#Ritsu Sohma

[natade-art]

i love to rewatch my earliest anime and be deeply disappointed. anyways /i/ know the most important part of furuba

[whoishotteranimepolls]

"Who's Hotter?" Pride Month Event: Canon Gender Non-conforming

[ghostietea]

It's been 10 years since I first read my favorite manga ✨🩷

[mrsmarymorstan]

Went to MCM on Friday and managed to get my Art Book signed by a bunch of the English Dub Cast 🥰

[metallica-nero]

° 。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °

Fruits Basket Wallpaper

° Feel free to use

[landofanimes]

Fruits Basket 2nd Season

[colourful-light3215]

[cinderella-ish]

Fruits Basket Queer Headcanons

The more I watch and read Fruits Basket, the more I get the sense that no one is straight here. Well... almost no one. So, in honor of pride month, here are my queer headcanons for the cast of Fruits Basket!

(Disclaimer that these are my own personal headcanons, obviously nothing official, etc... I try to draw on evidence from the text, but I'll admit I'm occasionally going purely off vibe. Also, I'm bi and genderfluid, so that's the lens I'm bringing to this. I'd love to hear your headcanons, especially if they differ from mine! Enjoy!)

Genderfluid and/or genderqueer: Ayame and Ritsu

I (probably somewhat controversially) think a lot of the gender non-conformity among Fruits Basket characters is just that: gender non-conformity. Momiji is one example; he dresses in girls' clothing (though not "like a girl") until his growth spurt, but it seems important to him to be seen as a man from at least that point forward.

Ritsu is someone whose gender identity and/or nonconformity really should've been explored more in the manga - as written, it feels like Ritsu's exploration of gender was viewed as something he'd grow out of, rather than a search for understanding himself. He doesn't really seem to mind being identified as either male or female, though he obviously feels a lot of shame about his comfort with wearing women's clothes (though no one around him when we meet him really seems to mind, which is nice-- I also appreciate that Ritsu was shown to have friends who adore him outside of the Sohmas). Anyway, the fact that he seems okay with being referred to as both a man and a woman is the entire basis for this headcanon.

Ritsu also idolizes Ayame, and I think part of this stems from Ayame's own security in his non-traditional gender presentation. We don't really get a lot of Ayame's thoughts on gender, despite his line of work, but he strikes me as the sort of person who would enjoy playing with his own gender presentation and would be more than open to exploring his gender identity (and probably has!). I think Ayame would lean more toward having an expansive view of masculinity rather than dressing more feminine when he feels more feminine, but I also think he would embrace the different ways people might perceive his gender.

Transgender Woman: Akito Sohma

This I think is quite clear in canon. Akito was assigned male at birth, then transitioned to female.

What makes it hard for some people to see Akito as trans is that the reason she was assigned male at birth was not the typical reason people are assigned male at birth in our world (it was her mother's demand, rather than a guess based on the shape of her genitals), but I don't think that makes her any less trans.

Under the Ace and/or Aro Umbrellas

This umbrella is a little tricky for several of these characters, because they've been forbidden from dating, or had very controlling parents, or thought they'd only hurt anyone they loved, so they haven't necessarily had time to figure out whether they've just repressed that part of themselves or they just don't experience attraction at all/without a strong emotional connection first. (Not everyone needs time to figure that out, though!) But anyway, here's who I think would eventually find themselves under at least one of these umbrellas!

Asexual/Aromantic: Kazuma

I love the tidbit that Kazuma tried dating women, but talked so much about Kyo that he never got a second date. I like the interpretation of him as a gay man, but to me, he reads as asexual/aromantic. Dating just doesn't even seem to be on his radar!

Demisexual/Demiromantic: Kyo, Shigure, Machi

A lot of the fandom sees Kyo as demi, and I'm totally here for that interpretation of him. He generally seems annoyed by or frightened of girls who aren't Tohru (frightened either when there's a risk of transforming, or when Kagura is involved). Also, it's CUTE that Kyo takes after his dad (Kazuma) in this way.

