FM-PMS (Mariko)

[akk]

current chapter word count: 3814 (+237)
scene worked on today: caught-in-the-act
scene completed? yes (discounting tinkering)
resulting in Part I and II of Mariko being complete, only Part III remains to be done.
character whose value system is challenged: Seishiro
character who wants to share a meal: Tree-san
character who wouldn't mind some after-meal-make-out: also Tree-san
character stumbling unwittingly into the center of it all: kiddo!Subaru
surprisingly useful plot device: white shikifuku, red blood, pink petals (the usual, I know)
quote of the day: ...a manageable corpse-to-be.

Comments

[akk]

Well, blood is a severe stain in the Japanese culture, but is also a spiritual power source. Blood is also the marker of the difference between the work of the Sumeragi and the Sakurazukamori.

I can't quote about Rurouni kenshin. I'm too visual a person to ignore the characters looking like X-Men.

I don't think the Tree will comment on his climbing habits. It's too busy trying to get into his pants. ;)

I will not replay the bet scene in this story. It's not necessary. I think CLAMP did a wonderful way, showing it en detail in Tokyo Babylon. However, the approach to the scene from Seishiro's point of view and his motivation in it are something, I'm playing with here. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, you always say very interesting things (about the significance of blood, in this case).

I don't know a thing about X-men (no really, not my cup of tea), but in RK the manga the main character during his work as sorta goverment assassin has a tragic love of his life witness him kill a person and there's blood splattered on her face and she says about it raining blood, so that's what I meant about reminiscence.

You're making Tree-san sound almost like some kind of horny teenager:p Oh my, Tree-san won't be pleased by the compairson.

I love the bet scene too.But CLAMP never gave us any Seishirou's POV's (which is good, becaus eit adds to the mystery air surrounding him) or clear definite insights into his motivations and your Seishirou is a particular recognizable Seishirou with an AKK(TM) on his... umm, somehwere, so I was mostly interested in his motivations in this story, seeing how it's playing out.

--shirogiku

[akk]

If Tree-san doesn't come across as a wooden tentacle-monster, I'm satisfied. ;)

It depends. I think we got Seishiro's view of the matter quiet nicely in his actions and musings. It's easy to see him just as a monster or insane maniac (and probably comforting, because it leaves us - the sane ones - to think, no, we'd never even be able to imagine how he thinks), but the Sakurazukamori is controlled in his actions, or he wouldn't last. And isn't it just the unthinkable element that somebody obviously sane and capable of constructive thought comes to such decidedly unethical decisions?

[shirogiku.livejournal.com]

Eh?

I actually find it hard to see him as a monster or a maniac. I often found myself agreeing with his cynical and jaded observations in TB. I missed TB!Seishirou's opinions in X - I would have liked more of that.

My problem with understanding vanilla/canon Seishirou is that I don't always see how constructive thought may lead to his actions (because I don't have it narrated for my convinience - I'm rather bad at understanding other people/fictional characters).

Is it insanity to be unable to connect to others and feel sympathy for them, anyway?
Is it insanity to be amoral?

(it's not like I often understand Subaru either. I think he is the scariest of maniacs to himself)

[akk]

Characterization in general was flat in X. Clamp themselves admitted that they didn't handle the large cast well.

Monster / maniac = is my simplified tag for how he is typically treated in fanfic (if the authors admit his dark side to exist at all and not just dump him into Subaru's bed for the heck of it).

I'm afraid I can't help you there. If his thoughts were narrated directly, TBXs would lose much of its appeal to me. It's the interpretation-grey-zone that keeps me fascinated.

:) Ann