#but the whole character that is Ringo
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good-beans · 6 months ago
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I am not immune to cheesy anime one liners and stunning gender ambiguous swordsmen.....
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chocsra · 7 months ago
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OMG U LIKE BES TOO?!?! 😍😍😍
mizu is so fine oh my god
YESYESYES ‼️‼️
i love revenge shit like blue eye samurai or kill bill, and like the kdrama my name and the glory oh my gawddd
it doesn't help that mizu is literally my man ✌️I WATCHED IT BACK IN DECEMBER THOOO
i wanna see her in her london fit tbh 🙏
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zablionsea · 2 years ago
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Who knows if I'll finish the lines and color this, but here's a WIP I created in the span of the last hour.
Those of you who know me will probably know exactly what this is.
Image description below the break.
[ID
Incomplete black line artwork of a girl with curly hair sitting down. She wears a crop top that shows about half of her stomach and a skirt. She has a butterfly pin in her hair.
END ID]
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myplasticadversary · 8 months ago
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"Why are you talking to strange young men without any trousers? 🤨"
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texy-toost · 1 year ago
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The lack of Ringo posting in the Blue Eye Samurai tag is making me go insane. Please, he's such a good character I love him so much. It's so easy and common to have characters like him fall into the infantilizing stereotype of "innocent childish disabled adult" but he doesn't!! And he's not even a jaded character!!! He's still a bright, sunshiney guy with a positive look on the world. He's faced ridicule his whole life because of his disability and he still makes the choice to see the world through a lens of hope and opportunity.
I adore Mizu and Ringo's dynamic and friendship as a whole. Ringo learned right off the bat about Mizu's secret, and it did absolutely nothing to deter him. His sheer loyalty all throughout the first season is genuinely so refreshing to see. He's not blindly following Mizu, he's still critical of him despite the lengths he'll go to keep Mizu safe.
Anyways, Ringo is my pookie and if I don't see more love for him in the tag soon I will blow this website up
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hauntingofhouses · 11 months ago
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yall i just KEEP doing back to mizu and taigen's wrestling scene in master eiji's forge and like i know that taigen literally got a boner from it BUT THE THING IS out of all the scenes these two have together, this scene actually has the least sexual tension ?!? cuz like the boner aside, this scene is actually very soft and emotions-driven rather than pure passion or lust.
arguably, a more passionate and sexually-charged scene would be their previous brawl in the snow with the chopsticks, which is tense and angry and also the scene that mizu thinks about when madame kaji talks about being honest with one's innermost desires.
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but THIS scene in the forge? warm colours. their laughter and their smiles that both equally genuine. the WAY taigen looks at mizu in that scene, staring first at her lips, her smile, then looking into her eyes. and you can see by the framing of the scene and the look on his face that he is, for the first time, seeing her eyes as something beautiful rather than off-putting or frightening.
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like before this point he's already come to not only respect mizu as a person and an equal but also admires her as an incredible swordsman and as someone who is kind and honourable* for having saved his life at the expense of her revenge quest. so as of the time of them tussling in the forge, taigen has already put aside his prejudices about mizu's blue eyes and no longer finds them as any cause for disgust. but in this scene he's not just indifferent about her eyes, but attracted too it.
and i'd also like to argue that his boner is not from the physical exertion or the act of wrestling itself, but from the intimacy of a playful spar, enjoying each other's easy company after having established a deep trust with each other (taigen endured torture for mizu and helped defend her from archers in the chasm while mizu saved his life from fowler's castle)
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and all this while in the safety of mizu's childhood home while both of them are still recovering from near-death, amplifying their vulnerability with each other.
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like when was the last time mizu cracked a genuine smile, let alone a laugh that's more than a little wry chuckle?? and for this to happen at such a low point in her life also speaks to the comfort this little friendly spar gives her.
because like, this is after she failed her mission to kill fowler. meanwhile her sword--the embodiment of her soul--is broken, and ringo who is her closest confidant is now angry at her and barely even looks at her. it just further lends to the inherent tenderness and intimacy in this scene. and i just. AHHHH i love them your honour....
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* ALSO as a side note about taigen believing mizu to be honourable: he later realises that this assumption turns out to be quite false when she reveals that she'd not only allowed akemi to be taken away against her will but also has said nothing about fowler's impending attack on edo. also i find it very interesting that out of the two revelations, taigen is less angered by mizu letting akemi being married off (he sighs angrily and marches off saying he has to go to edo to find akemi), but much more angered by mizu's refusal to save the shogun and the shogunate as a whole. this is more proof that taigen's central principles are firmly rooted in the bushido and the concept of honour that comes with that. it's why he lashes out at mizu. because he'd believed mizu to be honourable and righteous, but was proven wrong. that's not to say that taigen is in the right for calling mizu a demon, not by any means. but i just find it a very interesting part of his character and it relates to his relationship and perception of mizu
also while rewatching the episode i found this very funny they just lyin there in the cart like this 🧍🏽‍♂️🧍🏽‍♂️
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sophswritingthings · 11 months ago
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Had an idea where mizu has an injury and ringo has to take mizus clothes off enough to reveal her back (she covers her front side by holding up her clothing or something) but once he sees her back hes shocked because it has scratches all over it (due to reader omg?? Ifykyk) and Ringo and Taigen are both confused because they dont know mizu and reader are dating! They end up asking if she did anything in the brothels and mizu is just smiling in a love sick way at the thought of reader as shes being pushed and bothered by the two boys. Readers tending to the fire while this is happening and snickering to herself?? Love your writing i hope this wasnt too confusing
pairing: mizu x fem!reader
warning(s): implied nsfw
a/n: hi!!! I’m back!!! (I feel so much better, thank you for all your kind words and wishes <3) and I love this idea 😭
summary: ringo and taigen find scratches all up and down mizu’s back.
word count: 310 words / 1,738 characters 
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“careful.”
mizu hissed the word, holding her clothes against her chest. she had a deep wound across her shoulder. the only one she trusted other than you to see her like this would be ringo.
if you knew how to stitch, she’d have you do it.
but, she didn’t, so ringo was her next best option.
and of course—taigen was there, but she’d shoved him away. him, seeing her like this? her worst nightmare.
“uhm, master..” ringo whispered, gazing up and down mizu’s back. “you have scratches covering your whole back—did something else happen? how long have you had these? they look new..”
her eyes widened, for only a moment. scratches? what did he mean? oh.
oh. that’s what he meant.
“ah.. just..” she could barley get out a few words before she chuckled. she glanced over her shoulder, seeing you snickering by the fire.
“we’re you up to something in the brothels, mizu?”
taigen’s voice rings in the room, seeing him leaning against the wall.
“well.. I—“ she chuckled again, unable to make a full sentence. “sort of.”
you snickered again, smiling down at your fingertips—where your nails were rather long, able to leave deep scratch marks on anything you so wished.
“well someone must be good at it, then,” taigen scoffed, not wanting to really admit the fact.
“you could say that,” you snorted, covering your mouth with your hand. 
mizu looked at you with wide blue eyes, her cheeks flooding with a red tinged color. you smiled softly at her, giggling as you saw the expression on her face. 
“(y/n)..” she mouthed, gazing at you with slightly slimmed eyes.
you smiled brightly at her, looking away and back at the fire. her eyes narrowed fully. now she’d have to go through a whole thing with taigen and ringo and explain your words.
she’d deal with you later.
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okchijt · 1 year ago
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Hey can you do eddsworld the main 4 with a s/o romantic head cannons
Author's Note: Thank you so much Anon for the request! So sorry it took so long in advance, I just finished my finals so I was really excited about this one and had a lot of fun with it! Hope you'll like it and that I didn't portray anyone OOC😅 And lastly, go ahead and check out my masterlist if you like what you just read and if you want to request anything yourself, thank you, and enjoy!❤
Edd
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🟢 Edd would be the type of boyfriend that just wants to chill out and hang out with his partner. He's a very casual guy in every sense of the word, and so would be the relationship with him, with some physical contact and romantic gestures sprinkled in occasionally.
🟢 One of the most defining traits of your relationship is humor! You'd share inside jokes together and create made-up words only you two would understand, making the people Tom around you go insane over the nonsense you tell each other while laughing.
"How did the Coca-Cola can feel after being steamrolled?"
"It was soda pressed!"
"I fucking hate both of you"
Basically, Edd would do anything just to make you smile/laugh, no matter how stupid it might be, if he knows you find it amusing he'll say/do anything just to see your expression!
🟢 Edd likes to draw you a lot, you could be sitting, washing the dishes, playing with Ringo, reading, playing a game, etc, whatever you're doing, he will draw it! He just can't help himself, you look adorable to him no matter what you're doing so he just can't resist himself! Most of the time he'll try to be sneaky about it so you wouldn't notice so he can capture you on paper perfectly, smiling the whole time because you're his favorite thing to draw! Sometimes if he feels happy enough with the finished product, he'd present it to you shyly, hoping you'd like it.
🟢 Be grateful, because you're the only one that Edd allows to go anywhere his cola and even drink it! Being with him gives you the privilege of doing so without asking, normally if anyone else would even lay a hand on his favorite drink they'd have a rabid Edd to fight off, but with you, it's like he doesn't even notice! Which by itself says a lot about how much he loves you!
🟢 Edd might not seem like a great listener, which is true, but when it comes to you, it's a different story. Whether you just want to talk about your day or info dump him about your new hyper fixation, he'll listen to it all with a smile on his face, commenting on the things you said or asking questions. When you vent, he makes sure that you know his full attention is on you and you only. He'll listen to everything you have to say while rubbing your shoulder and once you're done, he'll hug you and try to give you some kind of advice or reassurance, even though he isn't the best at this type of stuff, he'll still try his best though. Because he can't stand to see you hurt.
🟢 Edds love language includes quality time and gift giving! He just loves spending time with you no matter what you're doing! If you're working and can't give him any attention, he'll just sit next to you or position himself where he's touching you in some type of way and just occupy himself with drawing while you do your thing. Whenever you're in a situation where you can't spend time with him, just simply letting him sit nearby and do his thing is enough for him to call it "spending time with you", cause honestly just being in the same room as you is enough for him.
🟢 As we established before, Edd likes to draw you. So logically gift giving for him is giving you drawings he made of you, you two together, or things that you like, like a favorite character or animal. He also takes requests from you whenever he doesn't have any idea of what to draw, and whatever you ask him to draw he will. When Edd has enough money, he'll spend it on some kind of gift for you that he knows you'll like. And he'll give it to you without expecting anything in return, all he needs is that excited expression of yours and a kiss on the cheek/lips and he knows spending the money was worth it.
🟢 PDA isn't one of Edd's main love languages, but he still does it to a casual degree. He's not overly clingy, but he's not distant either, he's more casual with the way he expresses his physical love to you. Like when you sit together on the couch he puts his arm around you or when you're walking on the street he holds your hand. Edd prefers to shower you with more bold PDA behind closed doors though, that's when he's the most romantic as well. He'll give you lots of cuddles and kisses, praising you and telling you how much he loves you as well. It's not that Edd is embarrassed to show this side of himself in front of others, he just feels like sharing those moments between the two of you makes it have more meaning behind it.
