#type: mail

[jaguarys]

What’s your thought on Samael and gryf

Ohhhh them <33

I love them so much, truly the brothers of all time. I love me some found family. Samaël makes me endlessly sad during that time. He was so small. It makes me think of this post. Imagine you’re so small and cold and scared but there’s another one that's smaller and colder and more scared...... He was just a kid :(

I know LL is like The Death Fakeout Series but honestly? I think it would've been more interesting if Samaël had just actually died after his and Gryf's fight in the mountains. I DO really really love that Samaël is the one that kills Menthos and not Gryf because I think it says so much about their characters, though.

To be honest, I'm kind of split on whether I'm happy Samaël's in Origines 6 or not. I mean, I think it's super cool he's doing stuff with Regen because yay they're awesome and I'm already super into the dynamic, but I was also a little disappointed with the reveal that Samaël's... issues... were JUST a result of Dasyatis' poison. I think he really super deserves to be a little out of his gourd after everything. I also just think it's a fun foil to Gryf. I really wonder if they'll see one another before Origines is up.

That said though, like I said in my O6 post.... there's just no way Samaël's making it out of Origines alive, is there? I'm scared

[jaguarys]

Please tell us about the lost potential of Kumogakure; it sounds like it'd be a very interesting discussion!

Thank you for asking! I apologize for this taking LITERALLY eons but.... finals. Actually died for a few weeks there.

I think it's such a missed opportunity that so few of the other villages' systems ever get explored. Kiri is another good example (I wish we got to see more of Mei repairing that shit). We're told how these issues tie into various characters' motivations (for Kiri, Kisame, etc.) but we never really get to see how they were. The issues in practice. Etc.

We're told about how each of the villages have their own systems for how they function, and personally I think Kumo has such an interesting one.

The "A" and "B" system are so fascinating. Having the A choose the B, having B become a Jinchūriki a bit later, letting the next B learn from the former... it all makes so much sense. It really seems like it would lean to a much more stable sense of self for B and a more stable relationship between the Kage and the Jinchūriki.

In practice, we see that it helps A4 and Killer Bee a lot. Where so many other Jinchūriki have been so ostracized, comparatively Bee has so much more protection from A4 and it allows him to be a lot safer. (Not that it's perfect. Obviously there's still major conflict between Bee and the village, but it's absolutely mitigated as opposed to others.)

Honestly, though, I think Kishimoto kinda shot himself in the foot with the creation of Kumo. He's created a village with a more or less unarguably better system for the Jinchūriki, a Kage who's successfully led for a fair amount of time, and one that's led to none of its members joining the Akatsuki. Basically, it's clear... something is going better. And that's never really addressed.

As with anything, it's ultimately an issue of Kishimoto not properly tackling the topics he introduces and dropping interesting plotpoints constantly.

I know a lot of people really dislike the war arc (and very fairly), but the summit arc is extremely interesting to me because it had a lot of potential. I think it could be extremely fascinating to see the different systems the villages have implemented and how that could lead to conflict or improvement or what have you. But instead we just get... war arc

[jaguarys]

Hi 👋🤠 (First time doing this, kinda nervous lol)

Going through the rare contents of Les Légendaires on Tumblr, i noticed you make a lot of content about analysis! I was wondering if you could share your thoughts (if you have any about him) on Ikaël ? It's said here and there that the author hates his ass, that he thinks he's cold and lacks empathy. I think (personally, feel free to skip) it does dishonor to his character. Ikaël is mentioned to be between 4 and 7 years older than Danaël, wich means on his father's death, (when Dan was about what, twelve at best ?) he was between 16 and 19. It's never mentioned when he became the commandant, but i think it's safe to assume he took the mantle early. With the added weight of leading a whole ass elite group of soldiers and a younger brother with authority issues, i think that's why he might have became a bit more distant.

Anyways, i would love to hear your take about Ikaël ! (Be it in general, or about his relationship with leadership, and Danaël !)

- Anne-onyme 🌞

I LOVE IKAËL he's genuinely one of my favorite characters. I feel like I got a lot of my thoughts on him out in my fic on him, so I apologize if any of this feels repetitive but I always want to talk about him.

