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saionjeans · 5 months

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yet another moment where saionji says something incredibly trenchant and insightful only to be completely dismissed due to the ridiculous framing and the general cringiness that pervades everything he says and does (eg, pointing out that the castle is a trick of the light, announcing that they must shed the coffins end of the world has prepared for them, etc etc). obviously in this instance, he is both saying something that is proven correct throughout the show via a myriad of dynamics, but is also shown to be a precept that is teleologically challenged and rejected by anthy’s final choice.

upon a first viewing, one might assume saionji himself is talking about anthy here, whether by presumptuously assuming that she loves him despite his abuse, or claiming that her rejection of him does not lessen his love for her. either way, he seems totally delusional and moronic. i can only assume that utena, who has even less information than we do regarding saionji’s true feelings, assumes that he is talking about anthy, and thus dismisses him out of hand for being a violent idiot. and rightfully so. but also, he’s clearly not talking about anthy, even if he may think he is (or at least would claim that he was if questioned). and this statement is truly definitional to his relationship to touga, whom he resents, envies, and maybe even loathes, but whom he cannot seem to ever actually abandon.

even when he’s given the chance to start fresh, he returns to ohtori (and in this case you can say that it’s because he has nowhere to go, no family, the outside world is scary, ohtori is all he knows, he felt he had no other choice… but this was also true of anthy, and she eventually found the courage to leave! it’s very very hard, but it’s not impossible, which is the point). even as he vocally condemns akio’s system, he nonetheless participates in it, albeit reluctantly, for touga. he is freer, healthier, and kinder in wakaba’s dorm, but he is also deeply unhappy. which isn’t to say that he ever seems happy (at least, not after losing the rose bride), but his unhappiness in “wakaba flourishing” is that of depression, whereas his unhappiness around touga is that of resentment. he’s rightfully angry over constantly being mistreated, but at least he’s not lost. he has a purpose. even if it’s just the purpose of receiving abuse and putting up a futile fight, it’s a role he can play with the only person who has ever truly mattered to him. it’s all he knows; it’s the closest thing he has to real love. and so he stays.

nanami is in a very similar situation as saionji is. they both idealize a version of touga who never really existed, and cling to him despite his blatant mistreatment of them because he is the only person who has ever shown them true affection in their entire lives. he manipulates them, makes a laughingstock of them, facilitates and participates in sexually abusing them, but also makes sure that they are too dependent on him to leave them. nanami is even more blatant in illustrating this idea than saionji is, as for most of the show, she does not even resist against touga like saionji does, rather she purely venerates and worships him, to the point of parody. he is a terrible brother to her, but in such a way that makes it seem like he’s actually a good brother to an obnoxious, ridiculous sister. he is actively grooming her, and she has nowhere to run, because he has fashioned himself her entire world. she cannot fathom a world beyond his limits, her very own personal end of the world.

it’s somewhat unclear whether touga thinks that controlling saionji and nanami is necessary to keeping them around, or whether he only wants them around because he enjoys assuming control over others. it’s probably a mix of both. he probably does hold some affection for them, but cannot conceive of a way to keep them as close to him as he would like without exploiting them, because he believes that true friendship is for fools and true love is impossible. to touga, if every relationship must be imbalanced in some way, then he at least wants to be the one with the power in his deepest relationships, unaware (or at least, willfully ignorant) of the fact that by corrupting and perverting their dynamics, he is slowly tainting their naive childhood love and affection that drew them to him in the first place. so in touga’s case, he inverts saionji’s logic to refigure it as “love can only be facilitated through abuse, no one will truly show you love unless they have to (through exploitation).” it’s the logic of someone who sees the world through an almost 2D framework of abuse, exploitation, transaction, and control. it’s the logic of someone desperately sad and desperately cynical. nanami is very wise (and brave) to ultimately reject him/it, even though it, too, is all she knows.

tsuwabuki complicates the nanami/touga dynamic by aspiring to inhabit both their roles simultaneously, and so he allows himself to be subjected to nanami’s exploitation while simultaneously subjecting her to violence. he is happy to be abused by nanami not because he loves her per se, but because their abuse is mutual. shiori and juri have a similar dynamic, wherein they are both at fault in different ways, both attempt to avoid the other (physically and psychologically) and yet constantly collide like magnets. however, the i would argue that the abuse they face is largely systemic, and their behaviors are primarily a symptom of their internalized homophobia rather than overt malice (even though shiori may pretend otherwise). miki and kozue’s tension is also mutual. they both harm the other despite loving them deeply. because love is not a bandaid that revolves all pain, misunderstanding, and miscommunication. see: the utena and anthy ledge scene.

