#on the clock (ic)

[stromblessed]

Mizu was wrong to let Akemi be taken because they both deserve better

First, a confession. When I saw this for the first time:

I was relieved. I knew that was what Mizu was going to say and I felt like it's what I would have said in that situation too.

When Akemi does this:

I cringed, because if we know anything about Mizu, it's that she (1) isn't quick to make friends (though to be fair, even though Akemi did try to kill Mizu, so did Taigen - multiple times! - and look how that turned out lol), and (2) doesn't take orders.

So when Akemi and Ringo and later Taigen get angry at Mizu, are they being unfair?

Sure, Mizu isn't obligated to treat Akemi - or Taigen or Ringo or anybody else - nicely, or to serve them, or to be honorable, or be a hero to them, or whatever. No human being is obligated to any other human being. We all have the choice to do whatever we want to anybody else. But the point of flawed characters in storytelling is the tension between those characters and their potential. Their growth into someone who can choose the higher, harder path, who chooses to be obligated to others, who chooses kindness and compassion.

Because Mizu's problem isn't revenge. Nobody is preaching at Mizu that revenge isn't the answer. Her circumstances do suck, her life has been incredibly unfair, she is marginalized, and as far as we and Mizu know for most of the season, she is a child born of violence and no one is saying that that violence doesn't deserve to be repaid in kind.

Mizu's problem is isolation. And the fact that she thinks she has no responsibility toward her fellow human beings, because her hatred of her own circumstances and her having no life outside of her quest devours everything else. This is a problem because it turns Mizu into the worst version of herself. A version that hurts the people who like Mizu, the people who care about her.

Practically, Mizu has just taken on an entire army almost by herself. She's hurt. She's exhausted. If she were to defend Akemi now, it'd be yet ANOTHER fight, this time against horsed and armored samurai.

But that's not the reason Mizu gives Ringo. Mizu's ability or willingness to fight isn't even on her mind. All she says is, "She's better off."

"She's better off" is Mizu deciding what's best for Akemi. Akemi's entire story is about her being a caged bird longing to fly free.

One after the other, every man and woman in Akemi's life makes her decisions for her. She has to grovel and smile prettily and lie through her teeth just for the chance to be heard. Mizu judges Akemi for being a rich princess who isn't being more grateful for what she has, all without understanding Akemi's situation, and without any curiosity for why Akemi feels the way she does. From Akemi's perspective, Mizu is just one more person (one more man!) in a long lineup who ignores Akemi's wishes and (casually!) makes a decision for her that impacts Akemi's life greatly.

In the end, even Seki concludes that Akemi should get to decide what's best for Akemi. What others think that Akemi SHOULD want does not matter compared to what Akemi wants for her own life. As Madame Kaji said - Madame Kaji, who despite calling out the weirdness of Akemi's situation as well as the childishness of her decision to run away - is the only person Akemi meets who doesn't try to make decisions for Akemi, but instead only challenges Akemi to work for and be worthy of what she wants - she needs to decide what she wants for her own fucking self, and then take it.

Mizu being born female does not make her automatically wiser for letting Akemi be taken, and it does not preclude her from having a hand in giving Akemi back to her jailers. A patriarchy that Mizu knows full well would stop Mizu from achieving her own goals if she didn't present as male.

Mizu is still understandable here. She just had to kill Kinuyo, a disabled girl sold by her father into prostitution, a girl in a situation so far beyond Akemi's worst imaginings that I can practically feel Mizu's world being rocked just by comparing them in her mind the way she most likely is. That still doesn't make it right for Mizu to let Akemi be carried off to be sold into marriage by her father against her wishes. Those "good options" Mizu thinks Akemi has don't exist, no more than they ever existed for Mizu. Akemi and Mizu both have to get creative, make the best of their circumstances, take dangerous risks, and break rules in order to have any control over their own lives.

Even on my first watch, when at first I thought that Mizu had made the right decision and that Akemi was being unreasonable, Akemi screaming Mizu's name while being dragged, LITERALLY DRAGGED, back to her father was haunting as hell.

Mizu had the power to help Akemi, and simply chose not to.

Mizu lets Akemi be taken, Akemi who has just begun to trust Mizu. Mizu calls Ringo weak and quickly - seemingly easily - turns her back on him. Mizu values her quest over Taigen's life, after Taigen has endured days of torture to protect her, and she not only risks his life in the process, but doesn't tell him that Akemi is engaged to someone else, or that she came looking for Taigen, or that she is in danger.

