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Character acting - Kyoto Animation Character Acting Sakuga MAD REACTION By An Animator/Artist
Today we are looking into a fantastic artform known as "character acting" a beautiful study particularly of human motion, interaction, relationships and expression!
In this video there are beautiful examples of such!
So sit back Relax and Enjoy
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Since people seem to really like my vision requirements illustrations, I figured I could elaborate on my theories/headcanons!
(EDIT: Since people keep mentioning it in the tags of the illust. post, so just to be clear, I am well aware Archons don't hand out visions personally😅 it IS however heavily implied they have a subconcious effect on who gets one, even if they have no active say. It's why no electro visions where granted during Inazumas vision hunt decree, for example)
Anemo: Purpose.
Anemo users have been unsure or hesitant about how to live their lives or what to do at some point, but all ended up finding something to strive for. Venti found purpose in rebuilding Mondstadt after Decarabian fell, to make the nation a place that the nameless bard would've loved to live in.
Jean found purpose as the Dandelion Knight, Xiao found purpose in serving Morax, Wanderer found purpose in freedom etc. Everyone has something they find fullfilment in.
Geo: Determination.
Geo users have a set path and/or ideal they live by, something they will not budge on no matter what. Zhongli is solid on his contracts, the written word is law and cannot be allowed to go broken, regardless of circumstances. His path is one of mutual agreement and fairness, to ensure everyone and everything gets their due.
Ningguang walks the path of Liyue's pillar, Noelle walks the path of self-improvement, Itto walk the path of acceptance etc. They are determined in their ways and will not bend them.
Electro: Protection.
Electro users all have something/someone they hold dear, and will do anything to ensure it's safety and longevity. Ei loved her sister more than anything else, and would've done anything to keep her safe and alive. Her actions in Inazuma was her terribly misguided way of "protecting" it from erosion, to keep the nation her sister loved so much in prosperity in her place.
Sara wants to protect her people, Keqing wants to protect Liyue's prosperity, Fischl wants to protect her imagination and fantasies etc. They hold things close to their heart and will do anything to protect it.
Dendro: Understanding.
Dendro users are seekers of knowledge and wisdom, wishing to understand the world around them and all that lives in it. Nahida wants to understand people, for wisdom means nothing when it can't be put to practice. People aren't something that can easily be comprehended by textbook knowledge, they must be observed extensively first-hand to even begin to understand.
Baizhu wants to understand the secrets of immortality, Kirara wants to understand human society, Collei wants to understand how to help others etc. They earnestly search for ways to expand their world.
Hydro: Duty.
Hydro users tend to have a strong sense of responsibility and personal principles they live by. We don't know enough about Furina to say for sure what her deal is right now, but I speculate her duty is closely connected to the Heavenly Principles, and that she views herself as Celestia's "executioner" so to speak.
Ayato's duty is to the yashiro commision, Candace's duty is to the desert-dwellers, Childe's duty is to the Tsaritsa etc. They have solid loyalties and set principles they work by.
Pyro: Passion.
Pyro users are full of love and passion for what they do, dedicating themselves whole-heartedly to their chosen field. We know very little about Murata, so it's hard to say what she's like. As the God of War I assume she has a passion for battle? Who knows.
Yoimiya is passionate about fireworks, Bennett is passionate about adventuring, Diluc is passionate about defending Mondstadt etc. They have a profound love of life and what is in it.
Cryo: Contradiction.
Cryo users are at odds with themselves, rife with inner conflicts and clashing desires. The Tsaritsa is described as an archon with no love for her people, and has been noted to have grown cold post-cataclysm. Her harbingers, most notably Childe, say otherwise, though. She's not unloving, but she is disillusioned and vengeful. Her hatred for Teyvat and Celestia is at odds with her love of her people.
Rosaria is conflicted with her lifestyle(s), Ayaka is conflicted with her status and wants, Kaeya is conflicted with his loyalties etc. They are torn by irreconcilable opposites.
