#no shame if you ship it

[kaladinkholins]

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.

#blue eye samurai #mizu blue eye samurai #akemi blue eye samurai #blue eye samurai meta #just in case... im gonna tag this as #mizukemicritical #akemizucritical #though this post isnt actually criticising the ship itself but rather fanon's portrayal of the ship and the characters #for that reason lemme also tag this as #wank.mp3 #feel free to disagree of course but please be civil #and if you need to rant about how wrong i am without any convincing evidence kindly feel free to make your own post. peace and love <3 #fandom.rtf #meta dissertations.pdf #shut up haydar #edit: for full disclosure. i do rather dislike this ship. but obviously it's fine for anyone to enjoy it. please do! have your fun! #it's just that as usual! popular fanon and fandom around a ship is what has completely deterred me from any sense of enjoyment of it #it's a shame too because i was very open and even eager for some mizu/akemi romance in the future #but out-of-character fanon + the rudeness of certain fans has definitely soured it for me #but that doesn't mean people can't enjoy it obviously! ship and let ship!!! #plus it has its appeal which i DO STILL see and enjoy!!!! #i would even go as far as to call them soulmates because their narratives and characters are LITERALLY intertwined!!! #but. yeah. my gradual distaste for this ship is indeed very unfortunate.

[tubbytarchia]

Somewhere in the woods, a moth tires of seeking light

#gempearl #shinyduo #shiny duo #not meant to be shipping propaganda for the poll but I mean... feel free to take it as such!! #the solitary plants feel out of place and maybe the color gradients could be better but its fineeeeeee. Not my proudest background... #also haha get it. Moth tires of seeking light. There's light all around her but its symbolic you guys #vaguely inspired by an estonian song. Some of the lyrics: #Luck pat her little girl’s head and repeated that beautiful is everything that there is #The girl then smiled and that was enough for her heart to understand where the sun lay #one of my favorite songs ever. Very beautiful and Id love to make an animatic or smth for it but the lyrics get a bit too specific :( #Shame that its in estonian and probably offputting to a lot of people too but.... õnn ja arm by mari pokinen....... #hermitshipping #commission #centaur cuddles tee hee <3 #horses etc cant actually twist their bodies that much without it hurting them I think. But please suspend your disbelief for me pleasee #tubby art

[kkyos]

Oops got caught 👀💦

#you are facing polendina's judgement #sHame #SHAME #You get the BONK #lies of p #lop #kyoart #pinocchio x reader #self ship

[erabu-san]

Sumeru bois taking a pic

#genshin impact #tighnari #cyno #alhaitham #kaveh #genshin impact tighnari #genshin impact cyno #genshin impact alhaitham #genshin impact kaveh #please don't tag it as ship #autistic gang #you have the one who never smile in photo #the other “too much effort to smile” #and the last who doesn't unlocked the capacity to smile in command #my art #genshinimpact #kaveh carry #they have no shame

[ilikedetectives]

This tells me that Minthara loves telling jokes but you need to ask her to because she's timid and Jaheira enjoys corny jokes.

#a shame they didnt have Jaheira being the loudest one wheezing after the punchline #I think most companion disapproves when you ask the 2nd time #only Minthara approves awww #meanwhile Shadowheart is unamused in the back #minthara baenre #jaheira #bg3 spoilers #colin plays #oh I definitely ship these two uwu #this also means Minthara told this joke to Tav before #minthara brainrot

[the-badger-mole]

What Being a Zutara Shipper Means for ME!! (not YOU...necessarily)

Where is this idea that Zutara shippers are monolith coming from? I'm soooo bored with people thinking that there's any sort of requirement to shipping this couple. A lot of Zutara shippers ADORE Aang and Mai. I'd go as far as to say most like at least one of them. And that's cool. That's cool...

