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soaringlanddormitory · 5 years

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🔎 (Mi and Tatsuya), 🔮 (Riku and Yuriko), 👑 (Michiko and Toshio), 🔪 (Masae and Kuga)

Thank you for sending these in!! I’m going to have fun while writing all of this omg!

Also this got pretty long so I’ll place it on read more!!

🔎 - Detective AU

It heavily irritated the male every time he was called for an interview by the detectives, but what annoyed him most was him suddenly getting arrested and questioned for a crime he didn’t do. Yes, it’s understandable why he was always the suspect. But the process was getting to his nerves. He was currently handcuffed outside a room.

“Please tell me it;s not Detective Kaoru. The last time I saw him, he made me sing a song of the Backstreet Boys.” He hissed at the cop who was currently removing his handcuffs. “If it were him, I’m going to fucking snap.” He may have known Kaoru before he became a criminal, but he was getting very tired of everything.

“It’s not.” The cop who covered his eyes with his hair replied. “It’s someone else. I am not sure if you’ve seen her before.” He opens the door and he gestures for him to get inside. “If you want to see who it is, you should enter the room.”

“Whatever, Ibusaki.” Those were the last words he was able to say before the door was shut behind him. “You’re just going to waste my time interviewing me.” He spat.

“Now that’s not really a nice way to greet your girlfriend, Tatsuya!”

The detective he had to face was his childhood friend, but also his current girlfriend. They dated before he got arrested, and to his surprise they were still together once he went out of jail. “Che. Make it quick. I hate this process.” He went to the chair and sat down.

“Actually, I know you didn’t do it. But people say that it could be you.” She shrugged before she brought out some files. “Since some evidence leans to you. You have a similar knife that you’ve said you lost in the murder case.”

“Okay yeah. It’s not me. I’m not that fucking stupid to leave a weapon. Added to that, I never did the crime and people got the wrong guy.” He began looking at the papers that was set before him. “But of course I can’t talk shit now, at least I’m free and now I have a fucking chance of going back to that hell hole.”

Mi sighed before she brought her hand to his face. “You have to know that you’re one of the reasons why I wanted to do what I’m currently doing. I want to be a better detective so people like you wouldn’t be caught in messes like this. Especially if they didn’t do it.”

Tatsuya suddenly became quiet and a small blush appeared on his face. “You’re fucking stupid, you know that? Trusting me so easily. I could be lying to you and yet you’re treating me like this. Job before love, you brat.”

“Alright then! Let’s do this quick.” She laughed before she placed her hand away. “But of course I trust you. I’m a detective. I can read your gestures. I know you’ve always been telling the truth. Always.”

🔮 - Fantasy AU [Moe belongs to @polar-stars !! Keiko belongs to @polar-star-dorks!!]

Yuriko always disliked that she fell in love with a mage. He was much smarter than her and he was so clever that she could never reach his level. She only fell in love with him after he used magic to protect her while he had to remain damaged. If he didn’t protect her that day, she wouldn’t be feeling this way.

“God, I hate this man so much.” Yuriko leaned on the wall of the guilt and her friend only stared at her. “He’s so ridiculously smart and he will probably end up rejecting a mere fighter like me, I’d rather not feel this way if I already know the outcome! This is so stupid to talk about! Ugh! I’m so sorry, Moe…”

“You can tell me anything even if you think it’s stupid.” The girl who was listening her began talking. “I wouldn’t want you to keep it all in.” Moe sounded blunt but Yuriko was terribly happy to hear that from her.

“Moe, I love you so much. You’re the best.” Yuriko began carrying the female, and she instantly cheered up. “I’m so happy that you’re my friend! Now, we should go to our quest with Keiko and Takashi.”

Moe was currently being carried by Yuriko, but she gave a tiny nod, agreeing with the female. The two went out of the guild and they saw two of their companions squealing.

“Takashi! Did you see that?! They kissed!”

“Yes! I totally saw that!! I wish I had the ability to freeze time!”

Yuriko placed Moe down and it actually confused her on why her two other friends were acting this way. “Wait… who kissed?”

Moe raised her arm and pointed at one direction. “They kissed again.”

Following the direction of Moe’s fingers, she glanced up to see Tamotsu and Himari together and Yuriko twitched slightly just seeing them. If they were together at this moment, that would mean that the person who she was talking about just some minutes ago will probably be here too…

“Yuriko, is that you?”

Fuck. He was there.

Keiko suddenly had her soul going out of her body once again because the day was truly a blessing. First, HibiTori partnered up for a quest, then one of Takashi’s main ships kissed and now one of her NGM pals was having a conversation with her crush.

