#I promise its new

[kesleyjo]

Read Chapter 25: The Tree By the Lake now! Here!

Previously on For the Crown:

Jason Blossom was murdered under suspicious circumstances at the Cooper duchy in the River Kingdom. Unhappy with how Constable Keller was conducting the investigation, Betty Cooper took it upon herself to find the culprit on her own.

Meanwhile, feeling pressure from their own Kingdom, King Frederick and his son Archibald called on their Allied kingdom counterpart, the Serpent Kingdom, to assist them in security and the finding of their killer-at-large.

The Serpent force was led by their own Prince, Jughead Jones, who had been away from the Allied Kingdom for several years in his studies and assignments.

Jughead soon becomes reacquainted with Betty, and after numerous interactions riddled with misunderstanding, begin investigating the mystery together.

Soon, they find that Jason’s kingdom, the Forest Kingdom, has been growing poppies illegally that are then shipped to the Western Free States to make opium.

Jason absconded with the ledger proving such transactions and left it for his betrothed, Polly Cooper, in case their plan of escape failed, which it did, resulting in his death.

Thanks to the poor work of the constable, Hal Cooper was deemed the killer of Jason Blossom, though Betty and Jughead know this to be false.

Before Hal escaped the kingdom in disgrace, he named Betty his heir to step in for Polly Cooper, who chose to join the nunnery after the death of her twins and her betrothed.

Through it all, Jughead and Betty find comfort and love with each other.

Unfortunately after a brutal fight, Jughead and Betty become estranged, just as a bounty was put on Betty’s life, for yet unknown reasons.

Jughead, and a small serpent crew escape into the Serpent Kingdom where after a terrible attack that put Betty’s life in jeopardy, they meet Charles Clayton, Betty’s former betrothed.

After recovery and healing talks with former loves, Betty and Jughead reconcile.

When they arrive at the Keep they are greeted by Jughead’s sister JB who reveals she has been carrying on a love affair with none other than Trevor Brown.

With only one more day before their parents and their troubles converge, the pair want to spend as much time together (alone) as possible…

[obsob]

i am a being capable of immeasurable love and whimsy

[rubyfunkey]

The Rehabilitation of Death by @bamsara

didnt have time to clean this like i wanted but i needed to get this scene out of my head desperately. im good now

[arginnit]

the pressure might be getting to him a little bit

[couchcouchcouchcouch]

HEART. LUNGS. LIVER. NERVES. HEART. LUNGS. LIVER. NERVES. HEART. LUNGS. LIVER. NERVES. HEART. LUNGS. LIVER. NERVES.

[choccy-milky]

🔞NSFW comic🔞

just seb being insatiable when it comes to clora 😇 refractory period?? whats that?? never heard of it

[ TWITTER ]

[ POIPIKU ] and a lil extra doodle:

(aka seb and clora if contraceptive potions didnt exist LMAO.... girl would just be preggo 24/7)

[bibiscate]

IT-ITS STILL MERMAY!!!! IM NOT LATE YOU'RE LATE!!!!!

but seriously tho I wanted to post my sun&moon merfolk dudes only when I had digitalized it and colored and shit

I have so many tidbits on them and their biology and morphology and all that jazz (I made a whole new species just because) but it was a month full of exams and I CANT stop playing don't starve and cotl I feel like Im going crazy

Oh yeah, and those designs are just concepts and I already changed them a bit ekdkskd but I didn't wanna end the month with nothing, so mermaid AU letsgoo

A BIT ABOUT THEM:

Not really based on any particular species, there are some details here and there, some shark stuff cause I like em anddd some others fishes but as I said I changed them a bit and this is just concept art fase

Moon was gonna be a electric eel but I've seen enough people do that so I decided to just ignore most anatomy and do whatever FEELS like them, I hope I'm successful at least with their designs latter

Yes there's a bit (a lot but shhhh) of lore but I'm going to bed skdkwkdks

[unproduciblesmackdown]

Lackadaisy Enrichment

[cherrirui-official]

"You know... You didn't have to take that with you."

"But I promised him I'd take him out to see the ocean one day."

[temporary-tats]

(click for hi-def pic)

Netflix please let Enid beat the shit out of Tyler again in Season 2 🙏(AND LET EMMA DO HER OWN DAMN WEREWOLF STUNTS THIS TIME)

Per usual, do not reupload without credit/permission. Thanks folks!

