#THE BLUE MEANS I LOVE YOU

[amaranthnecros]

When a song gets stuck in your head and you force it out by watercolours and brush >:)

Shadowbite got pwned by the ship's wires-

#transformers #tfp #tfp oc #transformers prime #original character #THE BLUE MEANS I LOVE YOU #cw: gore #UwU energon bwood #Idek #Art #Watercolour art #Decepticon #decepticons #maccadam

[kagoutiss]

pelican town, ‘72

#stardew valley #stardew valley spoilers #sdv #sdv spoilers #grandpa #mister qi #mr. qi #idk how dates work in stardew universe im just bullshittin #i love qi’s huge fucking eyebrows you dont notice them at first but theyre there #(gives our collective grandpa a ponytail) i think he had one. whatever #’why isnt mister qi blue’ my hc is he is blue from long-term iridium supplementation #and was originally just a regular person #but also it’s nice to see ur fav be like a normal human color #if u read tag essays tho consider this: #qi discovers secret to immortality (consuming iridium in a specific manner) #wants to share discovery with his farmer (player’s grandpa) and in that way. they will have all the time in the world to build #a perfect farming/business empire whose legacy will last forever and ever and theyll be 2gether forever #but it turns out. like a lot of normal people would. his farmer does not want to live forever #and obv he doesn’t #in an attempt to try not to ever lose the thing that means more to him than anything else in the world. qi inadvertantly ensures he will #because his farmer is dead. and he’s going to live forever #but. it’s kind of ok. because he has infinite money and was able to figure out how to talk to his dead bf #and now YOU help them fulfill their joint goal of making the farm’s legacy last forever #smile. heart #sobbing

[commsroom]

... which oblivion has not yet swallowed up and buried. 🌊 (art by @hehearse, who is always wonderful.)

#wolf 359 #w359 #hera wolf 359 #hera w359 #i am so in love with this piece #the colors and composition and everything about it #the glassy techlike artificiality of the wave #with its lines and dots #her expression is so striking #the line of her reflections. the way that blue holographic look overlaps in the wave and her dress is cut off by the lines of the uniform #it's so good. it's so so good. thank you so much #this has such a great atmosphere and i think it captures her perfectly. and it's a great representation of #what i mean when i say she's not literally blue. it's what it represents. #art

[kaladinkholins]

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.

#blue eye samurai #mizu blue eye samurai #akemi blue eye samurai #blue eye samurai meta #just in case... im gonna tag this as #mizukemicritical #akemizucritical #though this post isnt actually criticising the ship itself but rather fanon's portrayal of the ship and the characters #for that reason lemme also tag this as #wank.mp3 #feel free to disagree of course but please be civil #and if you need to rant about how wrong i am without any convincing evidence kindly feel free to make your own post. peace and love <3 #fandom.rtf #meta dissertations.pdf #shut up haydar #edit: for full disclosure. i do rather dislike this ship. but obviously it's fine for anyone to enjoy it. please do! have your fun! #it's just that as usual! popular fanon and fandom around a ship is what has completely deterred me from any sense of enjoyment of it #it's a shame too because i was very open and even eager for some mizu/akemi romance in the future #but out-of-character fanon + the rudeness of certain fans has definitely soured it for me #but that doesn't mean people can't enjoy it obviously! ship and let ship!!! #plus it has its appeal which i DO STILL see and enjoy!!!! #i would even go as far as to call them soulmates because their narratives and characters are LITERALLY intertwined!!! #but. yeah. my gradual distaste for this ship is indeed very unfortunate.

[yrsonpurpose]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for having saved me. I was drowning and you threw yourself into the water without hesitation, without a backward look.

#rwrb #rwrbedit #red white and royal blue #alex x henry #firstprince #userninz #userveronika #chrissiewatts #usersteen #usermegsb #usernuria #userclara #mine* #back doing another one of these lmfaoo askfjgd #oouughhh they just love and support each other so!! much!!!! #they are making each other better and they ALWAYS know what the other one needs #and i think thats the most beautiful :') #'its my life' 'doesnt mean you have to accept it' such an underrated line ouch

[weaponizedducks]

you know what i think kids/teen books do 'fantasy romance/fantasy books' way better than any of the adult fantasy books booktok raves about. i try and read some of them and 90 percent of the time its just smut and abusive relationships disguised as 'dark romance'. then i read books like Keeper Of The Lost Cities, The School for Good and Evil, Percy Jackson, Land of Stories, the Nevermoor series, that kind of thing, and they are all actually so amazing because they have fleshed out characters with flaws and an engaging plotline instead of just badly written romance. and when they do have romance it's well written and about the people rather than the tropes.

