Pop Idol

Rumble covered the disappointment trying to smother his faceplates with a big laugh and a bigger grin, unwilling to give her any reason to feel sad again.

//Okay, but I call holdin’ him down for ya. Hey, Mana.//

The weird, tiny blob of metal floating their way always astonished him. Despite living with Zori for at least a stellar cycle, he just couldn’t figure out how someone could get that small. A minicon with a mini-er mini! Amazing.

And a little nervewracking. He was afraid he’d injure one on accident some day and drive her off.

Rumble shook his helm. Gotta focus and try to help her think of a new designation.

//Guess ya don’t want nothin’ about function. Already had that.//

Crawling into Rosie’s lap as per order, Mana stared thoughtfully at Rumble in return greeting. Not much of a talker, the round micron acted much like their native Zori, judging silently with input only where necessary. As such, Mana accepted his fate of being scooped into Rosie’s arms without complaint, relaxing his plating to be a more pliable cuddle-mate.

She shook her helm, offering quietly “The other me--Rewind’s friend goes by Medley.” It wasn’t quite that she wanted to mimic her alternate, but that was as good of a place to start as any. Strange, though, that an alternate self who wasn’t also Rosanna chose a musical name, anyway.

“..you know,” Rosanna mused, helm tilted. The thought wasn’t completely relevant, but as long as they were talking..? “If it weren’t for her, I might have tried staying there first.”

Rumble’s limited knowledge of how relationships work went out the door when he came face to faceplate with the concept of alternates. It later decided to stay out on the front porch when he realized he’d lose her if he hurt her again. The only plan he could come up with after that was starting from square one and learning the right way to handle things.

Seeing as his natural head-on approach to problem solving had yet to spoil anything, he intended to continue using it.

“Dunno.” Shrug. "Don’t got all my old memories. Guess I shoulda told more of ‘em to the Boss before bitin’ it out there on that rock. Probably some rust scrapin’ workin’ the Well gave it to me for fightin’ a lot. Or when I was buildin’. You know.”

He punched the air and made thudding noises, miming the use of his piledrivers.

“How come? The one you wanna kill name you?”

His expression became less playful in an instant, twisting into the darker, more frightening look usually seen by bots who got in Soundwave’s way during the war.

“That senator, yeah? The ‘rescuer’. I could do it for you if ya want. Wouldn’t nobody catch me.”

That much was true; while Rosie might be more lenient on the accidental flippant comment, anything past that was an 'out the door and never coming back'. Would she regret that potential outcome? Well, it was possible, but better gone than staying to repeat the cycle of abuse she'd fought so hard to get herself out of before. Definitely once bitten, twice shy. Albeit, with a little luck, maybe this would work out. Maybe. She relinquished hold of her knee, readjusting to tuck her legs underneath herself neatly with both servos in her lap. Nodding, she pinged Mana—whom had been resting behind one of Buzzsaw's numerous sculptures—to join them at his own convenience. It was no rush, but she would like to hold something, and felt a little too shy this time to ask Rumble [although Rumble was still more than welcome to offer]. “He gave me both names.. and they're both terrible,” she relented with a puff. Glancing at Rumble, Rosie couldn't say she was surprised [or phased, really], however she had to disagree on principal. “No.” “I appreciate the offer, but he's mine.” And Rosie wouldn't be satisfied until he suffered as much as she had.

#Slenderwave

Rumble chewed on the end of his thumb, thinking.

What kind of life did she have back where she came from if there wasn’t a single bot there she’d be happy to see? Even Enemy had the alternate Eject once upon a time.

//Okay, so we don’t go runnin’ around your Iacon unless you wanna get someone back for somethin’. No big deal, right? ‘N I won’t call you Rosie no more if you don’t want.//

He rolled onto his back.

//Whatcha like better? Flip? Somethin’ else? Ain’t the first time somebody changed their designation.//

Soundwave himself wasn’t always Soundwave. Not that he would be telling her that. Ever.

Terrible? If it was to say anything, all of her friends that she had--of those still alive--were at Dancitron now. Flip Sides was a nobody, and Rosanna was never really permitted to have real friends--or a boyfriend, for that matter. Rumble was her first anything, and it was pretty clear that neither really knew what they were doing.

“I really hope they’d be dead by now,” she said, servo clenching into a fist against her knee and continuing in a whisper of a sneer. “As much as I’d love the satisfaction of killing him...”

Sighing forcefully, Rosie pushed down the anger festering behind the thinning veil of self-depreciative sadness. It was a wonder she hadn’t become resentful of Rumble, as opposed to... well, what they’d gone through the first months she’d lived at Dancitron. And what was going on now. Sometimes, her forgiveness made her feel like she just that desperate for attention.

Regardless of that fleeting thought, Rumble’s unorthodox answers had her losing ground on the 'I’m upset’ front--which was a good thing, suppose, but it wasn’t in the way she’d anticipated. Normally, when mechs were sad you comforted them, and yet somehow the opposite seemed to be effective, if not for the sake of her being absolutely perplexed.