Mizu's sword breaks because it is too brittle. Too pure. Too singleminded. Mizu only melts down the meteorite metal when she mixes the metal with objects from parts of her life that have nothing to do with her quest. Objects from the people she cares about, and who care about her.

All I'm saying is - Mizu doesn't have to be a hero. But she is the better version of herself when she reaches out to help and connect with others. When she's just a decent, kinder human being. And I think that's what this story is telling us that we should want for Mizu.

[weaversthread]

The Dragon Queen 🐉🍋

[becauseimanicequeen]

The analog clocks in 4 Minutes:

vs the digital clocks:

(Btw, it's interesting that Korn's watch shows 8:55 in the scene with Tonkla before he goes home to the family dinner while it shows 7:13 ish on his watch when he drops Great off after dinner, the same as on Great's phone (image above). Isn't this the same day, or is time just that fucked? I'm intrigued...)

Bonus: the additional clocks from the trailer and teaser.

(Btw, this last clock is in Tyme's grandmother's house.)

[katsuki-nikiforov]

Yuri on Ice clock standee

My design

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

Oscar: Someone got kicked out of the aquarium for fighting the fish!

Emerald: *Soaked in water* Maybe the Fish were being dick!

Octopus will sometimes punch fish for seemingly no reason.

~~~~~

Ciel: Good morning Penny. *Kisses*

Penny: Good morning Ciel!

Ciel: Good morning Jaune. *Kisses*

Jaune: 'morning Honey!

Ciel: And a good morning to you, Weiss. *Kisses*

Weiss: Good Morning dear, I made Coffee just how you like it.

Ciel: *Smiling* Thank you Weiss~

Harbor seals are thought to engage in polygamous mating habits and rituals.

~~~~~

Jaune: FUCK MY LIVER-

Orcas will hunt sharks specifically for their livers and leave the rest

~~~~~

Yang: *Punches Jaune in the nose*

Jaune: *Tanks it*

Yang: *Punches Jaune in the side*

Jaune: *Doubles over*

Punching a shark in the nose is not nearly as effective as punching it in the eyes or gills

~~~~~

Neo: *Preparing food at 4 A.M, using groceries she stole from someone*

Lionfish are skilled hunters, certain species preferring to hunt in the morning.

[ryutarotakedown]

look i understand it goes against the themes and motifs of the metanarrative but i would kill for a musical adaptation of goncharov.

[solidwater05]

Are we not gonna talk about Impulse using a CLOCK as a WEDDING RING

[ID: A Guess the Build screenshot from Impulse's POV. He's building a wedding scene, giving an item frame with a clock to the wedding officiant. Captions say "yes, take the ring". /End ID]

[whomst-yall]

its christmas!!!

[centacrunch-124]

Here’s a boat load of Ice Cube polyships

oh and a tiny little Icelety lol

[icepick-jackalope]

The fact that Joe Morelli is so minor that every poster identifies him by his weapon and yet his themes ARE the films themes, the fact that he's playing the stereotypical 'one last job' career killer but with actual depth because dammit he loves and is fundamentally unable to say no to goncharov, the fact that his theme has leitmotifs from katyas and andreys because he, on the basest level, mirrors their unwillingness to say no to the beastly man that made them all who they are (for better and for worse, in sickness and in health), the fact that he - as one of our two actually italian characters in this italian mob film - is killed on the steps of the cathedral he was married in (cmon you guys why are you sleeping on the intersection of faith and deceit), the fact that it was his father in laws fucking ice pick-

[circusclowne]

tpot 14 was cool

without blur

[sunny1927]

Sunny redesign plus interacting with the backups!

I am really happy on how Sunny turned out in the AU, so I thought of posting her interacting with the backups (cause after all, they are family 🥹)💕💕💕

Originally I wasn’t gonna post this because I only did this out of boredom but why not lol. Enjoy!

The backup detectives belongs to @skullsemi

Teri beary belongs to @angelleplaytoonbeary

Sorry about the bad quality tumblr ruined it :/

[artisteflo]

Ice creams, Andy's Apple Farm

(This poster is FAKE, it's just a drawing!)

After I made a drawing with Smiling Critters in ice cream version, this time I made a drawing, with ice creams in Andy's apple farm version, with Andy and he's friends!

[katsuki-nikiforov]

Clock standee and wind chimes

[mlady-magnolia]

Just wanted to share some Honkai/HSR OCs because they’re infecting my brain rn

[goobersplat]

1990s Coca Cola Ice Cream Shop Wall Clock