finally, i think this quote is actually most powerful when figuring it through the lens of utena, anthy, and akio. of course, akio has fostered a dependency in anthy much like touga has with nanami, and so she does not know how to leave him despite being in incredible pain at his hand. but she is not “happy,” as saionji puts it. she is the most miserable girl in the world. she doesn’t love akio as much as she loves the memory of him, the idea of dios (which is of course also true for nanami and saionji re: touga, arguably also true for juri re: shiori, miki re: kozue, etc etc) — but anthy needs akio. or at least, akio has convinced her that she does. he is end of the world, she cannot envision a life beyond his imposed limits.

but i actually find it more interesting with regards to utena and akio. i don’t think at any point in the show, utena ever actually has real, romantic feelings for akio. i think that she is terrified of him, and in her desperate feelings of trapped helplessness as he ensnares her, she convinces herself that those heart palpitations, startled movements, shocks and thrills she feels in her presence is the emotional response not of fear, but of affection. but we know that in anthy’s presence, she doesn’t feel afraid, she feels calm, relaxed, happy. being with anthy isn’t wildly exciting, constantly requiring rationalizations to explain away the dread and internal rejection she feels towards akio’s advances. being with anthy feels like coming home. and it’s why she is initially so happy to be accepted into anthy’s family, to have a big brother like akio, to live under their roof. in utena’s naive, hopeful mind, she is joining anthy’s family in the most innocent possible sense. and she endures it, the grooming, the abuse, the rape, the end of the world; she fights til her very last breath, because she is in love. no matter how [utena] may be abused (by akio), she’s always happy to be near the one she loves (anthy).

#remind me to write an analysis on the moniker ‘end of the world’ next #bc i only rly allude to that here #id in alt text #u #analysis #manalysis #saionji #utena #touga #anthy #akio #nanami #miki #kozue #juri #shiori #tsuwabuki #dios #utenanthy

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holmsister · 1 month

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Ok this gets its own post because im genuinely a little surprised I only caught on now.

This is Marcille's succubus:

This is Oscar, the protagonist of Rose of Versailles and the character the design of the succubus above is clearly referencing, if not directly, at least via a very obvious shared set of visual tropes:

(Yes thats a french flag we dont have the time move on).

The thing is. Oscar is a WOMAN. While she is clearly gnc and she goes through various gender crises in the story, the doctor at her birth assigned her female (her dad got angry about it we don't have the time move on) and in the end she is happy to id as a woman, if one who follows her own rules.

I could not find a good image with an horse but she has a horse dw. She also has a princess she wants to protect:

(YES thats Marie antoniette we don't have the time move on)

Which like. Again. I cannot go ahead and say "this character is a direct quote of this character" because their design is ultimately different and also Rose of Versailles is an incredibly seminal work in Japanese culture. It came out in the 70s, rewrote the rules of shojo manga, and has been since parodied, remixed, reimagined as a classic Takarazuka Revue musical, referenced in other work, in movies, in ads. Revolutionary Girl Utena does not exist without Rose of Versailles, its an almost direct response to it. It's impossible to say nowadays that anything referring to Rose of Versailles is quoting it directly and not just pulling from a giant shared set of tropes that derive from it and have been used in basically every other piece of media ever made after it in Japan.

But. Its an interesting thing to note for our embodiment of Marcille's deepest fantasy, that its most ancient visual ancestor is a beautiful woman dressed as a man.

#dungeon meshi spoilers #dungeon meshi manga spoilers #marcille #i cannot be the first person to catch this #marcella #meta

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paxesoterica · 27 days

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List of Personal Highlights from the Sulemio vs. Destiel Poll

Happy Suletta Sunday! In celebration of both the G-Witch victory last week in the Sulemio vs. Destiel poll and my upcoming birthday, I decided to organize a list of notable highlights (for me at least) from the event so that they can be revisited without having to scroll through 18K+ notes (also included are some posts separate from the poll but related to it).

Links are divided between memes (self-explanatory), art (fan art excluding memes, such as drawings, custom gunpla, and poetry), data (such as histories and statistics), and shameless self-promotion (anything I personally contributed, separated because I wanted to go into detail).

