#anyway i really miss akio

[skrunksthatwunk]

started watching revue starlight last night (sapphic gay theater school dueling anime probably) and immediately had a dream about heterosexual theater art type school. what the hell. infighting in the gay community. war and hate on the planet me. can't have one funny little gay people experience it's always gotta be some shit like this

[httpknjoon]

an awful good girl | myg

plot | that time in december of their tour where popstar!yn sang while sitting on santa's lap. (but who's santa anyway?)

w.c | 4K+

pairing | bass guitarist!yoongi x popstar!reader

genre | fluff, enemies to lovers

note | supposed to be another song but loved this one more. also, a little manhandling somewhere there... ps. i was listening to earth kitt's version of this song before switching. hence why some parts made it here.

main masterlist | series masterlist | want to request?

DAY 64 of Love Is.. On Tour

For your first December concert in Love Is... On Tour, you prepare a themed costume and performances for your fans. But a surprise song became the highlight tonight.

@.JUN0BABY: can someone tell me what's going on tonight??!?

@.t4asteme: WTF WDYM YN GAVE A LAP DANCE ON STAGE TONIGHT

--@.THEB0YISDIVIN3: she just sat on santa's lap

@.pov.yn: siri play that should be me by justin bieber

@.3435outro: as someone who's bi, idk if i'm jealous of yoongi or yn

@.FredInTheDrums: lol santa won tonight [insert picture from the stage]

@.0nlyangelz: her bassist is so hot i can't blame her 🥵

@.loveisviscious: lol how can they do shit like this

--@.BEDCHEMENTHUSIAST: ikr?! they are prolly really good friends

---@.YNFan37489265: we <3 that yn-yoongi friendship

But how did the concert even led to these tweets?

"Okay, band, gather in."

Before the band could go on their ride back to the hotel, Paul, the tour's wardrobe supervisor, called them to the wardrobe department's area. Exhausted from just performing, Yoongi slumped on the blue couch next to Noah, who was probably the only one still having the energy from the rest of the band.

"What's up?" Akio, the band's keyboardist, asked since she had been craving to go back to her bed.

Paul clapped his hands, "Okay, so you know that days from now is December. And we only have four concert dates left before the holiday break, right?"

The band members nod in answer.

"Good. So, each concert date will have different Christmas themes for these last dates. The first one will be Santa's workshop. And I just need you to pick your characters through the fishbowl method again." Paul explained, reaching for a cup filled with folded papers.

Having themed events is not really new with the band. During Halloween week, you did the same thing. You had two concerts then and decided to turn them into fun costume parties for your staff and fans. Yoongi, who was never lucky with the fishbowl method, got to be the Danny Zuko to your dreamy Danny Olsson. They were only a week old on the tour at that time and the couple-costume made some rumors that eventually died down after you told the backstory during the same concert.

"Do you want to look at your characters or do you want it to be a surprise?" Paul asked.

Noah and Fred answered at the same time, "Surprise! Make it a surprise."

Both Yoongi and Akio just let them. Yoongi does not really care, while Akio is just dozed off on his shoulder. He tapped her knee to wake her up when Paul began making them pick a paper. After that, they handed back their secret characters to him one by one while he listed them down in his mini notepad.

"Okay, you are now free to go. You'll see your characters in the next performance. I already have your measurements anyway." Paul concluded, knowing how much the band had been dreading to rest.

The band got up and walked out of the room. On their way to their van outside, Fred and Noah were having fun teasing the youngest, Akio, like her little brothers. She groaned at their energy to wake her up. Yoongi walked behind them, busy on his phone, reading some text messages he missed during the concert. Most of them were from his friends and colleagues inviting him to work with them. But one message stopped Yoongi for a second.

From (555) 436-*22*

Hello, Yoongi. S, here. New number. Need to talk to you about something. Please call as soon as you see this.

It was a new number on his phone. But he can already recognize who sent it. Suddenly, his heartbeats were louder than his bandmates' laughs while he stared at the message in front of him. His jaw tightened when he read the text message once again. What does she want now?

"Hey, guys!"

All of a sudden, he hears your voice, greeting the band. He looked up, pushing his phone back to his pockets. You are now back in your oversized grey sweatshirt, after wearing your sparkly outfits all night.

"Did Paul already tell you about the costumes?" you asked, striking a small conversation with them.

You, yourself, are on your way to Paul to talk about your wardrobe for December performances. Costumes and themed parties are always your thing, so you try to do them at every chance you get. Cal stood next to you, busy on her phone for your schedule.

"Yeah, but we just picked some random paper. Then, asked Paul to just surprise us with our characters." Fred replies.

"Oh, that's exciting." you smiled.

You began talking about your plans for the next Christmas themes, making Noah excited as he is another big enthusiast of the holidays. Yoongi watched quietly on the sidelines. You two barely had any interaction since you cried on stage while singing POV, which was three days ago. It was too peaceful between the two of you, no arguments at all. On stage, you have interacted more with Akio or Noah. Not like he minds at all! It's just that it feels like you are avoiding him. You laughed around with everyone in the band during the show and rehearsals except him. He remembered you were being chatty with him before the rehearsals for POV days ago.

"And I got this new notebook, so like I took it as a sign to write new songs! I already have Christmas-themed ones, just need some help with producing them so I can release them before we take a break," you shared with the band, breaking Yoongi's thoughts.

The notebook! You got them. That's good to know. Yoongi did not really know if you got that souvenir notebook he left on your door as a peace offering gift since you haven't really said anything about it. He felt bad making you cry, although that was not his goal, and he didn't know what to get you since his options were limited at the time. He wanted to apologize and talk to you personally but you were always busy and he didn't know how, where, and when can he approach you.

"I know a guy for that!" Fred exclaimed, turning around. "Yoongi, you can help with YN with that, right?"

For the first time in a couple of days, you looked directly at him. It was like there was a switch. Your smile dropped and you blankly stared at him.

Caught in surprise, Yoongi looked away, "Yeah... Yeah, sure. I can help if she wants me to."

Although they won't speak about it, everyone, along with Cal and the other band members, can feel that there is some weird tension between you and Yoongi these last couple of days. There was no petty argument even though there are times that it can potentially start. Like when Yoongi accidentally knocked over your water bottle, you didn't say anything, which is unusual. Because normally, you would make a big deal out of it and Yoongi would fight back, making a bigger deal with it. But nothing, nada. You two were just robots around each other.

"It's fine, I still have other holiday songs that I can cover later these days." you smiled back to his friends. "Anyway, I won't hold you guys longer. I know that you want to rest already— Aren't we all?"

His friends laughed. You continued, "But thank you, guys. I had the best show tonight. I think the fans enjoyed Bed Chem the most."

Oh, yeah. That performance earlier where you invited Noah for the outro part of that song. It was wilder than what you did with Yoongi since behind the curtains, your silhouettes were shown taking each other clothes before getting into a suggestive pose, which you and Noah have fun doing since it was nothing but for entertainment. You are closest with him in the band since he was the only one who stayed from your past band. Plus, he is gay and everyone knows it.

Without any reason in mind, Yoongi's face felt so hot watching the scene, he had to look away.

Two days passed by quickly, you and the entire crew are now in another city. You left the hotel earlier than usual since you were excited to try on the costumes Paul made.

"Oh my god. This is so cute!" you exclaimed, checking yourself out in front of the mirror.

It was a red mini dress with a heart cutout in the chest area. Its upper and lower hems are lined with white fur. Paul even sewed silver gemstones everywhere, still in the theme of your sparkly aesthetic. You also have the matching gloves that equally looked perfect.

"I'll just show you the other ones every rehearsal." your wardrobe supervisor said. "Just to keep you coming here excited."

"I am always excited coming here to see your creations," you told him, twirling in front of the mirror. "How's the band's costumes?"

Paul pulled a rack of costumes that were made for your live band. There are two sets of costumes for the elves, a brown onesie and headband for Rudolph, and a red sparkly suit, matching yours, for Santa Claus. The faux white beard was ditched as it might disturb the member's performance.

"So, who's my Santa for tonight?" you smiled.

The surprise performance you planned for later needs a Santa. So, other than your costume, you were also excited to know who got the special role. You don't really mind who it is since you get along with almost everyone—

"Yoongi."

2:37 PM

You looked at the time on the upper right of your phone screen. The call time was exactly thirty-seven minutes ago. Initially, the rehearsals for the surprise performance will be practiced first since it is a new addition to the setlist. But Yoongi said he'll be late for a few minutes. So, they moved to doing a soundcheck for other songs. But it has been five songs without her bass guitarist. Where is Yoongi? He has never been this late before. You walked up to Cal, who was talking with Art.

"Should we just change San-"

"Sorry, I'm late."

As if on cue, Yoongi walked on the stage with his guitar. He looked different, you thought. Maybe because it was your first time seeing his flowy, black hair in a man bun, which you won't admit looks good on him. You rolled your eyes at thinking that. Yoongi went straight to his usual spot in the band. He was setting up his guitar when you walked up to him.

"You're almost an hour late," you told him, crossing your arms over your chest.

"I know, that's why I said sorry," he replied nonchalantly, looking down at his guitar. "I told Art that I am going to be late-"

For the thousandth time, he is avoiding looking at you again. You remembered him looking away nights ago when Fred asked Yoongi if he could help you produce your self-written songs. He was also doing the same thing for like two weeks now.

"Why can't you look at me?!"

Like a volcano that erupted unexpectedly, you cut him off. Everyone watched in silence at you and Yoongi. Your brows were furrowed as you stared at him. But instead of glaring back at you, Yoongi just replied, unbothered.

