#i still think my favorite design wise is the very first one. I have so many cats I’ve gotten who’s design I loved but I am OBSESSED with

[front-facing-pokemon]

[yamujiburo]

Hello, I’ve always been impressed by your design decisions so I wanted to ask: are there any Pokemon or trainers that have really spoken to you design-wise? Not necessarily your favorite, but left a strong impression on you.

Hope the rest of your day goes well! ^^

Aw thanks so much! I love character design, it was my first passion before storyboarding actually

Here's my faves:

RYME!!!! They nailed that older gen rapper look. Backwards cap, sequins, lots of gold and a puffy jacket! Also I'm not quite sure this is the intention with her shoes but they kinda look like grillz which is sick. I'm a sucker for a limited palette so the black, gold with turquoise accents in her nails, mic, earrings and eyes spoke to me. Also OF COURSE her hair (you're gonna se this pattern for the next two LOL). Making her locks look like a skeleton??? Genius. I love the hand bone for the front and the hip bone for the back. Literally one of the coolest trainer designs pokemon's ever given us.

GRANT! Just an immediately readable design. Oh, he looks like a rock climber, must be a rock type gym leader. Simple fit, I love a sleek black top. The carabiner, climber straps and chalk holder add a little more complexity to the design but not too much. It's a smart choice with how wild his hair is. I feel like if you do too much in the fit AND the hair, you risk your design feeling overdesigned and busy. I love that his hair is meant to look like a rock/cliffs with the holds! The holds add a nice dash of color without being too much.

AMARYS <3 It's the fact that she's in uniform but still has a design that immediately caught my eye. But to her being in uniform, I find it really cool that the other Elite 4 members really alter theirs or have accessories that make the uniforms feel like their own or really different but Amarys doesn't really. It goes to show how rigid she is and gives you the impression that she's a very "follow the rules" kind of person. Her main accessory seems to be her boots which just LOOK heavy, and sleek and look like they have bolts in them. It really makes her design feel bottom heavy and grounded which I feel is appropriate for a steel type trainer. Now, hair. Look at her hair. SO GOOD. I loveeee that pokemon is utilizing black hairstyles like this. Her hair being screws that kinda resemble banto knots is so CUTE. The could have left her hair at that but the braid across her forehead adds a nice asymmetrical aspect to her design. It's so cool that it mirrors her pocketwatch chain, creating a focal point on the school crest. And lastly her glasses! Super cute, I think it's cool that it gives the illusion of bottom lashes which makes her eyes feel a little more droopy or sad than they really are. It just really brings her facial features all together and helps sell her personality.

[somepsychopomp]

contemplating a particularly evil AU where, after Odysseus escapes from Poseidon the first time, our favorite problematic god decides to set his sights upon Ithaca in order to get his revenge.

He doesn't raise the tides to drown all the inhabitants or cause earthquakes to break the island apart, no. Poseidon directly seeks out sweet little 10 y/old Telemachus...

and befriends him.

(Ody really shouldn't have doxxed himself with this one)

It starts with Poseidon disguising himself as a mortal man and infiltrating the palace, knowing that Odysseus was blown across the sea and is still struggling to get home. He claims to be a wise man taught in Athens, and is willing to offer his tutelage to Ithaca's prince. Though it irks him a bit to pose as a scholar from the city he lost to his niece, Poseidon convinces Penelope to let him take over the position of her son's tutor in all necessary subjects: reading, oratory, history (which will be easy, seeing as Poseidon lived through all of it himself), etc.

Telemachus is shy at first, but warms up to his new tutor quite quickly. [insert Poseidon's fake name] is not like the stuffy old men that Penelope first assigned to Telemachus' education. He's patient, doesn't reprimand the young prince when he falters, and rewards him for doing well with sweet treats and fantastical stories about faraway lands and monsters.

After earning the lad's trust, Poseidon approaches Penelope and says it's not right that such a bright boy like Telemachus isn't also taught in other aspects of manhood. He asks to take Telemachus out for his first hunt, to which she reluctantly agrees. (Penelope knows that her husband slew an adult boar when he was Telemachus' age so yeah)

Telemachus is both excited and nervous to be outside the palace without any guards or his mother. He asks how Poseidon knows to hunt and he laughs, saying that just because he's a scholar, doesn't mean he isn't also an athlete and a warrior.

Telemachus takes the bait, asking what competitions Poseidon won, who he beat, etc. He's regaled with entirely false tales of wrestling matches, chariot races, and spear throwing contests, as well as stories of successful hunts for bears and wolves.

It's truly the perfect opportunity to strike. The two of them are alone in the woods with no one else around, no one who would hear the prince scream as he was torn asunder. No one to find his bones...

"Do it," Poseidon says quickly, "Strike now."

At the behest of his teacher, Telemachus draws his bow and fires at the young deer upwind from them. The arrow hits the creature in the flank and it darts into the foliage. No time to praise the prince for his aim, Poseidon leads him uphill, showing the boy how to track injured prey. He's armed with a bow he never intended on using and a spear designed for hunting, as similar of a weapon to his trident as he can get.

Poseidon catches a glimpse of movement through the trees and throws his spear. It strikes the deer in the neck, felling it instantly. That night under the stars, the two of them feast on roasted venison over a roaring campfire. Poseidon insists that he couldn't have done it without his pupil, that Telemachus injuring the deer was what brought about its downfall.

Telemachus is beaming with joy, so excited to have gotten his first kill, when he suddenly turns withdrawn and shy. Poseidon asks what's wrong.

"It's just that... I always hoped I would go on my first hunt with my father..."

Poseidon pulls the boy against his side as Telemachus sniffles and tries to suppress his tears. Poseidon hushes him and says that while he can't speak for the king, he's certainly proud of his pupil!

"But do you think he'll be back soon?" Telemachus asks. Poseidon smiles and says only the gods would know. But for now, Telemachus should be proud of himself.

Penelope is pleased to find her son in one piece when he returns. He shows her the pelt from his first hunt and she assures him she's very impressed. What really matters to her is that Telemachus is safe and growing as a boy should- learning the useful skills he'll need as a man and a future king.

From then on, Poseidon has much more leeway with how he spends his time with the prince. They go to the beach so Telemachus learns how to swim, fish, and sail. He learns how to tame a horse and gain its trust, etc.

It's a nice way to pass the time, waiting.

Eventually, news turns up that every fleet from Troy arrived home, except for Odysseus'. No other king knows where he and his 600-person army vanished to. No one knows where he is, or when he'll return.

Penelope is saddened by this revelation, but knows her husband well and refuses to believe that Odysseus of Ithaca perished in something as simple as a rogue storm. Telemachus is heartbroken, though. He's just a boy and after having heard that nearby kingdoms received their men after ten long years, he got all his hopes up that he'd finally get to meet his father.

His mother tries to console him, to tell Telemachus not to give up hope. Odysseus is out there, somewhere. But her son is inconsolable until Poseidon gently asks Penelope if he can speak to him.

Poseidon tells Telemachus that sometimes things happen for a reason. Was this the will of some god, perhaps?

Telemachus doesn't know how to respond, but sniffles and asks if he did something wrong. If it's his fault his father isn't home. Poseidon hugs him tight and says it's not his fault at all! No, if anything, perhaps Odysseus' silver tongue got him in trouble, or that this delay in his' return is only a temporary misfortune. Perhaps it'll lead to greater things down the line. Telemachus doesn't really understand, but he begins to calm down after hearing both his mother & tutor tell him that things will be alright.

