Ok, so a few years ago, I started watching DanMachi, and just yesterday I finished Season 5. (I still plan to watch the 2 movies)
When I started, I vaguely remember a scene where Bell was told by his grandpa to "always save the girl."
I asked my brother about this, and I learned from him the term "Agency," and that women have agency.
I used to have intense internalized misogyny, and I always believed women were not strong, not capable of making sound decisions (wtf) and had to be saved (btw, before I transitioned to a man, I felt this oppression as a woman, and I didn't like that we were always looked down on. 'Til now, I still don't like that oppression)
Now that I watched Season 5, I actually really like how the anime showed that the women did have agency, like, over their actions and decisions. They didn't always have to depend on Bell to make those decisions.
I also like how all the characters grew so much: wanting to get stronger and learning to stand up for themselves, facing their traumas, but still ready to depend on others when the need arises, and seeing that growth made me so happy to see :')
After years of growing myself, I've learned to understand my own emotions and others' emotions. I see my own worth now, and I see myself as my own safe space. I've learned to depend on others when I don't have the strength to do things. I'm still learning, and I'm still gaining experience.
My main thoughts now on the concept of "always save the girl" are this:
Save anyone who's within your reach and when you have the strength to do so, regardless of gender or race. If they're crying or needing help, then G! I'll reach out my hand when I can.
Also, looking at all these through the lens of someone who is healing from C-PTSD, I like how so many emotions of different characters were relatable (I totally understand how Freya felt.) I kept analyzing why certain characters did certain things or acted the way they did, and it was fun to see how "human" everything and everyone was.
In my opinion, people who have experienced neglect and abuse crave validation from others, especially those they admire. They usually beat themselves up when they don't receive that validation. So, I think what they really need is validation from themselves.
However, one thing I'm currently struggling with now is, I still want to feel like I belong somewhere. Though I do feel safe now with myself and I see my worth, there's a part of me that wants to be "seen" by other people.
So, analyzing my feelings further without rejecting them and not beating myself up for it, I know that as humans we still need strong and/or deep connections with other people. Like, a group of "safe spaces" xD I'm assuming it's a need because we're social animals.
Sooo, I think we need to feel safe with ourselves, and safe with our own group/s too.
