Re: FIC: Black Cat

snips...

>>We know the infamous legend of the black cat. Here's yet another

take on why Souji did what he did.

>>Any comments on the above? Yes? No? Anyone found the last part

confusing? It is supposed to be confusing: the reader is supposed to
be as muddled as poor Souji.I would find other alternatives to
writing such death scenes refreshing, so do send me ideas, or even
better, write them and publish on ff.net. I know Souji is supposedly
very close to Toshi, but Toshi wasn't there when he died, period. The
big question is why.

>>Please review if you reading this, all 127 of you. The number is

quite constant,I realise. I think it is because of the small number
of fics in PMK. Everyone reads everything, but there are so few
reviews!



Okay, maybe now would be a good time for someone to give an
explanation of the black cat. That black cat showed up several times
in Peacemaker (was it always the same one?) as well as a white one.
The black cat is given a brief mention in the new Hillsborough book
(He wrote that Souji tried twice to kill the cat, but was too weak,
and Souji's last words were "I'll bet that cat is here.") And we saw
Souji trying to get the cat in The Last Swordsman too. Is that it, or
is there more to the cat story?

I'm assuming that the question about Toshi is, "Wouldn't spending
Souji's last days with him be more important than continuing a losing
battle?" Hmm... In our world of fanfic - Of course, Our Toshi would
move mountains to be with Our Souji. But, in reality would Toshi
want to keep fighting for what they set out to do five years
earlier? Would he be dishonoring his comrades who died during this
years long journey to Kyoto and back? Would Souji be fighting at his
side if he wasn't sick? And, TB is contagious. Lots of questions.
Sounds like some good speculative fanfic here! (Hint, hint to all
our writers.)

I read all the PMK fics and don't review. Guilty as charged. I
appreciate all the talented writers sharing their work and in the
future will let 'em know!

Thanks for the story Divertimento, and yes, I am confused!

--zhusanna

Hi



Okay, maybe now would be a good time for someone to give an
explanation of the black cat. That black cat showed up several times in Peacemaker (was it always the same one?) as well as a white one.



Yes. The black cat. Is there a white one? I never noticed.



The black cat is given a brief mention in the new Hillsborough book
(He wrote that Souji tried twice to kill the cat, but was too weak,
and Souji's last words were "I'll bet that cat is here.") And we saw Souji trying to get the cat in The Last Swordsman too. Is that it, or is there more to the cat story?



Oooh? Did that really happen? I never read the book and would definitely love to know the details. Anyone kind enough to direct me to something similar on the web? Even better... the name and authore of the book.



I guess we will never truly know Souji's last thoughts. We can only keep speculating. "I'll bet that cat is here?" He sounds like he has truly lost it.


I'm assuming that the question about Toshi is, "Wouldn't spending
Souji's last days with him be more important than continuing a losing battle?"



Something like that. But, from my pov and in my stories, there will never be any niggling doubt as to which is more important to Hijikata. Fighting a losing battle? I think Souji would be more miserable if Hijikata just gave up without a fight: he never does things in halves.



Hmm... In our world of fanfic - Of course, Our Toshi would move mountains to be with Our Souji. But, in reality would Toshi want to keep fighting for what they set out to do five years earlier? Would he be dishonoring his comrades who died during this years long journey to Kyoto and back?





Would Souji be fighting at his side if he wasn't sick? And, TB is contagious.



No question on the first statement. He would definitely go on fighting. TB is contagious. But there is another side to this strange disease. My hypothesis is that Souji had probably contracted it much earlier than we thought. I would put it somewhere around... 1862. No evidence, just gut feeling here for the fanfic world. And not everyone dies of TB. *Hint hint* Souji may not have been the only one with the illness... but he is the only one whose illness lay dormant a few years only to flare up like a dragonhead. I believe TB has flares and relapses. *Pause* I will have to do more research on that.



Lots of questions. Sounds like some good speculative fanfic here! (Hint, hint to all our writers.)



Yes! Write, people! And don't forget the intricate relationship among the comedy Trio, Saitou etc...

I read all the PMK fics and don't review. Guilty as charged. I
appreciate all the talented writers sharing their work and in the
future will let 'em know!

