#lemme just rant

[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.

[pcktknife]

idgaf what lauren faust say earth pony pinkie>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>pegasus pinkie FOREVER

#kae.txt #i know its her show but like....she dont see the vision and tha pains me (u_u) #ill say this forever but the g4 ponies races are perfect how they turned out and anything different i just dont think would work as well #earth pony twilight is the only change i am remotely interested in #a pegasus choosing to live on the ground and a physics defying earth pony is so much more interesting than a pony thats confined to the #ground cause she from birth Has to be and a physics defying pegasus....cause thats a flying horse #its 5am and im ranting about horses lemme go to bed

[lidoshka]

@feanorianweek Day 6: Amrod and Amras

when they were children, Nerdanel and Feanor dressed the twins the same. One of them liked it, the other was constantly asking why they have the same clothes

Now that only one of them remains, he whishes he had treasured that special thing between them more.

 +

@feanorianweek Día 6: Amrod y Amras

Cuando eran niños, Nerdanel y Feanor vestían a los gemelos igual. A uno de ellos le gustaba, el otro preguntaba constantemente porque llevaban el mismo vestuario.

Ahora que solo uno de ellos permanece, él desea haber valorado más este singular aspecto.

#mis trazos #feanorianweek #ambarussa #amrod #amras #feanorians #Silmarillion #Tolkien world #the Eramos Felices y no lo Sabiamos series #Lemme rant a little bit #This happened to me and my siblings #We had different things that matched #From watches to shirts to coats to backpacks #Sometimes they were identical but the worst was when they only changed in colors. #We looked like power rangers guys! #Aaahh but now that we have different styles I kinda miss it… ^^; #Just one of those things you thought you hated until you lost it

[mrsandypants]

#Kamden #Na Kamden #Ampers&One #A&1 #AmpersAndOne #gif #gifs #gifset #I'm just so happy he's debuting #I couldn't hold back my excitement #I just wanna hug his lil face #He has grown so much since Wild Idol #I am so proud of him #I'm so sorry that these are as LQ as they are #But I just wanted to squee about him #That's all #Like lemme pocket him #And give him all of the sweets #Pants Rants

[sassyandclassy94]

…But it’s not my business…

Some nights tumblr makes me really mad. All these takes I don’t agree with, people being mean to each other and choosing to not put aside their friends’ political affiliations, etc. etc. etc. Sometimes the only solution is to pour yourself a hot drink and mind your business while also simultaneously biting your tongue.

#things have gone batcrap crazy lemme tell ya #oh well. it’s fine it’s fine this is just me getting things off my chest #anyWHOOOOO…. enjoy Matthew & Jack drinking from their mugs #Jack Mulhern #Matthew gray Gubler #Spencer Reid #Bobby Sanders #criminal minds #odd man rush #I filtered those but I don’t give a flying hoot if anyone wants to save them and use them. I really don’t care #Abby rants

[gotchibam]

Feeling better now so I'm back to working on the doodles!! (already finished a few so some of them should be posted soon)

Also just a reminder that my character comms are still open so if anyone's interested abt requesting a certain character in my style, just head to my comms page & place a request! 👍

#pspspsps bg3 fans..... pls lemme draw your tavs 🥺🥺🥺 #also I don't mind drawing the origin characters hehe #someone already requested astarion & i'm ABSOLUTELY excited to draw him!!! (after I get thru the doodles) #I don't have the game but. but uhm. i've fallen for the pale elf. 😔 #months ago actually & I kept wanting to rant abt it on twt but idk I just never did lol #but yeah. also batstarion. BLEASE if someone wants to comm a batstarion from me I will gladly draw him!!!!! #bam blabs

[charliesgoodboy]

Guys I don't think tumblr understands the words top reader and bottom reader

Or is it just me🧍🏾

#dazai•rants #lemme fr tag these so ppl can see #top male reader #bottom male reader #its just sad

[chrollohearttags]

yk, I’d be waaay more inclined to believe this whole ‘I’m sick of x, y and z trope w black writers/readers’ IF y’all didn’t make it contingent upon what and who was popular. I’m starting to think y’all only care when it’s a fandom or set of characters you don’t like. Or like anymore rather lmao.

#bc somebody can go and write plug Gojo or getuo rn and it’ll blow up #but y’all hate eren and connie fics all of a sudden #cherry chats 🍒 #it was a different tune a year ago but what do EYE know 🌚 #lemme hush befire I talk myself into another break #discourse #rants #black writers #black writblr #idk y’all have this same convo every two wks but it’s only for certain ppl #I see toxic g*jo fics all the time and not an eye blinked #but bc y’all all of a sudden don’t like aot for whatever reason #they’re so toxic to black women #please shut the fuck up omg :( #like just say you only wanna see what’s popular and go #but let’s nawt bash other black ppl for what they wanna write #your experiences are not universal #okay back into hiding I go

[piracytheorist]

The fact that of all instruments, Loid chose to see Anya's potential in music through a violin drives me insane. The violin is one of the hardest instruments to learn, and even harder to master a good sound for beginners. Among my co-students we had a joke that went something like "When a child is on their first year on the violin, their entire family suffers" because most first-year violin students (unless they're like, prodigies or something) need about a year to achieve a sound that sounds like music and not like nails on a chalkboard. Even people who eventually become professional violinists are pretty terrible on their first year.

