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CHAIN OF MEMORIES GOOFY: Hmm… I wonder what we just forgot. I can’t think of anything. Guess I musta forgot it… But whatever it was, it must not have been that important a-hyuck! SORA: Right, or else you wouldn’t have forgot it.

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KINGDOM HEARTS II DONALD: Sora! Show some respect!

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CHAIN OF MEMORIES SORA: Hey, Donald… Back when I was a Heartless, who was the one who clobbered me, hmm? DONALD: That’s what you should be forgetting!

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I know it would be a better idea to stay out of the fandom since obviously this show is aimed at kids, and I’m definitely not the target audience, but…

There’s a part of the fan base that really bugs me. 

And it’s the one that, for the last few episodes, was afraid that Chat Noir was getting shoved aside in favor of Ladybug for the hero spotlight. The ones that demanded/are demanding that he get put right beside her for “equal time” to be recognized as part of the team, or even given his own episode or something so he can defeat an akuma on his own. And I know I should just ignore them and watch the show and just enjoy it as it is, but…

It’s really hard not to take it personally.

For this to make sense, you have to understand I come from a different generation. I come from the generation that was first introduced to pokemon on the WB almost twenty years ago. I come from the generation that first saw Cardcaptor Sakura on the eighth episode, because the American based studios were actually targeting the young male audience, so discarded Sakura’s story, and her name in the title, so they could start with Lee as the ‘relatable’ character for the boys.

I’m from the generation whose ONLY fully embraced “girl anime” was Sailor Moon, and whose American female heroes (besides the awesome Powerpuff Girls) were Totally Spies and Kim Possible (influenced by anime anyway). The first was about rich girlfriends from Beverly Hills whose leader was a ditzy blond obsessed with fashion, and the latter about a popular cheerleader saving the world.

I’m from the generation who fell in love with Teen Titans, a ridiculously popular show that had a bunch of teenage kids running around and saving the world while dealing with things from racism and isolation, to horror and tragedy, get canceled because it had a huge female audience base, only to come back as that ridiculous mini-episodic series Teen Titans Go.

I’m from the generation where My Little Pony, a show literally created for little girls, unexpectedly found an audience with older males and no one did a damn thing even with the blatant emergence of pony porn. 

I’m from the generation who fell in love with Avatar: The Last Airbender and the badass ladies of it, only to have the succeeding female and woc Avatar with a wonderfully rich and dramatic story line get shafted by Nickelodeon on multiple accounts and get replaced by the trash that is Sponge Bob.

And I’m part of the generation that is still systematically shoving female characters aside for the sake of male slash fanfiction and fanart.

And for the first time in a very long time, I’m seeing a western AND eastern hero show that has a fun, quirky heroine that gets recognized for her abilities. She’s girly and loves rock and roll, she’s capable, and still has much to learn, she’s strong, and has a wonderfully supportive partner to help her get through the toughest battles.

But the show isn’t good enough because… the boy isn’t “equal” to her?

I can’t even believe what I’m hearing.

He’s already chastised her on multiple accounts. He does distractions, fights, sacrifices and assistance. So what if Ladybug usually has the final say? So what if she comes up with more ideas? So what if she gets more recognition from the public for being a hero?

He doesn’t have to be ‘in the spotlight’ to be a good character. For crying out loud people are still clamoring over Felix even though he’s not in the aired show.

Adrien is fine.

We love him. He’ll get his moments, his spotlight, his arc. He’ll always be a part of the team, and a part of the show. He’s still giving Marinette insight and lessons and the help she needs to carry on the fight. He’s never going to get “shoved aside” or “shoved out” of the show, even if, as shocking as it sounds, the show just might focus on Marinette a little more since, oh I dunno, girls just might be the target audience.

Which, tbh, I feel isn’t the case because the show feels like it’s targeting both boys and girls. What a concept.  

Frankly, I love that the show has a girl as “the leading lady”, both as the story protagonist, and just as the hero. I love that Adrien is nice, and civil to Marinette even though he doesn’t like her romantically, and is all around a decent human being. I like that Chat loves his Lady and trusts her judgement and calls and abilities in fighting enough to lead, and gets on her case when she messes up, but never think any less of her because of it, or her gender. I like that this show normalizes a more capable girl and doesn’t call it into question or politicize it. It just is. 

As a character, I’m actually more partial to Adrien. I’m a horrible sucker for characters from rough families and backgrounds that still do good in the world. I love his cheesy puns and the shoujo tropes he subverts (that he’s the attractive “cool” guy at school the girl likes, but is ALSO the goofy funny guy always after her that we know usually will never be the romantic interest). I want to see some resolution for his tragic family life, I want to see him have his affections requited, and I want to see him be happy and loved.

But I don’t ever want to see people put him on a pedestal just to be on ‘equal footing’ with Marinette. Because as much as I love him, his ‘time to shine’ should be if the show ever decides to focus on his personal life. Which, truth be told, I worry will never happen to my satisfaction since this is an episodic hero show where the focus is on adventure and beating the bad guys. I hope they do though. If nothing else, then at least have it happen in the second season. 

I want this show to succeed so much that I watch the latest episodes on youtube, but am sure to record the ones airing here on TV so they can get their ratings. 