#anti booktok #six of crows is the only booktok book i have loved #this is not me being anti- smut #it's just when it's the only thing driving the plot it's bad #it should not be used as a plot device #anything by taylor jenkins reid i don't mean you you are beautiful #keeper of the lost cities #the school for good and evil #nevermoor #the land of stories #percy jackson #six of crows #anti sjm #anti coho #booktok #you know what i'm talking about #blue analyses things

[saetoshi]

reo is not above asking for kisses. in fact, he begs for them.

it’s a little embarrassing when you’re out in public, really. the way he tugs at your sleeve, whining because you haven’t kissed him in forever (you kissed him before you left your apartment.)

embarrassingly enough, it’s also why you find yourself hidden away in an alley more often than not with reo pressing a flurry of kisses on your lips.

“reo-” you turn your head to the side, trying to catch your breath. he only hums in response before tilting your head back to keep kissing you.

(you’re starting to think you’re going to pass out from the lack of air.)

“reo!” you hiss, tilting your head up, his lips landing on your chin before he huffs, his hand coming up again to gently push you head down so you’re facing him again.

“jus’ one more.” he mumbles, pressing his lips to yours again with a satisfied hum. (he’s said that for the past fifteen minutes.)

(you think he’s becoming spoiled.)

you pull away, turning your head to the side, biting back a smile when he whines as you place your hand over his lips. a soft, slightly annoyed huff leaves your lips when he presses a kiss to the palm of your hand.

"reo." you sigh, looking at him with a frown. "we're gonna be late."

he frowns back at you.

"nagi's gonna be even more late than us!" his voice comes out muffled due to your hand. you hum in confusion before he slowly grabs your wrist and lowers your hand, repeating his words with a pout.

you sigh, slightly shaking your head, "even if he is, i don't wanna make him wait too long for us."

reo groans, resting his forehead on your shoulder. you absentmindedly lift your hand to pat his head in slight comfort.

"do we really have to go now?" he pouts, lifting his head from your shoulder to look at you.

he whines when you nod. he sniffles, "nagi's probably not even there yet!"

"doesn't matter," you hum, smiling when he huffs and crosses his arms, turning away from you with a frown as he grumbles under his breath.

you gently turn his head back to yours, a teasing smile on your lips. "i thought you'd be more excited to see your best friend?"

"i am." he pouts, "i just don't see why that means i can't kiss you."

"you can." you blink, "it's just embarrassing when you beg me to kiss you in the middle of the street."

he lets out a gasp, "no it isn't!

"for you, maybe!" you laugh, poking his nose. "wouldn't you feel embarrassed if i suddenly stopped you in the middle of a busy street, just to ask for a kiss?"

"no!" he huffs, puffing his cheeks out, looking slightly offended at the accusation, "i'd feel flattered."

you roll your eyes, "yeah, right."

he huffs again after a beat of silence, pouting before he steps back and sighs, "fine. let's get going, then."

"wait," you hum, a mischievous smile on your lips as you grab his shirt and pull him close to you again. "aren't you forgetting something?"

you laugh when his face lights up, his hands cupping your cheeks as he leans in, whispering, "one for the road."

(it was not, in fact, one kiss. he started pressing a flurry of kisses on your lips again.

he's too spoiled, you conclude. still, you can't find it in yourself to stop indulging him.)

(though, you're both embarrassed by the time nagi's spamming your phones with calls, asking why neither of you have arrived at the café yet.)

#finally non sae content everyone clap #I LOVE REO SM HES MY LIL POOKIE #*detailed paragraph abt how much i love him and how my love is so big it brings me to tears* #take this as my apology for not writing but also bc im gonna get totk tomorrow and that means im gonna be busy skrunklies hyrule needs me #bllk x reader #reo x reader #blue lock x reader #bllk x you #blue lock x you #bllk fluff #bllk scenarios #blue lock fluff #reo mikage x reader #bllk reo #mikage reo #reo mikage #blue lock reo #reo fluff #reo x y/n #mikage reo x reader #mikage reo x you #reo x you

[dysfunctionalcreature]

the concept of Alastor capturing and torturing Vox because he fucking hates him but Vox then absolutely gets off on it occurred to me a few days ago and i have not been normal abt them since

#alexa play Love Me Dead by Ludo #alexa also play The Red Means I Love You by Madds Buckley #alexa also also play The Dismemberment Song by Blue Kid #radiostatic #staticradio #hazbin hotel #alastor the radio demon #alastor hazbin hotel #vox #vox hazbin hotel #the radio demon #the tv demon #hazbin hotel headcanon #alastor x vox #vox x alastor

