#for the record I also really like your aestethic

[biscu-t]

(Scarlet, Maroon, Cinnamon, Mauve, Saffron, Timberwolf, Tangerine ^^)

Aaah well how am I supposed to answer to that? Really happy and honored am trusted and that you let me take part in your creative process, even if i'm just being silly, I really adore watching the story come together

(wait I have an aestethic?)

[shizukateal]

Judging Magia Record’s Outfits [Part 6]

The last part. The 3 rules.

Konoha Shizumi

First, if her weapon is supposed to be some kind of double spear then the designer has a skewed sense of priorities, because that’s just putting aestethics over function, which is something that magical girls have to make a careful balance of. About the outfit itself, I think it’s another perfect representation of what these bad designers get wrong: they choose an aesthetic, but they ruin it because they think that a magical girl outfit has to be different than a regular outfit with the look they chose. So they add all this crap trying to make their character more distinct but they end up throwing them into the forgettable bin because no one would follow an unappealing design no matter how “original” it is. 

The dress itself is ok, although I would get rid of the gold chain on the skirt, but then the designer decided to put that weird leather collar with the strands just hangin there because making them part of the vest was too normie, I guess. It also has an awkward hipline transition, the skirt puffs like a tutu and that just doesn’t really fit with the sleek formal wear look the top is going for. The problem is that if we get her a less poofy skirt then the blue and white on top will become the awkward part. Same goes with the sleeves with the blue design, and they are made worse with the other straps on top of them which are there for no reason. The gloves are passable, but I don’t know is I would keep them if I were to correct this outfit. They are there to add more color but, again they don’t really fit with the rest, what with being fingerless and all. The socks are ok, they seem to be going for the same effect that Homura’s boot-stockings have, although it’s diminished by the fact that the skirt is the same color as them and also for some reason the designer picked those shoes... Like, they certainly look comfortable but if you were gonna go with those you might as well just make her a normal schoolgirl. I’m also not a fan of the hairstyle. Oh, it looks alright here, but in any other of her sprites it’s just weird to see the braids just... appear above her fringe and dissapear around her head without being sure if they break into another braid or ponytail or whatever. The fact that the big flower pin is on the side also doesn’t help. I’d put it behind it to give the braids some sense of closure but I’m not sure it would help with the shape it has. Conclusion: another outfit that could be saved with relatively simple edits.

Hazuki Yusa

WHAT ARE TTTHHOOOOOOOSSSSSEEEE????

Seriously, what are those boots? Who does the quality control for this game and why haven’t they been fired. This is tied to the Madoka franchise, I know that it’s gonna make some money no matter what, but for god’s sake try to save some face. Why does she have two garters on the same leg? Oh Lord, the gloves are as mind-bogglingly stupid as the boots. That weapon looks like that joke post about the toy that let you custumize your own light-saber weapon. I don’t ever understand what her aestethic is supposed to be. What even is the point of the dress showing off her boobs if you’re going too undermine whatever erotic appeal you’re trying to give her with those goddawful boots?! The only good things I can say about this is that her hairstyle is good and the dress is reasonably cute, what a pity that it’s buried under a cape with lapels but no jacket or sleeves.

Characters Ruined by the Male Gaze: 9

Ayame Mikuri

Her aestethic is more consistent that the previous too, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t improve. She reminds me of Cirava Hermod from Hiveswap and I guess that’s partly of why I actually like her hairstyle, minus that random triangle over her fringe. It’s weird, but at least it’s weird in a consistent way. The flower on the ponytail is ok, but it’s kinda pointless since it’s the same color as the hair. Then we look down and once again this artist exibits their weird obsession with lapels just hangin out, but this time the cape is reasonably cute. The gloves are also cute, but when I compare them to the socks and the hairstyle I have to wonder if they should be there at all. Then we have the main dress on top opf the skirt wich is just... whatever. Get it? She’s random XD so of course her dress opens up wherever. Yeah, it’s kinda hard for me to buy all the bare skin spots are an expression of her personality when the rest of her outfit suggests a weird lolita look. The skirt and socks can stay though, especially the socks.

