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estiroseA comment recently made me think (or, more accurately, continue to think) about the concept of possession in Den-O. Since there's a bit of sexual innuendo in the whole thing, I'm putting it behind an LJ-cut.
For those not familiar with Den-O, the beings known as the Imagin (the main bad guys) take a human host without the host's consent, usually from the back, and ask them to make a wish. For most unfortunate Imagin hosts, their Imagin fulfills their wish (however the Imagin wants, though it has to count in some way as being fulfilled), and then the Imagin uses their body like a door to go to the past and wreak havoc.
In some ways, this possession is like the Goa'uld of the Stargate universe, though Imagin are energy beings and not physical symbiotes. Imagin hosts are detected by sand spilling from their form, since they're not physically detectable. (Great, now I feel a crossover coming on.)
The "good" Imagin of Den-O, with one or two exceptions, also perpetrate this. The known exception is Kintaros with Ryotaro, since Ryotaro chose to take him on, and we don't know how Sakurai the younger ended up with Deneb.
Anyway, all Imagin "penetrate" their partners through the back, with a few rare examples from the front. Most hosts are unaware they've become hosts until an Imagin assumes a sandy form and demands they make a wish, or otherwise manifest.
Ryotaro is a bit more fortunate than most hosts, as is Sakurai the younger. While Ryotaro's been offered a wish more than once (by Momotaros at the beginning of the series, and by Kintaros and Urataros later on), he's never taken one. Sakurai the younger has made a wish, but we at this point don't know what it is - and Deneb doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to complete his contract with Sakurai. Ryotaro, while he was made an unwilling host in the case of three of his four Imagin partners, is lucky that he has beings that are more interested in doing other things than trying to coerce him into a wish (under normal circumstances).
In a way, being possessed by most Imagin could be seen as akin to rape. Imagin hosts don't have much choice in being hosts, the Imagin uses any semblance of a wish to go ahead and go to the past, where they mess things up. The host has no choice in the matter than carefully avoiding anything that might be considered a wish, and then they're stuck with an Imagin in their body until they do make one. A host, upon contract completion, is almost comatose or non-reactive to the world around them, and it's unknown what trauma they suffer.
Going back to Ryotaro and his Imagin partners, he got lucky. Momotaros made an effort to get him to wish, but thanks to Hana's warning, he didn't. Ryotaro also has a choice whether to eject three of his four Imagin from Denliner by revoking their access to his pass. What effect this ejection would have upon him is unknown, but neither Hana nor Owner seem concerned, so it's possible that the ejection from Denliner would also serve as an ejection from Ryotaro's body. But Ryotaro shows side-effects to being a host to so many Imagin: he is often tired, and there might be other side-effects that haven't been shown yet. However, he doesn't seem to be willing to eject Momotaros, Urataros, or Kintaros. (Ryuutaros is a special case.)
It's been shown on the series that pretty much all of the Taros would be happy to see the others gone from Ryotaro, leaving the lucky Imagin as his sole Imagin. Momotaros has been the most clear about this, feeling that he's Ryotaro's primary partner and the others shouldn't be there. Urataros would like Ryotaro to himself most likely because he likes access to Ryotaro's body, and he probably feels that if the others were removed, he would have more access. Kintaros feels a debt to Ryotaro for saving his life, and at least would be glad to see Momotaros and Ryuutaros gone, if not all three of them. And Ryuutaros wants to be the train conductor... something that would be far easier without the other three. (Though it would probably be him, if anybody, who wouldn't mind the other three remaining with Ryotaro, just because it's more fun.) This leads to an odd relationship between Ryotaro and his Imagin partners, just because they want him and (in most cases) want to be the only ones with him.
Ryuutaros is a special case. Not only is his a childlike personality, but he's the closest thing to a standard Imagin that Ryotaro has. Not that he wants to grant a wish and escape to the past, but he does want to take over Ryotaro's body completely. He wants to be the one to destroy Ryotaro; he wants Ryotaro in his own way. If Ryuutaros had his way, there would be no Ryotaro, although the body would still exist. He'd cause his own havoc and destruction, albeit not in the past.
In my own personal canon, Kintaros would be the first to try to protect Ryotaro by forcing him into a wish (Momotaros wouldn't be far behind). His honor, and his debt to Ryotaro would not permit him to stand by if something tried to go to Ryotaro's past. Ryotaro's too smart to let him have that wish, but Kintaros is stubborn. After all, he did grant a wish before, he can do it again.
Which leads us to the end of the series, whatever that may be. As pointed out by someone on one of the message boards I frequent (or maybe even LJ), Ryotaro has to get rid of his Imagin somehow at the end of the fight. I have to wonder if he'll have to make a wish or four?