In the meantime, Telemachus wants to become someone that his father would be proud of. He asks Poseidon to train him even harder and help him grow into a great warrior.

Poseidon accepts and the two of them grow even closer.

Not long after, the first of the suitors arrive. They're the sons of local noblemen or other prominent families in Ithaca. For a while, the queen offers them hospitality without suspecting much, thinking that the gifts the men offer are condolences for her husband's late arrival. Then they start trying to woo her.

The suitors start harassing Telemachus, too. They see him as an obvious threat to the power they could steal for themselves. Odysseus was crowned the king at the age of 13 and the same could happen to Telemachus if Penelope declines to remarry. All of a sudden as more and more suitors invade his palace, Telemachus finds himself unwelcome in his own home. The suitors do not let him eat near them- they'll go as far as to snatch his food. They leer at him, call him small, and taunt him by saying he'll never be king.

Telemachus thinks there's nothing he can do to fight back, but then Poseidon steps in and tells the suitors to cease their unruly behavior. They gang up on Poseidon, who they perceive as an unimpressive middle aged man, before getting their asses handed to them by a middled aged man who knows how to wield a spear as though he was born for it.

Telemachus has never seen something so amazing before. His teacher defeated a dozen men alone! How is that even possible?

Poseidon doesn't answer him directly, only saying he's gotten into his own fair share of fights before. When news of the brawl reaches Penelope, she decides that Poseidon should be promoted to Telemachus' guardian until Odysseus returns, fulling both the role of tutor & protector. She won't have her only child be bullied and menaced by grown men, not in her halls.

It is at this point that Poseidon pulls out his greatest trick yet. And that is to tell the truth. For months now, he's been posing as a kindly old teacher. But in secret, he reveals himself to Telemachus as the god of the sea!

Poseidon claims he heard the boy pray for his father's return and came to him in disguise. (Poseidon didn't even know who Telemachus was until Ody pissed him off, but he was willing to bet that such a naive child would certainly pray for his absent daddy to return. And he was right.)

Poseidon warns that Odysseus is not who Telemachus thinks he is. He might have been a kind and gentle man before, but he turned into a merciless, vain monster who allowed over 500 of his men to perish because he was arrogant enough to think he could lead them through a terrible storm.

Telemachus can hardly believe it- he doesn't want to. He won't! His mother always told him that his father was the most clever man of all, trained by Athena herself.

"Ah," Poseidon says, his voice full of sympathy, "And what does Athena know of love? Of mercy? No, no, my poor boy. You've been misled. Your father is not the man you think he is, for he blinded my own son just so he could steal some livestock!"

Telemachus’ mind is racing. He doesn’t know what to think. Who is his father, really?

Trembling from head to toe in fear, he asks if Poseidon will punish him as vengeance for his own son.

And the earthshaker will smile at him, oh so softly.

“My poor child, why would I do that? You father has flung himself to the farthest reaches of the sea, but I am here for you. I’ve come to answer your prayers, to set things right between your house and mine.”

Poseidon cups Telemachus’ face and leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to the boy’s head. “And should your father ever arrive on this isle, I will keep you safe from him.”

(And so Telemachus will grow up unsure of the man his father really is, all while struggling to see Poseidon as anything but)

[bynineb]

my favorite & least favorite Pokemon from each generation!

GEN 1

FAVE: VENONAT

my lovely buggy boy! this is partly for nostalgic reasons as my very first slot car i built with my father was called VENOM, and had a little Venonat figurine perched on top. but the design is also precious, a Kuriboh style fuzzball gnat in a whimsical purple. also when it runs it hops!!! like a bunny!!!

Runner Ups: Nidorino, Poliwhirl, Porygon, Charizard, Haunter

LEAST FAVE: GOLDUCK

a wet fart of an evolution that loses all of psyduck's walleyed charm and replaces it with... nothing. it has no identity. even its pokedex entries are lame - it can swim fast and that's it. usually the simpler gen 1 pokemon still appeal to me just due to sugimori's art style, but no such luck for the duck.

that being said, i don't completely hate it. it just needs more to latch onto design-wise

Runner Ups: Rapidash, Hypno

(the rest is under the cut!)

GEN 2

FAVE: FLAAFFY

once my all-time favorite pokemon, although that has since been ceded to Venonat, i adore Flaaffy to bits. it has that perfect amount of cuteness and patheticness that endears me to some of my favorite designs, said patheticness owing to its stubby arms, mangy coat, watery eyes, and peculiar bowed stance when it stands up. i love the striped horns and tail, the colors are very pleasant, and the wool gives it a je ne sais quoi that the otherwise similar Ampharos lacks, almost like a wooly muffler and hat. (not knockin Ampharos btw, love it too). there's a reason Fynn took so much inspiration from this fluffy fellow!

(also, the rental Flaaffy in Pokemon Stadium 2 had Thunder Punch and Fire Punch. considering the sorry state of rental movesets in that game, and my lack of an N64 link cable, Flaaffy carrying me through those fights may have helped cement our bond!)

Runner Ups: Skiploom, Dunsparce, Forretress, Unown, Magcargo

LEAST FAVE: TYROGUE

not only does it not really resemble the hitmons - maybe hitmonchan? - it's just not a flattering design. the bandages and ear guards give it some definition and trainee-like character, at least, but the colors are gross, and frankly it just looks too much like a human being. in general i dislike pokemon that too closely resemble humans and Tyrogue is one of the biggest offenders. even its name is dumb! it's not roguish at all! what a hitmonchump

(also the beta version was so much better imo. linked art by @racieb)

Runner Ups: Qwilfish, Smoochum, Noctowl

GEN 3

FAVE: DUSKULL

aww duskull... what a charmingly spooky spirit. the single red eye behind the skull mask is a killer design motif and i love its fishlike phantom body, arms tucked behind its back in eternal contemplation. so halloweeny!

Runner Ups: Trapinch, Lunatone, Illumise, Shedinja, Tropius

LEAST FAVE: DELCATTY

it lacks in personality, and i don't think the color scheme looks good. its head shape also freaks me out the longer i look at it... but i do like that its neck resembling a pincushion, that's clever

Runner Ups: Castform

GEN 4

FAVE: REGIGIGAS

hey look, it's game freak's favorite whipping boy! i'm a sucker for hulking construct-type designs and regigigas is such a thoroughly excellent example of one. the black runes and mossy accessories give it a feeling of ancient, unknown significance. unlike a lot of gen 4 legendaries, it doesn't feel overly busy but still feels complex enough to have that "legendary" impact

Runner Ups: Giratina, Carnivine, Torterra, Bastiodon, Gliscor, Drapion

LEAST FAVE: AMBIPOM

i have to say gen 4's designs usually feel distinct, particularly the new evolutions for older pokemon, which go out of their way to differentiate themselves from their previous form, for better or worse. not so for Ambipom, though!- which is just Aipom but worse in every single way. its once nimble fingers reduced to swollen udders, its cheeky grin slackened into a vacant smile and marred with an unpleasantly singular nostril, that dreadful haircut, and even the introduction of elbows to its vestigial arms that further emphasize the seeming impracticality of those wretched bulbous tail hands. and maybe even worse, it doesn't evolve the base concept in any way, aside from doubling the number of party balloons that limply float behind it, possibly the least interesting iteration on the existing concept

nothing unique to it is good or interesting, and that to me is way worse than a design that tries something new and fails

in terms of what i like about it... i guess it does seem like a pretty friendly guy. maybe he does tricks at parties. and it's nice that they can hold hands with one another in a group

Runner Ups: Gallade, Lopunny, Magmortar, Glaceon,

GEN 5

FAVE: HAXORUS

god if this thing isn't cool! the exquisite color palette, the subtle contours of its armor, the bloodred axe-tusks... elegant simplicity in a terrifyingly brutal beast. it feels out of time, jurassic yet medieval...

