“queer spaces should be inclusive of people who don’t enjoy sex and who have “strange”, negative or repulsed relationships with sex” and “sex is an important aspect of lgbt community, history, and activism and queer people should be allowed and able to talk freely about sex without stigma or shame” are ideas that can and should coexist.
my “toxic”? trait is whenever i fixate on something my immediate reaction is to take myself to the pottery painting place near my house and paint it on a plate or a mug or a coaster. literally all of the plates in my house are like this
i know I've mentioned my interpretation of mizu's gender a million times on here but i don't think i ever fully elaborated on it.
so on that note i just wanna ramble about that for a bit. basically, it's my reading of the show that mizu is nonbinary, so let me dig into that.
putting the rest under the cut because it ended being pretty long lol. also here have a cute mizu pic of her being happy and most at ease with herself, symbolised by her letting her hair down. <3 ok let's proceed.
okay note that nonbinary is an umbrella term, and applies to a vast range of gender identities, but it's my personal preference to use it as is, simply because i'm not a fan of microlabels. more power to you if you are though, but anyway.
essentially when i refer to mizu as nonbinary it means that i interpret mizu as a woman, but not ONLY a woman. not strictly a woman. she is also a man. she is also neither of these things, she is something in between, while at the same time she is none of these at all. i've said as much many times, but i just don't want people to think that by nonbinary it inherently means a "third androgynous gender" that essentially turns the gender binary into a gender trinary. not only is that going against what the term nonbinary was crafted for (to go against rigid boxes and categorisation of gender identities), but also, not all nonbinary people fall under that category or definition, and that's definitely not the way i interpret mizu.
also, before anyone fights me on this, let me clarify further that gender means something different to everyone. it's not your biological sex or physical characteristics. but at the same time, gender is not mere presentation. you can be a trans woman and still present masculine—either because you're closeted and forced to, or because you just want to—and either way, that doesn't take away from your identity as a woman. same goes for trans men. if you're a trans man but you wear skirts and don't bind or don't get top surgery, that doesn't make you any less of a man. because gender non-conformity exists, and does not only apply to cis people! some lesbians are nonbinary and prefer using he/him pronouns while dressing masculinely, but that doesn't mean they're a man, or that they're any less of a lesbian. neither does this mean that they're a cis woman.
the thing about queer identities in general is that, like i said, they mean something different to everyone, because how you identify—regardless of your biological attributes and fashion or pronouns—is an extremely personal experience. so a nonbinary person and a gnc cis woman's experiences might have plenty of overlap, but what distinguishes between the two is up to the individual. there's no set requirements to distinguish you as one or the other, but it's up to you to decide what you identify as, based on what you feel. either way, by simply identifying yourself as anything under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, you are already communicating to the world that you are not what a conservative, cisheteronormative society wants you to be.
which is why i find all this queer infighting on labels to be so ridiculous. because we're all fighting the same fight; the common enemy is a societal structure that divides us into set roles and expectations purely based on our biological parts. that's why biological essentialism in the queer community is a fucking disease. because by arguing that women are inherently weak and fragile and soft and gentle and must be protected from evil ugly men, while men are inherently strong and angry and violent and exploitative of women, these people are advocating for the same fucked up system that marginalises and abuses women as well as effeminate and/or gay men.
anyway. i'm going on a tangent. this was meant to be a blue eye samurai post. so yeah back to that— the point i'm trying to make is that there's no one way to identify as anything, and everyone views gender in a specific way.
so with that being said, yes you can definitely interpret mizu as a gnc cis woman and that's a totally valid reading. however, interpreting her as nonbinary or transmasc also doesn't take away from her experiences with misogyny and female oppression, because nonbinary and transmasc folks also experience these things.
