#This was an idea I had for a treatment of Sailor Moon I was talking about once with Jetty

[docholligay]

Ah yes, to this day masturbating while thinking of your friend’s wild moments and laughter in the car, very normal, you are for sure okay

Please read this before commenting!      

[sugar-konpeito]

ok take this entire post with a grain of salt because i'm really hyperfixated right now and just writing whatever but,, something i think about A LOT is mamoru's behavior (particularly anime mamoru (which i think may have something to do with ikuhara being really critical of japan's treatment of vulnerable children)) can be explained as results of neglect and developmental delays.

he was raised in an institution from the age of five, and probably primarily raised himself. he had to become self-sufficient at a very young age because he knew there was no one who would support him besides himself.

having more-or-less been an adult his whole life, he seems very mature. he's very successful in school, has worked multiple jobs, and owns an apartment. he's very well-mannered and polite, and never childish or poorly behaved. he has many accomplishments/skills for his age and is worldly. but if you pay close attention to him, there are aspects of his personality that are very childlike still or couldn't grow much. particularly emotional and social ones

here's a list of his signs of trauma/neglect/developmental delay (because i'm not sure how to make these into a paragraph):

-He's very naïve in general. Despite the cynical façade he put on early in the series, he doesn't understand many everyday social concepts and has a tendency to take things at face value.

-For example, he doesn't seem to have a firm grasp on gender. He's had very few close relationships in life, and only seems to have a very sketchy idea of what boys and girls are. Since the sailor guardians are pretty much the only girls he's been close to, he assumes their characteristics are indicative of all girls, instead of being idiosyncrasies of theirs.

There's a scene where Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars start randomly bickering over something innocuous and get pretty vicious and *very* loud. Tuxedo Mask slips away and remarks "It's scary when girls fight."

It's not a jab, it's more like an observation. He sees an element of Usagi and Rei's very unique dynamic and assumes it applies to *all* girls. He doesn't have much info to draw from and is currently constructing his idea about how girls function based of off the sailor senshi. It also shows how he takes things at face value, because he instantly accepts his first interpretation of the situation and doesn't think much further into it.

-Another example is when Zoisite managed to trick him by pretending to surrender, and Mamoru just trusted him!😭

-Even though he's a teenager, he doesn't understand dating at all, and doesn't know what the appeal of it is. When dating Usagi he tries to be romantic by emulating things he saw on TV and acts very odd. Because of all of his responsibilities, he probably never had many opportunities to bond with his peers. Dude has no clue what partners do together, what he's supposed to be feeling, or much of anything really! he also gets confused by girls liking him and doesn't catch on to their advances most of the time..

-His expressions are very subtle or could even be described as blank. Difficulty with facial expressions are a common characteristic of neglect. (Lots of fans think he's cold because of this.😢 he's not!! he just has a rough time okay??😢😢)

-He has a hard time asking for help. It doesn't even usually occur to him as an option. He's so used to solving everything himself, asking somebody else seems unthinkable

-When he's walking down the street with a shoulder wound, and Usagi shows concern about it, it doesn't even register! He gets annoyed by her following him and asks her why. She answers that she was worried. "About me?" he asks, despite there being no one else in the alleyway. He's completely baffled. It's never occurred to him that someone may care about his well being.

-He's very shy and usually plays social interactions safe by not talking much. Sometimes this actually has the effect of making the conversation awkward. (That time in SuperS where he has guests over and just sits there while usagi and chibiusa argue over who his real girlfriend is. he doesn't intervene even when it makes the guests uncomfortable)

-HE'S SUCH A PEOPLE PLEASER. i don't think i have to explain this one, but he dated rei for a while despite really disliking it because he didn't want to hurt her feelings!! and that time he apologized to usagi for not knowing her birthday and scrambled to get her a gift even after she hit him and embarrassed him in public. he wasn't mad for a second. he thought he must be in the wrong!! (he doesn't value himself as much as he should😢)

-he struggles to be vulnerable, even in small, mundane ways.

-when pressed, he has a tendency to shut down, using submissive body language and avoiding eye contact. (like when mercury cornered him and tried to force him to be direct with her. (he ended up running away))

-he is VERY selfless. in Transylvania no mori, he's stabbed and is dying. he focuses all his remaining energy on comforting Usagi and making sure she knows it's not her fault, when he should probably be focusing on survival. he clearly wants to take care of others, which is good, but he has too little concern for himself!! he wasn't taught he had value

-he can act prickly (probably out of fear/defense mechanism)

-he doesn't set boundaries!!! the closest he usually comes is ignoring the person causing him problems😭😭😭😭

i don't know where i'm going with this but developmental psychology is one of my special interests,, also i think usagi is so good for him because she unconditionally loves him and accepts him where he's at instead of expecting him to be more mature or something!! and you help people with delays grow by meeting them where they're at and nurturing whatever needs they have instead of questioning or criticizing them!! she teaches mamoru to value himself and can teach him the things he didn't learn!! she had a really safe and loving family and a stable childhood and she can use the benefits her secure life gave her to help him!!!!!! :,,,,DDDDDD

(people always think usagi is the fragile one, and mamoru ought to protect her better, but she's really the strong one of the two!! she had the safe childhood. mamoru is a bit (emotionally) frail from his hard life :,,>)

mamoru is so grateful to her for loving him, he gives her his 100000000% and takes care of her with everything in him!!!

[team-angel-revival]

Say hi to Team Angel! These are the first designs I've come up with, and therefore subject to change! I'm really looking forward to writing this, I've had this concept in my head since I saw the Kotaku promo.

Any advice or perhaps ideas you would like to share is absolutely welcome!

Info:

Team Angel, in this form, is based on a 1998 pitch for a localized sailor moon. This pitch was about four angelic maidens who are tasked with protecting earth from their queen Angela's evil sister Melvina, who lives on the dark side of the moon with her incompetent shape-shiftong henchmen Flotsam and Jetsam. The girls live on the planet Zera, and have limited time to solve humanity's problems.

But what about this reworking?

I'll be changing a lot (which basically equates in this case to things I'd already written feeling to be more intriguing than what I learned the plot was going to be).

For one, they'll be stationed on earth. It'll be a Secret Jouju type of deal where they transform when necessary, but have limited time in that form (depending on the assignment). They go to a human school to learn how life on earth works, and how to therefore deal with the problems of those they were brought to help. At the end of the day they go to a teleporter(?) located on the facade of an abandoned building. This brings them back to their home planet Zera to report back to Queen Angela. If they don't get there in time, their powers will get weaker. Along the way, Melvina will be possibly restored. Her henchmen will not. All of Team Angel is around 15-16 years old, although this is subject to some change.

Although the original was both live action and American, I'm taking stylistic inspiration from 2000s girly flash mascots like Avata Star Sue for my reworking, because it's just cute.

Characters

Rosalyn:

The no-nonsense de facto leader of Team Angel. She specializes in things like martial arts and dance. She does both to calm herself down. She's relatively angsty, and views her role as a Team Angel member as a knightship of sorts. She tends to go directly to brute force when dealing with people that make her mad.

Delphine:

A fun-loving party animal. She has a sharp wit, and doesn't like doing things she doesn't have to. She likes to cut class and wander earth, preferring to learn about it through experience (which is code for reckless decisions). She gets on Rosalyn's nerves.

Lyla:

The smart and fashionable bookworm. She's absolutely enamored with her lessons at her school, and longs to have more time there. She's not very good at talking to people, and speaks rather formally. She isn't good at making friends, and is thankful to have been teamed up with people, as it makes that much easier. She wants to be as outgoing as Delphine, but for her it's not that easy. She likes dressing up.

Celeste:

A shy girl who loves animals. She's a bit ditzy, and always daydreaming. She often "adopts" random animals. She has a pet snake named Regina that she pampers. She loves writing poetry and playing music, which often gets her made fun of by Delphine.

Persephone:

A Zeritian creature who guards the girls. On earth she disguises herself as Celeste's support animal. She is good at calming down any arguments between the girls, and has a human form. She was turned into the creature she is now by Melvina.

Fun fact: a lot of these personality traits were there before I had seen the treatment for the series, which makes me so happy!! Minus Persephone. I didn't even know that she even existed lol.

[cocogum]

My problem with hxh fans’ reasoning for claiming that the 1999 anime is canon.

I do not understand why some people would believe that the 1999 version of hxh was so different from the manga because Togashi told the staff team about what to include for the 1999 adaptation.

Like why would anyone believe that stupid far-fetched claim??

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, killugon fans have claimed that the reason why there are so many gay hints in the 1999 version is because Togashi was the one who told the staff team to change some scenes that happened in his own manga and make them the way that they are now in the 1999 anime.

Why would he do that you ask? Because apparently, Togashi wanted to replace his own manga scenes with gay fanservice filler so that his fans can come to the conclusion that the main four will pretty much all end up together.

So here’s why this theory is bullshit:

Togashi is a perfectionist.

Why in the hell would Togashi, someone who is critically known to be a perfectionist that would literally not hire anyone else to make the story for him even if he has massive back pains, would willingly tell an animation team to go completely off the rails by altering the animated version of the story for him in order to make something different from what he originally worked and planned?????

Not only that, but you expect me to believe that Togashi helped them on the show while fully knowing that half of his own characters would get their personalities and character buildings shrewd in the process if he even altered one thing from his manga?????

This literally doesn’t make any sense.

Togashi said (on multiple occasions mind you) that he enjoys writing/drawing the series BY HIMSELF. HxH became a hobby for him at this point and so, he does it at his own pace.

He would NEVER in any situation, let someone else especially a TEAM change huge chunks of his series and replace it with pointless filler just to give out hints for the fans that their characters would canonically get together in the end.

Why???

Who thought of this “theory”????

I’m guessing that someone was curious enough to note that the 1999 looked nothing like the manga and 2011 one. Because of the huge differences, this person must’ve thought it was a good idea to severely speculate that there must’ve been some “weird” business going back in the day.

Like I said, I don’t know who the hell thought about this, but they were clearly overthinking this whole situation.

If anything, I can actually give you a much better reason as to why the 1999 version is so different from the manga and its reboot: old mangas adapted into anime used to have the same treatment as hxh. A lot of animes back in the day used to completely ignore the original material and just did whatever they wanted with the series they were working on.

A few examples like these are as follows:

Fullmetal Alchemist

Black Butler season 2

Deadman Wonderland

Bleach

Rurouni Kenshin

Sailor Moon (first adaptation)

It was completely normal at the time to take some few aspects of the manga and put it in the anime to make it look more independent and detached from its original source.

HxH was no different. It also suffered from that common practice.

So no, Togashi did not play a role in working or suggesting any ideas for the 1999 hxh anime. The only times he would actually do an effort in noticing hxh works based on his manga is if he’d promote these works or not (like how he promoted the first hxh movie Phantom Rouge by drawing the main antagonist of the movie Omokage in volume 0 as well as Killua, Kurapika and Gon promoting the movie themselves).

