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Thoughts about possession in Kamen Rider Den-O.
A 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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::hugs::
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