Moe only watched everything go down. Her expression didn’t change but she did know that her other current members would probably be feeling very happy seeing this. However, her day wouldn’t be completely perfect until she saw one of her OTPs together for who-knows-what reason.

“Riku?” Yuriko felt her heart beat faster but she chose to act completely like herself. “My, my~! I didn’t expect you to be here!” She playfully punched his chest and he grabbed her hand. “Awww! Aren’t you being sweet holding my hand like that?” She began teasing him a bit to hider her current feelings.

“Being sweet? What? No. It’s a little warning because your fist grew tense and it actually did hurt when you punched me.” He sighed but he used his magic to heal herself. “I wanted to tell you something, but I do believe you and your current party is planning to do something important.” He places his hand down before turning around. “Maybe another time.”

“Be sure to tell me soon!” She went forward to slide her finger on his back to surprise him. “You might forget it.”

“… Alright.” Honestly, he wished that he could forget it. “Next time then.”

Forget that he might have gained feelings for her. But she didn’t know that.

👑 - Royalty AU [They were mentioned so!! Suzume and Akio belong to @polar-stars and Tamaki and Yoko belong to @polar-star-dorks!!]

There were several people who were in the princess’ place. There were a bunch of suitors who wanted to win her heart and be the next king of the throne. Honestly, even if people may think she might be dense because of her appearance- they were wrong. She could totally read their intentions, and most of the time, it gave a bitter taste in her mouth.

She never really liked any of her suitors. They all acted so polite and loving, but once they talked… it changed. She felt all the dishonesty in their voice, and knew that they’d never keep their promises to her. Of course, she should have expected that because she’s going to be the next queen. But she actually wanted to feel genuine love from one of her suitors.

“Princess Suzume is lucky she was able to get someone like Prince Akio in her life.” Michiko began talking to herself. “I wonder how she was able to find such a great suitor like Akio… I wish I could get someone like that…” She placed her hands together. “Or maybe marry someone who isn’t in a noble background… Prince Tamaki was able to meet someone so loving. Yoko had a bad reputation but that was proven wrong… Not much expected that but their relationship is so sweet…”

The door suddenly opened and Michiko fixed her posture, and began bring in a fake smile on her face. “Good Evening.” She instantly did a curtsy bow and the person in front of her only began laughing at her reaction. That laugh… it was someone who she wished was one of her suitors… but she’d never say that out loud. “Toshio?!” She lifted her head and spotted a man in armor.

“Yes, princess. It’s me.” Toshio responded but quickly removed his helmet. “It’s your favorite knight. Toshio Nakiri.” She was able to see his ginger hair and his purple eyes and admittedly, those two colors became her favorite because of him. He could have been one of her suitors if it weren’t for him being a knight.

“What brings you here?” She asked. It was not because she was against his visit, but currently it was time for him to do his job. He shouldn’t be talking to her at this time, he should be guarding the gates. “My father might be mad at you if he knew about this… You know how protective he is, and knowing our best knight isn’t doing his job-”

“Don’t need to worry about that, princess. The current guards are great too! We only changed our shifts recently because I requested it!” He went closer to her and began ruffling her hair. “I only wanted to talk to you… because it’s your almost your birthday and I can’t afford to miss it.”

“And that is?”

“Happy Birthday and be careful with whoever you pick, Michiko.” He brings her hand to his lips to give a soft kiss. “Because if it isn’t me, they better treat you right.”

🔪 - Yakuza AU [Canción AKA Emile belongs to @polar-star-dorks and Lotus AKA Hanako belongs to @polar-stars!!]

Kuga placed his hands in his pocket as he walked around the area of the gang of Aroon, Gaia, Canción, Lotus and Sukiru. They were a gang that only consisted of 5 people, but according to several people- they all did their job well despite being at a small number compared to other gangs. Their place looked totally normal and they even acted as if they had nothing to do with a gang.

Canción was currently playing with a guitar and Aroon was swooning over the music he was playing. “You’re doing great, Guitar Hero! Damn you’re so great at this!” He leaned at the couch before gesturing for other people to come. “Daddy Wolverine, Flower! Come over here! Let’s listen to the Guitar Hero do his thing!” He patted the empty spaces near him. “Let’s all sit together!”

“It still surprises me that you’re all happy despite how dark our real job is.” Lotus was the only female present at the moment, but she decided to sit down next to her gang leader while Sukiru refused to move anywhere close to them.

“I don’t want to be called that.”

