#am I even making any sense

[reflectionlike]

I think Jin is the ultimate proof that marketing or narratives matter so much to people that they will disregard things they see with their own two eyes just to nod along to prevailing sentiment

Taehyung is the member i dislike the most in BTS so this isnt an emotional bias and yes he's had some hairline work done compared to Jin who I think has almost no surgical procedures done but I still think objectively he's ten times more attractive than Jin. However armys (outside Tae biased) will swear to you that Jin is the ultimate visual. Same thing with Hobi and Jimin regarding dance.

It's not that Jin isn't handsome or Hobi isn't a good dancer but people need to be fr. Hobis dances never go viral like Jimin's. Same for Jins visuals compared to Taehyung. First time BTS fans who haven't been mind rotted yet would all say that. Similar to what you said, I find Jins visuals so cold and lacking any kind of - well to be crude - sex appeal or it factor. He's a bit ken doll-ish. Which is fine! It's not a failing in any way. It's just annoying when people try to tell me that Jin is somehow the greatest visual when in practice I only see people mostly thirsting over the maknae line or writing odes to Jimin and Tae's faces but yeah Jin and the other members told us he's the most handsome so it must be true. Just like they told us Hobi is the best dancer 🙄

Amis are too susceptible to hybes marketing and mediaplay. "JK is the most successful member". "BTS have a lot of power in hybe because they are shareholders". I wish people could be more honest and objective and look at actual evidence instead of following whatever they're told

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But also, calling yourself Worldwide handsome and reinforcing an aesthetic superiority upon yourself, works. Branding works, promotion and narratives works, that how the world is.

J-hope IS a great dancer and performer, and Jin IS objectively very handsome, especially for Korean standards. But they are forgettable, they don’t cause abrupt sensations. I would describe their individual brand as pleasant. A skilled dancer and a comfortable package to look at, its safe and true. What I think both lack from our perspective, because they have fans and they sure see something that we don’t, is charisma. That “can’t stop looking at you” feeling, bordering on becoming obsession is what Jimin has that no one will ever be able to replicate.

Jungkook is perceived as hot, and he is exploiting it now more than ever. But he also is pretty engaging with fans, he knows how to keep audiences entertained doing just silly things ( I am talking about his lives and reactions to things). He is a walking meme and armys love that.

Taehyung, the idol, looks like a real life video game/anime character. His features are striking and make a lot of people spill poetry because is what he causes. He is a stirring person, he makes people talk…except for his music, which is very unfortunate.

Armys are not only susceptible to Hybes Marketing, they were fundamentally built to be that way and to never question what members say. Members words are sacred and that is very convenient because it gives the company and the group a certain sense of control of what they would like to be and what they sell. That’s not bad, is business. But what you can try but not always succeed with is having a 100% control of public perception, and that’s how Jimin comes and disrupts. His role and how he should be perceived, and this is micro level still because he is only building his solo fandom and soloist brand and that takes time and investment, but the thing is that he has the ability to draw attention, you can’t stop looking at him, he fucking shines, and I am not even talking as her fan, I was an army, I have seen how he is perceived by social media or the fandom and he is not someone that you can cast aside. He just has it, and it can’t be learned. You learn how to be charming, you don’t learn how to be charismatic, you born with it.

You see people gushing about maknae line and it’s because they are damn good products, and pardon my deshumanizing way of expressing myself, but I am talking about the idol persona, not the human behind. I am talking about the marketable side. And it’s not about beauty or talent because we see how the firstly mentioned members are, but at the same time, they are not.

[snakesinsocks2005]

Isn't it wonderful we live on a planet with animals that feel nice to pet, with the animals knowing we can pet them real nice and the whole thing is great and healing and calming for both parties involved

[cessreads]

I want to be taken care of without being asked for something in return. I think I have finally figured out what’s wrong with me and what’s wrong with me is I want to be selfish. I don’t want anyone to have any sort of expectations and I want them to be ok with it and to still love me and choose to be with me. I want to feel safe and prioritized for once. I am aware that this is kind of toxic and that is why I am choosing not to date anyone right now or why I’m not making any new friends because I feel so messed up and I am very aware of it. I am an eldest child. I am tired of everything. I want to be the baby, if that makes sense.

[murderoushagthesequel]

who's going to swoop in and save me from all the (not real) beautiful women who keep following me? (help me i'm getting swarmed with porn bots again)

patiently awaiting my knight (g/n) in shining armor

[butchfalin]

the funniest meltdown ive ever had was in college when i got so overstimulated that i could Not speak, including over text. one of my friends was trying to talk me through it but i was solely using emojis because they were easier than trying to come up with words so he started using primarily emojis as well just to make things feel balanced. this was not the Most effective strategy... until. he tried to ask me "you okay?" but the way he chose to do that was by sending "👉🏼👌🏼❓" and i was so shocked by suddenly being asked if i was dtf that i was like WHAT???? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?????????? and thus was verbal again

[boyapologist]

everytime I have this kind of visceral and extremely specific reaction to something media related all I can't think is "I'm not autistic but I might as well be at this point" cause. jesus

[uncanny-tranny]

The leftism/anticapitalism leaving people's bodies the zeptosecond you imply that disabled people who aren't "productive" still matter in society and need to be treated like intrinsic equals who have a place in this world:

[andsewingishalfthebattle]

Novice sewing pattern: Cut out shapes. Line up the little triangles on the edges. Stitch edges together. We've also included step-by-step assembly instructions with illustrations.