"As if you weren't avoiding me these past few days?"

You blinked, "Uh... I'm not."

Thank God liars don't really get their pants on fire when they lie in real life, because you would end up burning your legs if they do.

"Yoongi, YN, please follow me. Now." Art suddenly spoke.

He's mad,. You rarely see the older guy look serious. You looked at Cal, who simply tilted her head to Art, raising an eyebrow like she was telling you to follow him. You walked when Yoongi walked past you to where Art was going.

No one spoke as you two walked behind Art. But both you and Yoongi can feel the atmosphere feeling like you two are second graders who are about to get a lecture from your teacher. Maybe get sent to detention. Art stopped in one of the vacant dressing rooms at the arena. He opened the door for you two. he did not say anything but you and Yoongi took it as a sign that he wants you to go in first.

"Please occupy the couch— the same couch." he had to correct himself when you and Yoongi sat on a different sofa that was on each wall of the room. He sighed, kids.

Following what Art said, you and your least favorite band member sat on opposite ends of the couch. An obvious three-feet distance is between you two. Your tour manager reached for a monoblock chair, sitting before you.

"I have had enough of this whole eye contact thing, okay? We have to solve this here and now. It's wasting everyone's time." Art spoke sternly like he was a dad for both you and Yoongi. "Who can tell me what's the problem?"

"He won't give me any eye contact when he talks to me," you said, trying not to sound too bratty or childish.

Yoongi crossed his arms, "Two weeks ago, she was telling me not to look at her and now, she's asking why I'm not looking. I'm just doing what she wants me to do."

Art nods, then looks at you.

"He was staring too hard that day, it was uncomfortable. And I didn't mean for him not to look at me at normal conversations on the daily." you defended.

"We never had any normal conversations." your bassist mumbled lowly, making you roll your eyes.

Art intervened before another fight ensued, "So, what do you want now, YN?"

"I... I just want him to look at me when we're talking..." your volume gets lower when you realise how that statement felt a little needy.

It was like you heard Yoongi put on a smug smirk (if that was even possible), and you turned your head to him just to confirm that yes, he had that stupid smirk on his lips.

"We never see each other eye to eye. Why are you so bothered about it?" he asked.

Before you could pause and ask yourself the same question, you replied, "Uhm, eye contact is part of having a proper human conversation. I mean, it just feels like I am being ignored when I can't see the eyes of the person I'm talking with."

What the hell even is that answer? You mentally slapped your forehead.

"Yeah, you would know something about ignoring someone, right?" Yoongi scoffed.

You looked at Yoongi, who is now looking back at you. Art is starting to feel that this is something deeper than the eye contact thing.

"Should I leave you two alone?" he asked, more careful this time.

"Yes."

Yoongi was the first to answer, being firm with it. You were taken aback for a second by how quick he was but nodded when Art turned to you to get your answer.

"Fine, I'll give you five minutes. Then, everything should be good and we'll go back to rehearsals." Art stood up.

Yoongi waited for him to close the door before turning to you. He wasted no time.

"I'm sorry."

Confused, you squinted, "For... what?"

That was not what you expected you hear from him when he agreed to talk with you alone here. You thought he would just keep on implying that you were the issue and confusing.

Yoongi sighed, "I'm sorry for saying what I said when we were in rehearsals for POV. It was not my intention to make you cry while performing it."

"Oh..." you gulped. That was not his fault. "It's a decision I made, I just got carried away, that's all."

You know that there is something more to that, but you hate to sit and drown yourself alone with your feelings. So, you won't do that today.

"Yeah, I know. But I feel like I pushed you into it. That's why you were ignoring me. Right?" Yoongi added. "I know that everything is probably still—"

"You know what? It's fine, it's okay. I appreciate your apology. But really, it's not fully on you. Let's just move forward from this." you cut him off before he can say more things.

He looked at you for a moment, like he was studying you. You hate it. That is what you mean when you say you don't like him looking at you. It was like he could see right through your lies. Like some magician.

"Please stop staring," you whispered, feeling a little small. "Don't stare like you are reading me like a book."

His stare softened when you said that. Nodding, he looks away.

You quickly spoke, "But you can look at me! Just... don't stare too hard. I'm not that kind of diva."

He chuckled, "Okay."

"Okay." you sighed. There are things that are still not discussed but you can probably talk about it next time or whatever. As you felt the awkward silence filling in the room, you asked. "Are we back to normal?"

"Yeah."

By normal, it means professional colleagues who probably still have a very tiny animosity due to their differences. Because normal, to you and Yoongi, is not being friends. You are not friends, just two people who need each other for your jobs. But now, you are about to sit on your bass guitarist's lap for a performance later.

"Are you comfortable with this?" you asked him after letting him know that he would be involved as Santa tonight.

"You're just gonna sit on my lap?" he asked with a blank expression.

"Yeah," you replied shortly.

It was supposed to be something freakier than that but considering the unexpected changes earlier in your tour, you changed whatever that is into a simple sit on Santa's lap.

"Okay."

Everyone can feel the tension lifting from you and Yoongi the moment you two returned with Art. You were communicating at each other better and they could see it especially when you began rehearsing for Santa Baby.

The dancers and other band members were teasing and laughing when you two began with your bit on Santa's throne. Yoongi was quiet, but smiling at some parts. You, on the other hand, were playing along, loving the energy with your crew. You were back in your playful persona while dancing around Santa, teasing him, just to make others entertained.

You were enjoying the song, Yoongi understands. But you cannot stop unconsciously wiggling on his open lap and you were getting dangerously close to him, while he is wearing his grey sweatpants. He just have to do something.

"Santa baby— oh."

You gasped at Yoongi's sudden pull down on your waist, making you stay in the same spot on his lap. You looked at him, instantly recognizing the slight tint of blush on his cheeks.

"Just stay here," he whispered with his voice lower than usual.

"Oh, okay... sorry." you pressed your lips together before looking away to smile at something else.

"Just don't move around too much." he added before removing his hold on your.

You nodded, "Noted."

"Good." He whispered under his breath.

"Of course, we won't let this night end without a surprise gift for you!"

The fans screamed as you announced that. You have been performing for almost an hour now. four outfit changes later, you are now in a sparkly, red cloak with faux fur on its hem, hiding your themed outfit underneath. Your surprise holiday performance is conveniently placed in the final performance of the night.

"Hit it!"

As a signal, you posed, raising your index finger and putting your candy cane before you. The local barbershop quartet that you hired for your four December shows began singing.

"Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom..."

Once the instrumental of the classic, sultry Christmas song began, Yoongi watched you turn around, instantly meeting his eyes. Unlike before, the director are now aware of your actions since you promised to follow what was rehearsed.

"Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom…"

In every ba-boom, you step closer to Yoongi with your candy cane. The corners of your lips are curved up slightly. Your eyes say nothing but mischief that Yoongi can only hope that you will not do anything that can make him trend online. Like when you did your favorite freaky position before him.

"Santa, baby. Slip a Sable under the tree for me..."

The fans cheered when your soft voice began singing. You are an angel with the spotlight serving as a bright halo behind you, Yoongi thought. Whenever you sing to him during these live shows, Yoongi sometimes finds himself getting transported to another space. Maybe it's because of the light... the songs... the atmosphere... or the way you nod your head in every word you sing like you mean it. It's hypnotizing.

"I've been an awful good girl..."

By that line, you are already next to him, leaning your back to his side like you are in distress. You continued singing next to him, while a famous Santa Claus throne was being put up on the farther heart-shaped centerstage.

"Santa, baby, a '54 convertible too, light blue. I'll wait up for you, dear..."

Yoongi bobbed his head along with you while playing his guitar, seemingly enjoying the song.

"Think of all the fun I've missed, Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed..."

You began walking around the band and all over the stage, singing to your fans who joyfully sang along with you.

"Next year, I could be just as good. If you check off my Christmas list..."

You took the time to sing and bond with them, giggling at the funny signs they brought with them.

"Santa, honey, So hurry down the chimney tonight..."

While moving to the song's fourth verse, you walked back to Yoongi. The fans screamed when you playfully teased him with your candy cane, before pulling yourself closer to him. You clung to his arm and you two walked down to the center stage.

"Come and trim my Christmas tree, With some decorations bought at Tiffany's..."

While singing, you pushed Yoongi to sit on the throne. He acted like he would stand up but you pushed him again, placing your candy cane on his lap. Finally, you dramatically remove your cloak, revealing your shimmering your mini-dress.

"I really do believe in you, Let's see if you believe in me..."

You danced around the throne, leaning over it before finding your way back to Santa. Yoongi mentally prepares himself, and even adjusts his pants.

"Santa, baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring..."

As soon as you found your place on his lap, your audience went crazy. You continued singing, facing Yoongi, your Santa for tonight. You pointed to your empty ring finger. Yoongi was just vibing along to your singing, swaying his head along.

"Santa, baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight..."

But you were so into the song that you forgot what Yoongi told you earlier. You kept wiggling on his lap once again, singing along with your fans. Screams erupted when Yoongi held your waist. You felt his hand firmly holding you down, making sure that you would sit still. Although taken aback for a second, you smiled and felt blood rushing through your cheeks.

"Waiting... Hurry, tonight... Hurry down the chimney tonight."

When you sang those last lines, you acted like whispering it close to Yoongi's ear. leaning a little closer to him. Yoongi simply raised an eyebrow, an action enough to get loud reactions.

The lights slowly dimmed down with you still sitting on his lap. Fans cheered for the last time, knowing that it was the last song. But suddenly, a familiar tune plays in the whole arena.

