broken-nosed gods

Just watched the first episode of Suite Precure, and it is fabulous. The main characters are in high school, so it's a little bit serious, and the animation is positively gorgeous. (Well, save the CG, but you can't have everything.) Also, it is about MUSIC, which automatically makes me predisposed to like it. The villains are suitably scenery-chewing, and their stated motivation is to sink the world into the depths of sorrow, but the real reason is probably just wanting all the music to be written in a minor key (something I can certainly sympathize with!). The Precure transformation sequence takes forever, but it's pretty enough and subsequent ones may be shorter. Also, don't look now, but I think there may be CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT on the horizon! Though it's a bit early to tell.

It's interesting watching this alongside Futari wa Pretty Cure and having watched some of Heartcatch Precure. In the first series, the girls started out pretty reluctant and needed to be convinced. In Suite and Heartcatch, they just go right ahead. Then again, in the first one they don't get attacked straight off; in the newer two, they need to save someone or something just as or right after they discover their powers.

Speaking of that, Suite is the only series in which I can actually imagine the characters holding onto their powers as they get older. I have no idea what their powers actually are, but I imagine they're the sort of thing that would make for hilarious hijinks at concerts when they become famous musicians or whatever.

My contribution to Magical Girl Month yesterday and today: getting 800 words into a Chrome fic and then getting stuck. The problem seems to be partly lack of a clear focus—it's really just a look at Chrome and her relationship with 'love', but I feel like I should be concentrating on other characters too— and partly the fact that I'm not quite sure what it wants to be. Is it going to be totally canon-compliant? Is it going to assume things about the future? Is it going to veer off in a completely AU direction? Is it going to stay focused on Chrome and Mukuro and Tsuna, or are we going to look at her love for a bunch of other character instead/too? Am I projecting my own issues too much and making her out of character?


I don't knooooooow. *tears at bits of recycling, since hair getting pulled out too much these days as it is*

So, earlier today littlebutfierce reminded me that May is MAGICAL GIRL MONTH. And since I missed it last year, I have some making up to do! Happily, I posted some squee about Lenalee in what was in some timezones May 1st, so let's see if I can keep it up.

And since we're using a broad definition of 'magical girl' here, I'm going to talk about Chrome Dokuro.

I never thought I'd turn into the kind of person who kept up with a fandom for one or two characters and ignored the rest. And I haven't! But even though I do love a lot of other things about KHR and its fandom (see: this) Chrome and Mukuro are the ones I think and write and fic about to near-exclusion. They combine a lot of things I like—reincarnation! illusion! the blurring of lies and truth! unshakable partnerships of the not-necessarily romantic variety! Gender issues! Mental health issues! Buddhism!—and stay away from a lot of the things I don't.

And I like what Reborn said about them. "Because of Chrome, Mukuro can exist. Because of Mukuro, Chrome can live." (or something like that) In my head, they're separate characters, but not entirely separate people; that's why I'm talking about both of them and not just her. Mukuro will have to break out of prison sometime, but I kind of don't want him to. I like the way that Chrome is his lifeline to the world, I like the idea that they've blurred together a little, or maybe more than a little. I like the idea that Mukuro used to be a girl like Chrome, once upon a time, and he enjoys being that again and also offering the help he didn't have when he was. I like the idea that Chrome's strength is in silence and passivity right up until she needs it to be otherwise, and I like the idea that Mukuro is a little bit the same way.

I love Bianchi and Kyoko and Haru and Hana and Adelheid and Shitt P. and Lal Mirch and Uni, but Chrome will always be my favorite of the KHR ladies. She's the kind of quiet character I don't get to write very often, the one who's polite and loyal and a little bit lonely and goes unfazed by things that would knock less-experienced people flat.

Also, I wrote Chrome fic! It's kind of unpolished, but is about Chrome thinking about how D. Spade is a LYING LIAR WHO LIES and how hard that's going to hurt him. CHROME ILU LOTS OKAY ♥ ♥ ♥