god i’m so obsessed w Delloso de la Rue and yeah, I’ll say it: they’re right about everything

I think discussions I’ve seen about Rue’s position of “privilege” often fail to contend with the fact that Rue experiences this world as a kidnapping victim. Rue is not an archfey. They were taken from the mortal world as a young child. From what we’ve seen about how Wanessa is treated like an oddity/fascination, we can guess that Rue was treated much the same. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Rue became a party planner—when you are brought to a world as entertainment, I suspect you grow up terrified of what might happen if you stop being entertaining. 

Rue has existed on the outskirts of the Court of Wonder for years. Forced (whether literally or just by social pressure) to wear a glamor—scared of anyone even touching their HAND for fear of being found out. Do you think Rue has ever danced at the Blooms they’ve spent millennia planning, or was this year the first time?

Claiming Rue is oblivious to the plight of other, lesser fey ignores the fact that Rue is ultimately a worker—not a true aristocrat like the Lords of the Wing. They have a job—they plan the Bloom. Yes, they have political power, but not due to being high-born or playing the political game or all that; they have political power because they’re popular, because they dedicated themself to the happiness of others for millennia, connecting people of different courts together, bringing people love and joy. And I doubt they even realize just how powerful they are, because they spend most of their time away from their court, planning a fucking party.

Everyone calls them the “pride” of a court they barely see. They are assumed to speak for them, even when they are speaking their own mind. Of course they have no loyalty to the Court system. Of course they don’t see the point in anything except love—love they themself have been robbed of, were stolen away from. Rue’s bardic inspiration is a song they remember from the mortal plane. Isn’t it telling that even thousands of years later, their magic—magic, which Andhera and Binx both describe as stemming from love—comes from that faded memory of home?

Yes, it’s a bummer that Rue’s actions caused Hob’s victories to be undermined a bit, but honestly? Why should we really care about the political advancement of the Goblin Court’s aristocracy, who have shown they are exactly the same as the Court of Wonder in their treatment of their subordinates (Hob standing away from the campfire, just as Rue is kept in a tower for months out of the year)? Rue might have hurt Hob by hiding the truth, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong when they urge him to take care of himself, to abandon his loyalty to a system that won’t reward him for it. That’s not Rue being naive or privileged—that’s Rue being exactly like Hob, a servant of their court who toiled tirelessly for years, sacrificing their own happiness, only to just now realize how pointless it all was.

And honestly, on the more political side, Rue probably saved everyone’s asses by breaking up the marriage between Grabalba and Apollo. Apollo would for sure have used the Goblins’ military might to accelerate his plans of stealing the magic. And then, once that was achieved, do you really think he would have honored his agreements with the Goblin Court? He’s the kind of dishonorable man who tried to murder Hob in secret. You’re telling me he wouldn’t have double crossed them once he got what he wanted? Why would he give a shit about a political marriage? 

Like, for real: why would Apollo want to marry Grabalba? We know the Goblin Court’s status would be MASSIVELY elevated by this union, but what advantage does the Court of Wonder gain from marrying into the Goblin Court? It was all military—another power grab by Wonder. Rue broke it up and probably saved the fey realm in the process. 

And now they could lose someone they really love over it. 

I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion about Clarisse’s casting in the PJO show that basically boils down to “anyone can be ugly if they have a mean personality.” And like yes, that’s true, but "ugly" people also exist (by ugly, I mean not conventionally attractive). let ugly people be ugly (so long as their ugliness is not a reflection of wider prejudice - ie, if only the evil characters are fat, that’s bad).

This bothers me especially because there is no representation for tall, broad, fat, “ugly” preteen and teenage girls, at least not any that isn’t centered around them becoming beautiful. I don’t think ugliness is a bad word on its own. making a character who rejects femininity and is described as ugly both pretty and feminine isn’t making some kind of statement about how pretty people can be mean too, especially because Clarisse is ultimately redeemed.

For her character to be ugly and mean at the start of the story and end still "ugly" (by conventional standards of femininity) and nice means that her character growth is about her personality - and that her looks were never a reflection of her morality.