“Wolverine?”

“The “D” word, Aroon.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes.”

Kuga really didn’t know how this gang worked. Canción seemed so innocent, he was playing his guitar and it gave a calm atmosphere. Lotus was looking at papers and managing the plans, Sukiru was preparing dinner for the rest while Aroon was only messing around, while declaring his love for the gang… But… Gaia was nowhere to be found.

Kuga began looking around and Canción noticed him. “Oh! If you’re looking for Gaia, she’s in the basement.” He started playing the guitar again after he told her about one of his closest friends’ whereabouts. “She goes back up again once any of our amigos or amigas call her!”

“Thanks, Guitar Hero.”

“Hey? How dare you? Only I and the gang can call him that name. Be original, you runt.”

“Fuck you!”

“Please be quiet. I’m trying to organize these plans.” Lotus sighed before Aroon wrapped an arm around her and looking over at the papers she was holding.

“Okay. I’ll shut up now so you can do your managing skills. Canción, please play the song again. Sukiru continue making dinner. Damn I love my gang.”

Their voices faded as soon as Kuga decided to take some steps down to the basement. He was so lucky that he knew the secret pathway so he wouldn’t need to ask them anymore. Their basement had some targets and weapons, and even a couple of boards where there were a bunch of writings. He spotted the girl with brown hair and grey eyes.

The moment he took his last step, she turned around and pointed the gun she was currently holding at him. “Woah- Woah- Woah! It’s just me!” Kuga almost yelled but even if she shot him by accident, he could have dodged the bullet. She placed her gun in the holster before looking away.

“Sorry.” She doesn’t say a word besides that but she did walk to him and touch the right side of his cheek. Until now, Kuga didn’t understand every gesture she did, but he knew what this one meant.

“Yeah. I know. At most you’d only damage my cheeks.” He holds her hand and places it away. “It’s fine though! The greatest man in the whole yakuza would be able to dodge that kind of hit.” He always praised himself and she only smiled a tiny bit when he said those words.

“I don’t expect anything less from you, Terunori.” She smiled at him before squeezing his hands. “… Wait, I meant Kuga.”

“Actually, I prefer you calling me Terunori.” He allowed her to grip his hands. He was always told by her fellow members that only meant that she cared for you. “Masae.” It was only recently where he heard her real name, but he would only call her that when they’re alone.

“Still… not used to it.” There was a blush on her cheeks and he only laughed at her reaction.

“To be honest, I’m not used to seeing you with your real hair color and eye color either. But I don’t really mind it! Seeing your real self makes me think that you might like me.” He winked at her and he noticed that her grip only became softer and she pulled her hands away to cover her face.

“… Please don’t say that.” She mutters softly before she started walking away. “I’m going back to practice.”

“Aw! Did my charm make you fluster?” He tried to joke around but her steps only got faster. “I was kidding! At least let me practice with you before it’s time for dinner!”

They may have never really told each other’s feelings for one another yet, but they already knew each other’s answers.

#writing #mi tanaka #tatsuya sato #yuriko #riku #michiko #toshio #masae milas #takashi #kuga terunori #tetsuji kabutoyama #other people's ocs #moe #keiko #hanako #emile

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inazumafocus · 6 years

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Fudou Akio analysis

Hello dearies! This is my first post on this new blog and I’ve decided that it will be a character analysis of Fudou Akio, hope you’ll enjoy!

Since I love studying characters I am often baffled by the lack of understanding when it comes to the ones that are a tad more complex than your regular everyday do-gooders. And when it comes to Fudou Akio I see a LOT of misunderstanding: he’s either an ass or a tsun tsun. Excuse me while I try not to barf. So, for the love of everything that I hold dear and my sanity, lets dive into a step-by-step analysis of the amazing character that is Fudou Akio.

We will start from the Inazuma Japan arch, hence him not being his true self in the Aliea Stone’s arch (everyone seems to forget how he too was wearing the stone and thus having his negative side taking advantage of him). Let’s go chronologically so we can all see how his true character unravels before our eyes and gradually morphs.

The first important scene they gave us and that we should pin point is during Ep71 “Raise the curtain! A challenge to the world!”. The coach gives precise instruction not to leave the building and for everyone to stay in their rooms, to which the general response is unhappiness and concern. Then we have Fudou, completely calm and slightly annoyed at the other’s antics “if you’re going to lose confidence just ‘cause you can’t practice for two days, then give up being a national!” as if he was full of confidence in his own abilities and while yes, he knows he’s good, we are showed a short sequence of him laying on his messy bed, with the wall next to it covered in ball’s marks and dirty clothes on the floor. It’s obvious that he was training until few moments ago, sweating like there was no tomorrow (and he probably was at it far before anybody else, since when the others are training, he’s already trying to rest).

