#two bands on this earth i know i can rely on for oddly Never having to actually travel for

[wavernot4love]

just opened instagram to immediate whiplash when i saw this aka new dates .....

with YET ANOTHER thursdayband show in my immediate area???? the third in around ten months????? oh wavernot4love is going to be so very back this summer indeed

[raendown]

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Chapter: 11/18 Word count: 1870 Summary: When Tobirama is exiled from the Senju clan without warning, without even the chance to plead his case, it feels like his life is over. What does he have to live for now without his older brother to believe in him? Captured by the Uchiha in his moment of weakness, Tobirama slowly learns to live again with the last people on earth he would have ever expected to care for - or to fall in love with.

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Chapter 11

He was only gone a few hours for the first mission, barely half a day of running and an easy tradeoff of the goods Izuna had brought for the exchange, but it was enough for the wind and the forest to settle in to his blood again and Tobirama knew before he returned home that he would soon be itching to go back out on another mission. It felt incredible to be doing something with himself again, something more than lounging around the compound and moping about things he couldn’t change. But even more so it felt good to be truly useful again. He hadn’t yet worked up the courage to ask for a space where he might set up one or two of his beloved researched experiments but that wouldn’t matter anyway until he could earn a few coins to purchase the equipment for them.

After everything they had already given him there was no way he would ask Madara or Izuna to fund something so frivolous even if the results of his experiments did have a tendency to turn out useless for the masses. The clan treasury was much better spent on food and other necessities. He could find a way to pay for his own hobbies once he started earning his own salary instead of relying on the charity of others.

The second mission he took was only supposed to be a recon excursion around Iwa territory looking for another pair of clan members that disappeared in the same area, a mission he shameless used his own reputation as a sensor to get assigned to, but it turned in to a four day hullabaloo when he discovered the missing Uchiha captured and on the verge of being tortured as revenge for some wrong committed two generations back. Apparently it wasn’t just Fire Country that suffered from the stupidity of a pointless revenge cycle. Things descended in to blood and mayhem in the blink of an eye but it was worth it to know that everyone he had come looking for would make it home safe. No amount of singed clothing or band-aids could be worth more than human lives, after all.

Stumbling back towards the compound almost two full weeks after he had left, Tobirama might have predicted at most a heartfelt ‘thank you’ from the men and women he had liberated, though he honestly expected little more than a brief acknowledgement. He was shocked when one of them approached him in the evening to press their palm against the ink where Madara had drawn their clan symbol on his armor, barely visible after the wear and tear and blood of the mission but clinging to the protection of his fading stasis seal.

“This belongs to you,” she told him in a tired but grateful voice. Tobirama was so stunned he merely stood there like a jackass until the second person draw closer to them with a sheepish expression on his face.

“If I am honest,” the man said, “I thought Madara-sama was crazy when word spread that he had invited you to stay with us. Now I am glad. Tamiko is right, you belong with us now.”

Overwhelmed, Tobirama nodded wordlessly and chewed on the inside of his cheek. He wasn’t sure what to say in the face of such honest gratitude. With their leader as somewhat of a misguided exception, the Uchiha seemed to be much better at expressing themselves than the Senju, a strange turn of events considering which of the two clans was rumored to draw their strength from the power of their love. By the time they set off the next morning Tobirama had been personally thanked by the other two rescues as well and all four of them were speaking to him with the ease of lifelong companions.

Such a visible sign that they trusted him as one of their own left him reeling for most of the journey back home, though they didn’t seem bothered by his lack of conversation. For the most part they seemed to take it in stride and he realized that they had come to know him as a man who chose not to partake in most idle chatter – and they seemed oddly fine with that. Tobirama found himself baffled when each of them began finding excuses to reach out and brush their fingers against him even as they talked amongst themselves, the same way that Madara and Izuna had been doing for months now, accepting him as he preferred to be without trying to force him to socialize in the way they enjoyed for themselves.

He would admit that it was nice – more than nice, an incredible gift actually – but it was still a relief to shut himself away in the privacy of the house that he had come to think of as his own, completely dark this late at night and free of anyone but the two men he felt safest with. Both of his housemates would be well asleep at this hour though so he made sure to keep his footsteps silent when he entered, depositing his armor on one of the stands by the front door. Shadows guided his path as he made his way through the halls and he had already begun tugging at the obi securing his underpadding when he stepped in to the bedroom he’d been given all the way back when he had still been considered a prisoner.

