Now and Forever...Itsumademo... - Chapter 23

[unare_haineko]

Title: Now and Forever…いつまでも…

Author: Unare Haineko

Pairing: [Juntoshi] Matsumoto Jun x Ohno Satoshi

Rating: R-ish, but NC-17 for this chapter

Summary: [Revised] Three years after the ending of ‘Kodoku kara Umareta Ai’, we have Juntoshi trying to raise their son Ayumu while the demons from the dark shadows that separated Arashi in KodoAi come back to

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Commentary and Analyses, Chapter 23 – Themes, part 2

[mmestrange]

This theme is significant in Itsumademo because we have truths that are cunningly hidden between two lies. It’s like a truth sandwich. Lies are the bread and Truth is the thin sliver of ham in the middle. How does one tell the difference between the truth and the lies in Itsumademo when everyone is lying and keeping truths from one another and themselves? Most of the players in your story want others to be taken in by the picture of the sandwich; in short, they want others to have a certain opinion of the lies masquerading as truth. But every now and then, the turkey ham peeks out and tells the people looking at it that it’s more than a sandwich. It’s a jambon beurre.

Let me illustrate this more clearly - imagine truth (the ham) as a balloon. The person with knowledge ties the balloon to a chair, and in this manner secures it for future enjoyment. Why? Because everyone walking past the chair can see how pretty the balloon is. The person without knowledge sets the balloon down, only to recoil in horror as the balloon floats out of reach and disappears in the clouds. With luck the person without knowledge will find another balloon. But in the interim, that person is deprived of the balloon (truth). Thus, by securing one’s correct opinions, or recollections, one can have knowledge.

This is exactly what this theme of knowledge vs true opinion is supposed to bring out. All the characters have come to a point where they must tell the difference between knowledge and true opinion. It is especially important for them to be able to tell the difference between knowledge and true opinion because in Itsumademo truths are hidden between lies.

When opinion is illusion and reality is truth
While the bulk of Itsumademo is about these two themes, this chapter ups the stakes by aligning opinion with illusion and reality with true knowledge. Nothing is as it seems in this chapter. Nothing happening amongst the different characters and their dynamics are as it seems and everything is about illusion vs reality and how they tie into having an opinion as opposed to having knowledge. Specifically, this chapter shows us that no matter how skilfully each major character seeks to hide the reality of their problems under the veil of illusion, the truth of the matter will appear to slow corrode the opinions crafted by the illusion. As an upshot, the intricate plots each of the major characters has woven will now start to unravel. What do I mean?

When characters want to hide something they choose to create a plausible illusion to hide the truth from others. Iago (Johnny) has done so by disbanding Arashi, Sho has done this by stringing everyone along, NASA!Ohno does this to hide his sex addiction and self-centredness, Nino does so to hide his personal pain and so on. That was at the start of Itsumademo. Now that things are beginning to unravel, the illusion can’t sustain itself any longer because it’s a trick of using something that was never there to hide something very real. Despite Jun’s wish to believe in the illusion that Ohno is a devoted partner, the cracks are starting Sho. Nino has woken up from the illusion that everything going wrong is Jun’s fault, so good for him. But he’s creating an illusion for Daisuke, which is also an interesting thing to consider. Sho’s illusion that he can manage everyone and everything is also cracking because Aiba has found him out and Iris obviously knows more than he lets on.

The trouble with aligning the plausible illusion with opinion is that when the truth/reality bangs on one’s head to show one what the situation is like, one will recoil to the deep end if one lacks the gumption to face the truth/reality. The problem is that if you see the reality and know the truth but continually prefer to cleave to your opinion (which is false) and believe in the illusion, you’ll have to do something to sustain the illusion. This then is what is happening to Sho, Aiba, Iago, Jun, Ohno and Daisuke. It is a dark road from which there may well be no return.