He had no part in anything anime related.

He only cares about his manga.

And for the love of god, please just stop listening to these kinds of people.

[naomidc2935]

Aggretsuko

I was very surprised by this anime as I have never watched an anime in this art style before. It was quite entertaining and was very cute in how if demonstrated its message. As Butler discussed, gender is a just a collection of performative acts and this is demonstrated by Retsuko. At the office, she portrays herself as a polite, “mild mannered” worker but in reality she holds a lot of rage and is into music such as heavy metal which shows interests that would not be expected of her gender. It illustrates how gender is just an act. Also, during the office drinking party, both Ton and Retsuk put on an act. Retsuko is only talking with Ton over beer as a way to amend her relationship with him and Ton is only drinking to find out who snitched on him. On the surface, they act as how society would expect them to, but underneath they have their own true self serving reasons further showing the fact that gender is a collection of performances.

Something that left a bad taste in my mouth was how Retsuko only wanted to do yoga to get married. It reminded me a lot of episode 4 of sailor moon where the girls only worked out to keep their bodies appealing to men. 

I also found a message of inequality of unfair treatment surrounding the work place specifically caused by Director Ton. He makes his workers clean his space and bring him tea but this treatment was only really relevant towards the women as he also made snarky remarks towards them. He said something along the lines of “incompetent women are less annoying than competent woman”. This illustrates how men, especially ones with authority, will manipulate those beneath them to get what they want knowing their subordinates either do not know any better or are unable to get help. It also demonstrates the unfair treatment of women in the workforce. Ton also ways gives Retsuko extra work but her male counterparts are never seen being handed extra work further illustrating the mistreatment that women experience. 

I also found some commentary on Japanese work culture as well. During the office part, Ton recalls how he had a lot of work when he was a lower level worker but never complained and now workers complain that they are overworked. This depicts the idea that the older generation views the younger generation as lazy for not wanting to work as hard as they did in their youth.

[asirensrage]

OC Asks!! In General: 6, 11, 27, & 36? For Kate: 3, 9, 21, & 34?

Okay okay... thanks for asking!!

General

6. Are there any other preexisting characters that inspired an OC?

Hmm...I don't think so? I mean, my ocs generally build their personality as I write the story. I usually start with an idea and then throw the character in and see what happens lol. However, I think a few of them share some characteristics lol. I do take bits and pieces from people (including myself) and put them in my characters. I think all of our OCs have some part of us in them.

11. Which character has been through the most design changes?

Probably Jane. Originally she did not start off as an warrior woman from a matriarchal society who trained and protected the girls lol. She was just a regular woman.

27. What's the nicest thing someone has ever said about an OC /OCs?

Hmm...I've had a lot of people say some nice things about Amelia. Anytime someone tells me they seem realistic is the best to me. Also, you describing Michelle as the comfort character, Kelly as the vibe and Jane as the favourite. That was great.

36. Which OC would probably be your friend if they met you IRL?

I think my best chance would be Kate ahahahahha or Kelly. Kate is friendly enough if you don't piss her off. ...so is Kelly. Remember what I said about some sharing characteristics? lol

Kate Thompson

3. What inspired you to make a certain character?

Kate started on her own. I started with the scene of waking up in someone's body...and she created herself. It was basically the idea of someone from our time dealing with the 80s and all the societal norms that are no longer appropriate now. Which is why she doesn't put up with anything. Our girl was tired before she landed here.

9. What is one of your character's theme songs?

I think theme song and my mind automatically went to the Sailor Moon theme. If I would choose any though, it'd probably be Let 'Em Talk or Woman by Kesha.

21. What is one of your character's biggest fears?

Since waking up in Tammy's body, it's getting eaten and/or experimented on. Before that? Probably dying alone, not that she'd ever admit it to anyone.

34. What scene that you've written/imagined is your favourite?

I think the favourite for her that I've written is Kate calling out Billy's father and his treatment of his son, then knocking the man out. That was fun to write. Also, any of her fights with Carol.

[justasparkwritings]

The Word of Your Body: Holy {4}

Previous: You’re Gonna Be My Bruise

Pairing: Namjoon X Reader

Genre: Slice of Life

Rating: PG15

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: Swearing, Pregnancy, Fatherhood, Questioning Religion 

Listening: Holy by Justin Bieber 

Master List

      Namjoon didn’t believe in God, or god, or Him. He didn’t believe in a higher being, a power that created and decided the fate of all peoples. There was no Buddha, Allah, Brahma or Vishnu. No shabbat or Holi or Ramadan. He didn’t believe in any of it. Army was King and Queen, Empress over his fate and his life. He didn’t feel anything around Easter or Christmas, there was no desire to bow his head and pray over a tragedy. He didn’t feel guilty for every sin committed, or anytime an “oh my god!” crossed his lips. He didn’t feel like there was anything moving his life forward except for BTS and you.

        When he had asked you to marry him, he felt an inkling of what prayer was. There was nothing he wanted more than to marry you, to create a family, to live his days intertwined with yours. He was positive you were going to say yes, but he found himself wishing and hoping for your answer amidst the ten seconds it took before you responded. He didn’t realize it was prayer, nor did he think his hope that you would say yes would be constituted as a form of worship. But on bended knee, in the few seconds before you answered, he offered it up.  

        Your resounding yes sounded like an alleluia on Easter morning, a sensation he had experienced with you a year prior. He didn’t understand it, but he felt it.

        “I don’t understand why you participate in it,” He said, drinking his coffee at your favorite local breakfast spot the day after his first Easter service. The two of you had come to your home to spend the holiday with your family, which meant showing him where you grew up and yes, bringing him to church.

        “Why?” You asked, sipping your coffee.

        “It, it doesn’t make sense, why would you believe in something that’s so, cynical?” He wondered.

        “The religion you’re speaking of and the religion I subscribe to are two different things,” You said.

        “How?”

        “Because the religion your speaking of is God as a vengeful, omniscient dictator, demanding sacrifices, demanding life, wanting fees and fines designed by man to prove your loyalty to capitalism, not to God. The God that I believe in, that I celebrate, is merciful. He fights for what is right and just, for equity, for love.”

        “Like Sailor Moon,” He smiled.

        “Without the talking cat,” You winked.

        He hadn’t understood what you meant until you’d given him a copy of your favorite book, which detailed the life of Jesus and his wife, Ana. It wove the notions of Jesus as savior with Jesus as man and expanded his understanding of what a savior could mean. It wasn’t that he suddenly believed in religion, or had faith, because he didn’t. Reading your favorite book had only made him fall more in love with you and made his understanding of religion murky at best. He did admit that he could see its place in your life and accept it for what it was.

        The second time Namjoon had prayed was when you took your last pregnancy test. Conceiving wasn’t easy, and he beat himself up every time a test came back negative. You tried to dissuade his fears, tell him that it took time, it wasn’t going to happen the first time you had unprotected sex. He knew he wanted kids; he knew he wanted kids with you. The inability to get you pregnant for two years, even with increased hormone treatments and meticulous care placed on both of your bodies, he felt like he was exhausting all options. Every choice he was making led to further disappointment when the test came back negative.

        Why couldn’t his body do the one thing it was designed to do? Was it the dancing in tight pants? Was it working out too much? Riding his bike too often? Why weren’t different positions, different times of day, number of orgasms leading to the creation of life that was half you, half him?

        He found himself scrolling through his phone, looking for any sort of solace when he came across a quote you had typed into his phone’s notes for when he felt nervous. You said it every time you had an interview or presentation, a Bible verse imprinted on you during adolescents. As he read the words, the idea of prayer came into his mind… he quickly looked up how to pray before closing his phone. Wasn’t the point that you didn’t need to have a formal way of asking God for help or guidance? Dejectedly, Namjoon bowed his head, closed his eyes and let the words flow out of him.

        Namjoon’s heart soared when you took your first positive test. It nearly erupted at your first sonogram. The thump-thump-thump of your child’s heartbeat had been like angels singing. You had created a life; you were going to have a child together. Maybe with his eyes and your nose, or your heart and his mind… Either way, he had heard a chorus echoing every time he saw your bump and felt your baby kick.

        He couldn’t reason with himself though, did he now owe God something because whomever it was had fulfilled his prayer? Would he have to baptize the baby, offer it up on an altar like Abraham or split it in two like Solomon? Was God holding a grudge against him now because he hadn’t exalted him fully?

        He had borne his soul to you shortly after your eighth month. His conscious was weighing heavy.

        “I need to tell you something,” He said, sitting next to you on the couch.

        “Okay,” You said, setting your phone face down on the coffee table. “What is it?”

        “I, I did something, and I don’t know what to do next,” He couldn’t tell if he was ashamed, nervous, or bashful. Would you laugh or be surprised or lovingly tell him it was okay?

        “What did you do?” You asked, cautiously.

        “I,” He sighed, “I prayed.” He glanced up at you through his lashes, gauging your response before proceeding.

        “Okay, and?”

        “What am I supposed to do now? Do I owe God something? Is our child a sacrifice?”

        “Well, what did you pray for?” You asked.

        “A baby.”

        “Namjoon, look at me,” You said lightly.

        “What?” He reluctantly lifted his gaze to lock with yours.

        “I did too,” You smiled.

        He felt the baptismal waters crash down on him.

        “You did? Oh, fuck. That, that makes me feel better. Do, do we have to do anything?” He reached for your hands as you laughed. Your baby kicking at the movement in your body.

        “We can say a prayer of thanksgiving, but that’s not really how God works.” You said.

        “I’ve read articles, and books, and the expectation that you offer something up to God in thanksgiving is everywhere. He grants a prayer and you give thanks. I’ve spent the past seven months trying to figure out what that thanksgiving is supposed to be.”

        “Namjoon, why is this bothering you? You don’t normally adhere to organized anything,” You said intertwining your fingers.

        He nodded his head before speaking. “I’ve never prayed about anything, but I needed solace, someone to listen. I was scared to tell you or the guys because I don’t believe in it, but I did it anyway.”

        “That’s what faith is. It’s throwing your hopes and fears up and believing someone will catch them. Be it fate, or karma… or God or Allah or Krishna… it’s hoping that something will move the chips in your favor, and knowing you’ll be okay if it doesn’t.” You answered, lightly squeezing his hand.

        “Do I owe anything?” He whispered.

        “No, that’s not how God works, at least in the evangelical sense. Just, be a great father, and an excellent husband, and your actions will show your thankfulness.” You said, moving his hand to rest on your belly, baby kicking excitedly as Namjoon’s hands held it gently.

        “That’s it?”

        “God doesn’t want for much, Namjoon.”