Then he stopped. Stared. Tried to comprehend.

Why was Madara sleeping in his bed?

Actually it was more that the man was sleeping on top of the bed rather than in it, curled up with his head on the pillow and the blankets undisturbed beneath him. His hands were both fisted tightly and his brows pinched together in a worried expression that made Tobirama’s fingers itch to smooth out the wrinkles even as he stood there wondering what to do with this surprise he had found.

Should he wake Madara up? Or should he just go sleep on the couch for a night and ask his questions in the morning? Both options promised to end with an awkward conversation but at least one of them meant that he would get to sleep right away rather than suffer that awkwardness before he was rested enough to deal with it.

The decision was taken out of his hands when the idiot in his bed stirred and gave a sleepy moan, one hand coming up to scratch at his unshaven cheek with a quiet rasp. Then he cracked an eye open and went still upon seeing Tobirama there with him. Quite likely it was his very presence that had woken the man from his dreams, their chakra reacting to each other unconsciously. Considering the fact that he had just been thinking about his own need to rest Tobirama almost felt a little bad for disturbing the man’s sleep. It didn’t look like he’d been getting much since the last time they saw each other.

“You’re home,” came the sleepy murmur of greeting.

“Sorry I’m later than expected. Things got a bit out of control for a while there. Everything’s fine now, though, and everyone made it home alright. I can give you a full report in the morning if you like.”

“C’m’ere.” Madara motioned him closer with a floppy hand waving in his vague direction. Tobirama folded one leg underneath himself to sit down next to the man’s form, curious and confused and startled more than anything by how much the image of Madara in his bed struck a few very significant chords inside him. Something that felt like possessiveness rose up in approval until he almost wanted to puff his chest out with pride. Which was absolutely ridiculous. What, precisely, was he proud of right at this moment? That he owned a bed so comfortable other people wanted to sleep in it too?

Memories of a whispered conversation he was never meant to hear dangled just out of reach where he still had yet to properly deal with them. Tobirama judiciously turned his mind’s eye away from them to concentrate on the sleepy fingers reaching out blindly to feel around for a grip on his dusty sleeve.

Then he was startled more than ever when he was pulled down to rest on the pillow, his body instinctively tensing for a fight until Madara rolled over to sprawl on top of his chest. With all of his senses on high alert for the smallest movement he was only just able to hear the soft inhale of Madara taking in his scent before the man melted over him in an all too familiar way – although this was definitely a less familiar backdrop for their almost ritual habit of cuddling. And he certainly couldn’t remember ever stretching out on their backs together in such a deliberate manner.

“Worried,” came the slurred explanation. “Missed you. Welcome home.” Tobirama set his eyes on the ceiling and told himself to keep it together.

“Do you wait like this in his bed when Izuna goes away too?” He asked. Madara nodded and gave an affirmative hum and he wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or not. “Are you going to fall asleep on me now?”

“Mhm. Keep safe.” By the way his sentences were so broken and each syllable slurred together it was obvious he wasn’t quite fully awake, already slipping back in to unconsciousness even as he spoke. The grip of his fingers was still pretty strong where he had attached himself to Tobirama’s shirt and buried his face against what he apparently deemed to be a pleasant scent. He looked much too adorable to so much as consider disturbing him.

“I’m safe,” Tobirama assured him, capitulating before he could allow himself to consider the implications of allowing this to happen. “Go back to sleep.”

That was all the convincing he needed to do. Madara was out like a light a moment later and Tobirama realized too late they were still on top of the blankets instead of underneath them. It took only a simple kage bunshin to fix that part, sending his copy over to steal an extra blanket from the pile of them kept in the living room, and had the added benefit of testing out a jutsu he still hadn’t worked out all the kinks for. As for the problem of what he would do when Madara woke up again and it really registered that they had spent the night cuddling in his bed, that would have to wait until the next morning. He was far too comfortable himself now to do anything about it.

