onk mini-rambling
tl;dr i feel going against the current a bit as a die-hard ishimiko shipper, but I love Aquakane a whole lot ahahahah
heavy spoilers under the cut
Apparently this is an unusual take, but I'm not really convinced Aquakana is that similar to Ishimiko. The power balance is off and Kana in general reminds me more of how Maki behaves, with some shades of being too "bright" and removed from Aqua's real worries and business. She is still a complex character with good motivations, but the stakes she operates on are too different from what Aqua's revenge plot hinges on.
I've been fighting this feeling that Aquakane was more similar to Ishimiko since chapter 26.
Most people seemed to think otherwise, so I considered I was just seeing things and tried being more into Aquakana once, but I realized it required downplaying what really was going on with Akane too much. And the more I really tried to read Akane with unbiased eyes, the more I came to love her. There is something fundamentally missing for me to think the time Aqua and Kana spent apart is setup for a stronger SINCERE development now, and his protectiveness and admiration of her seem too rooted in the idea of salvation/redemption for Ai, which is platonic. Most of the time, the protectiveness he displays of her is too similar to Ruby for me to think it's romantic or concealing some deep forbidden attraction.
Overall, I think Kana is cute but I can't feel much for the ship. Her chemistry with Akane is really good too, I'm hoping the anime gets a second season for the Tokyo Blade arc because it's amazing.
Kana does bring light to Aqua's life. I can see it, but that reminds me more of Tsubame's role than Miko's..."The Sun".
She helps Aqua get in touch with acting again, he supports her and plays around with her, but at the end of the day, that always seems distant and only a symptom of Aqua's true struggles. He can be happy besides Kana, but it somewhat only happens at the cost of shutting down what is actually eating him alive, and what could have been if his life hadn't been such a mess of tragedies.
And Kana, despite learning the truth, doesn't seem to be able to grasp how deeply that actually affected Aqua, and how badly he is screaming for help. That he wants to be saved. She knows he is more hurt than what he says, but has no idea how it's dragging his whole life down a rabbit hole he can't crawl out of.
On the other hand, Akane sits besides Aqua in the darkness, and offers him some comfort to rely on, so he can at his own pace dig deeper inside himself to drag out his ghosts and finally heal his wounds.
Not only that, she has a path she'd like him to take, but she's letting it be of his own choosing. She'll stop him no matter the cost, but she's also teaching him the hard way to take the hard route of choosing his happiness for himself and to admit he doesn't truly want to toss his life aside for revenge.
The plot isn't all that similar. Neither are the stakes. But the deeper reasons that make me appreciate Ishimiko feel more similar to what I can see here.
This might get people miffed with me (onk fandom can get a little scary with waifu wars), but I see far more in common with Aqua and Akane's relationship. Through their "fake dating trope" relationship, they ended up opening to eachother and blurring the line of "I can't feel something for you" too much, and as of recent chapters are developing something closer to a rivalry and spite born out of love that is....*chef's kiss* more what I'm into? NEURON ACTIVATION IN MY MONKEY BRAIN.
LOOK AT THAT EX ENERGY....THE BITCH PLEASE EXPRESSION ON A GIRL THAT WAS ONCE THE SWEETEST CINAMMON ROLL EVER
FUCK YES GIVE ME SOME RIVALRY AND ANTI-VILLAIN SHIP GOODNESS. I'm sorry, but only Akane gets to see him like this and I love it
Constantly wondering what is a lie, what is Aqua concealing his feelings and having his expressions hidden is delicious. In a way, both of them fell for the mask ("the savior" and "the perfect imitation of Ai") but stayed for what was underneath (a wounded lonely person and someone who wants to be by their side).
Because Aqua, despite being shrouded in lies and using "It's a business relationship, a game" like a shield, truly felt like he tasted happiness and comfort. He felt understood and like he had an ally for the first time in ever, but he did not want to drag her down with him, despite saying he "just wants to use her". And he's willing to protect her by becoming hateful.
And this was the point of no return for me.
Aqua is still Goro, and no matter how much he tells himself it doesn't matter that he was dead like a nobody and that he couldn't connect to anyone after Sarina's passing...
Isn't that awfully lonely?
And yet, Akane was able to find him. She's seen his literal worst, most rotten self, and she was still by his side and grateful to him.
Does it matter how it started, then? Despite Aqua using her as a tool, she's aware of the best and worst parts of his personality. She knows how much his kindness is a heavy burden, and how it drives him to his most reckless self. Akane feels for him, but loves him for all he's done for her. Aqua doesn't allow himself to enjoy life or live for himself, but he has been able to put his objectives aside simply because he thought Akane needed help.
"When you fall down the stairs, I'll be there to catch you"....ahahaha
god help me, if this ship is going down, I'll sink with it
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❤️ CONCEPT:
The previous Dendro Archon is dead, we know this. The Sun is gone and the Moon is what remains, Nahida is the one ruling the land.
You're a normal person living in our world, playing Genshin Impact. You love the lore, the gameplay, the characters, you adore it all. Sumeru is around the corner and are currently busy absorbing all of the trailers that are coming out. As you watch the newest one a strange headache engulfs you, it's so strong that it almost knocks you out. Upon seeing the ancient tree that is connected with the Dendro Archon's consciousness in the trailer you begin to see black in your peripheral vision, voices of hundreds, if not thousands of people surrounding you, begging you to come back, begging you not to leave them. Your head is heavy, it's so heavy you just want to crack your skull open just to numb the pressure, just a little bit. The voices are everywhere now, they are getting louder and louder but you cannot scream, you cannot beg them to stop as they continue to cry and shout, the noises of talking, the sounds of the wind and exotic smells all bleed together into one until you can finally open your eyes, you can finally see again.
You are no longer in your room but are instead located in an exotic forest, filled to the brim with flora and fauna you've never seen before in your whole entire life and yet it all seems so vaguely familiar. With a tight chest and a sore throat you locate a nearby water source and are eager to drink, anything, just to make the pain go away. As your hands come into contact with the fresh water you smile but upon seeing your reflection do you do a sudden double take and notice your appearance. With new glowing eyes you are left stunned in your place, ice dripping all over your veins as a sudden realization hits you like a pile of bricks.
You were the previous Dendro Archon.
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this would never happen because of the magic (or maybe it could only because of the magic) but imagine if marinette posted a pinterest mirror selfie or wathever and for some reason it becomes viral cause someone reposted it on twitter saying "this is how imagine ladybug to look like". and then everybody is using that photo on pinterest for headcanons and she is
FREAKING
OUT
but everybody she knows is just like, that's so cool people think you look like ladybug :D
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