Runner Ups: Roggenrola, Heatmor, Scolipede, Cofagrigus, Mienshao

LEAST FAVE: GURDURR

there are very few pokemon that make me feel disgusted by looking at them, but here's one of them. its creepy lumpy head and bulging veins make me deeply uncomfortable. i must give credit for the base concept of a clown-ogre-construction-worker... that's ambitious, at least, and i think it pays off pretty well in Conkeldurr.

Runner Ups: the monkeys, the genies, & the musketeers... the fillerest of filler

GEN 6

FAVE: GOURGEIST

SUCH a fun design. it blends a candle and a jack-o-lantern into its own original creature with a very unique shape, and what a cutie at that! it coming in multiple sizes like a real pumpkin would just seals the deal. another perfectly halloweeny 'mon, it and Duskull would be best friends

Runner Ups: Avalugg, Barbaracle, Clawitzer, Espurr, Trevenant

LEAST FAVE: VOLCANION

one of the pokemon i forget about the most, and i am never happy to remember it. what a waste of the first fire/water type! its face looks constipated, its colors are lame, and it doesn't do jack-all with the concept besides the most obvious "it can shoot out steam." at the very least, though, i can say it has a unique silhouette. i think the design has potential, it's just that a lot of the particulars are very clunky and lame

(also, give me the fireball seal from the beta game freak!!)

Runner Ups: Hoopa, Braixen

GEN 7

FAVE: CHARJABUG

BEEP BEEP!!! oh how i adore this little battery buggy. i didn't think much of it back when it was first revealed, but as soon as i heard its cry i immediately fell in love. it really is unique, too - no other pokemon has this shape. even cooler it has a support-based playstyle unique from its evolution based around its Battery ability, improving its allies' damage passively. thanks charjabug : )

Runner Ups: Type: Null, Celesteela, Bruxish, Stakataka, Melmetal

LEAST FAVE: LYCANROC-DAY

i don't particularly dislike Lycanroc really (Alola's designs are bangers), but the rock typing is so thoroughly phoned in. and if you get rid of that you're just left with a wolf, an animal i don't care about. midnight form is fun though!

Runner Ups: Passimian, Toucannon

GEN 8

FAVE: SNEASLER

this pick is probably not too popular, but i can't help but love Sneasler because it looks so much like what i would doodle in my high school notebooks, monster people with huge claws and wicked eyes. it's a cringe OC and that's badass. it carrying you around in a basket is also just precious...

special mention also to legends arceus for making the diamond/pearl legendaries look way cooler. to me, anyway, i just think they're so much more fun in this surreal state

Runner Ups: Carkol, Cursola, Falinks, Ursaluna, Hatterene, Toxtricity

LEAST FAVE: CINDERACE

i generally don't care for the set of designs made for sword and shield. (my favorite gen 8 mon isn't even from sword/shield!!) it feels like over half of the dex is either a guy with a job, or tries way too hard to be "memetic" and funny. cinderace falls into the former camp, an uncannily humanoid and unnatural design. i also don't like the colors used... that being said, it's going for a very different aesthetic than what i prefer, so i can imagine some people loving this design just as much as I dislike it.

i think the idea of kicking a pebble that becomes a blazing fireball is rad though, and Court Change is a sick move

Runner Ups: Boltund, Eiscue, Kubfu, Coalossal, Skwovet, Greedent

GEN 9

FAVE: GLIMMORA

this perfect angel was one of the most unexpected delights of my scarlet playthrough. i love how otherworldly and surreal it is, its beautiful flower-like blooming petals that conceal its deadly poisonous nature, and its barreleye-fish-like-eyes that are at once adorable and haunting. it's amazing that we're 1000 designs in and game freak's artists are still able to create wholly new feeling concepts that are this cool...

Runner Ups: Slither Wing, Espathra, Houndstone, Ogerpon

LEAST FAVE: RELLOR

WHY DO YOU HAVE THE FACE OF A HUMAN, RELLOR?! WHY!?! i am begging gamefreak to stop giving so many pokemon mustaches and beards. i also don't like the weirdly smooth dunkin-donuts-lookin' dung ball and how none of its colors match the bug's colors... that being said, it does at least have personality, i can't deny that...

Runner Ups: Iron Jugulis, Frigibax, Iron Crown

well that was cathartic! to end on a positive note, i must say that I think Pokemon's overall design track record is very good. most designs have a likeable quality to them, and so many are bursting with creativity and charm. honestly even the ones i just criticized are probably some people's favorites, and they're not wrong to think so. thanks for reading!

[wyzzze]

One (slightly horrifying) thing I've learned from playing ZZZ is that the staff is VERY good at making characters that look one way but act in a completely unexpected way that has the ability to charm me.

For instance, before I started playing, I thought I wouldn't like Nicole. I thought she was going to be an overly shallow, snotty type that would be very "ohoho~" and annoying in a tropey way. And..she is "ohoho~" af but she's actually in a very delicate balancing act of being an absolute queen and a huge girlfailure and she steals the show whenever she's around. She's indeed vaguely all of the things you expect her to be but she does it in such a...charming way that she has me laughing and I'm ride or die w her now.

I didn't expect to like Lucy either! I thought she'd just be a normal tsundere but the one thing I've always really hated about typical tsunderes is their inability to be reasonable and how out of pocket they can be and Lucy...isn't like that. She's actually super reasonable and she sorta drives that ship. Calydon as a faction balances her traits out so well that when she barks orders it's like "ok yeah finally someone with common sense 😌✨️" if anything. She's still a princess-y tsundere but she missed the one trait I can't stand and that's kind of impressive to me tbh.

I didn't expect to dislike Seth per se but I didn't expect to like him that much either...he's a cop (his biggest sin) and he's...peppy. Which...isn't a sin...but it makes me (who is fucked up and evil) soooorta wish for him to uhh. break. 😇 Just a little bit! As a treat!! But he got me too okay....like fuuuck whatever! Whatever!!! Wet sad catboy with No Friends and his family problems that keep making him say "is my family normal? 🥺 it's normal right?" whateverrr!!! Just get in the car, loser!!! 🤧 god!!

I didn't think I'd like Harumasa! I have complete trust issues with characters that look like him! I expected him to be more of a ~sunshine on the outside but dark on the inside~ yandere-leaning kind of trope based on looks. But he's actually one of my favorite character archtypes instead...he's literally a sleepy guy with a billion nuanced problems and a fucked life. My favorite fucking food!! I owe you an apology, Mr. Harumasa!! I wasn't familiar with your game!!

