#do not fuck with chuchu

[anthurak]

Seriously, we’ve seen a LOT of dudes getting punched in Gundam...

...but I’m fairly certain Chuchu is the first to just straight up coldcock some asshole with the first punch!

[blazerodd]

チューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラム���チューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラチューチュー ラブリームニムニ ムラムラ

[essentialthyme]

It's so funny that every time the audience reads a relationship between two women as romantic people come pouring out of the gutter to be like "why do you have to put romance into this" or reaffirming that they themselves read it as platonic and that it is somehow diminishing for the relationship to be romantic.

"Two women can't be friends without people trying to make it gay" is such a terminally online take. People used to refer to me and my ex-gf as friends all the time when we were still dating. In real life, it's the OPPOSITE like 90% of the time. Not to mention how these characters are usually confirmed friends and maybe only implied to have something more: the infamous subtext. So they are 90% of the time ALWAYS canonly friends.

It makes no sense. If every relationship between two women in media is platonic, does it not make sense that people are starved for romantic sapphic relationships? We read it as gay, but it's not confirmed. We read it as gay, but it's not confirmed. It's a fucking neverending cycle. One canon couple can only sate people for so long, it's been two years since Suletta and Miorine, I mean, come the fuck on.

"Well, regardless, what about the most important thing in the universe: friendship??? Think of the friendship!!!"

Is Marcille not friends with Laios? With Chilchuck, Senshi and Izutsumi? Why does she have to be only friends with Falin specifically?

Was Suletta not friends with Nika, Chuchu, Lilique? Was she not friends with all the kids from Earth House?

Why do people feel the need to write longform essays about how they feel that the relationship between the two women people ship is deeply platonic, but not about every other person these two ladies are friends with? Why does a romantic relationship lessen the meaning of the bond two women have with each other?

"I'm not homophobic, I'm just interpreting the text."

Ok, cool, interpret the pattern of all of these complaints that only target against femslash ships and tell me what could possibly be behind it, then.

[delusionalwriter02]

Hi deaaar

I loved so much the insta posts as Chuuya's girlfriend. Would you make a part two?

If not, feel free to ignore this.

Have a nice day! ❤️

Insta as Chuuya's GF p.2

a/n : hello love! here i am again with the part2, thank you so much for your request, hope you like it! Have a nice day too <3

<3 liked by Daze_i, Gintonic and 245 others.

Yn_theoneandonly : when your bf is always late

Chu_uya : NO I'M SORRY HONEY AKUTAGWA WAS TAKING TOO LONG

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : tf you were doing with him ?

↳ Chu_uya : we had a mission together and i lost him

↳ Gintonic : you lost him ????

↳ Chu_uya : yes but no I found him but for a moment I lost him

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : just hurry

Daze_i : i'm so going to join you

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : NO FUCK OFF

↳ Daze_i : you're mean with me

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : for ONCE I want a date with JUST Chuuya

<3 liked by Yosanurgirl, Akutagawa and 290 others.

Yn_theoneandonly : he is wanted

Chu_uya : I only want you

↳ Daze_i : chuchu you make my heart feel warm

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : omg stop it or just kiss already

↳ Chu_uya : LOVE WHAT ?????

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : joking

↳ Daze_i : i have your blessing ???

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : try Dazai, try to kiss my man and you'll see why i'm in the port mafia

↳ Gintonic : even I am scared

↳ KunikiDA : Dazai you come back RIGHT NOW

↳ Ranthebestpo : leave him or he'll never learn

Akutagawa : Can you bring me the gun you stole ?

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : I haven't stole anything ??

↳ Akutagawa : I literally saw you

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : how much do you want

↳ Akutagawa : 6000

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : ok

<3 liked by Gintonic, Chu_uya and 394 others.

Yn_theoneandonly : he just made me lunch, i'm in love

Chu_uya : i'm so classy

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : slow down

Gintonic : have Dazai tried to make his move ?

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : he tried to break in but got scared of our dog

↳ Gintonic : the loser

Yosanurgirl : he's so husband material

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : I AGREE

↳ Chu_uya : want to become my wife ?

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : make a better propose

↳ Chu_uya : Will my dear lady agree to become my wife ?

↳ Yosanurgirl : OM THAT'S NOT HOW YOU DO IT

Gintonic : what did he do ?

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : curry but he got a special recipe that is SO good

↳ Gintonic : he put his babies in it ?

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : you are so fucking disgusting

<3 liked by Yosanurgirl, Daze_i and 238 others.

Yn_theoneandonly : such a magical night

Chu_uya : I agree love

↳ Akutagawa : did you do it ?

↳ Chu_uya : no

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : did what ?

↳ Akutagawa : you're a damn loser and stupid human being I can't even find enough words

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : who do you think you are ??? don't insult him

↳ Chu_uya : he got his reasons

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : I don't understand ??

Yosanurgirl : It's so lovely, hope you a great night

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : it was wonderful, i would love to go with you too

↳ Yosanurgirl : we have to go to Paris together

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : omg yes!!! let's organise that

Daze_i : it's a shame I wasn't there

↳ Atsushiii : I think it's best if you keep your distance

↳ Daze_i : don't talk to me

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : don't speak to my baby like that

↳ Chu_uya : your what

↳ Gintonic : if the loser wasn't with you then who took the photo ?

↳ Chu_uya : she asks one the person that was there

↳ Daze_i : why do you always assume i'm with them ??

↳ Gintonic : because you're the most obsessive person in the world

↳ Daze_i : i'm not

↳ Yn_theoneandonly : Chuuya is in Chibuya

↳ Daze_i : COMING

↳ Gintonic : see ?

↳ Chu_uya : he's living in his own little universe

Hey! I hope you like it ? Thank you so much again for your request!

See you <3

[undertheopensky]

Extinction

Whumptober Day 27: I misread Alt Prompt #7 Examination, so I guess this is now a Skies-specific prompt of Extinction. Though if you wanted to get poetic about it, I guess ‘Scars’ would also work.

Characters: Sky, Four, everyone’s kind of there especially in the first part

Trigger warnings: Panic attacks, grief, dehumanisation, it makes sense in context

Read on Ao3!

–––

“No, see, wolves are to wolfos what unicorns are to horses,” Hyrule is explaining to a perplexed Wild. “And rabbits to a pols voice. Y’know, the non-monstery version.”

“Out of curiosity, what the fuck do you think a unicorn is?” Legend asks, visibly fascinated by the whole conversation.

Hyrule thinks for a moment. “I’m pretty sure it’s like a horse with fairy wings? That doesn’t want to kill you.”

“Okay, I think we need to introduce you to more horses than Twilight’s monster.”

“Oi!” Twilight protests, looking up from his leatherwork.

“Last week she stomped and then ate a deku baba,” Legend says flatly.

“So?”

“Oh my god,” Legend mutters. Then, as Time walks up, his patrol apparently finished, “Hey, old man! What’s a unicorn to you?”

“Horse with a horn,” he replies easily.

Wild wrinkles his nose, clearly struggling to imagine it. “What’s the horn for?”