Thanks for the story Divertimento, and yes, I am confused!



Sorry for the confusion, but I meant it that way.

Divertimento


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As to whether Hijikata (in real life) would have gone on fighting, I think
that the first quote I ever heard from him (which I believe he said to a
phyiscian, possibly Matsumoto Ryojun) will suffice to explain:

"The Tokugawa shogunate is going down. It would be ashame if no one went
with it."

-M.

>>>> Yes. The black cat. Is there a white one? I never noticed.

The white one is in the ep where Suzu and Tetsu fight in the sword
shop. After the fight, Suzu and Yoshida are walking up a long
stairway and two women are walking down. Yoshida steps aside to let
the women pass and Suzu says something like, "You're so kind,
master." Then the white cat runs across their path.

>>>>Oooh? Did that really happen? I never read the book and would

definitely love to know the details. Anyone kind enough to direct me
to something similar on the web? Even better... the name and authore
of the book.



The book is Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps by Romulus
Hillsborough. ISBN 0804836272

>>>>I guess we will never truly know Souji's last thoughts. We can

only keep speculating. "I'll bet that cat is here?" He sounds like he
has truly lost it.


I found that part of the book quite sad. Hillsborough cited the
woman who was looking after Souji as the source of the information.
Hillsborough wrote that three days before he died, Souji felt well
enough to get out of bed, went out to the garden and tried to kill
the cat with his sword, but was too weak. The next day he tried
again and failed again and was very distressed that he was unable to
kill the cat. Then the next day (the day he died) is when he
said, "I'll bet that cat is here." So sad. One of the best
swordsmen in the Shinsengumi unable to beat his illness and being
tormented by that cat. That's why I wondered about why the cat kept
showing up in Peacemaker. Didn't know if Souji had some history
before with a cat...

>>>>TB is contagious. But there is another side to this strange

disease. My hypothesis is that Souji had probably contracted it much
earlier than we thought. I would put it somewhere around... 1862. No
evidence, just gut feeling here for the fanfic world. And not
everyone dies of TB. *Hint hint* Souji may not have been the only one
with the illness... but he is the only one whose illness lay dormant
a few years only to flare up like a dragonhead. I believe TB has
flares and relapses. *Pause* I will have to do more research on that.



Hmm...1862. Before they left for Kyoto. Are you suggesting that he
contracted TB from someone we know?


Many questions....


--zhusanna

Hi



The white one is in the ep where Suzu and Tetsu fight in the sword
shop. After the fight, Suzu and Yoshida are walking up a long
stairway and two women are walking down. Yoshida steps aside to let
the women pass and Suzu says something like, "You're so kind,
master." Then the white cat runs across their path.

You are simply amazing. I didn't notice that at all.

The book is Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps by Romulus
Hillsborough. ISBN 0804836272

Thanks.

I found that part of the book quite sad. Hillsborough cited the
woman who was looking after Souji as the source of the information.
Hillsborough wrote that three days before he died, Souji felt well
enough to get out of bed, went out to the garden and tried to kill
the cat with his sword, but was too weak. The next day he tried
again and failed again and was very distressed that he was unable to
kill the cat. Then the next day (the day he died) is when he
said, "I'll bet that cat is here." So sad. One of the best
swordsmen in the Shinsengumi unable to beat his illness and being
tormented by that cat. That's why I wondered about why the cat kept
showing up in Peacemaker. Didn't know if Souji had some history
before with a cat...

Yep. What is his history with the cat? I think PMK introduced the black cat for that purpose. In the PMK universe, I am betting it has something to do with Sannan, Suzu and Tetsu. But the next book wouldn't be out for a looong time...

Hmm...1862. Before they left for Kyoto. Are you suggesting that he
contracted TB from someone we know?



Um... That's a fantastic idea! It never occured to me! Will take note of that. But... haha... I was thinking maybe, just maybe, quite a number came down with the first attack the first time. Usually, such attacks are relatively mild and in young healthy individuals would present as little more than a worse than normal flu. After that, most would recover fully with the bacteria latent in the body, while for a select few... well.



Just my take on why only Souji got TB despite living in close quarters with other men.

Many questions....


