#plus fan calls

[kingdomtual]

Hwon’s First Vlog <3

[hauntingofhouses]

Very interesting to me that a certain subset of the BES fandom's favourite iterations of Mizu and Akemi are seemingly rooted in the facades they have projected towards the world, and are not accurate representations of their true selves.

And I see this is especially the case with Mizu, where fanon likes to paint her as this dominant, hyper-masculine, smirking Cool GuyTM who's going to give you her strap. And this idea of Mizu is often based on the image of her wearing her glasses, and optionally, with her cloak and big, wide-brimmed kasa.

And what's interesting about this, to me, is that fanon is seemingly falling for her deliberate disguise. Because the glasses (with the optional combination of cloak and hat) represent Mizu's suppression of her true self. She is playing a role.

Take this scene of Mizu in the brothel in Episode 4 for example. Here, not only is Mizu wearing her glasses to symbolise the mask she is wearing, but she is purposely acting like some suave and cocky gentleman, intimidating, calm, in control. Her voice is even deeper than usual, like what we hear in her first scene while facing off with Hachiman the Flesh-Trader in Episode 1.

This act that Mizu puts on is an embodiment of masculine showboating, which is highly effective against weak and insecure men like Hachi, but also against women like those who tried to seduce her at the Shindo House.

And that brings me to how Mizu's mask is actually a direct parallel to Akemi's mask in this very same scene.

Here, Akemi is also putting up an act, playing up her naivety and demure girlishness, using her high-pitched lilted voice, complimenting Mizu and trying to make small talk, all so she can seduce and lure Mizu in to drink the drugged cup of sake.

So what I find so interesting and funny about this scene, characters within it, and the subsequent fandom interpretations of both, is that everyone seems to literally be falling for the mask that Mizu and Akemi are putting up to conceal their identities, guard themselves from the world, and get what they want.

It's also a little frustrating because the fanon seems to twist what actually makes Mizu and Akemi's dynamic so interesting by flattening it completely. Because both here and throughout the story, Mizu and Akemi's entire relationship and treatment of each other is solely built off of masks, assumptions, and misconceptions.

Akemi believes Mizu is a selfish, cocky male samurai who destroyed her ex-fiance's career and life, and who abandoned her to let her get dragged away by her father's guards and forcibly married off to a man she didn't know. on the other hand, Mizu believes Akemi is bratty, naive princess who constantly needs saving and who can't make her own decisions.

These misconceptions are even evident in the framing of their first impressions of each other, both of which unfold in these slow-motion POV shots.

Mizu's first impression of Akemi is that of a beautiful, untouchable princess in a cage. Swirling string music in the background.

Akemi's first impression of Mizu is of a mysterious, stoic "demon" samurai who stole her fiance's scarf. Tense music and the sound of ocean waves in the background.

And then, going back to that scene of them together in Episode 4, both Mizu and Akemi continue to fool each other and hold these assumptions of each other, and they both feed into it, as both are purposely acting within the suppressive roles society binds them to in order to achieve their goals within the means they are allowed (Akemi playing the part of a subservient woman; Mizu playing the part of a dominant man).

But then, for once in both their lives, neither of their usual tactics work.

Akemi is trying to use flattery and seduction on Mizu, but Mizu sees right through it, knowing that Akemi is just trying to manipulate and harm her. Rather than give in to Akemi's tactics, Mizu plays with Akemi's emotions by alluding to Taigen's death, before pinning her down, and then when she starts crying, Mizu just rolls her eyes and tells her to shut up.

On the opposite end, when Mizu tries to use brute force and intimidation, Akemi also sees right through it, not falling for it, and instead says this:

"Under your mask, you're not the killer you pretend to be."

Nonetheless, despite the fact that they see a little bit through each other's masks, they both still hold their presumptions of each other until the very end of the season, with Akemi seeing Mizu as an obnoxious samurai swooping in to save the day, and Mizu seeing Akemi as a damsel in distress.

And what I find a bit irksome is that the fandom also resorts to flattening them to these tropes as well.

Because Mizu is not some cool, smooth-talking samurai with a big dick sword as Akemi (and the fandom) might believe. All of that is the facade she puts up and nothing more. In reality, Mizu is an angry, confused and lonely child, and a masterful artist, who is struggling against her own self-hatred. Master Eiji, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

And Akemi, on the other hand, is not some girly, sweet, vain and spoiled princess as Mizu might believe. Instead she has never cared for frivolous things like fashion, love or looks, instead favouring poetry and strategy games instead, and has always only cared about her own independence. Seki, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

But neither is she some authoritative dominatrix, though this is part of her new persona that she is trying to project to get what she wants. Because while Akemi is willful, outspoken, intelligent and authoritative, she can still be naive! She is still often unsure and needs to have her hand held through things, as she is still learning and growing into her full potential. Her new parental/guardian figure, Madame Kaji, knows this as well.