“For stabbing people, obviously.”

“What?! No!” Indignant, Four looks up from his book. “They cleanse water and purify poisons! There are no legends associating them with the battlefield, except for one country that uses them as the heraldry device for medics!”

Time shrugs, clearly unbothered.

“No wings, then?” asks Hyrule, slightly crestfallen.

“Nah, that’s a pegasus,” says Warriors.

“Like the boots?” Legend squints at the wings on his own.

“I think so? It’s a horse with, like, bird wings. One of the noble families back home uses them in their heraldry. There’s a lot of mythical creatures on heraldry, actually.”

“Rabbits ain’t mythical,” says Twilight.

“I’ve never seen one before.”

“Wait, back up – what’s a rabbit?” says Wind.

“A non-monstery pols voice.”

Wind isn’t pleased with Hyrule’s answer. “And what the hell is a pols voice?”

“It’s like…” Hyrule is stumped by the question. “It’s like… a, a blob with whiskers and long ears, except then it opens its mouth and it’s ALL mouth, and all teeth, and –”

“Oh, those! Huh, I never knew what they were called. I only came across ‘em once. And a rabbit is…”

“Smaller and less evil,” says Legend dryly, which which for some reason makes Twilight sputter with choked laughter.

“Oh, yeah - Sky,” Hyrule turns around to address him, “Sky, you’re the earliest -”

“I have never seen a unicorn,” Sky interrupts. “And I’m not sure what a rabbit is, but there’s a lot of flora and fauna on the Surface we’re still struggling to figure out, and I haven’t seen much of it that’s familiar while travelling with you. Things must change a lot through the eras.” He feels his face fall as his heart does. “Like loftwings, I guess.”

“What are loftwings, anyway? You’ve mentioned them before.”

Sky’s brow furrows. “Have I not explained loftwings yet?”

“You got partway through and then we were attacked by those chuchus and got distracted,” Wild offers.

Sky pulls a face. Right, and then cleanup had taken forever, because chuchus. Of all monster species, why were those ones so universal? They were barely even functional! “Okay. Loftwings are… huge birds, I guess is the easiest way to describe them. Each Hylian gets a loftwing partner when we’re young, and we grow up together. It’s - everyone has one. It’s been really weird to me that none of your eras have them. Since we’re on an isolated series of islands - or, well, we were - loftwings are essential to carry us from place to place.”

“They carry you? How big are they?”

“Pretty big.” Sky squints for a moment. “Crimson’s wingspan would stretch between that log and where Twilight’s sitting, easy.”

“Giant birds?” Wind screws up his face. “Like the Helmaroc King? Don’t like that.”

It’s Hyrule’s turn to make a face. “What’s a helmaroc king?”

Wind shrugs. “Massive bird monster. Oh, hey, maybe that’s what happened to Loftwings?”

“Hm?” Sky blinks back from where he’d been imagining Crimson sitting between Twilight and Warriors, sneakily tugging the captain’s scarf whenever he looked away. Goddess, he misses him. “Sorry, what was that?”

“You said it was weird that they don’t exist in any of our eras, right? Maybe it’s because they turned into monsters over time, like wolves and rabbits!”

Sky doesn’t know what noise he makes at that, doesn’t know what his face is doing. He feels cold, and sick, and horrified, because no no no that can’t be what happened please tell him that’s not what happened -

But why did the loftwings disappear? Left behind only in heraldry and insignia, not even their names left to history? How could they have been forgotten so completely?

“No,” he chokes out, “no, that can’t be. Loftwings aren’t monsters.”

“But sometimes animals can become monsters when they’re exposed to lots of dark magic over many years, like with wolfos. It would make sense why we’ve never heard of them, right, if they all became, like, kargarocs or something.”

The voices of the others die away to an indistinct hum. Sky thinks he should be concerned about that, except he’s already occupied with the sudden chill against his skin, the way his heart feels simultaneously too large and too small for the space it occupies, straining and racing, the way his lungs burn when he tries to breathe and ache when he doesn’t.

His head hurts.

His heart hurts.

Slowly, the buzzing fades.

“If we find a unicorn, do you think we can smuggle it back to my Hyrule?” Hyrule is asking.

“The hell do you want one of them for?”

“If they can really purify water, then –”

They’ve moved on from the conversational bomb that had rocked Sky to his foundations. Accepted the explanation without comment or question. To them, it’s just another strange fact about the world, like the way monsters in Wild’s Hyrule will all spring back to life when the moon turns red, or that there’s magic trapped in music. Over time, animals can turn into monsters.

And Sky just – doesn’t know how, doesn’t have the vocabulary to explain to them that loftwings aren’t animals – they’re people.

(He’s never had to explain it before. On Skyloft, everyone knows this, from the smallest child to the most forgetful elder: loftwings are your partner, the other half of your soul. They’re people.

When they can’t even understand that much, how does he even begin to explain how horrifying it is to think of them becoming nothing more than monsters, over the millenia?)

–––

Maybe this time, Sky thinks. Maybe this time the portal will take them home.

To his home, at least. He’s never been away so long before. And his jaunts to the Surface had in no way prepared him for the loneliness of being eras and countries away from his friends and his family and his loftwing. And maybe - maybe with it all close to hand, the feelings at his fingertips - he’ll be able to explain it better to the others. Explain it so they’ll understand.

The saturated colours and faint burr of magic through the earth raise his hopes briefly, but - no. This isn’t Skyloft. Isn’t even the Surface beneath it. It’s - it’s easier to define it by what it isn’t. The Surface has lain untouched by Hylian hands for centuries, ancient and wild. This place - it feels tamer. Steadier. Young, almost, but not in the sense of age - in the sense of, of rawness in its magic. It feels new.

And for all that - he knows the days of Skyloft and her Knights are long behind this place.

“Mine,” announces Four, unknowingly confirming Sky’s thoughts. “We’re not far from Lake Hylia, from the looks of it. Anyone wanna watch Wild go fishing again?”

“Hell yeah!” Wind cheers immediately, over Twilight’s groan of frustration.

“Cub, really -”

Wild brightens. “We should compete! See who can catch the most fish for dinner!”

“Now that’s jus’ not fair, Wild, yer explosions will scare off any fish they don’t kill -”

Always happy to stir the pot, Legend says, “Sounds like a skill issue,” and grins at Twilight’s dark look.

Sitting at the base of a tree - or slumping, more accurately - Sky watches their antics with a quiet gaze and no interest in joining in himself.

He’d known it wasn’t likely. The number of times they’ve gone to a familiar Hyrule are far outnumbered by the times no one can identify, and even then, there’s eight other time periods they could land in. He can’t help the disappointment, is all.

Is this what homesickness feels like?

It kinda sucks. No wonder Wind was so miserable.

He’s drawn from contemplating the pooling unhappiness under his ribcage by Four inching closer, hands tucked behind his back. He looks - nervous. Not like he’s going to try to drag him into the water fight now happening on the lake’s shore, at least. Just uncertain. The smile Sky musters for him is probably not a very good one. “Something up, Four?”

