#Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

Sid, why do you think people think Kagome is “so annoying” and “whiny?” How exactly did she earn this reputation among her (rather dumb) haters.

The world is not kind to 15 years old girls, and what is Kagome, if not the perfect representation of one?

People forgot they can dislike a character just because and then move on. They'd rather grasp at straws to try and justify themselves, that way they can pretend they're being rational about the constant hate they're spreading when, truthfully, they're just being miserable.

Kagome specifically is in even greater disadvantage because her critics are, mostly, people who haven't read the source material and are instead basing their takes on a biased adaptation – which they probably watched ages before developping any critical skills – or people who see her as a threat to their ship and therefore are already prone to hate her.

The first group won't ever bother going out of their way to try and get a better grasp of her character by reading a 558 chapters long manga and the second group won't change their minds either way.

That's why they call her out for using the beads of subjugation even if: it wasn't her idea in the first place, it served to balance her relationship with Inuyasha at the beginning – since he was powerful and violent while she wasn't –, the rosary became a symbol of their bond, it saved Inuyasha a couple of times and he was always more annoyed than hurt by it, not to mention Sunrise blowing it out of proportion compared to the manga.

You never see Inuyasha getting bashed for hitting Shippo every other episode or Sango getting any heat for constantly slapping Miroku, because funnily enough people seem to understand it was just dumb, outdated, slapstick comedy, a courtesy they refuse to extend to Kagome.

That's also the reason they call her “annoying” and “whiny”: Kagome’s most important lesson was that it's okay to have feelings, so naturally they twisted that into a bad thing in order to keep hating on her. It's not about how her character was written, it's about people using of bad faith and deliberately mischaracterizing Kagome to pass their internalized misogyny as valid criticism.

I know part of the issue is that audiences nowadays are under the impression that for a female character to be strong, she can't cry or be feminine, but you don't see anyone hating on Sango even though she does cry and she can be as feminine as Kagome depending on the circunstances and on her mood.

The truth is that Kagome is playing a game she can never win, because the refs have decided they want her to lose before the match even starts.

If she stands up and sets boundaries for herself, she's annoying. If she doesn't, she's a doormat. If she feels jealousy, she's a bitch. If she shows kindness, she's boring. If she fights, she's overpowered. If she doesn't, she's useless. If any other character cries, it's heartbreaking. If she cries, she's whiny.

If she goes back to her own world, she's selfish. If she leaves that world behind to live the life she wants for herself, she's a stupid girl who left her family for a boy. If she does something grand, that's only because she's someone else's reincarnation. If she messes something up, the fault is hers and hers alone. She is, somehow, simultaneously a Mary Sue and a toxic abuser.

I've personally seen people slut shaming her because she got hitted on by Koga. I've personally seen people call her a "pick me" girl. Kagome. A pick me girl. Kagome.

And none of this is fair, because she is the kind of character who does her best to see the good in others, to understand the reasons why they act the way they do and to offer them some grace, but she gets very little of that in return, be it in canon, be it in fandom.

They always hold her up to such an impossible standard, but they completely forget to ask themselves: would the characters I stan be able to match the expectations I set for Kagome? Scratch that: would the characters I stan even be able to deal with things the way Kagome managed to do? Would I? The answer is most likely no, so how about cutting her a slack?

You ask me how did she earn this reputation among her rather dumb haters, my answer is: she didn't. They're just incapable of understanding that if a particular nuanced, well written, female character is not their cup of tea, they can simply ignore her and focus their attention on the characters they do like instead of spreading their baseless, misogynistic takes on the internet.

#I also feel like there's this trend of disliking protagonists in general #But I won't elaborate because this is already longer than I wanted it to be #And it applies to most of protagonists so it isn't Kagome specific #It's a dicussion for another day #Inuyasha #Kagome #Kagome Higurashui #Thank you for the ask anon #Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

I think you or someone else discussed how Inuyasha is most likely demisexual because of his lack of interest in nudity until he formed an emotional bond. I was just thinking how the anti’s claimed Inuyasha settled for Kagome, but all evidence points to him loving her *despite* her resemblance to Kikyo. Not hating on Kikyo, just pointing out how Inuyasha kept saying it’s his fault she died because he didn’t trust her, even though trust has to go both ways but whatever, so if he was settling then Kagome would be a daily reminder that he failed Kikyo. Which would sound like hell considering his repeated claims of his fault.

But clearly in the past discussion of Inuyasha being demisexual, we all know he isn’t shallow or ”settling”.

I might have mentioned Inuyasha being demisexual once or twice, but I don't remember posting something that specific. Maybe someone else did and I reblogged it?

I'm glad you brought up the "Inuyasha settled for Kagome" terrible take, though, because you make great points and boy do I have something to say about it.

First, I love that you mentioned trust has to go both ways despite Inuyasha blaming Kikyo's death solely on his lack of trust on her. It always bothered me how quickily and sincerely he owned up to the role he played on her fate when there was zero reciprocity from Kikyo.

He went as far as taking responsability for things that have never really happened and that would be completely out of his control if they had, such as Kikyo "dying to follow after him" even though he didn't ask for it and never would.

The irony is that, between the two of them, Kikyo was actually the one more equipped to realize they were being played and yet, not only she falls for the same trap, but never really acknowledges that her lack of trust on Inuyasha was just as detrimental to their downfall.

Naraku's entire plan was based on both of them doubting each other. If either one had been more trusting, it'd have failed. Inuyasha recognizes this and regrets not trusting Kikyo, immediately treating her like the victim that she is and never once blaming her.

But he is a victim himself and she never extends the same courtesy to him, still thinking her actions were justified because he should have trusted her — not the other way around — and so she never bothers easing his guilt. On the contrary, she purposely adds to it.

The thing about the love triangle — for lack of a better term — is that Inuyasha and Kagome are constantly pushing their feelings aside to empathize with each other's and Kikyo's pain, while Kikyo acts like she's the only one who's hurting.

Which is to be expected at first because she is the one who died and was brought back against her will, but as the story progressed, I kept waiting for Kikyo to see a little bit of herself on the ordinary girl who was entrusted the weight of the world upon her shoulders, had her shoes to fill and the mess she left behind to clean up.

I kept waiting for her to show some sympathy for the boy who lost fifty years of his life because she misjudged him and was willing to die for a debt she manipulated and guilt-tripped him into thinking he had, a boy she supposedly loves.