So even though I shouldn’t, I can’t help but take these stupid arguments personally. Hearing people whine about Chat Noir getting shafted because people don’t think he gets enough screen time feels like a slap to the face. 

I mean for Pete’s sake, can’t we have at least one show with a female lead without getting flack for it? Wasn’t Mad Max bad enough since it was an actual action movie? Why is it so terrible for a girl to have her own role/show and be bomb in it? Why can’t the guy be supportive and helpful and not thought less of for it? If Kim Possible was a show done today, would people complain about Ron Stoppable being, well, Ron Stoppable?

I just want a girl hero to be a girl hero and not have people complain about it. (Before anyone says anything: yes, arguing that the male lead should take the lead is complaining about the girl being the hero.) It’s petty, and stupid, but it actually ticks me off.

Honestly, I’m just eternally grateful to Thomas Astruc for coming up with the concept for this show in the first place. As much as that factor of the fan base irritates me, I love the dynamic between Ladybug and Chat Noir. I love the little story arcs with all the classmates and other side characters. I love the lessons being put into the show, especially through Marinette/Ladybug, and Adrien/Chat Noir and their behavior for younger children to look up to. I just want to enjoy the show for what it is, and being online and on tumblr just makes me wonder if the only way to do that is to stay off the internet altogether and avoid any and all discussion for it.

I just want people to be glad a show is getting popular for a female lead. A few years ago, it was very likely it wouldn’t even have been approved, much less gotten popular in three countries. It could have been cancelled, or Ladybug could have actually been shoved aside in favor of Chat Noir for the sake of “network ratings”. 

Just take a minute and recognize the significance of this, before you try to complain about a show not being “equal” by your definition. You guys really have no idea how good you have it right now . 

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Oooooh hey guys, change of plans! I was going to do a post on a comparison of Namine and Roxas, but I’ve been playing through KH II again, and I just found some extra material in Land of Dragons and Beast’s Castle. I’m going to be trying something a little different this time, so fingers crossed!

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I didn’t think I’d have to say this so soon, but this post wasn’t for you.

I know this is going to sound shocking, but even though you assert that “a lot of soriku shippers are queer” (and by the tone of your reply I’m assuming you’re referring specifically to gay men?) a lot of the shippers... actually aren’t. Japan’s pandering and (male)queer baiting isn’t for the actual queer community, it’s to the yaoi fangirls. Just as two girls kissing on screen is actually directed for the male gaze, both in anime and here in the US. They’re thinking about the girls that fetishize two guys having sex and are willing to buy the merch and keep the attention on the characters (and thus the story) which is a fair-sized fraction of the fanbase. To be honest I don’t think the thought of actual queer individuals watching these usually crosses their minds when they make these scenes.

Erm... I’m sorry I thought this was common knowledge and didn’t need to be said?

This essay was aimed at heterosexual yaoi fangirls who have been bashing Kairi and SoKai since KH I first came out, and who have actually outright said that “SoRiku is canon”.  This essay is talking about the people who have over the years used the reunion scene as “proof” of homosexuality, instead of using actual nuances of their relationships and interactions to celebrate their relationship.

This post wasn’t aimed at gay men who have struggled in a world that’s shut them out and held them down and ridiculed and hurt them. It wasn’t written to scoff at them for being desperate for representation and romance. It was written at girls who have repeatedly been fetishizing them and using them as an excuse for their outright jealousy and internalized misogyny. 

I want you to take a minute, and reread my post with those things in mind. Once you do, then I’m going to explain why SoRiku is my “guilty pleasure”:

This fandom so ingrained in the Japanese yaoi culture disgusts me.

In middle school and high school I became a yaoi fangirl too, just because het couples were increasingly getting boring or repetitive in the stories for me. And then of course, I came to love SoRiku and would find any pictures, fanfiction, and even the doujin to satisfy my craving. And the deeper I went, the more I found the repetition of a lot of the yaoi tropes. The blatant mis-characterization, the Kairi bashing, ALL the girls being ignored, the rape culture? It came to be so pervasive and common that it eventually just turned me off from finding any new material altogether. None of it was Sora, or Riku as they actually would be in a relationship. There were a few rare gems that I still hold on to to this day, but for the most part, it was a really unhealthy culture that I was hating more and more. You ask  “ and beyond that, why would sora being gay make his sacrifices for kairi any less meaningful?” Gee, I dunno, maybe it’s because the fans have been repetitively portraying it that way. I’m not going to even go into the things I found in OTHER stories and series following this.

And then I found Artifice.

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. Even though I didn’t particularly like sci-fi at the time, a friend of mine told me about it.

I was hooked. The story was compelling, and intriguing, and sweet, and action packed, and it was so addicting and it was about two men falling in love. It was a story so rich in story telling that it satisfied all my cravings. And when the story was done, I donated what I could, even if I wasn’t particularly interested in their newer series coming out, because I so badly wanted this author and illustrator to do well and make more stories. 

Its things like that that I want to celebrate. Stories about actual queer characters having adventures and conflict and happiness. But the more attention you give canonly straight characters, the more popular they get, and the more revenue comes in for a multi-billion dollar corporation that is actually queerphobic. When you take canonly straight characters and just “make them gay”, you’re STILL giving them more attention. Attention that is ultimately shoving out the competition of revenue and support for genuinely queer characters.