But perhaps the most surprising twist of fate is me liking Wise. Like, I did NOT have high hopes for this boy, okay. I was NOT a believer. I didn't expect either one of them to have that much personality. When I first saw Wise's design with my working eyes I thought ZZZ devs fucking hated him. I thought he was going to be stale bread in terms of personality.

But like, Look! Look at us now!!

He's like a brother to me.

On god, the other day I blocked somebody for saying he was ugly with no love in their voice.

This game is so dangerous is what I'm saying bc the writers know how to get me to like characters that I have an allergy for. I am a Hateful Hateful person and it just keeps happening. They're like my little meow meows now, watch out or it could happen to u!

[kiame-sama]

did you ever share you favorite monster design you've made? i'm curious and would love to know. i think you've made it obvious or actually said your favorite is malleus and you love dragons since you were young. but of your art specifically which one is your favorite?

i'm still deciding for mine cuz i like a bunch of the designs. i really love alistaire and deuce and floyd and jade and rose kingdom ortho he's so sweet and adorable. actually now that i say it out loud those are my favorites. very nice designs

I have several favorites art wise and character wise, surprisingly.

Obviously Malleus is top of my character list. Again, he is a Dragon and I actually have always had a thing for men with long hair and Fae origins (*hastily shoves my Jareth The Goblin King fics away from view*). But my second favorite- which may be a surprise to others- is Rook. I've liked blondes for a while and Rook with longer/wilder hair would have my ovaries in seconds. Perhaps it is no surprise I enjoy the canon yandere characters more. My third favorite character wise hasn't even shown himself in the HAE AU yet; Rollo. You'll see how I play with his story to be more to my liking when he does show himself.

Design wise is several for different reasons.

Kalim as a Genie feels oddly natural and I loved doing his tattoos. I had to make his tattoos with my idea for his story and how it plays out in the AU in mind. They are considered prophetic in the AU and I took that seriously without making them too obvious but also keeping them in the style is original character had. Feel free to guess their meaning, as it does tie to why Kalim kills others with his magic.

I am terrified of spiders, but also find them fascinating along with my terror. I hate looking at them yet can't look away when I find one. Rook was actually the second in the entire AU (who didn't have an associated animal from canon) that I assigned a monster to. Drider fits him unusually well, especially a Huntsman which is known for hunting prey down over using a web. I was tempted to make him a bird-eating spider but that felt a little too on the nose for his fascination with Vil and Neige.

Riddle was the very first I decided on a monster for. All of his behavior and his mannerisms screamed UNICORN at me to the point I drew him first. I'm personally more partial to his post-overblot version but I also prefer men with longer hair.

I love that though the three Shrouds have very similar color pallets with a lot of overlap, they are quite different. Adding different traits to them was a fun way to think about their characters (ie. idia's acne scars becoming gemstones, papa Hades permanent tears, Ortho's breathing apparatus and mechanical limbs).

I just like that he looks more Dragon-like now. I like Dragons.

[idolomantises]

First question, will we be seeing Asmodeus and Lilith again soon? Second question! Do you have a favourite redesign and who was the hardest to redesign?

Yes!

I think my Beelzebub redesign is my favorite. I really love drawing bugs in general and it was really fun trying to rework her design to look more bee-like and less… furry. I actually liked the design so much I decided to repurpose it for my own character who’s Beelzebub’s daughter. She’s not as nice as Helluva’s Bee, very Regina George lol.

I actually got really excited working on her. I just love designing bugs and demons so getting a chance to do both was very enjoyable for me. I actually had even MORE sketches planned for her but I realized I was getting way too involved redesigning a character, so some concepts just became my own thing. Like I was like “I don’t mind that Beelzebub is nice, but she doesn’t feel like a Sin at all”, so I had some bonus sketches of her being like that really cool but toxic friend who just keeps enabling you.

Hardest to redesign though? God. Maybe Angel Dust? In fact even after my most recent redesign I’ve never really been fully happy with (it was very rushed compared to nifty). I enjoy doing Hazbin/Helluva redesigns but one major issue I have with these characters is that they’re WAAAAAY too bloated story wise, and Angel dust might be the worst example of this. Like fitting a drag queen, sex worker, celebrity and mafia boss into one character is a bit of a challenge because you basically have to look at Angel dust and understand all those things about him.

Maybe I’ll do a fifth one if I ever do Hazbin redesigns again LOL, but likely not. I always planned to stop early but the fandom kind of solidified it. These stop being fun knowing that there are people who monitorsmy account waiting for my next redesign to drop so they can harass me and tell me to kill myself. Not fun! I’d rather draw other things.

(Also to be clear, even if the fandom was really nice to me, I still would have stopped. The creator’s constant controversy was the main reason I quit and only did Nifty and Angel Dust after a request. But the fandom meltdown was the nail in the already deep and buried coffin)

[pop-st4rrr]

Marge from my beach au + au info

STOP LIKING MY OLD BEACH AU POSTS THEYRE SO UGLY OMG😭

AU summary so far:

Beach au is based on the episode about Lisa’s birth and them moving that takes place in 1984, but I changed the timeline to the early 2000s to fit my personal aesthetic. The episode is supposed to be summer themed, but there’s nothing summer about it besides Homer and Marge watching the 1984 Olympics that took place that summer. So I therefore decided to create beach au, which is a completely summer themed timeline.

Backstory:

Because their family is about to expand again, Marge thinks it’s time to move houses. After a long discussion, they decide to relocate to the beach to give their child (and future kids) the childhood they didn’t get. As a kid Marge grew up in a strict conservative household, and the beach vacations her family took were her favorite escape. So why not let her vacation last forever, and let her kids experience what she loved most too.

But this presents problems among the family. Both adults have to switch careers if they’re moving states away. Marge is hesitant especially because she’s expecting, and not many jobs will take her work. Homer is worried because, despite both parents being in work, the power plant gave him most of the income. They used all their money on a house by the ocean, so what’s next for them?

⬇️

After borrowing money to pay off the house, Marge gets a job as a waitress, and Homer finds similar technician work nearby. But they’re still adjusting to life at the beach. They don’t really know anyone, and their families are so far away. In the end, they find good friends with similarities to them, even if it takes time.

(All that leads to present day scenarios, where are they now?)

I’ll release more specific parts we wrote eventually lol but this is just my character info and background rn

Marge and homers info:

Marjorie Bouvier is 38 years old, she’s like 5 feet tall and French. (Well half French, her dad’s side). She’s married to Homer, has a son named Bart who is one, and is about to have twins (but she doesn’t know it quite yet).

Job-wise,she works at the mall. Despite being almost 40, she wants to go back to college and discover a career that would support her family better. She’s considering pursuing teaching. She was a model throughout her 20s, but is now retired and hates when people bring it up.

She’s French, (on her dad’s side) and it was the first language she learned until she had to learn English to go to school. She has two sisters and a brother and she’s very close with her brother. Her parents aren’t really part of her life tho.

She has several hobbies, including painting and sewing, but she also has a book club she leads along with principal Skinner and she likes going out bowling with her husband and supports his garage band :3

For Marge’s design I like to make her look very 2000s, since that’s when the flashbacks take place. Her hair down and curly suits the 80s stylization of the episodes, and as a personal preference I make her a little chubby since realistically after having a child she would not look like that, plus we need better representation for plus size people. Ngl I think Marge would be naturally ginger love me or hate me.