[lyxchen]

Something I love about Heartbreak High is how when we first see Amerie's perspective of what happened at the festival everything is good and Harper is happy and jokes around with her but then when we see Harpers perspective you suddenly notice how unsure and uncomfortable she actually is. Like she doesn't smile as much and it's a little more fake and she's being much more serious, for example with the "I think my house is haunted" moment and also when her dad texts her. But Amerie didn't notice. Which is why she didn't realize something was going on with Harper and why she couldn't imagine that anything had happened that day. In her memory everything was great and perfect when it in fact wasn't. And I think that's a really cool way of showing both their perspectives because while overall they both remember the same things, their perception of How it happened is different

#i love love looove when shows do that #like showing the same moments twice but with different acting from the actors to show how the different characters percieved what happened #and here you can clearly see it #you can really see how amerie and harper had such different memorys of that day #so of course harper being mean to amerie and ignoring her comes out of the blue for amerie #because she didn't notice #and then you see harpers perspective and suddenly you see that actually everything wasn't great #anyways #good show!!!! #amazing show!!!!! #oh also something i noticed just now because i continued watching the scene from harpers perspective #when harper says no to taking the drugs and amerie is like 'what so i just do them by myself' #amerie sound angry #like she sounds really pissed off at harper #but then in amerie's version she's more confused and yes a bit annoyed but definetly not angry #like that's a huge difference #so yeah anyways #that's it for now #heartbreak high #amerie wadia #harper mclean #lea's random thoughts

[featherbreak]

Nona added in the spirit of truth: "And I can't help chewing the ends with plaits. I want to steer clear of Temptation."

feat. Noodle(s) and a mustache r--

coloured contacts & silly faces test for summer!croptop!Nona (aka "it's too hot to wear three layers on public transit right now, ayfkm?")

#hair is my own #it's hip-length which works for Nona but the right half is also blue #Nona can have a little dyed hair as a treat #no wait Nona i didn't mean you could eat it-- #we love our nono #nona palona #nona the ninth #the locked tomb #cosplay #cosplay test #gpoy #nona #tlt nona #nona tlt #worm with problems #free mustache rides #the locked tomb cosplay #tlt cosplay #featherbreak cosplay

[popponn]

it was not quite like a rot.

it felt just as slow, however. you knew the early signs should have been there since some time ago, yet you missed them and ignored them. it was also similar in the way that it was similar to dying.

but, it really was different.

when you saw a rot, it felt unpleasant. it could be sadness, it might be disgust. in this tale, you didn't exactly feel like that. when you realized it, you barely felt recognition for it.

when you realized you fell out of love with him, you merely stared emptily at the photo in front of you.

it felt cruel. because somewhere inside you, you still believed that he deserved a gentle, tender moment in his life after everything. you still wish that he would know a kindness that he understood enough to soothe every bitter unhappiness that was left inside there. because he, you know more than anyone, had tried his best to be gentle, to be good for you.

you knew it in the way he etched your name on his tongue, in the way he had softened many rough parts of him just to see you smile, and yet—

as the clouds continued to move, unveiling the blue sky, you knew that your time as "his" had come to an end. that day was peaceful. the sky and the world continued to move.

the night came and you decided to put an end to a story. seven hundred and fifty two days had passed, calmly and almost coldly, you offered him a quiet smile.

"hey, can we talk for bit?"

SAE, RIN, BAROU, reo, kaiser, WANDERER, DILUC, LEONA, azul, RIDDLE, malleus, IDIA, ruggie + your faves.

#“you change when you love when you are loved. what happen after that love fades?” #that was sort of the tragedy that is on my mind. like wow love make life gets better and take place. which mean it will left a trace #in either a hole or a speck. i think that was what “note me” think when writing this. aka thoughts and prayer for all the guys involved her #bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #sae x reader #rin x reader #wanderer x reader #genshin x reader #leona x reader #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #idia x reader #genshin angst #bllk angst #twst angst #bllk imagines #twst imagines #genshin imagines #okay yeah trying new format good night everyone #drabbles #blurbs #in a way

[gelatinorifice]

Never let a parasite experience human emotions it might fall in love with someone who wants it dead

#Gelatinous art #Hlvrai #Benrey Hlvrai #half life but the ai is self aware #Eyestrain #Slightly #Pink to blue means I love you #Or something #Frenrey #<- Implied

[jorenilee]

sore winners and sore losers

#pokemon au #realizing i havent drawn josukes full team prompted this #he also has a braviary and mienshao im right #and maybbee toxtricity or pawmot #and update okuyasu absolutely also has a squawkabilly and scovillain IM RIGHTTT #this was a fun exercise in i hate colour theory what do you mean gray is blue #i REALLY SHOULD draw more pokemon given how it was my number one childhood love #art #jjba #jjba diu #au #jojo fanart #diu #josuke higashikata #okuyasu nijimura #josuyasu #jojoba #one day ill draw everyone with their teams. likely. maybe. a possibility

[happistar]

Day 19: Tarot card

Past, present, future. You're fucked dude.