And aside from the difficulty of producing a good sound, there's the thing about the violin (along with the other string instruments of that section, viola, cello and double bass) being a fretless instrument. There are no frets separating the neck in "notes". That means that you only learn where each note is by practice and muscle memory.

In comparison, guitars - also string instruments, but of a different classification since they don't use bows - have frets.

(that doesn't mean that the guitar is a much easier instrument to learn or play. But you can clearly tell where each note is - though you still have to practice a lot before you can confidently play without counting the frets each time)

WHAT I'M SAYING IS, when introducing children of that age into playing music you usually start with percussion instruments to give them the hands-on experience of "I hit this and it makes a sound. I hit it differently and it makes a different sound". If the child wants to pick up a more demanding instrument... at least you need some patience as a caretaker and an instructor. My boi Loid gave up after a few minutes of Anya simply exploring the instrument.

Now, I understand this was done for humorous purposes, Anya did overdramatically break the strings after all, and to show that Twilight was so stressed for time that he forgot that kids need time to learn and develop a skill. He has the same reaction with Anya being normal for her age at drawing and gymnastics, too. Especially with the gymnastics thing - just like he gave her a violin and expected her to play fucking Paganini or whatever, he had her try jumping on a vault, then Yor came and suggested something more appropriate and achievable for a beginner her age, jumping rope.

Still, I'm going to raise my snooty nose and take this as a headcanon that, finally, we were shown something Twilight genuinely doesn't know shit about. He knows to take the family to the opera to make them appear upper-class, but he doesn't know how one learns music. I mean, that's okay. He's perfect in pretty much all other specialties, he can afford being shitty at one.

#Spy x Family #no that's definitely not my insecurities talking #I'm just more EquippedTM at this than Twilight ok #lemme have my satisfaction lmao #like look I can buy him being smart af and very physically skilled #but if he's ever shown being proficient at an instrument out of nowhere I'm going to FUCKING RIOT #end rant

[kinos-fortress-2]

ok before i continue to do the other 11 stickers... still not sure what you guys think about this...

the theme for the stickers was just like how i explained in my other post, just ugly beheaded heads of the tf2 characters... im just planning to do 14 stickers because hell nah that idead of making all tf2 characters was crazy from my part (still 14 is more insane ha)

and well... uhuh.

oh yeah

DONT REBLOG THANKS.

#when i mean dont reblog is bc hell dont even know if i want to change this designs later #but im gonna leave it open JUST FOR ME TO REBLOG IT if i ever make any announcement about this #this couldve been an idea for halloween tho... #you know this was inspired by those halloween ugly stickers i have found somewhere and well... i like to do this type of style #so idk if i should continue this style buak #also im not sure if i should color this or not... if i should then thats gonna be more difficult buak #i am doing too much to myself i cant finish everything i have... is too much ideas im gonna explode #i just want to draw everything my brain thinks so instead of killing myself drawing i have to write the ideas in my note pad so i dont forg #i feel like a hermit drawing too much sighs... i should take a break is too much ideas #but if i do i will end in an artblock and im afraid of that #sorry ranting over here ha #just lemme know if you do like it or nah still

[renrooked]

i need to get this off my chest otherwise i'll explode but i am so unbelievably tired of the "older sibling who takes care of everyone" narrative

give me more youngest siblings who fill the oldest sibling stereotype, youngest siblings who mediate, who take care of everyone, who are reserved and more oldest siblings who are actively independent, who aren’t caretakers, who are stubborn, who are "the trouble makers"

every time i’m introduced to an eldest sibling and expected to respect them because the writer thinks it’s assumed that by making them the older sibling they were a selfless mini-adult who was forced to grow up in the family (and no one else) it takes so many years off my life

not every oldest sibling is going to be a parent figure with a sense of duty

not every oldest sibling shows they care openly/communicates well

not every oldest sibling is easy going

you can write well liked and relatable eldest siblings without making them a wise mini-adult

and their problems and struggles can extend past the side effects of being an oldest/older sibling

also, you can create a character that knows the burden of having to take care of someone without having to make them an older sibling at all!

