This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)
Razara wrote:
The SKU Symbolism Game: A completely random and pointless game.
This started while I was hanging out with one of my friends. When we watched SKU together, I would explain some of the symbolism to her. Eventually, she started asking, "What does ____ symbolize?" for things in real life. When she asked me that, I would make something up.
How does the game work, exactly? Take any random object... your computer, for example. Now, what character from SKU can you relate your computer to? Mikage is said to be a living computer, so therefor your computer could symbolize Mikage.
Like I said, this game is pretty pointless, but it can be fun. "Stupid Dios... I can't believe that Anthy failed me. This is all Shiori's fault!" (Interpretation: This is what I said after I got a sunburn the other day. Dios is the sun, because the prince symbolizes the sun, Anthy is sunblock, because she blocks out the Prince, and Shiori symbolizes water, because I still think that Shiori symbolizes water at some point, which is also why my friend named her pool, "Shiori.") CapriSun and SunnyD also symbolize the Prince, so we like to say, "I'm drinking the Prince." Also, anything that's a certain color can symbolize a character. Red for Touga, orange for Juri, etc.
In this thread, I'll post a random object, and you guys will compare it to an SKU character. For example: Pop-tarts = Mikage. This is self explanatory. They can also be very far fetched, such as milk = Nanami, because milk comes from cows, or a tree = Akio, because they're both tall. Symbolism can be interpreted different ways, so one person may interpret trees as Akio, but another may relate them to Saionji, because they're green. You can be as creative as you want, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a character, as long as it's SKU related.
I'll start off with one that I've already used as an example. What else could a computer symbolize? Feel free to add an object of your own for people to interpret.
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Besides Mikage.. a computer could represent Miki, with how good they are at numbers.
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Sounds like fun!
Hehehe! I tend to do so, like saying "well... what a noble prince would do on my situation?"
Then I remember I can't challenge all the people I don't like into duels on the back of the forest.... bummer....
But Yet, I still believe in simbology and comparision, and allegories and stuff like that. Most of the times I compare anime to my friends, and Oh boy, I could relate my friends to any character/situation given by SKU. Yup! Coz that's what we fanbois do!!! Like this friend I have, we say he's the Seme (FYI: Seme is the "top" on a Yaoi/Homosexual relationship) and we even paired with another friend of us that acts so uke (FYI: Uke is the "bottom" on a Yaoi/homosexual relationship)... So we paired them up, and eventually, when the Uke left to another country our Seme friend started acting like... Uke... so Uke!!
So I came with this idea that he was passing by an "Utena-Idealization". He believes that he will find his Uke if he acts like an Uke, so inconsiously he's acting uke to fill up the gaps, just like Utena does.
Well... I think It had nothing to do with your game, but still I wanted to say it. Hehehe!
Ciao!
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*Is trying to get thing moving along a bit* Keep in mind that I don't mean computers as a general term. What if your computer is really slow? Then who would it be? Maybe your computer is evil, because it likes to crash a lot, yet it's something that you love at the same time and simply can't live without. Maybe it's "weak," and always gets infected with a virus. Think of all the different features that computers have, and how one of those features could relate to someone.
I'm sure that you guys can come up with lots of different answers.
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Well, let's see... my last laptop was probably a Kozue. Laptops are small, and Kozue is small. Plus, I kept calling it a dirty whore because it broke down so much and got so much dust on it.. and without any warning, after only a year and a half, it broke down and got really, really hot and I had to burn all of my important stuff on CD's before it died for good.
This new one, though, I'm not sure.
Last edited by SleepDebtFairy (07-15-2007 09:12:39 PM)
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My computer, Ozymandias, is most like Miki. Incredibly capable, more so than me probably, but vulnerable to outside attacks (viruses, spyware, spilled coffee, etc). He's mostly cooperative but sometimes simply won't respond to anything or do anything the way I want.
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I would refer computer to Akio, because in the last episode, he was typing on a computer to design the new duelling rules.
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I kinda agree with the Akio=computer too, but mainly because I think it's a good metaphor on how he manipulates Ohtori for a silly game. Mainly because computers are both used for playing games and using programs/applications/etc.
Last edited by Drukqs (07-15-2007 10:46:22 PM)
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I am a lover of Macintosh computers. They are quite aesthetically pleasing, easy to use, come with many handy accessories, and give you a sense of having something more than others. Only us special people get to have Macs, you know. However, the Mac will sometimes take on a mind of its own.
"It's time to stop writing your paper and restart!" the it will say as it broadly grins an error messages. "And no, I don't save automatically. "
It also refuses to communicate with the mainstream programs.
"When I'm faced with Microsoft Office and non-compressed EXE files, I get scared and all the codes turn into gobbildygook! " my Mac whimpers. "I'd really rather just stay here and play a laggy game of Solitaire."
Barely any of the computers I know like it. They think it's weird and a little pretentious.
They backhand my poor Mac when it asks to fileshare.
My poor, poor Mac...
But I know it'll last unnaturally longer than all the others. Despite the Million Swords of Crappy Gaming Abilities forever embedded in its dainty hard-drive, it can never get a virus. No matter how many times it hits the ground, there never seems to be any damage.
Also, I'm pretty sure it's boinking its brother.