So with all that being said, now that we know that Mizu and Akemi are essentially wearing masks and putting up fronts throughout the show, what would a representation of Mizu's and Akemi's true selves actually look like? Easy. It's in their hair.

This shot on the left is the only time we see Mizu with her hair completely down. In this scene, she's being berated by Mama, and her guard is completely down, she has no weapon, and is no longer wearing any mask, as this is after she showed Mikio "all of herself" and tried to take off the mask of a subservient housewife. Thus, here, she is sad, vulnerable, and feeling small (emphasised further by the framing of the scene). This is a perfect encapsulation of what Mizu is on the inside, underneath all the layers of revenge-obsession and the walls she's put around herself.

In contrast, the only time we Akemi with her hair fully down, she is completely alone in the bath, and this scene takes place after being scorned by her father and left weeping at his feet. But despite all that, Akemi is headstrong, determined, taking the reigns of her life as she makes the choice to run away, but even that choice is reflective of her youthful naivety. She even gets scolded by Seki shortly after this in the next scene, because though she wants to be independent, she still hasn't completely learned to be. Not yet. Regardless, her decisiveness and moment of self-empowerment is emphasised by the framing of the scene, where her face takes up the majority of the shot, and she stares seriously into the middle distance.

To conclude, I wish popular fanon would stop mischaracterising these two, and flattening them into tropes and stereotypes (ie. masculine badass swordsman Mizu and feminine alluring queen but also girly swooning damsel Akemi), all of which just seems... reductive. It also irks me when Akemi is merely upheld as a love interest and romantic device for Mizu and nothing more, when she is literally Mizu's narrative foil (takes far more narrative precedence over romantic interest) and the deuteragonist of this show. She is her own person. That is literally the theme of her entire character and arc.

[ganondoodle]

so im not sure if anyones interested, but, i went through quite a bunch of totk critiques by people who were also very disappointed with it and thought id share my favorite videos i found (granted, i only really wachted those that youtube recommened and its mostly .. white men... things like the orientalism problem are not mentioned at all for example, maybe ill update this post if i find any more diverse voices)

i dont agree with every single point and also dont know most of the channels (aside from the big zelda theory guys) so i judged solely by what they mentioned in those videos and the quality of it (like the audio .. bc i cant listen to bad audio)

in no particular order, also they talk about or use footage of the literal ending stuff so if you arent done with the game yet, better leave these for now

(the following one is a podcast thing by multiple zelda theory guys, there some stuff you can skip at the start thats just kidna random things, but the video is marked with chapters)

(theres some mention of some things not making sense, like the sonau only being two, and ithink thats kinda bc the english translation was weirdly vague about that, in the german version its much more directly said that they all died out and only rauru and mineru were left of them;

also mentions of how unfitting it is to call the enigma stones "secret"stones in english might come from a similar thing; in german they where called "Mysterienstein" which would be translated as mystic/mysterious/enigma- stone

just wanted to mention that since the vast majority are gonna play it in english only and the stuff online is also dominated by english)

[sigsfigs]

wips, will delete when i feel like it

[buddiebitch]

WHY are BT shippers so vehemently against actually analyzing the symbolism and choices made for this show?

i mean i saw multiple people saying we were overthinking the vertigo poster. they were saying that it was weird to assume that Buck would fill the pining best friend role that Midge did in the original movie??? (haven’t seen the movie, i just read a few synopses)

i’m sorry, so you agree that he put Ryan Guzman in the main character and Devin Kelley as the love interest because they’ll fill those roles in the storyline, but we’re overthinking when we point out what role he put Oliver Stark in?

or when i bring up the possible symbolism of Tommy always calling him Evan, the only response i get from BT stans is “well he would tell him if he didn’t like it” or “i think it’s because he was introduced that way and that’s why” or even “i think he probably likes that Tommy calls him Evan” (all real responses i saw) and it’s like, yeah that’s cool, those are great headcanons for you, but that actually isn’t what i was talking about. nothing wrong with having a headcanon, but it doesn’t explain anything about the show or answer any of my questions.

i mean in s4 he corrected his PARENTS and told them his name was Buck, and in s6 it was used to emphasize the strangeness of his coma dream, how everyone was calling him Evan, the whole show him being called Evan has almost always been used to emphasize that someone doesn’t know him very well, how are y’all convinced that it’ll mean something different this time? i get that some people think it’s supposed to be growth, that he’s cool with being called his first name, but if that’s the goal it definitely isn’t reading that way to me.

like i wish i could see things through the same lens as these people so it could make sense to me, i just don’t get how you can willfully ignore SO many hints just so you can ship what you want.

no hate to the ship or the shippers obviously, i’m just baffled by the lengths they’ll go to in order to convince themselves that plot device man is endgame for Buck.