Conclusion? He cares a lot but doesn’t trust anyone enough to show it. But why is that? Well the answer is very clear in Ep82 “The perfect strategy! Perfect zone press!”, his first official game against the Fire Dragon, and it’s given to us through a flashback. His father was a weak, inept man that left him and his mother struggling against debt collectors and his mother, although not with ill intentions, told him the one thing that would shape his way to see things and people: “grow into a powerful man so you can get back at people”. Saying this to a six years old child, whose father just abandoned and that basically lived on the streets, would obviously bring him to believe that “the strong feed on the weak in order to survive” as he will state during the match. It’s a twisted conclusion and surely not what his mother was trying to say, but his past, the things he had seen and the habitat in which he had to struggle not only to survive but to get to the top, surely didn’t help him grow into a trusting, happy pre-teen. And we have a confirmation of his untrusting nature in Ep83 “Get up captain!”, where Fuyuka states “I don’t think that person believes in anyone. That’s why no one tries to believe in him”. And here’s the interesting thing. It’s true that Fudou doesn’t trust others and it’s also true that he doesn’t care weather or not others trust him on a normal basis, but after seeing that his passes are not working because his teammates don’t trust him and his judgment on the field, then that’s a thing that really annoys him. He even looks kind of hurt.

And this is a situation we will see in several occasion (like during the match against Team K, when the Italy’s representative was having difficulties to follow his directions).

But back to ep83, we have the BIGGEST step forward for his character development! While he’s using some unorthodox methods to test and understand the rival team, getting a hand of what he’s after, Kidou decides to do the one thing he has to, in order to re-establish balance: being the first to trust Fudou. “His plays are trying to bring out the best of YOUR abilities too!” says a very clever Endou and his theory is proven by the first pass to Kidou going smoothly. “Maybe Fudou’s been working hard while we weren’t watching” that sure as hell is correct! Ever asked yourself what was he doing all the time you practiced together? Studying you, of course! So that he could lend the perfect passes and help the team wins. In the end he is still pretty detached from the others but they’re starting to slowly catching on: “what’s with that attitude?” “That’s Fudou Akio”.

So now Inazuma Japan is more prone to trust him during a match, but do they trust him as a person? Not yet. In Ep91 “Teikoku’s curse part2!” he is accused of betraying them and working with Kageyama, but what is his reaction? He laughs, without denying anything and that’s because, again, you can think whatever you want of him, it’s not his business and he seems pretty used to people not trusting him. That’s probably because to him the world works like this: no one should ever trust anyone in order to survive. He’s so used to it that when Endou says “I trust Fudou” he’s the most surprised by far.

Have you noticed anything suspicious tho? Like, for example, how easy it is to understand his true emotions just by looking at his face? It’s all written there: anger, disappointment, surprise, concern. He doesn’t hide behind a mask of indifference, he constantly shows genuine emotions through his eyes and here’s a piece of the article dedicated to him in the Animage September 2017: “He says more with his eyes. Fudou is a very blunt person but in actual fact he makes a variety of expressions. From a suspicious face, to a face full of contempt, to a shocked face – his expressions are more honest than you might think!” Is he aware of it? Does he not care? Are people always so blinded by prejudice that he thinks no one will ever notice?

Surely enough, after understanding how he wears (consciously or not) his heart on his sleeve, we can start to actually see how much he’s beginning to care for his teammates. The first indicator is the deep shock we can read on his face after Kidou “almost gets hit” by a bunch of wooden boards.

Later, on Ep92 “Terrifying! Another Kidou!” he tries to wake Kidou from his fear induced trance “stop being buried in the past already!”

(Here I would like to add how this phrase is probably referred to himself too, hence the following “you’ll be the one landing me a hand” muttered in response to Kidou’s help request “lend me a hand. Fudou, Sakuma!”. And related to this whisper of his, there’s an interesting thing his VA, Yuuki Kaji, stated in an interview on the Animage October 2010: “I had to record that line about ten times. This line in particular needs to be said gently, without any harshness”. And why should Fudou gently whisper something like this, hoping not to be heard, if he wasn’t talking about how he too was struggling to leave the past behind him and with it the old core of his existence: the hunger for power?)

