Duq’arael once used to hold towards his brother, he is making it very clear he feels not a shred of regret for kiIIing him. You get the impression that the frustration towards his brother must have been brooding in him since ages before he had decided kiIIing him was the only option. There are glimpses of it when he recalls how he had to face on his own the Feranmut who was threatening Kazdel, and how even the barely lucid Feranmut was agreeing with Duq’arael that defending Kazdel actually would have been the duty of the King, his brother. You’ll get an idea why the Sanguinarch keeps complaining about the Vampires who are hiding in cozy castles while forgetting their origin as warriors.

That frustration echoes in what emotion we saw Lettou display towards Golding towards the end of her arc. One gets the impression he is feeling a not small part of satisfaction the moment he reveals to her Damazti had been deceiving her since weeks. Sympathetic as her motives are, in hindsight she appears almost painfully naïve, almost detached from the dirty realities of war. I wonder how her insisting all Victorians are born equal must have sounded in Lettou’s ears when in Doc’s OpRec we saw that this is very much not the case. No, Golding's attempts to discuss the morals of war never had a chance. Lettou knows he is right to avenge Gaul’s fall. Just as the Sanguinarch knows the Ancients and Elders deserve the blame for driving the Sarkaz into a corner. Both the Brother and Golding had made themselves a threat to their people by putting compromise and what the Sanguinarch calls a false “peace” as their priority. Therefor they both had to go.

It’s interesting though that the story keeps hinting that neither Duq’arael nor Lettou can fully face that they’re both the kind of person to drive someone to their end they used to be close with. There is this interesting scene during Babel where the Sanguinarch slays two Sarkaz who made fun of the fact Theresis and Theresa have become enemies. Nezzsalem believes that this outburst shows that Duq’arael feels just as sad about Theresa’s death as he himself. As the former teacher of her and Theresis, this conclusion would feel most natural to Nezzsalem. This claim Duq’arael neither confirms nor denies. The only thing he justifies his outburst with is that whatever their motivations are, in the hour of death the life of those siblings is not a subject to be treated lightly. Yeah, that’s vague. What siblings did you just mean, buddy? Could it be that being faced with another pair of siblings in lethaI conflict the memories of your own brother you’ve kiIIed got a little bit too intense?

This outburst at the same time manages to echo and contrast Lettou’s thoughts about Golding after he runs into Clovisia. He wishes there would have been an outcome where she still would have been alive and teaching her students but otherwise… he doesn’t know what to feel about her death. Given we have just learned that he handed over his own soldiers to the Military Commission makes me think he is less grieving her as struggling to come to terms with the knowledge that he is the kind of person ready to kiII old acquaintances for his goal. As Lettou admits towards the old Youth Vanguard he looked after, at this point in time he is just tired. He has done all he could for Gaul and yet he admits he is having doubts the Gaulish people will have a future. The only two things he still cares about are mercy-kiIIing the Vieux Vanguard before the Sarkaz have a chance to get him and then he is going to meet the Sanguinarch one last time.

Or as Lettou put it to the Sanguinarch, he was always going to find His Highness. You know, at this point in the story Lettou finally had reached a point where he no longer had to lie about his motivations. He just mercy-kiIIed his last ally, he rejected Clovisia’s offer and with it got the chance to tell Victoria’s ageless a piece of his mind and he broke all ties to the Defense Forces. Lettou no longer needs to hold up any lie for the sake of keeping his position of power. It feels fitting he feels the urge to return to the Sanguinarch. He is by that point the only person left who fully knows what Lettou’s actual thoughts had been all along. And it is interesting how their last meeting stresses that point. Duq'arael tells Lettou he believed in him to defeat his enemy, the nation of Victoria. And that the mere thought of going to witness more of his revenge was already filling him with affection for Lettou. And it is no coincidence that just in that moment the Sanguinarch, who so rarely bothers to address anyone by their name, calls Lettou by his full name – René Lettou. Yeah, nice of the story to tease the reader with all this potential just to let Lettou kiII himself seconds later.