“I, um.” Four rocks on his heels, looking almost uncertain. “I… wanted to show you. Something.”

Sky doesn’t actually want to be left alone with his thoughts, so he nods agreeably and hauls himself to his feet. “Lead the way, then.”

Four takes him far enough into the forest that the shouts and laughter and echoes of Wild’s small explosions fade entirely, before choosing a wide clearing to pause in. “I, um.” Four spins, clasping his hands behind his back again. “I noticed that you - well. When the others were talking about loftwings the other day. You got really upset when they were talking about them becoming monsters, or going extinct.”

Ice shoots through Sky’s heart, freezes over his throat for one critical moment. “Yeah,” he finally rasps. “I don’t - it’s - they don’t -”

Four shakes his head. “It’s okay. You don’t need to explain it. I just wanted to show you -” He fumbles with his pouch, pulls out a child-sized ocarina that’s not quite too small for his hands.

The tune he plays sounds almost like a birdcall.

It’s pleasant, if mournful. Sweet-toned and piping like wind instruments tend to be. Sky wonders why Four had moved them so far away just to play him a short song, and then -

Wingbeats. Loud and unmistakeable.

He startles and looks up as a shadow passes overhead - a shadow too large to be any of the birds of Four’s era - and all he can see is a half-silhouette framed in the sun, but his heart leaps at the familiarity.

And when they land -

A loftwing.

Small, but distinctive: the beak broad and long and golden, the curl of their crest and their tail. Pure white, save the bars of colour across the feathertips - Sky’s never seen one like them and he’s never been so relieved.

“Her name is Zeffa,” Four says, from where he’s half-wrapped around the loftwing’s neck in a hug.

“You never told me you had a loftwing,” Sky breathes, stepping forward to greet them - to greet her, as she reaches out in curious welcome.

Four shrugs, feathers ruffling against his back. “I never knew what they were called. She was always just Zeffa, to me. She came to me when I was eight, in the middle of my first adventure. She saved my life,” he adds, snuggling his face into the side of hers as she ducks down and croons at him.

Sky takes the opportunity to look her over more closely. Definitely smaller than average, but with Four as her rider they’re perfectly proportioned. Her feathers are all clean white, no countershading or freckles or markings except the traditional wing bars, the gold fringed by something he’s never seen before. He’d thought it was a simple deep blue at first but it keeps changing colour as Zeffa shifts and the light hits it in different ways. Green one way, red another; a rainbow trapped in keratin fibre.

Sky can feel the grin creeping across his face; wouldn’t dream of trying to stop. “She suits you.”

Four grins back. He looks so comfortable, standing in the shade of Zeffa’s beak and leaning up against her. “She does, doesn’t she?”

Her mind is different to Crimson’s, all shades of cool water instead of open sky and cloud, but it’s still crystal clear. Greetings, Chosen Hero.

“Been a while since I heard that one.” Been a while since he’d last spoken with a loftwing, for that matter; he hopes he’s not rusty. Hopes she can sense his delight and fondness and gratitude, for the care she shows to Four.

She clacks her beak at him, pleased.

“Do all the loftwings call you that?” Four asks, riveted, and Sky’s heart swells at the knowledge that Four can hear her too.

“Usually just the ones who don’t know me personally, or the ones who are making fun of me.” He steps closer, with her approval.

The top of her head barely clears his own. Taking that into account, Sky thinks her beak is a little smaller, too. She smells of feathers and ozone and rain. She smells like home.

“So loftwings do still exist.”

She regards him with something like sorrow, and his heart drops.

I am the last.

I was born towards the end of your reign; the last true loftwing born to Skyloft. And I knew even then that I would be waiting a long time for my beloved. I was born knowing it.

You grieved that, even then. I was too young to tell you, but I will say now, in hopes you will remember: I do not regret the waiting. They were worth waiting for. She tugs Four’s headband playfully, making him shout in protest when it slips over his eyes.

“How long did you have to wait?” Sky whispers, heart aching. Even if she says - he knows it’s a long, long time between Four’s era and his own.

She shrugs, wings settling back against her sides. Who can say? What is time, and how does it pass? Is it truly waiting, to simply live?

And oh, her personality is shining through - mischief hidden under patience, the glee of being deliberately and annoyingly cryptic. No wonder Four didn’t know what she was. Every attempt to ask was probably met with a riddle until he gave up. Sky finds himself smiling again. Even though it hurts. “You still had to be alone, and for that, I’m sorry.”

There is no fault to claim. All things change. From the kikwi to the zora - as the world changes, all must change with it, or be left behind. She runs her beak through his hair, an attempt at comfort.

Sky buries his face in the side of her neck.

I am the last. But do not grieve us.

Four tugs on his sleeve, breaking the focus of his connection. “C’mon, I wanna - I’ve still got something to show you, Zeffa’s not all of it.”

Sky glances back towards the lake. “Is it far?” They’ve been gone long enough as it is, really, and he doesn’t want the others wasting their time searching for them in a panic.

Four shrugs. “It’s fine. I told Time where we’d be going. C’mon, hop on, it’s not far by air but I wouldn’t wanna walk.” He follows his own advice, clambering up Zeffa’s side with ease and sitting across her shoulders, legs in front of her wings. He doesn’t even seem to notice the lack of saddle.

Why would he? Sky thinks with another pang. Loftwing saddlers haven’t been needed for centuries. Does Four even know they existed? “Are you sure she can carry us both? I’m pretty heavy.”

Four looks offended on Zeffa’s behalf. “She’s not that small! And she’s taken multiple people before!”

I will be fine, your majesty. Zeffa clacks at him, amused.

Sky deliberately does not pay attention to that last part. “If you’re sure I won’t hurt her…”

“You won’t,” says Four, and he’s so confident with him that Sky believes him.

There’s nowhere to jump from so like Four he mounts up on the ground, Four in front and Sky behind. It makes him nervous, riding without a saddle - not because he thinks he’ll fall off, but because what if he hurts her? Crushes her feathers the wrong way, clamps down too tight without leather to buffer the force? And is Four sure she can take off from here, getting airborne is hard enough without carrying so much extra weight -

She turns her head to laugh at him with one large, dark eye.

Her wings spread wide. They’re beautiful in the sunlight, red and green flashing at the edges of her primaries. There’s even some purple in the shadows closest to her body, all four of Four’s tunic colours shining through her wings. Goddess, she fits him so beautifully.

Two steps and a powerful wingbeat and then the air is rushing up around them, catching them like they were already falling, and they’re in the air. It can only have been magic but Sky doesn’t know where it came from; can’t bring himself to care, when the forest is getting smaller and blurrier under their feet and the wind is streaming ice-cold against his face and neck and ears.

Goddess, he’s missed this.

The sky looks so much more beautiful from up here; the clouds like they could be solid enough to walk on (though he knows that’s not true). Laid out beneath them is the kingdom, in lines and squares and patches of colour, abstract and strange. Could he draw a map of this, Sky wonders? Could he figure out where things used to be, if he can find the right landmarks?