Homer Simpson is 36, he’s married to Marge Bouvier and works at the power plant still, although it’s further away now. He’s 6ft tall and has a lot of defining scars from his job at the plant. He’s southern bc he grew up on a farm with his family, and he’s kind of a hippie because that’s the only stuff his mom ever really taught him. He’s autistic (as in canon), and is REALLY into music. He has a garage band with a couple of his friends, and he also used to be famous just like his wife before they got married(barbershop quartet).

Homers backstory isn’t much different than in the show, just like Marge he has a bad relationship with his parents, his mother DID abandon him, as seen in canon. He still talks to his brother somewhat though. Homer definitely tries super hard with baby Bart to give him the childhood he didn’t have.

For homers 2000s design, I still keep it simple, but I added a lot more silly patterns and stuff bc it suits him well. He’d wear lots of graphic/band tees and jeans, also polos with shorts. Marge cuts his hair herself and he has a tattoo on his lower back, matching Marge. He doesn’t like it but got it because she didn’t want to do it alone :3. He also has his triple bypass scar from the season 5 episode.

[magicalgirlmindcrank]

Mindcrank's top 10 Mikus of the first five years

This list runs from the last monday of feb 2019 to to feb '24. Theres a few more done after that date in 24 that are not eligible.

#10 - 7/29/19: 'Aeiou Aeiou'

This was the first Miku we ever made that we were and remain truly proud of. We were still using SAI 1.0 back then, and I don't think we ever figured out how to do any rendering outside of adjusting opacity on the default brush. That we managed to make such a blend of colors and light with such a limitation in knowledge and tools just months after picking up a tablet, really makes this piece impressive to us even now. Even so, this barely cinches a spot almost by power of nostalgia alone.

#9 - 5/30/2022: 'One day I'll get to actually attend a concert'

Funnily enough, this one is based on a concert we did go to. Not a Hatsune Miku concert (though we still have our Miku expo 2020 ticket) but an Aurora one our youngest sister took us to. The singer came on, backlit as seen, and it kinda stuck with me. Really love this one though, the minimalist backlighting just looks great.

#8 - 6/27/2022: I really liked that one AI Greentext @liquidstar posted

While there are parts of this we're a bit questionable on now, namely the face in the final panel and being inspired by an AI greentext in the first place, this Miku holds a v special place in our heart. it's easily our most popular too, notes wise!

#7 - 4/3/2023 'A Trip To The Moon by Hatsune Miku'

This was part inspired by the desire to make a fake album cover, and part by the urban legend that the first manmade object in space was a sewer cover that was launched by a nuclear test. While untrue as the lid would have disintegrated at the speed it was moving well before leaving the atmosphere, it made for some potent imagery. This is one we wish we had even more time with, but as is, just looks fantastic. Every concept we wanted is there and so so good. Should really make a song list for this album.

#6 3/6/2023 'This is how Hatslimey Migoo arrives onstage'

This was part of Migoo March of '23, and we had to fight ourselves from including another piece from from the same month. It's no secret that Hatslimey Migoo is our favorite Miku design we made (sorry Radical Miku) and the whimsy and charm she brings with her is in spades here.

#5 - 7/11/2022 'Miku but it's me my 2009 senior year'

Okay so obviously at this point they're all near and dear to my heart, but this one has something even more special to it. I was such a depressed piece of shit in highschool and it was nice to give our past selves some love. That so many also loved her was genuinely healing in a way.

#4 - 8/1/2022 'Sli-Miku? Slimeku? Hatslimey Miku? Yeah'

Listen we said Hastlimey Migoo was our favorite child, and well, we just couldn't not put her origin image on this list. I mean just look at her! She's adorable! Not to mention how well we did making her look goopy as hell.

Honorable mentions!

(okay look we had to cut this down from 26 images and there still like a dozen more that could have made the shortlist so let us have this)

From 2021! Still perhaps our favorite Radical Miku! Posing and shadows look great still tbh.

Perhaps the Miku with the least amount of love noteswise. From 2023, it just really captures the miserable summer days in my shitty old room. there was no AC and it was triple digits or close to it many, many days. Just looking at it is something bittersweet.

From 2022, we have this vampire miku! Sure some parts are a little off, but the colors and bg just feel so right! So very perfectly part of the mood. Back to the countdown!

#3 9/25/2023 'Patron Saint of Song'

This is the Miku we're perhaps the second most unreasonably proud of on a technical level. Working within the limitations of imitating another style just pulled something out of us ig. We're not even sure what else to say, just look at it! The smooth lines, the way the flatly colored pieces create depth with the curves, the bordering. Easily one of the best pieces we've ever made.

#2 - 2/8/21 'Miku Devours Her Progeny'

This is it. Perhaps the one you expected at No. 1? It has been our favorite for a very long time, and the one we pointed to as such for a while after all. Even after making the piece that now resides at the top slot.

There's just something so absurd about Miku as Saturn, yet something that works to it. She is, after all, the first Vocaloid, and remains the most outwardly popular. A position that naturally calls for the cannibalization of her progeny. Perhaps it's the way it captures the madness and zero sum nature of making art?

No matter how long we look at it, no matter the new flaws we spot in it's construction, it's a piece that as we gaze upon it we only love more.

#1 - 5/22/23 'Trail Cam Footage'

This is a piece that's truly difficult to speak on. Iirc, we had found ourselves short on time, so elected to try a rougher, more impressionist style. Something we could make quickly, as to not miss a Monday and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Taking further inspiration from trail cams and horror, we decided a greyscale would help further eliminate work. No pesky color picking to complicate rendering.

This as made in a single post-work sitting as a result. It has since become our favorite.

It so perfectly captures the feeling of seeing something spooky on a low res camera feed. Just enough details to let your mind fill in the blanks. The short field of view making it all the more intimate. The oppressive darkness all around. This is the only piece we've loved enough to share to other sites we don't post to. Its both our blog background, and our PC wallpaper!

We've often considered revisiting this style, but are afraid we'd never be able to live up to this. Honestly, it feels like it would be redundant. This one piece is already the peak. Not to mention, there's no way to live up to the fact that just days later, actual trail cam footage of two naked witches eating a deer emerged.

Which Miku is your favorite? Did we miss one you love? Let us know!

[jasethegooberton]

little random question outta nowhere

since you're back into fnaf (same for me 😔😫) I wanna know

What fnaf game you like the most (like animatronic wise ig)

I'm guessing security breach but I'm not sure

and I also wanna know which animatronic do you like the most

I pretty much like all the games for different reasons. Theres only like one I’m very indifferent to but I don’t think there’s a Fnaf game I genuinely hate 🤷🏾 so instead of picking a fave imma just dump all my thoughts on each game lmao hope you don’t mind me yapping.

I like the first and second game for the animatronics and sound design (and nostalgia, sue me).

third game introduced Springtrap. Enough said.

fourth game made me shit my pants as a kid so I’d say that one was the scariest for me personally.

I remember loving sister location as a kid but now idk it’s still pretty good but I wouldn’t say I love it as much anymore.

pizzeria simulator was a solid conclusion to the first arc of fnaf, or the afton arc?? Idk whatever you wanna call it. Loved the final speech and all the stupid shit you could buy.

