(no subject)
Went LJ-browsing today and came across something I probably should have just ignored, but I felt compelled to address it. However, I am going to be a good bunny and just put my thoughts here instead of commenting on the entry itself. I'm not trying to convert anyone into supporting the pairing, the author of the quote especially; we're all going to like and dislike different things. Heck, this isn't even my OTP. I just needed to rant out my own disagreement with the reasons she listed for why it would so totally never work.
Aya/Omi is a ship that I'm just profoundly "..." about, because there are so many things about the canon that stand in opposition to the 'ship that I'm not sure why it would ever even occur to anyone in the first place. Omi is underage. Aya has no sex drive whatsoever, and that is practically an explicit canon fact. Omi prefers his dead cousin girls. They're members of a team that's already too fucked-up to risk further unbalancing it by bringing sex into the dynamic, and they're both smart enough to know that. They both hate what they do so much that I can't imagine they'd be comfortable in a relationship with someone who does the same thing; by Fight Fire With Fire, Omi is telling Aya that he wants Aya to lead Weiss because he knows that, if he himself starts going wrong, Aya will kill him. And beyond even that, you cannot ship in Weiss. You just can't. It can only end in tragedy. So for me, the pairing is just really not there at all.
Newsflash: Omi is not underage. There are no sodomy laws in Japan, and the age of consent for males is between 13 and 17 [1]. Omi is 17. No matter where he lives, he meets the age requirement. He does not fall into the shota category, nor would anyone be committing statutory rape in having sex with him. The end.
In regard to the romance in canon, let's firstly not forget that the show isn't about romance. The show is about the job. Sakura and Ouka were plot devices, and their romantic entanglements with the boys existed for the sake of character development. Same to be said for Yuriko and Asuka/Neu. It would be both redundant and irrelevant to the show's point to include more romantic experiences with all of the characters just for the sake of exploring their sexuality.
That said, a person's first and only canonical romantic experience can not be logically generalized to cover his entire sexuality-- for Omi or Aya or anyone else. Omi fell in love with Ouka before discovering their blood relation. Yes, he very much DID love her, even after the discovery, because emotions that deep do not just evaporate in the face of startling news. This does not make him an incest fetishist. This makes him a realistically conflicted young man that only had a couple of minutes to try to sort out the transition into being family instead of lover before she died in his arms. Beyond that, who knows where his attractions can fall.
As for Aya, he took to Sakura because she reminded him of his sister, so it rather makes sense that he only cares about her on a platonic level. However, he further added that he didn't deserve to be loved. A conscientious choice to refuse love is completely different from a lack of sex drive. In fact, the very first line of that drama CD you're using as support for another point is Aya stating "When I was sixteen, I slept with a woman for the first time." [2] He clearly is not lacking a sex drive. Please be more familiar with your evidence before using it.
Having established that, I do not think Weiß erased Aya's sex drive. What it changed was his willingness to accept the love of others, particularly that of an innocent-- which Omi is not. In this respect, Omi is a more likely candidate than Sakura or another non-Weiß.
Also notice: love and sex are not the same thing, and one -can- exist without the other, both ways. You seem to be completely overlooking the possibility that Aya and Omi could love one another without ever engaging in sexual activity. Or that they could choose to engage in sexual activities without ever having a romantic relationship. Being horny can't help one's concentration on a mission, and it could be some good stress relief.
That's if you want to appeal to their logical and intelligent sides, which both of them do have, as you pointed out. However, both characters have also shown themselves prone to acting irrationally because of their emotions, despite their otherwise level-headed natures. Aya abandons a mission to go homicidal avenger on Takatori, then throws his katana at a helicopter. Omi turns a gun on his fellow teammates to help the target escape. They ARE susceptible to poor judgment from emotional influence.
As for both hating what they do, I almost have to ask if we really watched the same series. Ken is the one that hates what they do. Omi was brainwashed into the job from childhood, and while far from mentally healthy for it, remorse and angst over killing people are not amongst his troubles. He doesn't even consider it murder if it's through Weiß until episode 20. You must have missed the repeated attempts characters made to shake up his sense of ethics, which every time reverted to the belief that Weiß is a force that acts for the greater good.
Aya suffers no delusion about the wrongness of killing, but he too accepts the job. His resolve and love for his sister enable him to kill targets with a hardened heart. He doesn't hate what they're doing in the sense of loathing missions and the act of killing. What Aya hates is himself for doing it. There is a difference.