They are very intriguing ones... Thanks a million!

Divertimento


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From what I understand, at least back then, a black cat was a sign of TB,
and if you killed the cat in question, you'd be safe-- or so they believed.

On a somewhat related note, I will be in Kyoto for the next three days!

-M.

Hi



From what I understand, at least back then, a black cat was a sign of TB, and if you killed the cat in question, you'd be safe-- or so they believed.



Oooh! I didn't know that. Where did you get this information from?

On a somewhat related note, I will be in Kyoto for the next three days!



Lucky you! And I am stuck here slaving away over mountains of reports.

Divertimento


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>Oooh! I didn't know that. Where did you get this information from?

I actually do much of my research in libraries and other such places (as
opposed to the internet), so I believe it was in a book I read somewhere.
But for people who aren't sick with TB, black cats are generally good luck--
but it really depends on who you ask.

>Lucky you! And I am stuck here slaving away over mountains of reports.

I haven't been to Shinsengumi headquarters, but I saw one of them--
Nishi-Honganji Temple-- as I drove by. I've seen a lot of other important
Shinsengumi/Aizu places, like Hamaguri Gate, Nijo Castle, and Fushimi. And I
have a Shinsengumi headband and battle flag, as of today...the store in the
Kyoto bullet train station had them for cheap.

-M.

> The white one is in the ep where Suzu and Tetsu fight in the sword
> shop. After the fight, Suzu and Yoshida are walking up a long
> stairway and two women are walking down. Yoshida steps aside to
>let the women pass and Suzu says something like, "You're so kind,
> master." Then the white cat runs across their path.
>
> You are simply amazing. I didn't notice that at all.

One of my favorite eps. Not for that bit, but for the conversation
between Souji and Toshi on the walk back from buying sweets.

> Um... That's a fantastic idea! It never occured to me!
>Will take note of that. But... haha... I was thinking maybe, just
>maybe, quite a number came down with the first attack the first
>time. Usually, such attacks are relatively mild and in young healthy
>individuals would present as little more than a worse than normal
>flu. After that, most would recover fully with the bacteria latent
>in the body, while for a select few... well.
>
>
> Just my take on why only Souji got TB despite living in

close quarters with other men.

>

Ah, I don't know as much about TB as I guess I should. Will have to
do some reading.

>From what I understand, at least back then, a black cat was a sign
>of TB, and if you killed the cat in question, you'd be safe- or so
>they believed.
>
>On a somewhat related note, I will be in Kyoto for the next three
>days!

>-M.

Thanks for the info. So since he couldn't kill the cat...
Let us know about your stay in Kyoto - have a great time!



Has anyone watched Shura No Toki? They do a different take on Souji
and the black cat. As well as a different take on a lot of other
things too...

On a related note - in one of the early episodes of the NHK
Shinsengumi series a mention is made of people who were lost to
"the epidemic." Anyone know what that epidemic was?


--zhusanna

TB was fairly rampant in these days, but the course of TB depends much on individual immunity (which is also influenced by lifestyle and diet). TB remained a problem in East Asia for decades post-revolution as well. TB is pretty much infectious only at certain points where a person is actively coughing.... and I don't recall reading of other Shinsengumi folks with active TB (indicated by coughing and productive, often bloody sputum)? My guess is that Okita picked this up elsewhere and much earlier and that it was latent for a time. Given the extreme conditions and fatigue he encountered while active in the Shinsengumi, it's possible that the TB eventually overcame his bodies attempts to manage it. Poor diet could be a contributing factor. (THe Japanese were prone to beri beri, scurvy and other nutritional illnesses.)

>Has anyone watched Shura No Toki? They do a different take on Souji
>and the black cat. As well as a different take on a lot of other
>things too...

Yes. I rather like Souji's TB storyline here (Have gallery of screencaps up at http://red-bird.org/Gallery/shura ). It's one of the most generous anime in terms of dealing with all of the various shifting factions as well.

>On a related note - in one of the early episodes of the NHK
>Shinsengumi series a mention is made of people who were lost to
>"the epidemic." Anyone know what that epidemic was?