Honestly I've not looked into Sobral's thoughts on him or anything but I've also seen that around. But... I also think the fact that he's like. Cold and pragmatic is what makes him fun.

Ikaël and Danaël are the kind of characters where they're just fundamentally incapable of seeing eye to eye. Neither of them are wrong, but they have different ways of looking at the world, different experiences, and different priorities. They should be able to understand each other, being siblings, and they want to, but it just doesn't happen.

Ikaël is the perfect soldier. He looks at the big picture and he follows orders no matter what and he's logical to a fault, and Danaël is never going to understand that. Danaël is never going to follow anyone but his own conscience, and he's never going to stop leading with his heart, and he's never going to forget the individual.

I think helping raise him means Ikaël never really stops viewing him as a kid, and I also think the way Danaël chafes with anyone with any modicum of authority means he's not exactly helping his case. Ikaël's not exactly wrong to view him as immature or hot-headed when that's the parts of him he sees. They're both consistently irritated by each other's fundamental traits.

(There is understanding, in the midst of it. Danaël is constantly trying to balance his responsibility as a leader with his own feelings, and Ikaël is doing the same on a much bigger scale.)

I also think they're jealous of each other in the weirdest ways. Ikaël is jealous of Danaël for being the younger sibling, for having the freedom to run off, for not having had to take responsibility in the wake of their father's death. Danaël is jealous of Ikaël for his position, for being able to fit into the role of a soldier where he couldn't, for having the king's ear.

All that said though, they genuinely love each other so fucking much and that's proven at every single turn in the series. Whether it be vol 2 and the guardian, whether it be in the wake of Anathos, whether it be that Ikaël is the one to free Danaël from Kalandre in vol 18.

And I think it matters a lot, that it's Ikaël in the end. That it's his dying act, to prove once and for all that he believes in his brother. That even if he hasn't always understood him, that even if they've had so much tension, that he believes in the heroes and he believes in Danaël. That he knows that if anyone is going to save the world, it's going to be his brother.

(Also. I put this in my fic but I think it's important that Ikaël is the one who knew it wasn't Danaël. The Légendaires were idealistic first and foremost and they were fooled because of it. They wanted to believe it was Danaël so much that even despite all evidence to the contrary and the frankly shoddy performance of their friend, they wanted to believe it was still him. And Ikaël didn't. He knew it wasn't his brother in there.)

[jaguarys]

Your opinion on gryf

specifically his relationship with Kel-Cha and his team

OHHH thank you for asking. I apologize for this TRULY taking forever, I have lots to say lol

Gryf is My Guy Of All Time. He's quite possibly one of my favorite fictional characters ever. Probably kickstarted my obsession with hurt/comfort at a young age because he deserves it more than anyone.

I just think... a character who goes through so fucking much and still is good, still cares about others, still wants to make the world better. I said in one of my fics that he's probably the best of them, and while that was through Jadina's POV I still stand by it. He's rough around the edges, but I think he's still just... good.

His relationship with Kel-Cha is so fascinating. Obviously it was the focus of one of my fics, but I imagine it would just be... so difficult. Kel-Cha spent all this time waiting for a specific person who is not Gryf. Gryf spent all this time waiting to fill a hole that he can't. They both want to be what the other wants and needs, but they can't quite manage it. I think over time they'd be able to find something new and less yearning for what they can't have.

I think the dynamics between him and his team are super different for each member of course. He and Danaël are obviously best friends, but I think that Gryf also idolizes him a lot. He looks up to him in a way that isn't entirely accurate to some of Danaël's nastier habits.

He and Jadina are just... special to me. I think they're truly close in a way some of the others aren't. They love each other so dearly. It's a friendship born of acknowledgement that they could not be more different in every way that counts.

I've discussed this before but I think his and Shimy's relationship is a bit underdeveloped in canon. I Could like it but mostly it's just not really for me. I think their relationship in canon kinda does a disservice to the both of them.

I honestly haven't thought too much about him and Ténébris OR him and Razzia which is a shame! Their dynamic is fascinating! I think he's more forgiving than some of the other members of the group, in part just because of a lack of bad blood and also just because he doesn't really see the point in grudges.