"You didn't think that was all, right?"

note | i received your requests and i'm working on it. but please know that holiday-themed drabbles are currently prioritised 🥹 tysm for the love

taglist rules

SERIES TAGLIST

@busanbby-jjk @jimingirl95 @treacherqus @jajabro @marnz1990 @ktownshizzle

PERMANENT TAGLIST (CLOSED)

@dunixxd @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @imajinthis @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie @petalsofink @jayhope88 @moonchild1 @laylasbunbunny @nikkiordonez12 @misshale21 @marblemoonstones

[dellalyra]

𝙔𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 - 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

ɢᴏᴊᴏ ꜱᴀᴛᴏʀᴜ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

A/N: submission request from my dearest darling @soraya-daydreams, coming in clutch with the cute ideas.

CW: like one suggestive sentence, almost crack, hints that pixie loves her fashion

“Y/N!” A scream (clearly Nobara) echoed down the corridor of the school as you organised some books in the Jujutsu High library.

“Y/N!” Yuuji, this time.

���Mom!” Unless Akio had miraculously learned how to speak at 6 months old then that was Megumi.

Three figures skidded around the corner, through the library door and landed in a heap of limbs and black, brown and pink hair. You just raised your eyebrows.

“I’ve heard walking slowly causes less injuries, but hey, what do I know?” You smirk, as the kids untangle themselves.

Nobara is clutching a bundle of fabric in her hands, creamy white and brown - clearly something stained.

“Y/N, this is a DEFCON level one emergency - we screwed up like, majorly.” Nobara uttered, hand on her hip.

“You screwed up majorly, Itadori and I were just sitting there.” Megumi pointed out.

“But ‘Gumi! We were witnesses, that makes us like - accessories to murder!” Yuuji scrambles.

Your heart skipped hearing Yuuji call your son ‘Gumi’, something he only let you and Satoru and Tsumiki call him beforehand, you also don’t miss the blush on his pale cheeks - reinforcing your idea that the feelings these two had for each other were not simply platonic.

Wait -

Did Yuuji say murder?!

“Okay, who’s dead? Where’s the body? Have any of you touched anything at the scene? Megumi I need you to -” you immediately went into practical mode and all of those true crime documentaries and podcasts come flooding back.

“Jesus, mom, no - not actual murder. Yuuji is just exaggerating.” Megumi says, eyes rolling.

“I really fuck with the ‘act now, questions later’ vibe though, Y/N. Queen behaviour.” Nobara says, throwing a peace sign with the unoccupied hand.

“We were just having coffee! Well, Megumi and Nobara were having coffee - I was having orange juice.” Yuuji adds.

“Guys. What’s broken or who’s injured?” You say, mom voice appearing.

“Um… so! I was drinking my coffee, and Ijichi left something on the table, because he’s dumb!” Nobara starts frantically explaining.

“No - ah ah, we love Ijichi, this school wouldn’t function without Ijichi. Don’t listen to your Sensei.” You butt in because there will be no Ijichi slander in your presence.

“Sorry, Y/N. Anyway! I was drinking my coffee! The coffee got knocked over and spilled! It spilled onto this!” She says, holding up the ruined white fabric in her arms, as both boys grimaced.

You gasp.

“Oh, fuck.” You whisper.

“That’s what I said!” Yuuji interjects.

“Shit.” You say again, examining the fabric in your hands

“That’s what I said.” Megumi groans.

“Motherfucker.” You toss your head back.

“That’s what I said!” Nobara nods.

“Okay. Let’s fix this. Eh… Megumi! Go to see Ijichi - ask him for washing detergent - he lives in the staff accommodation, so he can get us some. Nobara, I need you to boil the kettle and get some boiling water and cloths, okay? Yuuji, do you have vinegar in the kitchen? Because we need that.” You list off, desperately trying to remember what gets rid of coffee stains.

Megumi nods and leaves, Nobara rushes from the room and Yuuji salutes and darts to the kitchen.

This has to work.

Because the coffee flavoured thing in your hands is your husbands tailored white silk Yves Saint Laurent dress shirt, which he adores.

Which he also bought for ¥250,000.

After a moment the three kids come back with the required equipment and you combine all three and dunk the shirt into the mixture to soak for 15 minutes.

As the timer beeped on your phone, you took out the shirt and quickly realised it was absolutely no better.

You looked at the kids.

Then it all went to shit.

“Princess! Are you being a dork and organising books for fun again? Yaknow if you’re bored you can always come into my office and get on your kn-” The boisterous voice of your love echoes as the man himself rounds the corner and finds the kids and you tussling by the table. In a flash, you all turn to him - wide smiles.

He quirks his eyebrows.

“Princess, I saw you an hour ago and I’m pretty sure that a baby bump doesn’t grow that fast in an hour, and thanks to modern contraception and a 6 month old son I’m guessing you’re not pregnant.” He smirks, knowing you’re hiding something, probably covering for the kids.

Before you can react he’s swooped you over his shoulder as the kids all grab your ankles and you become a tug of war between two warring factions.

Satoru eventually wins by teleporting you both to the other side of the desk and sticking his tongue out at the teenagers and shoving his hands under your sweater and taking out the offending lump.

He studies the fabric for a minute, as four people hold their breath.

That’s when he burst out in hysterical laughter.

“Baby, were you covering for these delinquents?” He asks, hand on your cheek.

“Covering?! No! They were helping me! I spilled the coffee!” You say, stuttering.

“No you didn’t princess, you drink mochas, and this is just coffee.” He says, still laughing and you curse how well he knows you.

“I don’t drink coffee!” Itadori adds.

“You don’t need the fucking caffeine.” Megumi nods.

“Well don’t leave your silk designer shirts on the table -” Nobara starts and they’re all speaking at once.

Satoru just smiles and opens his phone, tapping it a few times and then he spins the phone around, showing it to the kids.

“I just bought 5 more of the same shirt. I don’t give a damn about the shirt, seeing you three running around trying to fix it was a years worth of entertainment for me. Truly - high quality comedy.” He laughs, tossing the shirt into the trash near him.

It’s moments like these the ‘Gojo heir’ in him shines through.

“Say sorry to your mom for worrying her.” He says, winking at them all.

“Sorry, mom.” Megumi shrugs.

“I’m sorry, mom!” Yuuji adds.

“Yeah, sorry mom.” Nobara sulks.

“I DON’T REMEMBER GIVING BIRTH TO ANY OF YOU!”

[boku-no-anime-phase]

Totally wild to me that people watch Revolutionary Girl Utena and project onto Anthy in the exact same way people in the show project onto Anthy, despite the show pretty explicitly repeatedly warning viewers not to do that.

(RGU spoilers incoming)

Like i feel like there's the "Anthy just wants to be free, i love her" camp and the "Anthy is a doormat and a traitor i hate her" camp and like, to me, both of those miss the mark completely.

I don't claim to understand her - i don't think anybody besides herself really does - and I've only watched the show once so there's definitely stuff I'm missing. But.

Anthy is a complex character. She's a victim of severe and prolonged abuse who seems unsure of what she truly wants, while at the same time having a strong sense of duty, and maybe the sense that she brought her fate on herself. She's jaded and resigned after spending (presumably) many many years replaying the same charade. It's unclear how she feels about Akio but she serves him basically single-mindedly, mostly making decisions that (as far as i can tell/remember) further his interests, and not usually making decisions when Akio's interests aren't involved. She has very little agency and it's difficult to tell when what she does is driven by her own desires or her role/Akio's plan. What i can remember off the top of my head that the show tells us is pretty much unequivocally all on her are these events:

Her original protection of Dios

When she daydreams about Utena having tea with her

When she tries to commit suicide

When she leaves the school

That's not very much!!!!! Like it's hard to remember but throughout the show you don't actually get to know Anthy very well! Her carefully crafted facades are very convincing. Utena's projection onto her is convincing. But it's not clear who Anthy actually is.

She's a mystery, an enigma, an untrustworthy witch, a victim of abuse, a young girl who doesn't know what she wants, and the axis around which the entire show revolves (get it? Revolve? Revolution? No?).

Anthy isn't a "traitor," she was serving Akio's interests all along, and as the audience we, like Utena, misjudged her level of commitment to Utena vs her commitment to Akio, and the level to which she's resigned to her awful fate.

Anthy isn't a doormat, she's an abuse victim. She's not two-faced by nature, she's being exploited. Anthy isn't the damsel in distress, she was literally the heroine from the beginning. She made a brave and selfless choice and faced the consequences, and she survived. Utena didn't save her like a gallant prince, Utena broke the cycle, opening the door that allowed Anthy to dismantle it by leaving her gilded cage.