Now, let's examine that drama CD scene regarding Aya potentially killing Mamoru. Mamoru understands that if he becomes Persia, he can no longer act as a fighting member of Weiß. Aya asks why he's talking to him about rejoining Weiß, and Mamoru says that Aya would probably kill him if Omi disappeared from within him, if his Weiß became something that no longer protected the innocent.
Mamoru, or the Omi within him, is not expressing fear for his life. I even question if Mamoru intended the term "kill" so literally, but assuming he did, he'd have lost his fear of death long ago. What he doesn't want is for the two of them to be enemies. Omi -admires- Aya, expresses the opinion in episode 2 that he's attractive. He worries about him more than any other member of Weiß. He's most insecure about and concerned with Aya's opinion of him. Yes, he does recognize that Aya's a dangerous opponent, but Mamoru can clearly afford sufficient protection like Nagi. What he wants is Aya's continued guidance-- with the added benefit of his fighting skills working for Weiß.
So what about Aya? Judging from Kapitel, Aya is likewise more focused on Omi than Yohji or Ken. He acts as a pillar of support for Omi, reassuring him of his identity, refocusing his attention on their purpose when it starts to waver. He should understand the pain Omi feels in losing his sister more than any other.
In whatever form it takes, they -do- have a bond, and this scene is an expression of that bond still being strong even after two years apart. Mamoru is once again showing a trust and dependency on Aya that was evident all throughout the first season. He values Aya's support and input. He wants Aya there to make sure he does things to Aya's approval. Aya supports Mamoru's choices and accepts his request. How is this hatred for what they're doing? How is it a sign that they have an uncomfortable relationship? They're agreeing to cooperate for creating a Weiß that meets an old ideal.
The two speak on terms that make it clear Mamoru knows Aya very well. They sound like good friends, which they must have been before the separation for it to still be there. I don't think it's that far of a stretch for fans to experiment with broadening that relationship to a sexual or romantic one. True, it likely would not end happily. But last I checked, not all pairings are about things working out. What you really mean is you cannot ship -happy- pairings in Weiß, and to that end I'm inclined to agree with you. That doesn't mean it can't be done at all. Some people -like- the inevitable angst factor.
I sincerely say to each her own, and that you can like or dislike a pairing needing no further excuse than personal preference. But you lose points when you criticize others with phrases like "I'm not sure why it would ever even occur to anyone in the first place." And if you want to justify your stance with canon, you're going to need some better support.
Aya/Omi is a ship that I'm just profoundly "..." about, because there are so many things about the canon that stand in opposition to the 'ship that I'm not sure why it would ever even occur to anyone in the first place. Omi is underage. Aya has no sex drive whatsoever, and that is practically an explicit canon fact. Omi prefers his dead cousin girls. They're members of a team that's already too fucked-up to risk further unbalancing it by bringing sex into the dynamic, and they're both smart enough to know that. They both hate what they do so much that I can't imagine they'd be comfortable in a relationship with someone who does the same thing; by Fight Fire With Fire, Omi is telling Aya that he wants Aya to lead Weiss because he knows that, if he himself starts going wrong, Aya will kill him. And beyond even that, you cannot ship in Weiss. You just can't. It can only end in tragedy. So for me, the pairing is just really not there at all.
Newsflash: Omi is not underage. There are no sodomy laws in Japan, and the age of consent for males is between 13 and 17 [1]. Omi is 17. No matter where he lives, he meets the age requirement. He does not fall into the shota category, nor would anyone be committing statutory rape in having sex with him. The end.
In regard to the romance in canon, let's firstly not forget that the show isn't about romance. The show is about the job. Sakura and Ouka were plot devices, and their romantic entanglements with the boys existed for the sake of character development. Same to be said for Yuriko and Asuka/Neu. It would be both redundant and irrelevant to the show's point to include more romantic experiences with all of the characters just for the sake of exploring their sexuality.
That said, a person's first and only canonical romantic experience can not be logically generalized to cover his entire sexuality-- for Omi or Aya or anyone else. Omi fell in love with Ouka before discovering their blood relation. Yes, he very much DID love her, even after the discovery, because emotions that deep do not just evaporate in the face of startling news. This does not make him an incest fetishist. This makes him a realistically conflicted young man that only had a couple of minutes to try to sort out the transition into being family instead of lover before she died in his arms. Beyond that, who knows where his attractions can fall.