“I.. don’t know,” she hummed, having to give it an honest thought. “Neither are really--they. Who named you?”

witharmswideopen95-deactivated2

masatokusaka

nagishoe

LMAO

otoppoi

I have tears

that audience shot oh my word

arachnofiend

This is hilarious and I feel it’d be even funnier with context

Idol fans plz explain

vanquishedvaliant

Japanese idols are generally contractually forbidden from dating or marrying because as an Idol their personhood is a commodity and they are selling the glimpse of an idea of a potential relationship to lonely otakus.

Idols are meant to be pretty, fun, cute, and flirtatious, so that fans can fantasize about being with them which drives sales of branded merchandize.

An Idol that has romantic or sexual pursuits is no longer perceived as available, in addition to it conflicting with fetishized virginity.

Basically, the Idol industry in Japan is the epitomy of a misogynistic sex-sells industry where the product is a fantasy relationship with a woman who is performing to make herself desirable.

Many, many idols are extremely salty about this and will go to great lengths to mock and disparage the system, but they can’t do much to get it changed or go against it because their entire career will be destroyed if it is publicly discovered that they have or have had anything close to a relationship or sex.

And the companies absolutely do fire idols who do so, and destroy any potential they have as a career public figure for the rest of their lives. It’s horrifying.

So, in response for portraying a forever single virgin that can’t date, she savagely drags her “fans” who are more likely actual forever single virgins who will never get a date because they fantasize about getting with a highly fictionalized celebrity personality :v

the fucking burn she unleashed oh my god

benevolent-nihilism-deactivated

@vanquishedvaliant You are aware that Japan’s male idols also get this exact same treatment, right? It’s not “misogyny”, it’s all-over shitty treatment of idols and human beings. Let’s not lie or omit anything, please. Otherwise, pretty much all this.

eeveelutionsforequality

Also, Japan is a “high context” collectivist culture - meaning that individuals are expected to make sacrifices for the collective good, and often that means sacrificing their individual identity. In an individualistic culture like America this would be frowned upon, because America prizes individualism, but Japan places the collective above the individual and thus the rights of the collective whole (in this case, the market and fans) are given more importance than a single individual’s right to autonomy (love or marriage, for example).

Is it fair, is it right? Maybe, maybe not. Many Japanese people speak out against this and consider it unfair treatment, but many don’t, or see it as a reasonable sacrifice for fame and stardom. It is, however, a central tenant of their culture, and you can’t expect to view this through a western cultural lense, which values individual rights, and make judgements. It also, as mentioned above, is not about misogyny, as this attitude doesn’t come from a devaluation of women per se - it’s more a devaluation of the individual against the collective.

~ Umbreon

newhologram

This is why Mari Yaguchi shocked the industry when she left Morning Musume in 2005. They found out she was in a relationship. She resigned, didn’t get a graduation ceremony like other Momusu members, and said she wanted to move on with her career as an adult. Being an idol didn’t allow her be an adult person with her own personal life aside from her career.

And why Minami Minegishi of AKB48 was demoted—and shaved her head when the news broke out.

On January 31, 2013, the weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun reported that she had spent a night at the flat of Alan Shirahama, a member of the boyband Generations. A few hours later, it was announced through the AKB48 official blog that she would be demoted from one of the official members of Umeda Team B to kenkyūsei (trainee) status as of February 1.[7] She thus became the first AKB48 member to be demoted tokenkyūsei in four years since Miki Saotome in late January 2009. On the same day, the AKB48 official channel published a video of Minegishi with her head shaved (or more accurately reduced to a crew cut[8]), apologizing to her fans for her “thoughtless behavior” and hoping that the management would let her stay in the group, with other members that she loved.[9] In the YouTube statement, Minegishi explained that she cut her hair in a state of shock induced by reading the Shukan Bunshun scoop, when she could not calm down.[7] However, in Japan, cutting one’s hair is a way of showing contrition.[10]

In an article for The Japan Times, titled: “AKB48 member’s ‘penance’ shows flaws in idol culture”, Ian Martin noted: “What is happening here is that the protection of fans’ fragile fantasies automatically trumps the basic human right to a life outside that fantasy framework. Though as lawyer Hifumi Okunuki pointed out in a Japan Times article on Jan. 22, such an arrangement is probably illegal under Japanese labor laws.”[11][12]

It’s really sad and I’m disappointed that some of my friends saw what was happening to this girl, and thought, “haha that’s what you get for being thirsty” rather than understanding that this is messed up and that she was distraught and already being publicly punished and humiliated by the band management—just for having a relationship.

