[ SECRET POST #2453 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2453 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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[ ----- SPOILERY SECRETS AHEAD ----- ]





















08. [SPOILERS for Ralph Bakshi's Wizards]

















Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 000 secrets from Secret Submission Post #350.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 2 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - ships it ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[atelierlune]

Sure. It's my understanding that the household service (Imperial Household Ministry) is in charge of managing the Imperial family - public events, state visits, keeping ceremonies, logistics, things like that. Imagine if the Emperor wanted to go to Africa to view a public works project - he'd need accommodations, transport, security, people to translate for him, cultural instruction so he doesn't inadvertently offend someone by using the wrong fork at dinner - stuff like that.

Masako's a commoner, and someone who was used to a certain level of freedom before she got married, working in a foreign company and being rather independent. Her father was a diplomat I believe, so she has experience in the wider world. However, this has not been her experience as a member of the royal household - the household ministry governs what she does, what she eats, where she goes, who she can be in contact with, everything. She was under tremendous pressure to produce a male heir for the chrysanthemum throne (the throne of Japan) and when she had Princess Aiko it was seen as a failure on her part. What's more, Aiko is very sensitive and was taken out of school because she was bullied by others in her class. When she returned, Masako would attend with her and hold her hand throughout. For a time there was heavy discussion in the Japanese media about if Aiko would be come the first empress of Japan in millenia, and what would happen if she would choose to take a commoner husband, or even a foreign husband. Then one of the younger princes (a brother of Masako's husband) had a little boy with his wife (Hisahito) and then Masako and Aiko were dropped like a bad habit by the media (who had all kinds of things to say about her because she was listed as having "emotional disorders" related to her time in the Imperial Household). She's hardly ever seen or spoken of now. Like OP mentioned, being in the royal family has been super hard on her and she seems to have no personal freedom.