As for Aya, he took to Sakura because she reminded him of his sister, so it rather makes sense that he only cares about her on a platonic level. However, he further added that he didn't deserve to be loved. A conscientious choice to refuse love is completely different from a lack of sex drive. In fact, the very first line of that drama CD you're using as support for another point is Aya stating "When I was sixteen, I slept with a woman for the first time." [2] He clearly is not lacking a sex drive. Please be more familiar with your evidence before using it.
Having established that, I do not think Weiß erased Aya's sex drive. What it changed was his willingness to accept the love of others, particularly that of an innocent-- which Omi is not. In this respect, Omi is a more likely candidate than Sakura or another non-Weiß.
Also notice: love and sex are not the same thing, and one -can- exist without the other, both ways. You seem to be completely overlooking the possibility that Aya and Omi could love one another without ever engaging in sexual activity. Or that they could choose to engage in sexual activities without ever having a romantic relationship. Being horny can't help one's concentration on a mission, and it could be some good stress relief.
That's if you want to appeal to their logical and intelligent sides, which both of them do have, as you pointed out. However, both characters have also shown themselves prone to acting irrationally because of their emotions, despite their otherwise level-headed natures. Aya abandons a mission to go homicidal avenger on Takatori, then throws his katana at a helicopter. Omi turns a gun on his fellow teammates to help the target escape. They ARE susceptible to poor judgment from emotional influence.
As for both hating what they do, I almost have to ask if we really watched the same series. Ken is the one that hates what they do. Omi was brainwashed into the job from childhood, and while far from mentally healthy for it, remorse and angst over killing people are not amongst his troubles. He doesn't even consider it murder if it's through Weiß until episode 20. You must have missed the repeated attempts characters made to shake up his sense of ethics, which every time reverted to the belief that Weiß is a force that acts for the greater good.
Aya suffers no delusion about the wrongness of killing, but he too accepts the job. His resolve and love for his sister enable him to kill targets with a hardened heart. He doesn't hate what they're doing in the sense of loathing missions and the act of killing. What Aya hates is himself for doing it. There is a difference.
Now, let's examine that drama CD scene regarding Aya potentially killing Mamoru. Mamoru understands that if he becomes Persia, he can no longer act as a fighting member of Weiß. Aya asks why he's talking to him about rejoining Weiß, and Mamoru says that Aya would probably kill him if Omi disappeared from within him, if his Weiß became something that no longer protected the innocent.
Mamoru, or the Omi within him, is not expressing fear for his life. I even question if Mamoru intended the term "kill" so literally, but assuming he did, he'd have lost his fear of death long ago. What he doesn't want is for the two of them to be enemies. Omi -admires- Aya, expresses the opinion in episode 2 that he's attractive. He worries about him more than any other member of Weiß. He's most insecure about and concerned with Aya's opinion of him. Yes, he does recognize that Aya's a dangerous opponent, but Mamoru can clearly afford sufficient protection like Nagi. What he wants is Aya's continued guidance-- with the added benefit of his fighting skills working for Weiß.
So what about Aya? Judging from Kapitel, Aya is likewise more focused on Omi than Yohji or Ken. He acts as a pillar of support for Omi, reassuring him of his identity, refocusing his attention on their purpose when it starts to waver. He should understand the pain Omi feels in losing his sister more than any other.
In whatever form it takes, they -do- have a bond, and this scene is an expression of that bond still being strong even after two years apart. Mamoru is once again showing a trust and dependency on Aya that was evident all throughout the first season. He values Aya's support and input. He wants Aya there to make sure he does things to Aya's approval. Aya supports Mamoru's choices and accepts his request. How is this hatred for what they're doing? How is it a sign that they have an uncomfortable relationship? They're agreeing to cooperate for creating a Weiß that meets an old ideal.
The two speak on terms that make it clear Mamoru knows Aya very well. They sound like good friends, which they must have been before the separation for it to still be there. I don't think it's that far of a stretch for fans to experiment with broadening that relationship to a sexual or romantic one. True, it likely would not end happily. But last I checked, not all pairings are about things working out. What you really mean is you cannot ship -happy- pairings in Weiß, and to that end I'm inclined to agree with you. That doesn't mean it can't be done at all. Some people -like- the inevitable angst factor.
I sincerely say to each her own, and that you can like or dislike a pairing needing no further excuse than personal preference. But you lose points when you criticize others with phrases like "I'm not sure why it would ever even occur to anyone in the first place." And if you want to justify your stance with canon, you're going to need some better support.