Novice knitting pattern: yOU MUSt uNDerstANd thE SECret cOdE CO67 (73, 87, 93) BO44 (63, 76, 90) 28 (32, 34) slip first pw repeat 7x K to end *kl (pl) 42 * until 13" (13, 13, 15) join new at 30 pl for 17 rows ssk 27 k2tog mattress lengthwise BO and sacrifice a goat to the knitting gods. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WANT "INSTRUCTIONS," I JUST GAVE THEM TO YOU

[buttercupshands]

I started drawing this next day after I finished Act 6

13 or so days and it's finished!

Main things are traditional and Loop's body was edited digitally after

Unedited it looks like this

I've been torn on how to do Loop's body for the entirety of lining, also

A bit sad the main lines are visible only as a wip, most of this thing is literally just a ton of sharp lines

I think it's also my first day of drawing, Loop is just a sketch here (feat. my leg)

I even finished the beans before it so they were a moral support, because if you let me things like this take a year

[ryllen]

and some extra unused stuff while they are in affectionate mood

[bandzboy]

saying shit like “it’s on you women for stanning boy groups” is not helping and you are putting blame on women who had NO IDEA that this man was awful how are they supposed to know??

[maddymoreau]

Thinking about how Diavolo’s feelings transcend time and how in the Nightbringer UR+ card Demon Lord’s Castle Tour this conversation happens.

When asked, “Do you wish to see your father?”

Diavolo responds:

“I suppose I do . . .” isn’t the typical reaction to how a child would feel about wanting to see their parent. Especially when said parent has essentially been in a coma for a year.

Along with how Diavolo describe his father.

It makes more sense why when you learn in Lesson 56 how Diavolo was treated by him growing up.

Diavolo can tell when others are lying but is unable to understand his father’s intentions.

Diavolo mentions that he lived a very sheltered life growing up. That from a young age his father never allowed him a chance to talk to anyone outside the castle.

His childhood friend was Mephistopheles. A demon literally RAISED to be his friend. Putting a barrier between the two because Mephistopheles would put Diavolo on a pedestal.

The isolating childhood he experienced riddled with his strict father constantly scolding him.

Despite everything MC is so important to him he wants to see his father again so we can meet.

[dunmeshistash]

He isn't tho, the age I mentioned was based on the age of maturity/apparent life stages not how old they die

Half-foots are considered adults at 14 while tallmen are considered adults at 16

Half-foot babies develop faster than tallmen too so its not just that they have a younger cut out age for adult. If you take the age of maturity as an absolute they age around 1.14x faster than a tallman that would put chilchuck (who is 29) at around the equivalent of around 33.

Which honestly I don't think it's accurate, to me they seem to age faster? If we assume a 14 yo half-foot is more similar to a 18 rather than 16 yo tallman that would make the conversion more like 1.2~1.3

that would make Chilchuck at the oldest 37, nowhere near 50

We also don't consider 16yo to be adults in modern life nor a 14 yo old enough to go to soldier academy so I think "In terms of modern day chilchuck would be 50" really sounds more like how we would consider someone of that age rather than actual age.

if we take that 29~30 is 50 in half-foot then that would make their age of maturity at 22 in tallman (MUCH older than any other race) and a 100yo half-foot (which they mention is possible) would be a 160yo tallman so I really doubt that

In older times people might not have aged faster but they went thru life stages "faster" as in what was socially expected for a 16yo 1000 years ago isn't the same of our expectations for a 16yo in 2024

How you would think of a 30 yo retiring is very different of how you'd think of a 50 yo retiring in modern day

I've seen a lot of people say Chilchuck is almost 50 in tall-man years, but since the average lifespan for tall-men in Dunmeshi is 60 years, wouldn't he be nearly 35?

That information comes from his adventurer's bible profile, I believe the key word is "modern day", since tallmen only live to be 60 that's def not a modern day human

I think what was meant is that in the context he lives in now he's the equivalent of how we would think of a 50 year old today not that he's 50 in tallman age, I think his tallman transformation looks 40 at the very most (probably middle 30s?)

[coldbycrossfade]

MAN THAT REALLY COLORS THIS RESPONSE IN THIS CONVERSATION SO DIFFERENTLY FOR ME

[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.

[sysig]

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