At first blush, it seems very unlikely Shigure is under the ace umbrella, but I couldn't stop thinking about his brief relationship with Mayu. He's the one who suggested they date, yet he seemed completely disinterested in her. He did sleep with Ren, but that was only for revenge and because he imagined Akito would look like her if she'd been allowed to grow up as a woman. I genuinely believe all his "high school girls" ickiness was an act, much like most of his personality.

It doesn't seem like Machi can totally tell if/when she likes something (or someone!). This makes me wonder if she's just never had feelings for anyone before Yuki.

Demiromantic: Rin, Hiro

Rin seems open to sexual relations with people other than Haru, but I genuinely can't see her having romantic feelings for anyone other than him. I see Hiro similarly with respect to Kisa. I think, if they ever split, it would take an extremely long time for him to even be open to falling for someone else.

Under the Bi/Pan+ Umbrella

So, I'm not making a distinction between these two (and other orientations that fall under the same umbrella, like poly- or omnisexual) because that seems like a very personal, internal conversation. I know some people make a distinction between the way bi and pan people experience attraction, but some don't, and that feels too prescriptivist for my purposes here. So, these are characters who I think experience attraction to multiple genders!

Tohru obviously falls for Kyo, but she also thinks Akito is cute, she thinks Rin is "shapely" and "beautiful" (her words!), and she goes along with it when Saki talks about them getting married.

Yuki ends up with Machi (and I love them together!) but I think Kyo was his first crush. His arc is also very relatable for a lot of queer folks (myself included!). And he's a disaster. Long live bisexual disaster Yuki Sohma!

Shigure is tricky, because the flirtation between him and Ayame could just be a joke, but I personally think it's a joke that arose out of some fun nights spent together...

Akito obviously likes men, but she also flirts with Tohru when they first meet.

Saki talks about marrying both Tohru and Kazuma. She's probably joking about Kazuma, but she's generally a very literal person, so I don't think she's joking about Tohru. She also marries a foreigner canonically, and that foreigner is probably a man.

Momiji talks about finding an amazing sweetheart-- not an amazing wife or girlfriend!!-- one day. I think he was being very intentional in not specifying his future partner's gender.

Hatori is the one I feel least sure of, but my headcanon is that he gets so annoyed and embarrassed by Shigure and Ayame because he doesn't want anyone to know he was totally part of at least a few of those trysts...

Mutsuki and Hajime are definitely together, right? And it seems like the fandom mostly sees Mutsuki as bi, which... yeah, that tracks.

Hatsuharu's first love was Yuki, and his last love was Rin.

Kakeru has a girlfriend, but for some reason, I have it in my head that he always refers to Kyo as Yuki's "hot cousin"? Did I just imagine that? Anyway... even if I did make that up, I think his backstory is a great analogy for the experience of coming out. He was trying to fit in a box and decided he was done with it. Pure chaotic bi energy.

For Ayame, see Shigure and Hatori above. (Also, “I am a bottom ALL THE WAY!!!”)

Mine is admittedly here just based on vibes.

Mitsuru likes Ritsu even though she's not entirely sure of Ritsu's gender!

Kimi is also here purely based on vibes.

Gay and Lesbian

Hiroshi has always struck me as gay. I can't really explain it. I usually have absolutely awful gaydar, so it's odd that he gives me such clear gay vibes. I wrote him as gay in my longfic, Bloom Within Us, and I'll probably always write him as gay.

President Takei obviously has a crush on Yuki. We don't really see him show interest in anyone else (partially because he's such a minor character). He also seems to still be a bachelor in Another, which could be because he can't legally marry yet...

My headcanon that Kunimitsu is gay kind of popped up as I was writing Bloom Within Us. There's no particular reason, and he doesn't give me strong gay vibes or anything.

Hajime and Mutsuki are definitely a couple! (Right?!) And it seems like most of the fandom sees Hajime as gay which... yeah, I can get behind that.