Commentary and Analyses, Chapter 23 – Themes, part 3

[mmestrange]

Notice that Sho, Aiba, Iago, Jun, Ohno and Daisuke started out Itsumademo with some kind of illusion they have of themselves, each other or their situations and have received hints that the illusions/opinions they had of each other, themselves and/or their situations are not what they seem. Yet these individuals still cling to the illusion. To cling to the illusion/opinion, something in them has started to change. And this in turn has affected them so much that they see the illusion as reality, and take their unsubstantiated opinion to be the absolute truth. Nino has woken up to the unpalatable truth and is playing against it by creating a suitable diversion for his opponents to believe. Jun is starting to revolt against the illusion even though he doesn’t quite know it yet. But the rest are desperate to entrench themselves in the illusion - so Sho loses his humanity, Aiba turns to drugs and alcohol and self-mutilation, Ohno turns to sex, Daisuke turns to whatever affection and affirmation he can get, Iago tries to control everyone to thinking and doing as he likes.

However, in so doing, the unpalatable truth is not suppressed. It grows. In growing, it will come to eclipse the illusion and when that happens, it will fester like a boil until it is perforated.

(to be continued later tonight)

Re: Commentary and Analyses, Chapter 23 – Themes, part 3

[unare_haineko]

Bravo, well said. The illusion theme that has been carried from the beginning of Itsumademo is finally coming to light. Yay!

There are just so many characters and the subplots extensive that it has taken me a while to get to this point. I feel like I've been foreshadowing (still in progress) and setting up the pieces of the chess game for an eternity. The story in general has taken on such a dark tone. It must be so odd to envision such a dark and sinister degeneration of Arashi when they're known as such a happy harmonious group. My mother told me the other day that she finds it more and more disturbing that I delight in those crime shows about solving murders and catching serial killers. If she only knew of this story! I can't wait until I get to play sudden death chess with Iago. *cackle*

Re: Commentary and Analyses, Chapter 23 – Themes, part 3

[mmestrange]

You have been setting up the pieces for a long time, and I can still tell some of the pieces are moving. It's not so much a degeneration, but a corrosion that happens when all the pieces are not in place. human relationships are like jigsaws, you either fit into the space or you don't, even if you fit in the colours or the overall pattern might not match. This is what it is for the protagonists in itsumademo. the jigsaw pieces are scattered and the ones they're fitted next to isn't the right piece. They have to be fitted together to form the right picture, but now they are scattered, they dont even know what picture they form. As an upshot, they fall apart. That's my interpretation of things anyway.

i watch british legal drama and all these corrupt and decadent barristers, clerks and dodgy elements are everywhere. it fascinates me. i'll cheer for your eventual blitzkrieg chess with iago. <3

Re: Commentary and Analyses, Chapter 23 – Themes, part 3

[unare_haineko]

Ooh, I love that. Jigsaws. Perhaps I will work it in with Miyazono if you don't mind. Perhaps a little banter with Sawaguchi...

As I've said in earlier conversations I am not that skillful at chess, but I definitely appreciate the game. King!Iago, what a fitting piece for him. King of the entertainment world--the King of Clubs! Long live the king! He is important but cannot move very far. He must rely on his goons and minions to protect him. Kakia for a queen, Kei as his knight, Reiya as his bishop, and Gima and Daisuke as his rooks.

Now, who is on Arashi's side? Who is the king? Perhaps after KodoAi the king was Ohno, the queen Jun, the knight Miyazono, the bishop Nino, the rooks Sho and Aiba, and the pawns all the things they used to take for granted like their careers, freedom, income, and happiness. The question remains is Ohno still the king that queen Jun will do anything and sacrifice everything to protect? Or is Ayumu the king and Ohno a mere pawn? Or even better, perhaps Jun is the king, Miyazono is the queen, Ayumu the bishop and Ohno a pawn? Ooh so many possibilities!

Re: Commentary and Analyses, Chapter 23 – Themes, part 3

[mmestrange]

By all means, use the jigsaw analogy. i used it once myself in a fic, but in a romance context. but here it works too. i lay no embargo it it.

usually it's pawn to queen, but here we have a king turning into a pawn. i love the irony. i think ayu would make a smashing bishop.

Re: Commentary and Analyses, Chapter 23 – Themes, part 3

[unare_haineko]

*stealing*

From king!Ohno to pawn!Ohno--cue Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" XDD The fall from grace!

Bishop!Ayumu sliding just diagonally of rook!Gima... :D