None of it came, at least not in a way that felt organic or satisfying. That's my main issue with how Kikyo was written. You can't paint her as a complex character and then gloss over her flaws. You can't sell her as gray character and then pretend the bad things she did never happened.

Takahashi wanted her to reap all of the rewards that come with a redemption arc without really bothering to make her go through one, because that would mean having Kikyo face her mistakes for what they were — including her distrust on Inuyasha — and then apologizing or making up for it, a feat that rarely happened in canon, if at all.

Instead, she abruptly stops acting as vicious, so everything can be conveniently forgiven and forgotten because "she isn't like that anymore." The lack of explanation about what motivated this change makes harder for the audience to connect with her and results in many plot inconsistencies.

And the lack of accountability regarding Kikyo's actions keeps her from growing and reaching her full potential as a character, indirectly regressing or preventing the development of the characters around her as well, which I believe is a huge part of why the story feels repetitive and stagnant at times.

Now, you're definitely onto something when you argue that all evidence actually points to Inuyasha falling in love with Kagome despite her resemblance to Kikyo. I've actually talked about it here and here.

While it's true that Inuyasha mistook Kagome for Kikyo when they first met, it would've been unreasonable to expect anything different. Their looks and scents are similar, he had just woken up from a fifty years long spell and up until then he had no reason to believe otherwise, but Inuyasha actually caught up in a decent amount of time.

After that, as much as he still refused to call Kagome by name, he was also very aware she wasn't Kikyo, to the point that it took seeing her with complete priestess attire on for him to even make that correlation again.

And yet, Inuyasha still doesn't go back into thinking they're the same person, but rather that Kagome's a girl who resembles Kikyo. Only eventually, even this starts to change the more time they spend together and suddenly, when Inuyasha has a nightmare about Kikyo, is Kagome he sees first.

Mind you, he has only seen Kagome in priestess clothes once. Kikyo wore those her entire life. It'd be understandable for him to confuse Kagome for Kikyo and yet Kagome was his first thought here when, by logic, she shouldn't have been. From them on, he doesn't even see any resemblance between the two girls at all anymore.

Which makes sense, because even if Inuyasha had tried to use Kagome as a replacement — something he never did — he couldn't possibly have succeded, since both girls are polar opposites — a creative choice that was done completely on purpose — and Kagome wasn't slightly interested on being anyone but herself, making her into the worst Kikyo replacement ever.

That's why it got easier for Inuyasha to distinguish one girl from the other with time. Their distinct personalities make up for completely different dynamics and bring completely different feelings out of Inuyasha, because they represent completely different things to him and, again: this is done absolutely on purpose.

In the manga, this is better illustrated by two very specific panels. In the first one, Kikyo is smiling sadly but genuinely at Inuyasha — which we don't see her do often — and he admitted later on that the exchange made him feel guilty, like he had done something wrong, since he had just been rude to her.

In the second one, Kagome is smiling brightly at Inuyasha, which she does constantly, then we immediately see him blush and think to himself how relieved he is to see that smile

Of course those are very different contexts, but they pretty much set the tone for both relationships and if the arrangement of those panels wasn't a conscious choice — which I doubt — then Takahashi is insanely lucky. It's also worth noting that Inuyasha felt relieved to see Kagome smiling because it was further confirmation that even after Kikyo's resurrection, she was still Kagome.

So I think it's safe to say the physical resemblance actually slowed the romantic process down, considering that the staged betrayal made Inuyasha build his walls even taller than they were when he met Kikyo. This becomes even more clear when you compare their respective first "amicable" conversations.

With Kikyo, even though he was reluctant about her approach and suspicious of her intentions, there was still a part of him that obviously wanted it to be true, so he was at least open to what she had to say.

With Kagome, he was visibly more aggressive and closed off because he has been burned before and she was the reincarnation of the woman who did the burning, which makes her managing to get his trust so quickly that much more remarkable, since she apparently did in less time and in worse circumstances, what Kikyo couldn't.

And Kagome did it precisely because she never acted like Kikyo. She actually took the time to know Inuyasha, to give him her trust and to earn his, to build a solid relationship, based on honesty and real acceptance.

I like to think that, while Kikyo found a crack on Inuyasha's defense she could slip in, Kagome slowly smashed his walls to the ground, therefore leaving an ever lasting impact on him that she couldn't have made by being anyone but herself.

When Inuyasha starts to pursue Kagome romantically, he does so after concluding that there's absolutely no resemblance between the two girls at all and after going through an entire arc where Kagome cried for his sake and trusted him blindly, none of which has anything to do with Kikyo.

People argue that Inuyasha was actually trying to kiss Kikyo here, but why would he do that when he still thinks she betrayed him? And if this was really the case, then why has he never willingly kissed or tried to kiss Kikyo until their final goodbye, Sunrise additions excluded?

At this point, it makes more sense to me that he was avoiding to look at Kagome not because she looks like Kikyo — he has been looking at her just fine before —, but because he has started to catch feelings for her despite his efforts not to and doesn't know how to act. In fact, when he had the chance to kiss Kikyo soon after, this is what we got instead:

And then he hugs her — something the anime cut out — but the important thing is that Inuyasha had this and many other opportunities to rekindle his relationship with Kikyo and simply didn't.

In this particular occasion, he even go as far as to ask Kikyo to return the piece of soul that keeps her "alive" to Kagome knowing full well what the consequences were.

Why would Inuyasha settle for a "replacement" when he could have the real thing instead? Even if you believe resurrected Kikyo to be nothing more than a malicious replica of the original, she's still more Kikyo than Kagome could or would ever be.

I dislike this notion because if it's true and there's not an ounce of Kikyo there, why should the audience or the characters care if she "lives" or "dies"? If she gets a redemption arc or not? It feels like a cop out to only consider her the real Kikyo when she does good things.

That being said, save for maybe one scene at the beginning where Inuyasha shoved a bow and some arrows at Kagome because Kikyo was a master archer, he never expected her to behave like Kikyo, never tried to change her so she would and never acted frustrated or disappointed at the fact that she was her own person.

Inuyasha has his flaws — as any good main character should — but he always respected the inviduality of both girls, which is more than I can say about the people who insist on this baseless take.

