#anyway lor women are way too gay for someone not to notice

[xillycatz]

(I hope as canon as it gets) Zena analysis

DISCLAIMER, the following essay was is a product of several untreated mental illnesses and my terrible taste in women.

"This is my comfort character" and it's a murderous, narcissistic, sociopath with a total disregard for others

(c) someone on tumblr

Let's start with acknowledging that she's an arbiter of the Head. Arrogant, narcissistic, cruel, ah, a smile forms on my face. Problematic babygirl but that's for later. There's even a line in the artbook that she treats us like dirt, but isn't that the point?

1) Design and femininity

All the girls are girling, girling!!

As we remember, this is not the first arbiter we meet, second actually. Let's compare them. First of all, the design: Zena has more symmetrical and feminine, well-groomed design - thick shiny hair, makeup, short fur trim, 10 golden rings, additional decor on her cloak. She gives the impression of an official rather than a warrior. At the same time a closed posture, hinting that the only conversation she's in the mood for is an extended monologue on her part.

Binah, aka Garion on the contrary has a more asymmetrical and less traditionally feminine design. Also of note is Binah's yonic earring, which Garion did not originally have, making it even clearer that her design has undergone feminization. She is also dressed noticeably simpler, on the one hand that is a relic of the lobcorp era, but on the other hand it's more practical for actual combat.

Anyway, what is connecting them is their occupation, their love of monologues and their lesbianism.

I kept thinking about the decoration on Zena's coat. After a little digging, I found out that in addition to the standard hexagons, there is the so-called heraldic lily. This symbol is found in many cultures, but it was popularized by the French monarchs as a symbol of the ruling king, and the Christian symbol of purity and innocence, associated with the Virgin Mary. This doesn't tell us much except that the world of Project Moon has Christianity and has an analog of French people. I also find interesting that the prototype of the heraldic lily was most likely the plant Iris pseudacorus L. I don't need to explain why there is a sign of the monarchy on the coat of the arbiter (although the political structure of the City is up for debate), but about the symbol of purity it is quite interesting, given that it is worn by a relatively young woman. Okay, that's the Deep Meaning Search Syndrome talking, let's stop with the monarchy.

Let's move on to a discussion of femininity. And Zena exudes it, or at least tries very hard to. She's one of the rare Project Moon characters with visible makeup. The only other character who wears makeup is Rodion. She isn't exactly wealthy, so we can dismiss the money factor. Obviously, there are products for every purse and purpose in the City, it's just that we keep being told stories about women who don't wear makeup just like, ever. Zena tries to wear makeup in the Korean style uzzlang. The style suggests soft lines and watercolor-y facial features, be it eyes, cheeks or lips. But here's the catch - in makeup, it's important to emphasize facial features, not fight them. Zena has a warm undertone, as you can tell from her blush and skin tone. However, she chooses a very cold eyeshadow tone, which clashes the general undertone, so we can conclude that the girl is clearly not a makeup expert and only wears it on special occasions. The Library raid is just the occasion and we'll talk more about why. And in general Zena is very deliberately feminine and it is noticeable in the whole design, even going so far as to put the bows on shoes. (BOWS, CARL)

Other interesting design elements include a helix earring on her left ear and headphones. Maybe for listening to music, maybe for communication. Also, Zena's posture and the silhouette of her cape makes her look a lot like a penguin, which the Internet noticed and added to the “why Zena is cute” list.

2)Cuteness and fascism, Z-edition

Repost if you love femboys or if you comitted several felony offences that could lead you up to 25 years to life in prison

Why is Zena cute? While being in the projmoon fandom I've wondered time and time again why Zena is so infantilized in fan works. It's worth talking about the aesthetics of kawaii, moe, and how that intersects with patriarchy and fascism. Sparing you the sociology and history lecture course, I will say that Japan needed a rebranding after WW2. At the same time, a kawaii subculture was developing among young girls, suggesting a slightly infantile cuteness. Japan turned female protest against traditional gender roles into a convenient marketing scheme. Thus came the kawaii and moe we know now. And since Japan is a very conservative country, it's no wonder so many conservatives are into anime and manga. That's also where lolicon and some of the infantilization of characters grow from. We all understand that so many fans of Zena as a character are conservative because Zena herself is conservative, which in turn entails her infantilization due to her very feminine design.

3) Character and Narratives. Part Angela.

"You cannot break free from the origin that defines you"

Anyway, what's Zena really like? She's clearly trying to exude an aura of indifference, as if this is just a normal raid and the opponents are just dirt beneath her feet. That's how Garion behaved, and it's easy to guess that's how the other arbiters behave. However, behind the mask of nonchalance lurks a certain caution and even obsessiveness. The Head makes its move only after the Library has completely shut down, otherwise it would mean imminent defeat. Zena is also cautious on the battlefield, not entering it without a clear necessity and immediately retreating as soon as expulsion begins. Obsession, on the other hand, is emphasized by how personalised her attacks are. There are 2 characters in the Library of Ruina that are directly related to birds, and Zena has an antagonistic relationship with both. This is why she uses the birdcage attack.

One such character is Angela. Their antagonism is mainly built on the fact that one is an AI and the other is a staunch opponent of sentient AI in the City. But what makes Angela so close to humanity isn't looks or a beating heart at all. Had Angela not abandoned her original goal of becoming fully human, the City would have accepted her, paradoxically, because she would have shown her lack of humanity by continuing the cycle of violence. By forgiving Roland and breaking the cycle, she found a true humanity that was unavailable to the people of the City, for which she was banished.

