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Just Yes - Blog Posts
Iiiiiugguxfxut
("I like this" is an understatement)
You look lonely, I can fix that..
Hi! Please do elaborate on butch transfem Ryuzaki!
alright, doomed t4t yuri time
as a disclaimer, there is nothing really substantial to support trans reading of ryuzaki, it's completely accidental and relies entirely on accepting trans reading of yashiro first, which is already asking a lot. i'm working with scraps here, so don't take this as a serious analysis of the text, this is just me reading into it a narrative that i find compelling and purposefully looking at certain things from the perspective that doesn't necessarily align with the authorial intent
i say "butch" specifically because in terms of gender expression, ryuzaki doesn't experience any discomfort with masculinity per se nor does he want to present more feminine. which is why talking about trans reading of the character is a bit trickier than it is with yashiro, isn't it? for many people there's this... expectation, or demand rather, of femininity that comes with the words "trans woman", so a trans butch's womanhood is easily denied on the basis of her "not being enough of a woman" or "basically just being a man". similar logic can be extended to a transgender reading of a character who isn't feminine "enough" or at all, because, well, if they don't want to wear a dress, then what's the point? and i guess part of the appeal of this interpretation for me is that it goes against those notions about gender and transfemininity. obviously you don't have to accept it, but if you don't see why this reading can be compelling, then it's worth asking "why, thought?"
there is just one thing about ryuzaki's gender presentation that stuck with me since the moment he was introduced (and i'll have to thank the movie for that) and it's how particular he is about his accessories, or at least the earring. it's not really the type that i'd normally expect a (cishet) man to wear, and it stays unlike the ring he was wearing in the first two volumes, so there's significance to it. now, i'm not saying that a man wearing accessories means that he must be a woman, and ryuzaki's ring(s), bracelet and necklace in the flashbacks and the cover for ch 26 are what you'd see men in the yakuza wear, but the earring? i think about it a lot, about its implication of homosexuality, and how you can take it a step further, make it about gender, too, and performing masculinity not the same way men do
so, sexuality. in the context of cis reading ryuzaki is very compelling as a gay man, and i've talked about it before, but, as the word "butch" implies, here i want to take it in a different direction and say that he genuinely prefers women. it recontextualizes his feelings for yashiro, because rather than a man falling in love with another man, it's a woman falling in love with a woman like her, because she is like her, trapped and dying just the same. which leads me to ch 14 and the question that sent me down this rabbit hole in the first place
"do you want to become a woman?" do you, ryuzaki? because now this isn't about internalized homophobia and desire for a "yes" just so it would make his feelings for yashiro "normal", as in straight, but then again, even if you were to try to read that intention into it - he's not asking if yashiro is a woman, the question is about wanting to become one. allusion to transitioning aside, there is a connection between becoming a woman or becoming a yakuza, the latter in a less literal sense being about submitting to a violent patriarchal system where the only role you can play if you want to survive is that of a man. ryuzaki is only two years older than yashiro, so he's what, 21? in that flashback, and yet for him everything has already been decided. he's asking as someone who no longer has a choice and has been condemned to rotting in a cage that is manhood, but yashiro still could take a different path, from ryuzaki's perspective at least
there could've been something there, maybe a conversation that would've made things easier for both of them, but yashiro replies with his usual simplification. yes, it would be nice to be a woman, but the only difference is that it would make having sex with men easier, that's all there is to it. and what does it leave ryuzaki with if he's not even attracted to men to begin with? nothing. there is nothing to being a woman for you, so don't think about. and he doesn't, neither of them do, and yashiro ultimately walks into the same cage as ryuzaki. you've got to wonder how much it hurt to see the only person who is inexplicably like you end up the same way
i'll leave reading into other scenes for another time since i have too much to say on the topic, but hopefully this gives a general idea to go off of if you want to look at the character from this perspective as well. one last thing i do want to mention here is that ryuzaki's first name is atsushi, 篤士. the first kanji can be read as "kind, cordial, faithful, warm", and if you look at the second kanji, you'll see that it has some connotations with manhood, which is why i'm bringing it up. in the context of transgender reading, there is some irony to "man" being implied in your name. we still don't know yashiro's, so it's like there is still some hope, but knowing ryuzaki's means that there might be none left for him. the way he is now, in prison, with his hair forcibly cut short, the earring likely taken away, maybe there isn't, maybe it is too late. and that's fine. there are certain expectations when it comes to trans narratives, that of a moment of realization, transitioning and a happy ending, and those narratives are important, of course, but i personally want to talk more about those of us who were doomed to rot. not because i enjoy the suffering, but because i find some comfort in being able to look at a character who is not intended to be seen that way and say "i still see you, despite it all"
i love this
FINALLY - SEC GEN SILLY SQUAD
Started this months ago and never fucking finished it until now. Anywho, here are the sillies and their kiddos some ten(ish) years or so after Mt. Tantiss.