Midrift Count: 10

Characters ruined by the Male Gaze: 10

Aimi Eri

Oh Thank God. Truly this is a sight for sore eyes. No sexualization. Varied and balanced colors, with a bonus of sensibly used patterns. Consistent aestethic. Cute hairstyle that is not afraid to be simple. Frills that don’t overimpose. This is worthy of being one of the protagonists of the show, worthy of being side by side with the Holly Quintet itself, can she please take Rena’s position? Everyone who has followed these posts take note: THIS is an ideal magical girl outfit.

Karin Misono

See what I mean? It’s not that hard to make a good magical girl outfit. Pick a look, then choose some cute clothing items that go with that aestethic, add some accessories without going overboard, and try looking up some actual fucking hairstyles before you invent a new one. I am a bit weirded out that the sleeves don’t connect to the top, but I’ll let it slide.

Midriff count: 11

(the next part)

[the-wardens-torch]

HEYYY its that awesome detailed character profile meme that was going around 2-3 months ago!  Which is when @theseventhdawn tagged me with it. Sorry for taking forever. Long work weeks and ShB have killed me but its lovely to rekindle those OC feels. As for people to tag who haven’t been tagged already; @luckiselki (whichever of your characters you like!) and @helboar

Pronunciation:  fal-uhr-in are-sit-uh.

Nicknames: Just… Fal.  His adopted mother was known to call him “Sunny Blue” now and then. Short-lived inside joke names include Local Fal and Lord of the Pants. (I wish I could say that someone once called him Fail-urine Fartcita, but he’s never had a 90s high school sit com bully.)

Height: 5’11

Age: 22

Zodiac: Virgo (Sept 16 - I chose September entirely because its Azeyma’s dedicated month in Eorzean astrology.)

Languages: Common, Seeker Miqo’te Huntspeak (woefully out of practice,) a few words/phrases/songs in other languages (he‘s particularly proud of the Xaelic folk songs he‘s picked up recently. )

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

Hair:  Black, straight and waist-length with messy fringe and sideburns. Usually worn in a loose braid or ponytail - he knows a few more complex hair-braiding techniques, but he somehow just can’t manage to do them on his own hair.

Eyes: Bright royal blue; hooded and on the long and narrow side.

Skin tone: A sort of burnt sienna with darker freckles on his cheeks, shoulders and back.

Body type: Especially long and skinny for a Hyur - he weighs less than most Hyurs his height. Has a bit of lean muscle on his arms and legs from doing a lot of traveling and archery practice as a kid.

Accent: South Seas

Dominant hand: Right

Posture: Very loose and casual with friendly, open body language and liberal use of gestures in conversation. Often shifts his weight from one foot to the other.  Rarely stands/sits up totally straight. Seems incapable of sitting in a chair and keeping both of his feet on the floor at the same time.

Scars: A very noticeable one over his left eye running from hairline to mid-cheek, a smaller one along his jaw line (usually covered by his sideburns) and a third horizontally crossing his right shoulder.

Tattoos: None

Most noticeable features:  Most people are taken aback by how deep his voice is if they hear him at roughly the same time they see him. Other than that, the color of his eyes is rather striking, and he’s kind of an odd dresser… Pointy mage hats, skirts, crop tops, leather jewelry, etc.

CUT BECAUSE I AM SELF CONSCIOUS ABOUT CLOGGING UR DASH.

CHILDHOOD.

Place of birth: Cieldalaes islands.

Hometown:  A small port town from which he derives his last name.

Manner of birth: Covert.

First words: “song”

Siblings: He has two half-brothers and one half-sister on his mother’s side, all older by at least 5 years… I haven’t named them or given them personalities, and they don’t know about him… yet.

Parents: Mother Roxane Seaborne; Inn manager living in the Cieldalaes whom he has never met. Father Uther Alcyone; Arcanist living in Idyllshire from whom he was estranged until very recently.

Parental involvement: He hasn’t seen his mother since his birth - it broke her heart to give him away, although she gave up her feelings for his father shortly after he was conceived.  She feels tremendously guilty for what she did and bemoans her selfishness to this day.