Four grins at him over his shoulder, delighted by Sky’s happiness.

True to Four’s word, they’re not in the air long before Zeffa is banking, beginning a descent that for the first time in years makes a pang of disappointment rise in Sky’s gut. Goddess, he wants to go home.

Four lets him jump off when they get close, but doesn’t follow. Sky has a moment of panic before remembering Four definitely has a gliding item, he’s not trapped up there, and then Zeffa’s actually landing with the Hero of the Four Sword still perched on her back. There’s another blast of definitely wind magic as she touches down, cushioning what might otherwise have been a heavy landing. That explains it. Does that happen every time? Is it something Zeffa learned, since there are no sky islands to jump off of here? He’ll have to ask her, later.

“Where are we?” Sky says as Four swings off the loftwing’s back. The ruins they landed in are ancient and unfamiliar, but he thinks - he can almost understand the text carved into stone, if he tilts his head and squints. He doesn’t know this place - it just - echoes, somehow.

“The Fortress of Winds,” Four says. He hasn’t moved from the centre platform, still pressed up against Zeffa as he watches Sky move around. “This is where I first met Zeffa.”

“Uh huh?” Sky’s listening, he swears, but there’s something about the letters on this stone tablet, almost but not-quite the same as his own. If he squints just a little - no, maybe this way -?

Four comes over to tug on his sleeve again. “C’mere, I think you’re moving too much.”

They both sit in the shade thrown by Zeffa, as she spreads her wings to sunbathe.

“Are we waiting for something?”

“Shhhh,” is all Four says in response.

Sky gives up and settles in. With Zeffa’s wing breaking the worst of the wind, and her dusty feather-smell surrounding him, Sky’s the most relaxed he’s been in weeks.

Then he starts to hear something.

High-pitched chitters and whistles, the beating of small wings. Four had said there were no monsters left in the fortress, but that sure sounded like keese to Sky. Slowly, so as not to attract attention, he turns his head to peer around the edge of Zeffa’s wing.

His heart leaps into his throat and stays there.

Birds. Brightly coloured, greens and blues and oranges, perching on the rockwork and hopping around the lichen-covered floor.

Their beaks are short and sharply curved. They’ve lost the long, flexible tails that streamed out behind them in flight, replaced by a fan of feathers that seems impractically small. The feather banding is missing, the white and gold of the goddess and the contrasting partner flashings.

And of course, they’re tiny. Small enough to sit on an outstretched arm; the smallest could sit on his hand.

But the crests are still there, three wispy, curling feathers on the back of the skull that flex and stretch as they chatter amongst themselves. There’s still a flash of intelligence in their small, dark eyes. The nearest hops closer and chirps in greeting, and he feels a press of joy! and welcome! and sneaky, mischievous play? Play! Play with us!

Sky doesn’t realise he’s crying until the tears spill over in hot rivers. Four shoots him a worried look.

“They’re still here,” he chokes out, and smiles.

After everything, the loftwings are still here.

[have-kake]

Big Brother [2/3]

Three instances of big brother instincts within the chain. [Ao3 Link]

[Part 1: Wind] [Part 2: Twilight] [Part 3: Warriors]

Twilight pauses when he thinks he hears shouting. He's far from camp, and he can't usually hear the others from this far. He quickly changes directions and starts back. If monsters showed up, he'd rather be a part of the fight than find out he missed the entire thing.

The shouting gets clearer the closer he gets. He's careful to keep quiet as he hurries along. The last thing he needs is for any potential enemies to hear him.

"You don't need to know how to read to work a fucking map!!" Legend practically roars.

Twilight stumbles to a halt in his surprise.

Wild screams his own retort back.

Twilight runs a hand over his face with a long sigh. Of course they're arguing over how to travel. When do they not argue about how to travel?

He doesn't bother rushing for the rest of the walk back. They're screaming at each other, but it doesn't seem all that serious yet either.

He stops at the edge of camp where he can get a good look at them. He's not surprised to see Legend and Wild squaring up, but he is surprised to see Hyrule doing the same. He even seems to be on Wild's side too.

He looks around the camp to see where the others are. Sky and Four are both gone. Wind sits with Wars and they're both snickering at the arguing trio. And Time is doing a wonderful job at ignore everything.

He lets out a weary sigh. How did he end up being the only adult in the group? He's not even part of the oldest three! Yet he always gets stuck breaking up the stupid fights.

Hyrule and Wind play with a chuchu from Wild's era? Time's there to glare at all of them in disappointment.

Everyone places bets on whether Four can win against a like-like in tug-of-war? Time's there to lecture everyone and glare at them in disappointment.

Four and Wild nearly come to blows over what a tomato is? Twilight's there to calm them down.

Legend and Sky start fighting over religion and which Goddesses are real? Twilight's there to separate them.

Wild and Hyrule gang up on Legend about how to travel? Twilight's left to resolve the issue.

"That's soundin' like a pretty serious argument y'all are having," Twilight comments as he steps up to the trio. Instantly all three of them start shouting again as they try to talk over one another to give their side of the story first.

Normally, Twilight doesn't mind. He's used to breaking up arguments and fights between the kids in the his village. But these are grown adults! And none of the other adults bother to do shit!

Without warning, he hits all three of them on the head. "Shut up!" He snaps.

Hyrule falls silent in shock. Legend just crosses his arms with a huff. Wild tries to talk back, but a glare has him backing down.

"Y'all gettin this fight every other day!" He snaps. He doesn't even care about how the others are gonna pick on his accent. "I am sick 'n tired of hearin' it!"

"Then go somewhere else!" Wild yells as Hyrule tries to blame Legend for something.

Twilight reaches out and grabs both of them. He picks them up with ease. He makes sure to hold them extra tight so they don't slip free and so it's uncomfortable.

Legend snorts.

Twilight glares at him and the vet immediately falls silent.

Wild tries to break free so he tightens his grip, and he keeps tightening until Wild starts yelling. "Okay, stop, stop! That hurts!" He shouts finally stopping his struggle.

Twilight stops tightening his grip, but he doesn't loosen it either. "If I gotta hear this stupid dang fight one more time!" He threatens. "Imma rat the three o' y'all to Time!"

That seems to get the Old Man's attention.

Legend narrows his eyes up at Twilight. "You wouldn't," he whispers.

"Watch me," he looks away to find Time watching them carefully. "Hey, Old Man, y'ever wonder how yer fancy shoulder armor got all chewed up?"

Legend's eyes widen comically wide. Twilight would laugh if he wasn't so annoyed. He has to fix his hold on Hyrule as the poor boy also tenses. Two birds with one stone.

Time's single eye narrows. "Yes," he says slowly. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Twilight turns back to Legend with a triumphant smirk. He even focus on the two in his arms for good measure. Can't let Time know for sure who did it.

"Or maybe I'll tell Sky which o' y'all spilled that weird gunk on the Master Sword," Twilight continues feeling Wild and Hyrule flinch. "Or Wars who tore up his scarf." The scarf had actually been Four, but having the Captain's attention increase the tension helps.