Akimoto (Arisa's senpai from her gang) is another character who gives me such strong vibes that I thought it was canon that she was a lesbian. Whoops. Anyway, I headcanon that Akimoto is gay, and referenced that in one of my oneshots.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Controversial omission: Arisa Uotani. She says she likes Kureno because he reminds her of Tohru, but she doesn't like Tohru? Yes, she gives me major queer vibes but this to me points to her being straight. Also, based on the way she reacts to her friends developing crushes or falling in love (and the way they react to her falling in love), I don't think there's anything between her and Saki or her and Tohru (as much as I love fics that pair her with Saki!). I also think not every relationship with lots of physical affection and strong feelings of love has to be romantic.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading my queer headcanons! This has been in my drafts for months, so I'm really glad Pride Month gave me a reason to finish this post!

Happy Pride!

[lilium-dragomir]

[aretheyqueer]

Is she a trans girl?

disclaimer: this is a hc, not speculating on what the writers intentions were.

reason: She prefers to wear women’s clothing throughout the show and has talked about how whenever she didn’t wear them she felt uncomfortable. She talked about how her family was always apologizing for her and how she tried to stop presenting more feminine for them, but she couldn’t because she felt much more comfortable and like herself in woman’s clothes.

[triptychgrip]

Fic Recs (January 2025)

Long post ahead!

Every month this year, I'm hoping to post a list of fic recs from the 2 fandoms I primarily write/read for: Yuri!!! on Ice and Fruits Basket (though a few others might sneak in here and there, like His Dark Materials and Angels Before Man). 

I'll definitely still reblog promo posts from authors directly, but this monthly rec list will mostly be to spread the word about stories for which the author doesn't appear to be on Tumblr.

In that vein, I'm going to try and prioritize reccing 1) WIPs/recently written stories (i.e. things that have been published or which have been updated within the last year) and/or 2) NSFW fics, since those don't seem to get as much love as they should! (And by that I mean I feel like ppl are shy about admitting they read/enjoy smut, so this is just one small part of my own journey to free myself of deeply entrenched Catholic guilt lol)

If something is a WIP, I'll note that in bold/purple next to the author, and if something is NSFW, I'll note that in bold/red, also next to the author. If you happen to check any of these out and think I've missed including important tags or notes, feel free to let me know.

Oh, and I feel the need to make the disclaimer that there's no way I can list everything I've enjoyed reading lately (even just formatting these 8 recs nearly killed me), so I hope no one takes this as an exhaustive compilation.

That being said, I have been trying to get better at updating My Bookmarks, so maybe you'll find something you like there. For now, I only (publicly) bookmark completed fics, but this will be changing soon.

With that out of the way, below the cut are 8 stories I discovered recently that I think deserve more attention.

Yuri!!! on Ice Recs

1)  warm velvet skin (6K, by Oceankings) - NSFW

Relevant Ships/Tags: Viktor/Yuuri, Porn Without Plot, Dom/sub Undertones 

I know not everyone is into this, but when I'm reading smut I want the full play-by-play and tons of detail, and this fic does such an IMMACULATE job of really setting the scene vividly, while also having great pacing. This is a porn without plot fic featuring Dom Yuuri/sub Viktor, and their first time making a full-length video of themselves in the bedroom. The trust Viktor has in Yuuri is just so, so good, and I love how unabashedly into each other they are.

Note: you have to be a registered user on ao3 in order to view this fic

Excerpt: 

“Keep your hands to yourself tonight.” Yuuri murmurs against his lips. They’re not so much kissing as Yuuri is resting his lips against Victor’s. They share the same air but Victor would love nothing more than to be consumed in a kiss with Yuuri again.

His gaze flickers over the camera where the red recording light blinks at them still. He’d almost forgotten about its presence, becoming so distracted by Yuuri just being there. Seeing it wracks his whole body in a shiver and he stutters out a breath.

“I won’t touch myself.” The words are out of his mouth before he has the chance to think twice. It’s not until a few moments later that he realizes this is going to be torture. The chance to get to prove how obedient he is for Yuuri on camera barely fuels him forward.