In the context of this blog, theme of the post, what-have-you, it’s Sora and Riku getting more attention, and Axel’s popularity saving him from becoming the final boss for Roxas and dictating his screentime, and basically shoving out Kairi. The abundant SoRiku fans and the popularity of Axel are literally the reason Kairi wasn’t in 3D. On a completely separate occasion, we had an official representative give an interview to Nomura and actually asked him if that rumor of AkuRoku not being canon because Disney censored him. 

And you’re complaining to me that I’m.... shoving SoKai down your throat and invalidating your ship? These ships are effecting the actual development of these games to give you more screentime of your favorite characters. Why on earth are you complaining to me when you’re already getting what you want? 

Look, I get it. I know how hard it is to find characters on-screen and feel validated through the media and wanting to relate to someone or something happening. I know how easy it is to get lost in an already popular fandom and just tweaking already popular characters because there’s so much more material to consume and be satisfied with. So if it sounded like I was getting on your case for that, then yes, I am very sorry, and I swear that was never my intention.

What I want is for people to relate to people on screen without having to “change” anything to suit them. I want them to be able to talk with other fans and the creators about their favorite characters and pairings, and have writers celebrate people loving their characters the way they are, and not the way people “wish” they were. I want those writers and creators and developers trying to write stories with queer characters get super popular and celebrated for being as they are.

I want people to realize that this is not a positive expression of the lgbtq community, but a blatant sexist and misogynistic fandom created by men but perpetuated and fueled by girls. That tiny paragraph where you acknowledged all my good points about Kairi being shoved out and the relationship being trashed is the whole reason I made this post, and the theme of this whole blog.

That’s the point I’m trying to make. I’m all for two gay men finding love. I am not for people shoving them together so they can get rid of the girl.

I... don’t really want to go over your point on saying “ why does loving someone romantically automatically mean that their emotions towards that person are lesser?” because I wasn’t talking about Sora loving Riku. I was talking about crying. You know, crying. The emotional response that boys and men are consistently shamed and ridiculed for, being called “sissies” “wimps” “like girls” etc. I want people to realize Sora cried because he is a boy having an emotional response, which shouldn’t, and doesn’t, have anything to do with his sexuality, or romantic inclination, or hell, even his gender identity if we want to go that far. But unfortunately, whether we like to admit it or not, this is something used against men in our western culture to shame men into hiding their feelings. 

“lol look at him cry he’s so GAY!”

As much as we’d all like to slap people who say this, problem is that so many people say this that our hands would be broken long before we could stop. “Crying” is STILL tied strongly to this as an insult. You’re seriously telling me that you aren’t offended to have someone say you’re gay because you... cry? Not because you, ya know, like guys?

Maybe it’s just me, but having people write off my crying or my anger because “oh she’s just on her period” or “she’s a girl, she’s sensitive” makes me feel invalidated. I want people to a) stop equating emotion to “negative” feminine traits which gay men are consistently stereotyped as having (in a negative way), and b) have people realize that emotions are valid in any context, with any individual regardless of the X and Y chromosomes or sexuality or gender identity.

Yeah that’s... pretty discriminatory. I stand by my statement. 

Again, people have been using this as “proof” of his romantic feelings, and I want better examples to argue the ship. This post isn’t arguing SoRiku as a relationship; it’s arguing the way people paint the reunion. Like I have said in the post. Repeatedly. I only brought up SoKai moments in the past games in order build up to the turning point of Riku’s character and his point of view. I wouldn’t have even bothered except that so many people do seem to forget them. “The fact that you’re implying two men can’t love each other because it somehow makes their bond less meaningful is extremely homophobic” isn’t even close to what I was trying to say and I’m almost shocked that its so backwards. Platonic relationships are always trumped by romantic ones in so many stories. Romantic relationships are almost always regarded as more important than platonic ones, no matter what the sex of the characters involved. I’m the first one to advocate meaningful platonic relationships between guys and girls. I’m all for best friends meaning the world to each other and loving each other, but not being in love. 

But the funny thing is that I love the idea of two best friends falling in love. I loved SoRiku as a ship simply because they were two friends that had grown up together and had so much history of care and affection for each other. So if there are some of those relationships that develop into something romantic, then more power for them. Hell, if Kairi was given the role of matchmaker, or relationship cheerleader, or even just, you know, a best friend, I wouldn’t even be having this conversation with you and would still be in the SoRiku fandom without giving a fuck.

But in all the SoRiku material you’ve seen, loved, consumed, where is Kairi? 

Hating yaoi culture =/= hating homosexuality

Disliking the fandom of SoRiku =/= to hating the idea of Sora and Riku being in a real relationship

Feeling guilty about feeding the negative aspects of the SoRiku fanbase =/= being ashamed of shipping two same sex characters. 

I was going to let this go, but I know if I don’t say something now, people are going to reblog this from you and of course get the wrong idea about what I’m trying to say and completely miss the point.