Anyways she's an amazing character, love her or hate her, and this show is going to simmer in my brain for years

[transmascutena]

finding a good reaction series for any anime is so hard, and then trying to find one for utena is like trying to find a needle in a very small haystack, i think i've only found like one or two??? that have actually been pretty enjoyable?? and by that i mean, like, where the reactors actually take the show seriously and try to analyze and understand all of the symbolism/meaning/commentaries on society instead of being just like 'woahhh that was weird ig, oh well' and just moving on. although one of the ones i enjoyed also completely missed that juri was in love with shiori in her first episode but honestly i found that more hilarious than frustrating considering how good they were at picking up other small details and how blatantly it was spelt out hfsiuacjk. suffice to say, they figured it out later.

but like when I found the other good reactor to utena it was SOOO nice. like. i don't need the reactor to be absolutely correct on everything and catch every single detail, i just need somebody WILLING to actually engage with the show, and have the ability to look deeper than surface level. i've watched this reactor regularly for a while and i figured utena was the type of weird symbolic stuff he would really enjoy, but when I was proven right and he loved the show and loved the characters and created well-reasoned theories and predictions it was SOOOO satsifying. and i can probably never recommend him to anyone in good faith because he can make some tasteless jokes that i've been pretty desensitized to over the years because he says them more as a bit, but it's still to the extent that I can't tell how other people would take it if they were to watch him for the first time. but when it came to the utena and akio stuff he immediately understood that the show was depicting grooming and abuse and treated it as such in his commentary even before episode 33. and i know like that's probably a low bar, but after seeing people think it was a legit romance, it was so gratifying to see the actions of akio being responded with immediate disgust. he said that utena was probably in his favorite shows of all time at the end of the series, and he was so excited at almost every twist of the plot, so altogether my favorite reactor.

anyways, all that's to say, do you have any reaction series recommendations for utena that you think were a good watch? thanks for your time and all of your great utena posting!

only utena reaction series i remember liking pretty much all the way through was the one by semblance of sanity. there were probably things they missed or whatever as there will always be on a first viewing, and some of the things they said about the final episode in particular were a bit odd (though i've forgotten what exactly it was), but generally it was very enjoyable to me. you could tell they liked the show a lot and wanted to understand it and i think it also helped that they were two people who could bounce ideas and theories off each other. most reactors do it alone which can in my opinion get a bit stale at times. it was really just one of those things where i was looking forward to the new episode from them every single week (maybe helped too that it was only my own second or third rewatch and i was looking for new stuff myself still). i even subscribed to their patreon for a month towards the end so i could view the full uncut reactions, meaning i effectively watched the whole thing twice, but i don't think that was the smartest use of my money or my time lol

[thefloatingstone]

Sorry, this is about a post from 2020, but in answering an ask about homophobia in Utena you mentioned, “another is a man who is gearing himself up for a hetero marraige because he feels its the proper thing someone in his position should do, until he meets a teenaged boy and it’s like “…..oh fuck…””… are you talking about Mikage? Are you saying the search for eternity he’s researching is a metaphor for hetero marriage, à la Akio’s “the castle is where a prince and princess will live together forever?” (not disagreeing just wanting to make sure I understand correctly, id never thought of it that way before)

or did I miss something in the series lol

Oh oof this was a while ago and I haven't watched the series in a while. But kind of?

More like, Mikage is very emotionally detached from social norms when we first meet him and is completely engrossed with his work. He is constantly referred to as "a human computer".

When he meets Tokiko there is enough symbology to make you realise as he's speaking to her he is very logically and coldly thinking to himself "ah yes. A female. I am supposed to marry one of these and start a family. She seems like a good candidate".

"She is feminine and is doing feminine things. This is seen as attractive by men so this must make her an attractive partner."

"Yes. This is good for what is expected of me. Starting a family with her would be a good move."

While at the same time there is ONE singular moment with the flashing hand that is difficult to catch. In all the previous scenes the flashing hand makes a beeping noise. But in one singular moment during this scene while he and Tokiko are speaking, the camera pans over the other researchers walking to and from the hall and you can HEAR the hand but it's not onscreen until the VERY last second and even then the camera cuts away before you can really figure out what it's pointing at.

The hand is pointing at two men holding hands as they walk.

As Mikage is speaking to Tokiko and gauging if she might be worth pursuing as a partner as a Good Hetero Boy should. But this image shows just as Mikage is saying "They have gathered a good group of boys here who can continue my research".

There is no solid way to interpret this as "Ah THIS is what Mikage means!" but I think it's placement and the way the camera cuts away from it pretty quickly is pretty telling. Especially since the flashing hand in this scene has been showing us Mikage's internal thoughts as he's spending time with Tokiko.

It's possible to see this as his thoughts briefly wandering to the male students in the program, and that doing so automatically, if only for a brief moment, becomes a dreaded GAY THOUGHT. which is why the camera cuts way from it so quickly and back to the room he and Tokiko are sitting in.

AND THEN. FUCKING. (sorry I am rewatching this scene and losing my mind at details I didn't notice before)

FUCKING. AFTER THIS GAY THOUGHT. He is speaking to Tokiko about how the boys are spreading rumours that they are trying to revolutionise the world. But it's clear he has no interest in this and says "It's like they're trying to build a perpetual motion machine" to mock them as ridiculous. BUT THAT'S NOT THE IMPORTANT PART!!!!

THE IMPORTANT PART!!! is AFTER this gay thought, and him dismissing the boys as stupid, the camera does a LOOOOOOONG pan over Tokiko's body as Mikage says

GOD DAMMIT MIKAGE!!!!!

"If I run away fast enough the gay thoughts can't get me!"

I AM GOING INSANE KSDHKSHDKHFDS

Anyway then Tokiko runs when she hears mamiya in the rose garden, Mikage follows her, and the SECOND he lays eyes on mamiya, Tokiko, very WEIRDLY, just leaves the room and walks away without Mikage or Mamiya even acknowledging her.

REAL SUBTLE.

The next scene has Tokiko explaining to Mikage how his research of attaining eternity is what could save Mamiya's life. Even as she's explaining to Mikage and her motivations, he remains emotionally detached from her, as he is only seen in this shot reflected in the mirror. Standing next to her, but not.

But when Tokiko sheds a tear and apologises for this, Mikage says, still reflected in the mirror, "I feel like this is the first time I've seen a person cry."

Basically 'This is the first time I actually feel emotionally responding to someone else's sadness"

Baby's first empathy... because it's about Mamiya.

And then as he moves to leave and return to his research, this time with purpose, Tokiko asks him if he has anyone who is precious to him. That part's not important. The important part is the next sentence she says as Mikage leaves.... having said for the first time he's connected to someone's sadness over the young boy....

And then he throws himself into his research

So that is how Mikage embraced the gay thoughts in his weird academic way. "Well it's not TECHNICALLY gay if I'm just trying to save the life of the woman I have selected to be my partner!" And so the story starts to unravel for him.

TO get back to your question tho, Mikage is actually NOT chasing Eternity when he meets Tokiko. And his hetero relationship with here does not actually symbolise eternity to him at all.

He repeatedly says before he meets Tokiko that he is a "living computer" and describes himself as "a dry man passing dry days". He also says the research isn't going well, but he doesn't actually care.

However, when he is at Tokiko's home he is STILL expressing disinterest in the research when she brings it up. He not only makes fun of the other researchers as I previous said, saying "it's like they're trying to invent a perpetual motion machine". He specifically refers to the research and his fellow researches in a detached way. THEY are trying to create a perpetual motion machine. THEY are trying to attain eternity. He is completely disinterested and detached from the research himself.

In fact he tells Tokiko

He even says "I have done more than what the contract called for." (which incidentally he says directly before it cuts to the boys holding hands)

IT'S ALMOST LIKE HE ISN'T TALKING ABOUT RESEARCH AT ALL HMMMMMMM 🤔🤔🤔

"I was an emotionally detached man. Living on auto-pilot. I find the thing everyone else is doing to be stupid. But I am taking part despite being completely disinterested. The BOYS are extraordinary tho. But anyway, it's stupid to want more. People should be satisfied with the chosen direction they already have. But purely for business reasons."

*Mamiya enters* hey

"Oh shit now see THIS is a different story!!! I have something to live for!!! Doing this thing because of this BOY is now the most important thing in the entire world!!! I am a man possessed!!!!"

*whispers* nothing in this scene is about research.

[weepingmirabilis]

Gutless, Two:

Genesis

Tw for drugging, kidnapping.

Ft: Sam, new character!

A gentle tug on his shirt, and he was ready. Well presented, makeup on, mostly a mask for confidence. His bare face revealed slightly too much of his life, scarring tells stories, eyebags are ugly on him. Regardless, he was fine. Relatively pretty, but that's not the whole point of tonight. He's going to go out. Outside, alone. Without one of his boyfriends, unsafe in his eyes. He had to, though. He’s been hiding himself away for two months now, terrified to even go in the backyard. And honestly, there was no real reason. Anxiety, maybe, but nothing terrifying enough to warrant that level of self-captivity.

So, he decided to do something easy. He would go to a bar, be all pretty, maybe meet someone to ramble to. The alcohol would certainly help. He could call one of his partners to pick him up at the end of the night. They want him to get out, they’ll help.

They want him to be healthy again. To be happy.

What a noble cause, just for someone like him.

–

Sam arrived at the bar, a brief 20 minutes away from their house. They lived in a pretty secluded area, so most anything was that long of a drive. He stepped out of his car, briefly pausing to adjust his skirt, displeased at a wrinkle he managed to miss when preparing for the event. Unimportant. He just had to get inside, just step in, be seen. Step inside. Step inside.

He did so. He walked in, trying to ignore a slight confused stare from a man upon his entrance. It didn't matter, he got inside. He did that part. Now he had to stay. Akio said to stay for at least 45 minutes. Stay longer if able, but God, try.

He took a seat at the bar, looking down, trying to breathe. He felt the eyes on him, the stares, real or not. They hurt. He wanted to rip his chest open, give them something to stare at. He was a freak, he thought. He was uncomfortably tall, androgynous to a fault, eerily thin and shaking. Terrible posture, terrified facial expression. No wonder they were staring at him. He was disgusting.

Right, yeah. Anyways, he thought, order a drink. That’ll at least make you marginally more normal. That's the point of this place. Getting drunk, forgetting everything that hurts. That’s normal. He looked up to the bartender, some random man facing away from him as he cleaned a spill someone had made. What an annoying job.