Yuuri smiles and pecks him twice on the lips in reward. “I know you’ll do well, Vitya.” The phrase has its intended results and Victor manages to buck himself up against Yuuri one last time before he’s moving away.

2) Skaterview (13K, by skippingmud) - WIP 

Relevant Ships/Tags: Phichit & Yuuri, Viktor/Yuuri, Phichit/Seung-Gil, Fluff, Interviews, Slow Burn

I LOVE social-media and interview-based fics, and have really been enjoying this WIP. It features Yuuri and Phichit as college students who start a YouTube channel (called ShallWeSkate) as part of an assignment for one of Phichit's classes. 

What starts as a way for them to react candidly to watching their favorite skaters in competition later evolves to their conducting 'skaterviews': interviews with their idols! Once they create the channel and interview Leo de la Iglesia for their first skaterview, ShallWeSkate takes off in popularity, and it's so fun to read about in-universe figure skating fans FREAKING OUT on YouTube over both how talented a team Yuuri/Phichit are, as well as their proximity to their faves. 

Note: Tumblr formatting hates me, so in the below excerpt, I wasn't able to include the underlines that skippingmud has in their fic for the YouTube commenters; in the actual fic itself, the formatting looks much neater/polished than it does in this post

Excerpt (from Chapter 3):

You should spend some time in front of the camera, too!” Guang Hong added. “I didn’t see you in Leo’s video at all.”

“Come on, Yuuri, it’ll be our treat!” Leo insisted. “You deserve it for all the hard work.”

Phichit beamed when his roommate eventually agreed, though he wasn’t really surprised—neither of them were about to say no to eating with two people they were big fans of.

[Photo of four hands side by side, each holding a piece of crepe that was wrapped and packed to look like a burrito. The photo only shows up to the tops of their wrists.]

Liked by leodelaiglesia and 213 others

phichit+chu Food trip! 🌯 #ShallWeSkate

leodelaiglesia: Let’s do it again sometime!

leodelalala: Leftmost one is Phichit, the one next to him is Leo, and rightmost one is Yuuri. Who’s the fourth one?

guang-gang: i know that wrist anywhere!!! tell me my bby guang hong is the next skaterview!!!

gia-come-tti: @guang-gang how the fuck were you able to recognize guang hong’s wrist

guang-gang: @gia-come-tti it’s just like how you’d be able to recognize christophe’s ass in any picture!!!

gia-come-tti: @guang-gang touché, but a wrist?

guang-gang: @gia-come-tti ok the crepe was a giveaway coz that’s his favorite food and he’s training with leo in detroit rn so it was easy to connect the dots!!!

3) Mare incognitum (5K, by carnivores) - NSFW

Relevant Ships/Tags: Viktor/Yuuri, Dark Viktor Nikiforov, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Religious Imagery & Symbolism

As someone raised in a devout Catholic family (don't worry, I've deconstructed all that shit...slowly and painfully), I am such a sucker for religious symbolism fics and this story fulfilled my every desire when it comes to moral ambiguity and metaphor.

Like, good GOD, where do I even begin with describing the prose? If you've read/liked Paradise Lost, I feel like this fic would cater perfectly to your interests. It's a Siren Victor AU, with Yuuri as a (devoutly religious) shepherd. If you're not a fan of florid/surrealist prose, then you might not enjoy this, but I personally loved the way this writer plays with language. Note: this fic is only available to view by registered users on the Archive 

Excerpt: 

Yuuri huffs, closing his jacket around him, sealing warmth in. The wind keeps whistling, frigid and raw.

“I’m not coming with you.”

Viktor pouts, and the ruby red of his lips is like a nauseating warning siren. He has always been unfathomably beautiful. 

“Then why should I do anything for you?”

