#ask dr rin

[calpicoboys]

[saint-miroir]

[classic-shoujo]

Ask Dr. Rin (2000) by Kiyoko Arai

[overdressedcarp]

Aventurine, Dr. Ratio, and Ruan Mei for the character ask! (Love ur Aventio fic btw).

Thank you for the ask! I had fun doing these. (Also I'm glad you're enjoying the fic! I am sitting in my authorial hobbit hole with a big smile on my face.)

Aventurine

Clarifications (yellow boxes):

I don't see as many bad Aventurine takes as I do for Ratio, but I do think his rough edges often get watered down in a way that either justifies or ignores his canonical flaws. So "they got done dirty by fans" and "wow! they are a horrible person" both get soft nods because I think his character deserves to be both sympathetic and kind of an ass sometimes. (The other issue I see is people acting like he's vulnerable and helpless, which is just. fundamentally not true? He's not as secure in himself as he pretends to be, but he is a ruthlessly competent strategist, and he knows how to read people and give them what they want to see. He's a member of the Ten Stonehearts for a reason.)

"If they were real I would be afraid of them" alright let me explain. The 2.1 story did a masterful job of humanizing Aventurine, but his first impressions in 2.0 were fine-tuned to be unnerving, and it was really effective for me as a player. For a while I couldn't articulate why it made me uncomfortable, but @starcurtain did a great analysis on female influence in Aventurine's life, which touched on how his early interactions with the Trailblazer are designed to be intimidating and off-putting in a way that channels the sort of masculine dominance Aventurine has historically experienced at the hands of other men. Suffice to say: if it served his plans for me to be afraid of him, he knows how to do it, and it would work.

Also I forgot to mark "why do they look like that" on the bingo but I do think Hoyo should have given him more melanin considering how deeply Romani-coded his culture is. Everything else about his design slaps though.

Ratio

Clarifications:

"Wasted potential" is subjective because I've loved every moment we've gotten of Ratio onscreen, but damn do I want the game to delve deeper into his backstory and his dynamics with other characters (I'm still sad that so far Aventurine is the only character that has a voice line about him).

"Deeper than they seem" and "not as deep as they seem" exist in a paradoxical state for me because I do think some folks stop at the surface reading of "arrogant asshole" when he's got way more going on in his character stories and his actions in canon... but I also think some people err on the side of taking him too seriously, in a way that likewise takes something away from his character. Like, this is the guy who plays chess with himself and trash-talks from both sides of the table like a goddamn cartoon character. He owns at least one rubber duck and takes a bath with it every day. He likes all of Aventurine's social media posts and replies "Heh." to anything he finds vaguely amusing. This is not a serious man.

"Why do they look like that" okay I need to clarify that this is not a criticism. I love Ratio's design. The neoclassical vibes are impeccable. But it's also extra in a way that I feel morally obligated to call out, considering how much he rags on Aventurine for dressing like a peacock. Sir, you walk around in robes and sandals with an alabaster bust on your head; you have no room to talk about subtle fashion choices.

Ruan Mei

Clarifications:

Ruan Mei gets both "they are so cool looking" and "why do they look like that" because I love the theory behind her design (the DNA elements, the embroidery and floral imagery, the qipao paired with the pearl necklace) but she also has the unfortunate distinction of being a female character in a Hoyoverse game, so the more unique details fall prey to the homogenizing force of the male gaze.

Another case of "they got done dirty by fans" and "wow! they are a terrible person" existing in tandem, but in Ruan Mei's case I think some people reduce her down to her worst qualities without acknowledging the more complex aspects of her character. Her unchecked pursuit of knowledge leads to her doing Objectively Bad Things, but I don't think it's a fair (or particularly interesting) reading to portray her as heartless.

I thought about marking "wasted potential" because imo 1.6 wasn't nearly enough to delve into Everything Going on with This Woman, but it seems like they're setting up something for a future patch, so I'm content to wait and see what the writers have planned. I'm really excited to find out what she's doing with those leviathan fossils and Tingyun's wrecked ship.

Link to the character bingo template

[majokkoradio]

"Dotabata Chase" - Dr. Rin ni Kiitemite! - BGM

[sailor-brunette]

I've talked about how I want Viz/Shoujo Beat to reprint more of its old series since its doing the same to Red River. But! It'd ALSO be great if they license/relicense some other older shoujo series that never got an English license! Or did but the license expired! Please,Viz,I am begging!

[the-ravenclaw-werewolf]

Which of the 40 (apart from Korra) do you think would make a good avatar?

Okay, so after some thinking, I think I have it.

Levi Ackerman: Since he’s already so strong and that he knows when to make important/hard decisions.

Kobayashi, Naegi, and Legoshi : Is a peacekeeper, but is willing to fight for the sake of others.

Rin Okumura: Shows kindness to others, even if society doesn’t accept them, and will go all out in a fight for the sake of his loved ones and others, even if he’s hated on.

Zuko: Admittedly, I am a sucker for Chaos Avatar Zuko, but we see him go through so much growth and training that he would be the perfect Avatar, even with his circumstances.

Izuku Midoriya: I know this is cliche, but he is quite a lot like Aang, especially with their ideals clashing with their duty. 

Senku Ishigami: Even though he may seem like a jerk a lot, which he can be, he teaches others all for the sake of the improvement of humanity.

Tanjiro Kamado: Has a big heart but is a fighter when needed.