        He had spent the next six weeks studying books on organized religion, alternating between writing lyrics for BTS, unpacking the idea of GOD, and preparing for the baby. He read every parenting book, went to every class and watched birth video after birth video. He took to your body like the gentiles took to John the Baptist, following its every inkling, tending to it with care. He prepared baths and scheduled massages. He gingerly placed lotion on your growing belly, and proceeded to rub natural remedies on your cervix, anything to make your eventual labor smoother. He kneaded your growing breasts and never hesitated to help you tie your shoes. God had smote the Egyptians for worshipping their golden calf, and here Namjoon was, on his knees, singing exaltations to your growing form.

        The third and fourth time Namjoon prayed was when your water broke, and with it came an excessive amount of blood. You had rushed to the hospital and were diagnosed with late term placenta previa, a condition they should’ve caught earlier. Upon examination, you were rushed into a C-Section, and as he sat clutching your hand, tears streaming down your faces, Namjoon braced himself for the worst possible outcome. He prayed diligently, every second you were in surgery, every moment he wasn’t whispering to you or kissing your hair, he prayed.

God, Jesus, Allah, anyone… Please let my wife be safe. Please do not take her or our baby away from me. Please let us live our lives together. Please let them be okay, please, please, please.

      He offered up penance, a term he’d learned reading about the evolution of the Catholic church. He’d offered up his career, his bandmates, his money, his time. Anything he could trade to keep you and your baby.

      Namjoon had thought he’d heard a gospel chorus whenever he saw your bump or felt the baby kick. It wasn’t until his child took its first breath and let out a cry, that Namjoon realized the crescendo of expectation, fear, relief and hope raking through his brain was the angels, singing the Halleluiah Chorus, proclaiming the birth of the savior. He could see it, you Mary, the unassuming mother of the Christ child, him Joseph, a lowly craftsman, the doctors, the shepherds, guiding life into the world.

      As your tears turned to joy, Namjoon muttered to himself, “Unto you a child is given.”  

      It was past midnight when Namjoon finally had a minute to breathe. He held your new baby securely in his arms and glanced at your peacefully sleeping form. The past 48 hours had been a whirlwind. You were recovering from a C-Section and unable to lift or move much. On the one hand, you were relieved. You were emotionally exhausted from a traumatic labor, and physically exhausted from undergoing a major operation. Bed rest was welcomed as your body began to heal, from the nine months it had spent growing life, and as your hormones began to fall and rebalance. On the other, you wanted to spend every second staring at your child, guessing what they’d be like, wondering if their eyes were shaped like your husband’s or yours. Smelling their head for that new baby, fresh on the planet scent, and memorizing every feature.

      Namjoon was grateful, it gave him time to spend with your child, knees deep in fatherhood. He could carry your child everywhere, sing to it, love it, create a strong bond before he would eventually be pulled to tour. He was savoring every diaper, every midnight feed, every coo and cry. He couldn’t imagine life before your child was born, and he wanted to cherish every millisecond he had with you both.  

      He hummed to your baby quietly and again glanced at you, your milk had slowly started to come in and leak onto your shirt, or rather, a tour shirt of Namjoon’s that you’d kept every time he left home. He remembered the day you fought over him not having a t-shirt in your size and been pleasantly surprised when he had found this one in some drawer. Over the years it had become your comfort object. You kept it at his place indefinitely, and once you’d moved in together, had insisted he wear it before he went on tour to capture his musk. What had started as an argument over insecurities had blossomed into one of your favorite traditions.

[thefloatingstone]

Y'know what? Give us the long answer. Have fun with it. Go wild.

The full title of the show is “Revolutionary Girl Utena”. It has 39 episodes and was released in 1997. The series director, Kunihiko Ikuhara, previously worked on the anime version of Sailor Moon, and was the main force behind turning Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune from simple team partners into a romantic lesbian couple, turning Sailor Uranus from an androgynous person who changed gender at will into a masculine lesbian, and Sailor Neptune from a borderline “background character” into a character in her own right, motivated by her romance with Sailor Uranus.

Revolutionary Girl Utena was originally an idea to have a Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune spin-off show until somebody told Ikuhara that the story he wanted to tell wouldn’t make sense with those characters. Instead, he decided to make the Utena anime. The anime IS based on a manga which had not yet concluded at the time of the anime’s creation, but the anime deviates from its source material in the extremes.

SO! Revolutionary Girl Utena!!

I am going to answer “What is it about?” with 2 answers because both are true but just giving you the plot summary doesn’t actually tell you shit about what the show is….about.

Answer 1:

We open with what appears to be a fairy tale. Long ago, there was a young princess whose parents had recently died and she was very sad. One day, a beautiful prince smelling of roses came to her, and told her “Beautiful princess who holds up alone in such sadness, never lose that nobility even when you are grown”. He then gives her a ring with a rose crest on it and promises they’ll meet again. The fairy story ends with “That’s all well and good, but so impressed was she by him that she decided to become a prince too. But was that really such a good idea?”

The story follows 14 year old Tenjou Utena. She attends the prestigious Ohtori Academy with her best friend, the rather unremarkable Wakaba. (Basically think the “Magical Girl Trope” of Sailor Moon and her “best friend” character Naru. Utena is doing the trope on purpose). Utena says she enrolled in the school because it has the same rose crest as its symbol as the ring she has, which was given to her by “a prince” long ago, and she hopes to meet him again one day.

Utena is admired by practically every person in school, both girls AND boys. The boys admire her as a very talented athlete, specializing in basketball and playing on the boy’s team, and the girls admire her because she’s a girl who comes to school wearing the boys’ uniform (even though it doesn’t resemble any of the boys’ uniforms), refers to herself with the male “Boku” rather than the feminine “Watashi” and for her self confidence and energetic and positive personality, as well as her disregard for authority figures (like the teacher who confronts her for wearing “inappropriate” clothing, pointing out that the student rule book only says students have to wear the inform. Not that they have to wear the specific gendered uniform)

The story follows Utena, as she accidentally, while trying to defend her best friend Wakaba, getting involved in a “game” which involves the 4 members of the school’s student council, Juri, Saionji, Miki and the council president, Touga. The game involves a mysterious dueling arena in the middle of the forest which can only be accessed by people who have a rose crest ring, that looks exactly like Utena’s childhood ring. There, they duel in sword fights as an upside down figment of a castle looms over them. The winner of a duel becomes “engaged” to the female student, “Anthy Himemiya” who is called “The Rose Bride”. The Rose Bride gives her current fiance the power to use “The Sword of Dios” which she pulls from her chest, and the duelists believe that the one who is engaged to the rose bride can eventually enter the castle in the sky, wherein lies the power to revolutionise the world. Each member of the Student council believes this to be something completely different, each one of them thinking it will change their current situation in the real world into one they wish. One believes the castle contains the ability to create “True Friendship”, another “The ability to create miracles” another “A return to purity” etc etc.

Utena, who wins the duel in the first episode and ends up accidentally engaged to Anthy, has no interest in the castle or the rose bride or any of this dueling stuff. But she sees Anthy as a girl in distress, played around with and handed back and forth between people to use, and so Utena decides to, effectively, become Anthy’s “Prince Charming” to rescue the fair maiden in distress. Anthy is a very demure, introverted, and ultimately strange girl. She and Utena share a dorm together as is apparently Utena’s right as her “fiance”, and Utena starts building a friendship with Anthy, as well as learning what all these duels actually are, what is inside the castle, what IS the “power to revolutionise the world” and how she can save Anthy from this twisted game.

So…. that’s what the STORY of Utena is about…. but that has nothing to do with what Utena’s about…

Answer 2:

Utena is, at its core, about MANY strong themes, but to pick one out to talk about first, it’s about the human psyche. And I know that sounds like pretentious garbage but hear me out;

Utena is about how human  beings will trap themselves in their own destructive behaviours, constantly going round and round and round about something they can’t change in their life and their desire to change the OUTSIDE world to fulfill something that has gone wrong on the INSIDE of them. Every character believes the world to be a certain way, and what they believe the world is like means they can never achieve happiness or what they truly want, but none of the characters realise the ONLY way for them to be happy, TRULY happy, is in fact to let go of the desires and hang ups and psychological barriers that are keeping them trapped in unhappiness.

Utena is a 39 episode show talking in extensive detail “This is why you’re so fucked up”. And it pulls NO punches. Dealing with subjects like abuse, incest, rape, manipulation, sexual awakening, homosexuality, unrequited feelings, projecting your wants and desires onto other people, the list goes on.

The OTHER major theme of Utena is, and again I am not being pretentious here, this is what the show is about, the oppression of not only women, but of toxic beliefs surrounding what women’s roles in life “should” be, and how society as a whole uses this oppression and, frankly, abuse, to further people’s own desires and wants, and how society and those most toxic parts of it, try and break and bend women’s empowerment into something “more desirable” with complete disregard for how women in question actually FEEL about this supposed “place” they should be filling. It draws strong parallels between personal, one on one abuse, and a larger problem with women’s treatment of society as a whole.

And the OTHER other major theme of Utena, is sexuality as a whole. Not just Utena’s but literally every single character. The show is about sexual awakening (which is why the main characters are 14 but look older) and all the psychological hang-ups that comes with it, and how it shapes your opinion of the world and, in turn, how the world tries its best to shape YOU into something it WANTS you to be, rather than what you are. Female sexuality, Lesbian sexuality, Bisexuality, Sexual repulsion, Sex used as a weapon to control others, Sex as a metaphor for adulthood. Utena is an entire thesis on human sexuality, the form it takes in different individuals, the freedom it offers, as well as how predators use sexual attraction in terrible terrible ways to control others through manipulation, adoration, or domination.

The show is about trauma, both personal as well as on a societal level. it’s about abuse. It’s about what abuse turns people into. It’s about shutting off who you really are so tightly that NOBODY is able to pull it out. It’s about how being naive and “pure” is incredibly damaging, both to yourself and those you care about. It’s about confronting reality. It’s about confronting the adult world. It’s about breaking cycles. Both the ones we keep ourselves in which are self destructive, as well as the ones caused by abuse.

The OTHER thing Utena is about is “Speaking all of its plot, character motivations, themes, and story in metaphor so thick you need to be a psychology student to figure out half of this shit”

The first time I watched the show, I didn’t understand the ending AT ALL. And it took scouring the MANY essays written by people smarter than me on https://ohtori.nu/analysis/introduction.html for me to not only fully grasp what the ending was trying to say, but also literally 60% of the show which went completely over my head because I was 22 and a lot of the more adult themes was something I just didn’t pick up on, or fell into a complete trap with, thinking the same as the overly naive Utena, rather than understanding the reality of the situations and story.

My favourite scene to use as an example is in episode 5, where Miki runs into his twin sister Kozue in the school’s music room.