Viktor begins to sing, husky from the saltwater he has breathed, eroding his throat like the grind of sand, and he reaches towards Yuuri. Light reflects against his sharply silver hair, a hazy spectral play of soft and rough light. He is ethereal. The crescendo of his song kisses across Yuuri’s skin, sharply, wetly; but Yuuri is a devoted man, and he does not make mistakes twice.

“Give Yuuko’s children back.” Yuuri demands starkly. His nails press crescent moons into the skin of his own palms in his pocket. He does not waver.

Viktor is incandescently delighted. “And so Eve came to bargain with the sea-snake?” He asks, mocking.

“No,” Yuuri says, eyes narrowing. “The sword of God comes to slay the Leviathan.”

4) The amtrak incident (12K, by eiua) - NSFW

Relevant Ships/Tags: Viktor/Yuuri, Alternate Universe - College/University, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Breaking Up & Making Up 

I've recc'd this author before and it's probably only a matter of time before I go through their entire Dashboard, lol. They do such a great job of weaving in humor and little details into their writing that really makes whatever fic-verse they create come to life. This particular story is an AU featuring Viktor and Yuuri as academics/colleagues at MIT (architecture/urban planning), and a few months into a relationship. However, Viktor's unmanaged ADHD leads to conflict, and this fic features an absolutely brilliant depiction of how he has to take accountability for a mistake he makes, and apologize to Yuuri. The genuine respect they have for one another is so wonderful!

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that their make-up sex is mind-meltingly hot ;)

Excerpt: 

What about conferences? Is he supposed to just watch as Yuuri networks at the bar or run into each other around town and act as if they’re just passing acquaintances when they have, as Chris would joke, known each other biblically? Viktor has never been religious but it’s no understatement to say he could understand worship a whole lot better after sleeping with Yuuri.

And Yuuri is a terrible flirt when he’s drunk. Viktor knows this firsthand. Is Viktor supposed to just turn a blind eye to that and ignore the bile rising in his throat when he sees Yuuri be chummy with someone else? What if Yuuri visits UCLA and reconnects with his poledancing Russian ex-girlfriend and moves away?

Let’s just be friends. No, Viktor can’t just be friends with him, not when their dogs are playmates and Yuuri shares Viktor’s dream of high speed rail in America. Yuuri’s so sweet and sassy too, under all the shyness, and lights a fire in Viktor’s soul when he gets talking about what rail infrastructure would be most cost effective with federal funding.

5) Unstoppable (29K, by Red_Saga) 

Relevant Ships/Tags: Viktor/Yuuri, Post-Canon, Injury Recovery, Supportive Viktor Nikiforov 

This story will almost certainly make you cry, but I promise it'll feel cathartic. This is a post-canon fic (disclaimer, I'm not yet done with it, but have read over half), in which Yuuri suffers a major injury that completely alters his life and career. To be clear: I'm not talking about a sprained ankle or even a torn meniscus, but a spinal injury that puts him in a wheelchair for life. 

As you might expect, this fic details his injury recovery and the process of him coming to terms with/grieving the changes in his life. As someone with a disability, I can be pretty picky about stories in which it's a major topic, so I really appreciate the intentional way this story is written in regards to that; you won't find any trauma porn here. 

Excerpt (from Chapter 3):

Hiroko clicked her tongue. “When you come home, I will make you katsudon.”

Yuuri felt a twinge of some complicated emotion - anticipation, regret, grief, gratitude - that made him feel a bit dizzy for a moment. He wasn’t a skater anymore. The old rules about diet no longer mattered. He would never earn another bowl of katsudon. It was the feeling of one more anchor to his old life breaking free.

It must have showed on his face, because Viktor reached out to squeeze his hand and Hiroko tutted again. “Getting better so you can leave this place is victory enough, I think.”

Viktor brightened up. “That’s right! Yuuri, we need to think of other victories to celebrate!”

“Like escaping the clutches of the doctors?” Yuuri asked, half amused half quizzical.

“Like graduating from physical therapy,” Viktor suggested.

“Like watching someone skate a program you choreographed,” Hiroko added.