“Can.. uh- can-”

That didn’t work. He just stuttered and gently dug his nails into his leg. Fuck.

What an idiot.

And despite his show of foolishness, someone approached him. A shorter person, wearing rather exaggerated gothic makeup, with short, teased hair. Wearing a dress. But more importantly, staring directly at him, with a kind smile.

“Need help?” They hummed, taking a seat beside Sam.

How was he supposed to respond to that? DId he need help, Yes. But was it really that obvious?

“You’re shaking.. Didn’t even order anything yet. Tell me what you want. It’s on me.”

Sam just nodded, which wasn’t necessarily the correct response, but it’s what he gave. He stared down to her, still scratching into his thigh. He would’ve drawn blood if he had any.

The person tilted their head, awaiting an answer, awaiting his order. But in all honesty, he didn’t know. At home he just drank wine, or an unfortunate amount of everclear for a sentient being.

“Hm. How about I get you my favorite? You’ll like it, I’m sure.”

They ordered something Sam didn’t even hear. It didn’t matter, they were buying something for him, so he’ll take it.

Sam mumbled a short ‘thanks’, looking back at the person. They were stunning. A stranger, but seemingly safe, kind. Practically an angel to approach him. They moved slightly closer to Sam, smiling unwaveringly.

“Come on, talk.. Tell me about yourself? Will you, please?”

“..Uh- yeah. I’m Sam, uh.. Sorry. I just haven’t gone out in a bit, and. Yeah..”

They gave a brief chuckle, taking the drink from the bartender and sliding it to Sam.

“Mhm.. you live near here?”

Sam nodded, taking the drink, giving it an initial sip. It was warm, sweet tasting. Pleasant, especially for someone who just met him. He took a cherry that had been garnishing the cup, biting into it.

“I.. yeah, this is the closest spot to me. I like it.. Its.. usually pretty calm. But people don’t usually talk to me here. I think I might just scare everyone.”

“Aw- scare them..? How could you, you’re rather handsome.. Maybe a bit different, but lovely.”

Sam paused his drinking, startled by the sudden compliment. Handsome. Most people just called him pretty.

He weakly smiled at them, trying to loosen his grip on his now-injured leg. It was under his skirt, it didn’t matter. Just pay attention. How would he even thank them for that? A perfect stranger, he wasn’t familiar with what they would want in return. Maybe nothing- but that was rare.

“Thank you.. I- you’re really pretty too. I didn’t- I’ve never seen someone like you.”

“Oh, you’re sweet.. I think I'm pretty average..”

He laughed- what a lie. Average? How? They looked like someone straight out of a movie, or the lead in some random goth music video. Anything but average.

They talked, over an hour's worth of exchanging compliments, thoroughly embarrassing Sam, but it was probably worth it. There's no real reason to hold back- there was a certain shine in their eyes. A kind beauty, an angel. They must’ve been. They must’ve been something otherworldly- and not like him. They pointed out his fangs, and didn’t even seem concerned. They even complimented them, saying how fun vampires were to be around. They had a few vampire friends around as a teen, but hadn’t really talked to any recently, so Sam was a fun surprise. Sam was fun, according to them, and cute.

Soon, Sam was slightly dizzy, probably drank too much just due to getting lost in conversation with someone who liked him. It happened all the time at home.

“Do you need a ride home..? You look- tired.”

“Hah- I.. I just look like that. But, if it wouldn’t bother you..?”

They smiled softly, standing and helping Sam up. They said they were parked out back, so Sam followed their lead. It was so dark out, and he was struggling to walk, but they helped him. They gently took him over to a car, a gentle arm draped around his waist.

But something hurt, suddenly. Then, a rough pinch to his neck- what the fuck?

He looked over, seeing the person smiling at him, pulling an emptied syringe away.

An emptied syringe that they had just stuck into a vein in his neck.

Sam stumbled back, baffled, silent. He looked around, but there was nobody but them to witness. No cameras. No lights. Just them, Sam, and the car.

“Please, make this easy.. Will you get in the trunk for me, dear?”

He should be screaming, running away, but we was barely able to speak already. Shaking. He felt dizzy, so dizzy. So wrong.

“..Who.. who are you..”

“Don’t be silly.. I’m God.”

[gamesception]

lets read rgu, chapter 27

So here we are, the last chapter of the Utena Manga. The story finished in chapter 25, so this is another retcon side story slotting in an element from the show that didn't make it into the manga's main arc. This time it's Souji Mikage and Mamiya Chida of the Black Rose Arc. There was... a lot going on with that arc. All the character arcs of the various black rose duelists, the way they interacted with and advanced the arcs of the student council members, the kind of oblique, still not fully revealing anything hints at the greater machinations of the plot & Akio's hand on things, the idea that there's /way/ more going on with Anthy than even the first arc let on, and of course Souji & Mamiya's own characters and interactions - this last being the only bit that a single manga chapter's likely to be able to touch on, and even that I'm a bit skeptical of.

Because what's going on with Souji and Mamiya is kind of very gay, in a way that I'm just not confident will make the translation. I could talk more about Souji's repressed homosexuality thinly masked by compulsory heterosexuality posing as Pure Logic (tm), but I'd just be echoing C-Puff's excellent post that you can read for yourself (link).

Will this Mamiya also turn out to be Anthy in the end? In which case, this statement that they hate Utena and Anthy stands out. Sure it could just be read as manipulating Souji, but otherwise, I mean sure hating herself for letting Akio control and manipulate her, sure, but also maybe resenting Utena who does so much to protect her while being seemingly oblivious to what she actually needs help from? Or forcing her to confront the experience of friendship that she doesn't think she deserves, or making her face the idea of hope when she had been sheltered from having to care by the hopelessness of her situation?

Anyway, Souji kicks things off by inviting Utena to a Lecture at the Nemuro Memorial Hall, location of anime's dark therapy elevator that makes you worse. Utena talks to Miki about it, and Miki confirms that the basic backstory here is the same as in the anime.

Come on Utena, I know you're dense sometimes, but that's clearly Souji, you just talked to him earlier today. I know it's weird that he's still alive and on campus decades after he died in that fire, but you've seen at least 3 weirder things than that by this point.

And you Miki! You have even less excuse.

Anyway, Anthy goes missing around the same time, and Utena follows a Convenient Hunch (tm) to look for her in the Memorial building, where Souji is waiting for her.

Good on you, Utena.

But if Utena's not vulnerable to mental manipulations, bad therapies, or forbidden secrets then that doesn't leave much for Souji to apply his signature computer-like brain to, so we just kind of skip straight to the dueling part. No, not in the arena, right here in the Memorial Building. Anthy's already there and dressed for the occasion, presumably because Mamiya is Anthy like in the show.

But this isn't any old Rose Duel.

Was it ever spelled out in so many words that the difference between regular rose seal duels and black rose seal duels was that the black duelists were there to kill Anthy rather than possess her? Like that was clearly Mikage's goal, but still. Although... in the manga it was eventually revealed that the point of even the regular duels was for Anthy to die and the winner to replace her as Rose Bride themselves, so there's not really much of a difference here after all?

I like how this panel has like a drape that could be Mamiya standing in his own Rose Bride dress, but it's also pretty clear that Utena and Anthy don't see him there.

Unfortunately Manga Souji/Nemuro doesn't really have time to really establish the more complex relationship between him and Mamiya, so instead Manga Nemuro's core motivation is more about guilt for the students killed in the fire, and Mamiya is just one of those students - one he thinks he can save/revive if he defeats Utena and claims the power of Dios.

Manga Mamiya even always looked similar to Anthy, Souji isn't remembering him wrong, and Anthy isn't magically posing in his place after all. Which makes all the wondering about what Mamiya meant when he said he hated Utena and Anthy kind of wasted space, since it was just Nemuro projecting.

So anyway Utena wins the duel and the Memorial Building starts to collapse, and Mikage decides to stay behind with his memory of Mamiya while Utena and Anthy escape.

The manga version works in sort of a special Halloween Episode spooky ghost story sort of way, but it didn't really have the time to get into all the things that made the anime versions of Mikage and Mamiya so compelling, let alone the wider impact of the Black Rose arc as a whole. I enjoyed the chapter, but I'm left feeling more or less the same as I did about the bonus Ruka chapter - it was nice to see a manga version of these characters from the anime, but without the time or the framwork to fully dig into them it was probably a good call to leave them as side stories outside of the manga's more contained main plot.

[feenixmork]

Something interesting about watching Utena AFTER already being a fan of a few Utena-like shows is how much less captivating the duels get after the first 12 episodes (peak fiction)

I have a lot of smaller complaints about the black rose arc that made it terrible to watch, but the repetitive entirely impersonal fights is a big one. Utena has no reason to fight the people she's fighting. THEY don't have a reason to fight Utena. And they don't ever make a point out of that like they almost do with the first black rose duel (Kanae being pitted against Anthy because somewhere way deep down in her mind she blames Anthy for her fiance not giving her any attention? Not knowing Anthy is a victim of Akio's herself? And a man in power uses that to further his own goals? Yeah there's A Point there, even if it doesn't come up for the rest of the arc)

I'm still only at the beginning of the next arc so I'm hoping it'll be better. It's at least got a bit more visual spectacle, but it is always. The same spectacle. The cars are cool but they don't even change color or models or anything, at least the black rose arc tables had character-relevant props on them? They've still not really got anything to do with Utena or Anthy. Utena still wins all the time because she Has To or else the plot won't work. It's too important for her to be the top duelist for her to lose. Except whenever eventually (hopefully) she has to lose for an emotional low point to happen.