Do you know which episode and which year specifically? NHK in the beginning does a few time shifts back and forth from the sighting of Perry's ships to the year leading up to the transferrence to Kyoto. There were outbreaks reported worldwide of various diseases, and they vary region by region. My guess, however is that likely we are dealing with smallpox.

pp 128-9, "The Greatest Killer: Smallpox in History" by Donald R. Hopkins writes:

Between 1850 and 1860, vaccination clinics were started in Japan and these sites also served as meeting places for students and teachers of Western science...

Unlike earlier Western counterparts, Komei did not help lead his subjects into the vaccination era, an error that cost him his life... ... Emperor Komei died of smallpox on 13 February 1867... Mutsuhito took the throne name of Meiji in 1868 ... This did not signal the end of smallpox in Japan. Dudgeon (1871) records that barely a year later, a fierce epidemic raged along the entire eastern coast of China... the following winter, the epidemic got even worse, spilling over into Japan, where there were more severe outbreaks.


S



red-bird.org | s-girl.deviantart.com

I would to add to S-girl's comment on smallpox
according to the biography of Yamakawa Kenjiro (of Aizu) his
grandfather had the family innoculated against it. Yamakawa Kenjiro
was born in 1854 so that just elaborates on the progress of vaccination.

by the early 20th century (1907) Americans had a very good
understanding of how infectious TB was

in his memoirs, and American who hosted 2 Japanese students described
in great detail how one of the Japanese young men who helped take care
of his daughter, infected with TB, later came down with the illness

S-girl

> pp 128-9, "The Greatest Killer: Smallpox in History" by Donald R.

Hopkins writes:

>
> Between 1850 and 1860, vaccination clinics were started in Japan and

these sites also served as meeting places for students and teachers of
Western science...

"by the early 20th century (1907) Americans had a very good
understanding of how infectious TB was"

TB has got to be one of the most deadly and prevalent diseases ever.
Some people call it the 5,000 year old epidemic. TB still kills tens
of thousands of people each year. People knew way, way before the
20th century how very infectious it was. The first modern
description was published in the 1540's, but it was also described by
Hippocrates. That pesky little Mycobacterium genus is fairly young
(about 15000 years) and researchers think that its evolution
parallels our switch from hunters to farmers. Mummies dating to
3400BCE have been found with it. In the 1700's, just about everyone
in Europe was probably infected. In general, there are three stages:
first is the infection and tubercle formation, but there are very few
symptoms and it is often dismissed as a mild cold (just like in the
NHK drama). The second stage is a dormant stage, that can last from
weeks to a life time. As long as the host remains healthy they may
never show any symptoms. The third stage is the one we are familiar
with, the tubercles open and the bacteria spread throughout the
body. In the pulmonary form, sputum and sometimes blood are coughed
up. This is also a means of transmission. Prior to the 1940's
(development of vaccines and anitbiotics; mostly done in Europe) the
most effective 'treatment' was to forestall the 3rd stage and to
prevent the spread. Sanitoriums provided people with quiet,
nutritious food (very similar to the orders of that wonderfully
cranky doctor in the NHK drama), clean conditions, and were a type of
quarantine.
Probably a good number of the folks in the Shinsengumi (and in Kyoto
and Edo and any other large city) had an infection, but only poor
Soji is described as having the final stage of the pulmonary form.
Who knows when and where he got it? But I can certainly imagine the
living quarters at Mibu and stress levels leading up the raid on
Ikeda as being factors causing him to move to that third stage.
Given how common it was/is I am a little surprised that more men are
not listed as having it. But there are several other ailments that
are actually TB that are often misdiagnosed, so maybe others did have
it. And it is much more tragic in some one so young, which makes a
much better story, eh?

These sites have other interesting historical tidbits
http://www.lung.ca/tb/main.html
http://www.jantb.com/historytb2.html

"People knew way, way before the
20th century how very infectious it was. "

yes I know---my specific example was from 1907
also I know of a family of American scientists (1870s-1890s)---both
husband and wife who knew they were ill it with it---yet they were
contact with family and friends---including their own children

in the case of the 1907 family---the infected daughter lived with her
parents, sibling and foreign student

so I should have been more clear and stated that although they knew
that it was infectious no percautions seem to have been taken in a
timely manner