Ignoring the fact that he hadn’t even had a chance to remove his travel clothes, nor had he had a chance to bathe and probably stunk to the high heavens, Tobirama closed his eyes to shut out the world and settled his arms around Madara’s shoulders. Cuddling in a bed shouldn’t be any different than cuddling on the couch. Just this once Tobirama allowed himself to reach for sleep without overanalyzing the situation, enjoying the way Madara felt against him without guilt and leaving his worries for tomorrow.

[darkspellmaster]

Sailor Senshi and Shitennou Romance Essay -Introduction

(Warning. Due to the way Tumblr Mobile is working for me there may not be a read more on the mobile version of this essay. I do have one up on the computer version of the program, but apologies for anyone reading this on mobile. I’m still trying to work out how to make this work better for the readers there. I may have to eventually set it up where there’s a mobile only blog…but until then…yeah…still working this all out. )

For those who don’t care about the above, skip down to the info below the picture.

Where to even being with this. I suppose I should start as to why I would even do an analysis on the romances here, given that they were very limited in scope of the story proper. We only really got a quasi-detailed account of Kunzite and Venus from Sailor V and the main Sailor Moon Manga. Yet, it seemed to be that, even despite not being able to write about the romance in her work, (due to either her own issues with writing long works. (Something that Ms. Takauchi has mentioned in interviews before), or the story proper not being able to facilitate a longer narrative for the romantic structure (it’s a Tokusatsu after all)), Ms. Takauchi still seemed to want to have those romances in some way. If you look at her artwork and some later stories –such as Casablanca Lilies and the short story about Sailor Moon’s other child (which is non cannon) –we know that she does have focus on the girls love lives.

For me the most interesting aspect about these possible romances is the way it connects to the older stories from not only the west with Selena and Endymion, which formed the bases of the romance with Usagi and Mamoru, but also the Eastern tales of lost romance. Specifically the story of Tanabata Festival, Princess Kaguya, and possibly the story of the crane wife (usually it has a story with a celestial being falling in love with a mortal man). The reason I’m equating them to these stories is how they end up being both sad yet romantic in some ways and in some cases there are some aspects of a happy ending, within the context of how the Japanese see a happy ending.

For the story of the Crane wife, normally it tells of how a young farmer discovered a woman bathing in a pond and he fell in love with her. He discovered she had a cloak that was magic and took it with him hiding it from her after the woman has fallen in love with him. Eventually after a while of them being married and her having a child with the man, the woman becomes more and more depressed over something. Then one day, either she or her child discovers the robes and changes back leaving the man and the child. Or the man never knew she was a crane or a celestial being and he discovers this one night after coming in on her wearing her robes, and because of this she has to leave his side and return home.

On the flip side is the Princess Kaguya story where she came to earth to learn to be a human, but didn’t want to fall in love, and eventually returns to the moon against her will mostly because the moon goddess missed her.

Finally, you have the story of Tanabata, which is based on an older Chinese story of Qixi. The story goes something like this, there’s a princess named Orihime who is the daughter of the Sky King Tentei and she used to weave clothing on the banks of the Milky way river for her father. So the princess was sad that she could not fall in love because she was always making her dad clothing. Her dad, feeling sorry for her, decided to invite a boy that he knew named Hikoboshi, who was a cowherd that worked on the other side of the river. The two met and fell in love and married. However because they got married and were together all the time both neglected their work, so Tentei ended up splitting them apart. This eventually led to Orihime begging her father to allow them to be together. Tentei was so moved by his daughter’s tears and words that he agreed to let them meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month as long as she finished her weaving. As such, the two were going to meet but there was no bridge, but a bunch of magpies created one for her so that she could cross over to him and be happy for a while.  

Oddly enough, the story was used in a Chibiusa Picture Diary story, but that’s not where the importance lies.

So how do these three stories fit into the idea of the knights and the Scouts and their romance and why? It’s not uncommon in Japan to rely upon older stories for crafting new stories for Shojo writers. Typically, it can come from the west or the east, but a lot of ideas from the idea of true love tends to derive from older stories and legends that have been passed on, much like western fairytales, and in the case of Sailor moon, a lot of the idea of legends are pulled into a new form. As I mentioned the three stories are an influence in the work, and there are strong hints through Usagi and Mamoru’s romance about their relationship hinting at these three works, along with the Selena story.