Miki had just finished telling Utena how he and his sister Kozue use to play the piano together, but something happened and Kozue refuses to play the piano with him any more. He and Kozue use to be very close in many ways, but these days Kozue has greatly distanced herself from him, and is very obviously slutting around the school, something Miki is disgusted in. It makes him want to distance himself from her all the more while also enraging him on a personal level. He has discovered, however, that Anthy (the Rose Bride) is very talented at playing the piano, and he hears in her playing something he feels he’s lost with his sister. Something calm and innocent which is no longer there between him and his twin. And he falls in love with Anthy.

He runs into Kozue as he goes to play the piano. He bumps into her unexpectedly. Her shirt is unbuttoned, her necktie undone, and she visibly adjusts her skirt. Inside the music room we see Touga, notorious school playboy, leaning idly against the windowsill, his own shirt unbuttoned.

Miki enters the room because he was intending to play the piano. Then THIS conversation happens;

This is one of the more obvious ones. But in case it wasn’t clear;

Neither of them are talking about playing the piano.

So take what I just told you about this situation… Read that info again…. THEN look at what they’re saying to each other… THEN look at how the show has chosen to place its camera angles.

Miki and his sister Kozue use to be very close, but have grown distant due to some event (which Miki says involves playing the piano. But that’s what Miki says). Miki yearns for when he and his sister use to be very close. a… “More innocent and pure” time… His sister has apparently completely embraced her sexuality, whereas Miki obviously sees her openly being slutty as extremely enraging and something he finds repulsive. He sees Anthy has in her the “purity and innocence” he lost with his sister. He falls in love with Anthy.

He runs into Kozue. She gives him…. THAT look. Up close and personal. When Miki speaks to her first, the camera ZOOMS back. Far away. a Great distance. Kozue asks him “Are you here to get me to play again?” She says, pointedly adjusting her skirt as she does so. She’s framed as towering over him. “I don’t have any more hope for you.” Miki dismisses her, as her presence looms over him.

They use to “play” together before they became distant. Kozue teases him about how he must miss playing with her. He scoffs. He’s no longer interested in her. They’re not talking about pianos.

Every single scene, exchange of dialogue, ever camera angle, every pose, every micro expression, every character’s body language, every bizarre visual or item that seems out of place in every shot… EVERYTHING in this show is a metaphor, or a hint, or a double meaning, or talking about something completely different than what they’re talking about.

Every second of this show is like this. If you wanna watch it… you’re gonna have to pay attention. Idly just letting it play while you take in the pretty visuals, and you’re not gonna understand one moment of what’s really being said, or shown.

And finally, everything that Utena is about, is in its intro’s lyrics. In fact the intro’s visuals all actually give away the entire story. But you know what? I can TELL you that because it is so heavy in symbolism and double meaning that even if I tell you that STRAIGHT OUT… you’re not gonna be able to understand what the hell it means until you reach the final episode.

Lets live with good grace and style.(just a long long time)Even if the two of us are ever torn apart…(let go of me)Take my revolution

In a sunlit schoolyard (garden), We took each other by the handDrawing close for comfort, we both swore:Never again would we ever fall in love.(Every time)

In that photograph of us, standing cheek-to-cheek,A touch of loneliness fills our smiling faces. (Revolution)

Even though we dream, even though we cry, even though we hurt ourselves, Reality keeps on approaching frantically,

I want to find my place, the worth of my existenceThe person I’ve been until nowAnd find the strength to throw it all away. Strip down to nothing at all.Become like rose petals blowing free

Even if the two of us are ever torn apartI swear to you, I will change the world.

[cosplayinamerica]

Cosplaying Sailor Sailor Moon at the con was super fun! That being said, I, unfortunately, received moments of unwanted attention from men that made me uncomfortable. I think people need to be more aware of how their actions affect other people's experiences, especially at a convention; deep down we're all nerds who want to have a good weekend, and one offhand comment can stick with someone for all three days. As a woman in the cosplay community, I'm honestly not surprised at this kind of treatment at this point which saddens me to say but it's true. I think its something that should be talked more about because of how widely shared the experience is to most female cosplayers.

So this costume actually came together the day before I was supposed to leave for the con! I had plans to cosplay Usagi in her school uniform because I really love (and relate to!) how whiny and silly she is in her everyday life as opposed to her superhero alter ego Sailor Moon. She has so many iconic moments just being a normal girl hanging out with her friends, going to the arcade, failing math, and wishing someone would make an anime about her; an iconic queen. In preparation for the con, I had spent 13 hours (straight) frankensteining the wig together, and I really wanted to wear it all weekend to show off my hard work; so I thought of what else I could wear other than her uniform since in many of the episodes she wears normal clothing. The idea just came to me because who doesn't love a good pun?? The con just happened to be on the beach as well so everything really fell into place!

This costume was put together incredibly quickly because I already had all the pieces in my closet except for the sailor hat (And also I was leaving for the con the following morning lmao) The most challenging part was getting the hat actually. I had zero time to order one online and I was panicking thinking of all the ways I could quickly make something that would pass as a hat, and my mom waltz into the kitchen and offhandedly suggested I just... drive to the costume shop 45 min away from us (that I had no idea existed). So I zoomed over to the shop and the woman immediately pointed me in the direction of the sailor hats! Compared to all my other costumes, this was by far the easiest one to pull off.

--- HanniBanani Cosplay

[randommouseclick]

RANDOM LADYBUG/SAILOR MMON CROSSOVER IDEA I JUST HAD:

A few of the Senshi have a nasty accident, and need various treatments due to range of injuries. During the intake on Hotaru, its discovered her bones where her cybernetic implants were previously, has left damage behind: weakened bones, nerve damage of varying degrees, less pliable muscles, faded scarring only noticed with hot/cold/blood loss--and the previous surgeon/doctor who has experience with Hotaru's condition pre-awakening, is in Paris. Luckily for Hotaru, she has distant relatives in Paris who are more than happy to have her stay with them during needed procedures and recovery (which is Kagami, for the sake of this headcannon/idea).

As the procedures begin with her bones, Hotaru is in a wheelchair and often has her right arm in a sling or brace. she tries to be Independent but Kagami is quite "dont be foolish, you have support" and refuses to let Hotaru out of her sight, if her cousin doesn't have someone else with her.

Chloe is in rare form, something happening before meeting Hotaru at school for the first time, and picks on someone's outfit. Hotaru, nearby, rolls over and agrees with Chloe, but not in the way you think:

"Shes right, those colors are horrible on you. Far too yellow for your complexion. Perhaps something with more blue, or red would be best...perhaps even jeweltones..." and that spins the whole situation around. The previous target is stunned but totally stuns Chloe more, by ASKING FOR HER ADVICE of what changes ought to be made.

When all is done, Chloe confronts Hotaru, who admits shes used to personalities like Chloe's (i.e. Yaten in StarS with Michiru's lipstick, for instance) and has no problem understanding what they're actually trying to say, even if they're attempting to take their mood out on someone but unconsciously trying to help ((personal HC for Chloe here, due to her mother not being any form of positive role model)).

So, obviously, Chloe STEALS Hotaru from Kagami (who is not happy, but well, Hotaru always DID have the oddest effect on people...) and Sabrina basically gets backup. Sabrina helps Hotaru while in class, as Hotaru has to catch up as well as translating whatever question Kagami (via approved texting) cant answer, as Hotaru is going from Japanese to English to French, and often gets a bit confused. Talking is fine, reading is a bit better but it takes her a bit when listening, to do a mental 3 step translation.

When a multiple akuma attack forces two schools together, LILA makes a comeback and tries to lie her ass off to Hotaru. The central theme: Lila knows the Sailor Senshi and they ADORE her, Sailor Saturn the most, who thinks of Lila as a big sister. Hotaru, who IS Sailor Saturn, let's Lila dig her own grave, so to speak. She writes notes in Japanese, as to "make sure she understands and can remember what Lila is telling her, b/c French is her third language"...Kagami, who is "assisting her cousin with terms/phrases she 'doesnt' understand too well", sees Hotaru's notes is just COMMENTARY contradicting Lila.

No, shes never been to Japan: half the places Lila claims to have seen, are sacred sites off limits to NATIVE Japanese people, and absolutely BLACKLISTED for outsiders. The other places are being put into wrong cities, geographics with impossible travel times and access routes applied to them. And the shops Lila mentioned: none of the employees speak English, let alone Italian or French, and some have either moved to a different city, or have gone out of business, whether transferring everything to online, or flat out gone.

The only Senshi to have gone to Italy: Haruka and Michiru took Hotaru to Florence as a belated Xmas gift, where Michiru, as Sailor Neptune, was heard by many Pisces in the area, to be swearing at the appeared monster for "ruining her little girl's getaway, how dare they". And NOT Minako nor Usagi.

Mamoru DOESN'T admire her nor does he wish SHE was his Moon Princess.

And Hotaru doesn't EVER use their titles in her notes, but their names. And Kagami doesn't process it until she reads the line "the only one who can say she knows the Senshi so well, and NOT be lying, is YOU."

That's when Kagami makes the connection, stares at her mortified b/c Kagami is a major Sailor Mars fangirl, and has GUSHED to Hotaru about HER COUSIN'S SURROGATE BIG SISTER. And yes, Kagami learns Hotaru has been filling Rei in...Rwi thinks Kagami is adorable and CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LAST MATCH, KAGAMI-CHAN!

And Chloe TOTALLY has a built in Drama Detector, b/c she sees the cousins interacting silently behind Lila's back, and instantly has that Oooo, Someone Call the Maid--Tea Will Be Spilt!!!

Marinette has been ignoring Lila, for the most part, and is occupied with designing things for Hotaru in the wheelchair, Nathaniel giving tips with Sabrina about what they noticed about Hotaru's everyday.

....and that's all I got for now....

[bookmawkish]

Just a patient, chapter 7

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

All my fanfictions (includes more Loki)

Tag list for Loki fics: Tag list for Loki fics: @only-kneel-before-loki @ohhhmyloki@1800-fight-me@tarynkauai @rainhowling @hanasonly @dean-the-trickster@nikora3010@skip-the-static @sailor-moons-butt@clockworkherondale@oatballsoffury @artbysteph87@smginger1131 @lokislilslut @pokemaniac1 @squishyxghost@roguedovesblog @jungwencantdie @elastrael @fourleaves413 @agentexmachina @dreamsfromanemptyteacup  @imasultforlokiandspencerreid @memmucci 

I’m so so sorry if I’ve missed anyone. It’s been a long few months for me.

If pressed (and you’d have to be pressed - talking about yourself is not your favourite occupation) you’d always have described yourself as down-to-earth. When the other kids were daring each other to say bloody mary bloody mary, you were staring yourself down in the mirror, learning to meet your own eyes without flinching. When people blessed each other for sneezing or threw salt over their shoulders, you just watched, marvelling at the superstition and the inherent gullibility of humanity. You’re not at all religious, and there’s a reason for that. To you, religion has always been the largest branch of superstition: the biggest Bloody Mary game of all.

