Takarasienne Rank & Hierarchy Politics Collection Post
Because this series got pretty long, here is an overview post collecting all parts of it for easy linking and perusal!
Part 1: The Anatomy of a Takarazuka Troupe
A short summary of what a takarazuka troupe is and what ranks and hierarchies exist within one.
Part 2: The Politics of Promotion
A discussion of the Takarazuka Star Track & Support Track
Part 3: Leads, Dinnershows and Retirement Red Flags
A discussion of how one advances on the Takarazuka Star Track through the roles one receives while in the company, and how to recongise signs of where someone is going and/or if someone will quit the company soon.
Part 4: Revue Ranking
An explanation of how to recognise rank and hierarchy within a Revue performance, and what little nuances can make big differences for someone's career.
Part 5: Offstage Track Shenanigans
A summary of all the ways you can see and recognise the direction someone is going on the Takarazuka Track in their offstage presence (tv programming and merch)
Part 6: The Hypothetical Life of Takarasienne Hanano Sumire
A fictional account of the career of a fictional Takarasienne in order to give an example of all the things discussed in the previous posts.
'Sisi' was a terrible empress. Her romanticization needs to STOP.
In more recent decades, Elisabeth has received a growing attention in pop culture: there are several series, films and even a musical paying tribute to her legend. Her beauty is admired, her trials and tribulations are pitied, her struggle to escape the chafing constraints of royal life is celebrated. There's a whiff of feminism surrounding her lately - a strong, intelligent woman, metaphorically, and if we take the film Corsage, even literally flipping off the patriarchy. She's galloping through forests barefoot, she's facing off her tyrannical mother in law, she's fighting for her freedom, for control over her own life. German writer Karen Duve goes as far as to call Elisabeth "an undiscovered feminist icon."
But... was she? One of her ladies in waiting once said that Elisabeth will "live on in legend, not in history". And right she was. You see, Elisabeth has triumphed. When I look around, it seems as if we see her exactly as she would have wanted us to. A tragic heroine, a beautiful apparition, a nymph who somehow got trapped in the mortal realm, to her immense suffering. And for a modern woman, there is much to empathize with in Elisabeth: her sublime sensitivity, her iron self-discipline, her headstrong character, her inborn thirst for freedom. But upon lifting the starry veil of this ethereal fairy-tale queen, one will find the face of a much more complex, flawed and ultimately human woman. Self-obsessed and narcissistic, monstrously selfish and possessive, cruelly indifferent to her empire (with one all-consuming exception), incessantly self-victimizing and deeply, deeply unhappy - overwhelmingly through her own fault.
Karina is a Marley spy, who spent years undercover on Paradise Island to keep an eye on how much the Devils from Paradise know about the Titans. The more time she spent with them, the more her beliefs were tested. But you always reap the harvest.
Karina awakened due to a sick feeling in her stomach. She made her way to the nearby sink, covering her mouth as she stumbled from her bed. The sick feeling has been lingering on for days, and there was no denying what was causing it.
A tear made its way down her cheeks and into the sink and as soon as she had noticed it, she wiped her eyes dry with her hand. Being of any use to Marley's government was the only thing she had wished for years. Given the opportunity to spy for them felt like a win a that time. She was given the task of infiltrating Paradise Island and report on their technological and military progress as well as how much they knew about the titans. She was a talented spy and she had managed to blend in perfectly with the locals, going as far as to pose as a civilian and later as a Survey Corps.
Like all people from Marley, Karina too had been taught from a young age, that Eldians were evil and that they posed a threat to not only Marley but also the world. Yet the more time she spent with them, the more normal they seemed. Seeing their daily lives and how vulnerable and frightened they were due to the titan’s attacks, she started to question what she had been taught. As for the scouts, she regarded them as brave and talented soldiers, who were fighting for their land and for survival, just like she and her fellow comrades. Because of that she began to feel a sense of camaraderie and friendship with them, almost getting lost in her new life and identity. At first, Karina tried to ignore these feelings, knowing that her true allegiance lay with Marley. But as she continued to work with the Survey Corps, she realized that her loyalty had shifted or maybe she had just gone made and lost track of what is real and what not.
But it was all too good to last. The small moment of joy that she treasured, had turn to dust and she was hit with reality, when the Beast Titan appeared. Recalling that day, Karina felt like vomiting again. She clenched her hands into fists, holding herself tight to the edge of the sink.