But Duq’arael’s reaction to this is revealing. He had not seen it coming. He had seen that Lettou had been driven by lethaI intent, but Duq’arael had been so convinced that aggression would be going to be directed at him that he didn’t see the possibility of Lettou kiIIling himself until it had already happened. Duq’arael’s reaction is to deny that he cares in any way. He denies that this René Lettou is worth to be remembered – while still using his full name, entangling himself in a contradiction. And apparently not realizing what it signifies he bothers to remember and use Lettou’s name to begin with. Yes, it feels fitting that the Sanguinarch picked up that ability to deceive (himself, in this case) Lettou had always known to display when he still had been alive. Because if chapter thirteen hit something home then that René and Duq’arael had always been supposed to resemble each other.

[eidolonlathi]

The Sanguinarch and IS5

I’ve learned from Nymph’s Storyteller Record that some Sarkaz are starting to deify Duq’arael. It’s going to be funny when he returns on the 333rd day after being thrown into the parallel dimension and people will be happy to see that He Is Risen. Give it enough time and we’ll eventually get accidental godhead Duq’arael (not really, except that I’d really like to see it). Just look at this interesting little exchange here:

It looks like an obscure incident, sure, but it made me remember how the Nymph event showed that some Sarkaz feel unhappy with the ‘ruling elite up in their towers’. I wonder if in hindsight Duq’arael appears like the lesser evil. “He only appeared in the city every few months and spent the rest of the time in his castle and left us alone. Unlike those controlling tower dweller who are constantly looking down on us.” Maybe some are having a sentiment akin to this.

Babel confirmed the Sanguinarch didn't live in Kazdel city the entire time and only travelled to it when he had business with the KMC etc. With the Liches breathing down everyone's necks these days the memory of Sarkaz nobles who were not present the entire time might look more appealing.

And that little line in Nymph’s Storyteller Record makes me think of this new IS5 relic that dropped. It describes how if back in the day the outcome of the confrontation between Duq’arael and his brother would have been that Duq’arael wouldn’t have made it and the brother had survived instead, then people would look back at his attempt to overthrow the brother as a missed chance. Because the brother eventually would have started to drain everyone of their bIood:

It’s so interesting how Duq’arael’s failed attempt to overthrow his brother gets described as brave here. I wonder if this alternative outcome is supposed to show that the brother was not the pacifist everyone seems to take him for but a tyrant at heart. And that once Duq’arael was gone no one made him hold back these urges anymore and he just fully gave in to them. Like, look at the effect of that relict. It drains everyone, friend and foe alike of their blood. That may not be the equality people love to demand but the one you get if the bearer of the crown decides that is what he wants. Have fun with your bIood tax, I guess.

[eidolonlathi]

For which underappreciated rarepair shall I write fic today?

[eidolonlathi]

Why Sato being an Miami Vice fanboy adds to his characterization

Sato liking Miami Vice and nicknaming him and his IBM after protagonist duo Sonny and Tubbs is a nice pop culture reference the manga inserted. But iconic action duo appreciation is only one side of this.

See, I wonder what pre-ajinificated!Sato's thoughts were watching the show when it aired. Because just like manga!Sato, Sonny is a Vietnam War Veteran too. Watching the episodes bringing up on Sonny’s war trauma must have felt relatable. Seeing the issue addressed and shared.

But also. After the war, Sonny found new meaning in his life working for Miami Vice. This kind of path was not an option for Sato after the war. Not with him lacking one leg. The scars he carried were not only visible but here to stay, present daily in an unavoidable way.

The story on TV was reminder and escape: The exciting thrill of dangerous undercover work, making friends with a likeminded buddy like Tubbs, having reliable colleagues, caring for a cute pet alligator: I'm sure these would have been the things Sato would have liked to experience too.

But it was fated to remain a dream, a lost chance of another life. Something that now only could be watched TV. Something at least was possible to be seen on TV.

After his ajinification the unreachable dream had the chance to become reality though.