Nagisa Shiota: Calm, cool, and collected even in the toughest situations.

Emma: Natural leader and is willing to put herself on the line for the safety of others.

[jewlwpet]

There's an episode in Ask Dr. Rin where a boy is trying to help out the boxed lunch shop where the girl he likes is helping out, and the protagonist's friend group gets involved. They decide to have a contest to see who can make the best boxed lunch, and the best parts from each will be used in the final product.

...except, only the girls are doing it. even though that makes it a contest with only 3 participants (edit: 4, another joins at the last minute) and 7 guys judging.

This really doesn't reflect well on the guys in this anime.

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Kyoumi Kanzaki fans.

[calpicoboys]

[saint-miroir]

[classic-shoujo]

Ask Dr. Rin/Dr. Rin ni Kiitemite! (2000) by Kiyoko Arai

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Something I just realized about DanDaDan. In most shows, the main group usually grows because the original team welcomes the new member. Like when Team Avatar brought in Toph Beifong or whenever Luffy asked someone to join the Straw Hats.

In DanDaDan, literally no one wants to be there and they only became friends after being forced to spend time with each other. What I mean is:

1) Okarun and Momo hated each other in the beginning.

2) Aira was a villain at first. Then when she mellowed out, Momo and Okarun were adamant that she not join their team. Aira only stayed because she’s so delusional that she declared herself team leader. Momo and Okarun then just kinda went, “Well, fuck, she’s not going anywhere so welcome aboard, I guess.”

3) Jiji annoyed the fuck out of everyone in the beginning, especially Okarun since he saw him as a rival for Momo’s affection. This man had to put in the work to get on Okarun’s good side. And then there’s Momo who, even though they were childhood friends, was still annoyed by him.

4) Vamola literally got dropkicked by Momo when they first met.

5) Kinta Sakata forced his way into the group. Even the characters were like, “Who the fuck is this guy?” And when the group did get to know him, they instantly wanted to kick him out.

6) Rin Sawaki’s first significant moment was getting into a public argument with Momo. She also weirded Okarun out with her vampire/dungeon fetish fantasy.

It’s like the manga version of Community, where none of the characters seem to get along but they’re somehow friends. It’s like they show love by getting on each other’s nerves.

TL;DR;

Most shows: “Welcome to the team, new guy!”

DanDaDan: “Well we can’t get rid of you so…see you tomorrow, I guess.”

[majokkoradio]

"Kimi ni Mune Kyun" - Dr. Rin ni Kiitemite! - BGM

[midnight-in-town]

Ao no Exorcist is a Shonen series written by a woman and it shows

Since the latest chapter, I've been thinking about how several usual Shonen tropes are written rather differently under Kato-sensei's pen. No judgement or anything, it's just cool to observe. Some examples :

1) Rin's mentor is a woman

2) Rin's secret, despite being the MC, was revealed in ch13 to the entire cast, meanwhile Shiemi, The Main Girl, who was introduced to be so helpless is only starting to be explained.

3) Also, the Mysterious plot-relevant Shonen Parent is actually the twins' mother. (Of course Shiro is super plot-relevant too, but Satan is still angsting over Yuri and she's a huge part of the reason why he's the big bad)

4) Rin also changed his view about his future throughout the story: from dropping out of school, passing by hoping to become the Order's Paladin (probably to cope with Shiro's death and also to antagonize Arthur), to finally showing way more interest and potential in the (less epic and heroic in appearance) field of talismanic cooking.

5) When it comes to arcs, mental illness is a valid reason to build a character arc around...

6) And so is making an arc about girls being "cursed" to basically "get married and have children before they hit 30, the age where their beauty fade thus they become useless" :

7) ANE is a story about women becoming traitors to protect their loved ones, like Mamushi

or becoming overwhelmed because men toyed with their feelings like Tamamo

8) Older women can be absolute badasses like Shiemi's grandma

or Lucy.

9) Complicated mother-daughter relationship and girl friendships are given as much focus as complicated father-son relationships and sweet bro friendships (like Bon and his dad during the Kyoto arc, as well as the complicated but deep bond between the Kyoto Trio)

10) And one of my favorites: full time single dad, asking for help to do the job as well as he can and finding his true purpose in life by doing so :D

Hmm and now that I think about it, the only other Shonen series written by a woman I've been as invested in is Kuroshitsuji, by Yana Toboso, and similar examples can be found in it too, namely:

1) If Ciel ever finally admits needing a mentor, his aunt Frances will probably play that role

2) Girls can be super strong & skilled (Elizabeth, Mey Rin) and clever (Sieglinde)

3) (one part of) the Big Bad is a woman (Queen Victoria)

4) maybe Ciel's entire revenge stems from a conflict between Queen Victoria and Ciel's maternal grandmother, Claudia.

5) the Undertaker has been a continuously freaking pain in the ass because he probably fell in love with that same maternal grandmother and couldn't mourn properly

TL;DR we love our boys and their spectacular growth and development under women's pens a.k.a shonen series written by ladies are hella fun to read. :D

[rynwrites]

I’ll be accepting asks on behalf of any of the characters in the Red so far as well!

ok so I saw a post circulating that was warning people about a possible askbox raid (thus the reason I turned off asks), but I think it should be safe to turn on non-anon asks for now (though no media allowed still, sorry lovelies!!)

so, with some restrictions ofc,

askbox is back open!!