Back to us! After stealing the ball from Kidou, thus helping him to weak up, he is again accused of betrayal. But this time… this time he answers. “And here I was trying to put an end to his plan by myself”. This phrase right here is another big step forward, he’s admitting that he was trying to work alone to destroy Kageyama and you could say “yes, because of personal revenge!” and the answer is: at 50%, yes. He really does want to beat him in order to move on with his past, but he is also furious with him for trying to destroy his team: “if Kageyama says he’s going to destroy Japan’s team, then I’ll bring him down with soccer!”

See? No one ever asked him to, no one expect for him to care that much, maybe not even you that are watching the show, but did you notice how he started to work with Kidou? Against Fire Drason first, then the private practice just the two of them, plus his constant watch over the other teammates, everything in order to bring the team to victory, not only himself. He is exactly what the creator intended him to be when they gave him his name. The name Fudou Akio (不動明王), in fact, originate from Fudō Myōō (不動明王) which is the Japanese name of the deity Acala. Acalanātha means "immovable protector" and in Japan is also known with the name "Wisdom King Acala", he is invoked in Buddhist rituals to "frighten gods, titans, men and destroy the strength of demons", and he slays all ghosts and evil spirits. He is also oftentimes drawn with intense facial expression and demeanor. So, a fierce god with intense expressions, that protect others and is particularly used against demons, mmhhh does this ring any bell to you? Like, I don’t know, a certain someone always there to fight against anything and anyone ill willed? Someone with a brilliant mind? That helps others escape from the control of an evil spirit? And that will be very mad during a specific game against an army of so called demons? No?

Let’s move on.

Back to ep92 he is also very pleased when Kidou actually comes back to his senses, he even smiles and for the first time accept that working on his own just won’t do.

After that, in Ep93 "Strongest Confrontation! Penguin vs. Penguin!!" we are showed again how he looks down on his past self when Demonio goes “Commander has given us the power to fight against the world. If this is the price I have to pay for power then I can endure this level of suffering” and Fudou comments, almost as if the thought slipped through his lips, “Power, eh…” Demonio reminds him of how power hungry he was and it’s clear at this point that Fudou has bidden farewell to the words his mother said and it’s ready to close that chapter of his life once and for all after the match against Team K.

Now we can really say that his character has reached at a turning point.

From the seemingly indifferent lone wolf that decided to come alive only during matches to a silent guy who’s able to smile with contempt alongside his teammates even off the field, like at the end of Ep95 "Desperate! Inazuma Japan Defeated!?" He doesn’t even care about victory as much as he wanted us to believe in the first episodes.

Then we got another insight on Ep96 "Fuyuppe's Secret" where he states, “looks like his leg injury wasn’t light anyway”, thus showing his close attention to the well-being of all the others and another fundamental thing! Why didn’t he tell anything to the coach if he knew Kurimatsu was injured? Well, because he respects him, his guts and his pride and in Ep107, "Grandpa's Last Note!", we have the confirmation of this theory when he is shown to have the “Heart #11: the heart to persist even if one hits rock-bottom, Warrior’s Pride”. So, being a proud warrior himself, he couldn’t, wouldn’t ever have outed Kurimatsu on something like that.

He is also making new friends aside from Kidou and Sakuma. In Ep105 "Decisive! Endō vs. Fidio!!" he high fived Someoka when switching during the match (and he also showed again just how much he trusts Kidou)

and during Ep110 "Demon Army Z!" he’s pretty pleased to have the helping hands of both Tsunami and Tobitaka while being the driving force against the hated “demons”. He is just so mad at them (*cough*ThinkOfHisName*cough*) he even takes one for the team, literally, by blocking a fierce shot with his body despite being hurt and full of bruises.

And if you’re still having doubts about him caring for the others, just watch at how he sneaks into Gouenji and Toramaru’s training to simply lend a hand and even quotes Sakuma! Also, Sakuma’s words may imply how Fudou is trying to hide his real feelings of affection for the team.

He’s gradually toning down, losing completely that poisoned tooth (even if he keeps his sassiness, thank god), when he’s around those that we can now call his friends. Because yes, they are, they know that he has that certain attitude and, as Hiroto states in Ep111 "The Devil's Decent! Dark Angel!!", “He shows what he means through actions. That’s Fudou Akio”, and this is fine by them, they accept him, even if he’s still so surprised when someone apologizes and is nice to him (but he’ll get used to it, he’ll eventually understand that he is worthy enough of affection).

It’s also important to state that when Coach Kudo calls their names during Ep122 "Inazuma Japan's Final Battle!", and everyone’s having a flashback of their first crucial step as better players, for Fudou it’s the moment when he decided to trust and cooperate for the first time, generating his first hissatsu with Kidou.