No wonder his IBM resembles Sonny’s pet alligator. No wonder the entity becoming a friend felt like "Tubbs": It's a symbol of lost hope regained, implication Sato does not see this second chance as something to be taken granted but appreciates it for the gift it is.

Even the reliable colleagues seen on TV became reality. Convinced Takahashi's legendary Hawaii shirts are a reference to Sonny's work buddy Stan who likes to wear them as well.

Great minds think alike and wear Hawaii shirts.

In general, Sonny's work pals Stan and Larry might have been an inspiration for parts of the TakaGen storyline: Like Takahashi and Gen they were "those two always hanging out together", both at least implied to struggle with present and overcome addiction (gambling, drinking). And Stan unravelled when Larry d.ied

[eidolonlathi]

Aspects Concerning the Dynamics Between Gen and Takahashi

You just know it had to be Gen's idea to join the Sato squad. Takahashi didn't realize until the end it would be a trip with no return for Gen while for Gen this was a feature and not a bug.

At first glance Takahashi seems to be the one with the ideas. It seems like this because he's impulsive and talkative but if you look closer, it's Gen's approval he's constantly looking for.

And when it comes to heavy decision making and to defending Takahashi then it's Gen acting without hesitation. Neither standing under enemy fire nor Tanaka's legendary sour moods manage to faze him. No matter the pressure, Gen knows how to stay calm.

That’s Tanaka Gen has on the radio here during the Grant Pharma operation by the way. Sort of sad that the two of them were shown to work perfectly together during that situation and only a few chapters later there’s this much tension involved.

But always being the responsible and reasonable one can also be a burden. Back in the day, Gen’s first and only concern when joining Sato's group was the question if Sato really had everything planned out in a reasonable way. Gen doesn't care about morals, it's logistics he's concerned about.

When he shows worry, it's due to the question if something got discarded too early. If it got wasted when it still could have been useful. He calms down when Sato reassures this is not the case but also, this looks like the behaviour of someone used to conditions of scarcity. 

Related to this, it's interesting to think how Taka becoming an Ajin ended up influencing their dynamics. For Takahashi, it seemed to have fed into his already present impulsivity. It's easy to see this trait of his as a flaw but it's not that easy.

He shows a fundamental inability to see the immediate future. As if his experience of the future is a malevolent force that's forced upon you, happens to you without caring about your sensibilities. But once he turned an ajin these factors strenghten a feeling of invincibility.

A sense of invincibility that included Gen. Pointing to a tendency in Takahashi to see himself and Gen as a unity. A tendency shown in the moment of Gen's end: Gen had to spell out for Takahashi that him being an ajin would not mean Gen would be included in his regenerative abilities. Even in his last moments Gen’s first impulse was to ease Takahashi’s fears, one last time being the responsible and reasonable one for the wellbeing of the person he most cared about.

For Gen the entire incident of Takahashi turning out to be an ajin must have heightened already present feelings of resignation and lack of power. Takahashi already was meant to no longer be here, to be lost, saved only by chance, a chance promising new dangers of an almost unimaginable scope. Feeding into an impression that no matter how hard you try, it will never be enough to stop the arrival of new dangers and worries. Instead confirming the eternal necessity to be alert and behave in a reasonable manner. As usual for Gen, old patterns continuing, never changing.

Seeing Sato arrive and bringing with him the opportunity to disregard all concerns of old and instead offer the power to for once to inflict instead of to only endure as long as you accept the consequence attached to that path... I'm not surprised Gen grabbed the chance.

He might have have told himself it would have been a unique chance to ensure Takahashi would win back his rights he had lost when turning out to be an ajin. But Gen always must have known the inevitable outcome for himself. And in a lost corner of his mind, Takahashi knew too.

