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You know, in the midst of arguing feminist theory and character interpretations and suchlike, I think I'm finally getting a finger on some of the reasoning behind my character and pairing preferences.
I hate damsels. I've always hated damsels, I think I knew that much back when Belle and Jasmine were my favorite Disney females growing up. Callo Merlose is one of my favorite female characters for the utterly non-damselish way she handled her game-long kidnapping by scary cultists. I mean, I can make exceptions, but on the whole, I just... the weak woman who has to be saved by the dashing man? No, thank you.
Interestingly, though, I don't really like it as a reversal, either. I mean, I dislike it less and sometimes think it's really cute when the helpless guy is saved by his awesome girlfriend, but... I think it's because guys aren't portrayed as STAYING helpless. So when the strong woman swoops in to save him, it isn't so much that she' sweeping him off his feet as it is that she's got his back.
I think it's just that I don't like helpless characters. And I think my favorite relationship dynamic is that mutual got-your-back thing.
I mean, looking back at the pairings I've liked over my fandom tenure, they ALL have some element of that. Locke/Celes? They're both strong enough to protect each other and they balance each other out (and I don't like it when Celes goes all weepy and when Locke has to save her at the end). Butz/Faris. Cloud/Tifa - there's a mutual need, they compensate for each other's weaknesses and make each other stronger when they learn to trust each other. Zax/Aerith - she's powerful in a very different way from him, and they balance each other well. Tidus/Yuna - he's her guardian and her greatest inspiration, but she's the one saving the world and moving mountains to do it, and journeying with her helps Tidus accept his own fate. I didn't really like Sora/Kairi until Kairi showed that she could hold her own and support and save him too. Same deal with Riku/Kairi - I only began to love it when I started to consider how they could balance and save each other. Sora/Riku was a very mutual "got your back" friendly rivalry from word one, and they save each other back and forth all the time (though usually, Sora's saving him in the subtle emotional ways while Riku's saving his skin; still counts). Phoenix/Edgeworth - Edgeworth's interesting, in that he's very much a male damsel at first... but the way Phoenix saved him was imperfect, Edgeworth had to go on to save himself. And then as he heals and grows, he supports Phoenix just as much in return. Rise From The Ashes and Farewell, My Turnabout both give me the same "yee" feeling when I see how Edgeworth's helping and supporting Phoenix in their very unique partnership-by-opposition. Diego/Mia is very much a relationship of equals. Ron/Desiree - he saved her, but he's not this huge strongman, he's just a meek, sweet guy who did the right thing and ended up with a wonderful, very strong wife. Gumshoe/Maggey? Life keeps knocking her down but she just keeps on getting up, and he'll be there to lend a hand anytime she needs it. Fakir/Ahiru - he saves her, she saves him back, and it turns out his true strength isn't even in fighting; he can help her in other ways. Hell, to veer to the somewhat absurd, I'm shipping Pearl/player!Dawn from freaking Pokemon Diamond/Pearl because it's so very much a relationship of strong equals, he likes and respects her so much... In Order of the Stick, my current favorite pairing is Kazumi/Daigo - a pair of strong and competent samurai who are very comfortable kicking ass together and continue to do so as a married pair. (Seriously, last panel here. How cute?)
Every single OTP of mine has that sense of equality, "got your back", or other balance to it. There is not one single pairing I like where the power levels are unequal - from the badass warriors who kick ass together to the sweet domestics who don't really do any world-saving but just support each other equally, these are the pairings I like. Gender doesn't even matter in this. I love how Phoenix saved Edgeworth, but you can bet I wouldn't ship them so hard if Edgeworth hadn't turned around and started returning the favor.
(Interestingly, the one couple I like where one participant IS at a disadvantage - Franziska/Adrian, Adrian has a dependency disorder - balances, because Franziska needs Adrian just as much. In different ways and for different reasons, but there is still balance.
Edit: Well, okay, and there's Zax/Cloud, too. Cloud isn't able to do nearly as much for Zax as Zax does for him. But Zax treats him as an equal. And later on, Cloud's plight gives Zax focus and determination. ... plus if Zax'd lived they'd have had a very adorable and balanced threesome with Aerith, in my happy world. :p)
Really, I might have figured this out sooner. I've always known that I hated damsels in distress and I've hated the seme/uke formula about as long as I've been in yaoi. Why didn't I realize before now that equal pairings PUSH MY BUTTONS really hard?
I hate damsels. I've always hated damsels, I think I knew that much back when Belle and Jasmine were my favorite Disney females growing up. Callo Merlose is one of my favorite female characters for the utterly non-damselish way she handled her game-long kidnapping by scary cultists. I mean, I can make exceptions, but on the whole, I just... the weak woman who has to be saved by the dashing man? No, thank you.