So thank you for derailing the conversation to once again shove the girls out of the storytelling, and make it all about the boys so that they still get plenty of attention since they obviously don’t get enough of it. And, as someone who has spent years gushing over Kingdom Hearts with her openly gay friends, and wailing in frustration over how SoRiku will never be canon and how awesome of a story it would be and crying ‘damn it why do they have to bait us like this it’s not fair’ then I feel absolutely no regret or guilt in saying: 

If you wanna keep going and shipping SoRiku, then go ahead. Do whatever the hell you want and be happy. But for me? I’m sick of queer baiting. I’m sick and tired of having actual gay characters being coded as villains or psychopaths in the gaming industry for decades, or having been censored and written out when they crossed seas, only for them to still get attention from the queer community because they change the characters to suit their needs. I’m going to go out and give attention to the actual queer characters that are popping up more and more in shows and movies and games. They are getting an increasing fanbase and more positive attention and recognition, and we’re getting to celebrate actual representation.

I started playing this game because I was a Disney fan. I didn’t pick this up thinking “oh I hope they have a girl lead” or “I hope they have some queer characters in here!” I just wanted to play beside my favorite characters in my favorite movies and have fun on this wacky plot. Even now as I keep going, I just like playing in all the Disney worlds and the story lines, and the over reaching arc of the keyblade war, which I am enjoying. Why the hell wouldn’t I keep buying the games? I wanted a magical zany adventure, and that’s what I got, and then some. 

What bothers me is how the fandom is reacting and behaving and how it actually changed the course of the games. And THAT’S why I made this blog, to try to let my voice be heard and make people realize that just maybe we’ve been looking at things wrong. I’m not blaming you for your own “oppression”. If having these companies profit off of your desperation bothers you so much, then why are YOU supporting them? That makes even less sense. If you so suddenly want to see yourself in the media, then find some actual games where you can get that. I can give you a freaking list to get started if you want.

So stop tearing down people who are trying to defend the female characters and the relationships they have with the other characters. They’re not getting enough attention, and that’s why I focused on them. This blog is to point out why the girls are being treated so horribly by this fandom as a whole, not to debate homosexuality representation. There are plenty of other games I can do that for. 

SoRiKai: Through a Western Lense

The argument has been going on forever between the SoKai fans, the SoRiku fans, and the SoRiKai fans: what relationship is “canon” and who loves each other more. Personally, I feel the arguement is silly since the KH team has repeatedly made it known that they like the fans to ship whomever they want with, well, whomever they want.  Normally I wouldn’t get involved, but there’s one aspect that’s been increasingly bothering me. The problem is that the argument revolves around a single instant: the reunion. I doubt I need a recap of the infamous tear- jerker. The reason why this is a problem is that this scene is taken out of context for the series as a whole, and simplifies a very complex situation and set of emotions (which is what I love so much about the game in the first place). So, in the same style as my previous essay on Aqua, I’m going to bring some cultural context and remind me readers of some general story-telling devices, cliches, and etc to hopefully see this in a new light.  For the necessary disclaimer: I am not advocating for any one ship. There will be some points where it will seem like I’m trying to push SoKai as the final verdict, but there’s a reason I’m doing this, and it is to prove a point for the later scene. If anything, I don’t think that scene proves anything as far as romantic intentions, but to explain why, I’m going to make a few quick points made in the game series leading up to this moment. Let’s go back for a minute to the very first Kingdom Hearts game, before the idea of the “trio” was a standing trope through the series. It was a stand alone game with a simple plot-line and straight forward story, even as far as the relationships between the three main characters. I’ll preface this with saying the plot line of having two same gender friends fighting over a potential love interest is a common storytelling device, no matter sex of the main characters. Two male leads fighting over a girl, or two girls fighting over a boy, ultimately leading to resolution of the two friends making up. And for a story featuring teens, this is hardly surprising. Kingdom Hearts actually subverts this, instead having Riku’s jealousy derive mostly from Sora’s company with Donald and Goofy and Riku’s antagonizing actions come from accusing Sora of not caring enough for Kairi.

While Kairi is indisposed, she can’t quell the arguments between Sora and Riku, and the boys instead turn on each other. When Kairi does finally awaken, Riku is already possessed so far that the only choice is to run, and they are unable to reconnect. The only chance Kairi has of interaction is with Sora, when she returns him to his true form.

Now a lot of people would like to point this out as their first embrace. However, I feel this is an inaccurate description. Kairi was not intending to ‘hug’ Sora, but to protect him- quite impressive when considering she’s just woken up from a coma and been faced with her other best friend’s possession. 

Because, in this video here (specifically at mark 4:35), please pay very, very close attention to this, because I cannot stress this enough:

Sora, until this moment has never hugged his friends. Not even the two best friends he grew up with. This is because in Japan, hugging (especially for males, and between males and females) is almost never done. Even among family members, this is a fairly rare form of affection with each other, even for emotional occasions. Nowadays its becoming a little more common and accepted, but in general, still not a common practice (except with girls). For us, this seems incredible and likely didn’t even cross many people’s minds when they saw this scene, but the important thing to note is that, for Destiny Islands at least, “hugging” isn’t something casually done among friends. Now, let’s turn to Riku. As much as people like to hate on Chain of Memories because of that confusing card system, there were very important plot points discussed in the game. Introducing the Organization of course, and the concept of the Nobodies, and Namine. On Sora’s side, he didn’t remember what transpired in the walls of Caslte Oblivion, not even when he had yet ANOTHER battle with Riku over a girl. (Please note he didn’t learn about the truth of the Replica until later.)

