Title: Family Matters (Sequel to 36°)
Rating: "Family Matters" as a whole is rated NC-17 for violence, crime, occultism, sexual connotations, alternative lifestyles, and a vocal tree having issues. Single chapters may be less restricted.
Characters: Subaru, Seishiro, Tree-san, Lady Sumeragi, (the CCD & X-cast)
Pairings: Sei/Su, (T/Sei)
Genre: drama, history, cont
Words: 148.110
Betaed by:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solo
Comments: As a direct sequel it may not make sense unless you know "36°".
Summary: The second story of the Decagram (Sequel to 36°) -- Preventing the End of the World caused some side-effects Subaru is ill-prepared to deal with on his own.
Status: complete
Links:
Family Matters (edited) as PDF [1.64 MB, text-only] on my homepage.
Family Matters (edited) on the AO3 fanfic archive (downloadable in ebook format).
Please note: Family Matters saw some serious editing after it was finished in individual blog posts at the end of December 2010.
Rating: "Family Matters" as a whole is rated NC-17 for violence, crime, occultism, sexual connotations, alternative lifestyles, and a vocal tree having issues. Single chapters may be less restricted.
Characters: Subaru, Seishiro, Tree-san, Lady Sumeragi, (the CCD & X-cast)
Pairings: Sei/Su, (T/Sei)
Genre: drama, history, cont
Words: 148.110
Betaed by:
soloComments: As a direct sequel it may not make sense unless you know "36°".
Summary: The second story of the Decagram (Sequel to 36°) -- Preventing the End of the World caused some side-effects Subaru is ill-prepared to deal with on his own.
Status: complete
Links:
Family Matters (edited) as PDF [1.64 MB, text-only] on my homepage.
Family Matters (edited) on the AO3 fanfic archive (downloadable in ebook format).
Please note: Family Matters saw some serious editing after it was finished in individual blog posts at the end of December 2010.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-02-17 16:33 (UTC)From: (Anonymous)Downloading and looking very much forward to (re)reading!
Ruth
no subject
Date: 2013-02-17 16:56 (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-02-17 18:43 (UTC)From:But I'll re-read it for sure, am curious about changes made through editing!
no subject
Date: 2013-02-17 19:02 (UTC)From:Most of the changes are in the last three chapters, due to the characterization mistake I made after the exorcism.
Hope you enjoy reading it despite being burdened by work again. :)
no subject
Date: 2013-02-18 17:30 (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-02-17 19:41 (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-02-17 21:23 (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-02-18 01:55 (UTC)From:The memorial service was wonderful and I liked Sei-chan's reaction and view of the situation. Yoshi was as always adorable and secretly evil in the Sei-chan torment :3. All in all, the 2 year edit wait was well worth the wait and I hope that Business As Usual gives you less trouble. I adore the excerpt we got at the end of Family Matters.
Question
Date: 2013-02-18 04:18 (UTC)From:Re: Question
Date: 2013-02-18 09:21 (UTC)From:Use which one works best for you (or do a copy&paste for maximum impact! ;) ).
no subject
Date: 2013-02-22 09:22 (UTC)From:I really love your Seishiro, he is much more cosy and accustomed to small everyday pleasures than Subaru. It reminds a bit of Gaiman’s Death who had also much joy of life due to her course of work.
p.s.
Subaru is a major threat to tableware. :) He should buy some nice cups and funny mugs for Seishiro’s collection. Otherwise at this rate Sei-san will run out of them by the end of the year.
no subject
Date: 2013-02-22 15:14 (UTC)From:Subaru, a threat to tableware? How so? Last time I counted, he broke a total of one (1) cup each fic (36°, and Family Matters)! ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-02-23 05:10 (UTC)From:It's said that tableware is broken "for luck". If that really works, I hope they have a long life ahead and plenty of time to break the rest.
no subject
Date: 2013-02-23 15:32 (UTC)From:Regarding the luck... they'll certainly need it. ;)
Though Seishiro, practical guy that he is, would probably replace the glass and china stuff with stainless steel (or paper dishes). ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-02-24 11:37 (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-02-24 13:51 (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-02-24 14:42 (UTC)From:But someday there may be other suicider visitors of the same sort as his granny or Kamui. Even if it's highly unlikely for them to get coffee. ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-02-25 09:26 (UTC)From:tableware
Date: 2013-02-23 02:36 (UTC)From:Re: tableware
Date: 2013-02-23 05:13 (UTC)From:Re: tableware
Date: 2013-02-23 15:35 (UTC)From:Joke aside, I can see dropping a stack of dishes to make a (shattering) point given enough incentive. However, I can't see him endangering another person by throwing sharp stuff in their direction. He's too considerate / self-reflecting for that.
And traditional Japanese head rests may well cause bodily harm when thrown full force, so they better specify Western style pillows (or futon fragments). ;)
Re: tableware
Date: 2013-02-24 11:46 (UTC)From:And they'd better specify real-life Western pillows because in a maboroshi Sei-san has an unfair advantage *imagines Subaru buried under a hundred of illusory pillows*
I guess, Sakura would love that, all the snickering and comments, feathers dancing around together with petals... ;)
Re: tableware
Date: 2013-02-24 13:53 (UTC)From:Bad Sakurazukamori, doens't pay enough attention to his li'l tree!
Re: tableware
Date: 2013-02-24 14:50 (UTC)From:Re: tableware
Date: 2013-02-25 09:25 (UTC)From:Review
Date: 2013-02-23 02:32 (UTC)From:THE WRITING
AKK's style is clear and precise. She is descriptive and emotive without being overly florid or ornate. There is a sense of maturity in the writing. Not only is it refreshing to read, but it lends something to the story's tone. I've always felt that, despite being a story in which the supernatural is integral, the tone is very realist (realistic? I am not sure of the best word to use), and the reason is because of the way AKK writes. In a way, I think AKK's style goes very well with the source material. In Tokyo Babylon and X, there is always magic about (and wind-blown sakura petals, nine panels out of ten), and yet the stories always retain a firm foothold in their real world setting. I must also mention that AKK has an awesome penchant for researching everything she incorporates into the story, even little details, which just adds to the story's realistic tone.
