#very kindly

[arceal-doodles]

headcannon where paps 100% knows how to cook and undyne is the only one who knows... so he has some fun with it.

bonus:

#one of my favorite hcs #let paps be chaotic good dammit #he was molded that way #HAVE YOU SEEN HOW HE BROKE UNDYNE'S WINDOW ALL NONCHALANTLY? #MAN HAS LITERAL CHAOS EMINATING IN HIS BONES #HE BELIEVES IN YOU #BUT HE'LL ALSO LAUGH AT YOU FOR FALLING TO HIS JAPES #VERY KINDLY #undertale #papyrus #undyne #technically #sans #shitpost #headcannon #arci doodles #also ye sorry i've been quiet lol #hmu on twitter if yall want these silly posts sooner #i post there more now #i queue here

[kaalbela]

A Palestinian couple celebrate after their wedding ceremony as part of a protest against Israel’s separation wall. Photographed by Muhammed Muheisen on July 14, 2006 at the village of Bil'in, near the West Bank town of Ramallah. © Keystone SDA.

#muhammed muheisen #palestine #free palestine #ph #street photography #we stand with palestine #from the river to the sea palestine will be free #palestine protest #fake-lancelot very kindly found the date and place it was taken #thanks!

[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.

[xoxoemynn]

I know it shouldn't surprise me, but it's frustrating af to step outside the fandom and read about OFMD's cancellation on more general entertainment sites and see the majority of reactions be along the lines of "oh well it was probably Taika being over it, he always gave me the ick anyway so, whatever," and then often devolving into comments about his personal life, or conspiracy theories that can be disproven if you use your brains for 30 seconds or maybe step outside and touch grass idk idk.

And this isn't me saying "omg how could you dislike Taika" bc truly unless you're being racist or antisemitic (which, let's be real, many are), I don't give a fuck what you think about him.

But the point remains that if you have a show that is all about celebrating queer joy and finding yourself later in life, that has a diverse cast of characters in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality, and body type, that was WRITTEN by a diverse group of writers, that is receiving praise from critics and fans alike, that from all reports was one of Max's most successful shows despite them doing next to no promotion the first season, that had two successful seasons and the creator is on the record saying he had a plan to tell the entire story in three, and it gets CANCELED.

I don't give a fuck how you feel about Taika, or how you feel about OFMD. You SHOULD be concerned about that. Because your show is next.

And before you come at me with "it's just a show, have you seen what's happening in the world?" Yeah. I fucking have. And the arts matter. They have always mattered. It's how we've shared stories and fostered communities and passed down what's important to us as a society. And they've brought us joy. And I don't know about you, but I think we could all do with a fuckton more joy in our lives.

This is absolutely a huge loss, and unfortunately it's not going to be the last as streaming services continue to go deeper in crisis. If that doesn't concern you, idk, go enjoy yourself watching season 47 of The Bachelor.

#also truly if you're going to come on here and immediately start spouting the very nonsense I described above #kindly get fucked #and then do something productive with your life like calling your representatives or donating or going to a protest #you being a dick to people who are upset isn't going to do anything #your smug self-righteousness isn't going to save the world #the world sucks and people should be allowed to experience joy by watching a show where they feel represented #and anyway if you try it on this post or in my inbox I won't be engaging I'll just be blocking #so you're wasting both of our times #byeeeee!!! #ofmd

[dykealloy]

such a small detail but I cannot stop thinking about law leaving kikoku by luffy's bedside when he went out to talk with hancock and ivankov. idk it stirs up a lot of questions. like does law do this often? does law, like zoro, talk to his well-behaved cursed sword like "kikoku, sit. watch." before he leaves to go have lunch or a well deserved twenty minute post-surgery nap. is this the protective equivalent to leaving a baseball bat by the bedside? doctor's bedside manner emotional support blade? but then I also can't help but notice that it's unsheathed. which... actually, who is that sword protecting really, just sitting there? did luffy wake up more than once in the cradle of that submarine while his body was still recovering? (drugged up to the gills, entirely noncoherent, unable to be reasoned with, going in and out of consciousness, the only thought running through his mind being "ace"). probably would've been a nightmare for the heart crew