Riku, on the other hand, did remember everything.

It was his battle was with himself, and coming to terms with his actions and accepting Ansem’s darkness lurking inside of him. Yet he doesn’t “Accept the darkness” so much as “surrender his fate”. Leading up to the events of KH II, he needs to take in Roxas because he’s holding some of Sora’s memories hostage and preventing him from waking up. It’s the very same memories Sora decided to fall asleep to recover. Sora can’t wake up without memories of Kairi, because these are so important and precious to him. Riku knows this and is willing to succumb to the darkness to ensure his friend’s well- being and happiness, and as amends for his past crimes. He spends the entirety of KH II running from Sora. He asks Mickey to look after him, hides in the shadows, and helps in tiny ways without ever revealing himself. He knows Sora is looking for him, but the thought of being seen with Ansem’s face is so abhorrent to him he stays out of sight, even as it worries Sora sick. Now, while Sora’s been looking for Riku, Kairi’s been waiting for him on the islands. His biggest worry is when he’ll be able to return home to her. He doesn’t start worrying about her well-being until Axel attempts to take her from the islands, and then he blames himself for her danger, since its established that Kairi’s kidnapping is to rouse Sora’s anger and make him fight that much harder, since the Organization knows she’s precious to him.

While I’m sure some of you have already seen a post talking about this, I’m going to let you see it from another angle so you get the full impact: When was the last time YOU got down on your hands and knees? Have you ever asked your parents for something you wanted SO much you literally knelt down in front of them? What about with your friends? Did you do something so dreadful that only an apology on the very ground would suffice? Have you ever knelt down in front of your enemy, and BEGGED them not to hurt the people closest to you? We can villainize Saix for rejecting Sora offering himself on a silver platter, but at least he acknowledged Sora’s sacrifice. He knew what the boy was offering and doing to ensure his friend was safe. But frankly, the people who completely forgot this scene, and blew it off thinking it wasn’t important are even worse. This is downright insulting to Sora and all his efforts, and his fears. But this point isn’t just about this scene, but to remind us of everything Sora has given up so far for Kairi’s sake before they meet up again.  While initially shocked, Sora returned her embrace- an action he’s not used to, nor was he expecting. Now, its important to note that Riku is still present during this. Kairi’s initial instinct is to run and embrace Sora. Essentially, its their first talk and interaction once the heartless are gone. Now, up until this point Riku has witnessed:

Sora holding and protecting Kairi’s heart, Sora sacrificing himself for Kairi, Sora trusting his memories to Namine for Kairi, Sora embracing Kairi in a romantic way after not seeing her for over a year. So, tell me: who’s the most important person to Sora? The most natural answer, in that light, would be Kairi. So, if that’s the case, why did the developers and the director decide to make Sora cry when he finally saw Riku again? The answer is actually pretty simple when you look at it from Riku’s perspective:

It was to make him stay.

Up until this point, Riku had either been fighting with Sora, or running from him. He had done terrible things, and was now a denizen of the Darkness forever. There was no hope to save him, no chance for true redemption. Sora and Kairi belonged together in the light. Back home, and out of danger. Riku didn't belong with them anymore. Besides, they’d be happy together. Sure, maybe Kairi forgave him, and Sora had been looking for him, but that was just how they were. Once Riku left for good and they returned, they’d grow to be happy together, without him making things even harder.

…in case that wasn’t clear, that was Riku’s perspective.

I’m not a screen writer involved with the team, but out of all my obsessing and analyzing of these characters and these games, I’m wholly convinced that even after Sora found the truth, and said how happy he was to see him, Riku would have found an excuse to break away and leave, especially considering all the time he’d done that already. Seeing Sora so emotionally upset and broken over seeing him again made him realize just how important he actually was to Sora, even after everything he’d done to him. Sora had already sacrificed so much for Kairi over and over again, Riku and the viewers needed to see something that was on par with that, and settle their old fight with a solid resolution. And of course, even with Sora sobbing his eyes out, note how he touches him:

Hands only. No hugging. No romantic feelings intended. Now, of course, there will be people who will likely blow off this essay and say that the scene is still proof of the romantic inclination. Frankly, I wonder why people can’t just be satisfied with a really sweet and touching scene between two best friends with a (somewhat) healthy expression of feelings between two males (riku could still learn a thing or two about that). But please note that I’m not anti SoRiku, and if you want to ship them, that’s fine. What I don’t like is the simplification and belittling of these character’s ordeals. Saying “oh he cried because he loves him romantically” just completely pushes away Sora’s very raw experiences of doubt, fear, worry, and shedding his mask to reveal the trauma he went through worrying about his friends. Not to mention blows off the very real sacrifices he made for Kairi’s sake.  While no one means anything badly by it, you’re basically saying: “He cried because he’s gay. Straight guys shouldn’t cry, especially for each other.” Now matter how you see that, its pretty discriminatory and sexist, not to mention rooted in a horribly unhealthy culture that stigmatizes men to express themselves in a naturally human way.

Now, on that note: why didn’t Sora have a similar reaction to Kairi if he was SO worried about her? Because then he’d be treated as a whiny little crybaby.

