#you 🤝 me on our love for yotsuyu

[tsckcyomi-archived]

Yotsuyu is so important as an antipode to an archaic trope of a ‘pure virginal girl’ common in Asian media, thirsted for and revered by misogynist men, and presented as an ideal to strive for, to young girls.

While women like Yotsuyu would be commonly pitted against the aforementioned ‘pure’ women, and presented as ‘tainted’ and often as villainous seductresses for the hero to rebuff or kill to find his ‘true’ love, she is a woman who has found her agency and weaponised the role she’s been thrust into by her society.

There is no reason for her to care about Doma, because Doma never cared about her. To them, she was marred as soon as she stopped being that ideal of a pure and virginal girl, just as it happened to countless women raised in such societies, in real life. As an afab person from a similar background, she was incredibly liberating to observe and there was that ugly fantasy of a revenge that was fulfilled in her, that many have dreamed of.

Unfortunately, her end was predictable, as there is no place for women like her, in stories dominated by men who will be forgiven no matter what, because their goals were benevolent, or because their beliefs were strong, or because men like them think their intentions justify the means. While, she is seen as selfish and unworthy of redemption, because her pain is hers, and it remains unheard and unimportant, to those deciding the fates of the counties and of entire planets.

It feels hurtful and unfair, when you’ve felt that pain yourself. But, there she is and there her story is, and it’s still cathartic in a way. She isn’t going to appear to us in a flowing white gown descending from the heavens, and won’t smile wistfully to encourage us to carry on, in our dreams, existing as a ghost to continue validating us on our journey. And that’s part of what makes her great.

So, thank you for loving her and writing her, sincerely.

honestly there isn't much I can add to what you've already said because you hit the nail on the head… Yotsuyu is a reflection of the ugliness beneath all the beauty of her culture, a culture which has its counterparts irl that are idolized by media and people that benefit from these structures. She's beautiful, and she's been taught that that's where her worth lies. She's a pawn in the lives of the men in her life but in the end she turns it all on its head and uses her lowly position and her hatred to elevate herself into a position of power over the people that didn't care for her suffering.

I also know that there are a lot of FFXIV players who wish that Yotsuyu had stayed amnesiac and lived a peaceful life with Gosetsu, but I'm honestly very very glad that they didn't go that route. It'd be much too convenient to erase that ugly, cruel part of her and instead have her run around as an oblivious character that's closer to that caricature of a subservient, pure girl. Erasing her suffering would have made her story pointless and taught no one anything ( NOT THAT HER STORY TAUGHT DOMA ANYTHING ANYWAY AS SHOWN IN THE EW JOB QUEST THX SQUARE for my own sanity this isn't my canon Doma ).

But yes... Yotsuyu's story is dear to my heart. It's tragic, it's ugly and it's real and that's what makes it worth telling. And I'm really happy that there are people out there like you that also love her and I really appreciate this message…. ilu......

[tsckcyomi-archived]

sup bitch im going around giving out random end of year appreciation asks and ig :/// u get one :/// HERE HAVE FREE SIMPING IG :/// idk i love u a lot okay. we've had our ups and downs of course which has allowed me to learn and grow from so gosh do i heckin appreciate u in my life. you're such a sweet person and we can handshake a lot in toxicity okay LMAOOOOO if u go down i go down with u ok i have ur back always and forever bitch

but gosh ur writing style has really developed so well over the years i've been writing with u. i love ur attention to detail and the inner monologue u give ur muses. u have such a good analytical eye for everything that i love to read and see everywhere. HONESTLY I SAID IT BEFORE BUT ILL SAY IT AGAIN WITH EVEN MORE FERVOUR: I LITERLLY COULD BE FOOLED INTO THINKING THAT ENGLISH IS UR FIRST LANGUAGE CONSIDERING HOW DAMN GOOD U WRITE IN IT LKJASLKFJ

but gosh yeah im gonna stop here but just know i love u a lot and thank u for ur patience with me <333 KEES KEES U DESERVE ALL THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE AND UR DREAM FARM AND ANIMALS AND I KNOW U HATE EMOTIONAL SHIT BUT WELL HERE HAVE THIS ANYWAY JUST TAKE IT NERD

:T why tf are you being so musHY YOU KNOW I CAN’T HANDLE THAT WELL but also i love how you follow up ‘you’re such a sweet person’ with ‘we can handshake in toxicity’ ig that makes up for it 🤝 we go down together or not at all. AND READING ALL THIS MAKES ME CRY

OKI but do u know how you also taught me a thing or two like. seeing you not take shit from certain people just taught me how to take less shit from other people as well, very helpful, 10/10. i’m not as much of a doormat anymore because of you, you may take credit for that. and you definitely know that i love your writing, i keep re-reading that fic you gave me for my birthday <33  yotsuyu still deserves that tiger. but yeah we went a long way from giving each other shit in the ffxv fandom back in 2018 and now giving each other shit in general all of the time and talking about everything whenever and i’m really happy we do that.

and whenever i get the farm of my dreams with all the cows and pigs and chickens and sO MANY MORE ANIMALS you better visit. i love u and appreciate u too and thanks for sticking around and well you know you aren’t getting away easily anymore at this point oki bye have a great rest of the holidays i disappear again