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just-patchy · 3 years

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UNPOPULAR OPINION: Comparing Vil Schoenheit to Trans Characters in Anime, Manga and Games — Forceful pushing of headcanons and why Vil is a better character in canon as a cisgender (gay) male

DISCLAIMER: this essay is aimed at those who find it entirely acceptable to shove their headcanons down others’ throats with the threat of crying wolf (i.e., “if you dislike this hc you’re transphobic”, etc.) should they not comply. For those who simply headcanon Vil as trans and acknowledge that canon and other headcanons can exist with (and without) their approval, this essay is not aimed at you and you are perfectly valid.

Notes: Title may be slightly misleading as there’s really only one comparison, and being a cis character does not necessarily make one “better”. However, given Vil’s character, the mun views that Vil has a far bigger impact in terms of plot, hence the title.

Many of us like to suggest headcanons for our favourite characters, some to make the character even more interesting, others simply to relate to the character further. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with fun headcanons here and there, the forceful insistence of fans in recent years that their headcanons are absolute to maximise their own comfort has become a glaring issue across many fandoms. In particular, the subject of LGBT+ headcanons has been especially touchy, as minorities use the discrimination against them to their own benefit and, ironically, suppress the opinions of others. One such headcanon is that Vil Schoenheit of Twisted Wonderland is transfemme, or even a trans woman, as he uses the pronoun “atashi” (typically used by women and girls), and is perceived to be traditionally feminine. However, such a headcanon not only fundamentally ignores the very basis of Vil’s character — breaking gender stereotypes as a cisgender white male — but can even be taken as sexist. To prove this controversial statement, a comparison with other notable transgender characters, either confirmed by canon or heavily speculated on by fans, in other anime, games and manga is needed.

First and foremost, the idea that Vil is transfemme or even a trans woman is shallow and unfounded. While Vil indeed uses the pronoun “atashi” in referring to himself, a pronoun typically used by women and girls in Japan, “watashi”, the pronoun that “atashi” is (presumably) deprived from, is a gender-neutral pronoun used by both genders, though for men, both “watashi” and “atashi” are usually used in a casual context by stereotypical feminine gay men or drag queens. Throughout the story, there was absolutely no indication that Vil has issues with his own gender. In fact, it seems to be the very opposite, he is incredibly comfortable and confident in his own masculinity, which is why he has no problem doing things that are traditionally seen as feminine:

“Next, lotion. As guys (lit. with us being high school boys, アタシたち男子高校生), our skin tends to be oilier so applying too much only makes things worse.” (Main Story Chapter 5, translated by j-mee on Twitter)

“There’s no such thing as “men only” or “women only”, whether it’s clothes or dance.” (服にもダンスにも「男専用」「女専用」なんかない。) (Main Story Chapter 5, rough translation by patchy)

Epel provides as a foil character in this case, having stated his dislike for his cute and “girly” appearance multiple times, as well as wanting to be in Savanaclaw due to the athletic nature of the dorm rather than Pomefiore:

“I really... I really wanted to get into the wild and brave Savanaclaw instead!!” (Ceremonial Robes story, chapter 1, translated by twstarchives)

Epel clearly thinks that Pomefiore is too feminine for him, and only puts emphasis on his unwanted cuteness. While Vil being transfemme or a trans woman would certainly be progressive for Japan considering its conservative nature, Vil being a fellow cisgender boy is certainly far more powerful in delivering this response to Epel. They’re both white and cisgender, yet while Epel only sees his adorable baby face as a weakness, Vil sees his own beauty as his strength and capitalises on it. It is precisely why he is so careful to maintain his appearance through dieting and impeccable makeup:

“I've not once neglected my health. And no one on my Magicamera account, which mind you has over five million followers, has said anything about it.” (Vil’s Lab Coat SR, Part 1, translated by kibadreams)

Having grown up in the entertainment industry and showing no sign that he wishes to retire from it, Vil’s “otherwordly” beauty is one of his greatest assets, and as such, he complies with the industry and all its standards, and is unashamed to do something like dancing if it can potentially further his career. Vil is no Azul, but he is still a businessman in the sense that he knows how to advertise, promote and market himself to the masses. To insist that Vil is transfemme or a trans woman erases the meaning to his actions, and instead reduces him to a shallow figurehead based on how traditionally feminine he acts (use of pronouns, way of speaking, behaviour typically seen as “feminine”, etc.) instead of focusing on his relationship with gender presentation and his rejection of traditional gendered labels as a whole.