[starshine-valley]

Okay, so as resident Tsukasa fan (an original title i know), I actually really like this card. I know the fes cards are usually big and glamorous but I find it kind of nice that the character who’s most likely to get the big, grand card just has a domestic simple one.

I also love his hairstyle.

Like it’s so casual and when put against Saki and Emu, it’s pretty normal, looking more like a card from a mixed unit event than a fes card.

It’s such a nice contrast to all his showstopping cards like kingkasa, jesterkasa, etc. because it shows how much normalcy made him want to reach for the stars and well, be a star. That at the end of the day. Underneath his path to stardom. It all boils down to his childhood. To his family. To Saki. To the simple dream of making everyone smile even in outlandish ways.

That’s how i feel but i’m curious about other people’s povs because twitter (for the most part) is ripping this to shreds. 😭🙏🏻

[dv-kelp-face]

Thalia Grace everyone!

Tamara Smart!🥳

[cloudcountry]

oli!! congratulations on the 1k <3 for the event I would like to vil + sit on his lap?) or vil + lap jeje idk I just want to sit on his lap and talk?) XDD, well take care and let's go for the 2k ^^/

aaaa thank you!!!! <3 my first thought was doing vil's eyeliner bc YK "sit on my lap and do my eyeliner" but i know he would NEVER let someone else do his eyeliner sigh.

so instead, you're taking his makeup off. C:< onwards to 2k!! thank you for your support anon <33

VIL SCHOENHEIT + LAP (1k event details)

~~~~~

Pomfiore dinners were always a hassle.

You’d think the dorm with someone like Vil at its head would be calm, but with all the preparations required to make the dinner go perfectly, it was anything but.

As if that wasn’t enough, Vil's morning alarm didn’t go off and he didn’t have time to go on his morning run. Just when you both thought he couldn’t get more thrown off his routine, it suddenly began to rain. Silently cursing whoever had angered Malleus as thunder rumbled in the distance, you and Vil had to take shelter before heading back to Pomfiore.

By now, Vil was ready to sleep.

And so you tug him over to his vanity and sit him in front of the mirror. He doesn’t protest when you climb into his lap, nor does he push you away when you start to remove his makeup.

“There you go, beautiful.” you murmur, gently massaging the make-up remover balm into his skin.

He hums at the gentle caressing of your fingers as they map out his features, and his relaxed state makes you happy to serve him.

Is this what it means to be a queen?

“Thank you, dove.” he sighs, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“No problem.” you whisper, and you wrap your arms around his middle.

He lets you kiss the juncture between his neck and shoulder before he tells you to get off his lap so he can wash his face. You, as always, are happy to serve.

[destinysquared]

Another day, another barrage of DMs and comments being like:

"Why did you make Uzi black?"

"Since when is Uzi black?! WTF?!" You know....it's sad that I GENUINELY thought ppl would be smart enough to remember that her father's name is Khan and thus put two and two together regarding her origins....

...Ah well.....

[numberonecodwomenfan]

im not the biggest gaz fan out there (nothing against him, i’m just on a faralex and körangi kick rn) but what the actual fuck is this dawg 😭

WHO IS THATTT

it doesnt even have his body type??? gaz is a lot leaner and this mfer is built like a TANK

covering almost all of his face and changing his body type, face shape, and even his skin tone was… definitely a choice !

[nezuchuuko]

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 13, Episode 10 - Mac Finds his Pride. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

“You don’t know what’s going on inside of me.” “I mean the struggle to be who I am.” “There’s like this storm inside of me and it’s been raging my whole life, and I’m down on my knees, and I’m looking for answers, and then God comes down to me and it’s a very hot chick and she pulls me up and we start dancing.”

“Wait, wait, wait…you’re gay, but you’re dancing with a hot chick, and she’s God?”

“Yes.”

“The Catholics really fucked you up.”

[madou-dilou]

"Gods -Sarai, get up. Just -what am I going to tell them ?"

[jareauwalker]

i would say that i'm a haley hotchner apologist for but she genuinely didn't do anything that needs to be apologized for so

[necrooghost]

(Not a ship)

monika and edward are so bffs (been thinking about the concept for months just never got around to drawing it)

[chipou-art]

Oh oh oooh oh oh oooh

C’est le healer le plus sympa, même si avec toi on gagne pas les combats

Oui toi, Sparadrap !!

[seaweedstarshine]

RIP Krakoa 🌹 I can’t lie I’ve been kinda behind since midway through Fall of X I’m gonna catch up before my first SDCC this summer but I hear Vulcan didn’t see much action anyway. Anyway my hand slipped and I found myself looking into the eyes of my canonically psychotic son the best Summers brother who’s never done anything wrong in his entire life, (he’s done lotsa wrong things but I love him more for it)