🟢 Edd is really opportunistic when it comes to kissing, and by that I mean he'll only do it if he feels like the moment is right or is in the mood to do so. Maybe you do something adorable, and he just can't help but kiss you wherever he can reach you first. Edd's kisses are sweet and gentle, he likes to hold you whenever he does so too. Outside of your lips, Edd likes to kiss you on the cheek the most, he finds it comforting and likes to think of it as teasing that instead of kissing you on the lips, he kisses the place closest to it, he likes feeling like a little shit sometimes, what can I say?
🟢 Will cuddle with you a lot, especially if it's a lazy day for him or he's feeling down. Edd likes to be the big and the little spoon when cuddling, it just depends on how he's feeling. As the big spoon, he'll press you to his chest while laying his head on top of yours. But as a little spoon, it's the opposite, he'll bury his head in your chest, giving you easy access to his hair. When I tell you this guy will immediately melt as soon as you start tangling your hands into his hair, you swear you can hear him purr sometimes as you play with it. Edd is honestly the best cuddling option you can get, he's extremely soft and during winter he will warm you up with no problem, and during summer he somehow is still great to cuddle with because his temperature changes with the climate you can say. Cuddling Edd is like hugging a giant soft teddy bear. Best feeling ever, I tell you!
🟢 Edd isn't clingy, but boy does he get jealous of you when he feels threatened by others sometimes! He doesn't really think much of other people interacting with you, if they're just being friendly and don't try to pull any moves on you he might even join in on the conversation or just let you have your fun while vaguely paying attention. But that all changes once he hears the other person starting to flirt with you and being a little bit too touchy for his liking. He'll pay closer attention to both of you as his expression changes from a neutral one to an irritated one, waiting for the right moment to step in as he forces himself to tolerate what's happening until he gets a clear sign from you that he should step in. As soon as he sees a sign of you getting uncomfortable he's already next to you as he puts his hands on your shoulders, squeezing them with reassurance as he gives the person a threatening smile as he says: "My partner and I need to go, goodbye!" And with that, Edd immediately pulls you away from the person and begins to drag you home. The whole way back, Edd would be uncharacteristically very touchy with you, he'd press you against him hard and hold your waist tightly as he grumbles under his breath over what happened. Jealous Edd is a rare sight for you, but when he is jealous he deals with the situation quickly and swiftly to avoid confrontation, his goal only being to get you out of the situation as fast as possible.
🟢 Dates with Edd range from casual to exciting ones! They both really depend on your/his mood, to be honest. He'd take you to a cat cafe and go crazy over the cats with you while drinking and eating delicious desserts. He loves taking you to arcades! It's an excuse for both of you to have fun while calling it a date simultaneously. Edd would just take you to places he knows you'll like or are located in the town you two live in. Though when an occasional theme park comes along, you bet Edd is dragging you there right away no questions asked! If it's a special day of yours or just an anniversary, Edd will try to be a little bit fancier and take you out somewhere nice, like a restaurant or to a movie that is extremely romantic/dramatic that he thinks you'll like or fit the "fancy" category he made up in his head.
🟢 Edd is the most basic type of boyfriend out there I tell ya! All he wants is to be with or near you all day and every day and that's all he needs! He doesn't need to have an especially romantic life with you, but he isn't neglectful either, he's just somewhere in the middle. He'll change on a whim though if you tell him to show one of his sides more often because he just wants to make you happy! He's the type of guy to shower his love on you in private while in public some people aren't even sure if you two are dating or not because of how casual he is. I think Edd in a way is near-perfect boyfriend material for does that find his specific traits attractive, and as one of those people I say he would make a great boyfriend!
Matt
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🟣 Matt would be the type of boyfriend that wants to spend every single moment with you and to love you to no end type of guy. He's probably the most romantic out of the four of them, so he'd make sure all the moments you spend together show that.
🟣 It comes to everyone's surprise that someone like Matt would fall in love with someone who isn't him and even love them on the same level as he does, but here we are! To him, you are the most incredible thing in the world, someone he feels can even compete with his handsome face! He makes sure to remind you of that fact every day, because why wouldn't he? Your looks and personality are everything to him, so much so that he forgets about his narcissistic views sometimes.
🟣 In fact, Matt will do anything when it comes to helping you feel better about your appearance! Say you wanna try out a new haircut or wanna change your style, Matt is right there with you through all of it, even participating in the changes himself. He'd do your makeup, nails, hair, even skincare routine, whatever it is, Matt wants to be there and be a part of it, he calls it bonding time!
🟣 Matt doesn't usually care if other people appreciate his beauty like he does, to him only his opinion matters. But once you come into the picture, your opinion means the world to him! Anytime you compliment him, call him your: "Handsome man", or anything of that sort, this man is dying on the floor because of the amount of love and affection he's feeling because of you. No one else's opinion matters about his face or anything related to him, but yours and he makes sure you and everybody around you know that just by his reactions alone.
🟣 Since you two are dating, you are bound to get dragged by Matt to buy or find something to add to his novelty collection. You'd go on your own set of adventures for the sole purpose of expanding his collection. Matt really appreciates you going with him, it just shows to him how much you are willing to put up with for him. For some, his hobby just seems like something that doesn't matter or an inconvenience, but you don't, and he truly loves that about you. Matt 100% has a will written down somewhere that says: "If anything happens to me, give all of my novelty collection to (Y/N)''.
🟣 Matt's love language includes words of affirmation and quality time! Matt's main go-to to showing how much he loves you is showering you with praise any chance he gets! You could be looking like a hobo or a supermodel, but that man will still call you the most attractive person in the universe! Any accomplishment, whether large or small is immediately met with him congratulating you like you just won an Oscar! Not to mention whenever you feel insecure or just down, Matt will make does feelings go away in a matter of seconds because of how innocent his love for you is, he knows every right word to use to show you how much you mean to him. And he'll remind you of that fact every day no matter who you are or what you do.
🟣 You'd think Matt's second love language would be physical touch, but nope! It's quality time, baby! But I think you know that based on the examples above. The point is, anything you wanna do, Matt has to be there doing that thing with you too! No matter if it's work or something boring, he needs to be there with you! If you're busy he'll sit with you in a way where he's basically touching you and as soon as you show any discomfort or mutter that you need something, Matt is on the way to get it! Even if you didn't technically ask him to do so. He's basically like a lost puppy just following you around everywhere without a care in the world.
🟣 Matt loves PDA, he adores it! Both giving and receiving affection are one of his favorite things about being in a relationship with you! The only reason why it's not his main love language is because he finds the other two more intimate, but this easily takes third place! Unlike Edd, Matt isn't afraid to go all the way out with his affection towards you, private or in public he is all over you to some degree. Kisses, hugs, holding hands, cuddles, he will grab any chance he gets to touch you in some way. If he could Matt would glue himself to you so that he can always be with you, that's how clingy he is with his love for you.
🟣 Kisses with Matt are literally the most purest and innocent thing in the world! He holds you against him as you kiss as if you were glass, that's how gentle he is with you! Expect a lot of muffled giggles and pleased sighs whenever you two kiss, he's just so happy to have you in his life like this that he just can't help himself! Outside of your lips, Matt adores giving you kisses on the nose! He just finds it charming and adorable in a way, especially when you give him a reaction in the process, he finds them precious. It may be childish, but he's a childish man so that adds up, plus nose kisses are the best!
🟣 Cuddles with Matt are a must in a relationship with him! No occasion is needed for him to just wrap you in his arms and lay with you comfortably for hours at an end. Matt is both big and little spoon, mostly leaning towards little spoon though. When he's the one holding you, and not squeezing the living daylights out of you. Matt would be laying on his back while you lay on top of him, with your head on his chest as he kisses the top of your head every now and then as his arms are tightly but comfortably wrapped around your upper back. But as a little spoon, Matt crawls himself into a ball as he buries himself into your chest, wanting to make it easier for you to hold him. He basically feels like a giant teddy bear! Though I won't recommend cuddling with Matt during winter without a blanket, man is always cold! But during summer, it's a different story, he's basically a cooler during the warm seasons, so literally perfect!
🟣 As established, Matt is clingy af so there's no surprise that the man will act super threatened as soon as he sees others laying their dirty hands on you in a flirty way. Until Matt senses a disturbance in the force, he'll tolerate the person interacting with you if it's just in a friendly way and if you clearly don't mind them talking with you as well. But as soon as the person enters the danger zone where they start to get flirty with you, Matt will glare daggers at them as a silent threat to get them to back off. Alongside that, he'll tug at your clothes gently and whine to you that you need to go with him as he stares at you with puppy eyes. If all of that fails and the rando will try to put his hands on you, Matt immediately jumps into action! Clinging to your back like a possessive koala as he smacks the person's hand away and screams: "NO! This gem is mine! Go find yours somewhere else!'' And with that, he picks you up by the waist with his arms wrapped around it and shuffles away like an awkward penguin while holding you with a big pout on his face. He'll only put you down once he calms down a bit or you protest hard enough, and once he does you better give him lots of kisses and reassurances as you let him cling to you in any way he can as you two head back home with a still slightly upset Matt.
🟣 Matt takes his dates seriously, that's why he always puts in the effort to make them super romantic! He'd take you to places any partner would on a typical date, movies, dinner, picnic in the park, star gazing, etc. With Matt, there is no such thing as a normal date, only the best of the best for his beloved! He'll dress up super fancy and always have some kind of gift with him to give you every time. Though Matt would be happy to comply with any date idea you have, elegant/traditional dates are always his go-to because of the romantic meaning behind them by society's and his standards.
🟣 Matt is the most loving and clingiest boyfriend out there, your existence alone makes him swoon so he doesn't need much outside of his novelty collection to be happy! He's utterly devoted to you and makes sure to show you that each and every day of your relationship, so much so that everybody around you two already knows you two are together without being told so. Matt would be the perfect boyfriend for those that want to feel loved to the extreme and feel appreciated by someone, and you'd feel all of that every day with him! Top-tier boyfriend material, I tell you! No complaints here!
Tom
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🔵 Tom would be the type of boyfriend that isn't really great when it comes to relationships, but for you, he tries his very best to at least be decent. He'd purposefully try to go out of his comfort zone just to prove his love for you, wanting to show you that he actually cares even when he isn't the best at showing so sometimes, but he tries!
🔵 First of all, this mad lad broke up with his bass: Susan for you so that better show just how much he cares and loves you if he picked you over his most beloved bass! Speaking of Susan, Tom often makes up songs that he plays on his bass about/for you. To which you'd always have to beg him to play you some cause he's super embarrassed about them, but with enough reassurance, he'd play you some! And if you reward him with compliments or a kiss, he may just be inclined to show you more, gaining confidence each time.
🔵 And while on the subject of music! You two would always share/recommend each other's music taste! Tom really likes listening to the same music as you whether it's yours or his, he really enjoys the moment because it's just so intimate to him. You'd share headphones, you having one bud in your ear while Tom has the other, forcing each other to stay close, which Tom secretly enjoys very much as he can't help himself but relax each time you two do that.
