#oh fuck i still haven't fixed my macros

[keyofjetwolf]

STORYTIME

Episode 19, let’s go, let’s see what you’ve got for me!

Once upon a time, there was a maiden in love. “I want to tell my beloved how I feel, but my love might be over the moment I say it.” Every day she suffered, agonizing in this way. She took no meals, and she was unable even to sleep. And finally, she died without ever having been able to communicate her feelings. But the man she loved married another woman and lived happily ever after, without even knowing the maiden had existed.

Sometimes I just have to laugh, these are so fucking savage.

By not saying it, the end result happens anyway, as far as this specific facet of the maiden’s life is concerned (which appears to be the full extent of it per this story snippet). So what would she realistically have had to lose by saying something? Fuck all, it sounds, so job well done, she wasted everything by staying silent. Was it worth it? I’D GUESS NO

This seems, on the surface, to be about Ahiru, what with her whole “I love Mytho but if I tell him I’ll die/vanish/never exist” thing. Is it, though? Ahiru has a whole lot going on outside of Mytho (for which I am thankful), and I’d heavily argue against her doing nothing but withering away in silent agony.

So if Ahiru is the opposite of this tale, whatever common thread, should we take from this that she doesn’t need to remain silent? That she’s defied the rest of this, and so will defy that too?

Or is this not about Ahiru at all? There’s some lovely imagery in this story. I especially love this image:

The letters unsent, the pool of spilled ink soaking everything, the shadow crossbeams of the window panes, the used and discarded black feather quill. GOOD SHIT HERE. Which doesn’t tie into anything I was saying, I just really like it. This one though:

The swan sword, the raven’s eyes filling the sky, the blade thrusting in one direction but OOPS SURPRISE coming for the killing blow in another.

Are we not talking about Ahiru, then? Are we talking about Fakir? He’s who we first think of with the sword. And he’s certainly taciturn enough to keep every feeling he’s ever had hidden in the depths of his glorious mane. Or is this perhaps Rue/CawCaw? If anyone at this point could be said to be agonizing and trapped, I’d say it’s her.

Once again with this show, what’s meant is dependent on who we cast in the roles, and for something that appears on the surface to be so definitively saying who goes where, it leaves me CONSTANTLY QUESTIONING.

(I’m completely unspoiled for Princess Tutu and watching it for the first time. Please don’t confirm or deny anything in this post, give me hints or cautions or suggestions about future episodes, or try to explain anything going on. That includes if I should’ve been able to figure it out from previous episodes, or if it’s cultural, or if there’s no answer at all. Spoiling the experience only ruins things for everyone!)