They are my babies and I absolutely adore them. I had a love/hate relationship with coming up with their outfits. I'm the worst when it comes to designing outfits, but it was fun implementing the wave motif of the Pabu citizen's clothing into some of them :)
Anyways, without further ado, the silly squad families and a few things about them! Feel free to ask questions or anything about any of them :D
Guardians Family: The Yuns
Later down the line, Hunter and Jung get (platonically) married and are the last to do so within the squad
Before that, they adopt Mox and Sami into their family - with Mox taking after Hunter and Sami becoming a sort of padawan for Jung
After getting married, they adopt Huihana who was orphaned after her parents were sadly lost at sea
Huihana is half human and half Mirialan - with her name meaning "lily/lotus" in Māori and 'Hana' meaning "one" in Korean
Mox gets the Pantoran clan tattoos to match with Sami and Sami adds on some extra tattoos in honor of Jung
Hunter and Jung do emotionally adopt a lot of the kiddos around the island though and will usually have a duckling trail following them around
Jung starts to find his voice again and he takes it upon himself to help out and train any of the Force sensitive kiddos on Pabu
Hunter also becomes something of a teacher as well but more so with life/combat skills until Huihana comes into the picture and he becomes content with being a stay at home dad
Occasionally Mox will go with Omega to do Rebellion work every now and then, but he prefers staying and helping out where he can on Pabu
The kids call Hunter "Dad" and Jung "Seon"
Scompscope Family: The Cossas
Third of the squad to get married - as soon as they're able to take a break from Rebellion stuff they decide better late than never and that they deserve something nice like that
But before that, they unofficially adopt Deke after Echo takes him under his wing and Deke helps them out with Rebellion stuff
Later on, Viram and Echo have Tikan and Zisanu who aren't old enough to help out yet but want to
Rex is their godfather that they jokingly call "Grandpa" - Echo finds this hilarious, Rex does not
The boys are also known as "Dee," "Tee," and "Zee"
Tika[n] means 'Heavy' in Tsonga while Zisanu means 'Five' in Chichewa in honor of Hevy and Fives
Echo and Viram still do Rebellion work here and there whenever Rex needs them, but after awhile Viram starts to stay on Pabu a little more to spend time with her boys and eventually Echo does the same
Then on Pabu, Viram does work at the clinic while Echo helps were he can and still aids the Rebellion, albeit remotely
In his place though, Deke joins the rebellion and comes back every now and then with his cousins
The kids call Echo "Dad" and Viram "Ma"
Starburst Family: The Nultezes
Wrecker and Khea are the first to get married and spontaneously do so literally like a month or two after Tantiss
Itri is a Foundling that Khea adopted prior to reuniting with Wrecker on Pabu and also decides to adopt Stak as a Foundling as well (Look, having a clone and a Mandalorian as parents just means you're going to have a shitton of kids both human and furbabies)
Itri means route/way in Latin and also meaning "star" in Tamazight; which fits the star/starpaths/way motifs that stem from Khea's background
Marama and Maia are twins and Elio is the (current) youngest
Maia meaning "brave/confident" in Māori, Marama means "moon/bright" in Māori, while Elio means "sun" from Greek roots
They essentially run a little farm on the island with all of the pets they've adopted and their kids love to garden as well
Khea and Wrecker also run a little auto shop on the side and fix up things around Pabu to keep busy
Their home essentially becomes a sanctuary within the sanctuary that is Pabu; they welcome anyone and everyone and always have good food and a place to stay at their place