Anyways back to my point uhhh GOD I MISS THE DUELS FROM REVUE STARLIGHT AND GUNDAM:THE WITCH FROM MERCURY

Vague spoilers for both btw (also I'm not claiming they're better shows overall, definitely not Revue Starlight as much as I love love love it, and Witch From Mercury is only really better for 1 season+a bit of season 2)

Revue Starlight doesn't make the stakes of the duels so high that the protagonist has to Always win, so I don't just entirely mentally check out of them for that. The conflicts are all personal and/or the occasional bigger picture setup (and then the movie's are all VERY personal). And they're not always between the protagonist and a side girl! And on top of that like. The fights in the show visually are exactly what you'd expect from "the guy who was mentored by Utena's director makes a show about magical girls who are all theatre kids". And the movie only gets more insane with it (those cars in Utena WISH they were Wagamama Highway). And having the actual characters both talking AND singing out their conflicts is always fun.

GWitch has a very similar setup with Suletta fighting people for the role of groom to the war robot school's principal's daughter. But also the dueling system has an added level of being how EVERYONE at school can settle conflicts and makes demands and bets on these duels between each other. Plus there's other emotional conflicts that go into it. It takes a while for Suletta to get used to this system and start acting on it herself and insighting duels for herself and her bride's and friends' sakes. And then when she gets too used to and comfortable with the duel system, the show turns and goes "this isn't how war works, loser" and the betting stops mattering to characters because they start ACTUALLY JUST FUCKING KILLING PEOPLE AND THERE'S TERRORIST ATTACKS AND POLITICAL CONFLICT AND EVERYTHING SUCKS FOR A WHILE BECAUSE WAR AND CLASSISM AND THE CYCLE OF SIN BAD. And Suletta now suddenly has to deal with THAT. And it doesn't stop there! More personal shit happens! God I wish the second season wasn't so rushed, it absolutely reeks of "this show was forced to be shorter than planned because it was openly gay". The first season was so perfect. Why did this happen. At least it got to have a full story, as butchered as it is...

[askaniritual]

tonight's notes:

dissociation

this is mostly about anthy and the way that it seems like she's been so thoroughly depersoned by everybody in her life that it's caused her to dissociate entirely from reality but i do feel like the entire show is woven through with people entering dissociative episodes. what can you do when the world gets too much to bear except to zone the fuck out

the new bed setup this is everything to me

nothing like metaphorical sex in the panopticon bed

student council meeting real/not real

i was thinking about the objects that appear when the student council meets, and how increasingly the student council is interacting with those objects, forcing the viewer to question the reality of them. this sort of playing with reality and diegesis appears constantly throughout the show, from the very first episode where saionji tells utena that the castle is in some ways an illusion. objects in the show appear and influence the story and then disappear without explanation. there's no sense of permanence in the world. also interesting to watch instances where characters react or do not react to metaphorical plot objects appearing in their vicinity. what does it mean to ignore them? what does it mean to embrace them? i feel like this means a lot when the entire premise of the show hinges on everybody striving for eternity, an inherently intangible reward

motors gears and machinery 

moving into the next phase of the story, there's increasing emphasis on motors and machinery. this seems to be a direct result of akio's increasing influence on the story: his telescope, his cars, his elevator, everything is accelerating towards the end of the world

everybody wants to fuck the car it’s impossible not to want to fuck the car

what else is there to say. you want to fuck the car. you want to drive the car. you're in the car with a beautiful boy and he's about to explain why he needs you to dress up like a bride and pull a sword out of his chest

nanami and the body horror torment nexus

don't hate me but i do think the episodes that are just diversions into the nanami body horror torment nexus are some of the most boring for me personally. it's not that i don't understand what they're trying to say, i thought the egg episode was a really interesting look at how a refusal to frankly discuss reproductive issues is another tool of the patriarchy used to oppress women. but idk. i just find myself wishing we could go back to anthy and utena a lot of the time during her episodes tbh

the penis tower. how did i miss the penis tower 

theres just so much penis imagery in this show that i do fear that i start to tune it out after a while but sometimes something clicks and its like oh yep! we're still talking about dicks! we never stopped talking about dicks. anyway

[linagram]

[ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜' 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜 ]

here they are!! finally!!

okay, so at first i thought that i should add something like "part 1", since this post will include only the guilty trio's side characters, but i thought about it and.. i don't really think i should make profiles for other side characters too? most side characters are just the family members (like asahi's adoptive father or eiko's mother) or they're those prisoners' friends (riku's friends/bandmates, reina's friends, etc) and i don't want to make profiles for all those friend groups.

but we'll see! maybe i'll just drop some family/friends lore when i feel like it.

Side character 001: Saito Arata

Name: Saito Arata (斎藤新) (his last name means "purification, worship" and his first name means "fresh, new")

Age: 17 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: March 23rd (Aries)

Height: 176 cm

Blood type: AB

Occupation: High school student (first year)

Personality: Arata is an interesting and unpredictable person. It's hard to tell what's going on inside his head, but he always looks like he's up to no good. He does whatever he wants and whenever he wants and he doesn't care what others say. He's very chill and relaxed most of the time and there's only a few things that can make him angry. He's very talkative and outgoing, but he still has no friends.. Or maybe he has one, if you can call that boy his friend. It's hard to impress someone like Arata, so if you manage to do that, don't be surprised if he suddenly becomes obsessed with you and starts basically worshipping you. But also.. don't be surprised when he just as suddenly decides that he doesn't find you interesting anymore and leaves you. His interests change all the time, he can't control it. And also, even if you are like a god to him, it doesn't mean that he will forget about everything else. He's not as loyal as he likes to make people believe. Also, what's the point of being so obsessed with someone if he actually has more power than anyone else here?

Trivia:

Arata's grades aren't that good and one of the reasons why he started to like Akio is the younger boy agreeing to let him copy his homework.

Arata doesn't look exactly like Riku, but they share some other traits, like age, zodiac sign, blood type, being taller than Akio and having dark hair. Also, Riku not looking like an exact copy of Arata and Akio still liking him because of how much he reminds him of his follower can be explained as Akio missing Arata too much.

Arata is a year older than most of his classmates, but there's not any particular reason for that.

Arata really likes animals that are considered to be weird, dangerous or scary by most people and he was obsessed with insects and dinosaurs when he was a child (he still is). He also has a huge shark plushie in his room, but it's not cute at all and it's actually kinda creepy. When Akio found out about that interest of his, he tried to find as much information as possible, so that he could impress Arata with his knowledge later.

Arata actually didn't care about Akio that much when he first met him, he only had to spend time with him for reasons I can't talk about yet, but as he kept learning more about him and what kind of person he is, he started to admire him and be truly supportive of him.

Arata knew Akio's victim well not only because of them all being classmates, but also because Akio's victim really wanted to be friends with Akio and that annoyed Arata even back when he wasn't interested in Akio (or at least he thought so). When he fully turned into Akio's follower, he did everything to make his victim's life worse: from stealing his medications to "accidentally" pushing him down the stairs. Akio actually didn't need to try and "manipulate" Arata to kill the poor boy for him, Arata would do it anyway sooner or later.

If you remember, the silhouettes' eyes in Akio's MV were green (meaning envy and jealousy) and only one of them had pink eyes (meaning love and genuine support). Yes, those other figures are Akio's classmates and the pink-eyed figure is supposed to be Arata.. but only in this particular MV (symbolism, am I right), because in real life, as you have probably already noticed, Arata has heterochromia and one of his eyes is pink, meanwhile his other eye is green. And yes, I've made his eyes like that on purpose.

Remember how Akio mentioned in his interrogation that he's okay with anything his mother cooks, but something was crossed out? He actually wanted to write "anything Arata cooks", but quickly changed it to his mother, because he found it too embarrassing and he didn't want the guards to ask about Arata. The funniest thing about this is that Arata actually can't cook at all and he just bought random food and then he was like "Yeah, I've made it for you, do you like it? <3". It worked though and Arata had to hold his laugh every single time because Akio genuinely believed him.

Side character 005: Mikazuki Ruka

Name: Mikazuki Ruka (朏 瑠日) (his last name means "crescent moon" and his first name means "lapis lazuli" and "sun")

Age: 21 y/o

Gender: Male

Birth date: May 19th (Taurus)

Height: 164 cm

Blood type: A

Occupation: Unemployed

Personality: Ruka wishes people would just.. ignore him or pretend he's not here. He doesn't like talking to people and finds it exhausting. Even simply being around people is too much for him. No, actually, everything is too much for him. Getting up in the morning or even simply eating or breathing is too much work for him. It would be nice if he had someone who could just.. do all of that for him. He'd be okay with doing anything in return for that.. well, if it's not too exhausting. Ah, and if this doesn't sound too weird yet, Ruka has this interesting habit of saying that he's actually dead if anyone asks him to do something he's too lazy to do or simply asks him a question about his past or how he's feeling right now. He often says something like "'Cause I'm dead" in the end of his sentences. He never explains why he does that and it seems much more serious than just him trying to come up with an excuse not to talk about something or not to do something. Maybe it's because he genuinely feels like he's actually a corpse and that's why he's always so tired?.. Ah, but don't think that he's always so cold and emotionless. He's actually very expressive, but only around one specific person.

Trivia:

Ruka's voice is very androgynous and most of the time people have to ask him about his gender. It doesn't help that he has a unisex name as well. And when someone asks him or thinks he's a girl, he simply shrugs and goes "I'm dead anyway, so it doesn't matter". He often wears skirts and dresses too.