(My ko-fi, should you wish!)

[hauntingofhouses]

We all already know Mizu and Akemi are narrative foils. But you know what? Lemme just say it, here's what I think:

Taigen and Mikio are foils.

Not necessarily to each other as individuals in the way that Mizu and Akemi juxtapose each other, but mostly in the contrast between their relationships with Mizu.

I've covered specific parallels between Taigen and Mikio in other posts I wrote; but as the number of parallels I'm noticing between them keeps piling up, I'm compelled to just compile them all in one post. So! This is, thus, the post in question.

First of all, let's look at their similarities.

1. Their status in society is the same. They are both samurai who lost their honour and have dreams of reclaiming it.

2. They are also both diligent as they strive to achieve this goal, they both care deeply about their work, but here as they begin to contrast, as the work in question and way they go about their goals is different:

For Mikio, his work is in taming and rearing horses; in order to prove himself, he must tame Kai—a willful and strong horse—and present it to his lord. For Taigen, his work is in sword fighting and martial arts; in order to prove himself, he must kill Mizu—a willful and strong swordsman—and present her dead body to his lord.

In the parallel above, not only are Taigen and Mikio contrasting each other, but Mizu and Kai are placed in comparison as well. And of course, Kai is Mizu's horse, and represents her. Which is why, when later, Mikio sells Kai off, it represents the way he is tossing Mizu (and their relationship) aside.

From there, the rest of the details of their character begin to contrast and juxtapose each other more clearly. So let's look at those differences, shall we?

Their backstory:

Mikio was a great samurai who was banished. A somebody to a nobody. Taigen was a fisherman’s son who rose to the top. A nobody to a somebody.

2. The first time we meet them on-screen:

Mikio is an adult. An older man. Mizu's superior in age. He is Mizu's to-be husband. A love interest. Taigen is a child. A young boy. Mizu's peer in age. He is Mizu's bully. An antagonist.

3. Their maturity and growth:

Mikio is mature, but stuck in his ways. Taigen is immature, but capable of changing and learning.

4. Their overall attitude:

Mikio is generally relaxed, easy-going and unfussy. Taigen is uptight, irritable and severe.

5. How they talk to and conduct themselves around Mizu:

Mikio is aloof, soft-spoken, and serious. Taigen is obnoxious, brash, and sarcastic. Mikio is quiet, speaking only when spoken to, even when Mizu turns to smile at him and shows openness to be near him. Taigen is loud, talking while others are silent, even when Mizu turns from him and shows no interest in conversing with him.

Mikio doesn't show much of who he is to Mizu throughout their marriage, despite their growing affection. Taigen openly shares his traumas and life story to Mizu during their brief alliance, despite their mutual antagonism.

6. Their external vs internal selves:

Mikio is calm, gentle, and considerate on the outside. Taigen is hot-headed, rude, and selfish on the outside. Mikio is cowardly and deceitful on the inside. Taigen is brave and loyal to a fault on the inside. Mikio tells Mizu that he wants to know and see all of her. But he scorns and betrays her, the woman he loves. Taigen tells Mizu that he wants to duel and kill him. But he endures torture to not betray him, the man he hates.

9. Their hair, a symbol of their honour:

Mikio's topknot is untied by Mizu during their spar. This humiliation occurs in private, the two of them alone in a rural location where no one can see them. Taigen's topknot is cut off by Mizu during their duel. This humiliation occurs in public, the two of them being watched by many others in the Shindo Dojo.

10. Their power dynamic with Mizu:

Mikio believes he is Mizu's mentor. He teaches her to throw knives, how to ride and care for horses, and about the tactical benefits of using a naginata. Taigen believes he is Mizu's equal. He views Mizu as a samurai like himself who received all the same teachings he did, and who possesses the same values.

11. Their perceptions of Mizu:

Mikio sees Mizu's feminine side first. He sees her as sweet and gentle, but also clumsy and incompetent. Taigen sees Mizu's masculine side first. He sees her as terrifying and deadly, but also strong and skilled.