Security Breach is such an anomaly to me. It’s like the Sonic 06 of Fnaf. I SHOULD dislike it because it is objectively a very terrible game from the story to the gameplay, but I don’t?? 🥸 I like the aesthetic and I like where the potential original storyline was going. Too bad it didn’t make it in, cus I would have loved to see Vanessa and Vanny being involved in the story. (Currently breaking my neck trying to rewrite it for funsies 🤭)

Ruin is the most boring fnaf related game I’ve ever seen, I’m so sorry to any ruin fans reading this I tried to like it, I really did. The only thing I liked was Cassie, she’s the cutest and silliest and she reminds me of my lil sibling so there’s my bias :) oh yeah and Eclipse, he was dope. Everything else was lowkey formulaic and forgettable.

I’m still iffy on the new Mimic game coming out later but I want to give it a chance even if I don’t really care about the Mimic. It’s just feels like a weak excuse for the shit show that happened in the burn trap ending to me.

(I didn’t include the VR games cuz I think they’re fun but I don’t have any strong feelings regarding them lmao.)

For my Favorite Animatronic of all time? I’m debating between Glamrock Freddy and the Daycare attendant (super basic ahh options, I’m aware). I have a lot of faves from each game to it’s hard to say which one I love the most.

lemme list some faves from each game for youuuu:

Fnaf 1: Freddy and Bonnie hands down. Been a fan of that duo from day 1 🙏🏾

Fnaf 2: The puppet, Mangle, Toy Bonnie, WITHERED BONNIE MY GOAT, and withered Freddy cus he looks so stupid I love him

Fnaf 3: Springtrap….

Fnaf 4: Nightmare Bonnie and Fredbear

Sister Location: Circus Baby, Funtime Foxy (honorable mention, Lolbit)

Pizzeria Simulator: Lefty obviously, Scrap Baby (cuz she had roller skates), and Helpy

Security Breach: Glamrock Freddy, Daycare attendant, Glamrock Chica (and Glamrock Bonnie based off of vibes alone….)

Ruin: Eclipse cuz why not?

I hope you enjoyed my stupid yap session 🤓 I love talking about fnaf tho and I can’t wait to see the second movie in theaters!!!

[tree-obsession]

hopes/theories/predictions for each of the chrysos heirs' + cyrene's personalities

not at all accurate, and i haven't seen any story leaks yet(although i saw the coreflame ones, so beware)! this was written a few days before 3.0 came out and is just for fun! only the chrysos heirs i know the names and faces of... sorry hysilens fans, i have no idea for her :(. cyrene is included because a) i love her and elysia and b) she's gonna be relevant, even if idk if she'll be a chrysos heir

a few coreflame spoiler under the cut, but no other story leaks! a bunch of people have already predicted the coreflames anyway lol

aglaea- im very excited for her story-wise, a couple people have already said she probably has some hidden side to her, and she may even become an antagonist of sorts in the second part! i personally love that she's the oldest(maybe? or just most experienced) heir and the one to unite them all. she's our first playable so she'll def be super important. i really wanna know what her golden apple thingy is all about too... but aside from that she's ETHEREAL. i need to know everything about her she's so gorgeous. she can commit a little murder as a treat i think she would deserve it. idk why i just get that feeling. she's so calm and elegant and stoic like i think she should go just a little apeshit for the hell of it.

tribbie- im really curious- did she split into three or are they born triplets who all carry the coreflame? how does all that work? why does she have two city affiliations in her drip? im not the most interested in her, per se, but she's got a lot of questions too. i hope she's playable as three characters because i wanna see those animations!!

anaxa- honestly i have the most questions + speculations about him. like what happened to his dull eye(s)? why does he have an eyepatch? why's he called "the Foolish"? how are he and hyacine related? why are his eyes the same colors as March's(and from a planet where she'll be very story relevant? i'm very biased at him cause su's my favorite male character in hi3 and anaxagoras was one of my fav greek philosophers. i already said this in a different post but su's variants are all batshit insane so he's gonna be. interesting! also the timeloop theory and him maybe being aware of it?? that got me really interested. but his name is the bit really bothering me- why name his after the guy who a) invented the concept of nous, an aeon we know is involved in amphoreus b) didn't believe gods were responsible for bits of the world like everyone else did(which is gonna come up in amphoreus just you wait) and c) was right about basically everything several hundred years before anyone had the tech to back it up?? like that's still insane to me. also how are we getting his coreflame if cerces is dead like come on what's going on there?? i wanna shake him around in a box im excited for him!

hyacine- lots of theories saying she might also be from the grove of epiphany, and she and anaxa were sitting in the same tree in golden epic trailer! i think her design's super cute, and she'll be important if her titan is actually aquila like people have theorized. she'll probs be a healer? i wonder what the inspiration behind her name is too... she doesn't seem to have flower motifs, even, but if she's from the grove that makes a bit more sense. i'd initially thought she was from aidonia, a city in the mountains(near the sky) plus the place aquila might be from(judging from ancient hymns, but that could be my misinterpretation). im so pulling for her. i also really hope she and anaxa have a big brother-little sister relationship like ppl on twitter have said, bc they looked so happy together in that one frame of nameless faces and im weak for found family.

mydei- uhhh a lot of people have said gap moe?? idk if that's a theory or leaks- personally i think it would be super funny. im a little worried about him, cause the words in his drip marketing were... super ominous, like why does he have to die a thousand deaths? he's a prince, which makes me wonder how nobility works in amphoreus + when castrum kremnos was destroyed, but that's a different conversation. i like the little braids in his design- good nod to greek culture! he's also got a throne in the nameless faces trailer which is kinda interesting and probably foreshadowing

cipher - par! do! fe! lis! i LOVE trickery characters so i'll probs pull her unless i have zero funds. her model looks so different from the initial art but i do still love the vibes so i'm not that put off. she already has her coreflame! but that one scene in nameless faces where she's surrounded by flames... no death flags im begging. elysian realm was bad enough for sure. let them be happy!! i have high hopes for her personality- i hope they don't lean too much into the "catty"(hah) bit and focus on her backstory, whatever that may be!

castorice- afgausdfyg her ANIMATION?! must pull! she's so gorgeous and she has a butterfly motif and she's related to DEATH in a GREEK MYTHOLOGY WORLD and she has a MASSIVE SCYTHE im going absolutely insane. also dull eyes syndrome for the win! she's gonna make me cry. side note her dragon's super cool looking too. i hope she becomes a major companion for tb (it seems so from the remembrance tb keeping up with star rail!). she's. im gonna enjoy her part of the quest so much oh god. im shaking in excitement. also while i dont like the same dress on every single hsr girl hers actually looks pretty good. if they put butterflies and dragons into all her animations i might actually pull eidolons, which so far i've only done for ruan mei. that's the power of a death goddess tho!! im so excited for her.

phainon- kevin... smiling... looking like a puppy... oh god my h e a r t. if he's like a happy lil puppy like he was before the Traumas + dr mei's death in hi3 i'll throw myself through a wall. hoyo please let him be happy this one time let all the flamechasers have a happy end im begging. they deserve it. im begging for all the people who theorize he will have to hold the world on his shoulders to be wrong about just this one thing because my heart WILL give out just a bit.

cyrene- ELYSIA ELYSIA!!! oh god she's so tiny!! she's got the same lil giggle and attitude about happy stories im gonna ghksufgukygfk jhf. but anyway. we know nothing about her yet, but i like the theories that she's somehow on the "outside" of amphoreus looking in + the ones saying mem is her fursona. she's adorable and i really, really hope she's playable. so much. you know her animations would go so hard you know it hoyo loves elysia too much for anything else.