Hating Aang and Mai is fun, though. They are problematic in different, but oddly similar ways. Picking that apart is a completely valid way to enjoy the fandom. It's not required. No one should have to hate them to enjoy Zutara, but if you do hate them, hate them as loud as you want. They are terrible characters. They have abusive tendencies. Aang, as a character, absolutely perpetuates the Nice Guy myth that as long as you're persistent enough and not a Chan, eventually the girl who's never shown any interest in you will fall for you. Because you're "tH3 r3@L H3r0OOooO!" It doesn't matter that you've violated your crush's consent. Twice. Or that you go on to flirt with anti-miscegenation on a whim and only don't go through with it because it would effect you personally. No biggie!

I know it's a bit harder to hate on Mai. After all, Zuko did have the audacity to talk to her, his girlfriend about his feelings. He was SO out of line for that. How DARE he want support from her? Doesn't he know emotions and human connection are like garlic to emotional vampires like Mai??? Still, hating Mai is fun, so I'll do it anyway. I know it's so quirky, edgy goth of her to threaten him with death if he ever broke up with her again and then go on to not let him know her own father is trying to assassinate him, but I'm not a fan. Sorry 🤷🏾‍♀️

You know what, though? I found my people, as few as we may be. And I did it without telling people how they should or shouldn't feel about any characters. It's a good thing I figured out how tagging and blocking works. 🙃

#atla #zutara #anti aang #anti kataang #anti mai #anti maiko #no one's REQUIRED to hate any character to ship other characters #but it's fun #feel however you want #don't let anyone shame you for your opinions about fictional chracters #a...rebuttal #because i HATE it when someone thinks they have the authority to tell someone how to enjoy fandom #go moralize about irl politics #fandom is for everyone #even haters

[samipekoe]

if this read more disappears the moments I hit post I'll have to delete this so fast or my heart will explode

now you will bear witness to my twisted mind (the mildest nsfw known to man)

just occurred to me this may look like a sequence no they arent fucking after Kaya walked in on them these drawings are UNRELATED!!! Anyway, I'm dying

#posting my iori/saber mildly spicy stuff somewhere other than my priv twitter as proof that it existed #i forgot how much drawing energy being into a pair gives you #i have not shipped anything since- and im about to admit something so shameful to you #since i was into my hero academia and shipped todobaku in like 2017 lmao #anyway i need nasu to go back to eroge just for samrem. i think iori deserves it

[sskk-manifesto]

I know a place! *Pushes him in Akutagawa's arms*

#Do you peoples remember when I used to have shame about shipping #atsushi nakajima #sskk #shin soukoku #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd s1 #bsdrewatch2023

[echollama]

Hearing Rooster Teeth shutting down is like hearing a distant family passing away: you see them maybe once a year at gatherings, you don't know their daily lives, you were close to them while you were younger but as time passes you've moved onwards elsewhere, and one day you hear they've passed on.

You feel indifferent mostly, but somewhere in there a little piece laments that they are no longer around.

#echoes #rooster teeth #i mean also good riddance with how things were handled/going on behind the scenes in recent years #it's just shame they never got the chance to turn things around #now they never will #another stain in the passage of time #goodbye and thank you for the memories rt #STILL MIFFED I COULDN'T BUY ONE OF THE ERA 1 WEISS PLUSHIES BECAUSE THEY DON'T SHIP TO WHERE I WAS AT THAT TIME #AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY BACK THEN ASDJHLSFHLSD

[sleepily-scarlet]

Archive I think I know what im getting into

I didn't type: plot what plot/ porn without plot

For no reason

#im an adult damnit #lol #archive of our own #ao3 #lane don't you dare judge me #tagging the ship cause i have no shame #zosan #👀

[charlieconwayy]

Top 50 OTPs of All Time ☆ #44. Naomi Campbell & Emily Fitch

"I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you. I think I was twelve. It took me three years to pluck up the courage to speak to you. And I was so scared about the way I felt, you know, loving a girl, so I learned how to become a sarcastic bitch to kind of feel normal. I screwed guys to make it go away, but it didn’t work. When we got together it scared the shit out of me. Because you were the one person who could ruin my life. I pushed you away. I made you think things were your fault. But really I was just terrified of pain. I screwed that girl, Sophia, to kind of spite you for having that hold on me, and I’m a total fucking coward because I got these… these tickets to Goa for us three months ago, but I, I couldn’t stand… I didn’t want to be a slave to the way I feel about you. Can you understand? You were trying to punish me back and it’s horrible. It’s so horrible, because really, I’d die for you. I love you. I love you so much it’s killing me."