The fact that you seem to have fallen into the arms of a god in some kind of metaphysical star-studded hinterland infuriates you almost beyond measure. How dare this be happening. How dare you be in this - this non-place outside your known reality, where your body seems both there and not there in a baffling and enraging duplicity.

And particularly, how dare Loki be staring down at you in a supercilious manner that you just know has to be as fake as the whirling constellations that seem to surround you both. For some reason you’re currently unclear on, you’re absolutely certain that he has no more fucking idea what’s happening than you have.

And despite the fact that you’ve heard him speak, despite the fact that he’s standing there holding you while looking as poised and aloof as a Greek statue, you somehow know that really - really really - back in the reality you call your own he is still a slavering beast. This is the eye of the storm, a tiny impossible patch of calm and silence. This is not what is. It is a dream of what is not.

The blurring stars cluster above you in sickening, vertiginous spirals. Loki seems to be standing on the dusty, dappled clouds of multiple nebulae, his feet scattering stellar fragments. There’s no real up. There’s no real down. No atmosphere, no wind. You cannot feel any air touching your face or hands, either cold or warm. You are not in pain, nor are you hungry or tired. The only sensations you can feel anywhere on your body are from where he is touching you.

You are in the mouth of the snake, dangling above the precipice, and he has his fangs gripped on your nape. But you are not afraid.

You are furious. The sense of losing control has always made you furious, and hanging in the arms of a mad god in a limbo of stars does not constitute an exception.

“Put me the fuck down.”

He arches an eyebrow.

“I don’t think you know what you’re asking for.”

“I didn’t ask for any of this. Put me down.”

His chest heaves, arms clutching you tighter, reflexively, as he sighs.

“Very well. I hope you enjoy the taste of human flesh.”

Your brain refuses to process this. It’s the last in a long line of things your brain is giving you shit for lately.

“What.”

“Human meat,” says Loki, annoyingly upbeat. “Human blood. In your mouth. I hope you enjoy it.”

“Not particularly. I‘ve had other people’s blood in my mouth before.”

He laughs. It’s not a nice laugh. It makes you more determined to struggle, which you do, but his arms flex and tighten on you like steel wire. He really doesn’t want to drop you. Interesting. And worrying.

“What about dying? Do you like dying, mortal? I assume you must. You’re always doing it, after all, all of you. It‘s like a hobby.”

“Where are we?” 

“We are sharing a subconscious,” he replies, testily indulgent, as if giving class to a bunch of pre-schoolers. “A dream. This is not a place. This is us. The sky is you. The floor is me. And vice versa.”

You look around at the shifting, galactic emptiness that surrounds you. Under other circumstances it might be beautiful. Right now it turns your stomach.  Fuck these Asgardian hippies and their cosmic bullshit. You are not a place. You are a person, and you are not inside him. The thought alone makes you nauseous, and the queasy lurch in your gut reminds you of something.

“And how exactly would that make me a cannibal?”

He sniffs in amusement again, and you’re suddenly (horribly) reminded that to Loki, eating human flesh is not cannibalism because he is not human. It’s probably on a par with eating bushmeat for him. The morality of the superior species always feels unfair to the inferior - which is why the heart of most human comedy is based in punching upwards, not downwards.

“I, as the stronger, am choosing to hold us like this. In this one moment. In a single state, the one with the other, so we may converse. If I let go,” he says, “then there will be nothing keeping our selves separate. And your weaker self will easily be absorbed by my own. You will be tearing out throats and eating noses as soon as we return. There will be two of us sharing that cell, and if they do not tie me quickly enough, it is likely we will fight, and I shall kill you. Or if they do tie me, we will sit there companionably in our shared bondage, reeking of sweat and blood and madness until they get bored of their game and drown us both like rabid dogs in a bucket.“ His sharp green eyes look directly down at you and his grip slackens, just a little.  His long fingers flex. A message? No, more overt: a definite warning.

“Still want me to put you down?”

  On the battlefield, in the operating theater, in life - it often feels as if there are no right choices. Nevertheless, there are always choices. The primary reason so many people are so unhappy in this day and age is that they believe that all choice has been taken away from them, and that they are solely bound to the choices of others. This is never true. There are always choices. Always. Even if they are not good, easy to make, or the ones you wanted, or they are all almost as bad as each other - they are still choices. They are your choices. You can always choose. You may not want to, but you can. 

You can choose not to go to work in the morning, and for every other morning after that, but you will likely be fired and then you will not have money. You can choose not to pay for the expensive dental treatment that you need, but then you will probably have no teeth and an infection and a larger medical bill. You can choose to be part of society, with all the restrictions and stresses and benefits that infers, or you can go and live in a cave on a hill and be beholden to no-one.  Sometimes your choices can change the outcomes of a situation. And sometimes the outcome will be the same, regardless. You can’t count the times that you have seen people try different methods to cheat death with the same final result. They choose to strive or they choose to submit.

But there is always a choice. So what will it be?

  Your hands slip into the folds of clothing at Loki’s shoulder and chest, and grip harder and harder until your knuckles stand out whitely in the unnatural glow of the unreal stars.

“Good choice,” says Loki, sounding hugely smug, the bastard.

“Take us back,” you say, and in contrast you sound dead inside, your voice flat and inflectionless. “Take us back now.” Because you don’t like it here, in this dream world where the only real thing to be felt is Loki and you sense you cannot trust your eyes.

“Me?” says Loki, still jovial (although you suspect there’s a new core of cold in his tone). “This is not my doing. I could not come here alone. This is a place for sharing. I needed you.”

“Why.”

You’re asking, but in all honesty you’re not even interested anymore. All you can think of is your own couch, with battered caved-in cushions and the motor oil stain from when it was stored in the garage and all. You crave silly things. Oreo cookies with half and half. The red and green blanket you bought in Thailand that shrank in the wash. The weird smell of that scented candle you won at a Christmas fair, musty and woodish. You want your own real things back, no matter how ridiculous or small they are. Not the outlandish glory of these brilliant false stars or the terrible, solid reality of the mad god who holds you.

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” says Loki, but in stark contrast to your own misery, he sounds positively delighted. 

[maneaterwithtail]

One of my first submissions

however..Korrasami ship war stuff.

Not a fan myself but….I want to encourage more submissions and at the least this is showing lots of effort and points of reference to wide fandom discussion and their feelings.

—–

korrasami was aforced ship there was no actual build up for it korrasami shippers like to use the car scene or blush ( when korra blushes at compliments she blushed at bolins compliment ) and there was actual evidence and chemistry for makorra in contrast to korrasami. in b3 and b4 there was actual chemistry  and we got to see mako talk about korra the person while asami talked about korra the avatar. or how we actually got  the camera zoom in and music swell at mako and korras hugh to highlight importance kXa shippers bring up asami bbeing with korra at b3 ending claiming that we would see it if asami was a man but in reality no we wouldnt. (not to mention while she smiled with her dad , the air babies and bolin suggestion of pen pals she didnt smile at them) heck the break up scene in b2 finale even hinted at them still having feelings and getting back together with the I will always love you line. not to mention that both korra and mako over came the flaws which led to their breakup  which wasnt due to a lack of compatabiltiy but due to certain flaws like  korra expecting an echo chamber from mako basically mako being so afraid of conflict that he disappoints everyone his tendency to avoid conflict  and I am sickened by the demonization of mako claiming that it was just that he ends single for he made a couple mistakes in the relationship department in book 1 and they claim he was a creators pet or gary stu. which is bs makorra was handled well (people like to claim it was only a couple wekks when it was months there was a noticeable change of seasons

http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/146055648351

http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/122071981927/i-take-comfort-in-the-fact-that-although-korra

http://zoetic-aerography.tumblr.com/post/138417305243/korra-was-undecided-about-what-to-do-about-mako

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/post/150196235205/you-love-battle-couples-that-means-you-love

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/post/150197542245/reyshepkorra-replied-to-your-post-you-love

http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/151521486788/lucisfenrir-noctis-is-very-weird-when-it-comes-to#notes

http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/124974796098/structural-shortcomings-of-the-shipping-variety

http://makobend.tumblr.com/post/116620716280/i-hate-mako-because-he-does-remind-me-of-an-ex

http://redheadjcb.tumblr.com/post/134574174309/reasons-why-asami-isnt-my-favorite-character-and

“

TV creators’ job isn’t to just do whatever their audience wants, though.

What the fans want isn’t always what’s best for the show. Remember this train wreck:

Korrasami was an extremely popular pairing during the show’s first season. They took advantage of this and made it canon with no real build up and just pasted it onto the very end of the show.

“

http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/105947039308/bryankonietzko-korrasami-is-canon-you-can

http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/119960030921/robert-submitted-korrasami-devolpment-imeline#notes

http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/119960030921/robert-submitted-korrasami-devolpment-imeline#notes

https://magiesheartlove.tumblr.com/post/113897307625/why-makorra-and-not-korrasami?is_related_post=1#notes

http://archer-bro.tumblr.com/post/160877420151/reblogingblog-archer-bro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMLk77yoyvg

“. All the “subtext” they said they saw clearly existed only in their delusions, as proven by the aforementioned facts. And like Appabend said, the subtext was so subtle it might have well not just existed. The “evidence” all just seemed like what platonic friends would have done. There was not even a single concrete moment that you could find that crossed over the romantic line and tied all the other moments together, an aspect all well-written subtle romances have. The circumstances show that the fans simply wanted to ship them because they were two girls, and it didn’t have anything to do with their characters. I dislike the idea of pandering/giving the satisfaction and vindication to these fans who ship for such superficial/shallow reasons. They had no basis for their reasoning other than “but muh lesbian pairing” and just got lucky in the end because MD and BK were the type of people who liked to pander to their audience and virtue-signal about how progressive they were, emphasized by how much they milked it afterwards in that tumblr post and everything else they’ve done about it since. In the end, my friend changed her mind and completely disowned the ship and fandom because she realized that it was all just pandering (which surprised me because I didn’t ask her to do that). I also hate how pretentious and over-the-top it was at the end with all of the background visuals and making it the very last thing you remember of the series even though it was focused on mostly other things. PS Sorry for the long comment, I type a lot:)    …. In this case, the slash shippers would be using a straw man because we don’t have a problem with the same-sex relationship itself. It was how it was executed in terms of writing quality and context within the story. They’re not asking for same treatment, they’re asking for special treatment and we know that because the creators admitted their intent on doing it because it was a same-sex relationship to please their fans, are clearly glorifying it, shoving it into our faces, and virtue-signaling about how progressive they are. It’s 100% being politicized. They wouldn’t do any of those things if it was just a straight relationship. Heck, Korra ended up with Mako after S1 and you can see the clear difference between that and KA on how that was treated by creators and fans alike. In terms of hints, I stated that the hints themselves were too subtle to prove they were intentional, and one of the ways people can tell if it’s going romance is that there is usually at least be a early single moment in which it clearly goes over the romantic line to tie it all together, like smiling and blushing while looking away or getting embarrassed by being pointed out how close you are to that person, etc. And if they were bi, they would have shown it in general, not just with each other. “ http://wuuthradical.tumblr.com/post/163111623958/autistic-2-d-wuuthradical-buffallura

https://g00doldboy.tumblr.com/post/163111027317/is-this-it

http://wuuthradical.tumblr.com/post/162964426138/what-really-gets-me-about-korrasami-is-how-it

http://celticpyro.tumblr.com/post/164869535184/firelordderpy-aggravatedvincevaughn

http://snowembrace.tumblr.com/post/166247501865/so-anon-meant-korrasami-option-i-remember-the