#touches the soil. what happened here #thinking about ohmilk's 'i took care of you' piece again #edit: ive been kindly informed that in japan. historically. leaving a sword in the ground was a sign of respect for the fallen. #so law was likely doing this as a sign of respect for ace. specifically since it was placed next to luffy #which is all very nice of law and heartbreaking but i still like to speculate on the layers to this action #CJ's op watch-through #one piece #op #lawlu #monkey d. luffy #straw hat luffy #monkey d luffy #trafalgar law #surgeon of death #op meta #op analysis

[tubbytarchia]

Just saw this Jimmy skin for the first time from back when he could still experience joy and whimsy and uh yeah I can't blame anyone for having any parental instincts towards him (looks at myself and my moots and Doc)

#could not help myself. Bee onesie Jimmy.... He's so cute #my friend liveblogged their watch of this series and apparently even then people were making fun of him pretty relentlessly lol #smajor and others were so meaannn guh. Calling him the worst and killing him and talking about killing him. it stretches back far huh #but it was different at least... He was still a bit joyful... but in retrospect it hurts a lot lol. My poor son!!! #jimmy solidarity #tubby art #Being Jimmy is suffering... #one of these days he will pop off though. I trust him #also Martyn was there at least. Sigh Martyn and Jimmy... The joy and whimsy of the old days... #And some other guy we didnt know who very kindly got Jimmy's items back to him after he died once #this is what the Jimmy pipeline does. Him getting shown the slightest kindness is unfortunately noteworthy #Sorry from the LEGACY SMP! idk why I neglected to mention it for those who are wondering whoops

[itsdefinitely]

hello hello! I am here to further the spread of my tomboy webby propaganda. I am very normal about her. Would you ever so kindly draw her

Pls

oh she's perfect

#webby #queen in white #hatchetfield #id in alt text #definitely art #sorry that the spider parts are Flesh Colored. nothing can be done #she gives me gym bro vibes but in the best way possible. like she would see you stuggling and very kindly give you pointers

[arkkosun]

Did I….post these before….

#rottmnt #riseofthetmnt #rottmnt april #rottmnt casey #working up the courage to watch turtle movie #i am very weak right now #also #If you have any problem with my work #kindly keep them to yourself

[autisticaradiamegido]

thoughts on dave and aradia (<>)?

day 356

BIG fan tbh. in this house we love and respect timerails

truly yall read this log and tell me theyre not cute

#day 356 #year 4 #dave strider #aradia megido #aradave #homestuck #she really saw this kid and was like OH YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH YOUR MORTALITY?? :D #boy do i have some relevant life experience and wisdom to impart on THAT ISSUE SPECIFICALLY #and then she just. very gently and kindly makes the subject more approachable for ghostdave #the pesterlog i linked is literally my FAVORITE aradia moment. to me it is THE character defining moment for god tier aradia #yes she is being kind of ominous and trickstery at first #but it VERY quickly becomes clear shes got genuine concern for this kid she's had very little to do with up until this point #she really wants to connect with him over their shared time aspect stuff #and she really DOES care about how he feels about everything. she wants to help and she wants to put him at ease #because she KNOWS from experience that being dead and having to cope with what that means for you is like VERY UPSETTING AND TRAUMATIC #shes not just like. 'hee hee i think death is great and awesome because im edgy' #shes like 'no dude being dead is scary if you dont have anybody to explain this shit to you. so im going to explain it-' #'-and hopefully by the end of this conversation you will have some new things to feel relief and maybe even joy and excitement about' #'not just in spite of the death thing but BECAUSE of it' #i know shes spooky and has weirdgirl swag and we all love that about her but like #at her core she is a very KIND person. she may occasionally struggle to connect to people through the Death Special Interest Haze #but she WANTS to and when she DOES she is like. a genuinely very warm and comforting presence for her friends #ANYWAY. if andrew hussie or i guess james roach now want to give me an honorary doctorate for my 12+ years of intensive aradia studies #i will be here waiting patiently

[st-hedge]

Sekiro has been inspiring me to draw things of real depth and value (not)

#sekiro #the nightjars are my favourite npcs/enemies #they are just so so silly #and great #anyways #I laughed imagining Emma throwing a bottle of vitamin gummies and very kindly saying eat these you malnourished fuck :)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Hi I hate to be cheesy but I wanted to say that while a lot of people - very rightly!!! - point out how cool your art is and how inspirational it is that you showed art can be learned, not just a rare natural born talent, I also LOVE your sense of humor. The dialog and visual jokes are always so sharp and are guarenteed to make me laugh! Because I'm autistic as hell lol I like to bookmark things I can read through over agian when I'm looking for laughs and your blog is now high on the list! Thx!

