Overthinking
Twelve Kingdoms! I shouldn't let it get to me, but the more I think about the setup in Short Vacation, the more it bothers me. In case you didn't read: Youko pulls an Amidala to run off with Rakushun during a festival where she's the main attraction. But could this be...THE FIRST STEP TOWARD SHITSUDO?! (dum dum dum).
Whether anyone was actually hurt by the switch isn't the point, the point is that it's an entirely selfish act and if the villagers who came to see her found out, they would be hurt. If Youko had run off with Keiki that would have been fine, because the kirin is the kingdom so being good to the kirin is good for the kingdom, but Rakushun doesn't have any particular connection to Kei. He's just an old and good friend (whose close presense makes Youko blush and vice versa). So it's selfishness of exactly the kind that Tentei likes to punish -- and wasn't there a rule against ruler romantic involvements? Or were they just not allowed to marry or have children.
In itself the incident is small, as a general trend it's punishable. Basically. Although neither of them is likely to let it go that far. And also, wouldn't a ruler who always behaved perfectly be worse off than one who indulged in harmless stunts occasionally? Because for a ruler always on his best behaviour, the temptation to act selfishly would build, and build, and build, until finally the repression became unbearable and the ruler exploded! Taking it out on the subjects! Or running away! The most successful rulers are the ones who have learned to balance responsibility with personal pleasure, because in 12k-land success is measured in the ability to rule for hundreds of years without going crazy. Plus avoidance of extremes is a Confuscian virtue.
Question! Are all sages in Twelve Kingdoms banned from having children, or was that just kings?
This is for fic. -_-; Why am I back in 12k when I don't even have the episodes anymore. Every time I write for it I have to look up all the names and terms. But then I start thinking things like, wouldn't it be fun to write about an exploded ruler? Maybe as part of a lecture about moderation. Then I could throw in Ren, Han, and En as counter examples! ESPECIALLY HAN -- now there's a king who knows all about harmless (???) indulgences.
Loveless! Things I like about the manga that you never, ever see in fanfic:
1. Humor mixed in with seriousness. A funny, silly scene that suddenly turns dark. Or a heavy emotional scene where the characters are still cracking jokes. There are other series that do this kind of mixing, but very few are as aggressively integrated as Loveless. Usually you get something more along FMA (anime -- the manga is mixed) or Cowboy Bebop lines, a serious episode followed by a funny episode followed by a serious episode. Just because something is serious, that doesn't mean it can't be funny! And just because something's funny, that doesn't mean it can't be painful -- but Loveless fic tends to segregate into either crack or angst. In the manga (and in real life) it's both at the same time.
2. Kio as he is in the series. I like Kio better than I like Soubi, but I can't read fic about him, and especially not Soubi/Kio fic. It's not like I can't see why people pair him with Soubi, because I can: unlike Ritsuka, he isn't traumatized, complicated, dependent, or twelve. So of course the people writing fic about him make him traumatized and dependent, 99% of the time -_-. Anyway, Kio is cool because he's normal, in a crazy art student sort of way, and he and Soubi have normal conversations. He's really the only NOT screwed-up major character in the series. (Even Yuiko is suffering from neglect.) (Though what's this I hear about a wife and child?!)
3. Normal conversations that don't have anything to do with the plot. For example: Soubi and Kio compare art supplies. Or maybe it's cooking. Or video games. Or music. Or the weather. Normal things. Things people talk about. The conversations are a nice touch because they're realistic, in a way that a lot of media necessarily isn't. I've read a lot of loveless fanfic that takes one of these conversations rehashes it with more innuendo -- lollipop scene, anyone? But I haven't read any where two characters, doing one thing, have an entirely unrelated normal conversation that's also original (not a repeat of a conversation in the manga or anime) and in-character.
***
Before I forget: updated gmail with H2 volumes 3-8. More H2 to come over the next few days -- or if you don't want to wait for me, go here. Baseball manga, classic.
Whether anyone was actually hurt by the switch isn't the point, the point is that it's an entirely selfish act and if the villagers who came to see her found out, they would be hurt. If Youko had run off with Keiki that would have been fine, because the kirin is the kingdom so being good to the kirin is good for the kingdom, but Rakushun doesn't have any particular connection to Kei. He's just an old and good friend (whose close presense makes Youko blush and vice versa). So it's selfishness of exactly the kind that Tentei likes to punish -- and wasn't there a rule against ruler romantic involvements? Or were they just not allowed to marry or have children.
In itself the incident is small, as a general trend it's punishable. Basically. Although neither of them is likely to let it go that far. And also, wouldn't a ruler who always behaved perfectly be worse off than one who indulged in harmless stunts occasionally? Because for a ruler always on his best behaviour, the temptation to act selfishly would build, and build, and build, until finally the repression became unbearable and the ruler exploded! Taking it out on the subjects! Or running away! The most successful rulers are the ones who have learned to balance responsibility with personal pleasure, because in 12k-land success is measured in the ability to rule for hundreds of years without going crazy. Plus avoidance of extremes is a Confuscian virtue.
Question! Are all sages in Twelve Kingdoms banned from having children, or was that just kings?
This is for fic. -_-; Why am I back in 12k when I don't even have the episodes anymore. Every time I write for it I have to look up all the names and terms. But then I start thinking things like, wouldn't it be fun to write about an exploded ruler? Maybe as part of a lecture about moderation. Then I could throw in Ren, Han, and En as counter examples! ESPECIALLY HAN -- now there's a king who knows all about harmless (???) indulgences.
Loveless! Things I like about the manga that you never, ever see in fanfic:
1. Humor mixed in with seriousness. A funny, silly scene that suddenly turns dark. Or a heavy emotional scene where the characters are still cracking jokes. There are other series that do this kind of mixing, but very few are as aggressively integrated as Loveless. Usually you get something more along FMA (anime -- the manga is mixed) or Cowboy Bebop lines, a serious episode followed by a funny episode followed by a serious episode. Just because something is serious, that doesn't mean it can't be funny! And just because something's funny, that doesn't mean it can't be painful -- but Loveless fic tends to segregate into either crack or angst. In the manga (and in real life) it's both at the same time.
2. Kio as he is in the series. I like Kio better than I like Soubi, but I can't read fic about him, and especially not Soubi/Kio fic. It's not like I can't see why people pair him with Soubi, because I can: unlike Ritsuka, he isn't traumatized, complicated, dependent, or twelve. So of course the people writing fic about him make him traumatized and dependent, 99% of the time -_-. Anyway, Kio is cool because he's normal, in a crazy art student sort of way, and he and Soubi have normal conversations. He's really the only NOT screwed-up major character in the series. (Even Yuiko is suffering from neglect.) (Though what's this I hear about a wife and child?!)
3. Normal conversations that don't have anything to do with the plot. For example: Soubi and Kio compare art supplies. Or maybe it's cooking. Or video games. Or music. Or the weather. Normal things. Things people talk about. The conversations are a nice touch because they're realistic, in a way that a lot of media necessarily isn't. I've read a lot of loveless fanfic that takes one of these conversations rehashes it with more innuendo -- lollipop scene, anyone? But I haven't read any where two characters, doing one thing, have an entirely unrelated normal conversation that's also original (not a repeat of a conversation in the manga or anime) and in-character.
***
Before I forget: updated gmail with H2 volumes 3-8. More H2 to come over the next few days -- or if you don't want to wait for me, go here. Baseball manga, classic.