To wrongly paint Inuyasha as someone who settled for Kagome because she looks like Kikyo gets especially icky when even Naraku, the villain who was obsessed with her, never redirected said obsession to Kagome.

It's such a common trope that I was actually expecting it, but I'm glad it didn't happen because it's a subtle and yet effective way of sedimenting both girls as separate individuals instead of going for the cheapest option.

And ironically, the only character who treated Kagome as if she was Kikyo was Kikyo herself, but even that was very early on and she only seemed to do it as a way of belittling Kagome, because while mentioning her to other people — or by the end of the story — Kikyo had no trouble referring to Kagome as a different being.

Sunrise's adaptation made very questionable choices but something they were pretty consistent on was making clear Kagome and Kikyo aren't the same.

Besides, something fundamentally wrong with this argument is that Inuyasha comes off as shallow and Kikyo as disposeable. Shallow because it suggests physical appearance is all that matters — which goes against everything his character stands for in canon — and the soul is just a seal of approval.

Disposeable because it hints Kikyo's personality is so forgettable and unimportant that it played absolutely no part on sparkling Inuyasha's interest. She's so easily replaceable that even someone who had opposite world views, thoughts, feelings, temperament and mannerisms could do the trick. The memories they made are so generic that it wouldn't have make a difference if any other character was in her place.

Why do people even like those characters, why do they even ship them together if they truly believe that? That's why I don't buy that they actually do.

You see, considering how huge Kagome's soul is, Kikyo technically has got to be someone else's reincarnation too, but I've never seen anyone making the case that she is anyone but herself or that her predecessor is also the love of Inuyasha's life.

The reason they try to do this with Kagome is so that they can pretend Inuyasha and Kikyo somehow ended up together to cope with the fact that they didn't. And that's the exact same reason they pretend he setled for Kagome as well.

Which is funny because what exactly was Inuyasha settling for? Like, in the great scheem of things, what was Kikyo able to give him that he couldn't get a thousand times better from Kagome with no strings attached and just had to make his peace with it?

It seems to me like it was the other way around: Kagome managed to accomplish everything Kikyo failed to do, so if anything Inuyasha was settling, it was for Kikyo, resigned to spend the rest of his life as human — something he hated to be — just to get "accepted" or to die for something he didn't do just to appease her.

Finally, to say inuyasha settled implies he had no other choice but to marry Kagome. He had: staying single, because now that he has friends and wasn't alone anymore, he doesn't need a lover to fill that empty space in his life if he doesn't want one.

Plus, Kagome wasn't entitled to his love. She jumped trought that well knowing that three years is a long time, that people and feelings change and that what waited for her on the other side was a mystery, but she did it anyway because all she ever wanted from him was to stay by his side and for him to be honest with her.

Kagome would've been fine with a platonic relationship because even though she obviously wanted more, she was ready to accept whatever Inuyasha was willing to give her, but he wanted her to return so he could give her everything, which he couldn't before because he felt in debt with Kikyo. That's the whole point.

Inuyasha was the one who iniciated every romantic moment they had early on: the first hug, both almost kisses, etc. And it was clear that the things Kagome made him feel, such as that sense of peace, of belonging, of unadultered happiness, were very new to him, so the idea that Inuyasha was settling for her is laughable when this is the character in question:

I know a lot of those scenes were deleted or changed by Sunrise but I watched the anime without reading the manga beforehand and reached the exact same conclusions, so I'm still of the opinion that the people who convinced themselves Kagome was a consolation prize either didn't pay attention or have an agenda of their own to push, that won't change by reading the original material.

TLDR; one does not simply "settle" for their soulmate. They come home to them.

#As you can see I have no self control when it comes to this topic #I bet you regret sending this ask now but this one is on you anon #I won't feel bad about it because I know nobody will read it anyway #And I'm glad I wrote this because if I ever get another ask on the subject I can just link this post and call it quits #So thank you for this opportunity #Sidmailing #Inuyasha #Kagome #Inukag

[shinidamachu]

Hello ma’am at Wendy’s; could you analyze some inukag scenes in the first movie? 😍

I could talk about how Inuyasha was strugling in the first battle — to the point of Shippo stating he's hopeless when Kagome isn't around — and how he headed back to it with renewed energy once she got there.

I could talk about how he bickers with her the entire time, but it's always so gentle while constantly carrying her away from danger — bridal style, no less — and asking her in that soft voice we don't ever hear him use with anyone else if she is alright even though he was the one just getting his ass beaten.

I could also talk about how he follows after Kagome when she runs off, supposedly to "give her a piece of his mind" yet doesn't deny it when Shippo counter arguments that she got him wrapped around her finger. I could. But that's just our everyday Inukag, so here are the scenes I feel like are worthy discussing on a deeper level.

When Inuyasha found Kagome after she accidentally cut herself, he got closer, wanting to take a better look at her wound, but for a second there Kagome forgot about her injury and really thought he was going to kiss her. You can see her surprise at his sudden proximity and then the disappointment when he goes for her hand instead.

Then he took her finger to his mouth, to the place where his fangs are, without overthinking it or fearing any judgement, simply trusting that Kagome wouldn't be scared or disgusted by the gesture, by him. And she never does. What really makes this scene, though, is that Inuyasha is completely oblivious to the effect his actions are having on her so far or just how intimate they actually are.

Kagome's safety is his number one priority and Inuyasha feels comfortable enough with her to follow his instincts without reservations, so he doesn't quite realize the romantic implications because it's natural to him, to them, to be this close.

Then Inuyasha uses Kagome's favorite handkerchief to patch her up. Considering she sounds more upset about him ripping it to do so than surprised that he has it in the first place and that he doesn't seem embarrased to have it at all, my guess is that she must have gifted it to him at some point.

And even though he claims it's just a piece of cloth, the fact remains that he carried it with himself for who knows how long — probably because it smells like her — and kept it intact despite the many battles, that is until she needed it as a bandage and we get visual confirmation that Shippo was right: Kagome literally got him wrapped around her finger.

Flash forward to the bridge scene, where Inuyasha thinks he's seeing Kikyo at first, then notices is actually Kagome in priestess clothes and runs to her. If you ask me, it's pretty telling that he'd only mistake the two of them when Kagome isn't acting like herself.

I love his reaction to realizing Kagome is there, safe and sound. He's just so genuinelly happy and relieved to see her. Those aren't emotions we're used to get from him. Plus, he worries about her being pale and insists that she gets back to Kaede's so she can get more rest.