While I opted to include some bits of kayfabe/posturing/saber-rattling i.e. challenges made in an over-the-top/not-serious manner, I didn't link to any of the actual heated arguments that emerged during the poll, regardless of which side I agreed with. Unfortunately, this means there isn't any pro-Destiel propaganda in the list, since for whatever reason, arguments and casual insults were the only things offered. To pay respects to the vanquished then, I offer this:

https://archive.org/details/JenTitusOhDeathSupernaturalOSTFullSong - "O Death", sung by Jen Titus, was originally offered as a free download as a Season 5 promo on the official Supernatural website, and has now been preserved by your friend and mine, the Internet Archive. Good addition to a Halloween playlist.

And now, on with the list!

Memes

https://sapphicselene.tumblr.com/post/750334061001736192/this-is-it-boys-this-is-where-you-boys-grow-up - Statement advocating voting for Sulemio. A seamless looped gif of tank driving from Girls und Panzer.

https://lexingt0n.tumblr.com/post/750515914588438528 - MMORPG meme about Suletta winning tournaments. That little blocks knocking down large blocks chain of events meme featuring Suletta's promise not to lose duels leading to the events of the poll.

https://www.tumblr.com/rdmaaron/750826628142202880/whats-honestly-funnysurprising-to-me-is-that - Meme of Miorine urging people to invest in Sulemio stocks.

https://strawberry-starstruck.tumblr.com/post/750955995182825472/all-hail-our-new-space-lesbian-overlords-the - Destiel news meme interrupted by Aerial and Suletta (warning: some blood).

https://www.tumblr.com/alphajaye071/750567808166985728 - Meme featuring Utena Tenjou and her teacher as Sulemio and Destiel respectively.

https://www.tumblr.com/incoherent-orca/750650851349200896 - Multiple instances of the GUND stocks with Miorine meme to commemorate the poll reaching 69,420 votes.

https://www.tumblr.com/pisfool/750604772606918656/but-i-do-have-the-fact-that-i-am-the-original - Video promoting Suletta Sundays.

https://www.tumblr.com/the-eeveekins/750614460006367232/templates-for-both-versions - Sulemio news meme template.

https://anachronistrocketeer.tumblr.com/post/750504949128085504 - Parody of the Destiel news meme, with Suletta and Aerial responding in place of Dean.

https://www.tumblr.com/alphajaye071/750965871770468353/woohoo-happy-suletta-sunday-everyone - Meme featuring Anthy Himemiya vs. Nanami Kiryuu's friends as Sulemio and Destiel respectively (from a scene which, in turn, references an infamous scene from Mobile Suit Gundam '79).

https://lotus-3dart.tumblr.com/post/750963665459691520/the-girls-did-it - Meme video of Suletta hurling a giant energy sphere at Dean and Castiel (I believe it's a Dragon Ball Z reference, see below).

https://but-a-humble-goon.tumblr.com/post/750735354875805697 - Meme of a scene from Dragon Ball Z featuring Goku as Sulemio.

https://fireprincesslily.tumblr.com/post/750978007676682240/combining-my-love-for-wrestling-with-my-love-for - Meme featuring pro-wrestling with Sulemio vs. Destiel.

Art

https://hibiscus-ships.tumblr.com/post/750923769121554433/gundam-fans-grab-your-backlogs - Video of a wedding-themed custom Aerial gunpla. Photographs of Suletta gunpla dressed as Utena Tenjou from Revolutionary Girl Utena and a Chuchu-themed custom Demi Trainer. Videos on gunpla diorama construction.

https://incoherent-orca.tumblr.com/post/750501055681413120 - Sulemio art by the G-Witch staff.

https://incoherent-orca.tumblr.com/post/750341224176795648/did-they-even-hug-the-artbook-though - Anime scenes and G-Witch staff art of Miorine being clingy with Suletta.

https://elioherondale.tumblr.com/post/750419275455627264/the-traveler-yet-walks-onwards-towards-a-shining - Destiel-themed parody of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem, "Ozymandias".

https://xxsiegeubsessedxx.tumblr.com/post/750615446013853696/you-arent-immune-to-lesbians - Parody art of an old U.S. army recruitment poster, with Suletta urging people to vote Sulemio.