His father (despite knowing about him from his birth) only started to show an interest in him a year or two ago (when he started displaying magical talent.) Fal is trying to salvage a relationship from this but isn’t holding his breath - dad’s interest in him seems to be purely intellectual.

He was mostly raised by one N‘elyrha Kikitu, a Miqo’te Bard - she took good care of him and instilled in him self-assurance and a great passion for stories and song, but they were always traveling, and she tried to raise him tough and independent… Which is probably why he craves affection and intimacy.  

ADULT LIFE

Occupation: Freelance musician and leatherworker.  He’ll moonlight as an adventurer now and then, (Arcanist/Summoner) but only for a damn good reason.

Current residence: Eidolons free company house, the lavender beds… I forgot his address.

Close friends: Reonora Aestethe, Sunnthota Rymmharrwyn, T’Majaan Tia, likely your character if I weren’t so scared to RP.

Relationship status: Restlessly single.

Financial status:  Can afford food, a single room, and the occasional splurge… most of the time.

Driver’s license: He’s inexperienced, but he likes to ride and is getting the hang of it.

Criminal record: Trespassing, vagrancy, loitering, public nudity nuisance - all your basic hobo crimes.

Vices: Casual sex.

SEX & ROMANCE.

Sexual orientation: Pansexual

Romantic orientation: Panromantic

Preferred emotional role:  submissive | dominant | switch (he adapts well.)

Preferred sexual role:  submissive |  dominant  |  switch |  sex repulsed  (there I finally said it.)

Turn ons:  Fal’s a sexual character but honestly I’m just not any good at portraying that side of him.  Errr… if my tiny bit of writing that includes his sex life is any indication, he’s attracted to awkwardly sincere men and bold, witty women. Apparently he also has a thing for backless clothing.

Turn offs: Condescension, entitlement, dominant/pushy personalities, touching his hair without asking.

Love language: His hands will always be on you/all over you, whether those hands are chastely patting your shoulders or clamped lewdly on your ass.  Lots of reassuring pats, hugs, face touches, fingers in your hair, etc. Looking at you silently and smiling. Small, eclectic gifts (single flowers, pieces of brightly colored sea glass, handmade trinkets, feathers, scribbled out lines of old poems, etc.) because he “saw it and thought of you.” Lots of songs sung to you for the same reason.  

Relationship tendencies: He tends to think of sex and romance as separate concepts that fulfill different needs. He loves emotional involvement but believes it’s really hard to do and hurts a lot when it goes bad… Sometimes you just need to get railed into the next astral era without any strings attached (I’m sure there’s a shibari or generalized BDSM joke in here somewhere but I don‘t think that’s his thing hahaffff.) If he found a relationship where he could get both from the same person at the same time, it’d be the Best. Thing. Ever.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Hobbies to pass the time:  Leatherwork, dropping in at friends’ houses unexpectedly, occasional archery and botany - just to clear his mind and keep his skills sharp. He’s also recently started to read extensively - mostly poetry and literature from around the world (if he can find it translated into common that is.)

Mental illnesses:  None.

Physical illnesses:  Meat “allergy” - eating flesh of any sort causes him acute gastrointestinal distress. This annoys him greatly and he still tries to eat meat every few years to see if he’s “grown out of it.” He hasn’t.

Fears: Abandonment and loss most of all. He also hates walking on elevated flooring that moves (scaffolding, suspension bridges, etc.) especially if he can see the ground through it.

Self confidence level: Mostly good.  He knows that he‘s likeable and good at what he does, and is generally pretty comfortable with himself and his life. He’s totally fearless in social situations and while performing - its pretty hard to intimidate, heckle, shame, demoralize or embarrass him.  In combat situations is another story. He hasn’t enjoyed a single fight he’s been in, though he’s reasonably good at throwing his comrades off of his trail with quips and witty remarks - just because he likes being with them and doesn’t want them to worry.

Vulnerabilities: Doesn’t know when to shut up.  Emotionally impulsive. Hides/bottles up negative emotions with occasional disastrous results.  Can crumple under stress (especially battlefield stress.) Powerful but unrefined and uneducated when it comes to magic.

[shizukateal]

Judging Magia Record’s Outfits [Part 16]

The last part. The three rules.