In any case, the invasion of the Imagin in Den-O is insidious and dangerous. Some might get lucky enough to get compassionate Imagin, but even they don't always ask before invading a host's body. The rest of the hosts are stuck in partnerships where they aren't willing, are scared out of their wits, and have no choice in the matter.
For those not familiar with Den-O, the beings known as the Imagin (the main bad guys) take a human host without the host's consent, usually from the back, and ask them to make a wish. For most unfortunate Imagin hosts, their Imagin fulfills their wish (however the Imagin wants, though it has to count in some way as being fulfilled), and then the Imagin uses their body like a door to go to the past and wreak havoc.
In some ways, this possession is like the Goa'uld of the Stargate universe, though Imagin are energy beings and not physical symbiotes. Imagin hosts are detected by sand spilling from their form, since they're not physically detectable. (Great, now I feel a crossover coming on.)
The "good" Imagin of Den-O, with one or two exceptions, also perpetrate this. The known exception is Kintaros with Ryotaro, since Ryotaro chose to take him on, and we don't know how Sakurai the younger ended up with Deneb.
Anyway, all Imagin "penetrate" their partners through the back, with a few rare examples from the front. Most hosts are unaware they've become hosts until an Imagin assumes a sandy form and demands they make a wish, or otherwise manifest.
Ryotaro is a bit more fortunate than most hosts, as is Sakurai the younger. While Ryotaro's been offered a wish more than once (by Momotaros at the beginning of the series, and by Kintaros and Urataros later on), he's never taken one. Sakurai the younger has made a wish, but we at this point don't know what it is - and Deneb doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to complete his contract with Sakurai. Ryotaro, while he was made an unwilling host in the case of three of his four Imagin partners, is lucky that he has beings that are more interested in doing other things than trying to coerce him into a wish (under normal circumstances).
In a way, being possessed by most Imagin could be seen as akin to rape. Imagin hosts don't have much choice in being hosts, the Imagin uses any semblance of a wish to go ahead and go to the past, where they mess things up. The host has no choice in the matter than carefully avoiding anything that might be considered a wish, and then they're stuck with an Imagin in their body until they do make one. A host, upon contract completion, is almost comatose or non-reactive to the world around them, and it's unknown what trauma they suffer.
Going back to Ryotaro and his Imagin partners, he got lucky. Momotaros made an effort to get him to wish, but thanks to Hana's warning, he didn't. Ryotaro also has a choice whether to eject three of his four Imagin from Denliner by revoking their access to his pass. What effect this ejection would have upon him is unknown, but neither Hana nor Owner seem concerned, so it's possible that the ejection from Denliner would also serve as an ejection from Ryotaro's body. But Ryotaro shows side-effects to being a host to so many Imagin: he is often tired, and there might be other side-effects that haven't been shown yet. However, he doesn't seem to be willing to eject Momotaros, Urataros, or Kintaros. (Ryuutaros is a special case.)
It's been shown on the series that pretty much all of the Taros would be happy to see the others gone from Ryotaro, leaving the lucky Imagin as his sole Imagin. Momotaros has been the most clear about this, feeling that he's Ryotaro's primary partner and the others shouldn't be there. Urataros would like Ryotaro to himself most likely because he likes access to Ryotaro's body, and he probably feels that if the others were removed, he would have more access. Kintaros feels a debt to Ryotaro for saving his life, and at least would be glad to see Momotaros and Ryuutaros gone, if not all three of them. And Ryuutaros wants to be the train conductor... something that would be far easier without the other three. (Though it would probably be him, if anybody, who wouldn't mind the other three remaining with Ryotaro, just because it's more fun.) This leads to an odd relationship between Ryotaro and his Imagin partners, just because they want him and (in most cases) want to be the only ones with him.
Ryuutaros is a special case. Not only is his a childlike personality, but he's the closest thing to a standard Imagin that Ryotaro has. Not that he wants to grant a wish and escape to the past, but he does want to take over Ryotaro's body completely. He wants to be the one to destroy Ryotaro; he wants Ryotaro in his own way. If Ryuutaros had his way, there would be no Ryotaro, although the body would still exist. He'd cause his own havoc and destruction, albeit not in the past.
In my own personal canon, Kintaros would be the first to try to protect Ryotaro by forcing him into a wish (Momotaros wouldn't be far behind). His honor, and his debt to Ryotaro would not permit him to stand by if something tried to go to Ryotaro's past. Ryotaro's too smart to let him have that wish, but Kintaros is stubborn. After all, he did grant a wish before, he can do it again.
Which leads us to the end of the series, whatever that may be. As pointed out by someone on one of the message boards I frequent (or maybe even LJ), Ryotaro has to get rid of his Imagin somehow at the end of the fight. I have to wonder if he'll have to make a wish or four?