🔵 We all know Tom's alcohol problem, especially with his favorite: Smirnoff, which he drinks any time he can. But when you two get into a relationship, Tom tries to step back from his alcoholism for your sake. Sure, he'd gladly drink with you if you'd like, but he'd actually pay attention to the amount he's drinking and stop once enough is enough. To be honest, your existence and the relationship make him want to be better for you, and that means acknowledging his problem and overcoming it step by step.
🔵 Whether you are someone that loves Christmas or hates it, depending on which, Tom will try his best to not ruin it for you and match your energy! If you're a Christmas lover, Tom wouldn't exactly act happy about the holiday with you, but you can tell he's really trying to hold back any negative comments about the holiday for your sake. Tom may hate Christmas, but he loves you enough to try his best to not ruin the holiday for you better reward him with affection afterwards cause boy does he need it! But if you're a Christmas hater, then you already know Tom is ruining the holiday with you while calling it a date!
🔵 Tom's love language includes acts of service and physical touch! Out of everything, Tom finds it easiest to express his love for you by doing things for you whether you asked him or not. It's because he can do it without overthinking whether what you're doing is okay or not because doing something for someone else naturally makes that person happy! You could have cooked something for you two and only stepped away for a second, only to come back and see Tom already doing the dishes and insisting that he's got it covered and that you go rest. Maybe you have a pet that needs to be let out or fed and you can't get out of bed to do so, you don't even need to ask and Tom is already on it and doing it for you with no complaints, not even expecting anything in return while doing so.
🔵 One wouldn't expect that one of the main two love languages Tom has is physical touch, but here we are! Tom is actually extremely touch-starved, but won't allow himself to be touched or touch someone else until he feels 100% safe with them. At the beginning of the relationship it took a while for Tom to open himself up to such affections, but the way you took things slow and steady for him really helped and he allowed himself to feel vulnerable with you. Tom loves to give you hugs from behind, you'll be doing something while standing and all of a sudden two arms wrap around you and you can feel his head burry itself in the crock of your neck. At that point he can't live without touching you, you're his rock and he needs you to feel stable and safe. He's always touching you in some way, no matter what you're doing or what position you are in.
🔵 PDA and physical touch are basically the same things, right? Anyways, while out in public Tom is way more reserved with you because he doesn't appreciate strangers staring at the two of you, he'd still be okay with hand-holding or a kiss on his favored spot every now and then, but in private? Tom goes crazy in private, (not as crazy as Matt or Tord but still!) Basically, any opportunity he gets to show you his love for you in a physical manner he takes it. It doesn't matter what you're doing, he is touching you in one way or another. Like I said, you are his rock, his safe haven, and without you near him he'd go crazy, so holding you, kissing, hugs, hand-holding, and everything else in between is what he'll shower you daily with! Please hold him too every once in a while, Lord knows he needs it and may even have a mental breakdown from the affection alone, but he loves it I promise.
🔵 In the beginning Tom was very awkward when it came to kissing, but he eventually got the hang of it and became more comfortable! They were also very unsure and timid at the beginning, forcing you to take the lead, but with each kiss, Tom became more confident, and now he likes to kiss you with slow passion, savoring the intimate closeness with you. Besides your lips, Tom's other favorite spot to kiss you is your forehead. It's just so sweet, gentle, and innocent to him that he sometimes finds it even more intimate than a kiss on the lips. He usually kisses your forehead when you do something that he just really appreciates whether you meant it or not. Maybe you fixed the broken string in his bass for him and he'll just give you the most loving gaze and that gentle smile as he grabs your face and gives you a gentle kiss on the forehead as a thanks. He just finds forehead kisses soothing, what can I say?
🔵 Cuddles=physical touch, so Tom enjoys if not loves them a lot! Tom has a preference for being the big spoon over the little spoon. As the big spoon, it literally feels as if Tom is trying to fuse with you by how hard, he's pressing you against him. You both would be lying at your sides as Tom has his arms wrapped tightly around your lower back and his head buried in your hair as he lets the scent of your shampoo ease him. Though Tom has a stronger preference for being the big spoon, he won't complain if you're the one who wants to hold him, especially if he's feeling vulnerable that day. You'd be lying at your sides again, but he'd have his back turned to you as you hug him from behind and run your hands up and down his arms/hands to soothe him, as he feels too embarrassed to face you when he's in his low state. Again, I'm sorry but just like Matt, Tom is always cold and you'd need a blanket with you whenever you two cuddle, except for summer though, cuddling with Tom during summer feels like heaven!
🔵 As said before, Tom loves physical affection and he views you as his safe heaven basically, so he isn't much of a fan when other people touch you, but if it's a friend or you allow the action yourself, there isn't much he can do but to tolerate it. But if it's someone that's trying to get with you, that's a different story! Tom makes it plainly obvious that he hates the person just by looking at them with that huge grimace and annoyed expression on his face as soon he can tell that they are flirting with you. Unlike Edd, Tom won't wait for a sign from you or anything like that, as soon as his feelings of feeling threatened are made correct by the actions of the person flirting with you he is right by your side, hugging you from behind possessively as he puts his head on your shoulder and says: "Hey babe, is this guy bothering you?" And just from his words and actions alone, the rando gets the hint you're already taken and leaves immediately with an apology. Apology or not, that does not stop Tom from glaring daggers at the person as you drag him away back home, having to soothe him with words of affection as he grumbles under his breath about wanting to choke the person.
🔵 Tom is very awkward with dates and finds them super complicated to arrange, man doesn't have much experience with dating and wants the best for you, so he tries his best to make the dates the best they can be! Tom would never admit it, but he'd be looking up advice online on where to take his partner on a date and go based on that, which means Tom doesn't really have a specific type of date he goes on with you, it's mainly whatever the best thing he can find online, he goes with. You ain't complaining though, cause those dates range from romantic dinners to the aquarium to a musical, to a picnic! No matter what it is or where you go, your boyfriend always makes sure you're having fun.
🔵 Tom is the most awkward boyfriend that doesn't know what he's doing but tries his best anyway just to make the relationship work. He may not always understand what he's supposed to do as a boyfriend or how to do it because he is always internally freaking out if what's he doing actually works, but he'd never once make you feel like he doesn't love you. He'd remind you of that fact every day in any way he can, whether large or small. Your existence keeps him sane and happy, so he'll do anything he can just to keep you at his side, even if he doesn't always know what he's doing.
Tord
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🔴 Tord would be the type of boyfriend that thinks he knows what he's doing while being a huge show off while doing so, but in reality, he has no idea how being in love and dating works. Still, he sure acts like he does cause he feels insanely confident in a relationship because he thinks it's easy and he knows what he's doing (it isn't and he doesn't) But he rarely makes you suspect that over how nice a relationship with him is!
🔴 Tord is very open with his love for guns, especially when he pulls one out of nowhere before shooting something. Even though Tord doesn't mind showing you off his shooting skills, in fact, he loves it, but he will not allow you to touch his weapon at all! No amount of reassurance will make him trust you or himself enough to give you such a weapon. He just fears something might go wrong, if there's anyone else's safety he's more worried about it than his, it's yours and he will never put your life in danger willingly no matter what.
🔴 He'd show you his little inventions like the couch one or something like that and gets giddy when you show interest in them and praise him for them. He'd never show you his dangerous inventions though, like his giant robot out of fear of losing you, but if you have an invention request for him, Tord is more than happy to make it come true! Any nondangerous gadget is at your disposal any time you want and is free to use without asking, which means something because very few people have this sort of privilege from him.
🔴 So we all know Tord likes to smoke his cigars, well, similar to Tom with his alcohol problem, he will try to smoke less if not stop entirely at one point just for your sake. Whether you made a comment about his smoking habit or not, he's sure his smoke breath just after he finished his cigar doesn't feel really good when you two kiss. So he'd try his best to lessen doing it, or at least not smoke before he gets to spend time with you just so that he doesn't smell too bad.
🔴 Tord would be the type of boyfriend to lend you his clothes but on purpose! You won't need to ask for his hoodie or anything before he one day walks up to you with his hoodie and gives it to you without a word before walking away. If you comply and wear his clothes, expect to have his eyes always on you with a flirty smirk to match. He just can't help himself but feel oddly satisfied and honored for you to wear his clothes that are always too big for you, he finds it adorable and a way of marking you by having something of him with you, but he'd never tell you that of course.
🔴 Tord's love language is unsurprisingly physical touch and words of affirmation! Out of the main four, it was given that Tord would love physical touch a ton! Tord normally isn't a touchy person at all, he avoids having physical contact with most people like the plague, but with you? It's the opposite! The second you get together he's all over you in any way and every day he can! He saves the special affection for people that mean the most to him, and you just happened to be his entire world so he makes sure you receive the attention you deserve! Sitting on the couch with his arms wrapped around you? Check. Eating together with your knees touching? Check. Driving and sitting next to each other with his hand on your thigh? Check. Just any scenario with him having his hands on you in some way is always possible with Tord. He just feels safe and comfortable being this close to you, he doesn't show it, but Tord deals with a lot of anxiety and paranoia over the things he hides from you and his friends. It can get a lot sometimes, and the only way for him to let it all out is through physical contact with you.
🔴 Tord lives for giving you physical affection, but words of affirmation are exactly on the same level for him! Tord is a natural flirt that can come up with a pick-up line on the fly without trying, that's how good he is! But flirting isn't the only way he'll verbalize his love for you, a simple thought-out compliment or praise is what you'll hear from him a lot as well. Maybe you're working on something and are getting tired of it but you have to push through when you suddenly get interrupted by Tord appearing out of nowhere as he rubs your back reassuringly and tells you how great you're doing and to remember to take breaks etc. Just like with Matt, whatever you do, and no matter what the outcome of it was, or no matter how insecure you are, you will always be met with praise from him as he kisses you all over your face. Overall, just imagine yourself in any scenario just like the one before and Tord will find an excuse to flirt/compliment/praise you.
🔴 PDA and Tord are like best friends, why would he stop showering you with love in public when you clearly deserve all of the attention you can get? He's the same as Matt honestly, there is just no stopping him from kissing, hugging, hand-holding, etc, no matter where you two are. His love for you both in public and in private is the exact same, he just wants the whole world to know who you belong to and just wants to show your relationship off! Plus Tord doesn't feel any need to tone down the affection out in public, why should he? He barely pays attention to the random people on the street anyway because all of his attention is on you, everything else just doesn't matter when he's with you so he acts like it with his affections.
🔴 Kisses with Tord happen literally almost every minute and yet he always manages to find a way to make the next one more amazing than the last. He wants you to love and remember every moment of it as he slowly but sensually moves his lips against yours with that stupid smirk on his face and half-lid eyes that scan you with satisfaction. Tord is always confident when kissing you, so there's no hesitation coming from him before his lips are on yours while holding you so close you can barely move. And all of that is what I just described how kissing with Tord looks and feels like all the time. Outside of the lips though, Tord's other favorite spot to kiss you is to no one's surprise, your neck! It doesn't even need to be sexual, he just loves to kiss you there! The reactions you give him as you stiff at his sudden touch to the neck before you slowly relax and maybe let your voice out once in a while if Tord feels like teasing you a bit with his cheeky kisses. He is a pervert after all, so you can imagine he enjoys the show you give him sometimes immensely.
