On Nico Yazawa

So I've noticed a trend among doujin authors of liking jirai kei girls. Look it up, it's an aesthetic and style, I can't tell you if it's actually at all popular because I'm not a Japanese teenager and horny trends tend to follow longer cycles.

The jirai kei girl archetype however is more than just the style. But it's a cute style adopted by young women with (usually) pink and black mixing feminine cutesy elements like hearts and bows with goth elements. I'm not going to get into the actual clothing style because that's not my thing really but if you want a mental image of the archetype look no further than needy streamer/needy girl overload.

Mentally unstable to the point of danger, she offers a chance for young women in particular to empathize with a set of experiences that happen often in a society that objectifies women.

There's the understanding that you are an object of desire to men and then how you will deal with it. By setting healthy boundaries? No. By using your body for validation that you're lacking elsewhere.

A healthy person would probably examine why they're engaging in risky behavior but you've got a bunch of trauma that makes you feel like you have no control of your life. And this is all you can do. The more you're desired the more you're validated in something like that the more empty you feel as you struggle to define yourself outside of the gaze of men. Or maybe that's just me.

Should you stick your dick in the crazy? I'm gonna say yes.

So Nico. She's a child. And most of the jirai kei archetypes are adults. Substance abuse is a pretty common. Sorry I just broke my own rule to make sure Strong Zero was alcoholic and yeah it is. Think White Claw or Mike's Hard Lemonade. That's the typical drink. Again I can't tell you how much comes from reality. These types of girls are, ultimately, memes.

But it's the twintails right? The long black hair with twintails gives the style a girly look and recalls Nico Yazawa. And if you're not familiar (how?) the appeal is sort of... Charmingly desperate. She's cute but immature and above all desperate to be loved. That kind of attention seeking behavior lines up nicely with the later archetype. This comes from a difficult home situation and the expertise of putting on a false persona to deal with the pressure put on her.

However that's traumatizing and leads to maladaptive behaviors and distorted thoughts. Of course, her trauma and your desire to help her through it are the appeal. That's moe. That sort of protective emotion.

You should read the First and Last Idol which explores these exact topics and the ways they become monstrously codependent. The Nico analogue and her supporter merge into an eldritch horror and... Well read that. And the next which is about evolution and gacha girls.

Manic Pixie Dream Girls. The archetype lands in a guy's life and makes him feel like there's something outside his own boring existence. But her wild behavior usually comes from trauma and different stories deal better with defining the female side on her own terms than others.

But for some of us broken girls are hot. There's nothing interesting about someone well adjusted. I want to see your scars. My impulse is to take all of it on the condition of reciprocity. Put anything you want on me but expect me to do the same to you.

So we have the yandere. Intense to the point of psychosis, she's been a staple since the scene got tired of tsunderes. This girl loves you more than anything else, you complete her, and so on. Obsessive. Still a popular archetype, mind you. But in real life nobody wants to be stalked and tortured. No not even you.

So let's tone it down and get to a needy and controlling girlfriend. Now you see the appeal. Her jealousy is appealing without being quite as dangerous.

But just jealousy is annoying. So jirai kei stories add in the other element: really good sexual compatibility. Basically if you can fuck her brains out the jealousy is cute. And it appeals to those of us who dream of being fucked into unconsciousness.

Which, if that appeals to you, call me (don't).

Do these sorts of things appeal to cis women? My casual survey is yes? But only those with the same kinds of bullshit circumstances.

It's an mra and incel talking point that women have rape fantasies. But they completely miss the key point which is that exploring these feelings in a safe environment is a crucial part of the appeal. Jirai kei scenes generally end with some aftercare. Like it's weirdly wholesome.

So kuudere is just autism right? Then what's this archetype? Bpd? I think that gives you the vibe but there's usually a combination of things.

I feel like I should also mention Manio's Love Me Like I Do. Manio in particular has compellingly broken characters and the combination of needy femme and scumbag butch is a kind of unexplored section of toxic yuri.

And then what. Life doesn't stop at your 20s even if you expected it to. So you have to reimagine yourself, I guess. Form yourself into your own universe spanning eldritch horror.