In any case, the invasion of the Imagin in Den-O is insidious and dangerous. Some might get lucky enough to get compassionate Imagin, but even they don't always ask before invading a host's body. The rest of the hosts are stuck in partnerships where they aren't willing, are scared out of their wits, and have no choice in the matter.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 02:07 pm (UTC)Ryuu kind of screws the whole thing up. He's the exception that tests the rule with Ryo's Imagin. (And Ryo can't block him out at all, it looks like, at least at this moment. Imagine the privacy implications when you're an Imagin host.....)
I'd be interested to know how much Ryo's been "training" before episode 18, and how much of his problem is bad luck/Urataros going out/etc. He is pretty tired in episode 13, even before the little control contest between Momo, Kin, and Ura, enough that he does willingly give Ura control of his body.
Speaking of the three, I would guess they're the eccentrics/nutcases of the Imagin. I mean, Momo was more than happy to grant a wish, but even happier to have a body that he could play around in; I have a feeling if Ryo had given him a wish, he'd probably be too busy playing around to grant it. Ura offered a wish in 18, but I think that was almost peer pressure/wanting to show Momo up; he'd rather have Ryo's body to play around in too. Kin did grant a wish, but he also seemed more interested in genuinely granting the wish/seeing to the wellbeing of his host than most Imagin are. In other words, they and Deneb seem to be not really interested in the invasion thing. Heck, Ryuu doesn't seem very interested in the wishgranting thing, either. In some ways, he takes the selfish Imagin desire to wreck things, magnifies and twists it, and focuses it on one person and the present.
Of the four Imagin, I think Momo (and Kin) are closest to Ryo. Ura thinks Ryo's body is great, and Ryuu wants to take it over, but they don't feel as... close as Momo (and to some extent, Kin). As you said, Momo wouldn't know what to do if he suddenly lost Ryo as a host. The others would cope and survive, though Kin would regret things as well, especially if he felt that his debt hadn't been fulfilled.
(Can you tell Kin's my favorite of Ryo's four? The only Imagin I like more is Deneb.)
And now I want an icon that says "I vote for the happy and fluffy bunny". Hm.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-03 01:33 am (UTC)Yeah, Ryuu is a psychopath. He also throws the data points out of whack.
I was just thinking this evening on the way home about Imagin and their relationship with their hosts, which seems to depend on the Imagin and their temperament. Bat Imagin, for example, couldn't find the right key holder to save his life (or close his contract), a lot of them didn't even bother other than a cursory or bizarre implementation of their host's wishes. (Which of course meant that people ended up dead/in the hospital a lot.) Heck, Kin's implementation of his host's desires involved beating karate dudes up! (He did admit that he knew Honjou's true wishes, and there was nothing he could do for that one.)
Ura seems a bit more clued in than the others. While all of them can tell when they get cut off (which seems to make them rather nervous), he's in more that one occasion picked things up where the others haven't. He picked up where Ryuu threw them all out of Ryo, and also there's a moment in there where he says that he senses Ryo is angry.
Which makes me wonder how much the Imagin learn to pick up in time, more than general ideas and a shape. I mean, Ryo's Imagin pick up when he blocks them out, but only Ura makes mention of Ryo's emotional state. One has to wonder if they can view his memories or whatever, though I really doubt it as the story about Airi and Sakurai the elder seemed completely new to them.
It goes back to that privacy issue I mentioned earlier in a way. Ryo has little to no privacy. Certainly none in his head, and since the Imagin can see out his eyes and use his sense... well, there's bad luck there. We know Momo really doesn't like being left in the dark, and I imagine the others are the same way.
I feel sorry should Ryo ever have a sex life, actually. If there's anything more embarrassing than admitting one is out of shape and needs to train, a sex life has to be it. Imagine sharing all those experiences with a bunch of other beings....
Speaking of wishes, while wishing the Imagin to be happy might count as a wish (if all of them recognize it as a wish; Momo didn't count Ryo's "I wish to have more time" as a wish while Kin was prepared to use the slightest little thing as one), but I also have a feeling none of them would fly, especially Momo. They'd remain with him forever. (I'm not including Ryuu in this since he doesn't fit the rest, as mentioned before. His happy would require Ryo to give up his body permanently.)
Speaking of our little psychopathic dragon Imagin, he seems to forget that while he has a pass, Owner does have a denial of service card. If Ryuu tried to force being "conductor" and endangered Denliner or the timeline, Owner could have him thrown out, card or no card. Even if he took over Ryo's body and erased his personality or permanently forced him out of control of his own body, he could be tossed out. (This would be cold comfort to Ryo, however.)
no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 01:44 pm (UTC)::hugs::
no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 02:08 pm (UTC)