"Okay, okay! We'll stop!" Wild says.

Hyrule's quick to nod along. "No more fighting! Got it!"

Twilight lets go abruptly. Hyrule tries to catch himself, but still ends up with a mouthful of dirt. Wild doesn't even bother trying and just flops to the ground with a quiet grunt.

He waits until they've picked themselves up to cross his arms. "Well?"

"Sorry, Twilight," they say with varying degrees of reluctance.

"I ain't the one y'all should be apologizin' to," though he does appreciate it.

Legend and Wild grumble while Hyrule simply shuffles in place.

"I'm waiting."

Hyrule sighs. "Sorry, Legend."

"Yeah, sorry," Wild adds.

Legend huffs. "I'm sorry, too, I guess."

Twilight claps both Legend and Wild on the shoulder. He smiles at the way they both jump. "See, that ain't so hard."

The three of them disperse and wander to different parts of the camp. Twilight sighs and makes his way over to the fire. There goes his plans to transform for a few hours. He's too exhausted to even think of running around. Shame he can't take them out to chop wood. Like Fado liked to say: you got energy to fight, you got energy to work! 

Wind snickers as he walks by. "Looks like even big brother Twilight has his limits," he stage whispers to Wars who snorts.

Twilight stops to raise an eyebrow at both of them. "Y'all two fixin' to join in?"

Wars and Wind both hold up their hands. "Nope, we're all good," Wars says.

"What he said," Wind agrees.

He ignores them and goes to take a seat. He lets out a long breath as he gets settled.

Time leans over to him. "Who was it?"

"Hm?"

"Who messed up my pauldron?"

"Dunno what you're talking 'bout," he replies.

Time frowns. "But you said–?"

"And they stopped," he shrugs, "so s'far as I'm concerned, I dunno what you're talkin' bout."

Wars laughs. "A true brother's honor!"

Some time later, Sky finally wanders into camp. He looks around and raises an eyebrow at Four and Wild as they cook. "Did they finally finish fighting?"

Twilight glares at him.

Wind leans forward from his spot by Time. "You should've seen it!" He says excitedly. "Twi really let 'em have it!"

"He went full farm boy on them, too," Warriors adds. "Thick accent and all!"

Sky looks surprised as he takes a seat next to Warriors. "Really?"

Twilight's still glaring at him. "And where were you?" He asks. "You were supposed to be watchin' the camp with Wars 'n the Old Man."

"The fighting was getting annoying, so I went for a walk," he shrugs.

Twilight simply nods.

--

In the morning when they head out on the road again, Twilight lets Legend know Sky's the one who accidentally dumped his pack a few days ago. He leaves to scout ahead just as Legend starts shouting. Maybe one day Sky will act his age. Until then, Twilight will keep treating him like one of the kids from the village too.

[beeffilledshark]

While I’m very happy at wfm’s success and how it’s drawn so many people into Gundam (me included), it’s so upsetting we have to do this song and dance and explain how to “interpret” the explicit narrative that Sulemio is a real romance despite “them never kissing or saying I love you.” The whole fucking point of Gundam and the Newtype story is “understanding each other without misconception,” and while Witches aren’t able to really do that the same way Newtypes are, the core story of Suletta is getting people to truly understand her.

Sulemio’s resolution is Miorine finally “understanding“ that Suletta WANTS to save her family and Miorine revealing her “ugly” and disheveled self she’s hidden from everyone, only getting a taste of it when she invited Suletta to her room in ep 4. Suletta “understands” her mother and Aerial’s betrayal after Quinnharbor and that they do love her, just that they think she’ll be fine separated from them and to not involve her in their machinations. Chuchu’s entire arc is the perfect example of this theme: she goes from violently hating Spacians and picking fights with them on a regular basis to basically becoming Suletta’s older sister and rescuing hundreds of Spacian students and providing food and aid to them. The tragedy of Norea and El5n is amplified by this theme since only El5n could possibly “understand” Norea’s agony and existential anguish in considering herself a living casualty of war as a Gundam pilot. What’s made worse is she “understands” El5n empathizes with her and truly cares for her moments before being killed by Cathedra after her rampage. Hell, the Space Magic solution of Gwitch is a direct reference to Unicorn where the Gundams project the love interest's voice throughout the Earth Sphere so that they can communicate directly with the common person.

If you’ve watched Unicorn as many times as I have, you know they drill this fucking theme into your head every chance you give them but similarly to gwitch, there’s no kiss scene or “I love you” scene. Gundam, and Sunrise in general, has a long-standing tradition of demonstrating the primary romance through the dialogue and actions of the characters. I have never seen anyone question if Audrey and Banagher are in a relationship despite them never having any kind of kiss scene or a scene where they utter “I love you.” Of course, they were kind of meant to parallel Amuro and Sayla, but the dynamic between Suletta and Miorine are almost identical: Gundam pilot who has to protect the Princess from scheming enemies on both the enemy and their side.

The point of this post is that you have to be able to possess an ounce of media literacy in order to understand the sheer plot and character interactions of most popular Gundam media. Now that a lot more people are interested in picking up this franchise, I’m BEGGING you to really think about these shows and movies beyond the mech fights. Every Gundam series has something you can pick apart and the first step in analyzing that is to understand some of the core ideas of Gundam. We don’t kiss here. We’re too high brow to have that so we have characters say shit like “promise you’ll come with me to Earth,” since it means Miorine intends to incorporate Suletta into her future and in her desires or calling the Princess of Zeon Audrey despite her government name being Mineva. Though it may have been forceful, Banagher understood what Mineva wanted and vocalized that by referring to her as her cover name until the end of the OVA.

I do also want to add, this theme is why the Blowjob Brothers exist in nearly every incarnation of Gundam ever. Once you learn how to interpret characters' actions and how they demonstrate love, you'll understand why the fandom has so many gay ships with varying degrees of "authenticity" or canon-ness. The difference with Suletta and Miorine is that it's unabashedly explicit and the focus of Gwitch.

Anyways, any fellow Gwitch enthusiasts who are dipping their toes into 0079 or IBO or any other property as their second Gundam experience, please understand that a LOT of narrative devices and characters are direct references or homages to the past and trying to catch up on it all is like trying to integrate yourself into a religion you converted into. There's a lot of unwritten practices and beliefs that you have to learn and teach yourself, especially since there's psychos out there in the fandom.

(this entire post was spurred on by a dipshit twitter user arguing Sulemio wasn't the goal of gwitch and they changed it mid-hiatus to appeal to the wokes asdfklafd;ljkasf. Anyways Chamuro is real and gundam loves doing polycules this is unironically true)

[quartzlightz]

Legends weird friends

Wind: Leg why the fuck do you know so many weird people. I mean look at that Ralph guy!

Legend: Hm, I don’t know sailor why don’t you ask yourself?

Wind: What do you- Hey! I am not weird you sea slug!

Legend: Oh quiet you chuchu looking child.

Wind: Why you!-

[icedragonlizard]

Kracko's opinions on all the Dream Friends

Note: This is all purely my headcanons.