#skinsedit #forbescaroline #naomi x emily #naomily #naomi campbell #emily fitch #50otps #gifs: skins #* #the first f/f ship i was ever super invested in (not counting minky bc it ended up being ultimate queerbait) #the lone skins fire gif bc i despise that season but i still love that quote #they were so good for each other #it's such a shame there was so much bs in 4 but it gave us that GOATed scene #so i can't rly complain #w all of the canon f/f ships on here they are here bc of how influential they were to me figuring myself out #“when i'm with you i feel like i'm a better person” is my own personal definition of true love #otp: i'd die for you

[aestheticallynotdeerlightful]

HII TROLLS REQUESTT

since im a goofy silly nice totally innocent kid, can you do som clay x viva?????

.

(Please do not use, trace, or repost my works anywhere without explicit permission from me first, thank you <3)

#deersart #my art #deer answers #deer requests #trolls cliva #cliva #clay x viva #cliva isn’t really my thing tbh #(Atleast not romantically anyways) #or shipping in general #but it’s cute #thank you for the request! #trolls 3 #trolls band together #trolls clay #trolls viva #trolls fandom #this is actually the first time I’ve drawn viva #which is a shame really #but here she is!!

[silverselfshippingchaos]

your f/o loves your body hair!!

no matter how much of it you have, whether you remove it or not, they're completely understanding of it. they'll never think you're "dirty" for it. after all, it's completely natural. at the end of the day, it's you, and your f/o loves you. they'll never judge what you choose to do with it or what you wear. you love them unconditionally, so why should their feelings for you be any different?

proship dni please!

#you can rb this if you'd like hehe! #i have a lot of body hair and although i've been shamed for it a lot. it's still me. i like it. there is never anything wrong with somethin #we can't even control! #it's a very cute thought to me! i feel like m.atthew is the kind of guy who'd snuggle me and run his hand over my arm and giggle because #his girlfriend is so fuzzy and soft and feels so nice in his arms #self ship #selfshipping #btw this goes for ALL kinds of f/os! not just romantic!!! #f/o community

[cloudofbutterflies92]

I posted this render made by my best friend @chloekistune I thought it would be cute and obviously who's coming? People who want to force their headcanon about Ghost.I'm honestly tired of this misogyny against female OCs, you need to stop forcing your headcanon

#vivi speaks #ghoap shippers are always the shame of the fandom #I'M TIRED OF SEEING THE HATE YOU HAVE IF A GIRL DECIDES TO HAVE AN OC WITH A MALE CHARACTER AND FORCE HIM TO BE GAY #and don't use the excuse that I'm homophobic if I don't ship because I'm not #cod fandom #call of duty fandom #call of duty #call of duty oc #simon ghost riley #call of duty original character #cod mw2 #cod oc

[revenantghost]

When Tristamp was coming out, there were two (2) scenes in particular that people got upset about for mainly shipping reasons, but, honestly? After having seen the whole thing and having thought about it for awhile, I think both are perfect for this iteration of Trigun and the narrative foils that Wolfwood and Meryl play against Vash. In no particular order:

Meryl Awakening Vash

I’ve already gone off about how closely Meryl and Rem are tied together, so I won’t retread old ground, but it’s so, so, so pivotal that Meryl believes in Vash unlike anyone has since Rem. And not in a motherly sort of way, either. (I think Rem would have a heart attack with the trouble these two get into lol.) That was important for Vash in its time, but now? Now Meryl is everything that Vash is fighting for in humanity. She sees the good in him, sees something worth fighting for, sees something worth loving. And the love in Trigun is just so integral to everything and everyone. It defies explanation sometimes, and that’s really beautiful to me.