me, personally, i view her as nonbinary but not necessarily or always transmasc because i still believe femininity and womanhood is an inherent part of who mizu is. for example, from what we've seen, she does not like binding. it does not give her gender euphoria, but is instead very uncomfortable for her both physically and mentally, and represents her suppressing her true self. which is why when she "invites the whole" of herself, she stands completely bare in front of the fire, breasts unbound and hair untied. when she is on the ship heading to a new land in the ending scene, she is no longer hiding her neck and the lack of an adam's apple. we can thus infer that mizu does not have body dysmorphia. she is, in fact, comfortable in her body, and relies on it extremely, because her body is a weapon. instead, what mizu hates about herself is her face—her blue eyes. she hates herself for her hybridised identity, hates herself for being a racial Other. hates that she has no home in her homeland. these are not queer or feminist themes, but postcolonial ones.*
* and as a tiny aside on this subject, i really do wish more of the fandom discussion would talk about this more. it's just such an essential part to reading her character. like someone who's read homi k bhabha's location of culture and has watched this show, PLEASE talk to me so we can ramble all about how the show is all about home and alienation from community. please. okay anyway—
nevertheless, queer and feminist themes (which are not mutually exclusive by the way!) are still prevalent in her story, though they are not the main issue that she is struggling with. but she does struggle with it to some extent, and we see this especially during her marriage with mikio, where we see her struggle in women's domestic spaces.
on the other hand, though, she finds no trouble or discomfort in being a man or being around other men—even naked ones—and does not seem stifled by living as one, does not seem all that bothered or uncomfortable navigating through men's spaces. contrast this to something like disney's mulan (1998), where we do see mulan struggle in navigating through men's spaces, as she feels uncomfortable being around so many men, always feeling like she doesn't belong and that she's inherently different from them. mizu has no such experiences like this, as her very personality and approach to life is what can be categorised as typically "masculine". she is straightforward and blunt. her first meeting with mikio, she tells him straight to his face that he's old while frowning and raising a brow at him. she approaches problems with her muscles and fists (or swords), rather than with her words or mind. compare this with mulan, who, while well-trained by the end of the movie, still uses her sharp wits rather than brute strength. this is a typically "feminine" approach. it's also the approach akemi relies on throughout the show—through her intelligence and persuasive tongue, she navigates the brothel with ease. mizu, in contrast to someone like mulan and akemi, struggles with womanhood and femininity, and feels detached from it.
thus, in my opinion, mizu is not simply a man, nor is she simply a woman. she is both. man and woman. masculine and feminine. she has to accept both, rather than suppress one or the other. her name means water. fluid.
as a side note, while i do believe mizu is nonbinary, i also primarily use she/her pronouns but this is a personal preference. i find it's easier, plus it's what the creators use, and because, in general, being nonbinary simply doesn't necessitate the use of they/them pronouns. nonbinary is not just a third gender. it's about breaking the binary, in any which way, and that's exactly what mizu does.
also, i'd also like to mention that one of show's head of story even referred to her with the term "nonbinary", rather than simply "androgynous" (see pic below). and it's possible this could be a slip up on his part, in which he believes the terms are interchangeable (they're not btw), but regardless i find it a very interesting word choice, and one that supports my stance.
so anyway yeah that's my incredibly long rambling post.
TL;DR nonbinary mizu rights 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 congrats if you reached the end of this btw. also ily. unless you're a TERF in which case fuck off. ok i'm done.
this is my first fanart ive managed to squeeze out of my noggin since my old sketchbook and its a stinky alcoholic detective, what does this say about me.
also i drew this with my mouse cuz i was too lazy to get my drawing pad a mere 10 centimetres away from where im sat.
but hey! after a whole day of cookie clicker, disco elysium had finally downloaded and i could play it alas and good god now i understand why that one lady on the news had kim kitsuragi framed on her wall.
there comes a beautiful time in life where i have to ask myselg th question, "did i accidentally project too hard onto the character that i only relate to a little bit and in doing so hugely missed this one entire aspect/interpretation of the characters . am i stupid"
Suegiku fic that’s just Tetchou helping Jouno open up and accept his own emotions, since Jouno has kinda perfected the whole ‘bury your emotions so deep that you can’t even feel them anymore’ thing due to his time in the mafia. Ofc we all know Jouno has no problem expressing stuff like anger, bitterness, disgust… basically all those negative ones used mostly in a comical manner for his character. It’s rly just his sadness that he’s tries to disown as he’s already deemed it as a ‘weak’ emotion that doesn’t do anything except make ppl pity and underestimate him, which needless to say, he HATES more than anything. So yeah, Tetchou would help him realize that feelings of sadness are completely valid and that he deserves to express those emotions instead of bottling them up. (Ngl Tetchou would honestly still be kinda learning this alongside Jouno because he’s probably so used to his stoicism-like mindset.)