#some extra things of note: the requirements can range from being very literal to more abstract in characters views#for example: hydro users like ayato & kokomi have direct duties as leaders#whereas ones like nilou & mona are more personal. some are also more about 'principles' than 'duty' (like barbara & xingqiu)#also i feel the need to clarify that dilucs passion is very specifically the ACT of defending mond#not necessarily the lasting protection of it(tho he does ofc care about that too)#venti#barbatos#zhongli#morax#rex lapis#raiden shogun#raiden ei#beelzebul#nahida#kusanali#buer#furina#focalors#murata#the tsaritsa#genshin impact#xander rambles#only tagging the archons bc i ran out of tags :P
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Most annoying NMJ or JC take is when someone that dislikes them is like "oh you're a fan of him? *scoff* Well obviously you've only seen cql, where he was super watered down. In the novel he's a dislikable asshole and that's the objectively superior canon I'm working from instead of your woobified fanfic." Meanwhile your main canon is novel canon and you genuinely find novel Jiang Cheng and Nie Mingjue complex sympathetic characters.
#complaining and whining about fandom#mdzs#cql#the untamed#nie mingjue#jiang cheng#WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO THEM#it's quite funny because in nmj's case i actually see shit from cql being carried over to novel canon to hate on him#for example my's treatment under the nie was explicitly much worse in cql because they transplanted the langya captain to qinghe#while the worst we see post-promotion in the novel is cultivators (WHO AREN'T EVEN NIE!) wiping ther teacups#(they're visiting from other clans like xichen. That's also why none of them had seen meng yao before.)#you can absolutely choose to interpret that worse things were happening to him at the hands of the nie off-page#it's definitely possible! but cql has people acting like it's objective canon#also the thing about empathy being inaccurate and biased in nmj's favor#that's another cql thing. in novel canon wwx can and does see things nmj does not notice (like the teacups!)#so even if he has some insight into nmj's thoughts and feelings it quite literally can't be showing things exclusively from his perspective#it was a pretty cool ceative decision from cql! gave us some very interesting character moments!#but sometimes i see people discuss the novel going 'and this was warped by nmj's bias i bet he was even worse in reality' girl wrong medium#in jiang cheng's case a lot of hate seems to be coming from the corner of cql!mains too#so clearly it can't be *that* big a difference in likability
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i keep seeing this tweet and it keeps making me think of them... 🤝my man
not to do them any disservice, they are like genuine actual legitimate friends who respect eachother beyond just their mutual of disdain for eggman. but surely they must joke about it..... we didn't really get to see much of them being realbuds at the end of scrapnik but i want to believe they are So homies now
#im still working on asks i prommy this ones just loooong. so intermediate scribbles in the meantime#off-art#scrapnik island#scrapnik mecha sonic#sonic the hedgehog#god scrapnik is a really great example of a thing where the main view of a character is them acting Not As They Usually Are#cause obviously he was not doing that shit before#and obviously hes going to be pretty different going forward since he's getting some of his Baggage figured out#so it leaves a lot to speculate on both ways it's very fun......a scrapnik reunion...my life for a scrapnik reunion....#i dont actually think it'll ever happen but its a blessing in disguise bc that means i will just go make my own. exactly as i want it to be#sonicposting
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The man with Yellow Eyes
Wanted to post Gman's new design for my au, Aftermath
#half life#gman#HL Aftermath au#Aftermath Gman#eye contact tw#shmorps art#Aftermath gman is silly I like him. I've been trying to make like. the au characters i make more. different from one another#And the Gmen are an example. they have different clothing and act slightly differently#Like. I think Aftermath gman is more of an observer rather than like. actually interfering with things.#Haven't gone in depth with them yet but yeah-
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LMFAO the stranger things crew are so funny 😭 they’ve been filming for months with fans and paparazzi taking pics and videos, but of course right after we get pics of byler; now everyone on set wants to be proactive about leaks,, like if byler is not endgame then why are they always so afraid of us knowing anything about them 😂
#if you don’t know what i’m talking about tate brookins on ig posted he’s going on a break bc like the crew is upset about the leaks#but it seems like every time we get something about byler like for example scriptgate— the crew jumps straight into action#if mike and will don’t end up together then why act so sus around their characters relationship?? if they’re just going to stay friends like#they have been since season 1 episode 1 then why act like anything about byler is a spoiler 😭#it just proves byler is endgame even more imo lol#byler#stranger things#st5 production#st5 leaks#stranger things 5#stranger things s5#stranger things season 5
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can i just say. and this is probably a niche hill to die on. that i am so gobsmacked every time someone vaguely hints at the idea that jotaro doesn't care meaningfully for the other crusaders, usually particularly kakyoin and joseph, when those two actually tend to be the ones he reacts to being hurt the hardest
like he cares for his loved ones!!!! that literally plays into his character motives in every single part he shows up in!!! stop lying to me!!!!!!!