Kracko famously hates Kirby and wants him dead. What does he think about all of the dream friends? Does he hate them all, too?

Here are his opinions on them:

Bandana Waddle Dee: Bandee being one of Kirby's best friends is enough for Kracko to hate him a lot. Yes, Kracko is legitimately petty enough to hate people for simply being really close to Kirby. It also doesn't help that Bandee joined Kirby in beating Kracko up before, and has even talked madly at him for being so mean to the pink puff.

King Dedede: Kracko and Dedede used to be friends. Used to. They were friends back when Dedede wasn't friends with Kirby yet. But once he became friends with Kirby, he and Kracko stopped being friends. Kracko felt betrayed by Dedede at that point. Nowadays, there's nothing but anger and resentment all around in this dynamic. One time, Dedede criticized Kracko for being so stubborn and hateful about Kirby. That boosted Kracko's bitterness towards Dedede more.

Meta Knight: Before Meta Knight was friends with Kirby, Kracko didn't mind him. But once he did become friends with Kirby, the cloud's opinion of him worsened. It worsened even more when Meta Knight challenged Kracko to a fight multiple times and handily kicked his ass every time. Kracko is pissed off about Meta Knight. He also gets annoyed when Meta and his crew take the Halberd on a flight.

Rick & Kine & Coo: Kracko's thoughts on these guys can be summed up by "go fuck yourselves". He's mad at them for assisting Kirby in beating him up during the events of Dream Land 2. It doesn't end there, as they've also become judgmental to him for being so spiteful and mean-spirited to Kirby. These guys heavily get on Kracko's nerves. And by the way, he also has very similar opinions for Nago, ChuChu and Pitch.

Marx: Let me tell you that Kracko DESPISES Marx. To be honest, this might actually be his second most hated person after Kirby. The reason why is because Marx constantly makes fun of Kracko's hatred for Kirby. He also pulls aggravating pranks on him. Kracko has snapped and ruthlessly struck Marx with lightning more than once. But because Marx literally survived impacting onto Nova, he never dies to Kracko's lightning. And it doesn't stop Marx from trolling him.

Gooey: Kracko doesn't like Gooey for being a close buddy of Kirby's, but this is someone he really can't get himself to have an actual hatred for. Partly because Gooey never agitates him in any way. Unlike most of Kirby's other friends who fight Kracko, criticize him or make fun of him, Gooey doesn't do any of that. Kracko ignores him, really.

Adeleine: Very mixed feelings here. On one hand, Kracko likes that Adeleine is a Cloudy Park resident as that's his favorite place on Popstar, and he appreciates the fact that she seemingly admires him enough to have a painting of him that she can summon into sentience on a whim. But he HATES that she's buddies with Kirby. That causes him to resent her. However, the fact that she seems to like him makes him come to his senses a little bit, and so he doesn't attack her.

Ribbon: Kracko does not like Ribbon at all. This is because Ribbon really looks up to Kirby and has yelled at Kracko for being so mean to him. She even became bold enough to try to challenge Kracko to a fight to "make him back off from Kirby", although other people quickly stopped this. Still, Kracko thinks she's a little pain in the ass.

Dark Meta Knight: As Kracko can exist in any dimension and was present for the events of Amazing Mirror, he was temporarily allies with DMK during that. But that ended afterwards. Then at one point, because DMK is an aggressive son of a gun that loves to fight, he once picked a fight with Kracko and it got worse from there. Kracko resents DMK for that, although these two seldom interact overall.

Daroach: Kracko has a lot of hatred for Daroach and his entire squad of squeaks because of Mecha-Kracko, which he hates Doc the most out of them for being the one to create that, and he just hates the rest of the squeaks out of association. Unlike Adeleine who has a sentient painting for Kracko because she actually thinks he's cool, the squeaks made Mecha-Kracko seemingly just because they can. It pisses Kracko off as he thinks they were trying to replace him with it.

Magolor: Kracko hates Magolor nearly as much as Marx. This is because, much like Marx, Magolor also makes fun of Kracko's hatred for Kirby and pulls pranks on him for it. Kracko has angrily struck Magolor with lightning more than once, but it has never killed him. It also drove Kracko insane when Magolor rammed him with the Lor Starcutter one time. What a totally insufferable person, Kracko thinks.

Taranza: They were allies during Triple Deluxe when Taranza got Kracko to fight Kirby. However, post-TDX when Taranza moved over to Kirby's side, Kracko felt betrayed. He grew to loathe Taranza as a result. One time, he got pissed off about the spider wizard enough to even try to attack Royal Road's castle (Taranza's home) out of spite, but then Taranza threatened to get Kirby to beat him up. Damn it!

Susie: Kracko hates Susie a lot for both her bad and good deeds. He hates her for the HWC invasion on Popstar, but he hates her even more for then turning around and becoming friends with Kirby afterwards. That's the worst of both worlds for Kracko. He was once pissed off about her enough to the point he tried to attack the HWC's main headquarters out of spite, but failed miserably as the HWC's army easily beat him and fended him off. Susie scoffed at him for it.

The Three Mage Sisters: By the time of Star Allies, Kracko's hatred for Kirby was so great that he allied with the cult as he attacked the dream friends in Gabbel Moon. Then post-HiAD when the mage sisters befriended Kirby, he felt betrayed. He hates them. He's especially petty at Zan Partizanne as he wants to "best" her in electrical strength and to beat her up for Kirby's friend. This is a one-sided feud, as Zan is annoyed by Kracko rather than hating him back.

Wow. What a big hater this cloud is. I think he should seek help LOL.

[anthurak]

The main takeaway from the latest episode of G-Witch?

Chuatury Panlunch has the meanest right hook in Gundam

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Miorine: If your mom told you to jump off a bridge would you do it? Suletta: I don't know why she'd ask that, but I'm sure she'd have her reasons. After all, mother knows best. Miorine: You're literally quoting a Disney villain! Suletta: Mom says Mother Gothel was misunderstood. Miorine: OH MY FUCKING GOD!!! Chuchu, get your crowbar, we need to fuck someone up. Chuchu: Alright.

[emerxshiu]

chuchu gijinka :D

thinking of an alt outfit for her too, might sketch that later

me making a gijinka of her also ended up in me doing this:

girls night ft. elfilin the newest adition

he is kinda nervous, also trying not to laugh his ass off at kirby falling asleep and no one noticing

chuchu is doing elfilin's hair in a bow, kinda like callie from splatoon, that was what i had in mind. now i just need to give bows to elline, adeleine and kirby too.

also, elline was definitly the hardest, i did this on school so i couldnt have a refernce and fucked up her hair multiple times, sorry for that elline.

Jambuhbye!

[quiet-zero]

Suletta: *in a high voice, holding Barbie* Hey Ken! I was thinking about going back to school and starting a career!

Miorine: *in a deep voice, holding Ken* Nonsense, Barbie. You're staying home and having my kids.

Chuchu: What the fuck are you guys doing?