I think about him all the time, thank you again for asking :)))

[jaguarys]

I saw your post about your au in which Saryn is the leader of les Légendaires and got extremely intrigued, it's such a cool concept !! According to you, and if it's okay to ask, how would Saryn interact with the other members of the team, since you mentionned the dynamics wouldn't be the exact same ? How would Saryn handle this role as a leader ? Does this mean that Danaël was the one to die in this au ?

YAY thank you for asking!

Yeah, I imagined it would be kind of the inverse of Saryn's death, where Danaël is the one to die instead.

I definitely think the vibes would be different amongst the group. It's a bit hard, given how little we get of Saryn and her personality, but I think there's enough to work with anyways.

She doesn't seem quite as strictly like... leader-y as Danaël is? I think she'd be more willing to let the others take the reins.

I think she'd vibe best with Shimy, but it might take some time for them to warm up to each other. They would absolutely bicker like an old married couple (which, in a world where Jadina and Saryn are together, might make their dynamic a bit worse because Jadina would get protective).

I also think she'd get along well with Ténébris, eventually. It certainly wouldn't be easy, given Alghar, but I feel like Saryn is a bit less stubborn than Danaël. She's willing to let people grow.

... Am I saying Saryn is a girls' girl first and a person second? Yeah. Basically. (Especially because I almost feel like she'd forgive Ténébris easier than Razzia.)

She would love Gryf so much. They would tease each other just as much as he and Danaël do.

[jaguarys]

Hello hi.... I read most your Les Légendaires fanfics and I went through your thoughts on it and... Your brain... This is all so good love your writing and your thoughts about the characters ! If you don't mind me asking since you read the Halan origins story may I have your thoughts on Käj and Lionée ? They're such interesting and fun characters to me... Anyway thank you a lot for sharing your love for the series!

Hi!! I'm so glad you liked them :D. I assume you've already seen this post that I made on some of my thoughts but I've always got more.

I was honestly kinda worried going into Halan's stories volume because I was worried it would try to be like 'no he's not that bad a dude!' so I was both taken off guard and absolutely blown away by it. It was so so good.

Les Légendaires is a series that's inherently gendered, even if it's never really acknowledged as such? LL can be a bit hard to analyze, seeing as it's because a lot more developed and in-depth over time. Maybe it's condescending but the writing's become a lot more self-aware as it goes lol. But in any case the whole Jadina-Halan thing (along with Solaris and Kalgon) is definitely the most obvious example and I think it plays into the whole triumvirate of Halan/Jadina/Käj a lot.

Halan is a horribly possessive person. Because he's a prince, because he's a man, because he's never been told to be otherwise. Käj goes along with him not only because of his feelings but also because... he's scared of him. He's scared of the precariousness of his position in Sabledoray. Halan's parents may see Käj as an equal... but Halan doesn't, and Käj doesn't feel it.

He knows Halan better than Jadina does. In some ways, I think that lets him see more of his positive traits... but it also lets him be much more acquainted with the negative ones. He can see where and how Halan could be better... and he has faith it can happen. He could see it happen. But Halan is never going to make that choice, just because he doesn't want to.

On Lionée... her and Käj's dynamic is dear to me. There's a lot to be said for her initially assuming Käj is the prince instead of Halan. She's Halan's opposite in every single way. I think it helps Käj realize that if Halan wanted to be better... he would.

I hope the two of them are having excellent fun adventures

[jaguarys]

About Gryf probably being the best one out of the Legendaires : I noticed that in Origine Tome 3, if Gryfenfer had not saved Esmeralda, he’d probably be dead. 

I noticed that Danael mentioned that if they hadn’t encountered Esmeralda on her run, they wouldn’t have found Gryfenfer on time to save him. But the only reason Esmeralda knew about Gryf’s situation is because, not only he saved her from the Milksharks, but also surrendered to let her escape. Which means that if he hadn’t saved Esmeralda, he would probably have bled to death with Danael and Jadina not being able to find him. 

So it was that one selfless action that ultimately saved his life ! 