Tart

This looks very Nanoha-inspired. Missing arm-armor aside I like it a lot, but Tart’s hair color and the general artstyle leave me unconvinced. I also think she could do with some kind of ornament in her head.

Riz Hawkwood

Meh. Kinda horny in the transformation sequence, but mostly incredibly boring and badly constructed. Remember how I said in the three rules that the outfit should complement the fighting style of the magical girl? Then you go and try to explain me how this girl’s fighting style works. From what little I know, she is the stealth dps to Tart’s tank, but how is that supposed to work with how unevenly distributed her weight is? 1st pro-tip: long capes and untied hair? Don’t mesh well together. Not sure if any ninja would approve of leaving your knives hanging like that, and you know what they also wouldn’t approve? Exposing your midriff in a way that says “please assist me in my seppuku” (looking at Ao as well).

Midriff Count: 23, because I forgot to count Shion.

Characters ruined by te Male Gaze: 25

Melissa de Vignolles

I mean, technically this is pretty much perfect. I may not like the shape of her tie but that’s a nitpick. She’s another case like Mayu, there’s nothing wrong with her I’m just not into her style.

Corbeau

We found one of the rarest unicorns, people: a boring edgelord. I guess I should be grateful she only has that weird cut in her pants, but still. Iroha doesn’t even have a mask and feather shapes on her cape, and she still manages to pull off the bird aestethic better than this. I mean, I guess that’s kind of the crux of her problem: she’s so convinced that she is being clever by hammering us with the point that she’s a crow that she thinks she doesn’t need to worry about the rest of her look. To which I say: shame on you, in the name of all the goths. Again, Iroha managed to be a priestess, a rouge, and a bird in the same outfit all of it WITHOUT breaking aestethic cohesion! And you show up to my doorstep with some last minute halloween costume for your after-office party? Shame. On. You.

Midriff count: 24

Elisa Celjska

Nice try, but she is no Sayaka Miki. Miku sleeves? Oversized tits in a sweetheart neckline? Under only half a cape? Not to mention that the skirt looks... weirdly plain and untextured? The amount of ruffles under the corset isn’t really helping either. I mean, I don’t hate them, but they are kind of making the problem more apparent. I will give her some points for commiting to her whole square theme, though.

Characters ruined by the Male Gaze: 26

(the next part)

[shizukateal]

Judging Magia Record’s Outfits [Part 9]

The last part. The 3 rules.

Mitama Yakumo

It’s mostly the little excesses here and there that ruin this outfit, like how she has her soul gem ribbon, the flower pin, AND a side braid on her already big bangs. She has two vests on top of each other, and neither of them connect to the tail leaves. The tail also distracts from what the skirt is trying to do, although I’m not sure if it could pull it of on its own. I like both the white stripe and the asimetric cut with the frills and the ribbon, but put together they seem to compete.Also, since her whole thing seems to be this secretary/butler look I feel like she should be wearing nylon socks, just saying.

Ria Ami

Barbie here is to me a better execution of the concept Rena was going for. Sadly, as pretty as it is I can’t accept that amount of tail as valid for a magical girl outfit, especially in one that would work perfectly well without it. Her soul gem shoudn’t have that one gold wing just getting in the way of the ribbon and for some reason she just has a chain hanging there on her skirt.

Mel Anna

Can the animators please tell the designers to make consice things? Why all the loops, can she even fight properly with those? Are the green stripes behind her necessary? or the armpit holes? Why does her soul gem look bent. Nice hairstyle, tho, it has a personality to it.

Mifuyu Azusa

This girl is cute, but her look is just... whatever, it’s just vaguely winter-like. I’m really starting to get tired of all these girls defaulting to miku sleeves, especially the ones with winter aestethics. Also, her coat reaches the floor and that’s just impractical.

Kanagi Izumi

NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE MIKU SLEEVES. COMMIT TO YOUR AESTETHIC AND JUST GIVE HER A MILITARY JACKET.

Also why does this art makes delineates her torso like she’s naked?

In any case the rest of this outfit is fine, but the assymetry is kinda weird. So is the fact that that’s a dress and not a top and a skirt. Which could potentially work on another dress, but I just really wish this girl commited to her look.