🔴 Same as with Tom and Matt, Tord lives for cuddles with you! Sorry, to say but Tord is always the big spoon, under no circumstance would he willingly put himself in a vulnerable position that we call the "little spoon". The only way for that to happen is you'd walk in on him in an uncharacteristically vulnerable moment, you both know he won't reveal what made him so upset so the only thing you can think of is to lay down and hug him from behind, pressing yourself against him tightly as you whisper reassuring words into his ear. Tord would never admit it, but he really appreciated the gesture, but you won't catch him asking to be a little spoon after that, it's just not his thing. What his thing is being the big spoon though! He is literally wrapped around you like a koala the whole cuddle session, you'd be pressed against his chest with his arms wrapped around your waist and his legs entangled with yours as he lays his head on top of yours. Unlike the two before him, Tord is always warm, so cuddling during the summer is always a pain, especially because Tord can't go a single day without multiple cuddles. But during winter you cannot be more glad than to have a literal fireplace as a boyfriend!
🔴 Tord feels like everyone is a threat to your relationship with a few exceptions constantly, even if the person in question is just a friend or someone that truly means no harm Tord will always feel like he's competing over you with them. As soon as he realizes the person's intentions with you he'd glare daggers at them with an almost silent animalistic growl coming from him as crossed arms almost rip the fabric of his hoodie from how tightly he's holding the fabric. As soon as the person's hands start to move towards you in an attempt to touch you, in a blink of an eye Tord is right behind you as he grabs your shoulders and possesivly presses your back against his chest. ''Get lost before I make you" If looks could kill the rando would have been already on the floor dead from the terrifying threat and expression Tord had on his face. Before you realize what's happening the person is already bolting in the opposite direction, you only snap out of it once you feel Tord's grip on you loosen as he looks at you with a satisfied smile before grabbing your hand and walking back home. It's almost as if the situation is already forgotten by him altogether, but it isn't, in fact, he'll have that memory of you getting hit on for a while before he gets over it. He just chooses not to show you how much the situation has impacted him for your sake, though he would really appreciate a kiss or two with some reassurance as you two head home, it'll make him feel better faster.
🔴 Tord legit has no idea what he's doing when it comes to dates. Just like Tom, he'd look up advice online on how to make "the perfect date" for you. The dates he'd typically settle on are the ones he knows you'd love to go to, he'd pay special attention in conversations where you mention a specific place you'd love to go to and immediately write it down as one of the places he should take you to. Literally, anything you want he will make it happen, restaurant, theme park, cinema, arcade, etc, just name it and you're going there! Tord already knows you're enjoying yourself because he purposefully took you somewhere you wanted to go, but he'd always try to make the date even more fun with various shenanigans he does to make you laugh, making dates more memorable than they would've originally been.
🔴 Tord is the embodiment of a boyfriend that wants nothing more but to make you the center of his world if not the universe. If someone like him could get with someone like you then it's only right he makes you feel like the most special person in the world! And just like Matt, he's perfect for those that need/want to be reminded of that fact every day, whether you want it or not Tord is basically worshiping you and he'll make sure you don't forget that fact either! Honestly, you're the only reason why he hasn't taken over the world yet, you'll never know that fact personally, but it's true!
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m1ssunderstanding · 3 months ago
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If Paul can't be who he is, or talk to people, keeping it in him who's to blame for this. If he has problems he doesn"t talk about or we older fans see him the way we do, whom is he hiding from? Is it really fare to blame his fans for thinking like he's happy and got it together. Do the younger generation see things differently? I care and adore Paul and don't want to think he isn't. Is that it? Or do we need to feel he's lying and all pr I know pretty much everything public about Paul. I dont mean to be rude or disagree with you. I enjoy seeing new fans and sees him from your pov but I wanna know what you think what he feels he can't share.
Hi! Okay, let's break this down.
Question one: Who is to blame for Paul not being more open about his private life?
Jim McCartney. Next question. No, it's a lot more complicated than that. Besides it being just a natural part of his personality, the foundation of this trait was formed through the whole context of his upbringing which laid the groundwork for how Paul would react to fame, as opposed to the other three. Then, because he was already set up to do so, fame and its side-affects and consequences made Paul double down on closing up. Then during the breakup, John's diarrhea of the mouth syndrome and Linda's encouraging Paul to lean into his home life and let his public life be, put Paul further into a pattern of craving privacy.
Question two: Is it fair to blame older fans for taking Paul's public self as his private self?
Firstly, I don't see the point in talking about blame in the first place. A) being a private person, putting on a face in public, is neither bad nor uncommon. (Maybe nobody really does it to the degree Paul does it. Maybe it does have some negative outcomes and does point to a lack of self-assurance and a strong tendency to emotional avoidance) but to some degree, Paul's cagey and fake public self is normal and healthy. B) blame is the least interesting mystery here.
Secondly, no one is trying to blame older fans for Paul's behavior. What I personally am frustrated with is what such a large group of people taking the surface as the entire ocean does to Paul's character as a historical figure and to the Beatles narrative as a whole. However, this large group is certainly not limited to older fans, nor does it contain all the older fans. Additionally, people can do, think, and say what they want. It's not some pressing humanitarian concern if people misunderstand Paul McCartney and the Beatles. It does seem to indicate and contribute to a large-scale cultural deficiency which may negatively impact more important social issues, but it is certainly far from a life and death situation.
Question three: Does the younger generation see things differently?
I'd actually never thought of these views in terms of generations, but yes, I guess many younger fans do look beyond the surface more than many older fans do.
Question four: Do we need to assume Paul is lying and all PR?
Again. Nobody needs to do anything. Do what you want. But. If you are looking to gain a more serious understanding of one of the most influential people of the twentieth century, then I suggest you don't take every word from his mouth as one-hundred-percent truthful as you should with anyone. This is absolutely not to say Paul is a liar and only cares about looking good to the public for business reasons. In fact, I believe if he was completely open about a lot of the things he guards against fully sharing, he would come off a lot better.
My personal rules of thumb with the Beatles are these: 1. John (and to a lesser extent George) often speaks from a place of strong emotion and uses talking about his experiences and feelings to regulate and soothe. Therefore, his statements are often extreme and often emphasize the negative. Paul (and to a lesser extent Ringo) cannot express strong emotion and fears talking about his experiences and feelings without disguising them or softening them. Therefore, his statements are often evasive and often emphasize the positive. If John says "I was going through murder," he means, "my mental health struggles were particularly difficult at that time even with all the good things I had going for me." If Paul says, "but it wasn't all, you know, great," he means, "Despite what I've made it seem like, that period of my life was not even safe, let alone perfect." 2. Take into account the culture these men were raised in and the attitude that culture would've pushed on them about certain topics. None of them are going to be particularly open about anything they would've been in any way punished for during the bulk of their life experience.
Question five: What do you think Paul feels he can't share?
If you were internationally famous, would you share absolutely everything about your personal life, innermost thoughts, politics, desires, regrets, hurts, and loves? I don't think so. Now, imagine you had most of your ability to be emotionally vulnerable beaten out of you as a child, you and your three best friends experienced death threats and permanent career damage due to one seemingly innocuous comment, and the person you trusted most in the world turned on a dime and exploited all your insecurities and the entire world followed suit for decades. I imagine there would be galaxies filled with all the things you feel you can't share and that you would use whatever protective measures necessary to keep yourself sane.
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cinnbar-bun · 5 months ago
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Bad Romance (Various Valentine's Guards x Reader)
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Characters: Blackmore, Magenta Magenta, Mike O., Ringo Roadagain, Wekapipo
Prompt: "I want your love, and I want your revenge / You and me could write a bad romance."
Summary: These men faithfully serve your father, Funny Valentine, but what can they do when their heart craves to be known to you as more than just your bodyguard?
Rating: NSFW I have no excuse for this.
Notes: parts SFW mixed with some NSFW hcs. I think maybe Wekapipo's is a bit mean but nrjkgnjrg. GN!reader, no parts mentioned, Reader is Funny Valentine's child. Also sorry I call him Magenta Magenta lmk for next time if I should just use Magent Magent.
Word Count: ~3.5k
Tagging: @bruabbina (bestieeee come get some Ringo food!!!) @uminozerol (I don't know if you wanted to be tagged but as you are the resident Blackmore lover and FV enjoyer in my life I think you deserve some Blackmore food)
Blackmore 
Blackmore has always been loyal to the Valentine family since he was hired, especially to the president himself. 
Blackmore believes the Valentine family to be the most ‘worthy’ family ever, with Funny as the head and you, his child, as a worthy and divine successor. You are something unearthly that Blackmore cannot comprehend. 
Normally, he isn’t always the first bodyguard assigned to you, but occasionally, Funny orders him to or you personally request him. Blackmore can’t help but feel elated when you do so, choosing him to escort you around on your daily activities. It makes him feel wonderful knowing that someone as magnificent and beautiful as you allows him within your presence. 
He takes his job of protecting you seriously, quietly removing any potential threat (no matter how minor) as to not disturb you. He hates the idea of you having to witness the things he must do to protect you, nor does he want you to be exposed to the darker parts of the world. 
At first he assumed the way his heart was pounding around you was due to his loyalty and eagerness to show he was useful to the family. However, it became pretty clear to him after a while the emotions he felt for you were far different from the loyalty he felt for your father. 
He’d never want to act on these feelings, instead choosing to continue serving you in silence, eagerly carrying out any and all orders you may have. 
He keeps himself calm around you, never allowing his voice to raise or his breath to quicken in your presence. You deserve much better than him yearning for you in such a display. 
Yet, occasionally, you will linger your hands near his whenever he is escorting you in the rain, claiming that you just want to stay under his umbrella. Blackmore is confused, since the umbrella is clearly large enough for the both of you to stay comfortably under (he made sure of it himself). 
Then you demand his presence more and more, even beyond things like needing an escort for going outside. He complies nonetheless, as serving you is his biggest honor. 
But you… you’re too much, sometimes. You know how protective your father is of you, yet you deign to be more casual with Blackmore like he is your equal. Blackmore is flustered by such a notion, but he doesn’t want to act on it, refusing to cause you shame. 
And then you corner him one day, but yet he does not mind. 
“‘Scuse me… we must be getting back to the White House, soon,” he reminds you. But you insist, practically begging for him to touch you. 
The way you whisper in his ears makes him want to throw his whole life away in order to serve you eternally. What could be more grand, more holy, than caring and serving you, the most glorious existence in this world? 
He lets you take charge, offers himself as a sacrifice to you as you say you want to ‘thank’ him for all his hard work and loyal service to your family. Your lips and hands on his body feel divine, and he thinks he has passed away from the way you touch him. 
He shouldn’t really be doing this, he argues. “What would your father think? He asks me to protect you, not… aaa… desecrate you…” 
But soon, he can’t help himself, finding himself touching you back and devoting himself to making sure you feel just as much pleasure as you do. In fact, he gets greedy, especially with the way he kisses you so frantically while the rain is pouring outside. 
“Such a perfect thing… you deserve to be worshipped, from this world, to the next.” 