#me.txt#jjba#i'm going to ramble in tags actually. excuse me#ok. rereading sdc and so confused at the general perception of jotaro and his friends/family. he's not NEARLY as flat or as dickish#i understand that the anime (particularly the dub) tends to slander him but even then he still clearly cares for them! i'm confused#i also understand that a lot of people dig against jotaro and kakyoin as a dynamic because 'they're popular' and that generally disliking#popular things across media is a thing that i've seen consistently everywhere but the discredit to them simply as a DUO and not even as a#pairing is so..... odd..... like they're considered to be a duo that clicks for a reason. i enjoyed them even before i got into the fandom#every time i see someone say jotaro is overrated/dull i take a shot and assume they're an anime-only or only read the manga like once btw#joseph and jotaro also have a neat dynamic and they obviously both love and care for each other. like they're not going to go around loudly#or anything but literally the entirety of the lovers and the prelude to the dio fight IS jotaro being worked up over joseph getting hurt#equally i don't know if it translates to the anime as much but joseph is VERY complimentary when it comes to jotaro. like he sings his#praises so often and reminds everyone that he's his grandson so frequently (d'arby the gamer is a good example of this). either way it's so#peculiar....... there's not enough avdol and jotaro content btw (also in canon) because jotaro obviously looks up to him and avdol jokes#around with him on the occasion they interact after their intro which doesn't start very well. it's very cute#i do think an important thing to note about jotaro's character is how he acts AFTER his intro because he's so drastically different. early#jotaro and later jotaro aren't the same character and i do not mean this in a character development way. excluding the jail incident he's#completely different and probably shouldn't really be taken into account (especially considering the amount of slapstick in araki's intros)#and i think that's really???? what people center on for his character? Which sucks balls bad!#anyways. i could ramble more about this if asked i have so much to say but sigh. jotaro cares so much for his friends and family he's not a#flat fully cold asshole character regardless of whether you watch the anime or ova or read the manga. you just have poor media literacy#i wouldn't recommend watching solely the anime for his character though. the dub also changes a lot so it's... questionable#i love the anime and it's still important for him though. also adds neat stuff. i need to stop myself. i have many thoughts on the matter#jotaro kujo#joseph joestar#noriaki kakyoin#adding in case anyone sees: i am not saying that he is perfect about this. in fact he is very ass about it with jolyne and holly and that's#very important. he also is in fact an asshole sometimes. NOT as much as you guys are making him though!#please don't get me started on how much of a dick etc people make kakyoin to veer away from the 'woobified' characterizations of him#in fact i think that's bad if not worse because it CLAIMS to be in character. hes a prim asshole at times but not that angry or dishevelled
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Something I like about both T’Lyn in Lower Decks and T’Rina in Discovery is that they feel distinctly Vulcan, but in a different way than a lot of other Vulcans shown previously. T’Lyn is somewhat classically Vulcan in her mannerisms, but not in her actual behavior which is frequently impulsive and based on intuition. Not that no other Vulcan characters have had their impulsive moments, but T’Lyn as a character feels more strongly defined by them, and I like how this is shown to be a strength as often as it is a flaw. T’Rina has a subtly different demeanor from a lot of Vulcans portrayed previously that I think indicates a deep sense of compassion intertwined with logic that is reflected in her actions as well. She is open-minded about other ideas and philosophies in a way that has rarely been portrayed in other major Vulcan characters. Not to say that other Vulcan characters aren’t compassionate or open-minded, but I personally feel that T’Rina embodies these ideas more fully without it ever feeling like she’s less logic-oriented. These two characters are nothing like each other, but they both feel like new and fresh characters without being completely unrecognizable from Vulcans in older series.