12. The way they approach sparring with Mizu:

Mikio only spars with Mizu once. As the fight progresses and she is beating him, he tries to put a stop to it. When she teases/provokes him, he starts taking the fight personally and seriously, finding no enjoyment in it. Taigen spars and brawls with Mizu all the time. No matter how many times Mizu beats him, he doesn't back down. When Mizu challenges him with a chopstick, he is eager to compete with her and gladly rises up to the challenge.

Mikio and Mizu's one and only spar is a friendly match; Mizu is smiling and having fun while he grows increasingly frustrated. Taigen and Mizu's last-seen spar is a playful wrestling match; both him and Mizu are having fun and laughing.

Mikio cannot deal with Mizu being better than him, so he scorns her and walks off, avoiding her thereafter. When Taigen cannot deal with Mizu being better than him, he follows her to observe her moves and continues training in hopes to eventually beat her. After being bested by Mizu once, Mikio leaves her and sells the horse he'd previously gifted to her. After many times losing to Mizu and fighting alongside her, Taigen commends her and admits she is better than him.

13. When Mizu pins them down in a friendly spar:

Mikio sees Mizu's whole face objectively. Taigen stares at Mizu's mouth and eyes.

Mikio gets angry when she kisses him, throwing her off of him and snapping at her, calling her a monster. Taigen gets aroused, apologising, so she pulls herself off of him.

14. Mizu's blue meteorite sword is a reflection of her soul. She believes most are undeserving to face it, let alone hold it. And on that note:

Mikio is the first person (chronologically) that Mizu fights against using her sword. Taigen is the first person (we see on-screen) that Mizu fights against with her sword. Mikio is the first person (chronologically) to ever hold her sword, as she passes it to him, letting him wield it. Taigen is the first person (we see on-screen) to ever hold her sword, as she passes out, and he picks it up and carries it for her.

15. Then, last but not least, in Fowler's fortress, when she is drugged and in pain, she hears Ringo's voice in the dungeon. She then follows it to an open cell:

Mizu first sees Mikio as a hallucination, the sight of him haunting her and causing her to lose her grip on reality. Her eyes glow a surreal blue to represent this. Her Mama appears then and says Mizu's name accusingly.

Mizu then sees Taigen, but he is real, the sight of him a relief and grounding her back to reality. Her eyes return to their normal blue colour to represent this. Taigen looks at Mizu weakly and says her name softly.

Then, later, when facing Fowler, her revenge awaiting her, she instead chooses to follow her conscience (represented by Ringo's voice in her mind), putting aside her vengeance for a time, in order to save Taigen.

So that's basically all the ones I've noticed so far, but even then, I feel there's already so much that forms a contrast between these two.

What makes it especially incredible about these juxtapositions is that Mikio was Mizu's husband, the man she had fallen in love with, the one person she had ever been intimate with, the man who made her begin to accept herself, to put down her desire for vengeance and instead live a life of peace and happiness.

So for Taigen to have so many parallels with him... Do you see what I'm saying here!

Not to mention that Mizu clearly already has some burgeoning attraction to him, as indicated by how she thinks of him when asked about her desires. And Taigen clearly has shown interest as well (see: him getting a boner after their spar, him holding her hand and telling her, "We're not done yet.").

And on the topic of speculating future possibilities of this relationship, this post by @stromblessed has pointed out yet another parallel between Taigen and Mikio:

Mizu promises Taigen to meet him for their duel in autumn. Mizu fell in love with Mikio and duelled him during autumn.

With all that said, I do believe Mizu and Taigen's relationship is definitely hurtling towards something. But whether they will actually end up together in a sustainable relationship and have a happily ever after? Well, that is a whole other story; we'll just have to wait and see.

[vvormsuture]

something foul in the water supply, i can't stop drawing him

[peak-dumbass]

I need yall to understand, I need yall to see the vision

The “old friends” that changed one another fundamentally……

The opposing attitudes that result in frustration and admiration………

The apprehensive red that has issues and the social blue that also has issues but hides it better………………

Their undying mutual respect that goes unsaid but is understood only by them……………………………

​What I’m saying is that megop caused a war so sonadow could save the planet from the biolizard so narumitsu could change career paths to meet him again so klance could cradle him in his arms

[thankstothe]

justhouseythings

[dizzybizz]

some doodles

[incominghazelgoose]

rdr2 women are so