#it was definitely enjoyable!

[bigboobshaunt]

Just finished Mass Effect...!

[chloesimaginationthings]

AHHHHHHH I HAVE A QUESTION.. DO YOU THINK MAYBE WE COULD GET MORE PAST MICHAEL?? ISTG I LOVE THE WAY HIS DUMBASS LOOKS IN UR STYLE

TBH I’ve been meaning to draw more pre scooped and teen Michael! Think it could be fun to do more game specific comics but we’ll see!

[jimbodyson]

nothing is worse than watching something and genuinely enjoying it and how they changed things and then seeing how other people like hate it like okay fuck me i guess i guess i won't be sharing any opinions just cus im gonna get dismembered for it

[hauntingofhouses]

Very interesting to me that a certain subset of the BES fandom's favourite iterations of Mizu and Akemi are seemingly rooted in the facades they have projected towards the world, and are not accurate representations of their true selves.

And I see this is especially the case with Mizu, where fanon likes to paint her as this dominant, hyper-masculine, smirking Cool GuyTM who's going to give you her strap. And this idea of Mizu is often based on the image of her wearing her glasses, and optionally, with her cloak and big, wide-brimmed kasa.

And what's interesting about this, to me, is that fanon is seemingly falling for her deliberate disguise. Because the glasses (with the optional combination of cloak and hat) represent Mizu's suppression of her true self. She is playing a role.

Take this scene of Mizu in the brothel in Episode 4 for example. Here, not only is Mizu wearing her glasses to symbolise the mask she is wearing, but she is purposely acting like some suave and cocky gentleman, intimidating, calm, in control. Her voice is even deeper than usual, like what we hear in her first scene while facing off with Hachiman the Flesh-Trader in Episode 1.

This act that Mizu puts on is an embodiment of masculine showboating, which is highly effective against weak and insecure men like Hachi, but also against women like those who tried to seduce her at the Shindo House.

And that brings me to how Mizu's mask is actually a direct parallel to Akemi's mask in this very same scene.

Here, Akemi is also putting up an act, playing up her naivety and demure girlishness, using her high-pitched lilted voice, complimenting Mizu and trying to make small talk, all so she can seduce and lure Mizu in to drink the drugged cup of sake.

So what I find so interesting and funny about this scene, characters within it, and the subsequent fandom interpretations of both, is that everyone seems to literally be falling for the mask that Mizu and Akemi are putting up to conceal their identities, guard themselves from the world, and get what they want.

It's also a little frustrating because the fanon seems to twist what actually makes Mizu and Akemi's dynamic so interesting by flattening it completely. Because both here and throughout the story, Mizu and Akemi's entire relationship and treatment of each other is solely built off of masks, assumptions, and misconceptions.

Akemi believes Mizu is a selfish, cocky male samurai who destroyed her ex-fiance's career and life, and who abandoned her to let her get dragged away by her father's guards and forcibly married off to a man she didn't know. on the other hand, Mizu believes Akemi is bratty, naive princess who constantly needs saving and who can't make her own decisions.

These misconceptions are even evident in the framing of their first impressions of each other, both of which unfold in these slow-motion POV shots.

Mizu's first impression of Akemi is that of a beautiful, untouchable princess in a cage. Swirling string music in the background.

Akemi's first impression of Mizu is of a mysterious, stoic "demon" samurai who stole her fiance's scarf. Tense music and the sound of ocean waves in the background.

And then, going back to that scene of them together in Episode 4, both Mizu and Akemi continue to fool each other and hold these assumptions of each other, and they both feed into it, as both are purposely acting within the suppressive roles society binds them to in order to achieve their goals within the means they are allowed (Akemi playing the part of a subservient woman; Mizu playing the part of a dominant man).

But then, for once in both their lives, neither of their usual tactics work.

Akemi is trying to use flattery and seduction on Mizu, but Mizu sees right through it, knowing that Akemi is just trying to manipulate and harm her. Rather than give in to Akemi's tactics, Mizu plays with Akemi's emotions by alluding to Taigen's death, before pinning her down, and then when she starts crying, Mizu just rolls her eyes and tells her to shut up.

On the opposite end, when Mizu tries to use brute force and intimidation, Akemi also sees right through it, not falling for it, and instead says this:

"Under your mask, you're not the killer you pretend to be."

Nonetheless, despite the fact that they see a little bit through each other's masks, they both still hold their presumptions of each other until the very end of the season, with Akemi seeing Mizu as an obnoxious samurai swooping in to save the day, and Mizu seeing Akemi as a damsel in distress.

And what I find a bit irksome is that the fandom also resorts to flattening them to these tropes as well.

Because Mizu is not some cool, smooth-talking samurai with a big dick sword as Akemi (and the fandom) might believe. All of that is the facade she puts up and nothing more. In reality, Mizu is an angry, confused and lonely child, and a masterful artist, who is struggling against her own self-hatred. Master Eiji, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

And Akemi, on the other hand, is not some girly, sweet, vain and spoiled princess as Mizu might believe. Instead she has never cared for frivolous things like fashion, love or looks, instead favouring poetry and strategy games instead, and has always only cared about her own independence. Seki, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

But neither is she some authoritative dominatrix, though this is part of her new persona that she is trying to project to get what she wants. Because while Akemi is willful, outspoken, intelligent and authoritative, she can still be naive! She is still often unsure and needs to have her hand held through things, as she is still learning and growing into her full potential. Her new parental/guardian figure, Madame Kaji, knows this as well.

So with all that being said, now that we know that Mizu and Akemi are essentially wearing masks and putting up fronts throughout the show, what would a representation of Mizu's and Akemi's true selves actually look like? Easy. It's in their hair.