Speaking of that habit of his, at first Kei thought that Ruka suffers from "Cotard's syndrome", a condition in which the person thinks that they're actually dead or don't have any blood or organs, but he has soon found out that Ruka knows perfectly well that he's alive, he just likes to think that he's dead, a walking corpse or even a zombie.

Ruka stopped growing when he was 14 years old and he still looks very young and people often mistake him for a teenager. When Kei first met him in a night club, he actually got worried and wondered how this kid was allowed in here. Ruka kinda likes the fact that he looks so young, since "it proves that he really has died and stopped aging".

Ruka is much more talkative around Kei in general. And just so you understand, he wasn't a "poor innocent guy who Kei has kidnapped and tortured in his basement", he was free to go anywhere he wanted to (without leaving the house, of course) and do anything that he wanted. He even made fun of Kei and made jokes like "Ah, do you like me for my childlike appearance or something? You're even more of a creep than I've thought" (Kei punched him right after that and made him take his words back because even he got uncomfortable after hearing that) and "Just beat me up and take as many photos as you want already, I wanna go to sleep as soon as we're done". He even teased him and said things like "What, is this everything you've got?" while Kei tortured him. Kei absolutely did horrible things to him, but Ruka still had more freedom than it was shown in Kei's MV and even though he's still a victim of kidnapping, he actually kind of enjoyed the process because he thought he was finally about to die for real.

The outfit that he's shown wearing has sun and moon motifs which is a reference to his name meaning. I wanted his name to be related to both sun and moon to show that he's Kei's "sun and moon", that meaning that he's Kei's everything.

According to Ruka, he doesn't have any parents or siblings and he also hates when people ask him about them. He still had a friend group (he didn't care about them at all) and he actually was basically forced to come with them to that night club from Kei's MV. They have still spent a lot of time explaining that he really is an adult This is how Kei and Ruka met and Kei went "Oh.. He's just like me fr.."

It's hard to explain what kind of relationship Kei and Ruka had, since it's hard to call them friends and they weren't really a couple. Their relationship had platonic, romantic and sexual elements, but they still had no idea who they are to each other and they mostly just treated each other like an artist and a muse at first before they started to become closer.

Side character 008: Kanasawa Takame

Name: Kanasawa Takame (金沢喬女) (her last name means "gold" and "swamp, stream" and her first name means "high, noble" and "woman")

Age: 31 y/o

Gender: Female

Birth date: November 16th (Scorpio)

Height: 170 cm

Blood type: O

Occupation: Maid cafe manager

Personality: Takame is a polite and gentle woman who is always very kind to everyone, especially her employees. She has a very good reputation and everyone knows her as a caring and understanding person who never lets her employees overwork themselves and if she sees someone making them uncomfortable, she will make sure to take care of that and protect them. She's quite passionate about anime, manga and games and that's.. uh.. one of the reasons why she decided to open a maid cafe. What about the other reasons? Haha, you don't have to know that. Maybe this woman really does have a dark side, but only one of her workers knows about it. And that worker still loves her no matter what.

Trivia:

Takame secretly has a thing for cute girls in maid outfits and that's a second reason why she opened a maid cafe.

Takame really does have a secret second job and her being a cafe manager is just something she does to hide her secrets and make herself look like a normal person who doesn't do anything illegal.

Unlike other two side characters who actually liked their prisoners, she didn't have any feelings for Yurika and just manipulated her because she knew that Yurika is the only worker who would agree to help with something like Takame's second job and she knew that Yurika really needs someone to rely on, so she promised she will take care of everything that Yurika has problems with. She thought that Yurika is cute, but that's all.

Takame really does like anime, manga and games and that's not something she made up. She believes that no matter how old you are, you should still do what you like, even if other people judge you for it.

She knew everything about Yurika's past and her problems and she knew about Yurika's relationship with her victims. She used that information to make Yurika trust her, but no matter how manipulative she was, she actually did protect Yurika from her stalkers and people who harassed her. Of course, that made Yurika like her even more, but when Takame did that, she genuinely wanted to protect Yurika because she didn't want her to go through anything like that.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Paprika (2006)

Paprika is a fever dream blast of inspiration that is simultaneously wonderful to behold and nightmare-inducing. It ends on a low note but the trip to that conclusion ensorcels you so completely you may not even care.

In the near future, Doctor Atsuko Chiba (voiced by Megumi Hayashibara) uses the experimental DC Mini device to hop into her patients’ dreams and treat their subconscious using her alter-ego, Paprika. When people exposed to the device, including her boss, Doctor Toratarō Shima (Katsunosuke Hori), start exhibiting erratic behaviour culminating in suicide attempts, Paprika must explore the increasingly bizarre dreams they collectively share to find out who is responsible. How does the strange parade of creatures and living objects connect to her patient, Detective Toshimi Konakawa (Akio Ōtsuka), the scientists responsible for creating the DC Mini, Doctor Kōsaku Tokita (Tōru Furuya), and Kei Himuro (Daisuke Sakaguchi). More importantly, why is this happening?

The medium of animation is perfect for this kind of story. You would need so many special effects to bring the otherworldly sights of the dream world to life it would’ve basically turned into an animated movie anyway. Director Satoshi Kon has so many visual tricks up their sleeve. Paprika’s movements are inhibited only by her imagination. This is shown in the mind-blowing opening scene in which she moves from reflections on windows, to pictures on T-shirts to billboards and anything you could think of to get from one place to another. Many scenes show characters morphing or changing as their consciousness gets sucked into the never-ending parade of weird objects invading everyone’s dreams. When you see it, you don’t know whether to run for the hills screaming or force your eyes open so you don’t miss a second. The colours and creativity in these visuals are so dazzling it doesn’t even matter that sometimes you'll have difficulty understanding the plot.

The film ensnares you in this whirlwind of wonder and unease. You have difficulty differentiating reality from dreams, except when someone wakes up and points out how crazy things were a second ago. That’s the power of this story. And then, we get to the conclusion, which is a major letdown. Not only can you decipher the mastermind behind this big thing based on the character's design, the reason for everything doesn’t really make much sense. You’re left wondering if maybe the translation was bad, or if this story really wasn’t all that good and you were just swept up in all the razzle-dazzle. Ultimately, I say there is more to the film than just what you see. The mystery is compelling and the twist keep you guessing. It’s just everything before the conclusion was so great that when this generic ending comes around, it feels even worse than it is.

The last few minutes of Paprika will split audiences. Either you’ll love it and it’ll become a new favourite, or it’ll leave you with mixed feelings, meaning you’ll be blown away by the movie but content with just seeing it once... maybe two or three times. The sights within are nothing short of incredible so regardless of how you may feel about that finale, it’s worth seeing. (English Dub on DVD, May 24 2019)

[chinchillasinunison]

👻 OC in a really bad disguise

My apologies anon for getting this out so late! My brain is soup.

Anyways, I was thinking about a plot line post-first White Lily Bride transformation in which Princess Primrose would refuse to say how to reverse it initially (because she misses her wife, tails). So Lily would try to carry on as Akio the following day to, erm, very little success. But is it really a disguise if you're disguised as yourself? 🤔

[leifinthebreeze]

Heyyyy, just a little sneak peak into a fan fiction i was writing a while ago, if this gets enough I’ll post the next chapter. Basically it’s supposed to be a Todoroki X Reader but you don’t see that in the first chapter. Anyway enjoy!

Light. Light filtered through the car windows. Light shone down on the pavement. Light reflected colors off my mother, her clothes, her hair. If only it could have shown me her voice, so I could have seen the words coming at me. Maybe I could have dodged them, gotten back in the car and pretended none of this had happened.

“y/n, stay here. Don't follow me, or you will regret it.” Her tone had finality in it. I sat down on the sidewalk as everything I had known in my life drove away.

Why why why?! I internally screamed. Why wasn't I good enough to keep? What did I do wrong?

I watched the world continue to move around me, all while being in a state of limbo. Sun glinted against my golden hair, and the tears ran down my cheeks, filling me with unnecessary energy. I thought that that would be the rest of my life, that I would be stuck next to that road forever, that there was nothing left for me. What the hell! I was three and already contemplating my end! Why did I deserve that!? What sin had I committed!?

“O-oh my! Hey! Hey kid! Are you ok?” I hadn't heard the shoes running towards me, and I hadn't really listened to what the woman was saying, I just felt her hand on my shoulder as she questioned me. “What happened to you sweety? Where are you parents?”

“M-mommy and d-daddy l-left, a-and told me to stay here.” I said in between sobs.

The woman put her hands over her mouth as she gasped in horror. “That's it dear, I'm taking you home with me.” She grabbed my hand and gently pulled me up to standing, then picked me up and began carrying me.

Her shoulder pumped against my face slightly as she walked, rhythmic and soothing for me.

“What's you name dear?” she asked, her voice sweet and caring. Had my parents' voices ever sounded like that?

“y-y/n.” I sniffled into her shirt.

The woman chuckled. “Nice to meet you y/n, I'm Himari, and the man you are about to meet is my husband, Akio.” She said, while opening a door.

Timeskip: two years later

Tears were rolling down my face again as sirens blared around me.

Mom? Dad? Why is this happening again?

“Excuse me miss but are you the daughter of Himari and Akio Kame?”

All I could do was nod, barely even breathe.

The officer shook his head sadly, looking at the ground. “I'm so sorry kid, but your parents have died in an accident caused by villains.”

Why the hell did he look sad? He shouldn't be sad! He should've been hunting down the person who killed them! Why was he just standing there with a defeated look on his face?! For god's sake he was supposed to be an officer!