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/post/148337966795/the-authors-are-dead-drikei-i-just-fucking-hate

I am personally annoyed at how bryke try to act like korra and asami were friends since b1 when

their friendship started at b3. which is something that they brought up in b3 commentary ( and check out other fantastic-nonsense posts because they made alot ofposts criticizing korrasami and support of makorra

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/tagged/makorra

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/post/169571636785/about-mako-going-with-korra-to-finish-her-recovery

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/tagged/anti%20korrasami

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/tagged/korrasami

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/tagged/lok-fanwank

http://fantastic-nonsense.tumblr.com/tagged/makorra-defense-squad

——–

Now personally I think Korrasami is one of those mixed blessings.  Yeah kids show went there but its as sudden and shallow as existing hetero relationships.  I DO think the build up was there but its unsatisfying because, like any anime, its not there much post confession and its more teases.

This is especially, for me, because I REALLY didn’t like the character of Asami or get everyone’s deal with her. She seemed to exist to be Best Girl and… that it. My biggest disappointment was the closing of her arc with the death of her father and then, surprise, another love plot.  

Overall though I can’t devote much dislike for the relationship as a whole so much as a connected but not causative (Gabrielle and Janet did have some decent chemistry and there were possibilities) phenomenon of “the men suck so GO Muh Lesbians” which so underlies my experience with the idea I can understand OTHERS attributing the change as “pandering” 

However, ultimately, I’m just over it.  For some its meaningful even if not all that.  And considering into Fangbone AND Sailor Moon when I know there is more challenging or at least advanced if not better fare?  I should just accept it.

I am not anti- Korrasami so much as against anti-Mako (and Makorra) and really its a simpler but more nested problem as I think people latched onto Asami as one of the characters who… lets say retained her potential untainted for many fans.  But for me she was more of a waste than Mako ended up for me by the time he became a cop and not just Edward Cullen if he was from a K-drama.  S2 fixed him so much for me but thats also when the hatchet was put into play and then S3 started and…it hurt how I could see they were handling the ex-boyfriend (and way WAY WAY buttering up this Suddenly Sisterhood of Korra and Asami

“ as a whole she’s missing something. She isn’t ‘moe’ but she reminds me of the sketching and depth of such a style of character. A collection of traits to interest [the audience] as to full person even as she is interesting but feels thin. “

-me 

[jewelridersarchive]

Why do we love seeing new versions of the same thing? Is it simple nostalgia? Is it the desire to engage with some sort of content that once moved us in a new and different way? Is it new creators wanting to stamp something they loved from their own childhood with their mark? Or is it all of the above?

I’m not immune to loving reboots. I devoured the new DuckTales on Disney XD, I’m reading the new Rainbow Brite comics from Dynamite, I’m watching the new iteration of Will & Grace, and continue to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Reboots are fun; they not only allow fans who loved something to have a nostalgia party, but also allow potential new fans entry points into what sometimes appears to be never-ending streams of content (I’m looking at you, Transformers). But things seem out of hand when even ReBoot, the mid-90s CGI cartoon, has a reboot on Netflix (ReBoot: The Guardian Code). Have reboots become the “safe,” risk-averse way companies can cash in on portfolio properties that already have known fanbases? It’s the equivalent of an artist only drawing fanart because they know it will get thousands of likes versus hundreds on original content.

And I fully admit some level of fatigue with franchises that just keep chugging along, seemingly forever. Every movie that comes out seems to want to be a tentpole franchise builder. Or a reboot of an existing franchise, or a soft reboot that only takes some elements going forward, or an alternate universe or…well, you get the idea.

I love original content. One of the best shows I watched this year was Alex Hirsch’s Gravity Falls (yes, I know I’m rather late to the game). It was a bright spot of originality, something new and not tied to any other content or previous iteration. Many of the anime I watch and enjoy are either original or straight adaptations of an existing manga. I think original content and ideas are important in entertainment. They allow a generation to experience a piece of entertainment in its prime, and have something uniquely “theirs.” Kids of the 60s had Star Trek, kids of the 70s had Star Wars, kids of 80s will always be the original audience for Jem & the Holograms and He-Man/She-Ra, kids of the 90s will always have X-Men TAS and Sailor Moon. (And PGJR, of course haha). No matter if they are rebooted down the road or not, that original experience belongs to the original viewers.

Which is why it’s always hilarious to me when people who hate on the new version of something say “It’s ruining my childhood!” Your childhood is whatever it was, frozen in time. Those original cartoons obviously still exist, and if you have the desire you can watch most of them. A reboot doesn’t destroy the original, no matter how many changes it makes to the original idea. The best reboots can often give us (as adults) what we thought we were watching as children. And often, the reboot can drive traffic back to seek out the original, as adults want to share with children the version they loved at that age.

Which brings us to She-Ra. I didn’t watch any He-Man or She-Ra as a child, for whatever reason. I found He-Man & the Masters of the Universe through the 2002 anime-influenced incarnation (also a great reboot IMO), then went back and watched the 1983 cartoon, followed by the 1985 She-Ra: Princess of Power. I loved it all. Sure, sometimes it was goofy, and there was lots of animation reuse in the older versions, but the core concepts were really strong. They are classic good vs evil, freedom vs tyranny stories, told with engaging casts and crazy creative worlds.

I powered through all 93 episodes of She-Ra during the summer of 2010 while I studied for my board exams. It holds the special place of being the series I turned to to relieve the stress of studying. I love the 80s fantasy girl designs, the color schemes, the powers, the sheer kookiness of the side characters. She-Ra was the OG American magical girl, and I finally understood what all the fuss over this franchise was about. She-Ra feels iconic in the way that characters like Wonder Woman and Sailor Moon do. Yes, she starts out as a spin-off of the successful He-Man franchise, but he makes very few appearances in She-Ra’s cartoon.

But after her initial run, She-Ra remained a virtually dormant property for the next 30 years. He-Man had two different reboots in 1991 and 2002, but She-Ra was stuck in limbo. Only once the Masters of the Universe Classics collectible figure from Mattel released in 2010 did She-Ra finally see the light of day again. Story-wise, the bios on the back of the toy packages gave us a little info about She-Ra’s further adventures, but it wasn’t until the 2012/2013 Masters of the Universe comic from DC that She-Ra comes back, this time in the guise of the villainous Despara. It’s a dark but interesting take on the characters; an exploration of what being raised by the Evil Horde would really do to a person.

Interestingly, this seems to be the jumping-off point for the new “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” animated series from Dreamworks and Netflix. This show takes as its central theme the relationship between Adora and Catra. When Adora finds the sword that lets her turn into She-Ra, she leaves the Horde – an organization to which she has devoted her life. Almost more importantly, she leaves behind Catra, her best friend. It’s this broken relationship that informs the emotional tone of the rest of the show.

Unlike the 80s version, this time around the Rebellion knows Adora’s identity as She-Ra. It’s an interesting change – shows of the 80s were obsessed with secret identities, and sometimes it could get ridiculous making up excuses for what happened to the other identity of the character every time. Thankfully, that is avoided here, and instead of angst over whether or not you can let people know the real you, we are treated to relationships that ask whether we can accept someone who we know has wronged us before.

Much has been made over this update’s reworking of the body types and ethnicities of the main princesses. While I confess not loving all the updated designs and missing the 80s fairytale warrior goddesses of the original, I understand and fully support the change. Reboots are about viewing something old through the lens of today, and audiences of today want to see themselves in the media they watch or read. We can’t (and shouldn’t) go back to mostly-white casts. The world is a rainbow of colors, and the show feels richer for including them.

Speaking of rainbows, I have to mention the new show’s decidedly queer bent. The relationship between Adora and Catra is somewhere between ex-best-friends and ex-girlfriends in tone. Netossa and Spinerella, long shipped by the fandom, are finally outed in a true relationship this time around. Other characters like Scorpia, Bow, and Entrapta all tap into queer mannerisms and norms as well. The end result is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen in children’s entertainment, and I couldn’t be happier. I wish I’d had something similar as a child, but I’m grateful today’s queer kids have their own heroes.

When we talk about a successful reboot, what are we looking for? Here’s what I think a good reboot need to accomplish.

Bring the characters and concepts of the original property up to date for current audiences.

Explore the characters or world in new and different ways.

Add depth to the original concept.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power does all of these in spades. I think it’s the nicest treatment an 80s female-driven property has gotten in a reboot. The show is full of strong characters with interesting dynamics, great writing, and interesting world building. Yes, some of the episodes can be a bit predictable and the designs are not always my favorite, but everything works together toward a greater whole. I won’t spoil the story for you, because seriously if you haven’t watched this, get thee to Netflix and enjoy!

For the Honor of Grayskull!

Chris

P.S. Can you imagine getting a ✨Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders✨ reboot that brought all this to the table? I’d die!

Read the complete blog at The Jewel Riders Archive! http://www.jewelridersarchive.com/posts/she-ra-the-princesses-of-power-and-reboot-culture/

[otomeshistarlight-blog]

Houshin Engi: What Could Have Been

Some background into this review: I owned the Western release boxset for Houshin Engi (localized as Soul Hunter) back in the early 00′s. I thought it was pretty mediocre and only watched it all the way through once. By no means was it the worst thing I’ve ever seen, but even without having had any experience with the manga it was based on, I could still tell that it just wasn’t a very ambitious project - even for the 90′s. So when it was announced that Houshin Engi was getting a new anime series, I was thrilled.

‘Finally!’, I said to myself. ‘The proper adaption this classic shounen deserves!’

Sure, reboots and remakes are a mixed bag, and sometimes they only succeed in tarnishing the good name of the original (Sailor Moon Crystal), but I was confident that this would be one of the good ones. Knowing what a low bar the first anime had set, I really didn’t think the 2018 series could be any worse.