[eidolonlathi]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Maito Gai | Might Guy/Yamato | Tenzou Characters: Yamato | Tenzou, Maito Gai | Might Guy Additional Tags: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, One Shot Summary:

If he was honest, Tenzo had to admit that life as a shinobi had an effect on one’s emotions that could be downright numbing. Gai isn’t thinking about any of this too hard because as long as he has an opportunity to spend time with Tenzo, he is going to feel content. But there comes a time when even the best of intentions no longer have the strength to succeed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Written for @narutorarepairweek

Tuesday (27): Protective Rage

ship: YamatoxGai

[eidolonlathi]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kakuzu/Sasori (Naruto) Characters: Sasori (Naruto), Kakuzu (Naruto) Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Immortality, One Shot Summary:

A former Akatsuki member made the decision to correct fate. Despite not having asked for this, Kakuzu and Sasori do not feel like complaining. Facing their new reality still feels difficult to deal with at times but maybe it is helping after all that they both are together in this challenge.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Written for @narutorarepairweek  Thursday (29): “Every moment is a fresh beginning.” - T.S. Eliot Ship: SasorixKakuzu

[eidolonlathi]

POV

For the No Excuses Writing Meme, Askbox Version: drop one of these bad boys in my askbox and i will post, without editing

Anon sent me: POV - something that’s already happened, retold from another character’s perspective

Thank you for the prompt, dear anon! ^.^ I was thinking what POV might be interesting getting retold. I decided on a scene from my Ajin fic Sound of the Sky, an AU where Izumi is the one ending up being Sato’s right-hand-ajin and Tanaka as Tosaki's secretary and bodyguard:

It’s weird to think about, but when Tosaki arrived the fear ended. Before Tosaki was there, there was nothing but growing terror, the kind of panic that made it hard to think, hard to see a way forward, hard to think what might come next. Tanaka had been frozen into place by his fear, unable to take another step. Luckily he had not been alone. Next to him had been his father, gripping his hand, dragging him with him to the car, silently, secretly, so the townspeople investigating if one of their own truly had turned ajin would not notice. His mother had been there too, handing him over a bag holding something to eat and his jacket. There had been fear in her eyes too, though Tanaka had been able to tell she had been trying to hide it, trying to stay strong. “Be careful”, she had whispered, her voice drenched in emotion she did not allow her face to show.

Tanaka had only nodded, promising her he would be. Then the car had set into motion and his mother had been gone, leaving nothing but an uncertain future. The terror in his mind had expanded, making it hard to breathe. But his father had still been next to him, gripping the wheel of the car, promising Tanaka it would be alright.

Tanaka didn’t know if his current situation deserved the label “alright” but he guessed those were semantics. His father was safe again, the shock of getting arrested when they both had been discovered not entirely forgotten but in the meanwhile at least lying in the past. His mother was safe again too, trying to appease the last lingering suspicions of their neighbours by reminding them it all had been only a misunderstanding, Kouji was no ajin after all.

It had of course been no misunderstanding at all, Tanaka thought, looking through the one-way mirror, unable to tear his gaze away from the torn figure on the slab. Bright red bIood kept blooming against skin that had become pale from years away from the sun. The beeping of some machine or another told that despite her injuries the woman on the slab still was alive. But then, for Kouji and her “alive” was nothing but a state between two recoveries.

Next to him he heard a rustling of fabric, Tosaki turning towards him. “Tanaka-san, do you have the Grant Pharma results from last time?”

Tanaka opened his briefcase, quickly locating the desired paperwork. Of course he had them ready; being perfectly organised was his way of insurance. He paid attention to what Tosaki had to say, making an effort to read his moods, learning to predict his wishes sometimes even before he Tosaki would voice them. He took out the results, handing them over to Tosaki.

“Those exactly, thank you.” Tosaki leaned towards the microphone that let his voice be heard in the laboratory room. “We’re ready. You can go on performing your next step on the test subject.”

Tanaka had used to feel upset when hearing the way they referred to the woman on the slab. She was still a person after all. And one of his kind if you’d belief Tosaki’s argument that ajin weren’t human to begin with. Tanaka didn’t know if he agreed with that. He didn’t know.