Magenta Magenta 
A bodyguard who already acts far too casual for his standing with you. While your father appreciated Magenta’s work, Magenta’s attitude had often made him hesitate to pair the unprofessional man with you. 
But, honestly, how could you resist him? Every ‘good morning’ he said to you was loud and proud, as if this particular morning was the best one yet. Poor pick-up lines, bad puns, and silly little magic tricks would occur soon after, making you laugh at his behavior. 
“You know, you’re the only who has a sense of humor here,” he says while juggling some ice casually. “The others are so boring and act like they’re all better than me, or something.” 
He finds your laugh wonderful, wanting to hear it almost every day as he comes up with new material to tell you. Being the president’s kid in this strict White House has got to be boring, so he takes it upon himself to not only protect you, but to entertain you. It gives him more opportunities to not only make you smile, but to also talk with someone who doesn’t find him annoying. 
Magenta is not subtle at all with his feelings for you. He’ll pull out roses he picked from the White House lawn (he almost got chased by the gardener) and casually hand them to you, playing up the act of a suave gentleman. He’s not even afraid to flirt with you in front of the others, something Wekapipo smacks and reprimands him for. 
“Tch, he’s just jealous of what we got.” 
Magenta isn’t too scared of what Valentine thinks, mostly concerned about your happiness here. He’ll often suggest sneaking out of parties under the guise of ‘getting some fresh air’ so you two can hang out privately away from the highbrow guests. 
While you were more proper before, thanks to Magenta’s casual behavior, you shed your overly polite ways and relax around him more. 
And… well, you certainly become more bold around him. You talk of wanting to run away with him and the both of you enjoying the world by yourselves. He adds that you two should get a plane and fly it across the globe. 
You lean in closer to him, far too close for any bodyguard to be around their ward. He leans in closer, not minding the distance at all. 
He’s made it no secret he’s attracted to you, and seeing you try to get closer to him without telling him your feelings gets him excited. 
“Tryna get me killed by your dear daddy, darling? You know I’m not allowed to make the first move for you. I don’t wanna look like the bad guy or something.” 
Once you finally make the first move, then he’s all in and all over you. 
He’s not a refined gentleman, not in the slightest, as he’s just focused on grinding against you and kissing you all over. He just touches and squeezes wherever he can from you. 
It’s sloppy, it’s messy, but it’s passionate. All the love and tension you two had between each other since he began serving you comes out in full swing. 
Do note, Magenta is a loud man. This fool forgets he isn’t supposed to be having sex with his boss’s kid, and often just gets loud and whiny in your ear. He does continue to make jokes during the act, but majority of it is praising how wonderful you feel or how pent up he is. 
After the first time you did it, he’s gonna be wanting it more and more, and he’s going to try and get you two to sneak away for a bit so he can fuck the proper mask right off of you. 
“There, much better, huh? Don’t worry, I know those high and mighty assholes bore you to death. So let’s have some fun, you and me!” 
Mike O. 
If you thought Blackmore was holding himself back, Mike O. takes the cake. 
Mike is your father’s personal bodyguard, and Mike takes pride in his job. Hell, the fact Funny allows him to guard you and trusts him with you the most should be seen as the highest honor for anyone. 
So why can’t he just keep it like a job and not want to hold you? 
He was simply trying to do his job and make sure everything was in tip-top shape for you, yet the more he learned about you, the more he fell for you. 
He’s dedicated beyond belief, especially to you. If any staff even messes up something miniscule for you, he lectures them and gives them a warning, perhaps even having another staff member care for you. If a person outside the staff bothers your threatens harm, if he doesn’t personally take care of it in the case of an emergency, he’ll head to your father and ask for permission to do something about it. 
“My president… these men have been giving them a hard time. Permission to execute them? Or shall I make them simply regret having crossed the Valentine’s?” 
He does find your more relaxed and easy-going nature pleasant compared to your father’s stern and secretive behavior. You may insist on treating him like an equal or being friendlier to him, but Mike doesn’t want to cross into even more unprofessional territory and will respond stoically. 
He shows his care for you through physical acts of service, as that can’t be misconstrued too easily as an admission of his feelings for you. His face remains completely cold and serious, always on the lookout and always searching for any potential threats. But he makes sure your tea is the perfect temperature for you, or opens the window to let in the right amount of sunlight that you enjoy. Subtle things that none can trace back as him wanting to be more than your bodyguard. 
He would like more than anything to be able to be upfront with you and shower you in affection and love that you deserve. He sees the way potential suitors behave around you, and while he silences his envy in order to keep watch, he will never stop you from pursuing them if you choose to. He gives his honest opinions when you ask for them, never letting it slip that he hates them and wishes they’d just leave. He makes detailed files and potential pros and cons for them, never deluding himself into thinking he has a chance with you. Staying by your side is all he will allow himself to do. 
For god’s sake, you’re the president’s child. A mere bodyguard like him should not be anywhere close to you like that romantically. It’s simply wrong. He beats it into his brain over and over so he doesn’t reveal how admittedly relieved he is when you reject another potential suitor. 
He does wonder why you reject them all, even ones that seem like perfect fits, but he’ll never give himself the hope that it’s because you perhaps like him back. Even if you stare at him too long or ask for his help for everything or request his presence too much, it surely cannot be that. 
But you can’t resist him, and when you call for him one night to your room, you finally release the feelings you’ve kept lock and key. 
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. It would be inappropriate. I am just a bodyguard and-” his rather poor argument falls apart when you tell him he’s more than just a bodyguard, but your most trusted companion and the man you truly love. 
Something within him snaps, but he still tries to remain cool and collected. You kiss him gently and all restraints within him break. For so long he’s desired it, knowing this would surely get him killed by Funny’s hands. 
He’s a gentle but passionate lover. His hands move with a grace and fluidity of a man who knows exactly what needs to be done. As if he knows exactly what you need from him at that moment. 
Not to brag, but his fingers are truly wonderful and can easily bring you on your knees. His hands are amazing. 
He doesn’t talk much during this tryst, merely exhaling into your ear and asking if you are feeling good. 
“Ah… there is no greater feeling than your body in mine. Let me lead you to a world of pleasure, my ward.” 
Ringo Roadagain 
Although polite and caring for your safety, Ringo does not admire your presence at first. Labeling you a ‘conformist’ in his mind, one who simply does as told, who lives in the shadow of your father’s, he writes you off as perhaps another spoiled and coddled person. 
However, you see his skill with a gun and his general attitude, and you beg him to teach you how to shoot or defend yourself. He doesn’t mind teaching you, but he wonders if you are actually serious enough about it. 
You are determined, even if you’re not the best, and he begins sensing an inkling of that ‘spirit’ within you. It makes him wonder if you are able to surpass the expectations of others and become something greater than you’ve ever imagined. 
He doesn’t tell you this, not wanting to be too inappropriate with you, but he hopes you can surpass the others and be the one to kill him and complete his spirit. 
After these many training sessions, he does reveal more of his own self and gentlemanly behavior. You are of higher status than him, but he will not treat you like a porcelain object. He expects you to stand strong for yourself as well, lest everything you’ve learned be for nothing. 
The feelings he has for you are not something he is ashamed of nor does he deny. It just is. And it takes a real man to acknowledge them head on and do something about it. 
His mentality on fairness makes him believe he should not be the one to monopolize your time only. He’ll back off when the other men guard you, as he is not possessive or overbearing towards you. You are your own person, and he will not allow himself to overstep your boundaries. 
Ringo is often the one appointed to handle you and any potential suitors, given his nonchalance and calm behavior. Again, he doesn’t think much of that, given you’re your own person, but he has to admit that these ‘boys’ who try and talk to you are a ridiculous bunch. 
Ringo isn’t a fool, though, and notices when you are being cheeky or trying to get his attention. It’s not his place to mention it head on, but he does know how you feel. 
But you never seem to confess it to him straight, so eventually, when you two are alone and you again try to seem innocent in your flirting, he gives you a serious expression. 
“Darling, you’ve got to make up your mind and say what you want with your whole chest.” 
The shocked expression on your face makes him chuckle in amusement, but he continues. “You’ve been acting coy for so long around me. I’m surprised your father hasn’t noticed such brazen behavior from you. But if you want to pursue me in a real relationship, you must be honest.” 
Honesty is the best policy, and it doesn’t take long before you’re on top of him. Ringo admittedly enjoys the thrill of being with you, as it gives him a high that he cannot replicate elsewhere. 
He encourages you in that low voice to make some noise and let him know how he’s doing. He’s not particularly concerned about whether or not Funny catches him or knows. He gets you and a possible battle, both of which spur him on more. 
Skilled and methodical. He is not a hungry beast, but it’s as if it’s his life’s mission to get you to scream his name and leave you a heaving mess on the floor. 
When you two are finally finished for the night, he makes sure to clean you up and take care of your sore body. But he can’t help himself and leans in to you, quietly whispering into your ear-
“Welcome, darling, to the world of ‘men’.” 
Wekapipo
The opposite of practically all these men. He keeps it strictly professional. Does not talk to you. Does not humor you. Does nothing but what Funny asks. 
He doesn’t have much else to care for in this life, so he’s just trying to do his job. But you complicate everything. You insist on being a pest and doing almost anything other than what your father wants. He sighs often with you. 
Truthfully, you aren’t that bad, but he’s a closed-off man who just wants to live peacefully. Any time you try to casually ask him a question or chat with him makes him act unamused and remind you he is just a guard. Not your friend. 
“Please do remember that your father has hired me to keep watch of you. It would be unwise of you to attempt to get close to me, when we have such a difference in title.” 
Doesn’t stop you from trying, though, which only frustrates him to no end. 
Not to mention, for some god forsaken reason, you always keep attempting to be friendlier with him and ‘reward’ him for his service. 
“Why are you giving me this? Do you understand that I am simply just doing my job? I did not take this just for a chance at your gifts. I know my place. You should know yours, too.” 
He doesn’t know what to do with the amount of stuff you’ve attempted to give him or insist on doing for him, despite being your guard. He just sighs and leaves it in his room and complain aloud about while internally thinking it’s nice you chose them for him. 
Yeah, he’s crashing hard. Although now, you annoy him not because he finds you a nuisance of a ward, but because of how burdensome these feelings are for you. He just wants to get paid and go home, and wanting to have his boss’s child as a romantic partner isn’t exactly in line with that idea. 
So he quells it and continues, acting as he usually does- stern, cold, detached, and even more done with your behavior. He feels that if he acts more serious that these pesky feelings will die off and reveal themselves to be nothing more than childish delusions he imagined. 
Except it does the complete opposite, where him pulling away makes you come closer, and it makes his heart beat out of his chest knowing how much you care despite him being… well… Wekapipo to you. 
Wekapipo denies any and all feelings for you if Magenta brings up how overbearing he is with you. He insists it’s just part of his duty and that he’s doing his job correctly. 
Despite his aloofness… he is quite the jealous and possessive man. He hates others getting close to you or wanting to guard you. That’s his job, and if it was so easy that anyone could’ve done it, he would not have been specifically chosen to guard you. 