Y’know ... I always hate when I’m wrong about something.  

The plot: The story is set in legendary China. A beautiful female fox spirit named Dakki is controlling the emperor Chu-o and the ruling Yin dynasty, and is using her power over him to do evil in the nation. An immortal-in-training named Taikobo is chosen by the great immortal sages for the Houshin Project — to seal away or destroy the evil demons that infest the world. Throughout the course of his adventures, Taikobo gathers powerful companions and sets out to seal away the demons and eventually destroy the fox-spirit Dakki.

Sounds fairly solid right? Based on what I’ve gleaned, Houshin Engi is one of four great Chinese tales with the other three being Saiyuki, Sangokushiengi and Suikoden. The manga was published in Weekly Shounen Jump from 1996 to 2000, and is comprised of 23 tankoban. The first anime aired in 1999 and had a total of 26 episodes which, as far as I can tell, only covered the first third of the story. The 2018 anime had 23 episodes ... and I’m sure you can already guess where the problem lies.

Why it was bad: Where the 99′ series took its sweet time fleshing out the world it was adapting, the 18′ series came flying right out of the gate at a hundred miles per hour. You barely have enough time to comprehend what’s even happening because it rushes through all the setup while giving you just enough information to kind of piece the story together so it can (presumably) get to the good stuff. The only issue with that is once you get to the big Sennin war ... you’re more than a little confused regarding why the war is even happening in the first place, and there are about twenty characters you’ve never seen before that you’re somehow expected to just know what their roles are. I mean, it was bad. Honestly this was quite possibly the worst attempt at storytelling I’ve ever seen, which is a serious accomplishment. 

As an example, the three Unsho sisters.

They’re just ... suddenly there one episode, and all the other characters act like they know them so clearly some mildly important information was skipped. I was willing to go with the flow, because I already knew what a shoddy adaption this was by the time they make their appearance and I didn’t want to get too hung up on it. But then Venus suddenly says something about being Taikobo’s wife, which is apparently her motivation for helping her hubby’s team, but its never mentioned again and we don’t even get some stupid flashback to explain how they know each other. 

And trust me when I say that this anime did not shy away from the flashbacks. It seemed like there was at least three every single episode right towards the middle of the arc which made it feel cumbersome and like the plot was dragging. The director really used them as a crutch and any information that should’ve been supplied to us in a natural way earlier on in the story was conveniently given a brief flashback sequence so everyone could move on with their lives. 

But the sisters weren’t the only ones who didn’t even get a courtesy flashback ...

Hiko’s talking sword! One episode he doesn’t have it, the next he suddenly does and we’ve no idea where he got it from or what its abilities are! Guess you’ll just have to read the manga if you actually care about it that much. : /

Same thing with the paopei Karyuuhou that Tenka inexplicably has, and only uses once for plot convenience. 

Oh, I’m sorry? What is a paopei you ask? Fuck if I know because the anime made absolutely no effort whatsoever to explain a single goddamn thing. You’re just expected to either have previous knowledge of the series, or accept the fact that you’re a filthy secondary and stick around for the ride. There was just ... a lot wrong with this adaption and I really don’t know why they wasted their time, money and resources on this. Like, yeah, I guess the Sennin war was interesting enough on its own but does that really make up for the fact that you have no clue whats going on about 70% of the time?

I think not.

Why it was sort of good, if you squint really hard: Okay, real talk. The character designs are just okay.

And I have a hard time deciding which version is more egregiously campy.

But they really went all out on a lot of the backgrounds which were more often than not beautiful. There was some mighty impressive CGI, which is something I usually dislike on principle alone, but its clear where most of the budget went and I’ve gotta give credit where its due. Special effects were used to the animation teams advantage so what would’ve normally been a run of the mill static sequence became eye catching enough to be passable. Even legitimately good in some cases. 

Additionally, the voice actors did a great job and I can’t think of a single one that truly dropped the ball in their delivery. Sakurai was particularly fun to listen to as Supushan (the weird hippo thing) for his cutesy, whiny voice which isn’t usually the sort of role he’s given. But the real MVP here was Okamoto Nobuhiko who truly sold his performance as Outenkun. Seriously, I’d give him a gold star for this if I could because he really seemed to put his all into it. 

In the end, I’d say both anime adaptions were pretty bad, but in different ways, which was not what I expected at all. I just started reading the manga so I can can get a better feel for the series (because it IS an interesting world, with some great characters, and I feel a bit cheated if I’m being honest) and I’ve gotta’ say, this is leaps and bounds more enjoyable than both anime combined. It really didn’t deserve to get this sort of treatment twice. Maybe eighteen years from now Houshin Engi can get the adaption it truly deserves if we’re lucky enough. Until then, don’t waste your time on it.

My final score: 3/10 I don’t recommend anyone watch either anime adaption, read the manga instead. You’ll get a lot more out of your experience. 

[ywhiterain]

@anotheralix wrote a post that can be summed up as “how about we ditch the double standards surrounding how we talk about female and male protagonists.” She even admit she does this herself with Clarke Griffin (100) and Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries). It’s not a particularity nuanced post - but it wasn’t meant to be. It was a vent. A vent, in particular, how women are judged differently than men.

This is not a shocking rant. This is a self evident perspective shared by many women across time in different cultures. Look, I could get into the science and cite different articles and meta-analysis that back up the idea women are held to higher standards than men. But not everything is about meeting high standards when creating an argument. Sometimes you want to make short rant on your tumblr about sexism and move on.

But, see, @candyumberella responds to this post. Not a problem in itself. But how and what she says reveals that her issue is not with creating inter sectional spaces for women to talk about feminism. No, I think she hates that female fans sometimes really love female leads.

I’m going to take apart some of her arguments under the cut.

“I think it’s pretty telling that whenever people get uncomfortable with seeing a female character (espically the most privilaged white female character in a ‘verse whose narrative is based on and constructed around her privliage) criticized in any way, they knee-jerk respond with, "You wouldn’t do this with a white man!”

Let’s unpack this. There are two claims in here that I disagree with: female leads are constructed around her privilege and being critical of the knee-jerk response. I’ll with the second first, because it’s easier to address. Yes. Women, particularly women who have been influenced by feminist thought, tend to get frustrated when women are held to a higher standard than men. It happens. It’s annoying. And I believe it’s understandable. The fact that @candyumbrella doesn’t acknowledge that female heroines are held to higher standards is a glaring omission. If she took into account how misogyny and sexism hurts all women, her arguments about how women are treated in fandom would fall apart. I mean, even more so than pointing out the existence of The Golden Girls and its large fandom does.

The second part is that her claim, espically the most privilaged white female character in a 'verse whose narrative is based on and constructed around her privliage is not backed by any evidence at all. Now, @anotheralix doesn’t give powerful evidence herself, but that’s because it was a short vent about sexism. @Candyumberlla takes issues with this vent because of a weird ass Interpretation of All TV Based On One Sitcom. If you’re going to take issue with someone complaining about sexism, and how this post complaining about sexism is a problematic trend in fandom as a whole, you need some convincing arguments. Otherwise you look like a sexist apologist.

But here, I’m going to argue against her claim by pointing to Buffy. White female lead - skinny and blond to boot! But the premise of the worldview of Buffy isn’t that she’s the most privileged character in her world. She spends a good portion of it struggling against the Watchers Council (aka patriarchy) in order to use her own power on her own terms. Buffy being pretty and tiny and girly is the fucking point - because society sees women who look like her as empty shells. Buffy being the undisputed heroine of her own story is and was an attack on that worldview.

Buffy didn’t do great about race. It’s treatment of Kendra Young has not aged well, to put it politely. It’s peek manufactured whiteness. As for queer issues, while Willow/Tara was groundbreaking, but there’s as much to critique as there is celebrate. Fans of Buffy do this all the fucking time. There is nuance to be had and Buffy’s got plenty of academic and fannish work exploring that nuance. It’s failures and it’s successes.

But

It’s not about the injustice of misogyny so much as people wanting their female fave to not be criticized and using her gender as a catch-all reason why she shouldn’t be.

That’s a pretty unfair statement. Loving and being fannish about female characters can be an exercise in frustration in fandom. I don’t know how many times I went in the tags for Elena Gilbert only to see fans calling her a two-faced and manipulative in very gendered ways. Slut. Bitch. Whore. I’m glad a dude is beating her up and putting her in her place. Speak true to that ungrateful bitch, male character I like! This exists in fandom. It puts a lot of people on guard.

Critiquing a character like Elena is not as easy as doing one like Klaus. Because there is baggage there. Misogyny is a thing. It informs how women are framed and treated in the text. It informs audience expectation and reaction. Elena being white didn’t stop her from ending up with her rapist.

So actually, I see plenty of people accusing male characters of making everything about themselves–usually when they want to deflect from criticism directed against their One Special White Girl and do so by perpetuating the lie that ONLY White Men are the REAL Enemy, We Are All Allies Against Them, blah blah.

Because, shockingly, men and women are treated differently in both canon and fandom. I’ve seen @candyumberlla spend more time talking shit about Clarke, Elena, and Donna (Suits) than Oliver (Arrow), Angel (Angel), or Sam or Dean (Supernatural). Even Ted, the privileged white dude who informs all of her meta these days, is not treated with such distaste. She is gleeful about her interpretation of Clarke (she’s being humiliated and dethroned!) She gushes about the Fall of Elena and the Rise of Caroline. She might mock, say, Stefan Salvatore, but she doesn’t the same use belittling and angry language.

Misogyny is informing her meta. Because misogyny is a threat. It’s real. Her attack on female characters is built on centuries of female oppression.

Also:  –usually when they want to deflect from criticism directed against their One Special White Girl

Women and girls can’t just be tired as hell of white male dominance in their world? Critiques against male dominance in media are About Protecting That White Women. 

MOST privileged woman in a ‘verse appropriating and parasitizing those LESS privileged and LESS institutionally elevated than she–so she’s not the victim in this scenario, she’s the oppressor.

Prove it. When and how did Clarke, Elena, Veronica, Buffy, Rey, or any other white female characters target more vulnerable women. Hard mode: look their stories in context of a male dominated society with white dudes being the ones who generally created their stories. Remember internalized misogyny is not just those Bad Female Fans Who Like The Wrong White Female Leads and how much female creators in Hollywood and TV have to balance to just get women to talk to each other without it being about a dude. Honest mode: take into account how the leads have both built up and torn down the women in their lives. Put the narrative into a cultural and historical context.

so this parasitic stanning impulse is just white male worship transmuted in a different form that ~feels more like ~feminism and thus more morally acceptable ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Tell me more about how Clexa fans just love Finn. Or Xena/Gabe fans just thirsting for that dick. Bias is a thing. It influences how we think, feel, and react to things. There is no story that doesn’t fail on some level when it comes to systems of oppression.