You have the idea of the Prince and Princess being from worlds apart, which connect to the legends surrounding the Crane Wife, and partly the tale of Kaguya. More frequently, you have the fact that the two end up with each other for a while, but the celestial being is normally not supposed to be with a mortal human. The Tanabata legend is deeply invested in the story as the two lovers that we see are not only from different places, thus split by the space between them, but their world is pulled apart by the actions of others. In the case of Orihimi and Hikoboshi (Vega and Altair), we see her father break them up via the river that is the Milky way, in the case of Serenity and Endymion, it’s the actions of Queen Beryl that split them apart.

This can also correlate to the other girls in various ways, since we see that they too met with the Knights and fell in love, as per Venus explaining. Which brings up the idea that Ms. Takauchi probably wasn’t just thinking about how the tale pertained to just one person, but how it could affect others who met too and fell in love. This also I have to say brings us to the idea of the Tokusatsu aspect of the series. Most notable is that the Sentai at the time before Sailor moon was created did have an additional soap opera like subplot, and typically revolved around the main lead and either a girl fiend that they had to deal with, or another member of the team was the love interest. I get the feeling that Ms. Takuchi was wondering what would happen if all the members of a team were in love and got to deal with relationships as typically the other members of the five man band Sentai (Ranger) team were only there for support.

If we go on the idea that the groups were to be reunited as one unit either as a heart-breaking situation where they were parted later on. Or as a possible happy ending where they stood as a group against the darkness from evil then one could assume that this could be very much like the Tanabata legend, with the idea that each of the girls would go on a journey to connect with their own Hikoboshi. This idea could also be connected to the aspect of a team up deal going on, which happened in Sentai (not as much as now but it did happen in the 90s) where either a former team would pair up with the new group, or some of the villains would side with the heroes to deal with a bigger bad. Throw in there the fact that dramatic stories typically were part of the takarazuka review, something which Ms. Takuchi drew inspiration from and you have an easy conception of how that could lead to her wanting to explore not only the relationships of her main lovers. But, also how their helpers could benefit or grow from a relationship with someone who either was different from them, or similar in ways to understand their situations. And in the case of the Star crossed Lovers, how they could be ripped apart in a way that could affect them enough to try to save their former allies/friends/lovers.

When the first Art book came out for Sailor Moon, fans were a bit surprised, or not surprised, to discover the image of Sailor Moon with Tuxedo Mask, and alongside them the Senshi with the Shitennou, as former guards of the Prince. And what’s really interesting is how she chose to set them up on the page and the way they look, particularly their body language.

So to start out with you have the main couple of Usagi and Mamoru. Now this one could be explained very easily but there’s more to the positions. Every artist finds a position that they like and nothing is done without taking into account how the image is going to look and turn out.

So you have Usagi (or the Princess) sleeping on the moon, curled up almost childlike in her innocence, holding a crown as Mamoru leans over, hand on the side of the moon, pushing her hair back and leaning in for a kiss.

The thing that stands out for me in this moment is the fact that she is resting like a kid in a bed, unaware of him leaning in for the kiss, indicating that she’s very innocent and pure in all this, and the kiss itself is going for her cheek rather than her lips, showing a very chaste moment. And there’s a reason for that, given that the readers of this series were mostly younger girls the idea of a more innocent love would appeal to them, and that links back to the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi and how their love was seen as far more innocent in nature.

Also her sleeping beauty like pose would imply that this is dream like in nature, and very much a fairy tale, so you have that going on there as well. I really don’t want to get into the whole history of Sleeping beauty here because there’s a LOT to dissect with that, but the over all tone of the moment is something pure that is happening between them.

We also see her holding her crown, which she never wears in the series proper, but it’s to indicate that she is seen as a royal and that at the moment she isn’t being the princess here, and it’s a moment of respite that she’s taking. Mamoru stealing a kiss is showing that he’s invested in her and that he finds her resting like this cute and wants to show her affection for it.