Then when Kagome hugs him, he apologizes — which we also don't see him do often — for not getting to her sooner, thinking that's what earned him that hug. And he returns her embrace in true Inuyasha fashion: tight and cradling her head.

That's when Kagome pulled this little trick and I think two things are worthy noticing. One, she managed to break free from the mind control long enough to tell Inuyasha to get away. That's quite impressive. Two, when confronted with the idea of Kagome betraying him, Inuyasha came to the only possible conclusion that she was under a spell, never once doubting her.

He makes one attempt to reason with her, pleading for Kagome to snap out of it, but when that fails, he doesn't even try to immobilize her or adopt a defensive stance, he just runs, flat out refusing to lay a hand on her, the opposite of his fighting style.

And even though Inuyasha knows Kagome is being controled, I still appreciate his reaction to hearing the one person who makes him want to live telling him to die. Not to mention how it brought back some very unpleasent memories. Speaking of which...

What's interesting about this scene is that, again, Inuyasha knows this is Kagome attacking him — although against her will ��� but the very idea of her hurting him is so inconceivable that Inuyasha tries to make sense of it with the situations he has experienced before.

Then Kagome explained she has no control over her body and just can't stop, begging him to run again before it's too late. Inuyasha, however, wouldn't hear it.

"I'm not running. Not without you. I won't leave you behind."

And honestly, who would have blamed him if he had run? Certainly not Kagome. She understands better than anyone just how difficult reliving those old traumas must be for him. Yet he would rather stay and die by her hands than leave without her.

That's why she fought so hard against the spell here, in a way she couldn't quite fight when it wasn't Inuyasha's life on the line. Until the very end, she refuses to be the one to cause Inuyasha the same harm he has suffered before. But she ultimately fails.

It's only after Kagome realizes what she's done that she manages to break the spell. It's very meaningful that she screams his name the exact moment it happens and that her eyes were full of tears even before she shot that arrow.

She runs to Inuyasha and wraps him into one of my favorite Inukag hugs ever. The position they're in is so intimate, it's like she wants to melt into him and protect him from the entire world while begging him to say something and open his eyes, chanting how sorry she is.

It also parallels the scene in the beginning. Same spot, similar situations. Except where once was Kagome injured, now is Inuyasha and where once was him patching her up, now it's her who is taking care of him.

Kagome doesn't let go of Inuyasha for a good while and when Kikyo tells her to return to her own time, since she doesn't belong there, Kagome answers that she won't, that she can't leave Inuyasha — echoing his words from earlier.

Even after Kikyo explains that once the well it's covered over, Kagome won't be able to return to her own world anymore, she is still reticent about leaving Inuyasha and Kikyo has to literally force her out.

"Inuyasha! My hands can't touch him anymore. My voice can't reach him anymore. I won't see Inuyasha ever again."

I absolutely love how classic Inukag this quote is. You have Kagome saying his name twice, a mention of touching, which is a huge part of their love language, a nod to her voice reaching out to him, which is a recurrent theme for them and "I won't see Inuyasha ever again" as opposite to our many "I want to see Inuyasha once more."

Another thing I love is how this scene mirrors the one when Kagome first meets Inuyasha: unconscious against the Sacred Tree, her hand reaching out to him. Except then she ended up saving him later and now she was the reason he was there.

Then we finally get to the reunion scene, the heart of "Affections Touching Across Time" which by the way is such a great name for the movie! Not only is it poetic, but it also paints Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship as the transcendental love story that it is. As if no matter the circumstances, it's inevitable for the love the feel for each other to find its way back to them.

Inuyasha wakes up and Kagome is his very first thought. For her part, Kagome is also able to feel Inuyasha through the tree.

"I can feel him. I can feel Inuyasha."

They start to talk even though they're years and years apart, Kagome asking if he is okay and Inuyasha brushing her worries off as usual. He then says he's surprised she isn't there and when Kagome says she came back home, he teases her about being scared.

Kagome denies it and I believe it's because she was initially thinking about the dangerous situation they were in, but then images of Kikyo telling her to go home and kissing Inuyasha flashes through her mind and she admits that e was right, that maybe she did run away.

She did get scared, but not of the danger they were facing. She was scared to find out Inuyasha was truly in love with Kikyo and that, since Kagome hurt him, he would be better off without her around.

Once Kagome explains that to him — minus the Kikyo part — Inuyasha gets up despite his wounds and tries to make his way to her, but Kagome meets him half way.

@kitramune pointed out that Inuyasha smiles at her reaction because not only he knew she would do so, but he also expected her to in order to pull her into a hug.

"I need you with me, Kagome. Haven't you realized that yet?"

Their hug is also a perfect replica of the original one, their very first one. From Inuyasha having a wound on his chest to catching Kagome completely off guard, first pulling her towards him then embracing her tight.

The scene is a masterpiece overall. The music, the dialogue, the voice acting — both in japanese and english —, the emotional conflict. It keeps me wishing it had happened in canon every time I watch it.

And I can't in good conscience leave the ultimate trusting exercise out of this. That Kagome trusts Inuyasha enough to jump into his arms from great heights it's pretty amazing in and out of itself, but the reason her confidence in him is so high is because he delivers it every time. It's all very reciprocal.

And even though Inuyasha complains about her being reckless, I love that he doesn't even bother to sheathe Tessaiga — his most valuable possession — too focus on catching Kagome in the gentlest way possible.

Last but not least: the extra scene. In the beginning of the movie, we hear Grandpa Higurashi say that the Sacred Tree would blossom every single year without fail, until five hundred years ago, when Inuyasha was put under a spell and fixed to its truck, to which Kagome replies that now its flowers are blooming again because she set Inuyasha free.

The blossoms represent just that: a counterpoint to the snow that once fell over them. They're both pretty but where the snow is cold, the petals are warm. Where one is winter, the other is spring. Where one is the end of a cycle, the other is rebirth, it's life.

I hope putting Inuyasha on the shadows and Kagome on the sunny side of the tree was a conscious creative choice here because it accentuates their personalities and the yin and yang dynamic of their relationship, on top of being aesthetically pleasing.

I especially enjoyed how reassuring and straight forward he was here, like it was a given that he would be there for and with her even if it couldn't be physically, like he couldn't fathom any other way.