We can also see his changes by the enthusiasm he expresses after a victory. At first, he was distant, unaffected, then he started to smile a bit but while still keeping a bit of a distance, now, at the end of Ep125 “Final Truth! Number One in the World!!", he just run smiling with the others, happy as he should be and with no problem in showing it to the others.

He also shows up to the Raimon final match at the end of the graduation’s ceremony in Ep127 "Kick-off to Tomorrow!".

And finally, his speech to Tsurugi during “Inazuma Eleven GO Movie, The Ultimate Bonds Gryphon”: “Tsurugi, listen up! Friends are those you can depend on, and those who can depend on you!” This shows just how much he was able to change and mature over the years thanks to his friends!

And with this, my dearies, I salute you, hoping it was somewhat useful to you for a deeper, better understanding of an amazing character with a wonderful development!

#fudou akio #inazuma eleven #inazuma eleve go #inazuma eleven ares #character analysis #inazuma japan

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morilore · 6 years

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Hot take on Revolutionary Girl Utena: Utena does become the Prince at the end of the series, and this is, indeed, Bad.

So I remember feeling intensely bad about Utena’s ending to the show after watching it and for weeks afterward. And Anthy’s departure was glorious and amazing to watch, but I still had the nagging feeling that the show hadn’t actually quite accomplished the thing that it seemed to be pretending it had.

What I remember thinking is that it made history look like a flat circle, from sacrifice to sacrifice. Utena is the Rose Bride now. Anthy’s free, but nothing about the world is any better. Of course this is complicated once you realize that this pattern puts Dios in the position of first sacrifice, and Dios is a boy, and if this is supposed to be about misogyny then that presents a problem. But I suppose the answer to that is that the child Dios’s suffering was real and genuinely pitiable, but not the same as the Rose Bride’s. He got seriously hurt, but he was never stabbed with one million swords at the same time.

I also remember being really upset that Utena’s last words in the series made it sound like she believed that she was a complete, abject failure and that nothing she did had any value. The sentence “I’m sorry I was just playing prince,” is sufficiently ambiguous that it still sounds like Utena could be measuring herself against the princely ideal, even in the very last sentence.

Smart people are radically critical of institutions; shitty Christian moralists are radically critical of people as such. Utena had a beautiful and valuable love and sense of justice in her. She was a messed-up teenager, but she was a messed-up teenager. And she seemed to end the series bitterly lamenting some fundamental problem with herself, as the executioner’s axe swung down. And not that she doesn’t have some stuff to regret regarding her behavior towards Anthy, but holy shit, kid, you were up against stuff that you should never have been expected to face at 14 years old. When I was 14? I was a complete and total asshole!

Slight digression.

I was watching the CS Lewis Doodle youtube channel recently, because sometimes I am a simple man who likes to watch pretty pictures being drawn to a lecture - likes it enough to forget sometimes that CS Lewis is an asshole and that Christianity is Actually Really Bad and that it Legit Traumatized Me and that it Hurts Real People Constantly Including Me When I Internalize Any Part Of It.

Here is part of what CS Lewis - that asshole - was saying in defense of violent patriarchal domination in the context of (heterosexual) marriage:

The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church - read on - and give his life for her. This headship, then, is most fully embodied not in the husband we should all wish to be but in him whose marriage is most like a crucifixion... The sternest feminist needn’t grudge to my sex the crown offered it, either in the natural or the Christian mystery. The one is of paper, the other is of thorns.

That’s the Prince, right? He’s talking about the Prince. Dios lying there in the barn, dying of his wounds with the people still demanding more of him. That’s the Princely ideal. That’s the way it should work. Fuck’s sake; we men should all collapse in gratitude at the mercy feminism offers us, if we’re to take this guy at his word. (Which we shouldn’t, this is self-serving bullshit.)

But that’s the crown of thorns Utena is wearing at the very end, isn’t it?

The point of a radical critique of something is that it’s not the corruption of a thing, but the thing itself even in its best and purest form, because the Bad and the Good are contained in each other and both represent the same problem. Utena declares that she’s going to become a Prince, and then Anthy is all like “no” and stabs her. But then Utena punches the ground and climbs to her feet and climbs over to the Rose Gate while bleeding out and still has enough strength to push Akio aside that punk and tries to open the Rose Gate with her bare hands and reaches out to Anthy with raw honesty and love and inspires Anthy to walk out of her abusive relationship!