one last thing i just wanted to say that i already said on twt: i think in the golden epic trailer, the first one, the order in which the chrysos heirs were introduced is the order aglaea recruited them in! i have no real evidence, other than that it would kinda make sense and having tribbie second makes sense because... messenger who can recruit heirs! but idk, just a random thought.

aaand that's all! again, these are all speculations + hopes nothing i say here will necessarily be canon :)

[sillycreaturefromthevoid]

Nobody said it, so I will : Happy birthday Gidget!! Today is (at least in my timezone it still is) March 3rd, which means it is Gidget's birthday today. They mean a lot to me as a character because well, first, they are part of the main cast of my favorite game (you'll never guess which one) and that implies that they are extremely well written. I loved seeing their entire character arc play out, from their backstory, the reveal of how their bigoted mother has greatly influenced their upbringing as a person and how their crush on Iggy and suppressed gender dysphoria has led them down a dark path, twisted by the magic of the Tree's wonderland. It is also quite rare to see non binary representation, so seeing Gidget's character immediately have their pronouns switched to they/them was honestly very thrilling to see. One of my favorite things about their character is how, even after the timeline resets at the end of the game, the narration still uses they/them to refer to Gidget. As in, that is one of the memories that the crew remembers. Who Gidget is. Perhaps it is also what encourages Gidget to come out post wonderland instead of suppressing their identity, like in the previous timeline.

Oh, and character design wise, they are simply incredible. Their blonde little hair clumps or whatever they are, hanging near their ears? LOVELY. It gives the character so much style! Speaking of style, their aesthetic is simply flawless. Even evil spider Gidget was absolutely slaying. And their design got EVEN cooler after their haircut. UGHHH.

I'll admit, it took me a bit of time to warm up to this character. Partially because, the way they treat Iggy in wonderland is less than ideal, in fact, it is quite horrific. As soon as I finished the game for the first time, my favorite character was Genzou, and my least favorite from the main cast was Gidget. As a matter of fact, Genzou left a sweet taste on my tongue, where Gidget left a bitter one. But with time and rumination, one learns to appreciate all tastes. Even if Gidget's actions were horrific and scarring, it only takes a bit of thinking to realize that it was merely wonderland twisting their wounds to make them into this incredibly violent person. After all, Iggy, Orlam and Bucks also get incredibly influenced and seemingly turn into completely different people as well, all because they were relentlessly dehumanized. The same thing happened with Gidget. Never in a thousand universes would they have done what they did if they were themself. It is pretty clear that during arc 5, the moment they learn to accept themself, they snap out of the wonderland manipulations on their brain. So I learnt to love Gidget's character for who they are, who they really are. OFW and OC can especially help into seeing who Gidget really is. And with Broomtail mostly centering around Genzou's point of view, one can only imagine if there is a universe where Gidget's point of view on things is the most exploited. I think that would be pretty cool.

ANYWAY, instead of rambling, all I meant to say is HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIDGET!!

[givemeallyourpenny]

How would you design Penny as a Three Houses unit? Like, which are her good and bad growths, boons, banes, budding talents, "canon" class(es)?

Fantastic question!

A Quick Look at How Penny fights in the show gives us a lot of the answers.

Swords and Lasers and later actual magic. Trickster or Mortal Savant are going to be her best options

“Canon” path would probably be mercenary > swordmaster > mortal savant.

Stats wise speed is going to be her top stat because that is a lot of swords, with Magic Strength and Defense following close behind because look at this

Her lowest stat growth would probably be luck and hp?

Her boons would definitely be Sword, Reason and, Faith. I picked both reason and faith because she would definitely excel at both.

She’s incredibly smart and is often the first to figure out someone’s deal, and notably figuring out how Ruby’s semblance worked before Ruby herself did, so reason magic wouldn’t be too difficult to her.

Faith in three houses doesn’t seem to correlate to belief in the goddess, instead it’s a more nebulous sense of trust in others. Idk it’s hard to explain. But Penny has it in spades. Nobody loves and trusts her friends more than this goober. Plus her song makes a big deal out of her “wishes made on stars.”

Possibly Lance would be a boon as well since the way 3h characters use lances is very similar to her fighting style, big sweeping motions that keep the opponent at a distance.

As for banes I don’t think there’s much she couldn’t figure out. Maybe Axes because that’s the most different from how she fights? But definitely Authority, while her charm is high she’s not really the leader of soldiers type.

Budding Talent is an easy choice. Flying.

She’d use Ice and Wind spells because that’s what magic we see her use. Blizzard, Cutting Gale, Fimbulvetr, and Excalibur probably.

I’d probably go with Trickster for her most of the time but stuff like Gremory, Dark Flyer or Falcon Knight would be fun as well.

And of course she’d be the perfect fit for Dancer

But my favorite thing in fire emblem is supports so let’s talk about that quick.

I’d want her an Byleth to talk about their shared experiences being artificial people created for a specific purpose that they didn’t sign up for. Byleth only learns the full extent of that at the very end of one route though, but i still think it could work.

She’d probably fit most with the Golden Deer and their bunch of misfits vibes and themes of breaking down the walls between people and holding hands. Especially with Lysithea since they’re both little science experiments.

That said I’d be most interested in her Supports with Dimitri and Edelgard. Both have similar themes around loss of control and betrayal. Edelgard is also a fellow living weapon girlie. She and Dimitri would vibe over their crazy strength and longing for basic human experiences like tasting food.

[samuraionyourmom]

Been thinking about my Android Dazai AU lately. I've been asking myself a couple of questions about it since no one else seems to 😒 /lh (if you have any questions, please send them in, I beg. I yearn to yap). I've been mostly asking myself these questions to help me flesh out this AU better, and I thought I'd share my process.

If you haven't heard about it, you can check out my other posts about it here as well as the fic I made for it!

So, anyway, onto my ramblings. Prepare for an info dump and a half.

I'm sticking with the main question I've been asking myself for this post, and that is:

Why did Mori create Dazai? Why not just stick with Elise? What are his motivations?

This has been one of the toughest questions I've been faced with when I imagine this AU. It stumped me for a long while, so I just ignored it for the time being. But after a deep analysis of Mori's character, I've come to a conclusion.

Right off the bat, I'd like to make it clear that Mori has no creepy or pedophilic reasons for creating Dazai in this AU, so throw that thought away. I don't want to hear about it.

For starters, I'd like to lay out who Mori is as a person. Or how I view him, anyway. Deep down, Mori longs to take care of someone. We see this in Beast when he's free from his duties as Boss and is able to open up an orphanage. He states that he wishes he could have saved Dazai instead of manipulating him like he did.

But as it currently stands in the main timeline, Mori is unable to indulge in this desire. He is a slave to the organization, as he puts it, and he has a duty to go with the most logical solution as its leader. Facts over feelings and all that. Whether that means pushing Yosano to her limit despite his own hatred for using fear as a way to control people or sacrificing Oda, someone who he knows is very dear to Dazai, for the sake of obtaining the permit.

All this to say that Mori is very repressed. Personally, I say that these secret desires manifest themselves in Elise. She has some of Yosano and Dazai’s characteristics, both people Mori wish he could've cared for properly, and he spoils her openly, almost as if he's trying to make up for lost time.