THE PLOT
When it comes to Seishiro and Subaru, I've seen plot taken in a lot of different directions, most of them very dark (understandably so). Family Matters is dark, as well, but not completely so. It's most definitely not a "happy" fic, but it's not bleak tragedy either (at least not yet...). The author has crafted a believeable situation in which Seishiro and Subaru are forced to work together for the sake of the balance of the spiritual world, which as we know they both uphold from different sides (if you want to know how this situation comes to be, read the first story, 36°). She has the characters in this situation, and she keeps them in character, and the story unfolds in a sort of reactionary way. One thing leads to another leads to another... Putting Seishiro and Subaru together is like mixing two chemicals-- there's gonna be a reaction. Family Matters is basically the account of the ensuing chemical reaction, which could either end in destruction or balance. To be honest, before I read this fic I could not envision an end for Seishiro and Subaru that wasn't... well, horrible. They are the doomed pair... like Babylon, "destroyed by the wrath of God"... right? But one mustn't forget Hokuto, her hope for them, and her sacrifice. It opens up a world of possibilities. Family Matters is an excellent crafting and exploration of one of those possibilities.
THE CHARACTERIZATION
With Seishiro and Subaru, CLAMP created two really deep, really interesting characters. I've never seen Tokyo Babylon included with other manga in the 'psychological' genre, perhaps because so much is so artfully understated and only hinted at, but I think it has a place there just as much as it does in the 'supernatural' genre. And Family Matters is one of those fics to satisfy the thirst of fans who are craving for things to be delved into and explored when it comes to these two characters. In the end, I don't know what else I can say but that AKK really writes both Seishiro and Subaru very well.
In conclusion, Family Matters: well-written, well-researched, well-plotted, well-characterized. An excellent fanwork.
Re: Review
Date: 2013-02-23 15:37 (UTC)From:Re: Review
Date: 2013-02-23 23:49 (UTC)From:Oh, and I almost forgot to add, I really like the edits you made to the end stretch. I thought it was all just fine before, but now it's just even better.
Re: Review
Date: 2013-02-24 09:24 (UTC)From:And now it's the story I want to tell.
Glad you like that. :)
no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 19:37 (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 19:48 (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-10-12 02:33 (UTC)From:I was left wondering a few things though. This time round I was thinking about how Tree-san mentions that the original succession of the Sakurazukamori was either by death of the previous skzm or a spell to transfer over the responsibilities, but that the Mori changed this ritual. Is it too much to expect that by taking the Mori back in hand Seishiro might one day not have to die by his daughter's or someone else's hands? The thought of Seishiro and Subaru growing old is incredibly comforting after all the pain in the original series, and especially sedimented after Nokoru's "gift" to Subaru at the end. Also, I was wondering what would happen to the Sumeragi without Subaru having an heir. Would a cousin take over as the 14th head eventually? Hmm. And considering that the Ijyuin brothers are going to talk to Seishiro about their family ties, will it eventually come out that Ameru is Subaru and Kamui's father? The Dao requires (and indirectly enforces even after the ritual?) an astounding amount of symmetry. Anyway, these are rhetoric questions that lingered after the end of the story.
Once again thank you so much for this fic! I love it to pieces and never get tired of it. :)
no subject
Date: 2013-10-12 12:52 (UTC)From:Don't worry. I will continue the Dekagram. As you well noticed, the story is far from told, although, Family Matters is an important stop, basically marking the conclusion of Subaru's transformation (as far as something like that can ever be truly finished, that is).
Actually, I already have about a 8.000 words of the next installation on my hard drive, and I will get to it once I've concluded my Galaxy Rangers vacation. (Hey, those guys have been waiting for 15 years for me to edit those works, so...!)
Regarding your questions: the crucial point you already noticed is balance between Subaru and Seishiro, their clans, and what they represent. So that actually answers most of your questions, but I will try to go a little more into detail (although with due caution, because as the story develops, some of this may be subjected to change):
1) SKZM succession (and Subaru's successor, because of... see above)
I'm not sure that I will follow their story as far as the actual "next generation". Personally, I detest multiple generation stories, because I grow fond of one specific set of people and usually don't care much about their off-spring. However, I will at least answer the plans/intentions in the plot.
Right now, there are two options. The first: Seishiro suffers a standard succession, that will require Subaru also to undergo a standard succession for Sumeragi Twins. Since Hokuto's out of the picture, that means his line is cut, except for Kamui of course... In the second option, Seishiro's coup d'etat of the Mori works out and he has enough control of his "wife" and daughter to ensure an old-fashioned transition (hence, yes, old-age becomes an option). However, the Dao then requires that also Subaru manages to get an heir via the standard way (Akiko, perhaps?), and Kamui's more or less left alone with Fuma; there'd be some growing and painful decisions ahead of those two half-brothers in that scenario.
2) the Ijyuins and Ameru
How this turns out is still very much under debate in my head. What is fixed in the nearest plot-future is that Seishiro must learn/figure out, who Ameru is. Why? Because Subaru knows, who the Ijyuins are with respect to Seishiro. However, a happy family reunion is unlikely in my books. Whether or not that means the Ijyuins decide to let their baby brother be for said baby brother's peace of mind in the end, or if it ends in fratricide, I can't say yet. However, Ameru/Subaru's story will depend on what happens with Ijyuin/Seishiro.
:)