It's true that you can be pretty while rejecting femininity, but the way Clarisse is styled in the show (in my opinion) is too feminine. Her appearance is too put together, too subtly feminine, for how she's described in the books. This is no shade to Dior! I actually think she does a great job as Clarisse and I look forward to seeing more of her. But tv and movies have a long history of casting attractive women only to call their characters unattractive, thus reinforcing harmful stereotypes about what is and isn’t beautiful, instead of casting actually *average* looking women.

THAT is the representation my middle school self is aching for. I want a middle schooler who’s taller than all her friends, who’s got a belly, who looks awkward in dresses because of her build, who’s wider than her male friends, who's going through puberty faster than her friends, who has acne and doesn’t wear makeup and doesn’t understand what femininity is and dresses like a Tom boy. These traits aren't ugly. They're normal. They're just not aesthetically attractive, so they are invariably erased from media.

Where is my preteen girl in basketball shorts because the shorts available to girls are too revealing for someone of her size? Where is my teenager who has been told, explicitly or otherwise, that she doesn't conform to beauty standards, so she refuses to wear dresses or skirts? Where is the girl who knows she's "ugly" and doesn't care? Where is the one who never cared until someone told her, and suddenly she wishes to be skinny and slender and not broad-shoulder and not tall and to look like her mom instead of being told she looks like her dad?

I'm all for diversity in casting because people are diverse. But body type - and not just visually appealing or acceptable body types - is part of diversity to. Annabeth’s appearance has virtually no impact on her character, and Leah carries her perfectly. For Clarisse and others like Piper, their appearance is INCREDIBLY relevant to their characters.

Let “ugly” girls be ugly. Combatting fatphobia - which also includes normal sized women and broad shoulders, because the fashion industry has labelled all non-models as fat - in media is not just about showing non-skinny people as attractive. It’s about showing non-skinny people as EXISTING. and being valid for that alone, outside of their moral or aesthetic value.

I can only think of one actress who’s roughly my build. I can think of zero times I watched media aimed for kids and saw a kid my size. Diversity is not just an aesthetic designed to be palatable. Casting characters with ugly personalities as beautiful people when the character in question will go through a redemption isn't the slay some people think because it's still reinforcing the idea that looks have moral value. I rarely see characters without aesthetic attractiveness nowadays, not ones who are on the hero's side; when it comes to children, when I say attractiveness I mean the way a child in a clothing ad looks cute and cheerful, not romantic/sexual attractiveness. For children especially, body positivity is far less important than body neutrality - the idea that their bodies don't have morality or attractive value attached.

What's most important to me is that "ugly" and unfeminine preteen and teenage girls see themselves represented neutrally, in a way I can't recall ever seeing myself.

I don't mean to hate on Dior. I really do think she's excellent as Clarisse. This is just my perspective, as an "ugly," tall, broad-shouldered, chubby former middle school girl who would've loved to see someone who looked like me.

have some animals and creatures . messing with some multicolour brushes ive had for like a year minimum and never touched bcz they can be kinda awkward

The only two things I am not looking forward to seeing in the PJO show is the sea of monsters where Ares is being a misogynistic asshole, and the titans curse where Aphrodite is portrayed as self centered and just downright mean. Ik they probably aren't going to change it but I'm still kinda hoping they do.

gooooood morning I am thinking about Princess Tutu again

specifically about how it is first and foremost an adaptation of Swan Lake and specifically it is the Odile Deserved Better story BUT, crucially, it is NOT the Odile Did Nothing Wrong story. Rue does A LOT of things wrong in fact. Princess Tutu is a story about how she deserves better anyway.

It’s a story about how Rue does these things because she believes, because she’s been told her whole life, that she is inherently unlovable. her role in the story is the Black Swan, the Evil Temptress, the Wicked Stepsister. of course no one would choose to love her.

her only chance at love is to steal it, to keep and guard it jealously, to not allow her prince a choice because if he could choose, she believes, he would never choose her. so of course she does terrible, desperate things to keep his love. Princess Tutu is a story about how there are people who keep choosing to love her anyway. people who are determined to show her that she is not unlovable at all, despite everything.