Arashi Narukami from Ensemble Stars, while not officially confirmed to be trans, provides a good comparison, though many often compare them on a surface level to try and force Arashi’s character onto Vil’s or vice versa. Aside from their shared use of pronouns, professionalism and both having careers in the entertainment industry, the two characters cannot be any more different. Unlike Vil, Arashi has stated her views on her relationship to gender identity multiple times, albeit they are rather inconsistent due to the different writers of Ensemble Stars having varied interpretations of her character. She repeatedly calls herself a “maiden”, a “girl” and a “big sister”, and insists on others using the “-chan” suffix for her rather than “-kun” (the only exception seeming to be fellow unitmate Izumi). She has also stated her internal conflict with her gender, which one can interpret as Arashi wanting to transition but unable to do so due to her career in the modelling and idol industry, as well as the unwelcoming attitude held by Japan in regards to the LGBT+ community:

“I’m honestly envious… No matter how much I want it, and no matter how hard I try… I could never become the beautiful woman I dream to be.” (Gacha story “Beasts — Centre of the World” part 7, translated by euni2319 on Dreamwidth)

Due to the ambiguous nature of the “okama” label, a derogatory one used for both drag queens/crossdressers and trans women alike, it is not clear whether Arashi truly is a trans woman unless canon states otherwise. However, there is certainly enough evidence in the story to argue such a case, especially with the English localisation of Ensemble Stars using she/her pronouns for Arashi. In contrast, Vil’s behaviour is more in-line with an “onee” type character, or a stereotypical feminine gay man, which is surprising considering that the Twisted Wonderland fandom, in all their hope for LGBT+ characters, fails to pick up on. As stated above, “atashi” is a pronoun often used by drag queens/crossdressers and stereotypical femme gay men, the latter of which Vil seems to fall into the category of due to the homoromantic subtext of his relationship/friendship with Rook Hunt. Many of their interactions can be perceived as romantic, even more so due to the stance that both Disney and Japan have on homosexuality, mainly either with unvoiced distaste or being acceptable as a fetish/strange interest due to the forbidden nature of homosexuality in Japan:

“Nevertheless, Rook's eyes are more accurate than any scale. Even more than a mirror, perhaps.” (Vil’s Lab Coat SR, Part 2, translated by kibadreams)

While Vil and Rook’s relationship does have homosexual undertones, on Rook’s part more so than Vil’s, Vil at the very least relies on Rook and trusts him greatly. The above quote is just the tip of the iceberg.

Vil’s character can be seen as a twist on the stereotypical “onee”, one that is written and taken seriously as a direct comparison to how the character type has been commonly used for comic relief or otherwise unimportant side characters in past works (Garfiel from FMA, Magne from MHA, though a trans example of the stereotype, and Otokosuki from DBZ). The implication that Vil is gay by partially conforming to behaviour expected of feminine gay men yet being a serious and hard-working perfectionist (i.e., having a personality not centred around comic relief) is arguably a big step in Japanese anime, games and manga.

Sexism and even ageism in the Twisted Wonderland fandom is unfortunately nothing new, towards all genders. Non-female creators and yumes struggle to garner an audience without yumejoshis, particularly unusually possessive ones, feeling threatened by their very presence. Adult fans are criticised simply for playing the game despite that their in-game payments are what make the game profitable enough for younger fans, most of which do not earn income and thus cannot fund in-game transactions, to continue enjoying Twisted Wonderland. Yana herself has become the scapegoat for Disney Japan, being blamed for any issues regarding the game’s storyline despite that not only are the Disney Japan executives the ones giving the final approval, Yana has been working while ill due to the gruelling and even abusive nature of the anime, game and manga industry in Japan, where artists, animators and other staff members are overworked to produce the smallest bits of content. Fans, especially those often discriminated against in their own countries, have developed an unfortunate habit of using their statuses as minorities to avoid criticism and responsibility for their own actions, going as far as to deflect criticism of their irresponsible behaviour onto the critics and paint them as the aggressors. Anyone who does not view Twisted Wonderland in the same view of unrealistic progressiveness more commonly expected of Western cartoons is shunned and their actions deemed discriminatory. The fandom has evolved into a space where the prey become the predators, the hunted become the hunters, and the oppressed become the oppressors, all in the name of establishing equality and equity.

Ultimately, we are all fans of Twisted Wonderland trying to enjoy the game in our own ways. Our comforts are unique and distinctly different from one another, and no one’s comforts should be prioritised above that of others simply because one is in the minority. While the fact that people have become more and more comfortable taking pride in their own identities is certainly something to be celebrated, we should not be taking this as an opportunity to alienate those we so much as remotely dislike just because they belong to a certain race, gender or age group, particularly twisting oppression against vulnerable minorities to do so. Frankly speaking, none of us have the right to force our own interpretations of canon onto others, minority or not, and doing this simply reinforces one’s narrow mind and self-absorption.

#twst #twisted wonderland #vil schoenheit #discourse #<- somewhat #unpopular opinion #patchy cusses in essays #you can tell i got lazy with this ‘essay’ lmao #i could’ve added more quotes but there’s just too much stuff to look through and i’m tired

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just-patchy · 3 years

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UNPOPULAR OPINION: Your fictional crush isn’t real — Why dependence and reliance on fictional characters is unhealthy, and just bad all around.