I think this is the first of this posts with not a single midriff or character ruined by the male gaze.

(the next part)

[shizukateal]

Judging Magia Record’s Outfits [Part 17]

The last part. The three rules.

Hagumu Azumi

The hair doesn’t match the look, the shape of the silhouette of this thing is horribly heavy because of the tail, the skirt is ugly due to it’s height placement because the top goes on for so long, and I hate the lone unattached collar. Turning the skirt into pantaloon shorts and removing the tail could help but I’m not sure it would go well with the top. It’s nice she’s bringing a new look to the table, but she should have gone into it with more thought.

Rion Yuuki

Would have been an acceptable gothic-lolita outfit, if not for the fact that they apparently couldn’t think for a better transition between the skirt and the top than those two flimsy ribbon strips magically holding the big heavy ribbon behind, while only being attached to eachother by another tinier ribbon just above her crotch.

Hotori Yuuki

Ok, first off, this drawing feels disproportionate, like her legs are shrinking. The whole outfit is badly drawn, in fact, there’s way too many wrinkles and it shines in a way that makes it seem like it’s made of plastic.The outfit itself is ok, save for the overskirt. It’s just unnecessary with the scarf already giving the cosume some flow, but I could forgive that if not for how it’s incongruent with how the shirt opens. Also: not a fan of the expression she’s wearing.

Juri Oba

Not wrong, technically speaking, but still mediocre. I think you can do more with a fire dragon aestethic than just copying Guy Fieri’s look. I get that a dragon tail + wings backpack with chain straps is a cool item, but not when you wear it like this. The backpack also seems to have a useless white ribbon for some reason, and her ribbons go behind her hair like the antennae of oriental dragons. Like, good on you to commiting to your theme, but it can be better done.

Livia Medeiros

She may be an obvious dark skin fetish character, but at least she is tastefully dressed. I really like her sleeves in particular, the frills and feather shapes remind me of the costumes used in the carnaval, which I feel is a nice subtle nod to her brazilian origins. It’s sad Mitama didn’t catch on learning fashion sense from her.

Characters ruined by the Male Gaze: 27

(the next part)

[shizukateal]

Judging Magia Record’s Outfits [Part 12]

The last part. The 3 rules.

Hikaru Kirari

I would have prefered a more traditional plated skirt, but I’ll accept this one. The cape is my real problem tho. I just don’t see its purpose, considering that the hoodie surely won’t fit with the hat, and I also think that the feather on top is a bit overkill, at least in this outfit. Still not like it when I can’t tell which is the soul gem.

Sunao Toki

Haha, her name means sand clock.

So ok, this girl doesn’t have the aestethic excellence and balance of Touka to justify all of the decisions of her outfit, but I won’t deny that most of it is pretty interesting and cool. Insanely complicated to draw and animate with all that lace, but cool nonetheless. Still, I’m not sure if removing the pointless sheer fabric layer would magically solve all the problems. I like her hairstyle, but I’m not sure it fits with this aestethic.

Mikura Komachi

Repeat with me kids: less is more. I am going to assume that those are sakura’s, so they kind of get points for creative thematic cohesion, and perhaps if this outfit was more concise I would accept them. What I am not willing to accept is lapels without jackets and the overstuffed tail. It’s a shame though, she was very close to being almost as interesting as Homura.

Seira Mihono

Not sure if she’s suposed to be a penguin or some kind of fish, but in any case, this is girl is a case of outfits not matching the appeared age of the user. Even ignoring the socked tits, this girl just seems a bit too tall and her facial features are too sharply drawn to convince me that she should be wearing this kind of thing. I mean, apparently she sold her soul for the sake of always having enough money to make her projects so if that doesn’t tell you something about her age I don’t know what does. Outside of that, I think her hairstyle would be a lot better without the ponytails, since they also seem innappropiate for her age and apparently have their own holes in the hoodie. The boots don’t convince me, nor do the cuffs with handless gloves. Bonus points for the clackerboard pockets, tho.

Midriff Count: 17

Temari Kira

Much like Seira above, this girl isn’t really doing anything wrong, but she doesn’t have the body for this outfit.

