sacrificial lamb.
We really can’t keep meeting like this.
Now if I didn’t know any better…I’d think John might like getting caught…🤨
hes so cute i need to see him half dead havinf a violent mental breakdown on the floor
thinking about what "something eternal" means in the series and maybe the answer is related to liberation.
I say this because prince dios showed anthy's suffering to utena as something eternal. we can interpret this as eternal suffering to oppressed people because anthy is racialized and mistreated because of this and, of course, "in the end, all girls are like the rose". utena see this and recognizes her pain and, instead of accepting it as something unchangeable, she decides to save anthy.
utena's approach at the beginning of the series is also wrong. she tries to "save" anthy as a prince, treating her like everyone else does: as someone without autonomy and without reaching to her in equal foot and being considerate towards her actual needs. in other words, anthy wanted understanding of her pain and recognition to her humanity instead of others treating her as a tool to feel good with one's chivalry. utena was selfish because she decided to live her prince fantasies through anthy.
at the end, she realizes that this is unfair and how it actually damages anthy. she reaches her in equal foot and both of them achieve liberation. so, all this time, the way to get "something eternal" was real connection with others. liberation through love and real understanding between oppressed people. recognizing each others pain and needs, and acting accordingly. wanting to help each other to be more autonomous because we are not free until we are all free. we shouldn't try to "save" others because we end up stripping them of deciding how their own well being looks like or how to works towards it. collective liberation means we all are interdependent to one another to be truly free. so what we should actually do is talk to other people as equals. don't show them "the path", you have nothing to teach. construct the path collectively and learn from each other.
utena's liberation was tied to anthy's. our liberation is bound to one another's. that's the key to meaning, to finally reach "something eternal".