It’s not manly to cry in front of your girlfriend. In any form of media anywhere, have you ever seen the male protagonist cry over his female love interest in ANY situation that didn’t result in death? Even if she dies, it’s usually an excuse for the male character to become angry and want to exact vengeance or something. This game was created for male wish fulfillment, and guys don’t want to cry over their girlfriends. (Plus there’s that whole “friendships between boys are so much more sacred” thing in Japan anyway, but I digress.) And I will sum up with this because I KNOW people will reblog trying to retort this: yes, I know you’ll want to point out scenes in 3D to prove the romantic intentions. Especially including the very end when Sora jumped Riku to hug him completely.

That, my friends, is called queer-baiting, and its something developers and storytellers do when they know their fans will lap it up and further feed their sales and ensure loyalty. (Yes, even using Dearly Beloved, and ESPECIALLY with the paopu charm with the limit. They knew the fans would search for little details like that. Also, need I remind that Aqua’s use of the wayfinders in BBS was for purely platonic purposes, even though they were modeled after the paopu legends. Destinies don’t have to be romantic to be intertwined.)

Point is, you all fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

Ya’ll wanna argue that Sora and Kairi’s hug was ‘awkward’ but for Pete’s sake, Riku didn’t even hug Sora back. If ANY embrace was platonic, it was this one. Please note that even with Sora’s enthusiasm, Riku did not once 1) seem shocked or touched, 2) hug him back. Sora’s gotten used to giving affection with Donald and Goofy. Riku… just tolerates it.

I love SoRiKai, and really any variation of it. So no, I’m definitely not bashing the SoRiku ship since its one of my guilty pleasures. But I find different elements and clues to have them romantically involved. Also, I’m just trying to give another perspective on this perpetual war between the shippers.

[soraingsky-blog]

#AgentCarter’s season finale is tomorrow! We must make a difference, and make it global trend (twitter)  #AgentCarter and #RenewAgentCarter. P e g g y’s   o r d e r s!!! 

[soraingsky-blog]

Hey read your Aqua essay. Please reconsider framing the issue of queerbaiting as harming actual queer people and not yaoi fans. Also this sentence? "fight that stupid stereotype that only tomboys or lesbians have what it takes to be fighters." Could you NOT erase traditionally feminine presenting lesbians? Its a really gross stereotype to say that lesbians are equatable to tomboys, as if every one of us are butch dykes.

WOW uh, I’m really sorry, this message never showed up in my alerts? Yeah I never even knew this was sitting in my inbox until just now. Whoops.

And I’ll take a quick look at the Aqua essay to see if I can rephrase that. Truth be told, I personally put it “BL fans” as a last minute way to try to differentiate self proclaimed “yaoi fans”. What I should have put was “people who want to see homosexuality portrayed in media”. Eh, it was late and I was tired and not thinking.

And… I’ll be honest I had to reread that last part of the message because I was really confused. I can see why it came across that way and why you got upset. I was trying to give two separate examples and say “tomboys” as in “girls who are more boyish and tend to act like boys” AND “lesbians” as in “women who are attracted to their own sex”, as in two separate ideas/stereotypes/individuals/what have you. Not… trying to say that tomboys and lesbians are the same. Though with how that sentence was phrased I can see how it came across that way. TBH at the time I started thinking more about how our western culture either pushes lesbians as “butch dykes” as you put it, or just sexualizes feminine presenting lesbians for the sake of the male gaze. Buuuuuut since I was trying to keep this focused just on the portrayal of a female character in a Japanese based video game, I cut that thought short and ended up having that sentence come out awkwardly. Lol whoops. I’ll save THAT talk for another time.

Anyway thanks for sending this in (even though I took next to forever to answer it) and I’ll see what I can do to reword some of the stuff on there.

Actually its been long enough I can probably go through and edit a few more things in there too. Anyway, later!

[soraingsky-blog]

The official tumblr for KH-vids reblogged my post and I am lowkey freaking out right now.

IN OTHER NEWS So glad my post is getting such positive attention right now! Thank you all for the likes and reblogs so far!

My next project is probably going to be a comparison of Roxas and Namine I’ve wanted to do for a while. So keep an eye out for it!

[soraingsky-blog]

…ah.

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi-mo9LepJw

[soraingsky-blog]

SoRiKai: Through a Western Lense

The argument has been going on forever between the SoKai fans, the SoRiku fans, and the SoRiKai fans: what relationship is “canon” and who loves each other more. Personally, I feel the arguement is silly since the KH team has repeatedly made it known that they like the fans to ship whomever they want with, well, whomever they want.  Normally I wouldn’t get involved, but there’s one aspect that’s been increasingly bothering me. The problem is that the argument revolves around a single instant: the reunion. I doubt I need a recap of the infamous tear- jerker. The reason why this is a problem is that this scene is taken out of context for the series as a whole, and simplifies a very complex situation and set of emotions (which is what I love so much about the game in the first place). So, in the same style as my previous essay on Aqua, I'm going to bring some cultural context and remind me readers of some general story-telling devices, cliches, and etc to hopefully see this in a new light.  For the necessary disclaimer: I am not advocating for any one ship. There will be some points where it will seem like I'm trying to push SoKai as the final verdict, but there's a reason I'm doing this, and it is to prove a point for the later scene. If anything, I don't think that scene proves anything as far as romantic intentions, but to explain why, I'm going to make a few quick points made in the game series leading up to this moment. Let's go back for a minute to the very first Kingdom Hearts game, before the idea of the "trio" was a standing trope through the series. It was a stand alone game with a simple plot-line and straight forward story, even as far as the relationships between the three main characters. I'll preface this with saying the plot line of having two same gender friends fighting over a potential love interest is a common storytelling device, no matter sex of the main characters. Two male leads fighting over a girl, or two girls fighting over a boy, ultimately leading to resolution of the two friends making up. And for a story featuring teens, this is hardly surprising. Kingdom Hearts actually subverts this, instead having Riku's jealousy derive mostly from Sora's company with Donald and Goofy and Riku's antagonizing actions come from accusing Sora of not caring enough for Kairi.

