#< gonna tag it just in case

[spideyhexx]

I feel like anyone who thinks Coryo is just a deranged monster who does bad things for funsies forgets that Suzanne hasnt ever written an entirely evil character in thg. Katniss herself has so many fucked up moments as wthe. Like when she literally tried to drown and kill Buttercup, Prim's cat, all while Prim was begging and pleading with her not to. Like the whole point is people are products of their environment and are trying to survive. EVERYONE is fucked up and has fucked up thoughts cause they are in a fucked up world where noone is really happy. I love how the book expands on the guilt alot of capital kids feel and the things they try to do to rebel, like one of his classmates starving herself cause her father cut food supply to the districts.

I feel like alot of people went into Tbosas expecting President Snow and so they had an inherit block to see him as anything but purely evil instead of taking a moment to understand where his desperation for his own survival comes from.

Having a reason behind an action does not equal to providing an excuse, and a lot of the people in the Fandom don't realize that. You can acknowledge why something was done and still understand that that something is bad.

-🐭

you said this so much better thank you🫶and I think Suzanne plays around a lot with the whole nature/nurture argument in all of the hg books as well as like what makes a human, human.

I think Tom also mentioned it in interviews but he was like talking about the heartbreak of seeing Coryo become who he becomes and im like !!! Thats it!!! It’s heartbreaking because you can root for him and see the opportunities of goodness in him but then it just takes that all away the more actions he takes.

Like smth else I saw that was weird to me was that it was harder to sympathize with him in the book? Which I think the opposite I think it’s much easier to do so in the book compared to the movie because we’re given so much more context on him. And idk, I feel like as someone with anxiety, it’s very easy to relate to that part of Coryo.

Also I think this might change as the book goes on, but like im also over the Coryo never loved Lucy Gray stuff and only wanted to own her. I think in the beginning at least, he does make comments that suggest he has an ownership but that’s also contradicting SO many of his other thoughts about her that are not about ownership AT all. And again maybe this (probably) changes as the book goes on but I hate this being used as a reason he didn’t love her in some capacity, at least in the beginning.

[gunstellations]

rival battle ⚔️

[egophiliac]

you know, I've been thinking about it, and there is actually one single scenario in which I would be okay with not getting a big ol' "Silver Vanrouge" out of Lilia.

(just kidding, I still need some "call me Silver, Mr. Vanrouge is my father" in my life, please don't let me down on this one Twst)

[artist-rat]

some epilogue vibes (an excuse to draw some hugs. and my durge so many times)

[slowburncowboy]

[macabresymphonies]

His inherent bitchiness and autistic swag is coming through even in Javascript, I'm crying

[wilsonmybeloved]

heard we were fiddlestanning

you know the drill..

(full image under cut)

[krysmcscience]

Look, Aym, I know you wanna annoy your big bro sometimes, but y'all really gotta stop putting the death god into silly mode. He is Very Dangerous, you see. ŎuŎ;

this idea wouldn't go away until i drew it so here it is lmfao

[spotted-peat]

*and [our] boyfriend, Senshi!

I am literally obsessed with the three of them i'm dying. i need them in situations

this is refrencing a bit from parts and rec - "this is my boyfriend, Derek, and this is Derek's boyfriend, Ben" (extras + suggestive under cut)

behind the scenes

hand on ass propagands (propahanda?) + they were kissing sorry. there is no such thing as transfer-proof lipstick in my world

so in summary AAAHHH!!!!!!AUAUHHAHHGHGH

[crabsnpersimmons]

I would like to taste Eclipse~

be careful what you wish for--

[puppyeared]

aughg

[skrimbloz]

THE QUIET ONE ☠️🕸️

I AM SO PROUD OF THIS AHHHHHHH

I decided I wanted to have a go at using procreate’s symmetry tool and it was SO fun

Her silhouette is meant to look like a spider with her headband being the fangs and hair strands being the legs!! I also think it looks like a heart too which is pretty neat :D

This took me AGESSS because I kept changing the colour pallette and background, I love how it turned out though and the only thing I would change is that it’s kinda hard to see her bowing pose bc of all the dark colours 😭😭

I LOVE associating spiders with Harumi which is pretty ironic considering i’m arachnophobic 💀

I don’t think it’s used that much in the show other than the like spider they used to bug the bounty but I have chosen to RUN with it

[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.

[egophiliac]

I know we're not on the Hearts chapter but, I have a feeling the SSR will be Cater? But also him having the tear animation, since I have a feeling his dream will be a bit like Ruggie's q-q

I'm leaning towards either Cater or Ace, personally! Trey and Deuce have kinda already had their character arcs -- though someone else did mention to me that they thought it might be Trey, because so far all the vices have gotten one. though that might just be coincidence. we'll find out I guess!

my red-string-on-corkboard theory is that Ace is gonna get his arc + UM during whatever goes down with Grim, so while I could be completely wrong, I think it'd be nice if it were Cater's time to shine! ...also I am VERY curious as to what his dream is gonna be. 👀 like, I don't think he's gonna be all angsty or anything, he's a pretty cheery guy even though he pretends to be more vapid than he is, but...what would he be like if he were less. y'know.

(also I kind of want him to get the focus just because I think it'd be a shame if all he got was a super-quick 'oh his dream is to have a billion followers or whatever, now let's go on to the next person'. c'mon Twst. give him some love.)

[sweeneydino]

Price.

See? Two in one

[plumsliva]

Sky:cotl x Off crossover?! Omg!!! Gonna do more for this crossover thing later ofc cuz I really want to design guardians as seasonal spirits