Miorine: Playing systematic oppression

[ladyloveandjustice]

Spring 2023 Anime Overview-Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Season 2

In my review for season one of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, I praised the show for being a compelling sci-fi full or intrigue, centering a well developed queer romance between the robot-piloting protagonist and all around precious girl, Suletta Mercury, and her fierce fiancé, Miorine Rembran.

But having been burned by anime before, I said I would hold off on recommending the entire show until it finished, and crossed my fingers tight that season 2 wouldn’t drop the ball.

The great news is that I can now wholeheartedly recommend the show. The final season did not drop the ball. It remained a great watch, the romance and relationship development continued to be worthwhile and excellent, and it was consistent with the strengths of the first season. It wasn’t perfect, which I’ll get into, but it was very good. Whether you’re here for girls in love, robots wrecking each other, tense battles between opposing political factions, or morally-horrifying moms on a revenge spree, you’re in for a treat.

The shocking last moments of the first season have some great relationship fallout, and the series delves into how Suletta was truly brainwashed by her mother. Miorine’s struggles to come to terms with the bloody legacy she’s inherited and her relationship with Suletta can withstand such a thing. Suletta grapples with her mother’s deception and her own individuality. Both are compelling arcs that built upon the groundwork the first season laid and lead to some nice relationship drama.

(Also, the credit sequence was awesome.)

The parallels between the two girls really pop this season as they both have to confront their mistakes, shoulder their sins, and see if they can move forward with the other. You really see how they mirror each other, and how they need each other. The romance ball isn’t dropped and becomes even more textually explicit, with Suletta explicitly stating she's into Miorine and no one else and eagerly anticipating the wedding, while Miorine also makes her intentions with Suletta very clear.

The second season is also a lot faster paced than the first, delivering tense and heartbreaking episodes one after another and leaving you on the edge of your seat. A lot of the conflicts that had been building from the first episode came to an explosive crescendo. Those bombs dropped and the carnage was wonderful. It was exciting, we saw more sides of the conflict, spent some time on earth, and got to see some unexpected depth in several characters. And yes, there were approximately a million more Utena references, some that made me laugh out loud.

However, this season wasn’t perfect. I was already having a little trouble following all the different factions and agendas in the first season, and this season exacerbated the problem. And while some characters got great roles, there were just so many. That meant a lot of them didn’t have any space to develop or even serve a clear purpose. There were a lot of characters I was excited to see do something, who the show built up as super ominous and meaningful and...then they did nothing. As funny as it is that several characters can be summed up as "s/he did fuck all the whole show and then bounced, king shit", it's also a letdown.

And this season really threw into focus how many of the more distinctive supporting characters were barely explored. Suletta’s bond with Earth House was a major plot point, but we barely know anything about most of them so it doesn't hit as hard as it should. Even Chuchu, who was one of the more developed ones, felt under-served as fan favorite. For instance, there were several bits where she entered the battle and it was treated like a big deal…and we didn’t even get to see her fight, presumably because the show didn’t have time. And it was worse for other characters- I couldn’t even tell you the names of most of the girl squad working with Shaddiq. They all had such potential as characters, I wish we'd gotten more of them. Things that should be impactful the narrative, like Miorine's dad and the consequences to his actions and what it means for their relationship, were barely explored (not that I'm all that interested in him, but it was weird after the emphasis the first season put on it).

No major balls were dropped in the conflict between the Spacians and Earthians, but it also felt like it got lost in the shuffle at times and I felt like the show could have had a clearer ideology. The “war is bad” and “exploitative corporations are bad” came through loud and clear, but it felt like some threads could have been followed up on more.

In hindsight, I was also disappointed how much of the season Suletta and Miorine spent separated- some of that was plot relevant, but some of it was just clearly so they could learn exposition separately, and considering how important the relationship was to the show, it felt like a waste.

A good chunk of screentime was also waited Guel’s brother, Lauda. While Guel’s arc was solid and he’s the character who changed the most throughout the show, his brother and his tendency to blame any woman Guel was standing near for all their problems was not compelling (Nanami did it better). So it felt like there was a conflict involving him just to give Guel something to do during the fighting and tie a bow on things. Even the characters involved admitted what happened was kind of dumb, and I would have liked to see one of the more interesting unexplored characters get development instead.

The finale was especially rushed, and while there were cool moments, I couldn’t really describe how the battle was fought, and even one of the characters in the show admits that certain plot developments don’t make sense. I also couldn’t tell you exactly how exactly the villain’s big plan worked, which is kind of important!

You just had to be like “oh okay, well, pretty lights, stuff happened, don’t know why that was a thing, that was the power of love I guess, I’ll just soak up the vibes.” Which isn’t the end of the world, a lot of anime does that, but it stuck out because all the battles before that had their fantastical mechanics (mostly) clearly explained, There were also several reconciliations I would have been more okay with if the show had spent more time on what the messy process of repairing that broken trust looked like, but because it didn’t, it felt unearned.

And finally, the show spent a lot of time talking about a huge romantic event and in the end we…didn’t see it. It’s made clear it happened off screen, but the fact we didn’t see the event the show itself made such a big deal about felt like a let-down and even a bit of a cop-out, if I’m being honest. I get that outside forces may have been responsible, but it doesn't change my disappointment.

Basically what most of the complaints amount to is that I really enjoy this show, but I feel it needed to be longer than it was. At the very least, the events of the final episode could have used two episodes to unfold, so everything could be fully developed, and we could fully see how the characters ended up where they were. But ideally…Gundam series are typically 50 episodes, and I feel like this show might have been better served as a show of that length (or even 37 episodes/3 seasons). This show had a huge cast, a huge world, and a lot going on. I think we needed to spend a lot more time with the characters to get to know their backstories, personalities and agendas. I would have loved some “filler” episodes focusing on a minor character, or Suletta and Miorine going on a disastrous date.

However, overall I was satisfied with the ending. I came out feeling like a winner. It was fun, a lot of the characters ended up where I wanted them to be, and I liked how things turned out. There was an acknowledgement that a corrupt system of war profiteering and exploitation could not be taken down in one stroke, but that our heroes were going to keep fighting. I dearly want a slice of life following all these people at the end of the day, and my investment in the characters is a sign of a job well done.

The show also continued to treat it’s array of fat characters with respect, and it had some good disability representation as well, highlighting some disabled people leading fulfilling and joyful lives.

I really wish G-Witch could have been the absolute best version of itself. But the version we got is still pretty great. I definitely had a fantastic time with the show, was often touched by it, and I’ll carry the excellent characters with me for a long while. The textual romance between two female leads in a mainstream franchise like Gundam is a monumental achievement, and the show handled the relationship well. I hope its success opens the door for more like it. We deserve more stories like this- stories of all genres where queer people are important and get to go on grand adventures, are protagonists, are a normal part of the setting, where we see the kind of people anime usually ignores (fat people, non-Japanese people of color, queer people and disabled people...) are treated with respect, where the story embraces all even as it explores injustice. G-witch is an important step, and I’m sure it will be remembered fondly for years to come. And I sure wouldn’t say no to an OVA to fill in some of the blanks.