While Kairi is indisposed, she can't quell the arguments between Sora and Riku, and the boys instead turn on each other. When Kairi does finally awaken, Riku is already possessed so far that the only choice is to run, and they are unable to reconnect. The only chance Kairi has of interaction is with Sora, when she returns him to his true form.

Now a lot of people would like to point this out as their first embrace. However, I feel this is an inaccurate description. Kairi was not intending to ‘hug’ Sora, but to protect him- quite impressive when considering she’s just woken up from a coma and been faced with her other best friend’s possession. 

Because, in this video here (specifically at mark 4:35), please pay very, very close attention to this, because I cannot stress this enough:

Sora, until this moment has never hugged his friends. Not even the two best friends he grew up with. This is because in Japan, hugging (especially for males, and between males and females) is almost never done. Even among family members, this is a fairly rare form of affection with each other, even for emotional occasions. Nowadays its becoming a little more common and accepted, but in general, still not a common practice (except with girls). For us, this seems incredible and likely didn't even cross many people's minds when they saw this scene, but the important thing to note is that, for Destiny Islands at least, "hugging" isn't something casually done among friends. Now, let's turn to Riku. As much as people like to hate on Chain of Memories because of that confusing card system, there were very important plot points discussed in the game. Introducing the Organization of course, and the concept of the Nobodies, and Namine. On Sora's side, he didn't remember what transpired in the walls of Caslte Oblivion, not even when he had yet ANOTHER battle with Riku over a girl. (Please note he didn't learn about the truth of the Replica until later.)

Riku, on the other hand, did remember everything.

It was his battle was with himself, and coming to terms with his actions and accepting Ansem's darkness lurking inside of him. Yet he doesn't "Accept the darkness" so much as "surrender his fate". Leading up to the events of KH II, he needs to take in Roxas because he's holding some of Sora's memories hostage and preventing him from waking up. It's the very same memories Sora decided to fall asleep to recover. Sora can't wake up without memories of Kairi, because these are so important and precious to him. Riku knows this and is willing to succumb to the darkness to ensure his friend's well- being and happiness, and as amends for his past crimes. He spends the entirety of KH II running from Sora. He asks Mickey to look after him, hides in the shadows, and helps in tiny ways without ever revealing himself. He knows Sora is looking for him, but the thought of being seen with Ansem's face is so abhorrent to him he stays out of sight, even as it worries Sora sick. Now, while Sora's been looking for Riku, Kairi's been waiting for him on the islands. His biggest worry is when he'll be able to return home to her. He doesn't start worrying about her well-being until Axel attempts to take her from the islands, and then he blames himself for her danger, since its established that Kairi's kidnapping is to rouse Sora's anger and make him fight that much harder, since the Organization knows she's precious to him.

While I'm sure some of you have already seen a post talking about this, I'm going to let you see it from another angle so you get the full impact: When was the last time YOU got down on your hands and knees? Have you ever asked your parents for something you wanted SO much you literally knelt down in front of them? What about with your friends? Did you do something so dreadful that only an apology on the very ground would suffice? Have you ever knelt down in front of your enemy, and BEGGED them not to hurt the people closest to you? We can villainize Saix for rejecting Sora offering himself on a silver platter, but at least he acknowledged Sora's sacrifice. He knew what the boy was offering and doing to ensure his friend was safe. But frankly, the people who completely forgot this scene, and blew it off thinking it wasn't important are even worse. This is downright insulting to Sora and all his efforts, and his fears. But this point isn’t just about this scene, but to remind us of everything Sora has given up so far for Kairi’s sake before they meet up again.  While initially shocked, Sora returned her embrace- an action he's not used to, nor was he expecting. Now, its important to note that Riku is still present during this. Kairi's initial instinct is to run and embrace Sora. Essentially, its their first talk and interaction once the heartless are gone. Now, up until this point Riku has witnessed:

Sora holding and protecting Kairi's heart, Sora sacrificing himself for Kairi, Sora trusting his memories to Namine for Kairi, Sora embracing Kairi in a romantic way after not seeing her for over a year. So, tell me: who's the most important person to Sora? The most natural answer, in that light, would be Kairi. So, if that's the case, why did the developers and the director decide to make Sora cry when he finally saw Riku again? The answer is actually pretty simple when you look at it from Riku's perspective:

It was to make him stay.

