I'm rather new to slash, as I've said in other posts, I'm exclusively a M/K reader...and thank "The Maker" there's so much out there. Wonderful!! And I wish to write some at some point...I'm abit nervous about the task...I want it to be a labour of love, of course. So, when I read insightful and caring assessments of plots and characters that we know and, in the case of M/K love, I am encouraged and enlightened. In talking about the good/evil struggle it is a great theme and weight upon the "western" psyche. The reason I say this is because it is generally blamed as having originated with the western church, Rome and Protestantism and Augustinianism, which, in my learned opinion, should take the responsibility squarely. In the East things are quite different, and I don't necessarily mean Eastern Religions, Hinduism, Buddism, Taoism, Zen, etc., but Eastern Christianity which did not suffer under the weight of self loathing of the "sinful" body that the west continues to wrestle with. Anyway, to make a long story short, because of this western development I was hoping in the story(ies) that the very "Christian" theme of redemption, transformation, and illumination might have come to the forefront that has been the theological anthropology of the Russians (Krychek Russian!), but it didn't happen unfortunately...but got caught up in the western good/evil stuck in the mud theme nevertheless. I know this is a tall order, but not impossible. Finally, I am delighted about the many writers that have looked at the dissmal finale and have come up with some very very wonderful stories.