It’s like Anthy knocks the Prince ideal to the ground, and then the Prince ideal comes back with a counterargument: “oh yeah, but what if the Prince is like, really really determined? And what if the Prince is like, really really suffering but really puts the princess’s needs first, and really truly loves the princess and acknowledges the princess’s agency, and asks for her hand instead of taking it, and it’s because of the Princes’s honesty and goodness and self-sacrifice that the princess is motivated to save herself, and the Prince doesn’t even think she’s a Prince or that Princes are real? What then? Is it really so bad then?” And then the story just ends on that point.

Or maybe I’m wrong.

The thing I keep doing in my thoughts and feelings about Utena is centering Utena’s subjectivity at the expense of Anthy’s. Back when I was watching the final arc I kept wanting Utena to get the fuck out of there and I genuinely didn’t care if Anthy came too or not. And I felt kinda guilty about that, but you know what? No, I own that. I still own it. You should have gotten the fuck out of there, kid. Put on your own oxygen mask first. But I guess for Utena, it was only Anthy who could have possibly persuaded her to do that, so love between women is still the point here.

But the thing I end up missing if I don’t pay attention to Anthy is that if she hadn’t made the choice to walk out, I wouldn’t even be in this pickle. The point would have been made but good: Princes are useless, always. But then there wouldn’t have been any hint that anything better was possible.

And I suppose I can’t think of a better way to suggest, not only that Princes are useless, but that something better is possible. The new is always birthed from the contradictions of the old and all that. If RGU isn’t a story about an boneheaded girl trying to “save” another girl in an abusive relationship while remaining oblivious to the threat to herself, and is instead a story about a girl in an abusive relationship rediscovering that she has feelings and that she hates both what her abuser is doing to her and what she is helping him do to the other girls around her, then the climax of the story, and the final blow in the argument between Anthy and the Princely ideal, returns to where I should have recognized it all along: Anthy saying “sayonara.”

But that still leaves us with Utena, wearing that damnable crown.

She became a false synthesis: she became the Prince by becoming the Rose Bride. And that doesn’t solve the problem.

Anthy solved the problem. For herself, at least. And she promised to find Utena. And that’s very beautiful and moving, but it’s forever a promise - forever in the future, because the anime ended and the movie - well, I still have a hard time weaving the movie into this.

In the eternal now, we have Utena Tenjou, the girl who wanted to become a Prince. And did, right about exactly at the time that she learned that it’s really really bad to be a Prince.

I hope she gets better. She deserves it.

#Revolutionary Girl Utena #Utena meta #Utena spoilers #misogyny #patriarchy #cs lewis #Utena Tenjou #Anthy Himemiya

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some-triangles · 7 years

Text

Episode 35. It's time for the puppet show!

Hmm.

Something about this feels a bit less whimsical than usual.

We recap last night’s revelations and establish that Utena still doesn't remember them. It's nagging at her now, though. Something about Anthy's face seems newly familiar.

Thankfully, Akio's spidey sense tells him that character development is happening and he bursts in to break it up just in the nick of time.

(The subbers have rigged this entry in the Akio Unsubtlety Sweepstakes by translating "borrow" as "steal", just to make sure we all get the joke.)

There's kind of a greatest hits feeling about this segment - we get an encore of the Anthy's face hardening as they walk away routine, although she's less scary in this iteration and more 200% Done.

How many times has she seen this happen?

On their walk, Utena and Akio pass through the riotous fields of poppies that have totally always been here. Akio says it's a shame that friendship isn't the Eternal Thing. It would be great, he says,

Akio never gets around to explaining what poppies symbolize, but it's sleep, death, dreams, remembrance. Narcotics and narcosis. If he had gotten into it, it might have been a bigger giveaway even than the Lucifer thing. Questions arise: what does being suddenly stuck in the middle of an enormous labyrinth of poppies represent? And what does the car represent? And, more importantly -

Touga wants to know exactly what Akio is doing with/to Utena - purely in a professional capacity, of course.

It is difficult to decide which individual frame best sums up the ensuing conversation.

If I go with this one, for example, you lose the fact that Akio is lying on top of a car, which is perched on a dais, which is itself balanced on an enormous pyramid of additional, identical cars.

Then again, if I go with this one, you lose the sense that Akio is about to caress his own nipple. Which he does.

Regardless, Touga says he's planning to shake Utena up a little before their duel, as per usual. Akio tells Touga to bring her a present for him. He says it can be anything - he's confident that Touga, a natural playboy, will choose just the right gift. Touga says that Utena doesn't go for gifts, on the evidence of her having rejected that dress he bought her back in Episode 3. Akio points out that her most treasured possession is a ring that some strange dude gave her years ago.