[alexissara]

Gwitch and Minimum Viable Queerness

Trusting companies to make queer art is always asking for heart break even when it really and deeply seems like they made some queer art. However, despite my love for Gundam: The Witch From Mercury it must be said there is plenty of issues with the show that pointed towards the direction they have gone now that we've entered the post release era.

In the magazine Gundam Ace they edited our a writer stating that Sulleta and Mio were married. They apologized for that statement ever making it in to begin with on Twitter the X gonna give to you dot bomb with this.

This obviously lead to tons of angry fans and queer folks but it wasn't like this came out of nowhere. Despite some people saying it's just "western brained losers" or something that thought there was queer bait in the Witch From Mercury there is something that queer people forget which is that most straight cis people literally have no brain cells. They espically have an inability to see sapphic relationships as real or valid.

Gundam The Witch From Mercury was explicit, more explicit than a lot of media but they intentionally excluded the three universal signifiers of romantic or sexual love from the show despite it being centered for all 24 episodes around the Sulmio engagement. These three signifiers are an "I love you" "I Love You too", a kiss, or fucking. Gundam is a toy commercial for kids so while sex is probably not on the table it isn't actually even off the table for Gundam given the series history has had off scene sex and bad stuff too like adult women trying to seduce like a 10 year old boy. So like these shows aren't afraid to do some shit. Many say that Gundam doesn't do kisses that is a lie, Z, 00, Seed, and Iron Blooded Orphans's all have done kisses. I love yous also happen across the series, the end of G Gundam has a special love attack that blows up the last boss.

This is all to say Gundam: The Witch From Mercury activated a strategy corporate media called minimum viable queerness. In order to get the gay dollar, to seem progressive, whatever it may be a company will do as little gay as they can get away with to get the gays actively invested in their art. Ultimately, their aim is to have it be blaringly obvious to queer folks but invisible to the hets. The show also did the minimum viable amount of women making sure the men had utterly meaningless fights near the end just for women to be on screen less. These fights involve men who are not either of the main two girls getting mad at each other for some kind of connection or action towards one of the girls. These take up a significant amount of the second seasons run time not to mention one of these men got a full episode devoted to him. Meanwhile the main couple of the show was away from each other for the vast majority of episodes, almost never in the same room and almost exclusively on somewhat bad terms.

In the show Sulleta is the main character but in season one she is mostly piloting against men with one fight against a pair of girls near the end. Chuchu is given sidekick pilot status and lives to the end but she doesn't get her own highlighted battle ever unlike a side side character in Guel's brother who gets a major fight against his brother weighted against the fate of quite zero and Sulleta and Ariel fighting. Which comes after Guel fought Shadiq for no reason which came after Guel fighting Sulleta again for Ariel which came after Guel trying to survive in a mech when he was stuck on earth earlier. Guel was in a mech 1 more time than Sulleta was in season 2. The two other witch girls die in their first and second time respectively of being in a gundam in season 2 and the second of the pair gets maybe a word in with our main character her whole existence and never talks to our secondary main character at all. The action is still in large part being given to men even in the woman centric series.

And in this "queer centered" story we see very explicit delectations of feelings from Guel, Shadiq, Petra and Lauda which are all heterosexual ontop of all the adult characters being hetero, implied hetero E5 with Nora dying for considering being with a man and E5 sexually harassing Sulleta. The series overwhelming overcompensates for it's queerness by aggressively pushing straightness and in particular having other main characters want our lesbians heterosexually.

This does not mean that the writers or animations didn't want to be more explicit or that they did a bad job. they did a great job but we cannot know what is Namco Bandai and what is Sunrise. We just can't but it seems given recent statements that likely Bandai was very hands on in controlling the show. Not to mention giving it's first woman lead series a much shorter run time than most other Gundam series got and intentionally closing it off from an easy sequel series despite it being the most profitable series ever for them.

It appears to me as if Namco Bandai's intention was to convert a bunch of lesbians into gundam fan and throw mild gay bait at us to keep us coming now that we converted, far less explicit than Sulleta and Mio but attempting to ride it out in good faith and have us enjoy the men shows that appealed to boys to not break their delusion that they are making a boys toy for boys. Feeding us right into more Gundam Seed is like trying to choke out any potential life and I think we're gonna see a decline in Gundam sales following Gwitch representing the betrayal of these sapphic fans but more so simply the lack of interest in the bar being lowered.

As fans of Gwitch we need to demand better, it does work, we've seen companies fix statements about Sailor Uranus and Neptune before and other similar instances. We can also make them see if they want to reach the high highs again we need the great shit we get in Gwitch but then even more that the minimum we'll let them get away with is far more than the last time.

If you enjoyed this post consider throwing me some money on Patreon to help me make actually queer art without corporations controlling my voice. I'm hoping to write a bit more about minimum viable queerness in the future but I wanted to really just talk about this while I was mad about it and get it up there. Anyway, back to the writing mines with me, hope you have a great day and go out there and be gay.

[smorkulon]

Oops I got into G-Witch

Time to analyze him too and share why the Guel haters literally spend so much time hating him, they forget the ENTIRE REASON HE GOES TO EARTH. Spoilers: it's not to redeem him, that's just a bonus.

A lot of Guel haters spend their time hating on him to just have the entire point of his side plot... like it's right in front of you and you miss the entire point of his side plot??? The entire point of his time on earth is not to focus on him, it's to show you how shit the Earthians have been discriminated against and how their situation is terrible because of it. It's also showing how TERRIBLE the Bennerit Group is by highlighting the fact that they were targeting the escape ships and not just fighting and disabling the Mobile Suits the "terrorists" (Dawn of Fold), which would have prevented their future attacks without costing civilian lives.

While we're watching Guel go through literal war and terrorism (which was caused by the Bennerit Group, not the Dawn of Fold BTW) and see how oppressed Earthians are and everyone ignores it because it's Guel who goes through it. Which is honestly idiotic. Who else could have gone through it? Miorine? No, despite wanting to go to earth, she never could have seen this, she was busy with the company and finally being happy up in space and this was building up to her giving up the Aerial to Prospera and that wouldn't happen without Miorine. Suletta? No, Suletta would have gone with Aerial and either way it wouldn't make sense, she was too attached to Miorine and would have never left her side unless forced to, which Miorine wouldn't do unless she had a reason too (she does not). Prospera? Doesn't make sense, she wouldn't care about the conflict at all. No character at that point had any business being anywhere near earth because they were building up the action in space and what would happen on earth during the conference and later on Quiet Zero. And none of the Earth House characters would be strong enough/important enough to follow back to earth beside maybe Nika or Chuchu and even then they also needed to be in space at that moment. Guel was the only sensible character with a motive to distance themselves from Asticassia at that time and that's why he's the best character to be out there realizing that "Oh shit! This is fucked up actually!"

Y'all forget that the message of Gundam is literally "War is Bad" and just focused so hard on your hatred. The message is plain as day it still managed to fly over your heads LMAO.