She knew that it was not possible for her to erase the scene from her mind. That faithful day, she was teamed up with her squad leader Micke to go on a look out, if there was a hole in the wall. As they made a stop at an abandoned village, Karina waited for Micke’s orders while inspecting her gear for battle.
“What is that?” Micke gasped with his eyes fixed on a huge monkey like titan, who was walking peacefully along the landscape miles away from them. When Karina’s eyes rose, her heart skipped a beat. Grasping the whole figure of commander Zeke's Titan, her fake identity crumbled and she was frozen in fear. Not thinking twice, she knew she had to make a run for it. As she tried to get away, she heard Micke whistle, calling his horse over to their location. But then, the Beast Titan made its move. With a powerful throw, the titan sent the horse flying towards them, knocking Micke off the roof and leaving him vulnerable to the surrounding titans.
Micke was caught in the crossfire, fighting for his life against the vicious titans, when the Beast titan called off the other titans, instructing them not to eat Micke. He approached Micke, looming over him with a curious expression.
"What is this gear you're wearing?" the Beast titan demanded, gesturing towards Micke's ODM gear. But Micke was too stunned to answer, still reeling from the shock of the attack.
And then the Beast titan's attention turned to Karina, whom he noticed hiding behind the roof’s chimney and recognized her immediately.
The Beast titan’s piercing eyes were scanning her face as if trying to read her thoughts. "Karina," he said in a deep, rumbling voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you had left our cause or even worse, died."
Karina swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. She had switched sides, betrayed her people in order to fight alongside the Survey Corps, and now she found herself face to face with the one creature she had hoped never to encounter again.
"I...I got involved with the Survey Corps, their military. And while fighting titans I … I … I really couldn’t focus on sending messages while fighting for my life sir," Karina stammered, her eyes darting nervously around the landscape. "I couldn't just leave them."
The Beast titan regarded her coolly for a moment, then spoke again. "And what do you think you're accomplishing by joining these people?”
“I was gathering information-“
The Beast titan cut her off, not convinced by her answers. Yet his voice was calm and somewhat sympathetic: “Do you really believe they'll accept you as one of their own?"
Karina bit her lip, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. She knew that the Survey Corps would never truly accept her, not now that the beans have been spilt. But she couldn't go back to her old life either - not after seeing the horrors that Marley had inflicted on Paradise Island.
" I don't know," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just know that I can't go back to the way things were before. This has changed me."
The Beast titan regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, then spoke again. "Very well, Karina. I won't ask any more questions for now. But I do expect your report of anything you learned about the Survey Corps. After all, you are still loyal to Marley, are you not?"
Karina hesitated for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I am."
As they engaged in a tense conversation, Micke couldn’t believe his ears. Not only was the Beast titan able to speak their language, but he knew Karina from before. There were so many thoughts going through in his mind, but his voice was frozen.
Karina stepped into the Beast titan’s palm, wondering how swift her death would be, if he would squeeze her with his fingers at that very moment. But she knew Zeke too well. He was not going to killer her until she was still useful to them. For a moment she was blinded by her self-value and her idea of having power over Zeke.
“Let’s go”, she said, turning away to avoid Micke’s eyes. But then she sensed how the Beast titan moved and her eyes focused on his other hand. She watched in shock, when he reached for Micke, who screamed in fear and covered his head.
The Best titan took Micke’s ODM gear carefully into his fingers, observing it with curiosity before walking away.
“Why did you take his ODM gear?” Karina shouted, when the titan’s palm had moved her close enough to step on his shoulder. “I have the same gear. I-I thought you wanted him to go back and tell everyone about my betrayal.” She watched in horror how Zeke left Micke defenseless among the titans.
And then she heard Micke’s battle cry as he reached for his sword. He was ready to fight till the end, but Karina knew it had no use. And with a simple command from the Beast titan the other titans started to move again, attacking the powerless Micke.
Karina covered her ears, unable to bear the sound of Micke's screams as he was brutally devoured by the titans. And at that moment she knew then that her decision to switch sides had been a costly mistake, and that she would have to live with the guilt of Micke's death for the rest of her life.