His frustration gets worse when you keep on teasing him or attempting to be coy. He knows what you’re pulling- he’s not an idiot, you know- and he has to hold back from telling you off and kissing your mouth shut. 
One day, after you tease him far too much, he pins you down and glares at you. “Have some decency, will you? Really, do you throw yourself at every other man like this? I doubt your father would like to know the stunts you’ve been pulling.” 
He lectures, but it’s clear by the way he’s shaking and can barely look you in the eyes just how flustered and angered he is by this. Yes, he wants you, he wants you a lot, damn it, but he can’t do this with you! 
And yet you always bring out the worst in him, making him throw caution to the wind as you embrace him and kiss him, making all his pent-up frustration come out. 
He doesn’t want to be rough, but admittedly, all this time pining for you while you two engage in this forbidden act makes him lose his mind and all restraints. He wants you, he wants you now, he wants you so bad it’s ridiculous and he cannot contain himself. 
He’s on you like a starved man, panting in your ear and cursing himself for falling victim to your charms. 
“Damn you… damn my foolishness. You’ll be the death of me! Making me want you like this, begging me to ruin you- you have no idea what you’ve just unleashed. I’ll make sure to set you straight!”
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writingmonet · 2 months ago
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The Psychology of Fives: the impact of Echo's ghost, Rex, Tup & legacy (part 2)
You can find part one here if you didn't read it yet. I'm tired and (no) I didn't rewatch Umbara or the Chip's Arc (do you wanna me cry????), so leet's go memory.
Tup or why Fives may have dependant issues
Tup is a young clone who first appears in the Umbara Arc. While he and Fives aren't especially close in Umbara Arc (they are but as Fives and Jesse are as well), they do seems to have developed a special bond since, when we saw them again on Ringo Vinda, they're constantly at each other's side.
I'm gonna be honest, on my first watch of Umbara Arc I didn't pay attention to Tup that much, mainly because of a clone named Dogma. It's not Tup's fault! It's merely due tot he fact that Umbara Arc presents the challenges of bringing back clones we already knew more or less (Rex, Fives, Hardcase, Jesse and Kix) in the middle of a complex arc (Clones against Jedi, against orders) and with others complex clones (Dogma). So yeah, in the middle of this Tup was more of a secondary character for me and he isn't that developed in the two arcs he's in (but I'll talk about this later).
Back to our sheep, I mean clones. Fives, so used to having Echo at his side, doesn't seem to proceed effectively without someone at his side. Without a close friend. Tup seems to have been this other friend he seems to have been in dire need. Tup is the his way to restart again, to make sure he won't lose a brother if he can avoid it.
While I talk about Tup, this is also largely applicable to all his others clone friends. Fives is extremely protective of each of them and he advocate for their interests everytime he thinks the orders are against their well-being or security. Fives seems to depend a lot on people close to him and he doesn't seem to handle well when things go out of his way.
When Tup's chip activate, Fives do his duty by arresting him and he insist on following him. He can't lose Tup. He can't lose again a best friend. He lost his batch, he lost his twin, now he won't lose his best friend. Now, Fives doesn't display all the character traits of a protector. Or rather he can be a protector (especially toward siblings like Echo and Tup) but he cannot be too much of it since he's a soldier. Due to this, he knows that he's doom to lose siblings and has to dealt with the pain and grief born from it.
A consequence of this grief is that Fives, all during of Umbara Arc, show signs of intense emotions (justifiable considering the whole arc but that I also attribute to the loss of all his Squad). He goes mad rather easily, and he goes mad at Rex when the latter refuses to follow his plan. He decides to execute his plan because he knows it's the best plan they have, and he go search for more volunteers: two brothers against the lives of thousands of them. That's really a cost that Fives is ready to pay.
Side-note: this trait of Fives having difficulty remaining quiet especially when he doesn't find the situation right is definitely a core trait of his on my rewatch of the deleted scene of ARC Troopers where he has difficulty not expressing what he thinks out loud at Rex, who noticed it. It's interesting to notice that he's already taking Hevy-traits when Echos' alive but goes even deeper into it after his twin's death.
Unfortunately for him, in his plan, Hardcase dies and, then, Tup dies and Fives, mad with grief, just doesn't get it. It's so strange that he starts to investigate immediately out of grief. There's something fishy and he will prove it out of loyalty and devotion for his brothers.
That lead me to a point: if Fives had a single doubt about Echo's survival, he would have jump to save him. No questions ask. Unfortunately, Fives will die before he is able (in a few week's time if I'm correct?) too.
Because Fives' life is marked by grief, he refuses - he cannot not go dig into Tup's mysterious death. Losing a brother on a battlefield is something. Losing a brother under foggy circumstances is another, one that Fives will not (cannot) accept.
Now, we all know what happens to Fives, and his ultimate death. I only want to use this to make the transition with the importance of Rex in Fives' life, whom he trusted until the very end, dying in his arms, hoping that his nightmares (of killing the Jedis, of seeing again, again and again, the death of his batchmates) would end.
Fives was reunited with Tup and (almost) all his Domino brothers. Fives had to survive without Echo. Now, in the cruellest joke that could have been made (and thanks Dave Filoni for the tears shed) Echo would have to live without him.
Why is Rex so important in Fives (and Echo by extension) life?
If we look at all the clones from the Clone Wars, since episode one, not much are still alives and not much has been developed about them (another subject of debate). But Rex is, beyond the shadow of a doubt one of the few clones we have known, was developped and still alive.
Rex is also, without doubt, Fives (and Echo) the most important person in their life. It's him who integrates them in the 501st. It's in front of him that Fives & Echo are named ARC-Troopers. It's Rex who serves as this older brother the fandom has established him.
After Echo's death, it's Rex who remains for Fives to hold on to, as someone who knew Echo as well as Fives (perhaps the only one? Jesse and Kix knew Echo but less deeply maybe?). I do believe that one of the reasons why Fives and Rex are so close is because of Echo. Many have drawn parallels between Echo & Rex (rule-followers, fiercely loyal) and Fives & Cody.
As Rex states: you [Fives & Echo] both have really stepped up. Reminds me of me, actually.
Being close to Rex is also for Fives a way of being close to some remaining - some echoes, of Echo. Fives have a mad respect for Rex, to the point that when he disobeys orders, he still wants to know if the man will be against or on his side. Due to the CW structure, however, we do not know enough about Fives' other relations but I don't believe that he demonstrated such a deep respect toward anyone, except Anakin maybe, since their General is always with them on the front of battles. I have little doubt that Rex is an anchor in Fives' life, like Tup is, especially after Echo's disappearance.
Unfortunately, for all the blind trust and immense respect Fives had toward Rex, the latter only half-believed him during the whole chip arc.
A side note: Fives & Anakin seemed to have been close friends. It is stated that Fives death profoundly impacted Anakin. This may be the reason why Anakin followed Rex to rescue Echo. He had known Echo, he had known Fives and if he could save one of his men he always would give it a try, especially the twin of one of his best soldier.
Echo's pursue of Fives legacy
The most ironic thing is that Echo is found after Fives' death and we, unfortunately (and scandalizing!) have no idea of his reaction to the announcement of Fives' death.
This is frustrating and, I repeat, one of the biggest issues I have with the Clone Wars is the lack of development of the clones + inter-personnal relations (but this is another essay, that will be linked with Hevy).
Thankfully, we do have some indices of how Echo may have reacted, with his goal to save most of his brothers from the Empire and to get them out of the inhibitor chip influence. Which is exactly what Fives wanted.
Echo - and Rex, are here to pursue Fives' legacy and last goal shortly before his death. According to Jennifer Corbett, the director of TBB, Echo and Rex had long and multiple conversations about Fives. Why were we robbed of at least one of these scenes is a mystery I'm unable to answer.
Echo, who wasn't here for Umbara (which he may have profoundly changed) nor for Ringo Vinga, who has lost everything, guilt-eaten by what he has done at the hands of the Sepperatist leave his second family (The Bad Batch - quite fitting considering how Hevy saw themselves as a band of bad batchers) to return with Rex to make sure that Fives' death wasn't in vain.
Echo chooses a dead man's ideals over those of living ones, and TBB knows that it is a good thing to do but isn't interested in saving the clones that they never have perceived as family, unlike Echo. It doesn't mean Echo doesn't care for them! It only means that, in the great scheme of things, Fives will always remain the person he would choose above all like Fives did with Echo's memory (his deep attachment to his clone brothers & his mindset to never lose a brother in every avoidable way again).
Okay, I'm tired. But now I know I have an essay to write about Hevy at the weekend. Again, if anyone wants to express his opinions, I'll gladly discuss it.
As a treat, our favourite pair of twins while they were still happy:
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(also the amount of non-verbal interaction between those two all the episodes they're together? If you never pay attention, go rewatch the episodes there's like a TON OF IT)
Anyway, PEAK TWIN and I'll die on this hill.
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kisses4mizu · 10 months ago
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BES characters in minecraft
Mizu
- goes ALL out, does whatever it takes to go into the end portal to kill the dragon
- ragequits and throws the controller to the wall
- “taigen will pay for the damage..” || “WHAT THE HELL DID I DO???”
- will kill whoever changes the survival mode to creative mode which disrupts the features
Akemi
- busy planting flowers, using tutorials to make cute houses and finding animals to take in as pets (especially horses!!)
- unsure abt how the game works and watches minecraft streams to improve
- if she could, forever peaceful mode 🙏 but has a WHOLE personality change in survival
- “oh, cute cow!” to “censored shouting”
Taigen
- will spent 20 minutes trying out every skin
- sets up bombs in forests and lights villages on fire ^_^
- bro sacrifices the villagers to the zombies and pillagers
- guards his house like crazy
- he’ll disturb the others like secretly killing akemi’s cows or making sure mizu doesn’t get to the end portal
- “zombie, OH ZOMBIE, OH CRAP, GO AWAY, SHIT SHIT, GO AWAY” voice goes higher and higher as he shouts lmao
Ringo
- would never die for some reason??
- cutie goes to sleep at appointed time
- rlly likes the orange and green beds!!
- fascinated by everything in the game be it the sakura flowers or the cats giving birth to a million kittens
- finds the craziest shit like woodland mansions or mushroom field biomes
- helps round up more animals for akemi or following taigen and mizu around the game
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vile-bestia · 10 months ago
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why mizu is, in fact, not cis
Everyone is very angry at everyone about how to see or not see Mizu’s identity; being unable to shut up, and having fixated on the show a bit, i’m excited to finally join my first to-the-death-tumblr-discourse-battle.
I'm going to use mostly he/him for Mizu, but please read the premise below. Read the colored strings of text 😭
The main argument for Mizu being a woman is that which has as its basis the fact that cross-dressing is for Mizu an external need: for one, it is a need for protection from patriarchal bonds; secondly, it is a need for independence - Akemi’s story is one of independence as well, of feminine independence, and we have more than one woman pursuing such thing; we could go on with an analysis of brothels as a feminine space, but, alas - and thirdly, it is a need of obligation: Mizu needs to maintain the masculine identity in order to attain the object of his vow. 
I find, however, that while the argument stands as perfectly sound (and as canon) it isn’t exhaustive enough of the layered experience of gender in BES.