The whole conversation between Angela and Zena reeks of the vibe of a trans person talking to a transphobe. Angela is a gorgeous trans allegory. First of all, the IDEA behind her creation, namely - the transfer of Carmen's consciousness into a program and mechanical body just like transhumanists dream of, while imposing onto the new body the features that Carmen herself wanted to have. Speaking of the voice, the desire to change it, especially, to quote her, to “the most beautiful in the world”, is quite common among transfems. Secondly, the motif of playing someone else's role, the feeling of being trapped inside a play that was written for you, supposedly for you, and, most importantly, without you - a trans allegory in itself, but paired with the panicky fear of ever returning to that stage and the firm desire to get as far away from it as possible.... Come on, guys, really. Third, the fact that Angela initially looks like a full-grown realistic doll, causing most people the effect of a uncanny valley ... And the gradual disappearance of that effect over time as she gains her human body... What's not a metaphor for hormone therapy and trans bodies? And fourth, literally EVERY scene of Angela's confrontation with the Head's agents. Yes, I love Zena, but I can't turn a blind eye to the fact that in this scene she's regurgitating rhetoric that is painfully reminiscent of TERFs.

See for yourself:

Zena: "An entity that isn't human entertained thoughts that only a human should have. You poor machine... No matter how much you contemplate and enrich your mind, you cannot become human if you aren't born as one. When Ithought you might turn into a human at the end, you let go of all you had during that critical moment. Had you fully become human at the culmination of the ordeal, the City would have been more willing to accept you, alas"

Angela: "I don't care if I have to stay as a machine"

Zena: "A machine with a heart has no place in this city. You cannot break free from the origin that defines you"

Angela: "Why does that matter? I'm the only one who has a say in defining MY identity. I don't need any flimsy husk to do it for me"

Zena: "How contemptible that your line of thought is so dangerously close to what a human must aspire to reach. You're further demonstrating why we can't let you be"

Replace “human” with “woman” and tell me that's not what 70% of the debates between the privileged rich TERF (England, I'm looking at you) and the trans community looks like.

So tell me after that, that Angela doesn't read like a trans allegory. Sorry guys, I'm right here :3 It's especially ironic in light of the fact that right now the most important TERF is considered to be one writer, the author of a series of books about wizards... And Zena's class is specifically wizard, hehe.

4) Character and Narratives. Part Binah.

Binah has evil exes Ramona Flowers style and all of them are Zena

However, besides Angela, there's Binah, who's also connected to the birds. And Zena. Well, Zena is connected to Binah actually. Besides the primary purpose of banishing the library, Zena was sent to retrieve Garion. But here's the catch, there is no Garion :)) There is Binah, who is so similar to her in appearance, but so far removed in ideals. So much so that Binah was Angela's main acomplice when she was sent to destroy her. Also Garion wouldn't have been drinking tea with Hod and Gebura so casually pondering whether process or result was more important. And Binah, having learned a painful lesson, no longer monologues on the battlefield as Garion did. But Zena does. Without knowing, Zena may have already found the one she's looking for, becoming a copy of her, absorbing her mannerisms and ideals, although Zena doesn't have Garion's inquisitive mind, and she certainly doesn't have Binah's distinct understanding of things. Zena in a way, being the antithesis of them both, is the embodiment of the very concept of the cycle of violence.

Let's talk about the very concept of an arbiter. The city is a self-replicating structure, sustained by a cycle of violence at every level and in every layer. Garion as well as Binah understand this better than anyone, which is why Garion was able to do her job so effectively. That's the point about the line about trust ("trust is my favorite weapon, It leaves a great wound too, no?"). It's so easy to start a cycle of violence by manipulating trust, they don't say divide and conquer for nothing. The cycle of violence also instills fear of its collapse, because its collapse entails the formation of a new social contract. Just like a prisoner's dilemma, where not knowing the answer of the other prisoner, it is better to choose an answer that does not suit both sides (but suits the third, the ruling one, which is th Head). And it was by understanding the essence of being an arbiter that Binah was able to break her own cycle, and then help Ayin to break the cycle and further help Angela and Roland. Zena, without understanding, is only able to become an embodiment of the cycle, and that is her tragedy. Also Daniel, aka Chesed, could have taken the same path, if he had not been taken out of the cycle by the hands of Carmen and Kali.

And so, Zena's tragedy is that she seeks her logical conclusion, Garion, and will most likely end up like her, while Binah, having realized her mistakes and learned from them will live on. But Zena never recognizes Binah's ways, for she considers her too soft. Indeed, the latter's character has changed for the better, but it has changed under the very violent influence of Ayin. Zena will never recognize that Binah is not broken, but actually found the truth, not denouncing Garion completely, but accepting her past and leaving room for the future. Binah has also become much more prosocial, not only socializing herself, but encouraging Angela to do the same (something Garion would never do).

5)Conclusion

I WANT TO BE THAT FUCKED UP GIRL!

Thus, Zena is a character who is doomed and tragic, which attracts me. Her obsessiveness and inability to see her mistakes also makes me sympathize with her. She's like the jalter from FGO and Drake from NIKKE. And in some ways I see myself in her. And that's why I love her dearly. And without such passionate nature, this essay would not exist.