But people finding personal power, meaning, or joy in female lead stories doesn’t mean they just really want the dick. Korra/Asami fans don’t tend think too much of Mako. Buffy/Faith shippers may have an opinion about Angel and Spike, but they’re generally more interested in the charged relationship between Faith and Buffy. Sailor Moon fandom does have a good chunk of het, but lesbian content and focus on friendship between women is one of the reasons it’s still beloved by many people.

Or, hell, maybe actually allow for the idea that maybe a het shipper is more invested in the female half than the male half and it’s not due to her status as a guy who was killed off and the fandom as a whole cheered. 

[mirajens]

dr. catch

paring: jellal/erza rating: t  chapter 3 of the rockabye series found on ff.n

Jellal and Erza meet in the most romantic of places: the physical therapy ward

"There he is, Erza. What did I tell you? Isn't he absolutely delicious?" 

 When Erza heard Mirajane's excited whisper, she looked up from her magazine and followed where her friend's finger shamelessly pointed at a new arrival.

At six months pregnant, it was twice as easy to get Mirajane thrilled about everything. Erza supposed it was because Mira was bored since she started her shifts manning the reception of the physical therapy ward. Before her temporary post as a desk rider, Mirajane had a reputation for handling the therapy of athletes twice her size, so Erza could understand how dull her new job seemed compared to it. This morning, when Erza came in with Natsu for his session, Mirajane started the usual gossip mill off by regaling the adventures of a handsome man who would come in sometime during clinic hours and take his shirt off during his session, rendering her brain dead for a whole hour. Erza supposed it was an exaggeration. This man was supposed to be a family friend so Mirajane bestowed upon herself the right to appreciate without malicious intent, despite being happily married.

The physical therapy ward was not family run but it might as well have been. Mirajane's brother, Elfman, and her husband, Laxus, were therapists in the same practice. Her sister-in-law, Evergreen, was a nurse. Their head orthopedic was her grandfather-in-law. Details like that made Erza confident in leaving her 10 year old in their hands. Natsu didn't grow up with his father but he knew the importance of family. It was one of the many things that made Erza proud of him.

Erza took Mirajane's pointing finger and shoved it down before the man could see. While agreeably delicious, he might not do well to know he was a spectacle. Erza hoped she was subtle while she took in his blue hair and the distinctive tattoo on the left side of his face. The man removed his windbreaker and stomped the snow from the soles of his boots.

"It sure is a mess outside. The snow must be a foot deep by now." He said as greeting when he finally got to the reception area.

"Good morning, Jellal. I hope the drive wasn't too much trouble. Freed is ready for you on the fourth bed."

"Great. Thanks, Mira." Jellal handed his health card over and left, but not before smiling kindly at Erza.

"What a dish, am I right? He was totally making eyes at you, Erza. I saw." Mirajane said in a miserable attempt at keeping her voice down once Jellal joined his therapist.

When Mirajane got like this (that is, in Erza's opinion, hysterical and delusional), Erza knew she had to pump the brakes before Mira could set her up on another blind date from Hell.

"Do you think your husband can hear you calling another man 'delicious'? Or maybe your future child is witnessing what a flirt her mother is?"

"Jellal is delicious. Visually, I mean. I don't think Laxus minds. They're college buddies."

"I doubt it works like that."

"Wait, shh. You'll miss it! This is the best part!" Suddenly, Mirajane grabbed Erza's forearm in an alarming grip.

Erza watched as Freed lead Jellal to the TENS station. Jellal took his shirt off before taking a seat.

"Beautiful, isn't it? He's receiving treatment for just his arm but he always takes his shirt off even when he doesn't have to. No one tells him because they know I would murder them in their sleep." Mirajane pretended to wipe at a tear. "It's a work of art. My pregnancy goes so well because I am privy to this miracle every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He has the most impressive cum gutters. I mean, aside from Laxus'. Jellal's is a close second."

"You're gross." Erza finally said when she couldn't think of any other way to convey her sentiment without betraying her awe and agreement.

"Sure, Erza. Let's just pretend your eyes didn't bug out of their sockets when you saw his shoulders flex." Mirajane waited a beat before continuing. "His name is Jellal Fernandes. Very single. Like, it's baffling how no one is hitching a ride on that caboose. He'll be forty, this June. And did I mention he's a doctor? A really fancy one that travels. He worked for some scholars last year, which is how he got in an accident. I know it's about bugs or something. It's probably rude, but I can't remember much about him when he's on display like that."

Erza laughed. "I'll take your word for it. But don't even think about setting me up again, Mira. I'm serious. Not after Hibiki. You lost all your Well-Meaning Friend credit after that."

Mirajane pouted but she knew when she was defeated. "Your loss. He's a catch. With a doctorate. He's like, Dr. Catch." When Erza only shook her head in amusement, Mirajane sighed and began inputting Jellal's insurance information into the computer.

There wasn't much to do while Erza waited for her son's therapy to be over. If it wasn't mind-numbing Candy Crush on her phone, it was gossip with Mira, and that dried up much quicker today than Erza expected.

Jellal finished up with physio much than Natsu did. He gave Erza another smile when he approached the reception desk to check out.

"Mira said she'll be back soon. She wanted to buy snacks." Erza offered when Jellal saw the station unmanned.

"Oh, right. That's fine, thanks."

An easy silence passed between them but Erza never liked silences. Maybe she wasn't used to them. "You know you don't have to take your shirt off, right?"

"I don't?" Jellal asked, a brow cocked.

"Not really. You just looked uncomfortable so I thought I'd say."

"Ah, yeah. It's really cold in here. I guess that's why some of the older patients were snickering."

"And here I thought you were just showing off." Erza joked before she could catch herself.

"Hm. Got you to look, didn't I?"

Erza laughed. She normally didn't buy into cheesy flirtation but Dr. Catch had a natural skill for it. Emphasis on the cheesy. "I'd be blushing if you weren't already doing it."

He probably wasn't. But now he did. Erza almost laughed again.

"I'm Erza. I don't normally stand in for the receptionist."

"Jellal. I don't normally take my shirt off for no reason."

Erza grinned, fast and wide. "So what are you in for? Mirajane said it was about your arm."

"Ah. I fell on it when we were spelunking." He looked embarrassed for a while. "I find spiders for a living. Usually in caves or forests. So this isn't really my first rodeo."

Erza couldn't help the shudder. Anything with more than four legs needed to keep at least a ten foot radius from her. Thankfully, Jellal only smiled.

"Not a fan of the creepy-crawlies, I see."

"I'm sorry. I can't trust spiders after that one time in college."

"That's cryptic, but understandable. How about you, though? Do you come here often?"

Erza was spared having to answer when Natsu barreled into her side. "Mmmmmmmom, I'm done!"

Erza felt the wind knocked out of her. Her son started talking too fast, too loud, and she missed half of what he was saying. She held onto key words: Ice cream, Gray and new ball. She was about to tell Natsu to speak slower when he suddenly gasped and pointed a finger at Jellal. Erza felt the punch of Deja vu when she instinctively pushed his hand down.

"IS THAT A SAILOR MERCURY SHIRT!" Natsu's question felt more like an exclamation. An accusation. Erza thought to herself, at least it's the tshirt.

She was twice as relieved when Jellal only grinned. "Yes, she's my favorite. My sister has one, too, but of Luna."

"I like Sailor Mars better. Lucy likes Sailor Moon because she's blonde and has a cat, too. Lucy's cat is named Loke. Do you like cats? Did you watch Sailor Stars already because Lucy can't get a copy of it yet and I don't want to hear any spoilers so don't get any ideas! And your tattoo is neat, is it real? Sometimes Gray draws on my face and-"

"Ok, you definitely don't need ice cream." Erza said, carding her fingers through his already sweaty hair. "How is your back now?"

"Achey. Can I nap until dinner? But I have to call Lucy first and tell her about Sailor Stars because she said to remind her to ask her dad again. Then I have to ask her about homework because I forgot to write it down. But after that can I nap?"

"Yes. Go get your bag and say thank you to Laxus."

Natsu ran off, screaming, "GOODBYE SAILOR MERCURY MAN". Erza laughed again because Jellal looked stunned.

"It's like watching F1 racing, huh? It's too quick to know what's happening until it's over." Her eyes followed the blur of pink scooping up his back pack while yelling inane updates to Laxus. "My son, Natsu. He's twelve, so that's twelve years of me being perpetually exhausted."

"I think that's the first time a child asked about my shirt before the facial tattoo. He seems like a good kid. I generally like anyone who compliments this shirt."

"He's rowdy, but sweet. He has scoliosis and does all these sports. It makes me nervous but as long as he's happy and not pushing himself."

By the door of the PT ward, Natsu, with his jacket zipped up to his chin and his bag strapped to his shoulders, yelled for his mother to hurry up. Erza smiled apologetically at Jellal. "That's the midnight clock. I'll see you around?"

"Yes, absolutely. It was nice meeting you and Natsu." Jellal's hands twitched by his side. She had such lovely hair he caught himself wanting to touch it. Mortified, he stuffed his fists into his windbreaker pockets. "Drive safe."

When Erza finally left with Natsu, Jellal walked up to Laxus, who was just cleaning up after his session. Jellal plopped down on the newly sterilized bed, ignoring the thinning of Laxus' lips. "Man. I just flirted with a married woman. And I almost touched her hair without permission. Like I was in a trance. I want to die. Can you recommend any other hospitals nearby that offers PT on my insurance?"

Laxus crossed his arms. Jellal almost made a joke about the extra 20 seconds Laxus took to grasp his words. "Erza Scarlet? You flirted with her?"

Scarlet. God, even her last name was perfect. "Your comprehension skills are still sharp as ever, Laxus."

Already tart and sour, Laxus looked downright done now. "Thanks, asshole. She's not married, though."

Jellal's brows knit together. "You pulling my leg or something?"

"I only pull legs when my occupation calls for it."

"Oh, haha. Laxus made a funny."

"She's not married. Divorced, I think. Mira told me. They're close." It wasn't rare that Laxus gave Jellal his classic side-eye, but it had been long since Jellal saw it in person. "If you stay around long enough, Lisanna's birthday is in two weeks. Mira's throwing a party. Erza's invited."

"And?"

"And?" Laxus echoed incredulously. "Jesus. 'You really want me to spell it out for you? Come to the party, ask her out. Are you sixteen years old?"

"Since when are you allowed to invite people for your sister-in-law?"

"Since your balls shriveled up and fell off, apparently. Go away. I have to work. Talk to Mira about the party. "

Jellal did just that. Laxus was unbearable when he was grumpy, which would be 80% of the time he was alive. Jellal went back by the reception area to wait for Mira to give his card back. And maybe ask her about that party Erza was going to be at.