And of course, there's the way Inuyasha is so aware of her and constantly worried about her well being, noticing how exhausted she was and being concerned she might collapse while having a severe injury on his own chest.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Sango telling Kagome to be careful and Kagome replying that she'll be fine because she'll be with Inuyasha. The villain saying "I've never seen anything more pathetic than a half demon cuddle by a mortal girl" and Kagome going "why? What's wrong with us being together?" Kagome still feeling awful about hurting Inuyasha and thanking him when he insisted that "it's barely a scratch."

#I've watched the Inuyasha movies once each #And I never really planned on revisiting them because to be honest I don't particularly consider them canon #Plus the animation was atrocious at times #So I figured I'd just rewatch the most memorable scenes whenever I feel nostalgic #But I watched the whole thing for you Kat #And I actually had a great time doing it #Inuyasha #Sidmailing #Affections Touching Across Time #Kagome #Kagome Higurashi #Inukag #Inumeta #Inukag meta #Inuyasha meta #Kagome meta

[shinidamachu]

Antis: Inuyasha settled for Kagome! He actually wanted to die and be with Kikyo!

Literally Inuyasha:

Bonus, Inukaggers: *insert Ben Affleck Smoking meme*

Antis: Inuyasha only tried to kiss Kagome because she looks like Kikyo. Literally Inuyasha:

Antis: Inuyasha willingly chose Kikyo. Literally Inuyasha:

Antis: Kikyo was the woman Inuyasha loved the most. Literally Inuyasha:

#There's shipping a pairing #And then there's purposely misunderstanding a character to try and make it sail #I mean to each their own #But if you have to strip a character off his motivations #If you have to completely ignore his actions or take them out of context for your OTP to work #Maybe it's just not that good #Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

Regarding Kagome getting hate for being a Mary-Sue if she were more like Sesshomaru, you should know that she still gets the Mary Sue accusations as she is. People call her too “OP” just because she didn’t train enough and because Rumiko said her spiritual powers are naturally more powerful than Kikyo.

They also consider her a Mary-Sue in terms of how much the narrative “glorifies” her (according to them at least) because multiple guys are crushing on her and the fact that it seems the Inugang always takes her side whenever it comes to fights with Inuyasha and she supposedly never has to learn from her faults. They claim Rumiko making her out to be so pure-hearted is also Mary-Suesque and that the narrative pretends that Kagome has no faults that she has to grow from and is perfect personality wise.

Oh, believe me, I'm totally aware. I only used the comparation with Sesshomaru as an example to make the point that no matter what she does, Kagome will get bashed because an especific, biased part of the audience is already phrone on hating her and will make up any excuse to justify it. And you brought up great new other examples.

They call her overpowered but, while her lack of training is a valid criticism, it's not a crime to be naturally gifted. In fact, it's a pretty common trope. What they conveniently "forget" is that raw talent alone is not enough: even though Kagome had a lot of power, she obviously didn't know how to use them.

So in the beginning she had to work with what she knew and improvise, showing us other facets of her character, such as her intelligence, creativity, cunningness and inventiveness.

Nothing was handed over to her on a plate. She had to work for it. There was no official training because she was learning on the job and doing amazing at it. Not because of her reincarnation status or some deus ex machina type of thing, but because of practice, persistence and resilience. If her spiritual powers are naturally more powerful than Kikyo, it only proves that they are different people, who see the world — and by extension, themselves — through vastly different lens, which inevitably bleeds into how they relate with their powers and with other people.

That being said, the narrative never glorifies Kagome and they know it. On the contrary, I'd argue it actually holds her to higher standards than any other character. She's constantly getting tested about her flaws. Just on the top of my head I could list Mount Azusa, the infant incident and that time she saved Kikyo from miasma. But even if her main lesson is that it's okay to have feelings, the narrative will still paint her as wrong again when she does have them.

And even when that doesn't happen, Kagome herself is hyper aware of her own flaws. That's a huge part of her character, due to her feelings of inadequacy. But she's always the first person to hold herself accountable for her actions, admit when she's in the wrong, apologize and make it better.

Now, the Inugang could be more sensible about Inuyasha's predictment — especially Sango, for obvious reasons —, I'll give them that. But Inuyasha doesn't help himself with his poor communication skills, either. All his friends know is that he's hurting Kagome, whom they love, over someone dangerous who has a history of trying to murder him.

As for the "multiple guys crushing on her" thing... I mean, can we blame them? Face card never declines, my God!

#Inuyasha #Sidmailing #Kagome #Kagome Higurashi

[shinidamachu]

What did Neymar did? Sorry im not aware

Neymar is one of those stars who became very big, very young and very fast. The amount of fame and money he was exposed to as a teen made him believe he's some kind of God and it didn't help that his father – who is also his manager – is a greedy piece of shit and that Brazilian media naturalized Neymar's behavior at the beginning of his career because he was only a boy.

"We're creating a monster" said Atlético-GO's coach about Neymar in 2010, after the player refused to follow orders from his coach at the time, Dorival Jr.

Today, at 30 years old, Neymar's ego is way bigger than his football. Barca fans hate the blunt way in which he left the club and PSG fans still can't stand his entitled ass. He is criticized and made fun of world wide for falling all the time and for having the emotional intelligence of a 15 years old. He was recently tried for fraud and corruption surrounding his transfer to Barcelona – although found not guilty.

But what really did it for me was what happened last October. As you know, Brazilians just had the elections of our fucking lives. Neymar's political alignment has always been shady – most football players' are –, but he mostly just keeps quiet. And since 2022 is also a year of World Cup, the Brazilian players had an agreement not to talk about political stuff and focus solely on the competition.

Neymar broke the agreement by posting a TikTok dance openly supporting Bolsonaro's re-election. If you don't know who Bolsonaro is, I strongly suggest a quick Google search or BBC's documentary The Boys from Brazil: Rise of the Bolsonaros and you'll understand why Brazilians got so pissed. Especially because we're certain Neymar is only supporting him because he's a tax evader and Bolsonaro is more than ready to let it slide.

It's also important to point out that Bolsonaro supporters kidnapped national symbols like the Brazilian flag and our signature yellow jersey. Those things became deeply associated with them in a way that is almost irrevocable, so many of us have opted for using the blue, the white or the black jersey in a herculean effort to differentiate ourselves from them and still root for and support our national team.