She turned and twisted in her bed, unable to get any sleep while her mind drifted from her past events to her imagining what the battle between the Survey Crops and the Beast titan will bring. She had been forced to betray her new friends, to give up information that could cost them everything. And now she was about to face the consequences of her actions.
The next day Karina stood on the shore, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched the Cart Titan pull up alongside the dock. She saw Reiner and Zeke wounded, still not fully recovered from battle and with a grim expression on their faces. Zeke’s eyes were fixed on her, sending cold shiver down her spine as he stood up and approached her. He passed her by without a word, so she looked at Reiner.
“What happened?
“They … they defeated us”.
Karina wanted to express her joy upon knowing that there were survivors among the Survey Crops, but she knew better. “Where is Bertholdt? And what about Annie?”
Reiner’s eyes were full of pain and he whispered silently in return: “They probably already fed him to someone by now …”
She was left speechless and seeing Reiner’s pain, she didn’t want to ask any more questions. Pieck walked past them, stroking Reiner’s shoulder as an act of encouragement.
When their boat departed, they all met in the dining room to send their report back to Marley. Karina was leaning on the wall as she listened with anticipation how Zeke dictated his report from the field. Her nails dug deep into her sleeves, when he spoke of the Survey’s charge at him and how he had killed them all with stones. But when he mentioned Levi, her breathing stopped for a short while. Listening about Levi’s victory and Zeke’s escape from the battlefield made her sight in relief. Once Reiner and Pieck were done with their report, Zeke finally got the chance to focus on her.
"Karina," he said, his voice cold and hard. "I trust your mission was successful?"
Karina nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat. "Yes, sir. We were able to gather valuable intel on the Devils of Paradise."
Zeke raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing. "And what of your ... interactions with them? Did you have any ... personal connections?"
Karina's heart skipped a beat as she realized what he was getting at. She had never told anyone about her growing feelings, but now it seemed that Zeke might have somehow figured it out. But after hearing about Lev’s victory, Karina was not ready to surrender.
"I don't know what you mean, sir," she said with a pretty steady voice, while her eyes were darting nervously around the room.
Zeke let out a low growl, his eyes flashing with anger. "Don't play dumb with me, Karina. I know what you're hiding. I know that you're pregnant, and I can guess who the father is."
Karina felt her face grow hot with embarrassment and fear. She had never intended for anyone to find out about her pregnancy until they were back home and she could arrange to get away, let alone for Zeke to use it against her.
"I...I don't know what you m…" she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.
She stopped talking, when Zeke stepped closer to her, his eyes burning with intensity. "Tell me, Karina. Who is the father of your child? Is it one of the Devils of Paradise?"
Karina felt like she was about to faint as she tried to come up with a plausible lie. She couldn't reveal the truth, not now, not when everything was at stake. Just as she was about to speak, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Reiner standing behind her, a determined look on his face.
"The child is mine," he said firmly, his eyes meeting Zeke's.
Karina felt a wave of relief wash over her as she realized what Reiner was doing. He was protecting her, taking the blame for something he hadn't done.
Zeke regarded Reiner with a mix of amusement and disbelief. "Is that so, Reiner? You expect me to believe that you and Karina ...?"
Reiner cut him off, his voice growing more forceful. "Yes. The child is mine. Karina and I have been ... together ... for some time now."
Zeke regarded him sceptically, but after a moment he nodded, apparently satisfied with Reiner's answer.
"Very well, Reiner," he said, turning to leave. "I'll let you and Karina deal with your ... situation. But remember, Reiner, your loyalty is to Marley, not to your personal desires. Don't forget that."
And with that, he was gone, leaving Karina and Reiner alone with their secrets and their guilt.
So the last weeks have been full of anime emotins for me: the end of AOT and some very dramatic moments in JJK (Nanami I miss you already ;(
Like many of you, I feel like reliving the great manga/anime moments with my favorite charactes, so I have decided to do that with fan fictions with my OCs. This is my second time posting fan fics online, so I am looking forward to your feedbacks.
Wihtout further to do, I would like to introduce you to two fan fics that I have been writing in the past months:
"Malaysia... That's right, Malaysia. I should go to Kuantan. I'll build a house on an empty beach. The books I have bought but never read has piled up like a mountain. I want to read them slowly, as if I'm retrieving the lost time."