Stak helps out with the Rebellion alongside his cousins and Itri wants to do the same, though she's not quite old enough yet
The kids call Wrecker "Pa/Buir" and Khea "Buir/Amá"
TechPhee Family: The Genoas
Second of the squad to get married - after Tech recovers from everything, Phee makes sure that he doesn't get away from her again
Shortly after they have Vela (farsighted) and then Rangi (nearsighted)
Vela means "viligant/watchful" but it's also the name of a constellation taken directly from the Latin word for the sail of a ship (which is fitting considering Phee is a pirate and Tech and her are both phenomenal pilots)
Rangi means "Sky/heavens" in Māori (again, fitting that pilot thing)
Rangi is HEAVILY inspired by Mutant Mayhem Donnie and I would totally have Micah Abbey voice him as a voice claim
Vela absolutely loves cartography and topography while Rangi is a big fan of entomology and riot racing
They mostly live out of Phee's ship and call it home, but they do have a place to stay on Pabu whenever they visit
They're always bringing back cool stories and souvenirs from their travels for all their nieces and nephews/cousins
They're a family to be reckoned with, these kids are the best parts of their parents all mixed into one - their only weakness is losing their glasses and even then it's a momentary set back
Phee is still a liberator of ancient wonders, but now they more so help out with the Rebellion
The kids call Tech "Dad" and Phee "Mom/Ma"
Sharpshooter Family: The Marrs
Second to last of the squad to get married because Tay was taking too long to ask so Crosshair asked for him
Also they take a LONG time to adjust to a civilian life they're both reeling with the trauma of what they'd endured and the feeling of finally being free from "the machine"
Last ones to adopt though because Tay was always wary about kids but didn't have a choice when Crosshair came back one day with Akona-Mae after helping Echo out with a mission
Akona is a hybrid; she's half Nautolan and half Pantoran and was adopted when she was around 2 years old
The "Mae" part of her name comes from "May"Day in honor of the Commander while Akona means "to enthuse" in Māori
Akona is non verbal, she loves to bite, and her dads are both super protective of her while spoiling her rotten
Ignore the fact that she's a six-year old with a tattoo - her dad is Crosshair, okay?
Speaking of tattoo, she gets the usual "clan tattoo" that the Pantorans have to match Crosshair and Tay gets something similar as well
They're a family of fishermen with a place close by the shore/docks - Tay and Akona are both amphibious races so they really enjoy living on Pabu
Rarely, Akona will call Crosshair "Pa" and Tay "Apá" verbally but usually when she's addressing them she'll tap her tattoo for Crosshair and tug at her front two tendrils for Tay
To be completely honest with you, these are probably not the final drafts. I have an oc who is involved in Jung's story that I may or may not add to his family (depending on whether or not I kill off that character) and I've been slowly liking the idea of Wrecker and Khea being in a poly relationship with another OC but I haven't finalized a design for him, so until then it's just the two of them for now. Later on I'll probably add him to the family once I figure out what he looks like :)
Additional Information:
💫 Silly Squad Masterlist 💫 First Secgen Post
I truly believe most people who still use tumblr are neurodivergent. Where else are we going to hyperfixate on things?
based on that textpost that was making the rounds
(It's Alfred)
reverse harem, but the mc is a cute old lady who loves spoiling the very young and very hot boys to death because she’s never had grandchildren. The guys are all fighting over her because it’s the most genuine love and validation they’ve ever received in their lives and they also lowkey want to be adopted by her.
instantly elevate your male character designs with these easy steps!
- give him long hair