and you can create younger siblings who aren’t selfish and sporadic. i promise, not every younger sibling is chaotic and causes a scene in order for their needs to be tended to

you can create a character that has the flaw of being brash and codependent without making them the youngest

not all younger siblings are wild and reckless

not all younger siblings are spoiled by their parents/put on pedestals

not all younger siblings are attention seeking

you can write flawed younger siblings without making them forever-children

personally my older sister never filled the whole “i’m meant to take care of you” role. she actively made it clear she didn’t want me around well into adulthood, and would often actively ignore any time i was hurt or upset to make a point for me not to bother her

and she near constantly got into arguments when we were younger that i had to mediate (mind you, she's 6 years older than me) and would make a habit of smacking me on the arm out of annoyance/frustration if i was doing something she didn't like

so sorry, but i just find it lazy a lot of the time when entire personalities are implied of "older sibling so obviously wise second parent and younger sibling so obviously messy selfish baby" and i don't think people realize how absolutely constant this dynamic is implied as an inherent fact in media

anyway, this is all probably doing nothing more than just revealing deep rooted familial trauma but i'm tired of being expected to just believe your oldest is the genuine kind hearted caretaker and youngest is the loose cannon, show me!

make me believe that it’s a natural progression of their personalities! why did the oldest decide to take on that role rather than reject it! what about their situation made the youngest feel the need to be so rebellious!

#literally the only media i've ever accepted this dynamic is arcane and supernatural #they're the only two i've watched and been like okay yeah this shit makes sense this checks out i believe it #everything else i'm just annoyed #it skips all the showing and any setup and starts right in the middle like well obviously we ended up here #no! no it's not obvious! what made y'all this way #what did yall go through. how did your parents raise you or not raise you. what made y'all feel like you needed each other #just one older sibling who is a piece of shit is that too much to ask in this economy god damn #anyways idk what to tag this now #rennie talks in tags #rennie rants #writing #sibling dynamics #familial relationships #if i miss any tags just lemme know and ill add them :D

[hidingoutbackstage]

This Teppen art makes me cryyyy 😭😭😭 Steve had such a terrible fate

#sid rants #steve burnside #wesker’s a fucking monster #‘yeah lemme just steal this teenager’s corpse for my own gain’

[antiyourwokehomophobia2]

Is there an active (key word) creative writing discord anywhere around here?Gender crit is a must, but that's my only requirement. Preferences are that there are occasional voice calls where we talk about our stories/writing processes

#Please #I have already made one server lmao #I don't want to make another one #But I'm going to crazy #I'd love a space to just rant about my writing #Because it feels like nobody is interested in asking me questions about it or talking at length about it 😭 #Like damn #Lemme nerd out for ten uninterrupted minutes #Women kiss in it I prommy

[cows1012]

big fan of marble nest, so here is a hypothetical of sleepy head and shrew but if their designs were unique from the usual npc designs. i think they deserve it, as the resident daniil fanclub members

#pathologic #marble nest #daniil dankovsky #lemme rant in the tags a bit. ignore me </3 #i posted this on twitter originally but i dont think the fandoms too active there. #i watched the codex entry vid #and i think its just so funny these two random kids are fighting over daniils life with sticky. #if they dont appear in the bachelor route i will be rioting /j #i have headcanons for them and shit its like really bad. the children ever. #i tried to keep aspects from their og designs but make them a little more distinct!! #i understand why the npcs all look the same/similar but look. it would be so awesome... it would be so cool...

[nguyenfinity]

Originally it was just gonna be Rinne but then I realized what shirt I was wearing today so. Have Rinniki in the outfits I've worn this week--

#niki's hair is put up kinda like mine too #enstars #niki shiina #rinne amagi #rinniki #rinne should get more headband variants!!!!!! #yes that's a headband i own #ACTUALLY LEMME RANT A LITTLE #one thing that consistently bugs me about the way rinne wears his headband (as someone who wears one regularly) is how it pins some of his- #-hair to his head. like mine was doing that yesterday and it b u g g e d me i don't know how he does it #just wanted to take part in the trend it seems really fun #also 'cause rinne just. dresses the same as me #i'm not saying i dress the same as him 'cause i've been dressing with headbands like that before i knew he existed get on my level loser

[sirensea14]

Me with who

I trusted, Let you in

Let you see through my broken skin

Let you tell me, People would love me

Not get sick of me, Get rid of me

I know you rarely open your Tumblr from your browser but if ever you do so, well, sana matamaan ka.

#siren screams #personal rant #relatable memes #in sound mind #Song #rant post #Friend #Im slowly distancing myself from an irl friend #I couldnt help but develop some trust issues but maybe im just overreacting #I dunno #I will just.... rant #I feel like she really hates me even if she would say it as a joke sometimes #Telling me im so annoying everytime we see each other #And we're even classmates for this school year! #But im slowly distancing myself #I cant bring myself up to a happy mood whenever I need to face her #Like not looking onto her face #Of course i know everyone in the class noticed it eveb if they wont say anything about us #Cuz they know that me and this irl friend are inseparable and always buy in the canteen during recess #But now im alone #all all alone #I have two moots here thatre my classmates irl rn #If any of you two read this. Dont tell anyone #I just... ranted #Thats all #Damn fuck i want some sleep but i cant since i need to prepare for exams next week #Its 1 pm here btw #I rlly want some sleep to replenish my whole being #Ah no lemme rephrase that--i want eternal sleep #A sleep where no one can ever wake me from.