Be not afraid to be cheesy; your genuine message has brought me immense joy B’*)

#ask #non mdzs #<-temp tag until i figure out a good sona tag name #I am currently living in a hazy state of exhastion so I cannot make my thoughts as clear as I would like - however #Thank you kindly for sending such a sweet message💙 #I am very glad to be the funny little creature that brightens someone’s day #Also very happy to have the autism brain brrrr seal of approval. A true honour B*) #I’d Love to know your favourites if you’re comfortable sharing. Sort of a cool littlt tidbit to know! #I hope you have a great day! Tha k you again for your support! #(meant to combine this with the jyl post - for the 27th- whoops! this is how far we have fumbled the ball these last two weeks)

[aspiringnexu]

Star Trek but there's an alien species that's only just met humans and they meet someone who's genderfluid and then someone who's transgender and are absolutely convinced that all humans are capable of shifting sexes at will.

#star trek #humans #gender stuff #gender identity #genderfluid #transgender #obviously big difference between sex and gender #but I like the idea of them assuming that all humans can just jump between the sexes if they want to #Of course nobody knows what the hell they're on about when they ask very kindly if the Captain might Change soon #so they assume the Change just isn't talked about

[enbysiriusblack]

james potter could get bitches but he chooses not to (because the bitches he wants, he cannot get)

sirius black could get bitches but he chooses not to (he's so aroace-spec and hates anyone he isn't already friends with <3)

remus lupin cannot get bitches and he chooses not to (head over heels for sirius)

peter pettigrew could get bitches and he does get bitches. male bitches though. my man is gay asf. (please read that in matt berry's voice)

#i am very much against the casanova!remus hc #do not know where the hc is from?? like i think it popped up about 3 years ago maybe?? but i am kindly and personally rejecting it #to me remus is seen as the weird kid. he's so unpopular #love him of course <3 but he is so seen as a weirdo #marauders era #marauders #james potter #sirius black #remus lupin #peter pettigrew

[jack-the-fool]

AKA the part in every Dreamling fic where they go "I mean technically Hob isn't mortal so......"

#i will confess i haven't been able to actually read the comics yet #but from what i've learned The Kindly Ones are like the rule enforcers for the Endless and all that so #the sandman #the sandman netflix #hob gadling #dreamling #also i always love that moment it's very good #sandman hob #jack.txt

[sorcerous-caress]

she's trying her best...on the wrong account

#oh my god if Artemy is a metaphor for jesus then is Aglaya just a very dedicated catholic fan? #your honour it was not heresy to find love in a stranger amidst the plague outbreak I was sent to solve #if you'd kindly move your attention to this printed paper I have here of his top 3 kins in this list #then you'd notice at third place just under apple dash that the holy son's name is written in clear bold letters #therefore Artemy Burakh is a jesus kinnie and as a devoted inquisitor of the church it was my duty to clap his che- #need to invent a ship name #aglaya first ofc bc she tops so #Lilurakh #lilchakh #so many possibilities #Artlilich #that one is good it rolls off the tongue #Artlaya #layart #Aglemy #I'm just making up new words at this point hopefully I don't end up spelling someone's made up oc name by accident #Artlilich is my fav tho #artemy x aglaya #aglaya x artemy #artemy burakh #aglaya lilich #♡otherfandoms #♡pathologic #pathologic 2 #pathologic classic hd #pathologic #memes

[thebibliosphere]

I just got this email back from Findaway Voices in response to this post.

Yeah, I'll just bet you're seeing higher email volume than usual. That's what happens when you quietly change the language of your Distribution Agreement to steal audio narrator's voices for fucking AI learning.

Like fuck me, if you're going to market yourself as the ethical alternative to Audible, fucking act like it.

Additional ID for non-screen readers under the cut due to post length.

ID: an email caption that reads:

Thanks for contacting Findaway Voices!

We'd love to help immediately, but we are experiencing higher than average email volume. 

In the meantime, did you know we have a Knowledge Base that answers our most frequently asked questions? Yep, you heard that right! Check it out while you wait, and we promise to be in touch as soon as possible.

Also, please check out our Findaway Voices Blog for new and exciting news!

Best wishes!

The Findaway Voices Team

#if anyone needs an email template message me #caitlyn very kindly gave me one #because my brain is mush