Last edited by NajiMinkin (07-15-2007 11:01:07 PM)
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The computer could almost represent the whole of Ohtori Academy -- proceeding from duel to duel with predictable, algorithmic precision, the duelists themselves little more than coded objects bounced back and forth by ten thousand lines of programming. The computer doesn't work very well, though, since its code has a fatal error that makes sure it goes round and round in endless loops. Akio, of course, is the debugger, continually seeking out the elusive bug that prevents the computer from fulfilling its function; conveniently, he always misses the blindingly obvious problem, which is that the last line of code is GOTO 10. A debugger loses his job once he fixes his program, you see.
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My computer is Touga. Holds a lot of information, but can't really use it properly because it doesn't have the correct software [power]. It does what it can, but on it's own time.
It's also Ruka, because it's always got somethin' to say. And I yell at it a lot. And it has many pictures of Juri.
... But it's Kozue, too, because when you put your hand on it's backside, it gets pretty hot.
Let's just go with Touga moreover.
For computers in general, however, I don't think I'm going to try and top satyr's answer.
Last edited by dollface (07-16-2007 12:00:10 AM)
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I think that computers may be related to Anthy as well, as they HAVE TO obey their masters
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Nanami's Rose Groom wrote:
I think that computers may be related to Anthy as well, as they HAVE TO obey their masters
But then sometimes they don't do what you want exactly..
I'm trying to think of what my new laptop is like, but so far it runs pretty smoothly..
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OK, but Anthy also finally left Akio. If she was a computer, I think she would be infected with "Tenjou_Utena.exe" virus...
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Yeah, that's true.. computers usually break down eventually. That can be symbolic of Anthy leaving Akio (computer owner)
I've had so many Anthy's leave.
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My new computer is pretty good, but I'd have to say that my old one was Nanami. You know that one scene where Nanami's running really slow because of her cowbell? That would be my ol' Compy. My computer was okay sometimes, kind of like how Nanami is nice to her big brother. But other times, my computer was a real sadistic bitch, and liked to make me suffer, just as Nanami likes to go after Anthy.
Then, just as Nanami died in the movie, my computer died and took some of my really important files along with it.
My new computer is kind of like Shiori. I love her, and she's really not that bad, but every once and a while she does something really mean, like deciding not to download a game I want to play, or getting a virus.
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After thought that maybe my computer was more Ruka than Touga, I decided that yes, it's still definately Touga, because it tempts me all the time by downloading files [Like he tempts Utena by saving her from Saionji and trying to be her prince], but ultimately deceives me by not running the files [Not being a prince]. It also enjoys seeing Akio naked.
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Razara wrote:My new computer is kind of like Shiori
So your computer is a whore?
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Nanami's Rose Groom wrote:
Razara wrote:My new computer is kind of like Shiori
So your computer is a whore?
I don't see this ending very well...
I'm trying to figure out what my new laptop is, and so far I'm thinking Nanami or Juri for a few reasons that can be interpreted a few ways.. I'll have to ponder more about it, though. Either way - she's a pretty picky laptop. I call her Laptop-chan. (I don't like using fangirl Japanese, but I like adding -chan to everything as a joke) Laptop-chan doesn't seem too fitting for Juri, though..
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Nanami's Rose Groom wrote:
Razara wrote:My new computer is kind of like Shiori
So your computer is a whore?
...
...
...
I'm stopping myself. It's so hard.
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Don't worry, I'll do it! HEY, Shiori isn't a whore... just google her name to prove it!
I'm kidding! Just try having Utena as your favorite character like I do! Heh, she doesn't even get discussed anymore, she's just written off as a giant dumbass.
That said, although I wished for a righteous Utena computer - it has turned out to be Nanami. It's always plotting against me. And, I think it wants to kill my cat.
edit: (I am referencing Razara's Shiori siggy, which she knows I adore humorously, not as a realistic portrayal!)
Last edited by Frosty (07-16-2007 04:27:49 AM)
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I'd've said my compy is Utena, actually. It's all shiny and new and eager to please and it does its best despite running Vista, but we all know eventually its going to become old and jaded and fail.
Or something like that.
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OH GOD.
Yasha calls her comp Anthy. I'm about to cart my laptop Akio up.
Akio's gonna be gettin' on Anthy's network if you know what I mean and I think you do.
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Nanami's Rose Groom wrote:
Razara wrote:My new computer is kind of like Shiori
So your computer is a whore?
Yes. You see, my computer is jealous of me because I'm a human, and she's just a computer. "Why does she get to have a mind of her own, when I don't even have artificial intelligence?!" She thought that it was very unfair, and she began to hate me because of it, even though I secretly loved Compy. It eventually drove her to the point where she started whoring herself out to porn sites, and she got a bunch of viruses from it.
Naturally, I was crushed. My poor Compy was dying, and there was nothing I could do about it. Little did I know that she was secretly enjoying my suffering. Eventually, however, she started to feel bad about what she did... Either that or she realized that getting a bunch of viruses to spite me was a really stupid things to do.
With the help of my Anti-Virus Program (Ruka?) I was able to save her. Compy was better, and she had learned her lesson about downloading viruses. We've been best friends again ever since.
Next up, we'll be having forum related symbolism questions. Who would the General Discussion, Shoujo Kakumei Utena, Roleplaying, and In Flagrante Delicto forums symbolize? Think of the different qualities of these forums, popularity, and what kind of discussions go on inside.
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Presently, I only have answer for IFD: Kiryuu Touga. Or Ohtori Akio if you like. There are too many 18+ stuff inside, which,in a way, means naughty. And those two are the naughtiest in the Academy.
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