‘Your Tears are Priceless’ would be a good title, i think; in reference to his ‘Priceless Tears’ ability.
People are ACTUALLY complaining about Heartstopper not containing sex scenes?? Like... wha-.. excuse me but ya'll sum mad weird mfs for wanting two 16/17-year-olds (the characters not the actors) to bang so much to the point that you think that a queer romance with sex is 'puritanical' and 'conservative propaganda'. There's plenty of other queer media where there's full-on sex so maybe jerk off to them and leave Heartstopper as it is?? Go watch Queer As Folk or Elite or Red, White and Royal Blue or any other BL/queer series with bold and sexy dynamics??
And I think ya'll are prolly the same ppl who will watch a queer show with constant sex between the characters and go "Yeah these people really like to fetishize and hypersexualize the gays".
Love isn't always about sex so get a fucking hold of yourselves please.
cw for flashing lights tw for (slight?) ab*se mentions in the lyrics!
ok so ever since i saw this post (specifically the last pic) i could not stop thinking about how the first glass beach album is kind of cocole coded which led to me thinking about it for like almost a week which led me to start progress on this custom level of glass beach by. glass beach which. is far. VERY far from finished (7 FUCKING MINUTES ARE YOU KIDDING ME) but i wanted to share what i have of it it anyways bcuz. i need ppl to see my vision.
this post got longer than i thought it would so. More ramblings under the cut
ik the song is supposed to be about a girl’s parents being shitty and the guy wanting his lover to run away from them and stuff, but i have a plot in mind about how instead of parents its nicoles smoking addiction which keeps on hurting her and how cole is tired of it. i think its nice to explore their journey of cutting away from their addiction (even though its mostly talked about in the game… idk i still think its interesting) and how everyone else in the hospital helps them idk. also including some pining because that's always wonderful
theres also this little mini comic i drew w the first couple of lyrics of classic j dies and goes to hell part 1, theres not really a story its just random moments but i still think its decently alright? i am. not a storyteller. IDK
but anyways i just want people to get that they are so. glass beach coded and i could NOT get them off of my mind for the life of me. i hope i can muster up the motivation to finish the level because i really really want to and i think itd be cool idk RAMBLE OVER
Are you okay with people writing their own take on characters you haven't included in your AUs? (With credit to you of course!)
If you mean other COD operators sure! Also if you have fae ocs that you want to write about within my world thats cool too! I'd love to be tagged in whatever you write and I'm happy to talk shop about the world I'm building as well. Go onto the magic, the Seasons in the faewild, the Court, all that.
The only thing I ask is that you are kind to my darlings if they make cameos, and also that you keep The City walkable (that's the real fantasy *crying in usamerican*).
Liebling's shop is open to all Fae and Darlings and it will continue stressing her the hell out.
I WAS WATCHIN DEH TIKTOKS AND I SWEAR TO MIKE FAIST- I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANOTHER WORD OF "So apparently in the movie *insert very real thing that happened in the book* and did that ever even happen in the original show?" LIKE OKAY I have not seen the movie (I do know the story though, duh, and I'mma watch the movie tomorrow) BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT IS SO BAD THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON ONLINE HAS TO HATE ON IT!!!! Also with the 'Ben Platt is too old' thing: I HAVE WATCHED CLIPS OF THE MOVIE AND HE DOES NOT LOOK TOO OLD TO ME!!!!!!! And are we gonna talk about how awesome Ben Platt is in general??? He has like, a wicked voice and is flat out amazing, and all we can talk about is how hes TO OLD FOR THE ROLE I'm sorry but no. I'll let ya'll know if I change my mind after watching the movie but- DEAR EVAN HANSEN SAVED MY LIFE SO PEOPLE CAN SHUT THE FUCK UP