https://knockknockitsnickels.tumblr.com/post/750861564977020928/suletta-miorine-redraws-of-iconic-char - Art of Suletta and Miorine re-enacting iconic Char Aznable scenes (which themselves frequently get memed).

https://bace-jeleren.tumblr.com/post/750587225223446529/i-couldnt-help-myself-i-had-to-make-some-art-to - Art of Suletta and Miorine dressed as Dean and Castiel respectively.

https://verraise.tumblr.com/post/751019430886178816/congratulations-to-my-ship-of-all-timeeeee - Sulemio/G-Witch merch collection and display.

https://kaban-bang.tumblr.com/post/750956121635880960 - Art redraw of an infamous scene from the comic Invincible, with Suletta in place of Mark Grayson (warning: lots of blood).

Data

https://www.tumblr.com/sodasa-was-taken/750973801504899072/also-of-note-is-that-by-round-3-sulemio-already - Poll statistics and commentary.

https://tamaotamamura.tumblr.com/post/750607299417096192/its-a-ghost-from-the-2010s-sleep-well-grandpa - Commentary on the poll by Korean and Japanese Sulemio fans.

https://www.tumblr.com/amalgamasreal/750665351494238208/bringing-this-back-for-the-people-who-want-to-talk - Photographs of a 2023 Pride parade in Warsaw, Poland, in which a large sign featuring Suletta Mercury was displayed.

https://gurrenprime.tumblr.com/post/750402869030797313/11-life-size-gundam-transforms - Brief overview of the history of Mobile Suit Gundam in general, and The Witch from Mercury in particular. Three examples of popular memes Gundam has inspired. Two videos showcasing lifesize animatronic Gundam statues.

https://www.tumblr.com/littlegaygirly/750420814002798592/my-space-lesbians - Analysis on Suletta's and Miorine's relationship.

https://incoherent-orca.tumblr.com/post/750415682315993088 - Linguistics lesson involving the Korean localization of The Witch from Mercury.

https://www.tumblr.com/osakanone/750482397445931008/update - Extensive notes on fandom history, the queerness (both textual and subtextual) of Gundam, and fanworks as lost media.

https://www.tumblr.com/matrixdragon/750803839916097536/it-had-no-right-to-be-as-fun-as-it-was-and-had - Data on previous poll numbers for Sulemio. Photographs of the Yokohama Gundam Factory closing ceremony. Descriptions of many other Gundam shows.

https://smoltron.tumblr.com/post/750709653103689728/1991s-getter-robo-go-manga-is-also-a-very-direct - Discussion of Gundam history in particular and mecha history in general, with mentions of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Getter Robo Go.

https://touchoffleece.tumblr.com/post/750932621568163841/for-others-who-might-want-to-see-the-actual - Brief overview of why Suletta and Miorine are significant to Gundam history. Video of the Yokohama Gundam Factory closing ceremony.

https://www.tumblr.com/thelastbigkat/750687982920581120/gundams-impact-can-be-felt-not-only-in-the-things - Discussion of media that influenced Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, poll statistics, and mecha RPGs.

https://sharkbatez.tumblr.com/post/750917362328518656/now-for-some-psa-in-asia-marriage-equality-is - Memes about the match-up based on the first duel between Guel and Suletta. PSA concerning marriage equality in Asia.

Shameless Self-Promotion

https://paxesoterica.tumblr.com/post/750322033801510912/hail-destiel-fans-know-that-you-have-my

Some kayfabe I wrote toward the beginning; it's a micro-history of the G-Witch fandom, with a declaration of our will to win, written with my best impression of a hot-blooded super robot pilot who is also a pretentious Shakespearean nerd. Someone noted that I sound a yuri town crier, a compliment I appreciate.

https://paxesoterica.tumblr.com/post/750465124605870080/the-sulemio-japan-tour - Masterlist of all videos relating to the Sulemio Japan Tour skits (with bonus trips to the orbit of Mercury and New York City).

https://paxesoterica.tumblr.com/post/750561169104928768/hail-again-destiel-fans-our-duel-has-reached-its

Second and last bit of kayfabe I wrote (in the same voice as the previous piece); I offered examples of some over-the-top insults that both the show and fandom of G-Witch have received. This bit of writing was compared to both Mashymre Cello from Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and Urianger Augurelt from Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and I honestly don't know either character well enough to know how I should feel about that. ?_?