From the top we have Venus and Kunzite, and automatically you can see his hands are around her waist holding her close. This is typically seen as a reverse hug and is used to show affection and trust between two partners. It’s interesting that they have the most intimate, or second most intimate position in the group of guardians. Venus for her part is holding a staff, and has her finger to her lips, indicating quiet or a secret. Honestly to me it could play as her saying “Shhh, the princess is asleep” or the idea that the romances are a secret thing, which ties in with part of the Chinese version of the Tanabata myth where the marriage between the two lovers was done outside of the view of the gods.

The fact that she’s leaning into him, and he’s resting his chin, lower cheek area, on her head, shows they have a comfort with one another. He’s allowing her to lean on him for support and she feels close enough to him to let him rest his head on her, showing a warmth and affection between them that probably is very strong and understanding. And it makes sense given their roles as leaders as well as their titles. Venus being the guardian of love and beauty (as well as light) and Kunzite being the Knight of Purity (Virtue) and Affection, both having an understanding of deeper love and devotion, and loyalty.

I should note here that his hands are wrapped around her waist and interlocking showing that he has not only a protective grip on her, but one that is keeping her close to him, showing a lot more passion and ardor for her then we may see in his face. He’s enjoying having her locked up next to him, and his face shows this. 

The way that they’re set up at least tells me in this case that their relationship was certainly more of a public display of attraction and affection, given that Kunzite was shown to have teased her several times in the manga and the implication there was he was attracted to what he saw in her. Clearly Venus could see both of his sides, and the idea that he was very much a noble prince like figure himself must have caught her attention.

On the other hand, you have the next one down being Mars and Jadeite, and their position. While Venus and Kunzite seem way more casual, Jadeite and Mars instead have a very regal demeanor to them. Both are smiling forward with Mars leaning back onto Jadeite’s arm, which is supporting her. Glancing to the right side of the picture his hand is cupping hers, and this is something that is kind of different in what it means in body language.

This gesture is more or less a passive hand hold, with a bit of a “my lady” gesture thrown in there. What does that mean? Well Passive hand holds usually indicate that neither one of you is clingy in the relationship, meaning that there’s a great deal of trust there and a peace between the partners that neither feels that they have to be aggressive or dominate in a traditional way. It also indicates that there’s ground rules that were set and boundaries that are in play between them. It’s also seen as a tender sweet sort of hand hold, indicating that there’s a closeness, but one that doesn’t have to be showy in nature or inappropriate affection.

Her smile is soft and delicate, not trying to be outwardly showy, while his is calm and kind and you can see it in his eyes that he’s glad to be with her at the moment and happy about it. Again, as I said in my commentary about him, Jadeite is probably the most friendly of the group, and his smile shows a warmth to his face, clear that he’s devoted to the woman that he has next to him. 

And that fits right into Jadeite and Mars in that both are calm people who prefer a peaceful situation, and probably neither feels that they have to be very vocal in their feelings as both are spiritual on different levels and, given Mars role in the scouts, it’s not surprising that she wouldn’t show her feelings loudly. What’s also interesting is that that the My Lady hand hold is one of the most regale, and usually used for wedding pictures and the like. Typically it shows that a relationship is vital, firm and has equal protectiveness from both partners.

Mars hand is cupped in his in a way that shows it looking smaller, giving her a dainty like figure, but at the same time it’s in a loose fist so it shows a strength there as well, and Jadeite’s hand is curved around it, showing that he’s supporting that strength. This hand hold is seen as showing a very healthy relationship, a bond of respect, and that the romance is founded on trust and adoration. It’s interesting to note that Jadeite is supporting her on that arm as well, showing an almost half hug, and indicating that he’s got her back if she ever needs the help on something.

On the opposite hand you have what one might call a palm facing down hold. It’s an interesting way of putting their hands here and telling of a lot of things. For one thing typically it’s the guy who’s holding the girl’s hand with the palm down, but in the case, it’s Mars that has the more dominate stance here, showing that she’s protective of him, and because their hands are lightly touching this means that she’s also gentle in her actions. It also shows she’s the one that has the more dominant role in the relationship, which makes sense seeing as her powers of fire probably trump his ice powers. It also shows a bit of independence between them and that both have a strong trust in one another that they don’t always have to be joined at the hip. Given both their personalities, it’s not a surprise that Mars and Jadeite would be the least likely to outwardly show their love in large displays, but rather softer quieter moments.