#star trek lower decks#star trek discovery#lane posts#lane's character and relationship meta#this is also not at all to say that the Vulcans in older star trek shows all feel the same as each other#tuvok and spock are very different from each other for example#i just think that both t’lyn and t’rina are well-written and well-acted
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so far my favourite unhinged response to my habitual observation of "it's weird that no one on this subreddit can make a single neutral-to-neutral-positive post about jiang cheng or jin guangyao without summoning the antagonist haters like bloody mary at a 90s kid's slumber party" is "you obviously don't know where you are. you don't understand reddit. no one owes anyone else GOOD VIBES ONLY. maybe we went overboard with these posts but we're just stating FACTS"
like. at least you admitted that you went overboard. we'll get to the rest later but, you know, baby steps.
#salty peak sect 🧂#acting like i'm rolling up to their subreddit trying to CHANGE their COMMUNITY CULTURE#well..... yeah. i am. because your community culture sucks for people who like jiang cheng or jin guangyao#maybe what your community culture needs is for more people to tell you#that you've normalized being an asshole to people who just want to talk about characters that they like#maybe you SHOULD feel bad that someone just trying to talk about why they ship chengqing#(for example)#is instead forced to deal with a bunch of people angrily telling them how jiang cheng didn't respect wen qing as a person#how he delighted in massacring her family (uhhhh citation needed on both of these)#but yes i'm the rude one for telling you you're being a joyless asshole to a real person#because you're upset about how you personally interpret the behaviour of fictional man jiang cheng
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Character acting - Kyoto Animation Character Acting Sakuga MAD REACTION By An Animator/Artist
Today we are looking into a fantastic artform known as "character acting" a beautiful study particularly of human motion, interaction, relationships and expression!
In this video there are beautiful examples of such!
So sit back Relax and Enjoy!
Sub for more content like This 👇🏿
30 DAY FREE TRIAL AND ART TUTORIALS 👇🏿
Show And Tell Art Showcase Here 👇🏿
#chaaracter acting#character#acting#character acting anime#character acting sakuga#character acting examples#character acting movies#character acting animes#character acting japan#character acting japanese#character acting japanese animation#character acting animation#character acting sakuga mad#anime#animation#japan#japanese animation#sakuga#mad
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Musical Touken Ranbu: Michinooku ~ Hitotsu Hachisu (Michinooku ~ A Single Lotus)
Here we go! Only a few days after the archive release and toumyu's ninth anniversary (congratulations!)
Michioku, or Michihasu, is a myu I have many conflicting feelings about, both positive and negative. However, I do believe that with the right amount of care in the next Mika-related story myu, the negative can still be cleared. Plus, I'm glad about a lot of things being re-established. The writer does need to step up her game a little on the plot-writing side of things, as well as the understanding-and-respecting-past-myu side of things, but as long as she does, this can still be given a proper place within what was already established.
Keep in mind that these are only the subtitle files, timed and tled to the DMM senshuuraku and the bluray respectively. The archive version will have a talk at the start, so the starting times of the subs will have to be delayed accordingly.
You can find the subtitles and my TL notes document here!
