since i've been here a while and i've been gaining a following, i figured i should make an intro post...
haiaiaiiai everyoneee!!! i'm lucas or thatmizuenaguy as i go by here :3 i go by he/him pronouns and i'm a bisexual trans man! you'll often see me posting niigo artworks, analyses, fics and, once in a blue moon, posts about my gender identity <3
more about me !! i'm specializing in theater, as i'm a world future (voice acting) star/j besides va, i'm into singing, drawing, writing, psychology & sound mixing ♪ i'm sort of a jack of all trades master of none though so don't expect a lot from me LMAOOOOO
the fandoms i'm into are: prsk, ddlc, omori, oneshot, pokemon, tbhk & milgram! i do like other stuff as well, such as alien stage and a few yuri mangas, but overall i'm a prsk addict ^_^
my favorite ships are mizuena, mizumafu, kanamizu, kanaena, natsuri (ddlc), kelbrey, cactiflower (omori), mitsukou (tbhk) & yunomappi (milgram) !!!! it may be obvious from my url, but this account is primarily focused on mizuena LOL
okay i need someone else to tell me if this is normal because i think i'm going insane. i'm a guy, and for as long as i remember i have been extremely sure of the fact that i am straight. however, as of recent times, it seems my attention has shifted— where once laid attraction to women, now lies an inexplicable pull to men. like, it's weird. i've dated women and i think i had feelings for them, but with men it's just so?? different?? i like women, but i don't think i like them like that. to me, women feel more like moms or best friends than romantic partners. but men?? i'd gladly let a man pound the living hell out of me into the mattress like he's an enthusiastic japanese cook pounding the rice to make mochi if he wanted to. i'd marry a man, even. every single real crush of mine was a man. they make my heart flutter and pound, unlike women. i want a wife, but maybe i just so happen to want that wife to be a man. is this normal??????
hmm. what if ena grew her hair out as a way to show that she’s grown from what’s happened in her past and she’s starting to become the artist that she desires to be one day SEND POST
hi guys no niigo posts this time i just wanted to tell you all that. That my birthday is coming up okay. the 29th okay. i might make some special art for you all on that day hehe. Yay
i really like it when mizuki makes kanade look like a tiny puppy. kanade is the perfect height to hug and cuddle mizuki around the waist, too…. i am so weak for kittypuppy yuri.
There's something about this conversation in particular.... on a surface level it's some silly, light-hearted Mizuki and Ena banter. But the importance of outfits and dressing up is so deeply rooted into Mizuki's character and storyline, particularly when it comes to her desire to be understood. (Long essay post under the cut.)
This is comes up in a number of different ways (Mizuki’s love of fashion, her sister, the ribbon motif etc), but most relevant to this post is how clothing is brought up constantly during the Kamikou school festival events. Take the conversations Mizuki and An have during the first school festival event (Kamikou Fes):
Despite An's well-intentioned, but backhanded reassurance (I believe @ butterfly-ribbon had an analysis about this but can no longer find it since her account has since been deactivated. if anyone can find it please let me know and I will link it!) that "it's gonna be hard to stand out" at the festival, the fact that Mizuki is wearing her regular uniform and not the shirt DOES make her stand out. Despite being a student of the school, she's still an outsider -- but it is what it is, isn't it? Mizuki has resigned herself to that fate. Because the world has taught her that this is the norm, as someone who has to face constant harassment for being transfem.
Except, that doesn’t have to be the case.
The first Kamikou Fes event ends with Mizuki ultimately hanging out with the other named Kamikou students, and agreeing to wear the class shirt. Though she still hasn’t closed the distance with her own music group, she’s starting to understand that there are spaces and people who will accept her. She won't be on the outskirts of society forever.
Whither This Path of Thorns picks up with her slow integration back into "regular" school life. Note that Mizuki is wearing the class shirt from the very start this time; this is a direct way to signal that she's a part of the class! She's not a complete outsider, not anymore.
In contrast, Ena makes a huge fuss over wearing her own class festival shirt, and how much she dislikes it. It's played off mostly as a joke, with Mizuki teasing Ena about it, but there's this transparent desire of her not wanting to wear it, and thus Ena changes out of it the first chance she gets at the end of the festival.
So in this card story, where N25 changes into different outfits as one of the festival attractions, Ena is happy to wear something other than the t-shirt. In particular, she thinks she was especially cute in the maid dress, but Mizuki describes it as "cheating" and "not natural". As a defense against Mizuki's teasing, Ena points out that this festival is a time to "dress up and have fun". Yes, maybe the maid outfit isn't "natural", but who cares so long as it looks good, right? The whole point is to wear cute clothes.