https://paxesoterica.tumblr.com/post/750485058864005120/well-yeah - An example of my extremely dubious sense of humor.

https://paxesoterica.tumblr.com/post/750579878836011008/eh-you-want-some-soup-wellwere-enemies-right - Another example of my extremely dubious sense of humor, soup edition. I am in no way responsible for making the video.

https://paxesoterica.tumblr.com/post/750765994169040896 - Video of Suletta and Miorine dancing in a parody of Yakuza 0. Again, no responsibility for creating the video, but I think both the various 3d cgi and gunpla stop motion animated videos G-Witch fans have created are very impressive (and more people should check them out).

https://paxesoterica.tumblr.com/post/750956102760398848 - A set of screenshots with slightly modified dialogue from the first episode of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, followed by a bit of fan animation that still makes me laugh everytime I see it. This post seems to have been well received, and I'm glad because it was a pain in the neck to make, and I considered giving up a couple times before I completed it.

I wanted to be ready with an appropriate tribute in the event that Sulemio won (which I did not take for granted until it was actually over), and knew that I wanted to include the Suletta emoting video as part of it.

All of the 'who are these girls' questions reminded me of Vim Jeturk's reaction in the first episode, so that was the basis for me including that particular scene.

Unfortunately, I only settled on these ideas a couple days before the poll's end, during which I had no access to my computer, and thus had to do everything, from taking screenshots, to adding in altered dialogue, to struggling to remember my password for the website since the app has a 10 image posting limit, to looking for the correct storage file for the images, on my phone. Quite the experience, but not a recommended one.

The shot with the feathers and light rays was included as an allusion to Castiel's angelic nature.

Hannigram and Ineffable Husbands were named because, like Destiel, they're live action mlm ships (albeit much more difficult opponents, much like the corresponding princes in the show).

I wasn't quite sure what lines would match Suletta's expressions, but then I remembered the oldtype Gundam fan saying, "It is always correct to take pot shots at Bandai", and things worked out from there.

The exact wording of Miorine's final line gave me a bit of trouble, but I'm happy with what I came up with.

Whew! Hope some folks out there find this list useful, and in any event, have a good rest of your weekend.

#text #sulemio vs. destiel #mobile suit gundam: the witch from mercury #g-witch #sulemio #mobile suit gundam #suletta mercury #miorine rembran

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faelapis · 8 months

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youtube

really intrigued by this. fairy-tale parodies are a dime a dozen, but little goody two shoes actually looks pretty good. from the utena-like queer skepticism towards social norms and the upbeat horror elements, i'd be interested in hearing from people who have played the demo or the company's other game (pocket mirror) whether my expectations should be as high as they are!

#little goody two shoes #astralshift #not su /#Youtube

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darkonekrisrewrite · 2 months

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Bnha heroes vs villains honest trailer (parody) part 2

Dabi-obviously-not-touya-todoroki, a villain that wants to follow stains will in destroying fake heroes and their place in hero society-

-while listening to every "fXck you dad" song on his way to the hairdresser for all the essentials, because everyone wants to look great on their special day.

Toga Himiko, the evolutionary endpoint of all love obsessed schoolgirls and cosplayers-

-her greatest deception in convincing others that she's just that, instead of a girl driven to madness by her own power and society's rejection.

Also due to the fact that she’s mostly only able to communicate through romantic one-liners.

Together they'll confront the heroes and the heroes will face them, all trying to reconcile their world views while beating the shXt out of each other.

Though Deku spends most of the final War in a Beach Day episode.

And Shigaraki spends it posing like he's a dragon ball z villain.

But taking hits like he's Krillin.

Then the Todoroki brothers face off in a battle of hot vs hot/cold/extras.

Before the whole family gets involved in the fight like it's a reality TV show.

That'll be one awkward family dinner.

And finally, toga vs Ochako takes the series into full Shojo territory, complete with dramatic proclamations and the resulting stabbings-

-resolving in heartfelt confessions and floating light bubbles.

Are there romantic implications when the villain says that blood is her romance, and the hero replies that she'll give her own blood to them for the rest of her life?

Hmmmmm???

So strap in, for a story about conflicting ideals and standards of living, in a world ruled by power and oppression.

Where all of that will fly clear over a lot of people's heads, because the setting doesn't look like a futuristic dystopian landscape ruled by an uncaring well-dressed government that has its children fight for the benefit and entertainment of their society...