FMP: Continuing On My Own Discussion *Spoilers*

[Weltall Elite]

Got it. And I must say...

ARGH! I hate that bastard! Leonard MUST die!

That was about to be an evening of sweet romancing (or as close to it as two romantically inept teenagers can get). If he'd played his cards right, Sousuke wouldn't have been a virgin the next day. (kidding) But NOOOO. He had to go and just crash the party. And if that didn't dampen things enough, he had to start bringing up the kiss and telling her how many people Sousuke killed. And of course, she's dumb enough to fall for it. Like this is all a surprise all of a sudden. You knew what he did for a living! Did you think he worked for Greenpeace or something???

Anyway, now I'm more sure than ever, that kiss is going to come back to be an issue between them sooner or later. I'm also even more sure now that Kaname hasn't got anything for Leonard except disgust. And Sousuke's got that for Leonard, plus a few bullets.

He just seems to get off on being an obnoxious pain in the ass. And of course, since he wants a girl, he thinks he can just go and take her because he's just that ultra smooth. >_<

Ugh... he is a vile, slimey bastard who needs to be put down in the worst way.

[PookaKitten]

Ugh... he is a vile, slimey bastard who needs to be put down in the worst way.

Permantly, you mean.

I noticed that even though Sousuke is realizing how much Kaname means to him, he hasn't lost his edge as her bodyguard. He immediately reacted to Leonard's presence, even before the SOB spoke.

The "can I hold your hand" scene was touching and way too short. As to what Sousuke and Kaname would have done without that interruption, my guess is nothing beyond him holding her. Sorry folks, clothes are staying on in my imagination.

What I want to know is what the Testarossa household was like to yield such diametrically opposite children. On one hand, you've got Leonard who is even slimier than than the cockroach Gauron, if that's possible. He takes whatever he wants with no regard to others. In contrast there's Tessa. She's sweet and altruistic. She cares about others and does what she can to help and protect them, even at risk to herself. She puts aside her feelings for Sousuke because she knows his feelings for Kaname, even though it hurts. Leonard doesn't care one bit that the only thing Kaname feels for him is disgust, he still seeks to possess her.

Samantha

[Weltall Elite]

The "can I hold your hand" scene was touching and way too short. As to what Sousuke and Kaname would have done without that interruption, my guess is nothing beyond him holding her. Sorry folks, clothes are staying on in my imagination.

Yeah, I was only kidding. Sousuke's not THAT bold and Kaname's not that type of girl.

[AEmer]

not that kinda girl eh? Try not that kinda boy...
Sousuke is way more innocent than Kaname

And yea, Leo is pretty bad... His cape is very interesting though. I sure wish Sousuke would've used those 'alternative moves' on him...

[Weltall Elite]

not that kinda girl eh? Try not that kinda boy...
Sousuke is way more innocent than Kaname

Except for that 100+ body count and laying the lip lock on Mizuki.

Hmm. So... Leonard's got some kind or reactive coat? So it's not some "magic" power that the whispered have. Interesting.

Yeah, Sousuke was thinking three moves ahead:

1. Spill Hawiian Punch on Leonard's coat.

2. Wait for him to send it to the dry cleaners.

3. Eliminate.

[KashimArbalestAS]

Lol, a nice plan, but what about those Astoral units that follow Leonard?

[Weltall Elite]

1. Train a bird to crap on them.

2. Wait for them to be sent to the car wash.

3. Eliminate.

[Pyrite]

Hmm. So... Leonard's got some kind or reactive coat? So it's not some "magic" power that the whispered have. Interesting.

So it's confirmed that his coat is just some kind of Black Tech? Interesting. I have got to get my hands on this chapter... as soon as it turns up on a weblink. *grumbles about IRC*

And nice plan, Weltall.

Addendum:

Just read the chapter. (Thanks, Weltall!) Right now, the vibes I'm getting from Leonard's character are pointing towards a big flashing neon sign reading "POWERFUL SPOILT BRAT". From entering that room to Tessa's assessment of his interference in the S/K relationship, what he wants, he gets - and he's got the power to do it. The following chapters should probably build up on that, right up to the showdown. No wonder Tessa tried to order Sousuke off his mission in ODBD: perhaps that kind of selfish trait runs in the blood, although not as strongly in her as in Leonard.

Having said that, she seems to be recovering pretty well from Sousuke turning her down. That's nice. (Makes me wonder what could bring on that expression on her face at the start of the translations, though - and I blame Whispered resonance.)

And call me paranoid, but I'm beginning to get a bad feeling about Kalinin.

[Anysia]

Hm, my opinions kind of break from the pack with this one.

I actually quite like Leonard. Yes, he's slimy as hell and seems to take great pleasure in watching Kaname (and now Sousuke) squirm, but he's not just a stock villain who's evil "just because". His character has depth. Someone (I forget who...my apologies!) once threw out the idea that Leonard has likely been taken over by his Whispered side, which I think makes a lot of sense and is also a damn cool idea. Don't get me wrong--I hope Sousuke introduces him to a world of pain at some point, in true Jealous!Boyfriend fashion, but I really like Leonard's character. Smarmy villains tend to be touch-and-go ("Why is he seducing the heroine instead of stopping the hero from dismantling his doomsday device two feet away?"), but I think Leonard's very well-done.