I really like this detail, as it seems that the universe is rewarding Gryfenfer for his kindness. 

Side tangent but,  (I don’t know if I’m extrapolating too much) I love Origine tome 3 themes around morality. I think it could totally have been possible to see Gryf joining Darkhell after escaping.

After all, the only other living former monslave we know of, Dasyatis and Raptor, both work for Darkhell. So maybe they joined him partly for their own safety and having been constantly mistreated by humans definitely didn’t help either.

YES YES YES

Gryf is the kind of guy who continually gripes about how he's not really a good dude, how actually he's very selfish really, etc., while simultaneously doing so much for so many. I think it's part of the reason why the others love him so immediately.

I genuinely think about Dasyatis and Raptor joining Darkhell constantly. The thing is... Gryf is absolutely just lucky that he was able to fall in with Danaël and Jadina, and in a world where they didn't meet by 'chance' (read: because of Kalandre), absolutely I think he could've found his way to Darkhell instead.

I imagine Raptor and Dasyatis were just as devastated to get out and realize it didn't make a difference. That it was just as dangerous out in the world (and in some ways worse). It makes complete sense that they would end up aligning themselves with someone who could not only protect them, but also someone who gave them purpose –– AND someone who promised that if they followed him, the world would change. The status quo would change. They'd get their revenge, they'd get their dues, and they'd be rewarded with respect, with power, with something different. Yeah. It's understandable.

[jaguarys]

I wonder what you think of Menthos?

How different do you think Samael's and Gryffenfer's experiences with him and their relationship with him were?

Even if he only exploited Samael for his own profit, I think he sees Menthos as a father because he was essentially raised by him. But I’m not sure what Gryfenfer thought about him while being owned by him?

On one hand I don’t think he ever saw him as a father figure. At the same time I wonder why he trusted him that much, remaining a monslave for years in the belief  that Menthos would eventually let him fight Dasyatis. 

OK FIRST OFF I want to apologize for taking so long to respond to this! I feel like I'm literally always saying that with asks but... well. Life.

Absolutely I feel like Gryf and Samaël had different views of Menthos. Given that Samaël was taken in as a literal infant, he's never known anything different and that lets him be a bit more like... present.

That being said, I do think a lot of what he presents to Gryf is kind of a bold front. He's trying to be encouraging to a kid who's terrified out of his mind and trying to protect him, and so I think he was hiding a lot of his own fears and reservations. It was an impossible situation, but if he was going to encourage Gryf to survive at all there had to be some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, even if it was never going to happen.

The thing is, even if Gryf had forgotten everything, I don't think his body had. He had some idea baked into his bones that this was not everything and that there was something more out there. However. I think he forgot that too as time went on.

Gryf obviously hated Menthos, but I think he viewed him as a necessary evil after Samaël's 'death.' Without Samaël there was no point to imagining a world outside of all of it. There was no point in pretending there was a way out, because if Samaël of all people couldn't achieve it then there was no chance for Gryf. So the only other option was to throw himself into it entirely in the hope for eventual revenge.

I don't really think trust factored into it, and there's also the aspect that Galatée was the one who gave him the keys. It's totally possible that Gryf could've escaped before then even without literally being handed the keys, but there's a mental aspect of resignation, and I also think that after that much time he just... didn't have it in him to fight it without the kick in the ass of Menthos lying to him.

I think there's an aspect of like. Acceptance. He didn't have the memories, but it's different from Samaël. Even if they both knew nothing else, there's a kind of fire in you when you know there was somehting before. Even if you don't know what it was. That's what kept him alive, but I don't think it lent him much else. I think at a certain point there wasn't even desire for anything else, because it felt useless. He gave up. He needed the keys from Galatée. And he needed it to be about Samaël. Because if it was just him, he didn't have enough of it in him to fight for more than just survival.

(Also: As much as narratively I wish Gryf had killed him, I think it makes a lot more sense that he didn't. Gryf isn't a vengeful person in the slightest –– the only reason he clung to the idea of killing Dasyatis for so long was because it was the only way he could keep himself going. It also points a lot to the resignation he had going for him at the time. Once he realized it was all for nothing... Menthos didn't really matter anymore.)