Our Blades Are Sharp

Our Blades Are Sharp

Being a fan of Umineko is also hard because like. You have to warn people that hey it’s gothic horror it does feature incest and sexual violence but it’s handled respectfully. But also you have to contend with the creator’s leotard fetish. And if you choose to read the manga instead of the visual novel (which I did) some of the drawings are really eyebrow raising including those of a character who is an ageless nonhuman who stopped maturing when her creator died and thus looks like a child. And there’s this other supposedly adult character who looks like a child and she’s a sadist who jokes about “mind rape” and it’s really tasteless. And the main character jokes about groping his cousins’ boobs. More than once. But no I swear the actual incest and sexual violence is treated with respect I swear you have to trust me hey listen plEA

But like actually it’s so strange to me that this man wrote a story that treats sexual violence with appropriate respect and gravity but at the same time threw in a thousand year old little girl who wears a leotard

Sansa was never supposed to die quickly in any version of the story. She was, in the original outline GRRM came up with in 1993, possibly supposed to be killed by Jaime alongside her baby among all the people who were in line before him for the iron throne, though thats never explicitely stated. But she was supposed to have time to 1) befriend Tyrion 2) marry Joffrey and have a son with him 3) bitterly regret this choice, so absolutely not a "die quickly so characterising her doesn't really matter" situation. We also don't really know how much of that was still in GRRM 's mind when he wrote the actual chapters which we now read.

Yeah I have a hard time believing anything people claim about George’s plan without a source. I think maybe some people misinterpret the whole “key five will make it to the end of the story” as “all other major characters will die”? I tried finding anything to back up the claim that Sansa was supposed to die early but couldn’t. It would be quite the choice to have two of the starting POV characters die in book 1 (or one in book 1 and the second at the start of book 2). Like killing Ned was a brilliant writing choice but I think it would have totally undermined it to have another major POV character die so quickly after. Quentyn and Arys also die in the books they’re introduced in but Arys had a single chapter and I don’t even necessarily think the addition of Quentyn was a good writing choice because of the character bloat.

Actually I’m making a separate post about this. Before you read, please understand that when I use the words “feminine” and “femininity” I am exclusively talking about the patriarchal stereotypes, aesthetics, gender roles, and other expectations ascribed to the female sex in a given culture. I do not mean “the intrinsic aspect of being female/a girl/a woman/however you wanna phrase it.” The concept of femininity is a construct. It’s a set of traits and roles and expectations and aesthetics that anyone can have. So when I say that some female characters are more or less feminine, I am not commenting on identity, I am commenting on presence or absence of traits ascribed to girls and women and conformity to sexist expectations. I am making this distinction because in the past it has been assumed that when I said that a girl was less feminine, I was saying she was less of a girl, which isn’t at all what I was saying. Anyway.

I have a knee-jerk reaction to the idea that the only reason Arya didn’t like “ladylike” activities is that she had bad experiences with them with Sansa, the septa, and her mother. Like the one exception to this is that I love the idea that she’d be good at embroidery if she was able to use her left hand. But otherwise I think it risks treading into gender essentialism. Like “the only reason a girl wouldn’t like and be good at “feminine” things is if she had bad experiences.” I know that’s not what most people mean to imply but I dunno I just think it would be really boring if it was like oh turns out Arya loved dresses all along like it gives Allison getting a makeover in Breakfast Club.

Like oh the girl who was insecure about not quite conforming? Well turns out that the answer to her insecurity is to conform! She just needed people to be nicer to her so she could become a feminine girl just like everyone else! No. There’s no power in that. The answer should be that social acceptance allows her to embrace who she is and have confidence in that! I want Arya to wear pants that allow her to run and play with children and a long cloak she’s embroidered with wildflowers. I feel like people generally understand that it’s sexist to have the resolution to the “I’m insecure because I’m not as feminine as other girls and have been mistreated for it” be “now that people have been kind to me I have become as feminine as other girls.” Like Chie in Persona 3. 

It undermines the criticism of the people who were doing said mistreatment. Like “You were right to be insecure! The answer is to change yourself! People bullying you for being different? Never fear! If you simply experience true kindness and acceptance, you can stop being different! No more insecurity because you can be just like everyone wants you to be and society itself doesn’t have to change!” There’s this dissonance in some fans where they can recognize that the way Arya was judged was wrong, but they still want Arya to end up being traditionally “ladylike.” And for me it’s just like. Why. That’s so boring. I don’t hate it as much as Arya growing up to be a ruthless killer but it seems like a betrayal of themes. My ideal end for Arya is that she’s home, she’s loved, she gets to be who she is. She has a family. She’s beloved by all the children in the Winterfell, not just her own. She teaches them about the wildlife and gives water dancing lessons to girls AND boys who want to learn. She braids her hair against her head to keep it out of the way and decorates the braids with flowers. It’s a very “happily ever after” sort of ending of course and not exactly what I think WILL happen (I do not have any idea what her endgame will be, to be clear, I’m just clarifying that I’m not theorizing I’m just imagining the best happiest ending for her I can think of that fits her character).

I just think that Arya doesn’t need to actually like dresses and be good at all the “feminine” activities and hobbies in order for her to be a beloved Lady, and it feels like that’s the undercurrent to the notion that Arya only dislikes traditionally “ladylike” pursuits as a result of trauma

Ashara Dayne of Starfall ☆

@fragmentwitch

Omg I know I recommend Higurashi as one of the all time best horror/mystery anime and I have to be like. “Ok but also there’s this character and there’s a recurring joke about him being attracted to one of the child protagonists and everyone in the show just laughs it off and then he says he wants to adopt her but like it’s supposed to be a joke trust me you’re not supposed to actually think he’s attracted to her I prommy” and yeah the Ange Whole Ass Out art is so funny I laugh uncontrollably whenever I see it. At least R07 had the sense to make her 18. Not even the worst one like I know there’s art with Dlanor where she has like. A cameltoe. Or the one with Maria on top of Battler holding his undone tie in her mouth????? Pain and suffering etc etc. crazy because a lot of the Umineko manga art is just stunning and then there’s the one artist who makes sure that you can see the nipples on every pubescent female character through her shirt in every panel. Higurashi and Umineko are such incredible stories but god does it feel hard to recommend them

Being a fan of Umineko is also hard because like. You have to warn people that hey it’s gothic horror it does feature incest and sexual violence but it’s handled respectfully. But also you have to contend with the creator’s leotard fetish. And if you choose to read the manga instead of the visual novel (which I did) some of the drawings are really eyebrow raising including those of a character who is an ageless nonhuman who stopped maturing when her creator died and thus looks like a child. And there’s this other supposedly adult character who looks like a child and she’s a sadist who jokes about “mind rape” and it’s really tasteless. And the main character jokes about groping his cousins’ boobs. More than once. But no I swear the actual incest and sexual violence is treated with respect I swear you have to trust me hey listen plEA

But like actually it’s so strange to me that this man wrote a story that treats sexual violence with appropriate respect and gravity but at the same time threw in a thousand year old little girl who wears a leotard