That said, I too wanted to hurt him very badly for interrupting the WAFF-iness of the hand-holding scene. Though, really, it doesn't surprise me. Sousuke and Kaname never seem to catch a break.

I don't think the chapter was terribly rushed, either. At this point, Sousuke and Kaname have all but admitted their feelings to themselves, spent almost the entire span of ODBD angsting over each other, etc. etc. I think it's good to see that they're actually making progress and not once again holding back for whatever reason. Also, I can't imagine Sousuke would press the issue of Leonard with Kaname after he left, as she was clearly upset by his taunting. He cares enough about Kaname and is now emotionally perceptive enough to know that if she's flinching and laughing awkwardly, she's not particularly up to discussing it. Note that it doesn't say that he "didn't" say anything after that--it says he "couldn't". I think it changes the context a bit.

Just my possibly incomprehensible $.02.

[Weltall Elite]

Well, you know, you like him for the same reason I hate him. I agree. He is a very well done villain. And that's why the rest of us hate him. He's got depth and personality so we can't just ignore him or be bored by him. Plus, he's designed to strike our heroes in the worst ways possible: by destroying their personal lives. I think he was made just so we would hate him and to provide a catalyst to further Sousuke and Kaname's relationship. And thus far, he's done a wonderful job at both.

He's an ideal villain. Gauron was cool. I wanted to see him whoop some ass before he went down. But Leonard is a great villain because he draws the resentment out of the reader and you just can't wait to see the hero put his foot to his rear end.

So... don't get the wrong idea when we say we hate him. It's not that he's a bad character. It's just that he's so perfect for the role he's made to play.

[PookaKitten]

With Sousuke and Kaname presumably going to Merida Island for the forseeable future, I wonder if their relationship will progress further. It might when things are calm as evidenced by Sousuke showing Kaname his fishing hole.

Another thing that I found that made Leonard seem slimy. He assumes everyone sees the world as he does. He assumes Kaname hates being amongst the mundanes because he does. He believes she'd find the other students too slow for her because he can see no other outcome. He doesn't understand that Kaname's a different person, one who values her friendships with Kyouko and others over her intellectual pursuits. Hmmm... Tessa's much the same way, maybe that's why she and Kaname side with Mithril?

I'm liking Tessa more since DVMC, especially since she and Sousuke explicitly said that their relationship is commander-subordinate and friends. She's growing up and maturing.

Samantha

[Circle]

Tessa is probably crying on the inside. Poor Tessa.

So take a good look at her face,
You'll see that her smile looks out of place.
If you look closer it's easy to trace
The tracks of her tears.
DOOOoooooo-oooooo

Maybe that was last book.

I can't hate characters for being evil, only annoying. Leonard too chill to be annoying.

I have a feeling that Sousuke and Kaname isn't gonna make it to the island. They're sending him the Arbalest so maybe the battle will be in the city. But it's clear their relationship is ready for the next level.

[KashimArbalestAS]

I don't dislike Leonard either. More like respecting him as the character, and being kind of cool. He's good, by that I mean he's got everything covered. He has this coat like thing that can keep him from harm from most conventional means. He seems to usually have 2 Arastols with him everywhere. And he seems to be quite skilled in using speech, and manipulation. He's cunning, clever, and skilled. If he were to change his refined ways, and get some training as an assassin, then we would really get one character that can't be touched.

Also, I thought that Sousuke would have killed more than about 105 people, and Kaname's reaction to him isn't very understandable, but I guess the author wanted to have more of an emphasis on how many people Sousuke killed. Though if there was a mercenary in the real world who used most conventional means, 105 people would be almost impossible.

And some thoughts on Sousuke's booby traps he had setup around Kaname's place. He had said that his traps were good, yet Leonard bypassed all of them. Well, his traps. Where can he put them effectively? The options to Kaname's apartment are the door, the balcony, and any windows. Since we assume Kaname knows nothing, or doesn't know where the traps are, placing them near the door is tricky since she has to go in and out almost everyday. The balcony would be a hard place to set traps, since there isn't a lot of space, and the windows, I don't know how he would able to do those. In the novel, the 2 Arastols were waiting on the balcony. But I'm guessing that he did cover all possible routes into Kaname's apartment thoroughly. The novel doesn't mention how they got away...

[Wild Goose]

Weltall. I demand COMO 1b. NOW.

While waiting for that, just a thought: Mr. Testarossa was a US Navy sub captain, so my guess is that he was away alot. Without a proper father figure, Leonard turned to his life of spoiltness.... or the parents realized, "Hey, our boy's a genius!" and spoilt him....

Like others have said, Leo has nothing of Gauron. Now Gauron, he's cool. Even if he's dying of cancer. What other cancer patient goes on a worldwide rampage?

[AEmer]

I hate Leo too - but to me, it's kinda complicated, though I must say I find him very annoying. It seems as if he's getting far too much out of far too little.

Gaurons actions were big, elaborate, and for the most part, had a stroke of mad genious to them, in that they were very hard to see through.

Leo's actions are subtle, predictable, and generally not that dangerous at all, yet he's seemingly causing far more damage.

That's pissing me off - in that last verbal arugement he showed the grace of a sloth, it was so easy to see through, yet he got away with it, and got what he really wanted (a shadow between K&S)...

I very much want to see him roast not only for his actions, but also for his...success dispite is utter lack of elegance.