#be more chill #bmc #squipril #squipril 2024 #you can pry this color scheme from my cold dead hands. i fuckign love blues #happi's art #technically these should all be reversed for the meanings im going for (or at least high priestess & emperor. magician could go either way) #but it looks nicer right side up :) #anyways i put a lot of thought picking cards that fit and then realized i could make it work w/ the timeline of bmc #so yeah! #a little late but eh. that seems to be how it is with me haha

[tvckerwash]

you know, an interpretation of ct that I don't see that I personally really love is that she's a fuck up. like yes she's cool and she has some good fight scenes, but a huge part of her character is that she makes mistakes. the mistakes that she makes are ones that on their own aren't the end of the world, but she keeps making these little mistakes, and they eventually add up until she's out of room to make any more.

a really good example of this phenomenon in action is the actions she took leading up to her final confrontation with carolina and tex.

strike one, she thought she saw something in the water, but when asked by the leader what it was, she brushed it off as nothing when even if it had been nothing, it would've been smart to tell him what she thought she saw.

strike two, she didn't sense or notice florida's presence when the leader did, and she looks at the leader twice, once as she pulled out her magnums, and again after she did a scan of the room, almost like she was looking at him for guidance before he finds florida and takes him out with one good axe throw.

strike three, she couldn't convince the leader to leave when they had the chance to get away, and her cheap tricks were not enough to hold off either tex or carolina in a fight. they were only good for incapacitating her opponents enough for her to get away, which doesn't work when she has no escape.

ct is not tex, or carolina, or south. she is not a one woman army who can get herself out of trouble when she's stuck in tough situations. she needs people who can watch her back, she need a team who can cover her when she does mess up, and the leader and his team were not those people. she couldn't bring herself to trust them, and they couldn't bring themselves to trust her, and that cost all of them their lives.

#i say i never see this interpretation of ct as if I'm not the only person having ct thoughts in 2024 lmao #red vs blue #rvb #agent connecticut #this is why wash and ct work so good together they function best in teams but theyre put in situations where theyre on their own #and they suffer because of it #but where wash had no choice in ending up w/o a team ct did #the ability to choose is a powerful tool. but being able to choose means that sometime somewhere someone will choose wrong #oh to further clarify the interpretation of ct I'm used to seeing is stereotypical hyper competent badass bitch type character #I've never really seen ct that way though tbh. she's a rebellious smart-ass who loves stating the obvious #it's honestly a pretty childish trait which i think goes well with her complex about being seen as a kid who needs excuses made for #her subpar performance in the field #basically in her head ct is james bond but in reality she's cringefail loser girl who wants to be a hero #you know what analyzing and discussing how heroism is viewed in rvb might be a pretty good essay #these colorful guys and gals aint heroes theyre all losers trying their best #anyway I'm off to attempt drawing a meta! tucker piece that may or may not turn out

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Keep Being Amazing!!! (sorry I drew this with my mouse. I was too lazy to get a real pen.) I hope you have a wonderful day!

#submission #other's art #mdzs #poorly drawn mdzs #lan wangji #AAAAAAA!!!!! thank you thank you...your art is so sweet (and with a *Mouse*??? dang!!!) #I love how you draw hair....I wish to know your secrets #You have enacted the combo of saying something nice to me + showing concern for my well being + giving me a little gift. #Picture me scuttling towards you very fast and on all fours. Coming at you for friendship #I'm a very simple creature #Your rainbow text inspired me I had to match the energy #And by match I mean make sure they are not separated #Lwj doesn't get enough opportunities to girl boss!! Just because he's the 'stoic on the outside' type does NOT mean that he can't *slay* #If his malewife gets to put on the cat ears and meow then he gets to be the girlhusband who puts on the bunny ears! #LWJ is a goth in white and blue and he works it so hard! #that aside #the font is Fiolex Girls! #for the font fans #I also completely forgot about Easter (was asleep for 3 days) so here's my bunny posting to celebrate