The trans coding is simply undeniable to me, whether it was intentional or not. I do not mean to say that Mizu is a binary trans man; that would be an approach as reductionist as confirming she is exclusively a woman. However, I find that some behaviours of Mizu’s are coded as dysphoric reactions.
Most of my justifications for this reasoning come from episodes 2, 5 and 8.
In episode 2,
Ringo is vowing to never reveal Mizu’s secret: “I’ll never tell anybody you’re a g-“; and as soon as he’s about to say girl, Mizu is just as ready to slice his throat. Mizu being worried about someone else hearing or witnessing the interaction doesn’t seem completely plausible to me: they’re alone in snowy woods, and, most likely, Mizu wouldn’t have confirmed time and again how readily he’d kill Ringo. 
Then comes episode 5,
which is in my opinion the most layered and the most exhaustive in regards to Mizu’s experience of gender, especially regarding his experience of the feminine. First and foremost, it tells the ultimate teaching: that gender isn’t but a performance, just as the gender roles are portrayed through theatre in the episode. As for the dysphoric reaction, it's the whole thing. Mizu is miserable even when we suppose that the marriage could be a relatively happy time. That's another reason why I suppose the puppet theatre tells Mizu's internal sense of self as well (see paragraph 4).
(And, about gender being performative, see how kabuki theatre was born in the Edo period and how, before being banned from acting, women cross-dressed to play male characters, and men cross-dressed to play female characters. See “professional transvestites” trained to be prostitutes, Kagema being trained from a young age to „act" like members of the other sex; see how by the beginning of the 18th century AFAB sex workers would try to figure out a way to set themselves apart from wakashu, creating an entirely new space for female crossdressers in the adult entertainment sphere; see ukiyo-e representations - chigo monogatari and yukiyo-zoshi literature; stories by Ihara Saikaku that are full of "transgender behaviours" and more)
Back to ep 5:
1. Theme of performance
The theme of performance, which also is the one of Mizu performing femininity for Mikio (in function of the well-being of Mizu’s mother), but being at once unable to suppress masculinity as the only space in which Mizu seems to be comfortable: e.g., it’s a little detail, but Mizu’s only good in the kitchen when cutting vegetables, because comfortable with blades, certainly not with cooking; again Mizu having to perform femininity is when he does makeup to “make-up”, to soften Mikio’s spirit, who feels invalidated by Mizu’s masculinity when it starts to interfere with his pride, and such other details; I even thought of the sword as a symbol for “learned” masculinity: the first time this thought occurred was when it was characterized by sensuality in the scene where the spouses spar: “Unsheathe it. Let me see your blade;” and I interpreted it as masculinity being the only space that allows intimacy as well; then comes the time where Mizu learns he does not need a sword to fight, meaning to me that she can embody masculinity without having to prove it to others. And then comes the reforging of the sword’s meteorite to include “impurities”, and the rite that Mizu performs. I assume that “a sword too pure” is the symbol of, again, learned hypermasculinity to appease patriarchal expectations, and is too pure because it’s Mizu rejecting part of himself, trying to exclude all “impurities”, whether they are being half white, or being half woman. Taigen himself is the one to tell Mizu he can fight without a sword (ep 7, but done in ep 3 or 4 and ep 6 already), and then the situation starts to bear sexual tension, which I directly link to the sensual connotation of the sparring cited earlier up. Possibly, this particular situation could also mean acceptance of Mizu's lack of a native "sword".
2. Gender roles
But a more sound consideration is (i would like to hope so) the one about the whole marriage being told through puppets, and the puppets themselves. While they are different characters, first of all we see an inversion of gender in the roles: at first Mizu is the Ronin because he performs a masculine role of protection, an “active” role; then, Mizu’s role is reversed in function of his marriage. We see Mizu surrendering (forcibly, being manipulated) to femininity as soon as his mother guilt-trips him into marrying, and the ronin puppet assumes a submissive pose, long before the role reversal.
3. A note:
it yet does not seem to me like the role reversal is, so to say, complete: even after the reversal, the narrator tells details about the ronin that are actually details about Mizu, e.g. when the two marry, and despite the positions of the puppets match the ones of the spouses, it is said that the ronin's loyalty is no more turned towards his "path of revenge," (Mizu's) "but to his bride" - in the perspective explained below, perhaps Mizu's own femininity. Also, i find Mizu might perceive Mikio as the bride, and himself as the husband - as an argument it can't stand alone, or it would bare no strength, but I will use it in correlation with the other points made, until now and later, to argue that Mizu thinks of himself as a guy.
4. Performance of Mizu's sides, assimilable to when she has the vision of killing his white side, shortly before facing the four fangs or whatever their name was
This, and one more tiny detail, bring me to think that not only do we talk about external roles, but about Mizu’s self-perception. I'm referring to when it is said that “for the first time in many years, the ronin felt the storm rage inside him.” The storm is a symbol belonging to Mizu (literally it occurs in the first 2 minutes of the episode), and it is explicit that it isn’t something that happens for the first time, but rather returns. By this point, the gender roles were reversed, and yet it seems to me like it isn’t anymore about the marriage itself, but rather about Mizu’s hatred for and slaughtering of his own femininity, and, of course, the experience of betrayal; with his family (especially his mother, see below), and with his femininity, which wasn’t enough to keep him comfortable or Mikio on his side. (...betrayal which is also about mizu himself betraying akemi, i'd add. Mizu is justified here, but it's important to note the parallels between the two timelines i guess?)
5. That random ass baby
There is, at a certain point, a situation of peace, which I think is represented when one of the puppets is holding a blue baby (supposedly a little ronin) in its arms. I want to suppose that the baby represents newborn love between Mizu and Mikio, before it all fell apart. But the love itself is a masculine love, as we see that it is based on masculine exchanges (fighting, doing fieldwork, taming horses, riding together, whatever) and, it seems to me, assimilable to homosexuality between samurai, which was widespread (insert something about Taigen here). Also Mikio wanted to marry a bro lmao. Aside from that, on the level of Mizu’s self-perception, it might represent comfortableness, a sort of congruence, or, rather, a compromise, that Mizu is able to live in, between natural masculinity and performed femininity - opening up to show vulnerability, love fragile as a creature that cannot defend itself, innocent, naive, trusting. 
6. About Mizu’s mother.
The puppet used for Mizu’s mother before the role reversal is the same that is supposedly used for Mizu after, but I latch onto a detail: the pattern on the puppet’s kimono is the same as the (real life) Mother’s kimono (see for example minute 12:30). I support this by noting the more obvious parallel between the blue worn by Mizu and the blue of the Ronin puppet, but at the same time I'm forced to note that after a certain point the mother has her own puppet. In any case, I see the mother and the feminine puppet wearing the same kimono as being about femininity, and about the mother’s betrayal of her child, rather than about Mizu herself. For one, manipulating him into marrying and abandoning the vow. But also we learn (ep 8) that the woman isn’t Mizu’s mother at all. One could discuss the reliability of Fowler’s statement, but I feel there are more clues regarding the mother’s betrayal: the episode starts with the Ronin, who feels the storm rage inside him at the killing of his lord (Mizu’s actual mother, perhaps) by the hands of a clan whose crest was the Phoenix (which I suppose are the white men, and the curse of whiteness for Mizu). I’ve thought about the four white men dealing guns (Fowler), flesh, opium (and I’m not sure what role “Violet” has in this, but I think they're the opium dealer), and thought that if Mizu’s “mother” was a substitute, the opium she smokes could point to Mizu’s potential father, perhaps even at the surrogate mother keeping contact, and at the surrogate’s betrayal at the same time. But it’s also true I watched the show while stoned, so I would dismiss this.
7. Onryo (note: characteristic in kabuki)
When the birth of the vengeful spirit occurs, I see very well how plausible it is to say that, actually, the rage that Mizu feels is feminine rage, and I agree with that. Mizu’s femininity is his rage, it is heavily related to the mother-daughter relationship, despite the fact that at a certain point the mother has her own puppet. At the same time, however, it is to me the result of the slaughtering of the performed femininity needed to respect the obligation (we remember the wedding was also to ensure the “surrogate” mother safety, especially financial, as well as to keep Mizu bound), just as accepting you’re able to fight with any tool puts an end to the compensatory movement by which you’re trying to prove masculinity to an observer (which, say, Taigen does as well, wanting to prove to Mizu he can beat him - plus, Taigen himself is the one to reassure Mizu on the complete unimportance of it, see how I read the sword symbol a few paragraphs earlier).
In this perspective, the "dye washing away from her kimono" to me means two things: that being what he is is inevitable, and that the feminine rage sets in; Mizu tries to make up for being a "demon", but in the end rejects the obligation towards his husband, and towards her mother; the pattern is not the same anymore, and Mizu is somehow more like his own person, returning on the path of vengeance, strengthened by the feminine, as the reforged sword will be strengthened by the very ritualistic yaki-ire.
--
Episode 8,
I feel, speaks instead for itself,  for the dysphoric reaction is to me extremely clear. Reacting that way to being called a Miss is not a cisgender reaction. You’ll tell me: it’s not a dysphoric reaction! It’s a reaction of disgust to being fetishized for being a woman! And that’s plausible, supported by the “you just keep getting better,” with clear sexual implication, except I think that is also a fundamental trans experience and one cannot limit the way they read the scene to an exclusively feminine experience.
In conclusion,
I don’t think it might be all boiled down Mizu being a masc woman, because of the trans coding. Mizu thinks of himself as a guy. If not a guy, not a woman either. You’ll tell me: “Of course she does, because she’s grown up that way; she was forced to sustain the lie to preserve her life! It's a matter of conditioning!” And while it is true that the initial context points towards crossdressing, and not inherent feelings of gender non conformity or transgenderism, I feel that if Mizu really felt like a woman, he wouldn’t have such exaggerated reactions, and I don’t think they come from his temperament either. And it is disproved that conditioning someone to have a different sexuality or gender identity works in any way - I doubt Edo period Japan or a particular protagonist would make an exception. "But Mizu herself tells Mikio she didn't want to be a man, she had to be one!" Yes, because it is true. But it points to crossdressing. If it were aimed to explain the whole of Mizu's experience of gender in her self, it would invalidate the entirety of episode 5.
In any case, even in situations where he couldn’t be discovered, Mizu does not allow feminine terms or titles, or tries as best to stop them from happening; plus, it’s rather obvious how difficult the relationship with his body is. 
While, once again, reading Mizu as a binary trans man is not enough, I feel like reading him as cisgender isn’t, either. As if, in any case, the feminine experience and the transmasculine one didn’t overlap in many aspects, also during the most tumultuous parts of transition, if pursued.
What is funniest above all is that the whole discourse is substantially useless. The layers of the show open to an infinite variety of interpretations, none of them fundamentally wrong. Mizu’s just quite literally Mizu. It’s a queer unlabeled thing and that’s it. If you take the Lacanian concept of the Real as the hole, properly uninteligible, surrounded by the Symbolic, you'll find that "Queer" is exquisitely representative of the Real, and therefore every label (the Symbolic) is reductive of the perceived experience (indeed the Real). The fundamental lesson about gender that you can derive from the show is that gender is a performative construct. What it pushes you to do is deconstruct your principles, especially if you are queer, since we are all entrapped in the modern western white need for strict labelling; that’s where this whole debate comes from, and it is, once again, pointless.