#touken ranbu#toumyu#water's translations#michioku#michihasu#how do I put this#seeing as myu's director Kayano has said in an interview right before Michioku that Kogi and Mika have a special bond#different from other swords-- and then they try to speedrun *Tsuru* and Mika having a what feels like it was intended to be#even greater relationship using a song called Kage Futatsu where KOGI'S signature song from Utaawase was Futatsu no Kage???#I SINCERELY want to believe it's incompetence rather than the writer deliberately pulling the rug from under Kogi's feet#bc the alternative is just cruel#I don't particularly mind the relationship Mika and Tsuru have in this play but I feel that not for a moment Kogi and kara respectively#were considered in the writing#anyway my final verdict is that this myu is what too many people think tsuwa is: the divorce myu (between Mika and Tsuru this time)#in all cases I hope myu can bring Shirakawa Yuki in again like with Datemyu just to offload myu's already deathly busy writer (she's done#5 myus in a month before which is just insane) because I feel this just isn't sustainable with the amount of carefulness a long-running#franchise like myu demands and the *writing* quality (not the production quality AT ALL Michioku's is great) is suffering for it.#like sure Michioku is loaded with references but they're references that either don't serve *Michioku's own* plot or their treatment shows#a lack of understanding of the work it's referencing-- for example Kashuu calling upon atsu's “This is how the shinsengumi fights!” actuall#goes completely contrary to the lesson he's supposed to have learned from atsuibun: that swords aren't disposable and that he has duties as#both soldier (captain in atsu) and as COMRADE and he makes the (already highlighted in Michioku!) dumb decision of butting in without#thinking-- and with that framed against manba's breaking trauma as well! He's supposed to have learned to stay rational and consider both#duties yet here he is ---BECAUSE of the reference--- completely leaning on the pre-atsu-development side of the scale#as if Ishi's words went one ear in one ear out. And yes the scene by itself could've worked as a subversion to show Kashuu makes the#'irrational' decision against what Ishi taught him to consider precisely because he cares for the people he's protecting but there is NO#groundwork laid at all for that in the rest of Michioku! This is what I mean with the carelessness of the references and the lack of#consideration for what prior myus were trying to SAY and ACHIEVE which is insane because she was the lyricist for those#it's more a collage of feelings provided through a set of characters calling back to the scripts of prior myu rather than#a story that evokes feelings bc the humans in it walk forward and act upon-- interact with-- the scenery on the road as left by prior human
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Racism and misogynoir are so apparent in fandom, especially when it comes to shipping because why is it when a white male, sometimes female but I see it more with the former, character is on screen with a love interest, particularly woc, especially if they're black, and even with all the emotional scenes or just moments where they look at one another in ways different from the rest, it's met with "No, they aren't dating/the show is not going to put them together" but let the other love interest be white as well and suddenly it all makes sense? Heck, the examples I mentioned above don't even have to exist between the latter for some to STILL go and believe this rhetoric (eg. some Jace and Helaena shippers because, even if these two only interacted with a dance but yet we see Baela console Jace, after he seeks her out, apparently it's to far fetched to believe that Jacela could be a thing?!)
Sometimes it could be a headcanon that, largely, would make sense (and oftentimes was birth due to lack of respect that the poc characters could have been given by the writers *cough* TVD *cough*), and yet you'd still have people dismissing it left and right and spewing hate. At a HEADCANON! And I'm not saying that just because the other person in the ship is poc that you have to ship them, I'm not, but it's very apparent to many poc fans in fandom that unless the characters are swapping spit and doing the nasty, the possibility of them being viewed in any romantic lens feels too much of stretch even though their white counterparts don't have to jump through the same loops.
#fandom racism#and even if the characters are already together in some way you still have some in the fandom picking a part every little thing#and don't let it be a love triangle either bc even tho the main consensus is supposed to be rooting for one side#if the other happens to be poc you can BET that their will be racial undertones from the fandom used as “justification”#(mark/amber/eve even tho mark is half korean but even with that some fans still viewed him as white and used that even more to hate on amber#and use a lot of misogynior) i remember those dark days in that fandom#from the early days until the ends of the westallen to jacela its so apparent especially when the love interest is black#and its not only jace/helaena shipprs that do this but cregan/sara shippers as well#and this is coming from someone who doesn't even mind jacelaena (prefers jace/hel/baela tho)#dont even get me started on the star wars fandom & how the idea of finn and rey was too out there l#and how much racism finn & john boyega had to deal with as a result#and i just know the same will happen with percy & annabeth when rachel is added (as someone who ships all three of them too)#like you can ship whomever you want but at the same time don't ignore/be apart of this racist and hateful rhetoric#jacela#sydcarmy#percabeth#westallen#bc its the way that this can be applied to SO MANY fandoms and ships that it's exhausting#finnrey#bamon#klonnie#kennett#tvd#pjo#star wars#hotd#the flash#for queer stories too bc ill never forget how some acted about dare me even tho the afro latina character was literally being groomed!#so many examples to many to name 😭#stefonnie
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So I remember talking to this person and she was basically saying “If it takes Bakugou dying to redeem himself then he’s done too much.” But it doesn’t take Bakugou dying this is just who he is… am I wrong?