Princess Tutu is a story about how the way to fix this is with love

I feel like I talk about this a LOT (sorry to friends who know me irl), but I do think Princess Kraehe’s introduction and her theme being Gymnopédie no. 1 is absolute genius!!! If you think about it, this is the antagonist’s debut! We’ve waited for half of the first act for the raven to reappear, and it’s this big, dramatic reveal! Tutu is about to return the heart shard of curiosity (I think, I can’t remember the exact name), and then Kraehe appears and snatches it away!

And you think: naturally, the antagonist/rival deserves a big, orchestral reveal for this whirlwind of feathers! But it’s not. The music in that moment when the dust settles and Kraehe floats down is Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie no. 1,” and it’s soft and contemplative and slow and sad (quite literally the pieces are meant to be played “douloureux” or full of pain). It’s really fitting for a girl whose past and future were stolen from her, who was cast in this villain role against her will, who doesn’t even know who she really is. It’s why when she’s asked who she is, she breaks, unable to discern whether she’s Rue or Kraehe, and the music reflects that part of her.

I love the piece, and I also love Rue, and I’m glad Princess Tutu the show gives her that piece of musical development!

Things about early drafts of Fakir I’m haunted by:

was referred to for an unknown period of production as “the black prince” (to Mytho’s “white prince“), including during the development of the 2001 trailer. (source) (source) (source)

machine translation of the last source: “Since the character of Fakir was still in the process of being set up, the "black prince" image that director Kawamoto had in mind at the time can be glimpsed in the [promo]. The deep V-neck was also in line with the concept.”

is presented as not just a (less tsundere and more, uh, aggressive) romantic option for Duck, but implied to be a romantic rival on the same level as Rue and Duck for Mytho’s affections in the 2001 trailer

production sketch of Fakir dancing with Rue, as Kraehe, when they have never once been on good terms in the actual final show: (source)

me trying to explain platonic readings of clarisse & silena are just as valid as romantic ones because if you think you have to be in love with someone to kill a giant dragon then you clearly don't love your friends

one thing about me is that I will enjoy the vampire chronicles’ fucked up little character dynamics

princess tutu au with akechi as rue. no really it just works....... ravens and crows, the raven's blood, doing your father's bidding, desperately clawing for your own agency, struggling against the narrative that wants to doom you............

I thought.. what if princess tutu in houseki no kuni..

i'm having more side quest ideas

character who has such a deep, unending desire to be loved but who knows they’ll never put in enough effort or reciprocation for that love to ever be healthy. Who knows they’re unlovable fully of their own fault and is in agony over it but can’t bring themself to fix it.

Princess Tutu had a surprisingly great ending. It's almost cathartic for a story that's about stories and endings to stories to have a pretty good ending itself.

ok im rewatching the og tailors shop scene and its making episode 9 hurt a lot more

hob directly asks if either rue or binx know who was at fault for the breaking of the engagement. rue let hob leave that conversation still believing it was apollo. they immediately pulled the conversation away, asking him about it being his victories that lead to the engagement.

maybe it was originally a first step. a lead-in to a confession. an explanation of how this has all been a big misunderstanding. but rue never gives that impression. they never make it seem as though they have other ideas of who hob is looking for. even knowing that it was themself.

they go on to have this revelation of their on feelings heightening into love at the reveal of hobs first name. and what do they do next? they scold him. yes, theyre telling him he deserves better and the sentiment behind those words are positive overall. they want whats best for him. but wouldnt it have been a perfect opportunity to come clean? to say "knickolas, i care about you so much and knowing the full scope of what youre going through now i cannot bear to continue hiding this from you"? wouldnt they understand that to criticize his very nature is to use the exact same tactics that his own court uses to keep him in line?

as far as im concerned, all the misunderstandings could have begun to clear in that moment. but rue chose to prioritize the pushing of their own ideals onto hob. they chose to hide. to not give even a hint to hob that they know the answers he seeks.

i deeply despise that "woke" just means "anyone that's not white" in terms of media. yes this is abt the little mermaid