Feeling a glance resting on him he turned his head, meeting Tosaki’s gaze. He was giving Tanaka an intense and careful look, as if he was able to estimate the thought forming in his mind. For a moment Tanaka held his gaze for the simple fact that trying to hide something from Tosaki was pointless. That only would have led to problems.

Tanaka straightened his tie before avoiding his gaze and looking at the scene taking place in the laboratory again. He used to feel genuinely upset when witnessing the experiments taking place in the lab but nowadays an odd sort of routine had set into him that left him indifferent and cold. As if he wasn’t able to care anymore. That bothered him. For the fact alone that this could be him lying on the slab and getting experimented on. Tosaki reminded him about that the rare times he accused Tanaka of slacking off.

Tanaka gripped the briefcase he was holding in his hand. But now was now and he was not the one stuck in the laboratory. He couldn’t deny, when Tosaki had arrived the fear had ended. If that meant he had been rendered numb then so be it.

[eidolonlathi]

This One Thing Concerning child!Sato's Character Design

There is this just for fun theory I have about child!Sato's background and I'm only halfway joking. So, I noticed that the character design of child!Sato we see in the flashback to his childhood resembles the character design of baby Gage in the Pe/t Se/ma/tary movie. And matching to this the character design of dad Owen looks similar to the character of Jud Crandall, the neighbour in the movie who tells Gage's father about the existence of the P/et Sem/atar/y.

Incoming spoiler for a 30-something year old movie: The thing is, pets and especially people bur/ie/d in the pet se/mat/ary develope an odd destr/ucti/ve urge. As little Gage did when eventually bur/ie/d in the sematary.

In resonance to this trait, in the manga flashback where we see child!Sato, he is ki/llin/g small animals. See where I'm going with this? What if the seemingly poin/tless urge to des/tro/y that child!Sato showed was because dad Owen brougt him back from the de/ad using the Pet Sem/ata/ry? Just as ajin are brought back to life time and time again?

Ok, maybe no actual cur/se/d b/ur/ial ground involved in Sato's case but the character design parallels to the Pe/t Sem/ata/ry movie is a nice thematical reference the manga did here.

[eidolonlathi]

Chapter 86 brought Thoughts and Feelings

The last Ajin chapter dropped and gave me lots of thoughts. Fortunately mostly positive ones. More or less unexpectedly even TakaGen related thoughts. Among other things.

Beware incoming spoilers for chapter 86.

Chapter 86 spoilers, now:

Now that the last chapter dropped, I can finally say it: I'm glad the manga let Gen d/ie at the point it did. I'd rather have a character arc that is lacking ideas end instead of seeing it getting dragged on without spirit for two more slow years. And with Gen dy/ing Takahashi’s character arc was put on a bus as well. Which was good because the way his and Gen’s characters had been written had started to feel regressive since a while, not giving anything constructive to work with but instead starting to trip over its own feet. So, I was just glad adventure TakaGen had ended no moment too late.

Even better: The last chapter didn’t give any flashback or new development that disturbed this personal peace: Instead the glance the last chapter gave on Takahashi sets the world right again: Little rascal still full of energy, spirit not broken, energized by the hate, hurt and disappointment that has always been his motor. But now that Gen is no longer around to bring in affection we get an unfiltered view on it? And I love it? It confirms a pile of suspicions I had about his character and about the dynamic he had with Gen. Those few pages were just a good way of seeing Takahashi’s stay in the manga end like this.

Takahashi knew all along that he’d eventually would get captured and he does not care. Also the implication two panels earlier that he theoretically would be able to use his ghost to cause some dama/ge but doesn’t do it because he is rather letting a mindgame going for now is… much better than seeing him succumb to passive gri/ef would have been. I’m sure Gen is rooting for him from the aether, ever loyal. 

Further thoughts on the chapter in no specific order: Sato in a box still means Sato can get out of the box; no confinement strong enough to hold him. The world is right, his future still holding potential.

And aw, I'm happy we saw Izumi defending Tosaki's memory one last time. It rings true with the journey her character went through: That despite embracing the opportunity he offered her, she felt it right to appreciate the second chance she eventually decided to actively grasp. Overall, Izumi is safe and I’m happy with that. 