Now, back to the AU. Elise's existence allows Mori to indulge in his fantasies, yes, but he wants something tangible. Elise is a manifestation of his own wants, but she's not real. So Mori decides to make an android. Maybe it's in a moment of weakness, so desperate for something, anything, to care for to make up for the pain he's caused.

Why not just adopt a child? Well, as much as he would like to, having a child in the Port Mafia isn't a wise decision, morally or logically. So he settles for an artificial one. It's different enough from Elise because it's something that can just vanish into thin air like she does. Something physical.

He works tirelessly to design, engineer, and produce an android that can give him as close to what he wants as possible. Not a baby, though. He couldn't bear that. He settles on a young teen for the design (again, not for creepy reasons, you weirdos). Something that he could care for, but isn't entirely helpless.

I imagine the first thing Mori did was create the AI for this thing before working on the body, and suddenly, this AI just starts yapping at him from his computer. The android takes on a life of their own. Starts calling themselves "Osamu Dazai." Orginally, Mori was set on creating a feminine-leaning android (his failures with Yosano are still haunting him at this point), but Dazai's like: uh, hell no. I am Osamu Dazai. I am a boy. Fix my body, u stupid doctor. (I love transzai)

Anyway, Dazai helps Mori design the body he wants. It's more androgynous than before, which Dazai enjoys. He's implemented into it shortly after it's finished, and voila, our favorite little bandage boy, is born.

Sure, Dazai isn't exactly what Mori had envisioned when he first started the project. He had imagined something more docile, easier to project his desires onto. But Dazai is what he is, and he won't be changed now. He's here now, and he's here to stay. Very human, despite how he came into this world or how much he denies it.

I may or may not have been influenced by the recent release of the Stormbringer Manga with that last bit. Anyway, Dad Mori is real. He's just not very good at it.

[iaf]

General thoughts about Jentry Chau vs the Underworld

I finished the series like a day ago and let me just tell y'all that its good. I recommend anyone intrested in watching something new to give it a shot. Personally, I checked it out for the animation but ended up sticking around for the characters/plot. It's very colorful from the backgrounds, character designs, and effects. It's clear to me that the people who worked this put a lot of care and detail. I kinda want to say, animation-wise, its a combination between SheRa and Glitch Techs?? What I'm getting at it's that it's a really beautiful show that deserves recognition.

Oh, and this is one of those shows where the MC has a new outfit almost every episode!! That's one of my favorite things ever!! Like, how often do we see that? Anyways, Jentry is awesome. She's headstrong, caring, and smart. All her actions are completely understandable and rational to me. Gugu was interesting. She's deceitful but believes it's for the best for everyone involved. I like that the narrative frowns upon this aspect of her but she's not "evil". Ed was... well you see I didn't really like him at first. Idk what it was but I just didn't care too much about him but somewhere after ep 6 I came around. I enjoy his friendship with Jentry <3

As for the other characters, they just needed more screentime. I think that overall, just for the sake of this season, what Stella, Michael, and Kit have is alright. I would love for Stella and Jentry to become better friends. I feel like more could have been done with Michael and his powers. Kit was great but I would have preferred a different resolution to his character. Like I said, I don't have any real issue about the side characters being underdeveloped. As for the love triangle and romance stuff, I'm still mulling it over.

Moving on to the story, had a lot of fun watching it all play out. I really like Jentry as a main character. I like that the story focuses not only on her powers but also her family struggles and the agency she's constantly denied. The plot is always advancing with each episode, nothing drags out but I would have liked to linger on some revelations or characters.

Lastly, REALLY GREAT MUSIC!!! Genuinely really good. I'm gonna be listening to the soundtrack repeatedly.

Good show, beautiful animation, lovely characters, and enjoyable story. Would love a season 2 but also this holds up well just as it is. So, those are my general thoughts. Just wanted to get this out before I dive back in for a full rewatch.

[yourlocalsayorikin]

Sayori’s precure color chart

so I got bored yesterday and decided that I wanted to take a crack at the fandom’s most controversial topic: colors. I’ve broken it down all into charts and then I added them all together, counting a total of 91 cures in all. I did not include cures like Cure Mofurun or Cure Pekorin, choosing to keep the mascots separate and then I didn’t include like Cure Tender just cause she wasn’t a main line cure. My standard for this was that if they don’t really feature as part of the main team or aren’t in the all stars as cures, then they won’t be included.

….however, you may notice that I included Cure Regina in this line up. To be completely fair, I forgot to remove her and the data was already calculated. Once we get the mid season(s) for Kimi to Idol I’ll go back and remove her.

I also did not include different cure forms except for Cure Bloom/Bright and Cure Egret/Windy because they have different names. I also only included Miracle and Magical’s diamond forms only just because it’s their most iconic and they’re still miracle and magical but with different outfits.

Again, this is just my opinion on the Great Precure Color Debate and just for fun!

That being said, let’s start!

Starting off with the #1 color that everyone was expecting; pink! Now, it makes 100% sense why there are the most characters in this category considering every year since splash star and until tropical rouge theres been a pink cure as the leader. Honestly, iconic and I have to cheer and they make up about 21% of the cures ever.

Next we have the blue cures. Now, I was a bit surprised by them taking second place but it makes sense considering they’re a staple in both full teams and pink/blue/yellow teams. They take about 19% of all cures and good for them!

Now we have our first tie; yellow and purple. Considering how both have been used in both teams and pink/blue/yellow teams with purple usually being the late season, again not surprised. They take up about 15% of all cures.

Next is our red cures and it’s not particularly surprising that there are so few of them with how they usually only appear in team seasons and then with passion, scarlet, and macherie being the late seasons for pink/blue/yellow teams. They make up about out 8% of all cures.

Up next, white! White is always such a hard color to pin down because there could be arguments for prism or nyammy, however considering how white is the base and most prominent color in their design, I placed them here. Honestly, I think they should use White (and black) cures more often, but I’m happy enough with the 7% they have.

Toei’s favorite color; green! Now I’m well aware of the debate on whether felice, milky, and now lillian are true green cures and I see both sides. Mint and march are very green whereas felice has A LOT going on and milky and lillian are more teal/blueish, but like they can all hang out together in the same category it’s fine! However, if we do get a clearly teal cure I will move lillian and milky to that category. Kinda similar to how sunny was just with yellow until wing came along fandom wise. Green cures take up 5% of all cures.

Speaking of them, here’s the orange cures! I know yum-yum can be seen as a yellow cure sometimes as well, but to me she seems more orange. And then Satoru can be here as well since he did make it into the all stars movie and cure form for like the last five minutes of wonderful precure. The orange cures make up 4% of call cures.

The next categories that tied are rainbow and ??? ! I put parfait and summer in rainbow because they just have so much going on with their outfits that they can’t just be put in a one colored category. And for ??? I put rosetta because I am literally so stumped on her main color and then Regina (though she will be removed with the next update). These cures make up 2% of all cures respectively.

And finally, with only one character in this category, it’s the black cures. Honestly, I wish they would they would use the black/white color schemes more often, and if it doesn’t happen in Kimi to Idol we might have to have for the 25th anniversary season. Thank you cure black for being a trooper girl. Cure black makes up only 1% of all cures.