This shot on the left is the only time we see Mizu with her hair completely down. In this scene, she's being berated by Mama, and her guard is completely down, she has no weapon, and is no longer wearing any mask, as this is after she showed Mikio "all of herself" and tried to take off the mask of a subservient housewife. Thus, here, she is sad, vulnerable, and feeling small (emphasised further by the framing of the scene). This is a perfect encapsulation of what Mizu is on the inside, underneath all the layers of revenge-obsession and the walls she's put around herself.

In contrast, the only time we Akemi with her hair fully down, she is completely alone in the bath, and this scene takes place after being scorned by her father and left weeping at his feet. But despite all that, Akemi is headstrong, determined, taking the reigns of her life as she makes the choice to run away, but even that choice is reflective of her youthful naivety. She even gets scolded by Seki shortly after this in the next scene, because though she wants to be independent, she still hasn't completely learned to be. Not yet. Regardless, her decisiveness and moment of self-empowerment is emphasised by the framing of the scene, where her face takes up the majority of the shot, and she stares seriously into the middle distance.

To conclude, I wish popular fanon would stop mischaracterising these two, and flattening them into tropes and stereotypes (ie. masculine badass swordsman Mizu and feminine alluring queen but also girly swooning damsel Akemi), all of which just seems... reductive. It also irks me when Akemi is merely upheld as a love interest and romantic device for Mizu and nothing more, when she is literally Mizu's narrative foil (takes far more narrative precedence over romantic interest) and the deuteragonist of this show. She is her own person. That is literally the theme of her entire character and arc.

[hellt00th]

I really don't mind ace astarion headcanons bc it DOES work with his character, after he's had time to figure out what his preferences are but I need yall headasses to stop saying he said he's ace.

What he ACTUALLY said is he doesn't know how to be with someone, no matter how much he'd like to be. WILDLY different than saying he's ace. He's got severe ptsd when it comes to sex and having sexual trauma does not equate to being ace automatically. At best thats incredibly belitting, and at worst its outright homophobic bc you're erasing someone's identity because they have trauma they haven't processed/healed from.

[signanothername]

Killer, but with Abridged Alucard’s lines

[penny-anna]

Willow: since we're trapped in the Human Realm and have time to kill, we've been thinking that it'd be great if you could show us some of some of the human 'movies' you're always raving about!

Luz: oh man I'd love to show you guys some of my favs! but uh, a lot of my top ten picks are horror movies so maybe we should start with something less scary

Gus: pfft, Luz, come on. after all the stuff we've been through together, what could these 'horror movies' possibly have in them that could scare us?

Luz: yeah, I guess you're right

*cut to the Hexsquad frozen in horror in front of John Carpenter's The Thing while Vee & Luz eat popcorn*

Luz: oh man you guys, this is the best part coming up!!

[emmcfrxst]

Old Man Logan fawning over reader and Laura jamming out to songs on the radio whenever they go on road trips <33

much to his chagrin, little laura loves pop music; the bubblier, the better. he tries (and fails) to make her like classic rock— she’s “not interested in old man music”, she wants fun songs she can dance to with you. she giggles uncontrollably whenever you sing badly on purpose, clapping for you excitedly. logan always complains about her choice of music, being the grumpy dad he is, but you’ve caught him more than once mouthing along to the lyrics and more recently; shaking his butt slightly to it while in the kitchen— although he will deny the last part until the day he dies (which isn’t anytime soon because you live on a little farm where you grow your own food, free of the additives that are meant to weaken mutations. ever since you’ve started being self sufficient, you’ve noticed that logan heals much faster, and that his pain seems lessened a little. you only ever buy store products if one of you is having a craving; otherwise you make do with what you grow, purging your bodies of the chemicals that render you sick <3)

[lopsaii]

Ace attorney has been eating up my summer so might as well post the doodles

[comfort-character-central]

This is your sign to create something selfship/self-insert related for your own enjoyment (without the pressure to be perfect).

[amygdalae]

I think ppl who defend or handwave all of Astarion's evil cunt moments as just being cuz he's a Helpless Victim with Trauma are kidding themselves and not giving him enough credit. He's also a bitchy mean-spirited sicko who lives for chaos and drama entirely of his own volition

(Disclaimer: I like him a lot he's a fun well written character please do not kill me)

[moxie-girl]

so uh... what is under the mask?

[veinsfullofstars]

🍭 Kirbtober 2024 Day 31: Darkness 🍭

(ID: Kirby series fanart of Kirby - dressed as a mummy - happily dashing by and carrying Gooey - wearing a purple, star-striped witch hat - on his head, each holding an Invincible Candy and leaving a sparkly trail of other treats in their wake. END ID.)

Happy Halloween!

Previous Day | Compilation | Prompt List (made by @/paintpanic)

Started on 10/20/24, finished on 10/21/24. | Kirbtober 2023 Comp

[thunderpot]

And so the hero falls, all glory and revenge striped in the briefest of moments, felled by a piercing arrow precise as if guided by the very hands of the Sun.

This one was a very fun one to do tbqh. The Fall of Achilles, after ‘The Fallen Angel’ by Cabanel, for a very dear friend! This baby can fit so many symbolisms, I’m very satisfied with the result! ´v` I hope you like as well!

[ghostwillows]

Update I finished watching Edge of Sleep it's like 2 hours and very good indie horror great apocalypse i think my only criticism is there should be a flashing lights warning

[gen4grl]

messy expression sketches + colouring with my oc clem who looks alot like her dad lol