i wouldn't take any bakugou anti's argument to heart. the fact of the matter is that bakugou was a childhood bully who grew up and bettered himself. it's like, one of the tamest, most normal redemption arcs ever. he didn't even have to die to complete it, he's just that devoted to deku. which in itself should say enough about his development
#'bakugou being a dipshit asshole bully from ages 5 to 14' is not nearly 'doing too much'. and certainly does not deserve death#the truth of the matter is. people overhate bkg bc his 'crimes' are the most tangible and relatable to the audience#objectively speaking there are way more characters in mha who have done far worse than him#but most people can't relate to more heinous crimes - they probably haven't lost someone to a mass murderer for example#but they CAN relate to knowing a dumb idiot kid from middle school#a lot of bkg antis project onto deku so it's likely due to a personal grudge they have against their own childhood bully#that they haven't gotten over and so they can't accept deku getting over it. bc they can't accept deku not acting like them#ppl just really don't like seeing bkdk as characters with their own arcs. to them bkdk are self-inserts#the self-insertification of midoriya izuku by dudebros must be studied... the revenge fantasies they cook up... it's fascinating#anyway i wouldn't worry about it too much#asks for becki
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me personally i take anything as a win. the future is bright and the sky's the limit. today, a sydcarmy slow burn miscommunication angst fest. tomorrow, a sydcarmy pussy eating episode. the universe has set out its plans and it wants first and foremost for me to be happy
#the bear fx#sydney adamu#carmy berzatto#sydcarmy#sydney x carmy#ayo edebiri#jeremy allen white#so anw. the bear season 3. yeah um. that was truly a season 👍🏽#like i see the vision i have perceived it i had fun nonetheless and i still trust that everything they chose to show us and not show was#by design etc etc but likeee the sidelining of the poc characters which has been happening for (checks watch) yeah. three seasons. now. for#white characters that serve nothing but do the shits n giggles did not make for a pleasant viewing experience it was just tired and played#out and corny regardless if it was intentional. in the immortal words of Tatianna: that certainly was a choice Christopher!#especially when u consider the acting chops of said sidelined characters. Edwin Lee Gibson for example? christopher. Christopher.#and the cameos are just. it's over christopher#we're moving past that now it was nice the first time we cant spin the block the second time for a little party trick christopher
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While im on the topic, the seething hatred by a huge chunk of this fandom towards Vaggie is so baffling to me. I'm not saying I expected her to be popular. I'm not new to loving an unpopular/ignored character. But the way some of these people go out of their way to misinterpret her so badly to justify their very vocal hatred for her is just such a huge shock.
#sometimes i feel like i see more people hate on vaggie than i see people hate on Valentino#yunno. the man who abuses and rapes one of the main characters on the reg? that one??#meanwhile Vaggie's just a latina lesbian who's maybe a lil too dedicated to her gf#and she gets such vitriolic hate#my brother for example doesn't really like her much cuz he's really picky about voice acting#and im fine with it. to each their own#but even he's confused about the majority's reception of her#hazbin hotel#wait no that sounds mean#ummmm more like#he said he would have liked her a lot more if her voice actor was different#so he likes her fine#and no he doesn't hate ms beatriz. he just would have preferred someone else
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okayyyyy fine (I say to the maybe 3 people interested) I'll talk about Dr. Tanaka, and the show's (Bones 2005) response to them
[disclaimer: my perspective is someone late 20s, white, & nonbinary, as well as biased to see the good in this show. I may not have the same perspective on these examples as someone else]
[also I wrote this for fun! so it's not like an airtight argument or anything]
so.. I wasn't surprised by the team's reaction to a person who doesn't conform to gendered standards (obsession with figuring out if they were really a man or a woman, culminating in a hug just to feel their chest), for 2 main reasons:
I. Bones is a show about awkward (usually contextually privileged) people with good hearts, and it expresses this core sentiment over and over again using microaggressions:
The little person from the State Department (Alex Radziwill) is called a midget, and Bones ignorantly accosts him about how he approaches his job. It's done in the context of Booth and Bones reacting weirdly to him. By her saying ignorant things that force Booth to confront his own weirdness, they eventually reach an equilibrium with Radziwill, where they treat him like a normal contentious coworker. It's really uncomfortable, and Radziwill has to sit through them getting over themselves.