Up until this point, Riku had either been fighting with Sora, or running from him. He had done terrible things, and was now a denizen of the Darkness forever. There was no hope to save him, no chance for true redemption. Sora and Kairi belonged together in the light. Back home, and out of danger. Riku didn't belong with them anymore. Besides, they'd be happy together. Sure, maybe Kairi forgave him, and Sora had been looking for him, but that was just how they were. Once Riku left for good and they returned, they'd grow to be happy together, without him making things even harder.

...in case that wasn't clear, that was Riku's perspective.

I'm not a screen writer involved with the team, but out of all my obsessing and analyzing of these characters and these games, I'm wholly convinced that even after Sora found the truth, and said how happy he was to see him, Riku would have found an excuse to break away and leave, especially considering all the time he’d done that already. Seeing Sora so emotionally upset and broken over seeing him again made him realize just how important he actually was to Sora, even after everything he'd done to him. Sora had already sacrificed so much for Kairi over and over again, Riku and the viewers needed to see something that was on par with that, and settle their old fight with a solid resolution. And of course, even with Sora sobbing his eyes out, note how he touches him:

Hands only. No hugging. No romantic feelings intended. Now, of course, there will be people who will likely blow off this essay and say that the scene is still proof of the romantic inclination. Frankly, I wonder why people can't just be satisfied with a really sweet and touching scene between two best friends with a (somewhat) healthy expression of feelings between two males (riku could still learn a thing or two about that). But please note that I'm not anti SoRiku, and if you want to ship them, that's fine. What I don't like is the simplification and belittling of these character's ordeals. Saying "oh he cried because he loves him romantically" just completely pushes away Sora's very raw experiences of doubt, fear, worry, and shedding his mask to reveal the trauma he went through worrying about his friends. Not to mention blows off the very real sacrifices he made for Kairi's sake.  While no one means anything badly by it, you’re basically saying: “He cried because he’s gay. Straight guys shouldn’t cry, especially for each other.” Now matter how you see that, its pretty discriminatory and sexist, not to mention rooted in a horribly unhealthy culture that stigmatizes men to express themselves in a naturally human way.

Now, on that note: why didn’t Sora have a similar reaction to Kairi if he was SO worried about her? Because then he’d be treated as a whiny little crybaby.

It’s not manly to cry in front of your girlfriend. In any form of media anywhere, have you ever seen the male protagonist cry over his female love interest in ANY situation that didn’t result in death? Even if she dies, it’s usually an excuse for the male character to become angry and want to exact vengeance or something. This game was created for male wish fulfillment, and guys don’t want to cry over their girlfriends. (Plus there’s that whole “friendships between boys are so much more sacred” thing in Japan anyway, but I digress.) And I will sum up with this because I KNOW people will reblog trying to retort this: yes, I know you'll want to point out scenes in 3D to prove the romantic intentions. Especially including the very end when Sora jumped Riku to hug him completely.

That, my friends, is called queer-baiting, and its something developers and storytellers do when they know their fans will lap it up and further feed their sales and ensure loyalty. (Yes, even using Dearly Beloved, and ESPECIALLY with the paopu charm with the limit. They knew the fans would search for little details like that. Also, need I remind that Aqua's use of the wayfinders in BBS was for purely platonic purposes, even though they were modeled after the paopu legends. Destinies don't have to be romantic to be intertwined.)

Point is, you all fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

Ya’ll wanna argue that Sora and Kairi’s hug was ‘awkward’ but for Pete’s sake, Riku didn’t even hug Sora back. If ANY embrace was platonic, it was this one. Please note that even with Sora's enthusiasm, Riku did not once 1) seem shocked or touched, 2) hug him back. Sora's gotten used to giving affection with Donald and Goofy. Riku... just tolerates it.

I love SoRiKai, and really any variation of it. So no, I'm definitely not bashing the SoRiku ship since its one of my guilty pleasures. But I find different elements and clues to have them romantically involved. Also, I'm just trying to give another perspective on this perpetual war between the shippers.

[soraingsky-blog]

So the argument about Sora’s feelings for Kairi verses his feelings for Riku keep coming back to the reunion scene... all I can wonder is if the situation had been switched, and Sora just gave an ‘awkward hug’ to Riku, but broke down crying with relief over Kairi, would the fandom laud it as being romantic? Or just perpetually characterize Sora as a crybaby?

[soraingsky-blog]

Hey guys, is there anyone who can help make/teach me to make gifs? I’m making a new essay (short one) and there’s about four scenes I really need to use for reference (because they’re not that well known and I need to remind people). I keep finding instructions to make them from a series of still images, but not yet how to get those still images. The converters online are crappy and don’t give me enough time and/or for some reason don’t play properly on tumblr. 

So yeah, can anyone help out?

[soraingsky-blog]

“Since founding Studio Ghibli in 1985, Miyazaki has produced a series of highly acclaimed animated movies, many of which star strong and independent girls or young women who use their wits and courage to save the day. Miyazaki’s films range from fanciful ones such as “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Ponyo” appropriate forvery young children to ones like “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” or “Princess Mononoke” which address darker themes such as war and environmental degradation and, as such, are more appropriate for older children and teens. His film “Spirited Away” won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and Miyazaki was honored with a special Honorary Academy Award in 2014 for having “deeply influenced animation forever, inspiring generations of artists to work in our medium and illuminate its limitless potential.”

Source

[soraingsky-blog]

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