I fell to the ground and cried, water soaking the cloth around my eyes.

Why is everyone so useless?! Why am I so useless?!

After that I was brought to an orphanage, and I stayed there until I was nine when it was burnt down by mysterious causes. Yeah, those causes were me. I had been experimenting with my quirk when I accidentally set the side of the building on fire. The guilt tore me up inside, and I began to believe that I was cursed.

I was taken in by another couple, and brought to a nice home somewhere in the city. They seemed like nice people, giving me good food and a warm bed. How wrong could I get?

A few months after my new parents had adopted me, they discovered my quirk. Everything went downhill from there. I had gone crying to them that I was cursed and that they should stay away from me, and every time they would comfort me, but everytime they seemed more hesitant, and they began to distance themselves from me. When I unintentionally set a bot of flowers on fire, well i guess that was the last straw. They started pretending i didnt exist. They wouldn't feed me, and took everything out of my room, not even leaving me a blanket. If I tried talking to them, they would throw me back in my room and lock the door until I stopped crying. They called me a cursed child, drilling the thought into my brain.

When I was thirteen, I discovered they were connected to an organization dedicated to the destruction of all heroes, and that's when I had had enough. I escaped that night and fled into the alleyways and backroads of the city. I began living off of scraps and fighting for my food, picking up change thrown by strangers. I guess you could say I was a beggar. It wasnt until about a year or so later that i discovered that the family had been murdered by the very orginization they had been working for. And that's when he found me.

“Get back here!”

I ran through the back alleys that i knew oh so well, cutting corners on upcoming paths.

What did i do?!

All i really knew was that a man was chasing me, and he seemed dangerous.

Something flew by my head, only inches away.

Is that a frickin tranquilizer dart?!

Ok, kind of the last straw. I felt my legs begin to move faster, until they were only a blur, moving at the speed of light. I dodged into a building, running up the stairs until i made it to the roof. Even then i could hear his feet crashing up the stairs.

But how?

I didnt waste any time, launching myself off the edge while still at my top speed. I was aiming for a building parallel to the one i just jumped off of, a good twenty feet.

So close, so close!

When i was not five feet away, i felt something crash into me, knocking me off course and sending me flying into the side of the building. My head bashed the wall, and i think i heard some of my bones cracking.

I fell limp to the ground, the world quickly going black.

Hawks pov

I was out on patrol, flying through the more urban parts of the city at my top speed because…why not? Something flashed in front of me, something faster than even I could stop for. I made a hard impact, being sent flying backwards before steadying myself.

What the hell was that?

I looked down to see a girl limp on the ground, a pool of blood slowly surrounding her head. People had already started crowding her.

Shit!

I landed next to her, carefully rolling her over on her back. I pressed two fingers to her neck, relieved to feel a pulse.

“Someone call an ambulance!” I instructed, urgency flooding my voice.

I turned my attention back to the girl, quickly looking over her body to check for any other injuries. Lets just say she really didnt look to be in good shape. Something caught my eye. I whirled around to catch a figure standing atop a nearby building, before disappearing. I furrowed my eyebrows.

Was he the reason she jumped? She had come from that direction, so he could have been chasing her. How did she move faster than me? Who is this girl?

And thats when i noticed it. The blind fold around her face. My eyes widened in shock.

But that-no, that’s impossible. There’s no way!

Sirens began filling the street as the lights moved toward us. Quickly I ripped off my necklace and strung it around her neck, bringing her hand up to clasp the red feather tightly.

(yes i know that he doesnt wear a necklace but WORK WITH ME HERE I NEED PLOT!)

I leaned down, my voice barley a whisper. “Never take that off. Make sure you always have it with you.”

She was put onto a stretcher, then carried into the vehicle. The doctors nodded at me in thanks, before closing the doors and driving off.

Good, i managed to get it to her.

I stood up, looking back at where the mysterious figure had been.

Now, lets go investigate a bit.

y/n pov

I woke up in a hospital gown panting, my head throbbing, legs aching, and dont even get me started on my back.

Ok, i died.

I sighed, my grip loosening around the soft fibers tickling my palm. Wait…what the hell was i holding?

I looked down to see a small red feather clutched in my hand, attached to a leather chord around my neck.

Make sure you always have that with you.

The words flashed through my brain, the voice erased.

I didnt know how i got there, i didnt really remember anything, but i knew that whoever gave that to me had been the one to save me. I studied the pendant, running my fingers across the intricate structure.

“I promise.”

3rd pov

Off in the city, red wings shivered as they soared above the buildings. A smile spread across his face.

“Good.”

[transmascutena]

For their birthday, favorite headcanons for Utena Tenjou?

late reply again, these posts always take me a while to make.. utena is my favorite so i have a Lot, but uh here are some of them

her favorite color has always been red and it still is even though it has some really bad connotations for him now

winter is her favorite time of year. (unrelated to my headcanon about her short-wearing habits, summer just reminds her of ohtori)

post-canon utena is not doing very well before anthy finds her. she feels incredibly guilty over her percieved failure to save anthy, and also just misses her all the time. sometimes she finds herself missing akio too and hates herself for it. her depression gets worse because she can't be as physically active during and after her stay in the hospital as she used to be. she went to therapy as a mandatory part of her stay at the hospital, but it didn't help all that much. it made her understand things better but she still doesn't know what to do about any of it

when she goes to school again, she doesn't have many friends due to having a hard time trusting and being close to people, and also because a lot of people find her kind of weird and off-putting. she's also failing all her classes.

when anthy does finally find her they kind of run away together and utena never goes to school (or therapy even though she still probably needs it) again

butch !!!!!!! i've obviously talked about it before and i will continue to forever and ever. he has a very long and confusing journey of figuring out gender stuff but this is the term that makes everything click. (i have many thoughts on stone butch utena in particular, and the relationship between sexual trauma and identity and stuff. maybe i'll elaborate in another post sometime, but either way, complicated as fuck relationship to both gender and sex.)

also she's genderfluid

failed his driver's license test three times in a row and then kinda gave up. anthy drives them everywhere

he has NO sense of fashion. wears only the ugliest or most boring outfits (but it's cool anyway because he's butch)

i've mentioned this one before but he eventually starts doing fencing as a hobby, because she did actually enjoy swordfighting and wants to learn it properly. he's pretty frustrated that he's not as good as he used to be though

i am also such a sucker for utena meeting juri again after ohtori. maybe it happens at a fencing tournament (utena doesn't do it competitively but he goes to watch his friends from his fencing team)

utena and anthy then go on the world's most awkward double date with juri and her wife

[beebo-biris]

Another thing I wanted to add is while the movie puts to rest any ideas that Anthy and Utena weren’t in love, it’s damming in the fact that it DEFINITELY sexualizes the characters in ways that go beyond their prerogative, especially with Anthy. Yes she’s definitely being flirty and promiscuous on purpose to be fun and mess with Utena in a lighthearted way that is emblematic of her freedom from Akio and whatnot, but a lot of it is way too far. ESPECIALLY suspicious is the fact that her skin tone is lighter. Why the fuck did they do that?? Anyways, I think the movie is just equally as complex in every sense it could be, just like the show. I don’t really think one can view the movie on its own without missing out on major story beats. It really bothers me that the movie has these problems with Anthy because it feels like they didn’t get the message of the show bc it pretty much goes against stuff like that. Also they didn’t learn anything about their mistakes with Anthy and they made it worse??? Bruh

ok been thinking A LOT abt that utena post and i think it mainly boils down to the fact that while I think they missed the point of utena and anthy's relationship with: (kinda spoilers, i keep some stuff vague sorry it'd be much longer if I didnt)

utenas arc is about her role as a prince/man and letting go of gender

by the end they ARE in love. the show is explicit as possible with having to abide by not having a kiss. there is: on offscreen kiss in the credits, mentions of homosexualiety and homophobia in universe. utena referencing the fact that she is just a friend in the beginning, the s1 finale w/ utenas realization, series finale (there is no straight explaination given the context), the movie is actually explicitly gay. very much so

"all girls are like the rose bride" this is about gender roles and all of the girls in the story. its vauge and its symbolism, it is very hard to put together. (this show is HARD to piece together) the dresses they all wear, the uniforms, all back this up. this is about societal roles, anthy is the figurehead

Utena's uniform is a mash of the two, thats why she has booty shorts i think

the men that abuse and control ARE framed as bad, and esp touga and sionji are framed as multifaceted. it definatly does feel like they don't really get what they deserve (more so touga) bc Utena rebukes him gently, but that is bc of her complex feelings of leting go of the system. if you wanna take it one step further I believe she is in control of the relationship and not being manipulated or snything in the movie bc hes not real hes dead lol

Anthy's agency being manipulation is adressed, by utena, and it's understood. the audience is meant to sympathize with her, and the blame falls on akio. I feel like her being a villan goes against what akio is supposed to stand for, being the true manipulator. Is she a good person? no. But she is a victim

I could write more, i may later BUT

the OP of that post was right about the racism stuff. it' bad. i don't know why they decided to make her brown but it didn't have the best intentions, and they didn't think enough about the implications of the plot. The only 2 (technically 4? or 5? some are reflections or illusions but act like different ppl) ((which is ALSO weird)) brown ppl are not well fleshed out with race in mind, and that part of OP's points shouldn't be shot down. Utena needs to be viewed with a critical eye and the show is NOT PERFECT. it is quite flawed. it sucks because i love it and what it means to me, and what it means to have a show so complex that adresses so many things, but I'd be a lier if I said the race stuff was handled well.