Here’s the thing about Mami Tomoe: she knew perfectly how to balance her sexiness with her more girly side and she did that without barely showing any skin. Her corset perfectly hugged her figure, so it wasn’t necessary for anything else in her costume to show off her body in any way. This girl has a similar dress shape to Mami’s, but her chest is too big for it. Sayaka can pull off this sweetheart neckline under cape schtick, but that’s because her breasts normal sized and don’t look like they are about to flop out. 

It just looks disonant like this. Like, I’m glad that she’s not wearing some ugly sexy halloween costume, but she still looks way too mature for this outfit. Even her hairstyle, which isn’t technically wrong in any way, seems like something she wouldn’t wear at her apparent age. If there’s a lesson you should take from her is that you have to be careful in how your artstyle affects the age your characters look.

Characters ruined by the Male Gaze: 17

(the next part)

[shizukateal]

Judging Magia Record’s Outfits [Part 2]

The 3 rules. The last part.

Rena Minami

We have our first trainwreck, people! Look at all these elements without cohesion. First we have the head, which is already the worst part. The earrings, scrunchies and the neck ribbon are all competing and none of them are even remotely close to going for the same aestethic, and it’s all topped of with what is possibly the worse hairstyle in the madoka magica universe. No idea what Ume Aoki was going for with that and no idea why would anyone aprove it. Next with have the dress, and if there’s one thing I can praise about this crime against fashion is that the fabric and pattern of the dress is cute and ambition. You don’t see many magical girls with something like that and I appreciate originality. Sadly, they decided to ruin it with the gigantic bow which, again, competes with it, while also accentuating the dissonance between its blue color and the yellow sleeves. Then we have the elbow-length black fingerless gloves which have absolutely nothing to do with the dress. The kneesocks and boots are the only elements that get along and they could potentially work with the gloves if not for the fact that, again, none of them have anything to do with the dress. Also, what’s with the pink trident with wings.

You know, this girl’s witchform is called Cinderella and her wish was about becoming someone else or something like that, so I get that they were going for kind of a fashionista style with her and honestly this is the most insulting product based of that concept you could make. Really dissapointed on you, Ume Aoki.

Momoko Togame:

You see the thumbnail on her character page and think “oh, she looks great! I love her hairstyle” and then you click and your smile drops as you take in the lower part of her outfit. Why do people think the male gaze is so lazy that if you’re not constantly titillating it it won’t buy your already cute girl? Pervert male het otakus don’t have standards, they’ll sexualize just about any girl that’s even remotely cute and likable. Why ruin a potentially really cute outfit like this? You know this is bad when she reminds me of the incest-bait character in sword art online and that character has a more decent outfit than hers. Trully sad.

Midriff Count: 4

Characters ruined by the Male Gaze: 2 because I’m counting Felicia as well.

Kaede Akino:

See? I honestly don’t know if this is worse than the previous one or not because this one is. So. Close. To being perfect and then, for some godforsaken reason they decided that she should have no button-up shirt under her cape. WHY? HER WHOLE AESTETHIC IS AUTUMN WITCH, WHAT IS THE FUCKING POINT IN SHOWING HER MIDRIFF, SHE’S ALREADY CUTE ENOUGH.

Midriff count: 5

Characters ruined by the Male Gaze: 3

Asuka Tatsuki:

Ok, we’re back on track with an actual consistent aestethic. Everything is is place, everything is in order. I get the feeling that the wrap top is ment to emphasize her boobs, but having seen the previous ones this is can slide by for me.

Kanoko Yayoi:

Consistent aestethic, bad execution, although in all fairness some of it has to do with her not being well drawn. Her hair is drawns messily and not very well shaded, her cape is drawn way too open and it makes it confusing to the eye, her pose is stiff, and so is the expression in this screencap. Even so, she should just have gone with normal short cuffed gloves instead of those weird, glossy, not-quite-elbow-high ones, and in fact I think it would be better if they were white. The short could be cute, but the pleated part atop of the belt disrupts the shape of the outfit and it’s just plain unflattering to her body. And then there’s the shoes. There are very, very few flat shoes that go with high socks and those are not one of them.

(The next part)