As absolutely hilarious as it would have been for Wolfwood to have come in gun (singular in this iteration lmao) blazing to help Meryl break Vash out, he’s not at that point yet. It wouldn’t have made narrative sense, it would’ve broken the scene. It’s Meryl who has that hopeless, senseless faith in Vash, in the good that humanity could be. She still believes in justice, even after having gone through hell since meeting Vash. She’s seen ugly, undesirable parts of him that no one’s seen in years and she chooses to stay. She is the faith in humanity and the love for Vash that Rem had. She’s the reminder of what he’s still fighting for.

The Scar Reveal

As you can tell from above, I love Meryl in this story, and I honestly think we’ll probably see hers and Milly’s reaction to Vash’s scars at a later date. But for this first reveal to us, and especially for Tristamp in particular, it makes perfect sense for Wolfwood to see these scars and still, somehow, be horrified. This man has been tortured in ways unimaginable since he was a child. He’s had to turn off his humanity for years. He’s been broken and battered by monstrocities we can’t imagine. And yet he’s still horrified.

He probably wouldn’t have been at the start of the season. (See: Eriks barking like a dog very early in their relationship in the other versions, at VERY different emotional points.) So for Wolfwood to have been changed enough by Vash and for him to care enough about Vash to be horrified for him, to want better out of humanity for him? Despite the fact that he’s about to toss him to his ruthless brother because he can’t afford to care for Vash and the orphanage? It was really critical in setting up his own decision for episode twelve, coming back for Meryl and choosing Vash over Knives in his own way. Wolfwood’s been crumbling for awhile, but this is such a huge crack.

TL;DR: It’s about love and faith in humanity and justice, and so much more. I’m so happy that we got to see these characters shine in different ways, and in significant ways that we haven’t seen before. And don’t get me wrong! There are valid criticisms about many parts of Tristamp, but I ain’t having none for shipping wank lol

#Trigun #Trigun Stampede #Tristamp #Trigun Meta #That's it that's my hot (aka lukewarm at best lmao) take #Also VASH'S BLUSH IN THE LAST PIC ALWAYS GETS ME #ABSOLUTELY NO POINT IN ME SAYING THAT IN THIS POST #BUT IT KILLS ME NOW #COULD WRITE A WHOLE POST ABOUT VASH'S SHAME FOR HIS SCARS MAN #OUCH #Anyway #It's so funny because I even DO like one of these ships #But I was so confused at the reaction to these scenes #And if you follow me you know #Anyway... time to going back to worrying about people hating my latest fic chapter EYYYYYY #My Trigun Meta

[vaniliens]

Wish they did more with this guy instead of making Gray almost instantly one shot him and then treat him like a joke in the sequel 😔 Invel Yura the pure ice wizard whatever that is and Zeref's homophobic homosexual 2nd in command you will always be famous (Your character concept at least,,,,)

#fairy tail #invel yura #Mashima made yet another set of foiling characters to the main cast which is a good idea!!! Sabertooth & GMG arc went well!!! #but he messed up big time in Alvarez arc which is such a shame....... #Invel wouldve been an actual cool & memorable villain had there been more time to flesh him out as Gray and/or Juvias foil instead of idk #Just like. placing him next to Zeref. Making him a little bit of a bitch to let the audience you're supposed to hate him. #and then make him the Number 1 enemy of one of your most popular ships. Oh that's right Gray has the power to kill E.N.D why dont we just-! #AND THEN HE'S GONE... CAPTURED... Next time we see him its in the sequel and he's in prison for wanting to start another war #AGH #Invel fanfic writers I will love you forever and ever