Neymar was well aware of that during the campaign but still decided to participate in Bolsonaro's live, even saying that he'd dedicate the first goal he scores in the World Cup to Bolsonaro. I don't know if he's still going to do that, now that Bolsonaro lost, but it was still a shitty thing to say.

It's like he always wants to be the center of attention. Like he wants us to hate him. And honestly? He got his wish. It's really a shame, because he had the potential to be a truly Brazilian icon someday, but now all he'll ever be is an ass, even if he does bring us the cup somehow.

#Brazil #Brasil #Neymar #2022 World Cup #World Cup #Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

As an InuKag creator that came into the fandom late, it feels discouraging to say there's a drought in content when we're still here trying our best.

It's good that you sent me this because I realize now how my wording could be interpreted this way and it's not what I mean at all.

I'm an Inukag creator too and the last thing I want is to discourage anybody. Especially because I do my best to always stalk the Inuyasha tag and reblog and comment as much content as I can. I know how important that is.

My post was just an observation slash vent. I'm sorry we didn't have you in the fandom earlier but if we had, maybe the difference between then and now would probably hit you as hard as it hits me.

And the "drought" isn't limited to content, I wasn't clear about that before so that's my bad. The "drought" is due to the fact that Yashahime pushed a lot of great people away, other artists saw their engagement numbers decrease because of it and left as well (which is completely valid) and then it got to the point where we barely even talk about Inuyasha anymore.

This is not exclusively a Tumblr issue because I've noticed the same thing on Twitter. It just feels like everybody is moving on and while I understand that (I myself haven't been as active here as I used to be because I have a huge test coming up) I can't help but feel sad about it and just miss the way things were.

I know everybody is trying their best, I'm not trying to undermine that. I actually rely on it. So please forgive me for indirectly discouraging you (and potentially others). It was not the intention. I'm trying my best as well.

I just needed to rant a little.

#Sidmailing #Putting this in the main tag for other people who thought the same as anon so they know where I stand #Inuyasha #Inukag

[shinidamachu]

You know, if those AI “artists” just edited or traced their AI generated art, we would never know those were drafted first with AI, but they couldn’t even bother cleaning the image, like removing those extra ears. I guess that’s asking too much of them.

Maybe we wouldn't know, but they would, and artists have already asked people not to do it.

Considering they have explained in details as to why, I'd argue we owe them that much, since they're the ones dedicating precious hours of their tome into keeping fandom culture alive using their amazing gift.

If you want art, support artists, it's really not that hard. Or put in the work to become an artist yourself. Be that as it may, the bare minimum we can do is not use AI like that.

#Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

This isn’t a reply to anything you posted, unless you talked about this before, but sort of a fact that I wanted to share: Even until the late 90s, it was normal for fathers to wait outside in the halls while the mother gave birth in Japan. (That might still be the norm, I haven’t visited Japan recently.) I’ve been to some hospitals that didn’t even have a proper waiting room, the husband just waited outside the building or got sent home until they’re called back by the nurse.

So I’m about 50/50 on whether Kagome wanted Inuyasha by her side while giving birth to Moroha. I prefer that he would be by her side, but it’s one of those cultural things. On the other hand, InuKag defy the norm so this is all moot and they do what they want lol

It's like you said: Inukag defies the norm. Inuyasha particularly doesn't seem to care about social rules at all, being a transgressor and a "transgression" of those rules himself.

I find it hard to believe he wouldn't be by her side, especially if Kagome wanted him to be and I pity anyone brave enough to try and stand on his way.

And honestly? Why wouldn't she want him there? It's a very scary experience and they've been each other's physical and mental support for their entire journey.

It feels sily to deny themselves the comfort of going through this milestone together just because of some made up cultural rules when they literally defied time and space to be reunited again.

#Inuyasha #Kagome #Kagome Higurashi #Sidmailing #Inukag

[shinidamachu]

This is so random but I just watched old video about finnish drama series called Salatut elämät and noticed couple actors dressing Inuyasha and Kagome 😂 they are telling who they are playing in the party. If you want to see: youtube -> Joonatan TuntematonSotilas. From 0:09 to 0:22 is the clip.

Inukag photographed by Marilyn Monroe. Sep. 23, 2008.

#This WAS vey random #And I have no idea what's going on #Especially with his hair #But hey #Thanks for passing by #Sidmailing #Inuyasha

[shinidamachu]

Welp, Qatar just confiscated Wales’ rainbow hats…and banned public Jewish prayer, despite promising that both would be fine. AFTER all the sponsorship money.

Holy shit, they did? I didn't see that, but they also confiscated Pernambuco's flag because it has a rainbow on it. Pernambuco is a Brazilian state.

Qatar if you're woman, gay or born in Pernambuco:

But seriously, this whole "rainbow ban" is crazy, like... bestie... what do you do when it rains and a rainbow appears? Shooting at the sky? Absolute Abe Simpson energy.

#2022 World Cup #World Cup #Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

In my personal opinion I think people give Kagome too hard of a time because they’re too used to the modern era “girlboss” characters, where they’ve been fed more than a decade of lies that in order to be a “strong female character” one must always be stoic and badass, not to show her emotions and be too emotional the way Kagome is, basically people want a female Sesshomaru.

Yeah, totally! This is what I mean when I said:

"I know part of the issue is that audiences nowadays are under the impression that for a female character to be strong, she can't cry or be feminine."

Only I focused on the "emotional" part of it rather than in the "stoic" and "badass" part because that ask was about people thinking Kagome was "annoying" and "whiny" and I didn't want the post to get even longer than it already was.

Also, I think for Kagome in especific, this is just one face of a multifaceted issue that runs much deeper because, to quote myself again:

"You don't see anyone hating on Sango even though she does cry and she can be as feminine as Kagome depending on the circunstances and on her mood."

And Kagome also has her "girlboss" moments, where she is a total badass even though the emotional side of her is still much more predominant. The problem is: people will gladly pretend these moments aren't there to focus solely on the features of her personality they don't like in order to keep hating on her. Why?

Let's imagine, for a moment, that Kagome was a "female Sesshomaru", as you stated that's what people want her to be: would Kagome hate cease to exist? Or would people just complain that now she's "boring" and "too cold" and "overpowered" and a "Mary Sue?"

Me, personaly, I think they'd just find another reason to hate on her because they already do and the rules they use to judge her character doesn't apply to others because of it.

#Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

OKAY BUT THE PARALLELS BETWEEN INUKAG! Inuyasha never feeling like he’s enough and Kagome never feeling like she’s enough (with regards to Kikyo), them both having their own respective identity issues. Like not only is their chemistry amazing and a joy to watch/read but they also have actual literary excellence too? Truly a god-tier ship

Writing this down in the "why I ship Inukag" meta that has been in my drafts for years now.

#But in all seriousness anon this is a GREAT observation that I don't see people talk about very much #Even though Inuyasha and Kagome are SO DIFFERENT deep down they're not that different at all #That's what they get each other in ways no one else can #Inukag #Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

As someone who is mixed, I really relate to Inuyasha’s character and the theme of the series as a whole. Inuyasha both the character and the show/manga allowed me to embrace being mixed and love and accept all parts of myself rather than listening to others and attempting to fit myself into a Monoracial/Monoethnic box.

I think this is the whole point of his character and the main reason why I love him so much! Thank you for sharing your story with us! It made me very emotional.

#Inuyasha is just THAT character #Like talk about a perfect male protagonist #Because he's a hero who pretends he doesn't want to be one #He isn't nice but he's just genuinely good #He's strong AND vulnerable #He's tragic but also relatable and funny #He's flawed but he has amazing character development and growth #He's just so charming cool and charismatic without trying at all #And he's a complex character as well #I could talk about him for HOURS because it IS that deep #Sidmailing

[shinidamachu]

Okay so we all know by now why Inuyasha fell for Kagome — it’s fairly obvious, because she’s amazing, who wouldn’t? But why do you think Kagome fell in love with Inuyasha? At the beginning of their journey she couldn’t stand his rash and abrasive attitude and was always saying how a guy the complete opposite of him would be her type, so what made her grow from just viewing him as a friend who she would need to teach to bring out of his shell, into a viable romantic interest?

I’m sure we can all pinpoint the time when Kagome really started developing feelings was her seeing Inuyasha’s human night for the first time and when he was laying in her lap and saying how good she smelled, being honest with his true feelings for once. What was it about that moment that caused Kagome to start to see Inu in a new light? Was she attracted to his vulnerability? When she saw that combined with his always protecting her was that enough to stir her heart? What’s your take on what it was about Inuyasha that made made Kagome fall in love?

So I think it’s obvious by now why Inuyasha fell for Kagome, but what exactly was it about Inuyasha that made Kagome fall for him? How did she go from dislike to tolerance to seeing him as a friend she could teach and learn to open up to the world into a viable romantic interest? She says it herself early on, Inuyasha was the exact opposite of her type, so what exactly was it about him that attracted her to him that he couldn’t already give her at the friend level?

I'm guessing you asked @born-for-eachother this very same question a while ago? And her answer was as insightful as ever, so I'm not sure what else can I say to expand on her already brilliant take, but I'll give it my best try.

This is Kagome's reply when her friends asked what her type is. Mind you, she's only fifteen. Kagome might think that she knows what she wants, but she most definitely doesn't know yet what she needs. And that's an important distinction.

Also, please notice that Kagome's lying to herself, because there's only one person in the series that fit her criteria perfectly: Hojo. Even still, she had no romantic interest in him whatsoever despite the statement above.

And the scene's whole point wasn't to stabilish the kind of guy Kagome would fall for, but to show us that, when asked about what her type was, Inuyasha crosses her mind, even if it was in a "negative" light.

If it was the case, it would have made way more sense for her to simply describe a type and define Hojo as the yardstick against which all potential boyfriends would be measured, but instead she made the entire thing about Inuyasha, subconsciously drawing a correlation between him and romantic interest.

And of course, Inuyasha actually does have at least half of the qualities Kagome was listing. She just didn't have the opportunity to realize that at the time, since their first impression of each other was disastrous and Inuyasha was keeping his guard up. She didn't know the real him yet.

That's why she couldn’t stand his rash and abrasive attitude at the beginning of their journey. Kagome thought he was being a jerk for the sake of being a jerk and, for his part, Inuyasha was constantly proving her misconceptions right.

It takes a little time for her to figure him out, which is to be expected because, at first, he made his life's mission to push Kagome away and she have never met someone like him before, but eventually, she manages to see right through him.

His selfishness was a facade. He had to think of himself first because he learned that if he didn't, no one else would. However, he did care for others, no matter how good he was at pretending otherwise. And he might complain about it the whole time, but he always does the right thing in the end.

Especially when it comes to Kagome. There were many occasions in which he resigned himself with letting her go, be it because he feared for her own safety, be it because he knew it wasn't fair of him to ask her to stay even though the thing he wanted the most was to have her by his side. When push comes to shove, he prioritizes Kagome's well being over his own feelings every time. This is the opposite of selfish.

Inuyasha isn't malicious, he's just a impulsive boy who had little to none social interactions growing up. He doesn't really mean a lot of what comes out of his mouth, or at least he doesn't always mean it in a rude way. When he does mean it, it's often a defense mechanism to keep people away, a form of hurt them before they could hurt him. It's only natural for Inuyasha to act the way he does at first. And it was even more natural for Kagome to pick up on that eventually:

He is kind. You can tell by how he puts his life on the line even for those who judge him a monster. He has been wronged in so many ways, by so many people and he still forgave and forgot most of it, showing them the compassion he was denied of. You can also see it in the detais: the way he treats children — slapstick comedy aside —women or any person who can't stand up for themselves, how he provides for and takes care of his friends, the relationship he had with his mother, the gentle way in which he touches Kagome, gives her his robe when she's cold and nurses her back to health when she's sick. I could go on and on.

Granted, he is violent. But for the longest time, violence was all he knew. And it was this very violence that more often than not kept Kagome and their friends alive. He is short tempered. But then again so is she. And he might be the farthest thing from obedient, but I highly doubt Kagome would have fallen so hard and so deep for him if he wasn't.

Futhermore, I think you nailed it on the head when you said Kagome started developing real feelings for Inuyasha after their first New Moon together.

This is when she finally starts to truly understand him. For once, there was no walls up, no bullshit, no covering their connection with hostility. Only vulnerability, brutal honesty and the shy beginning of one of the most important themes in their relationship: trust. Here, Kagome realizes that there is more to him than meets the eyes, that there's an opening for her to come in. Which she does. And the more she gets to know him, the more she notices that he can be selfless, good and kind.