Interestingly, though, I don't really like it as a reversal, either. I mean, I dislike it less and sometimes think it's really cute when the helpless guy is saved by his awesome girlfriend, but... I think it's because guys aren't portrayed as STAYING helpless. So when the strong woman swoops in to save him, it isn't so much that she' sweeping him off his feet as it is that she's got his back.
I think it's just that I don't like helpless characters. And I think my favorite relationship dynamic is that mutual got-your-back thing.
I mean, looking back at the pairings I've liked over my fandom tenure, they ALL have some element of that. Locke/Celes? They're both strong enough to protect each other and they balance each other out (and I don't like it when Celes goes all weepy and when Locke has to save her at the end). Butz/Faris. Cloud/Tifa - there's a mutual need, they compensate for each other's weaknesses and make each other stronger when they learn to trust each other. Zax/Aerith - she's powerful in a very different way from him, and they balance each other well. Tidus/Yuna - he's her guardian and her greatest inspiration, but she's the one saving the world and moving mountains to do it, and journeying with her helps Tidus accept his own fate. I didn't really like Sora/Kairi until Kairi showed that she could hold her own and support and save him too. Same deal with Riku/Kairi - I only began to love it when I started to consider how they could balance and save each other. Sora/Riku was a very mutual "got your back" friendly rivalry from word one, and they save each other back and forth all the time (though usually, Sora's saving him in the subtle emotional ways while Riku's saving his skin; still counts). Phoenix/Edgeworth - Edgeworth's interesting, in that he's very much a male damsel at first... but the way Phoenix saved him was imperfect, Edgeworth had to go on to save himself. And then as he heals and grows, he supports Phoenix just as much in return. Rise From The Ashes and Farewell, My Turnabout both give me the same "yee" feeling when I see how Edgeworth's helping and supporting Phoenix in their very unique partnership-by-opposition. Diego/Mia is very much a relationship of equals. Ron/Desiree - he saved her, but he's not this huge strongman, he's just a meek, sweet guy who did the right thing and ended up with a wonderful, very strong wife. Gumshoe/Maggey? Life keeps knocking her down but she just keeps on getting up, and he'll be there to lend a hand anytime she needs it. Fakir/Ahiru - he saves her, she saves him back, and it turns out his true strength isn't even in fighting; he can help her in other ways. Hell, to veer to the somewhat absurd, I'm shipping Pearl/player!Dawn from freaking Pokemon Diamond/Pearl because it's so very much a relationship of strong equals, he likes and respects her so much... In Order of the Stick, my current favorite pairing is Kazumi/Daigo - a pair of strong and competent samurai who are very comfortable kicking ass together and continue to do so as a married pair. (Seriously, last panel here. How cute?)
Every single OTP of mine has that sense of equality, "got your back", or other balance to it. There is not one single pairing I like where the power levels are unequal - from the badass warriors who kick ass together to the sweet domestics who don't really do any world-saving but just support each other equally, these are the pairings I like. Gender doesn't even matter in this. I love how Phoenix saved Edgeworth, but you can bet I wouldn't ship them so hard if Edgeworth hadn't turned around and started returning the favor.
(Interestingly, the one couple I like where one participant IS at a disadvantage - Franziska/Adrian, Adrian has a dependency disorder - balances, because Franziska needs Adrian just as much. In different ways and for different reasons, but there is still balance.
Edit: Well, okay, and there's Zax/Cloud, too. Cloud isn't able to do nearly as much for Zax as Zax does for him. But Zax treats him as an equal. And later on, Cloud's plight gives Zax focus and determination. ... plus if Zax'd lived they'd have had a very adorable and balanced threesome with Aerith, in my happy world. :p)
Really, I might have figured this out sooner. I've always known that I hated damsels in distress and I've hated the seme/uke formula about as long as I've been in yaoi. Why didn't I realize before now that equal pairings PUSH MY BUTTONS really hard?
Re: Warning: Rambling ahead!
Aww, I like From The New World. D:
Re: Warning: Rambling ahead!
She strips when she fuses. "WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?" says the warmblooded male.
Re: Warning: Rambling ahead!
She strips when she fuses. "WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?" says the warmblooded male.
Seriously. I'm glad there's an option to turn that off and just have her FUSE like normal.
Every time I play, I find myself snarking at the screen when she says something. She's just such.....a one-dimensional character, which is disappointing considering the high bar the series has set with their characters.
Hilda would have made a better Heroine in my opinion. She's actually GOT a personality, unlike Shania.