The core of this exchange is extremely familiar to Mizuki, whether she directly realizes it*. The N25 main story contains a direct example:
*Though, she probably does. Mizuki has proven again and again to be self-aware and genre-savvy, but this is a slight tangent.
Though not perfectly identical situations, this is the same idea as before: "Super cute clothes! But, kind of weird, isn't it?" What Mizuki says to Ena lacks the transphobic context, but the exchange follows a similar pattern. Society will judge Mizuki for the way she presents and the clothes that she wears, even though it's what she feels the most comfortable in. People will admire (or, more accurately, gawk) at her from afar, but their gaze comes from a place of invasive curiosity about her "weirdness," and not genuine interest in knowing about her as a real person. This is what the maid dress is getting at, the idea of Ena temporarily being in a position where her outfit is the reason for her attention as opposed to herself as a whole. It's a small moment of her experiencing the world in a way like Mizuki does, which a minor running theme in Path of Thorns.
Ena's trained card from Path of Thorns also visually represents this idea of Ena being placed in Mizuki's position. Compare it to Mizuki's initial 3* card, as below.
Ena is posed almost exactly like Mizuki, laying down on her side and tenderly reaching for something beneath the surface (which happens to be Mizuki's "real self", though Ena cannot see her yet).
All of this culminates in that infamous line from chapter 7, where Ena's identity is questioned by one of the other students due to her association with Mizuki.
To be clear: I am not arguing that these situations are perfectly one to one. They certainly aren't. As a cis girl, Ena is never going to be a primary target of transphobia and affected by it in the way Mizuki is. Additionally, the previously discussed remark that Mizuki makes about the maid dress is not her lashing out either; in context, it is meant to be lighthearted and teasing in tone. However, a primary theme that this event and Mizuki's storyline as a whole plays with is the idea of being understood.
This is also why during chapter 7 and 8 of Path of Thorns, the difference in Mizuki and Ena's outfits is relevant. Ena is back in her proper school uniform, complete with her blazer, while Mizuki still wears her class festival t-shirt.
Without all her extra layers present in her school uniform, Mizuki is a lot more vulnerable than Ena, and the divide in their respective positions is emphasized by the difference in their clothes. No matter how much compassion Ena has, she still hasn't fully comprehended the extent of Mizuki's pain and fear.
So to fully understand how the other feels, Ena has to figuratively (sometimes literally) be put in Mizuki's position. When Ena is directly subject to the same microaggressions and comments that Mizuki faces, albeit on a smaller and less personal scale, it allows her to build empathy and complete a picture of why Mizuki feels the way she does.
Ena herself reflects on this after the rooftop conversation. She only now sees the harassment that Mizuki faces and how this has been weighing on her for so long.
It's not the single reason why Mizuki is so afraid of coming out to her group, but it is certainly one part of her fear: won't they also become a target by extension? Won't they also suffer? Mizuki directly expresses some of these worries herself in Wounded Hands.
The key thing is what Ena says in response. She'll let herself get hurt as collateral, because the alternative is to let Mizuki suffer alone in a world that hates her and never see her again. To her, that is the worst possible outcome. Arriving at this conclusion requires Ena to first understand the depths of Mizuki's situation, which is something she reaches only by being brought as close as possible to being literally in Mizuki's position.
guys i'm not tagging this but if you see pls answer. if i wanted to maybe. post content of. a non-mizuena mizuki ship. what do i do. do i make a new blog do i just do it here or do i just Die. i know some of my followers don't like non-mizuena mizuk ships which is why i'm asking
how can some people treat niigo like a group of two duos when both mizuki and ena have these strongly held values of self-expression and agency, and a prominent theme of embracing their desires despite external pressure, which make them the perfect people to help mafuyu on her journey of discovering who she is and what she wants.
has anyone else ever thought about how much mizuki fits the transfem stereotypes. like, she's in a MUSIC group. with GIRLS (transfems like girls usually). she uses discord. she's a catgirl for god's sake. don't tell me in mizu8 we'll find out about her hidden interest in coding or something
Saw how desperate you are for asks. I'm curious, what’s your favorite thing about Shinonome Ena?
oh how could i even pick one when there's just so many to name. her soft and beautiful brown hair. her cute little braid that i always struggle to draw but i can't just Not™ draw it because it's just so 😍. her eyes are so pretty btw. they're so soft and augh. her passion for doing what she wants, whether that's art or stubbornly helping someone. her determination to pursue her dreams. her caring side. her voice. HER VOICE. her soft voice. her loud voice. her ayfhkshdkdhdjchdjdj voice in cute na kanojo. her voice in general. notice she doesn't have a single card where she misses. it's always a hit or hit with ena she's so. 😍😍😍 also the small bits of her art we've gotten to see. i could go on and on for weeks on end but i'm not staining my image any more than this. I ❤️ ENA