Yuuri gaped at her in surprise. Choreograph a program? He’d never thought about - never seriously considered - 

But Hiroko reached out and tapped his hand with a smile. “I see you doing this very often,” she said, and Yuuri realized he had been skating his fingers idly across the surface of his tray table, subconsciously marking out turns, glides, jumps, spins. She bent to pull something from the large bag at her feet (Yuuri’s mother  - always prepared) and handed him a notebook of blank paper and a pen. “But maybe it will work better if you write it down,” she suggested.

Yuuri clutched the notebook in fingers that felt suddenly too hot. He thought he was probably blushing. 

6) Body Electric (3K, by LadyMerlin) - NSFW 

Relevant Ships/Tags: Viktor/Yuuri, Light D/s undertones, Overstimulation, Begging

When an overstim scene is done RIGHT, I just....adfljkasdflkajlfkdf!! Combined with some expert dirty talk from Dom Yuuri, this fic is EVERYTHING. I'm sorry that I don't have anything that eloquent to say here...it's just THAT good, to the point where I felt like I was in a stupor upon finishing it, haha. Note: you have to be a registered Archive user in order to view it

Excerpt:

Viktor made a sound like Yuuri had just stuck his fingers into his very soul and tried to shove back against Yuuri. He didn’t have much leverage so it wasn’t very effective, but Yuuri rewarded his enthusiasm by timing his thrusts together with his hand on Viktor’s cock so that Viktor was instantly at the the edge, constantly and overly stimulated, his voice breaking on the edge of a whine, crumbling into quiet sobbing.

Something snapped inside Yuuri and he started talking. “God, you’re so beautiful when you cry,” he said, low in his throat, picking up his pace. His own hips were beginning to ache and he couldn’t imagine how Viktor felt. “I love seeing you like this,” he continued when Viktor whimpered, “all wrecked and ruined.

Fruits Basket Recs

1) A Second Breath of Spring (11K, by ElvenQueen18) - WIP

Relevant Ships/Tags: Hatori/Kana, Amnesia, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending

Hatori lovers, and Hatori/Kana shippers, I think you'd adore this WIP (currently at 4 chapters), because it features a divergence from canon in which Kana doesn't completely forget her memories with him. Of course, this makes for a very confusing/heartbreaking situation for her,  given that she doesn't realize that the "daydreams" she's having of Hatori aren't actually daydreams at all, but rather, are memories of their relationship prior to the confrontation with Akito. The story is beautifully written, and you really feel for Kana as she navigates doing her best to find love, while having to contend with her mind pining for a man that she doesn't realize she once loved/was in love with her

Excerpt (from Chapter 2):

She kissed Hatori for the second time today, sweet and tender and filled to overflowing with all the feelings she had finally expressed out loud and now knew he reciprocated. She pulled away after a moment, still cradling his face, and watched as, through tearful eyes, he gazed at her like she’d just given him the world.

A lump formed in Kana’s throat as she drew back from Daisuke, her eyes stinging horribly. So she couldn’t even kiss her new boyfriend without fantasizing about him. Daisuke, for his part, continued smiling, so he apparently failed to notice her current mood. Or maybe he thinks the sun’s bothering me, she thought as she blinked several more times. She could only hope, she supposed.

“I’ll see you soon,” he told her.

She forced out a hum of agreement before they exchanged farewell bows and went their separate ways for the evening. As she entered the building, rode the elevator to her floor, and opened the door to her one-room apartment, the stinging in her eyes grew worse.

2) Self Mutilator/Holic (5K, orphan account) - NSFW

Relevant Ships/Tags: Akito/Akito, Selfcest, Body Horror, Character Study 

I honestly don't even know where to begin with a blurb for this story; this is one of the most hauntingly beautiful fics I've ever read that touches upon Akito's relationship to gender. There are times when reading this doesn't even feel real, because the way the prose draws you in makes you feel like you're living out a horror movie (but in the very best way). I was enraptured the entire time I was reading.