The He in The She. Do I even have to mention more than the episode title? It takes forever for the cast to wrap their heads around Pastor Patricia Stephenson, a woman whose bones suggest a male, but whose anatomy suggests a female!! Oh no! Booth struggles with using her correct pronouns, and many characters flip flops between, often settling on the masculine pronouns. And yet, the show itself gives credence to how Patricia lived the last parts of her life. It finds the beauty and honesty in how she lived, and we get to see that honored. But not necessarily through the characters, especially the main squint squad.
Arastoo Vaziri. This poor man is just a Muslim who works in the lab. Bones expresses disdain for him being visibly religious. Hodgins straight up discriminates against him, tells him to his face that he doesn't like Vaziri because he's Muslim. Vaziri has to actively attempt to bond with Hodgins to overcome this bias. Cam barely steps in here, and ultimately Vaziri has to suffer the ignorance of those around him. He has to push back about his people being associated with bombs, because white people are terrorists too! He brings out a list!
And these are just main plot points. There are definitely other examples of how these characters awkwardly microaggress their peers and civilians.
II. The interpersonal logic of Bones is predicated on gendered relationships
I cannot count the amount of times a character on Bones said "It's a woman thing," or "It's a guy thing," or "Alpha-male." The more socially adept a character is (Booth, Angela, Cam, Hodgins), the more they lean on these constructs for explaining personal relationships and the more they use gendered constructs for what's permissible in their relationships. Brennan, Zach, and other squints are often actively taught what's okay to do based on gendered rules. "She's a woman," Angela says to Zach, who doesn't understand why a girl isn't calling him back. "It's a guy thing," Angela says to Brennan, confused about something Booth is doing. "It's a guy-hug," Booth says, manipulating Bones into accepting comfort by explaining a gendered rule that he's making up.
In an environment so saturated with these rules, the characters have no idea what to do with the interpersonal reactions they have to Dr. Tanaka (as Clark has established, the characters are constantly using their interpersonal lens at work). So, this mystery makes Dr. Tanaka into a site of intrigue. I'd say both Hodgins and Angela interpret this intrigue as attraction, based both on their desire for/interpretation of Dr. Tanaka as a woman or a man, respectively. The surprise/rethinking that occurs after feeling up Dr. Tanaka's chest is consistent with this mystery/intrigue/psychosexual anxiety of not knowing a gender. (To digress a bit, it's reactions in this vein that created the Trans Panic Defense for murdering trans people).
I'm also unsurprised at Sweets. From his defense of Dr. Tanaka presenting as they want to him standing alongside the hug onlookers out of curiosity, he's the part of the show that's looking forward. He's the planted seed for this episode: that people who don't want to share their gender, it's not your business, even if it's hard to resist the part of you that thinks that.
And honestly, I think that's kind of the core to it.
Bones is a show about privileged professional folks who are often ignorant, but it attempts to plant seeds in their moderate liberal audience about cultures and subcultures. It planted the seed that Radziwill (a little person) was just a coworker using his own advantages, and it's important to treat him like you would another coworker. It planted the seed that Patricia (a trans woman) was right to transition and live her fullest life. It planted the seed that Arastoo (a Muslim) is just a coworker, one who has his own religious life, and Hodgins was the one acting irrationally.
Finally, it planted the seed that Dr. Tanaka is just living their life, and the awkward must-know-their-gender drive didn't really mean anything in the end, except for the team feeling weird about it.
#my conjecture is that it takes you on this emotional microaggression journey with the characters#so you don't act like an ass when you encounter someone like x#but yeah#I'm not judging it too harshly#this episode aired years before gay marriage was legalized in the us#so I'm still proud of the attempt#and I'm thinking this attempt was meant for teaching#even if it doesn't hit the mark as much as it does with other similar arcs#bones tv#musings#I wouldn't even be surprised by people saying it missed the mark on all these examples#or by people saying this strategy isn't enough#but it's a big part of the show imo#i have a friend who doesn't accept this as good enough and tbh? fair enough
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