Pity thought: No Yamanaka-san in this chapter? This here is the biggest disappointment I feel. Please tell me Kei at least send her a letter to say a thank you. Her taking him in and being kind to him was after all an important part he could avoid capture and think of ways of what to do next.

Furthermore Eriko seems on the path of getting better, at least she is out of the hospital. I wish her the best for her future.

Overall, it’s a chapter that gives the reader the chance to wish the best for the future of any character we saw in it. And seeing how writing a good ending can be a challenge, I consider this a positive aspect: The biggest concern with any manga ending is that the last chapter doesn’t thematically fit into what came before and therefor does not ring true. This last chapter managed to wrap up most of the big questions that were still open, ultimately ending with lots of possibility. Happy rereading soon.

[eidolonlathi]

Aesthetical References of Sato’s Black Ghost

Since the beginning of the manga Sato’s character tends to make remarks about pop cultural references. And looking at the kind of media he is talking about might not only reveal references hidden in the design of his black ghost but also holds information about the time frame of the story’s events.

The fact that Sato and his IBM are calling each other “Sonny” and “Tubbs” during operations is an clear reference to Miami Vice’s, to its main characters Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. Not much hidden meaning in this one and a reference surely picked up by many readers.

Living the neon-noir dream. Tell me Sato, if your ghost is your Tubbs then who is your Castillo?

It gets more interesting though if one has a look at the head of Sato’s IBM. Clearly a reptilian inspired design, especially in panels that show its teeth. A long snout, sharp teeth… an alligator might be the most fitting comparison. Alligator? Fun Fact: Miami Vice’s Sonny Crockett is proud owner of a pet alligator called Elvis, which lives a spoiled life at his epic sailboat. Looking at this, I think there might be a good possibility the design of the head of Sato’s IBM was directly inspired by alligator Elvis.

The secret of the alligator: In some parallel universe Sato’s black ghost is named “Elvis”

Observation two: Early in the manga, when staging Tanaka’s breakout, there is the famous line where Tanaka is missing Sato’s A-Team reference and instead ends up comparing himself to the Clarice Starling to Sato’s Hannibal Lecter: A Silence of the Lambs reference.

Tanaka shows ambitions to become Clarice and can you blame him for it?

So, where does Sato’s IBM fit in here? Ever noticed how the black ghost has six fingers on each of its hand instead of five?

The number of the beast is six-six-pool ‘gator

In the Silence of the Lambs novel, it gets mentioned that Dr Lecter was born with an additional sixth finger on each hand (can’t remember if this detail made it into the movie). And that he later had those extra fingers surgically removed. So, the design of the hands of Sato’s IBM might be inspired by that.

What to make of these observations? Outer universe that the writing not only loves bringing in pop cultural references but also manages to re-insert them in interesting ways. Having the effect that they feel deeper than a simple one-panel joke. And Inner Universe? Probably that during the time his IBM started appearing, Sato not only went watching Silence of the Lambs at the cinema but also didn’t miss any episode of Miami Vice running. Both media are fitting into the approximate time frame he would have discovered being an Ajin. So, on top of being entertaining references, I think there is a good chance the writing did not pick these two titles randomly but was inserting hints about the time frame of events.

[eidolonlathi]

About this blog:

Lathi. Personal blog. I write and draw sometimes too. Attached to too many fandoms. Ship and let ship.

This place started as a fandom blog and mainly still is, but in the meanwhile also consists of everything else that interests me too. When I have the time I like to write and draw. At the moment mainly for Ajin and Naruto. Mainly; some new fandoms show up, some old ones never really leave the sphere of interest entierly. Have a look at the tags of this post to find this blog's tags relevant to my writing and art.

Artblog is @lathidraws

[eidolonlathi]

And then the camera showed his face. The reader still doesn't know how it happened exactly, but now with the most recent flashback we've witnessed the timeframe Sato got his scar.