From the regal to the more flirty in nature, looking down from Mars and Jadeite you see Jupiter and Nephrite. And this is a couple that probably has more moments of displays of affection then the others outright, even Kunzite and Venus. You might be wondering why I would think that, well their stance says a lot about their relationship.

To start with you have Jupiter, like Venus, leaning into Nephrite, and pressing against his chest, meaning that she feels close enough to him to want to be near him and probably they have a very warm affection towards one another. His head is tilted down into her ponytail, and normally when someone does that they’re  indicating that they’re showing a nurturing and intimate gesture that shows affection and protectiveness, and a close emotional bond that indicates the person is there for the other.  Jupiter for her part is winking and has his hand up to her lips kissing it. It’s all very intimate in nature and for a reason. Both characters are comforters in their own way as Jupiter is the most sensitive and understanding when it comes to emotions of others around her, and Nephrite is the Knight of Comfort.

Looking at them it’s an interesting set up here. You have Nephrite in a pose that says he’s trusting and comforting Jupiter, letting her lean on him, and knowing that he’s here to help her out. At the same time her leaning against him tells him that she cares deeply about him and enjoys being with him. She’s even winking, showing that they’re keeping something secret together and it’s almost like she’s teasing the reader in some way to learn more about their relationship.

The hands are an interesting story too. He’s brought her hand up to her heart and is holding it there. This could mean a lot of things, but the most likely is that it’s showing a sign of protection, strong bonds, and a deep attraction, indicating that they both are connected by their heart and desire to use that part of themselves to be with those that they love and care about. There is a huge amount of intimacy with that motion, and showing that there’s a lot of affection that drives these two as a couple. The fact that she trusts him enough to be that close to her body in a physical way indicates via body language that there’s a deeper connection between the two. It’s also seen as a romantic gesture.

On the other hand you have Jupiter kissing his fingers while he’s passively holding up his hand to her in an upward movement which means that to Nephrite he has a lot of trust in her and is willing to be a more passive gentle person around her, while she’s more playful. Kissing a hand shows there’s admiration, tenderness, and a desire for love. There’s also trust on the part of the giver, and a sense of respect, adoration, kindness, and in this case a playful flirty-ness that shows that the two are more likely to show displays of affection frequently and willingly.

When you look to the right of Nephrite and Jupiter you come across the couple that I think has the most interesting relationship, Mercury and Zoisite. It’s a very different stance then the other couples. Whereas Jupiter and Venus are leaning on their partners, and Mars is on Jadeite’s arm. Mercury while leaning on one side of Zoisite, is partly being hugged by him with one arm, at the same time he has his hand loosely around her wrist as she holds it up, pulling him closer to her, and on their opposite hands, which are straight out, his hand is firmly in the other in an almost princely like pose.

What stands out for me in this case, after looking up about the hand holding positions, is how actually intimate and passionate these gestures actually are for these two characters. With their faces it’s an interesting juxtaposition. Mercury doesn’t smile that brightly often, and when she does you know she’s happy about something. Whereas Zoisite hardly ever seems to smile, and the fact that his eyes show a smile to them while he’s holding her shows that he’s happy in this moment. Not to mention that she’s tipping her head towards him indicating that she feels comfortable and safe with him and trusting too boot.

Their hands are also interesting, the first pair on the left is a sort of wrist hold. Zoisite has his arm over her in a protective way, and is lightly holding her wrist. This normally indicates a passionate and more intimate relationship, one where the partners need to be around one another. It also shows an urgency and trust between them in a different way. With both being a bit distant when it comes to showing off emotions in high ways, and reliant on their smarts, is it any wonder that their bodies show more about their feelings then what they say. The way Zoisite has his hand over her shows he’s protective of her, and needs to keep her close to him.

To the right her hand is being grasped firmly in his, in a “My lady” like firm hold. Usually this indicates some possessiveness, but also a healthy one based on trust and honor, as well as respect and admiration. It also shows a desire to stay with the person, given the firmness of the grip and the fact that he has his hand over hers also indicates he’s very protective of her and is serious about his feelings towards her.

Mercury’s smile is all you need to see she’s happy and that she enjoys being with him.

I’ll end the intro here, but my plan is to go deeper into these four relationships if I can and think about how they worked and could work in the modern age.