So, instead making fun of other people because of a set of pronouns, perhaps it would be better to imagine that more options can cohabit together, or that there is no need to label at all. Also be careful about accusing others of a complete lack of media literacy - you should thoroughly examine yours first.
Interesting articles i guess:
--
Algoso, Teresa A. "'Thoughts on Hermaphroditism': Miyatake Gaikotsu and the Convergence of the Sexes in Taishō Japan." The Journal of Asian Studies 65, no. 3 (2006): 555–573. Algoso, Teresa A. "Not Suitable as a Man? Conscription, Masculinity, and Hermaphroditism in Early Twentieth-Century Japan." Chap. 11 In Recreating Japanese Men, edited by Sabine Frühstück and Anne Walthall. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011, 241–261. Mostow, Joshua S. “The Gender of Wakashu and the Grammar of Desire.” In Gender and Power in the Japanese Visual Field, edited by Joshua S. Mostow, Norman Bryson, and Maribeth Graybill. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press 2003, 49–70.
taken from this post asking about transgender men in the edo period: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/p6x4jk/comment/h9ttgv4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
As a final unrelated note, I haven’t seen anyone praise the MASTERFUL sound design 
bye 🪳🪳🪳🪳🪳
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hastyprovocateur · 9 months ago
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Another Analysis on Mizu×Akemi
(Because there can never be enough)
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l gotta admit it... the show was very ambiguous as to which character ends up with who and under what circumstances they're going to like each other. A lot of people see Taigen and Mizu because Mizu's sexuality, atleast in regards to liking men, is confirmed. She did feel attracted to her husband when she was married and she does associate some strong feelings with Taigen since she imagined that heated fight moment in the brothel when Kaji showed her the threesome. Then again... it's a threesome so there's allusion but no absolutes so far.
As for Mizu and Akemi, even if the two women could move in a romantic direction, they were too tied up in their own shit. Mizu was preoccupied with her revenge which is why she gave Akemi up in ep5 and Akemi couldn't see past her marriage with Taigen not because she thought he was a great guy but because he was the best option. He was close to home and not an entire brute as far as she knew. And then she didn't have a choice in marrying Taka either who turned out to be decent but no man warrants undying love just for being half human.
Needless to say, Akemi was dealing with her own shit. Mizu had Fowler to kill and there was little allusion to romance even if there are strong feelings between the two. Akemi, still, had to mean something for Mizu to flash back the first time their eyes met on the bridge when she was close to dead. As well as the addition of Akemi's knife to her blade. Likewise, Akemi claimed to have searched the onryo's eyes for love. But that's it as far as proof of feelings go. Nothing more Nothing less.
Coming to Mizu, even if her feelings were involved somewhere between Taigen and Akemi, she didn't didn't intervene in ep 8 and set the record straight by setting Akemi free, sending Taigen after her so they can be together and then leaving Ringo with Master Eiji. I was convinced that Akemi was gonna run into Taigen's arms after finding her newfound freedom but I was impressed when she chose greatness instead.
As for Mizu's revenge, she deliberately embarked to London alone. As far as she knows, everyone is better off without her but we see quite evidently that after Mizu's intervention nothing is going to be the same again. This doesn't show that she doesn't care, she does to the extent of resolving everything so they can be happy, but for the sake of her revenge, it is understood that Mizu doesn't want to get distracted from her focus or have a loved one get injured because of her path.
NOW... everything else is speculation. It's anyone's guess so I'll try my hand at it. I'm thinking of the bigger picture here and no revenge story ends in revenge right? It ends with love. And Mizu won't be paired up with a Londoner I'm sure, because her story has to wind back to Japan, where she started.
So who could she end up with? Ringo is her best friend and confidante but the writing focuses greatly on their platonic bond. There is allusion to more with Taigen, who is her childhood bully turned blood brother granted he's not major of a character, the writers downplayed him themselves by not giving him that intense of a character arc like Akemi or a whole change of absolute resolve for revenge unlike Mizu.
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Writingwise, Taigen was always kinda straddling the line of liking Akemi but really not, wanting to kill Mizu but really not, wanting honour but really not, wanting happiness but really not. His end wasn't concluded beyond him getting rejected by Akemi and his and Mizu's future was not remotely indicated. If he was on the ship with her, the writers would've shown us but he's suspended midair for the time being.
If Mizu is to have a high stake romance, it... has to be with Akemi... don't you think? Taigen never posed any real threat to Mizu, he can't outclass or outsmart her, they have great camaraderie and that's when he finally decided to treat her decently and going beyond to show loyalty, trust and support for what she does. There wasn't heavy ground for him to dislike her initially either, outside of his own arrogance. It wasn't a big change of character on his part to like Mizu since he's never had sincere grounds for hating her in the first place.
Even if Taigen improves his character in the following season, I can't see Mizu and Taigen being balanced and opposed enough for the two to willingly choose the other against the odds as opposed to falling in love due to convenient proximity. Taigen, I'm sorry to say, seems to blow with the wind and doesn't have much determination for pursuits as far as the writing goes. Pairing that with Mizu's iron will creates dissonance. If Mizu chooses love, it would be against the ODDS of all her other pursuits.
Her rage. Her revenge. Her agony.
And that, I only see matched in Akemi.
Only Akemi could go against her grain as much as Mizu to actually fall in love.
Akemi isn't in love with the Shogun's son, but has accepted him as a means to her pursuit for greatness for the purpose of which Takayoshi is a decent man who is likely to not try and subdue her. I'd go so far to say Akemi has rejected love as a means to survive and is bent on acquiring power to ensure her success so that no harm comes her way because. Just like Mizu, she once fought for love only to get betrayed by it.
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Seki brought the Shogun's proposal to Daichi because he'd decided on Akemi's behalf that "Im only doing what's right for you." Taigen put his honour above ensuring that Akemi is not displaced in his absence, Akemi's father had all intentions of carting her off as a commodity to the Shogun's for his own political schemes, telling her that she's "not the hero of his family." And Mizu... also doomed Akemi in the hubris of thinking "She's better off."
In Kaji's words- "You stood by as the guards dragged her away screaming." Akemi doesn't see Mizu as trustworthy anymore, any overture for friendship or romance will take a lot from her end because from Akemi's perspective, she rode back captive on horseback with strange men, coming to terms with that fact that her agency will now be ripped away, her teeth blackened as an accessory to visually appeal to her new family and she'll be forced into her new husband's quarters to commit her "wifely duties." Takayoshi not being a brute was an exeption to the rule and for which Akemi is greatly lucky which makes sense why she's decided to stick by her new means and to work within them.
Circling back to stories... just as all revenge stories end with the prevalence of love so do all stories of greatness. Akemi and Mizu both deserve to be loved and it is evident because that's all they wanted initially. A simple house on the edge of nowhere, a life unremarkable and staid. Filled only by love and the company of two. For both Mizu and Akemi, this dream of love only brought crushing pain, it cemented them into paths where they want anything but love. Mizu in her descent for revenge and Akemi on her ascent to power. Their middle ground is love which they will have to fight towards if they ever decide to meet halfway but god... it would be a glorious fight.
In a future season... if a certain someone... fell in love enough to give up... power... and a certain someone fell in love enough to give up revenge. If the red eyed princess... decided to run away with the blue eyed samurai... in that, I will find peace...
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gren-arlio · 30 days ago
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Some Quest Stuff + Updates:
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It's stuff like this that makes me come back to Tumblr to actually create a post. Interesting time, huh?
What you're seeing is the top 3 most popular characters in each of the colors for Quest. These characters will be given alts, so I guess the COMPILE Squad is getting even more alts, wahoo. So do the second and third place though, which is a very nice breath of fresh air.
So yes Feli, Ringo, Lemres, Raffine, AND the three Crowlas fans in the back of the crowd, we ARE getting alts for them. But speaking of alts:
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These are what's currently being dubbed the "Spotlight" alts. And well, they chose the yellow first because they totally needed to spite me even more with witches, truuuuust me. Jokes aside, these alts are so damn good. Despite how I portray myself, I do like Witch's alt the most, then Raffine's, then Carbuncle's.
There's also stuff related for Quest that I...don't really need to explain much, it's mostly event stuff + The 6 Star versions.
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Some more alts were announced for some others too, showing below is Dark Sig (Huh...they remembered the guy), and Popoi.
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I mean I LIKE them, but I was never a massive Sig fan to begin with. But a lot of people love him, so I can't help but happy. Same goes with Popoi.
Oh, and Roquier, the new R for the ARS, also got a nice little alt.
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Now THIS alt I like a lot. Anyone who wears a jacket like a cape automatically becomes the coolest person ever, and he's rocking it.
And the final thing I wanna say: A brand new character + Issen Stuff.
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Now you may be wondering who this new girl is, and why does she have such a good design, and I'd be on the exact same boat as you. As of typing this (October 13), we dunno if the name is Toa or Towa at the moment, but it's one of those two. I personally want to lean towards Towa because of my love for Dragon Ball and whatnot, but either is perfectly fine.
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Updates:
That really big Schezo post is still very much in the works a month or so later. Trust me, it's hard to manage two writing projects alongside college as a whole. But I'll try to complete it by probably end of the year or something depending on how much time I've been given.
But that'd be all. Adios.
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pass1onepr1ncess · 5 months ago
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Guys I'm gonna be honest I really do not understand why Ringo Roadagain and that whole arc is so popular. I like it purely because it's Hot Pants' intro arc but everything else is just so... bland. Like, Ringo himself? He's got a decent design and his motivations are different than the other enemies at that point in the manga but he's otherwise just kinda of boring? And then you look at Mandom and it's like "Oh another time based stand? Cool, I'm so glad we've seen so many of these and that Araki is totally not running out of ideas for them." That whole arc was mildly interesting to me in the same way that the other side character stand-offs were, like oyecomova or Chocolate Disco. But in terms of, like, the whole arc standing out as one of the best arcs in the whole manga like I see a lot of people describe it as?? It was... fine. Personally I think the Scary Monsters arc was far more interesting in terms of the smaller arcs, and the only reason I would put Ringo's arc any higher than a "meh" is because Hot Pants is in it and also we get to see Gyro fight on his own.
It really is so strange to me that a good chunk of the SBR side of the Jojo fandom even puts Ringo on a higher platform than Hot Pants considering he's in the story for a very short amount of time and Hot Pants is one of the main characters. Idk it's just so strange to me seeing people aboslutely go batshit fucking crazy over Ringo and then Hot Pants is pushed to the side for a guy who gets his ass beat in, like, a couple hours tops in the story. Maybe I need to reread the manga or something because I truly do not see what everyone else is seeing. And I've talked to other people about this and they seem to say the same so like?? What is it, then...
Also hi PeaPods I think I've seen you talk about Ringo a couple time and I want you to know that I see you and support you lmao I just don't fully understand it myself! But also if anyone wanted to explain it to me, I'm all ears!
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