skitterchomp

This is a post that I want to eventually cross-post to anime_manga, but I last left it in an unfinished state in uh... 2024 on Cohost. Going over the color symbolism of every single Utena character is well-trod territory, so I do want to link to pre-existing analysese of that nature, such as Vrai's recap episode commentary from 2014. Jay Scott's analysis of how Utena uses color, by someone clearly not involved the anime's fandom culture but nonetheless deeply fascinated with the work to the point of having a massive number of articles on his personal site dedicated to the show, is also a great read - I think some of his reads are massive stretches, but you can't say he isn't thorough.

Image colors, part 3: Dyed Roses

( the post so far )

Really, I think I probably need to bring in at least a loose summary of the other main characters' image colors, as well as a note on how red and white roses are much more associated with ideas than with the specific characters they're tied to. (Red is more about sex than it is about the specific character of Touga, although Touga is The Red One; White is much more about idealized princehood than it is about the specific character Akio (or about Dios as specifically a past-Akio, versus Dios as pure symbol). It is noteworthy that Touga wears a lot of white and Akio a lot of red! Anthy has purple hair, and thus purple can be said to be "her color", but purple roses do not exist in the show - something to be said about how she is treated like an object within the system of Ohtori, framed as a passive doll-like subject by the Duels in contrast to how Duelists are framed as active free agents within the system? Obviously the Duelists are themselves manipulated by Akio towards his own ends, but their participation requires them to believe that they really can bring about Revolution for themselves by possessing Anthy as a passive subject, whether she be pure doll-princess or consumable sexual object in their eyes...)

Stardew Valley's 1.7 update has been announced, although not what will be in it.

Picking back up Caves of Qud. Started a new file, once again using the "gunwing" preset character. For some reason there's way more lag in the Stiltgrounds now for me? Makes it really annoying to traverse the place. Shame because I loooove shopping in Qud.

I feel like I need motivation to complete the two color-meta posts for Utena and Princess Tutu I promised anime_manga ages ago. I never finished their cohost versions and now I'm slacking on the dreamwidth versions... sigh.

It's easy to get demotivated. X( Everything is stressful and I don't have much faith in myself to have interesting or worthwhile things to say...