Notes: told you i had another one ready :3 feel like it’s missing something but i’m not quite sure what so let’s see if anyone can catch it

Edit/Disclaimer: this essay is solely referring to people who over-rely on fictional characters (e.g., getting mad when their oshi doesn’t show up on their log in screen after a bad day and yes that is apparently an actual thing, don’t ask)

We have all had crushes on fictional characters growing up. There’s no harm indulging in escapism every now and then, imagining yourself as a lover of your favourite character while temporarily forgetting the stress of our daily lives. Yet, when people start taking these crushes too seriously, it becomes nothing more than an unhealthy obsession that can be seriously damaging, to the point where fiction takes precedence over real people and connections.

One incredibly obvious example is the idea of “sharing” favourite characters, typically seen among yumes but also generally speaking. The fact that this even exists at all is confusing, considering that technically speaking, even if someone “owned” a character, it’d be the company (Disney Japan, Aniplex) or the character designer (Yana Toboso). None of the fans “own” a character. Yet, many of these fans seem to think they’re entitled to their favourites, to the point where no one else is allowed full, or even any access to the character, such as no shipping with or thirsting over them. While part of this may have to do with coping mechanisms (past traumas, or in the case of minorities, perhaps rare representation that’s vaguely accurate), the idea that a mere fan “owns” a character simply because they’re the fan’s favourite is ridiculously selfish and bordering on delusional, and highlights the unhealthy reliance of fans on fictional characters to take responsibility for their mental and emotional well-being. Furthermore, the act of allowing or barring “sharing” of favourite characters is hideously pretentious. You cannot share (or not share) something you never owned to begin with, and to think you have the right to grant or deny people access to your oshi is pure self-absorption.

This has evolved into a whole crowd of people being nervous to talk about their favourite characters, going as far as to send asks to random people they follow on whether they are “allowed” to share their thoughts on their oshi, simply because the people they follow have the same oshi. The possessiveness that a small group of people have over one character is not only harmful to themselves, but to many others in the fandom who wish to simply lay back and enjoy content. The over-reliance of certain people on their fictional crushes has aroused fears of being ostracised or harassed for simply liking a character. People have become terrified of receiving unwarranted criticism, especially from those with larger platforms than themselves, that they go out of their way to ask for permission. The original issue of possessiveness aside, such behaviour implies the existence of hierarchy among fandoms, where fans with bigger followings are superior to others.

To quote a rather notorious example, specifically in the Twisted Wonderland and later revealed to be in the Diabolik Lovers fandom as well, Caly/Misa/Misaki is a rather extreme case. Specifically, she once said “People can accept people loving difference races, and different/same genders. But can people accept people who love someone who’s supposedly not real?”, clearly showcasing her unhealthy adoration for the Octavinelle trio at the time. Not only that, she has, on multiple occasions, alienate, harass, groom, and even dox other creators, mainly either to milk them for “gifts” or because their ocs/self-inserts were shipped with any of the Octavinelle trio, and later revealed that she acted exactly the same with Laito Sakamaki in the DiaLovers fandom as well. Only people she approved of were allowed to ship their ocs with the Octavinelle trio, and while she insisted that she refers to her oc only as a queen, the sour impression she left for most people was that such a nickname extended to the mun herself as well. (For details, check @gravediggers-archive)

Adding to that, many people project far too much onto their favourite characters to be healthy, beyond writing out their mental struggles through their oshis. The fans in particular I’m referring to are those who project so much one would think they were trying to become the very character they adore, or vice versa. Alternatively, they shoebox their “favourite” into a particular stereotypical ideal lover reminiscent of otome games, and often the interpretation barely resembles the original character at all. To argue against such “characterisation” (if it could even be called that), especially with bigger blogs involved, ends up falling back into the same trope of defensive behaviour on behalf of the accused, and what we’re left with is the boring, cardboard cutout ending of “and everyone clapped”. Possessiveness over favourite characters can lead to the loss of creativity, where fans’ oshis are forcefully shoved in to fit trendy ship tropes or act as a twisted self-insert for the fans. Finding a ship or a character that vaguely fits a certain trope is just putting the cart before the horse. It begs the question: do these “fans” truly like the character at all, or just their own shallow, twisted interpretation of them?

Lastly, to quickly touch on characters representing minorities, while the feeling of possessiveness over these characters by those from marginalised communities is understandable, ultimately they shouldn’t have any more priority to their oshi aside from having the first say in certain issues. At the end of the day, it is fictional characters, and individual fandoms usually aren’t large enough to have some sort of major impact on society. There should be much more important issues going on in real life that can be dealt with, and since reality shapes fiction, future minority characters can be improved to represent each community better.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with liking characters at the end of the day. However, we should try to keep our love for our oshis in moderation. The second we start slipping in too deep, we should probably go outside and touch some grass.

#twst #twisted wonderland #patchy cusses in essays #unpopular opinion

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