And finally, this is why Kyary stands out so much, because she’s such a huge idol but was in a relationship with Fukase for 2 years before they ever went public with it (despite all the paparazzi pics that kinda gave it away anyway) and she didn’t get demoted or fired—however the tabloids were causing so many problems for her that she was under tremendous stress, especially last year. She said that every time she left the house they would say things about her and cause problems in her relationship (accusing her of cheating when she was spotted going out to eat with a male friend, etc).

AND why Kyary’s song Mondai Girl (Problem Girl) was a little controversial for an idol because it’s basically a big middle finger to the demands made for her to be only a fantasy robot girl and not a real person who falls in love, who lives life, who just wants to have fun and express herself and share her visions with the world. Some of the lyrics go:

I won’t submit to answering all of your requests like that I wanna wear makeup that sparkles upon those who hold me back I’m just falling in love I won’t meet your expectations but it doesn’t mean I’m selfish

(my full translation and fansub dropbox link here)

It sucks because yeah, a lot of it is made for the fans and their fantasies but obviously these idols appeal to both genders, and for many serve as role models for us to have confidence and pursue our creative passions, or just listen to music and watch videos that make us happy and get us through the day. But we should want them to be able to live their life instead of being trapped like that in order to have a career.

#word #long post

Rumble wouldn’t have thought it silly. As much as he liked her, he’d have been lying if he’d heard about it and said he didn’t think at least half of the others would vote her to be next to die if they were in a similar situation. Their loyalty was to each other, not outsiders. Even Laserbeak would give up Swoop before her brother.

Some ideas just weren’t meant to be poked at in depth.

//Confusion’s kinda normal these orns. You got all kinds of bots tryin’ to make one good thing ‘n don’t none of ‘em think the same.//

The other half of her statement was more troublesome to him.

//How come you’re lonely? You ain’t trapped no more, ‘n I saw you got them tiny things like Zori. There’s all of us ‘n me too. That’s good, right? Or is it from you bein’ another place’s Rosie? Like if I was stuck with some other Boss ‘n everyone. You wanna go home again?//

“Even if I did,” she mumbled, drawing one of her knees towards herself to embrace. “I wouldn't have anywhere to go. I don't really have the luxury of friends or even comrades. I think.. I would manage, but I wouldn't be happy.” Damned if you do, damned if you don't. She did want to go home, but it wasn't practical or even remotely a good idea at this point. Blaster might defend her, but—he was nice; Rosanna couldn't argue that Blaster wasn't a nice person, but she belonged with him about as much as she belonged here. Perhaps he'd made more of an effort to make her feel less like an outsider, but an outsider was an outsider and he was an Autobot, anyway. “I'm trying to be more positive—be grateful for what I do have. It's... you keep calling me Rosie, and I have half the mind to correct you. Yet, I'm not sure I even know who I am. I tried so hard in the past to make a distinction between “me” and “her”, but it's pointless.”

//You ain’t doin’ it right now, are ya?//

He pauses the game to look up from his datapad and give her a quick visual once-over. Her helm is still perched atop her neck and she doesn’t have any holes where her spark should be or fountains of energon running down her sides, so there’s gotta be another reason for saying that.

Rumble bumps her leg with his pede and twists to face her.

//Seriously, Rosie. What’s up?//

“Just...” She made vague hand motions. It probably sounded silly to anyone outside of her, but no matter how silly she couldn’t help herself. The situation in the movie clearly wasn’t going to happen with them, and perhaps she knew it wouldn’t--perhaps that wasn’t entirely what she was so worried about.

Rosanna didn’t want to die, but what scared her more was the sense of loneliness. In a circle of random mecha trapped in place, all voting on who would die next--and consequently facing the decision of who was the one of them that would live--Rosie knew better than to think she’d last long. Her fame might give her a few turns, but would anyone really care?

Her natural life span was shorter than most because of her condition, much like the elders whom had been voted off first...

“I don’t know,” she fumbled, although that was a lie. “I.. I want so many things, and it reminded me that I don’t--no matter what I do, I’m confused and lonely.”

Rumble doesn’t argue. Frenzy’s been complaining about missing Blurr’s weekly horrorfest for the last few hours. If he has to listen to one more klik of his brother’s whining he’s going to ignore Shockwave’s rules for recuperation and start the biggest fight they’ve had in the last stellar cycle. He jogs upstairs to the third floor and makes himself comfortable in Rosie’s quarters. When she returns she’ll find him flopped onto his front on the floor, so focused on playing a datapad game he doesn’t notice the door opening.

Rosie had left early. Not only had the other two movies not been able to hold her attention, but Boom had left, anyway. There was no point to staying somewhere where she’d be mostly alone, even if--upon returning to Dancitron--the stairs back up to her room were as intimidating as ever. Hefting herself up them and into her room, Rosanna all but fell to the floor beside Rumble.

“I don’t want to die,” she mumbled, as if that was any explanation at all. But there was nothing like a good psychological horror to remind a mech how much they valued life--even if, in Rosanna’s case, it could be pretty terrible.