Excerpt:

Back in her consciousness she sees a demon in a lair, hiding in the darkness and lying in wait. A demon with hair like an ink spill, shiny dark locks reflecting the pale sweet moonlight. 

She sees the demon in the shape of a woman, a beautiful woman with an ample bosom and an elegant shape, clad in a clinging gown the colour of nightshade. A demon with dark eyes that glimmer with mirth, and a twisted smile marring its face. 

Its laughter rings like a twinkling bell through the confines of the room, but it isn’t alone. 

The demons nails are filed sharp like talons, claws made to tear into vulnerable flesh, to shred and rip. A demon’s claws, made for killing and ruining. And yet, these clawed hands are cradling  ever so gently and sweetly—the head of the other Akito. 

The male Akito, who leans lovingly into the demon’s clutches. He’s laughing too, a dark, heaving laugh from the low caverns in his flat chest, a laugh that sounds beautiful along with the bright and high tone of the demon’s giggling. 

Shameless self-promotion: If you've made it all the way to the end of this, I hope you won't mind my reccing my own fanfic. In particular, if you need a reprieve from The Ongoing Horrors, I very recently published this 5K post-canon Viktuuri story, in which they roleplay as strangers meeting for the first time. Hopefully it brings you a laugh :)

On the Fruits Basket end, thanks to interest around this Reddit post I made 2 months ago, I began working on a fic in which Ayame & Ritsu team up to wreak havoc/a bit of harmless fun in Akito's life (as payback for her striking Yuki at the New Years' banquet). Honestly, I just really wish we'd seen more of the Sohmas use their zodiac forms to wrest some control over their lives, so this WIP is my way of making that scenario come to life. I probably won't be able to complete it anytime soon (I need to take a writing hiatus for a few months), but I'm excited about where it's going, nonetheless!

[iammissingautumn]

Okay but canonically out of all the elder zodiac members (fruba spoilers ahead) . Kureno, Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, and Ritsu. Ritsu is the only one who doesn’t know about the family head’s gender. Ritsu is basically a complete parallel to Akito in a lot of ways. Akito is uncomfortable dressing as a man but does it anyways out of needing to present powerful. Ritsu on the other hand loves dressing as a woman. To her it is bracing her femininity. For Akito it is filling in a dead man’s shoes with a bitter mother’s heart. Akito claims to never be at the wrong for anything and Ritsu apologizes for everything. Explodes.

[roseillith]

[landofanimes]

Fruits Basket: The Stage (2022-2024)

Main Visuals

[whosyourfavevoicedby-polls]

[aparticularbandit]

I know we universally dislike how Danganronpa handled Chihiro and "he dresses like a girl because it makes him feel comfortable and less anxious but also he wants to become stronger so that he can shed his anxious feminine self and be a real man" but.

I had less of a problem than maybe I should have.

Because.

That's Ritsu's storyline in Fruits Basket (albeit with less murder). Ritsu dresses as a woman - full Hiyoko style get-up - because it makes him less anxious, because it calms him. His idea is that when he becomes more confident and sure of himself (and feels less like his existence is a blight on the entire world for which he must apologize (hi Mikan)), he will dress in suits and be more manly. In fact, the main character, Tohru, believes he is a woman until it's revealed otherwise, and this is seen as a deep point of shame.

However.

Fruits Basket also gives us Ayame Sohma, who overflows with the most confidence of anyone in the entire series, and who also. is a fashionista. Also occasionally wears women's clothing (a wedding dress, at one point, because his clothing store is to fulfill men's fantasies, and one of them is apparently wearing a wedding dress and getting married). Does not see a problem with stylizing his little brother's clothes as more feminine or putting him in a dress (despite said little brother very much not liking being mistaken for a woman or having people mention how feminine he looks).

Like.

Ayame aggressively does not care about your gender roles ever at any point in time.

And Fruits Basket tells us that this is the person Ritsu wants to emulate.

So like.

I should have a problem with how Danganronpa handled Chihiro.

But I'm also starting to wonder how common a plot point/trope this sort of thing is in Japanese media.