Touga has the look of a man who knows that he is about to be owned very badly, but the casual villainous bonhomie he's got going with Akio prevents him from objecting. He can't look uncool in front of his mentor, so, full speed ahead.

Touga duly delivers a pair of earrings to Utena. She is thrilled to see that Akio has gotten her a present but is not sure if she can accept. Wakaba, the filthy traitor, is having none of that.

...

So, we come now to a question that I've been dreading ever since I started this project, which is "why does Touga have a carrot."

On one level he has it because he is about to go ride a horse. Horses eat carrots.

On another - yes, it’s yet another dick. He's trying to be like big brother Akio and drench himself in sexual symbolism, but he can't afford a big red car, and he doesn't have a driver's license. He can afford a carrot.

But the main reason he has it is for this shot:

Because... I'm sorry, the last five years of political discourse have made this more unpleasant than it needs to be, but, y'know... horns. Sign of a cuckold and all that.

He has the carrot because he's a big steaming cuck.

Despite this, he successfully whisks Utena off to his next, upgraded penis symbol, which is A Horse. He is badly off his game, here - cross-examining her about princes and horses when he hasn't even bothered to check out a white one from the... horse library... or however this works.

Also whatever point he was trying to make is diluted somewhat when the resolutely not-white horse hops over a tree root and Utena flies the fuck off.

Then this happens.

Akio's is bigger.

(He also has, like, impossible upper body strength, but that's neither here nor there.)

"I don't know what I was expecting"

So, the worm has turned, the rattler become the rattled. The sight of Utena gazing adoringly up into Akio's face has put him in such a mood that he can barely be bothered to knock off his daily middle-schooler. He's sick of being a 'playboy' - particularly now that he's getting his head handed to him by a playman, and let me just apologize immediately for that

Even Saionji can tell that something's up.

So what's the cause of Touga's sudden deflation? Why can't he perform? The shadow puppet girls have a theory, which they deliver via an elaborate fishing metaphor. The super cool nice-guy playboy fisherman can catch any kind of fish except one:

Which also means "love" in Japanese. Thus the joke.

Later, Utena is lost in a reverie. She can't stop thinking about how Akio let her touch his horse.

Similar equine double-entendres follow. Utena can't quite believe that her prince actually showed up on a white horse - her bullshit detector is sitll in there somewhere, under all the gunk - but she's lost enough that she falls asleep holding the gift he gave her. Anthy finds her there and has a face about it.

Akio tells Touga that he lost the game. This is clear anyway - Akio has many cactuses, and Touga only has one. Akio tells Touga that he thinks Utena should be:

Touga isn't sure.

I really shouldn’t have to tell you what the cacti represent at this point.

Touga and Saionji head up to the balcony for the last meeting of the student council before the End of the World. It's just the two of them. Saionji has now been through the wringer enough that he's graduated from fool to wise fool, just like Nanami - it's the folks who were ground down the most by the game who have the clearest view of it. Touga says that he... might?... genuinely love Utena, and that he wants to save her from Akio by beating her in the duel. (When all you have is a hammer, etc.) Touga wants the power that got Utena out of that coffin, but Saionji points out that she's still in that coffin, isn't she? Or she wouldn’t need saving. They're all still in their coffins, come to think of it. The miraculous power that Akio has isn't as miraculous as it's cracked up to be.

It's a crucial conversation and in order to make sure we pay attention to it the camera throws in a phantasmagorical press conference, rampant shirtlessness, a completely superfluous visual pun about tea, the most egregiously phallic shot of the chairman's residence to date and Touga touching his own invisible anime nipple. I feel that in trying to capture it via screenshot I would only be doing it a disservice - I will only say that I love that these boys take off their shirts to discuss feelings.

Meanwhile, Utena and Anthy are out in a field together, in their usual idyllic fashion, except Utena is preoccupied with Akio’s present. Then she looks up at Anthy and sees

The feeling of having forgotten something important - the thing that, if remembered, would reframe your history entirely, tap your life's context just a little bit so that it settles for the first time into something comprehensible - there’s excitement and dread in that feeling. The possibility that there is a key to understanding yourself, coupled with the possibility that you will never find that key, and will continue to make the choices that a lost person makes until you have made so many mistakes that you can no longer find your way back to your truth.

Nothing as terrifying as a glimpse of the real after a long sojourn in fairyland.

#utena #utena liveblog #next time: will touga win his duel???#and if you said yes I've got a bridge you might be interested in

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