I'd also like to point out that Kagome had already showed signs of physical attraction to Inuyasha way before that.

Obviously, you can admire your friend's appearance in a non romantic way, but her reaction to his looks at the time and the reminiscing of how heroic he looked back then cannot be interpreted as platonic.

But more than that, the thing that really attracted her to Inuyasha, what he couldn’t already give her in a friendship level, was plain and simple the way he made her feel.

Although it was mostly Inuyasha starting the romantic moves, Kagome has always responded to them. His actions awakened in her sentiments she had never had to deal with before. It's new. It's exciting. It's terrifying. It makes her feel alive. And no one else has ever done it for her. Not even close.

Inuyasha turned her world upside down. Being the beautiful, smart and popular girl that she was, love was something that has always came easily to Kagome. She was pretty used to people liking her gratuitously. Her relationship with family and friends was simple enough, but with Inuyasha, she had to work for it, to build it with him from scratch. It was trial and error. It required patience, acceptance, trust, effort and sacrifice from both parts.

Most importantly: Inuyasha challenged her, turned her life into an adventure. He toughed her up, encouraged her to improve and become the very best version of herself, added a gray area to the black and white perspective she had on things, brought her out of her comfort zone. And she enjoyed rising up to the occasion. I think that anything different would bore her very quickly.

Then there's the easiness in which they fit into each other's world: her little brother worships the ground Inuyasha walks on, her grandpa appreciates Inuyasha's help at the shrine, her mother is treated by Inuyasha with nothing but ultimate kindness and respext. Even her friends approve of him. This brings forth the unshakeable feeling that they have always been together, that their meeting was no coincidence.

Plus, Inuyasha actually cares about her. Not her beauty, not her popularity, not her powers: her. Kagome turned the head of many guys during the series, but none of them know her down to the core like Inuyasha does. Her fears and insecurities, her friends and family, her quirks and believes, likes and dislikes, qualities and flaws: Inuyasha knows them all. He sees her beyond of what she looks like. He loves her for who she is rather than an idealized version of herself that does not exist.

It doesn't matter to him if she's wearing her best clothes or covered in demon goo. He had seen her crying, sweating, bloodied, dirty, sick, in extreme need of a bath and his opinion of her never lowered. If anything, I'd say Inuyasha wanted to be with her even more. Kagome didn't have to try too hard, didn't have to be anyone else for him to like her. All he ever expected of her was her company. And that's gotta be refreshing.

At last, I personally believe that wanting what you "can't" have also plays an important factor here. Inuyasha came straight out of a fairy tale, only to get her happily ever after, Kagome had to overcome lunatic villains, Inuyasha's traumas, her own insecurities, the fact that they belonged to different eras, miscommunications, heartbreaks, the stigma that a relationship between a priestess and a half demon carries, three years of separation and lastly time-space itself. Every obstacle only seemed to make her want him more.

Kagome's life could have been a lot easier if she had decided to let it go. She could have pursued an uncomplicated relationship with one of the male characters practically throwing themselfes at her feet — one of which, in theory, checks all of her boxes —, but she didn't. Which makes sense because, to quote Taylor Swift: nothing safe it's worth the drive.

And it all comes full circle, because her desires and necessities have finally aligned. Inuyasha might not have been what she wanted for herself at first, but he has always been exactly what she needed. And after she realized that, I can't imagine Kagome ever wanting anything — or anyone — else.

#Okay so I got the first ask a while ago #Then I got the second ask a few weeks later #I'm assuming it was sent by the same person because otherwise it's just too crazy of a coincidence #Judging by the way both asks were written #I'll bet anon just thought Tumblr didn't send me the question or got a little impatient with my delay #If it isn't the same person... Well at least the subject is the same so there's no harm in answering them in one go #Whatever the case here's your answer I hope I had made worth your while and thank you for asking #Inuyasha #Kagome #Inukag #Sidmailing #Kagome Higurashi #Inuyasha meta #Inukag meta #Kagome meta #Kagome Higurashi meta

[shinidamachu]

so I was wondering where all these people got the idea that Inuyasha chose Kagome as a backup, because I watched the OG anime for the action only, so I went back and I just watched a whole ass anime-only scene of Kagome telling her school friends how she’s second place and her friends actually assuring her second place isn’t so bad.

Jesus Christ. Sunrise is seriously messed up.

The funny thing is, this scene probably traumatized me so bad that I completely blocked out its existence because I can't, for the life of me, remember it happening, so I'm just taking your word for it and rolling with it here.

Well, to be fair, Kagome's friends weren't the only reason why people got the nonsensical idea that Inuyasha chose Kagome as a backup and Kagome also wasn't the most reliable narrator when it came to her relationship issues with Inuyasha.

So I can't really fault Ayumi, Eri or Yuka for having a biased impression of him, especially because that perception immediately changes once they got to know Inuyasha, gaining a new perspective on his relationship with Kagome.

In fact, if I was on their shoes I'd probably have an ever worse opinion of him and he'd most likely have to work way harder to win me over. I can, however, fault them for assuring Kagome that "second place isn't so bad."

As much as I believe their intentions were good, it's just an awful thing to say and not at all what Kagome needed to hear. A real friend would either point out that her insecurities might be clouding her judgement or advise her to prioritize herself because she deserves better than to feel like second best.

I also dislike how they're always pushing Kagome to do this or that with complete disregard for what she thinks or feels about it. And this is particularly true when it comes to Hojo.

Hojo who, by the way, acted way more concerned about Kagome's "illnesses" than her so called best friends and was always understanding of the times she blew him off, not once holding it against her.

Which is more than we can say about Ayumi, Eri or Yuka, who threw Kagome at him and then acted like she was the one leading him on. Overall, I just don't think they were as supportive or as helpful as they could have been and I didn't feel like Kagome was having a genuine good time around them.

Kagome obviously cared about them and they obviously cared about Kagome, but did they love her? Did they actually know her? Sometimes it came off to me like they were more interested on the gossip than on Kagome herself.

It was a friendship for good weather, not for every season.

#I'm simultaneously surprised and not surprised at all that Sunrise would do that #Can someone direct me to this scene please? #I need to renew my burning rage for this shit ass studio #Sidmailing #Inuyasha #Kagome #Kagome Higurashi